South Africa: Call for speedy resolution to end Makhanda water crisis

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) has called for a speedy resolution to end the decade-long water crisis at Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.

The call follows reports of fresh protests by the Makhanda community against the Makana Local Municipality over unreliable water supply.

Committee chairperson, Fikile Xasa, said during its recent oversight visit to the municipality, the committee engaged the municipal leadership extensively on the water shortages, and a plan to alleviate water crisis was presented.

Xasa said the plan includes the upgrading of bulk water supply for James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works, and the municipalitys two raw water sources.

This was necessary because the other raw water source, the Waainek Water Treatment Works, has operational challenges.

This project has been in progress since 2013. This means that Makhanda residents have been without reliable water supply for over a decade, considering the severe drought that also affected the area from 2011.

This is an unreasonably long time for a project that was initially planned for completion within three years. The municipality attributed the delay to problems relating to the projects implementing partners, namely Amatola Water and its sub-contractors, as well as the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Xasa said.

Shortly after its oversight visit to the municipality, the committee engaged the project implementing partners, with DWS Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo, leading the delegation.

Mitigating actions were presented, including sourcing of additional funding to address the project cost overruns, fast-tracking of supply chain management processes, and fast-tracking of work permits.

It is now nearly six months since these mitigating actions were presented and the Makhanda water crisis remains unresolved. The committee calls on the projects implementing agents to act with a sense of urgency and do their utmost to end the decade-long water crisis in the town, Xasa said.

He said a follow-up on this matter will be included in the committees programme.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
HCM City kicks off humanitarian month in May

The Vietnam Red Cross Societys HCM City Chapter on Tuesday launched its humanitarian month, with more than VN90.9 billion (US$3.9 million) committed to be donated to various humanitarian programmes.





The Vietnam Red Cross Societys HCM City Chapter receives donations at a ceremony to launch humanitarian month on May 9.
Mason City's efforts to revive the downtown area, connect bike and hiking trails and make the city a walkable destination are seeing success, and the Friends of Willow Creek organization is hoping to make an impact as well.

The 2020 Willow Creek Master Plan describes the creek as "the dominant natural feature within the planning area." The plan goes on to say, "Although there have been attempts to highlight the creek and integrate it into the neighborhood (such as the initial construction of the Willow Creek Trail,) the creek corridor appears to be a forgotten element, with development 'turning its back' on the creek rather than celebrating this unique and potentially beautiful green corridor."

All that has changed with the River and River II apartment complexes. Population in the immediate area is exploding and the Friends of Willow Creek aim to maintain the trail for the enjoyment and benefit of the public.

The volunteer organization is also a part of the master plan for the creek. Dr. Steven Schurtz has been on the Active Living and Transportation Commission for a number of years, and during that time, he's fielded plenty of interested volunteers for the organization.

"When we developed the master plan, part of that was the Friends of Willow Creek. We were tasked with creating an organization that would do a couple yearly clean-ups and keep watch over the trail. There's been some mixed success with that," Schurtz says.

The plan itself calls for the creation of "an independent 'Friends of Willow Creek' organization, to provide volunteers for creek corridor upkeep, and to advocate for programs, funding and activities to keep the creek area clean, active, and vibrant." The organizational structure is "technically independent from the city. This organization should work closely with the City Active Living and Transportation Commission on shared goals and programs."

Schurtz has found lots of folks who are interested in cleaning up trash, pulling weeds and removing invasive species. The Operations and Maintenance Department will do tree trimming and other large tasks, leaving volunteers to handle the lighter efforts.

What Schurtz hasn't found yet, is a leader. "The organization is ready to take off, but I haven't found anyone to coordinate the group. It's not a huge time commitment, and the way things are structured, Active Living and Transportation does the liaison work with the city. A coordinator would simply step in and set some dates, do a little planning for the cleanup."

Trash collects along the banks of the creek and in the tree line surrounding it. Weeds grow up in Iowa's fertile soil and invasive species find their way into native stands of trees and grasses. A healthy cadre of volunteers could clear the trail area in just a day.

"We would love to have this off the ground and running by the time River II is complete. We're also hopeful that residents at the complexes will get involved in keeping the trail vibrant and active," Schurtz says.

More information can be found at Friends of Willow Creek's Facebook, and Schurtz can be reached at 641-430-1745.
Amazon has set a goal of hiring 1,000 people and opening its Davenport fulfillment center by August this year, according to Quad Cities Chamber officials.

Speaking to the Scott County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Chamber Senior Vice President of Business and Economic Growth Julie Forsythe said Amazon has communicated the plans to local officials.

'Were told that theyre going to be hiring," Forsythe told supervisors, referring to Amazon. "And they hope to open by August of this year."

The Chamber recently helped facilitate a meeting with Amazon officials, state workforce agencies, and higher education institutions in the region, wrote Tami Petsche, vice president for business and economic growth at the Chamber, in an email Tuesday.

The purpose of the meeting was to, "provide an update on the positions they will be hiring at the Davenport facility," Petsche wrote.

Currently, Amazon's website lists in-person hiring events for locations in Bondurant, Grimes, and Ankeny in Iowa.

No Davenport jobs are yet listed on Amazon's hiring website, but job sites, such as Indeed list some Amazon jobs located in Davenport.

The massive fulfillment center at the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center just north of Interstate 80 was slated to open a year earlier, in September 2022. But in May of last year, the e-commerce giant confirmed it planned to delay the opening of the Davenport facility by two years, opening instead in 2024 because of global supply chain issues.

An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Amazon raced to build warehouse space during the pandemic as more people at home turned to online shopping. A year ago, Amazon posted its first quarterly loss in seven years, which the chief financial officer attributed to overbuilding warehouse space during the pandemic as shoppers returned to in-person retail.

Amazon canceled warehouse plans across the country and currently is in the middle of cost-cutting, including laying off 27,000 workers. The companys earnings jumped 9% this spring compared to last year, according to the Guardian.

Another large development in Davenport's industrial park, Fair Oaks' bacon-packaging facility, is expected to open in 2024, Forsythe told supervisors.

That project was expected to create about 247 new full-time jobs with an hourly wage of $23.95.

With Amazon and Fair Oaks Foods both hiring hundreds of workers in the Quad-Cities in the next year or two, Forsythe acknowledged finding enough workers is a challenge for businesses. Amazon, for example, offers flexible hours and tuition aid to attract students, she said.

This is a conundrum in every community  where are we going to get people? Everybody has to figure it out, because its not going to go away, Forsythe said. The numbers just arent there. Were not having enough babies throughout the United States.
PORTAGE, Indiana  A 28-year-old woman, who allegedly dumped her two small children along a busy stretch of U.S. 6 following an argument, was found slumped over the wheel of her nearby vehicle and battled with officers while being taken into custody, Portage police reported.

"As I was placing a seatbelt on Ms. (Tanya) Embry, she kicked toward me with her right leg, her knee striking me on the right side of my jaw," an officer wrote in the arrest report. "I took hold of Ms. Embry's right leg and she then kicked out with her left leg, striking me in the right shoulder. I felt pain to both areas which were struck."

Embry, who provided addresses in both Liberty Township and Griffith, was taken to the Porter County jail and has since been charged with felony counts of battery against a public safety official and two counts of neglect of a dependent, and misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and public intoxication, records show.

A Portage police officer responded at 8:34 p.m. Saturday to a report of small children, estimated to be first-grade age, walking near U.S. 6 in the area of Castle Subaru, the incident report says.

The officer spotted two small children.

"When asked what they were doing by the roadway, (one of the children) informed me their mother had kicked them out of the vehicle on US Hwy. 6 and drove away," officer reported.

The children said their mother, Embry, was drunk and driving a GMC truck. The officer reported seeing the vehicle in question a short distance away to the north in the business parking lot.

The officer found the vehicle running and the driver, later identified as Embry, slumped over unconscious behind the wheel, police said. The vehicle was in drive and her foot was on the brake.

The officer placed the vehicle in drive and after being unable to awaken Embry, called emergency medical officials to the scene, according to the report.

When Embry regained consciousness and was asked about the whereabouts of her small children, she pointed south toward the highway, police said.

"When asked, Tanya informed me they were arguing in the vehicle and she kicked them out as she was on U.S. Highway 6," according to police.

Police reported finding an alcoholic beverage underneath Embry's legs on the floor of the vehicle and said she smelled of alcohol.

It was while she was resisting being placed in a police vehicle that she allegedly battered an officer.

The children were taken to the Portage Police Department and turned over to a Child Protective Services official.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  A Chicago man who was convicted of shooting and seriously wounding an Iowa sheriff's deputy during a convenience store robbery in 2021 has been sentenced to up to 92 years in prison.

Thirty-eight-year-old Stanley Donahue will have to serve at least 60 years before he is eligible for parole. He was sentenced Friday on multiple charges including attempted murder of a peace officer related to the shooting in Coggon, a town about 20 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Prosecutors said Donahue robbed two employees at a Casey's store and confined them in a cooler before shooting Linn County deputy Will Halverson seven times on June 20, 2021.

Donahue fled and was later arrested after a more than 12-hour manhunt that ended when he was spotted by a television news crew.

Halverson said at the sentencing hearing that the shooting had permanently affected his life even though he was able to return to work after he recovered from his injuries. On the night he was shot, Halverson said he thought he was going to die.

"It's OK to feel scared about spending the rest of your life in prison," Halverson said. "Use your time wisely. Use that time you have there to change your life for the better."

But after Halverson's testimony, Donahue started making comments disrupting the hearing and cursing at the deputy. Donahue even mocked Halverson for becoming emotional during his testimony at trial.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said Donahue's outburst and a comment he made to Halverson after his conviction in February shows he doesn't feel any remorse. After his trial, Donahue looked at Halverson and his family and said "It should of been worse than what it was," followed by an expletive.

"There's no indication that Stanley Donahue won't commit another horrific crime like this again if given an opportunity, and his criminal history demonstrates he will," Maybanks said.

Judge Christopher Bruns said he believed there was little chance of rehabilitating Donahue after he had spent much of his adult life in prison and his crimes continued to escalate over the years.

Donahue declined to make a statement at his sentencing hearing.

One of the former convenience store clerks, Madelyn Stepanek, also told the judge that the robbery was the "scariest night I have ever experienced," and it forever changed how safe she feels in the community she grew up in.

"After that night it felt as though a part of my identity and life that I had known was taken away," Stepanek said. "These crimes flipped our community in a drastic way and it hurt me along with my family for a lifetime."
WASHINGTON  Physician assistants in Iowa no longer will be required to be supervised and have a written agreement with a specific physician in order to practice medicine under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Proponents say the measure will ensure PAs can more easily address the health care needs of Iowas underserved rural communities, authorizing them to provide health care services based on their medical education, training and experience.

It really is an important bill that safely expands access to care by making it easier for physician assistants to practice in our state, and addresses a clear need, Reynolds said. She said roughly 60 percent of physician assistants who graduate from Iowa colleges and universities leave to practice in other states that allow them greater independence and flexibility.

PAs are capable, well-trained medical professionals who should be given every encouragement to serve Iowa communities, and that is what todays bill is all about, Reynolds said. By eliminating the requirement for supervisor agreements between physicians and PAs, it allows providers and practitioners the flexibility to really structure the relationship as they see fit, rather than dictating an unnecessarily restrictive approach from the top down.

How many PAs work in rural areas?

More than 40% of Iowas PAs work in rural settings, according to the Iowa Physician Assistant Society.

Reynolds noted the state takes a similar approach with nurse practitioners, who continue to work collaboratively with physicians to meet the health needs of Iowans.

The governor signed House File 424 during a ceremony at the Washington County Hospital and Clinics. Reynolds said the hospital and clinics serve as a model of the kind of high-quality rural health care that every Iowa county needs and deserves.

PAs play a critical role in providing both primary and specialty care  including mental health  at a time when Iowa is grappling with a shortage of providers and faces challenges providing equitable access to care due to the states large rural and aging population, said hospital Chief Executive Officer Todd Patterson.

Patterson said the law will allow the critical access hospital to draw from a larger pool of talent in rural areas, by eliminating some of the administrative burdens that currently exists. Requiring oversight by a specific physician presents challenges for rural hospitals that struggle to find physicians.

Or, if you lose a physician, it may threaten your ability to maintain that relationship with a PA, Patterson said.

As a result, Washington County Hospitals and Clinics does not currently have physician assistants on staff. All PAs utilized by the hospital and its three rural health clinics are contracted through other entities.

Removing the requirement now provides the hospital the opportunity to recruit PAs directly and more effectively  something Patterson said the hospital plans to pursue to improve access to care in rural communities.

I really think that this gives us an opportunity address urgent health care needs in our town, our county and by extension our state, he said.

State Sen. Dawn Driscoll, a Republican from Williamsburg whose district includes Washington County, floor managed the bill in the Senate. Driscoll hosted a legislative forum at the hospital last month with Rep. Heather Hora, a Republican from Washington, who supported the bill.

Driscoll said those conversations drew newfound attention to the issue, and she called the bill one of the more consequential items to pass this session.

Bill gives goose bumps

It gives me goose bumps, you know, that you can see great legislation come forward and where its going to benefit all of Iowa, and especially rural Iowa, Driscoll said.

Reynolds said the bill is part of package of proposals and priorities passed this session seeking to improve access to health care across Iowa, including targeted student loan forgiveness, fellowship programs and capping non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Reynold said she hopes the new law signals to PAs that Iowa wants to welcome them with open arms, and we certainly want to keep you here.

We dont want any more of you leaving the state, she said.

Critics, though, have said others measures signed into law by the governor placing new restrictions on transgender youth  including banning transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care  will make it much more difficult to recruit providers to the state, making Iowa seem unwelcoming for LGBTQ people.

Reynolds pushed back, arguing the state has seen a net migration into the state.

I believe you are going to continue to see those numbers grow, Reynolds told reporters. Im really excited. Our national profile is rising. We are reducing taxes and regulations. Were building out our health care system. We have been recognized as a top 10 state to live by U.S. News and World Report.  So I am excited about what is happening, and I am excited about our future.

Reynolds did not respond to a reporters question about whether she would call lawmakers back for a special session to further restrict access to abortion, depending on how the Iowa Supreme Court rules on her request to reinstate a 2018 state law that would ban the procedure except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy before taking any more steps to restrict abortion in the state.
Iowa weather makes a mess of concrete, asphalt and other road materials. Over time this wear can become dangerous to drivers, and repairs or replacement become necessary.

The city of Mason City has a number of projects slated for the 2023 construction season.

Ideal Creek bridge replacement on 12th Street Northeast. On 12th Street Northeast between Florida and North Illinois avenues. The bridge will be fully replaced over the course of the 120-day project that began in April. Detour information is posted near the site.

On 12th Street Northeast between Florida and North Illinois avenues. The bridge will be fully replaced over the course of the 120-day project that began in April. Detour information is posted near the site. Street and utility rehabilitation on 12th Street Northeast : 12th Street Northeast from North Federal Avenue to North Kentucky Avenue. A major rehabilitation of 12th Street Northeast will begin this month. Initially, work will be on underground water, sanitary and storm sewer utilities followed by a hot asphalt resurfacing. Additionally, pedestrian ramps will be installed at intersections. Construction will stretch into the fall, and residents are encouraged to make alternate travel routes for daily commutes.

12th Street Northeast from North Federal Avenue to North Kentucky Avenue. A major rehabilitation of 12th Street Northeast will begin this month. Initially, work will be on underground water, sanitary and storm sewer utilities followed by a hot asphalt resurfacing. Additionally, pedestrian ramps will be installed at intersections. Construction will stretch into the fall, and residents are encouraged to make alternate travel routes for daily commutes. Capital improvement projects: The Street Rehabilitation Program, Street Panel and Curb Replacement and Pavement Traffic Marking projects are part of the city's efforts to make the area safer and more walkable. These projects are often short-term repairs or replacements that may pop up in your neighborhood or on your commute.

The city also is focused on construction of trails and trailheads with Destination Iowa funds to complete a number of projects. The first segment of the Highline Trail is already under construction and is likely to be completed this season. The section runs from First Street Southeast to Fourth Street Northeast and includes improvements to the safety structures on trail bridges.

Other Destination Iowa projects include the Birch Drive conversion from a risky road to a trail head and park, the Illinois Avenue Bridge rehabilitation and the completion of small Highline Trail projects.

Check the City of Mason City's Facebook page or website for more information about construction projects within the city.

The most popular dog names of 2022 in every state A look at the most popular dog names Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
AWA Score: 5.5 out of 6



Coherence and Connectivity: 5/6



The essay presents a well-structured argument with good coherence and connectivity. The author has used appropriate linking words and phrases to connect the ideas and paragraphs. The essay flows smoothly from one point to another. However, the use of transitions could be improved in a few places.



Word Structure: 6/6



The author has used appropriate and varied vocabulary, and the sentences are well-structured. There are no major issues with word choice or phrasing.



Paragraph Structure and Formation: 5/6



The essay follows a standard paragraph structure, with clear topic sentences and supporting details. However, there are a few instances where the paragraphs could be more focused on a single idea.



Language and Grammar: 5.5/6



The essay is written in clear and concise language with no major grammatical errors. However, there are a few minor issues with word choice and sentence structure that could be improved.



Vocabulary and Word Expression: 6/6



The author has used appropriate and varied vocabulary, and the sentences are well-structured. There are no major issues with word choice or phrasing.



Overall, the essay is well-written and effectively presents a counterargument to the given argument. The author has identified the flaws in the reasoning and used appropriate evidence and examples to support their argument. The essay could be improved with a more focused and refined thesis statement and a stronger conclusion that summarizes the key points.

jim441 wrote:
More than 290 guests celebrated Danville Life Saving Crews 77 years of service during the 2023 Gala held last month.

The crew responds to calls for help every minute of every day.

During 2022, more than 15,000 neighbors relied on the crew for medical support.

For all of its 77 years, the Danville Life Saving Crew has never required a person to pay for its services but has accepted whatever the insurance company or the patient is willing to contribute, said Crew Chief Robbie Woodall. This business model requires the Crew to constantly seek financial support from this community through the regions foundations, individual donors, and corporate partners.

The 2023 Gala, hosted by Alex Vardavas, offered the community an opportunity to learn more about the operations and to donate. Guests examined the response equipment and talked with Crew members.

The event raised more than $50,000

Attendees heard from several of the patients served by the Danville Life Saving Crews Community Paramedicine program and from three EMTs who shared the impact the crew has on their lives and in this community.

It was these patients, the EMTs, and the stories told by two citizens who had experienced major health events where the crew members were there to provide emergency services that clearly exposed the impact of the Crew to this community, said Wade Collins, president of the board of directors.

Brian Wilson, board member and Life Member of the Crew challenged everyone to understand the impact the crew has on our youth and adults when they say yes to volunteering as a Crew member.

When young people are exposed to the work of the Danville Life Saving Crew, it makes a positive impact on their life, Wilson said. Those who have volunteered during their youth are now doctors, nurses, nurse anesthetists, radiology techs and serve in other health related fields.

Woodall also called for individuals to volunteer.

We need drivers, inventory clerks, fleet management assistants, and individuals to help with other non-medical tasks, Woodall said. Just call us, we will find a place for you to serve.

The crew is ready to assist each one of us during our worst times, Wilson said. You need us when you are at your worst and that is when we are at our best.

The Danville Life Saving Crew is a nonprofit organization with a team of more than 100 professionals serving the Danville region.

Its mission is to be the leader in providing prehospital care to the sick and injured.
The word that Gov. Glenn Youngkin says trips people up in regards to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts is the middle one, and he hopes to talk to Doug Wilder after the former governor said the current one seems to be missing the point of DEI.

Wilder has called on Youngkin to fire the states chief DEI officer, Martin Brown, after Brown told faculty and staff at Virginia Military Institute that DEI was dead.

First, let me say I deeply respect former governor Wilder  weve reached out to him, and I want to hear him, Youngkin said, speaking to reporters after opening a new playground as part of his Partnership for Petersburg push.

Youngkin said he wants to stress diversity and inclusion  we want diversity in business, we want diversity of ideas, we want people to feel included.

But, he added people have so many definitions of equity  sometimes they want it to come at the cost of excellence, and that can mean lowering standards.

He said he thinks if he can explain his view on just this point, he and Wilder would find common ground.

Wilder has said he does not believe Youngkin really understands DEI.

I dont think Governor Youngkin has the experience, or the knowledge, or the wherewithal to be considered anything close to an expert on diversity, Wilder told reporters this week in response to a question about Youngkins recent comments that DEI efforts have gone off the rails.

Wilder said it is especially galling that Brown made his comments at VMI, with its history of racism and sexism that the school is still working to address.

When I was governor, people in the administration spoke for me or they didnt get to speak at all, he said.

Youngkin was in Petersburg to open a $150,000 Kaboom playground at the YMCA, the first of eight that the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Children hopes to erect across the state.

He said he still opens every meeting of his Cabinet with an update and discussion on the nine-month-old Partnership for Petersburg push to boost the beleaguered city's programs for youth, health, economic development and public safety.

Youngkin said what has been particularly striking is how people and plans that were not part of the Partnership have joined in, accelerating its momentum.

Earlier, he hunkered down with a small group of children, all in their bright blue Westview Early Childhood Education Center T-shirts, where he got one shy boy to confide that his blue-green stuffed animal was named Cedric.

Were going to open a playground and then were going to play, he told the kids.

This is the future of Virginia; to give these kids a chance to play and to be kids is what this is all about, he said.
BROWNS SUMMIT  From the roadside, some passersby who see the cluttered, decaying storefront are too young to remember it used to be the only 
" " Be careful with biting down on a sandwich. You don't want to swallow a toothpick! LauriPatterso/Getty Images

You might occasionally read about some person swallowing a cell phone or a pen. That's crazy! But every day, people swallow more mundane things that they shouldn't.

Most "foreign-body ingestion" occurs with children under 6, who put the object in their mouths and swallow them by accident, says Dr. David Farcy, president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM). It's a little different for adults.

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"In the adult population, they usually swallow the object by accidentally mixing it with their food," explains Farcy via email.

In 80-90 percent of the cases (adult and children), the foreign objects pass out on their own, Farcy says, but those that don't can quickly turn into potentially dangerous medical concerns.

Some things are more likely than others to wind up in your stomach, simply because they're in close proximity to your food. Here are some of the most common, but dangerous, things adults swallow by accident:
" " Should you pop that blister or let it ride? katleho Seisa/Getty Images

Work in the yard without gloves or don a stiff new pair of shoes and you're likely to wind up with an unwanted bodily addition  a blister. There are a bunch of ways to cause a blister, including friction (such as when something repeatedly rubs up against the skin), as well as allergies and exposure to heat, cold and chemicals. These annoying and unsightly bubbles of clear, watery fluid (which is called serum, by the way) might look tempting to pop, but is it a good idea to do it?

Dermatologist Dr. Erum Ilyas, who is based near Philadephia, says she gets that question from patients all the time. "The answer overall is yes," she says via email. "It is reasonable to pop a blister for one big reason: the soreness or tenderness that comes from blisters is from the pressure of the fluid in the blister. Until this pressure is released, it will not have a chance to heal."

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She adds that if you don't pop the blister, it might burst on its own anyway from day-to-day activities. "If this happens in an uncontrolled setting it may put you at a higher risk for infection."

So how do you do it? Follow these simple steps provided by Dr. Peterson Pierre of the Pierre Skin Care Institute in Thousand Oaks, California, to achieve the safest outcome possible:

Wash the affected area with soap and water.

Using a sterile needle, safety pin or pair of medical scissors, gently poke the blister. Most of the fluid should leak out easily. If it doesn't, it's not ready to be popped.

Apply soft pressure to ensure that all of the serum is released.

Dress the area with a pressure bandage to prevent fluid from reaccumulating in the blister. This also protects the skin and helps the area heal.

Although some doctors recommend applying antibiotic cream, Pierre says to steer clear. "In fact, products like Neosporin can irritate the area, he says via email. "Vaseline or Aquaphor with the bandage is sufficient to provide an environment conducive to rapid healing."

Whatever you do during the popping process and in the delicate days after, do not peel off the outermost thin layer of skin that remains. "When you release the fluid underneath, the tense blister will 'deflate' and the overlying blister skin will fall like a parachute into the eroded skin beneath, and act as a natural bandage. A new epidermal layer will grow and fill in underneath," emails Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse with SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care. For those of you not in the frame of mind to pop, she notes that blisters often resolve on their own, provided you remove "the inducing friction/trauma," meaning for instance, not wearing shoes that caused or irritate the blister.

This advice about popping blisters applies to situations where you know what caused them. "If you are developing blisters and you do not know why, it's important to see a dermatologist as there are a number of blistering skin diseases that are autoimmune in origin that may need to be managed with other medications to treat and prevent," says Ilyas.

Now That's Cool Ever wondered where blister fluid comes from, anyway? When the skin is injured, nearby tissues react by leaking serum, which is intended to act as natural protection for the skin.

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Originally Published: Feb 11, 2020
Helena Police arrested a local couple Sunday afternoon after discovering pounds of marijuana authorities alleged they were selling.

According to the the arresting officer's report, Edward Dean Moore, 25, and Sharen Kathleen Loeffler, 23, kept "pounds of marijuana," a large plastic bag containing "presumably psychedelic mushrooms," a small plastic bag containing "a fine white powdered substance" never identified in the report, a shotgun with four shells, a 9 mm pistol inside a backpack with another magazine, large amounts of cash and a scale in their home office.

Loeffler allegedly told law enforcement her husband, Moore, sold the marijuana out of the home office in their apartment on the 1400 block of Missoula Avenue using a messaging application called Telegram.

Two children also lived in the apartment.

The officer stated in the report they executed a judge signed search warrant to search the couple's apartment "based on information received for drug distribution."

The search was conducted Sunday about 2:30 p.m.

Moore and Loeffler were arrested and booked into Lewis and Clark County Detention Center. Both have been charged with two felony counts of criminal possession with intent to distribute.

Moore's bond has been set at $75,000, while Loeffler's was set at $50,000.

All charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Jory Songer, of Helena, was found guilty of two felony counts of attempted deliberate homicide and two felony counts of assault with a weapon.

The four day trial went to jury at 10:43 a.m. on May 4, and the jury returned at 2:40 p.m. with the guilty verdicts. The court ordered a presentence investigation and set sentencing for June 7 at 11 a.m.

The maximum charge for each attempted deliberate homicide in Montana is the death penalty, life in prison or prison time no less than 10 years and no more than 100 years. Each assault with a weapon charge carries a maximum of 20 years in the state prison and a fine up to $50,000.

Songer was 22 years old when he was accused of shooting two men on Aug. 18 around 1 a.m. He was served an arrest warrant for these charges while already in custody for another incident.

Officers responded to a report of an assault with a weapon and discovered two men who had been shot. The men were transported to the hospital via ambulance, and Songer fled the scene, authorities said.

Surveillance footage of the area near the Stewart Homes apartment complex showed the suspect vehicle, which was reported stolen a few days prior to the shooting, and a person getting out of it. Officials and two witnesses believed Songer was picked up by the stolen vehicle after the shooting.

The stolen vehicle was recovered on Aug. 19 in Helenas Yesco parking lot. On Sept. 14, Songer was interviewed by law enforcement and stated the shooting wasnt planned. He admitted to using drugs that day too, said officials.

Songer backtracked and denied knowing anything about the shooting. He ended the interview stating, It was not a planned assassination. I had no involvement, and I dont wanna talk.
Carroll College will be celebrating its 113th commencement Saturday at 1 p.m. at Nelson Stadium.

There will be 313 students graduating, representing over half the states in the U.S. and six countries around the world  Argentina, Iceland, South Africa, Spain, China and Italy.

Elvira Roncalli, philosophy professor and recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award, will provide the faculty address. President of Carroll College John Cech will give the presidents address to the graduates.

The class of 2023 selected Molly McWade of Brea, California, to be the senior speaker. She is graduating with a major in biology.

I am incredibly honored and nervous to speak on behalf of the class of 2023," McWade said. "Leaving the community we have built at Carroll is bittersweet, but we are now well-equipped with the tools to build a joyful life ... I just want to emphasize through my speech that it is OK to not have the future completely lined out. We are all embarking on different journeys and sometimes the destination may change, and that's a good thing."

Around 288 students will graduate with bachelor degrees including the 11 Accelerated Nursing students and five students will receive their Masters of Accounting. The first cohort of Masters of Social Work, 20 students, will be graduating this year. Carroll College alumni from the classes of 1963 and 1973 will be honored at the ceremony.

About 35 students will graduate Summa Cum Laude (3.90-4.0), around 50 students will be Magna Cum Laude (3.70-3.89) and over 55 will be Cum Laude (3.50-3.69) graduates. Carroll is graduating eight ROTC participants, seven military veterans, 10 forensics participants and 75 student-athletes.

The college will be honoring the achievements of exceptional faculty, staff and students with the Outstanding Teaching Award, Distinguished Scholar Award, Faculty Emeriti, Excellence in Service Award, Presidential Distinguished Service Award, Bishop Gilmore Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholarship for the student(s) with the highest GPA, the Michael Murphy Award for Outstanding Collegiate Citizenship, and the Raymond G. Hunthausen Outstanding Service Award.

The Baccalaureate Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St. Helena at 9:30 a.m. Admission is by ticket only due to limited seating, and each graduate gets a maximum of two guests at the Mass. Doors to the cathedral open at 8:15 a.m. The stadium gates open at 12 p.m. for graduation. The ceremony will be held in the stadium no matter the weather. No tickets are required and each graduate can have an unlimited number of guests, including members of the public who would like to attend.

Commencement details and a link to the livestream will be available here: https://bit.ly/commencementCC.
LIVINGSTON  A caretaker stole jewelry, gold, guns and other items valued at more than $1.5 million from a woman as she lay dead, according to allegations filed in Park County District Court.

The man, John Charles Burdick, faces a felony theft charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His prosecution is based on an investigation by the Park County Sheriffs Office that began Oct. 14, 2022, when a detective met with an attorney and had a conference call with a representative of the deceased womans estate.

The attorney and representative reported that an inventory of the deceased womens property indicated items were missing, including a diamond wedding ring valued at $1 million; a $334,264 diamond necklace; 60 ounces in gold Canadian maple leaf coins; a 2019 Saks Roger Debuis Excalibur gold watch valued at $94,815; a diamond wedding band valued at $16,676; a matching set of 28 gauge Armas Garbi double barrel shotguns valued at $20,000; a Stihl model MS 271 or 291 chainsaw; a pair of blue earrings; Y necklace; and a shooting tripod rest.

The investigator reviewed a surveillance video footage of the period just before and after the womans death. The footage reportedly shows the woman interacting with Burdick in her bedroom about 7:15 p.m. Aug. 27, 2022, according to an affidavit filed by the Park County Attorneys Office. In one instance, Burdick brings in a bucket, removes a garbage can and gives her an inhaler. At about 8:30 p.m., the woman stops moving and doesnt move after that, according to the affidavit.

The video allegedly shows Burdick stealing items from the bedroom from about 7:30 to 10:39 a.m. the following day.

At approximately 1023 hours, Defendant is seen entering the bedroom from the right side door with what appears to be cash, a large jewelry container and a necklace in his hand, reads the affidavit. He pauses, looks toward the camera and then turns and leaves the room.

Burdick appears to check on the womans condition at about 10:43 a.m., touching her arm and leg. The video also shows Burdicks son there, but its not alleged that the son stole anything and he hasnt been charged.

County dispatch logs indicate 911 was called at 10:59 a.m. to report the womans death, according to the affidavit.

Peace officers executed a search warrant at Burdicks home on Nov. 1, 2022. There, and investigator showed Burdicks son a video still image of his father holding jewelry in the deceased womans home, according to the affidavit. The son directed officers to his fathers safe, offered to open it and officers found stolen items on a shelf and in the safe, the affidavit alleges.

Officers seized items as evidence, including a gold watch, gold coins, $4,400 in cash, at least one firearm and various items of jewelry, according to the affidavit.

Burdick reportedly consented to a recorded interview with an investigator on Nov. 2, 2022.

Defendant stated that he had taken all of the items and that [the deceased] had told him that if anything happened to her, Defendant was to take whatever he wanted except for a black brief case that was in her safe, reads the affidavit. Defendant stated that he had taken all of the items that were in his possession from the [deceaseds] residence, he didnt believe he did anything wrong and that he was just doing what [the deceased] had told him to do. Defendant did not have this agreement with [the deceased] in writing.

The investigator reportedly asked Burdick why the woman would have given him a $1 million wedding ring.

Defendant stated because she loved him, loved what he did for them and wanted to take care of him, reads the affidavit. [The investigator] then advised Defendant that a theft complaint had been made by the executor of [the deceaseds] estate and he was placed under arrest.

Burdick had allegedly told someone the deceased womans late husband had promised him a retirement benefit, but it did not materialize prior to [the husband] passing away, according to the affidavit.

[The deceased woman] was skeptical that [her late husband] had ever promised Defendant such a thing never found anything in writing to support this claim, reads the affidavit.

A cleaning lady allegedly told the investigator that the deceased woman had given Burdick a four-wheeler and some money about four months before she died. A friend of the deceased womans family reportedly told the investigator he had never heard the woman talk about giving Burdick anything besides the four-wheeler and pension.

Burdick has a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 9 before Park County District Judge Brenda Gilbert, according to court records.
DECATUR  First Mid Bancshares, Inc., the holding company of First Mid Bank & Trust, is pleased to present the 2021 Chairmans Award for Excellence to Justin Wheeler.

In the past year, he has consistently demonstrated First Mids core values in his everyday work while making exceptional contributions to the company. His commitment to his customers and colleagues has rightfully earned him the companys highest honor.

Wheeler is a Farm Manager I with First Mid Ag Services, a division of First Mid Wealth Management. He is located at the North Main Street banking center in Decatur.

During his time at First Mid, Wheeler has become one of the companys most productive farm managers and is highly respected by his team. He has shown initiative by undertaking several projects and he has been instrumental in adapting new technologies necessitated by the pandemic, working diligently to integrate virtual and online farmland auctions.

Wheelers commitment is evidenced in the way he approaches each day. Those who work with him can attest that he approaches each task with a high degree of professionalism and integrity. Wheeler is an exceptional mentor for new team members and his extensive understanding of technology has proven invaluable. His passion and dedication is helping to solidify First Mid Ag Services position as a premier farm management and real estate company.

The Chairmans Award for Excellence is First Mids most prestigious award. Individuals are nominated by their peers and selected by the companys executive committee.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  A federal appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the conviction of the leader of an Illinois antigovernment militia who was sentenced to 53 years in prison for masterminding the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque, an attack that terrified the local Muslim community.

A three-judge panel rejected all the legal arguments raised by Emily Claire Hari. Her attorneys argued that the key federal law involved  which pertains to damaging religious property and the free exercise of religion  was invalid because it exceeded Congress' authority.

The court also rejected Hari's claim that prosecutors violated attorney-client privilege when authorities seized two pages of notes from Hari's cell during a shakedown.

No one was hurt in the bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center, but more than a dozen members of the mosque community gave victim impact statements about the trauma they felt. Judge Donovan Frank said at sentencing that the evidence clearly showed an intent to "scare, intimidate and terrorize individuals of Muslim faith."

Several men were at Dar al-Farooq for early morning prayers on Aug. 5, 2017, when a pipe bomb was thrown through the window of an imam's office. A seven-month investigation led authorities to the rural Ford County community of Clarence, where Hari and co-defendants Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris lived.

Authorities say Hari led a small group called the White Rabbits that included McWhorter, Morris and others and that Hari came up with the plan to attack the mosque. Prosecutors said at trial that Hari was motivated by hatred for Muslims.

McWhorter and Morris each pleaded guilty to five counts and testified for the prosecution. Michael McWhorter was sentenced to just under 16 years in prison while Morris got about 14 years.

Hari's attorney said in a filing during the proceedings that gender dysphoria fueled her "inner conflict," saying she wanted to transition from male to female but knew she would be ostracized, so she formed a "rag-tag group of freedom fighters." But prosecutors said gender dysphoria was no excuse.

Hari is incarcerated at a federal prison in Oklahoma that houses male and female prisoners. After a review, the Biden administration last year updated Bureau of Prisons policies to restore Obama-era protections for transgender inmates, undoing a rollback ordered during the Trump administration.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn.  A Jonesborough man is facing charges after being arrested Monday in Sullivan County.

Eddie Lee Arnold, age 60, of Jonesborough, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, three counts of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, resisting arrest and evading arrest, according to a written statement.

On Monday evening, deputies responded to a residence on Austin Powder Road in Blountville regarding a robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the victims advised a suspect entered the residence through an unlocked door, fired a pistol into the floor, and demanded money, firearms, cell phones and car keys.

The victims refused to provide anything and the suspect used a device similar to what is commonly known as a stun gun on one victim and left the residence with a vehicle belonging to the victims.

A short while after that robbery, the suspect was at the boat ramp on Beulah Church Road. While at the boat ramp, Arnold took another vehicle at gunpoint from a separate victim. The second vehicle was later recovered at the boat ramp on Minga Road, according to the statement.

Not long after the second robbery and vehicle theft, an officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency observed someone matching the description of the suspect provided by the victims in the robberies run out of the woods on Hamilton Road. The male suspect saw the TWRA vehicle and ran back into the woods. A perimeter of the area was established and a K9 from the Sullivan County Sheriffs Office began to track the suspect in the woods. The suspect, Eddie Arnold, was located after an extensive search and arrested.

Arnold was arraigned Tuesday morning and his bond was set at $10,000 with a court date of May 16 at 9 a.m., in Bristol General Sessions Court. He remains incarcerated in the Sullivan County Jail.
ABINGDON, Va.  Virginias largest power producer views modular nuclear reactors as a potential way to meet forecast increases in baseload demand.

On Tuesday Emil Avram, vice president of business development for Dominion Energy, discussed his companys new long-term plan and the state of the current energy market during a meeting of the Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority at the Higher Education Center.

We are currently developing advanced nuclear facilities here in Southwest Virginia, working with the state government and others, Avram told the authority board.

Its plans include a mixture of natural gas, oil, nuclear, renewables, coal and purchased power with phasing out of the carbon sources over a period of years.

He said Dominion expects to deploy 33,000 new megawatts of total generation in the next 25 years.

This is a tremendous task, a lot of work to do here. You can imagine the jobs, the tax benefits, the economic development opportunities. This will bring manufacturing and services companies to Virginia to meet this demand. Its a great opportunity for our state and represents tens of billions of dollars of investment over this plan horizon.

Dominion currently operates traditional nuclear power plants in eastern Virginia but is looking at the SMR  smaller reactors used to power nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers.

We are exploring SMRs, Avram told the Bristol Herald Courier after the meeting. That typically is in the range of 250 to 450 megawatts. Our traditional nuclear stations generate about 900 megawatts per unit.

Last fall, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a challenge for Virginia to become the first state to adapt that SMR technology to land use to provide electricity for the power grid and to site the first one in Southwest Virginia.

Since that time multiple bills emerged from the General Assembly to fund education and promote development of the technology

Avram listed some advantages that the SMRs offer.

Theyre more compact, theyre modular so a lot more can be built in the factory  which reduces costs  and because of the smaller footprint and the way the technology is being developed, they have a much smaller impact on land use and surrounding communities, he said. There are a lot more opportunities to site them in more places so its an exciting opportunity.

Dominion operates two reactors at its North Anna power station which produce about 1,800 megawatts and occupies about 750 acres.

An SMR facility would only take about 50 to 75 acres, he said. You can probably operate an SMR facility with about 100 full-time employees. At our North Anna station, were approaching 1,000 employees. Thats a cost savings but still a fair amount of high tech, well-paying jobs that can be added to our fleet.

Dominions new plan submitted to the State Corporation Commission on May 1, forecasts dramatically higher power load demand in the years ahead, almost exclusively due to new data centers in northern Virginia.

The type of customers causing that load growth are data centers. Those are always on  at full output  full demand essentially, Avram said. Thats why new nuclear is a nice complement to that because it is always on.

Dominion is also presently developing the largest offshore wind energy facility in America off the coast of Virginia, but its all-in energy plan includes natural gas, renewables and purchased power. However, the winter storm last Christmas caused utility officials to review and revise plans because that demand was abnormally high and sustained over a period of more than two days.

Two options in Dominions plans forecast dramatic increases in energy storage capacity and incremental nuclear capacity additions over the next 15 and 25 years.

The reason everyone is looking at nuclear is it can be based here  they can project what the cost is going to be versus being in a lottery for peak demand when you have to buy power, authority Chair Mike Quillen said. The utilities dont want to put themselves in that position. There is no clear pathway right now and there is a lot of work to be done.
On Tuesday, April 11, NEWS CHANNEL 10 once again visited Spearman to feature the windmills in the Southwestern Pioneer Windmill Park located just on the edge of Spearman.

Spearman Mayor Tobe Shields and businessman Roger Buchanan were interviewed. Buchanan is the grandson of J.B., owner of the original mill collection and has had a major role in the story of the historic mills remaining in Spearman.

The live interview will air Friday on News Channel 10.

Read this article by Ron Antalek dated August 23, 2006

Originally, the mills were located at the J.B. Buchanan farm approximately 14 miles south of Spearman. Texas Tech University and the Dumas museum had expressed interest in obtaining the collection and the community of Spearman sprang into action!

The Southwestern Pioneer Windmill Association was formed, and the windmill park planned and created. Since that time visitors from all over the world, USA and Texas have visited the park and enjoyed this historic collection of our vintage windmills.

Spearman even hosted the 2002 International Windmill Trade Fair. (this was before the HPO)

In the northeast corner of the Panhandle, the town of Spearman has its own collection of two dozen windmills of varying sizes and shapes. Amassed by local resident J.B. Buchanan, the five-acre park is a source of pride for the community and will host the International Windmill Trade Fair, June 5-8

Read the rest of this story by the Austin Chronicle HERE

In the beginning of this project, most of the businesses stepped up to the plate and "adopted" a mill for either sponsorship of one in the park or in many cases on their property. The beautiful and historic mills can be seen all over the community. For those unable to sponsor a windmill, a memorial fence was erected to add a brick or tile. These bricks and tiles are still available for purchase today.

The mills are in need of some repair and many of the original members who were experts in the care of the mills have passed on. The SWPWA seeks new members to learn these special techniques.

If you do a google search of the mills and select "images", you will be delighted at the collection of some of the most beautiful photos capturing these iconic towers of the old west--the pride and joy of Spearman that give us a dot on the map!

Buchanan says the SWPWA is always in need of new members and your membership to help maintain this treasure is only $10 per year. You can also purchase a brick for $50 and a tile for $100.
Since scuba diving was first invented in the 1940s, divers have learned a lot about how to safely swim to great depths, sometimes the hard way. As a diver descends, the weight of the water around them applies pressure to every cell in their body. The pressure even compresses molecules of gaseous nitrogen taken in by the lungs, which causes the nitrogen gas to dissolve into the bloodstream.

The absorption of nitrogen itself isn't the issue. The problem starts if a diver tries to ascend to the surface too quickly. Think of it like shaking a 2-liter bottle of soda and opening the cap. The gasses that were contained under pressure instantly form bubbles and expand.

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That's pretty much what happens inside a diver's body when they suffer decompression sickness or "the bends." If they ascend too quickly from the high pressure of the deep water to the much lower pressure at the surface, the nitrogen molecules that had dissolved under pressure quickly expand and become gaseous again.

"Nitrogen bubbles will form in the bloodstream and those can prevent the circulation of blood, including to the heart," says Phillip Newsum, an experienced commercial diver and executive director of the Association of Diving Contractors International. "That's when you run the risk of getting decompression sickness."

Decompression sickness or "the bends" is a painful and potentially fatal condition that can cause excruciating joint and muscle pain, delirium, paralysis, heart attacks and strokes. If caught quickly enough, the bends can be treated by placing the individual back under pressure in a special tank called a hyperbaric chamber and slowly releasing the pressure over a matter of hours or days.

But the best strategy is to avoid decompression sickness altogether by slowly ascending to the surface and taking frequent breaks to let your body naturally exhale or "off gas" the nitrogen. Certified SCUBA divers know how to read a recreational dive planner that tells them when to take safety breaks during an ascent and for how long.

Commercial divers, however, are asked to work at depths far beyond what any recreational SCUBA diver would dare to attempt. As we'll see next, that requires a whole different type of decompression, and it was a failure in that system that led to the violent deaths of the Byford Dolphin divers.
Six foundation universities appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union because the European Commission (EC) excluded Hungarian foundation universities from EU funding projects, such as the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe university research programs.

Background: The December decision of the European Commission prohibited the signing of contracts with Hungarian foundation-maintained higher education institutions on the payment of EU funds, as the EC did not see the institutions autonomy and transparency as guaranteed.

As an immediate consequence, the Erasmus participation of Hungarian students became uncertain, and for nearly half a year Hungarian foundation universities can only participate as associate members, from their own or government budgets, in joint research projects with other EU countries, which until now have been financed by the EU in case of winning applications.

The loss of funds has an extremely sensitive effect on the Hungarian higher education sector and the 21 foundation universities, which, in the course of the so-called model change, were forced by the government to switch to maintenance by law in principle in order to increase their available funds. Because of the situation, even a non-foundation-maintained university had to explain itself to its international partners.

What are universities attacking?

According to the magazine The Higher Education, the University of Debrecen and the Semmelweis University are among the six universities that filed a legal complaint. The latters petition, signed on March 13, essentially questions the basis of the freeze and claims that university decision-making, including decisions on the use of EU funds, takes place independently of the foundations board of trustees.

The University of Debrecen wrote to the newspaper on the subject: the ECs decision goes against European basic values and is the result of a political war. The University of Debrecen is also of the opinion that there is no conflict of interest among the members of the board of trustees.

Semmelweis University received more than 6 million euros in the Horizon program between 2014 and 2020, the University of Debrecen more than 4 million. Among others, seven ministers will have to give up their membership in the board of trustees, if that is what it takes to free up EU funds for the Erasmus and Horizon Europe programs.

What will happen now? According to the statement of the European Court of Justice, they will be able to hear the cases together and issue a verdict after 18 months. According to the governments promise, it would like to reach an agreement on the frozen funds with the European Court of Justice sooner than this, but at the same time, it did not keep its previous promise that it would submit the amendment to the law on the regulation of asset management foundations to the Parliament in the second half of April.
The worlds ninth largest electric battery manufacturer, Chinas Eve Energy, is building its first European plant in Debrecen, Peter Szijjarto announced on Tuesday. The total investment of HUF 400 billion will create more than a thousand new jobs, and the Hungarian state will cover HUF 14 billion of the costs.

According to Szijjartos report, Eve Energy came at BMWs request to supply its Hungarian factory with new generation, cylindrical battery cells. BMWs new factory is expected to operate in Debrecen from 2025. The city of Hajdusag, together with the German automotive industry giant, the CATL Chinese battery factory, the Semcorp separator film factory and now the Eve Energy plant, is becoming the largest domestic focal point of the electric car industry value chain. Due to the investments, a railway line will also have to be removed.

In connection with the developments in Debrecen, there is a serious protest at the local level, people are primarily concerned about the environment, including the water supply. The topic has been embraced by the opposition parties at the national and local level, but the referendum questions submitted by them are usually rejected. Regarding the environmental aspect, Szijjarto said: the investment will be environmentally friendly, 95 percent of its water needs will be provided from treated wastewater and surface water, and the company will also recycle part of the technological wastewater on site. In the meantime, the water utility system, i.e. water supply and sewage disposal, is being modernized in the city to the tune of HUF 108 billion.

The minister also tried to calm the mood by saying: the people of Debrecen have nothing to fear because of the construction of electric battery factories. In Hungary, we apply much stricter environmental protection standards than in Europe.

We recently covered the increasingly important domestic situation of the battery industry in a series of articles. In the first part, the economic side; in the second part, we looked at its technological side, revealing whether factories have to be poisoned; in the third, we wrote about why battery production is an exempted industry, and the laws are being removed from its path; and the fourth is about the jobs created by these investments from the perspective of workers and future workers (quite expensive anyway, according to G7 calculations, one job costs the state about HUF 64 million due to various subsidies).

The most important lessons from the four materials have been collected here.
The defense ministers of Japan, South Korea and the United States plan to reach an agreement at an Asian defense summit in Singapore early next month, a source familiar with the matter said.

South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported that the Seoul presidential office has announced that a group will be established together with Japan and the United States to share information on North Korean missiles. The chief spokesman of the Japanese government, Matsuno Hirokazu, however, said that no decision has yet been made on the planned agreement, reports MTI.

A senior official also said: the system is currently in the planning stage.

A spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Defense said at a previous press conference: the three countries have held talks on increasing information exchange, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Washington, Seoul and Tokyo reached an agreement in November to speed up the flow of information after North Korea launched an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles over the past year. Japan and South Korea are in communication with US radar systems, but not with each other. Despite the burden of the colonial past, relations between Seoul and Tokyo have improved significantly in recent months. Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisida met with South Korean President Jun Seok-yol in Seoul on Sunday to strengthen defense cooperation between their countries.

The defense ministers of Japan and South Korea are preparing for a meeting at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Asian defense conference to be held in Singapore at the beginning of June. This would be the first time since November 2019 that the defense ministers of the two countries meet.
Ann Street United Methodist Church

335 Ann St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Randy L. Wall. In person and Facebook Live worship at 11 a.m. Sermon: Sticking to Your Principles. Scripture: Daniel 3:16-18, 24-29.

Bethpage United Methodist Church

109 Fellowship Ave. at West C Street, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Gary McDonald. Christian education at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Sermon: The Love Life. Scripture: John 14:15-21.

Bogers Chapel United Methodist Church

1775 Flowes Store Road E., Concord. Pastor: Eric Shaver. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Worship in-person or on Facebook at 10 a.m. Sermon: Our Story. Opening reading: Psalm 66. Scripture: Acts 17:22-31.

Calvary Lutheran Church

950 Bradley St., Concord. 704-782-6923. Pastor: Rev. Debbie Frye. In-person worship at 8:30 a.m. (casual worship) and 11 a.m. (traditional worship with Childrens Church). Coffee/Cookie Social from 9:30-11 a.m. Childrens area and nursery available at all times. All services livestreamed and available anytime on the Calvary Lutheran Concord YouTube channel  easy access through our website at http://www.clconcord.org. All are welcome. Sermon Topic: Good News! Never Alone.

Center United Methodist Church

1119 Union St. S., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Tony Allen. Sunday school for In Betweens and young adults at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Nursery is provided during the worship service. Website is www.centerumcconcord.org. Look forward to you joining us for our service! Sermon: God in You? Scripture: John 14:15-21.

Crossroads Church

220 George W. Liles Parkway, Concord. Pastor: Lowell McNaney. Live worship streamed on Facebook, Crossroads Concord Church app or mycrossroads.co website at 9:30 a.m. and 11:11 a.m.

Crown Pointe Baptist Church

703 Tennessee St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Doug Crawley. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, or view online at our Facebook page. Elder Don Greer preaching. Sermon: The Praise of a Virtuous Woman. Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31.

Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

199 Elgin Drive, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Stephen Burrow. In person services: Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Worship services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Recorded worship services and other information at EastsideMissionaryBaptist.org. You will be welcomed. Practice social distancing.

Epworth United Methodist Church

1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Bill Roberts. Sunday school at 9 a.m., followed by worship at 10 a.m. We welcome all to join us in person, or you may livestream or watch the recorded service at our website at www.epworthnc.com. Sermon: We Live and Move and Have Our Being. Scripture: Acts 17:22-31.

Forest Hill United Methodist Church

265 Union St. N., Concord. Senior pastor: Rev. Mandy Jones. Associate pastor: Rev. Wes Judy. We are open for in-person worship. Contemporary worship at 9 a.m. Sunday school/small groups at 10 a.m. Traditional worship at 11 a.m. Both the contemporary and the traditional worship services will also be livestreamed at foresthillumc.org or facebook.com/foresthillumc, in case you dont feel like being here in person.

Harmony United Methodist Church

101 White St. NW, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Thad Brown. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. followed by our worship service in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. Sermon: The Rock. Scripture: I Peter 2:4-6, I Corinthians 15:45-49, I Corinthians 15:50-53, I Corinthians 15:54-57, I Peter 2:7-8, I Peter 2:9-10. We welcome you to join us in worship! Service is live on Facebook.com/HarmonyUnitedMethodistChurch. We welcome all who are unable to join us in person to worship with us online. For more information, you can call the pastor at 704-791-2883 or the church at 704-782-8237.

Jackson Park United Methodist Church

715 Mable Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Laurie Knoespel. Adult Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Worship at 10:30 a.m. Nursery will be provided during worship service.

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church

900 Klondale Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Dennis B. Craft. Worship at 11 a.m. in church sanctuary on Sundays. No mask restrictions. Sermon: Rise Up and Call Mom Blessed.

McGill Baptist Church

5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, in-person services. Pastor: Rev. Steve Ayers. If you have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine, wear a mask. McGill will stream a worship service Sunday at 10 a.m. on www.facebook.com/mcgillbaptistchurch/ and on YouTube. The services will be live and also available on recording afterward. Sixth Sunday of Easter. Mothers Day. Sermon: If You Love Me. Scripture: Psalm 66:8-20; I Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21.

Midway United Methodist Church

108 Bethpage Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Craig Allen. Come join us on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10:30 a.m. for worship. Our service is also livestreamed on the web at midwayunitedmethodistchurch.org or facebook.com/midwayUMC. Mothers Day. Message: Knowing When to Push. First Reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Second Reading: John 2:1-12. Suggested Hymns: UMH 145, Morning Has Broken; UMH 431, Let There Be Peace on Earth.

Mt. Mitchell United Methodist Church

6001 Old Salisbury-Concord Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Joel Locklear. Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. (adult and children classes.) Worship at 11 a.m. in person or on Facebook. Sermon: Mothers Day. Scripture: Proverbs 23:25.

Multiply Church Concord

150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd. N., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Douglas Witherup. 8:30 a.m. service held at 280 Concord Parkway S., Suite 15, Concord. Services at 150 Warren C Coleman Blvd. N., are worship and sermon at 9:30 a.m. and worship and sermon at 11:15 a.m.

New Gilead Reformed Church, ECO

2400 Old Salisbury-Concord Road. 9:40 a.m.: Adult Bible study. 10 a.m.: Sunday school. 11 a.m.: Worship in the sanctuary, also live on Facebook.

Oak Grove

Baptist Church

200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. Pastor: Rev. Franklin D. Watkins. 10 a.m.: In-person worship service and Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Sermon: My Soul Does Magnify The Lord. Scripture: Luke: 1:6-55.

Second Presbyterian Church

1578 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Kannapolis. Pastor Sue Black, minister. Rev. Aaron Price, assistant pastor. Sunday school at 10:15 a.m. Worship at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and on Facebook Live. Sermon: A Mothers Blessing. Scripture: I Samuel 1:21-28.

St. Johns

Reformed Church

901 N. Main St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Chris King. Sunday school for all ages at 9:30 a.m. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Website: www.ourstjohns.org. Email/phone: ourstjohns@gmail.com / 704-932-3656. Mothers Day Sermon: Jesus Welcomes Mothers and Their Children. Scripture: Luke 18:15-17.
SALISBURY  Catawba College honored 320 graduates at their 172nd Commencement Ceremony in Keppel Auditorium on Saturday, May 6.

Graduates celebrated their academic accomplishments with family, friends and the Catawba community. The ceremony honored graduates of Catawbas five schools including the James F. and Gerry T. Hurley School of Arts and Sciences, Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, Enoch A. and Dorothy H. Goodman School of Education, the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, and the Adrian L., Jr. and Dorothy L. Shuford School of Performing Arts.

Abigail Abba Willard (Archdale) was the female recipient of the Whitener Award and Ofek Malul (Rishon Lezion, Israel) was the male recipient. The Whitener Awards are the most prestigious awards distributed by the College to graduating seniors. These awards have been presented each year since 1927 to the man and woman in the graduating class who most embody the qualities of character, leadership, and scholarship. The awards are made in memory of Dr. Edgar Whitener of High Point, who served as a member of the board of trustees from 1921-66 and as chairman of the board from 1925-44.

Chantina Dawkins (Salisbury) was awarded the Barbara Andrews Award. This medal is given to an undergraduate online student in the graduating class who embodies the qualities of character, leadership and scholarship. The award was established and named in honor of Barbara Andrews of Salisbury, the first director of the program at Catawba College.

Catawba College President David P. Nelson presided over the ceremonies along with Provost Constance Rogers-Lowery. Bob Arnold, a 1971 alum and chair of Catawbas board of trustees, provided congratulatory remarks on behalf of the board.

Some simple advice, Nelson said. Be curious. Be courageous. Be kind. There will be many pressures for you to travel different paths and that includes not only what you will do, but how you will do it and who you will show yourself to be in the process. We pray you will choose the more excellent way  the way of love  and that you will remain curious, courageous and kind wherever you go, and whatever you do.

The Hurley School of Arts and Sciences awarded 38 bachelor of arts degrees and 40 bachelor of science degrees.

The Ketner School of Business awarded 18 bachelor of arts, 18 bachelor of business administration, 48 bachelor of science degrees and 25 master of business administration degrees.

The Goodman School of Education awarded nine bachelor of arts, 20 bachelor of arts in education and two bachelor of science degrees.

The School of Health Sciences and Human Performance awarded 58 bachelor of science, 12 bachelor of science in nursing, 10 master of health science, mental health counseling and 15 master of sport management degrees.

The Shuford School of Performing Arts awarded three bachelor of arts degrees and four bachelor of fine arts degrees.
CHARLOTTE  If you havent booked your summer travel plans yet, AAA says you better do it soon. The Auto Club Group is seeing very strong bookings for cruises, tours, hotels and flights.

Travel demand has come roaring back this summer and were already seeing large crowds at popular domestic and international travel destinations, said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA  The Auto Club Group. The recent decision to lift all international travel restrictions will only add to demand. So, we encourage travelers to do their research and work with a travel expert. They can help you find the best value on a relaxing vacation.

More than half plan to take a summer vacation

According to a new AAA travel survey, 83% of North Carolinians will travel this year. More than half (64%) of them will take a summer vacation. However, less than a quarter (21%) of summer travelers have finalized their plans. The most popular vacations theyre planning are:

62%: Beach destinations

29%: City/major metro destination

24%: Theme park

17%: Resort vacation (all-inclusive/multi-amenity hotels)

17%: National/state park

Summer traveler stats and AAA travel tipsEighty-seven percent plan to take a road trip. Leave early. Expect congestion near beaches and attractions, particularly on weekends and holidays. Traditionally, gas prices peak in the spring and fluctuate through the summer. Use the AAA mobile app to compare prices.

Eighteen percent will not get a vehicle inspection before their road trip. AAA urges drivers to ensure their vehicle is road trip ready. You can find a trusted local mechanic by visiting AAA.com/AutoRepair.

Twenty-seven percent plan to take a commercial flight. To reduce the likelihood of flight delays or cancellations, book a non-stop flight that leaves early in the morning. Arrive at the airport at least two hours early. Download the airlines mobile app, to receive updates about your flight status. Consider travel insurance, which provides coverage options for flight cancellations and delays (see below for more).

Eight percent plan to take a cruise. Summertime sailings are filling up fast. In many cases, travelers are looking at 2024 departures to find the itinerary they want. Travelers who book a cruise with a AAA travel advisor may be eligible for discounts and benefits like early boarding, specialty dining upgrades, and onboard credits. Travel advisors can also unlock additional savings on your airfare when bundling with your cruise.

Twenty-six percent plan to rent a car. Rental car availability has improved, yet inventory is likely to be tight at airports, due to strong demand. Rates are often more expensive the closer you get to your desired rental date, so book early for the best combination of availability and price. AAA members can also receive up to 20% off base rates at Hertz car rental locations.

International travel bookings are up more than 200% compared to 2022. Ensure your passport is up to date. Strong demand and pandemic-related backlogs have led to passport processing delays. Wait times have increased from 8-11 weeks to 10-13 weeks.

AAA members get exclusive rates on expediting services for U.S. passports and global travel visas with RushMyPassport.

Protect your trip

Travel insurance is a must! There are a variety of reasons travelers use it: medical emergencies, flight cancellations, severe weather or unexpected life events.

Cancel for any reason. These policies enable travelers to cancel their trip for covered reasons allowing the policyholder to recoup non-refundable deposits.

Flight cancellations. If your flight is cancelled, passengers can receive compensation for covered out-of-pocket expenses.

Flight delays. Policyholders could be reimbursed for flight delays of as little as three hours.

Medical coverage. International travelers can get policies that provide medical coverage, since their health benefits in America do not generally extend outside the United States.

Plan ahead! Whether its mapping out gas stations or electric vehicle charging stations along your route and at your destination, or planning which attractions and activities you want to visit when you arrive, AAA offers TripTik and Trip Canvas, two free travel tools to keep you organized and prepared.
Analytics leader SAS continues its mission of responsible innovation by collaborating with the University of North Caroline (UNC) Center for Galapagos Studies (CGS) to utilise crowd-driven artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the conservation of endangered sea turtles.

The project is part of the SAS Data for Good program. Following the success of their recent project tracking deforestation in the Amazon, SAS aims to leverage advanced technologies to advance research initiatives on the Galapagos Islands. By teaming up with UNC CGS, SAS aims to gain valuable insights that will benefit sea turtles and similar threatened environments worldwide.

This is facilitated through ConserVision, an innovative SAS app that invites citizen scientists to participate in the protection of sea turtles by assisting in training a SAS computer vision model. The app allows users to match the facial markings of turtles captured in images, helping the model accurately identify individual turtles. This breakthrough will enable researchers to gain valuable information more efficiently, allowing for improved tracking of the turtles' health and migratory patterns over time. Ultimately, the goal is for the model to recognize sea turtles in any image, whether sourced from conservation groups or vacationing tourists.

The importance of dynamic information and access and utilisation to address the increasingly complex challenges faced across the globe cannot be underestimated, says SAS principal technical architect Sarah Hiser. By harnessing technologies such as analytics, AI, and machine learning to quantify the natural world, knowledge can be gained to safeguard ecosystems and combat climate change effectively.

The Galapagos Islands are renowned for housing numerous unique species found nowhere else on the planet. Since Charles Darwin's exploration of the islands in 1835, they have served as an ecological haven for researchers. UNC Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito jointly run the Galapagos Science Center, a prominent research facility on the islands. This centre has become an essential platform for scientists conducting innovative research to deepen our understanding of the environment and achieve real-world positive outcomes. It was established in 2011 on San Cristobel Island and stands as the only University science facility of its kind on the archipelago.

In their collaboration with UNC CGS, SAS will initially focus on three key projects centred around marine life.

Firstly, researchers aim to develop a sea turtle facial recognition system utilising computer vision and machine learning. This system will not only enable the identification of individual turtles but also facilitate the creation of a health index for tracking growth rates, health threats, and presence data. The gathered information will provide insights into temporal and spatial movement patterns, and health risks due to various factors, and offer a base health assessment for each turtle. Furthermore, this project will encourage the active participation of citizen scientists and raise awareness through outreach programs.

The second project focuses on understanding the patterns of hammerhead sharks. These sharks display regular offshore movements during nighttime, and researchers seek to uncover the driving factors behind these behaviours. Insights gained from this project will aid in delineating conservation areas and developing sustainable fishing and tourism practices by examining the influences of ocean currents, food sources, temperatures, and salinity requirements on the sharks' movements.

The final project revolves around phytoplankton predictions, which play a crucial role as the primary energy and resource source within the marine food web. This project aims to comprehend the factors, such as changing ocean temperatures, weather patterns, and human activity, that influence the spatial and temporal dispersal and community interactions of phytoplankton populations. Predicting changes in these foundational organisms can shed light on the broader impact of climate change on marine life and, ultimately, human populations that rely on them.

You can participate in the crowd-sourced turtle image recognition here.

"Things that happen in nature happen to us," said SAS VP data ethics practice Reggie Townsend, explaining that the Galapagos Islands' economy flourishes on tourism, and this provides a living for the populace. The Galapagos turtles are an important part of their ecosystem, and part of the image of the islands, and thus contribute to the livelihood of the Islanders. "We use AI, and specifically crowd-sourcing computer vision, to protect the turtles. And protecting the turtles protects the well-being of the people."

"Projects like this are proof we can change the world one algorithm at a time," he said.

Image: Andreas Fiedler from Pixabay
Your business needs AI to stay competitive, says data and statistical analytics software provider, SAS, and that it is the fastest, lower-cost, and most trustworthy way to make it happen.

In fact, SAS states with its Viya product you can bring AI to your business at 30x times the speed (and thus 30x less cloud computing cost) than open source and commercial competitors. Or, do the same work but at 86% lower operational costs.

These are the resounding messages from the SAS Innovate event running this week in Orlando, Florida: you need AI to outpace your competitors, and it is SAS who will help you outdo expectations, outperform goals, and outpace tomorrow.

Its been four years since SAS held a large in-person event but as post-COVID life continues to return to normal, so too the data faithful gathered this week in Orlando to learn about whats new and coming in SAS, as well as how to best leverage the software to unlock the hidden value of data in their organisation.

The theme was set by SAS chief marketing officer Jennifer Chase who explained, business leaders around the world are telling us they need AI and analytics to not only stay competitive today but to outpace what tomorrow brings.

Consider a car race, posed SAS chief technology officer Bryan Harris. In that situation, the goal is to be the first vehicle through the finish line. Thats literally the definition of outpacing your competitors. In the car race, the victor makes better decisions and reacts more optimally than their competitors. And, the environment in which they make these decisions is the race track.

However, "business decision environments are more complex, Harris said. And, he adds, youre now competing against organisations who are working with artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Really, the message from SAS could not be clearer - its irrelevant whether you want to embrace artificial intelligence. Much like your business in times past needed a fax machine to stay competitive, to provide a website, to offer online ordering, to have a social media presence and all manner of things that either put you ahead of others or caught you up to others. Today, if your organisation is not already planning an artificial intelligence strategy then youre behind the eight-ball.

Not to fear; the good news is whether youre new to AI or already running multiple models, SAS says its product SAS Viya will manage your entire AI lifecycle from managing data, developing models, and deploying insights and will do it faster and at a lower cost than any other option. This means you can go to market sooner.

In fact, SAS co-founder and CEO Dr Jim Goodnight said, SAS Viya brings AI and analytics to anyone, everywhere, to let users of all skill levels get the answers they need in any language on their terms faster than ever before.

These are big claims, but not without basis. The Futurum Group independently analysed and reviewed the performance results of SAS Viya and several leading commercial and open-source AI/ML alternative options. Futurum states on average, SAS Viya performed 30 times better than the others.

The old saying, "time is money" was never truer when it came to on-demand cloud consumption pricing, and organisations around the world are finding their initial love for cloud computing is experiencing sticker shock with high bills, and unpredictable bills. With an objective rating of 30x times - not 30% but 30 times - the performance of others, this literally means your cloud costs for AI and ML workloads can plummet to a thirtieth if you are using one of the alternatives. So you can do more with the same money, or you could do the same with far less money.

This performance gain didn't come out of nowhere; at its last major in-person event, in 2019 at Dallas, SAS announced it was investing one billion US dollars in enhancing and optimising the cloud economics of its platform. That investment has clearly paid off.

Futurum Group principal analyst Russ Fellows states 150 tests were run multiple times against each platform, and while the commercial offerings are not named, the open-source options include H2O and SparkML. In each case, Fellows says, the speed was measured by the total execution time: how long it took to spin up a container, to load data, run training, and scoring; in short, the entire process of training an AI model from scratch. The accuracy of these models was also measured, because, after all, what use is a fast-generated model if it is inaccurate?

"The accuracy was identical in all cases, Fellows said. Every model produced the same accuracy so the only difference was how fast they could perform and how efficient they were at scale with larger data sets.

And, in each scenario, Fellows says it was SAS outperforming the others. For simple models and small data sets the performance gain was five or ten times. Yet, when running on the largest data sets and most complex models, the performance difference was 50x, 100x, and in one staggering situation, 326x the alternatives.

Fellows adds that for one large and complex test scenario, two competitors ran for multiple hours before ultimately failing and yielding no results. SAS, by contrast, ran for 12 minutes and delivered an accurate model. Thats hours of cloud computing cost for no value at all, vs. not even a quarter of an hour. So if youre running in the cloud, free software can be your most expensive option, Goodnight quipped.

With SAS providing high-end analytical capabilities but at unprecedented speed and the associated cost reductions it's time the old joke, "You want it good, fast, cheap? Choose two" needs rethinking.

It doesn't stop here; Harris also announced a strategic partnership between SAS and SingleStore, formerly MemSQL. SingleStore is a real-time data warehouse that collects and store multiple streams of data in a relational format, and provides the ability to configure and manage additional indexes on the data for faster performance that allows both fast transactional access and fast analytical access on the same set of data without the effort or expense of migrating data.

SingleStore is available both on-cloud and on-premises and SAS announced a new product offering, SAS Viya with SingleStore, that offers even more performance gain than the above metrics, Harris said.

Thus, the reality is SAS genuinely offers a highly-competitive, cost-effective route to managing your AI lifecycle - from gathering and preparing data, creating models, comparing models, and deploying your model into an application. This means reduced cloud costs as well as the ability to do more with your cloud spend; it means faster go-to-market for your companys AI-infused offerings. This offering achieves the lowest TCO for AI, Harris said.

Goodnight also announced SAS will be investing a further one billion USD over the next three years to expand its industry-specific solutions. These solutions reduce fraud in banking, improve public health and patient care, optimise manufacturing processes, and more, and are all built on top of SAS Viya as the core. It sees SAS doubling down on its industry vertical solution approach so customers can take inefficiencies out of their business and see time-to-value increased, Harris said.

Among other things, the conference also provided participants with the opportunity to aid the UNC Centre for Galapagos Studies via a crowd-sourced turtle recognition app. The app presents users with two photos - one of a known turtle, and the other of an unknown turtle, and asks if they are the same.

The project aims to proactively improve the health of these magnificent creatures, by tracking the health of identifiable turtles as they turn up in photos by scientists and tourists alike. The side-effect is helping these creatures also aids the economy and welfare of the residents of the Galapagos Islands who depend on the turtles for tourism.

You can join right in and help train the data - become the 'I' behind the AI - here, and you can read more about the project here.
Enterprise software company TechnologyOne has called a halt to trading after discovering its systems had been breached through its internal Microsoft 365 back-office system.

The company said in a note to the ASX that the breach had not affected its customer-facing SaaS platform as it was not connected to the Microsoft 365 system.

In the statement, TechnologyOne said it had "acted with urgency to investigate the issue, including initiation of its cyber response strategy, appointing third party experts, and isolating affected systems".

It added: "The company has reported this incident to relevant authorities and continues to not only comply but go beyond its regulatory obligations.

"Once the investigation is further progressed, we will be in a position to contact those who may be affected to work with them on the ongoing safety of their data.

"We apologise to impacted individuals for any concern this incident may cause. Further updates will be provided via the ASX and on our website as they become available."
COMPANY NEWS: Aveva, a global leader in industrial software driving innovation and sustainability, today announced details of its participation as a key sponsor, exhibitor and conference speaker at this weeks Austmine 2023 conference being staged at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 9-11 May.

As session sponsor, Aveva SaaS sales manager  Pacific Jason Berryman will co-facilitate a collaboration laboratory breakout session on the intelligent mine in conjunction with Sheldon Varcoe, Austmine manager  international projects on Wednesday 11 May at 11.10am-12.40pm.

Speakers include:

 Praveen Kannan, head of market product management, Sick

 Peter Burman, program manager, Boliden Mines Technology

 Rafael Estrada, manager of IT, telcomms and process control, Antamina

 Ben Cadwell, principal consultant  artificial intelligence, Sage Group

In addition, the Aveva expo booth (#220) will feature key Aveva product engineering, operations, data and reliability solution. It will also host Expo Tech Talks from throughout the conference, showcasing products, innovations and ideas.

These include:

 Wednesday, 10 May / 10:20am-10:30am / Mining operations centres: an engineering perspective  Zoltan Borbas, Aveva principal consultant pre-sales



 Wednesday, 10 May / 1:10pm-1:20pm / Mining operations centres: a data perspective  Albis Durand, Aveva solutions consultant

 Wednesday, 10 May / 1:40pm-1:50pm / Mining operations centres: an operations perspective - Albis Durand, Aveva solutions consultant

Thursday, 11 May / 11:10am-11:20am / Mining operations centres: a reliability perspective  Daniel Chaves, Aveva senior pre-sales engineer

In addition, Schneider Electric mining, mineral and metals regional segment leader, ANZ/Pacific Emilie Ditton will present on Wednesday 10 May at 11.55am-12.15pm on The next wave of transformation: integrating power, process and performance in decision making. During this session Schneider Electric and Aveva will share their vision to support the industry on its transformation and how organisations can scale the investments that have been made and integrate power and process decisions holistically to enable improved decision making as companies move towards their sustainable futures.

Aveva Pacific vice president Alexey Lebedev said Were excited to meet with innovators in the mining and minerals industry at Austmine to help them further define and reinforce their strategies for success. With complex global mining supply chains, organisations today are looking for sustainable solutions to increase production. This years Austmine conference and expo provides a forum for those leading in innovation to provide insight and knowledge into solutions to these pressing global challenges. Were thrilled to be sponsoring the event and participating as both an exhibitor and conference speakers.

Aveva works with nine of the top 10 mining companies globally and has been supporting Australian mining customers for over 20 years.

About Aveva

Aveva is a global leader in industrial software, sparking ingenuity to drive responsible use of the worlds resources. The companys secure industrial cloud platform and applications enable businesses to harness the power of their information and improve collaboration with customers, suppliers and partners.

Over 20,000 enterprises in over 100 countries rely on Aveva to help them deliver lifes essentials: safe and reliable energy, food, medicines, infrastructure and more. By connecting people with trusted information and AI-enriched insights, Aveva enables teams to engineer efficiently and optimise operations, driving growth and sustainability.

Named as one of the worlds most innovative companies, Aveva supports customers with open solutions and the expertise of more than 6,400 employees, 5,000 partners and 5,700 certified developers. With operations around the globe, Aveva is headquartered in Cambridge, UK.
Australian drone technology startup Aerologix is releasing its patented automated flight path technology globally, for private and enterprise use, which has potential use cases in search and rescue operations, disaster management and battling bushfires.

Previously restricted for use by pilots on the Aerologix app, international customers can now download the AerologixFly app to access the patented technology software, Aeropath, which offers an automated flight solution for inspecting vertical asset structures.

Aeropath is designed to help fly drones around complex structures, such as telecommunications towers, buildings and electricity structures, turning a low-cost consumer drone into a valuable superdrone.

Additional real-time communication features are scheduled to be added to the AerologixFly app in the next six months that have potential use cases such as search and rescue and bushfire monitoring. AeroLive will allow footage to be streamed live in HD, and AeroChat, will allow users to give pilots instructions in real-time from an off-site location or command centre.

Aerologix Co-Founder and COO, Rakesh Routhu said, Aeropath is the jewel in the Aerologix crown, and were really excited to release it internationally, allowing pilots all over the world to benefit from our patented technology, which will undoubtedly optimise their operations whether they work for a company that requires frequent asset inspection or they do occasional private jobs as a side gig. Aeropath will allow them to complete missions efficiently and safely, every time.

Routhu continued, Were also really excited about our new features that will be released in the coming months. To be able to watch a live stream and communicate with the pilot in real-time will be a game-changer for not only enterprise customers but especially for the likes of search & rescue or bushfire monitoring.

Available on iOS and Android phones and compatible with all DJI drones, Aeropath is available on the AerologixFly app, as a subscription-based SaaS model on a month-to-month plan. For Australian pilots, Aeropath is currently only available when carrying out Aerologix projects.

Aerologix Co-Founder and CEO, Tom Caska says, Its been great to see so many pilots utilising the platform already, before weve even advertised the service. Weve seen hundreds of downloads from across New Zealand, USA, Norway, Finland, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The drone pilot community is a very engaged community and when there is technology that will help them perform their jobs better, either via software or the drone itself, they dont hesitate to get on board. Were really excited to be able to service those pilots with what we think is brilliant technology, continued Caska.

About Aerologix

Aerologix is a Sydney-based drone start-up that provides a marketplace for clients to locate their local drone pilot to complete aerial imagery projects. The company uses a patented algorithm and geolocation to match clients with skilled and qualified drone pilots in Australia. Drone technology will save time and money and ensure the safety and efficiency of delivering on-demand drone data for the customer and a seamless flight experience for the pilot.

Former Qantas pilot Tom Caska and IT expert Rakesh Routhu started the company in 2019. They met doing their MBAs at UNSW, having previously held their own start-up companies in drone technology and robotics. Aerologix has over 10,000 pilots on its platform, who have additionally completed enterprise jobs across industries, including surveying, infrastructure, renewables, telecommunications and construction.
Entries have officially opened to the 2023 Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards  a prestigious and comprehensive programme that celebrates the growing number of female small business owners from across the country.

This year marks the second consecutive year of the Awards, which spotlight the achievements of some of the nations most inspiring women in small business  particularly those from technology-associated sectors.

While research suggests that the vast majority of Australians working in technology sectors are male, a growing number of Australian women are pursuing technology-based small businesses and these women are especially being encouraged to enter the 2023 Awards to inspire more female tech-entrepreneurs.

The 2023 Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards features a total of more than 55 small business award categories and four individual categories  Young Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged 30 and younger), Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged over 30), Australian Small Business Champion Influential Woman and Australian Small Business Champion Icon.

According to Australian Government data, female small business owners currently represent more than one-third of all small businesses, and 2022-released data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows a 46 per cent jump in women business owners during the past two decades. Research by Asialink suggests boosting the number of female business owners to equal that of men, could add between $70 billion and $135 billion to the economy.

Theres no doubting the rising success of female small business owners from all corners of this country, says Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards.

Precedent Productions has been running the Australian Small Business Champion Awards since 1999, but especially during the past few years, weve noticed a steep rise in the success of female-owned small businesses in particular, so much so that we deemed it appropriate to have a standalone awards programme that showcases and honours the truly impressive work of women in small business, adds Mr Loe.

The 2023 Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards is sponsored by Nine Plus, CUB, NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, Xcllusive Business Sales and Big Clean.

Created and managed by Precedent Productions  a small business in its own right  the 2023 Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards will culminate in a National Presentation Evening Gala Event to be held on Saturday, 23 September 2023 at the new Western Sydney Conference Centre at Penrith in NSW.

Online entry to the 2023 Australian Womens Small Business Champion Awards is FREE and will remain open until 21 July 2023.

For more information and to submit an entry form, visit: womensbusinesschampions.com.au.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> In his first public remarks since Fox News settled a massive defamation lawsuit and parted ways with star host Tucker Carlson, the network's top corporate boss signaled that the conservative-leaning cable channel has no plans for a course correction.

"There's no change to our programming strategy at Fox News," Lachlan Murdoch said on Tuesday morning. "It's obviously a successful strategy, and as always, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup and that's what we continue to do."

He made no direct reference to Carlson, an increasingly hard-right commentator who was until recently the network's top-rated prime-time host. His firing last month, which remains officially unexplained, has led to a dip in Fox's ratings.

Murdoch, chief executive of Fox Corp, made his comments during the question-and-answer portion of a conference call with economic analysts to discuss the company's quarterly earnings report. In the second quarter of the year, Fox Corp lost $50 million, which the company attributed "primarily" to the $787.5 million settlement forged to end the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over a slew of on-air false claims alleging fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Fox is now facing multiple lawsuits from shareholders who argue that the company's board of directors shirked their duties by failing to stop the network from broadcasting comments that would open the company up to legal action. Murdoch did not address those legal actions during his comments on Tuesday.

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While Murdoch said he was limited in what he could divulge, he told analysts that Fox "made the business decision to resolve the dispute to avoid the acrimony of this trial and a multiyear appeal process."

He attributed the decision in part to the way in which Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric M. Davis "severely limited" Fox's avenues for defense, such as ruling ahead of trial that the allegations its guests and commentators made were undeniably defamatory and could not be defended purely on the basis of being newsworthy.

Murdoch did not apologize for any of the statements that led to the lawsuit. "As we've stated many times, we always acted as a news organization reporting on the newsworthy events of the day," he said.

Fox is still facing a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from voting technology company Smartmatic, expected to go to trial in 2025. The network has said it plans to use the same defense shot down in the Dominion case - that it was reporting on newsworthy claims made by newsworthy figures - which Murdoch reiterated Tuesday.

Smartmatic, Murdoch said, is "a fundamentally different case than Dominion in that all of our full complement of First Amendment defenses remain" - though such defenses could be limited as the New York case approaches trial, as they were in Delaware.

Since parting ways with Carlson, the network has experienced a severe decline in viewership during the 8 p.m. hour. Murdoch conveyed no concern, though. "We are pleased with the strength of the advertising demand, throughout our schedule, but particularly prime time," he said.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> States from North Dakota to Florida are seeing another wave of new laws and bills poised to become law targeting transgender Americans - and in particular, the pronouns they use.

In North Dakota, a bill that Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed into law on Monday effectively bans public schools from adopting policies requiring staff to use a trans student's pronouns. It took effect immediately, according to the Associated Press.

Burgum said in a statement that the new law "largely codifies existing practices while reaffirming the First Amendment right to free speech . . . balancing the rights and interests of students, parents and teachers."

Teachers in North Dakota must now inform parents or guardians if students identify as transgender and must obtain their approval before allowing the students to use the bathroom of their choice. The law also bans government entities from requiring people to respect an individual's preferred pronouns.

The governor also signed two other bills defining gender as the sex at birth and banning changes to sex on birth records in most cases. Those statutes will take effect in August.

Just Thursday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed a bill requiring school personnel to tell parents if their children ask to be called by a different name or set of pronouns. The legislation, which IndyStar reported takes effect in July, was part of a "Slate of Hate" opposed by LGBTQ advocates and supporters.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota decried the restrictions, with advocacy manager Cody Schuler saying the "mandatory outing of a student's trans identity violates their privacy rights at school - particularly for trans youth who cannot be safe at home."

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In a statement published on the organization's website, Schuler added that transgender students would now be forced "to make the impossible decision of breaking the law or revealing their private medical information - not to mention the obvious risk of harassment and violence that comes with forcing transgender students into the facilitates that do not match their gender identity."

Similar legislation appears to be speeding toward the same conclusion elsewhere.

Louisiana's House passed a bill Monday limiting the use of trans students' pronouns. The "Given Name Act," which still requires approval by the state Senate, would mean school employees could only use other names or pronouns for students if parents provide written consent. No employee would be forced to use different pronouns if it was contrary to their religious beliefs, according to the measure's text.

The LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign said the bill would allow schools "to forcibly out and intentionally misgender transgender and nonbinary students."

And last week, Florida's legislature passed a measure preventing students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that do not correspond to an individual's identified sex at birth. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has pushed such action as part of his conservative agenda, is expected to sign the bill.
The left-wing caucus calling for Senator Dianne Feinstein to relinquish her Senate seat grew last week. Over the past month, Democratic Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ro Khanna of California, and Dean Phillips of Minnesota had urged the 89-year-old Feinstein, who has been away from the Senate since contracting a painful case of shingles in March, to step down. On May 2, they were joined by two additional "Squad" members, Representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. "I wish [Feinstein] well in her health and her recovery," Pressley told GBH Radio. "But I do think that if it's impacting her ability to do the job, I would support a resignation." Ocasio-Cortez didn't bother to feign concern for Feinstein's well-being. "[Her] refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary," the congresswoman snapped on social media. "That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP-approved nominees." On Friday, The New York Times piled on. "If [Feinstein] cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor," the paper editorialized. What motivates the Feinstein-should-resign chorus is not the welfare of the Senate's oldest member; it's that her absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee is preventing Democrats from confirming a handful of President Biden's judicial nominees. If the Senate's Democratic majority were larger, Feinstein's absence wouldn't impede her party's agenda and no one would be clamoring for her to step down. But with the Senate so closely divided, things are different. In her absence, the Judiciary Committee has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, meaning that Biden's nominees cannot move forward without at least some GOP support. To be clear, judicial confirmations haven't screeched to a halt. Since Feinstein has been away, 21 judges have been confirmed by the Senate and eight nominees have advanced from the Judiciary Committee to the full Senate. It is only a few controversial nominations that have been stalled because Democrats can't muster the votes to advance them.

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That said, Feinstein should step down. No one of her advanced years and obvious physical and mental decline should be holding a high government position.

The New Yorker reported in 2020 that the California senator was "seriously struggling" with memory failure. The article described a hearing during which Feinstein had repeated a detailed question to a witness word for word, apparently unaware that she had just asked it. More than a year ago, The San Francisco Chronicle described instances in which Feinstein, meeting with a lawmaker she had worked with for many years, had to repeatedly be reintroduced to the person.

"Four US senators, including three Democrats, as well as three former Feinstein staffers and [a member of California's congressional delegation] told The Chronicle in recent interviews that her memory is rapidly deteriorating," the paper noted. "They said it appears she can no longer fulfill her job duties without her staff doing much of the work required."

Feinstein isn't the only superannuated member of Congress. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is 89 and four representatives  Grace Napolitano of California, Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, Harold Rogers of Kentucky, and Bill Pascrell of New Jersey  are 85 or older. To be sure, some people are blessed to reach extreme old age without suffering significant intellectual or bodily impairment. But that isn't the norm. And it isn't fair to the public when lawmakers  or, for that matter, presidents and judges  insist on clinging to office when they are no longer up to the job.

But cling they do, protected by a Washington culture that privileges political insiders' egos above the nation's best interests.

In a very early column for the Globe, I wrote about an impressive young Republican candidate who was waging a quixotic challenge to J. Joseph Moakley, the long-serving congressman from Boston. I mentioned in passing that Moakley, who was first elected to office in his 20s, was nearing 70 "and his health is poor." The day after the column appeared, Moakley showed up at the Globe offices in Dorchester and proceeded to berate me for those words. My praise for his campaign opponent didn't concern him but he was outraged by my pointing out that his physical condition was worsening.

The more Moakley declined, the more he denied it. When he was spotted a few months later hobbling with a cane, he insisted he had no problems save for a touch of arthritis. "Christ, they've got me in O'Brien's already," he fumed, referring to a South Boston funeral home. "How many times can I tell people . . . my overall health is fine?" Three months after that, gaunt and in pain, Moakley was in a Virginia hospital having his liver removed.

Eventually it seemed to dawn on Moakley that there might be more to life than nonstop politics. He called a press conference to announce that, after 24 years in Washington, he was retiring. But he couldn't do it. In a weird, sad performance, rambling incoherently on live television, Moakley declared that he would run again for Congress after all. "Outside of my wife," he said, "it's my only love."

The annals of government are filled with examples of men and women who grew so addicted to power and its perquisites that they couldn't bear the thought of voluntarily relinquishing them. Senator Ted Kennedy refused to resign his seat in Congress even after he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and it was clear he would not be returning to Capitol Hill. The same fatal disease struck Senator John McCain, who likewise clung to his position, even though it deprived his state of a functioning senator for more than eight months.

In July 2005, former chief justice William Rehnquist, saying he wanted "to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement," announced that he had no intention of resigning from the Supreme Court. Though illness was destroying him and he had to miss dozens of oral arguments, he remained on the court until his death. So did Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who ignored pleas to retire, even as age and repeated bouts of cancer took their toll.

It's a very old story, this hanging onto political office by men and women who are too old and/or sick to do their work. Why do Americans tolerate it? The government of the United States is too important to be left to politicians whose memories are failing and whose bodies are breaking down. When lawmakers, justices, and presidents cannot keep up with the job they were elected or appointed to, they ought to have the integrity to bow out. Their job, after all, doesn't belong to them. It belongs to us.

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission."
100 years ago,

May 10, 1923

SIGEL  Conrad Tegler, eighty years of age, was burned to death Wednesday when hot cloths applied to his body burst into flames. Tegler had suffered from rheumatism for some time, and to relieve his pain his wife heated cloths and applied them to the afflicted portions of his body. After several applications the pain seemed to ease, and Tegler rested comfortably. After reheating the cloths, Mrs. Tegler went to the home of a neighbor for a few minutes. After she left the house the cloths on Tegler's body burst into flame. When Mrs. Tegler returned home she found her husband lying on the floor of the bedroom. She summoned neighbors and an examination showed that Tegler was dead. The fire in the bed was extinguished and house saved from destruction...MATTOON  Response of the public to the new parking regulations in effect on Broadway has been favorable, Chief of Police Portlock said today. A personal inspection of the cars lined up on both sides of Broadway for four blocks revealed only one violator, the chief said, and the guilty party, a woman who had pulled into one of the "stalls" in the wrong, was admonished to do better. A campaign to check speeding in the city, and especially on Broadway, will be launched by police. Already a number of chronic speeders have been hauled in and told by Chief Portlock to drive slower. The speed law on Broadway, ten miles an hour in the business section, is to be enforced, he said...MATTOON  The Lions Club today held its regular weekly noonday luncheon at the Buckler-Moore cafeteria, at which there was a good attendance. An interesting address was given by Dr. Leonard of the state health department upon the question of "Safe Milk." Dr. Leonard this evening will address a meeting at the Association of Commerce rooms upon the same subject. Dr. Leonard reviewed the history of the progress made toward procuring safe milk for the people and urged that the great need of today is in keeping milk clean and free from bacteria from the time it leaves the cow until it is delivered to the consumer.
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MATTOON  Michelle Skinlo's 32 years on the Mattoon school board encompassed hiring four superintendents, negotiating 15 union contracts and leading multiple building projects.

"Arguably the most notable accomplishment, and one I know that Michelle is extremely proud of, is supporting over 8,000 students to graduate from Mattoon High School during her tenure," said Superintendent Tim Condron.

Skinlo concluded her tenure Tuesday evening as she, in her longtime role as board president, presided over her final meeting, a brief post-election meeting. She was not returned to the board in the April 4 election.

The retired teacher was bade farewell with a standing ovation, hugs, handshakes, and teary eyes during this meeting in the unit office.

"I appreciate you all and I love you with all my heart," Skinlo said to the current and past colleagues, family, and community members who filled the meeting room.

Condron said Skinlo's 32 years of service, during which she served alongside 32 other board members over the years, had a significant impact on students and educators.

"Michelle has been steadfast and passionate about keeping students first in all decisions," the superintendent said.

Condron said Skinlo provided leadership in challenging times. This included an Illinois budget impasse in 2015-2017 cutting off state funding, a school shooting in 2017 leaving one student wounded and another arrested for this incident, and a COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closing school campuses statewide in 2020.

Skinlo already had been a supporter of the district's one-to-one technology initiative before the pandemic occurred, Condron said. The district moved this initiative up from 2021 to 2020 and got Chromebooks to students to use for remote learning while campuses were closed.

In addition, Condron said Skinlo supported the development of the district's Curriculum Coordinating Committee in 1995 and its competency-based education initiative debut in 2018.

School honors during Skinlo's presidency included the district's preschool program receiving Illinois Gold Circle of Quality Awards, Mattoon Middle School receiving National Horizon School Awards, and Mattoon High School being named as a top high school by U.S. News & World Report.

Condron said Skinlo also supported constructing Riddle and Williams elementary schools in 2003, expanding and renovating the high school and middle schools, moving the school bus center to a Paradise Road facility in 2018, and opening of the LIFT vocational training center in 2022.

Beyond Mattoon, Skinlo also served on the Illinois Association of School Boards Board of Directors and as its Illini Division president.

"The board will miss Michelle's vast history of the community's schools as they continue their mission in expanding opportunities at MCUSD2," Condron said. "We are extremely grateful for you and your leadership with Mattoon schools."

Skinlo said she has appreciated working with the district's teachers, administrators and her fellow board members. She said her service would not have been possible without the support of her family.

That service concluded Tuesday as newly elected board members Cheryl Armstrong (a challenger in the April 4 election) and Gary Kepley, Ashli Overton and Dale Righter (incumbents) took their oaths of office. They have joined John Hedges, Heidi Larson and Erika Weaver on the board.

Righter, a former state senator, was elected board president Tuesday night. Ashli Overton was elected as vice president and Erika Weaver as secretary.

Skinlo said balancing her service on the board with her family life had required constant effort, so she looks forward to having more room in her schedule now for her extended family.

"This couldn't have happened at a better time. I have time for me and my family," Skinlo said.

PHOTOS: Mattoon celebrates during the annual homecoming parade
The manager of Lexington Family Pharmacy exchanged gunfire Tuesday with two suspects who attempted to rob the pharmacy, authorities said. The manager sustained a minor injury.

Lexington police later arrested the suspects in Salisbury.

The incident began about 2 p.m. when two masked men tried to rob the pharmacy and shot at Steve Koontz, the manager and a pharmacist, according to FOX8/WGHP, the news gathering partner of the Winston-Salem Journal.

Koontz, who legally carries a handgun at the pharmacy, fired back, the television station reported.

Koontz said he heard a man yelling for everyone to put their hands above their heads.

I look up, and its a tall guy in a mask, and he had a gun pointed at my cashier, Koontz said.

The pharmacys five employees screamed and the suspect fired a shot before a second suspect came inside the pharmacy, the television station reported. The suspects bullet reportedly hit a computer monitor.

The two men then left the pharmacy and Koontz followed them. Koontz and the suspect exchanged gunfire again, the television station reported. Koontz was grazed by a bullet.

Russell Patterson, the owner of Lexington Family Pharmacy, praised Koontz for his actions.

You find with Mr. Koontz, it wasnt a good opportunity for these folks to come in today, Patterson told the television station. Sometimes, you break into the wrong place, and there are people who fight back.

In Salisbury, Lexington police arrested Marcelleus Robinson, 31, and Bryson Moss, 22, for their alleged roles in the incident.

Robinson is charged with attempted armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, and possession of a firearm by a felon, police said.

Moss is charged with attempted armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, police said.

Robinson and Moss were being held Tuesday in the Davidson County Jail, police said.
The owner of a Mercury Grand Marquis stolen on Monday said she spent a sleepless night after she learned that her car was driven the wrong way on the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, and that two people died when her car collided head-on with theirs.

Jo Lee Ingram said she kept waking up and crying Monday night.

It is really sad that this happened to these people, she said. They were enjoying their day and living their lives.

The N.C. Highway Patrol still has not released the names of the teen boy and girl who died Monday afternoon when the Dodge Charger they were riding in was struck by Ingrams stolen Grand Marquis.

Nor have authorities identified the man who stole Ingram's car.

The two teens in the Charger and the driver of Ingrams Grand Marquis all died at the scene. A woman who lives on a residential street near the beltway and Baux Mountain Road heard the sound of the crash and came out of her house to see both cars demolished, one in flames and a law enforcement officer vainly trying to open a door of the Charger.

Ingram said she called 911 Monday afternoon as soon as her son-in-law told her that the car shed seen going by the window in a flash from her house was hers. Ingrams long gravel drive is blocked by a metal gate en route to Old School House Road in northern Forsyth County. The thief driving her car decided to get off her property by steering around the gate and jumping a ditch, she said.

According to the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, a deputy spotted Ingrams Grand Marquis traveling south on Baux Mountain Road near the beltway interchange, shortly after it was reported stolen around 12:21 p.m. The deputy turned around and put on his lights and siren, but the Grand Marquis didnt stop.

Instead, it was driven west on the ramp leading to the westbound beltway. At the bottom of the ramp, the driver executed a U-turn and started driving east, against the flow of traffic. The Grand Marquis only got a short distance down the freeway before the fatal collision occurred.

The sheriffs office says that only 70 seconds elapsed between the time the deputy spotted the Grand Marquis and the time of the collision. A highway patrol officer said the deputy in pursuit moderated his speed when he saw the Grand Marquis turn the wrong way at the bottom of the ramp.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough was not available for comment on the case on Tuesday. A spokesperson for his office said he was out of town and unavailable for an interview.

Ingram said her car started out the day parked in front of her house. She called her car Betty Lou, and it was a silver 2004 model with around 111,000 miles on it. At some point on Monday Ingram went out and moved Betty Lou across her gravel drive to make it easier to mow the grass around the place her car had been sitting.

She left her keys in the car, never dreaming that a stranger was on the property who evidently decided to take her car.

Ingrams son-in-law was actually the first to spot the car in motion. He saw the Grand Marquis coming up the driveway from the gate toward the house, then turn and head back down toward the gate. When Ingram saw the flash of silver from her window and came out to check, she met her son-in-law and found out that it was her car. Ingram thinks the thief drove down to the gate first, then drove back looking for another way out before returning to the gate and going around it.

Ingram said she has no kind thoughts for the man who took her car, even though he too died in the crash.

All he had to do was stop when he saw the deputys blue lights, she said.
The final official count of COVID-19 pandemic-related deaths in Forsyth County will be frozen at 997 as the federal Public Health Emergency state of emergency ends Thursday.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it is ending its once-daily, then-weekly COVID-19 dashboard updates to coincide with the action by the Biden administration.

The final dashboard update has Forsyth with three additional COVID-19 related deaths, along with 139 new cases, for the week that ended May 6.

Metrics have been essential to North Carolinas response to COVID-19, DHHS said on its dashboard website.

However, the way we track COVID-19 has changed. More people are using home tests, which are not reported to health officials, making case counts less reliable.

Starting in May, doctors and labs are no longer required to report COVID cases to the health department in North Carolina.

DHHS said it will continue to track COVID-19 community levels in ways that include:

Emergency department visits for COVID-like, influenza-like, RSV-like and overall acute respiratory illness.

Hospital admissions for COVID-19 and influenza.

Death certificate data.

Testing samples of wastewater in which COVID-19 can be reliably detected.

Since the pandemic surfaced locally in mid-March 2020, there have been 126,962 confirmed cases.

It is very likely that Forsyth has eclipsed the 1,000 death total from COVID-19.

DHHS cautions its weekly totals are subject to revision, including factoring in cases and deaths that occurred weeks or months ago, but were only recently confirmed as related to COVID-19.

DHHS weekly case totals cover only laboratory-confirmed cases, and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test. There is no obligation for those individuals to report their positive test to a county health department.

Forsyth event

Forsyth County officials will hold an event recognizing the ending of the federal public health emergency at 10 a.m. Thursday at the county health department, 799 N. Highland Ave.

The event will feature public health professionals, elected officials and community partners talking about the combined local efforts to combat the pandemic.

Speakers will include: Forsyth Board of Commissioners chairman Don Martin; county health director Joshua Swift; N.C. Sen. Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth; and pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, which hosted both testing and vaccination events; Jose Isasi, owner of Southeast Plaza shopping center and Que Pasa Media; Dr. Kevin High, president of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist; and Dr. David Priest, infectious disease physician with Novant Health Inc.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines declared the citys COVID-19 state of emergency as being over on May 1.

In the declaration, Joines cited the advice of the local medical community of lower potential community exposure in ending the state of emergency.

Joines decision comes about nine months after Gov. Roy Cooper fulfilled on Aug. 15 his pledge to end the statewide COVID-19 state of emergency even as most Triad counties were at that time in the high level for community spread.

Last Forsyth update

Local COVID-19 community spread is at 10- to 12-month lows, depending on the metrics on the DHHS dashboard.

Of the three additional deaths, one death was confirmed last week and the other two confirmed from previous weeks.

Of the new cases, 31, or 22.3%, were individuals who have been re-infected.

Forsyth remains listed in the low category for COVID-19 community spread in the latest update from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All 100 N.C. counties are in the low category.

All three of Forsyths key metrics moved in a positive direction compared with the previous report.

For instance, the latest number of new cases per 100,000 people is 23 in Forsyth, compared with 36 and 35 in the previous two reports.

The rate of new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people was at 2.9, compared with 3.1 and 4.1 in the previous two reports.

Also, 1% of inpatient beds are being used by COVID-19 patients, compared with 1.1 and 1.2% in the previous two weeks.

DHHS reported the statewide count for last week was 2,173, compared with a revised 2,310 in the previous report.

The latest weekly count is the lowest since 1,904 for the week that ended April 18, 2020.

Of those North Carolinians with a positive test result in the latest weekly report, 552, or 25.4%, were considered re-infected.

North Carolinas total confirmed case count since the onset of the pandemic is just more than 3.5 million.

There were seven COVID-related deaths reported statewide last week, along with another 66 confirmed from previous weeks, for a total of 29,059.
A social media fundraiser has helped raise more than $96,000 for an Alamance County dairy farmer who was gored by a bull over the weekend.

Randy Lewis was attacked Sunday by bull on his farm, Ran-Lew Dairy in Snow Camp, according to the GoFundMe page started by Taylor Hayes, operator of the Ran-Lew Milk plant.

Lewis suffered broken ribs, punctures in his lungs, broken bones in his face, back and collarbone, according to a FOX8/WGHP, the Winston-Salem Journals news partner.

Lewis was taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where he is being treated, the television station reported.

Lewis has worked his familys fifth-generation dairy farm all of his life, Hayes said in a GoFundMe post. The milk is known for having cream on top.

Lewis was the subject of a 2014 documentary titled The Last Barn Dance. The film documents Lewis struggle to save his livelihood and a 50-year-old family tradition of barn dances.
Man bites dog, hell freezes over  and in a sudden outbreak of both sanity and human decency Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have shelved a bill that would have repealed the requirement for concealed-carry permits in the state.

Despite passing in two committees, House Bill 189 has been removed from the legislative calendar.

The bills sponsor concedes that there werent enough votes in the House to withstand a certain veto by Roy Cooper.

This suggests some Republicans have a drawn a line on how far theyre willing to go in dismantling gun laws.

Not that they havent done plenty of damage already.

In a March override of an earlier Cooper veto, the General Assembly repealed the local handgun permit requirement only two days after the mass shooting in a Nashville Christian school claimed six victims, including three 9-year-olds.

Senate leader Phil Berger cited that vote as one of the reasons he has no interest in taking up the concealed-carry bill in his chamber.

Weve done away with the pistol purchase permit, which was the No. 1 goal of many of the gun-rights groups for a long period of time, the Eden Republican told reporters. I just dont know if theres a need for us to delve into additional issues dealing with guns.

This was a wholly unexpected development, given GOP lawmakers irrational resistance to reasonable gun reform.

Even as one shooting after another makes headlines almost daily, Republicans here, as elsewhere, seemed determined not only to resist new gun laws, but to roll back the ones already on the books.

But, for whatever reason, this time was different.

Sponsored by Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, the concealed-carry bill stalled and then fizzled.

There was some difference of opinion within the caucus on it, and the reality is, before that bill could become law, you would need to have all 72 votes, House Speaker Tim Moore told WUNC FM, referring to a need for all of the chambers Republicans to support the bill for it to withstand a veto. I didnt count 72 votes there, and Rep. Kidwell concurred.

This means at least a few Republicans realize how dangerous this bill would have been.

The North Carolina Sheriffs Association also opposed HB 189, which probably helped to seal its demise. Good for them, although it was disappointing that the very same organization endorsed the repeal of the handgun-permit law. (To their credit, sheriffs Bobby Kimbrough in Forsyth County and Danny Rogers in Guilford did not support the repeal.)

As for the concealed-carry bill, a former Greensboro police officer, Al Stewart, firmly objected to the bill on in a letter to the editor on May 3.

As a retired law enforcement officer, I oppose this bill and see this as a dangerous step in the wrong direction, Stewart wrote.

Meanwhile, more shootings and more deaths.

Most recently, a gunman armed with a pistol and an AR-15-style rifle killed eight people and injured seven in a suburban shopping mall near Dallas, Texas.

Among the victims was a pair of sisters, ages 11 and 8. A 6-year-old survived his wounds but lost both of his parents and his 3-year-old brother, prompting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to do ... nothing ... about gun reform.

As of this writing, there have been 208 mass shootings so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. There have been only 130 days in 2023.

So, against this backdrop of worshipful devotion to firearms (at least by those with the power to change things), you take your victories where you can get them.

But doesnt it say something about the times we live in that we can be comforted and relieved that, at least for once, our elected leaders werent quite as reckless and irresponsible as they normally are?
More than 27,000 Nebraskans are eligible to receive money from a $141 million nationwide settlement with TurboTaxs parent company, Intuit Inc.

In a press release, Attorney General Mike Hilgers Office said at least 27,353 Nebraskans are eligible for portions of the $837,114 settlement pool allocated to the state. Most consumers can expect to receive between $29 and $30. Eligible people will be contacted through email by Rust Consulting, the settlement fund administrator. Checks will be mailed throughout this month with no action needed from eligible recipients.

Recipients include those who paid to file their federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018 but were eligible to file for free through the Internal Revenue Services Free File Program.

About 4.4 million Americans are eligible to receive money from the settlement.

For more information about who is covered by the settlement and information about the settlement fund, visit agturbotaxsettlement.com.

5 ways to invest your tax refund and boost your financial well-being 5 ways to invest your tax refund and boost your financial well-being 1. Boost your emergency fund 2. Contribute to an IRA 3. Pay off debt 4. Contribute to a savings account to save for key goals 5. Investing and building wealth
Gretna's dining options will soon be expanding.

Hawaiian Bros. Island Grill is expected to open its first Omaha metro location southwest of Interstate 80 & Nebraska 370 in Gretna by the end of the year, according to the Grow Omaha website, which highlights metro area development happenings, in its May 4 weekly market report.

Home of the "traditional plate lunch"  which comes with white rice, macaroni salad and "your choice of protein," including a variety of chicken options as well as vegetables or pork  the restaurant also offers various sides and salads.

The Kansas City-based restaurant signed multi-unit franchise agreements with DKPM Investments Corp. and BraveHart Development LLC to open 15 stores in Nebraska and Iowa, according to fastcasual.com. Grow Omaha reports four Omaha locations are in the works.

Every major fast-food chain, ranked by customer satisfaction Intro #23. McDonald's #22. Popeyes #20. Jack in the Box (tied) #20. Taco Bell (tied) #19. Wendy's #16. Sonic (tied) #16. Dairy Queen (tied) #16. Dunkin' (tied) #12. Subway (tied) #12. Burger King (tied) #12. Little Caesars (tied) #12. Panda Express (tied) #9. Arby's (tied) #9. Papa Johns (tied) #9. Five Guys (tied) #5. Chipotle (tied) #5. Panera Bread (tied) #5. Pizza Hut (tied) #5. Starbucks (tied) #3. KFC (tied) #3. Domino's (tied) #2. Jimmy John's #1. Chick-fil-A
One day before the pandemic-era health emergency was set to expire, Bryan Health reached a milestone.

The Lincoln-based hospital system said that Wednesday was the first time since COVID-19 first reared its head locally in March 2020 that it did not have a single patient in the hospital because of the disease.

"It seems fitting to share this news during National Hospital Week, a time when we celebrate our employees for the dedication and care they provide to the people of our region," Bryan said in a statement.

The health system said it has cared for about 4,200 COVID-19 patients over the past 38 months.

The disease has largely receded from public concern over the past few months after a winter surge that was less intense than ones the previous two winters.

Lancaster County recorded 69 official cases last week, its lowest weekly total in more than a year, and the percentage of people testing positive for the disease has been below 10% for three straight weeks, also the first time that's happened in more than a year. Last month, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department's COVID-19 risk dial moved into the green, or low-risk, range for the first time in nearly a year.

On Monday, the Lincoln City Council voted to end its emergency declaration, just as the Lancaster County Board did last week, and it will take effect Thursday, coinciding with the end of the federal public health emergencies.

The Health Department's risk dial will go away, but the department will continue to publish a dashboard with COVID-19 data, and it also will continue to offer vaccines, testing and medication.

Photos: Bryan staff who care for COVID-19 patients
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organized crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings. The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmars Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimized. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labor abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home," Mahfud said.

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez, Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
What started as a report of a stolen car Tuesday morning ended in the arrest of two Lincoln residents following a lengthy pursuit that crisscrossed the city and required help from the Nebraska State Patrol's helicopter, according to authorities.

Police first responded to 13th and E streets shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday after a caller reported their 2015 Chevrolet Equinox had just been stolen, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

Officers spotted and tried to stop the car numerous times in the subsequent pursuit, including at 11th and C streets and again at Williams Street and Sheridan Boulevard, Vollmer said.

Pilots with the State Patrol took flight in the agency's helicopter to help police track the stolen car, Vollmer said, and a trooper later deployed stop sticks  sometimes called spike strips  near 32nd and Fair streets.

Stolen Vehicle

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LPD & NSP Air

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Following a stolen vehicle occupied by two. pic.twitter.com/ifAOLRt6M3  LNK Scanner (@LNKScanner) May 9, 2023

The car's driver, 39-year-old Tony Smith, continued driving on now-punctured tires until he stopped the Chevy near 40th and Y streets, Vollmer said.

Both Smith and his passenger, a 40-year-old woman, then fled from the area on foot, according to police.

Officers arrested the 40-year-old woman in a nearby backyard on suspicion of resisting arrest and assault on an officer after she was allegedly combative with police as they took her into custody, Vollmer said.

Police caught up with Smith as he tried to enter a friend's home near 39th and Apple streets, Vollmer said, and arrested him on suspicion of numerous charges, including DUI, flight to avoid arrest and willful reckless driving.

Police took both of them to the Lancaster County jail.

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 Lincoln Board of Education gave Paul Gausman high marks in its year-end evaluation of the first-year superintendent.

Board members voted Tuesday to approve the formal appraisal of Gausman, which comes on the heels of a similar evaluation the board gave him last fall. State law requires school boards to evaluate superintendents twice in their first year.

"I think we absolutely picked the right person to become the face of the district," Board President Don Mayhew told the Journal Star. "His energy, his experience, his approach, his communication have all been exceptional."

The evaluation dovetails with two year-end goals the board asked Gausman to complete by the board's previous meeting on April 25: Present a year-end transition report and give a timeline for implementing the district's next five-year strategic plan.

Gausman put forward a number of recommendations for the district at the April 25 meeting as part of his transition report.

They included adding an additional associate superintendent position to oversee behavior-related services, implementing digital hall passes and partnering with businesses to offer in-house early childhood education.

Board members praised the report, calling it "very thorough."

"I think he came up with some very interesting ideas that are very relevant to our future success and I'm looking forward to working through" those ideas, Mayhew said.

In the report, board members also praised Gausman's communication with the board through weekly updates and his public-facing approach.

"Paul is out in the community more than I expected," one board member wrote.

Gausman came to Lincoln Public Schools last summer from Sioux City, Iowa, replacing Steve Joel, who retired last June.

Immediately after the vote Tuesday, Mayhew announced he would convene an ad hoc committee to evaluate the board's appraisal process, which dates to Joel's time at LPS, drawing input from Gausman himself.

Top Journal Star photos for May 2023
A proposed $41.8 million bond issue that would have allowed Raymond Central to consolidate into one campus failed to pass Tuesday, once again shutting down efforts to completely centralize the district northwest of Lincoln.

In resounding fashion, voters turned down the proposed bond issue in a mail-only election, rejecting a plan that would have seen the district close elementary schools in Ceresco and Valparaiso in favor of a new K-6 building next to its junior/senior high school.

About 73% of votes cast were opposed to the bond, according to unofficial results from the Saunders County Election Commissioner's Office.

Tuesday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for voters in Butler, Lancaster, Saunders and Seward counties who live in the district to turn in their ballots.

The bond would have paid for a 62,000-square-foot elementary school with a competition gym on Raymond Central's main campus, which is northwest of Lincoln. The district serves about 730 students, including from the surrounding communities of Agnew, Ceresco, Davey, Raymond and Valparaiso.

The bond would have also covered renovations at the high school, targeting classroom space for career and technical education, science and special education and other amenities like a new elevator.

But parents and community members in Ceresco and Valparaiso balked at the plan, arguing that shuttering their village's schools would be detrimental to their respective communities. Organizers even formed a "Save Our Schools" campaign to oppose the bond issue, with signs bearing the slogan popping up around the district.

School officials, however, said the bond was needed to address capacity concerns, transportation issues and aging facilities, pointing to districts like Norris that experienced growth after consolidation.

The bond would have raised the district's tax levy by more than 26 cents per $100 of property valuation, or $536 a year for the owner of a $200,000 house. Ag land is valued at 50% for the purpose of school bonds, according to state law.

The bond resembled past efforts to completely centralize the district, which voters have resoundingly rejected, including in the 1980s and 90s.

Best public high schools in Nebraska Best public high schools in Nebraska #30. Valentine High School #29. Milford High School #28. Crofton High School #27. Gordon-Rushville High School #26. Platteview Senior High School #25. York High School #24. Wood River Rural High School #23. High School at Syracuse #22. Seward High School #21. North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School #20. Pender High School #19. West Holt High School #18. Elmwood-Murdock Junior/Senior High School #17. Chadron Senior High School #16. Bellevue West High School #15. Central High School #14. Diller-Odell Secondary School #13. Bennington Secondary School #12. Millard South High School #11. Lincoln High School #10. Papillion La Vista Senior High School #9. Papillion La Vista South High School #8. Lincoln Southeast High School #7. Westside High School #6. Southwest High School #5. Millard West High School #4. Elkhorn High School #3. Lincoln East High School #2. Elkhorn South High School #1. Millard North High School
The city just got a little greener.

StarTran has added 11 new compressed natural gas-fueled buses to routes in Lincoln, which means three-quarters of the bus fleet now uses renewable fuel.

Compressed natural gas, a sustainable renewable fuel source, is more environmentally friendly than diesel fuel.

Of StarTrans 67 buses, 39 of them, plus two trolleys, run on CNG. Another 10 are electric buses, and 16 buses run on diesel fuel.

The city used more than $6.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act money  part of the $46 million it got as part of the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package. Each of the buses cost $587,609.76.

"The new buses offer smooth, quiet rides for our passengers and lower maintenance costs, said Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott.

They also move the city toward its Climate Action Plan goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a net 80% by 2050 and contribute to converting the citys vehicle fleet to 100% electric or alternative fuel vehicles by 2040, Elliott said.

From liquor sales to axe throwing

Back in 2009, N Street Drive In  the liquor store located for years at 19th and N streets  got pushed off its namesake street by the citys Antelope Valley redevelopment project.

The city bought the building, parking lot and land (and paid for relocation costs for the liquor store) for nearly $800,000.

The liquor store relocated about a block away, at the old Kirk Motors site at 18th and O streets, where its still selling all manner of adult beverages. The city demolished the old building and parking lot and used some of the land for three lanes of the new roadway.

The city retained ownership of the remaining swath of land, which is still vacant.

Now, the East Downtown Development Corp.  EaDo for short  wants to buy it for $67,000.

Kent Seacrest, the attorney representing EaDo, told the City Council the land will be used for expanded parking by an axe-throwing business located just to the west.

Theres no access to the land from either N Street or Antelope Valley Parkway, but EaDos decision to buy the land means theyre looking forward.

The development of the Telegraph District and expansion of the downtown area means development of the area where the land is located  on the southwest corner of Antelope Valley Parkway and N Street  is likely to happen, Seacrest said.

EaDo  a partnership between Nelnet and Speedway Properties  was formed to develop the Telegraph District. They've partnered on a number of other projects, most recently on a $47.5 million commercial, residential and retail building to anchor the South Haymarket and planned city park.

The council will vote Monday on the property sale.

Gambling no longer indecent

Relax, gamblers, youre no longer at risk of being ticketed for public indecency.

A few weeks ago, the City Council approved a number of updates to city codes, including one that removed gambling as an offense against public decency. The updates were largely clean-up measures, something the city attorneys office does routinely.

This time, they axed the whole gambling is an offense against public decency thing.

There had already been a number of exemptions to the code, things the state already regulated, like lottery sales and horse racing.

Then voters approved initiatives to add casino gambling to the states horse racing tracks in 2020, and WarHorse Lincoln, Nebraskas first state-licensed casino, opened in Lincoln last year, and the municipal code seemed, well, outdated.

There are still plenty of public decency offenses that are, generally, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, but gambling isnt one of them.

But take heed: You can still get ticketed for, among other things, urinating in public, streaking down O Street and spitting on the sidewalk.

More on city elections

The post-election number-crunching has begun, which both parties are likely delving into now, but from a 30,000-foot view, independents  and probably some moderate Republicans  made a big difference in the outcome in last week's city election.

Heres what a first glimpse illustrates: More Republicans than Democrats voted, but Leirion Gaylor Baird  a Democrat  still won by a nearly 10 percentage point vote margin.

That likely means a good chunk of the 13,262 registered independents who voted  31.7% went to the polls  chose the Democratic incumbent.

Republican voter turnout was 53.4%  35,562 voters. Geist captured 36,727 votes.

Democratic turnout was 49.8% with 31,925 people voting. Gaylor Baird got 44,496 votes.

Top Journal Star photos for May 2023
A bill that would ban certain health care procedures for transgender youths in Nebraska will come before state lawmakers for its final round of consideration next week.

Speaker John Arch announced Wednesday that lawmakers would debate the measure (LB574) on Tuesday  Day 78 of the 90-day legislative session.

According to Arch, debate on Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauths priority bill prohibiting Nebraskans under the age of 19 from obtaining gender-affirming treatments like puberty blockers, hormone treatments or surgeries will likely take place in the evening hours.

Although LB574 is on final reading, the last step before it would be sent to Gov. Jim Pillen for a signature, an attempt to resurrect an abortion ban to move along with it could mean the bill would need to defeat two more filibusters before it is passed.

On Monday, Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair introduced an amendment to LB574 that would add a provision banning abortions after 12 weeks gestation, while also limiting the scope of Kauths bill to just ban surgeries for those under 19, and tasking the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to regulate puberty blockers and hormone treatment. Patients who have already undergone such treatment prior to the legislation taking effect would be exempt.

Hansens amendment comes a little more than two weeks after a near total abortion ban (LB626) fell one vote short of defeating a second-round filibuster.

To attach Hansens amendment to Kauths bill, a majority of lawmakers would have to vote to return LB574 to select file  second round  for that purpose.

Once on second round, debate over LB574 is expected to go two hours before Kauth can file a motion to invoke cloture. That would require an affirmative vote of 33 senators.

If Kauths cloture motion is successful, a majority of lawmakers could then vote to attach the amendment and advance the bill to final reading once more, where it will need to be laid over for at least 24 hours before it can be considered again.

Arch said the amended LB574 would then get another two hours of debate on final reading, where it would likely need 33 votes to end another filibuster before it can pass.

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
Oct. 10, 2018 marked the start of an incredibly difficult period for my family. That was the day my husband Steve left our home in North Platte to move to North Dakota  more than 10 hours away  just so we could pay for the medical care I needed to fight multiple sclerosis.

I was diagnosed with MS more than 20 years ago while working as a registered nurse. Its progression caused changes in my employment  from a clinic nurse and public health nurse to a sedentary position reviewing Medicare files.

The diseases progression eventually forced me to stop working altogether. My job provided our health insurance coverage, which ended upon my inability to work. Going on Medicare was not enough either, because it only covered 80% of my treatment costs, while the rest fell on us. And because I was under 65 when my MS forced me to stop working, we could not purchase a supplementary Medigap plan that would make up the remaining costs.

This put us at enormous risk. If I had to be admitted to the hospital for any reason during a 60-day benefit period  potentially as many as six times per year  we would have received a $1,600 bill for the first night of each hospital stay.

Steve and I decided we simply could not risk draining our retirement savings in the hope I would not get sick, so we decided together that Steve would close his law practice and look for a new job that would provide health insurance to cover the portion of my care that Medicare did not. My inability to purchase a Medigap plan is what eventually forced us to live apart for a year and a half while he worked in Fargo, North Dakota.

Weekend trips home were not feasible for Steve, so we had to rely on daily phone check-ins instead. I also had to count on the help of friends and family for countless tasks that MS prevented me from doing. I could not even change a light bulb because falling was too great a risk, and we had to hire help for yard work and snow removal. When Steves job in Fargo ended, we paid for COBRA coverage until I turned 65 and finally qualified for Medigap coverage.

This problem is not limited to MS patients. People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and End Stage Renal Disease also face a similar predicament. The effect this problem has for kidney patients hits especially close to home, as both of my brothers had kidney disease and transplants before they passed.

We need to stop treating Medicare patients who are under 65 differently just because of their age. They did not choose their condition, and it is wrong to limit their options because they got sick at a young age.

States all around us have already addressed this issue by requiring Medigap insurers to make their plans available to those under 65 with disabilities. Missouri first took action all the way back in 1998, Kansas and South Dakota followed suit in 1999, and Colorado in 2003.

If we had lived in any of those states when I had to stop working, I could have gotten coverage and we never would have been apart so long.

No family should have to experience what Steve and I went through, and the Nebraska Legislature can fix this by passing LB32. Introduced by Sen. Mike Jacobson earlier this year, this bill makes Medigap coverage available for disabled patients and those living with ESRD who qualify for Medicare, regardless of their age.

Nebraska lawmakers would be following in the footsteps of Virginia and Kentucky, which each passed similar bills this year with near-unanimous backing from legislators.

LB32 is already generating enormous support among Nebraskans, with the city of Lincoln filing a comment supporting the bill, while the ALS Association, AARP Nebraska, the Nebraska Medical Association, Dialysis Patient Citizens and The Arc of Nebraska have each spoken out in favor of it.

Families throughout Nebraska are facing similar situations to what Steve and I experienced. It is time for lawmakers to step up and pass LB32 and finally help Nebraska fix a problem other states have already addressed.
SANTA FE, N.M.  A New Mexico judge approved a $1.15 million settlement between a medic who worked on the Rust film set and one of several defendants she accused of negligence in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal.

Court records show the partial settlement between Cherlyn Schaefer and prop master Sarah Zachry was approved during a hearing Monday. Schaefer told the judge there's not a day that goes by when she doesn't think about what happened, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

In her civil complaint, Schaefer said she fought desperately in a failed attempt to save the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She said the shock, trauma and emotional distress that followed made it impossible for her to continue working in her field.

Prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor and producer last month, citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.

State District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood had entered a default judgment against Zachry in November after the film worker failed to file responses within court deadlines.

Zachrys current attorney, Nathan Winger, told the court Monday that her previous attorney, William Waggoner, let deadlines pass without her permission, and she intends to seek damages from him to fund her settlement with Schaefer. Waggoner disputes the claim.

Justin Rodriguez, one of several attorneys representing Schaefer, said the settlement is a small portion of what we expect to receive in the future. The remaining defendants include Rust Movie Productions, weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls, but not Baldwin.

Schaefers complaint claims Zachry and Gutierrez-Reed failed to ensure there were no live rounds in Baldwins weapon. An involuntary manslaughter charge is pending against Gutierrez-Reed, but her attorneys said they fully expect her to be exonerated.
YORKVILLE  Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave touched on a variety of topics during his State of the County address Tuesday at the County Board meeting, but the main focus was migration.

Delagrave, who was re-elected April 4 to a third term, sounded the alarm that without an increase of people relocating to Wisconsin, by 2030 the states prime working age population, 25 to 64, likely will shrink by an estimated 130,000 people.

Migration, he said, could have a significant impact on the county, affecting the economy, workforce, quality of life, health care, education, transportation, infrastructure and housing.

Delagrave said that to attract real, substantial growth, the county needs to invest in infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, sewers and water systems, as well as housing, business growth, education and economic mobility.

As part of that current investment, he cited how the countys Department of Public Works and Development Services team leveraged $1.5 million in state funding for projects on Highway K, Highway P and Highway U, and reportedly saved residents hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Delagrave also said the county needs to provide more opportunities for lifelong learning and improve social, recreational and competitive opportunities.

By working together and focusing on these priorities, he said, we can make Racine County an even better place, a unique place, an attractive place for families and new economic development, so we can ensure our county remains strong and vibrant for generations to come.

Microsoft

Delagrave called the recent approval of Microsofts purchase of 315 acres of land in Mount Pleasant for what will be a massive data center unprecedented.

We are excited to welcome this investment, and we also recognize that we have presented a tremendous opportunity for companies, like Microsoft, to invest, he said. This development will help us in our efforts to grow.

Microsoft also has committed to having a representative available in the community.

That person will be, more or less, embedded here in our community to be able to be a part of these ongoing dialogues with Racine County residents, said Racine County Communications and Media Relations Director Andrew Goetz.

Mental health and substances

Mental health and substance abuse treatment also are major concerns, Delagrave said.

One way the county is addressing those needs is through a $25 million investment for an integrated mental health facility at the former Brannum Lumber site, which is slated to provide outpatient therapy, medication management and peer support groups.

The architect has submitted initial drafts of the facility, and ground is expected to be broken this year, Delagrave said.

Another project, the $43 million Youth Development and Care Center, a juvenile detention center near the northeast corner of Batten International Airport, 3239 N. Green Bay Road, is scheduled to break ground either this month or next.

Delagrave said he is deeply concerned about the rising number of fentanyl-related deaths.

Last year, the medical examiners office identified 39 toxicity-related deaths, and there have been three opioid spike alerts this year.

The county is working to expand access to addiction treatment and support services for those struggling with substance use disorder.

Additionally, the county is launching a comprehensive outreach campaign to raise awareness about fentanyl to help keep residents safe, and the Public Health Division is planning a marketing effort across print, digital and social media.

Last month, the County Board approved spending $100,000 to provide Racine County Sheriffs Office deputies with handheld laser drug testing equipment to help them identify drugs.

Other local law enforcement agencies could use the equipment as well, Delagrave said.

The RCSO should have the equipment by July 1, he said.

Parks

Delagrave said Racine County has undergone a parks renaissance in recent years, and highlighted Franksville Memorial Park, Pritchard Park, SC Johnson Community Aquatic Center, Cliffside Park, Case-Eagle and Eagle Lake Parks.

Work is set to begin on what Delagrave called an important new building at Quarry Lake Park, which is replacing an existing locker room and multipurpose building that was torn down.

The new building will have some of the same amenities, as well as a community room that can be utilized for large events. The first phase is expected to be built this summer.

Safety

Delagrave said that as summer approaches, residents should know the county is working with law enforcement officers, first responders and community partners on a coordinated safety effort.

Part of that effort has been the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative and a push for collaboration between the Racine County Sheriffs Office, District Attorney Patricia Hanson, Human Services and the Performance and Analytics Department.

Regardless of your neighborhood or municipality, you have the inherent right to feel safe in our community, Delagrave said. We still have a lot of work to do, so I dont want to over promise and under deliver, but the foundation that weve been able to lay will certainly make for some good seeds to grow.

The Violence Interrupter model responds 24/7 to gun violence in the community, supports families in need and can help reduce the threat of retaliation while de-escalating tense situations.

Literacy

The countys Public Health Division and community partner Higher Expectations have begun engaging key stakeholders with experience in early childhood education to create a strategy for success, according to Delagrave.

Delagrave said he looks forward to seeing solutions proposed by the literacy steering committee.

The group, composed of subject-matter experts and parents, has been tasked with creating solutions that best fit the needs of Racine County residents. Delagrave said residents can expect literacy-related goals and ideas to be announced in Octobers budget address.

We have made continuous progress, Delagrave said, but we know there are always challenges on the horizon.

In photos and video: Community partners attend Racine Violent Crime Reduction Initiative update Jamie Strain, Xochitl Morales and Gregory Sanders Jeff Miller, Johnny Ford, and Jamario Farr Sr. Susan Feehrer-Laack of Racine Neighborhood Watch Casey Frazier and Benjamin Cornell of SAFE Haven of Racine Watch Now: Racine leaders provide update on Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Nakeyda Haymer, Voices of Black Mothers United, and LaTonia Woods, Victim Witness Coordinator Sha'Boris Mays, SB Mental Health and Addiction Care Kischa Buford, City of Racine Youth Employment Officer VCRI by the numbers VCRI Mayor Cory Mason and the team from Case High School's "Eagle Time Podcast" VCRI Reducing gun crime in the City of Racine | VCRI Joint Presentation from Oct. 12, 2022 Download PDF Racine Community Safety Report Card | As of Sept. 30, 2022 Download PDF
RACINE  A Milwaukee man is facing multiple felony charges after 7.5 pounds of marijuana and other drugs were allegedly found in the trunk of a vehicle.

Christopher W. Taper, 40, was charged with felony counts of possession with intent to manufacture/deliver/distribute between 2,500-10,000 grams of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver less than or equal to 10 grams of fentanyl and possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.

According to a criminal complaint, at 3:41 p.m. Sunday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop and reported an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle he smelled as he was talking to the vehicles occupants through the passenger side window.

The complaint said the deputy searched the vehicle and patted down the front seat passenger, identified as Taper. The deputy reportedly found a pill bottle in Tapers pants that contained 42 multicolored pills and 12 broken pieces of pills.

The report said Taper allegedly claimed the pills, which tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine, were ecstasy. It also stated Taper collapsed while being taken to a squad vehicle, was given a dose of Narcan, and then was taken to a hospital.

According to the complaint, the deputy found a bag of marijuana and four cell phones in the vehicles glove compartment and six vacuum-sealed bags containing marijuana in the trunk.

The total weight of the marijuana was reportedly 3,404.1 grams, or around 7.5 pounds.

The driver reportedly told the deputy that Taper said if she let him use her car, he would buy her a pair of shoes and give her some money. She said Taper drove her car from Milwaukee to Chicago.

According to the complaint, the woman claimed that neither she nor the other passenger, who was in the back seat at the time of the traffic stop, knew there was marijuana in the car.

The complaint said the deputy later spoke to Taper at the hospital, who allegedly said he took 1.5 pills of ecstasy.

The complaint said Taper did not provide any details about the trip to Chicago or the marijuana in the trunk.

When Taper was asked if the deputy could search his phones, Taper reportedly did not want to speak anymore.

Taper was given a $5,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 18 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.

Mugshots: Racine County criminal complaints, May 8, 2023 Today's mugshots: May 8 These are images of people charged with a crime in Racine County. Booking photos are provided by Racine County law enforcement officials. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted. Nilya T. Tipton Nilya T. Tipton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, theft from a financial institution (between $500-$10,000). Alex T. Ziko Alex (aka Tony Oro) T. Ziko, Norridge, Illinois, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500). Darriel M. Gunn Jr. Darriel M. Gunn Jr., 4000 block of Marquette Drive, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon, obstructing an officer, resisting an officer, felony bail jumping. Reyes Ramirez Reyes Ramirez, 2400 block of Harriet Street, Racine, possession of THC, possession of narcotic drugs, operate motor vehicle while revoked. Artrelas T. Ray Artrelas T. Ray, 1300 block of Villa Street, Racine, possession of a firearm by adjudicated delinquent, carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing an officer. Rhonda J. Stedman Rhonda J. Stedman, 600 block of Blaine Avenue, Racine, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony bail jumping. Dwayne E. Whitelaw Dwayne E. Whitelaw, 1300 block of Carlisle Avenue, Racine, felony bail jumping, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping. Angel G. Paulino-Gonzalez Angel G. Paulino-Gonzalez, 400 block of Lake Avenue, Racine, criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments). Christopher W. Taper Christopher W. Taper, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, possession with intent to manufacture/distribute/deliver THC (between 2,500-10,000 grams), possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A Milwaukee woman has been accused of stealing more than $2,000 from Educators Credit Union.

Nilya T. Tipton, 20, was charged with two felony counts of theft from a financial institution between $500-$10,000.

According to a criminal complaint, in September, an officer began an investigation into a mobile deposit fraud scheme involving Educators Credit Union.

The scheme reportedly involved depositing checks through a mobile banking Flash Cash feature on the ECU app that allows customers to take a picture of a check and select the amount to deposit.

The investigation found that on June 6, a check was deposited for $1,000, and then a $500 cash withdrawal was made within an hour. A $480 withdrawal was made one minute later. According to the release, both withdrawals were captured on surveillance video.

The release said the next day, a check for $2,000 was deposited using the ECU app and then a cash withdrawal, captured on surveillance video, for $1,003 was made the same day.

On June 13, both checks deposited over the mobile banking app were returned as Altered/Fictitious and warranty breach, according to the release. The total loss to ECU was reportedly $2,021.74.

The release said an officer then reviewed surveillance video of the withdrawals and was able to identify the person making the withdrawals as Tipton.

The officer spoke with the account holder, who reportedly said that she had given Tipton her banking information and that Tipton had agreed to give her $500.

The account holder also reportedly told the officer that Tipton used social media posts to recruit bank account holders to participate in the scheme.

According to the release, an officer was able to obtain Facebook messages between the account holder and Tipton in which they discussed the plan to use the ECU app fraudulently.

Tipton was given a $500 signature bond in Racine County Circuit Court Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 24 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.

Mugshots: Racine County criminal complaints, May 8, 2023 Today's mugshots: May 8 These are images of people charged with a crime in Racine County. Booking photos are provided by Racine County law enforcement officials. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted. Nilya T. Tipton Nilya T. Tipton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, theft from a financial institution (between $500-$10,000). Alex T. Ziko Alex (aka Tony Oro) T. Ziko, Norridge, Illinois, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500). Darriel M. Gunn Jr. Darriel M. Gunn Jr., 4000 block of Marquette Drive, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon, obstructing an officer, resisting an officer, felony bail jumping. Reyes Ramirez Reyes Ramirez, 2400 block of Harriet Street, Racine, possession of THC, possession of narcotic drugs, operate motor vehicle while revoked. Artrelas T. Ray Artrelas T. Ray, 1300 block of Villa Street, Racine, possession of a firearm by adjudicated delinquent, carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing an officer. Rhonda J. Stedman Rhonda J. Stedman, 600 block of Blaine Avenue, Racine, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony bail jumping. Dwayne E. Whitelaw Dwayne E. Whitelaw, 1300 block of Carlisle Avenue, Racine, felony bail jumping, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping. Angel G. Paulino-Gonzalez Angel G. Paulino-Gonzalez, 400 block of Lake Avenue, Racine, criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments). Christopher W. Taper Christopher W. Taper, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, possession with intent to manufacture/distribute/deliver THC (between 2,500-10,000 grams), possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.
BURLINGTON  Noah Strohm was at work when the news started trickling in.

He heard from a few people that early voting returns looked promising. A short time later, Strohm found out he was elected to serve a three-year term on the Burlington Area School District Board.

Strohm, a Burlington High School graduate, was relieved and excited.

He said the next few days were almost overwhelming as he received numerous congratulations from friends and area residents.

Now, as one of the youngest school board members in Racine County, the 27-year-old hopes to bring unique viewpoints and a positive, collaborative mindset to the BASD Board.

I think having that perspective of being somebody who was recently a student and trying to bring some ideas of what todays students go through to other board members will be beneficial in leading our discussions moving forward, Strohm said. I just wanted to get involved and was excited to see that I had a lot of support from the community and (am) excited to see where we can take things within the next three years.

Strohm, who raised the most campaign money among the five candidates in April, thinks voters elected him in part because they want new perspectives on the school board.

People are looking for a change in the district, Strohm said. They just have seen how things have gone the past couple years, and not that the district is a bad district, but they just want to see some improvements, and I think being a younger face  people, when I talked to them, they were really encouraged by seeing somebody younger getting involved and wanting to help.

BASD Board member Taylor Wishau thinks Strohm can bring new ideas and innovative solutions to a board that has lacked these qualities for some time.

I believe Noah may have a different set of experiences, skills and knowledge that can contribute to the boards overall effectiveness in making decisions and setting policies that benefit the students, teachers and the community, Wishau wrote in an email.

Strohm hopes the school district emphasizes more science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses such as computer programming. He also alluded to potential ideas to attract more students to the district but declined to provide specifics.

Wishau has known Strohm since 2018 and said he is empathetic, honest and brings a positive attitude that can help the board.

We need board members who are deeply committed to putting this district first, and I believe that is Noah, Wishau wrote.

Background

This year marked Strohms first time as a candidate for elected office.

He had some fear and hesitation about running for School Board but decided to do so after being encouraged by several people, including his parents.

Strohm grew up in Burlington and said he attended a private elementary school before graduating from Burlington High School in 2014.

Strohm said a lot is similar in the Burlington school district from when he was a student but believes there are more disagreements than in the past.

I do think that, culturally, things have changed a bit, Strohm said. People are more confrontational than they used to be and looking for where they disagree rather than the similarities that are there, and it just leads to a culture where there isnt any collaboration. So I think if we can focus on the main goal of what we can do to best serve the students of the district, well really be able to come together and work to find ways to best achieve those goals.

Strohm works as a cardiothoracic surgery and transplant nurse in Milwaukee but lives in Burlington.

I ideally want to be in Burlington long-term, Strohm said. I hope to raise a family here  You grow up thinking that the small town isnt really where you want to be, but as you get a little bit older, you realize that theres a lot of good things. Theres a lot of positives about Burlington. People really get to know each other, and there is a strong sense of community.

Campaign finances

Strohm said he is politically conservative but doesnt think ideology should play a factor in decisions on the School Board, where members hold unpaid nonpartisan positions.

However, Strohm received campaign donations from a conservative lawmaker and conservative political action committees.

According to campaign finance reports, Strohm raised $5,444.25 from individuals and political action committees. He spent $1,885.45 on the campaign.

Strohm received $4,094.25 from individual donations. Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was one of those donors.

Vos, who graduated from Burlington High School in 1986, gave $250 to Strohms campaign. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

Political action committees donated $1,350 to Strohms campaign. That included $500 from Rebecca PAC, which has ties to Rebecca Kleefisch, a former Wisconsin Republican lieutenant governor and 2022 Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate.

Other PAC donations to Strohm included $150 from the 1st District Republican Party of Wisconsin and $100 from the Republican Party of Walworth County.

Going forward

Strohm, who was sworn in last month, anticipates an initial learning curve as a new School Board member but looks forward to becoming more familiar with board matters.

Its definitely going to take some getting used to at first, but Ive always been somebody whos a fast learner, Strohm said.

Wishau and BASD board President Peter Turke said it usually takes about a year for new members to have a good grasp of the School Boards role and function.

Turke also noted that board members should ask informed questions while not micromanaging school district staff.

One thing we always emphasize is we have roles of oversight and policy setting and goal setting for the district, but we dont run the district, Turke said. Thats what we hire our administrative team to do.

Strohm is joining the School Board after a BASD operational referendum failed last month, which could result in the district facing a financial crisis.

Another operational referendum to help pay for school district staffing and maintenance costs likely will be on ballots next spring.

To garner more support for a Burlington referendum, Strohm said the School Board should provide a clearer picture of its long-term goals and gain community input about the districts future.

Strohm isnt sure about running for reelection but looks forward to the next three years.

I definitely see myself staying involved, Strohm said. A lot can change, since I dont have a family yet, but I would love to stay in Burlington and could definitely consider staying on the board long-term.

Burlington native singer Rachel Christine Gebel competes on 'The Voice,' in photos Rachel Christine Gebel Rachel Christine Gebel Blind audition Blind audition Blind audition Rachel Christine at rehearsal Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire Rachel Christine and JB Somers Rachel Christine and JB Somers Rachel Christine and JB Somers The knockouts Rachel Christine and Holly Brand Blake Shelton team
RACINE  Loved ones and police are seeking help finding a local woman who has been missing since late March.

Lasheky Hill, a 46-year-old Racine woman, was last seen leaving her residence in the 1000 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on the evening of March 26.

Hill has not been seen or heard from since. The Racine Police Departments investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.

During a press conference Tuesday, members of the RPD and Lashekys mother Georgia Hill asked the community to help locate her daughter.

I want Lashekys voice to be heard through me, Georgia said. I am her mother. That is my daughter, and Im not going to stop looking for her.

Police officials said they cannot fathom the pain Georgia Hill is experiencing.

I cant imagine what shes going through, so well need all your help to try to help us bring this to some resolution, said RPD Chief Maurice Robinson. Were seeking anybodys help.

Lasheky Hill, who may be wearing a long blonde wig, according to the RPD, is 5-feet, 1-inch tall and weighs about 168 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and multiple facial piercings, including one on each cheek.

Anyone with any information about Hill can contact RPD Detective Andrew Simon at 262-635-7770 or the Racine County non-emergency line at 262-886-2300. Anonymous tips can be provided to the Racine County Crime Stoppers by calling 888-636-9330 or visiting http://www.racine.crimestoppersweb.com/.

There is no detail that is too insignificant for us to be able to look at to either eliminate a line of investigation or pursue further a line of investigation, Robinson said.

According to RPD Deputy Chief Jessie Metoyer, the investigation has thus far included dozens of interviews and police following up on every tip to no avail.

To date, our efforts have not resulted in locating Lasheky, Metoyer said. Our investigation is not over, and it will not end until we can bring her home.

Metoyer said RPD, state and federal law enforcement agencies are involved in the search for Hill. She said law enforcement officers have served multiple search warrants and have searched abandoned buildings, parks, woods and waterways.

Karri Hemmig, executive director and co-founder of Fight to End Exploitation, said her organization and Educators Credit Union have partnered to create a reward fund for Lasheky Hill. Donations to the fund can be made at any Educators Credit Union branch.

Georgia urged community members to assist in locating her daughter and provide closure for my family.

Shes somebodys momma, shes a grandmama, she got grandkids, Georgia said of Lasheky. I aint seen my child, and I want her, and Im not giving up. I want my child.

Who are they? WI children reported missing as of May 6 These are recent reports of missing children made to local law enforcement. If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
WATERFORD  After opening its first Waterford clinic two years ago, ProHealth Care is unveiling plans for urgent care, physical therapy and other new services in a proposed facility three times the size.

The Waukesha-based provider has announced plans for an estimated $13 million clinic to open in 2024 near the intersection of Highway 164 and Milwaukee Avenue, on the villages east side.

The 17,000-square-foot facility would replace the ProHealth Care clinic at 790 Cornerstone Crossing with an operation dramatically bigger both in size and impact.

Its a really big deal, Village Administrator Zeke Jackson said.

The estimated 3-acre site is owned by the village in an area where community leaders have been working to attract medical and office development.

ProHealth Care said the clinic, if approved by the village, would provide urgent care seven days a week, plus primary care, specialty care, laboratory and imaging services, physical therapy and occupational health.

The ProHealth Medical Group operation would include 17 exam rooms, three treatment rooms and a rehabilitation gym.

Denise Barnes, community relations director for Waterford Senior Living, said the centers estimated 80 residents would likely welcome ProHealth Cares new clinic into the community.

The senior center at 301 Sixth St. offers assisted living and memory care facilities.

With no full-service hospital in Waterford, Barnes said, the residents sometimes face difficult decisions about where to seek health care services.

Any time theres more choices, she said, were always happy with that.

ProHealth Care plans submitted to the Village of Waterford show a rectangular-shaped, single-story clinic with about 75 parking spaces situated on the northwest corner of 164 and Milwaukee Avenue.

In announcing the plans, ProHealth Medical Group director Kelly Cramer said the clinic team would include physicians, registered nurses, medical assistants, physical therapists, lab technicians, X-ray technicians and support staff.

We are excited to build a new clinic in Waterford, Cramer said, and look forward to offering more space and additional services to meet the needs of the community.

Village President Don Houston said the clinic is exactly the type of development that community leaders were seeking for the site on the villages east side.

Houston said ProHealth Care has been a good partner in planning the project, and he anticipates no glitches.

Its going to be a real gem, he said of the health care facility. I couldnt be happier.

As the only other major health care provider in Waterford, Advocate Aurora Health Care operates a 24,000-square-foot clinic that opened in 2000 at 818 Forrest Lane.

ProHealth Care first stepped into Racine County in 2007 with an outlet in Rochester that has since closed.

In 2021, the company converted the Cornerstone Crossing site from a former Mexican restaurant into a clinic. The operation in the leased facility is 4,800 square feet in size.

Officials said the new clinic covering 17,745 square feet would begin construction this fall and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

Waterford village officials are being asked to approve the property sale and approve ProHealth Cares development plans.

Jackson said the clinic represents a significant improvement in health care services in the region, and he anticipates no opposition among village officials.

This is really a slam dunk, he said. We dont see any reason not to love this.

Why the health care staffing crisis persists despite returning to pre-pandemic employment levels Why the health care staffing crisis persists despite returning to pre-pandemic employment levels Employment in health care hit nearly 21 million in December Job openings in health care have far surpassed pre-COVID levels Job openings grew over twice as much as hires since 2019
UNION GROVE  If you dont know Cheryl Sweet, just hang around Downtown Union Grove for a while.

Chances are, she will find you. And she will welcome you with a warm smile and a friendly chat.

Sweet, a community volunteer, is known for her boundless energy and a civic pride so deep that she regularly walks through the downtown area cleaning up and greeting people.

So when the Greater Union Grove Chamber of Commerce created the Good Neighbor Award to recognize the villages resident of the year, nobody could think of a more deserving recipient than Sweet.

She has heart, chamber executive director Julie Hubbard said. She just does things for the good of the community.

Sweet, 66, has lived in Union Grove since she was a teenager.

She attributes her lengthy list of volunteer efforts and goodwill activities to a genuine affection for the village and its people.

I just love this little community, she said. Thats why I like to get involved.

A longtime member and former president of the Union Grove Kiwanis Club, Sweet seldom misses a chance to throw herself into one of the clubs civic or charitable outreaches.

She organizes and volunteers at the clubs food stand during the Racine County Fair. She helps to plan the clubs annual Bike Rodeo to teach kids bicycle safety. And she volunteers at the clubs Christmas tree lot each winter holiday season.

Sweet also has served as an election poll worker, a park concession stand manager and a fundraiser for community improvements.

Former Village President Mike Aimone said Sweet is a force of nature in constant motion, all with the purpose of making Union Grove a better place to live and raise a family.

Shes an amazing asset to the community, Aimone said.

Sweet was honored by the chamber when the group decided in 2023 to revive an annual awards program that had faded away in recent years.

The categories include business of the year, nonprofit of the year and new business of the year.

The chamber also created the Good Neighbor Award to recognize the villages top resident.

Organizers agreed that Sweet embodies the spirit of the Good Neighbor Award.

Hubbard recalled participating in a recent park cleanup effort in Union Grove to celebrate Earth Day. Not only did Sweet show up and roll up her sleeves with other volunteers, she then treated everyone to a lunch that she had prepared.

That takes a special person, for sure, Hubbard said.

Sweet, a 1973 graduate of Union Grove High School, raised three sons in Union Grove with her husband, Tom Sweet. The couple now has five grandchildren.

Sweet worked for many years at the government-run Farmers Home Administration and then the nonprofit Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Corp.

Both jobs involved helping people become homeowners, especially low-income residents.

Since retiring in 2008, Sweet has continued her volunteer and civic commitments in Union Grove, while also spending time with her family and becoming a cancer survivor.

Sweet said living in a small town means that many people know one another. Others, she regards as new friends just waiting to be pulled in.

On her daily walks through downtown, she goes out of her way to greet people  and to engage with strangers.

I can usually find someone I know, she said. If I dont know them, Ill talk to them anyway.

Aimone, the current vice president of the Kiwanis Club, said Sweet is not only friendly but helpful. Whenever there is a civic project or need, Aimone said, Sweet will volunteer and always delivers.

When she says shes going to do something, itll be done, he said. And itll probably be done the next day.

52 photos and videos from Union Grove's Fourth of July parade 4-H Float Candy!! Big Crowd Birthday boy Burning out in the mist A candy free for all Watch Now: A beautiful day for a Fourth of July parade in Union Grove Checking for more candy County Line Hall float Watch Now: Union Grove 4th of July 2022 Crowd gets hosed and bubbled Bower Design and Construction Don's Towing Float Don's Towing Racine Good day for sugary, icy deliciousness. Happy 4th from 1175 Brooke Flesch of Kansasville throwing candy Happy birthday U.S.A. in Union Grove 2022 Here Comes the Parade! Horses and flags Hosing down the crowd Just before getting watered down Tossing candy to paradegoers Mad dash for candy Getting sprayed down Waving Launching Candy Marching Band. Marching north on 45 through Downtown Miss Bristol Mom and Daughter waving Band County Line Hall Horseback Petting a pony Captain Jack of Pirates of the Caribbean Walking the pony Puppy Patriot Racine County Outstanding Teens Robin Vos Scott the parade manure manager Singing a song So many good choices Spraying down the crowd Stilts Walker The Front Lines The Sime family of Burlington in the crowd Tractors at the end Traxside Skating of Burlington Hyping up the crowd.jpg UG Girls Scouts UG Varsity Cheer girls UGHS Dance Team Vietnam Veteran
Wisconsin drivers found guilty of reckless driving or carjacking will face increased penalties under two bipartisan measures signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers.

The bills Evers signed Wednesday build off the first law signed by the Democratic governor this legislative session, which allows local officials to impound the vehicle of an individual with repeat reckless driving offenses.

Wisconsin, like so many states across the country, is seeing a trend in deadly traffic crashes and risky driving behaviors like speeding and reckless driving, Evers said at a bill-signing event at Milwaukees Grace Lutheran Church. This is putting folks and families and especially our kids at risk in communities all across our state and the consequences can be tragic.

Among the bills signed Wednesday, Assembly Bill 55 increases penalties for reckless driving. The law doubles the fines for reckless driving from a maximum of $200 to $400. The maximum penalty for a second or subsequent offense would increase from $500 to $1,000.

The law also adds reckless driving to the list of crimes that require offenders to pay a surcharge in addition to any fines or forfeitures. Under the law, individuals found guilty of reckless driving also would have to pay a $435 driver improvement surcharge and a $50 safe ride surcharge.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, about 2,900 people are injured in the state every year by a reckless driver and 113 people died as the result of reckless driving in 2021.

Speaking at the event was Abbie Strong, the wife of Grace Lutheran Church Pastor Aaron Strong, who was killed in October by a reckless driver while driving to church last year.

He was simply doing what he always did, he dropped his kids off at school and came to work here at Grace Lutheran Church, Strong said. So, while tragic and heartbreaking, Aaron losing his life serves a bigger purpose  helping to protect and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Wisconsin.

The second bipartisan measure signed Wednesday, Senate Bill 76, puts state vehicle theft statutes into a new carjacking category and boosts the maximum prison sentence for carjacking from 40 to 60 years.

We know that this is not just a Milwaukee or Madison problem, Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, said in a statement. We have seen carjackings on the rise in every corner of our state. This bill is a common-sense win for our public safety.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have largely supported efforts this session to crack down on crimes such as carjacking and reckless driving, including a measure signed into law last month by Evers that allows cities, villages, towns or counties to pass ordinances to impound vehicles if someone has repeat reckless driving offenses and has not paid a previous fine.

Photos: F-35 fighter jet at the Wisconsin Air National Guards 115th Fighter Wing
1. Yes. The state is missing out on millions in revenue that is going to neighboring states.

2. Yes. But only if the revenue is dedicated to education funding or property tax reduction.

3. No. As with the state lottery, casinos would more heavily impact lower-income Texans.

4. No. Texas has resisted the idea for years, and for good reason: its morally irresponsible.

5. Unsure. It definitely has some economic benefits, but it would be controversial.

Vote

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KEARNEY  Ben Morgan, a senior at Kearney High School, doesnt come from a family of teachers. Yet that is exactly the career he wants to pursue. Thanks to the Cooperative Education program at KHS as well as support from his parents and teachers, he feels prepared to chase his dream.

The Cooperative Education program at KHS allows students in their junior or senior year of high school to leave school in the afternoons to work at a part-time job of their choosing. Morgan, who began working at Hy-Vee in April 2021 and participated in the Cooperative Education program his senior year, said the experience taught him workplace etiquette, gave him discipline and helped him learn how to maintain a healthy balance between school, work and his personal life.

It definitely has showed me what to do, what not to do in work, Morgan said. It definitely gave me some discipline. The balance between school and work, it just emphasizes that the most.

The program helped Morgan prepare for life after high school. It shows you how to be more independent. It shows you life outside of high school, and it definitely gets you ready for the real world.

Real-world experience and useful life skills arent the only aspects of the program that benefited Morgan. Not only has it helped me work, but Ive actually built some connections through the customers, Morgan said.

In fact, one of those customers, Roger Overleese, is going to be Morgans new employer this summer.

I had no clue that Roger is the owner of Husker Agronomics, Morgan said.

Morgan explained that during his job interview at Cornhusker Agronomics Inc., he recognized Overleese as one of the customers that he routinely chatted with while he helped load online orders into cars at Hy-Vee. Now, Morgan is going to be working with Overleese and the Cornhusker Agronomics team throughout the summer before he starts school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the fall. He said hes excited for the experience I will gain for my teaching career.

Morgan has no doubts about which college is the best fit for him and his dreams. When I toured UNL, I loved it, Morgan said. UNL felt personable, and they had me meet with my major, the coordinator for the major, so it just felt like they really wanted me there.

His major of choice, the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication major, will give him the knowledge, skills and certification that he needs to pursue his dream of being an agriculture teacher and a Future Farmers of America adviser, just like two of his favorite teachers at KHS: Spencer Noble and Sheridan Swotek.

What definitely sparked my interest the most is Mr. Noble and Miss Swotek, teachers at Kearney High School. Theyre both in the ag department, and they have done a fantastic job, Morgan said. They have really pushed me to do my best this year while I was in FFA.

Along with his teachers, Morgans grandfather and neighbors helped pique his interest in pursuing a career in agriculture. Morgans grandfather has been farming in Decatur, Nebraska, for well over 60 years. Because of his experience helping his grandfather and neighbors on their farms, Morgan said hes always been interested in ag.

Pursuing a career as an FFA adviser will give Morgan the opportunity to teach high-school aged kids about agriculture, take students to competitions and direct community service projects, like picking up litter near local highways. Noble spoke highly of both Morgans leadership skills and commitment to community service. Other than being a great leader in our chapter, he also has been a huge part of our community service team. So he, one part of that, has helped with our highway cleanups. He also helps with the Nebraska Cattlemen's Classic, where he puts in many hours, Noble said.

Other characteristics that will help Morgan find success include his positive attitude and strong work ethic. Swotek said, He does everything with a smile.  He gives 110% on even the days when were lifting heavy panels for many, many hours. Hell do it with a smile on his face and encourage those around him.

Morgans passion for agriculture and FFA shines through in how he speaks about the program. I wish I wouldve joined (FFA) my freshman year. I had so much fun this year, Morgan said.

Morgan said he is excited for the future, especially getting to meet new people and work with his future college mates. He said he is going to miss his parents, but they are super supportive of me and my teaching dreams.

Ill be the first-generation teacher, Morgan said.
KEARNEY  Park Elementary Schools 276 students have been waiting for the all clear to sound so they can return to the classroom.

The students have been attending classes at home since Monday because lightning damage has made it impossible to attend class in their school building.

Video collected by a neighbor during the Friday lightning storm captured the split second when a powerful bolt of electricity exploded the schools chimney.

Custodian Jason White was here when it struck, Park Principal Chance Waggoner said.

He said after shaking off the excitement of the lightning strike, the schools staff shifted into a bucket brigade. The crew attempted to place anything that would hold water under ceiling tiles that rapidly filled with water and then gave way to the weight.

According to a press release from Kearney Public Schools, lightning hit the brick chimney on the roof of the elementary school in west central Kearney. The strike scattered fragments of the chimney around the roof, which had been replaced last year.

Repairs continued at the school on Tuesday, the second day that classes were not possible in the school.

Structural engineers have given approval for the school to hold classes when there are no structural issues. Around 90% of the roof sustained damage and will be replaced this summer.

Springer Roofing, which replaced the roof last summer, is patching the roof for now and will replace it again in the summer.

We are anxious for our students to return to Park, said Waggoner. We have a lot of fun and exciting events coming up in the next week to celebrate the end of a great school year. We wont let a few ceiling leaks set us back.

Waggoner said all Park students had a pre-planned field trip on Wednesday, and school will resume as normal on Thursday.

The good news is that all electrical, technology, fire alarm, security system, phones and fobs are up and running, said KPS Director of Facilities Trent Bosard. We have a lot of wet areas in the building that will dry out in the next couple of days.

In addition to the roof, three HVAC units and the Trane Building Automation System were damaged and will need to be replaced.

The insurance claim adjuster was on site Tuesday, but an accurate estimate will not be available for a few weeks.

We are proud of our facilities crew for their quick response this weekend, said Jason Mundorf, KPS superintendent. They were on site to assess and clean up the damage and to evaluate the possibility of whether we could hold school.

Mundorf also credited Bosard, his staff and Parks teachers for substituting in the district on Monday and Tuesday.

We are excited the damages werent more extensive and that our Park students will be able to finish their school year out in the building with their classmates and teachers, Mundorf said. There are many exciting year-end activities planned, and Im glad the students will not miss those great memories!
KEARNEY  A felony drug charge was dropped as part of a plea deal for a Kearney woman.

Minnie Donner, 46, pleaded no contest in Buffalo County District Court to one count of possession of methamphetamine, a felony. As part of the plea bargain, Buffalo County Deputy Attorney Kari Fisk amended the charge from aiding and abetting distribution of meth (more than 140 grams), a class B felony. Fisk also dropped a felony charge of possession of meth as part of the plea bargain.

A no contest plea is neither an admission nor denial of guilt, but the plea is treated the same as a guilty plea. Sentencing is set for May 19 in Buffalo County District Court.

The arrest affidavit and a Nebraska State Patrol police report outline the case:

Around 10 p.m. Sept. 6, 2022, the Kearney Police Department notified the Nebraska State Patrol to be on the lookout on Interstate 80 for a black Buffalo County-licensed Chevrolet Impala believed to be headed to Kearney with a large amount of suspected meth. An NSP police report said the driver was believed to be Randall Lizer Jr., 49, of Kearney.

A second vehicle, a silver Ford Edge, was believed to be traveling with Lizer and driven by Michael Dodrill, 38, of Elm Creek.

Around 5 a.m. Sept. 7, 2022, a trooper saw the Chevrolet and Ford exit I-80 at the Elm Creek interchange and head north on U.S. Highway 183. A trooper attempted a traffic stop on the Chevrolet. The car came to a brief stop, then fled north at a high rate of speed, according to the arrest affidavit.

Dodrill stopped his vehicle and stayed at the scene.

A trooper initiated a pursuit with the Chevrolet while another trooper ahead of the pursuit successfully deployed stop sticks, deflating the Chevrolets drivers side rear tire. The car continued north at 95 mph, although it progressively began to lose tire tread.

The car continued north on Highway 183 for about eight miles before slowing to turn west onto 145th Road, the police report said. A trooper then performed a tactical maneuver with his vehicle to bring the Chevrolet to a stop.

Lizer attempted to flee on foot and refused repeated commands to stop. Another trooper deployed a taser and took him into custody.

Troopers searched the Chevrolet and found and seized roughly eight pounds of meth as well as drug paraphernalia, according to the arrest affidavit. KPD estimated the meth is valued at $100,000.

When troopers contacted Dodrill in his vehicle, they detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside. Dodrill, along with his passengers, Hallie Deleon, 23, of Elm Creek and Donner, were all arrested.

During a search of the Ford, troopers located two 9 mm handguns, three 9 mm magazines, a small amount of marijuana, a marijuana pipe and a vial of suspected THC. Troopers also located multiple pieces of paraphernalia and vials, unused plastic bags, a digital scale and a colored dabber with meth, according to the arrest affidavit.

At the jail, corrections officers located 27.5 grams (less than one ounce) of suspected meth in Deleons panties, according to the arrest affidavit.

Deleon and Dodrill are both scheduled to appear in court on May 19 for their respective pretrial hearings. Lizer has a warrant out for his arrest. After being released on bail, he failed to appear in court. The warrant was issued on Dec. 1, 2022.
Graduation day is a one that most people will never forget. At the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women it is much more than receiving a cap, gown and diploma, but a checkpoint of positive change in this journey called life. Its a moment where women can prove they are not defined by their mistakes and can turn their life around for the better.

In partnership with York University, the center offers the Second Chance Educational Program for incarcerated women to receive an associates degree, giving them tools to be prepared for the workforce once released in an effort to reduce the rate of recidivism. Even for those not released soon after, the program is just as meaningful.

The first cohort graduated in 2019 with 12 students. It is the only program of its kind in the state.

After successful completion, the programs second class of 11 women paraded through the prison courtyard on May 1 with grins and twinkles of hope in their eyes. Their fellow inmates surrounded them, lauding them with chanting, whistling, and waving posters in the air, congratulating the graduates for their accomplishments.

The grads entered the chapel where their supportive friends, family, professors and faculty of York University waited for them.

Nebraska Correctional Center for Women Warden Angela Folts-Oberle said the day was well worth the wait. Oberle said, Im pretty lucky to be a part of this glorious day where we can honor and celebrate the hard work, commitment and determination of these 10 graduates.

Oberle touched on the importance of education for those behind bars. Oberle said, Education extends well beyond what we learn in books and it makes dreams come true. I can say that we, everyone in this room, are leading the way and we are blessed to have the opportunity to provide secondary education to these talented, smart and dedicated individuals. Congratulations to all of you and enjoy this moment. You will remember this day for the rest of your lives.

Professor of Bible Terry Seufferlein talked to women about the choices one makes in their life, which determines how their story turns out and they must take responsibility for their actions. The point of the story is not the ending, said Seufferlein. Its about the journey. Seufferlein highlighted that its about the hard work and effort that makes them better individuals.

The women got to share their individual stories following Oberle and Seufferlein. Several of them spoke about what this moment means to them.

We have not let our past define us, not even being formerly known as our worst mistake, said graduate Chelsey Cook. Today, we will be known as York University graduates.

Graduate Jo Hellen Robertson-Williams shared her story of being in the court system at a young age and standing in front of a judge, who impacted the way she saw herself and her outlook of life. Williams shared how she bought in to the words he used to describe her and allowed it to control how she lived her life until she came to center, where she had the chance to find herself again.

Williams said, They saw purpose where I saw pity. They saw value where I saw trash. We see who we are right now and this is who we were meant to be.

Graduate Kimberly Faust said, The most incredible thing about learning through York University is that it is not only an educational experience but it is a spiritual one too. We will always be honored to be graduates of a Christ-centered university.

Also speaking were graduates Jocelyn M. Nordin, Sarah Cullen and Brittan Two-Two White Eyes, who thanked professors for taking their time in educating them.

Following the moving speeches, Seufferlein called the graduates up one by one to receive their diplomas they had been eagerly waiting for.

The chapel roared with excitement, applause and a couple of shouts from a mother rooting, Thats my baby! Tears of joy rolled down cheeks of both graduates and patrons. They were seen as mothers, as daughters, as friends, as York University graduates and in Fausts words, a child of God.

After the ceremony there was a luncheon with professors, friends and family to celebrate a second chance to rewrite their story with education.

As Williams spoke in her closing statement, Almost four years ago, I didnt see today. No matter the labels that society uses to define us, after today, theyre going to have to add 'college graduate' to that.
Protesters carry flags in front of the Nebraska State Capitol for LGBTQ and transgender Nebraskans on Friday, March 31, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  The latest fight over gender-affirming care in Nebraska has shifted, at least slightly, from whether there should be restrictions to who should have the final authority in drafting them.

A new amendment would combine two of the most controversial topics this legislative session  abortion and gender-affirming care  into Legislative Bill 574, the gender-care bill proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. The idea is that by reviving abortion as an approximate 12-week ban, and making additional changes to LB 574, supporters could shore up 33 votes to get both signed into law.

Under Blair State Sen. Ben Hansens amendment, introduced Monday, lawmakers would prohibit gender-affirming surgeries and authorize the states chief medical officer to set rules and regulations for minors seeking puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

Rather than the legislative branch, the states chief medical officer would determine the provisions, while the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services would set rules to enforce the law.

Allowing the Chief Medical Officer of the state, who is a political appointee, to determine regulations around gender-affirming care will likely result in a worse, more restrictive bill than the original LB 574 as introduced, State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha tweeted Tuesday.

Supporters argue the shift would allow experts to weigh in, but they note the chief medical officer, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, would have the prerogative to set restrictions.

Its possible that some of the criteria that will be put in place may be more stringent than some would hope for, but it is my belief that those criteria will be aimed at protecting kids and ensuring that these procedures are used in limited circumstances where theyre absolutely necessary, State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion said.

A substantive compromise

Rules and regulations process Agencies must follow a specific process for adopting and enforcing respective rules and regulations, including the Department of Health and Human Services. The first step is a public hearing, which must be conducted within one year of enactment of legislation (in this case, Oct. 1). Rules and regulations must be adopted one year after that hearing. This sets up a timeline where rules and regulations for gender-affirming care for minors may not be ready until 2025. In the meantime, except for those allowed to continue gender-affirming procedures, access to puberty blockers and hormones would be restricted. Once the rules are drafted, agencies would submit them for approval by the Attorney Generals Office and then the governor. Additional provisions allow agencies unable to adopt provisions in that time frame to explain the issues involved, state when rules and regulations are expected and suggest statutory changes that may enable the agency to adopt such rules.

The delegation of responsibilities from an elected branch to an appointed agency has become a new lightning rod in the session-long discussion over gender-affirming care that has sparked near-endless filibusters.

However, Mondays amendment represents some movement.

I think we compromised more than I thought we would, said Hansen, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Hansen, Kauth, Briese and five other senators sat down for a few listening sessions after the tense second-round approval of LB 574, seeking to determine a path forward.

Hansens amendment would allow youths to continue treatments if they start before Oct. 1, when the bill would go into effect. The amendment also clarifies that treatments such as mental health therapies or counseling are not affected.

Puberty blockers or hormones in non-transition services would not be restricted, Kauth and Hansen said.

In addition, a handful of minimum standards would be set for the chief medical officer and DHHS, such as:

Specifying that a practitioner may prescribe blockers or hormones, or both, to a minor who has a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity or gender dysphoria which began or worsened at the start of puberty.

Setting a minimum number of gender-identity-focused therapeutic hours that would be required prior to care.

Establishing patient advisory requirements necessary for informed consent.

Requiring medical record documentation.

Creating a minimum waiting period between informed patient consent and the administration, prescribing or delivery of puberty blockers or hormones.

Backdoor way to a full ban

The three opponents to LB 574 who were part of the listening sessions for the bill said the lack of maximum standards could cause harm and could lead to full bans on blockers and hormones.

State Sens. John Cavanaugh, John Fredrickson and Lynne Walz drafted their own proposed set of rules and regulations during the listening sessions.

However, while the trios proposal included seven specific steps and an additional one-year waiting period before allowing surgeries, they expressed concerns that the minimum standards are too vague.

When it comes to access to care, I think certainty is important, Cavanaugh said.

If the Legislature determines it should step in to regulate medicine, it should do so with clear direction, he said.

The group of eight senators joined in good conversation for the first time this session, Kauth said, with much of Hansens amendment reflecting those efforts.

Were very far apart. We see it very differently, Kauth said. We see it as protecting children until they are able to make those decisions as adults, and they see it as treating children who are in incredible pain.

Fredrickson said the ambiguity leaves open the possibility that Tesmer, an ear, nose and throat doctor, could determine that no gender-affirming care is appropriate and could potentially be a backdoor way to a full ban.

I think the fact that there is discussion around moving away from a full ban is certainly progress in the right direction, Fredrickson said. But I cant support something that has ambiguity, given the stakes that are at play here.

Walz said the trios work could serve as a guide, especially in what could be a lengthy timeline before DHHS and the chief medical officer adopt rules and regulations.

I think that should be the road map, Walz said of their drafted outline. I think its a protection for kids as opposed to a total ban on everything that we were talking about before.

One of Walzs main concerns without immediate clarity is families leaving Nebraska to obtain gender-affirming care in states where similar provisions may not be in effect. She said this would impede a stated goal of protecting children.

Political points and political wins

Cavanaugh said the chief medical officers role in drafting future rules and regulations could be another problem: Tesmer was chair of the State Board of Health when it approved a March 20 statement in support of the original LB 574.

That process included a push by Kauth to get a statement ready quickly so it would be completed in time for legislative debate. Board members approved the statement 11-0.

Former State Sen. John Kuehn and Dr. Jaime Dodge, two Board of Health members, were instrumental in drafting the statement.

Principled, conservative wins on these big social issues are few and far between, Kuehn texted Dodge after the vote. This was a really heavy lift, and I think a significant victory.

Cavanaugh said the new amendment puts politics over policy and, like the Board of Healths original statement, is about scoring political points and political wins.

Hansen said the decision is best left where people with better expertise can investigate the issue opposed to lawmakers making an emotional decision.

If the chief medical officer goes too far or does not adequately address the issue, he said, the Legislature retains its right to step in.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who has led the nearly 11 weeks of filibusters bringing the Legislature to a crawl, threatened to challenge germaneness, or relevance, on additional legislation this session and would not stop filibustering.

We are all in this sinking Titanic ship together, she said. Lets organize the chairs on the deck.

Five senators to watch

State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth said the new proposal is better than it was before, and hes leaning toward supporting an amended LB 574.

State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams said that the process will need to play out and that he needs to review the full amendment. However, Dorn said, some opportunities exist in the new proposal.

State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha said he had not seen the amendment drafted by Cavanaugh, Walz and Fredrickson prior to Monday.

While he said he would vote for the amended LB 574 if the vote were held today, McDonnell said hes not closing the door to further amendments and would meet with the three senators to learn more.

State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward voted against an amendment during second-round debate of LB 574 to prohibit only surgeries. She said she was hoping for a better amendment, with Hansens proposal being an improvement.

The final say, Hughes said, would be in the hands of a medical person and DHHS.

She noted that Tesmer would not be prohibited from reviewing the Cavanaugh-Fredrickson-Walz amendment or meeting with health care professionals, including Fredrickson, a mental health practitioner.

Im not a doctor, Im an engineer, Hughes said.

State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston voted present two weeks ago on LB 626, the six-

week abortion ban. His refusal to support the bill nearly doomed chances of legislating further abortion restrictions this year.

He said he would see how the vote plays out and is not giving a hint for or against Hansens amendment. Under current Nebraska law, abortions are legal up to 20 weeks.

While Hughes and others have some concerns about passing the torch on gender-affirming care to a political appointee, Hughes said she is going to trust DHHS to do the right thing.

Im going to assume that hes not going to do this just on his own, Hughes said of Tesmer. He will consult with other doctors and the right people, psychologists about this to come up with the criteria, I hope. Thats his job.
Work on a major multi-year development plan that would fundamentally reshape Downtown Kenosha could begin this year.

The comprehensive plan unveiled this week covers nine blocks of Downtown bordered by Sheridan Road on the west, 52nd Street on the north, 56th Street on the south and Lake Michigan on the east Its a partnership with Cobalt Partners, LLC of Milwaukee and C. D. Smith, a general contractor and development firm based in Fond du Lac.

Mayor John Antaramian said the plan is the result of collaborative efforts by the city and a development team to craft a mixed-use district taking advantage of the lakefront, existing attractions and amenities, as well as multi-modal transit access including Metra train service from Chicago.

The city has been planning for the next generation of Downtown development for a number of years, Antaramian said a statement Wednesday when the effort was first announced. The development team brings a fresh perspective to Kenosha, backed by significant experience in public/private partnerships throughout Wisconsin and in other states.

The plan calls for over 1,000 living units in several mid-rise buildings and one larger tower, along with condominiums on the eastern most block to complement the existing Harbor Park district. A central park and laneway would connect residential buildings with a market hall, food kiosk and retail space, according to a city release. Plans also call for a full-service hotel on Sheridan Road along with two office buildings.

Ample green space, green roofs and use of solar panels are just some of the sustainable features planned in the development, according to city documents.

The developers will work with the city to develop a new municipal office building, freeing up the current city hall site for a residential tower and mixed-use development.

The city is also in discussions with veterans organizations to create a new Veterans Memorial Park and expand the current park on the site.

Weve been impressed with the strong economic growth in Kenosha for many years, said Scott Yauck, president of Cobalt Partners, in a statement. Kenoshas lakefront is beautiful, and the Downtown has many attractions, restaurants and shopping. We are confident in the market for high quality multi-family with fantastic views and within walking distance to all the downtown and lakefront have to offer.

Mike Krolczyk, senior vice president of C. D. Smith, expressed similar sentiments.

We have worked on large scale public/private partnerships in the Milwaukee, La Crosse, Madison, and Appleton communities. We see significant potential in Kenosha for the Downtown to really blossom, Krolczyk said in a statement.

The City Plan Commission was set begin considering the plan on Thursday evening, and the City Councils Public Works and Finance committees will review the development agreement prior to full City Council consideration on May 15.

The plan utilizes the existing Tax Increment District No. 27 to assist in funding needed public improvements, parking and the central park space, city officials indicated.

Construction could start in the fall, and the development is anticipated to be completed in several phases over a decade.

The development is expected to create more than $450 million in value, Antaramian said.

The conceptual master plan and preliminary building designs were developed by SCB Architects  Chicago. SCB designed the 7SEVENTY7 (Van Buren) apartment building in Downtown Milwaukee, as well as the 333 North Water Street apartment tower, currently under construction in Milwaukees Third Ward.

Antaramian expresses excitement

During a Thursday morning interview Thursday morning Antaramian expressed excitement and support for the effort. Antaramian said the project has been in the works for years and believes most alderpersons will support it.

This plan has been coming down for many years. I know that people always like projects to happen quickly but the reality is projects like this just dont happen overnight, Antaramian said. This will be huge. This project we anticipate roughly at the present time building out about $450 million and we believe thats low.

Antaramian said the plan includes a new City Hall, a multi-story hotel, a large corporate office building, apartments, a market, fountains and a park, among other things.

This will add a number of people into the Downtown area, Antaramian said. It does provide commercial office activities but it doesnt take away from the rest of Downtown. ... The amenities that are here are going to be draws to get more people to come Downtown and enjoy it.
PLEASANT PRAIRIE  A 43-year-old Illinois man was charged Wednesday with numerous criminal offenses after he allegedly led police on a high-speed pursuit that ended in a single-vehicle crash over a median in the 10800 block of Green Bay Road.

Steven A. Jewell of Round Lake Heights was arrested at 3:48 p.m. Tuesday by Pleasant Prairie police for the incident that started at Green Bay Road and Highway 50.

Jewell was charged with felonies of operating a vehicle to flee or elude an officer, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, false imprisonment, possession with intent to deliver 15 to 40 grams of cocaine and possession of methamphetamine in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

He faces decades in prison if convicted.

Criminal complaint

Around 3:43 p.m. a Pleasant Prairie officer was notified that the Lake County Sheriffs Department in Illinois was pursuing a vehicle headed north into Wisconsin with a wanted individual inside.

The vehicle was identified as a red Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Pleasant Prairie officer saw it traveling east on Highway 50 past 88th Ave.

The driver of the vehicle fled, according to the criminal complaint, and reached speeds over 100 mph before crashing into over a median.

No major injuries resulted from the crash. The operator was identified as Jewell.

Both Jewell and a female passenger were taken to a local hospital where they were evaluated before being taken to the Kenosha County Jail, according to Sgt. Zachary Dutter.

During the incident, police officers deployed stop sticks in an attempt to slow the vehicle, but were unsuccessful.

In the process of them trying to miss the stop sticks, which they did miss them  they went over the median and popped their own tires, Dutter said. So, it worked out the same.

Dutter said the vehicle nearly struck a police squad car at the start of the incident.

Toward the end of the pursuit, the suspect vehicle traveled into oncoming traffic nearly striking several cars while going the wrong way, Dutter said.

Notable Green Bay Road crashes GREEN BAY ROAD MULTIPLE-vehicle crash Green Bay Road crash Vehicle crash Green bay CRASH AT GREEN BAY ROAD AND HIGHWAY 50 CAMPER Crash Crash at Highways 50 and 31 Friday
CADOTT  Country Fests return to Cadott is still more than a month away, but the festival has something to celebrate as it awaits its 36th annual event. It has been nominated for an award that recognizes it as one of the best country music festivals in the world.

Cadotts Country Fest, which runs from June 21 to June 24 this year, was nominated for Festival of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. Its up against festivals from the United Kingdom, Ohio, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Country Fest marketing manager Hannah Cole said the festival is excited to be among the award nominees.

I mean, its really surreal when you look at all the players on that list, Cole said. Its really a big thing for us. So, you know, both the office staff and volunteers are very excited. The nomination is an incredible honor, to say the least.

Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks will host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

The ACM Awards will be free to stream live for a global audience across 240 countries and territories on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 7 p.m. Thursday. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.

Founded over 30 years ago in central Wisconsin, Country Fest is the largest three-day country music and camping event in the U.S.

Country Fest has hosted stars like Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley and The Highwaymen, which includes Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.

While celebrating the best of all things country, festival-goers enjoy the largest campground in Wisconsin, with 360 acres and more than 7,500 campsites all within walking distance of the concert grounds.

This summer, Country Fest will offer artists such as Russell Dickerson, Jon Parsi, Brett Eldredge, Dan + Shay, Billy Currington and the Zac Brown Band.

Theres a lot of 90s throwbacks this year. People are looking forward to Pam Tillis, Sammy Kershaw, Mark Chesnutt. And then the big players really are John Pardi and, of course, Zac Brown Band, Dan + Shay. And were hearing a lot about Joe Nichols, Cole said.

The festival grounds have had a number of upgrades in preparation for the 2023 season.

The Budlight Crossroads Stage added additional speakers to the area so that fans can feel the show. The 1987-era shower housed in the south campground has a new state-of-the-art concrete constructed facility. With over four times the number of shower stalls as the original structure and an added mirror outlet area, the new building is expected to decrease lines and offer an overall better showering experience for fans.

In addition, after three years of work, the gravel road has reached completion. Roads in the south, north, and west campgrounds will get a final layer of blue granite in 2023, completing the festivals more than 25 miles of gravel roads. Designed to not wash out, this granite cuts down on dust substantially.

The space has outgrown its 7,000 campsites. To accommodate a growing festival family, the site added 150 campsites in the west campground.

To streamline staffs entry and exit, while providing a space to recharge, Chippewa Valley Music Festivals added 350 campsites and 1,200 parking spots to the new employee campground. This area is located just east of the north campground. These new sites make for 7,500 campsites on the festival grounds.

In an effort to accommodate locals in the offseason, there have been multiple weddings on the festival grounds. In order to serve more guests with on-site accommodations, Chippewa Valley Music Festivals added five additional duplex cabins to the existing four in the corporate area behind the event center.

Festival-goers should note that as the festival continues to grow, a new clear bag policy is in effect for 2023. Any bag larger than 4 inches by 6 inches must be clear to enter the concert grounds. Staff said that any size and any style of a clear bag is welcome.

Camelbacks are welcome, but they need to be empty to get through the concert gates. Festival-goers are welcome to fill up water bottles and camelbacks at the free water station in front of the Shirt Shop.

For tickets and more information, visit countryfest.com.
Thanks to all who attended the events of first Ridges & Rivers Book Festival! It was a great event and hopefully will happen again next year. The Vernon County History Center had nice attendance for the presentations by Norwegian professional genealogist Liv Marit Haakenstad. A big thank-you to Kristina Reser-Jaynes for bringing her Waffle Wagon to the history center parking lot on the morning of April 29. Proceeds from her sales that day benefited the Vernon County Museum and History Center and the Ridges & Rivers Book Festival.

Liv Marit Haakenstad will be presenting a program at the Vernon County Museum and History Centers monthly genealogy class on Thursday, May 11, at 10 a.m. She will speak about Norwegian probate index cards online, which often list family members. The program will be held in the centers handicapped accessible meeting room. Vernon County Historical Society members may attend for free and there is a $5 fee for non-members. Liv is a well-known author, speaker and genealogist who has more than 40 years of experience with classic genealogy, heir research and forensic genealogy. She is a resident of Hamar, Norway, and offers lectures, workshops, seminars and tours that bring descendants to their family homesteads in Norway.

Be sure to stop by and talk to our volunteers at the Vernon County Historical Society table at Syttende Mai on Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21. Westby will be celebrating the Seventeenth of May, the day in 1814 when the Norwegian constitution declared its independence from Swedish rule.

Other upcoming events include a grill-out fundraiser at Nelson Agri-Center on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Wisconsin Historical Societys traveling exhibit We Will Always Be Here: Wisconsin LGBTQ+ History Makers will be on exhibit at the Vernon County History Center from June 5-July 1, with the exception of June 17 when it will be on display at the Viroqua Area Pride Festival. Company B, 2nd Wisconsin Civil War reenactors will present at the Historic Sherry-Butt House in Viroqua from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More about these events in later columns and on our Facebook page.

For any questions or for more information regarding any of these events, please contact the history center at 608-637-7396 or email us at museum@vernoncountyhistory.org.
In order for our government to function, voters need to trust that lawmakers have their best interests at heart. Unfortunately, may people feel the trust just isn't there.

One major reason why is that we continue to allow members of Congress to trade stocks while in office  with little oversight and accountability.

Last month, a group of senators led by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks Act. The bill prohibits members, spouses and dependent minors from owning or trading securities, commodities or futures. This doesn't mean members have to abandon their fiscal well-being. They can still exchange their stocks in individual companies for mutual funds, or place their assets into a qualified blind trust.

A stock trading ban has overwhelming bipartisan support among the public. Passing it is a no-brainer and would be a first step in rebuilding trust. Recent polling shows that 70% of voters across the political spectrum support banning members of Congress from holding individual stocks. And now those same Americans, including conservatives, moderates and progressives, are rallying behind the ETHICS Act.

It's time for our elected officials to follow suit and end this conflict of interest. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, and Rep. Derrick Van Orden should support the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks Act.
Town of Campbell residents are one step closer to being able to turn on their taps again.

Davy Engineering Co. completed a variety of water tests Wednesday at a test well located at Wardwell Park on French Island.

This is so exciting, said town supervisor Lee Donahue. Its the end of a very long journey.

For over two years, residents have been unable to drink or use their tap water under a health advisory because of PFAS contamination in the shallow aquifer  where nearly all residents get their well water.

The island town has been working to identify an alternative water source to create a municipal water system.

For almost four days, engineers from Davy completed three types of tests at the Wardwell Park well, which is drilled 500 feet into the deep aquifer: step-down testing, pump testing and water sample collection.

Shawn Mahoney, field technician with Davy, said all results came back promising and that overall testing went very well.

Step-down testing involves pumping water from various depths in the deep aquifer to determine which depth can sustain consistent pumping.

Mahoney said all depths had the same results, meaning there are depth options for the water system.

A 24-hour pumping test is necessary to ensure the deep groundwater can sustain consistent pumping. Mahoney said the drawdown  which is the difference between the normal water level and what the pump pulls the aquifer level down to  was normal and promising.

Mahoney and Alex Jaromin took dozens of water samples from the pumps spigot to send off to labs across the country. Additives are added to some water samples for preservation.

Most of the water testing will be done at Davy Engineering. Its expected to take at least a month for all the sample results to be returned.

Over 30 different types of PFAS compounds are being tested in the water samples. The town already knows that a municipal water system will need to filter for iron and manganese contamination.

The reason that were testing for all of these other analytes too is because we just want to know whats in the water, Donahue said. So that if this becomes part of a municipal system that we can filter for whatever needs to be taken out.

The test well may stay active as a monitor well so the town can continue to test for potential contaminants. However, no plan is in place yet and the test well cannot stay permanently.

Recent flooding in the town of Campbell provided a unique opportunity for different water tests, such as a static water pressure test.

Donahue added that the historic flooding revealed Wardwell Park was not impacted by flood waters or even flooding from the high water table, making it a good place for the test well and perhaps the future water system.

However, the flood events stress the groundwater table and are potentially accelerating the spread of the PFAS contamination plume located in the shallow aquifer.

A groundwater geological survey to be conducted by the United States Geological Survey will identify where the plume is, what direction it is moving in and how fast the water is moving.

The town of Campbell is waiting to receive $500,000 from La Crosse County to complete the geological survey. The funding received unanimous approval from the county executive committee Wednesday morning and will go to the full board for consideration May 18.
WASHINGTON  When President Joe Biden nominated Gigi Sohn to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, the longtime consumer advocate expected to face criticism over her desire to expand free internet access and improve competition among broadband providers.

Instead, Sohn found herself the target of an aggressive campaign funded by a conservative group that doesnt have to disclose its donors. The American Accountability Foundation called Sohn too partisan, anti-police and soft on sex trafficking. The attacks landed  to the point that even some Democrats abandoned her. Sohn withdrew her nomination, ditching her fight for a five-year term as an FCC commissioner.

Look, Im not naive. Ive been a consumer advocate my whole career. I knew I was going to get some opposition, Sohn said. Now, did I expect what was to come  the dark money, the lies, the caricatures? No.

The battle over the nomination is the latest example of how organizations with political and financial agendas have been able to sway public opinion by deploying donations that are impossible to trace. It is also emblematic of how nominees missteps  even on matters unrelated to their prospective jobs  are being used against them by such organizations.

Sohns confirmation wouldve ended a 2-2 split on the commission, enabling the Biden administration to pursue its agenda of making communication networks more equitable. Sohn has been a vocal advocate for such regulations, which have been opposed by the telecom industry.

It is unclear what role, if any, the industry played in the anti-Sohn campaign. The most influential outside groups spent at least $420,000 on ads seeking to torpedo Sohns confirmation, a sum that is likely more.

Central to the advertising offensive was the American Accountability Foundation, which produced an advertising blitz assailing the nominee on Facebook and elsewhere.

Another group, co-founded by a former Democratic senator, said it spent six figures on ads arguing that Sohn was the wrong choice for the FCC and rural America. The National Fraternal Order of Police chastised Sohn over endorsing social media posts that were critical of law enforcement.

Sohn was not likely to coast to confirmation. Moderate Democrats were going to have trouble justifying their support for a nominee who had assisted controversial liberal groups, tweeted negatively about police and accused Fox News of being state-sponsored propaganda.

Opposing nominations is hardly new in American politics. But a 2010 ruling by the Supreme Court freed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns. The Citizens United ruling also opened the door to an influx of untraceable donations, known as dark money, that are being used to influence the course of nominations.

If confirmed, Sohn would have been the FCCs first openly LGBTQ+ commissioner.

Sohn had served as a top adviser for Tom Wheeler, the Obama-era FCC chair who enacted net neutrality rules that were jettisoned during the Trump administration. Such regulations would have required internet providers to treat web traffic equally. The telecommunications industry has argued that such rules are illegal and burdensome.

Some business groups pounced on Sohns nomination, while telecommunications companies and their trade organizations took a less combative approach.

It is unknown whether those companies donated dark money to groups that attacked Sohn. A spokeswoman for USTelecom, a national trade association on broadband, said the group and its members did not take a position on Ms. Sohns nomination.

Behind the scenes, however, the industrys lobbyists worked hard to kill the nomination, Sohn said. Telecom companies are among the nations biggest spenders on lobbyists, with the industry shelling out $117 million last year to influence lawmakers and administration officials, according to OpenSecrets.

It was a perfect storm of, you know, industry interests, Sohn said in an interview last month.

Sohn took particular umbrage with the campaign waged by the American Accountability Foundation, which boasted it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising.

AAF dished out more than $320,000 on Facebook advertising. Such ads blasted Sohn over her connections to liberal groups and suggested she opposed stiffening sex-trafficking laws. An ad alleged she was a complete political ideologue.

The organization targeted most of its advertising in states where Democratic senators are up for reelection next year. In the closely divided Senate, nominees can lose only one Democratic vote if they hope to win the job if all Republican senators oppose them.

AAF also promoted criticism of Sohn over Twitter posts in 2020 that suggested she supported the defund the police movement and agreed with a tweet that alleged police were armed goons with tear gas.

AAF executive director Tom Jones declined to name the group's donors.

Jones' group was joined in its campaign against Sohn by other organizations, including one led by Heidi Heitkamp, a former Democratic senator from North Dakota.

Heitkamps One Country Project announced in 2022 it was spending at least $100,000 on a campaign to oppose Sohns nomination by highlighting her purported disregard for rural broadband.

Heitkamp did not respond to requests for comment.

The National Fraternal Order of Police also opposed the nomination, a move that surprised Sohn because the police union has no business before the FCC.

Sohn said she knew her nomination was dead at her February confirmation hearing. Thats when Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, said police concerns about the social media posts do give me pause. Other Democrats, Sohn said, put little effort into parrying Republican attacks.

Three weeks later, she withdrew from the fight.

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A symposium on diversity, equity and inclusion programming hosted by the Medical College of Wisconsin and featuring speakers including U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has been moved off campus due to disruptive conditions, campus officials said Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Association of Scholars symposium was scheduled to take place Friday at Milwaukees Medical College of Wisconsin. The panel, which included Johnson, R-Oshkosh, state Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, and John Sailer, a senior fellow and director of university policy with the National Association of Scholars, was to be focused on the uses and abuses of government-sponsored Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programming in universities generally and specifically in medical, scientific and technical education, according to a listing of the event.

However, Medical College of Wisconsin President John Raymond Sr. told students and staff in a May 4 message  posted online by Sailer  he had rescinded use of campus facilities for the symposium based on input received from stakeholders.

Raymond added the decision was not due to the topic or the viewpoint of the speakers and its possible the symposium could be held on campus in the future under less disruptive conditions.

We believe that a fundamental purpose of a university is to facilitate the exchange of ideas, even when those ideas challenge our cherished values or are offensive to members of our university community, Medical College of Wisconsin spokesperson Holly Botsford said in an email. However, such conversations need to occur at a time when there are circumstances that encourage respectful dialogue.

Hosting the symposium at MCW generated many passionate viewpoints and the conversation about it became unacceptably disruptive, Botsford added. Those conditions were not conducive to a meaningful dialogue, and MCW leadership made the decision that the situation could not be rectified before the planned symposium.

In an April 30 letter sent to Raymond, also posted online by Sailer, college faculty wrote they were opposed to the university hosting this pseudo-academic and potentially harmful meeting.

The presence of this organization on campus directly impacts our students, especially those who are routinely subjected to discrimination and the effects of racism, according to the letter. Discourse that is politically motivated and not rooted in evidence adds nothing to the MCW learning community and makes our learners feel unsafe.

Scheduled event

The event listing notes that Sailers research on DEI policies in higher education has been published in the Wall Street Journal and credited with the recent trend at a growing number of universities to prohibit the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring.

This petition  which falsely accuses me of using discriminatory language and butchers the concept of academic freedom  was successful, Sailer tweeted Friday. President Raymond canceled the event. A textbook hecklers veto.

Students should be able to freely explore different concepts, ideas, and worldviews so they are equipped to lead successful lives inside a free and open society, Johnson said in a statement. Instead, higher education has increasingly devolved into institutions of intolerance, conformist bullying, and intellectual tyranny.

Murphy, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, said he was surprised by the cancellation. He added the symposium is still expected to take place in Milwaukee this Friday, although the off-campus location has not been finalized.

Ive had it on my calendar for like a month and so all of a sudden, the week before, now suddenly John Sailer is somebody we cant speak with? Murphy said Tuesday.

Murphys committee held public hearings last month in Madison and Eau Claire on the topics of free speech and diversity on Wisconsin campuses. On Thursday, the committee will hold an informational hearing at the Capitol to discuss how the lack of free speech and intellectual diversity on college campuses affects the quality of higher education, according to a notice for the meeting.

Only invited speakers will be allowed to testify at the hearing. Those invited include Sailer, UW System President Jay Rothman, former UW System Regent and president of Free Speech for Campus Tim Higgins.

Trending topic

The topic of diversity, equity and inclusion has carried over into the states biennial budget process as Republicans begin rewriting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposal for the states two-year spending plan, cutting programs and measures theyre against and offering alternatives.

On Friday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told conservative WISN-AM radio host Jay Weber that hes open to 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.

Evers has called Vos proposal ridiculous and wrongheaded.

Vos comments 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.

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.

Hundreds of UW-Madison students protest following racist video emerges Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video Student sit-in and protest over racist video More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands More than 500 students and faculty march in protest of UW-Madison's response to demands
A historic house would be remodeled or replaced by a new, four-season facility or two smaller shelters in three plans being considered for the city of Monona property formerly known as the San Damiano Friary.

City officials are inviting the public, including Dane County residents who dont live in Monona but might use the park, to take a survey about the concept plans for the sites nearly 10, mostly wooded acres on Lake Monona just south of Monona Drive and Buckeye Road.

The survey is available online until May 22. Information about the concepts and the survey will be available at a Biergarten event at the park from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The city plans to finish a master plan for the site by the end of the year.

This is really a regional destination, said Andrew Kitslaar, president of Friends of San Damiano and co-chair of the citys San Damiano Project Steering Committee. We definitely want the input of the broader Dane County, East Side Madison region.

Monona bought the land in 2021 for $8.6 million from the St. Norbert Abbey of De Pere, which used it as a retreat center for priests until 2015. City officials are deciding how to develop the property, with the goals of providing recreational, cultural and educational opportunities in a public space that is financially sustainable.

One of three concepts designed by consultant MSA Professional Services of Madison would keep the Frank Allis house, built in 1893 by an heir to a founder of Allis-Chalmers, which manufactured farm equipment and other machinery. Much of the house is in fair or poor condition, so extensive repairs would be needed to convert the building into an event facility, at an undetermined cost.

Another concept features a new facility aligned to face the state Capitol across the lake, along with a nearby amphitheater. The third, minimalist concept includes a seasonal restroom with covered shelter and a small, open-air shelter. The costs of the structures are undetermined in both plans, which would remove the Allis house.

All three concepts include nearly two acres of open-lawn event space, trails and paved walkways, natural areas, play areas, a boaters beach, a bus stop and an area for traditional farming by the Ho-Chunk Nation. Parking ranges from 16 to 51 stalls, and each plan includes a dock or fishing pier.

The goal isnt necessarily to adopt one of the three plans as designed, but to pick elements among them for a final plan, said Mayor Mary OConnor, the other co-chair of the steering committee. The final will probably be sort of an amalgam of all of them, I would think, OConnor said.

MSA and the steering committee will use feedback from the survey and from focus groups  which have included schools, businesses, nonprofits, accessibility advocates and the Ho-Chunk Nation  to compile a single plan, expected to be presented at a public meeting by late summer, Kitslaar said. That plan will be refined this fall.

Income sought

OConnor and Kitslaar said a restored Allis house or a new, four-season facility would be best positioned to make money for the site. The buildings could be used by school or community groups and for events such as smaller weddings, they said.

We do need some kind of a year-round facility because were going to need to generate income, OConnor said.

Kitslaar said the Friends group, which plans to raise money for site development, has heard from potential donors interested in both types of facilities.

The steering committee on May 16 is expected to discuss plans for site facilities, including potential uses of the Allis house, Kitslaar said. For now, the house is closed.

The abbey applied for a permit in late 2019 to demolish the home, but withdrew the request in late January 2020 after the citys Landmarks Commission delayed action on it.

The city is paying off the $8.6 million land purchase  which OConnor said amounts this year to $93 in taxes for the average-value Monona home  with the goal of obtaining half of that through grants and fundraising. Dane County has contributed $2 million, and the state Department of Natural Resources Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program has awarded $250,000.

A quiet place

The Friends group has raised $316,000, with $143,000 contributed to the city for the consulting contract and $15,000 pledged this year for mowing and other maintenance. Events such as monthly Biergartens and a fundraiser planned for September are bringing in some money. Once a master plan is adopted, the group plans to launch a more formal capital campaign, Kitslaar said.

The park, which is eventually expected to be named something other than San Damiano, offers a special place for quiet and contemplation within the city, along with the lake views, OConnor said. Its also a chance to showcase history of the area, including that of the Ho-Chunk, Kitslaar said.

You dont get an opportunity like that  in a developed area like were in, totally surrounded by the city of Madison  every day, OConnor said.

CORRECTION

An earlier version misstated how much of the purchase price of the San Damiano property will be borne by Monona taxpayers. The city is paying off the $8.6 million land purchase with the goal of obtaining half of that through grants and fundraising.

Here are the plans of the 3 finalists looking to redesign the Lake Monona waterfront Madison has invited three finalists for its Lake Monona Waterfront design challenge to present their vision for the future of the shoreline from Williamson Street to Olin Park. Here are their concepts. Galleries Agency Landscape + Planning 'Reviving Lake Monona' Galleries James Corner Field Operations 'The Wild Lakeshore: Monona Lakefront Park' Galleries Sasaki Voices of the Lake: Mononas Waterfront.
Fave 5: Reporter Kimberly Wethal shares her favorite stories of 2022

In the weeks before I joined the Wisconsin State Journal in September, I was told this: Remember that a higher education institution is like their own city. It has its own character and struggles, defined by the students who learn there and the faculty who teach them.

I have seen this over and over again, and it was particularly clear when I visited UW-Platteville at Richland a week after the University of Wisconsin System ordered degree-fulfilling classes to cease because of low enrollment. During my visit, I found many of the devastated students to be emotionally invested in their campus community  and committed to saving it.

It's why Richland Center grieving the loss of its once-vibrant campus is my top story of 2022.

UW-Madison has its own slate of issues. There, a growing population is pitted against on- and off-campus housing availability. I wrote about the tactics used to clear returning students out of the dorms to make room for freshmen, and the frenzy that ensued as students put their lives on hold to secure housing for next fall.

At Madison Area Technical College, a key issue is how to alleviate barriers their students face just to get into the classroom. Finding adequate child care is one of them  I wrote about the efforts to expand future access at the Goodman South Campus and its four rural campuses.

Much of my beat is hard news, but some of my favorite stories are features of students who make up the character of campus. I wrote about Kirstan Gimse, the student commencement speaker who's achieving her dream of being a scientist that she saw as unattainable.

I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the beat in 2023 and am so grateful for the support of State Journal subscribers that allows me to be one of the few reporters in the state dedicated solely to covering higher education.
ALLEN, Texas The mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall lasted three to four minutes before a local police officer shot and killed the gunman, authorities said Tuesday.

The Allen police officer who shot and killed Mauricio Garcia, 33, acted heroically and saved "countless lives" through his quick action, said Hank Sibley, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. He said the officer is still processing what happened and isn't ready to have his name made public.

The investigation into Garcia's motive is ongoing, but he expressed neo-Nazi beliefs, Sibley said, adding that Garcia had no criminal history before he opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday.

Garcia had eight weapons with him, including three on him and five in a vehicle, all of which he obtained legally, Sibley said.

Posts by Garcia on a Russian social networking site suggest he planned for weeks before he opened fire at a suburban Dallas shopping mall last weekend, killing eight people and wounding seven others.

Garcia researched when the mall in Allen was busiest Saturday afternoons and posted photos on social media in mid-April of a store near where he started his attack last Saturday, which ended with police killing him.
Palestinian militants have fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, while Israel is pressing ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians. A state-run Egyptian TV station announced Wednesday that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the fighting only intensified and neither side showed any sign of backing down. It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas also appeared to stay on the sidelines.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

A state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the truce efforts appeared to falter as fighting intensified late Wednesday, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military said it targeted the commander of Islamic Jihads rocket squad in an airstrike on a building in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said Ali Ghali was hiding in an apartment and that two additional militants from the group were killed alongside him in the airstrike at a Qatari-built residential complex in Khan Younis. Ghali instructed and took part in rocket attacks against Israel in recent months. There was no comment from the militant group.

In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. But he cautioned: "This round is not over.

We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You can't hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you, he said, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.

Throughout the day, rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern and central Israel, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

Late Wednesday, Egypt's Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said it had brokered a cease-fire. Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy, they said Israel would evaluate the situation based on actions on the ground, not declarations.

Islamic Jihad said it would continue firing rockets. Mohamad al-Hindi, an official with the group, said a sticking point in the talks was that the Palestinians wanted an Israeli commitment to stop targeted killing operations, such as the ones that killed three top Islamic Jihad commanders early Tuesday.

As rockets streaked through the sky, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as Davids Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

Israeli officials said over 400 rockets had been fired as of Wednesday evening. Most, they said, were intercepted or fell in open areas, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said about one-quarter had been misfired and fallen inside Gaza. Israeli rescuers said three people were hurt running for shelter, and four homes in southern Israel were damaged by rocket strikes.

The army said that schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms.

Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least five Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted dozens of rocket launchers, arms warehouses and other targets across the enclave. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said four of the dead were militants.

A 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Layan Mdoukh was killed in a blast at her home in Gaza City in unclear circumstances on Wednesday.

The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday that set off the exchange of fire killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war.

In a statement, an umbrella organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed Avenging the Free  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israel's killing of the three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians.

The resistance is ready for all options," the factions said. If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it."

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group enters the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible because they operate in heavily populated residential areas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

Islamic Jihad later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.
YBO - Chairman of the Yen Bai provincial Peoples Committee Tran Huy Tuan has met with a visiting delegation of the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) led by its Chairman Indronil Sengupta.

Tuan presented Yen Bais potential and advantages for socio-economic development, and highlighted the fields it is attracting investment to such as stone mining, healthcare personnel and infrastructure development, digital transformation, and the agricultural products it has strength in like cinnamon and tea.





For his part, Senguptasaid said that thanks to support from Yen Bai authorities, Indian businesses in the province have been operating rather fruitfully, but they have just focused on mineral mining and need to invest more in intensive mining and processing. Therefore, the delegation hopes that Yen Bai will continue assisting Indian firms to develop in this field.









Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Tran Huy Tuan presents a book on the land and people of Yen Bai to the INCHAM delegation.







INCHAM and Indian enterprises also hope to have more opportunities for cooperation in digital transformation and pharmaceutical production with Yen Bai. They also look forward to collaboration in training pharmacists and doctors, and in education, especially English language training to help narrow the gap of foreign language skills between Yen Bai and other localities, he added.





The INCHAM Chairman noted his country is currently a major importer of cinnamon and tea, so its businesses will also consider investment in developing these products in the province.




WAR IN UKRAINE

President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that the West has unleashed "a real war" against Russia, reprising a familiar refrain at scaled-down Victory Day celebrations that may reflect the toll the Ukraine conflict is taking on his forces.

Putin's remarks came just hours after Moscow fired its latest barrage of cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than 14 months ago. Ukrainian authorities said air defenses destroyed 23 of 25 missiles launched. The Russian leader has repeatedly sought to paint his invasion of Ukraine as necessary to defend against a Western threat. Kyiv and its Western allies say they pose no such threat and that Moscow's war is meant to deter Western influence in a country that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence.

"Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point," Pu tin said at the annual commemorations celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

"A real war has been unleashed against our motherland." Putin has often used patriotic rhetoric that harks back to the earlier war to rally his citizens and forces and May 9 is one of the most important dates in the Russian political calendar. But this year's celebrations were markedly smaller, at least partially because of security concerns after several drone attacks were reported inside Russia.

Some 8,000 troops took part in the parade in Moscow's Red Square on Tuesday the lowest number since 2008. Even the procession in 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured some 13,000 soldiers, and last year, 11,000 troops took part. There was no fly-over of military jets, and the event lasted less than the usual hour.

"This is weak. There are no tanks," said Yelena Orlova, watching the vehicles rumble down Moscow's NovyArbat avenue after leaving Red Square. "We're upset, but that's all right; it will be better in the future."

Meanwhile, the Justice Department said Tuesday it disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that stole sensitive information from computer networks in dozens of countries, including the U.S. and other NATO members.

Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, and accused the hackers of stealing documents from hundreds of computer systems belonging to governments of NATO members, an unidentified journalist for a U.S. news organization who reported on Russia, and other select targets of interest to the Kremlin.
With the recent closure of Wisconsins inter-district public school open enrollment program application deadline on April 28, the Williams Bay Board of Education on Monday night took action on open enrollment applications for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.

Thirteen more students opted into the district than left the district through open enromment for the next school year, with 30 outgoing students offset by the 43 students enrolling into the Williams Bay School District under inter-district public school open enrollment provisions.

Wisconsins inter-district public school open enrollment program (https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment) allows parents to apply for their children to attend public school in a school district other than the one in which they reside.

Any Wisconsin resident in Grades 4K-12 may apply to attend a nonresident school district under the open enrollment program. However, a child may transfer to a nonresident school district for early childhood education or 4K only if the childs resident school district offers the same type of program and only if the child is eligible for that program in the resident school district.

The regular open enrollment application period for the 2023-2024 school year ran from Feb. 6 through a 4 p.m. filing deadline on April 28.

The Williams Bay Board of Education on May 8:

Approved 30 student open enrollment transfers out of the Williams Bay School District to neighboring school districts.

Denied one application seeking student entry into the district.

Placed three applications seeking student entry into the district on a waiting list.

Approved 43 open enrollement applications seeking student entry into Williams Bay Schools from surrounding districts.

District Administrator Dr. Bill White called the districts open enrollment numbers comparable to those of past years.

Board reorganization

In the wake of the April spring general election, the Williams Bay Board of Education conducted its annual board organization actions. There were no changes in board membership, as incumbents Karolyn Nelson and Dr. Patrick Peyer both ran unopposed for re-election to new three-year terms.

The Board of Education voted to:

Maintain the current board officer positions  Jack Lothian, president; Karolyn Nelson, vice president; Ed Nichols, clerk; Dr. Patrick Peyer, treasurer; and Mark Schneider, member-at-large.

Set board member assignments as follows: WASB Annual Convention Delegate, Ed Nichols; CESA 2 Representative and Career & College Academy Representative, Jack Lothian; Policy Committee, Mark Schneider and Ed Nichols; Handbook/Staff Relations Committee and Finance Committee, Karolyn Nelson and Dr. Patrick Peyer; Community Conversation Representative and Superintendent Advisory Committee, Mark Schneider.

As part of the board organization actions, the Williams Bay Board of Education on Monday also:

Designated Advia Credit Union as the districts official banking depository.

Designated the Lake Geneva Regional News as the districts official newspaper.

Designated the second Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. as the board meeting dates and times for the 2023-2024 school year.

Personnel transactions

The Williams Bay Board of Education took action on a number of personnel transactions on May 8, approving:

The retirement resignation of four-year-old kindergarten paraprofessional educator Linda Luberda, effective with the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The resignations of middle school-high school math teacher Mike Dowden, district special education director and school psychologiest Kassie McOmber, and Title 1 math teacher Katie Altenbach, all effective with the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The hiring of Hannah Grand as district librarian, Becky Schicanter as high school math teacher, Jessica Bongiorno as special education assistant, and former two-year district educator Bill Welch in a dual role position as associate principal (60%) and Advanced Placement (AP) science teacher (40%), all hirings effective with the upcoing 2023-2024 school year.

Concrete repairs

School board members approved a $23,400 contract with Darien-based Paschke Concrete LLC for sidewalk repairs at Williams Bay Middle School-High School, 500 W. Geneva St. (State Hwy. 67).

The school was built in 1996 and the concrete sidewalks at Williams Bay Middle School-High School are showing the deletirious effects of age, use and winter snow and ice mitigation and removal efforts.

Said White of the concrete, It definitely needs to be repaired for peoples safety.

Other news

In other developments at the May 8 meeting, the Williams Bay Board of Education:

Approved creation of a full-time dual-role associate principal (60%) and science teacher (40%) position at Williama Bay Middle School-High School.

Approved creation of an additional district K-12 special education paraprofessional position.

Held a first reading on revisions to Board Policy 760, governing district food service management. The proposed update changes, when approved, will bring the policy into alignment with current state and federal guidelines.

Approved Fall 2023 Start College Now applicationsfor three Williams Bay High School students looking to take college level courses at Gateway Technical College.

IN 18 PHOTOS; Williams Bay Middle School presents "The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition" - April 27-28, 2023 Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants and his pet snail, Gary! BFF's Patrick Star and SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom neighbors Patrick Staff, Squidward Q. Tentacles and SpongeBob SquarePants "The Sponge Bob Musical: Youth Edition" cast and crew - Williams Bay Middle School, April 27-28, 2023 Hatching an evil scheme down at The Chum Bucket SpongeBob comforts Pearl Krabs SpongeBob Electric Skates.JPG Dollar signs in Mr. Krabs' eyes: "Daddy Knows Best" Discord in the Krabs Family Ms. Mayor tries to maintain the status quo in Bikini Bottom despite the impending threat of a rumbling undersea volcano The Krusty Krab proprietor Mr. Krabs TV newscaster Perch Perkins reports on breaking news in Bikini Bottom SpongeBob Patrick Groupies.JPG Race to the rescue Scientist squirrel Sandy Cheeks explains her plan for defusing volcano Mt. Humongous "I'm Not a Loser" - Squidward Q. Tentacles dreams of breaking into show business Sandy and SpongeBob prepare to defuse threatening volcano Mt. Humungous Down at The Krusty Krab in "The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition" at Williams Bay Middle School
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters at the Liberal party convention in Ottawa on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he will not implement a Liberal Party policy passed at its weekend convention that could lead to journalists having to disclose their confidential sources.

The Liberals have faced backlash from media organizations and civil liberties groups after adopting a resolution asking the government to explore options for making online information services publish material based only on named sources.

Conservative heritage critic Rachael Thomas called the Liberal policy, which is aimed at combatting disinformation, a form of censorship. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association warned it would seriously chill the freedom of the press.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters it is not a policy we would ever implement.

We will never harm journalists capacity to do the professional, independent work that they do, he said.

Rigorous, challenging, independent journalism is essential.

The Liberal Party resolution, which passed on Saturday, calls on the government to hold online news and information services accountable for the truth of material published on their platforms. It requests that the government limit publication only to material whose sources can be traced.

The resolution was passed by party members, making it Liberal policy. It was proposed by B.C. Liberals and had been discussed for around a year and a half by Liberal party members before being chosen for a vote at the Liberal national convention.

Mr. Trudeau also weighed in on the debate about the online news bill Tuesday, calling Facebook, deeply irresponsible and out of touch for not wanting to compensate journalists under Bill C-18.

He made his remarks after Facebook executives attended the Commons heritage committee on Monday and renewed their warning that the social-media giant would block Canadians access to news if Bill C-18 passes in its current form.

Facebooks head of public policy for Canada, Rachel Curran, told MPs that although news has a real social value, it doesnt have much of an economic value to Meta, Facebooks parent company.

Googles vice-president of news, Richard Gingras, told a Senate committee last week that news is not a big money-maker or draw for advertisers.

Shannon Proudfoot: Talking amongst themselves: Liberal convention offers a glimpse of how Trudeaus party sees itself

Facebook wants audio and video beyond scope of Bill C-18

But Mr. Trudeau told reporters that the argument that the Internet giants are putting forward is not just flawed, its dangerous to our democracy, to our economy.

Facebook declined to comment on the Prime Ministers comments.

On Monday Nick Clegg, Facebooks president of global affairs, didnt turn up to address the Commons heritage committee because the company had deemed the title of the days hearing confrontational.

He had previously accepted an invitation to appear, but decided not to come after the hearings title was posted. The hearing was called Tech Giants Use of Intimidation Tactics but MPs voted to change it Monday.

The committees chair, Hedy Fry, has since issued a summons for Mr. Clegg to appear on May 15, after a vote by MPs who expressed dismay at his failure to appear on Monday.

At that meeting Kevin Chan, Facebooks global policy director, read out Mr. Cleggs statement to MPs. At the end, after being thanked for appearing by Ms. Fry, Mr. Chan was heard saying so reprehensible, in an apparent reference to the hearing.

Ms. Fry, who heard his remark, informed him that he was speaking into an open mike, that everyone had heard him and that his comment was inappropriate.

Laura Scaffidi, spokeswoman for Pablo Rodriguez, said about the committee that Facebook representatives confirmed that they would rather pull news off their platform than comply with any new Canadian laws or regulations that would come into effect.

The Senate transport and communications committee is also examining Bill C-18 and on Tuesday heard from the National Council of Canadian Muslims, who asked for changes to the bill so that news businesses that promote hate are not eligible to be funded by big tech companies.

Karine Devost, the organizations senior legal counsel, said the eligibility criteria in the bill should be clarified to prevent news businesses that spread hate from being able to access potentially millions of dollars in future funding.

She said the bill as drafted could have significant unintended consequences for Muslim Canadians, immigrants and other diverse Canadians, especially in Quebec. She argued for a code of ethics empowering the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, or another regulatory body, to address and resolve public complaints when news businesses peddle hate.

Senators questioned whether this could threaten a free press.

Senator Paula Simons, a former journalist, said she was deeply concerned that there should be any effort to control or censor what is in print.

Senator Julie Miville-Dechene, also a former journalist, asked: Who decides what is good journalism and what is discriminatory? That is the whole problem. A free press: You cannot have a regulatory body decide on that.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 10 , 2023

We Can Do This Again!

May 9, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)U.S. war veteran Col. Frank Cohn (ret.), now 97 years old, is an optimist on a mission. He fought against the Nazis in World War II and met Soviet soldiers at Torgau on the Elbe River on April 25, 1945, when troops from two armies met. On the occasion of the victory in Europe over the Nazis, Cohn says: While it is probably a false hope, I am an optimist, and I hang onto the time when things looked br

ight for all of usback in May 1945. Yes, there was terrible devastation all around us, but the spirit was correct. We were going to go forward and repair the world, we were allies, we were friends.... Now, I go and participate to bring back that moment. It is not an easy thing to do at my age, but I must do it as long as I can, because someone young might catch that simmering glow of a short-lived peaceful world surrounded with friendship, and in remembrance, perhaps years far in the future, say with the political power that he or she might have attained: We can do this again! 

Today, on the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in presiding over the Victory Day parade and ceremonies, reminded his citizens of the better angel of people in the West:

The memory of defenders of the Fatherland is sacred for us in Russia, and we cherish it in our hearts. We give credit to members of the Resistance who bravely fought Nazism as well as the troops of the allied armies of the United States, Great Britain and other countries. We remember and honor the feat of Chinese soldiers in the fight against Japanese militarism.

Such a joint effort in history should not be forgotten.

I strongly believe that the experience of solidarity and partnership during the years of fighting a common threat is our invaluable heritage and a secure foothold now when the unstoppable movement is gaining momentum towards a more just multipolar world, a world based on the principles of trust and indivisible security, of equal opportunities for a genuine and free development of all nations and peoples. While Putin certainly excoriated the greed, selfishness, and hypocrisy of Western leaders behind the permanent war gang, he did not fail to include this attempt to touch the mystic chords of memory.

In 2023, the United States has had a mass shooting, on average, every 16 hours. And last week the average shot up to 1 every 8 hours, with 112 people killed or wounded. That doesnt count attempted mass shootings in which the shooter only hits less than four people. Nor does it include yesterdays deadly attack in Brownsville, Texas, in which a driver apparently aimed his vehicle at a crowd waiting at a bus stop, killing eight and wounding ten more. Who will deny that there is an epidemic afoot?

Its one thing to have more and more people whose lives havent worked out. But combine that with a rich fantasy life of rage and vengeance. Add violent video games to reinforce the rage, embolden the actor, and the message becomes: Leave your mark on this world by taking out your rage in one last explosive show.

Was there a time when people found a way to leave a mark in this world by making their society better? Frank Cohn remembers that time: Yes, there was terrible devastation all around us, but the spirit was correct. We were going to go forward and repair the world....

Such memories are the stuff of culturethe lack of which brings on financial gambling, debt bubbles, geopolitical confrontations, and, yes, zombie killers striking every 16 hours. Perhaps it is time to join Frank Cohn in his optimistic mission, which includes showing our scared leaders how to stop faking, and to actually lead. Glass-Steagall financial regulation, Chinas Belt and Road, the U.S.s NAWAPA massive water and power projects, and the rebuilding of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and every other country that has been needlessly devastated in recent decades. Cohns version of touching mystic chords of memory is: We can do this again!
Mauricio Garcia killed eight people and hurt many others when he shot into the car parking area outside a shopping center near Dallas, Texas on Saturday.

News reports say Garcia showed signs of extremism and had permanent pictures and letters painted on his skin. These images are called tattoos. He also wore the letters RWDS on a part of his clothing.

The tattoos are described as Nazi. The term comes from the name of the party that controlled Germany under Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 40s and is linked with racial hatred and violence. Reports say Garcia put information online suggesting that he was interested in Nazi images and white supremacist ideas.

But many people might not know what the letters RWDS mean.

The Associated Press recently reported on the meaning of the letters, or acronym.

Extremism experts say RWDS stands for right wing death squad.

Oren Segal is vice president of the Center on Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit group based in New York City. The group fights antisemitism, extremism and hate.

Segal said the term first appeared in the 1970s and 1980s when people were describing paramilitary groups that killed the political opponents of dictators in Central and South America.

The term reappeared about 10 years ago when extreme American groups of the political right started to use RWDS to express their opposition to the extreme political left more broadly, Segal said.

Heidi Beirich is co-founder of the group Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, a nonprofit based in Montgomery, Alabama. She said the group in the U.S. called the Proud Boys started using the letters most often.

Photos of Proud Boys leaders have shown them wearing the letters.

But the Anti-Defamation League said the Proud Boys are not the only ones to wear the RWDS letters. Some people were wearing them in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. In August of that year, a white pride rally turned violent, and one woman was killed.

The New York Times newspaper said social media service Facebook banned groups that used the RWDS acronym after the death in Charlottesville.

But one expert said the letters and the phrase right wing death squad are being used more often.

Jon Lewis is a researcher for the Program on Extremism at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

He called the letters a rallying cry and said they cut across and far beyond any individual group. Lewis said the groups look favorably on dictators such as Chiles Augusto Pinochet who died in 2006. He said the groups want to use the powers of government to carry out violent genocide against opponents.

One professor said that people who wear symbols and acronyms like RWDS do not always know what they mean and where they come from.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is director of American Universitys Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab in Washington, D.C. She said something like RWDS spreads on social media. While nobody is accidentally going to have a Right Wing Death Squad patch, she said, they dont always know exactly what it means.

People might wonder why a person named Mauricio Garcia, who was Hispanic, would support white supremacist ideas.

Enrique Tarrio, a former Proud Boys leader, is Cuban-American. Miller-Idriss said people who do not consider themselves to be white can still be interested in white supremacist ideas. She said it is the same for women who support male supremacist movements.

Tanya Hernandez is a professor at Fordham University in New York City. She wrote a book about Latinos who have unfair ideas about Black people.

She said Latinos are often seen as unwanted others in American society. But they want to find a way to fit in. So, Hernandez said, what better way to make a claimthan to be part of the enforcement, the policing of whiteness within a white supremacist hate group?

Im Caty Weaver. And Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

tattoo n. pictures or words permanently written on a persons skin with ink

Nazi n. a member of the National Socialist German Workers Party which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945; an insult used to say a person is very bad

white supremacist n. a person who believes that the white race is better and should rule other races

anti-semitism n. the hatred of Jewish people

broadly adv. widely

pride n. a feeling of self-importance

rally n. a public meeting to support a cause or person

symbol n. any sign or image that represents another idea or belief

patch n. a small piece of cloth that is placed on clothing

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A jury in New York City found former President of the United States Donald Trump liable of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll.

The jury of six men and three women announced its findings in a federal courtroom on its first day of considering the evidence. It awarded a total of $5 million to Carroll who said Trump raped her. The case is a civil legal action, not a criminal one.

The jury found that Carroll had not proved that she was raped. But, it found Trump liable for sexual abuse. It also found Trump guilty of insulting, or defaming, Carroll after she made her claims public.

Trump chose not to attend the trial. He was not present when the judgement was read.

The former president is also a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. A spokesman said he will appeal the verdict.

Carroll told the jury that Trump raped her in a department store in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996. She also said that Trump damaged her public image in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social social media service. He wrote that her claims were a "complete con job," "a hoax" and "a lie."

Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, showed the jury a video of Trump talking to a television show host about sexually violating women.

The Associated Press reported that jurors heard from Jessica Leeds who said Trump sexually assaulted her in an airplane in the 1970s. Natasha Stoynoff, a writer, also gave evidence that Trump kissed her against her will in 2005. Carrolls lawyer told the jury that Trumps not attending the trial supported her case. She said, Donald Trump is a witness against himself.

Trumps defense lawyers said Carroll said things that were hard to believe and that she pressed the case to sell a book she released in 2019.

Shortly after the ruling, Trump reacted angrily on social media. He called the decision a disgrace and said he does not know Carroll.

Other legal actions

Trump is the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024. However, he faces several legal actions.

In March, Trump became the first U.S. president to be presented with criminal charges. New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought 34 charges of providing false business records against the former president.

The judge in that trial asked Trumps lawyers to agree to a trial date in February or March of 2024.

And, the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the treatment of secret government documents in Trumps possession after he left office in 2021. Federal investigators are also looking into Trumps possible responsibility in the attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

In Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorneys office has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered in the 2020 election.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources.

____________________________________________

Words in This Story

liable adj. responsible

con job adj. an act of lying or cheating to reach a desired result

hoax n. an act of lying, cheating or tricking to reach a desired result

host n. a person who receives or entertains guests socially, commercially, or officially

disgrace n. a cause of shame

assault v. to attack

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Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free.

Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.
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The murdered Italian politician Aldo Moro has been buried after a private funeral service and the Interior Minister, Francesco Cossiga, has resigned.

Italians stopped work to pay tribute to Mr Moro, leader of the ruling Christian Democrat Party who was twice prime minister and considered the chief candidate for president.

He was also the architect of a plan to include the Communists in government for the first time in Italys history  a plan which came into being the day after he was captured 55 days ago.

Mr Moro was kidnapped on 16 March after left-wing Red Brigade gunmen ambushed his car killing his chauffeur and five policemen.

For eight weeks, they held him at a secret location in Rome allowing him to send letters to his family and fellow politicians begging the government to negotiate with his captors.

They demanded the release of 13 Red Brigade members. It is reported that in the last few days the kidnappers told Mr Moros family they would release him if just one of their gang were released.

The government, under President Giulio Andreotti, resolutely refused all pleas from family, friends, even the Pope himself to concede to any demands.

Eight weeks after he was taken, his body was found riddled with bullets in the boot of a red Renault 5 parked strategically between the headquarters of the ruling Christian Democrat Party and Communist Party HQ in central Rome.

When news of his death broke out, crowds gathered round the car and police had to force their way through to let Mr Cossiga identify the body.

In a public statement, Mr Cossiga then said he was responsible for the decision not to negotiate with the kidnappers and was now stepping down from his post.

About 100,000 people crammed into the St John Lateran square in Rome to protest against the killing holding up banners that read Murderers and black-bordered photos of Mr Moro.

The crowd chanted Moro lives and union leaders made emotional speeches calling for a united front against terrorism.

Pope Paul VI, a personal friend of Mr Moro who had pleaded with the government to negotiate with the Red Brigade, said the murder was a stain of blood that dishonours our country.

The pontiff was addressing Italys parliament which today voted in tough new anti-terrorist legislation aimed at the Red Brigade.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

The Red Brigade was a left-wing terrorist group formed in 1970 with the sole aim of overthrowing capitalist Italy by violent means. Most of their leading members had been captured and imprisoned by the mid-1980s.

The daring kidnap and murder of such a well-known and respected statesman such as Aldo Moro left the nation in a state of numbed shock. There were some who said police incompetence in finding him and government intransigence were all part of a grand conspiracy.

Francesco Cossiga was not long out of power. The following year he became prime minister and was Italys president from 1985 to 1992.
Alarm over Myanmars still-unfolding deadly civil strife, including an armed attack on an aid convoy, and Chinas aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea are expected to be put under the spotlight this week when Southeast Asian leaders meet in Indonesia.

Top diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened yesterday in the resort town of Labuan Bajo to finalize the agenda ahead of the two-day summit of the 10-nation blocs heads of state.

The United States and China are not part of the twice-yearly summit, but their escalating rivalry looms large over the high-profile Asian gathering. Beijing has warned that U.S. efforts to strengthen security alliances and intensify combat-readiness drills with Asian allies would endanger regional stability.

Founded in 1967 in the Cold-War era, ASEAN has struggled to avoid getting entangled in the major-power competition as a bloc. But that often seemed futile given the regional groups diverse membership  from authoritarian Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, which are closely geopolitically aligned with Beijing, to liberal democracies like the Philippines, which is Washingtons oldest treaty ally in Asia and recently allowed an expansion of American military presence in the country, to Chinas outrage.

The rest  Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam  have heavy economic and security engagements with the U.S. and China.

ASEAN wants to remain open, to cooperate with anyone, said Indonesian President Joko Widodo, this years ASEAN chair. We also dont want ASEAN to be anyones proxy.

Bedrock principles of non-interference in each others domestic affairs and deciding by consensus have held the unwieldy club of tyrants, monarchs and democracies together for decades. But that approach has also constrained it from rapidly dealing with crises that spill beyond borders.

Those principles were being tested after Myanmars army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and plunged the country into deadly chaos. Its become one of ASEANs gravest crises since its establishment.

Myanmar military airstrikes in April killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule, according to witnesses.

Lina Alexandra of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta said ASEANs inability to persuasively and rapidly address a potential political conflagration like the Myanmar crisis should prompt it to take a second look at its founding principles.

ASEAN can no longer hide under the principles of non-interference and consensus, she told the AP. All of that can work in a non-urgent situation that does not require speed and immediate decision-making to control a crisis.

Over the weekend, around the time Widodo was frantically calling for an end to such violence, a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire by unidentified men armed with pistols in Myanmars eastern Shan state. A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged, but no one in the convoy was injured, state-run television MRTV reported.

Indonesia had arranged for the delivery of the aid after a long-delayed assessment but it was very unfortunate that in the middle of the trip there was a shootout, Widodo said.

This will not dampen the level of ASEAN and Indonesia to call again to stop violence, Widodo told reporters Monday, renewing his call for dialogue among contending parties in Myanmar. This condition will not make anyone win.

More than 3,450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military forcibly took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to the repression by the military government.

As ASEANs current leader, Indonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military and took a non-megaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and an immediate halt to the violence, which are part of a five-point peace plan Southeast Asian leaders forged with Myanmars top general in 2021, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

Under international pressure to do more to address the violence, ASEAN leaders stopped inviting Myanmars top general to their summits, instead allowing only non-political representatives. Myanmars military-led rulers have protested the move as a violation of the blocs non-interference policy.

To put it mildly, the organization is now facing nothing short of an existential crisis, said Richard Heydarian, a lecturer on international affairs at the state-run University of the Philippines.

Even regional diplomats who were involved in ASEAN work before have either been guardedly optimistic of the bloc or harshly critical of it. When asked by The Associated Press to give one word that best describes the blocs current status, a Southeast Asian diplomat replied, Beleaguered. Another said, Opprobium.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of clearance to comment publicly on the issue.

In a post-summit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders, they plan to renew a call for self-restraint in the disputed South China Sea, where China has set off alarms from time to time due to its increasingly assertive actions to fortify its expansive claims.

Concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region, said a draft of the communique, which was obtained by the AP, without naming China. JIM GOMEZ & EDNA TARIGAN, LABUAN BAJO, MDT/AP
Photo: The Canadian Press

Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, in a first response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes that have killed 19 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as the Tel Aviv area, on the Mediterranean Sea, 80 kilometres away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover during one attack.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinian residents.

As air raid sirens continued to wail, Israeli media said at least 100 rockets had been fired. Israeli rescuers said two people were hurt running for shelter, and local officials said an empty home in the southern town of Sderot was struck.

Throughout the day, Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least three Palestinians.

Tuesday's strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.

The Israeli military said its attacks were focused on Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

The army said one airstrike targeted militants traveling to a rocket launcher site in southern Gaza Strip.

Medics said the strike killed one man and seriously wounded another. Later Wednesday, another airstrike killed a Palestinian in northern Gaza and two Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the targets were militants.

It also remained unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late Tuesday were militants or civilians. Israel has claimed the men were preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.

The Israeli military had instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools were still closed for a second day as a precaution against rocket attacks.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and confine the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Danny Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war.

Hamas has expressed solidarity with its smaller counterpart in Gaza, and the two groups often coordinate with one another.

If the violence continues, the risk of a full-blown war could increase. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic group, which opposes Israels existence, took control of Gaza in 2007.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll on Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible, saying they operate in heavily populated residential areas and use residents as human shields.

Meanwhile, Israel police said they would allow the annual flag-waving march marking Jerusalem Day to take place along its traditional route through a main Palestinian thoroughfare in the Old City on Thursday next week. The decision could raise the risk of further violence.

Thousands of Israeli nationalists take part each year, with some chanting racist slogans, as they walk across the Old City to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Jewish Quarter. Last year's march was marked by violence, and in 2021, the march helped trigger a rocket attack on Jerusalem and 11-day war with Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain men as Ahmed Assaf, 19, and Rani Qatanat, 24. The Islamic Jihad militant group later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. The northern West Bank city of Jenin and its environs have been the frequent target of such raids as it has emerged as a hub of Palestinian militant activity.

Israel says the raids in the West Bank are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank. east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state.
China announced the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat yesterday in retaliation for Ottawa ordering a Chinese consular official to leave the country over alleged threats he made against a Canadian lawmaker and his family.

The Foreign Ministry said China was deploying a reciprocal countermeasure to Canadas unscrupulous move, which it said it firmly opposes.

It said Jennnifer Lynn Lalonde, the top Canadian diplomat in the business hub of Shanghai, has been asked to leave by May 13 and that China reserves the right to take further actions in response.

The Canadian Embassy in Beijing had no immediate comment on the expulsion order.

Canada earlier yesterday said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government is expelling a Chinese diplomat whom Canadas spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate an opposition lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong.

A senior Canadian government official said Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei has five days to leave the country. It wasnt immediately clear if Zhao was still in Canada.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement that Canada declared Zhao persona non grata and that Canada would not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs.

Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home, she said.

Canadas spy service indicated that in 2021, opposition Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and his Hong Kong relatives were targeted after Chong criticized Beijings human rights record. Canadas spy agency has not released details publicly.

Chong has been critical of Beijings treatment of members of the Turkic Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Chinas Xinjiang region, hundreds of thousands of whom have been detained in reeducation camps. China says attendance at what it calls vocational training centers is purely voluntary and aimed at eliminating tendencies toward Muslim extremism while teaching job skills.

Chong said Zhaos expulsion should have happened years ago.

In a statement posted on its website, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said Zhaos expulsion was based on rumors of the so-called China Interference hyped up by some politicians and media.

This has seriously violated international law, basic norms governing international relations and the related bilateral agreements, and sabotaged the China-Canada relations, the statement said. It added that all consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the Canadian side.

China never interferes in other countries internal affairs, it said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin doubled down on Chinas rejection of the accusations and threats to take further action against Canada.

China is unwavering in its determination to safeguard its own interests, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.

We urge the Canadian side to immediately stop unreasonable provocations. If Canada does not listen to the advice and acts recklessly, China will fight back resolutely and forcefully, and the Canadian side must bear all the consequences arising from this.

China in recent years has expelled members of the foreign media in retaliation for their reporting or limitations placed on members of the Communist Party-controlled Chinese state media posted in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Expulsions of diplomats are much more rare. In 2020, China ordered the closure of the U.S. Consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu in retaliation for Washington ordering the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, which it said was a center of state-sponsored commercial espionage. China denied the allegation.

The revelation about Chong is the latest in a string of foreign interference attempts allegedly made by the Chinese government in Canada in recent years, including efforts to meddle in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Trudeau has appointed former Governor General David Johnston to further study the issue, including whether a public inquiry is needed. MDT/AP
Chinas chief foreign intelligence agency has raided the offices of business consulting firm Capvision in Beijing and other Chinese cities as part of an ongoing crackdown on foreign businesses that provide sensitive economic data.

Foreign companies operating in China have come under increasing pressure, driven primarily by national security considerations, as Xi Jinpings government tightens control over business, clashing with efforts to lure back foreign investors after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.

Investigators simultaneously visited Capvision branches in Beijing, Shanghai, and the southeastern manufacturing hubs of Suzhou and Shenzhen, along with other locations the state media reports did not identify.

Officers from the Ministry of State Security, police and market regulatory bodies questioned staff, the reports said. There was no word on arrests or detentions, although the reports said investigations had been opened into the company and personnel involved in the case according to law.

No details were given about the specific legal issues at stake, and state media did not give the exact dates of the raids on Capvision, which is headquartered in New York and Shanghai.

Over recent years, in order to realize the strategy of containing and suppressing China, certain Western countries have become increasingly rampant in stealing intelligence and information pertaining to our countrys military industry, economy and finance, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday.

The report alleged domestic consulting companies were tools of stealing such secrets. Some domestic consulting companies have weak awareness of national security and seek to benefit financially by straddling the legal barriers, the CCTV report said.

Asked about the recent actions against Capvision and other companies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Chinas national security authorities and other competent departments have recently been carrying out open law enforcement on relevant enterprises in accordance with the law.

This is a normal law enforcement action in accordance with Chinese law, aiming to promote the regulated and sound development of the industry and safeguard national security and development interests, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing yesterday. The spokesperson gave no further details.

Capvision bills itself on its website as a leading global expert network platform that excels at identifying the right advisors for specific business insights. The company says it serves more than 2,000 clients through more than 600 researchers and 450,000 industry professionals.

China needs to be more transparent about law enforcement actions against companies such as Capvision that carry out the sort of due diligence that firms need to make investment decisions, said Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said in a press statement.

It would be helpful if the authorities would more clearly delineate the areas in which companies can or cannot conduct such due diligence, Zheng said. This would give foreign companies more confidence and enable them to comply with Chinese regulations.

Capvision has not commented on the raids, but on its WeChat social media channel posted a flyer Monday marking National Security Education Day, which fell on April 15.

As a leading Chinese industry specializing in providing information services, Capvision is resolutely committed to the outlook on national security and is leading the industry in its healthy and orderly development, the flyer said.

The company is just the latest to be investigated, apparently over its attempts to obtain information that would not be considered state secrets in other countries.

Last month, consulting firm Bain & Co. said police questioned staff in its Shanghai office. It gave no details of what they were seeking. Prior to that, the corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group said its Beijing office was raided by police who detained five employees. An employee of a Japanese drug maker has also been detained on spying charges, and the government announced a security review of memory chip maker Micron Inc.

Last week, U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns said American companies were deeply concerned about a recent expansion of Chinas anti-espionage law that could put them at legal risk simply for seeking standard information on Chinas economy and local businesses they might seek to partner with.

Burns said the mixed signals were prompting many to put major investments on hold until more clarity was available, although they were unlikely to pull out of the worlds second-largest economy, which, despite the vitality of the private sector, is still dominated by major state-run companies and financial institutions.

Still, some global companies are shifting investment plans to Southeast Asia, India and other economies where political risks are considered lower.

Whether politically motivated or not, the investigations come as Chinas relations with Washington, Europe and Tokyo are strained by disputes about human rights, Taiwan, security and technology.

Changes to the espionage law give authorities powers to gain access to electronic information. The law covers all documents, data, materials and items related to national security, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It remains unclear how national security is defined.

The crackdowns paint a jarring backdrop for official efforts to reverse a decline in foreign business interest in China. The ruling party wants foreign companies in electric cars and other fields to bring in technology and provide competition to force Chinese companies to improve. MDT/AP
The breathtaking development of artificial intelligence has dazzled users by composing music, creating images and writing essays, while also raising fears about its implications. Even European Union officials working on groundbreaking rules to govern the emerging technology were caught off guard by AIs rapid rise.

The 27-nation bloc proposed the Western worlds first AI rules two years ago, focusing on reining in risky but narrowly focused applications. General purpose AI systems like chatbots were barely mentioned. Lawmakers working on the AI Act considered whether to include them but werent sure how, or even if it was necessary.

Then ChatGPT kind of boom, exploded, said Dragos Tudorache, a Romanian member of the European Parliament co-leading the measure. If there was still some that doubted as to whether we need something at all, I think the doubt was quickly vanished.

The release of ChatGPT last year captured the worlds attention because of its ability to generate human-like responses based on what it has learned from scanning vast amounts of online materials. With concerns emerging, European lawmakers moved swiftly in recent weeks to add language on general AI systems as they put the finishing touches on the legislation.

The EUs AI Act could become the de facto global standard for artificial intelligence, with companies and organizations potentially deciding that the sheer size of the blocs single market would make it easier to comply than develop different products for different regions.

Europe is the first regional bloc to significantly attempt to regulate AI, which is a huge challenge considering the wide range of systems that the broad term AI can cover, said Sarah Chander, senior policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi.

Regulators are concerned about new ethical and societal risks posed by ChatGPT and other general purpose AI systems, which could transform daily life, from jobs and education to copyright and privacy.

The White House recently brought in the heads of tech companies working on AI including Microsoft, Google and ChatGPT creator OpenAI to discuss the risks, while the Federal Trade Commission has warned that it wouldnt hesitate to crack down.

China has issued draft regulations mandating security assessments for any products using generative AI systems like ChatGPT. Britains competition watchdog has opened a review of the AI market, while Italy briefly banned ChatGPT over a privacy breach.

The EUs sweeping regulations  covering any provider of AI services or products  are expected to be approved by a European Parliament committee Thursday, then head into negotiations between the 27 member countries, Parliament and the EUs executive Commission.

European rules influencing the rest of the world  the so-called Brussels effect  previously played out after the EU tightened data privacy and mandated common phone-charging cables, though such efforts have been criticized for stifling innovation.

Attitudes could be different this time. Tech leaders including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have called for a six-month pause to consider the risks.

Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist known as the Godfather of AI, and fellow AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio voiced their concerns last week about unchecked AI development.

Tudorache said such warnings show the EUs move to start drawing up AI rules in 2021 was the right call.

Google, which responded to ChatGPT with its own Bard chatbot and is rolling out AI tools, declined to comment. The company has told the EU that AI is too important not to regulate.

Microsoft, a backer of OpenAI, did not respond to a request for comment. It has welcomed the EU effort as an important step toward making trustworthy AI the norm in Europe and around the world.

Mira Murati, chief technology officer at OpenAI, said in an interview last month that she believed governments should be involved in regulating AI technology.

But asked if some of OpenAIs tools should be classified as posing a higher risk, in the context of proposed European rules, she said its very nuanced.

It kind of depends where you apply the technology, she said, citing as an example a very high-risk medical use case or legal use case versus an accounting or advertising application.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans stops in Brussels and other European cities this month in a world tour to talk about the technology with users and developers.

Recently added provisions to the EUs AI Act would require 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, also known as large language models, are a subcategory of general purpose AI that includes systems like ChatGPT. Their algorithms are trained on vast pools of online information, like blog posts, digital books, scientific articles and pop songs.

You have to make a significant effort to document the copyrighted material that you use in the training of the algorithm, paving the way for artists, writers and other content creators to seek redress, Tudorache said.

Officials drawing up AI regulations have to balance risks that the technology poses with the transformative benefits that it promises.

Big tech companies developing AI systems and European national ministries looking to deploy them are seeking to limit the reach of regulators, while civil society groups are pushing for more accountability, said EDRis Chander.

We want more information as to how these systems are developed  the levels of environmental and economic resources put into them  but also how and where these systems are used so we can effectively challenge them, she said.

Under the EUs risk-based approach, AI uses that threaten peoples safety or rights face strict controls.

Remote facial recognition is expected to be banned. So are government social scoring systems that judge people based on their behavior. KELVIN CHAN, LONDON, MDT/AP
Goods from Macau that will be transported to Hengqin will be tax exempt this year, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong announced yesterday at the Hengqin 2023 Global Investment Promotion Conference

Lei, who is also the executive committee director of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone, said that the zone will operate as an autonomous customs zone before the end of the year.

The announcement was made at the event that gathered some 300 representatives  ranging from Consul Generals, business associations and major enterprises, aiming to encourage investors to invest in the zone.

Established a year ago, Lei said the zone has achieved remarkably good results, recalling that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the zone has reached RMB22.39 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 2.5%, while general fiscal revenue increased 2.2% to RMB20.03.

For the first quarter of this year, the zone has recorded a 3.8% increase in its GDP to RMB10.91 billion.

According to the official, Hengins progress in developing new industries such as traditional Chinese medicine, technology, finance and healthcare have helped boost Macaus economic diversification.

This is the zones first global promotion conference held at Hyatt Regency Hengqin, which also includes remarks of key enterprises in the cooperation zone.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Exhibition Hall of Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone was made, followed by a tour at the Zhuhai Hengqin Bringbuys Network Technology Co Ltd, a foreign-funded enterprise that was launched in Macau and grew in Hengqin. The delegates also toured the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park, where 230 enterprises have been registered, including 60 enterprises from Macau.

Lynzy Valles, Hengqin
The National Security Law Amendment Bill, if passed, will authorize the government to manage national security topics in a number of sectors.

These sectors include education, association, publication, audio and visual broadcast, including over the internet.

To carry out these management functions, the government must abide by relevant specialist laws applicable to each field, such as the Publication Law.

The First Standing Committee of the parliament yesterday signed its lists of opinion to signal the conclusion of its discussions on the National Security Law Amendment Bill.

Committee president Ella Lei met with the press after yesterdays meeting.

When questioned about the aforementioned proposal, Lei disclosed that the committee did not express any concerns with the proposed provision, although she admitted that the committee had explored this proposal.

The committee has asked if and how the laws relating to the management functions would be amended to coordinate with the future National Security Law, she noted. She added that these specialist laws will be auxiliary to the future National Security Law, hinting a higher status will be afforded to the latter.

Traditionally, codes of law are superior to local laws.

It was also recapped that the committee had conducted comparisons and contrasts between this Bill and national security laws in other places, such as the National Security Law in Hong Kong drawn up in Beijing and put into effect in Hong Kong.

On whether the government has explained why the aforementioned sectors were specifically identified in the proposal, Lei said that the committee had not raised any concerns.

Under this Bill, probation in imprisonment will not be allowed for those who commit deliberate acts in breach of national security or their preparation activities, while parole will be barred for repetitive violators.

Provisional bars from leaving Macau will also form a part of the preventive measures applied to those suspected of committing a national security breach. This is necessary, according to the government, to obstruct these suspects from further participating in national security violations.

Committee members were concerned with the scope of activities promoting national security, the balance between protecting residents rights and combating national security breaches, the areas of applications, as well as the role of the National Security Committee.

Standards for evaluating punishments as well as the differentiation between abetting and supporting sedition, among other topics, were also of concern to the committee.

Criminal procedures and preventive measures, with the latter being new to this law review, were also discussed. In contrast to the current law that was put into effect about a decade ago, this amendment has proposed greater use of new technologies, such as communication interception methods, to achieve the preventive and investigative purposes of the Bill.

Wiretapped data obtained for preventive purposes, according to the committee president, will not be allowed for judicial purposes.

The committee has fully agreed on the amendments future mission as the backbone legislation governing national security in Macau.

On the balance between residents rights and national security, the government told the committee that the amendment was drafted on the grounds of respecting both traditions and human rights.

Existing legislation on criminal procedures, provided their effectiveness can be confirmed, will be retained and used in prosecutions against national security breaches. The committee has also accepted this point.
The Philippine Consulate General is in touch with local police as authorities investigate the recent death of a Filipino national who tested positive for Influenza A and passed away after being injected with glutathione.

The 30-year-old foreign worker was pronounced dead on May 6, two days after undertaking the whitening injection performed by a fellow domestic worker from Indonesia. That same day, she was sent to the public hospital by ambulance due to a high fever and disorientation.

According to the Philippine Consulate, the offices national assistance section have already reached out to local police and was assured that the case is being investigated by the Judiciary Police.

The next of kin of the deceased has already reached out to our office, so appropriate government assistance will be rendered as required, Consul General Porfirio Mayo, Jr. told the Times.

If it happens that the deceased is an active Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) member, then of course, appropriate OWWA assistance will be given.

Under OWWAs assistance, her beneficiary is entitled to PHP100,000 (around MOP15,000) for death due to natural causes and PHP200,000 for accidental death.

A funeral grant of PHP20,000 will also be given.

However, according to Mayo, appropriate assistance will be provided to the nationals family once the investigation is closed and her remains are ready to be brought back home.

Currently, the police have not ruled out the possibility of pressing additional charges against the suspect, who practices medical procedures without a license, should the post-mortem analysis reveal a connection between the death and the injections.

The cause of death has not been confirmed. LV
A three-day in-depth investigation into a protest organizers accusations of being persecuted by law-enforcement authorities was closed yesterday, the Judiciary Police (PJ) told a press conference.

Last Friday, Wong Wai Man, head of a local construction bar-bender trade union, said that he had been followed and harassed by plainclothes police officers after his declaration of the May 1 protest.

The report on his comment prompted Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak to order an investigation be initiated.

The PJ disclosed yesterday that on May 6 it invited Wong Wai Man to assist in the investigations. Wong met with the police for four hours that afternoon.

He was asked to show inspectors the WeChat messages that he claimed to have received from the Public Security Police Force (PSP). He only showed some to the authorities. The PJ said that due to data privacy considerations, the police could not force Wong to disclose all the messages.

Wong said last Friday that the PSP had attempted to persuade him to drop the protest over WeChat messages. The PSP was claimed to have cited the risk of the protest being hijacked by adjacent causes and the need to preserve societal harmony as reasons behind their persuasion efforts.

According to the PJ, during the meeting, Wong admitted to withdrawing the protest declaration on the grounds of protecting the interests of society as a whole and not wanting the topic of the protest to be highjacked.

The police also disclosed that after meeting with Wong, they also retrieved surveillance camera footage near the locations where Wong claimed to be followed. The police also reviewed the PSP logs as part of the investigation.

As a result of these investigations, the PJ found that Wongs allegations were groundless and unfounded. The police also described the first news report as not true.

Wong also said last Friday that he was once forced to drive over the legal speed limit to escape another car, which he believed to be following him. He also said his association headquarters were investigated without cause as the association was reported to have links with illegal gambling and the Falun Gong.

The PJ referred to PSP records to attempt to prove that traffic violation charges pressed against Wong were legitimate. According to the PJ, from 2018 to 2022, Wong has been found guilty of five traffic violations and 111 instances of parking illegally.

From Jan. 1 to yesterday, Wong was fined 15 times for illegal parking and once for speeding. During the period of those 15 fines, 124 other vehicles were also fined. As such, the PJ believed that there was no preferential law-enforcement.

As for his association headquarters, the PJ said, from 2018 to April 2023, at least five complaints of illegal gambling had been received by the PSP. However, Wong told the police that the four mahjong tables were set up to allow association members to conduct games for leisure.

The PSP yesterday issued a statement, saying that Wongs accusations were completely inconsistent with the facts as well as seriously violating the reputation of the police. The PSP strongly condemns the act and will follow up the possible offences related to the incident, and consider whether the relevant persons should be held criminally responsible.
An investigation has commenced into an alleged case of a teacher raping his student, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced.

Information about the case was first revealed by a social media group. The social media post was allegedly written by a student studying at a girls school in the Northern district.

It was said that the student was raped several months ago by a teacher. The student requested that her parents call the police but her parents did not believe her.

The student then contacted other teachers and the principal but was told to keep the incident under wraps and to resolve it with money. The student further said that she experienced recurring flashbacks from the incident, causing insomnia.

In response to media inquiries, the police said that it had not received any reports of similar cases, but noted it had opened an investigation. The police have issued a suggestion that the alleged victim contact the police immediately.

The police also took the opportunity to remind the public to seek help from police and trusted individuals around them should they experience violence or be subject to any other criminal act.

Apart from the police, a girls school in the Northern district  Our Lady of Fatima Girls School  issued a notice to parents of its students, underlining its close monitoring of the incident.

It stated that as of yesterday, its principal, teachers and counsellors had not received reports about similar incidents to the one in the social media post, revealing that it had already discussed the incident with competent government entities.

The school said it would protect the reputation of both its students and teachers. AL
The first British minister visiting Hong Kong in five years said his country will not duck its historic responsibilities to people living in its former colony while engaging with China in areas they share common interests.

The remarks by Dominic Johnson, minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade, were published in an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post yesterday. He wrote that the U.K. will be clear about its right to act when China breaks its international commitments or abuses human rights.

Johnsons trip this week came after relations between Hong Kong and Britain became increasingly tense following the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law, which the U.K. earlier called a clear breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. The declaration included a promise to retain Hong Kongs rights and freedoms for 50 years after it was returned to Chinas rule in 1997.

Following the introduction of the sweeping security law in 2020, 105,200 residents have started new lives in Britain via a special visa that allows them to live and work in the U.K. and apply for British citizenship after six years, according to U.K. official data.

Johnson said his trip included meetings with the citys leading investors and government officials to foster investment ties between both sides. He tweeted on Monday that he met with CK Hutchison chairman Victor Li, the elder son of tycoon Li Ka-shing, to discuss their investment plans in Britain.

In another tweet, he said he also talked to Christopher Hui, Hong Kongs secretary for financial services and the Treasury, on their works to remove market barriers and increase trade between both sides.

Im in Hong Kong as part of my mission to promote the UK as a leading destination for investment and trade, he wrote on Twitter.

The British consulate in Hong Kong said the visit would allow Johnson to reengage on dialogue including trade and investment, clean growth and future bilateral visits, in addition to promoting collaboration between Hong Kong and the U.K. after the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of the security law.

His visit also includes a meeting with Hong Kong Commerce Minister Algernon Yau, a lunch with some members of the British Chamber of Commerce and a visit to local tech hub Cyberport, it added. Johnson is slated to conclude his trip on Tuesday evening.

When asked about Johnsons visit, Hong Kong leader John Lee said he welcomed any foreign officials to visit Hong Kong and encourage the promotion of economic development, commercial exchanges and people-to-people relationship. Lee said the citys success is built on regional and international cooperation.

Its just some countries make some moves to meet their political interest, perhaps due to political reasons, he said, without identifying any countries.

He added he hoped all will act pragmatically in their cooperation and policies for development and the benefits of their people. MDT/AP
* Tax free Zone

 Goods from Macau to Hengqin to be tax-free this year, Secretary Lei said

* Crime | PJ concludes three-day in-depth investigation on stalker allegations

* National Security Law | Media and Internet among key sectors

* A survey by MUST found that employees in Macau are increasingly confident in the job market, less satisfied with their current roles

* PH Consulate awaits autopsy of womans death, ready to assist

* China raids offices of business consultancy Capvision

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Wednesday, May 10, 2023  edition no. 4242
Photo: The Canadian Press Whitney Mitchell receives a hug from a friend as she attends sentencing hearing for U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry.

A U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, even after the state's Republican governor said he wanted to pardon the man.

Daniel Perry, 36, was convicted of murder in April for killing 28-year-old Garrett Foster during the downtown Austin protest in July 2020.

After three long years were finally getting justice for Garrett, his mother, Sheila Foster, told the court.

Mr. Perry, I pray to God that one day, he will get rid of all this hate that is in your heart, she said.

Perry attorney Clinton Broden said in a statement after sentencing that his client would appeal. He called Perry's conviction the product of political prosecution, and said the defense team would fully cooperate in the pardon process.

Perrys conviction prompted outrage from prominent conservatives, and Gov. Greg Abbott has said he would sign a pardon once a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles  stacked with Abbott appointees  hits his desk

The board is reviewing Perrys case on the governors orders, but it is unclear when it will reach a decision.

District Judge Clifford Brown delivered a statement during sentencing that didnt address the potential pardon directly. But he insisted that Perry had a fair and impartial trial and that the jurys decision deserves our honor and it deserves to be respected.

The pardon process is a valuable check on the court system, Broden said Wednesday. Those who claim that Governor Abbotts expressed intent is based on politics simply choose to ignore the fact that it was only the political machinations of a rogue district attorney which led to Sgt. Perrys prosecution in the first instance.

Perry was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protesters.

Perry said he was trying to get past the crowd and fired his pistol when Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.

Perry said he acted in self-defense. His lawyers asked the judge to consider his more than a decadelong military career and hand down a sentence of no more than 10 years. He has been classified as in civilian confinement and is pending separation from the military, Army spokesman Bryce Dubee said.

Prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez had urged Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years. The sentencing range for the murder conviction is five years to life in prison.

This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat, Gonzalez said. Hes going to do it again.

On Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some shockingly racist images. They had been excluded from Perry's trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by Brown.

Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed Foster, an Air Force veteran. Foster, who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle as he participated in the demonstration against police killings and racial injustice, following the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Among Perry's statements introduced Tuesday, he wrote on Facebook a month before the shooting: It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. A few days later as protests erupted, Perry sent a text message to an acquaintance: I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.

Perry attorney Douglas O'Connell argued that the texts and posts were presented by prosecutors out of context, and that Perry has a right to free speech.

Some of those social media posts are frankly repugnant, O'Connell said, while classifying others as dark humor."

Foster was with his girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, who is Black and uses a wheelchair, when Perry gunned him down.

Black lives mattered to Garrett, his mother told the courtroom Wednesday. "The love of his life was a Black woman.
A 126-year-old lumber company in Sun Prairie has been sold but will keep its name.

Chase Lumber, which also has locations in DeForest and McFarland, has been purchased by Bliffert Lumber & Hardware, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek.

Chase, which since 1897 has specialized in lumber and over the years added millwork, windows, cabinets, decking, kitchens and baths, will keep its name. Bliffert has seven locations in southeastern Wisconsin that include lumberyards, design centers and stores that sell paint, hardware, and windows and doors.

Joining forces with Bliffert and combining nearly 2 centuries of serving the building industry in Wisconsin is a giant step forward for Chase Lumbers customers and employees, said Valerie Stiener, Chase Lumbers president. We know that Bliffert is a company that shares our values, especially concerning employees, customers and community.

Just before the turn of the 20th century, Moses Chase and his son, James W. Chase, expanded their agricultural holdings by buying an interest in a lumberyard on South Bristol Street in Sun Prairie and opening the doors as Chase, Mann and Gross.

Fuel sales were added in 1923, and in 1939 the Chase family expanded the business by buying a lumberyard in DeForest and 42 years later, in 1981, opening a lumberyard in McFarland.

What would become Bliffert Lumber & Hardware was established in the 1880s on Milwaukees north side and incorporated in 1904. Now in its fifth generation, the company also owns Oostburg Lumber & Design in Ozaukee County; and Milwaukee Cabinetry and Fillinger Millwork, both in Milwaukee.

The addition of Chase further expands Blifferts reach.

Adding these locations will provide our Madison-area customers with an improved range of services, products and support, said Eli Bliffert, the companys vice president. Being able to combine two fifth-generation family-owned lumber companies is not something you get to do every day, if ever. It is the coolest thing since cold beer. We are absolutely stronger together.
Two men who were the alleged accomplices of a man who was shot to death during what police have said was a burglary at a North Side apartment last year have been charged with felony murder.

One of the men, Jerome A. Wheeler, 47, of Madison, appeared in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, which was delayed to allow the state Public Defenders Office to appoint an attorney for him.

The other man, Tony L. Prince, 43, of Madison, is being sought on a warrant.

Each is charged with felony murder and burglary, both as a party to a crime, for an Aug. 26 incident in the 1700 block of Packers Avenue in which a third man, James M. Turner, 35, of Madison, was shot to death by the occupant of an apartment who told police he was awakened by the sound of someone breaking in.

The man who police said shot Turner, Jose M. Gomez, 27, was subsequently charged with maintaining a drug house, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a felon and misdemeanor bail jumping. His wife was also charged with maintaining a drug house but the charge against her was dropped on May 1 because according to prosecutors, the evidence shows her co-defendant primarily created the problem that led to police involvement.

No charges for the shooting itself were referred to prosecutors by Madison police.

Felony murder is charged when another person dies during the commission of certain crimes, including burglary. The maximum penalty for felony murder is the maximum penalty for the underlying crime, plus 15 years. In this case, the maximum would be 15 years of combined prison and extended supervision for burglary plus another 15 years.

According to the complaint, filed on April 28:

After police were called to the apartment around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 26 they found a man later identified as Turner dead in an upstairs hallway just outside the main bedroom. He was wearing gloves, a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and a balaclava mask. A loaded .45 caliber handgun was next to him.

An autopsy found he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police found multiple bullet holes in the hallway. A single 9mm casing was found in the hallway, but no spent .45 caliber shell casings were found there. Five other spent 9mm shell casings were found in the bedroom where Gomez told police he was during the shooting.

The front door of the apartment had been damaged, appearing as though someone had forced it open. In the apartment, police found a large quantity of drugs along with packaging equipment.

Gomez said he was awakened by the front door crashing in and footsteps in the house. He said he was shot at and fired back. He believed he was being robbed of drugs and money.

Near the scene, police found a GMC Yukon SUV, registered to Turner, parked in the street. Inside it, police found a 9mm handgun, tools, multiple balaclava masks, gloves, handcuffs, nine cellphones and other items.

Edible marijuana items like some that were being made at the apartment were also found in the truck.

A search of Turners cellphone showed he was in contact with two people  Prince and Wheeler  within the hours leading to the shooting. According to cell tower records, there are calls and text messages between all three in the hours before, some of them made near the Packers Avenue home.

A search of Gomezs phone showed he had sold marijuana to Prince numerous times in the weeks before the incident. Prince, Gomez told police, was his brothers girlfriends stepfather.

Wheeler was arrested on Oct. 19 for a suspected probation violation. He denied any involvement in the burglary. Prince was contacted by police the next day and admitted knowing Turner and Wheeler but claimed his phone had been stolen months earlier. But police found Prince had made a disconnected call to 911 from that phone while at a Kwik Trip store on Sept. 22 and video from the store apparently showed him on the phone at the time of the call.

Police later learned of a ballistic match between the gun found in Turners SUV and a spent 9mm casing found in the Packers Avenue apartment, and that there was a strong indication of a match between Wheelers DNA and DNA from the interior of a pair of gloves and the mouth area of a ski mask also found in the SUV.

Safest cities in America 2023: Violent crime rate increases drive per capita cost of crime Safest cities in America 2023: Violent crime rate increases drive per capita cost of crime The 15 Safest Cities in America The 15 Most Dangerous Cities Methodology
A failed valve has been fixed and chlorine levels in water are back to normal for residents in the village of Oregon's northeast area, authorities reported Wednesday afternoon.

Those residents on Wednesday morning had been urged to flush the water lines in their homes due to high chlorine levels after a water operator with the Oregon Water Utility noticed the water supply's residual chlorine level was higher than normal at one of the village's wells, the village said in a statement.
CHESTERTON  Police say it appears a Chesterton Middle School student sitting on his bicycle on downtown railroad tracks Tuesday evening waiting for one train to pass did not hear or see a second train approaching from the opposite direction and was killed in what is being called a "tragic accident."

The boy, who has yet to be identified by officials, had gone around the crossing arm at 15th Street heading north near the town complex shortly after 7 p.m. and was sitting on his bicycle on the south track waiting for a westbound train to pass on the north track.

"At the same time an eastbound train was approaching the boy's position on the south track," Chesterton police reported. "On seeing the boy, the eastbound train's engineer sounded the horn several times, but according to the engineer the boy never looked to the west in the direction of the oncoming train."

"It is unclear if he was wearing headphones or if he believed the horn was coming from the train traveling westbound," police said.

Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson said, "Our heart goes out to the boy's family, his friends, and his classmates and teachers."

"This is a grievous blow to this young man's loved ones and to his community, and this department's officers wish them peace and healing," he said.

The Porter County coroner's office said the incident remains under investigation.

"An autopsy and toxicology are pending," the office said.

Train traffic had resumed on the busy tracks through the center of town by 9:23 p.m. Tuesday, the town reported.

Police say are working with school officials.

"Counselors are on hand and available at the middle school," Richardson said. "Our entire team of school resource officers has been briefed and will also be available."
ASYLUM SEEKERS

A decade ago, it was a safe bet that anyone stopped by U.S. authorities at the southern border was probably Mexican. That's no longer the case, complicating Biden administration efforts to prevent a swell of migration when it lifts pandemic-related asylum limits next week.

Now, people come from dozens of countries, with large showings from Peru, Venezuela, Haiti, India, Russia and elsewhere. Only about a third are from Mexico  down from 85% in 2011.

With the expiration on May 11 of Title 42  which suspended migrants' rights to asylum to prevent the spread of COVID-19  more people are expected to arrive.

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 they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

The administration plans to rapidly screen migrants and quickly send home those who don't qualify. But people will be treated differently depending on their nationality.

A look at how the plans vary depending on where the migrants are from:

CHNV

Not a catchy acronym, it stands for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. In December, these four nationalities accounted for 40% of all people stopped at the border. By March, they made up only 3%.

Biden announced Jan. 5 that up to 30,000 people from the four countries could enter on parole every month if they applied online and had a financial backer. Mexico agreed to take back the same number from those countries who entered the U.S. illegally. Texas and other Republican-led states have challenged such broad use of parole authority; a trial is scheduled June 15 in Victoria, Texas.

Mexico said it would continue taking back people from the four countries who were expelled from the United States. Combined with parole for those who apply outside the United States, it is a carrot-and-stick approach that was first applied to Ukrainians after Russia's invasion.

Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans have benefited from their governments' refusal to accept deportation flights, though Cuba recently accepted its first since December 2020 and has pledged to accept more. Haiti is wracked by gang-fueled violence, making flights there a major challenge.

Families and unaccompanied children from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador largely drove migration to the U.S. border throughout the last decade. Then came Title 42.

Mexico agreed to take back people from what are known as Northern Triangle countries from the start of Title 42 in March 2020. Many have been waiting months, or years, for it to end.

The U.S. has long, deep relationships with governments in the region, which, while expensive and time-consuming, makes it relatively easy to fly people home. Guatemala and Honduras accepted half of all U.S. removal flights last year  727 combined  according to Witness at the Border, a group that tracks flights.

The U.S. said it would admit 100,000 people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who are coming for family reunification.

Mexico

In some ways, a shared land border that stretches from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, makes Mexicans the easiest to remove because it is only a short drive to the nearest official border crossing.

Also, unaccompanied children from Mexico and Canada are not covered by a 2008 anti-trafficking law that grants special legal protection to children traveling alone from other countries. They are quickly sent home.

But Mexicans also have been protected from some of the most restrictive policies. A virtual asylum ban on those who travel through another country to the U.S. border wouldn't apply to Mexicans.

Everywhere else

Mexicans and people from Central America's Northern Triangle countries accounted for barely half of all people stopped for crossing the Mexican border illegally in March, representing a major change in just the past few years.

Explanations for the others who make up the other half vary by nationality. Russians, for reasons that are unclear, have been among the top winners of 740 slots made available at U.S. border crossings with Mexico under CBP One, a mobile app that was introduced for asylum-seekers in January. U.S. officials say they are the top nationality on the app, along with Haitians and Venezuelans.

Migrants from Venezuela, Haiti and elsewhere go through the dangerous Darien Gap connecting Colombia and Panama.

Last year, 250,000 made the inhospitable jungle crossing, according to the Panamanian government, many of them children.

The U.S., Colombia and Panama announced a joint effort to stem migration through the Darien Gap, but details are unclear.
HEYBURN  There are still splotches of poop on the concrete floor. But the pigeons who made the mess  likely countless dozens of them over the years  have been evicted from 1000 J St.

Advanced Biofuels of Idaho has moved in. No pets allowed.

More than 15 years after Gary Jones Construction of Burley stood up the building as part of a multi-million ethanol plant project abandoned by Renova Energy when the company plunged into bankruptcy, ABI held a ceremonial groundbreaking and open house on Tuesday to detail its plans for Heyburns first renewable energy source.

ABI, which plans to begin operations in early 2025, will process organic waste from local food and beverage processors, waste transportation companies and agricultural businesses through the sites existing 12.4-million-gallon anaerobic digester to produce a biogas that will be cleaned, conditioned and injected as pipeline-quality renewable natural gas into the Intermountain Gas system for use in the Magic Valley.

This was the most expensive pigeon coop in the valley, Scott Mears, ABIs president and CEO, told the Times-News as he walked through the building, pointing to stains on the floor left by droppings and noting that the facility had been pressure-cleaned up to 14 feet to remove years of neglect.

The future? It couldnt be cleaner.

Well make the gas, clean the gas, inject it and youll cook on it for dinner that night, Mears said.

Anaerobic digestion is a four-stage biological process that can take up to 40 days in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen, according to the American Biogas Council. The resulting product, in the case of ABI, a biogas, can be captured to produce energy.

At full capacity ABI expects to produce more than 2,000 MMBtus per day, according to its website.

Additionally, ABI will create employment opportunities and the potential for local manufacturers to turn waste into something positive, said Penne Main, president and CEO of the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce.

Its huge, Main told the Times-News. This isnt short-term, either. This is long-term.

The creation of jobs isnt the only win for Heyburn. ABI will also generate a tax base boost that we need and clean up an eyesore right in the middle of Heyburn, City Administrator Tony Morley told the Times-News.

They call it the concrete graveyard  and you can see why, Morley said, glancing across the site near the Riverside Cemetery. Its even next to a graveyard.

After Renova spent $58 million to build the plant before suspending construction in 2008 and later filing for bankruptcy, Natural Chem Holdings paid $2.4 million at auction for the site and announced plans to employ up to 65 people at a diversified operation that would include three separate businesses, The Associated Press reported in 2011.

That didnt happen, Mears said, leading to what he described as bad mojo at the site. The concrete graveyard across the street from the building and digester was stripped for millions in scrap steel, he said, and was left as a scar.

Everybody lost their jobs, Mears said. Everybody got hurt.

There were few hurt worse than Gary Jones Construction, which got left on the line for quite a bit when Renova walked away in 2008 without paying its bill, said Jared Jones, the companys vice president of operations.

Jones was in college back then and remembered hearing about the failing project from his dad and brother.

I kept getting phone calls about how poorly the project was being done, he recalled to the Times-News.

He added, It was a class act when Scott pulled into town and sought us out.

Said Morley, the city administrator, What a way for karma to come back around.

As part of ABIs commitment to the community, Mears said the company has mandated that every effort be made to spend project dollars in the Magic Valley. Heglar Creek Electric of Heyburn and Civil Science of Twin Falls have also been tabbed as trade contractors.

There is no going back, Mears told the assembled crowd before a ceremonial turning of dirt.

Standing between the building his company constructed that was once a pigeon graveyard and the stripped-down slab of concrete across the street, Jones looked forward to brighter days.

This whole area has just sat here as an eyesore in the community, he said. Its about time it does something for somebody.
Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls District staff, the Southern Idaho Off-Road Association, Magic Valley ATV riders and Jerome County will host a cleanup day May 13 on the north rim of the Snake River Canyon.

The annual cleanup has taken place for the past 24 years and BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner David Freiberg noted the annual cleanup effort has positively changed the appearance of the north rim over the years.

Over the past few years, we have seen an incredible increase of recreation on the public lands that we manage, Freiberg said in a press release.

Unfortunately, several areas within the Snake River Canyons Park continue to be littered with illegally dumped trash. These specific areas will be the focus of the event.

This is an important area to the Magic Valley as it is a convenient location for all of us who like to recreate out here, Bill Maikranz of the Southern Idaho Off-Road Association said in a press release.

Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to join the cleanup effort, which will begin at 8 a.m. and wrap up around 2 p.m.

Volunteers should plan to meet at the Snake River Canyons Park kiosk area along Shoshone Falls Road, east of U.S. Highway 93.

Participants should bring rakes and square end shovels to help with the cleanup. Interested participants should plan to dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes and bring gloves.

More information is available by contacting David Freiberg, Shoshone Field Office outdoor recreation planner at 208-732-7271.
The demolition of a 100-year-old downtown building isnt a thing to celebrate, its owner says.

Its a moment of sadness, of course, said Jim Moore, who owned the structure at 221 Main Ave. W., southeast of where the Radio Rondevoo once stood.

But he hopes to rebuild the structure into something that will give new life to downtown.

He announced in March that the building, constructed in 1912, would be demolished after it was found that structural problems would be too costly to repair.

On Saturday, crews began demolishing the building and, on Monday, bricks were being hauled away.

The vacant building, which had been boarded up for years, was once a cigar shop. Moore found receipts for that establishment in the basement and has heard it also had a deli and sold groceries.

The building also reportedly had found use as a flower store and used furniture store.

Moores wife is originally from Twin Falls, and the two had hoped to renovate the building, making a home on the second story while renting the first floor to a retail establishment.

Moore, who lives in California, said he plans to rebuild, and will consult with downtown business owners on what makes sense for the location.

Ill spend some time engaging the downtown community, he said.
TWIN FALLS  A Twin Falls man was arrested Monday afternoon after a high-speed pursuit that ended at a motel on Kimberly Road.

Zachary J. Cole, 28, is being held on charges of eluding law enforcement officers and possession of methamphetamine after the incident that got its start when an Elko County deputy notified the Twin Falls Sheriffs Office that Cole, who had outstanding warrants, was headed toward Twin Falls.

Twin Falls County Sheriffs deputies located Coles van at 3400 N. 3200 E. and began following it, and a high-speed pursuit, that at times reached 100 mph, began at about 1:30 p.m. Coles ran a stop sign at 3300 E. 3700 N., drove in the wrong lane of travel, ran a red light at Hankins Road, drove aggressively and almost crashed, police say.

Coles then pulled into the Twin Falls Motel at 2152 Kimberly Road and fled on foot, but deputies apprehended him at 1:40 p.m., police say.

Coles had warrants out of Power and Jerome counties for failure to appear on drug-related charges and in Twin Falls County for probation violation, police say.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Two employees of a Calgary daycare have been charged with assault after parents found physical markings on their child and notified police.

Calgary police said Wednesday allegations of abuse were reported to them in December 2022.

They said the child attended Kidzee Early Learning and Childcare, a licensed childcare facility in the northern part of the city.

Police said their Child at Risk Response Team conducted numerous interviews and reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage before arresting the two employees on April 27.

A 29-year-old woman and a 31-year-old woman are charged with one count each of assault.

Both are scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Police say Kidzee Early Learning and Childcare is permanently closed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said that 95 Filipinos from war-torn Sudan arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday evening

So we recorded over 400 repatriated Filipinos, 379 plus the 95 Filipinos who arrived last night, so thats over 400 or almost 500 already, DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes said, at a media briefing.

According to Cortes, there are 864 registered Filipinos in Sudan. Another batch of Filipinos who evacuated from Sudan are still staying in Cairo, Egypt.

The DFA said some Filipinos are on their way to Port Sudan and will be transported to Jeddah by the Saudi Arabian government through a vessel. In Jeddah, these Filipinos will wait for flights to the Philippines.

The number of registered Filipinos in Sudan rose to 864 since armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out in the capital on April 15.

More Filipinos will return to the Philippines this Wednesday until Friday. Cortes said around 50 to 60 Pinoys are still staying in Khartoum, Sudan.

The other batches are still in Cairo while the others are on their way to the Port of Sudan where they will be boarding a ship provided by the government of Saudi Arabia, he said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Cortes said the DFA would facilitate their repatriation once the ship ferries them to Jeddah.

The DFA further said at least 730 Filipinos have fled the Sudanese capital as the ongoing conflict there entered its 25th day.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said 604 people had been killed and more than 5,000 injured since the violence erupted on April 15 between the two rival military factions.

More than 700,000 people have fled their homes in Sudan to escape from fighting between rival military factions, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Cortes said around 50 to 60 Filipinos remain in the North African state but some of them are already indicating intent to evacuate.

Yong iba kasi ay kasama yong asawa nila, yong iba naman ay kasama yoong employer nila (Some of them are with their spouses while the

others are with their employers), he said.

Ang gagawin natin ay kakausapin natin yong employer nila para pakawalan sila, siguro natatakot yong employer na kapag pinakawalan

ay baka kung anong mangyari sa kanila (What we will do is well talk to their employers to let them leave), he added.

The battle between the two warring Sudanese forces continues to rage on as talks on a humanitarian truce in Jeddah yield no major

progress.

Latest data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed that over 500 people were killed while

some 4,599 have been injured since the clashes started.

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Major Gen. Arturo Rojas on Wednesday assumed his new post as commandant of the elite Philippine Marine Corps.

Rojas was chief of the Special Operations Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) before taking over as PMC commandant.

He replaced Lt. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan who was named deputy chief of the AFP.

The turnover of command was held on May 8 at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

Rojas was also commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade in Tawi-Tawi and deputy chief of Western Mindanao Command, then later became the units acting commander.

In his acceptance speech, Rojas underscored the PMCs role in ensuring peace and security, adding that the Marines will always be ready to protect the nation without fear and without fail.

Rojas is a native of Koronadal City and a decorated member of the Philippine Military Academy BIGKIS LAHI Class of 1990. He also spent his early military career with MBLT-3, MBLT-9, and 61st Marine Force Reconnaissance Company, where he focused on special operations during his period while being deployed all over the country.

He spent three years with the Department of National Defense as a security officer.

Rojas also has degrees in Master of Science in Defense Analysis (Special Operation/Low-Intensity Conflict) from the U.S. Naval postgraduate school in Monterey, California, USA in 2004 and a Master in Public Management Major in Department and Security from the

Development Academy of the Philippines in 2011.

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will call a public hearing on all towns in Negros Oriental for consultations on the proposal of Senator Francis Tolentino to defer the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in the province due to violence.

In yesterdays hearing of the Senate Committee on public order and Dangerous Drugs, Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said they will commence the public hearing after the filing of the certificates of candidacy on August 28 for the BSKE.

Garcia said the Comelec will make a decision on the second or third week of September.

He said they will also consider the recommendations of the military and the police regarding the proposed postponement of the polls.

The poll body will also consider Tolentinos statement regarding the results of a survey in Region 7 or Negros Oriental that majority of the residents favor a deferment of the elections.

During the Senate hearings, residents testified on the spate of violence in Negros Oriental that preceded the assassination Gov. Roel Degamo and eight others last March 4.

Garcia explained that the law was clear that Comelec has the authority to postpone an election within 40 to 90 days, petition or no petition.

Any particular place can also be placed under Comelec control or under serious control, he added.

As this developed, Region 7 director police chief Gen. Anthony Aberin said they support the deferment of the BSKE in Negros Oriental.

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LABUAN BAJO, IndonesiaPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Southeast Asia will remain the epicenter of growth if it continues to empower its young people on whom the regions future depends.

It is clear again that the future of ASEAN lies in our ability to support the youth in attaining their full potential, Marcos said at an event at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. And this we must do by providing the skills and motivation to be ready for this future. Empowering the ASEAN youth [will ensure] that ASEAN will remain the epicentrum of growth and undoubtedly contribute to the realization of our shared vision of prosperity and peace for all.

At the same time, Mr. Marcos expressed his concerns over the aging population in the Southeast Asian region.

Trade chief Alfredo Pascual (left) and Speaker Martin Romualdez (right) listening intently to Mr. Marcos delivers his statement Wednesday morning during the opening session. AFP

Decades of sustained economic growth and prosperity have resulted in longer lifespans in ASEAN. According to the Asian Development Bank, one out of four people in the Asia Pacific will be over the age of 60 by the year 2050, Marcos said.

I think therefore it is time that ASEAN should start discussing the concerns of an aging population, consistent with the ASEAN tradition of valuing our elders, said.

Marcos said these issues must be viewed as an opportunity and as a challenge, especially in terms of adequate social benefits on the one hand and social empowerment on the other. ASEAN goals and work plans should ensure health for our elders, [and] a safe and dignified, and productive life.

The region also needs to be future-ready to make it competitive in the global arena, the President said, highlighting the exponential growth of the digital realm and the worlds increasing dependence on digital tools, along with the rising global demand for creative products and services.

Mr. Marcos also pointed out that ASEAN must take immediate action to prepare its youth to seize opportunities in the digital and creative economies.

At the same time, the youth can play a role in addressing other pressing challenges such as climate change, the environment and biodiversity, peace and security, education and traditional and social media, he said.

Mr. Marcos also highlighted the Filipino youths initiative on climate change and disaster resiliency.

At a talk during the ASEAN Leaders Interface with representatives of ASEAN youth, the President said Filipino youth are at the forefront of advocacies to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change in the Philippines.

He said one of the initiatives is leading the declaration of the annual ASEAN Youth in Climate Action and Disaster Resilience Day to promote awareness and provoke positive action among the youth to address climate change and galvanize disaster risk reduction efforts.

Since 2018, the Philippines, with the support of various partners and stakeholders, has ensured the conduct of annual celebrations and involvement of youth leaders from all ASEAN member states in the activities, Mr. Marcos said.

The President also brought up the need for ASEAN to transition to renewable and alternative energy technologies, noting that the Philippines is doing its part in that regard.

The President also called for unity among ASEAN members as he urged developed countries to fulfill their longstanding commitments to the Paris Agreement.

Although developing countries such as the Philippines only account for less than 1 percent of global emissions, our countries bear the brunt of the devastating impacts of climate change, Marcos said.

Developed countries have a moral obligation to support adaptation and mitigation efforts of the most vulnerable countries through technology transfer, capacity building, and climate financing, this to address loss and damage, and to achieve necessary breakthroughs for climate action at a global scale, he added.

At the same time, the President said the Philippines will take bold steps to transition to renewable and alternative energy technologies in a secure and sustainable manner.

The country is rich in critical metals like aluminum, nickel and chromite, which are energy efficient to produce.

Recognizing that a cleaner energy future is anchored on the supply of critical minerals, ASEAN should now start enhancing regional cooperation towards boosting the regions strategic industrial metals and minerals value chain, Marcos said.

Marcos said the Philippines recognizes biodiversity can complement ASEANs initiatives in climate change, contributing to efforts towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is an intergenerational responsibility that the Philippines is proud to support through the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, he said.

President Marcos also called on ASEAN to focus on upholding international law and the international rules-based system and committing to the principles of free trade and to the multilateral trading system.

Upholding international law and the rules-based system has underpinned the peace, security, stability, and prosperity of the region, Marcos said, as he welcomed Indonesias ASEAN chairmanship priority of strengthening regional cooperation to address cross-border crimes, particularly human trafficking.

In terms of trade and commerce, the President announced the Philippines has deposited its Instrument of Ratification for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

We are optimistic that RCEP will serve as an engine of growth that will help build more resilient supply chains and support the integration of our micro, medium, and small-scale establishments into the global economy, Marcos said.

ASEAN must strengthen cross-border connectivity and the interoperability of digital frameworks. We must forge a vibrant digital economy and ensure that our people are equipped with the digital skills of the future so that no one is left behind in the midst of our worlds digital transformation.

ASEAN members must ensure that food and energy systems are resilient in the face of the supply and price fluctuations triggered by geopolitical instability and conflict, pandemics, climate change, logistics chain disruptions, and fuel shortages.

The Philippines, Marcos said, aims to strengthen food security and production efficiency via the use of new agricultural technologies, upgrading technical and vocational education and training, and adopting climate- and disaster-resilient technologies.

Also on Wednesday, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said leaders of the ASEAN must join hands for enhanced trade and investment among member states to sustain the regions economic growth and create more jobs and business opportunities, as well as improved services, to uplift the lives of their citizens.

Romualdez headed the Philippine delegation of the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly (AIPA), during the regional lawmakers interface with ASEAN heads of state on the first day of the 42nd ASEAN Summit at the Meruorah Convention Center, in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

These actions will improve connectivity among our nations, facilitate the movement of goods, services, and people, and promote greater cooperation in areas such as science and technology, innovation, and human capital development. By doing so, we can enhance the competitiveness of our economies and position ourselves for sustained growth, Romualdez said. With Maricel V. Cruz

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Savannah James Holland of Axton has been crowned Miss Martinsville-Henry County and will compete in the Miss Virginia pageant the last week of June in Roanoke.

She was crowned April 28 at an event in Winchester. Since there was not a specific Miss Martinsville-Henry County pageant this year, she said, I claimed our county and city at the Winchester event.

Holland said she participated in the pageant in honor of her grandfather, the late James Major Holland, who died in January 2022.

He raised me, she said. He was the only man Ive ever known in my life. Theres nothing me and him didnt do together. I would go to work with him.

He ran Holland Hill Excavating and a strawberry farm in Axton.

She described him as calm, and he was very sweet. Hed readily do anything for anybody.

She is also the granddaughter of Carolyn Holland, daughter of Shelby Holland and sister of Shailey Holland. Her family are from Axton. She is a stylist at Uptown Bella Salon.

Her mother is her manager, and my support from Uptown Bellas Salon has been amazing, she said. Melissa Harp is the salons owner.

Howard Huff helped me get to where I am, she said. Ive competed in four pageants and won the last one. I really appreciate his help.

Her platform is Right Med, Right Bed, to take a stand against nursing home neglect. ... Many things are not reported  falls, patients not changed regularly; medications arent given all the time, she said.

Now she is in the whirlwind of preparations for the Miss Virginia pageant. That includes shopping  Theres like 23 outfits I have to get, she said. Im also taking sponsors. I know a few places around her that would like to sponsor me.

On the Miss Virginia website Huff is named as the executive director of Miss Martinsville-Henry County. Contact information is 2898 Virginia Ave., Collinsville; 276-618-3333; and missmartinsville@aol.com.

Im Savannah James and Im the new Martinsville and Henry County Miss, she told the audience after she was crowned.

Im just happy to be here. Im just now starting out in this and I never thought that I would make it here, and here I am, and I know I made my Papa proud. Hes my whole social impact.

The Miss Virginia website lists 23 Miss Virginia competitions that lead to Miss Virginia.
Heres what happened locally on May 10 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 drive to secure funds for the Library for the Grammar school was a success. The figures shown below [totaling $201.30] give evidence that the commitment and canvassers did good work and the generous contributions, so graciously donated by the public-spirited citizens and patrons of the school, make a splendid beginning on the $1,000 goal the association still feels sure in reaching.

1948: Mrs. John B. Sparrow, Church street, said today that the white flower is the proper one to wear on Mothers Day. In a note to the Bulletin, she said: Tomorrow is the day to honor Mother. Wear a white flower to show you love Mother with pure love.  So many insist on wearing a pink flower to say My Mother is living. Your friends know that, but do not know that you love her as you should 

1973: A highly decorated Martinsville soldier who won the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in the Normandy invasion died Sunday. M-Sgt. Paul Russell Shorter, 52, of 1012 Columbus St., died at 12:22 p.m. in Veterans Hospital at Salem. He had been in a coma there since suffering a stroke in 1970 while swimming at Virginia Beach.

1998: When Virginia Barker walks across the sagging wooden floors of the Virginia Home in Fieldale, she envisions a grand future. Barker is the president of the Eastern Shepherd Drug Rehabilitation Center Inc. The non-profit organization has bought the historic boarding house and seeks to refurbish it and reopen it as a Christian-centered drug rehabilitation center for women.
The Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) found in an audit that New College Institute (NCI) didnt maintain proper documentation of its programming in recent years.

State Inspector General Michael C. Westfall recommended in the audit report that NCI make improvements and work more closely with community partners. NCI has agreed with the findings and recommendation plans and will implement corrective actions by June 2024, the audit states.

The audit followed reporting by the Martinsville Bulletin and Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism team last year showing that many of NCIs college partnerships and programs had lapsed even while they continued to be promoted on NCIs website.

NCIs historic mission has included to help people in Martinsville and Henry County earn college degrees without moving from the area, which does not have a four-year university.

The report issued on April 27 by OSIG, a state watchdog agency, also showed that many programs at the state-funded higher education center had disappeared. This included NCIs manufacturing training programs which had zero participants in FY2018, 2019 and 2022, the audit states.

The audit of NCIs expenditures was conducted by OSIG to see if the colleges programs benefit the Commonwealth of Virginia and the outcome was three recommendations that the college has agreed to comply with, according to the performance audit.

The Bulletin and Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team obtained the audit through a Freedom of Information Act request to OSIG.

OSIGs three findings about NCI were that the colleges program outcomes could not be independently verified due to supporting documentation not being maintained; the utilization of some programs offered by NCI have decreased; and that NCI expenditures are aligned with similar institutions and in support of the NCI mission.

Documentation

Each year NCI submits updates to the state Department of Planning and Budget and annual reports to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). But when asked by OSIG to provide documentation to back up those reports, documentation could not be provided by NCI, the audit states.

Reports NCI sent to SCHEV for FY2018 and FY2020-22 included the total number of non-credit activities and events; non-degree credentials and certifications; degree-seeking enrollments; and K-12 higher education outreach.

When reports are not able to be verified, information reported may not be correct and cannot be relied upon to determine performance, the audit states.

NCI managements response as listed in the audit was that the college has experienced large amounts of turnover in employees from retirement, new opportunities and remote COVID working and because of those factors locating prior employee backup documentation has been difficult.

In 2019 NCI used a learning management system to capture students enrolling in modules for its telemental health programming and screenshots have been provided to OSIG to reconcile the reported numbers of enrollment in the SCHEV reports, the audit states.

NCI has also created an activity log to collect and report data and in the future the institution will ensure a backup of information throughout staff turnover by appointing a staff member responsible for ensuring compliance, the audit states.

Decreased usage

OSIG compared NCI reports to SCHEV from FY2018 to FY2022 and found that enrollment decreased 25% for degree-seeking programs and 42% for K-12 higher education outreach participation. It also found that manufacturing training programs had zero participation in FY2018, 19 and 22 and decreased 31% between FY2020 and FY2021

However, in FY2022 there was an increase in non-credit activities by 167% and degree-seeking programs by 23% since FY2021.

OSIG recommended that NCI work with businesses and partners to identify opportunities to increase the usage of NCIs programs, the audits said. NCI should ensure that new opportunities align with their goals to benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

NCIs response to this finding was that the new executive director Joe Sumner, who started in February, has already been meeting with community agencies, partner universities, higher education centers, community members, and industry partners, the audit states.

The goal of those meetings is to build or repair relationships, receive feedback on their needs related to education or training, and how NCI can help them or the community, the audit states, and meetings will lead to new partnerships and programming to benefit the community and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sumner is NCIs first executive director in three years. Karen Jackson had served during that time as interim director.

NCI

The OSIG report is evidence that NCI faithfully fulfills our responsibilities as good stewards of Commonwealth resources, Sumner told the Bulletin Tuesday by email.

He added that the audit shows that NCIs expenditures are aligned with other higher education centers in Virginia and are in complete support of the NCI mission.

As stated in the Code, NCI was established as a state agency in the Martinsville/Henry County community to serve as a partner for workforce solutions, an educational innovator, and a catalyst for economic and community transformation, Sumer said by email.

The outcomes of our efforts are reflected in the 167% increase in non-credit activities and the 23% increase in degree seeking programs over the last two years, he added. As recommended by OSIG, NCI will continue to identify and develop new opportunities with partners throughout the region and the Commonwealth in our efforts to fulfill our mission as a Higher Education Center.

The NCI Board of Directors is pleased with the report issued by The Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) and the recommendations identified, NCI Board Vice Chair Richard Hall said by email. This report revealed that NCIs financials were in compliance and that taxpayer funds and budget priorities were managed and in line with other Virginia higher education centers.

The findings in the report were not a surprise to the NCI Board of Directors has already been identified and are actively moving forward to improving, such as a new Executive Director located at NCI, Hall wrote. NCI cooperated fully with OSIG at all stages of this inquiry, and we thank OSIG for its thorough investigation of NCIs financial handlings and verification that all funding is in line for this state agency.

With a new and permanent Executive Director in place, NCI is moving forward with providing innovative educational platforms needed in the 21st Century economy here in Southside Virginia, Hall added.
Pamela Rorrer, who has spent much of her career as a public health nurse in Patrick County, received this years Virginia Department of Public Health Nurse of the Year award.

Dr. Kyndra Jackson, DNP, MPH, RN-BC, Director of Public Health Nursing for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), made the announcement as part of National Nurses Week.

'One-man-show' describes the day-to-day public health nursing practice of Pamela Rorrer, said West Piedmont Health Districts (WPHDs) Nurse Manager, Verna Burnette, who serves as Rorrers supervisor. Burnette made the nomination in support of Pamelas excellent work ethic, ability to rapidly adjust to changing needs and commitment to the people of Patrick County.

"Pam is 110% deserving of this award, said Burnette. For her, this is a higher calling.

According to the nomination, Rorrer wears many hats, serving as nurse, epidemiologist, even electrician when needed at the Patrick County Health Department. She has a heart for the people she serves, and often presents unique solutions to get the help her patients need, it said. Rorrer connects the dots to obtain resources and works diligently to establish new practices based on demonstrated needs.

She is one of those people who, when times get tough, we can call upon, said Dr. Kerry Gateley, MD, PHD, CPE, WPHD Health Director.

As health district employees throughout the state watched the recognition virtually, Jackson described the plethora of merits exhibited by nurses within the field of public health. She also touched on their many contributions made throughout Virginias communities.

During the event, invited guests included Virginias newly appointed Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton; Deputy Commissioner for Public Health and Preparedness and Acting Deputy Commissioner for Community Health Services Robert Hicks; Patrick County Interim County Administrator, Tim Hall; and Assistant County Administrator Donna Shough. Before the announcement, more than a dozen of Rorrers family members made a surprise entrance to celebrate her achievement.

The annual Public Health Nurse of the Year award can be obtained by any nurse within the 35 state health districts. It is based on a peer nomination process with the final recipient selected by a state-level panel.
Martinsville City Council members took it on the chin Tuesday night from residents expressing their displeasure about the recent property assessments that saw many values increase in excess of 30%.

According to the Commissioner of the Revenue's office, the total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeded last year's total assessed value by over 20% when you average commercial with residential properties.

City Manager Leon Towarnicki, in his proposed FY23-24 budget, recommends that Council hold the line on the current real estate tax rate of $1.04 per $100, which would result in an effective tax rate increase of 20.9%, or the equivalent of 18 cents per $100.

"I think this is totally out of line," said Ural Harris of Stuart Street. "During reversion it was implied that the City had plenty of money. Now where did that money go? That dog won't hunt."

Harris gave multiple examples of properties which, he said, had been sold for well under the newly assessed value.

"I don't know why y'all didn't wait on reversion until you got to see the budget," said Harris. "I hope you'll roll the tax rate back to at least 87 cents on a $100."

A lowered rate that would offset the increased assessment and would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year (when multiplied by the new total assessed value with exclusions) would be 86 cents per $100, according to the Commissioner of the Revenue's office.

Michael Green of Oakdale Street said as a credentialed real estate appraiser, he was shocked when he got his most recent tax assessment.

"I know a lot of the houses because I inspected some of the houses," said Green. "The tax assessor said they did drive-bys and it went up over 30%. The rental property near me has gone up zero. This assessment does not address land value; it's only the improvements."

Green explained to Council that the assessments before them doesn't address land value and market assessments come from land value, not improvements.

"How come rental properties show no increase?" asked Green. "Houses that have been renovated inside are in the 20% range, but it's over 30% if you can see it on the outside. I disagree with his [tax assessor] models and I disagree with his work. I don't see the evidence."

Green said he had discovered that an average of one-third of the property records on file with the City's GIS system have inaccurate information on them.

"I have some real concerns about this last assessment," Green said. "They are staggered and bizarre and have no logic behind them."

Vice Mayor Aaron Rawls agreed with Green about the inaccuracy of the records contained in the GIS system and questioned Towarnicki about the source of the information contained within it.

"Henry County runs Martinsville's GIS system," Towarnicki said. "Engineering and the Commissioner of Revenue can update the data."

Other residents complained about having to pay more in taxes but not receiving additional services and said that considering the disparity of the tax rate compared to Henry County, the increase might encourage some city residents to move.

"Every city in Virginia is having this same conversation," said Rawls. "Everything you touch is 20% more."

Said Mayor LC Jones: "We'll take all of this into consideration and do what we can do in the coming weeks."

Council agreed to schedule budget work session for May 10, 16 and 17 and consider approval on first reading on May 23 and approval on second reading for June 13. A public hearing was approved for Council's May 23 meeting.

In other matters, Council:

Agreed to authorize staff to execute a work order agreement with The Berkley Group for city manager executive search services at a cost of $30,000, not including expenses. The Berkley Group said it anticipated offering a selected candidate within 120 days upon a signed Notice to Proceed. Towarnicki, the current city manager, has announced his intention to retire at the end of July.

Approved a resolution supporting a Mixed-Use on Main Street (MUMS) grant application to the Virginia Department of Community Development for gap financing for a renovation project at 16-18 E. Church Street, property known as the McCollum-Ferrell Building and owned by Burch Building LLC. Burch Building Managing Partner Jeff Sadler said he needed the rezoning approval in order to proceed with possible grant funding through the state. The resolution was approved with Councilman Lawrence Mitchell abstaining.

Heard an update from Larissa Deedrich, CEO and executive director of the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The agency has previously been offering services to residents from the basement of the City Municipal Building and recently opened offices in the newly renovated Chief Tassel Building.

Read a proclamation acknowledging May 2023 as Building Safety Month. The resolution was present to Building and Zoning Official Kris Bridges. "The is my 28th proclamation, and I thank you," Bridges said. "There is no such thing as an exemption from permits. Safety is not expensive -- it's priceless."

Mayor Jones, before adjourning the meeting, offered these words: "Tax assessments, just like the light bill, affects us all, some more than others. But what matters is moving forward. We're in this car the same as you guys and the destination is the same. We have to look at what's best for all citizens."
King Mohammed VI, who spearheads Moroccos farsighted water strategy, has given his instructions to increase the investment earmarked for the National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation 2020-2027 from $ 11.4 billion to over $ 14 billion to enhance the countrys water resilience.

On Tuesday, the Monarch chaired at the Royal Palace in Rabat a meeting devoted to the follow-up of this national program. This meeting shows the importance the King grants to the strategic issue of water, which has been tackled by the Sovereign in his opening speech of the Parliament, last October, and during the three working sessions chaired by the Monarch.

During this meeting, Minister of Equipment and Water, Mr. Nizar Baraka, made a presentation on the water situation and on the progress of the implementation of this Program, said a statement released by the Royal Office.

In accordance with the Royal Instructions, it was decided to speed up this program with additional investment, bringing its overall funding to $ 14.3 billion.

The additional financial support will help to accelerate the project of connecting the Sebou, Bouregreg and Oum Er-Rbia water basins, with the 67 km-long water supply pipeline under construction.

It will also enable the authorities conduct planning for new dams and review the costs of about twenty planned dams expected to increase the countrys storage capacity by 6.6 billion m3 of fresh water;

To counter waster stress, it was decided to speed up planning of desalination plants, encourage the usage of treated waste-water and expand drinking water supply in the rural zones.

Due to the countrys current water shortage which is affecting the agricultural season and farmers, the King has given His Instructions to the government to take, as in the previous year, the emergency measures to mitigate the droughts impact.

Finally, the Sovereign urged all relevant departments and bodies to show extra vigilance in this vital field and efficiency to deliver the projects within the deadline.
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP Michael Chong speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. MPs are set to vote this afternoon on whether to have the a parliamentary committee examine if MP Michael Chong's parliamentary rights were breached by what Canada's spy agency alleged says was a plot by China to target him. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The House of Commons was set to vote Wednesday on whether a committee should probe allegations of an intimidation campaign by the Chinese government against Conservative MP Michael Chong.

Debate on the motion has taken priority in the chamber since it was tabled on Monday, and a vote was scheduled to take place after question period Wednesday.

Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat this week over a newly surfaced 2021 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which alleged that the Toronto consular officer sought to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong because of the MP's criticism of China's human-rights record.

China responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat from Shanghai, with the Liberals warning that the move could also inspire economic retaliation  leaving industries bracing for blowback.

Yet Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a China expert at the University of Ottawa, says the government should instead assume that Beijing is operating in a tit-for-tat, and will only escalate things further if Canada goes beyond expelling a diplomat.

She took note of the Tuesday statement from Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin that announced the expulsion of Canadian consular Jennifer Lalonde.

"We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada," Wang is quoted saying in the official English translation of his remarks.

McCuaig-Johnston said Ottawa should latch on to that interpretation rather than stoking fears about a hit to Canada's economy or danger for its citizens in China.

"My interpretation suggests that it would be additional action on Canada's part that might be cause for further retaliation, rather than them planning to do anything further as a result of Mr. Zhao being sent home, she said.

"It also is a threat. If we do few future things, there would be other retaliation."

McCuaig-Johnston noted that China sees itself as an important player, but Canada should still treat it with the same amount of deference as any other country. She also said Canada should diversify its supply chain to lessen its exposure to Beijing's whims.

"We certainly accept that Canada and China will always have a fairly comprehensive amount of trade going in both directions, because we they need our resources and we need their products," she said.

"Beyond that, they don't want to have much to do with Canada."

Meanwhile, Chong declined an interview request Wednesday as questions surround his recent briefing with the current national security adviser, Jody Thomas.

The Ontario MP has said in Parliament that Thomas told him that CSIS informed her predecessor in 2021 about the matter, yet its unclear who just who that was, as the role was held by different people at different times that year.

Three people who held the role have told media they dont recall seeing the document in question or did not hold that position when CSIS raised the issue.
The Mozambican government will go to parliament on Wednesday and Thursday to answer questions from members of parliament about the interventions in the state-owned companies Linhas Aereas de Mocambique and Tmcel, as well as the financial situation of the Bank of Mozambique.

The issues are included in the questions addressed to the executive by the three benches of the Assembly of the Republic, for the meeting in the chamber over the next two days.

The parliamentary group of the ruling party Frente de Libertacao de Mocambique (Frelimo), with a majority of seats, wants to know the scope of the interventions recently carried out in the public companies Tmcel [telecommunications] and Linhas Aereas de Mocambique and the gains that are expected.

The majority bench also wants information on the capacity of the South African company hired to support the management of the Mozambican flag carrier. Frelimo also expects the executive to make a statement on the current state of economic and social development of the country, focusing on roads and health.

For its part, the bench of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, will question the government on the sustainability of the state business sector and the executives position regarding what it considers to be unreliable accounts, promiscuous, incompetent and arbitrary supervision of the Bank of Mozambique.

The main opposition party is also questioning the executive on the fight against the wave of kidnappings that for some years has hit some Mozambican cities, and on the management of funds intended for the agricultural sector.
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Video-Based Deep Neural Network (DNN) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithm Applied to a Coronary Angiography Input Video Angiographic videos of the left coronary artery (LCA) are first selected from a complete angiographic study using a DNN pipeline (eMethods in Supplement 1) and input into the video-based DNN algorithm to predict the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Predictions of LVEF from all available LCA videos from the same coronary angiography study, often obtained from different angiographic projections, were then averaged to obtain the final DNN-predicted LVEF for a patient. Credit: JAMA Cardiology (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0968

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of adult death worldwide. The coronary angiography procedure provides the clinical standard diagnostic assessment for nearly all related clinical decision-making, from medications to coronary bypass surgery. In many cases, quantifying left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at the time of coronary angiography is critical to optimize clinical decision-making and treatment decisions, particularly when angiography is performed for potentially life-threatening acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Since the left ventricle is the heart's pumping center, measuring the ejection fraction in the chamber provides critical information about the percentage of blood leaving the heart each time it contracts. Presently, measuring LVEF during angiography requires an additional invasive procedure called left ventriculographywhere a catheter is inserted into the left ventricle and contrast dye is injectedwhich carries additional risks and increases the contrast exposure.

In a study publishing in JAMA Cardiology, senior author and UCSF cardiologist Geoff Tison, MD, MPH, and first author Robert Avram, MD, of the Montreal Heart Institute, set out to determine whether deep neural networks (DNNs), a category of AI algorithm, could be used to predict cardiac pump (contractile) function from standard angiogram videos. They developed and tested a DNN called CathEF, to estimate LVEF from coronary angiograms of the left side of the heart.

"CathEF offers a novel approach that leverages data that is routinely collected during every angiogram to provide information that is not currently available to clinicians during angiography, effectively expanding the utility of medical data with AI and provides real-time LVEF information that informs clinical decision-making," said Tison, UCSF associate professor of Medicine and Cardiology.

The researchers performed a cross-sectional study of 4,042 adult angiograms matched with corresponding transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) from 3,679 UCSF patients and trained a video-based neural network to estimate reduced LVEF (less than or equal to 40%) and to predict (continuous) LVEF percentage from standard angiogram videos of the left coronary artery.

The results showed that CathEF accurately predicted LVEF, with strong correlations to echocardiographic LVEF measurements, the standard noninvasive clinical approach. The model was also externally validated in real-world angiograms from the Ottawa Heart Institute. The algorithm performed well across different patient demographics and clinical conditions, including acute coronary syndromes and varying levels of renal functionpatient populations that may be less well suited to receive the standard left ventriculogram procedure.

"This study presents a novel method for assessing LVEF, an important measure of heart function, during any routine coronary angiography without requiring additional procedures or increasing cost," said Avram, an interventional cardiologist and former UCSF research fellow. "LVEF is essential for making decisions during the procedure and for managing patient care."

Although the algorithm was trained on a large dataset of angiograms from UCSF and then separately validated in a dataset from the Ottawa Heart Institute, the investigators are undertaking further research to test this algorithm at the point-of-care and determine its impact on the clinical workflow in patients suffering heart attacks. To this end, a multi-center prospective validation study in patients with ACS is underway to compare the performance of CathEF and the left ventriculogram with TTEs performed within 7 days of ACS.

"This work demonstrates that AI technology has the potential to reduce the need for invasive testing and improve the diagnostic capabilities of cardiologists, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life," said Tison.

More information: Automated Assessment of Cardiac Systolic Function From Coronary Angiograms With Video-Based Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, JAMA Cardiology (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0968 Journal information: JAMA Cardiology

Provided by University of California San Francisco Medical Center
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Most antidepressants used for chronic pain are being prescribed with "insufficient" evidence of their effectiveness, scientists have warned.

A major investigation into medications used to manage long-term pain has found that harms of many of the commonly recommended drugs have not been well studied.

Published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the study led by scientists from several UK universities including Southampton and Newcastle, examined 176 trials consisting of nearly 30,000 patients involved in assessments which prescribed antidepressants for chronic pain.

Among the drugs studied were amitriptyline, fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, and duloxetinewith only the latter showing reliable evidence for pain relief. One third of people globally are living with chronic pain, World Health Organization data shows, with many prescribed antidepressants for relieving symptoms.

Lead author Professor Tamar Pincus from the University of Southampton said, "This is a global public health concern. Chronic pain is a problem for millions who are prescribed antidepressants without sufficient scientific proof they help, nor an understanding of the long-term impact on health.

"Our review found no reliable evidence for the long-term efficacy of any antidepressant, and no reliable evidence for their safety for chronic pain at any point. Though we did find that duloxetine provided short-term pain relief for patients we studied, we remain concerned about its possible long-term harm due to the gaps in current evidence."

Amitriptyline is one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants for pain management worldwide. In the last 12 months; around ten million prescriptions were given to patients in England at the 10mg dose recommended for pain. By comparison, five million prescriptions were given at the higher doses recommended for depression.

For duloxetine, three and a half million prescriptions were dispensed in England, but the recommended doses do not currently differ between conditions.

The two-year Cochrane study was the largest-ever assessment of antidepressants recommended by leading bodies including the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S..

Statistician Gavin Stewart, review co-author from Newcastle University, said, "We are calling on governing health bodies NICE and the FDA to update their guidelines to reflect the new scientific evidence, and on funders to stop supporting small and flawed trials. Evidence synthesis is often complex and nuanced, but the evidence underpinning the use of these treatments is not equivalent, so current treatment modalities are hard to justify."

The review revealed that duloxetine was consistently the highest-rated medication and was equally as effective for fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal, and neuropathic pain conditions.

Other results showed:

Standard doses of duloxetine are as successful for reducing pain as higher quantities

Milnacipran was also effective at reducing pain, but scientists are not as confident as duloxetine due to fewer studies with fewer people.

Prof. Tamar Pincus added, "We simply cannot tell about other antidepressants because sufficiently good studies are not availablebut it does not mean that people should stop taking prescribed medication without consulting their GP."

Scientists responsible for the review were from the universities of Southampton, Newcastle, Bristol, UCL, Bath, and Keele, alongside Oxford University Hospital.

The team assessed the trials using a statistical method that enables researchers to combine data from relevant studies to estimate the effects of different drugs, which have not been compared directly in individual trials.

University of Southampton researcher Dr. Hollie Birkinshaw said, "Though previous investigations show that some antidepressants might relieve pain, there has never been a comprehensive study examining all medications across all chronic conditionsuntil now.

"The only reliable evidence is for duloxetine. Adopting a person-centered approach is critical to treatment, and when patients and clinicians decide together to try antidepressants they should start from the drug for which there is good evidence."

More information: Antidepressants for pain management in adults with chronic pain: a network meta-analysis, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1002/14651858. dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD014682.pub2 Journal information: Cochrane Library
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Cardiovascular fitness may lower the risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and teens, according to a study published online May 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Chun-Ying Wu, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association between physical fitness and subsequent IBD risk among 1.39 million children and adolescents (aged 10 years and older).

The researchers found that the six-year cumulative incidence of IBD risk was lowest among students in the best-performing quantiles of cardiorespiratory endurance (0.74 percent), musculoskeletal endurance (0.77 percent), and musculoskeletal power (0.81 percent) versus students in quantiles 2 through 4. There was no association observed between flexibility fitness and IBD risk. Better cardiorespiratory endurance was inversely associated with IBD risk when adjusting for mortality and other confounders (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.36).

"In conclusion, we observed that better cardiorespiratory endurance performance was associated with a reduced risk of developing IBD among children and adolescents in this cohort study," the authors write. "With the rapid increase of IBD in newly industrialized countries and globally, our study provides interesting evidence to the medical community and public health agencies. Future studies to explore the mechanisms are needed."

More information: Chun-Ying Wu et al, Physical Fitness and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk Among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan, JAMA Pediatrics (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0929 Journal information: JAMA Pediatrics

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Illustration of obstruction of ventilation. Credit: Habib Mhenni / public domain

Around one in five people may be suffering with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study published in ERJ Open Research.

People with OSA often snore loudly, their breathing starts and stops during the night, and they may wake up several times. Not only does this cause tiredness, but it can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Treatments and lifestyle changes can help people with OSA. However, the new study also suggests that only a small proportion of people with symptoms of OSA have been diagnosed and are receiving help for the condition.

The study included data on 20,151 French adults. Researchers recorded how many participants had been diagnosed with OSA. They also used a questionnaire to gauge how many participants might have undiagnosed OSA. The questionnaire focuses on heavy snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness (the two most common OSA symptoms), high blood pressure and obesity.

Researchers then used this data to calculate the proportion of the French population who are likely to be affected by OSA. They found that around one in five (20.2%) were highly likely to have OSA while only 3.5% were being treated for the condition.

OSA was more common in men in people who were older, had cardiovascular disease, lower socioeconomic status or were less physically active; in smokers, and in people with symptoms of depression. Women were at a higher risk of going undiagnosed with OSA.

The study was led by Dr. Pauline Balagny from the Faculty of Medicine at University of Paris-Cite, France. She said, "We know that OSA is a major health hazard but if patients are diagnosed with the condition, they can be given treatments and advice to mitigate the risks. Our study suggests that OSA is common, but the majority of those affected do not know they have the condition. Our findings are in line with research in other countries which suggest that OSA is becoming more common."

A key strength of this research is that it is based on a large group of people who are representative of the French population. A weakness is that the study relies on a questionnaire to gauge the likelihood of OSA, rather than testing participants in a sleep clinic.

Professor Winfried Randerath, Head of the European Respiratory Society's Assembly on sleep disordered breathing, who was not involved in the research, said, "This research suggests that many people with OSA are not aware that their snoring and sleepiness are signs of a problem. We need to raise awareness of OSA because once people are diagnosed, they can be given treatment and advice to help lower their risk of other serious conditions such as stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Although OSA is more common in men, this study indicates that we also need to get better at spotting the condition in women."

Dr. Balagny and her colleagues will continue to study the links between OSA symptoms and cardiovascular diseases. They are also investigating whether screening for OSA could help heart attack patients.

More information: Prevalence, treatment and determinants of obstructive sleep apnoea and its symptoms in a population-based French cohort, ERJ Open Research (2023). DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00053-2023

Provided by European Respiratory Society
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Experts have called for further scrutiny of a new Pfizer vaccine given during pregnancy to prevent respiratory infection in infants, after trials of a similar GSK vaccine were stopped after a rise in preterm birth and infant deaths.

Pfizer says its vaccine is safe and effective, but experts contacted as part of an investigation published by The BMJ today, say Pfizer's trial data should be reviewed in light of the signal for preterm births seen in GSK's trial.

Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine aims to protect infants from severe illness caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is very common but can be fatal, especially in young children. In 2019, an estimated 3.6% of all deaths worldwide in children aged 16 months were due to RSV, with 97% of these deaths occurring in low and middle income countries.

The vaccine has not yet been approved for use, but a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected by August. The European Medicines Agency is also set to make a decision about the vaccine later this year.

In February 2022, GSK halted vaccination in its phase 3 trials of its maternal RSV vaccine after finding an increased risk of preterm birth in vaccinated mothers, mainly in low and middle income countries.

Pfizer published the results of an interim analysis of its phase 3 trial last month, saying that the vaccine was effective against medically attended severe RSV in children and that no safety concerns were identified.

And while the difference in preterm births in the Pfizer trials was not statistically significant, the results have raised concerns about a possible increase in preterm births, and now experts are calling for further analyses of the data and post-approval monitoring of the vaccine should the FDA approve it.

"My interpretation of all these data is that there may be a safety signal for preterm births that should be followed up on," said Klaus Uberla, director of the Virological Institute of the University Hospital Erlangen and member of the RSV working group of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO), which develops national recommendations for the use of licensed vaccines in Germany.

And a scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said the Pfizer data should be analyzed using more sensitive measures such as average birth weight and subgroup analyses to detect possible signals.

Meanwhile, Cody Meissner, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and consultant in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s maternal RSV working group, predicts that possible adverse effects such as premature births will be "closely monitored" in assessment programs by FDA and CDC. "We need a safe vaccine," he added.

Pfizer did not respond when asked about a possible increase in preterm births associated with its vaccine, but told The BMJ that "no imbalance of neonatal deaths was observed" in its phase 3 trial.

In a linked editorial, researchers point to challenges for RSV vaccine development and the main approaches to protection currently being pursued.

They argue that, while the burden of illness caused by RSV is substantial worldwide, it is particularly important that new vaccines and other prevention strategies are available to infants in low and middle income countries, where the greatest illness and deaths occur.

And they say further research is urgently needed "to identify the best prevention strategies for low and middle income countries, where affordability is paramount and timing of administration is complicated by the lack of predictable seasonal RSV epidemics."
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The U.S. government on Thursday will lift the COVID-19 public health emergency that has been in effect for more than three years.

By ending the emergency phase of the public health response, "That kind of puts a period at the end of the pandemic sentence," Vanderbilt University's Dr. William Schaffner, an expert on infectious diseases, said.

"We're clearly past the pandemic phase of COVID-19 here in the United States," he said. "We no longer have a stressed out health care system. We no longer have as many people becoming sick, seriously ill and dying of this vicious infection."

However, he cautioned against thinking it's "mission accomplished."

"This virus is still with us," and killing 200 to 300 people in the U.S. every day, he said.

The phase of the disease has gone from pandemic to endemic, or consistently present.

"And in order to keep ourselves protected against this virus on a long-term basisbecause it's not going to disappearwe're going to have to learn how to keep our guard up," he said.

Keeping our guard up will include ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, treatments and testing, he said.

How will these core components of the public health response be changing as of Thursday?

Vaccinations

Currently, all COVID-19 vaccines are widely available and free of charge, regardless of health insurance or immigration status, according to Shannon Litz, a representative of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

"This will continue until the federally purchased supplies have been depleted," Litz said, which could be by late summer or early fall.

Once that happens, the vaccines will be covered by both public and private insurance and will remain available to uninsured adults through a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services bridge program, Litz said in an email.

Many Americans will continue to pay zero out-of-pocket for COVID-19 vaccines, according to the federal agency. Vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (of which Schaffner is a member) are a preventive health service under most private plans and will be fully covered without a co-pay.

COVID-19 vaccinations are currently covered under Medicare Part B without a co-pay or cost-sharing, and this will continue.

Medicaid will continue to cover all COVID-19 vaccinations without a co-pay or cost sharing through September 2024, and will cover what the immunization advisory committee recommends after that.

"The most significant change that the public may experience is the request for insured individuals to provide their insurance card at time of vaccination as vaccinators will be able to charge their insurance for both the cost of the vaccine and a vaccine administration fee," Litz said.

To find a vaccine location, visit vaccines.gov.

Treatments

Access to COVID-19 treatments such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio generally will not be affected, according to the federal health department.

Out-of-pocket expenses for certain treatments may change, depending on an individual's medical insurance coverage.

Medicaid programs will continue to cover COVID-19 treatments without cost sharing through September 2024. After that, coverage and cost sharing may vary by state.

COVID-19 testing

The era of "free" COVID-19 tests is coming to a closealthough, of course, they were being funded by taxpayers, but without out-of-pocket expenses.

The requirement for private insurance companies to cover COVID-19 tests without cost-sharingfor both over-the-counter tests and laboratory testswill end.

Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part B will continue to have coverage without cost-sharing for laboratory COVID-19 tests when ordered by a provider. However, there will be out-of-pocket costs for over-the-counter tests.

State Medicaid programs must provide coverage without cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing through September 2024, after which coverage may vary by state.

Depending on the supply and resources, the U.S. government may continue to distribute free COVID-19 tests from the Strategic National Stockpile through the United States Postal Service, states and community partners, according to the federal health department.

Telehealth

The nation embraced telehealth during the pandemic.

Expanded telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries, which was due to expire, will remain in effect through December 2024 as a result of the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Most private insurers already covered telemedicine before the pandemic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has temporarily extended a public health emergency provision that allows prescribing controlled substances such as Adderall and oxycodone in a telehealth visit, rather than requiring an in-person visit. The length of the extension remains uncertain.

'This virus is not gone'

On Friday, the World Health Organization echoed the U.S. government's message by saying that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global health emergency.

"One of the things that the WHO is not changing is global surveillance, which continues to be active 24/7/366 looking for new variants of the virus," Schaffner said. "Which lets you know that all of us are out there recognizing that this virus is not gone, and it could mutate into another variant. 

"We wouldn't be doing that if we thought it were just 'mission accomplished,'" he said.

2023 Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Having a history of neurodevelopmental disorders is associated with an increased risk for testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), according to a study published online April 24 in the British Journal of Cancer.

Anna K. Jansson, from Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a nested case-control study of 6,166 TGCT patients diagnosed during 1992 to 2014, individually matched (for age and calendar period) to 10 cancer-free controls each (61,660 controls), from the Swedish Cancer Register. Odds ratios were calculated for the association between type of psychiatric diagnosis and TGCT risk.

The researchers found an increased risk for seminoma in association with history of a neurodevelopmental disorder (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disabilities; odds ratio, 1.54). Compared with those without, seminoma patients with neurodevelopmental disorders were younger (34 versus 38 years) and had more stage IV disease (5.4 versus 1.2 percent). There was no association seen for psychiatric history overall with TGCT. Increased all-cause and TGCT-specific death were seen for patients with a history of any psychiatric disorder.

"We do not know why we are seeing a link between neurodevelopmental disorders and the risk of testicular cancer, but we believe that early life events have an impact; perhaps even as early as the fetal stage," Jansson said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
TUESDAY, May 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Having a latex allergy is no fun, but it can be a real challenge for health professionals who have to work with a wide variety of medical equipment that can contain the allergen.

Latex allergy can trigger a range of symptoms, from itchy hives and rashes to life-threatening anaphylaxis. While StatPearls estimates that it only affects 1% to 2% of the population, it can be a source of frustration for those who have it. To make matters worse, the same report suggests that latex allergy is more likely in health care workers, who are surrounded by items containing latex, including stethoscopes, electrode pads, syringes, respirators, gloves, drainage tubes and more.

Understanding latex allergy is crucial, especially for those frequently exposed to latex-containing products. Here, experts explain latex allergy, including its causes, symptoms, risk factors, testing methods and available treatments.

What is a latex allergy?

A latex allergy occurs when the immune system responds abnormally to latex, which comes from the sap of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, found in Africa and Southeast Asia. Latex is found in a plethora of medical equipment, and people at higher risk of developing latex allergy include health care workers, people with certain medical conditions, and individuals with multiple surgeries or medical procedures, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fortunately, various treatments and preventive measures are available for those with latex allergies, including avoiding exposure to latex-containing products, taking antihistamines and carrying an epinephrine pen, for any potential emergency.

Latex allergy causes and risk factors

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, latex allergy can be caused by repeated exposure to natural rubber latex, which triggers an immune system response.

Interestingly, some individuals with latex allergies may also experience allergies to certain foods, such as bananas, avocados and kiwis. Moreover, condoms and other latex-containing products, such as gloves and balloons, can trigger allergic reactions. Therefore, it is crucial to know the various latex sources, take preventive measures and understand latex allergy treatments.

Latex allergy symptoms

Dr. Cindy Xi, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, said in a recent article that, Latex allergy was the most prevalent in the 1990s, when latex gloves were more common. Since the introduction of low-latex or latex-free gloves, new cases of latex allergy have dramatically decreased. And now that most medical centers are latex-free or almost latex-free, the overall incidence of latex allergy has also dramatically decreased.

But that doesnt mean latex allergy has gone away. For that reason, its critical to know what to look for and understand latex allergy symptoms. These symptoms of latex allergy can vary from mild to severe and occur within minutes of exposure or several hours later. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common latex allergy symptoms are as follows:

Itching

Skin rash

Redness

Hives or urticaria

Swelling

Runny or stuffy nose

Sneezing

Itchy, watery eyes

Scratchy throat

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Wheezing

Chest tightness

Anaphylaxis

A rash may be one of the most frequently occurring of these symptoms. The Cleveland Clinic says that when someone with a latex allergy is exposed to latex, the affected area may also develop raised welts that resemble hives, indicating an immune system response. This type of skin irritation typically occurs within 15 to 30 minutes of exposure to latex.

What happens during a latex allergy test?

During a latex allergy test, a health care provider will typically use a skin-prick test or a blood test to determine whether or not an individual is allergic to the substance, the Cleveland Clinic states. In a skin-prick test, the provider will place a small amount of latex extract on the skin and then use a tiny needle to prick the skin, allowing the extract to enter the skin.

If the individual is allergic to latex, they will develop a small, raised welt or bump on the skin within 15 to 20 minutes. This test is relatively quick and straightforward and can be done in a doctor's office or clinic. However, if a skin-prick test is inconclusive or not feasible, a blood test may be used to measure the presence of latex-specific antibodies in the bloodstream. Both tests are safe and effective methods for diagnosing latex allergy.

Latex allergy treatments

Over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl may help relieve symptoms such as itching, hives and swelling in an allergic reaction. Further, the Allergy & Asthma Network indicates that prescription medications such as corticosteroids and epinephrine can help manage symptoms such as difficulty breathing and anaphylaxis.

If you are diagnosed with a latex allergy, you will likely be asked by your medical provider or allergist to carry an epinephrine auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, if you have a history of severe allergic reactions to latex. Immunotherapy or allergy shots may be recommended to help reduce the severity of the allergy over time.

As with any allergy, be sure to partner with your health care provider to develop a personalized treatment plan and take preventive measures to avoid exposure to latex.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Tuesday that directs state agencies to take 10 steps intended to bolster the fight against the fentanyl crisis, including setting up a plan to use wastewater surveillance to keep tabs on use of the drug.

Fentanyl overdose deaths in Virginia have grown more than 20-fold since 2013, according to Youngkin's executive order, which also states that since 2020, more Virginians have died from fatal drug overdoses than motor vehicle and gun-related deaths combined.

We must act," Youngkin said in a statement. I am confident that together these measures are significant steps to reduce the occurrence of fentanyl overdoses and deaths in the Commonwealth.

Youngkin's order directs the Virginia Department of Health to develop a cost-effective plan" within 120 days to use and fund "wastewater surveillance to detect the frequency, potency, and occurrences of fentanyl use in specific locations. That's a strategy other places around the country have employed, according to news reports.

The order asks that special advisers to the governor on opioid response and opioid interdiction be assigned within 90 days. It also directs the Department of Social Services to develop a plan to offer wrap-around services and treatments to those taking care of children whose parents have passed away from a drug overdose.

Youngkin asked state public safety officials and state police to develop a a strategic plan for law enforcement agencies for tackling the problem in parts of the state dealing with high numbers of overdose deaths.

He also wants a workgroup established to study how to keep incarcerated people with substance use disorders drug-free after they are released.

Youngkin signed the executive order at a National Fentanyl Awareness Day event at a Fredericksburg high school, spokesperson Macaulay Porter said.
Photo: The Canadian Press A man holds his hand over his eyes during the information meeting for the population on the evacuation of the village of Brienz-Brinzauls under the "Brienzer Rutsch", in Tiefencastel on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Switzerland. Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Authorities in eastern Switzerland ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in the coming weeks.

Local leaders said during a town hall and a media event Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6 p.m. on Friday but could return to the village from time to time starting Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight.

The centuries-old village straddles German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the eastern Graubunden region, sitting southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1,150 meters (about 3,800 feet). Today it has under 100 residents.

The mountain and the rocks on it have been moving since the last Ice Age, local officials say. But measurements indicated a strong acceleration over a large area in recent days, and up to 2 million cubic meters of rock material will collapse or slide in the coming seven to 24 days, officials said.

Over the last century, the village itself has moved a few centimeters (inches) each year, but the movement sped up over the last 20 years. The landslide has been moving about a meter (about three feet) per year. Geological surveys suggest the situation has become even more precarious.

Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, which counts Brienz in its municipality, said experts estimate there's a 60% chance that the rock will fall in smaller chunks, which may not reach the village or the valley. The landslide could also move slowly.

But there's also a 10% chance that the whole 2-million-cubic meter mass may tumble down, threatening lives, property and the village itself, he said.

We hope that the village stays intact, Gartmann said by phone. We can't eliminate the possibility that it (the rock) will come down. ... It could damage the village or destroy it."

Gartmann said glacier melt had affected the precariousness of the rocks over millennia but that melting glaciers due to man-made climate change in recent decades wasn't a factor.

Experts concluded that a controlled explosion to set off a rock slide was too dangerous because it would require drilling under the rock  itself a hazardous operation, Gartmann said. Erecting a giant pile of sand or a wall to try to hold back the rocks also wasn't considered feasible, he said: The wall would have to be at least 70 meters (230 feet) high to protect the village.

Many of the evacuees were expected to stay with family or friends, though local leaders have received offers from concerned neighbors to provide temporary housing. he said. At the current orange alert level, however, farm animals were to be left behind.

Federico Pelico, the pastor of Albula and Brienz, said they managed to disassemble and remove the precious 500-year-old winged altarpiece that was in the church.

The church and the altar are important, but the people are more important, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Pelico said many residents of the village had grown used to hearing the regular thunder of rockfall over the years. But now theyre suddenly realizing that something terrible might happen.

They have to leave their village, he added. These arent just buildings. There are emotions and histories here. Ive seen a lot of tears lately.

Pelico said members of his congregation are torn between hope and pain.

Theres nothing you can do against nature, he said. But deep in their hearts, theres hope that theyll be able to return to the village.
The tale of David and Goliath is well known. Simply put, the underdog, against all odds, triumphs against the bigger, bullish opponent. University of Montana senior Stephen Hayes wants to add to the story: He wants to support the Davids of the world as their lawyer.

I feel compelled to be on the side of David fighting against Goliath. Fighting for the little guy is something thats important to me, Hayes said. Because that's the case, it naturally lends to wanting to investigate that from an academic standpoint.

A nontraditional undergraduate and member of the Davidson Honors College, Hayes spent the past four years doing just that. While taking on extra legal work and volunteering, he achieved double majors in history and philosophy, as well as a minor in African-American Studies. The rigors of UMs programs have brought Hayes one step closer to his goal of representing the underdog in a court of law.

For most of Hayes life though, he commanded audiences from a concert stage rather than a courtroom.

His journey into academia began in the early 2000s at his local college, the University of Denver, where he applied his talent as a musician to his major, music. After a few semesters, Hayes realized studying music was stifling his enjoyment of it. Needing a change of scenery, he left for Missoula in 2004, sight unseen, to connect with musician friends who attended UM.

I wasnt intending on staying here permanently, but I just enjoyed Missoula, he said.

Hayes spent the next several years playing local gigs  primarily rock and blues but sometimes funk, while also working day jobs. Eventually, he began feeling unfulfilled at work, giving way to aspirations of law school.

Hayes looked to his new hometowns college and enrolled in UM in spring 2019, choosing his combination of majors and minors to gain the cultural and historical context needed to represent marginalized groups as a lawyer.

UMs initial allure was proximity. Hayes submitted multiple transfer applications his first year, but in scrutinizing other opportunities he was pleasantly surprised to find that, this time, his hometown university was the best fit.

It was a benefit to have the university right here in my backyard, but I wanted to make sure it was the right place for me, and I gave myself other options to make sure of that, Hayes said. Ultimately, it was the right place

Part of what made UM right was the deep connections he forged with faculty. As a nontraditional student, Hayes found community and mentorship through relationships with professors throughout his departments.

My ability to be as successful as I have been at the university is in no small part due to the amazing faculty and staff that have allowed me to flourish here, Hayes said. These are people I know I will continue to be in touch with for the rest of my life.

They were equally impressed with him, and would go on to lift up Hayes academic efforts.

Immediately, he stood out as a student who was not only uncommonly conscientious, but plain brilliant, said Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer, who taught Hayes in several courses. Thats been the case with every class hes taken with me.

Shearer, a UM history professor, also serves as director of African-American Studies and director of history graduate studies. What made Hayes stand out from the hundreds of students Shearer has taught, he said, is his creative historical insight.

It was in Shearers advanced writing in history course that Hayes wrote a paper demonstrating that novel insight, earning him the Richard Drake Writing Award for excellence in writing, imagination in research and force of argument. The paper was written at an unprecedented level that not only described history but interpreted it through an original lens, providing a new way for historians to understand the past, Shearer said. Hayes recently presented it at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference in Washington.

The paper focused on grassroots activism in Black communities of Chicago during the Civil Rights Movement, asking historians to rethink the assumption that activists resisted within a violent or nonviolent binary. His argument reframed resistance as a continuum where activists frequently traversed to and from ends of the spectrum.

Hayes also gained experience for his career goals by working part time for a local civil litigation law firm. He also volunteers with Court Appointed Special Advocate of Missoula.

CASA advocates speak on behalf of vulnerable, abused and neglected children in the court system. The work and the emotional toll it takes can be difficult. But knowing that a childs life is even marginally better gives Hayes a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

I consider that a win; it doesn't matter how much work or effort, Hayes said. Any child that ends up there, they're in a difficult situation.

Between his academic and extracurricular pursuits, Hayes also continued to play music for his own enjoyment and for creative assignments. He composed a piano piece in one of Shearers classes that connected to academic themes explored that semester, leaving him impressed with both Hayes talent and inventiveness.

After graduation, Hayes will work full time for the law firm and study for the Law School Admission Test. The connections he made at UM also feel bittersweet about Hayes departure, but excited for his next step and the impact he will go on to make.

Hes going to be the kind of person who gets the attention of those around him just by his sheer excellence, and will bring his intellect to bear on the worlds problems in a way that is free of cynicism and full of the highest ethical conduct, Shearer said. That's going to take him to good places. Thats going to make a difference in the world.
The din of 18-wheelers barreling by throws a spanner wrench into communing with nature while toting a backpack stuffed with bare essentials.

The Continental Divide Trail travels 3,100 miles along the spine of the Rocky Mountains or, at least, in the vicinity of that spine. Through-hikers often wander into Lincoln, Helena, Butte and Anaconda for rest and re-supply.

More often than not, they are greeted with hospitality and perhaps a hint of envy.

The Continental Divide Trail, designated by Congress in 1978, is about 95% complete between the borders of Mexico and Canada. Gaps that remain can require hikers in the trails northern reaches to abandon alpine views and fragrant firs to slog along roads and highways.

One prime example is near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Travelers approaching town on the CDT get the sweeping ridgeline views of forest valleys and pristine peaks for which the trail is known, with one major exception, said Teresa Martinez, executive director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.

Those seeking a continuous, scenic and safe journey on the CDT are diverted onto a 15-mile road-walk along Highways 14 and 40 after the federal ownership ends and the trail abruptly stops at a forest dirt road, she said.

Martinez offered this testimony in support of a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, that would team the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to complete the trail by 2028, the CDTs 50th anniversary.

Blake Kernen, Daines deputy press secretary, said Monday Daines expects movement on the bill in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee soon.

The bill was introduced in both the Senate and House in March.

Daines has reported that more than 160 miles of the trail require users to divert onto roads or highways and about 600 miles of trail need relocation.

There is a gap of about 10.5 miles at Monida Pass and about 27 miles total of uncompleted trail in Montana, Kernen said.

These gaps make travel on the trail difficult, inconvenient and even dangerous, she said.

The bill, as proposed, includes no new money to pay for land acquisitions, easements and the like.

No new funding is needed to complete the Continental Divide Trail  existing funds are already made available through programs, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund Sen. Daines helped make permanent in 2020, Kernen said.

The CDT travels through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

Four communities in Montana have been designated a Gateway Community for the Trail. They include Lincoln, Helena, Butte and Anaconda  communities recognized for their general hospitality to trail users.

The Anaconda Trail Society has worked to anticipate and meet the needs of through hikers, who often leave the main trail to visit the Smelter City. Although the prime season of CDT through hiking is fleeting and many hikers tend toward frugal, their visits do contribute to the city in a variety of ways.

For one thing, Anacondas reputation as a city sited amid a host of memorable recreation opportunities continues to grow, helping to accelerate the fading stigma of federal Superfund cleanup of historic smelting pollution.

Anaconda Outdoor recently opened. Anaconda Bicycles opened in April 2022. Pintlers Portal Hostel opened in August 2021. A Hikers Hut run by the Anaconda Trail Society in Washoe Park offers trekkers access to Wi-Fi, loaner bicycles, lockers, a small microwave and refrigerator.

Kernen said the economic impact of the trail, once completed, should be significant for Montana communities.

Completing the trail will help spur recreation, economic development and grow jobs in Montana, she said. It will be especially impactful for CDTs Gateway Communities  Anaconda, Helena, Butte and Lincoln.

L. Fisher works for the Colorado-based Continental Divide Trail Coalition as the nonprofits trail policy program manager.

The bill will not only help make the trail safer for trail travelers by moving it off of sometimes busy roadways, it will also make it a more scenic, natural one, which was originally envisioned when the trail was designated by Congress, Fisher said.

In addition, the holistic benefits for locals who should be able to use the trail to explore public lands in their own backyard contribute to the public health of Gateway Communities and is a direct investment in local, rural economies, Fisher said.

Gina Evans of Linked Adventures in Butte also expressed support in a news release for the trail completion legislation.

Each persons own experience while on the CDT allows for a different need, she said. Butte businesses can fill that need by offering a wide range of products and/or hospitality. Having a completed trail the full length of the CDT will allow Butte businesses a unique opportunity to gain even more customers from all over the world.
" " Tax implications and other factors may make companies restrict where remote workers can operate. La Bicicleta Vermella/Getty Images

Bret Bonnet, co-founder of the Illinois-based company Quality Logo Products, Inc. was none too pleased when he found out that one of his employees had moved to another state to work remotely without informing the firm.

"The state he moved to came after us for a week's worth of state income tax that we failed to pay as a result," Bonnet recalls by email, noting that while the amount only totaled $87, with late fees, fines and penalties, the final sum was $1,700. "After more than 40 hours and countless phone calls/emails, we eventually got this cleared up, but it just goes to show what a headache out-of-state employees can be unless you're a major national corporation."

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Working from home used to be a rare occurrence for most people, but the COVID-19 pandemic has seen many companies really ramp up the remote option to keep things running during unprecedented times. Indeed, it has been largely a success, with employers enjoying increased productivity and happier employees who don't have to commute as much. Major companies like Twitter, Amazon, Zillow and Spotify have announced varying levels of work from home expectations, ranging from occasional office face-time to none at all.

Some states (and even some foreign countries) are enticing remote workers to try them out with all kinds of incentives. Other workers might just want to move someplace more inviting for "work from home." After all, working near the beach or from a mountain cabin sounds better than in a tiny city apartment or a cookie-cutter suburb.

But before you make a move, know this: Just because a job can be done remotely 100 percent of the time doesn't mean you can do it from anyplace you want. So why not?
Renee Duxler stands by a mural in downtown Salina, Kansas. Duxler was named the new president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.

Renee Duxler never exactly dreamed of being where she is now. When she was a little girl, she didnt say she wanted to lead nonprofits, or think much about words like economic and workforce development.

Of course, she wasn't all that interested in evaluating gross domestic product, or ready to inspire entrepreneurs.

But she always knew she wanted to help people. And that much has stayed the same.

The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce announced last week that Duxler would be its new president and chief executive officer. She will assume the role full-time after serving a few months as the interim CEO following Eric Brown's Departure earlier this year.

The announcement marks a historic moment for the Chamber and Salina community, too. Duxler is the first woman hired for the position in the organization's 112-year history.

The Chamber has really taken the lead in community marketing and workforce efforts for Salina and the region over the last few years, and Im honored to continue to lead these initiatives and conversations, Duxler said.

The road to Salina

Duxler grew up in McPherson, Kansas, and graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor's in social work. She later got a master's degree in social work and began her career at an HIV/AIDS clinic in Wichita.

After starting a family, she worked in early childhood education and early intervention. While her early career focused on social work, she said those experiences have gone on to prepare her for her most recent roles in Salina.

It brought me a great perspective I think if people have the opportunity to do volunteer work or some sort of work in nonprofit like that, it just brings such a great perspective to.. what other peoples lives are like outside of our own little bubbles we live in, Duxler said.

Eventually she took on roles in nonprofit administration, working for an Alzheimer's organization and an AIDS service organization. Before making the move to Salina, she was the executive director of the Douglas Design District in Wichita. She also served on the Wichita/Sedgwick County Metropolitan Planning Commission and owned a designer resale clothing store for several years.

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Duxler said she didn't really expect to leave Wichita when she did. Her family got its start there, and she enjoyed everything the community had to offer. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, an opportunity came up at the Chamber. And Salina's community was just as vibrant.

"I never thought we'd leave Wichita, to be honest, but I came up and saw the community and got really excited about the things that were happening and the opportunities here," Duxler said.

A heart for the community

Duxler has been with the Chamber since 2020 as the nonprofit organization's director of economic and workforce development.

Among other duties, she worked with local schools and employers to facilitate and promote local opportunities. She took time to understand and provide access to opportunities for people who don't take traditional educational or career routes.

These opportunities all looked different, and included capital to start businesses, career and entrepreneurship assistance, and other means of promoting the Salina area workforce.

"(The Chamber) really looked at how do we make that connection so that we prop people up and provide for as many opportunities as possible," Duxler said. "It's about creating or providing access to opportunities that are beneficial to them and hopefully be life changing."

Duxler most recently has received an Inclusive Economic Growth Fellowship in 2021 from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and is currently participating in a Business Leads Fellowship from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Through these fellowships, she met with people across the nation to discuss diversity and inclusion, equal access to resources and support, and educational pipelines to the business world.

Beyond her occupation, Duxler makes the time to give back to Salina through service on community boards. Most recently, she has served on the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland board and Humanities Kansas.

A desire to serve others

Mostly, Duxler said, her job has been to help provide equal access to business, economic and workforce opportunities in the Salina area. And mostly, that's what it will continue to be  just two offices north and with a historic, humbling title.

In a statement, Chamber board members said they believe Duxlers extensive experience in leading teams, marketing campaigns, and fundraising efforts will help elevate the chambers relevancy and value in the Salina region.

Renee's direct impact on the workforce development efforts in this short time, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, speaks for itself, said Alysia Starkey, chair of the Chambers board of directors. She is still new to this community and brings a fresh perspective after a nationwide search, it was clear that we had our next president right here in Salina.

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina Area Chamber names new President CEO
Two more people have indicated they plan to run for election in Burke County.

Laura Melott opened a campaign committee in early April in preparation for filing and running for a seat on the Drexel Board of Aldermen, said Debbie Mace, director of elections for Burke County.

Drexel will be one of the municipalities with seats up for election in this year.

Filing for municipal elections this year starts at noon on July 7.

The towns of Rutherford College and Hildebran will not hold elections this year. Those towns, through state legislation, chose to move their elections to even-numbered years.

The Burke County Board of Education has traditionally held its election during odd years but that wont be the case moving forward.

The legislature, through a local bill in 2021, moved the board of education election to even-numbered years and also made the board partisan. That same bill also changed the school board elections in Caldwell County from nonpartisan to partisan.

But another Burke resident has made it known they plan to run for a school board seat.

Jamey Wycoff opened a campaign committee on April 13 to run for the at-large seat of the board of education, Mace said.

Wycoff applied last year to fill the unexpired term on the school board of R.L. Icard, who died on Nov. 27, 2021. The school board chose Seth Hunt to serve out the term.

The school board election, because it will be partisan, will hold a primary election in March 2024, Mace said.

As previously reported, Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson opened a campaign committee in early January to run for re-election.

Opening a campaign committee allows candidates to accept and spend campaign contributions.

On Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced appointments he made to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Those appointments include:

T. Jefferson Carmon III

of Raleigh as nominated by the Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Carmon has served on the Board since 2019. He is an attorney at the CW Law Group and practices in the areas of personal injury and criminal law.

Stacy Clyde Eggers IV

of Boone as nominated by the Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party. Eggers has served on the Board since 2020. Eggers is the Managing Partner of Eggers Law Firm in Boone.

Alan S. Hirsch

of Chapel Hill as nominated by the Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Hirsch is the CEO and Co-Founder of Biorg and the President of the North Carolina Healthcare Quality Alliance.

Kevin Neil Lewis

of Rocky Mount as nominated by the Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party. Lewis is an attorney at The Valentine Law Firm in Nash County. Lewis has served on the Nash County Board of Elections since 2007 and was the chair from 2013-2019.

Siobhan Millen of Raleigh as nominated by the Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Millen previously practiced law and has worked every election at her local precinct for the last 15 years.
A bluegrass band based in Toronto will head down south Monday night for a free concert at the CoMMA outdoor ampitheater.

The Slocan Ramblers will start the tunes at 4 p.m. Theyll host the workshop with Junior Appalachian Musicians students and any other interested musicians.

Free and open to the public, the event was made possible by the Grassroots Grant from the Buke Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council.

From Frank Evans (sic) classic, dusty vocals, to John Hartford-inspired lyrical musings, its all buttressed by impeccable musicianship, and emotionally raw songwriting from the three core members, the bands website says. This is roots music without pretension, art powerful enough to cut through the fog of the past two years and chart a more hopeful course forward.

Evans, who is on banjo and vocals, is joined by Adrian Gross on mandolin, Darryl Poulsen on guitar and vocals and Charles James on bass and vocals, according to the bands website.

The event is free and open to the public. Email maryervin9@gmail.com with any questions.
NEBO  Celebrate North Carolinas Year of the Trail and Pick Your Own PATH at Lake James State Park.

A two-day event Saturday and Sunday April 15-16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will allow visitors to experience the cultural and natural histories of Lake James State Park with excursions on the Overmountain Victory Trail and the Fonta Flora Trail.

Saturdays programming (April 15) will focus on the cultural aspects of the park, including a living history demonstration of a patriot militia encampment during the Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. Two groups promoting outdoor diversity and inclusion  CULA (Centro Unido Latino-Americano) and Latinos Aventureros  will be providing some bilingual activities.

Sundays programming (April 16) will focus on the natural resources of the park, with help from the new NC Science Trail.

Guided hikes both days will include both an easier and a more challenging option for participants to choose from.

Various trail and NCDNCR partners (including the DNCR PATH Airstream) will be showcasing their resources throughout the weekend.

About Lake James State Park

Located in Burke and McDowell counties 50 miles northeast of Asheville, Lake James State Park (2229 Lake James State Park, Nebo, N.C.) includes two areas to access this picturesque lake that is perfect for boating, swimming, and fishing.

Campsites at both Catawba River and Paddy's Creek accesses provide an opportunity to spend the night by the lake, with some sites accessible only by paddling. Trails include bike trails at Paddy's Creek, the kid-friendly Holly Discovery Trail, the historic Overmountain Victory Trail, and the Fonta Flora State Trail.
This Saturday, mail carriers will once again be picking up donated food from residents that will go to feed the hungry in Burke County.

Sandra Robinson, a Morganton Post Office city carrier and the National Association of Letter Carriers union president for Morganton, said the postal carriers annual food drive is Saturday. She said people can put non-perishable food items in bags or boxes and put them at their mailbox on Saturday for their carriers to pick up.

Non-perishable food can be anything from cereals, soups, rice, beans, boxed foods and pasta. She said people should not donate items that can go bad such as breads, cheeses or milk. She said canned or powered milk is fine to donate.

All of the food donated will go to Burke United Christian Ministries food pantry, Robinson said.

Robinson said the post offices typically give out bags for the donated food to be put in but this year grocery stores were running low on bags. She said people can put the food in bags or boxes.

Folks who dont have a mailbox can still donate non-perishable food by dropping it off at their local post office. Robinson said each post office will have bins inside for donated food.

If someone misses donating on Saturday, carriers will still pick up donated food next week, she said.

This is the 31st year for the food drive and The National Association of Letter Carriers conducts a food drive the second Saturday in May every year. Robinson said they were not able to have the food drive in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

Last year was the first year back for the food drive after the pandemic and post offices in Burke County collected 6,000 tons for the food pantry, Robinson said.

As much food as we can get is good for the food pantry, Robinson said. If you can give, please do.
Among the bills passed by our Legislature this past session that will profoundly affect life in Montana is HB 971. It prohibits considering climate change among the environmental impacts considered when proposed projects are evaluated as required by the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).

The bill came about at the last minute because of NorthWestern Energys great influence upon legislators. NorthWesterns construction of its methane-fueled generation station at Laurel was stopped when a judge ruled the intent of MEPA was not met because the Department of Environmental Quality failed to consider the impact of climate change. The ruling was in favor of plaintiffs Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club, who sued DEQ for its failure to consider a critical environmental impact.

How do our Montana political and electrical utility leaders react to the climate science that is so broadly recognized by the rest of the world? They deny or minimize greenhouse gas impacts, favoring the expediency and known profitability of generating electricity using coal and gas. Montana Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick stated on the Senate floor: "We all know that each individual project is not going to change the temperature of the Earth. NorthWesterns Director of Long-Term Resources Bleau Lafave was asked at a Montana Public Service Commission rate hearing: Do you believe human activity contributes to climate change? He answered, I do not believe that it is a major influencer in overall climate.

The policy of NorthWesterns leadership is to mislead and ignore. In a Missoulian opinion column, Vice President of Supply John Hines compared the $275 million cost of the methane-fueled Yellowstone Generating Station with the astronomically greater $2 billion or $4 billion cost of wind and solar, respectively. Hines misled readers by comparing the one-time construction cost of Yellowstone with the 20-year total cost of renewables, truly an apples and oranges comparison. More relevant would be the comparison of NorthWesterns base case 20-year cost of $4.5 billion as given in its just-released Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The base case includes its current fossil fuel generation with 175 megawatts added from Yellowstone in 2024 and 222 megawatts added from Colstrip in 2026. That base case 20-year cost is compared in the IRP with the $5.6 billion 20-year cost of renewables. Given NorthWesterns longstanding efforts to disenfranchise renewable energy, one does have to wonder if its reported cost of renewables is accurate.

NorthWestern greatly underestimates the cost of energy from fossil fuels by ignoring climate change costs. The head of the International Monetary Fund stated at the recent United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP27) that the social cost of carbon should be at least $75 per ton of carbon dioxide emitted. That amount represents the costs of climate impacts around the world  floods, drought, more frequent and more severe storms. NorthWesterns base case of electricity generation resources would result in annual CO2 emissions of 6.1 million tons, and an annual climate cost of $455 million. If this cost were to be considered, it would make the 20-year cost of the all-renewable scenario more comparable to that of the base case scenario.

What can we do? The governor has until May 12, at the earliest, to either sign or veto HB 971. If it becomes law, the Laurel project can move forward without considering the impact of its CO2 emissions. First, call the governor at 406-444-3111 and request a veto. Considering the impact of greenhouse gasses is a right guaranteed by our Montana Constitution, the right to a clean and healthful environment. Then, in 2024 vote for much more thoughtful and better informed 2025 legislative candidates.
The 68th session of the state Legislature has ended, but the harm done by a Republican supermajority drunk on power will continue to be felt for a long time.

From the very beginning of the session, Montana Democrats made it clear that our priority was fighting for long-term solutions for our states working families. We introduced a set of bills to achieve that goal: cutting taxes for Montana's working families, investing in housing real Montanans can afford, strengthening nursing homes and community health care providers, providing long term property tax relief and defending Montanans constitutional rights to reproductive freedom.

But while we were hard at work trying to lower costs for working Montanans, Republicans spent their time blowing a billion dollars on handouts to the wealthy, ignoring the real crises facing Montana families and workers, and instead wasting time trying to pass anti-worker legislation and unconstitutional attacks on Montanans liberties and personal privacy.

As Montana Democrats, we fought to hold the Republican supermajority accountable for these attacks, and in some places we succeeded. Despite Republicans reckless drive to tear up our states Constitution, we defeated every amendment they proposed to chip away at the rights that the Constitution defends. We took down the Republicans 21 anti-worker bills, staving off union-busting for another two years and defending Montana workers right to organize for better pay and fair working conditions.

Montana Democrats fought tirelessly for a fair budget that works for Montana families. While the Republicans and the governors budget failed to meet the scale of the crisis facing Montana, our Democratic legislators fought tooth and nail to scrape a few wins out of that budget for Montanans. We secured investments in pressing needs, like removing lead from drinking water in schools and increasing reimbursement rates for nursing homes and community health care providers. It wasnt easy, but it was our priority to secure these wins for our constituents.

Meanwhile, the Republicans launched an unprecedented assault on the foundational principles of our democracy. They passed bills to limit our freedom of speech and expression. They rolled back constitutional guarantees for public education, privacy and a clean and healthful environment. And they limited participation in our democratic process, not just when they ejected one of our members from the floor of the House of Representatives but also when they closed that House to the public  to whom it belongs.

While Republicans were fighting these pointless and harmful crusades, they ignored the true scale of the housing crisis, the need for long-term property tax relief, nursing home closures and child care deserts. While Democrats worked hard to make progress on addressing these crises, Republicans proved that there are no limits to the lengths they will go to consolidate their power over every aspect of Montanans lives. They focused their energies on attacking the freedoms of women, the LGBTQ+ community, health care providers, educators and librarians, and business owners.

Despite holding a minority of seats, Montana Democrats delivered real solutions for Montana workers and families.

We passed bills that were bipartisan, fiscally responsible and directly focused on the real problems hitting Montanans in our wallets. Our bills will expand access to child care and stabilize care providers; stem the tide of nursing homes closing their doors; protect mobile home residents from abuses by landowners looking to make a quick buck on their backs; improve mental health crisis interventions by first responders; combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people; get poisonous lead out of school drinking water; and strengthen teacher recruitment in rural and understaffed schools.

We wanted to do a heck of a lot more, but Republicans were not interested in practical solutions for working Montanans.

Over the next two years, well keep fighting to mitigate the harm from this session, and to make further progress on making this state a place where everyone has the freedom and the opportunity to live a life of success and happiness.
Photo: Health Canada The warning from Health Canada cautions people about 'copycat' versions of snack foods with cannabis in them.

Health Canada has issued a public advisory reminding parents, guardians, and people who use edible cannabis products about the "risk of serious harm" if children ingest "copycat" products.

Copycat products are products branded to look similar to common products in the marketplace, both in how the products looks and the packaging.

"The implicated products are illegal cannabis edibles that can cause serious harm when consumed, especially by children or pets," states Health Canada in the alert. "Any products with flashy packaging, pictures, catchy names, strange THC symbols, or that mimic popular name brands are illegal and unregulated, should not be consumed, and should be reported to your local law enforcement."

Products include imitations of everything from Gushers to Sour Patch Kids to Skittles. In some cases, puns are made out of the mainstream product's name, like "Stoneo" cookies (instead of Oreos) while others, like Cheetos and Airheads, use the same branding as the mainstream brand, but make references to the fact they have THC in them through warnings or other words (like "medicated").

"Hospitals have seen an increase in visits to the emergency room and poison centres have seen an increase in calls," states Health Canada.

They note that the items are often sold illegally, but have been found at grocery stores or gas stations.

The federal agency adds that legal cannabis products are legally required to be packaged in plain packaging so they aren't appealing to kids.

"Examples of copycat illegal edible cannabis can include cereal and snack foods such as chips, cheese puffs, cookies, chocolate bars, and a variety of popular candies in colorful packaging," warns Health Canada. "These products can contain high amounts of THC, which increases the risk of experiencing adverse effects or poisoning."

Brands that are being copied are taking legal action in some cases. In the case of Stoney Patch, which parodies Sour Patch Kids, the company behind Sour Patch Kids began a trademark lawsuit. And while not an edibles brand, Subway took a Vancouver store called Budway to court and won.

"Health Canada refers all known cases of illegal edible products to law enforcement for follow-up and works closely with Public Safety Canada, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to disrupt the illegal cannabis market and to protect Canadians from unregulated, illegal cannabis," states the federal agency.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a law to protect minors seeking gender-affirming care from the intervention of estranged parents. The new law that Inslee signed Tuesday is part of a wave of legislation in Democratic-led states intended to give refuge amid a conservative movement in which lawmakers in other states have attacked trans rights and limited or banned gender-affirming care for minors. Licensed shelters and host homes in Washington had generally been required to notify parents within 72 hours when a minor comes into their care. Under the new law, facilities can instead contact the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, which could then attempt to reunify the family if feasible.
With flood waters expected to begin retreating, some homeowners and businesses will soon start cleaning up any damage done. Those who have experienced previous floods know how critical it can be to be thorough when it comes to both cleaning and inspections.

Looking at this years flooding, Eric Furnas, who serves as Planning, Zoning and Environmental Administrator for the county, shared that he and his team are expecting very little damage to county homes and businesses along the river. This is due both to the lower flood levels from this year as well as the fact that many structures along the Mississippi were elevated significantly after the flood in 1993.

I believe the biggest concerns for those returning to their structures should be especially mindful of their drinking water, Furnas said.

The vast majority of these structures have private wells as their source of drinking water, which can then be susceptible to contamination and so should be assessed by a certified well contractor before it can be used again.

Muscatine County has a grant through the Iowa Department of Public Health that can provide funding for the assessment and shock chlorination of wells that have been flooded, but these services need to be completed by an Iowa-certified well contractor, Furnas continued.

Other things that will need to be evaluated by a contractor if flood waters were able to reach them include electrical outlets and lines, heating/cooling appliances and water heaters. With Muscatine County being a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program and having a FEMA-approved Floodplain Management Ordinance, Furnas emphasized the importance of residents following the strict guidelines that apply to repairing flood damaged structures.

Persons whose structures have been damaged by flooding should contact the Muscatine County Building, Zoning and Environmental office so that we can assess the level of damage and ensure that repairs are completed according to the Floodplain Management Ordinance requirements, he said.

As the weather outside continues to warm, residents should also be aware of how quickly mold can grow within a structure. It can form almost instantly and is often in places that are not always visible, such as inside cabinets or under flooring. It is recommended that these things be completely removed so that they can be ventilated and cleaned properly. Another risk that Furnas brought up was the contamination often found in flood waters due to sometimes being mixed with wastewater from the cities near the river.

Private septic systems can become inundated and back up. There is a real risk of exposure to things like E.coli, so it is advisable to wear proper protective clothing like rubber boots and gloves when working in and around flooded structures. Even ponded water and saturated soil outside the structures can become contaminated, he said.

While it is likely that structural integrity damage in the Muscatine County area will be rare, as many lower portions of structures built in the flood plain are required to allow for the free passage of flood waters and be constructed of flood resistant materials, residents are still advised to contract the Muscatine County Building, Zoning and Environmental office regarding any and all flood damage and structural damage they may find during their clean-up.

In order for all of Muscatine County to remain eligible to participate in the National Flood Insurance program, proper assessment and specific repair criteria must be applied, Furnas said. Owners of structures that have been damaged may not move back in until the utilities have been re-established  which will be at discretion of utility providers  and the structure has been properly repaired.

For more information on evaluation and repair guidelines regarding flood damage or on applying for assessment funding, residents can contact Furnas at zoning@muscatinecountyiowa.gov or at his office number, 563-263-0482.

Photos: Flood waters receding Saturday, cleanup to begin along the river
Governor Kim Reynolds' visit to Muscatine gave her a chance to hear from the city and county officials who led the local flood response.

This was the seventh highest flood on record, but it didnt really feel like it, Muscatine public works director Brian Stineman told Gov. Kim Reynolds Wednesday during a meeting to discuss the flood in the city.

Reynolds said she wanted feedback on her proactively issuing a disaster proclamation from the people who were in charge of the flood response.

On April 28, Gov. Kim Reynolds made a proclamation that allowed the state to utilize resources in order to respond and help residents recover from the Mississippi Rivers flooding. Local officials thanked Reynolds for the proclamation and said that the response had been a team effort that made the job seem easy.

Mostly Im here to listen, Reynolds said. We want to know whats working and whats not.

During a tour of the Muscatine riverfront prior to the meeting, Reynold saw several areas of the riverfront that had been secured from floodwaters. Mayor and county Emergency Management Director Chris Jasper showed her the HESCO wall that the city had constructed in conjunction with downtown business owners.

Stineman said the city would probably start removing the HESCO wall on Thursday and would need volunteers to help. Jasper said he has a list of volunteers that he would contact.

On May 2, the Mississippi River in Muscatine crested at 22.5 feet. On Tuesday, the river fell below the major flood stage mark of 20 feet. Current predictions have the river falling below the moderate flood stage by Saturday.

During the visit it was announced that Muscatine County would probably not become eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds because there had not been enough damage to warrant it. There is no word yet on infrastructure recovery, and it is not expected to be known until the water all flows out of the areas impacted.

City council member Jeff Osborne said the flood response was the first project he had been involved with since taking office that he received no complaints about. He said the flood plan was very well received in the community.

Muscatine City Administrator Carol Webb commented on the great team Muscatine has working for it, saying the response had been very well planned.

It was kind of a textbook flood and we knew what to expect, but it was a great time to try out new things like the HESCO barriers for future events, Webb said.

Webb also thanked Reynolds for her support of the area through other means, such as Destination Iowa grants.

Photos: Flood waters receding Saturday, cleanup to begin along the river
Kent Corporation has be selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company for the fourth consecutive year for its achievements in management and in being an outstanding private company.

Kent shared the news internally at its 2023 Service Award banquet earlier this month. The banquet also honored more than 200 employees for their contributions to the company.

In a public statement regarding the award, Kent Chairman and CEO Gage Kent said, We are thrilled to be named a 2023 U.S. Best Managed Company Gold Standard honoree. Since the very first year of being recognized, we have always appreciated the awards focus on every member of our company coming together to do great things. We at Kent thank all out customers, suppliers and employees for their part in this marvelous designation.

Further adding to the excitement is the acknowledgment that Kent is the only Iowa-based company to be found on this years awardee list in addition to being one of the few Gold Standard honorees who have achieved Best Managed Company status for four years in a row.

Sponsored by Deloitte Private as well as the Wall Street Journal, the Best Managed Companies program is meant to act as a mark of excellence for hundreds of companies around the world to strive for. Some of the categories that applicants are evaluated on include strategic planning and execution, strong financials, the ability to foster a dynamic and resilient culture with its employees and a strong commitment to these employees through investing into their workforce and focusing on purpose, equality, inclusion and diversity.

For more information on the Best Managed Companies program or on this years list of honorees, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

Photos: Kent Corporation helps clean up the Mississippi Riverfront 062219-mus-flood-01.jpg 062219-mus-flood-02.jpg 062219-mus-flood-03.jpg 062219-mus-flood-04.jpg 062219-mus-flood-05.jpg 062219-mus-flood-06.jpg 062219-mus-flood-07.jpg 062219-mus-flood-08.jpg 062219-mus-flood-09.jpg 062219-mus-flood-10.jpg 062219-mus-flood-11.jpg
May is Preservation Month, when we celebrate historic places and ponder of the importance of remembering.

I lived in Muscatine almost 20 years before I paid attention to our historic homesbeyond admiration, I mean.

Lumber barons built these mansions. Arent they grand?

In 2001, I reported the startup of the citys first Historic Preservation Commission. At HPC I heard of historic stuff that could have been saved if people had known or cared before it was too latebefore neglected structures got derided as eyesores or obstacles to progress. Not every old building can be saved or should be saved, they said. Documenting what we have is the first step toward mobilizing resources to be able to save any of them.

I enjoyed interviewing Kent Sissel who served as the only certified professional member. Restoration of the historic Alexander Clark House was among his accomplishments.

With his guidance the commission gained necessary training and certification and began making systematic inventories of historic properties.

I got hooked. Leaving the newspaper, I jumped into local history for tourism promotion. I got a trolley bus and started giving tours and telling stories, especially the Alexander Clark story about the local court case that ended segregated education in Iowa.

Connect the dots, Sissel always said. The early settlers all knew each other, you know.

From the survey report on one of my favorite trolley stops: This c.1846 Greek Revival house follows the classical format of a two-story, three-bay, symmetrical, central passage house.  The porch features simple Doric columns on both stories, with a later turned railing on the second story.  The house currently retains good integrity from the late 19th Century and the early 20th Century when Jerome D. Carskaddan was residing here. In addition, the historic modifications between 1919 and 1928 were made by his descendent, Jerome Bishop, who has significant ties to the button industry.

Thats typical of descriptions you can find for many properties via Musser Public Librarys online research link. Go to Local History & Genealogy, then History of Buildings and Neighborhoods of Muscatine. Youll find the commissions survey forms and reports and nominations of historic districts.

So, lets connect Carskaddan dots. I told tourists Jerome Carskaddan was an important lawyer and judge who served as one of the Clarks attorneys for the desegregation case.

From 1863 to 1879, he was partners with judge De Witt C. Richman as Richman and Carskaddan, this being regarded as one of the strongest law firms of eastern Iowa until its dissolution through the election of Mr. Richman to the circuit bench.

Id paid more attention to Richman until February this year when Paul Finkelman invited me forward following his Alexander Clark lecture to answer a question about Clarks lawyers. I cringe as I watch video and see myself talk about Henry OConnor who became Iowas attorney general, then about Carskaddans partner D.C. Richman, then meander off into a chuckle about Richmans brother D. Scott Richman having been the district court judge who affirmed Susan Clarks right to attend the local grammar school. Then I stop.

Happily, Kent Sissel was in the audience and called out the Carskaddan name. Jerome was Clarks longtime personal lawyer, he said, and added that you can still see the family name on the carriage-step stone in front of the 1846 house.

Next came this Facebook comment from a Laura Bishop: I watched the Alexander Clark Lecture via zoom. It was very informative and interesting. My great great grandfather Jerome Carskaddan was Alexander Clarks attorney. I have been researching Jeromes law career in Muscatine and his involvement with Alexander Clark. I would be happy to talk to anyone interested in learning more about Jerome.

Two weeks later I attended Bob Campagnas talk about the Clark House apartments built on the historic Clark home site. Afterward another Carskaddan descendant handed me papers from her Colorado cousin Laura, including Jeromes 1853-1854 letters to his future bride back in upstate New York.

Speaking by phone and following with e-mail, I learned Laura has done much research and wants to write a Jerome Carskaddan biography.

I am enclosing the hand-written court documents I received from the law library in Des Moines, she wrote. Documents that would become the stuff of the landmark ruling, in pages of Jeromes own handwriting, evidently. Something grand, indeed!

Lawyer, judge, editor, banker, businessman, andnot leastfounder and leader of Iowas Republican party. Lauras ancestor is another local hero to rediscover and celebrate.

* * *

Muscatine Evening Journal, Dec. 13, 1859: There was a real jam in Tremont Hall last evening to hear Mr. Carskaddans lecture.  [His] allusion to the hanging of an old man in our country for attempting to liberate slavesbrought forth a response from the audience which showed plainly their condemnation of the present policy of our government.

That old man, John Brown, was executed December 2.

Next time: Every thread was a prayer

Daniel G. Clark is a former Muscatine Journal reporter and a student of Iowa history

Photos: First-ever Mini-Enduro Ride at Illiniwek Forest Preserve
WASHINGTON  Joe Biden served in the Senate for 270 years. He used to be three years older than his sister Valerie, but now has 20 years on her. And the fourth U.S. president  whom Biden affectionally calls Jimmy Madison  is a good friend.

All kidding aside, the 80-year-old Biden will tell you, he is at the end of his career, not the beginning. Hes been doing this for a long time. And he's gotten a hell of a lot of wisdom over those years, making him deserving of a second term.

As Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, embarks on his reelection campaign, he is increasingly musing aloud about his advanced age, cracking self-deprecating jokes and framing his decades in public life as a plus, hoping to convince voters his age is an asset rather than a vulnerability.

In short, he's trying to own it.

I stand here humbled being the first sitting president of the United States to have an opportunity to speak at Ebenezer Sunday service, Biden said in January at the historic Atlanta church where Martin Luther King, Jr. was the co-pastor. Youve been around for 136 years. I know I look like it, but I havent.

The octogenarian presidents comments about his age can be serious, woven into broader remarks and often used to underscore a broader point.

When Biden told the Irish parliament last month that he has never been more optimistic about the future, he notably added, And Im at the end of my career, not the beginning.

The only thing I bring to this career after my age  as you can see how old I am  but is a little bit of wisdom, Biden continued to the approving crowd. I come to the job with more experience than any president in American history. It doesnt make me better or worse, but it gives me few excuses.

Other times, Biden  his mood buoyed by a crowd full of supporters, whether among Democratic lawmakers or at a lively union hall  is often speaking off-the-cuff, eager to make the audience laugh by poking a little fun at himself. At the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on April 29, Biden made his age an early  and frequent  punchline.

You guys were founded 122 years ago  thats not when I got endorsed, Biden told a crowd of machine operators and engineers with the International Union of Operating Engineers in Accokeek, Md., in April. He referenced "my career of 280 years here at a Black History Month reception before being interrupted by laughter, and at an Air Force event last month, Biden noted that President Dwight Eisenhower addressed the first class of the Air Force Academy more than six decades ago but that I wasn't there ... no matter what the press says.

Whether deliberate or candid, its nonetheless a strategy that evokes how Ronald Reagan defused questions about his age  then 73  during the 1984 campaign. In a debate against 56-year-old Democrat Walter Mondale, Reagan pledged he would not make age an issue nor exploit, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience.

Biden is doing exactly what he should be doing. Hes embracing it, hes having fun with it, hes doing exactly what Ronald Reagan did  injecting humor and self-deprecation into it, said Michael LaRosa, a former press secretary for first lady Jill Biden who also worked on the presidents 2020 campaign. By saying the quiet part out loud, everyone is in on the joke. He knows his age, and hes not pretending to be somebody hes not. And thats the most important quality in a candidate.

The president could also find himself with a general election challenger nearly as old as he is, potentially neutralizing the issue of his own age. Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, is 76 years old, although voters have shown less concern about his age and sharpness compared to that of Biden, according to some polls. Trump, for his part, insists the issue is "not age  it's Bidens mental acuity.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, struggling to gain traction in the still-forming GOP primary field, has consistently made Bidens age a centerpiece of her campaign  even going as far as saying he may not make it to the end of his second term, when hell be 86 years old.

Bidens personal doctor said after the presidents most recent physical exam in February that Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.

Still, the public remains wary about Bidens capacity to do his job. A majority  57%  of voters in last years midterm elections said they did not think Biden has the mental capability to serve effectively as president, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the 2022 electorate. Forty-one percent of voters said Biden did.

About 9 in 10 Republicans, along with about 2 in 10 Democrats, said they thought Biden doesnt have the mental capability to serve as president. Among Democrats, though, voters under 45 were roughly twice as likely as older voters to say they thought Biden doesnt have the mental capability, 27% vs. 13%.

An April poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed a notable chasm between the percentage of Democrats who approve of Bidens job performance  78%  and those who wanted him to run again, which was at just 47%. Interviews with poll respondents suggested that the gulf was due in big part to the presidents age.
Three people were killed and two others were injured Monday in a two-vehicle crash in Louisa County, the Iowa State Patrol said.

The crash occurred at 12:55 p.m. on Iowa Highway 92 at L Avenue west of Grandview.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2006 Toyota RAV4 was eastbound on Iowa 92 and attempted to pass a semitrailer. The Toyota struck a westbound 2011 Chevrolet Silverado.

Both the Toyota and the Chevrolet came to rest in a field north of the roadway.

Three people were killed and two were injured. One of the injured was taken by Wapello Ambulance to University Hospitals, Iowa City, while the other injured person was taken to University Hospitals by UIHC AirCare Air Ambulance.

The conditions of the injured were not available Monday night.

The names of the deceased have not been released pending notification of family members.

Police did not say how many people were in each of the vehicles.

The Louisa County Sheriffs Department assisted at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol.

A glimpse at the 2023 Quad Cities Law Enforcement Memorial Service
IOWA CITY  An Iowa City man, who was set to have a trial next week on attempted murder and robbery charges, cut off his GPS ankle monitor over the weekend and authorities Tuesday confirmed he fled to Jordan.

Ali Younes, 19, charged with attempted murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree theft, used Jordanian travel documents and boarded a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight Saturday in Chicago, according to Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith, University of Iowa police and federal authorities.

His mother and father are accused of helping him. They each have been arrested and charged with escape from custody  felon, which is a Class D felony.

Alfred Younes was arrested Tuesday by the Omaha Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Omaha Airport Authority while he was attempting to board a flight in Omaha, Neb., with his destination set for Amman, Jordan. He will be extradited to Johnson County to face charges.

Lima Younes also was arrested by UI police on a warrant Tuesday with the assistance of the Sioux County Sheriff's Office. She also will be brought back to Johnson County to face charges.

Last June, after a contested bond review hearing, 6th Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns modified Ali Younes' request to lower his $350,000 bail, according to court documents.

Bruns reduced the bail to $125,000 and released him on several conditions, including a GPS monitor, requirements to surrender his passport and be under home confinement with his family in O'Brien County, pending trial, according to the judge's order.

The Johnson County Attorney's Office was notified Saturday that Younes cut off the ankle monitor that was placed by the 3rd Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, a news release stated. A warrant was issued for his arrest and university police moved quickly to engage local and federal law enforcement authorities for assistance finding the fugitive.

"My office, along with the University of Iowa Police Department and local and federal law enforcement partners, is committed to ensuring that Younes does not escape justice," Zimmermann Smith said Tuesday. "We will do everything we can to hold him accountable, as well as those who assisted him in fleeing the country."

According to a criminal complaint, Younes on April 25, 2022, followed a woman on foot, tackled her near the University of Iowa Art Building West, strangled her until she lost consciousness and stole her earrings valued at $20,000.

A video showed Younes that night walking in the opposite direction from the woman on the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge, the complaint stated. He then turned around and jogged to catch up to her as she headed toward the Art Building West.

He grabbed her from behind and tackled her to the ground, according to the complaint. He rolled her over and strangled her until she passed out, then forcibly removed her earrings.

Witnesses interrupted Younes as he was standing over the unconscious woman. He told the witnesses she was walking and must have passed out. He said he was going to call police but then fled, the complaint stated.

The woman was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after UI police arrived, and she was able to give police a description of her attacker. Police posted photos of the suspect on Facebook and asked for help in identifying him.

Younes was arrested at his girlfriend's house, where police obtained a search warrant and found the stolen earrings. He admitted to stealing the earrings because he believed the woman was dead, the complaint stated.

Younes at that time lived in a university residence hall, according to the criminal complaint.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed a law providing full disability benefits to Chicago police officers and firefighters struck by COVID-19 before vaccines were available, presiding over an emotional statehouse ceremony which marked the end of a financial struggle for responders including the brother of Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

The Act-of-Duty law, HB3162, ensures disability benefits of 75% of salary plus health insurance for anyone unable to work after contracting the coronavirus from March 9, 2020, when the flare-up intensified in Illinois, until June 30, 2021. The law grants them the presumption that they picked up the illness on the job.

Pritzker said after COVID-19's arrival in early 2020, police, fire and medical personnel were both a line of defense and a lifeline.

Our first responders were key to our national response, transporting infected patients to hospitals, disbursing masks and testing kits or providing care to those in distress...," Pritzker said. But even with social distancing, masks and mitigations in place, many of our first responders became infected with COVID-19."

Mendoza's brother, 58-year-old police Det. Joaquin Mendoza, was a veteran officer who worked the midnight shift. With no spouse or children, the comptroller said work was his only focus. In November 2020, when the city canceled days off, he worked 17 straight days, woke up one morning with a cough and two days later was rushed to the hospital with COVID-19.

He moved in with his sister and her family and since then, he's had five strokes and lost both kidneys, requiring thrice-weekly dialysis. But the Policemans Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago denied his claim for full disability because there was no proof that he contracted the virus on the job. The board also denied Officer Diana Cordova-Nestad.

This has been the most hellacious experience..., Mendoza said. I dont want any police officers to feel that their only recourse is to recognize that theyre worth more dead than alive and decide to eat a bullet because they dont want to deal with this. ... I know it sounds dramatic, but its real.

Mendoza said she know of about 20 others who will benefit from the law  after her brother and Cordova-Nestad were denied, no one else sought benefits.

"It's a small universe... so you're not talking about opening up the floodgates," she said.

Joaquin Mendoza had planned to attend the bill signing but underwent surgery again on Tuesday and remains hospitalized.

He told me that maybe it had to happen... because hes the only one with a sister who knows how to navigate this crazy system and can right the wrong for brothers and sisters on the force, the comptroller said.

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  A federal appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the conviction of the leader of an Illinois antigovernment militia who was sentenced to 53 years in prison for masterminding the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque, an attack that terrified the local Muslim community.

A three-judge panel rejected all the legal arguments raised by Emily Claire Hari. Her attorneys argued that the key federal law involved  which pertains to damaging religious property and the free exercise of religion  was invalid because it exceeded Congress' authority.

The court also rejected Hari's claim that prosecutors violated attorney-client privilege when authorities seized two pages of notes from Hari's cell during a shakedown.

No one was hurt in the bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center, but more than a dozen members of the mosque community gave victim impact statements about the trauma they felt. Judge Donovan Frank said at sentencing that the evidence clearly showed an intent to scare, intimidate and terrorize individuals of Muslim faith.

Several men were at Dar al-Farooq for early morning prayers on Aug. 5, 2017, when a pipe bomb was thrown through the window of an imams office. A seven-month investigation led authorities to the rural community of Clarence, Illinois, where Hari and co-defendants Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris lived.

Authorities say Hari led a small group called the White Rabbits that included McWhorter, Morris and others and that Hari came up with the plan to attack the mosque. Prosecutors said at trial that Hari was motivated by hatred for Muslims.

McWhorter and Morris each pleaded guilty to five counts and testified for the prosecution. Michael McWhorter was sentenced to just under 16 years in prison while Morris got about 14 years.

Hari's attorney said in a filing during the proceedings that gender dysphoria fueled her inner conflict, saying she wanted to transition from male to female but knew she would be ostracized, so she formed a rag-tag group of freedom fighters. But prosecutors said gender dysphoria was no excuse.

Hari is incarcerated at a federal prison in Oklahoma that houses male and female prisoners. After a review, the Biden administration last year updated Bureau of Prisons policies to restore Obama-era protections for transgender inmates, undoing a rollback ordered during the Trump administration.
Photo: Via Facebook. Victoria mortgage broker Gregory Martel.

Victoria mortgage broker Gregory Martel, who is facing several civil lawsuits that claim he and his company owe more than $27.5 million to clients who invested with him, no longer has control of his company after the B.C. Supreme Court appointed a receiver to oversee operations.



This week, the court appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to take control and oversee the operations of My Mortgage Auction Corp., which does business as Shop Your Own Mortgage, a company founded by Martel in 2016.



The court acted at the behest of one of Martels investors, a numbered Alberta company based in the hamlet of Ardrossan.



The company, 1548199 Alberta Ltd., is one of several investors who have filed suit against Martel claiming he owes them money.



In its statement of claim, the Alberta firm claims to have advanced more than 80 parcels of money ranging from as little as $43,500 to $3.51 million to be used by Martel and his firm to provide short-term bridging loans for real estate deals.



In exchange, the numbered company was due to be paid back its principal plus interest that ranged between seven per cent and 25 per cent.



The Alberta firm claims it is owed more than $17.59 million.



In its application for a receiver to be appointed, the Alberta company noted neither Martel nor his company has made payment for the outstanding amounts due under the investment agreements



The Alberta firm urged the court to appoint a receiver so Martels business assets can be protected, reviewed and assessed for the benefit of all stakeholders.



The firm also pointed out it wasnt alone and that a slew of other lawsuits have been filed against Martel and his company since April with very similar stories about providing investment for short-term loans.



In each of the suits filed, individuals and companies claim they invested money with Martel on the understanding the money would be used to provide short-term bridge loans for commercial and residential real estate deals.



The total value of those investments is claimed to be in excess of $25.7 million.



Despite repeated attempts by lenders to reach MMAC and Martel for further information, there has been no communication from MMAC or Martel, the Alberta firm noted in its court filing. It is clear that MMAC and Martel have not been able to meet their obligations.



The application also pointed out there are other creditors whose loans have not been repaid and have yet to commence legal action.



Also filing suit against Martel is Victoria engineer Andrew Townend and his company Avica Consulting, which together made seven loans to Martel and My Mortgage. Townend claims he is owed $140,933.13 and Avica is owed $431,006.79.



Court records show Martel filed a response to Townends lawsuit and denied any wrongdoing and said Townend had not incurred any loss, damage or expense as a result of his default.



The defendant has not wrongfully handled, misappropriated, embezzled, disposed of, or destroyed the plaintiffs monies. Instead, due to internal delays resulting from high client volume and staff shortages, the defendant has not been able to pay the plaintiffs the claimed amount, the response said. The defendant intends to return the plaintiffs monies and does not dispute the amounts claimed.



Other lawsuits that have been filed include Laurel Beth Rayani claiming to be owed $2.42 million, Cory Edgar claiming $367,190, WealthSense Financial claiming it is owed $117,914, Nicholas and Jennifer Fitterer and Nicholas Fitterer Inc. claiming together they are owed $704,099, Jacky Jia Jie Ng and Joyce Olivia Yung claim to be owed $531,026 and Vincent Darryl Taylor claims to be owed $2.3 million.



Attempts to contact Martel were not successful Friday.



In response to questions from the Times Colonist, the B.C. Securities Commission said to preserve the integrity of the investigative process, the BCSC does not discuss investigations, nor does it confirm or deny the existence of investigations.



The B.C. RCMP said it is not in a position to confirm or deny if there is a criminal investigation underway regarding the claims, and that only when Crown counsel approves criminal charges could the RCMP comment.



The Victoria Police Department said it cant comment on potential investigations unless theres a clear public safety or investigative need.


A federal appeals court has affirmed the conviction of the leader of an Illinois antigovernment militia for masterminding the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque. A three-judge panel on Wednesday rejected all the legal arguments raised by Emily Claire Hari. Her attorneys argued that the relevant federal statute, regarding damaging religious property and the free exercise of religion, was invalid because it exceeded Congress authority. The court also rejected Haris claim that prosecutors violated attorney-client privilege when authorities seized two pages of notes from Haris cell during a shakedown. She is serving a 53-year prison sentence.
Episode 89: Its summertime, and for many families, that means its time to plan a vacation. But there are two important variables  where to go and how much to spend.

From budget roadtrips across Montana to costly getaways to Walt Disney World, Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why some getaways are worth the money. They also share some of their all-time favorite destinations.

Discussion topics:

21 best family vacations in the USA, by Nicola Wood, U.S. News and World Report

Parents choose vacations over saving for kid's college, by Elaheh Zozari, LearnVest

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The pioneering mommy blogger Heather Armstrong, known as Dooce to fans, has died at home in Salt Lake City. She was 47. Her live-in partner, Pete Ashdown, confirmed her death by suicide. He said he found her Tuesday night. Armstrong had laid bare her struggles as a mother and her battles with depression and alcoholism on her site, Dooce.com, and on social media since 2001. Ashdown told The Associated Press that Armstrong had been sober for more than 18 months but had recently relapsed. She was one of the first and most popular mommy bloggers. She wrote frankly about her children, relationships and other challenges.
Nyandarua County Government is documenting, preserving the Mau Mau history and establishing a museum at the colonial house in Kinyahwe, Gathara ward, Governor Kiarie Badilisha has announced.

Speaking when he visited the home of departed freedom fighter Mukami Kimathi in their Njabini home, Governor Badilisha also amplified his earlier call for the national government to look into ways of identifying the remains of Dedan Kimathi who was killed by the colonial administration and allegedly buried at Kamiti prison.

Charged with the responsibility to chair the county team planning for her funeral, Governor Badilisha held a meeting with the family, the clergy, county Members of Parliament, and national government stakeholders on according the departed heroine a befitting burial.

Let us bring closure to this sad chapter by identifying the site the body is buried, and bury that hero with the honour he deserves.

The late Mukami was a distinguished freedom fighter and we will be burying a patriot whose contribution to the birth of a modern independent Kenya is eternally embedded in the history of this Republic; she deserves state honour and rites as a freedom fighter, said Badilisha.

Before her demise, the Mau Mau heroine had sworn not to be buried until the remains of Dedan Kimathi were found or his graveyard identified.

Her family, however, said that they had decided to bury her this coming Saturday but will continue with their resolve to identify Kimathis graveyard.

The event was graced by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who promised to foreground issues and welfare of the Mau Mau.

The Deputy President assured county residents of his commitment to addressing the historical injustices that have faced the freedom fighters and their families.

The late Mukami will be buried on Saturday in Njabini in a ceremony expected to be graced by President William Ruto.

The late Mukami died on Thursday night aged 96 years. She was the wife to Mau Mau general Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi Waciuri who was captured and hanged by colonialists in February 1958.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has expressed fears that there might be many more victims of the Shakahola cult as the second phase of the exhumation exercise kicked off on Tuesday.

Speaking after arriving in Malindi to supervise the exercise, CS Kindiki said the exhumation will take longer than expected as he termed the Shakahola cult deaths as a highly organised crime.

I am afraid we have many graves. The damage is quite significant, 20 mass graves are currently being opened. The process is far from over, said the Interior minister.

CS Kindiki also revealed that detectives are closing in on conspirators of the starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie. He said search and rescue efforts for other members of the Good News International Church were also ongoing.

On behalf of the government I want to assure the people of Kenya that the government will inform the public the whole truth of what has happened to our people here, the CS said.

Prof Kindiki said the government would use all available resources to establish what had occurred at Shakahola.

To complement the ground teams that are combing the vast Shakahola forest with sniffer dogs, authorities are also using drones the CS said.

Meanwhile, pastor Paul Mackenzie and 17 other co-accused persons remain in police custody with the prosecution seeking a further 90 days to allow for the completion of investigations.

Senior principal magistrate Yusuf Shikanda is expected to rule on the request on Wednesday.
Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), Chief Executive Officer Ezekiel Mutua has praised rapper Colonel Mustafa for taking the bull by the horns after the former musician was spotted working at a construction site to make ends meet.

While asking for the rappers phone number, Dr Mutua said construction work, otherwise known locally as Mjengo, is not necessarily for failures.

Someone please inbox me Mustafas number. I have mad love and respect for people who face life head-on and do what a man has got to do to put food on the table. Theres absolutely no shame in taking up a mjengo job to feed yourself and your loved ones, he said.

According to Dr Mutua, Colonel Mustafa is the kind of celebrity that deserves to be helped.

Unlike other celebrities, Mustafa has refused to wallow in self-pity and is not ashamed of his hustle. And by the way, mjengo is not necessarily for failures. It is a job like any other. But it takes courage for a celebrity of the calibre of Mustafa to take to such menial activities with pride. I love the positive attitude. This is the kind to be supported, he said.

RELATED  Robert Alai cautions well-wishers against fundraising for Colonel Mustafa

The MCSK boss later said he sent monetary support to Mustafa and his mother who is suffering from Stage 2 Lymphoma Cancer.

Mutua said he has also organised for a meeting with Mustafa to discuss long-term measures of how he would recoup the money earned from his songs over the years.

MCSK will also provide Mustafa with lawyers if the matter goes to court. Dr Mutua added that they discussed plans on getting Mustafa back into the music business.
Kenya and Israel will work together to eliminate barriers to trade between them.

President William Ruto and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there exists huge potential between the two countries.

We must exploit these opportunities. There is a wide range of exports that deserve to reach the Israel market, said President Ruto.

He said the absence of direct flights between Kenya and Israel is a serious impediment that continues to hamper trade and tourism.

President Ruto made the remarks on Tuesday when he met the Prime Minister of Israel at his office in Jerusalem. He observed that Kenya and Israel posses unique global attractions that can sustain robust growth in tourism.

Without free movement, tourism is severely restricted.

The President said the review of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement gives Kenya Airways and El-Al  the flag carrier of Israel  an opportunity to elevate their operations.

Ruto said it was time Kenya-Israel cooperation was enhanced due to the sub-par trade volumes.

Today, Kenyan exports to Israel are worth Sh1.1 Billion whilst imports from Israel amount to Sh7.5 Billion a year.

We are underperforming; but we have clear potential to do much more.

He said the imbalance is not a result of natural equilibrium in Kenyas export performance but impositions on export producers.

On his part, Mr Netanyahu committed to continue working with Kenya in fighting terrorism, countering radicalisation and violent extremism.

It is our focus that we remain stable and peaceful as we pursue our socio-economic friendship, he said.

Earlier, President Ruto met his Israel counterpart Isaac Herzog at his residence in Jerusalem where they agreed to expand Kenya-Israel cooperation.

We are broadening our friendship to efficiently produce more to feed our people and export the surplus, argued President Ruto.

President Herzog observed that Israels modern farming technology will sustainably drive Kenyas hugely transformational plan.

-PCS
Investigations are ongoing into the shocking death of a preacher based in Kangundo, Machakos county.

Charles Kituku Muthusi, 59, of the AIC church was found dead with his eyes gouged out on Tuesday morning. His body had been dumped in a maize plantation, about 50 meters away from his house.

Police said preliminary investigations showed pastor Muthusi sustained head injuries.

Officers from Kawethei police post said they recovered several pieces of rock that appeared to have been used to bludgeon the preacher.

The cops also recovered a screwdriver at the scene believed to have been used to gouge out Muthuiss eyes.

Muthusis brother, Reverend Peter Muthusi, said he was shocked by his brothers death.

Bizarrely, Rev Peter said their other brother met a similar fate in Nairobi a while back but the murder remains unsolved.

Police moved the body of the deceased to the Kangundo Level 4 Hospital awaiting postmortem as investigations continue.
My deadline is fast approaching, so no lollygagging this week  and no double-checking to ascertain whether lollygagging needs a hyphen. Here we go.

***

If theres any surer conversation-starter than St. Helena politics, its St. Helena city finances. City Manager Anil Comelo and Vice Mayor Eric Hall will brief the Rotary Club on the citys financial picture on Tuesday, May 16. Lunch ($30) is at noon, followed by the program at 12:30 p.m. For a lunch conversation contact Cindy Warren at 707-483-7008 or cynthiawarren1@gmail.com.

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Young readers attracted to the mystique of Paris should check out St. Helena author Maria Castellucci Moores new book Vivienne in Paris, which she will sign at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Caldwell Snyder Gallery. And yes, wine will be served, but most assuredly not to members of the books target audience!

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Applications are being accepted to the Napa Valley Music Associates 28th MidSummer MusiCamp July 10-21 at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Napa. The camp is geared toward music students ages 11 to 18 with at least three years of musical study under their belts. Details at napavalleymusicassociates.org.

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Cultural fads come and go, but pirates never go out of style, thanks in part of the enduring popularity of Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island. Join the Robert Louis Stevenson Museums annual Treasure Hunt from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 27, which will start at the museum and have you marauding Main Street in no time. Pirate costumes are encouraged. The museums promotional material makes no mention of pirate accents, but Im assuming those are welcome too.

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If you missed historian and author John McCormicks St. Helena Historical Society lecture on the contributions of Napa Valleys forgotten Chinese population, youll get another chance at the St. Helena Public Library at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11. Learn about the contributions of Chinese laborers and the hardships they faced during their short time in the Napa Valley in the late 19th century.

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Youth pastor and religious educator Steve Case will help you address questions like Who am I?, Why am I here? and Where am I going? during a series of talks May 12-13 at the St. Helena Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1777 Main St. I dont know about you, but I could use all the help I can get with those questions 

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Expect a sellout when the Mike Greensill Quartet brings its jazzy melodies and toe-tapping rhythms to the Cameo Cinema at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 21. Vocalist Gale Terminello will join Mikes band on a dive into the Great American Songbook. Tickets are $35 at cameocinema.com.

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Nimbus Arts fans, I have good news and bad news. Bad news: Its too late to get tickets for Saturdays Nimbash, which sold out faster than you can say arty party. Good news: You can still participate in the live auction as a proxy bidder. Email molly@nimbusarts.org to make arrangements and view the auction catalog at nimbusarts.org.

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St. Helena police dispatchers are now working from Calistoga. This will be quite an adjustment, so try to be extra-polite and patient with them. Theyre some of the most professional and pleasant people youll encounter  even when we unwisely call 911 to ask them what time it is!
Twenty years ago, Rianda House was a house. Fifteen years ago, it was a modest senior center offering coffee and the morning paper.

Today its a full-service senior center offering dozens of programs to hundreds of Upvalley residents.

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During the run-up to Riandas 15th anniversary open house on May 20, the centers leaders reflected on its changing role in the Upvalley, its perseverance during the pandemic, and its future.

Board member Gene Armstead, who was also the centers first executive director in 2008, recalled those early days of coffee and a newspaper.

My job was to unlock the door in the morning and make coffee. That was it, he said. I marvel at how far weve come.

Today Rianda House offers as many as six activities per day: strength training, Readers Theatre, Gents & A Cuppa Joe, Ladies & A Cuppa Tea, canasta, mah-jongg, bridge, knitting, music appreciation, dementia caregiver support, etc.

The hottest new program is country line dancing at the Magnolia Room around the corner at Oak and Pine, which Rianda House rents on Wednesdays and Fridays. The staff also rents office space on the first floor of the Baldwin Building next to Rianda House, freeing up space in the main building for events.

Organizers are proud of Rianda House being a place where seniors are mentally and physically active. Drop by on a random day and you might find music fans talking about the San Francisco Operas latest production, Francophiles brushing up on their French, fitness buffs doing Zumba, or retired executives with masters degrees chatting about the latest trends in economics and international relations.

We have a variety of programs that addresses the variety of needs of local seniors, board member Carroll Cotten said.

That expansion in programming puts Rianda House in a position to handle an explosion in the senior population, with the youngest baby boomers just now entering their 60s.

History

Rianda House began as Riandas house  simply a house belonging to St. Helena real estate agent Jean Rianda, who died in 2003. In her will she directed that the house be converted to a senior center. Riandas close friend, former Mayor Greta Ericson, founded the organizations first board of directors.

They went from bank to bank looking for a construction loan until First Republic Bank  which collapsed May 1  stepped up with a $690,000 loan that became a mortgage once construction was complete.

Rianda House leaders were able to pay off the loan in only seven years. After May 2015, the money that had been going toward mortgage payments was now freed up for staffing and programming, which fueled the centers growth in the late 2010s.

Rianda organizers take pride in how the center navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, providing virtual services at a time when some senior centers went on hiatus.

We never closed. Ever, Working said.

The pandemic was the first indicator that Rianda House could navigate uncharted territory. The next came with the May 2022 retirement of Julie Spencer, whod served as executive director since October 2008 and had played a crucial role in shaping its identity.

The board tapped Maury Robertson to fill her role and hired new staff members. There are now three full-time and one part-time staff.

Robertson said hed expected to spend 2023 getting the new staff settled in before expanding services in 2024, but the expansion is already starting.

Serving the Upvalley

The center now offers six activities in Calistoga. That reflects Riandas long-term mission to serve the entire Upvalley, not just St. Helena  although organizers admit they still need to work on reaching seniors in remote areas like Angwin and Berryessa Estates.

Were starting to think of Rianda House not just as a place where people come for activities, Robertson said. It will remain that, but our dream is for it to be a provider of senior activities for the whole Upvalley.

The question is how to reach seniors  both inside and outside St. Helena  who arent being served, either because they cant leave home or they cant find a ride. The board has decided this isnt the time to expand Riandas physical plant, but rather to take Rianda House to them, as board president Peter Working put it.

That involves a different way of thinking, a different focus in terms of where staff and volunteers spend their time, and finding ways to coordinate and pay for that, Working said. Its still cheaper than buying new space, and it gives us more flexibility.

That means putting on events at places like Calistogas senior parks and the the city's Brannan Center.

It also means building on Riandas virtual offerings, which didnt entirely go away even as in-person programming resumed after the pandemic. Working and other board members see virtual programming as a way to keep seniors who prefer to stay home socially engaged and mentally active  as long as they have some help setting up the technology.

Wed love to be able to get to people in their houses, but we dont have the resources right now, Working said. We are working on a program for that though.

Another challenge is to provide those services without detracting from Rianda Houses on-site offerings.

At our last planning session we talked about doing the things we do really well in St. Helena before we expand too far afield without the resources to back that up, said board member Bonnie Thoreen.

Meeting goals

Cotten said Robertson has helped the board focus on our primary goals and how we can track our progress.

One of those goals is to have 1,000 engagements  contacts with people  every month. Engagements have already topped 800 and are steadily rising.

Some of those engagements are the same people attending multiple events, so Robertson estimates there are about 300 different people using Riandas services every month and about 1,200 every year.

We want those numbers to go up, Working said.

Another goal is to provide a place where seniors can bring their gifts and talents, not just their needs. That goal is harder to quantify but easy to perceive, especially for those whove ever visited a senior center that feels depressing and moribund.

I want to see a culture shift in how people think about aging, Robertson said. We need to think of our older years as something rich and meaningful  something to be savored.

Cotten said to expect increased numbers and more creative programming over the next year. Robertson says to expect evening programs too, instead of Rianda Houses typical 5 p.m. closing time.

Rianda House receives annual grants from the city of St. Helena but mostly relies on private donations. To learn more about the centers programs and how to donate, go to riandahouse.org.

The center is also looking for new volunteers and board members. For more information, call 707-963-8555 or drop by Rianda House, 1475 Main St.

Photos: Casino Rianda, Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament, 2019 Top 6 finishers Susan Durbrow Andy Gridley, Susan Durbrow Chips Jennifer Lamb, Susan Collins Phoebe Ellsworth, Alan Galbraith, Leslie Cobb-Bruno April Mitts Kris Ridste Final table Elizabeth Cobb-Bruno, Raymond Bruno Andy Gridley, Polly Keegan
Demonstrators hold up train traffic at the Lexington and 63rd station on May 6, 2023, in New York to protest the death of Jordan Neely. Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran who was filmed applying a chokehold to Neely, has not been charged in his death. (Hilary Swift/The New York Times)

We should not rush to judgment too quickly in the case of Daniel Penny. Too many already have done that.

Penny, 24, has been identified by his attorneys as the Marine veteran who was video-recorded choking Jordan Neely, 30, on a New York City subway train last week.

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He might conceivably have earned praise for helping subdue an erratic man who was homeless and exhibited mental illness in a city where disturbing subway encounters are a way of life. Neely was yelling at passengers that he was hungry, thirsty  and, according to one witness  ready to die, according to news reports.

There was no reported indication that he was violent or made any direct threats to anyone. But one rider, Penny, approached Neely like a confident Marine and held him in a chokehold until he became limp. Two other riders appeared to help pin him down. Neely was pronounced dead at a hospital in Greenwich Village.

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Jordan Neely is pictured in 2009 before going to see the Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" outside the Regal Cinemas in New York's Times Square. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News)

Because Penny is white and Neely was Black, Neelys death exploded across national media as one of the biggest racially charged controversies of its type since Bernhard Hugo Goetz Jr., the so-called subway vigilante who shot four young Black men on a train in December 1984.

They had asked Goetz for money but were unarmed except for three screwdrivers in their pockets, according to reports. But, in a city that had grown tense with violent crime and angry with racial politics, the Goetz saga inflamed racial fears, politics and resentments on all sides.

After initial emotions cooled, Goetz eventually was convicted in 1987 of illegal possession of a handgun and served less than a year in jail.

Now, the 1980s era of Bonfire of the Vanities in New York has been replaced by the era of Black Lives Matter, along with a resurgence of far-right politics nationally. The tragic clash between Neely and Penny symbolizes a new set of social problems  and rushes to judgment.

[ Editorial: In the New York subway chokehold death, we must force ourselves to wait for the facts ]

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that Neely had been murdered. City Comptroller Brad Lander called Penny a vigilante, a throwback to the Goetz days. Protesters blocked subway tracks at one point and took to the streets with calls to punish Penny, claiming that Penny would have been locked up immediately had he not been white.

Mayor Eric Adams called the vigilante comments irresponsible in a CNN appearance and sensibly noted that the investigation is continuing.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs when you had a passenger assisting someone, he recalled. And so we cannot just blanketedly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that, and we should allow the investigation to take its course.

Indeed, the fact that the medical examiner called Neelys death a homicide is a description of the cause of his death, not Pennys motives.

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Adams is right. Although some of the protesters and other critics call the former Marine a trained killer who knew what he was doing, military training and police training are hardly the same, although some misguided souls might like to make it so.

A memorial for Jordan Neely continues to grow on May 6, 2023, outside of the Broadway-Lafayette subway station where he died after a violent encounter with another subway passenger in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

The tragedy of Neelys death will not be made any less tragic by rushing to judgment. In an era in which police are being encouraged to improve relations and build allies in the communities they serve, we should not condemn someone who genuinely is trying to help maintain order.

Neelys life turned tragic in a chain of sad stories. His mother was strangled by her boyfriend in 2007 and found stuffed in a suitcase in the Bronx, according to news reports.

Outreach workers were so familiar with him that he made the citys Top 50 list, an internal roster kept by the Department of Homeless Services of people living on the street who were most in need of help, according to the New York Post. He reportedly cycled in and out of hospitals, jails and shelters for years.

An amusing street performer of Michael Jackson imitations, he nevertheless racked up more than three dozen arrests, at least four on charges of punching people, according to The New York Times. Perhaps the subway riders had a good reason to be nervous  although, unlike a lot of other people, I dont want to rush to judgment.

cpage@chicagotribune.com

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The St. Helena Unified School District is investigating clean energy, including solar systems, at its four schools.

After a study session on Tuesday, trustees asked staff to bring back a $150,000 contract with Napa-based Recolte Energy for possible approval at the boards May 18 meeting.

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Recolte President Gopal Shanker has managed similar projects for the Napa Valley Unified School District and wineries like Sutter Home and Castello di Amorosa. Hes suggesting solar panels at RLS Middle School and St. Helena Elementary School, a low-emission linear generator at St. Helena High School, and a total of 60 electric vehicle charging stations at all four of the districts schools.

Shanker estimates the plan would save the district about $143,000 in energy bills in its first year, which would almost cover the cost of the Recolte contract.

If the board approves the contract, Shanker would perform a feasibility study fine-tuning the proposal, then craft a request for proposals seeking a company to build the equipment. If the district moves ahead with the project, construction could be done by the end of summer 2024.

The board also wants to investigate the possibility of solar panels at the high school  something Shanker didnt recommend at first blush  and the noise and vibration associated with the linear generator hes proposing along Grayson Avenue near the high school pool.

A linear generator compresses PG&Es natural gas to produce electricity. Since the gas is compressed instead of burned, it produces minimal emissions.

The district would hire a third-party company to build, operate and own the linear generator and solar panels, and the district would buy the resulting electricity from those companies through a power purchase agreement.

The districts out-of-pocket costs would be limited to Recolte's $150,000 management fee, legal review of the associated contracts, and the cost of buying the electricity from the third-party company, which would be cheaper than buying it from PG&E.

Photos: St. Helena High School Homecoming, 2022 St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022 St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022 St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022 St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022 David Aguilera DeLuna and Cleo McClain, Homecoming royalty St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022 St. Helena High School Homecoming parade, 2022
The May 1 City Council public hearing on the Hunter project had a surprise for those of us who had prepared to speak, including myself. I always write my comments down and practice them to be sure they will not run over the allocated time limit established by the City Council. Mine was to have taken about three minutes and 45 seconds. The established limit has been four minutes for a very long time. Because of the large number of people wanting to make comments the time was reduced to four minutes and I did not get to finish. So, this letter to the editor is what I wanted to say.

In the Master Response section of the Final Environmental Impact document there are responses to the concerns of residents related to being able to leave Vineyard Valley, the Hunter development homes and surrounding homes in an emergency. An emergency access plan was developed by the St. Helena Fire Department and St. Helena Police Department. One of the emergency access roads is listed as the maintenance road on top of the levee. In order to gain access to that road a sort of on-ramp is shown on the plan that is up against the levee and possibly cut into it. There are no engineering studies showing how much damage to the levee this would cause. This is an absolute must. The levee is compromised by burrowing animals and to add insult to injury, an on-ramp will compromise it even more. This should be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The rationale for proclaiming that the residents of Vineyard Valley and Hunter project residents can safely exit out over the levee is an emergency evacuation drill held on Aug. 3, 2021 in broad daylight. The residents living on the east side of Vineyard Valley, east of Paseo Grande, were told to exit over the levee. There are 125 homes on the east side of Vineyard Valley. The residents in homes west of Paseo Grande were told to exit to Pope and over to the high school. There are 115 homes on the West side of VV. There was no surprise element. We were all informed this was going to happen. Many people ignored the exercise and didnt go out over the levee or out to Pope Street. A realistic evacuation drill could be done in a couple of ways. Have all homes evacuate out over the levee; better yet, do it at night. In a natural disaster the apartments at Stonebridge would be exiting College onto Pope while Vineyard Valley residents were trying to enter Pope making right-hand turns. Councilmember Chouteau was quoted in the Star as saying she places a lot of value in our fire chief and police chief. Councilman Hall agreed. So do I, but they are not traffic engineers, nor are they civil engineers. There is not sufficient information to proclaim that the Hunter development would not be a safety hazard when natural disasters required evacuation.

Since I dont have a three-minute limit, here I am going to just add a few words about housing being required by the state of California and how the city can meet the requirements and stop being hysterical about the possible loss of revenue. The city is required to build a combination of very low-income, low-income and moderate-income housing units totaling 188 in eight years. Rounded up to 200 units, that is 25 per year. Our Town St. Helena is the nonprofit affordable housing organization that has been responsible for building all the affordable housing units in the past 23 years that I have lived here. They have 50 housing units in the pipeline. They are on Pope and Main streets. Those count toward the city requirement because the city has provided some funds for the units built including Brenkle Court. They will most certainly be providing funding for the upcoming 50 units. That is two years' worth of meeting the state requirement. In that interim they can build some housing on Railroad and/or Main and/or Adams. All these properties are debt-free. The city could form a St. Helena Housing Agency, partner with an affordable housing developer and start taking steps to meet their RHNA quota without putting current residents in danger.

In the history of St. Helena I am aware of three serious errors made by the city councils of the past: 1. Declining to connect to the water from Lake Hennessey that Calistoga chose to accept. 2. Not building another bridge over the river at Pope Street. They even had the financing but declined. 3. Not building the flood control project that would have extended Adams Street over the river in line with the entrance to Meadowood. I hope we dont see the fourth in allowing the Hunter project to go forward.

Pat Dell

St. Helena
Maria Castellucci Moore of St. Helena will sign copies of her new childrens book Vivienne in Paris during a book signing and wine reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Caldwell Snyder Gallery at 1328 Main St. in St. Helena.

Castelluccis literary debut tells of a young Parisian girl traveling the streets of Paris, experiencing the sensory details that make her feel alive, and learning who she is.

The book is illustrated by Emanuela Mannello and was released May 2 by Mascot Kids. Its available at mariacastelluccimooreauthor.com and wherever books are sold.

Wines from the authors Castellucci Napa Valley brand will be poured during the reception.
The trial of a man accused of fatally shooting a grocery worker in American Canyon nearly three years ago entered its final stages Tuesday, when attorneys began making their final cases for Christopher Roly Youngs guilt or innocence in the death of Nathan Gabriel Garza.

Nearly two months after opening in Napa County Superior Court, the murder trial of the 26-year-old Young entered closing arguments  in which prosecutors pointed to what they called a wealth of video and witness evidence pointing to the Martinez resident as the man who on Aug. 16, 2020 killed the 18-year-old Garza outside the Safeway supermarket where the recent high school graduate worked.

This crime was cold-blooded, this crime was calculated, and this crime was an assassination, Napa County Deputy District Attorney Diane Knoles told jurors Tuesday morning in a courtroom with a large photo of a smiling Garza on an easel and a picture of his lifeless, bloodied body on a projection screen  the same two clashing images she displayed when the trial began March 27.

This crime was Kafkaesque, it was grotesque and obscene, and it was evil.

But Youngs defense attorney Michael Keeley continued to deny any guilt on his clients part  arguing, as he has since before the trial began, that Youngs friend Tyler Howell actually killed Garza and then pointed law enforcement toward Young instead.

Even if jurors dont accept that Howell  who prosecutors say told law enforcement that Young took his car and gun without his knowledge, while he slept at a house they were renting  caused Garzas death, the video and witness evidence against Young is too weak for a murder conviction and leaves ample room for a reasonable doubt about his guilt, Keeley said.

It is doubt based on reason, he told the jury toward the end of his closing statement in the late afternoon. It is not imaginary; it is based on the evidence.

Young has been held in the Napa County jail since his arrest within an hour of Garzas death. He faces a first-degree murder charge with the possibility of life imprisonment and no parole  with a special allegation of lying in wait for his victim  as well as charges of felony firearm and ammunition possession and firing a gun from a motor vehicle.

Judge Elia Ortiz informed jurors they may also opt to convict Young of second-degree murder, if they agree he killed Garza but not that he did so with premeditation and planning.

Closing statements began after a lengthy prosecution case that included more than 500 separate exhibits, including video footage from various security cameras  at the Safeway where Garza was killed, outside homes whose residents say Young fled past them or through their yards after the shooting, and near the rented house in American Canyon where prosecutors say Young, Howell and two women were staying on the night before the slaying.

A COVID-19 outbreak also suspended the trial in late April, resulting in two of the 12 jurors being replaced by alternates. After prosecutors rested at midday Tuesday, the defense made its entire that case that afternoon. Young did not testify.

Keeley has argued that the man who shot Garza was not Young but Youngs friend Tyler Howell, who was staying in the same rented house in the city before Garzas death. DNA samples and fingerprints match Howell and not Young to the Smith & Wesson handgun used in the shooting, and no videos or witnesses implicate Young, Keeley argued before and during the trial.

On Tuesday, Knoles sought to drive home the case for Youngs guilt, sharing a timeline of events, photos and videos in the hours leading to the shooting.

Security camera snippets, she said, illustrate a call Young made at 11:54 a.m. from his cellphone to the Safeways drive-up delivery line, after which Garza went outside pulling a shopping cart toward a white Cadillac sedan parked in the grocery pickup area. A video shows a muzzle flash from the car at 12:01 p.m., at the moment Garza fell to the ground and the Cadillac sped away, according to Knoles.

Videos captured at nearby homes show Young  after abandoning the car  running through a backyard and clambering over its fence, added Knoles, who said neighborhood residents described Young warning them to stay quiet and in one case trying to steal a bicycle until a resident came outside holding a machete.

Keeley, however, pointed to a woman parked next to Youngs car who picked Howells photo and not Youngs out of a police lineup as the man inside the Cadillac from which the shots were fired. (Prosecutors have said the woman later expressed uncertainty about her identification.) Other witnesses to the crime, like two Safeway employees working the on-premises gas station, only saw the speeding car momentarily and could not have clearly identified the shooter, he said.

Keeley also suggested that Howell, after the shooting, ran about a mile from the Cadillac back to the rented house, abandoning Young to face the police pursuit.

Gunshot residue also was found on the T-shirt and camouflage pants Howell was wearing when he was arrested later that night on a drug allegation, according to Keeley, who suggested that any residue found on Youngs clothes could have transferred after investigators bagged several articles of clothing together.

Even the motives for shooting Garza revealed a wide gulf between prosecution and defense.

Knoles emphasized the legal danger in which Young found himself after the incident a week before at the Cordelia Safeway, saying his citation for having drug paraphernalia violated not only his probation but his bail conditions after a 2019 conviction in Alameda County. Attacking a worker at a different Safeway nearby  a person he had never met  enabled Young to strike back without being recognized, Knoles said.

However, Howell, whose brother had been arrested in Cordelia the week before Garzas death, actually had a stronger motive to attack a Safeway worker than Young, according to Keeley, who said calls Young made from his phone that morning  to the mother of his child, and to a car dealership about a possible purchase  gave no hint of anger or stress.

Calls Howell made to Young shortly after the shooting, which prosecutors have said pointed to his confusion about seeing his car and gun gone, actually indicated his willingness to have his roommate take the fall for the shooting, Keeley told jurors.

He thought hed been caught, (and) suddenly it changed from Where are you? to Im not going down; youre going down, he said.

Prosecutors are scheduled to offer their rebuttal to Keeley starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
A decision on whether to seek a death penalty prosecution against the suspect in a series of stabbings in Davis may be months away, with prosecutors studying every available aspect of the background of Carlos Reales Dominguez.

You go by the book, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in an interview Friday in his Woodland office shortly after Reales Dominguez pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

Reisig would not discuss specifics of the Reales Dominguez case.

But he said his office follows a laborious procedure to determine the background of each suspect who may be eligible for a death penalty prosecution, including studying mitigating and aggravating circumstances in the persons life, such as age, mental issues or abuse, or trauma.

The death penalty is reserved for a very small case type, where you have premeditated first-degree murder with a special circumstance ... Reisig said. And so that necessitates an extensive review of the persons entire history of criminal conduct, and even conduct that wasnt prosecuted, but was otherwise violent.

And that can be very labor intensive.

In essence, Reisig said, investigators go back as far as possible to study a suspects background.

In order to do the analysis, you have to actually look at the individuals entire life, he said. And thats what takes so long in these decisions...

To make the decision on whether or not youre going to seek the death penalty, you have to basically look at the persons life from birth until now. And you look at, where did they grow up? What was going on in the home? Was there trauma? What was the family situation?

Was there exposure to drugs, violence, that type of thing.

Reisig said mitigating factors that could lead to a decision not to pursue a death penalty trial can include evidence of mental health issues, abuse as a child or even the suspects age.

Its a very deep dive, he said. We pull school records. You go all the way back to the earliest days that you can. Were they a good student? Were there problems?

Investigators also study the facts of the crimes, which court filings in the Reales Dominguez case describe as involving great violence and disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness.

Reales Dominguez, 21, is accused of using a large hunting knife to repeatedly stab three people in Davis between April 26 and May 1, two of them fatally.

David Henry Breaux, 50, was found dead in Central Park on April 27 from numerous stab wounds. Court papers say he may have been killed the day before.

The second victim, Karim Abou Najm, 20, was a UC Davis student who was stabbed to death the night of April 29 in Sycamore Park, a half-mile from where Reales Dominguez lived in a rental home with roommates.

The third stabbing occurred just before midnight on May 1, when a woman living in a tent near Second and L streets was attacked by someone who slashed open the side of the tent and stabbed her repeatedly. Kimberlee Guillory survived the attack.

In charging Reales Dominguez, Reisigs office alleged special circumstances for multiple murders, in that Carlos Reales Dominguez murdered more than one person.

Those charges make Reales Dominguez eligible for a sentence of life without parole or the death penalty, if convicted.

Davis police have said they do not believe Reales Dominguez, who was a biological sciences major at UC Davis until he was kicked out April 25 for unspecified academic reasons, has a prior criminal record.

Factors that could be used to decide whether to pursue a death penalty prosecution include other violent criminal activity by the suspect, whether the suspect was under extreme mental or emotional strain.

In a previous high-profile double, murder in Davis  the 2013 stabbing slayings of Claudia Maupin, 76, and Oliver Northup, 87, as the couple slept in their home  the death penalty did not come into play because Daniel Marsh, who was later convicted of the murders, was only 15 at the time.

Reisig, who has been district attorney for 17 years, said his office has pursued the death penalty only once while he has overseen the office. In the 2018 slaying of Yolo County sheriffs Deputy Tony Diaz prosecutors convicted Marco Topete, who was sentenced to death.

During his time in office, Reisig said, prosecutors have analyzed dozens of cases that could qualify for a death penalty prosecution.

I dont make that decision in a bubble, Reisig said. We gather together our executive team, which is all of the most senior experienced prosecutors in the office, and we include our investigators whove conducted this investigation for us.

And we go through the entire history. We go through all of these factors in aggravation and mitigation. We debate, we go back and forth. Sometimes this takes days of discussion...

We debate it, we deliberate, and then a recommendation is made to me, and then I make the decision. I can say with certainty that as long as Ive been the DA the decision has always been unanimous with my executive team.

The fact that Gov. Gavin Newsom has suspended the use of the death penalty in California will not play a role in any decision, Reisig said.

That was a unilateral move by the governor, which by the way, he had promised he wouldnt do during his campaign, Reisig said. And I didnt forget that.

And the reality is that less than two years before that voters in California had ratified the death penalty, so its the law, its still on the books ... its still here. And my job is to look at it and make a decision.

So thats what Ill do.
Naval Group has signed contracts with five Hellenic companies as part of its Hellenic Industrial Participation (HIP) plan related to the FDI HN frigates program, under the Foreign Direct Investment program for the Hellenic Navy.

Naval Group's booth at DEFEA 2023. (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

Naval Group has signed contracts with five Hellenic companies as part of its Hellenic Industrial Participation (HIP) plan related to the FDI HN frigates program, under the Foreign Direct Investment program for the Hellenic Navy.

The contracts were signed on May 9th, 2023 at the DEFEA exhibition in Athens. The HIP plan was launched in March 2022 at the start of the FDI HN program, and with the contracts signed on May 9th, the plan now involves over 60 Hellenic companies, providing high skilled jobs and economic benefits for Greece.

The contracts cover a range of activities, including pre-outfitting, optronic activities, mechanical equipment production and supply, naval weapons component production, and new activities involving welders and pipe fitters in Naval Group's shipyard in Lorient.

DENaval Group seeks to establish a long-term partnership with the Hellenic defense industry and to develop its footprint in Greece through partnerships with the Hellenic industry, research, and academic partners.

The company aims to enlarge the Hellenic companies' participation in its global supply chain, which will provide opportunities for them to participate in other programs and future international competitions.

Naval Group's HIP plan will not only contribute to the construction and support of the FDI HN but also to the creation of a robust naval industrial ecosystem in Greece. This structured and long-term partnership will foster production in Greece and enhance the capability to address future needs.

About the FDI HN

About the FDI HN

The FDI HN is an impressive naval vessel with a displacement of 4,500 tons, a length of approximately 122 meters, and a width of 18 meters. With a maximum speed of 27 knots, the frigate can travel quickly and efficiently across the sea. Her aviation facilities are also notable, as she can accommodate a 10-ton class helicopter and a VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The FDI HN is armed with advanced weaponry, including 32 Aster missiles and 8 Exocet MM40 B3C missiles developed by MBDA, RAM missiles, MU 90 torpedoes developed by Naval Group, a 76 mm gun, 4 torpedo tubes, and CANTO countermeasures also developed by Naval Group.
Two people die at ballot boxes in Turkey

MP: Iran and Egypt to restore relations

Philippines installs buoys in South China Sea

Peskov calls agreements basis for settlement in South Caucasus

Michel-Pashinyan-Aliev meeting starts in Brussels

Financial Times: G7 and EU to ban restart of Russian gas pipelines

RA MoD holds briefing with military attaches and EU observers

Member of Erdogan's party dies near ballot box

Fragile truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Artsakh president sends condolences to family of politician Murad Petrosyan

18 fires rage Russia's Tyumen region

Zelenskyy meets German President Steinmeier

Turkey deploys over 600 thousand policemen

Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev meeting starts in Brussels

3 earthquakes recorded off Kamchatka coast

Zelenskyy arrives in Germany to meet its leaders

Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections start today

Major road accident in Yerevan

Armenian PM holds informal meeting with Charles Michel

Cocaine found aboard Colombian "narco sub"

Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijani forces attack Armenia's sovereign territory

Borrell: World military spending hits record $2.2 trillion

Iran captures ISIS terrorist

Italian PM promises full support for Ukraine

"Fair Armenia" party to nominate Norik Norikyan as Yerevan mayor candidate

Poland detects air object flying from Belarus

Alen Simonyan leads delegation leaving for Minsk

Pakistan bans Facebook, YouTube and Twitter

Armenian FM briefs Derek Hogan on Azerbaijan's latest provocation

Borrell: EU should accelerate ammunition supply to Ukraine

Polish archaeologists uncover ancient bakery in Armenia

Ambassador Kvien: I heard heartbreaking stories from families of missing soldiers

Helicopter crashes in Russian Bryansk

Clashes erupt between neo-Nazis, anti-fascists and police in Melbourne

European Council publishes Pashinyan-Aliyev-Michel meeting schedule

Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flight delayed due to technical malfunction

GOP members demand Biden take cognitive test

Fatal accident on Dalar-Aygestan road

Armenian PM Pashinyan leaves for Brussels

Belgium to open embassy in Armenia

G7 raises economic aid to Ukraine

Man pronounced dead by coroner revived at hospital

US Treasury Secretary to update Congress on default

US and Europe believe Ukraine's counteroffensive could boost talks

Borrell: It will be difficult to trust China

Blinken and Kuleba discuss Ukraine's counteroffensive preparations

80-year-old Armenian woman dies in attack on Rehovot in Israel

Ministry of Defense: There have been recorded no notable ceasefire violations over the night

20-year-old Narek Baghdasaryan was killed as a result of Azerbaijani attack

The Armenian side has one more wounded. Ministry of Defense

The intensity of fire in the direction of Verin Shorzha has decreased. Ministry of Defense

As a result of enemy fire Armenian side has 1 killed and 1 wounded. Ministry of Defence

The intensity of enemy fire has significantly subsided. Ministry of Defence

Azerbaijan continues to fire in Kut and Sotk areas

Azerbaijan also uses mortars in the direction of Sotk positions. Ministry of Defense

Turkish lira hits a new historic low

Azerbaijan violated ceasefire in the direction of Kut using mortars

ORC survey: Turkey presidential election will end in 1st round with Kilicdaroglu victory Sunday

Armenia restores diplomatic relations with Hungary

Azerbaijani shells were exploding 100 meters away from Sotk village, Armenia opposition MP says

Armenia MOD: Situation on frontline with Azerbaijan relatively stable as of 5:50pm

Armenia's tourism potential was presented in Dubai

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan army opened fire toward combat positions near Kut village

Dubai aviation authorities prohibit FlyOne Armenia flight from landing

Armenia ambassador to OSCE: Azerbaijan use of force is aimed at undermining international efforts to establish stability

Mher Grigoryan briefs Christine Weigand on Lachin corridor blockades severe consequences for Karabakh children

Armenia MOD: Injuries of 2 Armenia soldiers wounded today are not life-threatening

NO to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh initiative members hand signatures to embassies in Armenia, to government

Tasmania state parliament in Australia recognizes Armenian Genocide

Armenia human rights advocate: Instead of 33, we have additional 80 captives in Azerbaijan

Siranush Sahakyan: Arbitrary killings of Armenians increased in Azerbaijan

Armenias Marukyan to Patel: It was not exchange of fire at Sotk but another unprovoked attack by Azerbaijan army

Siranush Sahakyan: About 6,000 Azerbaijan special forces stationed on Armenia-Karabakh border

Human rights activist: In most cases Azerbaijan clearly knows fallen Armenian servicemens locations

Armenia deputy FM: Azerbaijan always resorts to provocation before or after negotiations

Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs meeting in Moscow slated for May 19

Armenia defense minister visits soldiers wounded in Azerbaijan provocation in Sotk direction (PHOTOS)

Siranush Sahakyan: Armenian detainees in Baku are brutally beaten, medical assistance footage is staged

Arman Tatoyan: Azerbaijanis are building wide concrete roads, bunkers, infrastructure in Armenia

Armenia social affairs, UAE tolerance and coexistence ministries sign memorandum of understanding

Armenia ex-ombudsman: Azerbaijan soldiers are placing landmines in Syunik Province villages

Tatoyan: Azerbaijan changes place names on Google maps, creating stereotype that Armenia is their territory

Armenia, Iran businesses reach certain agreements (PHOTOS)

Financial Times: EU wants to lay internet cable under Black Sea to reduce dependence on Russia

World oil prices falling

Karabakh army: No fire shot at Azerbaijani positions

Patel on Zakharova's words: I dont spend a lot of time thinking about what my Russian counterpart says

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan army used UAVs in direction of Sotk

Patel: US State Department calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to distance their forces from border

Brussels counters Baku: There is agreement that Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders will also meet in Moldova

Newspaper: Parents of detainees in Azerbaijan leave dissatisfied with Armenia PM

Armenia MOD: No notable ceasefire violations recorded overnight

EU does not include nuclear energy in 11th package of Russia sanctions

No notable ceasefire violations between 8:10 p.m. and 10 p.m. were recorded. Ministry of Defense

Earthquake in Armenia: the intensity in epicentral zone was 5 points

Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Verin Shorzha with mortars

Delegation headed by Secretary of Security Council will leave for Brussels

"Shots are still being heard." Members of the National Assembly from the opposition are in Kut

Two wounded Armenian servicemen transported to Yerevan

9 medical patients in severe condition transferred from Karabakh to Armenia
Violent clashes have broken out in Pakistan between security forces and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan after he was arrested on Tuesday, BBC News reported.

Protests are erupting nationwide, and at least one person has been killed in the city of Quetta.

Khan was arrested by security forces at the High Court in the capital, Islamabad.

Dramatic footage showed dozens of officers arriving and detaining the 70-year-old, who was bundled into a vehicle and driven away.

On Tuesday evening, supporters of Imran Khan gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London to protest against his arrest.

Speaking to the BBC, Khan's spokesman, Raoof Hasan, said he expected "the worst" and that the arrest could plunge the country "into chaos and anarchy".

A member of Khan's legal team, Raja Mateen, said undue force had been used against him at the court.

"Mr. Khan went into the biometric office for the biometrics. The rangers went there, they broke the windows, they hit Mr. Khan on the head with a baton," said Mateen.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called on its supporters to protest. In the hours after he was detained, violence was reported from cities including Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar.

On the streets of Islamabad, hundreds of protesters blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital.

People pulled down street signs and parts of overpasses, lit fires, and threw stones.

Protesters said they were angry about Imran Khan's arrest.

Writing on social media, police in Islamabad said five police officers had been injured and 43 protesters arrested.

The United States and UK have called for adherence to the "rule of law."

Khan was appearing in court on charges of corruption, which he says are politically motivated.

Khan was ousted as PM in April last year and has been campaigning for early elections since then.

General elections in Pakistan are due to be held later this year.
Spanish man visits Hengshui Lake to celebrate China-Spain friendship

People's Daily Online) 16:42, May 09, 2023

When Alvaro Lago, a man from Spain, began to study the Chinese language 17 years ago, he never thought that one day he would celebrate the friendship between his motherland and his second hometown China at Hengshui Lake in Hengshui city, north China's Hebei Province.

Alvaro Lago (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Lago said China and Spain have much in common, including putting people's lives first, emphasizing family union, and having a passion for culture, traditions, history and traditional festivals. The two countries also hold something important in common -- environmental protection.

The fact that hundreds of thousands of birds come to Hengshui Lake to breed every spring reminds Lago of his hometown Malaga, which is home to the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon, one of the most important wetlands in Spain. Every year, hundreds of thousands of flamingoes from Africa overwinter at the lagoon.

Photo shows grey herons at Hengshui Lake. (Photo/Chen Kang)

Both Hengshui Lake and the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon are precious, and so is the China-Spain friendship, said Lago. Though the two countries are far away from each other geographically, they uphold common ideals and convictions, according to him. That's the main reason why he comes to China and what makes him feel at home in the country.

China Post Group Co., Ltd. (China Post) will issue two commemorative stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain in Hengshui city on May 10. One of the stamps features Hengshui Lake, and the other features the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon.

Lago hoped that the two countries will continue to enhance contacts and expand cooperation in environmental protection through the stamps.

Photo show a view of Hengshui Lake. (Photo/Chen Kang)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Someday, in the distant future, when you think back on the single mayoral term of Lori Lightfoot, when the name comes up and you hadnt heard it much lately, what do you think youll remember? Any specific image? Or something closer to a mood? Set aside feelings of heartbreak, betrayal, admiration, animosity.

Just form an image in your head.

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My brain goes straight to those lighthearted Lori Lightfoot stay-at-home memes that spread virally in the early days of the pandemic. But its nudged out by a different image: the Census Cowboy.

Who remembers the Census Cowboy? (Anyone?)

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Mayor Lightfoot introduced him at a news conference during the summer of 2020. He was created to encourage Chicagoans to fill out their census forms. It was not the stupidest idea ever: You see a cowboy riding a horse through your neighborhood, you wonder whats going on, then you slap your forehead: Oh! I need to fill out my census!

Makes total sense.

The Census Cowboy was introduced on a horse. He trotted out to Lil Nas Xs Old Town Road waving a Census 2020 flag. His name was Adam Hollingsworth, aka the Dread Head Cowboy, who went viral himself riding into George Floyd protests on horseback; last year he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and received a year in jail. But back in 2020, now enshrined on YouTube and Facebook, the mayor looks all in, leaning into the silliness of the initiative, a clear attempt to make something so incongruous, it goes viral. If you see the Census Cowboy coming to your neighborhood, thats not a good thing! she says. That means you need to step up and do your part and fill out the census. The applause sounds more confused than delighted. The mayor wears a lime-green cowboy hat and the smile of someone whose very best joke is not landing.

I could explain why the Census Cowboy never quite caught on like the Stay Home, Save Lives memes, but it would be akin to the famous E.B. White caution: Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.

A better question, now that Lightfoots leaving office Monday, is:

Was Lori Lightfoot funny?

Or were her attempts to go viral a cautionary tale to politicians who embrace memes?

Wee Yang Soh is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at the University of Chicago who has asked his students to select and dissect several political memes, because, really, they are the emergence of a new language. What scant research exists on the relationship between politics and memes has yet to scrape the surface, he said. But its already clear for someone like Lori Lightfoot, or any politician, a meme is a tempting, quick way to make someones policies or ideals more palpable and relatable to a broad public. Still, its also political communication done so loosely that any attempt at going viral can be viewed as pandering. Which could do damage and chip away at a politicians image.

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The bottom line is kind of like a warning: Effects are highly varied.

The stay-at-home memes that partly defined the first year of Lightfoots term were a confluence of good timing and counter-intuition. If the pandemic fog has weakened your cultural recall, some context may help: As COVID-19 spread in March 2020, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued statewide stay-at-home orders. Except Chicago likes its lakefront too much. So within days, the mayor warned that she would shut all parks and trails if Chicago didnt abide by the order. She looked visibly agitated by the casualness of her constituents. She grew stern: Stay home, do not congregate and do not let the warming weather let your guard slip. Chicago police could issue fines for large gatherings.

The mayor was watching.

Within days, Lightfoots image, pulled from news conferences  diminutive, arms tucked around a folder, holding a do-not-test-me stare, wearing dark baggy suits that bunched up around a pair of Keds  began circulating on Twitter and Instagram in clever, funny collages: Lightfoot standing on a police sawhorse at the lakefront, warning: Thou shall not pass. Lightfoots face superimposed on the Bat-Signal. Lightfoot on top of Willis Tower and in the Chicago River. Lightfoot giving Channel 7s seven-day outlook (forecast: home). Lightfoot holding a Pennywise balloon at a Red Line station. Lightfoot inside an empty Edward Hopper Nighthawks diner and glaring at parasol-carrying picnickers in Seurats A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (both Art Institute of Chicago attractions). My favorite: Lightfoot in a refrigerator, noting, You just ate.

At first, Lightfoot seemed surprised and uncertain how to respond, but on the advice of her new chief marketing officer Michael Fassnacht, she recognized a compliment. Or perhaps, a branding message: This mayor did not suffer fools and meant what she said. (Fassnacht declined to comment for this article beyond confirming he asked her to embrace the memes. Mayoral transition is too sensitive a time to elaborate, he said.)

At that moment of anxiety, Chicago laughed and passed around those memes, beyond the Midwest. The jokes lent both a charm and some degree of warmth to Lightfoot at exactly a moment when many Chicagoans were still feeling out touch with the mayor. The Tribune slapped her watchful cutout atop its front page masthead, to encourage social distancing. The Washington Post, improbably, placed her in a long lineage of Chicago comedians, alongside Stephen Colbert, John Belushi, Bill Murray and Tina Fey. Even the City of Chicagos Twitter account shared a cardboard Lightfoot watching from behind the curtains of a Portage Park bungalow. For a new mayor, memes sold her authority.

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Plus, on Etsy and elsewhere, it even looked a little cute. Lightfoot in that familiar rigid stance and stare began to appear on stickers, coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments.

The Lightfoot administration, in turn, embraced comedy.

There were videos of the mayor putzing around home during lockdown, watching reruns of the White Soxs 2005 World Series game. There was a news conference in an empty Soldier Field to underline the dual meanings of her social-distancing warning: We are not playing. At Halloween, Lightfoot wore a black mask, a Clorox sandwich board and a red cape with Rona Destroyer stitched across the back. At news conferences, she would respond to critics with standup-ready bluntness, sending a caustic two-word message to Donald Trump and, when White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Lightfoot a derelict mayor, Lightfoot tweeted: Hey Karen. Watch your mouth.

The problem was, the more she did, the more she seemed to be trying to be funny.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces the We Are Not Playing initiative at Soldier Field in Chicago on April 6, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

And one of the truisms of the digital age is that a laugh that goes viral is often a laugh thats organic, even random. One of the most popular political memes circulating right now is a nonpolitical sketch from Netflixs I Think You Should Leave. A hot dog-shaped car crashes into a store. Comedian Tim Robinson (a Second City alum) is dressed as a hot dog. He stands with startled customers and insists they find the driver. Obviously, its you, they say. Robinson, face buried in his hot dog suit, looks shocked, hurt, set-upon.

Anne Libera, longtime director of comedy studies at both Second City and Columbia College, is not surprised that sketch is used as a political parable. Tims joke resonates so much because he has a thing for characters who refuse to acknowledge truth, and a refusal to admit whats clear to everyone feels almost tailored to our political moment.

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She thought the Lightfoot administrations grasp of humor was brilliant  at first. My theory of comedy requires three things: recognition, pain and psychological distance. The (stay-at-home) memes mitigated pain and made the moment less scary. They were both serious and a reminder that laughter can help a hard situation. I remember thinking this was exactly how government should use comedy. The thing is, as the pandemic went on, and the George Floyd protests began, a lot of people showed they had little distance from the pain, then jokes look inappropriate. Its hard to use satire to back a proudly authoritarian image when Chance the Rapper is tweeting out: Please stop sending huge groups of militarized police into our neighborhoods exclusively.

A meme, at its core, is about repetition. In fact, its a French word that means (roughly) same. It implies some agreement. The concept of memes, however digital now, was initially passed through written language, often acting the same as they do online. Memes  officially, anonymously and critically  became ideal bedfellows for politics. Both prosper through repetition. A meme suggests a person who agrees with it belongs (and excludes a person who doesnt). The phrase the American Dream is a meme. But so is Stop the Steal. It is a concise thought representing more. As were those images from the 2012 Republican National Convention that showed Clint Eastwood addressing an empty chair. Memes can be hateful (Pepe the frog), slyly supportive (Bernie Sanders at President Bidens inauguration, masked and bundled in a coat and mittens) or, more commonly, full of snark: That sigh of disappointment in Thanks, Obama ... is a meme; so is the anger in memes that connect Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with the Zodiac Killer.

Nurses pose with a cutout of Mayor Lori Lightfoot that a paramedic brought by in the Roseland Community Hospital Emergency Department on April 17, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Lightfoot looked made for such a medium, Libera said. She has a unique face, shes deadpan  both work for comedy. That stiffness comes across funny. But doesnt offer much room for her to make fun of herself.

As her term played out and the pandemic ground on, the intensity that looked so charming when edited onto The Bean began to support a creeping reputation for inflexibility, contempt and disdain. Lisa Beasley, a Chicago comedian, took offense at Lightfoots simply moonlighting as a funny person. I wanted her to be a mayor; now shes trying to do my job? Beasley asked. Irritated, Beasley went viral herself, playing Lightfoot as a scratchy-voiced hypocrite in a popular video series on YouTube, quietly asking Alexa for help with balancing the city budget and making a PSA that demanded nonsensical Chicago Public School changes.

I thought of it as textbook satire, but it was like she was almost writing for me at times, Beasley said. Police reform, city budgets  its all on her desk and shes putting out sketches. She seemed to forget shes doing this in a community that knows its comedy.

Jennifer Grygiel, a social media professional and professor of communications at Syracuse University who studies online culture, noted how tenuous it can be for a politician who embraces their own memes: If you dont want to see someone like Lori Lightfoot elected to office, standard qualities  postures, expressions  get flipped into memes. It wouldnt take much to veer into stereotypes like the Angry Black Woman.

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The comic Lisa Beasley does a TikTok impersonation of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Jan. 10, 2022 (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Indeed, some of the most common memes critical of the mayor are cruel. The mayor herself called a meme tweeted by the Chicago Teachers Union clearly racist; it showed Scooby-Doo and friends unmasking a white police officer and finding Lightfoot.

Politicians have an aura around them, Grygiel said. Memes have become a way of conceptualizing it, shaping how people perceive and imagine them, usually without really knowing them. They distill. I like to see a lot of political memes as starter packs.

Wee Yang Soh at the University of Chicago thinks of them as an inside joke, flattering to some, alienating to others. The creator of Chicago Teachers Memes, an Instagram account started by a Chicago high school teacher to support teachers  who asked to retain the anonymity of his work, but also fears retaliation from City Hall  sees his own memes as kind of this 21st century version of a political cartoon. I cant draw but I can use Photoshop, and its not a bad tool if you want to influence young people to vote.

Hes taken on Lightfoots education policies. When the election became a runoff without the incumbent, he turned to candidate Paul Vallas, using a series of memes to compare him at times in culturally savvy, albeit superficial, ways with Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson: Vallas puts ketchup on his hot dogs, Johnson does not, and so on. Its definitely harder to explain nuance (in a meme), he said, but it works if you target the essence. He points out that some of his work had 100,000 views; couple that with Beasley campaigning for Johnson, he believes memes helped to influence the election.

The actual effect of memes on politics, however, remains unclear. Still, as a path to Gen Z and younger millennial voters, many politicians have wasted no time stumbling in. When former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried running for president in 2020, the notoriously unrelatable billionaire paid a collective of meme makers to attract young voters. It looked desperate. But he wasnt alone. As the pandemic slowed in-person campaigning, politicians turned increasingly to meme consultants. Last year, during its successful reelection bid, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzkers campaign placed him in lightly-satiric memes mimicking the latest Taylor Swift album cover. It also wasnt shy about embracing edgier meme accounts like Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker.

[ J.B. Pritzker, conqueror of worlds? The memeing of the Illinois governor gets weird ]

Natalie Edelstein, a senior political communications adviser to Pritzker, said the campaign never had a conversation about whether memes would be too risky, but they did wonder if some memes felt authentic and consistent with core campaign values.

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When the stranger ones made by outside creators unassociated with the campaign worked, it was because they were separate, she said. If wed done them, it wouldnt have had the personality. She thinks a smart, short meme can sell complicated ideas better than a lot of politics can. But get it wrong and a candidate looks out of touch. We would never try and look funny, she said. A politician wades into territory that isnt organic to them, the internet turns on them and they end up making people feel weird.

Thats why Beasley, even after Lightfoot leaves office, plans to occasionally revive her Lightfoot impersonation. She wants to remind public servants to leave satire to comedy professionals and the occasional White House Correspondents Dinner. Lori Lightfoots four years as mayor of Chicago only reminded her that she doesnt look to politicians to try and show me how cool and funny they may be. I wanted Lori Lightfoot to show me how cool she could be with police reform. She thought comedy would make her relatable and personable, but really, I just wanted her actions to be personable.

cborrelli@chicagotribune.com
The shift of the 12th group from Armenia carrying out a humanitarian mission in Aleppo, Syria took place, the Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am

Another group of deminers from Armenia left for Aleppo and will carry out its respective mission there.

Davit Tadevosyan, Advisor of the Consulate General of Armenia in Aleppo, visited the center of the humanitarian mission of Armenia in Syria on the occasion of this shift.
The Israeli-made Iron Dome missile defense systems have not yet been provided by Washington to Kyiv, but one such system will be sent to Ukraine after receiving the request. This was stated by the commander of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command of the US Armed Forces, Lt. General Daniel Karbler.

According to the general, who spoke at the hearings of the Committee on Armed Services of the US Congress, the American ground forces have one Iron Dome battery which, after receiving the respective request, can be sent to Ukraine.

There are only two such batteries in the US ground forces, but one of them is now being installed with new equipment.

John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, who was in attendance to this hearing, said that he did not know that the Iron Dome missile defense systems were offered to Kyiv.
The residents of Artsakhs (Nagorno-Karabakh) Lisagor village, who are under a bilateral blockade now due to the blocking of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor and the Hakari bridge by Azerbaijan, are unable to cash out their money, as there are no ATMs in the village, and it is impossible to get to Artsakh capital Stepanakert or Goris, Armenia. Village head Gagik Nasibyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

"A very difficult situation has been created. We don't have ATMs and terminals, we can't withdraw money, we can't make transfers either. There is money in the account, but we are unable to cash out. We used to go to Goris or Stepanakert, but now, of course, we can't. In general, there is not much place to spend the money either because we do not have movement. But if it is urgently needed, we will not be able to use [it]," he said.

According to Nasibyan, in all cases, the village residents do not consider the option of going out through the aforesaid Azerbaijani checkpoint.

On April 30, Azerbaijani sources released videos showing that Artsakh residents "freely" use the Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Hakari bridge.

But as per Nasibyan, no resident of Lisagor has passed through that checkpoint since then, and there are no more residents of Lisagor remaining in Goris.

"People don't want to go through the checkpoint, they have fears, the danger is very big, they know that something can change at any moment; that's why they don't go," he said.

On May 5, and through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, food and medicine were delivered to the Azerbaijani besieged villages of Artsakh. According to Nasibyans calculations, they will be enough for their village for about a month.

The Azerbaijani side, once again grossly violating the provisions of the tripartite statement of 2020 and continuously providing disinformation regarding the transfer of weapons from Armenia to Karabakh, closed the Hakari bridge on the Artsakh-Armenia border on April 23. Azerbaijan officially announced the setting up of an Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Lachin-Stepanakert motorway.
Hrachya Sargsyan, the former mayor of Yerevan, adviser to the Armenian prime minister, spoke to reporters Wednesday about the installation of the Operation Nemesis monument in Armenias capital.

Reporters asked Sargsyan whether he knew that this monument would be unveiled in Yerevan and whether he had informed PM Nikol Pashinyan about it.

"Of course, I was aware. No, I hadnt told the prime minister. I believe that its a historical fact that has been recorded in some way. Now what? Should the Turkish government force [us] to remove that information from our textbooks? It's funny. I believe they [i.e., Turkey] should not interfere in our internal affairs," said Sargsyan.

A 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.

Subsequently, Turkey closed its airspace for Armenian aircraftincluding the plane serving the Armenian prime ministerthat are flying to third countries.
The issue of the Operation Nemesis monument in Yerevan became a subject of discussions between the speaker of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, and his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Sentop. Babken Tunyan, an MP of the ruling "Civil Contract" Faction of the NA who attended the summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Ankara last week, told about this to reporters in the NA Wednesday.

For the Turkish side, in particular, it is not understandable how such a monument is unveiled in Armenia amid efforts to normalize bilateral relations.

"Simonyan responded that if there is a wish to normalize relations, such events cannot be an obstacle," Tunyan said.

As for the future fate of this monument, the Armenian lawmaker noted that they cannot answer that question.

When asked whether the Armenian delegation visiting Ankara was directly told that certain consequences would follow if this monument is not removed, the Armenian legislator responded that there were no such statements.

"Nothing like that was said to the Armenian delegation. The issue was discussed during the bilateral meeting of the presidents of the [two] parliaments. There were no other conversations or direct demands on that topic," Tunyan informed.
Those displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Wednesday held a protest in front of the main building of the Armenian government.

Levon Hayryan, Chairman of "For Hadrut" NGO, told reporters that today's demonstration of theirs is a bit different from the previous ones.

"If before we were raising mainly our socioeconomic issues, along with political issues as well, today we came out with a clear demand: to demand from all relevant bodies, organizations, countries which are obligated to ensure the human rights of our people with their actions.

"Today we want to appeal to Armenias authorities, then we will go to the UN office, the French embassy. The purpose of today's meeting is political, we have no socioeconomic demands [today]. Our demand from Armenias government is short and specific: they must either stand up for the interests of the Armenian nation and resolve the issues arising from those interests, or resign," Hayryan said, in particular.

He stated that the Armenian authorities were doing everything to avoid resolving national issues.

"They say the border [with Azerbaijan] should be guarded by the Russians, the Russians are responsible in Artsakh, the Russians are responsible for the Berdzor [(Lachin)] corridor. We do not understand what the authorities of Armenia are for. If Armenias authorities thought that the rights of the Armenian man should be protected by the Russian peacekeeper, what can I say?," Hayryan added, in part.
Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio on March 2, 2017, in New York. Fired Fox news host Carlson said Tuesday, May 9, 2023, that he will be putting out a new version of his program on Twitter. (Richard Drew/AP)

NEW YORK  Fired Fox news host Tucker Carlson said Tuesday that he will be putting out a new version of his program on Twitter.

Carlson made his announcement in a three-minute video posted on the social media site, as part of a denunciation of media. He called Twitter that last big remaining platform that allows free speech.

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Well be bringing a new version of the show weve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter, he said. Well bring some other things, too, which well tell you about. But for now were just grateful to be here.

He offered no other details, and a message to his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, was not immediately returned.

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Its unclear what these plans mean for his remaining contract with Fox; typically television companies include a no-compete clause when someone leaves the air. A Fox spokeswoman didnt immediately return a call for comment.

Axios reported on Tuesday that Carlsons lawyers sent a letter to Fox accusing the network of fraud and breach of contract.

Fox announced on April 24 that it was cutting ties with Carlson, its most popular prime-time anchor. The network offered no explanation for the move, and Foxs ratings in his old time slot have sharply fallen.
Baku and Yerevan have taken a step forward in the negotiations that took place in the US last week, but the negotiation process should be approached realistically, said the minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan.

"[From May 1 to 4] quite intensive discussions of the peace agreement took place [in Washington], which included a number of points and important moments. It cannot be said that we have fully agreed. There are quite a lot of disagreements between the positions of the parties. But in these negotiations, agreements were reached regarding separate points of the peace agreement. We have taken another step forward," Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters on Wednesday.

At the same time, the Azerbaijani FM noted that "we should be realistic about this process," adding that Baku supports the peace process.

Bayramov said that the meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to be held in Brussels on Sunday is positively assessed in Baku, noting that "it should be considered as an integral part of the negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, which are being carried out for the purpose of normalizing relations."
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will take part in the negotiations with the Azerbaijani president planned in Brussels on Sunday; and on May 19, negotiations at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries are also planned. Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan told this to MediaHub.am, adding that the text of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was on the negotiating table.

When asked what phase these negotiations are at, the deputy FM said: "You are aware of the statements that were made after the round of negotiations in Washington [last week]. I can't say anything new other than the statements released by the [Armenian] Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Commenting on Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu's statement that the monument in Yerevan dedicated to Operation Nemesis should be removed, the Armenian deputy FM noted that the Armenian foreign ministry will present its approaches in this regard.

"You know the prime minister's statement in the National Assembly regarding this. The statue was installed by the decision of the local self-government, and new developments should be followed," he said.

And to the question whether this matter will have an impact on the negotiations aimed at the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Safaryan responded that at this phase this matter was in the process of development, so it is more appropriate for the corresponding Armenian deputy minister to answer that question.
Azerbaijanis have destroyed the central library of the occupied Armenian Hadrut city of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Artsakhpress was informed about this by the director of the Avetik Isahakyan Central Library of Hadrut, Varsik Amirjanyan, who noticed that the library building is missing in the video posted by the Azerbaijani media.

"The central library building of Hadrut was built back in 1932. From the video published by the Azerbaijanis, it can be seen that there is almost nothing left of the library building," says the director of the library.

According to her, as per the data of 2020, this library had about 39,720 books.

"We had about 750-800 readers. At the moment, there is no information from the book fund," Amirjanyan noted, adding that they will apply to the Artsakh State Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage to raise before international courts this matter of yet another manifestation of cultural vandalism by Azerbaijan.
Minister of Environment Hakob Simidyan and Frank Merschl, Senior Program Portfolio Manager of the German Credit Recovery Bank (KfW), on Wednesday signed the agreement marking the launch of the Biodiversity and Sustainable Local Development in Armenia program.

The entire budget of this project is about 26 million, the Ministry of Environment informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The duration of this program is planned for six years.

The amount of this grant support is unprecedented in the region and one of the largest globally.
The Biden administration is preparing for a possible surge of migrants flocking to the southern border after Title 42 is lifted this Thursday. It has announced that it will send 1,500 troops to the area for 90 days and that it will set up a series of processing centers in Central American countries where migrants can apply for asylum to the United States.

Title 42 is part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944 that has allowed the U.S. to quickly prevent migrants from entry to the country based on health issues.

Title 42 allowed the Biden administration to remove migrants in an expedited way because of a health emergency, but now that will end because the health emergency has ended, said Kunal Parker, professor of law and Deans Distinguished Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law. But this does not mean that we have open borders.

Parker said that prior to the establishment of Title 42, there were other laws including Title 8that controlled migrant crossings. The law does allow for the expedited removal of those who are deemed inadmissible. Parker said the existing structures that authorized border control prior to the coronavirus pandemic remain in place.

Political strife, violence, economic hardships, and the effects of the pandemic are some of the factors that have pushed thousands to leave their counties and head to the U.S. southern border.

The number of encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border have soared, news reports said. In its latest available monthly data report, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that 206,239 such encounters took place in November 2022.

CNN reported that detention facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border have surpassed capacity as a growing number cross into the United States. Border towns along the southern border have seen an upsurge, news accounts reported.

These migrants are fleeing really terrible situations, so they have lots of incentives to keep trying to enter the U.S., said Parker. The Biden administration has tried to ease the flow by establishing certain measures that would lead to a more orderly process for migration.

In January, the administration announced that migrants who wished to come to the U.S. must apply from their home country, or from another country where they are residing for safety, before traveling to the U.S. and must have a U.S. sponsor. It launched a phone app to aid in this process.

The administration also set up humanitarian parole programs for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans that will allow them entry into the country if they have a U.S. sponsor.

One of the outcomes of quickly expelling migrants under Title 42 has been that it increased recidivism, according to Parker.

What the Biden administration is hoping to achieve by creating this app and other parole programs is to reduce the illegal crossing recidivism, he said. It means that they have accommodated for people to get to the border in a different way.

The latest measures established by the administration include increasing the number of border agents, sending troops to carry out administrative duties in anticipation of a surge, and establishing processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia where migrants can apply legally for entry into the U.S. Other centers will open in the near future, administration officials stated.

The U.S. also has come to an agreement with Mexico. That country will accept migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua who are turned away at the border.

The administration has tried to soften the impact of the removal of Title 42, said Parker. We should not see the lifting of this order as a license to panic.
Dionne Mhoon, center right, receives an embrace as family and friends of Mhoon's daughter, fallen Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston, gather for a vigil in Chicagos Washington Park on May 11, 2023. Four teenagers have been arrested and charged after Preston was shot and killed early Saturday as she returned to her Avalon Park neighborhood home following her work shift. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Hundreds gathered Tuesday evening in the District 5 police station courtyard to honor and mourn Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston, who was fatally shot after returning home from a shift early Saturday.

A hush fell over the crowd as a bagpipe played and Prestons family made their way to some chairs in front of a yellow and light blue balloon arch. Police Department leaders lined up at the front, facing mourners.

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Prestons mother, Dionne Mhoon, teared up as she sat down. Her cries cut through the silence: My baby! My baby!

Mourners hug each other before an evening vigil for Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston on May 9, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Department officials and colleagues of Preston shared the microphone to express condolences to her family and remember her as an inspiration, fighter, true hero and a firecracker who faced evil head on.

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At least five people were in custody Monday in connection with the 24-year-olds death, according to police sources with knowledge of the investigation. The persons of interest, including two females, were taken into custody after a standoff with police in Auburn Gresham, a source told the Tribune. No one had yet been charged as of Tuesday evening.

She was a lion, said 5th District Cmdr. Tyrone Pendarvis. She was a delight of a person  and thats the type of officer we need.

Theres nothing but love here, Deputy Chief Larry Snelling told Prestons family, asking her mother to stand up and take a look around.

Mhoon slowly rose from her seat, holding her hands to her chest and blowing kisses to the crowd.

A Chicago police officer and her children view portraits of Officer Areanah Preston before a memorial for the slain officer at the 5th District police station May 9, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Prestons family then made their way to the podium.

This has been an overwhelming situation, Mhoon said, taking a long pause. But Ive been showered with so much love and support.

We love ya! We love ya, mama! someone yelled from the crowd, encouraging her as she took another breath.

Prestons mother, who runs a day care, said she is passionate about caring for children. And to think that I have to bury my baby, and I poured so much into her.

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Firecracker is definitely the word for my baby, she said. She was a goal-setter. She wrote everything down that she wanted to do. And she did everything that she wanted to do.

I thank you guys for accepting her, Mhoon said, turning around to look at department leaders. I thank you guys for everything youve done for her. I thank God for giving her to us.

Preston has been remembered by those who knew her as a hardworking woman, a sweet person and a humble yet sophisticated soul with a bright future ahead of her. She was close to earning a masters degree in child and family law from Loyola University Chicago and had previously studied criminal justice and law enforcement administration at Illinois State University as an undergraduate.

The young officer, who had only been with the department for three years, was assigned to the Calumet District station on the Far South Side. An ISU professor who knew Preston as an undergraduate said she was passionate about making a difference, and doing so boots on the ground in Chicago.

Prestons academic interests and passions reflected that even early on in school, as she participated in various field trips, panels and classes on topics that ranged from restorative justice and trauma in incarcerated populations to diversity in law enforcement and police brutality.

Police officers salute and family members stand in silence as the casket of Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston is carried into toward Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn, May 9, 2023. Preston was fatally shot returning home after her shift in the Avalon Park neighborhood. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

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Though Preston was slain when returning to her Avalon Park home in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue after a shift, a department spokesperson said CPD had classified her death as a line-of-duty death, which entitles her family to financial assistance from the state. Police have yet to give a possible motive for the shooting, though it was being investigated as a possible robbery that took a violent turn.

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Police responded to ShotSpotter calls about 1:45 a.m. Saturday and found Preston with gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiners office and police. One of the first officers to get there rendered aid, but Preston was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she died, police said.

Prestons death from multiple gunshot wounds was ruled a homicide, the medical examiners office said Sunday.

If you guys believe in the power of prayer, Prestons mother said at the Tuesday vigil, if you guys believe in God, keep us in your prayers. Dont stop praying for us, even when all of this is gone, dont stop praying for us.

She said that, at the end of the day, she knows her family will be all right, because God is good and joy comes in the morning.

I have an excellent support team. I have my husband by my side, she said. And I got this big old police family behind me.

adperez@chicagotribune.com
Growing up the daughter of a U.S. Air Force officer, Sydney Stropes said she had the privilege of being stationed in locations around the world. Attending the University of Miami only bolstered her global perspective. Here she studied emerging religions, researched sexual health education, explored her Cuban heritage, flew to Spain to learn about transcultural nursing, took up scuba diving, and more.

Now Stropes, one of just three undergraduate students chosen to speak at the Universitys Spring 2023 Commencement ceremonies, is graduating with dual bachelors degreesnursing from the School of Nursing and Health Studies and religion and health care from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Getting to call myself a member of the 2023 nursing cohort has been one of the most amazing experiences, said Stropes. My peers have shown me how to work hard, have fun, and become the person you never thought you could be. They, alongside my professors, have been rocks these last few years.

But academic excellence, not luck, earned Stropes a Presidents Scholarship, plus spots on the Presidents, Provosts, and Deans lists. She stood out for her robust civic engagement at the University, as well. In the Office of Undergraduate Admission, she held responsible positions as lead administrative assistant and Presidents 100 Student Ambassador Advisory Board member, tasked with promoting the University to prospective families worldwide.

In addition, she was elected to Student Government as a senate officer, ultimately coauthoring a bill to give student employees a permanent senate seat so their voices are heard, she explained.

As an active member of Federacion de Estudiantes Cubanos (FEC), a nonprofit student organization providing support to the Universitys Cuban population, Stropes explored her Cuban heritage on her mothers side. She served as FECs treasurer and then president. In 2021, with major protests occurring in Cuba, Stropes and FEC rallied the University community to show solidarity.

In an article in The Miami Hurricane, she expressed hope that Cubans would be granted basic human rights in the near future. I think the road ahead is a long one and one that will not be easy for anyone, but I hope that there is a better tomorrow, she said. I want the Cuban people to live a life filled with happiness, comfort, and health.

The impressive way she conducted herself earned Stropes two major recognitions. She was tapped into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the University, and inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society.

And soon, she will be off to her next ambitious adventureas an emergency department nurse at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. But first Stropes will share some hard-earned wisdom with her peers.

My commencement speech is about slowing down and enjoying the little moments around you, because you never know which one might be your last, she said. One of my favorite moments to enjoy on campus was sitting on a glider with friends at the Rathskeller with a pitcher and some curly fries to share.
Belgium arrests 30 over huge drug trafficking ring

The sheer size of the port of Antwerp makes it the number one entry point for drugs heading into Europe. Photo: AP

Belgian police on Wednesday detained 30 suspects accused of drug trafficking in an operation that also saw authorities in Spain swoop on a string of locations.



Prosecutors in the port city of Antwerp, a major hub for illicit drugs coming into Europe, said in a statement that police conducted raids at addresses across Belgium.



It said Spanish police had simultaneously carried out seven searches in their country, but there were no details on any arrests there.



The raids in the two countries together netted guns, 55,000 euros (US$60,000) in cash, hauls of hashish and cocaine, luxury watches and cars, it said.



The police operation started a year ago with the surveillance of a restaurant in Antwerp frequented by Albanian nationals suspected of selling drugs.



Those trailed were in contact with a Spanish national resident in Brussels who investigators said was running an international trafficking operation.



The raids in southern Spain targeted relatives of this man.



The prosecutors said the man was suspected to have used "corrupt dock workers" in Antwerp to move hashish and cocaine through the port. (AFP)
Italian police nab 61 alleged 'Ndrangheta members

The raids have uncovered weapons stashes such as this one found in a hidden bunker in the Calabrian countryside. Photo: AP

Italian prosecutors said on Wednesday that 61 suspected mafia members were arrested for alleged crimes including fraud, infiltrating government and even extorting onion growers.



A police sweep focused on various family clans of the 'Ndrangheta, Italy's wealthiest and most powerful mafia based in the poor southern region of Calabria, where the syndicate maintains a virtual stranglehold over the population.



The widespread investigation targeted 167 individuals, 33 of whom were already in prison, allegedly involved in mafia crimes within the Calabrian province of Vibo Valentia, public prosecutors said in a statement.



Hundreds of 'Ndrangheta members and their white-collar helpers from that province  including some of those named on Wednesday  are already facing justice in a massive "maxi-trial" currently in its second year, brought by the same anti-mafia prosecutors.



The probe leading to Wednesday's blitz helped map out "roles, tasks and dynamics of the leaders, promoters, organisers and participants of the mafia associations", prosecutors said.



The investigation highlighted the mafia's various business interests and its ability to maintain relationships with "'white collars', politicians and representatives of public administrations", they added.



The various schemes operated by the 'Ndrangheta clans, prosecutors allege, include not only drug trafficking and weapons possession but also vote-buying, interfering in public tenders, fraud related to migrant centres, extorting tourist businesses and the illegal grazing of herds on private land.



Last week, police across Europe staged a vast anti-'Ndrangheta operation, arresting 132 people across the continent, plus Brazil and Panama, on suspicion of crimes including drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and tax fraud.



Although the 'Ndrangheta operates in more than 40 countries, its pervasive influence in the Calabrian economy has made it near impossible to eradicate, helped by its deep pockets from the cocaine trade and cosy ties with the powerful.



In the current case, mafia members managed to infiltrate Vibo Valentia's public health system, hand-picking certain health directors under their control and managing the food service contracts for hospitals, prosecutors said.



One fraud scheme involved migrant services, in which the 'Ndrangheta submitted invoices for non-existent transactions supposedly for the care of migrant children, defrauding the state by more than 400,000 euros (around US$440,000), according to prosecutors.



Within one municipal administration, a public official "adjusted" the results of a public job competition in order to hire a manager close to the mafia, they said.



Garbage collectors in two towns were forced to pay 48,000 euros per year to each of two different clans, while even the growers of the area's famous Tropea red onions were extorted, as were tourist businesses along the coast.



Other more rural crimes by the clans included inserting themselves as intermediaries in the private sale of land, and illegal grazing.



Police said they had managed to document an important 'Ndrangheta summit held during a wedding reception at a coastal tourist hotel, in which members discussed the division of illicit proceeds and the settling of possible disputes.



Wednesday's blitz also involved suspects in the region around Rome, Lazio, and the northern regions of Lombardy, Piedmont and Venice. (AFP)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10 (ANI/BusinessWire India): CaratLane, India's largest digitally native omni-channel jewellery brand ended the year on a high crossing Rs 2000 cr. in revenue for the first time. While the category saw a huge slowdown in customer sentiment towards the end of the quarter, CaratLane delivered a revenue (NSV) of Rs 571.24 crores for the year 2022-2023 (56.7 per cent growth over Q4 FY22) and EBIT at 6.9 per cent. The brand searches have grown over 60 per cent in the year - signalling a growing consideration for the brand across all key markets. Avnish Anand, COO & Co-Founder of CaratLane said, "Our business is built on making jewellery accessible to customers at a pin code level, and this year our focus has been on ensuring the smooth transition of our customers from online browsing to retail stores or other channels. Apart from this we also want to solve all jewellery-related needs for our customers, and in the last year we have launched new services like ear piercing, while expanding our old gold exchange, jewellery engraving and jewellery cleaning services. In the last few months over 1000 children have got their first piece of jewellery from CaratLane, through ear piercing. Our goal is to have jewellery designs that are relevant across all life stages of our customers, starting with their first ear piercing to everyday wear designs as well as jewellery for occasions like their engagement, wedding gifts and all milestone anniversaries and birthdays. Focusing on the customer life cycle and helping them discover the right designs at the right time is a big lever for our repeat business. And now with over 227 stores in 88 cities across the country and an aggressive plan for the coming year, we are excited to reach our next 1 Mn customers." Commenting on the results, Mithun Sacheti, Managing Director CaratLane said, "Over the past few years, we have experienced consistent growth despite certain unfavourable macro conditions. In FY23, we achieved an impressive growth rate of 73 per cent, delivering a 3-year CAGR of 52 per cent. This year, we have reached several milestones, but the most significant for us has been crossing the 1 Mn customer mark. As a gifting brand, we have established our position in the market and remain committed to enhancing the consumer experience by helping them express their emotions to their loved ones. Additionally, we have expanded our retail footprint to new cities like Mathura, Kangra, and Ajmer while continuing to cater to our global customers. We aspire to be the destination for everyday wear diamond jewellery for women across the globe." For the International business, Q4 has seen an increase in efficiency as well as conversions, while the business grew at 60 per cent YoY. The focus is on acquiring new customers, with the lifetime base for the US markets crossing 20,000. The Silver business Shaya closed Q4 Rs 8.4 Cr with 50 per cent growth over the previous year. (The above financial highlights are based on consolidated financial results) This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/GPRC): Studiobackdrops.com (SBDC), an emerging e-commerce platform for photography, videography & audio solutions, today announced the launch of India's first seamless paper brand - Indus Papers on its platform. With the launch of 67 new, durable and premium quality paper backdrops, the homegrown brand will revolutionize the photography and videography game for brands, content creators, Influencers, Youtubers and Production Houses alike to set more creative milestones. The premium coated backdrops are made with top-quality dyes and have a non-reflective surface for optimal photo and video quality. At 185 gsm, these paper backdrops are thicker and more durable than anything else available in the market which makes it a perfect choice for all content creation. This premium range is durable, reusable and gives a hassle free experience of creating the perfect set wherever you need. One can achieve stunning effects for their photos by using these colorful range of paper backdrops. Speaking on the launch, Archisman Misra, Founder and CEO, Studiobackdrops.com, said, "We are so excited to reveal Indus Papers - India's first homegrown seamless paper backdrops to the world. Indus Papers has been in development for a long time, and we are more than thrilled to show the final product. After months of research and trial and error, we have finally come up with our own version of the paper backdrop. It is thicker, with smoother texture and of superior quality. Out of the 67 unique colours, 17 colours have never been seen before as paper backdrops." StudioBackdrops.com started in 2016 with 150 SKUs which has significantly increased over the years as they have explored partnerships with more brands and introduced a completely new range of products in the Indian market. SBDC is at the helm of distributing and marketing 15+ brands in India and neighbouring regions. As India's most trusted platform for photo and video equipment, SBDC has managed to propel these brands to the forefront of the market. With Indus Papers, SBDC plans to foray into the global backdrops market as a disruptor. Studiobackdrops.com is India's largest Photo, Video, and Audio platform. They are the primary distributor of world famous brands like RimeLite, Synco, Trulite, PXB, etc. in India. Their newest launch is a part of their effort to add value to the Indian content creator economy and become an essential part of the Startup India movement. StudioBackdrops.com was launched in 2016 by Archisman Misra, an industry expert, who was frustrated with the lack of good photography equipment in India. The online entity was born out of this need to make world-class photography and video equipment easily available to photographers, cinematographers and content creators in India. The platform brought together experienced professionals to curate locally sourced products and internationally renowned brands. It started with a limited number of products and has grown its offerings substantially. StudioBackdrops.com is now the biggest online platform for Photography and Videography solutions in India. The start-up is now 5 years old with thousands of unique customers and more than 25,000 orders fulfilled. This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)
Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], May 10 (ANI/PNN): School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jain (Deemed-to-be University) launches a top course M.A Political Science and International Relations. The admissions for the programme have begun. Political Science in a Globalised World A post-graduation in Political Science with emphasis on International Affairs gives a budding expert the necessary tools to understand the dynamic industry. It provides the students with various combinations of skills that equip them to succeed. Budding journalists benefit from the politically theoretical as well as ideological topics. The exposure to geopolitical concerns, along with practical training in debate, the students gain knowledge to engage in great acts of service. M.A Political Science and International Relations in SHSS School of Humanities and Social Sciences now offers a meticulously planned postgraduate course for aspiring policy makers. The curriculum is structured to suit the requirements of Public Service Providers in a dynamic world. Jain University proves to be one of the best colleges in Bangalore as it teaches their students theoretically, alongside training them practically. While studying the necessary aspects, the students will also receive mentorship over a Dissertation at the near end of their PG. The ideology behind the diligently crafted programme is best reflected via the words of Dr Priyanca Mathur, Head and Professor, Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education (CeRSSE), JAIN (Deemed-to-be University): "Political Science and International Relations are the bedrock of all that is happening in our world today. We must understand their dynamics to get the answers to the problems plaguing our planet." This programme becomes one of the top Political Science courses in Bangalore as Jain College offers numerous electives like Indian Knowledge System, Forensic Psychology, Nutrition and Wellness, HR, etc., where the students have a free hand in choosing what additional subjects they would like to explore. To top it all, the students also get the opportunity to attend national and international collaborations for research, workshops, conferences and public lectures. A postgraduate from this course could succeed in the fields of Political Scientists, Policy Makers, Law Makers, Socio-Political Entrepreneurs, Civil Service Aspirants, Public Service Providers, Journalists, etc. A little about Jain University Jain University is classified as one of top universities in India that gives immense emphasis to academics, entrepreneurship, research, and experience. With NAAC ranking them A++, they foster a student-centric curriculum. Students across the globe utilise the state-of-the-art technology, top qualified faculty, and visionary opportunities provided by one of the best universities to sharpen their minds as well as hone their skills. A leading university of Bangalore, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), enhances their students intellectually along with practically, mentoring them to succeed. The faculty strive to inspire innovative thinking and hands-on application of academics ranging from Sciences, Commerce to Humanities. For more information: https://www.jainuniversity.ac.in/program/humanities-and-social-sciences/political-science-and-international-relations#!#overview Contact: +91 7337613222 This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/SRV): TiECON Chandigarh 2023 which is the largest entrepreneurial conclave in North India, held a Startup Shark Soiree event to boost investments in Indian start-ups. Out of the 50+ startups that applied, 12 were shortlisted to pitch among selected investors. All start-ups pitched passionately to more than 50+ investors in the room. Innovative AI-based business communication & collaboration start-up from Chennai, Qik Meeting emerged as the winner of the event. The Startup Shark Soiree 2023 was a perfectly organized start-up event that brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts. The jury was impressed with the quality of the ideas presented. Qik Meeting's patent-pending, innovative AI-based platform stood out from the rest. Qik Meeting's app is the world's smartest unified business communication and collaboration app which can auto-generate minutes for every meeting. It guarantees an increase in productivity of up to 300 per cent for enterprises. It facilitates both online and in-person meetings while providing enterprises with a strong integrated AI-powered business communication tool. The platform's unique features leverage AI technology to schedule, and organize online/in-person meetings, record, transcribe, generate AI minutes of meetings, chat, take notes, assign to-dos, and share files all in the same meeting room. Keeping in mind that the hybrid meeting space continues to grow, the investors at the event found this app a revolutionary tool for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to simplify their meetings and communication needs. CEO'S Remark "We are glad to be named the winner of TiECON Chandigarh Startup Shark Soiree 2023. It's an incredible honor to be recognized by such an esteemed jury. Organizations can effectively leverage the AI capabilities of Qik Meeting to organize their work data, auto-generate minutes of all meetings, and improve communication & collaboration mutl-fold, which leads to enhanced capabilities of employees at work." Qik Meeting, with its patent-pending innovations, is the world's smartest AI-powered unified business communication and collaboration app. It auto-generates minutes of every meeting and organizes all business communication data in one place whether work happens online, in-person, or hybrid. Qik Meeting provides the world's fastest online meeting rooms & the world's first-ever in-person meeting experience. Along with the world's most advanced scheduler & appointment calendars, it surely increases the team's productivity by over 300%. It auto-generates the world's first integrated minutes of the meeting along with 99% accurate transcription. Qik Meeting truly unifies schedules, agendas, online/in-person meetings, chats, notes, to-dos, files, recordings, transcriptions, minutes of the meeting, and many more. Media Contact: https://qikmeeting.com/ Aviyukta Adlakha +91 9711270215 aviyukta.a@qik.company This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/India PR Distribution): Laalzari, a women's wear brand founded in Noida in 2014 by Anupama Singh has been making waves in the Indian fashion industry with its unique and affordable collection of shararas, kurtas set, suits, indo-western outfits, lehengas, crop top skirts, fusion wear outfits, and pre-draped style sarees. The brand's focus on Indian ethnic wear has helped it carve a niche for itself in the Delhi NCR fashion scene. On May 3rd, Laalzari opened its new outlet in Spectrum Mall, Sector 75, Noida, with over 200 influencers in attendance from different parts of Delhi NCR, including Delhi, Gurgaon, and Haryana. The event was a grand success, with the brand showcasing its latest collection to an overwhelmingly positive response from both influencers and customers. Anjali, the owner of Laalzari, stated that "while there are plenty of Western wear brands in the market, there have been only a few designers catering to Indian wear brands for women. Laalzari stands out by providing fashionable outfits at affordable prices, making them accessible to women from all walks of life." Laalzari has also tied up with numerous influencers who have played a key role in promoting the brand on social media platforms like Instagram. With a massive following on its Instagram page and high views on its reels, Laalzari has become a social media sensation, leveraging this to reach out to its target audience and expand its reach. In addition to its physical stores, Laalzari has its own monthly magazine that features new store collections, influencer collaborations, brand updates, and more. The brand's newsletters and blogs provide insight into its latest offerings and updates. With no competition in Sector 50, Laalzari has become the go-to destination for women seeking designer wear brands. The brand's unique collection, affordability, and attention to detail have helped it establish a strong presence in the Indian fashion industry. Many well-known personalities have been spotted wearing LAALZARI's outfits at red-carpet events, award ceremonies, and other high-profile occasions. Celebrities like renowned tv actress Fenil Umrigar, She is an Indian actress who works in Hindi television. She is best known for her portrayal of Sanjana Roy in Best Friends Forever?, Pihu Kapoor Shergill in 'Bade Acche Lagte Hain', Mansi Srivastava again a renowned tv actress who has acted in many tv serials including divya drishti, do dil bandhe ek dori se, and many more. Many famous influencers including Sana Ghauri, Pranjal Salecha, Shilpi Bose, and Mehak Sembhy from Splitsvilla, and many such famous influencers have been seen wearing their outfit. Laalzari's success is a testament to Anupama Singh's vision, which was to create a brand that provides fashionable and affordable Indian wear to women across India. The brand's success has been recognized and featured in various media outlets, including fashion magazines and blogs. Overall, Laalzari is a unique Indian fashion brand with an expanding reach, massive following, and commitment to quality. Its success has helped it establish itself as a household name in the world of Indian fashion, and it is poised to continue making a significant impact on the industry. For more information about LAALZARI, visit their website - www.laalzari.com. Checkout their Instagram for trending collection - https://instagram.com/laalzaricouture?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= This story has been provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/India PR Distribution)
The CEO also met the civil aviation secretary for any future course of action.

The budget airline last Thursday had filed a petition with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), seeking protection under bankruptcy law. It had also sought an interim moratorium to prevent the seizure of its 26 aircraft by aircraft lessors.

In addition, the airline sought direction to appoint an insolvency resolution process (IRP) for the betterment of Go First.

The NCLT, the President Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and technical member LN Gupta announced the order, adding, "We appoint Abhilash Lal as IRP (Insolvency Resolution Professional). Suspended board of directors will cooperate with the IRP."

The airline operator has recently filed an application for immediate resolution under insolvency and revival of its operations.

Meanwhile, Go First has cancelled all its flights until May 19 this year. Earlier, the cancellations were till May 12. The airline said a full refund would be issued to the original mode of payment shortly.

Go First currently has around 50 aircraft in its fleet, with 50 per cent grounded due to engine outages. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/PRNewswire): The 2023 G20 Interfaith Forum, Partnerships in Action: towards "One Earth, One Family, One Future" took place from the 7-9th of May in the Baha'i House of Worship, New Delhi. The event was hosted by the Baha'i International Community, working in partnership with the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association. The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) was founded to bring together religious leaders, faith-inspired organizations, public officials, academics, and cultural organizations from all sectors to advance humanitarian values and understanding worldwide in the context of the G20 process. The IF20 has operated since 2014 and has provided a continuing international platform to explore ways in which religious communities can make meaningful contributions to global policy formation. The New Delhi Forum was focused on the themes of India's G20 Presidency: One Earth, One Family and One Future, and looked ahead to the G20 India Summit in September 2023 and beyond to 2024. Prior to the formal commencement of the event, H.E. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency, addressed the forum and offered his vision from India's presidency. The forum built upon the success of the 2022 forum in the UAE, and prior G20 Interfaith events. The 2023 forum aspired to hear a wide range of voices, including but not limited to, historically underrepresented populations such as minorities, women, children, and youth, and relevant networks, as well as faith-based and interfaith organizations at local, national and international levels. The New Delhi Forum focused on priority issues connected to the wider G20 agendas - climate change, refugees, child dignity, the food crisis, trafficking, anti-racism initiatives, protecting cultural heritage, conflict resolution, tolerance, education, COVID recovery and more general health care reforms, social protection and humanitarian reforms. The overarching theme of the forum focused on leaving no one behind, especially those in the most vulnerable circumstances. The aim of the forum was to raise awareness of these issues and create substantive and specific policy recommendations for this year's G20 process. Commenting on the success of the forum, Chief Executive of Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, Dana Humaid AI Marzouqi, said: "I would like to thank our partners, the Baha'i International Community and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association for their support in the production of another highly successful event. The last two days have affirmed, yet again, that interfaith cooperation is a hugely effective medium for uniting people from across the globe. This forum continues to demonstrate that diversity is our greatest strength, and that we can all work together, regardless of our background, to deliver meaningful change for the most vulnerable in society. From my personal perspective, I was enormously encouraged by the discussions around child dignity - children are our future and we must do everything we can to allow them to live safe and fulfilling lives. What is essential is that we translate our efforts here into concrete action in wider society. I feel confident that having witnessed the passion, energy and determination of the forum's participants, that we can speak as one voice and provide actionable recommendations to inform the G20 Summit in September. We will also take the ideas shared onto our workshops in Kenya, Turkey and Philippines where I look forward to developing them further". Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha ' i International Community to the United Nations, added: "The G20 interfaith forum continues to be a uniquely unifying force, transcending differences and bringing together groups and individuals from faith traditions across the globe, to work together for the betterment of our common humanity. It has been a pleasure to hear from experts of both faith and non-faith backgrounds on the most pressing issues facing our world, as well as the potential solutions to these. It is my sincere hope that we can take the conclusions and outcomes of this forum and translate them into actions that will protect the most vulnerable in society and build capacity for them to flourish." Professor W. Cole Durham Jr., President of the G20 Interfaith Forum Association, concluded: "The New Delhi Forum has served as a major landmark in this year's continuous engagement with G20 process." The next G20 Interfaith Forum will be held in Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025. The G20 Interfaith Forum Association was launched in 2014, during Australia's Presidency of the G20. It has progressed from a largely academic gathering timed to coincide with the G20 Summit to a sustained alliance of diverse religious leaders, practitioners from humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development organizations; and scholars. The underlying purpose is to contribute to global agendas through practical and ethical experience and wisdom of the world's diverse religious communities, which are often absent from global forums. The extensive contributions of the "network of networks" as well as the prophetic voice and leadership of renowned religious leaders can enrich the G20 deliberations and contribute, alongside parallel and often interlinked constituencies (civil society, youth, business, etc.) to addressing the urgent problems facing the world and its leaders. The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities was established to empower faith leaders to work for the safety and security of our communities, tackling issues such as child sexual abuse, extremism, radicalization and human trafficking. The IAFSC aims to facilitate the building of bridges between key stakeholders including faith communities, NGOs and experts in various domains. The IAFSC is conscious of the importance of empowering faith leaders, both at the institutional and grass-root levels, with knowledge, and to mobilize them to play a more active role in community safety. The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it helps prioritize key global policy goals and point toward practical means of implementation at every level of society. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Andres Lopez, 1, center, looks at Franyer Lopez, 12, left, while he plays with Santiago Lopez Benitez, 12, right, as Owen Lopez Benitez, 14, sits on an air mattress next to Maria Sanchez, 22, as they all sit in a temporary shelter on May 10, 2023, in Pilsen after traveling from Venezuela. They're in a makeshift shelter in a warehouse opened by Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, opened a makeshift shelter in a vacant warehouse in Pilsen on Tuesday evening to house dozens of migrants without a place to sleep, as thousands of asylum-seekers have come to the city over the past three weeks.

He said he decided to move 70 migrants, making up about 30 families, into the shelter. They were staying at the crowded 12th District police station, waiting to hear back from the city about available shelter space. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, after he learned there were more arrivals expected at the station, he acted immediately.

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It just wasnt safe, he said. There were already concerns about people staying outside (a police station), including a 3-month-old child and many other babies.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared a state of emergency Tuesday in response to the recent tenfold increase in new arrivals, exacerbated by planes full of migrants being sent from San Antonio.

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The increase comes nine months after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending refugees on one-way bus trips to sanctuary cities from his state as a political statement about the lack of resources available for surging migrant populations.

Its shameful we have Republican governors busing kids, making political gains out of the suffering of people, said Sigcho-Lopez.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that the city and state each were awarded $4.3 million from the agencys emergency food and shelter program, out of a pool of more than $330 million. The state had requested about $100 million.

Pilsen Food Pantry and other community organizations spent Tuesday evening preparing the empty building, shuttling people and coordinating meal efforts. Sigcho-Lopez said the community has been generous. Volunteers were able to set up the new shelter in a few hours.

This comes just before the expected overturning on Thursday of Title 42, a pandemic-era measure that allowed for the immediate expulsion of asylum-seekers at the border to curb the possible spread of disease. Experts say the overturning could lead to record migration rates in the coming weeks and months.

Sigcho-Lopez plans to keep pushing the city to repurpose empty facilities and churches. He referenced efforts other cities have taken to find creative housing models at low costs, such as repurposing station wagons. He is currently working with Mayor-elect Brandon Johnsons transition team on a comprehensive housing plan for recent arrivals in Chicago.

A meeting in South Shore last week to discuss city plans to convert a shuttered high school into a shelter was overtaken by angry shouts as residents expressed concerns.

My brother was shot in January, said 45-year-old South Shore resident Carrie Patterson at the meeting Thursday. Chicago already has a humanitarian crisis. We dont have enough resources to support our people here.

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Sigcho-Lopez said he hopes to set up more shelters and facilities in areas like Pilsen, where there is Spanish-language infrastructure and the community is not being forced to facilitate programs to accommodate new arrivals against their will.

We need to address the issues of current residents  undocumented and Black and other vulnerable communities  as we are providing humanitarian help, he said.

Over 40 volunteers are helping support migrants at the new shelter in Pilsen, Sigcho-Lopez said. They prepared breakfast Wednesday morning, and have meals planned three times a day through Friday.

Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, a family doctor at UI Health, runs the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation, which supports the Pilsen Food Pantry.

She operates a mobile medical unit that is stationed at several police districts across the city and at the shelter in Pilsen. She said migrants medical issues range from chickenpox to high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma.

Volunteers are providing migrants with clothing, toys, menstrual hygiene products and laundry services. She said police stations became welcoming centers in a coerced fashion, and the shelter is providing the help it can, including resources such as translation and legal assistance.

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District 12 was the busiest precinct in the city, she said.

Were an immigrant community, so this is what we want to do. We want folks to be in neighborhoods that are culturally responsive and receptive, she said.

Regardless of citizenship status, she said, no one should be sleeping on floors.

Sigcho-Lopez immigrated to the United States as a teenager and said its hard for him to imagine how much trauma these migrants have gone through to get here.

Theyre trying to get back on their feet and restart their lives, he said.

nsalzman@chicagotribune.com
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/PRNewswire): 'Maya, Modi, Azad' is significant for understanding not just Dalit but democratic politics in India as it heads into what is likely to be a deeply divisive general election in 2024. Published by HarperCollins Paperback | 336 pp | INR 599 Available wherever books are sold | Releasing May 13, 2023 "The profound social shifts in the post-Modi BJP have been observed but rarely dissected minutely. Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar have filled this gap substantially in this study of Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh following the decline of the BSP. The book has added immensely to our understanding of the political churning in India." - Swapan Dasgupta, Journalist and Political Commentator "In Maya, Modi, Azad, Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar investigate the place of Dalits in Indian politics at a time when it is dominated by Hindutva nationalism. Reviewing the rise of Dalit politicians from the effort to form a 'rainbow party with a Dalit core' to an era where fragmentation and sub-regionalization seem to be increasing, the book covers considerable ground with lucidity and thoroughness. A richly researched and insightful work on a crucial subject." - Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha MP. About the Book The Dalit political landscape in India offers a difficult analytical puzzle. The last decade has witnessed the decline of the Bahujan Samaj Party and identity politics, the shift of a section of Dalits towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and its redefined subaltern Hindutva, as well as protests by new Dalit organizations against atrocities and right-wing hegemony. Dalit politics today is thus marked by two contrasting trends: political protest against but also electoral preference for the right wing. The story of how the Dalit discourse has responded to the changing sociopolitical context unfolds against this backdrop. Maya, Modi, Azad maps these shifts, with particular focus on Uttar Pradesh. It is the state where Mayawati, who sought to create a new 'umbrella party' with a Dalit core, and later, Narendra Modi, who attracted a section of Dalits into the saffron fold, have shaped Dalit politics over the last two decades. It is also where a new Dalit leader, Chandrashekhar Azad, is challenging both Hindutva hegemony and the BSP, and is attempting to revive the Dalit movement. Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar's astute and insightful analysis of this triangular contestation is significant for understanding not just Dalit but democratic politics in India as it heads into what is likely to be a deeply divisive general election in 2024. According to the authors Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar, "The decline of the BSP leading to fragmentation of Dalits and shift of a section towards the BJP's redefined subaltern Hindutva, is a seminal political development. This complex dual process is marked by the simultaneity of political outrage against atrocities and electoral preference for the BJP. Our focus is on the state of Uttar Pradesh, where Mayawati sought to create a new 'umbrella' party with a Dalit core, where Modi is attracting an increasing number of Dalits into the saffron fold, and where a new leader Azad is challenging both, attempting to revive the Ambedkarite Dalit movement. We hope our narrative of this triangular contestation, provides an understanding of not just the new Dalit discourse, but democratic politics in India, as we head into what is likely to be a highly contested general election in 2024." About the Authors Sudha Pai became interested in Dalit politics in the mid-1990s with the emergence of Mayawati on the political landscape, reflected in her book Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution: The BSP in Uttar Pradesh (Sage, India, 2002). She is the author of several books, including Developmental State and the Dalit Question in Madhya Pradesh (Routledge India, 2011) and Everyday Communalism (Oxford University Press, 2018). Sajjan Kumar is a researcher and a political scientist. Currently, he is a Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. His writing has been published in The Hindu, Indian Express, The New Indian Express and The Times of India, among others. He is associated with PRACCIS, a Delhi research Institution specializing in fieldwork based political research. 30 YEARS OF HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INDIA At HarperCollins, we believe in telling the best stories and finding the widest possible readership for our books in every format possible. We started publishing 30 years ago; a great deal has changed since then, but what has remained constant is the passion with which our authors write their books, the love with which readers receive them, and the sheer joy and excitement that we as publishers feel in being a part of the publishing process. Over the years, we've had the pleasure of publishing some of the finest writing from the subcontinent and around the world, and some of the biggest bestsellers in India's publishing history. Our books and authors have won a phenomenal range of awards, and we ourselves have been named Publisher of the Year the greatest number of times. But nothing has meant more to us than the fact that millions of people have read the books we published, and somewhere, a book of ours might have made a difference. As we step into our fourth decade, we go back to that one word a word which has been a driving force for us all these years: Read. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/PNN): Transforming your business digitally is not as easy as you think. It requires a lot of dedication, the Right Guidance, and a team of professionals to build a proper scalable online business. Going Online is not just about creating a website, creating social profiles and placing ads. People won't Interact with your business, until and unless it's valuable for them. OiiO Infotech Says - Small Businesses really don't know where to start and they back out from an idea to start or transform their business online because it requires money to be digital. To be honest, it's true that if somebody wants to take their business online it requires a good sum of money. If business owners are thinking creating a website or social media account alone is enough then it's wrong, It is a waste of money if you are thinking the same. But Someone has to come forward to help these small businesses and that's why we are ready to support First 25 small businesses and guide them step by step in this digital era. It's time to Kick-start your Dream Business with OiiO Infotech. It's very important for every business to transform itself digitally, As human beings need oxygen to survive same as businesses need to be digital in this era to sustain and grow online. Brands are not built by just having a website or even if it's not built in a day, it takes time, a perfect strategy, planning, and careful execution from time to time for the best result, which you are unaware of it. Keeping this in mind OiiO Infotech is supporting the first 25 small businesses to transform digitally at just Rs 999, Actual Worth of the Package is Rs 25000 INR We are not promising you anything out of the planet, my dear friend let me tell you it's practically possible. The package includes Business Research, a team of professionals to solve your query, a well-designed Website, a Digital marketing strategy for all Social Media to grow organically, Post Creation, Business proposals documentation, and Reputation building for 3 Months. OiiO Infotech is the best website design and digital marketing in Delhi NCR All your business need is included in this Proposal Just for you, In Return we only need your Dedication and time to Grow online Together. To Join this Program you can Call us At 8-750-750-888. This package is Only Valid for the First 25 Small Businesses. Visit Our Website - https://www.oiioinfotech.com/ Social Profiles - https://www.facebook.com/oiioinfotech/ Mobile No - +91-8750750888 This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Actor Arjun Rampal is all set to make his debut in South industry in Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer upcoming action film, 'NBK108' Arjun took to Instagram and treated fans to the exciting news. The actor shared an announcement video and captioned it, "Making my South Debut with team NBK108. Feel super nervous and excited. I promise you all this is going to be one mad ride with lots of fun. Thank you for having me. Team #NBK108 welcomes the talented National Award winning actor @rampal72 on board as the antagonist." https://www.instagram.com/p/CsDKAXxAi5W/ The announcement video showed Arjun saying a popular dialogue of Balakrishna. He can be seen having a conversation with the film director Anil Ravipudi. The actor has joined the film's shoot in the ongoing schedule in Hyderabad. It will be interesting to see Balakrishna and Arjun Rampal together on screen. Kajal Aggarwal is the female lead in the movie and Sreeleela will be seen in a crucial role. Now, Arjun Rampal has come on board for a powerful role as antagonist. Arjun also shared the first-look poster of the film and captioned it, "It begins a new journey, onto a new territory, excited, nervous, ready to explore. There is a good feeling. Need all your support, love and blessings. Team #NBK108." https://www.instagram.com/p/CsDP6w3Nkqw/ As soon as the actor announced his next project, his industry friends and fans flooded the comment section. Actor Bobby Deol wrote, "All the best dude." Arjun's girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades reacted with a clapping hand emoji. One of the users wrote, "Love to see you on screen after ages." The makers on Ugadi Eve released the film's first-look poster to unveil two different looks of Balakrishna. This prestigious project in the deadly combination is being produced on a grand scale by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under the banner of Shine Screens banner. 'NBK108' is scheduled for its theatrical release for Vijayadasami (Dussehra). (ANI)
Days after actor Sooraj Pancholi was acquitted of abatement charges in Jiah Khan's death case by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai, Jiah's mother Rabia Khan reacted to the decision, describing the entire trial as a "mockery of the judiciary system." Rabia Khan in a statement said, "This case was on the wrong track from the very beginning all the evidence were pointing to homicidal death. Sooraj Pancholi was accused of the wrong crime to start with. How can it be possible that police accused him of the crime when they had no evidence? All the evidence that I had given to CBI like forensic experts reports that pointed to murder was simply ignored and was never produced before the honourable court by the prosecution." She added, "The entire trial was a mockery of the judiciary system. The court was following a higher court order, pre-trial, the path they predetermined for the trial court to follow to give an acquittal to the accused only to close the case. In long ten years both the agencies of India- the police and CBI did not find one single piece of legally relevant evidence for suicide, it requires convincing evidence of an accused having directly driven the victim to commit suicide immediately before the act, and prove any abetment of suicide allegations against the accused Sooraj Pancholi. The burden of proof was so high, all the parties involved must have known the outcome but none of it made legally or rationally any sense." The statement also stated, "During the trial it was soon obvious to me that CBI and the prosecution had been compromised, because they never established the actual cause of death. Let me repeat this: The actual cause of Jiah's death was never established. No evidence were sent for forensic analysis by the court, Instead, the CBI simply used the preliminary finding of the police appointed post-mortem report as the cause of death "due to asphyxia." Rabia said that Sooraj "lied through his teeth." "Sooraj was an accused and he lied through his teeth and both the agencies throughout honoured his lies for reasons best known to them. My daughter Jiah who is no more to speak for self was blamed, because that was very convenient for both agencies to blame the dead. Not only as mother but as a woman I feel disappointed that yet again the system that we expect to protect us and serve us justice has failed us and made a mockery of its own system," she continued. Jiah's mother also called out Sooraj for celebrating the trial win. She said, "The fact that he handed out sweets outside the courtroom illustrates this and sums up his mercilessness. Sooraj will one day have to grapple with the demons that he walks with. I have made peace with the loss of my daughter and I leave to God to administer justice on whoever murdered my daughter." The 25-year-old 'Nishabd' actor was found dead at her Juhu home in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. Police later arrested Sooraj on the basis of a six-page letter, purportedly written by Jiah, and booked him for abetment to suicide. Sooraj was in an alleged relationship with Jiah. Rabia alleged that her daughter was murdered. In October 2013, she moved Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe in the case, alleging that her daughter had been murdered. On the order of the Bombay High Court, the CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police in July 2014. Rabia claimed that her daughter was in an abusive relationship with Sooraj, son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab. However, on April 28, Sooraj was finally cleared of all the charges by the CBI court in Mumbai. (ANI)
CM Yogi greeted actor Adah Sharma, director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

During the meeting, the team discussed the film with CM Yogi and Vipul Shah urged him to watch the film.

Earlier on Tuesday, the CM declared the film tax-free in the state.

"'The Kerala Story' to be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh," CM Yogi tweeted.

While expressing gratitude for making the film tax-free in UP, director Sudipto Sen exclusively told ANI, "We came to thank the Honorable Chief Minister to declare the film tax-free and giving a chance to the citizen of Uttar Pradesh to watch this film."

Producer Vipul Shah told ANI, "Uttar Pradesh government and Yogi ji have taken this step and boosted our morale a lot and strengthened our thinking. He has sent a very powerful message to the people due to audiences are watching this film in large numbers. So we are very thankful to the CM that it happened."

The CM and his cabinet colleagues are also likely to watch the film at a special screening at the Lok Bhawan on May 12.

Previously, Madhya Pradesh had made the movie tax-free in the state on May 6.

'The Kerala Story' is based on the mass conversion of young Hindu women in Kerala and their involvement in terrorist activities. The team praised the Yogi government's law (Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020) and its efforts to stop "love jihad" and conversion. (ANI)
As 'Student of the Year 2' completed four years of release, actors Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria turned nostalgic and shared clips from the movie. Taking to Instagram, on Wednesday, Ananya shared several stories of her fan's reactions on this occasion. Most of the stories showcased the collage of Ananya's different looks. At the same time, other stories depict a scene from the film and her receiving an award for the same. Sharing the story, she wrote, "No amount of t of thanking will ever be enough for the love you guys have given me.. I'm eternally grateful. I promise to work even harder and be the best possible version just for YOU". She shared another video in which she captioned ], "It feels like so much has changed and at the same time nothing has changed at all. Still, that girl who is just excited that she gets to be in movies and is eager to challenge herself and make everyone happy". On the other hand, Tara Sutaria took to her Instagram and dropped videos from the movie in her story. Along with the video, she wrote, "Awww we were babies!!!!! The loveliest foray into the movies and still the sweetest memories. Love you and thank you always, my Dharma and SOTY family!" The video featured a trio- Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday's dance from the movie. The romantic action comedy film revolves around college romance and bullies, where some have to face heartbreaks. At the same time, other students try to win the college's coveted Student of the Year trophy. A standalone sequel titled 'Student of the Year 2' is helmed by Punit Malhotra and was released in May 2019. The movie marks the debuts of both Panday and Sutaria in bollywood. (ANI)
Johnny Depp has revealed the cast for 'Modi', his first directorial effort in 25 years. The biopic of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani will be led by Italian star Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick Chapter 2), Cesar Award winner Pierre Niney (Yves Saint Laurent) and screen icon Al Pacino (The Godfather), reported Deadline. The shoot of the film will commence in Budapest this Fall. The hot package is being sold at the Cannes market by The Veterans. The additional casting of the film is underway. Based on a play by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for the screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski, the film will tell the story of the famous painter and sculptor Modigliani during his time in Paris in 1916, reported Deadline. The movie will chronicle the life of the Italian artist across a turbulent and eventful 48 hours which sees him on the run from police through the streets and bars of war-torn Paris. His desire to prematurely end his career and leave the city is dismissed by fellow bohemians: French artist Maurice Utrillo, the Belarusian-born Chaim Soutine and his English muse and lover, Beatrice Hastings. Modi seeks advice from his Polish art dealer and friend Leopold Zborowski, but the chaos reaches a crescendo when he's faced with a collector who could change his life. Italian star Scamarcio, known for roles in movies including The Best of Youth, Paolo Sorrentino's Loro, John Wick: Chapter 2, Nanni Moretti's Tre Piani and Romanzo Criminale, will play the title role. Acclaimed French actor Niney, known for movies such as Yves Saint Laurent and Frantz, has been cast as Utrillo, while Pacino set to appear as international art collector Gangnat. Depp and Pacino also starred in the 1997 crime flick Donnie Brasco. Nicola Pecorini (The Legend of Don Quixote) has joined as director of photography, Andrew Sanders and John Beard will lead production design and Penny Rose (Pirates of the Caribbean) will handle costumes. Modigliani will be Depp's second feature directorial turn after 1997's The Brave, in which he also starred alongside Marlon Brando. He also directed several music videos for his ex-wife Vanessa Paradis. Depp's anticipated acting comeback film 'Jeanne du Barry' will open the Cannes Film Festival next week. (ANI)
The police recovered incriminating materials, IED, arms and ammunition from their possession.

The arrested terror associates have been identified as Shahid Ahmad Lone son of Ab Rashid Lone resident of Chotipora Shopian and Waseem Ahmad Ganie son of Ab Hamid Ganie resident of Borihalan Shopian.

"During the course of the investigation of case FIR No. 65/2023 of PS Shopian, Police in a joint operation with Army (44 RR), CRPF (14 Bn) on Tuesday arrested two more terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT", the police said.

According to the police, incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 1 pistol, 1 pistol magazine, 4 pistol rounds, 1 silencer, 1 IED, 1 remote control, 2 batteries, and 1 empty magazine of an AK 47 rifle were recovered on their disclosure.

Pertinently, on May 02, police along with security forces arrested a terrorist associate of the proscribed terror outfit LeT, identified as Tanveer Ahmad Wani son of Bashir Ahmad Wani resident of Daramdora Shopian. Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 01 AK series rifle, 01 magazine and 10 rounds were recovered from his possession and a case FIR No. 65/2023 was registered in PS Shopian. Further investigation is going on. (ANI)
The celebration of Rabindra Jayanti was organised by Greater Guwahati Rabindra Jayanti Udjapan Samiti which was held at District Library on Tuesday.

Speaking at the program, the Assam Governor said, "Tagore was a legend in the world of music and literature who was also an emissary of goodwill among nations."

"Rabindranath converted music into an instrument of peace and harmony," the Assam Governor added.

Last month, the Governor attended the convocation of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya and said that the institution was established after the name and ideology of the great 15th-century saint and philosopher, which has been rendering yeoman service in promoting and broadening the life and philosophy of Srimanta Sankaradeva.

Speaking at the convocation of the Viswavidyalaya at Rupnagar in Guwahati, Assam governor Kataria said that established in the year 2014, the university has become a powerful tool to facilitate social enrichment by spreading the teachings of Srimanta Sankardeva.

Hailing the role of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya, the governor said, It is always an honour to attend the convocation of the University established in the name of the great man as the university is doing a commendable job of broadening the life and philosophy of the great man." (ANI)
A Delhi court has dismissed the bail plea of Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, in the excise policy case. The plea was filed on the grounds of the deteriorating health of Magunta's wife. However, Special Judge M.K. Nagpal said that the seriousness of the charges against Magunta, pertaining to money laundering, could not be ignored, and expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided regarding the wife's medical condition. The documents presented did not highlight any significant or severe health issues, leading the court to conclude that other family members could potentially take care for her in Magunta's absence. The court, in its order, noted that Magunta had not argued that no one from his family was available to assume this responsibility, and consequently, the application for interim bail was devoid of merit. "Hence, in light of the above discussion, the present application moved on behalf of the applicant seeking his interim bail in the case is dismissed," the judge said. Magunta was arrested in February under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that he was involved in various activities of possession, use, transfer, etc. of the proceeds of crime worth at least Rs 180 crore. According to the ED's charge sheet, a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore kickback generated in the crime was used in the Goa Assembly election campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party. The ED's money-laundering case was based on the Central Bureau of Investigation's FIR. --IANS spr/vd ( 272 Words) 2023-05-09-21:36:03 (IANS)
Anthony Driver Jr., left, and Remel Terry, of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, talk about their search for candidates for Chicago Police Department superintendent at City Hall on May 10, 2023. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

More than 50 people have applied to become the next permanent superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, according to the body tasked with submitting three finalists to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.

Anthony Driver Jr., president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, told reporters Wednesday that 53 candidates submitted their materials for consideration before the May 7 deadline. Of those, 32 applicants have current or former ties to the CPD, Driver said.

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Driver said the commission would not disclose the names of those who applied. The commission now has until mid-July to select three finalists and submit those candidates to Johnson. Those finalists, Driver said, will be made known to the public.

The commission will thoroughly evaluate all candidates, Driver said Wednesday. This historic search represents a transformative opportunity to shape the future of law enforcement in our city.

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Once the finalists are submitted, Johnson will either select one to be confirmed by the City Council, or he will instruct the commission to start its search over again.

The commission has, so far, hosted three in-person meetings across the city and a fourth via video conference to solicit feedback from citizens about what they want in the next leader of the CPD. Speakers at the meeting have overwhelmingly supported the idea of a CPD veteran as the next head of the department.

The commission has retained an outside firm, based in California, to assist in the vetting and interview process as the candidates are narrowed down.

Notably absent from the applicant pool is Fred Waller, the former CPD chief of patrol who will serve as interim superintendent after Johnson is sworn in next week. After his interim appointment was announced last week, Waller said he would not apply for the permanent job, and he was a man of his word, Driver said Wednesday.

Twenty-four applicants are white, 22 are Black and seven are Latino, Driver said. Eleven are female and the other 42 are male.

In 2020, the last time the superintendent position was vacant, the Chicago Police Board received 23 applications for the job.
Hours ahead of the crucial Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday, the Congress on Tuesday said that all its party candidates have signed a pledge promising to implement the five guarantees it made to the people. In a tweet, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: "All our Karnataka Congress candidates have made a solemn promise to deliver on the 5 guarantees for the people of Karnataka. They have pledged to fight corruption and work towards a progressive Karnataka". He also attached a picture of Congress' five guarantees made to the people of the southern state with signatures of all the candidates. Congress General secretary and communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh said: "All 223 Congress candidates have signed a pledge promising to implement the five guarantees for the people of Karnataka. "They have taken an oath to fight corruption, defend Kannada pride and dedicate themselves towards developing their constituencies." Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter and wrote, "Yuva Nidhi: Assistance, Anna Bhagya: Sustenance, Gruha Jyothi: Affordability, Uchita Prayana: Accessibility, Gruha Lakshmi: Empowerment. Congress' #5GuaranteesPratigne will relieve people of Karnataka from the pain BJP's 40% Commission Sarkara has inflicted on them". The Congress in its manifesto promised 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 and free travel to all women in regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses. Polling for the 224 member assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13. The Congress had held aggressive campaigning in the state against the ruling BJP. It has targeted the BJP over the alleged corruption, unemployment, besides other issues. Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, General secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, state chief D.K. Shivakumar and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala had held several public meetings in the state. --IANS aks/vd ( 348 Words) 2023-05-09-22:30:06 (IANS)
In wake of the the Patna High Court on Tuesday rejecting the plea of Bihar government pertaining to caste-based census, RJD state General Secretary Ranvijay Sahu accused the opposition BJP of trying to divert the attention from it. "We respect the proceedings and judgment of the court but BJP wants to divert the attention from the caste-based survey. BJP leaders were celebrating on the day when Patna High Court put an interim stay on May 4 and they are celebrating now," Sahu said. "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is thinking of counting poor people of the state to make policies. It was a great initiative of the Bihar government to implement the ideology of Ram Manohar Lohia who advocated for stake on the basis of the number of the caste and community. Hence, counting of caste was important," he said. "The BJP is a party that believes in spreading rumours. It is trying to divide the society on the basis of temples and mosques. On the other hand, we are talking about jobs, education, and health," Sahu added. After the High Court had put an interim stay on May 4, the Bihar government filed a plea for the hearing of the case on May 6. Accordingly, the court has given the date of hearing on May 9. Advocate General Prashant Kumar Shahi appeared before the court and requested for a speedy hearing in this case. The court, however, was not satisfied with his arguments of Shahi and declined his plea, saying that the next hearing is scheduled on July 3 and that is final. "The Bihar government failed to put its points before the court on Tuesday. That is the reason why the court has rejected the plea of Bihar government. It is not looking serious. CM Nitish Kumar failed to produce evidence in the court through his lawyer. It shows his dual character. He does not want to conduct caste-based surveys. He is doing picnics in Odisha, West Bengal, Lucknow and Delhi," state BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh said. --IANS ajk/vd ( 354 Words) 2023-05-09-22:46:02 (IANS)
Asked about Shastri's Patna visit, Singh said: "Who is Baba Bageshwar? I have no knowledge about him. I don't know any Bageshwar Baba."

The statement of Singh, the MP from Arrah, at a function in his home town Arrah to lay the foundation stone for 220/132 KV powergrid sub-station, shocked everyone present at that place.

Considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Singh's response seems to indicate that he is not pleased with the Hindutva agenda of the BJP in Bihar.

Sources have said that there is a question mark on his ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls next year and hence, he is making statements contrary to the party line.

BJP leaders like Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Kumar Chaubey, state chief Samrat Chaudhary, and senior leaders like Sushil Kumar Modi, Sanjay Jaiswal and many others have unanimously supporting Shastri's event scheduled to be held from May 13 to 17 at Naubatpur locality in Patna. The BJP leaders are hoping that his visit will help promote the Hindutva agenda in Bihar.

--IANS ajk/vd

( 227 Words)

2023-05-09-22:54:04 (IANS)
A 48-year-old woman has been arrested for killing her 86-year-old mother-in-law after attacking her with an utensil in south Delhi's Neb Sarai area. The motive behind the attack appears to be long-standing frustrations related to caregiving responsibilities, including cooking and daily household chores, the police said on Tuesday. However, the police said that no immediate triggering event has been identified thus far. The daughter-in-law, identified as Sharmishta Som (48), a resident of Neb Sarai, has been arrested by the police. According to the police, a man reported on April 28 that his friend's mother had collapsed in her apartment and was bleeding profusely, following which a police team rushed to the spot. "When the police reached the spot, they found Hanshi Som lying on the kitchen floor with multiple injuries on her face and skull. The woman's son Surajit Som (51), along with his wife Sharmishta and their 16-year-old daughter, were residing in Neb Sarai since 2014. Originally from Kolkata, Surajit's mother had been living alone until March 2022. To ensure her well-being, Surajit brought his mother to Delhi and arranged for her to stay in a rented flat opposite his own," said a senior police officer. Surajit told the police that his mother had been suffering from arthritis for a long time, which affected her mobility. In October 2022, she had a fall in the washroom due to the elevated height of the bathroom, making it difficult for her to use it. As a result, Surajit decided to rent a flat that provided easier accessibility to a suitable washroom and kitchen. The police noted that Surajit presented photographs of the previous bathroom incident when his mother had collapsed. During investigation, the police discovered a single CCTV camera positioned on a table next to the bed. "However, no storage device was found with the camera, leading the police to seize it. Surajit informed the police that he had live access to the camera on his phone, allowing him to monitor his mother's daily routine. On the day of the incident, the camera was not functioning due to a power cut, Surajit has claimed," said Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South). Both the family members and neighbours expressed no suspicion of any foul play in this case. After the body was shifted to the AIIMS mortuary, an autopsy was carried out on April 29. The doctor conducting the post-mortem stated that the injuries sustained by the deceased were unlikely to occur under normal circumstances. Consequently, a thorough investigation into the incident was deemed necessary. On further investigation, Surajit's daughter revealed that her mother and her grandmother did not share an amicable relationship. She confirmed that her mother held a dislike towards her grandmother, a sentiment which was also affirmed by Surajit. On the day of the incident, only Sharmishta was present in their flat, while the deceased's flat was locked from the outside, with the keys found inside Sharmishta's flat. "Surajit later admitted that before notifying the police, he removed the memory card from the CCTV camera positioned in the deceased's bedroom," said the DCP. "Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, it was observed that at 10:30 a.m. on April 28, Sharmishta entered the deceased's flat while holding an utensil in her hand. Several blows were inflicted upon the elderly woman. After committing the crime, Sharmishta could be seen cleaning the weapon with a cloth," said the DCP. Surajit held onto the memory card from the CCTV camera and watched its content following the last rites of his mother. "He witnessed his wife entering and exiting his mother's flat. Concerned with these findings, he shared his suspicion with the local police. On Monday, the post-mortem report confirmed that the cause of death was due to injuries sustained prior to death," said the DCP. "Based on the information gathered from the inquiry, Surajit's account, the CCTV footage, and the post-mortem report, a case has been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code," said the DCP. --IANS ssh/arm ( 682 Words) 2023-05-09-23:00:03 (IANS)
India and the European Union (EU), during their fourth strategic partnership review meeting, have underscored the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law. At the meeting held on Monday, they unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border attacks. Both sides emphasised that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes. Meanwhile, both India and the EU reviewed the wide ranging India-EU bilateral relationship detailed in the 'India-EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025' agreed during the 15th India-EU Summit in 2020, official sources said. They went through that extensive review of their successful bilateral relationship also in the context of the meetings organised by India under its G20 Presidency, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The Indian side was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) and the EU side was led by Helena Konig, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues, European External Action Service. The discussions focussed on a broad range of topics covering climate, clean energy, biodiversity, circular economy, resource efficiency, smart urbanisation, trade, research and innovation, education, mobility and digital issues, including data protection. India and the EU also discussed cooperation in the sphere of connectivity and emphasised that connectivity projects respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for free trade agreement, investment protection agreement and the pact on geographical indications, and agreed on their importance as well as the need for full cooperation at multilateral level and of a regular bilateral dialogue on economic issues. The two sides also reviewed the progress and scope of the newly-launched India-EU Trade and Technology Council and looked forward to a successful first Ministerial Meeting under the TTC mechanism on May 16 in Brussels. The EU and India talked about the perspectives for a safer, prosperous and more democratic world. They commended the resumption in 2021 of the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue and committed to holding it on an annual basis. The two sides also expressed their commitment to their increased engagement across all areas with a view of identifying areas to strengthen cooperation, including through the global gateway, and looking into priorities for the next India-EU summit. --IANS ans/vd ( 404 Words) 2023-05-09-23:14:02 (IANS)
In an operation conducted in coordination with the local police and central agencies, the ATS arrested the suspects, including the head of biotechnology department at a local college, a cloud service engineer and a dentist.

According to sources, the suspects hailed from Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and other places and were residing in Hyderabad for some time now. They were picked up from Golconda, Hafiz Baba Nagar and other places in and around Hyderabad.

The arrests were made based on the information collected from 11 other suspects held earlier in the day from Bhopal and Chhindwara in Mdhya Pradesh.

Intelligence agencies reportedly found that Mohammed Saleem from Bhopal was working as a lecturer of biotechnology at a college here. Abdul Rehman from Odisha was working as a cloud service engineer at a firm.

Another suspect, Mohammed Abbas, was working as an autorickshaw driver and was staying at Hafiz Baba Nagar. Mohammed Hamid was working as a daily wage worker and was residing at Maqdum Nagar in Jagadgirigutta. Mohammed Salman was also working as a daily wage worker and residing in Jawahar Nagar.

As per the interrogation of the 11 persons held in Madhya Pradesh earlier in the day, they were reportedly planning to set up a base in Madhya Pradesh.

The ATS reportedly seized jihadi literature, knives and airguns from those arrested.

Hizb-Ut-Tahrir is said to be a radical global organisation with presence in 50 countries.

--IANS ms/arm

( 277 Words)

2023-05-09-23:14:03 (IANS)
While demanding further custody of the accused Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) senior scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) informed a Pune court that it is probing the alleged "meetings in a guesthouse" (belonging to DRDO) between "some women" and the senior scientist. The ATS has sought the registered entries from the guest house, which once received, will be investigated. The accused scientist was produced by the ATS before the special court as his custody ended on Tuesday. The accused DRDO Scientist arrested under the Official Secrets Act of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) is in custody till May 15 for further custodial interrogation. ATS sought custody on the ground that the PIO agent had messaged the accused that "Why you have blocked me ." This message was sent using an Indian number. ATS has seized this phone which needs to be probed with the accused. The prosecution in its remand application also stated, "ATS is also looking for information from the accused if any other person had helped him to get secret information for him and if that person is found then ATS need to confront them with each other ." Whereas while giving the order on the remand application The Special Court Pune stated, "The allegations made against the accused are serious. Apparently, the accused have shared specific images and some data with the foreign national. With the position the accused is holding, certainly sensible, sensational sharing of data can be said to be anti-national on his part. If the activity is detrimental to the interest of the country, more particularly to the security of the nation, the investigation has to be done thoroughly. Therefore custodial interrogation of the accused further is unavoidable, and sending the accused to custody till May 15." Earlier on May 4, Senior scientist Pradeep Kurulkar of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was arrested for allegedly sharing confidential information with a Pakistani intelligence agent. He was in contact with her since 2022, according to sources from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Pradeep M Kurulkar who had been honey-trapped by the woman agent was arrested under the Official Secrets Act by the Maharashtra ATS. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday appealed to people to come out and vote for the "development of the State". Further, he expressed his happiness over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s campaign for the election which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public rallies and roadshows. "I am very happy with the way our party conducted the campaign and the way people have reacted. I appeal to people to come and vote for the development of Karnataka," Bommai said while talking to the reporters here. Bommai who is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Shiggaon assembly constituency offered prayers at a Hanuman temple in Hubbali as voting continues across the State. Notably, the high-voltage campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday as all three major political parties in the state -- BJP, Congress and JD(S) - with their last chance to woo the voters. However, voting is currently underway for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. According to Election Commission of India, the voting for Karnataka assembly elections will take place from 7 am to 6 pm tomorrow. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats. Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also urged people in Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for "good governance, development and prosperity in the state". "On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights," Shah said in a tweet BJP national President JP Nadda also tweeted, "I appeal to the voters of Karnataka to participate in the festival of democracy in large numbers. This election is crucial in deciding the future of Karnataka. I request everyone to bring to power a government that will provide continuity to the progress of the state and is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people." A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections. As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote tomorrow in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 persons with disabilities (PwD) voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes. The polling parties are being provided with all the materials including EVM and VVPAT machines at the mustering centres in all the 224 Assembly Constituencies. They will be transported to respective polling stations with route officers shortly along with security personnel. 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty on poll day across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts. The high-voltage campaign for assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days. The Congress is working hard to wrest power from the BJP that is striving to break the 38-year-old pattern of alternating governments and retain its power in the state. (ANI)
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Bharatiya Janata Party leader BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday cast his vote in the Karnataka Assembly polls at Adalitha Soudha in Shivamogga and urged people to exercise their franchise. "I request all people to cast their votes as early as possible. I am 100 per cent sure they will vote in favour of the BJP. More than 75-80 per cent will support BJP. We will win 130-135 seats," the former chief minister said after casting his vote. "We will get absolute majority and will form the government, there is no doubt about it. People's responses are very good in the state and on that basis, I am telling you we are going to get a majority," he added. Before heading to the polling station to cast his vote, Yediyurappa visited the ancestral temple at Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Shikaripura, along with his family. Karnataka Minister CN Ashwath Narayan also cast his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru and urged people to cast their vote. "I request all people to come and cast their votes," he said. The polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections began at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 6 pm. The voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. The fate of the candidates will be known on May 13, the day of the counting of votes. Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations. According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats. A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections. As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes. 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty today across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts. The high-voltage campaign for the assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days. Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)
Secretary of Mining Amit Sharma on Tuesday chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat held regarding the finalisation of strategy for conducting a detailed exploration study of 'Jammu Sapphire' located in Padder area of Kishtwar district. The meeting was attended by experts from the Mining Department, Director Geology and Mining, O P Bhagat, Additional Secretary, Mining Arun Kishore Kotwal, Director Geological Survey of India (GSI), J&K, Ajay Kumar, General Manager, Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) P Ravindran, MD J-K Minerals Limited, Vikram K Gupta, geologists, and others. The GSI team made a detailed presentation about their exploratory studies conducted during the last two to three years in the Khan area of Padder regarding the presence of Sapphire and Ruby-like precious gems in different Adits, mostly in Corundum form. Later, the MECL team made a presentation on detailed exploration plans of this Central PSU that has been assigned the task of conducting detailed exploration in the upcoming summer months in the area, as a specialist, purely on scientific lines, by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. "Different Steering Committees at the policy level and the execution level shall be created by the government so as to ensure hassle-free completion of this project in a time-bound manner before the end of this working season. Detailed timelines shall be shared by MECL, the adherence to which shall be reviewed on a weekly basis by the government," Amit Sharma said. The Secretary also asked the Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Devansh Yadav, to extend full support to the Working Group led by the Director of Geology and Mining for this upcoming detailed exploration of Padder Mines in Kishtwar. Being initiated by MECL through NMET Funding on scientific lines, this initiative is the first of a kind launched under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha and the guidance of Chief Secretary, Dr Arun K Mehta. "The visiting officers of MECL assured that they will use the best machinery and experienced workforce to make this operation a huge success. Later, Secretary also advised MD, JKML to share all past experiences which they gained while exploring and mining Sapphire in Padder during the last few years so that MECL exploration goes on smoothly and they can improvise upon same by using the latest methodologies, and drone surveillance and similar techniques for achieving multiple success in the challenging limited time," a statement released on Tuesday said. (ANI)
Dionne Mhoon, center right, receives an embrace as family and friends of Mhoon's daughter, fallen Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston, gather for a vigil in Chicagos Washington Park on May 11, 2023. Four teenagers have been arrested and charged after Preston was shot and killed early Saturday as she returned to her Avalon Park neighborhood home following her work shift. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston was still in uniform when she parked her car after finishing a shift and walked toward her home.

Three people then jumped out of a sedan and ran toward her. Surveillance video recorded muzzle flashes, and Preston fell.

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Cook County prosecutors on Wednesday laid out chilling details during a bond hearing for four teenagers accused of killing the officer after committing several robberies. The group set out on the deadly crime spree, prosecutors alleged, after a girlfriend of one of the suspects said she wanted money for a barbecue.

After they killed Preston, they sold her gun, prosecutors said.

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Trevell Breeland, 19, Joseph Brooks, 19, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, and Jaylan Frazier, 16, are facing murder charges as well as a slew of other felonies, including robbery and arson, authorities said. Cook County Judge David Kelly ordered the teens held without bail Wednesday, pointing to what he described as a mountain of evidence from prosecutors.

These four defendants are alleged to have engaged in a very violent crime spree, Kelly said.

The courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building was packed with Prestons family as well as police officers sitting in the gallery and lining the walls.

After the bond hearing, Prestons mother, Dionne Mhoon, grew tearful as she described a tight-knit family that was getting ready to celebrate Prestons graduation from Loyola University for her masters degree.

She was supposed to be in the courtroom, Mhoon said. Here I am, in the courtroom for her.

Police Department leaders announced the charges earlier Wednesday, calling Preston a fallen hero.

Interim Chicago police Superintendent Eric Carter said the death was a tragedy for the city, and Tyrone Pendarvis, commander of the 5th District where Preston served, said she was a rising star whose death affected all who know her.

She will truly be missed, Pendarvis said.

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The last person who Preston arrested was moved to tears upon hearing news of her death, Pendarvis added.

Her last arrest that evening, even the arrestee, once finding out the news of what happened, she wept, Pendarvis said. That speaks to the credit of Officer Preston because she connected with everyone.

Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston (Chicago Police Department)

The spree began around midnight Saturday when Buchanans girlfriend and another woman picked him up along with the other three teenagers, Assistant States Attorney Anne McCord Rogers told the judge, reading from a bond proffer filed with the court.

The girlfriend had told Buchanan she wanted money for a barbecue, the proffer said. The four teenagers were armed with guns and dressed in black with face coverings during the crime spree, according to the document.

The four defendants carried out several robberies Saturday morning before they fatally shot Preston, the proffer alleged.

The group first allegedly drove to the 900 block of East 46th Street and encountered a 33-year-old woman parking her car near a restaurant, authorities said. As she got out of the car, a Dodge Avenger with the defendants came to a screeching halt near where she was standing, authorities said.

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The four armed teens got out of the car and robbed her, the proffer stated.

The teens then stole a red Kia while the assailants female friends remained in the Dodge, the proffer said. The four defendants then drove around in the Kia looking for additional people to rob, according to prosecutors.

The teens pulled up to a home in the 10000 block of South Wallace Street where two women were talking, the proffer said. They pushed the women to the ground and robbed them, prosecutors alleged. They later drove away and allegedly committed another robbery, taking a mans cellphone and keys to his Tesla, authorities said.

Finally, the teens drove near Prestons home in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue, where they allegedly shot and killed her, authorities said.

The attackers ran back to the sedan, and one person returned to grab her gun, court documents stated.

A ShotSpotter alert went off at 1:42 a.m., but due to a backlog in the district, police did not immediately respond, the bond proffer said. Police on Wednesday said they responded to a 911 call from Prestons Apple watch, which signaled she had been in a traffic crash.

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Officers attempted to revive Preston, according to court documents, before she was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center. with gunshot wounds to the face and neck.

Brian McDermott, the CPDs chief of patrol, declined to comment on the ShotSpotter alert and officers response.

This is a time we should be focusing on grieving while sending our thoughts and prayers to the Preston family and being there for Areanahs friends, fellow Chicago police officers, McDermott said. This is a terribly tragic incident and I dont believe we should be placing blame on anyone other than squarely on the backs of the four offenders just charged with murder.

The ShotSpotter system has long been seen as problematic and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has promised not to renew a city contract for its operation.

After the shooting, the teens parked the Kia in an empty lot and torched it, prosecutors alleged.

That evening, Frazier called a friend and told him about Prestons killing, the proffer said. He allegedly asked the friend if he had seen the news about a police officer being killed and said it was his work.

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When the friend asked what happened, Frazier replied that the group was going to rob her but the female shot at them, authorities said.

One of the guys he was with shot back at the cop and killed her, Frazier told the friend, according to prosecutors.

Cellphone data placed Brooks and Breeland at several of the crime scenes, prosecutors said, and the Kia and Dodge vehicles were caught on surveillance cameras. The women in the Dodge and a family member of one of the teens identified them in photo arrays and on surveillance video, according to prosecutors.

Police officers searched the Dodge and found ID and credit cards belonging to the first robbery victim, prosecutors alleged. Police also matched bullet casings from the shooting scene to a gun recovered when officers made arrests in the case.

During the hearing, the judge described the teens criminal history as extensive despite their young age.

Breeland was on probation after he was arrested in July 2021 and charged with several gun felonies, according to court records. Police pulled over a vehicle Breeland was riding in after being called to the area for a ShotSpotter alert and found a gun under the passenger seat where he was sitting, a police report said.

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He pleaded guilty in January to one count of illegally possessing a weapon and was sentenced to two years probation and 50 hours of community service. He was also charged in December 2021 with misdemeanor domestic battery for allegedly pushing his mother down the stairs, court records show. The case was stricken from the docket in December, records show.

The teens also had records in juvenile court, prosecutors said.

Preston worked for CPD for three years, according to department officials. Hers is considered a line-of-duty death, which entitles her family to financial assistance from the state.

Prestons relatives described her as happy and intelligent and dedicated to her career in criminal justice. A vigil was held for her Tuesday evening.

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Mhoon, Prestons mother, said she strongly emphasized education while raising her daughters.

I think the hole in our hearts will never be healed, she said, growing tearful.

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Mhoon said she feels sorry for the teens charged in her daughters slaying, seemingly without someone in their corner pushing them to get an education and grow up to be whomever they wanted to be.

Who I really feel sorry for is those boys, she said. Nobody told them they were loved. Nobody told them you could do anything, like I constantly preached to my daughter.

scharles@chicagotribune.com

rsobol@chicagotribune.com

mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has accepted chief minister M K Stalin's recommendations to induct Mannargudi legislator TRB Raja into the State cabinet and to drop State Dairy Development Minister S M Nasar from the council of ministers, according to Raj Bhavan statement. "Chief minister recommended the governor of Tamil Nadu to induct Raja in the council of ministers. The governor has approved the recommendation," the communication from Raj Bhavan said on Tuesday. Raja, son of DMK treasurer T R Baalu, is a three-time MLA from Mannargudi and was appointed as the DMK IT Wing chief. Governor Ravi also approved the recommendation of the chief minister to drop Nasar from the Cabinet. This is the second reshuffle of the Stalin-led cabinet that assumed office in 2021. With the removal of Nasar and the addition of Raja the strength of the Council of Ministers remains at the maximum number as according to the Tamil Nadu Assembly rules, the maximum approved strength of the Council of Ministers is 15 per cent of the total number of members in the house. The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly can have 35 ministers. This is the first time that DMK has dropped its minister from the Cabinet since it was elected to power in the state. According to sources, a further ruffle is expected in the Cabinet. According to the sources, State Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thyagarajan is likely to be shifted to the IT department whereas present Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu is likely to be given the charge of the Finance department. IT Minister Mano Thangaraj would get the Dairy department as Nasar has been dropped from the Cabinet. The newly inducted TRB Raja is likely to get the Industries department, the sources said. Nasar was in the news a few months ago for allegedly hurling a stone at a party worker over some issue, a video of which had gone viral. Since DMK forms the Government this is the third reshuffle in the Cabinet. It is also expected more reshuffle in the IAS administration wise very soon as DMK completes two years of Government. Rajaa, son of DMK treasurer T R Baalu, is a three-time MLA from Mannargudi. He was earlier appointed the DMK's NRI wing secretary and later the IT wing secretary. He is a member of the State planning commission. Rajaa is the son of senior party leader and Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu. The MLA will be sworn in as minister on May 11, the Raj Bhavan added. (ANI)
A woman doctor on duty at a government hospital in Kerala's Kollam district was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a school teacher who was brought to the facility for a medical examination by the Police. The incident took place at the government taluk hospital in Kottarakkara, police said.The doctor later succumbed to stab injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted this morning. According to police, the incident took place at 4.30 am today when the S Sandeep (42) out of the blue stabbed house surgeon, Vandana Das (23) when she was dressing his wounds. Sandeep, who is a school teacher, was taken into police custody from his house on Tuesday night after a brawl with his neighbours. He was brought to the government hospital by Police for a mandatory medical checkup when he turned violent. Having grabbed scissors from the dressing room, Sandeep, who was reportedly under treatment in a deaddiction centre, stabbed Vandana six times causing injuries to her abdomen and back. He also attacked others and vandalised the hospital. A home guard and a sub-inspector also sustained stab injuries, police said. The stab wounds were so deep that Vandana Das sustained an injury to her lungs, according to doctors at the private hospital where she was brought immediately after the incident. Indian Medical Association(IMA) and Kerala Government Medical Officer's Association (KGMOA) said they will boycott the non-essential duties on Wednesday as a mark of protest. Meanwhile, Kerala High Court will hold a special sitting on this incident. While announcing the decision, a division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath expressed shock at this incident. Union Minister V Muraleedharan tweeted, "Shocked to learn about the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das & attack on Hospital Staff in Kottarakkara. Atrocious that dreaded Criminals are cut loose, endangering the lives of Life Savers. Deeply concerned about the safety of Doctors & healthcare workers in Kerala." "The apathy & callousness of @pinarayivijayan & the misgovernance of @CPIMKerala is tarnishing that image & bringing disrepute to the State. It's a disgrace that @pinarayivijayan Govt can't keep our Doctors Safe," the Union Minister posted. Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran expressed shock at the incident and demanded that the ruling CPI(M) dismiss the "incompetent home minister". "A heinous act of violence claims the life of a promising young doctor, stabbed to death by a patient in police custody at a government hospital in Kerala," Sudhakaran tweeted. "The alarming rise in attacks across the state is unacceptable. @cpimspeakmust display political integrity and immediately dismiss the incompetent Home Minister responsible for this failure to ensure safety and dignity in the workplace," he added. (ANI).
A police constable on duty was killed by miscreants near the Orai Kotwali highway outpost in the early hours of Tuesday, police said. The deceased constable has been identified as Bhedjit Singh. Police said that bike-borne miscreants opened fire at the constable after he flashed a torch at them. Jalaun Superintendent of Police, Dr Iraj Raja said,"Bhedjit Singh, who was posted at the highway police station of Orai Kotwali on late night duty. Around 1.30 am on seeing a bike approaching him he flashed a torch at the vehicle. In the meantime, miscreants opened fire at the constable after which he started chasing them. The miscreants however kept on firing at the constable and killed him". Local police said that miscreants managed to flee and a search operation is underway to nab them. "Our search operation is underway. Four teams have been set up regarding this case. Soon the complete details of the incident will be revealed. Police are scanning the CCTVs installed around the scene of the incident, to find out about the miscreants," he said. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
The Sessions Court for Greater Bombay on Wednesday granted bail to the accused student Arman Iqbal Khatri involved in the IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki suicide case. While granting the bail to accused student Armaan Khatri, the local court remarked that there is no evidence of abetment to suicide against the accused in the case. The court in its ten-page order has observed that no evidence of caste discrimination and harassment was found against the accused in the Darshan Solanki suicide case to show that the applicant/accused was harassing the deceased on the basis of caste discrimination. In the suicide note, apart from the name of the applicant/accused, there is no reference to any act or event under which the applicant is alleged to have willfully omitted or knowingly aided or abetted the deceased to commit suicide, the court in its order mentioned. There is nothing on record to show that the applicant/accused had abetted the deceased Darshan to commit suicide, except for one incident of the accused showing the paper cutter to the dead Darshan, the court observed. Darshan Solanki allegedly committed suicide at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building located on the campus on February 12 this year, a day after his semester exams ended. In the aftermath of the incident, Solanki's family alleged foul play in his death and claimed that he faced discrimination at the IIT Bombay for belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Following complaints from the members of the family a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai Crime Branch police probing the suicide of an 18-year-old IIT-Bombay student, arrested a student of the same institute in connection to the case. A case was also registered under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Solanki was originally from Ahmedabad and was pursuing B Tech at IIT Bombay. Darshan's father, Ramesh Solanki, further requested the authorities to take action against the police. Following demands for a detailed probe by his parents, on February 28, the case was transferred to the city crime branch SIT. During the SIT inquiry, many students of IIT Bombay told the police that there was a dispute between Darshan Solanki and Armaan a few days before the suicide. When the police inquired about the reason, the students told them that Darshan Solanki had commented about Muslim society, following which Armaan threatened him. Earlier on April 7, the SIT received a report from a handwriting expert which said the purported suicide note found in the deceased's hostel room was written by him. "There used to be an argument between accused Armaan and Darshan, after which accused Armaan threatened him by showing a knife," officials said. Powai police then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and an investigation was started in this matter. (ANI)
June is less than three weeks away, and that means the Pride month is just around the corner. Interestingly, renowned couturier Mayyur Girotra is all set to give an Indian twist to New York City (NYC) Pride this year. In collaboration with Pride at Google and the Indus Google Network, Mayyur announced the launch of his first luxury pret line, AIKYA, which will debut at an exclusive showcase that will kickstart Pride month and celebrate New York Pride 2023 on 2nd June in New York City. AIKYA, meaning unity, is a fusion of western silhouettes with Indian embroidery and techniques. Mayyur's expert craft blends a vibrant mix of colours and emotions that represent the LGBTQIA+ community worldwide. The collection will be showcased at Ave - Soho, amidst a backdrop of historic photographs of queer people from India. About the launch, Mayyur said, "I dedicate a love letter to my LGBTQIA+ family through the lens of my craft. From concept to execution, Google team have been strategic partners in building my vision." "We are excited to partner with Mayyur Girotra showcasing at Ave - W Broadway - NYC to celebrate Pride with the South Asian community to extend the conversation beyond conventional boundaries. We hope this show will leave the audience feeling a sense of connection to the collection," said Shilpa Maniar Leader of the Indus Google Network in New York. Pride Month, also known as LGBTQ Pride Month, is observed in June in the United States and other countries across the world. New York hosts the country's largest pride parades each year, and approximately 5 million people attended 2019 World Pride there , a global LGBTQ festival that marked the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. Pride celebrations - including parades, festivals, parties and picnics - are held throughout the month in different cities across America. (ANI)
A total of 1,229 persons from Nagaland, including medical students and families in violent incidents in Manipur have been evacuated since May 6 to date in two phases, said the government officials on Wednesday. The Assam Rifles launched 'Operation Kohima Calling' under the aegis of HQ Inspectorate General Assam Rifles (North) to evacuate the people stranded in Manipur. As per the Nagaland Defence official, a total of 676 people were evacuated in the first phase of the operation while a total of 553 people were in the second phase which includes 47 Konyak girls from Yoripok, Thoubal. "The first phase of the operation was led by Brig Ved Beniwal, Deputy Inspector General of IGAR (North), rich in experience of Manipur and Insurgency situations, whereas during the IInd phase Colonel Umesh Sati, Commandant, 1 Assam Rifles led the evacuation," the official statement said. "To rescue the 47 Konyak girls, the rescue team went to the interiors of Thoubal District to extricate these girls. They were all working on an hourly wage basis in a Veneer factory," it added. Indian Army and Assam Rifles which were called in to curb violence in Manipur have successfully rescued nearly 23,000 civilians so far and moved them to the operating bases, a statement from the Indian Army said. Earlier, the rescue operation for the evacuation of Nagaland citizens commenced on May 6. More than six hundred civilians have already been evacuated from the state. The violence in Manipur had erupted in the immediate aftermath of inter-community clashes in a few districts of the northeastern State amid protests against the inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. (ANI)
A delegation of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena on Wednesday met Governor Ramesh Bais at Raj Bhavan, putting forth a slew of allegations of corruption and irregularities in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Notably, the undivided Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, won the last BMC polls. The delegation on Wednesday comprised Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Arvind Sawant, Anil Parab, Sunil Prabhu, Ajay Chaudhary and Anil Desai, among other party leaders. The delegation also sought to draw attention to Mumbai not having had "an elected body of representatives for over a year". In a letter that the delegates handed over to the Governor, the Sena (UBT) stated, "Mumbai faces an unprecedented challenge to its democratic standing, along with most other cities in Maharashtra, as they haven't had an elected body of representatives for over a year now". "However, the absolute dictatorial behaviour of the BMC administration and the blatant corruption it is involved itself in, is a matter of concern for us, Mumbaikars," it added. The faction further alleged that in the past nine months, "representatives and former representatives from all parties have pointed out irregularities of the BMC in terms of financial mismanagement, favouring contractors and the absolutely chaotic administration". "Road Mega Tender scam, Gravel Monopoly scam, Street Furniture scam, Sanitary Pad Vending Machine scam," the letter added. The faction further requested the Governor to ensure a free, fair and transparent investigation in the matter, based on the documents submitted by the UBT faction. "Your Excellency, we look up to you, as the guardian of our faith in democracy and constitution in our State, and humbly request you to kindly further the submitted documents and proofs of financial mismanagement and contractor favours to the Honourable Lokayukta for a free and fair investigation," the faction stated in the letter. It added, "All we seek is a free, fair and transparent investigation into these issues of financial mismanagement, and justice from you so that elected representatives do not go unheard by officials who indulge in a contractor nexus, to ruin our city". After meeting the governor, Aaditya Thackeray said they also raised the corruption allegations against the current Maharashtra government during their discussions with the governor. "We met Governor Ramesh Bais after seeking a prior appointment with him. We discussed the existing issues of Mumbai, the corruption in road projects worth Rs 6000 crores, street furniture corruption, and other misdeeds in the state. We shared all the information with the governor and demanded an investigation," Thackeray told reporters. On the Supreme Court verdict on the state's political crisis, following the split in the undivided Shiv Sena and the demise of the previous MVA government, which is likely to come up for hearing on Thursday, he said they have faith in the judiciary and will await the judgement. "Every political party is awaiting the SC judgement on Maharashtra political crisis. We have full faith in the judiciary. We have also challenged the appointment of the current (Assembly) Speaker Rahul Naverkar," Aaditya said. Also wading in on the controversy around the release of 'The Kerala Story', Thackeray junior added, "I won't talk specifically about any agenda but everyone seems to indulging in their brand of politics around it." Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav will be meeting Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai tomorrow. The meeting is seen as part of the former's ongoing attempts to cobble up a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre, with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha elections. "Bihar CM and his deputy are coming to Matoshree tomorrow and will meet Uddhav Thackeray. We will definitely welcome him. The main question is which direction will the country go, democracy or dictatorship?" Aaditya added. (ANI)
Ahead of his Jan Sangharsh Yatra, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that he is not protesting against his government, but is just "raising voice" against "corruption." Pilot will be taking out a Jan Sangharsh Yatra in protest against the inaction of the Rajasthan government in the alleged corruption cases during the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the state. The five-day Jan Sangharsh Yatra that will start on May 11 will be carried out from Ajmer to Jaipur. On being asked why he is carrying out the yatra against his own government, Pilot told ANI that he is just raising his voice against "corruption". "I am not protesting against my government, but just raising my voice against corruption. When we had come to power, we had promised a zero-tolerance against corruption, but no investigation was done by this government," he said. He refused to comment anything on how the Gandhi family regarded the issue. But when asked about the party high command's reaction to the yatra, he said, "Congress has always had zero-tolerance against corruption and we will continue to fight against it". "We had come to power by fighting against corruption, but the way no action was taken against Vasundhara Raje and other leaders, I have to take the decision of carrying the Jan Sangharsh yatra," Pilot said. Earlier it was speculated that Pilot will go to Ajmer by car along with a huge number of supporters, but the former Deputy CM told ANI that he will be reaching Ajmer by train. He will catch the train at 8 am and will reach Ajmer at 12 noon. Pilot will also stop at different locations during his yatra. He has affirmed receiving immense support from the public. "The way several exams were cancelled, and medical students had to come out on the streets-- there are many such issues under this government, but the Gehlot government is not paying attention to it," he had said. As per the sources, he will receive a grand welcome by his supporters at Ajmer railway station. He will address a public meeting where he will focus on the issues of youth. He will also highlight the corruption allegations against previous BJP government. Pilot had held a day-long fast last month, even as the party leadership had cautioned him against it, over his demand for action by the Gehlot government for alleged corruption during the BJP rule in the state. Both Pilot and Gehlot have taken potshots at each other in the past forcing the party leadership to intervene. (ANI)
According to BSF, Siddhisori Mandal suddenly developed high blood pressure while sleeping at her house on Tuesday night. Her family immediately sought help from the company commander of the Shikarpur border post.

The company commander promptly sent a nursing assistant with a BSF ambulance to the woman's residence in Shikarpur which comes under the jurisdiction of 86 Battalion of the BSF. The woman was then transported to Karimpur Government Hospital where she received the necessary medical attention. Her condition is now stable, said the border guarding force.

Gopal Mandal, the woman's husband, expressed his gratitude to the BSF, stating that without their timely assistance, his wife's survival would have been uncertain, said the BSF.

Notably, BSF is mandated to guard the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh border. (ANI)
"BJP will win with full majority. Congress and JD(S) tried hard to appease the Muslims. However, the nationalist Muslims are with us. PM Modi is a world leader," he said while speaking to ANI.

Eshwarappa cast his vote in the Karnataka polls at a polling booth in Shivamogga on Wednesday.

The voting was done for 224 assembly constituencies of Karnataka. 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor Prakash Raj, and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy were among the early voters. Karnataka CM Bommai and Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and Jagadish Shettar were also among the early voters.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge whose son Priyank Kharge is contesting from the Chittapur Assembly constituency said that the people of Karnataka have decided to choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government.

As the voting process for the Assembly elections in Karnataka commenced on Wednesday, Kharge took to Twitter to urge voters, especially first-time voters to come out and participate in the democratic process for a better future.

"People of Karnataka have decided to choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government. Today, it is time to vote in large numbers. We welcome our first-time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future," Kharge tweeted.

According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur. (ANI)
These facts were apprised to the five-judge Constitution bench hearing a batch of petitions pertaining to marriage equality rights for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, apprised the top court that the governments of these states expressed their opinion on the Union government's querry seeking their view on the same-sex marriage issue.

The Centre, on April 18, issued a letter to the states, asking them to give their opinion on the issues relating to same-sex marriage.

Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh opposed legalising same-sex marriage whereas the governments of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Sikkim sought more time to respond.

In response to the Centre's letter, Rajasthan submitted that same-sex marriages will create an imbalance in the social fabric and have far-reaching consequences for the social and family system.

Assam said that a lot of personal laws will be impacted if this is permitted. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday said that this is not the government of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray where 'The Kerala Story' film will get banned in the state. While reacting to NCP leader Jitendra Awhad's comment where he mentioned that The Kerala story filmmaker should be hanged, Kirit Somaiya said, "This is not the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra where this movie will get banned. Is Jitendra Awhad worried about Muslim voters?" "I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar what problems they have with this movie," he added. Amid the ongoing controversy over the movie 'The Kerala Story', Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said that the producer of the movie should be hanged in public. "Under the name of 'The Kerala Story', a state and its women were defamed. The official figure of three was projected as 32,000. The person who produced this fictional movie should be hanged in public," NCP leader Awhad said. Earlier West Bengal became the first state to ban the film, which narrates the ordeal of three women who are trafficked to ISIS camps after being converted to Islam through marriage. There's a continuing political outcry around the movie even as it has been made tax-free in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and now Uttar Pradesh, becoming the second state to make the move. On the decision to ban the film, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "It is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and maintain peace in the state." 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in lead roles. A massive controversy erupted around the film after its trailer claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and joined the terrorist group ISIS. However, in the face of protests, the contentious figure in the trailer was later withdrawn. (ANI)
The Delhi police arrested a woman for beating her mother-in-law to death with a pressure cooker late last month over wanting to shift the victim to an old-age home, the officials said. The accused identified as 48-year-old Sarmishta Som was booked for murder in the death case of Harshi Som, police said. As per the police, Harshi was found dead in the kitchen on April 28 with multiple injuries to her face and skull inside her one-bedroom apartment at Neb Sarai in south Delhi when they reached the spot. The investigation into the case began after the police received a call from the husband of the accused, Surjit Som, 51, about his mother on the same morning, police said. "Upon receiving information, the police team reached the spot of the incident at Swastik Apartment, Neb Sarai in New Delhi, where one lady namely Hasi Som aged 86 yrs was found lying in the kitchen having multiple injuries on her face and skull. Her son Surjit Som stated that her mother was suffering from Arthritis for a long time and had problems in walking and could not walk without the help of a stick or helper," the police said in a statement. The husband and wife used to live in a flat in Swastik Residency, right opposite the apartment of the deceased. According to police, she earlier used to live with them and their 16-year-old daughter, however, the wife wanted her to be shifted to an old age home as she needed a lot of care and attention. While the son, who works with an advertising agency, wanted to live close to his mother, he decided to shift her to the nearby flat to look after her, police said. "He had also installed a CCTV camera inside the room to keep watch over his mother, who suffered from arthritis and faced mobility issues," the police said, adding, "Probe found that Sharmishta, a homemaker, would often quarrel with her husband to send his mother back to Kolkata, where the family originally belonged to." On the day of the incident, only Sarmishta was present in their flat and the flat of Deceased was locked from the outside, the police added. The body of the deceased was taken to the AIIMS Mortuary. "Thereafter autopsy of the deceased was conducted in AIIMs Mortuary, during Post Mortem Doctor told that injuries caused to the deceased are not possible in normal circumstances and detailed enquiry regarding the incident is to be conducted. During post-mortem nail clippings and other exhibits of the deceased were got preserved," the police said. The police further said that the post-mortem report has been received according to which there are 14 injuries all over the body. "The cause of death opined as "Heamorrhagic shocks as a result of antemortem injuries sustained to the head, right hand, left upper limb and left lower limb consequent to blunt force impact. All injuries are antemortem in nature and fresh in duration. Injury no.1 to 14 are collectively sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature," the police said. According to Delhi Police, there is no involvement of the son of the deceased in the murder case though he was aware that the relations between his mother and wife were sour. (ANI)
The Central Government on Wednesday said that Rs 40 crore has been released to 11 centres of excellence including Rs 10 crore to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for treatment of rare diseases. The funds have been released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Rare Disease Cell). A short affidavit was filed on behalf of the Ministry of Health in the batch of petitions filed by children Suffering from Rare diseases who sought direction for free treatment. Justice Prathiba M Singh said, "The ongoing treatment of the children should not be stopped due to funds." The Central Government standing counsel (CGSC) submitted that Rs 10 crores has been released to AIIMS for treatment of Rare diseases. The affidavit has also stated that the ICMR is committed to supporting the clinical trial of the drugs. The CGSC also submitted that the full plan of action would be placed before the court by Monday. Thereafter the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 15. The CGSC also informed the court that two orders for releasing funds passed by the court have been challenged before the division bench. It was also informed that the division bench has modified the order of May 6 directing the Union Health Secretary to appear before the court. The division bench has modified the order to the effect that the joint secretary shall remain present during the hearing. It is also submitted in the affidavit that the Court may consider the fact that even after spending a significant amount of money, patients suffering from certain rare diseases such as DMD etc. cannot be cured and this will only mitigate their sufferings. Therefore, the rational use of limited resources by the Centre of Excellence (CoEs) is of crucial importance. The affidavit also stated that the Department of Health & Family Welfare is fully committed towards the expeditious clinical trial of drugs, generation of clinical trial data, its submission to the national regulator Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), its consideration and approval by DCGI for treatment of Rare Diseases. In addition, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Bio-Technology (DBT) has already committed on record, before this Hon'ble Court to fund 50 pc of the funds required for research and trial of such drugs, the affidavit stated. It is also stated that ICMR has committed to fully supporting on-site trials as multi-centric trials shall be essential for assessing the efficacy as well as contraindications of the drugs. Once the clinical trial progresses and data are generated, the Department of Health & Family Welfare as well as ICMR shall get the data analysed by a scientific institution of repute for submission before DCGI, the affidavit submitted. Hence, even the data analysis cost will be borne by the Government, it added. "This all will cover a major part of the proposed expenditure for the clinical trial of drugs. The promoter companies, since they would be selling the drug (once approved), as a commercial enterprise, would need to invest the balance of financial resources", it further stated. Therefore, the High Court may like to direct the promoter company i.e. Hanugen to fund the cost of the drug material, drug manufacturing/drug import etc, the Centre has submitted. On May 6, the Delhi High Court summoned the Union Health Secretary over non-compliance with orders passed for the release of funds of Rs 5 crore for the treatment of children suffering from rare diseases. The court said that it cannot put a blind eye to the treatment of 40 children. Justice Prathiba M Singh said in the order of May 3, "On February 15, 2023, a further amount of Rs.5 crores was directed to be released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The said direction was reiterated in an order dated March 6, 2023. However, the said amount has not been released till date." The bench is hearing a batch of Petitions by children suffering from rare diseases seeking free treatment. Justice Singh expressed her displeasure and said, " Under such circumstances, the Court cannot turn a blind eye to the medical condition of 40 children who are Petitioners before the Court. The medicines which have already been administered and their effectiveness wouldalso be completely obliterated if further doses are not continued for the said children.29. Under these circumstances, the Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare shall physically remain present in Court on the next date of hearing, Justice Singh had directed. (ANI)
In this regard, he took to Twitter and said, "Great news for India on the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Santiniketan, West Bengal has been recommended for inscription to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, the advisory body to UNESCO World Heritage Centre".

He further stated that a formal announcement will be made at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh this year.

"This furthers the vision of PM Narendra Modi to showcase our rich cultural heritage to the world. This will formally be announced in the World Heritage Committee meeting to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September 2023," he said.

Shantiniketan is a town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Visva Bharati University lies in Shantiniketan. The place now attracts thousands of visitors each year. (ANI)
Delhi's Saket Court granted bail to the accused in a rape case within 12 days of his arrest. While granting bail, Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma noted that the FIR in question was lodged after a significant gap in the alleged coitus. The Court further observed that the investigation in this case basically has not progressed effectively besides the arrest of the accused and held that further custody of the accused is not justified in such circumstances and granted bail to the accused subject to certain conditions and restrictions. The prosecutrix alleged that the accused made physical relations multiple times with the complainant for over two years on a false promise to marry her. The counsels for the accused, Advocates Vijay Aggarwal and RK Gossain submitted that FIR was registered after a considerable and unexplained delay of more than 1 year and seven months, which cast doubts on the prosecution case. It was argued that it was a mere case of promiscuity and not rape meaning that if a full-grown girl consents to the act of sexual intercourse on a promise of marriage and continues to indulge in such activity is an act of promiscuity and it was submitted that the accused cannot be prosecuted for promiscuity. Advocate Aggarwal argued that the accused denies physical relations with the prosecutrix and even if the allegations are presumed to be correct, it was a consensual relationship all along. It was further submitted that the fact that the accused got engaged to the prosecutrix shows that the accused was sincere and it was not a false promise at inception. Advocate Aggarwal further argued that the FIR clearly reflects that the prosecutrix was a modern, literate and working woman who had engaged in a consensual relationship with the accused (though the physical relationship is denied by the accused) and she was never forced into having sexual relations as alleged by her. Advocate Aggarwal apprised the Court of the messages exchanged between the prosecutrix and the accused on WhatsApp and Text messages right before and after the alleged offence was committed, reflecting that the accused and the prosecutrix were deeply in love and that the prosecutrix willingly and voluntarily participated in the alleged act of physical relationship. Advocate Aggarwal further submitted that after the engagement of both the parties the mother of the accused passed away and he was informed by the pandit that he should not proceed with the wedding as it will end up in a divorce. Aggarwal further showed the court portion of the FIR wherein the prosecutrix stated that she knew the accused was superstitious. (ANI)
Medical students from different colleges under the aegis of House Surgeon Students Union and PG Doctors Association staged a mass protest in front of the Secretariat in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday after a woman doctor was stabbed to death in Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital. After the shocking incident on Wednesday, the doctors in the state launched an emergency 24 hour-strike which will continue on Thursday also. The strike will be observed by various medical associations including the students unions in the state. Kerala Government Medical Teachers Organisation, State General Secretary Dr Roshnara Beegum told the ANI that the strike will continue till the government takes a firm decision on the security of doctors. "We have been already telling the administrators of the attacks we have been facing. Today a sad incident took place and we are standing here with deep grief, we urge the government to take necessary steps to urge the security of all the students faculty, health care workers in this state. So that we can work without any fear. We will be continuing our strike till a firm decision from the government is taken on our security", Dr Roshnara Beegum said. She also urged that the Hospital Protection Act Amendment should be implemented immediately. "The Hospital Protection Act Amendment should be implemented, no action has been taken so far. We want that action to be taken fast", she said. Beegum further added, "It's really pathetic that all the doctors have to come to the streets, this is the inefficiency of the government where such incidents take place. If you look at the past 2-3 years so many incidents have taken place and none of the accused have been convicted. It is clearly the inefficiency. Tomorrow all services will be stopped except emergency services and doctors including the house surgeons, PG, and MBBS Students will go on strike." A woman doctor on duty at a government hospital in Kerala's Kollam district was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a school teacher who was brought to the facility for a medical examination by the Police. The incident took place at the government taluk hospital in Kottarakkara, police said. The doctor later succumbed to stab injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted this morning. Earlier, taking suo moto cognizance of the incident in which a woman doctor was stabbed to death, Kerala High Court on Wednesday slammed the state government and asked to shut down the hospitals if the government cannot protect the doctors. The Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath while taking up the matter suo moto criticised the state government and the police strongly. The court said, "If you can't protect the doctors, shut down the hospitals." (ANI)
Congress's Karnataka president DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said he did not believe in the exit poll results, which predicted a hung Assembly while putting his party ahead, adding that they will cross the 146-seat mark. Shivakumar, who was the Congress candidate from Kanakapura constituency, said the poll outcome would decisively be in favour of his party and there will be no such situation, which might warrant them to consider post-poll alliances. Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, the Congress MLA said, "My first reaction (to the exit-poll projections) is that I don't believe these numbers. I stand by my assessment, that we will win more than 146 seats. People are knowledgeable and educated and have voted considering the larger interests of the state. The double engine has failed in Karnataka. Such a situation (which might prompt the Congress to go into a post-poll alliance) will not arise." The exit polls, which were released after the polling ended in Karnataka, predicted that Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would not reach 37 seats, its tally in the 2018 polls. However, they indicated that the HD Deve Gowda-led party will continue to be a strong regional player in the state and might even emerge as a kingmaker should the polls throw up a fractured mandate. Congress leader former CM Siddaramaiah, too, exuded confidence in the party getting a comfortable majority. "The Congress party will win with a comfortable majority. I am certain I will win from the Varuna constituency," Siddaramaiah said. BJP turncoat Jagadish Shettar, who jumped to the Congress after being denied a ticket by the ruling party, said the grand old party would form the next government with a clear majority. "Congress will get a clear majority and form the government. Most exit polls have predicted that the Congress will emerge as the largest single party. There is no question of a coalition with any other party, especially the JD(S)," Shettar told ANI. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, Priyank Kharge, said his party was on course to forming the next government in Karnataka. "The Congress will return to power. We are very close to forming the government. I am sure the counting of votes on May 13 will validate our assessments," Priyank Kharge told ANI on Wednesday. "Considering my experience of 55 years in politics, I can say with conviction that the Congress should get a comfortable majority. We will form the next government in Karnataka," veteran Congress leader M Veerappa Moily told ANI. Also, as polling for the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Wednesday, Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao asserted that the party will win by a big margin. "Congress will win by a very big margin. We will get over 140 seats," said Rao. According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats. In what turned out to be a high-decibel campaign phase, the incumbent BJP, Congress and the JDS went at each other and pulled out all the stops to woo voters. After the controversy around its manifesto, which included a promise to ban the Bajrang Dal, Congress tried to redirect its campaign focus back to the bread-and-butter issues and the alleged corruption of the incumbent BJP government. However, the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, went big on the pledge to ban the Bajrang Dal and alleged faux pas by the party's designated translator at a campaign rally addressed by Sonia Gandhi. In this year's Karnataka polls, the Congress (supported by the CPI), and JDS are contesting on their own, aiming to form their government with a full majority. In the previous state polls, the Congress and JDS had contested as partners. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)
The accused will be shifted to Poojappura jail.

Earlier today, the Department of Public Education suspended the accused Sandeep from his position as a teacher at Nedumbana UP School. The suspension was initiated after a departmental inquiry on the instructions of Public Education Minister V Sivankutty.

Sandeep, who is a school teacher, was taken into police custody from his house on Tuesday night after a brawl with his neighbours. He was brought to the government hospital by Police for a mandatory medical checkup when he turned violent.

According to police, the incident took place at 4.30 am today when S Sandeep (42) out of the blue stabbed house surgeon, Vandana Das (23) when she was dressing his wounds.

Having grabbed scissors from the dressing room, Sandeep, who was reportedly under treatment in a deaddiction centre, stabbed Vandana six times causing injuries to her abdomen and back.He also attacked others and vandalised the hospital. A home guard and a sub-inspector also sustained stab injuries. Dr Vandana was shifted to KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.

Dr Vandana was a house surgeon at Azeezia medical college, Kollam and she was on duty at Taluk Hospital, Kottarakkara. She was the only daughter of Mohandas and Vasantha Kumari, residents of Kadunthurity in the Kollam district.

Her post-mortem was completed and doctors and medical students paid homage to her at Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital. Governor Arif Muhammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, minister Vasavan and many others visited to pay homage to Vandana at KIMS hospital. (ANI)
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) units have been placed on high alert amid the warning of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for cyclonic storm 'Mocha', said an official statement. IMD on Wednesday predicted that the depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards and is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm over the same region. The statement said that the ICG is geared up for response to Cyclonic storm 'Mocha' as indicated by IMD and the update had been shared with the fisheries and civil administration. "Indian Coast Guard is geared up for response to Cyclonic storm 'Mocha' as indicated by IMD. Weather update is being shared with fisheries and civil administration. ICG units in West Bengal and Odisha were placed on high alert and standby to meet any eventuality," read the statement. "Weather warnings being broadcasted through ICG ships on patrol and aircraft on surveillance as well as Coast Guard Radar Operating Station (ROS) Paradip and Haldia both in English and vernacular languages to alert fishermen and mariners at sea," it added. Earlier on Wednesday, IMD said, the depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards during the past six hours with a speed of 5 kmph and lay centred about 510 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 1,460 km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) and 1,340 km south-southwest of Sittwe (Myanmar). The bulletin also informed that the movement of the depression is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal. On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that people do not need to fear the cyclone as the state government is equipped to handle the situation. "No need to fear the cyclone. If there come different circumstances, we will rescue people from coastal areas as the cyclone will move to Bangladesh and Myanmar," CM Banerjee had said. (ANI)
A Special PMLA Court in Raipur extended the custody of Anwar Dhebar, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged liquor scam to the tune of around Rs 2000 crore, on Wednesday. Anwar Dhebar was today produced in the court of 4th Additional District and Sessions Judge (Special Judge, PMLA) Ajay Singh Rajput and it extended his ED custody for five days, said the Dhebar's counsel Rahul Tyagi, adding that Dhebar will be produced in the court on May 15. Notably, Anwar Dhebar was arrested on May 6 and produced before the court from where he was sent to four days of ED custody. Speaking to media persons, Tyagi said, "The court has directed the investigating agency that the accused should not be harassed in any way. The court has also directed the agency to preserve audio and video recording (of the interrogation) so that it can be ascertained that any kind of ill-treatment or harassment was given to the Dhebar". In a release issued by the ED after the arrest of Anwar Dhebar, it said that the agency had conducted searches at multiple locations in March and has recorded the statements of various persons involved in the process and collected evidence of unprecedented corruption and money laundering to the tune of Rs 2000 crore between 2019 and 2022. PMLA investigation revealed that an organised crime syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar was operating in Chhattisgarh, alleged the agency. "Commission of Rs 75-150 per case (depending on the type of liquor) was fastidiously charged by the syndicate from the suppliers for each accounted cash procured by CSMCL. Anwar Dhebar in conspiracy with the others started getting manufacturing unaccounted country-made kacha off-the-books liquor and selling the same through government-run shops. This way they could keep the entire sale proceeds without depositing even 1 Rupee in the State Exchequer," a statement earlier issued by ED stated. The agency further alleged, "Duplicate holograms were provided. Duplicate bottles were procured in cash. Liquor was transported directly from the distiller to shops by passing the state warehouses. Manpower was trained to sell unaccounted liquor. The entire sale was done in cash. The entire sale was off the books and sale consideration was siphoned off with everyone in the illegal chain getting its share including - the distiller, transporter, hologram maker, bottle maker, excise official, higher echelons of the excise department, Anwar Dhebar, senior IAS Officer(s) and politicians". ED investigation has revealed that in the years 2019-2022, this kind of illegal sale was almost 30-40 per cent of the total sale of liquor in the state, elaborating that this generated Rs 1200 - Rs 1500 crore illegal profits. Commission from FL-10A License Holders was also charged from Foreign Liquor suppliers, alleged the ED statement, adding that these licenses were given to the associates of Anwar Dhebar. The statement further alleged that it is estimated that in total Rs 2000 crore was generated by the syndicate in a short span from 2019 to 2022. Anwar Dhebar is responsible for the collection of this entire illegal money but is not the ultimate beneficiary of this scam. It is established that after deducting a percentage, he had passed on the remaining amounts to his political masters. Revenue from liquor (Excise Duty) is one of the highest contributors to state kitty. Excise Departments are mandated to regulate the supply of liquor, ensure quality liquor to users to prevent hooch tragedies and earn revenue for the State. But investigation revealed that a criminal syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar has turned upside down all these objectives. In Chhattisgarh, the state controls all the aspects of the liquor trade from procurement to retail sale to the consumer. No private liquor shops are allowed. All 800 liquor shops are run by the state. Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) centrally procures all the liquor sold in Chhattisgarh. CSMCL issues tenders for-Manpower suppliers who run the shops, cash collection tenders, select bottle makers and hologram makers. As per the agency, with the support of the political executives, Anwar Dhebar managed to get a pliant Commissioner and MD of CSMCL and hired close associates like Vikas Agarwal alias Subbu and Arvind Singh to make the system completely subservient to him. The accused controlled the entire chain of the liquor trade starting from - Private Distillers, FL-10A License Holders, Senior Officers of the Excise Dept, District level Excise Officers, Man-power suppliers, Glass Bottle makers, Hologram Makers, Cash - Collection vendors etc and leveraged it to extort maximum amount of bribes/commission. Various other stakeholders also illegally benefited in the process, ED further stated. According to the Enforcement Directorate, it had earlier conducted search operations at 35 locations across Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Delhi including the residential premises of Anwar Dhebar. However, he slipped out of a secret trap door and did not participate in the search. Dhebar was summoned on 7 occasions but did not join the investigation. He was continuously using benami SIM Cards, and Internet dongles, changing locations and after sustained surveillance was zeroed in on the Hotel room of his close associate. There also, instead of accepting the summons, he again tried to run away from the back door but was caught while escaping by an alert team of ED. He was duly arrested and produced before the PMLA Special Judge of Raipur, who has remanded him to 4 days of ED Custody, the agency added. (ANI)
The situation in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur improved further on Wednesday with the authorities relaxing curfew in 11 districts, including Imphal West and Churachandpur, for six hours in the morning even as the Army and central paramilitary forces continued their vigil in the sensitive areas. Mobile internet service will continue to remain suspended in the state till May 13. Defence sources said that armed miscreants on Wednesday fired upon the Army and Assam Rifles at Dolaithabi in Imphal East district when the security personnel were on an area domination patrolling. "After firing a few rounds, the miscreants ran away. An Assam Rifles jawan who sustained gunshot injury in the firing has been safely evacuated to the military hospital by an Army helicopter," the sources said. In all, 128 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles continued flag marches in the tension-ridden and violence-hit areas in different districts. The forces also undertook round-the-clock aerial surveillance using drones and Army choppers. A defence release said on Wednesday that the Indian Army's three-pronged domination strategy in Manipur is helping the state return to normalcy. "The Army and Assam Rifles have significantly re-engineered the security architecture, while numerous resources have also been infused to improve the situation. People are now returning to their homes," the release said. It added that the Army is leaving no stone unturned in monitoring the troubled areas, not only in the hinterland, but also along the India-Myanmar border. Round-the-clock surveillance using drones, employment of MI17 and Cheetah helicopters of the Air Force and the Army, and numerous foot patrols and flag marches are being carried out to restore confidence of the locals on the ground. As Manipur limps back to nromalcy, inimical elements may once again attempt to spread malicious unverified content, the defence release said. Stating that the Army and Assam Rifles are committed to restoring complete normalcy at the earliest, it requested the people of the state to disregard any malicious attempt to disturb harmony in the region through manipulated interpretation and misrepresentation of facts. Violent clashes, firing and arson broke out across Manipur during a 'Tribal Solidarity March' on May 3 called by the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. The ATSUM had called the rally in 10 hill districts, inhabited by the tribals, to oppose the recent Manipur High Court order, which asked the state government to send a recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry regarding the demand to include the majority and predominantly Hindu Meitei community in the ST list. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had said on Monday that at least 60 people, including women, have been killed and 231 others have been injured while 1,700 houses have been burnt in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3. --IANS sc/arm ( 492 Words) 2023-05-10-19:34:04 (IANS)
The Congress on Wednesday slammed the government over the alleged links of DRDO director P. M. Kurulkar with the RSS, arrested in an espionage case, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how it happened under his nose. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera released a video of Kurulkar speaking at a RSS event and also his interview where he accepted his ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also attended a programme with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Khera said, "Kurulkar, a director of DRDO, who was arrested on espionage charge by the Maharashtra ATS has association with the RSS for four generations. Maharashtra ATS arrested P.M. Kurulkar for providing secret information to Pakistan through a woman. It is being said that he was honey trapped." Highlighting his association with the RSS, the Congress leader said, "He (Kurulkar) used to play saxophone in RSS shakha for 14 years. Even his father was associated with the RSS." Khera also reminded the BJP of Dhruv Saxena and RSS pracharak Yashwant Shinde's connections with Pakistan's ISI and other organisations. Targeting the BJP, Khera said, "A man in DRDO was giving information to Pakistan. Since October 2022 he was giving information. In February his laptop was submitted with the ATS. And he was arrested about a week ago on espionage charges." Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Khera said, "DRDO works under the Prime Minister. This happened under the nose of PM Modi from a man (Kurulkar), who has been associated with the RSS. Taking a pot shot at the RSS for denying that Kurulkar was associated with it, he said, "How can RSS deny the fact that Kurulkar was associated with them. He himself said that he played the saxophone for 14 years with them and also shared the stage with Mohan Bhagwat." "We want to ask from the Prime Minister, how secret information of India was being shared with Pakistan. How is this happening under him," he added. The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad last Thursday arrested the highly decorated senior scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Kurulkar, for allegedly sharing sensitive defence related information with agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). On Tuesday, Kurulkar was produced before the additional sessions judge (Special Court) in Pune and remanded to further custody until May 15. --IANS aks/bg ( 407 Words) 2023-05-10-19:48:05 (IANS)
A decision in this regard was taken at the Congress Legislature Party meeting presided by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

State President Chaudhary Udaybhan and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda were also present at the meeting.

It was decided at the meeting that all party MLAs would go to Jantar Mantar to extend support to wrestlers on May 13.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Hooda said the Congress is constantly reaching out to the public through various programmes.

The Leader of Opposition also talked about revelations made in the CAG report regarding the Excise Department.

"The government does not have any record of production, sale and income from liquor. The CAG has revealed major irregularities in the Excise Department."

He said the government, claiming transparency, is proving to be a failure on every front.

In response to a question, two-time chief minister Hooda said digitisation had started during the Congress government and its purpose was to provide convenience to the public, while the BJP made arrangements like 'Meri Fasal, Mera Byora', property and family identities to trouble the public.

--IANS vg/pgh

( 226 Words)

2023-05-10-20:54:03 (IANS)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday junked a plea by sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to submit additional evidence supporting his appeal in the Gujarat High Court against his conviction in a custodial death case. It also rejected Bhatt's plea for recusal of a judge from hearing a matter. A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar said it was not inclined to interfere with the high court order. "Having gone through the impugned order passed by the High Court, we see no reason to interfere with the same in exercise of powers under Article 136 of the Constitution. Any observations by this court on the deposition of the aforesaid 3 witnesses (doctors) may ultimately affect the case of either party in the appeal, which is yet to be considered by the high court. Therefore, the special leave petition stands dismissed," said the bench, in its order. "However, it is observed that the high court to finally decide and dispose of the appeal strictly in accordance with law and on merits and on re-appreciation of the entire evidence on record which were considered by the trial court and without in any way influenced by any of the observations made by the high court in the impugned order so far as the cause of death is concerned and any observations made by the high court in the impugned order shall be confined to deciding the application under Section 391 Cr.P.C. only," it said. The apex court also rejected Bhatt's plea seeking recusal of Justice Shah from hearing the matter. On Tuesday, Bhatt's counsel had submitted that there was a reasonable apprehension of bias as Justice Shah, as a high court judge, had castigated the petitioner while hearing his plea linked to the same FIR. The Gujarat government counsel and complainant's counsel opposed this contention and termed it forum shopping. The top court said: "We are of the opinion that the request of recusal is nothing but an attempt to indulge in forum shopping and bench hunting and to avoid the bench with mala fide intention. It is to be noted that earlier the bench headed by one of us heard the special leave petition in a case relating to the very FIR and filed by the very petitioner and at that point of time, no such objection was raised and no such prayer was made." The bench said merely because some proceedings might have been heard by one of us before the high court in connection with the present matter and/or proceedings and some observations might have been made against the petitioner on the delaying tactics, cannot be a ground to accede to the request made by the petitioner. Senior advocate Maninder Singh represented the Gujarat government and senior counsel A.N.S. Nadkarni represented the original complainant. A Jamnagar court awarded life term to Bhatt after he was held guilty on June 20, 2019 in a three-decade old custodial death case. --IANS ss/vd ( 508 Words) 2023-05-10-21:16:02 (IANS)
Sea Harrier (SH 606) fighter jet designed and manufactured by British Aerospace, will be suspended from the roof of what used to be the Rajiv Smruthi Bhavan in Vishakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the Sea Harrier Museum on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on May 11. Several tourist and Navy projects like INS Kurusura Submarine, and TU 142 M aircraft museum in Visakhapatnam already attract visitors and travellers from all corners of the world. While talking to ANI, District Collector and VMRDA Commissioner A Mallikarjuna said, "Besides the TU-142 aircraft and INS Kursura Submarine Museum, the Sea Harrier will be made accessible to the public from this week on the beach road of Visakhapatnam. The Sea Harrier Museum, which once shared space with TU-142 Aircraft, is inching closer to its inauguration inside the 22,000-sqft Rajiv Smruthi Bhavan on RK Beach Road in Vizag. Built at a cost of over Rs 10 crores, the display of the fighter jet, suspended from the ceiling, is expected to attract tourists in large numbers. The 2016-decommissioned Indian Navy flight museum will be made open to the public from May 11, 2023 after its opening by Chief Minister Jagan." "The new museum space will feature two Pegasus engines, a flight simulator, and other artefacts alongside the Sea Harrier. All the exhibits have been brought from Goa," he added. Sea Harrier further jet decommissioned fighter jet was brought to Visakhapatnam from Goa in 2016. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that police raided the residence of PTI leader Usman Dar. The party said that the mother of the Dar brothers was harassed by violating the sanctity of the four walls. Taking to its official Twitter handle, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted, "Sialkot: Police raided the residence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Usman Dar. The mother of the Dar brothers was harassed by violating the sanctity of the chador and the four walls." PTI also shared the visuals of the house on Twitter. The development comes after the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday. Imran Khan was arrested outside Islamabad High Court by Rangers on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case. After his arrest, PTI workers across the country held protests and called for his release. Meanwhile, PTI Karachi President Aftab Siddiqui has announced protests in Karachi. He called on the people to observe the shutdown in Karachi for PTI chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan. A few hours back, PTI leader Hassaan Niazi tweeted, "Core commander house lahore surround from all chowks. Protesters have decided to stay here all night. All cantt check post deserted. Scary anger in public. PTI workers trying to stop the public but anger is too much." PTI workers held protests in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News. In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery. They pelted stones at police vehicles and tore down street lights. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday said the party will approach the Supreme Court today morning to challenge the Islamabad High Court's upholding of party chairman Imran Khan's arrest. Fawad Chaudhry termed Islamabad High Court's decision "surprising." He tweeted, "It is surprising that Islamabad High Court has declared the arrest of Imran Khan as legal, the arrest of Imran Khan without giving a decision on bail before his arrest is illegal, this decision is being challenged in the Supreme Court this morning." Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has instructed the party leaders, workers and supporters to gather at the Islamabad Judicial Complex at 8 am on Wednesday. Taking to its official Twitter handle, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stated, "Important instructions from the party leadership: Senior leadership of Tehreek-e-Insaf and workers and supporters of Islamabad will arrive at Judicial Complex Islamabad at 8 am. The ongoing sit-ins and protests across the country will continue in their respective locations until the release of Imran Khan." The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday termed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's arrest as "legal," Geo News reported. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, who had raised questions over the Rangers' move to arrest Imran Khan from the court's premises on Tuesday announced the reserved verdict. (ANI)
The two documents aim to lift restrictions on designated carriers from the UAE and Tajikistan, streamline trade and air traffic between the two nations, and boost their GDPs and airport connections.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA, said that the aviation accords with Tajikistan demonstrate their desire to strengthen relations and collaboration in the air transport sector, and will benefit carriers from both countries while also promoting bilateral trade and tourism.

He expressed the GCAA's interest in creating a conducive environment for advancing the aviation industry, stressing that the cooperation agreement reflects the UAE's forward-looking approach to promoting international partnerships and strengthening its ties with Tajikistan. (ANI/WAM)
Africa's participation in the ongoing G20 presidency under India has been the highest ever, the Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said. The G20's focus on Africa has been consistent in recent years. However, India's G20 Presidency is very unique given India's track record of amplifying the voice and concerns of the Global South and developing countries. The Ambassador pointed this out while she was addressing the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development 2023. The 2023 ECOSOC Financing for Development (FfD) Forum was held from April 17-20 at UN Headquarters in New York. Additionally, the numerous G20 meetings being held in India are also striving to address the challenges of the Global South and the world in general. India, with its 'Voice of the Global South Summit' and other measures, has managed to provide a larger representation of the issues, concerns, and aspirations of the African region. India's priorities, such as inclusive digital infrastructure and climate change, and the various issues it is deliberating, such as multilateral reforms, food and energy security, counter-terrorism, new and emerging threats, global skill mapping, and disaster risk reduction, among others, are of particular interest for the African region, wrote NewsonAir. Notably, the developments undertaken in the health and education domains by the G20 are also significant for African nations. Prioritising reforms of multilateral development banks is yet another issue that is crucial for India and the Global South. Further, as said by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, "Digital technology can be a key tool for inclusion, advance governance, better service delivery and promote inclusion of all sections of society." The G20 has been working on Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Skilling as key priority areas. Africa represents the voice of around 1.37 billion people, and leaving them out of the decision-making table is detrimental to global sustainable economic growth. According to a report by Gurjit Singh of the Observer Research Foundation, India's G20 presidency can potentially give India's Africa policy a further fillip. A refurbished Africa policy will burnish the G20 Presidency with India as the voice of the Global South (VOGS). During the Modi years, the successful India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS III) with the participation of all 54 African countries, started revitalising the Africa policy. Modi's visits to Africa in 2016 and 2018 and the enunciation of the 10 principles for Africa in Uganda in 2018 were important initiatives. These require a post-pandemic and post-Ukraine crisis reassessment. Signs of this are visible, with the External Affairs Minister (EAM) visiting Uganda and Mozambique. When in South Africa for the BRICS ministers meeting, he will have the opportunity to visit other African countries. Since India is the voice of the Global South, speaking up for Africa, in particular, is important. Africa suffered deeply from the consequences of the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. The participation of African countries in the VOGS summit showed their expectations and the potential for the fulfilment of the said expectations through India's G20 presidency. India and Africa have had a long and thriving partnership and shared strong civilizational and historical links. Anti-colonial solidarity, diasporic goodwill, and the principle of 'South-South' cooperation, among others, are also playing a significant role in strengthening the partnership between India and the African continent, NewsonAir underlined. The statement made by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that India believes Africa's growth and progress is intrinsic to global rebalancing itself justifies that African development is significant for India's Foreign Policy. Notably, India's engagement with Africa has been consistent and regular in recent years. India allocated Rs 250 crore for African countries in its Budget for 2023-24. Further, India's bilateral trade with Africa is around USD 89.5 billion in 2021-22, and its cumulative investments are USD 73.9 billion from 1996-2021, thereby making India among the top five investors in Africa. (ANI)
Meanwhile, Pakistan's interior ministry today requisitioned the assistance of the army to maintain law and order in eastern province of Punjab, the ministry announced.

Geo News cited sources to report that Judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the hearing where the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested the court for a 14-day physical detention of Khan, in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman is being defended by a group of solicitors that includes Khawaja Haris, Barrister Ali Gohar, and Advocate Ali Bukhari.

The Deputy Prosecutor General of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, and the Special Prosecutor, Raffique Masood, were also present in the court during the proceedings, Geo News reported.

NAB was represented in court by Sardar Zulqarnain, the prosecutor, and Mian Omar Nadeem, the investigation officer.

On Tuesday, Imran Khan was arrested outside Islamabad High Court by Pakistan Rangers on a warrant issued by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The NAB had initiated an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

On the directives of the NAB, an independent anti-graft organisation, the former prime minister was detained by Rangers on Tuesday in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. He was then moved to its headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi for questioning.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) later stated that the detention was valid and reserved its decision regarding it; as a result, Khan's legal team plans to contest the arrest in the Supreme Court today. (ANI)
Adding to the mounting troubles for embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, the former prime minister was on Wednesday indicted in the Toshakhana case while the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case was reserved by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), reported Geo TV. The former prime minister was presented before the judges at Islamabad Police Lines, which was given the status of a court as a "one-time dispensation" late on Tuesday night. Khan first appeared before accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir, who reserved the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust embezzlement case after the defence and plaintiff concluded their arguments. The NAB had requested a 14-day physical remand, the maximum allowed in the law. Khan was arrested on Tuesday by Rangers on the orders of the NAB, an autonomous anti-graft agency, in relation to the corruption case. He was then moved to its office in the garrison town of Rawalpindi for questioning, Geo News reported. Later, announcing the reserved verdict on Khan's arrest, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) said that the arrest was legal, therefore, Khan's legal team intends to challenge his arrest in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The verdict was challenged by the party leadership in the Supreme Court. However, the plea was turned down by the apex court citing various reasons. At the outset of the hearing, the NAB sought a 14-day physical remand, which was opposed by the PTI lawyers, Geo News reported. Citing sources, Geo News reported further that Khan's legal team was earlier denied permission to meet the party chief ahead of the hearing. However, once the hearing began Khan held discussions with his lawyers. The NAB prosecutor informed the additional sessions judge Mohammad Bashir that Khan was shown warrants at the time of the arrest. The PTI chief denied the claims saying that he saw the arrest warrants after reaching the NAB office, Geo News reported. Abbasi assured the judge that all necessary documents will be provided to the PTI chief's lawyers. The judge directed the legal team to hold discussions with Khan as the former complained that the authorities did not allow them to meet their client before the hearing. When the hearing resumed after the break, one of Imran's lawyers argued about the legality of Khan's arrest. Sharing the details of the case, Abbasi said that the money was seized by the UK's National Crime Agency and sent it back to the Government of Pakistan. After the completion of his lawyer Haris's argument, Khan sought to know what is the record that he is alleged to have not shared with the anti-graft watchdog. When the hearing resumed after the break, Khawaja Haris argued about the legality of Khan's arrest. Sharing the details of the case, Abbasi said the money was seized by the UK's National Crime Agency and sent it back to the Government of Pakistan. "The NAB is saying they want to compile the records," Khan said, questioning when did he deny access to any of the records. The former prime minister added that all transactions were made after the approval of the cabinet. Recalling the events from Tuesday of his arrest, Khan urged the judges to summon his team of doctors, Geo News reported. On Tuesday, Imran was arrested outside Islamabad High Court by Pakistan Rangers on a warrant issued by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The NAB had initiated an investigation against Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer. On the directives of the NAB, the former prime minister was detained by Rangers on Tuesday in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. He was then moved to its headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi for questioning, Geo News reported. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) later stated that the detention was valid and reserved its decision regarding it. Khan's legal team plans to contest the arrest in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. (ANI)
Along with a wide range of other topics, connectivity cooperation between India and the European Union was discussed in a recent Strategic Partnership Review Meeting in Delhi. The meeting emphasised that connectivity projects respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to the joint release of the EU-India review meeting, the meeting was held on May 8 in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Sanjay Verma, secretary (West), and the EU side was led by Helena Konig, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues, European External Action Service. The meeting went over the whole range of bilateral ties between India and the EU as outlined in the "India-EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025" adopted at the 15th India-EU Summit in 2020. India and The EU went through an extensive review of their successful bilateral relationship in the context of the meetings organised by India under its ongoing G20 Presidency. The discussions centred on a variety of subjects, including climate change, clean energy, biodiversity, the circular economy, resource efficiency, smart urbanisation, trade, research and innovation, education, mobility, and digital challenges, including data privacy. Both sides also discussed cooperation in the sphere of connectivity, emphasising that connectivity projects respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement and Agreement on Geographical Indications and agreed on their importance and the need for full cooperation at the multilateral level and regular bilateral dialogue on economic issues, the joint press release read. They also reviewed the progress and scope of the newly launched India-EU Trade and Technology Council and looked forward to a successful first Ministerial Meeting under the TTC mechanism on 16 May in Brussels, the release added. The EU and India discussed the prospects for a world that is safer, wealthier, and more democratic. They expressed their appreciation for the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue's return in 2021 and pledged to continue convening it every year. Additionally, they emphasised the necessity of a comprehensive, just, and long-lasting peace in Ukraine that complies with the UN Charter and international law. "Both sides emphasised that the rules-based international order must respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes. They unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border attacks," the official joint release of EU-India on the Fourth Strategic Partnership Review meeting said. They also expressed their commitment to increase engagement across all areas with a view of identifying areas to strengthen cooperation, including through the Global Gateway, and looking into priorities for the next India-EU Summit, the release added. (ANI)
The Observer Research Foundation, the Think20 Secretariat under India's G20 Presidency, is all set to host the Think20 Mid-Year Conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. At the Think20 Mid-Year Conference, Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa; Harsh Vardhan Shringla, chief coordinator (G20); and Sujan Chinoy, Director General of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and Chair of T20 India Core Group will be present. It will also feature eminent members of the think tank, including Ashima Goyal, emeritus professor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), India and Manjeet Kripalani, executive director, Gateway House, India. The three-day conference will bring experts and policymakers from the G20 countries onto a common platform to exchange ideas and collaborate on solutions to complex global challenges in health, green growth, technology for development, reformed multilateralism, gender and its interplay with green transitions, and the future of work. ORF is a leading multidisciplinary think tank with centres in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and an overseas affiliate in Washington DC. It helps discover and inform India's choices and carries Indian voices and ideas to forums shaping global debates. It provides non-partisan, independent, well-researched analyses and inputs to diverse decision-makers in governments, business communities, academia, and civil society worldwide. Think20 (T20) is the G20's official engagement group that serves as an 'ideas bank' for the multilateral grouping by bringing together think tanks and high-level experts to discuss policy issues relevant to the G20. The conference will be a precursor and bridge to the final T20 Summit in August 2023. At the conference, the discussions and recommendations will be based on the themes of the T20's seven Task Forces. Other crucial topics will also contribute to finalising the T20 Task Force Statements, laying the foundation for the T20 Communique, which will be presented to the G20 Secretariat. This is the third of four critical convenings by T20 India. The T20 has, thus far, organised 40 side events in 17 cities, published 35 short forms, and 20 of the planned 400-plus policy briefs. The T20 Mid-Year conference also aims to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of taking G20 to the people of India, especially the youth, women, private sector, academia, and civil society, by prioritising the 'Jan Bhagidari' element of India's G20 Presidency. The conference will be attended by 100 students from schools and colleges across Mumbai and Pune, and will give the youth an opportunity to engage with experts and policymakers from India and the G20 countries and voice their concerns and aspirations for a better, safer and equitable world. Besides the policy discussions, international delegates and speakers will also engage in mindful yoga sessions organised by one of the oldest pioneering yoga institutes in the world, Kaivalyadhama. The institute is globally renowned for its scientific research in yoga to demonstrate its uses and benefits towards holistic well-being. (ANI)
There is a plan and we all hope that things will be done this time, Israel's ambassador to India, Naor Gilon said on Tuesday regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India by the end of this year. Speaking to ANI, the Israeli envoy said, "There is a plan towards the end of the year that PM Benjamin Netanyahu will be here. We all hope that things will be done this time." Regarding the visit of the foreign minister of Israel to India and how the trip was cut short, the envoy said that it happened because of the situation in Gaza. However, he had a very good visit as Cohen had four principal meetings with EAM Jaishankar. "We did cut short the visit because of the situation in Gaza. We had a very good visit. He had four principal meetings with EAM Dr S Jaishankar, Defence Minister, PM Modi and NSA. The meetings reflected the very intimate and warm relationship that there are between India and Israel," Naor Gilon told ANI. Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen held bilateral talks in which they touched upon various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including connectivity, mobility, academic and scientific research, fintech, agriculture, water, trade, etc, and agreed to further diversify the basket of collaboration. They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation under the framework of I2U2, the ongoing conflict in Sudan, developments in West Asia, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the official release of the Ministry of External Affairs. Cohen called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. PM Modi emphasised the growing innovation and knowledge partnership between India and Israel as well as the two countries' vast economic complementarities. He also paid homage to the Indian soldiers at the Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, New Delhi, which is a symbol of the shared history between the two countries and reflects the enduring India-Israel friendship. According to the official release, Cohen also met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss prospects of further defence and security cooperation between the two countries. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Minister of Jal Shakti, was another person he met. The India-Israel Business Forum was co-chaired by the two Ministers and was run by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). At the Forum, three B2B MoUs were signed between the CII and Israeli business organisations. The significant strategic connection between India and Israel is bolstered by regular high-level interactions. The visit by Eli Cohen marks Israel's third high-level visit to India this year. Prior to this, the Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, and the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Amir Ohana, both paid visits to India. India's bilateral merchandise trade increased to a record USD10.12 billion in FY 2022-23 (April-Feb) from USD 7.86 billion in FY 2021-2022. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an official state visit to the United States on June 22. During his visit, PM Modi will be hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at a state dinner at the White House, the Ministry of External Affairs informed through a press statement on Wednesday. The MEA statement further said the visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the United States, as the two nations are already collaborating across sectors. The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defence, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden will also explore ways to strengthen India-US collaboration in plurilateral and multilateral fora, including in the G20. They would reflect on their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement, the release stated further. This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership. Meanwhile, a statement released by the White House read, "President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, 2023." "The visit will strengthen the two countries' shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy, and space," the statement added. "The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security," it stated further. Earlier, PM Modi visited the United States on September 23, 2021. In 2022, on the sidelines of the QUAD Leaders Summit, PM Modi and President Biden announced the India-US initiative of critical and emerging technology, known as iCET. During the iCET launch, a new Implementation Arrangement between the Department of Science and Technology of India and the National Science Foundation of the US was signed by the Ambassador and NSF Director in the presence of Doval and Sullivan. (ANI)
Western companies are desperately looking for a backup to China as the world's factory floor, a strategy widely termed "China plus one." India is making a concerted push to be the plus one. Only India has a labour force and an internal market comparable in size to China's. India's population may be the world's largest, according to the United Nations, Wall Street Journal reported. Western governments see democratic India as a natural partner, and the Indian government has pushed to make the business environment more friendly than in the past. It scored a coup with the decision by Apple to significantly expand iPhone production in India, including expediting the manufacturing of its most advanced model. Signs that India is changing are visible in the sprawling industrial parks in Sriperumbudur, a city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, WSJ reported. Foreign manufacturers here have long churned out cars and appliances for the Indian market. They're now being joined by multinational corporations making goods from solar panels and wind turbines to toys and footwear, all looking for an alternative to China. In 2021 Denmark's Vestas, one of the world's largest wind-turbine manufacturers, built two new factories in Sriperumbudur. Its six assembly lines now assemble hub cells, power trains and other components, stacked high in a storage yard to be shipped across the world, WSJ reported. Forecasts that India would soon become the second-largest market for turbines sparked Vestas's expansion. But it was also a conscious effort to diversify away from China, which hosted the bulk of its regional production, especially after repeated lockdowns under Beijing's zero-Covid policy, said Charles McCall, who oversaw the expansion as senior director of Vestas Assembly India. "We don't want all our eggs in one basket in China," he said. Some of Vestas's suppliers have joined it. American contract manufacturer TPI Composites moulds 260-foot-long turbine blades that regularly draw attention as they are shuttled along surrounding highways. It has expanded significantly in India even as it reduces operations in China. Eventually, 85 per cent of Vestas's suppliers will be in India, said McCall, who recently left the company. China still towers over every other country in global manufacturing, a position it cemented when multinationals flooded in after it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. But a growing list of factors has prompted companies to search for a backup. First, there were rising labour costs in China and pressure from the Chinese government to transfer technology to Chinese competitors. Then there were President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, Covid lockdowns from 2020 through last year, and now a push by Western governments to decouple their economies from China. Many countries are competing to be the "plus one," with Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand and Malaysia in particular contention. India must still overcome entrenched problems that have kept it a bit player in global supply chains. Its labour force remains mostly poor and unskilled, infrastructure is underdeveloped and the business climate, including regulations, can be burdensome. Manufacturing remains small relative to the size of India's economy. Nonetheless, after decades of disappointment, it is making progress. Its manufactured exports were barely a tenth of China's in 2021, but they exceeded all other emerging markets except Mexico's and Vietnam's, according to World Bank data. The biggest gains have been in electronics, where exports have tripled since 2018 to USD 23 billion in the year through March. India has gone from making 9 per cent of the world's smartphone handsets in 2016 to a projected 19 per cent this year, according to Counterpoint Technology Market Research. Foreign direct investment into India averaged USD 42 billion annually from 2020 to 2022, a doubling in under a decade, according to central-bank figures. Since China declared a "no limits" friendship with Russia on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine last year, the US and its allies have stepped up efforts to reduce dependence on China. Through reducing dependence on China. Through "friend-shoring," the US is "strengthening integration with our many trusted trading partners- including India," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on a visit there in February. No company better embodies the bet on India as the next China than Apple. Over the past 15 years, the company built up a state-of-the-art supply chain almost entirely in China to make its laptops, iPhones and accessories. Its presence helped the entire manufacturing sector in China. The California-based company has assembled low-end iPhone models in India since 2017 and began making its newest, flagship iPhone 14 here within weeks of its launch last year. J.P. Morgan estimates a quarter of all Apple iPhones will be made in India by2025. Indian officials hope Apple's presence will spur others to come. "Very often you have anchor companies who set the trend," Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said in an interview. "We believe that this will send a strong signal...to other companies in Europe, America and Japan." Apple has been pushing suppliers to diversify beyond China after many faced production disruptions during Covid lockdowns. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions have been growing between the US and China and between Beijing and Taiwan, where Foxconn Technology Group, Apple's main manufacturer, is based. Foxconn is set to expand production of iPhones at its existing plant near the Indian city of Chennai. It aims to boost iPhone production to around 20 million units annually by 2024 and roughly triple the number of workers to as many as 100,000, according to people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal has reported. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. India has made progress in overcoming some barriers to business. In 2014 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled "Make in India," an effort to boost manufacturing. India has digitized many government services and accelerated the construction of railroads, airports, container shipping ports, and electricity generation. Piyush Goyal pointed to India's rise on the World Bank's ease of doing business rankings and the World Intellectual Property Organization's global innovation index and a growing number of free trade pacts as evidence "we have now taken...integrating ourselves with other countries far more seriously." India introduced tax and customs rebates for exports in 2015 and overhauled them in 2021. The customs rebates were "the trigger point for the entire electronic industry," said Sasikumar Gendham, managing director of Finland's Salcomp, the world's largest maker of smartphone chargers and supplier to Apple. Since 2014, Salcomp's Indian workforce has increased sixfold to 12,000 and it aims to hire 25,000 people in the next two years. With 200 buses to transport workers and plans to build dormitories for 15,000 people, the company's campus is massive by Indian standards, though not yet by Chinese standards. The facility churns out yet by Chinese standards. The facility churns out about 100 million units every year, compared with its China facility which produces about 180 million units. For all this progress, it isn't clear it's enough to set India apart. Jules Shih, a Chennai-based director of Taiwan's trade promotion agency, TAITRA, said India has become an easier place to do business, but in many respects still lags behind other countries. It can take longer to get land and approvals to set up a factory in India and getting visas for expatriate technicians, managers and engineers is time-consuming, Shih said. "We feel they don't have a united goal integrated across agencies to make Make in India happen faster," he said. In March 2020, India introduced "production-linked incentives" that directly subsidize targeted products, starting with mobile phones and components, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Some companies have found the process to claim production-linked incentives to be burdensome. South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics has been in discussions with authorities over the amount of the rebate. A Samsung India spokesman said the company is committed to being a partner of India and working to make the plan a success. Labour shortages are emerging in India's manufacturing hubs, local officials and businesses say. That's because, unlike in China, many workers are reluctant to relocate long distances in search of work. Trade unions are more potent in India than in China. Work Trade unions are more vital in India than in China. China encouraged foreign companies to locate supply chains in special economic zones with reduced tariffs on imported components and machinery. By contrast, "Make in India" sought to replace imports with domestically manufactured products by raising import tariffs. Those tariffs discourage industries that import many components. "India is protectionist in precisely those sectors, goods manufacturing, where the China+1 opportunity arises," Viral Acharya, an economist at New York University and former deputy governor of India's central bank, wrote in a report for the Brookings Institution released in March. In its annual review of India's economy last December, the International Monetary Fund said its integration into global value chains has stalled. Manufacturing's share of Indian economic output has actually shrunk since Make in India was launched, to 14 per cent in 2021, far below that of Mexico, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Arvind Subramanian, who was Modi's chief economic adviser from 2014 to 2018, said for every company such as Apple that has embraced India,several report bad experiences. Even Apple's investment "wouldn't have happened without the push from China," he said. Amazon.com closed some of its Indian ventures last fall. "We continue to develop and grow the local e-commerce ecosystem," Amazon said in a statement. commerce ecosystem," Amazon said in a statement. China's experience suggests creating lots ofmoderately paid jobs for less-educated rural workers, especially women, requires manufacturing. In Tamil Nadu, a homegrown unicorn, Ola Electric, embodies those hopes. India is the world's largest market for two-wheeled motorcycles and scooters, and Ola has made a splash with its brightly painted scooters catering to the demand for electric vehicles. New registrations for electric two-wheelers have grown more than tenfold over the past two years to 684,273 in the latest financial year that ended March 31, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank. Ola is making half a million electric scooters a year from its new plant. It plans to quadruple factory floor space, including two acres reserved for an indoor forest. The company says it will start making electric cars in early 2024. The airy plant has an almost all-female workforce, from security guards to workers wielding spray guns of paint, to those who test-ride the final product. "Initially, their parents were hesitant to let them work in factories," said Jayaraman G, Ola's associate director of corporate affairs. "No more. In the last year, they saw how the situation changed financially-from paying for the education of their siblings to helping build two- or three-room apartments. It's a proud moment for their families." (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], May 10 (ANI/WAM): The United Arab Emirates this week launched a new exhibition focused on its traditional cultural heritage at the Palais des Nations, the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland. Entitled Traditional Arts and Crafts of the United Arab Emirates, and running in parallel to the UAE's participation in the 43rd session of the Universal Periodic Review, the exhibition showcased the UAE's traditional arts and crafts using photos, videos, food and books and focused on how these arts and crafts empower women, people of determination, and children. The exhibition, which ran at the Palais des Nations' Exhibition Gallery from May 8 to 10 and was open to the public, was presented under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and the Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation and Mother of the Nation. The official launch event for the exhibition was attended by Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development; Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Jarman, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations, and other international organisations in Geneva; Rym Al Falasy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood; and Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, along with other officials. In a speech at the official launch, Al Mazrui, said: "I would like to thank Tatiana Valovaya, and particularly her Cultural Diplomacy and Outreach Department for their generosity, passion, tireless efforts, and devotion to ensure the success of this event. "As we are preparing to host the world in the UAE in November for COP28, with this exhibition we are celebrating our ancestors, their connection with nature, their wisdom in relation to sustainability, and their exceptional instinctive anticipation of the future. This exhibition is about celebrating our human connections, no matter who we are, or where we're from - appreciating differences, but admiring the similarities, despite the differences of space and time. As we all share the same path, and ask the same questions, this exhibition not only celebrates arts and crafts, but more importantly the stories behind their creation, and the heroic artists and artisans who kept these traditions alive, sometimes through adversity and challenging times. The exhibition celebrates Emirati women and their precious contributions to the UAE's national story and the nation's children, who will continue to carry our precious heritage into the future. "Moreover, this exhibition would not be possible without the vision, imagination and support of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, so I would also like to thank Her Highness on behalf of all the women and children in the UAE." For her part, Valovaya said: "I would firstly like to thank Ambassador Al-Jarman for organizing this festive and colorful exhibition and for continuously enriching our cultural activities program. I also congratulate the UAE for its commitment to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of its country. We all know how unique the heritage of the UAE is, but with this exhibition, we can not only see the examples of their fantastic, intricate craftmanship, and not only taste some of the beautiful delicacies of the country, but we also get to see how these crafts and work in preserving heritage can work for gender parity, for women's empowerment, for inclusion for people with disabilities and for children and young people and how they can contribute to their own societies. "We also see how we can use these traditions and heritage to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. It is very important that we not only see the beauty of the UAE's heritage, but we also see the beauty of the modern-day UAE. The exhibition shows how in the UAE, arts and crafts can contribute to giving people a decent life, how they can help to include everybody in the work of society, how they allow people to make very powerful social, political and economic statements with their art and how working together we can unite our beautiful traditional past with our modern aims," HE Valovaya concluded. Rym Al Falasy said: "With great pleasure, I convey to you the greetings from Her Highness and her wishes for success in all your efforts to highlight the true image of the United Arab Emirates and to shed light on our authentic Emirati heritage." Al Falasy, expressed her appreciation for HE Valovaya, for her presence, encouragement and support for the UAE's efforts. As part of the event, the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood screened a short film entitled 'Children of the Emirates', dedicated to the achievements of Emirati children. In addition, the Council invited 14-year-old Emirati chef Aysha Al Obeidli to participate in the event, where she created a unique 'UAE-flavored popcorn', Loumi iced tea (dried lemon ice tea) and Karak, for the film screening. In addition, members of The Emirati Children's Parliament, Salama Al Teneiji and Abdulla Al Ali, joined the youngest UNICEF COP28 ambassador, Ghaya Al Ahbabi, and the President of the Children's advisory council, Shahad Al Subousi, in shedding light on the UAE's accomplishments in supporting children's rights. (ANI/WAM)
While achieved its much sought-after freedom from the British Raj in 1947, it was meant to be a glorious period in India's history, but it came with a bloody legacy, the stains and scars of which cause anguish even after 75 years, Khalsa Vox reported. As it is well known the Indian subcontinent was cruelly ripped into two parts -- India and the Muslim-majority Pakistan. Thus began one of the greatest migrations in human history, as countless Muslims trekked to West and East Pakistan while millions of Hindus and Sikhs headed in the opposite direction. It seems unbelievable that communities that had co-existed for years and centuries attacked each other in such a spine-chilling wave of communal violence, a genocide... which was inhumane and unprecedented, Khalsa Vox reported. The carnage along the borders of Punjab and Bengal was terrifying -- massacres, forced conversions, arson, mass abductions, savage sexual assaults, and cold-blooded murders. The violence against women was especially gruesome as around seventy-five thousand women were raped, and many others were disfigured or dismembered, the report noted. One such tragedy involved 22 women. Some catastrophes are just so tragic to come to grips with! On the morning of 8th March 1947, near Kahuta (Rawalpindi), such an incident took place, Khalsa Vox reported. Narrahee was a small isolated village (now in West Pakistan Punjab, Pakistan) which was inhabited mainly by Khatri and Sahajdhari Sikhs who lived peacefully and cordially with a few Muslim families around. As the first train reached Amritsar with dead and mutilated bodies of migrants arrived, mayhem broke loose, leading to gruesome madness on both sides of the borders. On March 6, radical Muslims came out on the streets looting, killing, and abducting Sikh and Hindu women and setting homes on fire, with people in them, the report noted. The 13-14 families of Gursikhs gathered in the village gurdwara and a unanimous decision was reached that they would face the wrath of their tormentors with bravery and faith. The devout Sikhs did not have any weapons other than their 'Kirpans' but what they did possess was a lineage of sacrifices, veneration, and valour which were unsolicited, yet profoundly embedded as intrinsic values, Khalsa Vox reported. It was out of the question for them to concede to the demands of the Muslims so it was mutually decided that all women, 22 of them, both married and unmarried, would be sacrificed by their husbands or fathers before the arrival of the invaders. Then the men would fight to their last breath but would never change their religion. Thus, on March 8 morning, 1947, 22 brave women were sacrificed unflinchingly amidst the recitation of 'Gurbani'. It must have been horrifying for all involved. The extreme courage and tolerance required to kill your kin, your loved ones, is inexplicable, yet it was done, Khalsa Vox reported. 'Ardas' was placed for the peace and salvation of the departed souls. What followed was pandemonium! Loud cries of 'Jo bole so nihaal' were answered by even louder 'Allah-hu-Akbar'!! Sikh men with blood-stained 'Kirpans' charged toward the enraged mob, blood flowed like undying rivers, and the atmosphere reverberated with tension and conflicting energies. When the Muslims saw the crimson, blood-spattered corpses of the 22 women, they realized the iron will of the Sikhs and lost their nerve. They thought better than to fight the grit and determination of the Sikh men and withdrew from the village, Khalsa Vox reported. It was later that Captain Daler Khan arrived on the scene and was deeply shocked and dismayed at the course of events. Under his protection, the surviving men were escorted to Kahuta where the last rites of the women were performed as per Sikh rituals. A protection part of 15 armed men led by Captain Khan was organized to escort the Sikhs to the 'Dak Bangla' in Kahuta. There is no parallel to the sacrifice of the 22 women, no actions as valiant as their men who sacrificed them to safeguard their honour, and no kindness as shown by the captain who helped them unconditionally and heroically, Khalsa Vox reported. By 1948, the migration drew to a close, but more than 15 million people had been uprooted and about 2 million died. This partition is the identity of the present Indian subcontinent. The stones of pain and suffering are uncountable, just as the tales of heroism and compassion. (ANI)
Once acclaimed as a historical venture involving the international development of infrastructure, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been losing sheen for the past few years, European Times reported. Pakistan was among the first countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of which the CPEC was called the 'flagship'. However, despite being claimed to be a 'game-changer' for the Pak economy, the umbrella of projects has struggled to keep up with its timeline. Hailing the USD 62 billion project as the testimony of their 'iron relationship', China-Pakistan had portrayed it as the harbinger of future growth in the region, European Times reported. Nevertheless, there have been substantially differing accounts of the progress achieved by the two countries under the first phase of CPEC with many crucial projects having hit the wall. Since the announcement of CPEC phase-II in 2022, the conditions around it seem to have changed for the worse. Most of the problems causing delays in the completion of CPEC projects have a political background to them. On a broader level, the change of guard from Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Ied by Imran Khan resulted in stalling of various parts of the project for years, European Times reported. Confusion Pak Army's role and mandate of the now disbanded CPEC authority also led to problems in coordination. However, the major cause of concern for China and its companies working on CPEC is the volatile security environment faced by Chinese workers and managers across Pakistan. Unfortunately, what both sides refuse to acknowledge is that the core of the security issue is a lopsided conception of the project which preferred the powerful and relatively prosperous province of Punjab over others. Balochistan, a poor province with large mineral deposits remained at the receiving end with no hopes of revenue accruing from the CPEC projects on its land. This feeling of being left out has powered a popular uprising against the CPEC in Balochistan, European Times reported. The presence of Chinese personnel on several project sites here makes them easy targets for Baloch fighters opposing the project. Several attacks on Chinese workers on or off the project sites are indicative of popular resistance against the perceived Chinese exploitation. The emergence of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a fighter group is said to be a manifestation of the young population's anger against Chinese dominance. BLA keeps on striking in the region at regular intervals to keep Chinese companies on edge by disrupting their regular operations. The group was recently in the news again when it set mobile network towers of the Chinese company Zong to fire in the Kech district of Balochistan, European Times reported. There were similar instances earlier when the properties of Zong became the target of BLA. The locals suspect that China is expanding its telecom network in different areas of Balochistan for spying on them. Three Chinese language teachers were killed in a suicide attack at a university in Pakistan's Karachi in 2022. Earlier, China Gezhouba Group Corp. had to stop work on the Dasu hydropower project on the Indus River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province after a suicide bomber killed 12 people, including Chinese citizens in 2021, European Times reported. Reacting to the spike in attacks on Chinese projects, Beijing views the activities of BLA and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as inimical to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan. It appears that Pakistan's failure to curb these attacks has emboldened Baloch separatist forces to align with other terror groups from Afghanistan and Xinjiang to target Chinese projects. Beijing's unhappiness over Pakistan's inability in handling CPEC's security is getting increasingly visible on social media as well. The deteriorating security situation has triggered concerns among Chinese netizens who have started questioning their government over the viability of CPEC in Pakistan and the necessity of channelling investments into it. According to various posts on Chinese social media platforms, a large number of Chinese engineers/workers are now apprehensive to travel to Pakistan for working on CPEC projects. As a result, several firms have been forced to pay extra allowances to encourage workers to work on CPEC projects. Significantly, the arrest of a Chinese engineer employed by the 'China Gezhouba Group Company Ltd." constructing the Dasu Hydropower Project on the charges of making blasphemous remarks, has shocked the Chinese netizens. Against this backdrop, Chinese enterprises have started issuing regular advisories for their personnel. During the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Pakistan, the security of Chinese workers was reportedly discussed between the two sides. While the leaders reiterated their full support for CPEC, the on-ground situation remains difficult to handle for both countries. (ANI)
Pakistan has a set of laws, collectively known as the "blasphemy law," punishing blasphemy against Islam with the death penalty. The notion of blasphemy is interpreted extensively, and many cases are fabricated by Muslim extremists, Bitter Winter reported. Christians, Hindus, and members of other minorities accused of blasphemy languish in jail for years, unless they are lynched by angry mobs. Some, such as Asia Bibi, are liberated only thanks to international mobilization. Yet, it seems it is possible to be accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, arrested, and released after a few days on a USD 700 bail. It is possible if you are Chinese, that is, Bitter Winter reported. The China Gezhouba Group Company is building the Dasu hydropower project in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. On April 15, the Chinese head of heavy transport at the project complained that Pakistani workers were spending too much time in prayers during Ramazan. According to the workers, he screamed at them and included derogatory remarks against God and Prophet Muhammad, Bitter Winter reported. Local residents took to the street to protest, and the man was arrested. For much less, Christians and others accused of blasphemy have been kept in jail for years under inhumane conditions, prosecuted, and sentenced to death (even if most death verdicts have been overturned by higher courts). The Chinese, however, appeared before the Court of Abbottabad, where a judge granted him bail against a bond of 200,000 rupees (USD 700), and ordered the police to protect him, Bitter Winter reported. We at Bitter Winter regard Pakistan's blasphemy law as a tool of discrimination, oppression, and murder, and are certainly more than happy when somebody escapes their clutches. However, the double standard is spectacular. Those who commented about the pictures that appeared on Twitter noted the comparatively relaxed attitudes of the Muslim clerics and police officers when the Chinese were arrested, in contrast with others accused of blasphemy who are photographed terrorized and with obvious signs of violence, Bitter Winter reported. Pakistan's connection with China runs so deep that even the sacrosanct blasphemy law can be circumvented if you are Chinese. (ANI)
The Communist Party of China (CCP) has been dubbed by the outside world as the world's largest "corrupt political party," and the CCP's so-called "self-examination and self-correction" statistical report seems to support that title, Indo Pacific Centre for Strategic Communications (IPCSC) reported. According to official statistics, 111,000 people were fined in the first quarter of this year, including provincial and provincial-level cadres, 633 department-level cadres, 669 district-level cadres, and 1,000 townships. Includes level cadres, and 15,000 general cadres. And 76,000 executives in rural areas, businesses, etc. The official WeChat accounts of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervisory Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China recently released their monthly anti-corruption report, IPCSC reported. In the April of this year, three central cadres were dismissed and more than 120 party members and department-level cadres were fined. Prominent senior officials under investigation include Du Zhaocai, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China; Li Xiaopeng, former Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Everbright Group Co., Ltd.; Pei Jun, Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Resources Bureau, Miao Shaowei, Member of the Standing Committee of the Ningde Municipal Committee of Fujian Province and Deputy Mayor, Li Lijian, Former Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Anyang Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd., Zhang Yulong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Qianxinan Prefecture Committee of Guizhou Province, and Secretary General of the State Committee along several others. The official monthly report also mentioned that in the first quarter of this year, disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies across the country received 776,000 petitions and reports, of which 231,000 were complaints and accusations, IPCSC reported. In addition, data from the March 2023 anti-corruption monthly report released by the National Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC Central Committee shows that in March this year, 7,021 violations were investigated and dealt with, involving 10,285 people. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Xi Jinping's administration has launched an anti-corruption campaign. Those publicly investigated and dealt with after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China include state-level officials, deputy state-level officers, military commission members, dozens of ministerial-level officers, and hundreds of deputy ministerial-level officers, IPCSC reported. Regarding the anti-corruption movement of the Chinese Communist Party, the book "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" reveals its essence - the Chinese Communist Party has fallen into the world's largest "corruption party". If you do not destroy the party and fight corruption, you will destroy the country." But the Communist Party will not fight corruption at the risk of the party dying. In the guise of fighting corruption, the party offers lip service by punishing a few cadres and letting other corrupt elements steer the party to keep it alive. The cult of the Communist Party has come this far, and its sole purpose is to maintain power and prevent the decline of the Communist Party. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [United Arab Emirates], May 10 (ANI/WAM): Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, has held bilateral meetings with senior ministers and officials from a number of countries across the world during the 12th Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Global 2023) in Abu Dhabi. The discussions sought to underline the UAE's commitment to developing trade and investment relations that will deliver long-term, sustainable growth, secure vital supply chains and increase the UAE's non-oil foreign trade to USD 1.09 trillion (AED4 trillion) by 2031. From the Arab World, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi met Kholoud Al-Saqqaf, Minister of Investment for Jordan, a nation with deep ties to the UAE and a member of the tripartite Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Growth with Egypt, which is being supported by a US$10 billion investment fund. Dr Al Zeyoudi also held talks with Amin Salam, Minister of Economy and Trade for Lebanon, with which the UAE shared bilateral non-oil trade of USD 2.8 billion in 2022, and Dr Haider Muhammad Makiya from the Iraq Investment Authority, to ascertain the investment priorities of two of the most important Arab economies. Underlining the UAE's growing ties to Asia, Al Zeyoudii then met Jurabek Mirzamaxmudov, Minister of Energy for Uzbekistan, with whom the UAE shared bilateral trade of USD 993 million in 2022, more than double the figure recorded in 2021. This was followed by discussions with Sandag Byambatsogt, Minister of Road and Transport Development for Mongolia, and Nalin Fernando, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security for Sri Lanka. The importance of Africa to the UAE's trade and investment strategy was reflected in meetings with Jean Lucien Busa, Minister of Foreign Trade from the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Honorable Simplex Chithyola, Minister of Trade and Industry for Malawi; Serge Gnaniodem Poda, Minister of Industrial Development, Commerce, Handicrafts and SMEs for Burkina Faso; and Omar Shaaban, Minister of Trade and industrial Development for Tanzania. Dr Al Zeyoudi also held talks with Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Free Trade Association, to explore greater trade ties with the continent. The bilaterals concluded with discussions with Fabio Righi, Minister of State for Industry, Handicraft and Trade, Technological Research and Regulatory Simplification for the Republic of San Marino and Alberto Pimentel Mata, Minister of Energy and Mines for Guatemala. On Day 2 of AIM, Dr Al Zeyoudialso welcomed China's leading 50 unicorns - or start-up enterprises that are now valued in excess of US$1 billion - to the Arab-China Unicorn Investment Conclave, during which some of China's most important investors joined with regional venture capitalists, family offices and investment companies to discuss ways to help develop the region's start-up ecosystem. His Excellency then held talks with Wang Shaojie, President of Zhongguancun Private Equity & Venture Capital Association, to explore synergies between his investment strategies and the UAE's entrepreneurial landscape. In another highly significant meeting, Dr Al Zeyoudi met Brian Armstrong, CEO of leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, to discuss the company's plans to open its regional headquarters in the UAE under the Ministry of Economy's NextGenFDI program. The UAE has sought to develop a supportive environment for the development and exchange of digital assets in recent years, with clear and transparent regulations, a pool of high-calibre talent and funding networks, while initiatives such as NextGenFDI provide a range of market-entry fundamentals to enable digitally-enabled companies to rapidly set-up operations in the country. Al Zeyoudi said these meetings serve to strengthen the UAE's status as a logistics nerve centre and an important partner for economic development across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. "The UAE has long believed that foreign trade is a major driver of growth, industrial output and economic development, and we continue to champion globalization and the multilateral trading system. We have embarked on a bold new foreign trade agenda, which is seeking to accelerate non-oil trade with key markets around the world. "My meetings with ministers this week have sought to strengthen trade and investment ties with high-potential countries on every continent and secure new markets and new partnerships for our exporters and investors. We found many areas of mutual interest and look forward to the opportunities these discussions will unlock for us all."AIM Global 2023 ran from May 8-10, 2023, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Under the theme "The Investment Paradigm Shift: Future Investment Opportunities to Foster Sustainable Economic Growth, Diversity and Prosperity". It comprised an exhibition, investment roundtables, investment destination presentations, investment awards, start-up awards, and investors hub and G2G, G2B and B2B meetings. (ANI/WAM)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the nation on Wednesday night and launched a scathing attack against ousted Prime Minister and PTI chief Imran Khan. Pakistan PM Sharif said that the respect for law means fighting for justice in the court. "Harming the government and private property is terrorism. This is sheer anti-nationalism. The powerful and the weak all are equal before the law," Shehbaz Sharif said in his address. He said that PTI chief Imran Khan is arrested in a corruption case and all proofs of corruption are present which the NAB is investigating. He said that 190 million Pounds or 60 billion Pakistan Rupees were passed in sealed covers. "When the issue is of the national treasury of PKR 60 billion then does Islam, law and democracy, can anyone permit that the culprit refuses to face law and court," he asked a rhetorical question. He said that as a political figure, he cannot express joy when anyone gets arrested as he has also faced this multiple times. Sharif said, "In such a situation, the culprit has to ask his supporters to maintain peace. He has to make sure that he doesn't let them cross the line of law. He should contribute to the security of government and private property and public life." "But, Imran and PTI did not just break the law but caused harm to public and private property and committed an unforgivable act of anti-nationalism," Sharif said citing the ongoing violence in Pakistan since Tuesday that erupted after Imran's arrest. Sharif said that Pakistan has never seen such scenes in the last 75 years. Ambulances were set on fire after dragging people out. "He (Imran Khan) did the malign act of provoking a few hundred against Pakistan. The heart of the whole nation has been wounded. The protestors did what the real enemies of Pakistan could not do in the last 75 years," Sharif said. He said that Islamabad High Court (IHC) took notice of Imran's arrest and declared it lawful. This means NAB acted according to the law. He also thanked the NAB, police, rangers and all protectors of the law in Pakistan. Warning the protestors, Sharif said, "I warn them (protestors) to look after their activities and stop the anti-nationalism otherwise they would be handled accordingly." He also said that Pakistan's political situation has been tense and revengeful actions in politics have never given positive results. "Political parties have learnt lessons from the past and dumped revenge in politics and worked for the people of the country. This spirit and thought were behind us when we took responsibility of the nation on 11 April. We never behaved maliciously with our political opponents as Imran did in his tenure of four years," he said in his address. "In the last 4 years, faces were seen instead of cases to see whom to be sent to jail and whom to be lenient with. He used to announce that XYZ would be arrested tomorrow and they got arrested the next day. He used to say one more wicket would drop and it used to drop the next day. Just a mere allegation was enough to get one arrested and no one was there to take notice," Shehbaz Sharif said alleging Imran's targetted legal actions against his opponents. According to the old NAB law, anyone could be detained for 90 days and bail was impossible, Sharif said. Pakistan PM said, "We amended this atrocious NAB law. The remand period was reduced to 15 days from 90. And the first beneficiary of the NAB law is Imran Khan himself." Sharif said that he and his political companions are still serving hearings in NAB. "The allegations against us are not proven yet. Not just Pakistan, Britain was also made to investigate. 40-year-old records were searched. Britain's national crime agency gave us a clean chit," he said. "But we never refrained from facing law and court. We kept attending the hearings despite our objections," Sharif added. (ANI)
Union Minister of Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is in the US, informed that the Indian Semiconductor Mission signed an MoU with Purdue University for capacity building, research and development, and industry participation. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, "MoU between India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and Purdue University, US, for cooperation in capacity building, R&D and industry participation." Ashwini Vaishnaw also met the leadership team at Intel in the United States. Earlier on Tuesday, Ashwini Vaishnaw met Google CEO Sundar Pichai at Google Headquarters and held a discussion on India Stack and the 'Make-in-India' program. Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted, "Met @sundarpichai at the @Google HQ. Good discussion on India Stack and Make in India program." Responding to Vaishnaw's tweet, Sundar Pichai thanked the minister for visiting Googleplex. He tweeted, "Thank you for taking the time to visit us at the Googleplex, Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw. Enjoyed discussing the many ways we're working together on India's digital transformation, and the opportunities ahead." The meeting between the two comes after Google CEO met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said it is inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under his leadership. Pichai said he looked forward to continuing strong partnership and supporting India's G20 presidency to advance open internet that works for all. "Thank you for a great meeting today PM @narendramodi. Inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under your leadership. Look forward to continuing our strong partnership and supporting India's G20 presidency to advance an open, connected internet that works for all, Pichai said in a tweet. During his visit to the US, Ashwini Vaishnaw also interacted with SEMI leadership about the India Semiconductor Mission in California. He tweeted, "Interacted with @SEMIconex leadership about the India Semiconductor Mission." (ANI)
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, has termed the events that unfolded on May 9 as a "black chapter" in the country's history, The Express Tribune reported. The ISPR in a statement issued in Urdu on Wednesday referred to the protests that were held after the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. The ISPR said that the protests particularly targeted army property and installations. In a strongly-worded statement, the military's media wing asserted that no one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Citing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) statement and law, the ISPR justified the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, as per the news report. ISPR said that there was a wave of attacks witnessed on the army's properties and installations along with anti-army slogans being chanted following the arrest of Imran Khan. It condemned those actions and raised its concerns regarding the tactics used by certain elements within the protesting groups. "Soon after [Khan's arrest], there were organised attacks on army properties and installations and anti-army slogans were raised," the military's media wing said according to The Express Tribune report. The ISPR criticised the protesters and termed their actions as an attempt to manipulate the country's sentiments for their own limited and selfish objectives. The military wing said, "This is an example of hypocrisy. It stressed on the importance of maintaining law and order and highlighted the need to respect the institutions of Pakistan, according to The Express Tribune report. According to the statement, the army has shown extreme tolerance, patience, and restraint and has worked with utmost patience and endurance in the best interests of the country. The ISPR in the statement said, "As per strategy, a situation was created to use the army's response for nefarious political purposes which was thwarted by the army's vigilant response." It further said, "We are well aware that behind this, there were some orders, instructions, and complete planning of some nefarious leaders of the party." The ISPR said that those involved in facilitating, planning and political instigation have been identified and strict action as per the law will be taken against them. The ISPR warned that "strong and decisive action" will be taken in the event of any further attacks on military and state installations, as per the news report. Attack and vandalism by PTI workers have been reported in PAFMM Alam Air Base Mianwali, The Pakistan Daily reported in a tweet. Several violent protests erupted across Pakistan including at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and the residence of the Corps Commander in Lahore, which was once the house of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday afternoon. People took to the streets, resorted to violence, arson and even raised many slogans to register their resentment against the arrest of ex-PM of Pakistan and PTI chief Imran Khan, across Pakistan including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Karachi, Quetta, Mardan, Bannu, and Chilas. The protesting mob resorted to stone pelting on houses, offices and vehicles, burning banners and tyres and blocking roads. Several videos surfacing on social media platforms show groups of men, some with their faces covered, entering the gated premises of GHQ with sticks, which they later were seen using to hit the walls. (ANI)
Dr. Gladys McGarey says she attended the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in the 1930s. Gladys McGarey

Gladys McGarey is 102 years old and still has a 10 year plan for her life's ambitions.

She's developed a "simple" daily routine that involves prune juice, salad, and consulting work.

McGarey also knits to keep her hands busy so she won't be tempted into picking up her cell phone.

At age 102, Gladys McGarey has seen a lot of lives begin and end.

As a trained physician and birthing expert, she's witnessed the births of thousands of babies worldwide. She's also lived through the death of her ex-husband, and some of her own five children have died too.

Now, living in a sunny home in her daughter's backyard in Arizona, she has developed a practice that she says will help her accomplish her 10-year plan. She wrote about it in her new book, "The Well Lived Life: A 102-year-old doctor's six secrets to health and happiness at every age," and walked Insider through her daily routine. While the doctor doesn't have a license to practice medicine anymore, "they didn't tell me I had to stop talking," she said.

She starts the day with prayer, Raisin Bran, and prune juice

McGarey told Insider that about two months ago she got an infusion of stem cells. "I think it's made a difference," she said. Insider/Zoom meeting with Gladys McGarey

McGarey begins most days in the same simple way: She gets up, greets the new day with a morning prayer, climbs down the stairs, and enjoys Raisin Bran and prune juice for breakfast.

Later in the day, "I have salad for lunch and some kind of soup or something for dinner," she told Insider. "It's the routine, and I think it works for me. It's important for each one to find what works for us."

Throughout the day she keeps her hands and her mind busy

To keep her hands busy throughout the day, McGarey continues a regular knitting practice.

"I can't see to knit patterns now because my eyes don't, but I can knit little gifts that I give, and that keeps my hands busy," she said. "If I don't keep my hands busy, I do something on the cell phone and that gets people all uptight, you know?"

Story continues

She also still consults, and stays true to the "holistic" approach to medicine she helped popularize in the US in the 1970s. McGarey believes that treating the whole person  taking into consideration their mental and social state, as well as any physical symptoms of distress  is paramount to healing.

When she's not knitting or consulting, McGarey listens to audiobooks or talks to friends  something aging experts say is crucial to human happiness and can actually help us live longer.

And, she recently got an infusion of stem cells, which she thinks has made a difference to her vitality  though scientists are still gathering evidence to determine whether this technique actually helps slow aging.

"I'm not really robust and sturdy, but I think it's helped me, and I'm looking forward," she said.

She says creating a 10-year plan is critical for healthy aging

"When I was 86, I went to Afghanistan to help women with birthing processes," she said. "I rode a donkey up a hill. A woman had to kind of hold me on the donkey  but!" Gladys McGarey

Finally, McGarey says, the most critical part of aging well is finding your central purpose, a life "juice" that is your mission and what you will endeavor to do with your time on Earth.

These days, she uses her own "juice" to think about how to create better ways for people to live together and care for each other. Her own 10-year plan  something she thinks everyone should have  includes creating a village for "living medicine" where elders, babies, and everyone in between can live together and care for each other more harmoniously.

"A 10 year plan makes space for everything," she wrote in the book. "It's a far enough reach that it keeps our life force activated. Yet it's close enough that we can achieve it, dust ourselves off, and plan anew."

She doesn't worry about what her own final "number" of years on Earth may end up to be. Instead, she keeps her eyes trained on what's coming next.

"I still think I've got work to do, and I'm gonna keep on working at it," she said.

Read the original article on Insider
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May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate, In The Know by Yahoo recently hosted an event in New York City. Attendees sat down for a panel of AAPI changemakers reflecting on diversity, identity and navigating the pressure of others expectations. It was inspiring and insightful. And at the end of the night, guests received free swag bags and were entered to win grand prizes from some amazing AAPI-owned brands.

The truth is, there are a lot of incredible AAPI-owned brands out there, from food and home goods to beauty products and travel items. And we should support them every day  not just in May. If youre ready to shop now though, these 11 AAPI-owned brands featured at In The Know by Yahoos event are a great place to start.

Food

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Credit: immi

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Immis founders (both named Kevin) created the first high-protein, low-carb and completely plant-based ramen that tastes like the real deal. According to the website, the goal was to help their families better manage their health conditions resulting from poor nutrition. The result is really good, yet healthier ramen. Try the Tom Yum Shrimp Flavor Ramen.

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Beauty

Credit: Cardon

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Cardon is a cactus-based Korean skin care brand that specifically targets men with simple black packaging, an easy ordering process and affordable prices. Of course, women can use it too, and they should  its products will make your skin feel incredibly soft, smooth and clear. Try everything, but Dark Circle Eye Rescue is a favorite. (P.S.: During May, Cardon donates 15% of net proceeds from Cardon Korean Innovations collection purchases to Gold House.)

Credit: Peach & Lily

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Peach & Lily is a skin care brand that aims to make powerful active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and exfoliating acids gentle enough for sensitive skin. All of its products are toxin-free, vegan, gluten-free and fragrance-free. Youve probably heard about its Glass Skin Refining Serum, but dont sleep on its Original Glow Sheet Mask.

Credit: Tower 28

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Tower 28 is another clean beauty brand aimed at sensitive skin types. In fact, according to the brands website, its the first and only beauty brand to 100% follow the National Eczema Associations Ingredient guidelines. However, in addition to skin care, it makes clean makeup. Try the Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly.

Home & Style

Credit: Monos

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Monos luggage is stylish yet functional and durable. Check out its Carry-On Pro for all weekend trips and beyond. It has a polycarbonate shell, a telescopic handle, a built-in TSA-approved lock, whisper-quiet wheels and vegan leather details. It also has a padded front pocket to stash your laptop, books and more.

Credit: Our Place

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You may know Our Place for its famous Always Pan. Since its initial launch in 2019, the brand has expanded its offerings and now has dinnerware, tableware, bakeware, kitchen tools and more. Check out the new oven-safe Always Pan 2.0 and the Night + Day Glasses.

Credit: Jason Markk

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Jason Markk makes effective, responsible shoe-cleaning products to help you care for your sneakers so they look good and last longer. Now, it also makes hat care products. Everything is safe on all materials, including leather, suede, nubuck, cotton and knits. Check out its Essential Kit.

Credit: Boy Smells

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Boy Smells launched in 2015 after the founders started experimenting with candle-making in their kitchen. Boy Smells renews the personal care routine by creating rituals from the otherwise mundane experience, its website reads. Maybe youve heard of its famous Kush candle, but its Best Buds Votive Set includes four mini candles of its most popular kush smells to fill your home.

The post 11 AAPI-owned brands you need to know about, from healthy ramen and mens skin care to sneaker cleaner appeared first on In The Know.

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What are your biggest regrets?

This might be one of the more obvious questions a journalist can ask an actor, but the answer can often be hugely revealing.

Just because an actor starred in an acclaimed film doesnt necessarily mean they reflect upon it positively.

In fact, it seems that some actors are even more critical of their own appearance in otherwise good films because of the high quality elsewhere. Still, it might be better than to regret starring in a film than not having had the chance in the first place, as was experienced by Scarlett Johansson in 2013.

Here are 11 actors who have express regret over their roles in certain films.

Timothee Chalamet  A Rainy Day in New York (2019)

Timothee Chalamet is one of a few actors to have expressed regret working with Woody Allen as historic allegations made against the director, by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, were brought back into the spotlight following the #MeToo movement. Chalamet said: I dont want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Times Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and RAINN. He apologised for accepting the role, stating: That is not something that sits easily with me in the current or indeed any moment, and I am profoundly sorry. Its a small gesture and not one intended as close to compensation.

Matt Damon  The Bourne Ultimatum (200)

Matt Damons original Bourne trilogy won plaudits from critics around the world. The actor, though, has spoken unkindly about the third film, saying the original script, written by director Tony Gilroy, was awful. Its really the studios fault for putting themselves in that position, Damon told GQ. I dont blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. Its just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay and it would be game over for that dude. Its terrible. Its really embarrassing. He was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.

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Matt Damon had candid words about The Bourne Ultimatum (Getty Images)

Zac Efron  High School Musical (2006-08)

Most people know Zac Efron as Troy Bolton from High School Musical. Zac Efron, though, wishes you knew him for something else. I step back and look at myself and I still want to kick that guys ass sometimes, he told Mens Fitness. Hes done some kind of cool things with some cool people  he did that one thing that was funny  but, I mean, hes still just that f***ing kid from High School Musical.

Sally Field  The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man series, starring Andrew Garfield as the eponymous web-slinger, was supposed to launch a cinematic universe to match the Avengers. There were even rumours of an Aunt May film entering production  not that the actor who played Aunt May, Sally Field, would have been thrilled by that. Its really hard to find a three-dimensional character in it, she told Howard Stern of playing the character, and you work it as much as you can, but you cant put 10 pounds of s** in a five-pound bag.

Sally Field has some issues with her role in The Amazing Spider-Man (AFP/Getty)

Harrison Ford  Blade Runner (1982)

There are seven cuts of Blade Runner, one of which features Harrison Fords character, Rick Deckard, narrating scenes. Another  the one director Ridley Scott approves of  is bleaker and does not have Deckard explaining events. Ford does not care for either version. I didnt like the movie one way or the other, with or without, he said in 2017, before the release of Blade Runner 2049. I played a detective who did not have any detecting to do. In terms of how I related to the material, I found it very difficult. There was stuff that was going on that was really nuts.

Shia LaBeouf  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Indiana Jones fans had high expectations for the fourth film. Many were left feeling disappointed by the science-fiction adventure. I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished, LaBeouf later told LA Times. You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg]. But the actors job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldnt do it. So thats my fault. Simple.

Christopher Plummer  The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music remains one of the most beloved films of all time. Christopher Plummer, though, hated playing Captain von Trapp. I think the part in The Sound of Music was the toughest, he told The Hollywood Reporter. Because it was so awful and sentimental and gooey. You had to work terribly hard to try and infuse some miniscule bit of humour into it.

Daniel Radcliffe  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Daniel Radcliffe was only 11 years old when he was cast as Harry Potter. That has not prevented the actor from looking back at those films with a critical eye. Im just not very good in [The Half Blood Prince], he told Playboy in 2012. I hate it. My acting is very one-note and I can see I got complacent and what I was trying to do just didnt come across. My best film is the fifth one [Order of the Phoenix] because I can see a progression.

Daniel Radcliffe really doesnt like one of his performances in the Harry Potter franchise (Getty Images for WarnerMedia)

Eddie Redmayne  The Danish Girl (2015)

British actor Eddie Redmayne recently told The Sunday Times that he wouldnt take the role of a trans woman if he was offered it now. He played trans artist Lili Elbe in the film, ands received an Oscar nomination. However, while he acknowledged that he made that film with the best intentions, he said: I think it was a mistake. He stated: The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people dont have a chair at the table. There must be a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.

Kate Winslet  Titanic (1997)

Kate Winslet does not mind Titanic as a film. Her performance as Rose is a completely different matter. Every single scene, Im like really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God. Even my American accent, I cant listen to it. Its awful, she once told The Telegraph. Hopefully its so much better now. It sounds terribly self-indulgent but actors do tend to be very self-critical. I have a hard time watching any of my performances, but watching Titanic I was just like, Oh God, I want to do that again.

Idris Elba - The Wire (2002-08)

OK, so this one isnt a film but Idris Elba had some regrets over the way his character in The Wire was received. Elba receive huge acclaim for playing Stringer Bell in the HBO series  however, during an appearance on James OBriens podcast alongside David Lammy, he questioned viewers reaction to the role. Were all idolising Stringer Bell, but who are we really idolising? he asked, adding: Are we idolising a smart drug dealer or a dumb narcotics dealer? What are we saying here? Is it OK to pump a community full of heroin but because youre smart at it, that makes you cool? That was a problem for me.

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A dozen Kansas City area residents were indicted on allegations that they conspired in a Paycheck Protection Program scheme that caused nearly $250,000 in fraudulent loans.

The 13-count indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges Renetta Golden-Larimore, 54, of Kansas City, filed the fraudulent loan applications on behalf of her co-conspirators. She allegedly charged them fees of $2,000 to $7,000 for her help.

Golden-Larimore created fake IRS forms for nonexistent businesses and with inflated income for existing businesses to qualify for a loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to the indictment.

Each person then got a PPP loan of about $20,800, federal prosecutors say.

Among those charged with Golden-Larimore were Kansas City residents Don Baker, 47; Stephan Booth, 40; Candace Hill-Williams, 25; Reisjon Larimore, 25; Teiara Mercer, 23; Padgit Smith, 48; Joseph Valdivia III, 45; Salvadore Valdivia, 41; and Money Woods, 21. Also charged was Cameron Henderson, 27, of Independence, and Roger Larimore, 27, of Raytown.

Golden-Larimore was additionally charged with 12 counts of wire fraud.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Missouri said a separate case came to light during the investigation. In that case Theresa Griswold, 42, of Olathe, pleaded guilty to wire fraud after getting a fake $20,832 PPP loan.

The case was investigated by Kansas City police and IRS Criminal Investigation.
After a 13-year run at The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse in Miami, Miami Light Project moved in January to the Miami Theater Center in Miami Shores. From Thursday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13, its signature commission program, Here & Now: 2023 will kick off performances in its new home.

Letty Bassart, Darius Daughtry, Carlos Fabian, Gentry George, and Arsimmer McCoy are featured in individual original works for the 2023 program.

Artist and choreographer Letty Bassart performs in an improvisational duet with Daniel Bernard Roumain in Here, Now. Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project

Beth Boone, artistic and executive director of Miami Light Project, says that she is looking forward to this years Here and Now performances, particularly since this will be the first at their new location. She says that the move has been a good one.

Miami Theater Center is a 330-seat proscenium theater. It has wonderful options connected to it, which is the way were using it. The configuration were using for Here and Now . . . is an on-stage black box. She explains: . . . You close the main curtain, you do your sets on stage, and youve got a black box theater.

Theres also the storefront space next door, which is part of the center.

We have a rehearsal studio, which is where we do our year-round artists residency program. Its where the artists for Here and Now rehearse.

Here and Now began in 1999 as a way to commission multi-media artists in South Florida. Participants receive free rehearsal space, technical assistance, and mentoring.

We typically give a commission to between four and six artists on an annual basis but this year, five was the magic number in terms of the projects that rose to the top for our panel.

Boone said audiences will find this years pieces multi-layered.

We have a certain criterion and what I find particularly moving about all of the work is that its deeply personal and, at the same time, theyre tackling big ideas or big issues, says Boone. Weve all been through a lot in recent years and I think artists, perhaps better than anyone else, are able to distill the human experience into something on stage that helps us to feel a sense of safety or outrage or conviction. I think you really will see that this year in the work.

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A range of ideas are explored including Reverie in Black by Daughtry, which is a thoughtful combination of theater, music, and spoken word poetry. Fabian tackles detachment, identity, and sensibility in the second chapter of Ruminations through his Towards Now production, which is a series of short theatrical vignettes. And Bassarts Here, Now with Daniel Bernard Roumain is largely an exercise in faith.

Towards Now is a multidisciplinary performance by Venezuelan artist Carlos Fabian. The short theatrical vignettes explore detachment, identity and sensibility. /Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project

Trust is really the heart of this duet, says Bassart. Its an improvisational performance. I will be engaging with (Roumains) music for the first time during the live performance.

Bassart notes that the piece is taking the duo in a new direction.

Weve collaborated on multiple projects but this will be the first time we have performed in this format. Its about a larger ethos. Its really taking a chance on something and trusting in the process and seeing what materializes in that risk. To engage in something so raw and vulnerable, and to do it in Miami it really raises the stakes even more so.

The nakedness of emotions, the role of fear, and triumphs achieved through pain and loss, are prominent themes in McCoys Im So Depressed stage play.

A string of cataclysmic changes forced her to reevaluate everything, she says.

Prior to the pandemic, I began a separation from my (now) ex-husband and that in itself was one thing to deal with. To then move into the apocalypse, which is how I viewed the pandemic . . . grappling with the world, and people having to go into isolation, my own personal family and not being able to be near them. My parents are older. Theyre in their 70s and so the fear of me going out or walking into their home and harming them. The fear of my daughter, who was young at the time, not being able to go to school, her having a mask, and the world in flux.

Darius V. Daughtry, founder and artistic director of Art Prevails Project, combines music, spoken word poetry and theater in Reverie in Black. Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project

She says the genesis of the piece begins with isolation.

It starts with me being alone for a couple of months. I was grieving. I was grieving and trying to organize myself in the midst of grief.

Also born during the pandemic is Gentry Georges Afro Blue, which embodies movement to produce his body of work.

You know, we had hours and hours with ourselves, says George. This work was done during the pandemic when I happened to come across some of this music.

He said the program is rooted in the jazz standard Afro Blue, which was composed by Mongo Santamaria, and then later interpreted by many artists including vocalist Abbey Lincoln.

Gentry Georges Afro Blue is the latest in his Roots and Rhythms series which commemorates Black musicians in the 20th century. Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project

George says Afro Blue is part of a series he created entitled Roots and Rhythms that celebrates Black musical icons in the 20th century.

Through the work, George hopes the audience leaves feeling uplifted.

I want to share a message of love, joy, and diversity. Were celebrating music. Were celebrating the legacy of these great artists and how that relates to our stories and how that relates to all of us. Most importantly, this is a celebration of music, life, art and dance.

George says that, for him, Here and Now is an opportunity for which hes been waiting in the wings.

I would walk by the Miami Light Project all the time just hoping that I could be there one day. To be welcomed to create this work, it feels really quite motivating. It feels quite special. It feels like Im on the right track and it is so worthwhile.

Boone says his reaction is exactly what Here and Now is about.

By investing modest amounts of money incrementally over time, without fail, year in and year out, what you do is move the needle in a community in terms of how it is you create an artistic scene. A place where artists feel that they can live, feel that they can do work, feel that they can progress in their profession, and that is the very essence and goal of the program.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Miami Light Projects Here and Now: 2023

WHERE: Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE 2nd Ave, Miami Shores

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 11, 12 and 13

COST: $20-$25

INFORMATION: 305-576-4350, miamilightproject.com or hereandnow/tickets

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit source of theater, dance, visual arts, music and performing arts news.
China urges Canada to stop its erroneous action: spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:08, May 10, 2023

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China urges Canada to stop its ill-founded and erroneous action which has seriously harmed the lawful rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the Chinese foreign ministry declaring a consul at Canada's Consulate General in Shanghai persona non grata and asking her to leave China no later than May 13.

Wang said that despite China's serious demarches, Canada has declared a Chinese diplomat "persona non grata" based on the false accusation of Chinese interference in Canada's internal affairs.

"We strongly condemn and firmly oppose this. China has lodged serious demarches and strong protests to Canada," Wang said.

He pointed out that China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs, adding that the interference claims about China are unfounded. "They are ideology and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China. Canada's ill-founded decision to declare our diplomat "persona non grata" is an egregious move that violates the basic norms governing international relations, and a deliberate blow to Canada's relations with China."

For quite some time, Wang said, Canadian media and senior politicians have cited so-called CSIS "classified documents" to smear the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Canada, but none of the accusations are based on facts. "They are trumped up with hidden agenda," Wang said.

In reaction to Canada's unscrupulous move, Wang said that China has decided to take a reciprocal countermeasure by declaring Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata, who has been asked to leave China no later than May 13. "This is a move to uphold China's lawful rights and interests and is fully justified and necessary."

Wang emphasized that the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions and diplomats and consular personnel in Canada abide by relevant international conventions and Canada's laws and regulations.

"They have performed their duty in accordance with the law. The Canadian government's ill-founded and erroneous action seriously harms the lawful rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel, Wang said, adding that "China does not accept this and will not waver in our resolve to uphold China's own interests."

"We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada," Wang said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Russian media reported that drones attacked military facilities in the Voronezh region

The drones were loaded with explosive materials that detonated on impact, the message reads.

Read also: Russia under attack  multiple drone attacks inside Russia, including massive oil fire near Crimean Bridge

Preliminary reports said 14 Russian soldiers were injured in the blasts, although no one was killed.

Another drone attacked a military airfield in the same region in the morning on May 9, but was downed 6 kilometers away from its target, Baza also reported.

Read also: Another Krasnodar Krai oil tank on fire after suspected drone attack

Debris from the drone was found in the evening near a cemetery. No casualties have been reported from the attack.

Drone strikes on Russian military objects and oil refineries have become more frequent this month.

Fuel tanks at the Ilskii Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai in southwestern Russia caught fire twice on May 4 and 5.

Read also: Second blast in two days at Ilskii refinery in Krasnodar Krai, Russian media report drone attack

Another oil refinery in Rostov Oblast was attacked on May 4. It also caught fire.

An unidentified drone fell at a military base in Voronezh Oblast the same day.

Read also: Russian media report crash of another drone, this time in Rostov Oblast

A massive fire broke out at an oil storage facility in Volna village near Taman Port in Krasnodar Krai only 15 kilometers away from the Crimean bridge, which Russia uses for military logistics in its full-scale war against Ukraine.

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
Insider rounded up books for fans of Emily Henry. Penguin Random House/Simon & Schuster

Emily Henry is a New York Times bestselling author, and she's massively popular on TikTok.

Her novels are romantic, earnest, and sexy, often leaving readers wanting more.

Insider rounded up other romance books fans of Henry will love.

If you're on BookTok, chances are high you've at least heard of Emily Henry, if not read one of her books.

Henry smashed onto the romance scene in 2020 with "Beach Read," and she has written three books since then, each of which has skyrocketed to the New York Times bestseller list.

Henry made a niche for herself with her summer love books, all of which approach romance with a sense of adoration and fun the genre needs to thrive. Whether her characters are enemies who find themselves living next door to each other or best friends who are scared to risk it all for something more, Henry writes romances that are enthralling, sexy, and painfully real.

Her latest book "Happy Place" was released in April, and you may find yourself yearning for her next book as soon as you finish it.

Insider created a list of books that will scratch the insatiable itch for a tantalizing love story, including Henry's full body of romance novels to ensure readers don't miss out on any of her binge-worthy books.

"Beach Read" by Emily Henry

"Beach Read" by Emily Henry. Penguin Random House

Romance author January Andrews is in a writing rut. She can't seem to think of her next big idea, so she decides to retreat to the beach house she inherited from her father, hoping inspiration will strike.

But to her dismay, January discovers Augustus Everett, an acclaimed literary author who happens to be her college archnemesis, is living next door.

January plans to steer clear of Augustus for the duration of summer  until she finds out he's having writer's block too. They decide the solution to their problem is for each of them to try their hand at each other's writing style, which means Augustus will have to show January the ropes of capital-L literature and she'll have to make him fall in love with writing about love.

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But falling for Augustus was never part of the plan. As you dive into "Beach Read," it's easy to see how it turned Emily Henry into a household name.

Find out more about this book here.

"People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry

"People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry. Penguin Random House

Emily Henry's second novel, "People We Meet On Vacation," is just as delightful as its predecessor, swapping the enemies-to-lovers trope for friends-to-lovers.

No one expected Alex and Poppy to be friends, let alone best friends. Alex is a homebody who has a codependent relationship with his cat, while Poppy is a free spirit who writes a travel blog.

Despite all odds, Alex and Poppy have clicked since college, managing to keep their friendship alive after Poppy moved to New York City through an annual week-long vacation.

But after a decade of trips, they make a mistake they can't take back, leaving their friendship in pieces.

Two years later, they still haven't spoken, and Poppy feels lost even as everything in her life falls into place. Fixing things with Alex feels like the key to it all, so she breaks their stand-off to see if he'll go on a last vacation with her.

When Alex says yes, Poppy knows it's her last chance to make their relationship right. But a reunion means they'll both have to confront feelings for each other they don't want to have, putting their friendship on the line once again.

Find out more about this book here.

"Book Lovers" by Emily Henry

"Book Lovers" by Emily Henry. Penguin Random House

"Book Lovers" is Henry's third summer romance book, and it's both an epic love story and an ode to books themselves.

Nora Stephens doesn't think there's anything missing in her life. She loves her job as a literary agent, she loves her apartment in New York, and she loves living near her sister, Libby, and her nieces.

But when Libby asks Nora to escape to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, for a month, Nora can't say no, especially since Libby is several months pregnant at the time. Libby has big dreams of small-town romance for Nora during their getaway, but instead of finding a local man to have a fling with, Nora keeps running into Charlie Lastra, a grumpy New York editor she's never gotten along with.

Despite their less-than-romantic history, Charlie and Nora keep crossing paths in Sunshine Falls, making the ever-growing list of things they have in common harder to ignore. And when Nora discovers her life as she knows it is about to change, Charlie might be the exact thing she needs.

Find out more about this book here.

"Happy Place" by Emily Henry

"Happy Place" by Emily Henry. Penugin Random House

Henry is at her best in "Happy Place," a novel that ruminates on what it means to fight for love.

Harriet has spent her entire adult life loving Wyn. Their relationship consumes her, and the fact that she met him through her best friends, Sabrina and Cleo, only makes her love him more. Between Wyn and her friends, Harriet found the family she had always wanted in college, and she plans to spend her entire life with them.

When Wyn abruptly breaks up with her after she starts her medical school residency, Harriet is heartbroken and terrified she's going to lose everyone she loves. She manages to avoid telling Sabrina and Cleo what happened for five months, planning to burst their bubble on their annual group trip to Maine.

But Harriet is shocked to see Wyn when she arrives, and he informs her they'll have to pretend to be a couple for the duration of the trip, as it's the last vacation the group will ever spend in the house they've loved for years. Harriet doesn't want to cause her friends pain, so she's willing to torture herself for a week.

All she has to do is stop herself from asking Wyn what went wrong for seven days, but as his displays of fake affection start to feel more and more real, Harriet might have to face her fear of rocking the boat if she wants a true chance at happiness.

Find out more about this book here.

"The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren

"The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren. Amazon

Christina Lauren's New York Times bestseller stars Olive Torres, the unlucky twin who feels like she's always living in her sister's shadow.

But things change at her sister's wedding, where the entire wedding party gets sick, aside from Olive and Ethan Thomas, a groomsman she happens to loathe. The pair are given the chance to take the newlyweds' 10-day honeymoon in Hawaii, and Olive agrees to go for the free trip despite her hatred of Ethan.

As the unlikely pair enjoy their surprise vacation, Olive finds herself feeling things for Ethan she never expected. Has her luck finally changed?

"The Unhoneymooners" has the summer flair and fun of a Henry book, and it's a great introduction to Christina Lauren's writing style.

Find out more about this book here.

"Honey & Spice" by Bolu Babalola

"Honey & Spice" by Bolu Babalola. HarperCollins

Bolu Babalola's "Honey & Spice" doesn't feel like a debut novel, as she writes romantic chemistry with a deftness Henry herself may envy.

Kiki Banjo has made a name for herself at Whitewell University with her radio show "Brown Sugar." She's staked her reputation on her ability to suss out players, warning her peers in the African-Caribbean Society against dating men who aren't worth their time.

But then she risks it all by kissing Malakai Korede in front of everyone after writing him off as "The Wastemen of Whitewell" on her show. Kiki is terrified her show is going to slip through her grasp, so she makes a deal with Malakai to pretend to be a couple in the hopes that Kiki can save her show and Malaki can change his reputation on campus.

Kiki expects the duration of their fake romance to be torture, but as she and Malakai eat, study, and spend time together, she's unsettled to discover there seems to be more to him than meets the eye. But will Kiki be willing to let go of her preconceived notions for a chance at something real?

Find out more about this book here.

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Amazon

Like Emily Henry, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master at writing about yearning and epic love, as is obvious in "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo."

Monique Grant's career as a magazine writer is at a standstill when famous  and famously private  film star Evelyn Hugo says she wants to do a tell-all interview with Monique, and only Monique.

Monique doesn't understand why Evelyn would want to work with her of all people, but she can't say no, especially when Evelyn starts opening up to her about her path to fame and the forbidden love that changed the course of her life. Monique feels like Evelyn has handed her the opportunity of a lifetime.

But when she finds out why Evelyn chose her for the tell-all, Monique will have to face truths about their shared history she never expected.

Find out more about this book here.

"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin. Penguin Random House

Gabrielle Zevin's bestseller "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" isn't a romance novel, but it's full of the nostalgia, depth, and playfulness readers love in Henry's books.

Sam Masur didn't expect to see his childhood best friend Sadie Green in a Boston train station, but when he does, he can't help but call out to her. His spontaneous decision reignites the thing they bonded over in the first place: an all-consuming love of video games.

In a matter of months, Sam, Sadie, and Sam's roommate Marx Watanabe have created Ichigo, a bestselling game that changes the trajectory of their lives forever. But the trio finds success doesn't make life simple, and Sadie and Sam discover it might be the thing that drives them apart.

Zevin's sweeping novel follows Sam and Sadie over three decades of their lives, capturing the poignancy, pain, and joy of finding someone who knows you better than you know yourself.

Find out more about this book here.

"The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" by Josie Silver

"The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" by Josie Silver Penguin Random House

Lydia Bird's life is turned upside down when the love of her life, Freddie, dies in a car accident. After months of mourning and wanting to go back in time, Lydia begins to move on with the help of her sister and Freddie's best friend.

But then she's given a way to go back to her old life with Freddie, a life where the tragedy never happened. Her heart is pulled in two directions as she struggles to choose between going back to the familiar and embracing the unknown, where someone new wants to love her.

Poignant and fresh, Josie Silver's "The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" is a story of love and hope that strikes the same tone as Henry's works.

Find out more about this book here.

"Every Summer After" by Carley Fortune

"Every Summer After" by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House

Like Henry does in her books, Carley Fortune explores the thrill and heartbreak of summer loving in "Every Summer After."

Persephone Fraser hasn't been back to Barry's Bay since she broke Sam Florek's heart. But when his mom dies, she sprints home, coming face-to-face with her childhood friend and the truest love she's ever known.

The memories of their six summers together come flooding back when they're reunited, and Percy has to decide if she's willing to face what went wrong if she wants a second chance with Sam.

Full of flashbacks, longing, and romance, "Every Summer After" will hit the spot for Henry fans.

Find out more about this book here.

"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle

"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle. Simon and Schuster

Dannie Kohan's plan is on track. In one day, she performs well at the job interview of a lifetime and agrees to marry her long-term boyfriend. But when she goes to sleep that night, she wakes up five years in the future, with a different man beside her and his ring on her finger.

Dannie only has one hour in the future before she's yanked back to the present, and she tries to push aside the experience as a vivid dream. But when she meets the man from her dream four and a half years later and finds out he's dating her best friend, Dannie has to confront what she really wants and find out if she's willing to change her plans to find true happiness.

Rebecca Serle's "In Five Years" explores time, grief, and all-consuming love, both romantic and platonic, in the same way Henry's books do, challenging the reader to ask themselves how far they would go for true happiness.

Find out more about this book here.

"How To Love" by Katie Cotugno

"How To Love" by Katie Cotugno. HarperCollins

"How To Love" is technically a Young Adult book, but Katie Cotugno's romance has all the depth and yearning Henry's books do.

Cotugno tells her tale in two parts. In the before, Reena Montero knows she will go to college to be a travel writer, she knows Allie Ballard will always be her best friend, and she knows she'll be silently pining for Sawyer LeGrande for the rest of her life.

In the after, Allie is dead, Sawyer has been gone for almost two years, and Reena has been parenting her and Sawyer's daughter alone. Sawyer's return dregs up everything she didn't want to face: the dreams she had before she became a teen mom; her regrets over her friendship with Allie; and worst of all, her unresolved feelings for Sawyer.

As Reena makes room for Sawyer in their daughter's life, she'll have to decide if she wants to settle for the life she thinks she should have or take a risk for the one she wants.

Find out more about this book here.

"The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory

"The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory. Penguin Random House

On the night before Drew Nichols is set to be a groomsman in his ex-girlfriend's wedding, he gets stuck in an elevator with the pretty and funny Alexa Monroe, the first bright spot in what he believes will be an unbearable weekend.

Impulse leads him to ask her to be his date to the wedding, and the duo surprises themselves by having more fun together than they bargained for. They plan to part ways after the wedding, neither interested in a long-distance relationship, but fate might have other plans for them.

Jasmine Guillory writes about romance with reverence and joy, making "The Wedding Date" an ideal read for Henry lovers.

Find out more about this book here.

"Normal People" by Sally Rooney

"Normal People" by Sally Rooney. Amazon

Although Sally Rooney's beloved "Normal People" has a darker tone than Henry's books, protagonists Connell and Marianne have a chemistry and a years-long history that Henry fans will love.

Connell and Marianne meet in high school, when Connell is a popular jock and Marianne is, well, the opposite. The two bond despite their seeming differences, setting them on a course that will shape their lives in which they are drawn back to one another over and over again.

Now a popular Hulu show, Rooney's novel shows the inevitability of love, finding words for the often inexplicable reasons people need each other.

Find out more about this book here.

"Call Me By Your Name" by Andre Aciman

"Call Me By Your Name" by Andre Aciman. Amazon

You might be familiar with the film adaptation of Andre Aciman's "Call Me By Your Name," but even if you've seen the film, the book is worth the read, as Aciman's biting prose conveys the exhilaration and pain of first love in a way few other works do.

Elio is 17 when American graduate student Oliver arrives at his family's Italian villa to study with his father in the 1980s. Neither Elio nor Oliver expects the spark they feel for each other, both doing all they can to ignore their attraction. But when they reach their breaking point and discover their feelings are reciprocal, they luxuriate in their fleeting romance, meeting their true selves for the first time through their love for each other.

"Call Me By Your Name" is a summer romance that spends many of its pages exploring the nature of desire just as Henry's books do, showing readers how the things they want can shape the people they become.

Find out more about this book here.

"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes

"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes. Amazon

Louisa Clark's life is exceedingly predictable. She lives in a small town with her parents, has had the same boyfriend for years, and generally knows what's going to happen every day for the rest of her life.

But her world shifts when she takes a job caring for Will Traynor, a millionaire adventurer who became a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident. Louisa finds his grumpiness and pessimistic outlook disheartening, while Louisa's effervescent charm perplexes Will.

Despite all odds, they soon come to understand each other, forming the unlikeliest of friendships. And when Louisa discovers Will has set an expiration date for his life, she decides she'll do anything to give him something worth living for.

Adapted into a movie starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, Jojo Moyes's "Me Before You" is a gut-wrenching read that gets to the heart of what it means to love someone, much like Henry's works.

Find out more about this book here.

"Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin

"Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin. Macmillan

You may be familiar with the film adaptation of Emily Giffin's "Something Borrowed" starring Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin, but it features the kind of messy romance Henry readers will be craving after finishing her books.

On her 30th birthday, Rachel White's life is right on track. Her career as a New York attorney is going exactly as it should; she loves her apartment; and she's been training nearly all of her life to be the perfect maid-of-honor for Darcy, her lovable and self-involved best friend.

But Rachel's carefully controlled life spirals out of control when she and Darcy's fiance, Dex, end up in bed together after her birthday party. Ever since law school, Rachel assumed her love for Dex was one-sided, but it turns out he has been pining for her too.

Rachel knows she wants to be with Dex, but it goes against every instinct she has to choose herself over her friend. As the wedding approaches and the true nature of her friendship with Darcy becomes clear, Rachel may realize doing the right thing may not always be right.

Find out more about this book here.

Read the original article on Insider
A Montana search team found a somewhat responsive missing 19-year-old hiker using thermal heat signatures at Glacier National Park on Monday night, rescuers said.

Matthew Read, who was reported missing on Sunday, was hiking the Huckleberry Lookout trail on Friday when he slipped into trail drainage and fell chest-deep into snow on Huckleberry Mountain, the Glacier National Park Service said in a news release.

Read lost his phone, water bottle and shoes in the fall and was unable to make it back up the trail. Instead, he worked his way down the drainage.

Park rangers found Reads vehicle on Sunday at the Huckleberry Lookout Trailhead after he was reported missing. Rangers quickly conducted a search that afternoon, which expanded through Monday night.

Helicopter rescue team helps find Read

Two Bear Air, a helicopter rescue team who assisted in the mission, started their search on Sunday but were unable to make much progress due to difficult weather conditions including low clouds and fog.

On Monday, the team continued the search and located Read at about 11 p.m. using infrared cameras. The team sent a rescue specialist 175 feet down to pull Read up to the helicopter and quickly flew him out of the park and into an ambulance.

Read is in stable condition, the park said.

Due to the recent warm temperatures, the snow patches diminished and footprints became more challenging to follow, Two Bear Air rescuers said in a Facebook post. After a few separate flights and crew swaps, the teen was located after dark in thick timber with our infrared camera.

The Glacier National Park thanked Two Bear Air, US Border Patrol, Flathead County Sheriffs office, North Valley and Flathead Search and Rescue for assisting in the search.

Huckleberry Lookout Trail, which was closed during the search, reopened Tuesday.

More coverage from USA TODAY

Embattled Rep. George Santos arrested on charges including fraud, lying to Congress

Driver of SUV that killed 8 in Texas crash had drugs in his system. But was he under the influence?

Story continues

A woman wrote a children's book about grief after her husband died. Now she is charged with his murder.

FBI investigating Texas school after first-grader allegedly performed sex act recorded on iPad

CPI report live updates: Inflation dips to 4.9%; core consumer price gains stay elevated

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing hiker rescued at Glacier National Park in Montana
The latest season of Unsolved, a true-crime podcast for USA TODAY and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, examines the disappearance of 7-year-old Alexis Patterson. After Alexis vanished, her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, came under suspicion, partly because of his past involvement in a bank robbery that ended in the death of Glendale police officer Ronald Hedbany. Bourgeois cooperated with police and testified against the shooter. The following excerpts from the Journal Sentinel archives, reported by Lawrence Sussman and David Doege, were first published Oct. 29, 1994, and Sept. 28, 1995, respectively. Unsolved is available on all podcast platforms.

Officer Ronald Hedbany kept to himself, was conscientious

He was a serious police officer and a private man, but he loved his job and could laugh at himself when a colleague teased him at the station.

That's how two friends described Ronald Hedbany, the Glendale police officer who was slain Friday morning by a gunman who police believe was fleeing the robbery of a Bank One branch at 210 W. Capitol Drive.

At the request of his family, the Glendale Police Department released very little information about Hedbany other than he had received several letters of commendation for his actions in the line of duty.

But Glendale Police Detective Dennis Hanaman and Guy Andreotti, a former Glendale reserve police officer, knew Hedbany well. They provided some details Friday about their friend, who served on the Glendale force for 13 years, his whole law-enforcement career.

The two described Hedbany, 42, as a "conscientious" officer who took his job seriously. And, they said, he pretty much kept to himself.

"Ron picked his friends very carefully," Hanaman said. "He was very selective about who he said things in confidence to."

"He was kind of a quiet guy," Andreotti said. "I can't ever remember him stopping off for drinks after the shift got out."

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But on the job, Hedbany was nothing but a professional, they said.

"Most guys would say he was an efficient officer," Hanaman said. "He did the best that he could."

Added Andreotti: "He was very, very conscientious."

Hedbany was so conscientious he always wore a bulletproof vest while on duty, the two said. But that didn't protect him from the two fatal gunshot wounds that struck him in the chest and pelvic regions Friday.

LaRon Bourgeois testified in trial of Booker Ship, who was convicted of killing Glendale police officer

The man who allegedly drove the getaway car for (Booker) Shipp testified that he was up the street from Hedbany's squad car, "facing the freeway" when he heard the same gunshots.

"I kind of panicked," LaRon Bourgeois testified. "I tried starting the car and it wouldn't start."

But the car eventually started, Bourgeois said, and he and Shipp drove off.

"He was telling me, 'Don't tell anybody. Don't tell anybody,'" Bourgeois said. "I told him I wouldn't."

Bourgeois' testimony came in the second day of Shipp's trial on one count of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of armed robbery.

Bourgeois, 27, was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony against Shipp, 24.

Bourgeois testified that he and Shipp drove to the Bank One at 210 W. Capitol Drive two days before the holdup to "case it" and "figure out a getaway route."

After dropping off Shipp the morning of the robbery, Bourgeois said, he drove to a prearranged spot and waited about four or five minutes for Shipp.

After the robbery, Bourgeois testified, he and Shipp drove to Bourgeois' house and watched television news for information about the holdup.

"He was like really nervous and started to cry," Bourgeois said of Shipp. "He said that he hoped the officer died because that was the only witness.

Later, Bourgeois said, Shipp counted the bank loot and gave him $2,000 for driving the getaway car.

Alexis Patterson disappeared on May 3, 2002

Soon after Alexis Patterson was born in 1995, her mother began dating Bourgeois.

Alexis disappeared on May 3, 2002. Bourgeois told reporters he walked her to school that day, handed her off to a crossing guard and watched her run to the playground. Since he was one of the last people to see her and had a criminal record, law enforcement focused attention on him.

Here is an excerpt from a Journal Sentinel story published May 9, 2002, by James Burnett, who now serves as director of media relations at the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office:

The stepfather of a missing 7-year-old Milwaukee girl failed a polygraph test administered to him over the disappearance of the girl, high ranking police sources said Wednesday.

It was unclear Wednesday night which questions on the test LaRon Bourgeois failed.

Polygraph test results aren't admissible as evidence in Wisconsin courts and likely could not be used against Bourgeois in the event of a possible future criminal action.

LaRon Bourgeois said he did not believe he failed the lie detector test questioning him on the whereabouts of Alexis Patterson.

"If I would not have passed (the test) then I wouldn't be standing here," Bourgeois said, when told by a reporter Wednesday night that police sources said he failed the test.

"I don't have anything else to say," he added.

Earlier Wednesday, Bourgeois said he was outraged that police were focusing on his criminal past and still questioning him and his wife six days into the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Alexis.

Learn more about the Alexis Patterson case by listening to the true-crime podcast Unsolved.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Alexis Patterson case influenced by Glendale police officer's death
In the last 24 hours, Russian attacks were reported in nine Ukrainian oblasts  Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk.

As of 9:00 a.m., two civilians are known to have been killed, and five more were injured, Ukraine's Defense Ministry media center said on May 10.

Russian forces reportedly used mortars, tanks, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), anti-aircraft missile systems, drones, and tactical aviation to strike 126 Ukrainian settlements.

According to the media center, 153 infrastructure facilities have been hit.
The 2024 Ford Ranger grows in width, interior quality, engine choices, and storage space.

$58,555 Ranger Raptor gains a 405-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, 33-inch tires, and similar hardware as the Bronco Raptor.

Both trucks are assembled in Michigan and will be available near the end of summer 2023.

The 2024 Ford Ranger and 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor continue the much-needed revitalization of the mid-size-truck segment. One might argue they were first to the party, having been revealed globally a few years ago. While we knew we weren't getting the turbo-diesel engine or manual transmission, we wondered how otherwise the U.S.-spec truck would shape up. Now we've now been up close, sat inside, and learned more about the inner workings of both trucks.

Ford

Adios, Extended Cab and Long Bed

Like the Jeep Gladiator and new Chevrolet Colorado, the 2024 Ranger has eschewed different cab and bed sizes, as it's available only with a four-door crew cab and a five-foot bed.

Riding on an upgraded version of Ford T6 platform that also underpins the Bronco, the wheelbase has grown 1.9 inches, but overall length is basically unchanged (technically, it shrunk by 0.2 inch). In effect the front wheels have moved closer to the front bumper, reducing its overhang by 1.9 inches and improving approach angle.

The rear suspension remains leaf springs on the Ranger (see Raptor details below), but the shocks have moved outboard closer to the wheels, making them less prone to encountering trail debris.

Overall width is up 2.3 inches, netting improvements in cab space and bed storage, which can now accommodate a four-foot sheet of drywall between the wheelhouses.

Ford

More Speed, Please

We don't recall complaining about the previous generation's powertrain. Last we tested it, the turbo-four and 10-speed automatic pairing netted 60 mph acceleration in 6.4 seconds. Apparently, Ford thinks that simply isn't good enough, and we can't argue with that kind of thinking.

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While the entry-level XL ($35,755) retains the 2.3-liter four with 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, the XLT and Lariat offer the twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6 from the Bronco and F-150. Here, the V-6 is good for 315 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, which is similar to the Bronco's rating on regular fuel. Regardless of the engine, the transmission remains a 10-speed automatic.

Two- and four-wheel drive systems are available, but the latter doesn't come with a locking rear differential. We wouldnt be surprised to see that offered on an upcoming, yet unannounced, Tremor variant.

Ford

Big Storage, Bigger Screens

The 2024 Ranger's interior introduces welcome improvements and upgrades. The size of the base center screen has increased from eight inches to 10.1 inches, and a large, vertically orientated 12.4-inch screen is available. The instrument cluster is digital as well, sized at either 8.0 inches, like the Bronco, or 12.4 inches. While we had little time to use the screens, they looked attractive and responded quickly. The large center touchscreen even had games, like Sudoku.

Increases in height and width have netted larger interior dimensions, as total passenger volume has increased 0.7 cubic feet. There's generally more headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in both rows than last year.



While most Rangers have a mechanical shifter, the Lariat 4x4 and Raptor have a small and short-throw electronic shifter that enables driver aids including trailer backup and an automated parallel and perpendicular parking system.

Also available are a 360-degree exterior camera, over-the-air updates, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and Ford's Zone Lighting system that lets owners selectively illuminate exterior lighting when parked. Rangers equipped with the FX4 off-road package gain Ford's Trail Control off-road cruise control system.

Storage options are more plentiful. There's a spot under the touchscreen that can hold a phone, and that area becomes a wireless charger on XLT and above. A shelf above the glove box can fit a phone or a wallet, and above that is a small secondary glovebox.

A significant improvement over the previous generation is the addition of functional storage space in the rear seats. Lifting the seat bottoms reveals two small cubbies that could fit items like jumper cables or a first-aid kit. The rear seatback also folds down flat, creating an even load surface for larger items you don't want to put in the bed.

Tow the Line

The max tow rating remains 7500 pounds with the available Trailer Tow package, which also includes an integrated trailer brake controller. As with the F-150, owners can check trailer lights using a phone app.

The damped tailgate drops softly and, similar to the F-150, features a ruler that stretches end to end and pockets for C-clamps. For tailgating, there's a bottle opener on the passenger side along with 12-volt and 120-volt outlets in the bed that can supply 400 watts of power. Maximum payload has increased versus the previous-generation crew cab to 1805 pounds for two-wheel-drive Rangers and 1711 pounds for four-wheel-drive models.

Ford

The Ranger Raptor

While one might think of the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor as a downsized F-150 Raptor, a more accurate description would be a Bronco Raptor without the 37-inch tires.

The Ranger Raptor employs a slightly less powerful version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 from that Bronco, at 405 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. And as with the Bronco, the engine is connected to a 10-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel-drive system that features locking front rear differentials as well as a low range and 4A all-wheel-drive mode. Even the crawl ratio is the same, at 67.88:1.

But instead of the 37s, the Ranger uses 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO3s wrapped around 17-inch wheels that will accept a beadlock ring from Ford's accessory department. While not wide enough to mandate marker lamps like the Bronco, the Ranger Raptor's wheel and tire combo increases track width by 3.5 inches while the enlarged fenders swell overall width by 4.3 inches versus the regular Ranger.

Exterior clearances improve throughout, though the Raptor's 33-degree approach angle is unlikely to generate envy among owners of the Jeep Gladiator Mojave (44.7 degrees) or Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 (38.7 degrees). Ditto for its 10.7-inch ground clearance, which is 0.9 inch less than the Mojave and matches the ZR2's. But, at 26.4 degrees, the Raptor has a stronger departure angle than the other trucks (25.1 and 25.5 degrees, respectively).

The Raptor's desert racing intentions bias it more toward suspension control than clearances demanded by rock crawlers. To that end, underneath the Raptor's enlarged fenders are coil-overs with adaptive Fox Live Valve dampers sized 2.5 inches up front. Joining the adaptive Fox dampers and coil-overs in the back are trailing arms and a Watts-link setup that replaces the regular Ranger's leaf springs. Right behind the beefy-looking rear-axle is a full-size spare.

The Ranger Raptor otherwise offers similar hardware as the Bronco, from the exhaust's X-pipe and dual outlets to the suite of off-road driving equipment, including a plethora of drive modes along with Ford's Trail Control and Trail Turn Assist, which brakes the inside rear wheel during a turn at low speeds to tighten the turning radius. Unlike the standard Bronco, the Ranger Raptor is not available with a bumper that supports a winch.

Interior upgrades include seats with improved lateral bolstering, upfitter switches near the rearview mirror that make satisfying clicks when you flip them, and plenty of brightly colored details. As with the Bronco Raptor, switches on the steering wheel adjust dampers, steering, and exhaust separately from the drive mode. You'll find large shift paddles, too.

Ford

The exhaust, by the way, tops out in Baja mode, a setting that's paired with a warning in the gauge cluster that reads "off-road use only"uh-huh, sure. As with the Bronco Raptor, this setting keeps the turbos spinning for a few seconds after the driver releases pressure from the gas pedal so that boost remains available when it's time to accelerate again.

Versus the regular Ranger, the changes reduce max payload to 1411 pounds, which is still 211 to 260 pounds more than the Gladiator Mojave and Colorado ZR2, respectively. But the 5150-pound max tow rating falls just under the 6000-pound max ratings of the other trucks.

The Raptor's starting price, at $58,555 with destination, also stretches higher than the Gladiator Mojave and Colorado ZR2. Neither of which, as Raptor fans will surely point out, have more than 400 horsepower.

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Police have charged a 20-year-old woman after an alleged drunk driving incident in Cobb County.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Marietta Police responded to a car accident on Roswell Road at Cobb Parkway.

Hannah White, 20, of Dallas, Georgia was driving a 2001 Ford Explorer traveling northbound on Cobb Parkway.

Sophia Hayes, 44, of Mableton was driving a 2023 Tesla 3 traveling westbound on Roswell Road.

During the investigation, officials said Hayes was stopped at the traffic signal at Cobb Parkway, while White was speeding and trying to make a right turn onto Roswell Road.

TRENDING STORIES:

White then reportedly failed to maintain her lane and hit the Tesla in the back on the left passenger door.

Marietta authorities said Alexandra Skinner, 22, was sitting on the left side in the back of the Tesla and reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries.

Skinner was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Noah McEarchern, 23, of Buford, was also sitting in the back of the Tesla on the right side and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

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Police said White was not injured in the crash and was arrested at the scene. She was transported to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and charged with DUI, serious injury by vehicle, and other traffic-related charges.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Ofc. N. St. Onge at 770-794-5352.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Four elementary schools in Lexington ranked in the top 25 public elementary schools in Kentucky, according to Niche, a site offering data on schools and colleges.

Niche creates ratings based on reviews and data. Sources include the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core Data, Civil Rights Data Collection and others.

The best public elementary schools ranking uses the following methodology:

Academics grade: Based on state assessment proficiency, district academics grade, student to teacher ratio and parent/student surveys on academics

Diversity grade: Based on student racial diversity index, parent/student surveys on culture and diversity, economically disadvantaged percentage and gender diversity

Teachers grade: Based on the academics grade, parent/teacher surveys on teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher salary index, portion of teachers in their first or second year of teaching, average teacher salary and student-to-teacher ratio

Heres how the overall grade for public elementary schools breaks down:

Academics grade: 50% of overall grade

Teachers grade: 20%

District overall Niche grade: 15%

Culture and diversity grade: 10%

Parent/student surveys on overall experience: 5%

All four of the Fayette County schools in the top 25 received A overall scores from Niche, though their grades in the categories of academics, teachers and diversity varied.

Heres how the schools compared:

25. Russell Primary School

Location: Russell, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

Russell Primary School is a highly rated institution, Niche says, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

State test scores show 67% of students are at least proficient in math and 72% are proficient in reading.

24. W.R. McNeill Elementary School

Location: Bowling Green, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A- teachers, A diversity

More than 300 students attend W.R. McNeill Elementary School, according to Niche, and the student-teacher ratio is 14 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 66%, and 76% of students are proficient in reading.

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23. Lone Oak Intermediate School

Location: Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A+ teachers, B+ diversity

Lone Oak Intermediate School educates 458 students in grades 4 to 5, Niche reports, with a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1.

Reading proficiency is at 72%, while 63% of students are at least proficient in math.

22. Cassidy Elementary School

Location: Lexington, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A teachers, A- diversity

Cassidy Elementary School is home to 643 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, and the student-teacher ratio is 13 to 1.

State test scores show 72% of Cassidy Elementary students are proficient in math and 76% are proficient in reading.

The institution ranked among the highest-scoring elementary schools via a statewide K-12 school accountability system in October, according to previous Herald-Leader reporting.

21. Pikeville Elementary School

Location: Pikeville, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

More than 600 students attend Pikeville Elementary School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

Reading proficiency is at 71%, and math proficiency is at 69%, according to Niches ranking.

20. Veterans Park Elementary School

Location: Lexington, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, A- diversity

Veterans Park Elementary School hosts 703 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, according to Niche, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 71% at Veterans Park Elementary, and reading proficiency is at 75%.

The school received a green designation in the Kentucky school report card system, the second-best out of five possible color rankings.

19. Goshen at Hillcrest Elementary School

Location: Prospect, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A teachers, B- diversity

More than 670 students attend Goshen at Hillcrest Elementary School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 72%, and 79% are at least proficient in reading.

18. Oak Hill Elementary School

Location: Somerset, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

Oak Hill Elementary School has more than 500 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

State tests scores show 72% of students are proficient in math and 78% are proficient in reading.

17. Clays Mill Elementary School

Location: Lexington, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B+ diversity

This Lexington school has 474 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, with a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1.

More than 70% of Clays Mill Elementary students are proficient in math, and 82% are proficient in reading.

Clays Mill Elementary School received a blue designation in the Kentucky school report card ranking, indicating the highest performance.

16. Johnson Elementary School

Location: Fort Thomas, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A teachers, C diversity

Johnson Elementary School has 396 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, according to Niche.

State test scores show 67% of students are proficient in math and 76% are proficient in reading.

15. Woodlawn Elementary School

Location: Danville, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

This elementary school hosts 544 students, according to Niche, and it has a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.

Woodlawn Elementary School has a 66% math proficiency rate and an 80% proficiency rate in reading.

14. Rosa Parks Elementary School

Location: Lexington, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, A- diversity

More than 660 students attend Rosa Parks Elementary School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, according to Niche.

State test scores report 76% of students are proficient in math and 84% are proficient in reading.

The Kentucky school report card rated Rosa Parks Elementary School highly for the 2021 to 2022 school year.

13. Junction City Elementary School

Location: Junction City, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A teachers, B- diversity

Junction City Elementary School educates 374 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. The institution has a math proficiency rate of 72% and a reading proficiency rate of 77%.

12. Lone Oak Elementary School

Location: Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B+ diversity

More than 480 students attend Lone Oak Elementary School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

The schools math proficiency rate is 67%, according to Niche, and the reading proficiency rate is 72%.

11. Hendron Lone Oak Elementary School

Location: Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B diversity

Hendron Lone Oak Elementary School has 462 students, Niche reports, and a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.

Its math proficiency rate is 67%, while 72% of students are at least proficient in reading.

10. J. Graham Brown School

Location: Louisville, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, B+ teachers, A- diversity

J. Graham Brown is a magnet school teaching 753 students K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 82%, and 88% of J. Graham Brown students are proficient in reading.

9. Reidland Elementary School

Location: Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B diversity

Reidland Elementary School has 561 students, according to Niche, with a student teacher ratio of 16 to 1.

State test scores show 67% of students are proficient in math and 77% are proficient in reading.

8. Harlan Elementary School

Location: Harlan, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

More than 265 students attend Harlan Elementary School, according to Niche, and the institution has a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 67%, Niche says, while 77% of students are proficient in reading.

7. Heath Elementary School

Location: West Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

Heath Elementary School educates 465 students, Niche reports, with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.

Proficiency is at 77% in math and in reading, according to state test scores.

6. Moyer Elementary School

Location: Fort Thomas, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A teachers, B- diversity

This Fort Thomas school has 550 students and a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1, according to Niche.

Math proficiency is at 73% at Moyer Elementary, while 77% of students are proficient in reading.

5. Concord Elementary School

Location: Paducah, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B+ diversity

More than 600 students attend Concord Elementary School, according to Niche, and it has a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1.

Math proficiency is at 70% and reading proficiency is at 76%.

4. Woodfill Elementary School

Location: Fort Thomas, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, C+ diversity

Woodfill Elementary School has 376 students and a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1, according to Niche.

Math proficiency is at 77% and reading proficiency is at 75%.

3. Beechwood Elementary School

Location: Fort Mitchell, Ky.

Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B- diversity

Beechwood Elementary School has more than 700 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1, according to Niche.

Reading proficiency is at 74%, while math proficiency is at 70%.

2. Anchorage Independent Public School

Location: Anchorage, Ky.

Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers, C+ diversity

More than 380 students attend Anchorage Independent Public School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1, according to Niche.

State test scores show 84% of students are proficient in math and 88% are proficient in reading.

1. Murray Elementary School

Location: Murray, Ky.

Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers, B+ diversity

Murray Elementary School has 505 students, according to Niche, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

Math and reading proficiency is at 77% at Murray Elementary.

Do you have a question about schools or education in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
As it did last year with math textbooks, the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday announced that dozens of social studies textbooks landed on its not recommended list, while providing few details about why.

The state caught and fixed dozens of other books to prevent political indoctrination of children, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a tweet.

Education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in a statement that the state seeks to approve books that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric.

Below is the list of 34 texts that remain unfit for public schools, according to state officials. Asterisks denote books that contain references to the unwanted strategies and topics.

READ MORE: Florida approves social studies books after references to racism, social justice removed

In its specifications, the state told publishers not to submit books containing topics including critical race theory, culturally responsive teaching, social justice and social-emotional learning.

Here are the rejected books, listed by elementary, middle and high school levels:

Grades K-5

Florida History Makers: Myself, My School, My Community (grade K), 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers First Grade Social Studies My Family, My Community, and Me, 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: My Country and My State (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our Regions, Our Country, Our World (grade 3), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our State (grade 4), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our United States (grade 5), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida Social Studies, Living, Learning, and Working Together (grade K), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, Our Community and Beyond (grade 1), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

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Florida Social Studies, Who We are as Americans (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, United States Regions and Neighbors (grade 3), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Florida Social Studies, Florida Studies (grade 4), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, United States History (grade 5), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Social Studies Alive! Me and My World (Florida Series, Grade K), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! My School and Family (Florida Seriers, Grade 1), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! My Community (Florida Series, Grade 2), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Social Studies Alive! Our Community and Beyond (Florida Series, Grade 3), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Social Studies Alive! Florida and Its People (Florida Series, Grade 4), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! Americas Past (Florida Series, Grade 5), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Grades 6-8

Gateway to Early American History with Revised Civics and Government Standards Advanced, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Florida Transformative Education

Civics and Government (Florida M/J Social Studies), 2023, 1st Edition, published by Gallopade International, Inc.

* Civics Alive! Foundations and Functions, 2023, 1st Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Civics, Advanced, Florida Edition, 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Grades 9-12

* American History, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

* Florida US History interactive, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company

* Florida US History interactive - Honors, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company

* The African-American Experience, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

Living Smarter, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Achievements Educational Development

Personal Financial Literacy and Money Management, 2020, 2nd Edition, published by International Empowerment

Foundations in Personal Finance-Honors, 2022, 4th Edition, published by The Lampo Group

* American Government, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, 2020, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Thinking About Psychology, 2019, 4th Edition, published by Bedford, Freeman and Worth Publishing Group

* Modern Genocide, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

History of the Holocaust, 2022, 2nd Edition, published by eDynamic Holdings LP
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia announced four men who were indicted for a conspiracy to sell large amounts of methamphetamine had been sentenced.

According to the USAO, law enforcement officers seized roughly 200 kilograms of meth from Almarud Duarte, David Garcia, Eduardo Penaloza-Pacheco, and Kevin Tello.

From May to August 2021, the four men conspired to, and did, distribute kilogram amounts of methamphetamine, the USAO said. Kevin Tello and David Garcia supplied the drugs to Almarud Duarte, who then sold the methamphetamine.

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On June 28, 2021, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said Penaloza-Pacheco then sold a kilogram he got from Tello. Officers then seized about 200 kilograms of meth from Garcias home.

Illicit drugs devastatingly impact our communities, resulting in significant suffering by those addicted to the substances and the families who love them, Buchanan said. We thank our law enforcement partners for their dedication to combatting the scourge of drug trafficking and helping to keep our streets safe.

Three of the men, Duarte, Garcia, and Tello, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute, while Penaloza-Pacheco pled guilty to distribution.

TRENDING STORIES:

Each of the men was sentenced to between five to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Their sentences are:

Almarud Duarte, 27, of Oakwood, Georgia, pleaded guilty on January 23, 2023, and was sentenced to nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

David Garcia, 42, of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2022, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Eduardo Penaloza-Pacheco, 38, of Gainesville, Georgia, pleaded guilty on May 16, 2022, and was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Kevin Tello, 27, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, pleaded guilty on May 1, 2022, and was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

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Theres plenty of unrest around the globe, so how can you know which country is safe to visit? Theres no such thing as a nation thats completely safe. But some have a better track record than others.

Who you are can play a role in your experience overseas. Some nations are safer for men than women. Others arent great for the LGBT+ community. And travel can be even more unpredictable for Black people.

The United States Ranks Poorly In Terms of Peace and Safety

Recently, several countries issued travel warnings for The United States, which is no surprise given the news-cycle.

USA Today cited the Global Peace Index (GPI) from 2022, which ranked the most peaceful nations in the world. The United States took 129th place, with Azerbaijan just ahead, and Brazil just below. Afghanistan came in dead last, as it has in the GPI for several years.

GPI explained, civil unrest [in the United States] continues to be the primary driver of the deterioration. This was in reference to social unrest and political terrorism.

Which Countries Are Safest For Travel?

Travelers Worldwide listed some of the safest countries, based on the findings of the GPI. A variety of factors are taken into consideration, including crime, terrorism, political instability, weapons capabilities, and more.

The publication wrote, the Global Peace Index paints a pretty clear picture of the countries that pose the lowest risk level for travelers, but its not perfect. Recent conflicts and terrorism threats have knocked a few countries on the index out of their formerly-safe spots.

1. Iceland

Alternatively known as Land of Ice and Fire, Iceland is top of the list. Its safe, peaceful, and the Northern Lights are absolutely stunning. If those interest you, travel between September and April, when nights are long and dark. You can ski, snowboard and even climb glaciers.

2. New Zealand

Next, is New Zealand. Travelers Worldwide explained: with a low-risk Level 1 with the U.S. Department of State, New Zealand is a haven for outdoor adventures and unique urban exploration opportunities for all types of travelers.

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3. Ireland

Third is Ireland, which has lush backdrops, castle ruins and a constantly evolving foodie scene. Youll want to have your camera with you just about everywhere you go. For the city experience, head to Dublin. This is the home of popular attractions such as Dublin Castle and the Guinness Storehouse.

4. Austria

Coming in at number four is Austria. Travelers Worldwide wrote, travelers enjoy coming in April and May for the best possible visit. Take a boat trip along the Danube River, step back in time at the Schnbrunn Palace, and take in a performance at the Vienna Opera House. The U.S. Department of State advises those visiting Austria to exercise normal precautions.

5. Portugal

The fifth spot goes to Portugal. As Travel Noire has noted before, the Black expat community is growing, and you can learn about Black history in Lisbon thanks to the African Lisbon Tour. In the Algarve, the tasty food and the fabulous beaches are legendary, and some compare the coastal town of Comporta to the Hamptons. Keep an eye on your belongings and honor social norms, and youll be fine.
Tunis  A Tunisian police officer shot dead four people at Africa's oldest synagogue in an attack Tuesday that sparked panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage on the island of Djerba. The officer gunned down two visitors, including a French citizen, and two fellow officers before he was shot dead himself, the interior ministry said. A security officer among the nine people wounded in the attack later died of his wounds, Tunisia's TAP news agency said Wednesday, citing hospital sources.

Security forces at the scene of an attack near a the Ghriba synagogue, May 9, 2023 in Djerba, Tunisia. / Credit: Hasan Mrad/DeFodi Images/Getty

Another four visitors and four police officers were wounded in the attack, the first on foreign visitors to Tunisia since 2015 and the first on the pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue since a suicide truck bombing killed 21 people in 2002.



The Tunisian foreign ministry identified the two visitors killed as a 30-year-old Tunisian and a French national, aged 42. It did not release their names.



The assailant had first shot dead a colleague and taken his ammunition before opening fire at the synagogue, sparking panic among the hundreds of visitors there.



"Investigations are continuing in order to shed light on the motives for this cowardly aggression," the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

Security services at the scene of an attack near the Ghriba synagogue, May 9, 2023, in Djerba, Tunisia. / Credit: Hasan Mrad/DeFodi Images/Getty

The French government "condemns this heinous act in the strongest terms," foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said.



U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also condemned the shooting rampage, saying on Twitter that the U.S. "deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world."



"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces," added Miller.

The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world. We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces.  Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) May 10, 2023

According to organizers, more than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's event. The annual pilgrimage only resumed in 2022 after two years of coronavirus pandemic-related suspension.

Coming between Passover and Shavuot, the pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live  mainly on Djerba  compared with around 100,000 before the country gained independence from France in 1956.



Pilgrims travel from Europe, the United States and Israel to take part, although their numbers have dropped since the deadly bombing in 2002.



Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia has finally rebounded from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the aftereffects of a pair of attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015 that killed dozens of foreign holidaymakers.

Tunisia suffered a sharp rise in Islamist militancy after the Arab Spring ousted longtime despot Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, but authorities say they have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia endures a severe financial crisis that has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office sweeping powers and neutered parliament.

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Five Tennessee restaurant owners have plead guilty to an undocumented worker harboring scheme across eight mid-state Japanese restaurants, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski on Wednesday.

Court records identify the defendants as Zhongzhi Tommy Zhuo, 46, Jianping Alan Zhuo, 37, both of Hendersonville, Tenn., Jianhua Jason Zhuo, 35, of Gallatin, Tenn., Lili Wu, 32, of Gallatin and Xiaofen Joyce Zhuo, 38, of Hendersonville.

The restaurants identified in the indictment include Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, with locations in Hendersonville, Goodlettsville and White House; Bonfire Mongolian Grill, with locations in Hendersonville, Clarksville, Mount Juliet and Spring Hill; and the Koi Japanese Steakhouse in Gallatin.

These defendants profited by exploiting and concealing the existence of vulnerable people, Acting U.S. Attorney Jaworski said. I commend our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to bring them to justice and to remove individuals from circumstances in which they were exploited.

They were arrested in July 2022 and pleaded guilty following a nine-count indictment from a federal jury.

According to records filed with the court, the defendants participated in a scheme to harbor persons who were in the United States illegally, by providing a means of financial support through employment at the restaurants and providing them with housing and transportation and paying undocumented workers in cash to avoid paying employment taxes and to conceal the ongoing fraud.

In plea hearings this week, Zhongzhi Zhuo, Jianping Zhuo and Jianhua Zhuo pleaded guilty to:

Zhongzhi Zhuo also pleaded guilty to two counts of harboring aliens, and failure to pay employment taxes.

Lili Wu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S., by failure to collect and pay employment taxes to the IRS. Xiaofen Zhuo pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to defraud the United States by failure to collect and pay employment taxes to the IRS.

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The defendants also agreed to forfeit residences that were used to facilitate violations of these crimes and funds derived from the commission of these crimes, resulting in them forfeiting nine bank accounts totaling approximately $412,209.14; U.S. currency totaling $434,400.24; and the properties at 138 Huntington Place, Hendersonville, Tenn.; 1119 Peninsula, Gallatin, Tenn.; 232 Trey Court, Clarksville, Tenn.; and 1050 Bradford Park Road, Mount Juliet, Tenn.

The United States also alleged that this scheme caused a tax loss to the IRS of $1,259,348 and will be seeking restitution.

These employers exploited a vulnerable population and defrauded the government for their own profit," said Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Nashville. "The guilty pleas are a prime example of the successful outcome when local, state, and federal partners collaborate to protect workers and American businesses. Through its investigations into exploitative employers, HSI protects the U.S. labor market, workplace conditions, and the dignity of individual workers, who are often taken advantage of through dangerous work conditions, underpayment, and using those noncitizens as a business model to maximize profits.

Unscrupulous businesses who willfully skirt their tax and legal workforce obligations must be held to account, IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Donald Trey Eakins said. Employers who deliberately deflect these obligations undermine what is owed to the U.S. government in payroll taxes and other fees, in addition to creating an unfair economic advantage over law-abiding business owners who play by the rules.

The defendants face between five and 20 years in prison when they are sentenced later this year. A federal district court judge will determine the length of the sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Some of the restaurants are under new ownership.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: 5 TN restaurant owners plead guilty in harboring undocumented workers
[Source]

San Francisco authorities have identified the senior woman killed inside her apartment building on May 5.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified the victim as 64-year-old Mei Ran Hu.

According to the victims relatives, Hu was attacked and stabbed three times as she was going to the lobby of 462 Duboce Apartments.

Hu reportedly tried to flee to a nearby stairwell but eventually succumbed to her injuries.

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Hu was reportedly unresponsive when an apartment staff found her bloody from her stab wounds in the north stairwell on the third floor. The first responders who arrived at 11 a.m. tried to revive the victim but declared her dead at the scene.

The San Francisco Police arrested Hus next-door neighbor, 41-year-old Jesus Esparza, and subsequently booked him into the San Francisco County Jail on charges of murder, elder abuse, and resisting arrest on the same day.

The case remains under investigation by the Police Homicide Detail, which has since requested CCTV footage.

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According to neighbors and apartment staff, Hu is a monolingual Asian resident who had previously served as the primary caregiver for her mother, Mei Lan Situ, while residing at the complex. Following Situ's passing a few months ago, Hu decided to stay in the apartment and requested to assume the lease.

While some staff and neighbors accounts suggest that Esparza had been grappling with severe mental health issues, the events leading up to the alleged stabbing of Hu remain unclear.

Hus family has set up a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to help her only son.

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CHELSEA  A 65-year-old Dartmouth man is charged with stabbing a woman to death in Chelsea on Tuesday after allegedly admitting to the deed to police, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

Angel T. Alvarez is being held without bail after being charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a press release from the Suffolk County DA reads. According to the release, investigators learned that Alvarez and the victim, 59-year-old Margarita Morehead, had been dating for some time before police, around 9:56 a.m. on Tuesday, responded to a call to 44 Lafayette Ave. in Chelsea and found Morehead "unresponsive, in a pool of blood."

Officers observed Morehead had suffered several stabwounds, the release reads. She was later pronounced dead at Cambridge Health Alliance in Everett.

Easy-to-spot car

Investigators connected Alvarez to the victim after witnesses said Morehead had been dating a man who drives a red car with a mismatched hood. According to the DA, Alvarez drives a red car with a black hood.

Read Dartmouth news: Dartmouth school and town officials closed a budget gap  but it's no long-term fix.

Investigators went on to locate Alvarezs vehicle, which was found unoccupied at the intersection of Addison and Eden streets in Chelsea; and observed brown stains on the car's interior and exterior which appeared to be blood, according to the press release.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden says Angel Alvarez, 65, of North Dartmouth, admitted to stabbing his girlfriend Margarita Morehead, 59, in her apartment at 44 Lafayette St., where police found her dead on Tuesday.

DA: Alvarez called authorities, provided location

Later in the evening, the release says, Alvarez contacted Chelsea Dispatch requesting medical attention and stating intent to turn himself in to police. During the call, Alvarez provided his location on Route 16 in Everett, according to the release. Massachusetts state troopers along with Chelsea police responded to the location and took Alvarez into custody.

Stabbing resulted from break-up, Hayden says

Alvarez was booked at the Chelsea Police Department, where he allegedly admitted to investigators during a recorded interview that he had stabbed Morehead multiple times after she attempted to end the relationship, the release reads.

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Instead of dealing with the reality of an ended relationship with restraint and dignity, this man chose a shocking act of violence that ended Margarita Moreheads life and ushered in eternal grief for her family, friends and relatives," District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. "They will receive all the support they need from our office as this case moves forward."

Judge Christopher Henry ordered Alvarez held without bail, according to Hayden's office. Alvarez is due back in court June 12 for a probable cause hearing.

Help for victim's family

On Wednesday, a GoFundMe campaign, with the title "Bring Margarita Home Again" was launched to raise money for Morehead's memorial services in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. According to the page's author, Morehead "was the sole provider for her elderly 91-year-old mother who lives overseas in the Dominican Republic, along with numerous young nieces and nephews, funding their education and schooling.

"The proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to covering the costs of Margarita's memorial services here in the States and transportation for burial in La Romana, Dominican Republic where she will be laid to rest next to her father, brother, nephew, and other relatives who have gone before her."

To visit the GoFundMe page for this campaign, click here.

Calling for help

As part of the press release on Morehead's death, Hayden's office reminded the public that Safelink, a statewide domestic violence hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020; and noted that victims of any crime, including domestic of sexual violence, should call 911 in an emergency.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: 65-year-old Dartmouth man charged with murdering girlfriend in Chelsea
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor and pay homage to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders that have contributed to the history and culture of the United States. Its important for everyone to celebrate this month and educate children about this immigrant group and its rich history of culture and heritage. And as a Filipino-American mother of bi-racial kids, its really important for me to teach my children about their roots.

With the rise of anti-Asian racism and violent attacks in America, it is all the more vital to increase cultural awareness and inclusiveness in our children.

More from SheKnows

At the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, we meet with students and recent graduates who tell us that they never learned about Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) stories in school, Andrea Kim Neighbors, manager of education initiatives at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, tells SheKnows. Many seek these histories out themselves through books, documentary films, or AAPI community organizations. This is something I can identify with as well. I was not aware of the term Asian American until after college, and even then, it took some to see myself as part of the Asian American community. It is important to learn about AAPI stories and histories at all ages because we are not perpetual foreigners, we are not a stereotype. Our center aims to see AAPI stories taught in every classroom across the U.S., and to have our resources accessible and available for learners around the world, so that future generations can see themselves and their stories reflected in what they learn at school. We are part of a beautiful, complex, and global interconnectedness, and we have many stories to tell.

From reading books and trying different cuisines to making crafts and visiting virtual museums, there are a number of cool ways to explore the history, art, and contributions of Asian-Pacific cultures with your little ones.

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Click here to read the full article.

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think youll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

1. Learn & play trivia

Make learning fun by creating an educational trivia game. Your kids can learn about Asian-Pacific history and culture. Create flashcards with categories such as historical facts, famous people, food/cuisine, art etc. Write a few facts down for each country, and award points for each correct answer. Not sure what to ask in this quiz? Then maybe start with a few of the facts in this video:

2. Read about Asian & Pacific cultures

Enrich your childs mind by reading them books that offer a positive representation of Asian American Pacific Islander cultures.

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Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by Analiza Quiroz Wolf

From Filipino Americans Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz to Chinese American doctor Margaret Chung, this book features various Asian Americans who have made an impact in U.S. history.

Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us

Price: $24.99

Buy On Amazon

Eyes that Kiss in the Corner by Joanna Ho

This book is about a little Asian girl who learns how to love and appreciate the shape of her eyes.

Eyes that Kiss in the Corner

Price: $17.99 $13.89

Buy On Amazon

Sukis Kimono by Chieri Uegaki

This story is about Sukis first day of school and how she is excited to wear a Japanese kimono that her grandmother gifted to her.

Sukis Kimono

Price: $8.99

Buy On Amazon

Dim Sum for Everyone! by Grace Lin

This story is about a little girl who goes to a Chinese restaurant with her family and enjoys a dim sum meal.

Dim Sum for Everyone!

Price: $6.99 $6.19

Buy On Amazon

Mamas Saris by Pooja Makhijani

This story is about a little Indian girl who wants to wear a sari just like her mother. (Not available in stores, but check your local library.)

Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore

Cora is a Filipino-American girl who helps her mom in the kitchen and together they make pancit, a traditional noodle dish from the Philippines.

Cora Cooks Pancit

Price: $11.95 $9.99

Buy On Amazon

Meet Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi

This story is about a Pakistani-American girl named Yasmin and her journey through second grade.

Meet Yasmin

Price: $5.95

Buy On Amazon

Vietnamese Childrens Favorite Stories retold by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran

This book is a compilation of traditional childrens tales from Vietnam as retold by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran.

Vietnamese Childrens Favorite Stories

Price: $16.95 $15.69

Buy On Amazon

Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

This story is about a Korean child who is helping her mom cook bee-bim bop.

Bee-Bim Bop!

Price: $7.99

Buy On Amazon

Like a Dandelion by Huy Voun Lee

This book honors refugees and immigrants and is based on the authors emigration from Cambodia to the U.S.

Like a Dandelion

Price: $17.99 $11.89

Buy On Amazon

For more recommendations, please check out Asians Everyday, a virtual picture book exhibition curated by Taiwanese-American childrens writer and illustrator Grace Lin. This round-up features illustrated books by Asian-Pacific authors and illustrators.

3. Try different cuisines

Develop and expand your childs palate by trying different cuisines. Whether you make the meal together, go to a restaurant, or order takeout, there are a number of ways to expose your child to different Asian-Pacific cuisines.

4. Explore the geography of Asia and the Pacific Islands

Whether you utilize a globe or view Google Maps, you can talk to your child about all the different Asian-Pacific countries and see if they can locate them.

5. Create your own Asian-Pacific-inspired art

From creating Japanese origami to Chinese paper lanterns and scroll paintings to making Indian Rangoli art, your kids can roll up their sleeves and get creative with these art projects. Little ones can also learn how to dance Tinikling, a Filipino dance, or learn the art of the Japanese or Korean fan dance.

.

6. Plan a movie night

From Bao, Big Hero 6, Moana, Turning Red, and Raya and the Last Dragon (available on Disney+) to Over the Moon (on Netflix), there are a number of kids movies that you can watch with your children that feature Asian-Pacific cultures.

7. Visit historical sites, virtual museums and exhibits online

The Asian Art Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Art, the University of California and other institutions offer virtual gallery tours for at-home explorations. You can also virtually visit memorials, parks, and historical sites within the U.S. through the National Park Services AAPI Heritage website. Or check your local listings for exhibits happening in your area.

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A forgotten Michigan lottery ticket has finally been turned in nine months after somebody won big.

That lucky person was Floyd Warstler, who had matched the five white balls during the Aug. 13 Lucky For Life drawing, according to a May 10 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

But Warstler, 70, had no idea he was the winner of $25,000 a year for life.

About a month after the drawing, I realized Id never checked this ticket, so I scanned it while I was at the store, he told lottery officials. I got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office, so I thought maybe Id won a $5,000 prize.

But then the Sterling Heights man forgot about his ticket a second time.

I got in my car and set the ticket aside to check when I got home and ended up forgetting about it, he said when claiming his prize. A week later, my girlfriend found the ticket in my car and asked if Id checked it. After I told her about the message that came up when I scanned it at the store, she checked the winning numbers online.

Thats when Warstler finally learned how much he actually won.

When we found out Id won $25,000 a year for life, we couldnt believe it, he said.

Warstler said he and his girlfriend headed south for the winter shortly after realizing his big win, according to the release.

So I am very relieved to finally be at the Lottery collecting my prize, the man said.

When claiming his prize, he was given two options: $25,000 a year for 20 years or life (whichever is greater), or a one-time payment of $390,000, officials said. Warstler chose the lump sum payment, which he plans to invest.

The winning ticket was sold at a Sunoco gas station in Shelby Township, part of the Detroit metropolitan area.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Story continues

74-year-old thought he won $500 lottery prize in Michigan  then he put on his glasses

Grandma leaving store gets back in line to buy Maryland lottery ticket  and wins big

Retired cop woke up thinking hed hit the lottery sometime. He won big the same day
Under a portrait of Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion on May 14, 1948, declares the establishment of a Jewish state to be known as the state of Israel. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

As Israel celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding, and nearly a century and a half after the first Zionists came to Palestine from Europe, the core tension behind the countrys establishment  whether a Jewish state could be a democratic state, whether Zionism could accommodate pluralism  is more obvious than ever.

Israel today is a military powerhouse and one of 38 members of the influential Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, formed in 1961 to promote cooperation among democratic, free-market-oriented governments.

Such strength and economic viability would be unfamiliar to the Jews whose identity was forged in the European diaspora. There, Judaism and its practitioners shunned political and military power. They saw themselves as a minority facing discrimination, persecution and violence. Power was the domain of gentiles.

Jews, often separated from the non-Jewish world, focused instead on developing social institutions to help the poor and weak, not asserting their will as a political community.

This attitude toward the state and politics began to change for Europes Jews in the aftermath of the French Revolution, when the majority of Jews lived in Europe, especially central and Eastern Europe. As some of the traditional legal and political barriers that kept Jews outside of mainstream society began to crumble, Jews began to integrate into broader society and culture.

Expert analysis of the birth of the state of Israel and the plight of the Palestinian people.

This process also brought about, for some Jews, new attitudes toward their Jewish identity.

Many no longer defined themselves as members of a religious community. As many other groups had begun to do in Europe, they saw themselves as belonging to a national community. For some, nationalism also offered a way out of the predicament that Jews faced in Europe: hatred and discrimination, which came to be known as antisemitism.

This nationalism was called Zionism. And the thinking went that if the Jews are a nation, then they should have their own nation-state, preferably in Palestine, the Jews ancestral homeland. There they could assume control of their historical destiny, not to be at the mercy of non-Jewish nations and rulers.

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Zionism sought to solve a particular Jewish problem, gathering Jews dispersed around the world, ending the unique Jewish historical experience of centuries of life under the rule of often hostile governments, and universalizing the Jewish experience by creating a Jewish state and society like all other nations. It was the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State, said Israels declaration of independence.

But just how universal would a Jewish state be? Could such a nation be both Jewish and democratic?

That is the central question that, more than a century later, has yet to be answered clearly and affirmatively.

An article by Zionist Theodor Herzl for the London-based Jewish Chronicle, Jan. 17, 1896. Wikipedia

Reconciling universal and particular

Theodor Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian Jew acknowledged as the father of modern Zionism, considered this tension in his 1902 utopian novel Altneuland, or The Old New Land. Herzl tried to envision what a future Jewish society in Palestine would look like.

One of the novels key plot lines involves a political campaign pitting a xenophobic rabbi who preaches the Jewish character of the community against a secular candidate who advocates inclusivity and cooperation between Jews and Arabs in this imagined Jewish society.

Herzls choice: the pluralist candidate prevailed.

But throughout the history of the Zionist movement and the state of Israel, what Herzl described has been a core source of tension. This duality was on full display in Israels declaration of independence, in many ways the quintessential manifestation of political Zionism.

On the one hand, the document offers a version of Jewish history that emphasizes the uniqueness of the Jewish experience and offers historical justification for the creation of a safe haven for the Jews.

After establishing the attachment of the Jews to their ancestral homeland, the authors of the declaration address the Holocaust, writing that, the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe  was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of Jewish homelessness by re-establishing the Jewish state, which would open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew.

At the same time, the document pledges that the state of Israel would be faithful to the U.N. charter, protecting the rights of all minorities: The State  will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.

David Ben-Gurion, Israels first prime minister, suggested that once the country was created, Zionism would wither away. The nation, as a Jewish state with laws that protect minorities, would resolve the contradictions inherent in Zionist ideology.

But as long as the majority of Israelis felt a sense of existential threat  both from neighboring Arab states and dire economic conditions  Zionism continued to provide a unifying ideological umbrella to most Israelis.

After 1967, a transformation

In the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel conquered the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria, the country emerged as a regional military and economic power.

It was a time of significant social, political and economic change.

A growing number of Israelis  especially those from the more secular, upper classes  began to question the countrys particularism, which conceived of the country as a shelter for Jews that would protect them from external threats. For these upwardly mobile Israelis, known as the post-Zionists, the founding myths of a vulnerable young state no longer seemed relevant.

They wanted Israel to become a fully normal part of the American-led global order. They believed the country should integrate into the region by resolving the conflict between Jews and Arabs. And they wanted to participate in the global economic market as the country transitioned from a state-run economy to the free market.

At the same time, religious Jews and poorer Israelis, mostly descended from Jewish communities of the Arab Middle East and North Africa, resisted this cosmopolitan liberal shift. They held tightly to their Jewish identity, rejecting what they saw as compromises driven by alien ideals like democracy and pluralism. To this group, known as neo-Zionists, the ideal was a Jewish state as protection from the rapid changes engulfing the country.

Palestinians surrender to Israeli soldiers in June 1967 in the occupied territory of the West Bank, during what is known as the Six-Day War. Pierre Guillaud/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian question disappears

From the 1970s through 2000, much of the post-or-neo-Zionist divide was over the occupation of the West Bank, where 3 million Palestinians live. Could there be peace between Israelis and Palestinians?

Post-Zionists wanted peace, seeking a two-state solution that would see a Palestinian state next to Israel. Neo-Zionists rejected any territorial compromise with the Palestinians.

In the 21st century, in the aftermath of the peace process collapse and the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, the Palestinian issue has virtually disappeared from Israels political landscape.

Instead, the countrys attention has returned to the old divisions between those advocating policies that would enhance the Jewish character of the country and those who champion universal policies more favorable to excluded minorities.

The Israeli government that came into power in late 2022 represents the nationalistic, particular camp most forcefully. Its main agenda has been a plan to diminish and restrict the Israeli Supreme Courts powers. To the ruling coalition, the court has been a hindrance in pursuing policies advancing the countrys Jewish nature.

This so-called reform has driven hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets. Their demand is a simple one: democracy.

Israel may no longer be a fledgling state  but it has yet to overcome the basic contradiction that has defined it from the very beginning: Can it be Jewish and democratic?

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: Eran Kaplan, San Francisco State University.

Read more:



Eran Kaplan 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.
Biosphere 2 housed a crew of eight people for two years. Katja Schulz / Flickr

Biosphere 2 was a highly ambitious experiment to simulate a self-sustaining Mars colony in the Arizona desert.

Eight men and women locked themselves inside for 2 years and experienced one incredible challenge after another.

Though the experiment is often described as a failure, Biosphere 2's participants disagree. They say it generated science that has only grown in value as NASA and Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, push to populate Mars.

A decade before Elon Musk founded SpaceX or spoke publicly about colonizing Mars, a different billionaire captivated the world with Biosphere 2.

Ed Bass, an oil tycoon, spent about $250 million to build and operate the facility as a proof-of-concept for a permanent, self-sustaining habitat on Mars. Four men and four women sealed themselves inside the airtight space in September 1991 and emerged two years later.

What followed was a spectacular and controversial story of human endurance, which is chronicled in a new documentary called "Spaceship Earth." The film debuts Friday on a handful of independent streaming sites.

Built into a hillside of the Arizona desert during the early 1990s, the 3.14-acre Biosphere 2 complex remains a functional marvel of engineering. Business Insider visited the facility in April 2018 to investigate the many challenges that early Martian colonists could face.

Here's what the high-tech complex of bubble buildings looks like today.

Biosphere 2 is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Oracle, Arizona. The area is part of the Sonoran Desert  an arid, unforgiving, and eerily Mars-like region that stretches from western Mexico into the US Southwest.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

A roughly 80-foot-tall glass pyramid poking out of the hillside greets visitors.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biogeosciences, Business Insider

Farther west in the sprawling 40-acre campus are other futuristic structures.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

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The architect Peter Pearce created Biosphere 2's space-age frame out of 77,000 steel struts and 6,600 silicon-lined glass panes to trap air inside. It can even withstand orange-size hail, which pummels Arizona about once every century.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

The first crew of Biosphere 2 walked through a modified submarine bulkhead on September 26, 1991, and sealed the airlock behind them. They wouldn't leave as a group for two years. That entryway is where tours begin today.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Business Insider's tour guide was John Adams, the facility's deputy director. Adams has worked there since the mid-1990s and is an expert on Biosphere 2's complex systems, science, and history.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

"It really showed us how little we truly understand Earth systems and how infinitely complex they are," Adams said of the first Biosphere 2 experiment. "There were a lot of people who said, 'You bottle this up, you close it up, it's just going to turn into a big ball of slime.'"

It didn't, and the eight crew members emerged alive  though they wound up needing some outside assistance.

Source: Business Insider

When the first crew of "biospherians" settled inside the complex, it trapped 7.2 million cubic feet of air. All of its leaks added up to the equivalent of a thumb-size hole.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Biosphere 2, Business Insider

Though the facility was once a privately funded experiment in human survival, the University of Arizona bought it in 2011. It's now a scientific research facility, conference center, and tourist attraction.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

Biosphere 2 has seen about 3 million tourists and 500,000 students since 1991. The site also contains a village where visiting researchers can stay. It's quiet out there in the desert, save for the wailing of coyotes at dusk.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Inside Biosphere 2, five "wilderness" zones  rainforest, ocean, savanna, marsh, and desert  emulated Earth's ecosystems. They helped scrub carbon dioxide from the air and generated oxygen. The crew lived in a connected habitat and farmed crops in an agriculture zone that's now called the hill slope.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

In that intensive agriculture zone, shown here in 1993, crew members spent most of their 12-hour days toiling in the fields and animal pens to harvest enough calories.

Abigail Alling stands above Biosphere 2's agricultural growing area on Sept. 26, 1993. Jeff Robbins/Associated Press

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

The kitchen was hallowed ground. Biospherians ate only what they could grow  mostly sweet potatoes and beans. It took four months to harvest enough ingredients to cook a pizza. Animals had to be raised and slaughtered to get meat. Coffee was a twice-monthly luxury.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

Biospherians kept detailed records of seeds, plants, food, and animals. About 20% of species inside  mostly insects that were out-competed by cockroaches and crazy ants  went extinct during the first two-year experiment. Today, a small fraction of the original species survives.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

Crops no longer grow in the agriculture zone. Instead, the University of Arizona gutted and renovated it into a multimillion-dollar experiment called the Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO).

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

LEO uses 90-foot-long bins of crushed volcanic rock to study how microbes transform inhospitable grit into environments where plants can take root.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

The goal is to understand how climate change will transform formerly arid regions as they're doused with rain from new weather patterns. Hundreds of sensors and sampling tubes embedded in the bins give scientists a 3D view of the evolving soil. The work may one day come in handy for Martian farmers.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

The most iconic areas of Biosphere 2, however, are its wilderness biomes. The air still smells of wet soil and plants, and though it's no longer sealed, it is noticeably more humid in here.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The "ocean" holds about 660,000 gallons of saltwater and undulates with the help of a large wave generator.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The ocean, one of the largest contained saltwater research facilities in the world, is being renovated to study coral bleaching, a scary consequence of climate change.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider (1, 2)

Next to the ocean  through a sealed door on a cliff  is the rainforest biome.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

It's a thick, steamy jungle choked with tropical vines and trees.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Visitors aren't typically allowed into the rainforest area beyond a viewing point, but Adams escorted us around.

Biospherians treasured the bananas it grew for them. The sweet fruit was so versatile and prized in meal-making  and snacking  that it had to be locked in a room while it ripened (so no one stole it).

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Many of the crew members sought out the rainforest's diverse ecosystems and soothing waterfalls for an escape. Today, it's an active research facility used to study tropical drought due to climate change, as well as the cornucopia of compounds emitted by plants.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Biosphere 2, Business Insider

After a trek through the rainforest, Adams walked us through the savanna, which connects the ocean, rainforest, marsh, and desert biomes.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

This story was originally published in May 2020.

Plants of all shapes and sizes fill the savanna. During the first experiment, it also harbored a troop of four galagos, or nocturnal bush babies, that served as primate companions to the biospherians.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

The desert biome at the end of the savanna encapsulates the environment that's right outside.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Biospherians spent a lot of time weeding the region, since winter condensation on the roof dripped into the soil, growing plants that should have been dormant.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

The complex's steel struts not only support the facility's glass panes, Adams explained, but also serve as a way to scale the walls for harvesting, measurement, cleaning, repairs and more. For fun, some biospherians even climbed to the ceiling and dove into Biosphere 2's ocean.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Today, a few biospherian living quarters are roped-off museum exhibits showcasing some belongings of the crew members of second mission's crew. (Because of financial and legal issues, it lasted only seven months, in 1994.)

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

In their spare time, some biospherians created art.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

A small science museum set up in Biosphere 2's former control room shows off a prototype for establishing a self-sustaining base on the moon or Mars.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

That concept, called the Prototype Lunar Greenhouse, consists of sealed tubes intended to supply 100% of the oxygen and 50% of the food a person needs in space.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The tubes are designed to pop out and assemble within 10 minutes.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

A central module could deploy a dozen greenhouse tubes to keep a small crew alive for two years. This technology would, in theory, buy crucial time for astronauts to establish a permanent settlement on the moon or Mars. But NASA's funding for the project recently ran dry.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Around the corner from the museum is a staircase leading to the habitat's towering library.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The library offered biospherians a refuge from the cameras of a never-ending stream of tourists and press. This area, which still has the original and distinctive purple carpeting, is now off-limits to visitors.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

It's a beautiful space with a skylit dome ...

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

... and a glass floor.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Underneath Biosphere 2 is secret underworld of vital human machinery: the Technosphere.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The Technosphere is a maze of pipes, tubes, conduits, pumps, sprinklers, transformers, air handlers, and other parts required to keep air, water, and electricity flowing through the complex.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

As biospherians would discover, concrete that lined the facility's base was soaking up carbon dioxide. Soil microbes were gobbling up oxygen, turning it into carbon dioxide, and trapping it in the concrete  away from plants that could turn it back into oxygen.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," New York Times, Business Insider

This led oxygen levels to drop to the equivalent of the peak of a 15,000-foot mountain. To fix the problem, biospherians tried to collect every scrap of organic matter, dry it out in the Technosphere, and halt its decay.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

But the design flaw proved too great. Mission managers eventually injected 14 metric tons of liquid oxygen into Biosphere 2 to make up for the chemically trapped gas.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

That procedure was performed in one of two domed buildings called "lungs," which helped balance Biosphere 2's air pressure and prevent leaks. Without them, air that warmed during the day would have expanded and blown out panes of glass, ruining the experiment.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

The lungs are remarkable feats of engineering. A giant weight suspended on an airtight membrane moves up as the facility's air warms and expands during the day, and drops when it cools and contracts at night. And if there is a small leak, the weight pushes air out (rather than sucks it in). A fan above the weight helps it move up and down.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

"The membranes rose or fell simply in response to the state of expansion or contraction of the whole volume of air within Biosphere 2," Mark Nelson, who conceived of and made the overall design for the lungs, told Business Insider in an email. "Typically, that would be around 20 feet of vertical movement by both lungs every day."

To show how the lungs work, Adams opened a nearby airlock. The lung's weight immediately descended, forcing a blast of air through the unsealed door.

Source: "The Human Experiment," Business Insider

With my tour complete, I exited through the gift shop. On display was a book by Jane Poynter, one of the original crew members.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

The book is one of the most detailed and candid accounts of Biosphere 2's genesis, construction, goals, and problems.

It's also an insider's account of a plethora of human and scientific controversies that haunt the project's reputation to this day  including a remarkable story involving sabotage, federal agents, and Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist.

Source: Business Insider

Poynter eventually married Taber MacCallum, a fellow biospherian. "It was an incredibly audacious and, in so many ways, incredibly successful attempt at building a prototype space base," Poynter said of Biosphere 2.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Together, the couple started a high-altitude-balloon company called World View.

Source: Business Insider

Some scientists today view the experiment with skepticism and describe its founding staff as "cultish," a description Poynter vehemently rejects. Barring a few design flaws, she said, Biosphere 2 showed that people could survive for years without much  if any  outside help.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

Getting to Mars is the easy part  the success or failure of a colony will depend on its resiliency and life-support systems. Elon Musk is targeting a first SpaceX crewed mission later in the 2020s, but it remains to be seen how anyone would survive long-term.

Reusable spaceships might enable SpaceX to colonize Mars. SpaceX/YouTube

"First we need to understand Earth's systems  we need to understand how we're going thrive here on Earth," Adams said. "We have not figured this out yet."

Sources: Business Insider (1, 2, 3)

This story was originally published on May 1, 2018. It has been updated with new information.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Eight pounds of methamphetamine was slathered in mustard and sent through the mail to a woman in Upstate South Carolina, according to the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office.

The ruse did not work.

On Friday, May 5, deputies stopped a 51-year-old woman as she left the post office in Blacksburg carrying the package, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Blacksburg is about 45 miles southwest of Charlotte, near the North Carolina state line.

The package contained 8 pounds of methamphetamine wrapped in bundles and covered with mustard to mask the smell and avoid detection by canines, the sheriffs office said.

She was subsequently arrested for trafficking methamphetamine 400 grams or more and booked in the Cherokee County Detention Center.

Investigators did not reveal where the package was mailed from  or details of the scent that greeted detectives who opened the box.

The suspect lives at a home on North Mountain Street in Blacksburg, records show. She was denied bond and remained in custody May 10.

Man accused in brutal killing of his grandmother at her home, SC deputies say

Man missing since Christmas Eve was dismembered, sealed in concrete, NC sheriff says

Stockpile of moonshine  200 jars  found in search of North Carolina home, cops say
E. Jean Carroll (Ward Sutton / For The Times)

Well, well, well.

The Manhattan civil jury that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll moved on the former president like  well, as he would say  "a bitch," finding against him after less than three hours of deliberation Tuesday.

Trump had not raped Carroll, the federal jury decided, but the assault was real, and he had injured her, acted with malice when he called her a liar, and damaged her reputation in the process. The jury has ordered Trump to pay Carroll about $5 million.

We can take a couple of lessons from Carroll's victory and Trumps defeat.

First, obituaries for the #MeToo movement and the positive cultural changes it has wrought are premature. The jury may not have assigned to Trump the technical crime of rape, but it believed Carroll when she testified that he pushed her against a dressing room wall, pulled down her pantyhose and thrust his fingers into her.

Second, it turns out that narcissism can be its own punishment.

In a deposition taken last year, a surly Trump, who wore face makeup that was an even harsher shade of orange than usual, virtually sealed his own legal fate.

In a videotape shown to the jury, he accused Carrolls attorney of being a political operative and a disgrace and, his favorite insult, not my type.

Roberta Kaplan took it all in stride, asking whether he really believed  as he boasted to Billy Bush in 2005  that stars can grab womens genitals? Remember, when that tape became public during his first presidential campaign, he first claimed never to have said such a thing, then claimed he was indulging in locker room talk.

Apparently, he was telling the truth all along.

Historically, Trump replied, thats true with stars. If you look over the last million years, thats largely true, unfortunately  or fortunately. (Fortunately?)

Then Kaplan asked whether Trump considered himself a star.

Yeah, he replied.

Story continues

It was pretty obvious to anyone keeping track that what Trump did to Carroll was pretty much what he said he did to women whenever he felt like it. And his claim that Carroll was not his type was blatantly disproved when he misidentified a photo of her as his ex-wife Marla Maples.

There's a poetic justice to Trumps own vile words coming back to haunt him.

And something extremely reassuring about the fact that the New York law meant to provide redress to victims of long-ago sexual assaults accomplished exactly that.

There was no eyewitness  when is there ever an eyewitness in a sexual assault case?  but Carrolls attorney was able to call 10 witnesses, two of whom testified that she told them contemporaneously of the traumatic event, and two of whom testified that Trump had sexually assaulted them too, using a similar MO.

Thanks to New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on sexual assault, Carroll was able to accuse Trump in court of raping her in the dressing room of the upscale Manhattan specialty store Bergdorf Goodman on what she thinks was a Thursday evening in the spring of 1996.

Trumps attorney tried to exploit her lack of certainty about the date of the assault. How can a man provide an alibi if he doesnt even know what day he was alleged to have brutalized a woman? In a criminal trial, this missing piece of information probably would have been an insurmountable obstacle for a prosecutor.

But this was a civil trial.

Carroll did not have to prove her case beyond a reasonable doubt. All she had to do was persuade the nine-person jury  six male and three female jurors  that it was more likely than not that Trump had assaulted her. On the defamation charge, she had to meet a "clear and convincing" standard. The speedy verdict indicates she more than met the burden of proof.

I know from personal experience that traumatic events can lodge in your soul and change the course of your life even if you dont remember exactly when they happened. Shortly after I graduated from college, a jilted boyfriend of mine came to my apartment late one night and tried to strangle me. The Berkeley police who responded did not even file a report. Did it happen in 1978 or 1979? I have no idea.

I have long since given up hope that any of the heinous things Trump has done or said  including inciting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and haranguing Georgia elections officials to fraudulently overturn President Bidens 2020 victory in their state  will have any effect on his legions of supporters. Despite the shame of the outcome of this case for Trump, I doubt his status as the 2024 MAGA Republican presidential front-runner will change much if at all. His immediate response? "WITCH HUNT," as usual.

But I do want to dwell for a moment on E. Jean Carrolls courage, and also her dignity and composure on the witness stand as she was hectored by Trumps attorney about why she never screamed while the future president was attacking her.

Her response, in my view, provided the truest and most memorable line of the trial: Im telling you, he raped me whether I screamed or not.

@robinkabcarian

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
It was a case that riveted the nation, was an international sensation, and put Arizona's Maricopa County Superior Court under an intense spotlight.

The prosecution of Jodi Arias for the murder of her boyfriend Travis Alexander forged and destroyed reputations. Books, movies and careers were made. It was one of the biggest show trials since the acquittal of football legend O.J. Simpson.

On May 8, 2013, a jury on the fifth floor in the South Tower of the county court complex declared Arias guilty of first-degree murder. In the 10 years since, fates have been mixed for the key players in the saga.

The victim and his family: Travis Alexander

Alexander was a salesman and an aspiring motivational speaker who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Arias for nearly two years. Originally from Riverside, Calif., Alexander moved to Mesa for business opportunities several years before his death while also hoping to build a life within a strong Mormon community.

Alexander's family has not spoken much publically in the decade since Arias' trial, however, a book titled "Our Friend Travis: The Travis Alexander Story" was published in 2015 by two of Alexander's "good friends."

Fans who were anti-Arias and supported Alexander have still shown support online for his life throughout the years with Facebook pages such as "Justice for Travis Alexander" and a multitude of podcast episodes on the murder.

The murder defendant: Jodi Arias

Now 42, Arias is serving a life sentence in the Perryville state women's prison in Goodyear. She is not eligible for release.

According to state prison system records, Arias has been found guilty of only one minor misconduct charge while in custody for disrespecting staff. She was reclassified to a low-security wing of the prison in 2021. She works in the prison library.

In 2020, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Arias' appeal of her conviction and sentence.

Story continues

A look back: 10 years ago, Jodi Arias' sensational trial ended in a murder conviction in Arizona

The lead prosecutor: Juan Martinez

County prosecutor Juan Martinez became a cult favorite during the trial. He threw evidence in the courtroom for effect, let emotions of near rage overtake him, and signed autographs and took pictures with "fans" outside court. Those fans called him "Juantastico." His detractors, troubled by a string of allegations of ethical breaches and prosecutorial misconduct allegations, called him "Teflon Juan."

Those caught up to him in 2020. Martinez agreed to end his 30-year career as a prosecutor and be disbarred because of Arizona State Bar complaints against him. The complaints involved allegations that Martinez sexually harassed women he worked with at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

The Bar also accused him of leaking information to a blogger during the Arias trial and lying to investigators about having a sexual relationship with her. Martinez agreed to his disbarment, but only by declining to defend the charges against him. He did not admit to misconduct.

Judge Sherry Stephens and attorneys Juan Martinez, from left, Jennifer Willmott and Kirk Nurmi, go over questions submitted by jurors in the murder trial of Jodi Arias on March 6, in Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix.

The judge: Sherry Stephens

In Arias' sentencing retrial, Stephens blocked media and public access during witness testimony, because the witness would not testify unless the courtroom was closed. The Arizona Republic, a member of the USA TODAY Network, and 12 News sued for access and took the matter to the Arizona Court of Appeals, who ended up siding with the media. One of the witnesses that testified in secret was Arias, who said she wanted to testify behind closed doors because of death threats she received.

Judge Sherry Stephens announced her retirement in 2021. Stephens ultimately was the one who sentenced Arias to life without the possibility of release after a second jury could not decide on Arias' punishment.

Timeline: A look back at the Jodi Arias murder case

The first county attorney: Andrew Thomas

Andrew Thomas was the Maricopa County attorney when Arias murdered Alexander in 2008. He led the Maricopa County Attorney's Office when it launched the prosecution of Arias and sought the death penalty, controversially because Arias claimed she acted in self-defense to escape an abusive relationship.

In 2010, Thomas resigned to run, unsuccessfully, for Arizona attorney general. Thomas was disbarred for numerous ethics violations in April 2012. Those violations were in his capacity as Maricopa County Attorney and included conflicts of interest, dishonesty, misrepresentation and abuse of power for filing charges against county officials with the sole purpose of embarrassing or burdening them.

Defendant Jodi Arias listens to prosecutor Juan Martinez make his closing arguments during her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix on May 2.

The second county attorney: Bill Montgomery

Bill Montgomery was elected Maricopa County attorney in November 2010 after Thomas resigned. He was widely questioned for his decision to continue seeking the death penalty for Arias after the spectacle and cost of the first attempt.

In September 2019, Montgomery was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court by Gov. Doug Ducey. During his confirmation and vetting process, Montgomery was forced to defend his refusal to discipline Martinez, the flamboyant prosecutor, and allowing him write a book about the Arias case.

The media commentator: Nancy Grace

The former prosecutor turned CNN crime show host covered the case extensively with CNN Headline News. The network built a set of a fake courtroom in downtown Phoenix, where the public could watch the trial streamed live from the real courtroom. Nancy Grace polled faux jurors after key days of courtroom drama. She was widely criticized for her sensationalist coverage.

In 2019, Grace left CNN to be part of the Fox networks streaming. She now has a daily podcast, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" through Fox Nation.

The defense attorneys: Laurence Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott

Laurence "Kirk" Nurmi led Arias' defense team with Jennifer Willmott by his side. In 2016, Nurmi was disbarred on allegations of an ethical breach for writing a book about the case. Willmott is still a practicing defense attorney in Maricopa County.

Willmott was on the defense team for Machelle Hobson, a Maricopa mother who was accused of neglecting her seven adopted children who she featured in a popular YouTube series, "Fantastic Adventures." However, Hobson died of natural causes before she could stand trial. She was accused of beating, starving, and pepper-spraying the children if she felt their performances on the channel were inadequate.

The courtroom blogger: Jennifer Wood

Jennifer Wood, a stay-at-home mom and her friend Sharee Ruiz, ran a blog called The Trial Divas. On it, the pair blogged about prominent murder cases, gained a following, and turned it into a business. Shortly after meeting in August 2013, Wood and prosecutor Juan Martinez began an affair.

During the trial, Wood began Jen's Trial Diaries after Ruiz left because of the affair. It is still active on social media. During Arias' resentencing phase, Martinez allegedly told Wood the name of a juror he wanted dismissed because they were against the death penalty. Juror identities are supposed to be protected, but Martinez denied the allegation.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Here's what happened to the key players in the Jodi Arias murder trial
Editors note: This story includes instances of domestic violence. If you or a loved one need help, please call the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence at 228-436-3809 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

A Pass Christian man accused in a mass shooting that left two Mississippi high school students dead and four others injured had a history of run-ins with law enforcement related to guns, drugs and domestic violence.

Cameron Everest Brand, 19, had been in and out of jail since May 2022, when Waveland police officers first arrested him on the first of two misdemeanor charges of domestic violence by simple assault.

Police went on to arrest Brand, now 19, on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana and contempt of court for violating a domestic violence protection order, according to police reports and court filings the Sun Herald obtained through public records requests.

Brand was slated for a status update on his sentence for the second domestic violence offense on May 11, just 11 days after the deadly mass shooting.

Ironically, city attorney Ronny Artigues said, it appears Brand had been doing what he was supposed to for the sentence handed down in the second domestic violence case just prior to the mass shooting.

Under federal law, anyone convicted of the crime of misdemeanor of felony domestic violence, the violator is not allowed to buy or possess a firearm. But in Mississippi, officials routinely shy away from taking away guns from domestic violence offenders even after a conviction.

That was the case for Brand before the mass shooting that landed him in the Hancock County jail on two counts of murder and four counts of aggravated assault. In that case, hes accused of pulling out a gun and firing shots at an after-prom party at a home on Old Blue Meadows Road around 12:34 a.m. on April 30.

Less than a week later, a second mass shooting shook the Coast  this time at the Scratch Kitchen on Government Street in Ocean Springs  resulting in the death of one and injuries to six others.

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The Hancock County shooting resulted in the deaths of DeArreis DD Smith, 18, of Pearlington, and Haeleigh Stamper, 16, and a resident of Diamondhead and native of Lexington, Kentucky.

Smith was a beloved senior at Hancock High School who loved music and looked forward to joining the military just weeks after graduating high school.

Stamper was a junior at Hancock High and died despite the best efforts of friends to revive her before one student picked her up and carried her to a car, where the student and others sped to the nearest hospital to try to save her and other injured in the attack.

Cameron Everett Brand is pictured with a gun in his profile picture on Facebook. He is jailed in Hancock County without bond on charges of murder and aggravated assault after being identified as a mass shooter at a house party in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Stamper and Smith died of their injuries at University Medical Center in New Orleans shortly after the shooting.

Two other Hancock High students and two Bay High students were also shot and injured. All six shooting victims were between the ages of 15 and 18.

Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz identified Brand as the sole shooter.

Police have not yet identified the type of gun Brand allegedly used in the attack or added any additional information as the investigation continues.

Meanwhile, Brand is expected to remain jailed without bond pending his indictment and subsequent prosecution because he was denied bond on both murder charges and had a total bond of $2 million bond on the aggravated assault charges.

Haeleigh Stamper, 16, and DeArreis DD Smith, 18, , both died of gunshot wounds in a April 30, 2023, mass shooting at an after-prom party at a Hancock County home.

Heres a look at Brands criminal history, reported from documents exclusively obtained by the Sun Herald.

A busted lip, a struggle and domestic violence charges

Despite his history of alleged violence in Waveland, Brand was still able to get a hold of a gun used in the killings in April.

A woman and her mother who held the party at their home said Brand showed up at the party, talked to some people, walked away, returned with a gun and started shooting.

The Sun Herald reviewed police reports, call logs, and detailed court records and conducted various interviews to provide a detailed look at Brands prior interaction with authorities.

Waveland police first arrested Brand on May 29, 2022, when police got a 911 call from Brands mother to report to a home on Pompano Street about a domestic violence incident involving her son.

Bay St. Louis police, Hancock County sheriffs deputies and Waveland police responded to a shooting where six high school students were shot at a house party on Old Blue Meadow Road in Bay St. Louis.

Waveland police officers got the 911 call at 11:37 a.m. for police to go to the girls parents home. The call came in from Brands mother after she told police her son called her from inside the teens home.

The girl was dating Brand at the time.

At the time, the girls parents were out of town, and neither she nor Brand was supposed to be there.

Brands mother said her son called to tell her to get to the home right away.

When his mother arrived, she told police that her son and his girlfriend were arguing and fighting inside, but the doors were locked, The mother said she couldnt get inside.

Waveland police had at least two police officers respond to the scene.

When the police officers got there, they went to the front door and shouted, Waveland Police, Open the Door, but, according to the reports, the couple never responded.

One of the responding officers, then Lt. Chad Dorn, said he could hear the girl crying inside.

The two responding officers contacted the homeowner through his ring doorbell video camera and told the girls father, who was still out of town, what was happening. He told officers they could kick the door in after exhausting other options to get inside the home.

When no one responded despite repeated calls, one officer kicked in the door, and Brand and the girl went out a back door.

One of the officers grabbed Brand, and a second officer grabbed the girl.

In the aftermath of his first domestic violence arrest in the May 2022 assault, then-city prosecutor Damien Holcomb ultimately recommended the city dismiss the domestic violence charge against Brand after the teen victim refused to back the allegations against him.

Blood, and signs of a struggle

When the police officers entered the home, they immediately noticed signs of a struggle, with framed pictures thrown down in a hallway and a decorative potted plant scattered on the floor.

The police officers saw the girl with a busted and bleeding mouth.

When a police officer asked her what had happened, she told them there was some orange juice on the floor, and she had slipped on it and fallen, busting her lip and mouth.

The investigating officers asked the girl what had happened before them getting there.

The girl told one of the responding officers that her and Cameron (Brand) were arguing about everything.

The police officers asked who had started the fight, and the girl said they both had because they didnt know how to talk to each other.

The girl claimed neither hit one other, instead saying they both kept grabbing each other.

When the officers asked Brand why they wouldnt open the door, he said, he just sat there with his head in his hands.

Brand admitted he and the girl had been arguing but wouldnt say whether they hit each other.

The Waveland police officers arrested Brand and his then-girlfriend on misdemeanor domestic violence charges and took them to the Hancock County jail for booking.

In the aftermath of the arrest, the girl refused to back up the allegations of an assault.

Waveland Municipal Judge Preston J. P.J. Mauffray ultimately dismissed the case.

Cameron Brand

A gun, drugs, and another domestic assault

Five months later, in the early morning hours of Oct. 3, 2022, Waveland police arrested Brand a second time, this time outside the Clarks Exxon store on Highway 90.

Brand again was accused of roughing up the same teen girl.

This time, the girl told police he had a gun.

In that case, police went to the store in response to a call from the then stores manager for a welfare check on Brand and the girl.

The then-store manager said she called after she saw Brand grab the girls hair and jerk it so hard that she believed that (the girls) hair weave was about to come out.

While that was happening, the manager said, the girl managed to slip his grip and hit him in the face with her hand.

At that point, the manager said, Brand then slammed (the girl) to the ground, He and the girl started wrestling until the girl rolled over in the chaos and got on top of Brand.

At that point, the manager said, Brand managed to break loose and then ran toward the stores front entrance.

The responding police officers attempted to get a written statement from the store manager, but she refused to provide one, police said.

When an officer approached the teen girl, she handed the police officer a tan fully loaded Glock magazine: filled with 9 mm rounds along with a small plastic bag of marijuana. The girl told police Brand had dropped those items and another gun on the ground when the first police officer got there.

She confirmed to police officers that Brand had physically assaulted her.

She said the assault happened after she told him several times that he shouldnt have a gun.

Police arrested Brand on a charge of domestic violence by simple assault, and called a tow company to remove his white Ford Fusion from the store.

On the way to Hancock County jail, police said that Brand kept saying the girl attacked him and that he has more injuries than her.

Brand had a bloody nose, the police officers noted.

Cameron Everest Brand

At the scene, police officers searched for the gun the girl said Brand had discarded, but the officers never found it.

After that arrest, Brand subsequently returned to court to plead guilty to the domestic violence charge

Brand was ordered to complete an 18-week domestic violence intervention program through the Gulf Coast Center for Non Violence.

Brand started the process and was scheduled to return to the Waveland Municipal Court on May 23 for a status update on his progress in the program. pending any further orders from the court. That day never came.

A loaded gun, a protection order and another arrest

By Nov. 1, 2022, Brand was in trouble again, this time arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, contempt of court for violating a protection order and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

That arrest happened after Waveland police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle, later identified as Brands 2012 white Ford Fusion, parked on the side of Mackerel Street and Venus Street shortly after 7 p.m.

The caller told police they saw a male, later identified as Brand, leaving the vehicle and walking toward Venus Street.

When Waveland police Officer Glenn Agnelly arrived, he searched the area for Brand but couldnt find him. Several police officers did surveillance in the area until they got word that Brand had returned to the car.

The officer reached out to other responding officers, and each of the officers did surveillance in the area until they spotted the suspect.

The officers found Brand standing near the back of his car with a teen, identified as the same teen allegedly assaulted by him on two occasions sitting on the back of Brands car.

Shortly afterward, a police dispatcher radioed in to say that the man who filed the complaint had just spotted the suspect back at his car.

The girl told police she knew he wasnt supposed to be around her because of the protection order.

When Waveland arrested Brand, the found a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol tucked in his shorts, and a small amount of marijuana in the center console of his car.

When asked, the girl told police the two had met up that morning to have sex despite the protection order meant to keep her safe from Brand.

Waveland police officers took Brand into custody and asked the girl why the two were together that morning.

The girl said Brand parked down from her parents home because they knew they werent supposed to be together. She said they went walking around the neighborhood to kill time before her parents went to sleep.

The girl described Brand as her ex-boyfriend.

Less than 24 hours later, Brand was free on a total bond of $1,500.

He returned to Waveland Municipal Court on Dec. 8, 2022, and pleaded guilty to all three misdemeanor offenses.

Judge Mauffray ordered Brand to serve a total of ten days in jail for the crimes.

Bay teen recounts deadly tragedy: He just started shooting and left without remorse

Two MS Coast teens die from injuries after mass shooting at Bay St. Louis house party

Funeral services announced for one of two Hancock High students killed in MS mass shooting
U.S. Border Patrol organize migrants after they gathered between primary and secondary border fences as the United States prepares to lift COVID-19 era Title 42 restrictions that have blocked migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border from seeking asylum since 2020 near San Diego, Calif., on May 9, 2023.

U.S. Border Patrol organize migrants after they gathered between primary and secondary border fences as the United States prepares to lift COVID-19 era Title 42 restrictions that have blocked migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border from seeking asylum since 2020 near San Diego, Calif., on May 9, 2023. Credit - Mike BlakeReuters

President Bidens new rules limiting access to asylum at the border will be challenged in court, according to a senior lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. That legal challenge, if successful, could freeze a key part of the federal governments effort to head off and slow what could be a crushing number of people presenting themselves to Border Patrol agents between ports of entry on the Southwest Border.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to try to cross the border in the next few weeks after the pandemic-era practice of turning most people away at the border without hearing asylum claims ends at 11:59 pm on May 11.

Smugglers, Biden administration officials say, have been telling migrants for months they will have a better chance of being admitted into the US when those Title 42 public health authorities expire with the formal end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. To deter people from crossing, US immigration officials have designed new, more restrictive asylum rules to snap into place just as the use of Title 42 expires.

We plan to sue, Katrina Eiland, an ACLU attorney based in San Francisco, tells TIME. For the past several weeks, the organization has been analyzing the Biden Administrations asylum policies and drafting legal documents in preparation for the federal response to the end of Title 42, Eiland says.

Those new asylum procedures were published in the federal register on Wednesday. The 447-page rule tells people they are likely to be rejected if they seek asylum after having passed through another country without requesting protection. Asylum candidates are also likely to be rejected if they did not use a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection smartphone app, called CBP One, to make an appointment to request asylum at a U.S. port of entry.

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Officials with several immigrant rights organizations believe the new rules are overly broad and will lead to thousands of people who would otherwise qualify for protection in the U.S. to be denied asylum without an asylum officer hearing their case.

Migrants cross the Rio Bravo on an inflatable mattress into the United States from Matamoros, Mexico, on May 9, 2023. Fernando LlanoAP

The ACLU believes the new rule violates a section of federal law that describes how the U.S. evaluates asylum cases, Eiland says, and doesnt do enough to separate asylum seekers who have strong claims for protection from those who dont. We think its illegal under the asylum laws and is arbitrary and capricious for a number of reasons and that it will do grave harm and expose vulnerable asylum seekers to danger, Eiland says.

That law requires an applicant to establish for an asylum officer that they have been persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. An individual may seek asylum after arriving in the United States whether or not at a designated port of arrival, the law states.

During the Trump administration, the ACLU and other organizations sued and blocked two efforts to restrict access to asylum. In those cases, a U.S. district court judge in Northern California agreed the Trump-era changes were too onerous and the Ninth Circuit upheld those rulings. The Trump asylum bans penalized people who didnt apply for asylum in countries they transited through before arriving in the U.S. and for entering the country without inspection, says Eiland. This puts both of those requirements together in one rule.

Kate Melloy Goettel, legal director of litigation at the American Immigration Council, says the new standard creates a huge obstacle for asylum seekers and turns asylum law on its head. The CBP One smartphone app, where migrants are urged to register for a time to appear at a point of entry to have their case evaluated, is glitchy, isnt available in enough languages, and is not ready for prime-time, Goettel says. The new law creates what is called a rebuttable presumption of denial if a person crosses the border between ports of entry or didnt try to claim asylum in a country they transited through. That is not what our asylum law says. People can seek asylum at a port or entry or between ports of entry under our domestic law, Goettel says.

Asked on Wednesday what Bidens back up plan is if the asylum rule gets blocked in court, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One, Im not going to get into the legalities here. Thats not something that I do. Certainly, if it gets there, thats something the Department of Justice will deal with.

Biden spoke with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the phone Tuesday about the changes to U.S. immigration procedures at the border. Mexico has agreed to take migrants back into Mexico if theyve been turned away. Biden recently deployed more troops to support Border Patrol and is setting up centers in Colombia and Guatemala where migrants can check if they qualify for entry to the U.S. before traveling to the border.

Asked on Tuesday if the US is ready for a surge of people coming to the border in the coming weeks, Biden said, Its going to be chaotic for a while.
By Denis Balibouse

ZURICH (Reuters) -Wielding brooms and carrying cleaning supplies, a group of activists symbolically cleaned the facade of a branch of Swiss bank UBS in Zurich on Wednesday to protest against its fossil fuel investments.

Anais Tilquin was among the 20 activists from Scientist Rebellion, an international environmentalist group calling for immediate action against climate change, to take part in the protest in Switzerland's financial hub.

"I came here today to clean this bank, UBS, which is absolutely disgusting," said Tilquin, wearing a white lab coat as she scrubbed down the bank's logo with a sponge.

"We absolutely need to stop using fossil fuel as quickly as possible. Right now, these banks like UBS are still financing the extraction of new oil and gas and the expansion of new oil and gas all the time."

The group accuses the bank, which took over its rival Credit Suisse as part of a deal orchestrated by the Swiss government in March, of annually investing 5 billion Swiss francs ($5.6 billion) into fossil fuels.

UBS declined to comment.

Last year the bank said it aimed to cut its financing of fossil fuel emissions by more than two-thirds by 2030 and aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"Switzerland should start investing only in renewable energy, draw a real plan how to get rid of fossil fuels and also, in this case ... stop helping these banks," said activist and neurobiologist Jan Wintgens, referring to UBS's takeover of Credit Suisse.

Other activists, also wearing lab coats, held signs that read "The Science is clear, why are we ignoring it?" and "Investments + Fossil fuels = climate catastrophe".

"We need to act like this is an emergency, because it's a life and death situation now," Tilquin said.

(Reporting by Denis Balibouse and Cecile Mantovani; Writing by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Alex Richardson)
(Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises Ltd said on Wednesday that the company's board will hold a meeting on May 13 to approve a proposal to raise funds.

The board will consider raising funds by way of issuance equity shares or other eligible securities through a private placement, a qualified institutions placement, or a preferential issue, among other methods, the company said in a statement.

In January, U.S.-based Hindenburg Research flagged concerns about high debt and alleged improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation. Adani denied the allegations.

A dive in Adani stocks then prompted the group to shelve a $2.5-billion share sale.

India's market regulator is probing Hindenburg's allegations as well as Adani group's related-party dealings following a Supreme Court directive.

Earlier this month, Adani Enterprises's quarterly profit more than doubled, helped by a strong performance at its key coal trading division.

(Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Shilpi Majumdar)
Less than half of people 65 and older havent gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting the omicron variant as of May 10.

Now, a survey from Health Canal suggests possible reasons why adults of this age  considered the most at risk of severe COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  may not be getting the newer shots.

While most adults 65 and over surveyed said the odds of them getting the updated vaccines made by Pfizer or Moderna are likely, 18.93%, or very likely, 38.26%, other respondents answered differently.

Other adults, 18.04%, said they were neutral on whether they plan to get the newer shots, while 7.33% said it was unlikely and 17.44% said it was very unlikely they would do so, according to the survey, which involved 1,113 participants.

The survey respondents cited worries about their personal safety as one of the top reasons for both getting or not getting the newer shots.

Their responses were collected on April 22, a few days after the Food and Drug Administration announced that the original COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are no longer authorized in the U.S.

The companies newer vaccines, which are made up of the original vaccine and a second component targeting the omicron variant, have now become the companies main dose for people 6 months and older. Specifically, the second component targets omicron BA.4 and BA.5.

Why are some adults 65 and older not getting the updated shots?

All adults surveyed were previously vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the survey report.

Among the adults surveyed who said it was unlikely or very unlikely theyd get the updated COVID-19 vaccines, the top five reasons behind this were:

Not knowing whether the newly formulated vaccine was safe (40.73%)

Worries over potential vaccine side effects (31.05%)

Skepticism about the effectiveness about the new vaccines formulas (27.82%)

Believing theyre still strongly protected against COVID-19 (29.44%)

Believing that theyre still strongly protected against a severe COVID-19 infection (20.56%)

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Meanwhile, top reasons for getting shots, according to Health Canal, are:

Protection from the new omicron variants (88.89%)

Protection against severe COVID-19 infection (69.97%)

Wanting to protect others (63.02%)

Preventing long COVID (60.86%)

Following CDC recommendations (53.82%)

The Health Canal survey has some limitations, however, including that most participants surveyed were white with most respondents from California, Florida and Texas.

The surveys margin of error is +/- 3.158%, Health Canal founder Erik Pham confirmed to McClatchy News.

Safety and side effects of updated, bivalent vaccines

The safety of both Pfizer and Modernas bivalent COVID-19 vaccines is based on an FDA analysis of clinical trial data of both companies original vaccines, as well as data on an investigational bivalent vaccine composed of the original shots formula and omicron BA.1.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC, the updated COVID-19 vaccines are safe  and while serious side effects are possible, theyre considered rare, just like with any vaccine.

Similar to other vaccines, some side effects from the updated COVID-19 vaccines, according to HHS, include a sore arm and flu-like symptoms, including fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue.

HHS says these are typical signs of an immune system response following the updated vaccine.

Four rare adverse events  which can be caused by the vaccine or can be caused by a coincidental event not related to the vaccine  were identified by the CDC.

These include:

Anaphylaxis (allergic reaction)

Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Myocarditis and pericarditis

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

In January, the CDC reported that, for Pfizers updated vaccine, a preliminary, potential safety concern was identified regarding adults 65 and older.

The agencys Vaccine Safety Datalink discovered for this age group, there may be a potential increase in having an ischemic stroke 21 days after getting Pfizers new shot. It was ultimately concluded that its unlikely theres a true clinical risk and more investigation is needed.

Undoubtedly, the risk of a whole series of adverse events, including hospitalization, is much, much greater with COVID-19 than it is from the vaccine, Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor specializing in infectious diseases and preventive medicine and a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Covid-19 Vaccine Work Group, told CNN in January.

Updated vaccines effectiveness and protection from COVID-19

In the U.S., an array of different omicron subvariants are currently circulating, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed over time, CDC data shows.

It is clear that with the evolution of the virus, the vaccines do not protect from infection, but vaccines do provide excellent immunity that prevents hospitalization and deaths, especially in the elderly, Dr. Shiv Pillai, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Health Canal.

A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-supported study found the newer vaccines are more effective than original shots against omicron when examining North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

Researchers studied data on 300,000 North Carolina residents vaccinated with the original booster shot between May through August 2022 compared with data on over 1 million state residents who received the bivalent vaccine between September and December 2022.

Ultimately, it was discovered the newer shots were 62% more effective at preventing a severe COVID-19 illness while the original boosters were only 25% effective.

In total, the bivalent boosters were 37% more effective in preventing hospitalization and death, the NIH said of the research.

A second bivalent dose for individuals 65 years of age and older is supported by data showing the waning of immunity in this population over time and its restoration by an additional dose, the FDA says.

Original COVID shots no longer authorized  but newer ones are, FDA says. What to know

COVID shots are low priority for healthy kids, teens, WHO says. What does that mean?

Long COVID and heart issues: What do we know about lingering symptoms  and treatment?
The AI startup world may be getting hotter by the day, but there's a difference between a startup that uses AI and an AI-first startup  and the Allen Institute for AI prides itself on fostering the latter in its AI2 Incubator. Their previous $10 million fund did so well that the backers have returned and refilled the coffers three times over.

Twenty-one companies have passed through the incubator since 2017, attracting some $160 million in further investment and at least one major acquisition: XNOR, an AI acceleration and efficiency outfit that was subsequently (and I like to think as a direct consequence of TC coverage) snapped up by Apple for around $200 million.

XNOR's success alone probably would have more than justified this second fund, but AI2 has a knack for finding interesting companies with technical founders going after undervalued markets. Two off the top of my head: WellSaid was getting into synthetic voice as a service quite early, and Blue Canoe uses ML to help folks work on their accents in foreign languages.

"We're at a tremendously exciting moment in the world of AI, but the lesson is to calm down and remain pragmatic in the face of extraordinary hype. It's easy to drink a little too much Kool-Aid," said Jacob Colker, managing director of the organization. "We continue to beat the drum of startup fundamentals: solve real problems, make real experiences, put firepower on the team and build a go-to-market strategy, and we're doing that with exceptionally talented technical folks."

The technical prowess of their founders is a deliberate move on the part of the incubator and at AI2 in general.

"We look particularly for technical founders, because they might need to build their own version of a model, or run a million custom models instead of one large one. It goes down to our roots: the AI2 team, essentially 50% of our management is highly, highly technical," said Oren Etzioni, an AI2 technical director.

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The team was careful to emphasize that the goal is not to produce some dark horse challenger to the big companies and models out there, nor to simply take advantage of the feeding frenzy around AI right now in the wake of ChatGPT's historic popularity.

"A lot of companies are making marketing plays on top of OpenAI's models, but you need to do more than put lipstick on an API," said Etzioni. "And we're not trying to build a language model that's better than OpenAI's  let the multibillion-dollar companies duke it out. But what if I can make a model that's tuned to accounting, or public speaking? We see huge spaces, global problems that are underserved, OpenAI isn't going for it, and where someone can build a great company."

"We do encourage our entrepreneurs to move at a faster pace, taking advantage of the tailwinds, to move faster and raise funds quicker, because competitors are not sitting still," said Vu Ha, also a technical director at AI2, but they're settling in for the long haul. "The recent waves of advances in AI are even more exciting in terms of future potential: there will be more new markets and opportunities created over the next two years, and no single organization will dominate that."

Colker highlighted CalmWave.ai (not Comwave, as I had here originally  entirely my mistake) as an example of AI moving into an area large companies are unlikely to even be aware of, let alone pursue as a business opportunity: nurse burnout. Especially in the last few years, nurses have been quitting at much higher than normal rates, and part of that is inability at the hospital level to intelligently manage the workload of its staff. CalmWave aims to provide early warnings for this, but of course "no one is going to buy a bunch of AI on faith," Etzioni admitted.

So the incubator has been shepherding the company through the gauntlet of studies, certifications and pilot studies that any medical software provider needs to navigate. AI2 has a strong network  one of the most important aspects of any such program  and this provides a nice knowledge base for thorny issues like entering a regulated or technically conservative market.

Right now the AI2 Incubator is aiming at (and exceeding) a throughrate of five companies per year, though as Ha put it, "with the new fund, we do have the ability to deploy at larger scale." Still, the team sees no need to expand beyond seed-round companies: their expertise is at the early stage, and of course A rounds do tend to be a bit more expensive. $30 million is a lot of money, but when AI companies are raising hundreds of millions every few months... it's probably best to stick with what you know.

The fund was backed by Madrona, Sequoia Capital, Vinod Khosla, Evergreen Ventures and "other leading LPs." You know who you are!
Russian forces attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast using Shahed drones at night, Ukrainian Air Defence Forces shot down three of them.

Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipro Oblast State Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The aggressor launched drones on the oblast again."

Details: According to Lysak, units of the Air Command Skhid (East) destroyed three Russian Shahed drones around midnight.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of Ukraine, has met with combat pilots at one of the operational airfields.

Source: Oleshchuk on Telegram

Details: Oleshchuk has said that he thanked the pilots for the titanic work they do every day in the Ukrainian skies, and discussed urgent problems and potential issues with them.

Quote: "As per the good tradition, I have signed a HARM American anti-radar missile for the occupiers! My message is partially censored, but I hope they read it in full  maybe not all of them

I am sure that in a while, we will be signing these American missiles on American fighter jets! We can do it in English!

I am grateful to the Ukrainian pilots and all those who make the flights possible!"

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, commander of the Air Forces pilot training enterprise, was removed from his post Tuesday amid an investigation into his alleged misconduct.

Air Education and Training Command boss Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson relieved Stewart of command due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead after less than a year in the job, spokesperson Capt. Lauren Woods said in an email Wednesday. She declined to elaborate on the nature of the allegations.

Stewarts deputy, Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, will serve as interim commander until further notice. Replacing the organizations top officer is intended to ensure good order and discipline and continued high performance, the service said.

The Air Force takes any misconduct allegation seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough investigation, Robinson said in the release.

As the head of 19th Air Force, Stewart oversaw 32,000 employees and more than 1,500 aircraft across the United States since taking command last August. The San Antonio-based organization is in charge of training around 27,000 American and foreign aviators on about two dozen different airframes each year, according to his official biography.

Before arriving at Joint Base San Antonio, Stewart served as a deputy chief of staff at NATOs military headquarters in Belgium. He commanded NATOs Global Hawk force and its air advisors in Afghanistan, earning the NATO Meritorious Service Medal from the alliances secretary general, according to his biography.

The two-star general trained as an F-15C pilot after joining the Air Force in 1992, then became an instructor and evaluator on a range of other special operations and intelligence-collection aircraft, his biography said. He ran the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, as well.

Stewart amassed more than 600 hours in combat over 168 missions, earning the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal.

Several other Air Force officials have been fired so far this year, including six officers tasked with managing infrastructure, fuel and logistics support at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and Brig. Gen. Paul Birch, commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
An Akron man was convicted Wednesday of charges stemming from a collision between a snowmobile and ATV on a frozen reservoir in Coventry Township.

Sebastian Spencer was killed in the February 2021 crash, while Fred Klemp was seriously injured.

Klemp, who was scheduled to go on trial Wednesday in Summit County Common Pleas Court, instead accepted an agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded no contest to aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, and operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Fred Klemp, who was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide for a fatal ATV crash in 2021, listens during his hearing Wednesday in Summit County Common Pleas Court. He will be sentenced on May 24.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a second OVI charge.

Judge Alison Breaux found Klemp guilty of the charges. Klemp could get up to five years in prison when Breaux sentences him May 24.

Klemp, 36, said during the hearing that he was pleading no contest because of a wrongful death lawsuit thats pending against him in Summit County Common Pleas Court. A no-contest plea cannot be used as an admission of fault in a civil case.

Both riders sustain serious injuries in crash

The crash happened about 2:20 a.m. Feb. 21, 2021, on the frozen West Reservoir near Picks, a Portage Lakes bar.

More: Man killed, another injured in crash involving off-road vehicles on ice in Coventry

Klemp was driving a 2005 Arctic Cat snowmobile, while Spencer, 20, of Green, was driving a 2006 Yamaha YFS200, a sport-style four-wheeler.

The vehicles collided head-on, ejecting both riders.

A memorial was placed on the ice of the West Reservoir near Pick's on Portage Lakes where the riders of an ATV and snow mobile collided, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other.

Spencer was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General, where he was pronounced dead. Klemp was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.

The crash followed the 2021 PLX Ice Ride at 7:30 p.m. on the ice-covered West Reservoir between Upper Deck and Pick's. Riding on the reservoir was scheduled to end at 9 p.m., with a bonfire near Dustys Landing.

Riding on the ice is restricted by law between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Klemp and Sebastian both had blood-alcohol levels of more than 0.24 percent, well above the legal blood-alcohol limit for driving in Ohio of 0.08 percent, investigators found.

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Attorney Larry Whitney talks to his client, Fred Klemp, before a hearing Wednesday in which Klemp pleaded no contest and was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide for a 2021 crash on a frozen reservoir in Coventry Township.

Larry Whitney, Klemps attorney, declined to comment at the plea hearing. He said he and Klemp both will say very little during the sentencing because of the pending civil suit.

Spencer's mother files wrongful death lawsuit

Sherry Abbott-Spencer, Sebastians mother, filed the civil suit in February. She claims in the lawsuit that her son died as the result of Klemps carelessness, negligence, willfulness, wantonness and/or recklessness and that she suffered severe mental anguish, loss of society, services, guidance, solace, care and affection and incurred funeral and burial expenses.

Abbott-Spencer is seeking damages exceeding $25,000, as well as punitive damages and attorneys fees.

In response to the complaint, Klemps attorneys admitted the collision occurred, but denied the other allegations.

The case is assigned to Judge Tammy OBrien.

Both men were known in the Portage Lakes area

Spencer, known as Bash" or "Seabass to friends, became a father shortly before his death. He was well-known in the Portage Lakes area, where he worked as a seasonal employee at Picks.

Donnie Boyer, owner of Pick's at Portage Lakes, shows a cellphone photo of himself, left, and Sebastian Spencer, who died in an ATV accident in February 2021.

After his death, the restaurant donated 100% of its sales one day to Spencers family. A GoFundMe fundraiser collected more than $24,000.

Donnie Boyer, owner of Pick's at Portage Lakes, stands on the restaurant deck overlooking the scene of a fatal ATV accident in Coventry Township in February 2021. The restaurant donated 100% of its sales one day to support the Spencer family.

He was one of those guys who was always happy, said Don Boyer, who owns Picks.

More: Portage Lakes community mourns loss of 'always happy' man, 20, who recently became a father

A second GoFundMe fundraiser was set up for Klemp, raising more than $21,000. Mitch Klemp, the organizer, said Fred grew up on the Portage Lakes. He said Fred had substantial injuries and would have a long road of recovery ahead of him.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron man convicted of vehicular homicide in fatal ATV crash
This article was originally published in Alabama Reflector.

The Alabama Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee last week approved a bill that would amend the state Constitution to require schools to play The Star-Spangled Banner at least once a week during school hours.

The committee approved SB 238, sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, on an 8-3 vote, with some committee members asking why the bill was necessary.

Who came to you and said this bill was essential? said Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma.

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Allen said he took a personal poll, but he did not explain what that meant. He also said he could poll the audience that attended Wednesdays meeting, claiming it would match what he found earlier.

The amendment would require local boards of education to play or broadcast the first stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner during school hours, with a version archived with the Library of Congress. School boards could also adopt a policy to perform it with sheet music, also from the Library of Congress.

The amendment would need the approval of 60% of both chambers  63 votes in House; 21 in the Senate  to pass. If approved by the Legislature, the proposal would go to state voters for approval.

Francis Scott Key wrote the song after seeing an American flag fly above Baltimores Fort McHenry after an American victory over the British in the War of 1812.

The bill does not include penalties for violations. Allen said local boards of education would be responsible for enforcement.

Some committee members questioned the need for the bill. Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, identified herself as a military brat and said she grew up hearing The Star-Spangled Banner frequently, but the song did not make her patriotic. She said American history made her patriotic.

At the same committee meeting, the committee approved a bill that would restrict the teaching of divisive concepts, which critics say would prevent the accurate teaching of Black history. Coleman is the chair of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus.

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Allen said to look at whats happening nationwide currently, but he did not specify.

Its going to serve the purpose for the young children that may not have had the opportunity to hear the national anthem, he said.

He said that many go to ball games like him but not all parents do.

Coleman commended Allen for how the bill was written, which starts with a history of the song. But she said she was unclear why Allen wanted children to hear the song weekly.

So, what Im still trying to figure out again, like what it is youre trying to achieve by children hearing the national anthem, she said. Because the story behind it, the history behind it, is really what they need to hear. Like whats actually written in the bill, about how we got to The Star-Spangled Banner, not the song itself, but the history of it.

Allen said that the bill is about teaching children to be patriotic and loving this country, but he did not address Colemans earlier point about how history, not repeatedly hearing the song around base, made her patriotic.

It starts early on, and, certainly, I think thats the driving force behind why I think this bill is important, Allen said.

Sen. Keith Kelly, R-Anniston, asked Allen if he considered making it a daily requirement. Allen said they had considered that early.

Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said that the policy should begin with the State Board of Education. She said she doesnt agree with it being a constitutional amendment.

Our Constitution is long enough, she said.

She also told a story about her liking the beat of a hip-hop song and only later processing the lyrics. She said that kids will not become patriotic through repetition of singing the song.

And, if we really want to instill patriotism in our young people, this is not the answer, so I cant support you, she said.

The bill moves to the full Senate.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
An Alabama state lawmaker who ran for office on medical freedom has introduced legislation that would allow law enforcement agencies to prosecute abortion patients on charges of murder and assault.

The bill from Republican state Rep Ernie Yarbrough and several other GOP lawmakers would repeal a provision in state law that exempts abortion patients from prosecution and inserts a so-called personhood clause that would redefine person to the moment an embryo is fertilised, giving a zygote the same rights as the person carrying it.

Prosecutions for abortion  regardless of the viability of the pregnancy  would be treated the same as prosecutions of homicide or assault of a person born alive, according to the bill, throwing into question whether the state could criminalise miscarriages or other adverse pregancy outcomes.

The lives of preborn individuals must be protected with the same criminal and civil laws protecting the lives of born individuals, the bill states.

The proposal joins a largely failed, far-right abortion abolition campaign among anti-abortion legislators and activists across the US emboldened by the US Supreme Courts decision in 2022 to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care.

Alabama is among more than a dozen states, mostly in the US South, where abortion is now effectively illegal or access is severely constrained.

The measure from Rep Yarbrough and four other state lawmakers would also give district attorneys and the state attorney general concurrent authority to prosecute abortion cases if other law enforcement agencies refuse. Dozens of officials from across the US signed a statement last year pledging to refuse to prosecute anti-abortion laws.

Earlier this year, Alabamas attorney general Steve Marshall said authorities could prosecute people who use abortion drugs under a chemical endangerment of a child statute initially designed to protect children from meth lab fumes.

So Alabama's really going to vote on whether a pregnant person should go to jail for murder if they don't produce a live birth.https://t.co/fpRc8HCSVw



But hey! The pregnant person can't be prosecuted over miscarriage due to physical or sexual assault from a partner. Generous. pic.twitter.com/GyQOxi6IPn  Robin Marty (@robinmarty) May 10, 2023

Rep Yarbroughs measure also states that a pregnant person can be prosecuted if they intentionally or recklessly placed themselves in a situation in which it was probable that they would be subject to duress.

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The bill adds a clause that medical providers would not be prosecuted if an abortion is required to save the life of the pregnant patient, provided that all other reasonable alternatives to the medical care or treatment have been exhausted.

Robin Marty, the operations manager for West Alabama Womens Center, said the clause guarantees no medical provider will ever perform any service that might save a pregnant persons life out of fear of jail.

The all reasonable alternatives clause is going to scare them away, she wrote on Twitter.

The Independent has requested comment from Rep Yarbrough.

A similar bill to prosecute abortion patients was introduced by a Republican state lawmaker in Louisiana last year, but the measure was withdrawn and effectively dead after debate.

The Alabama legislation was filed on 9 May, roughly one year after Politico published a leak draft of the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned Roe v Wade and constitutional protections for abortion access that were in place for roughly half a century.

Following the courts official decision in the case in June, anti-abortion state lawmakers proposed and enacted a wave of restrictions that have invited dozens of legal battles across the country.

Since the high courts ruling, Alabama law prohibits all abortions at any stage of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest, except to save the life of the patient.

Democratic state lawmakers have filed legislation to repeal the states anti-abortion law and a decades-old, pre-Roe statute that makes it a crime for anyone to induce an abortion or a miscarriage.

Republican Tommy Tuberville, one of the states two GOP members of the US Senate, has also launched a blockade against confirming nominees to serve at the US Department of Defense to protest federal policies that allow service members to access abortion care.
A Voyager spacecraft leaving the solar system  but could aliens be listening in? (Getty)

Earth might have inadvertently sent messages to alien civilisations  and we could get a reply from aliens before the end of this century, a new study has shown.

A paper uploaded to the pre-print server Arxiv highlights that five planets could receive signals sent to various spacecraft launched from Earth in previous decades.

By 2100, any hypothetical alien civilisations in the right places could have sent a reply to Earth, the researchers say.

The researchers write in their paper, after having left the heliosphere, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue to travel through interstellar space. The Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and New Horizons spacecraft are also on paths to pass the heliopause, which is the sun's protective bubble.

These spacecraft have communicated with the Deep Station Network (DSN) radio antennas in order to download scientific data and telemetry data. Outward transmissions from DSN travel to the spacecraft and beyond into interstellar space.

Read more: A 1988 warning about climate change was mostly right

The Voyager 2 probe which blasted off from Earth on August 20, 1977 became the second man-made object to leave the solar system in 2018.

The probe blasted off from Earth some 16 days before its twin spacecraft, Voyager 1, but entered the interstellar medium six years after Voyager 1 due to its slower trajectory.

It crossed the outer edge of the sun's heliopause on November 5 2018.

The new study shows that signals sent to probes including Voyager 1 and 2 will travel in the direction of nearby stars  and could in theory be intercepted by alien civilisations.

Reilly Derrick, a student at University of California, Los Angeles' Samueli School of Engineering told Universe Today that the new study was inspired by a 2019 paper which examined what stars the spacecraft would travel past.

Read more: Why economists worry that reversing climate change is hopeless

Derrick says, "Our paper expands upon this idea by identifying which stars the terrestrial transmissions to interstellar spacecraft will encounter. These transmissions cover a wider volume of the surrounding Universe, meaning they will encounter more stars.

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"Additionally, the transmissions from Earth travel much faster than the spacecraft themselves, so we would expect potential intelligent life to notice and return transmissions much sooner."

"Our results include five total stars for which we could expect returned transmissions within the 21st century, and seven total stars for which we could expect returned transmissions within the next 100 years.

"Although this is obviously a very small number compared to all the stars in the surrounding Universe, the fact that there is even a small chance intelligent life surrounding these stars could recognise human transmissions and communicate back to us within our lifetimes is very exciting."

The researchers add, These transmissions have encountered and will encounter other stars, introducing the possibility that intelligent life in other solar systems will encounter our terrestrial transmissions.

"We use the beamwidth of the transmissions between DSN and interstellar spacecraft to perform a search around the past and future positions of each spacecraft obtained from the JPL Horizons System.

Watch: What happens when we find aliens?
Linda Loncaric Arico of Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and Fred Welsch of Sugarcreek chat at the Alpine Hills Museum in Sugarcreek. Welsch has been teaching Arico to play the alphorn, a Swiss musical instrument.

SUGARCREEK  If you wanted to learn how to play the alphorn, a Swiss musical instrument, where would you go?

Sugarcreek  the Little Switzerland of Ohio  of course.

More on Sugarcreek: Yodeling, Steintossen and more fun things to do at the 2022 Ohio Swiss Festival

Linda Loncaric Arico, a retired college professor from Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, a community located between Pittsburgh and Steubenville, heard the alphorn played at a German festival several years ago.

"I was enamored with that mellow, creamy, rich sound. I thought, someday, I really would like to try that. Then when I retired, I thought, why not now?" she said. "I call several places, and nobody had a response. They just said, 'Oh, that's interesting. Good luck.' Then I thought, where would there be Swiss and German people? And I thought, Sugarcreek."

She called Becky Detwiler, curator of the Alpine Hills Museum in Sugarcreek, to see if she could play an alphorn. Detwiler agreed.

"She called back later in the week and said, better than just coming, I know a retired music teacher who would be willing to show you the ropes. I said, great," Arico said.

The Alpine Hills Museum in Sugarcreek has two alphorns, center, among its collection of musical instruments.

She met Fred Welsch, who retired in 1989 as director of the Garaway High School band and choir. He has been playing the alphorn for more than 30 years.

Friends of the Arts award: Welsch honored in Sugarcreek

Arico is not a professional musician, but she plays the trumpet in a community band in the Burgettstown area.

"She's a great musician," Welsch said. "She had so much basic knowledge about blowing a horn that it didn't take but a few minutes and we were on the same page."

"If I'm at all able to play well, it's because of him. He's the teacher," she said.

Arico was on hand Saturday at the museum while Welsch, clad in a traditional Swiss milking jacket, played the alphorn for visitors. She was unable to join him in playing because of an injury.

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What's an alphorn?

The alphorn is a natural wooden horn, usually several feet long, with a cup-shaped mouthpiece. According to the website MySwitzerland.com, it was originally used by shepherds to call the cows from the pasture and into the barn at milking time. It is rarely used for its original purpose now, but it has become a symbol of the Alpine country.

The instrument Welsch was playing Saturday was made of spruce.

"Being wood, like it is, it gives it a real mellow sound that you can't get from brass," he said. "You can make it out of plastic or even PVC pipe, but it's just not the same sound."

The instrument is considered difficult to play because it has retained its original form, while other wind instruments have undergone technical advancements over time (finger holes and valves), according to MySwitzerland.com.

Imported from Switzerland

Welsch's first exposure to the alphorn came when Ranson Andreas, founder of Andreas Furniture in Sugarcreek, asked Welsch to teach him how to play the song "Edelweiss," on the instrument. All of the alphorns at the museum were imported from Switzerland by Andreas.

"When he brought his first alphorn over on an airplane he had to pay for a seat for the alphorn," Welsch said.

Now that Arico has learned how to play the alphorn, she has gone out and bought one of her own, an instrument imported from Germany.

"When my brother saw it, he said, 'What have you done?'" she said with a laugh.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Retired professor comes to Sugarcreek to learn to play the alphorn
By Ananya Mariam Rajesh and Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) -Altria Group Inc said Wednesday that it will pay $235 million to settle at least 6,000 lawsuits accusing it of fueling a teen vaping epidemic through its former investment in e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc.

The deal ends nearly all of the litigation brought against the tobacco giant over Juul by local government bodies and individuals across the United States. It came shortly after San Francisco's public school district finished presenting its case against the company in a jury trial, which will now be cut short.

Sarah London, one of the lead attorneys for plaintiffs in the litigation, in a statement said the deal would "provide extraordinary and truly meaningful relief for youth, parents, and governmental organizations nationwide."

Altria expects to record a pre-tax charge of $235 million in the second quarter of 2023 and intends to exclude it from adjusted earnings per share.

"While we continue to believe the claims against us are meritless, we believe this settlement avoids the uncertainty and expense of a protracted legal process and is in the best interest of our shareholders," said Murray Garnick, Altria's executive vice president and general counsel.

The company in March announced that it had given up its 35% stake in Juul in exchange for licenses to some of Juul's intellectual property. As of December, its share of Juul was valued at $250 million, down from $12.8 billion in 2018.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuits claimed that Juul marketed to teenagers with sweet flavors and flashy social media campaigns. They said Altria helped the strategy by letting Juul use its sales force and place its products next to Altria's on shelves.

Juul previously settled most of the cases against it, paying more than $1 billion to 48 states and territories and $1.7 billion to individuals and local government entities.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru and Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Deepa Babington)
Tokyo  When three men armed with crowbars ransacked a luxury watch shop in broad daylight in Tokyo's posh Ginza shopping district this week, onlookers stood by and watched the robbery play out in baffled amazement.



Dressed in black outfits and white costume masks, the thieves smashed through the Quark watch store's showcases on a heavily traveled street, undeterred by blaring security alarms and rubbernecking passersby. Several witnesses recorded the whole heist on their phones, right up until the thieves ran to their rented getaway van and then sped through a red light, door still open, to escape.

Local networks said the hapless thieves, pursued by at least four patrol cars, likely drove right past the imposing National Police Agency headquarters and the country's parliament.



Trapped in a dead-end alley not even two miles away, the suspects scattered on foot  still being recorded on various dumbstruck witnesses' smartphones. One surrendered after literally being talked off a ledge. Another hysterically begged police to stop hurting him while he was being subdued. Less than an hour after the episode began, all four, including the getaway driver, were in custody.

Police officers conduct investigations at the crime scene following the robbery of a luxury watch store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, May 8, 2023. / Credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty

Police have recovered about 70 of the nearly 100 watches stolen, worth more than $700,000.

All of the suspects are between the ages of 16 and 19.

"Yami-baito": Exploitation for crime

The young bandits have told police they were strangers who met for the first time on the "job." The utterly brazen, strangely amateurish robbery bore all the hallmarks of "yami-baito," or black-market part-time jobs, an increasingly lucrative angle for criminal groups allowing them to outsource scams and burglaries to the young, naive and financially desperate. With the use of yami-baito, it's possible for such gangs to do the crime without doing the time.



Yami-baito ads reel in pawns with promises like "Big money!", "Fast cash," and "Beginners welcome."

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View of the interior of the luxury store robbed by minors the day before, in Tokyo, Japan's Ginza shopping district, May 9, 2023. / Credit: David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency/Getty

The Yomiuri newspaper, citing police statistics, noted about 50 yami-baito-related robberies and thefts starting in mid-2021. Many of those arrested were in their teens and twenties. Another group of youths, who fomented a crime wave stretching across six of Japan's prefectures, said they had been hired via Instagram.

University of Shizuoka professor Hiroshi Tsutomi told the newspaper the youths "apparently feared their ringleader more than the threat of arrest." Rising poverty coupled with the ease of online recruiting, he said, was making young people easy marks to serve as "disposable" tools for experienced organized crime groups.



The watch store break-in was the fifth similarly brazen robbery carried out by amateurs hitting precious metal dealers or jewelers in Tokyo since March. A dumbfounded investigator told the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper that "young people don't seem to understand this crime will definitely get them arrested."

A fast-growing trend

Tokyo's Metropolitan Police said they found nearly 3,500 yami-baito listings on Twitter last year, reflecting a year-on-year increase of more than 50% despite efforts to stamp out the ads. Yami-baito crime rings have been known to advertise even on legitimate job-listing websites.

An image from video shows the van used as a getaway vehicle by four suspects in the brazen robbery of a luxury watch store in Tokyo, Japan's Ginza shopping district on May 8, 2023. / Credit: TV Tokyo/Reuters

When reporters from the Mainichi newspaper applied for yami-baito jobs, they were immediately directed to communicate via the encrypted Telegram app, and offered work as phone scammers earning more than $20,000 a month.

Baited and blackmailed

Once young people sign up for black-market jobs, many find it hard to quit. Police say that crime bosses control recruits through coercion, including by threatening violence against family members.

In one typical case, police arrested 20-year-old Yuna Hatakenaka in late April. She told police she "realized it was a scam, but I had already given (the crime group) my photo ID and a video of my parents' home, so I felt I had no choice but commit the crime."

She and accomplices, impersonating police officers, had conned an elderly woman into handing over her bank ATM cards.



Former prosecutor Mikio Uehara said the crime groups exert "mental control that makes it so that those caught up in them can't even think of saying they will leave."

Search for missing Cleveland EMT Lachelle Jordan continues

E. Jean Carroll awarded $5 million in sex abuse, defamation case against Trump

Migrant shelter issues arising in New York City
Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images)

The American Psychological Association, one of the countrys leading mental health organizations, released its first health advisory on social media Tuesday, warning parents and policymakers alike about the harms and benefits platforms could bring to young children.

The APA report may have stopped short of flat-out casting aside social media entirely, but it did still offer 10 recommendations to parents and policymakers on how to avoid potentially harmful outcomes. For starters, the APA said parents should regularly screen kids for problematic social media use that could interfere with their daily lives. Examples of these problematic use cases, the report notes, can include kids continuing to use social media even when they want to stop or cases where they engage in lying and other deceptive behavior to stay online. The report encourages active adult monitoring of social media use by children between the ages of 10-14 but quickly caveated that by saying such monitoring should be balanced with youths appropriate needs for privacy.

Read more

Is it hard for them [kids] to detach from social media? Do they lie so they can engage with it? APA CEO Arthur Evans said in an interview with NPR. Those are the kinds of things that parents should be on the lookout for when theyre monitoring their childs social media use.

What did the APA recommend?

Most of the recommendations provided focus less on the actual algorithms and other technology underpinning social networks and more on young users relationships with the tech. The APA suggests limiting kids screen time, for example, not necessarily because that inherently leads to mental health harms, but because it could interfere with a childs sleep, which studies have associated with neurological development in adolescent brains.



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Elsewhere, the advisory recommends young users minimize the amount of time they spend on platforms comparing themselves to others or viewing illegal or psychologically maladaptive behavior because those actions are also associated with psychological harm. Parents of young users, the advisory notes, should minimize the time kids are exposed to posts related to suicide, self-harm, disordered eating, or other dangerous topics. That sounds reasonable and intuitive on its face, but finding ways to encourage parents to actually adhere to those guidelines in practice without invading their childs sense of privacy is another feat altogether.

The advisorywhich comes hot on the heels of dozens of proposed state child online safety billsattempts to strike a balance between acknowledging areas of potential harm and advocating for increased parental oversight while simultaneously avoiding painting all social media use with an overly broad brush.

Right away, the APA acknowledges social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people, but rather is highly variable depending on the personal and psychological characteristics of the user accessing the services. Young users already struggling with body image issues or depression, for example, may be more prone to experience negative outcomes on platforms than their peers. On the flip side, the report notes, young people struggling with mental health issues or others from marginalized groups may actually benefit from the support networks and advice they receive from other like-minded people on social media which may actually aid psychological development.

In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstances, the APA notes. Intersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms.

Despite mounting pressure from lawmakers and child safety activists to do something about Big Techs perceived effect on child mental health, the APA report claims causal associations directly linking adolescent social media use to negative health outcomes are still a rarity in available research. Instead, the report says kids online experiences are more likely affected by who they choose to like and follow as well as the social contexts and environments in which they were raised.

While politicians are racing ahead with proposals based on the premise that simply encountering content on social media is causing ... harms, the APA notes that the actual research is far less conclusive and far more nuanced than lawmakers rhetoric, Fight for the Future Executive Director Evan Greer said. Without proper research, we cant meaningfully evaluate the tradeoffs.

A growing consensus around social medias harms is emerging



Social science researchers and advocates have hotly debated the exact degree to which social media affects kids mental health for years, but some rudimentary consensus, and calls for action, have finally begun to emerge. Earlier this year, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN he believed the 13-year-old sign-up age cutoff from many social media companies was simply too young because children that age is still developing their identity.

I, personally, based on the data Ive seen, believe that 13 is too early, Murthy said. If parents can band together and say you know, as a group, were not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever age they choose, thats a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids dont get exposed to harm early.

President Biden echoed that sentiment during his State of the Union address in February where he urged tech companies to limit the amount of data they collect from children and called on Congress to pass legislation banning targeting advertising against children.

We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit, Biden said

Lawmakers want online child safety laws but cant agree on where to draw the line

A Politico report released last month estimates more than 27 different bills have been proposed in at least 16 different state houses all trying to get at the issue of kids online safety, though often from markedly different angles. Many of those bills coalesce around issues like restricting target advertising to children or banning allegedly addictive social media designs. The bills often diverge, however, around the issue of mandated parental guidance over kids to access these platforms.

Arkansas and Utah have both passed legislation requiring parents to grant permission for a child to use a social media account. In the latter case, the laws would go a step further and prohibit users under the age of 18 from accessing social media apps between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM. Rights groups like Fight for the Future and The Center for Democracy & Technology vigorously oppose the age verification techniques and parental monitoring stipulations in the bills, and say they would make kids less safe, and would be weaponized to attack.

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One of the most prominent mental health organizations in the U.S. is out with a set of guidelines designed to protect children from the potential harms of social media.

The American Psychological Association (APA) issued its first-ever health advisory on social media use Tuesday, addressing mounting concerns about how social networks designed for adults can negatively impact adolescents.

The report doesn't denounce social media, instead asserting that online social networks are "not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people," but should be used thoughtfully. The health advisory also does not address specific social platforms, instead tackling a broad set of concerns around kids' online lives with commonsense advice and insights compiled from broader research.

The APA's recommendations center on the role of parents, but the advisory does denounce algorithms that push young users toward potentially damaging content, including posts that promote self harm, disordered eating, racism and other forms of online hate.

Other recommendations address kids' habits and routines, largely the domain of adult caregivers. The APA encourages regular screenings for "problematic social media use" in children. Red flags include behaviors that track with symptoms of more traditional addiction, including spending more time on social media than intended and lying to maintain access to social media sites.

In that same vein, the APA recommends that parents remain vigilant to prevent social media from interrupting sleep routines and physical activity  two areas that directly and seriously impact kids' mental health outcomes. "Insufficient sleep is associated with disruptions to neurological development in adolescent brains, teens' emotional functioning and risk for suicide," the advisory states.

Some of the recommendations aren't particularly easy to navigate in today's social media landscape, even for adults. One part of the health advisory advises limiting the time that young users spend comparing themselves to other people on social media apps, "particularly around beauty- or appearance-related content."

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"Research suggests that using social media for social comparisons related to physical appearance, as well as excessive attention to and behaviors related to ones own photos and feedback on those photos, are related to poorer body image, disordered eating, and depressive symptoms, particularly among girls," the APA states, citing ample research.

The APA emphasizes that outcomes on social media are shaped by offline experiences too, and those vary widely from child to child.

"In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstancesintersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms," the APA wrote. "In other words, the effects of social media likely depend on what teens can do and see online, teens preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up."

The organization also cautions parents and platforms about design features intended for adults that younger users might be more susceptible to, including algorithmic recommendations, like buttons and endless scrolling. These features along with advertising served to under-18 users have increasingly been criticized by regulators seeking to protect children from being manipulated by features designed to shape adult behavior.

The APA recommends a reasonable, age-appropriate degree of "adult monitoring" through parental controls at the device and app level and urges parents to model their own healthy relationships with social media.

"Science demonstrates that adults (e.g., caregivers) orientation and attitudes toward social media (e.g., using during interactions with their children, being distracted from in-person interactions by social media use) may affect adolescents own use of social media," the APA writes.

A final piece of advice is one that most adults would benefit from as well: boosting digital literacy across a number of social media topics, including how to recognize misinformation tactics and how to resolve conflicts that originate on social platforms.
By Matt Spetalnick, David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China is facing a growing backlash from the United States and other Western governments over its controversial efforts to pressure dissidents and their advocates abroad, but Beijing has appeared undeterred.

Authorities in the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere recently have taken a hard line, including with expulsions, indictments, arrests and probes, against Chinese operations they say are aimed at intimidating critics and pursuing officials accused of corruption living abroad.

Among Beijing's alleged tactics are threats of harm, online harassment and clandestine operations on foreign soil to hunt pro-democracy activists.

China has pushed back with staunch denials and retaliatory moves while apparently shrugging off any damage to diplomatic relations and betting that trade ties can weather the storm - a signal, experts said, it has no intention of backing off.

An increasingly assertive Beijing is being more aggressive with its overseas influence operations, said Isaac Stone Fish, founder and CEO of Strategy Risks, a firm that helps companies navigate political risk in China.

The latest dispute has centered on Canadas expulsion of a Chinese diplomat on Monday over allegations that he attempted to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker critical of China's human rights record. Beijing responded within hours by ordering a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave over what it called Ottawa's "unreasonable actions".

CRACKDOWN ON 'POLICE STATIONS'

This comes as Canada, the U.S. and several European countries recently have cracked down on what they see as clandestine Chinese police stations overseas to target dissidents and those Beijing accuses of "financial crimes", including coercing some Chinese emigrants to return home.

Chinas government has disputed the existence of such facilities but has said there are volunteer-run centers outside China that help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.

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But the U.S. believes such explanations lack credibility, according to a person in Washington familiar with the matter, saying President Joe Bidens administration would be undeterred in efforts to root out Chinese pressure campaigns.

The U.S. Justice Department has been ramping up probes into what it calls "transnational repression" by U.S. adversaries such as China, in part to raise awareness among potential victims.

And shortly after authorities arrested two people on charges of links to a Chinese secret police station in New York last month, a U.S. official said the United States was engaged in an extensive effort with international partners to counter Chinese influence operations.

Many of the actions China takes abroad - from the "police stations" to efforts to silence critics - stem from President Xi Jinping's heavy focus on domestic security, including an ongoing campaign to stamp out corruption in the Communist Party and worries about unrest in the country's restive Xinjiang region.

But those steps by Beijing are increasing tensions when relations between the U.S. and China have sunk to the lowest point in decades over issues ranging from Taiwan to technology.

Some of this is China feeling that it needs to and can act extra-territorially to address what it believes are threats to its domestic stability, said Jon Bateman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. But they're doing it in a very aggressive way that flouts international norms.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement: "China has always followed the path of peaceful development ... Chinese diplomatic and consular staff have always complied with relevant international conventions and local laws when performing their duties."

IMPACT ON TRADE TIES

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canadas expulsion this week of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei came after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker critical of China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority.

Diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Ottawa have been running high since Canadas detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges that Canada steadfastly denied. All three were freed in 2021.

Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, said one reason China continues to push its influence operations is that it believes the U.S. is unlikely to retaliate in a way that would risk a more volatile relationship with China.

Further, China appears to have calculated that, as the worlds second-biggest economy, it can weather any global reputation damage and avoid any major impact to its trade ties for activities it perceives as in its national interests.

Despite the latest diplomatic spat between China and Canada, I don't think that you can say that these particular actions are harming the business relationship," said Sarah Kutulakos, the executive director of the Canada China Business Council.

Last year, for instance, Beijing lifted a three-year ban on imports of canola, Canada's largest crop, restrictions that followed Meng's arrest. China is also a major importer of Canadian potash and wheat.

But some analysts have said that China's increasing focus on its own security and intensifying rivalry with the United States threaten to undermine its re-engagement with the world after years of COVID curbs as it tries to send the message it is once again open for business.

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick, David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; additonal reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Don Durfee, Cynthia Osterman and David Gregorio)
Andy Murray will be back on a clay court in Rome (Getty Images)

Fresh from winning his first title in nearly four years, Andy Murray returns to court as he takes on Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open.

The former world number one beat Tommy Paul in the final of an ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday after taking a late wildcard into the tournament to continue his preparations for the French Open, which begins on 28 May.

The Scot will hope to further build on that success in Rome this week at the site of his last top tier clay court crown.

But he faces tough first round opposition in the form of veteran Fognini, ever a danger on this surface.

Heres everything you need to know:

When is Andy Murray vs Fabio Fognini?

The first round match between Andy Murray and Fabio Fognini is the fourth match scheduled on Centre Court on Wednesday 10 May, and will not start at 6pm BST at the earliest. The winner will face Miomir KecmanoviA, the 30th seed, in the second round.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match, and all of the action from the Italian Open, live on Amazon Prime Video.

What are the odds?

Andy Murray win 1/2

Fabio Fognini win 7/4

Italian Open schedule

The 2023 Italian Open takes place over two weeks, starting on Monday 8 May and running until Sunday 21 May.

The womens singles final will be held on Saturday 20 May and the mens final on Sunday 21 May.
Police arrested a 24-year-old man in a road rage incident near West Catawba Avenue and Westmoreland Road in Cornelius on Wednesday.

Caden Asher Ellis is accused of firing a shot at a driver before driving from the scene, according to a Cornelius Police Department news release. No one was hurt, police said.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man accused of shooting at a driver in a road rage incident near West Catawba Avenue and Westmoreland Road in Cornelius NC on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Ellis lives in Denver in eastern Lincoln County at the lake, public records show.

Cornelius officers identified Ellis as the suspect but didnt say how they determined that he was involved. Police also didnt say what they believe prompted the incident.

Police found Ellis and arrested him on charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a firearm within city limits, carrying a concealed weapon and injury to personal property.

Police took Ellis to the Mecklenburg County jail. He was released on a $50,000 bond Wednesday afternoon pending a court appearance, jail records show.

Ellis couldnt be reached by The Charlotte Observer.
Another victim of the shooting at Northside Hospital Midtown has been released, according to officials from Grady Memorial Hospital.

Deion Patterson, 24, is accused of shooting five people at the building off West Peachtree Street. One victim, identified as Amy St. Pierre, died.

Surveillance video obtained by Channel 2 Investigative reporter Mark Winne showed the midtown shooter running through the streets as he left the scene of the shooting.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The survivors of the shooting were treated at Grady for various injuries. Channel 2 reported on Friday that one patient was discharged and returned home.

Now, a second survivor has gone home, while the rest continue to recover and receive treatment.

Two patients remain at the hospital but have been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and are progressing well, Grady officials said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Officials identified the survivors as Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel and Alesha Hollinger. The identities of the victims who have gone home have not been released.

Patterson was later arrested in Cobb County after an hours-long manhunt by multiple law enforcement agencies.

Additional video obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed the moment Patterson surrendered to officers in Cobb.

RELATED NEWS:
Jeffrey Epsteins victims might finally learn why the former Palm Beach state attorney pursued only minor charges against the now-deceased financier who, according to a police report, sexually abused scores of girls 17 years ago.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that a Palm Beach judge was mistaken in ruling that he didnt have the authority to determine whether grand jury records should be released from the 2006 inquiry into Epsteins sex crimes. The court sent the case back to Circuit Judge Donald W. Hafele, with the instruction that he determine which of the grand jury records could be released.

A different effort  long-shot legislation submitted by two Palm Beach lawmakers tailored in a way to allow release of Epstein grand jury records but not other grand jury files  went nowhere in the just-finished session, despite Republican lawmakers, who hold sway in both chambers, making the fight against sexual groomers a focus of rhetoric.

In the grand jury investigation, then-State Attorney Barry Krischer only asked one of Epsteins accusers  many of whom were high school students from nearby Royal Palm Beach High School  to testify, leading to a single charge of solicitation.

When he was state attorney for Palm Beach County, Barry Krischer handled the local prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.

Victims, and the police officers who first began investigating Epsteins crimes, have long said that Krischers team was overwhelmed by Epsteins high-powered law team, which included famed attorney Alan Dershowitz and former U.S. Solicitor General Kenneth Starr.

Palm Beach attorney Spencer Kuvin represented several of Epsteins victims and said that the release of these records is still very important to victims, nearly two decades later.

A full accounting of what happened and how it occurred is significant to the victims because they dont want it to happen to anyone ever again, he said. There was a huge amount of secrecy.

The Palm Beach Post sued to have the records released.

The Palm Beach Police Department investigated Epsteins actions, documenting dozens of cases in which girls and young women were recruited to give the multimillionaire massages that turned into sex acts.

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On Sept. 9, 2004, Jeffrey Epstein (foreground) hosted a dinner at Harvard University. With him was Alan Dershowitz. Also present but not pictured: Lawrence Summers, university president.

After the Palm Beach grand jury was convened in 2006, Epsteins case was taken up by the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida, but Epsteins team was able to negotiate a plea deal with federal prosecutors that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 and serve his sentence in the Palm Beach County stockade, where Epstein was housed in a private section and given the ability to leave for multiple hours each day.

Epsteins crimes and his lawyers manipulation of the legal system were the subject of the Miami Heralds 2018 Perversion of Justice series. The reporting led federal prosecutors in New Yorks Southern District to take a fresh look at Epstein and bring new charges against him in July 2019. Epstein died in federal custody one month later in what has been ruled a suicide. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested in 2020 and brought to trial the following year on charges related to sex trafficking. She was ultimately found guilty on numerous charges, including the sex trafficking of a minor, and sentenced last year to 20 years in prison.

Public assess advocates cheered Wednesdays ruling.

It is a very significant advancement for access to records in Florida and in this case in particular, said Michael Barfield, director of public access initiatives at the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Grand jury records are normally kept secret.

Its nearly impossible to get them, said Scott Ponce an expert in media law and partner in the Miami office of Holland & Knight. This is one of those rare cases where it can happen.

Holland & Knight has represented the Miami Herald in numerous matters, including seeking Epstein records in federal court.

Florida law allows for courts to release grand jury records only under certain circumstances, including the goal of furthering justice.

It will now be up to Hafele, the trial judge, to determine which records to release, if any. The case could be appealed to the Supreme Court of Florida, though Joseph Abruzzo, the Palm Beach clerk of the court, and Dave Aronberg, the current Palm Beach state attorney, who are the subjects of the Palm Beach Post lawsuit, have said they dont oppose release of the records.

Abruzzo said there was no way he could do so under current law.

The legislation in Tallahassee was sponsored by Rep. Tina Polsky, a Boca Raton Democrat and Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, a Republican from Highland Beach, both in Palm Beach County, where the Epstein case was adjudicated and where many of his victims lived.

Gossett-Seidman said the bill seemed to gain support when she advocated for it in front of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.

Palm Beach County had a chance to stop the monster in its tracks and it did not happen, she told the committee.

Polsky said she introduced the legislation at Abruzzos urging. Both she and Gossett-Seidman said they intend to renew the legislative effort again during the next session.

Sen. Lauren Book, the chambers Democratic leader and a victim of sex abuse at the hands of her nanny when she was growing up, was disappointed that the bill went nowhere.

With all the talk of grooming this session  a term that has been shamefully co-opted and used to fear-monger and discriminate against the LGBTQ community  youd think a measure such as [this] would have gained bipartisan support, she said.
The Arizona Legislature moved quickly this week to pass a $17.8 billion spending plan for next year following negotiations between Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican leaders in the House and Senate.

Many Democratic lawmakers initially objected to what Hobbs and the leaders left out of the budget, but most fell in line and ultimately supported the deal, even if under protest. Still other top Democratic officeholders and some Democrat-aligned groups also came out against it.

Arizona Republic and azcentral.com reporters are covering the latest developments.

Read more on the budget: Arizona budget plan moving at warp speed as Dems object to plan from Hobbs, GOP leaders

House passes budget bill

The Arizona House of Representatives has passed all of the bills related to the budget, which now goes to Gov. Katie Hobbs for her signature.

Hobbs issued a statement after the House finished its work.

Im glad the House passed the bipartisan budget and I look forward to signing it into law," Hobbs said. "Not everybody got what they wanted, but Im thankful legislative leaders were able to set aside their differences, compromise, and support a bipartisan deal that makes historic investments in affordable housing, builds roads, bridges, and public transit, expands access to health insurance for Arizonas children and creates critical new ESA accountability measures."

 Ray Stern

New effort to study school voucher program

House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale, and Minority Leader Andres Cano, D-Tucson, announced a bipartisan effort to increase accountability for the states expanded private-school vouchers on the heels of heavy criticism of the voucher program by Democrats in the House and Senate.

The House Ad Hoc Committee on Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Governance and Oversight, created with agreements by House Republicans and Democrats, will help manage a growing and complex program, according to an announcement from the legislative leaders on Wednesday.

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The study committee will include Gov. Katie Hobbs and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (or their designated representatives), two House members from each party and two members of the public with related experience. They will seek information from a range of community members and experts to review details about ESA students, including their number, disabilities, English-language abilities, previous public-school attendance, and the total yearly ESA award amount for each student, among other things.

A report on the committees findings this year is expected by Dec. 31.

What's in Arizona's state budget? Money for families, education, housing, water and more

News of the study committee followed attempted amendments to the K-12 budget bill by Democratic Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson, that would have temporarily halted new enrollment in the ESA program and paused enrollment if it exceeded 69,000 students.

More than 55,000 students are currently enrolled in the program.

 Ray Stern

Unfinished business on AHCCCS, medical boards

Left undone during the flurry of budget work was a vote that has the state's Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, headed for expiration as of July 1.

The Senate Appropriations Committee killed a bill that would have continued the agency until 2029. Also included in Senate Bill 1736 were provisions to extend the Board of Dental Examiners and the Board of Massage Therapy for two years, with six year extensions for the Naturopathic Physicians Medical Boardand the Optometry Board. Those extensions also failed on the tie vote. (Bills don't pass if there is a tie.)

Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said the agencies won't die, but suggested there's no urgency. Although the bill ends AHCCCS as of July, Petersen said lawmakers could wait until the start of 2024, when the money dries up.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

House starts deliberation on budget

The state House of Representatives started the preparation work for state budget bills Wednesday following approval of the $17.8 billion budget by the state Senate in the wee hours of the morning.

It remains unknown if the budget and its House versions of 17 activating bills, plus amendments, will find the same support in the House as the budget found in the Senate. All 16 Senate Republicans and most Democrats voted for the Senate budget bills despite early indications of a revolt among Democrats. They finished just before 5 a.m.

Critics of the budget negotiated by Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed concern about several aspects of the plan, especially the lack of a limit for the Empowerment Scholarship Account private-school vouchers that some say could result in a near-future fiscal catastrophe for the state.

House members began their day at about 10 a.m. with a Committee of the Whole session including discussion of the budget bills and offered amendments. Once those are done, House members are expected to move into final votes for the bills, and if passed they would then go to Hobbs for a likely signature.

 Ray Stern

Hobbs praises budget after Democrats fall in line

Gov. Katie Hobbs early Wednesday praised the budget that passed the Senate with bipartisan votes.

Today we showed Arizonans we can reach across the aisle, compromise and make government work," the governor said in a statement. I am glad Democrats and Republicans in the Arizona Senate came together to pass budget bills that make historic investments in affordable housing, build roads, bridges and public transit, invest in our tribal communities, and expand access to health insurance for children.

She said she looked forward to continuing to partner with legislators of both parties to build an Arizona that works for all of our communities.

Senate Democrats who objected to the spending plan on Tuesday largely ended up voting for it hours later, under protest and threat that their priorities might be stripped from the ledger.

 Stacey Barchenger

Senate passes budget package with Democratic support

The state Senate approved a 17-bill budget package early Wednesday with bipartisan support that belied the discontent Democrats have voiced about the process.

All bills passed with more than two-thirds support of the 30-member chamber. Sixteen Republicans and a rotating cast of Democrats voted for the $17.8 billion plan that will fund government operations for the year beginning July 1.

The passage with bipartisan support is a win for Gov. Katie Hobbs and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert. They, along with House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale, negotiated the budget over months of meetings. Democrats were not brought in until the final weeks.

25 ayes, 5 nays  bipartisan, Petersen said as the vote on the main budget bill concluded around 4:30 a.m. Whoo! That sounds like a success to me.

He took offense at Democratic leader Sen. Mitzi Epsteins blistering critique of the budget process, even as she ended up voting for it.

Its a really bizarre thing to say I hate this budget and I vote yes, Petersen said.

Epstein said Democrats were told Tuesday that if they didnt vote for the budget, the $426 million in funding that Senate Democrats were able to direct to favored causes would get rescinded and redirected to GOP priorities.

Asked if she felt forced to vote for the spending plan, she replied, Pretty much.

Epstein added, however, that the budget had a lot of great things in it, including money for homeless services, a $150 million infusion into the Housing Trust Fund and a nearly 7% boost in K-12 funding for the coming year.

She criticized the Republicans for using all of the $2.5 billion surplus without leaving any in reserve for the next year. For the first time in years, the budget did not include a deposit into the states Rainy Day Fund. Hobbs had requested a $250 million addition to the fund, but it did not survive budget negotiations.

The budget package moves to the House of Representatives, which is expected to vote on the package Wednesday and send it to Hobbs.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

How to keep senators in line? Threaten a loss of money

Senators who don't fall in line and vote for the budget have a sword dangling over them.

Those who vote against the plan were told their "asks" would get stripped from the budget in a provision that Gov. Katie Hobbs knew about, said Senate President Warren Petersen. The warning applies to Republicans and Democrats, he said.

"I believe our votes are still intact," Petersen said of the Republican members. "There are a lot of bipartisan asks in there. If they dont vote for it, their stuff is coming out."

Republican senators got $30 million apiece to spend, while representatives got $20 million. The budget is replete with pet projects from individual districts, like upgraded rodeo grounds in Prescott and dozens of infrastructure projects.

Sen. Catherine Miranda, D-Phoenix, said Democrats got a similar deal: House and Senate Democrats were allowed to spend $400 million "plus" that was divvied up by the caucuses instead of each member getting a firm amount. She also heard Petersen's caveat that not voting for the budget meant those asks would go away.

Miranda emphasized that the budget has positive aspects, though she expressed disappointment about how public schools were treated  mainly in terms of future fiscal problems because of the expanded ESA voucher program.

 Ray Stern

As Fontes seeks security money, he reports threat in D.C. elevator

While lawmakers were casting their first votes on the budget bills Tuesday, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes office notified reporters about an incident that underscored the secretary's request for security funding.

Fontes, according to his spokesman Paul Smith-Leonard, was cornered in a Washington, D.C., elevator Monday by an unknown individual. The secretary felt threatened and reported the matter to the Arizona Department of Public Safety as well as to the Arizona Counterterrorism Information Center.

Smith-Leonard did not have further details about what the individual said, if anything, nor did he know if Fontes was alone in the elevator nor why the matter was not reported to D.C. police.

Fontes has lobbied Arizona lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs for more budget money, including funding for a personal security detail.

These are situations that unfortunately are not uncommon for the secretary, Smith-Leonard said.

Fontes was in D.C. for the Center for Election Innovation & Research conference, which was getting staked out by election deniers. Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates was approached by Laura Loomer, who casts herself as a conservative and investigative reporter who calls out people she believes are working to rig elections.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

Mayes' premature letter leads to spat with GOP

A letter sent Saturday from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes threatening to sue over the states budget plan, which wasn't made public until days later, has prompted a spat between the Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

GOP lawmakers say the letter was premature. Mayes had written that she was prepared to go to court to ensure her office received the state's share of a $1.1 billion settlement with opioid manufacturers. Her letter cited talk of the Legislature sweeping her authority to control those funds.

When the budget was revealed on Monday, however, no such sweeping was part of it.

Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, chastised Mayes lobbyist Amy Love during a committee meeting Monday over the letter. Hours later, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, followed up with his own letter to Mayes.

Senator Hoffman rightly expressed his concern that you threatened litigation over a budget you had not yet even seen and based only on rumors, and perhaps your own misplaced speculation, Livingston wrote. I encourage you to learn the facts in the future before wasting taxpayer money and resources on politicized demand letters.

 Stacey Barchenger

Public school teachers tell Hobbs to seek cap on vouchers

Katie Hobbs got some of her strongest support in her run for governor from public school educators. Now, they're asking her to step in and tap the brakes on the state's universal voucher program.

Specifically, they want the governor to impose a 20% cap on voucher enrollment growth for three years, a demand they made at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Such a cap would stabilize growth, said Beth Lewis, director of Save Our Schools. It's unclear how the governor, who has signed off on the budget she negotiated with GOP leaders, would do so at this stage, other than to veto the budget.

Lewis and others had strong criticism for Republicans who have championed the voucher program but held their fire against Democrats. Lewis said she and other public school advocates still have faith in the governor, but hope for more.

"Everybody here has knocked on hundreds if not thousands of doors for this governor," Lewis said at a Tuesday news conference. "We expected real support for the schools, not lip service."

The voucher program has grown more than fourfold, to 55,000 students, since universal expansion was approved 10 months ago. Meanwhile, the average scholarship award has dropped by a third, to $10,000, according to Arizona Department of Education data.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

Fast-tracked budget plan passes first hurdles

A proposed state budget cleared its first hurdles on Tuesday at the Legislature and is on a fast track for a final vote on Wednesday  with nearly no support from Democrats so far.

The $17.8 billion spending proposal passed both the House and Senate Appropriations committees on the strength of Republican votes, with all but one Democrat voting against the deal that Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs negotiated with GOP leaders.

That sets the stage for the full House and Senate to vote on the 16-bill package as early as Wednesday, with the Senate planning to start voting soon after midnight Tuesday.

Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he is confident there are unanimous Republican votes for the budget, which would allow it to reach Hobbs' desk without any Democratic backing.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Legislature: $17.8 billion budget gets final OK at Capitol
Candidates running for Senate in Arizona are putting daylight between themselves and President Biden on immigration as Title 42, which gave border officials authority to expel migrants without screening for asylum, is set to expire.

Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) accused the Biden administration of being unprepared to handle the surge of migrants in four letters addressed to Biden and other officials last week, while incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) warned of a humanitarian crisis when the policy expires later this week.

Everyone here in Arizona knows we are not prepared. The Biden administration had two years to prepare for this and did not do so. And our state is going to bear the brunt and migrants will be in crisis as soon as next week. It will be a humanitarian crisis because we are not prepared, Sinema told CBSs Margaret Brennan in an interview for Face the Nation.

The comments come as Republicans seek to hit Biden and his Democratic allies on immigration going into next years general election.

Not only is [immigration] on the rise but also with this latest news, I think its going to be one of the most dominant issues in the Senate race as we march toward Election Day, said Mike Noble, chief of research at the Arizona-based polling firm OH Predictive Insights.

House Republicans are planning to pass a border crackdown bill on the same day Title 42 expires, hoping to draw a stark contrast with a Biden administration struggling to manage a post-Title 42 border.

The House bill is still facing some internal GOP dissent, but its far more advanced than any similar measure in the Senate.

In the lead-up to Thursdays deadline, Sinema and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) gave new airtime to a proposal theyve billed as an extension of Title 42 that would grant extraordinary powers to U.S. border authorities.

Its not just lawmakers in Washington who are criticizing the administration over Title 42s end.

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In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs called on the federal government to provide more support to the state as the policy nears its expiration date.

For the past three years, the federal government has used Title 42 as a temporary solution to a permanent problem, Hobbs said during a press conference on Monday. Im afraid these challenges will only get worse. And Im afraid the federal government is unprepared to meet the demands of the expected influx.

The generalized panic over Title 42 has become increasingly apparent in Washington and border communities, though its unclear how much or for how long crossings will rise after the policy ends.

Gallego, a progressive running in a purple state, jumped into the debate with four letters addressed to President Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell, and Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the heads of the House Appropriations Committee.

I have heard repeated concerns about a lack of information around federal government policy that directly impacts Arizonans, our communities, and our local economies, Gallego wrote.

That includes limited notification of what resources and Department of Defense personnel will be sent to their area.

Gallegos move to distance himself from the administration makes sense politically given Bidens weak standing in the swing state. According to a Morning Consult survey released last month, the president has a 40 percent approval rating and a 57 percent disapproval rating in the state. Among Arizonas independent voters, only 29 percent said they approved of Bidens job performance.

Polls also show voters souring on Bidens handling of immigration. According to a Global Strategy Group poll released last month, 58 percent of voters from seven swing states, including Arizona, said they disapproved of how Biden was handling immigration, while only 32 percent said they approved.

Gallego has absolutely tried to distance himself, but thats where its kind of incumbent upon Sinema or even the Republican out there to tie that around him and say, Hey, thats your party, Noble said. Their administration is currently hands on the wheel. But I think [its] good news for Sinema to wrap something around Gallego.

Sinema, on the other hand, has continued to beat the drum against the Biden administration on the issue.

The only candidate who didnt have to start distancing herself from the administration on this issue was Sen. Sinema, said Stacy Pearson, an Arizona-based Democratic strategist. Its going to be a critical issue in Arizona.

Arizonas Senate race is slated to be one of the most closely watched races in the country next year, given Sinemas exit from the Democratic Party and the nature of the state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report and the University of Virginias Sabatos Crystal Ball both rate the contest as a toss-up.

While Democrats swept the states statewide elections last year, Arizona still has a Republican streak, with the GOP controlling both state legislature branches.

Despite having elected Democrats to many of the major statewide offices from Senate to governor and elsewhere, were still a Republican-majority state. Were not a blue state, Pearson said. It certainly shows a contrast between partisan politics and Arizona politics.

Navigating that partisan divide is trickier for Gallego because hes still a Democrat whos better off not breaking fully from the White House.

And Democrats are generally pursuing a more complicated message on the border and immigration, touting border controls but also a willingness to create legal pathways for immigration.

To say that you want people going there through a legal orderly fashion, where you have Border Patrol agents, you have more judges to process asylum, that you have more folks at the border to process [migrants], thats a positive, good thing. Those are things that you should be for, said Kristian Ramos, a Democratic strategist.

Sinemas legislative proposal with Tillis, though billed as a moderate bipartisan compromise, has generally been met with disdain from immigrant advocates and border policy experts.

Americas Voice, a progressive immigration advocacy group, wrote in a recent release that the Sinema and Tillis bill replaces a balanced approach with a set of punitive policies that should be complete non-starters in the Democratically controlled Senate.

But Gallego and Sinema are battling for Arizonas independent voters, placing different bets on where that groups sentiments on the border and immigration lie.

Although Gallego has more constraints on how far he can stray from the Democratic base position, he has structural advantages over Sinema as the likely Democratic nominee.

And Sinemas electorate is likely to shrink as Gallego and the eventual GOP nominee activate their respective bases.

Given recent polling, shell be hard-pressed to put together a winning coalition in a three-way race, said Ramos.

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Last year, lawmakers said Arizona needed an independent board to choose water projects. This year, it wants to dictate more of which get cash.

So much for that billion-dollar investment.

Lawmakers last year heavily touted the cash they were putting behind efforts to find new sources of water and conserve existing ones.

They agreed to split a billion dollars over three years  the majority of which was earmarked to import water from somewhere else  and passed legislation to radically beef up the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) to dole out the cash.

Now, the newly signed state budget reduces that funding to about $189 million.

Or nearly $144 million short of the $333 million that was expected.

WIFA needs certainty to make loans

Without that investment, its unlikely that lawmakers will have enough to make up the full billion next year, given how much less cash is projected to be lying around then.

And that could prove problematic for WIFA, which needs certainty in funding to make loans over time.

That is, after all, how lawmakers wanted the bulk of the cash to be handed out, particularly for the larger projects that WIFA is supposed to accelerate.

Another view: This water fight could get aggressive. And ugly

Some now quietly argue that Arizona should spend more cash on in-state projects, not pile it up for some elusive water source elsewhere.

Ive long said as much, and that more of the cash should be doled out as grants, particularly for projects that could make cash-strapped rural areas more sustainable.

But if thats the case, why not just offer more flexibility for how the money can be doled out?

Lawmakers want their own water projects

Instead, next years budget contains carve-outs for a slew of local projects, including:

nearly $40 million for Gilbert and Peoria to drill new wells,

$25 million to help settle a dispute between farmers and the Ak-Chin Indian Community that rely on the Santa Rosa canal,

$20 million to reconstruct a levee in Winslow,

$11 million to accelerate projects that desalinate brackish groundwater,

$3.4 million to build a water recharge basin in Mohave County, and

$810,000 for irrigation and xeriscape improvements in Glendale.

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Its certainly within the Legislatures purview to fund them.

But just last year, our elected leaders argued that Arizona needed an independent board to ensure that taxpayer-funded projects can save or create as much water as advertised, among other things.

Now, they are giving that board less money and funneling cash toward their own favored ideas, which wont have anywhere near that level of accountability attached.

Was expanding WIFA all a ruse?

I know. Some argue that last years exercise was all just a ruse concocted by former Gov. Doug Duceys administration to funnel cash toward his favored ocean desalination project in Mexico.

State leaders pressured the newly expanded board to consider said proposal just before Ducey left office, even though the project lacked key details.

WIFA had not yet spelled out how it would handle projects like this. Nor had it hired an executive director or key staff to begin doing the work the Legislature told it to do.

In the end, the board rejected IDEs proposed term sheet and voted simply to keep talking with the group on its proposed desalination project.

IDE has not yet funneled additional information to WIFA staff for review. Its generally been radio silence ever since.

If Arizona is stepping back, explain why

But WIFA, to its credit, has worked hard to regain the trust needlessly lost in that short-lived mess.

It has focused on transparency and policymaking, spelling out how it intends to evaluate projects.

Plans are taking shape to determine how much additional water the state might need and where  basic information Arizona has long been missing to make educated decisions about new supplies.

Meanwhile, the agency is prioritizing water conservation, hoping to earn some quick and positive wins this summer under that program, which the Legislature also seeded with $200 million last session.

Perhaps lawmakers now want to focus on local projects and see what kind of projects apply to WIFA before handing it more cash.

But if so, thats an about-face from last year, when our leaders argued a beefed-up agency was necessary to coalesce and catalyze water projects with regional or statewide impact.

The change at least deserves a public explanation.

Reach Allhands at joanna.allhands@arizonarepublic.com. On Twitter: @joannaallhands.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona invested $1 billion in water, then pulled part of it back
Arrest warrants were issued for a man in a Columbia sex crime that had gone unsolved for more than a decade, the Columbia Police Department said.

James Wayne Ingersoll, 51, will be charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said Tuesday in a news release.

On March 13, 2010, Ingersoll kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 25-year-old woman in the 300 block of Harden Street, according to the release. Thats not far from the University of South Carolina campus.

After the crime, the victim went to a hospital, where the attackers DNA was collected with a sexual assault kit, and that evidence was entered in to the Combined DNA Index System  a national law enforcement database operated by the FBI.

There was no DNA match until recently, police said.

The match was made by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department during its investigation of a sexual assault there from 1994, according to the release. A DNA sample was taken at the time from the Charlotte female victim, and testing of the evidence was conducted multiple times in the past five years. A test in 2019 proved a case-to-case match with the Columbia police investigation; however a suspect or person of interest was not identified.

Earlier this month Charlotte-Mecklenburg police used advanced technology in the form of forensic genetic genealogy to identify a person of interest in their 1994 sexual assault investigation, police said. Recently, a DNA sample from a suspect was obtained and submitted to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crime Laboratory for testing and comparison, according to the release.

That DNA sample matched the DNA samples initially obtained in both sexual assault investigations, thus naming Ingersoll as the suspect in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Columbia crimes, police said.

Ingersoll was arrested May 4 in North Carolina and is currently locked up at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Detention Center after bond was set at $600,000, according to the release.

Ingersoll refused to waive extradition, and a Columbia Police Department member of the U.S. Marshals Services Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is in the process of obtaining a governors extradition warrant for Ingersolls arrest to face charges in Columbia, police said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted police in the investigation.
ZURICH  The new Akris exhibition at Switzerlands top design museum is a feast for the eyes and the hands, where visitors can squint at intricately printed sequins, gaze upon dozens of large-scale paintings, photos and sculptures, fondle bolts of woven horsehair, and experience 800-gram cashmere double-face melting on their shoulders.

There are even 3D glasses that make Thomas Ruffs depiction of Martian landscapes come to life on one of his arresting photo works  and on a silk Akris raincoat bearing the same otherworldly topography.

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While timed to the 100th anniversary of the St. Gallen-based fashion house and peppered with historical information, the sprawling display at the Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich mostly offers a deep dive into Albert Kriemlers creative process, focusing on the last 15 years, when artistic collaborations and technical wizardry came to the fore.

Kriemler teamed up with the museums curator Karin Gimmi, juxtaposing about 100 Akris outfits with artworks in crisp vignettes reminiscent of contemporary art galleries.

Karin Gimmi and Albert Kriemler

While designers and fashion brands of all stripes now routinely unfurl tie-ups with buzzy artists, Gimmi noted how Kriemler never goes with what the art world is talking about right now  and he also negotiates the contemporary art scene alone, without any consultant or advisor.

For example, he has shone a spotlight on Reinhard Voigts pixelized oil paintings, Cuban-American artist Carmen Herreras abstract color planes, and Rodney Grahams multimedia hijinks, often involving him putting on garments and assuming curious contortions.

Whats more, Kriemler does not simply transpose the art he selects to garments, but lets the works contribute to the structure, proportions, coloration and spirit of his designs, Gimmi explained.

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Its about his feelings, and hes really building up a relationship with the people he works with, she said.

Sometimes, the artists are friends, as was the case with Ruff, whom Kriemler has known for 30 years. The two men worked hand-in-hand on their fall 2014 collaboration, which included looks that lit up with LED embroideries.

Paintings by Reinhard Voigt and the Akris fashions they inspired.

Several pandemic-era collections are featured, including the spring 2021 collection done with German artist Imi Knoebel.

The Knoebel room ranks as a complete cinematic art-fashion experience, the mannequins lined up diagonally, echoing the metal bars Knoebel tacks to his monumental canvases. The collection film by Anton Corbijn plays on a facing wall, pulsing with color. He has a vocabulary of hundreds of prepared colors which he mixes, Kriemler marveled.

The designer noted that department-store executive Burton Tansky, an early champion of Akris in the U.S., coaxed him into using brighter colors by inviting him to Florida, Texas and California in order to experience the lifestyle there.

I saw what sunlight does to color, he said in front of a display of hundreds of Akris fabric swatches from the past 40 years. You have to have the right fabric to make the color beautiful.

Albert Kriemler collaborated with artist Thomas Ruff for the Akris fall 2014 collection.

Architecture can get Kriemlers creative juices going also, as seen in the Akris spring 2016 collection where Sou Fujimotos metal grids are interpreted as intricate guipure embroideries on biker jackets and zippered dresses, while porous roof-scapes were expressed as lean 18-gauge silk knits and diaphanous circle skirts riddled with similar holes, some achieved via laser-cutting.

Thanks to the Swiss firms seasoned seamstresses, Kriemler was able to translate a wooden gate from Ian Hamilton Finlays Scottish estate into an arresting column gown, and photos of his ponds into dreamy, watery prints on silk georgette.

Akriss 480 Swiss employees were among the first to discover the showcase on Wednesday. Pieter Kriemler, Alberts brother and chief executive officer at the family-owned firm, said the entire company was energized by the project and he felt it important to give them the V-VIP treatment.

The exhibit open to the public on Friday and runs through Sept. 24.

Collections need to be realized by passionate people, the executive said. Especially after COVID[-19], this exhibition provided a big, positive push.

Geta Bratescus humorous self-portrait is rendered on a yellow poncho.

Over the coming months the brands wholesale and commercial partners will also be invited to discover the display in a vaulted space reminiscent of a cathedral.

It unfurls thematically, and visitors can dip into the rooms flanking the central nave at their whim. The first room to the left of the trapezoidal entry portal is dedicated to Akris founder Alice Kriemler, who turned out aprons made of the finest cottons with beautiful embroideries.

Albert Kriemler recalled how his grandmothers comportment changed the minute she tied on her apron and headed into the Akris atelier and workshops.

I was always concerned that the apron is something very far from today, the designer mused. The company started dressing women for their daily work life, and we dont to do something so different today.

Gimmi noted that Akris exalts a core belief of Bauhaus scholar Max Bill, whose thinking informs the design museum, located in a Bauhaus-inspired building from the 30s.

His goal was to create functional things that are also beautiful, and Akris is very much in line what with what we stand for, she said.

Akris Ai bags made of horsehair are arranged in a trapezoid formation.

Albert Kriemler said he ventured into prints in the mid-2000s at the suggestion of his brother, remembering a small digital printing machine he had encountered at a University of Lucerne campus dedicated to textile studies and research.

The machine allowed him to create photorealistic prints on fabrics, opening a new creative vista, establishing another brand signifier for Akris, and making his artistic collaborations highly collectible.

You always have to try new things, Kriemler said, repeating a mantra instilled in him by his grandmother and his father, Max, always on a quest to find or invent the most exceptional fabrics. Today, I still use several materials he developed.

Interspersed among the recent collections are vintage binders cataloging St. Gallen embroideries, charming family photos, early Akris advertising campaigns and an embroidered skirt suit by Cristobal Balenciaga circa 1940s, which a 27-year-old Kriemler found at an open-air antique market in New Yorks Flatiron district.

And one of Akris best-selling blouses of all time, trimmed with lily of the valley embroidery, circa 1953, is also displayed. The stretch silk chiffon number from the fall 2002 collection was showcased in a 2006 exhibition mounted by Akris at the Textilmuseum in St. Gallen.

Centenary celebrations kicked off last October with its spring 2023 show, a private dinner, and the release of the 162-page tome Akris  A Century in Fashion Selbstverstandlich. (The last word translates to of course in English.)

Anniversary events have unfurled around the world, including recent repeat shows in Seoul and Tokyo.

What is sure to be one of the most popular rooms in the new Zurich exhibition hosts a rack of double-face cashmere coats in sizes 2 to 16.

You have to feel what Arkis is all about, Kriemler said with a smile.

Visitors can try on double-face cashmere coats and fondle rich fabrics.

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LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organized crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings. The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

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On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmars Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimized. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labor abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home," Mahfud said.

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Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez, Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a two-day summit. Their host, President Joko Widodo, called for unity amid global economic headwinds and major-power rivalry that's lashing the region.

The 10-nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed, with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmar's generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings. The time for isolation has served its purpose, said an internal ASEAN report obtained by The Associated Press.

Over the weekend, a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire in Myanmars eastern Shan state. A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged, but there were no injuries, state-run television MRTV reported.

Indonesia, which chairs ASEAN this year, had arranged for the aid delivery after a long-delayed assessment.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable, the ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement.

For the second year, Myanmar's top general was not invited to the summit. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing led the army in seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, plunging the country into a civil strife and becoming ASEANs gravest crisis since its founding in 1967.

ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues."

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During foreign ministers' talks ahead of the summit, however, some suggested that the group reengage Myanmar's military-led State Administration Council and bring Myanmar back to ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and summits, noting that the time for isolation has served its purpose, according to the ASEAN report. It did not identify the countries pushing for more leniency toward Myanmar despite international outrage against continuing military attacks in the country.

The suggestion for ASEAN to bring Myanmar back into its fold was noted, the report said, hinting it did not received full approval from all the ministers.

The ministerial talks stressed the Myanmar crisis should not affect ASEAN's progress in building a regional community, said the report, which cited one observation that there would be no near-term solution to the Myanmar crisis.

There was also an observation that ASEAN might be experiencing a `Myanmar fatigue,' which might distract ASEAN from larger goals of ASEAN community-building, the report said. Patience, flexibility and creativity are therefore required since there will be no quick fix to the crisis.

The report cited, without elaborating, concerns on rising transnational crimes, including human trafficking and illegal drug production originating from Myanmar. More alarmingly, it said, there was "a call to all parties to stop the influx of arms and financial funding into Myanmar, which leads to an escalation of the conflict."

More than 3,450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to repression by the military government.

In April, a military airstrike killed more than 160 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule, according to witnesses cited by Human Rights Watch. The group on Tuesday described the attack in which the military dropped a devastating thermobaric or vacuum bomb as an apparent war crime.

Indonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military since assuming the rotating role as ASEANs leader. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country is taking a non-megaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and end violence, which are goals of a five-point peace plan the leaders negotiated with Myanmar's military leader in 2021.

In a post-summit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders, they plan to renew a call for self-restraint in the disputed South China Sea, repeating language used in previous ASEAN statements.

Concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region, said a draft of the communique.

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Associated Press journalists Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
The turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at the ASEAN summit in Indonesia

Southeast Asian nations said Wednesday they are "deeply concerned" about the violence ravaging Myanmar, and condemned a recent attack on a convoy of diplomats delivering humanitarian aid in the country.

Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia, as the regional bloc faces criticism for its perceived inaction.

ASEAN has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the festering crisis, but its efforts so far have failed to stem the bloodshed unleashed by a military coup in 2021.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," ASEAN leaders said in a statement.

The junta has ignored international criticism and refused to engage with its opponents, which include ousted lawmakers, anti-coup "People's Defence Forces" and armed ethnic minority groups.

An air strike on a village in a rebel stronghold last month that reportedly killed about 170 people sparked global condemnation and worsened the junta's isolation.

Pressure on the regional bloc increased Sunday after a convoy of vehicles carrying diplomats and officials coordinating ASEAN humanitarian relief in Myanmar came under fire.

Singapore and Indonesia said earlier that staff from their embassies in Myanmar were in the vehicles that came under fire in eastern Shan State but were unharmed.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable," ASEAN leaders said in their statement.

Addressing the summit Wednesday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he was "confident" the 10-member bloc could deal with growing global challenges if its members were united.

"With unity, ASEAN will be able to play a central role in bringing peace and growth," Widodo said through a translator as he opened the leaders' session of the summit.

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- Low expectations -

Foreign ministers and national leaders meeting on the Indonesian island of Flores are trying to kickstart a five-point plan agreed upon with Myanmar two years ago after mediation attempts to end the violence failed.

Myanmar remains an ASEAN member but has been barred from top-level summits due to the junta's failure to implement the peace plan.

Diplomatic sources told AFP that the foreign ministers of some countries, which they did not name, had suggested eventually inviting back the junta, citing "Myanmar fatigue".

Jakarta's chairmanship of the bloc this year had raised hopes ASEAN could push for a peaceful solution, using its economic weight as well as its diplomatic experience.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Friday that her country was using "quiet diplomacy" to speak with all sides of the Myanmar conflict and spur renewed peace efforts.

But Indonesia was running out of time to achieve a breakthrough, said Lina Alexandra, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

After the next leaders' summit in September, Alexandra added, Indonesia will hand the bloc's influential chairmanship to communist-ruled Laos, which could bring Myanmar back "into the fold" and allow the junta to attend ASEAN summits.

"It is time for Indonesia to show that it can do what it should do," she said.

ASEAN's charter principles of consensus and non-interference have hamstrung its ability to stop the violence in Myanmar, which critics say poses an existential threat to the bloc.

Divisions among its members over Myanmar and other issues, including China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, have undermined the bloc.

On Wednesday, diplomats were fine-tuning an implementation plan for the peace process that would be announced by their leaders on Thursday.

The latest draft of the end-of-summit statement seen by AFP has left the paragraph on Myanmar open, reflecting diplomatic difficulties over the issue.

Expectations for progress were low.

"I don't think that there's going to be very much there that will surprise people," said Aaron Connelly, an analyst for International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.

mba-amj/mtp
Lawrence Stroll pictured with son Lance Stroll. Lars Baron/Getty Images

Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll suggested the firm made up to $80 million selling F1 safety cars.

Stroll said he didn't believe the expression "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" before Aston Martin.

The CEO took control of Aston Martin in 2020, but it's failed to recover massive share price losses.

Aston Martin's boss suggested the carmaker might have gotten an $80 million boost from its car featuring in Formula One races.

Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit, Lawrence Stroll, who also stars in the hit Netflix F1 documentary series "Drive to Survive," talked up the financial benefits of stepping into the paddock with a racing team.

Stroll was asked whether there was any material impact on sales from Aston Martin featuring in F1, given most of their customers were high-net-worth individuals who were already likely to be aware of the company.

"There's an expression, I didn't believe it but we're actually experiencing it: race on Sunday, sell on Monday," Stroll said.

Stroll highlighted the impact of Aston Martin supplying F1's safety car, a vehicle deployed to lead the racing pack at a slower pace when there is an accident. The CEO says the carmaker has sold between 300 and 400 of its Vantage F1 edition cars as a result of the vehicle featuring in those races.

"Sounds like a small number, but for a company of our size it's relatively important," Stroll said.

Each Vantage F1 edition is priced at 159,500, or $200,000. That would suggest Aston Martin has taken between $60 million and $80 million worth of sales linked to its safety car.

Insider asked Aston Martin for confirmation of Stroll's initial claims, and to confirm that he was referring to the model used in Insider's calculations.

Aston Martin sold about 6,400 units in total in its last full financial year, bringing in revenues of around $1.74 billion.

Stroll's son Lance is a driver on his Aston Martin team, alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Per Forbes, the billionaire led a $235.6 million investment to take control of the company in early 2020.

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But shares in the carmaker have nosedived since it floated on the London Stock Exchange about five years ago. The group is worth about 63% less than it was in October 2018, and a resurgence following Stroll's takeover was mostly wiped out at the end of last year.

Stroll told the summit he was confident he would eventually see a return on his initial outlay.

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In early October 2022, everything was falling into place for Marine 1st Lt. Jack Taubl.

After more than three years in the Marine Corps, the cyber officer had accepted a lucrative job in cybersecurity in Texas and was preparing to move there from Maryland with his girlfriend, who had told her employer of her intention to depart.

He was scheduled to reach his terminal leave, thanks to all of his banked-up vacation time, in March 2023, a few months before his official end of active service in May 2023.

Then, on Oct. 17, 2022, he happened to log in the administrative portal Marine Online and saw his end of active service date was listed as April 2027. That was four years later than hed bargained for.

My heart completely fell out, Taubl said.

Taubl, 26, says hes now stuck in the Marine Corps because of an audit by Marine human resources officials of cyber lieutenants contracts, which resulted in two dozen of them having their service lengths extended.

Twenty-four of the Corps 181 cyberspace officers saw their end of active service dates changed following an audit in October 2022, according to Marine spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock.

The Marine Corps has insisted that all the audit did was make sure that Marines records accurately reflect whats in the contracts they signed: A deal is a deal.

Current and correct personnel records allow Marines to plan their careers effectively and align with what the Marine desired when they signed their service agreement, Carlock said in a statement to Marine Corps Times. Additionally, this process reinforces the services combat readiness and ability to employ our highly skilled Marines.

But because not all of the officers in the cyber job field signed contracts committing them to additional service, and because his own end of active service date wasnt updated until October 2022, Taubl has argued he was justified in relying on a spring 2023 exit from the Corps.

Now, officers across the force are having their records audited. Its unclear how many of them could, like Taubl, end up in the Marine Corps for longer than they had planned.

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Contracts for some, not others

On top of those Marines, at least some others demonstrated that they never signed secondary service agreements extending their contract lengths  so they were able to get the Corps to change their end of active service dates back, according to one lieutenant to whom that happened.

But part of the difficulty for Taubl is that he did sign a contract in 2020 locking him into the Corps for six years after his cyber training, in accordance with the official requirement for the military occupational specialty.

In his view, though, the contract shouldnt apply because it contained inaccuracies and because not all of his peers were asked to sign similar contracts.

While at The Basic School in February 2020, Taubl and three other future cyber officers had about 10 minutes to sign a secondary service agreement obligating them to six years of service after the completion of cyber training, which ended in April 2021, Taubl said. He previously had signed on for four years after receiving his commission.

Taubl has pointed to what he sees as significant errors with his own service agreement.

It said that Taubl was enrolled in a platoon leaders class, though he wasnt at the time. It mentioned that Taubl would be assigned to The Basic School in the future, but he already was there. And it didnt say that his initial agreement was now void.

Taubl signed the agreement because, he said, he believed it was required for all Marine cyber officers. But at cyber school, he learned that others hadnt signed the secondary contract. And once he got to his job at Fort Meade, Maryland, he saw that his end of active service date was still listed as May 2023.

I figured, Hey, maybe they realized that this was not applied evenly across the board and that they just kind of said, You know what, we messed this up, well correct it for future classes, but we cant enforce this if its applied to only some and not others, Taubl said.

Even up to September 2022, his pay statement listed the May 2023 end of active service date, according to a copy reviewed by Marine Corps Times.

That fall, the Marine Corps conducted an audit of the cyber officers service records, adjusting them on a case-by-case basis to match the service agreements on file, Carlock said.

When Taubl saw his new end of active service date on Marine Online in October 2022, several other lieutenants in the small, tight-knit cyber community reported their dates also had been moved with no notice, according to Taubl.

One cyber lieutenant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Marine was discouraged from speaking to the media, described being in a class at The Basic School that graduated shortly before Taubls.

The future cyber officers in this lieutenants class, which also graduated in 2020, werent asked to sign the secondary service agreements that would have extended their service lengths, according to the lieutenant.

But in October 2022, the lieutenant also saw a new, significantly delayed end of active service date. The lieutenants command resolved the issue within a few weeks, restoring the lieutenants original date, according to the lieutenant.

I dont think they quite realized until after the change in the date that some people did not sign the contract, the Marine said. So it sounded like it was just kind of an admin error and they had to kind of go back and fix everything.

But not for Taubl and 23 others who did sign the secondary service agreements.

Carlock said she couldnt comment on any particular Marines record because of privacy concerns.

The Marine Corps made necessary corrections to ensure personnel records accurately reflected signed service agreements, Carlock stated.

Its unclear exactly why the Marine Corps initiated an audit of the cyber officers records in particular.

But the Marine Corps cyber field has faced some challenges in the first few years since its creation.

Across the services, its expensive to train cyber officers and hard to retain them amid the pull of lucrative jobs in the private sector or at other federal agencies.

The military spent at least $160 million annually on bonuses for retaining cyber personnel from fiscal years 2017 to 2021, the Government Accountability Office found.

A forcewide audit

As Taubl was pleading with the Marine Corps to let him leave active duty, the Marine Corps on April 23 released an administrative message to clarify and educate the force on how contract lengths are calculated for officers across military occupational specialties.

The message states that officers lengths of service get calculated from the end of their military occupational specialty schools. But initially, officers see a placeholder end of active service date set for four years after the date of commissioning.

Theres no way for the end of active service dates to be updated automatically in an officers personnel record, according to the message. Rather, a Marine employee has to conduct an audit and manual update of records.

Audits of service records are a normal function used to ensure all members are receiving proper pay and entitlements, the message states.

The message notes that the Marine Corps is now auditing the service agreements of all active duty officers who are non-career designated, meaning those who arent committed to additional service beyond their initial active service obligation.

It remains unclear how many officers could end up having their end of active service dates adjusted, like the 24 cyber officers were, as a result of this audit.

News of the Marine Corps audit of service agreements comes as the Army reinterpreted pilots contracts, tacking on three years of required service for more than 600 officers.

Spokespersons for the Navy and Air Force said the services werent currently auditing personnel records to adjust service lengths.

Taubl hired a lawyer, Chad Lennon, a major in the Marine Reserve, who asked Marine Manpower and Reserve Affairs to review Taubls record and restore the original end of active service date. The Marine Corps declined.

The remaining recourse, Lennon said, is to appeal to the Board for Corrections of Naval Records, a process that he expected would take a few years.

A lot of damage has already been done at that point to his prospects for a civilian career, as well as his girlfriends, Lennon said. And the damage was done of thinking youre going to be going to one other chapter of your life, and that doesnt happen.

Taubl said he also had gotten his hometown congressman, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, to open a congressional inquiry.

The Marine Corps has been slow to respond, missing one deadline and dragging its feet on another, Taubl said.

Nora Kohli, a spokeswoman for Himes office, told Marine Corps Times she couldnt comment on ongoing casework.

In the meantime, Taubl had to back out of the cybersecurity position he already had accepted at JPMorgan Chase. He said had been looking forward to making more money while still serving what he described as a noble cause, that of protecting the financial system from cyber attacks.

Now, he said he is worried that having reneged on that position will make it harder for him to secure a similar one when he does get out of the Marine Corps.

And he feels frustrated in the Marine cyber field. Although he wanted to serve in the military since he was a child, he said some of what the Marine Corps expects from its officers  marksmanship, physical fitness, administrative duties and changes of location  dont line up with the realities of what makes a good cyber employee.

To have (leaving the Marine Corps) be that close, and have everything pulled away, its heartbreaking, he said.

Editors note: This story has been updated with additional information about congressional involvement in 1st Lt. Jack Taubls case.
(Bloomberg) -- The US military faces unnecessary and unprecedented risk from a Republican Senators block on officer promotions aimed at protesting the Pentagons abortion policy, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Austin detailed the perils of a leadership void in a May 5 letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, who requested an accounting of the impact on national security from the hold placed by Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville on all general and flag officer nominations.

Tuberville placed the hold Feb. 16 over a policy that allows military personnel seeking an abortion to take leave and receive travel allowances. If the Senate doesnt resolve the impasse, the hold could ultimately complicate the confirmation in a few months of the the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest US military position.

The longer that this hold persists, the greater the risk the US military runs in every theater, every domain, and every service, Austin wrote in the letter, released Wednesday by Warrens office.

Following the overturning of Roe v Wade abortion protections by the Supreme Court, the deadlock over military leader appointments highlights how deeply the political discord over the issue has crept into the procedural gears of Washington.

Tubervilles hold also threatens to block the expected appointment of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That would mean the top civilian and uniformed Pentagon leadership posts would be held by African Americans, coming 75 years after President Harry Truman ordered to desegregate the military.

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Tuberville, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told Austin in a March 22 phone call that he would keep his hold on Pentagon nominees unless the defense chief rescinds or suspends the policy facilitating taxpayer-funded abortions for the military and their family members.

While a hold doesnt prevent confirmation, it would require several days of procedural steps to end debate. Senate leaders often honor hold requests because not doing so risks a range of parliamentary responses, such as a filibuster, which could expend significant amounts of scarce floor time, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The Pentagon has 64 three-and four-star nominations for positions scheduled to rotate within the next four months, including the Army Chief of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Director of the National Security Agency and the head of the US Cyber Command, according to Austin.

The Defense Department projects that about 650 general and flag officers will require Senate confirmation by the end of the year.

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Jane Priest kisses Prince Charles in Perth, Australia, in 1979. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Model Jane Priest kissed King Charles III on an Australian beach in 1979.

According to Priest, the kiss was staged by the royal family.

The moment was designed to make the then-prince "more accessible."

In March 1979, King Charles III was on a trip to Australia on behalf of the royal family.

He would marry Princess Diana two years later, and his affair with Queen Camilla would come to define him in the next decade.

But when he arrived in Australia, the public saw Charles, who held the title of Prince of Wales at the time, as anything but a casanova. He was Queen Elizabeth II's reserved and somewhat awkward heir, with the traditions of the royal family making him come across as overly formal to a new generation.

The Institution was determined to change Charles' reputation, as they wanted the future monarch to seem relatable.

So it arranged for Charles to meet up with a model on Cottesloe Beach, Perth, according to the Evening Standard.

Prince Charles greets the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser in March 1979. David Porter/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

The outlet spoke to the model who landed the job, Jane Priest, about the event in 2012.

"It was a PR thing to try and make Charles more accessible," Priest told the Evening Standard.

"My meeting with Charles on the beach wasn't my suggestion, it was theirs," she added.

Priest told the outlet that she met Charles the evening before their beach rendezvous to ensure she was a good fit for the position.

"It was a set-up photograph of the Prince of Wales meeting an Australian native, but he threw a spanner in the works," she went on to tell the Evening Standard.

Indeed, royal photographer Kent Gavin said he directed Priest to "run up and kiss" Charles on the beach in the 2013 documentary "Royalty Close Up," but Charles appeared to get cold feet when Priest approached him on the beach.

Jane Priest kisses Prince Charles in Perth, Australia, in 1979. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

"When he saw me, he dived into the water, so I thought I'd follow him in, but as I went in, he got out," she told the Evening Standard. "So I followed him out, hair ruined, makeup ruined, and I felt like such an idiot. I actually went and put my hands on his chest to give him a kiss and Charles said: 'No, I can't touch you, I can't touch you.'"

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Despite Charles' lackluster reaction to Priest, Gavin got the photo he was looking for, making the future monarch look suave and approachable.

Charles returned to Australia in 1983 with Diana and Prince William, where Diana solidified her reputation as the "people's princess"  and made Charles jealous.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit Ayers Rick (Uluru) during their royal tour of Australia in 1983. Gerrit Fokkema/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media/Getty Images

Reflecting on the photo shoot, Priest told the Evening Standard she was "overawed" to have an intimate moment with Charles.

"I was in my mid-twenties, here was one of the most powerful men in the world and he was absolutely adorable," she said. "I was totally overawed for those couple of minutes."

Priest went on to have a successful career as a model, according to the Evening Standard.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the matter.

Read the original article on Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell will head to China on Thursday for the first in-person meeting between the two countries top trade officials since 2019 in yet another sign of warming relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Farrell will meet with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to progress the resolution of outstanding trade impediments, according to his press statement ahead of the visit.

The two met virtually in February where Wang told his counterpart that the freeze is over and were now moving to a warm spring. Since then, coal, cotton and copper trade have resumed, according to Farrell, and China said it will speed up review on duties imposed on Australian barley.

During my visit I will be advocating strongly for the full resumption of unimpeded Australian exports to China  for all sectors  to the benefit of both countries and in the interests of Australian exporters and producers, Farrell said.

This is the first visit by an Australian trade minister to China since November 2019 and bodes well for both economies, setting the stage for stronger diplomatic ties. China is Australias largest trading partner, with the two-way trade in goods worth $287 billion in 2022.

Relations began to deteriorate in 2017 and dramatically worsened in April 2020 when then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19. China responded by targeting Australias exports of coal, wine, barley and lobsters while one of its diplomats complained that Australia was doing the bidding of the US.

Since Australias election of the center-left Labor government in May 2022, relations with Beijing are mending.

Story continues

Farrell said in April hes optimistic that punitive trade sanctions imposed by China on Australias exports could be lifted by the end of this year. During this trip, Australias trade chief said he will also meet with other Chinese political leaders and business representatives.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - Australia's Trade Minister arrived in Beijing On Thursday to meet his Chinese counterpart, as Canberra pushes for the removal of all trade barriers and for diplomatic relations to stabilise.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said he would meet Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing and "be advocating strongly for the full resumption of unimpeded Australian exports to China  for all sectors  to the benefit of both countries and in the interests of Australian exporters and producers".

There has been goodwill on both sides but more needed to be done, he told reporters at Beijing's Capital Airport.

"Nothing is going to do more to achieve peace in our region than strong trading relationships between Australia and China," he said.

Speaking during a roundtable discussion later at the Australian Embassy with representatives of Australian Chambers of Commerce in China, Farrell called for "perseverance and persistence" to overcome the trade issues.

"The problems we've had to solve didn't occur overnight and we're not going to solve them overnight, but we're working towards that," he said.

China is Australia's largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods worth A$287 billion ($195 billion) in 2022, dominated by iron ore exports which China cannot easily replace. Yet an Australian trade minister had not visited China since 2019.

China's commerce ministry said Farrell would stay through Saturday, adding that it hoped the visit would further cement the "important consensus" reached between the two heads of state at a G20 meeting Bali in November last year.

"China hopes to exchange views to develop bilateral economic and trade relations, and move the ties forward," Shu Jueting, a ministry spokesperson, told a news briefing.

The ministers will also chair a Joint Ministerial Economic Commission, a meeting first held in 1986, but suspended since 2017 when ties began to deteriorate over diplomatic disputes.

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Australian wine, beef, barley, coal, seafood and timber exports to China were hit by trade curbs in 2020, and Australian journalist Cheng Lei was detained in Beijing on national security charges, after Australia called for an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which angered Beijing.

Canberra had earlier barred Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network over national security concerns.

Diplomatic tensions have eased since Australia elected a Labor government in May 2022. But there has been no shift in policy on screening foreign investment for national security concerns, and a defence shake-up announced last month will draw Australia closer to its security alliance partner the United States.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a British television interview last week that his government "hasn't engaged in rhetoric that is inflammatory" about Beijing.

Australia last month suspended its complaint over Chinese barley tariffs at the World Trade Organization as a WTO panel was due to report its findings, giving China time to review the 80.5% duties imposed in 2020.

"The Australian Government is pleased there have been several positive trade developments, including the resumption of coal, cotton, and copper trade and China's agreement to undertake an expedited review of duties on Australian barley," said Farrell.

Australia exported roughly $40 million worth of copper ore and concentrate to China early this year, the first month of exports since 2020, Australian customs data shows.

Farrell said he would also raise "other issues of importance to Australians", a likely reference to human rights cases.

Albanese has said his government will continue to raise the case of Cheng, who has been detained in Beijing for 1,000 days.

($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Kirsty Needham in Sydney; additional reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney; editing by Mark Potter, Sonali Paul and Mark Heinrich)
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria will join the growing list of countries banning Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government employees' work phones, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on Wednesday.

Various Western countries including Britain, the United States and several other European Union member states have already barred TikTok over security concerns. The EU's two biggest policymaking institutions also banned the app in March.

"It will be banned from work mobile phones. On private phones outside the state network it will of course be possible (to use the app)," Karner told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting when asked if politicians in government would be able to keep using the app.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, is under scrutiny from governments and regulators because of concerns that China's government could use the app to harvest users' data or advance its interests.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Christina Fincher)
DETROIT, Mich.  It wasn't until Ashley Marchuck started experiencing frequent anxiety attacks at work  almost every day  that she started to suspect she might be autistic.

Working at Starbucks, she was bombarded with loud noises such as the whirr of the coffee machines, the music playing, and the conversations among customers. The sensory overload was too much. The anxiety attacks, leaving her sweaty and panicked, wouldn't stop.

Marchuck took a leave of absence to figure out what was going on. At 31 years old, she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Marchuck realized that her anxiety attacks were a symptom of sensory issues related to autism, she said.

"It basically takes a mental crisis to get diagnosed," Marchuk, now 32, said. "And that's how it was with me, unfortunately, you know, having those anxiety attacks for months."

While autism is traditionally associated with diagnosis in childhood, more and more adults on social media say they are autistic. But data on adult diagnoses in the U.S. does not appear to exist.

Women and people of color have often been overlooked in diagnoses and in stereotypical depictions of autism in media, said advocates and autistic adults. And those missed diagnoses have left some for decades without help in higher education or the workplace.

AUTISM RATES RISE AGAIN: Why experts say many kids are still 'invisible to the system.'

AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH: Heres what autistic advocates want you to know, and do.

Ashley Marchuck, 32, sits at Heritage Park in Taylor on March 24. A lot of people that get diagnosed later in life will trigger a mental health crisis and thats what happened to me. I was having a lot of anxiety attacks and took a leave from work. I realized it was actually a sensory issue, said Marchuck, who was unaware she was autistic until a couple of months before her diagnosis. There are a lot of people that maybe dont realize they are autistic and may be struggling.  Im still learning.

Why some go without a diagnosis

Definitions of autism have evolved significantly over the past several decades, with more research into the condition and the elimination of Asperger's syndrome from the diagnostic manual that medical professionals use.

Toby Kellk, a clinical psychologist in Huntington Woods, Michigan, started working with children but more recently has begun evaluating adults for autism spectrum disorder. In many cases, she has evaluated adults who likely had fewer support needs as children and who flew under the radar until they were older.

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"Our conceptualization (of autism) really was geared towards more of a population that had higher support needs," Kellk said. "This idea of adults who have functioned incredibly well didn't really align with our idea."

But adults diagnosed past childhood said they wished they'd known sooner, because they would have had a better understanding of social issues.

23-year-old Leah Wathen said she spent much of her life masking autistic traits and feeling uncomfortable in social circumstances but never knowing why. For Wathen and others, masking autistic traits can be exhausting and research suggests may be linked to anxiety.

In school, Wathen would try to mirror her peers to fit in, taking on personality traits that were not her own.

"I just always felt kind of disconnected," she said.

Stereotypes about behavior, particularly in Black children, also contribute to missed autism diagnoses, according to advocates.

Camille Proctor, founder of The Color of Autism, a national nonprofit based in metro Detroit dedicated to assisting Black families with autistic children, said behavioral issues in Black children are often labeled as "problems" in school and not flags for a possible autism diagnosis.

"You'll have a Black child and then they will exhibit certain behaviors, and immediately that child is labeled as oppositional defiant," she said. "But a white child with that same behavior will get an autism diagnosis or a referral to get an autism evaluation."

But in recent years, data has shown a possible shift in the demographics of children diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the data, a higher percentage of Black, Latino, and Asian 8-year-olds compared to white 8-year-olds were diagnosed in 2020  which could indicate that diagnoses are becoming more inclusive.

Leah Wathen, 23, holds a photo of herself as a toddler at her home in Kalamazoo on Sunday, March 26, 2023. "I didn't know who I was for so long. I was very shy and reserved, so a lot of things were just passed off as 'oh, she's just anxious and quirky,'" said Wathen, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 22. "When you think of autism you think of the stereotypical child, so I never had any idea it could look like other things. Now I can ask myself, how can I be more authentic so that I'm not trying to be someone I'm not all the time?"

How parents can advocate in school

While schools can conduct an evaluation to determine whether a student is eligible for special education services, Proctor also recommends an outside diagnosis through medical or mental health providers. Her organization helps train parents to become strong advocates for their children.

"You have to have an informed parent for them to be an advocate for their child," she said.

The Michigan Alliance for Families recommends parents put into writing their requests to schools for evaluations, and asking for an evaluation early on, as issues  such as behavioral complaints from teachers  arise.

"Don't wait until things are horrible," said Michelle Driscoll, policy coordinator for the Michigan Alliance for Families. "Have that conversation with the teacher and administrator. ... And put that request in writing. It's not required, but just to document what the concerns are. Make the request for a comprehensive initial evaluation for eligibility for special education services."

But identifying autism sooner also comes down to public policy.

Brian Calley, former Michigan lieutenant governor and vice chair of the Autism Alliance of Michigan Board of Directors, said identification will expand as early childhood programs expand in the state. And he said pediatricians are conducting more developmental screenings but noted that such screenings won't help vulnerable populations who can't regularly go to the pediatrician's office.

Reagan Calley and her dad, Brian, explored Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in southern Utah on a family vacation last week. He's part of an Autism Alliance of Michigan campaign to be more forceful in elevating autism treatment to the level of a civil right.

Reducing stigma around autism

Calley, who is the father of a child with autism, added that society also needs to reduce the stigma around the condition. He remembers feeling unsure about seeking a diagnosis at first for his child, fearing what a diagnosis could mean.

"There's still some of that, that happens where people might notice that there's issues challenges, problems, delays, and not ready to seek a diagnosis because of societal stigma," he said.

For Wathen, the benefits of a diagnosis far outweighed any discomfort, she said. She is actively working to raise awareness against the stigma that comes with being neurodivergent.

"There's so much education that needs to happen in terms of getting us to a place where people actually understand neurodivergent people and see them as different rather than something that's inherently less than," Wathen said.

Leah Wathen, 23, sits with her cat named Firefly at her home in Kalamazoo on Sunday, March 26, 2023. u0022I didn't know who I was for so long. I was very shy and reserved, so a lot of things were just passed off as, 'oh, she's just anxious and quirky,' u0022 said Wathen, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 22. u0022When you think of autism you think of the stereotypical child, so I never had any idea it could look like other things. Now I can ask myself, 'how can I be more authentic so that I'm not trying to be someone I'm not all the time.' u0022

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Autism diagnosis in adulthood: 'Takes a mental crisis'
Beloved Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover was shot twice in the head before he was dragged facedown into a crawlspace of his home and covered with a comforter, sheet and a rug, according to an autopsy report the Free Press obtained Wednesday through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Beloved Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover was found dead in his Boston-Edison home on April 23, 2023.

Hoover, 53, was first shot behind his right ear and then shot in the back of his head, the autopsy report from the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office indicates. He was found wearing only a black sock.

His death has been ruled a homicide.

Fingernail clippings and samples were taken from Hoover's body for a rape kit, according to the autopsy.

Hoover was discovered in his home in the Boston-Edison Historic District on April 23. His family, who lives in Indiana, had called Detroit police because he hadn't shown up to a family event as expected.

When police arrived at Hoover's home, Detroit Police Chief James White said, evidence at the home suggested something was wrong. Concerned, police went inside and found Hoover in the crawlspace.

Police previously had a person of interest in custody in an unrelated case, and White had said he was confident this person has key information about Hoover's slaying.

But charges never materialized. The person of interest was released, and since then there have been no updates from police, who have been asking the community to provide tips.

Hoover was a beloved neurosurgeon in Detroit for over 20 years. He was known for his love of life, his kindness, respect, generosity, and compassion.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Autopsy: Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover shot twice in head
Anthony Russo and Joe Russo at the world premiere of "Avengers: Endgame." Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

"Avengers" director Joe Russo says everyone should be scared of artificial intelligence.

The director told Variety AI must work as a "tool servicing us rather than us servicing the tool."

Russo previously said that an entirely AI-made film could be around two years away.

"Avengers" director Joe Russo has weighed in on the development of artificial intelligence.

"I think everyone should be scared of AI," Russo told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of "Citadel." "It's not going anywhere."

Other notable figures have also expressed fears about AI, including the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, who said in March: "I think it'd be crazy not to be a little bit afraid, and I empathize with people who are a lot afraid."

Russo told Variety AI must work as a "tool servicing us rather than us servicing the tool."

"When the creatives are engaged and the creatives are spearheading the use of technology  look at James Cameron's entire career  that technology ends up in service of artists rather than vice versa," he told the outlet. "If corporations drive the adoption of that technology, it might be a different story."

Russo previously said during a panel discussion that an entirely AI-made film could be around two years away, per IndieWire.

"That means that anyone in this room could tell a story, or make a game at scale, with the help of a photoreal engine or an engine and AI tools," he said.

The filmmaker also disclosed he was on the board of a few AI companies.

Representatives for Russo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Concern around AI safety has been escalating in recent months. AI experts, industry leaders, and creatives have been raising the alarm about the potential impact of the technology on the labor market.

One of the issues central to the Writers Guild of America strike is the threat that AI could one day replace some writers. A writer for a CBS drama told Insider from the picket line that her top concern was the introduction of AI to the creative process.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SPRING VALLEY - A baby who had been left alone for several hours in a parked car was found dead Tuesday, police said.

Police are investigating the circumstances behind the death of the 1-year-old, who was discovered at 4:39 p.m. in a car parked on Ridge Avenue, Detective Philip Fantasia said Wednesday in a news release.

Police did not disclose the infant's gender or details about the family. The investigation is being conducted by the police, the Sheriff's Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Rockland Child Protective Services, and the Rockland Medical Examiner's Office.

Spring Valley Police Department (Photo: John Meore/The Journal News)

Babies die from being left unattended

Kids and Car Safety advocates for preventive methods to stop hot-car deaths among children. The organization said Wednesday the Spring Valley baby was the third child to die in a hot car nationwide this year and the first in New York. Police have not confirmed that heat was the cause of the baby's death.

More than "1,050 children have died in hot cars since 1990 and at least another 7,300 survived with varying types and severity of injuries," according to the group. Approximately 87% of children who die in hot cars are age 3 or younger and the majority  56%  were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver.

Technology exists that can prevent these unthinkable tragedies. The group said a provision was passed in November 2021 as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a regulation by November 2023 for technology in all new cars to help prevent hot car deaths.

Safety advocates are working to ensure that the technology that will be required is the most effective available.

We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety. "As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking."

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She said "automakers do not have to wait for the final regulation to be issued requiring technology" and "can add occupant detection technology to their vehicles today."

David Diamond, professor of Psychology, Molecular Pharmacology, and Physiology, at the University of South Florida, has studied hot-car deaths for nearly two decades.

His research shows how the brain can go on autopilot during routine tasks  like driving children to daycare on the way to work  but that an interruption in the subconscious memory system can cause a false memory that makes one believe the routine task was completed, as it usually happens.

Warmer temperatures mean more kids and families are at risk.

"Every summer we raise awareness about hot car tragedies and every summer beautiful, healthy children continue to die in hot cars," Kids and Car Safety said in a statement. "Effective and available technology to detect the presence of a child trapped inside a hot car must be required as standard equipment in all new cars immediately."

Rockland family's tragedy with twins

In 2019, a New City father, Juan Rodriguez, faced criminal charges in the Bronx after he left his twins strapped into their car seats. He found them in the Honda Accord after leaving work at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. The charges included second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Authorities say their body temperatures had reached 108 degrees while temperatures outside climbed into the high 80s.

Rodriguez, then 39 and an Iraqi war veteran, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of second-degree reckless endangerment. Bronx Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Rosenblueth sentenced him to a one-year conditional discharge.

He had dropped his 4-year-old off at daycare and then drove to work with the twins in child safety seats.

Just days after the incident, Rodriguez found Diamond's research as he tried to fathom how the incident happened.

Diamond, in a 2020 interview with USA Today Network, recalled the emotional call that day. "I could just sense how he had a combination of being so distraught and so depressed," he said. "He needed my help."

Anyone with information on the Ridge Avenue case can call Detective Yakov Polowin at 845-356-7400 or email the Police Department at tips@villagespringvalley.org.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.

Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Spring Valley NY baby found dead inside car
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri lawmakers approved two bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming health care for minors, and prevent transgender girls and women from participating on female sports teams. But Kansas City was preparing to defy the state, with its City Council set to vote on creating a sanctuary for people seeking gender-affirming treatment.

Transgender minors in Missouri would no longer have access to puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery under one bill passed by the Republican-led House. The ban affects some adults  Medicaid health care wont cover any gender-affirming care in the state, and surgery will no longer be available to prisoners and inmates.

Another bill bans transgender student-athletes from joining girls and womens teams from kindergarten through college, both at public and private schools. Schools that allow transgender girls and women to play on such teams would lose state funding.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign both bills, which would expire in 2027 thanks to concessions made through Republican negotiations with Senate Democrats.

Democrats wept during the House debate.

To deny these children care is to deny them their very existence, Rep. Joe Adams said.

The ACLU of Missouri said the two measures amount to weaponization of the government.

Missouris bans come amid a national push by conservatives to put restrictions on transgender and nonbinary people, which alongside abortion has become a major theme of state legislative sessions this year.

When you have kids being surgically and or chemically altered for life for no good reason, yes, its time for the government to get involved, Republican Rep. Brad Hudson told colleagues on the House floor Wednesday.

The governor had threatened to keep lawmakers working beyond the normal end of their session if they didnt approve the gender-affirming care ban, which would take effect Aug. 28. The ban includes exceptions for minors already getting such treatments.

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Republican State Rep. Chris Sander, who is gay, said hes considering leaving his party after most of his GOP colleagues voted for the bills without allowing him to speak against them on the House floor.

Its not a partisan thing to be gay or trans, Sander, who represents the Kansas City suburb of Lone Jack, told reporters after the vote. It has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat. They want to make it about party politics by zipping my lips.

As the bills cleared the Republican-controlled Legislature, a City Council committee in Kansas City opened a hearing on a resolution to designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care.

Supporters acknowledged that the city could face retaliation from the state.

But council member Melissa Robinson said, I do believe in good trouble, and this might just be one of those lines of good trouble.

The committee approved the resolution, forwarding it to the full council, which plans to consider it Thursday.

The proposed resolution says the city wouldn't prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone receive gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery. It also says city personnel will make enforcing requirements against gender-affirming care their lowest priority.

It would minimize the legal violence toward trans people in accessing gender-affirming care, Merrique Jenson, a transgender woman and founder of a nonprofit that advocates for trans women of color, told the council committee.

At least 16 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and several states are still considering bills this year to restrict or ban care, creating uncertainty for many families. Florida and Texas have banned or restricted the care via regulations or administrative orders, and a bill to restrict care is on Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

At least 21 other states have passed restrictions on transgender athletes participation in sports.

California, Minnesota and Washington have declared themselves sanctuary states for gender-affirming care, as have the cities of Chicago; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and West Hollywood, California.

Missouris Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, now campaigning for the 2024 election, launched an investigation in February into St. Louis Washington University Transgender Center. A former staffer had complained that doctors were prescribing hormones too quickly and without enough mental health wraparound services. An internal Washington University review found no malpractice.

Bailey has since expanded his investigation to any clinic offering pediatric gender-affirming care in Missouri, and demanded records from a St. Louis Planned Parenthood where doctors provide such health care.

In April, Bailey took the novel step of imposing restrictions on adults as well as children under Missouris consumer-protection law. A judge temporarily blocked the limits from taking effect as she considers a legal challenge.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Also contributing was Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri.
A local nurse is facing video voyeurism and sexual cyber harassment charges.

According to a Jacksonville Sheriffs Office arrest report, 33-year-old Luke Waski was arrested on April 27.

Luke Waski

The report said one of Waskis patients, laying in her hospital bed, asked him to use her phone to call someone, to let them know she was ok.

After the patient unlocked her phone, Waski walked out of the room with it and texted himself 3 nude photos and a video of that patient, according to the report.

Action News Jax Law and Safety expert Dale Carson describes the magnitude of these charges.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

In these particular cases where this sort of behavior is engaged in, where you actually take someones phone and your text to yourself information thats private on that phone, you have a potential theft charge and you have a cybercrime, said Carson.

Baptist Health sent Action News Jax the following statement:

Luke Waski was a recent hire and was terminated after this event. We immediately began an investigation and worked with law enforcement. Waski was arrested within a few hours of the incident. We also reported this to the Florida Department of Health, which shares information with the Florida Board of Nursing. This is very disappointing and unacceptable behavior.

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Action News Jax spoke with Dr. Chelsa Fore, shes been a nurse for 26 years and is the president of the First Coast Black Nurses Association.

She said that this type of behavior can be prevented.

Remember that our goal is to advocate and to provide care for our patients and not to cause them any harm, said Fore.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Recently-banned Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), the first openly transgender woman elected to the state legislature, is engaged to journalist and trans activist Erin Reed after proposing during a queer prom event held in Zephyrs district Friday.

During her speech at the Missoula, Mont., event, Zephyr thanked the local LGBTQ+ community for their support following her expulsion from the legislature and invited Reed, her girlfriend of nearly one year, to join her in front of attendees.

I could not do the things I do in that legislature without her to come home to every night, Zephyr said.

In spite of the cruelty of the legislative session and anti-trans legislation being considered, Zephyr emphasized the importance of highlighting queer and trans love.

I think about love, and I think about trans love having been throughout history to the past to the future and to the present moment, Zephyr said. And I am so blessed to have Erin by my side.

Reliving the joy of queer prom.



I can't believe I get to be a part of a love like this. I can't believe I get to spend my life with Erin. pic.twitter.com/R4MwCpxRPF  Rep. Zooey Zephyr (@ZoAndBehold) May 7, 2023

Reed wrote about the couples love in her newsletter, describing their relationship and advocacy work together.

It is with immense pleasure that I share a personal story of queer joy, rather than discussing harmful anti-trans legislation for a change, Reed wrote.

The engagement and queer prom in her district marked joyous occasions for Zephyr in the midst of national headlines and drama surrounding her censure from the House floor.

Zephyr was banned from the Montana legislature in late April following clashes with Republican colleagues over a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

During disputes over the ban, Zephyr referenced the legislatures opening prayer that day, leading to what many called a gag order against the representative.

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I hope the next time theres an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands, Zephyr said.

When Zephyr refused to apologize April 20, Montana House Speaker Matt Regier (R) prevented her from speaking on the chamber floor.

Protestors marched on to the states House gallery later the same week, chanting Let her speak! as she raised a microphone.

After law enforcement cleared the gallery floor, Zephyrs colleagues voted her off the House floor for violating its rules of decorum.

Zephyrs ban from the House floor will last the rest of the 2023 session, meaning she wont get a chance to speak or participate in debate unless shes reelected next year or if an unforeseen special session is held, reported the Associated Press.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
More details are beginning to surface for the State College Town Centre Redevelopment Project, which centers on the downtown construction of a new nine-story building.

The proposed building on the 200 block of South Allen Street will include two bars/restaurants (one with outdoor dining on the ninth floor), commercial space on three different floors, a 172-spot parking deck and a 160-room hotel, according to a preliminary land development plan recently submitted to the borough. The new building will wrap around the Jeramar Building (228 S. Allen St.), which houses businesses such as Cozy Thai and The Sign Factory.

No early construction timetable was publicly available as of Wednesday afternoon. Local developer Highland Holding Group, which is overseeing the project, did not immediately respond to a CDT message seeking comment.

Still, construction isnt expected to start anytime soon for this public-private partnership. The preliminary plan must still be reviewed by both the boroughs design review board (May 16) and planning commission (May 18), changes could be made, and a final design then needs to be reviewed. Borough Council must also hold a public hearing on the building June 5, to essentially allow the mixed-use project to proceed without any residential housing.

But, when  and if  this iteration of the State College Town Centre project does open, residents and visitors alike should have a lot to look forward to.

According to the preliminary plan, a bar/restaurant on the ninth floor will have an opening to two terraces for outdoor dining. The terraces  which combine for 3,190 square feet  are about 75% the size of the indoor bar/restaurant itself. (For comparison purposes, a newer Sheetz store is typically between 6,000 and 6,500 square feet.) A bar/restaurant on the buildings lower level  below the first floor  will be just under 7,000 square feet.

A space for outdoor dining has been proposed on the ninth floor, as part of the attached bar/restaurant. This is a rendering of that proposed space.

Commercial space will also be available on the lower level (5,600 square feet), first floor (4,400 square feet) and second floor (3,900 square feet). Its not yet known what specific bars/restaurants and businesses/organizations might fill those spaces.

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The only business that was specified in the preliminary plan was Canopy by Hilton, which intends to take over the 160-room hotel, with rooms on Floors 4-9. This particular Hilton brand, announced in 2014, boasts more than two dozen locations in the U.S., in cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It is characterized by an orange color, canopies over the beds that are inspired by the neighborhood and an overall design theme intended to reflect each unique neighborhood. Most  but not all  Canopy by Hilton locations also welcome pets.

A lot of work remains to be done before construction on the 95-foot building is approved, let alone begins. After all, this project has been something the borough has seriously pursued since 2015. But the preliminary plan is an important step forward, and more information should become available as soon as next week during the design review board and planning commission meetings.
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Aidan Lewis

DUBAI (Reuters) - Fighting in Sudan's capital escalated on Wednesday with fierce clashes and air strikes, but rival military factions were reported to be close to a ceasefire agreement in talks in Saudi Arabia.

Residents reported ground battles in several neighbourhoods of Khartoum between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as heavy gunfire in the north of Omdurman and the east of Bahri, two adjacent cities separated from Khartoum by the River Nile.

The army has been pounding targets across the three cities since Tuesday as it tries to root out RSF forces that have taken control of large residential areas and strategic sites since early in the conflict that erupted on April 15.

"There's been heavy air strikes and RPG fire since 6:30 a.m.", said Ahmed, a resident of the Bahri neighbourhood of Shambat. "We're lying on the ground and there are people living near us who ran to the Nile to protect themselves there under the embankment."

Army and RSF delegations have been meeting since the end of last week in talks sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the Saudi city of Jeddah on the Red Sea.

Negotiations aim to secure an effective truce and allow access for aid workers and supplies after repeated ceasefire announcements failed to stop the fighting.

After days of no apparent movement, a mediation source told Reuters on Wednesday that the negotiations had made progress and a ceasefire agreement was expected soon.

A second source familiar with the talks said a deal was close. Talks continued late into the night.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland earlier said U.S. negotiators were "cautiously optimistic" about securing a commitment to humanitarian principles and a ceasefire but were also looking at appropriate targets for sanctions if the warring factions did not back this.

The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis in Africa's third-largest nation by area, displacing more than 700,000 people inside the country and prompting 150,000 to flee to neighbouring states. It has also sparked unrest in Sudan's western Darfur region.

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The U.N. World Food Programme said that up to 2.5 million more Sudanese were expected to fall into hunger in the coming months because of the conflict, raising the number of people suffering acute food insecurity to 19 million.

GRAPHIC-Sudan's conflict - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SUDAN-POLITICS/gdvzqjmwrpw/chart.png

Since the battles began on April 15, the RSF have dug in across Khartoum neighbourhoods, set up checkpoints, occupied state buildings and placed snipers on rooftops.

The army has been using air strikes and heavy artillery to try to dislodge them.

The RSF on Tuesday said the historic presidential palace in central Khartoum, which has symbolic importance and is in a strategic area that the RSF says it controls, had been hit by an air strike and destroyed, a claim the army denied.

Drone footage filmed on Wednesday and verified by Reuters appeared to show the building, known as the Old Republican Palace, intact, though smoke could be seen coming from the southeast edge of the palace compound.

The fighting has left more than 600 people dead and 5,000 injured, according to the World Health Organization but the real figure is thought to be much higher.

Witnesses have reported seeing bodies strewn in the streets. Most hospitals have been put out of service and a breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting. Fuel and food supplies have been running low.

"Our only hope is that the negotiations in Jeddah succeed to end this hell and return to normal life, and to stop the war, the looting, the robbery and the chaos," said Ahmed Ali, a 25-year-old resident of Khartoum.

Aid agency Islamic Relief said many aid operations in Darfur and Khartoum remained suspended due to extreme insecurity.

It plans to provide aid to thousands of people in Al Gezira state, southeast of Khartoum, where some 50,000 people have fled, as well as to people in parts of Khartoum State and North Kordofan, where fighting has raged.

Conflicts are not new to Sudan, a country that sits at a strategic crossroad between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the volatile Sahel region, although most unrest in the past occurred in remote areas.

The United Nations has projected that 5 million additional people will need emergency assistance inside Sudan while 860,000 are expected to flee to neighbouring states.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz in Dubai, Mohamed Noureldin in Khartoum, Aidan Lewis and Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo, George Sargent in London, Crispian Balmer in Rome, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Aidan Lewis, Tom Perry and Cynthia Osterman; Editing by Christina Fincher, Mark Porter and Lisa Shumaker)
Historic 1963 Rolex Submariner watch set to be auctioned on Friday. (SWNS)

A Rolex watch bought for 70 and which featured on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow could fetch more than 45,000 at auction.

Peter Barnett, 57, inherited the timepiece from his father Simon Barnett just before he died in 2019, aged 80.

The historic 1963 Rolex Submariner watch was bought by Simon, a Royal Navy search and rescue diver, while deployed in Singapore in 1964.

It remained on his wrist throughout his 23-year career, helping him keep track of time while he was involved in several dangerous rescue missions.

The late Simon Barnett during his time in the Navy. (SWNS)

Peter has decided to sell the watch after experts on BBC's Antiques Roadshow last year valued it at between 50,000 and 60,000.

Peter, from Diss, Norfolk, said: "The watch is very precious to our family and it's not a fashion piece  it was involved in a number of important rescue missions.

"It's been a hard decision, but I feel selling it now is the right thing to do."

While bittersweet, the appearance on the BBC show helped Peter piece together more of his father's career in the navy.

After the show a number of former servicemen also got in touch to share their adventures with him.

The watch can be seen in countless photographs taken of Simon during his time in the Royal Navy, capturing its place in naval history.

The sale at TW Gaze auction rooms on Friday is accompanied by several newspaper cuttings, letters and images - with the lot carrying an estimate of between 30,000 and 45,000.

Antiques Roadshow treasures

First Olympic medals won by a British black athlete sell for 8,000

The first Olympic medals won by a British black athlete were sold for 8,000  more than twice their estimated value.

Runner Jack London made history when he scooped bronze in the 4x4 100 metres relay and silver in the 100 metres sprint in the 1928 Olympics.

Jack London's Olympic bronze and silver plus a medal his uncle had gold plated. (SWNS)

The 23-year-olds uncle John Downham also gold-plated an Olympic commemorative medal to create a full set for his talented nephew.

Downhams daughter, Christine Downham, 60, took the memorabilia along to the Antiques Roadshow and experts said the items were worth at least 3,500 but they sold for more than twice their estimated value in 2019.

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Battered storage box bought by a dad for 12 sells for almost 10,000

A battered storage box bought by a dad for 12 at a junk shop 40 years ago sold for more than 600 times that price after it turned out to be a rare Louis Vuitton.

He snapped up the trunk from a bric-a-brac shop in the village of St Margarets, near Twickenham, London, in 1984 for his daughter Melissa to use as storage.

Louis Vuitton box (SWNS)

Melissa took it along to the Antiques Roadshow last year and was stunned to learn it was 100 years old and worth thousands of pounds.

The 56-year-old decided to sell the designer trunk and was left stunned when it fetched almost 10,000 last August.

Queen Victoria's hand-sewn knickers worth thousands

A pair of Queen Victoria's hand-sewn knickers which featured on Antiques Roadshow were put up for sale for thousands of pounds at auction.

The rare pair of knee-length bloomers, with a single button and drawstring 40-41 inch waist, were even embroidered with a Royal Crest.

Queen Victoria's bloomers. (SWNS)

They were thought to have been passed down by a Lady of the Bedchamber who worked for Queen Victoria.

The pants were put up for sale at Lawrences of Crewkerne in Somerset on 19 April last year for an estimated price of 5,000 to 7,000 but were not sold after the bidding only reached 2,039.
If you want to take your mom out for a tasty brunch, you may not have to travel far.

Thats because South Carolina is home to four of the nations best 100 restaurants to visit for Mothers Day, new rankings show. The states winning restaurants:

The Palmetto State made its mark on the list  called the Top 100 Brunch Spots for Mothers Day  after the restaurant review website Yelp said it studied online comments that customers left over time. The website then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning brunch.

If a chain appeared on the list more than once, we only included the highest rated location, Yelp wrote in its May 4 report. We included only 10 businesses per state for geographic diversity.

The results were released ahead of Mothers Day, which falls on May 14 this year. That day, Drift will be open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and take customers on a first-come, first-served basis, Carlos Ramirez, general manager and part owner, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

Though none of the other three winning South Carolina restaurants shared their holiday schedules with McClatchy News on May 9, all of them list Sunday brunch-time hours online.

The highest-ranking South Carolina restaurant was Blueberrys Grill. Though the Mediterranean-themed American dining spot has more than one location, the blueberry hush puppies were among the dishes that gave the North Myrtle Beach site a boost on Yelp.

Nearby, Drift in Myrtle Beach has a morning menu that includes chicken and waffles, omelets and other classics. Several Yelp users were fans of the restaurants coastal decorations and customer service.

Further down in the rankings, The Flipside Cafe in Fort Mill  south of Charlotte, North Carolina  left many people raving about its grits. Meanwhile, customers of Pages Okra Grill in the Charleston area took to Yelp to praise the sizes of their meals and the eaterys outdoor seating.

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Overall, Yelp said the No. 1 place to eat brunch in the United States was Cafe Kacao in Oklahoma City.

This barbecue joint was named the best in South Carolina. What makes it so special?

The best beer in South Carolina? This brewery ranks No. 1 in the state, Yelp says
Its hard to think of a more classic example of comfort food than macaroni and cheese. And while nearly everyone agrees that its delicious, its hard to get anyone to agree to a specific style (stovetop vs. oven-baked), cheese preference (sharp vs. mild) or pasta shape (elbows vs. shells vs. any number of other options).

But many experts would argue that whatever your preferences in those first two areas, the type of pasta you use really does make a difference. We spoke with several chefs, and heres what they had to say.

First off, dont use fresh pasta.

The experts we spoke to overwhelmingly agreed that dried pasta is a better option for mac and cheese than fresh pasta.

Ashley Christensen, the celebrated chef and restaurateur of several North Carolina restaurants, explained why: Using fresh pasta always feels like a cool idea. That said, having had the chance to try it out, I dont think it delivers anywhere near the same experience or end result as dried pasta.

It comes down to texture, Christensen explained. You want the noodles to be al dente when you drop them into the cheesy sauce or custard, since they will continue to cook as the dish finishes. Dried noodles are so much more dependable, with [better] structural integrity.

But which dried pasta shapes are best suited to this crowd-pleasing dish? According to the professional chefs that we interviewed, these types of pasta are all worth trying.

Elbow Macaroni

A traditional mac and cheese staple, elbow macaroni earned plenty of votes from our experts. Brian Theis, author of The Infinite Feast, told us that the king of all the noodles when it comes to mac and cheese is, of course, the classic elbow macaroni. Elbow macaroni yields perfect-sized bites and is great with almost any variation on the mac and cheese theme.

Christensen also said the short length and hollow center of elbow macaroni work especially well. Elbow macaroni has the ability to both soak up some of the mac and cheeses custard or sauce while still providing some good texture, she said. These small hollow noodles can also give you a little air pocket that results in a little less weight on the palate, which is important for such a rich dish.

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Cavatappi

Next up, the corkscrew-shaped noodles known as cavatappi. I think cavatappi is the best shape for mac and cheese, whether stovetop or baked, said Sydney Wilcox, a chef and culinary instructor. It is like a long, curly elbow. The shape has twists and turns, so it catches all the cheese. But [its a bigger] pasta than an elbow, so there is more chew.

Cavatappis twists, ridges and thickness give it a lot of structure, so if you want to add additional ingredients to your mac and cheese (like breadcrumbs, protein or vegetables), this pasta can hold onto these extras without buckling or breaking.

Fusilli

Like cavatappi, fusilli features a corkscrew-like shape. And because its smaller and tighter, it can serve as a good happy medium between cavatappi and elbow macaroni. Fusillis twists grab the cheese sauce, making for a satisfying bite, said Franklin Becker, the chef/partner of The Press Club Grill in New York City.

Chef Liv Vasquezalso likes fusillis crevices, which allow the sauce to get in and stick to the pasta. She pointed out that fusillis tight spiral and shorter length prevent the cheese sauce from falling right off of the pasta.

Shells

I love shells [for mac and cheese] because of the cheesy surprise they provide! said Brad Wise, executive chef and owner of Rare Society in San Diego, California.

The hollow space inside a pasta shell is perfect for holding onto a rich sauce. As Marissa Goldstein, owner of The Daughter in Toronto put it: I love taking a bite of a shell that is full of hot and gooey cheesy bechamel. The shell creates the perfect balance of pasta and sauce in every bite.

Standard mini or medium shells work well for stovetop or baked mac and cheese. But if youre in a shop with an array of Italian pasta shapes, chef Brenden Long of Almond in Palm Beach, Florida, said you should consider lumache, which looks like a snail shell, It is similar to traditional shells, and I like it because the sauce gets in there for every bite.

Tubular Pastas (Ziti, Rigatoni, Penne)

The best pasta shapes are the ones that catch the sauce and can be lifted by a spoon or fork easily without hanging off, said Hugo Ortega, executive chef and owner of H Town Restaurant Group in Houston. He counts tubular pastas like ziti, rigatoni and penne in this category.

Robbie Shoults, the chef/owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse in Marshall, Texas, likes penne and ziti for mac and cheese because both shapes have texture and are hollow. This allows the gooeyness of the cheese sauce to hang onto every inch of the pasta, so you get a cheesy delicious bite every time.

These tubular pastas are also sturdier than some alternatives, which is a point in their favor as far as Laurent Tourondel, the chef/owner of Laurent Tourondel Hospitality, is concerned. These pastas work well for both stovetop and baked mac and cheese, he said. Their hollow pocket holds the cheese, and the stiff structure avoids breakage for baked mac and cheese.

Long Noodles (Spaghetti, Fettuccine)

We definitely know that long noodles like spaghetti and fettuccine dont fit into any classic American notions of mac and cheese. But its important to remember that the dish comes in many different forms and iterations.

After all, fettuccine alfredo is basically a mac and cheese, said Paul Fehribach, the executive chef of Big Jones in Chicago. For Fehribach, the reason a long, flat noodle works well for fettuccine alfredo is because its a very thick sauce, so the noodle can pick it up.

Another example of a mac and cheese copycat is one of my favorite pasta dishes to make: cacio e pepe, Long said. This is a simple Roman-style pasta with cracked pepper, cheese, butter and pasta.

Because the texture of cacio e pepe sauce is creamy and emulsified rather than thick and cheesy, it can cling to smooth and long noodles quite effectively (and deliciously), Long said.

Related...
Beyonce fans in the U.S. are doing whatever it takes to watch the singer on her Renaissance World Tour, which kicks off tonight in Stockholm.

Some fans are traveling as far as Europe to see the singer perform after they struggled to buy tickets in their hometown online.

Atlanta fan Lonnell Williams told TODAY, in a segment that aired May 10, that he's already secured his seat to tonight's show in Sweden.

"I just couldnt get like a pre-sale code. And it was just so much drama," he said.

Beyonce (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images)

In Stockholm, Williams found a club seat in Club Renaissance, a VIP section, for $400. While that same ticket in Atlanta, now re-sale only, is going for $1,490.45, which he says is way more than what he's paying for airfare, hotel and food combined.

"I mean, literally, its costing me less than $1,000 bucks," he said.

June Joseph and her sister Karen are planning on doing the same thing too. They told TODAY that they've saved nearly $3,000 on VIP seats by flying from New York to France.

My Pinterest board is set. Im so excited. Im working on my outfits now," Joseph said.

As for Raymart Dinglas, he wanted to avoid the hassle of buying tickets in the U.S. after he saw what happened when Taylor Swift announced her Eras tour and Ticketmaster dropped the ball while selling tickets online.

"The Taylor Swift thing was kind-of traumatizing," he said.

"I was not going to risk it. I wanted to see Beyonce," he added.

That's why Dinglas decided to fly from Kansas City to Hamburg, Germany, so he and his partner could watch his very first Beyonce concert.

"It was easy. I didnt have to compete with millions of fans or whatever. And so and I didnt have to wait for a code or anything. It was just one and done," he said.

TODAY has reached out to Ticketmaster for comment, but hasnt heard back.

Beyonce's tour marks the first time that she's done a world tour since 2018. In the U.S., tickets are more affordable in midwestern venues like Kansas City, where it'll only cost you bout $70, including fees, for the cheapest nosebleed seats.

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In New York City, the cheapest seat at MetLife Stadium from a reseller is nearly $270, plus more than $50 in fees. That's why Williams told fans they need to act fast if they want to see the Queen perform.

"If you dont have a passport, get a passport because Beyonce is going to slay it everywhere she goes," he said.

Due to the high demand for Beyonce's tour, Forbes projects that "'Renaissance' could gross between $275 million and $2.4 billion from tickets alone by the time it ends in September," making it one of her highest-grossing tours to date.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Just before midnight Thursday, the migrant situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is predicted to dramatically change as Title 42 goes away. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already has swatted back at President Bidens pivot: If youre an undocumented immigrant, dont come to Florida.

Title 42 is the pandemic-era policy put in place by the Trump administration in 2020 to expel migrants arriving at the border because of health concerns.

The Biden administration maintained the policy, giving it significant leeway by allowing border patrol to immediately turn away migrants without letting them apply for asylum.

But with COVID no longer deemed a global health emergency, Title 42 is coming to an end, and reports are that thousands of immigrants are lined up at the border, waiting to enter the United States.

They are blatantly ignoring U.S. Customs and Border Protections insistence that no one will be allowed through a U.S. port of entry without an appointment via its new CBP One app. This insistence must be more than a threat.

Already here

As reported by Herald Caribbean Correspondent Jacqueline Charles, federal agents have fanned out on the streets of El Paso seeking migrants who already have made it across the border and have been gathering at shelters and churches, hoping to be able to stay in the United States.

Alarmed by what already is going on at the border, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas held an 11th-hour news conference to clarify the Biden administrations stance and to blame Congress for a broken immigration system: Let me make it clear that the lifting of Title 42 does not mean the border is open, in fact, it is the contrary, Mayorkas insisted.

He said the disappearance of Title 42 means the tougher Title 8 goes into effect. Caught entering the country illegally means youre barred from legal entry for five years. It also calls for those seeking asylum to have requested it from the countries they crossed before arriving at the U.S. border.

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Still, all indications signal a chaotic scene at the border  as an old policy barring everyone from entering ends and a new one goes into effect.

The end of Title 42 is certain to spell hard times for local immigrant-relocation workers, who expect many of the Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians to be headed for South Florida, where they will need social services.

DeSantis reacts

Not surprisingly, DeSantis said Wednesday he is ready to act on his own to stop immigrants from coming to our state. This is not a new stance for the governor.

He has gone after the undocumented and those who come to their aid before, including his high-profile stunt, the migrant flights to tony Marthas Vineyard last year. This year, he has money in the budget to do more immigrant relocations.

Its a good look  and great timing  in advance of his presumed run for the White House. (In fact, a deluged border crossing could be the perfect backdrop for his announcement.)

DeSantis on Wednesday signed an immigration legislative package that states that Florida will crack down on undocumented migrant labor, end community-funded programs that give undocumented immigrants identification cards and toughen penalties against those who transport undocumented immigrants into the state, the Miami Herald reported.

Florida is also ready to relaunch its controversial program allowing DeSantis to relocate immigrants anywhere in the country. Thats just what he did last year, when he paid to fly 49 migrants to Marthas Vineyard.

With all this political posturing is easy to forget that the people at the border are desperate for a better life.

Ending Title 42 may have a positive impact on the humanitarian conditions at the border by allowing asylum seekers and other migrants to apply for protection. But it also could send us back to a wild and raucous border caused by the political parties unwillingness to come up with comprehensive immigration reform after far too many years.

Yes, Congress is to blame, too.
APTOPIX Mexico Migrants

Migrants line-up between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on May 9, 2023. Credit - Christian ChavezAP

Anticipating a border surge when Title 42 lifts on Thursday, the Biden Administration announced several enforcement and diplomatic measures aimed at stemming the flow of migrants unlawfully crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday that the Administration is bracing for increases in unauthorized border crossings, which are already at record levels, once the pandemic restrictions end on May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Trump-era authorities prevented migrants from requesting asylum and allowed U.S. border agents to quickly expel migrants for public-health reasons.

With the end of Title 42 looming, Mayorkas described the vexing and potentially destabilizing challenges the nation faces in the mounting crisis. Crowds of migrants have gathered in Mexico in recent days as border citiesand places as far afield as Chicago and New Yorkhave declared states of emergency in response to the thousands of migrants arriving without food and shelter. This places an incredible strain on our personnel, our facilities and our communities with whom we partner closely, Mayorkas told reporters at DHS headquarters. Our plan will deliver results, but it will take time for those results to be fully realized.

The Administrations plan hinges on boosting the federal law-enforcement presence along the border, reinforcing penalties for those who cross illegally, and enhancing collaboration with international partners. Mayorkas acknowledged these are short-term fixes that will not deliver lasting results and called upon Congress to deliver new legislation. Our immigration laws today are outdated, he said. The solutions we are implementing are the best available within our current legal authority. But they are short-term solutions to a decades-old problem.

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DHS is adding more than 24,000 law-enforcement personnel and 1,100 new Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) processing coordinators, which is double the number from last year. About 1,500 active-duty troops have been called to the border to assist CBP in an administrative capacity. The first 550 service members arrived Tuesday near El Paso, Texas, to perform support duties like data entry and warehouse work thats intended to free up CBP agents to detain and process migrants.

Read More: Why the U.S. May Be Days Away From a Border Crisis

DHS will deploy up to 1,000 officers to interview asylum-seekers, along with thousands of contract personnel, according to senior Administration officials who spoke to reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity. This is a really unprecedented moment in the Americas, one official said. Twenty million people are displaced across the region. The COVID-19 pandemic, political insecurity, and climate change have exacerbated what was normally pushing people to migrate.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press conference in Washington, on May 10, 2023. Win McNameeGetty Images

The Administration also has new and controversial policy measures that will largely deny asylum to migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally after passing through a third country. Proposed earlier this year, the measure presumes migrants are ineligible for U.S. asylum if they didnt seek sanctuary in a country they traveled through, such as Mexico, on the way to Americas southwest border. If they are ineligible for asylum, they could be deported through a process dubbed expedited removal, which would bar them from the U.S. for five years. For the first time, the Administration also plans to return Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Venezuelans to Mexico if they illegally cross the border.

More than 27,000 migrants are currently in CBP custody, the Administration said, so the agency plans to open two new holding facilities while the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses unaccompanied migrant children, builds out its capacity. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to accelerate deportation flights.

More than 665,000 people have been removed during the first six months of the current fiscal year, Mayorkas said. We are making it very clear that our border is not open, that crossing irregularly is against the law, and that those who are not eligible for relief will be quickly returned, he said. The Administration is depending on partner countries to help, building on the Los Angeles Declarations promise to work together to address the migration crisis in a comprehensive manner. The document was signed last summer by the U.S. and more than 20 other partners.

Read More: What Life Is Like for Troops At the Border Who Are Waiting With No Enemy to Fight.

One necessary ally is Mexico, which shares a 2,000-mile border with the U.S. President Biden spoke Tuesday with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about the mounting crisis, and senior officials said they expect Mexico to soon increase its immigration enforcement. The Administration says it intends to open regional processing centers in locations throughout Central America where migrants apply for a legal pathway of entry, but the timeline remains unclear. It also plans to launch a CBP app which will allows non-citizens to schedule appointments to present themselves at southwest border ports.

When asked by reporters Tuesday about the end of Title 42, Biden said it remains to be seen how the strategy will play out. We are doing all we can, Biden said, later adding: Its going to be chaotic for a while.
Migrants hoping to cross into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Beginning Friday morning, the Biden administration plans to offer some migrants the chance to voluntarily return to Mexico.

DHS officials are planning to inform some asylum seekers from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti who have been arrested by Border Patrol agents that they can choose a different pathway to the U.S.

I want to let you know about a process that is currently in place for individuals in your situation, a script for asylum officers encountering these migrants reads. The script, included in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services training materials, was obtained by The Times. I will give you an opportunity before we start the interview to choose to follow this process if it is something you would like to do.

The officers are directed to inform the migrants that if they accept voluntary return, they can apply for legal entry into the U.S. if they have a financial sponsor and can pass security checks. The migrants, whom the U.S. can turn back to Mexico under a deal struck between the two countries last week, will be told they must be outside the U.S. to be eligible for that process.

We are giving ... individuals who are in our custody the option of voluntarily returning to the country from which they came because of the consequence of a removal, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a news conference Wednesday, alluding to the plan.

The voluntary return script is part of the Biden administrations wide-ranging effort to deal with what is expected to be an increase in migration at the southern border after Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed border agents to quickly turn back migrants, expires this week. Republicans and others, including independent Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona and officials in border towns, have urged the administration to limit the numbers.

"While it's wonderful that the administration is announcing things like a 1,500-troop deployment and these new processing centers  which will not be operational by next Friday  those are good things," Sinema said last week, according to CBS News . "Those are aspirational. That's not the same as operational. And so what I'm asking for and have been for two years, is for the administration to make concrete plans."

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The administration has said it will send troops to help at the border , along with the asylum officers and judges needed to process migrants and rapidly deport those who do not have a right to stay in the U.S.

Another piece of the administrations effort to deter migrants from crossing without authorization will go into place this week as well.

Starting later this week, the U.S. will implement a controversial new policy that limits asylum for migrants who cross through a third country, like Mexico, en route to the U.S. and did not apply for protection there. Although there are exceptions, migrants who cross the border without authorization will likely find it difficult to obtain asylum under the new policy. Immigrant advocates, such as the ACLU, are expected to sue over the effort soon after it is implemented.

To avoid denial and deportation, the migrants from the four countries are offered a way out under the voluntary return plan.

You may choose to depart the United States voluntarily a single time and still be eligible for the parole process. You are being given an opportunity now to withdraw your application for admission to the United States and return to Mexico so that you remain eligible for that parole process, officers will tell migrants, according to the script.

The migrant will then be warned that if they fail their initial asylum screening  known as a credible fear interview  they could be deported and barred from the country for five years.

Would you like to voluntarily withdraw your application for admission at this time so that you can return to Mexico and remain eligible to request access to the parole process I just described? officers will ask.

The Department of Homeland Security has said that migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela who have verified sponsors in the U.S. will continue to be allowed to apply to enter the country legally. Since January, up to 30,000 individuals per month from those countries have been able to apply to live and work in the U.S. The process to apply to the U.S. began earlier this year, at the same time the Biden administration expanded the use of Title 42 to allow it to deport migrants from the four countries to Mexico. Since then, thousands have successfully been able to enter the U.S. using the new pathway.

The migrants, who can apply from anywhere, are required to have passed rigorous background checks and have a sponsor that is willing to financially support them for the two-year period they are allowed in the U.S.

If a migrant declines voluntary removal, they could be offered another chance to leave later in the process.

Migrants who fail to qualify for asylum under the new Biden rule will be told that they will not be screened for asylum, but for a different form of protection that is harder to get.

Before I continue, I would like to offer you another chance to withdraw your application for admission like I offered you at the beginning of the interview, officers will tell those migrants. Do you want me to repeat the explanation of that offer?

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California says hell be campaigning "110%" on behalf of President Bidens re-election bid.

But Khanna, the four-term progressive lawmaker who represents a congressional district in the San Francisco Bay area, says hes concerned that if the president avoids campaigning in the key battleground of New Hampshire in next years primary, "that puts the general election in the state at risk."

Khanna is a big supporter of New Hampshires tradition for the past century of holding the first presidential primary in the race for the White House. And hell return to the Granite State on Friday to headline the McIntyre-Shaheen gala, which is the New Hampshire Democratic Partys largest annual fundraiser.

And Khanna says hes committed to making sure the presidents re-elected in 2024, even though he was a national co-chair and top surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, when the independent senator from Vermont and progressive champion came in second to Biden in the Democratic nomination race.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. LAUNCHES PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST BIDEN

"I believe 2024 is going to be a very close election and Im on the presidents side 110%," Khanna said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I will be supporting the president regardless of whether hes on the ballot. I just think he should come up [to New Hampshire] and campaign."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Khanna predicted that if Bidens on the ballot in New Hampshire, "He will win the state decisively. Hell have people like me, who worked our hearts out for Bernie Sanders, going up and down New Hampshire now doing that for him in the state. I believe hed have a decisive victory."

But its increasingly unlikely that Biden will be on the primary ballot in New Hampshire.

2024 FRICTION: DEMOCRATS VOTE TO UPEND THEIR PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CALENDAR

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) overwhelmingly voted in February voted to dramatically alter the top of its presidential nominating calendar for the 2024 election cycle, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their longtime leadoff positions. The DNC approved a proposal by Biden to move South Carolina to lead off spot, with New Hampshire and Nevada holding primaries three days later.

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The push by the DNC to upend its primary calendar to give more representation at the top of the schedule to Black and Hispanic voters in a party thats become increasingly diverse in recent decades  was vigorously fought by New Hampshire.

Due to a longstanding state law that dictates that New Hampshire holds the first presidential primary, it's nearly certain that an unsanctioned, rogue Democratic primary in the Granite State will be held early next year on the same day as Republicans, who are not changing their longstanding order of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The DNC likely would penalize New Hampshire and any candidates that take part in the Granite States Democratic presidential primary for violating the partys new calendar.

New Hampshire has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary for a century. A sign outside the state capitol in Concord, NH marks the state's treasured primary status.

If it gets to that point, its likely the president will avoid the New Hampshire primary, as the Biden campaign has inferred that they would abide by any sanctions imposed by the DNC.

"I believe the president should be on the ballot in the primary everywhere he was on the ballot in 2020. It worked then. He became president," Khanna said. "Hes eloquently made the point that we need to move up states that have Black and Brown voters and I appreciated his advocacy on that, but he can do that and still be on the ballot everywhere."

Khanna says hell still support Biden even if the president skips the New Hampshire but emphasizes "I just think he should come up and campaign."

An unsanctioned New Hampshire primary where Biden doesnt take part could invite trouble for the president. It would potentially benefit two long-shot candidates who are primary challenging the president  environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and best-selling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson.

"President Biden will not file for election in the New Hampshire primary, which will still go first," longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley told Fox News earlier this year. Buckley warned that "this will set him up, we believe, for an embarrassing situation where the first primary in the country will be won by someone other than the president. This will only fuel chatter of about Democrats divisions."

Khanna seemed to discount any concerns of a serious primary challenge.

WHERE BIDEN STANDS IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL

Asked he was concerned about Kennedy Jr, who was grabbing double-digit support in recent national polls in the Democratic presidential nomination race conducted by Fox News and USA TODAY/Suffolk University, Khanna answered "the president will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. I believe he will win the nomination decisively. He has earned the right to run for re-election based on his record."

Boston, MA - April 19: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces his candidacy for President of the United States in a speech at Boston Park Plaza.

But looking ahead to the 2024 general election, Khanna stressed that "the four electoral votes in New Hampshire are going to matter and we certainly should be active in the primary in the battleground states. It would be a mistake to allow [former President Donald] Trump and [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis to suck all the oxygen and for us not to be making our case in key battleground states about the presidents re-election."

And Khanna said the big question regarding Biden is whether he "can he make sure to be energizing the Democratic base and speaking to independent voters during the primary so that were strong headed into the general election. My concern about ignoring New Hampshire is not that Joe Biden will win. I believe he will win. My concern is that were allowing Trump and DeSantis and Tim Scott and Nikki Haley and Mike Pence to suck up all the oxygen without making our case of what were doing for the economy and that puts the general election in the state at risk."

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California (right) speaks at a House committee hearing, on Feb. 28, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

Khanna made a couple of trips to New Hampshire last year and visited Iowa last month. The travel to the early voting states sparked speculation about a White House run of his own. While hes ruled out national ambitions in 2024, political prognosticators view the congressman as a potential contender in 2028.

Asked about a White House run down the road, Khanna quickly answered, "Im focused on helping the president be re-elected and Im focused on making sure the new economic patriotism message, making sure that were making America a manufacturing superpower, that were revitalizing industries, is adopted by the Democratic Party."

"Our focus has to be on 2024," he emphasized.
Delta Air Lines jets are parked at their gates at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 1, 2022. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are proposing a new rule that would require airlines to compensate passengers for controllable delays and cancellations ahead of the summer travel season.

The proposed mandate would go beyond a refund  it would also require airlines to cover expenses for meals, hotels, transportation and rebooking.

I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines, especially after you, the American taxpayer, stepped up in 2020, in the last administration, in the early days of the pandemic, to provide nearly $50 billion of assistance to keep the airline industry and its employees afloat, said Biden at the White House on Monday.

There is no federal law that compensates a passenger for flight delays. Meanwhile, a cancellation earns the passenger a refund.

You deserve more than just getting the price of your ticket. You deserve to be fully compensated. Your time matters. The impact on your life matters, Biden said.

The proposed rule would be accompanied by a newly launched website, FlightsRights.gov, which features a dashboard that gives travelers all the relevant details about an airlines compensation policy. It will launch on Monday.

The transportation agency has also expanded its website to display airlines that offer compensation. According to the dashboard, Alaska Airlines is the only carrier to offer frequent flyer miles for controllable cancellations. It also gives customers travel vouchers, as does JetBlue.

But what constitutes a controllable cancellation and delay is yet to be defined as the Transportation Department writes the proposed rule.

The federal transportation agency has been working on improving the passenger experience for the last two years, ramping up efforts after Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights last December and left thousands of passengers stranded.

Related

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As a result, 10 of the biggest airlines in the U.S. now cover meals and rebooking fees when booking with the same airline, while nine guarantee hotel accommodation, per the dashboard.

When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill, said Buttigieg.

The transportation department is also finalizing a proposed rule from last year that would require customers to view the entire cost of the flight at the time of booking, Biden said.

He noted that three airlines  American Airlines, Alaskan Airlines and Frontier Airlines  now allow families to sit together without paying an additional fee after he called out the upcharge during his State of the Union address.

Airlines for America, an airlines association in the U.S., said that airline companies have no incentive to delay or cancel a flight and do everything in their control to ensure flights depart and arrive on time  but safety is always the top priority, in a statement.

The weather, which triggers outages and staffing shortages, was the cause behind more than half of flight cancellations in 2022, and a majority in 2023, the statement said.

Whether the proposed rule will account for weather-related schedule changes is unclear.

The association argued that carriers are already making adjustments by hiring more staff and trimming down airline schedules. The industry has added about 118,000 workers since November 2020.

The Biden administrations proposed rule could take anywhere between months to years to be implemented.
Disgruntled lawmakers urged the Biden administration to step up its response to the unfolding civil war in Sudan during a hearing on Wednesday.

Thousands of private American citizens were left to fend for themselves when the violence broke out, to say nothing of millions of Sudanese who now understandably feel abandoned by the international community, said Foreign Relations committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)

However, unlike his Republican colleagues, Menendez didnt place the blame squarely on the Biden administration. He said years of U.S. foreign policy failed to help a peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan.

I wont sit here and put the blame on the State Department or the administration for a foreign policy failure that has been many years in the making.

But Menendez did say Wednesdays hearing on Sudan was necessary to push the State Department to find solutions. So far, attempts to broker a ceasefire in Sudan have failed and international leaders have not decided on a collective humanitarian response, he said.

Ranking member Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said the Biden administrations efforts in Sudan have been disappointing.

This committee has tried to ensure Sudan had the highest levels of attention from the State Department. Sadly, that hasnt happened. I concur with the chairman that this is not an easy situation, Risch said.

The Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing over a year ago, Risch added, that he hoped would encourage the Biden administration to create a clear vision for goals of democracy and peace in Sudan. Risch advocated for new policies that would weaken the two warring Sudanese generals and deploy an international coalition of actors to help the country establish a democratic government.

The administration must change not only the architecture but also the architects of this policy, Risch said. We must end this cycle of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

The State Departments under secretary of state for political affairs, Victoria Nuland, defended the agencys actions but acknowledged the controversial nature of foreign policy in recent years.

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We and our partners continue to make clear to the warring parties led by these two generals that there can be no military solution to this crisis and negotiations are the only way forward, Nuland said.

She added that the department, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had made an incredible effort to offer the option to the generals to cooperate.

But, as I said, unfortunately, they chose the path of war, not the path of integration, Nuland said.

President Biden announced an executive order last week that called for an end to the Sudanese violence, and expanded the administrations ability to introduce sanctions against those who undermine stability in the country.

We have the sanctions tool now that can allow us to continue to pressure them, Nuland said.

Hundreds of Sudanese civilians were killed just in the first days of war between Sudans top two generals, and hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced or are hiding in their homes. Two American citizens have been killed in the violence.

Other lawmakers also expressed their frustrations over the State Departments handling of the conflict since armed conflict broke out almost a month ago.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said the situation in Sudan seems to be getting worse, in part due to the inadequacy of U.S. policy.

Apart from the loss of civilian lives, Im greatly concerned about the risk that further instability in Sudan can cause to regions beyond it, Scott said.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) added that American officials should reconsider how to establish peace in the nation, as he said the conflict stemmed from a failure of democracy to take root.

It means that we have to reevaluate all of our actions and roles that weve played, and try things differently, Booker said. There are so many crises and fronts to this.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FIRST ON FOX: Ethics experts tell Fox News Digital that President Biden is flirting with crossing ethical lines in talking about the Department of Justices (DOJ) investigation into his son, Hunter Biden.

Fox News Digital reached out to several ethics experts to weigh in on the president proclaiming his sons innocence as Hunter faces down potential DOJ charges.

Cully Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that like "most fathers, President Biden is going to defend his son."

ITS A MESS: AMERICANS GRADE BIDEN AFTER POLL SHOWS DISMAL 36% APPROVAL RATING

Fox News Digital reached out to several ethics experts to weigh in on President Biden proclaiming his sons innocence as Hunter Biden faces down potential DOJ charges.

"However, as the President of the United States, Biden knows (or should know) that it is entirely inappropriate for him to weigh in on an ongoing federal investigation of a suspect because as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, and the person assigned the Pardon Power under the Constitution, he should not pre-judge any federal case until the case has come to its natural conclusion," Stimson said.

Mike Chamberlain, director of Protect the Publics Trust (PPT), told Fox News Digital there "is a reason that officials, including the President in past occasions, normally refuse to comment on ongoing investigations."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"Especially in the case of the President, whom DOJ officials are ultimately responsible to, any statement commenting on a case or investigation could likely sway those working on the case and could tend to manipulate the outcome," Chamberlain warned.

"While this is clearly irresponsible, it may be worse," he continued. "Given that the DOJ is already under fire after reports that a whistleblower has alleged political interference in career officials' recommendations to prosecute Hunter Biden, the President's statement could be interpreted by some as akin to potential obstruction of justice."

Former Obama administration ethics chief Walter Shaub told Fox News Digital that Bidens weighing in on his sons potential criminal charges "highlight" the dangers of the president or his White House personnel talking to the DOJ or Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about Hunters case.

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Shaub said he hopes Biden and his administration keep their distance from Hunters investigation but believes its likely okay for a presidential father to exercise caution while proclaiming his sons innocence as to not appear as attempting to influence the decision.

"I think these remarks highlight exactly why neither President Biden or anyone from the White House should talk to anyone at the IRS or Justice Department about the investigation of his son," Shaub said. "I hope they continue to maintain a strict firewall."

"As long as he stays away from doing that, it's probably ok for a father to say he believes his son is innocent," he continued. "But he should exercise caution to avoid appearing to try to influence a potential jury pool or undermine the credibility of the investigation, which may mean refraining from going further than answering an interviewer's questions, for instance, by raising the topic in a speech."

The Justice Department is reportedly nearing a decision to charge Hunter Biden on federal tax-and-gun-related charges.

The first son has been under federal investigation since 2018 for two misdemeanor tax filing charges, a felony tax evasion charge, and a false statement charge over a gun purchase.

President Biden was asked how the potential looming charges would impact his presidency in an interview last Friday with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle.

"First of all, my son's done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him and, it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him," Biden explained.
By Nandita Bose

VALHALLA, N.Y. (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden piled pressure on Republican lawmakers on Wednesday to move quickly to raise the country's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling or risk throwing the U.S. economy into a recession that would kill thousands of jobs.

"We've got to fight. We're going to win this fight," Biden said at a flag-bedecked event at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York.

Biden made his case in a congressional district that Republicans won by a narrow margin in November, as his aides and staff for congressional leaders met in Washington in a desperate search for common ground ahead of a June 1 deadline.

The Treasury Department says the government will be unable to pay its bills as early as June 1.

Republicans are vowing to support raising the debt ceiling only if Biden agrees to retroactive reductions in government spending. Biden wants the debt ceiling lifted without spending cuts attached, but said he wants to negotiate the next budget.

Biden warned that the post-pandemic economy would be destroyed by a government default, and he listed programs that would be slashed if Republicans get their way, like suicide prevention for veterans.

"This is no time to put all this at risk, to threaten a recession, to undermine America's standing in the world. Republican threats are dangerous and they make no sense," he said.

Biden also said the fossil fuel industry wants the government to eliminate tax credits for individuals and businesses for installing energy-saving devices.

"Here's the real truth: Big Oil doesn't want it, and Republicans are carrying their water," he said.

Biden spoke a day after he met with top Republican and Democratic lawmakers for the first time in three months to try to move forward on the debt ceiling and avoid a historic default.

The White House has dubbed the Republican budget-cutting proposal the "Default on America" act.

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White House aides are meeting with congressional leaders' staff in Washington daily before Biden and the leaders meet again on Friday.

The college where Biden spoke is located in a suburban district represented by Republican congressman Mike Lawler, one of a handful of New York Republicans who unseated Democrats in 2022, giving their party its narrow 222-213 House of Representatives majority.

Lawler appeared at the event but did not speak.

Democrats view Republican House members who narrowly won election as possibly vulnerable to being pressured into breaking with their party's leadership and voting for a bill to raise the debt ceiling without conditions.

The president also was attending two fundraising events for his 2024 reelection bid hosted by wealthy donors - former Blackstone executive Tony James and Executive Chairman of the Libra Group George Logothetis.

Tickets for the James gathering will go for $25,000 per person, according to a memo to donors. Biden announced this year that he would appoint James to his intelligence advisory board.

"It can be a pretty ugly campaign coming up," Biden, 80, said at the James fundraiser, where he spoke for more than 30 minutes. "It wasnt an automatic decision to run again."

Logothetis has regularly donated to the Democratic Party and hosted gatherings in support of former President Barack Obama.

While Biden has largely focused on his presidential duties since announcing his bid for re-election, his campaign operation is coming to life.

The events are expected to generate some $2.5 million for Biden's reelection campaign, according to sources.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Valhalla, additional reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates, Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman)
US President Joe Biden has sought to court India as a bulwark against China's growing assertiveness

US President Joe Biden will host India's Narendra Modi for a state visit in June, it was announced Wednesday, as Washington courts New Delhi as a bulwark against China.

The state visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception, will boost the United States and India's "shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific," the White House said.

The invitation comes despite rising concerns about human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi's Hindu nationalist leadership in India, the world's most populous nation.

Washington has long sought to boost India as a counterinfluence to an increasingly assertive China in Asia -- and New Delhi, worried about Beijing's build-up on the other side of its border, has also sought to build ties.

But Ukraine has emerged as a stumbling point in the partnership. India, a long-time military ally of Russia, has called for an end to hostilities, but has never condemned the Russian invasion.

It will be the first state visit by Modi to the United States. He visited Biden at the White House in 2021 as part of the Quad summit bringing together the United States, Australia, Japan and India.

This time India is understood to have sought the highest level of protocol for a head of state. The trip will include a state dinner.

New Delhi welcomed the visit as "historic," and hailed the chance to build collaboration with Washington and to "discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement."

- Asia-Pacific alliances -

Under the Biden administration, French President Emmanuel Macron was the first to be welcomed for a state visit, complete with military honors and a gala dinner.

More recently, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was also hosted for such a visit, with the two allies issuing a stern warning to North Korea over nuclear weapons.

Modi's visit will strengthen the two countries' "shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space," the White House added in its statement.

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Education, climate change, development and health security are also on the agenda.

Modi's government has been widely accused by political opponents and rights groups of seeking to target and silence critics.

Nonetheless, he is a leader much courted by the West: he will also be the guest of honor at the July 14 Bastille Day celebrations in Paris.

Asked about the issue of respect for freedoms and rights, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden "never shies away" from having that conversation with leaders.

"We regularly engage with Indian government officials at senior levels on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief," she said.

Biden is working to renew or deepen US alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, amid growing concern in Washington about the fate of Taiwan -- which China sees as its own territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The US leader is due to visit Japan and then Australia in ten days' time, with a notable stopover in the South Pacific state of Papua New Guinea.

He warned on Tuesday that he may have to cancel the trip if there is no progress on difficult debt limit negotiations with the Republican opposition.

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President Joe Biden is using his presidential authority to quit using Title 42, a health law introduced during the Covid pandemic, to control immigration at the borders with Mexico and Canada.

The administration says that in its place, it is rolling out a plan that encourages migrants to use legal pathways, some of them targeted to aid some migrants from certain countries. The administration has also said its plan is to use deterrence and diplomacy to discourage people from trying to enter the country illegally.

Follow along for live updates on the end of Title 42

Here are some of the policies and requirements the Biden administration is using or has announced it plans to use as Title 42 ends Thursday:

Replace Title 42 with Title 8, the section of the U.S. law dealing with immigration and nationality that was used at the borders before the pandemic.

Levy penalties allowed under Title 8 from $50 to $250 in fines and six months to two years in prison for each attempt to cross the border without legal permission and twice the fines for anyone previously fined or imprisoned. Penalties are more severe if a person has a criminal record and re-enters the country illegally. Title 42 had suspended those penalties, which led to an increase in the number of people who repeatedly crossed the border after they had been expelled.

Require anyone who wants to apply for asylum to make an appointment through the CBP One phone app. The number of appointments available per day through the app expands from about 800 to about 1,000, and appointments can be made 23 hours a day.

Toughen rules about asylum so applications are open only to people who can show they applied to third countries and were rejected and that they tried to make appointments through CBP One. The tougher rules propose some exceptions for unaccompanied children, people in imminent danger and certain trafficking victims.

Allow 30,000 Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans per month who have U.S. sponsors to apply for humanitarian parole in the U.S. Those who qualify get to work in the country for two years.

Add asylum officers and immigration judges to expedite processing times. Conduct "credible fear interviews" of people asking for asylum earlier in the process and provide legal services so removals can be expedited.

Deploy 1,500 active-duty military personnel to help Border Patrol with processing paperwork.

Bring in thousands of contractors and non-uniformed employees to support administrative tasks usually done by Border Patrol agents.

Expand Border Patrol capacity for holding migrants and increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights, doubling and tripling some for certain countries.

Open processing centers in countries where people can apply for legal immigration to the U.S., Canada, Spain and other countries.

Increase Panamanian, Colombian and U.S. personnel in the Darien Gap region to counter smugglers and turn back migrants traveling through it to get to the U.S.

Create a legal way for families from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia to reunite with family members in the U.S.

Apply an agreement with Mexico to accept more migrants turned away from the U.S. border.

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Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have touted the measures as "historic steps to secure the border" in lieu of meaningful immigration action by Congress.

But Republicans as well as some Democrats have said the administration is not doing enough to deal with the large numbers of people trying to cross into the U.S. and their impact on border cities and states. Republicans have tried to stop the end of Title 42 in court; in Congress, the GOP is trying to pass an enforcement-only bill that, among other things, would resume building a border wall. Biden has said he would veto the bill.

Democrats and immigration advocates have also criticized the administration, arguing the policies make it tougher to seek asylum in the U.S.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President Joe Biden is wading into the high-stakes negotiations over the farm bill, amid growing concerns the debt limit stand-off could knock that must-pass piece of legislation off track.

Biden has invited a small, bipartisan group of lawmakers to the White House Thursday to discuss the upcoming farm bill reauthorization, according to four people familiar with the plans who were granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. Congress is aiming to write and pass what is expected to be a $1 trillion-plus bill, which will authorize U.S. food and agriculture spending for the next decade, by this fall. But even senior Senate Republicans are increasingly wary that the mounting debt crisis could derail the traditionally bipartisan farm bill.

The group of invitees include House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) and John Boozman (Ark.), the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who is a member of Democratic leadership, and Rep. David Scott (Ga.), the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is also expected to attend, according to the people.

Stabenow confirmed she was planning to attend the meeting with Biden, which she described as a general overview of the farm bill process.

The President's very interested in getting a bipartisan farm bill and just wants to have an opportunity to touch base, Stabenow said.

The Thursday afternoon meeting, which the president is expected to attend, could be somewhat tense given Democrats strong objections to the House GOPs push to restrict federal food aid and slash other spending as part of their proposal to raise the debt limit. Specifically, House Speaker Kevin McCarthys plan would expand work requirements for beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the countrys leading anti-hunger program, which is part of the farm bill. A spokesperson for Thompson, the only invitee who has voted for the House GOP debt limit bill, said he plans to attend the White House meeting.



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Stabenow said she didnt know if Republicans SNAP proposal would come up during the meeting  but she acknowledged the potential fallout of a default crisis.

I'm raising this all the time because it would be devastating to farmers in rural communities if there was a default, Stabenow said. So I don't think that's the sole reason for the meeting. But I do think that he's certainly concerned, she said of Biden.

The president met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and congressional leaders Tuesday about the debt limit, as the U.S. inches closer to the June 1 date the nation could default on its debt, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Biden and McCarthy both said they plan to meet again Friday. The Thursday farm bill meeting has been something of a moving target, as the White House and its Domestic Policy Council, which is taking the lead on farm bill issues, is eager to get more involved in the massive legislation that shapes food security and rural economies across the country. The White House also hopes to tout Bidens accomplishments for rural voters as he gears up for a 2024 reelection bid.

Stabenows history with Biden goes back to their days as Senate colleagues and later when Biden was vice president. As Obamas second in command, Biden on several occasions cut last-minute deals with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that hit agriculture spending and policy, leaving Stabenow, who chaired the Agriculture Committee, out of the negotiations. Its something people close to the Michigan Democrat say she has not forgotten.

The other three lawmakers invited to the Thursday meeting have little to no relationship with the president, but White House officials hope to establish better lines of communication as the process of writing the farm bill on Capitol Hill switches into high gear.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the debt ceiling at the White House on May 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Biden left the door open to using the 14th amendment to solve the debt ceiling crisis on Tuesday.

A clause in the amendment would declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional and get rid of the issue forever.

But Biden said it probably wouldn't solve the problem right now and would need to hold up in court.

President Joe Biden finally met with top lawmakers to discuss raising the debt ceiling, and little progress was made. But the president did leave the door open to solving the crisis while avoiding congressional drama.

On Tuesday, Biden sat down with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in an attempt to come to an agreement on the best way to raise the debt ceiling before the US defaults  something Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said could happen as early as June 1.

Going into the meeting, both sides were firm in their debt ceiling positions, and they all emerged unchanged. The Republican lawmakers still hold the belief that raising the debt ceiling should be accompanied with spending cuts like those in the bill the House GOP passed in late April, while the Democrats maintained that avoiding a default should be bipartisan with a clean debt ceiling increase, no spending cuts attached.

"I didn't see any new movement," McCarthy told reporters following the meeting.

"I would hope that he'd be willing to negotiate for the next two weeks so we could actually solve this problem and not take America on the brink," he added, referring to Biden.

But Biden's remarks following the meeting suggest the president might be weighing another path to avert an economically catastrophic crisis without Congress. When asked if he would consider invoking a clause in the 14th amendment that would declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional, Biden responded that he has been "considering" doing so.

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"But the problem is it would have to be litigated," he added. "And in the meantime, without an extension, it would still end up in the same place. I'll be very blunt with you: When we get by this, I'm thinking about taking a look at  months down the road  to see what the court would say about whether or not it does work."

He later said that he doesn't think the 14th amendment "solves our problem now. I think that only solves your problem once the court has ruled that it does apply for future endeavors."

The referenced clause in the 14th amendment states that "the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned." Many legal experts have argued that this clause makes a default  and thus the debt ceiling law leading to that default  unconstitutional.

Still, Biden is not alone in his concerns with sidestepping Congress to solve this crisis. Yellen, for example, dismissed using the 14th amendment on ABC News on Sunday, saying that "I don't want to consider emergency options."

"There is no way to protect our financial system in our economy, other than Congress doing its job and raising the debt ceiling and enabling us to pay our bills and we should not get to the point where we need to consider whether the president can go on issuing debt," Yellen said. "This would be a constitutional crisis."

Aside from the 14th amendment, another route that could allow Biden to avoid Congress and take care of the debt ceiling would be minting a $1 trillion platinum coin. When asked about that option on Tuesday, Biden said that "I don't think anybody has studied the minting of the coin issue." That's not necessarily true, according to The New York Times, which reported last week administration officials have discussed that route.

Regardless of the internal discussions, though, administration officials have publicly rejected any route other than Congress coming together to save the country from an unprecedented default, which is getting closer by the day. Biden is meeting again with the top four congressional leaders on Friday to make another attempt at an agreement.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Biden administration is planning to prohibit the use of salary history when hiring for federal employee roles, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will announce later Wednesday.

The OPM is set to release proposed regulations that will ban federal agencies from considering an applicants nonfederal salary history when setting pay for new federal employees. The proposed regulations are part of the administrations efforts to advance pay equity and be a model employer for the rest of the United States.

Relying on a candidates previous salary history can disproportionally impact women and members of other underserved communities. With these proposed regulations, the federal government is leading the way and demonstrating to the nation that we mean business when it comes to equality, fairness, and attracting the best talent, OPM Director Kiran Ahuja said in a statement.

Twenty-one states have laws or executive orders limiting employers from using applicants salary history, and some states fully prohibit it. Department of Labor data found in places that have salary history bans, minority workers who changed jobs saw a 7.9 percent increase in their wages.

President Biden in his fiscal 2024 budget proposed a 5.2 percent average pay raise for federal employees and military personnel. The pay raise in the budget, announced in March, would be an increase from the 4.6 percent pay raise federal employees received this year.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US President Joe Biden made an important announcement on May 8th revealing plans to introduce new regulations that will require airlines to provide monetary compensation for passengers facing significant flight delays and cancellations caused by the airlines themselves. As Reuters reported, this latest initiative is part of the Biden administrations ongoing efforts to enhance protections for airline passengers traveling within or to/from the United States.

While the exact amount of compensation to be mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation remains unspecified, the intention is clear. It aims to ensure that airlines take responsibility for their actions when passengers experience prolonged delays. The Transportation Department also wants to draft regulations that would oblige airlines to cover the costs of meals and hotel accommodations for passengers who are left stranded due to airline-related issues.

In response to growing concerns about passenger rights, several airlines took voluntary measures last year to compensate passengers for delays. They provide lodging and meals, rather than offering direct financial compensation. However, the Biden administration has been advocating for additional consumer protections. President Biden has expressed opposition to various practices including family seating fees and refund delays at certain airlines.

Financial Compensation for Flight Delays

According to the U.S. Department of Transportations recent statement, no U.S. airlines have committed to providing financial compensation to passengers for flight delays and cancellations beyond the control of the airlines themselves. Airlines for America has emphasized that its member airlines prioritize maintaining on-time flights, always prioritizing safety. Airlines for America is a trade group dedicated to advocating for the interests of the airline industry. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, and other major carriers are members of the organization.

While some airlines like JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines already offer compensation in the form of frequent flyer miles, travel credits, or vouchers when delays or cancellations are caused by the airlines, no U.S. airline currently guarantees monetary compensation. In contrast, the European Union and several other countries have implemented regulations. The EU requires compensation of up to 600 euros ($663) for significant flight delays. However, its important to note that these compensation regulations in the EU are specific to certain circumstances. They are not applicable to all types of delays.

President Bidens latest announcement underscores the commitment of the U.S. government to prioritize passenger rights. He wants to ensure that airlines are held accountable for their actions. As these new regulations are developed, passengers can anticipate a strengthened framework that provides clearer guidelines and support when facing disruptions during air travel within or to/from the United States.
By Mike Blake and Ted Hesson

SAN DIEGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of migrants are crossing into the United States this week before a new regulation takes effect that could bar most who cross illegally from seeking asylum, while others gathered on the Mexico side amid confusion about U.S. policy.

The U.S. rolled out a regulation on Wednesday that presumes most migrants are ineligible for asylum if they passed through other nations without seeking protection elsewhere first, or if they failed to use legal pathways for U.S. entry.

The new rule is a key part of President Joe Biden's border enforcement plan as COVID-19 restrictions - known as Title 42 - are set to end just before midnight on Thursday.

Under Title 42, which has been in place since March 2020, many border crossers were rapidly expelled to Mexico without a chance to seek asylum, leading to repeat attempts.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the new rule would mean harsher consequences for migrants crossing illegally who, if caught, could be deported and barred from the United States for five years if they do not qualify for asylum.

"We are making it very clear that our border is not open, that crossing irregularly is against the law and that those who are not eligible for relief will be quickly returned," Mayorkas said at a press conference in Washington.

Migrants have been amassing in Mexico near various parts of the border - many of them unsure about when, or how, to cross. Drone footage showed large crowds gathering at the border fence by El Paso, Texas, across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

U.S. cities are expecting to receive some of those migrants after they cross the border. New York City said it is already receiving 500 per day and expects the number to increase after Title 42 expires on Thursday, leading Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday to issue an executive order temporarily suspending a policy guaranteeing shelter for all those in need.

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"We have reached our limit," spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement. "This is not a decision taken lightly and we will make every effort to get asylum seekers into shelter as quickly as possible."

Violence broke out at a crossing between Reynosa, Mexico and Pharr, Texas on Wednesday morning as Mexican soldiers clashed with an armed group of suspected people smugglers, killing three, officials in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas said.

The Mexican Army said it had no immediate comment.

At a towering wall dividing San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, hundreds of migrants have been jumping across in recent days, waiting to turn themselves in to U.S. agents.

Some have camped out for days under Mylar blankets, surviving on granola bars and water, while they wait for processing in a no-man's land on U.S. soil between a primary wall and secondary wall.

A group of single women and a family with two young children from Colombia said they left home seven days ago, flying to El Salvador, then traveling by bus through Central America and Mexico.

"We heard that Title 42 was going to end and that after that there won't be an option," said Diana, 30, who declined to give her last name. She said she heard about the policy change through the news and by word of mouth.

More than 10,000 migrants were caught crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border illegally each day on Monday and Tuesday, said Brandon Judd, president of a union for Border Patrol agents. The total surpasses a scenario outlined by a top U.S. border official last month for the period after Title 42 ends.

CRITICISM FROM BOTH SIDES

Republicans have criticized Biden, a Democrat running for re-election in 2024, for rolling back the hardline policies of Republican former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for his party's nomination.

A coalition of 22 Republican state attorneys general has opposed the new asylum rule for being "riddled with exceptions."

But some Democrats and immigration advocates say Biden's new regulation is too harsh, comparing it to measures implemented under Trump blocked by U.S. courts.

The measure counters previous statements Biden made in 2020 on the campaign trail, when he said he thought it was "wrong" for people not to be able to seek asylum in the United States.

The rule, which comes into effect on Thursday and expires in two years, will apply to the vast majority of non-Mexican migrants seeking asylum since they typically pass through multiple countries en route to the U.S.

Biden officials said in late April they are at the same time expanding legal pathways for migrants abroad in order to provide alternative ways to enter the U.S. and discourage illegal crossings.

On a call with reporters on Tuesday, Biden officials said the administration planned to open more than 100 migration processing centers in the Western Hemisphere.

(Graphic: Nationalities not expelled to Mexico under Title 42 grew, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-IMMIGRATION/jnpwyzyojpw/chart.png)

(Reporting by Mike Blake in San Diego, Ted Hesson in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Dave Graham and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
When the pandemic-era immigration rule known as Title 42 comes to an end Thursday night, a new regulation will make it harder for migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border to seek political asylum in the United States, the Biden administration said Wednesday.

Asylum seekers showing up at the border without prior authorization will have to show proof they requested asylum in any of the countries they traveled through on their way to the border, and that the request was denied.

The controversial rule, which immigration advocates say mirrors a similar travel ban by the Trump administration, is among several new changes the Department of Homeland Security is rolling out as it prepares for the end of Title 42 at 11:59 pm. Thursday.

A public-health order used by President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 allows border agents to quickly expel asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. It is expiring along with other pandemic-era emergency policies.

Biden administration officials say that, unlike the Trump administration, they are presenting migrants with several new legal pathways to protection in the United States. Immigration advocates, however, disagree and note that the Trump transit asylum ban was ultimately struck down by federal judges in several courts, hinting that they may challenge the latest rule as well.

Migrants climb the bank of the Rio Grande as Texas state police finish placing barbed-wire, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S. on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

While welcoming the end of Title 42, advocates accuse the Biden administration of making it even more difficult for people fleeing violence and political persecution to seek protection in the U.S. during what experts all agree is an unprecedented time of global and hemispheric displacement. Many migrants making their way to the United States travel through several countries, some of them as far as Brazil.

On Wednesday, workers with the Haitian Bridge Alliance fanned out across the Mexican town of Reynosa, just across the border from McAllen, Texas, telling migrants not to listen to smugglers encouraging them to run to the border before Title 42 ends. If they do, they will be detained, expelled and possibly banned from entering the U.S. for at least five years, workers warned.

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They are so desperate and anyone can tell them that the border is open and they will believe it and try just in case its true, Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the San Diego-based organization, told the Miami Herald from Mexico. This is why its so very important that the messaging from the administration is clear and precise so people can understand it.

Jozef said there are about 10,000 migrants in the town, and at least 6,000 of them are Haitians. Many of the migrants remain confused, wondering, for instance, if they will now be subject to the asylum rule, despite having spent up to a year in camps trying to get access to the United States.

The new U.S. policy is telling people in transit to apply for asylum in countries where people are also fleeing from and seeking asylum, said Jozef, who opposes the ban. The U.S.-Mexico border is being pushed into South and Central America. That is the reality, and my fear is that they are putting those systems in place so people can avoid smugglers. Those are the very reasons why people will try to find alternative ways to make the journey and create a new ecosystem for human traffickers and smugglers.

President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have come under fire from immigration advocates as well as Republican governors and lawmakers about the changing policies. While advocates have accused the administration of doing away with Title 42 just to replace it with asylum bans and tougher enforcement and detention policies, Republicans say the administration is sending the signal that the U.S.-Mexico border is open.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a news conference on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, ahead of the lifting of Title 42. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

It has put the Democratic president in a political bind just as he launches his campaign for reelection in 2024, faced with a base that is dissatisfied with his approach to the border and a Republican opposition emboldened by a narrative that migrants are overrunning the border.

Biden officials argue that new, innovative policies  such as offering parole to Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans, while cracking down on those who attempt to come to the U.S. unlawfully  shows they are delivering on tough border enforcement.

We are going to continue to enforce U.S. immigration laws and people who attempt to come across illegally are not going to be able to stay, are going to be returned, Homeland Security spokesperson Luis Miranda told the Herald. This administration has done a significant amount of work to ensure there are lawful pathways, there are ways for people who need it to be able to come.

A roughly 90% drop in arrivals at the southern border by nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela between December and March, however, has done little to improve the presidents public standing among critics.

The president has less power here than they would perhaps like to admit, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy directory for the American Immigration Council. Fundamentally, this is a problem that cannot be fixed without substantial investment from Congress. Its been 27 years since weve made any major changes to our humanitarian protection system, and its been 33 years since we updated our legal immigration system  it predates the World Wide Web.

During a Wednesday press conference, Mayorkas defended the administrations approach and said that migration is a regional problem that requires a regional approach, which the administration is taking through various initiatives.

He acknowledged that the U.S. s broken immigration system could be in for a difficult period ahead.

Even after nearly two years of preparation we expect to see large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks after May 11, Mayorkas said. We are already seeing high numbers of encounters in certain sectors.

He touted the new legal pathways for migrants that the administration has put in place, including an asylum-appointment system that uses a smartphone app known as CBP One. He said anyone choosing not to use those legal paths will face bigger hurdles to getting protection in the United States.

He added that Congress is primarily to blame for failing to update the countrys immigration system for over two decades  or to sufficiently fund the agency ahead of a potential, predictable surge.

Migrants help each other up the bank of the U.S. side of the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A majority of Republican voters consistently rank immigration among their top priorities when entering the ballot box, incentivizing some conservatives to keep immigration as a voting issue. And while fewer Democrats consider immigration when they vote, those that do, tend to favor broader pathways for asylum seekers.

The new asylum rule, still being finalized by the Department of Justice and expected to take effect after Thursday, presumes that anyone who shows up at the border without prior authorization is ineligible for asylum. Migrants can rebut that presumption in limited circumstances  for example, if they used the pathway or sought asylum in another country through which they had traveled and were denied.

Forcing persecuted people to first seek protection in countries with no functioning asylum systems is as ludicrous as it is life-threatening, said Lee Williams, chief programs officer at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. This ban is Title 42 in sheeps clothing, and it will have a devastating impact on children and families already uprooted by unimaginable violence, persecution, poverty, and climate disaster.

Williams said the administration is choosing to defy decades of humanitarian protections enshrined in U.S. law and international agreements. The Immigration and Nationality Act, Williams said, provides that people seeking protection may apply for asylum regardless of manner of entry, and does not require them to have first applied for protection in another country.

Victoria Ward, regional director for Save the Children in Latin America and the Caribbean, said by outsourcing asylum decisions to other countries in the region, children and families will face increased deportation from countries once they leave their homeland.

While we welcome the potential for simpler asylum processing, some of the new measures in this policy could increase the dangers facing migrant children and their families. We also worry that more children will travel unaccompanied, she said. It is also possible that across the Americas we will see increases and xenophobia and discrimination against migrants and higher rates of sexual exploitation, violence from gangs, and organized traffickers.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Tuesday said it will be chaotic at the border when an emergency immigration restriction tied to the pandemic ends Thursday.

Asked if the country is ready for the expected surge of migrants into the U.S., Biden said his administration is doing everything it can to prepare.

But it remains to be seen, he told reporters. Its going to be chaotic for a while.

Hundreds of migrants are already sleeping on downtown sidewalks of El Paso and overflowing the city's shelters.

Bidens comments were more candid than the message his press secretary sent hours earlier about the lifting of Title 42, which allows easier expulsion of migrants.

We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesdays daily briefing.

Biden said he spoke with Mexicos president for nearly an hour Tuesday and is getting overwhelming cooperation from Mexico.

President Joe Biden spoke to reporters May 9, 2023, after meeting with congressional leaders to discuss the debt ceiling.

Even some Democrats, including Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, have raised concerns about preparedness.

"We have not received an adequate response," Hobbs said Monday. "We will continue to relentlessly pressure the federal government until we truly get the resources we need to manage the expected influx."

Asked about Hobbs concerns, Jean-Pierre pointed to $45.5 million in federal funds recently sent to Arizona organizations providing food, shelter and other assistance to migrants. She said the administration remains in close contact with border communities in Arizona and other states about whats needed.

Other steps the administration has taken to prepare include:

Sending 1,500 more troops to the border  in addition to about 2,500 National Guard troops already there  to free up the Department of Homeland Securitys 24,000 agents and officers to focus on frontline duties.

Shifting hundreds more asylum officers and immigration judges to speed up the processing of migrants.

Expanding holding capacity while also increasing the number of removal flights.

Giving migrants alternative ways to seek asylum while promising to crack down on those who dont follow the rules.

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Migrants gather near the Sacred Heart Church in downtown El Paso, Texas., on May 11, 2023.

Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants during the pandemic.

The changing of the policy, and the uncertainty about what happens next, has already prompted a surge of migrants.

Crossings into Yuma, Ariz., have more than tripled between a month ago and Sunday, according to Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls.

"This is not stopping anytime soon, and it's very troubling, he said Monday.

Administration officials have said theyre doing everything legally possible, but their tools are limited because Congress has failed to address underlying issues.

Contributing: The Arizona Republic, El Paso Times.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden says border will be chaotic when Title 42 ends
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he was considering the use of the 14th amendment as a means to circumvent the debt ceiling standoff he currently finds himself in with House Republicans.

But he cast some doubt on whether it could work, saying it would have to be litigated and in the meantime without an extension itd still end up in the same place. The president said he would look at the issue of invalidating the debt ceiling through the 14th amendment months down the road. The amendment states that the public debt of the United States shall not be questioned.

Biden also refused to rule out a short-term debt limit increase.

"I said I would come back and talk, he said. The one thing Im ruling out is default, and Im not going to pass a budget that has massive cuts.

The presidents remarks came at the White House shortly after a meeting he called productive with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the three other top congressional leaders. But Biden leveled criticism at McCarthy for sometimes making remarks during the meeting that were maybe a little bit over the top and for not knowing what he had proposed in his GOP bill.

Three of the four participants [were] very measured and low key, Biden said.

Back at the Capitol, McCarthy laughed off the comment, saying: If you ever spend time with [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer, youll find out who the fourth is.

On a more serious note, Biden warned that not everyone at the negotiating table pledged to avoid default.

Among only three of the five, there was substantial movement that everyone agreed that deficit  defaulting on the debt was off the table, Biden said.

The president is scheduled to meet again Friday with McCarthy, Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Until then, White House staff and aides to the four congressional leaders would continue to hold discussions, those involved said.





Biden is scheduled to leave for Japan in a week for the G-7 summit, but the president said hed consider delaying his trip if an agreement appeared to be in reach. Underscoring the seriousness of the debt discussions, he called it the single most important thing thats on the agenda.

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Canceling the trip, he said, is possible, but not likely.

In other words, if somehow we got down to the wire and we still hadnt resolved this and the due date was in a matter of, when I was supposed to be away. I would not go. I would stay till this gets finished, he said.

White House and congressional appropriations staff are to begin discussions on a budget, which could form the outlines of an agreement. The Biden administration has insisted that the budget talks would be separate from a debt limit increase.

Biden expressed openness to one key GOP ask: Rescinding tens of billions of dollars in Covid funding.

The answer is, Id take a hard look at it, Biden said, adding that the government didnt need it all but needed to determine how much of that pot has been committed to various projects. Its on the table.

Still, Biden made clear that an agreement is not imminent.

Theres a lot of politics, posturing and gamesmanship and its going to continue for a while, but Im squarely focused on what matters, he added.

Sarah Ferris and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.
President Biden said Tuesday that the southern border with Mexico would be "chaotic for a while" as pandemic-era restrictions expire.

The administration is preparing for a surge in migrants, with 550 active-duty troops arriving there.

The president said that the White House was working to make the transition orderly.

"But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "Its going to be chaotic for a while."

EL PASO MIGRANT SHELTERS PREPARE FOR INFLUX OF PEOPLE AS TITLE 42 SET TO EXPIRE

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. Since March 2020, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

President Biden delivers remarks regarding the debt limit meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Tuesday May 9, 2023.

The restrictions end Thursday, and the Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever occurs following its end  although also repeatedly criticizing Congress for not making changes to the nation's immigration system.

"We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, were using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

Last week, Biden defended his decision to send 1,500 troops to the border.

"Ive asked this Congress for help in terms of what they need at the border," the president told MSNBC in a wide-ranging interview. "They need more agents. They need more people to clear people. They need more action."

TEXAS REP SAYS GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT TOLD HIM 80,000 MIGRANTS HEADED TO BORDER WITH TITLE 42 SET TO EXPIRE

Under federal law, active-duty troops cannot directly enforce U.S. laws, including immigration laws.

Military personnel will do data entry, warehouse support and other administrative tasks, according to Jean-Pierre.

The troops "will not be performing law enforcement functions or interacting with immigrants, or migrants," she said earlier this month. "This will free up Border Patrol agents to perform their critical law enforcement duties."

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More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May, and roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border.

Migrants are already arriving, with about 100 people coming across the border early Tuesday. Agents in El Centro, California, stopped about 260 migrants a day over the course of a four- or five-day period through Sunday. Sector chief Gregory Bovino said that was up from about 90 day during the previous week.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said on Twitter Monday that his agents had stopped about 8,800 migrants a day over a three-day period. That was up from about 5,200 a day in March.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border.

The U.S. is putting new policies in place to clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the U.S. if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks.

"The border is not open," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week. "It has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11. And the smugglers who exploit vulnerable migrants are spreading misinformation. They are spreading false information, lies in a way to lure vulnerable people to the southern border and those individuals will only be returned."

Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US President Joe Biden has embarked on his first major fundraising trip since formally entering the 2024 race

For the first time since formally entering the 2024 presidential race, Joe Biden headed Wednesday on a fundraising trip for a contest that could once again top all campaign spending records.

After taking the Republicans to task on the debt ceiling standoff in a speech in the northern suburbs of New York City, the US leader was due in Manhattan for two potentially lucrative receptions with wealthy donors.

One will be hosted by Tony James, the former executive vice chairman of the Blackstone Group, a global asset management firm. The price of admission to James's apartment shindig? A cool $25,000 a person, according to CNBC.

Afterwards, Biden will head to a campaign fundraising dinner at the home of businessman George Logothetis.

Outside the United States, such events at swanky homes mixing politics, money and cocktails can seem... unseemly, especially with the head of state in attendance.

In America, money makes the campaigns go around, and a candidate can even be measured by his or her ability to attract political donations -- the theory being that if enough influential people are willing to donate, that person is a winner.

- More than $2 billion -

Biden's campaign advisors have told The Washington Post that they hope to raise more than $2 billion to help carry the 80-year-old Democrat to a second term in the White House.

In the camp of former president Donald Trump, seen as his most serious potential Republican adversary, aides insist his indictment on 34 criminal charges over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels has only fueled campaign donations.

Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign finance data, estimates that the 2024 presidential election cycle could be the most expensive in US history.

In 2020, when Biden ultimately defeated Trump, the presidential election cost a whopping $5.7 billion -- more than double the amount spent in 2016, the group says.

Of course, campaign contributions don't just come from billionaires and huge companies; in 2020, according to Open Secrets, Biden received more than $400 million from small individual donors -- who each gave less than $200.

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The US media broadly insists that Biden can once again count on the deep pockets of technology executives and other business heavyweights. But will the donations be more modest this time around?

The latest opinion polls contain no good news for Biden, who must overcome voter concerns about his age and a higher cost of living.

- Is he too old? -

One recent poll conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post reveals that 68 percent of Americans surveyed believe the Democrat is too old for a second four-year term. Just 44 percent think the same thing about the 76-year-old Trump.

And Biden's approval rating has hit a new low of 36 percent, the poll revealed. That is worse than numbers seen for Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Trump at the same point in their presidencies. All three failed to win re-election.

Biden must therefore be sure not to lose the fundraising battle to Trump, who formally launched his bid for a second term in the Oval Office late last year.

US campaign law makes it difficult to know exactly how much any one candidate has on hand, with various limitations on donations set by the Federal Election Committee, but there are multiple ways an individual can contribute.

Most of the money flows through political action committees -- traditional PACs or so-called Super PACs -- which play a fundamental, though often murky, role.

Super PACs are freed from certain restrictions provided they do not give the money directly to a candidate or coordinate how funds are spent with a candidate. That allows the corporate money to pour in.

These political investment funds play an essential, albeit often underground, role in the campaign.

The two receptions Biden took part in Wednesday will benefit so-called Joint Action Committees, organizations that are increasingly popular in the political world, and which make it possible to raise larger sums.

Trump says he has raised about $18 million from November 15 to March 31, according to data released to the public.

But his campaign says he raised nearly as much -- more than $15 million, according to Politico -- in the two weeks following his indictment in New York on March 31 for allegedly falsifying business records.

On Tuesday, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming an American former magazine columnist and ordered to pay $5 million in damages -- it remains to be seen how that decision might affect his campaign or his fundraising.

As for Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who could soon join the 2024 race, he reportedly could be sitting on a campaign war chest of more than $100 million.

aue/sst/jh/md/smw
Image shows Donald Trump

Donald Trump is under investigation for everything from his handling of top secret documents to alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

And the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024 has suffered a series of recent legal setbacks.

He became the first former president to face criminal charges - over an alleged hush money scheme - and was separately ordered to pay millions of dollars to a writer after being found liable for sexual abuse.

Here are the cases ahead that pose the most serious legal risks.

Banner reading New York

What's being investigated?

New York is a hotbed of legal activity when it comes to Mr Trump.

He became the first former president to face criminal charges when he was indicted there following an investigation into a $130,000 payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Ms Daniels claims the pair had sex, something Mr Trump denies, and says she accepted the money from his former lawyer before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence.

Meanwhile, the business practices of his family company, the Trump Organization, are being examined by prosecutors in the state.

The New York attorney general is leading a civil investigation (which cannot result in criminal charges) and has spent years looking at whether the company committed various acts of fraud over several decades.

A criminal investigation is looking at similar issues.

What has Trump said?

Mr Trump described the indictment in the Stormy Daniels case as "political persecution" and said he did not expect a fair trial.

Separately, the former president and his lawyers have insisted the allegations against the Trump Organization are politically motivated.

So how serious is it?

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels case. It is now heading to trial, which is likely to happen in February or March 2024.

The most likely outcome there is a fine.

The criminal investigation into the Trump Organization has already yielded convictions. The company was found guilty of fraud and falsifying business records and fined. Allen Weisselberg, the organisation's chief financial officer, was sentenced to jail.

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In the civil case, the attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Mr Trump and three of his children accusing them of "astounding" fraud and of inflating their net worth. It seeks $250m that was allegedly obtained through fraudulent means.

A trial in that case is scheduled for October.

Banner showing Mar-a-Lago

What's being investigated?

The Department of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House, which were then taken to Mr Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office. Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored and who may have had access to them.

The former president's sprawling beachside property was searched in August and 11,000 documents were seized, including around 100 marked as classified. Some of these were labelled top secret.

Unsurprisingly, we know very little about what's in the documents. But classified material usually contains information that officials feel could damage national security if made public.

What has Trump said?

He's denied wrongdoing and criticised the justice department's investigation, branding it "politically motivated" and a "witch-hunt".

He has offered shifting defences which have mostly hinged on the argument that he declassified the material. No evidence has yet been provided that this is true.

More coverage

The former president has also argued that some of the documents are protected by "privilege" - a legal concept that would prevent them from being used in future proceedings. An independent lawyer is reviewing the seized material to determine if this is the case.

But Mr Trump has not directly addressed the key question of why the documents were at Mar-a-Lago in the first place.

So how serious is it?

This is an active criminal investigation and could result in charges being filed.

Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information that "could be used to the injury of the United States".

In addition to charges relating to the classified documents themselves, prosecutors are also looking at obstruction of justice as another potential crime.

The justice department has appointed an independent lawyer, or special counsel, to oversee all of its criminal investigations into Mr Trump. Jack Smith will lead its various inquiries and will ultimately decide whether to bring charges.

Banner showing the Capitol riot

What's being investigated?

Mr Trump's alleged role in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the confirmation of President Joe Biden's election victory, is under scrutiny from prosecutors.

A congressional committee spent 18 months looking into Mr Trump's actions. They held a series of televised hearings laying out their case that his election fraud claims led directly to the riot.

Following these hearings, the committee accused Mr Trump of inciting insurrection and referred its findings to the justice department.

The department is running a criminal investigation into 6 January and broader efforts to overturn the election - but this has largely been shrouded in secrecy.

It's the largest police investigation in US history, but the extent to which Mr Trump is a target is still unclear.

What has Trump said?

He's denied responsibility for the riot and has continued to repeat his unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

So how serious is it?

It is up to the justice department to decide whether to file criminal charges, and its investigation has already led to hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol being charged.

The former president has not been called for questioning in that inquiry, but it remains a possibility.

He could - in theory - be charged if investigators believe there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing on his part.

Banner showing Georgia

What's being investigated?

Prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump and others acted illegally to try and and overturn his narrow loss in the state in 2020.

The criminal investigation was opened after the disclosure of an hour-long phone call between the former president and the state's top election official on 2 January 2021.

"I just want to find 11,780 votes," Mr Trump said during the call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - a reference to the number of ballots needed to give him victory in the swing state.

A grand jury heard evidence for over eight months before filing a final report, which remains sealed.

What has Trump said?

He's described the investigation - as he has many others - as a "witch hunt".

He has also attacked the legal official leading the inquiry - the chief prosecutor of Fulton County, Fani Willis - as a "young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat".

So how serious is it?

"The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences," Ms Willis told the Washington Post in September.

The 26-member grand jury did not have indictment powers but may have recommended charges. Among the potential crimes it looked into were the solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government officials, and racketeering.

It is not known whether the former president is being directly investigated, but some of his allies are known to be part of the inquiry.

Ms Willis is expected to disclose whether Mr Trump and others will be charged this summer.
Packaging Corporation of America has notified its Wallula mill employees the plant will be idled and wont resume operations until later this year.

Packaging Corporation, based in Lake Forest, Ill., confirmed the layoffs in a statement to the Tri-City Herald. It attributed the decision to idle the plant to economic conditions.

We expect to resume operations at the mill later this year, said the statement.

Corrugated products facilities in Richland and Wallula are not affected and will remain open.

Worker layoffs

It appears the decision will affect about 300 of the 450 Packaging Corp. employees at Wallula, many of whom commute from the Tri-Cities.

According to the Washington Department of Ecology, Packaging Corp. employs about 300 people at the pulp and paper mill and 155 at the unaffected container plant.

Packaging Corporation of America, owner of the Boise paper mill in Wallula, confirmed it is idling the plant and wont restart until later this year. Tri-City Herald file

The pulp and paper mill makes about 1,800 tons of unbleached paper and corrugate medium each day.

The container plant makes about 5 million square feet of boxes each day. The mill treats its own wastewater before discharging it to the Columbia River under a permit with the state agency.

Karl Dye, president of the Tri-City Development Council, said while the news is unfortunate, workers are in demand across skill and education levels in the Tri-Cities. The local economy should be able to reemploy them, he said.

With 450 workers in total, Packaging Corporation is Walla Walla Countys ninth largest employer, according to economic data compiled by the Port of Walla Walla.

No WARNing

There was no apparent warning under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires companies with 100 or more employees affected by layoffs to give advance notice.

WARN notices are required for temporary shutdowns that last six months or longer.

Packaging Corporation of America, owner of the Boise paper mill in Wallula, confirmed it is idling the plant and wont restart until later this year. Tri-City Herald file

The Washington Employment Security Department is ready to assist laid off workers apply for unemployment benefits. Go to worksourcewa.com/

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A newly resurfaced video shows the moment doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow was served court orders to produce her children, who had been killed four months before, while vacationing at a pool resort in Hawaii.

The video was shown during Ms Vallows ongoing trial for charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and her new husband Chad Daybells first wife Tammy, 49. It was not immediately available to the public as cameras are banned from the courtroom  with most of the evidence to be released once the trial is finalised  but a copy of the video was exclusively obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix.

In the clip, Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell can be seen lounging in chairs at a resort in Kauai on 25 January 2020. JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace back in September 2019, with their mother refusing to reveal their whereabouts to authorities for many months.

Hows it going? Are you Chad and Lori? a person is heard saying after handing Ms Vallow Vallow a court order from Madison County, Idaho, to produce her children to the Department of Health and Welfare within a week. Ms Vallow, youve been served.

Ms Vallow, wearing a blue bikini and sunglasses, then asked: Do you need something from me?

When the court servers asked her if she had any questions, she said no. Ms Vallow was arrested on 21 January on charges of child abandonment and desertion. The childrens bodies were then discovered on Mr Daybells property on 9 June 2020.

JJs body was found in a black plastic bag wrapped in duct tape, near a tree while Tylees remains were found a short distance away buried in the pet cemetery. Her body had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit.

On Tuesday, Ms Vallows defence rested their case without presenting any witnesses, with closing arguments expected to begin on Thursday.

Ms Vallows attorneys, prosecutors and Judge Steven Boyce will meet privately on Wednesday to discuss jury instructions.

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(Fox10/screenshot)

Judge Boyce has ruled that the court will stream the verdict of the high-profile case once its reached.

Last year, Judge Steven Boyce banned cameras from the courtroom, citing concerns that they could prevent a fair trial. It came after Ms Vallows attorneys contended that one news organisation abused the privilege by repeatedly zooming in on Ms Vallows face during previous hearings. Prosecutors sided with the defence and said the cameras should be banned as news coverage could make it hard for the court to find an impartial jury.

A coalition of more than 30 news organisations, including the Associated Press and East Idaho News, asked the judge to reject the motion but the court ultimately decided that news organisations would no longer be able to shoot still photography or videos inside the courtroom.

Judge Boyce stated in his Tuesday ruling that the reasoning behind the ban loses validity upon the reaching of a verdict, allowing the court to stream the final chapter of the weeks-long trial through its YouTube channel, according to East Idaho News.
Last month, Channel 2 Action News began telling you about neighbors being trapped in their neighborhoods for days on end by stalled trains.

On Wednesday, The Railway Safety Act of 2023, which is being backed by Senator Raphael Warnock, passed through the Senate Commerce Committee.

The bill passed with bipartisan support in a 16-11 vote.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Sen. Warnock included provisions in the bill that would update the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program to help eliminate railroad crossings along school bus routes and within a mile of a school. It also decreases the amount of spending required by local governments for these programs.

The bill also gives community members the ability to report railroad crossings being blocked by trains directly to rail carriers.

Reports of stalled trains trapping Georgians in their neighborhoods for hours or even days is unacceptable, said Sen. Warnock. I was proud to join my colleagues today in leading the Senate to take a much-needed first step to address this problem by working to address rail crossings that block our children from getting to school. While I keep pushing to get this bill to the Senate floor, I will continue to demand rail companies respect the communities they travel through.

It's shameful when people are trapped on their streets, or kids are forced to climb through stalled railcars to get to school, because trains are blocking their route.



I'm offering several proposals at today's@CommerceDems rail safety hearing to fix this. We can do better.  Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) May 10, 2023

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Neighbors sent Channel 2s Courtney Francisco videos of people being forced to cross over or under the train in Atlantas Hunter Hills neighborhood to get to the bus stop on the other side to make it to work.

A CSX spokesperson sent the following statement to Channel 2 Action News:

We are aware of the challenges that exist in Hunter Hills and understand our responsibility to be good stewards of the communities through which we operate. CSX is committed to working with Rep. Mainor and we will continue to explore ways to keep lengthy crossing blockages from occurring while maintaining safe and efficient operations.

State Representative Mesha Mainor and Atlanta City Councilman Bryan Amos compiled a list of dates and times that trains blocked intersections. They told Channel 2 Action News the length of time the trains were parked ranged from 45 minutes to 30 hours.

As a good neighbor, I think they should be willing to work with the city, said Amos. If they dont produce noticeable results he said, At that time is when the city calls on our state and federal partners to force them to the table.

The bill will now go to a full vote on the Senate floor. Spokespeople with Sen. Warnocks office do not have a timeline on when that vote may occur.

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Owen Diaz has rejected a $3.2 million payout from Tesla in a racial harassment case against the firm. Getty Images

A Black former Tesla worker rejected a $3.2 million payout in a racial harassment case against the firm.

Owen Diaz is seeking another trial after Tesla lawyer's "poisonous messaging" tainted proceedings.

Diaz said he suffered racist abuse from colleagues who told him to "go back to Africa."

A Black former Tesla contract worker who was awarded $3.2 million in damages in a racial harassment case against the company is seeking a retrial, saying that the use of "poisonous messaging" tainted the proceedings.

Owen Diaz, who was hired as an elevator operator at Tesla's Fremont, California factory via an agency in 2015, was originally awarded $137 million in 2021 for his case against the company.

Diaz told the court in 2021 that colleagues verbally abused him and told him to "go back to Africa," according to CNBC. He also said that racist graffiti could be found in the bathrooms of the factory.

But the $137 million payout was later slashed to $15 million after a judge said that the previous jury had awarded an "unconstitutionally large" sum. Diaz opted for a retrial which saw his payout diminish to $3.2 million.

In a court filing on Tuesday, Diaz's lawyers said that he "did not receive the free trial to which he was entitled," because of Tesla's "improper" line of questioning.

The filing said that Tesla's lawyers made unfounded claims about Diaz being a "racist and misogynist who hurled ethnic slurs against 'dumb Mexicans' and sexually harassed multiple women."

It continued: "Each incident of misconduct damaged the integrity of the trial and their cumulative impact on the jury was monumentally prejudicial to Plaintiff.

"The Court was forced to repeatedly issue curative instructions to counteract Tesla's behavior but those instructions (while proper) necessarily highlighted Tesla's poisonous messaging. There was no meaningful way to wipe Tesla's improper accusations and suggestions from the jury's consciousness," it added.

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In a separate filing on Tuesday, lawyers for Tesla said that the company is seeking to further reduce the awarded damages to $1.75 million. These lawyers said that the $3.2 million payout is disproportionate to Diaz's compensatory damages, per Bloomberg.

Lawyers for Diaz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Tesla did not respond to Insider's request for comment; its press team was dissolved in 2019.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden will be tapping Wall Street donors at a pair of events Wednesday as he steps up fundraising for his 2024 reelection campaign, according to a person familiar with his plans.

Tony James, the former vice chairman of Blackstone Inc., is hosting donors at his New York apartment, an event that will also feature Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Tickets cost $25,000. At a second event, Biden will join Libra Group Chairman George Logothetis for a dinner with a smaller group of deep-pocketed contributors, said the person, who sought anonymity to discuss aspects of the presidents schedule that are not yet public.

The money will support both Bidens campaign, which can accept a maximum of $3,300 from individuals per election, and the Democratic National Committee, which can take as much as $413,000.

The two fundraising events were first reported by CNBC.

The influx of cash will help Biden and the DNC finance early advertising intended to bolster his slumping poll numbers. His approval rating slid to a career low of 36% in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. That survey also showed him trailing predecessor Donald Trump 44% to 38% in early voter preferences for the 2024 election.

Trump currently leads in polls to snag the Republican nomination.

So far, the DNC has spent $1.6 million on broadcast and cable ads backing Biden, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks political spending. Thats an unusual outlay so early in a presidential contest. Three Democratic super political action committees have chipped in another $1 million on the presidents behalf.

Biden tapped Wall Street people heavily for his 2020 campaign, raising $79 million from them, according to OpenSecrets.

James, a billionaire as well as a longtime Democratic donor and fundraiser, gave $150,000 to the presidents 2020 effort, and was among the bundlers the campaign disclosed who raised at least $100,000 for it.

Logothetis, a member of a Greek shipping family who founded Libra Group, a closely-held entity with investments in aviation, energy, hospitality and shipping, donated $2,800, the maximum donation at the time.

Story continues

--With assistance from Devon Pendleton.

(Updates with detail on Logothetis, in final paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The body of a missing Massachusetts fisherman was pulled from a lake in New Hampshire on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Divers with New Hampshire Fish and Game recovered the body of Allan Schuh, of Plymouth, from Bow Lake in Strafford around 10 a.m.

Schuh had been fishing the day before and was reported missing Tuesday afternoon by his wife when he did not return home, according to Fish and Game.

A search for him went until dark Tuesday and was called off Wednesday after crews located his body 15 feet offshore in about eight feet of water.

Unfortunately Schuh was not wearing a life jacket, Fish and Game Sgt. Geoffrey Pushee wrote in a news release.

Fish and Game was assisted by Marine Patrol, New Hampshire State Police, Strafford Police and Fire Departments, Barrington Police Department, Rochester Fire Department, and Barnstead Fire Department in the search for Schuh.

The cause of Schuhs death remains under investigation.

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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China extends anti-dumping duties on chloroprene rubber from Japan, U.S., EU

Xinhua) 08:09, May 10, 2023

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to levy anti-dumping duties on imports of chloroprene rubber from Japan, the United States and the European Union for another five years, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday.

The extension will take effect on May 10, the MOC said in an online statement, adding that the decision was made following an expiry review launched at the request of the domestic industry in May last year.

The MOC ruled that, should the anti-dumping measures be scrapped, dumping would continue or reoccur in the Chinese market, and would have harmful effects on the domestic industry, according to the statement.

Chloroprene rubber is used for wire and cable sheathing, rubber hoses and oil-resistant rubber products, and in fields such as waterproof building materials, sealing materials, adhesives, marine development, medical health and energy development.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Investigators discovered the body of a 19-year-old pregnant woman who went missing from her Jackson County home a week ago  and announced the arrest of an Alabama man in connection with her kidnapping and killing.

Anastasia Gilley, who grew up in Tallahassee but had been living in Marianna, was last seen at her home on May 3, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The disappearance of Gilley, who was four months pregnant, touched off around the clock efforts to find her by JCSO and the Houston County Sheriffs Office in South Alabama.

Anastasia Gilley

Following leads from interviews and other investigative techniques, law enforcement searched various locations in Jackson and Houston counties, JCSO said. Early Wednesday, investigators found a deceased victim near Headland, Alabama, a small town outside Dothan, Alabama.

Investigators believe this to be the body of Anastasia Gilley, pending an autopsy, JCSO said in the news release.

Family and friends of Gilley, who attended Rickards High School, expressed their shock and grief on social media.

"This is a nightmare we can never wake up from," her older sister, Crystal Taylor, said in a Facebook post. "YOU SHOULD STILL BE HERE. Every time I see another news headline with your name and face it just doesn't feel real. My baby sister you were not supposed to leave this world before me."

JCSO said Marquis Devan McCloud, 33, of Alabama, was arrested on a charge of capital murder during a first-degree kidnapping. McCloud had been in custody since earlier in the week.

The suspect has been uncooperative throughout this entire investigation," the Sheriff's Office said.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Office said the large, multi-state investigation into Gilleys killing is ongoing but noted that the suspect was no longer "a threat to the public. JCSO said more details will be shared as the investigation continues.

Jackson County Sheriff Donald Edenfield thanked everyone who assisted and continues to help in the investigation.

Story continues

As this tragedy continues to unfold, Sheriff Edenfield and Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim, JCSO said in the news release.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Body of missing Florida pregnant woman found; police make murder arrest
Several buildings in West Yorkshire are being celebrated for their close connections with war-torn Ukraine.

Historic England has highlighted their contribution to local communities ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest being staged by the UK on behalf of Ukraine.

The buildings include churches and a community memorial in Bradford and a community centre in Huddersfield.

Historic England's chief executive said the focus was on places which told the story of Ukrainian life.

Liverpool is currently hosting the finals of the first Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the UK for 25 years after organisers decided it was too dangerous for Ukraine, 2022's winners, to stage the competition on home turf due to Russia's invasion.

Announcing that several building across the north of England were to be celebrated for their Ukrainian links, Historic England said people from there had established a strong connection to many towns and cities in the North for over a century.

Historic England said that on its advice the Ukrainian community memorial in Bradford's North Bierley Municipal Cemetery had now been granted Grade II-listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Meanwhile, buildings which had already been awarded listed status had had their entries on the National Heritage List for England updated, according to Historic England.

These included Huddersfield's Edgerton Hill Ukrainian Community Centre, Bradford's St Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Stony Lane, and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of The Most Holy Trinity & Our Lady of Pochaiv in Manningham, the organisation said.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England's chief executive, said: "These places were established as safe spaces, over decades, by people who wanted to keep Ukraine in their hearts and their heritage alive."

The buildings showed "the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukrainian communities and their dedication to protecting their language, beliefs, and way of life", he added.

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"It feels right to celebrate Ukrainian heritage in the north of England as the nation gets ready to host Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine."

The first Eurovision semi-final took place on Tuesday, with a second semi-final due to take place on Thursday ahead of the grand final in Liverpool at the weekend.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.
Groundbreaking Brazilian politician David Miranda has died. The Brazilian politicians passing came after facing health issues for almost a year.

The Advocate reported that his husband, journalist Glenn Greenwald, confirmed the news of Mirandas death on Twitter Tuesday morning.

It is with the most profound sadness that I announce the passing away of my husband @DavidMirandaRio. He would have turned 38 tomorrow. His death, early this morning, came after a 9-month battle in ICU. He died in full peace, surrounded by our children and family and friends, he wrote on the platform.

It is with the most profound sadness that I announce the passing away of my husband, @DavidMirandaRio. He would have turned 38 tomorrow. His death, early this morning, came after a 9-month battle in ICU. He died in full peace, surrounded by our children and family and friends. pic.twitter.com/wtRvGyJyGl  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 9, 2023

Miranda was a tour de force in the Brazilian government, becoming the first openly gay city councilor in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and serving in Brazils Congress starting in 2019, CNN reported. However, Miranda withdrew his candidacy for reelection after six weeks last September due to his health issues. The former city councilman was in the ICU with a gastrointestinal infection.

His cause of death has not been released.

Many have shared their condolences on social media.

Shocked to hear about David Miranda, who I was lucky to film in 2018/19. He was warm, charismatic, funny, with intense energy for his political work. He talked with such love and care about his family. A huge loss. My condolences to his family and friends, documentary filmmaker Ali Maeve tweeted.

Shocked to hear about David Miranda, who I was lucky to film in 2018/19. He was warm, charismatic, funny, with intense energy for his political work. He talked with such love and care about his family. A huge loss. My condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/InSYVVfNSg  Ali Maeve (@ali_maeve) May 9, 2023

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also shared a message on Twitter addressing Mirandas passing, calling him a young man with an extraordinary trajectory who left too soon, on the platform.

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Meus sentimentos ao @ggreenwald e familiares pela perda de David Miranda. Um jovem de trajetoria extraordinaria que partiu cedo demais.  Lula (@LulaOficial) May 9, 2023

Edward Snowden, who gave Greenwald information about U.S. intelligence programs as part of a severe data breach, also shared a tweet honoring Miranda.

Heartbreaking news. Of everyone who had a hand in the 2013 revelations of global mass surveillance, my dear friend David Miranda was perhaps the most righteousand pure, he wrote. I will never forget that when the UK broke its own laws to detain David as a terrorist for daring to aid an act of journalismand threatened to throw him in a dungeon for the rest of his lifehe never faltered. Instead, he dared them to do it. It was that courage that set him free. That courage that moved the story forward. That will forever serve as the example of a man at his best. I will miss you, David. Stay free.

Heartbreaking news. Of everyone who had a hand in the 2013 revelations of global mass surveillance, my dear friend David Miranda was perhaps the most righteousand pure. I will never forget that when the UK broke its own laws to detain David as a "terrorist" for daring to aid an https://t.co/y44iTlfkdX  Edward Snowden (@Snowden) May 9, 2023

In his tweet, Greenwald also shared how much fatherhood meant to Miranda.

But by far Davids biggest dream, what gave him the greatest pride and purpose, was being a father, Greenwald wrote, announcing his husbands death. He was the most dedicated and loving parent. He taught me how to be a father. And our truly exceptional boys  with their own difficult start to live  is his greatest legacy, he wrote.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but wants a dialogue between the countries

During a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Lula da Silva condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine. However, he stressed the need to move forward in dialogue and effectively achieve peace.

Read also: Brazil to propose a peace conference to end the war in Ukraine

Each country has its own reasons, he said.

In fact, Ukraine cannot accept the occupation of its territory, it must resist. The European Union is right in its decision (to side with Ukraine and against Russia), while Brazil and other countries are right in their desire to strike a happy medium. I think its possible. If I thought it was impossible, I would not have participated in it.

In turn, Rutte, who is in Brazil on a visit, said Russias war against Ukraine should be stopped as soon as possible, but without concessions that affect Ukraines territorial sovereignty.

Read also: UN chief says Ukraine-Russia peace talks now impossible, Zelenskyys advisor reacts

In late April, Lula da Silva declared the uselessness of finding the guilty in Russias war against Ukraine and the need for negotiations. He also said that it is Ukraine and Russia that must resolve the issue of Crimeas ownership.

Under international law, Crimea remains Ukrainian territory despite having been under Russian military occupation since 2014.

Read also: Goal number one. Three Stages of the Return of Crimea - opinion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized that negotiations with Moscow are possible only after invading Russian forces leave Ukrainian territory and stop bombing and killings.

As a response to Russias attempt to annex captured Ukrainian territories, on Sept. 30, 2022, Zelesnkyy enacted a decision of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council banning negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Read also: Zelenskyy hosts summit on special tribunal for Russia

According to a survey conducted by the Razumkov Center in February-March 2023, 72% of Ukrainians do not consider negotiations with Russia to be an effective way to achieve peace.

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Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the terms of negotiations with Russia would not change and peace talks could begin only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) -The British government no longer intends to remove all European Union laws by the end of this year, a flagship policy for hardline Brexiteers that sparked warnings from business and the opposition about legal uncertainty and bureaucratic chaos.

The government said on Wednesday it would amend legislation currently making its way through parliament to propose revoking by the end of 2023 only around 600 of the almost 4,000 EU laws remaining since Britain left the bloc in 2020.

The Retained EU Law (REUL) bill had aimed to automatically remove any remaining EU laws at the end of this year unless they were explicitly chosen to be saved, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said in January the government would not extend that deadline.

"Today the government is tabling an amendment ... which will replace the current sunset in the Bill with a list of the retained EU laws that we intend to revoke under the Bill at the end of 2023," business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch said in a written statement to parliament.

"This provides certainty for business by making it clear which regulations will be removed from our statute book, instead of highlighting only the REUL that would be saved."

Badenoch said 1,000 EU laws had already been revoked or reformed since Britain left the EU and a further 500 would be revoked by two other bills which are in the process of making their way through parliament.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, a hardline Brexiteer and business minister at the time the bill was introduced, expressed disappointment at the decision.

"Regrettably the Prime Minister has shredded his own promise rather than EU laws," he tweeted.

Opposition politicians have been warning the revocation of EU law would create massive amounts of work for departments with little benefit, empower ministers to replace laws as they see fit, and open the door to weaker regulatory protections.

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Almost half of British directors would prefer to retain laws inherited from the EU instead of seeing the government remove them, an Institute of Directors survey published this month found.

Badenoch said the government would still end the special status of retained EU law by the end of the year, but acknowledged the "growing volume" of retained law being identified and the legal risks of sunsetting the laws had impacted the process of reviewing them.

"It has become clear that the programme was becoming more about reducing legal risk by preserving EU laws than prioritising meaningful reform," she said. "That is why today I am proposing a new approach."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskillEditing by Mark Potter)
Joseph James O'Connor in Spain - Reuters

A British man who was extradited to New York from Spain last month has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and computer hacking schemes, including the 2020 hack of the social media site Twitter.

Joseph James O'Connor, 23, was charged in both North Dakota and New York. The North Dakota case was transferred to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Mr O'Connor pleaded guilty to charges including conspiring to commit computer intrusions, to commit wire fraud and to commit money laundering.

He will also forfeit more than $794,000 and pay restitution to victims, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum of 77 years in prison at sentencing on June 23.

"OConnors criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple peoples lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the schemes included gaining unauthorized access to social media accounts on Twitter in July 2020 as well as a TikTok account in August 2020. Along with his co-conspirators, Mr O'Connor allegedly stole at least $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

The July 2020 Twitter attack hijacked a variety of verified accounts, including those of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk, who now owns Twitter.

The accounts of former President Barack Obama, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Kanye West were also hit.

The hacker used the accounts to solicit digital currency, prompting Twitter to prevent some verified accounts from publishing messages for several hours until security could be restored.

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Joseph James O'Connor was arrested in Spain in 2021

A British national extradited to the US last month has pleaded guilty in New York to a role in one of the biggest hacks in social media history.

The July 2020 Twitter hack affected over 130 accounts including those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Joseph James O'Connor, 23, known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty to hacking charges carrying a total maximum sentence of over 70 years in prison.

The hacking was part of a large-scale Bitcoin scam.

O'Connor, who was extradited from Spain, hijacked numerous Twitter accounts and sent out tweets asking followers to send Bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.

O'Connor, from Liverpool, was charged alongside three other men over the scam.

US teenager Graham Ivan Clark pleaded guilty in 2021. Nima Fazeli of Orlando, Florida, and Mason Sheppard, of Bognor Regis in the UK, were charged with federal crimes.

US Assistant Attorney-General Kenneth Polite Jr described in a statement O'Connor's actions as "flagrant and malicious", saying he had "harassed, threatened and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm".

Celebrities including US boxer Floyd Mayweather and the singer Wiz Khalifa also lost control of their accounts

"Like many criminal actors, O'Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States.

"But this plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes."

In 2020, an estimated 350 million Twitter users saw suspicious tweets from official accounts of the platform's biggest users. Thousands fell for a scam, trusting that a crypto giveaway was real.

Cyber experts agreed that the consequences of the Twitter hack could have been far worse if O'Connor and other hackers had more sophisticated plans than a get-rich-quick scheme.

Disinformation could have been spread to affect political discourse and markets could have been moved by well-worded fake business announcements, for example.

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The hack showed how fragile Twitter's security was at the time. The attackers telephoned a small number of Twitter employees with a believable tale to convince them to hand over their internal login details - which eventually granted the hackers access to Twitter's powerful administrative tools.

Essentially, the hackers managed to use social engineering tricks more akin to those of conmen than of high-level cyber-criminals to get access to the powerful internal control panel at the site.

Mike Bloomberg and Kanye West were among those hacked

It was, and still is, a hugely embarrassing moment in Twitter's troubled history.

O'Connor's admission has not come as a shock though as there was a wealth of evidence in the public domain thanks to the hackers making some bad mistakes or being too loud in their celebrations in the aftermath of the hack.

O'Connor also pleaded guilty to other hacking crimes including gaining access to a high-profile TikTok account.

He posted a video to that account where his own voice is recognisable and threatened to release "sensitive, personal material" related to the owner of the account to people who joined a Discord group.

The US justice department said he had also used technology to stalk a minor.
A man was arrested for allegedly lying to officials that his United States passport was lost when really it had been confiscated by prosecutors in a foreign country because he was arrested for murder there.

Johnny Barros Brandao, 40, of Brockton, was charged with one count of passport fraud.

Charging documents say that on March 27, 2014, Brandao fatally shot someone in the head in Cabo Verde with a revolver and dumped the victims body on the side of the road. He also stole one million and five hundred thousand Cape Verdean Escudo, according to law enforcement officials.

Furthermore, on July 26, 2021, authorities allege Brandao shot and killed another person and threw the victims body over a cliff.

He was arrested in Cabo Verde on these charges and was released with supervision after a period of pretrial detention on December 12, 2022. The court ordered Brandao to stay in the country and confiscated his national ID card along with his U.S. and Cabo Verde passports.

A little more than two weeks later, Brandao applied for a replacement U.S. passport at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, where he filled out a form that his previous passport was lost while out to dinner, according to charging documents.

The charge of passport fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Brandao appeared in federal court on Tuesday and was detained pending a hearing on May 12.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Aricka Sidbury, a detective with the Wilmington Police Department, was suspended in April after officials learned she was under investigation in California. STARNEWS FILE PHOTO

Officials from the Marin County Sheriff's Office, a county of more than 250,000 just north of San Francisco, confirmed Wednesday that their office is the California agency investigating suspended Wilmington Police Department detective Aricka Sidbury.

Up until Wednesday, the Wilmington Police Department declined to confirm that Marin County was investigating Sidbury or provide any information on the details of Sidbury's suspension.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn with the Marin County Sheriff's Office, but he said the agency has been investigating since last November.

Schermerhorn declined to provide many details regarding the situation after consulting with officials in North Carolina. He stated that investigators from the Marin County Sheriff's Office are now working with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation on this case, and that the alleged crime originated in Marin County.

Details about the victim weren't released by the Marin County Sheriff's Office other than the fact that the individual owns a business, according to Schermerhorn.

California investigators contacted Chief Donny Williams with the Wilmington Police Department last month to gather more information about Sidbury after she became the subject of the investigation, Schermerhorn said.

More: New details emerge in case of suspended Wilmington detective as prosecutors gather more info

More: Wilmington Police Department detective suspended, under investigation

As a result, Sidbury was suspended by Wilmington police on April 19, and in consultation with District Attorney Ben David, the SBI and North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys were brought in to investigate any potential crimes committed in North Carolina.

The SBI declined to confirm it was investigating Sidbury, stating in an email to the StarNews Wednesday that the agency couldn't comment on investigations regarding specific individuals until they're arrested, charged or indicted.

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Schermerhorn added that the Wilmington Police Department is assisting the SBI in its investigation and that officials in Marin County are now sharing information on the investigation with state officials in North Carolina.

California officials didn't state exactly what Sidbury is being investigated for, but according to an April 20 letter written by New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David, the alleged crime is "financial in nature."

David and prosecutors in New Hanover County are still trying to gather information from California investigators about the exact nature of the allegations to determine the future of several pending cases Sidbury is involved in. As a violent crimes detective for Wilmington police, Sidbury has at least two murder trials and multiple other violent crime cases set to go to trial in the future, David told the StarNews Tuesday.

While none of the trials are soon, prosecutors need to learn more about the investigation to determine if Sidbury can still be used as a credible witness in the cases she's investigated.

Our job is to do justice not to convict at all costs, and we want to be assured that there's no issue with someone's veracity if they are the witness in a case, David said. We are confident that the work that she has done in these murder cases was done in tandem with a lot of other officers who are not in any way facing criminal charges or the prospect of internal affairs investigation.

Sidbury, the daughter of Wilmington City Clerk Penelope Spicer-Sidbury, has been with the department since 2012. Three years ago, Sidbury was honored as one of Wilmington's 40 under 40, an award reserved for those in the community who are helping the Cape Fear region prosper.

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: California agency confirms case involving Wilmington detective
Dianne Feinstein is back, and she could make a big difference in resolving the federal debt limit battle, getting judicial nominees approved and deciding the fate of Julie Su.

Though she often suffers memory loss and lacks her once-trademark savvy and energy, the California Democrat is a crucial majority-maker because of simple Senate math. Democrats control 51 of the 100 seats. The Senate Judiciary Committee has 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

Feinstein returned to the Senate Wednesday afternoon after flying into Washington from San Francisco Tuesday. She missed the days first votes and the weekly party caucus.

She was using a wheelchair when she was greeted at an outdoor Senate entrance by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The 89-year-old former mayor of San Francisco said she felt much better.

Feinstein then cast her first vote since February 16, in favor of confirming Glenna Wright-Gallo as an assistant education secretary. Wright-Gallo won confirmation with 52 votes.

The more crucial votes will come later, as the Senate considers whether to confirm Californias Su as U.S. labor secretary, raising the debt limit, approving judicial nominations and investigating the Clarence Thomas controversy

A lighter schedule

The senator said that though she has made significant progress since contracting shingles, a viral infection that can cause a painful rash and other problems.

Im still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus, she said. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. Im hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover.

Feinstein is not expected to play a key policy-making role, and recent health issues have made her less publicly active. She was in line to become the judiciary committees top Democrat but stepped aside. She could have been Senate President Pro Tem this year but declined.

While Feinsteins return is a very big dealI dont see her as a big player in terms of overall strategy, said Darrell West, vice president, governance studies at Washingtons Brookings Institution, a center-left research group.

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But voting and participating in Senate business is another matter. She has staff who can help mold policy statements assist her in public. And in the Senate committees and on the floor, she only needs to indicate yea or nay.

Making a difference

Among the issues where Feinsteins vote could make a big difference:

 Julie Su. The nomination is stuck. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, has expressed reservations and at least two other Democratic senators are wavering.

With Feinstein back, Anything we do in the Senate that requires a majority is now within reach, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

The White House is sticking firmly with the former California Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. She has been criticized for her stewardship of the agency during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The states unemployment system was widely seen as inefficient and chaotic.

Senators often look to a nominees home state senators for guidance, so Feinsteins vote, along with the support of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is viewed as an important signal.

 Debt limit. Though it generally takes 60 votes to overcome Senate obstacles, the 2021 debt limit brinkmanship ended when Republican leaders agreed to a unique maneuver to require only 51 votes to raise the limit.

If that tactic is used again, Feinsteins vote would matter.

At the moment, almost all options appear to be in play. President Joe Biden and congressional leaders are scheduled to meet again Friday to discuss how to increase the debt ceiling.

 Judicial nominations. It will make a difference with some nominees, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, top Republican on the judiciary committee member, said Wednesday.

The committee plans to consider seven candidates for the federal bench Thursday. Perhaps the most controversial will be Michael Delaney, nominated by Biden for an appeals court opening.

Some Democrats have questioned his signature on a legal brief supporting a New Hampshire law requiring minors to notify their parents if they want an abortion. Feinstein submitted written questions about the issue to Delaney in February

Hes got the support of his home state senators in New Hampshire, but its unclear whether he can win committee approval.

 Clarence Thomas. Democrats have been eager to investigate reports about the Supreme Court justices relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow.

Crow has taken Thomas on lavish trips, bought property from him and paid for private school tuition for Thomas grandnephew.

Having Feinstein back gives us the mandate and the majority we need to seek documents and witnesses if necessary by subpoena, said Blumenthal, a judiciary committee member. The next steps of the investigation are now within realistic reach.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, saw potential for a lot of movement on a variety of issues now that Feinstein is back.

There are things we cannot call for a vote, he said. There are measures we cannot debate and vote on until we have the majority advantage.
The California Department of Developmental Services coordinates services at the Regional Center of Orange County and other such centers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The California Department of Developmental Services has agreed to improve the care it provides to deaf people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as part of a new legal settlement in federal court, according to court filings.

The settlement is the result of a 2020 lawsuit in which deaf clients, their guardians and statewide disability rights organizations alleged that thousands of deaf people who attend the department's day programs or live in its housing were being "systematically denied interpreters and other aids and services that are necessary for effective communication," among other injustices.

"They are isolated from social interaction and denied the opportunity to develop important life skills," the lawsuit alleged.

The lawsuit sought relief not just for the named plaintiffs, but also for an entire class of deaf clients who it alleged were being discriminated against within the state system.

State officials entered into negotiations with the plaintiffs to resolve their concerns without going through a lengthy trial.

The parties notified the court of the proposed settlement at the end of March, and U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted preliminary approval of the settlement on April 28. It still needs final approval.

Under the agreement, the department will assess the communication needs of deaf clients at 21 regional centers it operates in the state, offer specialized training around those needs to center staff and other service providers, and increase collaboration with experts and other local agencies providing services to deaf people.

The state will hire a statewide deaf services specialist and provide funding to all 21 regional centers to hire their own deaf services specialists. It will also work on a "housemate matching system" that will give deaf clients more options for living together or with others with whom they can communicate.

The state will create a webpage with information on its services for deaf clients and notify all of its regional centers of their obligations under federal law not to discriminate against deaf clients, including by ensuring the centers have all the necessary services in place to communicate with them.

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The settlement also anticipates the state paying $1.3 million to cover the plaintiffs' legal fees.

Department officials did not respond to a request for comment on the settlement Tuesday.

Meredith Weaver, senior staff attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, said her organization and the other plaintiffs were "really pleased" with the settlement.

"It's a robust package of changes, and to get those at the state level  so that it really impacts the system for all class members  is outstanding," Weaver said. "The state has made some really strong commitments here to hear the voices of class members and of the deaf community, and also to make changes starting pretty much immediately."

The advocacy groups have until the end of June to notify an estimated 10,000 class members of the settlement, and class members have until the middle of August to object, Weaver said.

The parties will seek final approval of the settlement at a hearing scheduled for Sept. 15, she said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
California's reparations task force is calling on the state legislature to mandate "anti-bias training" and an assessment based on that training as graduate requirements for medical school across the Golden State.

The task force, which was created by state legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, formally approved over the weekend its final recommendations to the California Legislature, which will then decide whether to implement the measures and send them to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

Much of the public's attention has been focused on the price tag of the proposed reparations: up to $1.2 million for qualifying Black Californians as initial "down payments" while they wait for the purported full amount of money loss due to slavery and subsequent racism to be calculated.

Economists predicted in a preliminary estimate in March that California's reparations plan could cost the cash-strapped state more than $800 billion. The task force said at the time that the total didn't include compensation for property deemed to be taken unjustly or for the devaluation of Black-owned businesses.

Kamilah Moore, chair of the California Reparations Task Force, left, and Amos Brown, vice chair, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2022.

CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS PANEL APPROVES PAYMENTS OF UP TO $1.2 MILLION TO EVERY BLACK RESIDENT

However, several aspects of the committee's recommendations have received little attention, including its proposals regarding health care.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

One of the more striking health-related proposals is to mandate anti-bias training in order for medical professionals in California who study at state-funded programs to graduate.

"To address discrimination against African Americans in health care, the task force recommends the legislature add the completion of an evidence-based anti-bias training and an assessment based on such training to the graduation requirements of all medical schools and any other medical care provider programs in California receiving state funding and not already covered, including mental health professional programs (psychologists, Ph.D, or Psy.D), masters-level programs in psychology or therapy (for counselors, clinicians, and therapists), and programs for clinical social workers," the committee states in its proposal.

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The reparations plan also calls for similar training and testing to be "graduation requirements of all dental schools in California receiving state funding" and "requirements for licensure by the Dental Board of California for licensed dentists and registered dental assistants."

ACTIVISTS DEMAND HIGHER PAYMENTS FROM CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS TASK FORCE: '$200 MILLION' PER PERSON

Meanwhile, the task force is pushing another controversial measure that could face backlash in the legislature: a universal, single-payer health care system as a way to achieve health "equity" for Black residents.

"The task force recommends closing the health coverage gaps through the adoption of a comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage and health care cost control system for the benefit of all African Americans in Californian, with a special consideration for those who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States," the panel's final draft report states.

It's unclear whether the task force is recommending the legislature create a government-run health care system that would extend coverage only to California's Black residents or to everyone in the state. The task force didn't respond to a request for comment for this story.

Either way, California lawmakers have previously tried and failed to implement a universal health program. The state currently operates Medi-Cal, its own Medicaid program meant to provide health coverage to people with low incomes and limited ability to pay for their own health care. According to the task force, the state should put more money into the program to "achieve parity" with private health insurers.

"For the many African Americans in Californian who remain on Medi-Cal, the task force also recommends increases to the Medi-Cal reimbursement rates to achieve parity with the reimbursement rates of private insurance," the report says.

CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS PANEL TO RECOMMEND 'DOWN PAYMENTS' TO BLACK RESIDENTS, ABOLISHING CASH BAIL

Such measures, according to the task force, are among those required for the state of California to make amends for slavery and broader anti-Black racism and discrimination.

"Due to discrimination, disempowerment, and neglect of African American patients by health care institutions, African American communities have suffered major gaps in health care delivery," the task force writes. "The impact can be seen across in virtually every aspect of physical and mental health outcomes."

California never allowed slavery in its history, but critics argue the state still worked to uphold the institution and discriminated in other ways against Black Americans.

The reparations committee argues health disparities between White and Black Americans is connected to the latter suffering from "constant stress from chronic exposure to social and economic disadvantage, which leads to accelerated decline in physical health," adding unequal health outcomes "'cannot be explained away by factors like age, income, or education level'  through implicit biases and racism, the health care system treats Black Californians differently."

To address what the task force describes as systemic racism, the panel recommends the legislature authorize and provide ongoing funding to a "California Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund" within the California Health Department's Office of Health Equity, which already exists.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom heads to a press conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2023.

NEWSOM FALLS SILENT AFTER CALLS FOR HIM TO TAKE EXECUTIVE ACTION ON REPARATIONS

Under the task force's plan, the Office of Health Equity would administer an annual $115 million

grant program "to address health disparities, focusing on social determinants of health."

The reparations committee's final recommendations include dozens of additional measures concerning mental and physical health. One such proposal calls for the Office of Health Equity to conduct an annual review of California health care laws and policies and to include how to "design and implement consequences for health care providers who do not address and reduce identified treatment disparities."

The report notes this recommendation builds on a California Senate resolution from 2021 that stated, "The legislature declares racism to be a public health crisis and will actively participate in the dismantling of racism."

A California state bill introduced in 2020 would have declared racism a public health crisis and established the state's first Racial Equity Commission. The bill did not pass, but Newsom went on to create a Racial Equity Commission in September 2022 by executive order.
Sacramento resident Jon Burgess was one of many who traveled to Oakland on Saturday to be in attendance during the historic California Reparations Task Force vote that approved recommendations for restitution  including a formal apology to Black residents for the states role in upholding racial oppression through legislation.

He called this a win for California.

Burgess ancestor, Rufus Burgess, was born into enslavement and migrated to California with his enslaver during the Gold Rush era.

Rufus Burgess worked for his freedom and became a successful entrepreneur. He owned land in Coloma, which was later acquired by the state of California. It is now a part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in El Dorado County.

Burgess told The Sacramento Bee that he thinks atonement is necessary for what California did to him and his family.

Im hopeful because we are the first state to move forward with formal voting to move something so that legislators can pick it up and create some real change that will hopefully be impactful and change the conditions of a lot of descendants, said Burgess.

What are key reparations recommendations?

One of the approved recommendations was to accept the first part of the task forces report that detailed historical atrocities and harms which Black Californians faced as a result of enslavement, racial terror, political disenfranchisement, unjust property takings, among other examples that have affected the livelihoods of Black residents.

For such harms caused, it was voted for Black residents of an eligible class to receive reparations, which includes monetary compensation.

The eligible class defined by the task force are Black Californians who can trace their lineage to enslaved Africans or freed Black persons prior to the end of the 19th century.

The final report and its recommendations are scheduled to be submitted to the state Legislature on July 1.

I want to thank this task force and all at the DOJ for the tireless work that we have done for the last two years to bring us to this process, said task force committee member, Senator Steven Bradford during Saturdays meeting in Oakland.

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The California Department of Justice (DOJ) was assigned with providing administrative, technical, and legal assistance to the Task Force.

Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), called the vote historic.

The Task force voted to recommend the state pay lineage-based reparations in the form of direct payments to descendants of enslaved or free Blacks living in the United States before 1900. I am so thankful, said Lodgson.

There is not yet an official dollar amount for reparations in the form of cash payments, however the states task force has consulted a team of economists to develop a methodology for analyzing and calculating harms and losses.

According to the task forces report, economists have estimated that California could owe over a million dollars per Black resident.

Some of the calculations were based on atrocities endured by Black residents such as unjust property taken by eminent domain, seizure of lands, housing discrimination such as redlining, dismantling of Black businesses, mass incarceration and over-policing.

In addition to establishing cash reparations, the task force is working to create and fund a California American Freedmens Affairs Agency to help Black residents receive readily available services to improve their quality of life.

How have reparations recommendations taken shape?

In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 3121, authored by then-Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, to explore how California might compensate for harms caused by enslavement and racial discrimination.

Task force chair Kamilah Moore had high praise for Weber and others for their work towards reparations.

Thanks and praise is due to the California Reparations Task Force, (Secretary) Weber, Governor Newsom, and the grassroots activists working for reparations in California such as the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, said Moore.

The task force has until their June 30 meeting to make final amendments to their recommendations.
WASHINGTON- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is returning to Washington, D.C. after a nearly three-month absence that prompted calls for her resignation.

The 89-year-old, who is the longest-serving senator in the state, was hospitalized with shingles in March and has been recovering at home. Feinstein has not returned to Capitol Hill since, missing about 100 votes and halting President Joe Biden's judicial nominations. Some of her Democratic colleagues questioned her fitness for office.

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported Feinstein boarded a private plane Tuesday. She returned to the nation's capital Tuesday evening.

"I have returned to Washington and am prepared to resume my duties in the Senate," she said in a statement, adding that she is still experiencing side effects from the shingles and has been advised by her doctors to work a lighter schedule.

Since her absence, the judiciary panel has only approved one nominee.

House Democrats called for Feinstein's resignation, including California Rep. Ro Khanna and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips who said she should step down. They claimed Feinstein, who has been in the Senate since 1992, can no longer fulfill the duties of her office.

Feinstein asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said there would be no urgency to appoint someone to her committee seat.

Feinstein officially announced she won't run for another Senate term in February. Her decision to not seek reelection paves the way for a competitive Senate race in California.

More: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, under pressure to resign, asks for temporary replacement on Judiciary Committee

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Dianne Feinstein returning to Washington, D.C. after shingles
California will pay $24 million in a civil rights settlement to the family of a man who died while he was in police custody in 2020.

Prosecutors charged seven California Highway Patrol officers and a nurse with involuntary manslaughter in March over the 2020 death of Edward Bronstein, who yelled I cant breathe when officers tried to take a blood sample and restrained him.

The Associated Press reported the attorneys for Bronsteins children said this settlement is the largest civil rights settlement of its kind in California, and the second largest in the nation, after Minneapolis paid $27 million in the George Floyd case.

When announcing the charges brought against the officers and the nurse in March, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said officers who arrested Bronstein were criminally negligent, causing his death.

Officers took Bronstein, 38, into custody after he was pulled over in a traffic stop for being suspected of driving under the influence on March 31, 2020.

Bronstein initially resisted as officers restrained him to take a blood sample, and an 18-minute video showed the officers pinning him face-down while handcuffed on a mat.

He can also be heard on the video yelling, I cant breathe, and officers could be heard saying, Just relax and stop resisting. It was not until 11 minutes after he stopped screaming that they began CPR.

The Los Angeles County coroner listed his cause of death as acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement.

Bronsteins death echoed other officer-related deaths throughout the country, like Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Black man who died after an officer used a prohibited chokehold against him in 2014. Like Bronstein, Garner was heard saying the words I cant breathe on video footage, a cry that prompted nationwide protests.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Trump arrives at a campaign rally in late April in Manchester, N.H. Trump's town hall forum on CNN on Wednesday is the first major TV event of the 2024 presidential campaign. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press)

Here we go again?

Count me as conflicted, skeptical and even a tad outraged that CNN is giving Donald Trump an hour of prime time Wednesday, for a so-called town hall in New Hampshire, the first state scheduled to hold a Republican presidential primary next year.

This ratings grab by the ratings-challenged network comes as CNNs new management is seeking to rebrand the cable mainstay as a down-the-middle news source that (laudably) is more welcoming to Republicans. That backstory, together with the general O.J.-like hyper-coverage of Trumps recent travel from Mar-a-Lago to Manhattan to be criminally arraigned in a hush money case, suggests little reason to believe that CNN or the media in general have learned from their excesses covering Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign  mistakes that CNNs former president subsequently conceded.

Back then, candidate Trump received an estimated $5 billion in free media, more than for the other major Democratic and Republican candidates combined, helping to propel him into the presidency.

I realize Trump is newsworthy: Hes far and away the Republican front-runner, to the shame of his party. Attention must be paid.

Yet hes also a disgraced former president, wannabe autocrat, sexual predator and unremorseful seditionist, the first ever to deny his electoral defeat and to incite an insurrection. He faces possible criminal indictment for those actions, perhaps soon, as well as for allegedly conspiring to make off with boxes of government documents, including highly classified ones, when he finally left the White House.

Hes been booked and fingerprinted for the preelection payoffs to both a porn star and a Playboy model. And on Tuesday, a unanimous Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, who alleged Trump raped her years ago; her testimony and others during the trial brought to life Trumps infamous claim that, as a star, he could just grab womens genitals with impunity.

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In short, this is an abnormal candidate who must not be normalized on national television in some run-of-the-mill Q&A with voters. A rule of thumb: If his lips are moving, hes lying.

So a live town hall is not an ideal format for handling Trump. CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, who covered Trump as president, will have the immense challenge of fact-checking him in real time as he responds to the selected Republican and independent voters  some of whom are presumably friendly to the former president  as well as putting some hard questions of her own to Trump.

Such as: How could you take the oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States when you called for its termination to overturn the 2020 election, and did nothing but watch television as the mob sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?

Or: How can you claim to support law enforcement when you repeatedly disparage the police who protected the Capitol, even calling one a murderer, and when you promise, if reelected, to pardon some of those responsible for the riots that injured more than 100 officers and were tied to the later deaths of five?

And: Why in the world would you double down on your claim in the "Access Hollywood" tape and testify in your deposition in the Carroll case that "stars" like yourself have been able to "grab [women] by the pussy" for a million years?

A CNN spokesperson, responding to critics of the planned town hall, acknowledged Trumps unique circumstances. Thats doublespeak regarding a mendacious, twice-impeached, indicted and criminally targeted candidate, and it is hardly reassuring. But as David Zaslav, CEO of CNNs parent company, WarnerBros. Discovery, told CNBC Friday, Hes the Republican front-runner. He has to be on.

But does he have to be on now, by himself, in a town hall format? The New Hampshire primary, after all, is still nine months away.

Why was he the first choice for what CNN says will be many such candidate town halls? What about the other Republicans whove announced bids yet remain all but ignored, including former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and several longshots, among them Californias 2021 gubernatorial-race loser, Larry Elder?

For CNNs answers, see above: Ratings.

For Trump, this is a win-win proposition. As one of his advisors told Vanity Fair about his agreement to appear on CNN, Going outside the traditional Republican comfort zone was a key to President Trumps success in 2016. Trumps rivals, according to the advisor, are afraid to do anything other than Fox News. And if Trump stumbles, he can just heap more blame on fake news  mainstream media, the enemy of the people.

As for CNN, lets hope it passes the test it has set for itself: "Ask tough questions, follow up and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need, as the network spokesperson put it. Even more, let's hope it provides an example for the rest of us in the media.

I dont have all the answers, nor do many of my journalism compatriots, about how to cover an emerging campaign like none before, a democratic process that has, at its center, a candidate who has tried to blow up democracy and might do so again.

Hope aside, I doubt that CNN does either.

@jackiekcalmes

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kentuckys May 16 primary is just days away, and with a governors race in the news, campaign signs are sprouting in Lexingtons front yards like tulips.

Its also the time of year when those signs start to crop up along state highways, which according to Kentuckys Transportation Cabinet, can create safety hazards if theyre placed in a right-of-way.

Illegally-placed signs are a distraction and can be a safety issue for motorists when blocking the view of oncoming vehicles. They can also endanger mowing crews or pose a hazard to drivers who run off the roadway  particularly when installed with large wooden or metal stakes, Steve Gunnell, chief engineer at the Kentucky Department of Highways District 9, said in a news release.

In Lexington, there are no local laws that limit the amount of time a person can display a campaign yard sign.

At one time, we had an ordinance in Lexington that limited the amount of time a person could have a campaign sign in their yard, but that was struck down as a violation of free speech, city spokesperson Susan Straub wrote to the Herald-Leader in an email recently.

Straub said theres still some confusion about that, which continues to fuel complaints from the citys residents.

Where can political signs be placed?

Kentucky law and transportation cabinet policy bar the placement of any non-official signs  such as those for political candidates and yard sales  on a state-owned right-of-way, the cabinet said in a news release.

This includes free-standing signs and those stapled or taped to utility poles, guardrails and road signs.

According to the cabinet, if you cant see mile markers or fences along a state highway, assume the right-of-way extends between 15 to 30 feet from the edge of the pavement. Signs should be kept behind sidewalks or ditches and out of any areas that are mowed and maintained by the state.

In the case of a four-lane highway, especially one with limited entrances and exits, signs should be kept out of the highway side of the fence. They shouldnt be on the fence either, the cabinet said.

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In Lexington, there isnt an ordinance that regulates the length of time residents can display political signs, but there are a few for placement of signs in general.

Signs cannot be placed on public property  like in medians, Straub wrote in her email. Signs cannot be placed in the utility strip (between the sidewalk and the curb - also public property.

If youre a campaign volunteer or official, you need permission from the property owner to place election materials on private property, Straub added.

What about the candidate signs I see near my polling place?

Campaign signs must be placed at least 100 feet from the entrance of a polling place.

State law governs the placement of political campaign signs near polling locations, but it doesnt apply to private property, regardless of how close it is to the polling place.

Where can I find my sign if its been taken down?

If your sign was along a city-owned street or road, check with Lexingtons Division of Code Enforcement.

Our Division of Code Enforcement removes signs daily, Straub wrote.

If it was illegally placed along a state highway, you should check with your countys highways department. Removed signs are held at state maintenance facilities in each county for a short period of time, the cabinets news release said. After that, theyre thrown out.

Again, we want to remind everyone that illegally-placed signs can be a hazard, and employees who remove those signs are acting in the best interest of all motorists and maintenance crews, Gunnell said in the cabinets release. The Transportation Cabinet appreciates the publics cooperation and understanding.

Do you have a question about the 2023 election in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
As a reverend whose closest friend in the ministry is a Nashville pastor whose church lies 3 miles from where a shooter killed six at a private Christian school in March, Stephen Sanders absolutely believes in the importance of thoughts and prayers.

You have to give time for people to grieve, said Sanders, lead pastor at Oak Hill United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas. We have to care for people in response to a tragedy. But my faith tradition says that faith without works is dead. If all we do is pray to feel good about ourselves, I think we have a very trivial faith.

Other Texas faith leaders agree. They say that while thoughts and prayers are an important and necessary response to tragedy, they should preface action  or risk being self-serving.

We ought to pray as if it all depends on God, said Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the 15,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, who was an evangelical adviser to former President Donald Trump. But we have to work as if it all depends upon us.

May 8, 2023: Robert Jackson comforts his mother Cheryl Jackson as they visit a memorial near the scene of a mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas. Eight people were killed and seven wounded in the Saturday attack in which the gunman was killed by police, according to published reports. Three of the wounded are in critical condition, according to the information.

'Faith and action are two sides of the same coin'

In the wake of all-too-common mass shootings, a predictable pattern unfolds: Amid calls for tighter gun restrictions, some GOP lawmakers face backlash for instead insisting the focus should be on thoughts and prayers for victims and their families.

The script played out once again last weekend after police said a gunman killed eight people and injured seven Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, a city about 25 miles north of Dallas. The mass shooting was the sixth in 2023 to occur in a public space, equaling the average number of such shootings nationally each year.

That evening, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted on Twitter that Heidi and I are praying for the families of the victims and said he had offered whatever support is needed to do justice and help those in need. State Rep. Keith Self, a Republican representing the congressional district that includes Allen, also tweeted a statement offering prayers.

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When confronted in an interview later with the notion that many believed prayers were insufficient, Self responded: Well, those are people that don't believe in an almighty God who has, who is absolutely in control of our lives. I'm a Christian. I believe that he is.

At St. Peters Lutheran Church in Elgin, Texas, 40 miles east of downtown Austin, pastor Sam Brannon said thoughts and prayers are important, and they work. If somebody goes through something tragic, having people reach out and encourage them, pray with them, hold then and tell them how much theyve loved  all of that is incredibly important.

But, he added, making clear that he was speaking for himself and not his congregation, if all we do is say were sorry and we have the ability to change something to make tragedies happen less often, then we should probably be about doing that. Faith and action are two sides of the same coin.

Pastors support gun ownership with 'common-sense' reform

As a former Navy gunners mate who has taught people how to safely use firearms, Brannon is a firm believer in the right to legal gun ownership. But he has seen the terror, misery and concern over mass shootings on his parishioners faces, he said, and he realizes many wont speak freely about their feelings in a community where the topic is so politically fraught.

Im in full support of people being able to purchase and use firearms for a multitude of purposes, including personal safety, Brannon said. What I dont think is a great idea is for everyone to have access to all firearms under all circumstances and just hope that everybody is trained effectively.

The Texas pastors all said their church facilities beefed up armed security in the past few years. But they dont begrudge lawmakers for bringing faith into the equation.

We are whole human beings, Sanders said. To try to bifurcate my life and have one part focused on policy and another part focused on spirituality is not really possible. But if youre using thoughts and prayers as a way to escape addressing the underlying issues, then youre treating your faith in a trivial way.

Jeffress, of Dallas First Baptist, said he didnt mind politicians stepping into the spiritual sphere as long as they know what theyre talking about. Many politicians are ignorant about what the Bible actually says. God has entrusted government to protect its citizens, and the Bible teaches that God uses human effort to accomplish his will.

When it comes to safety, prayer is a necessary first step, Jeffress said.

Theres nothing of importance we can do until we have prayed, he said. But, at the same time, we ought to enact common-sense gun reform that doesnt violate the Second Amendment.

(L-R) Therese Badiki, Adriana Rosales, Marley Hall, and Addie Bell stand together during a vigil next to a memorial next to the Allen Premium Outlets on May 7, 2023 in Allen, Texas.

Jeffress said he reminds congregants of a passage written by the apostle Paul in his second epistle to Timothy.

He said, God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind, he said. That doesnt mean bad things arent going to happen, but it means God can work through the worst circumstances to accomplish his will.

Faith leaders support prayers followed by action

Sanders is doing his part. In May 2022, when 19 students and two teachers were massacred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Sanders said he noticed a peculiar thing: He felt nothing.

These types of events had become so normal in our lives that I did not even react," he said. "And when I realized that, that this had become normal, I knew I had to stand up and start speaking up.

A longtime hunter who grew up hunting with his father and taught his children how to hunt, being a gun owner is part of who Sanders is. "But Uvalde awakened in me that I had to engage in the political process, he said.

Earlier this year, Sanders testified in favor of a failed bill that would have prevented domestic abusers from obtaining firearms. But he was heartened by the surprising recent success of Texas House Bill 2744, which would raise to 21 the minimum age for purchasing certain assault-style rifles; a house committee this week advanced the bill with Republican support.

One of the primary reasons to have government at all is to protect us from the worst parts of ourselves, he said.

People pay their respects at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 29, 2022, where five days earlier, an 18-year-old former student had killed 19 students and two teachers.

While prayer after mass shootings should be genuine, caring and mindful of the loss that families have suffered, Sanders said, it should move believers toward action  especially those who are political leaders.

Sanders said his faith teaches that sin is a reality, committed by imperfect humans who sometimes do horrible things to one another. So when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cites mental illness as a root cause of the national plague of mass shootings, Sanders said, he is right  but its not the whole answer.

If we recognize the reality of mental illness, then we have to address the reality of weapons and mass violence that are in the hands of people who are broken human beings.

Sanders said his congregation, on the far west outskirts of Austin, includes NRA members who carry concealed weapons. Though he doesnt typically bring up such issues from the pulpit, he did so last Sunday, speaking about the resolve shown last month by the family members of Uvalde victims who waited 13 hours to testify before the Legislature in support of HB 2744.

My congregation was incredibly supportive of me sharing that, he said. I didnt do it in a way that condemned gun owners, or that said here is the only possible solution. I just brought up how horrible it was. As people of faith, we cannot remain on the sidelines.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After Texas mass shooting, pastors say action must follow prayers
The Biden administration is rolling out asylum restrictions hours before Title 42 expires.

The plan includes denying asylum to those who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through. The White House also plans to open 100 regional migration hubs across the Western Hemisphere.

Channel 9s Dan Matics learned there will be hubs in Guatemala and Colombia, but its not clear where the rest will be.

PREVIOUS STORIES:

Title 42 was a COVID-era policy that allowed border officials to turn migrants away. But several local community organizations that help people seeking asylum say they are already stretched thin. They told Matics theyre expecting even more of an influx if Title 42 expires Thursday.

The organizations message to migrants Wednesday was very clear -- unless you have family or ties here, legally speaking, the Carolinas are one of the worst places to come.

International House, the Latin American Coalition and legal advocates all help migrants and new immigrants in Charlotte. On Wednesday, they stepped up to the podium and said they cant keep up.

We are already at capacity, said Jamilah Espinosa with Espinosa Law.

We need more resources, Espinosa said. We dont have the housing or the food to support.

Jose Hernandez-Paris is with the Latin American Coalition and said they are running out of housing.

The shelter is full, Hernandez-Paris said in Wednesdays news conference.

We had a family that came yesterday, a three-member family and we ended up paying for a hotel room three nights, from our own resources that we dont have, to make sure they are no longer on the streets, he said.

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The Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday alone, 11,000 migrants crossed the border into the U.S. The situation is only expected to worsen if Title 42 ends Thursday. The policy required many asylum seekers to wait in Mexico. If it expires, more immigrants are expected to head to the Carolinas -- specifically to Charlotte, which has the regions only immigration court.

Espinosa is an immigration attorney.

So if you live in North or South Carolina, you have to come to Charlotte to have your case heard, she explained.

Espinosa said the court has only four judges working more than 70,000 immigration cases. She said migrants are denied asylum here 95% of the time, which is one of the highest rates compared to other regions.

Unlike other states, North Carolina doesnt offer health or work benefits to migrants. She said thats why those seeking asylum should rethink the Carolinas.

If they dont have ties, if they dont have stability, they wont have work authorization for some time, she said.

Once they are denied, migrants are often stuck here without health or work benefits while they wait to appeal, assuming they can get a court date within a year.

The groups Matics spoke with Wednesday said they are still working with Mecklenburg County to prepare for more migrants to arrive.

(WATCH RELATED: Title 42: What you need to know)
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox pope, Tawadros II, delivered a joint blessing Wednesday from St. Peters Square in a significant ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of their predecessors.

Tawadros, the Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, joined Francis on the stage for the entirety of Francis weekly general audience. He delivered a lengthy speech at the start in Arabic and then joined Francis in blessing the crowd at the end during a rainy morning.

In welcoming Tawadros to the Vatican, Francis recalled that Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the meeting of St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, a first between a Catholic and Coptic Orthodox pope. During that May 10, 1973, encounter, the two popes signed a joint statement on their shared faith in Christ and their rejection of proselytism, while also voicing concern for the plight of the Palestinian people and calling for peace in the Middle East.

Francis has called that declaration a milestone on the ecumenical journey, and welcomed Tawadros to the Vatican soon after his election in 2013. Francis then visited Tawadros in 2017 at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo at a time in which Egypts Orthodox Christians were reeling from a spate of Islamic militant suicide bombings at churches that killed dozens of people.

Francis has frequently referred to the ecumenism of blood, the idea that Catholics and Orthodox  while divided by schism and theological differences  are united in mourning religiously inspired violence against Christians. Francis referred Wednesday in particular to the 2015 beheading of 21 mostly Egyptian Coptic Christian workers in Libya.

And speaking of martyrs of the Coptic Church, who are ours as well, I want to remember the martyrs on the Libyan beach, who were made martyrs a few years ago," Francis said.

Tawadros, for his part, reaffirmed the ties that unite the churches. Despite the differences in our roots and affiliations, we are united by the love of Christ who dwells in us and the host of our apostle fathers and saints surrounds and guides us, he said, according to a translation of his Arabic remarks provided by the Vatican.

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Tawadros visit will culminate with another ecumenically important event when he celebrates a Coptic Orthodox liturgy Sunday at Francis' cathedral in Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

According to the Vaticans ecumenical norms, Catholic churches are generally reserved for Catholic worship. But a bishop can offer one of his churches to another Christian community if it will not cause scandal or confusion to the faithful.

Last month, there was an uproar among some conservative Catholics when a group of 50 Anglican bishops and priests celebrated a liturgy at St. John Laterans main altar without such proper approvals. The basilica issued an apology and said the celebration violated canonical norms.

In the case of Tawadros, the Vatican has made clear that he has full approval to celebrate the divine liturgy on Sunday at Francis' cathedral, which is his seat as bishop of Rome. A statement from the Vatican secretariat of state announcing Tawadros' visit and the celebration noted that the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is one of the most important realities in the ecclesial panorama of the Middle East where in these times the Christian community is facing situations of great difficulty.
A new Kansas law set to go into effect on July 1st will define gender according to reproductive anatomy at birth and make it nearly impossible to change ones gender marker on state-issued IDs.

This will pose a challenge to transgender and nonbinary Kansans hoping to update their drivers licenses and other documents to better reflect their gender identity, according to local advocates and lawyers. The law also restricts Kansans from using single-sex spaces like restrooms, locker rooms, crisis shelters and other resources that dont align with their sex assigned at birth.

In response to the new law, which passed when legislators overruled Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys veto, resource groups in Kansas have been offering assistance to those hoping to update their IDs before it goes into effect.

Weve had a huge influx of folks looking for help, said Ellen Bertels, an attorney with the nonprofit Kansas Legal Services who specializes in ID changes. She added that the ability to update ones ID isnt just about semantics  its about safety.

When folks are unintentionally outed because they dont have IDs that match their gender identity, they are exposed to much higher levels of harassment, violence (and) discrimination, she said.

Bertels told The Star that there are two main documents that transgender Kansans may want to update before the law goes into effect in July: their birth certificates and their drivers licenses.

How do I change my gender on a Kansas birth certificate?

Changing the gender marker on your Kansas birth certificate is a relatively simple process that just involves filling out and mailing in paperwork, Bertels told The Star.

Kansans need to fill out and sign two forms: an application for amendment and an affidavit that must be notarized. You can find a notary at your local library or post office  they must witness you sign the affidavit before they can notarize it, so be sure to leave the signature line blank until your appointment.

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Applicants for a birth certificate change must then submit these forms to the states Office of Vital Statistics along with a copy of a current ID, a check or money order for $40 and proof of a gender marker change. For this proof you can submit one of three documents:

A drivers license or state-issued ID from any state (not just Kansas) that has your updated gender marker on it.

A U.S. passport with your updated gender marker on it (more on this later).

A letter from a licensed health care or mental health care provider with whom you have a doctor-patient relationship saying that its appropriate for your gender marker to be changed.

The last option is the most common one, and its the one Bertels says that Kansas Legal Services is steering patients toward as the new law looms because it is the quickest and cheapest to obtain.

This letter can come from a doctor, a nurse practitioner, a psychologist or psychiatrist, a social worker or another licensed professional who can attest to your gender identity. This expert can be based in any state, not just Kansas.

Once you have gathered all the forms and documents required, there are two ways to submit them. If youre within driving distance of Topeka, you can submit them to the Office of Vital Statistics for processing in person. The other option is to mail them in.

Bertels says that the turnaround time for mailed applications is generally around three to four weeks. With only 53 days left until the new Kansas law goes into effect, she recommends applicants start this process as soon as possible.

How do I change my gender on a Kansas drivers license?

Kansans seeking a new drivers license or non-driving state ID must apply for one at the DMV. Like the birth certificate process, they must bring a proof of a gender marker change  but the documents that count as proof are slightly different. Applicants need one of the following:

A U.S. passport with your updated gender marker on it

An updated birth certificate with your correct gender marker on it, obtained using the instructions above

A permission letter from Kansas Driver Services Department to change your ID marker

Once again, the third option may be the easiest to obtain under time pressure. You can get this letter using the instructions on page 4 of this document.

Bring this proof of your gender marker change to the DMV along with the other documents required to apply for a drivers license. These include a proof of legal residency in the U.S., proof of your social security number, two documents proving your address and your old drivers license if you have one.

View the full list of acceptable documents here. You will also need to pay a fee of around $50 for your new license. You can pay using a credit card, debit card or check.

How else will Kansas gender law affect ID changes?

Bertels noted that Kansans will still be able to change their legal names and update their federal documents after the states new law goes into effect on July 1. Heres what we know so far:

Kansas name changes: Bertels says that nothing in the new law indicates that Kansans will face restrictions around changing their legal names or updating them on state documents. Heres how to change your name on your Kansas drivers license.

Passports: Kansans can still change their gender markers on their passports because this is a federal document not subject to Kansas laws. As of 2021, you no longer need to provide any medical paperwork or proof of your gender in order to change your gender marker.

Heres how to update your passport. Currently you can only choose the gender markers M or F, but a third gender-neutral option, X, is in the works to roll out later this year.

Social Security: Kansans can still change their gender markers with the Social Security Administration because this is a federal agency not subject to Kansas laws. The agency does not require medical paperwork or other documentation in order to change your gender marker. Learn how to update your name and/or gender marker here.

Do the gender markers on my federal and state IDs have to match?

Bertels told The Star that theres no legal requirement for the gender markers on someones state IDs to match the gender on their federal IDs.

Having mismatched gender markers can lead to challenges while traveling or applying for government programs  but federal documents can be updated at any time with relative ease, she said.

I do recommend that folks try to get all their documents in line because it really can make life quite a bit easier, Bertels said. (But) theres no need to do it immediately. You can wait until after that July 1 deadline, and use your energy on correcting your state documents with the time that you have.

Do you have more questions about ID laws in Kansas or Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
Migrants wait in line to turn themselves in for processing to US Customs and Border Protection agents in El Paso, Texas

The United States on Wednesday was readying its response to an expected surge of migrants seeking to enter, with officials saying 24,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed to the Mexican border.

President Joe Biden has acknowledged that the border will be "chaotic for a while" with the expiration of Covid pandemic rules that had forbidden virtually all asylum claims there.

Tens of thousands of people are waiting at crossing points for the end of so-called Title 42 overnight Thursday into Friday, despite the Biden administration vowing to enforce the border vigorously.

A senior administration official said that 24,000 border police and 1,100 border processing personnel have been deployed, double the number a year ago.

The Pentagon has also been sending 1,500 extra troops to the border to reinforce 2,500 already in place.

Thousands of people, largely from Central America and Haiti as well as Venezuela, have been seeking to enter the world's wealthiest country as they flee poverty, violence and drought exacerbated by climate change.

The crossings have become a political flashpoint in the United States, with the rival Republican Party under Donald Trump championing stringent anti-immigration measures.

Trump as president used Title 42, officially a public health measure, as a blunt tool to block migrants, but both the United States and World Health Organization say the emergency phase of the pandemic is over.

A group of Republican senators on Wednesday accused the Biden administration of responding too slowly and attacked the decision to stop Trump's signature proposal of a border wall.

"The administration has failed to acknowledge the crisis at our border, and is recognizing in the 11th hour that the upcoming removal of Title 42 authorities, and the subsequent surge in border crossings that is predicted, will have disastrous effects on the security of our nation," said a letter led by Senator Mitt Romney to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Story continues

- 'Ludicrous' -

The administration counters that it has expelled a record number of migrants thanks to coordination with other countries, with an official saying that more than three million people have been removed over the past two and a half years.

The Biden administration has also insisted that it will take a more humane approach, including not taking children away from their parents -- one of the most controversial measures under Trump.

But the administration said Wednesday it had finalized a rule that anyone who does not use legal pathways to enter the United States will be considered ineligible and subject to removal, although there remains an exception if a person can prove a "reasonable fear" of torture upon their return.

Immigrant advocates denounced the rule as breaking decades of US law and international agreements that allow vulnerable people to apply for asylum.

"Forcing persecuted people to first seek protection in countries with no functioning asylum systems is as ludicrous as it is life-threatening," said Lee Williams, chief programs officer at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a faith-based group that works with asylum seekers.

- 'I couldn't wait any longer' -

Hundreds of migrants who had already crossed into the United States -- many of them Venezuelans -- were queueing in El Paso, Texas, to hand themselves in to border patrol agents.

Those fleeing the dysfunctional South American country previously had a carve-out from the Title 42 rules, and were still able to claim asylum.

They fear that once the measure lapses, they will be stuck in Mexico, unable to reverse the difficult journey back to a hostile homeland, and living without money at the mercy of human traffickers.

"I waited for four months trying to lodge my request, but I was ignored," said Gleidys Losada.

"All the people I knew were crossing through the gaps. I was left behind, and I decided I couldn't wait any longer."

Several migrants told AFP that no upcoming border policy change will dissuade them from trying to make a new home in the United States.

"They can throw Title 42 and all these rules at us, but migration is not going to end. We are going to keep coming because we are hungry," said Eibor Tovar, a 34-year-old Venezuelan.

"When you are hungry, when you are repressed by a dictatorship, you do whatever it takes to seek a better life."

hg-amz-sct/st
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Dances With Wolves actor charged with sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for more than a decade has asked Nevada's high court to toss his sweeping indictment in state court.

Nathan Chasing Horse and his lawyers have argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him.

The 46-year-old's appeal to the state Supreme Court, filed Tuesday, marks his latest attempt to get his case dismissed as he remains jailed in Las Vegas on charges that could send him to prison for decades  or life  if convicted.

Nathan is pursuing this extraordinary writ because the trial court refused to dismiss the charges contained within the indictment in this case, Deputy Clark County Public Defender Kristy S. Holston wrote in an affidavit attached to the formal appeal to the high court.

The presiding judge in the state's case, Carli Kierny, upheld Chasing Horse's indictment last month, writing in an order that prosecutors in Clark County presented enough evidence for a reasonable grand juror to conclude that the sexual assaults occurred.

His trial had been set to begin May 1, but Kierny put a pause on criminal proceedings indefinitely as Chasing Horse appeals her decision.

Extraordinary relief is warranted here because Nathan has no plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of the law, his lawyer wrote in Tuesdays filing. The trial courts rulings have exposed petitioner to criminal liability for legally insufficient charges.

Chasing Horse, who is known for his work in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning movie, was arrested Jan. 31 in southern Nevada, the culmination of a monthslong investigation by Las Vegas police after receiving a tip from Canadian authorities. He is charged with 18 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse and kidnapping.

Since starring in the 1990 film, Chasing Horse had built a name for himself among tribes in the U.S. and Canada as a self-proclaimed medicine man. Authorities have accused him of using that position to lead a cult, gain access to vulnerable Indigenous women and girls, and take underage wives starting in the early 2000s.

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His arrest in Nevada stunned Indian Country and helped authorities in other jurisdictions corroborate allegations against him. Chasing Horse also faces criminal charges in Canada, the U.S. District Court in Nevada, and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

His lawyers argued Tuesday that, beyond the question of Chasing Horse's guilt, the appeal presents an opportunity for the high court to clarify confusion in state law regarding definitions of consensual sex and spiritual guidance, among other things.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.
Students at Mooresville High School were released early on Wednesday after being evacuated earlier that day.

In a Facebook post, the Mooresville Police Department said the evacuation was ordered because of a chemical smell.

ALSO READ: Hydrogen tanker fire causes half-mile evacuation in Troutman

Mooresville Fire-Rescues hazmat team and Mooresville police responded to the incident.

Police said while the hazmat team was still working to clear the school, there was no serious threat to the public.

The incident is still under investigation.

No further information was released.

(WATCH BELOW: Mooresville theater company making theater accessible to all)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration on Tuesday in response to illegal migrants being sent to her city by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Lightfoot issued the emergency declaration following the arrival of 48 migrants on Tuesday, according to a press release, which states that the city and state have provided emergency care for over 8,000 migrants since August 2022.

"We should all understand that this crisis will likely deepen before we see it get better, so as we move forward, the City of Chicago will have to bring additional locations online to prepare for the arrival of more individuals and families and to relieve Chicago Police Department districts," Lightfoot's office said. "The City of Chicago is in the midst of a national humanitarian crisis, and through a unified effort in accordance with its values as a welcoming city, Chicago is doing everything it can to respond to the urgency of this matter. The City has continued to call on federal and state governments to support the new arrival mission with much-needed additional funding and resources for emergency shelter and resettlement, as there are not enough resources currently to meet the need."

Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago, speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.

The emergency declaration signed by Lightfoot states that Chicago's resources are "now stretched to the breaking point," adding that hundreds of migrants are temporarily "sheltering in police stations."

LORI LIGHTFOOT PLEADS WITH GOV. ABBOTT TO STOP SENDING MIGRANTS TO CHICAGO: 'DANGEROUS AND INHUMANE'

Video obtained by Fox News' Matt Finn shows what appears to be migrant families taking shelter inside Chicago's 19th police district. Migrants appear to be sleeping on the floor without proper access to showers or bathrooms.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Chicago leadership has boldly advertised the city as a sanctuary city for more than five years, despite not having adequate resources to house migrants.

Lightfoot, who is only in office until May 15, also reserved the authority to request a mobilization of the Illinois National Guard to address the influx of migrants.

Story continues

The state of emergency declaration comes just days before Title 42 is set to expire, which is expected to cause a surge of migrants to cross the United States' southern border.

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT LASHES OUT AT TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT AFTER 50 MORE MIGRANTS ARE BUSSED TO CHICAGO

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials listen to reporters during a news conference on January 31, 2023, in Austin, Texas.

Lightfoot sent a letter to Abbott in late April pleading with him to stop sending migrants to the sanctuary city.

"Nearly all the migrants have been in dire need of food, water, and clothing and many needed extensive medical care," Lightfoot wrote. "Some of the individuals you placed on buses were women in active labor, and some were victims of sexual assault. None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas. Instead, these individuals and families were packed onto buses and shipped across the country like freight without regard to their personal circumstances."

Migrants are led from one bus to another after arriving from Texas at Union Station on Sept. 9, 2022, in Chicago.

Abbott began sending migrants to Chicago in response to "President Biden's open border policies overwhelming border communities in Texas." The Republican governor has also sent migrants to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.
(Bloomberg) -- A Chilean bill to raise taxes on the mining industry took a key step forward Tuesday with the Senates finance committee approving a revised cap on the effective tax rate, one of the proposals most controversial issues.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The committee agreed to a government proposal to lower the ceiling for large copper producers to 46.5% of operating profit from 47%. The bill is scheduled to go to the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, before heading back to the Lower House for a potential final vote.

The tax cap for units of global mining firms such as BHP Group and Anglo American Plc has been the focus of debate for months as the left-leaning government attempts to increase its take of copper earnings, without undermining Chiles competitiveness. At stake are tens of billions of dollars in expansion projects.

The new cap translates into an average effective rate of about 45%, according to consulting firm Plusmining. Chiles major competitors have a tax burden of 41% to 44%.

Late Monday, Finance Minister Mario Marcel said hed reached an agreement with opposition lawmakers on the new tax ceiling. The government agreed to amend the bill after a series of electoral and legislative defeats.

Over the weekend, opposition groups secured more than the three-fifths majority needed to push through articles at will in a council charged with drafting a new constitution. That followed defeats of a previous constitutional rewrite and a broad tax reform proposal.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Crop raids by wild animals are increasing in Sri Lanka, and with them, the human-animal conflicts and related discourse. But a fresh debate on wildlife exploitation has arisen in the country following a recent request from a Chinese company asking for 100,000 toque macaques.

Crop damage by wild animals has posed a serious problem to many people, especially farming communities, and a report last year estimated an overall loss of $93.6 million during the first half of 2022.

Read more

The toque macaque tops this list of pests with coconuts being the most affected crop. As Sri Lanka looks for solutions to the problem, a statement by agriculture minister Mahinda Amaraweera about a Chinese companys wishes to import 100,000 macaques has resulted in a huge outcry from animal rights activists and environmentalists.

The minister says the animals will be exported for some Chinese zoos. However, there are only a few zoos there with the ability to accommodate this many numbers of monkeys. This justly fuels our fear that this is not the real purpose and the macaques may be used for medical research, says Panchali Panapitiya of the animal rights NGO Rally for Animal Rights and Environment. Panapitiya is also concerned that the Sri Lankan monkeys may be exported for consumption of their meat.

Toque macaques are known to raid crops and houses

As the controversy grew, the Chinese embassy of Sri Lanka issued a statement denying any involvement of the government of the Peoples Republic of China in any monkey imports from Sri Lanka.



Clarifying, minister Amaraweera says the request, which came from a private company, is to be tabled for a cabinet decision. As macaques have become a major agricultural pest, we need to control their population, and this request is an opportunity to get started, Amaraweera tells Mongabay.

Amaraweera has estimated the macaque population to be in the range of three million, which has raised some doubts.

Story continues

Leading primatologist Wolfgang Dittus of the Smithsonian Institution says there are no scientific reports to validate the quoted number. Dittus made the first and only estimate of the toque macaque populations back in 1977. That study estimated the population to be fewer than 600,000.

There are three recognized subspecies of the endemic toque macaque: The dry zone toque macaque, wet zone toque macaque and highland toque macaque. The 1977 survey estimated there were 439,000 macaques in the dry zone, 150,000 in the lowland wet zone and 1,500 individuals of the montane subspecies.

The toque macaque lives in close-knit family units forming troops

Since then, the natural habitats of macaques in all three zones have seen a substantial reduction of about 50-70%, suggesting a proportional decline of macaque populations in their natural habitats, says Dittus.



However, the macaque population has had exponential growth around some human settlements due to the accessibility of food sources in the past 30-50 years linked to an upsurge in tourism and economic development. These population explosions are site-specific and not geographically widespread, and they have two negative consequences. First, macaques are most numerous near human habitations where they come into conflict with people. Second, in such places, macaques are very conspicuous and create a false impression of being overrun by too many macaques islandwide, Dittus tells Mongabay.

Meanwhile, a 2021 study conducted by a team led by Jennifer Pastorini of the Center for Conservation and Research (CCRSL) assesses that toque macaques are distributed in more than 80% of the island. This assessment was based on a questionnaire-led survey, and does not provide any indication of densities, or the abundance, of species, says Pastorini. For conservation and management, taking the observed distribution as a baseline, finer-scaled surveys should be conducted for in-depth findings, the researcher says.

The conservation status of the toque macaque has been included in the IUCN International Red List as endangered. The Sri Lanka National Red List placed the toque macaque under the least concern category in 2012 but the more recent assessment, which is still in press, recognises its status as vulnerable, says Dittus, who was involved in the national red list review.

Whatever the reasons, exporting monkeys is not a good idea and there is no legal provision to do so, says Rohan Pethiyagoda, a taxonomist and a naturalist who earlier served as deputy chair of the IUCNs Species Survival Commission.

The human-monkey conflict has been an issue for some time now, and instead of sudden knee-jerk reactionary solutions, Sri Lanka should plan to face the conflict properly, says Sumith Pilapitiya, a former director general of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Pilapitiya recalls that experts collaborating with multiple agencies have prepared a Strategy to Conserve and Coexist with Sri Lankas Monkeys  2016 to 2026, which includes detailed actions and budgets, with multiple agencies pinned with the responsibility of implementing identified actions. Had this happened earlier, the problem could have been lesser today, Pilapitiya tells Mongabay.

Toque macaques are the smallest species of Macaca, a golden-brown coloured old world monkey endemic to Sri Lanka

Culling is not a solution

The real strategy for dealing with human-monkey conflict lies in finding mechanisms to reduce conflict between humans and primates. Our researchers based in Polonnaruwa as well as others, have dealt with these issues for many decades and have recommended nonlethal methods to reduce conflict, Dittus said.

However, farmer organisations and local communities living in places where monkey raids are regular have welcomed the proposal to export monkeys. We do not care which country the monkeys are exported to as they destroy our crops and raid our properties regularly, making life extremely difficult, says Pandukabhaya Rajakaruna, head of the Podujana Farmers Association. He counters the views expressed by environmentalists as being far-fetched and not grounded in reality, especially because they dont have to live in monkey- infested areas and do not have to experience daily property damage and crop raiding. It is easy to romanticise from far, but those affected by these monkey populations only know the difficulties, he says.

Whether the monkey exporting happens or not, the special committee set by the Agriculture Ministry has identified the need to control the toque macaque population. Other countries use different methods, including culling, to control animal populations based on scientific evaluations. For example, Sint Maarten in the Caribbean approved the eradication of its invasive monkey population early this year, while Australia annually culls its kangaroos.

But culling to control populations will be a difficult wildlife management option to implement in countries like Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan culture has a deep reverence for life, so Sri Lankans will not support the killing of any living beings and this idea of his would extend to pests even when they are extremely troublesome to humans, says Pethiyagoda. Organized cullings such as monkey hunts or monkey shoots can never materialise, as people just would not let it happen, he says. So, there remains only a single solution: protect crops as best you can and get expert advice in doing so, adds Pethiyagoda.

This piece was first published by Mongabay India.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military said on Wednesday the aircraft carrier Shandong had returned to its home port in Hainan "in recent days", after a month-long voyage that included transits around Taiwan for drills and a flex of muscles as far out as the Western Pacific.

This year, the Shandong has been spotted in the Taiwan strait, the Bashi channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and even as far as Guam. In early April, it took part in drills that simulated attacks by fighter jets launched from an aircraft carrier on democratically governed Taiwan for the first time.

The show of force came after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, angering Beijing, which viewed the meeting as interference in China's internal affairs and U.S. support for Taiwan's separate identity from China.

The Shandong took part in a security patrol around the island of Taiwan as part of the "Joint Sword" military exercise, the Southern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army said in a statement.

"The Shandong carrier group, for the first time, in a formation and of scale, went to the waters of the western Pacific," it added.

The carrier, commissioned in 2019, has featured prominently in China's military propaganda. During the April drills, China showed extensive images of the Shandong and its fighter jets being launched from the carrier.

Days after China ended its latest war games around the island, the U.S. warship USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait in what the U.S. Navy described as a "routine" transit.

In March 2022, the Shandong, one of China's two operational carriers, sailed through the Taiwan Strait just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.

China has ramped up military pressure in recent years to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

(Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Former President Donald Trump. (AP)

In the wake of Tuesday's verdict in the civil trial of former President Donald Trump that found he had sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s, a handful of prominent Republicans voiced their dismay that he could once again represent the party in the 2024 presidential election.

While many Republicans  like former Vice President Mike Pence  defended Trump following the verdict, a notable number did not.

Here's a rundown of those in the GOP who were comfortable expressing their belief that the jury's decision to side with Carroll and award her $5 million is yet another sign that the party should nominate someone else to take on President Biden.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Chris Christie addresses a gathering during a town hall at New England College on April 20 in Henniker, N.H. (Charles Krupa/AP)

In a Wednesday interview with Fox News' Brian Kilmeade, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump confidant turned outspoken critic, took aim at Trump's claim that he had "no idea who this woman is."

"And look, you know, his response, to me, was ridiculous, that he didn't even know the woman. I mean, you know, how many coincidences are we going to have here with Donald Trump, Brian? I mean, he must be the unluckiest SOB in the world," said Christie, who is exploring a possible campaign against Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.

"He just has random people who he has never met before who are able to convince a jury that he sexually abused them? I mean, this guy. It is one person after another, one woman after another. The stories just continue to pile up. And I think we all know he's not unlucky and that he engaged in this kind of conduct."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Asa Hutchinson formally announces his campaign for president on April 26 in Bentonville, Ark. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a candidate against Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, called the former president's actions "indefensible."

"Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire," he said, according to The Hill.

Story continues

"The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump," said Hutchinson, who, like Christie, is also a former U.S. attorney.

Sen. Mitt Romney

Sen. Mitt Romney talks to reporters at the Capitol in 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite, File/AP)

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has been among Trump's staunchest GOP critics, and he saw Tuesday's verdict as one more example of a pattern of behavior that justifies that stance.

"I hope the American people, the jury of the American people, reach the same conclusion as the jury of his peers, which is that Donald Trump should not be our nominee and he certainly shouldn't be president of the United States," Romney told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill. "We have other people who are highly qualified that could lead our party to victory, and someone who's been found to have committed sexual assault should not be the face of the Republican Party.

"I think that there will be some people, surely, who say, 'You know, I don't think it's a good idea to have someone who's been convicted of sexual assault to be the face for my children and my grandchildren and the world,'" Romney added.

Sen. Bill Cassidy

Sen. Bill Cassidy during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in 2021. (Rod Lamkey/Pool via AP)

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told reporters that the verdict was another red flag about nominating Trump in 2024.

"Of course it creates a concern. How could it not create a concern? If what the woman says ... he's been found to be civilly liable, how could it do anything else but create a concern?" Cassidy said.

Sen. John Thune

Sen. John Thune at a news conference at the Capitol on April 18. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

An ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said the verdict against Trump was part of a "cumulative effect to just the constant drama and chaos that always seems to surround him."

Sen. Mike Rounds

Sen. Mike Rounds at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

"You never liked to hear that a former president has been found  in a civil court  guilty of those types of actions," Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota told reporters Tuesday. "It focuses a lot of us on what we've been saying for some time now, which is we are looking for an individual to lead this party forward in a united method and we're looking forward to those individuals coming forward."

Sen. John Cornyn

Sen. John Cornyn arrives for a Senate classified briefing on Feb. 14. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Setting aside the testimony given by multiple women about Trump's sexual abuse, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas saw the verdict as confirmation that the former president would not be able to win a second term.

"The fact is, I do not think he could win the presidency," Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill. "Regardless of what you think about him as an individual, to me, electability is ... the sole criterion."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) mocked Donald Trump on Wednesday after the former president was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, criticizing him even as most of his opponents in the 2024 presidential race declined to do the same.

His response yesterday to me was ridiculous, that he didnt even know the woman, Christie, a potential 2024 candidate, said in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, referring to Trumps denial and statement that he didnt know E. Jean Carroll, who says he raped her in the 1990s.

I mean, you know, how many coincidences are we going to have here with Donald Trump? I mean, he must be the unluckiest S.O.B. in the world, Christie added. I mean, this guy, its one person after another, one woman after another. The stories just continue to pile up. And I think we all know hes not unlucky that he engaged in this kind of conduct.

The New York jury reached its decision in the civil case between Carroll and Trump on Tuesday after less than three hours of deliberation, finding the ex-president liable for sexual abuse  but not rape  and declaring he owes the writer $5 million in total damages.

But most Republicans defended Trump on Tuesday by suggesting the jury that found him liable isnt legitimate because it was drawn in a blue state. Some even said it made them want to vote for Trump even more.

Trumps challengers and would-be contenders in the 2024 GOP race didnt have much to say, either, reflecting his continued popularity with Republican primary voters.

Thats something for Trump to respond to, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday. I think the focus has to be not to be distracted. Thats why weve got to leave the baggage and the negativity behind.

Its not my case. Its his case, she added later.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to jump into the 2024 race, also declined to weigh in.

Story continues

I think thats a question for the American people. I really cant comment on a judgment in a civil case, Pence said in an interview with NBC News.

A rare exception was former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who called the verdict another sign of the former presidents indefensible behavior.

Christie is reportedly nearing a decision on a 2024 campaign. The two-term governor, now an ABC News commentator, hypothesized last week that his campaign would focus on challenging Trump head-on, unlike his other declared rivals in the race.

The way to win is to beat the guy thats ahead. And so what would a campaign look like? A campaign would look like a direct, frontal challenge to Donald Trump, Christie said on the podcast The Dispatch.

In his interview with Fox News Kilmeade, Christie said that Trump was embarrassed in 2016 after the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which he made his infamous grab em by the pussy comments. The former president went on to defend those remarks this year in the Carroll trial.

I was there with him when the Access Hollywood tape came out, Christie said. And let me tell you something, Brian. He was embarrassed. He was embarrassed that hes tried to change the whole history now, but he was embarrassing.

Look, this kind of conduct is unacceptable for somebody that we call a leader and who is wanting to take leadership again, he added. And so do I think this is a silver bullet that ends Donald Trumps candidacy? No. I just think its additional weight of evidence that people are going to look at and say, you know, if hes this unlucky Brian, if none of this has really happened, hes just so lucky. We dont want a guy this unlucky as president either.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website.
You are here: Arts

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the China Cultural Center in Laos has held a concert in the Lao capital in cooperation with the National University of Laos, aiming to enhance cultural exchanges between Laos and China.

The "Silk Road of Culture: Chinese Traditional and Electronic Music" concert was performed on Monday by Shuofeng Chamber Orchestra, a professional traditional music chamber orchestra in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

The event was attended by director of the China Cultural Center in Laos Li Yiping, Dean of the Faculty of Letters Thongsouk Keomany, faculty members and students of the National University of Laos, as well as invited guests.

Meanwhile, it drew over 100 representatives of Lao officials, the Chinese community in Vientiane, Lao and Chinese media and local residents.

The orchestra played over 10 pieces of music showing a perfect combination of Chinese modern culture and traditional music.

A revised edition of a popular Lao musical piece "Champa Meuang Lao" played with Chinese traditional musical instruments aroused loud applause from the audience.

The concert is aimed at promoting the beauty of Chinese traditional and electronic music and enhancing the traditional relations and mutual understanding between Laos and China.
A group portrait of UK punk rock band The Clash, New York, September 1978

The history of rock band photo shoots is littered with attempts  some successful, some definitely not successful  to make the subjects look real and edgy. But perhaps no-one has ever done it as real and edgy as The Clash in Northern Ireland in 1977, at the height of the troubles. Joe Strummer & co. were there to begin their Out Of Control tour at Belfasts Ulster Hall, but whilst that show ended up being cancelled due to insurance problems, photographer Adrian Boot did manage to capture The Clash walking round Belfasts war-torn, troops-heavy streets.

In Stuart Bailies excellent book Trouble Songs: Music And Conflict In Northern Ireland, Boot recalls how the insurance issue prompted a delay at the venue that gave him and the band the chance to get out and explore. I wasnt expected to take photos of The Clash in the street, he recounts. I was simply expecting to cover the event. I saw an opportunity. Can I do a photo session? They agreed. Someone from the bands record company suggested that the shoot remain confined to the hotel, but Boot had other ideas. I thought, Well look, this is an amazing city. Amazing in the sense it was almost like a war zone. A perfect backdrop for pictures of The Clash.

The bands driver Peter Aiken took the band and Boot on a tour of North and West Belfast, stopping close to the Crumlin Road gaol where they encountered an army patrol and Adrian got snapping. Visually, they were really good, Boot says in Trouble Songs. The Clash certainly didnt look ordinary, they just wandered around and I could shoot.

At one point, Joe Strummer got talking with a squaddie from the Midlands. Joe did mention in the van that he was very worried being photographed next to soldiers, states Boot, although it was actually him that walked over and had a chat with one of them. From there, the band went on to Shankill Road and the Falls Road, then taking some photos in front of Springfield Barracks and also stopping outside the imposing Henry Taggart Police and Army Base. For a final set of photos on Donegal Place, the band were body-searched in order to enter Belfasts highly-monitored city centre. It all resulted in a series of memorable photos, shots that capture an era. The way the pictures turned out the way they did, it was more to do with Belfast at the time than The Clash, opines Boot.

The Clashs Mick Jones wasnt so keen, though, wondering if it was right for the band to be borrowing the scenes of such troubled times for the purpose of promotional material. I just felt like a dick, said Jones. I thought the group stuck out like a sore thumb.

Check out some of Boot's Belfast shots in the video below.
The effects of Earths changing climate are being felt now.

Temperatures are increasing. Seas are warming; oceans rising. And scientists have said both heat and sea-level rise are helping make some natural disasters more extreme.

Look two or three decades ahead, and the picture worsens.

Climate change is ramping up long-term risk just about everywhere on the globe. But even in the United States alone, it will not be felt equally. Some areas may experience more heat, more floods, more extreme weather, more wildfires or all of the above.

Some locations might surprise you; some may not.

Delaware lies among them.

USA TODAY looked at data from First Street and Moodys Analytics  two organizations examining climate risk  to see what areas of the country are most vulnerable over the next 30 years. Consequences vary widely over time, reports USA TODAYs Dinah Voyles Pulver this week, but a growing body of evidence has helped highlight general trends.

NATION: Climate change is bad for everyone. But this is where it's expected to be worst in the US.

Whos at risk of climate change impact?

Climate change has been pumping up the rain in some tropical storms, while the heavier, wetter systems are also likely moving more slowly down their destruction paths. This research is ongoing, USA TODAY reports.

In a Moody's Analytics study on climate risks in the United States, published earlier this year, author Adam Kamins ranked states on acute physical risk. This is based on weather-related events, like hurricanes, as well as disasters like flooding and wildfires.

Delaware came in at No. 5.

That makes the small state the fifth most at risk of the threats of physical disaster fueled by climate change. When considering the economic costs of climate change, damage to physical assets could be the most intuitive starting point, Kamins writes.

More extreme weather takes a greater toll when population and development increase in these areas. Long term, scientists say areas could start to experience out-migration to areas less exposed to climate risks.

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Acute physical risk rankings:

Florida Louisiana South Carolina North Carolina Delaware Rhode Island New Jersey Virginia Massachusetts Connecticut

Northeast: They struggled during Ida. Now one Wilmington community is finding a better way to respond

New Jersey also had several counties among the top of First Streets lists for potential increases in average annual wind losses, extreme fire risk and properties at risk of flooding. New Jersey already suffered three hurricanes or their remnants in 2021-22.

Experts from Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said many risks are shared with nearby states in the region.

What about risk that doesnt grab headlines?

A construction worker wipes the sweat from his fourhead as he works in the 91-degree heat along North King Street in Wilmington in 2018.

Moodys Analytics also took a look at places with more gradually increasing risk  think sea level creeping up, nights getting warmer, average temperatures swelling.

Some cities are particularly exposed to change over time, compared with single events.

Wilmington fell in at No. 8 in this chronic physical risk ranking.

For Delawares largest city, vulnerability to increasing heat, sea-level rise and water stress compounded in Kamins analysis. In a 2021 Climate Action Plan, Delaware similarly identified increased average temperatures, hotter and longer summers, rising sea levels and increased precipitation as key consequences of climate change in the state.

Delaware's average overall temperature has already increased by 3 degrees Fahrenheit since about 1900, Susan Love, DNREC's Climate and Sustainability section administrator, told USA TODAY Network.

This combines with rising seas. DNRECs Coastal Program has projected 1.7 to 5 feet of sea-level rise by the year 2100, according to a 2022 report. In addition to Delawares low-lying topography, the state is also experiencing land subsidence, or sinking.

From Earth Day: Scientists told us what 2050 could be like. Their answers might surprise you.

EPA: People of color face disproportionate harm from climate change

Chronic physical risk appears widespread:

San Francisco Cape Coral, Florida New York City Long Island, New York Oakland, California Phoenix Tucson, Arizona Wilmington, Delaware West Palm Beach, Florida North Port, Florida

Warming, warming, warming

Wilmington already sees an average of seven more days a year over 90 degrees than it did 50 years ago.

The state is tied with Arizona as the fourth-fastest warming state based on temperature trends since 1970. Average temperatures are projected to increase 2.5 to 4.5 degrees by 2050, from 2012 averages. That could rise up to 8 degrees by 2100, according to DNREC, in the worst emissions scenario.

Love said the climate in Delaware, over time, "is going to start tracking more like the climate in Georgia."

Historically just one day above 100 degrees would be rare in Delaware, coming about once a year, if that. But by 2050, the states plan warns of two to eight each year, alongside projections of up to five nights with temperatures above 80.

What's an urban heat island? Not all Wilmington neighborhoods experience the same summer heat. Heres why.

Breaking down the science: Is climate change fueling massive hurricanes in the Atlantic?

This puts human health  elevating risks of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, various respiratory issues and other diseases  natural resources, agriculture and even infrastructure at risk. Populations particularly at risk from high heat include children, older adults, people who work outside, people with underlying health conditions and people with limited access to cooling.

Higher temperatures also increase the evaporation of water from soil and can increase water demand, which could affect drinking water supplies, according to DNREC, particularly in New Castle County.

With much of this impact, the coming severity remains somewhat in human hands.

This more extreme future will likely demand physical adaptation, according to First Streets national report on hazardous heat, as well as planning for emergency heat events, from checking on residents, to creating more cooling centers or ensuring people can reach them.

Scientists also say substantial action to hold warming below 3 degrees Fahrenheit could limit the worsening of extreme weather, though certain sea level increases would already be locked in from existing emissions.

Regardless, areas outlined in First Street and Moodys Analytics reporting remain exposed.

Have a story to tell? Delaware Online/The News Journal is placing a special emphasis on reporting about heat impact this summer, as part of an ongoing Perilous Course project across USA TODAY Network Northeast examining the human-centered damage and risks driven by the climate crisis.

Contact this reporter at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: How does Delaware rank in climate change risk? High.
By Francesco Guarascio

(Reuters) -A Chinese research vessel flanked by coast guard and nearly a dozen boats on Wednesday entered a gas block operated by Russian and Vietnamese state firms, two monitoring groups said, another potential flashpoint in the South China Sea.

It follows a pattern of assertive moves of late by Beijing in its neighbours' exclusive economic zones (EEZ), as it presses its claim to sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, testing the United States and its allies at a time of heightened regional tension.

Strong relations between Russia and China are a major factor supporting global stability, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March, but the two countries have conflicting interests in the South China Sea.

The Chinese research ship, two coast guard and 11 fishing boats entered block 04-03 of Vietsovpetro, a venture between Russia's Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam, and were still in the area by nightfall, data from two independent vessel monitors reviewed by Reuters showed.

The Chinese group was also close to blocks 05-1 B and 05-1 C, operated by Idemitsu Oil & Gas, a unit of Japan's Idemitsu Kosan, the data showed.

China has been accused of using its coast guard and an armada of fishing boats widely considered militia to intimidate and disrupt energy activities, including off Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Beijing says it is lawfully operating in its waters.

But the move on Wednesday was "extraordinary", according to Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea, because of "the sheer number of militia and coast guard ships involved".

"It seems they are sending a message about China's jurisdiction over Vietnam's oil and gas operations," Powell said, adding at least three Vietnamese fisheries surveillance vessels had moved close to the Chinese ships.

'CHINA'S JURISDICTION'

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China's foreign ministry said those activities were "normal".

"Chinese fishing and scientific research vessels carry out normal production and work activities in maritime areas under China's jurisdiction," it said.

It made similar remarks on Tuesday after Chinese boats approached an area where the navies of India and Southeast Asian countries held exercises.

Japan's Idemitsu declined to comment. Vietnam's foreign ministry and the other companies involved did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Wednesday, the Chinese vessels were about 10 nautical miles (18 km) from the Japanese operating rig and about 20 miles from the Russia-Vietnam rig, according to South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent non-profit.

The Chinese research vessel moved at full speed before entering Vietnam's EEZ but slowed to 4-5 knots, suggesting the ship was conducting a survey there, said SCSCI's Van Pham.

Surveys in a country's EEZ's without prior notification have in previous instances been considered hostile or provocative.

It follows similar incidents in March in two blocks involving Russian firms off Vietnam, which has licensed operations of more than 150 blocks.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; additional reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing and Khanh Vu in Hanoi; Editing by Martin Petty)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Diplomats from 20 countries gathered Tuesday in Colombia to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela, where Nicolas Maduros socialist administration has strengthened its autocratic rule despite international efforts to expand political freedoms in the South American nation.

The conference was hosted by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has called for sanctions on Venezuelas government to be lifted, but also for policies that ensure more democracy in Venezuela.

Following the five-hour-long meeting, Colombian foreign affairs minister Alvaro Leyva read a brief statement in which he said the participating nations agreed it is necessary for Venezuelas government and opposition parties to set an electoral calendar that ensures free and fair conditions for all involved.

Levya also said there was consensus around lifting sanctions if theres progress in negotiations over Venezuelas political future.

Delegates from the United States, the European Union, Brazil and the United Kingdom attended the one-day event, which looked at ways to boost ongoing negotiations between the Maduro administration and a coalition of opposition parties known as the Democratic Unitary Platform.

Those talks began in Mexico in 2021 but stalled at the end of last year.

In the Mexico talks, opposition parties are seeking changes in the electoral system that will ensure a level playing field in next years presidential election, while Maduros government wants sanctions on Venezuelas state run oil company to be lifted, and has demanded that the United Kingdom and the U.S. unfreeze its assets in those countries.

While the negotiations have advanced slowly, many countries now see the Mexico talks as the best path to overcome the political crisis in Venezuela, where opposition leaders have been forced into exile and those who remain in the country claim that Maduro is an illegitimate president.

Geoff Ramsey, a senior analyst on Venezuela, at the Atlantic Council think tank, said Tuesdays conference in Colombia reflected an impressive display of unity around the Mexico negotiations.

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The fact that the United States was willing to send such a high level delegation to the conference shows there is real political will to put sanctions relief on the table he said. At the end of the day the only thing thats going to tempt Maduro back to the negotiating table is the Biden administrations willingness to lift oil sanctions, and thats exactly what the international community is backing here.

However the conference also reflected divisions among Venezuelas opposition, where some factions have questioned Colombias efforts to mediate the crisis.

On Monday, Juan Guaido, the former leader of Venezuelas National Assembly, traveled to Bogota intending to hold meetings with international delegates on the conference sidelines. But after he announced he was in the country, Colombian officials said he had entered illegally and escorted Guaido to Bogotas airport, where he boarded a flight to Miami.

Maduro was re-elected in 2018, after judges banned his main opponents from competing. But most opposition parties refused to recognize the election results. Instead they challenged Maduros rule by creating an interim government led by Guaido, who was backed by the United States and dozens of nations that stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate leader.

The U.S. government also imposed heavy sanctions on Maduros government that cut its access to U.S. banks and crippled the nations oil exports, hoping that would spark regime change. But Maduros government dug in and resisted the sanctions with support from Russia, Turkey and Iran.

Guaidos claim to Venezuelas presidency fizzled out over the past two years as his interim government failed to exert control over any institutions. Opposition parties in Venezuela dissolved it late last year, and replaced it with a committee that includes leaders from the nations three main opposition parties.

After Guaido was escorted onto the flight, Petro tweeted that the opposition figure could have applied for asylum but chose instead to enter Colombia illegally. Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva said Guaido apparently wanted to make some noise.

As the stalemate in Venezuela continues, many countries have realized that using sanctions to bring about regime change has failed, said Ronal Rodriguez, a Venezuela expert at Bogotas Rosario University.

That includes the United States, which last year loosened some sanctions on Venezuelas national oil company, after the Maduro administration and the opposition made an agreement on humanitarian aid.

We are moving away form the failed policy of the Trump administration that sought to achieve regime change through sanctions said Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Councils senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, in an interview with Colombian network NTN. Gonzalez added the U.S. is willing to ease more sanctions if concrete steps toward free and fair elections are taken in the Venezuela talks.

President Petro said Tuesday that he is attempting to convince Venezuela to rejoin the Interamerican Human Rights system, and added that establishing an electoral calendar with clear guarantees for opposition groups would be a big achievement in negotiations.

The biggest conquest of all is that the hopes and dreams of the Venezuelan people come true he said.
An inmate who was being held at Columbus Rutledge State Prison has been charged with murder in the death of a cellmate.

Nicholas Kyle Shaw, 32, faced charges of murder and aggravated assault Wednesday during a bond hearing in Muscogee Municipal Court.

He is charged in the April 23 death of inmate Daniel Tyler Nichols, 26, authorities said.

An investigator testified that on April 22, other inmates found Shaw atop Nichols in their cell, choking him. They pushed him off, and finding Nichols unresponsive, told Shaw he had killed the man, the officer said.

Nichols was rushed to the hospital, where he remained on life support until it was removed the next day, the investigator said.

Nichols was pronounced dead at 3:25 p.m. that day at Piedmont Columbus Regional, according to the Muscogee County Coroners office. Autopsy results were pending, it said.

Charges against Shaw were filed May 1, according to court records. Municipal Court Judge Steven Smith sent the case to Muscogee Superior Court.

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Nichols was serving a 12 year sentence for a child molestation conviction.

Shaw was serving 15 years on convictions for two counts of armed robbery and one count each of aggravated assault, using a gun to commit a crime and illegally entering a vehicle, offenses committed in late June 2017 in Gwinnett County, according to Department of Corrections records. He began serving his sentence March 19, 2019.

He has been transferred from Rutledge to the Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, authorities said.
E. Jean Carroll walks out of Manhattan federal court after winning a $5-million judgment against former President Trump. The verdict is unlikely to shake up the 2024 presidential race, at least in the short term. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

There is a long list of descriptors used to identify Donald Trump: real estate magnate, reality TV star, former president, insurrectionist, criminally indicted payer of hush money.

As of Tuesday, a new particularly incriminating label can be added: sexual assailant.

Even so, the determination of a civil jury  that Trump physically brutalized writer E. Jean Carroll  seems unlikely to make much difference to his unshakable political base or, for now, change the fundamental dynamics of the 2024 presidential race.

"I don't see this moving the needle at all," said Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan campaign analyst who's spent decades handicapping elections. "Every time we've thought that something would hurt him, it hasn't."

That said, Trump still faces a raft of criminal investigations involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the attempted Jan. 6 coup he inspired and the mishandling of purloined documents he spirited to his Mar-a-Lago retreat.

By the time Republican voters cast the first ballots next February in Iowa, will the cumulative weight of Trump's legal burdens  compounded by the verdict in Carroll's lawsuit  be enough to drive a significant number of GOP voters away?

That jury is still out.

A Manhattan panel of six men and three women deliberated less than three hours  barely enough time to cater lunch  before returning a verdict finding that Trump had forced himself on Carroll nearly three decades ago in the dressing room of an upscale Manhattan department store.

The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded his victim $5 million in damages.

But if the swiftness of the decision seemed clear-cut and ringingly decisive, the verdict proved less so.

Jurors did not accept Carroll's claim the ex-president had raped her, rejecting the most inflammatory allegation and  crucially  keeping the combination of "rape" and "Trump" out of news headlines.

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Even that might not have put off very many Trump's supporters.

His criminal indictment in March for paying hush money to hide an extramarital affair and steady his wobbling 2016 presidential campaign  a career killer under most circumstances  proved a fundraising bonanza and prompted many Republicans to rally behind Trump's bid to reclaim the White House.

Minutes after Tuesday's verdict was delivered, Mike Madrid, a founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, wisecracked on Twitter, "That sound you hear is Trump's polling numbers going up in the Republican primary."

Perhaps.

A great deal will depend on what happens over the next several months  on the campaign trail even more than inside a courthouse  as the fight for the Republican nomination presumably heats up.

Most of Trump's GOP rivals have so far shown a reluctance to go beyond the merest, veiled criticism of Trump, or offered only weak-tea admonitions.

"The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump," former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tut-tutted after Tuesday's verdict was delivered.

That sort of gentility is not unusual for this stage of the campaign. As the balloting nears, and competition intensifies, candidates will have to make a strategic decision. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's main rival at the moment, will in particular have to decide how openly and aggressively he wants go after the GOP front-runner.

"There is an available chunk of the Republican electorate that wants to move on from Trump," said Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist and longtime Trump critic, who has conducted countless focus groups plumbing voter sentiments.

"The question that I've had is whether any of the candidates running against Trump have the political talent to take him on directly and seize that available audience," Longwell said. "Can they start outflanking Trump and showing people they can be a tougher fighter? Maybe. But nobody's figured out how to do that yet."

It is Trump's great good fortune that his political future won't be decided by the jury in Manhattan. He proved a perfectly terrible witness on his own behalf.

In a videotaped deposition  Trump did not take the stand  he seemed alternately bored and put upon, suggesting at one point that Carroll would have enjoyed being raped.

When presented a photograph of Carroll, he mistook his accuser, "not my type," for his second wife, Marla Maples. He defended his infamous hot-mic moment on "Access Hollywood" in which he said he could grab women by the genitals  "and when you're a star, they let you do it"  by saying that history backs him up.

"If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said in his deposition. "Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately."

Trump famously boasted during the 2016 campaign he could stand in the middle of Manhattan's 5th Avenue and shoot someone without losing votes.

Now, with Tuesday's swift verdict, he's about to test another proposition: whether he can sexually maul a woman in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room and still make that claim.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the panel believes President Biden "has been involved" in his familys foreign business dealings "from the very beginning," telling reporters that lawmakers are only "in the beginning stages" of their investigation.

Comer listed the Biden family members who received funds, including Hunter Biden, Jim Biden, "Joe Bidens brother's wife, Hunter Biden's girlfriend, or Beau Biden's widowhowever, want to write thatHunter Biden's ex-wife, Hunter Biden's current wife and three children of the president's son and the president's brother."

"So we're talking about grandchild a grandchild. That's odd," Comer said. "Most people that work hard every day, grandchild doesn't get a wire from a foreign national or anything like that."

Biden family members House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says received payments. Clockwise from the upper left corner: Sara Jones Biden; Hunter Biden; James Biden; Kathleen Buhle; Hallie Biden; Melissa Cohen

Comer, R-Ky., and GOP lawmakers on the committee held a highly-anticipated press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to share new information out of their investigation into the Biden familys foreign business dealings.

BIDEN FAMILY RECEIVED MILLIONS FROM FOREIGN NATIONALS, TRIED TO CONCEAL SOURCE OF FUNDS: HOUSE OVERSIGHT

"This committee is investigating President Biden and his familys shady business deals that capitalize on Joe Bidens public office and risked our countrys national security," Comer said, adding that the committee intends to "provide transparency to the American people and reach legislative solutions."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Comer said Biden, while serving as vice president, "was a walking billboard for his son and family to collect money."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Comer pointed to media reports that suggested no transactions took place while Biden was vice president.

"We've proven that wrong," he said. "Joe Biden said during 2020 that his family never took any money from China today. We've proven that wrong."

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Comer added: "We believe that the president has been involved in this from the very beginning."

SIX ADDITIONAL BIDEN FAMILY MEMBERS 'MAY HAVE BENEFITED' FROM HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS

Comer said the panel will continue to investigate and has only subpoenaed four banks, at this point in the probe, but said lawmakers have identified 12 more they will seek records from.

"Right now, you could say that we're in the beginning stages of this investigation," Comer said.

Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said the "fundamental question" is, "What did they do to warrant the receipt of millions and millions of dollars?"

"Why did Joe Biden's brother, why did Joe Biden sister-in-law? Why did Joe Biden's son, why did so many family members get the money? What did they do to warrant receipt of that money? That's the fundamental question here."

EXCLUSIVE: WHITE HOUSE SLAMS COMER, ACCUSES GOP OF CONDUCTING EVIDENCE-FREE PROBE INTO BIDEN FAMILY

Despite the White Houses repeated denials of Biden's involvement and repeated smears of the committee's investigation, Comer maintained that the committee "will not pursue witch hunts or string the American people along for years with false promises of evidence that is beyond circumstantial evidence."

Just before the press conference, Comer and Republican lawmakers released a more-than-30-page memo Wednesday morning revealing newly-subpoenaed bank records that they say show that the Biden family and its business associates created more than 20 companies and received more than $10 million from foreign nationals while Joe Biden served as vice president and that some of the payments could indicate attempts by the Biden family to "peddle influence."

The memo said the Biden family "used business associates companies to receive millions of dollars from foreign companies," including from those with links to the Chinese Communist Party and a corrupt individual in Romania, and "received incremental payments over time to different bank accounts." The memo states that the "complicated and seemingly unnecessary financial transactions appear to be a concerted effort to conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."

HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 EXTENDED 'BEST WISHES' FROM THE 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHAIRMAN OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM, REQUESTS $10 MILLION WIRE

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., pointing to those incremental findings, said, "If it looks complicated and sounds complicated, it was intentionally made to be complicated."

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 7: Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is seen in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"What were trying to do today is show you how to follow the money," Mace said. "The Biden family needs to answer for this and the DOJ needs to get off its ass and investigate."

She added: "Weve done the work for them, so they cant screw it up."

Mace said that if the allegations are "proven true," then "someone with the last name Biden needs to be charged, prosecuted, maybe spend a little time in prison to take account and responsibility for the actions theyve taken."

She added: "This is not a witch hunt. This is not a conspiracy theory. If there are anti-corruption laws that need to be made stronger, we will also do that."

The White House has slammed the committees investigation as "evidence-free" and "politically motivated." The White House has also maintained that President Biden has never been involved in his sons business dealings.
Bald eagle with plucked feathers Illustrated/Getty Images

One of the historic tenants of the Republican Party is a propensity for small government, which has more or less been a base ideology for the GOP since its founding. Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, writes for National Review that "learning exactly what to take away must become conservatism's great project," and adds that "the art of limited government is to define what must be removed from the modern welfare state."

Many argue that stances such as anti-abortion laws, bans on gender-affirming care, and restrictions on polling places prove that Republicans are no fans of small government, and that their claims of being against federal overreach are purely hypocritical. Still, conservatives have made efforts in the past to limit the role government agencies play in the United States.

Attacks against the FBI

In recent months, many Republicans have spoken out against what they consider to be overreach by federal law enforcement groups  particularly the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Republican-led House of Representatives has even formed a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which will have "open-ended jurisdiction to...examine how any agency of the federal government has collected, analyzed, and used information about Americans," The New York Times reports.

The committee is reportedly modeled after the Church Committee, a 1970s Senate body that examined the FBI, CIA, and IRS.

However, this committee has been unable to accomplish much so far, and has a miniscule budget of just $2 million per year, according to Rolling Stone, though there is a provision to allow additional funds. Republicans even conceded the panel "was unlikely to break new evidentiary ground in its first session," The New York Times reports, a sentiment that has so far held true. However, committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has claimed that new revelations about government overreach are on the horizon.

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Fisheries case

One ongoing effort to weaken federal power is a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court next term involving an unlikely defendant: fishermen. The case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, challenges a law that controls federal regulations of maritime fishing. While there is a federal requirement that government observers be onboard larger fishing vessels, the fisheries may also be required to pay this observer's salary themselves, which Loper Bright argues the federal government does not have a legal right to do.

If the Supreme Court finds in favor of Loper Bright, it would fundamentally overturn the 1984 ruling of Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. This established the often-cited "Chevron deference," which says that states should defer to the federal government on issues that are ambiguous  such as federal regulations on fishing vessels.

Republicans have long held that the Chevron deference gives the federal government too much power. Given the court's 6-3 conservative majority, there's a seemingly high chance that it will rule in favor of overturning the ruling. This could create additional barriers for federal agencies, and "would have major implications for the Biden administration's climate agenda," Politico reports, by creating roadblocks for environmental regulations passed by the White House.

Rewrite the Constitution?

Conservatives have been attempting to rewrite the Constitution for years to craft it further in favor of Republican interests and limit federal power by holding a new constitutional convention, Insider reports. The outlet notes the behind-the-scenes plan to try and rewrite the Constitution "is a sprawling, well-funded  at least partly by cryptocurrency  and impassioned campaign taking root across multiple states."

Rick Santorum, a former GOP senator, can allegedly be heard pushing for a convention in audio obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive government watchdog. Two-thirds of U.S. states  34 of them  would need to approve a convention, and Santorum reportedly pushed for red states to join him in the effort.

But could Republicans actually garner the votes for a convention? It's never happened before, but 19 GOP states have so far ratified a convention resolution. Eric J. Segall, professor of law at Georgia State University, tells Newsweek, "When they get to 27, 28, I'll start to worry," downplaying the chance of a rewritten Constitution but also cautioning that "America is at a very, very critical point."

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Construction on a public swim beach on Lake Norman at Beattys Ford Park is slated to begin this month, six years after it was approved.

The beach, 25 miles north of Charlotte, will include a swimming area, fishing pier and additional paved parking at the end of Unity Church Road in Denver, the Denver Citizen reported. It is scheduled to open next year, according to Lincoln County Recreation Director John Davis.

Duke Energy, which is behind the project, is required to provide amenities on the lake under its 2006 Comprehensive Relicensing Agreement and as a condition for keeping its hydroelectric operating license issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2015.

When construction concludes, Beattys Ford Park will become the third public access area for swimming on Lake Norman, after Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius and Lake Norman State Park in Troutman.

Lincoln County resident Nicolette Scafuro, who hosted a birthday party at the park on Saturday for her 2-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, said her family has visited the park regularly for the last couple of years.

Well probably come here more often when the beach is finished, Scafuro said.

But some residents arent happy about the addition.

Road project on hold

During a 2019 meeting with Lincoln County and Duke Energy officials, Unity Church Road residents expressed a number of concerns about the project  mainly, traffic.

Plans to add turn lanes to the N.C. 16 Business-Unity Church Road intersection, originally scheduled for 2020, were delayed by NCDOT during the pandemic. A start date for the project has not yet been determined, Lincoln County Planning and Inspections Director Andrew Bryant told The Charlotte Observer in an email.

One resident cited an article from the Observer on the beach that opened at Ramsey Creek Park in 2016, where an estimated 50,000 people visited in just three months.

Im shocked and ashamed, one woman said during the meeting. This is shameful, and Im disappointed.

Officials said the comparison to Ramsey Creek was not accurate, because its beach has a capacity of more than 500 people, while the one at Beattys Ford will only be able to hold around 200. Officials expect the park to be the busiest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which would avoid peak traffic times.
Sore thumb. Out-of-place and futuristic. Giant white monstrosity.

Those are the words Coral Gables residents used this week to describe a $63 million parking garage that the city wants to build next to the Miracle Theater, home of the historic Actors Playhouse.

The proposed 10-story garage, called the Mobility Hub, includes a rooftop terrace, ground-floor retail, approximately 630 parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations and other amenities that Mayor Vince Lago described as being basically curated for the future.

The Mobility Hub will replace a preexisting parking garage that City Manager Peter Iglesias called operationally obsolete. Its one of two garages the city seeks to replace on Andalusia Avenue  a plan that has been in the works for over six years. Residents have expressed disdain toward the design since its unveiling in 2021, even launching a change.org petition in opposition that garnered over 1,000 signatures.

Now facing increased pressure from residents, the City Commission on Tuesday said it will reconsider the projects design. They agreed to hold a sunshine meeting, tentatively scheduled for late June, to hear resident views and to present new design concepts.

The night before the commission meeting, dozens of residents packed into the police and fire headquarters for a town hall hosted by newly elected Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez. Lago, as well as Commissioners Kirk Menendez and Rhonda Anderson, who was named vice mayor on Tuesday, also attended.

The residents grievances were far-reaching, with many directing their ire at the Mobility Hub. Several complained that the architectural firm did not present the city with multiple options for the design. You wouldnt buy a shirt without picking out at least two to three different ties to wear with it, one resident remarked.

Iglesias said Monday night that the current project budget is $63 million  a 50% increase from the previous estimate of $42 million in late 2021. He also said the city has spent approximately $2.3 million on designs from the architectural firm, Gensler, although it was unclear if he included those design costs in the overall budget.

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My suggestion would be: find a new design firm, because they have failed so far, Coral Gables Neighbors Association President Sue Kawalerski said at Tuesdays meeting.

Gordon Sokoloff, another resident, called the planned parking garage a giant white monstrosity. He said the design does not match the Mediterranean flair that is characteristic of Coral Gables, nor is it in line with the vision of its founder, George Merrick.

Thats what makes Coral Gables look like Coral Gables, Sokoloff said.

The mayor said a larger garage is necessary to accommodate increased traffic in the downtown area, and that it will be a revenue driver for the city that will solidify and strengthen our backbone. However, several residents at Mondays town hall meeting said the garage is rarely full.

Lago also noted that the bulk of the project costs will be covered by parking fees  not the citys general fund.

Fernandez told the commission that the garages interior is less of a concern compared to the overall aesthetic and height.

Its the shell thats the biggest issue, Fernandez said. Its the look of the building towering over Miracle Theater.

Anderson said the city should consider reducing the floor heights from 12 feet to 10 feet  a suggestion that Lago appeared to consider. He told Iglesias that he would like to see designs from the architect that depict the garage with varying floor heights, and without the rooftop terrace.

Nobody likes the design? Its fine. Okay. But theres a cost to changing the design, Lago said. I want to build consensus that we need a parking garage. That is the number one thing we need.
On the first day of their trip to Weinan, Shaanxi province, the group  a diverse mixture of students from home and abroad  arrived at the ancient city of Hancheng, with its traditional buildings illuminated by vibrant modern lighting.

The historical site, located in Hancheng, a county-level city of Weinan, is known for its millennium-old history and ancient buildings that span different dynasties, many of which are still being used today, as shops, temples, or performing arts venues.

This group of students are the participants of Generation Z 2023: The Future of the Silk Road, a program hosted by the China Public Relations Association that invites students from different cultural backgrounds to experience and learn about traditional and modern Chinese culture.

Having attended a performance of traditional Chinese Qinqiang Opera and a short play about Wang Jie, a loyal and honest official from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Fazle Mahmud from Bangladesh, now a postgraduate student in education at Shanghai International Studies University, took the stage and gave a performance of ventriloquism.

Holding a hand puppet, he performed excerpts of classic Chinese songs, including Sweet on You by Teresa Teng, Wishing You Well by Sun Yue and Loving You by rock band Beyond in Cantonese.

Better known as Archie, he has studied in China for more than four years. He first learned about this program three years ago when his university posted about it on its public WeChat account looking for talented participants.

Reflecting on his own skills, he decided to make a video of his ventriloquism with a dog hand puppet, applied to the university and succeeded in being admitted to the program.

"When I made the video, I told myself that someday that puppy will take me to a place which I have never seen before and I have never thought of. And then, when they said that I was selected and I would go and see the Yellow River, I was emotional and almost crying," he recalls.

One stop was at Weinan's Tongguan county, an ancient city near a vital ferry crossing of the Yellow River. Situated at the junction of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces, throughout history, Tongguan has been a highly contested military stronghold.

The former fortress there has now been transformed into the Tongguan Museum, which preserves more than 1,700 cultural artifacts and showcases the region's historical significance and cultural heritage.

After viewing the exhibition, visitors can step outside onto the terrace on the top floor, where they can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the juncture of three rivers  the Yellow River, Weihe and Luohe.

"I was so happy when I finally saw the Yellow River. I'm so pleased I was able to come here. It's even more amazing that I was able to come to a place like this by not moving my lips," he adds.

The participants of the program were divided into three groups to explore different Chinese cities. In Weinan, the students toured six counties or county-level cities  Hancheng, Huayin, Heyang, Chengcheng, Dali and Tongguan. They visited historical sites, scenic spots, and modern farms, where they learned about culture and history, viewed and experienced performing arts, as well as planted their own saplings.

With rich cultural resources, Weinan now has 17 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects and 123 provincial-level projects. The numbers of its national-level intangible cultural heritage projects and inheritors rank the highest in Shaanxi province.

One of the first art forms the students encountered was Huayin Laoqiang (laoqiang meaning ancient tune), a folk opera style listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Because of its powerful and raw vocal characteristics, the art form is often described as the traditional Chinese version of rock 'n' roll.

"When we went to see the performance, I was feeling a little tired, but once I got there and the show began, I became so energetic," says Syton Peter Chawinga from Malawi, also a student from Shanghai International Studies University.

"It's interesting to see how the older artists were performing with so much energy and passion. I think their heart is really in the preservation of their culture."

In front of the Tongguan Museum, the students are also treated to a different style of laoqiang, called the Yellow River Laoqiang, that originated from the work songs of boatmen at the river docks.

Unlike the previous performance delivered by veteran inheritors, the two performances, centered respectively on local food and traffic safety, are given by a group of small children from the Tongguan Yellow River Laoqiang Children's Troupe.

According to director of the troupe, Yao Miaorong, the group was founded in 2017 with the support of the local government and joined by children aged between 3 and 6 from nearby kindergartens.

So far, more than 400 children have participated and received instructions from experienced inheritors, and the troupe has reached its sixth iteration.

"We have incorporated the opera style into our kindergarten curriculum, which means that we combine the art form and Tongguan's regional culture with the teachings of language, art, science and other subjects, in ways that can interest and engage the children," Yao says.

"Our aim is to encourage the children to love and pass on our traditional culture, help children learn about their hometown, and eventually support its development when they grow up."

Comparing the laoqiang performances given by inheritors and children, Chawinga says that he can see how culture is being passed down the generations.

"As young people, we don't normally relate to what people in the past enjoyed doing, but I can see that these children are interested in preserving the culture. I think that, in the long run, a greater number of young people will be interested in participating in these cultural activities," Chawinga says.

On the journey, both the Chinese and international students mixed and mingled, exchanging their cultural knowledge and improving on their language skills.

"This program has been a great opportunity for me to develop my communication skills, although there is still much more room for improvement," says Yan Kelin, a student of English from Weinan Normal University.

"Meanwhile, I have come to realize that English is merely a tool. In order to better introduce our regional culture to international visitors, I need to acquire more skills and deepen my understanding of my hometown in all aspects, such as its culture, history and ecology."

Wu Jie, another student from Weinan Normal University, describes the trip as a delightful journey, upon which she made friends with young people from diverse cultural backgrounds and broadened her cultural knowledge.

"Every time we visited a scenic spot, the international students were curious about the culture and history behind them, and I would do some research and explain it to them, while they also shared their knowledge about their own countries' culture with me," Wu says.

The friendships she formed will continue into the future, she says, as they have exchanged social media accounts, and she has promised to help the international students with any questions they may have about the Chinese language.

"During this trip I also gained fresh perspectives and knowledge about the cultural history of Weinan," Wu says.

"After graduation, I will probably work in a field related to foreign languages, and hope to have the opportunity to continue promoting our Chinese culture overseas," she adds.
A national organisation of coroners is the latest to denounce excited delirium, a fictitious medical condition often cited as a cause of death by police in instances of violence from officers against community members.

The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) announced they would cease recognising the condition this spring.

NAME does not endorse use of the term excited delirium as a cause of death, Dr Joyce DeJong, the groups president, told Colorados 9News, as part of an investigation from the broadcaster that found the condition had been claimed as a cause of death in 139 incidents since 2010, all but two of which involved deaths after encounters with law enforcement.

The American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association do not recognise excited delirium, characterised by advocates as having symptoms like agitation, imperviousness to pain, sweating, and high body temperature.

Excited delirium is often used when theres a death associated with a physical altercation between a citizen and law enforcement," Dr Roger A Mitchell Jr, chair of the pathology department at Howard University, told The Associated Press earlier this year. Its not a real explanation for the death."

That hasnt stopped police departments around the country from training officers about excited delirium  or from claiming the condition justifies civilian deaths.

At the 2021 murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the defence argued that the police officer who knelt on George Floyds neck for nine minutes until he lost consciousness was justified because the Minnesota man was showing signs of excited delirium.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued the justification didnt hold water, calling excited delirium a story meant to shift blame.

Mr Floyd didnt even have a pulse. That didnt justify keeping your knee on his neck when you should have been administering CPR, when you could have brought him back to life again because youre afraid that he would come to, with no pulse and rampage the city, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said in his closing arguments. Thats the sort of thing you see in Halloween movies, ladies and gentlemen. Not in real life.

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Similarly, police in Aurora, Colorado, claimed that the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain was justified because of excited delirium.

McClain, 23, was choked with a hold that has since been banned after someone called 911 because the man was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms.

At the time of his arrest, he was wearing the ski mask, his family said, to stop the anaemic 23-year-old from getting chills. McClain had headphones in and didnt respond to calls from police, who put him in a cartoid chokehold. He cried, vomited, and asked police to respect his boundaries.

Colorado officials later ruled that McClain died because he was injected with ketamine by paramedics who arrived on the scene.
Rep. George Santos of New York at South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol's address to a joint meeting of Congress on April 27, 2023. Julia Nikhinson/Reuters

George Santos is facing a litany of criminal charges in a federal court in New York.

But he could continue to serve as a member of the House for several more months until he's convicted.

Only then would McCarthy push for the scandal-plagued congressman to resign.

Rep. George Santos is now facing a litany of criminal charges in a federal court in New York.

That includes wire fraud, money laundering, and theft charges. And he could be facing up to 20 years in prison.

But don't expect the scandal-plagued New York Republican to be forced out of the House of Representatives just yet.

While Santos, who has long been known to have fabricated much of his background, has now officially been indicted by federal prosecutors, he has not yet been convicted of any crime.

That process could take months, involving convening a federal jury and a trial. Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made clear on Tuesday that he wouldn't call for Santos' resignation until he's convicted.

"That is my policies and principles on this," he told reporters outside his office yesterday.

In March 2022, another House Republican, then-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, was convicted of lying to the FBI. But he had already been indicted five months earlier in October 2021, and while McCarthy had removed him from committees, he was still allowed to vote on the House floor as his trial was underway.

"In America, we'll just follow the same pattern we always have, right?" McCarthy. "If a person is indicted, they're not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial."

Only after Fortenberry was convicted did McCarthy call for his resignation.

"I think when someone's convicted, it's time to resign," McCarthy said at the time, adding that if Fortenberry wanted to appeal the charges, he would have to do so "as a private citizen."

For now, McCarthy needs Santos' vote, given the GOP's razor-thin House majority.

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Santos, a Republican out of New York, has remained defiant despite all that's already known about his history of lying and resisted calls for him to resign.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told a group of DC Young Republicans last month. "You're gonna have to drag my dead, cold body out of this institution."

He already does not serve on any committees and has been largely shunned by his colleagues, garnering zero co-sponsors on any of the bills he's introduced.

Even if convicted and McCarthy called on Santos to resigm, Santos could still stay in office if he chose to.

If that occurred, the House could vote to expel Santos, requiring a two-thirds majority vote. A group of House Democrats already introduced a resolution months ago to do just that.

In a statement on Tuesday, one of those Democrats  Rep. Robert Garcia of California  called on McCarthy to move their resolution forward.

"Three months ago, I introduced a bill to expel George Santos, and over 40 members have already signed the expulsion resolution," said Garcia. "Speaker McCarthy needs to get serious and move our bill forward in the Ethics Committee and then to the full House instead of staying silent as an indicted liar remains in his caucus."

Read the original article on Business Insider
PROVIDENCE  Rhode Island marijuana shops could soon join their Massachusetts competitors advertising on billboards throughout the Ocean State.

The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday to give the state's cannabis regulation office the power to make rules on marijuana advertising while the state commission, which was given that power when lawmakers legalized recreational use of the drug last year, is formed.

Rep. Scott Slater, the House bills sponsor, said Tuesday the purpose of the legislation was to clear the way for the office to write some regulations now that would allow the states seven marijuana dispensaries to soon begin outdoor advertising in some fashion.

More: The 'pot pie' of recreational marijuana is not as plump as those in the business had hoped

Out-of-state dispensaries advertise on signs along Route 95 in Providence in April.

Rhode Island marijuana dispensaries have complained for months that the Rhode Island ban on marijuana advertising was unfair since Massachusetts pot shops advertise freely in the Ocean State, many with big highway billboards along the border.

Matt Santacroce, deputy director at the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, told The Journal last month he supported lifting the advertising ban. Unfortunately, he said, the law that legalized the sale of recreational marijuana last year very clearly delegates that authority to the newly proposed Cannabis Control Commission, which has yet to be formed.

Slater's bill now goes to the Senate.

Other House business

In other business Tuesday, the House voted 57-8 to pass the latest legislation in House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi's 14-bill package to speed housing construction.

The bill, sponsored by Woonsocket Democratic Rep. Stephen Casey, would prevent any city or town from denying a proposed housing development based on incompatibility with that community's comprehensive plan if that comprehensive plan has not been updated in more than 12 years.

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Opposition to the bill came from the House Republican caucus.

House GOP leader Michael Chippendale of Foster said he was voting against the bill because planners in the towns he represents have expressed concern they will not have the staff capacity to handle the work required by some of the bills.

Another housing package bill sponsored by Rep. Arthur Corvese, D-North Providence, that would lower the cost of some abutter notice requirements, passed 65-1.

With reports from staff writer Tom Mooney

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI retail marijuana dispensaries could finally advertise outdoors with new bill
Troops with families could get $100 to $184 more money each month, on average, if the Defense Department were to boost Basic Allowance for Housing levels from 95% to the full 100% of their housing costs  eliminating the cost share that troops now shoulder.

A recent DoD analysis, mandated by Congress, shows that if Pentagon leaders did decide to restore the full BAH level, as many lawmakers want, troops without dependents would get from $82 extra to $164 extra per month, on average.

In 2015, defense officials reduced the amount of housing allowances they pay to military families from the full cost to 95% of their rental costs, as determined by the Basic Allowance for Housing formula. The cost-saving measure was authorized by Congress, but it wasnt required.

But due to economic conditions, concerns have grown about the affordability and availability of housing for military families. The rapidly rising cost of housing even persuaded defense officials to implement a temporary BAH increase at the beginning of fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to help service members find affordable, quality housing.

As a result, lawmakers have been urging defense officials to again have BAH cover 100% of troops housing costs, which DoD can do without legislation.

Congress also required DoD to analyze how much money the 5% boost would put in the pockets of average service members, based on rank and dependent status, as well as what it would cost the department. It wont come cheap. Paying the full cost of housing would add up to $1.1 billion in DoD outlays in 2024 if the full BAH were restored in January. Thats in addition to the $26.8 billion in BAH currently paid to about 1 million service members.

DoDs analysis, obtained by Military Times, shows, for example, that an E-5 with dependents would see an extra $111 a month, on average; an O-2 with dependents, would get an average of $118 more.

Department analysts also looked at the costs of gradually implementing a boost in the allowance, but their report doesnt include recommendations about whether the department or Congress should act.

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The current 5% out-of-pocket housing cost reduces the buying power of service member families, especially in high cost areas of the United States, lawmakers stated in their 2022 report requiring the DoD analysis.

Family advocates share their concern.

Military families, like all Americans, have felt the financial pressure from the pandemic, inflation and a volatile housing market, said Shannon Razsadin, president and executive director of the Military Family Advisory Network. But military families dont have the option to hunker down and ride it out. They move due to military orders, on average, every 2.5 years. From our extensive work on housing and food insecurity, we see a clear intersection between paying for housing and purchasing healthy food.

At a time when nearly one-quarter of military families are experiencing food insecurity, an extra $100 per month could make all the difference, she said. We are encouraged by the options DoD presented and are hopeful Congress will lay the path for a full restoration of the housing allowance.

Here's what that reduction in basic allowance for housing is costing troops

The DoD analysis also looked at what it would cost to restore the full BAH benefit over five years. The full implementation in 2024 would cost DoD an extra $1.1 billion in that year. Over the five years through 2028, it would add an estimated $7.5 billion (which includes inflation in housing costs).

If DoD increases the BAH gradually  by one percentage point each year for five years  service members would get less money at the start  ranging from $19 a month to $31 a month, on average. But it would cost DoD less: an extra $214 million in 2024 and an extra $4.4 billion over the five years.

The following chart from the report shows average BAH increases if DoD decides to restore the full BAH benefit.

Source: DoD report to Congress

While the monthly BAH increase would apply to all eligible for the allowance, troops living in privatized housing wouldnt see it because their full BAH generally goes directly to their housing landlord. The rent for privatized housing is set at the BAH rate.

Generally, about two-thirds of service members live in the civilian community. Service members may choose to rent or buy a dwelling in the civilian community that costs less than the monthly BAH and can pocket the extra money. If they choose to rent or buy a dwelling that costs more than BAH, the extra expense comes out of pocket.

The allowance is designed to offset the costs of local median rents and average utilities. BAH rates are adjusted each January based on surveys and information collected about rent and utilities for different types of houses in more than 300 military housing areas in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

In 2023, BAH rates rose an average 12.1%, the largest year-over-year percentage jump in the allowance in at least 15 years.

The Government Accountability Office has reported that DoD needs to improve the way it calculates troops housing allowances and defense officials are in the process of reviewing those procedures.
Mauricio Garcia, the gunman who killed eight people at a Texas Mall on Saturday, spent three months in Army basic training in an attempt to become an infantry soldier in 2008. But military leaders on Tuesday bristled at the suggestion that he deserves the title of veteran.

He is not a veteran, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder flatly stated to reporters at a department press conference. According to federal regulations, this individual, in terms of the time of service, would not qualify as a veteran.

The term was used in several news reports (including Military Times) to describe Garcia, who was killed by police responding to the deadly attack. The confusion over exactly who can call themselves a veteran underscores the varying definitions used by the public, federal and local government officials and even within the military and veterans community, whose numbers have dwindled steadily over the last three decades.

FBI probes how failed soldier turned Texas mall shooter

When it comes to issues of veterans benefits and services, the rules are straightforward. Federal code classifies a veteran as a person who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

VA officials said that most individuals must serve two years on active-duty to qualify for things like veterans home loans and education benefits, although some troops injured early in their military careers or even in basic training can qualify for assistance.

Garcia didnt fall into either of those categories. According to Army officials, he was dismissed from the service before completing his training because of an uncharacterized mental health condition. That discharge is not the same as an injury separation.

Service officials have not released details of Garcias dismissal. Since the shooting, outside groups have identified racist online postings by the 33-year-old as a possible motivation for his attack. It is not known if he held those views during his brief military stint.

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Rules regarding local veterans benefits vary from state to state, and usually cover things like lower local tax rates and waived fees for state services. Those differences do not impact veterans federal eligibility.

Veterans who qualify for benefits can also have their federal payouts reduced or revoked if they are convicted of a felony, although VA officials still categorize imprisoned individuals with military experience as veterans.

The question of who the public sees as a veteran is trickier. For years, veterans groups have pushed forward messaging emphasizing that individuals who never saw combat or did not spend time in hazardous overseas locations still should be honored for their service and sacrifices.

Theyve also advocated for (and successfully moved along) legislation to better clarify what benefits reservists and National Guard troops qualify for, and to recognize them as veterans in good-standing.

But those efforts almost always focus on individuals who spend some time in active-duty service, not simply in military training.

There has to be some element of actual service, and that wasnt there with [Garcia], said Patrick Murray, director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Legislative Service. Just because you got on a bus with the intent to serve doesnt mean you became a veteran.

VA secretary calls Texas shooter a criminal, not a veteran

In 2017, the issue of defining who counts as a veteran made similar headlines when then Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said another mass-murderer with prior Air Force service did not deserve to have the same title as the men and women who served this country honorably.

In that case, the shooter  Devin Patrick Kelley, who served four years before a court martial and bad conduct discharge for domestic violence  killed 26 people at a church in an attack that appeared connected to the same domestic violence issues. Kelly was found dead a few miles away from the scene.

VA officials have made several outreach efforts to individuals with other-than-honorable discharges  including expanded mental health care options  in an effort to ensure all military service is properly recognized. But Murray said that doesnt mean that anyone with any connection to the military gets to claim veteran status.

If you were drummed out of the service for wrongdoing or before you even really served, thats not a veteran, he said. Absolutely not.
The former president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts was sentenced to prison Wednesday on a slew of criminal charges in connection with kickback schemes and bribes that he orchestrated with the help of a union lobbyist.

Dana A. Pullman, 60, of Worcester, was sentenced in federal court in Boston to 30 months behind bars for racketeering, fraud, obstruction of justice, and tax crimes, according to United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. Anne M. Lynch, 71, of Hull, was got two years in prison.

In November 2022, Pullman and Lynch were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return. Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.

From at least 2012 until Pullman resigned as the head of SPAM in September 2018, Lynch turned SPAM into a racketeering enterprise, using Pullmans position and power to defraud SPAM members, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and vendors looking to do business with Massachusetts State Police, according to federal investigators.

Among other things, Pullman and Lynch defrauded SPAM members and the Commonwealth of their right to honest services from Pullman when Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a settlement agreement between SPAM and the Commonwealth. Pullman and Lynch also defrauded two different companies that sought to do business with the MSP by hiding from the vendors the fact that Lynch was paying Pullman to direct vendors to use Lynchs services.

Pullman and Lynch hid the payments from Lynch and her lobbying firm to Pullman in a manner designed to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income to the IRS. Pullman and Lynch also attempted to obstruct the grand jurys investigation of this matter by manipulating subpoenaed records, and Lynch attempted to obstruct the grand jurys investigation by lying to investigators.

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In a statement, Rollins said Pullman and Lynch used SPAM as a criminal enterprise for their own personal financial benefit.

Pullman failed his department, his sworn oath, and taxpayers when he and lobbyist Anne Lynch joined forces to line their pockets with thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, added.

Additionally, Pullman embezzled and misused SPAM funds for personal use by using a debit card tied to a SPAM bank account to pay for thousands of dollars of meals and travel for an individual with whom Pullman was having a romantic relationship.

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MADISON  With more than 40 years of experience working as a certified nursing assistant in the Milwaukee area, Demetrica Shipp only recently started earning $16 an hour. Her income makes it cost-prohibitive for her to pay for health insurance.

"I have high blood pressure. Sometimes I cut my meds in half because I have to have it every day," Shipp said at a Capitol news conference Tuesday. "But if you have to pay $160 a month and your light bill is $120, which one do you think you're going to pay?"

The third-generation healthcare worker has been drawn to the profession since she started going to work with her mom when she was 12. She saw how the patients' faces would "light up" when her mom walked in a room. She saw how the people she cared for became like a second family. Despite the pay, Shipp said, she's not turning her back on her patients.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, also a registered nurse, speaks as frontline nurses and long-term care workers gathered to support Wisconsins health care workforce in the state budget at the Capitol Tuesday. Caregivers say more resources are urgently needed to address a shortage of 20,000 nurses by 2035.

Shipp, other CNA's and nurses, including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, spoke about the increasing demands on healthcare workers as the state struggles with a workforce shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and expected to worsen as the population ages.

Gov. Tony Evers had included roughly $45 million in his two-year budget for two initiatives to retain and train more workers like Shipp, including $44.5 million to develop a minimum fee scale for home- and community-based health care services, such as workers who provide in-home care.

More: With the need for nurses at crisis level, new apprentice program launches in Madison

The funding was among the more than 500 items stripped from Evers' proposed budget by Republicans on the state's budget-writing committee. Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, is co-chairman of the joint finance committee, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday that while the items were removed, other options would be explored to address the nursing shortage.

The governors budget was unrealistic and unsustainable, creating numerous new programs and massively expanding the size of government," Born said. "Republicans will look for ways to build on our past investments in the long-term care industry and continue investing in health care throughout our state.

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The shortage of healthcare workers, which already exceeds 8,000 positions, is expected to reach 20,000 nurses within 12 years, at the same time a large percentage of the state's population  1.4 million Wisconsinites  are turning 60 or older, according to Amy Pechacek, secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Dubbed the "Silver Tsunami," the needs of the aging population are hitting at the same time many are aging out of the healthcare workforce, according to a 2022 report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association. For example, vacancy rates for registered nurse positions more than doubled from 2020 to 2021, the data show. Some hospitals were offering signing bonuses, upward of $10,000, to compete for the shrinking pool of healthcare workers.

More: Republican lawmakers set to strip out more than 500 items from Gov. Tony Evers' proposed state budget

The pandemic did not help the situation. A poll of more than 900 state healthcare workers conducted by SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, the state's largest healthcare union, found 90% of caregivers believe understaffing is having a major negative impact on their patients; 86% had experienced stress or trauma during the pandemic; 85% felt like they are working in a war zone; 82% considered leaving the profession; and 19% know a coworker who has considered suicide.

Demetrica Shipp, a certified nursing assistant and SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin member from Milwaukee, advocates for wage increases and benefits that were removed from the state budget at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Evers had included, but Republicans removed, $621,000 of state matching funds for a trauma recovery program that began last year in Dane County.

The matching funds would allow the program to continue by identifying key needs for the healthcare workforce and designing innovative solutions to promote mental health, continuing education, recruitment and retention. The program would also serve as a model for rebuilding, growing, and strengthening the resilience of the healthcare workforce, especially in more rural communities that have struggled with acute staffing shortages.

Alex Dudek started working as a registered nurse in 2019. Once the pandemic hit, Dudek was moved to a floor for COVID-19 patients. Dudek said the cries of a mother who had to watch from the other side of a window as her daughter died from COVID are one of many memories that haunts them.

"Politicians called nurses and healthcare workers heroes throughout the pandemic," they said. "Now it's time for them to walk the talk and actually treat us with the respect we deserve in the state budget."

At this point, members of the budget-writing committee can return the funding to the budget or the funding can be approved through separate pieces of legislation, Rodriguez said.

"This is not a joke. We are in a crisis," Rodriguez said. "We have many, many clinicians leaving the field and we are not going to have people to take care of our loved ones and ourselves."

Jessica Van Egeren is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's enterprise health reporter. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.

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: Nurses ask Republicans to return funding to budget for shortages
The Red Cloud Indian School in Rapid City, S.D., formerly known as the Holy Rosary Mission, is one of 87 Catholic-run Indian boarding schools in the new list published by a group of Catholic archivists. (Photo: Jenna Kunze)

Today, a group of archivists published a list identifying 87 Catholic-run Indian boarding schools that operated in 22 states through the late 1970s. The list is part of an effort to point tribal communities to the diocese, parishes, or religious orders where specific school records might be housed.

The online list, which is housed on the new Catholic Truth & Healing website, is the result of two years of work by seven volunteers, including six who work in Catholic archives across the country. The group felt moved to facilitate access to information for Native communities impacted by the church's role in the federal governments 150-year policy of removing Native children from their homes, communities, and cultures.

The volunteer group consulted with Maka Black Elk, the executive director for Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, S.D.; and Jaime Arsenault, the tribal historic preservation officer and archives manager for the White Earth Nation in Minnesota.

The federal government last year released an official list of the 408 federal Indian boarding schools it funded or operated from 1819 to 1969, including at least 80 that were run by religious institutions. But it didnt identify each schools religious affiliation, making it difficult to know where to find records today.

For example, the federal list includes dozens of what seem to be religiously affiliated schools with the word Saint in their names. However, without information about which religious denomination each school was affiliated with, or the distinct groups within those organizations who ran or staffed the schools, Native Nations and individual tribal citizens seeking their familys records have faced the challenge of navigating the churchs complex structure.

We know as archivists that there's a wealth of records available in Catholic archives, but one of the biggest problems with Catholic archives is, I think a lot of people think that the Catholic Church is a monolith, said Michelle Levandoski, an archivist for the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee, who worked on the list. But it's not. It's actually a very confusing structure to those that are outside of it. It's made up of lots of different groups that are completely interdependent on each other but are completely independent of each other. And so our goal was to identify all those groups to make it easier for people to find the record.

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The group expects the list to grow and refine as more information becomes available.

MORE TRUTH, QUICKER

The Catholic list provides a roadmapbut not a keyfor survivors or descendants of Indian boarding schools to know who to ask for their records. Thats because Catholic archives are private, meaning that there is no legal requirement for dioceses, orders, or parishes to make their Indian boarding school records available to the public.

Dr. Veronica Pasfield is a citizen of Bay Mills Indian Community and a historian who has done decades of research on Indian boarding schools. The Catholic list has illuminated for Pasfield additional locations of boarding school records she's been seeking for 25 years.

Growing up, the silence around the boarding school experiences of my family members was absolute, Pasfield told Native News Online. So finding information about the schools has been frustrating until very very recently.

Through this guide, we now have a roadmap that will take years off our work. This roadmap is going to help us get to more truth, quicker, she said.

When Jaime Arsenaultwho helped Denise Lajimodiere develop the countrys first iteration of an Indian boarding school listbegan helping with the Catholic list in 2021, the boarding school records for White Earth didnt fill an entire shelf. Through collaboration with church archives, the White Earth Tribal Historic Preservation Office and Tribal Archives now has access to more than 10,000 historic documents from three boarding schools its children were sent to, St. Johns Indian Industrial School, in part because Arsenault knew who to talk to.

I've seen the benefits of [the Catholic list], Arsenault told Native News Online. I've seen how it can help answer a lot of questions. Where were the schools? Who are the archivists that a community could reach out to, and what's their contact information?

That's the purpose of this list.

WORKING ON BOTH SIDES

Additionally, the list identifies tribal nations that were affected by each institution. That presents a roadmap for archivists at religious institutions to get records to relevant tribal communities.

We are working on both sides, Levandoski said in a recorded webinar for tribal historic preservation officers last month. It's not like we're just giving this list to Native people and being like Here, good luck! We are working on the other side, too, to try to make [church organizations] more open to the idea.

The group also created a resource guide for Catholic archivists, explaining the role of archives in truth and healing for Indian boarding school survivors and their descendants. The guide also summarizes Maka Black Elks advice on how archivists can best engage with tribal nations.

Ultimately, it will be up to individual dioceses and Catholic record holders on what records they release, and to whom. Currently, law does not require them to make records publicly available.

We can't force anybody to do anything, Levandoski said. That's the hard thing now. Theyre all individual archives, and they all have to make the decision for themselves.

But tribal representatives and leaders in truth and reconciliation are hopeful that the Catholic list will begin a dialogue between tribal Nations and church archivists.

In March, the Catholic Church formally rejected the Doctrine of Discovery, a centuries-old theory of church decrees that endorsed the forceful seizure of Native lands and near-total destruction of Indigenous peoples.

In response, the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalitionalong with many other tribal leaders across the countrydemanded the Church take more accountability, including by allowing access to Indian boarding school documents.

While the list alone doesnt provide us direct access to archives, it is a critical step in the process, NABS CEO Deborah Parker (Tulalip) said in an emailed statement to Native News Online in response to the Catholic list. We strongly encourage other institutions to follow suit in acknowledging the historical and ongoing injustices inflicted upon Indigenous peoples.

Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior Bryan Newland, who is leading the investigation of Indian boarding schools, declined to comment on the list.

For every church archive that refuses access to records, Arsenault said, she expects there will be another who grants access.

I think over time, there's going to be that pressure, she said. Its the right thing to do. This is an issue of human dignity, and I think more and more church communities are starting to realize that this is part of what will make closure or healing in different communities possible.

About the Author: "Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the publication's lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York."

Contact: jkunze@indiancountrymedia.com
Welcome to Cruising Altitude, a new column at USA TODAY focusing on travel trends.

Many times when I fly I see people volunteering to give up their seat, and I totally get it. The lure of airline vouchers  or maybe even cash  is appealing, but alas, I am not so carefree. Even writing this out, the thought of tossing hypothetical plans to the wind is making me anxious. Lets not even get to how Id feel if I were the victim of involuntary denied boarding. Both scenarios can happen when airlines intentionally oversell flights and more people show up at the gate than there are seats on the plane, forcing them to keep some number of people grounded.

According to the Department of Transportation, voluntary and involuntary boarding denials (which, confusingly, are both referred to colloquially as bumping) were on the rise in 2022.

Part of that, surely, is explained by airlines just transporting more passengers last year than the year before, but the actual rate of bumping rose, even accounting for that. In 2021, airlines denied boarding on average to 0.17 of every 10,000 passengers booked to travel. In 2022, that stat was 0.32 denials per 10,000 passengers on average.

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Get a hold of yourselves: Why air rage on airplanes is every traveler's problem

Carriers asked people to voluntarily give up their seats more frequently in 2022, too, nearly doubling that number year over year.

Frontier Airlines had the most involuntary boarding denials in 2022, at a rate of 2.66 per 10,000 passengers, while Delta Air Lines got the most volunteers: more than 100,000 over the course of the year.

Glenn Nichols, a semi-retired hotelier in South Bend, Indiana, is one of those travelers who frequently put their hands up. He told me he makes it a point to arrange his travels so he can volunteer to get bumped whenever possible.

I never regret it because its just something I kind of plan for, he said. Its paid off for me.

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Nichols said he once got $1,000 in airline credits for volunteering, but he has found compensation to be typically in the $500 to 800 range.

If you're not going to get on the plane, at least get compensated.

Involuntary versus voluntary denied boarding

Just to clarify: bumping can refer to an airline refusing you permission to get onto a flight, or to the auction scenario at the gate or in the app, when the carrier seeks the lowest bidder to give up their seat.

And yes, frustratingly to travelers, involuntary boarding denial is completely legal. Airlines are allowed to oversell flights  its actually a very common practice among U.S. carriers  and their contracts of carriage, which you essentially sign whenever you purchase a ticket, give them the right to refuse your seat.

In fact, during its most recent earnings call, Delta Air Lines announced it was planning to increase its overbooking rates in the coming quarters. While Delta had only two involuntary denied boardings in 2022, it will be interesting to see if the planned change affects that metric at all. Executives, for their part, assured those on the call that theyre not expecting any major uptick, and insisted that more overbooking will be good for the bottom line.

Tell us your story Mobility device lost or damaged by an airline? USA TODAY wants to hear about it.

Overbooking, however, isnt the only reason an airline may have to keep people off their flight.

My guess of whats disrupting air travel right now is equipment changes, Laurel Brunvoll, owner and president of the boutique luxury travel agency Unforgettable Trips, told me. She explained that airlines sometimes have to change the kind of aircraft operating a flight at the last minute, which can affect the number of seats available.

Theres not enough room, so theyre just going to take people off, she said.

Involuntary bumping remains fairly rare, though. Nearly 300,000 passengers like Nichols took offers to give up their seats in 2022, compared with less than 26,000 involuntary denials, according to the DOT.

What are you owed when you get bumped from a flight?

If youre involuntarily denied boarding, the DOT actually has very specific rules about what youre entitled to:

For domestic flights in the U.S., airlines have to pay you 200% of the value of your one-way ticket up to $775 if you arrive at your destination one to two hours past your originally scheduled itinerary or 400% of the one-way ticket price, up to $1,550 if your arrival delay is longer than two hours.

For international flights departing the U.S., the 200% or $775 compensation window is up to four hours, with 400% up to $1,550 compensation owed for a delay of more than four hours.

Certain exceptions, including equipment changes, allow the airlines to avoid paying out this compensation.

Brunvoll said she advises her clients to always take out travel insurance, which can help cover additional expenses like hotels and meals that an airline is not required to fully compensate you for if you do get bumped.

They wanted to fly buzziness class: Delta Air Lines flight delayed by swarm of bees

Voluntary boarding denials involve some negotiation between the airline and its passengers, either at the gate or through the airlines app, and compensation in those cases can often far exceed the DOT minimums. Some famous cases have landed willing passengers five-figure payments from their carriers.

Brunvoll said its important to understand exactly what youre getting before agreeing to give up your seat, however.

Are you getting a voucher or are you getting money, and what else are you giving up? she said. You should also have it very clearly in writing what the plan of action is for you to get back on your track. Dont just accept (a new itinerary) and then you find out its three days from today.

How can I avoid getting bumped from a flight?

First of all, keep in mind that its extremely unlikely youll get bumped. Not impossible, but unlikely.

Karen Hawes, a nurse practitioner in Manhattan, Kansas, said she has always careful to pay extra to select a seat as a hedge against bumping at her small hometown airport.

I would tell people to pay the extra money, but complain about it, Hawes said. Its a junk fee.

She added that having a seat assignment before arriving at the airport has reliably meant she has never been bumped off any of the handful of flights that depart Manhattan every day, but she said it can feel like a bit of a scam.

Really the issue is the threat of not being able to make our trips at all, she said. In rural areas, if you dont get that flight, youre just not going to go.

Other travel agents have told me that registering with an airlines frequent flyer program and even having a paper boarding pass can help reduce your chances of getting bumped.

Brunvoll also said its a good idea to book nonstop flights whenever possible because that reduces the odds of getting bumped. And no matter what happens, she said, remember to be nice.

All of us need to try not to lose our cool at the airport.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does bumping from a flight mean, how much do airlines pay?
Pull Over Now

A Tesla Cybertruck prototype decided to stop and smell the roses during a test journey.

The oddly shaped vehicle was spotted by eagle-eyed onlookers outside Corpus Christi, Texas, earlier this week, Electrek reports, near where the company celebrated the opening of its new lithium refining facility on Monday.

A video shows a number of employees surrounding the stranded truck.

While we're still not sure what exactly was wrong with the truck  or if it was just stuck in the mud  it's not exactly a promising sign, especially considering the Cybertruck is already way behind schedule. When Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the brutalist vehicle well over three years ago, after all, he promised it would be available by "late 2022."

And we're already well into 2023, with Musk promising during last month's earnings call that the handover event will happen toward "the end of the third quarter." That means it's roughly a year behind schedule, which shouldn't exactly surprise anybody at this point given Musk's abysmal track record when it comes to setting deadlines. In a sense, it feels like the whole project is stuck on the side of the road.

More Delays

Even the lithium refining facility, which is meant to support battery cell production at Giga Texas, was meant to open at the end of last year, according to Electrek.

What we've seen of the brutalist truck so far hasn't been confidence-inducing, from busted up prototypes to extremely janky ones being shown off to the public.

Given the fact that Tesla's previous events involved only a tiny amount of vehicles being made available, as InsideEVs points out, customers will likely have to wait even longer until they get their delivery.

And that's gotta sting, considering the number of delays so far.

"As with all new products, it will follow an S-curve, so production starts out slow and then accelerates," Musk said during last month's earnings call. "The Cybertruck is no different."

"But as with all new products, it takes time to get the manufacturing line going," he added. "And this is really a very radical product. It's not made in the way that other cars are made."

More on the truck: Of Course Elon Musk Is Pushing The Cybertruck Back Again, What Did You Expect?
Li Chenyu, a student at Anhui Normal University, creats portraits of a fallen hero's family in Wuhu city, East China's Anhui province, March 31, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

A group of Chinese university students are using art to pay tribute to fallen war heroes, creating portraits for their families free of charge.



The portraits are based on research and on descriptions from those who were close to the subjects, and are intended to help families reconnect with their lost loved ones and keep their memories alive.

Born in 1920 in Hebei province, Song Lianheng participated in the Chinese revolution in 1946 and died in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953). That was the extent of the information Duan Hongrun, a student at Anhui Normal University in Anhui province, was able to ascertain before he began to draw Song's portrait.

The art major was troubled by a lack of visual references, but then he managed to find an old blurry photo of Song's nephew, which he used as a reference. He also studied historical documents to make sure he drew the clothing that would have been worn by Chinese People's Volunteers like Song at the time.

The result is a vivid portrait of a man, eyes full of thoughts of his loved ones and the firmness of a soldier, which gradually took shape with repeated alterations based on suggestions from Song's family members.

The fallen hero's younger sister, who is now 86, said the finished portrait resembled her brother, and that he had finally returned home after so many years. Such recognition from the late soldier's family made Duan feel that his two weeks' of efforts had paid off.

"It is as though the hero is looking at me, and when I look at his portrait, it's like we are having a conversation across time. I will remember him forever," he said.

Duan is one of a number of volunteers who have joined the "Portraits for War Heroes" project, which was launched by Anhui Normal University in November 2021.

By collecting information about each individual  physical appearance, personality traits and accomplishments  from their relatives, the project aims to create portraits of heroes and allow more families to get a glimpse of their lost loved ones.

Early one morning last month, Anhui Normal University student Wei Ziyang brought a composite portrait he had made to Hefei, capital of Anhui.

Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian, siblings who sacrificed their lives for the Communist Party of China in 1927 and 1928, respectively, have become better known since the TV series The Age of Awakening first aired in 2021. A road in Hefei has been named after the revolutionary forefathers in commemoration.

"They never had a photo taken together when they were alive, so I decided to make a composite portrait and donate it to a school along the road," Wei said, holding the framed portrait.

According to university faculty member Wang Wei, the free portrait initiative is a heartwarming tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their country and allows the students involved to use their artistic skills not only to honor heroes, but also to help their families and relatives find comfort and closure.

The project was awarded a gold medal in the China youth volunteer service project competition last year. More than 200 students from Anhui Normal University have taken part in the project, completing 96 portraits to date.
Czech President Petr Pavel said that he supports the creation of a tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Source: Pavel on Twitter, European Pravda reports

Pavel recalled that on 9 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an online summit on the creation of a tribunal to investigate crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Quote: "It is important to investigate these crimes, so I definitely support the establishment of the tribunal. This is a key step on the way not only to peace, but above all to justice," Pavel noted.

Prezident  @ZelenskyyUa dnes usporadal on-line summit o zrizeni tribunalu pro zlociny agrese vuci Ukrajine. Prosetrit tyto zlociny je dulezite, proto vznik tribunalu jednoznacne podporuji. Jde o klicovy krok na ceste nejen k miru, ale predevsim ke spravedlnosti. pic.twitter.com/CRNNFySLSM  Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) May 9, 2023

Zelenskyy raised the issue of creating a special tribunal for the crime of aggression by Russia against Ukraine at the online summit of the leaders of the Core Group on Tuesday.

In his speech, Zelenskyy noted that discussions about the structure of the special tribunal and other details can continue, but emphasised that "it must be a tribunal".

Earlier, during his speech in The Hague, Zelenskyy criticised the idea of a "hybrid" tribunal, to which, as far as is known, Western allies of Ukraine are more inclined.

In an interview with European Pravda, Anton Korynevych, ambassador on special assignment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that a decision on how the Russian crime of aggression tribunal will look is yet to be made.

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PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic could give Ukraine some of its L-159 fighter jets to support its planned counter-offensive, Czech President Petr Pavel was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Prague has been among Kyiv's staunchest allies from the outbreak of Russia's aggression last February, providing material from ammunition to tanks worth billions of dollars.

The L-159 is a Czech-made, light subsonic combat aircraft designed for air support of ground forces, reconnaissance and partly also for air combat missions.

"It is worth considering whether we could provide Ukraine with our L-159 aircraft," Pavel told Czech public radio in an interview.

"As direct combat support aircraft, (the planes) could also help Ukraine significantly in the counteroffensive," he said.

Any decision on military shipments falls to the government.

Ukraine was also in the process of receiving two units of the Kub air-defence system from the Czechs, Pavel said.

Ukraine, which says its forces are waiting for better weather before launching the long-promised counteroffensive, is pleading with allies to overcome hesitation about supplying modern fighter jets.

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last week that talks on a potential donation of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine were progressing, but no decision has been made.

Slovakia and Poland provided Ukraine with Soviet-era MIG-29 fighter jets in March.

(Reporting by Robert Muller, Editing by William Maclean)
Petr Pavel

Pavel also said that transferring Czech L-159 light fighter jets to Ukraine would be "appropriate" and could assist Ukraine in counteroffensive operations. In addition to the missile systems, Czech Republic has already provided nearly 100 tanks, a similar number of armored vehicles, and plenty of ammunition to Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine, Czech Republic to produce arms jointly, President Pavel says

The president clarified that Kub missile systems are currently in the process of being delivered, and Ukraine's defense forces will be capable of utilizing them immediately, requiring no additional training. The Czech army will replace Kubs with Israeli-made SPYDER systems.

Read also: Czech president gifts Zelenskyy legendary CZ 75 pistol

In March, Slovakia announced it will transfer Kub missile systems to Ukraine as well.

Read also: Czech president supports creation of war crimes tribunal for Russia

2K12 Kub is a Soviet-era anti-aircraft missile system which can detect airborne targets at distances of up to 65 km and shoot them down at a range of 4.5 to 23.5 km, at an altitude of up to 14,000 km. The system is effective against warplanes and cruise missiles that travel at speeds up to 600 m/s.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
LONDON (Reuters) -The publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid apologised to Prince Harry on Wednesday for ordering the unlawful gathering of information, court documents showed.

In documents presented at court as part of a phone hacking trial, Mirror Group Newspapers, which is owned by Reach, admitted on one occasion a private investigator had been engaged to unlawfully gather evidence about King Charles's younger son at a nightclub.

It said it "unreservedly apologises and accepts that (Harry) is entitled to appropriate compensation".

(Reporting by Michael Holden, writing by Sarah Young; editing by Paul Sandle)
(Getty/AP)

Late last month, as Washingtons political and media elite gathered at the Hilton hotel for the White House Correspondents Dinner, Joe Biden, 80, couldnt gloss over a fact thats increasingly colouring his political future: Hes just an exceptionally old person to be president.

In fact, hes the oldest person to ever hold the White House.

I believe in the First Amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it, the president began in his remarks, before good-naturedly taking The New York Times to task for stories about his age.

You call me old? I call it being seasoned, he said. You say Im ancient? I say Im wise. You say Im over the hill? Don Lemon would say thats a man in his prime.

The reference was a telling one. Mr Lemon, who was ousted from CNN last month, caused a minor media scandal when he commented about women of a certain age being past their prime. This remark was itself a reaction to former South Carolina governor and current presidential contender Nikki Haley calling, somewhat scandalously, for mental competency tests for politicians over age 75.

Generational conflict is nothing new in American politics, but age has played an especially prominent role in Washington in recent months, impacting everything from leadership battles in Congress to the future of the presidency, raising questions about fairness, gender, and the vitality Americas very institutions themselves, which have scarcely ever been filled with more senior citizens.

Mr Biden may have been in a laughing mood at the Correspondents Dinner, but that may have just been him putting on a smiling face for the cameras.

His pollsters are surely worried about recent data, such as a March poll finding 68 per cent of registered voters thought he was too old for another term, or an April poll finding that 70 per cent of adults said Mr Biden shouldnt run again, with the roughly same percentage saying age was a factor in that decision. The age-related worries are just the tip of the iceberg though. Overall, theres a marked lack of enthusiasm for Mr Biden, with 57 per cent of respondents in a recent poll suggesting the Democrats should nominate someone else in 2024. If these doubts were vanquished, and Mr Biden did win again, he would be 86 by the end of his second term.

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Joe Biden at the White House Correspondents Dinner (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

If Mr Biden was re-elected, it would further cement the dominance baby boomers have exerted over national politics in recent decades, according to Kevin Munger, assistant professor of political science and social data analytics at Pennsylvania State University, author of Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture.

Weve had 28 years of boomer presidency in a row, he said. That streak was only ended by Joe Biden, who is technically too old to be a boomer by two years. That is unprecedented for a single generation.

Age was a political accelerant during the Donald Trump presidency, too.

Prior to Mr Biden, the billionaire, at age 70, was the oldest person ever to become president. Throughout his presidency, Mr Trumps mental fitness and cognitive health was a political flashpoint, with the former president bragging about his results on mental competency tests, psychologists openly opining about the presidents mental acuity, and former advisers gossiping to the political press that Mr Trumps mental decline was so serious cabinet officials considered invoking the 25th Amendment and removing him from office.

Of course, Mr Trump, the insult-comic-in-chief, found a way to turn this speculation against his rival, dubbing Joe Biden Sleepy Joe throughout the 2020 campaign season.

Its not just the White House, though, where age has been a concern.

The current US Congress is one of the oldest in US history (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The present Congress contains the second-oldest Senate and third-oldest House in US history. Generationally, the US population fits roughly into four, equal-sized blocks of about 20 to 25 per cent: ages 0 to 18, 19 to 34, 35 to 54, and 55-plus. The composition of Congress, meanwhile, is drastically tipped toward the elder part of that range, with the median House member aged 57.9 and the median senator aged 65.3.

Beyond just being another way the US government doesnt mirror the wider diversity of the US population, age within Congress can become a political weapon, used by both parties as part of their machinations.

In March, Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, the oldest US Senator, who has been dogged in her later years with accusations of declining mental faculties, was hospitalised with shingles, and has had to miss large swathes of in-person work in the upper chamber as she recovers.

The following month, she asked to temporarily be replaced on the key Senate Judiciary Committee, which handles the appointment of federal judges, one of the few remaining ways the Democrats can exert lasting influence in a divided Congress.

Dianne Feinsteins health, and overall fitness for office, has become a major debate in the Senate (Getty/iStock/AP/Reuters)

However, Republicans, knowing that the full Senate must approve committee assignments, have added a major, likely unacceptable demand for the Democrats: theyve asked that Senator Feinstein must resign the Senate entirely before they consider a replacement.

In a sign of just how scrambled the politics of age are on the Hill, members of both parties have argued such treatment is unfair, but that hasnt stopped the GOP from changing its tune.

Sen Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, called the demands very anti-woman and very anti-ageing in an interview with The Independent, while Sen Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, argued, The Republicans are saying no, for no reason, other than trying to block the court from going forward in its investigation of the Supreme Court and pass more judges, which is the right of the majority to do.

The issue has divided the Democratic Party as well.

In April, rising star California congressman Ro Khanna forcibly called for Sen Feinstein to resign.

We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty, he said. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfil her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.

Age has also been a clear undercurrent in House leadership battles, where former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a point to highlight the comparative youth of the new slate of Democratic leadership, following at times barbed exchanges between her and younger, more progressive parts of the party like representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus, she said in November when she stepped aside. Now we must move boldly into the future, grounded by the principles that have propelled us this far, and open to fresh possibilities for the future.

All told, according to Professor Munger, the age of Americas most senior politicians  Sen Chuck Schumer is 71, Sen Mitch McConnell is 81  often means that issues that matter to other generations dont get top billing, leading both to disaffection and to bigger-picture existential issues, like a lack of serious climate legislation or the impending funding crisis of social security.

Its been clear that because of the size of the boomer generation, at a certain point we were either going to have to raise taxes on the workforce or cut the benefits, he said. We didnt do either of those things. Sometime in the 2030s, its going to run out. Theyre not going to cut benefits to boomers. Instead, younger generations are going to have to fully fund this obvious 30-year shortfall.

In the case of social security in particular, many of the leaders deciding on the issue are current recipients, while those younger generations who will likely pay more or get less in the future arent represented in office. A similar problem arises with climate change: the leaders holding up urgent action on the climate likely will not be alive to see the very worst impacts of their inaction.

The issues that matter to younger generations dont get on the agenda at all, Prof Munger added.

Instituting a parliamentary system, he said, instead of our current winner-take-all model might lead to more representational and ideological diversity, but like major climate or benefit reform, overhauling the US election system doesnt seem to be a consensus priority at the moment.

And those younger generations in turn dont participate as much as they fully could at the national level.

In the 2022 midterms, only 23 per cent of eligible young Americans cast a ballot, up from 2014s woeful 13 per cent, but still well below the participation rate of older generations. The same held true in 2020, the highest turnout election of the 21st century: 76 per cent of those aged between 65 and 74 voted, while only 51.4 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 did.

Young people in the US often dont see key issues for them like climate change make it to the national agenda (Rex Features)

Some of this demographic dominance is unavoidable, argues Philip Bump, Washington Post columnist and author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America. The boomers, born in the abundant post-war years between 1946 and 1964, were until very recently the largest generation in US history. During their lifetimes, America cemented its place as a global economic superpower, the voting age was lowered to 18, and the federal government poured millions into creating a new middle class. Its no surprise then, Mr Bump says, that this generation has a strong hold on power.

The baby boomers make up a disproportionate share of elected officials, especially at the federal level, simply by virtue of scale, he told The Independent.

Combine that with the built-in political advantages of incumbency and wealth, and you have a recipe for a political system tilted towards older people.

Senators are not usually just elected out of the blue, he added.

Some argue that critcising elected leaders, and the system at large, over age concerns is ageist, and often sexist as well, given the extra scrutiny paid to leaders such as former Speaker Pelosi or Senator Feinstein.

However, according to Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, an organisation that encourages young people to run for office, this is largely missing the point. Any one elected leader can be an effective and competent advocate regardless of age, she told The Independent, but we must acknowledge that the system at large needs to allow more young people in.

This isnt about any one person. This is about a collective problem of Congress not being reflective of the American people, she said. We know that in business, and in other governments, things work better when theyre made up of diverse perspectives. All of us would be better served if there were more voices at the table.

According to Penn States Professor Munger, debates about age in politics arent new. During Ronald Reagans second term, similar conversations about mental fitness and age circulated around the Beltway and the country at large. And, despite the apparent controversy of someone like Nikki Haley calling for age limits, the US already has such policies in other arenas, like age requirements for generals or pilots, or mandatory retirement ages in certain other professions.

What makes these conversations often intractable, though, is that theyre not really ever just a conversation about age or reform, he argues. Both parties are always considering the partisan stakes.

Theres no way to have that debate except through the lens of immediate political reference, he said.

Finding some resolution to the generation wars will be urgent, however. Theres a higher per cent of Americans older than 65 than there has ever been in US history, so questions about age, competence and representation arent going away any time soon. Neither are big-picture problems like the climate crisis, where urgent action is needed now to prevent impacts that will play out in both a matter of seasons and centuries.

Ms Litman, of Run for Something, is encouraged by recent research her organisation did, which found that more than 130,000 young people around the country wanted to run for office. To her, it showed that for all the inaccessibility of the US political system, younger generations have the same urge to serve as those who came before them.

We often hear, young people dont vote. They dont want to engage, she said. Thats not true. You have to ask. You have to open the door to them. When you do, they are ready and eager to run right through it.
This story originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.

A Texas state district judge on Wednesday sentenced Daniel Perry to 25 years in prison for shooting to death a man protesting police brutality. Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to pardon the former U.S. Army sergeant for the crime.

Perry, 36, shot and killed U.S. Air Force veteran Garrett Foster from his car in downtown Austin in July 2020, two months after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. Foster, a 28-year-old white man legally carrying an AK-47, was protesting against police violence and racial injustice when Perry drove into the crowd and repeatedly fired his handgun at Foster. Perry, who is also white, has said Foster raised his rifle toward him; witnesses said he didnt.

Perrys murder trial was a difficult and distinctively Texas case that forced jurors to weigh self-defense claims and gun rights. In April, jurors deliberated for about 17 hours after listening to weeks of evidence before convicting Perry of murder.

At a hearing Tuesday before state District Judge Cliff Brown over Perrys sentence, attorneys for Perry and the state of Texas argued over the relevance of recently revealed racist and threatening comments Perry made on social media and in text messages. And they debated whether developmental disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder suggested by Perrys hired psychologist should warrant leniency.

Defense attorneys claimed that Perrys racist memes and stated desires to kill protesters were often irrelevant to Fosters death or were barracks humor jokes taken out of context. Prosecutors argued that Perrys own psychological expert deemed the man basically a loaded gun.

He had some kind of complex PTSD, mixed in together with autism, and then you throw in this lethal military training and then he will react to perceived threats immediately and with severe consequences, Travis County Assistant District Attorney Guillermo Gonzalez said Tuesday. And hes going to do it again.

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The day after Perrys conviction, conservatives slammed it on social media and national TV, and Abbott jumped into the fray, saying he would pardon Perry as quickly as possible. He requested that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles quickly review Perrys case and hand him a pardon recommendation, since the Texas governor cant issue a pardon without such a recommendation.

Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney, Abbott posted on Twitter.

A day later, new court documents unsealed ahead of sentencing revealed Perry had often made racist comments and regularly made clear his desire to kill protesters in the months before killing Foster. He sent messages about catching a negro daddy and hunting Muslims, and he questioned if he would be allowed to cut the ears off of people whos decided to commit suicide by me. The records also showed Perry messaging suggestively with underage girls.

When asked if the new documents changed the governors position on pardoning Perry, Abbotts office shifted the responsibility of any potential pardon onto the parole board members, whom he appoints.

All pertinent information is for the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider, spokesperson Renae Eze said.

The board has begun its review, at Abbotts request, but it is unclear how long its investigation will take.

Perrys attorneys had asked for a 10-year sentence; prosecutors sought a minimum of 25 years.

Before handing down Perrys sentence Wednesday, Brown said he didnt typically speak on sentences but felt compelled to in this case on behalf of the jurors.

The hard work, the service and the sacrifice of this jury deserves our honor, and it deserves to be respected, Brown said.

Perrys hair and beard, grown out since his jury trial last month, were unkempt as he sat shackled in the gray stripes of his jail jumpsuit at his sentencing hearing. His face largely remained expressionless.

Fosters common-law wife, Whitney Mitchell, told the court how drastically her life has changed since the murder. Mitchell, a 31-year-old Black woman whose four limbs were amputated below her elbows and knees when she was a teenager, had been with Foster since they were in high school, she said in court. They lived together since 2014, and he was not only her husband but her caretaker, she said.

He helped her get into her wheelchair each morning, use the bathroom, shower, eat, even pursue her dream of designing clothing.

He did all of it, she cried from the witness stand, dressed in a black blouse and beret.

He also helped her to protest after Floyds murder. Foster was with Mitchell when Perry killed him. Now, the home they made together in Austin, customized to be more accessible, is a harsh reminder of his absence.

Its just hard every day that Im there. Its hard to sleep in my bed because hes not there, she choked, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. He was my caregiver for 11 years.

A former supervisor and several colleagues in the Army testified on Perrys behalf, saying he was a good soldier with a positive attitude, always willing to help a fellow soldier and treat everyone fairly, regardless of race. They all said theyd eagerly serve with Perry again. (Prosecutors brought forward other negative evaluations from other supervisors, one of whom said Perry was one of the worst examples of leadership.)

Two of Perrys former colleagues, Black men, told the court they didnt think of Perry as racist and werent offended by the racist social media posts and text messages Perry shared, which became public after he was found guilty of Fosters murder.

One meme Perry shared the month before Floyds murder showed a white woman holding her childs head under water in the bathtub with the caption, WHEN YOUR DAUGHTERS FIRST CRUSH IS A LITTLE NEGRO BOY. After being shown the meme in court, former Army Sgt. Ronald Wilson quickly said he wasnt offended by it.

There is a different mindset in the military, Wilson said from the witness stand. I laugh at stuff like that. Its funny to me  and once again thats coming from a Black guy.

Doug OConnell, one of Perrys attorneys, referred to the text messages and social media posts as barracks humor.

Some of those social media posts are frankly repugnant, OConnell said in his closing argument. But some of them, a lot of them, are taken out of context.

Perrys forensic psychologist, Greg Hupp, said it was hard for people who hadnt been in the military to understand the nature of such humor or the relationship among soldiers deployed into dangerous environments. Perry served in Afghanistan.

Daniel and his unit dont see color. They dont see individual differences because theyre there to protect each other, and so for him to share different memes and different social commentary, he doesnt know if his friend is an African American or Latino or mixed race or whatever; he doesnt see that, he sees his battle buddy, Hupp said.

The comment drew groans from courtroom viewers, the large majority of whom were there in support of Foster.

Prosecutors pushed back on the idea that the racist messages were only jokes, arguing that the messages easily could be interpreted to represent hate. And taken as a whole, they said, the posts were disturbing.

We can pick it apart and say, Well, this one piece of social media is a crass joke, and this other piece of social media is barracks humor, and this other piece over here is soldiers destressing each other, but what weve produced to this court is 70 individual pieces of social media . showing an unhealthy and, frankly, excessive behavior by this defendant on certain issues, Gonzalez said.

Hupp argued that, in interviews with Perry, the psychologist didnt believe that he disliked protesters in general, but as a soldier, he was upset by violent protests where people damaged police or community property.

Its where people disrespect the community and disrespect the country, what youre fighting for, and just haphazardly destroying the livelihoods of innocent people, I think thats what really gets to the soldier, Hupp said.

On cross-examination, Hupp acknowledged that when Foster was killed, there was no indication of violence as Perry made the fateful turn into the crowd.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Ransomware attacks targeting schools and universities are happening more often.

Since 2005, there have been 2,691 data breaches involving K-12 schools and universities, according to a report by Comparitech, a consumer research organization. Researchers say these incidents compromised nearly 32 million individual records.

Experts say while ransomware attacks arent new, these incidents are still posing a major threat to schools.

Its a huge, huge concern, especially with childrens data. we think how sensitive that is, and the potential repercussions in years to come as well for them, said Rebecca Moody, Head of data research at Comparitech.

The findings show most individual records were compromised during data breaches at colleges and universities.

Researchers saw one of the biggest spikes in school data breaches occurred during the height of the pandemic. They say nearly three million records were affected in 2020 alone.

Experts are now encouraging schools and universities to be more transparent about these incidents.

I think its that lack of clarity thats a bit of a concern now. Because I appreciate a lot of universities and education facilities, they dont want to say theyve been hacked because they feel so opens them up to future attacks, said Moody. But equally, if they have been attacked and data has been stolen or potentially stolen, as a parent, employee, child, you should be given that full disclosure as to whats happened to your data.
The National Police database "War Criminal" already contains information about more than 200 thousand Russians who committed crimes in Ukraine.

Source: Andriy Niebytov, head of the main police department in Kyiv Oblast in an interview with Ukrinform

Quote from Niebytov: "In general, this database already has more than 200 thousand Russians who crossed the borders of Ukraine with weapons in their hands and committed crimes here. In my opinion, this is a very good base for the SSU [Security Service of Ukraine] investigators and other bodies that investigate war crimes."

Details: According to him, all units enter data on Russian war criminals in the police subsystem "war criminal".

In particular, the police of Kyiv Oblast entered more than 5.6 thousand people into the relevant database.

Niebytov also stressed that the police of Kyiv Oblast identified 21 servicemen of the Russian army who are already being brought to criminal responsibility.

The head of Police of Kyiv Oblast is convinced that gradually all perpetrators of war crimes on the territory of Ukraine will be brought to justice.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A Dave Chappelle course is making its way to higher education.

According to Complex, a curriculum based around the success of the comedian will take place at Concordia University, a Canadian institution located in Montreal. Professor Yassin Narcy Alsalman will be teaching the class.

Celebrating The Culture

Im writing my syllabus right now, and from what Dave and the community around him gave me, Im gonna kind of celebrate that at the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as a community, Alsalman shared on the Jibber With Jaber podcast, according to Complex.

No stranger to teaching courses centered around iconic figures that represent the culture, Alsalman, who is also a rapper, has led a class dedicated to Kanye West as well. Whats more, some familiar faces including Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, and Chance The Rapper have even joined his lectures as guests.

As Alsalman looks ahead, not only does he aim to focus on the success of The Chappelle Show, but the professor also wants to focus on other entertainers and their respective movements and rise to success.

The Curriculum

So were gonna go through The Chappelle Show, were gonna watch some of his specials, Alsalman said. Im gonna do a Black Star class, Im gonna do a The Roots class, Im gonna do an Erykah Badu class, a Soulquarians class, and talk about just the juxtaposition of the responsibility of comedy in music, and then the consumption of Black performance and what does that mean in North America.

While he would love to have Chappelle drop by at some point during the course, Alsalman explained that this is not the purpose behind the move.

Im gonna ask people from the community, the friends of mine that I made in that community, to possibly come, and maybe well get Dave, he explained. Maybe Dave will come, maybe he wont but thats not really why Im doing it.

What's Next?

At this time, the course is still being finalized, but students can expect it to be available at the university during the upcoming fall semester, which begins in September 2023.
A nearly deserted main street in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. (Finbarr OReilly/The New York Times)

KHERSON, Ukraine  The road to Kherson is long, straight and empty. Vacant fields rise from either side.

Entering town from the west, you pass the ATB supermarket, one of the mainstays of the citys shopping. A rocket ripped into it a few days ago, shrapnel slicing into shoppers, killing four.

After that lie more crushed buildings, disassembled by Russian artillery shells.

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Death is everywhere, said Halyna Luhova, Khersons deputy mayor.

Indeed, it comes in many forms and at any time. People have been killed waiting for the bus, waiting for the train, walking to work and in their sleep.

No city in Ukraine has experienced such a reversal of fortune as Kherson, a port on the Dnieper River near the Black Sea. It was seized by Russian forces in early March 2022, then jubilantly recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November. But instead of enjoying the fruits of liberation, Kherson is now a kill zone.

As Ukraine prepares for a critical counteroffensive and builds up troops and supplies along the river, the Russians are hammering it harder than ever.

Last week was a terrible week, a black week, Luhova said Tuesday. Twenty-seven people were killed, 40 injured.

She was dressed in black and standing outside a funeral home, an all-too-familiar scene. The enemy is an animal, she said.

In front of her stood two open caskets, a mother and daughter, crushed when the walls of their house were blown apart. The mother, in her 80s, had been a nurse during Soviet times. Her daughter, in her 50s, was a teacher.

We cant understand it, said Tamara Smoliarchuk, whose sister and mother were lying in the coffins. Every day, they kill us.

Many people here believe the relentless shelling is Russias revenge for losing the city. Last year, Russias leader, Vladimir Putin, invested heavily in Kherson, sending in Russian administrators, crates of Russian rubles and even Russian families to turn Kherson into a mini-Russia.

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But in November, facing a steady advance of Ukrainian troops, the Russians suddenly pulled out. It was a searing humiliation for Putin, who, according to American officials, had denied Russian commanders requests to retreat even sooner.

As soon as Kherson was liberated, crowds of beleaguered residents flooded into the town square, honking, hugging, kissing, singing patriotic songs and crying deeply repressed tears of relief.

Images of the celebrations were beamed around the world, and some Ukrainians allowed themselves to believe that Kherson might be a symbol of something bigger, maybe even the beginning of the end of their horror.

But the Russians didnt go far. They pulled back just to the other side of the river and now blast across the water, sometimes less than 1 mile away, with tanks, artillery, mortars and rockets. Ukrainians say that Russians are also using warplanes to bomb villages around Kherson. When the Ukrainians shoot back from their artillery positions within the city, that just draws even heavier Russian fire.

More ordinary people are getting killed here than anywhere else, except perhaps along the front line in the eastern Donbas region, according to daily reports from the Ukrainian military. Officials in the Kherson region said that since liberation, at least 236 civilians have lost their lives. The city itself has been shelled more than 2,000 times.

Last week, a team of de-miners, guys who had stuck together through some very dangerous situations, was working in a wind-swept field on the outskirts of town. A Russian drone spotted them. It dropped a grenade. The grenade ignited a pile of mines. Local officials said six men were killed, in an instant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the total number of dead was nine.

Military analysts say the Russians may be bombarding Kherson to frustrate any plans the Ukrainians have to cross the Dnieper, now a watery front line. In the past few weeks, as the counteroffensive looms, Ukrainian commanders have bolstered their forces across the south, readying new brigades and new European- and U.S.-supplied weaponry. Ukraine is under immense pressure to show progress on the battlefield, fearing that if it doesnt, it will begin to lose Western support.

Up and down the marshy riverbanks in Kherson, Ukrainian forces are eying Russian positions just across the water. Small teams of Ukrainian commandos have picked up the tempo of their cross-river raids, residents said, and at night, orange fires burn on the horizon.

But the militarys plans remain top secret and mysterious even to the people who live here.

Luhova, who had served as Khersons mayor for much of the past year but became deputy mayor in a recent reshuffle, pointed to another danger: betrayers.

There are people still among us calling in positions, identifying where our troops are, trying to target me and other officials, she said. She herself has nearly been assassinated six times.

We should kill them, she said. Im serious. We have to kill them. They have no right to live. It is because of them people are dying.

While millions of Ukrainians have returned home recently to towns across the country, that is not the case in Kherson. People are leaving. Businesses are closing. Long city buses chug past with only three passengers inside. Bus stops are now fortified with sandbags, but people are still getting killed just trying to make it home. This city used to have 300,000 people. Now, maybe 50,000. Or fewer.

The civilians who remain are those who need the most support, Luhova said, such as the old, the infirm and those with addiction problems  people who, when it comes to getting to a safer place, dont have the resources or the will.

Andriy Nemykin, the nephew and grandson of the two women whose funeral was held Tuesday, said he had tried and tried to persuade them to leave. He lives in Kyiv, the capital.

There were so many words, he said. But they always said, Where? Where will we go? Nobody needs us.

Luhova and other city officials have organized evacuations. But these days, even with the heavy shelling, there are few takers. A sense of stubborn fatalism runs through those who have chosen to stay, including Luhova, who says, The people here need me.

The women who sweep Khersons streets now wear body armor. They say its bulky and heavy, but they dont want to take it off.

I have this fear that Im not going to have enough time, that Im going to die soon, said Liudmyla Chaika as she leaned on her broom near a small pile of flower petals she had swept together.

I cant get used to this shelling. I feel the danger, she said. But where, where am I supposed to go?

She said that she slept with her dog, Kraz, for comfort and that he seemed to take comfort in it, too.

Even on a sunny day, Kherson feels eerie, especially the main square. Not so long ago, it was crammed with so many happy people that it was hard to walk across. Now it lies deserted. It looks enormous. It stands as a heavy presence in the center of town.

But Im not worried, said Tetiana Yudina, a shop manager, as she walked past. I hope  

No, she corrected herself. I believe, I know, she emphasized, that everyone will come back.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
You are here: Business

Tourists enjoy the night view of the ancient Bell Tower in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 2, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



China's services trade sustained a sound growth momentum in the first quarter (Q1), with travel services seeing visible recovery, official data showed Tuesday.

The country's services trade totaled 1.58 trillion yuan (about 228.14 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, up 8.7 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Services imports stood at over 903.5 billion yuan, rising 21.6 percent from a year ago, while exports shrank 4.7 percent year on year to 680.51 billion yuan in the reporting period, resulting in a deficit of 222.99 billion yuan.

Travel services reported a notable recovery in Q1, as trade in the sector surged 56.6 percent from a year earlier to about 337.63 billion yuan.

Trade in knowledge-intensive services raked in nearly 694.7 billion yuan in Q1, up 12.8 percent year on year, the data showed.

Knowledge-intensive services exports gained 18.7 percent to 415.57 billion yuan, driven by the rapid growth of insurance services, according to the ministry.
President Biden speaks to the media at the White House following a meeting on Tuesday with congressional leaders about preventing a first-ever government default. (Susan Walsh/AP)

As the U.S. veers toward a potentially devastating default on its debts, Republican leaders are set to meet with President Biden on Friday to discuss an end to the impasse.

Republicans said they would tie spending cuts to raising the debt ceiling during last years midterms, which saw the GOP take the House with a small majority. House Republicans passed a bill in April that would raise the debt ceiling but attached numerous other provisions that would freeze government spending and gut a number of Bidens signature programs.

Because Republicans only narrowly control the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy can afford only a few defections as he tries to keep the various factions in his caucus united behind his plan.

The GOP bill put work requirements for recipients of Medicaid and SNAP benefits (food stamps), slashed tax incentives meant to fight climate change, cut funding to the Internal Revenue Service and blocked Bidens student debt relief plan. Biden has insisted that he wont negotiate any spending cuts with GOP leaders until the debt limit is raised.

I said Id come back and talk, Biden said Tuesday. Theres one thing Im ruling out is default. Im not going to pass a budget that, in fact, caused massive cuts.

The so-called X-date of when the government will run out of funds could come as early as June 1, per Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Reuters reported Monday that Yellen was personally calling CEOs to warn them of the catastrophic impact of a default, which would likely trigger a devastating recession and kill millions of jobs.

Congress instituted the debt ceiling in 1917 to allow the Treasury Department to issue payments without going through Congress every time it needed to borrow money. It has to be raised periodically because the government spends more money than it takes in.

The debt ceiling is often raised with little drama. Under President Trump, for example, Republicans agreed to raise the ceiling three times without any demands  whats known as a clean raise.

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Biden  who was vice president during the debt ceiling showdowns of 2011 and 2013  wants a clean raise. Republicans, meanwhile, are using the prospect of default as leverage to demand spending cuts.

A constitutional work-around

Biden delivers remarks regarding the debt limit meeting. (Demetrius Freeman/the Washington Post via Getty Images)

Following the Tuesday meeting, Biden was asked about the possibility of declaring the debt limit unconstitutional, thereby allowing the Treasury to ignore it. The theory is based on a clause in the 14th Amendment that reads, The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Biden said he was considering it but had concerns about the time it would take to be litigated in the courts. He referenced a New York Times column by constitutional law expert Laurence Tribe on Sunday in which he wrote that he had changed his mind and approved of the tactic as the lesser of two evils when no other options exist.

Yellen has been less supportive of the idea, saying when asked about the idea in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that there were simply no good options outside of congressional action, adding that it would be a constitutional crisis.

I dont want to consider emergency options, she said. Whats important is the members of Congress recognize what their responsibility is and avert what will surely be regardless of how its handled, what option is used to handle it, an economic and financial catastrophe.

What Americans think

From left: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Biden and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer in the Oval Office on Tuesday. (Evan Vucci/AP)

As the summer deadline has approached and coverage of Americas latest debt ceiling showdown has intensified, the public has become increasingly aware of the stakes  and increasingly polarized along the usual partisan lines.

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that more Americans now favor raising the U.S. debt limit (40%) than not raising it (35%)  a reversal from January, when more were opposed (40%) than in favor (28%). Not sure responses fell from 33% to 25% over the same period.

A growing understanding of the situation seems to have contributed to the change. Roughly a quarter of Americans (26%) still incorrectly believe, as they did in January, that the U.S. House regularly needs to raise the debt limit in order to authorize new federal spending. But more now realize that such votes allow the federal government to pay for spending that Congress has already authorized (48%, up from 42%), and fewer are uncertain (26%, down from 33%).

Yet even when Americans are given more context  by hearing that Congress must soon raise the limit just as bipartisan majorities have routinely done for the last century in order to continue paying Social Security benefits and military salaries without sparking a possible recession  less than half (44%) favor doing so.

Thats in large part because so few Republicans (38%) or independents (40%) are willing to say they favor raising the debt limit even when the consequences of defaulting on Americas past debts are spelled out.

Republicans in particular have become more entrenched since January. Back then, far more Americans favored a clean debt limit vote without new policy demands (45%) than one attaching new policy demands (24%).

But now Americans are more divided on this question at 37% and 34%, respectively. Why? Because support among Republicans for a bill with new policy demands has increased by 20 percentage points since January (up from 36% to 56%) while support for a clean vote has fallen by 11 points (down from 35% to 24%).

Democrats show little change, meanwhile, favoring a clean vote by a 59% to 22% margin, versus 61% to 19% in January.

Politically, however, the problem for Republicans is that none of their demands are popular. When respondents were shown a list of the various cuts to government agencies and the social safety net the GOP has proposed  and asked to select all that they would favor  not a single one polls higher than 36%.

What happens if the debt ceiling isnt raised

McCarthy, left, and McConnell outside of the West Wing of the White House on Tuesday following a meeting with the president. (Susan Walsh/AP)

If the debt ceiling isnt raised or the White House doesnt find a way around it to allow the federal government to fulfill its spending obligations, the country could default on payments for bondholders and millions of Americans who depend on various forms of government benefits.

According to estimates by the Bipartisan Policy Center, if the treasury runs out of money it could affect payments tied to Social Security benefits, Medicaid, salaries for federal employees and benefits for veterans and SNAP recipients.

In March testimony to Congress, Moodys Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi estimated that a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cost 7 million jobs, raise the unemployment rate to 8% and wipe out a fifth of the stock market value, eliminating about $10 trillion in household wealth.

That the U.S. government pays what it owes in a timely way is a bedrock of the U.S. economy and global financial system, Zandi said, adding, Lawmakers should put an end to the wrangling over the debt limit and increase it with no strings attached so future generations can enjoy the same benefits.
DuPont Manual High School seniors were having their prom and all was dignity and decorum until the orchestra cut loose with a few hot licks and Mary Ray Douglas, 18, and her date Joe Breen started to really to cut the rug at Louisville on June 1, 1957.

Prom season marks the rite of passage that teens have celebrated since the late 19th century  but that one special night wasn't always about the over-the-top 'promposals,' dresses, flowers, limousines and awkward photos.

According to History.com, celebratory events for young people can be traced back to ancient Greece, but the history of prom, short for promenade, is rooted in 18th and 19th century debutante balls, the popular high-society tradition with an introductory parading of guests in formal attire at a co-ed banquet.

The prom we're more familiar with today evolved in the 20th century to serve a similar function for graduating middle-class white women who might not be able to afford debutante balls.

Debutantes walk out onto the dance floor for their first waltz at the 50th Vienna Opera Ball February 23, 2006 in Vienna, Austria.

The Greeks threw celebrations, called symposia, for elite men who were about to transition into adult society.

Greek traditions like throwing lavish dinner parties and playing music have stuck, but as cultural norms shifted, so have proms  which are slowly becoming more inclusive for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students who have continued to push for equal access.

1951: North-Central Senior Prom, Binghamton.

Marialice Sue Shivers, daughter of former Texas governor, bows into society at the International Debutante Ball in New York's Astor Hotel on Dec. 29, 1965. The Texas flag is held by her honorary military escort, a midshipman from the U.S. naval academy. (AP Photo)

This year's prom may mean a dress, a tux, and a Breathalyzer. Are we OK with that?

Getting ready for prom? Here's everything you need to know to create your own corsage.

One hundred twenty debutantes dressed in white, or silver, made their debut at the Cotillion and Christmas Ball at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, Dec. 19, 1949. The ball was for the benefit of the New York Infirmary. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman)

Hair used to be done at home, now girls go to a salon; couples were the norm, now groups of friends are more accepted; house parties used to be the post-prom activity, now many schools host extravagant after-proms; nails, makeup and tanning were once unheard of, now they're an unspoken requirement for attendees, three generations of women told the Des Moines Registrar, part of USA TODAY Network.

Prom is the "quintessential story of high school," Francine Pascal, creator of the "Sweet Valley High" series said during a "This American Life" episode. And it's taken historic events, including World War II and the COVID-19 lockdowns, to disrupt the gatherings. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, some high schools cancelled proms so that poorer students wouldnt be psychologically wounded, according to author Beth L. Bailey's book on the history of dating in America.

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"It's the moment that comes closest to the romantic vision of life," Pascal said. "I think it's repeated only one other time, and that would be marriage. It's that important in high school life, in the teenager life."

Southwestern High School students at their prom during the 1987-1988 school year at Southwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan.

Student Theasha Bryan tries on a pair of shoes at Project Prom, an event offering free dresses, handbags, shoes and accessories to high school students on May 22, 2009 in New York City.

Juniors and seniors from John McDonogh High School celebrate at their prom, its first prom since Hurricane Katrina, June 1, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Cabrini High School junior Danielle DiMaggio (L) and boyfriend Ben Navo dance at the Cabrini High School prom May 12, 2006 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

2005: Alex Rizzo, 16 of Schenectady High has a moment with Chenango Forks High School Junior Elaina Dybas, 17 Friday night During Chenango Forks High School Prom, at the Binghamton Regency, Binghamton.

Students of the Senior Class of New York City's The High School of Fashion Industries attend the Ultimate Prom 2009 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on June 5, 2009 in New York City.

Oyster River High School student Anna Blezard, 18, poses during senior prom in Durham, New Hampshire on May 12, 2021.

Spaulding High School students attending prom walk in a grand march Sunday, May 23, 2021 in Rochester.

When was the first prom in the US?

It's unclear where the first American prom was hosted, but news articles from colleges in Massachusetts provide some clarity on early celebrations during the late 19th century, according to History.com.

In Cambridge, The Harvard Crimson Dec. 5, 1879, issue references the junior prom.

In 1895, an Amherst College student named Dwight Morrow, who later became the ambassador to Mexico and a U.S. senator, wrote a diary entry detailing his invitation to attend Smith Colleges junior prom.

When did high schools adopt proms?

Susan Ford and her escort Billy Pifer, 21, from Winchester, Va., dance the "bump" Saturday night during the Holton Arms School senior prom at the White House, May 31, 1975.

According to History.com, segregated white high schools introduced proms in the 1920s to show teenagers how to behave cultural norms and stereotypes of their gender  for example, women being subservient to men  and race.

Proms really took off in the early 1930s and again in the a post-war boom of the 1940s, which is when companies geared more of their products to teens.

Dubbed the golden age of prom by author Ann Anderson in High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen, the 1950s were a transitional period for dances. Proms in sweaty gyms became passe, with more schools opting for hotels and banquet rooms, and choosing a prom king and queen to crown became commonplace.

More coverage by USA TODAY

High school students plan their own integrated prom

Teens roll into prom in WWII army tank, accompanied by Darth Vader playing flaming bagpipes

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How America's proms evolved from debutante balls to promposals
Public transit is in trouble.

When the COVID pandemic decimated transit ridership, one-time federal relief funds helped transit operators avoid bankruptcy and enabled them to sustain most service. However, most agencies will exhaust these funds over the next few years.

Meanwhile, remote work and changes to commuting brought on by the pandemic have proven durable, reducing fares and other funding streams. Collectively, these challenges amount to a serious and urgent financial crisis for public transit.

If you think this is only a Bay Area problem, its not. Over 70% of transit agencies across the state anticipate serious shortfalls totaling more than $6 billion over the next five years. Less than half of that shortfall is in the Bay Area.

And there are more reasons the state should worry: The largest operators in the state play an outsized role in the states ability to meet its ambitious climate goals. Of Californias 210 transit operators, just 10 carry over 80% of the states riders and transit trips, according to a San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association analysis of the National Transit Database. If these systems fail, so too do the states climate goals.

Opinion

Other states like New York are stepping up to fund transit operations in big ways. New York just averted a fiscal cliff with a state budget that offers a new tax to provide more than $1.1 billion annually to their public transit system, plus one-time funding to stave off service cuts and fare hikes this year.

According to SPURs analysis, state funding makes up only a relatively small portion of the operating funding that Californias largest and most productive transit systems rely on. This is particularly true for many of the largest and most productive systems in the state. Only 4% of BARTs operating budget and 9% of Munis operating budget comes from the state. Most operating funding is local; in the Bay Area, voter-approved measures already generate more than $1 billion a year in operating funds.

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This pales in comparison to both the amount and the share that other states invest in operations for large and productive transit systems in other states, especially those on the East Coast. For example, 28% of the New York transit systems operating budget comes from the state.

Our hope is that California fills the $6 billion statewide shortfall and funds transit improvements with a multiyear commitment of funds. This is a solvable problem: there are ways to find roughly $1 billion per year with minimal impact to the general fund.

If our current transit systems arent good enough, Californias leaders need to help transit agencies do what it takes to deliver higher frequencies, better safety, affordable fares and fix the many barriers that discourage people from riding. Sometimes this is a matter of funding, and sometimes its a matter of political will.

The transit system we have is the unfortunate yet predictable result of inadequate funding combined with laws and city planning that favor cars above all. Its up to Californias leaders to pass laws that make it possible for transit to succeed.

There is simply no path towards financial stability, let alone improvement, if the state permits transit to slip into a death spiral of ever deeper service cuts and disrepair. Now is the time for state leaders to respond with speed and unity to prevent the total collapse of public transit.

Laura Tolkoff is transportation policy director for SPUR, which is a member of the Survive and Thrive Coalition fighting to save and improve public transit. Other coalition members include Transform, Bay Area Council, Seamless Bay Area, Public Advocates, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Natural Resources Defense Council.
It took four minutes for a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms to kill eight people and wound seven others at a Dallas-area shopping center before a police officer ended the rampage, likely saving untold lives.

Kyu Song Cho, a University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate, was one of the victims killed along with his wife, Cindy, and their 3-year-old son, James.

We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of our UMass Amherst alumnus Kyu Cho, his wife, and their three-year-old son in the Texas mall shooting, said campus spokesman Edward Blaguszewski. Mr. Cho graduated from UMass Amherst in 2007 with a degree in political science.

Kyu Cho, 37, and Cindy Cho, 35, reportedly took their family to the Allen Premium Outlets to run errands.

The Chos 6-year-old son, William, was injured and needed treatment at an ICU. He is the only surviving member of the family.

A GoFundMe page set up for Chos youngest son William had raised nearly $1.7 million by Wednesday afternoon.

Porter Legal Group, where Cho was a managing attorney, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that coworkers were shocked, absolutely crushed.

Although Kyu has only been with our firm for a year, it was immediately apparent that he is one of the most thoughtful, caring and considerate people we have ever had the pleasure to know and work alongside, the post said. He was that way as a leader, mentor, and friend at our organization too. He was loved and respected by his and our entire team.

Cho was born in South Korea and raised in Dallas.

Texas outlet mall shooting: What we know about the shooter now

The suspect who opened fire at a mall in Allen, Texas, was identified as Mauricio Garcia, 33, of Dallas.

According to law enforcement authorities, a preliminary review of Garcias social media accounts reveal posts that include racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric. Federal authorities are reportedly investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.

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Heres what else we know about the shooter:

He lived with his parents in Dallas prior to moving to a hotel in the days before the shooting.

He was armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon, President Joe Biden said.

He also had a handgun, a senior law enforcement official said.

More weapons and ammunition were found in his car.

According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators recovered more firearms from the hotel room where Garcia had been living prior to the shooting.

He is believed to have acted alone, police said.

Garcia had served in the U.S. Army in 2009 but was discharged over mental health concerns, according to WFAA. Military officials told the Army Times that he served three months and did not complete his initial entry training.

Garcia worked as a private security guard from 2016 to 2020 and completed his firearm proficiency training in 2018, according to the Daily Beast. The website cited Texas Department of Public Safety data.

His victims were between the ages of 5 and 61. Six of the injured victims are still in hospital, three of whom are in critical condition.

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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Mustafa Suleyman. DeepMind

A co-founder of DeepMind, the AI company bought by Google in 2014, warned about AI-related job losses.

Mustafa Suleyman said at a San Francisco conference that there will be "a serious number of losers."

He said that universal basic income could be the answer.

A co-founder of the AI company DeepMind has warned that governments will need to figure out a plan to compensate people who will lose their jobs to the new technology, the Financial Times reported.

"Unquestionably, many of the tasks in white collar land will look very different in the next five to 10 years," Mustafa Suleyman said at GIC's Bridge Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, per the FT. "There are going to be a serious number of losers [and they] will be very unhappy, very agitated."

DeepMind was bought by Google in 2014, and has helped it develop large language models similar to ChatGPT called LaMDA and PaLM. Suleyman left DeepMind last January, before setting up his own chatbot business called Inflection AI.

Suleyman said that governments need to give "material compensation" to people who will lose their jobs due to AI, per the FT. "This is a political and economic measure we have to start talking about in a serious way," he said.

Recent research from Goldman Sachs suggested that 300 million full-time jobs could be impacted by AI, with legal and administrative workers at the most risk.

Suleyman said Tuesday that universal basic income could be a potential solution to this. UBI would give every citizen a guaranteed income with no strings attached.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, told The Wall Street Journal in March that he believed AI could free up people to pursue more creative work with UBI compensating lost jobs.

And in 2019, Elon Musk also said he supported Andrew Yang's signature UBI policy of $1,000 a month, which the politician called a "Freedom Dividend."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tore into Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for blocking nearly 200 military promotions, writing in a letter that Tubervilles efforts were irresponsible and unprecedented.

This indefinite hold harms America's national security and hinders the Pentagon'snormal operations, Austin said in a letter addressed to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The United States military relies on the deep experience and strategic expertise of our senior military leaders.

Without these leaders in place, the U.S. military will incur an unnecessary and unprecedented degree of risk at a moment when our adversaries may seek to test our resolve, Austin warned.

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin waits to greet Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak during an honor cordon ceremony, upon his arrival at the Pentagon, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington.

Tuberville protesting Pentagon abortion policy

Tuberville has been blocking 184 military promotions that require Senate confirmation in protest of a Department of Defense policy that includes provisions for paid leave and covering expenses for service members who travel to have an abortion.

Austins letter comes after Tuberville blocked 184 military promotions in April when Warren sought unanimous consent to advance the promotions. Tubervilles efforts are in hopes of pressuring the Pentagon to change its policies.

Federal funding, Tuberville argues, should not be used to pay for a service members abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the mothers life is in danger.

While the new policy provides paid leave and travel reimbursements for service members who receive abortions, the military already does not perform abortions except for the three exceptions, Tuberville said.

Multiple GOP lawmakers have voiced support for Tubervilles efforts, echoing his sentiments about the policy.

Related 5 ways the landscape has changed since the end of Roe v. Wade 'upended' abortion access

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks during the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade on Commodity Programs, Credit and Crop Insurance hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 2, 2023,

Austin on military officers yet to be promoted: 'Their importance cannot be overstated'

Between now and the end of the year, Austin said, roughly 650 general and flag officers will require Senate confirmation. Those vacancies can pose severe risk to U.S. military readiness according to Austin.

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The Department relies on these experienced leaders to execute tactical actions every day and extend our strategic advantages for the long term, Austin said. Their importance cannot be overstated.

Related Just 10 years ago, women were banned from combat. Now, they're on the front lines, climbing the ranks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lloyd Austin scolds Tommy Tuberville for blocking military promotions
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is blasting Senate Republicans for the irresponsible and unprecedented hold on top military promotions and nominations, warning it will hurt military families should it continue.

In a May 5 letter, Austin details the hits to national security and risks to military readiness due to Sen. Tommy Tubervilles (R-Ala.) hold on 184 general and flag officer nominations.

Tuberville has led the hold since February in protest of new Defense Department reproductive health policies that allow, among other stipulations, paid leave and reimbursement for service members who travel for an abortion.

The delays, which Austin says are unprecedented in its scale and scope, pose a clear risk to U.S. military readiness, especially at this critical time, he writes.

This indefinite hold harms Americas national security and hinders the Pentagons normal operations, Austin continues. The longer that this hold persists, the greater the risk the U.S. military runs in every theater, every domain, and every Service.

Austin was responding to an April 7 query from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who asked the Pentagon chief about the national and military readiness impacts of Tubervilles holds.

Tuberville late last month blocked an attempt from Warren to advance the nominees by refusing to join a unanimous confirmation vote, arguing federal funding cannot be used to perform abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or if the mothers life is in danger.

The U.S. military, however, does not perform such procedures except in the three covered situations.

Several other Republican senators are supporting the holdup, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Among the most significant of the delays are 64 three- and four-star nominations for top positions that will become empty within the next four months, including the Army chief of staff, chief of Naval Operations, the commandant and assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, director of the National Security Agency, head of U.S. Cyber Command and commander of U.S. Northern Command.

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In addition, President Biden is expected to announce his nomination for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff soon  a position Army Gen. Mark Milley is set to rotate out of at the end of September  as well as the next vice chiefs of staff of the Army and Air Force.

Without these leaders in place, the U.S. military will incur an unnecessary and unprecedented degree of risk at a moment when our adversaries may seek to test our resolve, Austin warns.

He adds the holds make it harder for the United States to fulfill its global leadership responsibilities, including to our treaty allies and our valued partners around the world, creating unnecessary uncertainty.

Whats more, the nomination hold would also hurt military families as it delays the system of promoting and moving them to new assignments. This, in turn, can prevent military spouses from accepting new jobs, keep children from moving to new schools and impose needless additional stress on the families, Austin argues.

Ultimately, the breakdown of the normal flow of leadership across the Departments carefully cultivated promotion and transition system will breed uncertainty and confusion across the U.S. military, Austin concludes. This protracted hold means uncertainty for our Service members and their families and rising disquiet from our allies and partners, at a moment when our competitors and adversaries are watching.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
planes

Delta Air Lines has announced a new route to Mexico City, which will be unveiled on Cinco de Mayo, according to a spokesperson for the carrier. The new route will commence daily service from Boston Logan International Airport to Mexico City International Airport on December 21, 2023, operated by a Boeing 757-200, reports by The Points Guy.

Delta Flight 250 will depart Boston at 7:50 a.m. and arrive in Mexico City at 12:55 p.m. Return Flight 251 will leave Mexico City at 2 p.m. and land back in Boston at 7:51 p.m. Interested passengers can start booking their seats starting Sunday, May 7, though Deltas new service is subject to government authorization.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Woo

This latest announcement comes as Delta continues to expand its Boston hub. Last year, the airline added new service to Tel Aviv and Athens, Greece, and it plans to connect Boston to six of its joint-venture hubs, including Amsterdam (KLM), London (Virgin Atlantic), Paris (Air France), Sao Paulo (LATAM), Seoul, South Korea (Korean Air), and now Mexico City (Aeromexico).

Delta will operate the Mexico City route in partnership with Aeromexico, its joint-venture partner. This partnership offers customer benefits such as more flights and a streamlined travel experience. Deltas Boston expansion will also include an expanded international terminal and a new Sky Club expected to open in August or September.

Deltas latest international expansion puts it in direct competition with JetBlue Airways in Boston. JetBlue also considers the city one of its most important hubs, or focus cities. However, Deltas international expansion is expected to attract flyers looking to explore destinations beyond JetBlues primarily leisure-focused international gateways.

About Mexico City

Photo Credit: Sergio Mendoza Hochmann

Mexico City is a vibrant and diverse destination, offering a mix of ancient history and modern culture. With its stunning architecture, rich culinary scene, and thriving arts and music scene, theres something for everyone to enjoy. The city is home to some of the worlds best museums, such as the National Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of Modern Art. Additionally, visitors can explore the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan at the Templo Mayor archaeological site or take a stroll through the beautiful Chapultepec Park. With friendly locals, a bustling nightlife, and a colorful atmosphere, Mexico City is a must-visit destination for travelers seeking an unforgettable experience.
Arizona Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego twice voted to protect a Biden Administration rule allowing pension fund managers to use so-called environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when choosing investments for workers' retirement plans, which some lawmakers have likened to 'woke' banking practices focusing on left-wing agendas.

Gallego's move, in turn, also guarded a close friend and donor's company in which he's invested. In 2019, the Arizona Democrat reported attaining up to $50,000 in non-public stock in Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a financial technology company that partners with FDIC-member banks.

Gallego, however, had failed to divulge the purchase in his financial disclosure report until 2022 despite Congressional members having to declare assets valued at more than $1,000.

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT RUBEN GALLEGO BLAMES 2018 BILL FOR BANK COLLAPSE DESPITE WIFE'S EMPLOYER LOBBYING FOR IT

Democrat Ruben Gallego represents Arizonas 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Aspiration was founded in 2013 as a "digital bank for environmentally conscious consumers" but has since concentrated on selling carbon credits, according to Forbes. It's also one of only a few financial technology companies "fully embracing the booming movement around environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing," the publication wrote in 2021.

Aspiration disclosed that nearly 70 percent of its revenue comes from ESG services in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing from that same year.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The company was co-founded and is co-owned by Joe Sanberg, Gallego's longtime friend and donor. The pair attended Harvard together, and Gallego took part in Sanberg's 2021 wedding in Puerto Rico, social media posts show. Sanberg has provided more than $20,000 to Gallego's campaigns and leadership PAC since 2014, according to a search of federal filings.

GOP BILL TAKES ON ESG BANKING RULES TO LIMIT 'WOKE; INVESTMENT DECISIONS

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., attends a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee in Rayburn, January 14, 2015.

Gallego first revealed banking with Aspiration in 2017. His most recent financial disclosure shows he owns shares in the Aspiration Redwood Fund  a "100% fossil fuel-free ESG fund" with reportedly "high fees and lackluster performance"  and the non-publicly traded shares in Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC.

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Since 2017, Gallego has garnered as much as $12,200 in income from his Aspiration holdings, according to his financial disclosure forms.

"This was a Republican messaging bill passed with Republican votes," Gallego's communications director Jacques Petit told Fox News Digital on his two votes against H.J. Res. 30, which would have blocked a Labor Department rule allowing employers to consider ESG factors when choosing investments for workers' retirement plans.

The joint resolution, however, did receive bipartisan support. Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden backed it in the House of Representatives, while Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin backed it in the Senate.

He did not specifically address Gallego's investments or his relationship with Sanberg. Instead, he said the information in the inquiry was "grasping at straws."

Aspiration also operates the Aspiration Impact Foundation, a nonprofit that has funneled cash to far-left endeavors. The nonprofit has given $1,000 to the Trevor Project for climate change initiatives, its tax forms show. The Trevor Project also advocates for "using proper trans terms," believes gender is a social construct and published a manual on being an ally to transgender and young nonbinary individuals.

Additionally, the foundation provided a $5,000 grant to climate activist group 350 New Orleans, whose parent group has called for a ban on all new oil and gas projects and seeks to "defund" fossil fuel companies.

ESG INVESTMENT RULE EMEGES AS TOP 'WOKE' TARGET FOR REPUBLICANS BATTLING BIDEN

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is seen during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Department of Defense Authorities and Roles Related to Civilian Law Enforcement in Washington, DC, U.S. July 9, 2020.

The Biden administration has indicated that ESG is a top priority. Last November, the Department of Labor unveiled a rule that went into effect on Jan. 30 that allows managers to factor environmental and social issues into investment decisions for the retirement funds of more than 152 million Americans.

Gallego first voted against the resolution targeting the rule on Feb. 28. Nearly a month later, on March 20, Biden vetoed the bill. Days after the veto, on March 23, Gallego voted against overturning Biden's veto when the effort to override the veto had failed.

A UCLA and NYU study from earlier this year discovered that over the last five years, ESG funds underperformed compared to the broader market at an average of 6.3% to 8.9%.

Republicans have since targeted ESG banking. In late April, Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Barr announced he'd roll out legislation prohibiting banks from denying fair access to financial services under the standards of "woke corporate cancel culture," preventing financial institutions from being weaponized for political purposes.

"Banks should make lending decisions relying on objective, risk-based metrics, not the standards of woke corporate cancel culture," Barr previously told Fox News Digital.

"My legislation codifies the Fair Access Rule to ensure that Radical environmentalists, gun control advocates, crypto antagonists and other political activists cannot weaponize financial institutions in their fight to achieve their political agenda," he said.
Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the years in which former President Trump left office and Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee.

Democrats are getting a sinking feeling when it comes to Donald Trump: They can see him winning again.

A New York jury in a civil trial Tuesday found the former president liable for sexual assault and defamation, but a number of Democrats say their party is underestimating Trump, who despite a series of scandals is the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.

There is a concern from a lot of people like me, for sure, said one prominent Democratic strategist. Theres a disconnect between the consultant class of our party and the voters. They think they can just run a bunch of ads talking about how crazy Donald Trump is [and] that will be enough. Thats just not the case.

Another strategist warned others in his party: Be very fing worried.

For a part of the party, it seems unfathomable that Trump could regain the office he left in 2021  just weeks after a mob of his supporters forced the evacuation of Congress and interfered with the certification of the election.

Trump now faces a string of lawsuits and controversies, yet some polls show him beating President Biden in a one-on-one match-up.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll this week found Trump leading Biden by 6 points, 45 percent to 39 percent, but Democratic operatives and even some Republicans have criticized the survey as an outlier, with many saying privately and publicly that the data appears inconsistent.

Yet the ABC/Post poll isnt the only one showing Trump with an edge.

A Harvard-Harris poll from late last month placed Trump ahead of Biden by 5 points, while another by The Wall Street Journal gave Biden a smaller 3 percent lead.

Last week, Democrats got another glimpse into the state of play: Trump and Biden in a dead heat. An Economist/YouGov poll put them each at 46 percent.

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Polls also show a lack of passion in Bidens reelection effort, with many saying theyd prefer a different Democratic candidate.

One bright spot for Democrats came from Trumps tepid campaign launch, which was rife with personal grievances and complaints about the last election. His lackluster kickoff gave Democrats some optimism that hed be weaker in 2024.

Over the spring, Trumps problems got worse, with an indictment in New York and various pending legal battles leaving many to question whether he could realistically secure the Republican nomination, let alone win the general election.

Its reasonable to think that as the country focuses on Joe Biden versus the Republican alternative and on the contrasts that will present, Joe Bidens standing will improve in that binary choice scenario, said a former campaign aide to 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Biden has not drawn primary challengers seen as significant, and his message has focused on the idea that the country cannot afford to go back to the Trump days. His campaign video depicted images of the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol to remind voters of what happened under Trumps encouragement.

Yet Biden also has real weaknesses, with many voters holding doubts about his stamina given his age. Biden is 80 and would turn 86 at the end of a second term.

Some Democrats say they think it is too early to be worried about a bad poll and voice confidence that if voters are offered the choice of Biden or Trump, the Democrat will win again.

Im not surprised Trumps numbers are high in the GOP or that Biden is low with Democrats, said Nayyera Haq, a former Obama administration official.

In theory yes [he could win], I just have a hard time seeing it, Haq said of a Trump victory.

Another prominent Democrat, veteran political strategist Simon Rosenberg, who predicted his partys success in the midterms against the conventional polling wisdom, said there are more indicators now that point to Democrats momentum.

The party gets better organized each cycle and some of the unexpected wins in 2022 were built on the groundwork laid in 2018 and 2020, he said. More engagement, grassroots volunteers, and small-dollar donations are pouring in to help fuel the party in a way he argues the GOP is underestimating.

Commentators have to be very cautious about gauging intensity levels in this next election, Rosenberg said.

The roiling politics of abortion are another factor, something seen in Wisconsin, where Biden narrowly defeated Trump in the last election. After the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, voters came out in support of the Democratic candidate for state Supreme Court.

Youve now had three consecutive elections where Democrats performance has been at the upper end of whats been possible for us, Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg and other Democrats also believe their party will show up to vote against Trump, if he is the GOP nominee.

Anyone who thinks that this anti-MAGA majority that did so well for us these last three elections is all of a sudden going to not show up, well, I have a red wave to sell you, he said.

Updated at 9:24 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
China will continue to levy anti-dumping duties on imports of chloroprene rubber from Japan, the United States and the European Union for another five years, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday.

The extension will take effect on May 10, the MOC said in an online statement, adding that the decision was made following an expiry review launched at the request of the domestic industry in May last year.

The MOC ruled that, should the anti-dumping measures be scrapped, dumping would continue or reoccur in the Chinese market, and would have harmful effects on the domestic industry, according to the statement.

Chloroprene rubber is used for wire and cable sheathing, rubber hoses and oil-resistant rubber products, and in fields such as waterproof building materials, sealing materials, adhesives, marine development, medical health and energy development.
PHOENIX (AP)  A $17 billion budget package that Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs negotiated with leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature and won approval on Wednesday is drawing criticism from Democrats for failing to put limits on an expansion of a school voucher program that they say is a drain on the states coffers.

The Democratic governor came into office in January with plans to undo the massive explosion in the voucher program, championed by her GOP predecessor Gov. Doug Ducey, that lets students apply to use public money for private-school tuition and other education costs.

Hobbs office had said the expansion siphons money from underfunded public schools and would cost $1.5 billion over the next decade.

The governor didnt propose doing away with all vouchers, but she wanted to return to the voucher program to what it was before Ducey expanded it to include every child in the state -- when disabled children, students living on American Indian reservations, students attending low-performing public schools and others were eligible for voucher funds.

Despite her criticism of the expanded vouchers, the budget proposals negotiated by Hobbs didnt include any caps on the expansion.

Even as they heaped on criticism of the budget, some Democratic lawmakers still voted for elements of the package and lauded its $300 million increase in K-12 education funding and another $150 million for a fund that helps people with low-income housing, an eviction-prevention program and transitional housing.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Senate approved the budget package, with support from some Democratic legislators. The package will be sent to Hobbs for her consideration.

In a statement, Hobbs said she looked forward to signing the package into law and was thankful legislative leaders were able to set aside their differences, compromise, and support a bipartisan deal.

Democratic Rep. Cesar Aguilar of Phoenix said the Legislature was passing a budget crafted by Republicans, not by Democrats.

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I have seen budgets in the past when weve had Republican governors, Aguilar said. It has always been given to Democrats in the last minute. Today, many of us Democrats helped Gov. Hobbs get elected, and I personally thought maybe this year wouldnt be a lot different. But that is not the case. Democrats seem to be in the same boat as if we would have had a Republican governor.

During the debate on the House floor, most Democratic lawmakers shied away from directly criticizing Hobbs but expressed dissatisfaction with the budgets lack of action on the voucher expansion. They tried unsuccessfully to bar applications for new enrollments until late May 2024.

Nearly 12,000 students participated in the program before it was expanded. More than 55,000 students are currently in the program. The average scholarship amount now stands around $10,000 per student.

At a news conference on Monday, Hobbs was asked about the budgets lack of action in limiting the program.

I think we can agree that the voucher program is a drain on resources that should be directed at public education, Hobbs said. But I didnt say I was going to end it. It is a goal, certainly.

Backers of the voucher expansion say it allows parents to choose the best schools for their children.

Like other Republicans, Rep. Justin Heap of Mesa disputed that public education was being undercut by the voucher expansion and would bankrupt the state.

Heap said criticizing the voucher program is actually an attack on students and their families who rely on the vouchers. They have the audacity to to take their children out of a government school and put them into a better program, Heap said.

Arizona now has the nations most expansive private school voucher law. It allows parents of the more than 1.2 million school-age children to get 90% of the state money that would normally go to their local public school and use it for private or other school costs.

The voucher system started in 2011 with a small program that only applied to disabled children, who can receive up to $40,000 a year for specialized therapy. The Republican-controlled Legislature expanded it repeatedly over the past decade.

Before the universal expansion took effect, it also covered students living on American Indian reservations, attending low-performing public schools and several other groups.

In a statement, Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association, a union that represents teachers, said she was glad the budget included the one-time infusion of $300 million into K-12 public schools and other funding for schools.

But Garcia expressed frustration over the lack of limits on the voucher program.

The extremist majority in our state Legislature has ignored the will of Arizona voters and pushed through policies that bankroll private schools for the wealthy at the cost of the public schools attended by 90% of Arizona kids, Garcia said.

On Wednesday, leaders in the Arizona House announced the creation of a special committee to examine vouchers. The panels members will include Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Hobbs and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
DENVER  Severe weather rolled through parts of the Denver metro on Wednesday, triggering Tornado Warnings and dropping plenty of hail during what continues to be an active rainy pattern across the Plains.

A series of alerts, including Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Watches, were put in place for most of Colorado and the High Plains due to the threat.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

A Tornado Warning was issued for Douglas County near Interstate 25 due to what radar indicated was rotation in the storm cell south of the Denver metro. Tornado sirens were sounded in several communities, but there were no initial reports of damage.

During one of the Tornado Warnings, hail in Franktown, Colorado, covered the ground late Wednesday afternoon. Rounds of hail were also reported southwest of the Denver metro in Roxborough Park. A witness said the ice was preventing proper drainage of all the rain.

"Stuffed three cars into a 2.5-car garage but protected the front end," a FOX Weather viewer said while taking video of the hail falling over Castle Pines, Colorado.

A spokesperson for the Denver International Airport said due to rounds of storms, some delays were more than 2 hours long.

Power outages were limited. During the height of the severe weather, power outages only topped a few hundred at a time across the state.

COLORADO'S COSTLIEST HAILSTORM CAUSED $2.3 BILLION IN DAMAGE

"This is the time of year that we experience this type of weather across the central Plains, but it doesn't make it any easier to get through," FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said.

On Thursday, the multiday severe weather threat shifts to the east across the central and southern Plains, where thunderstorms packing strong tornadoes and destructive hail are possible during the afternoon and evening.

The most intense storms on Thursday will likely be centered over portions of western and central Kansas, including Wichita, and southward into central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Norman.
An 8-year-old boy was injured in a dog attack that killed his mother, according to authorities in Indiana. His mom, 46, was a sheriffs deputy.

After the attack, the shocked child ran to a neighbors home and asked for help, WXIN reported. Officers were then called to the Indianapolis neighborhood at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 9.

Arriving officers were met by an actively aggressive dog, according to a statement from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Officers shot the dog.

The officers also found two victims with dog bite-related injuries, police said. A woman in the garage area was pronounced dead, and the 8-year-old was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office identified the woman as Deputy Sheriff Tamieka White.

Deputy White was a bright light to all that knew her, Sheriff Kerry Forestal said in a statement to McClatchy News. We are immensely grateful for her nearly 17 years of service to our agency. We will work to uphold her legacy as a courageous and dedicated public servant.

The 8-year-old boy is recovering from a dog bite following the unexpected and tragic passing of his mom, the sheriffs office said.

First responders found three other dogs at the home, WTHR reported. Police said White was pet-sitting at the time of the attack.

The dog that attacked was not her own, according to the TV station.

Indianapolis Animal Care Services took the dog that was shot dead, the three other dogs and a cat, the Indianapolis Star reported. The live animals are being held as the investigation is ongoing.

9-month-old baby killed in dog attack that left woman seriously hurt, Iowa police say

Family dog bites 1-year-old in the face and eye during attack, Florida police say

Man killed by relatives dogs had most of his clothing ripped off, Minnesota cops say

Three dogs attack 31-year-old woman in her dads backyard, Ohio police say
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to resume transporting migrants from the Texas border to Democrat-run cities, further escalating the Republicans confrontation with the Biden administration over immigration.

Building on the program that DeSantis used to fly nearly 50 mostly Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard in September, the states Division of Emergency Management this week chose three different vendors to provide ground and air transportation and other related services to support future trips.

DeSantis, widely seen as a potential candidate for president, on Wednesday also signed into law a bill that has $12 million to continue the migrant relocation program as well as a series of additional measures that aim to crack down on illegal immigration but have been billed as critics as cruel.

A lot of these sanctuary jurisdictions, they say they want open borders, they say that nobody is illegal  they get mad when people want to enforce the border, DeSantis said at a bill signing in Jacksonville. And yet when these people, the illegal aliens, are brought to their jurisdictions they scream bloody murder. You saw it in Marthas Vineyard, you see it in New York City.

Floridas move to gear up for more migrant flights, encompassed in a state agency decision, comes at a critical moment for immigration in the U.S. with Title 42 expiring on Thursday night and a massive uptick in immigrants crossing the border expected to follow. DeSantis is leveraging the flight program  and Floridas newly enacted sweeping immigration bill  to mount a new attack on the Biden administration, which he claims is falling short on securing the border.

Where is this presidents energy? Where is his vigor? Where is his commitment to the cause? DeSantis said. Hes just sitting around doing nothing of importance or nothing of note while the American people suffer.

This comes after Floridas Republican-dominated legislature voted this year to expand the program by allowing the state to spend money to move migrants from anywhere in the U.S., not just Florida.

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The state agreed to contract with Vertol Systems Company Inc., which operated the initial migrant flights last year, ARS Global Emergency Management and GardaWorld Federal Services to carry out the new travel, according to agency documents.

But other elected officials, Republican and Democrat, have also transported migrants around their states and the country. Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has bused more than 13,000 migrants from his state to blue strongholds like New York City, Chicago and Washington, saying that Texas is ill-prepared to handle the massive influx of migrants crossing the border. Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis chartered buses to transport migrants to New York and Chicago last winter after asylum seekers were stranded in Denver during a major snowstorm.



Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams is working to resettle migrants elsewhere in New York to ease the burden on the city. His administration is also working with migrants to identify other states that can take them and has criticized President Joe Biden for not doing more to stem the tide of migrants. Almost 60,000 migrants mostly from Latin America have come to New York since last Spring.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday blamed congressional Republicans for refusing to meet us at the middle and come up with a real solution.

The President has been dealing with this system that has been broken for decades, she told reporters on Air Force One en route to New York.

Prospective vendors seeking to work with Florida on the flights raised several questions during the bidding process with one even inquiring if any negative media was expected. That same vendor also wondered if the job would require a lot of diplomacy. There is potential that movement can be viewed as controversial (as it was in the past), the unnamed vendor wrote in the question.

While my team and I will ensure that that precise procedures, protocols and etiquette are maintained and followed at all times, politicians from other states and media might desire to put a negative spin on the movement for their benefit.



Florida has dedicated $22 million in total to fund the migrant flights, which includes $10 million approved in a February special session and $12 million in the immigration bill DeSantis signed Wednesday.

The new legislation not only includes more money for the program but also requires medium-sized and large employers to use E-Verify to check the status of new employees. The legislation,S.B. 1718, also mandates hospitals to ask patients about their legal status and will also allow authorities to charge someone with human trafficking if they knowingly transport an undocumented migrant across state lines. The measure also bans an undocumented immigrant from driving a car in Florida even if they have a drivers license from another state.

Those expansions have been slammed by Democrats, groups that work with migrants and even Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador earlier this week.

Why does [DeSantis] have to take advantage of peoples pain, of migrants pain, of peoples need for political gain, Lopez Obrador said at a press conference. "This is immoral. This is politicking."

DeSantis efforts to tout his tough-on-illegal immigration credentials got its biggest boost  and condemnation  with the flights his administration arranged last year and is expected to resume shortly. The flights triggered lawsuits, including one that is still pending in federal court in Massachusetts that accused the governor of violating the migrants constitutional rights by coercing and tricking them to get on flights to Marthas Vineyard.

DeSantis defended the program Wednesday as a means to bring attention to the border, though critics have alleged he trafficked vulnerable people as a political stunt.

The reality is, its shining a light on how absurd the federal governments policies are, DeSantis said Wednesday. We have to stop this nonsense; this is not good for our country. When even sanctuary jurisdictions are saying they cant bear the burden of it, you know this is no way to run a government."

Ekaterina Pechenkina contributed to this report.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida speaks at a press conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville, Florida. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

DeSantis signed a bill into law to crack down on undocumented workers in Florida.

It imposes new data collection on hospitals and makes it illegal for undocumented workers to drive.

The legislation includes $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping bill into law on Wednesday that will make it harder for undocumented people to work in Florida, even though the measure fell short of his demands.

The measure is set to be coupled with $12 million in the state budget to relocate migrants from other states, following a controversial political stunt by DeSantis last year in which he authorized a plane carrying Venezuelan and Colombian migrants to fly from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

DeSantis boasted about the stunt during a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, saying officials in blue states expected border states to "grin and bear" the care of an influx of migrants.

The sweeping changes just signed into law ban undocumented people from driving cars even with licenses from other states, ban localities from issuing IDs to undocumented immigrants, impose felony-level penalties on people who knowingly bring undocumented people to Florida, and require private employers to use E-Verify  a system that checks prospective workers' residency status.

Hospitals will be required to ask patients for their residency status, and to collect data for the state on how much they spend providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants.

Critics of the new legislation said they were deeply concerned about how it would affect businesses in Florida. "This law will hurt Florida's economy at a time when we businesses are struggling with crippling labor shortages in key sectors like healthcare, construction, agriculture, and food service," Mike Fernandez, the chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners and the cochair of the American Business Immigration Coalition, said in a statement.

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DeSantis is widely expected to mount a presidential run now that Florida's lawmaking session has ended. Should he do so, he would face off against former President Donald Trump, whose hard-line, anti-immigration rhetoric and actions whipped up his base and led to numerous lawsuits and public backlash.

DeSantis has framed the policies as a direct response to President Joe Biden's immigration policies, saying that the president turned a "blind eye" to the issue. He stood behind a podium on Wednesday with a sign that read "Biden's Border Crisis" and used the Biden campaign logo.

"We have got massive problems at our southern border with Mexico," DeSantis said at Wednesday's press conference. "This is something that is the responsibility of Joe Biden. This is a responsibility he has defaulted on, really from day one of his presidency."

Last year, Border Patrol agents made nearly 2 million arrests of people who crossed the border illegally, and an estimated 11 million people  an estimated 800,00 of which were Floridians  were living in the US while undocumented in 2017

DeSantis signed the immigration measures into law a day before the federal Title 42 was set to expire. The controversial Trump administration-era policy, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic, returned migrants to their home countries or sent them to Mexico. Migrants have been apprehended 2.8 million times since the policy started, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

The federal government expects that more than 12,000 people could try to cross the border every day after Title 42 ends, up from roughly 7,500 today.

Biden announced a crackdown on illegal immigration in January, saying the federal government would deny entry to people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela if they bypassed official ports into the US from Mexico.

While the signing marks a legislative victory and priority for DeSantis, it did not include one of the governor's top asks: repealing a provision allowing children of undocumented immigrants to get in-state college-tuition rates when they've attended a Florida high school for three consecutive years.

Florida has one of the lowest costs for public colleges and universities in the US: less than $5,000 on average for in-state students who attend four-year institutions, according to US News & World Report.

Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nunez originally introduced the bill allowing in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants when she was a state lawmaker representing Miami. Sen. Rick Scott, DeSantis' predecessor in the governor's mansion, signed the bill into law.

Scott told reporters in February that it would be "unfair" to take away in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

"They didn't come here on their own volition," Scott said in Tampa, according to Politico. "It's a bill that I was proud to sign. It's a bill I would sign again today."

The repeal never surfaced during the lawmakers' session, even though Republicans have a supermajority that has largely been deferential to DeSantis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
As the Biden administration prepares to lift a pandemic-era rule that could bring a surge of migrants to the southwest border, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed an immigration legislative package that underscores the political tensions between the White House and the Republican governor as he prepares to run for president.

With the new piece of legislation, DeSantis said Florida will be cracking down on undocumented migrant labor, ending community-funded programs that give undocumented immigrants identification cards and toughening penalties against those who transport undocumented immigrants into the state.

Florida is also ramping up a relaunch of a controversial program that would allow DeSantis to bus and fly migrants anywhere in the country, less than a year after the governor sent 49 migrants to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts.

This is something that is the responsibility of Joe Biden. This is a responsibility that he has defaulted on really from day one of his presidency, DeSantis said at a press conference in Jacksonville. Obviously if we had a different administration it would be a lot easier to actually deal with the problem at its source.

When asked about his plans to run for president, DeSantis played coy.

I may have something to say about the overall landscape for 2024, but stay tuned on that, he said.

DeSantis press conference on Wednesday was emblematic of the border politics that have become more mainstream in Florida since President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office. Even though Florida is not a border state, DeSantis has aggressively expanded the role of state government in responding to federal immigration enforcement, a move that has fired up his political base and inflamed critics who say he is using migrants to score political points.

In the last two years, DeSantis has spent at least $1.6 million to send state law enforcement officers to Texas to help secure the border, cracked down on Florida migrant shelters that care for migrants kids, asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate immigration-related crimes and launched a strike-force that mirrors a broader partisan effort promoted by national Republican groups.

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DeSantis signed the bill Wednesday as the Biden administration faces a surge of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border due to the expiration this week of Title 42, a COVID-era policy that allowed Customs and Border Protection to immediately expel migrants who crossed into the United States without proper documentation.

DeSantis legislative package is poised to impose further statewide immigration-related restrictions. Here are some of the provisions that DeSantis signed into law on Wednesday:

 Requires Florida hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status when they fill out an intake form. The data will be reported to the Agency of Health Care Administration, which is part of the DeSantis administration.

 Bars local governments from spending taxpayer dollars on community ID programs that benefit people who cannot provide proof of citizenship, including undocumented immigrants and homeless individuals. Currently, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach fund such programs.

 Beginning July 1, private employers with 25 or more employees will be required to use the federal electronic system, E-Verify, to check the immigration status of all workers. The law offers a carve-out for employees who temporary workers and independent contractors.

 Increases penalties for human-smuggling offenses. A person would commit a third-degree felony if he or she knowingly and willfully transports an undocumented immigrant into the state.

 Requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a DNA sample from anyone who is in custody and is subject to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immigration detainer, even if they have not been convicted of a crime.

 Repeals a law signed by former Republican Gov. Rick Scott that allows undocumented law school graduates admission to The Florida Bar.

 Invalidates a drivers license issued by another state to someone who who is unable to prove lawful presence in the United States.

 Provides $12 million to the DeSantis immigration program to relocate undocumented immigrants anywhere in the country.

The legislative package was slow to gain traction during the legislative session, but in the end it was approved with some compromises to soften the blow on small businesses with the E-Verify requirement.

Florida lawmakers also removed language that would have criminalized the transportation of undocumented immigrants within the state.

Read more: Dreamers may not be able to vote, but they convinced GOP lawmakers to aid their cause

DeSantis had also asked the Legislature to repeal a 2014 law, championed at the time by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, that offers in-state tuition to undocumented students who graduated from a Florida high school. But that did not happen.
WASHINGTON  A vastly different design for homeland defense is in the works at U.S. Northern Command, its leader said during a May 9 hearing before the Senate Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck noted hed already recommended to the Pentagon a plan to change overall policy for homeland defense. But in addition to that, Im also in the middle of developing what I call Homeland Defense Design 2035,  he said, which gets after  a new way of defending the homeland, and thats vastly different than the way we do it today with fighters, tankers, [airborne warning and control systems aircraft], those kinds of things.

NORTHCOM is responsible for guarding the continental United States. North American Aerospace Defense Command, which is housed with NORTHCOM, combines U.S. and Canadian efforts to monitor and protect North American airspace.

Part of NORTHCOMs design will come up with a modernization plan for the North Warning System, a joint early-warning radar system with Canada that provides air surveillance for North America across the polar region and was built in the 1980s to replace the Distant Early Warning Line system.

The department hasnt made a decision on the modernization of the North Warning System or further replacement of the radars associated with the North Warning System, VanHerck said, but that will be part of the relook at homeland defense and the policy study ongoing right now.

U.S. adversaries rapidly maturing technologies and capabilities are threatening the homeland in new ways, including hypersonic weapons and cruise missiles. In February, a Chinese surveillance balloon floated across the United States. As a result of these growing threats, the U.S. is rethinking its approach for detection and response to possible threats on the homeland.

NORTHCOM and NORAD must embrace future types of systems that in the past may have sounded like science fiction, VanHerck said earlier this year at a congressional hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request.

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I think the future of homeland defense is vastly different than what we see today, he said at the time. Its likely including autonomous platforms, airborne, maritime platforms, unmanned platforms with domain awareness sensors, and effectors that are kinetic and non-kinetic.

Autonomous and uncrewed systems could linger and observe for extended periods of time, providing a steady feed of information that can then be evaluated for threats. They could also park in places considered too risky or complicated for troops to be in-person, he described.

The command is also heavily involved in discussions on over-the-horizon radar with Canada, VanHerck said at the May 9 hearing, which will enhance situational awareness in defense of the homeland.

VanHerck stressed that over-the-horizon radar is not the end-all, be-all solution that will give me domain awareness further away from the homeland.

While he is still confident in the militarys ability to detect balloons like the one from China, VanHerck said there must be a link between over-the-horizon radars, and that data needs to channel properly to an endgame effector.

This requires additional domain awareness, a well-built infrastructure of radars and sensors, and the ability to pass data across an integrated air and missile defense system that can lead to neutralizing threats, he explained.

Im not focused on an endgame kinetic kill, VanHerck said. Im focused primarily on the policy for what we must have, [an] endgame kinetic kill, but more broadly for developing capabilities such as the use of electromagnetic spectrum, non-kinetic effectors to deny and deceive, and limited-area or wide-area defense capabilities to include the use of autonomous unmanned platforms with domain awareness capabilities that could be maritime and airborne.

Colin Demarest contributed to this report.
Despite bipartisan support in the Missouri House, legislation supported by victims of sexual abuse at Branson's Kanakuk camps appears unlikely to be passed into law this year.

House Bill 367, which aims to make it easier for childhood sexual abuse to take their abusers to court by extending the statute of limitations 10 years, received unanimous approval in the state House of Representatives on Friday.

Despite the momentum and support, Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, does not expect HB 367 will get a Senate hearing this session.

"I do not anticipate a Senate vote on HB 367. The fight for the legislation began in January, and it was opposed at every turn by an overly powerful lobby group. They feared the vote that I did indeed receive, concerning this bipartisan legislation," Seitz said in an emailed statement. "With the vote total, 150 for, zero opposed, I now have the momentum needed to continue the fight. My goal is to continue to fight for victims rights, and I will refile the legislation next session."

Currently, victims of childhood sexual abuse can seek damages against perpetrators for injury or illness within 10 years of turning 21, or within three years of discovering the injury or illness was caused by childhood sexual abuse. If passed, HB 367 would change the statute so that victims can seek damages within 20 years of turning 21.

More: Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades

Among those who testified in support was Elizabeth Phillips, whose brother Trey Carlock died by suicide in 2019. Carlock, who was abused by former Kanakuk counselor Pete Newman, had signed an non-disclosure agreement after settling with the Branson-based camp, which Phillips said made him feel like he couldn't discuss the abuse he suffered even in therapeutic settings. Carlock was 29 when he ended his life.

"It's time to stop the clock on child sexual abuse survivors. Don't rush them into civil litigation like my brother. A short statute of limitations can be lethal, as my family knows, and another form of rape," Phillips said.

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According to Child USA, a think tank that aims to prevent child abuse and neglect, the average age victims report childhood sexual abuse is 52. However, the organization also estimates that 25% to 33% of childhood sexual abuse cases will never be reported.

"We are decades away from actually knowing the full scope and scale of Kanakuk abuse, let alone all the other institutional abuse just now coming to light in the state of Missouri," Phillips said.

November 2022: New evidence in Agape Boarding School suits says abuse drove students to attempt suicide

Judge blocks Kanakuk move to dismiss fraud lawsuit

Like Carlock, Logan Yandell was sexually abused by Newman and signed an NDA as part of his settlement. In a November 2022 civil lawsuit, Yandell said he and his parents were led to sign that agreement because Kanakuk and its insurers withheld facts about Newman's known patterns of sexual abuse.

Kanakuk filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that the claims of fraud were barred since a ruling had already been made and that the statute of limitations had run. On April 28, Judge Raymond Gross, associate circuit judge for Ozark County, denied the motion.

The "ruling is just the first step towards seeking full justice, said Brian Kent of Laffey Bucci Kent, one of the attorneys representing the Yandell family, in a press release.

While HB 367 would not impact Yandell's case, the bill could allow more people to pursue civil litigation for child abuse in the future.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MO House approves bill to extend statute of limitations on child abuse
Vyacheslav Boguslaev

Read also: Motor Sich ex-head charged with preventing Ukrainian military from using helicopters

According to the journalists, Bohuslaev penned a letter with the request, pleading with the Head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak. The letter highlights Bohuslaevs advanced age and poor health.

"I ask to be included in (POW) exchange list with the Russian Federation," he wrote.

Based on the accompanying letter from his lawyer, the former president of Motor Sich made the request on March 20.

Ukraine will continue to use all available tools to return our prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians from the aggressor state, said Ukrainian Military Intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov.

Read also: Deputy Mayor of Zaporizhzhya tapped to lead Motor Sich

But as for specific cases and names  we could only comment based on results.

Read also: Recently nationalized Motor Sich and Ukrnafta to work for national defense, Ukrainian PM says

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak previously did not rule out exchanging Bohuslaev.

Ukraines SBU security service detained Bohuslaev on Oct. 22, 2022. He's suspected of working for Russia, specifically when it came to supplying Moscow with aircraft engines made by Motor Sich. Bohuslaev has held Russian citizenship since 2000, and a flat in Moscow since 2002.

Read also: Motor Sich President Boguslaev cooperated with DPR terrorists, SBU says

On March 28, Bohuslaev was charged with obstructing the work of Ukraines Armed Forces. According to the prosecution, he ordered his subordinates to remove rotor blades from helicopters in storage at Motor Sich, rendering them useless to Ukrainian forces.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 10, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to the US Senate on Wednesday.

It came after nearly 3 months away from Washington due to complications from a shingles infection.

Several fellow Democrats called for her to resign, arguing her absence imperiled their party's agenda.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is back at the Capitol.

The 89-year-old California Democrat returned to work this week after spending nearly 3 months away from Washington due to complications from a shingles infection.

In a statement issued through her office, Feinstein said she's "still experiencing some side effects" from the virus and would be working a "lighter schedule." Those side effects include vision and balance impairments, requiring her to use a wheelchair at times.

"I'm hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover," she added.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting US senator, announced days before her absence began in February that she would not seek re-election in 2024. Several Democrats are already running to succeed her, including Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

But her prolonged absence created a deadlock on the Senate Judiciary Committee, preventing Democrats from swiftly advancing nominees to the floor that lacked Republican support.

As concerns over Feinstein's absence grew, the California Democrat agreed to step down from the committee and allow Sen. Ben Cardin  a Maryland Democrat who's also retiring after 2024  to replace her. But Republicans blocked that effort.

Meanwhile, some House Democrats, including Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called on Feinstein to resign.

"Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on the social network Bluesky recently.

Feinstein arrived at the Capitol just before 3pm on Wednesday and was greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

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She did not respond to shouted questions from reporters  though she said she was feeling "much better."

Feinstein was transferred to a wheelchair when she arrived at the Capitol

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

She briefly told reporters she felt "much better"

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

She was greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who led her into the Capitol building

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After missing two Senate votes in the morning, she made it to the third vote of the day

Leah Millis/Reuters

Feinstein said in a statement that she'll be keeping a 'lighter schedule' as she recovers

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

On Thursday, Feinstein attended a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time in months

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The senator arrived late to the meeting

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

She was greeted with a standing ovation from fellow senators

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Her return to the Senate allowed Democrats to approve a series of nominees who lacked Republican support

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Still heavily dependent on staff, Feinstein departed the Capitol for the week on Thursday afternoon

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Read the original article on Business Insider
Robots install car tires at the workshop of GAC Aion, an NEV subsidiary of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group), in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



China-made vehicles are gaining popularity overseas, with the value of the country's auto exports in the first four months more than doubling year-on-year, said the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.

Some 204.5 billion yuan ($29.52 billion) worth of vehicles were shipped from Chinese ports between January and April, up 120.3 percent from the same period last year. The General Administration of Customs did not release vehicle export volume over the period.

In the first quarter, automakers exported 994,000 vehicles, up 70.6 percent year-on-year, with Belgium, Mexico and Saudi Arabia top destinations, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

China's vehicle exports have been on the rise for years, with shipments reaching 3.11 million units last year to overtake Germany as the world's No 2 vehicle exporter, behind only Japan, said the General Administration of Customs.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said prospects for China's exports are bright, especially for its new energy vehicles, thanks to the nation's leading position in the segment.

The CPCA said 300,000 passenger vehicles, including knock-down kits, were exported in April from China, up 227 percent year-on-year, of which NEVs accounted for roughly 30 percent.

Total passenger car exports totaled 1.08 million units from January to April, up 115 percent year-on-year.

Great Wall Motors, China's largest SUV and pickup truck maker, saw its overseas sales reach 21,814 units in April, up 182.09 percent year-on-year, accounting for 23.43 percent of its total deliveries for the month.

The Hebei province-based automaker said it inked cooperation deals with dealerships from dozens of countries at the Shanghai auto show held in April, which further expanded its global reach.

In April, Great Wall Motors launched new energy models in the Philippines and Brazil. The company said it will enter other markets including Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam later this year.

SAIC Motor exported 89,643 vehicles in April, bringing the total for the first four months to 346,696 units  up 64.99 percent from the January-April 2022 period.

SAIC, China's largest vehicle maker and exporter by sales, expects its total exports to hit 1.2 million units this year, up from 1.02 million units in 2022, with Europe, the Middle East and Mexico among its major markets.

Zhao Aimin, vice-president of SAIC International, said one important factor behind SAIC's success in overseas markets is the offer of competitive products based on an understanding of local customer needs.

Zhao gave the example of the company's MG4 EV electric hatchback, launched in 2022, which is its first model developed with global markets in mind.

It has won top ratings in new car quality programs across different regions, including the extremely strict European New Car Assessment Program.

Oliver Blume, CEO of Germany's Volkswagen Group, said there is opportunity for Chinese brands to be successful "not only in China but also worldwide in the future".

"It's still a long way to go but some Chinese automotive brands already have very competitive products," said Blume at the Shanghai auto show in April.
Finally able to take the stand this week, it only took a few moments for two Little Havana businessmen accusing Joe Carollo of trying to submarine their business ventures as a political vendetta, to vent their disdain for the Miami commissioner.

Its not right what this man has done. He should be abolished from the earth, Martin Pinilla said Monday  a statement that prompted an immediate call from Carollos attorneys for a mistrial, the second request since the trial began in early April.

He has punished us for five years. You see us walk in here every day. We look good, but were barely making it, said Pinillas partner William Bill Fuller. The plan was to break us. Thats why were here, so you can hear the truth. Not this narrative of how bad we are.

The business partners outbursts under questioning from their own attorney came as the federal trial against Carollo entered its fifth week in Fort Lauderdales federal courthouse. There, Pinilla and Fuller finally had the opportunity to explain to jurors how their political backing of a Carollo opponent in 2017 led the commissioner to try and destroy their livelihoods.

Pinilla and Fuller rehashed the same argument other witnesses have echoed since jurors were chosen April 10: That Carollo, upset with their endorsement of political opponent Alfonso Alfie Leon, weaponized city resources to try and close down their business entities in Little Havanas thriving commercial corridor.

Sparks flew almost the moment Carollos attorneys got a chance to cross-examine the businessmen. Pinillia didnt hold back after Carollo attorney Mason Pertnoy brought up a Spanish radio interview in which Carollo complained about a pair of Little Havana businessmen with alleged ties to unnamed but questionable Venezuelans.

Hes accusing us of harboring communists in our property, without saying my name, without saying Bills name, Pinilla said.

When U.S. Federal Judge Rodney Smith denied an objection from Pertnoy, Pinilla continued.

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You got what you asked for, he said.

Then when Pertnoy showed Pinilla an email request he made for code enforcement to inspect work being done at Carollos Coconut Grove home  for which the commissioner was cited  Martin continued: Weve suffered from multiple, multiple, multiple raids, he said.

The testy hearing has ping-ponged between Miami and Fort Lauderdale since the start. In its fifth week, its again back where it began in Fort Lauderdale, but was interrupted by an historic rainfall and building damage. Though jurors no longer have to be bused in from Broward County, they do now have to walk up steps to the second-floor courtroom. Even as air conditioning and power was restored, work still needed to be done on the elevators.

Pinilla and Fuller claim the commissioner violated their First Amendment rights almost as soon as they publicly endorsed Leon, who challenged Carollo for his commission seat in 2017. Though Carollo won the election in a runoff, it didnt stop the commissioners revenge, the men are arguing.

Fuller and Pinilla, who run the popular and historic Ball & Chain nightclub and a host of other businesses along the Calle Ocho corridor, say that since Carollo was elected, their entities have been cited by code enforcement 84 times. One business moved. Another was forced to close.

Carollos attorneys  and Carollo himself for three days on the witness stand  have denied the allegations. Theyve argued any focus the commissioner might have had on properties run by Fuller and Pinilla were in the interest of preserving the quality of life for residents who live near the Calle Ocho business corridor. They also claim that the businessman, who have interest in dozens of Little Havana properties, have refurbished and torn down properties without proper permitting.

But time after time over the past four weeks, Fuller and Pinilla have hammered home odd situations in which Carollo showed up late at night with complaints of certain properties, how code enforcement cited a much-needed valet parking vendor more than 30 times in a month. Fuller said he repeatedly had to leave whatever he was doing to respond to actions he said were directed by Carollo.

Fuller, under questioning Wednesday, admitted to losing his cool one weekend in 2018 when he was forced to leave a park he was visiting with his 3-year-old daughter, to take care of an issue at the popular Gay8Festival in Little Havana. Fuller said he had received a call from the owner of Sanguich de Miami, a free-standing structure that made Cuban sandwiches on one of his properties, who was worried the operation was being targeted because of Carollo.

He said when he got there, police, fire rescue and code enforcement officers had stationed next to the eatery. With them was a Carollo senior staffer who had worked on his campaign named Steve Miro. With Fullers daughter at his side, the two men got into a heated exchange.

I let him know he was a coward, Fuller told jurors.

His attorneys showed several videos of cops, fire and code enforcement officers entering Ball & Chain, sometimes on consecutive days, and demanding licenses and permits that he said they had access to digitally on tablets in their vehicles. It was pure intimidation, Fuller said.

The policy of all my businesses was to video any interactions so you could see the type of harassment we were experiencing, Fuller told jurors. Ball & Chain was eventually forced to shutdown for a year after its certificate of occupancy was revoked. It reopened in October 2021.

Still another time Fuller told jurors he learned Carollo had pulled permits for events at Domino Park Plaza on the last Friday of every month  blocking Fullers popular Viernes Culturales event, a monthly gathering in celebration of culture and arts. The festival was moved to the parking lot of one of their buildings.

It was the best we could do, but the organization and mission had been destroyed. The board doesnt even meet anymore, Fuller said, beginning to cry. I was proud of Viernes. I remember the day I was honored to join the board and now 14 years later, I was the reason it had been destroyed. It had nothing to do with building inspections or code enforcement. It was a non-profit board. It did good for the community. He did it to destroy my reputation. It was evil.

Fuller said it all was triggered when the two men threw support behind Carollo political opponent Leon, which they did not intend to make public out of fear of retaliation.

Fuller recalled the day of Nov. 19, 2017, just two days before the runoff between Carollo and Leon for the commission seat. Leon supporters were supposed to be having a get-out-the-vote event in the parking lot of one of their businesses. But it turned into a full-blown vote for Leon event and Pinilla showed up. A carollo staffer called Fuller to complain, he said.

I knew that if we were exposed or outed as a Joe Carollo enemy, there would be political payback, Fuller said. I was upset with Pinilla. We wanted to be undercover and our cover was blown.

Near the end of questioning from his own attorney Courtney Caprio, Fuller began to cry. Shaking, he walked off the stand for a five-minute break but not before saying the feud with the city commissioner had affected his family life.

I can not stress this enough, in life reputation is everything. My greatest legacy is my children. I want them to be proud of me. I want them to know I did good things for the city. That I celebrated our heritage, he said, having to take breaks to get it all in. All of that is called into question. All of it.
Donald Duck at Pete's Silly Sideshow

The battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been heating up for months, and now, its starting to get petty too. Walt Disney World filed an amended version of its lawsuit in order to add quotes from the Governor himself. Now, the complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief literally opens with a pull quote that comes from a DeSantis interview over the weekend: This all started, of course, with our parents rights bill.

Lets give a little backstory here for those of you that may be out of the loop and not get why that's a pretty big roast, at least in legal terms. Last year, the State Of Florida introduced a bill that prohibited public school teachers from discussing sexual orientation with children in Kindergarten through third grade. Governor DeSantis and other Republican lawmakers referred to it as a parents rights bill. Its opponents derisively referred to it as the Dont Say Gay Bill.

Disney released a public comment saying it disagreed with the legislation after it was signed, and not long after, Florida said it would start investigating whether Disneys special privileges it gets should continue. The parties have been filing lawsuits and sparring back and forth ever since.

At the heart of the fight right now is The Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is essentially the board that governs and oversees Disney World from a legislative standpoint. That has historically been run by Disney and operated without much oversight from the larger Florida Government, but in the midst of these public squabbles, Florida has installed a new oversight board and has threatened to take away Disneys power. At the last minute, Disney tried to circumvent the new board by using an out of left field legal maneuver that cited Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This caused the State of Florida to step in.

The new board is called The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Governor DeSantis and his lawyers have argued they have every reason to add new layers of government since Disney shouldnt get special treatment. The Mouse House, on the other hand, has argued the current investigation is a response to the company using its First Amendment Rights and is therefore, retaliatory. The implication is Florida lawmakers don't really care about who Disney is getting approval from to build new rides or decide the capacity of certain locations, they only want to prevent executives from speaking out on political issues.

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Over the weekend, Governor DeSantis sat for an interview with Newsmax, and he was, of course, asked about the Disney issue. He spoke for a few minutes about what he perceives as promises Disney never lived up to when Florida originally agreed to the current set-up in 1967, mainly that they were going to be building communities where people lived. When explaining the backstory and the government's involvement, he said this all started, of course, with our parents rights bill, and Disneys lawyers clearly feel that admission is a big piece of evidence in their favor.

In fact, they amended their brief to start with the quote, and in the world of lawyers, that is a gigantic troll job. It's unusual to start a legal document with a quote, and it's even more unusual to start one with a quote from the person you're fighting in court. Later in the brief, which Deadline posted, Disney's lawyers made their point even clearer by dropping this line

This is as clear a case of retaliation as this Court is ever likely to see.

At this point, it seems very likely Florida and Disney could be in court for a long time. This is an extremely complicated case involving historical rules that are very unique to Disney World. Were it just about Reedy Creek and whether Disney deserves special treatment, smart lawyers could capably argue the case from a lot of angles for many, many years. It's not often, as an example, you end up with a case where one side is actually paying the legal bills for both sides.

Once you add in the politics of it all, however, it makes the complicated situation even more complicated, as neither side seems willing to lose. Well just have to see how it plays out in court. Or perhaps both sides will eventually decide they have better things to do with their time and quietly find some kind of compromise position.

Well see. In the meantime, expect the pettiness on both sides to only grow from here.
Walt Disney World and the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed board that controls the district are in dueling lawsuits. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP and Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Disney's special tax district has a new administrator who will make a $400,000 salary.

The administrator, Glen Gilzean, is a DeSantis ally and nonprofit leader.

He'll run the day-to-day operations of the district, which a DeSantis-backed board is overhauling.

The board overseeing Walt Disney World picked a nonprofit leader and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ally to run the day-to-day operations of the resort's special tax district.

The new administrator, Glen Gilzean, will receive a $400,000 salary for the job. The compensation is $45,000 more than what the previous administrator, John Classe, received.

It is equal to what US presidents get paid, but less than what administrators of other special tax districts in Florida make. The chairman of the Disney's governing board, Martin Garcia, defended the salary as "reasonable compensation" during a board meeting on Wednesday, noting that the previous board set the pay range for the job at $271,000 to $453,000.

"It's a very different job description," Garcia explained of the current administrator role, saying that under new legislation Gilzean will have to provide new reports to the legislature and also take a position on more than 87 tax-related lawsuits Disney waged against Orange and Oceola Counties. The former administrator remained neutral on these lawsuits, Garcia said.

Gilzean is also likely to be added as a defendant in the lawsuit Disney waged against DeSantis and the new board, formally known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. In that suit, Disney accuses the governor of waging "punishment for Disney's protected speech" after it opposed a law limiting curriculum about LGBTQ topics in public schools.

"When we were out looking for a new administrator, we had to be honest with him and we couldn't just tell him the first day that he showed up that he would just be given the keys to the front door," Garcia said. "We had to tell him that he is going to not only going to be an administrator but is probably going to be a defendant in a lawsuit."

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Gilzean is president and CEO at the Central Florida Urban League, an organization that provides job training and financial literacy. DeSantis appointed Gilzean to boards seven different times, including as part of a working group tasked with reopening Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and on Florida's Commission on Ethics.

The ethics commission recently rejected a complaint from MAGA, Inc., a former President Donald Trump aligned super PAC, that accused DeSantis of violating campaign finance laws with a "shadow" campaign for the 2024 GOP nomination.

"Mr. Gilzean is a bridge builder. He's a consensus builder. He's a good person," Brian Aungst, another board member, said at Wednesday's meeting.

Gilzean struck an optimistic, collaborative tone during remarks at Wednesday's board meeting, saying his job was to make the district "a much better place." One of the tasks that energized him most in his new role was the prospect of building affordable housing for Disney workers, he said.

"We all want our businesses, both big and small, to thrive," he said. "But this cannot be done by fighting endless battles in the courts. It can only be achieved by collaborating in earnest to make this district a world-class model of public-private partnership."

Disney's special tax district status exempts it from running its plans by zoning commissions or building-inspection departments. This makes their operations run more efficiently, saving them time and money.

Disney essentially picked members under the old board, but lost that power under a DeSantis-backed bill the legislature passed, one that gives the governor the power to appoint board members. The administrator will oversee Disney's government as the board considers new taxes, public transit, and other projects.

The five board members DeSantis appointed in March to oversee Disney's special tax district are unpaid. Classe, the former administrator starting in 2016, under what used to be known as the Reedy Creek District, will stay on as special advisor to help with the leadership change. He'll be paid $355,000 in that job.

Classe did everything he was asked to do under the prior board and did "good work," Garcia said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
While Florida got attention for its obsession with fighting woke, lawmakers were busy during the 2023 legislative session passing bills with lesser known, but even greater, impacts on the quality of life of Floridians.

These so-called preemption bills curtail how the government closest to the people  county commissions, city and village councils  and local voters can shape their communities. As usual, thats done to benefit big political donors, political players, developers and businesses at odds with local communities. And it happens every year, no matter whos in the governors mansion.

The 2023 session that ended Friday was no exception, but it was notable because many of those preemption bills impact Miami-Dade County directly.

Fortunately, one of the most egregious attacks on our home rule died. Senate Bill 1346 would have given developers the green light to tear down historic oceanfront buildings like the Art Deco gems lining Miami Beach.

But other bills that kneecap the will of local voters and elected officials were approved and are headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

There is legislation to dictate how Miami-Dade County can set up its new sheriffs office. This is, in fact, a double takeover by the state. County voters abolished the sheriff position in the 1960s, following a string of corruption scandals, and, since then, a mayor-appointed police director has overseen the Miami-Dade Police Department. In 2018, a ballot referendum that failed in Miami-Dade but passed statewide required the county to elect a sheriff again. HB 1595 undoes a plan approved by the County Commission to keep the policing of the countys unincorporated areas, such as Kendall, under the police department instead of turning it over to a sheriff elected in 2024.

SB 718 bans local voter referendums related to land development. It appears to be yet another assault on Miami Beach, where voters have often balked at oversized development. Last year, they rejected a request by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to exceed building-size regulations to erect a hotel and condo project at the site of the demolished Deauville Beach Resort. The legislation would make such referendums illegal.

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Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Republican whose district includes Key Biscayne, which also is affected by the legislation, said local governments should not govern by referendum, the Herald reported. Whether thats the prudent way to govern or not is beside the point. The reason cities and counties exist is to ensure each community makes decisions that reflect the will of its constituents. Its Miami Beachs responsibility, not the Legislatures, to make development decisions. Local council or commission members  not lawmakers from all across the state  are best equipped to make quality-of-life decisions in their jurisdictions.

That concept of local autonomy, known as home rule, has been enshrined in the Florida Constitution. However, the state Legislature over the years has preempted communities from regulating things big and small: single-use plastic bags, sunscreen that damages coral reefs, fossil fuels, cruise ships in Key West  the list goes on. The main beneficiaries of these preemptions are usually powerful industries  i.e. fossil fuel, cruise companies  that can afford lobbyists and political contributions.

Take HB 1417, widely supported by the Florida Apartment Association and Florida Realtors. It wipes out ordinances that counties like Miami-Dade passed to give tenants more rights at a time when they are experiencing rent increases of hundreds of dollars. The tenants bill of rights required, for example, that landlords give notice of rent increases. Miami-Dade last year required a 60-day notice for increases above 5% and made it easier to bill landlords for repairs.

Supporters of these preemption measures say they want to bring consistency to regulations across the state. But consistency more times than not comes at the expense of those who dont have the clout to influence the lawmaking process. The purpose of a state Legislature isnt to become a central office for local land and development decisions. Unfortunately, the Republicans running the Florida House and Senate have gotten a taste of power, and they will usurp more of it from Floridas communities.
Ghriba synagogue (file image)

Two worshippers and three security officers have been killed in a gun attack near Africa's oldest synagogue, on the Tunisian island of Djerba.

The attack took place during an annual pilgrimage to the island, which attracts Jewish visitors from Europe and Israel.

A guard reportedly shot dead his partner before opening fire on visitors and officers near the Ghriba synagogue before being killed himself.

His motivation was not clear.

The two dead worshippers were cousins.

They have been named by Israeli media as French national Benjamin Haddad, 42, and Aviel Haddad, 30, a dual citizen of Tunisia and Israel.

"They were shot - murdered in cold blood. They were just in the car park and were supposed to go in, in front of the entrance for the security check," relative Mordechai Madar told Israeli radio station 103FM.

Tunisia's former tourism minister Rene Trabelsi, who organised the pilgrimage and was inside at the time, said the two cousins had tried to hide behind a bus outside the synagogue, Reuters news agency reports.

"We heard the shots and knew it was related to an attack," he said.

Four other visitors and four security officers were also injured.

Video posted online, that has not been independently verified, showed visitors running as gunshots rang out.

"People were happy and dancing until we heard a lot of gunfire. Everyone ran away... some hid in my office and others in the other rooms. There was lots of fear," the head of Djerba's Jewish community. Peres Trabelsi, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Tunisia's interior ministry said that investigations were continuing to establish the motive for the "cowardly" attack.

France's President Emmanuel Macron promised to continue fighting "against anti-Semitic hatred", while Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the bloodshed proves "evil and hatred are still there".

More than 5,000 Jews participated in the 2022 pilgrimage to Ghriba, AFP reported, citing local organisers.

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It is not the first time the 2,500-year-old synagogue has been targeted.

In 2002 a bomb attack, claimed by al-Qaeda Islamist militants, killed more than 20 people on the island.

The annual pilgrimage to Djerba - about 500km (310 miles) from the capital, Tunis - has had tight security since the bombing.

Tunisia is a majority-Muslim country, but Djerba is home to hundreds of Jews.

Tunisian Jews consider the synagogue the most sacred place of worship in Africa. According to tradition, the first synagogue on the site was built with a stone or gate brought from King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem after it was destroyed in 586BC.

Many Jews left mainland Tunisia for Israel following the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, and more when the synagogue in the capital Tunis was burned down during the 1967 Middle East conflict.
The BBC has shared the first look at Jonathan Groff in the forthcoming series of Doctor Who.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Mindhunter star will appear opposite Ncuti Gatwas Fifteenth Doctor in a mysterious key role.

In the two images shared on Wednesday (10 May), Groff is seen in period dress alongside Gatwa and the new Doctors companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).

Groff wears a blue waistcoat and tails, while Gatwa is in red velvet. Gibson wears a yellow dress with long, silk gloves.

Speaking as the casting was announced last week, Groff said: I am so thrilled to jump into the extraordinary mind of Russell T Davies and watch the incredible Ncuti Gatwa soar in this iconic role!

Writer Davies, who is taking the reins at Doctor Who again 18 years after he was responsible for reviving the series in 2005, said: 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!

(Left to right) Jonathan Groff, Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who (BBC)

Groff is the second US actor to join the cast of Gatwas forthcoming tenure as the Doctor. In April, it was announced that RuPauls Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon will also be appearing in the new series.

Jinkx has recently performed as Matron Mama Morton in the Broadway production of Chicago, leading fans to speculate whether they might be playing Doctor Whos first musical villain.

(BBC)

Doctor Who returns in November with three special episodes starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the shows 60th anniversary.

Gatwas first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will then air over the festive period with script editor Scott Handcock recently teasing that a former guest star, who appeared on the show in 2005, will also be returning.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One later this year. It will air on Disney Plus internationally.
Your doctor should listen to you, take your concerns seriously and work with you to find a solution.

Your doctor should listen to you, take your concerns seriously and work with you to find a solution.

Finding a doctor whom you like, trust and feel heard by is not an easy feat. On top of all that, they have to have an appointment available, which is often another frustrating challenge.

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a doctor  maybe you want someone who identifies as your gender or maybe youre just hoping to be within a specific hospital system.

Whatever it is, many things go into a good patient-doctor relationship. We spoke to doctors themselves about what they look for when choosing a medical professional for their health needs:

They make sure the doctor is board-certified.

I think the most important thing is you want to be sure theyre board-certified, said Dr. Nate Wood, an internal medicine doctor at Yale Medicine. In the United States, you have to have a license to practice medicine  you do not have to be board-certified.

For example, for a primary care physician, Wood said he looks for a doctor who is board-certified in either internal medicine or family medicine.

You can find this information online  board certifications are often listed on the practices website  or you can call the front desk staff and ask them.

They look for someone who doesnt make you feel like a number.

I look for someone whos empathic, but the question is: How do you figure that out? said Dr. John Schumann, the executive medical director of Oak Street Health, whos based in Oklahoma.

First, you want someone who is going to make you feel important. You want to feel like theyre not rushed and they can give you attention, and they can look you in the eye and they can listen, he said.

Additionally, he said he looks for a doctor who treats him like a human. If I have a visit with a doctor and they really treat me more like an object or disease or a thing or a number and dont really respect my humanity, thats going to make me feel really uncomfortable and I will not go back to that.

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This is an aspect of finding a doctor that will take some trial and error (you cant tell ahead of time if theyll make you feel like a number). But remember that its OK to break up with your doctor.

They make sure the front office staff doesnt make you feel like a number either.

According to Schumann, its fairly common for patients to complain to doctors about the staff within a practice.

When Im the patient, even if I like the doctor, if the office staff treats me poorly or treats me like a number thats not a warm feeling and I might not want to go back to that practice, Schumann said.

While your doctor is likely the reason you go to a specific practice, Wood added that its important to remember you often only see your doctor for about 15 or 20 minutes, which makes your relationship with the office staff important for any pre- or post-appointment needs.

This makes it doubly important to find a practice where the front desk staff is helpful and where the nurses provide you with good information, Wood noted.

Your doctor should listen to you and work with you on any treatment plan decisions.

Your doctor should listen to you and work with you on any treatment plan decisions.

They want a doctor who shares medical records with the local hospital.

If your doctor works at a practice outside of a major hospital system, its crucial that they readily share records with your local hospital, according to Wood.

Because if youre getting admitted to the hospital and they cannot see what you and your primary care doctor are working on, thats a huge gap in data that can really impact care, Wood said.

To figure out how a doctor shares (or does not share) information with a local hospital, you can ask the front desk staff, Wood noted.

Its a red flag if they say the hospital can call them and have them fax over the information. Ideally, you want to go to a doctor who has a simple solution for sharing medical records, like if the records are available through the hospitals online system.

Specifically, Wood said he likes to go to a primary care physician who is affiliated with the local hospital.

They also dont want a doctor who pushes certain products (in most cases).

If a doctor or provider tries to sell me products, I personally detest that, Schumann said.

He said he goes to a doctor for advice, counsel, warmth and treatment  not to be sold special supplements or cure-alls.

To be clear, necessary prescriptions do not fall in this category. If your doctor is prescribing you a medication for your blood pressure or to help with migraines, for example, thats different.

I just find it distasteful if a provider sells you some kind of proprietary formula of things and they stand to profit off it, Schumann said.

In this case, not only are you paying for your visit, but youre also paying for a product that you probably dont need. Schumann made an exception for dermatology practices where some products are only available at the doctors office.

They look for someone who responds in a timely manner.

Getting a doctors appointment is not easy, especially now with understaffed medical fields and patients catching up on appointments as we move through the COVID pandemic.

Certain headaches that come with scheduling an appointment are a result of both of these challenges while others are the result of a practice that may not be great at planning ahead or doesnt think about the patient experience.

I think if you find the system that youre trying to schedule in not user-friendly, not inviting, the wait times are too long you may want to look elsewhere for an appointment, Schumann stated.

Some practices make this process more streamlined and easier on the patient, Schumann noted. Wood added if you leave a message for your doctor, you should pay attention to how long it takes your doctor to get back to you. Generally, physicians are good at deciding what message needs to be replied to ASAP and what can wait until later.

If their definition of later is weeks, that is really quite inappropriate, Wood said.

For a serious concern, he said he would not want to wait longer than 24 hours for a response. For something less time-sensitive, he would want to hear back within a week. Taking too long to get back to you can be indicative of a problem within the practice.

If its any more than that either theres some disorganization in the back or theyre quite overwhelmed  both of which are not so great, both of which I understand. This is a really hard practice to be in, primary care, Wood stated.

They look for a physician who can easily explain health issues or treatment plans.

Its not rare to go to the doctor and have no idea what the medical jargon theyre using means  and thats not a good thing.

You want to make sure that theyre good at explaining in language that you can understand, Wood said. Because if you dont understand whats happening with your body or what the plan is, then the chances of you having a positive health outcome are definitely less.

Additionally, he said its important to have a doctor who asks for your feedback on your treatment plan, which is a practice known as patient-centered care.

You should work together on figuring out the best solution for you. If someone is barking orders at you, you may want to find a new doctor.

Overall, doctors go to doctors with good reputations.

Its also a good idea to ask friends or family for advice regarding the best doctors in your area (Schumann said hell regularly ask colleagues for provider advice). And better yet if that friend or family member works in the medical field.

You can also google your provider to see what kind of reviews they have online, but Schumann pointed out the reviews arent as reputable as online reviews for things like restaurants or hotels.

What I would say is cross reference these things ... online ratings plus local reputation plus family and friends plus how youre treated when you try to access the practice  its a combination of all those things, Schumann said.

And, the right doctor for you may not be the right doctor for your sister. Its highly individual, but also important to remember that there is a doctor out there with your best interests at heart.

Related...
And so much for radios being faster!

The old saying is you might be able to outrun the cops, but you cant outrun a radio. Some people also insert you cant outrun a police helicopte. But one Texas man in a stolen Dodge Challenger Hellcat proved that old saying is a heap of horse crap because he outran both!

Watch an Arkansas State Patrol trooper get the closest yet to the infamous Blackout Charger here.

In one of the largest suburban sprawls in the United States, Houston to be specific, 25-year-old Mohmed Ahmed Abu-Shlieba gave us evidence that in the right hands, a Hellcat can give multiple law enforcement agencies hell and outrun everything they throw at it.

After identifying the white Hellcat was in fact stolen, the Houston Police Department gave chase, but their slow cruisers were like kittens trying to play with a fierce feline. According to local station ABC 13, at one point Abu-Shlieba did a U-turn and blasted past officers who were waiting for him, absolutely humiliating law enforcement in the process.

As he sped down I-10 more law enforcement agencies jumped into the pursuit, but nobody could get near the guy as he pressed the pedal to the metal. Repeatedly, he cut things close as he took to the shoulder to get around slower vehicles as traffic built.

After a while, the news helicopter guy in the pursuit video says the police lost the Hellcat, including the mighty police chopper, while the news helicopters obviously superior camera zoom was the only thing able to keep up with the speeding Mopar muscle car. You have to hand it to the Hellcat driver for his ability to cut through rush hour traffic in Houston!

Abu-Shlieba led law enforcement on a chase that ended two counties away when the Hellcat drained its fuel tank. Instead of finding a gas station and continuing the chase, the guy decided to ditch the muscle car and try hiding in a stand of trees by a pasture. The problem is he forgot to bring his thermal camouflage blankie, so spotting his hiding spot was easy for the police helicopter once it finally caught up.

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Ultimately, Abu-Shlieba pled guilty to evading arrest and was sentenced to three years in prison. While he got away for a little bit, proving that police radios and even helicopters arent invincible, we dont recommend anyone try to replicate what he did or you might be getting three square meals, a private room with stainless steel appliances, and a building with secure access for three years or so.

The post Dodge Hellcat Proves You Can In Fact Outrun A Police Helicopter appeared first on The Auto Wire.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

On Monday, the jury heard closing arguments from the attorneys for E. Jean Carroll and former President Donald Trump.

E. Jean Carrolls attorneys were as close to perfect as I have seen in my 25 years as a trial attorney. Trumps attorney, Joe Tacopina, however, was remarkably bad, largely reduced to various versions of Are you kidding me?

Nevertheless, the jury may rule for Trump, largely because of one glaring weakness in Carrolls case: her inability to identify the day, date, week, month, or year when Trump allegedly raped her in the lingerie department of Bergdorf Goodman.

Roberta Kaplan Delivered a Tour De Force on Behalf of Carroll

Roberta Kaplan, Carrolls lead attorney, gave lawyers a lesson on how to deliver a closing argument.

Kaplan began with a review of Carrolls testimony, which is the most important factor in the case. Kaplan acknowledged that Carroll could not provide a date when the sexual assault took place, but then argued that the balance of Carrolls testimony should lead the jury to believe her. You saw for yourself, E. Jean Carroll wasnt hiding anything.

Kaplan contended that Carrolls testimony was credible, consistent and powerful. She connected Trumps infamous words on the Access Hollywood tape to his assault on Carroll, stating that Trump grabbed her by the pussy, or vagina, I apologize for my language.

Donald Trump Blows Final Deadline to Testify at E. Jean Carroll Trial

Kaplan then turned to Trump, whom she called a witness against himself. She marched the jury through Trumps deposition testimony, showing how he repeatedly lied and made enormous admissions.

Kaplan argued that Trumps deposition testimony debunked his repeated out-of-court denial that he raped Carroll by saying that she was not his type. However, when Trump was shown a picture of Carroll with Trump and his then-wife Ivana Trump in the 1990s, Trump stated that Carroll was my wife, Marla  meaning his second wife, Marla Maples. Kaplan pounced, stating that Trump only corrected himself when his own lawyer corrected him. Kaplan continued [Carroll] was exactly his type. He made up an excuse. He said it was blurry, it is not blurry.

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Kaplan then skewered Trump with the former presidents deposition testimony about the Access Hollywood tape. Trump attempted during his deposition to defend his statement, testifying historically thats true with stars. During the deposition, Kaplan let Trump double-down on this statement, asking, True with stars that they can grab women by the pussy? Trump answered, Well, thats what  if you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.

Today, Kaplan confronted the jury with the horror of Trumps testimony. Who would say fortunately to describe an act of sexual assault? Kaplan answered her own question, He thinks stars like him can get away with it.

Kaplan also made great use of the fact that Trump did not attend trial, let alone testify. He didnt even bother to show up in person. Because this is a civil, not criminal, trial, the fact that Trump did not testify can be held against him by the jury.

Kaplan rattled off a litany of lies by Trump:

Trump lied when he contended during his deposition that Carroll had told Anderson Cooper on CNN that rape was sexy. Kaplan played the CNN interview to show that Carroll had said the exact opposite, that rape was not sexy, but it was portrayed as sexy on television shows like Game Of Thrones.

Trump lied when he said he never met Carroll, showing the picture that Trump mistakenly said was Marla Maples.

Trump lied when he said that he did not shop at Bergdorf Goodman (a store manager testified to seeing Trump shopping in the store during the mid-1990s).

Trump lied when he said that the photo was blurry.

Kaplan then pointed out that Trumps only defense was that Carroll and her corroborating witnesses  Carol Martin and Lisa Birnbach  were lying when they testified that Carroll told them about the rape the day that it happened. She noted that Trump was not offering a middle ground, did not admit that he was in Bergdorf Goodman, did not claim there was consent, and instead claimed that every sworn detail was a lie.

Kaplan built to a rhetorical peak, telling the jury that in order to find for Trump, You have to conclude that Donald Trump, the nonstop liar, is the only person here telling the truth.

Then, Kaplan made an unexpected move, declining to ask the jury for a specific amount of damages. She did not reference the testimony of Carrolls expert on defamation that it would cost $2.7 million to buy the amount of publicity that Trumps statements about Carroll garnered. Instead, she simply concluded by saying: For E. Jean Carroll, this lawsuit is not about the money. But rather it was about getting her name back.

Trump Says Stars Get Away With Sexual AssaultUnfortunately or Fortunately

Joe Tacopina Had Little to Add on Behalf of Trump but Said It With Great Anger

Rather than attempting to parry the points that had been made by Kaplan during her closing argument, Tacopina picked up a rhetorical club and attacked Carroll and the entire case. Ms. Carroll has abused the system. She brought a case for money, and victimized real rape victims, exploiting their pain and suffering. We cannot let her profit from her abuse of this process. Im going to pull it all together.

Tacopina made a few strong points during his closing argument:

He noted that without a particular date, it was impossible for Trump to provide an alibi for the time of the rape. Tacopina argued that the lack of a date and alibi made it unnecessary for Trump to show up at trial.

He argued that the jury heard Trump deny the rape in his deposition testimony.

He noted that Dr. Lebowitz (Carrolls psychological expert) could not be relied upon to establish that a rape happened, since she admitted that she was not a witness to the events. He called this garbage in, garbage out.

He noted that there was nothing in Carrolls diary about the attack.

He drove home to the jury repeatedly that Carroll and Martin used the term scheme to describe their discussions after Carroll went public about the rape.

But Tacopina then made arguments that I believe have no chance of persuading any juror who was not already on Trumps side:

He attacked Dr. Lebowitz as a hired gun for $650/hour. In my experience, attacks on experts for getting paid their usual rate fall flat with jurors.

He attacked Carroll for not going to the police in 1996 (which might have been an avenue for persuasion) and then tied it to the immigration crisis on the Mexican border in 2023: There was not a border crisis in the mid-1990s. You know why she didnt go to the police. Because they would have investigated.

He asserted that Carroll only made her accusations against Trump to sell books.

He contended that Carrolls tears on the witness stand were fake and designed to elicit sympathy.

He speculated that it could not be true that Birnbach had been told in the mid-1990s that Trump had raped Carroll, but did not share that fact with any of her friends when watching the election results in 2016 in despair, saying, Theres no way thats truthful testimony.

Tacopina turned to what he claimed was lethal to Carrolls case  a message from Carol Martin to a friend about Carroll in 2021. The message read:

Supplied

Tacopina crowed, Game, set and match, as if the jury should read the portion of the message referring to something that hasnt really happened as an admission that there never was a rape. As noted below, this argument was addressed (and I believe destroyed) by Carrolls counsel during rebuttal.

Near the end of his argument, Tacopina again ran afoul of Judge Kaplan by making impermissible arguments:

Tacopina tried to argue that Carroll made up her entire story based upon an episode of Law & Order: SVU that included a rape at Bergdorf Goodman, but Judge Kaplan sustained an objection and informed the jury that they could not consider the email about the television episode for the truth of the matter, since it was offered for a limited purpose.

Tacopina tried to tie Carrolls decision to sue Trump to George Conway, an attorney noted for his opposition to Trump, but Judge Kaplan shut down that argument (as he had ruled before closing he would).

Tacopina tried to return to the WTF text message, but was again shut down by Judge Kaplan, who ruled that Tacopina had mischaracterized the evidence.

After being humiliated (again) by Judge Kaplan, Tacopina ended his argument as he began it, attacking the very fact that the case has been brought. This is an absolutely outrageous case. Its an outrageous case.

Joe Tacopina, lawyer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, questions former Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Carroll Rebuttal Erased Most of Tacopinas Points

After Tacopina sat down, Michael Ferrara stood up to make the rebuttal argument for Carroll. Since the plaintiff has the burden of proof, plaintiffs counsel gets the last word in closing argument.

Ferrera made masterful use of the opportunity to debunk Tacopinas arguments. He pointed out that Tacopinas contention that Carrolls whole case was a lie cooked up by Carroll, Martin, and Birnbach did not make sense. He mocked the theory, saying So what about the scheme? They are so stupid they need to steal from Law & Order?

Ferrara also took apart Tacopinas game, set and match text message. Ferrara noted that Tacopina did not ask Martin about the text that he now was attempting to turn into the lynchpin of the case. More importantly, Ferrara pointed out that the something that hasnt really happened was New York passing the law to lift the statute of limitations for sexual assault of an adult, which is what allowed Carroll to sue Trump. And Ferrara was able to point to record evidence that demonstrated that he had found a true thing that helped his client.

Without playing it, Ferrara again turned to the Access Hollywood tape. He noted that Trump never said it wasnt true. It was a confession. It was not just locker room talk. Ive been in locker rooms and Ive never heard about furniture shopping. Ferrara twisted the knife, Trump said, I move on her like a B-I-T-C-H.Like in Bergdorf's, shopping. Grabs them by their genitals. That's not locker room talk, when Donald Trump says it. He did exactly that."

Ferrara concluded with the fact that Donald Trump had not attended trial and had not testified. In Ferraras words, it was not a he said, she said case, because there was no he said.

Now, It Is All Up to the Jury

On Tuesday, Judge Kaplan will give the jury their final instructions, which will likely take about one hour. After that, the case will be in the hands of the jury.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Former president Donald Trump has now been found to be both a sexual abuser and a defendant in a criminal case  at a time when he is eyeing a third run for the White House.

On 9 May, a Manhattan federal jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

Across two weeks, jurors heard harrowing testimony from Ms Carroll as well as two other women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault.

While the jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Ms Carroll, the panel did not find that she had proven that he raped her and so he was not found liable for rape.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time following the verdict but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

The verdict marks the latest legal trouble for the former president  coming just over a month after he became the first current or former US president to ever be arrested and charged with a crime.

On Thursday 30 March, a grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush payments leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In that case, he stands accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about him.

At a hearing in New York City on Tuesday 4 April, Mr Trump pled not guilty to all charges.

Throughout February and March, the long-running probe had entered a new phase and Mr Braggs office contacted the presidents lawyers to offer an opportunity for voluntary testimony, a sign that meant an indictment or multiple indictments were likely in the works.

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Mr Trump himself predicted on 18 March that he would be arrested the following week on Tuesday 21 March, which did not come to pass.

Trump at the NRA convention in April 2023 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Now that Mr Trump has actually been arrested and charged, it marks the first time an investigation into his inner circle (of which there have been several, with the most famous leading to multiple indictments for figures connected to the 2016 campaign) has actually drawn blood from the former president himself.

The Justice Departments protocol against charging a sitting president appeared to cool any ability of the agency to do so while he was in office, but the presidents loss in 2020 opened the door to prosecution over the 2016 Stormy Daniels matter as well as an investigation into the January 6 attack and Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the election.

That second investigation continues, with the distinct possibility of potential charges for both Mr Trump and members of his legal team.

Can Trump still run for president?

Now that Mr Trump has been found to be a sexual abuser by a court and he is under criminal indictment, it raises a key question about the future: What happens to the 2024 race and Donald Trumps ability to participate in it?

The short answer is, not much.

The E Jean Carroll case was a civil trial meaning that Mr Trump faces no jail time or criminal conviction.

And when it comes to the criminal indictment, there are no restrictions in the US Constitution preventing anyone indicted or convicted of a crime, or even currently serving prison time, from running for or winning the presidency. Even if he were tried and convicted in one of the so-called quick trials he has repeatedly cheered Chinas government for operating in the cases of drug offences, Mr Trump could still run the entirety of his presidential campaign from a prison cell.

What is far less clear is what would happen were he to win in that scenario. Just as there are no restrictions in the Constitution for a person to run while under indictment, theres no explanation for what should occur in the event that they win. Theres nothing in the document that would automatically grant Mr Trump a reprieve from prison time, save for the likelihood that any charges brought by federal authorities, were they still being litigated at the point when Mr Trump assumed the presidency for a second time, would be dropped due to the Department of Justices refusal to prosecute a sitting president.

State-level charges like the ones being filed by Mr Bragg are far trickier, and fall outside of Mr Trumps pardon power were they to conclude in a conviction.

Were conviction on state charges to occur alongside a Trump election victory, it would likely lead to a massive legal fight to determine whether there was a way for the former president to worm his way out of serving time. If Mr Trump was unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment or removal via the 25th Amendment, which allows the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to perform their duties. There are many duties and trappings of the presidency that would simply be impossible to be operated or performed from a prison cell, the viewing of classified materials just to name one.

Any potential conviction of Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility. But the conversations he has started with his bid for the presidency despite facing one indictment and multiple criminal investigations have already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much realer place than many experts ever thought it would see.

This story was updated on Wednesday 10 May 2023 to reflect new developments
A welding robot works at a workshop of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Qiqihar Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. in Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 19, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



China's latest emphasis on speeding up the construction of a modern industrial system backed by the real economy will help the country gain a competitive edge in strategically important fields and lay a solid foundation for long-term economic growth amid headwinds and external uncertainties, experts and business executives said.

Recent policy developments have underscored the country's firm determination to focus on developing the real economy  especially high-end manufacturing underpinned by cutting-edge digital technologies  safeguarding the security and stability of industrial and supply chains, and achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, they said.

Their comments came as the recent meeting of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs stressed that 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.

A shift of focus from the real to the virtual economy must be avoided, the meeting noted, highlighting efforts to reinforce the country's strength in having a complete industrial system with strong support capacity, transform and upgrade traditional industries, and make industrial security a top priority.

Li Xianjun, an associate researcher with the Institute of Industrial Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's efforts to put a development focus on the real economy and build up its strength in the modern industrial system will help make China's economy more resilient, strengthen the capacity to buffer against external risks and shocks, and build the country into a manufacturing powerhouse.

"The manufacturing industry, as the main body of China's real economy, is playing an increasingly crucial role in motivating enterprises to bolster technological innovation, facilitating the development of other strategic emerging sectors, and enhancing the country's core competitiveness on the global stage," Li said.

China has maintained its position as the world's largest manufacturing hub for 13 straight years, accounting for nearly 30 percent of global manufacturing output in 2022, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The meeting sends a clear signal that China attaches importance to rapidly growing AI technology, which is accelerating its deep integration into various industries, and will play a bigger role in liberating productive forces and fostering new growth drivers, said Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University's International Business School.

Faced with increasingly fierce international competition, the construction of a modern industrial system is of great significance to boost intelligent, green and integrated development of industries, improve the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, and inject strong impetus into China's economic recovery, Pan said.

He called for heightened efforts to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights to spur technological innovation, and optimize the business environment to attract capital and technology inflows.

Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of Chinese consumer electronics company TCL Technology Group Corp, said China's resolve to develop its real economy and modernize its industrial system has set the direction for the country's high-tech manufacturing segment, which has become an important driver of China's high-quality economic development.

"China's manufacturers should transition from exporting products to exporting industrial capacities, ramp up localized operations abroad and avoid trade barriers to enhance their global competitiveness," Li said.

Chen Duan, director of the Digital Economy Integration Innovation Development Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said more efforts are needed to beef up investment in frontier technologies and forward-looking fields, and achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas through independent innovation amid a rising tide of protectionism in some countries.

Meanwhile, Chen highlighted the significance of expanding international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, and taking an active part in formulating global rules and standards for core technologies.

AI is expected to become an important driving force for improving total factor productivity and promoting China's high-quality economic development on the premise of preventing potential risks brought by new-generation technology, said Li Qilin, chief economist at Shanghai-listed Hongta Securities.

Zhou Hongyi, founder of cybersecurity company 360 Security Group, said AI-powered large language models will spearhead a new round of technological and industrial revolution and the company will leverage digital technologies to promote the digital transformation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Russian media has reported that a military training ground in the countrys Voronezh Oblast was attacked by two drones with explosives in the early hours of 10 May, injuring 14 Russian soldiers.

Source: Telegram news outlet Baza

Details: Baza reported that the unmanned aerial vehicles flew up to the training ground and exploded on impact. A total of 14 soldiers have been injured. Preliminary reports indicate no fatalities.

The Telegram channel also reported the destruction of an aerial vehicle near a military airfield in the Voronezh Oblast on the morning of 9 May. Preliminary data indicates that the vehicle was flying at an altitude of 500 metres and was shot down 6 kilometres from the airfield.

Officers of Russias secret services found its fragments near a cemetery. It has been sent for examination.

Background: Roman Starovoyt, Governor of Russias Kursk Oblast, has said that a UAV was shot down near the city of Kursk in the early hours of 10 May.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
TAMPA, Fla.  More options and less strain on humans are key to modernizing fixed-wing systems for U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the program executive officer in charge of the effort.

Those themes extend to both piloted and uncrewed airframes, such as MC-130J Commando II and AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft as well as MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, Air Force Col. Ken Kuebler told an audience Tuesday at the SOF Week conference in Florida.

Additionally, Kuebler noted, secure data transfer and communications are critical in these platforms. Cybersecurity has to be burnt in from the beginning, and it goes across everything were doing, he said.

In terms of drones, Kuebler said hes focused on reducing the need for human support. Despite the unmanned aspect of drone technology, it is a manpower-intensive platform, he explained. For example, a single MQ-9 requires up to 200 personnel when accounting for all support from maintenance to flying.

Finding technology to help with that is paramount, he said.

And given the gunships that have served the special operations community for decades are still in demand, theyve got their own challenges. Special Operations Command saw the last AC-130W retire in 2022, and the organization is nearly done upgrading older AC-130Js across the 30 currently in the fleet, he said.

The next steps include making the gunship the premier platform for U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, Kuebler said, which requires finding ways to make the aircraft runway-independent and amphibious.

Its a really hard engineering problem, he added.

The command is currently studying the impact of operating at sea on maintenance and support equipment, including the effect of water on airframes and how to incorporate floating support for aircraft.

Kuebler anticipates a float capability demonstration will take place within the next two to three years.

And like the drone family, the colonel wants more remote gunship autonomy in the platform, meaning automated systems to take care of extraneous tasks and watch the skies so crew members can focus on more essential mission requirements.

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Kueblers office awarded a contract for the Armed Overwatch program in August 2022, Defense News previously reported, with the organization selecting L3Harris Technologies and Air Tractor as the winners for the plane portion, once called the AT-802U Sky Warden but later renamed the OA-1K.

That contract could produce as many as 75 Sky Warden single-engine turboprop planes in a deal worth up to $3 billion. The program adds a strike capability and gives the plane intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets as it replaces the legacy U-28A Draco and MC-12W Liberty aircraft, Defense News reported.

For the strike portion, the command saw BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System undergo testing.

The OA-1Ks armament will include 2.75-inch laser-guided rockets as part of the precision kill weapon system, AGM-114 missiles and the GBU-12 Paveway bomb, according to slides Kuebler showed.

The turboprop planes ISR assets will include full-motion video and Link 16 communications, among other features.

The key is for the plane to have a modular design; Kuebler wants to have the ability to swap out new tech in the same size package for a variety of missions, from close air support to sensing and electronic warfare.

Right now, Special Operations Command has 16 on contract and expects delivery of the first planes in October, he said. (Those wont enter the field at that point, but rather begin initial operational capability testing.)

That combination compresses those features into a smaller aircraft that can fly low and support small teams in more austere and remote locations such as Africa, which lacks the robust logistical footprint on which special operators depended during recent wars in U.S. Central Commands area of responsibility.

Looking over the modernization horizon, Special Operations Command has teamed with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on the X-Plane program, which aims to give fixed-wing platforms a vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability and the ability to exceed 400 knots (460 mph).
In this image taken from video released by Kaplan Hecker & Fink, former President Donald Trump answers questions during his Oct. 19, 2022, deposition for his trial against writer E. Jean Carroll. The video recording of Trump being questioned about the rape allegations against him was made public for the first time Friday, May 5, 2023, providing a glimpse of the Republican's emphatic, often colorful denials. (Kaplan Hecker & Fink via AP)

The Republican Party has largely stood behind Donald Trump in the wake of his New York indictment for falsifying business records. He may be a demagogue, but hes their demagogue. That could change, however, especially after a verdict Tuesday in a civil sexual abuse case. The rise and fall of Wisconsins Sen. Joseph McCarthy offers an example from our backyard.

In 1950, Joe McCarthy was a godsend for the Republican Party. It had lost five consecutive presidential elections, the most recent an almost unfathomable 1948 defeat of Thomas Dewey, a candidate assumed to be a winner, at the hands of Democrat Harry Truman. That year the Republicans also lost control of both houses of Congress. But McCarthys charges of communist infiltration of the State Department, made in a February 1950 speech but never substantiated, transformed him into a national figure overnight and gifted a demoralized GOP a winning issue, one with which they could own the Democrats.

E. Jean Carroll walks out of Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In the 1950 and 1952 elections, as McCarthy rode a wave of anti-communist demagoguery, Republicans considered his support essential to victory. They were right. McCarthy intervened directly in a number of elections in those years, notably the 1950 Maryland Senate race, where he exacted revenge on Democrat Millard Tydings, who had chaired a committee investigating and ultimately dismissing McCarthys communist subversion claims. Claiming Tydings was protecting communists, McCarthy took the then-almost unprecedented step of traveling to an incumbent Senators home state to campaign against him. Tydings, who had served in the Senate for 24 years, went down to a decisive defeat in November.

More: Joe McCarthy book draws parallels to Trump, provides new perspective on Wisconsin senator

McCarthys tough tactics rejuvenated Republicans in 1950 and their major gains in Congress that year set the stage for 1952, when they won the House, Senate, and Presidency. Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower so feared incurring McCarthys wrath that he excised a defense of his friend and mentor, former Secretary of State George Marshall, who McCarthy had slandered as making common cause with Stalin, from a Milwaukee campaign speech. That year, virtually every national Republican, including Eisenhower and vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon, was desperate to curry McCarthys favor. He was crude, rude, and a demagogue - but he was theirs.

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Senator Joseph McCarthy speaking at Shorewood auditorium. He had a list, he said. "I have a list," Joe McCarthy told an audience in Shorewood in 1952. His charges that Communists had infiltrated the US government inflamed the nation.

It wouldnt last. In 1954, during the nationally televised Army-McCarthy hearings, held in the wake of the Senators almost comically preposterous charges of communist subversion in the U.S. military, the hectoring, smear-mongering McCarthy revealed himself as the one thing Americans of all backgrounds and persuasions cannot stand: a bully.

Even before the hearings ended in June 1954, McCarthys poll favorability numbers had dropped to 35%; only a few months earlier, he enjoyed the support of one out of every two Americans. And it was clear to Republicans, most importantly President Eisenhower, that Joe McCarthy would no longer win for them.

The swiftness with which they dropped him was striking. Within a few months, with quiet assistance from the White House, a GOP-chaired Senate committee recommended McCarthy be censured for conduct unbecoming a senator. In December 1954 the full body voted to formally condemn him, with half the Republican delegation voting aye. By then, the 1954 midterm elections had cost the GOP control of Congress, thanks in large part to McCarthys myriad embarrassments. Afterwards, most of his Republican colleagues kept him at arms length, snubbing him in the senate dining room and emptying the floor when he made a speech. A humiliated and dispirited McCarthy passed away three years later.

Joe McCarthys demise offers some clues as to the possible trajectory of another Republican demagogue. Like McCarthy, Donald Trump attracted the initial support of many victory-starved Republicans who may have been privately uncomfortable with his public behavior but went along for the ride because, as he told them in 2016, were going to win so much youll get tired of winning.

But after that ride produced party defeats in 2018 and 2020, and only the most meager of House victories in 2022  with Trump-endorsed candidates losing eminently winnable Senate races in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada  Republicans find themselves in the same position they were with Joe McCarthy in 1954.

Jerald Podair

While the tawdry revelations of Trumps sexual misconduct in the E. Jean Carroll trial  a jury on Tuesday found him liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her a $5 million judgment  and his looming indictment for election interference in Georgia will certainly turn some Republicans against him, for most it will come down to the most important question in American politics. Can he win for me? The answer increasingly appears to be no. Trump will always have his unshakable core, but for the rest, it is, as Trump himself might say, transactional. Want to be my demagogue? Win.

Jerald Podair is emeritus professor of history at Lawrence University.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sen. Joe McCarthy's rise and fall has lessons for Donald Trump
E Jean Carroll has said that her court victory against Donald Trump was probably the happiest day of my life.

The writer and magazine journalist appeared on Good Morning America on ABC alongside her lead lawyer Roberta Kaplan on Wednesday, saying that she was shaken during the entire trial, calling the moment the verdict was handed down a wonderful, overwhelming moment.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan court found the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Ms Carroll, a former Elle advice columnist and SNL writer, was awarded $5m in damages.

Ms Carroll filed a lawsuit in November after her 2019 suit against Mr Trump ground to a halt in the courts.

The 79-year-old alleged that Mr Trump raped her in a fitting room at a Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s and subsequently defamed her when he made fun of her and rejected her claim last year.

Mr Trump also denied the claims while he was in the White House.

The jury in the civil trial didnt find Mr Trump liable for rape but did find him liable for sexual abuse.

Ms Carroll told ABC News that she didnt report the assault at the time as she was too ashamed and blamed herself.

In a social media post last year, Mr Trump referred to Ms Carrolls claim as a Hoax and a lie.

This woman is not my type! he said at the time.

Ms Carroll told ABC News that she only decided to come forward and tell what happened and thought that was enough.

And then he said terrible things about me. I was always shaken during the trial, she added. But I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it.

Ms Carrolls attorney Roberta Kaplan told ABC News that Mr Trump has no grounds to launch an appeal.

He has no appeal, she said, adding that the judge afforded Mr Trump multiple chances to come to that courtroom and testify.

Donald Trump, like all of us, is not above the law, she said.

Ms Carroll remembered holding her lawyers hand as the verdict was read.

It was this 5-foot-3, wily, female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable, Ms Carroll told ABC News. It was such a wonderful, overwhelming moment.

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Ms Carroll also appeared on CNN, saying that the old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported a woman whose life was supposed to fold up and shes never supposed to experience happiness again.

That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women, she added.

Speaking about her reaction to the jury not finding that Mr Trump raped her, she said: Well, I just immediately [said] in my own head, Oh, yes, he did. Oh yes, he did.

When she shook hands with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, she told him: He did it. And you know it.

Im really sort of taking in the moment and the overwhelming flood of a lot of hate thats part of it, she told CNN.

She added that she was feeling an overwhelming amount of relief and joy.

Theres a sort of a feeling of victory that, at last, somebody has held him accountable in a courtroom, Ms Carroll said.

Mr Trump took to Truth Social to vent his frustration about the case, writing that This Clinton appointed Judge, Lewis Kaplan, hated President Donald J. Trump more than is humanly possible.

He is a terrible person, completely biased, and should have RECUSED himself when asked to do so. He quickly refused! This case should never have been allowed to be tried in this completely partisan venue, perhaps the worst for me in the Nation! he added. The whole Rigged Hoax is yet another TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE, a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt of all time!!!

In a separate post, Mr Trump added that it is not possible to believe that this woman, who I do not know and have never met before (except on a crowded celebrity photo line), could be credible or convincing to a Judge & Jury.

In a string of 10 messages posted in a rant to the platform Truth Social on Tuesday, the most bizarre of the former presidents complaints was that the jury had not been told the name of Ms Carrolls cat, Vagina T. Fireball.

The partisan Judge & Jury on the just concluded Witch Hunt Trial should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for allowing such a travesty of Justice to take place. The Dress, which played such a big [role] early on as a threatening bluff, but which ended up being totally exculpatory, was not allowed into the trial as evidence. Nor was her cats name, Vagina, the racist name she called her Black husband, Ape, getting caught in a lie on the political operative paying for this Hoax, & much more! he wrote, also referencing an argument Ms Carroll wrote about in one of her books, in which she said she called her husband an ape.

As well as ranting about what the jury was not told, Mr Trump added: I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

Bevan Hurley contributed to this report
Longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll said she feels "fantastic" one day after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in her lawsuit against him.

"Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life," Carroll told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on "Good Morning America."

In a lawsuit filed last November, Carroll alleged that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when he mocked and dismissed her claim in 2022. Trump has denied all charges.

A jury in a New York City federal court on Tuesday ruled that Trump did not rape Carroll but did sexually abuse and defame her. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.

Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and "Saturday Night Live" writer, told ABC News that she didn't report the incident to police decades ago because she was "too ashamed" and "blamed herself."

PHOTO: Joe Tacopina, lawyer of former President Trump, makes closing arguments during a trial where E. Jean Carroll accuses Trump of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, and of defamation, May 8, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

MORE: Trump liable for battery, defamation in E. Jean Carroll suit

In a 2022 social media post, Trump called Carroll's allegations "a Hoax and a lie" and said, "This woman is not my type!"

"I only decided to come forward and tell what happened -- I thought that was enough," Carroll told ABC News. "And then he said terrible things about me."

Carroll recalled feeling "shaken" throughout the trial, especially during her three days of testimony. Trump chose not to take the stand.

"I was always shaken," she added. "But I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it."

MORE: Top 5 moments of E. Jean Carroll's defamation, battery case against Trump

PHOTO: E. Jean Carroll, right and her attorney Roberta Kaplan appear on 'Good Morning America,' May 10, 2023. (ABC News)

Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told ABC News that Trump has "absolutely zero" grounds for an appeal.

"He has no appeal," Kaplan said, noting that the judge gave Trump "multiple chances to come to that courtroom and testify."

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"Donald Trump, like all of us, is not above the law," she added.

Carroll recalled holding Kaplan's "ice cold" hand with anticipation when the jury read the verdict on Tuesday.

"It was this 5-foot-3, wily, female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable," she told ABC News. "It was such a wonderful, overwhelming moment."

ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

E. Jean Carroll talks court victory against Trump: 'I feel fantastic' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, left, leaves Manhattan federal court, Thursday, May 4, 2023, in New York. AP Photo/John Minchillo

E. Jean Carroll's lawyer said Donald Trump was "a witness against himself."

Roberta Kaplan added that Trump's decision to not testify in the trial helped their case.

A Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996.

Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer representing E. Jean Carroll in her rape trial against Donald Trump, said the former President was "basically a witness against himself" the morning after a jury found Trump liable of sexually abusing Carroll in 1996.

In a Wednesday morning interview with Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show, Guthrie asked Carroll and Kaplan whether Trump's decision not to testify in the trial, coupled with his bombshell deposition, helped their case against him.

"There's no question that both of those things helped our case," Kaplan said.

She added that the jury saw 11 witnesses brought to testify on behalf of their case, including Carroll herself, who took the stand for more than two days "under oath and told the truth."

"On the other hand," Kaplan continued, "He didn't even bother to show up and in his deposition, he made admissions where he was basically a witness against himself," referring to a moment in the deposition when Kaplan asked Trump about the infamous Access Hollywood tape that leaked in 2016.

"He answered, believe it or not, that 'unfortunately, or fortunately, men have been able to get away with abusing women for millions of years,'" Kaplan recalled Trump saying.

In his deposition, Trump's comment came after he said anyone who is a "star" can largely get away with grabbing women.

"If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said in the deposition. "Unfortunately or fortunately."

Joe Tacopina, Trump's lawyer in the case, declined to comment on Kaplan's statement except to say that Trump maintains his innocence and will be appealing.

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"This was a civil case, where the burden of proof is 51%, not a criminal case, and this jury still rejected her rape claim. Which is what she was claiming all along," Tacopina told Insider Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan jury unanimously found Trump liable of sexually abusing Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996. The jury also found that Trump defamed her by denying the story, which she told publicly in an article for New York Magazine in 2019.

Jurors took two-and-a-half hours to come to their decision, which Kaplan said was "lightning speed." The jury awarded Carroll $5 million total in damages.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 interior art

Scott Snyder's deal with IDW Publishing to bring out a series of new titles continues this May with Dark Spaces: Good Deeds, a new limited series presented by Snyder and written by Che Grayson (Batman: Urban Legends), with art by Kelsey Ramsay (Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, I Love Rock-n-Roll), and colors by Ronda Pattison (Dark Spaces: Wildfire) - and now we've got a fresh batch of interior pages to show off ahead of Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1's May 17 release:

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Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 interior art

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Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 interior art

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Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 interior art

First announced at SDCC in the summer of 2022, the details of Dark Spaces: Good Deeds were finally revealed earlier this year.

Good Deeds focuses on teen Cheyenne Rite as she moves to St. Augustine, Florida with her mother Rebecca. There they meet Jean McKnight, a journalist working on a piece about the city's upcoming 450th anniversary celebration.

But Jean's investigation will uncover supernatural secrets tied to the "sinister colonial past" of St. Augustine, with Cheyenne and Rebecca getting caught up in the mystery.

The most rewarding part of overseeing Dark Spaces is watching the ascendant talent of newcomers evolve from ideas into incredible new comic books, states Snyder. Che and Kelsey have crafted a pitch-perfect, soul-searing mystery in Good Deeds. Its the perfect story to expand the Dark Spaces line to visionary new creatorsand its only the first of more to come.

Dark Forces: Good Deeds #1 cover art

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

Dark Spaces is billed as an "anthology" line, in which each Dark Spaces limited series focuses on a different subject and characters. Snyder himself wrote the first series in the line, Dark Spaces: Wildfire, with new creative teams now expanding its overall world.

"Im incredibly excited to get this into the hands of horror fans who are searching for a story that will be scary and thought-provoking in equal measure," says Dark Spaces: Good Deeds writer Che Grayson.

"I've always been drawn to stories where flawed characters find themselves thrust in the middle of a mystery. But the only way they can uncover the truth of that mystery is if they face their own dark secrets. I hope that readers find Jeans journey really satisfying as she searches for meaning in the world and in her own life."

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Dark Forces: Good Deeds #1 cover art

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

"Its been such an effortless collaboration with this absolute powerhouse of a team," adds artist Kelsey Ramsay. "I am beyond excited for when Good Deeds reaches readers, and I can only hope our story spooks readers into loving it!"

In addition to a main cover by Ramsay and Pattison, Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 features variant covers from Elizabeth Beals (Star Trek: The Next GenerationTerra Incognita), Hayden Sherman (Dark Spaces: Wildfire), and Martin Morazzo (Ice Cream Man) with colors by Chris OHalloran.

Dark Forces: Good Deeds #1 cover art

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

"Scott and I are thrilled to see Che and Kelsey thriving in the Dark Spaces spotlight. They ran with the challenge of following Wildfire, and their work in Good Deeds exemplifies the vision for this line," states IDW Publishing senior editor Maggie Howell. "Its a razor-sharp and unsettling story told fearlessly by creators on the verge of becoming the industrys next household names. The mystery of Cheyenne and Jeans unusual partnership haunts every page, and we cant wait to share it with readers."

Read up on the best horror comics of all time.
Kentucky Derby entrant Angel of Empire works out at Churchill Downs on May 4 in Louisville, Ky. The 149th Kentucky Derby was May 6. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Horses started dying at Churchill Downs 10 days before the Kentucky Derby, and the death toll didnt cease until hours before the famous race began last Saturday. By the time the Derby began, seven horses would be dead.

Wild on Ice, the first to die, suffered an injury in training and was taken to an equine hospital where he was euthanized. A couple of days later, Parents Pride died on the track. Later the same day, Code of Kings flipped over in his paddock and broke his neck, seemingly freaked out by lights at a nearby DJs booth. The horse was put down. Take Charge Briana collapsed during a race and had to be euthanized. Chasing Artie collapsed after finishing a race. Chloes Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, suffered a right-knee fracture in a race earlier in the day before the Derby. Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, suffered a sesamoid bone fracture during another race before the Derby. Both horses were euthanized.

Along the way, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Churchill Downs suspended Saffie Joseph Jr., the trainer of two of the horses, while the deaths were being investigated. The Derby was run without incident.

Even with veterinarians scrutinizing horses and pulling five from the Derby lineup out of concern for their health, this kind of carnage has become the seemingly unavoidable byproduct of horse racing. And not just at the most famous track in the country but also periodically at racetracks across the U.S. A spate of deaths at Santa Anita Park in Los Angeles County left more than three dozen horses dead in a racing season that ran from the end of December 2018 through November 2019. Stricter protocols on drug usage and closer monitoring of horses at that track have lessened the casualties.

Churchill Downs released the obligatory statement of sadness and a pledge to do better: The equine fatalities leading to this years Kentucky Derby are a sobering reminder of the urgent need to mobilize our industry in order to explore every avenue possible and effectively minimize any avoidable risk in the sport.

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They could start with routine low-radiation CT imaging of horses ankles within 24 hours of a race. That would be a real game changer, says Kathy Guillermo, an official with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who has worked for years on horse racing reform and consulted with officials at Santa Anita. (Most tracks do scanning only when a veterinarian suspects there might be a problem. But horses can't tell you when they hurt, and sometimes they don't show you.) She also advocates for synthetic racetracks, which she says are safer for horses.

Horse racing overall needs to be accountable to the new national standards passed by Congress in 2020. The federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act survived several court challenges. The legislation created the nonprofit Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which will set rules on protection of horses including the use of drugs and whips. Rules could go into effect as soon as this month.

We should not accept a sport that, even when its officials and participants say they are trying to do better, routinely allows horses to die. Thats not a sport that any of us should want to endorse.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A son of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and three other members of the Sinaloa cartel have been sanctioned by the U.S. government, officials announced Tuesday.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 36, is one of El Chapo's 12 children and the fourth member of Los Chapitos, the nickname given to the sons of El Chapo who allegedly run a powerful faction of his drug empire.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez / Credit: U.S. Treasury Department

On Tuesday, he was marked as "designated" by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). A person or entity listed as "designated" has their assets blocked, and U.S. persons are "generally prohibited from dealing with them," OFAC says. People who deal with them may face sanctions themselves.

The other three sanctioned members of the cartel include Raymundo Perez Uribe, Saul Paez Lopez and Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano. Uribe allegedly leads a supplier network used by the cartel to obtain chemicals used to make drugs; Lopez is allegedly involved in coordinating drug shipments for members of Los Chapitos; and Sedano allegedly purchases chemicals used to make drugs and operates illegal laboratories on the behalf of the cartel.

A Mexican company, Sumilab, S.A. de C.V., was also designated by OFAC, for its "involvement in providing and shipping precursor chemicals for and to" cartel members and associates.

All four individuals and the company were designated for "having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production."

"Today's action continues to disrupt key nodes of the global illicit fentanyl enterprise, including the producers, suppliers, and transporters," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in the OFAC news release. "Treasury, in close coordination with the Government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to leverage our authorities to isolate and disrupt Los Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel's operations at every juncture."

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These are not the first charges faced by Lopez, who works closely with Los Chapitos and has responsibilities including "overseeing many aspects of the Los Chapitos drug trafficking empire," OFAC said.

Lopez was first indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in 2018 and has multiple charges since then. The other three members of Los Chapitos have also been indicted on U.S. federal drug trafficking charges in one or more jurisdictions. Last month, three members of Los Chapitos were hit with multiple charges in the U.S., including fentanyl trafficking, weapons trafficking, money laundering and witness retaliation. They have denied the charges.

The Sinoloa cartel is responsible for a significant portion of illicit fentanyl trafficked into the United States, and has operated since the 1980s. The organization increased its power and influence in the early 2000s, and has since become one of the largest drug trafficking operations in Mexico, OFAC said. The cartel also traffics heroin and methamphetamine in multi-ton quantities, the agency said.

El Chapo, the Sinaloa cartel's founder, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons-related offenses.

In January, El Chapo sent an "SOS" message to Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, alleging that he has been subjected to "psychological torment" in prison.

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Kentuckys primary election Tuesday will set the stage for one of three gubernatorial races in the nation this year.

Louisiana and Mississippi join the Bluegrass State in holding 2023 races for governor, and Republican candidates and outside groups in Kentucky have spent nearly $6 million on ads alone.

Twelve GOP candidates will appear on the ballot for the Republican nomination for governor, while three candidates, including incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear, are on the Democratic Party ballot.

While the gubernatorial nominations have drawn attention, several other important statewide races will be appear down ballot, including secretary of state, state treasurer and more.

In preparation for you to cast your ballot May 16, weve rounded up some important information for voters statewide, including who is eligible to participate this election cycle.

Who can vote in the 2023 primary election in Kentucky?

Kentuckians who were registered to vote by the April 17 deadline can participate. That said, Kentucky is a closed primary state, meaning you must be registered with the party in question to vote that partys primary ballot.

The deadline to change your party registration was Dec. 31, 2022.

If you are not registered with a major party, you still may be able to vote depending on the races in your area.

Do I need a photo ID to vote in Kentucky?

Yes, Kentucky has required voter identification since 2020. Your ID must have your name and photo, and it can be expired, if thats what you have.

A drivers license is a common and acceptable form of ID. Other acceptable forms include:

An ID issued by the commonwealth or federal government, including the U.S. Department of Defense

An ID issued by a college or university, postgraduate or professional school.

An ID issue by any government entity in the state.

If you do not have an ID, you may still be able to cast your ballot using a voter affirmation form.

How do I check my registration status and party affiliation?

You can visit govote.ky.gov to find statewide election information, including and Kentucky State Board of Elections tool to research your registration status.

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Some county clerks offices also offer a voter lookup tool.

Can 17-year-olds participate in Kentuckys primary?

In some cases, yes. If you are 17 years old and will be 18 in time for the Tuesday, Nov. 7 general election, you can vote in the primary election.

Can I vote if I am not registered?

Kentucky does not offer same-day registration. If you visit the polls and find issues with your registration, speak with a poll worker about your options.

The state does conduct list maintenance, which includes purging voter rolls of individuals who may have moved away, died, been convicted of a felony, etc. The state does not remove voters for not participating or inactivity in election cycles.

Can I still vote absentee in the election?

Not unless you are returning a pre-requested mail-in ballot or a have medical emergency.

The states no-excuse-needed early voting period wrapped up Saturday, and excused, in-person voting at county clerks offices closed May 10.

If you have a mail-in ballot, you have until 6 p.m. local time May 16 to return it to you clerks office. They can be hand-delivered into a secure drop box in your county.

How to find your sample ballot, candidate information for Kentuckys May 16 primary

Under Kentucky law, those who experience a medical emergency can submit a notarized request for an absentee ballot from their county clerk through Election Day.

Do you have a question about the 2023 election in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
China's services trade sustains growth in Q1, travel services surge

Xinhua) 08:11, May 10, 2023

Tourists enjoy the night view of the ancient Bell Tower in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 2, 2023. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's services trade sustained a sound growth momentum in the first quarter (Q1), with travel services seeing visible recovery, official data showed Tuesday.

The country's services trade totaled 1.58 trillion yuan (about 228.14 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, up 8.7 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Services imports stood at over 903.5 billion yuan, rising 21.6 percent from a year ago, while exports shrank 4.7 percent year on year to 680.51 billion yuan in the reporting period, resulting in a deficit of 222.99 billion yuan.

Travel services reported a notable recovery in Q1, as trade in the sector surged 56.6 percent from a year earlier to about 337.63 billion yuan.

Trade in knowledge-intensive services raked in nearly 694.7 billion yuan in Q1, up 12.8 percent year on year, the data showed.

Knowledge-intensive services exports gained 18.7 percent to 415.57 billion yuan, driven by the rapid growth of insurance services, according to the ministry.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
China's law enforcement officials have recovered and saved 530 time-honored and uncommon woody plants since a campaign was launched in September last year against the trafficking of ancient and rare trees.

Public security agencies have investigated and solved 135 criminal cases, leading to the arrest of more than 360 suspects for cases involving illegal logging, destruction, purchase, transportation, processing, and sale of ancient trees and rare trees, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry co-launched the operation along with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Twitter, SpaceX, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's flirtation with the alt-right might have just leveled up into full-on conspiracy-mongering.

On Saturday, a shooter  since identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia  opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. Eight mall-goers were killed, while another seven were wounded; the youngest slain victims of the horrific attack were 11, eight, and three years old. Garcia, who used a legally-purchased AR-15 to commit the heinous crime, had been discharged from the military over mental health concerns back in 2008.

Though he was killed by police during the violent rampage, a grotesque portrait of Garcia's motives behind the killings gradually became clear in the aftermath.

As revealed on Twitter in a series of screenshots taken by Bellingcat investigator Aric Toler, who discovered the shooter's OK.RU page  a Russian social media account that functioned more like a violent personal diary  Garcia was a raging neo-Nazi and white supremacist who consistently praised Hitler and fascist ideology, loved Timcast, gamified mass violence, posted Zodiac Killer-like riddles for law enforcement and, oh yeah, had massive SS and swastika tattoos.

Also revealed by Toler, Garcia wrote at one point that women had no right to protection from rape, posted photos of the tactical vest that he was shot in  which notably featured a patch with the letters "RWDS," an acronym that investigators believe refers to the white supremacist Right Wing Death Squad hate group  and, in a particularly harrowing turn, Garcia had even posted reconnaissance photos of the Allen outlet mall just three weeks before the shooting occurred.

It's incredibly damning evidence, but billionaire Elon Musk, whose personal war against what he sees as the woke left is seemingly just getting started, apparently isn't buying it. He's being vocal about his suspicions, openly engaging with conspiratorial tweets from alt-right activists and influencers questioning Garcia's motivations.

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"Trans terrorist attacks a Christian school and writes a manifesto 6+ weeks later: No motive," tweeted the alt-right account End Wokeness. "Hispanic male shoots up a mall and kills several white people 1 day later: White supremacy."

Musk, ever the reply guy, responded to End Wokeness' tweet with a conspiratorial: "odd."

Of course, the End Wokeness tweet is a wildly flat take on the complexities behind race and identity. After all, the shooter had even posted a meme on his OK.RU diary that explained why he, as a Latino man, had taken the neo-Nazi road to white supremacy, writing that he would "take his risks" with the ideology to forsake what he saw as the only alternative for a young Latino, which was to "act black." As it should go without saying, Garcia's logic is as broken as it is deeply, violently racist, and his actions painfully illustrate just how far internalized racism-fueled extremism can go.

And yet Musk, along with his alt-right pals, is seemingly incapable of viewing nuance about race and identity as anything other than a cartoonish "woke mind virus."

Elsewhere, Musk and others expressed ambivalence regarding whether the account in question actually belonged to Garcia, mostly due to the fact that OK.RU is a Russian website.

"How do we know that was actually his social media account?" tweeted Musk, in response to a tweet from online activist Brian Krassenstein that urged netizens to be careful about jumping to conclusions about the shooter's identity and motives. (In that tweet, Krassenstein had used the example of antisemitic Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green's rush to use Garcia's violence as a means of stirring the xenophobia pot ahead of the Title 42 expiration.)

"Seems very odd that he would have a Russian social media account," Musk added, "when he doesn't speak Russian."

But there's a pretty simple answer to that question: this guy was a neo-Nazi, and OK.RU has virtually zero content moderation rules. His posts were graphic, violent, and full of hateful ideology; it would make sense that he would gravitate towards a site where the bar for moderation is in the basement.

https://twitter.com/AricToler/status/1655954771533082629

Others echoed Musk's skepticism, inexplicably throwing in additional concern regarding the shooter's apparent taste for the media like Timcast and the inflammatory Twitter account Libs of Tiktok.

"The alleged shooter's alleged profile claims that he was inspired by Libs of TikTok," tweeted Ian Miles Cheong, who's seemingly cemented himself as one of the main ringleaders of the newfound "man with Nazi tattoos can't possibly be a Nazi" squad. "Between this and the Tim Pool references, this thing is suspect. Where is his Twitter account? Why was he using a Russian social media site to write was essentially a diary to zero followers?"

"It's a Psyop and it's not even good," added Timcast contributor Josie "The Redheaded Libertarian" Glasbach, to whom Musk responded with another approving: "odd." (And that wasn't the only conspiratorial Glasbach tweet that Musk responded to yesterday.)

Some folks are also trying to raise suspicion regarding the timeline behind Garcia's tattoos, arguing that it's strange that an unstable person might get a massive swastika tattoo before committing a heinous act of mass violence. Of course, others might make the case that if someone is unstable and wants to do a violent thing, getting a swastika tattoo in the run-up makes, uh, a lot of sense?

"Often when you are looking at someone's digital footprint, it's tough to figure out motivations and a confirmation of identity," Toler tweeted earlier today, in direct response to Musk's flawed questioning. "I've looked for hours before to match up lamps and ceiling fans between photos."

"But this," Toler continued, "is easily the most open-and-shut case I've seen in my life."

Musk has continued to defend his skepticism today, writing in yet another response to Glasbach's psyop claims that "this is either the weirdest story ever or a very bad psyop!"

But again, it's not. Sure, there are some racial complexities at play, but the guy consumed a lot of inflammatory content, glorified mass violence, and  can't say it enough  had Nazi tattoos. Garcia's race isn't a loose thread, ready to unravel a deep state-woven tapestry; it's an informing piece of one extremist's warped worldview. And Musk, concerningly, is far more interested in entertaining destructive conspiracies than he is in giving any consideration to the latter.

More on Elon Musk's relationship to truth: Tesla Lawyers Say Elon Musk's Claims over Self-driving Safety Might Just Be Deepfakes
Elon Musk has a suggestion for former anchor Don Lemon now that hes out at CNN: Start a new show on Twitter.

Musk, the eccentric billionaire who purchased the social media platform last year, replied to a weeks-old tweet from Lemon on Tuesday urging him to serve as a content creator on Twitter.

Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger, Musk replied to an April 24 tweet from Lemon announcing to his 1.4 million followers he had been fired by CNN.

Musks message to Lemon comes a day after Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, announced his intention to launch a new version of the popular prime-time show he helmed at that network, on Twitter.

Lemon and Carlson were ousted from their respective networks on the same day.

Carlson did not give many specifics about what users can expect from his new program but praised the platform during a video message Tuesday. He called Twitter the place where our national conversation has long incubated and developed.

Musk, however, responded to the news Tuesday by claiming he had not signed a deal with Carlson.

I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever, he tweeted. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators.

The Twitter CEO has come under criticism from Democrats and media watchdogs for his recent rollback of the platforms content moderation policies and some of his own posts about conspiracy theories.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A 30-year-old EMT missing in Ohio is believed to be in danger, according to the Cleveland Division of Police.

Lachelle Jordan was last seen Saturday, May 6, and she was reported missing the following day by family members, police said. She was wearing an East Cleveland Fire Department sweatshirt when she went missing.

She went to her vehicle to get something out of her vehicle and never came back inside, left all her clothes, left all of her belongings, Mark Barrett, president of the Cleveland EMS union, told WOIO. She has a twin sister that she didnt notify. This certainly wasnt planned. Something happened, shes missing.

Police said Jordan was scheduled to attend a court case on Monday in Cleveland, WJW reported.

She was expected to testify in a case involving 65-year-old Michael Stennett, who is accused of rape, according to WOIO. Stennett was arrested again Monday after police said he violated a protection order, the station reported.

Stennett is accused of stalking Jordan in the months leading up to her disappearing, according to WEWS. He would show up outside Jordans home, WEWS reported, and he followed her in his vehicle while she was working.

Cleveland police told WOIO that its unclear if he is involved in Jordans disappearance.

We couldnt protect her when our job is taking care and protecting the public, Barrett told WEWS.

Dave Jockers, vice president of the Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees, said Jordan was scared about the stalking, which led to her being transferred within the department.

Were here for her; we want to do everything we can for her, Jockers told WKYC. We know this is a top priority for the police department and we want to do everything we can to get her home safe.

Jordan is reportedly described as being 5 feet, 2 inches, 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cleveland police at 216-621-1234.

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A Shasta County man who escaped from a California prison inmate firefighting crew has been caught and arrested in Arizona, officials said Tuesday.

Casey J. Lyons, 30, had been missing since April 7, when he "walked away" from the Prado Conservation Camp near Chino, in San Bernardino County, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Law enforcement officials found Lyons in Bullhead City, Arizona on Monday, officials said. CDCR officials said they will refer his case to the San Bernardino County District attorney's office for possible charges for allegedly escaping.

Casey J. Lyons

Lyons was sentenced to five years in prison from Shasta County in August 2019 for second-degree robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, state officials said.

He was paroled in June 2021, but was then sent back to prison in July 2022 from Lassen County for a two year, eight-month term for illegally possessing ammunition.

Shasta County Superior Court records dating back to 2011 indicate that Lyons has been convicted of several felony counts, including robbery, resisting arrest, assault and violating probation.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Escaped inmate from Shasta County captured after escape from work camp
In Charlotte, were here for the drinks, friends. This food-and-beverage focused city, which loves  and loves to hate  its growing number of breweries, is increasingly becoming a cocktail town, as well. (Fun fact: Even a good number of breweries have cocktails now, too, along with cafes and markets.)

A glance at the cocktail menus in Charlottes bars and restaurants show a few trends: Bourbon drinks. Espresso martinis. Low ABV drinks and mocktails. But we wanted to talk to the folks in the know  some of Charlottes top mixologists  to go deeper and explore whats pushing the proliferation of these drinks.

People should recognize that these are waves, not something thats permanent, Charlotte mixologist Justin Hazelton told CharlotteFive.

Award-winning mixologist Justin Hazelton sees beyond trends in the cocktail scene. The antithesis of a trend is a classic cocktail. Peter Taylor/Peter Taylor

Hazelton, who works in beverage consulting, sees cycles and notes that when people first get interested in exploring cocktails, they want to get deeper than vodka sodas and get into the classics, such as Old Fashioneds. Next, they become interested in more innovative beverages and variations on those classics, he said.

Were going back to the foundations again, Hazelton said. Trends can go up and down, but the classics are classics for a reason.

The Sincerely Crave is Craves version of an Old Fashioned, a popular drink showing up in Charlottes cocktail trends. Crave

With that said, heres a look at 2023 cocktail trends in Charlotte:

Bourbon drinks/Old Fashioneds

The continued rise of cocktail culture has brought along a national spike in bourbon sales, industry analyst BevAlc Insights noted in its 2023 bourbon forecast, declaring it Americas spirit. And the trend holds up in Charlotte.

Built On Hospitality beverage director Bob Peters told CharlotteFive, Bourbon is just a massive wave right now. To me, bourbon has always been king. But during the 90s and early 2000s, flavored vodka took over everything, and people forgot how cool bourbon is. Now, everyone has remembered how interesting and beautiful bourbon actually is.

Charlotte mixologist Bob Peters has created cocktail menus for several restaurants. Robert Lahser/rlahser@charlotteobserver.com

True to form, youll find bourbon drinks all over Charlotte cocktail menus, with creations like the Bourbon Bramble at the Crunkleton, featuring high proof bourbon, orange blossom, Marasca cherry paste and fresh squeezed lemon ($15), and the Not Your Average Vice at Billy Sunday Charlotte ($13), which mixes bourbon, cinnamon, pineapple, lime and fresh strawberries.

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[RELATED: Did you make the cocktail of the year in 2022? Its not too late!]

Especially common are smoked Old Fashioneds and other variations that riff off the drink, with versions at bars and restaurants including Crave Dessert Bars Sincerely Crave ($20), which includes 100+ proof bourbon and hickory smoke, and Dot Dot Dots Hot Box ($20), made with Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon, Islay Scotch, sweet vermouth, chili bitters and pecan wood smoke.

Dot Dot Dots Hot Box. Dot Dot Dot

Highlighting the popularity of Old Fashioneds, CharlotteFive writer DeAnna Taylor even recently featured Hazeltons Honey Old Fashioned in Ebony, bringing national attention to the Queen City  and the cocktail.

Espresso martinis

Another late 90s, 2000s-era throwback is the espresso martini, said Peters, who recently revamped the cocktail menus at The Goodyear House and Old Town Kitchen & Cocktails in his new role as Built Ons beverage director. Previously, he worked on the new cocktail menu at The Peoples Market, as well as the beverage program at Yunta and Broken Promises.

People are just going nuts over that, Peters said. Its interesting to see how people are taking that and putting their own spin on that it can be and using things other than vodka in it. We actually did one here with tequila. Its actually insanely delicious together  all the depth of flavors you get together.

A cinnamon-topped espresso martini at Salted Melon. The Plaid Penguin

Nate Robbins of Duckworths expressed a similar sentiment. I know one thing  espresso martinis seem to be crazy right now.

Kayleigh Williams-Brown, the bar manager at Leah & Louise explained it like this: You know, everyone is addicted to caffeine ... Coffee meets vodka  for some people, thats a really big win.

Salted Melon even recently offered an espresso martini bar, where guests could choose their own spirits, flavor profiles such as sea salt caramel and white mocha, and toppings.

The drink is so popular that there are spinoffs floating around, too. A new take on an espresso martini is available at Link & Pin, Duckworths sister restaurant. Its Tiramasu Martini is made with Social House Vodka, Cruzan Single Barrel, Amaro Averna, Amaro Nonino, Frangelico, Kahlua, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Bitters and Nitro Cold Brew Coffee ($14).

Foam

Foam is also back on the drink scene and really trending, Williams-Brown said. Some people call them airs on their cocktails.

In fact, Punch  a publication dedicated to drinks and drinking culture  declared that foam is staging an unironic comeback at high-concept bars everywhere.

Foam provides the designer of the cocktail a way to highlight an ingredient without making it super strong, Kate Gerwin, a finalist on the Netflix show Drink Masters, told Punch.

At Leah & Louise, Williams-Brown concocted a recent negroni riff called The Beautiful Girls ($14) that includes foam. That ones a twist on the Kingston Negroni, topped with a citrus foam, she said. It really changes the build of any classic cocktail.

Kayleigh Williams-Browns The Beautiful Girls cocktail at Leah & Louise includes Mt. Gay Eclipse rum, Satsuma-infused Campari, Antica sweet vermouth and salted citrus foam. Jonathan Cooper

Youll also find the technique at The Royal Tot, where the Cursed Idol includes Hornitos Reposado Tequila, house-made allspice dram, passion fruit, lime and cinnamon, along with chili lime sea foam ($16).

Low ABV/ Mocktails

Across the city, non-alcoholic mocktails and low ABV beverages are becoming fairly prevalent on cocktail menus. The trend is so deep-rooted that Charlotte now has one alcohol-free bar and another on the way.

Sugar Lounge offers pastries and coffee in the morning and hookah and events at night. The Roaring Social, now operating as a pop-up, is looking for a space to open with the same model  minus the smoke.

Some the Roaring Socials non-alcoholic drinks contain adaptagins, which are plant-based mood boosters, along with Delta 8 THC. Moving Mountains

Alcohol is such an ingrained part of our society  Im trying to change that without being preachy  and change the narrative, The Roaring Social owner Casey Dolan told CharlotteFive.

Another new business looking to change the norm is Restaurant Constance, whose chef/owner Sam Diminich has been sober for nearly a decade. The restaurant has created an entire menu of non-alcoholic beverages to pair with its seasonal food.

Many non-alcoholic beverage programs include beverages that mimic alcohol, like spirit-free bourbon or NA Lager. We arent doing that, because we want to create our own language with our NA program  stimulate our guests with beverages that are complex, just as the wines we pour  and also potentially make an impact on somebody in a restaurant environment who is privately questioning their relationship with alcohol. We want to be their safety net, he said.

Try the Thai Fighter with blistered Shishito peppers, yuzu, Thai chili and Thai sparkling water ($12.50), or The Rocker with peach consume and coconut milk ($6).

Charlotte, North Carolina - January 03, 2023 : Preview of dishes from Chef Sam Diminich and Restaurant Constance. Photographed by Peter Taylor in Charlotte, NC. January 03, 2023. A lineup of non-alcoholic drinks from chef/owner Sam Diminich's Restaurant Constance./Peter Taylor

Hazelton noted that creating such drinks isnt an easy endeavor. I think it takes more more skill than people think to make a mocktail, he said.

Mocktails also redefine what it means to make a good beverage thats created with intent, creativity and good flavor, he added. We can mix both of those movements together. Maybe they dont want cocktails as big  maybe a smaller cocktail, smaller glasswear  and not get as drunk.

Local ingredients and sustainability

Locally sourcing food has become a regular feature of Charlottes restaurants in the past few years, along with other moves toward sustainability. Now, that movement is including beverages, as well.

At Leah & Louise, Williams-Brown works with the kitchen team to keep sustainability in focus. She shares fruits and vegetables so nothing goes to waste  and she particularly teams up with the pastry chef.

Kaleigh Williams-Brown, bar manager at Leah & Louise, works together with the kitchen staff to share seasonal ingredients so nothing goes to waste. Jonathan Cooper

For example, when strawberries are in season, theyre on the restaurants Arthur Lu dessert and the bar offers a strawberry cordial, and when a rosewater baklava was coming out of the kitchen, a rosewater cocktail was on the drink menu.

Peters said North Carolina distilleries  and the local use of their products  are growing in the citys cocktail scene, too.

Oaklore Distillery in Matthews has gotten in on the trend. Its North Carolina Straight Rye includes grains sourced from North Carolina farms, as does Southern Distilling Co. The Statesville distillery even shares its spent grain with Iredell County farmers to feed livestock.

We have way more distilleries than people have any idea about  well over 70 in North Carolina, Peters said. Typically, distilleries use lots of local agriculture, so notably when you buy local, are you supporting the distillery but also the agriculture. Its great for sustainability and the supply chain, as well.
A screenshot of Etsy's wedding registry service, which launched Wednesday. Etsy

Etsy launched a wedding registry service Wednesday.

According to the company, searches for handmade gifts are up over 870% from the same period last year.

The move comes as some stores roll back wedding registry services and on the heels of Bed Bath & Beyond's bankruptcy.

Online retailer Etsy launched a wedding registry service on Wednesday, coming on the heels of the recent bankruptcy and liquidation of Bed Bath & Beyond stores, a historically popular destination for registries.

Etsy's trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson wrote in a blog post that the site has seen searches for "handmade gifts" increase 872% over the last three months compared to the same time last year. Isom Johnson said the company views the trend as an indication that people are looking for more personal touches over "mass-produced gifts."

"In addition to handmade and vintage, couples can also register for personalized items and specify the exact customization for their guests, making Etsy a one-stop-shop for gifts, wedding decor, and even bridal party items  all while supporting small businesses," Isom Johnson wrote.

In conjunction with the launch of the registry service, Etsy published several blog posts outlining popular wedding trends and gift ideas. The e-commerce company also partnered with Antoni Porowski of the popular Netflix series "Queer Eye," who created a registry with his fiance with their top choices for wedding gifts.

The process of buying and selling will be largely the same as normal on Etsy, but orders will be sent with a special badge so sellers know it came from a registry, according to The Verge.

Personalized wedding and bridal gifts have long been popular on Etsy and frequently showcased in gift guides. Registries have also shifted in recent years to live entirely online, and couples have increasingly opted to include items like personalized gifts and donations to honeymoons or home purchases in recent years.

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Etsy could also join stores like Amazon and Target, which look to capitalize on the bankruptcy of Bed Bath & Beyond, as the retailer still had about 30% of the wedding registry market as of last year.

Other recent retail closures, restructurings, and bankruptcy filings from companies like JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, Barneys, and Neiman Marcus have also impacted the registry market, retail expert Burt Flickinger told CNN.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobaData Retail, told CNN the program could also be instrumental in helping Etsy boost stagnating revenue growth.

"It is a sensible move because Etsy's growth, while good, has slowed a little," Saunders said. "With this new venture, Etsy would hope to generate incremental revenue and introduce the platform to new customers. Some wedding guests might not have used Etsy and they could turn into a new, long-term customer."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Dancers Angelina Oleschuck and Josh Carslin opened the first Eurovision semi-final in Liverpool

A boy and girl representing the UK's close ties with Ukraine have spoken of their joy after dancing on stage to open the first Eurovision semi-final.

At a packed Liverpool Arena on Tuesday evening, 10 acts were chosen to go through to Saturday's grand final.

Josh Carslin, 10, said it was "amazing" to appear with 11-year-old Angelina Oleschuck, who is half-Ukrainian.

Angelina said while she was "was kind of nervous... it's just so honouring that I get to represent Ukraine".

The schoolgirl, who lives in Dudley in the West Midlands, said she felt "so welcomed" and that people in Ukraine, "even if they are in a war, they'll get that sense of hope that someone is out there to represent them".

She added: "I was kind of nervous but I could see that the crowd had a real good atmosphere and they were just really nice."

Josh, from Lydiate in Sefton, Merseyside, said: "The crowd, the atmosphere, it was just brilliant.

"You feel like you're holding your breath the entire time... it just feels so surreal.

He said "so many people" had already seen a video, released by Eurovision on social media, featuring him and Angelina.

"Now I'm going to be getting even more likes," he joked. "Superstar coming through!"

The pair were chosen after sending in self-filmed audition videos.

Josh, who likes street dance, said he was surprised to be picked because the dancing "wasn't my style at all".

But after all the glamour of the night, it is very much back to normality.

"I've got my SATs," Josh said.

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The first church owned by Ukrainian Catholics in the UK has been given listed status ahead of Eurovision.

Liverpool has begun its hosting of the contest after the UK offered to host on behalf of 2022's winners Ukraine.

To mark the event, Salford's Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mary Mother of God and other sites in Northern England have been listed.

Historic England's (HE) Duncan Wilson said it was a chance to "celebrate Ukrainian heritage" in the UK.

Mr Wilson, the organisation's chief executive, said it was "turning the spotlight on special places which help tell the story of Ukrainian life and traditions".

HE said people from Ukraine had had "a powerful connection to... in the north of England for over a century", with the first recorded population settling in Manchester in the late 19th and early 20th Century.

Ukrainian Catholic priest Reverend Dr Taras Khomych, who is also senior lecturer in theology at Liverpool Hope University, said highlighting the stories of Ukrainian communities in the North was "a wonderful way of supporting our heritage at a time when, once again, it is under threat in Ukraine".

"This is welcome recognition of the role that culture and traditions play in safe-guarding our way of life," he added.

An HE representative said the now-Grade II listed church in Salford, which opened in the late 19th Century as the Sunday school for the nearby Congregational Church, was bought by the Ukrainian community in 1954 to "create their first permanent home in the North".

They said it was "converted by adding traditional features", including an iconostasis, a brightly coloured, highly ornate screen of icons, and "was designated as the 'mother church' - or Sobor - when it was consecrated".

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul and All Saints in Northmoor, Oldham, has also been listed at Grade II.

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The HE representative said the former late Victorian Anglican church, which was adopted in 1987, was a "fantastic blend of English and Ukrainian religious traditions".

"It looks like a traditional Anglican Church, with a soaring-gothic design, beautifully detailed architecture and stained-glass windows [but] important features have been added to adapt the church for its new congregation," they said.

These include an "elaborate" baldacchino, a metal canopy over the altar, and an iconostasis.

The Ukrainian Community Memorial in North Bierley Municipal Cemetery, Bradford, has also been listed, while the listings for Manchester's Roman Catholic Church of St Chad, the Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church and Ukrainian Catholic Church of The Most Holy Trinity & Our Lady of Pochaiv in Bradford and Huddersfield's Edgerton Hill Ukrainian Community Centre have been updated to reflect their Ukrainian history.

Mr Wilson said culture and customs were "vital to national identity" and the places listed were "established as safe spaces, over decades, by people who wanted to keep Ukraine in their hearts and their heritage alive".

"They show the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukrainian communities and their dedication to protecting their language, beliefs, and way of life," he added.

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said as excitement was growing for Eurovision, the government wanted "to recognise and celebrate how the people of Ukraine have helped shape our nation over many generations".

"These sites... are important for Ukrainians at home and in the UK," he said.

"Granting them listed status means they can be cherished and protected for years to come."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Empty classroom Yellow Dog Productions / Getty Images

Even staunch Republicans are getting tired of a Colorado school district's new conservative board, according to NBC News.

One Republican parent told NBC News the board is sacrificing students' education to serve its agenda.

Nearly 40% of the district's high school teachers have said they won't be returning next year.

A conservative board took over a small Colorado school district in 2021. But the board has been infuriating locals  and even fellow Republicans are fed up with the board's controversial policies, according to a new report from NBC News.

After winning control of the Woodland Park, Colorado, school district a year and a half ago, the new conservative board has implemented policies that have stirred up teachers, students, and parents.

One of the board's most contentious decisions was its adoption of the American Birthright social studies standard. The conservative curriculum  created by a right-wing advocacy group  emphasizes patriotism, discourages civic engagement, and downplays the role of race and racism in American history.

The district's new board-elected superintendent has also scoffed at the need for mental health services for students, and chosen not to renew the contracts of many of the district's social workers and counselors, NBC News reported.

Nearly a third of the district's teachers left after the new board took control, according to Colorado Public Radio. And almost 40% of the high school teachers in the district have chosen not to return next year, a district administrator told NBC News.

"I think they look at us as this petri dish where they can really push all their agenda and theories," one parent, Joe Dohrn, who described himself as a "staunch Republican," told NBC News.

"They clearly are willing to sacrifice the public school and to put students presently in the public school through years of disarray to drive home their ideological beliefs. It's a travesty."

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Another conservative parent, Craig Johnson, who described himself as "pro-life" and "gun-loving," told NBC News he pulled three of his kids from the district over the board's stance that mental health should be dealt with at home, not at school.

"There are lots of kids for whom home is a problem place, unfortunately," Johnson told NBC News. "So don't tell me mental health starts at home when we have examples of parents murdering at home."

School board elections were a hot-button issue in 2021, when conservative slates  buoyed by rhetoric against "critical race theory"  swept into power in numerous states, including Colorado. Many of the races were backed by a conservative political action committee, Insider previously reported

Read the original article on Insider
Google showed off its text-to-image generator along with music from Dan Deacon at Google I/O 2023



Music artist Dan Deacon constantly joked about a duck with lips before the start of Google I/O 2023. His performance included AI-generated content from Googles new text-to-video models.

Before Googles latest I/O event could even begin, the tech giant was already trying to stake a claim for its new AI. As music artist Dan Deacon played trippy, chip tune-esque electronic vocals to the gathered crowd, the company displayed the work of its latest text-to-video AI model with a psychedelic slideshow featuring, people in office settings, a trip through space, and mutating ducks surrounded by mumbling lips.

The spectacle was all to show that Google is bringing out the big guns for 2023, taking its biggest swing yet in the ongoing AI fight. At Google I/O, the company displayed a host of new internal and public-facing AI deployments. CEO Sundar Pichai said the company wanted to make AI helpful for everyone.

Read more

What this really means issimplyGoogle plans to stick some form of AI into an increasing number of user-facing software products and apps on its docket.

Googles sequel to its language model, called PaLM 2

Google says it has multiple scaled versions of its LLM, from Gecko-sized all the way up to Unicorn.

Google unveiled its latest large language model thats supposed to kick its AI chatbots and other text-based services into high gear. The company said this new LLM is trained on more than 100 languages and has strong coding, mathematics, and creative writing capabilities.

The company said there are four different versions of PaLM, with the smallest Gecko version small enough to work on mobile devices. Pichai showed off one example where a user asked PaLM 2 to give comments on a line of code to another developer while translating it into Korean. PaLM will be available in a preview sometime later this year.

PaLM 2 is a continuation of 2022s PaLM and Marchs PaLM-E multimodal model already released earlier this year. In addition, its limited medical-based LLM caled Med-PaLM 2 is supposed to accurately answer medical questions. Google claimed this system achieved 85% accuracy on the US Medical Licensing Examination. Though theres still enormous ethical questions to work out with AI in the medical field, Pichai said Google hopes Med-PaLM will be able to identify medical diagnoses by looking at images like an X-ray.

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Googles Bard upgrades

Googles experiment for conversational AI has gotten some major upgrades, according to Google. Its now running on PaLM 2 and has a dark mode, but beyond that, Sissie Hsiao, the VP for Google Assistant and Bard, said the team has been making rapid improvements to Bards capabilities. She specifically cited its ability to code or debug programs, since its now trained on more than 20 programing languages.



Google announced its finally removing the waitlist for its Bard AI, letting it out into the open in more than 180 countries. It should also work in both Japanese and Korean, and Hsiao said it should be able to accept around 40 languages soon.

Hsiao used an example where Bard creates a script in Python for doing a specific move in a game of Chess. The AI can also explain parts of its code and suggest additions to its base.

Bard can also integrate directly into Gmail, Sheets, and Docs, able to export text directly to those programs. Bard also uses Google Search to give images and descriptions in its responses.

The company is allowing for extensions from sites like Instacart, Indeed, Khan Academy, as well as many of its existing Google apps, making them all accessible to the Bard AI. Bard is also gaining connections to third-party apps, including Adobe Firefly AI image generator, allow it to generate images using that external system.

AI in Google Search

Screenshot: Google / Gizmodo

Googles bread and butter, Search, is going to integrate the companys AI to create a snapshot to users queries. These AI-generated summaries appear at the top of a page on the browser version of Google Search, while a set of links relating to the AI-generated text appear on the right.

Users can click to expand that view, where each line of text gets its own set of links exploring the topic in greater detail. The company said this can act as a jumping off point for users and their searches while still giving them access to official sources as well as users blogs.

The AI snapshot also works when people search for products, as it displays prices and commentary on a search. For example, a search for good bike for a 5 mile commute with hills will generate a few bullet points about design and motor assistance, then rank a number of different brands based on those criteria.

The system also works on mobile, through a Converse tab sitting alongside Video, Images, News, and so on. On Android, the snapshot takes up most of the screen while the expanded search results are pushed down to the bottom. All of users previous prompts remain above, and users can scroll up to find previous results. Users who continue to scroll down on the page can see more links like a regular Search results.

Google is still calling this an experiment with AI in Search. The availability is limited, and theres currently a waitlist on the new Search Labs platform for those who want to access this new AI in search and to use the AI to help with coding.

Even More AI in the Workspace apps, and AI will email for you

Google has already talked up adding AI content generation in Gmail and Google Docs, but now the company said its expanding the so-called Workspace AI collaborator to add even more generative capabilities in its cloud-based apps. These generative AI and sidekick features are being released on a limited basis, but will be handed out to a more broad userbase later this year.

Much like Microsoft announced with its own 365 apps earlier this year, Googles adding generative AI into its office-style applications. Aparna Pappu, the VP of Google Workspace, said in addition to the limited deployment of a help me write feature on Gmail and Docs, the company is adding new AI features to several Workspace apps, including Slides and Sheets. The spreadsheet application can generate generic templates based on user prompts, such as a client list for a dog walking business.



Google announced its new Help me write feature, which uses an AI to generate a full email response based on previous emails. Users can then iterate on those emails to make them more or less elaborate. Pichai used the example of a user asking customer service for a refund on a canceled flight. This is on top of long-existing content generation abilities in Gmail like Smart Compose and Smart Reply.



For Slides, users can now use text-to-image generation to add to a slideshow. The generator creates multiple instances of an image, and users can further refine those prompts with different styles.

In Gmail, the AI sidekick can automatically summarize an email thread and can find cite earlier documents relating to that conversation. As far as Docs goes, the existing AI is getting more elaborate. It now suggests extra prompts based on generated text, and it can now add in AI-generated images directly within Docs. This also works within Slides, letting users generate speaker notes based on AI-generated summaries of each individual slide.

AI-generated wallpapers and AI-written texts

Screenshot: Google / Gizmodo

Google wants to let AI personalize every users experience on their Android mobile devices, even letting users use an AI to customize their phones wallpaper with AI-generated images.

The company revealed that its putting generative AI in its Messages app. This Magic Compose feature will suggest responses for users or even rewrite an entire message draft. The AI will let users chose between six styles, from Excited to Chill to even Shakespeare. The Message AI is going into beta on users devices this summer.

Users can also ask the AI to generate an entire wallpaper from scratch using an in-built text-to-image diffusion model. Users are directed through structured prompts to create an image that could include, for example, a subject and an art style. The phone should adjust to the new color palette after users set their AI wallpaper. AI will also be able to create 3D wallpapers from existing photos that introduce parallax scrolling backgrounds that respond to your phones movement. Theres also custom reactive wallpapers using emoji, although these arent powered by AI.

This is in addition to new screen customization options coming with the launch of Android 14 later this year. Using a new interface, users will be able to more fully edit and personalize the location, color, and theme of their lockscreen shortcuts and widgets.

New Magic Editor AI features in Google Photos

Google showcased new updates to its Magic Eraser feature, now calling a suite a AI-based editing features Magic Editor. Along with removing extraneous people, items, or other elements of a picture, the company said users will be able to transform objects inside each photo. The company showed how users might go about removing a bag strap or displacing an object, even the photo subject, to a different location in an image.

Photos users should also be able to punch up elements of an image, such as the lighting or the clouds in the sky. Google said these updates will help those elements blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

All Pixel phones should gain early access to Magic Editor later this year, though the company explicitly said things might not be as clean-looking as their promotional videos.

AI Will Soon Make Google Maps Even More Immersive

With the help of Googles new AI tools, Google Maps will soon be getting a much more elaborate Immersive View feature (which previously focused on landmarks) that relies on the billions of images that have been captured for Street View, as well as satellite imagery, to let users further explore a suggested route. It almost turns route planning into an interactive video game, giving cyclists a birds eye view of the bike lanes theyll be relying on. Drivers will be able to preview intersections, and even the amount of parking available around their destination. The previewed route even shows what the weather will be like depending on the time of day, so youll not only know every last turn ahead of time, but what you should be wearing.



Immersive View for routes will be available in the coming months for cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo, and Venice.

On the developer side of things, Google is introducing a new Aerial View API allowing app makers to add more immersive points-of-interest that include detailed, 3D overhead views allowing users to see not just the specific locale, but the area around it, too. One great use of this API is for realtor or apartment hunting apps, allowing prospective buyers or renters to see the surrounding neighborhood and what amenities are nearby such as parks, or even access to major roads.

Google is also making the high-res, 3D imagery behind Google Earth available to developers as part of an experimental new release allowing app makers to make similarly immersive experiences, without needing to source their own satellite imagery or 3D model generation. In a blog post today, Google suggests it would potentially be a great tool for tourism, allowing 3D maps of national parks to be easily created, complete with 3D mountains, trees, and rivers, allowing potential tourists to see a destination in more detail before planning a trip, or as a way to enhance the experience of an architectural landmark, by introducing interactive overlays with interesting facts about the site and its history.



Google is pushing its new API hard

Google announced its own PaLM API for sale in March this year. Always the jealous dancing partner, Google now wants to become as popular as OpenAI is with its own API for integrating AI into existing services.

Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, told the I/O crowd that the company is partnering with a number of enterprise services like Salesforce, but its also handing out its LLM to companies like Canva, Uber, and even Wendys through the Cloud enterprise side of Googles business.

Canva already introduced some beta AI tools into its program earlier this year, but Wendys is just as well diving headfirst into AI technology with its chatbot-powered drive-thru brought thanks to Googles Chirp language to text model.

The company also said its Codey code generation service is being advertised to other businesses, such as software-as-a-service company Replit, allowing users to ask the app for near-instantaneous code for a new program.

What does this mean for Google?

Its no secret that Google has tilted its entire apparatus toward AI development, but the company has so far struggled to make a case for its refocus. Major researchers have left the company specifically to warn about the dangers of unchecked AI development. A widely-circulated internal document posted by a Google engineer proclaimed Google needs to focus less on proprietary AI development and more toward bringing open source development into the fold.

We are approaching it boldly, with a sense of excitement Were doing this responsibly in a way that underscores the deep commitment we feel to get it right. Pichai said during the keynote.

Wednesdays announcements are supposed to revitalize the companys image in the AI space. Last year, Google got beat to the punch by Microsoft and its Bing AI based on OpenAIs GPT-4 language model. Its own Bard AI cost the company both prestige and millions of dollars in stock price after its chatbot showcased an inaccuracy in its public debut.

Bard has been collectively considered a rather limp first reveal for the company that long spearheaded AI development. Now that the Bard AI is loose in the world, and with a completely new UI for Google Search incoming, the company wants to regain, or at least maintain, its dominance of the search space.

And with its emphasis on coding, Google is trying to prime its enterprise business partners to go PalM rather than GPT-4 or some other equivalent LLM for their business needs. The inevitable problem with language models generating code is that even the most sophisticated model will inevitably get something wrong. Google is doing what few others have, or are likely capable of doing, and is creating a scaled version of PaLM. As we mentioned, the Gecko-sized LLM can run directly on a phone, but the Unicorn version of PaLM is supposed to be much bigger. Google wants to advertise these language models to support entire classes of products.

Bigger AI models eat up more power, making them very expensive to train and run continuously, and thats not to mention the amount of water needed to keep the machines cool. Even without the obvious climate impact of expanding these models, these heavy expenses mean Google will need to see a return on AI investment, or at least keep its numbers steady so it doesnt see users or businesses fly over to Microsoft.





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A graduate talks with job recruiters at a career fair at Nanchang University in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. [Photo/Xinhua]

College students who are about to graduate are showing increasing preference for stable jobs, mostly in State-owned companies, in the post-COVID times, while authorities are keen on ensuring their employment to secure a safe job market, a survey showed.

According to the report released by recruitment portal Zhaopin, most students it surveyed have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the current economic landscape, and favor job stability in top private and State-owned companies instead of flexible jobs that are often riddled with uncertainties.

Nearly 47 percent of the respondents surveyed between March and April  considered the "golden period" for college students to seek jobs before graduation  want to be employed in State-owned companies, which is a year-on-year increase of 2.3 percentage points.

Large and medium-sized companies remain top choices, while about 26 percent of the respondents are willing to work in small and micro-sized companies, according to the report.

Undergraduates form the bulk of job seekers, but postgraduates and those with doctoral degrees are preferred by recruiters, the survey shows. As of mid-April, about 47.5 percent of the undergraduates Zhaopin surveyed had received job offers. In contrast, about 54.4 percent of vocational graduates and 56.7 percent of graduates with master's or doctoral degrees had job offers by mid-April.

Companies prefer to recruit people with higher academic degrees for white-collar positions and vocational graduates with skills for blue-collar jobs, the portal said in its report. Also, undergraduates either lack the required skill sets or have lower levels of willingness to take up technical positions in companies, which is why they tend to get less job offers, it added.

Lin Songyi, 21, a student at Shanghai University, will graduate in June with a bachelor's degree in finance, but she is yet to land a job. "I aspired to be a civil servant, given the stability of that position, but I couldn't clear the competitive examination. Now, I must find a job before I graduate," she said.

According to Lin, opportunities are scarce for college graduates during the spring recruitment period in March and April, compared with the autumn recruitment period from September to December.

"The job preferences have also changed in recent times. Most of my peers want stable jobs in government agencies or State-owned companies. Many companies, particularly internet firms, have curtailed their recruitment plans after COVID-19," she said, adding that she forwarded her resume to roughly 20 companies and appeared for four interviews, but is still waiting for some "good news".

As a key part of the country's workforce, college graduates attract continuous attention and support from both the authorities and companies.

In March, real estate broker Lianjia Beijing announced over 6,000 house agent vacancies, of which about 3,000 were open to fresh college graduates. Since March, it has been organizing both online and on-site recruitment activities at about 100 universities and colleges nationwide to offer graduates easier access to these job opportunities.

"College graduates are valuable human assets of the nation, and their employment is closely related to the nation's economic development. Their population will reach a record high this year  roughly 11.58 million," said Yu Jiadong, vice-minister of human resources and social security, at a news conference.

In April, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a notice to further promote employment of young people, especially college graduates. The notice encourages State-owned enterprises and government agencies to expand their recruitment campaigns and offer more internships to young job seekers.
Piers Morgan was asked if he was going to apologise to Harry (PA Wire)

Piers Morgan has said he is not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from the Duke of Sussex amid allegations of phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday. The tabloid publisher unreservedly apologised to the prince for an instance of unlawful information gathering at the start of the hearing.

Journalist and broadcaster Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, was later asked by an ITV reporter if he would also apologise to the royal over the claims.

The 58-year-old said: All I am going to say is I am not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry, somebody who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the royal familys privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.

So I suggest he gets out of court and apologises to his family for the disgraceful invasion of privacy that hes been purporting.

I think Prince Harry should be apologising for his disgraceful invasion of privacy of the royal family and others by the way, he added.

This afternoon Morgan tweeted a screenshot from a recent South Park episode that mocked the royal couple for going on a world wide privacy tour.

In 2021, Morgan made headlines after leaving Good Morning Britain following an on-air clash with weather presenter Alex Beresford over the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Im not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry.



Amid allegations of phone hacking while he was at the Mirror, Piers Morgan tells ITV News Harry should apologise to the royal family for invasion of privacy hes been perpetratinghttps://t.co/P3RH5guPSb pic.twitter.com/4uGvezu5y6  ITV News (@itvnews) May 10, 2023

Morgan said he did not believe Meghans claims from the headline-making special, with his comments sparking more than 50,000 complaints  the most in Ofcoms history.

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The watchdog later ruled Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Morgans comments.

Prince Harry is taking legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (AP)

At the start of the trial, barrister David Sherborne said the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Mr Sherborne told a hearing in London: It was a flood of illegality. But worse still, this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives.

Addressing Harrys case, the barrister said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

MGNs barrister Andrew Green KC, in written submissions, said the publisher denied that 28 out of the 33 articles in Harrys claim involved phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.

Instead, he said that stories came from a variety of other sources  including other members of the royal family. The barrister added that it was not admitted that five of the 33 articles contained unlawful information gathering.
The Rwandan genocide killed around 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, between April and July 1994

A former Rwandan military policeman went on trial in France on Wednesday, charged with genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1994 slaughter in his home country.

Philippe Hategekimana fled to France after the genocide, obtaining refugee status and then French nationality under the name Philippe Manier.

The 66-year-old appeared in court Wednesday morning wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a suede jacket over a checked shirt.

"My name is Philippe Manier," he told the judge, when asked to confirm his identity.

Hategekimana's in-depth questioning in court is not scheduled before June 20.

Other witnesses, including Rwandan army officers, are to be heard from May 16.

It is the fifth such trial in France of an alleged participant in the massacres, in which around 800,000 people, most of them ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered over 100 days.

Hategekimana is accused of involvement in the murder of hundreds of Tutsis while working as a senior police official in the southern provincial capital of Nyanza.

He is suspected in particular of being involved in the murder of the mayor of the town of Ntyazo who opposed the killings, and of a nun.

He is also accused of playing a role in the killing of 300 Tutsis on a hill called Nyamugari, and in an attack on another hill called Nyabubare in which around 1,000 civilians were slaughtered.

Plaintiffs have accused Hategekimana of "using the powers and military force conferred to him through his rank in order to... take part in the genocide."

He has denied the charges. He faces life in jail if found guilty.

- French life -

In 1999 Hategekimana arrived in France and obtained refugee status under his false identity.

He became a university security guard in the western city of Rennes, gaining French citizenship in 2005.

He fled France for the western African state of Cameroon in late 2017 after the press reported that the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR), one of the plaintiffs in the trial this week, had filed a complaint against him.

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He was arrested in the capital Yaounde in 2018 and extradited to France.

His trial is scheduled to run until June 30.

France, one of the top destinations for fugitives from the massacres, has tried and convicted a former spy chief, two ex-mayors, a former hotel chauffeur and an ex-top official in similar trials since 2014.

But it has generally refused requests to extradite suspects to Rwanda, prompting President Paul Kagame to accuse Paris of denying Rwanda jurisdiction.

Relations between both countries have however warmed considerably since a historians' report commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron and released in 2021 recognised France's "overwhelming" responsibilities in failing to halt the massacres.

Macron also promised that "nobody suspected of genocidal crimes will be able to escape justice".

Another Rwandan, a doctor called Sosthene Munyemana who has been living in France since 1994, faces trial in Paris before the end of the year.

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It is going to be a long fought battle for a Black former Tesla employee.

AfroTech previously reported Owen Diaz filed a racial harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the automotive company.

In 2021, he shared with the court that he had been told by coworkers to go back to Africa, per Insider. Diaz also claimed racial graffiti was scrawled in the bathrooms of the Tesla factory.

Furthermore, Diaz claims his fellow employees, including one supervisor, harassed him using racial slurs such as the N-word.

A favorable ruling had been given to Diaz by the court, and he was originally awarded $137 million in the case, which Insider reports accounted for $130 million in punitive damages and $6.9 million for emotional distress. However, the amount was decreased significantly to $15 million when Tesla came back saying the amount should only be $600,000, according to TechCrunch.

Unsatisfied, Diaz requested a retrial and the amount dwindled to $3.2 million.

In a recent court filing, Diazs lawyers claim Teslas improper questioning of him prevented him from receiving the free trial to which he was entitled to.

The filing mentions that lawyers representing Tesla stated Diaz was a racist and misogynist who hurled ethnic slurs against dumb Mexicans and sexually harassed multiple women.

Each incident of misconduct damaged the integrity of the trial, and their cumulative impact on the jury was monumentally prejudicial to Plaintiff, the filing read.

It also mentioned, The Court was forced to repeatedly issue curative instructions to counteract Teslas behavior, but those instructions (while proper) necessarily highlighted Teslas poisonous messaging. There was no meaningful way to wipe Teslas improper accusations and suggestions from the jurys consciousness.

Lawyers from Tesla are allegedly looking for Diazs awarded damages to be updated to $1.75 million, according to Bloomberg.

Diaz worked as an elevator operator in the companys Fremont, CA, factory via an agency in 2015, and he isnt the only Black employee who has filed a lawsuit of this kind against the company.
By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) - A Black former Tesla Inc factory worker has accused the electric automaker's lawyers of "egregious misconduct" after a jury awarded him $3.2 million in a race bias case, and asked for a third trial so he can seek more money.

Lawyers for plaintiff Owen Diaz said in a filing in San Francisco federal court late Tuesday that Tesla's lawyers asked improper questions, baselessly accused a witness of lying and made misleading statements during closing arguments in the five-day trial in March.

A different jury in 2021 had found Tesla liable for allegedly rampant racial harassment Diaz suffered at the company's flagship Fremont, California, assembly plant and awarded him $137 million. A judge said that amount was excessive and ordered a second trial on damages after Diaz rejected a reduced award of $15 million.

The judge barred both sides from presenting new evidence or testimony at the retrial. But Diaz's lawyers on Tuesday said Tesla's legal team improperly questioned him and other witnesses about alleged incidents, which Diaz has denied took place, where he called a coworker a dumb Mexican and sexually harassed female employees, which did not come up in the 2021 trial.

"There is no other explanation for the extraordinary gap between the first and second jury's damages verdicts," his lawyers wrote.

Diaz also renewed a motion for a mistrial on similar grounds, which the judge had denied in the middle of the retrial.

Tesla in a separate filing moved to lower the award to about $1.6 million, saying the jury's $3 million award of punitive damages meant to punish illegal conduct was too large in light of the $175,000 granted to Diaz for emotional distress. The U.S. Supreme Court has said punitive damages should be no more than nine times the amount of other damages.

Lawyers for Tesla and Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. A hearing on the motions is scheduled for July 19.

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In his 2017 lawsuit, Diaz had accused Tesla of failing to act when he repeatedly complained to managers that coworkers frequently used racist slurs and scrawled swastikas, racist caricatures and epithets on walls and work areas.

Tesla has said it does not tolerate discrimination and takes complaints from workers seriously.

The company has also denied wrongdoing in a series of other lawsuits claiming employees at assembly plants and service centers have faced racial or sexual harassment.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Daniel Wallis)
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will sign defence and surveillance agreements with Papua New Guinea, the island nation's foreign minister said, on a visit that renews the strategic importance of the nation where Biden's uncle died in World War Two.

PNG, the South Pacific's most populous nation, will also see a doubling of U.S. development assistance to $32 million, including $25 million to tackle its security priority of climate change, State Department documents submitted to the U.S. Congress show.

Washington is seeking to deter Pacific island nations, which span 40 million kilometres of ocean, from security ties with China, a rising concern amid tensions over Taiwan.

Biden will visit PNG capital Port Moresby on May 22 on his way to a summit of the Quad countries - the United States, Japan, India and Australia - in Sydney, the White House has confirmed. There he will meet 18 Pacific island leaders.

Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told Reuters a Defence Cooperation Agreement between the U.S. and PNG was finalised last week, "which now allows us to officially sign it when Biden comes here".

A separate agreement to allow the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol PNG's vast exclusive economic zone, with PNG officials on board as "ship riders", also will be signed and cover satellite surveillance, he said in an interview.

"We will be able to utilise the U.S. satellite security systems. Once we sign that it will help monitor our waters, which we can't at the moment," he said.

"It will be a fantastic agreement protecting our natural resources from being illegally poached and stolen, especially our fishing," he added.

China has a decade-long history of infrastructure projects in the region, and last year struck a security pact with Solomon Islands, which has since placed a moratorium on U.S. Coast Guard vessels entering its waters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited the region three times, including a 2018 visit to PNG, but Beijing last year failed to sign 10 nations to a security and trade deal.

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For Biden, the visit also will have personal significance that highlights PNG's importance to regional security.

Two of his uncles were based in PNG in World War Two as airmen, including one who died in a plane crash in May 1944, Biden recalled during a 2016 visit to Australia.

Historians have said PNG was essential to the U.S. drive across the Pacific to liberate the Philippines in the war, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged people to look at history to understand "the strategic importance of Pacific islands to Australias security needs".

Classified portions of an Australian defence review were reported by local media to warn Australia would be unable to defend itself from a Chinese missile attack launched from the Pacific.

Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles, if positioned in the Pacific islands, could stop U.S. and Australian navy movement and interdict vital trade routes, University of NSW professor David Kilcullen, a former special adviser on counterinsurgency to the U.S. Secretary of State, told Reuters.

"A U.S.-China conflict could play out across the whole Pacific including Melanesia and the Polynesian islands, not just in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, which puts PNG and the Solomons firmly in the spotlight," he said.

China and the Solomon Islands have denied their security pact allows a navy base.

The U.S. pledged an $800 million economic assistance package after meeting with Pacific island leaders last year, which must be approved by Congress in negotiations not due to progress until the autumn. U.S. embassies recently opened in Solomon Islands and Tonga, but consent for proposed embassies in Vanuatu and Kiribati is yet to be gained, an official told a congressional hearing.

Biden's meeting in person with Pacific leaders is seen in the region as a major step in restoring trust.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was told by Pacific leaders in Fiji last year: "We have felt at times, to borrow an American term, like a flyover country.

"Small dots spotted from plane windows of leaders en route to meetings where they spoke about us, rather than with us, if they spoke of us at all."

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Kim Coghill)
By Marianna Parraga and Deisy Buitrago

HOUSTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - Chevron Corp's renewed oil operations in Venezuela begin a new phase next month that will boost production with the goal of accelerating a plan to recover all of the $3 billion of debt owed by the OPEC member by the end of 2025, four people close to the matter said.

Washington in November issued a six-month, automatically renewing license to the U.S. oil company to revive largely dormant operations in Venezuela and resume crude exports to the U.S. under an exemption to sanctions on the South American country.

To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA.

Under the deal, Chevron aims to recover some $750 million in unpaid debts and dividends by year-end, and all $3 billion outstanding by the end of 2025, one of the people said. So far, it has recovered some $220 million, the source said.

The plan shows both Chevron and PDVSA are getting what they wanted from the agreement: Venezuelan oil flowing to the U.S. and the OPEC nation getting royalties, worker benefits and a chance for future profits.

Chevron this year has reactivated crude output at its four joint ventures with PDVSA, exported an average 102,500 barrels per day (bpd), taken a role in procuring supplies and appointed new managers to the ventures' boards.

The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources.

Graphic: Chevron's exports of Venezuelan crude - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/dwvkdymqzpm/OUkG6-chevron-s-exports-of-venezuelan-crude%20(1).png

MORE EFFICIENT OPERATIONS

In the second phase, Chevron plans to drive crude production to up to 160,000 bpd this year and about 200,000 bpd in 2024, one of the people said.

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To optimize exports, the oil major has proposed to help Venezuela prepare a study on dredging Lake Maracaibo's navigation channel, which would let it load larger tankers, three of the people said.

Chevron also has asked PDVSA to assign it dedicated storage tanks for its joint ventures to improve handling of imported diluents and crude from the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela's largest producing region.

To motivate their joint venture workers, Chevron and PDVSA have agreed to pay bonuses for food and personal care to the staff, and improve their health insurance coverage, they added.

Venezuela's oil ministry and PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment. Chevron said it continues to conduct business "in compliance with all laws and regulations, as well as the sanctions framework provided by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control."

More robust work and investment plans will have to wait, according to the sources.

At the Petropiar joint venture, urgent repairs are needed to its crude upgrader, which converts the Orinoco heavy crude into exportable grades. But major maintenance at the facility and a long-delayed new drilling plan are not expected in the short term, the people said.

"They will continue doing well workover only," one person said.

Chevron CEO Michael Wirth last month said the company's output in Venezuela was expected to reach 150,000 bpd this year without significant new investment and under existing license terms.

GOLDEN TICKET

Chevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Even though the license bans any cash payments to Maduro's administration, it has helped Venezuela stabilize its currency by injecting U.S. dollars into its economy and benefited U.S. Gulf Coast refiners receiving the oil.

According to the oil-for-debt swap's terms, sales proceeds since January are going to the ventures' foreign bank accounts, Reuters has learned.

From there, one portion goes to debt repayment, a second to taxes and royalties through foreign currency exchange transactions by banks in Venezuela, and a third covers operational expenses, the sources said.

Because the license automatically renews every month for six more months, Chevron has dealt with fewer policy changes compared with the system it had until 2020, which required a full renewal of terms at every license's expiration.

The license will keep renewing unless the U.S. decides to rescind it or changes its terms, sources in Washington, Houston and Caracas said.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas. Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Sabrina Valle in Houston; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
Three years and counting since the pandemic shuttered schools and tethered students to their laptops, new data shows that enrollment in the vast majority of the nations largest school districts has yet to recover.

Kindergarten counts continue to dwindle in many states  evidence of falling birth rates and an ever-growing array of options luring parents away from traditional public schools. Experts fear those trends, as well as a possible recession and the looming cut-off of federal relief funds, amount to a perfect storm for U.S. education.

The $190 billion in pandemic aid that was provided to schools allowed many districts to temporarily salve the loss of funds tied to falling enrollment and delay cuts to staff and programs. Those funds dry up in 17 months. As budget deficits grow and housing costs drive families out of urban areas, education leaders are staring down a host of unpalatable options, from closing half-empty buildings to laying off staff.

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Im not a pro-school closure guy. Thats the worst part of school reform, said Brian Eschbacher, an enrollment consultant and a former Denver Public Schools official. But if anyone was holding out hope for a bounce back, we have put that to rest.

The Parkrose School District, outside Portland, Oregon, is one of many grappling with a budget shortfall.

We have some decisions to make in the next few months, said Sonja McKenzie, a board member in the district, where enrollment has fallen 12% since 2018. Now leaders might have to slash positions for special education assistants. Talk of layoffs is also surfacing in California, Washington and Wisconsin.

Parkrose School District Board Member Sonja McKenzie, center, with district students. (Parkrose School District)

McKenzie went door-to-door last fall asking voters to approve a tax levy to fund 22 positions, reminding them that the district, where nearly 30% of students are Hispanic, heeded their call to hire bilingual family liaisons. Voters rejected the measure.

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Some families, she said, have been priced out of the area, heading east to Gresham or across the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington, where they can find more affordable housing. Those areas, McKenzie said, have benefited from our challenges.

Related Exclusive: Large Districts Losing Students; Boom Towns, Virtual Schools Growing

Desperation and aspiration

The 74s enrollment analysis is based on figures from 41 states provided exclusively by Burbio, a data company, and additional data from the nations 20 largest school systems.

Since last year, enrollment has declined 2.5% in Chicago, 2.4% in Houston and 2% in Nevadas Clark County, while New York and Los Angeles saw drops of just under 2%. The Hillsborough County district in Florida, which includes Tampa, and the Gwinnett County School District, near Atlanta, are the only two large districts where enrollment now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

Large district enrollment trends from 2018-19 to 2022-23

The graphic below shows enrollment trends for the nations 20 largest school districts. Divided by region, the breakdowns include changes in overall enrollment as well as in kindergarten. (Click here if youre having trouble viewing the chart)

In California, which has seen a whopping 5% drop in its student population since 2020, the enrollment decline has slowed, according to statewide data. But the downward slope in birth rates and exodus of parents from high-priced areas has left district and charter leaders with limited options.

Summit Public Schools in Californias Bay Area  a well-established charter network that spawned an online learning platform still used by 300 schools nationwide  will shutter one of its campuses at the end of this school year.

Following a community sit-in and hunger strike in Oakland, the local school board decided in January not to close several schools. Now, amid an ongoing teachers strike, the board is reconsidering whether to merge some schools because of enrollment decline.

There is always this quality and convenience tension, said Lakisha Young, CEO of Oakland Reach, a parent advocacy organization. Everyone wants a school in their neighborhood that they can walk their kids to.

But she called the emotional debate over closing schools a distraction from more important issues  namely that a majority of students arent reading on grade level. A third of families in the city dont choose district schools, and some have moved further inland to Antioch or southeast to the Central Valley.

If people have the opportunity to move to other places that are slower and quieter and safer, they are going to do that, she said. These decisions are not just made out of desperation, they are also out of aspiration.

Related Arizona Parents are Using Public Ed $ for Kayaks, Trampolines & SeaWorld Tickets

You just come here

Some of those same aspirations are fueling a Republican push to give unhappy parents more options. Twelve states now offer education savings accounts, which allow families to use public funds to pay the costs of private school or homeschooling. Despite pushback from critics who argue such programs take funding away from public schools and lack accountability, similar legislation has been introduced in several more states, including Alabama, Louisiana and North Carolina.

This pandemic was the perfect incubation event that really caused homeschooling to thrive, said Bob Templeton, another enrollment consultant with Zonda, a housing market research company. Were seeing this dramatic change in how we educate kids.

In Texas, where the legislature is currently battling over an ESA bill, existing options like charters and homeschooling have contributed to a decline in what Templeton calls the capture rate  the percentage of children from a particular community attending their local public school.

If theyre down 200 kids in kindergarten and it doesnt return, then in five to seven years, that district is going to be down several thousand kids, Templeton said. You need to get ready to close schools.

Statewide enrollment shifts since 2021-22

*Click the circle next to state to see districts with the greatest enrollment gain, greatest enrollment loss and % change for states largest district. (Click here if youre having trouble viewing the chart)

He consults for districts surrounding some of the states large urban systems and used to be able to reliably calculate that 100 new homes would result in 50 more students. Not anymore.

He also monitors transfers between districts. One school system he works with, Pflugerville, near Austin, took in 584 students from other systems this year. But almost 5,400 transferred out to both charters and other districts. Leaders have put off closing schools for now, which Templeton said just kicks the can down the road.

He and Eschbacher advise districts to stay competitive by designing school models that parents want. In some cases, thats paying off.

The San Antonio Independent School District has had success with a 2017 state law that provides incentives to partner with charters and nonprofit organizations to run schools.

Rebecca McMains decided to enroll her daughter in one of them, Lamar Elementary, after considering close to 10 public, private and charter schools in the area. Because her daughter has disabilities and an elaborate special education plan, the choice wasnt easy.

Lamar Elementary in the San Antonio Independent School District is among those run in partnership with an outside charter organization. The schools have helped prevent enrollment loss. (Lamar Elementary)

I knew I was going to be heard at Lamar. They are very parent-focused, said McMains. She said staff members respond to her texts and dont push back when she has a request, like having a nurse accompany her daughter on a field trip to NASA. Im now being thanked for my advocacy.

But some parents have found their local public schools loath to accommodate the needs of those they are used to seeing as a captive audience.

Jana Wilcox Lavin, a Las Vegas mom, runs Opportunity 180, a nonprofit that supports school choice and formerly led a statewide district that converted low-performing schools into charters. Nonetheless, she was willing to consider her Clark County neighborhood school for her daughter, who starts kindergarten in 2024.

When she called the local school to ask for a tour, officials turned her down, citing concerns about student privacy. She turned to a district administrator, who said she could visit the building but not observe classrooms. Spokesman Tod Story said that while no policy prohibits parents from visiting schools, officials err on the side of caution to protect our students.

Related Wake-up Calls: New Parent Survey Shows 9% Enrollment Drop in District Schools

Lavin said she just wanted to make a well-informed choice.

When I asked how I should assess if the zoned school was a good fit, she said, I was told, We are your neighborhood school. You just come here. 

An absolute asteroid

Thats less true than ever before. The options available to families have expanded so rapidly that researchers are struggling to keep up.

Counts of how many students are homeschooled are estimates at best and private school enrollment figures can be a year or two behind. Thats one reason Thomas Dee, a Stanford University education professor who tracks enrollment trends, was unable to account for more than a third of students who left public schools.

That uncertainty makes it hard to tell whether the American school system is experiencing temporary chaos or a more permanent sea change.

Nat Malkus, the deputy director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, called the pandemic an absolute asteroid of a disruptive event. Still, he doesnt expect ESAs or other emerging models to cause as much damage to the public education system as some critics predict.

Its hard to overestimate the incumbents strength, he said.

Thats the case in Florida, where enrollment grew 1.3% this year and the Hillsborough district expects to keep building schools for years to come to accommodate growth.

In states with declining numbers, like Oregon, district leaders are more wary. School choice advocates hope to get an ESA initiative on the ballot next year, but McKenzie, the Parkrose board member, is concerned such a program would hobble district schools that are already strapped for cash.

I can understand a parent may feel like they have a better option, she said.But it creates a divisive system of who has the resources and who doesnt. Less resources for the classroom impacts the whole community.
Smoke and ash from dozens of intense wildfires in western Canada clouded Centre Countys skies Wednesday as the effects of the blazes were seen more 2,000 miles away.

Winds blew smoke from Alberta and British Columbia to the other side of the continent, causing hazy skies and setting the stage for a vibrant sunset. Short wavelengths of blue light are captured by the haze, allowing red and orange wavelengths to stand out.

The smoke should shift eastward as early as Thursday, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines said.

About 29,000 Canadians were evacuated Sunday as the fires destroyed homes and produced towering chimneys of smoke that reached into the upper troposphere.

Jet streams  high-velocity winds that move from west to east  carried the smoke into Pennsylvania.

The smoke that were seeing today probably took a few days to get here, Kines said. It went way up north before it started taking its southeastward trek toward us. It didnt take a straight route; it took more of a scenic route to get here.

Model data shows a high concentration of vertically integrated smoke over CPA today. So this is why there will be hazy sunshine and potentially set the stage for a high quality sunset. End #PAwx pic.twitter.com/h0m4U2iDU2  NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) May 10, 2023

Smoke can worsen air quality, but Kines said the smoke affecting Centre Countys skies should be too high in the atmosphere to cause problems for anyone on the ground. No air quality alerts were issued.

Thick smoke can also trim a few degrees off the days high temperature, but Kines said Centre County similarly shouldnt be affected by that either.

Skywatchers could also be treated Wednesday night to a sight of the aurora borealis, Kines said. Centre Countys skies should largely be clear. He recommended viewers head to areas free of light pollution to give themselves the best chance to see the northern lights.

Those things are always tough to say whether or not theyre going to happen. We know when they can happen and it certainly could happen tonight or tomorrow night. Its just a matter of whether it does, Kines said. If they do happen, it should be a pretty good night to view them.
Experience Sioux Falls, formerly known as the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, celebrated its 50th anniversary Tuesday during the annual Visitor Industry luncheon at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

R&B and jazz singer Allison Nash kicked off the event with a soulful rendition of Celebration by Kool & the Gang.

Experience Sioux Falls CEO Teri Schmidt then mentioned the citys achievement of bringing in an estimated $446 million from approximately 1.19 million visitors in 2022. She said this is the first time southeastern South Dakota, primarily Minnehaha County, had higher numbers than the Black Hills region.

More: Sioux Falls Farmers Market returns to Falls Park for 2023 season with four new vendors

We love the Black Hills, she said. But so much work has been done by all of you over the years, [and] those numbers are going up every day.

After the brief introduction, Schmidt, on behalf of Experience Sioux Falls, helped present the 2023 Visitor Industry Awards.

Jeff Scherschligt with Pendar Properties is awarded the Heart of the City award at the 2023 Experience Sioux Falls Visitor Industry awards on Tuesday, May 9.

Visitor Industry Awards

Experience Sioux Falls board chair Jan Grunewaldt, BID board chair Frank Gurnick, and Secretary of Travel South Dakota Jim Hagen presented the First Impressions awards to individuals in the following categories:

Restaurant: Dawn Wynthein, Original Pancake House

Hotel: Val Carmen, The ClubHouse Hotel & Suites

Retail: Greg Koch, 605 Running Co.

Attraction: Dave Oswald and Martin Dill, Downtown Sioux Falls' Clean & Green team

The Business Award goes to someone in the visitor industry who "exemplifies innovation, creates impact and causes the Sioux Falls region to shine as a visitor destination." Riccardo and Marybeth Tarabelsi, the owners of R Wine Bar, Brix Wine Bar, and Maribella Ristorante, in downtown Sioux Falls, received the 2023 Business Award.

More: Here are the people behind 18 projects that are 'betting big' on Sioux Falls' growth

The Heart of the City Award goes to those who have made significant contributions to the visitor industry through inspiration, spirit and exceptional leadership. Jeff Scherschligt, of Pendar Properties, and Craig and Pat Lloyd, of Lloyd Companies, each received the Heart of the City Award.

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"The future belongs to those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams," Schmidt said. "And these people...are the epitome of dreamers," Schmidt said.

Keynote on connecting with employees for better retention

After awards, keynote speaker Clint Pulver gave an engaging speech about how businesses can work on employee retention by creating a better work culture.

Clint Pulver, who is a professional speaker, author and drummer, talked about employee retention during his keynote speech at the 2023 Experience Sioux Falls Visitor Industry luncheon Tuesday, May 9.

Pulver is a professional speaker, drummer, author and workforce expert. His research as the Undercover Millennial led him to publishing his book I Love It Here in 2021. His speech also included a drum solo demonstration that the audience seemed to enjoy.

His main talking points involved mentorship, incentives and the fact that we remember significant people over successful people.

Its not about being the best in the world. Its about being the best for the world, he said.

The Visitor Industry event was sponsored by First Premier Bank.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Experience Sioux Falls turns 50, awards 10 community individuals
By Chayut Setboonsarng and Martin Petty

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand holds an election on May 14 after nearly a decade of a government led or backed by its royalist military after a coup in 2014.

Below is a rundown of what to expect.

WHAT'S BEING DECIDED?

Roughly 52 million of Thailand's 65 million population are eligible to cast votes for members of a new 500-seat house of representatives for the next four years.

Voters have two ballots, one for a local constituency representative and the other for their preferred party on a national level. There are 400 seats for winning constituency candidates and 100 party seats allocated on a proportional representation basis.

HOW WILL A LEADER BE CHOSEN?

Parties winning more than 25 seats can nominate their prime ministerial candidate, although it is likely parties will strike deals between them to back certain candidates.

Those candidates will be put to a vote, likely in August, of the bicameral legislature comprised of a newly elected 500-seat lower house and a 250-seat Senate comprised of members appointed by a military junta.

To become prime minister, the winning candidate must have the votes of more than half of the combined houses, or 375 members.

WHO ARE THE MAIN CONTENDERS?

The election will be the latest bout in a long-running battle between parties backed by a conservative establishment with connections to the military and key institutions, and a progressive, pro-business opposition with a track record of wooing working class voters and winning every election in the past two decades.

Pheu Thai, a party controlled by the billionaire Shinawatra family, has a big lead in opinion polls as it did in previous elections, followed by another opposition party, Move Forward, which is seeking to mobilise youth voters.

They will go up against two parties led by former army chiefs involved in coups, incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha of the newly formed United Thai Nation party, and his mentor Prawit Wongsuwan, of the ruling Palang Pracharat party.

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Both parties draw backing from the urban middle classes and are regarded as representing the interests of Thailand's nexus of old money aristocrats and military elites who have long influenced politics.

An important contender is Bhumjaithai, a regional heavyweight whose seats could be crucial in determining who forms a government. The party's stature has grown with its successful push to make Thailand Asia's first country to legalise the sale of cannabis.

WHEN WILL THE RESULTS BE KNOWN?

Voting ends at 5 p.m (1000 GMT) local time on Sunday and the election commission says unofficial results should be released that same evening. It aims to certify 95% of the votes or 475 of the 500 seats, within 60 days, or by July 13.

The commission and an alliance of media organisations are expected to provide updates on the vote count in the hours after polling stations close.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT?

It might be weeks, possibly several months, before Thailand gets an idea of what it's next government will look like, depending on the outcome of the election.

An outright majority or even a landslide may not be enough to form a government and alliances with other parties will most likely be required.

Thailand's constitution was re-drafted by the military in 2017 in what many experts say was an attempt to neuter the power of parties that win elections. It prescribed an appointed Senate, of which the majority of members have sided in votes with the ruling, military-backed parties.

(Editing by Kim Coghill)
A driver gets into a new energy heavy-duty truck at Yuhua Steel in Wuan, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 3, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]



The planned introduction of a stricter national emission standard for all new heavy-duty vehicles will proceed as scheduled from July 1, and will prohibit the production, import and sales of vehicles that do not meet the standard, according to the latest guideline.

The standard, known as China VI-b, will help reduce air pollution and contribute to environmental protection, and it is also expected to promote the healthy development of the domestic car market, industry players observed.

When the new guideline is implemented, all new heavy-duty vehicles sold in the country are required to meet the standard as the government aims to help stabilize and expand automobile consumption in the country, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments on Tuesday.

Emissions from cars have become a significant source of air pollution in large and medium-sized cities in China, and the urgency of strengthening the control of such pollution has become increasingly prominent. In 2021, total emissions of four pollutants from motor vehicles nationwide exceeded 15.5 million metric tons, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Revealed in 2018, the China VI standard is made up of two sub-standards  China VI-a and China VI-b. The overall standard combines practices from both European and United States regulatory requirements, in addition to creating its own.

China VI-a is largely equivalent to Euro VI, and China VI-b introduces slightly more stringent testing requirements and a remote emission monitoring system, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.

The China VI-a took effect nationally on July 1, 2020, and many regions had even adopted it a year earlier.

The stricter China VI-b had been scheduled for July 1 this year, although some industry players called for postponing this date in recent months. Tuesday's release of the guideline has reassured them, observers said.

"The policy is expected to play a significant role in helping stabilize the development of the car market by stabilizing the mentality of car dealers, manufacturers and the pace of production and sales," said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.

Specifically, the China VI-b standard features reductions in nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emission limits by around 70 percent from the previous China V standard, and it has extended durability requirements.

Meanwhile, the guideline noted that for light-duty commercial vehicles, if their pollutant emission testing reports from actual driving showed a result that only requires monitoring, a six-month sales transition period will be granted and such vehicles will be allowed for sale until Dec 31.
The Dallas art scene is a thriving and diverse community that offers a wide range of artistic experiences for locals and visitors alike. With a variety of museums, galleries, and public art installations, Dallas is a hub for contemporary art and culture in the Southern United States. From the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center to smaller, independent galleries and artist-run spaces, the city offers a dynamic and engaging arts scene that is worth exploring. Whether you are a seasoned art enthusiast or simply curious about the creative energy of the city, Dallas is sure to offer something for everyone.

African American Museum

The African American Museum stands as a unique institution in the Southwestern Region, with a mission dedicated to the preservation and display of African American art, culture, and history. Its collection features an impressive array of artifacts, artworks, and historical materials that celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans.

Aside from its permanent collection, the African American Museum also hosts a variety of temporary exhibitions, programs, and events throughout the year. These events serve to highlight different aspects of African American history and culture, providing visitors with a deeper understanding of the African American experience in the Southwestern Region.

Nasher Sculpture Center

Photo Credit: Visit Dallas

The Nasher Sculpture Center is a world-renowned museum that houses an exceptional collection of modern and contemporary sculptures. Known as the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, the museums collection boasts over 300 masterpieces by some of the most renowned artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Calder, de Kooning, di Suvero, Giacometti, Hepworth, Kelly, Matisse, Miro, Moore, Picasso, Rodin, Serra, and many more. In addition to showcasing the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, the museum also presents rotating exhibitions of works from other museums and private collections. These special exhibitions provide visitors with the opportunity to explore a wide range of contemporary art and to discover new artists and styles.

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Aside from its indoor gallery spaces, the Nasher Sculpture Center also features an auditorium, education and research facilities, and a cafe. These amenities serve to enhance visitors experiences at the museum, providing a welcoming and enriching environment in which to engage with art.

Dallas Museum Of Art

Photo Credit: Visit Dallas

Visitors to the Dallas arts district will find the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), a premier destination for art lovers and casual observers alike. The DMA is celebrated for its commitment to research, innovation, and public engagement, as well as its free general admission policy and community outreach efforts.

The Museums global collection of 25,000 works of art spans 5,000 years of history and represents a full range of world cultures, making it one of the largest art museums in the United States. In addition to its impressive collection, the DMA offers a diverse range of programming that appeals to visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's main political parties have differing ideologies and support bases but are proposing many similar policies ahead of a May 14 general election, focusing on winning over the rural poor and millions shackled by household debt.

Below are some of their pledges.

PHEU THAI PARTY

- Target economic growth of 5% each year.

- Offer 10,000 baht ($295) handouts via digital wallets for those aged 16 and over to spend in their communities, a scheme worth 560 billion baht ($16.55 billion).

- Raise daily minimum wages to 600 baht (from an average of 337 baht) and minimum monthly salaries for university graduates to 25,000 baht by 2027.

- Help every family earn at least 20,000 baht per month.

- Triple average income of farmers to 30,000 baht per rai (0.16 hectare) per year by 2027.

- Three-year debt moratorium on capital and interest for farmers and one-year debt moratorium for smaller businesses hit by COVID-19, plus debt restructuring.

- Upgrade universal healthcare programme.

- Welfare package for the elderly, worth 300 billion baht.

- Train 20 million high-skilled workers and create 20 million jobs.

- Reduce urban rail fares, energy, electricity and gas costs, support clean and alternative energy.

- One tablet computer per student and per teacher with free internet.

MOVE FORWARD PARTY

- Raise daily minimum wage to 450 baht, with yearly revisions.

- Increase monthly allowance for elderly to 3,000 baht by 2027.

- Reduce electricity costs, renegotiate power purchasing contracts with concessionaires.

- Debt relief for elderly farmers who can pay half of their debt, with the government paying the rest.

- Fixed bus and urban rail fares.

- Subsidise housing loans and rent payments for limited groups.

- 10,000 baht funeral grant.

- Fee internet of 1 GB per month.

- Legalise casinos and online betting run by the state.

- New constitution law, reform armed forces.

UNITED THAI NATION PARTY

- Increase monthly grants via state welfare cards to 1,000 baht per person and offer emergency loans of up to 10,000 baht.

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- Monthly allowance for elderly of 1,000 baht.

- Reduce electricity bills for low-income earners and farmers.

- Emergency fund of 30 billion baht ($886.26 million) for vulnerable groups.

- Subsidies for domestic travel, co-payment scheme to buy goods or services.

- Allow borrowers to repay some state loans, such as student loans, by working for the public sector.

- Crop harvesting subsidy.

PALANG PRACHARAT PARTY

- Offer 30,000 baht to 7.5 million farming households for cultivation, 2,000 baht per rai for rice harvesting and cheaper fertiliser.

- Increase monthly grants for state welfare card holders to 700 baht per person from 300 baht and free life insurance.

- Raise monthly allowance for people aged 60 and over to 3,000-5,000 baht, from 600-1,000 baht.

- Reduce price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

- Lower electricity bills.

- Set up 300 billion baht ($8.86 billion) state fund to tackle debt and support economy.

- Free education to university level, tax exemption for those earning less than 500,000 baht per year.

- Develop infrastructure in the northeast, including rail projects, industrial estates and land ports.

- Offer monthly grants of 10,000 baht for pregnant women and 3,000 baht per month for raising children until they are six years old.

BHUMJAITHAI PARTY

- Three-year debt moratorium on principal and interest for loans up to one million baht.

- 50,000 baht emergency loan each for persons aged 20 years and above.

- Life insurance fund for peopled aged 60 and above with a 100,000 baht payout in case of death.

- Solar panel projects for households to reduce electricity bills and cheap electric motorcycles at 6,000 baht with 60-month instalments.

- One-day pass for urban public transport fares.

- Use of cannabis for medical treatment, health and economy.

- 100 million baht tourism fund for each province.

- Interest-free student loans, without collateral.

- Contract farming on crop prices, payments and insurance.

- Free cancer treatment machines in every province and dialysis centres in every district.

DEMOCRAT PARTY

- Set up 2 million baht village and urban community banks nationwide, with estimated cost of 160 billion baht.

- Free education to university level.

- Introduce mandatory savings policy, extend retirement age from 60.

- Income guarantees for farmers worth 70 billion baht.

- One-day fixed price for urban rail travel.

- Offer farmers 30,000 baht per household.

- Give 1 million land deeds within four years to help farmers.

(Compiled by Orathai Sriring, Satawasin Staporncharnchai and Pasit Kongkunakornkul; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel)
Dorothea Lange / National Archives Catalog

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US instated relocation camps for all Americans of Japanese descent.

Photographer Dorothea Lange was hired by the government to document the camps, but her archives were later impounded.

Her depictions are regarded as a transparent account of life for Japanese Americans in the 1940s.

In February 1942, three months after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing "the forced removal of all persons deemed a threat to national security," allowing Japanese Americans, citizens or not, to be moved to "relocation centers."

A bulletin instructing those affected by the establishment of Executive Order 9066 is hung up with tape. National Archives Catalog

For the next three years, 120,000 Japanese Americans were placed in concentration camps in the American West. The newly-minted War Relocation Authority (WRA) was responsible for handling all matters of internment  even public relations.

Source: Vox

The WRA hired photographers, notably Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, to document the camps for the public.

Japanese Americans form a line in San Francisco to appear for "processing" on April 25, 1942. Dorothea Lange / National Archive Catalog

Lange was well-known for her work during the Great Depression, most famously capturing the image titled "Migrant Mother."

Source: MoMA Learning

Lange's photographs, however, were withheld from the public for the duration of the war and not widely circulated like Adams' were. While in the camps, Lange was not allowed to "photograph the wire fences, the watchtowers with searchlights, the armed guards or any sign of resistance."

Baggage of evacuees of Japanese ancestry piled on the sidewalk in Oakland on May 6, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Despite limitations, Lange's documentary-style photography captured an otherwise unseen aspect of their forced incarceration.

Source: New York Times

Contrasting Adams' imagery, Lange captured the stark reality of life in the internment camps  long lines for meals, inadequate resources for children's education, and questionable living standards in renovated horse stables.

Evacuees in San Bruno carry their own dishes and cutlery in bags to protect them from the dust while waiting in line for supper on June 16, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archive

Source: National Archives

Lange's images have been lauded for capturing the uncertainty and anxiety of the subjects in the lead-up to evacuation.

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An elementary school at the Manzanar Relocation Center is staffed with evacuee volunteer teachers, most of whom are college graduates. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Source: Los Angeles Times

Hundreds of harrowing images show Japanese Americans removing their belongings from their homes, closing their family businesses, and preparing for a future of complete uncertainty.

Evacuees of Japanese ancestry board a train in Woodland, California, on May 20, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

During this time, nearly two-thirds of Japanese Americans forced into internment were American citizens.

A Japanese store owner displayed this sign on his storefront on December 8th, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. Dorothea Lange / National Archives Catalog

However, some in the media argued their ties to Japan overpowered their American identity.

"A viper is a viper wherever the egg is hatched..." a column in the Los Angeles Times read in 1942. "So a Japanese-American, born of Japanese parents grows up to be a Japanese, not an American and is himself a potential and menacing, if not an actual, danger to our country unless properly supervised."

Source: Los Angeles Times

Ultimately, Lange's images were impounded by the WRA for the duration of the war and were not widely accessible until the early 1970s, nearly 30 years after they were taken.

The interior of a barracks home at the Jerome Relocation Center in Denson, Arkansas, on November 17, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Source: Vox

The internment lasted another three years. In 1943, the government had even established a military combat unit for WWII comprised of Japanese internees in relocation camps.

Japanese Americans waiting at evacuation meeting place Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Source: United States National Archives

After the war ended in 1945 and internment camps shuttered, many Japanese Americans were left scrambling. They had no homes to return to and were unfamiliar with the terrain surrounding the relocation camps.

A man in a barrack apartment in San Bruno, California, sits on the edge of his bed as his daughter is seen behind him knitting on June 16, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Source: United States National Archives

The unearthed photographs from Lange's account were used for the movement demanding justice for Japanese Americans through the 1970s and 80s.

A little boy of Japanese ancestry gets a haircut at the Manzanar Relocation Center in Manzanar, California, on July 2, 1942. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

In 1988, then-President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, formally recognizing the injustice of internment and providing a $20,000 cash payment in reparations for every individual forcibly incarcerated.

Source: Vox, United States National Archives

In 2006, a book collection of Lange's wide portfolio of Japanese American internment was published under the title, "Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment."

A grandfather and grandson of Japanese ancestry at the Manzanar Relocation Center in Manzanar, California. Dorothea Lange / United States National Archives

Linda Gordon, a historian at New York University who edited the book, maintained that the temporary suppression of Lange's photography was not by happenstance.

"The photographs were impounded because they were unmistakably critical," she wrote in the Asia-Pacific Journal. "They unequivocally denounced, visually, an unjustified, unnecessary, and racist policy."

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal

Read the original article on Insider
Jacoshiya Johnson received a graduation gift she will never forget. The Florida A&M University student was surprised by her mother with her dream car during graduation celebrations over the weekend.

In a video posted to the HBCUs Instagram account, Johnson is surrounded by family, her diploma and car keys in hand as she cries in shock at the discovery.

She was gifted a white Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53 with a red interior and black rims after she walked across the Lawson Center stage. The car was complete with a plaque that features her nickname, Cosha, and the universitys signature colors and snake.

I always told my mom I wanted a Mercedes (Benz) when I graduate, Johnson told the Tallahassee Democrat. It was really exciting.

The recent FAMU graduate had asked her mother for the new car as a gift a few years ago, not expecting she would receive it.

I honestly wasnt expecting the car, and I was OK with not getting it, she added. I was already blessed to just be graduating.

At the time, Johnsons mother, Tica Nanton, told her, You do your part, and Ill do my part. Nanton owns a preschool in Winter Haven, Florida.

Nanton said she found the car last December. She purchased the model with a price tag starting at $75,000. Nanton then placed the vehicle in storage, so her daughter wouldnt find it when she visited home.

As soon as I found it, I purchased it, she said.

The 23-year-old graduated cum laude with a bachelors degree in biology pre-medicine while also being an active member of several campus organizations. She is the first of her family to graduate from college.

My mom always goes above and beyond for me, Johnson said. Its not even about the material item, but the constant love, support and motivation.

Oftentimes, I felt like I wanted to give up, she added. Now, I get to establish a legacy for my future.

The recent graduate is preparing to take the MCAT this summer and will pursue a Master of Medical Science degree at Barry University in Miami. She ultimately wants to become a pediatric oncologist, her goal since childhood.

Shes grown tremendously as a student and as a person, Fran Scott, director of the FAMU premed program, said. She is competitive and ready for a successful transition to medical school.

Congratulations Cosha!
South Elementary School, as seen Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Plainview.

The FBI is investigating an alleged sexual assault that occurred at a Texas elementary school and recorded on a district device following a week of protests and threats made against the school.

Plainview South Elementary parents say the school district failed to properly communicate with them after a first grader was reportedly forced to perform a sexual act on another student on April 19 while a teacher was in the room.

The districts IT department found a video recording of the incident taken by one of the students on a password-protected iPad, school officials said in a statement to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

After the Plainview Independent School District canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday  due to threats made against the elementary school and its educators  the school district announced Monday that it is working with the FBI.

We appreciate the support of the FBI and of their resources to evaluate the multitude of circumstances surrounding the incident, the school district said in a statement Monday.

Classes resumed Wednesday.

Incident was recorded on school iPad, district says

Parents, family and community members protested outside Plainview ISD's administrative offices May 1 after a parent posted a statement on Facebook April 28 claiming South Elementary Principal Jennifer Hughey and Superintendent H.T. Sanchez did nothing after the alleged incident occurred.

On May 1, Sanchez, Hughey and Plainview ISD Assistant Superintendent Yesenia Pardo said in a statement to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the teacher was working with a group of students and did not witness the incident.

The incident was recorded by one of the students on a district electronic device, the statement said.

The following day, April 20, the teacher noticed a group of students off-task when she took an iPad away from one of the students. A technician opened the locked device on April 21, when administrators discovered content showing the alleged sexual act.

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The two parents/legal guardians were notified that concerning content was identified on the device and that Child Protective Services would be notified of the matter, the statement said.

A CPS investigator met with the police chief and started an investigation.

The teacher was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: FBI investigates Plainview South Elementary school for alleged sex act
A panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously voted Wednesday that the benefits of making a birth control pill available over the counter outweigh the potential risks.

The 17-0 vote represents a major step forward in the decades-long push to make birth control pills available without a prescription for the first time ever.

The FDA is expected to make a final decision later this summer. The agency does not have to follow the panels recommendation, but it often does.

Members of the agencys advisory board said the risks of unintended pregnancy were far greater than any risks associated with the drug, called Opill.

Making it available over the counter would significantly expand access to contraception, especially for younger women and those in rural and underserved communities, who currently need to overcome logistical barriers to get their birth control.

Hormone-based birth control has required a prescription, usually so providers can screen for risk of rare blood clots. But over-the-counter (OTC) birth control is available in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Opill, manufactured by HRA Pharma, was first approved for use with a prescription 50 years ago. Opill is a progestin-only pill, rather than a combination pill of progestin and estrogen, so it has virtually no risk of clotting. But it can be less effective if its not taken around the same time every day.

But FDA scientists raised a number of red flags over the course of the two-day meeting, especially regarding the quality of the companys data about whether people would understand and follow the instructions and take the pill at the same time every day.

Agency scientists were also concerned about whether women with medical conditions that should preclude them from taking the pill will know to avoid it without talking to a physician first.

The agency was also concerned about whether adolescents and people with limited literacy would be able to understand the instructions.

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Yet the panel members largely disagreed, and said they felt the consequences about a lack of access to contraception outweighed the agencys concerns.

I think in the balance between benefit and risk, we have a hard time justifying not taking this action. The benefits are large, the drug is incredibly effective. I think it will be effective in the over the counter realm just as it is in the prescription realm, said Maria Coyle, the chairwoman of the committee and an associate clinical professor at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, who voted yes.

Do I think we got perfect data? No. Do I think it was a perfect study? No. Do I think it was adequate to feel reassured that a large number of people can use this drug as intended? Yes, said Cynthia Baur, a health literacy researcher at the University of Maryland who voted in favor of OTC access.

A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to an abortion, reproductive health has been under political and legal attack. Contraception hasnt garnered as much pushback, but advocates note threats to access are a constant fear.

A Texas federal judge in December ruled that federal clinics that confidentially distribute contraception to teens violate Texas state law and U.S. constitutional rights.

And Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the Supreme Court should reconsider its past rulings codifying the right to contraception access.

Many of the leading anti-abortion groups havent taken a stance, but major Catholic groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are arguing against over-the-counter access to contraceptives. They argue that teens and young adults should need parental and provider permission, because it will lead to an increase in sexually active young people.

Advocates called on the FDA not to be persuaded by the politics and opposition and to ensure Opill is available for reproductive age women of all ages, without restrictions.

It is past time for an over-the-counter birth control pill, which has the potential to advance reproductive justice and expand health equity. Now, we look to the FDA to follow the committees recommendation, in addition to the overwhelming data, and approve the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S., said Victoria Nichols, project director of Free the Pill.

Updated at 2:38 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two panels of expert advisers to the FDA voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend the agency approve the first over-the-counter birth control pill.

Over two days, the panels of 17 experts considered the evidence presented by HRA Pharma, maker of Opill, and concluded that the pill's benefits of safely preventing unwanted pregnancies outweighed the potential health risks to consumers.

Even for the subgroups of younger adolescents and those with lower literacy  their risk of harm is low and the potential for benefit is high, said Kathryn Curtis, a health scientist in the CDCs Division of Reproductive Health and a temporary voting member on one of the committees.

FDA career scientists raised red flags about the drugs safety and efficacy, even as the agency and the White House are under pressure to expand contraceptive options in a highly charged political environment around access to abortion, which has dramatically shrunk since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. FDA approval would be a major step forward for the decades-long campaign to have the U.S. join dozens of other countries where hormonal contraceptives are available without a prescription.

The FDA has been put in a very difficult position of trying to determine whether it is likely that women will use this product safely and effectively in the nonprescription setting, said Karen Murry, deputy director of the FDAs office of nonprescription drugs. FDA staff dont vote at advisory committee meetings.

When a development program is proposed for a nonprescription drug, we can't just approve it based on the experience in the prescription setting without the applicant doing adequate studies, she added.

Ahead of the meeting, HRA Pharma conducted a clinical trial to assess whether consumers could identify if they should take the pill, and if so, could they correctly take it at around the same time every day. The trial initially included more than 1,700 participants and ultimately followed 883 participants who logged electronically when they took the pills.

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HRA Pharma concluded that most consumers, including adolescents and people with limited health literacy, would take the pill as instructed or use alternative contraception if they didnt.

But FDA scientists had concerns over HRAs data, including that patient-reported diaries are often unreliable. Many study participants, for example, reported taking more pills than were available. HRA Pharma attributed this to likely user error, while FDA scientists said it could be a sign of serious misuse of the pill.

I can't think of a study that has 30 percent invalid data  it's really very extraordinary, said Theresa Michele, the director of the FDAs office of nonprescription drugs.

Arthur Stone, professor of psychology, economics and public policy at the University of Southern California who presented on behalf of HRA Pharma, said the over-reporting had to do with the study's design. The studys e-diary did not prompt users to log daily whether they took a pill and allowed users to back-fill data for several days, possibly resulting in participants overstating the number of pills taken.

The agency also said that there was a risk that people with contraindications, such as a history of breast cancer or unexplained vaginal bleeding, might take the pill, or that adolescents or people with low health literacy would try to use the pill as an emergency contraception.

Ultimately, the advisers disagreed and concluded that the benefits of the pill outweighed the risks  particularly given that health care providers know patients often dont precisely follow instructions on prescription drugs.

If [consumers] don't use it appropriately, the safety profile is such that there is very little to no risk, said Leslie Walker-Harding, a pediatrician and chief academic officer and senior vice president of Seattle Childrens Hospital who voted on the recommendation.

Abbey Berenson, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch who also voted, argued that typical use of hormonal birth control isnt perfect, even when patients get the pill from health care providers. It is very difficult for people to long-term take birth control pills  at the same time every day.

In FDA presentations to the experts, agency scientists also pointed out that Opill was approved for prescription use in the early 1970s, which may not reflect current populations nor the current standards used to approve drugs.

Advisers did not agree. The standards for approving Opill would be different today, yes, but that is true for many drugs  including other oral contraceptives, said Suzanne Robotti, president of the MedShadow Foundation and a voting consumer representative.

Jack Resneck, president of the American Medical Association who did not attend the meeting, told POLITICO he was very, very pleased with the advisory committees' unanimous vote.

"These are medications that we know are safe and effective from decades of use by millions of women in countries around the world, he said. "There's a particularly acute need for this right now in the post-Dobbs era, as the consequences of unintended pregnancies are even more substantial than they had been before.

Whats next: The committees recommendation is not binding, though the FDA often follows what the experts conclude. The FDA is expected to decide whether Opill should be over the counter this summer.

Alice Miranda Ollstein contributed to this report.
By Leroy Leo

(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's staff reviewers raised concerns over limited data on Sarepta Therapeutics Inc's gene therapy for a muscle-wasting disorder, ahead of a meeting of the agency's advisers on Friday.

The agency's staff on Wednesday highlighted several issues with the data and said that existing studies did not provide "unambigious evidence" that the gene therapy will benefit patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

But most of the concerns were known and the lack of any unexpected criticism sent the drugmaker's shares marginally higher to $126.51 in morning trade.

The FDA also highlighted that DMD, a rare disorder that mainly affects young boys, is an urgent unmet medical need.

The advisory committee's vote on Friday and an eventual decision by the FDA is seen as a test of the agency's accelerated approval pathway for gene therapies.

The pathway allows for therapies to gain approval based on "surrogate markers" as a substitute for actual clinical outcomes such as reduction in symptoms.

Sarepta's mid-stage trial data showed it helped patients make a mini version of the dystrophin protein needed to keep muscle cells intact, and the company is also conducting a late-stage study, with data expected in September.

The agency in its briefing documents on Wednesday asked its panel to consider whether the data is enough to secure an accelerated approval.

But "while the briefing documents highlight several limitations in the data, most of these issues are known and will be answered in confirmatory studies," said William Blair analyst Tim Lugo.

Analysts also said the FDA's voting question for the panel does not signal that the agency was looking to delay the approval.

Sarepta has three drugs available for the disease for people with different types of genetic mutations but they have to be given as weekly intravenous infusion, while the experimental gene therapy is a one-time treatment.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Dozens of zoo animals in Sudan's capital  including an elderly crocodile, parrots and giant lizards  are feared dead after street battles between the country's rival forces made the location unreachable.

At least 100 animals, all kept inside enclosures, will have gone more than three weeks without food or water, said Sara Abdalla, the head zoologist at the zoo, which is part of the Sudan Natural History Museum.

Millions of people in Sudan have endured shortages of food, water and medicines after the conflict halted the most basic services. But as the sounds of explosions ring across the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, Abdalla has been wracked with worry over her animal charges, particularly those that are increasingly rare to find in their natural habitats in Sudan.

I feel a great deal of misery and sadness, as well as helplessness, she said in a telephone interview from Khartoum. I have assumed that we lost the birds and mammals.

The zoo is home to species including an African grey parrot, a vervet monkey, giant lizards known as Nile monitors, a desert tortoise, a horned viper snake and a Nubian spitting cobra. Prior to the fighting, these were all fed twice a day. But the last time they received their meals and for some, medications, was on April 14, the day before fighting broke out, according to Abdalla.

The conflict, which capped months of tensions between Sudans rival generals, pits the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who is the head of the ruling sovereign council, against the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The RSF is commanded by Burhans deputy on the council, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Abdalla said neither has heeded appeals to allow access to the zoo.

The conflict has turned much of Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman into a battlefield, with both sides using heavy weapons, including artillery and airstrikes, inside urban areas. The urban combat has badly damaged infrastructure and properties and poses great risk to civilians trying to move in the city streets.

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Residents fleeing the capital have described seeing bodies littering sidewalks and central squares, particularly in areas not far from the museum. Roughly 500 civilians have been killed in the fighting so far, according to Sudan's doctors' syndicate, though the true number of dead is believed to be higher.

The zoo, which is housed inside the University of Khartoum, is one of the oldest in Sudan. The facility was established about a century ago as part of Gordon Memorial College, an educational institution built in the early 1900s when Sudan was a part of the British empire. It was annexed to the University of Khartoum two years after Sudan won independence in 1956.

Its current location is close to the militarys headquarters, where fighting has been heavy, preventing access to the museum.

Abdalla, who teaches zoology at the University of Khartoum, began working at the museum in 2006, and was appointed director of the facility in 2020. It was a job she had dreamed of since she visited the museum as a child. Now, trapped at her home in southern Khartoum with her husband and their two children  9-year-old Yara, and 4-year-old Mohamed  she worries about the animals that have already survived years of unrest, economic collapse and pandemic lockdowns.

Neither the military nor the RSF responded to requests for comment on the plight of the animals and their caretakers.

Unless someone released the animals early on when the clashes started, I dont see how any would or could have survived for over two weeks with no care, said Kamal M. Ibrahim, a biology professor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in an email. He is familiar with the museum and its work, having graduated from the University of Khartoum and spending a sabbatical there.

The museum documents the wildlife of Sudan and its neighbor South Sudan. The facility serves both scientists and the general public. It also contains hundreds of valuable preserved animal specimens, some of which are now extinct, according to Abdalla.

Both Ibrahim and Abdalla are particularly worried about a Nile crocodile, raised from an egg at the facility since 1971. Abdalla said the crocodile was on a regimen of medicine and vitamins due advanced age. The crocodiles are increasingly rare to find in the Blue and White Nile rivers that cut their way through the country.

It could have fared better if released from its enclosure, Ibrahim said.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is escorted by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) into the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to the Capitol on Wednesday to cast her first vote in the Senate since taking an extended illness-related absence that threatened Democrats' slim majority and led to mounting calls for her resignation.

Feinstein, who at 89 is the eldest sitting senator, was brought onto the Senate floor in a wheelchair that she may at times require to travel around the Capitol as she works "a lighter schedule," her office said in a statement. Videos on Twitter showed Feinstein emerging from a car outside the Senate building, where she was helped into the wheelchair and greeted by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Offering her most detailed description yet of her health problems since she took leave in February to be treated at a San Francisco hospital for shingles, Feinstein said in the statement that shes made some significant progress but still is experiencing some side effects, including vision and balance issues.

Before Feinstein's return to Washington on Tuesday, her team faced growing complaints from colleagues about a lack of transparency on the senator's condition. Last week, her staff declined to give The Times a report or interview from her doctor.

For months, her absence and the lack of details on her return frustrated many Democratic lawmakers and activists, especially those concerned about the slow pace at which the Senate was confirming President Biden's nominees for the federal judiciary.

Without Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee, which holds confirmation hearings for federal judges and advances its recommendations to the full Senate, was split evenly with 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. The committee most recently approved a judicial nominee two weeks ago with the support of some Republicans; it will meet Thursday to consider more nominations and legislation.

I have returned to Washington and am prepared to resume my duties in the Senate, Feinstein said Wednesday. The Senate faces many important issues, but the most pressing is to ensure our government doesnt default on its financial obligations. I also look forward to resuming my work on the Judiciary Committee considering the presidents judicial nominees.

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My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. Im hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover, she said, thanking her well-wishers and her team of doctors in San Francisco.

Feinstein did not provide more details on which duties could be trimmed from her schedule. Her first vote back Wednesday was to confirm a Department of Education nominee.

Feinstein was briefly hospitalized in San Francisco in February with the shingles virus and said she had hoped to be back in Washington by late March, but she remained at home in recovery. Feinstein worked while she recuperated, her spokesperson Adam Russell said at the time, but she could not cast a vote without being on the Senate floor or in committee, complicating the confirmation of Bidens judicial and administrative nominees.

Her absence eventually led to an outcry from some corners of the Democratic Party for Feinstein to step aside, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

As pressure built for her to resign, Feinstein had asked for another Democrat to temporarily be appointed to the judiciary panel in her place, but Republicans rejected that effort. She recently responded to critiques about the disruptions to the committee's work by saying she would return to Washington, but she didn't specify a timeline.

Feinstein has contended with questions about her health and ability to serve for several years, including concerns about whether she was up for the mental rigor of high-profile positions. She said she will not run for reelection next year but plans to fulfill her term, which ends in early 2025, then retire.

Times staff writers Melanie Mason, Benjamin Oreskes and Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) returned to the Capitol on Wednesday, marking her first time back since February after a bout with shingles.

Feinstein, who arrived and was put in a wheelchair, was greeted outside by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and was led into the chamber for a late afternoon vote. She told reporters upon her arrival that she feels much better.

The California Democrat had been sidelined for more than two months after being hospitalized with shingles and having complications during her recovery in San Francisco.

Feinstein said in a statement just before her arrival that her doctors have advised her to work a lighter schedule as she continues to deal with complications during her recovery.

Even though Ive made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, Im still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus, she said in a statement. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate.

She flew back to Washington on Tuesday but was absent from votes that night and early Wednesday.

Her return once again gives Democrats a majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee and a 51-49 advantage in the full chamber.

But questions remain about whether she will appear Thursday for the panels weekly markup of nominations. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he was not sure whether she will be present.

Feinstein has been at the center of criticism in recent months, specifically as the Judiciary Committee canceled three straight markups and couldnt approve nominees throughout March.

Amid continued questions about her health, multiple House members called on her to step down, saying she is no longer able to carry out her responsibilities as a lawmaker.

Feinstein, 89, is the oldest sitting senator.

She asked the Senate to replace her temporarily on the Judiciary panel last month. Republicans immediately dismissed that idea.

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Even without Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee has voted through eight nominees in recent weeks, advancing them to final Senate votes. Four nominations remain stalled and need her presence to move them along.

The most prominent of those is Michael Delaney, a nominee for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, who remains in limbo because of his handling of a sexual assault case at a boarding school in New Hampshire and has yet to win the required backing of all Democrats on the panel.

Feinstein announced in February she will not seek a sixth term in the upper chamber.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Clement Rossignol and Charlotte Van Campenhout

(Reuters) - The unsolved murders of 22 women are the subject of an appeal for information launched on Wednesday by global police agency Interpol together with Belgian, German, and Dutch police.

"The common point between these 22 women is that none of them have a name and that they have likely died due to a violent act", Susan Hitchin, coordinator of Interpol's DNA unit, said over a video call about the appeal, dubbed "Operation Identify Me".

The women were found in Belgium, The Netherlands, or Germany but might have come from other countries, she said. It's also possible their bodies were transported there to confound investigations.

The oldest cold case, "The girl in the parking lot", is about a young woman, estimated between 13 and 20 years old, found by hikers in 1976 in The Netherlands and thought by police to have come from Germany. Police estimate she died the same year her body was discovered.

Another one is about a woman found in Belgium almost 32 years ago. Her body was discovered in 1991 in a rainwater well in the town of Holsbeek, some 40 km (25 miles) from Brussels. Her body might have been in the well for up to two years.

The operation focuses on female victims as "women are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, such as sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic abuse", Hitchin explained.

"In similar investigations, establishing the victims identity ultimately has led to the arrest of a suspect," Anja Allendorf of the German police said in a statement announcing the operation.

Hitchin said that Interpol's global network will reach a wider public and might lead to someone recognising their loved one or a friend or a colleague.

(Reporting by Clement Rossignol, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by William Maclean)
State leaders and communities in California observed National Fentanyl Awareness Day on Tuesday with prevention rallies and other events to draw attention to a deadly health threat thats killing thousands of residents every year.

In southwestern Stanislaus County, Newman is hosting a town hall meeting Tuesday evening, May 9, at Yolo Middle School, 901 Hoyer Road. The keynote speaker is Tony Hoffman, former professional BMX racer and an author on mental health and substance use disorder.

Also speaking will be Jennifer Marsh of Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and Mike Vivo, the father of a 14-year-old Waterford girl who died from a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the speakers begin at 6. People attending can receive an overdose-reversing Narcan kit and training. Also, appetizers and childcare are available.

More than 25 bills proposed

Democrats, who control the Legislature, said at a news conference Tuesday morning that theyve introduced more than 25 bills taking different approaches to addressing the crisis.

Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, is chairing a select committee on fentanyl that will hold a May 24 hearing to discuss solutions.

The lawmakers talked about bills for preventing sale of fentanyl to young people and adults on social media platforms. Assembly Bill 461 would make test strips for fentanyl available at California State Universities and community colleges.

Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria said the number of fentanyl deaths skyrocketed in recent years in her district from Merced to Fresno County. She noted that the seizure of 58,000 fentanyl pills in a CHP traffic stop April 27 in Merced County kept the drugs from falling into the hands of young people and adults up and down California.

But the four people arrested in another Merced County traffic stop April 25, netting 104 pounds of methamphetamine and 25 pounds of fentanyl, face much stiffer penalties if convicted of distributing the meth, because of gaps in criminal law regarding fentanyl.

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When speaking about the fentanyl crisis, we must help those who succumb to fentanyls allure survive the danger, particularly our young people, said Assemblyman James Ramos of San Bernardino. Law enforcement also needs additional tools and resources.  To win the war against fentanyl, the drug must be attacked from all angles.

What is fentanyl?

Legal fentanyl is a pain medication for patients following surgery. It is 100 times more powerful than morphine.

By now, most people know that criminal drug lords purchase the synthetic opioid from sources in China and press it into counterfeit pills that look like prescription drugs. The fake pills are distributed across the United States and sold to drug users.

California agencies say 5,961 fentanyl overdose deaths occurred in the state in 2021, including at least 224 people ages 15 to 19.

Experts say illegal fentanyl is in methamphetamine and other opioid drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Some experts believe those users become addicted faster.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has called fentanyl the most deadly drug threat the nation has ever encountered.

Signs of overdose

The signs a person is overdosing on fentanyl include confusion, drowsiness or loss of consciousness, slow heartbeat and breathing, low blood pressure, and bluish lips and fingernails.

An overdose can be treated with the reversal medication called Narcan, the brand name for naloxone. Call 911 if a friend or loved one is experiencing these symptoms.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little marked National Fentanyl Awareness Day on Tuesday with a trip to Kuna to warn kids about the dangers of fentanyl use.

This is a good effort, as is the states anti-drug campaign, Fentanyl Takes All, which highlights how deadly fentanyl can be.

Little was joined Tuesday by Lewiston resident Tarina Taylor whose son, Zachary, died of fentanyl poisoning.

Zach got a call from a friend who offered him some Oxycontin, Lewis told the group of Kuna students Tuesday. Zach was after a good time, a little high, but fentanyl changed that all in an instant. The most important thing to remember is, fentanyl, one pill can kill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. Of those, 67% involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Some of these deaths were attributed to fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, with many users unaware they were actually taking fentanyl.

Only two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Along with the media campaign, Little announced other efforts to fight fentanyl:

more roadside testing equipment to help ISP get fentanyl off our streets more quickly.

a new statewide drug interdiction team at ISP to intercept fentanyl coming into our state.

improving information sharing among law enforcement, first responders, health care workers, tribes, coroners and others to tackle the problem strategically.

increasing resources for mental health and behavioral health to help prevent tragedy.

These are all good steps.

Unfortunately, Little this legislative session signed a terrible bill that limits who can get free naloxone kits, likely leading to more overdose and poisoning deaths.

Little also trips up on another key initiative. Little announced Tuesday he is preparing to travel to the Texas-Mexico border in two weeks and deploy a team of Idaho State Police personnel to assist the state of Texas on a monthlong mission for drug and fentanyl interdiction efforts at the border.

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With Title 42 set to end this week and an expected spike in illegal border crossings and even more fentanyl coming across the open border, governors are working together to increase state-driven border security efforts, according to a press release issued by the governors office. Title 42 refers to a COVID health order that allowed U.S. officials to quickly expel migrants at the border.

These will be good photo ops, no doubt. But a serious fight against fentanyl needs more than photo ops.

If theyre looking at illegal border crossings, theyll be looking in the wrong place. It would be better to be stationed at legal border checkpoints on the lookout for American citizens.

Despite what you may have heard, the vast majority of fentanyl seizures at the border are made up of U.S. citizens traveling through legal crossing points, not undocumented immigrants.

In 2021, U.S. citizens made up 86.3% of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers  10 times greater than convictions of illegal immigrants for the same offense, according to a study by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, based on data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

That study found that just 0.02% of the people arrested by Border Patrol for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally possessed any fentanyl whatsoever.

According to Cato, 90% of fentanyl seizures occur at legal crossing points or interior vehicle checkpoints, not on illegal migration routes.

Fentanyl seizures at the border were up in 2022. In all, 14,700 pounds of fentanyl were seized in fiscal year 2022, which ended in September, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Thats an increase of 31% from 2021, when 11,200 pounds were seized. That number has tripled since 2020, and its a more than five-fold increase from 2,800 pounds in 2019.

A recent report from the DEA identified China, Mexico and India as the top producers and exporters of fentanyl into the United States, with China leading the way.

For sure, fentanyl is a major problem, and Little is right to focus on it.

But citing the lifting of Title 42 and blaming illegal border crossings are nothing more than political dog whistles and do a disservice to fighting the real problems at hand.

And looking for fentanyl among those crossing the border illegally will be a fools errand.
An employee is dead and another is in custody after a dispute ended in gunfire Wednesday morning at the Virginia hospital where they worked, police said.

Police were called just after midnight to the VCU Medical Center North Hospital in Richmond for reports of an active threat.

Investigators learned that a fight between co-workers TyQuan White and Christopher Boisseau broke out in the stairwell and resulted in one of the individuals shooting the other, authorities said.

White, 25, of Richmond, died from his injury, Richmond and VCU police said in a joint news release. No other injuries were reported.

Police respond to a shooting at VCU Medical Center in Virginia on May 10, 2023. (WWBT)

Boisseau, 24, of Henrico, was taken into custody and charged with maliciously shooting within a building. Police said additional charges are pending.

A firearm was seized at the scene, the release said.

The building was briefly locked down in the police response.

Marlon Levy, the CEO of VCU Health, said in a statement, This was a terrible incident that has shaken us all.

Levy said that police and security arrived within two minutes of the shooting and that first responders valiantly worked to save our team members life before he died.

Levy said a review will focus on understanding what led to the shooting, evaluating the hospitals response and reviewing changes to improve the safety and security of facilities.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Film fans are ecstatic over news that Jenna Ortega will be starring in the much-anticipated Beetlejuice sequel.

The Warner Bros film begins production in London on Wednesday (10 May) before a theatrical release on 6 September 2024.

A follow-up to Tim Burtons 1988 cult classic has been long awaited by movie fans who are rejoicing at news that a sequel is finally in the works over three decades later.

Original stars Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton will reprise their roles as Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice, respectively.

Most exciting of all, however, is the new confirmation that Ortega  best known for her role in Netflixs hit series Wednesday  will be playing a key role in the sequel.

Rumours that the Scream 6 star will be playing Lydias daughter have now been confirmed in what has been called a perfect casting by fans.

I cant wait to see this! Jenna Ortega is the perfect cast for it, wrote one person.

Another added: Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega as mother/daughter is already ICONIC.

Jenna Ortega as Winona Ryders daughter in beetlejuice 2 is literally so perfect IM EXCITED  pic.twitter.com/nswb8Ltbsi  // (@giselleb1234) May 9, 2023

Jenna Ortega as Winona Ryders daughter in Beetlejuice 2 is literally so perfect, said a third person.

Someone else wrote: OMG! Jenna Ortega kind of looks like Winona Ryders daughter so she should be perfect for Beetlejuice 2.

Winona AND Jenna in Beetlejuice?! Blessed, said another.

OMG! Jenna Ortega kind of looks like Winona Riders daughter. So she should be perfect for BEETLEJUICE 2. https://t.co/TsuUUrWpwM  Brix Black  (@AmericanRebel24) May 9, 2023

Ortega previously worked with Burton on Netflixs hit series Wednesday, in which she earned acclaim for her role as Wednesday Addams.

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Also set to star in the sequel is The Leftovers Justin Theroux in an undisclosed role.

The original horror-comedy followed Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as a married couple named Barbara and Adam Maitland.

Jenna Ortega as the daughter of Winona Ryders character is perfect! https://t.co/1pRPgRvJ7N  Beth Renaldi (@bethrenaldi) March 10, 2023

When they die in a car crash, the couple find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house when the awful Deetz family moves in.

In an attempt to scare away their unwelcome lodgers, the Maitlands enlist the help of Beetlejuice, a spirit who gives the Maitlands more than they bargained for.

A plot for the sequel  scheduled for a theatrical release on 6 September 2024  is yet to be disclosed.
Sam Clemmett and Hugh Sachs as young and old Brimsley. Liam Daniel / Netflix / Nick Wall / Netflix

"Bridgerton" favorite Brimsley finally receives a first name in a new "Queen Charlotte" tie-in book.

Author Julia Quinn told Insider how she decided on Brimsley's first name in the novel.

Quinn said she had to consult the show's creators before christening Brimsley.

"Bridgerton" author Julia Quinn has revealed fan favorite character Brimsley's first name in a new book published to coincide with Netflix's "Queen Charlotte" spinoff series.

And we can share that Queen Charlotte's righthand man's first name is... Bartholomew.

Many of the characters in "Bridgerton" derive directly from Quinn's book series, however, a handful  Brimsley included  were created especially for the Netflix show, which meant Quinn got to flesh out their histories for the first time while writing the new "Queen Charlotte" novel with Shonda Rhimes.

The new book is based on the script to Netflix's "Queen Charlotte" series, created by Rhimes.

"I got to give Brimsley a first name. That was really fun," Quinn told Insider. "I kept emailing everybody going, 'Does Brimsley have a first name? Does anybody know if we ever gave him a first name?' And finally, it took a while, people were like, 'No, I don't think he does.' And I was like, 'Yes.'"

Brimsley's first name is never revealed in "Bridgerton" or the "Queen Charlotte" series, so it's an extra nugget just for readers of Quinn and Rhimes' book.

Asked how she came up with Brimsley's given name, Quinn said Bartholomew just "seemed right."

Julia Quinn in 2022. Jeff Spicer / Getty Images

"I felt like when I introduced him in the very beginning of his chapter, I had to put his full name," Quinn said.

"And only once did anybody ever use it. I think one time Reynolds goes, 'Bartholomew,' and that was like this moment of intimacy because nobody ever called somebody's first name."

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Reynolds is another new character introduced in "Queen Charlotte" as the chief secretary to King George III. Quinn said he doesn't receive a first name in either the book or the series.

While Reynolds' backstory is not explored in the Netflix series, Quinn told Insider that a key scene exploring his history with King George was cut from the show.

In the scene, which instead features in the book, Reynolds tells Brimsley that he was originally assigned as a playmate to George when they were both children and thus has a closer relationship with the monarch than we might realize.

"I embellished it a little bit but it really comes from the script," Quinn said. "And when I watched the show, I remember finishing being like, 'Where was that conversation?' I'm looking at the script. I'm like, 'I know that was here.'"

"Queen Charlotte," written by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes, is available to buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores. "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" is available to stream on Netflix.

Read the original article on Insider
The first UK baby created with DNA from three people has been born through the use of a pioneering IVF procedure, reports say.

The child developed through a process known as mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT) which involves taking the nucleus from one of the mothers eggs  containing her DNA  and implanting it into a donor egg that had its nucleus removed but retained the donors healthy mitochondrial DNA.

It is a means of creating IVF embryos that are free from harmful mutations their mothers carry and are likely to pass on to their children.

Unlike ordinary DNA, which has the genetic information that helps make us who we are, mitochondrial DNA provides power for the cell and has been compared to a battery.

Many scientists in the field insist the term three-parent baby is inaccurate for this reason as more than 98.8 per cent of the DNA is still from two people.

The UK parliament gave a green-light to the procedure in 2015 and a regulatory body, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), considers requests for its use.

The first British three-parent child was discovered through a Freedom of Information request to the HFEA. The clinic reportedly said a small number of babies have now been born in the UK after MDT.

Doctors at the clinic do not release details of births from its MDT programme, amid concerns that specific information could compromise patient confidentiality.

Britain is not the first country to see children born through MDT. In 2016, a child was born in Mexico through the procedure.

The childs mother had Leigh syndrome, a fatal disorder that affects the developing nervous system and would have been passed on in her mitochondrial DNA.

Professor Alison Murdoch, head of the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, Newcastle University, who has been at the forefront of research in this area in the UK, said at the time the birth was great news.
The first public court appearances took place Wednesday in a challenge to House Bill 1020, the controversial Jackson courts and police bill which is set to become law July 1, with Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Dewayne Thomas calling it the most important case he's considered in a legal career that has stretched more than 40 years.

More: Mississippi chief justice removed from lawsuit over courts and policing in Jackson

Prior to being elected to the chancery court in 2006, Thomas was an attorney. He also served as a member of the legislature from 1984 to 1992.

"I'm treating this like it's the most important case I've ever had to decide as a lawyer or as a judge. And it is important to know that. It's important to the plaintiffs to know that and to the state. In the 17 years I've been here, I consider this, and I've always taken everything seriously, but this is probably the most serious case I've ever had," Thomas said. "Please rest assured that I have gone through all of the material that you have submitted, prior to yesterday, at least 10 to 15 times, and I have read every case you've submitted that I thought was pertinent, every statute that's important, plus our 1890 Constitution, I've gotten more familiar with it now than I ever have."

Thomas, who later said a formal opinion on the constitutionality of HB 1020 would likely not come until sometime between Friday and Monday, said any decision he makes is going to leave one side unhappy, invoking the Biblical story of the Judgement of Solomon.

Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas studies his notes at a hearing on Wednesday in Hinds County Chancery Court in Jackson where he heard arguments about a Mississippi law that would create a court system with judges who would be appointed rather than elected.

"I know that I cannot please everybody here today, and I cannot be as smart as Solomon and split the baby, because this baby cannot be split. It just can't," Thomas said.

What's in HB 1020? Mississippi House passes controversial House Bill 1020, sends to Gov. as session nears end

Record fundraising in governor's race: Record fundraising recorded in MS governor's race. See how much candidates have raised

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Thomas also acknowledged that he is unlikely to have the final say on a case that could be appealed to the state supreme court.

The lawsuit challenging the bill was brought by three Jackson residents who testified from the witness stand Wednesday, each explaining their view that the creation of an unelected court system within the Capitol Complex Improvement District, along with the appointment of temporary judges, infringes on their rights to elect judges.

Attorney Cliff Johnson, Director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, speaks during a hearing on Wednesday in Hinds County Chancery Court in Jackson, where a judge heard arguments about a Mississippi law that would create a court system with judges who would be appointed rather than elected.

Cliff Johnson, director of the MacArthur Justice Center, was the primary attorney arguing the case for those three plaintiffs. Johnson asked Thomas to issue a preliminary injunction, preventing the bill from becoming law until the legal challenges have been exhausted. Thomas already issued a restraining order last week putting a halt to the bill until a hearing, like the one Wednesday, could be held on the possible merits of the challenge.

One of the necessary factors in granting injunctive relief is convincing a judge that there is a reasonable chance of ultimately succeeding in your case. Johnson said he thinks the plaintiffs and their legal team clearly have such a chance.

"We have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits, a substantial likelihood of success on the merits," Johnson said.

Johnson cited the state's constitution, which stipulates that judges "shall be elected," other than in what Johnson called "very limited circumstances." Those can include a judge unable to or disqualified from presiding. In those cases, a temporary judge may be appointed by the governor.

Rex Shannon, an attorney with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, speaks to a colleague prior to a hearing on Wednesday in Hinds County Chancery Court in Jackson where a judge heard arguments about a Mississippi law that would create a court system with judges who would be appointed rather than elected.

"That's it, Judge Thomas. That's the appointment power that the Mississippi Constitution provides," Johnson said.

Johnson further argued that the temporary judges added to the Hinds County Circuit Court by HB 1020 would serve for 42 months, compared to the 48-month term of a regular elected judge. In Johnson's view, this makes it difficult to view them as truly temporary.

In response to statements made by the state in its court filings, prepared by the attorney general's office, that Jackson faces a number of local crises, including high levels of crime, Johnson said that cannot be a reason to violate the state constitution.

Jackson rep charged in tax case: Mississippi Rep. Earle Banks charged with felony false tax return

"The notion that somehow, the fact that, Jackson, according to the attorney general, is troubled, that that justifies a deprivation of rights, that the people of Jackson haven't handled their business properly so we're going to come in here and help them, and we're going to appoint judges who will be able to straighten them out, is offensive," Johnson said. "It's demeaning. I think it's an insult to elected judges in Hinds County who are working plenty hard to deal with their caseloads."

Lawyers from the state countered Johnson's arguments, including Rex Shannon, special assistant attorney general and deputy director of the office's civil litigation division. Shannon argued that Johnson's request for an injunction should be denied "for two overarching reasons."

First, Shannon said it is the state's view that the chancery court lacks subject matter jurisdiction. Second, Shannon said the plaintiffs do not meet any of the four requirements needed for an injunction to be granted.

Though Johnson argued that the plaintiffs have standing because they pay taxes in Hinds County, vote in the county and could possibly appear before a court in the future, Shannon argued that the plaintiffs lack standing because they cannot show that allowing the bill to become law would cause them harm.

"Stading is not the only jurisdictional problem with this case," Shannon said, adding that it could lead to the overturn of a law already on the books that allows for appointed judges in the event of an "overcrowded docket."

"The plaintiffs are also asking this court to issue an injunction terminating all of the temporary judges who were previously appointed," Shannon said.

Shannon said the HB 1020 and the existing law do not violate the state constitution, so the plaintiffs do not have a likelihood of success.

Finally, Shannon said Jackson needs the additional judges that Johnson and the plaintiffs are challenging.

"That may be the elephant in the room. We've got a crime problem in this city, period," Shannon said. "That crime effects everybody, regardless of race."

Countering what Johnson had argued earlier, Shannon said the city's multiple recent crises are relevant to the discussion and intent of HB 1020.

"Your honor, we know that the citizens of Jackson and the people who work here have had to endure undeniable crises in local leadership in recent years. We set out a litany of those issues in our response. The most pertinent here today is certainly the widespread increase in crime that has plagued Jackson and Hinds County in recent years," Shannon said. "The laws these plaintiffs are challenging are part and parcel of that broader legislative effort to address this ongoing public safety crises with the objective of creating a safer capital city for all Jacksonians and all Mississippians."

Shannon said delaying or preventing the enaction of HB 1020 would only hurt the situation in the city.

"The very real harm in enjoining these laws would far exceed any purported harm to the plaintiffs in this case," Shannon said. "The state submits, without question, any preliminary injunction would disserve the public interest."

HB 1020 was one of the most discussed, and argued over, bills of the 2023 legislative session. Those who wrote the bill, like Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, and Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, said it was intended to address judicial backlogs and high levels of violent crime in the capital city. Opponents, like Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and many of the lawmakers who represent the city, criticized it as a majority-white legislature imposing undemocratic legislation on a majority-Black city.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Legal challenges to HB 1020 Jackson MS courts bill reach first hearing
First Horizon announced Tuesday a $50 million commitment to its communities through the First Horizon Foundation  less than one week after the potential merger between the Memphis-based bank and TD Bank was called off.

The $50 million is part of the $200 million cash payment received from the TD termination agreement announced May 4.

"Without hesitation, our executive leadership team and Board of Directors made this important decision," said Bryan Jordan, chairman, president and CEO of First Horizon, in a statement. "Our commitment to continuously care for our communities  through all economic cycles  has always been part of our strategy and embedded in our core values."

The First Horizon building Downtown Memphis, Tenn. Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Canadian lender Toronto-Dominion Bank Group is set to buy the Tennessee headquartered operations of First Horizon Corporation.

The $13.4 billion merger fell through after TD informed First Horizon that TD did not have a timetable for regulatory approvals to be obtained for reasons unrelated to First Horizon.

If the deal had been finalized, TDs U.S. franchise, based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, would have become a top-six U.S. bank and significantly expanded its Southeast presence. TD planned to make Memphis a regional hub once the merger was completed.

Banking news: Another sale? Or will First Horizon remain local? What's next after merger collapses.

Business news: How FedEx has helped thousands of Memphians 'live American Dream' and changed city forever

In a previous interview with The Commercial Appeal, Jordan said First Horizon would evaluate how to use the $200 million cash payment from TD with some of that also to be invested in technology and infrastructure.

The $50 million investment from First Horizon is $10 million more than the proposed $40 million TD New Horizon Foundation, which would have focused on giving in Memphis and other First Horizon markets over five years.

This would have been part of the TD-First Horizon merger as TD initially pledged to donate $40 million as part of the agreement between the companies.

That plan was part of a larger five-year Community Benefits Plan agreement TD developed in coordination with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition that would have provided an estimated $50 billion of impact to local communities across TD Banks expanded presence if the merger went through.

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"First Horizon has been a reliable, trusted partner for NCRC and many of our nonprofit members for years," said Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, in a statement. We are thrilled that our communities will continue to benefit from the leadership role First Horizon plays in supporting underserved communities which, in turn, helps to create and sustain vibrant communities."

The First Horizon Foundation was established in 1993 and has invested more than $150 million in the communities it serves. In 2022, the First Horizon Foundation invested nearly $18 million across its 12-state southeastern regional footprint in addition to the $5 million spent in Louisiana by the Louisiana First Horizon Foundation.

The Memphis-based bank reported approximately 40% of those funds went toward low- and moderate-income communities.

Through partnerships with more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations last year, First Horizon Foundation provided support to its community needs including health and human services; financial literacy; access to financial resources and affordable housing; small businesses; diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and disaster recovery.

The funds will be dispersed through First Horizon Foundation's normal grant cycle process. Applications can be made at www.firsthorizonfoundation.com.

Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, FedEx, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email Omer.Yusuf@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @OmerAYusuf.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: First Horizon invests in foundation after TD Bank merger called off
Who knew the history of a snack could be so spicy?

The first full-length trailer for Flamin Hot came out Wednesday, unpacking the tale of former Frito-Lay janitor Richard Montanez and the invention of the crunchy, chili-dusted snack.

Though the teaser paints Flamin Hot as a rags-to-riches immigrant story, the truth might be a bit less savory.

Montanez has long claimed he cooked up the idea for the chips after thinking about Latino tastes while working the floor of Frito-Lays Rancho Cucamonga plant. After taking his idea to top executives, he says he quickly became a corporate power player.

Capitalizing on his lore, the Mexico-born businessman wrote the 2021 memoir Flamin Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Mans Rise from Janitor to Top Executive and is a regular on the corporate event speech circuit.

But Frito-Lay disputed Montanezs account in a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation, saying that while they celebrate Montanezs contributions to the company, the facts do not support the urban legend.

None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin Hot test market, Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to The Los Angeles Times at the time.

Flamin Hot director Eva Longoria said in January that the exact origin of the chip was beside the point.

We never set out to tell the history of the Cheeto, she told People magazine. We are telling Richard Montanezs story and were telling his truth.

Flamin Hot comes out on Hulu on June 9. Hollywood writers are currently on strike over pay and working conditions.

Related...
The Henderson County Courthouse.

Nearly two years since the Aug. 21, 2021 fatal incident in which a vehicle struck and killed a 3-year-old toddler in a Flat Rock neighborhood, sentencing has been handed down for the driver of the vehicle, District Attorney Andrew Murray announced May 10.

On May 5 in Henderson County Superior Court, Judge Mark Powell sentenced Aaron Santos-Pinzon, 32, a Mexican citizen, to 80 months minimum and 108 months maximum on the felony death by vehicle charge, followed by a consecutive sentence of 20 months minimum and 33 months maximum on the felony hit-and-run causing death charge.

Santos-Pinzon, who according to a news release from Murray's office was residing in the country illegally, now faces a total sentence of 100 months minimum and 141 months maximum in prison. Murray said in an email to the Times-News that Santos-Pinzon received the maximum aggravated sentence possible for each charge.

More: 3-year-old killed in hit and run Saturday in Flat Rock; Man charged with DWI

According to court records and the May 5 sentencing hearing, on Aug. 21, 2021, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded at approximately 6 p.m. to a report of a toddler being struck by a vehicle and severely injured in the cul-de-sac at 58 Pleasant Court in Flat Rock. Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, the troopers discovered that a 3-year-old had been riding her tricycle in front of her house when the driver of an SUV backed out of a neighboring driveway and struck and killed the toddler.

The driver of the SUV, after impacting the child, immediately departed the accident scene, according to the Highway Patrol. A Henderson County Sheriffs Office deputy located and stopped Santos-Pinzon heading south on U.S. 25 near the South Carolina border. The deputy apprehended Santos-Pinzon and then transferred him to the N.C. State Highway Patrol, according to court records.

More: East Flat Rock motorcyclist dies after May 9 crash on Leicester Highway

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Santos-Pinzon was found to be "displaying signs of appreciable impairment with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech, unsteadiness on his feet and glassy eyes," according to the Highway Patrol and "admitted previously drinking alcoholic beverages," according to the news release.

He was arrested for felony death by vehicle, felony hit-and-run causing death and driving while impaired. He remained in the custody of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office until receiving his prison sentence on May 5.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Flat Rock man sentenced in felony death by vehicle of toddler
Mary Otaiyi and her children, at the U.S.-Mexico border in Somerton, Ariz., last week, flew from Nigeria to Brazil and took multiple buses in hopes of gaining asylum in the United States. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

The yip-howls of coyotes cut through the night as an almost full moon sets to the west, where only I-beam barricades stand silently, marking the U.S. border with Mexico through this largely agricultural section of the Sonoran Desert.

This is where, except for Mexicans, many of the migrants from throughout the world who are seeking asylum take their first steps onto American soil and turn themselves in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Somerton, Ariz.

Chinese nationals were among those seeking U.S. asylum last week after crossing from Mexico to Somerton, Ariz. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

According to a Customs and Border Protection officer who did not want to be identified because he did not have permission to speak to the media, Mexican nationals who try to cross here do it as stealthily as as they can and run toward Yuma, fearing that they'll be sent back immediately if caught.

"The overwhelming majority of the Yuma sector apprehensions are picked up at that location, because the overwhelming majority [whom] they apprehend are nontraditional migrants from nontraditional locations, John Mennell, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection's Arizona sector, said in a phone interview, referring to the crossing at the Cocopah Reservation.

At night, when most migrants make the crossing, a cold wind whips through this desolate strip of desert straddling the border on Cocopah Indian Tribe land. Here, there is no tall metal fence to stop anyone from entering the United States. Migrants walk into the country freely.

Asylum seekers are able to cross the border unimpeded near the Cocopah Indian Reservation to wait for Border Patrol officers to take them for processing in Yuma, Ariz. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

The shallow Colorado River, flowing south through the dry, sandy landscape, is back toward Mexico. On the American side, large swaths of green farmland along large irrigation canals can be seen for miles.

Many asylum seekers are gathering at the border in anticipation of the U.S. government's planned lifting of Title 42 on Thursday. Since March 2020, the decades-old measure has been used by both the Trump and Biden administrations to invoke a public health order from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intended to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

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But Title 42 has stayed in place even as the pandemic has receded, effectively blocking asylum seekers and other migrants from legally entering the United States, and allowing border officials to immediately expel them to Mexico regardless of their nationality. The anticipated lifting of the order has provided a glimmer of hope to those seeking refuge from a ruined economy in Venezuela, bloodshed in Nigeria or state repression in China.

They are coming across to surrender  and hopefully enter the asylum process, said Mennell. He added that Mexicans do not wait around at this location because they would be expelled under Title 42.

Men, women and children, some alone, others in groups of family or friends, congregate at this spot after days or months spent traveling. They patiently stand in line and wait for border officers to transport them to the Customs and Border Protection processing center in Yuma.

Mennell believes that some come to take advantage of the asylum system.

"Theres so many people who say theyre asylum seekers, but lot of times theyre asylum seekers in order to use the system," he said. "They dont understand the asylum system and they don't understand the requirements to claim asylum and the process. They just know that if they come up and they answer the questions the right way, they will get released.

Toluwase Oladele Thomas, 47, came with two friends from Nigeria.

I have relatives in Chicago, he said. There is one issue in our area. Our king was killed and they want to kill us.

So Thomas and his friends fled. They first flew to Brazil, then made their way for more than one month" to this crossing.

Toluwase Oladele Thomas of Nigeria entered the U.S. at Somerton, Ariz., with friends. "Our king was killed and they want to kill us," he said of their reason for seeking asylum. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

None of the people waiting one day last week to be processed by border officials were from Mexico. They came from Central and South America and Africa, as well as from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Europe and China.

"Those picked up in Somerton are taken to the central processing center in Yuma, Mennell said. "From Yuma, they can be expelled back to Mexico or processed and placed in detention with Enforcement and Removal Operations," a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which may choose to place them in alternative detention or release them on their own recognizance.

Generally, [migrants] are made aware of services available to them, because once they are processed for release they are technically out of the border agencys custody, he added.

We cant tell them where to go; we have no input on where they go," Mennell said. "They are free to move about the country and go where they need to go.

A large white tent and metal posts with rope stand next to where the 20-foot-plus metal fence begins and Cocopah Tribe land ends. Here, Customs and Border Protection officers check migrants' identities and take their photographs before having them board official vehicles.

Official vehicles arrive throughout the day to take migrants from around the world to Yuma, Ariz., to be processed as asylum seekers. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Vans that can take up to 17 people and buses that carry twice as many are used until the migrants who arrived each day, sometimes 300 or more, are gone.

Luis Orellana, 23, of Nicaragua walked and hitched rides for a month to get to this spot. His will to survive is bringing him closer to Miami and his grandmother.

Luis Orellana traveled for about a month from Nicaragua, working along the way. He's headed to Miami to help his grandmother, who is having surgery soon. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

My grandmother is sick in Miami. She will have surgery, and I want to help by finding work at whatever there is, he said in Spanish as he waited for sunrise. Orellana said that while making his way north, he stopped every few days to work at farms or wherever he could to earn enough money to keep traveling.

His grandmother, Argentina Alvarado, reached by telephone in Miami, said she was happy that her grandson had crossed the border. She knew he was making his way to Miami but didn't know when he would arrive.

I hope [U.S. officials] will allow him to stay, she said in a raspy voice. I havent seen him in six or seven years. He was a young boy."

As dozens of migrants hunkered down last week, fending off the chill, a border officer lifted one slumping 29-year-old male onto his shoulders and carried him to a pickup truck, where he was administered oxygen and his vital signs were checked.

An ambulance soon arrived to take him for further medical treatment. Another migrant was already sitting on the tailgate of the truck, self-administering some type of shot to her left arm.

A Border Patrol officer carries an ailing immigrant to a truck for help last week. The young man was given oxygen and taken by ambulance for further treatment. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Mary Otaiyi, 33, of Nigeria, carried her sleeping 4-year-old on her back while holding her 10-year-olds hand. She said they had flown to Brazil, then walked and bused through Bolivia, Peru and onward into Mexico, taking a month to get to America.

I came for a good life for my kids, she said. I have no relatives here and no job in Nigeria.

"I came for a good life for my kids," says Mary Otaiyi, carrying her 4-year-old on her back. "I have no relatives here and no job in Nigeria." (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Later that morning, as 13 to 17 people at a time boarded vans, 3-year-old Lian Cornejo squatted and drew circles on the sandy ground with a rock while his mother, Paoloa Fano, 30, of Peru, waited to be processed by border officers. Fano came to America because she has family in Virginia.

I have no more family in Peru, she said. She and her little boy had traveled for a week to get to the border, taking buses along the way.

Lian Cornejo and his mother, Paola Fano, are heading to be with relatives in Virginia. She says she has no more family left at home in Peru. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Colombian Vivian Ordonez, 39, kept her two daughters close to her. She had only a backpack with essential toiletries. Ordonez said her husband was murdered in Bogota and she feared for her life.

One daughter, 15, carried a U.S. passport, having been born in New York City. Her younger daughter, 10, was born in Colombia, which Ordonez said she returned to when her eldest daughter was a year old. Ordonez said she also has a 21-year-old son who is an American citizen living in Queens, where she hopes to meet with him soon.

Viviana Ordonez and her daughters traveled from Colombia to Somerton, Ariz., fearing for their lives after her husband was slain in Bogota. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Ordonez and her daughters had flown from Colombia to Mexico City, then took a bus to nearby Mexicali, Baja California, and were dropped off about a mile from the border, she said. The three then walked with dozens of others on a trail through the desert, crossed the Colorado River, and arrived at the I-beam barricades around 3 a.m.

Contacted by phone in Queens, her nephew Marlon Ordonez, 26, said he was glad to hear that his aunt and cousins were on their way. He was also expecting to hear from his mother, Monica Ordonez.

Viviana Ordonez prays as Border Patrol officers finally arrive after her 10-hour wait at the border wall. She and her daughters are headed for New York, where one was born and her son still lives. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

I'm glad to hear about my aunt and cousins, but I need to hear from one other person," he said, referring to his mother. "Im happy, happy, happy to know they are fine."

A group of five migrants from Senegal took a month to reach the border after flying to Honduras. Another migrant, from Punjab, India, took 10 months to get here, while his friends alongside him had needed only one month. All have relatives in New York, where they hope to make a new life.

"Citizenship and Immigration Services decide whether somebody has a credible fear of return to their country of origin, and is it the judge who decides to grant asylum or not," said Mennell, adding that the agency can also grant asylum in certain cases.

Leslie Hernandez, 17, of San Miguel, El Salvador, traveled to the border alone by bus. She met people from Colombia along the way and crossed the Colorado with them.

They are a large family and she wants to help her father, her aunt Rosibel Cruz Hernandez said by phone from Silver Spring, Md.

Leslie Hernandez, 17, traveled alone from El Salvador, determined to join her aunt in Maryland. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Her parents are in El Salvador and she came to study and to work. [Her mother] did not want to let her come, but Leslie wanted to come, Cruz Hernandez said, adding: She would tell me, Aunt, help me; I want to study and work to help my dad.'

Cruz Hernandez agreed to take Leslie in only if her parents allowed her to come because she did not want to be blamed if something happened to her niece, she added.

"If unaccompanied minors are found, they are processed at the Yuma processing center and then turned over to Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, Mennell said.

Katerine Davila, 22, of Lima, Peru, said she had escaped a kidnapping attempt by a cab driver. She was able to jump out of the vehicle at a stop sign.

Renzo Saldana and Katerine Davila fled Lima, Peru, due to frightening harassment after she survived an attempted kidnapping. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

But I was pressured not to file charges, she said.

She began getting phone calls from different numbers, and unknown vehicles were driving by her home. Fearing for their lives, she and her boyfriend, Renzo Saldana, 26, decided to flee to America. They took a flight from Lima to Mexico City then flew to Mexicali.

Saldanas father, Walter Saldana, reached by telephone at home in Liverworth, Tenn., was taken by surprise to hear they were at the border.

They came without telling me; I did not know they were coming, he said. But he was not surprised by the reason why.

There is delinquency, crimes and great corruption in Peru, he said. There is no work, and the government is turning like the one from Venezuela or Bolivia.

I am willing to help them here. I have property, a home, rooms for them, and I can help them economically," the elder Saldana continued. He hadnt seen his son since 2019 and hadnt spoken to him much, but said he was willing to do what he could to help him and his girlfriend.

An asylum seeker takes a solitary moment at the edge of an irrigation canal while waiting their turn at the border. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
HB 387 would instruct the health department to grant licenses to Black farmers, regardless of the evaluation ratings they earned during last years application process.

Black farmers in Florida who missed out last year could get a second chance at receiving their medical-marijuana licenses.

News Service Florida reported that lawmakers enacted HB 387 in the final days of the 2023 legislative session, resulting from years of work to provide Black farmers access to Floridas medical marijuana sector.

The legislation would become effective on July 1 if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it or permits it to become law without his signature. The law would trigger a 90-day window for applicants to address application shortcomings.

Legislators initially tried to incorporate Black farmers into the sector as part of a larger statute implementing a 2016 constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana.

A provision of a law passed in 2017 obliged state health officials to issue a license to a candidate involved in the decades-old legal Pigford lawsuits, which addressed the racial discrimination that federal agriculture officials perpetuated against Black farmers.

Black farmers in Florida who couldnt obtain their medical marijuana license last year could be getting a second chance after legislators approved a bill during the final day of the 2023 legislative session. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock)

The Florida Department of Health introduced a procedure in October 2021 for Black farmers to apply for the license. They needed to demonstrate they had been operating in Florida for at least five years to qualify.

In September, the state office said it intended to provide a license to Suwannee County farmer Terry Gwinn after receiving 12 applications, which it hired a private contractor to assess. However, because of procedural and legal difficulties, Gwinns license has yet to be finalized.

HB 387 might lead to new issues, but Gwinns attorney said it would open the door for Gwinn to establish himself in the medical marijuana market.

The bill will prevent any further delay and allow Mr. Gwinn to immediately move forward with licensed activities, attorney Jim McKee said via text message, according to the News Service. The bill also provides a potential pathway to licensure for other applicants.

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HB 387 would instruct the health department to grant licenses to Black farmers, regardless of the evaluation ratings they earned. It would also mandate the agency to grant licenses to candidates whose applications complied with all requirements that an administrative judge issued.

Although the state received 12 applications for the Black farmer license, it is unclear how many more may result from the new law.

Sen. Darryl Rouson, a Black Democrat from St. Petersburg, sponsored the Black farmer amendment. He and Black farmers have stated that as time goes on, it becomes more difficult for them to compete against established medical marijuana enterprises, most of which continue to grow.

Its shameful, Rouson told the News Service, that it [the Black farmer license] was not issued six years ago when it was directed to be issued.

Rouson noted Black farmers in Florida encountered discrimination from local, state and federal agriculture administrators and from societal and business norms that their counterparts did not have to deal with. He added that marijuanas unlawful use has disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Last week, lawmakers included the Black farmer license issue in a bill that would permit doctors to use telehealth to recertify the eligibility for cannabis of medicinal-marijuana patients.

The campaign for the Black farmer licenses comes as the states medical marijuana businesses, currently at 22, are expected to double.

This community should be allowed to share in the beneficial use of marijuana and engage in this industry, Rouson said, the News Service reported. Im interested in standing with the governor for the signing of this significant and historic legislation.

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The post Floridas Black farmers may get a 2nd chance at pot licenses appeared first on TheGrio.
The immigration law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been criticized by rights groups

Florida's Republican governor and likely presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping bill that significantly toughens conditions for undocumented migrants seeking work and health care in the southern US state.

DeSantis has long accused Democratic President Joe Biden of being lax on migration as the country prepares for an influx of migrants at its border with Mexico when pandemic-era rules expire on Thursday.

DeSantis signed the bill into law at an event in Jacksonville, the Sunshine State's most populous city, with the slogan "Biden's border crisis" written on his podium in big block letters.

"The Mexican drug cartels have more to say about what goes on in the southern border than our own US government does," said the governor.

The law entering into force July 1 will require hospitals that accept federal health insurance to collect data on their patients' immigration status, which, critics say, could prevent undocumented migrants from seeking treatment.

The law also makes it illegal to knowingly bring undocumented people to Florida from another US state, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Furthermore, it requires private employers to check prospective workers' immigration status in an online system.

DeSantis, 44, a rising figure on the American right, was reelected governor in 2022 in a landslide victory, and has pursued a conservative agenda on issues related to education, abortion rights and immigration.

Human rights groups complain that the immigration bill DeSantis signed Wednesday is inhumane.

"Florida is penalizing immigrants for having the sheer bad luck of being born in countries that are in turmoil and having the courage to seek peace and prosperity here," Tessa Petit, head of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said in a statement.

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High school seniors in Northeast Florida can breathe a sigh of relief now that Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill providing more options for students to satisfy high school graduation requirements.

This year state lawmakers proposed raising the score students would need to earn on the reading and writing portion of the SAT to satisfy a graduation requirement, which could have prevented thousands of current high school seniors from earning a diploma this year.

According to numbers Action News Jax received from local districts, 189 seniors in Clay County didnt pass the 10th grade English Language Arts Assessment, which put their graduation at risk.

In Duval, nearly 1,200 seniors either didnt pass the ELA Assessment or the Algebra 1 end-of-course exam and in St. Johns, 133 didnt pass the ELA assessment.

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Students are able to satisfy their graduation requirements by earning a comparable score on the SAT or ACT, but the minimum score but during the legislative session Florida lawmakers considered raising the required score on the reading and writing section of the SAT from 430 to 480.

Effective for this year, which affects this years seniors who did not see it coming, said St. Johns County School Board Member Bev Slough.

Slough said if the requirements had been raised, it could have put 7,000 students in Florida at risk of not graduating.

In Clay County alone, it would have directly cost 107 high school seniors a diploma.

So, superintendents, school board members, various education entities started petitioning the legislature that this wasnt fair to that particular group of people, said Slough.

Thanks to those efforts, lawmakers agreed to delay the test score increases by one year, and the bill was signed into law this week by Governor Ron DeSantis.

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Slough said the legislation offers some much-needed grace to the last graduating class that had their high school education interrupted by pandemic lockdowns and restrictions.

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That was the class that was the most impacted all the way through high school. So, that coupled with the fact that they didnt know or understand that the standard was gonna be raised so they didnt have an opportunity to retake the test or prepare themselves a little bit better, it really had a high impact, said Slough.

Aside from the numbers provided by Clay County, its unclear exactly how many students in Northeast Florida will be able to graduate as a direct result of the decision to delay the increased test score requirements, but if the impact is even remotely similar to what Clay County expects, its likely multiple hundred.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis administration has selected three companies to carry out its expanded, multi-million dollar program to relocate migrants anywhere in the country, less than a year after the governor sent 49 migrants to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts.

The program, which could start as soon as contracts are finalized, will involve an undetermined number of migrants and could last until June 30, 2025 unless a contract is terminated, state records show. The records dont indicate when the program will start. DeSantis is expected to launch a campaign for president in the coming weeks.

The Division of Emergency Management has yet to provide copies of the contracts. But according to notice of intent to award records published on Monday, the awards will be given to Vertol Systems Company, which was handpicked by DeSantis public safety czar to do the migrant flights last year; ARS Global Emergency Management; and GardaWorld Federal Services, an armored truck company that has been investigated for safety violations. The USA Today Network-Florida was first to report the selection of the vendors on Tuesday.

The selection of the vendors continues the governors political strategy of using state resources to call attention to President Joe Bidens immigration policies. Critics called the Marthas Vineyard flights a political stunt. The governor, after being sued in state and federal court, was forced to halt the program until legislators could revise the state law to give him more authority.

READ MORE: Migrants are flocking to U.S.-Mexico border ahead of the end of Title 42, Trump era policy

The timing of the new phase of the program comes as the Biden administration faces a surge of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border due to the expiration of a COVID-era policy this week. The Biden administration has agreed to send 1,500 troops to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the southwest border.

DeSantis, who in 2021 sent dozens of state law enforcement officers to help Texas officers at the border, has not publicly said whether he intends to deploy resources to the border again. His office, however, told the Herald/Times on Tuesday to stay tuned.

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We will be talking about the border crisis very soon, his office said in an email.

The relaunch of the program is part of the governors executive order declaring a state of emergency in response to the surge in migration along Floridas coastline in January. The Unauthorized Alien Transport Program, has now selected multiple vendors based on their capabilities to carry out the program as outlined in statute, said FDEM spokesperson Alecia Collins.

Because the contracts have yet to be made available, the state has not said where the migrants are who will be voluntarily transported and to what destination. The state said the companies should be able to provide both air and ground transportation, be able to do research, identification and planning, locate, identify, vet, and verify migrants eligible for transport, ensure informed voluntary consent before relocation, and handle records and documents related to the program.

In a questions and answers section provided on the states contracts web site, one vendor suggested the state was considering flying migrants from Florida to California, Florida to New York, or Florida to Georgia and asked about the drastic cost differences involved.

In another question, one vendor estimated it would be able to transport 40 to 50 migrants a week, or approximately 2,200 migrants in a 12-month period. The state answered that the number of individuals who would be transported would be based on circumstances on the ground.

The states proposal also said vendors would be able to coordinate and arrange social services at the destination.

The state indicated that it does not expect to relocate migrant children. It also said it would not require vendors to fly migrants back to their home countries, such as Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba.

The programs history

The process is a significant departure from how the governors office and Larry Keefe, the governors public safety czar, handled the secretive flights to Marthas Vineyard last September. Faced with a lawsuit alleging the state violated the law in its handling of the flights to Marthas Vineyard, legislators transferred management of the migrant relocation program from the Florida Department of Transportation to the Division of Emergency Management Services in February.

DEM Director Kevin Guthrie told lawmakers he would conduct a transparent operation that would avoid the kind of missteps that attracted media scrutiny with the first operation.

In February, DEM released a timeline for proposals and announced it would look for vendors that could provide an array of services to migrants, including meals, lodging, transportation, security, hygiene products and helping them coordinate social services at their final destination.

During the term of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for ensuring its employees, agents and subcontractors obey and comply with all relevant local, state, and federal laws, according to state procurement records.

According to documents obtained by the Miami Herald and other news organizations as a result of public records requests and court proceedings, Keefe gave the no-bid contract with FDOT to Vertol, whose CEO, James Montgomerie, was his former legal client. Keefe used a private email address with the alias Clarice Starling  a reference to the Hannibal Lecter serial killer movies  to help his former client win the contract.

Keefe also was personally involved in coordinating the Marthas Vineyard flights and wrote some of the language used in Vertols successful proposal.

New vendors jump in

The revamped program will include three times as many vendors, with Vertol still among them.

ARS Global Emergency Management describes itself as a family-owned company focused on providing clients order over chaos in emergencies before they happen. The company, whose headquarters are in Texas, has offices in Miami. Its president is Joe Gagliano.

GardaWorld Federal Services, based in Washington, D.C., says on its website that its mission is focused on delivering best in class security, medical, logistics, and associated support services to U.S. federal, state and local government customs, as well as commercial clients.

A Tampa Bay Times investigation in 2020 found the company spent so little on maintenance that its armored trucks often lacked reliable brakes, seat belts or even seats.

It gave drivers barely any training, pressured them to work at a frantic pace and let some keep driving as they crashed again and again, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The result has been armored trucks hurtling out of control in communities across America  swerving into traffic, plunging into ditches and smashing into cars.

The state has yet to say how much it is paying each company.
The omitted passage stated that while many Americans sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement, others criticized the movements use of violence and looting and saw it as anti-police.

Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his fight against woke indoctrination as he works with state officials to remove contentious material from Floridas textbooks, particularly related to current racial and social justice issues.

According to The New York Times, a passage about the Black Lives Matter movement, the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, and its effects on society is no longer found in a middle school textbook following a review.

The omitted passage described demonstrations and stated that while many Americans sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement, others criticized the movements use of violence and looting and saw it as anti-police. The state government said the passage covered unsolicited topics.

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 7, the day before he was reelected. The governor, a Republican, is continuing his efforts to scrub textbooks of racial and social justice issues, approving the removal of a passage about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

Floridas Department of Education said in a news release on Tuesday that state officials first rejected 82 out of 101 social studies textbook submissions because they contained inaccurate material, errors, and other information that was not aligned with Florida law.

However, the state worked with publishers to make adjustments as part of a comprehensive effort to update the materials, ultimately approving 66 of the 101 textbooks and rejecting 35.

The states education department released a document outlining several revisions at the publishers request. The states proposed revisions included the removal of home support advice from an elementary school textbook on how to discuss the national anthem, which had suggested that parents use this as an opportunity to talk about why some citizens are choosing to take a knee to protest police brutality and racism.

Florida officials said the content was not age-appropriate.

Adam Laats, a historian of education at Binghamton University in New York, said American publishers had altered textbooks for over a century to assuage political concerns. He noted that conservatives have frequently advocated for censoring educational materials, and in his opinion, Floridas announcement was no different.

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Using age appropriateness is a strategic or tactical move, Laats said, The Times reported. Parents and other stakeholders tend not to like the idea of textbooks having important information cut out. But parents are friendly to the idea of age appropriateness.

Officials also edited a text on different types of economies to remove a description of socialism as keeping things nice and even and possibly promoting greater equality. The explanation was marked as inaccurate, and socialism was eliminated entirely.

Textbook publishers said they have been attempting to decipher how to adhere to Floridas Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which DeSantis  a Republican expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid  signed last year to ban instruction that could force students to feel responsibility, guilt, or anguish for what members of their race have done in the past.

Nearly three million Florida public school children will be taught history differently because of the states authorized list of social studies textbooks, which covers a range of topics, including slavery, Jim Crow and the Holocaust.

The textbooks that Florida approves can also affect what students learn in other states. The three largest markets  Florida, Texas and California  are among the states that authorize textbooks statewide. Publishers frequently use them as a model for their content in smaller markets.

In a statement, Floridas education commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., said textbooks should focus on historical facts and be free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric.

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The post Florida scrubs BLM, George Floyd mentions from middle school textbook appeared first on TheGrio.
Teachers unions said Wednesday that they are filing a lawsuit in federal court to stop Floridas new anti-union law from taking effect, arguing that it violates their constitutional rights.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 256, bars most unions representing government employees from receiving dues directly from workers paychecks. It also requires that those unions maintain at least 60% membership in their workplaces to avoid being decertified and losing their collective bargaining agreements.

Labor groups have decried the legislation as a political attack by Republican legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Unions say the law will make it more difficult for them to collect dues, and will add new accounting requirements that smaller affiliates will find burdensome.

Governor DeSantis made it clear before the legislative session started [that] he was coming after teachers, staff and professors in Florida.Andrew Spar, president, Florida Education Association

In crafting the legislation, Republicans added a carve-out for unions representing police, firefighters and corrections officers, so that those groups will not be subject to the new regulations. Those unions happen to lean more conservative than the ones targeted by the bill  i.e., unions for schoolteachers, academics, nurses, sanitation workers and other municipal employees.

Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, argued Wednesday that the law violates workers rights to free speech and free association by forbidding them from paying dues how they choose. He said the law amounts to retaliation against teachers unions, and compared it to DeSantis ongoing war against Disney.

We maintain this law is unconstitutional on its face, irrespective of any bad motives on the part of the governor, Spar said. However, we do believe there are bad motives. The governor is using this legislation to retaliate against his critics.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a controversial anti-union bill into law on Tuesday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a controversial anti-union bill into law on Tuesday.

Spar said the goal of the law is to take away the ability of educators to speak out.

Governor DeSantis made it clear before the legislative session started [that] he was coming after teachers, staff and professors in Florida, he said.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said DeSantis is singling out teachers for retribution.

Hes acting more like a dictator in Hungary or Cuba, pretending that hes not, Weingarten said. Thats propaganda.

The lawsuit was announced a day after DeSantis signed the bill into law, claiming on Tuesday that it will act as paycheck protection for teachers. He argued that teachers feel pressured to contribute union dues, even though public-sector workers in Florida, like throughout the country, do not have to pay any dues if they dont want to.

If unions cant receive dues directly from workers paychecks, they will have to set up alternative collection methods, like getting workers signed up for electronic bank transfers. The law does not affect paycheck deductions for other routine fees, like health care or gym memberships.

DeSantis did not address other significant aspects of the legislation, like the fact that it affects other public-sector workers while exempting one of his political allies, police unions. The governor has sought to portray himself as tough on crime, recently leaving the state to speak to police unions in New York and Chicago.

Hes acting more like a dictator in Hungary or Cuba, pretending that hes not. Thats propaganda.Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers

Union leaders previously told HuffPost they view the GOPs new anti-union law as part of DeSantis broader, so-called anti-woke education agenda in Florida. The governor has moved to cut diversity efforts, ban teaching about gender identity and authorize parents to sue schools under a parental rights initiative. Labor leaders say teachers unions have wound up in the governors crosshairs because they are criticizing such maneuvers.

But the law also stands to benefit Republicans politically over the long term if it ends up reducing membership in public-sector unions, most of which are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Attacks on unions for government employees has helped raise the profile of other Republicans, such as former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both of whom made unsuccessful runs for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

Florida is not the first state where Republicans have tried to weaken teachers unions by banning paycheck dues deduction. Similar laws are already on the books in Alabama, Michigan and Wisconsin. A federal judge recently blocked such a statute from going into effect in Indiana, where teachers unions have filed a lawsuit similar to the one just announced in Florida.

Related...
If you threaten people at a polling place, its no trifling matter  you could go to prison.

Take the example of Joshua David Lubitz, a 39-year-old Broward County native who learned this hard lesson after he threatened election workers who assisted him and other voters at a senior center in Sunrise during the primary election last August.

Should I kill them one by one or should I blow the place up? a federal indictment accused Lubitz of saying at the polling station, then he pointed his finger and thumb in a gun-like fashion towards election workers.

On Wednesday, Lubitz pleaded guilty to voter intimidation in Miami federal court and now faces up to five years in prison at his sentencing on July 25. Because he cut a plea deal, hes expected to get less than the maximum.

During the court hearing, Lubitzs lawyer, Jonathan Friedman, said it was his clients decision to plead guilty against his advice, arguing this was a triable case. But Lubitz told U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz that he wanted to accept responsibility for his crime, so the judge accepted his guilty plea.

Prosecutors Harry Wallace and Jeremy Thompson said that if Lubitz had gone to trial, they would have been able to prove he made threats to the election workers, who told FBI agents about his intimidating statements and behavior at the Sunrise polling place on Aug. 17, 2022.

Even after he cast his ballot, the prosecutors said Lubitz, a registered Democrat, continued to act aggressively towards the poll workers.

After Lubitz voted, the poll deputy who was inside the polling station thanked Lubitz for voting, to which Lubitz uttered an obscenity, according to a factual statement signed by the defendant. The poll worker then exited the polling station behind Lubitz to continue to watch him as he went to the parking lot to leave.

As Lubitz drove past the entrance to the polling site, he extended his arm toward the two poll workers and made a threatening gesture toward them with his hand.

In the run-up to last falls gubernatorial election in Florida, local officials expressed fears about voter intimidation because of the divisive climate of the electorate following the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden unseated GOP President Donald Trump. Lubitzs case turned out to be one of the few examples, and its unclear from the court record whether politics even played a role in his misconduct.
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge

Last week Missouri's legislature approved funding for an array of Springfield projects in the state's $51 billion budget, including funding repairs to Springfield's long-dormant Jefferson Avenue Footbridge.

Funding for that project was passed in last year's budget but was line-item vetoed by Gov. Mike Parson. It is unclear if Parson will sign the budget in its entirety or delay funding again.

The bridge has been closed since March 2016 after corrosion and steel loss were discovered during a routine inspection by the Springfield Public Works Department. The city found deficiencies in more than 40 percent of the footbridge that required extensive repairs.

Since then, the project has suffered from a series of delays and continually increasing budgets. Plans for its repair were put on hold indefinitely in 2021 when contractor bids came in more than twice what the city had anticipated. The city's budget for the project was set at $3.2 million, but the two bids submitted ranged from $5.5 million to $6.4 million. The city has repeatedly applied for different grants and sources of funding for the repairs to no avail.

More: Gov. Parson signs $47.5B Missouri budget, cutting tax rebates and two Springfield projects

Last year's state budget included a $5 million appropriation for the bridges repair before being vetoed. The governor wrote in his veto letter that the money for the footbridge requires the Missouri Department of Transportation to concur with the city on a bid award "that has not yet occurred."

Funding for the bridge repairs returned this year  now with an $8 million appropriation. The budget, and funding for the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, was shepherded through the legislature by Springfield state senator and Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough. The $50.7 billion budget is $1.3 billion more than Parson proposed in January and $2.2 billion more than the House initially approved.

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The Jefferson Avenue Footbridge closed in 2016 after an inspection revealed corrosion to the bridge structure. The city is applying for an $8 million federal grant to fix the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge.

Here are some of the Springfield projects approved in the budget, subject to Parson's veto pen.

In a press release, Democratic state representatives Betsy Fogle and Stephanie Hein touted their effort to ensure Springfield got funding in the state budget. They both serve on the state House budget committee.

"I am proud of the work we accomplished, creating a budget that will leave a lasting impact on our institutes of higher education, infrastructure, health care and workforce development efforts, Fogle said in a statement. This budget reflects the needs of Springfield's families and will set the next generation up for success, and it was a pleasure to work alongside Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough to support our mutual constituents.

The representatives also took credit for $14 million in funds approved to several Springfield nonprofits that support families in poverty and supported major investments in Missouris foster care system to improve child welfare. They supported more than $82 million in additional funding for statewide agencies on aging, specifically approving $1 million for the Give 5 volunteer program connecting seniors with volunteer opportunities across the Springfield region.

Investments for Missouri State University and Ozark Technical Community College in the budget total nearly $42 million in new appropriations.

"We earned sizable investments in Springfields public schools, families and seniors, and I look forward to continue working next year to bring more state funding back home, Hein said in a statement.

Springfield Republican representative Alex Riley emphasized that the budget is "fiscally responsible" and balanced and praised a "number of fantastic projects" that will be completed in Springfield because of budget funding.

"I worked directly with the House Budget Chair to secure $10 million dollars in funding to support some of the amazing organizations we have in Springfield working to resolve homelessness in our area. This budget has the opportunity to make a transformational impact on our state for years to come," Riley told the News-Leader.

Republican representative Melanie Stinnett, who represents parts of Springfield and Greene County, told the News-Leader she advocated for funding Doula services in Springfield and training for those seeking employment in technology fields.

"Legislators from Southwest Missouri, specifically Greene County, did a wonderful job of highlighting our region as an area of growth and potential with targeted investments through the budget," Stinnett said.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Footbridge repair part of Springfield's gain in state budget
Ford took the wraps off of the redesigned Ranger truck on Wednesday. Ford

Ford unveiled the redesigned Ranger pickup truck.

It costs $34,000 and up and offers embiggened screens and a wider bed.

For the first time ever, Ford is offering the speedy, off-road-oriented Ranger Raptor in the US.

The newest version of Ford's midsized pickup truck has arrived  with a new aggressive-looking, desert-shredding option.

America's favorite pickup brand unveiled the 2024 Ranger on Wednesday, and the new truck is redesigned inside and out. Plus, Ford debuted a Raptor edition of the pickup, which is coming to the US for the first time.

That high-performance, off-road package has been super popular on the larger F-150 for years.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat. Ford

The new Ranger gets a more powerful engine in the form of a 2.7-liter, turbocharged V6. And Ford has spruced up its interior with bigger screens as standard equipment  and even bigger ones as options. Ford says it's upgraded the truck's interior materials, too.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat. Ford

The Ranger is slightly wider than before, so now it can carry cargo up to four-feet wide between its wheel wells. And Ford has introduced some new options like a step behind the rear tires.

It starts at $34,160, including a destination fee.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat. Ford

The Ranger Raptor

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor. Ford

The $56,960 Ranger Raptor gets a blocky "FORD" badge across its grille, flared fenders, knobby tires, and a whole host of upgrades meant for ripping across off-road terrain at high speeds.

It has a 405-horsepower, turbocharged V6, plus a long-travel suspension, underbody protection, and drive modes like "Slippery," "Rock Crawl," and "Baja."

Given how much Americans love their trucks  particularly lifted, aggressive ones  the Ranger Raptor's sure to be a hit among people who don't want to go full F-150. It'll compete with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and Jeep Gladiator.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor. Ford

"It provides a high-performance off-road truck to so many customers that don't want to go as big as F-150," Andrew Frick, Ford's VP of sales, distribution and trucks, told Insider.

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Since it launched in the US in 2019, the Ranger hasn't stolen sales from the larger F-150 as much as Ford had expected, Frick said. That gave the automaker the confidence and flexibility to broaden the Ranger's pricing and release this beefier, pricier model, he said.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor. Ford

The Raptor also receives a special interior with sporty seats and orange accents.

Although you can now get a Bronco Raptor SUV and an F-150 Raptor (along with an even more extreme Raptor R), there are no plans to slap a Raptor badge on the Maverick, Ford's smallest truck, Frick said. That's an everyday truck that customers don't really take off-road.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Gerhard Schroeder at the Embassy

Photos from the event show Schroder and his wife among the guests, including former General Secretary of the East German Socialist Unity Party Egon Krenz, as well as leaders of the right-wing AfD party and left-wing Die Linke, who support lifting EU sanctions from Russia.

Read also: Russia circumvents sanctions by buying German goods through CIS countries, Bild report says

Western diplomats skipped the event as a sign of protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: Global disapproval of Putin's actions reaches a 15-year high, survey shows

Schroder had served on the board of directors of Russias oil giant Rosneft since 2007 and left this position in May 2022. He has stated that he does not regret his foreign policy stance towards Russia and does not intend to distance himself from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

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 former secretary at Freeport Middle School has been sentenced to federal prison for buying guns for a known felon.

Felicya Knox, 31, was sentenced to five months in federal prison and seven months home confinement followed by three years of court-supervised release.

Knox's sentencing comes months after she entered a guilty plea.

Prosecutors said that between May 16, 2020, and Feb. 10, 2021, Knox bought two guns  a Glock .40 caliber and a Masterpiece 9mm  and furnished them to a person in Freeport who had been incarcerated.

More: Former Freeport school secretary pleads guilty to buying guns for convicted felon

To obtain the handguns, Knox made false statements to Gahm Enterprises, a Pearl City gun store.

According to a charging document, Knox lied on Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Form 4473.

The form requires anyone who purchases a gun to disclose whether they are buying it for themselves. Knox allegedly indicated that the gun was for her when she knew she was not the actual buyer of the firearm."

It is legal in the United States to purchase a gun for someone else, as long as it is disclosed and the other person can legally own firearms.

A straw purchase occurs when a proxy buys a gun for someone who cannot legally own one or plans to use it for unlawful purposes.

It is unknown who Knox bought the weapons for.

This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Former Freeport school secretary sentenced to federal prison
A former Louisville Metro Police officer has pleaded guilty to using excessive force during a protest in the city nearly three years ago, with an agreement he will no longer work in law enforcement.

Richard Wiedo, 39, deployed a foam round into a crowd of protesters and struck someone in the face during a demonstration on May 30, 2020, after someone in the crowd threw a bottle, according to a Wednesday release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The release said Wiedo admitted he had not seen who threw the bottle and was not aiming the foam round at anyone being actively aggressive.

Wiedo pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of using unreasonable force. The plea carries a maximum fine of $100,000 if accepted by the court, and he will also give up his Kentucky law enforcement certification and will agree not to seek future employment in the field.

The case was investigated by FBI Louisville and LMPD's Public Integrity Unit.

Wiedo is not the first former LMPD officer to be found guilty of using excessive force during the protests, which gripped Louisville throughout the summer of 2020.

Related: US DOJ's report on Louisville police: Read the violations and recommended reform

More headlines: Norton Healthcare takes several systems offline amid 'issues with our computer network'

Earlier this year, Katie Crews avoided prison after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unreasonable use of force during the lead-up to the fatal shooting of West End barbecue stand owner David McAtee. She fired a pepperball projectile while LMPD officers and Kentucky National Guard members were breaking up a nonviolent crowd at 26th Street and West Broadway after curfew on June 1, 2020  McAtee was shot and killed after firing a handgun during the chaos that ensued.

And in 2021, former LMPD officer Cory Evans pleaded guilty to hitting a kneeling protester in the back of the head with a riot stick during a protest on May 31, 2020, a felony violation of that individual's constitutional rights. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Story continues

This story may be updated.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former LMPD officer Richard Wiedo guilty of excessive force charge
A former Horry County Police lieutenant is facing two separate lawsuits alleging he made a false arrest during bike week of 2021.

Thomas Delpercio, who retired in January, has faced accusations of false arrests before. He declined to comment on the lawsuit on Monday.

Internal investigators within the Horry County Police Department sustained unlawful conduct violations, and body camera violations against Delpercio during 2020 and 2021, according to records acquired by The Sun News via a Freedom of Information Act request.

In October 2021, a complaint was filed against Delpercio as well as two other officers for a false arrest. According to the report, the complaint said that Delpercios conduct was unprofessional and disrespectful.

The details surrounding those investigations are unknown because subsequent FOIA requests for the full investigative files were denied by Horry County.

Delpercio previously worked for the Conway Police Department and the Coastal Carolina University Police Department. He retired from the Horry County Police Department in January after 23 years.

The lawsuits, filed within two weeks of the beginning of May, allege that Delpercio approached a sole Black man in a crowd near Causeway Bar and Grill during Bike Week of 2021 and arrested him for violating a noise complaint.

The lawsuits say that he also laid hands on the mans wife, and hit others in the vicinity with the pepper-spray.

The man, Kenard Burley, of Texas, was charged with a noise violation, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
A very inexpensive residence has landed on the real estate market in Big Springs, West Virginia, but be warned before you glance at the photos  theres a huge reason why.

The building was once a former school with a castle-like appearance that was built around 1928 and is extremely rough inside, which is why the asking price is a low $25,000.

Needless to say, it is not move-in ready.

Interior

The school is in very, very poor condition and is not usable at this time, the listing on Zillow.com says. The best use for this school would be (the) salvage value of the rare hand-cut stone, some possible flooring in the old gym area, metal stairwells and other building / electrical materials.

Interior

Or, if youre in need of a challenging project, you can give it the attention and love it needs to rebuild the building into your dream house.

Interior

Should be noted that the photos are pretty chilling  at least of the interior.

Interior

The building was featured on Friday Night Zillow, a Twitter segment that features unique homes on the real estate market.

Castle for sale in West Virginia. $25,000. Ideal for one of those TLC home makeover shows. "Rare hand-cut stone." "Just over an hour from Parkersburg." #FridayNightZillow #CheapZillow https://t.co/LcJl7dYVht pic.twitter.com/LoQzzFXU75  Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) May 6, 2023

Castle for sale in West Virginia. $25,000. Ideal for one of those TLC home makeover shows. Rare hand-cut stone. Just over an hour from Parkersburg, the segments creator, Steven Dennis, wrote on Twitter.

You know you want that sweet Appalachian castle, one person said.

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Needs a little TLC, another tweeted.

Its a lot bigger than your photo indicates...but needs tons of work, someone noted.

The home is currently under contract the listing notes.

Big Springs is about 80 miles northeast of Charleston.

Unicorn house lists for $1.5M in Massachusetts. See what magic it has to offer
At least one person has been arrested in connection with Tuesdays statewide raid of adult arcades with illegal slot machines.

Alexandre Borisovich Barmak, 57, who remained in the St. Lucie County Jail on Wednesday without bail, was arrested on a Palm Beach County warrant with the following charges:

Racketeering

Conspiracy to commit racketeering

Money laundering, totaling or exceeding $100,000

Conspiracy to commit money laundering, less than $100,000

Keeping a gambling house

Agent or employee of gambling house

Unlawful possession of slot machine devices (at least 40 counts)

It's unknown how many people were arrested in connection with Tuesdays statewide raid; state officials said the investigation is ongoing.

Barmak is tied to Midway Arcade in Fort Pierce, which closed Tuesday after Florida Gaming Control Commission special agents and local law enforcement officials served simultaneous search warrants at four adult arcades in Fort Pierce, Delray Beach, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

The investigation targeted illegal gambling operations at adult arcades and seized more than $1 million in assets, cash, slot-style gaming machines, computers and ATMs.

Movers with Lauren Florida Trucks of Palm Bay remove slot machines from inside Midway Arcade, an adult arcade at 4986 South 25th St., on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Pierce, during a statewide raid of such arcades that agents discovered operated illegal slot machines. The Florida Gaming Control Commission investigates complaints against facilities that are believed to be running an illegal operation. Slot machines became illegal July 1, 2022, except at 15 approved casinos.

The 360 slot machines seized from the arcades were loaded into trucks to be taken to various warehouses across the state where officials planned to store them for evidence until the case goes to trial, said commission spokesperson Eric Carr, and then the machines would be destroyed.

Heres how many machines were removed Tuesday from each arcade:

Fort Pierce: 93

Delray Beach: 120

Tampa Bay: 44

St. Petersburg: 103

The other three arcades shut down on Tuesday include the Players Paradise Arcade, 4900 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach; the Lucky Game Lounge, 4802 Gunn Highway, Tampa; and an unnamed arcade at 2116 34th St. South, St. Petersburg.

Movers with Lauren Florida Trucks of Palm Bay remove slot machines from inside Midway Arcade, an adult arcade at 4986 South 25th St., on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Pierce, during a statewide raid of such arcades that agents discovered operated illegal slot machines. The Florida Gaming Control Commission investigates complaints against facilities that are believed to be running an illegal operation. Slot machines became illegal July 1, 2022, except at 15 approved casinos.

The investigation was started by a public complaint against Midway Arcade. Florida Gaming Control Commission agents served a warning notice letter regarding a complaint of violations of Florida gambling laws on Jan. 27. Agents then discovered an extensive illegal gaming operation in the four counties.

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Slot machines became illegal as of July 1 last year, except at 15 approved casinos. That's because the Legislature approved a Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in May 2021, giving the Native American tribe almost exclusive rights to most gambling activities.

The Florida Gaming Control Commission is continuing to issue warning letters to arcades across the state and shutting down illegal activities.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce adult arcade raid results in slot machines seized, arrest
The Fort Worth Independent School District is asking students from Paschal High School not to participate in a statewide walkout planned for this week.

Students, we are aware of a possible peaceful protest and walkout against gun violence at Paschal High School May 12, Fort Worth ISD officials said in a social media post. While we support your right to peacefully express your views and opinions, we do not encourage you to participate in a walkout. Please remember there are District protocols in place to ensure your safety, and we appreciate your cooperation.

A student walkout in Texas organized by activist group Students Demand Action is planned for May 11 at 12 p.m. CT.

Being a student shouldnt be a death sentence but once again, gun violence has forced its way into our schools, leaving nothing but pain, trauma, and tragedy in its wake. We need more than thoughts and prayers. We demand action from our lawmakers now, the organization said on its website.

A 17-year-old student from Paschal High School, Zechariah Trevino, died on Jan. 20. He was shot outside of a Whataburger near the school after classes ended that day.

Trevinos cousin, who was also a student at Paschal High, was also shot and was in critical condition.

According to Students Demand Action, gun violence is the leading cause of death for American teens and children. The 2021-22 school year was the deadliest, the organization states.

Dont forget counselors and teachers are available should you need someone to talk to during these difficult times. Lets work together to keep our school a safe and welcoming learning environment, Fort Worth district officials said in their post.
The Fort Worth City Council unanimously denied a zoning change that would have allowed a Lake Como property owner to use her home as a short-term rental.

Home owner Laura Tucker asked for the change to be in compliance with Fort Worths 2018 ordinance banning short-term rentals, like those listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, from residential neighborhoods.

But the move got pushed back from neighbors worried about how the change would impact their historic Fort Worth community.

They also accused Tucker of not doing enough to engage the community before applying for the zoning change.

Tucker, who purchased the home in March 2022 before moving to Frisco for a career opportunity 10 months later, said scheduling conflicts had prevented her from attending community meetings. She also accused the community of not being welcoming to change, speaking at the citys zoning commission hearing in April.

Como is a community where people like to know their neighbors, said longtime resident Dorothy DeBose speaking at the council meeting Tuesday.

She said having a short-term rental where people come in and out on the weekends would hurt the communitys goal of having people know their neighbors and collectively work to improve the neighborhood.

This is the first time a property owner has asked the city for a zoning change to be in compliance with the 2018 ordinance.

The city council passed new rules in January banning property owners from advertising their homes as short-term rentals if they didnt first register with the city, pay hotel taxes, and comply with all city zoning rules.

This was meant to make it easier for the city to enforce its 2018 rules, which required code compliance officers to do exhaustive investigative work to prove violations.

A lot of illegal short-term rentals switched to long term rentals after the city passed its registration ordinance, said assistant code compliance director Shannon Elder.

So far 15 short-term rental operators have applied and paid the $150 annual fee to register with the city, said assistant finance director John Samford in an email to the Star-Telegram. 14 other properties have applied, but havent paid the $150 fee to register, he said.

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The city enforces its short-term rental rules based on address specific complaints, according to code compliances Elder.

Some residents have pushed the city to be more proactive, but Elder said her departments 39 neighborhood investigations officers dont have the resources to seek out and shut down every short-term rental.

She compared it to speeding noting Fort Worths police department cant ticket every single incident of across the city. Code compliance focuses on the most egregious violations to protect safety and neighborhoods, she said.
(Bloomberg) -- A series of revelations in recent weeks about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepting lavish vacations and private-school tuition for a relative from a real estate magnate  who also purchased the house where Thomass mother lives  has brought concerns about the corruptibility of the court front and center. But doubts about its impartiality arent new.

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During the confirmation hearing of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett in 2020, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that corporate money  particularly oil money  had reshaped the high court. He went on to write a book on the subject, released late last year, called The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court. Whitehouse and co-author Jennifer Mueller argue that more than the ethical lapses of individual justices, the courts lack of transparency and accountability has placed it in thrall to moneyed special interests.

The motives of Harlan Crow, Thomass benefactor, may be hard to ascertain, but the anti-regulatory agenda of the oil and gas industry is clear. It got a win last year with the Supreme Courts decision in West Virginia v. EPA, which cemented a new standard  the major questions doctrine  that restricts the rulemaking abilities of government agencies without Congress stepping in. Environmentalists are now bracing for a ruling in Sackett v. EPA, which could curtail the EPAs authority over wetlands, limiting the reach of the Clean Water Act.

And it could get worse for regulators. On May 1, the court agreed to hear a case that challenges whats known as Chevron deference, a legal principle (named for a 1984 case involving the company) holding that courts should defer to agencies technical expertise to interpret statues that are ambiguous. West Virginia v. EPA was widely seen as an indication that the current court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, is hostile to the principle.

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Whitehouse writes in the book that businesses spending money to try to influence the Supreme Court can be traced back to 1971, when Lewis Powell, not yet on the court, wrote a secret strategic memo for the US Chamber of Commerce on how big companies could reassert power over society.

Quietly, money went to fund so-called independent grassroots organizations with often misleading names, like The Advancement of Sound Science Coalitions (TASSC). Funded by Philip Morris, TASSC called EPAs decision to classify secondhand cigarette smoke as harmful junk science. As well as lobbying Congress, the groups file a sea of amicus briefs on cases in front of the court. These astroturf groups were super-juiced by Citizens United v. FEC, the 2010 decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited money in elections.

Then theres the Federalist Society, a powerful conservative legal organization. It has been so effective at building a judicial pipeline that Republican administrations have largely outsourced to it the job of screening and selecting judges. (Liberals have their own group, the American Constitution Society, but it has been far less successful at building a pipeline and an influence operation.)

Donors to the Federalist Society have included not just Harlan Crow but Charles and the late David Koch, whose family fortune comes from oil refineries and has supported an extensive network of political groups and think tanks on the right. The Charles Koch Foundation gave money to the law school at George Mason University, which forwards judicial theories that support the dismantling of administrative laws.

Whitehouse reintroduced a bill in February to mandate a binding code of ethics for the court and strengthen disclosure and recusal rules. The Thomas scandal is a scandal in itself, but it is also a window into the billionaire-funded scheme of court capture, he said this week. Before the revelations broke, he talked to Bloomberg Green about his book. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Briefly, describe the scale of efforts to influence the court.

The first thing to understand is that this is not a conservative court, its a captured court.

The second is that the effort to capture the court was a significant one. People who track it estimate that more than half a billion dollars has gone into the effort. And the spider at the center of the web was just given a $1.6 billion slush fund to add to those resources. [Whitehouse refers here to a $1.6 billion donation given last year to a new conservative nonprofit run by Federalist Society Co-Chairman Leonard Leo.]

The third piece is that a lot of the way this was done resembles the way intelligence agencies operate covertly in other places. This just happens to be the fossil fuel industry and other big corporate forces operating covertly in and against their own country.

Right in the first chapter you mention climate denialism.

The International Monetary Fund estimates we subsidize fossil fuel in America over $600 billion dollars annually. So with stakes like that, the motive for the fossil fuel industry to spend virtually unlimited amounts of money is enormous. And given their reputation, the motive for them to figure out how to spend anonymously is equally enormous.

I came to this after having done a lot of work digging into climate denial. When the courts behavior started to look weird and I started to look more into the court capture operation, I began to see an enormous amount of overlap between the groups and the individuals who were involved in climate denial and the groups and the individuals who are involved in court capture.

How much of this money is coming from fossil fuel interests?

A lot of it flows through dark money channels to get to the places where people can see it land, so it can be a little hard to trace it to its origin. But if you look at the motives involved, and if you look at the sort of trajectory of behavior, I would be prepared to make a pretty big bet that at least two-thirds of it is fossil fuel money.

How is this playing out in front of the court?

There are decisions like West Virginia v. EPA, which attacked previous climate regulation and introduced the major questions doctrine to cast a shadow over all regulatory agencies. And that broader anti-regulatory doctrine will be expanded.

Its a pretty dark to picture you paint. Is there any way back?

I think its either going to take a real epiphany moment for several of the Supreme Court justices to decide that, even though they got there as toadies for the capture movement, theyre going to stand up and be more than that. Or its going to take legislation that changes the composition of the court.

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The North Brookfield Savings Bank's electronic sign in East Brookfield is still displaying the Brittany Tee tip line phone number.

BROOKFIELD  The disappearance of Brittany Tee continues to puzzle those who catch a glimpse of her image on signs that remain on storefronts and gas stations west of Worcester.

The investigation into the 35-year-old Brookfield womans whereabouts continues, four months after she was declared missing. She was last seen Jan. 10.

Tees sister Bethany, who lives in Spencer, said this week the family has no updates or leads.

Its been a tough four months, said Bethany.

Bethany, who is older by 18 months, last saw her younger sister Jan. 9 at their mother's home in Spencer where they had met to spend time with one another and Brittany's niece and nephew.

The case had a heavy presence on social media in the early days. Posts are occasionally added to a Facebook group dedicated to the search for Brittany.

Tees family contacted the police a few days after the last sighting, spurring an immediate search by authorities.

State police and officers were often seen combing through woods, backyards, parked cars and local parks such as Lewis Field, near where Tee was last seen.

Divers searched the shore of Quaboag Pond and other waterways.

Among others interviewed, authorities reached out to Tee's boyfriend, who has been described by authorities as being cooperative.

As of Tuesday, the investigation remains ongoing, according to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

Tee is described as 5-foot-6 and weighing 120 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

The last time she was seen, police said she was wearing a black winter coat, a hoodie, jeans and work boots.

Authorities have set up an anonymous tip line at (508) 453-7589.

Brittany Tee

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: The investigation into Brittany Tee's whereabouts continues four months after she was last seen.
Map of Tunisia locating the island of Djerba where several people were shot dead at a synagogue in an attack carried out by a police officer

A police officer shot dead two people participating in an annual pilgrimage to a renowned Tunisian synagogue as well as two members of the security services before he was killed on Tuesday, the interior ministry said.

Four other visitors to the Ghriba synagogue on Djerba island and five more security officers were wounded in the attack, according to the ministry.

In a statement, the Tunisian foreign ministry identified the two worshippers killed as a Tunisian, aged 30, and a French national, aged 42, but did not give their names.

The attack took place after the assailant first shot dead a colleague and took his ammunition, according to the interior ministry.

He then went to the Ghriba synagogue -- Africa's oldest -- as hundreds of people were taking part in the annual pilgrimage, which was drawing to a close on Tuesday night.

The synagogue was previously targeted in a suicide truck bombing that killed 21 in 2002.

"Investigations are continuing in order to shed light on the motives for this cowardly aggression," the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller condemned the shooting.

"The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world," he said on Twitter.

"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces."

The French embassy in Tunisia announced it had set up a "crisis unit" and an emergency hotline following the attack.

The sound of gunshots at the synagogue had sparked panic among the hundreds of pilgrims, local media reported.

According to organisers, more than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's pilgrimage to Ghriba, which resumed in 2022 after two years of pandemic-related suspension.

- Heart of tradition -

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Coming between Passover and Shavuot, the pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith live -- mainly on Djerba -- compared with around 100,000 before independence in 1956.

Pilgrims also travel from Europe, the United States and Israel to take part, although their numbers have dropped since the attack in 2002.

Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia was finally enjoying a rebound from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the aftereffects of a pair of attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015 that killed dozens of foreign visitors.

Tunisia experienced a boom in Islamist militancy after the Arab Spring ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, but authorities claim to have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia goes through a severe financial crisis that has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office unlimited powers and neutered parliament.

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ReutersThere were apocalyptic scenes in Russias Bryansk region Saturday as four military aircraft were apparently blown out of the sky near the border, killing nearly a dozen service members.Officially, authorities blamed the Mi-8 helicopter crash on a mysterious engine fire, but video shared on social media by local residents appeared to show a missile hit the chopper just before it exploded.Around the same time the chopper crashed, an Su-34 fighter jet also came crashing down engulfed in flam
Franklin County Auditor Matt Beatons recent financial bombshell that unconstitutional payments have been made to county commissioners since 2016 is not a firm legal opinion.

It is, instead, an interpretation of a post by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) that Beaton saw in January.

This difference is extremely significant.

While Beaton said no fraud has been committed, the way he presented his findings has unnecessarily thrown a considerable amount of shade at Commissioner Brad Peck and past commissioners.

Meanwhile, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant told the Herald this is not the first time the county auditor has cried wolf.

Sant would have preferred Beaton seek a legal review before making such a stunning claim in an email blast to the media and at a public meeting.

Now, citizens are left thinking there is wrongdoing when that hasnt been confirmed.

The commissioners have asked Sant to review the matter, but its more complicated than many people realize. Sant said he is still waiting for documents he requested from the county, and it is possible additional reviews from state, federal and tax attorneys will be necessary.

We have to do this right, he told the Herald.

The MRSC is a nonprofit organization that provides legal guidance to local governments in Washington state. MRSC makes it clear the content on its website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. And its post certainly wasnt looking specifically at the Franklin County situation.

Yet that disclaimer has gotten lost in the fallout since Beaton announced his discovery at a public county commission meeting a few weeks ago.

Clarity on the issue wasnt helped by a news release Beaton sent out last week emphasizing what he uncovered. The headline said the unconstitutional pay increases for Commissioners included nearly $47K in questionable compensation for Peck.

Its a shame an allegation of this magnitude was made in public before county attorneys had a chance to review it. Transparency is important, but so is phrasing.

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Beatons announcement and subsequent news release have led people in the community to rush to judgment, which isnt fair. Already, citizens have jumped to their own conclusions and have insisted the commissioners pay back what they owe.

This issue dates back to 2016. Franklin County employee salaries are typically lower than the private sector and neighboring Benton County, so in order to compete, the commission opted to give employees a choice of taking cash in lieu of health insurance.

Providing this option is especially attractive to people who have health insurance through their military service or a spouse.

The commissioners  who at the time were Peck, Rick Miller and Bob Koch  voted for the benefit during their term in office. And thats the possible problem.

Beaton said the vote itself is legal, but the timing of it is cause for concern.

Washington state law prohibits elected officials from giving themselves a pay raise while they are in office. When commissioners took a vote to give all county employees the option of taking cash instead of health coverage, it applied to them too.

Beaton contends that the money in question should be paid back. Although current Commissioners Clint Didier and Rocky Mullen have also opted to take the insurance instead of cashing it out, they each owe just $334.

Peck is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and has taken the cash in lieu of benefits since 2016, so he would owe nearly $47,000, according to Beaton. Miller would owe a little more than $21,000 and Koch owes about $20,000.

But Sant said a key legal question is whether converting healthcare benefits to cash is considered salary.

And the answer is not definite.

Sant said that money could be considered a taxable fringe benefit. If thats the case, then the law and the constitutional issue regarding elected officials salaries may not apply. Its going to take some legal research to figure this out.

Beatons job is to make sure the county is following laws and procedures, and his catch was a good one. The Washington State Auditors Office never brought up the issue, and it has audited Franklin County several times since 2016.

But theres no secret he and Peck have had conflicts in the past  Beaton unsuccessfully tried to unseat Peck in 2016 and 2020.

With that kind of history, Beaton should have alerted county attorneys and the commissioners of his findings and then let it be resolved by someone more neutral.

Beatons take on this issue may be spot on, but we wont know that until there is a legal review. Its too bad that couldnt have happened before damaging claims were made, especially since they may be deemed invalid.
Journalists around the world are mourning and paying tribute to a French reporter who was killed by a rocket strike while in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday.

Arman Soldin, a video coordinator for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) outlet, was killed by a rocket attack near the city of Bakhmut, the deadliest battleground in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Soldin was with a team of AFP journalists on the frontline in eastern Ukraine when they came under fire. The other journalists escaped unharmed.

Catherine Colonna, the French minister of Europe and foreign affairs, said Soldins death reminds us of the price of freedom to inform.

I bow to his courage for speaking out about the reality of war and offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and colleagues, Colonna tweeted.

French President Emmanuel Macron also praised Soldin for his courage to establish the facts in Ukraine.

At least 16 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since 2022, when Russia invaded the country, according to a database from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In March last year, U.S. documentarian Brent Renaud was killed in the suburbs of Kyiv. He was the first American journalist to die in Ukraine since the war began.

Leaders across the world paid tribute to Soldin, including U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called him a talented and courageous journalist, according to AFP.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared the Biden administrations condolences on Twitter.

Our hearts go out to the family of journalist Arman Soldin, who lost his life today reporting from the front lines of the war in Ukraine, and to Armans colleagues at the AFP, Jean-Pierre wrote.

Journalism is fundamental to a free society, she added. The world is indebted to Arman and to the 10 other reporters and media workers who have lost their lives while shining a light on the horrors of Russias invasion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Fresno State unveiled Bulldog Bound, a new guaranteed admissions partnership with Fresno Unified and several other districts in the central San Joaquin Valley that could help thousands of students in the region of California with the lowest percentage of bachelors degrees.

I believe, in my heart of hearts, Fresno State President Saul Jimenez-Sandoval said at a news conference Wednesday, that this is the gold standard on how to recruit, how to retain, and how to graduate students.

Starting in ninth grade, students in participating districts will receive a Fresno State ID, email address, and access to the campus library.

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In the following years, students will work with counselors to ensure theyre meeting minimum requirements for entry into the CSU system  including the required A-G courses. Theyll have access to multiple tours of Fresno States campus. Their parents will also receive financial literacy resources to prepare for the cost of attending college.

So if youre a first-generation college student, said Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson, who also spoke at Wednesdays news conference, the responsibility is not solely on you to explain to your family what the heck it is that youre trying to do.

He added that the program is meant to benefit first-generation students but said that every single person at Fresno Unified needs a warm hand-off to their next educational institution.

Nelson, who teased some details of the program in an early April interview with The Bee, elaborated Wednesday on his hopes that the program will boost Fresno Unifieds college-going rate.

Fresno State unveiled details of Bulldog Bound, a guaranteed admissions partnership with Fresno Unified and several other districts in the San Joaquin Valley at a press conference Wednesday  to the benefit of potentially thousands of students in the region of California with the lowest percentage of bachelors degrees.

Fresno Unified is the largest single feeder school to Fresno State, according to Nelson. This fall, the district is sending over 2,000 students there.

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But the reality, he noted, is that only around half of the districts graduates each year finish high school meeting the requirements for entry into a CSU.

This opportunity and this partnership, he said, changes everything around that. Because were declaring, in ninth grade: Thats my school. Just north on Cedar, thats where Im gonna go to college.

Nelson told The Bees Education Lab in an interview following the news conference that the program will help bring about a closer collaboration between Fresno Unifieds counselors and Fresno States moving forward.

That will help ensure high school students are taking the right courses  or, through dual enrollment, even gaining transferrable credits toward a Fresno State degree before they even start college.

Other districts Jimenez-Sandoval named who have signed on as partners include Central Unified, Visalia Unified, Fowler Unified, Sanger Unified, Parlier Unified and University High.

Jimenez-Sandoval, as a first-generation college student himself who grew up in Fowler, said he remembers the anxiety of wondering if he was even going to make it to college.

This is going to build a bridge, he said of the program, that directly leads (students) to say to themselves: Ive taken a college class. I know how to speak to a professor. I know how to interact with my fellow college colleagues. And now what am I going to do? Im going to go to college.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bees Education Lab at its website.
Fresno Unified saw a 30% jump in its homeless student population this school year, according to the California Department of Educations 2022-23 enrollment data.

The district reported 496 homeless students, up from 377 last year. This years count exceeds the pre-pandemic count of 425 homeless students in 2019 for a four-year high.

Clovis and Central Unified, the countys second and third-largest districts behind FUSD, also saw growth in their population of homeless students. So did the county as a whole, where the overall count increased from 1,647 in 2021-22 to 1,984 in 2022-23.

This trend is worrying for experts in the city.

Its not to say that one persons homelessness is any worse than another persons because I dont think anybody should be homeless, right? said Laura Moreno, chair of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care. Its difficult no matter what.

But when you are lugging kids around, its dangerous to be homeless. Youve got kids that youre trying to manage and get to school and protect and feed, she added, and that just becomes very, very difficult.

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Experts still worry this years data is an undercount, however. Anything from the stigma of being homeless to the transience of the population hinders districts from identifying all its homeless students.

Undercount with homeless students is always a concern, said Angela James, research director at UCLAs Center for the Transformation of Schools.

The stakes of a miscount are high, experts say.

The thing is, said Pamela Hancock, director of Foster & Homeless Youth Education Services with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, if we under-identify, then were not providing the services that those students might be entitled to.

Studies show that homelessness puts students at several distinct disadvantages. Fewer homeless students finish high school in four years, for example. More of them are chronically absent. And they tend to score lower than their peers on math assessments.

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On the other hand, some research has indicated that homeless students attendance and academic performance become more stable after theyve been identified by their district as homeless and connected with proper resources.

We have legislation which helps us to grapple with this issue and guides us, James said. But it starts with identification.

How are homeless students counted?

A student in California is considered homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, according to the CDE.

That can include anything from a student temporarily staying with a friend after losing their housing to one living out of their car.

Districts have struggled to locate all the students living under these circumstances, and the state legislature has had to step in.

Assembly Bill 27, which Gov. Gavin Newsoms signed into law in September 2021, requires school districts to provide a housing questionnaire to all district families every year and report the results to the California Department of Education. Before, the questionnaires werent required statewide.

The mandate is already helping in a district like Fresno Unified, which has had to make multiple changes to its identification processes over the years, according to the districts homeless and foster care liaison Tumani Heights.

Its been significant, she said, in helping us identify some families that potentially would fall through the cracks.

In addition to the questionnaire which goes out to all families in packets at the beginning of the year, Heights office and the districts clinical social workers will also contact families of students each August who had been identified as homeless the previous school year and verify whether their housing situation has changed.

Fresno Unified started doing this in 2019 when Heights joined the district and realized a significant amount of students were miscategorized as homeless because FUSD hadnt followed up with their families after they initially reported homelessness.

This helps explain what otherwise looks like a staggering decline in the number of homeless students between 2018-19 and 2019-20: from 1,670 to 425, according to CDE data.

We contacted those families, and a lot of them had found stable housing, she said.

Experts say the pandemic also made it more difficult for districts to count their homeless student population accurately.

Some left the state, becoming untraceable through CDEs database. Others may not have re-enrolled in school, she added.

In FUSD, the homeless student count fell from 425 in 2019-20 to a five-year low of 267 in 2020-21, the first fully-online academic year after the onset of the pandemic. The number climbed by 110 students the following year and by another 119 students this year.

James said other pandemic-era policies, such as eviction moratoriums, likely reduced homeless populations in districts, but she fears that progress, like the moratoriums, probably has an expiration date.

Fresnos moratorium expired in June 2022, although some additional protections for renters remained in place.

What alarms does this trend sound?

James worries this years increase in the homeless student population was only the tip of the iceberg, and more students will start to experience homelessness as pandemic-related protections for renters wane.

I think the problem, she said, is much greater than what we see in the numbers.

Moreno shares related concerns about the homelessness data her team collects for both Fresno and Madera counties.

They produce an annual Point in Time Count, which serves as a snapshot of the homeless population across the country on a night selected by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The most recent one from 2022 showed a 15% increase in the homeless population since before the pandemic.

Several years ago, I wouldve told you that families dont present on the street. They present homelessness differently, but we did not find a lot of people on the streets. And I think that absolutely has changed, she said. Were seeing many more families that are literally on the street homeless, in their cars, in places not meant for human habitation.

Everything is just getting more expensive, she added. Everything is getting harder.

Not all of these problems can be solved by school districts alone. The current bargaining cycle between teachers and Fresno Unified has raised the question of just how much schools can and should do.

The Fresno Teachers Association has proposed several multi-million dollar investments in support for homeless students, such as devoting $500,000 to opening up school parking lots at night and providing paid security for homeless families to park their cars safely and putting $1 million into providing free laundry service for students who need of it by 2026.

Although negotiations are still in progress, the district announced in March that laundry machines would be baseline equipment for its middle schools moving forward  which the union claimed as proof their proposals are what the district needs.

While it will take much more to address the affordable housing crisis at its core, James said its important to think outside the box with how districts can support homeless students.

We can help them  or, she said, we could deal with the enormous problems that result when we dont.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bees Education Lab at its website.
RUSSIA-OPPOSITION-COURT

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza sits on a bench inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at the Basmanny court in Moscow on October 10, 2022. - Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed in April for denouncing the Kremlin's Ukraine offensive and has been charged last week with high treason - the charges which could keep him behind bars for two decades. Credit - NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA-AFP

When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, everyone was shocked and scared. But for me, it was deeply personal. Ive known Putins murderous intent for the last two decades, and I knew how terrible this was going to be.

I had been the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005, when I was expelled from the country and declared a threat to national security. This had been in retaliation for exposing corruption at the companies in which my fund had invested. In 2007, my offices in Moscow were raided by the Russian police, who seized all of our documents. I hired a young Russian lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky to investigate, and he discovered that the documents had been used in a complex $230 million tax rebate fraud. Sergei testified against the officers involved and was subsequently arrested, tortured for 358 days, and ultimately killed by eight riot guards while he was in Russian police custody. He was 37 years old.

Putin was directly involved in the cover-up of Sergeis murder, and we have since discovered that Putin himself was a financial beneficiary of the fraud. For years, Ive been screaming from the rooftops that Putin is a gangster and a cold-blooded killer. Sadly, few listened. Now, with his invasion of Ukraine, everyone is listening, and I often get invited to speak about Russia in public forums.

On March 28, 2022, a month after the war began, I was asked to give a speech at the Museum of London at a fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees. As I prepared that afternoon, I got a text from my good friend, Vladimir Kara-Murza. He was in London with his wife, Evgenia, and suggested we have dinner that night.

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Vladimir is a 41-year-old dual Russian-British national and vocal anti-Putin activist who had been instrumental in helping get justice for Sergei Magnitsky. Our biggest accomplishment was the passage of a piece of legislation called the Magnitsky Act, which freezes the assets and bans the visas of Russian human rights violators. Since 2012, the Magnitsky Act has been enacted in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and 32 other countries. Vladimir and I traveled the world together for a decade, testifying in front of numerous parliaments and the U.S. Congress, advocating for the Magnitsky Act.

Putin was so upset by this new law that he made repealing it his single largest foreign policy priority. Putin is a man who has committed many human rights abuses in order to steal money. He and his cronies have accumulated enormous fortunes, and they keep those fortunes in the West. For them, but especially for Putin, the Magnitsky Act is an existential threat.

Putin hated Vladimir so much that he ordered his security services to poison Vladimir in 2015 in Russia. Vladimir suffered multiple organ failure, went into a coma, and had a strokebut miraculously survived. So Putin tried again in 2017. Vladimir narrowly survived this attempt as well. In spite of the grave risks, Vladimir carried on standing up to Putin in every way.

That evening in London, I had a thought. It was last minute, but would Vladimir be willing to join me before our dinner at the Museum of London to share his perspective on Putin and what was going on in Ukraine?

He absolutely would.

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My wife, Elena, and I made our way to the Barbican Centre, a brutalist 1960s concrete complex located just west of Londons financial district. We navigated the confusing stairwells and corridors to reach the Museum of London, where we met Vladimir and Evgenia. After everyone settled in, I gave my speech, and when I was finished, introduced Vladimir.

He bounded up to the stage and talked about the pride he felt for the thousands of protesters in Russia who had been arrested for opposing Putins war. Some were arrested for the smallest of reasons: for wearing blue and yellow, or even standing on the street holding up a blank poster.

Toward the end, he said, It is painful beyond words to see the destruction, the cluster bombing of schools and hospitals and maternity wards that the Putin regime is doing. [To witness] the war crimes, the crimes against humanity.

The original intention was for Vladimir to speak for just a few minutes, but the audience was transfixed and he was on a roll. He ended up speaking for over twenty. Everyone in that room was moved by his braverybut they were speechless when he confirmed that later that week, he intended to return to Moscow to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Russian anti-war protesters.

I was speechless, too. As the four of us jumped in a black taxi to make our way to dinner, I couldnt get Sergei Magnitsky out of my head. Before his arrest, Id begged him to leave Russia. He refused, believing the law would protect him. But it hadnt, and he had ended up dead. I couldnt handle another one of my friends being arrested and killed in Russia. I needed to find a way to talk Vladimir out of returning to Moscow.

Vladimir Kara-Murza with his family before his return to Russia Family of Vladimir Kara-Murza

As we arrived at Cecconis, an Italian restaurant in Shoreditch, I struggled with what to say. We sat and ordered. As our burrata and zucchini fritti arrived, I said, Vladimir, theres no way you can go back to Moscow. Theyve tried to kill you twice. Theyll try againat best theyll arrest you. And if they do, we have no leverage to get you out. Putin has gone so far off the rails that he doesnt care what anyone thinks.

A weary expression passed over Vladimirs face. Im sure every friend had said the same thing after learning about his plans to go back to Russia.

Bill, he said, Im a Russian politician. All Russians should stand up to Putin. But how can I ask others to do that if Im too afraid to return to my own country? I must be there.

I then tried to appeal to his sense of duty. Politicians, media, and the public need to hear what you have to say, right now and in the future. If youre in prison, they wont be able to hear you.

Vladimir shook his head. Bill, sometimes symbols are more important. He then told the story from 1968 when seven Soviet dissidents took to Red Square to protest the USSRs invasion of Czechoslovakia. They were swiftly arrested, put on trial, and given long and punitive sentencesbut since then they have become indelible symbols of resistance to the history of Soviet repression. To Vladimir and his colleagues in the Russian opposition, they are heroes.

I wasnt convinced. Dont you think youre being selfish? I asked. I was willing to offend him if thats what it would take. If youre arrested, me and all of your friends will have to spend the next decade trying to get you out of a Russian prison. I dont really want to do that, Vladimir. Elena dug her nails into my leg under the table. And Im sure Evgenia doesnt want that either.

Read More: A Letter to the World from Inside a Russian Prison

I looked to Evgenia, hoping for support. Throughout Vladimirs recovery, she had done everything for him. She taught him how to eat, talk, and walk all over again. One never knows what goes on between spouses, and I was hoping she would say something.

But instead, Evgenia just looked at me. Shed known what she was signing up for when she married Vladimir, and she supported his decision.

Vladimir is such a composed and gracious man that he wasnt offended. Bill, he said calmly, I dont want you to spend your time getting me out of prison, either, but Im talking about something far bigger than you or me. And that was that.

Our entrees arrived. I was at a loss. As I watched Vladimir tuck into his veal Milanese, I couldnt help but think this was one of the last good meals hed be having for a long time.

Nevertheless, I tried to finish on a high note. My second book, Freezing Order, was due to be published in a few weeks in the U.S. Both Vladimir and Evgenia were big characters at the heart of the story. It would mean a lot to me if you would come to the DC book launch and give a speech, I said.

I would be honored, Bill.

As we parted that evening, I hoped that my dark fears about what might happen to him were overly pessimistic. Perhaps there was so much going on in Russia that the authorities there would leave him alone.

The next morning, Vladimir sent me a text thanking Elena and me for dinner. His good humor intact, he finished by saying, Lets do this again soonhopefully sooner than 10 years! 

That day, Vladimir and Evgenia took the Eurostar to Paris where Vladimir was giving a speech on political prisoners at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. They rented a tiny apartment in the 16th arrondissement for a few nights. On the morning of April 5, Vladimir got up early and packed while Evgenia slept. He woke her to give her a kiss and then left. A couple hours later, she got up. She was alone. She packed her own things, and left quietly for a flight back to Washington and their three children.

Vladimir landed at Moscows Sheremetyevo International airport later that day. From the moment he hit the ground, I started watching the clock. All I wanted was for April 13 to arrive, the day that he would return to Evgenia in Washington.

To my surprise, Vladimir was able to go about his business unimpeded, meeting with political activists, journalists, and friends. Like every time he visited Moscow, he laid flowers on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge next to the Kremlin. This is where the charismatic Russian opposition leader and Vladimirs friend and mentor, Boris Nemtsov, had been gunned down by Putins assassins in 2015.

On April 10, I boarded a flight for New York for the launch of Freezing Order, a book that, at its heart, is all about Russian money laundering. The timing could not have been more tragically relevant. The war was now seven weeks old, and every media organization in the U.S. wanted to interview me about Russia. I did the rounds, going to CNN, Fox, ABC, MSNBC, and anyone else who would listen. I wasnt pulling any punches, calling Putin the war criminal he is, but I was safe in the U.S.

On the other side of the world, Vladimir was doing the same thing with the same media outlets from his apartment in Moscow.

On April 10, he appeared on MSNBC with Ali Velshi. Vladimir explained the new Russian law that criminalized using the word war to describe Russias invasion of Ukraine. Anyone who broke this law now faced up to 15 years in prison. Of course, during the interview, he referred to the invasion as a war multiple times.

When Ali Velshi asked Vladimir if he was afraid for his own safety, he repeated a version of what hed said at dinner that night in London. We all know the price, we all know the cost, Vladimir said, but there are millions of people in Russia who categorically oppose the Putin regime and everything its doing.

I watched this interview, and hoped that the FSB, Russias security service, was so busy with the war in Ukraine that they somehow missed this appearance.

Vladimir only had three more days before he was due to leave Russia.

The following day, Vladimir gave an interview to CNN. His language was even more strident: This regime is not just corrupt, its not just kleptocratic, its not just authoritarian. Its a regime of murderers.

Clearly worried, the CNN correspondent asked, Arent you concerned that you will be targeted again, and potentially this time it will take, you will die?

Defiantly, Vladimir answered, Im speaking to you from Moscow now. Im a Russian politician, its my home country. The biggest gift we could give to the Kremlin is to give up and run.

After this interview, Vladimir ran some errands before visiting a friendthe 89-year old dissident avant-garde artist Boris Zhutovsky, at his studio in Tverskoy-Yamskoy mews.

Vladimir left Boris studio that evening in high spirits. As Vladimir approached his apartment building, five officers in black uniforms from the Second Special Regiment of Moscows Main Internal Affairs Directorate rushed Vladimir, pushed him into a van, took away his phone, and drove him to the Khamovniki police station. The pretext for his arrest was that he had changed the trajectory of his movement, offered active resistance, and was disobeying police orders.

I immediately called Evgenia. She tried to put on a brave face. Even though we both knew how serious this was, she said that at the moment it was only an administrative offense. Before the war, the Russian authorities routinely grabbed protesters and members of the opposition, held them for 15 days, and then let them go. It had happened to Vladimir. Hopefully, this would be the case again.

From this moment, a new clock started ticking.

I headed to DC on April 14, where the book launch had morphed into an event about Vladimir. Evgenia spoke in his place, and as soon as she started, it became apparent that she had the same charisma and moral authority as her husband. In addition to giving her own heartfelt thoughts, she read a letter that he had written for this event from jail. His Russian lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, had smuggled it out. By the time she was finished, there wasnt a dry eye in the room.

As I feared, ten days after his arrest, the Russian authorities went beyond the administrative offense we were hoping for and charged Vladimir with spreading false information about the Russian militaryi.e., calling the war a war. The evidence was a speech Vladimir had given to the Arizona state legislature in mid-March which was posted on YouTube. The prosecutor was asking for ten years.

Then, in July, the Russian authorities threw more charges at him, accusing Vladimir of cooperating with an undesirable foreign NGO, the Free Russia Foundation. This was punishable by a further six years.

Read More: Ukraine Is Our Past and Our Future

His friends and I were appalled. We scrambled for anything we could do to exert pressure on the Russian government. The first thing we thought of was the Magnitsky Act. Since Vladimir was one of the fathers of the law, it would be poetic justice if the Magnitsky Act were used to sanction the Russian officials who were now persecuting him. Together with Evgenia, we began a campaign to impose Magnitsky sanctions.

But then, in October, the Russian government went even further. They accused Vladimir of treason. The evidence here was three public speeches Vladimir had given denouncing the lack of political freedoms in Russia: one at the Sakharov Award ceremony at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in Oslo, another to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and a third to the U.S. Helsinki Commission, just two weeks before his arrest. The prosecutor was now asking for 25 years in prison.

This degree of political persecution has been unheard of since the time of Stalin.

That November, Evgenia and I met in Ottawa to advocate for Vladimir at the Canadian Parliament. Former Canadian MP Irwin Cotlerwho, in addition to his public service in Canada, had been Nelson Mandelas lawyertook us around the Canadian capital to meet the foreign minister and all the major political groups.

Between meetings, Evgenia told me that the detention center where Vladimir was being held was headed by a man named Dmitry Komnov. This was the same official who headed the detention center where Sergei Magnitsky had been tortured and denied medical care before his murder.

Komnov was already sanctioned for what hed done to Sergei, so he couldnt be sanctioned again. But that didnt stop the Canadians from acting: during that trip, Foreign Minister Eva Joly announced that Canada would introduce Magnitsky sanctions in Vladimirs case. A week later, nine officials involved in Vladimirs persecution were sanctioned. They included the judge who approved Vladimirs arrest, and the investigator responsible for the treason charge against Vladimir.

Then, on March 3, 2023, the US government imposed Magnitsky sanctions on six Russian officials involved in Vladimirs false arrest and persecution.

On March 13, Evgenia and I met in Strasbourg, France to advocate for Vladimir at the European Parliament. One of our biggest allies, Lithuanian MEP Petras Austrevicius, organized a number of his colleagues to meet Evgenia and me at a French restaurant near the cathedral in the old town. Evgenia walked in, looking pale and distraught. I took her aside. Whats going on?

Vladimir just got out of four days in solitary confinement.

What? What for?

Just to torture him.

She told me that the cell was three meters by one-and-a-half meters, and that the bed was folded into the wall from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The only place for him to sit was a short backless stool. The room crawled with finger-sized cockroaches.

She said, He cant feel his feet anymore, Bill.

Vladimir suffered from severe nerve damage from his two poisonings. We still dont know what hed been poisoned with, but I have to assume it was the banned chemical nerve agent, Novichok. When Vladimir was going through his rehabilitation, the one thing he did to regain feeling in his feet was to walk on sharp shells on a beach in Virginia for hours. It was the pain that brought sensation back.

Unfortunately, we left Strasbourg empty-handed. Even though the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a motion calling for the EU to impose sanctions on the people involved508 in favor, 14 opposedthe EU has done nothing.

A week earlier, on March 6, Vladimir attended a pretrial hearing in Moscow. The authorities allowed the press into the courtroom, and the images of Vladimir were haunting. He looked gaunt, malnourished, and sick, but they proceeded anyway. After the hearing, his lawyer said that Vladimir had lost 40 pounds since his arrest. This was the same amount of weight that Sergei Magnitsky had lost during his detention.

At the hearing, Judge Podoprigorov, the same man who had authorized Sergeis arrest, and was sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act, extended Vladimirs detention for six months. He refused to hear any appeals about Vladimirs deteriorating health.

He then announced Vladimirs trial would be held behind closed doors. This was an obvious tactic to prevent Vladimir from seeing relatives and friends for the first time in nearly a year. (Vladimir has been denied all personal communications while in custody.) It would also cut him off from public support, journalists, and Western diplomats who had planned to attend the hearings.

On March 13, the trial against Vladimir began. He sat alone in a glass cage, holding a copy of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns The Oak and the Calf, a book that had been banned under the Soviets. This was a clear symbol of defiance in the face of his oppressors.

Vladimir Kara Murza in Russian detention reading Kornilova Daria @dnk112

As promised, there was no press, no human rights activists, no consular officials. Like in the Soviet times, there was a troika of three judges, which included the sanctioned judge, Sergey Podoprigorov.

The fix was obviously in.

On April 17, 2023, Vladimir was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 25 years in a Russian prison. This is the longest current term for any political prisoner in Russia, and is longer than the maximum sentences for rape that results in death (20 years); kidnapping (12 years); terrorism (15 years); and aggravated assault and robbery (15 years).

Before his sentencing, Vladimir read a statement to the court. Most defendants plead their innocence, but since Vladimir had committed no crime, he did no such thing. Vladimir stood by every public statement he had made for which he was being prosecuted. He proudly and fully condemned the war and the Putin regime.

Even though he was facing 25 years in prison, he finished by saying, The day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate. When black will be called black and white will be called white; when at the official level it will be recognized that two times two is still four; when a war will be called a war, and a usurper a usurper; and when those who kindled and unleashed this war, rather than those who tried to stop it, will be recognized as criminals  Even today, even in the darkness surrounding us, even sitting in this cage, I love my country and believe in our people. I believe that we can walk this path.

The last time I saw Vladimir, at dinner that night in London, Id told him I didnt want to spend the next 10 years fighting to get him out of prison. But since April 12, 2022, thats exactly what Ive been doing and thats what I will continue to do. Not only is he crucial to me as a friend and colleague, but its also vitally important to the West that he survives and is free. Weve done an amazing job supporting the Ukrainians, but we also need to help Russians who are brave enough to stand up to Vladimir Putin. If Russia is ever going to be free, it will be led by Vladimir and people like him.

On the day of his sentencing, I gave an interview to the BBC. At the end, the interviewer asked that if I could speak to Vladimir, what would I say?

I replied, Sit tight. Were coming to get you.
Just a week after Bryan Kohbergers arrest in last years killing of four University of Idaho students, Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order in the case, citing the need for a balance between protecting the right to fair trial for all parties involved and the right to free expression.

Not everyone agrees that she struck the right balance in a case that quickly and consistently made headlines across the country.

The family of one of the victims and a coalition of media outlets are fighting the order, saying it restricts their First Amendment rights by being overly broad.

The judges order  which was expanded in mid-January, not long after the initial order  prohibits a number of people from speaking publicly about the case, including the attorneys on both sides, investigators, law enforcement personnel and any attorney representing a witness, victim or victims family.

Legal fights aside, there also are questions about whether such orders do what they are intended or are irrelevant, as one expert told the Idaho Statesman.

Kohberger is facing four first-degree murder charges in the stabbing deaths of U of I students Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur dAlene; Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. All were killed in an off-campus house in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger, who could face the death penalty, was arrested at his parents house in eastern Pennsylvania on Dec. 30.

What exactly is a gag order and why is one used?

Gag orders are issued by judges, sometimes at the request of attorneys, and they ban those involved in a case from speaking publicly about it. Anyone who violates the order can be held in contempt of court, which carries a penalty of up to $5,000, five days in jail or both in Idaho.

These orders are intended to protect a defendants constitutional right to a fair trial by an impartial jury by stopping the spread of information that could prejudice potential jurors.

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Kohbergers attorney, Anne Taylor, chief of the Kootenai County Public Defenders Office, and Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson have supported the gag order.

Bryan Kohberger, seated, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, looks on as his attorney, public defender Anne Taylor speaks during a hearing.

Not surprisingly, judges generally issue such orders in cases that will attract significant media attention. They have been used when a party involved is widely known by the public  a celebrity, a famous company, a politician or a government entity  or the crime is sensational in nature.

A gag order was in place for Rufo v. Simpson, for example, the civil case brought by the parents of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman against O.J. Simpson, who was accused of killing the pair but found not guilty at a criminal trial. One was also used at Michael Jacksons criminal trial involving child molestation charges.

Gag orders in Idaho cases are fairly rare. No such order was issued in the ongoing high-profile case against Lori and Chad Daybell, but the judge did opt to move their trials to Ada County from Eastern Idaho because of local pretrial publicity.

A recent high-profile case in which a judge did issue a gag order involved a mass stabbing in Boise. Timmy Kinner Jr. stabbed nine people and killed 3-year-old Ruya Kadir in 2018, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murder and eight counts of aggravated battery.

In her order in the Kohberger case, Judge Marshall referenced Sheppard v. Maxwell, a well-known U.S. Supreme Court case that paved the way for the use of court gag orders.

In 1954, prominent Cleveland Dr. Sam Sheppard was charged with stabbing his pregnant wife to death. The case  with an attractive, affluent couple at its center and countless baffling details  garnered widespread national attention. Local media covered the crime feverishly, with much of the coverage insinuating or outright claiming Sheppard was guilty. The prosecutor, police and judge all expressed belief in Shepherds guilt to reporters, according to the Free Speech Center. Headlines included Getting Away With Murder, Why No Inquest? Do It Now, Dr. Gerber and Quit Stalling  Bring Him In.

All three Cleveland newspapers published the names and addresses of the 75 potential jurors, resulting in people contacting them with details on the case, according to the Supreme Court opinion.

After the jury found him guilty, Sheppard filed a federal petition. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that jurors views could have been altered by media coverage, thus violating the doctors right to a fair trial. Since the ruling, judges have often cited the case in issuing gag orders in high-profile trials.

Why are some fighting the gag order in U of I case?

A coalition of more than two dozen media outlets, including the Idaho Statesman, filed a motion against the gag order, believing it violates the First Amendment, the Statesman previously reported. The group is led by The Associated Press and also includes The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In the motion, Boise-based attorney Wendy Olson argued that gag orders cannot be vague, overbroad, unduly restrictive, or not narrowly drawn. Olson is a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho who is now with the private law firm Stoel Rives.

Courts have previously upheld that gag orders must have narrow parameters to ensure freedom of the press. In Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart, a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court case that sided with the media and limited the reach of gag orders, Chief Justice Warren Burger said its in the publics best interest for the press to have access to information.

The press does not simply publish information about trials, but guards against the miscarriage of justice by subjecting the police, prosecutors, and judicial processes to extensive public scrutiny and criticism, Burger wrote in his opinion.

Journalists have often fought gag orders often in high-profile cases, including those initially enacted for the trials of Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

The attorney for the Goncalves family filed a separate challenge to the gag order. Shanon Gray requested that Marshall amend the gag order to remove attorneys for victims families from being barred from commenting. Gray argued that he is not a party to the case, and he called the order unconstitutionally overbroad. He said his clients have felt restricted from speaking to the media as well.

Orders that affect a wide array of people can cause many to fear speaking to the press at all, said Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment specialist at the Freedom Forum.3

Once theres any element of vagueness  then you start having people questioning whether they can speak, Goldberg told the Statesman by phone. They will almost inevitably default to self-censorship, as youve seen, and that is the crux of the problem with gag orders. They are well-intentioned and rarely well-executed.

Citing the gag order, police have refused to answer general questions from the Statesman, such as how many cellphone towers are in the area near where the homicides occurred; the size of the Moscow jail and of Kohbergers cell; and the nature of the suspects meals. In one case a reporter asked for clarification on an apparent mistake in the probable cause affidavit, but was told no one in law enforcement could answer because of the order.

The Moscow Police Department published a press release stating it would no longer communicate with the public or media about Kohbergers case, and Moscow Mayor Art Bettge told a reporter that he could not answer questions about the overall community healing in Moscow because of the gag order.

Candles and flowers are left at a makeshift memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students outside the Mad Greek restaurant in downtown Moscow. Two of the victims worked at Mad Greek.

Do gag orders work?

Most legal scholars who study pretrial publicity dont see the orders as effective at maintaining the impartiality of jurors, according to Jon Bruschke, a California State University, Fullerton professor who researches the subject.

Bruschke said many experts view gag orders as irrelevant because they believe pretrial publicity always causes a bias and no remedy can fix it, he said.

Brushke said he is among a separate group of experts who believe pretrial publicity has a limited effect on the decisions juries make.

Either conclusion just sort of points to: Gag orders shouldnt be that broad, Brushke told the Statesman by phone. I just dont think tidbits of information that come out in the media months before the trial materially alter what the jury is likely to do. Thats my conclusion after reading 65 studies.

Trials such as what Kohberger is expected to face can take months. At that point, Brushke doesnt think jurors are likely to focus on news articles they read well before the court proceedings began.

The research is pretty good that juries work really hard to come up with the right decision, Brushke said.

Even if gag orders stop certain people from speaking, the media dont stop reporting on a case. And in the age of the internet, its not just professional journalists and outlets producing public content. During the 2022 Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial, the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp received nearly 7 billion views across TikTok and regularly trended on Twitter, The Washington Post reported.

What happens next in Kohberger gag order?

Arguing extraordinary circumstances, the media coalition tried to bypass the usual legal steps and went directly to the Idaho Supreme Court in February in an effort to remove the gag order. But on April 24, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against accepting the case, saying the complaint should first be filed in District Court.

Attorneys for the coalition resubmitted filings May 2 in the 2nd Judicial District Court in Latah County after the high courts decision, the Statesman reported.

The Latah County judge filed an order Thursday to set a conference hearing for both the Goncalves and media motions against the gag order at 10 a.m. Pacific time on May 22.
By Mohi Narayan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - GAIL (India) Ltd, the country's top gas supplier, plans to build a 400-billion rupee ($4.89 billion) ethane cracker near its liquefied natural gas (LNG) import plant in Western India, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, as it seeks to meet an expected surge in demand.

Indian companies are boosting their petrochemical production capacity as the expanding economy boosts the need for goods ranging from plastics to paints and adhesives. A cracker produces ethylene, required for products such as plastics.

Demand for petrochemicals could nearly triple by 2040, according to estimates by top refiner Indian Oil, forcing companies to make big investments to set up new facilities across the country.

GAIL is looking for land in the coastal region of Dabhol in Maharashtra state for the 1.5 million tonnes a year (mtpa) cracker project, one of the sources told Reuters. GAIL operates a 5 mtpa LNG plant at Dabhol.

The company plans to import ethane from the United States for the project, the source said.

GAIL's communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are trying to sort out challenges around acquiring land, most likely, in or around Dabhol ... we are hoping to receive financial support from the state government," the source said.

GAIL is also exploring the possibility to acquire land in Madhya Pradesh, which neighbours Maharashtra, if a deal in Dabhol doesn't materialise, the person said.

The proposed dual-feed cracker will also have capability to crack up to 40% liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), enabling the option to switch to less expensive feedstock to maximise margins.

India's per capita petrochemical consumption is about one-third of the global average. Asia's third-largest economy annually consumes 25 million to 30 million tonnes of petrochemicals.

($1 = 81.7800 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Mohi Narayan; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
The gang built a drugs lab in a unit in west London. (Met Police)

A case in which three men who made more than 3.5m in cryptocurrency selling fake medication on the dark web has sparked a change in drug legislation.

Allen Valentine, 62, his son Roshan Valentine, 39, and Roshan's childhood friend Krunal Patel, 40, were producing and selling benzodiazepines, a Class C sedative drug.

The gang made at least 3.5m in illicit profit.

They also had several accounts on different dark web markets and advertised the sale of Xanax, Diazepam and Valium.

When the trio were arrested, the seizure of their products was the first in the UK of some of the chemicals, and as such legislation will be amended later this year to include these drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A substances

Tools used to make the fake drugs were found in a raid. (Met Police)

Detective Constable Alex Hawkins, of the Metropolitan Polices cyber crime unit, led the investigation. He said: The three men ran a sophisticated, large-scale production of fake pharmaceutical drugs sold on the dark web that appeared to be genuine.

"Their operation was solely for the greed of those involved bearing no concern for the vulnerabilities of those purchasing these drugs."

Hawkins said that some of the drugs contained completely different chemicals from those which should be in the genuine tablets and said some were "extremely dangerous".

This is the first seizure of those chemicals in the UK and as such legislation will be amended later this year to include these drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A substances," he said. "Stopping the manufacturing of these drugs has removed a significant risk to the public."

Hawkins thanked pharmaceutical companies Viatris and Teva UK who worked with his team on their investigation, and supported the prosecution against the "dangerous and fraudulent men".

A batch of fake Xanax that was seized from the factory. (Met Police)

Drugs were manufactured in the warehouse then sold for cryptocurrency on the dark web. (Met Police)

He added: Id urge anyone to seek medical advice and obtain a prescription for medication through a doctor. If you buy from the dark web there is no guarantee what is in the substances, as with this case.

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The cyber crime unit launched an investigation after they received intelligence from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the US that the men were selling fake pharmaceutical drugs on the dark web.

Detectives discovered that the three men were using a warehouse unit at Acton Business Park in west London as a base for producing, packaging and supplying the drugs.

They were operating under the guise of a company called Puzzle Logistics Limited that was established in 2016.

Each of the men visited the unit on a daily basis, often staying for much of the day.

Officers saw that Patel would frequently leave with large bags, returning 10 to 15 minutes later without them.

Some of the fake drugs the group sold on the dark web. (Met Police)

They mixed chemicals to create fake prescription drugs that could be harmful to users. (Met Police)

They found that users would buy the drugs on the dark web, paying in cryptocurrency, then receive them through the post.

Hawkins said the investigation team had detailed knowledge of the dark web, and training in cryptocurrency, allowing them to "efficiently progress the investigation".

Detectives utilised specialist cyber tactics to prove it was the Valentines and Patel who were making and selling the illegal substances.

They determined the three men converted 3.5million from cryptocurrency into fiat currency (sterling).

The accounts have since been frozen by police.

On 17 August 2022, Krunal Patel was arrested near the warehouse, with 15 parcels labelled for posting to addresses across the UK. Inside those parcels were tablets imprinted Xanax and Teva, both brand names for licensed medicines within the Benzodiazepine group. Roshan and Allen Valentine were arrested later that same day.

Allen Valentine told the jury he was a doctor and has qualifications in pharmacy, enquiries are currently ongoing to verify the claims. (Met Police)

Roshan Valentine admitted a string of drugs offences. (Met Police)

Read more: Thieves spark 120mph police chase after fleeing jewellery store with 60k ring

Officers searched the warehouse and found a concealed laboratory where a large amount of equipment and several containers of chemical substances were discovered, along with numerous crates of pills manufactured on site.

The pills were analysed and found to contain Class C drugs from the Benzodiazepine group including Deschloroetizolam, Flubromazepam, Bromazolam and Flualprazolam.

Allen Valentine told the jury he was a doctor and has qualifications in pharmacy.

Krunal Patel will be sentenced with the rest of the gang at a later date. (Met Police)

Enquiries are currently ongoing to verify the claims.

All three men were charged with conspiracy to produce Class C drugs and money laundering offences on 19 August 2022 and were remanded in custody.

Patel and Roshan Valentine, both from Middlesex, pleaded guilty to various drugs offences at Isleworth Crown Court in February.

Allen Valentine, from Harrow, also in Middlesex, pleaded not guilty to the same offences as his son and friend, but was found guilty after trial by jury.

A sentencing date is yet to be set.

A confiscation hearing to legally obtain their illegal profits will also take place.

Detective Superintendent Helen Rance who heads up the cyber crime unit said: Our specialist cyber crime unit are experts at infiltrating the sale of illegal items on the dark web.

"We work collaboratively with International Law Enforcement partners to ensure operations like this are stopped in their tracks."
Rep. George Santos, a gay Republican from New York, surrendered himself into police custody on Wednesday morning and has pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges.

He was indicted on 13 counts by a federal grand jury.

Documents unsealed by the court allege Santos is charged with three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of materially false statements to Congress.

Between September and October 2022, he devised and executed a scheme to defraud supporters of his candidacy for the House and to obtain money from them by fraudulently inducing supporters to contribute funds to an [unnamed company] under the false pretense that the money would be used to support [his] candidacy and then actually spending thousands of dollars on the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments, according to the indictment.

Furthermore, the criminal complaint accused Santos of telling a political consultant to push false information about an unnamed company, claiming that it was an independent expenditure committee or a social welfare organization.

It is alleged that Santos told his political consultant to tell his supporters that contributions to his campaign would be used for independent expenditures to benefit his candidacy.

According to the indictment, however, the company was neither a social welfare organization nor an independent expenditure committee, and Santos converted most of those funds to his own personal benefit.

He also allegedly applied for unemployment insurance in New York in June 2020 while employed by an investment firm in Florida, earning $120,000 a year as part of a fraud scheme to get unemployment benefits, the indictment states.

Additionally, Santos is accused of lying to the House about his financial situation.

During his first unsuccessful campaign in May 2020, he is charged with failing to disclose his salary from an investment firm. Santos also allegedly fabricated financial statements during his second election in September 2022.

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U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement that his office is bringing responsibility to Santos.

This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll praised the law enforcement agencys activities in the case.

As todays enforcement action demonstrates, the FBI remains committed to holding all equally accountable under the law. As we allege, Congressman Santos committed federal crimes, and he will now be forced to face the consequences of his actions, Driscoll said.

Since December, media outlets have reported on numerous lies Santos told during his campaign about his background, personal wealth, and campaign finances. In the end, Santos admitted to lying about significant portions of his biography but denied that he committed a crime.

It was discovered that he handled the finances of an animal rescue charity he claimed to operate before running for Congress and that his personal affairs were mixed with his campaign business. In addition, he was found to have raised and irregularly spent his campaign funds as well.

Santos's campaign also made many questionable expenditures, which it claimed were just a penny short of the mandatory receipt reporting requirements.

House Speaker Kevin McCarrthy has refused to ask Santos to resign or expel him after relying on his vote to win the speakership.

Though he has stood by the embattled fabulist, his position may soon change.

McCarthy told CNN on Tuesday that he was taking a close look at the charges against Santos and would make a decision after that, but that he believed that in the U.S. everybody was innocent until proven guilty.

Democratic first-year out California congressman Rep. Robert Garcia took notice and is holding the Speakers feet to the fire.

In February, Garcia filed a resolution to expel Santos from the legislative body.

Hey @SpeakerMcCarthy when will you bring our resolution to expel George Santos to the floor? 1 count of theft of public funds. 2 counts of lying to the House. 3 counts of money laundering. 7 counts of wire fraud. America is watching, he wrote on Twitter.

\u201cHey @SpeakerMcCarthy when will you bring our resolution to expel George Santos to the floor?



1 count of theft of public funds.

2 counts of lying to the House.

3 counts of money laundering.

7 counts of wire fraud.



America is watching.\u201d  Congressman Robert Garcia (@Congressman Robert Garcia) 1683727814

Santos appeared at an arraignment Wednesday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.

He pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges.

The lawmakers attorney, Joseph Murray, said his client intends to run for re-election and has asked the court for permission to travel freely, though he has surrendered his passport, USA Today reports.

Editors Note: This story was updated to reflect Rep. Santoss not-guilty plea.


Google is adding some new features to its image search function to make it easier to spot altered content, the company announced at its I/O 2023 keynote Wednesday. Photos shown in search results will soon include an "about this image" option that tells users when the image and ones like it were first indexed by Google. You can also learn where it may have appeared first and see other places where the image has been posted online. That information could help users figure out whether something they're seeing was generated by AI, according to Google.

For example, you'll be able to see if the image has been on fact-checking websites that point out whether an image is real or altered. Vice President of search Cathy Edwards told Engadget that the tool doesn't currently tell you directly if an image has been edited or manipulated, though the company is researching effective ways of detecting such tweaks.

The new feature will show up by clicking the three dots on an image in Google Image results. Google did not say exactly when the new feature will be available, besides that it will launch first in the United States sometime in the "coming months." Those images will include a markup in the original file to add context about its creation wherever its used. Image publishers like Midjourney and Shutterstock will also include the markup.

Google Search seems to be going all-in on AI. The company announced its Search Generative Experience that gives an AI summary of results and other information on search, upcoming products like the "Perspectives" tab in search that highlights forum and social media posts and other developments that you can test out in Google's Search Labs. Google's efforts to clarify to users where its search results come from started earlier this year with efforts like "about this result."

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to 13 criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos was arraigned in Central Islip, N.Y., after surrendering to federal authorities there earlier Wednesday afternoon. He was released on $500,000 bond, and his next court date was set for June 30. Santos could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after the arraignment, Santos said he has "plenty of evidence" proving his innocence and vowed to clear his name.

"This is a witch hunt," Santos said, adding that he has no plans to resign  and still intends to run for reelection.

Heres everything we know about the charges and what led to his arrest.

Whats in the indictment?

Rep. George Santos speaks to the media outside the federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., on Wednesday. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP)

The charges, which were filed in the Eastern District of New York by the Justice Department and unsealed Wednesday, include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Prosecutors allege that Santos solicited campaign funds under false pretenses and used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments. They also allege he stole pandemic unemployment money.

[Read the full 20-page indictment against Santos here >>>]

Federal investigators had been probing fraud allegations stemming from the 34-year-old freshman congressmans campaign finances, a credit card scheme and a pet charity he used to run.

This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

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A litany of lies and falsehoods

Republican lawmaker George Santos speaks to media after he leaves Federal Court on May 10, 2023 in Central Islip, New York. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Even before he was sworn into Congress, the Long Island Republican had faced calls to resign from both Republicans and Democrats over the numerous lies he has told about his biography.

Included among the lies and accusations, he:

Reaction to the charges on Capitol Hill

Santos during a leadership vote in the House chamber on Jan. 3. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/File)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters that Santos deserved to have his "day in court" and that he would wait for the outcome.

McCarthy had previously refused to join members of his caucus who called for Santos to resign, saying he would allow the House Ethics Committee to conclude its own investigation into Santoss conduct. Santos supported McCarthys lengthy bid for the speakership, voting for him all 15 times.

At a press conference Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., argued that Santos is innocent until proven guilty.

He was already removed from all his committees, Scalise said. In America, there is a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process.

But other Republicans said Wednesday that theyve seen enough.

Oh, absolutely, Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., told reporters when asked if he thought Santos should resign. Its a distraction. And its a punchline for a lot of commentary regarding the Republican Party that we dont need.

He needs to go right away, Rep. Nicholas LaLota, R-N.Y., said. I hope that he resigns. I want to concentrate on things like the border, China and debt. Hes a complete embarrassment.

Santos leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill on Jan. 25. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Fellow New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler agreed, telling CNN: I reiterate my call that he should resign.

We owe the American people answers, Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told CNN. The ethics committee needs to act on it now.

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, of Texas, echoed calls for Santos to resign on Twitter, writing: The people of New Yorks 3rd district deserve a voice in congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.

Other Republicans argued that whether Santos remains in Congress should be up to the voters in his district to decide, with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer saying, his constituents will deal with whatever issue.

The news of Santoss arrest also prompted reaction from Democrats on the Hill.

The party of George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene cannot be trusted to govern, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on Twitter Wednesday. Not now. Not ever.

What's next?

Santos leaves Central Islip Federal Courthouse. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

The Republican-led House could choose to expel Santos from his seat at any time with a two-thirds vote, which would trigger a special election in New York's 3rd Congressional District, which President Biden won in 2020.

That means his replacement  likely a Democrat  could threaten to cut into the thin GOP majority McCarthy is presiding over.
(AP)

George Santos has been arrested after surrendering himself to authorities at a federal court on Long Island on Wednesday morning.

The congressman for New Yorks third district, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

The charges represent a rapid rise and fall for a man his own constituents decried as an imposter.

Mr Santos was elected to represent New Yorks 3rd Congressional District in November 2022, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman by a margin of 54 per cent to 46 per cent. Soon after that victory, it emerged that Mr Santos had lied about much of his personal history and work experience .

A New York Times investigation found that he had lied about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, lied about the college he attended, fabricated an animal charity, that the company from which he had earned a salary of $750,000 and dividends of $1m did not have any online presence, lied about saying he lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, and that he faced criminal charges in Brazil for cheque fraud.

A local pressure group started by local citizens was formed with the aim of forcing Mr Santos from office. They held regular protests outside his campaign office and called on Republican leaders to expel him from Congress, But Republican House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, the person with the power to call the vote, refused to do so, instead leaving his fate to the House Ethics Committee.

Since Mr Santos was sworn into office in January, revelations about his past have continued to emerge. The most recent report found that Mr Santos was charged with writing bad checks to purchase puppies from Amish farmers in 2017.

Mr Santos, 34, has apologised for what he described as resume embellishment, but has refused to resign.
Scandal-plagued Republican congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen federal charges, including fraud and money laundering.

The 34-year-old is accused of misusing funds, lying to Congress about his income and illegally receiving unemployment benefits.

Outside the New York court, he called the investigation a "witch hunt".

Since he first took office in January it has emerged that much of his biography was fabricated.

If convicted of the top charges, the New York representative could face up to 20 years in prison.

Mr Santos was released on a $500,000 (400,000) bail bond, secured by three individuals whose identities were not released.

Outside the federal court in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon, a defiant Mr Santos said he would not resign, and vowed to "keep fighting" for his district.

"This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself," he said.

He will be confined to his home state of New York, to Washington DC and places in between. Other travel must be approved in advance.

The congressman spoke just once during the hearing, telling the judge "yes ma'am", according to the Associated Press. He was fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken. His next court appearance is scheduled for 30 June.

The 20-page, 13-count indictment alleges the Republican participated in three elaborate fraud schemes.

First, according to federal prosecutors, Mr Santos defrauded those who gave him money for his House of Representatives campaign, instead using the funds for personal expenses including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

Second, Mr Santos allegedly participated in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, claiming Covid-19 government assistance despite earning a salary of $120,000 (95,000) through his employment with a Florida-based investment firm - a firm that was shut down by the federal government in 2021 over allegations it was a Ponzi scheme.

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Finally, prosecutors claim the Republican misled the Congress about his finances.

He faces seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

US Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations".

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Mr Peace said.

Mr Santos has been accused of participating in three elaborate fraud schemes

The Long Island lawmaker has been embroiled in scandal since he took office in January.

He has been accused of lying about his college degrees and his work experience; violating campaign finance and conflict of interest laws; falsely claiming his grandparents survived the Holocaust; and creating a fake animal charity that he used to siphon away cash meant for a veteran's dying dog.

Campaign finance forms uncovered by US media show a series of filings of $199.99, exactly one cent below the $200 threshold at which receipts are required, raising questions about how his election funds were being spent.

In a television interview in February, Mr Santos admitted to being a "terrible liar" in an attempt to be accepted by his party. But he insisted the lies were "not about tricking the people" and he denied any criminal wrongdoing.

In February, House Democrats filed a resolution to expel Mr Santos, a mostly symbolic action in the Republican-controlled chamber.

He has also previously faced calls to resign from within his own party.

"I can't wait for him to be gone," fellow New York House Republican Marc Molinaro said on Wednesday.

Senator Mitt Romney, who confronted Mr Santos at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February, said the New York representative should have resigned months ago. "I think we're seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine," Mr Romney said.

Mr Santos recused himself from two House committees over the "ongoing attention" earlier this year, but he resisted the growing pressure to step down, announcing in April that he would seek a second term in 2024.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that Republicans would withhold judgement until the outcome of his case.

"In America, you're innocent until proven guilty," he told reporters after emerging from a weekly meeting with Republican House members.

He later added he will not support the re-election bid by Mr Santos.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Central Islip, New YorkThe long trail of lies has finally caught up with Rep. George Santos, who was indicted on Wednesday for enriching himself by defrauding political donors, cheating the federal government to get COVID relief funds, and faking House disclosure forms.

The Justice Department unsealed a 13-count indictment Wednesday morning that detailed the variety of ways Santos used his brief political rise to dupe taxpayers and donorsan eagerly awaited law enforcement action that followed months of investigative news reports about his wide-ranging fraudster lifestyle.

Santos was taken into custody Wednesday morning and arraigned in federal court in New York that afternoon. Wearing his usual uniform of a blazer, sweater and khakis, he was brought into the eighth-floor courtroom in Central Islip by U.S. Marshals. He answered all the judges questions with yes, maam during the 15-minute hearing, and stared ahead without showing any emotion.

He entered a not guilty plea and was released on a $500,000 bond. One of the guarantors is Santos father, a court spokesperson said.

Santos defense counsel, one-time Queens District Attorney candidate Joe Murray, told the judge that Santos would have to travel because hes running for re-election. However, the judge restricted his movements to New York City, Long Island, and Washington, D.C. unless he gets permission from pretrial services. He was also ordered to surrender his passport, and agree to random home visits from pretrial services. He will return to court on June 30.

Santos: The reality is it's a witch hunt because it makes no sense that in four months, four months, five months, I'm indicted. You have Joe Biden's entire family..

Crowd: *boo* pic.twitter.com/73TsvAnUoZ  Acyn (@Acyn) May 10, 2023

Outside the courthouse, Santos called the case a witch hunt but said he had no desire not to comply with the legal process. He then ranted about President Joe Biden, saying it made no sense that he could be indicted just a few months into his tenure in Congress when Bidens relatives had been receiving money from foreign entities for years.

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Im going to fight my battle, Im going to deliver, Im going to fight the witch hunt, Im going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that, he said.

Investigators have been probing Santos campaign and financial affairs for months. Since being elected last year, he has been accused of lying about his life story, work history, and education, and questions have been raised surrounding unusual payments and loans surrounding his campaign.

Despite the mounting scrutiny, Santos was apparently surprised when federal prosecutors filed sealed charges in the Eastern District of New York on Tuesday. This is news to me, he told the Associated Press when approached for comment. Youre the first to call me about this.

Prosecutors allege that starting in Sept. 2022, when Santos began his congressional campaign, he operated a limited liability company that he used to defraud political supporters. He also allegedly enlisted the help of a political consultant, identified as Person 1 in the indictment, to tell donors that that money would be used to help his campaign, including TV ads.

The indictment details steps Santos and Person 1 took to enlist potential donors, including sending multiple emails and texts to entice them to help the campaign. In one Oct. 4, 2022 email, Person 1 insisted to a donor that they were trying to raise another $700,000 dollars to reach our goal of $1.5 million to invest in [Santos] race.

It ultimately led at least two unnamed donors to each transfer $25,000 to a bank account that Santos allegedly controlled. Shortly after the funds were transferred into the company bank account, the indictment states, the money was moved into Santos personal account.

Thousands of dollars meant for the campaign were used on personal experiences, like luxury designer clothing and credit card payments, the indictment says. Santos also allegedly used the money to make cash withdrawals, payments on personal debts, and send at least one bank transfer to a personal associate.

But prosecutors say Santos compounded that lie by claiming that the LLC was a 501(c)(4) nonprofit when it wasntsomething investigators say they backed up with a text message Santos sent to his associate that assured the person that the firm was just a small C4 with no limits on contributions that served just to help this race.

Whats worse, Santos team apparently put it all in writing to donors, with the feds citing multiple emails that detailed how the company was trying to raise another $700,000 dollars with a group that was formed exclusively to help Santos and would be spent directly on supporting George and his election.

George Santos Mysterious Campaign Loans Somehow Get Even More Mysterious

Prosecutors also accused Santos of illegally tapping taxpayer money meant to help Americans who suddenly became jobless due to the sharp economic downturn during the COVID pandemics nationwide business closures. The indictment states Santos applied to receive unemployment insurance benefits from New York State and federal funds that came from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act. It accuses him of lying about being unemployed for more than a year, from March 2020 until April 2021, noting how he certified to the government every week that he was still without a jobeven though he was actively making $120,000 a year as a regional director at an investment firm headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

He allegedly ended up earning a double salary, with an extra $24,744 in federal taxpayer funds and another $20,304 from New York.

Ironically, Santos has recently supported congressional bills that would make it easier for the feds to clamp down on these alleged crimes. In March, he co-sponsored a Republican bill that would incentivize states to more aggressively investigate COVID unemployment insurance fraud and double the statute of limitations for that crime, essentially doubling the time federal prosecutors have to charge people with the very thing for which Santos is accused.

Then in April, he voted to pass another Republican bill that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible for Medicaid benefits. Santos actually initially withheld his vote on that legislation because he didnt think the work requirements were tough enough; he wanted 30 hours a week, not just 20.

Is George Santos Holding His Debt Ceiling Vote for Ransom?

But according to investigators, Santos went even further when he carried these lies over to mandated federal disclosure forms required of every member of Congress. The indictment alleges that Santos hid how much money he was actually making on his House of Representatives financial disclosure paperwork, claiming that he made $55,000 from a second companya higher number that disguised how he was actually getting paid by the Florida investment firm.

Santos only made it worse for himself last year, when he turned in House disclosure forms that made it seem like he had earned a $750,000 salary from his mysterious Devolder Organization, got anywhere between $1 million and $5 million in company dividends, owned a checking account with $100,001 to $250,000, and had anywhere from $1 million to $5 million sitting in his savings account. In reality, investigators charged, all of those numbers were simply made up.

Given that Santos is a congressman, the Justice Departments public integrity unit in Washington, D.C., is involved in the investigation. According to court records, the federal prosecution team includes two members of that unit: Jacob Steiner, who recently took down a former Arkansas state senator and two health care executives over a multimillion dollar bribery scheme, and Jolee Porter, who nailed an Atlanta city official for steering city contracts in exchange for bribes.

Aside from the allegations that led to his criminal charges, Santos has previously been accused of fabricating large swathes of his biography including not disclosing a marriage and lying that his mother was killed on 9/11as well as stealing money intended to pay for a veterans dogs surgery, using a stolen checkbook to buy clothes in Brazil, running a credit card fraud scheme, and possibly making up an assassination attempt.

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It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and were keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow  both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New Yorks third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

Home state Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for his resignation from Congress while major conservative groups are vowing not to work with him. Still, he has found a niche for himself among the GOPs far-right Maga caucus, among fellows like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.

On Wednesday 11 January, New York Republicans called on Mr Santos to resign, saying that he disgraced the House of Representatives. Mr Santos, meanwhile, has held firm, telling reporters on Wednesday that he will not step down.

On 31 January, Mr Santos announced he was stepping down from his committee assignments following a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

On 2 March, the House Ethics Committee announced it is investigating Mr Santos.

Now on 9 May, federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Mr Santos, CNN reported. Mr Santos is expected to appear on Wednesday 10 May at a federal court in New Yorks Eastern District, where the charges have been filed, the network reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Lets dive in to every fabrication, fiction, lie, mistruth, and embellishment that Mr Santos has admitted to telling or been caught spreading by journalists and others (so far):

He went to college

Our first one, and one of the primary batch of lies uncovered by The New York Times and other news outlets, is Mr Santoss claim that he obtained degrees from NYU and Baruch College, another New York City-based school.

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As it turns out, not only did he not graduate from either school, officials at both said there was no record of him attending under any alias. Mr Santos has now admitted this, chalking it up to the effort to make his resume more impressive.

He went to prep school

Mr Santos claimed in a campaign biography during his failed 2020 bid for Congress (in the same district) that he had briefly attended a prestigious prep school in New York.

He began Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, however, did not graduate from Horace Mann due to financial difficulties for his family, read the biography.

As you might expect, Horace Mann officials said there was no record of him ever attending. Mr Santos has not responded to discovery of this apparent fabrication.

He worked at banks

Another from the initial dispatch: Mr Santos did not, as it turns out, work at either Citigroup or Goldman Sachs. He has now admitted that this too was a fiction: Instead, he claims to have worked for the two banks through a third company, though he has provided no evidence to back that claim up.

What we do know is that an investment firm he founded in May of 2021 came into sudden wealth, bringing in millions of dollars to the degreeless Mr Santos, whose employment history remains murky. He has yet to explain how this firm he founded (and shut down in 2022 after failing to file paperwork) operated or made its millions in such a short period  or how he made his connections in the industry at all.

He ran a charity

The political newcomer claimed not only to be an ex-banker but also a lover of animals: Mr Santos previously claimed to have founded a charity group called Friends of Pets United, taking credit for supposedly saving thousands of dogs and cats. But no IRS records of the group could be found, and Mr Santos himself even backed away from the claim that he founded the group, later telling reporters that he only campaigned for the group and tried to find foster homes for some animals.

Its clear that the charity existed in some form  what is far less clear is whether it was done by the books, what Mr Santoss real role was, and even whether it actually helped animals at all. An Amish dog breeder recently identified Mr Santos as the man who purchased two puppies from him with a bad check; the reason for the purchase was unclear, but at the time the group was supposedly rehoming puppies and dogs.

Hes Jewish, and his grandparents fled the Holocaust

Its becoming almost impossible to count every time Mr Santos has been accused of telling various audiences that he is Jewish. The Republican Jewish Coalition says that he represented himself to them as Jewish, and he has made public comments to that effect in interviews. Then there was the position paper uncovered by Axios in which he simply refers to himself as an American Jew, removing all doubt as to what he said.

Nevertheless, in a recent interview with Fox News he insisted that he had not lied, and in fact only referred to himself as Jew-ish  an explanation that sounded like it was ripped straight from a Weekend Update joke.

Not only has he come clean about actually being Catholic, genealogists contacted by The Forward said that there was no evidence to prove his other past claims on the issue; namely, that his grandparents on his mothers side escaped the Holocaust. They were born in Brazil.

He knew victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting

Among many other claims, Mr Santos told WNYC last year that he personally had lost four of his employees at the tragedy at Pulse nightclub in 2016.

It was later determined by news reports that no one on the list of those killed in the mass shooting were identifiable as being employees of any business owned by Mr Santos.

The congressman then changed his story to say that well, actually, they hadnt been officially hired yet  the four unnamed persons were supposedly all new employees.

Theres no evidence of that, either.

He owns real estate

During the 2020 campaign, Mr Santos told voters that he owned more than a dozen rental properties across the state of New York. Turns out, thats not true: He told City & State New York that he actually does not own any properties at all. Some may be owned by his family, but he only at the most had use of them.

His mother died twice

This one easily takes the crown for most bizarre lie told so far. In one tweet uncovered Wednesday by reporters, Mr Santos claimed that his mother had died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.

Then he sent another tweet, five months later. In that message, his mother had a new time of death: 23 December, 2016.

While Mr Santos has not admitted to this fib or addressed it publicly, it is reasonably safe to say that his mother did not come back from the dead.

Some have pointed out that it is possible Mr Santos could have been referring to his mother contracting cancer or another disease resulting from the fallout from the towers destruction. However, a review of her employment history found no signs of her ever working or living anywhere near Ground Zero. A review of her immigration history would further reveal she was not even in the country when the attack occurred.

His apartment was robbed

In a sworn statement in housing court in 2016, Mr Santos claimed he was mugged on his way to pay hundreds of dollars in back rent to his Queens landlord during an eviction case. The New York City Police Department has no record of any such attack.

A report from New York outlet Gothamist revealed that Mr Santos wrote that he was mugged on his way to deliver a rent cheque to Queens Housing Court on 15 January 2016 in an effort to resolve his case.

The Republican wrote that he was unable to provide a police report and was told to return to police several days later to pick one up, according to an affidavit that was filled out under oath.

Mr Santos was set to pay $2,250 in back rent for his Queens apartment.

A spokesperson for NYPD told the outlet there was nothing on file related to Mr Santoss claims.

He goes by George Santos

This one doesnt count as a lie, but its still worth mentioning in this long list of fibs.

Mr Santos as recently as 2019 was introducing himself publicly and privately as Anthony Devolder, which appears to be his middle name  George Anthony Santos  as well as his mothers maiden name, Devolder.

He even hated that his friends would sometimes refer to him as George, according to The Washington Post, and insisted on being called Anthony by his friends and others.

His whole family called him Anthony. He wanted to be called Anthony. He would use the name Anthony Devolder, said that former acquaintance, described as an ex-friend and coworker.

He may have performed as a drag queen in Brazil

Mr Santos has most recently been accused of having performed as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache in Brazil more than a decade ago.

The allegation came from Brazilian drag professional Eula Rochard, 58, who reportedly recognised him on TV following his elevation to the House of Representatives, excitedly told her friends and then reacted to their disbelief by digging out an old photograph she insists shows the pair of them together in costume, posting it on Instagram.

Hes changed a lot, but he was always a liar, Ms Rochard told Reuters. He was always such a dreamer.

Mr Santos first emphatically denied her story on Twitter, writing: The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or performed as a drag Queen is categorically false. The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results. I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.

But, as youd expect, that wasnt the whole story. A Politico investigation found that a user on Wikipedia named Anthony Devolder (one of Mr Santoss aliases) claimed to have participated in drag shows in Brazil as a teenager.

Mr Santos later changed his tuned to claim that he had dressed in drag at just one festival, quipping, Sue me.

He may have been the mastermind of a credit card skimming scam

A man convicted of a credit card skimming fraud and deported to Brazil reportedly told federal authorities that Mr Santos was the mastermind of the scheme.

I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos / Anthony Devolder, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha wrote in a declaration obtained by Politico. The outlet reported that the letter was sent by express mail and email to the FBI, the US Secret Service office in New York, and the US Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of New York, by Trelhas attorney Mark Demetropoulos.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos directed the scheme in Seattle in 2017 wherein they would clone cards and siphon money from the linked accounts.

Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines, Trelha wrote in his statement.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos visited him in jail in Seattle after his arrest and threatened him not to reveal his part in the scheme to authorities.

We used a computer to be able to download the information on the pieces, Trelha wrote in his declaration. We also used an external hard drive to save the filming, because the skimmer took the information from the card, and the camera took the password.

It didnt work out so well, because I was arrested, he wrote.

Responding to the allegations on Capitol Hill on Friday, Mr Santos told reporters that he was innocent.

He added that he never did anything of criminal activity, and I have no mastermind event.

I cooperated with Secret Service, FBI, everybody that asked for my help. Got information for them. Got everybody arrested and deported, Mr Santos said, according to CNN.

He rejected that he and Trelha were roommates and said he only met him a couple of times in my life.

A recording obtained by the network shows that Mr Santos appeared in court in 2017 at the bail hearing of Trelha, calling him a family friend. At that same hearing, Mr Santos falsely told the judge he worked at Goldman Sachs.

Alex Woodward, Abe Asher, and Gustaf Kilander contributed to this report
Republican Rep. George Santos of New York. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was indicted Wednesday on charges related to alleged fraud and money laundering, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Santos was arrested after surrendering to federal authorities, the DOJ said in a press release. He is facing 13 felony counts in total, including charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

The indictment alleges that Santos solicited at least $50,000 in donations to a fake super PAC, using these funds to purchase luxury goods for himself. He is also alleged to have committed wire fraud by telling potential donors their donations would only be used for his congressional campaign. There are also felony counts related to an alleged unemployment benefits scheme Santos undertook in 2020.

News of Santos' likely charges was first reported Tuesday. Following those reports, the congressmen told The Associated Press his indictment was "news to me. You're the first to call me about this."

The indictment "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Peace added that Santos "used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives." The DOJ will continue to "hold public officials accountable," he added.

Since taking office this past January, Santos has become infamous for admittedly lying about numerous aspects of his life and background. This includes false pretenses about having Jewish heritage, as well as his education and employment history. He is also facing charges in Brazil of alleged check fraud. Numerous politicians, including some Republicans, have called for Santos to step down, though he recently announced his campaign for re-election.

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Anyone whos taken a passing look at the news lately knows its been a bad week for George Santos. Charged with crimes ranging from false statements to fraud on Wednesday, the former golden boy of the Republican Party may be about to end his career in a spectacular flame-out even his most ardent detractors couldnt have predicted.

When the 34-year-old representative from New Yorks 3rd congressional district flipped the seat in the November midterms, it was celebrated by Republicans as a rare and significant victory. This was a once-safe Democratic seat, where people voted for Joe Biden by a double-digit margin in 2020. How did Santos do it? As his house of cards comes tumbling down, the answer seems to be: By fictionalizing himself into the perfect candidate.

Aside from the financial and legal crimes hes now been charged with, Santos also stands accused of lying about the entire contents of his resume, including where he went to college, and even where he went to high school; whether he is married to a man or a woman (he spoke of a husband in his campaign bio, but records only appear to show a marriage and divorce to a woman); how his mother died (not in 9/11, it turns out); whether his grandmother was in the Holocaust and indeed whether any of his family is actually Jewish (it appears they are all actually Brazilian Catholics.) An indictment suggests he allegedly lied about being unemployed in order to collect fraudulent benefits, and spent thousands of dollars [in campaign funds solicited from the public] on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments. He even seems to have claimed he was running an imaginary animal charity. These alleged lies range from the very serious to the comically absurd, from the personal to the professional, and from the clearly self-serving to the head-scratchingly strange. There is a feeling of compulsion to them.

And so many questions now hang over Santoss head that most of his fellow Republicans ceased to defend him, even before he became a legal liability. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN back in January that he always had questions about the congressmans resume on Tuesday. Representative Nick LaLota  a fellow New York Republican  and six others then called for Santoss campaign funds to be frozen by the Department of Justice and by the Federal Elections Commission. Former GOP representative Adam Kinzinger started a petition to boot Santos out of office. Unsurprisingly, Democratic reactions to Santos behavior were even more fiery: Ritchie Torres, the Democratic representative for New Yorks 15th congressional district who works just down the road from Santos, wrote an NBC op-ed near the beginning of the year titled My new co-worker George Santos is a distraction and a danger to democracy that called Santos a liar, cheat and fraud and deceitful to the core within the first two sentences.

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Despite all this, Santos was awarded two seats on committees in the newly Republican-controlled house. The man who appears to have lied about his entire professional background was invited in to the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. According to CNN Politics, however, Santoss original ambitions had been much more wide-ranging: Santos had privately lobbied GOP leaders to serve on two more high-profile committees, one overseeing the financial sector and another on foreign policy, but top Republicans rejected that pitch as some chairmen balked at adding him to their panels. Some members of the GOP today must be breathing a very large sigh of relief that the man charged with fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds wasnt also helped by his Republican candidates into a position of power on a high-profile committee centered round finance.

Political analysts might have a lot to say about the Santos case  but what do psychologists say about people who lie as much as this particular congressman appears to have done?

Drew Curtis has dedicated his professional life to understanding why people lie. The licensed psychologist oversees the Curtis Deception Lab at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and specifically investigates pathological lying, deception within psychotherapy and health care professions and psychopathy. Along with his research partner Christian Hart, he published the book Pathological Lying: Theory, Research and Practice last year.

Drew is careful to say that he would never diagnose someone from afar or without their consent, because that would be an abdication of his professional duties as a psychologist. But when I ask him about the Santos case, he says its important to consider that there is a difference between pathological liars and prolific liars. Pathological liars cant help themselves  they have a compulsion to lie and they feel deep remorse afterwards, even if theyre unable to stop the behavior. Prolific liars are people who lie to get ahead, sometimes outrageously, and who never feel remorse. These people usually have traits of psychopathy or personality disorders: Its part of seeing the other people [around them] as objects in the world and navigating them for their own gain and their own interests.

Politicians are in an interesting position when it comes to lying, says Curtis, because recent research shows that politicians who are honest are less likely to get re-elected. Yet polls during the last presidential election also showed that the number one thing that most Americans look for during the presidential debates and elections is honesty  beyond competence, beyond anything else, its honesty. Time and time again, he says, they find that liar is the most damaging label that can be flung at a politician, the lowest-ranked trait out of over 400 possible traits presented to the public. And time and time again, those same members of the public re-elect politicians who lie the most.

People travel from states away to see Drew Curtis at his lab in Texas, seeking help for their lying behavior, saying things like my marriage is about to end or my relationship with my mom is strained and Im doing this for her. But of course, the people he treats are only the people who experience some sort of comeuppance: If the lies are serving them a benefit, I doubt it even crosses the radar of I need help for this until those lies start impairing their job or their family life or relationships.

We all lie sometimes  Curtis brings up the idea of putting your best foot forward during a first date as a fairly harmless lying game weve probably all engaged in  but only some of us will encounter prolific or pathological liars. And when were on the receiving end of those peoples lies, it can be very seductive. Humans have a propensity to enjoy stories, he says. And I think this is our fault on the other side, engaging with pathological liars. So if you think of the most exaggerated story you could think of, even if you knew it was false  if I told you right now there are 15 alligators outside of my office and Im about to go slay them with an ax, cut their heads off and use them to help me dissect frogs, and then Im gonna take the frog intestines and make a hat, or something like that, that was just so obviously false to you  I think you would have a hard time not keeping interest in that. I would get your attention. So, the novelty of such exaggerations often gets our attention, which helps reinforce those lies, even if we know theyre false. And I think thats part of the problem. We give people attention, we reinforce their lies, and then we resist disbelieving them. I think of the Republicans who saw George Santos as the perfect candidate to win a Democratic district in New York. When an opportunity like that drops out of the sky, who wants to challenge it?

George Santos waits for the start of a session in the House (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Curtis recently met with Christopher Massimine, a disgraced former theater producer who stood down after an investigation found he had embellished his resume and embarked on a series of compulsive lies. What struck Curtis when he met Massimine was how Massimines wife had unwittingly entered into a dynamic that enabled his lying: "His relationship was being impaired. And his wife wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, and she kept catching him in his lies, too. And so thats the nuance  how people reinforce it and it becomes a problem.

After Massimine was found out, he contributed to a candid article in the New York Times about his many falsehoods. He then wrote a blog on Medium titled Im a liar, and it will follow me forever alongside a picture of himself holding his baby son. I created elaborate tales of success and adventure, while the world passed me by  or rather I let it. See for me, lying has been a coping mechanism. My self-worth was completely attached to the stories  I never felt that I was enough without them. Maybe I am, maybe Im not. This is where I am in my current perspective, Massimine wrote in his Medium post, at the end of November 2022. No longer able to hold my head high in public, I spend my days in my home, writing each time I have the urge to fabricate. Its been a helpful substitute, but Im not sure its exactly healthy either When Im not writing, Im working with people and organizations that dont want my name associated with them. I get it. This is my life now, and it may never get better. There are people who will damn me once a liar, always a liar. One thing I am convinced of, in being publicly open about my illness, is my past will follow me forever.

Massimine details how he has been diagnosed with depression, PTSD and a cluster-B personality disorder, and how he lives with constant anxiety: I am terrified that my wife, who I love with all my heart, will leave me; that my son will grow up and think his fathers a bad person; that the few friends I do have left will fade from my life. These are all reasons for me to keep working on change. But, are these reasons stronger than my compulsion? Thats the real question: will I be able to lead a fully authentic life? In January, he wrote another post titled To remain an outcast, where he seems confused about his own motivations: I could easily withdraw from the public eye, pick up a 95 at some mom-and-pop store, start over, and have a very fulfilled life. So why do I keep dredging up the past and putting myself through hell? In an email exchange with me about why he continues to write publicly about his own lies and the subsequent effects on his mental health, Massimine says: I very well know I could keep low and move on, but Im choosing to move forward embracing this part of me/my life. Thats something not too many people do. Its not a smiled-on path, and each time I re-enter the public eye any harassment thats died down starts back up again... [but] the motive is mental health advocacy and education.

For Curtis, Massimine is a classic example of a pathological liar. Like Stephen Glass  the journalist who was famously found to have fabricated most of his exclusive stories for the New Republic in the 1990s and who subsequently laid low for ten years, then reappeared as a paralegal in California  Massimine expressed genuine remorse for what he did. (I approached Glass for an interview and he politely declined, saying that he was too busy taking care of his ailing parents but that he found the subject of the article interesting for obvious reasons.) And Massimines own behavior became unfathomable to him after the act. Curtis says that research on adolescents who compulsively lie has thrown up another possibility for the reasons why people might behave this way: Pathological lying emerges in adolescence. And theres this idea that for most of us, we dont lie often because we can predict the future  that if I start telling lies, my reputation will not hold up, itll have these negative consequences in my job or family or social life. So the [idea] is, maybe people who tell these lies arent thinking that much into the future or making those predictions, but are very much focused on the moment. In other words, an inability to accurately look into the future could explain why prolific liars lie the amount that they do. If we go back to Santos, Curtis says, then maybe if you say youre Jewish in the moment, maybe that wins someones favor in the moment, and youre not worried about, will someone actually check that out later?

Curtis works on the lying frontline: as a psychologist and a researcher, he encounters liars every day in practical settings. But there are others who bring a very different perspective on lying behavior. Dorje Brody is a mathematics professor at Surrey University in the UK who builds statistical models attempting to explain why people lie. From his book-lined office in the south of England, he explains on a video call  with the help of a whiteboard and hand-drawn graphs  how it all works.

Brody began his career as an academic in the physics department, then moved briefly into financial mathematics. The most obvious and popular use of financial mathematics is found in predicting the future of stock prices, but Brody found that the same models he used for these kinds of predictions could be applied to human psychology, too: In a trading context, people want to know the future return of an investment, and of course, no one knows what thats gonna be. But theres a lot of information around  a lot of speculation, noise, everything. So investors get noisy information and then try to come up with the best estimate of what the future might be. And thats precisely what the mathematics of [psychological] signal-processing does. Brody writes Info = Signal + Noise on the whiteboard and underlines it. The signal is the result youre trying to extract; for instance, you want to know the most likely candidate whos going to win in the next election. The noise is anything that makes it more difficult to find that result out: perhaps you have a small sample size of people youve interviewed about the candidates, perhaps both candidates have been beset with scandals, perhaps mail-in voting has been particularly high or low this year so the exit polls are less reliable. As a statistician, you try to filter out as much noise as you can, like tuning a radio station, in order to get a clear signal for the right information. Once youve corrected for the sample size, for those mail-in ballots, for the scandals that might push voters either way, then hopefully the information becomes a lot clearer.

So far, so good. Doing a statistical analysis of an election outcome follows certain rules. And there was a time  indeed, a very recent time  when psychologists believed that human decisions were also made using those kinds of rules.

Imagine three stars on a board (Brody explains this by drawing his own for me.) You are contemplating the question: Do I believe that Donald Trump was responsible for the January 6th insurrection? (Brody uses an example in British politics, which Im Americanizing for the benefit of US readers.) The stars represent three answers to this question. The blue one says Trump knew a violent riot was probably going to break out that day and he planned everything out so it would happen. The red one says Trump had no idea people were going to break into the Capitol that day and he cant be held responsible. And then perhaps theres a yellow one which says Trump knew a riot was a possibility but he believed it was the only way to stop the election being stolen.

Imagine a passionate Trump supporter contemplating the question about whether the former president was responsible for the insurrection. Everyone comes to a decision with their own biases, and their own estimations of how likely something is. Our passionate Trump supporter might give the blue star  Trump knew a violent riot was probably going to break out that day and he planned everything out so it would happen  an estimated truth percentage of 1%. He might give the red star  Trump had no idea people were going to break into the Capitol that day and he cant be held responsible  an estimated truth percentage of 80%. And he might give the yellow star  Trump knew a riot was a possibility but he believed it was the only way to stop the election being stolen  an estimated truth percentage of 19%. He starts off on our graph much closer to the red star. As more information comes in that challenges that view of events, he might move a little bit further away from the red star  so then hell be attracted to the yellow star, which he considers to be more likely than the blue. The percentages we estimate for the stars are all different according to who we are, but we all operate on the same graph.

Imagine that during the time our passionate Trump supporter is considering these things, it comes to light that Trump absolutely did plan January 6th. Perhaps a damning memo or piece of footage is released; perhaps he stands up and says it himself. The passionate Trump supporter incorporates this new information into the graph of possibilities. At first, he stays around the yellow star. But then more and more information is released. Trump confirms that he had solid plans for a riot that day. Slowly but surely, our passionate Trump supporter will move into other, more ambiguous parts of the graph, suspended in space rather than stuck to a star. Then eventually, when the evidence becomes overwhelming, he should settle on the blue star  even if he at first believed it had a 1% chance of being true, and even if his shift in opinion takes 50 or 60 years. In other words, if were all exposed to the truth enough times  and we are rational people in our right minds  then we should all eventually come to accept the truth.

For a long time, this was the accepted model of psychological decision-making. But then studies started showing something interesting. When people believed there was a 0% chance of something being true  as opposed to even 0.1%  it turned out that they never reached the truth; they never traveled to the blue star. Instead, they stick very closely to their initial position for a very, very long time. They orbit the red star for much longer than expected. Then, all of a sudden, when contradictory information became too great, they extremely rapidly jump onto the next possibility they consider most likely  the yellow star. And they assert that the yellow star is true just as passionately as they used to stick to the red star. For them, the truth is anything except the blue star. They are so utterly blind to it that they instead become zealots for the next-possible outcome  and they dont move on to the truth, ever.

How does this relate to compulsive liars? People who compulsively lie build a reality where they deliberately blind themselves to the truth. They assign the truth a 0% blue star in their minds. But the universe offers up a multitude of stars, a huge diversity of possibilities apart from the truth. They stick solidly to one star for a long time, and when the evidence that they are lying becomes too public and too overwhelming, they make a very sudden jump to the next star. That next star then becomes their new, unassailable truth. Thus, George Santos started off saying in public that he was a proud American Jew, a Latino Jew, and sometimes half Jewish on his mothers side, with grandparents who had escaped the Holocaust. Questions had been asked about this heritage before, and Santos stuck solidly to his guns. But after a New York Times investigation found no evidence that he had any ties to Judaism at all, he told the Post: I never claimed to be Jewish. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was Jew-ish. George Santos, once a proud American Jew with a Jewish mother and Holocaust survivor grandparents, is now only Jew-ish due to some apparent, unclear connection to Judaism in his maternal lineage. And he has a strong and passionate belief that this is true  strong enough to assert in a newspaper that he never claimed to be Jewish at all, despite existent evidence to the contrary. You sound convincing, says Brody, because youre convinced by yourself that that is the truth.

Where we might be able to statistically model another persons movement toward truth  a slow consideration of various factors, and a gradual nudge toward the star that represents reality  its basically impossible to work out what a compulsive liar will do next. If you shut out the truth from whatever youre going to say, then you behave in a rather erratic way, says Brody. And the point is, statistically you cant replicate that behavior. Compulsive liars just dont behave in any way the same as people who are experiencing a genuine misunderstanding or a lack of knowledge, he adds. Theres no way to know which story a compulsive liar is going to alight on next; the only thing we can know is that there will be one, and that he will deliver it confidently and forcefully, as if thats been the truth he was sure of all his life. The point is if theres a way out, you immediately jump to that way out, and youll be quite assertive, says Brody. Thats the characteristic of this behavior.

Theres no way to know what George Santos will do next, or how the consequences of his actions will manifest themselves. Brody says that hell be interested to watch the fallout, as he watched former British prime minister Boris Johnson behave in the aftermath of the Covid lockdown party controversy that became known as Partygate. When accusations broke, a few months ago, that Santos had defrauded a veteran out of $3,000 with a false story about a sick dog, the Republican chair of the House small business committee, Roger Williams, said: I dont condone what he said, what hes done. I dont think anybody does. But [considering whether he should resign] is not my role. He was elected. Senator Mitt Romney spoke for a few other of his colleagues when, during an infamous exchange at the State of the Union, he turned to Santos and said: You ought to be embarrassed.

Democratic representative Dan Goldman was a little less sanguine than Williams. He described the Santos problem as evidence of an issue that goes right to the top of the Republican Party: The public has no choice but to believe that [House speaker] McCarthy was complicit in concealing Mr. Santoss lies in order to flip a seat in a win-at-all-costs effort to gain power. We are yet to hear any reaction on Santos being charged from high-level Republicans, though we know that his GOP colleagues in New York have been dissatisfied with him for a while. He built a wunderkind mythology and lived within it for a few short months. Now it looks like its all about to come crashing down  and its unclear if anyone will be left holding a net.
U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) speaks to the media as he leaves Central Islip Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, U.S., May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Federal prosecutors in New York brought a 13-count indictment against Rep. George Santos.

He pleaded not guilty Wednesday to all 13 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

The congressman for months has been pressured by many local GOP leaders to resign from office.

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York pleaded not guilty to a slew of criminal charges on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors unsealed a 13-count indictment Wednesday morning, including charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Prosecutors accused Santos  the embattled GOP lawmaker who's admitted to lying about his resume  of stealing supporters' money, illegally taking unemployment payouts, and lying to Congress.

The congressman turned himself into custody in Melville on Long Island, before being transported to a federal courthouse in Central Islip. He was released on a $500,000 bond after entering his plea Wednesday afternoon.

The federal magistrate judge overseeing the arraignment restricted his travel to between New York and Washington, DC, ahead of trial. Santos is required to receive permission from pretrial services if he wants to travel anywhere else.

After the hearing, Santos told reporters he plans to fight the charges and refused to resign from Congress.

If convicted, prosecutors said, Santos faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charge.

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. "He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives."

Santos has for months faced widespread calls  from constituents within his 3rd Congressional District to a slew of local Republican leaders and neighboring GOP members of Congress  to resign from office over the repeated fabrications related to his previous places of employment to his education background, among other discrepancies.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, in response to questions over whether he'd call on the freshman congressman to step down, has previously said Santos was elected by his constituents and that his political fate would be largely in the hands of the House Ethics Committee.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Federal prosecutors brought the hammer down on Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday, charging the embattled first-term lawmaker from Long Island with 13 felony counts that include wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.

The move was not unexpected. Santos, who maintains his innocence, has faced intense scrutiny since even before his swearing-in over dubious financial transactions and a resume that, by his admission, was largely fabricated. It was well known that the Justice Department was investigating.

Still, the indictments arrived at a terrible time for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and GOP leaders, who are fighting to pass their top legislative priorities through the House, pressure President Biden over the debt ceiling, and protect incumbent seats for the sake of keeping control of the lower chamber in next years elections  three goals that are all complicated by Santoss legal troubles.

Here are five takeaways from Santoss arrest.

A political distraction for McCarthy

McCarthy and House Republicans were riding high this month after muscling a debt ceiling package through the chamber and securing a long-sought meeting with Biden on Tuesday at the White House.

Sensing an upper hand in that fight, they were hoping to keep the focus there to press the president to accept sharp spending cuts as part of an eventual deal to prevent a government default.

Instead, the Santos saga has shifted the spotlight from fiscal policy to political scandal, sparking countless headlines, devouring hours of cable news coverage and forcing McCarthy and other GOP leaders on the defensive as they address the allegations facing their beleaguered colleague.

In America, theres a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges, acknowledged House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). Hes going to have to go through the legal process.

Rank-and-file Republicans were even more open in voicing frustrations that their efforts to highlight a host of issues  China, the border crisis, the corruption allegations against Hunter Biden  were overshadowed by Santoss tantalizing legal travails.

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Its a punchline for a lot of commentary regarding the Republican Party that we dont need, Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) told The Washington Post.

A practical handicap for GOP

Political optics aside, Santoss legal tribulations could also prove to be a practical headache for GOP leaders battling to pass their legislative priorities through a House chamber where they enjoy only a slim numerical advantage.

The difficulties inherent in that slight majority were on full display last month when GOP leaders passed their debt-limit package by a razor-thin vote, 217-215, with four Republican defections  the most they could spare.

Santos, who initially vowed to oppose the measure, was the final, deciding vote.

Math was again on the minds of GOP leaders on Wednesday, when they were forced to delay the vote on a rule governing a border security proposal  one of their top campaign priorities  in the face of opposition from within their conference.

Its unclear precisely how many GOP lawmakers were threatening to sink the procedural measure, which sets up a Thursday vote on the final bill. But the absence of Santos  whose arrest and court appearance Wednesday afternoon in New York prevented him from voting  didnt help the bills prospects. And leadership will have to be cognizant of similar legal obligations that might drag Santos from Washington during tough votes in the future.

Santos, for his part, appears to be well aware that his absences put his partys legislative goals in jeopardy.

I have to go back and vote, he said outside the courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y. Tomorrow, we have one of those consequential votes in this Congress, which is a border bill, and Im very [much] looking forward to being there to vote on it.

New calls to expel

Santos has faced calls to resign since December, when The New York Times first revealed his falsified biography. And in February, a group of Democrats representing the Congressional Equality Caucus  which promotes LGBTQ rights  took the effort a step further with legislation to expel him from Congress.

In the wake of the new indictments, those calls have grown only louder  and more bipartisan.

A number of Republican lawmakers emerged Wednesday with new appeals for Santos to step down to open up the seat for someone less touched by scandal.

And Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Wednesday became the first Republican to call publicly for Congress to move proactively to boot Santos from his seat, saying the voters of his Long Island district deserve a voice in Congress.

George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date, Gonzales tweeted.

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) went almost as far, telling CNN the House Ethics Committee should investigate Santoss behavior, and if the panel were to recommend expulsion, he would absolutely support it on the floor.

Amid the furor, a defiant Santos made clear that expulsion would be his critics only option.

I will not resign, he said.

GOP leaders rush to defend

Despite the headaches Santos has created for them, McCarthy and other GOP leaders have stood behind the indicted lawmaker, emphasizing that allegations are merely that and defending his right to represent the voters who sent him to Washington while he fights the charges in court.

I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty, McCarthy said Tuesday, after news of the indictment first broke.

Hes got a presumption of innocence, Scalise echoed on Wednesday. But that court process is going to play itself out.

That argument doesnt fly with Santoss detractors, who think hes an unwelcome stain on an institution thats already wanting for public trust.

The Republican member of Congress purportedly known as George Santos is entitled to the presumption of innocence, just like anyone else in America, in a criminal court of law, said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus. The House is not a criminal court of law. The House has its own rules, the House can choose to expel a member.

But GOP leaders remain unmoved.

This legal process is going to play itself out, said Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chairwoman of the Republican Conference. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a member of Congress from either party has been indicted. There are a set of rules.

The support from GOP leaders strongly suggests a resolution to expel Santos will never reach the floor for a vote. Even if it did, it would face a high hurdle: Two-thirds of the House is required to expel a sitting member, meaning Santoss detractors would need to find 290 lawmakers  including almost 80 Republicans  to oust him.

There is plenty of precedent for an indicted lawmaker to remain in Congress while the legal process plays out. Former Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) all kept their seats for months after their indictments.

Hurts GOP chances in 2024

Santoss election in 2022 was a coup at the time, flipping a long-held Democratic seat as part of the red wave that hit New York last year and helping Republicans win back control of the House after just four years in the minority wilderness.

The new indictments have rekindled fears among Republicans that the seat will flip back to the Democrats in 2024  particularly if Santos is on the ballot.

Hell be the reason that we lose that seat, said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

Mace, who has called for months for Santos to resign, has been joined by many Republicans in the New York delegation, who are eager to have him vacate the seat and prompt a special election where Republicans think theyd have a better chance with a fresh candidate.

Santos has given no indication that hell step down. But he also wasnt guaranteeing any victories if he does return on the ballot next year.

Elections are very tricky, and its up to the people, Santos said outside the courthouse. I trust them to decide whats best for them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
George Santos, the New York congressman who rose to prominence for a string of exaggerations , lies, and irregularities related to his personal background and campaign finances, has been charged with a series of federal offences.

The exact nature of the charges arent yet public and are under seal, but concern federal crimes, NBC News and CNN report.

The New York Republican has been under investigation by multiple bodies since being elected, including the House Ethics Committee, as well as the Federal Election Commission, and local and federal prosecutors.

Mr Santos could reportedly appear in court as soon as Wednesday.

Key Points

George Santos hit with federal charges

George Santos: Every lie disgraced Republican Congressman has been accused of making

George Santos surprised by federal charges

What has George Santos said about his many campaign exaggerations?

Will George Santos resign if hes found guilty?

01:31 , Josh Marcus

House Leadership certainly wants that to be the case.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN he would ask his fellow Republican to give up his seat if hes convicted on federal charges.

Just like we had before with Jeff Fortenberry, he had the same ability, I removed him from committees, but he was found guilty and then I told him he needed to resign, the GOP leader said. That is my policy and principles on this.

Mr Fortenberry, a former Nebraska rep, resigned in 2022 after being convicted of lying to federal officials about an illegal $30,000 foreign contribution to his campaign.

Nebraska US Rep. Fortenberry found guilty in campaign probe

Federal charges may finally answer the big question about George Santos: How did he earn so much money?

01:11 , Josh Marcus

George Santos has admitted to certain lies, such as falsely claiming Jewish ancestry, and the federal charges reportedly filed against him on Tuesday may answer another of the big question marks in his background: How did he earn all that money?

Between 2014 and 2017, the New York Republican was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens for unpaid rent.

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On a 2020 financial document, he listed an annual income of $55,000.

Just a few years later, when he was running for Congress, Mr Santos appeared to be flushed with cash.

He claimed that his company, Devolder Organization, paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, as well as another $1m to $5m in dividents, according to the AP.

Not bad for a company that was incorporated in 2021.

The apparent windfall caught the eye of investigators when Mr Santos lent his campaign and political action committee more than $750,000.

Will George Santos have to leave office if hes convicted?

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:51 , Josh Marcus

Not necessarily.

People under criminal indictment or even those convicted of crimes can still serve in Congress, unless they commit treason-level offences outlined in the 14th Amendment, CNN reports.

The same goes for the White House. Candidates can even run from inside prison.

Such considerations may be on the mind of Donald Trump, who was found liable on Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming writer E Jean Carroll, and faces 34 felony charges in New York for a hush money scheme.

George Santos surprised by federal charges

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:31 , Josh Marcus

Congressman George Santos was apparently shocked to learn he was the subject of federal charges, which were reportedly filed under seal on Tuesday.

This is news to me, the Long Island Republican told the Associated Press.

Youre the first to call me about this, he added.

Our DC bureau chief on the funniest outcome in the Santos case

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:44 , Josh Marcus

George Santoss rise in politics has not been without comedy, but if the Long Island Republican is succesfully charged with federal crimes, it could yield a particularly slapstick result, according to Independent Washington bureau chief Eric Garcia.

The absolute funniest outcome is Santos has to resign, triggering a special election, which leads to Democrats picking up the seat. https://t.co/zVDEPypiUo  Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) May 9, 2023

What has George Santos said about his many campaign exaggerations?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:34 , Josh Marcus

For a man accused of telling numerous lies, and reportedly charged on Tuesday with federal crimes, Representative George Santos has spent recent months apparently unbothered.

In April, he said he has a clean conscience.

Read John Bowdens full report on the Long Island Republicans questionable defence.

George Santos insists he has a clean conscience after lying about background

WATCH: The Independents documentary on George Santoss many lies

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:24 , Josh Marcus

George Santos made waves on the political scene of Washington D.C. by flipping New Yorks 3rd congressional district seat in the November midterms, a once reliable Democratic seat. But, soon, reports emerged that many things in his resume and the life story told to the public wasnt all strictly true. Santos is refusing to stand aside as the controversy mounts but how long can that position hold?

Senior US Correspondent Richard Hall visited Long Island and Nassau county to find out the truth, trying to track down the real George Santos.

Watch the full documentary here.

The imposter in Congress | On The Ground

George Santos: Every lie disgraced Republican Congressman has been accused of making

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:14 , Josh Marcus

It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and were keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow  both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New Yorks third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

Read our full round-up of the many scandals of George Santos.

Every lie George Santos has been accused of making

Breaking news: George Santos hit with federal charges

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:09 , Josh Marcus

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against George Santos, the Republican congressman whose campaign was littered with falsehoods about his past, CNN reported.

Mr Santos is expected to appear on Wednesday at a federal court in New Yorks Eastern District, where the charges have been filed, the network reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The Independent contacted the Eastern District for comment.

The exact charges have not yet been revealed, but the Washington Post previously reported that the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section was investigating Mr Santos  specifically, his campaign finances.

Richard Hall is following the story for The Independent.

Prosecutors file criminal charges against New York congressman George Santos: report
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges on Wednesday, hours after federal prosecutors formally accused him of misleading donors and misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies.

Santos entered his not guilty plea at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., and was released on a $500,000 bond. His next court appearance is June 30 before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, who was nominated by then-President Clinton in 1993.

The charges against the congressman include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santoss plea marks a pivotal moment in his roughly four-month tenure in Congress, which has been marked by controversy and criticism. Even before he was sworn into office, questions were raised about Santoss personal and professional biography. The scrutiny has since expanded to his finances, which were at the center of Wednesdays indictment.

The indictment accuses Santos of engaging in schemes that misrepresented his finances to the public  including donors  and government agencies.

The majority of the charges against Santos  the five counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering  pertain to claims that Santos directed an unnamed individual to tell potential campaign donors their contributions would go toward purchasing advertisements for his campaign, when they were actually used for personal expenses.

According to the indictment, Santos transferred approximately $74,000 of contributions to his personal bank accounts, which went toward personal expenses, like purchasing designer clothing and paying off personal debts.

Santos is also accused of fraudulently receiving more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits and of making false statements to the House of Representatives in financial disclosure reports in May 2020 and September 2022 during his congressional campaigns.

Story continues

The top charge of wire fraud carries a maximum jail time of 20 years. The judge can decide to make any sentences run concurrently if Santos is convicted on multiple counts.

The indictment does not bar Santos from serving in Congress. According to House Rules, members who are criminally charged with a felony that carries a sentence of two or more years in prison should resign from their committee assignments and step down from party leadership. Santos had stepped down from his committee assignments in January amid the mounting controversy, and he does not serve in House GOP leadership.

Still, Republican lawmakers from New York have been calling for his resignation or expulsion for months, and those calls grew after the charges were unsealed.

The people of New Yorks 3rd district deserve a voice in congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

GOP leadership has not echoed those calls.

On Wednesday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik  the highest-ranking New York Republican in the chamber  all stopped short of calling for Santoss resignation.

He could go through his time of trial, well find out how the outcome is, McCarthy told reporters. When asked whether the allegations of money laundering, wire fraud and lying to Congress concerned him, he responded that it always concerns me.

As Ive said from the very beginning on questions on this subject, this legal process is going to play itself out, Stefanik told reporters at the press conference. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a member of Congress from either party has been indicted. There are a set of rules and, as the majority leader stated, he voluntarily had stepped down from his committees.

Multiple entities are said to be looking into Santos or have received formal complaints about the congressman, including the House Ethics Committee, which launched an investigation in March.

The Ethics panel said it is looking into if Santos engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican who became the subject of ridicule for the extent to which he lied about his background, appeared in federal court Wednesday to be arraigned on 13 counts after turning himself in to authorities earlier in the day.

He pleaded not guilty, multipleoutletsreported.

Santos, 34, was elected in November to represent portions of Long Island and Queens, but in the weeks and months afterward, a number of reports showed he was not exactly the wealthy young businessman he claimed to be. While he admitted in December certain details  that he attended two top colleges and worked at prestigious Wall Street firms  were false, he denied and even defended others while refusing calls to resign.

Santos entered the Long Island courtroom with a scowl, a New York Times reporter observed.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, said that Santos plans to continue campaigning for reelection and asked that he be free to travel to do so, according to The Associated Press. He surrendered his passport and was released on a $500,000 bond.

Outside the courthouse, Santos asserted that he had plenty of evidence that would supposedly clear his name.

The reality is, its a witch hunt, Santos told a crowd of reporters angling for a comment. Because it makes no sense that [after] four months, five months  Im indicted.

I will not resign, he said.

The charges against Santos span both his personal and public life.

Federal prosecutors allege that Santos pocketed $25,000 in donations to his campaign beginning in 2022, spending the money on luxury clothes, car payments and his credit cards instead of legitimate things like political ads. In 2020, Santos allegedly received pandemic-related unemployment benefits totaling more than $24,000 from the state of New York while earning a $120,000 salary from a company in Florida.

Prosecutors also say he lied when filling out financial disclosure forms needed to run for Congress  both in his unsuccessful 2020 campaign and his successful 2022 campaign. Santos allegedly overstated his income and assets in the 2022 filing to the tune of millions.

Story continues

The case against him is a product of the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section and local agencies.

Authorities at the federal and local level promised to investigate Santos late last year amid public outcry over the new congressmans apparent penchant for spinning yarns.

The list of Santos claims has become unwieldily and, in many instances, bizarre. He has said that he is Jewish (later amended to Jew-ish), that his mother was in the twin towers on 9/11, that several of his employees died in the mass shooting at Orlandos Pulse nightclub, and that he survived a brain tumor  among many other tales.

A former roommate, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, alleged in a sworn statement earlier this year that Santos was the ringleader of a credit card scheme in 2017 that led to Trelha serving jail time before being deported back to Brazil. (Santos denies the accusation.) The scheme is not mentioned in the federal indictment, but Politico reported in March that the case remains open.

In yet another instance of alleged fraud, Santos reportedly agreed to a deal with Brazilian prosecutors who say he wrote fraudulent checks in 2008. Part of the deal included a formal admission that Santos did the crime and would pay damages to the elderly man whose checkbook was taken, according to CNN.

In the U.S., however, Santos has denied that he is lawbreaker.

I am not a criminal here  not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world. Absolutely not. That didnt happen, he told The New York Post in December.

Related...
George Santos. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the freshman lawmaker who lied about his education, professional background, and heritage while on the campaign trail, is facing federal charges, several people familiar with the matter told CNN, The New York Times, and The Associated Press.

The charges filed against Santos in the Eastern District of New York won't be unsealed until he appears in court, which could come as early as Wednesday, CNN reports. When reached for comment on Tuesday, Santos told AP, "This is news to me. You're the first to call me about this."

Santos, who has admitted to fabricating stories about his college degrees, being a volleyball star, and having Jewish ancestry, has also been accused of violating campaign finance and federal conflict of interest laws and stealing money raised for a veteran's dying dog; he denies any wrongdoing.

The FBI, Justice Department, House Ethics Committee, and public integrity prosecutors in New York and Washington have been investigating several claims against Santos, including allegations of false statements in his campaign finance filings. Santos is also facing charges in Brazil on check fraud, with a hearing scheduled for that case on Thursday.

Democrats and some New York Republican lawmakers have called on Santos to step down. "There's a clock ticking, and George Santos should have resigned in December," Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) said. "He should have resigned in January. He should have resigned yesterday, and maybe he'll resign today. But sooner or later, honesty and justice will be delivered." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has a narrow GOP majority, has said he will ask Santos to resign if he is found guilty.

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George Santos gestures at the 2023 State of the Union

George Santos, a beleaguered Republican member of the US Congress, is facing criminal charges in a federal investigation.

The New York congressman is under scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions over alleged financial misdeeds, lies about his biography and other complaints.

Federal prosecutors have not yet revealed the exact nature of the charges against him.

He is expected to appear in federal court as early as Wednesday morning.

The congressman's office could not be reached for immediate comment on Tuesday.

CBS News previously reported that a federal probe into Mr Santos has focused on finances and financial disclosures.

Multiple sources told CBS he is expected to turn himself in and be arraigned on Wednesday morning at the federal district courthouse in Central Islip, New York.

A freshman lawmaker elected to the US House of Representatives last November, Mr Santos, 34, has been embroiled in scandal since he took office.

He has faced a series of allegations, including being accused of lying about his college degrees and his work experience; violating campaign finance and conflict of interest laws; falsely claiming his grandparents survived the Holocaust; and creating a fake animal charity he used to siphon away cash meant for a veteran's dying dog.

Mr Santos has admitted "embellishing" his biography, but denied the more serious claims including theft allegations.

Some of his Republican colleagues have joined calls for him to resign.

But Mr Santos, who represents a New York district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, has filed paperwork to run for another two-year term.

He did step down from serving on two committees in the House of Representatives in February and apologised to fellow Republicans for being a "distraction".

It is likely the still-to-be-revealed charges will renew pressure on Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to take action against Mr Santos.

Story continues

The top ranking House Republican has so far resisted calls to do more to punish the lawmaker.

Asked by CNN about Mr Santos, Mr McCarthy said on Tuesday he would "look at the charges".

Other Republicans were not as accommodating, with Rep Nicole Malliotakis telling the network she "would love to see someone new run" in the district.
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded not guilty at a Long Island courthouse Wednesday to a 13-count federal indictment unsealed by the Justice Department.

Santos, 34, who surrendered into custody Wednesday morning, has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, according to the Justice Department.

He pleaded not guilty at an 11-minute hearing and was released on $500,000 bond. Santos must submit to pretrial services, have random monitoring at his home and surrender his passport, and any travel outside New York state and Washington, D.C., must be approved by the court.

He's due in court again June 30.

Follow along for live updates

Speaking to reporters after his arraignment, Santos characterized some of the charges as inaccurate and expressed confidence that he would be able to clear his name.

He said that he doesnt plan to resign from Congress and that he still plans to run for re-election next year, which he had announced last month, despite calls for him to resign and the ongoing investigations he has faced at the federal, state and local levels. Santos also said he was facing a witch hunt.

On Wednesday evening, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would not back Santos' re-election bid.

No, Im not gonna support Santos, McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill. I think hes got some other things to focus on in this life than running for stuff.

McCarthy has not called on Santos to resign, saying he wants him to have his day in court. He will go through his time in trial and lets find out how the outcome is, McCarthy said earlier Wednesday.

The federal indictment accuses Santos, a first-term lawmaker who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, of engaging in three schemes.

In the first alleged scheme, prosecutors said, he defrauded prospective political supporters in September by enlisting a Queens-based political consultant  described in court documents as Person #1  to communicate with possible donors on Santos' behalf.

Story continues

Santos allegedly directed Person #1 to falsely tell donors that, among other things, their money would be used to help elect Santos to the House, including by purchasing television advertisements, the Justice Department said.

Two unnamed contributors then each transferred $25,000 to a bank account Santos controlled, prosecutors said. Santos allegedly used much of the money for personal expenses, including buying designer clothing, paying down debt and making a car payment.

In the second alleged scheme, Santos is accused of engaging in unemployment insurance fraud beginning in 2020 by applying for unemployment benefits that were made available to out-of-work people during the pandemic.

Santos applied for the money even though he was employed as the regional director of a Florida-based investment firm, where he earned an annual salary of $120,000, according to the indictment.

He falsely claimed that he had been unemployed since March 2020, the Justice Department alleged. From then to April 2021, when Santos was receiving a salary, he "falsely affirmed each week that he was eligible for unemployment benefits when he was not," it said.

"As a result, Santos allegedly fraudulently received more than $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits," the Justice Department said.

Santos told reporters Wednesday that the charge alleging he applied for unemployment benefits while receiving a $120,000 salary was inaccurate.

In the third alleged scheme, Santos misled the House and the public about his financial situation during his two congressional campaigns, the Justice Department said.

During his first campaign, in May 2020, Santos allegedly overstated his income and failed to disclose the salary he received from the investment firm, according to the indictment. For his campaign last year, Santos also allegedly overstated his income and assets in financial disclosure documents, including claiming he received a $750,000 salary from his Florida-based company, the Devolder Organization LLC, as well as dividends.

"These assertions were false: Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization LLC the reported amounts of salary or dividends and did not maintain checking or savings accounts with deposits in the reported amounts," the Justice Department said.

In March, the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation that it said would determine whether Santos engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.

Image: Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., speaks to the media outside the federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., on May 10, 2023. (Stefan Jeremiah / AP)

If he is convicted, Santos could face up to 20 years in prison for the top counts, the Justice Department said, without specifying which counts those were. Prosecutors said the FBI has been investigating with assistance from the Nassau County district attorneys office and the IRS.

In addition to the federal charges, Santos was recently accused of being the mastermind behind a credit card skimming scheme  which he has vehemently denied. He has also been accused of stealing thousands of dollars that were raised for a lifesaving operation for a veterans service dog, as well as lying that his mother was at the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks.

Santos first came under scrutiny after The New York Times published a bombshell investigation in December indicating that much of his resume appeared to have been manufactured, including claims that he owned numerous properties, was previously employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had graduated from Baruch College.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Rep. George Santos leaves the US Capitol on January 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

GOP Rep. George Santos took unemployment during COVID-19 while working a $120k investment job, prosecutors say.

Federal prosecutors allege Santos illegally received unemployment benefits while working at an investment firm.

Santos faces 13 criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Republican Rep. George Santos took unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic while still working an investment firm job making $120,000 annually, federal prosecutors allege.

According to court documents, Santos "applied to receive unemployment insurance benefits through the New York State Department of Labor" in June 2020. In his application, Santos "falsely claimed to have been unemployed since the week of March 22, 2020," prosecutors wrote.

Santos "certified his continued eligibility for unemployment benefits on a weekly basis" from June 19, 2020, to April 15, 2021, prosecutors alleged. In total, he received around $24,744 in unemployment, according to the court documents.

But while Santos received these benefits, he was also working as a regional director at an investment firm and "received regular deposits into his personal bank accounts as part of his Regional Director salary of approximately $120,000 per year," prosecutors said.

Santos  the embattled lawmaker who's lied repeatedly about his background and resume  turned himself in on Wednesday morning. If convicted, prosecutors said he could face up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charge. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Santos could end up facing far less time.

As a lawmaker, the New Yorker has supported the Republican Party's effort to enact tougher work requirements for other types of federal aid. Santos wanted to go even further than a recent proposal by suggesting that Americans must work 30 hours a week to receive Medicaid.

Santos and other New York Republicans ran on a tough on crime platform that helped the GOP flip four seats en route to the party's razor-thin House majority. In one ad, Santos pledged to "hol[d] criminals accountable" and "protec[t] New York families."

The now-congressman is facing 13 criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Read the original article on Business Insider
George Santos has admitted to several "embellishments" of his CV

US congressman George Santos, who ran for office on an embellished biography, has been charged with a wide range of felonies including fraud.

The 34-year-old lawmaker, who has admitted to being a "terrible liar", has been dogged by allegations of falsehoods and fraud throughout his brief career on Capitol Hill.

A non-existent real estate portfolio, fraudulent claims of college degrees and confusion over whether he's Jewish - or merely "Jew-ish" - are just some of the controversies the New York Republican faced before he was even sworn in to office. He even reportedly claimed to donors that he helped produce the infamous Spider-Man musical on Broadway - he didn't.

Prior to winning his race in last November's midterm elections, Mr Santos billed himself as "the full embodiment of the American dream": an openly gay child of Brazilian immigrants who rose to the upper echelons of Wall Street before entering the world of politics.

But his victory lap was short-lived.

Mr Santos' narrative of his life has since fallen into tatters, with the lawmaker admitting large portions of his story were entirely made up. But he is refusing to resign after being charged in a 13-count indictment in New York with wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.

Here's what we know.

Who is George Santos?

According to a biography published online by his campaign - which has since been rewritten - Mr Santos is a first-generation American born in the New York City borough of Queens. His grandparents, the website noted, "fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII" before settling in Brazil. His Brazilian-born parents eventually immigrated to the US "in search of the American dream".

Mr Santos claimed to have been educated at Baruch-college in New York City before becoming a "seasoned Wall Street financier and investor" with experience working at prestigious firms including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Story continues

He has also claimed that he owned 13 properties - which "he'd worked hard for" - and that his mother was "in her office in the south tower" of the World Trade Center on 11 September. As recently as October, his campaign's website claimed that she survived the attack, only to die several years later.

A relative newcomer to US politics, Mr Santos was lauded as the first openly gay Republican to win a seat in the House of Representatives as a non-incumbent with his victory in November.

Why did Santos embellish his life?

The New York Times published a series of stories calling into question large portions of his CV, including his education and his work experience and even his claims to be a college volleyball star.

Other news outlets have since found no evidence that his grandparents fled anti-Semitism in Europe or that he is Jewish, despite earlier boasts of being a "proud American Jew".

Since the initial reports, Mr Santos has admitted that he embellished his background. He never graduated from any university or worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Rather than owning property across New York, he lives with his sister in Long Island.

It was also revealed his mother died in 2016.

He also acknowledged that he misrepresented his faith, telling the New York Post that he's Catholic and that he said he was "Jew-ish" after learning that his maternal family had a Jewish background.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Mr Santos said he fabricated his biography and life story to gain acceptance from voters in New York's third district.

"I've been a terrible liar on those subjects and what I'm trying to convey to the American people is I made mistakes in allowing the pressures of what I thought needed to be done [to get elected]," he said.

Santos' district includes parts of Queens and Long Island's Nassau County in New York

Why is Brazil investigating Mr Santos?

The allegations against him, however, continued to grow.

Authorities in Brazil have confirmed that they plan to revive fraud charges against Mr Santos related to a 2008 stolen chequebook. According to court records, Mr Santos spent about $700 using a false name and stolen cheques in the city of Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro. The case had been suspended because Brazilian authorities were unable to locate him.

In a statement sent to the BBC's US partner CBS, the Brazilian prosecutor charged with the case said that Mr Santos' swearing-in as a congressman means that "he has a certain address where he can be summoned" and that the case can be continued.

Separately, on 29 December, the New York Times reported that Mr Santos' campaign paid $11,000 to a cleaning company for "apartment rental for staff", in addition to a slew of disbursements pegged at $199.99 - exactly one cent below the threshold at which receipts are required by federal law. The campaign expenditures also include $40,000 for air travel, a figure the newspaper noted "resembles the campaign filings of party leaders in Congress, as opposed to a newly elected congressman who is still introducing himself to local voters."

What's next for his political career?

Mr Santos - who was sworn into office on 3 January - vowed outside court after he was charged to run for re-election next year.

Since taking office, Mr Santos has sparred with drag queens on Twitter, co-sponsored a bill to make the AR-15 the "national gun of the United States" and was the deciding vote on the Republican bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

But he continued to be plagued by scandal. In February, Derek Meyers, a former staffer, accused the congressman of sexual harassment and said he had filed a police report and sent a letter sent to the Congressional Ethics Committee requesting an investigation. Santos told CNN he "100%" denied the claims.

In the wake of his arrest and indictment, Mr Santos has faced renewed calls to step aside including from fellow New York lawmakers.

"Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him," Marc Molinaro, a Republican who represents parts of upstate New York, told reporters.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was more circumspect, saying: "I think in America, you're innocent till proven guilty."
Two Georgia election workers suing Rudy Giuliani for defamation said on Tuesday a onetime attorney for former President Trump is dodging their efforts to serve her with a subpoena.

Attorneys for Wandrea Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman said in a court filing they have been unable to serve attorney Jenna Ellis with a subpoena, despite repeated efforts.

Ellis  who was part of a legal team that promoted the former presidents unfounded claims of voter fraud after the 2020 election  was identified by Giuliani as one of several individuals who might have relevant information in the defamation case.

After more than a month of negotiations with Elliss attorneys, her counsel refused to accept the subpoena and later told attorneys for Moss and Freeman they were no longer representing Ellis, according to the filing.

Moss and Freemans attorneys repeatedly attempted to serve Ellis at her last known address in Colorado and hired a private investigator to attempt to locate a new address in Florida, after Ellis indicated on her Twitter account she had moved to the Sunshine State, it added.

The pair of Georgia election workers are now asking the court to allow them to serve Ellis through alternate methods, including via email and direct messaging on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Moss and Freeman, a mother-daughter duo who testified before the Jan. 6 committee last June, originally sued Giuliani and One America News (OAN) in December 2021 for promoting false claims that the election workers engaged in voter fraud.

OAN aired a segment last May acknowledging that Moss and Freeman did not engage in ballot fraud or criminal misconduct during the 2020 election, as part of a settlement agreement.

Ellis recently admitted at a Colorado disciplinary hearing in March that she knowingly misrepresented evidence about election fraud on at least 10 occasions and was publicly censured by a state judge.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Salome Zourabichvili

Resuming direct flights and lifting visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory! she tweeted.

Read also: Russia needs to learn where its borders are  Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili

Speaking during a briefing, Zourabichvili called on the government to discuss the introduction of a three-month visa regime for Russian citizens.

According to the Georgian leader, Moscow is taking such a step in its own interests and it could provoke political tensions in Georgia.

Read also: Russia must leave occupied Georgian territories after defeat in Ukraine, Georgian president says

Those Russians who enter the country should be subject to state control, she said.

We must take steps to put it all in a civilized framework. Were a tolerant country, we accept everyone, but there are things that cannot take place.

On May 10, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin unexpectedly lifted visa ban for Georgian citizens and greenlighted direct flights to the country.

Russias Association of Tour Operators said the first flights could open in late May.

Russia introduced a visa ban for Georgian citizens in 2000. At the same time, Russians have been able to enter Georgia without visas since 2012, following a unilateral decision by the Georgian government.

After the Russian invasion and the five-day war with the occupying army, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Moscow in 2008. Direct flights between the countries were halted in 2019.

Read also: Tbilisi rules out opening Georgia's ports for Russian cruises

In early 2023, despite Russias ongoing war against Ukraine, the head of the Georgian Dream ruling party, Irakli Kobakhidze, offered to resume flights with Russia, but Zurabishvili spoke against it.

Ukraines Foreign Ministry called this proposal political meanness amid Russias attempts to destroy Ukrainians in a genocidal war.

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) -- German lawmakers approved the purchase of 50 Puma infantry fighting vehicles at a cost of 1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius raised the prospect of another order later this year.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Pistorius confirmed that the budget committee in the lower house of parliament had given the green light for the procurement at a meeting he attended Wednesday in Berlin.

The order will now be placed very quickly  and then we will continue and hope to be able to make a second order in the course of this year, he told reporters. He described the Puma as a quantum leap in terms of troop protection, effectiveness and mobility.

The order is part of a broader push to modernize Germanys armed forces triggered by Russias war on Ukraine. After Kremlin forces attacked last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the creation of a special fund worth 100 billion to try to reverse years of underinvestment in the military.

The first batch of Pumas  which are made jointly by Rheinmetall AG and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG  is expected to be delivered next year, according to Marcus Faber, a defense spokesman from the Free Democrats, a junior partner in Scholzs three-party ruling coalition.

As soon as the new combat vehicles have arrived, the German army could supply Ukraine with older infantry fighting vehicles like Rheinmetalls Marder to help with its defense against Russias invasion, Faber suggested.

Germany and the US in January announced that they would send infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks to Ukraine to help its forces push back against an expected Russian spring offensive.

Story continues

(Updates with defense minister comments starting in first paragraph)

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PARIS (AP)  Germanys foreign minister described China on Wednesday as increasingly becoming a systemic rival on the world stage, and urged Beijing to call out Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.

With Chinas top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on China to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.

But Baerbock and Colonna also said it was time for Europe to decrease its economic and strategic dependency on China.

Baerbock said Germany wants to work in partnership with China everywhere its possible but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues.

One needs to recognize that we are competitors and, sadly, increasingly also systemic rivals, she said.

Baerbock said Europe's stance toward China should be not decoupling, but de-risking, because its about our security and freedom, too.

The German government is currently adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line.

Colonna urged China to use its relationship with Russia to convince the Kremlin that Russia is in an impasse  and to return to reason. The French minister also warned China against delivering weapons to Russia, saying that would push things into a totally new configuration.

Baerbock urged Beijing to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor in the war, noting that Moscow could end the conflict by withdrawing its troops. If Ukraine stops defending itself, on the other hand, then Ukraine will cease to exist and with it, the charter of the United Nations, she said.

After meeting with Baerbock in Berlin on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Qin is scheduled to meet with Colonna in Paris on Wednesday.

The visit comes amid diplomatic tensions around proposed new EU trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the blocs sanctions against Russia. The proposal sparked a warning from China that it would retaliate if targeted by such new EU sanctions against Russia.
Cosco initially sought to purchase a larger 35-percent stake in the port before a compromise agreement was announced

The German government said Wednesday that it would allow a Chinese firm to buy a stake in a Hamburg port, after the terminal was classed as critical infrastructure.

The government controversially gave the go-ahead in October for state-owned Chinese shipping giant Cosco to buy up to a 24.9-percent stake in the Tollerort container terminal in Hamburg.

The green light came despite security concerns over the sale of the infrastructure to Chinese investors, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz resisting calls to ban the sale outright.

In April, Berlin said it was reassessing whether to allow the sale to go ahead.

But on Wednesday a government statement said the original approval of a sale of less than 25 percent had not changed.

No more details were given about the reasons behind the decision.

Cosco initially sought to purchase a larger 35-percent stake in the port before a compromise agreement was announced.

Germany has been re-evaluating its economic relationship with China amid concerns over human rights and the communist country's ties with Russia, as well as the escalation of tensions over Taiwan.

In November, Germany blocked the sale of two chipmakers to Chinese investors because of security concerns around the key technology.

Germany has also capped investment guarantees for German companies doing business in China, as Europe's largest economy looks to reduce its dependence on Beijing.

smk/rox/imm
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez is rolling out a bipartisan measure that would combat the Chinese Communist Partys "undue influence" over U.S. critical infrastructure projects.

Gimenez, who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, is set to introduce "The Port Crane Security And Inspection Act of 2023" Wednesday afternoon. The bill would limit the operation of foreign cranes used at U.S. ports that are made by U.S. adversariessuch as China.

ARE CHINESE CRANES BEING USED FOR SURVEILLANCE AT US PORTS? HOUSE GOP VISITS PORT OF MIAMI TO FIND OUT

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., is co-sponsoring the legislation.

The bill would require the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency to inspect foreign cranes before they are placed into operation for potential security vulnerabilities and would assess the threat posed by those security vulnerabilities on existing or newly-constructed foreign cranes.

The bill would also require CISA to report to Congress about the discovery of any critical and high-risk security vulnerabilities posed by foreign cranes at U.S. ports.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 25: Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., walks through the Capitol. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

"The Communist regime in Beijing is Americas most significant national security threat. The Communist Party of China is not a competitor, but rather an adversary that actively undermines the United States and our geostrategic interests," Gimenez told Fox News Digital, adding that he has been warning "for years" about "the need to decouple from Communist China and diversify our manufacturing capabilities."

CHINA ON DISTURBING PATH TO ECLIPSE US MILITARY BY MID-CENTURY, MILLEY WARNS

"The Port Crane Security & Inspection Act of 2023 guarantees that Americas ports are protected from cybersecurity attacks and potential security breaches by malign actors," he said. "Our seaports process over $1.5 trillion in trade every year and Im proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to protect both our economy and our public safety."

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Gimenez, during his time as mayor of Miami-Dade County, addressed this issue at the Port of Miami, which is among the largest cargo ports for trade between the United States and Latin America.

US INTEL COMMUNITY WARNS OF 'COMPLEX' THREATS FROM CHINA, RUSSIA, NORTH KOREA

Gimenez last month led a congressional delegation from the House China Select Committee to the Port of Miami to inspect Chinese-made cranes, amid fears that Beijing-made infrastructure could be conducting surveillance on U.S. ports and pose a risk to national security.

The visit came amid reports that suggested that the Pentagon is now viewing giant cargo cranes as possible Chinese spying tools. The reports suggested Chinese equipment at ports could be used for surveillance.

"There is zero evidence to support sensationalized claims that our equipment isnt secure," stated Chris Connor, President and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). "As we have already stressed, the cranes our ports procure, based on cost, use separate software purchased from allied countries like Japan and Sweden, and they undergo rigorous security inspections with federal government partners to safeguard against cyber threats."

Gimenez has been warning about security at the ports for years and introduced similar legislation last Congress, including bills that required the inspection of certain foreign cranes before use at a U.S. port and that called for a study of cybersecurity and national security threats posed by foreign-manufactured cranes at U.S. ports.

In its annual threat assessment last month, the U.S. intelligence community warned that China represents the "broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat to U.S. Government and private-sector networks."

"Chinas cyber pursuits and its industrys export of related technologies increase the threats of aggressive cyber operations against the U.S. homeland," officials warned, adding that China is "capable of launching cyberattacks that could disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines, and rail systems."

Officials also warned that China is rapidly expanding and improving its surveillance, its artificial intelligence and big data analytics capabilities.

This story has been updated to include comment provided by the American Association of Port Authorities.
A girl riding on a tricycle died in a hit-and-run crash days before her fourth birthday, North Carolina officials said.

Now, the man accused of being behind the wheel of the SUV that struck her has been sentenced to prison. Prosecutors in a May 10 news release didnt share attorney information for the man, identified as 32-year-old Aaron Santos-Pinzon.

The case dates to August 2021, when officials said the girl was riding her tricycle in the mountain town of Flat Rock. She was in a cul-de-sac outside her home when the driver of an SUV backed out of a neighboring driveway and tragically struck and killed the toddler, according to North Carolinas Prosecutorial District 42.

The deceased child was identified as 3-year-old Andi Lynn Blair. She died days before she would have turned 4, the Henderson County Sheriffs Office told McClatchy News at the time.

The driver is accused of leaving the scene before a description of the SUV led troopers to Santos-Pinzon. He was stopped close to the South Carolina border and had a blood alcohol level of 0.10, over the legal driving limit of 0.08, the district attorneys office said.

Santos-Pinzon was found to be displaying signs of appreciable impairment with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech, unsteadiness on his feet, and glassy eyes, prosecutors wrote. Santos-Pinzon admitted previously drinking alcoholic beverages.

He initially was charged with driving while intoxicated, felony death by vehicle and felony hit and run causing death. Then on May 5, a judge sentenced him to prison on the latter two charges.

Santos-Pinzon, who is from Mexico, has been ordered to serve at least eight years behind bars. He lived in Flat Rock but was found to have been in the United States illegally, officials said.

Santos-Pinzon has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer on him and will presumably be repatriated to his country of origin upon completion of his North Carolina sentence, prosecutors wrote.

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The district attorneys office, which didnt say whether Santos-Pinzon entered a plea in the case or whether he was believed to be intoxicated at the time of the crash, didnt immediately share those details with McClatchy News on May 10. Henderson County deputies initially identified the suspect as Aaron Santiso.

Flat Rock is roughly 30 miles south of Asheville.

6-year-old and great-grandma die in crash. Now South Carolina man pleads guilty to DUI

99-year-old killed in head-on crash, North Carolina cops say. Driver charged with DUI
Republicans in North Carolina have passed a sweeping abortion bill that further restricts access to abortion care  a bill filled with medical misinformation, misdirection and false narratives about abortion.

In practice, it will ban medication abortion after 10 weeks and impose insurmountable barriers on people trying to get an abortion early in pregnancy. The new restrictions found in the 46-pages of Senate Bill 20 aim to shut down abortion clinics, make it unworkable for doctors to adequately provide care, and increase medically unnecessary barriers for people seeking an abortion even before 12 weeks.

In 1975, at 15 years old, I experienced the nightmare of one of those back alley abortions, and I dont want to see another generation go through that.

Janice Robinson

All abortion bans and other restrictions on reproductive health care fall hardest on people who already face discriminatory obstacles to health care  particularly Black, Indigenous and other people of color, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, undocumented people, LGBTQ people, and those who have difficulty making ends meet. We should be increasing access to the full range of reproductive health care, not continuing to chip away at it.

Today, women and girls who are already struggling to access health care across this country. They are again being put at risk of having to resort to unsafe abortions because politicians have decided they should interfere in our private health care decisions.

I call on our elected officials in the legislature to set aside politics and focus on patient needs by upholding Gov. Roy Coopers promised veto of this bill. As a Mecklenburg County resident, I call on Rep. Tricia Cotham in particular to uphold her commitment to voters in Mecklenburg County who trusted her with their vote in November 2022, and to uphold the veto.

Cotham has been open about sharing her abortion experience, and has long spoken out strongly in favor of protecting access to abortion. In 2015 when she shared her abortion story on the N.C. House floor she said 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.

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I call on Cotham to give people an opportunity to have the same access to care that she did when she had her abortion. I call on her to denounce the extreme power grab by North Carolinas Republican Party to control womens bodies, further disenfranchise Black voters, discriminate against the LBGTQ+ community, disenfranchise our public schools, and increase the risk of our children being gunned down in their schools by making guns more accessible.

Since the Dobbs decision came down in June 2022, people across the country and in North Carolina have been more vocal about their support for abortion access, including nearly 4 in 10 voters who identify as Republican. Respecting peoples bodily autonomy is not a Republican or Democrat issue  its an issue of trust and respect for the 1 in 4 women in our communities who have had an abortion. Its an issue of supporting people with complicated pregnancies, medical emergencies and the need to take back control over their lives.

I call on Cotham to show that her conscience is more bothered by this terrible bill than it was by the mean tweets she said contributed to her party switch. She must push to stop this dangerous bill from becoming law.

Janice Robinson is NC Program Director for Red Wine & Blue, a nonprofit that mobilizes the diversity of suburban women across the U.S.
Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley is set to receive funding to support early childhood screening services and mental health programs.

CareSource will be donating $35,000 to Goodwill as part of a national $2.55 million donation, according to a spokesperson from Goodwill.

>>DeWine announces $6 million in funding for OSHP aviation support

Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley is honored to be receiving this funding from CareSource to support our Child Screening Service with Early Childhood Mental Health Program, said Lance Detrick, President and CEO of Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley. With this funding, we will be able to serve approximately 2,500 children throughout the Miami Valley with early intervention for developmental delays and behavioral health concerns.

As part of an initiative focused on addressing the educational and healthcare needs of children with disabilities, CareSource offers annual grants that help select Easterseals Affiliates nationwide. The spokesperson said this grant helps children with disabilities of color, so they are kindergarten ready and can reach their full potential.

>>Sinclair Community College strengthens aviation training program with new grant

Dee Yocum, Vice President of Operations for CareSource, explained how this program helps local families.

This unique program helps local families gain access to screenings and mental health services that support their childrens future success in education, social-emotional learning, and overall developmental progress.

More funding for Easterseals Affiliates programs and services will be announced towards the end of 2023.




Chinese FM calls on China, Germany to jointly oppose "new Cold War"

Xinhua) 08:28, May 10, 2023

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during their meeting in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday called on China and Germany to stick to the right path, jointly oppose the "new Cold War" and "decoupling economies or severing supply chains," and inject confidence and impetus into world peace and prosperity.

Qin made the remarks during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin.

China and Germany are both among the major countries with global influence, Qin said, noting that the two countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation under the current international situation featured with interwoven turmoils.

The two sides should join hands to make a good preparation for the seventh round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation, accumulate achievements and make comprehensive plans for practical cooperation in various fields in the future, he added.

Facing various global issues and challenges, countries should cooperate rather than confront, should mutually respect rather than finger-point at each other, Qin said.

Baerbock said Germany attaches great importance to bilateral high-level exchanges as well as exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and looks forward to holding the seventh round of Germany-China inter-governmental consultation, which will be the first post-pandemic offline consultation and the first between the new governments of the two countries.

She said Germany is ready to work with China for positive outcomes of the consultation with a focus on joint efforts, sustainability and action, especially in promoting cooperation on climate change, energy transformation, biodiversity and youth exchange.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukrainian issue. Qin elaborated on China's position, stressing that China's consistent position is to facilitate talks for peace, and to promote the international community to form the greatest common denominator for a political solution to the crisis. European countries were urged to address both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis, and make efforts for the restoration of peace and security.

Qin is on a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of his German, French and Norwegian counterparts.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on stage during the Google I/O keynote session at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, on May 10, 2023

Google on Wednesday said it is opening Bard, a rival to Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, to 180 countries as it expands use of artificial intelligence across its platform.

Executives at an annual Google developers conference in Silicon Valley said that generative AI will also be used to supercharge the tech giant's leading search engine.

"We have been applying AI for a while, with generative AI we are taking the next step," Google chief executive Sundar Pichai told thousands of developers gathered for the event.

"We are reimagining all our core products, including search," he said.

Google is racing to catch up with rival Microsoft, which has rushed to integrate ChatGPT-like powers in a wide array of its products, including the Bing search engine.

Microsoft's dash into AI came despite fears about the technology's potential threat to society, including its impact on the spread of disinformation and whether it could make whole categories of jobs obsolete.

Cathy Edwards of Google Search said the new experience would be akin to a search that is "supercharged" by a conversational bot.

Other Google executives laid out how generative AI is being woven into Gmail, photo editing, online work tools and more.

The company's AI efforts would be carried out in a "bold and responsible" way, senior product director Jack Krawczyk said during a briefing.

Google's expansion meant it removed a waitlist for Bard, letting users around the world engage with it in English after months of testing it out in the US and Britain.

Bard will be modified to support 40 languages in coming months, according to Krawczyk.

"We're excited to get Bard into more people's hands," Krawczyk said.

"We're pretty fired up about where Bard is going."

Google also announced browser "extensions" that will imbue apps and services such as Gmail and Maps with AI features.

Bard technology will enable features such as filling in text to help draft emails and suggesting ideas for artwork by scrutinizing a picture of available supplies.

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Google is also letting partners build such extensions, including one from Adobe that will let users generate images, Krawczyk said.

The tech titan also unveiled new Pixel devices including a $1,799 foldable smartphone with a bendable screen that is the size of a tablet computer when opened.

"You're getting the best of both worlds," Google senior vice president of devices Rick Osterloh said of the Fold.

"It's a powerful smartphone when it's convenient and an immersive tablet when you need one."

Google also added a new tablet and a lower-priced version of its flagship smartphone to the Pixel lineup.

- Risky tech? -

Google's announcements came a week after rival Microsoft expanded public access to its generative artificial intelligence programs, which are powered by models made by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

"This could be a defining moment in the AI battle with Google and Microsoft going head-to-head for market share," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.

Microsoft's early investment in OpenAI gave it a head start "in this Game of Thrones Battle for Big Tech with Google now playing major catchup mode," the analyst added.

AI-enhanced features of Microsoft's Bing search engine and Edge internet browser recently became open for anyone.

The services have been enhanced with the ability to work with images as well as text, and Microsoft intends to add video to the mix.

Despite the rollouts by two of the world's biggest companies, risks from AI include its potential uses for disinformation, with voice clones, deep-fake videos and convincing written messages.

A range of experts in March urged a pause in the development of powerful AI systems to allow time to make sure they are safe.

Their open letter, signed by more than 1,000 people, including billionaire Elon Musk and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, was prompted by generative AI technology from Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI.

A prominent computer scientist often dubbed "the godfather of artificial intelligence" recently quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of the technology.

Geoffrey Hinton, who created some of the technology underlying AI systems, maintained that the existential threat from AI is "serious and close."

gc/jh
Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai

Google has announced it is rolling out generative artificial intelligence (AI) to its core search engine.

The move comes after Microsoft incorporated GPT-4 into its Bing search engine earlier this year.

Search Generative Experience - which will be part of Google - will craft responses to open-ended queries, the company said.

However, the system will only be available to a limited number of users and is still in "experimental" phase.

"We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," said Sundar Pichai, the boss of Google's parent company Alphabet.

Additionally, the company announced a new feature on Google's Android system will proactively warn users about unknown AirTags, tiny devices developed to track personal items like keys and wallets.

The technology giant said the "unknown tracker alerts" would go live this summer.

The announcement came after Apple and Google said last week they were working together to address the problem.

Last year two women sued Apple over AirTag stalking.

Women who have been tracked using the devices told the BBC last year that not enough was being done to prevent misuse.

Google made the announcement at its annual developer conference, where leaders of the company touted their latest advancements in artificial intelligence and new hardware offerings, including a $1,799 (1,425) phone that opens and closes like a book.

The company said it was removing the waitlist for "Bard", its experimental, conversational, chat service, which will be rolled out in English in 180 countries and territories.

It also said the chatbot would soon be able to respond to prompts with images as well as text.

Google has been under pressure to burnish its artificial intelligence offerings, after the runaway success of rival chatbot ChatGPT, which is funded by Microsoft.

A previous attempt to show off its credentials in the field, in February, ended in embarrassment, after it emerged that - in an advert intended to illustrate its capabilities - Bard had answered a question incorrectly.

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The incident wiped $100bn (82bn) off parent company Alphabet's share value - an indication of how keenly investors are watching how the tech giants' AI ventures play out.

Microsoft is deploying ChatGPT technology into its search engine Bing, after investing heavily in the company that developed it, OpenAI. Chinese tech giant Baidu also has a chatbot, called Ernie.

Chirag Dekate, analyst at Gartner, said Google remained an industry leader and was well poised to benefit in the interest in AI.

"Google has the tools to dominate the AI battles, the perennial question is - will they?" he said.
By Jeffrey Dastin and Greg Bensinger

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is rolling out more artificial intelligence for its core search product, hoping to create some of the same consumer excitement generated by Microsoft Corp's update to rival search engine Bing in recent months.

At its annual I/O conference in Mountain View, California, on Wednesday, Google offered a new version of its namesake engine. Called the Search Generative Experience, the revamped Google can craft responses to open-ended queries while retaining its recognizable list of links to the Web.

"We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, said after he took the stage at the event.

He said Google is integrating generative AI into search as well as products such as Gmail, which can create draft messages, and Google Photos, which can make changes to images like centering figures and coloring in empty space.

Alphabet's shares rose 4% on Wednesday. They are up 26% so far this year, compared with the 8% rise in the S&P 500 index in the same time frame.

U.S. consumers will gain access to the Search Generative Experience in the coming weeks via a wait list, a trial phase during which Google will monitor the quality, speed and cost of search results, Vice President Cathy Edwards said in an interview.

Googles foray into what is known as generative AI comes after the startup OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, the darling chatbot of Silicon Valley that launched a furious funding race among would-be competitors. Generative AI can, using past data, create brand new content like fully formed text, images and software code.

OpenAI, backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft and now integrated into Bing search, has become for many the default version of generative AI, helping users spin up term papers, contracts, travel itineraries, even entire novels.

For years the top portal to the internet, Google has found its own perch in question since rivals began exploiting the technology. At stake is Googles slice of the gigantic online advertising pie that the research firm MAGNA estimated at $286 billion this year.

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"AI can provide insight," Edwards said. "But what fundamentally people want at the end of the day is to be connected to information from real people and organizations, knowing, for example, that this health information comes from the WHO," or the World Health Organization.

Addressing how AI can spout incorrect information, Edwards said the company prioritized accuracy and citing trusted sources.

Google will also mark up images it generates with AI and make it easier for people to vet a picture's authenticity.

"Google's vision makes a strong case that search is evolving, not dissolving, and that Google is here to stay," said Canaccord Genuity analyst Kingsley Crane.

WHAT OUTFIT TO WEAR

With the embedded AI, Google still looks and acts like its familiar empty search bar.

But while a search for "weather San Francisco" will as usual point a user to an eight-day forecast, a query asking what outfit to wear in the California city prompts a lengthy response generated by AI, according to a demonstration for Reuters earlier this week.

A challenge of drawing on such AI, known as large language models, is the high expense. Edwards said, "We and others are working on a variety of different ways to bring down the cost over time."

Ads will remain key, Edwards said. "We only get paid when there's a click."

BARD FOR 180 COUNTRIES

Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, said, "The company is showing a willingness and ability to reinvent and disrupt itself, which I feel will be favorably received by investors."

In recent years Google's rivals have taken its research breakthroughs and run with them in products, outpacing their inventor.

ChatGPT came to light after an AI system Google revealed in 2017. The speed at which the chatbot grew - faster than any consumer application in history - encouraged the often deliberative Google to prod staff to hurry along projects.

In February Google announced its competing chatbot called Bard. A promotional video that month that showed Bard answering a question incorrectly propelled a stock slide shaving $100 billion off Google's market value.

Now, Bard will be multimodal like OpenAI's GPT-4, the company said on Wednesday, and it will make the chatbot accessible to people in more than 180 countries and territories.

That means customers will be able to prompt Bard with images, not just text - for instance asking the chatbot to write a caption to a picture they hand it, it said.

Behind Bard also is a more powerful AI model Google announced called PaLM 2, which it said could solve tougher problems. One of its PaLM 2 models is lightweight enough to work on smartphones, Pichai also said.

In more news for I/O, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian told Reuters the division is lining up customers to put its newest technology to the test, among them Deutsche Bank AG and Uber Technologies Inc.

As well, Google released a new foldable Pixel smartphone that lets consumers use the company's AI. To start the phone will be priced at $1799 and come with a free Pixel Watch. Google also unveiled a $499 phone it called the Pixel 7A, available for order starting Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Greg Bensinger in Mountain View, California; Additional reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru and Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh, Peter Henderson and Matthew Lewis)
When Google launched its Bard AI-chatbot, it didn't compare all that favorably to the likes of Bing Chat and ChatGPT. Indeed, the launch was a bit of a disaster, with a Google ad featuring a wrong answer by Bard, briefly tanking the company's stock by 8%. Today, at its I/O developer conference, Google is hoping to reintroduce Bard to a more favorable reception (and in a move similar to Bing Chat using OpenAI's GPT-4 without telling anyone, Bard has similarly been using PaLM 2 for a while already as well).

This would be a good time for Bard to smarten up, too. Google is not only removing its waitlist and making Bard available to anyone in over 180 countries and territories (in English), but it's also launching support for Japanese and Korean and promises to support 40 languages in the near future. In addition, it's also announcing a slew of new features for Bard, including multimodal queries that can work with images, so you can use your images in a prompt or have Bard explain them to you.

Image Credits: Google

The company will also soon launch extensions for Bard, including from Google's own apps and services like Maps, Sheets, Gmail and Docs (and Google will soon make it easier to export Bard's responses to Gmail and Docs, too). But maybe more importantly, Google is also working with third-party partners to bring their services into Bard. For now, though, the only third-party service highlighted by Google during its press conference is Adobe's Firefly generative image generation service, but support for Wolfram Alpha and other providers is coming soon, too.

Support for Firefly seems like an odd move at first, given that Google features its own image generation service as part of Vertex, too. Adobe's big advantage, though, is that Firefly is commercially safe, given that it only trained it on images that Adobe had licensed or that are in public domain. That's held back some of its capabilities (it won't generate a Balenciaga pope for you, for example) but also ensures that users (and in this case, that includes Google) aren't running any legal risks.

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Image Credits: Google

Also new in this update: Bard can now surface images in its responses. Say you are looking for information about a tourist destination, Bard will now show you popular sights there.

Image Credits: Google

On top of these image-related features, Google is also expanding Bard's coding capabilities, powered in part by Google Lens. As the company notes, this doesn't just include being able to generate code but also explaining code snippets and helping users debug code. Most of these capabilities launched last month, but as part of this next release, Google is bringing enhanced code citations to Bard, showing users the specific blocks of code that it used and its relevant licensing information when it generates code where the model quotes existing code at length.

Also coming soon: Bard can now map results with Google Maps and structure data in a table (which you can then move to Google Sheets, too).

In previous iterations, Bard was already able to export Python code to Google's Colab. The company is now expanding this feature to allow exports of Python code to Replit, the popular browser-based IDE, as well. This will make it even easier for developers to use Bard to generate code and immediately test it.

Oh, and Bard is also getting a dark mode!

It's still very early days for these kinds of tools, though Google already faces a bit of an uphill battle given the early perception of Bard and ChatGPT's early start in getting mindshare. Indeed, Bard continues to feel a bit like a reactive product. Google's focus, I think, was originally on building generative AI into most of its products, just like it is doing now with AI in Gmail and Sheets, for example. A chatbot, with all of its potential consequences for disrupting Google's lucrative search business, likely wasn't what Google wanted to focus on, but now the market forced the company to react. Surely, if Google had wanted to, it could've built Bard right into its search engine. Microsoft was able to do that with Bing, after all.
Knowingly or unknowingly, Microsoft kicked off a race to integrate generative AI into search engines when it introduced Bing AI in February. Google seemingly rushed into an announcement just a day before Microsofts launch event, telling the world its generative AI chatbot would be called Bard. Since then, Google has opened up access to its ChatGPT and Bing AI rival, but while Microsofts offering has been embedded into its search and browser products, Bard remains a separate chatbot.

That doesnt mean Google hasnt been busy with generative AI. Its infused basically all of its products with the stuff, while leaving Search largely untouched. That is, until now. At its I/O 2023 keynote today, the company unveiled the Search Generative Experience (SGE) as part of the new experimental Search Labs platform. Users can sign up to test new projects and SGE is one of three available at launch.

I checked out a demo of SGE during a briefing with Googles vice president of Search and, while it has some obvious similarities to Bing AI, there are notable differences as well.

For one thing, SGE doesnt look too different from your standard Google Search at first glance. The input bar is still the same (whereas Bings is larger and more like a compose box on Twitter). But the results page is where I first saw something new. Near the top of the page, just below the search bar but above all other results is a shaded section showing what the generative AI found. Google calls this the AI-powered snapshot containing key information to consider, with links to dig deeper.

At the top of this snapshot is a note reminding you that Generative AI is experimental, followed by answers to your question that SGE found from multiple sources online. On the top right is a button for you to expand the snapshot, as well as cards that show the articles from which the answers were drawn.

A screenshot showing Google's new Search Generative Experience page with results to a query about an e-bike.

I asked Edwards to help me search for fun things to do in Frankfurt, Germany, as well as the best yoga poses for lower back pain. The typical search results showed up pretty much instantly, though the snapshot area showed a loading animation while the AI compiled its findings. After a few seconds, I saw a list of suggestions for the former, including Palmengarten and Romerburg. But when Edwards clicked the expand button, the snapshot opened up and revealed more questions that SGE thought might be relevant, along with answers. These included is Frankfurt worth visiting and is three days enough to visit Frankfurt, and the results for each included source articles.

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My second question yielded more interesting findings. Not only did SGE show a list of suggested poses, expanding the answers brought up pictures in the source articles that gave a better idea of how to perform each one. Below the list was a suggestion to avoid yoga if you have certain back problems, such as a spinal fracture or a herniated disc. Further down in the snapshot, there was also a list of poses to avoid if you have lower back pain.

Importantly, the very bottom of the snapshot included a note saying This is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. Edwards said this is one of the safety features built into SGE, where the disclaimer shows up on sensitive topics that could affect a persons health or financial decisions.

In addition, the snapshot doesnt appear at all when Googles algorithms detect that a query has to do with topics like self-harm, domestic violence or mental health crises. What youll see in those situations is the standard notice about how and where to get help.

A screenshot showing the SGE's snapshot reply, with individual items neatly listed in a chart.

Based on my brief and limited preview, SGE seemed at once similar and different to Bing AI. When citing its sources, for example, SGE doesnt show inline notations with footnotes linking to each article. Instead, it shows cards on the right or below each section, similar to how the cards on news results look.

Both Google and Microsofts layouts offer conversational views, with suggested follow-up prompts at the end of each response. But SGE doesnt have an input bar at the bottom, and the search bar remains up top, outside of the snapshot. This makes it seem less like talking to a chatbot than Bing AI.

Google didnt say it set out to build a conversational experience, though. It said With new generative AI capabilities in Search, were now taking more of the work out of searching. Instead of your having to do multiple searches to get at a specific answer or itinerary or process, you can just bundle your parameters into one query, like Whats better for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, Bryce Canyon or Arches.

The good news is that when you use the suggested responses in the snapshot, you can go into a new conversational mode. Here, context will be carried over from question to question, according to a press release. Youll also be able to ask Google for help buying things online, and Edwards said the company sees 1.8 billion updates to its product listings every hour, helping keep information about supply and prices fresh and accurate. And since its Google after all, and Google relies heavily on ads to make money, SGE will also feature dedicated ad spaces throughout the page.

Google also said it would remain committed to making sure ads are distinguishable from organic search results. You can sign up to test the new SGE in Search Labs The experiment will be available to all in the coming weeks, starting in the US in English. Look for Labs Icon in the Google App or Chrome desktop and visit labs.google.com/search for more info.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
After OpenAIs ChatGPT caught the tech world off guard late last year, Google reportedly declared a code red, scrambling to plan a response to the new threat. The first fruit of that reorientation trickled out earlier this year with its Bard chatbot and some generative AI features baked into Google Workspace apps. Today at Google I/O 2023, we finally see a more fleshed-out picture of how the company views AIs role in its cloud-based productivity suite. Google Duet AI is the companys branding for its collection of AI tools across Workspace apps.

Like Microsoft Copilot for Office apps, Duet AI is an umbrella term for a growing list of generative AI features across Google Workspace apps. (The industry seems to have settled on marketing language depicting generative AI as your workplace ally.) First, the Gmail mobile app will now draft full replies to your emails based on a prompt in a new Help me write feature. In addition, the mobile Gmail app will soon add contextual assistance, allowing you to create professional replies that automatically fill in names and other relevant information.

Screenshot of Google Slides, showing the Duet AI helper.

Duet AI also makes an appearance in Google Slides. Here, it takes the form of image generation for your presentations. Like Midjourney or DALL-E 2, Duet AI can now turn simple text prompts (entered into the Duet AI Sidekick side panel) into AI-generated images to enhance Slides presentations. It could help save you the trouble of scouring the internet for the right slide image while spicing them up with something original.

In Google Sheets, Duet AI can understand the context of a cells data and label it accordingly. The spreadsheet app also adds a new help me organize feature to create custom plans: describe what you want to do in plain language, and Duet AI will outline strategies and steps to accomplish it. Whether youre an event team planning an annual sales conference or a manager coordinating a team offsite, Duet AI helps you create organized plans with tools that give you a running start, the company said.

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Presentation of Duets AI in Docs

Meanwhile, Duet AI in Google Meet can generate custom background images for video calls with a text prompt. Google says the feature can help users express themselves and deepen connections during video calls while protecting the privacy of their surroundings. Like the Slides image generation, Duets Google Meet integration could be a shortcut to save you from searching for an image that conveys the right ambiance for your meeting (while hiding any unwanted objects or bystanders behind you).

Duet also adds an assisted writing experience in Google Docs smart canvas. Entering a prompt describing what you want to write about will generate a Docs draft. The feature also works in Docs smart chips (automatic suggestions and info about things like documents and people mentioned in a project). Additionally, Google is upgrading Docs built-in Grammarly-style tools. A new proofread suggestion pane will offer tips about concise writing, avoiding repetition and using a more formal or active voice. The company adds that you can easily toggle the feature when you dont want it to nag you about grammar.

Initially, youll have to sign up for a waitlist to try the new Duet AI Workspace features. Google says you can enter your info here to be notified as it opens the generative AI features to more users and regions in the weeks ahead.

Thomas Kurian at Google I/O revealing Duet AI for Google Cloud

Duet AI also adds a set of machine learning-powered Google Cloud developer tools. It can provide real-time code assistance and recommend generated code blocks while pointing out errors. The feature supports Go, Java, Javascript, Python and SQL. Meanwhile, Duet AIs chat assistance is a chatbot to answer your coding and Google Cloud questions. Finally, Google Vertex is adding new foundation models for AI developers to play with: Codey, Imagen and Chirp.

The company announced new foundation models for developers and data scientists. These include Codey, which can speed up development with real-time code completion and generation and supports over 20 programming languages. Second, Imagen is the companys image generator, including upscaling, mask-free editing and automatic captioning in more than 300 languages. Finally, Chirp offers real-time speech translation (based on a two-billion-parameter speech model). Google says it helps organizations engage with customers and constituents more inclusively in their native languages. Examples include using it for call center agents and captioning videos. Chirp achieves 98% accuracy on English and relative improvement of up to 300% in languages with less than 10 million speakers, the company said.

Google example of coding with Duet AI

Also folded into the Cloud AI announcements is the Embeddings API for text and images. It can help developers build powerful semantic search and text classification. The company says, Embeddings convert text and image data into multi-dimensional numerical vectors that map semantic relationships and can be processed by large models and are particularly useful for longer inputs, such as texts with thousands of tokens. Embeddings API is available now for devs in Vertex AI, with the text version in preview; only trusted testers can use the text / image API.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Fox Business

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) seemed to admit on Wednesday that the GOP doesnt have the hard proof linking President Joe Biden to any criminal scheme involving his familys business affairs, adding that people will just have to infer whats happening on this issue.

Johnsons remarks came on the same morning that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) unveiled new details supposedly supporting his panels allegations about the president. However, despite Comers claiming that this would make Watergate look like jaywalking and would be judgment day for Biden, his report didnt match the hype.

While Comer previously said hed identify multiple policy decisions made by the president that were tied to his family members foreign financial transactions, Comer provided no evidence on Wednesday to back those claims. In fact, the latest report didnt show any payments made directly to Bideneither as president or vice president. Comer was unable to name any specific Biden policies influenced by foreign money at his Wednesday presser, instead pointing to the president placing China first and America last while saying his committee would get into more of those later.

Along with Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Johnson has led the charge for several years on a probe of the Biden familymost especially the presidents son Hunter. During a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox Business Networks Mornings With Maria, Johnson boasted of a volume of evidence the House Republicans had gathered on the Biden crime schemes.

White House Goes on Offense Against GOPs Biden Attack Dog

It makes clear the corruption within these agencies, but it also makes clear the corruption of the mainstream media who will largely ignore and minimize it, Johnson told pro-Trump host Maria Bartiromo.

At the same time, the Wisconsin lawmaker acknowledged that it would be difficult for the committee to actually prove its case, suggesting theyd have to rely on insinuation, innuendo, and conservatives distrust of the media.

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People that commit criminal acts try not to leave a paper trail. So it's very difficult to piece this all together, particularly when you have the leftists, the progressives and the mainstream media doing everything they can to undermine your investigation, he declared.

On the bank records, you're not going to see [a] bribe to change this policy. You have to infer what's happening here. You have to take a look at the bulk of the evidence, Johnson exclaimed, adding: Again, you have to infer these things, youre not necessarily going to get necessarily hard proof, but there is such a huge body of evidence.

The senator went on to complain that the media will do the exact same thing that they did when he and Grassley first tried to link Biden to foreign financial entanglements before the 2020 election.

Theyll just say, Oh, there's no proof of a crime here. You can say it's circumstantial, he grumbled. You don't have these people writing on a piece of paper, 10 percent to Vice President Biden. They do it cryptically, '10 percent to the big guy. Thats how criminals operate. They do it cryptically.

Johnson wasnt the only Republican on Wednesday to admit there may not be any fire behind all the smoke. During a Fox News appearance on Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX)who also sits on the oversight committeewas unable to say Republicans could connect any Biden policy to foreign money transactions.

I think that could very well possibly happen, was the best Fallon could muster.

A GOP Chairmans Tricky Hypocrisy on Political Probes

Additionally, Republicans were hit with another setback on Wednesday afternoon when the FBI refused to hand over an informant file that Grassley and Comer claim outlines an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.

Citing a highly credible whistleblower, Grassley and Comer have suggested the file would show Biden took bribes while he was vice president. Yet, in an interview with Newsmax last week, Grassley admitted their claims could be untrue.

The White House, meanwhile, has recently gone on offense. Prior to Comers press conference on Wednesday, White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a blistering statement to The Daily Beast.

Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called investigations with legitimacy, Sams said. He has hidden information from the public to selectively leak and promote his own hand-picked narratives as part of his overall effort to lob personal attacks at the President and his family.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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With a federal change expected to lead to a surge in migrants crossing the countrys southern border, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial bill that targets illegal immigration.

The bill (SB 1718), which the Republican-controlled Legislature passed during the session that ended last week, includes stepping up requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers, cracking down on people who bring undocumented immigrants into Florida and collecting data about whether hospital patients are in the country legally.

It is part of a series of steps that DeSantis and other Republican leaders have taken in recent years aimed at undocumented immigrants. It also comes as DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for president in 2024, blasts federal border policies.

Bidens Border Crisis is a catastrophe.



While Washington abdicates its responsibility to secure our border, Florida is once again stepping up.



Today, I signed legislation to combat illegal immigration and to deter illegal immigrants from coming to Florida.  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 10, 2023

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

This is just chaos, DeSantis said during a bill-signing event in Jacksonville. We are supposed to be the worlds leading superpower, and yet we cant even maintain control of our own southern border. The Mexican drug cartels have more to say about what goes on at the southern border than our own U.S. government does.

But the bill drew heavy opposition from Democratic lawmakers and other groups that said it would hurt migrants and people who provide assistance. As an example, opponents said migrants might not seek needed hospital care because of concerns about being questioned about their immigration status.

Hope CommUnity Center, an Apopka organization that provides services to immigrants, issued a statement Wednesday expressing concerns about the hospital requirement and other parts of the bill.

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Mr. DeSantis and his legislators are willfully ignorant of our immigration system, Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, the centers executive director, said in the statement. Undocumented immigrants want nothing more than to come out of the shadows. But the system is a dysfunctional maze that Washington refuses to fix. The Florida Legislature is punishing the wrong people for that and, in the process, dehumanizing their existence.

The bill includes:

Requiring all businesses with 25 or more employees to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of workers. Since 2021, such businesses have been required to use E-Verify, or what is known as I-9 forms.

Toughening criminal penalties for transporting undocumented immigrants into Florida. While the bill indicates the changes are aimed at curbing human smuggling, opponents raised the prospect of family members and groups such as churches being prosecuted for transporting immigrants into the state.

Requiring hospitals to ask patients about whether they are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally. Hospitals would be required to submit reports about the responses to the state.

Requiring law enforcement agencies to take DNA samples from people being held on federal immigration detainers. The samples would be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Providing $12 million to the state Division of Emergency Management for the Unauthorized Alien Transport program, which could transport undocumented immigrants to other states. The program would be similar to the DeSantis administrations controversial flights last year of 49 migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts.

DeSantis signed the bill the day before the Biden administration plans to end what is known as a Title 42 public-health order. That order, which stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic, provided a way to help expel migrants.

But with the end of the order, officials are preparing for a surge of migrants crossing the border.

President Bidens dereliction of duty at the border is costing Americans their lives. In Florida, weve taken concrete action to protect our communities by:

- Relocating illegal aliens to sanctuary cities in other states

- Enforcing E-Verify

- Establishing a task force to pic.twitter.com/DCU6YUBxFT  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 10, 2023

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Washington state employees will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday, but they will be offered an incentive to stay up to date on their shots.

Inslee moved to rescind directive 22-13.1 the same day that COVID-19 vaccine requirements will end for federal employees and contractors.

The action comes months after Washington states COVID-19 emergency order ended on Oct. 31, 2022. It also coincides with the expiration of the federal public health emergency. Notably, the World Health Organization announced an end to the global health emergency for COVID-19 last week.

In a news release, Inslee acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last three years and thanked state employees for their service during that time.

Throughout this public health crisis, our state employee family demonstrated inspiring resilience and dedication, and I thank our employees for their exemplary service under unprecedented circumstances, Inslee said.

We have risen to the occasion during a defining moment in our history, and the measures we took helped us to achieve one of the lowest death rates in the nation.

Washington state had the fifth lowest death rate among states, with 212 per 100,000 from Jan. 21, 2020, to May 3, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In all, the data show 16,151 people died of COVID-19 in Washington state.

The United States had a death rate of 340 per 100,000 over the same period, the data shows. Over 1.1 million people died across the country in that time.

In his directive, Inslee told state agencies that they must still maintain safe and healthy workplaces and communities going forward.

We must continue to take steps to limit the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the risk of serious illness and death, Inslee said.

He advised state employees to stay home when they feel sick, wear a fitted face mask if theyve been exposed to the virus and stay up-to-date on their vaccine shots.

To incentivize vaccinations, the release says the state will offer $1,000 to eligible employees who share proof of up-to-date vaccinations. This incentive will be available starting July 25.

The states Office of Financial Management will notify employee unions about the directive and negotiate relevant changes to their collective bargaining agreements, according to the release.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law Tuesday designating January as Americans of Chinese Descent Month, making Washington the first state in the country to honor Chinese Americans in such a way.

Senate Bill 5000 was sponsored by Sen. Keith Wagoner (R-Sedro Woolley) and was the first measure introduced in the Senate for the 2023 regular legislative session. The bill designates each January in Washington as Chinese American/Americans of Chinese Descent History Month.

Today is the culmination of years of hard work by members of the Chinese-American community, said Wagoner. Linda Yang and Asians for Equality were joined by parents, schoolchildren, educators, small business owners and others who brought the measure to me, raised awareness  both inside and outside of their community  and worked diligently for years to see this historic day.

According to a news release from Wagoners office, the new law also encourages public schools to designate time for educational activities that commemorate the states complicated history with the Chinese community  the good and the bad.

The law created by SB 5000 takes effect July 23.
[Source]

Gov. Ron DeSantis has passed a bill banning Chinese citizens from buying land in the state of Florida.

Bill SB 264, titled SB 264: Interests of Foreign Countries, is scheduled to take effect on July 1 and will prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing or acquiring real property or from having more than a small indirect interest in such real property in Florida.

The Republican governor said the legislation makes it very clear we don't want the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Sunshine State."

They have established a position of economic might, of industrial hegemony and their military is far stronger today than it was 20 or 25 years ago, DeSantis said during the bill-signing in Brooksville on Monday. They have a leader who's very ideological and is intent on expanding CCP influence, not just in their region but even around the globe.

More from NextShark: Millions of Filipinos visit cemeteries for All Saints Day

SB 264 holds an exception for Chinese visa holders, who are permitted to be in ownership of one home as long as they are registered with a state agency.

The bill, which previously passed the House with a 95-17 vote and the Senate with a 31-8 vote, will, however, limit Chinese citizens with non-tourist visas to acquiring less than two acres of land that is at least five miles away from any military installations.

It also restricts foreign citizens from Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria to purchase land within 10 miles of military bases.

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DeSantis has previously shown opposition to Chinese purchases of state land.

In an appearance on Fox News last year, the Florida governor described residential real estate ownership by Chinese entities as a huge problem."

At a press conference in January, DeSantis said, If you look at the Chinese Communist Party, theyve been very active throughout the Western Hemisphere in gobbling up land. That is not in the best interests of Florida to have the Chinese Communist Party owning farmland, owning land close to military bases.

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Other than property, DeSantis has also signed two other bills that are intended to curb the influence of the CCP, including banning the use of TikTok and WeChat.

More from NextShark: Thai travelers risk death penalty if they bring weed into Indonesia; embassy warns against it

Bill SB 258 prohibits the Chinese-owned social media platforms from running on school and government devices. Students would not be able to access TikTok or WeChat on their personal devices while using a school or government Wi-Fi network.

The other bill, SB 846, limits colleges and universities in Florida from building relationships with foreign countries of concern, including prohibiting universities from accepting funding from China.

Last month, there were more than 100 people protesting against the legislation, expressing concern that it would lead to racial profiling and discrimination against Floridas Chinese population.

More from NextShark: California city council decides it won't declare heritage months because they 'exclude people'

Floridas bill is not the first to pass against Chinese land ownership. In March, South Carolinas senate passed a bill preventing alien land ownership. There are eleven other states that have considered or taken legislative action regarding property ownership.
Nothing can stop Amanda Zoe Hernandez Rodriguez, it seems.

Shes survived hurricanes, earthquakes and a pandemic, a relatively eventful life for a 22-year old college student. She's powered through each cataclysm a little more resilient than before. Those challenges taught her the importance of community service, and now, as she finishes her degree from Iowa State University this week, Hernandez Rodriguez has set her sights on returning to her native Puerto Rico and building a bright future in one of the business worlds most critical fields.

Ive seen a lot of things at a young age that I shouldnt have, Hernandez Rodriguez said. My mother tells me I lived so much at 16 or 17. That helped me push forward and believe in myself, in a sense, because I want to be somebody and make a change.

When disasters strike

Hernandez Rodriguez's life forever changed at age 16.

Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, washing away entire neighborhoods, crippling the islands electrical grid and leaving nearly 3,000 people dead in its wake. Hernandez Rodriguez remembers the disaster as a turning point, a period of time that shaped her outlook in the years to come.

Spring 2023 graduate Amanda Zoe Hernandez Rodriguez. Shes a supply chain major from Puerto Rico. She survived devastating hurricanes and earthquakes before she left for Iowa State. Those experiences gave her a sense of resilience and dedication to helping others. (Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)

Her family home in Caguas was spared by the hurricane, a city near the islands Central Mountain Range, though the residual effects were daunting. The family was without power for months, though their electricity was restored much sooner many other Puerto Ricans because of her homes proximity to a hospital. Power wasnt fully restored to some parts of the island for roughly 11 months after the hurricane arrived.

Hernandez Rodriguez remembers touring the island after the storm, feeling overwhelmed by despair as she surveyed the entire scope of the destruction. The strength and spirit of her neighbors inspired her, igniting the teenager to volunteer with her schoolmates to clean up neighborhoods and help rebuild.

Puerto Ricans are resilient and happy people, she said. We find a way to just live with what we have and make the best of whats happening. My neighbors went outside and helped clean the streets. Everybody united.

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But disaster struck again before the island could fully recover.

Puerto Rico lies at the boundary of two tectonic plates in the Caribbean, making the region vulnerable to earthquakes. A major quake struck Puerto Rico in January 2020, once again crippling the islands electrical infrastructure and causing serious damage to some regions. Hernandez Rodriguez, a student at Iowa State at the time, was visiting her home during winter break when the quake struck. She remembers thinking that it felt like a wicked one-two punch with Hurricane Maria still so fresh in her memory.

She decided that wherever her path led, she wanted to give back to Puerto Rico.

I want to help my island when stuff like this happens, she said. I want to give back to my island because I was born there and everything I know is from there.

Finding her passion during a pandemic

As her high school graduation approached, Hernandez Rodriguez knew attending college in the United States was the next step. She applied to nine schools and learned of Iowa State when one of her high school teachers mentioned their son had become a Cyclone.

Hernandez Rodriguez wanted to study business, but hadnt yet decided on a specialization. The breadth of courses and majors offered in the Ivy College of Business reassured her that she could find the right program at Iowa State.

So, without ever having visited Ames or the Iowa State campus, she moved north to begin her education journey.

Various growing pains ensued during the first semester, navigating the academic challenges of college in a setting where English is spoken far more commonly than Spanish, her first language. But, Hernandez Rodriguez felt as if she was hitting her stride by the start of her second year in Ames  only for the COVID-19 pandemic to upend her academic plans.

The nationwide outbreak forced Hernandez Rodriguez to return to Puerto Rico during the spring semester of 2020, mere days after her 19 birthday, when all Iowa State coursework shifted to virtual instruction. She expected the the move to last a few weeks, but as the pandemic wore on, she realized she wasnt getting as much as she'd hoped out of her classes.

I didnt want to sit on a computer and watch the screen, she said. I tried, but it was still hard.

She considered quitting school, but the resilience she gained from her fellow Puerto Ricans as they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the ensuing earthquake provided plenty of fuel to continue. Rather than viewing the pandemic as an obstacle that could derail her education, she decided to view it as an opportunity to grow.

This is just a stepping stone in the progress of who Im going to become, she said. This is just another step thats going to take me where I want to go.

The pandemic disrupted supply chains across the globe, making many previously common goods difficult to find. Suddenly, supply chains and logistics became critical concerns not just for those in the business world but for consumers everywhere. The more Hernandez Rodriguez learned about supply chains, the more convinced she became shed found her calling.

She enrolled in Iowa States supply chain management major, with a finance minor, and thats the degree shell receive at the conclusion at graduation this weekend. Shell put that experience to use when she works for Collins Aerospace as a global supplier development analyst, working with global suppliers to anticipate and prepare for potential supply chain disruptions.

The 22-year old will be able to work from Puerto Rico, allowing her to stay connected to her home and help with disaster recovery.

Thanks to COVID, I found my major, Hernandez Rodriguez said. All those shortages that were happening, all of that was because of supply chains. I started understanding, and I completely fell in love with the field. Supply chain is everything.

Leaving Puerto Rico to attend Iowa State University was one of the best decisions shes ever made, Hernandez Rodriguez said. She credited the support she received from her professors and university staff as a major ingredient for her success.

I want to inspire other Latinas to come to Iowa State and study business because the opportunities here are amazing, she said. The atmosphere, the faculty, they really work with you.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: ISU senior turns disasters into stepping stones toward growth
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday praised the work of the Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety at the Texas-Mexico border, sharing a video that showed soldiers and troopers turning migrants away from the other side of razor wire.

Abbott made the post on his personal Twitter account, sharing a Fox News correspondent's tweet that showcased video by Todd Bensman, a fellow at a conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank. It was filmed at the border between Matamoros and Brownsville.

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the organization, which carries the name "Center for Immigration Studies," as a hate group due to its "circulation of white nationalist and antisemitic writers," noting the policy institute's reports have been criticized and often debunked as untrue by others.

Abbott deployed a Tactical Border Force to South Texas on Monday and criticized Biden in his Wednesday tweet, suggesting the president sent "1,500 troops to the border to do paperwork," while he sent in people who are taking "real action."

The White House announced last week that the troops would be assisting with administrative tasks to help "free up Border Patrol agents to perform their critical law enforcement duties," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Great work by Texas National Guard and Texas DPS.



Biden sent 1,500 troops to the border to do paperwork.



Texas deployed trained soldiers and troopers to take real action and respond to this crisis. https://t.co/bVMeG0geQl  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 10, 2023

End of Title 42 addressed by DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Border Patrol Commissioner Troy Miller

During a border tour in Brownsville on Friday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas rejected Abbott's assertion that Biden has operated an open-borders approach to unlawful migration and vowed to promptly expel those caught unlawfully coming into the United States.

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"The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11," Mayorkas said. "And the smugglers who exploit vulnerable migrants are spreading misinformation. They are spreading false information, lies, in a way to lure vulnerable people to the southern border, and those individuals will only be returned."

The move comes as a surge of migrants is expected at the border when Title 42 expires Thursday.

On Wednesday, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Troy Miller issued a statement saying his agency is bracing itself, and notes entering the U.S. without proper documentation remains illegal.

CBP has been preparing for the end of Title 42. Notwithstanding this, we are facing a very challenging situation. When Title 42 ends, CBP will continue using long-standing immigration authorities under our laws to process individuals without authorization & impose consequences. pic.twitter.com/ZprzOtgvyF  CBP Troy Miller (@CBPTroyMiller) May 10, 2023

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Video shows migrants turned away at border by Texas soldiers, troopers
GREENLAND  Researchers studying a glacier in remote northwestern Greenland said they found that its melting faster than previously thought, which could mean that the climate community has been underestimating the magnitude of future sea-level rise.

The findings were published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and uncovered a previously unseen way in which the ice and ocean interact.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

By using satellite and radar data, the scientists said they learned that the Petermann Glaciers grounding line, which is the location in which ice detaches from the land and begins to float in the ocean, has been shifting during tidal cycles and is allowing warm seawater to melt the ice at an accelerated rate.

According to the study, when the grounding line retreated by about 2.3 miles between 2016 and 2022, it carved a cavity nearly 670 feet high  taller than The Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

"The glacier has not recovered from that retreat, and the ocean waters keep enlarging the size of that cavity," study co-author and University of California, Irvine, (UCI) professor of Earth system science and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientist Eric Rignot told FOX Weather. "The water is regularly flushed in and out of the cavity by the ocean tides, which makes the matter worse."

GLACIERS MELTED FASTER THAN AVERAGE IN 2022 AS OCEANS ROSE AND WARMED, SCIENTISTS SAY

The study said Greenland lost billions of tons of ice to the ocean in the past few decades due to the warming of subsurface ocean waters.

"The new insights about the processes controlling glacier melt by the ocean around the periphery of Greenland suggest that projections of sea-level rise from land ice melt are too low, possibly by a factor of two," Rignot added.

Study lead author Enrico Ciraci, a UCI assistant specialist in Earth system science and NASA postdoctoral fellow, said that the traditional view of grounding lines under the ocean-reaching glaciers was that they did not migrate during tidal cycles and didnt experience ice melt.

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CLIMATE TIME BOMB IS TICKING: UN REPORT WARNS WORLD RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO REVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The new study replaces that traditional view.

"Petermanns grounding line could be more accurately described as a grounding zone because it migrates between 2 and 6 kilometers (between 1.2 and 3.7 miles) and as the tides come in and out," he said in a news release.

Its now believed that the warm ocean water is getting under the ice through preexisting subglacial channels, and the highest melting rates are occurring at the grounding zone.

"This is an order of magnitude larger than expected for grounding lines on a rigid bed," Ciraci added.
Three armed men with crowbars stole timepieces from a luxury watch shop in Tokyos Ginza shopping district this week in broad daylight, according to The Japan Times. The brazen crime was captured on camera by several witnesses.

The trio donned white masks and black clothing while smashing through showcases, CBS News reported. Security alarms filled the heavily trafficked street as they fled. The thieves eventually made their way to a rented getaway van, which ran a red light. A door on the vehicle was still open as they tried to escape.

More from Robb Report

But the robbers didnt get far, as they ended up being trapped in a dead-end street, CBS reported. All four of the thievesincluding the getaway driverwere apprehended less than an hour after their crime. Authorities have since recovered around 70 of the nearly 100 timepieces stolen that have a collective value of more than $700,000. All suspects were between the ages of 16 and 19. The group told police they met each other for the first time when performing the robbery.

The plot appeared to be linked to a trend of criminal groups recruiting youths for an array of illegal exploits, according to CBS. Yami-baito, referring to black-market part-time jobs, allows gangs to outsource their dirty work to young people who are desperate for cash. The groups reportedly post ads with the promise of quick, easy money onlinesometimes on social media.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said they found 3,480 offers of such illegal work posted to Twitter in 2022, up from the 2,246 in 2021, The Japan Times reported. Using sweet words, they are skillfully targeting young people, as well as those with no financial leeway, a senior MPD official told the paper.

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Late last year, Robb Report reported that top cities around the globe like London, Paris and Los Angeles, are seeing more high-end watch robberies. For instance, $10 million worth of timepieces were stolen from Watchmaster, one of Europes leading dealers of pre-owned luxury watches. Watch collectors in London have also been on watch following a rash of thefts carried out by criminals who are searching through social media in search of potential victims. In America, Bay Area residents have had their Rolexes stolen right off their wrists.

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Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing two bills to change how the U.S. government classifies its military secrets after a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman was able to access and leak classified documents to his friends on an instant messaging app.

One bill  sponsored by Moran; Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat; Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican; and Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat  would only allow documents to be classified if their risks to national security outweigh the public interest. Documents could only be classified for a maximum of 25 years and only heads of the agencies or the president would be allowed to extend the classification.

A second bill would require that the administration to evaluate its existing security clearances to see if there are any areas that need to be reformed.

Moran said the volume of documents that dont need to be classified prevents the government from protecting the documents that really need protecting and that the system is outdated.

In todays environment, it is too great of a risk to have a circumstance in which so much information is classified that we fail to do the job of protecting the information that should be classified, Moran said. And weve seen it too many times and weve seen it most recently within the last month and the consequences to our country and its citizens well-being.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the system needs to be reformed because of how many documents are now available digitally.

Weve got too many people with access to a system that is devoid of accountability and has grown increasingly byzantine, bureaucratic, and outmoded, Warner said. We need to protect our national security secrets, and then declassify those secrets when protections are no longer necessary. Its time for Congress to take action and bring accountability.

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Moran joined the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this year, providing him access to information about some of the countrys biggest national security threats.

The committee last month was briefed about Jack Teixeira, the guardsman who was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking highly classified documents to a group on Discord, an group chat app frequently used by people in the video game community.

The documents  which spilled from Teixeiras group into other social media platforms  sparked international outcry and caused some of the countrys allies to question whether the U.S. can be trusted to keep government secrets.

The Air Force is actively investigating how Teixeira, a low-level guardsman who was tasked largely with IT work, was able to access and share some of the militarys most secret documents.

The classification system has also come under scrutiny after classified documents were found in the personal residences of former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden. The Department of Justice is actively investigating Trump and Bidens handling of classified documents.

One bill would address the issue of presidents and vice presidents taking documents by requiring a mandatory security review to ensure that classified documents are not improperly filed as personal records.
Attempts by the Brazilian state to reassert control over its lawless Amazon territories are leading to a deadly shooting war in the nations north.

The South American republic, led by left-leaning President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is attempting to rein in a gold-mining boom on the border of the indigenous Yanomami reserves.

That illicit industry  and illegal logging and land grabs in general  surged under nearly a decade of conservative rule, during which the countrys leaders turned a blind eye to the armed conquest of large swaths of forest by small-scale miners and large-scale agriculture.

The illegal incursions on the Amazon have resulted in mass deforestation, along with the pollution of rivers and the spread of epidemic disease. Some Brazilian human rights activists are also arguing that the miners moving in increasing numbers into Brazils constitutionally protected indigenous territory  like that of the Yanomami  may have been guilty of genocide, The Washington Post reported.

Now, under Lulas administration, Brazil is trying to rehabilitate its dire environmental record and reassert control.

Lula pledged at the 2022 United Nations climate change conference to end illegal deforestation by 2030.

In January, he took a flashy step toward that goal when he announced a state of emergency and ordered Federal police  under the highway and environmental ministries  to take the forest back.

But events last weekend reinforced how hard shutting down the illicit mining industry  or the broader plague of deforestation  is likely to be.

Last Saturday, miners ambushed environmental ministry officials as they attempted to dismantle an illegal mining camp near Yanomami territory, according to the government.

The heavily armed miners  who were suspected of shooting three Yanomami  opened fire as the environment ministry special forces attempted to land their helicopter.

Police returned fire and hit the four shooters, who succumbed to their injuries, according to the government statement.

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The shootout represented an escalation in Brazils months-long attempt to expel the estimated 20,000 miners for the Yanomami reserve  which constitute nearly as many invaders as its 28,000 Yanomami residents.

In three months of work, in Yanomami territory alone, the Brazilian government has destroyed 327 mining camps, 18 planes and two helicopters. They also demolished hundreds of motors and dozens of rafts, which are used to suck mud from the river bottom and filter it for flecks of gold.

In doing so, they are potentially taking on one of South Americas biggest mafias  the First Capital Command (PCC), a Sao Paulo-based prison gang suspected to have a strong presence in the forest mines, The Guardian reported.

Forest-clearing has advanced radically, violently and has changed its style in recent years, Tereza Campello, the head of Brazils Amazon Fund development program, told Bloomberg.

Today, it is a coordinated action with organized crime and narcotrafficking.

That pattern of deforestation is pushing the Amazon toward a tipping point at which it will begin to collapse, the World Bank concluded in a report this week.

That could potentially be very expensive for Brazil. Passing the tipping point could cost Brazil alone $184 billion by 2050, the World Bank warned.

Existing indigenous reserves like that of the Yanomami are also giving the rest of Brazil a reprieve. Those patches of intact forest filter contaminants and particulate matter out of the plumes of toxic smoke released from human-caused forest fires, leading to potential reductions of 15 million cases of cardiovascular and respiratory disease and $2 billion in treatment costs, according to a paper published in Nature Communications in April. The destruction of the areas would amplify the already-surging health impacts of Amazonian deforestation.

Companies and nonprofit organizations have taken steps to crack down on the purchase of products cultivated on land cut out of the forest.

This week, environmental law firm ClientEarth sued agribusiness giant Cargill over its failure to prevent deforestation in the Amazon and other protected Brazilian biomes.

The companys shoddy due diligence raises the risk that the meat sold in supermarkets across the world is raised on so-called dirty soy, ClientEarth alleged. Dirty soy in this case refers to soy grown on fields illegally cleared from the Amazon.

While Cargill has announced plans for its supply chains to no longer contribute to deforestation of the Amazon by 2025, the company buys 42 percent of its stock from third-party traders, with limited oversight into how their products are grown, according to The Guardian.

A 2020 investigation by The Guardian found proof that companies around the world  like British supermarket giant Tesco and McDonalds  were raising chicken on Cargill-supplied feed grown in deforested Amazon plots.

Cargill is not the only major company allegedly sourcing products grown on illegally cleared lands.

Multinational meat company JBS has been repeatedly caught selling meat grown in deforested fields in the Amazon, according to a report by environmental nonprofit Mighty Earth.

And a December probe by Brazilian federal prosecutors found that nearly 17 percent of cattle bought by JBS in one Amazon state came from ranches with irregularities such as illegal deforestation, Reuters reported.

The risks that come with a companys products being associated with destruction of the forest  like regulatory action, boycotts or simple reputational damage  are increasingly concerning to the financiers that large multinationals rely on for funding.

This week, leading London-based bank Barclays announced far stricter controls targeting Brazilian meat companies like JBS, for which the bank is the biggest financier.

Barclays bank managers said they had no appetite for financing any industry linked to illegal logging, violence against indigenous communities, or using fire in forestry.

But corporate-facing strategies like Barclayss have a major downside, Mighty Earth argued.

The banks new policy is reliant on its clients to police their own activities  and it does not explicitly cover livestock companies using deforestation-linked animal feed.

Lula, meanwhile, plans to reverse the tide of deforestation in the Amazon by increasing enforcement on illegal mining and logging in the countrys frontiers by federal environmental officials  whose responsibilities former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had slashed, according to EuroNews.

Lula wants Brazil to become a green superpower, with an agricultural economy that draws on the power of the countrys extraordinary biodiversity  without ruining it.

That will be a costly proposition, at least up front. The action in the Amazon is complex, requires articulated policies throughout the territory and is very expensive, Campello of Amazon Fund told Bloomberg.

According to the World Bank, Brazil needs almost 4 percent of its annual GDP to meet its goals for sustainable infrastructure alone.

Concerned over the rates of deforestation under Bolsonaro, in 2019 Germany and Norway froze their contributions to the Amazon Fund, a largely foreign-funded part of the countrys national development bank.

With Lula in power, the Fund is back. In April, President Biden announced $500 million for the Fund, pending congressional approval, according to CNBC.

And Brazil is also trying to raise money for the fund from the European Union, Japan and the U.K., according to Bloomberg.

One immediate project the country is undertaking: getting food and medicine to Yanomami communities to help make up for rising rates of disease and malnutrition, as miners have chased away game, ruined the forest and brought epidemics.

Another will be pouring more resources into the satellites that have helped Brazils police patrol the forests  while also helping miners evade them.

Remote satellites and sensing tools have allowed the Brazilian federal government  and embattled indigenous communities  to track and report illegal deforestation, indigenous activist Txai Surui told the Tico Times.

But technology can be used for evil, she warned.

Starlink satellite internet units, off-grid connections produced by Elon Musk, have proven a favorite means of backcountry connectivity for mining gangs, according to the AP.

The same satellite we use to protect our territory is used by invaders to destroy, Surui said, noting that plots of stolen indigenous land were being sold openly on Facebook.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A victim in a Saturday triple-shooting at a Detroit gas station says the gunman warned a clerk during a dispute that he would shoot every customer in the store before opening fire.

David Langston says he pleaded dont shoot to the gunman, who, according to police, was angered in a dispute with the clerk over $3. He said his best friend, Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, also begged the clerk to open the gas stations locked doors and let them out before being shot.The doors remained locked and the gunman shot the customers inside, Langston told Free Press reporter Jasmin Barmore, who is a friend of the victims.Langston, Fortner-Kelly and another patron were shot. Fortner-Kelly, 37, was killed.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy confirmed late Tuesday evening that the clerk locked the gas station with the patrons and shooter inside.

Samuel Anthony McCray, 27, of Detroit, is charged in the triple-shooting with first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of felony firearm, and another count of possessing a firearm as a felon.

Worthy said McCray attempted to make a purchase inside the gas station and, when his card was declined, attempted to leave with unpurchased items. The clerk then locked the doors, Worthy said in a news release.

McCray began arguing with the clerk before he opened fire inside the locked gas station, Worthy said. After three people had been shot, the clerk unlocked the door and McCray fled, Worthy said.

McCray was apprehended by police Sunday.

I want to be very clear, Worthy said. The investigation in this case is not finished.

Efforts to reach owners of the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road near the Lodge Freeway were unsuccessful.

More: Man accused of killing ex-girlfriend at Southfield hotel fatally shot by police

More: Eastern Michigan University graduate among 8 dead in Texas mall shooting

Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, 37, of Detroit, was killed in a triple shooting at the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road, near the Lodge Freeway in Detroit, on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Police said Monday that the gas station was unlicensed and was shut down by the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department amid the shooting investigation.

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Fortner-Kelly's loved ones are distraught and angry over the death. He was a father of three. His oldest daughter, 14, is about to graduate from middle school.

Before he was killed, Langston said, Fortner-Kelly tried to shield everyone from getting shot.

Thats just what type of person he was, said his childhood friend, Tihesha Redmond. Hes always been a person to be there for everyone around him and take care of them and make sure theyre good.

Fortner-Kelly was a graduate of Southfield High School and Wayne State University. He had been a substitute teacher, according to Redmond.

He was an outgoing, funny, comedian-type of person, Redmond said. No matter what youre going through, hes going to have you laughing.

He was truly an earth angel, added his mother, Marilyn Fortner.

Donations are being accepted for Langston at gofund.me/4fa5d21e

Free Press reporter Jenna Prestininzi contributed to this report.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gunman shot customers in Detroit gas station after warning clerk, victim says
Missouris Republican senators are sticking with former President Donald Trump after a jury found the former president liable for sexual abusing former journalist E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her after she went public with her allegations in 2019.

A Manhattan grand jury made up of six men and three women awarded Carroll $5 million after concluding that Trump had sexually abused her in a changing room at Bergdorf Goodman and for later defaming her in posts on Truth Social but acquitted him for rape.

I havent paid much attention to the case, said Sen. Eric Schmitt. I know its under appeal. I wish people were paying closer attention to the fact that the Biden administration is coordinating with the government to silence speech.

Schmitt endorsed former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary in February. In doing so, he backed a former president who was twice impeached, refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election, encouraged a mob of his supporters to go to the U.S. Capitol and who is under investigation by the Department of Justice for his handling of classified documents after leaving office and a Georgia prosecutor over his efforts to overturn the presidential election results in the state.

He stuck with his endorsement after Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury over allegations that he was involved in a scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from talking about their affair.

Schmitts endorsement is, in a way, returning a favor to the former president. In a contentious Republican primary in Missouri, Trump endorsed Eric, refusing to distinguish between Schmitt and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Trumps decision not to solely endorse Greitens helped Schmitt win the primary against someone who many deemed a liability in a general election.

Schmitt called Trumps endorsement of him full-throated.

As Trump is leading Republicans in the 2024 presidential primary most members of his party, like Schmitt, are standing behind him amid a slew of unprecedented legal challenges that followed the former presidents actions after he left office.

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Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he thinks the jurys ruling will do little to change the mind of Republicans who support Trump. Hawley has not endorsed a candidate in the primary, but has said he believes Trump will be the nominee.

People think that the criminal justice system  and I know this isnt criminal but the New York legal system is  this is my sense of what people think the Republican side  is that its off the rails when it comes to Trump, Hawley said. Maybe Im wrong. Maybe itll affect it. But I just kind of doubt it.

Trump has been leading in early polls of the Republican primary. His closest opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has seen falling support across the country, even though he has yet to formally declare his campaign.

Even in polls of the general electorate, Trump has largely been tied with President Joe Biden, who appears to have tepid support from members of his own political party. A recent Washington Post/ABC poll found that most Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults want the party to nominate someone other than Biden. That same poll found that Biden was trailing Trump by 7 percentage points.

The continued Republican support for Trump could explain why so many of the partys lawmakers are rallying behind the former president. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said he was aware of the headline but wouldnt comment on the jurys decision in the high-profile case.

I can tell you that people back home are concerned about the price of groceries, theyre concerned about their safety and security, Marshall said. I want to wait till the details come out.
Footage of an amazing prank that Steven Spielberg played on the director of The Goonies has surfaced online.

Spielberg, who produced the 1985 adventure film, joined forces with the entirety of its cast to pull off the lengthy trick.

He devised his plan after production had wrapped after a full year of filming, and director Richard Donner had decided to fly back to Hawaii for some much-needed relaxation time.

However, Spielberg flew the child stars, including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen and Martha Plimpton, out to surprise Donner  and the actors were there waiting for him before had even arrived.

Also participating in the prank were Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi and Joe Pantoliano, who played the villainous Fratellis.

In the clip thats been shared on Twitter, Donner, visibly shocked, can be heard saying: I dont believe it! Oh my God! What the hell are you doing here?

The child actors are excited to see Donner, with Cohen, who played Chunk, telling him: Were gonna stay with you the whole time were here. Astin adds: Were gonna do a sequel to the movie.

After he hugs the Fratellis actors, he jokingly flips his middle finger at a figure off-screen, presumably Spielberg, stating: Ill get you.

The footage has been hailed as amazing and one of the best things Ive ever seen on Twitter by viewers.

Well thats it then. Worlds greatest prank. Stop the search, one user wrote.

Heartwarming Goonies prank (Twitter)

Spielberg previously spoke of the prank in 2020 during a Goonies reunion on Josh Gads Reunited Apart YouTube channel, saying: Richard kept saying, Oh, my God, I got two weeks to go, and I cant wait to finish and Im going to go to my house in Hawaii, and Im gonna get away from all of this noise. Its extraordinary and I love em to pieces, but I cant stand it anymore.

When GOONIES wrapped, Richard Donner needed a vacation after working with the kids for an entire year, and went to Hawaii to finally relax. As a prank, Steven Spielberg flew the entire cast out (including The Fratellis!) to surprise Donner at home. Here's that footage. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/jfis28iFBz  SPENCE, TODD (@Todd_Spence) May 10, 2023

Plimpton said of the moment Donner saw them: He went white as a sheet. We thought wed given him a coronary.
People rest at the Oregon Convention Center cooling station in Portland, Ore., on June 28, 2021

People rest at the Oregon Convention Center cooling station in Portland, Ore., on June 28, 2021, as a heatwave moves over much of the United States. Credit - Kathryn ElsesserAFP/Getty Images

A record-shattering heat wave is blasting its way through much of Asia this week, following hard on another that scorched Western Europe and Northwest Africa in late April. Both augur a long, hot summer for much of the northern hemisphere, bringing misery to many as the world heats up from climate change. Researchers warn that rising temperatures will make heat waves more frequent, longer, and deadlier, particularly for societys most vulnerablethe ill, the elderly, the unhoused and, recent research shows, most acutely for those suffering from mental health disorders.

Epidemiologists from the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) studying the impacts of the Western heat dome event that seared parts of Canada and the Pacific Northwest in June 2021 found that those suffering from mental health conditions had an elevated risk of a heat-related death. Those with a history of schizophrenia were nearly three times as likely to die during that heat wave as during a typical week. We knew that schizophrenia was a risk factor, says Sarah B. Henderson, the scientific director of Environmental Health Services at BCCDC, who oversaw the study published March 15 in the journal GeoHealth. But the magnitude of the risk we observed in this particular event was very surprisinghead and shoulders above those other risk factors, and not in a good way.

The findings, says the studys lead author, BCCDC epidemiologist Michael Lee, demonstrate the need for climate-aware care for what has been, up until now, a largely overlooked segment of society. The most important thing we can do moving forward into the summer of 2023 and the reality of climate changewhere these heat events are going to become more common and more severeis to really start raising awareness of the increased risks to individuals with mental health [concerns].

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Psychiatrists and psychologists have long known that heat adversely affects mental healthinterpersonal violence, hate speech, and suicide rates also increase during heat wavesbut awareness has only just started to take root in the wider medical communitys mental health conversation. Approximately 1% of American adults suffer from schizophrenia, 2.6% have bipolar disorder, and 6.9% experience major depressionthree conditions that can increase sufferers vulnerability to adverse impacts during heat waves. From a public health perspective, that means educating those with mental health issues, their caretakers, and caseworkers should be a top priority, says Lee. People in their support networks need to sit down with them before these events to see if they understand their increased risks, and to help them have a plan in place for staying cool. Then, during those events they need to reach out to them, to see if they have air conditioning, and if they dont, help them find a community cooling center.

A version of this story also appears in the Climate is Everything newsletter. To sign up, click here.

The reasons why mental health patients are more vulnerable during periods of extreme heat are only just beginning to be explored. During heat waves, night-time temperatures are also elevated, leading to poor sleep which contributes to mental stress. And people with a history of schizophrenia in particular may not be aware of their own physical condition, even if it is life-threatening. If you are in a 50C [122F] room, and you are not perceiving the risk, you are going to die, says Henderson, noting that many of the heat-related deaths caused by the 2021 heat dome event occurred inside homes without adequate air conditioning.

Carol Lim, a psychiatrist for the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychosis Clinical and Research Program, says it is not uncommon to see schizophrenia patients come into her clinic bundled up in parkas and several layers of clothes on 90F days. In addition, people with mental illnesses are often isolated, stigmatized, and economically marginalized, augmenting the risk. They are not able to advocate for themselves, they dont always have access to air conditioners, and some are homeless. There is no family looking out for them.

Salem Fire Department paramedics respond to a heat exposure call at a cooling center during a heat wave in Salem, Ore., on June 26, 2021. A preliminary report released July 13 found the majority of those who perished in last months record-smashing heat wave were white, male, older and socially isolated. Nathan HowardAP

Those that are taking medication to treat their illnesses are even more vulnerable to extreme heat. Lithium, used to treat bipolar disorder, can become toxic when patients are dehydrated. Tricyclic antidepressants can cause excess perspiration, leading to dangerous levels of dehydration. And clozapine, a powerful antipsychotic used to control schizophrenia, is anticholinergic, meaning that among other effects it reduces or stops sweating, the bodys most important defense against overheating. This population is the most impaired, but then theyre taking the most high-risk medication that can further worsen their condition and their ability to thermoregulate, says Lim, who is the medical director for Massachusetts General Hospitals clozapine clinic.

That doesnt mean patients should stop taking the drugs during heat waves, says Henderson: These are absolutely necessary, lifesaving medications that improve quality of life among people with schizophrenia. Mental health practitioners and social workers should be addressing the whole range of risk factors instead, through education and social support. We really need to be shifting our focus to those other risk factorshomelessness, social isolation, povertywhile highlighting the important role medications do play, says Henderson.

That means alerting the entire gamut of social services to risk of heat waves on clients suffering from mental health disorders. Robin Cooper, a professor at the University of California San Franciscos department of psychiatry and president of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, calls it climate-informed care. Knowing that there are going to be periodic heat waves, [psychiatrists and psychologists] have to actively engage with our patients by educating them about behavioral ways they can protect themselves, through adequate hydration, appropriate clothing, and suitable shelter. For the most vulnerablethose with severe mental illnesswe need to engage local organizations and people who are from the community who have established relationships ahead of time to be able to go in and find Mr. Jones, who we know is vulnerable because of mental illness.

While most of the schizophrenia patients who succumbed to the heat wave in the British Columbia study were housed, homelessness is still a major risk factor, says Lim. Her mental health counseling practice at Bostons Freedom Trail clinic is located below a homeless shelter, one that closes its doors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. During a heat wave, shelters should consider staying open in order to provide a lifesaving refuge, she says. She would also like to see more proactive care at mental health clinics like her own. We should be doing heat wave risk assessments just like we do suicide assessments.

Now that heat wave season is upon us, she suggests setting up climate-focused group therapy discussions as well. It gives patients an opportunity to talk about this issue openly so that theyre more aware and know what to do. And if they feel more irritable or psychotic, they can think for themselves, Oh, maybe the climate is affecting my health. Climate change is a health threat. But unlike floods, heat waves are predictable, which means deaths from heat waves should not be.
Know the laws when youre gearing up for the spring 2023 Harley and Black Bike Weeks in the Myrtle Beach area.

Since helmet laws vary by state, if youre going to a Myrtle Beach Bike youll want to know the requirements so a ticket doesnt dampen your fun.

Here is what you need to know about motorcycle helmet ordinances for Myrtle Beach Bike Weeks.

Do I have to wear a helmet in South Carolina?

If you are 21 or older, you are not required to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle in South Carolina. Anyone under 21, whether they are a driver or a passenger, has to wear one under S.C. law.

What about in North Carolina?

If you take a jaunt across the state line to visit Calabash or Ocean Isle Beach, be sure to bring your gear. In North Carolina, all motorcyclists and passengers, no matter their age, must wear a helmet.

Have these laws always been the same?

In 2008, the City of Myrtle Beach started requiring helmets for all motorcyclists within city limits, which was more restrictive than the rest of the state. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional in 2010.
A local mother is upset that her sons high school wont allow him to wear a military stole during its graduation ceremony.

Victoria Bentley says her son is a Junior ROTC student at Maiden High School who plans to join the United States Marine Corps following graduation.

I dont want to see him go but Im beyond blessed and proud to be his mom, she told Channel 9s Dave Faherty.

Bentley purchased a stole for her son to wear to his graduation ceremony to honor his commitment to the Marines, but the schools principal denied the familys request.

ALSO READ: Groom home from hospital after bride killed in wedding night crash in SC

For me, I want him and any other student that chooses to do this to be able to show their pride if they want to, Bentley said.

Catawba County Schools says it only allows district-recognized academic cords during graduation stating, These guidelines serve as a function of a schools legitimate interest in celebrating academic achievement and showing class unity.

The district says the policy does not prohibit students from wearing cords and stoles at off-campus recognition programs but not during the official graduation ceremony.

Bentley says she doesnt understand the decision.

ALSO READ: NCSHP: School bus, dump truck crash in Union County

When he said no, it was very hurtful and disappointing at the same time because these kids make it possible for our kids to go to school and have the freedom to choose what they want to do, she said.

I think its important for them for the school to show that they support all of the students equally not just certain ones who chose to go to college, she said.

(VIDEO: Scholarship program in Union County helps first-generation students get into college)
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), shown in the House chamber in January, has been indicted on several financial charges. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

The 13-count criminal indictment against U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was unsealed Wednesday, revealing a broad set of allegations against the freshman congressman.

The 22-page indictment, on which Santos will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Central Islip on Long Island, outlined accusations of serious crimes, including violations of campaign finance laws as well as wire fraud, fraudulent application for unemployment benefits and other offenses, federal prosecutors say.

Luxury designer clothing

Santos is accused of working with an unnamed individual referred to as "Person #1" to solicit campaign contributions in October 2022 that he then used for his own personal expenditures, prosecutors said.

Person #1 solicited the contributions, telling potential donors that they were giving money to an independent political action committee or a social welfare organization, allowing them to contribute more than the $2,900 limit per candidate, prosecutors said.

At least two contributors gave $25,000 each after they were told the money would be spent on campaign ads, prosecutors said. Instead, Santos moved the money to accounts he controlled, including a personal bank account, according to the indictment.

He then used that money on the purchase of "luxury designer clothing," prosecutors said, not specifying what brand Santos bought.

Santos also used the $50,000 to pay off credit cards and make car payments as well as to make cash withdrawals, prosecutors said.

"These contributions ... were not spent on television advertisements or other independent expenditures in support of [Santos'] candidacy for the House," the grand jury charged in the indictment.

Unemployment scheme

Prosecutors claim that almost as soon as the pandemic hit and hordes of New Yorkers lost work and applied for unemployment benefits, Santos fraudulently posed as being out of work to receive thousands of dollars in benefits.

In reality, prosecutors allege, Santos was employed for nearly the whole period he was claiming to be unemployed, working as a regional director for an investment firm that paid him a yearly salary of $120,000.

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Santos is accused of exploiting the country's pandemic relief program known as the CARES Act, saying he was unemployed on March 27, 2020, up until April 2021, and collecting almost $25,000 in federal unemployment benefits, prosecutors said.

"Based on a false application and false weekly certifications to the [New York State Department of Labor], [Santos] received approximately $24,744 in unemployment insurance benefits," the indictment alleges.

False House disclosure forms

Santos is also accused of lying on his House disclosure reports in 2020, when he first ran for Congress, and again in 2022.

Prosecutors say that Santos claimed in the 2020 disclosure report that he earned $55,000 from "Company #2," when he had actually received only $27,555, along with $25,403 he earned working for an investment firm, which he failed to report.

In 2022, Santos again filed a false report, claiming salaries and dividends he had not made, prosecutors said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Microsoft has signed the worlds first-ever deal to purchase fusion energy.

The company has agreed to buy 50 megawatts of energy per year from Washington state-based Helion Energy starting in 2028.

For decades, controlled fusion power has represented a holy grail of clean energy among scientists and policymakers  power on demand, without the radioactive waste of traditional nuclear power or the planet-heating fumes of fossil fuels.

The need for clean electricity to slow the climate crisis has helped spur a wave of investment and innovation in the field, which now boasts dozens of private companies and more than $4 billion in venture capital invested in 2021 alone.

Fusion has definite benefits. The fuel is inherently clean, inherently safe, and could one day provide vast amounts of the type of power we need to tackle the climate crisis, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said in a statement following the announcement.

The Microsoft-Helion deal confirms that the State of Washington is the worlds leading hub for fusion energy innovation and commercialization.

But the deal also represents a big-money bet on a bold proposition: that fusion power will be brought to market years or even decades earlier than most experts had predicted.

The news comes as fusion startups are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their approaches are viable.

Fusion experts interviewed by The Hill declined to comment on the specifics of Helions approach, which have remained a closely held secret.

In the burgeoning world of fusion, the company has been very close to the vest with their information  which is part of their advantage, said Andrew Sowder, a fusion expert at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

Whether or not the technical elements pan out by 2028, the announcement marks a market milestone for the fusion industry, said Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT.

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Whyte leads a competing, private sector-funded fusion team that is seeking a more traditional route to fusion: a stable burn within the donut-shaped reactor known as a tokamak.

But he said that the Microsoft-Helion deal represented good news for the industry: a strong indicator that, once other approaches were ready, buyers would be interested.

And that is important, because its signaling what the world needs, what the consumer needs, Whyte said.

Microsoft is willing to take the bet because it is an insatiable consumer of carbon-free electricity.

The tech giant is squeezed between the growing computational demands of its AI software and its commitment to power its servers with carbon-free electricity by 2030.

The companys deal with Helion would only be a drop in the bucket of its larger power needs  50 megawatts is only about 10 percent of the power a company data center consumes in a year.

But for Helion, it represents an infusion of capital the company can use to bring their prototype to power-plant scale.

The flip side? Helion is now financially on the hook to develop commercial fusion much more quickly than most observers had thought possible.

The power purchase agreement is a firm contract, a Helion spokesperson wrote to The Hill. Pricing will be market rate. If Helion misses the deadline for putting power on the grid for Microsoft by then, Helion will face financial penalties, which signifies the strength of this agreement.

Its a big bet. For decades, scientists at government-sponsored labs have tried to replicate fusion by using magnetic fields to simulate the exotic physics possible within the crushing gravity of a star.

A big milestone on that road came last year, when the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced that it had achieved ignition: a fusion reaction in which more energy came out than was put in.

But that was only a small step on a road to a much larger goal, upon which most fusion approaches depend: fusing gases together to create a self-sustaining reaction that consistently puts out more energy than gets put in  even when the power costs of the facility are factored in.

Conventional fusion uses magnetic fields to contain a fusion reaction that is self-sustaining, like a fire in a hearth.

Trapped in its magnetic blankets, the fusion reaction releases a flood of radioactive neutrons into the walls of its container, creating an immense release of heat  which can then be used to boil water and run an electric turbine, just like in a nuclear or natural gas plant.

That approach  which the MIT team is also using  makes a lot of sense, Sowder said. Neutrons are the easiest ways to get heat out, and thermal plants are a highly mature technology  after all, society has been building thermal power plants for more than a hundred years.

But the thermal comes with significant challenges  not least that the neutrons tend to turn their container radioactive  and despite significant lab milestones, any kind of self-sufficient reaction suitable for a commercial application is still a long way off.

Helion CEO David Kirtley told The Hill that his company will be able to produce power earlier than anyone else because the company is not concerned with creating a stable, self-sustaining reaction.

Thats some pretty hard physics to do, and its also unnecessary, he argued, as long as all you care about is generating electricity.

Helions alternate approach builds on one of the scientific precepts that undergirds the modern world: Maxwells equation, or the revelation that magnetic fields and electric currents are two sides of the same phenomenon.

Rather than a roaring fire, Helions sixth-generation Polaris reactor is powered by something more like a series of small explosions, or what Kirtley calls a fusion engine: a series of small fusion reactions in the center of magnetic field.

Each reaction takes the form of a cycle. First, a magnetic field compresses a small cloud of gas until it is forced to fuse together  causing an expanding fusion reaction.

As that powerful pulse of energy pushes out against the magnetic field that contains it, it generates electric current that powers the next compression and discharges excess electricity onto the grid.

By capturing electricity directly  with no need to boil water and spin a turbine  weve been able to build fusion systems that are much, much smaller than any of the other approaches to fusion, Kirtley said.

And that means you can build them faster, you can learn more, and you can build power plants sooner.

This idea of direct energy conversion represents kind of a holy grail for the fusion industry, Sowder of EPRI said.

Sowder added that this high degree of efficiency is likely essential for Helion, given the relative poverty of their chosen fuel  Helium-3, a light form of helium (from which the company takes its name) that is far-less energy dense than deuterium or tritium, which power most fusion approaches.

With less power available in the fuel, Sowder said, Helion cant afford to waste any on boiling water.

He compared their approach to like solar panels: you know, they take sunlight and convert it directly into electricity  which makes up for the extreme inefficiency of the overall process.

For Helion, the infusion of cash from Microsoft will be essential to bring together the two successful lines of research the team has developed into a single functioning power plant.

Helion has shown it can achieve the necessary physics off of a single pulse and is working to tighten the cycles that will drive its engine.

We want to get from where we are now, which is operating once every 10 minutes. And getting that up to operating on the order of once a second, and were now building the first machines to do those at scale, Kirtley said.

If the physics are successful, Kirtley said, Helions partners in the deal  both Microsoft and national utility Constellation Energy  would be essential in the drive to turn a prototype reactor into a power plant, because those companies have far more experience building them.

That could help Helion get around a paradoxical handicap of its approach: the fact that, in comparison to more traditional forms of fusion, any power plant it builds will be so different from the thermal power plants currently dominant on the American landscape.

Most fusion plants do use thermodynamic cycles to do power conversion  and thats been our main meat potatoes for decades, right? Sowder asked.

That means, for both better and worse, Helion will be starting from the ground up.

Unless  unless again, theyre able to draw on some other technology, right? And this is where Im in the dark, Sowder said. And this is the benefit of innovation, right? You take something and then you apply it in a new way. And they may have done that.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found dead in a downtown Seattle alley.

Police were called to Third Avenue and Cherry Street at around 2 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a person with a traumatic injury. They arrived to find a badly injured man lying in an alley between Second and Third avenues.

Officers tried to give the man aid until Seattle Fire Department medics arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Initial reports were that the man was stabbed, but after more investigation, it is unclear how he died.

The mans body has since been removed by staff from the King County Medical Examiners Office.

Homicide detectives and members of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit processed the scene for evidence.

Anyone with information about the mans death is asked to call the Seattle Police Departments Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong legislators have granted the citys leader the power to veto foreign lawyers from national security cases, which will put a decision handed down from Beijing last year onto the finance hubs law books.

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The citys courts will have to obtain a certificate from the chief executive, John Lee, in order to allow a foreign lawyer to participate in such a case under the Legal Practitioners Bill, which was amended by the opposition-free legislature on Wednesday. The bill now heads to Lees desk for signing.

Previously, foreign lawyers were allowed to practice on an ad hoc basis, provided they were qualified in their own jurisdiction.

Last year, Lee asked Beijing to decide whether overseas lawyers could take part in national security law trials, after the citys highest court affirmed media mogul Jimmy Lais right to hire a UK-based lawyer.

Chinas legislature ruled that Hong Kong courts must get approval from the citys chief executive before allowing an overseas-based lawyer to participate. Wednesdays decision effectively codifies that response into Hong Kong law.

Lai, the septuagenarian founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is charged with colluding with foreign forces by seeking international sanctions against Hong Kong and China. His trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 25.

--With assistance from Richard Frost.

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HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong's Security Chief Chris Tang criticised an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on a seizure by authorities of a statue commemorating Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown on democracy protesters in 1989.

Tang said in a letter to the newspaper that the WSJ opinion piece, titled "Subversive Art is a crime in Hong Kong", contained "groundless remarks" that mislead readers, according to a copy posted online by the government on Wednesday.

The WSJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Journal said in its opinion piece that the seizure by Hong Kong Police's National Security Department of the "Pillar of Shame" statue was quietly executed and done without due process.

Tang said this was untrue and that officers took action with a court warrant on Friday and issued a press release on the operation.

"That the opinion piece presented the exhibit of the criminal investigation as an 'artwork' and the case as one concerning mere 'dissent' is totally misleading," Tang said.

Hong Kong law enforcement agencies are "duty-bound" to bring justice to people and entities acting in violation of Hong Kong laws, including the National Security Law, Tang said.

Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong in 2020, a move that Western governments have criticised as a tool to crush dissent.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law, which punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with up to life in prison, has brought stability to the city after the 2019 protests.

The Pillar of Shame, created by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot, is an eight metre (26 feet) tall statue depicting dozens of torn and twisted bodies that commemorates protesters killed in the crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

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.

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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.

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 but vigils have been barred by police from taking place since 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions.

(Reporting by Farah Master and Jessie Pang; Editing by Michael Perry)
WASHINGTON  House Republicans rekindled accusations Wednesday of influence peddling against President Joe Biden based on $10 million in payments from foreigners in Romania and China to nine of his relatives and their business associates, but without evidence of direct payments to Biden or changes in national policy.

The White House dismissed the allegations as more baseless innuendo from partisan rivals.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., head of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, distributed banking records documenting multiple payments while Biden was vice president. Revelations about the payments and business deals have been reported for years, but Comer and other members of the panel questioned why Bidens relatives such as son Hunter Biden arranged for payments through shell companies.

The Bidens foreign entanglements are breathtaking and raise serious questions about why foreign actors targeted the Biden family, what they expected in return, and whether our national security is threatened, Comer said at a Capitol news conference flanked by other committee members.

Comer has issued four subpoenas for banking records and announced he would issue another round of subpoenas to banks.

Committee Democrats issued a statement saying many of the bank reports Comer relied upon were based on "erroneous or unfounded claims." Democrats said none of suspicious bank reports "allege, or even suggest, any potential misconduct by President Biden" and don't show any involvement in Hunter Biden's financial or business relationships.

"Committee Republicans inexplicable misuse of these confidential law enforcement documents is not only irresponsible, it demonstrates the hyper-partisan nature of Committee Republicans probe into the Biden family," the Democratic statement said.

A White House spokesperson, Ian Sams, said in a Wednesday statement that Comer has been the one helping the Chinese Communist Party by attacking Biden. Sams said Comer used baseless claims, personal attacks and innuendo to try to score political points in his evidence-free, politically motivated investigation.

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The accusations represent the latest clash between congressional Republicans investigating Democratic President Biden and his relatives over allegations of influence peddling and foreign intrigue.

Here is what we know about the investigation:

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is seen during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 18, 2022.

Comer outlines Romanian payments

While previous GOP reports and news conferences have focused on Ukraine and China, Comer on Wednesday highlighted what he described as suspicious activity from Romania.

In May 2014, Biden as vice president visited Romania and delivered an anti-corruption speech to the prime minister, judges and lawmakers, calling corruption a "cancer" and "another form of tyranny." In September 2015, Biden hosted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the White House to discuss fighting corruption and fostering economic development.

Within five weeks of that meeting, Comer said the Cypriot company of a Romanian national, Gabriel Popoviciu, began depositing a total of $3 million with Rob Walker, a business associate of Hunter Biden. Walker then distributed more than $1 million to Biden relatives and their businesses, with 16 of 17 payments occurring while Biden was vice president, according to Comer. Comer did not say what the payments might have been for.

At the time of Biden's speech, Popoviciu was the subject of a corruption prosecution and he was later convicted of a bribery related charge, according to Comer.

"The fact that Vice President Joe Biden was lecturing the Romanian people about corruption while his family was being paid over $1 million from a Romanian businessman who was being prosecuted for corruption would be laughable if it wasn't so troubling," said Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.

Hunter Biden, who is a lawyer, was retained by Popoviciu in 2015 to help fend off charges related to a land deal in Bucharest, according to The New York Times. NBC News also found no evidence Hunter or Joe Biden "acted improperly or violated any laws."

Abbe Lowell, one of Hunter Biden's lawyers, said in a statement Republicans have nothing to show for five years of investigation of his legitimate business activities.

Todays so-called revelations are retread, repackaged misstatements of perfectly proper meetings and business by private citizens," Lowell said. "Instead of redoing old investigations that found no evidence of wronging by Mr. Biden, Rep. Comer should do the same examination of the many entities of former President Trump and his family members.

Hunter Biden, right, meets and speaks with his father President Joe Biden, and proceeds to walk back inside of the White House after the President and First lady Jill Biden welcomed and greeted people at the annual Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 10, 2023.

House GOP questions justification for Hunter Biden business deals, art sales

House Republicans also repeated accusations about Hunter Biden's lucrative business deals with China and art sales listed for eye-popping prices. But the administration and congressional Democrats have dismissed the accusations as hyper-partisan and politically motivated.

The panel in February questioned why Hunter Bidens art was listed for prices up to $500,000. Biden's art dealer arranged sales and set prices so that the Bidens wouldn't know the buyers.

The panel held hearings in February about Hunter Biden's laptop, which held emails and other information about business deals, and why social media companies stifled reporting about it.

The House passed legislation in March aiming to prohibit federal agency employees from trying to influence social media companies to suppress lawful commentary. But Democrats said there was no evidence at the hearing with former Twitter executives that FBI agents or others in the government had any role in the platforms decision to block links to the laptop story.

The panel announced in March Biden relatives received a combined $1.3 million from a business associate with links to China. The Biden administration dismissed the accusation as politically motivated.

The Treasury Department agreed in March to allow House investigators to review suspicious banking records about Hunter Biden and his business associates. But suspicious activity reports dont necessarily suggest criminal activity. Transactions above $5,000 are flagged for potential additional review and the department received an estimated 3.6 million reports last year.

Hunter Biden

What's next in House inquiry?

Comer said the committee is evaluating legislation based on its investigation to strengthen ethics and anti-corruption laws.

One potential bill would tighten reporting requirements for foreign transactions with relatives of high-level government officials, he said. The panel is also reviewing the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws to determine whether financial institutions have the resources to thwart corruption, he said.

"These deficiencies potentially place American national security and American interests at risk," Comer said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP calls Biden inquiry 'serious,' White House says 'innuendo'
House Republican leaders have a plan to deal with Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was hit with a 13-count federal indictment Wednesday accusing him of everything from money laundering to cheating the jobless benefits system.

Their message: let the courts deal with him.

I think in America, youre innocent til proven guilty, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Tuesday night after the news had broken that Santos had been indicted but before the formal charges had been unveiled.

Santos had already stepped down earlier this year from two committees he was assigned to after questions were raised about his background and campaign finances.

I think in America, youre innocent til proven guilty.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

The move preempted action under a rule among House Republicans that an indicted representative step off of their committees unless cleared of wrongdoing.

In America, well just follow the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial, McCarthy said.

Two of McCarthys top lieutenants reinforced that trust the process message Wednesday morning.

In America, theres a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters at a press conference. Scalise is the second-ranking Republican in the House.

As Ive said, from the very beginning, on questions on this subject, this legal process is going to play itself out, said Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the fourth-ranking member of House Republican leadership. There are a set of rules and, as the majority leader stated, he voluntarily had stepped down from his committees.

Republicans hold a slim 222-213 majority in the House, giving them only a four-vote cushion if every representative votes with their party. With such a razor-thin majority, every vote counts.

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For example, on the $4.8 trillion debt limit bill, House Republicans pushed it through the House with only Republican votes, 217-215. And this week, Republicans continue internal wrangling over a border security bill they hope to bring to the House floor soon. That, too, could be a knife-edge vote.

George Santos (R-N.Y.) talks to other members of the House during the voting process to select a Speaker in January.

George Santos (R-N.Y.) talks to other members of the House during the voting process to select a Speaker in January.

But some rank-and-file Republicans think the Santos show has gone on too long and is beginning to distract from the partys messaging. Indeed, House leaders plan to bring up a bill this week to make it easier to prosecute unemployment benefits fraud. But one of the counts against Santos is that he illegally obtained jobless benefits in New York, even as he is a sponsor on the bill set to come to a vote.

Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.) said Tuesday that the news of the indictments came at a bad time. The White House and Republican leaders are trying to negotiate a budget deal, and the expiration of Title 42 raises concerns about a border migration crisis.

And here we are yet again talking about somebody who just shouldnt be a member of Congress, Molinaro told reporters. The day we no longer have to discuss George Santos as a member of Congress would be a good day for America.

Other Republican members chimed in Wednesday in favor of resignation. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) tweeted, The people of New Yorks 3rd district deserve a voice in Congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.

The day we no longer have to discuss George Santos as a member of Congress would be a good day for America.Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) told a CNN reporter it would absolutely be better if Santos resigned. We dont need these distractions. Thats the unfortunate thing, he said.

Of course, Democrats would also love to see Santos gone. One, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), sponsored a bill to expel Santos that has not seen any action. Expulsion would require a two-thirds majority, and only five members of the House have ever been expelled.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a statement saying Santos showed Republicans never cared about the best interests of Long Island voters, whove been deprived of real representation due to Republican inaction.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former speaker, summed up the feelings of many Democrats. On Tuesday, she told reporters, I thought he should resign a long time ago. I didnt think he should ever be here.

Related...
House Republican leaders delayed an expected vote that would kick off consideration of their long-awaited border bill on Wednesday as they scrambled to shore up support.

Some GOP lawmakers voiced concerns about a provision on E-Verify  the government system that checks whether an individual is authorized to work in the U.S.  along with how the bill handles drug cartels.

Moderate members such as Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) who were concerned about the effect mandatory E-Verify would have on agriculture had expected GOP leadership to alter the bill in the House Rules Committee on Tuesday night with language that directs the Homeland Security Secretary to consider the adverse impacts of mandating E-Verify before implementing it.

But when the House Rules Committee returned from an hours-long recess shortly after midnight on Wednesday, it passed the bill without making any changes.

Members met with House GOP leadership to discuss the bill as the House stayed in recess more than an hour past an originally scheduled 1:30 p.m. vote to pass the rule and start consideration of the bill.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who has vented frustration over the bill not doing more to target drug cartels, warned on Tuesday evening that more than five GOP members  enough to sink the bill assuming every Democrat votes  would vote against the bill over opposition to a section that directs a study on whether drug cartels should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

If you designate a cartel as a terrorist organization, youve effectively created an asylum claim for millions of people, Crenshaw said. Its a very serious unintended consequence. And we dont want that.

But Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-Fla.), lead sponsor of the bill, said Wednesday that the bill has language specifically intended to prevent that kind of asylum claim.

Well get through it, like we always do, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said while walking from Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) office to House Majority Whip Tom Emmers (R-Minn.) office.

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The internal discord over the H.R. 2 Secure the Border Act came at a delicate time for House Republicans. The party is eager to fulfill campaign promises to address border and immigration issues and had already dealt with very public sparring over asylum provisions that were later assuaged with markups in committee.

And the timing of the bill coincides with a consequential week for the Biden administration. The House GOP had aimed to pass the bill on Thursday, the same day that Title 42  the pandemic-era measure that has allowed officials to refuse entry to migrants based on public health concerns  expires.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), leaving McCarthys office, told reporters that he is seeking reforms to agricultural labor to go along with the E-Verify expansion. He mentioned his Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would reform the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program.

Im feeling good about the progress, Newhouse said.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) had also said he was concerned with the impacts on agriculture. A spokesperson told The Hill on Tuesday that Simpson supports border security and leaderships efforts on this legislation, and wants to ensure that any legislation both secures the border and ensures that American agriculture producers have access to a stable workforce now and in the future.

Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massies (R-Ky.) office said earlier this week that he intended to vote against the bill over the concern the E-Verify measures could give the government too much power.

I never thought Id see Republicans clamor to give Joe Biden an employment off-switch for every American, after he just used threat of non-employment to force vaccinate millions of Americans, Massie said in a tweet on Tuesday. Mandatory federal e-verify will ultimately not be used for the purposes advertised.

Mychael Schnell contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Bidens family members received millions in suspicious money transfers before Biden became president, Republicans said Wednesday in their latest effort to portray Biden as hopelessly corrupt.

But the new evidence Republicans presented did not directly implicate Biden, despite promises of a bombshell revelation.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said bank records obtained through subpoenas showed that the presidents son Hunter Biden, his brother James Biden and his son Beaus widow, Hallie Biden, received payments totaling more than $10 million from foreign sources, including from individuals aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.

Comer stopped short of saying that the president himself received any payments or that he performed an official act in exchange for his family members receiving the money, but he said the investigation had entered a new phase.

We believe that there was a return on the investment for the investment that these countries were wiring money to the various Biden family members, Comer told reporters at a press conference.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the committees top Democrat, said Comer had failed to provide evidence substantiating his claims of wrongdoing by Biden.

He continues to bombard the public with innuendo, misrepresentations, and outright lies, recycling baseless claims from stories that were debunked years ago, Raskin said in a statement.

Most of the payments Comer detailed in an Oversight Committee report on Wednesday were made while Joe Biden was out of office, but Comer noted that Biden family accounts received several deposits from a Romanian businessman, who has been accused of bribery, while Joe Biden was vice president. Hunter Bidens connection to the businessman has been previously reported.

In fact, the money stops flowing from the Romanian nationals soon after Joe Biden leaves the vice president, Comer said. This is a pattern of influence peddling.

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Though Comer suggested the payments could be connected to Joe Bidens official work as vice president, he didnt allege a specific quid pro quo when pressed by a reporter.

We know that the vice president during the last year of the Obama administration traveled around the world. He talked a lot about foreign aid in different countries, talked a lot about American policy, American assistance, Comer said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams blasted Comer in a statement posted on Twitter.

Comer is asked for a single Joe Biden policy they believe has been unduly influenced. He cannot name a single one, Sams said. Incredible.

Still, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and other members of Comers committee suggested someone should be prosecuted.

The Biden family needs to answer for this, Mace said, and the DOJ needs to get off its ass.

For years, Republicans have fixated on Hunter Bidens questionable business dealings, such as holding a board seat on a Ukrainian energy company despite his lack of relevant expertise. Republican strategists and elected officials have also trawled a laptop formerly belonging to Hunter Biden for incriminating material. But the efforts havent yet yielded clear evidence of the presidents involvement in his sons efforts to trade off the family name.

Comer has been publicly claiming he has evidence of crimes committed by Biden family members since at least last November. However, its unclear if the new information he presented Wednesday, which used bank records to lay out a scheme of funneling payments to Hunter Biden and others through a network of shell companies, amounts to a breakthrough in the political case against the Bidens.

Separately, Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) alleged last week that the FBI received a whistleblower tip outlining some sort of bribery scheme related to Joe Biden, but hes acknowledged that the tip remains unconfirmed. Comer sent the subpoena for relevant documents.

Raskin has characterized Comers investigations as an endless fishing expedition for politically useful dirt on the Bidens. He suggested last week that Comers tip was likely disinformation from a Russian asset.

If I could give Raskin some unsolicited advice, sometimes its best to keep your mouth shut when you dont know what the hell youre talking about, Comer told HuffPost this week.

Before Comers press conference on Wednesday, the White House accused Comer of a long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points.

Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, have been weighing whether to prosecute the presidents son for allegedly failing to pay taxes. Oversight Committee Republicans suggested Wednesday that the Justice Department has been going easy on him.

Its interesting that the Department of Justice has been investigating Hunter Biden for quite some time, and we seem to just never really get anywhere, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said. I wonder whats going on at the Department of Justice.

Related...
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists on Wednesday unveiled a new accounting of the human genome that improves on its predecessor by including a rich diversity of people to better reflect the global population - a boost to ongoing efforts to identify genetic underpinnings of diseases and new ways to treat them.

This "pangenome" achievement was announced two decades after the first sequencing of the human genome, a feat that transformed biomedical research by giving scientists a reference map to analyze DNA for clues about disease-related mutations.

The new genome rundown may help clarify the contribution of genetic variation to health and disease, improve genetic testing, and guide drug discovery. It could be of particular value in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, macrocephaly, and microcephaly, as well as drug metabolism.

The work, led by the international Human Pangenome Reference Consortium of scientists funded by the U.S. government's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), essentially was a reboot of the prior effort and solved a key deficiency - a failure to represent the genetic variations present among the world's 8 billion people.

The previous work had significant gaps and was based largely on a single person's DNA. The new work is a collection of nearly perfect genome assemblies for 47 people of diverse ancestries and an alignment of those individual genomes to show which parts match and which differ. Calling this a first draft, the researchers intend to increase the number of people reflected in the data to 350 by mid-2024.

"A pangenome is not just one reference genome, but a whole collection of diverse genomes. By comparing those genomes we can then build a map of not just one individual, but a whole population of variation," said University of California, Santa Cruz genomicist Benedict Paten, co-leader of the consortium and senior author of the main research paper published in the journal Nature.

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This collection comprised genomes of people including those of African, East Asian, South Asian, European, North American, South American, and Caribbean ancestry, though not yet Oceania.

"Bottom line - what we're doing is retooling genomics to create a diverse, inclusive representation of human variation as the fundamental reference structure, and so mitigating bias. This is important if we want our research to benefit everyone equally," Paten said.

A genome is an organism's genetic blueprint - in this case a human - and contains the information needed for development and growth. But each person's genome varies slightly - about 0.4% on average - from other people. These genetic differences can shed light on a person's health, help diagnose disease, craft treatments and forecast medical outcomes.

"By building very high quality, almost complete references we're getting a better picture for how some of the most complex regions of the genome vary. Until now, the composition of these fast-evolving regions has been largely invisible to us," Paten said.

Researchers in 2003 unveiled what was billed as the complete sequence of the human genome, though about 8% of it had not been fully deciphered. That reference genome was a mosaic drawn from about 20 people, including 70% from one individual of mixed European and African ancestry. The first complete human genome, based on a single European individual, was published last year after scientists filled in the gaps.

Our species Homo sapiens arose in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago and later spread worldwide.

"Human ancestry is incredibly complex, and we're all related to each other through our common history," said Ira Hall, director of the Yale Center for Genomic Health and one of the research leaders. "And so by sampling broadly across the genetic tree of humanity, it benefits everybody. Even if some specific group isn't explicitly included, it still is representing our common origins and provides common benefits."

The cost of supporting the consortium will be about $40 million over five years, NHGRI said, less than the multibillion-dollar expenditure for the 2003 genome project thanks to technological advances.

(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Human remains found by a farmworker down a Kings County dirt road appear to come from a historic or prehistoric Native American and officials are looking for help to inter them properly.

The remains were found May 3 near Ninth and Lansing avenues south of Hanford, where a dairy worker happened upon them inside a New Balance shoe box, which was inside a red Milwaukee brand tool bag, the sheriffs office said Tuesday.

Detectives and the King County deputy coroner responded and said the remains appeared historic or prehistoric, the sheriffs office said.

The remains were taken to the Fresno State Anthropology Department, where experts examined them the following day, deputies said.

The department determined the remains are consistent with that of a historic/prehistoric Native American, the sheriffs office said.

The Kings County Sheriffs Office said they are looking for the person who may have discarded the remains to determine where they came from.

It is the goal of the sheriffs office to find the burial site of where the remains were originally found so that the proper notifications can be made, and the remains can be (interred) properly with dignity and respect, the office said.

Anyone with information about the remains or who moved them is asked by the sheriffs office to contact Detective Perla Trejo at the Kings County Sheriffs Office at 559-413-9403.
A group of metal detectorists set out to search for artifacts from World War I and World War II in Poland  but uncovered a 3,500-year-old find instead.

A historical research association, Wolica, led the hunt for relics from the world wars in a forest near Krasnystaw on April 23, according to a May 10 news release from Science in Poland. The metal detectorists searched the forest floor but initially came up empty handed.

We were returning from the search and a colleague came across this object, Wojciech Werus, a member of the association, said in the release. The object was lying shallow, literally a few centimeters below the soil surface. It was a miracle that we managed to extract it.

The metal detectorist uncovered a flat, metal, tear-drop shaped object, photos from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments show.

Archaeologists identified the blue-green artifact as a 3,500-year-old dagger, Science in Poland said in the release. The dagger was likely made between 1600 and 1300 B.C., during the Bronze Age.

The 3,500-year-old dagger found near Krasnystaw. Photo from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments

The blade was about 7.5 inches long and had three small rods where a handle would be attached, the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments said in a release. It has a symmetrical shape and few signs of wear.

Pawe Wira, an official with Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments, told Science in Poland that the historical and scientific value is enormous.

The dagger is a first-of-its-kind find for the area, Wira said. It is not a local product, the item most likely came here from todays Hungary, Czechia, Austria or Slovakia  from the Danube area, he said.

The dagger was probably brought to Poland when its maker migrated north from the Danube area, the Science in Poland release said.

The portion of the blade where a handle would be attached. Photo from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments

Previously, archaeologists had not studied the forest area where the dagger was buried. Now, they have begun excavations of the site, according to the release.

The dagger was found by Grzegorz Rekas. The artifact is being held by the Regional Museum in Krasnystaw, the release said.

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Krasnystaw is about 145 miles southeast of Warsaw and near the Poland-Ukraine border.

Facebook Translate was used to translate the news release from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

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Huntersville-based Atom Power Inc. is rolling out major expansion plans in its home area.

ALSO READ: Huntersville project with commercial, residential development has first public hearing

On Tuesday afternoon, the company announced its plans to add 205 new jobs in Huntersville by 2026, a move that would more than triple its N.C. workforce. Atom Power CEO Ryan Kennedy was joined by Gov. Roy Cooper and other local officials to formally unveil the plans at the companys headquarters at The Park-Huntersville. The $4.2 million project calls for the expansion of Atom Powers corporate headquarters and its research, development and manufacturing operations.

The announcement came after North Carolinas economic investment committee approved incentives this morning for the company. The new jobs are expected to pay an average annual wage of $91,804, more than $10,000 higher than Mecklenburg Countys average. State incentives for the project are valued at nearly $1.6 million, according to the terms laid out by the committee.

Its important that this company is here and homegrown because we really have become a clean energy destination for a lot of these companies, Cooper said at todays announcement. And weve got Atom Power who can talk to people about how well North Carolina works with our businesses and how much we support them, how we train workers for these positions. Im excited they were able to expand here, because this company could have gone anywhere it wanted.

Read more here.

VIDEO: Neighbors say proposed Lagoona Bay project in Huntersville would increase traffic issues
A husband and wife arrested in North Carolina were arraigned Tuesday on murder charges related to the woman found dead at the abandoned Boysville facility in Frenchtown Township.

Steven Douglas Bails Jr., 44, and Narena Picola Bails, 24, are the fifth and six individuals to be arraigned in connection with the death of Kayla Sedoskey, a 23-year-old mother whose body was found in the Boysville facility on March 2.

The Bailses were arraigned in Monroe County District Court before Judge Amanda L. Eicher on charges of open murder and conspiracy to commit open murder, Michigan State Police reported. Their bonds were set at $1 million each.

The open murder charge allows a jury to determine the degree of murder should the case go to trial.

The Bailses were arrested in North Carolina, where Steven Bails had a standoff on April 14 in New Hanover County with the U.S. Marshals Service before being taken into custody, according to state police and a report from TV station WECT.

Previous story: Sixth suspect charged as accessory to Boysville murder

Previous story: 3 arrested in death of woman whose body was found at old Boysville facility

Previous story: Person found dead at abandoned Boysville Juvenile Detention Center

A competency hearing for Narena Bails is scheduled for June 7 in district court, according to online court records. A probable cause conference for Steven Bails is scheduled for May 17, also in district court. Both proceedings are to be heard by Judge Michael C. Brown.

Four other suspects have also been arrested in connection with Sedoskeys death: Sierra Nicole Bemis, Brin David Westley Smith, Kaylyn Ramsey and Alexander Feko. They all had probable cause conferences before Brown rescheduled from Wednesday to May 17.

At a probable cause conference, the defense typically tells the court whether they intend to have a preliminary examination or if they want to waive the exam and have the case bound over to circuit court for further proceedings. A preliminary exam is where the prosecution has to prove to a judge that a crime was committed and the defendants were likely to have committed the crime.

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Bemis, Smith and Ramsey are each charged with open murder and conspiracy to commit open murder. Feko is charged with three counts of accessory after the fact to a felony and one count of tampering with evidence. All are being held at the Monroe County Jail on bond.

The Monroe County Prosecutors Office is still reviewing the case for possible charges against other suspects, state police said.

Anyone with information relating to Sedoskeys death is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Michael Peterson at 734-242-3500.

Steven Bails also is charged with failure to comply with sex offender reporting duties, according to online court records. A probable cause conference in that case was rescheduled from Wednesday to May 17. He was convicted in 2002 in Monroe County Circuit Court of a charge of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, according to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

Steven Bails and the former Narena Cherry, both of Monroe, received a marriage license from the Monroe County Clerk's Office in February.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Husband, wife arraigned in Boysville murder case
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surround a man in Compton in 2017. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Asylum-seeking families that cross the U.S. border without authorization will be subject to GPS monitoring and a curfew and will be deported if they fail an initial screening under a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement program set to take effect soon, an agency official told The Times on Wednesday.

Under the plan, known as Family Expedited Removal Management, migrant families will be directed to appear for an initial asylum screening, known as a credible fear interview, when they reach their destinations. Another new Biden administration policy that limits asylum for those who cross through a third country and do not seek protection there will apply to them.

ICE will seek to deport families that fail the screening.

There are consequences for family units, said the ICE official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the program before it was publicly unveiled. If they are not eligible to remain in the U.S., we are going to be moving them toward removal.

ICE confirmed the plan in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Families should not listen to the lies of smugglers. Like single adults, noncitizens traveling with their children who do not have a lawful basis to remain in the United States will be quickly removed and barred from reentry for at least five years," Corey Price, a lead ICE official, said in a statement.

President Biden's administration is in the midst of preparing for the end of Title 42, which allowed border agents to quickly expel migrants under pandemic-era rules, later this week. Officials have long been worried about the predicted spike in encounters at the border when the 3-year-old policy ends.

In the coming days, ICE will place some families that are headed to Newark, N.J.; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago in the new FERM program. The curfew is expected to run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Families will be required remain at home during the curfew hours. The family's head of household will have to wear a GPS monitor, such as an ankle bracelet.

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Families that do not show up to the screenings and do not agree to leave the country could be picked up and held at hotels, the ICE official said.

The intention is that we are going to lean into compliance, the official said.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration said it was considering all options for families crossing the border, including the potential to hold families in detention centers. In recent weeks, the head of ICE and later Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said the government had no plans to bring back detention centers for families.

We have no plan to detain families. As I mentioned we will be employing alternatives to detention, including some innovations in that regard, and we will on a case-by-case basis use enhanced alternatives to detention as warranted," he said in a late April news conference.

The Biden administration has increasingly relied on so-called alternatives to detention.

Immigrant advocates and some Democratic politicians have criticized the expansion of the alternative to detention program, saying it is a form of surveillance and is psychologically damaging.

Last year, ICE rolled out a pilot testing of a home curfew approach for some migrants.

Before the Biden administration stopped the practice of detaining families, ICE held families in two facilities in Texas. Since then, families have been released into the U.S., and the administration has placed some into a fast-track court process.

Biden tweeted during his presidential campaign in June 2020, Children should be released from ICE detention with their parents immediately. This is pretty simple, and I cant believe I have to say it: Families belong together.

Democratic senators pushed him to not bring back the practice after reports that it was being considered.

We understand that your Administration faces significant challenges  particularly in light of Congressional failure to pass immigration reform  to manage an influx of asylum seekers arriving at our southern border, the senators wrote.

However, the recent past has taught us that family detention is both morally reprehensible and ineffective as an immigration management tool. We look forward to working closely with your Administration on more thoughtful and humane responses to such challenges.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Idaho leaders intend to sue federal officials if the Department of Interior does not remove grizzly bears in the Lower 48 states from the Endangered Species Act list, according to a notice of intent filed Wednesday.

The document, signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Attorney General Raul Labrador, explains that Idaho will file a lawsuit against Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams in 60 days if no changes are made.

Idaho has continually demonstrated leadership in species management, and we have never hesitated to push back on the federal governments overreaching actions that greatly impact a variety of activities on the ground in our state, Little said in a news release.

The notice comes after more than a year of petitions and threats of legal action from Idaho over the protected bears. While grizzly bears in Alaska are not considered endangered, bears in the contiguous United States have been considered threatened since the 1970s, with brief removals from protections in 2007 and 2017.

The listing applied to bears in a swath from the Idaho-Montana border with Canada down through Idahos border with Wyoming. Officials identified six recovery zones for the species, including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming; the Selkirks in North Idaho and northeast Washington; the Bitterroots in Central Idaho and the Cabinet-Yaak area of North Idaho and northwest Montana. At the time, officials estimated there were between 150 and 300 bears in the region.

Idaho petition rejected as Montana, Wyoming appeals weighed

Little submitted a petition to Fish and Wildlife in April 2022 arguing that the protected bears in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming do not constitute a distinct population segment and therefore dont qualify for Endangered Species Act protections. His petition came shortly after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon submitted their own petitions to the federal agency, though the other governors petitions called on Fish and Wildlife to reevaluate individual recovery zones: the Continental Divide in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone.

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In February, Fish and Wildlife said it would move ahead with Gianforte and Gordons petitions. But officials rejected Littles petition and said Idahos claims werent substantial enough to warrant further investigation.

Little and Labrador slammed that reasoning in the notice of intent Wednesday. They said the argument that the Lower 48 grizzlies dont constitute a distinct population came directly from Fish and Wildlifes own findings.

It is unfathomable how (Fish and Wildlife) could determine its prior documents do not constitute substantial information that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that the delisting sought by Idahos petition may be warranted, the notice said.

The notice doubled down on the initial argument that protected grizzlies are not a distinct population.

Idaho officials said the continued Endangered Species Act protections injure Idahos sovereign interests in management of our resident wildlife. They cited increasing human-bear conflicts with grizzlies and said rural areas are dealing with increasing public safety risks and property damage.

In 2022, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game killed six grizzly bears that it said had preyed on livestock or become a risk to humans  one male bear in Boundary County, a female and a yearling in Fremont County, and a female and her two cubs in Teton County.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is still weighing the petitions to delist bears in the Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem recovery zones. If the Greater Yellowstone bears are removed from Endangered Species Act protections, it would include grizzlies in eastern Idaho.
Rishi Sunak's controversial Illegal Migration Bill is being debated in the House of Lords. (Getty)

Rishi Sunak is having his premiership put to the test as the House of Lords discusses the government's controversial Illegal Migration Bill  with the Archbishop of Canterbury already scathing of the proposed law.

Sunak has made "stopping small boat crossings" one of his five priority pledges, and the bill forms a key part of this promise.

In March, he told the Sunday Express he would "stop the boats once and for all", adding: "I'm determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats. So make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."

The bill was passed by MPs in parliament in April, but is facing significant opposition in the House of Lords. Yahoo News UK examines the challenges facing the PM.

Can the government ignore the European Court of Human Rights? (The Conversation, 5 mins, March 2023)

What is the Illegal Migration Bill?

If passed into law, it would mean those who come to the UK in a way deemed illegal by the government  for example, in small boats  would not be able to stay. Instead, they would be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

The home secretary would be under a legal duty to make arrangements for the removal of illegal entrants falling within the scheme.

People who enter the UK illegally would not have their asylum claim determined in the UK, and they would not be able to remain.

They would either be returned to their home country, or deported to a country such as Rwanda with whom the British government has made a deal. Once removed, they would not be allowed to come back to the UK again.

Illegal Migration Bill factsheet (Gov.uk, 6 min)

Anyone coming to Britain on small boats across the channel will be picked up by the UK's Border Force and deported if the bill is passed. (Getty)

'Morally unacceptable'

Home secretary Suella Braverman has described the bill as "the will of the British people" and, ahead of today's debate, she urged peers not to oppose it  however, almost 90 peers registered an interest to speak.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was the most significant among them. He has previously labelled the plan to send migrants to Rwanda as "the opposite of the nature of God".

In a scathing attack on Wednesday, Welby said: We need a bill to reform migration. We need a bill to stop the boats. We need a bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that without much change this is not that bill."

He added it was morally unacceptable to leave the poorest countries to deal with the migration crisis.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick has also put forward a rare "motion to decline" to block the bill from proceeding any further in the House of Lords because he says it fails to meet the UK's commitments under international law  although with Labour not expected to support it, the motion is unlikely to be carried.

Protests were held in April in Parliament Square opposing the The Illegal Migration Bill, which is being debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday. (Alamy Live News)

The problems facing Sunak

It's not just the House of Lords raising opposition. Groups including Save the Children and Human Rights Watch have called for the controversial legislation to be dropped.

"The bill is effectively a ban on asylum," a statement from the groups said, adding it will put "people seeking safety and a better life at risk of irreversible harm, with life and death consequences".

The groups also claim that the bill will "almost certainly breach multiple international conventions and agreements, including the UN Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT)".

The government has also faced strong criticism from senior Tories, including former PM Theresa May and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, over the potential impact of the bill on victims of modern slavery.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is expected to speak out against the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Lords today. (Getty)

What do the numbers tell us?

The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has increased in recent years, from the low hundreds before 2020 to 45,755 people in 2022, according to Institute for Government official figures.

More than 130 people have died or gone missing trying to cross the Channel since 2019, and of those who arrived safely, around 90% have claimed asylum.

But another key metric Sunak will doubtless be looking at is how much support his plan has.

According to a survey conducted in YouGov in March, 42% of Brits said they supported the governments approach, with 39% opposing it.

That's a wafer thin majority and, following a disastrous local elections result, Sunak must quickly demonstrate he can get to grips with the issue.
Charlie Sperring - ITV

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! South Africa spoilers follow.

I'm a Celeb's All-Stars series said goodbye to one of the show's most integral campmates tonight (May 9), following another tough Bushtucker Trial.

Joe Swash won the 2008 series and later presented spin-off after-shows Get Me Out of Here NOW! and Extra Camp. He even met his wife Stacey Solomon through the show. But his jungle comeback came to an end tonight. Let's recap what went down.

Charlie Sperring - ITV

Related: I'm a Celebrity explains Janice Dickinson exit

The episode began as celebs voted to save each other from the Survival Trials, which left Joe and Phil Tufnell (ironically, both previous Kings of the Jungle) as the unlucky pair.

To remain in the show, Joe and Phil had to enter the Temple of Doom and find the right codes to unlock four locks each. The person to do so first would be named the winner.

Of course, they had to deal with plenty of creepy crawlies along the way, with snakes dropping in on them right off the bat.

Phil got off to a great start, managing to get three locks in a very short amount of time. While Phil kept his cool, an incredibly frustrated Joe dropped many, many expletives. It didn't take long for Phil to unlock his final lock and win.

Hosts Ant and Dec called it the "sweariest trial in the history of I'm a Celebrity", but Joe chalked up his swearing and poor performance to the fact that he was hyperventilating from stress because he hadn't eaten.

"I'm so out of sync with everything," Joe explained. "I've got kids. I think I'm over it, I'm too old for this game.

Tristan Fewings - Getty Images

Related: Why Peter Andre didn't do I'm a Celeb All-Stars

"It's been a lot harder, I've got so much more to think about. My kids, my wife, I can't wait to see 'em. It's been really hard. Too much on my mind to concentrate and focus."

Joe also explained that he was "was desperate to come back and say thanks", stating that he owes "everything" he has to I'm a Celebrity.

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But the remaining campmates didn't have time to miss Joe too much, as they were quickly whisked to all take part in another Survival Trial, with two of them set to go home tomorrow.

Who will those unlucky celebs be? Just before the episode ended, we saw that Fatima Whitbread, Myleene Klass and Carol Vorderman completed the Trial  which means that there are five celebrities competing for three places...

I'm a Celebrity South Africa airs on Mondays-Fridays at 9pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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AUTO-PRIX-US-F1-USA-ENTERTAINMENT-MUSIC - Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Imagine Dragons performed an acoustic set at the WGA picket line in Los Angeles on Tuesday in support of striking writers. Frontman Dan Reynolds and guitarist Daniel Wayne Sermon played their Grammy-winning song Radioactive and Whatever It Takes.

As Reynolds sang from a metal park bench in front of the Netflix building, the crowd holding Writers Guild of America on Strike! signs sang along to the stripped-down hits.

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Imagine Dragons is set to headline this years three-weekend Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin along with Eric Church, Zach Bryan, and Zac Brown Band.

Imagine Dragons totally crushing it in support of writers at Netflix. #WritersStrike #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/TQxchZ9z9g  Gennefer Gross (@Gennefer) May 9, 2023

The group joins a growing list of public figures who have shown support for the WGA strike. President Joe Biden weighed in on the strike before a screening of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese at the White House on Monday. I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved, and the writers are given a fair deal that they deserve as soon as possible, he said to the crowd that included stars and producers of the show.

Jennifer Coolidge also stood in solidarity with WGA writers while accepting the Comedic Genius Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday. Almost all great comedy starts with great writers and, and I just think that you know, as a proud member of SAG, I stand here before you tonight, you know, side-by-side with my sisters and brothers from the WGA that are fighting right now, fighting for the rights of artists everywhere, she said during her speech.

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COLOMBO (Reuters) - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team will arrive in Sri Lanka on Thursday, a statement from the global lender said as the crisis-hit country prepares for the first review of a loan programme in September.

The delegation will visit Sri Lanka during May 11-23 as part of regular consultations ahead of the first review mission later this year, the IMF said in a statement.

Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department, will join the May 12-15 visit and a press briefing will be held on Monday, it said.

Sri Lanka is struggling with its worst financial crisis in over seven decades triggered by a severe shortage of foreign exchange.

The island finalised a nearly $3 billion IMF programme in March.

(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan's government called in the army on Wednesday to help end deadly unrest in the wake of the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, warning protesters against any further attacks on state installations.

At least five people have died in violence that has aggravated instability in the South Asian country of 220 million people as it grapples with a severe economic crisis and a delay to an International Monetary Fund bailout since November.

Khan - Pakistan's most popular political leader according to polls - was arrested in a land fraud case on Tuesday, prompting supporters to storm military buildings and ransack the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.

Other state buildings and assets have been attacked and set ablaze by protesters, and the government said on Wednesday it had approved requests from two of Pakistan's four provinces - Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both Khan strongholds - and the federal capital Islamabad to deploy troops to restore order.

The army issued a statement saying it had shown restraint during earlier violence but any further assaults on the military or law enforcement agencies, state installations and properties "will be met with severe retaliation".

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants all parties in Pakistan to refrain from violence and stresses the need to respect the right to peaceful assembly, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said in New York on Wednesday.

Guterres had also urged Pakistani authorities to "respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings" against Khan.

KHAN INDICTED

As protests raged on the streets, a Pakistani court turned Khan, 70, over to the custody of Pakistan's anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), for eight days for further questioning, government adviser Ataullah Tarar said.

The former international cricket star is now being held in a police guesthouse in Islamabad.

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Another court indicted Khan earlier on Wednesday on charges of selling state gifts during his four years in power, a day after his arrest in the unrelated fraud case.

The indictment followed a decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan in October that found Khan guilty of illegally selling state gifts between 2018 and 2022, and as a result barred him from holding public office until the next election due in November. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, a lawmaker from the ruling coalition who was a plaintiff in the case against Khan on state gifts, accused him of putting the "country's peace at stake".

Khan's colleagues in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his indictment. His legal team has challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court.

Mobile data services were shut for a second day on Wednesday as street protests continued, with federal ministers accusing Khan's supporters of torching several buildings and vehicles.

Police said they had arrested more than a 1,300 protesters for violence in Khan's home province of Punjab.

Asad Umar, Khan's party's secretary general and Fawad Chaudhry, one of Khan's aides have also been arrested.

More than 145 policemen have been injured in clashes with protesters, said the police in a statement.

Khan, a cricket hero-turned-politician, was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He has not slowed his campaign against the ouster even though he was wounded in a November attack on his convoy as he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for snap general elections.

The corruption cases are two of more than 100 registered against Khan after he left office. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted.

KHAN FEUD WITH MILITARY

Khan was arrested a day after the powerful military rebuked him for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

The military has denied Khan's allegations.

The armed forces remain Pakistan's most powerful institution, having ruled it directly for close to half its 75-year history through three coups. Despite its major influence it recently said it was no longer interfering in politics.

Amid the turmoil over his arrest, Pakistanis are reeling from the worst economic crisis in decades, with record high inflation and anaemic growth, and the nuclear-armed country faces possible default unless it receives massive support.

An IMF bailout package has been delayed for over six months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely enough to cover a month's imports.

(Reporting by Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid; Additional reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar and Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Diane Craft)
By Shivam Patel

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Mithilesh Chaudhary, 21, coughs weakly as he struggles to his feet after spending the night outside the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

"We have been sleeping on the footpath for two nights," said his grandfather Bhim Lal, as the two waited in a line of about 100 people outside the hospital's main gate, seeking an appointment.

"He suffers from chest congestion, and no one has been able to tell us what exactly is the issue. We have been to many hospitals around our district and finally, a doctor at a private hospital asked us to visit the AIIMS in Delhi."

Chaudhary, who lives 1,200 km (750 miles) away in Bihar state, doesn't have an appointment and was not given the name of a doctor. His only recourse is to stand in the queue until he can get one of the few slots that open up every morning for those waiting outside.

His plight and that of others who queue every day starting at dawn highlights the shortage of specialist doctors and health workers in India's countryside, where more than two-thirds of its 1.43 billion people live.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has built more than a dozen similar medical institutes for specialised treatment since he took office in 2014. The government has plans to build at least one major hospital in each of India's 761 districts.

The problem is a lack of doctors, a shortage that is reaching crucial levels as India becomes the world's most populous nation.

India's doctor-to-patient ratio hit a record high of 1.2 doctors per 1,000 patients in 1991, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), but as its population surged, the ratio dropped to about 0.7 in 2020.

The WHO recommended level is 1 and China, with a comparable population to India, is at 2.4.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told parliament in March that India in fact had a ratio of 1 doctor per 834 patients, well above the WHO level, but the number included doctors practising traditional forms of medicine such as Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, and Naturopathy.

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The WHO and doctors groups such as the Indian Medical Association do not include traditional medicine practitioners in their calculations.

Inaugurating the first specialised medical institute in northeast India last month, Modi said his government had sought to increase the number of doctors by setting up more medical colleges.

"This deficiency was a major barrier to quality health services in India," he said. "Therefore, our government has worked on a large scale to increase medical infrastructure and medical professionals in the last nine years."

The number of public hospitals, excluding specialised institutes, has risen some 9% in Modis time at the top, government data shows.

RURAL GAPS

The government has nearly doubled the number of undergraduate medical seats in private and public colleges to 101,043 as of March from 51,348 before 2014, according to health ministry data.

More than 1.76 million students appeared in tests for those seats last year.

Still, there were more than 3,000 doctor vacancies at 31 large federal government hospitals, including more than a dozen specialised institutes, according to a parliament reply by the health ministry in February. Vacancies of nurses and support staff were more than 21,000.

At the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, an 800-bed hospital in the largely rural Bhagalpur district in Bihar, a senior doctor said the medicine department - the first point of contact for patients - for example, had only half the number of required doctors in the past five years.

"We have to provide proper patient care no matter what... but with an inadequate staff, the workload increases and becomes very difficult to manage, especially since we have to teach undergraduates too," said the doctor, declining to be named.

Outside the big cities, the lack of specialised care is especially acute. The government says there was a near 80% shortage of surgeons, physicians, gynaecologists and paediatricians at community health centres in rural India as of March 2022.

There were 4,485 specialists in position at these small hospitals against a requirement of 21,920, according to the government data.

Specialist doctors tend to go overseas or join the private sector in metropolitan and other large cities, said Dr K. Srinath Reddy, at the Public Health Foundation of India non-profit.

"They have been trained in tertiary-care environments and may not be suitably skilled or emotionally aligned to rural conditions in low-resource settings," Reddy said.

Dr Vandana Prasad, a technical adviser at the non-profit Public Health Resource Network, said people in rural areas tended to go to the cities for treatment.

"There's a certain trust in the hospitals that exist in larger metropolitan cities and theres a kind of an environment which suggests to people that they should seek more and more expensive or more specialised care," she said.

That was the main reason for the large number of cases and the crowds outside the hospital, said Dr Syed Ahmed, a resident doctor at the AIIMS in Delhi.

"A lot of the cases can be dealt with at primary care level," he said.

(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Krishna N. Das and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Arpan Chaturvedi, Aditi Shah and Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Go Airlines (India) Ltd was granted bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, bolstering the country's fourth largest carrier's chances of getting back on its feet, but lessors have started mounting legal challenges to repossess planes.

The low-cost carrier, recently rebranded as Go First, was plunged into financial crisis this year, sparked by what it called "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines that grounded about half its 54 Airbus A320neos.

The U.S. engine maker, part of Raytheon Technologies, in a statement said Go First's allegations were "without merit".

In granting bankruptcy protection, the National Company Law Tribunal in New Delhi ordered a moratorium on Go First's assets and leases and appointed Abhilash Lal of Alvarez & Marsal as the interim resolution professional to take over management with immediate effect.

The resolution professional "shall ensure that retrenchment of employees is not resorted to as a matter of course", the tribunal's 41-page order said. Go First has a staff of around 7,000.

The bankruptcy move adds to headaches for lessors, which have filed requests with India's aviation regulator for the return of about 40 Go First planes after rental payments were missed.

India made it easier for lessors to take back planes if airlines default on payments after joining an international treaty known as the Cape Town Convention in 2008. But bankruptcy protection supersedes lessors' repossession requests.

"The next step for lessors is to approach the appellate tribunal... It will be a prolonged legal battle," said Ajay Kumar, managing partner at India's KLA Legal, which represents Go First lessors including Jackson Square Aviation and Bank of China Aviation.

He added that Go First's woes will lead to higher lease premiums for Indian airlines.

That could prove to be a pain point for the sector at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is touting the country's emergence as an aviation powerhouse, with bigger rivals IndiGo and Tata Group's Air India expanding aggressively.

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Go First's lessors also include SMBC Aviation Capital and CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing.

They did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, according to a filing seen by Reuters, SBMC Aviation Capital has already approached India's appeals tribunal seeking to quash the bankruptcy order.

'HISTORIC' DECISION

Go First's voluntary pursuit of bankruptcy protection to renegotiate contracts and debt marks a first for an Indian airline. CEO Kaushik Khona, who was present as the order was read, hailed the tribunal's decision as "historic".

The airline, which had a 7% share of the world's third largest aviation market in March, has currently suspended all flights due to "operational reasons" and is not taking new bookings.

Reviving the carrier - one of the hardest hit worldwide by problems with Pratt & Whitney engines - will not be easy, said Abhirup Dasgupta, a partner at HAS Advocates who specialises in insolvency law but is not involved in Go First's proceedings.

It will require fresh funds, and lenders could be wary of investing, he said.

Go First's bankruptcy filing lists Central Bank of India Ltd, Bank of Baroda Ltd, IDBI Bank Ltd, and Deutsche Bank among financial creditors which are owed 65.21 billion rupees ($798 million).

The airline's total liabilities stand at 114.63 billion Indian rupees, including dues to banks, financial institutions, vendors and aircraft lessors.

It's also not clear when the dispute with Pratt & Whitney will be resolved. Go First won an arbitration case in Singapore that ordered the U.S. firm to dispatch spare engines to the airline, and has since approached a Delaware Court to request that it be enforced.

Pratt & Whitney plans to oppose the move, a Delaware court filing showed on Wednesday.

The Indian tribunal said the new resolution professional will take "all necessary steps including the execution of the arbitral award".

In its statement, Pratt & Whitney said it will vigorously defend itself against Go's claims, and was pursuing its own legal recourse.

(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi, Aditi Shah and Aditya Kalra; Editing by Jamie Freed, Edwina Gibbs and Jan Harvey)
A woman was killed and an 8-year-old child was wounded in a Tuesday night dog attack in Indianapolis, police said.

The woman, identified by CBS affiliate WTTV as Marion County Sheriff's Office Deputy Tamieka White, was found in the garage area of an Indianapolis home, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the Forsythia Drive scene.

"She was a bright light to everyone, and will [be] missed by all who knew her," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook. "We will work tirelessly to uphold her memory."

Deputy Tamieka White / Credit: Marion County Sheriff's Office

The child, identified by WTTV as White's 8-year-old son, suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

"First and foremost, Deputy White was a mother," Brittany Seligman, White's commander, said during a press conference shared by WTTV. "She died last night protecting the most important person in her life in a tragic animal attack in her home.

Multiple dogs were at the home when officers arrived, police said. Officers shot a dog they described as "actively aggressive." The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department did not specify if the dog shot by officers was the dog that attacked the woman and child.

Police called Indianapolis Animal Care Services to the scene for help, authorities said. The animal agency took three live dogs, one dead dog and one cat from the scene, WTTV reported. CBS News has reached out to the animal services agency for additional information.

White was described by local officials as courageous and dedicated. She'd worked for the Marion County Sheriff's Office since 2007. Most recently, she'd served in their Judicial Enforcement Division.

There have been several deadly dog attacks across the U.S. this year. Most recently, a baby was killed and a woman was seriously injured in an Iowa dog attack in early May.

Dog attacks in Louisiana and Idaho in January left children dead. In February, a man in his 80s was killed and three others were hurt in a Texas dog attack. A Pennsylvania woman died after she was attacked by a neighbor's dog in March.

Story continues

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is getting calls to expel Rep. George Santos after his indictment Wednesday..

Expulsion is not up to the speaker, but history plus the dynamics of the House make Santos' immediate expulsion unlikely.

The reason? Though he has a long list of lies and alleged frauds, Santos has only been indicted, not convicted.

The indictment unsealed Wednesday brought 13 charges against the congressman, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Santos was arrested ahead of a Wednesday afternoon arraignment.

GEORGE SANTOS IN CUSTODY, FEDERAL INDICTMENT UNSEALED AHEAD OF FIRST COURT APPEARANCE

Rep. George Santos walks through the crowd gathered outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump would arrive later in the day for his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City.

Santos entered a not guilty plea and was released on a $500,000 bond.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

His fate in the House will likely be in limbo as his court case proceeds.

The House and Senate have only expelled a grand total of 20 members since the beginning of the republic. Five of those were House members. Many expulsions stemmed from lawmakers siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The mechanics for expulsion set a high bar, which is why members of Congress are so rarely kicked out.

Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote to expel a member. Considering the bipartisan antipathy for Santos, expulsion would not be out of the question. But multiple members facing indictments have continued to serve over the years.

GEORGE SANTOS PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES DURING FIRST APPEARANCE IN COURT

However, some have resigned after they pleaded guilty or were convicted.

The House last expelled two members after they were convicted. The House expelled Rep. Michael "Ozzie" Myers, D-Pa., in 1980 after he was convicted of bribery charges in connection with the Abscam scandal. The House booted Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, in 2002 after he was convicted of bribery, racketeering and tax evasion.

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The Senate was on the verge of expelling Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., in 1995 because of sexual harassment allegations, but he resigned before the vote.

Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., R-Calif., did not resign immediately after he pleaded guilty in 2019 to misusing campaign funds. Yet Hunter violated House rules, voting after he pleaded guilty to federal charges  and House precedent bars lawmakers convicted of felonies from voting. Hunter finally resigned in early 2020.

Rep. George Santos applauds during an address by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on April 27, 2023.

Former Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., pleaded not guilty in 2019  then changed his plea to guilty and promptly resigned.

The House usually bars members who are under indictment from serving on committees. However, Santos has not served on committees since early in the Congress.

So, its possible the House could vote to expel Santos if hes convicted and refuses to resign. But there is a large, bipartisan contingent that wants Santos out of Congress.

Asked by Fox News on Wednesday about Santos' indictment, Rep. Marcus Molinaro, R-N.Y., remarked in the corridors of Capitol Hill: "I can't wait for him to be gone."

However, whether Santos will be expelled is also about the math.

The GOP holds a four-seat majority, and removing Santos would slice into the party's power in the chamber. The seat would be vacant until there was a special election, as no one can be appointed to the House.

Because Santos represents a swing district that flipped from blue to red, some Republicans may be reluctant to try to expel Santos because of the tight numbers.
Influencer Brittany Dawn settles lawsuit over alleged fitness scam (Photo: realbrittanydawn via Instagram)

Brittany Dawn Davis settled a lawsuit on April 25 brought against her by the state of Texas alleging deceptive business practices related to her past fitness influencer business, marking the end of a years-long discussion about what creators owe their follower fan bases.

The 32-year-old, who now posts content related to foster parenting and Christianity on social media under the handle @realbrittanydawn, was set to begin a jury trial on May 15  an unusual public forum for influencers. Neither Davis nor her attorney responded to Yahoo Life's requests for comment.

Information about the monetary value or conditions of the settlement have not been publicly released. The attorney general's office sought penalties and court fees between $250,000 and $1 million.

Background

The lawsuit, which was filed by the state of Texas in February 2022, alleges that Davis sold thousands of supposedly personalized online health and fitness plans costing from $92 to $300 beginning in 2014. Davis positioned herself as a health and fitness expert on social media, even calling herself an "eating disorder soldier," which made her clients trust that she had "special training" on the topic  a tactic not unusual for fitness influencers. According to documents filed by the state, at least 14 of Davis' customers had eating disorders that Davis did not properly address in the "personalized" health plans she sold to them.

In 2018, Davis's customers began sharing their qualms with her fitness plans in a now-private Facebook group called "Brittany Dawn Fitness Business Complaints." In February 2019, Davis addressed the complaints in a now-deleted apology video, saying she's "sincerely sorry for any harm" she may have caused. That month, she appeared on Good Morning America to take "full responsibility" for her "mistake."

Davis took a short break from social media, returning in November 2019 to announce her rebrand to Christianity content  and marking the end of her accountability era.

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"Fitness and health are no longer my identity. My identity is in Christ," she said in the video.

As of 2023, though, Davis is taking a different approach. On her podcast, Chiseled and Called, she identifies herself as a victim of "cancel culture" who was a victim of society's desire to "see an influencer crumble."

"The world watched me as I  got labeled every cringey, false, scathing title possible during the fallout," she said on a March 22 episode. "No one wants to go through a lawsuit  but guess what? It happens. Life happens."

What the settlement means

While a settlement may be viewed as a dissatisfying end to the case, especially after she walked back her apology, no matter what the outcome was, it would have signaled the new precedent of taking influencers seriously as businesspeople.

As it stands, when customers aren't happy with the products influencers have sold them, they are often dismissed for buying into the fictional narrative that social media makes it so easy to craft. This lawsuit from the state of Texas took the testimonies of more than a dozen people who said they felt deceived by Davis and treated their stories with the same seriousness as a brick-and-mortar business. But without a verdict, the case is not likely to have a broad impact.

Dawn has long refused to speak with the media directly about the allegations of deceptive business practices but has teased a tell-all about what happened with Brittany Dawn Fitness both on social media and in her new podcast.

What sets Davis apart

What sets Davis apart from other influencers  aside from the fact a state attorney general stepped in to investigate her business  is that she seems to have successfully rebranded herself in the wake of cancellation. As a Christianity influencer, she now appeals to an audience whose worldview promises radical forgiveness for past actions. At retreats she hosts with her Christian ministry, she preaches refrains like "you cannot cancel what God has called."

Though some Christians have criticized Davis for harnessing the good grace of her religious followers as a "weapon to escape culpability," she's still successful. Her followers on social media have increased exponentially over the past year, negating any loss she suffered due to "cancellation." During this time, Dawn amassed 1.3M followers on TikTok and nearly doubled her YouTube page's subscribers, according to analytics platform Social Blade. But now, a 40,000-member group on Reddit called r/BrittanyDawnSnark monitors her behavior, offering criticism and accountability.

Months before her trial was set to begin, Davis ushered in yet another new era and began sharing foster parenting content. Youth advocate and TikTok creator Kirsta Bowman, who often posts about adoption, told BuzzFeed News she was "petrified for the welfare" of the two children who have been in Davis's care given her history of "misconduct and concerning behavior." Though Davis obscures the faces of the children and withholds details about their cases, she has briefly mentioned one child's medical issues. With such an enormous audience, some expressed concern that it could impact the chances of reuniting them with their birth family.

With a new flavor of posts, it's possible Davis's new content and controversies will be forgotten  or at least unknown to her growing audience. As a foster care influencer, Davis positions herself as a hero, offering her help in a system in need of manpower and reform. As a Christianity influencer, she targets an audience quick to push her past aside in favor of forgiveness.

Though she still posts gym selfies and directs people to purchase the workout clothes she's wearing with her affiliate links, her days of crafting personalized exercise and meal plan PDFs seem to be behind her. But that won't stop her from marketing her lifestyle to an audience.

Is it really so bad for an influencer to learn from their past actions and evolve? That's the goal of an empathetic community holding someone accountable. But Davis isn't just some person. She's an influencer who wields power over vulnerable communities. Since any chance of her being held accountable by the law for her alleged actions has fizzled out, she has the opportunity to craft her own new narrative about what happened with her fitness business and move on unscathed.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, call the National Eating Disorders Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
UPDATE: The rescued bald eagle has died, a spokesperson for the Indiana State Police told McClatchy News.

The original story is below.

A state trooper rescued a wounded bald eagle from danger, adding a feather in his cap, Indiana police said.

Trooper Mike Laney was patrolling State Road 63 on May 9 when he spotted the injured animal, according to an Indiana State Police news release.

Laney carefully placed the injured eagle into his patrol car (and) transported it to a local veterinarian, police said. Hopefully, the eagle will be soaring again soon!

A photo posted by police shows the bird wrapped in a blanket inside the patrol car.

A state police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Bald eagles, the national symbol of the United States, were facing extinction about 70 years ago due to fatal insecticides, illegal shootings and habitat destruction, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

However, conservation efforts have brought the species back from the brink of disappearance, and bald eagles are now commonly seen around the country, according to the agency.

In the 1980s, Indiana obtained 73 young eagles from Alaska and Wisconsin as part of a species reintroduction program, according to the states department of natural resources. The birds were placed in a nest tower on Monroe Lake and monitored.

Over the ensuing decades, their population has expanded throughout the Hoosier State, according to the department.

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Flag of Ireland

"Ireland has committed to sending up to 30 Defense Forces personnel to take part in training in areas such as ordnance disposal and combat medicine," the report reads.

Read also: Ireland lifts ban on eviction of Ukrainian refugees

Clancy said that Irish troops are already in Cyprus and are providing basic training to Ukrainian forces in the disposal of unexploded ordnance and mine clearance.

Read also: UK first country to start training Ukrainian pilots to NATO standards, says envoy

The training is done under the auspices of EU Military Assistance Mission Ukraine (EUMAM)  a program which has EU member states committed to helping Kyiv muster fresh troops outside Ukraine, where they remain beyond the reach of Russian long-range weapons.

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
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

A state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the truce efforts appeared to falter as fighting intensified late Wednesday, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military said it targeted the commander of Islamic Jihads rocket squad in an airstrike on a building in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said Ali Ghali was hiding in an apartment and that two additional militants from the group were killed alongside him in the airstrike at a Qatari-built residential complex in Khan Younis. Ghali instructed and took part in rocket attacks against Israel in recent months. There was no comment from the militant group.

In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. But he cautioned: "This round is not over.

We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You can't hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you, he said, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.

Throughout the day, rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern and central Israel, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

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Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

Late Wednesday, Egypt's Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said it had brokered a cease-fire. Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy, they said Israel would evaluate the situation based on actions on the ground, not declarations.

Islamic Jihad said it would continue firing rockets. Mohamad al-Hindi, an official with the group, said a sticking point in the talks was that the Palestinians wanted an Israeli commitment to stop targeted killing operations, such as the ones that killed three top Islamic Jihad commanders early Tuesday.

As rockets streaked through the sky, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as Davids Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

Israeli officials said over 400 rockets had been fired as of Wednesday evening. Most, they said, were intercepted or fell in open areas, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said about one-quarter had been misfired and fallen inside Gaza. Israeli rescuers said three people were hurt running for shelter, and four homes in southern Israel were damaged by rocket strikes.

The army said that schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms.

Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least five Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted dozens of rocket launchers, arms warehouses and other targets across the enclave. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said four of the dead were militants.

A 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Layan Mdoukh was killed in a blast at her home in Gaza City in unclear circumstances on Wednesday.

The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday that set off the exchange of fire killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war.

In a statement, an umbrella organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed Avenging the Free  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israel's killing of the three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians.

The resistance is ready for all options," the factions said. If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it."

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group enters the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible because they operate in heavily populated residential areas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

Islamic Jihad later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.

___

Ben Zion reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
A press watchdog found Israel has taken no accountability for the killings of 20 journalists in the past two decades in a report released about a year after the killing of a Palestinian reporter during an Israeli military operation.

The report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which was released on Tuesday, found that Israel has shown a pattern of discounting evidence and witness claims in these shooting incidents in the past 22 years, clear soldiers of wrongdoing while investigations are still underway and provide little recourse to the families of those killed.

It also found the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the countrys military, has not shown respect for press insignia and have accused journalists of terrorism without explanation.

Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a correspondent for Al-Jazeera, was shot and killed last May during the military operation in the city of Jenin, which is under the administration of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Ahead of the first anniversary of Abu Aklehs death, CPJ revisited these 20 cases and found a pattern of Israeli response that appears designed to evade responsibility, the report states. Israel has failed to fully investigate these killings, launching deeper probes only when the victim is foreign or has a high-profile employer. Even then, inquiries drag on for months or years and end with the exoneration of those who opened fire.

The IDF has said it was conducting counterterrorism activities in the city when Palestinian gunmen fired at and hurled explosive devices toward the soldiers, causing them to return fire.

Israel later acknowledged after an investigation that Abu Akleh was likely killed by a member of the IDF but said it was unintentional. It also criticized a U.S. decision in November to launch its own investigation into the incident as a grave mistake.

The IDF conducted an independent and professional investigation, which was presented to the Americans who shared the details, then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted at the time.

Story continues

The report included a map of the 20 locations where journalists have been killed in the region since 2001. Seven killings, including Abu Aklehs, happened in the West Bank, while 13 happened in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip for about 15 years since Israel pulled its settlements out of the region in 2005.

The report found witness testimonies and independent reports were dismissed in at least 13 of the cases, conflicts of interest in the chain of command have been overlooked and the results of the investigations have been classified and not released to the public.

The result is always the same  no one is held responsible, the report states.

The Hill has reached out to the IDF for comment.

The report states that CPJ sent multiple requests to the IDFs press office for interviews, but the military declined them.

The IDF told CNN that it regrets any harm to civilians during its operations and considers protection of freedom of the press and journalists work to be of great importance.

The IDF does not intentionally target noncombatants, and live fire in combat is used only after all other options have been exhausted, it said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have pointed out that Russia is attempting to emphasise that it is deterring a future Ukrainian counter-offensive with its latest series of missile strikes. However, ISW believes this is not a significant factor in influencing the actions of Ukraines Defence Forces.

Source: ISW

Details: Russian troops carried out another large-scale wave of missile attacks on Ukraine on the night of 8-9 May. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on 9 May that Ukrainian air defences had shot down all 8 Kalibr cruise missiles and 15 of the 17 Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles launched by Russian forces.

Military analysts conclude: "Russian forces may be attempting to conduct an almost daily series of missile strikes in order to portray themselves as constraining potential upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive operations, although the diminished effectiveness of the strikes is likely not significantly constraining Ukrainian actions."

The report notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave up the idea of using his Victory Day address to make any significant rhetorical changes and repeated existing narratives, preparing for a protracted war and presenting Russia as successfully confronting the entire West.

In his annual 9 May address, Putin said that "a real war has been unleashed against Russia" and that Russia has repelled international terrorism and would continue to "defend" the people of Donbas.

Putin also attempted to use the Victory Day celebrations to rally his partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), many seeking to reduce their dependence on the Kremlin from February 2022.

Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, Alexander Lukashenko, self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tajikistan, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, President of Turkmenistan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, joined Putin at the 9 May Victory Day parade on the Red Square.

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To quote the ISW's Key Takeaways on 9 May:

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to use his Victory Day address to make any significant rhetorical changes and reiterated existing narratives, preparing for a protracted war and framing Russia as successfully resisting the entire West.

Putin additionally attempted to use Victory Day celebrations to rally Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) partners, many of which have sought to reduce their reliance on the Kremlin since February 2022.

Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin likely seized the Victory Day holiday as an opportunity to mock Putin and question his judgment in one of his most direct challenges of Putin to date.

Prigozhin announced that Wagner forces will not withdraw from Bakhmut by the previously stated deadline of May 10 despite the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) failing to resolve the claimed "shell hunger."

Prigozhins failure to abide by the withdrawal threat he made on May 5 indicates that he is cognizant of his dependence on the Russian MoD.

Prigozhin continued to blame high casualties and the slow pace of advance in Bakhmut on other Russian irregular formations to frame Wagner as the only competent force operating in the area.

Russian forces conducted another large-scale series of missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of May 8 to 9.

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line.

Russian forces continued to make marginal gains within Bakhmut and continued limited offensive operations along the AvdiivkaDonetsk front.

Russian forces targeted Ukrainian positions west of Hulyaipole and in Kherson Oblast.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov opened a new military camp for the "Sever Akhmat" Special Purpose Regiment in the Republic of Chechnya.

Russian occupation officials continue to deport civilians deeper into Russian-occupied territory.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A brown bear. Not the bear accused of killing a jogger. Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

A bear suspected of mauling a jogger in Italy is actually innocent, says an animal rights group.

Forensics show the jogger's wounds were inflicted by the canines of another bear, non-profit Leal said.

It's the latest twist in a controversial case of Italy's first fatal bear attack in modern times.

Italian officials have nabbed the wrong bear in connection with the killing of a jogger, an animal rights group said on Monday.

The 17-year-old bear, known as JJ4, was captured by local authorities after the death of Andrea Papi, a 26-year-old man who was out for a mountainside run in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Papi was mauled during his jog on April 5. He is the first Italian known to be killed by a bear in modern times, the BBC reported.

But the bear responsible couldn't have been JJ4, said animal rights non-profit Leal in a Facebook post titled "JJ4 IS INNOCENT."

The organization said veterinary DNA tests showed Papi's injuries were inflicted by the canines of a male bear. JJ4 is a female bear.

"The teeth of an animal, for forensic veterinary medicine, have the same value as human fingerprints," Leal wrote.

Leal demanded the resignation of Maurizio Fugatti, the president of Trentino province, who oversaw JJ4's capture.

Fugatti wanted to shoot the bear, but a court suspended his culling order amid resistance from animal rights groups. Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin has also called for JJ4 to be relocated instead of killed.

Papi's death and two other recent bear attacks have put Trentino on edge. JJ4 was already marked as a dangerous animal after she attacked a father and son in 2020.

But bears are a protected species in Italy. JJ4 was born under the Life Ursus project, which revived the bear population in Trentino by importing 10 of the animals from Slovenia.

Fugatti also called for JJ4 to be put down at the time, but like in April, faced opposition from animal rights groups.

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Papi's mother, Franca Ghirardini, said in a letter released by her lawyers that she didn't support culling the bear that killed her son.

"Killing the bear won't give me Andrea back," she said, per Corriere del Trentino.

Fugatti's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Insider
ROME (Reuters) - Italian police on Wednesday arrested 29 people on charges of belonging to a criminal group smuggling migrants by boat from Turkey and Greece, a statement said.

Italy is struggling with a sharp rise in arrivals of sea migrants, with over 45,000 coming ashore so far in 2023 against about 12,000 in the same period last year, with numbers growing especially from north Africa.

Boats are also increasingly reaching Italy's coasts via the eastern Mediterranean route. In February, dozens of people who had left Turkey died in a shipwreck off the southern region of Calabria.

Police said the 29 people arrested were part of a network active also in Greece and Turkey. The 29 were not only smuggling migrants to Italy but also helping them to reach central and northern European countries, police said.

Police said migrants - mostly from Asia and the Middle East - were asked between 7,000 and 15,000 euros ($7,705 - $16,512) for the trip and smugglers made large use of sailing boats, looking to escape police checks at sea.

The boat captains were mainly Ukrainians or people from "the former Soviet Union area," the statement said, while other parts of the criminal group mostly came from the Middle East.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, Editing by William Maclean)
ROME (AP)  For decades, Italy has worked to recover ancient Roman-era statues, Etruscan vases and other treasures that were looted from its soil and sold to museums around the world. Now, the country is coming to terms with the fact that it, too, has stolen loot in its museum collections: the relics of a brutal colonial empire in North Africa that it hasnt fully reckoned with.

For over a year, a team of museum directors, university researchers and scholars has been conducting a census of the collections in the 498 Italian state museums to get a handle on what exactly they contain. The aim is to provide government authorities with preliminary data of the weapons, artifacts, and ritual objects Italian museums may hold, to respond to requests for restitution that have only increased amid a general reckoning over the legacies of European colonial empires and the related racial justice movements.

The survey comes as museums and governments across Europe and the Americas have undergone a sea change in giving back cultural artifacts to countries and communities of origin. These museums reason they can no longer hold the objects in good conscience if they were acquired as a result of historical violence, colonial occupation, looting or war.

Even the Vatican has gotten onto the restitution bandwagon, recently returning to Greece the three fragments of the Parthenon Marbles that it had held for two centuries. For starters, theres the Seventh Commandment: If you steal something, you have to give it back, Pope Francis explained.

The Italian audit, begun under the previous government, is continuing under Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has its roots in the neo-fascist successor party of dictator Benito Mussoli. Mussolinis Fascist regime is most closely associated with Italys North African colonies, which covered Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia as well as a protectorate in Albania. The empire began in the late 19th century, but Mussolini tried to expand it, only to be forced to relinquish it after World War II, with Italys final administration of Somalia ending in 1960.

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Even though we had a more ephemeral colonial history than Britain, Germany, France or Belgium, the problem obviously cannot be underestimated by us, the Culture Ministry official in charge of museums, Massimo Osanna, told a recent conference on restitution. We must rethink the collections, rethink the institutions and rethink the transparency of the narrative, as well as case-by-case restitutions.

Osanna has tasked a group of museum directors and academics, headed by Christian Greco, director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, with the audit. The committee has enlisted a dozen graduate students who are helping curators go through their storerooms and archives to understand whats there.

In an interview, Greco acknowledged the issue of restitution and Italys colonial past remains sensitive. He said he had expected resistance when his team sent out a questionnaire asking museums if they held objects that may have been acquired in ways that would be considered unethical today.

I was expecting people to be afraid, but actually the contrary is happening, people are very excited that this is happening, he said, adding that 30 museums with substantial collections had already responded. The aim is to produce a report to the Culture Ministry by mid-year, and to then organize an international symposium in the second half of the year to discuss the findings.

Objects just dont necessarily tell us about the past, they tell a lot about us, Greco said. When I look at objects of ancient Egypt, do they tell me something about ancient Egyptian civilizations, or do they tell me much more about Eurocentrism?"

-

It seems appropriate that Italys experiment in coming to terms with its colonial past, including the recent restitution conference, is based at the Museum of Civilizations, located in one of the huge travertine blocks of Fascist architecture in Mussolinis utopian neighborhood of EUR, in southern Rome.

The museum itself is something of a marvel, rebranded in 2016 as a compendium of 2 million objects from a half-dozen old collections: the Colonial Museum, Museum of Oriental Art, Museum of Medieval Art, the Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum and Museum of Traditional Popular Arts.

The most problematic among them is the 12,000-piece collection from the Colonial Museum, which Mussolini himself inaugurated in 1923. Initially made up of war loot sent home by Italian military officers in North Africa, the museum wasn't aimed at teaching Italians about African cultures, but rather to show folks back home the greatness of Italy's military conquests abroad, and how they were helping provide raw materials for Italian industry.

It was propaganda, purely a propaganda museum that had the purpose of creating a colonial consciousness in the visitor, said curator Rosa Anna Di Lella.

The museum storerooms overflow with imposing busts of mustachioed Italian military heroes; specimens of Libyan cotton, Eritrean sunflower seeds, Somalian beans; and plaster facial masks made on live subjects, relics of the anthropological studies of racial typologies that are today so controversial they arent exhibited.

It is here that Museum of Civilizations director Andrea Viliani is embarking on a radical rethink of the museum, its problematic collections and the narrative of Italys colonial-era past, starting with a preliminary exhibition opening in June.

Alongside a section on restitution, the exhibit will include two giant wall murals that Italian troops stole from the Ethiopian parliament. Also on display: a painting of the Battle of Adwa, the decisive 1896 battle in the First Italo-Ethiopian War that (temporarily) halted the Kingdom of Italys advance in North Africa.

Most Italian-made renditions of the battle depict the Italian martyrs who lost. The work going on display was painted by an Ethiopian artist and celebrates the Ethiopian victory in what came to epitomize pan-African independence at a time when European empires were carving up the continent.

Villiani said the time had come for ethnographic museums like his to tell histories in a different way, giving voice to peoples whose stories haven't been told. Italy, he said, is a bit behind other European countries, but has a unique role to play, given it has been both perpetrator and victim of looting.

We are at the beginning, a beginning that is still made up precisely ... of testing the ground and finding the language," he said. It's a journey that will need more chapters, and we can't know how it will end.

-

For Italy, the question of restitution is not entirely unfamiliar: It has spearheaded legal frameworks to bring home thousands of antiquities stolen in recent decades from its soil by unscrupulous tombaroli, or tomb robbers. It has won back so much loot that it recently inaugurated the Museum of Salvaged Art, where returned items spend time in Rome before being shipped back to the regions from where they were stolen.

And Italy over the years has given back plenty of Holocaust-era and other stolen loot  four returned objects were unveiled in Egypt just this week. It has also undertaken two high-profile restitutions from its colonial past: In 2005, Italy returned to Ethiopia the massive, 160-ton Axum Obelisk, which Mussolini ordered sent to Rome in 1937 after his troops overran Ethiopia. And in 2008, then-Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi handed over to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi the Venus of Cyrene, an ancient Roman statue taken in 1913 by Italian troops.

The statue reportedly disappeared in the chaos that engulfed Libya following the 2011 fall of Gadhafi, providing fodder to restitution critics who maintain that humanity is better served when its artifacts are safe in European museums, visible to millions, even if deprived of their cultural context.

Dan Hicks, the Oxford archaeologist who has spearheaded the restitution movement of the Benin Bronzes and other cultural artifacts, says that retain and explain argument is bunk and that Italy is right to be joining other European museums in handing back its loot.

Hicks, who spoke alongside Osanna at the restitution conference, has argued that anthropological museums today must now become the public spaces to debate problematic collections, while permitting also case-by-case restitutions. He says cultural audiences today no longer tolerate unethically sourced museum collections.

We dont want to walk around the museums constantly having to think, OK, this is interesting, but is there someone, somewhere asking for it back? he said.
Jake Paul threatened to fire one of his employees on Tuesday, during a press conference for the YouTubers fight with Nate Diaz.

YouTuber Paul has gone 6-1 as a professional boxer in recent years and is due to box Diaz, a former UFC star, in August.

At the first press conference for that fight, a reporter said to 38-year-old Diaz: Nate, Im actually a boxer myself, and Ive been trying to get into this undercard.

Im just wondering if you think I could fight your brother Nick [also a former UFC fighter]. If hes anything like you, I think Id beat his f***ing a**.

Diaz replied: Brother, what? Are you just gonna walk away on the streets or some s***? You know all my homeboys see you right now? That was stupid. You deserve your a** whipped.

The reporter revealed himself to be Derek from Betr Media, a company run by Paul.

Paul, 26, intervened, saying: He works for my company. Ill handle that later, Ill fire him later. Im sorry about that, Nate. Derek, shut up.

Derek later took to Betrs Instagram page to share a video, in which he said: I would like to apologise for the question that I asked at the Jake Paul and Nate Diaz press conference.

I would especially like to apologise to my boss Jake Paul, and I definitely want to apologise to Nate Diaz. Nate, please dont hurt me, but if you do, I definitely deserve it.

Having said all this... Nick Diaz, the contract has been sent.

Nate Diaz made bond last month after turning himself in to police in New Orleans, where an arrest warrant was issued after the American was filmed seemingly choking out a man in the street.

Diaz is best known for his fights with Conor McGregor in 2016. Diaz fought the Irishman on short notice in March of that year and submitted the former dual-weight champion, before losing to McGregor on points in their August rematch.

Diaz last fought in the UFC in September, submitting Tony Ferguson before leaving the company.
A new hotel restaurant in the Triangle will take its cues from a James Beard Award-winning chef.

Il Falo, a new Italian restaurant has opened in the ground floor of The Westin Hotel in Brier Creek, developed with the help of Bradford Thompson, a 2006 winner of the prestigious culinary award. Thompson was named Best Chef: Southwest 17 years ago for his now-closed Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant Mary Elaines.

For Il Falo, Thompson and his consulting company, Bellyful Hospitality, were hired to help develop the restaurants menu and concept.

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant serves an upscale and traditional Italian menu, with a giant wood-burning oven setting the tone. In Italian Il Falo means bonfire and flames and smoke feature prominently on the menu, from charred and smoky vegetables to blister-crusted pizzas. Also look for cured Italian ham and salami, braised meatballs, steaks, roasted chicken and fresh pastas.

Were excited to bring the luxury wellness experience to the Triangle that only Westin offers, said Sheri Erhart, co-owner and executive vice president for CMC Hotels. Were pleased to partner with award-winning chef Bradford Thompson who has created a menu for Il Falo that combines thoughtfully-sourced local ingredients and wood fire for a contemporary approach to Italian cuisine.

The Westin is owned by 37-year-old Cary-based CMC Hotels, which has 11 hotels across the state.

Il Falo will serve breakfast and dinner seven days a week and expects to add lunch and weekend brunch service.
A Bulgari sapphire and diamond necklace will be on sale at the auction in Switzerland

Jewels belonging to an Austrian billionaire whose German husband made his fortune under the Nazis raked in more than $155 million Wednesday at an auction held amid criticism from Jewish groups.

Christie's offered up nearly 100 sparkling pieces during the controversial in-person sale in Geneva Wednesday, but prices raked in for some of the auction highlights fell short of expectations.

As the bidding began Wednesday afternoon, Christie's international head of jewellery Rahul Kadakia said the auction house's decision to go ahead despite mounting criticism had come "after careful consideration of the significance of the sale's philanthropic impact".

He stressed that the proceeds would go towards good causes, including for "vitally important Holocaust research and education", but critics of the sale have dismissed this as an inadequate response.

The entire collection, which Christie's aims to sell in online and in-person auctions by the end of the year, consists of 700 jewels, including pieces from 20th-century designers such as Cartier, Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels.

They belonged to Heidi Horten who died last year aged 81, with a fortune of $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

With just a portion of the collection now sold, the auction has already eclipsed previous records set by Christie's in sales of properties that belonged to actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2011 and the "Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence" collection in 2019, both of which exceeded $100 million.

- 'Strong result' -

But during Wednesday's sale there were a number of disappointing results.

Among the main attractions was the Sunrise Ruby, which had been estimated at 14 -18 million Swiss francs ($15-20 million), but it sold for just over 13 million francs, including commission, Christie's said.

And the massive 90.36-carat "Briolette of India" diamond pendant and accompanying diamond necklace, estimated at 9-14 million francs, fetched just 6.3 million, including commission.

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Asked if he was disappointed, Kadakia pointed to the overall result, with was higher than the $150 million Christie's had expected to fetch for the entire 700-piece collection.

"We achieved $155 million on the first sale alone so I think it was a very strong result," he told AFP.

A report published in January 2022 by historians commissioned by the Horten Foundation said Heidi Horton's husband Helmut Horton, who died in Switzerland in 1987, had been a member of the Nazi party before being expelled.

In 1936, three years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Horten took over textile company Alsberg, based in the western city of Duisburg, after its Jewish owners fled.

He later took over several other shops that had belonged to Jewish owners before the war.

- 'Indecent' -

A growing number of Jewish groups have asked Christie's to halt the Horten sale.

"This sale is indecent," Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), said Tuesday.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a Jewish human rights organisation, issued a statement last week saying Christie's "must suspend this sale" until all research into links to Nazi-era acquisitions have been completed.

And the American Jewish Committee criticised Christie's decision to contribute proceeds from the sale to a Holocaust research and education organisation.

"It is not enough that this sale will benefit a charitable foundation or that Christie's will make an unspecified donation for Holocaust education," it said.

"Instead, the auction should be put on hold until a serious effort is made to determine what portion of this wealth came from Nazi victims," it added.

But the auction house defended the sale.

"The foundation and Christie's know that all of the proceeds are going towards charities, the charities are child protection and welfare, medical research and access to the arts," Kadakia told AFP.

"Christie's separately is making a significant donation towards Holocaust research and education," he added.

"We believe that in the end, proceeds of the sale is going to do good and this is the reason we decided to take on the project."

In addition to 400 of the Horten lots to be sold by Christie's in May, another 300 pieces will be sold online in November.

apo-jfr/nl/pvh
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib

Sen. Joe Manchin blasted Mitch McConnell over the GOP leader's plans to defeat him next year.

Manchin has not announced a reelection bid, but Republicans have long eyed winning his West Virginia seat.

"If you want to know what's wrong with the process, go talk to McConnell," he told CNN's Manu Raju.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a recent CNN interview laid out how the GOP would attempt to retake control of the upper chamber next year, which includes his push to go "all out" in defeating Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a centrist who has bucked some of President Joe Biden's priorities and is by far the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent eligible for reelection next year.

Manchin has not yet decided if he'll run for reelection next year, but he decried his Kentucky colleague's longstanding goal of removing him from office, telling the network's Manu Raju on Tuesday that he has not campaigned against a fellow member since joining the body in 2010.

"This is what's wrong with this place, okay, and I have said this," Manchin said. "I have never ever campaigned against a sitting colleague."

"And if you want to know what's wrong with the process, go talk to McConnell," he continued. "That tells you everything that's wrong with the Congress and the United States Senate, especially under his leadership."

McConnell, stung by Republican losses in key race in last year's midterms, has played an active role in the recruitment process for the upcoming 2024 elections. The Kentuckian was successful in helping convince wealthy Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia to jump into the Senate contest  one of the most coveted recruits on the GOP wish list  in a state where former President Donald Trump won in electoral landslides in both 2016 and 2020.

Still, despite the heavy Republican lean of the state, Manchin has managed to thrive where other Democrats have not been able to find success.

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Manchin, a former West Virginia secretary of state and former governor, was last reelected in 2018, defeating Attorney General Patrick Morrissey despite Trump's 42-point victory in the state just two years prior. While many Democrats have been frustrated by Manchin's influence over legislation in a Senate narrowly controlled by their party, losing his seat would severely imperil the party's majority  especially with other highly competitive races in Montana and Ohio.

A McConnell-aligned group has already launched an ad buy against Manchin, but Republicans across the spectrum freely admit that despite the red tint of the Mountain State, the Democratic lawmaker's chances can't be minimized given his strong retail politics and his record of electoral victories that span decades.

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In his first official remarks on the death of Jordan Neely more than one week after he was fatally choked on a New York City subway train car, Mayor Eric Adams did not mention how the homeless New Yorker died or discuss the events surrounding his death.

He stressed, however, that Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.

One of our own is dead  a Black man, Black like me. A man named Jordan, the name I gave my son, the mayor said in remarks on 10 May. A New Yorker who struggled with tragedy, trauma and mental illness, a man whose last words were crying for help.

On 1 May, a man identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny wrapped his arm around the neck of the homeless former street performer for several minutes. The citys medical examiner determined the cause of death was homicide. No charges have been filed, and the Manhattan district attorneys office and police are investigating.

Neely was complaining of hunger and thirst when he boarded the F train in Manhattan, according to witnesses, moments before Mr Penny and others pinned him to the ground.

Neelys death has devastated his family and shocked his fellow New Yorkers, said Mr Adams, adding that one thing we can control is how our city responds to that tragedy.

Mr Adams outlined his administrations response to people experiencing homelessness and mental health distress, including legislation proposed to lawmakers in Albany, the creation of outreach teams, and a controversial policy that allows authorities to involuntarily hospitalise people who are considered too mentally ill to care for themselves.

Neely  who was experiencing a mental health crisis in the days leading up to his death  was known among social work teams involved in outreach to New Yorks homeless community. He had numerous interactions with law enforcement and health responders over the years.

When he walked into a subway car on 1 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.

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The widely shared video footage shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car for several minutes. Mr Vazquez said that Neely was yelling that 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 grabbed him from behind in a headlock. Others grabbed at his arms.

New York City Police Department officers attempted CPR upon arrival on the F train at the Broadway-Lafayette platform, according to an incident report reviewed by The Independent. Neely was pronounced dead at Lenox Health Greenwich Village hospital.

A statement from attorneys for Mr Penny on 5 May said Mr Penny was involved in a tragic incident ... which ended in the death of Jordan Neely.

Mr Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness, the statement added. 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. Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.

Attorneys for Neelys family said the statement from Mr Pennys legal team was neither an apology nor an expression of regret but character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordans life.

The mayor will convene a summit next week with mental health providers who work with the city to develop an action plan. He also will meet with faith leaders who are on the front lines of this issue and we need their help and support, he said.

There are more Jordans out there, Mr Adams said. People who are loved, people who are in need of treatment and compassion.

Jordan Neelys life mattered, he continued. He was suffering from severe mental illness. But that was not the cause of his death. His death was a tragedy that should never have happened.

Mr Adams notably did not discuss the way in which Neely died. In the aftermath of Neelys death, the mayor said 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.

In an interview on CNN on 3 May, after the citys medical examiner formally declared Neelys death a homicide, Mr Adams, a former police officer, 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.

His initial remarks and apparent refusal to condemn what his critics have characterised as an act of vigilantism have drawn widespread criticism, including from members of Neelys family and other elected officials such as US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In an interview with New York magazines The Cut published on 9 May, she excoriated city and state officials who have refused to condemn the actions of the other subway passengers, after the mayor rebuked the congresswoman for her own statements addressing his death.

I would like everyone to pretend that was their son, Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the magazine. I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing.

In the interview, she addresses the failure of public policies to support people experiencing homelessness and their mental health, compounded by rapidly growing costs of living in a city with some of the highest housing costs globally, and pointed to the hypocrisy of officials demanding better public safety while refusing to acknowledge that a person literally killed another human being on the subway.

I think in order to stand up for Jordan Neely, wed have to admit that public decisions made by leaders have been failing, she said. Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders. He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.

Attorneys representing the Neely family haev urged the mayor to call them.

The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a statement. You seem to think others are more important than him.

In his remarks on 10 May, Mr Adams said his heart goes out to Jordans family who is suffering great pain from the uncertainty of the circumstances of his death.

Too many Black and brown families bear the brunt of a system long overdue for reform, he added. Our work starts with acknowledging that we must reverse the effects of decades of disinvestment in housing, healthcare and social services.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the death of Jordan Neely at a closed-press event on Wednesday, more than one week after the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker was fatally choked on a Manhattan subway traincar.

Jordan Neely did not deserve to die, the mayor said in remarks outlining his administrations efforts to support people experiencing mental health crises.

A statement from the White House on Tuesday said the events surrounding Neelys death demand a thorough investigation, as Manhattan prosecutors and police continue to investigate the case.

Widely shared footage from 1 May shows a men identified as Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old former US Marine, wrapping his arm around Neelys neck on the floor of the traincar. He has not been charged with a crime.

The incident has prompted city, state and federal officials, advocacy groups and protesters to demand an arrest and call attention to urgently needed support for mental health services and people experiencing homelessness.

A veteran New York photojournalist was arrested on Monday night during a vigil and protest, one of several in New York City in the week after Neelys death. More than 20 people have been arrested during protests in the wake of Neelys death.

Key Points

Eric Adams: Jordan Neely did not deserve to die'

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

Photojournalist among people arrested during protests marking one week after Neelys death

Jordan Neelys family attorneys condemn admission of guilt'

Neelys death is a wake-up call for urgent response to mental health crisis, governor says

Eric Adams: There are more Jordans out there'

16:53 , Alex Woodward

Mayor Eric Adams continued his remarks laying out his administrations vision for mental health treatment, including a controversial agenda that allows authorities to involuntary admit people who are considered too mentally ill to be able to care for themselves into mental health treatment.

Story continues

There are more Jordans out there, Mr Adams said. People who are loved, people who are in need of treatment and compassion.

Jordan Neelys life mattered, he continued. He was suffering from severe mental illness. But that was not the cause of his death. His death was a tragedy that should never have happened.

Mr Adams notably did not discuss the way in which Neely died, after another subway passenger placed him in a fatal chokehold. The citys medical examiner determined the cause of death was a homicide. No charges have been filed.

My heart goes out to Jordans family who is suffering great pain from the uncertainty of the circumstances of his death, Mr Adams said. Too many Black and brow families beat the brunt of a system long overdue for reform. Our work starts with acknowledging that we must reverse the effects of decades of disinvestment in housing, healthcare and social services.

Eric Adams: Jordan Neely did not deserve to die'

16:40 , Alex Woodward

Mayor Eric Adams introduced his remarks on the death of Jordan Neely noting a week of strong emotions among New Yorkers in the aftermath of his death.

He noted that while law enforcement continues to investigate the fatal chokehold that led to his death, the mayor said that Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.

A New Yorker who struggled with tragedy, trauma and mental illness, a man whose last words were crying for help, he said. 

Neelys death has devastated his family and shocked his fellow New Yorkers, adding that one thing we can control is how our city responds to that tragedy.

His remarks have called for support around mental health services while outlining the administrations other efforts.

Eric Adams to address Jordan Neelys death

16:18 , Alex Woodward

Mayor Eric Adams will deliver an address on the death of Jordan Neely at 11.30am ET.

Jordan Neelys uncle slams Eric Adams

15:44 , Alex Woodward

The uncle of the man who was fatally choked on a Manhattan subway car on 1 May said he does not have anything to say to Mayor Eric Adams, who said on Monday night that has tried reaching out to the family.

I dont have anything to say to Mayor Adams  I dont know any mayor who parties and bull**** like Adams, Chrostopher Neely told The New York Post. Nobody Black thats in the neighborhood really believes in him. Its more him partying at night and coming home at 4 or 5am.

As 11 people were arrested at a vigil and protest demanding action after Neelys death, the mayor told a reporter for The City during an unrelated event that he has reached out to Neelys family several times to give them my condolences.

Christopher Neely said neither he nor Jordans father or grandparents have spoken to the mayor.

A statement on Monday morning from attorneys representing the Neely family urged the mayor to call them.

The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, the statement adds. You seem to think others are more important than him.

Homeless advocacy group to hold vigil outside City Hall for Jordan Neely and deaths of unhoused New Yorkers

15:36 , Alex Woodward

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

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.

VOCAL-NY, an organisation that advocates for unhoused New Yorkers, will hold a vigil outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon to recognise those deaths and the death of Jordan Neely, who was fatally choked on a Manhattan F train on 1 May.

Instead of providing New Yorkers with basic stability, [Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul] have defunded our social systems, driven up our rents... all while manufacturing a crime panic that scapegoats the most marginalized, the group said in a statement.

We need justice. We need accountability.



Join @VOCALNewYork Thursday at a vigil for Jordan Neely. pic.twitter.com/qiIUMU3M2T  Housing Justice For All (@housing4allNY) May 9, 2023

Foster care reform advocate and friend of Neely: Jordan wanted a home

14:00 , Alex Woodward

A community activist who says he grew up with Jordan Neely in foster care said the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker was failed by the same foster system that failed him.

Now an organiser and advocate for foster care reform, Larry Smith moved through 23 different foster homes and endured physical, psychological, sexual and emotional abuse, according to his website.

He told New Yorks Pix11 that they met after they were placed in a foster facility in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn and were moved from home to home over four years.

Four years of betrayal, rejection. Four years of nervousness. Four years of abandonment. Four years of pain, Mr Smith told Pix11.

They both aged out of care and into homelessness, he said.

Jordan could have been housed but nobody cares, Mr Smith told Gothamist.

Jordan never wanted money, he told Pix11. Jordan wanted food. Jordan wanted resources. Jordan wanted a home.

ICYMI: AOC discusses Jordan Neelys death and urgency to respond to homelessness crisis

13:00 , Alex Woodward

In an interview with New York magazines The Cut, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez excoriates city and state officials who have refused to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely in precise terms, after Mayor Eric Adams rebuked the congresswoman for her own statements addressing his death.

I would like everyone to pretend that was their son, she told the magazine. I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing.

In the interview, she addresses the failure of public policies to support people experiencing homelessness and their mental health, compounded by rapidly growing costs of living in a city with some of the highest housing costs globally.

I think in order to stand up for Jordan Neely, wed have to admit that public decisions made by leaders have been failing, she said. Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders. He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.

She also repeatedly stressed that there is nothing that can justify killing a person, especially if they are unarmed and not a physical threat to anyone.

Theres a hypocrisy to the way many officials talk about public safety. All of these responses are acting as though Neely was the aggressor here, when he was the one who was murdered, she added. Theres all this talk about making our public spaces safer, and a person literally killed another human being on the subway. When you create a situation where harming a certain class of people may be excused, then we incentivize this kind of behavior. Anybody can point to anybody else and say, Oh, well, I was scared of them.

Manhattan prosecutor leading investigation led case against Trump Organization

12:00 , Alex Woodward

A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorneys office told The Independent last week that senior, experienced prosecutors are investigating Neelys death.

This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neelys life, press secretary Douglas Cohen said. 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 led by veteran homicide prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who led the successful prosecution of the Trump Organization on charges that included 17 tax crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying business records.

Mr Steinglass, a 25-year veteran of the office, has also been at the centre of other high-profile and sensitive cases. He secured convictions against two members of the neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys in 2019 and an undercover police officer involved with an assault in 2015.

Jordan Neely family attorneys respond to statement from Daniel Pennys legal team

11:00 , Alex Woodward

In a statement shared with The Independent on 5 May, attorneys for Daniel Penny said Jordan Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness and began aggressively threatening Mr Penny and others on the train.

Attorneys for Neelys family criticised the statement, which they said was neither 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, reads the statement on 8 May from attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards.

Jordan Neely family attorneys condemn statement from Daniel Pennys legal team

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

10:00 , Alex Woodward

The death of Jordan Neely demands a thorough investigation, according to a statement from President Joe Bidens administration, speaking publicly for the first time on the killing of the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker who was placed in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway train last week.

In widely shared video footage, a man identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny is seen restraining Neely on the floor of an F train while his arm is wrapped around Neelys neck for several minutes.

Jordan Neelys killing was tragic and deeply disturbing, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement shared with The Independent on 9 May.

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

Press association defends photojournalist arrested during protests

09:00 , Alex Woodward

The New York Press Photographers Association described Stephanie Keith as an intrepid photojournalist in a statement of support after her arrest while photographing protests on Monday night.

We support our colleague and believe that a review of the evidence and circumstances will compel the Manhattan DA to drop any charges against her, according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

Video shows Ms Keith attempting to use a crosswalk before Chief of Patrol John Chell, one of the highest-ranking members of the NYPD, appears to push her back and shout lock her up as he moves her towards other officers to be placed under arrest.

She was handcuffed and detained in a police van before her release with a summons.

During a press conference on Monday night, Mr Chell claimed that she interfered with NYPDs arrests. Ms Keith said in a post on her Instagram account that she was standing with other photojournalists far from where the arrests were taking place.

(REUTERS)

Two dozen people arrested during protests over Jordan Neelys death

08:00 , Alex Woodward

Police arrested at least 11 people and discovered what officials called a Molotov cocktail during a vigil and protest marking one week after the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless street performer who was placed in a fatal chokehold inside a Manhattan F train.

Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was filmed being arrested and placed into a New York City Police Department van near protests at Houston Street and Broadway on 8 May. A press pass and camera equipment are clearly visible in widely shared footage of her arrest.

Those arrests follow the arrests of 13 others during protests on Saturday, as demonstrators continue to press city officials and law enforcement for justice in the wake of Neelys death. No charges have been filed in the case.

NYPD arrests photojournalist at protest demanding arrest for Jordan Neelys death

AOC and MTA chief urges passengers to deescalate

07:00 , Alex Woodward

Janno Lieber, head of the MTA, said on Friday that he is waiting a decision from prosecutors in the death of Jordan Neely, but urged passengrs to find a way to deescalate if challenges emerge on the subways.

Were gonna renew our efforts to make sure that people understand that when youre in the subway together, theyre going to be challenges, when youre in the public space together there are going to be challenges, but we have to find a way to deescalate, he said.

He called the video showing Neelys final moments while he is placed in a chokehold really troubling and upsetting.

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also told New York magazine that de-escalation is a skill set.

It is something that every single one of us could learn. It is something that could even be a matter of public education and public-health campaigns, she added. Sometimes a person may be at a 10 emotionally, and the smallest gesture of humanity can help them out.

Who is Jordan Neely?

06:00 , Alex Woodward

Following his mothers murder when he was 14 years old, Jordan Neely came 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.

But his mental health appeared to deteroriate in recent years, as he experienced homelessness and repeatedly evaded homeless outreach services and healthcare as he came in contact with law enforcement.

Jordan Neely, the man killed in a NYC subway chokehold

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

04:00 , Alex Woodward

The death of Jordan Neely demands a thorough investigation, according to a statement from President Joe Bidens administration, speaking publicly for the first time on the killing of the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker who was placed in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway train last week.

Jordan Neelys killing was tragic and deeply disturbing, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement shared withThe Independent on 9 May.

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

One of the attorneys representing Daniel Penny challenged Alvin Bragg for Manhattan DA

03:00 , Alex Woodward

Daniel Penny, who was filmed with his arm around Jordan Neelys neck, has retained legal representation from attorneys with the firm Raiser and Kenniff. Mr Penny has not been charged with any crime.

Thomas Kenniff unsuccessfully ran for Manhattan district attorney as a Republican in 2021, ultimately losing to Alvin Bragg, who received more than 82 per cent of the vote.

In a debate against Mr Bragg that year, he slammed misguided criminal justice policies that embrace criminals at the expense of victims, what he said has resulted in an increase in violent crime and a decrease in quality of life like nothing we have experienced in years.

Neelys death is a wake-up call for urgent response to mental health crisis, governor says

02:00 , Alex Woodward

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the death of Jordan Neely should serve as a wake-up call for government officials to urgently respond to a growing mental health crisis.

Her remarks on Monday came as she announced a $1bn pldge to update the states mental health programmes.

People fall through the cracks. Sometimes theyre visible, sometimes you see them, she said in remarks from Buffalo.

And we think about the young man, Jordan Neely, who was in New York City in the throes of a crisis who was tragically killed on the subway this week. His death is clear evidence that we need support, she added. We need alternatives for these individuals so theyre not regulated to that kind of life. So those of us in government, it is a wake up call.

Im in Buffalo announcing how our budget transforms New York's continuum of mental health care and creates a system that works for all New Yorkers. Watch live: https://t.co/1o3yyMqr0L  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) May 8, 2023

Jordan Neelys death recalls the outcome of an infamous 1980s case

01:00 , Alex Woodward

Prosecutors could weigh criminal charges against the man who put Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold, though that likely will not include the charges of murder, according to legal experts.

Charges could depend on whether a reasonable person would have acted similarly.

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, under New Yorks penal code.

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, according to Mark Bederow, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, speaking to NBC New York.

The states highest court clarified that statute in 1986 in a case involving the Bernhard Goetzs 1984 shooting of four teenagers on a subway.

The white pasenger shot four young Black men after one of them asked him for $5. He claimed that he thought he was being robbed. A jury ultimately acquitted Goetz of attempted murder but convicted him of carrying an unlicensed handgun.

ICYMI: Al Sharpton demands criminal charges in Jordan Neelys death

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:00 , Alex Woodward

In an address on Saturday, the Rev Al Sharpton urged criminal charges to be brought against people involved in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on 1 May.

If you do not prosecute ... you will set a standard of vigilantism that we cannot tolerate, he said from Harlem. The precedent alone is a threat to all of us. We cannot allow this lawlessness to go unchecked.

He said charges should not only be brought against Daniel Penny but also the two subway passengers who appeared in a video alongside him.

Youre not going to choke this young man to death and not let us stand up and raise our voices, Mr Sharpton said. From a civil rights point of view, we are petitioning [that] the choker and the two folks helping him are all brought before a grand jury.

The New York medical examiners officer declared Neelys death a homicide; it is not a criminal determination but manner of death.

About that Molotov cocktail'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:49 , Alex Woodward

New York City Police Department officials reported that a Molotov cocktail was recovered on Monday night during protests calling for an arrest for Jordan Neelys death.

That weapon appears to be a Topo Chico bottle with a napkin or fabric inside with a small amount of unknown liquid. Officials have not revealed what that liquid is.

A post about the bottle on the NYPDs official Twitter account also received a community note from the platform that casts doubt on whether it is a Molotov cocktail.

While these materials could technically be used in the making of a molotov cocktail, this picture does not show a molotov cocktail, or provide evidence that one was made, the note reads.

This is a Molotov Cocktail that was found at tonights protest. We are committed to ensuring everyones right to protest. Violence has no place in civic demonstration. These actions will never be tolerated & anyone bringing weapons or dangerous substances will be arrested. https://t.co/5eS5A525SQ pic.twitter.com/VMh14FQQSD  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 9, 2023

Mayor Eric Adams blamed outside agitators; the incident also has drawn comparisons to false claims from NYPD officials about pallets of bricks used by protesters in 2020 and unfounded claims from NYPD officers that a restaurant poisoned their milkshakes.

Press association defends photojournalist arrested during protests

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:00 , Alex Woodward

The New York Press Photographers Association described Stephanie Keith as an intrepid photojournalist in a statement of support after her arrest while photographing protests on Monday night.

We support our colleague and believe that a review of the evidence and circumstances will compel the Manhattan DA to drop any charges against her, according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

Video shows Ms Keith attempting to use a crosswalk before Chief of Patrol John Chell, one of the highest-ranking members of the NYPD, appears to push her back and shout lock her up as he moves her towards other officers to be placed under arrest.

She was handcuffed and detained in a police van before her release with a summons.

During a press conference on Monday night, Mr Chell claimed that she interfered with NYPDs arrests. Ms Keith said in a post on her Instagram account that she was standing with other photojournalists far from where the arrests were taking place.

(REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

AOC:  I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:34 , Alex Woodward

In an interview with New York magazines The Cut, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez excoriates city and state officials who have refused to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely in precise terms, after Mayor Eric Adams rebuked the congresswoman for her own statements addressing his death.

I would like everyone to pretend that was their son, she told the magazine. I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing.

In the interview, she addresses the failure of public policies to support people experiencing homeless and their mental health, compounded by rapidly growing costs of living in a city with some of the highest housing costs globally.

I think in order to stand up for Jordan Neely, wed have to admit that public decisions made by leaders have been failing, she said. Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders. He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.

She also repeatedly stressed that there is nothing that can justify killing a person, especially if they are unarmed and not a physical threat to anyone.

Theres a hypocrisy to the way many officials talk about public safety. All of these responses are acting as though Neely was the aggressor here, when he was the one who was murdered, she added. Theres all this talk about making our public spaces safer, and a person literally killed another human being on the subway. When you create a situation where harming a certain class of people may be excused, then we incentivize this kind of behavior. Anybody can point to anybody else and say, Oh, well, I was scared of them.

(Getty Images)

Jordan wanted a home

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:02 , Alex Woodward

A community activist who says he grew up with Jordan Neely in foster care said the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker was failed by the same foster system that failed him.

Now an organiser and advocate for foster care reform, Larry Smith moved through 23 different foster homes and endured physical, psychological, sexual and emotional abuse, according to his website.

He told New Yorks Pix11 that they met after they were placed in a foster facility in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn and were moved from home to home over four years.

Four years of betrayal, rejection. Four years of nervousness. Four years of abandonment. Four years of pain, Mr Smith told Pix11.

They both aged out of care and into homelessness, he said.

Jordan could have been housed but nobody cares, Mr Smith told Gothamist.

Jordan never wanted money, he told Pix11. Jordan wanted food. Jordan wanted resources. Jordan wanted a home.

At least two dozen people have been arrested at protests within a week after Neelys death

Tuesday 9 May 2023 20:13 , Alex Woodward

At least 24 people have been arrested after several protests in New York City in the wake of Jordan Neelys death, as protesters and vigils demanding justice for his killing were met with a heavy police presence and aggressive police posturing.

Thirteen people were arrested during protests on Saturday on charges including resisting arrest, trespass, assault and unlawful interference with a railroad train.

On Monday night, at least 11 others were arrested following a vigil and demonstration marking one week after Neelys killing.

Protesters marked the contrast between the law enforcement response to the demonstrations and the response to Neelys death. No charges have been filed as prosecutors continue to investigate; the man identified as Daniel Penny who placed Neely in the fatal chokehold was initially questioned by police and released. His attorneys said in a statement that Mr Penny and other passengers acted to protect themselves, until help arrived and could not have foreseen his untimely death.

Eric Adams: My heart breaks for loss of Jordan Neely

Tuesday 9 May 2023 19:30 , Alex Woodward

Mayor Eric Adams addressed the death of Jordan Neely in remarks to the National Urban Leagues Safe and Just Communities Summit on Tuesday.

My heart breaks when we lost young Jordan, he said, according to Ethan Stark-Miller with amNewYork.

The mayor also has a son named Jordan, which he pointed out to The City last night.

.@NYCMayor says "my heart breaks when we lost young Jordan, many people forget that Jordan is my son's name" referring to Jordan Neely, while giving remarks at National Urban Leagues Safe and Just Communities Summit. The mayor has been hesitant to comment on Neely's death. pic.twitter.com/sPVWVb6QAx  Ethan Stark-Miller (@Estarkmiller) May 9, 2023

Full story: White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

Tuesday 9 May 2023 19:00 , Alex Woodward

The death of Jordan Neely demands a thorough investigation, according to a statement from President Joe Bidens administration, speaking publicly for the first time on the killing of the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker who was placed in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway train last week.

White House calls for thorough investigation into Jordan Neelys death

White House responds to Jordan Neelys death for the first time

Tuesday 9 May 2023 18:30 , Alex Woodward

President Joe Bidens administration is calling for a thorough investigation into the death of Jordan Neely, the 30-year-old homeless New Yorker who was placed in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway train last week.

Jordan Neelys killing was tragic and deeply disturbing, according to a statement from a White House spokesperson obtained by The Independent on 9 May.

Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We firmly believe that the events surrounding his death demand a thorough investigation, the statement added.

The White House statement is the first to address Neelys death on 1 May.

Witnesses recount subway chokehold

Tuesday 9 May 2023 17:34 , Alex Woodward

Several people who witnessed Daniel Penny placing Jordan Neely in a chokehold on the F train platform on 1 May recounted their experience to Hell Gate, including attempts to intervene, confusion and shock at what was taking place, and the complicated feelings of shame and regret that they were unable to stop what was happening after later digesting what they witnessed.

One man attempted to splash water on Neelys face but was waved away. Another witness was not certain what was happening, as others tried to explain why Neely was being restrained or seek to justify what was happening in front of them, according to the witness.

It seemed like he knew what he was doing, they said. And if you know what youre doing, and youre doing it with dozens of witnesses, why would you have an intent to take someones life? Like, theres safety in a crowd.

The witness added that there just was not a lot of compassion for the person lying on the floor, not breathing.

Full story: NYPD arrests 11 people including photojournalist at protest demanding arrest for Jordan Neelys death

Tuesday 9 May 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward

Police arrested at least 11 people and discovered what officials called a Molotov cocktail during a vigil and protest marking one week after the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless street performer who was placed in a fatal chokehold inside a Manhattan F train.

Photojournalist Stephanie Keith, who has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg and Reuters, among other outlets, was filmed being arrested and placed into a New York City Police Department van near protests at Houston Street and Broadway on 8 May. A press pass and camera equipment are clearly visible in widely shared footage of her arrest.

I was flabbergasted, she wrote in an Instagram post after her release later that night. She said she was standing with other photographers, apart from police making arrests. For some reason they chose me from that situation, she added.

I said, Im press and they said, Youre not, youre arrested, she told The New York Daily News.

NYPD arrests photojournalist at protest demanding arrest for Jordan Neelys death

Former Manhattan DA: Charges in Neelys death may not come for some time

Tuesday 9 May 2023 16:32 , Alex Woodward

A week may seem like a long time for prosecutors to make a decision whether to charge Daniel Penny for the fatal chokehold against Jordan Neely, but its not as important as getting to the right decision on charging using the right process, according to former Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance, speaking to Gothamist.

And that requires more time, often, than some people feel is justified. But generally speaking, its a longer process than people appreciate, he said.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg could file a felony complaint against Mr Penny or any other person believed to be involved with Neelys death, at which an arrest could be made and an arraignment help.

Prosecutors also could go to a grand jury, presenting evidence in the case to determine whether charges are warranted. Legal experts have suggested that may a more likely scenario.

Attorneys for Mr Penny said that he has not yet been notified about a grand jury, which would be legally required if one is convened in the case.

Photojournalist flabbergasted after arrest

Tuesday 9 May 2023 15:16 , Alex Woodward

In a post on Instagram after her release, photojournalist Stephenie Keith expressed her shock when she was arrested while covering a protest and vigil demanding justice for the death of Jordan Neely near the Broadway-Lafayette subway stop on Monday night.

Some people chose to chant and commune on the subway platform and some to speak out on street level. The journalists on the subway platform heard arrests were going down so we all ran upstairs to witness several ongoing arrests, she wrote.

Later, I was arrested! I couldnt believe it, I was flabbergasted, she said.

She said she was standing with another group of photographers, far from arrests. Police later said she was interfering with arrests.

For some reason they chose me from that situation, she added.

I feel loved by my community and although there was a bad event that brought it about, I feel loved and supported by you! she said.

Eric Adams says he has tried to contact Neelys family

Tuesday 9 May 2023 14:37 , Alex Woodward

Mayor Eric Adams, during an unrelated event on Monday night, said that he has tried to reach the family of Jordan Neely several times.

Reached out to them several times to give them my condolences, he said at Russos on the Bay in Howard Beach, according to footage from The City.

A statement from Neelys attorneys on Monday asked the mayor to give us a call.

The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a joint statement on Monday morning.

NEW: in his only public appearance today (a party at Russos on the Bay), @NYCMayor says he tried multiple times to speak w/ Jordan Neelys family earlier today but couldnt reach them. He also spoke about tonights protests although I havent been able confirm his info pic.twitter.com/RGqOoyz2AU  katie honan (@katie_honan) May 9, 2023

Photojournalist among people arrested during protests marking one week after Neelys death

Tuesday 9 May 2023 14:22 , Alex Woodward

New York City Police Department officers arrested photojournalist Stephanie Keith during protests demanding an arrest in the killing of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless street performer who died in a fatal chokehold on 1 May on a Manhattan F train.

Ms Keith, who has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg and Reuters, was arrested for interfering in the arrests of protesters, according to police.

At least 10 people were arrested near Houston Street and Broadway following a vigil and protests marking one week since Daniel Penny pinned down Neely in a chokehold. The citys medical examiner determined the cause of death was homicide. No charges have been filed in Neelys death, and police and the Manhattan district attorneys office are investigating.

They just arrested a photographer Stephanie Keith and are taking her into police van. pic.twitter.com/a80qNGEVJw  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) May 9, 2023

Eric Adams has not talked to Neelys family, attorneys say

Tuesday 9 May 2023 14:00 , Alex Woodward

A statement from attorneys for the family of Jordan Neely suggests that Mayor Eric Adams has not talked with the family in the wake of his death.

Mayor Eric Adams please give us a call. The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a joint statement on Monday morning.

The Independent has requested comment from the mayors office.

The mayor is no stranger to public comment about subway violence, but he has declined to condemn lethal violence when it comes to the passenger who put Neely in a fatal chokehold.

Each situation is different and how a passenger. We have so many cases where passengers assist other riders, he said on CNN last week. 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.

Tuesday 9 May 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the death of Jordan Neely should serve as a wake-up call for government officials to urgently respond to a growing mental health crisis.

Her remarks on Monday came as she announced a $1bn pldge to update the states mental health programmes.

People fall through the cracks. Sometimes theyre visible, sometimes you see them, she said in remarks from Buffalo.

And we think about the young man, Jordan Neely, who was in New York City in the throes of a crisis who was tragically killed on the subway this week. His death is clear evidence that we need support, she added. We need alternatives for these individuals so theyre not regulated to that kind of life. So those of us in government, it is a wake up call.

Im in Buffalo announcing how our budget transforms New York's continuum of mental health care and creates a system that works for all New Yorkers. Watch live: https://t.co/1o3yyMqr0L  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) May 8, 2023

Who is Daniel Penny?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:00 , Alex Woodward

According to US Marine Corps records and a LinkedIn profile, Mr Penny joined the Marines in 2017 after graduating from West Islip High School, a hamlet roughly 36 miles outside of Manhattan in Suffolk County.

Public records confirm Mr Pennys former address at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He served as an infantryman and a sergeant.

He left the Marines in 2021. He wrote in a service industry job site that his military experience helped him discover that he is passionate about helping, communicating, and connecting to different people from all over the world.

Everything we know about Daniel Penny, filmed fatally choking Jordan Neely

The man who filmed the fatal chokehold explains what he saw

Tuesday 9 May 2023 12:00 , Alex Woodward

Journalist Juan Alberto Vasquez was traveling on the F train on his way from Brooklyn to Yonkers and intended to switch trains at the Broadway-Lafayette stop in Manhattan when he filmed Daniel Penny wrapping his arm around Jordan Neelys neck in a chokehold for several minutes. Neelys death was ruled a homicide by the citys medical examiner due to the compression against Neelys neck.

He told Curbed that Neely arrived on the train when it stopped at Second Avenue, stood in the middle of the train car, and then started yelling that he didnt have food, that he didnt have water and that he was tired, that he didnt care about going to jail.

I tried to start filming from that moment, but I didnt because I couldnt see anything  it was too crowded. And then I heard him take off his jacket. He bundled it up and just threw it on the floor, very violently. You could hear the sound of the zipper hitting the floor, he added. At that moment, when he threw the jacket, the people who were sitting around him stood up and moved away. He kept standing there and he kept yelling.

At that moment, Mr Penny came up behind him and grabbed him by the neck, he said.

They both fell. And then in like 30 seconds, I dont know, we got to Broadway-Lafayette, and they were just there on the floor, he said. You ask how many people out of 100 would have dared to do something like that, and I think that 98 will say: No, I would wait to see one more sign that indicates aggression.

Hundreds of New Yorkers died while unhoused in recent years

Tuesday 9 May 2023 11:00 , Alex Woodward

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.

What he know about Daniel Penny

Tuesday 9 May 2023 10:00 , Alex Woodward

While much is known about Jordan Neelys legal issues and mental health history, less is known about the man who placed him in a fatal chokehold.

According to US Marine Corps records and a LinkedIn profile, Daniel Penny joined the Marines in 2017 after graduating from West Islip High School, a hamlet roughly 36 miles outside of Manhattan in Suffolk County.

Public records confirm Mr Pennys former address at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He served as an infantryman and a sergeant.

He left the Marines in 2021. He wrote in a service industry job site that his military experience helped him discover that he is passionate about helping, communicating, and connecting to different people from all over the world.

Everything we know about Daniel Penny, filmed fatally choking Jordan Neely

Who is Jordan Neely?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 09:00 , Alex Woodward

Following his mothers murder when he was 14 years old, Jordan Neely came 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.

But his mental health appeared to deteroriate in recent years, as he experienced homelessness and repeatedly evaded homeless outreach services and healthcare as he came in contact with law enforcement.

Jordan Neely, the man killed in a NYC subway chokehold

Jordan Neely family attorneys call statement from Daniel Pennys legal team character assassination

Tuesday 9 May 2023 08:00 , Alex Woodward

Attorneys for the family of Jordan Neely have criticised a statement from the legal team representing Daniel Perry, the 24-year-old former US Marine who placed the 30-year-old homeless street performer in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway car one week ago.

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, reads the statement on 8 May from attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards.

In a statement shared with The Independent on 5 May, attorneys for Mr Penny said Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness and began aggressively threatening Mr Penny and others on the train.

Mr Pennys attorneys said Mr Penny and other passengers acted to protect themselves, until help arrived and never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death on 1 May.

Jordan Neely family attorneys condemn statement from Daniel Pennys legal team

New York prosecutors investigate Jordan Neelys death as ex-Marine hires Alvin Braggs former rival

Tuesday 9 May 2023 07:00 , Alex Woodward

A potential criminal charge against Daniel Penny could include second-degree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, according to legal experts.

Under New Yorks justification law, a person can use physical force when their safety is at risk, including during incidents of self defense or the defense of a third party.

Prosecutors or a grand jury likely will determine, after reviewing evidence from witness testimony and surveillance cameras, whether there was any such justification.

Mr Penny is being represented by the firm Raiser and Kenniff; Thomas Kenniff unsuccessfully ran for Manhattan district attorney as a Republican in 2021, ultimately losing to Alvin Bragg, who received more than 82 per cent of the vote.

Prosecutors investigate Jordan Neelys death as ex-Marine hires Braggs former rival

Law enforcement agencies largely ban chokeholds

Tuesday 9 May 2023 06:00 , Alex Woodward

Lethal chokeholds like the the one that led to Jordan Neelys death are increasingly banned in police departments across the country.

More than half the nations law enforcement ment agencies explicitly ban the use of neck restraints, also known as carotid restraints and more commonly referred to as chokeholds or strangleholds.

The US Department of Justice instituted a federal-wide policy that explicitly forbids them in 2021.

The subway passenger who tackled and choked Neely last Monday appeared to use a similar lethal restraint. The New York City medical examiner determined that the compression against his neck caused Neelys death, which was ruled a homicide.

Those restraints can compress the trachea, which blocks air to the lungs, and the carotid arteries on the side of the neck, major vessels that provide blood to the brain.

Cutting off that blood flow can make someone lose consciousness within seconds and kill them within minutes. Losing consciousness also can be an indication of brain injury.

New York was not a safe city for Jordan Neely

Tuesday 9 May 2023 04:00 , Alex Woodward

Noah Berlatsky writes:

Mentally ill people, homeless people, and marginalized people arent innately a threat merely by existing. But because their existence is seen as a threat, they are themselves often in serious danger. That danger may come from the police. It may come from civilians eager to call the police. And it may come from vigilantes who want to do some violent policing themselves.

New York was not safe for Jordan Neely | Voices

Everything we know about the ex-Marine filmed choking Jordan Neely in fatal subway incident

Tuesday 9 May 2023 03:00 , Alex Woodward

In a statement shared with The Independent at 7.30pm on 5 May, attorneys for Daniel Penny said that when Jordan 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.

Here is what we know about the 24-year-old former US Marine, who has not been charged with any crime connected to the incident:

Everything we know about Daniel Penny, filmed fatally choking Jordan Neely

Jordan Neely struggled after his mothers murder, family attorney says

Tuesday 9 May 2023 02:00 , Alex Woodward

Jordan Neely suffered from demons after his mother was murdered in 2007, according to a lawyer for the family.

Neely was 14 years old when his mother Christine Neely was strangled, stuffed in a suitcase and left on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York by her former partner.

Family members say he fell into a deep depression and never fully recovered from the tragedy, and was homeless at the time of his death.

Jordan Neely struggled after his mothers murder, family attorney says

Protesters return to subway platform where Neely died, one week later

Tuesday 9 May 2023 01:00 , Alex Woodward

One week after Jordan Neelys death, protesters have returned tothe Broadway-Lafayette subway station where the train carrying Neely had arrived.

Protesters gathering for Jordan Neely on the Broadway Lafayette platform a week after his killing here. pic.twitter.com/3mpKInPCu4  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) May 8, 2023

The scene at Broadway-Lafayette, where about a dozen people have gathered in protest of Jordan Neelys death. Increased police presence on platforms and around the station. pic.twitter.com/F7i2LKln8j  Joyce Koh (@JoyceKohTV) May 8, 2023

A large police presence has arrived at the station, where demonstrators have also set up a candles and gave remarks.

At least 13 people were arrested during a demonstration demanding justice for Neelys death on Saturday.

Will a grand jury be involved?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 00:30 , Alex Woodward

Prosecutors could bring manslaughter charges against a subway passenger who choked a homeless man to death, according to legal experts, as New Yorkers plead for justice in the wake of the killing of Jordan Neely on a Manhattan F train.

A grand jury could determine whether criminal charges are brought against the man who was filmed with his arm wrapped around Neelys neck, according to officials speaking with several New York outlets.

A law enforcement official close to the investigation told ABC News that the case is likely to go to a grand jury, which would convene to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

Prosecutors investigate Jordan Neelys death as ex-Marine hires Braggs former rival

MTA chief urges passengers to deescalate'

Monday 8 May 2023 23:00 , Alex Woodward

Janno Lieber, head of the MTA, said on Friday that he is waiting a decision from prosecutors in the death of Jordan Neely, but urged passengrs to find a way to deescalate if challenges emerge on the subways.

Were gonna renew our efforts to make sure that people understand that when youre in the subway together, theyre going to be challenges, when youre in the public space together there are going to be challenges, but we have to find a way to deescalate, he said.

He called the video showing Neelys final moments while he is placed in a chokehold really troubling and upsetting.

Emergency calls from MTA outline response to chokehold incident

Monday 8 May 2023 22:28 , Alex Woodward

An F train operator called the MTAs Rail Control Center at 2.25pm on 1 May to report an unruly passenger was being subdued by other passengers, according to an outline of the response to Jordan Neelys death from the citys public transit agency.

Two minutes later, the centre notified police and other MTA personnel.

At 2.36pm, the train operator reports that NYPD arrived on the scene, waiting for EMS.

NYPD declared the train a crime scene at 2.47pm. Neely was pronounced dead at Lenox Health Greenwich Village.

Full story: Jordan Neely family attorneys call statement from Daniel Pennys legal team character assassination

Monday 8 May 2023 21:30 , Alex Woodward

Attorneys for the family of Jordan Neely have criticised a statement from the legal team representing Daniel Perry, the 24-year-old former US Marine who placed the 30-year-old homeless street performer in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan subway car one week ago.

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, reads the statement on 8 May from attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards.

Jordan Neely family attorneys condemn statement from Daniel Pennys legal team

Eric Adams has not talked to Neelys family, attorneys say

Monday 8 May 2023 20:51 , Alex Woodward

A statement from attorneys for the family of Jordan Neely suggests that Mayor Eric Adams has not talked with the family in the wake of his death.

Mayor Eric Adams please give us a call. The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a joint statement on Monday morning.

The Independent has requested comment from the mayors office.

The mayor is no stranger to public comment about subway violence, but he has declined to condemn lethal violence when it comes to the passenger who put Neely in a fatal chokehold.

Each situation is different and how a passenger. We have so many cases where passengers assist other riders, he said on CNN last week. 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.
A video of the fragments of a Russian Kinzhal missile shot down over Kyiv with the Patriot system in Ukraine has been posted online.

Source: Paul Ronzheimer, BILD-Zeitung journalist

Quote: "Today (on 10 May  ed.) we were able to see the remains of the Kinzhal missile in Kyiv, which was shot down by Patriot defence on May 5. This was a sensation because the hypersonic missile was considered Putin's wonder weapon."

Exclusive: Today we were able to see the remains of the Kinshal missile in Kyiv, which was shot down by Patriot defense on May 5. This was a sensation because the hypersonic missile was considered Putin's wonder weapon. Here the parts are now being examined. @bild pic.twitter.com/BcFN4KV8YX  Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) May 10, 2023

Background:

On Tuesday, 9 May, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, spokesman of the Pentagon, confirmed the statement of the Ukrainian side that the Russian Kinzhal missile, flying at hypersonic speed, was shot down from the Patriot air defence missile system.

On 6 May, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, confirmed that the Ukrainian military had shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, using the Patriot system. The US unofficially confirmed this a little later.

The Russian side called the Kinzhal a hypersonic missile, but after it was shot down in Ukraine; experts suggested that it was actually a ballistic missile capable of flying at a supersonic speed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Journalists of the Krym.Realii [Crimea.Realities, a project by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty  ed.] have posted an interactive map of the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 with 223 active, temporary and conserved military facilities of the Russian Federation with geolocations.

Source: Krym.Realii (Crimea.Realities) project by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Details: Targets on the map are divided into 10 categories: targets of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation; storage points of weapons and ammunition; air bases and airfields; radio engineering stations and communication; Air defence and missile forces; border guards, internal troops, intelligence and other units of the Russian Armed Forces; fuel for troops; training grounds; military facilities with an unknown purpose; targets of radiation, chemical and biological defence forces.

Among these targets are military airfields with infrastructure, locations, and bases of ships, vessels and boats, docks, arsenals, storage points of weapons, produce and fuel, military towns, military units, barracks, headquarters and command posts, parks of military equipment and duty stations of air defence equipment, training grounds and training centres; some military-industrial complex factories.

All these data with exact coordinates and photos are placed on an interactive map created by the journalists of Krym.Realii, a Radio Liberty Skhemy project, freelancers from Crimea, military experts and specialists of the RFE/RL Central News Service.

The map is posted in Russian and Ukrainian on the websites of Radio Liberty and Krym.Realii.

Quote from Ihor Tokar, the maker of the map: "It is important for us to inform our audience about the level of militarization of the Crimean Peninsula. We want to warn Crimeans about the dangers associated with these places. After all, many people live in the immediate vicinity of military facilities of the Russian Federation. And considering large-scale military operations conducted by Russia against Ukraine, these places pose a particular danger to others."

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Details: Anzhelika Rudenko, the coordinator of the team creating the map project, noted that the map can be used by both Crimeans and people forcibly deported from the occupied regions of mainland Ukraine, as well as anyone who has relatives in Crimea or is interested in information from Crimea.

According to the journalist of the Skhemy project, Kyrylo Ovsianyi, this map is made up of actual satellite images of Planet Labs for the year 2023, which show what is really happening in occupied Crimea.

There, you can consider in detail where the military and other facilities associated with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and other Russian law enforcement agencies are and what danger they pose.

Previously: Andrii Yusov, the representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, called on Crimeans "not to be near military facilities and facilities that supply the aggressor's army in the near future".

Background:

Russia militarised the Crimean Peninsula after its occupation and illegal annexation in 2014, and on 24 February 2022, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including from Crimea.

Starting from August 2022, the sounds of explosions in Crimea and Sevastopol can be heard almost every day. The Russian authorities explain this as "shooting Ukrainian drones" and "the work of air defence".

The Russian-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, called drones "the main threat" to Crimea.

In October 2022, an explosion occurred on the Crimean (Kerch) Bridge.

A heightened ("yellow") level of terrorist danger was announced on the peninsula. The Simferopol airport is closed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Joe Joyce has activated a rematch clause to fight Zhilei Zhang again, thwarting the Chinese heavyweights rumoured bout with Tyson Fury.

Joyce suffered the first defeat of his professional career in April, losing to Zhang via TKO in the sixth round in London. That result put Zhang in the conversation of potential opponents for Furys next fight, but Big Bang is now due to box Joyce again.

Joyces manager Shane Watson told Talksport on Tuesday (9 May) that the Olympic silver medalist had activated a rematch clause, adding: The first fight was what it was. Joe knows how to put it right.

We spoke about an interim fight, but Joe made it clear he wanted the rematch as soon as possible. This shows how Joe will take any top heavyweight on at any time.

Joyce, 37, stopped Joseph Parker in his previous fight and also holds a stoppage win over Daniel Dubois, but the Briton lost the WBO interim title with his defeat by Zhang. That result has cost Joyce a potential fight with Oleksandr Usyk for the time being.

Meanwhile, WBC champion Fury has also been rumoured to take on Andy Ruiz Jr next, before a potential clash with Usyk at the end of the year  a bout that would crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

JPMorgan raised red flags about its banking relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as early as 2006 and held meetings with former executive Jes Staleywho is accused of sexually abusing at least one woman in Epsteins orbitabout his friendship with the multimillionaire sex-trafficker, new court exhibits reveal.

According to internal emails published as exhibits as part of an Epstein victims lawsuit against JPMorgan, Staley even went as far as suggesting that bank brass meet with Ken Starr, Epsteins high-powered lawyer who helped him dodge serious charges in Florida. (Starr is most known as the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clintons sexual misconduct and whose probe led to his impeachment.)

The litigation against JPMorgan includes three related lawsuits in Manhattan federal court and has unearthed new revelations about the Wall Street titans who allegedly facilitated the financial arms of Epsteins international sex-trafficking scheme.

The complaints also revealed that Staley, a former executive at JPMorgan, had a close bond with Epstein and exchanged cryptic emails with the sex-offender about women in his circle, referring to them by the names of Disney princesses. The related civil casesincluding one filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands governmentare scheduled for trial in October.

Google Billionaire Larry Page Subpoenaed in JPMorgan Lawsuit Over Epstein

One new email even indicated that JPMorgan continued doing business with Epstein due to Jess personal relationship with him.

The latest round of emails was released as part of the plaintiff Jane Does legal memorandum requesting the judge grant class-action status to the case. If Doe succeeds, more than 100 victims of Epstein could join the litigation.

JPMorgan is facing backlash from public officials, too.

On Wednesday, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) published an open letter to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon demanding answers on why JPMorgan kept Epstein as a client despite his history of suspicious transactions. If JPMorgan failed to identify, report, and address Epsteins human trafficking for more than a decade, despite his notoriety and what appear to be glaring red flags in his account activity, what should provide confidence that JPMorgan is carrying out its responsibilities to address trafficking in cases that are less high profile or less visible? Smith wrote.

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The exhibits reveal that JPMorgan knew Epstein was radioactive for years.

In a June 2013 email, JPMorgan directors discussed a previous bank probe into news reports of Epsteins sexual abuse and his ties to Staley. The rundown stated that in July 2008, JPMorgans private bank risk team referred Epstein to its anti-money laundering (AML) branch for excessive cash activity and articles about Epsteins involvement in the prostitution/underage sex trade. The banks risk managers, the email revealed, documented his negative background and marked him high risk.

This email referred to a January 2011 call between Catherine Keating, the CEO of JPMorgans private bank, and then Global Head of Compliance William Langford, who agreed to explain to Jes Staley how the existence of the Epstein relationship could undermine the Human Trafficking Project currently underway within AML investigations.

When they met with Staley, he referred the others to speak with Ken Starr, the email says, adding that, William advised that call was made and was uneventful.

That month, a JPMorgan employee named Maryanne Ryan emailed the managing director for the banks Financial Intelligence Unit, Phillip DeLuca, stating that there was a rapid response meeting on Epstein, the sleazy PB client scheduled. She appeared to note that Epstein was a client of PB, or JPMorgans private bank.

This is the guy who likes young girls, correct? DeLuca replied. Hope that they do not cave!!

Disney Princesses and Hot Tubs: JPMorgan Executives Creepy Texts to Epstein

Ryan emailed DeLuca a summary of the rapid response meeting and noted, Jeffrey Epstein is a friend of Jes S and Catherine feels that PB along with William should meet with him to explain the HT project and explain the banks recognition on the project and whether Epstein if further exposed could have a potential serious impact.

Ryan added that Epstein was released in July from house arrest and the Palm Beach Post carried two articles saying DOJ may be investigating for child trafficking via a modeling agency he is part owner in.

I think Catherine believes that after the briefing on HT that Jes would need to point blank ask Jeffrey the status of any criminal investigations, Ryan added. Catherine made sure we knew that no one on todays call was in favor of having retained him as a client.

Seems it all is due to Jess personal relationship, Ryan wrote. Note he has about 212 mil in the bank and some in JPMS (old Bear PCS).

I asked legal and asked on the call about if we were ever subpoenaed and seems it is NO which I find very interesting, she continued.

She then referred to banking transactions from a woman in Epsteins circle.

I also spent a good deal of time looking at his assistant or young lady he brought over from Prague (or some place like that) account, Ryan wrote. She was involved in some of the detailed escapades. She opened accounts in PB sponsered [sic] by him. Oh my were her debit transactions enlighting [sic] as compared to countless stories related to his escapades.

Lots of salon, lingerie shops, drug stores ny palm beach and in st thomas (his places of residence). Plus lots of video like girls gone wild and some other shops not fit for my good catholic upbringing!

The transactions are old 05 to 08. Besides frequent frequent spa like charges it has died down. Surprised she was never subpoenaed.

Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Names Powerful Men in Alleged Sex Ring

Ryan wrote that one new concerning thing was an article about a possible DOJ investigation into MC2, the modeling agency of Epsteins friend, Jean-Luc Brunel (who last year killed himself in a Paris jail while awaiting trial on rape charges).

Turns out the banker said today we extended Epstein a loan in relation to this modeling agency, Ryan wrote. It appears to be a legit modeling agency. If girls were exploited via their contract or arrangement it would be hard for us to tell.

Meanwhile, one October 17, 2006 memo attached to court documents stated that Epstein had banking, asset and credit accounts with balances totaling $32 million. Cash withdrawals are routinely made in amounts for $40,000 to $80,000 several times a month, which total over $750,000 year to date, the document read.

After internal discussions with Jes Staley, Mary Erdoes, Catherine Keating, John Duffy and Mary Casey, it was decided that we will keep Mr. Epstein solely as a banking client and on a reactive, client service basis, the memo stated. We will not proactively solicit new investment business from him.

In September 2006, a managing director at the bank, Philip Schlakman, emailed executives Mary Casey, Mary Erdoes, and Phil Di Iorio and shared an article from The New York Times that raised questions about Epsteins lenient plea deal in Florida for raping and molesting dozens of minors.

Did you see this article in the NYT this weekend? Schlakman wrote. Lovely guy to work with.

A December 2007 email from a JPMorgan employee to Staley also listed messages the banking honcho had received, including from Landon Thomas of The New York Times, a journalist who was friends with Epstein and solicited a $300,000 charitable donation from him. Jeffrey told him to call you, Staleys assistant wrote.

As The Daily Beast reported, JPMorgan has filed a third-party complaint against Staley and argues that he should be liable for damages should Doe win her case.

The new emails show that JPMorgan executives shared concerns about Epstein as early as 2006 but failed to cut him as a client.

JPMC ignored all the allegations about Epsteins sex trafficking and instead continued to facilitate the venture, a legal filing from Does legal team states, adding that the bank deliberately failed to file reports in the face of red flags because the reports might result in government intervention in the sex-trafficking venture.

In November 2006, the exhibits show, private bank director Ann Borowiec emailed Staley with a subject line reading, Epstein-please call me.

Borowiec said she had concerns on risk mgt with this client, though its not entirely clear whether she was referring to Epstein or a potential Epstein was bringing to the bank.

We have a bad track record internally on riskas you know, Borowiec wrote. Is Jeffrey going to stay involved here? How are we managing risk here? Please call.

Four years later, a JPMorgan employee named James Dalessio emailed Paul Morris, a former Epstein relationship manager at the bank, and private bank managing director Mary Casey with news stories about Epsteins sex crimes and lawsuits from victims.

One article from the Palm Beach Post said that Epstein may be under new sex crime scrutiny from feds.

Hi Paul / Mary, See below new allegations of an investigation related to child trafficking  are you still comfortable with this client who is now a registered sex offender? Dalessio wrote, before asking whether a rapid response meeting should be scheduled.

Casey replied that a meeting would be helpful and asked, Is there an actual Fed investigation or just speculation of one?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jewish mothers have created ways to celebrate childbirth with rituals old and new. Pal Pillai/AFP via Getty Images

Reading the Torah, there is no doubt about motherhoods important role in Jewish literature and life.

The Hebrew Bible is replete with stories of women who feel incomplete without children, although Orthodox interpretation holds that only men are commanded to be fruitful and multiply. Unable to bear children, Sarah offers her handmaid Hagar to her husband, Abraham, so he can father a child. Rachel longs for deliverance from infertility, saying Give me children or I shall die, and Hannah provides a model for Jewish personal prayer when she fervently prays for a child on the steps of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Women are not, however, expected to place motherhood ahead of their own well-being. For example, Jewish law not only permits but requires that a pregnancy be terminated when it jeopardizes the life of the mother.

An illustration of Rachel, right, next to her sister Leah and one of Leahs children. Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Of course, many stories in Jewish sacred texts celebrate women for reasons that have nothing to do with parenting  from Queen Esthers bravery in the Book of Esther to the powerful judge Deborah in the Book of Judges and wise women like Beruriah, who is quoted in the Talmud. Yet the value placed on motherhood is clear  not only in Jewish texts, but also in Jewish traditions. For centuries, ritual practices have celebrated the birth of children. Yet they have not always given new mothers an opportunity to celebrate on their own terms or share their own feelings. As a scholar of Judaism and gender, though, I have seen how this is changing, as Jewish women reinvent meaningful traditions or develop new ones.

Medieval mothers

According to historian Elisheva Baumgarten, medieval Jewish women in northern and eastern Europe observed a monthlong period of lying-in after the birth, where they were cared for at home by friends.

Upon its conclusion, the new mother would then go to synagogue on the Sabbath to say prayers of thanks and have special tunes sung in her honor. If she had borne a boy, she might craft an embroidered wimpel  a band used to bind a Torah scroll closed when it is not being read  made from a strip of the cloth used to swaddle her son during his circumcision ceremony, often called a bris or brit milah.

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In her book Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis, religion scholar Jodi Eichler-Levine analyzes this practice as a way for new mothers, confined to the womens section of the synagogue, to insert themselves into what is otherwise an all-male ritual space.

Describing the emergence of a modern Jewish crafting movement, Eichler-Levine also notes that in recent years, the wimpel has made a comeback, created by mothers and grandmothers to honor the birth of children regardless of their sex.

A woman places her newborn son on a pillow held by her mother during a brit milah, a Jewish circumcision ceremony, in Israel. AP Photo/David Goldman

Behind the mehitza

When my oldest child was born 26 years ago, options for celebrating her birth in the Jewish community in Johannesburg, South Africa, were limited. After we brought her home from the hospital, my husband and I attended Shabbat services at the Orthodox synagogue he had grown up in.

As I looked on from behind the mehitza, the screen that separates mens and womens areas in Orthodox congregations, he was honored by being called up to the Torah during the service, and our daughters name was announced to the community.

I, on the other hand, was encouraged to privately bentsch gommel: recite the prayer for having survived an illness or a perilous journey.

Then we went home. And that was it. This seemed an underwhelming way to acknowledge her arrival and my having given birth to her.

Elsewhere, Jewish feminists had begun creating new rituals to mark moments in womens and girls lives  but in the late 1990s, that innovation was not yet felt in Johannesburg.

I located a copy of The New Jewish Baby Book, imported from the United States. Written by essayist and novelist Anita Diamant, the guide included sample rituals for welcoming the birth of a girl.

Together with my mother-in-law, a psychoanalyst who loved to cater a stylish celebration, and my sister-in-law, a journalist with a gift for powerful public speech, we crafted a ritual to take place in my in-laws home that announced our daughters name and offered the women in our family a more significant role. It was an opportunity for me, as her mother, to acknowledge the beloved grandmothers and biblical figures for whom she was named and to express my hopes that a life of meaning, connection and community lay ahead of her.

Tradition for the 21st century

Though we didnt realize it at the time, the ritual we created reflected many themes of contemporary Jewish feminist innovation.

In their book Inventing Jewish Ritual, anthropologists Vanessa Ochs and Riv-Ellen Prell describe how a movement among liberal Jews to engage in ritual innovation began in the 1970s.

Alongside secular do-it-yourself texts like Our Bodies, Ourselves, which urged women to take ownership over their sexual and reproductive health, Jewish women began to design novel rituals that marked transformative moments in womens lives. These included moments that had long gone unremarked in Jewish public life, including the onset of menstruation, pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, infertility, abortion and menopause.

Our family ritual shared many features with those being developed by other Jewish parents around the world. My daughters naming ceremony was created from a template that allowed for improvisation and personalization. It enabled a new shared experience, and it took place outside the synagogue, in the less regulated space of a private home.

Rituals to mark the birth of girls are now widely accepted across all Jewish denominations. Templates and sample prayers are available in books like Israeli professor and politician Aliza Lavies anthology, A Jewish Womans Prayer Book, and websites like ritualwell.org.

A medieval mikveh, a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism, in Speyer, Germany. Rudolf Ernst/iStock via Getty Images Plus

More recently, new rituals have been created to allow a woman to reflect upon the impact that becoming a mother has on her life. The mikveh, or ritual bath, plays a central role in observance of Jewish laws relating to family purity, which may involve women immersing after menstruation and after giving birth.

Jewish feminists have sought to reclaim the practice of ritual immersion to mark other developments in womens lives, including becoming a mother, and to shift the focus of ritual from the moment of transition in status to the shift in perspective brought by occupying a new role.

The poet Hila Ratzabi, for example, created A Rebirth Ritual for Mothers to be used at any time after a birth, providing an opportunity to reflect on how becoming a mother has transformed ones life. The ritual includes sharing reflections on the challenging and empowering moments in the birth, the experience of motherhood and the experience of immersion, and includes these touching words:

As I step toward these healing waters, I acknowledge the great transitions I underwent in becoming a mother.

I come to the mikveh to acknowledge that these powerful birth experiences made me a mother, and I choose to step into my power.

I come to the mikveh to remind myself that I am always loved, always held, always growing, always whole.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts, from an independent nonprofit. Try our free newsletters.

It was written by: Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, Brandeis University.

Read more:



Lisa Fishbayn Joffe 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.
Jack Teixeira Sr. arrives for his son's detention hearing in federal court on April 27.

WORCESTER  A Worcester federal judge has canceled the continued detention hearing that was slated to be held Thursday in the case of accused military leaker Jack Teixeira, court records show.

According to electronic federal court records, U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy on Wednesday afternoon issued an order canceling the hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday.

The order did not say whether or when the hearing might be rescheduled. Court records show another court proceeding Hennessy was supposed to conduct Thursday was also canceled; his cases for Friday have not been canceled.

The office of U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael S. Rollins did not immediately offer comment Wednesday afternoon.

Teixeira, the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of posting top-secret government data to friends on a Discord social media forum, was slated to return to Worcesters federal courthouse for continued arguments regarding his potential release pending trial.

In arguments in Worcester April 27, federal prosecutors argued he should be kept in custody before trial, while his lawyers argued he ought to released to the supervision of his father.

Teixeira has been appearing in Worcester because it is the courthouse where Hennessy, the judge assigned to the case, usually sits.

Prosecutors have painted Teixeira as a dangerous, self-centered and disloyal person with a fixation on mass murder. A court filing by prosecutors argued that Teixeira has a history of violent and racist statements, and that he could be vulnerable to foreign influence.

Teixeira's three court-appointed public defenders argued he had never taken steps to actually harm anyone and that the government does not have proof Teixeira intended to share the top-secret documents outside of his private Discord forum.

The defense argued for Teixeira to be released to the custody of his father, Jack Teixeira Sr., who testified April 27 that he would report any violations of probation by his son to the government.

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The defense noted that the U.S. Probation Department recommended Teixeira be released to Teixeira Sr., who is a former Massachusetts corrections officer.

Hennessy took the arguments under advisement April 27, and issued an order on Monday scheduling a continued detention hearing for Thursday.

If convicted, Teixeira could face up to 25 years in prison on charges of violating the Espionage Act and an act prohibiting unauthorized removal of classified documents.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Judge cancels Worcester detention hearing for alleged military leaker Teixeira
Senior Judge David Emerson has denied Western Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalezs motion to dismiss a lawsuit which alleges she has not carried out the duties of the office she assumed when elected two years ago.

Emerson filed the decision Wednesday in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in the case of Athens businessman Jarrod Miller, who filed the complaint, called a writ of mandamus, on March 13.

The judge based his ruling on Gonzalezs statement upon election that she adopted a policy to never prosecute simple possession of marijuana or drug-related objects and certain truancy cases in juvenile courts.

This court finds if the defendant has adopted such a policy, she has grossly abused her discretion, the judge wrote.

Motion in the case: Judge hears motion to dismiss lawsuit against District Attorney Gonzalez

Oversight: Kemp signs signs into law prosecutors oversight commission targeting district attorneys

The court also finds the plaintiff does not have any other remedies for this abuse of discretion since he does not seek to remove her from office, nor does he seek to disbar her. He merely seeks to have her perform her mandated duty to enforce the state criminal code, Emerson wrote.

Such a policy as described in Millers suit to not enforce a state law is a dereliction of her specific duty, according to the judge.

Millers lawyers, Kevin Epps and Tyler Gaines, argued the merits of the mandamus on Monday before Emerson, while Gonzalezs attorney Derek Bauer of Atlanta, sought to have the complaint dismissed.

In response to the judges ruling, Bauer sought to remedy the matter by arguing that the district attorney later revised the policy, therefore the suit should be dismissed.

Jarrod Miller, right, plaintiff in the lawsuit against the District Attorney, speaks with attorney Tyler Gaines after the hearing was recessed on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Gonzalez also released a statement regarding the decision saying she was deeply disappointed in the order that refused to dismiss the mandamus.

It is apparent that the arguments of the dismissal request were not properly considered, nor was the existing law properly applied, she said.

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The judges decision endorses a misuse of the mandamus to deprive her office of prosecutorial discretion and an obligation to make decisions in the publics best interest, according to her statement.

FILE - District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez speaks at the Seats of Justice Awards Ceremony hosted by the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office at the ACC Library in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. Gonzalez is fighting a lawsuit that questions her discretion.

If Mr. Miller is successful, permitting this action to proceed effectively means a superior court judge, whom the citizens of this district did not elect, will be looking over my shoulder going forward every day to decide if I am doing my job in a manner that the judge agrees with, she said. The consequence is the disenfranchisement of you, the voters choice, and the policies you, the voters, endorse through the electoral process.

The order also shows, according to Gonzalez how easily the mandamus writ cold be weaponized for political gain.

Bauer filed his legal response soon after Emersons decision was made.

In the reply, he said the district attorney has implemented a policy to generally refrain from bringing criminal charges for truancy cases and she denies a policy of refusing to prosecute such cases or that she has disregarded the laws of the state or abused her discretion.

Bauer also asked that Gonzalez be awarded costs and expenses for responding to the suit.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Judge denies motion to dismiss civil suit against DA Gonzalez
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The Florida judge who gained a national profile while presiding over the Parkland school shooting trial announced Wednesday that she is resigning June 30 to pursue unspecified career opportunities.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rose in prominence when she oversaw the televised penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz. He received a life sentence last year after a divided jury was unable to agree on the death penalty for the 2018 mass killing of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

It has been a a privilege to serve the people of the State of Florida for over 10 years, Scherer wrote in her brief resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The resignation was first reported by Court TV.

Scherer, a 46-year-old former prosecutor, was appointed to the bench in 2012. Broward County's computerized system randomly assigned her Cruz's case shortly after the shooting. It was her first murder trial.

Her handling of the case drew frequent praise from the parents and spouses of the victims, who said she treated them with professionalism and kindness, but her clashes with Cruz's attorneys and others sometimes drew criticism from legal observers.

Before the trial she criticized two reporters from the Sun Sentinel newspaper for publishing a sealed Cruz educational record that they obtained legally. She threatened to tell the paper what it could and couldnt print, but never did; legal experts say such a move would have been unconstitutional.

Scherer also had frequent heated arguments with Cruz's lead public defender, Melisa McNeill. Those boiled over for the first time when McNeill and her team suddenly rested their case after calling only a small fraction of their expected witnesses. Scherer called it the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case," though the defense has no obligation to call all of its witnesses or announce its plans in advance.

McNeill countered angrily, You are insulting me on the record in front of my client, before Scherer told her to stop. She then laid into her.

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Youve been insulting me the entire trial, Scherer barked at McNeill. Arguing with me, storming out, coming late intentionally if you dont like my rulings. So, quite frankly, this has been long overdue. So please be seated.

The two clashed again during Cruz's sentencing hearing in November over the verbal attacks some victims' family members made against the defense team during their courtroom statements. Scherer refused to curtail the statements and ejected one of McNeill's assistants after he complained.

After sentencing Cruz, 24, to life without parole as required, Scherer left the bench and hugged members of the prosecution and the victims' families.

That action led the Florida Supreme Court last month to remove her from overseeing post-conviction motions of another defendant, Randy Tundidor, who was sentenced to death for murder in the 2019 killing of his landlord. One of the prosecutors in that case had also been on the Cruz team, and during a hearing in the Tundidor case a few days after the Cruz sentencing, Scherer asked the prosecutor how he was holding up.

The court said Scherer's actions gave at least the appearance that she could not be fair to Tundidor.
Daniel Perry's decision to fatally shoot protester Garrett Foster was "just based on pure evil," said the mother of Foster's wife. She spoke to Perry after Travis County state District Judge Clifford Brown sentenced him to 25 years in prison for the killing of Foster in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter march in downtown Austin.

"The decision you made was not based on PTSD and was not based on autism," Patricia Kirven said to Perry during the part of the trial that allows victims to make impact statements. "My son who has autism does not know how to deal with this kind of grief. You do. You hide your head and keep your eyes bowed down to the ground."

Perry kept his head down and did not look at Kirven or two other people who spoke to him after the sentencing about how the killing affected them.

But if Gov. Greg Abbott pardons Perry, as he has vowed to do, then Perry might serve little time.

A jury found Perry, 36, guilty of murder on April 7. Perry, an Army sergeant, was working as an Uber driver in Austin when he ran a red light and turned into a Black Lives Matter march on July 25, 2020. He told police that Foster, 28, approached his car with a raised AK-47, so he shot Foster, 28, five times with a handgun and then drove away.

Prosecutors have said that Perry instigated the incident by running a red light at Fourth Street and Congress Avenue, where he could clearly see the marchers before he drove into them. Perry also posted racist comments and memes denigrating Black people on social media, prosecutors said.

'I am a racist': Daniel Perry's social media posts reveal racist comments, anti-protester views

After the jury's guilty verdict, defense lawyers made a motion for a new trial saying that a juror had introduced illegal evidence about the state's self-defense laws to the jury during the deliberations. The judge rejected the motion last week.

Amid Gov. Abbott's pardon vow, prosecutors ask judge to sentence Daniel Perry to 25 years

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A prosecutor on Tuesday asked Brown to sentence Perry to at least 25 years in prison, saying Perry was a "loaded gun" who could harm other people. A psychologist had testified Tuesday that Perry was autistic and had post-traumatic stress disorder.

Defense lawyers had asked the judge to sentence Perry to 10 years, saying he was an Army veteran with no criminal history and was not the racist that prosecutors claimed him to be.

Abbott posted on Twitter on April 8, one day after Perry was convicted, that he would pardon Perry as soon as a request "hits my desk." He cannot pardon Perry unless he receives a request from the Board of Pardons and Paroles to do so.

Abbott faced growing calls from national conservative figures such as then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in the shooting deaths of two Wisconsin protesters in 2020, to act to urgently undo the conviction.

More: Gov. Greg Abbott announces he will push to pardon Daniel Perry after murder conviction

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said in a news conference after the sentencing Wednesday that he hoped the outcome "brought some sense of justice for the Foster family and for (wife) Whitney and her family."

"This is not a normal case because in early April the Texas governor made a decision to insert politics into this case and requested the Board of Pardons and Parole to review this case less than 24 hours after the jury issued a verdict," said Garza.

He said that since the governor's announcement, his office has been in contact with the board. The board has committed to hearing a presentation about the case from the district attorney's office as well as a presentation from Foster's family, Garza said.

"The Travis County DA's office is not done fighting for Garrett and for the integrity of the process here in Travis County," Garza said.

The district attorney also praised Judge Brown: "He did a fantastic job of keeping politics out of his courtroom and at the end of the day, you can say definitely that this case and the outcome was rooted in facts and laws as it should be."

In a statement after the sentencing, defense attorney Clint Broden said he was disappointed that the judge did not give Perry 10 years or fewer, and that the team would now focus on the appeal process.

He said the appeal would center on efforts by Foster and other protesters "to terrify" other motorists that night, on Fosters dismissal from the Air Force for mental health reasons and on allegations from former police detective David Fugitt that the district attorney tampered with his grand jury testimony.

Whitney Mitchell is comforted by her mother, Patricia Kirven, after Daniel Perry sentenced to 25 years for the murder of Whitneys husband Garrett Foster at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center on Wednesday May 10, 2023.

Broden also said the military had prohibited Foster from ever possessing a firearm. He also said the judge would not allow defense attorneys to present some of Foster's posts on social media, including that Foster had supported the "blinding of police officers."

With the sentence announced, Broden said the defense team was prepared to cooperate in the pardon process.

While we are aware of the criticism that has unfairly surrounded Governor Abbotts expressed intent to pardon Sgt. Perry, that criticism fails to account for the fact that the pardon process was designed, in part, to be a check on the system, Broden said. Moreover, those who claim that Governor Abbotts expressed intent is based on politics simply choose to ignore the fact that it was only the political machinations of a rogue district attorney which led to Sgt. Perrys prosecution in the first instance.

Defense attorney Doug OConnell also said outside the courtroom that the evidence unsealed after the jury found Perry guilty was "nothing but a character assassination" of Perry. The judge unsealed more than 70 pages of Perry's social media posts, much of it containing racist comments and memes after the verdict.

"If it contains evidence of a crime, it is only a thought crime and not a crime of the Texas penal code," O'Connell said. He said the defense lawyers have not been in contact with the Board of Pardons and Paroles, but they plan to present its members soon with a packet of evidence from the trial.

Garza said in his news conference that he had never heard that Foster was dismissed from the military for mental health reasons or that the military had forbidden Foster from possessing a gun. He also said the prosecution had most of Perry's social media posts sealed before the verdict was announced because they were considered prejudicial for the jury to consider. They were unsealed because they were considered relevant to sentencing, he said.

Garrett Foster, shown, with wife Whitney Mitchell, was Mitchell's full-time caretaker at the time he was shot and killed on July 25, 2020.

Foster's mother, Sheila Foster, also spoke to Perry in the courtroom after Perry was sentenced. She said her son loved everyone regardless of race and believed strongly in the Black Lives Matter movement.

"The love of his life is Black," said Foster, referring to her son's wife, Whitney Mitchell. During the summer of 2020, her son not only participated in social justice marches in Austin but also prepared and served meals to homeless people for 50 days, she said.

"He got down on the ground and fed them," Sheila Foster said. "He got on his knees. My son was literally following Christ."

She also said that "me and everyone who loves Garrett will fight for the rest of our lives for the things that mattered most to him. Racial equality. Standing up against the abuse of power and doing the right thing."

Garrett Foster's sister, Anna Mayo, also spoke to Perry, saying he had shown "no remorse for what you have done."

"You can't even look at my family," she said. "You killed someone for exercising their constitutional rights to protest and right to carry and you killed a veteran for that. ... I wonder how many people suffer with real PTSD now strictly due to your actions."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Judge sentences Daniel Perry to 25 years in prison
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood Eric Charbonneau/WireImage for Disney Pictures

Marilyn Manson's defamation case against Evan Rachel Wood has hit a major setback.

A judge has tossed significant parts of the rock star's defamation lawsuit against Wood, his ex-fiancee who accused him of sexual abuse, according to The Associated Press. Judge Teresa A. Beaudet gutted the case by tossing several of Manson's claims against Wood, including that she forged an FBI letter and made a checklist of claims to give to other women so they could accuse him of abuse, Deadline reports.

In 2021, Wood accused Manson of sexually abusing her during their relationship, leading numerous other women to come forward and bring legal claims against the rocker. The Westworld star also discussed her allegations against Manson in a 2022 HBO documentary, Phoenix Rising. Just ahead of the documentary's premiere, Manson sued Wood for defamation. One of his most explosive claims was that she forged "a fictitious letter" from an FBI agent "to create the false appearance that Warner's alleged 'victims' and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation of Warner ongoing." She denied Manson's claims.

Wood's attorney said "we are very pleased with the Court's ruling, which affirms and protects Evan's exercise of her fundamental First Amendment rights." Manson's attorney, meanwhile called the ruling "disappointing but not unexpected," alleging the court "refused to consider" a declaration from a woman detailing "how women were systematically pressured by" Wood to make false allegations against Manson. Manson's lawsuit, which the AP notes still includes his claims that Wood inflicted emotional distress on him, is set to proceed.

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Here are area restaurants with seven or more priority or critical health code violations, with highlighted links to some original public record reports.

Restaurants correct most violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly thereafter. Links to the follow-up inspections show how each establishment has corrected or is working to correct any remaining violations.

If an inspection or follow-up report needs clarification, restaurant and grocery store owners can call Joyce Smith at 816-234-4692 or email her at jsmith@kcstar.com. The Star will post appropriate responses in the same online locations as the original report.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture cited these operations for seven or more priority health code violations (direct links to the reports are not available).

 Fresco Express, 2104 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, had 16 priority violations during a May 5 routine inspection.

 Nico & Anas, 6541 W. 119th St., Overland Park, had 10 priority violations during a May 9 first operational inspection after licensing.

 Tacos on Wheels, 299 S. 10th St., Kansas City, Kansas, had nine priority violations during a May 4 routine inspection.

 Fronteras Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 175 N. Moonlight Road, Gardner, had eight priority violations during a May 1 routine inspection.

 Zephyr Kitchen & Bourbon Bar, Marriott Kansas City Overland Park, 10800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, had eight priority violations during a May 2 follow-up inspection.

For complete Kansas health inspections, click here.

The Kansas City Health Department cited this operation:

 Spin Pizza, Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd., had seven critical violations after a May 4 routine inspection. It had no critical violations during a May 8 follow-up inspection.

For complete Kansas City-area reports, click here.
Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Herman Jones testified Wednesday that two troopers have not yet faced discipline after juries found this year they violated the constitutional rights of motorists during traffic stops.

But Jones also said the Highway Patrol last fall began requiring troopers to write reports about why they detained motorists in stops that dont lead to arrests or the seizure of property.

Jones testified in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, as part of an ongoing civil trial against the law enforcement official over the Kansas two step  when troopers at the end of a traffic stop take a couple steps toward their patrol car before coming back to have what KHP says is a voluntary interaction with the driver.

The tactic is used to keep motorists talking, often buying time for drug-sniffing dogs to arrive. Civil liberties groups and others have criticized the practice as an infringement on 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. They argue motorists often dont actually feel free to leave and that troopers frequently arent clear that the questioning is voluntary.

The ACLU of Kansas has sued Jones on behalf of motorists over the two step and are seeking a court order blocking the agency from using it. U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil is presiding over the bench trial, which means there is no jury and she will issue a verdict.

Jones testimony came just weeks before his July 1 retirement date and after the Highway Patrol has already suffered two courtroom defeats this year related to the practice.

In April, a jury in a separate federal civil trial found that Trooper Brandon McMillan had violated the rights of motorist Joshua Bosire during a 2019 stop and awarded about $40,000 in damages. Another jury earlier this year also ruled that Trooper Douglas Schulte had violated the rights of motorist Blaine Shaw during a 2017 stop but awarded only $1 in nominal damages.

Not as of this date, Jones said repeatedly when asked several times by Patrick McInerney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, whether McMillan or Schulte had been disciplined following the verdicts.

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Jones also said he didnt recall whether he had disciplined the troopers supervisors.

Arthur Chalmers, an assistant state attorney general who is representing Jones, during cross-examination implied civil service protections for the troopers may play a role in the lack of discipline so far. He also asked whether troopers have any incentive to illegally search vehicles or seize property; Jones responded no.

Bosire and Shaw were both traveling to or from Colorado, where marijuana is legal, along I-70 with out-of-state plates when they were stopped for minor traffic infractions. Their stops led to lengthy roadside detentions as troopers unsuccessfully searched for drugs. Both incidents occurred before Jones assumed command of KHP but the agency has continued to use the two step.

KHP training slides were shown in court on Wednesday outlining the two step. The slides said troopers are not required to say any particular magic words to make clear that the traffic stop has ended and motorists are free to go. Other Highway Patrol material was shown that says consensual interactions with motorists must be voluntary.

Jones was also questioned about a policy the KHP implemented in September that requires troopers to produce reports detailing their reasonable suspicion for roadside detentions that dont end in arrests or the seizure of contraband. Jones acknowledged legal challenges over the two step played a role in development of the policy.

He also confirmed that the power to change policy rests with him.

The buck stops with you? McInerney asked.

Yes, Jones replied.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who appointed Jones in early 2019, hasnt announced his successor. Under questioning from McInerney, Jones acknowledged that the next superintendent could rescind the policy requiring reports on roadside detentions, but he suggested its unlikely.

The direction were going, it would probably stay, Jones said.

Jones has also been sued by current or former employees who allege a hostile work environment, a culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the agency under his leadership. Kelly announced Jones retirement in February after Republican lawmakers pushed for his ouster. Jones has said he wasnt asked to resign.

The outcome of the two step trial, which began last week, could affect enforcement of Kansas drug laws in the Kansas City area. Recreational marijuana became legal in Missouri in December but remains illegal in Kansas.

Kansas is one of only three remaining states that has no form of legal marijuana  either a medical or recreational program, or some form of legal THC products, the substance that causes the high in marijuana. Under Kansas law, possession of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of six months in jail, and a fine of up to $1,000, for a first time offense.
The Kansas City, Kansas Police are searching for a missing 90-year-old woman with memory issues.

Bessie Glass last spoke with her family on the phone Monday before she went missing from her home in the 3300 block of North 36th Street in Kansas City, Kansas.

She has been known to drive long distances to other towns and will likely be traveling in a brown 2012 Mercury LaCrosse. The car has Kansas disabled tags labeled 66154.

Glass has brown eyes and black hair. She is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 155 pounds.

She may be wearing a blouse, sweatpants and glasses. Her family is very concerned for her well-being and safety.
Kentucky Rep. Lamin Swann is in the hospital following a significant medical emergency Tuesday, his mother said in a statement.

During this difficult time, those of us who love him dearly are requesting both prayers and privacy, and we will provide further updates once we know more about his recovery, Pam Dixon said in a statement released to the news media Wednesday evening.

Swann, 45, has long been a civil-rights advocate and Democratic Party activist in the area.

Swann, a Lexington Democrat, was elected last year and sworn into the General Assembly this January. Swann represents the 93rd district, newly formed in Lexington following redistricting; he defeated Republican Kyle Whalen to secure the seat.

Messages of support quickly poured in for Swanns recovery.

Rep. Swann is a gentle soul, funny, and brilliant, Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, tweeted. Praying for healing energy.

After being sworn in, Swann posted about visiting the Capitol as a child.

I met the governor, Martha Layne Collins, he wrote. Who would have of told me, at 8 years old, 37 years later, I would have an office in the Capitol Annex as a State Representative?

I met the governor, Martha Layne Collins. Who would have of told me, at 8 years old, 37 years later, I would have an office in the Capitol Annex as a State Representative? pic.twitter.com/65zfYyJb0m  Rep. Lamin Swann (@LaminForKY) January 17, 2023

This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) -A Kenyan court on Wednesday denied bail for cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who authorities say ordered followers to starve their children and themselves to death, and extended his detention by 30 days.

The death toll climbed to 145 from 133 announced on Tuesday, and hundreds of people are still missing. Authorities are searching for remains in shallow graves scattered throughout a forest where Mackenzie's followers were living.

Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, has not yet been required to enter a plea after handing himself over to police last month. A lawyer representing Mackenzie, George Kariuki, has said the self-styled pastor is cooperating with the investigation.

Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda said at a hearing in the port city of Mombasa that Mackenzie and 17 other people detained in connection with the deaths would not be granted bail because of concerns that their release would jeopardise investigations.

Wycliffe Makasembo, a lawyer for Mackenzie and his wife, who is also detained, said he would appeal against the decision.

"The ruling was not within the law. It violates the constitutional rights of our clients," Makasembo told Reuters.

Mackenzie was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of the murder of two children by starvation and suffocation, but was then released on bail.

Relatives of his adherents say that after he was freed, he returned to Shakahola forest and brought forward his predicted date for the end of the world from August to April 15.

Mackenzie surrendered to police on April 14 after police first raided the forest where the church was based, rescuing 15 people who had been starving themselves.

(Reporting by Dicksy Obiero and Joseph Akwiri; Writing by Hereward Holland, Editing by William Maclean and Nick Macfie)
Kevin McCarthy has managed to dodge questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump  all the while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by President Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then proceeded to do just that as he skirted around the subjects without giving a definitive answer.

But as you know, Ive been at the White House. I havent seen the indictment, he said.

But as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees.

He pointed to the examples of Senator Bob Menendez and Rep Jeff Fortenberry.

Mr Menendez was previously indicted on charges but found not guilty and is now serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr Fortenberry meanwhile was found guilty of charges last year and so Mr McCarthy asked him to resign from the House.

In America, well just follow the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, they have the right to vote. But they have to go to trial, said Mr McCarthy.

If Mr Santos is found guilty, however, he might have to resign, he said.

That is my policies and principles on this, he said.

When pressed about his stance Mr Trump, Mr McCarthy then claimed he had been in meetings so was unaware of what was going on.

Kevin McCarthy was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures (Getty Images)

I  I dont know. Ive been in meetings, he said.

His comments came after a Manhattan federal jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

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Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

Across two weeks, jurors heard harrowing testimony from Ms Carroll as well as two other women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault.

In its verdict on Tuesday, the jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Ms Carroll but did not find that she had proven that he raped her and so he was not found liable for rape.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time following the verdict but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Hours after the verdict was handed down, news broke that embattled New York congressman Mr Santos had been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to multiple reports.

The exact nature of the charges arent yet public and remain under seal.

But they come following reports that Mr Santos was under investigation from the Justice Department over his campaign finances.

The New York congressman is expected to appear in federal court in New Yorks eastern district as soon as Wednesday on the charges.

When reached for comment about the news on Tuesday, Mr Santos claimed he was unaware of the charges.

This is news to me, he told The Associated Press. Youre the first to call me about this.

Derek Myers, a former aide for the congressman, later tweeted that he had been working as a confidential informant and human asset for the FBI while working in his office.

Mr Santos has fallen under scrutiny ever since he was first exposed for making a series of lies on his resume.

Since then, his list of apparent falsehoods has continued to grow and he is now the focus of criminal and ethics investigations.
Wednesdays indictment of Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) gave House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) yet another chance to call for the controversial congressman to resign.

He didnt.

After news broke of the pending charges on Tuesday, McCarthy said, I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty.

On Wednesday, state and federal prosecutors charged Santos with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to the House of Representatives.

But that didnt seem to change much for McCarthy. The Republican House leader told CNN after being informed of the charges that it always concerns me, but didnt call on Santos to resign.

After reporters pressed him on whether it was time for Santos to leave Congress, McCarthy dismissed the idea.

He will go through his time in trial and lets find out how the outcome is, according to CNN reporter Haley Talbot.

Twitter users werent impressed by McCarthys responses on Tuesday and Wednesday.

How the hell does he even stand up straight without a backbone?! https://t.co/ds8pYrOVbJ  Suzanne@cookinmaama (@SuzanneBos43679) May 10, 2023

Kevin McCarthy is too spineless to react to Santos' arrest. He still has to report to higher authorities.  AZScorpion_Tail (@AZScorpion_Tail) May 10, 2023

Kevin McCarthy before and after the indictment of George Santos. What a complete and utter coward. pic.twitter.com/Sb6Nresf6D  MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) May 10, 2023

The thing that scares me is that this guy is third in line to the presidency. https://t.co/mHaP0iTWTX  Joerich44 #resist #BLM (@JoeRich44) May 10, 2023

Rough day for the party of law and order. https://t.co/Vy123GV8nw  Matt Lane (@MattLaneWrites) May 10, 2023

Back in January, when Santos was first sworn into Congress and there were multiple reports on his pattern of lies, McCarthy told reporters about the conditions under whichhe might ask the congressman to resign.

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If for some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him, McCarthy said, adding, He has a responsibility to uphold what they voted for, to work and have their voice here, but at any time, if it rises to a legal level, we will deal with it then.

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It appears Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's divorce is going to get ugly. (Photos: Getty Images)

Bravo fans were shocked on Monday by news that Kim Zolciak filed for divorce from Kroy Biermann. Viewers watched their love story unfold on television for nearly a decade, but it sounds like we need Andy Cohen and a camera because one legal expert expects this to turn ugly.

TMZ obtained Biermann's divorce filing and he's seeking sole legal and physical custody of his and Zolciak's four children. The former Real Housewives of Atlanta star asked for primary physical custody and joint legal custody in her petition. Celebrity divorce lawyer Charlotte Christian tells Yahoo that Biermann is sending a message with the document.

"The request for sole custody indicates that this may be a nasty divorce as most divorce complaints ask for joint custody to some degree," Christian explains. The Tardy for the Party stars are parents to Kroy "KJ" Jagger Jr., 11, Kash, 10, and 9-year-old twins, Kane and Kaia.

"To be awarded sole custody, one parent must prove that the child's best interest would be served by being with one parent a majority of the time, with that parent making the parenting decisions and the other parent only visiting the child," Christian continues. "Generally speaking, for a sole custody award, one parent must be unwilling or unable to parent and sole custody is rarely granted."

Zolciak is mother to two daughters from prior relationships, influencers Brielle Biermann, 26, and Ariana Biermann, 21. The former Atlanta Falcons player legally adopted them years ago, but they are not impacted by custody issues, given their ages.

The divorce news came on the heels of a TMZ report that Zolciak and Biermann are in financial trouble. They apparently owe $1.1 million in unpaid taxes and their Georgia mansion went into foreclosure earlier this year. In his filing, the ex-NFL star requested Zolciak maintain all financial documents.

"If the tax bill is in both of their names, they will both be liable for the taxes," Christian explains. "The IRS trumps divorce decrees or any agreements between the parties. The IRS will come after both of them separately for the tax debt that will be shouldered by both of them."

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A rep for Zolciak had no comment on the situation when reached by Yahoo. Neither she nor Biermann has spoken publicly about the divorce  but he appears to have subtly addressed it on Instagram.

Biermann's Instagram bio reads, "Husband. Father to six perfect munchkins. Athlete. You can Google Me & see I wasn't Tardy for that Party."

Cohen, who knows the former couple well, said he was "very surprised" by the news.

"I was very surprised. That was not the news I ever expected to get. They seemed so much in love and just together. I mean, they were a couple that, yeah, I thought they were in it for the long haul," the executive producer shared on on Tuesday's SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live. "Sorry to hear that there may be some financial issues. TMZ is reporting that they owe a million dollars to the IRS. Texted a little bit with Kim yesterday, sent my condolences because it's a sad thing. They have kids and that was just a couple that seemed very much in love."
Patrick van Katwijk - Getty Images

Norway's King Harald was admitted to the hospital on Monday with an infection, the palace confirmed in a statement.

"The king has been diagnosed with an infection that needs to be treated, and will therefore remain in hospital for a few days," the palace said, adding his condition "is improving but he will be on sick leave until the end of the week."

STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM - Getty Images

King Harald, 86, is in a "stable" condition and being treated at the Rikshospitalet, the Oslo University Hospital, in the Norwegian capital. His son, Crown Prince Haakon, will take over his father's duties this week, serving as regentincluding hosting an upcoming State Visit by the President of Italy.

This is King Harald's third announced hospitalization since last summer; in December 2022, he was admitted with an infection and was treated with IV antibiotics, and in August 2022, he was hospitalized for a fever. In 2020, he had surgery to replace a heart valve. He has been using crutches recently, including at the Nobel Peace Prize banquet at the end of last year.

Joe Giddens - PA Images - Getty Images

At King Charles's coronation this past weekend, Prince Haakon and his wife, Princess Mette-Marit represented the Norwegian royal family.

King Harald, a second cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, has reigned for 32 years; he ascended to the throne following the death of his father King Olav V in January 1991. Last year, his daughter Princess Martha Louise relinquished her official duties in light of her engagement to Durek Verrett (known as "Shaman Durek").

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Addresses Joint Meeting Of Congress

Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, during a joint meeting of Congress with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Credit - Nathan HowardBloomberg/Getty Images

Federal prosecutors have charged Rep. George Santos on more than a dozen counts for allegedly violating campaign finance laws and defrauding prospective donors to his campaign.

The embattled first-term Republican congressman from New York, who falsified much of his biography on the campaign trail, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday morning and appeared in a federal courthouse in Long Island in the afternoon.

Prosecutors said the charges resulted from fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.

Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being released from federal custody on a $500,000 bond. I have no desire not to comply at this point, Santos said outside the courtroom after his arraignment, repeatedly referring to the federal probe as a witch hunt. He said he will not resign and will continue to run for re-election in 2024. Im going to fight the witch hunt, Im going to take care of clearing my name, he added.

Heres what to know.

What are the charges?

The 13-count indictment against Santos includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

More than half of the charges relate to allegations that Santos solicited donations from political donors and then pocketed the funds for personal expenses. In the indictment, prosecutors allege that then-candidate Santos directed an unnamed person to solicit donations to a company he falsely represented both as a social welfare organization and a super PAC that would be used to purchase television advertisements for his 2022 campaign. But the donations were instead purportedly transferred to Santoss personal bank accounts, which he used to buy designer goods and pay off personal debts, according to prosecutors.

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As part of that donor solicitation scheme, prosecutors accused Santos of committing five counts of wire fraud by falsely telling potential donors that contributions would be used for his congressional campaign. He was also charged with three counts of money laundering in connection to the scheme.

More from TIME

Read More: The Charges Against George Santos Were A Long Time Coming

Prosecutors charged Santos with two more counts of wire fraud and one count of stealing public money as part of an unemployment insurance fraud scheme. They claim that in June 2020, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Santos applied for unemployment benefits in New York, even though he was at the time employed by a Florida-based investment firm and earned an annual salary of $120,000. Prosecutors said he falsely certified that he was unemployed, and collected more than $24,000 from the state in benefits. (As a lawmaker, Santos was part of a group of GOP lawmakers pushing for stronger work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries.)

The two counts of lying to Congress are related to financial disclosure forms he filed as a candidate in 2020, when federal prosecutors say he overstated the income he received in one job and failed to disclose his salary from another firm. The indictment alleges that Santos falsely certified that he had a $750,000 salary and received between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from his company, the Devolder Organization. These assertions were false, prosecutors noted in a press release. Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization the reported amounts of salary or dividends.

Prosecutors also allege that Santos lied about having a checking account that held between $100,000 and $250,000 and a savings account with deposits of between $1 and $5 million.

In federal court Wednesday afternoon, Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges. I believe Im innocent, he told reporters.

When will he appear in court?

Santos surrendered to authorities at a federal court in Central Islip, N.Y. on Wednesday morning, and was arraigned in the afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay.

He was released on a $500,000 bond and had to surrender his passport to federal authorities. His next court appearance will be on June 30 before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, told reporters at the courthouse that Santos plans on continuing his 2024 reelection campaign, but that his travel outside of D.C., New York City, and Long Island must be pre-approved, according to the Associated Press.

How Republicans have responded

Many Republicans had already called on Santos to resign after it was revealed that he fabricated much of his biography while campaigning, and he had already been stripped of his committee assignments. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House GOP leaders have so far not called for his resignation. Republicans hold a slim four-seat majority in the House and Santos districtNew Yorks 3rd Districtis historically competitive, and has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 2004.

Ill look at the charges, McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday, before the indictment outlining the 13 charges was unsealed. He said Santos would be able to continue doing congressional work in the meantime: If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial. But McCarthy added that his opinion could change if Santos were found guilty.

He was already removed from all his committees, Rep. Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana and majority leader, said during a morning news conference. In America, there is a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York and conference chair, asserted that the legal process would play itself out.

Santos said outside the courtroom that he appreciates his partys leadership for being patient with him and with the legal process. He also claimed: Ill be a chairman of a committee in a few years.

Other Republicans who arent in leadership have been more forceful in their responses. The people of New Yorks 3rd district deserve a voice in congress, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez of Texas wrote on Twitter. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.

We all knew this was where things were heading, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York told Axios in a statement. The sooner he leaves, the sooner we can win the seat with someone who isnt a liar.

What happens next

If Santos is convicted of the charges against him, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years on the top count, according to the U.S. attorneys office for the Eastern District of New York.

But there is no law or precedent that says a member of Congress cannot continue to serve while indicted, and there have been numerous instances of legislators keeping their position until they were found guilty and resigned. Most recently, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Republican of Nebraska, was indicted in 2021 for felony charges related to lying to federal authorities who were investigating illegal contributions. He continued to serve until March 2022 when he was convicted, at which point he resigned.

A resolution to expel Santos from Congress would need votes from two-thirds of the House to pass, which means nearly 70 Republicans would have to join Democrats.

This isnt Santos only potential legal exposure. Hes also currently facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into his campaign finance expenditures, past business practices, and an allegation of sexual misconduct. And he faces a criminal case in Brazil for check fraud in 2008, when he spent nearly $700 using a stolen checkbook and a false name, according to court records. Santos confessed to the theft but the case was paused when police were unable to locate him after he moved to the U.S.

This has been an experiencefor a book or something like that, Santos said Wednesday.
It's official: Ohio will hold an August election to ask voters whether it should be harder to amend the state constitution.

House Republicans passed a resolution 62-37 Wednesday that, if approved by voters, would require 60% of voters to enact new constitutional amendments instead of a simple majority. The vote capped off a tumultuous few weeks for GOP lawmakers, who wrestled with the issue and risked missing a key election deadline.

Five Republican House members voted against the resolution. The Senate concurred late Wednesday on the House changes.

Dig deeper: How proposed changes to Ohio Constitution could impact abortion issue

Supporters of the resolution were pushing for an August election to get ahead of a potential November ballot question that would enshrine abortion access in Ohio.

Protesters for and against the resolution convene inside the Ohio Statehouse prior to the deadline for the Ohio House to decide whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60 percent for constitutional amendments.

But separate legislation to pay for that election got scrapped. Now, the Legislature is setting the Aug. 8 election through the resolution alone, without providing immediate funds to the secretary of states office.

It merely asks Ohioans if they want to approve a 60% threshold or not by voting in a free and fair election, Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville. If that is really someones idea of an attack on democracy, they need to turn off cable news, log off Twitter and come back to reality. Its not the end of the debate.

More: Ohio House Republicans struggle to move on plan to make it harder to change constitution

The resolution, itself a proposed amendment, would increase the voter threshold to 60% for amendments put forward by citizens and the Legislature. It requires citizen groups to get voter signatures from all 88 counties, instead of 44, to place something on the ballot. And it would eliminate a 10-day period that petitioners are granted to replace any invalid signatures.

Proponents say this would protect Ohio's constitution from special interests, such as casinos and groups that want to legalize marijuana. Critics say it strips power from voters and ensures only well-funded outside groups can put amendments on the ballot.

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As Republicans privately haggled over the issue, Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein gave $1 million to a group that aired ads urging key legislators to support the resolution.

"What I hear when the sponsors say we're protecting the constitution is that they want to protect the constitution from you, the people, Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake, said.

House vote draws heated protests

Both camps gathered at the statehouse for Wednesdays vote, although opponents significantly outnumbered those in support. People who could not get into the House chamber stayed in buildings rotunda, chanting loudly enough for lawmakers to hear. Inside the room, the resolution's backers wore T-shirts that read, "Save Ohio's constitution."

Democrat representatives chant one person one vote on the floor of the Ohio House inside the Ohio Statehouse during a debate on whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60 percent for constitutional amendments. The gallery was cleared shortly after.

Robin Frodge of Cincinnati called the resolution an attack on Ohio women and reproductive rights.

The Ohio Legislature is shaming and embarrassing itself by changing the rules mid-stream in a frustrated attempt to keep control of the issue, when it's really none of their business to start with, said Frodge, referencing the abortion initiative.

Tensions escalated during the debate when Democratic lawmakers led a chant, One person, one vote. House security removed protesters and supporters from the public viewing area as House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, struggled to get control of the room.

After the resolution passed, Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis applauded Republicans for setting an election "for all of us to self-determine what Ohio's future may look like."

"Speaker Jason Stephens and House Republicans made the clear statement today that they unequivocally trust Ohio's voters," Gonidakis said. "Because of their leadership, the future of our state's constitution now rests completely in the hands of the people not the political class  to debate amongst ourselves and come to a consensus."

Protesters put their thumbs down as representatives debate on the floor of the Ohio House inside the Ohio Statehouse on whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60 percent for constitutional amendments. The gallery was cleared shortly after. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

What about the August election bill?

The Senate passed legislation last month that would have allocated $20 million to Secretary of State Frank LaRose for the August election. But that proposal died in a House committee after some GOP lawmakers expressed reservations about the election.

A House committee temporarily stripped the Aug. 8 election from the resolution on Tuesday to tee it up for a final vote. When Republicans added it back on Wednesday, 10 of their colleagues opposed it.

Democrats criticized Republicans for setting an election without providing the money. Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said LaRoses office has enough funding to get through the election, and lawmakers will reimburse them for any costs  likely through the state budget.

LaRose, for his part, is a staunch supporter of the resolution and August election.

Protesters for and against the resolution convene inside the Ohio Statehouse prior to the deadline for the Ohio House to decide whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60 percent for constitutional amendments.

The decision to advance the plan without an election bill also raised some legal questions.

Steven Steinglass, a professor and dean emeritus at Cleveland State University, said the state's new election law does not permit August elections for proposed amendments. To change that, he argued, the Legislature needed to pass the August election bill in addition to the resolution.

Steinglass cited a court opinion that determined state statute can't be changed or repealed through a joint resolution from the General Assembly.

GOP leaders disagree. Huffman pointed to another opinion that empowers lawmakers to set an election through a resolution.

Opponents of the 60% threshold hinted Wednesday that the legal dispute could lead to a lawsuit.

"It is absolutely illegal," said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. "We will look at our options, but at the end of the day, what they need to know is that we will launch a (get out the vote) campaign like they have never seen."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio House votes to put issue on August ballot changing constitution
The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers in the past 18 months as part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs, the U.S. Department of Education said this week.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is open to teachers, librarians, nurses, public interest lawyers, military members and other public workers. It cancels a borrower's remaining student debt after 10 years of public interest work, or 120 monthly payments.

The program is separate from President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan, which would wipe away or reduce loans for millions of borrowers regardless of what field they work in. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether that plan can go ahead.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, known as PSLF, was launched in 2007, but stringent rules meant that more than 90% of applicants were rejected, the Department of Education said in 2019.

In October 2021, the government temporarily relaxed the requirements, making it easier for people to apply and be approved. Those relaxed requirements ended in October 2022. However, borrowers who want to increase their payment count have another opportunity to do so. They can apply for the one-time account adjustment until the end of the year.

Through the one-time account adjustment, borrowers with direct loans through the William D. Ford program will have similar benefits to those that were available under the limited PSLF waiver. Borrowers who do not have direct loans can consolidate and receive PSLF credit for prior payments as part of this adjustment, as long as they submit a consolidation application by the end of 2023.

One of the people who benefited from the PSLF waiver was Beth Bourdon, an assistant public defender in Orlando, Florida.

Bourdon had about $57,000 of student loans forgiven in February 2022. Previously, because her loans had been acquired through the Family Federal Education Loan Program, Bourdon didnt qualify for relief. But when the waiver took effect in October 2021, she successfully applied.

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I kept checking and re-checking the site, and one day I went and the balance was zero, Bourdon said. Two days later I got the official letter.

With the exception of one two-year period, Bourdon has worked in public interest law since 2005. She said she made payments of about $417 every month from June 2008 to October 2021, when she consolidated her loans and applied for PSLF.

Public defenders, we dont get paid a lot, she said. When peoples student loans hit, theyre faced with a really hard decision. Can I remain doing this job I love or will I have to go to a civil firm to try to make money? The PSLF helps try to retain talented people who would otherwise go somewhere else.

Bourdon said the cancellation gives her breathing room.

She added that she personally talked about 10 people she knows through the process of applying for forgiveness via the waiver, and that several have already received cancellation.

Its so great  knowing how relieved I was, for my friends to have that kind of relief too, she said.

Starting July 1 of this year, the Education Department will implement changes designed to make the PSLF application process easier. Some of the changes were previously included in the waiver.

Heres what you need to know if you want to apply:

WHO QUALIFIES?

If you are or were previously employed at least 30 hours per week with the following types of organizations, you qualify:

 Government organizations at any level (U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal). This includes the U.S. military, all work in public education, and full-time volunteer work with AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps.

 Any not-for-profit organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 If you work for a not-for-profit organization that is not tax-exempt, you may still qualify for PSLF if the organization provides certain types of qualifying public services such as emergency management, legal aid and legal services, early childhood education, service to individuals with disabilities or the elderly, public health, including nurses and nurse practitioners, public library and school library services, and public safety such as crime prevention and law enforcement.

To demonstrate that your job in public service qualifies you for forgiveness, youll file an employer certification form with your servicer, listing jobs youve held.

You must have direct loans or consolidate other federal student loans into a direct loan. You must also make 120 qualifying payments or 10 years of payments.

WHICH STUDENT LOANS ARE ELIGIBLE?

Any federal student loan received under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program is eligible.

If you have either a Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or a Federal Perkins Loan, youll need to consolidate those into direct loans with your servicer. Payments made on these loans before you consolidated them do not count as qualifying PSLF payments.

Private student loans are not eligible.

HOW CAN I APPLY?

You can apply to the program using the PSLF help tool. If you want to do it manually, you can print and mail a PSLF form.

HOW CAN I CONSOLIDATE MY DEBT INTO A DIRECT LOAN?

First, visit studentaid.gov to see if you have loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan or Perkins Loan Program. Those are the loans youll consolidate.

Next, apply online or by mail. The process is free and takes about six weeks to complete, but you can submit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness form after consolidation is complete.

WHAT COUNTS AS A QUALIFYING PAYMENT?

A qualifying monthly payment is a payment that you made after Oct. 1, 2007, while you were employed by a qualifying employer.

The 120 qualifying monthly payments dont need to be consecutive. For example, if you have a period of employment with a non-qualifying employer, you will not lose credit for prior qualifying payments.

WHAT ABOUT THE PAYMENT PAUSE?

Student loan payments are currently paused because of the COVID pandemic.

Payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, 60 days after the current Supreme Court case about student loan forgiveness is resolved. If the case hasnt been resolved by June 30, payments will start 60 days after that.

Borrowers will get credit toward PSLF for payments they would have made during the pause as long as they meet all other qualifications for the program, according to the Education Department.

For the qualifying payments to show in your account, you must submit a PSLF form that certifies your employment during the pause.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROGRAM?

As of mid-April of this year, more than 615,000 borrowers have qualified for forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver, which ended in October. Some borrowers who submitted their applications prior to the end date may continue to have their applications processed from the waiver period.

WHO CAN I CONTACT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you have a specific question about your application, its best to call or email a representative.

For general questions about student loans, the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) hosts a contact center that allows borrowers to live chat, call or email.

___

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
Three of the four Knoxville police officers involved in the arrest of 60-year-old Lisa Edwards, who collapsed in police custody and later died, have been disciplined.

Sgt. Brandon Wardlaw, the first to arrive at the hospital, was demoted to officer.

Officer Timothy Distasio, who was driving Edwards to jail when she lost consciousness, was suspended without pay for 10 days.

Officer Adam Barnett was suspended without pay for four days.

Transportation officer Danny Dugan did not violate any departmental policies, according to a Knoxville Police Department report.

After the arrest, all four were placed on paid suspension. None will lose their jobs.

Edwards was arrested Feb. 5 outside Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center just after she was discharged. Police videos show she begged for medical help, was left on a sidewalk and later slumped over in the back of a squad car while the officer stopped to help a driver who was pulled over on the side of the road.

The Knoxville Police Department's internal affairs investigation report was released a little more than three months after Edwards' death, which drew widespread outrage over the way police treated her.

What does the Internal Affairs report say?

The nearly 900-page report examined the actions of the police officers who responded that morning. It found Edwards told police many times about her medical concerns but officers inadequately addressed or outright ignored them.

Wardlaw, the report said, never changed his decision to take Edwards to jail and failed to look into why her statements differed from those of the hospital security guards. None of the officers made any attempt to get a medical opinion on Edwards' health.

The "words, actions and inactions" of Wardlaw, Distasio and Barnett showed "an utter disregard for the respect of human life," the report concluded. "Ms. Edwards was entrusted to the custody, care and control of the KPD ... and, once seized, her life literally rested in their hands."

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Distasio committed seven violations: unbecoming conduct, neglect of duty, unsatisfactory performance, treatment of prisoners, courtesy, prisoner transportation (seat belt), unconscious persons

Wardlaw committed six violations of department policy: unbecoming conduct, neglect of duty, unsatisfactory performance, treatment of prisoners, courtesy and prisoner transportation (seat belt)

Barnett committed four violations: unbecoming conduct, unsatisfactory performance, treatment of prisoners and courtesy

Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel, who said he was "disturbed and embarrassed" when he watched the videos, explained why the disciplinary actions were taken and why the supervisor received the harshest penalty.

"Our response and subsequent actions followed a larger systemic failure," Noel said. "Ms. Edwards was at minimum failed by the hospital system and hospital security before we even arrived. We did not help that situation by the way our officers chose to treat Ms. Edwards."

Noel stressed his officers' actions did not contribute to Ms. Edwards death, pointing to the autopsy report.

But, he added, "The way we spoke to and treated Ms. Edwards was completely unacceptable, and exposed that we have a problem as an organization with how we talk to people. This situation also represented a failure of supervision. Supervisors are held to a higher standard and are there to ensure that the employees under their command are making decisions in the best interest of those we serve and the department.

What led to Lisa Edwards' death

Edwards had been a longtime resident of Knoxville, but in 2018 she moved to Rhode Island to be closer to her sons and grandchildren.

Edwards initially lived with family but had a stroke in August 2019 and moved into a nursing home. Eventually, Edwards decided to move back to Knoxville, where she was going to live with a friend.

Soon after Edwards arrived at the Knoxville airport on Feb. 4, she was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital for abdominal pain. She was discharged but went to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, where she was evaluated and discharged the next morning.

Edwards was arrested after hospital security staff called police to tell them she refused to leave. Body cam footage showed the first KPD officer arrived just before 8 a.m., about an hour after Edwards was discharged. Edwards told the officer she had a stroke and couldnt walk, but his response was that the hospital wanted her gone and he was taking her to jail.

A jail van was called and officers and the driver physically struggled for 30 minutes to get Edwards into the side compartment, leaving her slumped on the sidewalk.

Edwards repeatedly said she couldn't breathe or stand, but officers and security staff told her she was fine. The police eventually decided to take her in a regular police cruiser. Officers struggled to place her in the back seat and never succeeded in getting her into a fully upright position.

At the beginning of the drive, Edwards was gasping and wheezing before she slumped back. Within 10 minutes, she slipped out of sight and could not be heard on the cruiser camera. The officer drove another 3 minutes before he stopped to help another driver. When he returned to the vehicle, he found Edwards unconscious.

What happened after Edwards' death?

The Knox County District Attorney's Office said Edwards died of a stroke and that none of the officers who handled her arrest would face criminal charges. The office cited a medical examiner's report that said at no time did law enforcement interaction cause or contribute to Ms. Edwards death.

The hospital in April released a statement that found the medical treatment and hospital discharge were "clinically appropriate."

The hospital also conducted an in-depth review of its security procedures and policies and evaluated its security services contract, the release said.

"Several officers involved are no longer working at any Covenant Health facility," the release said. "In addition, we are implementing empathy training for security officers serving on behalf of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Covenant Health."

People posted hundreds of critical Facebook comments about the officers' conduct, and many community members gathered Feb. 27 to hold a vigil in her honor.

Edwards' family hired Devon Jacob, a high-profile civil rights attorney who is an expert in lawsuits over in-custody deaths. Jacob did not answer an emailed request for comments on the report.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com. Twitter @LizKellar.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville police officers disciplined after arrest of Lisa Edwards
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia's stance on the Black Sea grain deal - that its own interests must be taken into account in talks aimed at extending it beyond May 18 - was understood by all relevant parties.

Four-way talks on the deal, between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations - are due to take place in Istanbul this week.

"Work is underway. Our position is well known... and consistent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"So, let's wait for the outcome of the negotiations."

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea export agreement in July to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow's war in Ukraine.

To help convince Russia to allow Ukraine to resume Black Sea grain exports, a three-year pact was also struck in July in which the U.N. agreed to help Moscow facilitate its own agricultural exports, something it complains hasn't happened at scale.

Both Ukraine and Russia say the Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea, is in danger of collapsing.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's key agricultural producers, and major players in the wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed and sunflower oil markets. Russia is also dominant in the fertiliser market.

While Russian agricultural 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 significant barrier to shipments.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Andrew Osborn)
Two Kentucky-based businesses have agreed to collectively pay about $1.7 million to resolve allegations they illegally billed Medicaid and Medicare for court-ordered drug testing.

One of the accused companies was Blue Waters Assessment and Testing Services, LLC, which is based in Lexington and provides services related to urine drug testing, including tests for individuals ordered by the Fayette County family courts as part of their cases.

The Lexington company sent the specimens to VerraLab JA, LLC, a clinical laboratory based in Louisville that does business under the name BioTap Medical, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. BioTap performed the urine drug tests and billed them to Kentucky Medicaid and Medicare.

The BioTap group received payments from medicaid and medicare which they were not entitled to and agreed to pay nearly $1.5 million as part of a settlement against the false claims. Blue Waters Assessment and Testing and its owner, David Waters, agreed to pay an additional $250,000 for roles in submitting the claims, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The government said billing these tests to state Medicaid and Medicare violated the False Claims Act, which prohibits fraudulent claims being submitted.

Submitting false claims to Medicare or Medicaid wastes taxpayer dollars and undermines the integrity of those programs, said Tamala E. Miles, special agent in charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

As federally-funded health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare do not pay for tests given to satisfy a court order.

Medicaid and Medicare only pay for laboratory tests used for medical diagnosis or treatment, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

In fact, Medicaids regulations explicitly prohibit reimbursement for laboratory tests, such as urine drug tests, that were ordered by a court, the United States Attorneys Office said.

The federal Medicaid and Medicare programs are designed  and funded  to provide health care benefits to eligible individuals with a medical necessity, Carlton S. Shier, IV, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said in a press release. These lab tests were not medically necessary and were improperly billed to these programs.

It is important to all of us that steps are taken to return such misapplied funds to their appropriate purpose  providing medical care.
Lawrence Police Captain Michael Mangan has been suspended, according to a spokesperson for Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePena. The spokesperson released a one-sentence statement. It reads, Lawrence Police Department Captain Michael Mangan is on paid administrative leave as of May 8, 2023, pending an investigation into recent on-duty conduct.

Two sources told 25 Investigates the city is reviewing the actions Mangan took with a detainee in the basement booking area of the police department. Mangan is seen on video knocking the detainee to the ground, according to sources who have viewed the video. One source said a lawyer representing the detainee has been provided a copy of the video.

25 Investigates has learned the incident happened in March. Mayor DePenas Office has not said why Captain Mangan was not placed on leave immediately after it happened. The mayors spokesperson did not respond to a request for a copy of the video.

According to the departments website, Mangan is a 20-year member of the police force and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Lawrence, MA Police Captain Michael Mangan was placed on leave Monday. The Mayors office wont say why. 2 sources tell me it stems from a use of force incident involving a prisoner and it was recorded on video. #25Investigates #boston25  Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) May 10, 2023

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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A Fayette Circuit Court judge has ruled a man accused of murdering a 3-year-old girl will not be eligible for the death penalty.

Andrew Charles Buster, 37, potentially faced execution if he was to be convicted of murder and sodomy in connection to a December 2018 incident that left Lillyann Grace Reck dead.

Buster was formally charged and arrested in January 2020, according to court records. Hes been held at the Fayette County Detention Center ever since.

Judge Lucy VanMeter issued an order Tuesday, declaring Buster wouldnt be eligible to face the death penalty because he did have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

VanMeter wrote in her order that evidence indicated Buster had significant adaptive behavior deficits during the developmental period. That determination factored into her ruling, along with Busters IQ score and his adaptive functioning.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a previous case  Atkins v. Virginia  that sentencing someone with intellectual disabilities to death would be cruel and unusual punishment and would violate the Eighth Amendment.

On April 19, VanMeter held a hearing to discuss whether or not Buster should be deemed intellectually disabled based on the testimony of two psychologists.

Both doctors argued for hours about Busters IQ score, and whether that put him at the threshold to be intellectually disabled, and ultimately, qualified for capital punishment.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), someone with an IQ of 70 or below is considered to have an intellectual disability.

The defense teams expert, Dr. Sara Boyd, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in intellectual and learning disabilities, said Buster had a composite IQ of 80, according to a defense presentation. But adjusted for the Flynn Effect, which accounts for IQ increases over time, his score should be 75, Boyd said in court.

But Dr. Jaclyn Williams of the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, who prosecutors presented as a witness Wednesday, gave Buster an IQ score of 86.

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While both doctors scores were above 70, the determination for intellectual disabilities takes into account other factors, including adaptive function and intellectual deficits during Busters childhood. Buster was found to have significant deficiencies in both areas.

Busters defense team previously made a motion to exclude Williams testimony based on Williams qualifications as well as her testing and calculation methods which determined her score.

VanMeter denied this motion in the same ruling.

The court rejects the notion the Dr. Williams does not have the expertise required to make life and death (intellectual disability) determinations simply because this is the first time she has testified on this specific issue before the court, VanMeter wrote in her order.

In regards to Williams differing calculation methods, VanMeter determined that Williams testimony may differ from Dr. Boyds testimony is not a basis to exclude the opinion, but merely goes to the weight to be afforded her testimony.

Buster is scheduled for another court hearing June 15.
A group of business leaders want the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council to add up to 5,000 acres of land to the citys urban area.

The city has not expanded its urban service boundary, which determines where development can go, since 1996, when more than 5,000 acres was added.

In recent years, Lexington has lost 1,500 jobs to surrounding counties with another 1,000+ in jeopardy of leaving due to a lack of available land for business expansion, wrote the group in a letter to the council.

Those job numbers came from Commerce Lexington, an area business group.

The letter and the demands of the group were presented to the council during a Tuesday meeting designed for the public to weigh in on the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which guides development over the next five years.

More than 30 people spoke about various parts of the comprehensive plan during a nearly three-hour long meeting.

While many in the business and development community pushed for more land to be added to the boundary, many agricultural stakeholders urged the city to take time to develop a sustainable, data-driven plan to add more acreage for development.

The council is expected to take a final vote on the 2045 Comprehensive Plan in the coming weeks.

A work group has proposed certain areas where growth or expansion could occur if certain thresholds are met. Some of the areas identified include more than 13,000 acres in the Winchester Road corridor.

The bulk of the citys budget is funded through occupational taxes, or a tax on jobs.

Without more jobs, the city could be facing a potential revenue shortfall in coming years, the group argued. Moreover, home prices and rents are skyrocketing, many said during Tuesdays meeting.

Those signing the letter include: Ray Daniels, board chair Lexington for Everyone, a group formed to lobby for the expansion of the urban service area; Bob Quick, president of Commerce Lexington, the local chamber of commerce; and Todd Johnson, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Central Kentucky.

No one in the business community will allow for the destruction of what makes Lexington special, Quick said during Tuesdays meeting. There is a less than four percent of vacant, developable land inside the urban service area. We are at a tipping point. We have not been providing enough land for housing or jobs.

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At issue is a part of the plan that lays out a data-driven approach to determine if and when the city should expand. The city set up two groups  the Sustainable Growth Task Force and the Goal 4 work group  to develop a matrix to determine when the city needed more land and a map for areas that should be protected and areas that could be developed, if and when the boundary is expanded.

The current draft of the plan does not incorporate those two groups work. Instead, the plan says the city should build on the work of the two plans and then adopt those studies, when completed, as an amendment to the comprehensive plan.

Under the Goal 4 report, discussions about whether to expand the boundary would not begin until 2026.

Thats a long time from now, advocates for expansion told the council Tuesday.

The group wants the city to allow property owners along the Winchester and Athens Boonesboro roads corridor to petition to put up to 5,000 acres of land inside the boundary.

Quick argued the area of Winchester and Athens Boonesboro roads has sewer access and is ripe for expansion.

The Goal 4 report included those areas for possible expansion if and when the city decides to expand the boundary.

Carla Blanton, of Lexington for Everyone, said, the city has enough data. Its time to act, she said.

More study is not about data, its about delay, Blanton said.

Others said the city is already losing jobs.

Gina Greathouse, of Commerce Lexington, said site selectors for companies know Fayette County is out of land. They arent coming here, she said. Moreover, other Lexington-based companies have moved because they cant expand.

Fayette Electric, for example, has moved to Clark County, she said.

Rob Shear, of SRC of Lexington, a machine manufacturing company, said the company has looked for years for property but it cant find an industrial and warehouse space large enough to expand. Meanwhile, land in nearby counties such as Clark and Woodford counties is much, much cheaper.

Shear said he would like to keep his employees in Fayette County but without available industrial land to expand, that may be impossible, he said.

Take time to plan for growth

Judy Worth, a planning commission member and member of the Goal 4 group, said the group did not recommend expansion of the 5,000 acres around Winchester and Athens Boonesboro roads. The report was only a recommendation of areas that could be expanded. The report also looked at areas that should be protected.

The report says just because a property appears on that map does not mean its ready for development, Worth said. Worth said the Goal 4 group developed an extensive process to determine if and when a property should be added to the urban service area.

Thats what the council should look at, she said.

Former Vice Mayor Steve Kay, who served as co-chair of the Goal 4 work group, echoed Worth. The Goal 4 report has an extensive process for adding acreage to the urban service boundary.

Kay said the Lexington for Everyone proposal of bringing in 5,000 acres without planning mirrors the 1996 expansion.

Most people would agree the last expansion has not worked out that well, Kay said. More than half of that land is still available for a variety of reasons, he said.

The council could recommend the city start debates about whether it should open the boundary but follow the guidelines set forth in the Goal 4 report. To add land to the urban service area, an applicant must show there is a specific need for that land. It also must go through a zone change process, which is public, he said.

Downtown Lexington skyline. Photo by Tom Eblen | teblen@herald-leader.com

No farms. No Food.

Others said once farmland is developed, its gone. The city needs to focus on compact development to combat climate change.

Anthony Hudson manages Brookfield farm, which has 1,000 head of cattle in Fayette County. Agricultural is also big business, he said.

Agriculture provides millions of dollars in tax revenue and every one in 12 jobs, he said.

We are looking to hire, Hudson said. So does every other farm operation in the area, he said.

No farms. No food, he said.

Will Mayer of the Fayette Alliance, which advocates on behalf of farmland in Fayette County, said infill development is working. Downtown is thriving because of infill development, Mayer said.

Theres still ample opportunity for infill development, Mayer said.

Brittany Roethemeier, executive director of the Fayette Alliance, said the city still needs to do more work before it expands.

Roethemeier said the city needs to back the previous studies. Those reports show there is a lot of land available for housing and industrial needs. But more work still needs to be done.

We dont have updated costs to build out infrastructure, Roethemeier said. There is still more work to do.

Adding 5,000 acres without data and analysis is irresponsible, she said.

Research shows that adding more land does not result in affordable housing unless there are incentives in place, she said.

Without a plan, sprawl and congestion is inevitable, Roethemeier said. We need a responsible plan for growth.

The Lexington council is expected to start making changes to the 2045 Comprehensive Plan at a May 23 meeting. To find out more about the 2045 Comprehensive Plan go to imaginelexington.com
The small moments are the ones that let Cara Ellis know shes making a big impact.

On a hot, mid-April day at Hillbilly Days  Pikevilles annual festival celebrating all things Appalachia  Ellis and other members of Pikeville Pride sat at a booth strewn with rainbow flags and banners. The grassroots organization works to highlight Eastern Kentuckys LGBTQ+ community.

In a town and region long assumed to be unwelcome to LGBTQ+ people, members were met with honest questions, smiles, thank yous and even a grandma who got their grandson their first pride flag, said Ellis, who is Pikeville Prides president.

I never thought we would have this in this town, said Ellis, a Pikeville native.

Ellis has come out twice in her life. Once in high school, where she was met with bullying that made her much more quiet about an essential part of herself.

But a cancer diagnosis in 2019 changed that. She came out on Facebook with a statement that essentially said Im here and Im queer and thats all you need to know, Ellis said.

The reception was much warmer which, according to Ellis, is becoming more of the norm in Eastern Kentucky  a place where many might have assumed that those within the LGBTQ+ community are already gone or going soon.

Online hate mail can occasionally be expected but in-person intimidation is a rarity, multiple queer Eastern Kentuckians told the Herald-Leader. Thanks to Pikeville Pride, one of the regions biggest cities has had Pride celebrations since 2018.

Still, its never been necessarily easy to be gay in the mountains, and a ratcheting up of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation, both in Kentucky and nationally, will make life harder for those who are out in rural communities, many said. The state legislatures passage of Senate Bill 150, banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, will make life especially hard for those kids.

It is just an attack on the entire community but particularly I feel like trans youth are getting hit the hardest with these bills, Ellis said.

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Cara Ellis, left, and Sarah Ratliff talk to festival goers at Pikeville Prides booth at the Hillbilly Days Festival in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

In the classroom

Willie Carver Jr. knows all too well the struggles LGBTQ youth face in rural areas. While teaching high school in Montgomery County, Carver was named the states teacher of the year in 2022. But not long after, Carver, who is gay, left the K-12 classroom after facing discrimination.

The suicide rate among LGBTQ youth is much higher than their peers. A national survey conducted last year by the Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis help for LGBTQ youth, found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year.

Kentuckys lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population is estimated to be 144,000 people, said a 2020 study from the University of California-Los Angeles Williams Institute, a research center focused on gender identity and sexual orientation.

During his 17 years in the classroom, Carver said hed received several suicide notes from students. The school used an app called Remind that allowed students to message teachers.

I got multiple messages from students who I guess were saying goodbye and luckily (I) was able to intervene and save them each time, Carver said.

But that suicide rate goes down if students come from households that affirm their gender identity, attend an LGBTQ-affirming school or live in an accepting community, the Trevor Project survey said. A separate Trevor Project survey from 2021 found that among rural LGBTQ youth, nearly half said their communities were at least somewhat unaccepting of LGBTQ people. Meanwhile, just 26% of youth living in urban areas felt the same way.

As Carver puts it, having at least one affirming adult in a students life cuts the suicide rate in half.

For I would say half of my LGBTQ students, I was the single affirming adult, Carver said.

A festival goer takes a rainbow sticker from the Pikeville Pride booth during the Hillbilly Days festival in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

SB 150  which bans lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation and stops school districts from requiring teachers use of a students preferred pronouns  will illegalize that affirming adult, because you cant reference it or talk about it, Carver said.

But not everyone can get that affirmation in the classroom. Twenty-five-year-old Jace Fraley said his main support at the private, Christian high school he attended was his best friend. Fraley wasnt out then but felt very out of place.

The schools dress code felt constraining, said Fraley, a transgender man from Floyd County who transitioned as a young adult.

They would try to make the girls wear dresses but I would just wear sweaters and dress pants, Fraley said.

At home

Fraley came out in 2016 in an online post and lost some family, friends and people that I dont even know over it, he said. But some of his family kept an open mind and have been supportive.

There are a few that still call me my old name and try to say that Im a girl even though I have a full beard, Fraley said.

Some youth dont get any affirmation at home. Crockett Ward, the director of education and outreach at Pikevilles Appalachian Center for the Arts, does much of the theater education at the center.

Hes handed out scenes and short plays for students to prepare and perform. But some students have requested not to do scenes that have to do with LGBTQ+ content.

Some of my students have come to me and been like, look, I cant do this piece, my parent, my parental figure, my guardian, is staunchly against the LGBTQIA+ community, and Id be kicked out of the house for even doing this on stage, Ward said. And thats scary stuff.

Having at least one person in their life that believes in them is life changing, said Tonya Jones, who, along with her wife, has fostered multiple LGBTQ+ youth in Pike County. Abuse from others simply for being different can lead to substance abuse or even homelessness if a child gets booted from their home by an unaccepting parent.

Its very hard for me to understand how people want to tell these kids theyre wrong for actually living their truth and living who they truly are, Jones said.

Jones and her wife opened their home about four years ago. Her wife used to run a lawn care business that cut grass for multiple teachers who would tell her about local children coming out to their parents and then being kicked out of the home and not having anywhere to go, Jones said.

Flags fly at Pikeville Prides booth during the Hillbilly Days festival in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

The importance of community

But finding community is essential, especially in a place where an accepting group of people hasnt always been easy to find.

Members of Pikeville Pride know that well. The group started in 2017 as an organized counter protest to a white nationalist march in the citys downtown. After that protest, about 20-25 people continued to meet, and decided to put together Pikevilles first pride event in 2018 in an attempt to highlight the diversity and inclusion that we actually do have here in Pikeville, that maybe people dont realize, Ellis said.

Jones, who was among the original group that started the organization, said they had a free hugs booth at the first event.

I had someone just come up and just wrap their arms around me and just start bawling, Jones said. Because they said it was the first time anyone accepted them for who they truly were.

Theyve held multiple pride events since including the booth at Hillbilly Days and pride proms. The 2023 celebration will be September 30 at the plaza at Appalachian Wireless Arena, the groups largest venue yet.

Pikeville Pride also isnt the only LGBTQ-focused group to crop up in the region in recent years. In 2018, TriPride held their first event in Johnson City, Tennessee, despite a small amount of protesters. Back in Kentucky, Ashland Pride got its start in 2019.

Ellis said shes always struck by the amount of young people that attend the events. Many of them thank the Pikeville Pride folks for the event because they finally feel represented.

I have a really joyous time, because its a celebration, Ellis said. But it also makes me cry, because Im seeing the future tell us that they feel safe.

When Ellis was in high school, she found community and role models in a lesbian couple who lived down the street. They were in their mid-to-late 20s, old enough to tell Ellis that despite the bullying, things will get better.

Rainbow flags sit on a table at the Pikeville Pride booth during the Hillbilly Days Festival in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

Very proudly, a hillbilly

They also defied a common misconception that Ellis said shes encountered in her work with Pikeville Pride. Many assume that those in the group have moved in from bigger cities and arent native Appalachians.

Its like, no, weve been born here, Ellis said. Weve been raised here. Were from here, we stay here.

According to Jonathan Coleman  a historian and co-founder of the Faulkner Morgan Archive, a nonprofit that saves and shares Kentuckys LGBTQ history  the typical narrative told about Eastern Kentucky is an incomplete one.

The story of what it is to be queer in Eastern Kentucky is always a really flattened out simple narrative, Coleman said. You leave if you can, as soon as you can. Youre traumatized and then you try to escape. That, of course, is not accurate for lots and lots of folks.

The story of Lige Clarke, a mid-20th century LGBTQ activist and journalist, flies in the face of that narrative, Coleman said. Clarke was born in and raised in Hindman. He would leave and much of his work  which included starting the first national LGBTQ newspaper in the wake of the famous Stonewall riots  never really forgot his hometown. His geographic identity informs everything he does, Coleman said.

Living and writing in the 70s from New York Citys Greenwich Village, the heart of the early gay liberation movement, Clarke was very proudly, a hillbilly, Coleman said. In multiple editorials, Clarke would expound on how he felt a greater sense of sexual liberation in Hindman than in New York.

In Hindman his experience was one of much more fluidity when it came to sexuality, that even the modern gay liberation movement as it was going on (at the time), was forcing people into channels that were unnatural, said Coleman, who wrote an article on Clarke for the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. And that a true sexual revolution would be a sexual revolution for everybody. So pretty forward thinking.

Clarke, whose work spanned multiple books and writings, was murdered in Mexico under mysterious circumstances in 1975. He was buried in Hindman.

Appalachias LGBTQ history has also been one of struggle. In 1987, native Mike Sisco returned to his hometown of Williamson, West Virginia, after being diagnosed with AIDS. He swam in the public pool in Williamson, a small town which sits across the Tug Fork River from Kentuckys Pike County. Sisco was already the subject of local gossip and panic set off at the pool and in the community. The town closed the pool and became a national flashpoint.

I went through a social death, Sisco told Oprah Winfrey, who came to Williamson to hold a contentious, televised town hall to discuss the issue. I stayed in a backroom a lot of the times at my sisters apartment. Pretty much laid around and wished that I could hurry up and die.

Eastern Kentucky came into the national headlines in 2015 as well when then Rowan County clerk Kim Davis refused to sign the marriage licenses of same-sex couples following the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

The continued coverage of Davis nationally speaks to the continued assumptions made about the region, Coleman said. Other county clerks in other states were doing similar things at the time, he said, but they dont get the national press that Kim Davis does.

I think part of that is simply, she is such an easily identifiable narrative, Coleman said.

David Ermold and his now-husband David Moore, who were denied a license from Davis, are also Eastern Kentuckians.

No one ever focuses on that fact, Coleman said.

Cara Ellis, front, and Sarah Ratliff talk to festival goers at Pikeville Prides booth at the Hillbilly Days Festival in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

I want you to see that you can live.

A Floyd County native, Carver grew up in the mountains and came out publicly while he was in college at Morehead State University. Carver was a research assistant to one of his French professors and went with her to conferences.

At one conference, she insisted that he meet several of her colleagues, which Carver said he soon realized were mostly older gay men. Carver asked her why she insisted on him meeting them.

She said, Because I want you to see that you can live. I want you to see that someday you can be an adult man and be gay, Carver said. Id never seen one and I think thats what the role model aspect is.

Emma Lowe, a 37-year-old transgender woman living in Pike County, said shes hoping to be that sort of role model. Lowe has had graying hair since her mid 20s. While watching a video online of another transgender person with gray hair, she noticed a comment that elicited surprise at seeing a transgender person live that long.

Young trans people just assume that they will not have that opportunity to live long enough to have gray hair, said Lowe, who is also a member of Pikeville Pride. It makes me want to show mine off more and let people know you can have support. You can survive. You can thrive.

A 2022 study from UCLAs Williams Institute estimates Kentuckys adult transgender population to be about 17,700  about 0.51% of the total adult population.

Fraley said hed only seen older transgender people in videos online. The rise of anti-trans rhetoric nationally makes no sense to him because we dont harm anybody.

He said he could see why some LGBTQ+ Eastern Kentuckians might want to leave the region, especially if they dont have the support system he does in his family, which he said keeps him home.

What is missing in Eastern Kentucky is some sort of safe, physical space for the LGBTQ+ community to meet and exist, Lowe said. There isnt necessarily a place where Lowe and her wife can simply hold hands and not get a few looks.

For Pikeville Pride and their parent nonprofit Big Sandy Safe Space, that is a long-term goal, Ellis said.

Sarah Ratliff, Pikeville Prides treasurer and a professor at the University of Pikeville, said it feels like theyre getting somewhere.

I think were doing a good job of breaking some stereotypes and stigmas and showing that this is all we do, Ratliff said. You know, its not perverted. Its not sexual. Its not nudity, its none of that. Its just, Im gay.
Idahos libraries have come under attack for the last two years.

There have been efforts by pressure groups to push self-censorship and at the Legislature to enforce censorship through civil and criminal penalties.

The greatest danger may come on May 16, when new library board members are selected.

In past years, library board elections have been thoroughly boring affairs  the closest thing we have to an election for dog catcher. But the far right has made a concerted effort to take over small boards like these. It succeeded at North Idaho College, and that institution is now on the verge of catastrophe.

The question in these elections is no longer, Which of these two decent people would be marginally better at the administrative tasks of a public library board member? but Which of these two candidates would seek to ban books they disagree with?

Its up to voters to keep libraries free. So they should inform themselves. (The Statesman has a voter guide.)

In the Meridian Library District, where far-right activists have sought to shutter the library, incumbent Destinie Hart has taken an unabashed stand in defense of intellectual freedom.

Censorship has no place in our public libraries, Hart wrote on her candidate questionnaire. Free access to information is foundational to a healthy democracy.

So Hart understands what her job would be perfectly: not a person who decides what people are allowed to read, but a person who helps people get what they want to read.

On the other hand, Xavier Torres, Harts challenger, was a signatory on the petition to dissolve the Meridian Library District he is now seeking to help run. He cant be trusted to run an organization he sought to abolish.

He claims to have a different view on this issue now, but it is no better.

No one wants to dissolve our library, including me, but many asked me to run to promote conservative values within our community library, he told our reporter. But the point of a library isnt to promote a set of values. It is to allow each individual to explore according to their own.

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Theres a similar dynamic in the race between incumbent Meridian trustee Josh Cummings and challenger David Tizekker, though Tizekker has shown a bit more moderation than Torres.

Tizekker claims that extreme positions have been staked out by both the existing board and by the book-banning crowd, and he says he would seek a middle ground by using a community ratings system to help parents make decisions.

But this is a call for censorship posing as moderation. He indicated on his questionnaire that one reason a book could be removed from the librarys current collection  is that it no longer meets community standards. But the whole point of intellectual freedom is that the community doesnt get to decide which views are allowed.

When Cummings was asked if he would support removing any books in the librarys collection, he answered: No. He said the librarys existing policy, which seeks to have the books that people request and read, is a good policy. That is the correct answer.

The situation is more complicated at the Ada Community Library board, where the board held an illegal unnoticed vote to remove six books, including Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, from the library system before rescinding its action.

Incumbent Sandra Taylor said, I dont think banning books is the answer, which is good. However, she refused to say how she voted on the prior book ban  which gives us considerable pause.

But her opponent, Deborah Pogue, is more concerning. She refused to answer any questions at all, and her website suggests she would pursue a conservative policy for the library. A library shouldnt be liberal or conservative. It should be free.

The other incumbent, Amy Fife, is not seeking re-election, so three newcomers are vying for her seat.

Both Mary Anne Saunders and Melodie Huttash have said that they will oppose efforts to censor library books, and either would be a good choice for the board  though perhaps Saunders has slightly better experience for the post.

On the other hand, Renee Trommler, the other candidate, appears to be cut from the same cloth as Pogue. She too didnt respond to any questions, and she even shares a campaign website with Pogue.

It is important that libraries be free because they are the training grounds for participants in a democratic society.

With few big races on the ballot, May 16 is likely to be a low-turnout primary, where those who do bother to show up will have an outsized voice. That means its more important than ever to do your part to protect your local library.

Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe and newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser.
Former President Donald Trump came out swinging Wednesday at a town hall hosted by CNN in New Hampshire.

The former president participated in a live 90-minute event moderated by former chief White House correspondent and anchor Kaitlan Collins, which at times grew contentious over questions about the 2020 election, his recently being found liable in a sexual battery case and the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.

See below for The Hills team coverage of the event.

Related coverage from the CNN town hall event:

Updated on May 11 at 7:39 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ahead of former President Donald Trumps first town hall with CNN, former Rep. Liz Cheney is airing an attack ad against the former president for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Donald Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power, Cheney said in the ad, titled Risk. He lost the election and he knew it.

Cheney was vice chair of the now-dissolved House select committee investigating the Capitol attack. The committee in its final report concluded Trump was the "central cause" behind the riots.

Cheney during her time in Congress was one of the most outspoken Republican lawmakers against Trump. She was the third highest ranking Republican in the House, but was stripped of that position for her vocal criticisms. In 2022, she lost a primary election against Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, who now represents Wyomings only congressional district.

Stay in the conversation on politics Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

Rep. Liz Cheney , R-Wyo., vice chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, on Dec. 19, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Cheney attack ad to air during Trump visit to New Hampshire

The ad is funded by Cheneys political organization, Great Task PAC, and is airing in New Hampshire to coincide with Trumps Wednesday appearance on CNN at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, NBC News reported.

There has never been a greater dereliction of duty by any president Cheney said in the ad, against the backdrop of violent footage of the Capitol attack. Trump was warned repeatedly that his plans for January 6 were illegal. He didnt care.

Donald Trump has proven he is unfit to serve office. Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again, Cheney continued.

Related: Jury finds Donald Trump liable in civil sex abuse case of E. Jean Carroll

US Rep. Liz Cheney during a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in honor of the US Capitol Police and those who protected the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 6, 2022.

2024 plans for Cheney are unclear

Cheney has become a national figure for anti-Trump Republicans for her open opposition to the former president and her work on the Jan. 6 committee, raising speculation she could launch a presidential campaign in 2024.

Story continues

This fight is not over  it may take many years, Cheney said in her concession speech after she lost her primary. For anyone wondering about my own future, let me say this: I will do everything in my power to make sure Donald Trump is never again near the Oval Office.

So far, Cheney has not made any public moves that could suggest she will be running for the White House, but she has not ruled out a 2024 bid.

A presidential campaign is something that Im thinking about, Cheney said last year on NBCs Today Show.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks Aug. 16, 2022, at a primary Election Day gathering in Jackson, Wyoming. Cheney lost to Republican opponent Harriet Hageman in the primary.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liz Cheney attack ad on Donald Trump airs before CNN town hall in N.H.
LOCKNEY  Area school districts were on high alert Wednesday as threats of school violence circulate widely on social media.

Lockney ISD delayed classes until 10 a.m. Wednesday due to a social media threat, and other districts around the area  including Olton, Levelland and Clovis  took action to secure their campuses.

The delay was intended to give the Floyd County Sheriff's Office time to increase security at Lockney schools before students arrive, the district announced early Wednesday morning.

"This delay is to allow the Sheriffs Department to investigate an online threat that was posted to social media. It will also allow the Sheriffs Department to make arrangements for greater law enforcement presence on LISD campuses," the district's statement reads. "Anyone with information regarding the source of the threat should contact the Floyd County Sheriffs Department immediately."

The Floyd County Sheriff's Office later confirmed in its own statement one juvenile is in custody as the investigation continues.

Related: Plainview ISD classes to resume Wednesday with heightened security

Lockney ISD delayed classes until 10 a.m. Wednesday due to a social media threat.

Olton ISD responded to a similar threat Wednesday, locking exterior doors and placing the district's security personnel on heightened alert.

"Today, we received a report of a school shooting (threat) that was directed at Olton High School and Plainview High School. The report came from someone that saw the threat on social media," reads an OISD statement posted Wednesday morning. "Police and the guardian team have been alerted and the district has been placed on a lockout. Only parents and guardians will be allowed to pick up students."

Plainview ISD, which resumed classes Wednesday after canceling Monday and Tuesday citing threats in the midst of a national controversy, said in an overnight statement they would continue for the rest of the year with the additional security measures they already planned as school shooting threats circulate "throughout various states in the Southwestern United States."

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Plainview police later announced a juvenile was arrested in Floyd County related to the Wednesday threats to Plainview ISD. The Floyd County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Avalanche-Journal the individual arrested in connection to the Plainview incident is the same person arrested for allegedly threatening Lockney ISD Wednesday.

Levelland and Littlefield authorities, as well as Clovis Municipal Schools in New Mexico, also announced they were investigating what the Clovis school system called a "viral, nationwide threat," but would continue with class as normal.

Elsewhere in New Mexico, Portales and Roswell officials said they were made aware of threats and increased police presence at local schools.

More: Palo Duro High School student arrested after gun found on campus

In an email to area law enforcement agencies Wednesday, the FBI acknowledged they are aware of threats circulating online and are working to assess their merits.

"In regard to the potential threat of a school shooting that is being disseminated via Snapchat and other social media platforms, we want to let you all know that we are aware and take the threat very seriously," the email reads. "We are working diligently alongside other law enforcement agencies and other FBI offices to assess the potential threat to identify its origin."

Student arrested after gun found at Palo Duro High

On Wednesday afternoon, Amarillo police announced a 15-year-old student was arrested at Palo Duro High School after police said he brought a gun onto campus.

The Amarillo Globe-News reports PDHS officials received a tip that a student brought a gun to school, placing the campus in a hold protocol. The student did not have a gun on his person, but the weapon was later located in the school.

The student was arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying in a weapon-free zone and tampering with a serial number.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Area schools delay classes, up security as threats circulate online
Rep. George Santos leaves Federal Court on May 10, 2023 in Central Islip, New York. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Long Islanders booed Rep. George Santos after he tried to deflect from the charges against him.

Santos pivoted to allegations against the Bidens, displeasing a crowd gathered outside the court.

The embattled congressman was federally charged with wire fraud and money laundering on Wednesday.

Rep. George Santos was booed by a Long Island crowd on Wednesday after he tried to deflect from the newly-filed criminal charges against him by dumping on the Bidens.

The embattled GOP congressman called the federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements against him a "witch hunt" following his release on $500,000 bond after he surrendered to law enforcement at a Long Island courthouse.

"The reality is, it's a witch hunt because it makes no sense that in four months, four months, five months, I'm indicted," Santos told a crowd of reporters and onlookers.

Santos then pivoted to allegations against President Joe Biden's family.

"You have Joe Biden's entire family receiving deposits from nine, nine family members receiving money from foreign, from foreign destinations into their bank accounts," Santos said amid loud boos from the crowd. "It's been years of exposing. A lot of you here have reported on them and yet no investigation is launched into them."

Santos, who pleaded not guilty to all 13 federal counts against him, went on to say that he will "fight" back the charges.

"I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I'm going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that," Santos said.

If convicted of the top counts, Santos could face up to 20 years in prison.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Derby native Joe Warren grew up in the construction industry, but he was pretty sure he didnt want to do it for a career. That is, until he joined the Army while in college and then was deployed to Iraq in 2007.

It was sitting in the dessert realizing, you know, contracting is not that bad of a gig, he said.

Warren watched the collapse of the contracting industry during that turbulent economic time.

Its almost like being on a foreign planet, he said of watching from afar.

Warren said he saw how he might be able to do it differently, and he returned to Kansas to start Warren Homes with his father, Curt.

As some contractors they used began retiring  notably a longtime flooring contractor  Warren said he looked into starting his own flooring business.

His friend Matt Pommier at Quality Granite and Marble said that company happened to be for sale.

The two purchased it and are changing the name to Quality Granite & Interiors.

We are still a premier counter top fabricator and installer, but were now offering a little bit more comprehensive services, Warren said.

That includes flooring, cabinets, backsplashes and some fixtures.

Kind of the whole solution, Warren said. Essentially, we offer all the solid surfaces that are required to finish a home after sheetrock.

He said theyre looking into hardware for cabinets and doors, too.

The business, which is at 1123 S. West St., will have a new showroom by June 1.

We are in the middle of a pretty significant remodel, Warren said.

He said he wants to focus on a commitment to the builder community, which he said is something that the founders of the business had years ago but an investment company that has owned Quality Granite in recent years didnt have.

Their model was different.

Warren may still help coordinate larger projects for Warren Homes, but he said Quality Granite will be his main focus now.

My number one goal coming into this was to take all of my expertise as a builder and to translate that . . . into service and consistency for the builder community.
A competing bidder has filed a lawsuit over the award of a Department of Energy contract valued at up to $45 billion for emptying Hanfords underground tanks of radioactive waste and starting to treat the waste for disposal.

Hanford Tank Disposition Alliance filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, bypassing a protest to the Government Accountability Office, the usual way that federal contracts are initially contested.

The alliance is a limited liability company formed by Atkins Nuclear Secured, Jacobs Technology and Westinghouse Government Services.

DOE awarded the tank waste contract in mid April to Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure of Lynchburg, Va., a joint venture, which has standing in the lawsuit as an intervenor.

Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure is led by BWX Technologies and includes Amentum Environment and Energy and Fluor Federal Services. Subcontractors include DBD, DSS Sustainable Solutions USA, Intera and Longenecker & Associates.

The challenge filed by Hanford Tank Disposition Alliance has been sealed by the court.

The company said its filing includes proprietary information, trade secrets and confidential financial information that it wants to shield from its competitors.

The award of the first contract to operate the Hanford site vitrification plant, under construction since 2002, and manage radioactive waste tanks has been challenged in federal court.

Arguments in the case are scheduled for Aug. 8. in Washington, D.C.

The contract awarded was for 10 years, but with work assigned late in the contract period stretching it to a total of up to 15 years.

Work covers tasks now being done by Washington River Protection Solutions, an Amentum led company, which has held the Hanford nuclear reservation site contract for tank waste since 2008. It has been given multiple short-term contract extensions in recent years.

Contract includes tank waste treatment

The new contract ushers in a new era at Hanford by including work not only to manage underground tanks of waste but to treat some of the waste at the sites vitrification plant.

The 580-square-mile Hanford site in Eastern Washington adjacent to Richland was used from World War II through the Cold War to produce nearly two-thirds of the plutonium for the nations nuclear weapons program.

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The work left 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste stored in underground tanks, many of them prone to leaking.

Environmental cleanup is underway at the 580-square-mile Hanford nuclear reservation. The underground radioactive waste storage tanks and the vitrification plant are in the center of the site.

Construction started on the vitrification plant 21 years ago and it is expected to be commissioned and ready to treat radioactive tank waste for disposal starting next year.

Initially, it will treat just the least radioactive of the waste, turning it into glass for disposal at a lined central Hanford landfill.

In addition to treating waste at the vitrification plant, the new contractor also will be responsible for core functions of the plant, including project management, security, emergency services and safety and quality.

Work at the tank farms that will continue under the new contract includes emptying waste from 149 leak-prone single shell tanks into 27 newer double-shell tanks for storage until it can be treated for disposal and also eventually permanently closing the tanks.

Work also includes separating out low activity waste from the waste mixture in the tanks to feed to the vitrification plants Low Activity Waste Facility to glassify it for disposal.

Brian Vance, the DOE manager at Hanford, told the Hanford Advisory Board at its last meeting that the new contractor will take over work at the tank farms initially as it starts to learn about the treatment plant.

DOE is working on a plan for extended commissioning of the vitrification plant as radioactive waste is introduced to have the plant up and stable before commissioning is considered completed.

The new contractor will spend some time learning about the plant then before it takes over operation of the plant.

Vance said at the meeting that he was expecting a protest of the contract award, given its size.

He said in April that the formal transition process, which is set at 120 days, could start at the end of the calendar year. But he also said it was difficult to predict a schedule.

2nd contract award challenge

This is the second time a contract to replace the expiring contract held by the current tank farm contractor has been appealed.

In May 2020, DOE awarded a 10 year, $13 billion contract to manage Hanford tank waste to a team headed by BWXT and Fluor with primary subcontractors Intera and DBD. It did not include the vitrification plant work.

Hanford site workers remove a pump from a double-shell underground radioactive waste tank that will be used to stage waste until it can be pretreated and sent to the vitrification plant to be glassified.

But after appeals were filed to the GAO over the choice of the new tank contracting team, DOE canceled the contract award.

One appeal was filed by a company owned by Aecom, Fluor and Atkins and the other by a company owned by Jacobs Government Services Co.

The GAO dismissed the appeals, but DOE voluntarily decided to address an issue raised in the appeal and canceled the contract.

In February 2021, it announced that it would instead seek a contractor for both vitrification plant operations and the management of the tank farms.
China, Portugal vow to strengthen cooperation on energy, innovation

Xinhua) 08:30, May 10, 2023

LISBON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Portugal's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Ana Fontoura Gouveia have vowed on Monday to strengthen cooperation on energy and innovation between the two countries.

Accompanied by Gouveia, Han inspected on Monday the Research and Development Center of Redes Energeticas Nacionais SGPS SA (REN), Portugal's national grid operator in Lisbon.

Established in 2013 as a joint venture between the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and REN, the center focuses on the research of power system simulation and analysis, renewable energy management, smart grid technology, energy market and other fields, filling the gap in the field of large-scale power grid simulation experiment in Portugal.

Han said that the two sides have given play to complementary advantages and made the center a good example of win-win cooperation between China and Portugal.

"China commends the Portuguese government for its firm efforts to promote energy transformation and support the development of the new energy industry," Han said, voicing hope that the two sides to further strengthen cooperation in technology breakthroughs, standard popularization and mechanism innovation in smart grid and other fields.

Gouveia said that Portugal-China relations are stable and bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially in the economic field, has yielded fruitful results.

"The center is of great significance to Portugal and has provided a great boost to the Portuguese government in its efforts to achieve the goal of energy transition," Gouveia said, noting that Portugal is willing to further deepen bilateral practical cooperation with China, especially in the fields of energy and innovation.

Rodrigo Costa, chief executive officer of REN, said the center's achievements have benefited China, Portugal, Europe and even the world, and it has become an important platform for international energy research and exchange.

With the support of the two governments, the center will continue to build the model of pragmatic cooperation between Portugal and China, and further strengthen the platform for global exchanges, he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Photo: Melinda Deslatte (AP)

After a truly eyebrow-raising hearing on Wednesday, Louisianas House criminal justice committee voted against adding rape and incest exceptions to the states abortion ban, one of the strictest in the country.

Pastor John Raymond of Slidell, La., testified against the bill, saying that an abortion in the case of rape would make it so there are two victims instead of onea talking point parroted by anti-abortion activists throughout the discussion. Women will clamor to put old boyfriends behind bars in order to dispense with the inconvenience of giving birth, he said.

Read more

Raymond, mind you, currently faces numerous criminal charges for cruelty to juveniles, including multiple allegations of physically abusing a 4-year-old, once allegedly holding him upside down by the ankle and whipping his butt. The pastor has also been accused of taping three 13-year-old boys mouths shut after they refused to stop talking in class.

The rest of the hearing was equally disheartening. Democrat Delisha Boyd, who introduced the bill to add rape and incest exceptions, revealed that she was the product of rape after her mother was sexually assaulted when she was 15. My mother never recovered, said Boyd, adding that her mother died just before she was 28 years old.

Republicans, of course, were unmoved by this argument. Anti-abortion activist Debbie Melvin said abortion can be like a second rape.

A baby is the only beautiful thing that can come from rape, she said.

Most rape survivors who testified supported Boyds bill. One survivor wept as she said that if she hadnt been able to have an abortion she may have died by suicide. Morgan Lamandre, the president and CEO of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), said that she used to be vice president of the anti-abortion club at her high school, but changed her mind after working with sexual assault survivors. She pointed out that forcing a person to carry a rapists baby is only further traumatizing them.

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By forcing survivors to give birth, you are forcing them to forever be connected to their rapist, Lamandre said. In Louisiana, men are allowed to choose the mother of their children regardless of what the mother wants.

The House Criminal Justice Committee then killed the bill in a 10-5 vote. All of the Republicans on the committee voted against adding the exception. One Republican representative, Tony Bacala, said he was voting against it because its author, Rep. Boyd, is the product of rape, and she turned out to be a good person.

Were living in hell.

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The Louisiana State Police (LSP) has released the bodycam footage of the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Sunday, April 23, which resulted in the death of Joseph Dewayne Taylor, 33. The video contains graphic images and strong language.

LSP stated that the entire incident took place in approximately 1 minute and 43 seconds, once Taylor was asked to step out of the vehicle. They also noted that initially, Officer Anthony Visciotti's body cam fell off during the struggle.

Just after 9:30 p.m. the Shreveport Community Response Unit conducted a traffic stop at Valley View Drive and Mansfield Road for improper lane usage. During that traffic stop officers encountered Taylor who failed to comply with lawful orders to exit the vehicle.

Police said that a struggle ensued and Taylor was removed from the vehicle and taken to the ground. While on the ground officers identified an object in Taylor's right hand. During the struggle, Visciotti deployed his taser which was ineffective.

More: Machine guns the size of pistols. Should you be concerned about these new devices?

Officers began attempting to remove Taylor's hands from under his body once they became aware of a firearm on his person. Taylor began to lift of the ground and officers stepped back from him before several shots were fired from Visciotti's service weapon.

It was later determined that Taylor was armed with a Glock 19, 9mm handgun with an extended magazine and modification switch, making the gun fully automatic.

Taylor was shot multiple times and was transported to Ochsner LSU Health where he was pronounced dead at 9:57 p.m.

Arceneaux said that following the incident Louisiana State Police was called to the scene to perform the investigation. "This Administrations commitment to transparency," said Arceneaux. "SPD immediately notified LSP of the incident, and LSP took over the investigation."

Sergeant Daniel Denby, Officer Terri Simmons, and Visciotti were placed on administrative leave immediately following the April 23rd incident.

Story continues

More: Shreveport mayor issues statement on Sunday officer involved shooting

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana State Police released body cam footage of officer involved shooting
Advances in treatment over the years have allowed millions to live with HIV

When people were diagnosed with HIV more than three decades ago, it was considered a death sentence.

But after suffering through discrimination, the loss of loved ones and brutal side effects from drugs, advances in treatment over the years have allowed millions to live with the virus.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS, AFP spoke to four long-term survivors about their experience.

- 'Stigma' remains -

Paul Kidd, a 59-year-old activist and lawyer who lives north of the Australian city of Melbourne, said he was first diagnosed with HIV in 1991 but had probably already had it for several years.

Although he asked for a test in 1986, he said his doctor advised against it because "at that time there were no treatments and the political climate was very bad for people with HIV, with open calls for us to be quarantined, criminalised or otherwise mistreated".

"My diagnosis was hard to accept but not really a surprise, as an ex-partner of mine had died of AIDS in 1988," he said.

"Many people I knew and loved died."

After his diagnosis, Kidd started on an antiretroviral drug called AZT, which he said "made me very sick" but which he credits with saving his life.

Now he takes just one daily pill with no side effects.

"One thing that hasn't changed much is HIV stigma," he said, particularly in some regions.

"Uganda and Ghana are going in a terrible direction, and people with HIV in Russia and Eastern Europe have a much harder life than I ever did," he said.

"I know I am lucky to still be alive and the volunteer work I do is my way of honouring the memory of those who aren't with us any more."

- 'A little miracle' -

Pascale Lassus, a 62-year-old retiree in the southwestern French city of Bayonne, said she unknowingly contracted HIV in 1984 from her then boyfriend.

She did not find out until a decade later, when she was tested after falling ill with bronchitis.

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"I was stunned," she said.

"I had been living normally until then and my immune system went haywire."

Then her six-year-old daughter tested positive.

"The doctor told me she wouldn't make it through adolescence. I was totally devastated."

The only treatment available was AZT, which had "horrific" side effects, she said.

"I had to wake my daughter up at night because it had to be taken every four hours."

But a new three-drug regimen in 1995 changed things.

"Today, my daughter is 35 years old," she said.

"She was able to have a child who is HIV-negative -- a little miracle."

- 'An asterisk at best' -

Grissel Granados, a 36-year-old deputy director of a women-focused non-profit organisation, has had HIV all her life.

When she was born in Mexico in 1986, her mother required an emergency Caesarean section, contracting HIV during a blood transfusion.

Her mother then "unknowingly breastfed me and that's how I acquired HIV", said Granados, who now lives in Los Angeles.

It wasn't until five years later, "when my dad started getting sick" that the family learned it had HIV, she said.

Her father died shortly after being diagnosed. Her mother was pregnant at the time but was advised not to breastfeed.

"So my sister, thankfully, is HIV-negative," Granados said.

Despite getting cancer at the age of 10, Granados said she "has had a very healthy life".

But she feels that people who have had HIV since birth are too often forgotten or ignored.

"We're an asterisk at best. For the most part, we are not represented in the history of long HIV," she said.

- 'Discriminated against' -

Joel Vermont, a 58-year-old living in the eastern suburbs of Paris, found out he had HIV in 1992.

"I was 27. It felt like being hit by a falling building," he said.

When he started on AZT, the "abominable" side effects led to him losing nearly 30 kilograms (65 pounds).

Then the new three-drug regimen "didn't work on me".

"I switched to alcohol," he said.

"My viral load exploded. I developed lung disease and early-onset cancer.

"I ended up in hospital, where I was in a coma for 45 days. When I woke up, I couldn't walk and I was paralysed in one arm."

After being "discriminated against" at work, he spent eight years on sick leave before winning a court case.

"For years, I heard I was going to die. Then all of a sudden I was told that I had to live," he said.

"I needed psychological support to accept that."

dl-ito/ekf/gil/smw
Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Louis Leterrier, Ludacris, and Sung Kang at the trailer launch of "Fast X." Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer

"Fast X" star Ludacris said the "Fast & Furious" cast will "stay family" after the franchise ends.

Ludacris's 8-year-old daughter is "best friends" with Vin Diesel's daughter, he said.

Ludacris said he is also working on his long-awaited ninth studio album.

The "Fast & Furious" franchise may be nearing its end, but that won't stop the cast from seeing each other once the series eventually comes to a close.

That's according to rapper Ludacris, who is reprising his role as Tej Parker for the seventh time in "Fast X"  the 10th and penultimate film in the series, which hits theaters on May 19.

"We truly are family off-screen," Luda told Insider while promoting his partnership with Rice Krispies Treats for its new limited edition "Treat. Eat. Compete." game, which promises fun for all the family. "Whether the movies go on or not, we're gonna continue to stay family."

"We all love the hell outta each other," he added.

Luda said he and Vin Diesel, who plays street racer and ex-convict Dominic Toretto in the series, have become especially close during their time working together.

"I see Vin more than everybody else, believe it or not, because his youngest daughter and my 8-year-old are like best friends. They've been best friends since forever," said Luda, referring to his daughter, Cadence.

"They attend each other's birthday parties. We spent Thanksgivings together, we've spent Christmases together. Like, our families are really close," he added.

As well as Cadence, Luda and his wife share a 21-month-old daughter, Chance. Luda also has daughters Karma, 21, and Cai, 9, from previous previous relationships.

Luda made his first appearance as Tej in 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious, for which he also wrote the song, "Act a Fool."

He did not feature in either 2006's "Tokyo Drift" or 2009's "Fast & Furious," but has been a mainstay in the series since returning for 2011's "Fast Five."

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The 45-year-old star said he feels grateful to have been able to play such a major part in the franchise.

"I was lucky enough and very blessed to get a call back to come back for five let alone doing six, seven, eight, nine, and now 10," he said. "I've already exceeded my expectations of what I was supposed to do."

Ludacris on the set of the video for "Act a Fool." Getty/WireImage

Outside of the world of "Fast & Furious," Luda is currently working on his long-awaited ninth studio album and is aiming to release the project by next year at the latest, he told Insider.

The "Get Back" rapper's last album, "Ludaversal," was released in 2015.

During an appearance on "The Breakfast Club" in 2018, Luda said he chose to take a break from the music industry in order to "feel inspired again."

Since then, he has released only two singles as a lead artist and appeared on a handful more as a guest.

"If the whole album doesn't come out this year, it's definitely coming out next year," said Luda.

Asked if there was anybody he specifically wanted to work with on the project, he said: "It's still in the beginning stages, so that's something I'm going to think about."

Ludacris has recently partnered with Rice Krispies Treats. Rice Krispies Treats

One album Luda will be hoping his new project can replicate is Dr. Dre's debut studio album "The Chronic," which he describes as his favorite album of all time.

"To this day the production still seems to be in a category of its own, in my opinion," he said.

"The Chronic" was released in 1992 and features a number of hit tracks, including "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" and "Let Me Ride" with Snoop Dogg, the latter of which won the 1994 Grammy Award for best solo rap performance.

"I mean, from the sonics, the way everything is mixed, it was so much talent and hunger that came together on that album that birthed so many other stars," added Luda.

"I know it's not a compilation, but it's a great compilation of artists seamlessly working together and becoming one. And you could hear and feel the energy that was in the studio when they were creating it. That's the best way and that's why I love it."

Ludacris recently collaborated with Rice Krispies Treats on a limited edition game kit. Proceeds from the partnership benefit the Boys & Girls Club, a nonprofit organization that provides safe spaces for kids.

Read the original article on Insider
Map of Madagascar

Situated off the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. Having developed in isolation, the island nation is famed for its unique wildlife.

Traditionally, the economy has been based on the cultivation of paddy rice, coffee, vanilla and cloves.

Yet despite a wealth of natural resources and a tourism industry driven by its unique environment, it remains one of the world's poorest and is heavily dependent on foreign aid. It has also faced devastating cyclones that have further added to economic hardships.

Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has experienced repeated bouts of political instability, including coups, violent unrest and disputed elections.

The most recent coup in 2009 led to five years of political deadlock, international condemnation and economic sanctions.

Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring

REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR: FACTS

Capital: Antananarivo

Area: 587,041 sq km

Population: 28.8 million

Languages: Malagasy, French

Life expectancy: 63 years (men) 68 years (women)

LEADER

President: Andry Rajoelina

Mr Rajoelina earlier ran Madagascar as head of an interim authority in 2009-2014

Businessman Andry Rajoelina took office as president in January 2019, ending a decade of political turbulence that began with his ousting of President Marc Ravalomanana in 2009.

The feud between the two men came to a head that year, when President Ravalomanana dismissed Mr Rajoelina as mayor of the capital Antananarivo.

The ousted mayor in turn spearheaded a revolt that drove the president into exile. Mr Rajoelina ruled as head of an interim authority that struggled with international sanctions until 2014, when an often difficult process of accommodation between rival political camps led to him ceding power to elected President Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

Mr Rajoelina then defeated both President Rajaonarimampianina and Mr Ravalomanana in a presidential election in late 2018. He is expected to stand for election again in the November 2023 presidential elections.

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MEDIA

A newsstand vendor displays newspapers in Antananarivo

The media are highly-politicised and vulnerable to influence from their business and politics-linked owners, says Reporters Without Borders.

The constitution does provide for freedom of the press, however, Freedom House says this guarantee has been undermined by criminal libel laws and other restrictions.

Radio is the main medium for news, due to high levels of illiteracy.

TIMELINE

Madagascar is home to hundreds of types of animals that exist nowhere else, such as ring-tailed lemurs

Some key dates in Madagascar's history:

c. 350-550AD - First settlers reach Madagascar, making it one of the last major landmasses on Earth to be settled by humans.

7th-9th Centuries - Arab traders reach the island. Madagascar becomes an important trading hub connecting ports of the Indian Ocean.

11th Century - Bantu-speaking migrants from southeast Africa arrive, along with south Indian Tamil merchants.

16th-17th Centuries - Portuguese and French establish trading posts.

c 1540-1897 - Merina kingdom, or Kingdom of Madagascar comes to dominate most of the island by the 18th Century.

1818 onwards - London Missionary Society sends missionaries to the island.

1828-61 - Queen Ranavalona I responds to increasing political and cultural encroachment on the part of Britain and France by banning Christianity and pressuring most foreigners to leave.

1883 - France invades Madagascar in 1883 in the first Franco-Hova war. Madagascar cedes the northern port town of Antsiranana or Diego Suarez to France.

1890 - UK accepts the imposition of a French protectorate on the island, but the government of Madagascar resists.

1895 - French forces march on Antananarivo, shelling the city and leading Queen Ranavalona III to surrender.

1896-97 - France declares Madagascar a colony and sends the royal family into exile. The formal declaration of a colony sees a 15 year "pacification" campaign by French troops to overcome resistance.

1939-45 - World War Two.

1940 - France occupied by German forces. Madagascar is under Vichy French administration. The occupation of France during the war tarnishes the colonial administration's prestige and encourages the growing independence movement.

1942 - Battle of Madagascar. UK forces capture the Vichy French-controlled island in order to deny it ports to the Japanese.

1946 - Madagascar becomes French overseas territory.

1947-49 - Malagasy Uprising. Nationalists launch attacks on French military bases. France responds by bringing up to 30,000 troops to violently suppress the rebels. Some 600 French troops die in the fighting, while 11,000-100,000 Malagasy civilians are killed.

1960 - Madagascar wins independence, with Philibert Tsiranana as president.

1972 - Economic stagnation triggers protests Tsiranana hands over power over to a military council.

1975 - Didier Ratsiraka appointed head of state and president of a new ruling body, the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC). He rules for the next 26 years.

1992 - Democratic reforms usher in new constitution.

2001 - After a disputed presidential election, Ratsiraka flees to France.

2009 - Bloodless coup results in economic sanctions.

2013 - Democratic elections fail to bring political stability, with executive pitted against legislature.

2018 - Andry Rajoelina wins the presidential election.
The womens doubles finalists, including Jessica Pegula (centre), were not allowed to make speeches in Madrid (Getty Images)

Jessica Pegula has criticised the organisers of the Madrid Open after the womens doubles finalists were denied the opportunity to make post-match speeches.

Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Pegula and Coco Gauff in straight sets on Sunday in the Spanish capital, but did not address the crowd afterwards.

All of the finalists in the singles and mens doubles finals were, however, permitted to make presentation speeches.

Pegula has now revealed that the players were only told they would not be making post-match remarks while being awarded their trophies.

I dont know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision, said 29-year-old Pegula after a 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

Or how they had a conversation and decided, Wow, this is a great decision and theres going to be no-backlash against this.

Ive never heard in my life we wouldnt be able to speak. It was really disappointing. In a $10,000 final you would speak.

It spoke for itself. We were upset when it happened and told during the trophy ceremony we werent able to speak. It kind of proved a point.

Belaruss Azarenka added that she found it hard to explain to her seven-year-old son, Leo, why she had not been able to address him after securing victory.

The Madrid Open organisers said they will not comment on the matter.

The Madrid Open has been hit by multiple allegations of sexism this year, with the prominent clay court tournament heavily criticised by some of the sports top players.

Ball girls involved in the mens final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jan-Lennard Struff wore different outfits to the crop tops and short skirts they had worn throughout the rest of the tournament.

Azarenka, meanwhile, appeared to support an accusation of misogyny in a tweet after compatriot Aryna Sabalenka was given a significantly smaller cake that Alcaraz after both celebrated birthdays during the event.

Pegula insisted that the incidents had to lead to change: There had been a lot of drama in Madrid this year, on a variety of different things.

There was a lot of tension and it got worse. That didnt help the situation.

Out of all the drama the end goal is to figure out solutions. This cannot happen again - it needs to be changed.
The battery on Ramiro Restrepos phone went dead Saturday in the time it took him to work his way through the crowd from the grandstand to the winners circle at Churchill Downs.

Thats how quickly the deluge of congratulatory calls and text messages started coming after Mage won the Kentucky Derby. Restrepo is one of the colts core owners, and the well-wishers were plenty.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez texted. So did Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, actor John Ortiz, most of Restrepos former Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity brothers at the University of Miami, where he graduated in 2000, and pretty much anyone else with whom Restrepo ever came in contact. Or so it seemed.

Friends. Relatives. Some close. Some distant. Some familiar. Some not. By his own estimate, Restrepo figured he had received more than 2,000 texts and calls by the time he was finally able to resuscitate his phone.

Nothing prepares you, Restrepo said.

Mages victory resonated in South America and South Florida, in particular. Restrepos family roots trace to Colombia, and he grew up a racing fan in South Florida, attending races at Gulfstream Park and Hialeah, even as a small child.

Winning trainer Gustavo Delgado hails originally from Venezuela, and he and his son Gustavo Delgado Jr.  another of the core owners  now live in Aventura. Yet another primary owner, Sam Herzberg, is a real estate investor from Sunny Isles.

Ramiro Restrepo, Brian Doxtator, Gustavo Delgado Jr and winning connections in the winners circle after Mage with Javier Castellano win the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY on May 6, 2023.

Jockey Javier Castellano won his first U.S. race at Calder Race Course in the summer of 1997, shortly after arriving from Venezuela, and spent the first few years of his career riding primarily in South Florida.

Even Mage, a Kentucky-bred whom Restrepo and Delgado Jr. partnered to buy out of a Maryland auction for $290,000 this time a year ago, has local roots.

As shoppers at nearby Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel stores were purchasing decorative pillows, scented candles, leather furniture and whatnot this past winter, Mage (unbeknownst to them) was being housed and trained only a few hundred yards away at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

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It was at Gulfstream in late January where Mage made his racing debut  and won  and there in April where he finished second to Forte in the Florida Derby.

Now all signs are pointing for Mage to make his next start in the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 20.

Restrepo will be there, of course.

I dont think anything Ive ever done could have prepared me for the root down the stretch, Restrepo said of the colts come-from-behind victory in the Derby. The feeling of crossing the wire first. And then the explosion of things that comes after 

The Derby victory was worth $1.8 million to Mages owners. His value as future stallion is potentially worth many times that. But all that Restrepo wished to savor  at least for now  was Mages Derby.

Restrepo described the immediate aftermath as a bedlam of hugging and kissing.

I was getting tackled by buddies like it was a rugby match, mosh-pitting and whooping and hollering, he said of the trek to the winners circle. Then the horse comes over, hes got the roses, Javy [Castellano] is throwing roses in the air. People are screaming. People are crying.

Youre thinking, Where am I? Its like youre floating out of body. Its like youre Mick Jagger. Were being feted like were celebrities. Ive never had that happen to me.

Restrepo remained in Louisville after the Derby, checking on the horse and responding  once his phone regained power  to all the well-wishers.

He intends to return to Miami this weekend for Mothers Day, then head up to Baltimore for the Preakness.

The rush is unexplainable, he said. Everyones over the moon.
This week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its mammogram guidelines, which now align with the recommendations from many other organizations.

This week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its mammogram guidelines, which now align with the recommendations from many other organizations.

Every year, breast cancer is diagnosed in hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and kills roughly 42,000 women annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While many people begin getting annual mammogram screenings for the disease in their 40s, that wasnt the official guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Now, that has changed.

New draft guidelines from the USPSTF say that mammogram screenings should now start at age 40 and occur every two years. Previously, the organization recommended starting screenings at age 50 and that people 40 to 49 could consult with their doctor about mammogram options. That was contrary to all of the other organizations at the time, said Dr. Sarah Friedewald, chief of breast imaging at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

The American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging has already said women should start yearly mammograms at 40, and so has the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The American Cancer Society says women 40 to 44 can decide to get screened but recommends all women starting at 45 should get an annual mammogram.

Friedewald said physicians are pleased that the task force has updated its recommendation because 1 in 6 breast cancers occur in women in their 40s, so this is an important patient population to make sure that were getting them screened.

Why does the guideline change matter?

The new recommendation addresses rising cancer rates  including breast cancer  in people under 50. Insurance companies also largely adhere to these types of guidelines, Friedewald said.

While lowering the age to 40 is a good thing, other screening guidelines go one step further and encourage yearly mammograms. The task forces new guidelines state that people should get mammograms every other year, which some doctors find insufficient and fear that it may leave a loophole for insurance companies not to cover a yearly mammogram if they choose not to.

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They dont go quite far enough ... they dont state that the screenings should be yearly, which is really what it should be. This should be a clear message, said Dr. Laurie Margolies, the director of breast imaging for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York. Why is that? Because when you screen yearly, multiple studies have shown that you get the most reduction in breast cancer mortality and gain the most life years.

Screenings should be yearly ... This should be a clear message.Dr. Laurie Margolies, director of breast imaging for the Mount Sinai Health System

Friedewald said she and some other doctors are concerned that patients wont be able to get an annual screening if insurance companies only authorize mammograms every two years because of these updated guidelines.

And this is problematic because women who are affluent and can afford to pay out of pocket for screening mammography may choose to get screened every year because thats really where the greatest benefit is, Friedewald said. And those who cannot afford it, who have to rely on their insurance to cover their cost, wont get screened as often and thats just going to increase the disparity we are already seeing.

That said, Margolies is hopeful that most insurance companies will allow for yearly mammograms if its right for a patient. I think the insurance companies will be afraid not to, she said.

A spokesperson for the USPSTF told HuffPost that people ages 40 and who wish to get yearly screenings should speak with their physician. However, the task force feels that yearly screenings may also come with some downsides.

Our review of the latest science shows that women benefit most when they are screened for breast cancer every other year, Dr. Wanda Nicholson, the vice-chair of the USPSTF, told HuffPost via email. Nicholson said that while annual screenings might help find some cancers earlier, they also could lead to a greater chance of false positives. This could result in unnecessary biopsies, tests or treatments.

The new guidelines also say mammograms should continue through age 74. The task force did not make a recommendation for or against mammograms for those 75 and up.

They didnt make a recommendation about our older women ... what I would recommend for those women over the age of 75 is continued screening as long as you are healthy and as long you think you are likely to be alive for 5 or 10 years, Margolies said.

You should continue to get screened because of the long lifespan many folks have. Theres no reason to stop screening, she said.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in 264,000 women in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in 264,000 women in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The guideline change only applies if you have an average risk of developing breast cancer.

These guidelines are for average-risk women ... we recommend screenings should be every year beginning at age 40, Friedewald said. (Note that she and most experts still suggest circumventing the task forces recommendation of every two years.) In Margolies opinion, an average risk means youre healthy, have no immediate family history of breast cancer, have no genetic predisposition to breast cancer and do not have dense breasts.

The USPSTF defines average risk a little differently: The Task Forces recommendation applies to cisgender women and other people assigned female at birth who are 40 years and older and at average risk of breast cancer. People with a family history of breast cancer, and people who have other risk factors, such as having dense breasts, are included in an average risk category, according to the site.

According to Margolies, people who have a family history of breast cancer or have dense breasts or another medical condition could be at a higher risk for developing breast cancer and may need to start screening before 40. If you fall into that category, its always best to work with your doctor to figure out when and how often.

If patients fall into a higher risk category, we have even more aggressive screening strategies for these patients, noted Friedewald.

Certain populations are at higher risk of breast cancer,including Black women and Ashkenazi Jewish women, Friedewald said.

Ashkenazi Jewish women have a greater chance of having the BRCA mutation, which puts you at a higher risk of certain types of cancer, and Black women tend to have more aggressive cancers at a younger age and increased mortality compared to white women, she said.

If youre not eligible for a mammogram, doctors say there are other screening measures available.

You can ask your doctor to perform a risk assessment. The Society of Breast Imaging recommends that all women should have a risk assessment by age 25, said Margolies.

This assessment provides helpful information to your doctors to determine your lifetime risk of breast cancer. In turn, it helps determine if you need to start breast cancer screening before 40 or if you need other forms of screenings, too, Margolies explained.

We want to make sure everyone gets risk assessed, and then we can place them in the appropriate screening strategy, Friedewald added.

There are also online risk assessment calculators through websites like the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, which are not totally accurate but can be helpful for someone who is anxious about their risk. If the results come back as 20% or higher, Friedewald said you should make an appointment with a genetic counselor.

Additionally, you can conduct an at-home breast exam, which is not as sensitive as imaging, but for someone who is not eligible for a mammogram, it can be one of the few screening options available.

The best way to treat breast cancer is by catching it early.

Annual screening starting at age 40 saves the most lives, thats the simple clear message that I would love every woman to understand  really everybody to understand, said Margolies.

Friedewald added that all organizations agree that more lives are saved if you start breast cancer screening at 40.

Expanding the guidelines to women in their 40s is great so that we can guarantee that patients in their 40s will have access to screenings with coverage by the insurance companies, Friedewald said.

This story has been updated to include more information from the USPSTF, including a clarification on screenings after age 74.

Related...
Ronald Langford wrapped his arm around his client as the jury filed out of the room after announcing Sam Sando was acquitted of first-degree murder and four other charges.

The 26-year-old was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree robbery in the January 2022 shooting death of 24-year-old Trishay Marsean Thompson.

Thompson died a few weeks after he was shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue during a botched drug deal.

Trishay Marsean Thompson, 24, of Des Moines was shot on Jan. 9, 2022, and died Jan. 27 of his injuries. Des Moines police say his killing is the first homicide of 2022.

The verdict was announced Wednesday after a trial that started with jury selection May 1. Sando's lawyers Langford and Shannon Archer argued in court the evidence could not point to their client as the shooter and instead said they believe his co-defendant and cousin, Salifou Sahr, pulled the trigger.

Sahr, 23, also was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection to the incident. His trial is set to begin June 26.

"In no way am I saying that Trishay Thompson and his family do not deserve justice. They do. He does," Archer said in closing arguments Tuesday. "But justice in this case is not convicting Sam Sando of something he didn't do, based on the amount of reasonable doubt, on the lack of evidence, on the rush to judgment by the Des Moines Police Department and the state of Iowa and based on the evidence that is available to us."

More: Second Des Moines man charged with murder nearly 4 months after city's first homicide of 2022

Opening arguments: Defense says scene too contaminated

The incident on Jan. 9, 2022, began with what prosecutors have said is a botched drug deal gone wrong. In opening arguments last week, Polk County attorneys Steven Danielson and Darsean Crisp said Sando and Sahr were planning to rob Thompson and another person, Andrew Meyer, once they arrived to the apartment for a planned drug deal.

Meanwhile, Meyer had recruited Thompson to pretend they possessed marijuana and trick Sahr and Sando into purchasing a fake product, according to the state.

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The state argued when Meyer and Thompson canceled the transaction, Sando and Sahr ambushed them. After he was shot, Thompson attempted to drive away but the car was stuck. He died several weeks later.

Meyer was not injured and testified for the state during trial.

According to the state, there was no evidence either party had knowledge of the other's plans.

In opening statements, however, Sando's lawyers argued the evidence can't be trusted because the very large scene was likely contaminated when people rushed in and out of the apartment building and through the scene. Bullets were found in the parking lot, but the defense said they could have been moved by people running.

Police also removed from the scene the vehicle Thompson was driving and later auctioned it off, which the defense said prevented Sando from having it examined by an expert to help his case.

More: Violent end marks year that saw more than 20 Des Moines slayings

Closing arguments: Testimony points to only one shooter, one gun

County attorney Danielson said in closing arguments Tuesday that Sando played a large part in the victim's death because he corresponded with Meyer about the drug deal for several days prior to the shooting.

Sando then tried to convince Meyer to come up to his apartment to make the purchase since he was taking care of his baby  something that was untrue.

"This is a ruse to convince Andrew Meyer to let his guard down," Danielson said.

As Sando continued to stall, the state said texts from Meyer showed he was getting nervous and threatening to leave. That is when, according to the state, the defendant and his cousin shot at the vehicle.

Though Thompson and Meyer intended to sell fake marijuana, that doesn't justify the victim's death, Danielson said.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," he said.

But Sando's lawyer Archer said he wasn't the shooter, and there's no evidence to indicate he had a gun on him that night. She instead pointed the finger at Meyer and Sahr, saying the two shot at each other. Witnesses testified to seeing one shooter who was about 6 feet 3 inches tall standing in front of the black Nissan.

"No one ever testifies about seeing two shooters or two guns," Archer said.

Archer said bullet projectile evidence showed the gun was shot from the front of the car and that Meyer shot back from outside the passenger seat door. Given Meyer's previous history, Archer criticized the state for not scrutinizing his story further.

"They set their sights on Sam Sando and built their case after the fact, and no matter how many times then (officer) Carter says Sam Sando had a gun, he didn't have a gun," she said. "There's no evidence that he had a gun."

Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter @NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sam Sando found not guilty in 2022 homicide of Trishay Thompson
In Belarus, a man was arrested for seven days for performing the national anthem of Ukraine in karaoke.

Source: Belarusian Viasna Human Rights Centre

Quote: "In early April in Brest, a man was convicted under Article 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offences who was accused of performing the national anthem of Ukraine in a local karaoke bar, publicly expressing his social and political interests. He pleaded not guilty and explained that he did it despite the request of a man [from Russia - ed.], who asked him not to sing Ukrainian songs."

Details: The Belarusian was found guilty of "picketing" and sentenced to seven days in custody.

Background:

In April, a 70-year old Moscow woman was convicted in Russia for "discrediting the Russian army" over a conversation in a sanatorium canteen.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office marked vehicle.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that a suspect in connection to a 2008 sexual assault of a minor was arrested.

Alexander Rzeczycki, 33, is accused of intentionally or knowingly engaging sexually with a minor on or between June 20 and June 21, 2008, according to court documents.

MCSO stated in the release that they had received a report of the assault in 2008, in which a 13-year-old girl had been lured into a bedroom by two drunk men before they sexually assaulted her.

The victim told MCSO that a 17-year-old male acquaintance had intervened on her behalf, stopping the assault. The 17-year-old who stepped in was also assaulted by the two men and sustained damage to his vehicle, according to the release.

Detectives conducted interviews with the victim, the 17-year-old and the host of the party around the time of the original report, as well as requesting the victim to participate in a forensic medical examination.

MCSO said that the exam documented a number of injuries consistent with the disclosed sexual assault, but the case was halted in 2009 due to the victim not wanting to participate further with the investigation and a lack of suspect information.

In 2017, forensic evidence in the case was submitted for analysis as part of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Grant, providing additional funds to process any untested kits.

Related: Testing thousands of old Arizona rape kits leads to dozens of arrests

In 2018, the results came back showing male DNA found on one of the evidence items. The DNA was then entered into the Combined DNA Index System database, according to MCSO, finding Rzeczycki as a potential match.

With a match, MCSO re-opened the case, tapping a Special Victims Unit Investigator to try and track down both the victim and Rzeczycki.

Through the course of the investigation, it was later learned that the victim had died in May 2015.

MCSO continued with the investigation, and after conferring with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, received a warrant for Rzeczycki's arrest.

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On May 3, 2023, Rzeczycki was found and arrested by the MCSO Fugitive Apprehension Tactical Enforcement Unit. He was later booked into jail and is facing one count of sexual conduct with a minor, a class two felony.

MCSO said that the case remained open as they are still trying to identify the second suspect in this case. Those with information are urged to contact MCSO at 602-876-TIPS (8477) with a notation of IR08-112002.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: MCSO: Man arrested in connection to 2008 sexual assault of a minor
A man has captured the journey his suitcase took through an airport after attaching a camera to the bag before checking it at luggage drop off.

Thomas Miller, who goes by the username @thomasmiller719 on TikTok, uploaded a video of the unique perspective captured by his suitcase last month. In the clip, he began by explaining it was time to find out what the airport does with my bag.

After attaching a small camera to the bottom of the suitcase, Miller then captured himself wheeling the bag to the bag dropoff location in the airport.

The video captured by the miniature camera saw the suitcase get placed on a long conveyor belt, which carried it along a number of turns as it made its way into a large room in the airport.

The bag then appeared to exit a machine, which may have been a security screening, before it was then transferred onto a different conveyor belt. It captured a moment that the suitcase passed by an airport employee.

The video of the bags journey concluded with footage of the suitcase being placed on a large pile of other suitcases.

Although the video did not show the process, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) notes that luggage undergoes a screening similar to the one travellers go through before the checked baggage is transported by the airline onto your respective flight.

The process of loading the bags onto a plane is often done manually, with a previous video showing the complicated way luggage is loaded into the hold of an aircrafts.

Millers video has since been viewed more than 16 million times on TikTok, where viewers have admitted to being entertained by the bags journey.

Why is this so satisfying? one person asked, while another viewer said: That was such a fun adventure.

Nice to see nothing happened. Thank you! someone else wrote.

Others revealed that they werent impressed by the behind-the-scenes footage, with some suggesting that they expected more drama.

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I knew what to expect, yet I wanted more drama, one person wrote, while someone else said: I dont know what I was expecting but I know I was expecting more.

The video also prompted numerous comparisons to the scene in Toy Story 2 when Woody and his friends attempt to rescue Jessie inside an airport.

Yeah I know Ive seen Toy Story 2, one person joked.

Why was I expecting to see Woody? someone else asked.

Although recording in airports is generally permitted, The Points Guy notes that recording Border Patrol and Customs agents is not recommended as the majority of these interactions are not considered public, and that, outside of the US, it is not recommended that you photograph, film or record any government agent or government building without prior permission from that government.

The travel outlet also notes that some airlines only allow recording of personal events, with American Airlines policy stating: Use of still and video cameras, film or digital, is permitted only for recording personal events. Photography or video recording of airline personnel, equipment, or procedures is strictly prohibited.

The Independent has contacted TSA for comment.
A New Jersey man has been charged with murder after the grisly axing death of his sister-in-law and 9-year-old niece, officials said.

Everoy L. Morrison, 44, of Roselle, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, motor vehicle theft and several weapons counts, the Union County prosecutors office and Roselle police announced Monday.

The bodies of Keisha Morrison, 45, and her young daughter Kelsey Morrison were found April 18 by police officers who had been called to a home in the 200 block of West 7th Avenue in Roselle for a report of two missing people, officials said.

45-year-old Keisha Morrison and her 9-year-old daughter Kelsey Morrison. (via NBC New York)

Officers found the victims bodies and determined that Keisha Morrisons car had been stolen.

Investigators tracked the car to Maryland where the driver, Everoy Morrison, was stopped and arrested for possessing a stolen car, prosecutors said in a news release.

An investigation by the prosecutors office, Roselle police and Maryland State Police led to Morrisons arrest.

Officials said he had been living in the basement of Keisha Morrisons home at the time of the slayings.

Atasha Scott, the sister of Keishas husband, Gary, told NBC New York that Everoy had been living there for more than two years and was recently told to move out but hadn't done so yet.

I cant go into details exactly what occurred, but I can tell you she was uncomfortable with Everoy living in the basement, Scott said.

Scott said the killer had wrapped them up in bed sheets, stuffed them under my nieces bed."

Gary allegedly found what appeared to be the murder weapon, a bloody ax, stuffed between two mattresses in his bedroom, the station reported.

On the floor, it seemed like somebody was trying to clean up blood, like it was swirled around, Scott told NBC New York.

Scott told the station Everoy was jealous of Garys life, saying, He wanted what he had.

Everoy Morrison was being held in the Baltimore County Detention Center in Maryland awaiting extradition. It's not immediately clear whether he has a lawyer.

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We hope that this arrest can bring some small measure of comfort to all those grieving Keisha and Kelsey, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said.

The prosecutor's office and police didn't immediately respond to requests for more details.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the prosecutors office or Roselle police.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
One person was fatally shot inside a hospital at Virginia Commonwealth University early Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The man was found dead inside a stairwell at VCU Medical Center North Hospital after an apparent altercation with another man, the suspected shooter, who was then located and taken into custody by police, CBS affiliate WTVR reported. Neither the suspect nor the victim have been identified.

BREAKING: A man is dead and another man is in custody after a shooting inside VCU Medical Center North Hospital in Downtown Richmond early Wednesday morning. https://t.co/K4AcWlmCoX  WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) May 10, 2023

A preliminary investigation indicated that an altercation broke out between the two men inside a stairwell, culminating in one of them shooting the other, authorities told WTVR. No one else was involved in the shooting, and no additional injuries were reported, according to the station.

VCU Police said they initially received a call after midnight reporting shots fired and an active threat at the hospital in Richmond. Several hours later, following the suspect's arrest, officials confirmed that the situation no longer posed threats to the medical center or surrounding community.

VCU Police are coordinating with the Richmond Police Department to investigate the incident.

"We're in the process of locating and identifying people who may have witnessed this and providing counseling resources, but obviously it's a very, very traumatic event," said VCU Chief of Police John Venuti, speaking to WTVR on Wednesday morning. Venuti said the police department will work with hospital staff and "explain to them what happened, explain the level of police response and move forward from there."

Rick Edwards, acting chief of the Richmond Police Department, told WTVR that charges for the suspect will be determined by law enforcement and the district attorney's office.

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"Even though we don't have all the answers, it's important not only for staff and patients here, but the greater community to understand that the situation is no longer an active threat to the community," Edwards said. "There is a suspect in custody, and we will be determining in consultation with the Commonwealth attorney what charges are appropriate at this time."

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A man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Tuesday after selling two fentanyl-laced pills that resulted in the death of a Wichita woman in 2019.

Javyn Johnson, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of fentanyl distribution in January in the death of 29-year-old Chanelle Pratt.

Pratt, a mother of two, was found dead by her boyfriend on Aug. 17, 2019 after having had taken what she believed was a Percocet pill. It was actually a fentanyl-laced Percocet pill, according to previous Eagle reporting.

Chanelle was the mother of 8-year-old twin sons whose life was cut short when she took just half of a pill sold to her, U.S. District Attorney for Kansas Kate Brubacher said at a law enforcement gathering for National Fentanyl Awareness Day at the Epic Center.

In his plea agreement, Johnson claims he didnt know the tablets contained fentanyl, a January news release from the U.S. district attorneys office for Kansas read. However, he acknowledges giving her the fentanyl that caused her death.

No sentence can bring back Chanelle, but we are committed to honoring her memory and to holding those in the fentanyl trade to account, Brubacher said.

U.S. District Attorney for Kansas Kate Brubacher speaks about National Fentanyl Awareness Day and Chanelle Pratt at the Epic Center in downtown Wichita on Tuesday.

In 2021, 347 people died from synthetic opioid use in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Nationally, 107,375 people in the U.S. died of drug overdose and poisonings in 2022. Roughly 67 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl, according to Center for Disease Control.

To curb the deadly effects of fentanyl the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a website to help people find resources for issues related to mental health, drugs and alcohol. That website is called Findsupport.gov.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association national helpline can also be reached 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357 for help with mental or substance abuse.
Sacramento County sheriffs detectives were investigating a shooting in North Highlands, where a man was seriously wounded after he was shot in the back.

The shooting was reported shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 6000 block of Kemp Way in a residential neighborhood a few blocks east of Watt Avenue.

The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds that were considered life-threatening, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office.

The wounded man was conscious and breathing when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital. On Wednesday, Gandhi said the victim remained hospitalized and listed in critical condition.

Detectives have determined the victim was walking along the street, when a vehicle pulled up and shots were fired. Gandhi said it was unclear to the detectives whether the shots were fired from inside the vehicle, or someone got out of the vehicle and fired the gunshots.

He said witnesses told deputies they saw two to three people inside the suspect vehicle. The Sheriffs Office has not released any descriptions of the suspects or the vehicle.
PROVIDENCE  The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation approved a $13-million tax incentive for a Massachusetts company to move to North Kingstown as it develops, and hopes to build, an all-electric "sea glider" that's not quite a boat but not quite a plane either.

The Commerce Corporation voted during its Wednesday meeting to grant the tax incentive proposal, under the Qualified Jobs Incentive Tax Credit program, to Regent Craft, currently based in Burlington.

Under the proposal, the company will relocate to Rhode Island and create 300 full-time jobs by 2028. The company will also spend $367 million constructing a new building and for machinery and equipment.

Chief Technical Officer Mike Klinker, who answered questions from the Commerce Corporation, said in an interview that the company chose Rhode Island after conducting a study on the best combination of talent, real estate prices and access to the ocean. The company can now sign leases on property and plans to build a hangar in Quonset. The move should start by July.

"We want to roll them out and into the water," Klinker said.

What's the Regent 'sea glider' all about?

Klinker said a prototype, a quarter of the size of the aircraft they hope to build, is being tested in Tampa, Fla., and should take flight later this year. It has already passed the floating and hydrofoil tests.

Additional $30 million: Will RI taxpayers help cover rising cost of Pawtucket soccer stadium?

The aircraft, also referred to as "wing-in-ground-effect vehicles," or WIGs, are essentially planes that fly just above the surface of the water at up to 180 mph.

The craft are regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard, instead of the Federal Aviation Administration. The first version of the "sea glider" would carry 12 people, with a range of 180 miles, and the second version would carry at least 50 people, according to the Regent website.

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Not quite an airplane and not quite a boat, this prototype craft is designed to fly just above the water at up to 180 mph.

The company had raised $27 million as of January and expects to bring in more capital for research and development, manufacturing and operations, according to the proposal.

The company has received financing from Thiel Capital, founded by billionaire Peter Thiel. The company has booked more than $4.6 billion in sales of "sea gliders to airlines and ferry companies, according to Regent's website.

Tax credit deadlines extended: Raimondo order protects corporate incentives during COVID pandemic

How the tax-credit program works

The Qualified Jobs Incentive Tax Credit, passed in 2015, gives businesses up to $7,500 per job per year, for up to 10 years, by reimbursing them for the income taxes their employees pay.

The plan for Regent would cover 300 employees over the next 10 years, starting in 2025.

East Greenwich company Flux Marine, developing battery-powered outboard motors, recently received $1.9 million over 10 years from the tax-credit program.

With backing from the state and investors, Flux plans to open a new manufacturing facility in the Unity Park complex on Wood Street in Bristol and grow its Rhode Island workforce to 88 people.

Moving boats to batteries: Up to $1.9 million in tax credits approved for electric boat motor maker to stay in RI

In 2021, the Commerce Corporation approved up to $3.5 million in tax credits, over 10 years, to Texas company MTX Group  which provides artificial intelligence and data analysis to help companies modernize their operations  as it planned to build a "regional collaboration center" in Providence.

In 2018, the Commerce Corporation approved tax incentives for four companies, estimated to have created 2,000 manufacturing jobs in the state.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. Here's our latest offer.Reporter Paul Edward Parker contributed to this story.

Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Regent wants to build sea gliders in RI with tax credit
A California judge just gutted much of rock musician Marilyn Mansons defamation suit against actor Evan Rachel Wood, who is one of more than a dozen women whove come forward in recent years accusing him of abuse.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Beaudet determined Tuesday that Mansons biggest claims against Wood lacked merit and that his lawsuit accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress must proceed without them.

Among the claims stricken from Mansons complaint are his allegations that his ex-girlfriend recruited, coordinated, and pressured women to accuse him of abuse, provided them checklists and scripts to help develop their accusations and forged and distributed an FBI letter about a criminal investigation into Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner.

Beaudet also shot down Mansons claims that Wood defamed him when she encouraged the artist Ashley Illma Gore, with whom she has been in a relationship since 2019, to tell potential accusers Manson filmed the assault of a minor in a short film he made in 1996 called Groupie. Manson also claimed in his complaint that Wood should have told Gore that the actor portraying the minor in the film was an adult.

In her decision, Beaudet largely cited free speech protections and Californias anti-SLAPP statute, which aims to prevent people from using lawsuits to intimidate or silence critics.

Woods attorney, Michael Kump, released a statement praising the judges decision.

We are very pleased with the Courts ruling, which affirms and protects Evans exercise of her fundamental First Amendment rights, he said.

Mansons lawyer, Howard King, slammed the court for not factoring in statements from Ashley Smithline, a onetime plaintiff against Manson who has since said Wood manipulated her into accusing the musician of abuse.

The ruling is disappointing but not unexpected. The Court telegraphed this outcome when it refused to consider the bombshell sworn declaration of former plaintiff Ashley Smithline, which detailed how women were systematically pressured by Evan Rachel Wood and Illma Gore to make false claims about Brian Warner, King said, adding that he will be filing an immediate appeal of Beaudets decision.

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This is Mansons second successive loss in this case. In February, Beaudet rejected his request to add Smithlines declaration to his lawsuit. Wood maintains that she never pressured Smithline and that she approached her in March 2019 about Mansons behavior.

Wood first went public with her accusations against Manson in 2021, saying he began grooming her as a teenager and horrifically abused her during their relationship in the mid-to-late 2000s. Wood says Manson, whos nearly 20 years her senior, locked her in rooms as punishment, kept her away from friends and essentially raped her while filming a scene for one of his music videos in 2007.

More than a dozen other women have also come forward with abuse allegations against Manson, who was subsequently dropped by his record label and talent agency. He denies all the accusations.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text loveis to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline.
Corrections & Clarifications: Law enforcement officials said information previously provided about the boy's age was incorrect. This article was updated May 12, 2023 with his correct age.

A longtime Marion County Sheriffs Office deputy, described as tiny in stature with a big heart, died Tuesday night after officials say she was protecting her young son during a dog attack in her home.

Tamieka White, 46, was pronounced dead shortly after Indianapolis police responded to her home in the 1700 block of Forsythia Drive near East 16 Street and North Franklin Road on the city's east side. The dog attack was reported about 7:45 p.m.

White's 6-year-old son also was bitten and is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Tamieka White, 46. White died May 9, 2023 after a dog attack in her home that also injured her 6-year-old son. She served as a deputy in the Marion County Sheriff's Office for 17 years.

"She died last night protecting the most important person in her life," Brittany Seligman, White's commander at the Sheriff's Office, said the day after the attack.

Indianapolis police said the attacking dog was fatally shot by a responding officer, who fired when the dog charged at them.

White served as a deputy sheriff with the agency since 2007 in the Judicial Enforcement Division, which oversees the transportation of inmates to-and-from courts, collecting delinquent taxes and serving legal process papers. In a statement, Sheriff Kerry Forestal called White a "bright light" to everyone who knew her and said the agency is grateful for her nearly 17 years of service.

Seligman said White always had a smile on her face, and held a passion for billiards.

"Anyone who challenged her would quickly learn that they couldn't stand at the table with Deputy White," Seligman said.

But above all, Seligman said, White was a mother.

Officer Brittany Seligman speaks to the media during a press conference Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the Community Justice Campus in Indianapolis, after Deputy Sheriff Tamieka White died as a result of a dog attack the night prior.

A spokesperson with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the attacking dog was not owned by White, and police have identified the owner. They declined to release further information about the dog's owner.

In a statement, Indianapolis Animal Care Services said workers impounded the deceased dog, three additional dogs and a cat from the home. The department said they cannot confirm the breeds without a DNA test, but said all the dogs appeared to be a "pitbull-type."

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The animals are being held as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack.

Contact Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Woman killed by dog in Indianapolis was Marion County Sheriff's deputy
Mark Wahlberg is known for his strict workout routine and the importance he places on his health. But, as he told Fox News Digital, his 3 a.m. workouts don't prevent him from enjoying an occasional drink.

In a new interview, Wahlberg shared his thoughts on fitness while celebrating his tequila brand, Flecha Azul, at On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina in Las Vegas. The restaurant is using Flecha Azul for an exclusive drink it calls the "Marky Marg."

"Tequila is definitely the healthiest alternative. If you're going to have any type of alcohol consumption, you're better off having tequila," Wahlberg said. He explained that his Flecha Azul brand sells an "authentic, premium Mexican tequila" with "no additives, no preservatives."

Wahlberg recalled being "a big wine guy," but wine has a lot of sugar, and wine drinkers consume more liquid when drinking wine, whereas tequila, he explained, makes it so that, after drinking it neat, he's "good to go the next day."

MARK WAHLBERG SHOWS OFF TONED PHYSIQUE DURING A CHRISTMAS VACATION BEACH DAY WITH WIFE RHEA DURHAM

Mark Wahlberg promotes his tequila brand Flecha Azul at On the Border restaurant in Las Vegas.

He admitted he does do "a lot less cardio" on mornings after he enjoys some tequila, but reiterates that "it's definitely the most healthy alternative when it comes to fitness for sure."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Fitness is definitely a priority for Wahlberg. The day we spoke with him, he'd woken up at 3 a.m., done a workout, read some scripts and had "prayer time."

"People always say the early bird gets the worm," he added. "I will definitely put the most important emphasis on rest and recovery. So, if I wake up at 3 in the morning, I'm going to bed around 7 p.m.

"I definitely need my eight hours of sleep. Eight hours and just proper rest is the reason I'm able to perform at a higher level."

Mark Wahlberg often wakes up at 3 a.m. to work out.

He also discussed the "cold plunge challenge" he recently shared on Instagram, a video showing him stepping into an ice bath he said was "as cold as I've ever felt in my life." It's a type of therapy believed to reduce inflammation and boost blood flow, among other health benefits.

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MARK WAHLBERG BAGS GROCERIES AT HOMETOWN MARKET WHERE HE HELD FIRST JOB

"I was challenging myself to get into that freezing box of ice water," he explained. "It actually is very good for you, especially starting your day. It also promotes lots of recovery  but 38 degrees is pretty chilly."

Elsewhere in the interview, Wahlberg discussed his faith, which is important to him.

"I attribute everything good and everything positive in life to my faith.  As soon as I started putting my faith and focus on God, good things started happening for me," he said.

"And even when they didn't, it gives you the coping skills to deal with things that are inevitable, like loss and failure and those things. But, you know, again, my faith and my family, those are the most important aspects of my life."

Wahlberg and his family recently made a big move from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

"My kids are doing fantastic," he revealed. "You know, I wish I would've made the move sooner.  I spent lots of time in LA pursuing my own professional aspirations. And, so, to be able to now put them in a position to where they can pursue theirs, their interests, it's definitely the right thing to do, and it's long overdue."

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Wahlberg and his wife, Rhea Durham, have been together since 2001, and the couple married in 2009. They share four children  Ella Rae, Michael, Brendan and Grace. Their oldest is 19 years old, and their youngest is 12.

Mark Wahlberg poses with his family

When asked about the possibility of his immediate family doing a reality show, he said, "No, I don't think that would be something that my wife and my kids would be open to doing.  And when we did, whether it was Wahlburgers or even Wahl Street, the focus and the emphasis was on the business we were building, but family working together.

"We did show some aspects of our family life. But, you know, that was just what people really found interesting, and to work with family members together can be complicated. But, for us, it really brought us together. But, you know, my wife and my kids don't really dig that too much."

The Marky Marg is available at On the Border restaurants, and information on where to purchase Flecha Azul tequila can be found at www.flechaazultequila.com.
Before housing Alan Alda, the celebrated actor who played an Army surgeon on TV, a Park Avenue Colonial was the home of a real-life war hero.

Recently listed for about $1.8 million, 177 Park Ave. is in one of Leonia's most coveted neighborhoods, said Rosemarie Bracco, owner of Cavalier Realty Group. Still, 177 Park has more than its location to offer, she said.

The home has six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a dining room with custom stained-glass windows. The kitchen boasts high-end appliances, marble counters and a beverage station with its own sink. In the backyard of the nearly half-acre lot, there is a full-size tennis court and a large garage.

A six-bedroom home, 177 Park Ave. in Leonia was once owned by Emmy-winning actor Alan Alda and his wife, award-winning photographer and author Arlene Alda. Before that, it housed a New York City native who in March 1945 escaped from a German military prison.

In the late 20th century, it was home to Alda and his multi-talented wife of more than 65 years, Arlene. The two moved to Leonia in 1963 and spent nearly 40 years in the borough before they sold the home in 2002.

Down the street from All Saints Church and just a short walk from Overpeck County Park, the home was built in or around 1926 for 36-year-old James C. Stagg. The Leonia native was a captain in the U.S. Signal Corps during World War I. He was also the vice president and treasurer of Cornish Wire Co. Inc., a New York-based producer of radio and electrical wire, and the father of Betsy Stagg.

More: $500 million and there are still leaky ceilings and no walls in these schools

An Army hero's home

Stagg, an ambulance driver for the Northern Valley Motor Corps of the Red Cross, also lived in 177 Park along with her husband, the future Maj. Henry L. Mills. Engaged in August 1941, the two were soon separated, as Mills the next month enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

More: President Nixon's North Jersey home hits the market for $1.2 million. Take a look inside

Leaving his pregnant wife at 177 Park, Mills went to Tulsa for service pilot training before being shipped overseas to Merseyside in the United Kingdom. There, the former U.S. Marine joined the No. 71 "Eagle" Squadron as a pilot officer in the days before U.S. involvement in World War II combat, according to records kept by the American Air Museum in Britain.

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In October 1942, Mills transferred to the United States Army Air Forces. He racked up six kills in air-to-air combat before nearly becoming a victim himself on March 6, 1944. After that dogfight, the newly promoted major was shot down. His engine failed, and he was forced to bail out above enemy territory. Area newspapers reported that Mills, 28, was missing in action.

More: This restored 135-year-old Tenafly home is on the market for $1.65M. Take a peek inside

That May, however, U.S. War Department officials informed Stagg, then Mrs. Mills, that her husband had been captured. Mills was a prisoner of war held at Stalag Luft III, a German camp in Poland.

A six-bedroom home, 177 Park Ave. in Leonia was once owned by Emmy-winning actor Alan Alda and his wife, awarding winning photographer and author Arlene Alda. Before that, it housed a New York City native who in March 1945 escaped from a German military prison.

After a forced march as Soviet forces converged on the camp in early 1945, Mills and his fellow prisoners were liberated by U.S. forces in April 1945. On May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, he sent a telegram to Stagg, The Record reported. He asked her to come to New York City so he could see his 2-year-old son, Henry Jr., for the first time. Mills was discharged the next year, and in 1947 he founded Mills, Talbot and Co., which still operates as an electrical supply sales company.

Later, the home of Alan Alda

Though respected in his own right, Mills would not be the most famous person to reside at 177 Park. That title may forever belong to Alda, a six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner. A relative unknown when he arrived in Leonia, Alda in the early 1960s was on the rise in the acting world. He, along with his wife, Arlene, nonetheless made the conscious decision to settle outside of New York City instead of in Los Angeles.

Actor Alan Alda and his wife Arlene enjoy simple holiday activities at their home in Leonia, N.J. in Dec. 17, 1969.

The proximity to Broadway, where Alda would be nominated for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, would prove vital. Still, Arlene on several occasions credited the decision to family. A native of the Bronx, she said the couple wanted their children to live in a neighborhood where they could safely walk to school and play in the neighborhood.

Arlene Alda was a Fulbright scholar who became a professional clarinetist in the Houston Symphony. She retired after marrying Alda, however, to raise the couple's three children. In her spare time, she became an award-winning photographer and children's book author.

Actor Alan Alda and his wife Arlene enjoy simple holiday activities at their home in Leonia, N.J. in Dec. 17, 1969.

Though Alda would make it big in Hollywood in the 1970s with the hit show "M.A.S.H.," Leonia remained very much his home. While filming the series from 1972 to 1983, Alda famously flew home on weekends.

In a 1973 interview with the Star-Phoenix of Saskatchewan, Alda said the separation was not easy but it was "better than uprooting the family." At the time, his daughters were 12, 13 and 14.

"It would be wrong to transplant them to Hollywood, where they would become appendages of my success," he said. "Here in Los Angeles, people are somehow terribly conscious of status and position. But back home, we're treated as individuals, each of us accepted for what we are."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Leonia NJ house of 'MASH' actor selling for $1.8M. Take a look
A towering seamount that rivals Oregons Mount Hood has been found on the Pacific Ocean floor off British Columbia.

It stands at least 10,187 feet tall, with at least being a key phrase.

NOAA Ocean Exploration mapped the site May 8, and the research team did not quite capture it all, so the seamount is likely a bit taller, officials told McClatchy News.

By comparison, Mount Hood is 11,243 feet high and counts as the 13th tallest peak in the U.S., according to Peakbagger.com.

The discovery was announced in a May 9 Facebook post that noted old nautical charts indicated a 5,223-foot mount sat 400 miles off Canada.

Instead, the team found something almost twice that size, created by violent volcanic activity.

It towers like Godzilla over everything around it and an image created by echosounder technology shows the sides are steep and jagged. As for the peak, it shows no hint of being flat.

The base is about 13,123 feet below the surface, NOAA says.

How a coastal mountain that big went undiscovered is at the heart of an expedition that is using advanced technology aboard NOAAs Okeanos Explorer to map the regions seafloor. The expedition runs through May 27 and will focus on waters deeper than 656 feet, officials say.

Alaskan waters cover just over 1 million square nautical miles, yet are the least mapped relative to the waters of any other U.S. state, NOAA wrote in an expedition overview.

The little seafloor mapping data that does exist for Alaskan waters is sparse and predates modern mapping technology. In particular, the deepwater habitats of the Aleutian Islands and Aleutian Trench ... remain predominantly unexplored.

A bit of underwater archaeology is also planned, with a limited number of dives devoted to finding a World War II-era B-25 bomber that went down in the area with nine crew members in 1944. Those dives are in partnership with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and will employ side-scan sonar to locate the wreckage.

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Eerie photos show sharks appearing to sleep atop shipwrecks off North Carolina

Startlingly round formation with steep, smooth sides found on seafloor off California

Lost cities. New hydrothermal vent towers found billowing in Mid-Atlantic, team says
Matt Gaetz and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Gaetz spoke out against Fox News and accused two of its hosts of over-sexualizing Ocasio-Cortez.

Two hosts on "The Five" joked last week about how Gaetz could divorce his wife and marry Ocasio-Cortez.

"They wouldn't do that to men," Gaetz said in a Tuesday episode of his "Firebrand" podcast.

Rep. Matt Gaetz slammed two hosts on "The Five," a Fox News talk show, for making jokes about him and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and over-sexualizing his Democratic colleague.

In a Tuesday episode of his "Firebrand" podcast, the Florida Republican said he disliked how the two hosts  Greg Gutfeld and Jeanine Pirro  speculated he could end his marriage with his wife, Ginger Luckey, and marry Ocasio-Cortez instead.

"I have got a bone to pick with The Five," Gaetz said in his podcast, speaking with Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.

"And it does seem a little childish to me that the media always has to over-sexualize everything that AOC is involved with," he said. "They wouldn't do that to men, and two people can engage in serious legislation that's not renaming some post office. We're trying to make our Congress more honest and more ethical  without that type of, I think, very childish and immature commentary."

Gaetz was responding to Gutfeld's suggestion that the Florida lawmaker and Ocasio-Cortez might get together. This was after after Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez teamed up to push a new bipartisan bill to ban Congress from trading stocks.

"I smell a romantic comedy. A beautiful left-wing communist Congress, a dashing right-wing male fresh off a wrongful accusation of sexual misconduct," Gutfeld said.

He added: "They come together to fight one of the most corrupt practices in politics, and they fall in love. They can't help themselves."

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Pirro, who is also one of the five hosts of the show, then said that she would like to be the officiant at Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez's wedding.

Gaetz also slammed Pirro, saying: "And then Judge Jeanine  Judge Jeanine, who starts out saying I am happily married. Judge Jeanine, who was sitting at my table at Mar-a-Lago the night I proposed to my wife. By the end of the Greg Gutfeld rant, she's bailed, and she's wanting to be the officiant for me and AOC."

He added: "So shame on you, Judge Jeanine."

In May, Ocasio-Cortez and Gaetz formed an alliance to introduce a new bipartisan bill, which aims to ban Congress members and their spouses from trading stocks.

Although the duo has historically clashed on their political ideologies, Gaetz told Fox News's Jesse Watters on May 2 that while Ocasio-Cortez is "wrong a lot," she is "not corrupt."

He's also defended Ocasio-Cortez in the past.

"I can confirm that AOC gets along w many of her Republican colleagues on a range of things that don't have anything to do w legislation or politics. She is not a bitch," Gaetz tweeted in July 2020.

Representatives for Fox News, Gaetz, and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular working hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A new strategy is in place to make downtown Melbourne safer.

The mayor and city leaders voted to come up with a draft for an after-hours alcohol permit similar to the one Orange County just put in place last week.

It comes after a shooting over the weekend sent three people to the hospital.

Tuesdays conversation seemed to focus on business owners, and holding them accountable for not doing what theyre supposed to do, such and manage crowds and keep the area safe.

READ: FBI: Former Kissimmee Cyber Security Officer planted hidden camera in cruise ship restroom

Its time we level the playing field for businesses and hold those businesses accountable, Mayor Alfrey said.

One of the solutions suggested to make the area safter was a city-wide alcohol permit for bars and restaurants who want to keep serving alcohol past 11 p.m.

Some business owners said they shouldnt all be punished for Saturdays incident.

READ: Changes coming to social studies textbooks in Florida

Romeo Mikhail, owner of Fiesta Bar and Grill, said hes not against more rules to keep everyone safe downtown, but hes not against more rules to keep everyone safe downtown.

But hes not on board yet either.

We dont even know what they want yet; Im intrigued to see what they want, Mikhail said. I want to see what these policies are.

READ: Princess Cruises to begin sailing from Port Canaveral next year

The mayor said he spent more than an hour Monday with his staff, going over security measures, just put in place for downtown Orlando.

He feels the permit would be the first step.

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.
Massive icebergs from Jakobshavn Glacier melting in Disko Bay on sunny summer evening in Greenland. (Getty)

Scientists could have been underestimating the melting of the Greenland ice sheet by 200% meaning that sea levels could rise quicker than previously anticipated, according to a study.

New research on how the grounding line  where an ice sheet transitions from being grounded to floating  works hints that glaciers could melt far faster than expected.

Researchers working on the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland found that the grounding line moves and enables warm water to reach under the glacier.

The new study shows that warm ocean water intrudes beneath the ice through preexisting subglacial channels, with the highest melt rates occurring at the grounding zone.

Read more: Melting snow in Himalayas drives growth of green sea slime visible from space

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said their findings could mean that the climate community has been vastly underestimating the magnitude of future sea level rise caused by polar ice deterioration.

Using satellite radar data from three European missions, the UCI/NASA team learned that Petermann Glacier's grounding line shifts substantially during tidal cycles, allowing warm seawater to intrude and melt ice at an accelerated rate.

The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead author Enrico Ciraci, UCI assistant specialist in Earth system science and NASA postdoctoral fellow said, "Petermann's grounding line could be more accurately described as a grounding zone, because it migrates between 2 and 6 kilometers (1.2 miles to 3.7 miles) as tides come in and out.

This is an order of magnitude larger than expected for grounding lines on a rigid bed."

Read more: A 1988 warning about climate change was mostly right

The researchers found that as Petermann Glacier's grounding line retreated nearly 2.5 miles between 2016 and 2022.

Warm water carved a 670 ft cavity in the underside of the glacier, and that abscess remained there for all of 2022.

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"These ice-ocean interactions make the glaciers more sensitive to ocean warming," said senior co-author Eric Rignot, UCI professor of Earth system science and NASA JPL research scientist.

"These dynamics are not included in models, and if we were to include them, it would increase projections of sea level rise by up to 200%  not just for Petermann but for all glaciers ending in the ocean, which is most of northern Greenland and all of Antarctica."

The Greenland ice sheet has lost billions of tons of ice to the ocean in the past few decades, the PNAS paper stresses, with most of the loss caused by warming of subsurface ocean waters, a product of Earth's changing climate.

Exposure to ocean water melts the ice vigorously at the glacier front and erodes resistance to the movement of glaciers over the ground, causing the ice to slide more quickly to the sea.

Watch: Heart-stopping moment skier falls into glacier crevasse
George Santos. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Members of George Santos' own party have called on him to step aside.

Santos turned himself in to federal authorities on Wednesday and has been charged with 13 criminal counts.

A fellow GOP representative from Long Island called Santos "a complete embarrassment."

A number of House GOP lawmakers are calling for George Santos to resign after the New York representative was charged with 13 criminal counts on Wednesday.

And those calls are coming not just from Santos' own party, but from his fellow Long Island representatives, like New York Rep. Nick LaLota.

"I think he needs to go right away, and I hope that he resigns," LaLota, a Republican representing New York's 1st congressional district, told CNN. "He's a complete embarrassment. The nation's focusing on solutions that matter, not George Santos."

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, another Republican from New York, told Axios before the charges were filed on Wednesday, "The sooner [Santos] leaves, the sooner we can win the seat with someone who isn't a liar."

And more GOP representatives from across the country are speaking out against Santos.

"I'm surprised he's still here," Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican, told CNN. "I think the Ethics Committee better move on it... We owe American people answers."

Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, also tweeted that Santos should be "immediately expelled from Congress" and said a special election should be "initiated at the soonest possible date."

Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, told CNN reporter Melanie Zanona before the charges were filed against Santos: "I do believe that if a member of Congress is charged with a federal crime they should resign."

Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, has also weighed in, saying, "I think we're seeing that the wheels of justice may grind slow, but they grind fine and he will have his day in court, but it certainly appears that things are not going well for Mr. Santos," according to The New York Times.

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But the most important Republican  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who needs Santos' seat to stay Republican to maintain the GOP's slim margin of control  has backed him.

On Tuesday before the charges were announced, McCarthy said Santos can remain in power until he is convicted.

"That is my policies and principles on this," he said.

George Santos turned himself in to federal authorities on Wednesday and has been charged with 13 crimes, including money laundering, theft of public funds, and wire fraud.

He faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charge.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In an unexpected move, an attorney representing an Upper Makefield woman accused of killing her sons no longer wants to keep her at a state psychiatric hospital where she has been receiving treatment since shortly after her arrest.

Trinh Nguyen also waived her first appearance, which was scheduled for Thursday, at which a district court judge would've decided if there is enough evidence to hold her for trial in the shooting deaths of Jeffery and Nelson Tini, ages 13 and 9, respectively.

All charges, including two first-degree murder and attempted murder, against Nguyen were held without negotiations, Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Jen Schorn confirmed.

On Monday, Bucks County Deputy Public Defender Deborah Weinman withdrew a petition seeking Nguyen's recommitment to Norristown State Psychiatric Hospital for another 90 days. The Bucks County District Attorneys Office had opposed the request.

Two bicycles sit parked outside an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot Monday morning. By noon, their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was taken into police custody for the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

The latest with Trinh Nguyen Upper Makefield mom accused of shooting sons mentally incompetent, according to defense

Weinman did not list a reason for withdrawing the petition, which was done the day before a competency hearing was scheduled before Bucks County Judge Ray McHugh. Chief Public Defender Ann Russavage-Faust declined comment in an email Tuesday, citing that the case is pending.

As recently as March 31, a licensed psychologist evaluated Nguyen and determined she remains mentally incompetent to stand trial and requested an extended commitment to restore her competency, according to court documents.

The 39-year-old has been involuntarily committed since shortly after her May 2, 2022 arrest on charges including first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Under state and federal law, a criminal case against a defendant found to be mentally incompetent cannot proceed until the person is evaluated by a mental health professional and found to be able to assist in preparing a defense for themselves and understand the criminal proceedings they are undergoing. A judge can order a defendant who is mentally incompetent to be committed to a mental hospital and undergo treatment to restore their competency.

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The withdrawal could signal that the defense is planning to seek a dismissal of charges because the defendant cannot be restored to mental competency, said Lisa Dailey said, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center in Virginia. In that case, a judge could order a civil commitment to a mental hospital.

Another relatively common situation is a client who is actively mentally ill, instructs the defense attorney to withdraw the petition against legal advice, Dailey said.

It isnt strategically a sensible thing to do, she added. In theory the judge should not allow a person to proceed if they are actually not competent to proceed, but it does happen.

Jeffrey "JT" Tini, 13, and his brother, Nelson Tini, 9, were shot in their home Monday, May 2, 2022. Their mother, Trinh Nguyen has been charged.

More: Why being found incompetent for trial is a tough bar to clear in Pennsylvania

Prosecutors allege Nguyen shot her sons in their heads as they slept in their rented Timber Ridge Road home. The boys succumbed to their injuries on May 9, 2022.

She is also charged with attempting to shoot the nephew of her former husband, who lived in an adjacent home on the property.

Nguyen was arrested the day of the killings in a nearby church parking lot hours after the boys were found dead by police and the aunt who owns the home. Authorities said Nguyen had heroin in her system in what police described as a suicide attempt.

Prosecutors have provided no motive for the shootings, which occurred the day before Nguyen was being evicted from the home for failing to pay more than $11,000 in rent. The home is owned by her former sister-in-law.

Authorities found a handwritten note dated a week before the murders that Nguyen allegedly wrote with information on what to do with her and her sons ashes. She also allegedly left a note in the minivan revealing that her sons, both Council Rock District students, were dead and the address of the home with a request to call 911.

Records show that Nguyen was also involved in a custody dispute with her former husband, Edward Tini, of Philadelphia. The couple separated and divorced in 2021 and Tini had opposed Nguyens plans to take Nelson to visit her family in Vietnam over summer vacation.

Nguyen had sole custody of Jeffrey Tini, whose father she divorced in 2009. She has a third son, who is 17, and lives on the West Coast with his father, Nguyens first husband.

More on CBSD teacher Andrew Burgess Central Bucks removes 'gag order' on teacher who is suing district for retaliation

New sentencing date for CBSD teacher Sentencing for former CBSD choir director Joseph Ohrt is delayed again. Here's why

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Upper Makefield mom accused of murder withdraws mental competency case
Private investigator Daniel Morgan was found dead with an axe embedded in his head in 1987 - METROPOLITAN POLICE/PA

Documents that should have been handed over to the inquiry investigating the Metropolitan Police's handling of the murder of private detective Daniel Morgan have been found in a locked cabinet in Scotland Yard, the force has admitted.

A total of 60 documents, comprising of more than 150 pages, were discovered in January in a cupboard that had not been opened for a number of years.

The Met said they had carefully assessed the documents and had determined that some of the material should have been handed over to the independent inquiry and also the subsequent probe by His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The Mets Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said: We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the Panel.

No one has ever been brought to justice over the father-of-twos murder - PA

A damning report by the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel accused the Met of institutional corruption over its handling of the investigation into the 1987 murder of Mr Morgan.

He was found dead in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, with an axe embedded in his head.

But the independent report, published in June 2021, also accused the Met of delaying its work by failing to hand over documents in a timely manner.

Despite five police inquiries no one has ever been brought to justice over the father-of-twos murder and for years it had been alleged that the investigation had been hampered by corrupt police officers, who also had links to tabloid journalists.

In 2013 Theresa May, the then Home Secretary, ordered an independent review into the investigation.

But the final report accused former Met Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick of failing to cooperate properly claiming her team had failed to hand over material when requested.

The scene in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, where Daniel Morgan was found - COLLECT/JONATHAN BUCKMASTER

Speaking at the time, Baroness OLoan, the chairman of the independent panel, said: At times our contact with the Metropolitan Police Service resembled police contact with litigants rather than with a body established by the Home Secretary to enquire into a case.

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The documents were discovered in a locked cabinet in New Scotland Yard, despite the fact the Met Police only moved to their new premises in 2016. It is not clear what date the documents in question relate to.

A spokesman for the Met said: A total of 95 pages of material (37 documents) have been initially identified that would have been disclosed under a protocol agreed with the Panel.

In addition, we also identified a further 71 pages (23 documents) that would have been provided to HMICFRS as part of their subsequent inspection.

Our assessment is that there are no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

The Met has written to the family of Daniel Morgan and Baroness OLoan to explain what we believe has taken place and outline next steps.

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.
A popular Cincinnati restaurant group that offers traditional Mexican flavors is planning to open a location in Lexington.

Mazunte, which has three locations in Ohio, will open a fourth spot at 903 Manchester St. in Lexingtons Distillery District, between the Grand Reserve and the new Manchester Hotel that opens June 1. Its also original location of Manchester Coffee Co., which has moved to The MET off of Winchester, Midland and Third streets.

The company plans to have a restaurant, bar and grab-and-go market as well as two full-service event venues.

Mazunte specializes in authentic regional Mexican food specialties including tortas, tlayudas, al pastor, barbacoa and birria.

Mazuntes menu features a variety of tacos. You can get three for $11.

Mazunte has grilled corn on the menu, served with dried chile, aoli, lime and queso for $5..25.

Our food is a vibrant fusion of traditional and new flavors, and were proud of the way it represents us, said Wendy Enriquez, Mazuntes creative director, in a news release. Were most excited that customers in Lexington will get to experience our food and culture.

They hope to be open by the end of 2023.

The Mazunte location will have two event spaces for wedding receptions and parties. Its next to the new Manchester Hotel in Lexingtons Distillery District.

The Lexington location will have 4,200 square feet of bar, cafe and restaurant space called Mazunte Bodega, with 13,000 square feet of event space called La Brasa Event Venue, according to the release. Mazunte hopes to offer catered event options for hotel patrons and you can book online through labrasalexington.com.

The bodega will have best-selling items from Mazuntes Cincinnati locations, plus new products as well as a full bar and cafe. There will be packaged grab-and-go and carryout food options for customers from the next door hotel, as well as nearby Town Branch Park & Trail, Rupp Arena and Convention Center and downtown Lexington.

The Mazunte location also will include La Brasa, two event spaces. Its location on Manchester next to the new hotel.

Mazunte founder Josh Wamsley was inspired by his travels to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2010 and 2011 while teaching English to students there. On weekends, he would travel to Mazunte, a small beach town, and was inspired to create a restaurant concept that is an homage to the people and customs of Mexico in his hometown of Cincinnati.

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Heres how you can eat from 20 amazing Kentucky chefs and support a good cause
El Paso, Texas  The Mexican government is planning to deploy law enforcement personnel to its border with Guatemala and other migration corridors in Mexico to help the Biden administration reduce the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. unlawfully, senior American officials said Tuesday.

The operations to stop or slow down U.S.-bound migrants before they reach America's southern border are expected to take place over the next "several days," according to a senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on Tuesday.

"Mexico has committed to undertaking a pretty robust law enforcement operation on their southern border and on the transit routes to the northern border that we think will help," the U.S. official added, referring to what's expected to be a historically high number of migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border following the expiration of Title 42 public health restrictions later this week.

The operation is one of several steps the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has agreed to take to help the U.S. manage and deter the unprecedented number of unauthorized arrivals along the southern border that has bedeviled President Biden's administration.

Last week, after a meeting in Mexico City with top U.S. officials, the Mexican government agreed to continue accepting non-Mexican migrants deported by the U.S. A senior U.S. official confirmed Tuesday that Mexico had agreed to continue accepting up to 30,000 deportees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela per month after Title 42 lapses, as long as the U.S. continued to accept the same number of migrants from those four countries under a sponsorship initiative launched in January.

It's unclear how many Mexican law enforcement officials will be deployed as part of the actions to impede migrants from heading north to the U.S. A representative of the Mexican Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Mexico's crackdown on migrants illustrates that country's increasingly crucial role in the Biden administration's border management strategy, and the operation is part of a broader effort by the U.S. to persuade other countries to reduce irregular migration. The U.S. recently enlisted the help of Colombian and Panamanian officials to curb migrant smuggling near Panama's Darien Gap, which tens of thousands of migrants have crossed in the past year on their way to the U.S.

While the Mexican government has played a key role in U.S. border measures for decades, under Democratic and Republican administrations, its influence has grown amid record arrivals of migrants from outside Mexico and Central America along the southern border, including from countries like Cuba and Venezuela that limit or reject U.S. deportations.

On Tuesday, Mr. Biden and Lopez Obrador held a call focused on their governments' strategy to deal with the termination of Title 42, which Mr. Biden acknowledged would likely lead to "a chaotic situation" along the southern border, at least for "a while."

Migrant people wait to cross through the banks of the Rio Grande to the US, as seen from Matamoros, state of Tamaulupas, Mexico on May 9, 2023. A sudden increase in migrant crossings is expected at the US-Mexico border cities as President Biden administration is officially ending its use of Title 42. / Credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

Title 42, a pandemic-era order that has allowed the U.S. expel hundreds of thousands of migrants without hearing their asylum claims, is set to end on Thursday at midnight due to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, one of the legal underpinnings of the policy.

The looming halt to the Title 42-linked expulsions has already fueled a sharp increase in border crossings. In recent days, Border Patrol agents have recorded over 8,000 daily migrant apprehensions and they are bracing for more than 10,000 migrants to be taken into custody each day once Title 42 lifts, which would be twice the number of daily crossings seen in March.

To blunt the potentially historic spike in migration, the Biden administration has unveiled a series of measures designed to discourage illegal entries by expanding legal channels for migrants to enter the U.S. and increasing the consequences they could face if they attempt to enter without permission.

On Wednesday, the administration will publish a regulation to disqualify migrants from asylum if they cross the southern border unlawfully without first asking for protection in a third country, like Mexico, en route to the U.S. Those barred from asylum under the rule could face swift deportation to their home country or Mexico, as well as a five-year ban from the U.S.

Officials have increased the number of deportation flights so they can deport larger numbers of migrants to Central America and other Latin American countries like Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, a senior U.S. official said. Moreover, up to 1,000 asylum officers are ready to start conducting the interviews needed to determine whether migrants should be deported under the new asylum rules, the official added.

The Biden administration is also betting that some migrants will opt to wait for a chance to enter the U.S. legally under several programs it has established in recent months.

Earlier this month, the administration announced it would set up processing centers in Latin America, starting in Colombia and Guatemala, to screen migrants for eligibility to be resettled in those countries, the U.S., Canada or Spain. On Tuesday, U.S. officials said the administration intends to ultimately set up roughly 100 of these centers and that it was planning to dispatch dozens of U.S. caseworkers to vet migrants.

The Biden administration is also continuing a program that allows up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to fly to the U.S. on a monthly basis if they have U.S.-based financial sponsors. More than 100,000 migrants have already entered the country under the initiative, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Under a separate program, hundreds of migrants in Mexico have been allowed to enter the U.S. each day after securing appointments through a mobile app to be processed at ports of entry along the southern border. Officials are planning to increase the number of daily appointments to 1,000 after Title 42 expires.

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A middle school student waiting for a train was struck and killed Tuesday, May 9, by a train going the opposite direction, Indiana police say.

The boy was killed in the train crash around 7:10 p.m. in Chesterton, according to the Chesterton Police Department. Chesterton is about 45 miles southeast of Chicago.

Police said the boy was seated on his bicycle when he went around the crossing arm of the train tracks. He was was waiting for a westbound train to go by as an eastbound train approached him.

The train engineer sounded the horn, but the boy never looked in the direction of the fast-approaching train before being struck, police said.

Its unclear if the boy was wearing headphones or if he thought the horn was coming from the other train.

Police are calling the incident a tragic accident.

Our heart goes out to the boys family, his friends, and his classmates and teachers, Chesterton Police Department Chief Richardson said. This is a grievous blow to this young mans loved ones and to his community, and this departments officers wish them peace and healing.

The boy, whose name and age have not been publicly disclosed, was a student at Chesterton Middle School, according to police.

Always smiling teen is hit and killed by train while walking to school, NC cops say

11-year-old killed, mom critically hurt when train hits car, California police say
In El Paso, Texas, a question: Where did the migrants go?

The crowds of migrants overflowing outside Sacred Heart Church had drastically diminished Wednesday morning after the U.S. Border Patrol a day earlier asked them nicely to turn themselves in to get processed.

The El Paso Office of Emergency Management reported that as of 7 a.m. there were only about 100 migrants around the church and 35 around the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in South El Paso.

On Monday, there had been up to 2,500 migrants sleeping in alleys, sidewalks and even on the street around the church with another 800 near the Opportunity Center, according to the El Paso Office of Emergency Management.

Guatemalan women's handcuffs are checked before they board a plane to be flown to Guatemala on Wednesday in El Paso.

Nation: Biden says border will be `chaotic for a while' when Title 42 ends

On Tuesday, the Border Patrol passed out flyers telling undocumented migrants to turn themselves in at a processing site next to the nearby Paso Del Norte international bridge, where they were processed and then generally released.

The turnout was a trickle at first but soon hundreds of migrants lined up, hoping for a chance at a legal pathway to remain and continue to their destinations in the United States.

"The plan in the beginning was to have the officers process people right here on the spot. But there were so many people, they sent buses and they started taking everybody to the Central Process Center," said Ruben Garcia, executive director of Annunciation House, which oversees a nonprofit network of faith-based migrant shelters.

El Paso law enforcement officers on Tuesday keep watch on a migrant encampment outside Sacred Heart Church in the Segundo Barrio in Downtown. The numbers of migrants at the site had dropped drastically by Wednesday morning.

"They were going to be processed there and after they were processed, they were going to be released. We are monitoring to ensure the people Border Patrol took, that Border Patrol lives up to their promise to release them," Garcia said.

It remains to be seen if the crowds will return once the processed migrants are released from custody. The city is working to set up two shelters at vacant schools and possibly in the downtown convention center.

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After the U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation, the El Paso Catholic Diocese had not seen massive numbers of new migrants at its shelters on Wednesday morning, a diocese spokesman said.

The county's Migrant Services Support Center on Wednesday was at its 450 capacity with migrants released from Border Patrol custody, county government spokeswoman Laura Gallegos said. The center is looking to expand capacity with the addition of staff.

The center is a former warehouse where asylum-seekers are provided a brief orientation and help them with self-paid travel arrangements out of El Paso.

Along the Mexican border, there are still hundreds of asylum-seekers huddled on a sliver of U.S. land between the Rio Grande and the border fence in El Paso's Lower Valley waiting to be processed by the Border Patrol with the pending end of the Title 42 pandemic-era restrictions that returned them to Mexico. CBP warns that enforcement of Title 8 immigration law will continue after Title 42 ends.

ICE deportation flights take off from El Paso

In a display of force, U. S. Immigration and Custom Enforcements Enforcement and Removal Operations deportation flights bound for Honduras and Guatemala took off from El Paso on Wednesday morning.

Guatemalan men are frisked Wednesday morning before boarding a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement repatriation flight to Guatemala at El Paso International Airport.

The flights transported shackled men and women to their home countries after they were recently taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol, ICE officials said. There were 116 people sent to Honduras and up to 135 returned to Guatemala.

In Texas, similar ICE repatriation flights usually depart from San Antonio and Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley. Other flights depart from Virginia, Miami and the Phoenix-area.

Photojournalist Gaby Velasquez contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Migrant overflow on El Paso's streets drops; ICE flights take off
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters/Shutterstock

Alt-right agitator Milo Yiannopoulos used the credit card for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes (R-GA) campaign last November to purchase an internet domain for Kanye Wests still unannounced 2024 presidential bid, and he was reimbursed for domain transfer by the West campaign the same day for $3,000 above cost, according to receipts obtained by The Daily Beast and a person with knowledge of the events.

The receipts match Federal Election Commission filings from both campaigns. Those filings show that on Nov. 22, the Greene campaign reported a $7,020.16 expense to the GoDaddy hosting service for domain registration and hosting. That same day, the Kanye 2020 committee reported paying Yiannopoulos $9,955 for domain transfer.

Legal experts told The Daily Beast that the transactions raise a number of questions, including about possible theft and conversion of campaign funds to personal use.

According to the receipts, GoDaddy billed Greene senior adviser Isaiah Wartman for a $7,020.16 purchase of the ye24.com domain on Nov. 22. The person with direct knowledge of the events said that Yiannopoulos oversaw the transaction with the Greene campaign card, but the person did not know whether the Greene campaign was aware at the time of the expense.

Milo Yiannopoulos Is Back Heading Up Kanyes Political Operations

The transactions occurred on the same day that Westnow known as Yeinfamously dined at Mar-a-Lago with former President Donald Trump and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, who had been advising Ye throughout the rappers highly publicized Hitler-loving meltdown last fall.

Yiannopoulos, who has taken credit for arranging the Mar-a-Lago evening, told The Daily Beast that multiple media reports placing him at the dinner were inaccurate and that he did not personally attend. Ye fired Yiannopoulos after the provocateur told NBC News he orchestrated the dinner with the notorious Fuentes to make Trumps life miserable, but the disgraced hip-hop mogul rehired him as political director last week, The Daily Beast reported.

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The transactions are coming to light after Yes latest treasurer, Patrick Krason, resigned on Mondaythe second treasurer to jump ship within the last six months. A leaked internal email, first reported by Politico, shows Krason expressing concern that Yiannopoulos had submitted falsified invoices for expenditures that would be deemed unlawful. And the receipts were first published on Twitter by far-right activist Laura Loomer, though The Daily Beast obtained them from a different source. Treasurers carry personal liability for the accuracy and truthfulness of each report they submit to the government, under penalty of law.

Krason declined to comment for this article. The Greene campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance law specialist and deputy executive director at watchdog Document, told The Daily Beast that if the Greene campaign paid for Kanyes web domain, thats an excessive and unreported in-kind contribution to his campaign.

Fischer also noted that if Yiannopoulos charged the Greene campaigns card without the campaigns knowledge, then he may have committed a range of serious violationsincluding, potentially, causing Greenes campaign to file false reports with the government.

Paul S. Ryan, a campaign finance expert and deputy director of the Funders Committee for Civic Participation, told The Daily Beast that Yes campaign purchase of the domain would appear to officially establish him as a candidate for election, since the expense exceeded the $5,000 spending threshold that triggers a registration requirement. While Ye has in recent months used the context of his 2020 campaign to court media attention around a potential 2024 runspending hundreds of thousands of dollars while raising nonehe has still not declared his candidacy or registered with the FEC.

Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes Paid 30K By Kanye West Campaign

Ryan also pointed to a 2018 FEC ruling in favor of MAGA rap-metal star Kid Rock, in which the commission, rejecting the agencys own internal legal analysis, dismissed similar allegations. The decision cited in part Rocks claims that his Senate candidacy was part of an artistic and commercial undertaking to promote a new album and tour.

But Ryan also raised the question of whether Yiannopoulos had converted Greene donations to personal use.

The law is broadly understood as preventing candidates from converting funds to their personal use, but the plain language of the statute suggests that this ban applies to anyone, not just the candidate, Ryan said. This is arguably Milo converting Greene campaign funds to his personal benefitand for a profit on top of that. Was Milo stealing $7,000 from the Greene campaign for his benefit?

Jordan Libowitz, communications director for government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told The Daily Beast that this is a new one for me, saying the transaction appeared fraudulent and possibly a criminal violation of the personal use ban.

Its concerning that the domain appears to have been sold to personally benefit Milo. You cannot use campaign funds to benefit yourself. Thats the kind of thing that [former Rep.] Duncan Hunter was convicted of doing, Libowitz said. You cant use the campaign card for your personal benefit. Thats about as clear-cut as it gets.

He observed that the transaction on its face looks fraudulent, adding that if Yiannopoulos used the campaign card for his own purposes, he would need to repay the Greene campaignotherwise, its potentially a criminal area.

First, theres the question of Milo using the Greene campaign credit card without authorization, which could amount to theft, he said. Then theres the personal use question. Campaign funds cannot be used for personal benefit, and if its accidental it needs to be repaid immediately.

Libowitz added that if the Greene campaign had been aware of the transactionwhich was conducted in the campaign managers name, and which Greenes treasurer signed off on in the campaigns post-general reportthen the Greene campaign would appear to be complicit in facilitating the conversion of campaign funds to Milos personal use.

Asked for comment, Yiannopouloswho last year served six months as an intern in Greenes officetold The Daily Beast that the story is absolutely false from start to finish. However, he also provided a statement he had previously shared on his Telegram social media account that appears to confirm the events and acknowledged to The Daily Beast that the Greene credit card purchase was made through his personal GoDaddy account.

The Real Reason Milo Yiannopoulos Left Kanyes Campaign

But the statement also sloughed the blame off on a junior staffer and attempted to throw doubt on a supposed connection between a Marjorie Taylor Greene credit card and a domain connected to YE24.

The truth is a junior staffer made an error with the stored credit cards on a third-party vendor GoDaddy account, picking the one ending 2032 instead of 2002, the statement said. The accident was quickly rectified and the correct card charged. I have apologized privately to Marjorie for the mixup.

Asked on Monday when the payment had been rectified, Yiannopoulos would only tell The Daily Beast that I can tell you that it has been refunded. If he had refunded the money before March 31, however, that transaction would appear to have gone unreported in the campaigns FEC filings.

Yiannopoulos also claimed to The Daily Beast that the junior staffer in his statement was not himself or a Greene employee, but someone who was working under him personally. He also stated that in addition to his internship, the Greene campaign had paid him directly for his political work, claiming he had set up her podcast and associated websites, which is why, he said, his personal card and the Greene campaign card were stored in his GoDaddy account.

FEC filings do not show any payments from the Greene campaign to Yiannopoulos. Asked how he was paid, Yiannopoulos told The Daily Beast that you understand how vendors work, and declined to elaborate.

Ryan pointed out that if the transaction were in fact a mistake, it should have been flagged immediately, and corrected on the next report.

The Greene campaign has filed two reports since the transaction, without such a correction. If Yiannopoulos paid the campaign back in recent weeks, it will appear in Greenes next filing, due July 15.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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[Source]

A talented artist from Rhode Island is going viral for her miniature Vietnamese food jewelry that captures the essence of her heritage.

Hana Le, who posts an assortment of miniature crafts on her TikTok account @hana.made, decided to create mini versions of popular Vietnamese dishes to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Les work showcases an array of Vietnamese delicacies, including meticulously crafted bun bo hue, dumplings, spring rolls, banh mi sandwiches, and even a bowl of steaming pho, among many others.

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During a recent appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Le spoke about the meticulous process of creating her miniatures and shared that her father influenced her appreciation for Vietnamese cuisine.

"It's a lot of trial and error," she told host Clarkson. "Luckily I grew up eating Vietnamese food. My dad is an amazing cook and even though I can't cook like him, I make miniatures that look just about the same."

She shared how interacting with the Vietnamese community through social media has been an enriching experience for her. She also notes how comments and messages from fellow Vietnamese individuals who appreciate and admire her work hold a special place in her heart.

More from NextShark: iKON ready to 'Take Off' with tour stops in Asia, Europe and North America

Through her designs, Le said she hopes to connect with her Vietnamese roots and celebrate the vibrant culinary traditions of her ancestors.

Pen manufacturer Pilot awarded Le $1,000 in recognition of her talent.

Story continues

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Le tells NextShark that she began creating miniatures out of an obsession with small things when she was very young.

Sometimes I think its because I was so small! she said. I began to make miniatures in earnest during quarantine and grew my love of the craft from there.

According to Le, she is selling her creations via her Etsy shop, in which she promises that a restock is coming soon.

In an Instagram post, Le thanked "The Kelly Clarkson Show" for "shining a light on my art."
Better Tomorrow Ventures Sheel Mohnot landed some of his biggest wins before he ever started a venture firm. The investor previously worked as a partner at 500, previously known as 500 Startups, where he raised and ran a dedicated fintech fund as well as helped build an accelerator.

There he met his eventual founding partner at BTV - Jake Gibson - and backed a cadre of fintech startups, including Chipper and Albert, each at $2.5 million valuations. Today, Chipper is valued at over $1 billion, and Albert has raised over $175 million.

And while the firm has certainly cashed in on that early track record - raising a $225 million second fund last year - the duo behind it thinks it's time to launch a nod toward their roots. Better Tomorrow Ventures tells TechCrunch that it is launching a fintech accelerator, this time under its own roof, called The Mint.

The Mint will be a three-month accelerator, based out of San Francisco, that cuts $500,000 checks in exchange for 10% equity in between six to ten startups. The initial cohort, which starts this upcoming August, already accepted one company, and sent a second acceptance letter out today.

It's something we've done successfully before. Our returns were crazy, crazy good from that initial fintech cohort, so I think if we can get anywhere near that again, our LPs will be happy, Mohnot said.

The accelerator offers some standard support: a speaker series that includes founders from Mercury, Flexport and NerdWallet, office hours with experts, wellness resources, hiring support and desk space. Unlike some Zoom accelerator programs, The Mint is long San Francisco: two team members are moving to the city to help with logistics, and Better Tomorrow is leasing a new office space, outside of its Mission HQ, dedicated to the accelerator.

Better Tomorrow seems to be stepping in where it believes Y Combinator is lacking. YC is built for scale. The advice is a lot like one size fits all, Mohnot said. We felt like with fintech, there are so many things that are unique about building that it makes sense to have something distinct.

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Among some seed stage investors, YCs new standard deal has been met with varying degrees of weariness. Last year, YC announced that it would still offer its original deal - a $125,000 check in exchange for 7/% equity - as well as a $375,000 check at an uncapped SAFE note with a most favored nation (MFN) clause. The latter has stirred up some controversy: an MFN means that YC will get to invest $375,000 at the same terms as the investor who has the best terms in the next round. Now, YC companies are less incentivized to raise a small amount of money from angels, and more incentivized to optimize for higher valuations after Demo Day, so dilution is limited when accepting that $375,000 check.

We think the MFN clause [that YC currently offers] can do companies a disservice. Because they end up almost having to raise at a very high valuationyou're seeing that bite them in the ass a little bit. Because as if they don't hit the metrics, the next round is even more challenging, Mohnot said. While BTVs 10% ownership is higher than other VC-spun out programs - take NextViews $200,000 in exchange for 8% stake for an example - its less than what BTV usually targets for first checks, which is between 15% to 20% ownership.

YC has a new deal that is $125k for 7% and an additional $375k on an uncapped note w/ MFN. Good move for them but makes YC incompatible with seed-stage VC's that lead rounds... hard for us to get our ownership with that add'l $375k from YC.https://t.co/0oDhIKbEGB  Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) January 10, 2022

Mohnot says that BTV will continue investing outside of the accelerator, but the big focus for the rest of the year in terms of net new investments will be within the program.

I think there's a TechCrunch article right now about fintech pessimism, Mohnot said. We are still really excited about the future of fintech and we liked fintech before it was cool.. At a fundamental level, financial services are 20% of GDP, and they are inherently digital, so the numbers make sense.
In its investigation, the team of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has revealed the theft of budget funds by officials of the Tactical Missile Armaments Corporation, which produces missiles that are used to bomb Ukraine.

Source: Navalnys team investigation

Quote: "Tactical Missile Armament Corporation is the largest Russian defence holding. According to Vladimir Putin, this is our shield, a guarantee of security, a symbol of Russia's strength and power. But for Putin's officials, these are primarily hundreds of billions [of roubles] from the state budget, which they shamelessly plunder. Since its foundation, for the last 20 years, the corporation has been headed by Boris Obnosov, whose relatives live a luxurious life. And, of course, abroad."

Details: The investigation, in particular, says that with the money stolen from the state budget, the relatives of the chief rocket builder of Russia and Putin's confidant buy apartments in the Czech Republic and collect a collection of unique expensive cars.

The attention of the investigators was attracted by the son-in-law of the head of the Corporation for Tactical Missile Armaments Rostislav Zorikov and his wife.

The authors of the investigation recall that they have already caught Obnosovs family red-handed before.

The investigation draws attention to the significant wealth of the Zorikov family, although its origin remains unclear. For instance, Obnosov's daughter works in an agency that can arrange weddings, family holidays, plan a vacation, or make an invitation to a master class.

And her husband collects cars, the collective price of which reaches a sum of at least RUB 77 million [approx. USD $10,1 million.  ed.] At the same time, his wife bought a Bentley Bentayga, a Porsche 911 Carrera and a Hummer. That's another RUB 26 million [approx. USD $341,610  ed.].

The investigation reveals information on the firms owned by Zorikov, and luxury real estate in Prague, which belongs to his family.

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Quote: "Their logic is perfectly clear, and very convenient: you steal from Russia on a defence order and slowly divide it. Father [and father-in-law  ed.] makes missiles that kill thousands of peaceful people, and you collect cars, organise some holidays, photo shoots, personal growth training sessions. And if anything [happens  ed.], you rush to Prague. Everything has already been bought here, everything is ready, and it says on the door: decent gentlemen Zorikov lives here."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






The remains of Beau Mann, 39, were found in a courtyard of an abandoned property in Santa Monica on April 25, police said.

The remains of Beau Mann, 39, were found in a courtyard of an abandoned property in Santa Monica on April 25, police said.

Human remains found at an abandoned property in Southern California last month have been identified as a missing tech CEO who was last seen in 2021.

Beau Manns remains were located in a Santa Monica courtyard on April 25 and were positively identified on Saturday, the Santa Monica Police Department announced Tuesday.

The 39-year-old was last seen on the afternoon of Nov. 30, 2021, at a convenience store near the Los Angeles office of Sober Grid, an app that Mann founded in 2015 for people in addiction recovery, the company said.

Simply put  Beau was our light, Sober Grid said in a statement. After an experience in his early years with drugs and addiction, he turned his focus and passion towards helping others.

Mann got into an Uber and was dropped off in Santa Monica, not far from where his remains were found. During the ride, his company said he texted 911.

Santa Monica Police Lt. Erika Aklufi told the Los Angeles Times that authorities responded to his text but he didnt reply.

It was a gibberish text maybe and then he didnt respond, she said. Its just another thing that were going to be looking into.

His death is now being investigated as a possible homicide, and authorities plan to speak with the Uber driver, who hasnt been deemed a suspect in the case, said Aklufi, who did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment Wednesday.

Manns fiance, who lived in Michigan during their long-distance relationship, with Mann living in California, told NBC Los Angeles that police investigated the Uber in the days after he went missing but they didnt suspect foul play.

I just have a very hard time understanding how he could be so close to that drop-off address, and nobody found him or saw him there, Jason Abate said. I just hope that he didnt suffer.

Related...
In this image taken from video released by Kaplan Hecker & Fink, former President Donald Trump answers questions during his Oct. 19, 2022, deposition for his trial against writer E. Jean Carroll. The video recording of Trump being questioned about the rape allegations against him was made public for the first time Friday, May 5, 2023, providing a glimpse of the Republicans emphatic, often colorful denials. | Kaplan Hecker & Fink via Associated Press

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney told reporters Donald Trump is not suited to be president of the United States after news broke that Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.

In remarks to CNN, Romney said Trump should not be who we hold up to our children and the world.

A jury of President Trumps peers found him responsible for sexual assault. I hope the jury of the American people reach the same conclusion, which is he is not fit to become President of the United States, he told ABC.

Romney also called on Republicans to find a different nominee.

Romney has been a frequent critic of Trumps, including over Trumps denial of the 2020 election results, his part in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, and his character.

On Tuesday, a jury found Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation in Carrolls case. Trump continued to deny the charges after the verdict was reached, calling the trial unfair and criticizing the judge in posts on Truth Social.

Because of the statute of limitations, Trump does not face criminal charges over the allegations, but Carroll was able to sue him in civil court after New York state lawmakers made temporary changes allowing for a longer period of time to file lawsuits against alleged attackers.

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth, Carroll said in a statement Tuesday.

Related

Trump announced his third campaign for the presidency shortly after the 2022 midterms. He is still ahead of other Republicans in early polls, but it is unclear if his legal troubles will eventually affect Republican voters opinions of him.

Besides the civil case, Trump also faces felony charges in New York over allegations he falsified business records during his 2016 presidential run.

Related
The mother of a six-year-old boy who allegedly shot his teacher in her classroom has broken her silence to say she takes responsibility for the youngsters actions.

First-grade teacher Abby Zwerner was shot and wounded by the boy at Richneck Elementary on 6 January and has sued the Newport News School District for $40m.

Following an investigation police announced that no charges would be brought against the boy, but his mother, Deja Taylor, has been charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanour recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child.

Deja Taylor, the mother of a six-year-old boy who allegedly shot his teacher in her classroom has broken her silence to say she takes responsibility for the youngsters actions. She appeared along with boys legal guardian Calvin Taylor and lawyer James Ellenson (ABC News)

Investigators say that her son allegedly took a handgun from their home, put it in his backpack and took it into school where he is accused of shooting Ms Zwerner.

She suffered critical injuries in the incident but is expected to make a full recovery.

Now Ms Taylor, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, says that her sons alleged actions can be explained by the fact he suffers from ADHD.

I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he cant take responsibility, Ms Taylor, who is set to face trial on 15 August, told ABC News in her first interview.

And she apologised to the teacher for what she has had to go through.

I just truly would like to apologise that ... she (Zwerner) did get hurt. We were actually kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. And she is really a bright person, she said.

In her lawsuit, Ms Zwerners lawyers have said that the school ignored multiple warnings about the boys behaviour and characterised him as having a history of random violence.

His mother told the news outlet that her son was a great kid but that his health condition made him very energetic.

Hes off the wall. Doesnt sit still, ever, she said.

She went on to say that her son actually really liked the teacher he shot and that during the week of the shocking incident he felt like he was being ignored.

Newport News teacher Abigail Zwerner

And she said that prior to the incident, he slammed a phone hard on the ground when Ms Zwerner told him to sit down as he asked her a question.

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You know, most children, when they are trying to talk to you, and if you easily just brush them off, or you ask them to sit down, or youre dealing with something else and you ask them to go and sit down, at 6 (years old) you in your mind would believe that Somebodys not listening to me and you have a tantrum, Ms Taylor explained.

He threw his arms up. He said, Fine. And when he threw his arms up, he knocked her phone out of her hand on accident, she said.

The boy was suspended after that incident and the shooting took place the day that he returned to the classroom, according to the teachers lawsuit.

Newport News Public Schools told ABC News it could not comment on issues surrounding a students educational record.

Ms Taylors family claims that a member was not present on the day of the shooting as the school had told them they no longer needed to be present in the classroom.

School Shooting Newport News (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Her grandfather, Calvin Taylor, who has legal custody of the boy, told the outlet that the youngsters behaviour had changed (in a positive way) in the classroom, before the shooting.

He was more attentive, he tried to follow along, he tried to do the coursework, Mr Taylor said. But in all fairness to the other kids in the class, sometimes it was just too much for him.

Mr Ellenson said that the gun had been legally purchased and that nobody knows how the boy had got hold of it as it had been locked away.

The youngster remains in the custody of Mr Taylor and is back in school and receiving therapy.

January 6 was a terrible day for a lotta people, he added. A terrible day for the teacher, a terrible day for the kids that was in that classroom, a terrible day for my great-grandson, and a terrible day for the community and my other family members and friends.
stock photo of children's books on a shelf Catherine McQueen/Getty Images

A Utah mother who published a children's book about coping with grief after her husband died has been accused of poisoning him with a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Kouri Richins' husband, Eric, died in their Kamas, Utah, home on March 4, 2022. Police responded after Richins called 911 to report that she'd found him unresponsive in their bedroom, per a probable cause statement. At the time, Richins told investigators that she had "closed on a house for her business" and brought her husband "a celebratory Moscow Mule cocktail in the bedroom of their home," CNN summarizes. She told authorities she'd left to sleep in their son's room and "returned around 3 a.m. to find her husband lying on the floor cold to the touch."

Roughly a year after her husband's death, CNN adds, "Richins published a children's book, Are You With Me? about navigating grief after the loss of a loved one." But just over two months after the book was published, she was charged with killing her husband, having made "a series of illicit fentanyl purchases in the months leading up to his death," CNN writes, per court documents.

An autopsy and toxicology report determined that Richins' husband of nine years "had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system and that the drug was illicit and not medical grade," The New York Times says. The medical examiner concluded that he ingested the drugs orally.

A search of Richins' cellphone revealed communication between her and an acquaintance identified in court records as C.L., who claimed to have provided her with the drugs. After C.L. sold her pain medication, Richins reached out and asked for "some of the Michael Jackson stuff." C.L. sold her 15 to 30 fentanyl pills for $900 six days before her husband's death, the court documents say.

Authorities arrested Richins on Monday and charged her with aggravated murder and three counts of second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

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Tiffany Justice was fed up.

The mother of four from Vero Beach, Fla. says her children's elementary school was falling apart. The hallways were flooding. There were rats in the cafeteria. And when she went to the principal with her concerns, she says she was told that nothing could be done.

So Justice took matters into her own hands. She organized other parents and successfully pushed for renovations to the school. Then she ran for the local school board, on which she served for four years until 2019.

When the pandemic began, however, Justice said she was once again alarmed by the way the schools were being operated. Students moved to online classes. They were forced to wear masks. And the curriculum, as she tells it, had become too liberal, delving into subjects such as race and gender that she found inappropriate for young students.

Thats how Moms for Liberty began. In January 2021, Justice teamed up with a friend from the school board, Tina Descovich, in an effort to galvanize parents to fight back. Since then, the group  which describes itself as nonpartisan and claims 115,000 members  has become a major force in Republican politics.

Conservative media outlets highlight videos of members of Moms for Liberty as they turn school board meetings into raucous shouting matches. Its members have won school board seats all over the country. And at the groups first summit meeting last year, the speakers included former HUD secretary Ben Carson and Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and conservative culture war hero who is soon expected to launch a campaign for the presidency.

DeSantis also appointed another leader of the group to a government board involved in his ongoing battle with Disney.

The founders of Moms for Liberty, Tiffany Justice, left, and Tina Descovich, in red, present the Liberty Sword to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with another member of the group, just before he addresses its inaugural summit on July 15, 2022, in Tampa. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The groups goal, Justice says, is to ensure that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their children.

One of the biggest misconceptions is somehow we want to hurt public education or defund public education. And nothing could be further from the truth, Justice told Yahoo News. We are disrupting the balance of power in education.

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I've seen horrible nicknames of things that people say about our organization, and it's incredibly hurtful for a group of people who profess kindness and inclusivity and lovingness, she added.

Critics, however, see the group as a right-wing effort to indoctrinate students and censor what they learn.

Part of what makes [them] so successful is pretending, Were moms, were a community, were just grassroots, we want to help protect your children. Its absolute bull****, but they have a great message, Laura Leigh Abby of Defense of Democracy, a nonpartisan group advocating for an inclusive public education system, told Vice News last month. Theres a reason theyre growing, because theyre smart.

Marisa Fuentes, a historian and associate professor of womens and gender studies at Rutgers University who spoke to Yahoo News, goes further, contending that Moms for Liberty is dedicated to promoting white supremacy.

It is the students of color who are the ones who really need to be protected from the centuries of racist education that gaslighted their histories and experiences and now are again being completely displaced by the parents of white children," she said. "The language of protection of children is code for White children should not be made to know how they benefit from centuries of violence, theft of land and slavery.

How Moms for Liberty operates

Sandra Weyer (left), who was charged in the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and another supporter of Moms for Liberty leave the Pennsylvania State Capitol during a Moms for Liberty rally. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Moms for Liberty says it wants to have an elected member on the board of every school district across the country. To do this, its 275 chapters, scattered across 45 states, operate as individual entities, endorsing candidates for local school board elections and setting their own agendas for seeking to shape public education.

Moms for Liberty candidates must sign a pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government. Parents who join the organization have a similar pledge.

Chapters host community service events and regular meetings to decide their candidate endorsements and share resources, but a lot of activity happens out of the view of the public, often on private Facebook pages where members can talk about taboo subjects.

In at least one instance in Chattanooga, Tenn., members of the local Moms for Liberty chapter targeted members of an opposing group, Moms for Social Justice, and threatened to report them for child abuse or distribution of pornography. The Moms for Liberty members called their rivals groomers and tagged them online as #PedophileSympathizers.

They have literally called us witches, one member of Moms for Social Justice told the New Republic.

Descovich, the Moms for Liberty co-founder, dismisses such reports and says theyre not in keeping with the group's goals. The group, she says, is very much mainstream.

"In 2022, our chapters endorsed in over 500 school board races across the country, and they won 275 seats, she recently told CBS News.

Jennifer Grinager, a Moms for Liberty endorsee, won a seat on the Templeton Unified School District board in Templeton, Calif., last year. She told Newsweek that she credits the organization for getting what she called sexually suggestive magazines pulled from schools.

Parents are stepping up, learning about the curriculum and the LGBTQ agenda," she said.

'Its just toxic'

Members of Moms for Liberty at a campaign event for Jacqueline Rosario in Vero Beach, Fla., on Oct. 16, 2022. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

Opponents of the group say Moms for Liberty is being disingenuous about its true objectives.

Moms for Liberty is definitely pushing a political agenda that goes well beyond parental rights, Leigh Ann Wheeler, a history professor at Binghamton University in upstate New York, told Yahoo News. We can see this in its stand against mandatory mask-wearing in schools during the pandemic, as well as in the types of books it identifies as dangerous for children.

In the last 18 months, the group has been accused of pulling age-appropriate books out of libraries and classrooms and peddling conspiracy theories about COVID and voter fraud while harassing and threatening critics.

The group has spent its short existence embroiled in controversy. In Michigan, an administrator for the local chapters Facebook group declared that anyone who backed President Bidens review of school board threats and violence would be REMOVED 1776 style  which some people took as a threat. In South Carolina, a Moms of Liberty-affiliated board member named Ed Kelley allegedly declared at a chapter meeting that if his son's teacher came out as transgender, he would show up at the teacher's home with a gun.

It is not within a teachers unilateral discretion to make statements about personal sexual choices to children without consulting school officials, Kelley said in a statement, after being called to step down. In my opinion, this teacher demonstrated poor judgment, with no consideration of the emotional impact or confusion forced upon these young, impressionable children.

In Arkansas, the head of communications of the local chapter threatened violence towards librarians in the district, saying they should be plowed down with a freaking gun by now, in audio obtained by Media Matters.

Most recently, at a school board forum in Pennsylvania last month, one parent, Christa Caceres, asked a candidate affiliated with Moms for Liberty, Kerri Wilson, why she objected to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Wilson said she was fearful that there is going to be [white] children that are  going to be made to feel bad that they are not a person of color.

Caceres's response  in a video that quickly went viral  explained that her Black son had not been taught about the nations fraught racial history, and that he deserved to know how his ancestors contributed to the country.

Thats equity, Caceres, the local NAACP president, added. Thats inclusion.

Caceres told Yahoo News that she had had enough of Moms for Libertys WWE-style of communication.

I think people are just tired of the performative politics, she added. It's just toxic. It doesn't do anything for us as a community.

Moms for Liberty leaders say that local chapters come up with their own priorities organically. But across the country, those chapters have adopted a common tactic: book challenges, the American Library Associations term for attempts to remove books from schools and libraries.

'Censorship is not liberty'

Jennifer Pippin, president of the Indian River County, Fla., chapter of Moms for Liberty, attends Jacqueline Rosario's campaign event in Vero Beach, Fla., on Oct. 16, 2022. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

Over the last year, Moms of Liberty has made it a priority to target books with content that discusses issues of race, gender and LGBTQ rights. One chapter in Iowa, for example, created a 111-page document providing parents guidance on childrens books, based on a loose rating system that rates books from 0-5, with 0 deemed appropriate for everyone and 5 as abhorrent content, for adults only.

Books that wound up on that target list included such modern classics as Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, a book about a Black girl growing up in the 1940s, and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale.

Lines like Lets go for a beer, Darlene might be pregnant and I dont understand white people were flagged in the document as inappropriate content on books approved by districts for high school education.

A short blurb in the manual states that the group refutes the label of book banners because they do not want to burn books or take them out of circulation but say parents should have a say in what their children read.

We're not removing anything, Justice said. The school districts and the school boards make those decisions. Our biggest concern was that there was no process in place.

But Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom, told Yahoo News last year that in her two decades with the organization, she had never seen as many book challenges.

According to an ALA press release in March, book challenges last year had increased substantially from a record number of challenges in 2021. In all, 2,571 titles were targeted for censorship in 2022, a 38% increase on the 1,858 titles targeted for censorship in 2021. The vast majority of these titles were written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color.

Caldwell-Stone said that typically, about 350 challenges are reported to her office a year, with 373 in 2019, the last full pre-pandemic school year.

You have these  they call themselves parents rights organizations  pursuing this censorship agenda and arguing that censorship is the proper solution. But once you start using book banning as a tool, where does it end? Caldwell-Stone said.

Philip Nel, an expert on childrens literature and an English professor at Kansas State University, characterized the book challenges as part of a larger right-wing backlash after former President Donald Trumps 2020 election loss and the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police.

In the U.S., backlash follows progress, just as night follows day, Nel told Yahoo News. We are now living in that backlash, witnessing the rolling-back of voting rights, reproductive rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights and the right to read.

Censorship is not liberty, he added. They threaten librarians, teachers, and parents who oppose them."
Cases of mpox, the disease formerly known as monkeypox, peaked in July and August last year in the U.S. and have drastically declined since, with a seven-day average of zero new cases in late April, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But a growing number of cases in Chicago have authorities concerned that the summer could bring another nationwide mpox outbreak. Familiarizing yourself with mpox aka monkeypox pictures and symptoms can help keep your community safe.

Pictures of monkeypox symptoms and rash from UK Health Security Agency. (GOV.UK)

On Monday, Howard Brown Health, an LGBTQ-focused clinic in Chicago, shared that it had seen eight new cases of mpox since April 17, compared to one case in the previous three months. This marks the city's highest number of new cases since November 2022. Infections that spread through sexual contact tend to increase during the summer, and NBC News reported there's concern among experts that this could happen with mpox cases, as well.

The mpox virus spreads through close, usually skin-to-skin contact and results in a rash and flu-like symptoms, such as fever, aches, sore throat and cough. The 2022 outbreak was driven primarily by sex between men, but it can also spread outside this community.

Over the past three weeks, eight countries have had a slight increase in new mpox cases, said Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the technical lead for mpox at the World Health Organization. Many of the new cases are in people who have received vaccines against mpox.

While breakthrough cases with mpox are possible, experts stress that vaccines can reduce the severity of symptoms and are crucial to prevent a resurgence of the virus.

Without renewed vaccination and prevention efforts, we are at risk for a resurgence of mpox, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator of the White House national mpox response, told NBC News. Vaccine is a really important tool, even if its not perfect.

It's possible that vaccines and immunity from previous infections could prevent another outbreak the size of last year's, NBC News reported. But it's unclear how much immunity is needed and whether people will return to sexual behaviors that they stopped last year to curb the spread of the outbreak.

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Still, it's not yet time to panic about a possible surge of mpox cases, Daskalakis said. Rather, the new cases in Chicago should be a "call to action," he added. We have the tools to take care of this, he said. We just have to get it done.

The monkeypox outbreak first hit the U.S. in May 2022, and cases ticked up rapidly over the summer, hitting a peak of 736 new cases in one day in late August, per CDC data. The U.S. has had more cases than any other country  over 30,000  and 42 deaths.

Once September hit, the number of new mpox cases in the U.S. dropped. The seven-day average of reported new cases hit 100 on Sept. 28, 2022, down from 471 just seven weeks prior.

The decrease, driven by declining rates in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, may've been due to vaccines and the most at-risk communities changing their behavior. People of color have being disproportionately affected by the outbreak.

The monkeypox outbreak was declared a national public health emergency in the U.S. in early August, shortly after the World Health Organization also declared it a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert.

Monkeypox pictures and rash

Mpox is a rare disease thats usually found in Central and West Africa. In humans, there are two types of mpox virus, which WHO recently renamed: clade one, formerly known as the Congo Basin variant, and clade two, formerly known as the West African clade. Clade two drove the 2022 outbreak and has a survival rate of 99% whereas clade one has a 10% fatality rate.

Monkeypox symptoms usually appear within three weeks of exposure. Usually, flu-like symptoms will appear first, followed by a rash one to four days later. The rash may be on or near the genitals or anus, as well as other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, chest, face or inside the mouth, according to the CDC. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

monkeypox pictures (CDC)

Some of the most common mpox symptoms reported in the current outbreak have been lesions around the genitals and anus, fever, swollen lymph nodes, oral sores and pain when swallowing, per WHO. In some patients, the rash has appeared before flu-like symptoms, and it only affected one part of the body, such as the genitals. (In other patients, it started around the genitals or anus and then spread.)

A recent study in the journal BMJ found that almost half of the 197 participants, all of whom had tested positive for mpox, had lesions on the skin or mucus membranes as their only symptom, or their systemic symptoms, like fever, appeared after the lesions. The study authors also noted the "predilection" of the lesions to the genital and anal areas, as well as in and around the mouth and throat. Also, some patients had solitary lesions that did not spread.

The study authors theorized that these trends may be due to the virus spreading from sex and the rash popping up where the virus entered the body as the first symptom. Most cases in the outbreak have been tied to sex between men, another study found.

The first U.S. monkeypox case was in May in a Massachusetts man whod traveled to Canada, and his rash first appeared around his anus and genitals, according to a June CDC report. Also this past May, a New York City resident with mpox was treated for an oral lesion and rash around the anus initially presumed to be a common sexually transmitted infection. Another mpox patient in New York City told TODAY.com that their symptoms started out like the flu before sores appeared on the face and anus.

monkeypox picture (Courtesy Jack Richards)

What does monkeypox look like?

Many mpox patients have been sharing pictures and videos of their symptoms to raise awareness and stem the spread. A 40-year-old man from Texas who goes by Silver Steele on social media shared a photo timeline of his mpox rash, which has gone viral. He told TODAY.com his first symptom was a few small blisters; a few days after they appeared, he experienced flu-like symptoms.

Prior to this pandemic, mpox symptoms usually began with fever, headache, back aches and lethargy lasting one to two days, according to Lewis. Traditionally, next a rash will appear, which starts as red discoloration in the skin. It usually starts on the face and then progresses to the arms and legs, then hands and feet, and then the rest of the body. This phase also lasts one to two days. Next comes what are referred to as papules, when the rash becomes raised on the skin, instead of flat. This also lasts one to two days.

monkeypox pictures (GOV.UK)

Next is the vesicle phase, or as Lewis called them, blisters, when lesions are raised and filled with clear fluid, usually starting on the fourth or fifth day of symptoms and lasting another one to two days.

Vesicles are followed by pustules, when the blisters fill with a whitish fluid that looks like pus, Lewis said, usually around the sixth or seventh day of symptoms. According to the CDC, theyre usually firm to the touch, develop a dent in the center (called an umbilication) and last an additional five to seven days. (The BMJ study on symptoms in the 2022 monkeypox outbreak noted that some participants' lesions did not become pustular or ulcerated.)

Monkeypox pictures (CDC via Getty Images)

After about two weeks of symptoms, the lesions then start to crust and scab over, and the scabs last for another week before falling off. Scars and skin discoloration may persist after the scabs are gone, but youre no longer contagious after the scabs have all fallen off.

Monkeypox pictures (Getty Images)

How is monkeypox transmitted

Mpox symptoms are similar to those of smallpox, including fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills exhaustion and a rash similar to pimples or blisters, which can pop up on the face, in the mouth, on the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus. But mpox is much less contagious than smallpox. There is no specific treatment for mpox, but the smallpox vaccine, antivirals and other treatments can be used to control an outbreak.

According to the CDC, the mpox virus spreads primarily through direct contact with the sores or bodily fluids of someone infected with mpox or materials that have come in contact with bodily fluids or sores of an infected person. It may also spread through contact with respiratory secretions. These methods of transmission may occur during intercourse or other sexual contact, such as kissing, massaging or hugging, or through prolonged face-to-face interactions.

It's still unknown whether mpox can spread if a person was exposed but doesn't have any symptoms, how often it's spread through respiratory secretions, or if it can spread through semen, vaginal fluids, urine or feces.

To prevent the spread of monkeypox, the CDC recommends:

Avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like mpox

Not touching the rash or scabs of person with mpox

Not kissing, hugging, cuddling or having sex with someone with mpox

Not sharing eating utensils or cups with a person with mpox

Not touching bedding, towels or clothing of a person with mpox

The virus can also spread from animals to humans through a bite or scratch by handling wild game or using products made from infected animals. And there's reason to believe mpox can spread from humans to animals, TODAY.com previously reported. Medical journal The Lancet recently investigated the "first case of a dog with confirmed mpox virus infection that might have been acquired through human transmission." No cases had been reported in domesticated animals prior, the study authors noted.

Monkeypox vaccines

The Jynneos vaccine appears to be effective at protecting against mpox, according to CDC data, which found that unvaccinated men eligible for the vaccine were 14 times more likely to develop mpox than men who'd received at least one dose. Roughly 800,000 doses have been administered in the U.S. to people at high risk of becoming infected with mpox.

The CDC recommends anyone exposed to mpox or with an increased risk of exposure be vaccinated against it.

If you're concerned that you've been exposed to mpox or have monkeypox symptoms, visit a heath care provider, the CDC advises. If you believe you have mpox symptoms, you should also avoid contact with other people and animals until you test negative.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Millions of dollars have been awarded to Montgomery County as part of an opioid settlement with Meijer, Inc.

Meijer, Inc. was one of the various opioid manufacturers and distributors that Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. filed lawsuits against on behalf of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in July 2018. In 2021, retail pharmacy defendants were added to the litigation as part of a combined multidistrict litigation.

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Without admitting wrongdoing, the company entered into a $35 million settlement agreement on May 1 with Montgomery County and 46 other jurisdictions. On May 4, Montgomery County was awarded $6.38 million as part of the settlement.

Montgomery Countys settlement also means that an additional $675,000 will be placed into the Common Benefit Fund and will be used by other jurisdictions in the county to help deal with the effects of the opioid crisis, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Prosecutors Office said.

Heck said the settlement money will immediately provide the county and local jurisdictions money for drug treatment and prevention programs, as well as public education.

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The opioid crisis affected Montgomery County in profound ways. I am pleased that working alongside the Board of County Commissioners, we were able to reach this settlement. This will benefit the citizens of Montgomery County in combatting and recovering from opioid addiction, Heck said.

There is still additional litigation against some companies that remains ongoing.








Gangs often target schools for mass abductions for ransom in northwest Nigeria. Here shoes are seen abandoned by kidnapped students in a crime two years ago

Gunmen freed more of the 25 people kidnapped for ransom from a Baptist church in northwest Nigeria over the weekend, some of them abandoned by their captors because of ill health or old age, a senior church leader said on Wednesday.

Heavily armed gangs known locally as bandits frequently carry out mass abductions for ransom in northwest and central Nigeria, holding their captives in camps hidden in forests that stretch across the region.

Armed attackers on Sunday stormed into the Bege Baptist Church in Kaduna State during morning mass and abducted 40 people.

Fifteen managed to escape, while the gunmen left with 25, Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State said.

Eleven more hostages were released by their captors, bringing the number still detained to 14, Hayab told AFP on Wednesday.

"The number of those kidnapped from the church has reduced 14 after the gunmen set free 11 out of the 25 they took away," said Hayab, who is also a Baptist priest.

"They abandoned or released those they found difficult to manage due to health challenges, fatigue or age," he said.

The latest was a woman who was so exhausted that the abductors mistook her for dead and abandoned her in the bush along with her baby.

The woman regained consciousness, found her baby and returned home, Hayab said.

"To them, it is not the number of the hostages they take that matters because they know even if they take one person they will receive ransom in exchange."

He said they were waiting for the abductors to make their demands.

Kaduna police have confirmed the incident but are yet to provide details.

Abductions for ransom and intercommunal attacks have been on the rise again in the last few weeks after a brief calm period during February and March elections for the presidency and governorship posts.

Nine people, including a local chief, were also kidnapped late on Wednesday in Idon Gida community in nearby Kajuru district of Kaduna State, according to Hayab and a local official.

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Bandits burst into the Christian village around 2000 GMT, taking away seven women and two men, they said.

Mass kidnappings and bandit gangs in the northwest are just one of several security challenges facing president-elect Bola Tinubu when he takes the helm of Africa's most populous nation later this month.

Nigeria's military is also battling a grinding jihadist conflict in the northeast that has killed 40,000 since 2009 as well as simmering separatist tensions in the southeast of the country, where gunmen often target police.

abu/pma/lcm
Morgan Wallen has cancelled six weeks of his US tour after doctors advised him to rest his voice.

The country singer previously pulled out of a show mere minutes before he was due to hit the stage due to vocal problems.

As of Tuesday (9 May), the Thought You Should Know singer will be out of action for more than a month in order to completely recuperate.

Im just gonna go ahead and get straight to it. I got some bad news from my doctors at the Vanderbilt Voice Center yesterday, he said in a video posted to Instagram.

After taking 10 days of vocal rest I performed three shows last weekend in Florida and by the third one I felt terrible.

The former The Voice contestant said doctors diagnosed him with vocal fold trauma, which takes around six weeks to fully recover from.

According to Wallen, failure to adhere to this guidance would put him at risk of causing permanent harm to his voice.

Morgan Wallen (Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

They told me that if I do this the right way, Ill get back to 100 per cent and they also said that if I dont listen and I keep singing, then Ill permanently damage my voice, he said.

So for the longevity of my career, this is just a choice I had to make. I hate it. But I love you guys, and I appreciate all the support that you always give me.

He added that his team was working to reschedule the affected dates.

In April, Wallen, 29, abruptly cancelled his show in Mississippi, much to the ire of his fans already present at the Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

One was so incensed by the sudden drop-out that she shared a full itemised list of everything she wants a refund for, including a hotel bill, her and her husbands outfits and their food.
Oliver Wendell Holmes School at 2463 N. Buffum St., Milwaukee. A Milwaukee Public Schools aide was charged last week with sexual assault of a student.

A Milwaukee Public Schools aide has been charged with sexual assault and enticement of a then-12-year-old student at Oliver Wendell Holmes School in 2021, along with eight other counts related to alleged harassment of three other students at the school as recently as this April.

Randell Jefferson, 33, was a teacher's aide at the school and worked in the after-school program, according to a complaint filed May 3 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Holmes School, on Buffum and Wright Streets in the Harambee neighborhood, serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

It's clear from the complaint that police detectives knew about the alleged assault as of September 2022, and the student named the assailant as "Mr. Jefferson" at Holmes School. It's not clear how Jefferson was able to continue working at the school.

A spokesman for MPS didn't answer questions from the Journal Sentinel about when the school became aware of allegations against Jefferson or any disciplinary action against him. In a statement, district officials said they would not comment on any details.

MPS is aware of misconduct allegations related to a staff member," the statement said. "In accordance with District policy and Federal and State law, the District does not comment on the circumstances of our individual students and their families."

According to state data, Holmes was employed at the school as an aide since the 2018-19 school year.

The state Department of Public Instruction opened an investigation May 8 into revoking Jefferson's educator license. A spokesman for the department said it was the first time his licensure has been under investigation.

According to the complaint, in 2021, Jefferson went to the 12-year-old's class, asked her to come with him and took her to another room where he sexually assaulted her. The girl told her mom about the incident in September last year. Milwaukee police detectives interviewed the girl in September.

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In late April this year, three other students, ages 13 and 14, came forward. Together, they told a teacher they were afraid of Jefferson because he had been sexually harassing them.

Jefferson had individually been offering them money for sexual acts and pressuring them to comply, which they did not, according to the complaint. The complaint also alleged he had shown them pornographic videos. One student said the harassment began last year, while the others experienced it this April.

After the students met with the teacher, Milwaukee police detectives spoke with the students and the school principal April 28. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed the complaint against Jefferson on May 3.

According to the complaint, Jefferson told police he ran the after-school program at the school. Holmes School has a "Community Learning Center" after-school program, according to the MPS website, which is run in partnership by MPS' Milwaukee Recreation Department and the nonprofit Children's Outing Association.

Jefferson faces one charge of second degree sexual assault of a child, three charges of child enticement, three charges of soliciting a child for prostitution and and three charges of exposing a child to harmful material.

The assault charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in prison and $100,000 in fines. For each enticement and solicitation charge, Jefferson faces up to 25 years and $100,000. For each charge of exposure to harmful material, he could face up to 3.5 years and $10,000.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's database shows Jefferson is in custody at the county jail, with bail set at $50,000. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 15.

Elliot Hughes contributed to this report.

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teachers aide charged with sexual assault, harassment at MPS
MrBeast appears onstage to accept the award for favorite male creator at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. | Richard Shotwell, Invision, Associated Press

MrBeast is facing backlash again. After being accused by one writer of posting inspiration porn in his latest video, Elon Musk came to the YouTube stars defense.

In his most recent video  titled 1,000 Deaf People Hear For The First Time  the YouTuber donated $3 million worth of hearing aids with cutting-edge hearing technology that analyzes each users specific hearing needs. Several individuals featured in the video gave emotional reactions to hearing the voices of their loved ones. Even MrBeast got teary-eyed a handful of times.

In typical MrBeast fashion, he also surprised a number of people featured in the video with $10,000 just to make their day a little bit better.

The YouTuber traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, South Africa, Malawi and Indonesia to provide deaf people with hearing aids.

To further help the cause, MrBeast also gave money to organizations that teach sign language around the world.

Sign language connects people whether they can hear or not. But access to learning sign language is still very limited in many places. So were gonna donate $100,000 to organizations around the world that are teaching people sign language, MrBeast said in the video.

An article in the Independent, headlined Deaf People like me deserve better than MrBeasts latest piece of inspiration porn, criticized the YouTuber for sensationalizing the reality of deafness.

One part of the problem, in that it amplifies the dangerous misconception that hearing devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants are cures or fixes for deafness. They arent, the Independent said.

There is nothing in MrBeasts video which acknowledges the fluctuating relationship we deaf people have with hearing and listening, the Independent added.

Criticisms of MrBeasts new post packed on via Twitter.

Hearing aids are not a cure. Hearing aids do not automatically restore hearing, one critic tweeted.

Seriously? This is disgusting human behavior, tweeted another. How can you guys defend Mr. Beast after this, hes exploiting these unlucky humans with his money and is profiting off their hearing loss. I will not be showing anymore of his videos to my children.

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Elon Musk came to the YouTubers defense in a tweet that began, People definitely shouldnt be attacked for doing good.

Is it really just a question of money to restore hearing? Musk continued. Im always looking ways to donate money that are actually good. Perhaps this is one. It is very hard to donate money if you about it doing actual good, not merely the appearance of it.

People definitely shouldnt be attacked for doing good. Is it really just a question of money to restore hearing?



Im always looking ways to donate money that are actually good. Perhaps this is one.



It is very hard to donate money if you about it doing actual good, not merely  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2023

This is not the first of the social media stars philanthropic efforts. Earlier this year, he funded cataracts surgery for 1,000 people suffering blindness  an act for which he was called demonic, per the Deseret News.

In 2020, MrBeast said be planned to use my main channels influence to one day open hundreds of homeless shelters/food banks and give away all the money.

Thats my gameplan and if you dont believe me, just watch. I promise Im dying with 0 dollars in my bank account and I refuse to live a materialistic life, he wrote in a followup tweet.

Related

Watch 1,000 Deaf People Hear For the First Time below
MTV News is shutting down after 36 years as MTV parent company Paramount Global undergoes mass layoffs in a bid to reduce costs.

On Tuesday, the media conglomerate said it was cutting its domestic workforce by 25% across units run by Chris McCarthy, the president of Paramount Media Networks and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios  with some divisions, like MTV News, shuttered entirely.

In a memo to staff, McCarthy said the decision came amid pressure from broader economic headwinds now hitting various U.S. newsrooms.

MTV News was launched in 1987 with a show called The Week in Rock featuring former Rolling Stone writer Kurt Loder, who quickly became the face of the news division. Its broadcasts became appointment viewing for an entire generation of pop culture enthusiasts in an era before the internet.

Reporters for the network informed millions of fans about important events in music history, such as Freddie Mercurys death in 1991 and Tupac Shakurs killing in 1996.

Kurt Loder reported on some of the biggest pop culture moments of the '80s and '90s.

Kurt Loder reported on some of the biggest pop culture moments of the '80s and '90s.

When Kurt Cobain died, MTV News was where my teenage self turned to keep updated on everything, one fan tweeted Tuesday, referring to the Nirvana frontmans death in 1994. For millennials and Gen X folks, Kurt Loder was basically our Walter Cronkite.

The news division also covered politics, enticing younger generations to participate. Loder and fellow correspondent Alison Stewart famously held an Enough Is Enough town hall in 1994 with then-President Bill Clinton.

That special spawned one of the most memorable pop culture moments of the year when an audience member asked, Mr. President, the worlds dying to know: Is it boxers or briefs? Clinton replied, Usually briefs.

MTV News went on to hold similar events with politicians like Barack Obama and John McCain, and produced award-winning coverage on topics like the Iraq War.

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The divisions popularity waned with the rise of digital publishing and social media, however. MTV News saw significant cuts in 2017, and its online output received only modest attention compared with competitors.

MTV News started with

MTV News started with "The Week in Rock," and its broadcasts quickly became appointment viewing.

With various American outlets shuttering in recent months, the end of MTV News comes as yet another reminder to audiences that the media ecosystem is changing.

Im not exaggerating when I say that MTV News was my primary news source in my formative years, one person tweeted this week.

I paid more attention to anything Kurt Loder had to say than almost any other adult in my life. Its heartbreaking the way media has been allowed to become a total fucking wasteland.

Related...
And so it begins 

If youre like me, you probably recently received a notice in your Evergy electric bill informing you that the company has begun collecting the extraordinary costs for fuel associated with the February 2021 deep freeze now known as Winter Storm Uri.

In case youve forgotten, that was about a weeklong episode when the temperatures dropped to dangerous levels in a band stretching from the Dakotas to Texas. It sent wholesale natural gas prices skyrocketing from about $3 per million British Thermal Units to a previously unimaginable high of $622.

Suppliers reaped hundreds of millions in windfall income in Kansas that week, which the gas and electric utilities that provide service to you and me had no choice but to pay  that or turn off service and watch their customers freeze to death in the dark.

Of course, those costs, by law, are eventually passed on to consumers.

It became apparent early on that expecting customers to pony up hundreds of dollars overnight was a non-starter. If theyd tried that, wed have been melting tar and plucking feathers.

So instead we get to pay it back on the monthly installment plan, baked into our bills.

Ive been covering this ever since the storm, but the installment plans were crafted utility-by-utility over the past two years, making it difficult to see the overall damage to our wallets.

Now, the plans have clarified and its become possible to see the big picture  and its not pretty.

If youre like me  and most Wichitans are  you get your natural gas from Kansas Gas Service and your electricity from Evergys Central Division, formerly Westar Energy. Youre on the hook for a total of $744.48  $676.80 to the gas company and $67.68 to the electric company.

If youre one of the about one-fourth of Wichitans who get gas from Black Hills Energy and electricity from Evergy, youre looking at a total extra charge of $755.88  $688.20 and the aforementioned $67.68 to Evergy Central.

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Heres a wrinkle: If youre in the Kansas City suburbs and exurbs served by Evergys Metro Division, formerly KC Power & Light, youll actually get a bit of a refund on electricity, because your division managed to generate and sell excess power during the winter emergency.

If you have Kansas Gas Service and Evergy Metro, youll be paying $676.80 extra for gas, minus a refund of $79.20 for electricity, for a total of $597.60.

If you get your gas from Atmos Energy and electricity from Evergy Metro, youll pay and $614.40  $693.60 for gas, minus the Evergy refund.

Overall, those of us served by investor owned utilities are paying a grand total of approximately $642 million in extra energy costs over the next 10-15 years.

And that doesnt include the myriad of co-ops and municipal utilities across Kansas that arent under state regulation.

Its obviously price-gouging  and litigation is underway trying to prove that in court and recover some of the excess costs for consumers.

But that effort has been sporadic at best.

The Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates utility rates, decided fairly early on that its not its job to recover the money for customers, and punted to the attorney general.

Its a complex case  too complex for the attorney generals staff to handle  so former AG Derek Schmidt hired outside counsel to do it.

Now, we have a new attorney general, Kris Kobach.

He fired the firm Schmidt was working with, Morgan & Morgan. Its founder, John Morgan, says it was political  the firm donates to Democrats.

Interestingly, Iowas Republican attorney general also fired the same firm from state work, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board  the national voice of the conservative establishment  opined that it was a mystery of modern politics why Republican AGs would deign to hire law firms that donate to Democrats.

Kobach admits he doesnt like the firms politics, but says the work they did on the case and their contingency fees were his primary motivation to cut ties.

Now, hes putting out a request for proposals to hire another law firm. It will be interesting to see which politicians they donate to  and I will be checking.

At the rate this is going, someone might get a nice refund on their utility bills someday. Or maybe the sun will burn out first and we wont have to worry about it.
An ice fisherman waits for a bite at Crowley Lake on April 29, opening day of the Eastern Sierra trout season. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

After a series of atmospheric rivers and cold weather hit California, this year's snowpack was one of the biggest in history.

This years result will go down as one of the largest snowpack years on record in California, Sean de Guzman, manager of the Department of Water Resources' snow surveys, said in a news release.

Striking images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASAs Terra satellite show just how massive the snowpack was.

The satellite images below show the Sierra Nevada mountain range on April 1, 2022, and April 6, 2023.

After what DWR director Karla Nemeth called the driest three years on record," which brought "devastating drought impacts to communities across the state," this year's weather has eased the drought and brought with it a new risk: flooding.

The side-by-side images below, also from NASA, show this year's snowpack compared to that of the previous three years. The images show the Sierra at the end of winter from 2020 through 2023.

End of winter snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada mountain range from 2020 through 2023. (NASA)

In April 2020, snowpack was at 50% of average levels for April. In April 2021, the figure was 62%. By April 2022, snowpack was at just 35% of average levels.

The big melt has begun, but plenty of snow remains. DWR's most recent reading shows statewide snowpack at 243% of the average May level.

This melt really is still just getting started, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA, told The Times. I know thats hard to believe, but were getting into May, and the peak is probably yet to come.

Times staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
While the Supreme Court nears a decision on President Joe Bidens student loan forgiveness plan that could relieve debt for more than 40 million people across the country, a new report by WalletHub is shedding light on just how much student loan debt lies in cities across the country.

According to the study, the average student loan debt in Charlotte is $26,453, and the average earnings for those with bachelors degrees is $61,257.

To determine the cities with the most and least amount of student loan debt, WalletHub compared the median student loan balance against the median earnings of adults 25 and older with a bachelors degree in more than 2,500 U.S. cities. While Charlotte isnt among the 10 cities that feature borrowers who owe more than they can pay (referred to as overleveraged), it does fall in the top 25th percentile.

Here is a list of cities that feature borrowers who carry the most and least student loan debt on average:

Most overleveraged cities Least overleveraged cities Walterboro, SC Windsor, CA Spring Valley, NY Pleasanton, CA Brookhaven, MS Newark, CA Fairburn, GA Hingham, MA Ithaca, NY San Carlos, CA Lake Placid, FL Bronxville, NY Natchez, MS Gilroy, CA Clarkston, GA Los Altos, CA Forest Park, GA Lafayette, IN McComb, MS McKees Rocks, PA

Student loans make up the second highest form of household debt after mortgages, totaling a record $1.63 trillion. That works out to about $37,600 per borrower, the report says.

Where the federal student loan forgiveness plan stands

Because the Supreme Court issued orders blocking the Biden Administrations student debt relief program, no more applications are being accepted at this time. The student loan payment pause is still in place until the U.S. Department of Education is permitted to implement the debt relief program or the litigation is resolved. If that doesnt happen by June 30, payments will resume 60 days after that deadline.

Options for student loan forgiveness

There are other options for getting federal student loans forgiven:

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Those employed by a government or not-for-profit organization may be able to receive loan forgiveness. PSLF forgives the remaining balance on direct loans after borrowers have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a repayment plan while working full-time.

Teacher loan forgiveness: Those who teach full-time for five consecutive academic years in a low-income elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on direct loans or Federal Family Education Loan program loans.

A full list of options for getting federal student loan debt canceled or discharged can be found on the U.S. Department of Educations financial aid website.
For his latest mural project, Charlotte-based artist Michael Grant decided to call it the M.A.P. of Excellence.

The canvases are several white walls at West Charlotte High School, the muses are the students.

I came in here (and) Ive seen a lot of philosophers. Ive seen a lot of musicians, Ive seen a lot of different artists, said Grant of students who embody the words that form the acronym M.A.P. Ive seen, you know, what people think of West Charlotte.

West Charlotte artist Michael Grant on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Grant is working with West Charlotte High students to create a mural in one of the schools hallways.

But West Charlotte is a representation of the real world, Grant says, and there is more here than what most people think.

Since April, Grant has volunteered, guided and painted with a few dozen students from Morgan Osburns visual art classes. They are students pursuing the International Baccalaureate diploma tract and creating a holistic mural project at the sprawling high school on Senior Drive just off Beatties Ford Road.

Its a labor of love that has taken a month, some 40 to 60 students, two artists and several cans of paint. The effort culminated Thursday evening, when the school unveiled at least four completed murals during its arts gala.

West Charlotte High students pass by the mural that local artist Michael Grant and their fellow West Charlotte students are working on to add beauty to a hallway at the school on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Bringing beauty to the campus

Osburn, who leads the schools visual arts department, wants to add beauty and color to the campus, and have students create that art on the many plain walls throughout the fresh building.

Last fall, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opened the spacious campus on a lot adjacent to the former school building, which was razed.

We want the students to really feel seen and accepted... where the students really see themselves, not just in their classrooms, but in the building itself, Osburn told The Charlotte Observer. Our goal is to put murals... so its not just a boring white space that looks kind of like a jail. Its a really exciting space that integrates your learning.

Grant, whose moniker is Captain KAZen, creates multicultural art that primarily focuses on high vibrant colors and mind elevation, per his website.

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He also is the CEO of AKcUracy LLC, a Charlotte-based business specializing in visual arts such as murals, canvas paintings, clothing and other items, per Grants website. Grant is a multidisciplinary artist who has painted murals throughout North and South Carolina, including in Charlotte and one in the Historic West End.

Shining a light on West Charlotte students

The schools mural will be visual narratives with characters embodying what M.A.P. stands for.

Each mural, dappled with bright hues of fuchsia, pale blues, yellow and orange, represents the diversity at the school and in the world, Grant says.

Local artist Michael Grant and West Charlotte High students work on a mural in a hallway of the new school on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

There are plenty of students who fit into this mold  students who draw, paint, write poetry, play instruments  but the school rarely gets recognized for these achievements, Grant says. The impression of West Charlotte students often is negative, something he hopes to change.

The kids need it, especially these kids, says Grant. West Charlotte is a representation of the real world. No ones really shining that light towards them, no one has really given them that chance. Everything in life is about polarity. If you choose to only look at the negative thing, you missed the beauty within.

Several students working with Grant agree that the community reputation doesnt represent them. They do, however, appreciate this type of attention.

It helps release the stress, says Chance Bradley, 16, who is a musician and plays brass instruments. You get a lot of feels in a positive a way.

I feel that doing things like this has given us more of a positive outlook ... and saying that whats around us, isnt what define us,  says Chris Ennels, 17, a junior, who worked on a mural alongside his brother Tieire Ennels, 18.

West Charlotte High junior Ain Rocham diligently paints a portion of a mural that she and her fellow students along with local artist Michael Grant are creating in a hallway of the new school on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Pride in your school and yourself

Grant also is joined by Ricky Singh, who describes himself on Twitter as a hip-hop connoisseur and social activist. Singh is the head of the upper school at The Charlotte Lab School. He is a longtime artist and educator.

Both artists seek to inspire more students to explore their artistic side, foster that growth and celebrate the rich talent the school has to offer.

West Charlotte High School alumna Geornee Jefferies, who heads Charlotte-based nonprofit, Curvaceous Behavior, arranged to have the artists come to her old stomping grounds. Jefferies, a Johnson & Wales University grad, says there wasnt enough of this type of mentoring and nurturing when she was a student a decade ago.

Jefferies admits she didnt know herself back then. While it took time for her discover what gifts and talents she has and ultimately launched her nonprofit a few years ago.

What brought me home was just the resources that I know I could bring. I can now teach someone else, she said.  I knew that I had an opportunity to work with Morgan and Mike... these kids feel inspired to do anything, where they dont have to go outside of school, we come to them.

West Charlotte High art teacher Morgan Osburn on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Osburn has an IB diploma from Myers Park High School and a master in fine arts from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She says students often are inspired to come to school because of the extracurricular activities, such as the band club, the Junior ROTC and the art classes, which schools need to offer.

While math, English and other traditional subjects are necessary, art is crucial for social, emotional learning and mental health, she says.

Just seeing all aspects of what you can be as a person is really important, Osburn said. I think having pride in your school improves your self-esteem in your classes. So having a school thats beautiful, will encourage you to, of course, it will encourage you to do better.
BANGKOK (AP)  Myanmars military government is urging people fighting against its rule to surrender their weapons, offering a cash reward if they do so along with the possibility of reduced sentences if they broke the law.

The official announcement in Wednesday's edition of the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said people involved in major resistance organizations, including the Peoples Defense Forces, are invited to return to the legal fold. The PDF are the armed wing of the pro-democracy movement that was organized after the armys 2021 takeover.

The announcement accused anti-military organizations, which the army calls terrorist groups, of using fear and indoctrination to persuade innocent people to join them.

It said people who surrender will have to face trial if they committed crimes including murder, rape and injury to others, but that the government would reduce the penalties depending on the offenses.

The announcement said people would receive up to 7.5 million kyat ($3,500) if they hand over arms and ammunition, with homemade guns fetching 500,000 kyat ($240) and items such as mortars and rocket launchers receiving the largest amount. It offered 5 million kyat ($2.400) for drones capable of carrying out bombings, a favored tactic of the resistance forces.

Myanmar has been mired in violence and civil unrest since the military overthrew the elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover prompted nationwide peaceful protests that security forces suppressed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance across the country. The military, despite a strong advantage in armaments, has been unable to crush its opponents.

Opposition to military rule is led by the National Unity Government, which was established by elected lawmakers who were denied their seats by the army takeover. It maintains it is the countrys legitimate administration.

The loosely organized Peoples Defense Forces, along with their allies among armed ethnic minority groups, regularly launch strikes on military personnel, bases and outposts.

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The way the military offers incentives to try to entice youth taking part in the resistance movement over to its side shows it does not understand why young people took up arms and sacrificed their lives for the revolution, said Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a pro-democracy activist in exile and an executive of Peoples Goal, an organization supporting defections from the state security forces.

Just persuading like this does not mean that the revolution will end. They should have known from the experience of more than 70 years that until justice is obtained and the military group returns to their barracks, the people will continue their generational revolution, Thinzar Shunlei Yi said Wednesday. Myanmar became independent in 1948 but has faced civil strife for much of the time since then, especially from ethnic minority groups seeking autonomy.

Since June last year, the military government has urged people who are fighting the military to lay down their weapons and return to civilian life, and while that offer included some financial support, it didnt include the easing of sentences and rewards for turning in weapons.

The military governments Information Ministry said on May 3 that 502 members of the opposition Peoples Defense Forces have contacted the authorities and returned to the legal fold.

The National Unity Government said in a statement last Friday marking the second anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Defense Forces that more than 13,000 members of the military and police have defected to the resistance since the armys takeover.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations currently meeting in Indonesia have put Myanmars political crisis high on their agenda. They are concerned about regional instability, with some unhappy that the military government has largely spurned the group's effort at peacemaking.
(Reuters) - Myanmar's shadow government welcomes efforts by ASEAN chair Indonesia to kickstart peace talks in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation but is deeply distrustful of the junta that took power in a 2021 coup, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holding a summit in Indonesia have called for an immediate end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar, pushing for urgent dialogue and aid delivery.

"The biggest obstacle to peace talks is the military junta," said Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for Myanmar's shadow administration, known as the National Unity Government.

Kyaw Zaw said the junta was trying to mislead the international community, pointing to its failure to implement a five-point peace "consensus" agreed by its top general with ASEAN months after the coup sparked widespread unrest.

"The junta never keeps its promises," Kyaw Zaw added.

A junta spokesperson did not answer telephone calls to seek comment.

The 2021 coup, which ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, upended a decade of tentative democratic reform. It was followed by a bloody crackdown on protests, giving rise to an armed struggle.

The military regime is under pressure as resistance fighters, alongside ethnic armed groups, continue to battle junta troops.

In retaliation, the military has intensified attacks and air strikes, as it seeks to consolidate power ahead of a planned election.

On Wednesday, a junta-controlled newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, carried a statement inviting resistance fighters to return to the "legal fold" and offering cash rewards to those who brought back weapons.

For months, Indonesia has been quietly engaging key stakeholders in Myanmar's conflict, besides neighbours China, India and Thailand, in an effort to revive the peace process.

Since late 2021, ASEAN has banned the junta from attending its high-level meetings.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Devjyot Ghoshal and Clarence Fernandez)
The path is clear for work to begin on a multi-million dollar international residence hall at a busy Myrtle Beach intersection. This ends weeks of controversy over the facilitys potential impact within a historically Black enclave.

Despite unanimous city council backing for a $50 million project that officials and proponents said is long overdue given the nature of Myrtle Beachs workforce, opponents vow to keep fighting.

Its not over until that building goes up, said Hellestine Graham, a property owner inside the citys Harlem neighborhood where the campus is set to open sometime in 2025.

Mike Winfree and his wife, Kathy, have housed J1 students for several years and are involved with the city police departments international student outreach program.

You know that housing is terrible around here, and some of these students have to find their own housing and they go on these websites and they dont know who theyre dealing with, and its a nightmare for them, Winfree said. This place is just going to be a godsend.

International employees comprise about 4 percent of the citys workforce, arriving from more than 30 countries.

A development team lead by former Horry County Council Chairman Mark Lazarus is looking to use 7.6 acres at the intersections of Mr. Joe White Avenue and Robert Grissom Parkway for a walled-in campus that could house up to 3,000 international employees when fully built out.

GOOGLE MAP

Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Convention & Visitor Bureau, told The Sun News in a May 9, in an email both organizations favor the project.

This housing is greatly needed to compete with other tourism destinations, Riordan wrote. Businesses are seeking seasonal workforce help, but cannot employ these international students if housing is not available. Further, this will free up housing stock that is critical for our year-round residents that need more housing options.

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Lazarus said the beds will run about $150 per week, with the expense coming directly from workers paychecks.

Its in close proximity to everything. A lot of these kids work at Walmart, a lot of them work on the ocean front, Broadway at the Beach and local hotels and restaurants, so its a very central location, Lazarus said.

His team of investors are partnering with Wisconsin-based Holtz Builders on the venture, which would be its first in the Palmetto State.

Holtz officials could not be reached for comment.

Dollywood dorm for international workers will be comparable to Myrtle Beach project

The company also has similar residence halls operating around the southeast, including Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessees largest tourist attraction.

Holtz Builders has been phenomenal to work with. They are a very reputable company, Pigeon Forge Mayor David Wear said. They have stuck by their word. They have done what theyve said they do.

That complex, which opened last spring, sits on 136,000 square feet with space for 750 seasonal workers.

Under terms of its deal with Myrtle Beach, area improvements would include privately funded stormwater enhancements to alleviate existing drainage problems throughout the Harlem neighborhood, a 10-foot wide bicycle path and Coast RTA bus shelter accessible and open to the public.

All that work would come on top of the more than $1.2 million worth of infrastructure repairs covered through federal Community Development Block Grant aid that city leaders have funneled into Harlem and its surrounding areas since 2019.

Wear said Holtz made similar infrastructure upgrades near the entrance to its Dollywood campus, including working with city leaders to expand a trolley line so employees could get to and from work safely. Myrtle Beach would get similar improvements, according to plans.

Wear recently toured the campus and said it was well lit and clean.

You know, I went to college at Middle Tennessee State University and if my dorm was as nice as that, I probably wouldnt have gotten an apartment, he said.

Brian Babbitt, owner of Good Vibes Surf Shop on Broadway St., said he gets hundreds of messages every year from international workers who have been scammed out of deposits as they hunt for accommodations.

This is not something that needs to be built in 2025. This is something that should have been built in 2005, he said.
Martin Salinas.

Collier County Sheriff's deputies have arrested 24-year-old Naples man on more than a dozen child pornography charges

Martin Salinas is facing several charges including transmitting child pornography and soliciting two children for sex over social media, the sheriff's office reports.

He was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Naples.

A Collier County Sheriff's Office investigation began after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The investigation found that Salinas was transmitting child pornography using Snapchat and Instagram at his home.

Salinas solicited sex from one of the victims over Instagram. He took control of her Instagram account and used her identity to transmit pornographic images of her to the other child victim, whom he also solicited for sex.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected following a search warrant of Salinas' residence Tuesday, officials said.

A preliminary forensic review of one of Salinas' cell phones found numerous files of child pornography, including one of his victims.

Salinas remains in custody in the Collier County jail and is expected to appear in court on June 5.

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Naples man faces over a dozen child pornography charges.
Editors Note: This is an analysis by Nataliya Bugayova, a non-resident Russia Fellow, at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based defense and foreign affairs think tank. This analysis was originally published by the ISW on April 27, 2023, and has been republished by the Kyiv Independent with permission. The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

Key Takeaways:

The policy debate about the U.S. facing a long war in Ukraine is misframed. Russias invasion of Ukraine is not a long war for the U.S., because the U.S. is not fighting this war. Nor is the U.S. fighting a proxy war. The West and Ukraine are not protracting or spreading this war; Russia is.

A long Russian war is not an inherent Kremlin goal, but rather the Kremlins adaptation in pursuit of its maximalist objectives in Ukraine.

The Kremlins ability to sustain a long war in Ukraine is not a given, however, and disproportionately depends on whether Russia is given time and space to rebuild its capabilities.

The Kremlins ability to threaten the U.S. and NATO, as well as the future of Russias power globally, disproportionately depends on Russias gains or losses in Ukraine.

Metering Western support to Ukraine and inadequately resourcing all of the required Ukrainian counteroffensives  not just the next one  will protract Russias war and increase the associated risks for the U.S.

The U.S. risks facing the same escalation risks under worse conditions if it does not help Ukraine liberate its territory through a series of successive counteroffensive operations.

The West has a profound ability to shape the outcome of the war in Ukraine. The Wests problem is not capability; it is perception.

Paul Grod: A cry to bring Russia to justice for its genocidal war in Ukraine Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. On May 8, the world honors the memory of those who sacrificed their lives defending the world from Nazi German dictatorship. This victory Kyiv IndependentPaul Grod

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The policy debate about the U.S. facing a long war in Ukraine is misframed. The catchall phrase long war is skewed by legacy U.S. thinking about wars, intentional Kremlin information operations, and the inherent difficulties in parsing battlefield realities.

Russias invasion of Ukraine is not a long war for the U.S., because the U.S. is not fighting this war. Ukraine is defending itself against an unprovoked Russian invasion, and the U.S. is supporting Ukraine. Comparisons to Iraq or Afghanistan are not appropriate.

The U.S. is not fighting a proxy war. Ukraines choice to defend itself against Russias genocidal efforts is exogenous to the Wests decisionmaking. Ukraine would have defended itself against Russias 2022 invasion in the absence of support from its partners  at the cost of more territory and lives. Even in 2014, when Ukraines military capability and Western willingness to counter Russia were minimal, barely equipped Ukrainian volunteers rushed to the frontline to combat Russian aggression.

The West and Ukraine are not protracting or spreading this war; Russia is. Russias invasion of Ukraine is entirely a war of choice. The Kremlin chose to launch a full-scale invasion despite the years-long presence of a peace framework (that the Kremlin routinely violated) and years of diplomatic efforts by Ukraine and the West. The Kremlin is choosing to protract this war and can choose to end it at any point.

Fixating on the long war scenario obfuscates the very real U.S. interest at stake in Ukraine. The U.S. problem is not a long war per se. The U.S. problem is the risk of escalation in which the U.S. will need to fight in this war  a risk that increases if Russias war protracts and if Russia keeps its gains in Ukraine.

Metering Western support to Ukraine, inadequately resourcing all of the required Ukrainian counteroffensives  not just the next one, and setting premature expectations of negotiations with Russia, will protract Russias war and increase the associated risks for the U.S. The length and effects of this war are path-dependent on at least two variables:

The Kremlins ability to sustain a long war in Ukraine disproportionately depends on whether Russia is given time and space to rebuild its capabilities. The Kremlins ability to act on its intent to threaten the U.S./NATO, as well as the future of Russias power globally, disproportionately depends on Russias gains or losses in Ukraine.

American, Polish, and Slovenian soldiers take part in the Anakonda-23 NATO military exercises in Nowa Deba, Poland, on May 6, 2023. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Kremlins ability to sustain a long war

A long war is not an inherent Kremlin goal, but rather the Kremlins adaptation in pursuit of its maximalist objectives in Ukraine. The Kremlins plan for a quick war has failed. The Kremlins intent to control Ukraine and eradicate its statehood remains unchanged  a goal presently beyond Russias means given Ukraines resistance. The Kremlin is thus setting conditions for a protracted conflict. The Kremlin is explicit about its intent to reconstitute Russian forces and prepare for new offensives under better conditions to accomplish Russias maximalist objectives in Ukraine, rather than halting following the failure of the Kremlin's initial plans and setbacks in 2022.

The Kremlins ability to sustain a long war in Ukraine is not a given  it disproportionately depends on whether Russia gets the time and space to rebuild its capabilities. Russias ability to reconstitute its military capability is currently constrained. The Kremlin invaded Ukraine with insufficient resources which it has further exhausted to secure only limited gains. The Kremlin is trying to replenish its resources but is still pursuing half-measures below full national mobilization to regenerate its forces and mobilize its defense industrial base.

Enabling further successful Ukrainian counteroffensives will deny the Kremlin a breather to replenish its resources, will further deplete Russias offensive potential, and eventually enable Ukrainian forces to expel Russia from Ukraine.

Space and time, on the other hand, could enable the Kremlin to reconstitute its capabilities. Space means Ukrainian territory Russia gets to use as a staging ground for further aggression. Time means a breather on the battlefield resulting from a premature cessation of hostilities or a slowed Ukrainian counteroffensive due to insufficient Western aid.

Ukraine war latest: Wagner mercenaries again complain of ammunition shortage; Russia hits Ukraine with mass missile strike Key developments on May 9: * Ukraine intercepts most of Russian missiles in latest mass attack * Putin reiterates anti-Western propaganda during Victory Day speech * Wagner mercenaries again threaten to leave Bakhmut, saying they havent gotten ammunition despite requests * Peace talks impossib Kyiv IndependentAlexander Khrebet

[Space] The U.S. cannot avoid a long Russian war in Ukraine without helping Ukraine liberate its territory. Deprioritizing territory  as some argue  only increases the risk of a long war. Territory is a core part of Russias capability to sustain this war, alongside manpower and equipment. Russia will use any territory in Ukraine as a staging ground to launch attacks on Ukraine, in this invasion or in any later effort. Like Crimea and Donbas, any territories that Russia holds in Ukraine will become Russian military bases in perpetuity. We know this is the Russian strategy because we are living it. This has already been a long Russian war in part because the Kremlin was allowed to keep its illegal gains in Ukraine in 2014. If the current lines hold, imagine how much further Russia could advance in future years after reconstituting its forces.

[Time] Metering Western support to Ukraine increases the risk of a long war. Momentum matters. Interruptions to Ukraines momentum provide a triple advantage to Russia: a chance for Russian forces to stabilize the frontline and reconstitute; lessened domestic pressures on Russian President Vladimir Putin; and a chance for the Kremlin to seize the narrative in the international  and particularly Western  information space. We already observed these effects when Ukraine was not able to exploit Russian battlefield setbacks in December-January through a third successive counteroffensive operation, in part due to insufficient Western aid. This allowed Russia to stabilize its defensive lines, add weight to its offensive in Bakhmut, and prepare additional offensive operations in Luhansk Oblast. Western support trailing Ukraines battlefield needs is how this war becomes lengthy and costly.

[Time] Planning to resource only the next Ukrainian counteroffensive  but not follow-on Ukrainian operations  increases the risk of a long war. Some argue that the West should help Ukraines next counteroffensive phase and use its results to bring Russia to the negotiating table. This approach is flawed given the importance of terrain to the Kremlins strategy. The Kremlin also has shown no interest in real negotiations, and the next Ukrainian counteroffensive alone is unlikely to change that.

Finally, Ukraine will not liberate all the Russian-occupied territory in a single counteroffensive and will require several successive counteroffensives to win the war. The U.S. must prepare to resource successive efforts, some of which will be more successful than others. Insufficient commitment to resource successive phases of Ukraines counteroffensive is what, in part, cost Ukraine its momentum in January 2023.

A soldier hangs from a helicopter during the Anakonda-23 NATO military exercises in Nowa Deba, Poland, on May 6, 2023. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The future of Russias power

Russia may be weakened but the Kremlins intent regarding the U.S. and NATO remains the same. Russia not only seeks to eradicate Ukrainian statehood, but also to control other states in the region, such as Belarus and Moldova, and eventually link Russian military gains across the former Soviet Union. Putin still seeks to neutralize NATO and undermine the U.S. The Kremlin is rallying Russian society for a long fight against the West.

The future of Russias power and the Kremlins ability to act on its unchanged intent regarding the U.S. and NATO disproportionately depends on Russias gains or losses in Ukraine. If Russia loses gains in Ukraine, many of Russias already limited bases of power will further diminish.

The U.S. should not underestimate Russian capabilities in the long term, however. If Russia keeps its gains in Ukraine, the Kremlin will have a chance to reconstitute its forces, to launch future attacks against Ukraine, and to connect its military gains in Ukraine and Belarus. This would mean massive military and economic requirements for the U.S., NATO, and EU. And when Russia attacks Ukraine again, the U.S. will have the same obligation to support its NATO allies, who are threatened by any war in Europe.

Russia keeping its gains in Ukraine will increase the risk of other states using nuclear blackmail. Any peace deal with Russia in which the Kremlin keeps gains in Ukraine would imply that the West yielded to Russias nuclear blackmail. It would hurt, not help, the U.S. in its competition with China, as China would certainly internalize this lesson.

The U.S. thus risks facing the same problem with the same escalation risks but under worse conditions if it does not help Ukraine liberate its people and territory through a series of successive counteroffensive operations.

The U.S. and West have a profound ability to shape the outcome of the war in Ukraine. The Wests problem is not capability; it is perception. The West has an unambiguous interest in helping Ukraine preserve its sovereignty and prevent future Russian attacks on Ukraine, and the capability to do so. The Wests economic and military resources dwarf Russias. The West has known capability obstacles, but they are surmountable. For the West it is a question of choices and timelines  unlike for Russia, for which many military capability limits are insurmountable or surmountable only in the long run.

Trained in the heat of battle: The journey of Kharkiv Oblasts Territorial Defense Editors Note: Some of the soldiers interviewed in this piece declined to give their last names for security reasons or because they had relatives in occupied territory, and are identified by first names and callsigns instead. KHARKIV OBLAST  At an undisclosed part of the front line in Ukraines Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

The Wests Achilles heel is perception  one of the few vulnerabilities within the Kremlins reach.

The Kremlin uses a long war narrative to target the Wests blind spots. The Kremlins long war narrative reflects Putins intent to rebuild Russias large-scale war-fighting capability. But it is also an information operation aimed to peel the West away from Ukraine. This information operation builds on previous Russian efforts, such as ceasefire narratives and nuclear blackmail.

Targeting Western perceptions is among the few options within the Kremlins immediate reach as it tries to close the gap between its goals and means in Ukraine. Ukraines will to fight is not a variable, and neither are the Kremlins goals. But the Kremlin is likely hoping to buy time and space to get to a more advantageous position by tapping into the discourse around avoiding a long war and other sentiments in the West, manipulating the Wests perceptions about the impact its aid has on the battlefield, and muddying Western assessments about Ukraines capabilities, the Kremlins intentions, and escalation risks.

The U.S. should not fall for the Kremlins perceptual traps or preemptively handicap its policy options by setting the expectation of peace talks that the Kremlin has expressed zero desire to enter in good faith. Russia is a not just any belligerent  it is a belligerent that has repeatedly and purposefully hijacked the notion of peace as a lifeline for its aggression. Setting expectations of negotiations before helping Ukraine expel Russian forces further from Ukraines territory only benefits the Kremlin.

Additionally, this war cannot be resolved through typical negotiations. Putin has resorted to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine when other means to control Ukraine failed. The Kremlin is engaged in a genocidal effort, aimed to eradicate Ukrainian identity and statehood through a large-scale mechanized invasion.

The U.S. and the West should instead reorient their defense production to resource Ukraines successive counteroffensive operations and  critically  help Ukraine plan for a sustained force regeneration effort. This requires recognizing the necessity of an upfront investment to secure U.S. long-term national security interests. Enabling Ukraine to achieve a decisive victory faster is a better investment than allowing  through either lack of action or pressuring Ukraine into concessions  Russia to pursue the long war that is the Kremlins likely best chance of achieving its maximalist objectives in Ukraine.
Lt. Rebecca Rebarich - Wikimedia Commons

Following an April 26 state visit by South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, officials in Washington announced that one of the U.S. Navys Ohio-class ballistic missile submarinesbig nuclear-powered vessels that are stuffed full of nuclear missileswould undertake an unusually public duty: a port-visit to South Korea. Reports in Korean media suggest the visit may take place in mid to late May.

This is a break from this type of submarines usual operational routine of creeping deep in the oceanpatiently awaiting a coded message sent by ultra-high-frequency radio by one of the U.S. Navys doomsday planes to unleash a nuclear attack authorized by a National Command Authority (usually the president).

Until that scenario comes to passfortunately, it has yet tothis kind of nuclear-powered missile submarine, known as an SSBN, has only one job: to remain undetected and thus a non-targetable threat influencing the offensive options considered by hostile states. Thanks to nuclear propulsion, they can remain submerged for two or three months at time before returning to base.

But increasingly, American SSBNs are performing indiscrete nuclear signaling missions intended to put adversaries on notice, and reassure alliesso well, in some cases, that they dont seek their own nuclear weapons.

Closer Doesnt Mean Deadlier

It is not for nothing that SSBNs are dubbed boomers. Each Ohio-class sub was built with tubes to launch 24 Trident missiles while underwater. Each missile can, in turn, release up to 14 independent-reentry vehicles that each can blast a different target with the equivalent force of 90 kilotons of TNTsix times more powerful than the Fatman bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The missiles can alternately carry up to eight reentry vehicles with 450-kiloton W88 warheads.

getty images - Getty Images

Due to the New START arms control treaty (which Russia appears intent on rupturing) the number of active tubes on these subs was later decreased to 20, and each missile is typically loaded with just four independent reentry vehicles.

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SSBNs dont really lend themselves to old-school gunboat diplomacy. A Trident D5 missile, for example, has a range exceeding 7,500 miles, meaning one could hit North Korea without a Pacific-based SSBN leaving its home port at Naval Base Kitsap near Tacoma, Washington. Those missiles arent based on land so as to avert any possibility of a preemptive strike resulting from being unsure of the SSBNs location.

But any kind of mystery in their location is undermined when these vessels make a port visit in a neighborhood close to many potential adversaries like China, North Korea, or Russia. These countries might deploy aircraft and submarines attempting to study the boomers acoustic and electromagnetic signature and tail it once it leaves port, hoping to learn how to better detect and identify them going forward.

Nuclear Deterrenceand Reassurance

That said, military power is a means to achieving political ends, not an end in and of itself. The boomer visit supports two important political objectives for the U.S.. The first is to deter North Korean weapons development, which in the last few years has been frantically (and, due to geography, quite publicly) testing a smorgasbord of nuclear weapon delivery systems. These have ranged from their own missile-launching submarine and cruise missiles to monster missiles that release multiple nuclear warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles.

The SSBN visit thus fits squarely in the tradition of shows of force signaling which, historically, usually involved nuclear-capable B-52and B-2 bombers as well as non-nuclear B-1s. While an SSBN is no more effective against North Korea when it is visiting South Korea than when it is quietly cruising thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean, it will nonetheless be recognized by North Korea as a pointed warning.

Handout - Getty Images

In truth, though, the port visit seems unlikely to stop Kim Jog Un from doing what he wants to do. However, deterring North Korea is likely a secondary objective to reassuring South Korea that the United States has its back.

The goal is not merely about smoothing over a rattled allies nerves, but to persuade South Korea not to develop and deploy its own nuclear weaponsa move a large majority of South Koreans support and which South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol previously stated was an option under consideration, despite South Korea being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

South Korea has the resources to develop nuclear weapons in just a few years, as it already has a mature civilian nuclear energy sector. The country has also done some research into developing submarine nuclear reactors, which typically (with some exceptions) use weapons-grade uranium for fuel that could serve as a stepping stone to nuclear weaponry.

Handout - Getty Images

However, the U.S. doesnt want the number of nuclear-armed states to increase, under the logic that the more actors with nuclear arms that exist, the greater the chance of someone, somewhere eventually making a bad call and using them impetuously.

Theres also the fear of a snowball effect, where one states acquisition of nukes compels others to follow suit. Neighboring Japan, for example, could also develop nuclear weapons on short notice, and would likely do so if it believed it no longer fell under the U.S. nuclear umbrella as tensions with China worsen.

Thus, the U.S. has long been committed to dissuading both countries from developing independent nuclear capability, and the SSBN visit is intended to reassure Seoul it truly remains protected by the U.S.s nuclear arsenal.

The April meeting between Yoon and Biden concluded with the Washington Declaration, reaffirming the U.S. security commitment to Seoul, and Seouls intention to stick to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. furthermore agreed to form a bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group with South Korea, giving it more visibility of U.S. nuclear policy related to the Korean peninsula. Already, in April, senior commanders from Japan and South Koreas submarine force visited onboard the Ohio-class submarine Maine during an unprecedented port visit to Guam.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI - Getty Images

Such reassurances are especially needed now, due to Russias invasion of Ukraine. In the 1990s, Ukraine relinquished its nuclear weapons (albeit ones that would have required investment to be useable) for a security guarantee from Moscow and the U.S., which the former violently flouted. South Korea may also fear thatdue to North Koreas development of intercontinental-range missiles that can strike U.S. citiesthe U.S.s nuclear retaliation for a nuclear attack on South Korea might be less than assured, or that North Koreas leadership might mistakenly perceive a lack of credibility and resolve on the part of the United States.

Unavoidably, SSBN port visits expose to scrutiny a platform the Navy ordinarily goes to great pains to keep concealed and geographically dispersed. Perhaps, as the U.S. retains a commanding lead in submarine stealth over China and North Korea, those risks were presumably deemed manageable in service of the political benefits.

The visit to South Korea is part of a broader trend of public SSBN disclosures and visits to strategically important places like the islands of Guam, Diego Garcia, and Gibraltar. The trips seek to squeeze additional nuclear-signaling utility from a highly expensive platform, all in the hopes that it will never need to be used for what it was built to do.

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Cleopatra in Netflix's

Cleopatra in Netflix's "Queen Cleopatra."

Controversy is still brewing over Netflixs Queen Cleopatra, which depicts the famous ruler as a Black woman.

The new documentary, part of the streamers series African Queens, first caused a stir last month after its trailer debuted, prompting historians to argue over the monarchs racial identity.

Some historians claimed that Cleopatra was likely not Black but of European descent. Others have argued her race would be hard to identify considering it was unlikely to be documented.

Now, a government-owned Egyptian broadcaster has announced its own Cleopatra documentary, which will cast a light-skinned woman, Variety reported.

The Al Wathaeqya channel, which is affiliated with Egypts United Media Services, told Variety in a statement that the high-end production for the project has started. It also claims the upcoming doc is based on the utmost levels of research and validity.

Last month, the Netflix trailer prompted Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary to file a legal complaint with the countrys public prosecutor against the streamer, whom he accused of trying to erase the Egyptian identity.

In addition, Al-Semarys filing called for Netflix to be shut down in Egypt and for the shows creators to be penalized.

Queen Cleopatra stars British actor Adele James, who is of mixed race, as the historic monarch who was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC and died in 30 BC.

Jada Pinkett Smith, an executive producer on the show, spoke about the intention behind the controversial depiction last month on Netflixs promotional website Tudum.

We dont often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them! the former talk show host said.

Sally Ann Ashton, an Egyptology expert who Netflix said was interviewed in the series, backed the casting of a Black actor, noting that it seems strange to insist on depicting her as wholly European.

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She added: Cleopatra ruled in Egypt long before the Arab settlement in North Africa. If the maternal side of her family were indigenous women, they wouldve been African, and this should be reflected in contemporary representations of Cleopatra.

Netflix did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

Queen Cleopatra is streaming on Netflix.

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Jeremy Springer has an enormous appetite for entrepreneurial visions. He also has the character traits to make them come true. Most recently, he and his wife, Jody, launched the Fillmore Cafe at Unity Village.

Hed had his feelers out for some time, looking for the right coffee shop space, even writing a pro forma, when a business contact mentioned the Unity Village spot with serendipitous timing.

Jeremy had been working offsite for the Lees Summit couples digital marketing business, Stone Amp Seo, setting up at various coffee spots in the area.

I love drinking coffee. I love the change of scenery and different vibes of different places, he said.

Jody works full time at Stone Amp Seo and helps out at the cafe on weekends, while Jeremy now treks between both businesses each day in a hodge-podge of mornings opening the shop and managing the budget, equipment, vendors and an employee, and afternoons focused on Stone Amp Seo.

Once the former Unity Village shop closed the doors on Halloween 2022, the Springers opened the next day.

They blessed us with all of their supplies and maintained their Starbucks relationship until we could get on our feet, Jeremy said. The couple spent three months on renovations and started learning the business top to bottom.

They chose a new coffee  Messenger  which is ground at The Roasterie in Kansas City. They chose the name because it sounded cool and classy and honored Unity founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore.

Im surprised at how fast I move, Jeremy said. When I make a decision, I just do it. Rinse and repeat. Lets go, lets go, lets go.

I think its because Im so excited. Once the ball gets rolling I dont want to slow down.

Other people might be surprised by the fact that he and Jody were planning their wedding at the same time they were gearing up for opening day. Theyd been dating for nine years when they married in September. They honeymooned in October and launched the Fillmore Nov. 1.

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Its been the same day ever since, Jeremy said. Between managing both companies, there isnt a lot of sleep, he said. They have about 30 minutes of free time between work and bedtime. But hes not complaining. All of the time, energy and passion poured into the shop makes the place magical, he said.

Theyve given it upscale ambiance, restyling what was once a more utilitarian space. The Fillmore now features a gray and yellow palette, plush couches and chairs, impressionistic area rugs, bar-style seating and tables for two, with strips of gold trimming various fixtures. The lighting is low and the background jazz unobtrusive. Track lighting makes the paintings glow.

In addition to a multitude of coffee choices and deli-style sandwiches, The Fillmore also connects with local businesses to provide whimsical Pan Caliente pastries, Aunt Mildreds No. 10 BBQ sauce and Ice Cream Factory treats from Eldon, Missouri.

A conference room that seats up to 14 can be rented for anything from meetings to baby showers and birthday parties. Proceeds from use of the space will go to One Good Meal in Lees Summit.

Outdoor tables provide clear views of the tranquil campus grounds, and sometimes even the Zumba or goat yoga classes taking place on the nearby lawn. Open mic nights with a 20-year history will continue, and art openings will be held monthly.

Their biggest challenge yet was serving a crowd of 200 attending a womens retreat, and facing as many as 48 customers at a time.

Sleep was spare in the days around that event.

But theyre used to the pace, Jody said. They worked 60 to 80 hour weeks in their previous corporate jobs.

It doesnt feel unusual. We had projects going all the time.

But theres a huge difference in putting in those hours for themselves, she said.

It keeps me out of trouble, Jeremy said. But somehow theres time left over for marinating other business ideas, like the six other coffee shops to be developed down the line (one for each grandchild).

And Jeremy always does what he says hes going to do, according to friend and colleague Latisha Randolph, a Lees Summit resident.

Jeremy is an amazing entrepreneur, she said. He cares about people. Hes very attentive and detailed.

Randolph, an independent associate for LegalShield, belongs to some of the same networking groups as Jeremy, and they have attended local Chamber of Commerce events together.

When I found out he was starting the coffee shop I was so excited for him. He made another dream come true, she said.

The Fillmore is definitely her dream of a coffee shop. She says its a place to disconnect from the chaos, just as the Springers intend it to be.

She does just that while also charging her phone at a wireless station.

Not only can I get some recharging, so can my phone. That just speaks to the detail Jeremy provides.

So far, shes referred 20 people, both friends and clients, to The Fillmore.

Its just great for all types of conversations, Randolph said. Its really vibrant, its beautiful, its upbeat. I never get tired of being there.

Hes bringing his vision to life, Jody said of her husband. People see what hes done and it wows them. The energy here feels amazing.

Its an energy thats available to any campus visitor, Jody said. When two hikers who had just stepped off one of the nearby trails walked in one day but immediately turned around and walked out, she chased after them to ask what was wrong. They thought they looked too scruffy. They had to be told This place is for everyone, she said.
Former President Donald Trump greets supporters, signs autographs, and poses for photos while visiting the Red Arrow Diner after a campaign rally on April 27 in Manchester, N.H. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump has famously joked that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and he wouldn't lose any voters.

But what if the courts affirmed that Trump sexually assaulted somebody in a Fifth Avenue department store?

Thats the big question this week after a Manhattan jury found Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll inside a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room nearly 30 years ago. Just as theyve done each time Trump has breached presidential norms  from the "Access Hollywood" tape to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol  pundits and political observers are now asking if the Carroll verdict will shake the former presidents support.

Two key numbers from a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll suggest that yet again, the answer will be no.

The survey of 1,584 U.S. adults was conducted from May 5 to 8  right as the trial was wrapping up but just before a verdict was reached. As such, it doesnt reflect the publics response to the news that Trump is now the first president in U.S. history who has been ordered by a court to pay $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation.

Nor does it prove  in a deeply polarized country where tiny margins in a few key states have decided the last two elections  that swing voters wont consider the verdict when casting their ballots next November.

But the poll did ask several questions that reveal how Trumps own supporters have been reacting to Carrolls accusations.

One of the most telling was this: If the jury determines that Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll, do you think he should be allowed to serve as president again in the future?

In response, a full 61% of Americans (and 63% of registered voters) said no. Just 20% of Americans (and 24% of voters) said yes.

These numbers represent a significant break with past Yahoo News/YouGov surveys, which have consistently found that only half of Americans have been willing to say Trump should not be allowed to serve again in light of his efforts to subvert the 2020 election (49%, February 23-37) or if he is convicted of a crime related to the alleged hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels (50%, April 14-17).

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The implication is that Americans consider rape more disqualifying than paying off a porn star or conspiring to reverse a lost election  or at least that more of them are reluctant to tell a pollster otherwise, for understandable reasons.

Accuser E. Jean Carroll after a New York federal jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded her $5 million in damages. (Andrea Renault/STAR MAX/IPx via AP)

But even here, 2020 Trump voters are the exception. In fact, a plurality of them said yes, Trump should still be allowed to serve as president if the jury determines he raped Carroll (42%). Only 37% said he should not be allowed to serve in that instance.

Given that  and given that the jury ultimately decided that Carroll did not prove her allegation of rape but rather the lesser offense of sexual abuse  it is hard to imagine many 2020 Trump voters deciding that Tuesdays verdict disqualifies their candidate.

A second question further cements this hypothesis: In addition to the rape case, Trump was recently indicted for paying hush money to a porn star. Several other criminal investigations  into Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his refusal to return highly classified documents  are ongoing. Do these cases make you feel any differently about Donald Trump or is your opinion of him the same as its always been?

Respondents were given four options: 1) Feel more negatively about Trump, 2) Feel more positively about Trump, 3) Same opinion as always or 4) Not sure.

Overall, 33% of Americans said they feel more negatively about Trump given all the recent cases and investigations; 14% said they feel more positively about him; and 44% said they feel the same as ever.

Supporters listen to Trump speak at a campaign rally on April 27 in Manchester, N.H. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

If that third of the country that now feels more negatively about Trump were to include lots of his potential 2024 voters, then perhaps this weeks additional sexual abuse and defamation verdict would dent his electoral support.

But it doesnt. Among the 33% who feel more negatively, only 12% identify as Republicans. Only 11% report voting for Trump in 2020. And only 2% are Republicans who say they currently support Trump for the GOP nomination  a subgroup that amounts to less than 1% of all U.S. adults.

In other words, almost none of the Americans who already feel more negatively about Trump because of his legal troubles were likely to vote for him in the Republican primary anyway.

As for the 2024 general election, Trump (43%) and President Biden (45%) are currently locked in a statistical tie among registered voters, according to the poll. Before Tuesdays verdict, just 6% of 2020 Trump voters said they believed Carrolls testimony was true. The chances that a significant number of them will change their minds now are slim.

____________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,584 U.S. adults interviewed online from May 5 to 8, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to March 15, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (32% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.7%.
President Biden at a meeting with congressional leaders in the Oval Office on Tuesday. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As Democrats coalesce around him as their inevitable nominee, President Biden still narrowly leads former President Donald Trump in a 2024 general-election matchup, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

Yet the results also expose significant vulnerabilities for Biden  including his advanced age and the widespread perception that his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, would not be ready to assume the presidency if necessary.

The survey of 1,584 U.S. adults, which was conducted from May 5 to 8, shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, comes on the heels of a Washington Post/ABC News poll that showed him trailing Trump by 6 percentage points and suffering the lowest approval rating of his presidency  much to the consternation of Democrats from the White House on down.

But the new Yahoo News/YouGov poll detects no such decline for Biden, suggesting that the Washington Post/ABC News survey may be an outlier.

Bidens approval rating and 2024 lead hold steady

In contrast to the Washington Post/ABC News poll  which showed Bidens approval rating underwater by 20 percentage points  Yahoo News and YouGov found that 43% of Americans currently approve of the presidents performance in office while 48% disapprove, a negative margin of just 5 points.

Among registered voters, the gap was even smaller: 47% approve to 50% disapprove. And Biden (45%) continues to cling to a slight edge over both Trump (43%) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (42%) on the question of whom voters would choose if the 2024 election were held today.

Here, each candidates numbers are within a single percentage point of the results from the previous Yahoo News/YouGov survey, conducted in April, and they nearly match the average across all five Yahoo News/YouGov polls conducted so far this year. They also track with national polling averages showing a statistical stalemate between Biden and Trump and between Biden and DeSantis.

Bidens approval rating is similar, averaging 42% since the start of 2023 in both Yahoo News/YouGov surveys and the national polling.

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Small signs of improvement for the president

Far from collapsing at the official start of his 2024 effort, then, Bidens job approval and standing against his potential Republican rivals have remained remarkably consistent. If anything, the president has shown some small signs of improvement in recent weeks.

His current disapproval number among all Americans (48%) is his lowest in any Yahoo News/YouGov survey since September 2021, and for the first time a majority (52%) of potential Democratic primary voters  registered voters who identify as Democrats or independents who lean Democratic  say they would rather see Biden as the nominee than someone else (34%).

Support for Biden on this measure was mired in the mid-30s or lower for much of 2022, and has ranged in the mid- to upper 40s since December. Now, at 52%, it has never been higher.

Voters worry about Bidens age  and Harriss readiness

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event in the White House Rose Garden on May 1. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

None of which is to say that Biden is a sure bet for reelection  far from it.

For one thing, anxiety about the presidents age  at 80, he is the oldest person ever to occupy the office  may be growing. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) now say they are at least somewhat concerned about his health and mental acuity, up 5 points since February (from 60%). Nearly half (44%) describe themselves as very concerned, up from 39% over the same period.

And after hearing that Biden would be 82 at the start of his second term and 86 at the end of it, a full 64% of Americans flatly say he is too old for another term as president.

At 76, Trump isnt much younger than his successor. Yet just 48% of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about Trumps health and mental acuity, and just 41% think he is too old for a second term (down from 45% in February). The difference here is largely attributable to partisan attitudes. Nearly half of Democrats (48%) are willing to say Biden is too old for another stint in the Oval Office, while just a quarter of Republicans (26%) are willing to say the same about Trump.

As a result, perceptions of Harris  the person who would replace Biden if he were to die or otherwise leave office  will likely carry added weight next fall. The new Yahoo News/YouGov poll suggests that so far, Harriss presence on the ticket isnt helping to ease worries about Bidens age. In fact, less than a third of Americans (32%) think she is ready to assume the presidency, while nearly half (48%) say she is not, and 20% are unsure. A full 57% of independents, meanwhile, say Harris is not ready (compared with just 22% who say she is ready).

Its not unusual for vice presidents to have mediocre job numbers; at 40% approve to 46% disapprove, Harriss mirror Bidens. But it is striking how unfavorably Harriss readiness rating compares with her predecessor's. Prior to the 2020 election, 54% of Americans considered Vice President Mike Pence qualified to take over as president, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll from August of that year; just 39% did not.

But Democrats prefer Harris to any alternatives

Harris at the White House Asian American & Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Forum at George Washington University on May 3. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Yahoo News/YouGov poll did not try to test whether Harris, as the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president, is facing more scrutiny because of her gender and race. But despite numerous recent columns advocating her removal from the ticket, there is little reason to think that actual rank-and-file Democrats are clamoring for such a dramatic move  or that they would prefer any alternative.

Among Democrats, a full 75% approve of the job Harris is doing as VP, and nearly 6 in 10 (59%) say she is ready to assume the presidency; among potential Democratic primary voters, these numbers are even higher (77% and 62%, respectively).

Likewise, a majority of Democrats (57%) think Biden should choose Harris as his 2024 running mate rather than someone else (23%). And a plurality of Democratic primary voters would prefer Harris to all nine potential Democratic replacements tested by Yahoo News and YouGov, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (32% vs. 39% for Harris), Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (31% vs. 43% for Harris) and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (27% vs. 42% for Harris). The closest contest is between Harris (43%) and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (40%).

____________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,584 U.S. adults interviewed online from May 5 to 8, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to March 15, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (32% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.7%.
A PSA about the Adult Survivors Act in New York's Times Square during a press conference on the new law in 2022. (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

In a civil trial, a New York jury on Tuesday found that former President Donald Trump was liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and defaming her after she went public about the incident in 2019, though the jury didnt find Trump liable for her alleged rape. It awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages for her battery and defamation claims.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, the former president called the verdict a disgrace and A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

Carroll brought the suit against Trump under a New York state law passed last year called the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which creates a one-year window for survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their alleged abusers, regardless of when the abuse occurred.

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, and 1 out of every 6 women in the U.S. has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.

It's reigniting the opportunity to file lawsuits in cases where the people who will be filing assumed correctly before this that the time had run out, Wendy Murphy, a former federal sex crime prosecutor and professor of sexual violence law at New England Law in Boston, told Yahoo News in a December interview.

The legislation took effect on Nov. 24, 2022, six months after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law. The window to file a lawsuit closes in about six months, on Nov. 23, 2023.

The fight against sexual assault requires us to recognize the impact of trauma within our justice system, Hochul said at the signing of the legislation last May. While our work is not done, eradicating sexual assault begins with our ability to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice, and this legislation is a historic step forward.

In addition to Trump, Bill Cosby is among the high-profile names involved in civil lawsuits filed under New Yorks ASA.

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A wide range of businesses and institutions, such as universities and prisons, could also be held financially liable in civil cases if they are found to have enabled the conduct by lack of action or encouraging an environment for the assaults to occur.

The New York law is modeled after the states Child Victims Act, enacted in August 2019, which similarly created a one-year window for victims of child sexual abuse who were previously outside the statute of limitations for suing. The window was extended through August 2021, and over 10,000 cases were filed in New York state under the law.

According to the New York State Office of Court Administration, so far there have been about 130 civil cases filed under the ASA in the state. A deluge of individual civil lawsuits against state prisons are expected to come as well.

Murphy further explained aspects of the law and what the potential implications are going forward. (Some responses have been lightly edited for length or clarity.)

Why is the one-year window so significant for adult sexual survivors who passed a deadline?

It's so common for victims of sexual trauma, in particular, not to file within that very short statutory window of typically three years, said Murphy. There have been so many cases over the past decades that have been filed many, many years later that I think legislatures around the country understood the importance of giving people an opportunity that they deserve.

Sometimes so much trauma has happened that they're disabled from filing. Sometimes it's a lack of appreciation for the kind of suffering they endured. And sometimes it's an inability to connect the dots. You might suffer as an adult and you're going through trouble, but then you get therapy and you realize, no, actually the underlying trauma was caused by that sexual assault I suffered in high school or college, or in my job some years earlier. So it's the putting together of the causal relationship that really does start the clock, because there's a growing appreciation for that reality.

Allowing this one-year look back is really a way of saying we understand the unique suffering that victims endure and the unique nature of these cases, and we're just trying to provide an opportunity for everybody to have their day in court.

For further context, what is the statute of limitations for cases like these in general?

In general, the way it works in most states, and this is not specific to New York, is there is a fixed period within which you must file a tort claim. We're not talking about criminal cases, we're talking about lawsuits for money. In many jurisdictions that period is three years. Some it's two years, some it might be four.

There have always been exceptions to that three-year limitation period. Those exceptions allowed victims in cases like this to file sometimes many years later if they couldn't have known about the causal relationship between the abuse they suffered and the harm they're enduring. That's called the discovery rule. So there would be a consideration given if you didn't appreciate that you had a lawsuit that you could file because you didn't understand the injuries you were suffering were caused by the abuse. So that might give you a delay of who knows how many years, 10, 20, 30, 40 years, if you could show the court that you could not have filed within the three-year window.

In 2019, New York extended the statute of limitations to 20 years for adults filing civil lawsuits for a select number of sex crimes, but that legislation was not retroactive and affected only new cases.

What is important to note about the type of lawsuits filed under the Adult Survivors Act?

It's only civil, which means it's not criminal. When California did this many years ago, they created a look back for both criminal and civil, and the U.S. Supreme Court said: You can't do it for criminal, that's illegal and unconstitutional, but you can do it for civil, and you can file a lawsuit. Generally speaking, you're going to have a lawyer do that for you, but it's not required. There are people who file pro se lawsuits because they can't find a law firm willing to take their case, or the law firm wants money, or whatever the reason.

I don't like the idea of only focusing on the civil system, because all you're really doing is indulging this idea that the only people that are going to be held accountable are those who can pay to settle the case. It does indulge this two-tiered idea that you can rape someone, and if you're rich, you can just write a check.

Especially in terms of institutions, you can hit them in the pocket, that's where they feel the pinch. The problem is you're often talking about insurance companies, they have endless amounts of resources, so they're just going to factor this risk into the cost of doing business, and they'll be gone. One year from now they won't even worry about it.

What are some concerns surrounding New Yorks legislation?

I don't have any faith that this legislation is going to make a bit of difference in terms of the behavior. We sometimes get overinvested and we overcelebrate without really talking about why all this stuff happened to begin with. So rather than having a few lawsuits, the thing we really have to change is the rules that allow that and create those kinds of incentives, so that every time schools and employers and so forth get a report of sexual assault, their first reaction is: Theyre fired, we are going to make a big stink about this, we're going to announce that we have a zero-tolerance policy.

So, to me, this one-year look-back lawsuit opportunity is a little bit dangerous in the sense that it's going to distract us from putting energy and resources into lobbying for the kinds of reforms that would actually protect women and sexual assault survivors moving forward. You don't just want to reward women when they do suffer. You want to stop the rapists from committing offenses in the first place.
EL PASO, Texas  Immigration authorities offered an olive branch to undocumented migrants in Downtown El Paso before a planned "targeted enforcement operation" was set to begin. Hundreds got in line to apply for documents that could allow them to travel on or be sheltered in El Paso.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the planned operation late May 8, warning that CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would apprehend undocumented migrants and process them for expulsion under Title 42 or place them in Title 8 removal proceedings.

As many as 3,300 migrants have been camping around the Sacred Heart Church and Opportunity Center shelters, including many who entered the country unlawfully. Families have been sleeping on cardboard, under makeshift lean-tos, unable to travel on without proper documents.

Overnight, a flyer circulated offering protection.

The single page asked in large type: Did you cross the border between the international bridges? It said that anyone who needed shelter would need to be processed and encouraged people to turn themselves in to Border Patrol.

A migrant holds the flyer left on the sidewalk by CBP agents in the early morning as migrants slept outside Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The flyer encouraged migrants to turn themselves in at the nearest substation.

The flyer offered an address for the Border Patrol station near the foot of the Paso Del Norte international bridge and promised migrants they would be "processed by CBP officials and placed in the correct immigration path."

CBP appeared to be trying to get as many migrants as possible on a lawful immigration path, and off the street, before launching the enforcement operation.

In the statement issued Monday, CBP said individuals who don't have the proper documentation will be expelled or deported. Noncitizens found to pose a threat to national security or public safety will be transferred to ICE for detention, CBP said.

As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed, said Acting Commissioner Troy Miller in a statement shared with the El Paso Times. Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection.

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More: When Title 42 expires, will migrants be prosecuted for crossing border illegally?

'Your best opportunity'

Mixed messages from CBP have frustrated immigrant advocates. Some migrants said they were wary of the promises, while as many as 200 others lined up Tuesday morning to try their luck.

Bishop Mark Seitz of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso counseled migrants at Sacred Heart on Tuesday morning.

"The message keeps changing," he said, adding that migrants are rightfully mistrustful after what they have been through on the journey to the U.S. border.

"I cant guarantee you what will happen, but I think this will be your best opportunity," Seitz said he told migrants. "Tomorrow (CBP) will not be quite as friendly. And by Thursday they will be arresting those still on the street."

A migrant turns himself into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent at the Paso Del Norte bridge substation in El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Migrants were encouraged by CBP agents to turn themselves in.

U.S. Border Patrol, a division of CBP, has maintained a longstanding commitment in El Paso to not approach churches, schools, hospitals or other sensitive locations that provide social services.

According to the CBP statement issued Monday, "guidelines for enforcement actions in or near protected areas remain in place, and ICE and CBP will not take enforcement action in or near a location that would restrain peoples access to essential services or engagement in essential activities to the fullest extent possible."

Immigrant advocates in El Paso said it wasn't clear whether migrants who are apprehended in El Paso under the expected enforcement operation would be afforded their legal right to seek asylum, or whether they would be summarily removed under Title 42 expulsion or Title 8 expedited removal.

After a slow morning, by Tuesday midday, some 200 migrants had lined up at the Border Patrol station to turn themselves in.

A migrant from Venezuela wipes away his tears as he debates turning himself in at U.S. Customs and Border Protection substation at the Paso Del Norte bridge in El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The gentleman was so scared of what would happen if he turned himself in that he began to cry. Migrants were encouraged by CBP agents to turn themselves in with flyers left on the sidewalk in the early morning as migrants slept outside Sacred Heart Church.

'The life of a migrant'

Earlier Tuesday morning, Yessica Aguino rested under a Red Cross blanket tied to a fence post two blocks north of the Border Patrol station where, if she wanted, she could turn herself in to be processed. Her three children played with donated toys on the cardboard she laid out for them.

The 28-year-old Venezuelan heard about the planned enforcement operation and got the flyer, too. She, her husband and children had crossed illegally three days before after spending more than two months in Juarez in the dangerous conditions of an encampment in an empty building where several migrants were injured in a suspected gang attack.

She trusted nothing and no one.

"People don't understand the life of a migrant," she said. "We've been through so much; it's why we don't trust anyone. We're going to take the risk."

A group of migrants carry an air mattress gifted to them outside Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

The family had scraped together the money to buy bus tickets to Denver, $90 apiece. She said she knew they needed to leave town today if they didn't want to be caught up in a raid. Whether they would make it through the Border Patrol checkpoints on highways out of town, she didn't know.

"Que sea lo que Dios quiere," she said. "It's in God's hands."

Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@elpasotimes.com, on Twitter @laurenvillagran and on Instagram @fronteravillagran.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: CBP vows protection to migrants before Title 42 ends May 11
Newsmax

Newsmax host Greg Kelly issued a snarky, equivocating correction and apology on Tuesday night for airing a mugshot of a totally different person and claiming it was that of Texas mass shooter Mauricio Garcia.

Following this weekends massacre at an Allen outlet mall, researchers and law enforcement have revealed that Garcia had an extensive online history of neo-Nazism and white supremacy. Additionally, the 33-year-old former security guard had tattoos of swastikas and Nazi SS bolts, and wore a patch reading RWDS, an acronym for the extremist slogan right wing death squad.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Garcia was a white supremacist with violently far-right beliefs, MAGA influencers and chief Twitter troll Elon Musk have outright dismissed this as nothing more than a psyop. Pointing to Garcias Hispanic heritage while sharing an inaccurate photo of someone with the same name, right-wing media has claimed the mainstream press manufactured this narrative in a continuing effort to demonize Trump supporters.

Considering Kellys cartoonishly over-the-top pro-Trump schtick, it wasnt all that surprising that he would parrot MAGA Twitters conspiracies about the Allen shooting. However, by the time he went to air on Monday night, it had long been established that the mugshot floating around online was not of the actual shooter, but of a 36-year-old with the same name whod been arrested in Dallas County, Texas. (Authorities have said Garcia did not have a criminal record.)

Look: this is not a white supremacist, Kelly declared while pointing to the entirely wrong photo. Hed also air the inaccurate image later in the program.

The following morning, a Newsmax spokesperson said the network regrets the error and will be issuing a correction on air this evening. At the same time, the rep said numerous outlets ran an incorrect photo due to the Dallas County Sherriffs office having a mugshot with someone by the same name.

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Newsmax Regrets Airing Mugshot of Completely Wrong Person It Claimed Was Texas Gunman

At the top of Greg Kelly Reports on Tuesday night, Kelly did indeed address the error. The conservative host, however, spent the bulk of that time both shrugging off the mistake and taking swipes at the rest of the press.

We got to clear up something from last night. At this time last night, we showed a picture of what we thought was the guy involved in the shooting in Allen, Texas, he said while an on-air graphic blared Fake News Never Acknowledges Its Mistakes.

He continued: Now a lot of media organizations showed this picture; turned out to not be the guy. So were sorry about that.

With his tone growing ever snarkier, Kelly then took the opportunity to air his grievances about the coverage of Border Patrol agents seemingly whipping migrants from horseback. An investigation later found that the agents didnt strike immigrants at the Mexican border, but did find failures at multiple levels.

And by the way, when a mistake is made here on this show, we admit it, we own it, we do it right at the top of the show. Not at the bottom. Not in the last 15 seconds, he huffed. And now, Id like an apology from the mainstream media for all those awful things they said about those guys on horseback. the border patrol, right? Remember that?! Remember all the unfair things? Yeah, let's have a let's have a few apologies for that. And a million other things.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Candidates will be expected to have similar qualifications as those for medical school, with A-levels in sciences, and there will be options for graduates with non-medical degrees - Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Europe

Plans for NHS apprentice doctors have been branded risky by senior medics, who say they do not have time to provide newcomers with training and supervision.

The head of the health service has promised a radical new approach to training, which would enable school-leavers to learn to become a doctor on the job without going to university.

Amanda Pritchard said the plan could mean tens of thousands of school-leavers could start working on wards after their A-levels, while being trained to become doctors and nurses.

But senior doctors reacted with concern on Wednesday, saying consultants do not have the time to provide the necessary training and supervision.

The plan, which would see one in 10 doctors start work without a traditional medical degree, forms the centrepiece of a long-delayed NHS workforce strategy.

This follows warnings that NHS staff shortages in England could reach half a million without action to find new ways to train and recruit workers.

We dont have enough time

On Twitter, Dr Jess Potter, a consultant in respiratory medicine at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, said: Just wondering who is going to train all these apprentice doctors? Already not enough time in our job plans to provide training to medical students rotating through our departments or post-graduate trainees who work in our teams.

Dr Rammya Mathew, divisional medical director at Central London Community Healthcare Trust, said it was not fair to expect supervising medics to take on these responsibilities.

Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, says tens of thousands of school-leavers would be able to start working on wards after their A-levels - Scott Heppell/PA

The GP said: Doctors will inevitably hold all the risk and accountability for the thousands of apprentice roles that we will be working alongside.

I dont think there is enough recognition of how hard this is to do safely and how it leads to professional burnout.

Dr Mathew, a BMJ columnist, said she felt really strongly about the matter, adding: We cant allow a situation where doctors hold this level of responsibility for people who cant practice autonomously. Its unsustainable. You do the job, you take the risk and the responsibility.

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Huge responsibility

Dr John Lockley, a retired GP, said: Its a huge responsibility and drain on the professionals time, because if you are the supervisor of a trainee or a lower-grade worker, then you, personally, are the one who is held responsible at law for their mistakes.

Other GPs questioned the wisdom of any decision to drop the entry requirements for practising medicine as it becomes more complex.

Health officials have said the medical doctor degree apprenticeship involves the same training and standards as traditional education routes, including a medical degree and all the requirements of the General Medical Council.

Candidates will be expected to have similar qualifications as those for medical school, with A-levels in sciences, and there will be options for graduates with non-medical degrees.

The key difference is that apprentice medics would be available on the wards almost immediately, working under supervision while being paid.

Huge question marks

The British Medical Association has expressed concern.

Dr Latifa Patel, BMA workforce lead, said: Innovative approaches to education and training are welcome, but there are huge question marks over how far medical apprenticeships can solve this crisis.

She said there was little evidence on whether the apprentice model will work at scale, and whether employers will want to take the investment risk with no guarantee of a return.

Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of MillionPlus, which represents modern universities in the UK, said: While modern universities are keen to help address shortages in the NHS workforce, establishment and recruitment to a nursing apprenticeship is not necessarily the simplest option for increasing recruitment numbers into the profession.

Under the same plan, thousands of hospital doctors below the level of consultant would be brought in to work in GP surgeries for the first time, in an effort to reduce waiting times.

Health leaders believe speciality and specialist (SAS) doctors, who do not follow the usual career path of junior doctor to consultant, could offer specialist help in areas such as paediatric or elderly care, as well as triaging patients before they see a GP, the Times reported.

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.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Capitol Hill in January. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

In Shakespeares plays or, say, the Victorian novels of Dickens, Trollope and Austen, there are often at least two plots moving forward at any moment: a serious dramatic story involving the works main heroes and villains and a comic subplot peopled by absurd characters.

In the real world, we have comic subplots as well. Take Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who  while American democracy has spun out of control, the U.S. Capitol was overrun and Donald Trump became a serious contender for reelection  wanders on and off the national stage like a ditzy clown keeping the audience amused.

Santos has been a recurring joke in the midst of our otherwise terrifying and riveting political drama  a somewhat doughy, somewhat hapless Mr. Magoo-turned-con man in a blazer, sweater and chinos. He is a fraudster who told lie after ridiculous lie, ad absurdum, about his family background, education and job experience and, though caught in the act, steadfastly refused to be held accountable.

His free ride, though, could be coming to an end. Federal prosecutors in New York announced Wednesday that the 34-year-old freshman congressman has been charged with a wide range of not-so-funny crimes, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. In short, they allege, he deceived and defrauded campaign donors and the U.S. government.

Santos turned himself in to federal authorities on Long Island on Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He said he would not resign and that he's been subjected to a  you guessed it!  "witch hunt."

As my mom used to say, its all fun and games until its not. Santos has been a national punchline in one of the weirdest scandals in U.S. congressional history (and were talking about a governmental body that was once home to Anthony Wiener!). But now he may be written out of the story altogether. The U.S. attorney's office says he could face up to 20 years in prison on the top counts.

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The absurdity of the Santos situation first became clear to me when I watched a video of him trying to find his way through the House office buildings, lost but perpetually moving because he was being trailed and hounded at every step by a scrum of bloodthirsty reporters. He tried to pretend they werent there; they had a great time at his expense.

He was barraged with questions like, Hey George, whats your name today? He tried to look dignified, talking oh-so-seriously into his phone as he walked, though I highly doubt anyone was on the other end.

Santos quickly became the butt of the late-night shows.

I dont consider the things Ive said to be lies, said a straight-faced Jon Lovitz, impersonating Santos on Jimmy Fallons show. Theyre what my great-grandfather, Winston Churchill, would call embellishments.

At the heart of the joke was the fact that his lies were so brazen and so egregious  and yet so mundane at the same time. So checkable and disprovable  yet so insignificant. Like when he said he had been a star on the volleyball team at Baruch College. I mean, who would lie about that?

It turns out he wasnt on the volleyball team. And didnt graduate from Baruch College at all. Nor did he attend the Horace Mann School, as he claimed. Nor did he work at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.

He is not Jewish, as he repeatedly claimed to be. Or of Jewish descent. Or Jew-ish, as he later said hed said.

His grandparents did not flee Hitler.

His mother was not in the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. She wasnt in the country at all.

Santos behavior was laughable, for sure, but also it was wrong, not to mention creepy. It was Jon Stewart, in the end, who pointed out the obvious: We cannot mistake absurdity for lack of danger, he said. Absurdity always makes you think something is more benign than it is.

And its true: The endless fabrications are obviously not funny to Santos constituents on Long Island, who now, six months after the 2022 election, are still represented in Congress by a serial liar. Or to those who donated money for his election (some portion of which was spent, prosecutors say, on personal expenses including "luxury designer clothing").

But Stewart meant more than just that. He was referring to how so many people  himself included  had failed to take Donald Trump seriously at first, seeing him as a harmless clown like Santos.

Trump did seem like a joke in those early days. He said outrageous things, told endless lies, pushed kooky conspiracy theories and seemed to have little argument for why Americans should vote for him other than that he was a flashy, rich, irreverent TV star.

Anyone who doesnt remember how improbable it all seemed should watch the clip (which I saw recently courtesy of journalist Peter Beinart's newsletter) of then-Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) on ABC News with George Stephanopoulos and a panel of so-called political experts in July 2015.

In it, Ellison says that people who oppose Trump ought to get active, get involved and vote.

This man has got some momentum and wed better be ready for the fact that he might be leading the Republican ticket, says Ellison.

At that point everyone on the show bursts into laughter. Peals of laughter, really. Stephanopoulos, grinning, says  and I dont really blame him for this error of enormous historical magnitude, because I probably would have felt the same way  I know you dont believe that.

Ellison doesnt join in the laughter. He says: Stranger things have happened.

President Santos anyone?

@nick_goldberg

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A 'Memorial Head' (Unhunmwun elau, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, collected in Nigeria and acquired 1898 from Edouard Schmidt) is displayed as part of an exhibition on the 'Benin Bronzes' during a press preview of new exhibition halls ahead of their opening in the east wing of the new Berlin Palace Humboldt Forum in Berlin on September 15, 2022

Nigeria's outgoing president has issued a declaration over the Benin Bronzes that could have significant consequences in the campaign for the return of these great cultural treasures, as Barnaby Phillips has been finding out.

In the dying weeks of his administration, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari made a decision which has caused a mixture of delight, concern and confusion.

His declaration of 23 March, made public last month, unequivocally recognises the Oba, or king, of Benin, Ewuare II, as the owner of the famous Benin Bronzes.

These are thousands of metal castings and ivory carvings which were looted by a British military expedition in 1897 from the Benin kingdom in what is today southern Nigeria, and are now mainly in museums in Europe and the United States.

In recent years several of these museums, responding to demands from Nigeria but also from within their own societies, have started to return the Bronzes.

The Nigerian president's declaration says any repatriated Bronzes must be "handed over to the Oba", who is "responsible for the management of all places" where they will be kept.

This could include the Oba's palace, or anywhere else he and Nigeria's government consider secure.

No Benin Bronze can be moved without the Oba's written authority, and he must inspect and authenticate each one upon its subsequent return.

Oba Ewuare II is now the legal owner of all the Benin Bronzes, according to the presidential decree

In other words, Ewuare II has been given sweeping powers.

These appear to come at the expense of the Nigerian government's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, (NCMM), which has handled many of the negotiations over the return of colonial-looted artefacts.

When the Oba played host to the Dutch ambassador in his palace in Benin City last month, he spoke confidently.

The president, said the Oba, had "spelt it out clearly. The ownership, custody, and management are vested in the Oba as an institution. That is the law."

Many of the Benin people, known as the Edo, welcome the president's declaration.

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The Benin Bronzes became known internationally as works of art during the decades they have been in Western museums, but they have a spiritual significance which predates this.

They were made by royal guilds, to venerate the Oba's ancestors, and were kept in the palace.

Ewuare II is the great-great grandson of the Oba toppled by the British, and his palace was built upon the ruins of the one destroyed in the invasion.

But for the NCMM, supposedly in charge of the country's heritage and yet not even mentioned in the president's declaration, this has come as an unwelcome surprise.

"We were blindsided this is not practical nor compatible with existing Nigerian law [and] it was written by someone who doesn't understand how museums work," one official said.

I am told the NCMM has been invited by Nigeria's ministry of justice to offer amendments to the president's declaration.

But President Buhari may feel this is a problem best left to his successor, President-elect Bola Tinubu, due to be sworn in on 29 May.

Nigeria's contradictions and fragilities - its many ethnic groups were carelessly thrown together by the British in 1914 - are never far from the surface.

One of the NCMM's concerns is that President Buhari has, inadvertently, undermined the rationale for any national collection.

If the Oba's ownership of the Bronzes moves beyond the theoretical to the practical, does this not mean that every Nigerian traditional ruler or community is in charge of the treasures made by their ancestors?

The NCMM aims to build a Museum of National Unity in the capital, Abuja, which would, presumably, contain objects such as the Benin Bronzes. That ambition could be harder to achieve now.

Oba Ewuare II and his advisers are more focused on local politics.

They welcome the president's declaration as a victory over the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, with whom they have a chilly relationship.

Governor Obaseki supports a museum project in Benin City known as the Edo Museum of West African Art, or EMOWAA, which has attracted international funding and engaged the Anglo-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye.

The Benin Bronzes were looted at the end of the 19th Century and ended up in museums and private collections

EMOWAA says it will complete its first building in 2024.

Although it has abandoned its original ambition to be "home to the world's most comprehensive collection of Benin Bronzes", it is still viewed with suspicion by palace officials.

The Oba says that returned Benin Bronzes will eventually go on display in a much discussed Benin Royal Museum, to be located near his palace and constructed with the support of the Nigerian government.

"All hands are on deck" for this museum, according to the Oba.

European museums, perhaps understandably, are confused.

The German government, which has taken the lead on the return of Benin Bronzes, says these are internal matters for Nigeria. But some diplomats are worried.

"We negotiated with the Nigerian government to return Bronzes to the NCMM, and signed contracts with the NCMM," says a key German official, "so who are we giving them to?"

In November 2022 Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock flew to Abuja and, amid fanfare, delivered some 20 Bronzes to Nigeria's minister of culture. They remain in NCMM custody.

"Things would be done differently next time," one of the Oba's officials said.

A close relative of the Oba told me the NCMM had "bungled" returns by "surreptitiously" signing agreements.

But he and NCMM officials also told me they were determined to resolve simmering tensions and work together.

"We shouldn't take the presidential declaration too literally," he said, "but as an acknowledgement that the Oba must be at the heart of the process."

In Britain, museums also try to navigate their way through Nigerian politics.

Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology was due to hand over 116 Benin Bronzes to a Nigerian delegation on 16 May.

It would have been a highly symbolic moment.

Cambridge has the second biggest collection of Benin Bronzes in Britain after the British Museum itself, which is increasingly isolated on the issue of restitution.

But Cambridge's event has been quietly postponed.

"There being a bit of confusion, it seemed better to pause," explained one official, diplomatically. October is mooted as a new date.

"I have no doubt," emphasised the museum's director, Nicholas Thomas, "that the transfer of ownership will go ahead."

Barnaby Phillips is a former BBC Nigeria Correspondent and the author of Loot, Britain and the Benin Bronzes.
FIRST ON FOX: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is blaming President Biden for the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border as border officials prepare for the ending of the Title 42 public health order this week -- with Haley promoting her plan to secure the border if she were to become president.

"Never forget that Joe Biden created this crisis. He urged migrants to surge the border," she said, referring to remarks Biden made as a presidential primary candidate.

Haley then noted Bidens reversal of Trump-era policies such as the Remain-in-Mexico policy and border wall construction -- which Republicans have argued were working to bring down apprehensions.

"He caved to the radical wing of his party and reversed polices that were working. Now, Biden has turned every state in America into a border state," she said. "The first step to securing the border is to vote Joe Biden out. My plan calls for implementing a national E-Verify program, defunding sanctuary cities, stopping handouts to illegal immigrants, and firing Biden's new IRS agents and hiring 25,000 new Border Patrol and ICE agents."

BIDEN ADMIN TALKS TOUGHER ON BORDER AHEAD OF TITLE 42'S END  BUT MIGRANTS AREN'T LISTENING

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on March 03, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Haley became the first announced 2024 candidate to visit the border last month, where she made a number of stops in Texas. She also used that trip to roll out her plan for the border, which includes the mandate for E-Verify. Haley had previously backed the program when she signed legislation as governor of South Carolina to require all businesses to use the immigration status verification tool.

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"We did a mandatory E-Verify program that said none of our businesses could hire anyone that was in this country illegally," she said on "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade." "That is what got them out of South Carolina because there were no jobs for them to come to, that's what will get them out of this country, we've got to make sure none of our businesses hire anyone that is here in the country illegally, and we've got to start taking this seriously. Every state is a border state."

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Her plan would also restore the "Remain-in-Mexico" policy -- which kept migrants in Mexico while their immigration hearings proceeded, instead of releasing them into the U.S. Republicans have credited that policy with reducing the pull factors which drew migrants north.

BORDER PATROL CLEARS WAY FOR MORE MIGRANT RELEASES TO CITY STREETS, SOURCES SAY

Additionally, she has said she would cut funding to states that have been used to give money to illegal immigrants -- such as the billions used by New York to cut checks to illegal immigrant workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

MAYORKAS PLEADS WITH MIGRANTS NOT TO ENTER US ILLEGALLY WHEN TITLE 42 ENDS

Haleys remarks come as Title 42 -- which has allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- is set to expire on Thursday along with the COVID-19 national emergency.

Migrants are already flooding to the border, and numbers are expected only to surge in the coming days when the order ends as migrants believe they are more likely to be released into the U.S.

The Biden administration has been warning people not to make the journey, and has taken a number of actions, including cooperation with Mexico on deportations and an increase of penalties for illegal entry -- but so far it does not seem to be dissuading migrants.




VALHALLA, N.Y.  Having left a meeting with congressional leaders no closer to a deal, President Joe Biden pushed ahead with his fight against the GOP's debt ceiling plan, this time in a competitive House district his party hopes to win back.

Biden traveled to New York on Wednesday for political fundraisers and give remarks at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, an area north of New York City that he won handily in the 2020 presidential election.

The resounding win by Biden is in stark contrast to last year's midterm elections, when freshman GOP Rep. Mike Lawler flipped the congressional district.

The White House had advertised the Wednesday speech as one in which Biden would denounce a Republican-passed bill tying an increase in federal borrowing authority to spending cuts that Democrats oppose. The event was planned days before Biden's talks on Tuesday concluded with no measurable progress.

President Joe Biden speaks on the debt limit during an event at SUNY Westchester Community College, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Valhalla, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) ORG XMIT: NYJM125

Biden's plan to target Republicans appeared to hit a snag on when the congressman said he would attend the Democratic president's event.

Addressing the GOP congressman's presence as he opened his remarks, Biden said Lawler is on the other team but hes not one of these MAGA Republicans."

"Thanks for being here," Biden added. "This is the way we used to do it all the time."

Biden said that a very "extreme wing" of the GOP that has "taken control" of the House that is "holding the economy hostage" by threatening to default on the national debt. "This would be incredibly damaging," he said.

Lawler voted in favor of the House GOP bill that Biden criticized during the event. The legislation would reduce federal spending, rescind unused COVID-relief funds and reverse Biden's student loan cancellations if it were to become law. It would also return discretionary spending to where it was in fiscal year 2022 and impose a 1% growth cap, which the White House says would hurts veterans, teachers and seniors.

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Lawler said in a pair of tweets before the event that he intended to discuss the debt limit with Biden when he visited his district and hoped to see "real movement" from the president on a long-term spending agreement.

"We must have long-term spending cuts, and we must not default," Lawler said in a video in which he committed to protecting seniors, veterans and low-income Americans.

The White House declined in its daily briefing on Tuesday to comment on Lawler's anticipated attendance.

In a statement later, it acknowledged that Biden would visit a Republican-held district and underscored the president's desire to reduce "wasteful spending" by cutting subsidies to oil companies and expanding Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. Biden has also sought to decrease the federal deficit by raising taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, the White House noted.

Lawler told reporters after the event that his conversation with Biden was "very cordial" and "wasn't contentious in any way." He said that Biden told him he wasn't in his district to pressure or hurt him in any way.

He said that after speaking with him, he hopes that Biden recognizes, that just because he is supporting the GOP bill, that doesn't make him an extremist. "We can not continue to spend and borrow and print new money at these levels, period," he said. "The Joe Biden of old knows that you have to negotiate, you have to work together in a bipartisan way. And frankly, I think he appreciated the fact that I showed up."

Biden pressed GOP lawmakers to increase the United States' spending limit with no strings attached in an Oval Office meeting that Democratic leadership in Congress also attended. But in remarks after the meeting, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said leaders made little progress toward an agreement.

"I didn't see much difference in the statements," McCarthy said.

Congressional lawmakers met with President Joe Biden to negotiate how to address the debt ceiling before June 1, when U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress that the United States would default on their debts.

The two sides remain at a stalemate over how to avoid defaulting on the United States' financial obligations, and the White House has repeatedly said that Biden is not going to budge. The president is pushing for spending negotiations to take place as part of the annual budget and appropriations process.

"I told congressional leaders that I'm prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget and spending priorities, but not under the threat of default," Biden told reporters after his remarks.

Biden and the bipartisan group of congressional leaders, which included House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are expected to meet again on Friday.

"Let's discuss what we need to cut, what we need to protect, what new revenue we can raise, and how to lower the deficit to put our fiscal house in order," Biden said in remarks after the meeting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden takes debt limit fight to Republican-held House district
Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, in Beijing, capital of China, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with a delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China is willing to work with Iran to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests and implement the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation plan.

China supports countries in the Middle East in upholding strategic independence and taking their destiny into their own hands, and welcomes Syria's return to the big family of the Arab League, Wang said.

China will continue to contribute to security and stability in the Middle East and world peace and development, Wang added.

Zolghadr said Iran attaches importance to enhancing exchanges of governance experience with China and hopes to strengthen international cooperation and safeguard international fairness and justice. 
Around 60 people have been killed on both sides in the clashes in the hilly northeastern state of Manipur

The stench of death hangs heavy over the morgue at an Indian hospital -- and relatives are refusing to bury the rotting corpses in protest at their killings in ethnic violence.

Kamlallian Ype, 35, from the mainly Christian Kuki tribe, was killed fleeing attackers from the majority Meitei people, who are mostly Hindus, said his friend P Hentinglian.

"He was shot in the back and fell down," the 25-year-old told AFP at the mortuary in Churachandpur. "They approached him and shot him point blank at the forehead. I saw it all."

Around 60 people have been killed on both sides in the clashes in the hilly northeastern state of Manipur and around 35,000 residents have fled their homes since last week.

The far-flung states of northeast India -- sandwiched between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar -- have long been a tinderbox of tensions between different ethnic groups.

Now the families of Kukis killed in the latest violence are demanding a separate entity of their own.

Ype's widow and their four sons want nothing from the Manipur state government and see him as a "martyr for the people... for the tribal community", said his elder sister Siamting, 39.

"What I really want now is the separation of tribal regions from Manipur, for the Indian government to carve out a separate state for tribals in the region," she went on.

Another father of four, daily wage labourer Lalthansang Siekzathang, lay among the bodies in the morgue.

"Real justice would be a separate state cut away from Imphal" -- the regional capital -- "which only promotes one community", said his widow Jelevi Hmingthangmoi, 30.

Both women insisted their families will not hold funerals for their menfolk until the government agrees to their demands.

"He died defending our land," said Siamting. "As our demands are not met he is still at the morgue."

- Mob attacks -

The clashes in Manipur were sparked by a protest about plans to give the Meitei "Scheduled Tribe" status.

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A form of affirmative action to combat structural inequality and discrimination, that classification would give them guaranteed quotas of government jobs and college admissions.

Violence erupted in Imphal and elsewhere, with protestors setting fire to vehicles and buildings.

According to villagers, Meitei mobs armed with guns and petrol cans then attacked Kuki settlements in the hills.

Hentinglian, 25, said Ype was trying to escape to the paddy fields near his village of Kangvai after it was overwhelmed by a 200-strong mob, who he alleged were accompanied by police commandos.

"The commandos were taking (the) lead holding automatic rifles and some of the Meiteis were taking pistols along with them," he said.

AFP was unable to independently confirm his account and has sought comment from police authorities in Manipur.

Police in the state have been accused of bias in favour of the majority Meitei community, with Kukis evacuated to the safety of army-run camps accusing them of not defending them, or joining the mobs.

Mary Jones, head of Research and Preservation of Zo Identities, an activist group which promotes tribal cultures, told AFP: "We have more than 15 people who have been killed. There will be no funeral until our demands are met by the Indian government.

"We want the government to give us a separate state, away from Manipur. It would be a tribal land."

bb/slb/ser
By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union states were holding a first discussion on Wednesday on proposed new sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine that would target Chinese and Iranian firms and allow export curbs on third countries for busting trade restrictions.

Talks among the EU envoys were set to be heated, according to one diplomat, with Russia hawks upset the plan does not go far enough but others wary of damaging their international ties.

Widely differing perspectives mean a quick deal is not expected, several diplomats said.

The EU's chief executive unveiled the plan on a symbolic trip to Kyiv on Tuesday - a counterbalance to annual celebrations in Moscow of the World War Two victory over Nazi Germany that President Vladimir Putin likens to his invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions would focus on cracking down on the circumvention of Russia trade curbs already in place, and were designed "in very close coordination" with Group of Seven nations.

"If we see that goods are going from the European Union to third countries and then end up in Russia, we could propose to the member states to sanction those goods' export. This tool will be a last resort and it will be used cautiously," she said.

She added the EU would stop transit via Russia of more of its exports, including advanced tech products and aircraft parts.

Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal - drafted by von der Leyen's Commission - said it also included blacklisting "tens" of new companies, including from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The new sanctions would highlight that oil tankers are not allowed to offload in high seas or arrive in ports with their GPS trackers off, an attempt to push back against flouting G7 restrictions on trading Russian oil, according to the sources.

Part of the push relates to growing concern, particularly in Spain, over the risk of spills as the "ghost" fleet moving Russian, Iranian and Venezuela oil grows.

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"New EU measures will unfortunately do little to address the problem which is old, uninsured vessels performing STS (ship-to-ship transfers) outside the EU," Andrea Olivi, head of wet freight at commodities trader Trafigura, said. Olivi pointed to a fire last week on a tanker with no known insurance in waters off Malaysia as an example.

"The EU should put pressure on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to introduce more stringent safety and insurance measures on older vessels.

NO SWIFT DEAL SEEN

All 27 EU countries must agree for new sanctions to take effect in what would be the bloc's 11th round of such measures since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

It would mark the first time the bloc had targeted China over accusations of Beijing's role in the war, something China's foreign ministry warned the EU against.

A diplomatic source from an EU country hawkish on Russia was frustrated the Commission's proposal did not include stopping Russian diamond imports or nuclear energy cooperation.

The person said trade lost under the proposal was estimated to be worth up to 500 million euros ($550 million) compared to what von der Leyen said amounted to 11 billion euros in the previous round.

At the opposite end of the debate, a diplomatic source from a country critical of the sanctions said the proposal to target third countries was bound to trigger a fraught discussion.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Additional reporting by Julia Payne;Editing by Mark Potter and Alison Williams)
North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promised to strengthen its ties with the People's Republic of China.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met with Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun in Pyongyang on Monday, according to state outlet Korean Central News Agency.

"Choe Son Hui and Wang Yajun expressed their steadfast stand to further develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and China, true to the noble intention of the leaders of the two parties and the two countries," KCNA reported.

"DPRK" is an abbreviation of North Korea's official name  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

NORTH KOREA COMMENDS RUSSIA'S 'SACRED STRUGGLE' IN HOLIDAY MESSAGE

North Korea pledges to strengthen its China relationship.

"The talk was held in a comradely and friendly atmosphere," the outlet added.

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Wang is the first known diplomat granted residence in the North Korean capital since the country's intense COVID-19 lockdown in January 2020.

The bilateral relations between North Korea and China are part of a larger move by the hermit kingdom to secure its traditional allies amidst international scrutiny.

RUSSIA'S MEDVEDEV THREATENS TO ARM NORTH KOREA IF SOUTH KOREA ARMS UKRAINE

North Korea released a statement of support for Russia on Tuesday, acknowledging the country's celebration of its Victory Day holiday.

In the message, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un commended the Russian people for winning "a great victory in the great war of justice to annihilate fascism that threatened the destiny of mankind by displaying matchless heroism and self-sacrificing spirit," according to Korean Central News Agency, a state media outlet.

Victory Day marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender at the end of World War II.

According to the KCNA dispatch, Kim took the opportunity to "extended warm militant greetings once again to the president, army and people of Russia who courageously turned out in the sacred struggle to realize international justice and defend global peace against the high-handed and arbitrary practices of the imperialists" in World War II.
A wicker basket of more than 300 folded pieces of paper brought tears to Superintendent Rocky Hannas eyes on Tuesday evening.

Each piece of paper was a letter written in support of Hanna, who is under investigation by the state department of education for allegedly infusing his personal beliefs" into the management of Leon County Schools.

Read them, enjoy them, and Ill close by saying you are valued, you are supported, and the people who elected you have got your back, said Sarah Sprayberry, a parent of two Tallahassee students, at a School Board meeting.

Back story: State finds 'cause' to discipline Leon superintendent over 'politically charged statements'

Reaction: Leaders weigh in as state may punish Leon Superintendent for 'politically-charged' statements

Dozens of community members, including parents, teachers and students, came to show their support for Hanna. More than 100 people signed in at the front office. While not everyone spoke, they all clapped after each comment at the lectern.

"We don't live in an autocracy or a dictatorship, and I will not stand by silently and allow the attacks that have happened to you," said Dorothy Inman Johnson, a former mayor of Tallahassee. "I am happy to be here, Rocky, to say you have the support of this community. The voters of Leon County elected you, not the governor, and the voters of Leon County will insist that our votes are heard."

Hanna, who has been a vocal critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration, was notified by the Florida Department of Education in April that there is probable cause to justify sanctions" against his Florida educator certificate. Among other things, the complaint points to the superintendent's 2021 mask mandate that defied the governor's executive order and a letter to teachers encouraging them to "you do you" as the Florida Legislature cracks down on speech in the classroom, particularly on matters of race and sexuality.

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Penalties include a reprimand, fine, probation, restriction of practice, suspension of no more than five years, revocation of no more than 10 years or a permanent revocation of his teaching license, according to a letter written and signed by Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr.

Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna bows his head as he cries after Sarah Sprayberry presents him with a basket filled with more than 300 letters, cards and emails that were compiled to by parents, educators and students to show their support of Hanna during a LCS School Board meeting Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Seventy-three people wrote in emails for public comment for Tuesdays meeting. Other emails were also printed and placed in the brown wicker basket, stuffed in between letters written on bright green pieces of paper or flowery stationary.

In dark blue permanent marker, one letter read Ms. Gawanters 1st Grade Superstars Class Says Thanks.

In my six years on the board, Ive never heard such eloquence and so many tears in appreciation of our superintendent, said school board member Rosanne Wood.

More than 300 handwritten letters, emails and cards were given to Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna as a show of support from parents, educators and students during a LCS School Board meeting Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

The day after the Democrat published the story about the DOE investigation, local elected officials, including County Commissioners Rick Minor and David OKeefe and City Commissioner Jack Porter issued statements in support of Hanna.

On Tuesday, City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who attended the meeting for his daughter who was recognized for her service as this years LCS student school board member, clapped in support of Hanna while sitting in the audience.

Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, also stopped by and spoke at the lectern in support of the superintendent.

You have someone pulling for you in the Capitol every day, and thats me, Tant said.

At the end of the meeting, school board member Darryl Jones said some words of encouragement to Hanna, with members Wood, Marcus Nicolas and Laurie Cox nodding in agreement.

More than 300 handwritten letters, emails and cards were given to Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna as a show of support from parents, educators and students during a LCS School Board meeting Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and we thank you for being an uncompromised, unapologetic and a most authentic voice for our Leon County schools," he said.

Hanna said Tuesday evenings meeting was his 137th as superintendent since he was elected in 2016.

Many times this seat is very lonely, and I feel that Im by myself. Tonight, I dont feel that way, Hanna said.

He reiterated that he has "never broken the law."

"I do not defy laws, I do not encourage others to defy laws," he said. "I simply try to do what's best for our teachers, our children and our public schools, and I will never make apologies for that. If it ends up costing me my teaching certificate or, heaven forbid, even worse, then I'm more than willing to accept that."

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Superintendent Rocky Hanna gets show of support amid threats by state
Milan Harris, also known as Milan Rouge, has reached massive success, but that isnt stopping her from manifesting her next move.

As previously reported by AfroTech, just last year, Milan Harris clothing line, Milano Di Rouge (Making Dreams Reality), generated more than $60 million in direct-to-consumer sales. However, the aspirations dont stop there.

During an appearance on the show Assets Over Liabilities, hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings asked her if she would be open to collaborating with other brands.

So thats my new goal, Rouge said. Im so private and I dont really try to share my ideas and what I want, but Im manifesting and putting out there  I definitely want to do collaborations.

Making Her Dreams A Reality

For Harris, Milano Di Rouge was birthed out of her passion for fashion and was fully self-funded in her home city of Philadelphia, PA, 10 years ago. Now, it has become a household staple for many of the hottest entertainers.

Moving forward, Harris wants total alignment before partnering with other companies.

It has to mutually make sense for both parties, and I want to put Milano Di Rouge in stores, she said to the hosts. We did over 60 million in sales direct-to-consumer, so I know the possibilities are endless.

Whats more, Rouge already envisions her business reaching greater heights.

Aspirations For The Brand

I can see major retailers knocking on the door, she said. I would like to see our denim in Neiman [Marcus] or Nordstrom I would like to see it. Those are the stores Id like to see it in because our customers go directly to the brand. But I know if people are in the stores and they dont know anything about it and they just end up seeing the quality and the design, I know that theyll love it too.

Now, itll only be a matter of time before Harris makes her next dream for the company come true.
Soldiers of the 92nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken a Russian invader captive, using a drone on the Bakhmut front on 9 May 2023.

Source: Yurii Fedorenko, the commander of the Achilles UAV company of the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Ivan Sirko; Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

Details: Fedorenko has said that the day before, his company's unit spotted a Russian soldier on the Bakhmut front, who asked not to be bombed.

Ukrainian soldiers used the drone to drop a note for the occupier, ordering to surrender and follow the drone.

Quote: "He agreed, despite the fact that his own men were shooting him in the back. Infantry and reconnaissance men from the CODE 9.2 unit of the 92nd Brigade accompanied him all the way to Ukrainian positions. Captivity in Ukraine gives you more chances to survive than service in the Russian army."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Infant deaths were on the rise and, according to officials, the deaths were directly related to unsafe sleeping practices and equipment.

>> TRENDING: Deputies seek publics help finding missing 14-year-old Harrison Twp. girl

Montgomery Countys Department of Job and Family Services, Public HealthDayton & Montgomery County, along with the countys Coroners Office warned of unsafe sleeping practices that killed six babies and of a dangerous lounger that killed twoall this year.

In September 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Boppy Company recalled more than 3.3 million newborn loungers after eight babies died inside of the product. Their deaths were attributed to suffocation.

Babies can suffocate if they roll, move, or are placed on the lounger in a position that obstructs their breathing, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Countys Department of Job and Family Services said.

Infants havent developed the strength they need to pull air in or push air out when their chest or abdomen becomes compressed or when their mouth or nose is obstructed by bedding or pillows, Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said.

It also takes time for the muscles needed to move their necks and heads to fully develop, so placing them to sleep at an incline can cause them to fall asleep in a chin-to-chest position which can restrict their airway, Harshbarger continued.

Some crib bumpers were also recently banned in the United States for their potential to suffocate a baby.

As a result of the multiple infant deaths, Montgomery Countys EveryOne Reach One Maternal and Infant Vitality Task Force reminded parents, family members, and friends about proper safe sleep procedures in addition to not using banned or dangerous baby products.

Infants should always sleep alone, on their backs, and in a crib, bassinet or play yard, the spokesperson said. There should be nothing loose placed in the sleep space, such as blankets or toys, which may cause the baby to suffocate.

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Parents were also advised to not sleep with their child, either in a bed, recliner, or couch.

There is no safe way to bedshare, and using products not intended for sleep puts more babies at risk of dying, Health Commissioner Jennifer Wentzel said. The best way for a baby to sleep is alone, on their back and in a crib.

The termscrib, bassinet/cradle, and play yardare only allowed for products that have passed rigorous safe sleep testing. Items like loungers, sleepers, nests, pods, hammocks, etc. are not safe for sleep, the spokesperson said.

The standards for these three classifications were altered during the following years: crib in 2019, play yard in 2020, and bassinet/cradle in 2015. Therefore, if you owned one of these items manufactured before their year of change, you were advised to check with the manufacturer to make sure the products were still safe.

A good rule of thumb was that if the product was older than 10 years, then it most likely did not meet contemporary standard, the spokesperson said.

Caregivers can search to see if an item has been recalled on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissions recall webpage.

Montgomery County residents can also take advantage of Public HealthDayton & Montgomery Countys Cribs for Kids Program, which provided free cribs for eligible parents. You can call 937-224-3696 for more information.

To the families who lost an infant, Montgomery County Commission President Debbie Lieberman said, Our hearts go out to all families who have experienced the loss of a precious child. We want to remind everyone to double check that the products theyre using are safe for sleep and havent been recalled.




Joanna Parish murder victim Paris France - PA

The ex-wife of the serial killer accused of murdering British student Joanna Parrish must stand trial in November, French prosecutors demanded.

It came after a Netflix documentary shone new light on the role Monique Olivier played in allegedly helping her husband kidnap, rape and kill his victims in a spree between the late Eighties and early Nineties.

The body of Parrish, a Leeds University language student, was found in the River Yonne near Auxerre, Burgundy in 1990, a day after she was reported missing.

Michel Fourniret, the main suspect nicknamed the Ogre of the Ardennes, died in 2021, making his ex-wife the only living suspect in Parrishs case.

Olivier met Fourniret while he was serving time in prison for sexually assaulting a dozen young women, agreeing a bizarre pact that she would find him virgins to rape if he would kill her then-husband  which he never did.

Prosecutors have faced pressure in recent weeks to prosecute Olivier after a Netflix documentary circled back on her involvement aiding her husband.

According to the creators of Monique Olivier: Accessory To Evil, victims were reassured to get in Fournirets car because his wife was with him.

Monique Olivier ex-wife Michel Fourniret France serial killer Joanna Parrish Britain 1990 court case - Francois Nascimbeni/AFP via Getty Images

Parrish, from Gloucestershire, was working as a language assistant in Burgundy when a man answered an advert she had put in a local paper offering English lessons.

Her body was discovered shortly after she agreed to him.

According to the Netflix documentary, the fact that Olivier was working alongside Fourniret resulted in many more victims.

Because she was in the car [with Fourniret] victims were reassured, Michelle Fines, the journalist and producer of the documentary, told the BBC in March.

The parents of Joanna Parrish always wondered how it was possible that their daughter could go with a man. But when they knew there was a couple, they understood how it could have been possible.

Prosecutors filed their request for a trial, arguing Olivier should face charges of complicity in kidnapping and kidnapping murder, followed or accompanied by rape of Joanna Parrish.

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Olivier is already serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for complicity in four murders and a gang rape committed by Fourniret.

She has also received a 20-year term for complicity in a fifth, financially motivated murder by her former husband.

After Fourniret was released from prison in 1987, they lived together  buying a chateau with stolen gold dug up from a graveyard  and had a son.

Michel Fourniret Joanna Parish murder victim France - Reuters/Stringer

However, in 2004, she accused him of the murders of nine young women and teenagers, of which he admitted to eight. He was sentenced to life in jail in 2008 and the pair divorced in 2010.

Olivier is now the only living suspect in Parrishs case.

Despite Fourniret and Olivier being key suspects in the initial investigation into Parrishs death, the case was closed in 2011 after judges decided there was not enough evidence for the case to stand trial.

Fourniret later confessed to Parrishs murder in 2018.

The latest request to put his ex-wife on trial came following a new investigation conducted by a special cold case unit launched in 2022.

According to investigators, Olivier played a key role in luring Parrish into Fournirets van so he could rape and murder her. The 20-year-olds naked body was later found in a river, having been raped and strangled.

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By Jason Lange, Gabriella Borter and Joseph Ax

(Reuters) -Republican vulnerabilities on abortion policy are on display in Ohio, with the party playing defense against a surge in abortion rights activism that could help President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party in next year's elections.

The Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday approved a measure intended to make it more difficult for voters to approve a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights that Democrats and activists are working to get on the ballot in November.

Abortion rights advocates have racked up electoral victories, lifting Democrats along the way, since the Supreme Court struck down the national right to abortion last year.

This year's elections in Kentucky and Virginia, along with the Ohio ballot initiative, could add to that momentum.

Ohio is considered a long shot in 2024 for Biden, who lost the state by eight percentage points in 2020. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown's re-election bid is widely seen as one of the top 2024 Senate races as Democrats try to maintain a razor-thin majority.

"Ohio is a must-win Senate race for Democrats," said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

Ohio Republicans approved a bill on Wednesday over Democratic objections setting an August special election for citizens to vote on whether to require 60% support to pass ballot initiatives like the proposed abortion rights amendment, rather than the simple majority currently required.

The proposed abortion amendment has gotten about 60% support in Ohio-based opinion polls. Since the Supreme Court decision, ballot referendums in other states, including Democratic-leaning Michigan, have seen between 50% and 60% of voters show support for abortion rights - but none has exceeded 60%.

"They're coming for this ballot measure with everything they've got," said Rachel Sweet, who led campaigns in 2022 that defeated anti-abortion ballot initiatives in Kansas and Kentucky.

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Ohio Republicans passed a six-week state abortion ban in 2019, but that law is blocked while litigation proceeds.

Many Americans support some limits on abortion but most voters - including a significant slice of Republicans - oppose severe restrictions or total bans, which have multiplied since the Supreme Court's ruling.

Among Republicans, a strong anti-abortion stance is important for winning primaries but can hurt in general elections, said Republican strategist Sarah Longwell.

"The gap on this issue between base voters and swing voters is very wide," Longwell said.

A March Reuters/Ipsos poll found 43% of respondents who identified as solidly Republican said they were less likely to support a presidential candidate who backed severe abortion restrictions, compared to 77% of Democrats. Among independents and people who said they leaned toward one of the parties, 68% said they were not fond of anti-abortion hard-liners.

MIDTERM LESSONS

Republicans did not perform as well as had been expected in the November midterm elections, with strategists in both parties attributing Democratic strength in part to higher support from women who back abortion rights.

In Michigan, voters approved a state constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights, and Democrats won majorities in both state legislative chambers for the first time in decades.

Ohio's signature drive will help identify voters for efforts to raise turnout next year, Democrats said.

Abortion is certain to play a role in other 2023 races. In Virginia, where a slim Democratic majority in the state Senate has stymied efforts to restrict abortion by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, Democrats have signaled they will make abortion a central issue in November's legislative elections.

In Republican-leaning Kentucky, abortion rights activists are already knocking on doors ahead of November's gubernatorial election, when Democrat Andy Beshear is seeking another term.

Ohio's top elections official had set a Wednesday deadline for lawmakers to approve an August special election. The state Senate passed the proposal in April, but the House vote came down to the wire after some Republicans were critical of its costs and wary of making the election about abortion.

Democratic lawmakers held up signs and chanted in protest after Wednesday's vote.

Senate President Matt Huffman has made clear the measure is aimed at the abortion rights amendment.

"If we save 30,000 lives as a result of spending $20 million, I think that's a great thing," Huffman told reporters in March, referring to estimates on the annual number of abortions in Ohio.

(Reporting by Jason Lange and Gabriella Borter in Washington and Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt speaks during the opening ceremony for the 2023 Festival of the Arts in Oklahoma City, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is the next dean of Oklahoma City University's School of Law.

He will start the new position July 1, but it will have no effect on his service as OKC mayor. Holt currently serves as the managing director of communications for private investment company Hall Capital.

OCU President Kenneth Evans said in a press release Holt will lead the law school into its next era.

I appreciate Davids leadership experience, broad network within the law and government communities, and strong connection to the OCU School of Law, Evans said. Our university community welcomes him back to campus and looks forward to his impact on our law school.

Holt, who received his juris doctor from Oklahoma City University in 2009, and worked for a year in 2011 for Williams Box Forshee and Bullard, told The Oklahoman in March he didn't need much convincing to apply for the position.

"I am grateful and excited for this opportunity to join its mission, in the heart of downtown OKC," Holt said in a tweet announcing the career news. "I truly believe the future for this school is limitless."

What will David Holt do as OCU Law Dean?

Holt will be "the chief academic officer and chief administrator of the School of Law," with responsibilities including maintaining growth in enrollment and retention, generating more external support through fundraising and outreach, planning and executing the school's administrative budget, among others.

Being an OKC mayor has long history of being a side gig

Outside of their roles as public servants, Oklahoma City's elected officials often have other jobs or full-time careers because their elected positions don't pay what many consider a livable wage.

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The mayor of Oklahoma City makes $24,000 per year from the job, while city council members receive half that.

"This is just in keeping with a century tradition of being a full-time employee somewhere else and serving in your spare time as mayor," Holt said.

In fact, it's not even the first time an Oklahoma City mayor has held a leadership position with this university.

Jack Wilkes served as president of Oklahoma City University from 1957 to 1963, the same year he was elected as mayor of Oklahoma City. He resigned the presidency a few months into his mayoral term to become the pastor of Wesley Methodist Church, according to The Oklahoman.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Mayor David Holt named dean of Oklahoma City University law school
Chinese carmaker Wuling's electric vehicle fleet is providing commuter service for delegations to the 42nd ASEAN Summit on May 9-11 in Indonesia.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Police officers in Oklahoma who thought they were responding to a person in distress on Monday were surprised to discover it was actually just a barn animal.

Body cam footage posted on social media shows Officers David Sneed and Neal Storey of the Enid Police Department walking down a field toward what sounds like someone yelling for help. "I think that's a person," one of the officers says as the other begins running to the source of the call.

As they got closer, Officer Sneed could hear a distinct yell for "help," police said in a statement on Facebook.

But as they got closer to the sound they discovered it wasn't someone calling for help, just a very loud goat.

The officers share a laugh as the goat continues to yelp in the background. A farmer then explains to the officers that the goat was upset because it had been separated from one of its friends.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Your swift actions (although in the end not necessary) are appreciated by us all," police joked in a statement. "All in all, you really can't say it was that baaad of a call."

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A 51-year-old Olathe man told police that he shot his stepson in self-defense after he allegedly came at him with a knife, according to court documents.

Video from a surveillance camera, however, shows that moments before the shooting on April 23, the man went to the kitchen and returned carrying a knife similar to the one found with the victim, according to court documents.

Christopher M. Barwick has been charged with one count of first-degree murder in Johnson County District Court in the shooting death of 26-year-old Bryson Smith. Initially, Barwick had been charged with attempted first-degree murder, but the charge was amended after Smith died and his death was ruled a homicide.

One the day of the shooting, police responded shortly before 6 p.m. to a home in the 800 block of South Windsor Road for an armed disturbance between family members, a police spokesman said in a news release.

According to court documents, arriving officers found Smith with a single gunshot wound to the back left side of his head. A knife with a pearl white handle was found underneath his left hand.

He was taken to a hospital in critical condition. A doctor declared him dead two days later. A medical examiner conducted an autopsy on May 1 and ruled his death to be a homicide.

According to a reacted affidavit, Barwick allegedly had an altercation with Smith and wanted him out of the house.

During the altercation Barwick allegedly told a detective he grabbed his stepson by his dreadlocks and started dragging him up the stairs to get him out of the house. He let him go when his stepson pleaded with him, according to court documents.

The victim allegedly then told Barwick to call police because he wasnt going anywhere. Barwick allegedly told police that the victim then came at him with a knife and he shot the victim, according to court documents.

I had to defend myself, Barwick allegedly told the detective.

Smith was found downstairs in an unfinished basement. The only access to the basement was through the garage. Barwick told a detective about a surveillance camera inside the garage, but he allegedly said it did not record nor did it have audio. The camera was only used to show what was going on in the garage, according to court documents.

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A detective learned that the camera did record Barwick entering the garage about 5:56 p.m., shortly before he called 911 to tell a dispatcher he shot his son. The camera also captured audio of an exchange involving Barwick, according to court documents.

The camera then captured video of Barwick coming from the direction of the basement stairs and walking into the kitchen.

Audio picks up what appears to be the sound of drawer opening and the sound of metal against metal, according to the court document.

Barwick then was caught on video walking out of the kitchen with a white-handled knife and headed towards the basement stairs before going out of camera view, according to the court document.

Barwick was being held in Johnson County jail on a $500,000 bond.
Smoke billows over the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military says it has renewed air strikes against Islamic Jihad targets in the territory

The Israeli military said it renewed strikes on Gaza Wednesday, killing one person according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry.

In a statement, the military said it was "currently striking Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation rocket launching infrastructure in the Gaza Strip".

A Gaza health ministry official told AFP one person was killed.

An AFP journalist saw air strikes hit north of Gaza City, with smoke billowing from the densely-populated territory.

Israel's military said it also fired on militants "who were travelling to a rocket launch site in the city of Khan Yunis" in southern Gaza.

The latest violence comes a day after Israeli air strikes killed 15 Gazans, including top militants from Islamic Jihad and four children, according to a health ministry toll.

bur-rsc/kir
Carlos Alberto Montaner, 80, the great Cuban intellectual, has just announced that he will no longer write his column in newspapers across the Americas because he has been diagnosed with a rare disease that makes it difficult for him to read and write.

He ended his May 7 farewell column in El Nuevo Herald with characteristic humility: I did my best.

In fact, Montaner did a lot for generations of faithful readers, myself included. He not only fought for democracy in Cuba, but also for fundamental freedoms in all of Latin America  and in the United States. That made him stand apart from many of his fellow Cuban-exile writers, some of whom rushed to side with almost any right-wing autocrat who criticized the Cuban dictatorship.

Perhaps Montaners biggest contribution has been to help readers understand that the fundamental conflict in the world is not between right and left, but between democracy and dictatorship.

When I asked him earlier this week to send me one paragraph stating what is the most important idea he tried to convey in his writings, he told me in an email that it has been to spread the idea of freedom. He added, Thats what Ive spent much of my life on, ever since I lived the experience of communism early in life.

While Montaner is best known for his relentless criticism of the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan dictatorships, he also lashed out against Latin Americas right-wing autocrats and populists. In recent years, he criticized Brazils former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, among other things for his contempt for democratic institutions.

In the United States, even before former President Trump tried to fraudulently overturn the result of the 2020 elections, Montaner rightly warned that he was a threat to Americas democracy. In the 2020 U.S. elections, Montaner publicly endorsed Joe Biden.

Montaners books  including Las Raices torcidas de America latina (Latin Americas Twisted Roots), a history of the Spanish conquest and its impact on the region  are must-reads for any student of Latin American affairs.

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Unlike ultra-conservatives, Montaner  much like his good friend, Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa  has always defended peoples freedom to choose on social issues, whether its abortion, the death penalty or religion. He considers himself an agnostic, but above all a person who defends economic, political and religious freedoms.

A man with a great sense of humor, he has coined some of the wittiest political sayings on Latin American affairs.

One of my favorites is his statement about the U.S. geographic and cultural proximity to Cuba. In the 1980s, returning from a reporting trip to the island, I had noted to Montaner that Cuban youths were still wearing T-shirts with U.S.A. logos and chanting the lyrics to U.S. music despite relentless efforts by Castro to make them embrace Russian culture.

Montaner laughed and, playing on Castros famous dictum, History will absolve me, he said, Maybe history will absolve him, but geography wont!.

Another time, talking about Castros military interventions in Ethiopia, Angola, Congo and other African countries in the 1960s and 1970s, Montaner told me that Cuba had political hyperactivity. He explained, We Cubans drink coffee all day long, so caffeine makes us do all kinds of crazy things.

Once asked about Cubas Communist regimes statement that it would allow some private-sector activities in an effort to reverse the islands economic crisis, Montaner responded, Obviously! Communism is the longest line between capitalism and capitalism.

In his column farewell column, Montaner wrote that he is retiring from he called columnism, because he has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare illness often misdiagnosed as Parkinsons disease. His wife, Linda, and his daughter Gina are now reading him the newspapers, because he has trouble reading beyond the headlines.

Montaner has made a much bigger mark on many Latin Americans than he probably suspects. Fortunately, he has written thousands of columns and several books, including a few good novels, to delight us with his wisdom and his wit.

He may have quit writing columns, but I will not stop reading him.

Dont miss the Oppenheimer Presenta TV show on Sundays at 8 pm E.T. on CNN en Espanol. Blog: www.andresoppenheimer.com
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of remote work, and while the shift has been a blessing for millions, it comes with its own unique challenges. Working mothers, for example, often find themselves pulling double duty with their jobs and child care.

Fairfield Area Public Library near Richmond, Virginia, provides a special space for parents of small children.

"At home it's impossible," kindergarten teacher T'keiah Woodson told CBS News. "Here, I can kind of, like, turn my head for a second, finish up paperwork, respond to emails and just get things done without the worry of her crawling away."

Woodson said the library's designated area for working parents makes things "much, much easier. And they're close enough where I can just reach over, but I can still do what I need to do on the computer."

The space is called the Work and Play Station  the brainchild of two working moms.

"I would see moms and parents and caregivers struggling when they needed to do an adult task on an adult computer and they had a little one in tow," said Barbara Weedman, the Henrico County Public Library director, who oversees all libraries in the county, including the Fairfield Area Library.

When the library opened four years ago, photos quickly went viral.

"It touches me. It really does," Weedman said. "And I think the reason it has resonated so profoundly is that it visibly shows people that we cared in advance."

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Some education environments arent just subpar academically; they are catastrophic for students mental well-being. And if those students have nowhere else to go, the consequences can be deadly.

Dramatic as it may sound, this is not mere conjecture. A December 2022 National Bureau of Economic Research working paper found that teen suicide rates plummeted in March 2020, when schools across the United States closed their doors and shifted learning online. Using national county-level data, the researchers found that teen suicide rates generally did not rise again until the month local schools returned to in-person learning. All else being equal, a return to in-person learning meant an increase in teen suicides of between 12% and 18%.

The study even offers some compelling evidence for the prime suspect at play  based on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, bullying victims were found to be more than three times likelier to attempt suicide than students who were not bullied. Using the survey and Google Trends data, the study finds bullying likely plummeted when schools went remote and rose again when in-person schooling returned. Cyberbullying also appeared to decline as long as school was remote.

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Putting the pieces of this study together, a troubling story emerges. For some teenagers, school shutdowns were welcome reprieves from oppressive environments driven, most likely, by bullying from their peers. When in-person schooling returned, so did bullying and higher suicide rates.

This connection is especially concerning considering how many children are bullied. A pre-COVID study from the Government Accountability Office found that about one-fifth of K-12 students experience bullying each year. Their experiences can vary  even in top-rated schools, kids can be subjected to mockery and humiliation so distressing that they experience physical health issues. Other threats can be scarily obvious, such as unprovoked and unpunished physical assault.

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Its hard to imagine kids learning well under this kind of duress.

Its no surprise, then, that EdChoice/Morning Consult polling finds safety consistently ranks among the top factors parents consider when evaluating schools. And among parents who transferred their children, whether between public, private, charter schools or homeschooling, bullying was the most-cited reason. A change of environment appears helpful in some cases  parents who switched their kids school type are less than half as likely to say their children are experiencing bullying at their new school as at the previous one.

Unfortunately, many children who are bullied dont have legal, financially feasible education alternatives. Considering the importance of safety concerns to lower-income parents in particular, its easy to imagine that even more families would look for new schools if it were legally and financially viable.

By extension, one wonders whether some teenage suicide victims could have been saved if they and their families had other accessible education options.

Many states forbid enrolling children in a public school to which they are not residentially assigned. Some localities protect their public education from outsiders especially aggressively, in some cases hiring private investigators to confirm residential addresses and pursuing criminal charges for those enrolling under false pretenses. In one especially high-profile case in Ohio in 2011, a Black mother living in public housing was imprisoned under felony charges for falsifying her address to get her kids into different public schools after they experienced bullying at their assigned schools.

America cannot pretend its K-12 education system serves everyone when it cares more about punishing supposed theft of public education than affirming the desire to leave a dangerous situation.

This is where school choice can come in. Through policies like open enrollment, charter schools and private school choice like education savings accounts, families can lift their children out of harmful environments without paying for a new home or pinching pennies for tuition. This can be a better option than simply homeschooling or enrolling in an online school, considering the drastic learning loss observed during COVID.

Sometimes another public school is all a struggling teen needs. A good public school system would have both in-district and cross-district open enrollment, and schools should have only limited and transparent reasons to reject transfers. But sometimes, for reasons as menial as transportation or as large as educational philosophy, emphasis or culture, a charter or private school could be a great alternative.

ESAs are the school choice program of the moment, with five universal programs passing in the last two years. Unlike school vouchers, ESAs can be used for any mix of public and private courses, as well as tutoring, therapy and other educational resources outside of school. Floridas Hope Scholarship vouchers have granted reprieves to bullied students through private schools for five years, and adding the customizability of ESAs improves families ability to leave environments that are unsafe, while offering funding for supplemental services that could improve teenagers mental, emotional or academic well-being.

If reducing teen suicide is a worthy societal goal, then advancing educational freedom isnt merely a good idea but can be the difference between life and death.
A pod of orcas swim near a boat. Getty Images

Orcas keep attacking sailboats off the coasts of Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.

One sailor shared his encounter with killer whales, after a pod of orcas sank a boat last year.

Scientists aren't sure why so many attacks are happening in the area.

Orcas are targeting sailboats near the Iberian Peninsula, and nobody knows why.

Greg Blackburn thought his boat was hitting rough waves when the thumps began on May 2, as he sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar near Tangier, Morocco, according to 9News.

But as the jolts continued, and the rudder seemed to resist his steering, Blackburn looked down and saw a giant black animal in the water, with the characteristic white oval and underbelly. Two orcas were repeatedly ramming his boat, and soon two more whales joined in.

"There's not a lot you can do at that point," Blackburn, a sailor from the UK, told 9News. "After reading reports and knowing what has been going on, just thought we were in for a ride now."

A collaboration of researchers have recorded more than 200 reports of "interactions," where orcas approach or touch a vessel, along Portugal and Spain's Iberian Peninsula since 2020.

Insider previously reported in 2020 about a series of aggressive actions by orcas along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. At the time, scientists had different theories: The killer whales could be acting out of curiosity, mischief, or territoriality.

Orca attacks can be dangerous and sink boats

A pair of notable killer whale attacks occured last July, when a pod of orcas attacked a sailboat off the coast of Portugal and, just hours later, targeted another vessel in the same area, according to reports.

An orca (aka Southern Resident Killer Whale) in the Pacific Northwest. Monika Wieland Shields/Shutterstock

The first incident, which local media described as "very much worse than usual," saw orcas ram a small sailboat carrying five people approximately seven miles off the coast of Sines, Portugal.

Orca attacks have sometimes immobilized sailboats, but local media said that, in this instance, it caused so much damage that the vessel started to sink.

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The five crew members, who were on vacation, per The Sun, made it onto life rafts and radioed for help. A nearby fishing vessel was able to rescue them, according to a statement by the Portuguese Navy.

Unusually, another orca attack took place nearby just a few hours later.

Newsweek reported that the second orca attack involved a small sailboat with two passengers aboard.

The passengers, who were sleeping at the time of the attack, were traveling from Lisbon to the Algarve, per the local media outlet Portugal Resident.

The orcas, which can grow up to 26 feet long, struck the boat and bit the rudder, immobilizing it, the Portugal Resident said. The boat was towed to the dry dock.

Correction: May 9, 2023  An earlier version of this story misstated the nature of the 200 orca incidents reported since 2020, as well as the origin of that statistic. Those reports were of interactions between orcas and boats, not necessarily attacks. And that number comes from a collaboration of scientists collecting reports, not from local media outlets.

This post has been updated with new information. It was originally published on August 13, 2022.

Read the original article on Business Insider
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

Heather Armstrong, also known as "Dooce," the title for her influential blog on motherhood, has died. She was 47.

The news was shared on Armstrong's Instagram account May 10, featuring a sunny-hued photo of the blogger looking toward the sky.

"Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce aka love of my life. July 19, 1975  May 9, 2023," the caption began. "'It takes an ocean not to break.' Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else."

Armstrong died by suicide, her boyfriend Pete Ashdown told The Associated Press, saying he found her Tuesday night at their Salt Lake City home.

No further details have been shared. Armstrong is survived by daughters Leta, 19, and Marlo, 14, and ex-husband, Jon Armstrong.

Responding to a comment on the post asking if the news was true, Jon replied, "Afraid so."

An outpouring of support for Armstrong flooded the comments, including many from fellow notable bloggers.

"My heart is breaking," Ree Drummond, known as "The Pioneer Woman," wrote.

Jenny Lawson, known as "The Bloggess" online, wrote, "I dont have the words except to say that Im holding her family in the light."

"Heartbroken over this news," author Claire Bidwell Smith commented.

Armstrong rose to fame as a writer when she launched her blog "Dooce," a name which came from Armstrong's co-workers, in 2001, and quickly amassed a following while sharing about the relatable ups and downs of pregnancy, motherhood and marriage.

Known as "The Queen of Mommy Blogging" and called one of the most influential women in media by FORBES, Armstrong was also open about her struggles with depression as a parent. She was one of the first mom bloggers to write honestly and openly about her mental health, and her stories about the hard parts of parenting struck a deep chord with many other mothers.

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It wasn't the only first for Armstrong, who also became one of the first bloggers to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 2012, Armstrong announced she was splitting from her husband of more than a decade in a blog post.

Im sad and devastated but not sure Ive ever been as stable as I am right now, Armstrong wrote on her blog at the time.

In an April 15, 2012 interview with TODAY's Savannah Guthrie, Armstrong said she was "really scared" to share the news.

"A lot of people bring their own perspective and experience to something like this and I didn't know if talking about it was going to destroy everything," Armstrong said at the time. "I thought I had to talk about it, because I felt inauthentic not to share what was going on, because I've been so open about my life for almost 11 years."

From 2008 to 2019, Armstrong authored four books: Dear Daughter: The Best of the Dear Leta Letters, It Sucked And Then I Cried, Things I Learned About My Dad In Therapy and The Valedictorian of Being Dead.

In recent years, Armstrong openly shared her struggle with depression, and in 2017, she enrolled in a clinical trial intended to see if depression could be treated by putting patients into chemically-induced comas.

I was feeling like life was not meant to be lived, Armstrong told Vox in 2019. When you are that desperate, you will try anything. I thought my kids deserved to have a happy, healthy mother, and I needed to know that I had tried all options to be that for them.

This story will be updated.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that Adm. Paparo had first asked to brief the China Committee and incorrectly stated the number of House lawmakers on the 24-member committee. In fact, it was lawmakers on the committee who first asked Paparo to brief.

WASHINGTON  The Navys top officer for the Pacific region plans to appear before the House China Committee in a closed session Thursday about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, sources told Defense News.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the Navys Pacific fleet will brief bipartisan, 24-member committee, which the House established in January in part as a way to help Taiwan defend itself from a potential attack. Paparo is expected to tell lawmakers about whats needed to defend Taiwan, including resource requirements and shortages, capability shortfalls, modernization efforts as well as logistics and coordination with allies and partners, the committees staff said.

Even though weve gotten this massive wake-up call in Ukraine, we havent yet done what is necessary to start replenishing new stockpiles and building them at a rapid rate to surge and pre-position them to the [Pacific] theater, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the chairman of the committee, told Defense News in a Wednesday statement. Given the geography, we can only fight with what we have there.

Paparos appearance before the committee had not been previously reported.

For months, the China Committee has been preparing a bipartisan series of policy recommendations for possible inclusion in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The House Armed Services Committee was set to begin work on the defense policy bill this week, but Republican leaders postponed it at the last minute amid a partisan debate over raising the debt ceiling and discretionary spending levels.

The proposals are expected to include specific measures aimed at deterring China from invading or blockading Taiwan. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has vowed to retake the island by force if necessary.

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In April, the China Committee also held a tabletop war game over Taiwan and Gallagher told Defense News in a subsequent interview that the war game highlighted the need to ramp up production of high-priority munitions, help clear the $19 billion arms sale backlog to Taipei and bolster Pentagon cybersecurity cooperation with the island nation.

Its naive to assume that we could somehow surge hard power to the Pacific, Gallagher said Wednesday. The proceedings accentuated this point and I believe surging stockpiles is something we could fix in a bipartisan fashion.

The war games illustrated that the U.S. would need between 1,000 to 1,200 long-range anti-ship missiles in a conflict with China over Taiwan, and currently the U.S. has less than 250 in its inventory. Other high-priority munitions Gallagher identified are the Naval Strike Missiles, which U.S. Marines are fielding in Japan and the Philippines as part of an expeditionary ship interdiction system; Joint Strike Missiles; Joint Direct Attack Munitions; and SM-6 missiles.

Gallagher reiterated his call for congressional appropriations to fund multi-year munitions procurement as authorized in this years defense policy bill. But the fiscal year 2023 government funding bill allocated $687 million for the Army for two years to accelerate production of critical munitions to replace defense articles provided to Ukraine and its backers, far less than what he said is sufficient.

We need to take action to deter [Chinese Communist Part] aggression and arm Taiwan to the teeth before any crisis begins, said Gallagher in his statement. The United States needs to deliver on our promises to clear the $19 billion weapons backlog to Taiwan, conduct enhanced joint military training and reinforce our military posture throughout the region.

The Pentagon is also preparing to transfer weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles to Taiwan using presidential drawdown authority, the same mechanism President Joe Biden has used to arm Ukraine against Russias invasion. The Senate has also started work on a large China bill that will include components to bolster U.S. allies and partners in the Pacific.
Five years ago, a small group of cancer scientists meeting at a restaurant in a deconsecrated church hospital in Mainz, Germany, drew up an audacious plan: They would test their novel cancer vaccine against one of the most virulent forms of the disease, a cancer notorious for roaring back even in patients whose tumors had been removed.

The vaccine might not stop those relapses, some of the scientists figured. But patients were desperate. And the speed with which the disease, pancreatic cancer, often recurred could work to the scientists advantage: For better or worse, they would find out soon whether the vaccine helped.

On Wednesday, the scientists reported results that defied the long odds. The vaccine provoked an immune response in half of the patients treated, and those people showed no relapse of their cancer during the course of the study, a finding that outside experts described as extremely promising.

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The study, published in Nature, was a landmark in the yearslong movement to make cancer vaccines tailored to the tumors of individual patients.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, led by Dr. Vinod Balachandran, extracted patients tumors and shipped samples of them to Germany. There, scientists at BioNTech, the company that made a highly successful COVID vaccine with Pfizer, analyzed the genetic makeup of certain proteins on the surface of the cancer cells.

Using that genetic data, BioNTech scientists then produced personalized vaccines designed to teach each patients immune system to attack the tumors. Like BioNTechs COVID shots, the cancer vaccines relied on messenger RNA. In this case, the vaccines instructed patients cells to make some of the same proteins found on their excised tumors, potentially provoking an immune response that would come in handy against actual cancer cells.

This is the first demonstrable success  and I will call it a success, despite the preliminary nature of the study  of an mRNA vaccine in pancreatic cancer, said Dr. Anirban Maitra, a specialist in the disease at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study. By that standard, its a milestone.

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The study was small: Only 16 patients, all of them white, were given the vaccine, part of a treatment regimen that also included chemotherapy and a drug intended to keep tumors from evading peoples immune responses. And the study could not entirely rule out factors other than the vaccine having contributed to better outcomes in some patients.

Its relatively early days, said Dr. Patrick Ott of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Beyond that, cost is a major barrier for these types of vaccines to be more broadly utilized, said Dr. Neeha Zaidi, a pancreatic cancer specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. That could potentially create disparities in access.

But the simple fact that scientists could create, quality-check and deliver personalized cancer vaccines so quickly  patients began receiving the vaccines intravenously roughly nine weeks after having their tumors removed  was a promising sign, experts said.

Since the beginning of the study, in December 2019, BioNTech has shortened the process to under six weeks, said Dr. Ugur Sahin, a co-founder of the company, who worked on the study. Eventually, the company intends to be able to make cancer vaccines in four weeks.

And since it first began testing the vaccines about a decade ago, BioNTech has lowered the cost from roughly $350,000 per dose to less than $100,000 by automating parts of production, Sahin said.

A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck reduced the risk of relapse in patients who had surgery for melanoma, a type of skin cancer, the companies announced last month. But the latest study set the bar higher by targeting pancreatic cancer, which is thought to have fewer of the genetic changes that would make it ripe for vaccine treatments.

In patients who did not appear to respond to the vaccine, the cancer tended to return around 13 months after surgery. Patients who did respond, though, showed no signs of relapse during the roughly 18 months they were tracked.

Intriguingly, one patient showed evidence of a vaccine-activated immune response in the liver after an unusual growth developed there. The growth later disappeared in imaging tests.

Its anecdotal, but its nice confirmatory data that the vaccine can get into these other tumor regions, said Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, who studies cancer vaccines at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Scientists have struggled for decades to create cancer vaccines, in part because they trained the immune system on proteins found on tumors and normal cells alike.

Tailoring vaccines to mutated proteins found only on cancer cells, though, potentially helped provoke stronger immune responses and opened new avenues for treating any cancer patient, said Ira Mellman, vice president of cancer immunology at Genentech, which developed the pancreatic cancer vaccine with BioNTech.

Just establishing the proof of concept that vaccines in cancer can actually do something after, I dont know, 30 years of failure is probably not a bad thing, Mellman said. Well start with that.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
HARARE, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean consumers are feeling the pinch of rising prices for basic commodities, with prices now being reviewed on an almost weekly basis.

While U.S. dollar prices are generally stable, consumers who use local currency to purchase their daily needs have been forced to revise their budgets continuously and at times have to forgo some items they would have intended to buy.

Cecilia Mutandwa, a mother of two, said the situation is getting out of control, and she could no longer afford to buy all the required basic commodities because of soaring prices.

"It is embarrassing getting to the till point and having to remove some of the items I would have planned to buy because of inadequate funds. It is no longer easy to budget because the prices are changing as soon as you leave the shop," she lamented.

The government has noted the skyrocketing prices and on Tuesday announced the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the causes of the price hikes.

Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa told a post-cabinet meeting media briefing that the cabinet has discussed at length the price and basic food supply situation following a brief on the matter by Minister of Industry and Commerce Sekai Nzenza.

"The nation is being informed that Cabinet is concerned about the spiraling prices of the 14 basic goods, especially bread, flour, cooking oil, and mealie-meal. The minister of industry and commerce is already engaging the concerned stakeholders, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other associations on the matter.

"Given the urgency of the matter, Cabinet has set up a committee to quickly investigate, monitor and make appropriate recommendations to Cabinet with a view to bringing sanity to the situation," she said.

The committee comprises the ministers of industry and commerce, finance and economic development, as well as information communication technology, postal and courier services.

"Cabinet wishes to assure the nation that corrective measures will be taken in order to protect the public," Mutsvangwa added.

Economists have blamed the rising prices on the black market, where the U.S. dollar is trading at a much higher rate than the official exchange rate.

Lack of access to the cheaper foreign currency provided by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe through a weekly auction pushes some producers to opt for the parallel market and then shove the cost down to consumers. 
After three years of using a pandemic-era rule known as Title 42 to control the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration is preparing for its end. In recent days, it has rolled out several new immigration rules meant to discourage migrants from coming to the border.

Those who do not use legal pathways to come to the United States  including securing an asylum appointment using a smartphone application  will face harsher consequences, including removal and a five-year ban from reentering. Among the other pathways the administration has made available is a two-year humanitarian parole program for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. More than 100,000 people have arrived lawfully in the U.S. through the program, Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday.

More than 665,000 people have already been expelled or removed from the U.S. since October and the administration continues to operate dozens of deportation flights, Mayorkas said. Smugglers, he noted, have been hard at work spreading false information that the U.S.-Mexico border will be open after Thursday.

It will not be, Mayorkas said. To people who are thinking of making the journey to our southern border know this: The smugglers care only about profit, not people. They do not care about your or your well-being.

On Wednesday, the administration also announced it was finalizing a new asylum rule requiring migrants to first seek protection in a country they transited through before arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Here is what you should know about Title 42 and the coming changes:

What is Title 42?

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Title 42 to limit migration, saying it was necessary to reduce the spread of the disease. The CDC has the authority to do this under the Public Health Service Act of 1944.

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Under Title 42, the Trump administration authorized Customs and Border Protection to immediately expel migrants who crossed into the United States without proper documentation, including those seeking asylum.

The Biden administration continued the policy at first, but said it would push to end it. The policy was initially upheld in federal court after Republican-leaning states sued to keep it in place.

How does it work?

Title 42 lets border agents to quickly expel migrants, including those seeking asylum who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the rule, immigration officials can take as little as 10 minutes to process migrants and expel them either back to Mexico or their home country.

Since Title 42 began to be enforced, it has been used to remove more than 2.8 million times to expel migrants, although children traveling alone have been exempt.

What is changing?

The order will end at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The Biden administration announced in January that it was ending the national emergencies linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. That also spelled the end of using Title 42 to control immigration at the border.

Migrants line up to turn themselves in to Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

What will happen next?

With the end of Title 42, migrants will find tougher immigration enforcement under the regulation known as Title 8. Migrants will be given the option of voluntarily returning to the country from which they came. If they refuse, they will be expelled  and be subjected to at least a five-year ban on admission and potential criminal prosecution should they seek to reenter unlawfully, immigration officials have warned.

In some cases, they will be deported to their home country, and in others back to Mexico, under an agreement with the Mexican government.

Deportations and a ban on re-entering the U.S. will also apply to those who attempt to cross by sea through the Florida Straits or Puerto Ricos Mona Passage. For Haitian and Cuban migrants, this will also make them ineligible to participate in a two-year humanitarian parole program the Biden administration launched in January, which allows legal entry into the U.S. for them if they have a U.S. sponsor and a valid passport.

How can migrants get to the United States after Title 42 ends?

The Biden administration has announced an expansion of several new legal pathways for migrants. In January, the administration launched a humanitarian parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Already provided to Venezuelan nationals, the program allows 30,000 individuals a month from the four countries combined to legally fly to the U.S. if they have a U.S. sponsor and a valid passport.

The administration has also said it will launch regional processing centers in Central and South America to process asylum seekers, who must now seek pre-authorization using a smartphone application, CBP One, to reserve asylum appointments.

What if migrant shows up at the border without permission?

U.S. law will presume that any individual who does not use a lawful pathway to enter the United States is ineligible for asylum. A new rule being finalized by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice will allow the United States to remove individuals who do not establish a reasonable fear of persecution. The rule goes into effect after Title 42 ends.

How have migrants reacted?

Migrants from several countries have massed at the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to beat Thursdays deadline and tougher immigration enforcement that could bar re-entry or a chance to apply for asylum for five years.

In recent days, advocates working with migrants from Venezuela and Haiti have warning migrants seeking to reach the border that it isnt open and they face expulsion from the United States. But many of their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

For example, migrants who have made their way into Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, are camping or lining up in informal areas hoping to cross into the U.S. ahead of the expiration.

As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed, Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said about migrants gathered on the U.S. side. Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection.

The U.S. recently dispatched 1,500 active-duty troops to the border to join 2,500 National Guards already there.

The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week.

Read more: New program for Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants is complex. What you need to know

How is the U.S. getting the news to migrants?

On Wednesday, the U.S. launched a new digital advertising campaign in South and Central America to counter the lies of smugglers with accurate U.S. immigration laws, Mayorkas said.

Miami Herald wire services were used in compiling this report.
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images

Whats happening

In the wake of New Yorks passage of a law banning natural gas hookups for new residential buildings, some conservatives are saying I told you so to those who dismissed warnings about Democrats plotting to get rid of gas stoves in order to fight climate change.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was mocked for having assured the public back in February, Nobody is taking away your gas stove.

Since a Biden administration proposal to ban federal gas stove ban was floated  and quickly abandoned  by commissioners of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in January, Republicans have seized on the issue and have portrayed New Yorks law as indicative of government action to limit consumer choices.

Ill NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!  Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) January 10, 2023

Why theres debate

Buildings account for 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and any plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says is needed, would have to eliminate or drastically reduce those emissions.

Those on the left argue that it is truthful to say no one is taking away your gas stove, because a requirement that new buildings be all-electric doesnt mean anyone is coming into your existing home to take out your stove or furnace.

This is the Republicans turning it into a culture war freak-out just because they can, Alex Beauchamp, Northeast region director at Food & Water Watch, an environmental advocacy group that is campaigning for phasing out gas appliances, told Yahoo News. Ripping your gas stove out: That is off the table, not just now, but sort of forever. No one is coming in to take anyones gas stove away. That is just a complete caricature of what anybody has said. Ultimately, weve got to decarbonize everything. I do think we should attempt to do that in a way that minimizes change to peoples lives. So you start with the easiest stuff. New buildings are clearly the easiest to do.

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Conservatives counter that any restriction on gas appliances takes away freedom of choice and will force developers to spend more on products like electric heat pumps.

Changing the ways we make and use energy to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels will help ensure a healthier environment for us and our children, New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement on the New York laws passage.

A first-in-the-nation, unconstitutional ban on natural gas hookups in new construction will drive up utility bills and increase housing costs, said New York state Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, a Republican.

Whats next

Washington state has already adopted a similar measure through state building codes. Last year, the California Air Resources Board enacted a rule that will go further and end the sale of gas-fired furnaces, space heaters and water heaters in 2030. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, proposed a ban on new gas stove and furnace sales by 2028, but the state Legislature did not pass that. One New York social and environmental justice activist called what ultimately passed a half measure that is still far behind whats needed for climate justice.

Thats literally taking choice away, theres no question about it, said Jack Spencer, a senior research fellow for energy and environmental policy at the Heritage Foundation, in an interview with Yahoo News. Its literally bureaucrats, special interests and politicians dictating to New York consumers how they spend their money.

While dozens of cities and counties, including the cities of Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, have passed bans on gas appliances in new buildings, 21 states  including virtually the entire South  have passed laws preemptively preventing cities from enacting such measures.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco recently overturned a ban by the city of Berkeley, Calif., on natural gas in new construction, holding that it circumvented the federal governments power over energy regulations.

Although many environmentalists hope the Ninth Circuit ruling  which was made by a panel of all Republican appointees  will be overturned on appeal, some also say that consumers will voluntarily switch to electric appliances as they become more attuned to the advantages of increasingly efficient and affordable electric alternatives and to the drawbacks of gas.

Having fossil fuel appliances in our homes, the science is increasingly clear, its very bad for our health, Leah Stokes, an environmental policy expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told Yahoo News. You wouldnt sit in a garage with your car idling. And yet, in a certain sense, thats what you're doing if youre cooking with fossil fuels in your kitchen. Youre burning a fire in your house, and we know, just intuitively, that creates pollution. Its not about taking things away from people. Its about letting people get better machines.

Perspectives

Government restrictions meant to address climate change are a hotly debated topic, as a tour of local news sources and Yahoo News partner network attests. Heres a sampling:

Its an attack on consumer freedom

This is an anti-free market effort to strip consumers of their right to choose the energy source that best fits their needs.  Will Barclay, leader of the New York state Assemblys Republican Conference, Syracuse Post-Standard

It will reduce carbon emissions and air pollution

The adoption of the All-Electric Building Act is a historic step forward that will address greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions from new buildings.  Rich Schrader, New York legislative and policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council

It doesnt go far enough

In the end, we got a half measure. New York is far behind whats needed for climate justice.  Rachel Rivera, a member of New York Communities for Change, Canary Media

States have the legal authority

The state enacts all sorts of building requirements all of the time. This is very much within the normal scope of business for the state of New York, as are decisions around where to distribute natural gas.  Amy Turner, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, CBS News

People will enjoy higher quality of life with electric appliances

We dont have to have a lower quality of life, but do you have to change some of the choices you make in your life? Yeah, I have now a solar field outside the house thats feeding the house. I drive an electric car now. I didnt do that five years ago. And when I got in the electric car, I said, Why did I wait so long? Its a fabulous drive. So I think that, yes, we have to make different decisions, but they do not have to  and shouldnt, absolutely shouldnt  reduce the quality of life of citizens.  Former Secretary of State John Kerry, President Bidens special envoy for climate, in a March 24 interview with Yahoo News

People may want gas stoves anyway

[The environmentalists argument] obviously doesnt account for peoples subjective preferences about cooking, and even though I dont mind it, I do take seriously that consumers say they prefer it.  James Coleman, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, in an interview with Yahoo News
Sacramento-based Sutter Health is planning to grow its presence along the Southern California coast through a strategic partnership with Santa Barbara-based Sansum Clinic, an outpatient clinic with roughly 200 physicians who practice in 30-plus specialties.

Increasing access to much-needed primary care and specialty services is core to Sutters community-focused mission and vision, said Warner Thomas, Sutter Health president and CEO. Sutter Health has a long history of working closely with medical group physicians to meet the needs of patients and communities, including helping to grow physicians and services at places like Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Gould. We look forward to doing the same with Sansum to invest in and bring more high-demand services and physicians to the central coast.

Sutter Health leaders said they were in exclusive discussions on the partnership with Sansum, noting that the company would become a part of Sutter over time. The companies did not refer to the deal as an acquisition.

Most of Sutters 53,000 employees work in hospitals, offices and outpatient facilities around Northern California, but the company does have three surgery centers in Southern California, a mental health facility in Hawaii and a call center in Utah.

More than 5,200 physicians practice in Sutter-affiliated organizations, serving 3.3 million patients. The health care system posted operating revenue of roughly $14.8 billion in 2022, according to a report to bondholders.

Sansum has about 1,500 physicians and staff in about three dozen locations around the Santa Barbara region, including at eye centers, pharmacies, cancer treatment facilities, and specialty medical practices for dermatologists, pediatricians, otolaryngologists and more.

Both Sutter and Sansum celebrated 100-year anniversaries in 2021, though some hospitals in the Sutter network have been operating since the 1800s.

Sansum is named for one of its founding physicians, Dr. William David Sansum, who became the first American to isolate, produce and administer insulin to treat diabetes. The company reported a loss of $7.2 million on revenue of about $355 million in 2022, said Sansum spokeswoman Jill Fonte. The companys LinkedIn profile noted that it logs about 600,000 patient visits in a year.

Sutter and Sansum leaders said they would meet any regulatory approvals that are applicable..

Sansum had previously negotiated a merger with Santa Barbara-based Cottage Health, a health care system operating several hospitals in that area, but they scuttled the deal when it ran into regulatory opposition.
A commuter walks through a Metro station. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A passenger died late Tuesday at a Metro B (Red) Line station in Hollywood, but no foul play is suspected, according to officials.

Officers responded to the death just before 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Hollywood/Vine station, Officer Matthew Cruz, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, said. He said there was no evidence of foul play and it was believed to be a natural death, but said the official cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner.

The coroner's office said early Wednesday that a cause of death has not been determined and that identification was pending notification of the next of kin.

Metro officials said that a B Line operator was notified about a passenger having trouble breathing and requested that medical personnel meet the train at the Hollywood/Vine station, according to Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for Metro. While the team attempted life-saving measures at the station, they were unsuccessful, Sotero said.

Though preliminary indications are that the death was not related to drugs, Sotero said Metro has recently seen improvements on that front, following a new campaign implementing a zero-tolerance policy for drug use. He said there's been a decrease in drug-related complaints and an increase in drug-related arrests.

We are cracking down on illegal drug use on the Metro system," Sotero said. Additional law enforcement officers have been assigned to implement the policy, he said, adding that Metro security staff have also been trained to carry Narcan, which can reverse an overdose.

But he admitted there isn't a quick fix for the recent increases of drug use, as well as violent crime, on Metro trains and buses and at stations.

"It's going to take time to continue to address the issue," Sotero said.

More than 20 people this year have died on the county's public transportation system, most from suspected overdoses, according to an investigation by The Times. That count is already above the total number of deaths on the system from all of 2022.

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At least one of those deaths has been ruled a homicide.

According to Metro's annual report, serious crime in 2022 rose 24% from the year before, and remains on the rise for the start of 2023.

In addition to the drug-free campaign, the agency is working to improve security through an ambassador program launched last summer and is considering forming its own police force.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PATERSON  The Paterson Healing Collective is holding a basketball fundraiser this weekend designed to raise money for a scholarship fund honoring Najee Seabrooks, who was shot and killed by police on March 3.

When: The fundraising event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Patersons Eastside High School, with tickets costing $5. The Healing Collective has said its goal is raising $20,000 for the scholarship fund.

Who was Najee? Seabrooks was one of the stars on Eastsides state championship team about a decade ago and eventually played for a small college in California.

Najee Seabrooks

After being shot in an unsolved crime in Patersons 4th Ward two years ago, he became one of the Healing Collectives victim clients and later joined the groups payroll as a violence intervention specialist.

Hourslong confrontation: Seabrooks was killed as he charged toward Paterson police officers wielding a knife after a standoff in a city apartment that lasted almost six hours. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office is investigating the shooting and has not announced whether it was justified.

Aftermath: City activists have called for the terminations of the police officers involved, saying the incident underscored the need for revised tactics in dealing with people going through emotional disturbances or drug-induced crises.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Najee Seabrooks scholarship fund basketball fundraiser Paterson NJ
The Pentagon nominated Rear Adm. Robert Gaucher to serve as the commander of Naval Submarine Forces Friday. If confirmed, he will replace Vice Adm. Bill Houston as the so-called sub boss.

Gaucher is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he studied systems engineering. He has served as the director of strategic innovation in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations since August 2022.

Hes previously served as division officer on the attack submarine Flying Fish, executive officer of the ballistic missile submarine Maryland, commanding officer of fast attack submarine City of Corpus Christi, and commodore of Submarine Development Squadron Five.

Other assignments include instructor duty at Naval Nuclear Power School, serving as a flag aide for Commander, Submarine Force, and Maritime Operations branch head at U.S. Pacific Command.

If confirmed, Gaucher would also lead Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and Allied Submarine Command in Norfolk, Virginia, as a three-star admiral.

Gauchers nomination is expected to be one of the hundreds held up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who put a hold on nominations because of his objections to the Pentagons decision to give service members leave time and stipends to travel across state lines to receive abortion services.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote a letter to lawmakers, released Wednesday, cautioning that the hold on promotions and confirmations in the Senate harms Americas national security and hinders the Pentagons normal operations.

Never before has one senator prevented the Department of Defense from managing its officer corps in this manner, and letting this hold continue would set a perilous precedent for our military, our security and our country, Austin wrote.

Other nominations on hold due to Tuberville include new commanders for the U.S. 5th Fleet in the Middle East and the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Indo-Pacific.

USNI News was the first to report on the memo.

Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane III contributed to this report.
Texas officials sent a bus full of migrants to Philadelphia for the first time in months on Wednesday, as the state braces for the end of Title 42 and the influx of migrants that is expected to follow.

Philadelphia officials plan to hold a press conference regarding the arrival later Wednesday. Texas first began sending buses to Philadelphia in November 2022 and has so far sent more than a dozen. Texas has not targeted the city with the same volume of buses as New York City or Chicago.

"One bus with approximately 31 individuals seeking asylum arrived this morning in Philadelphia at approximately 6 a.m., marking 20 buses total since November of last year. Upon arrival at 30th Street Station, 26 of them were transported to the Citys welcoming facility on E. Luzerne Street in North Philadelphia. All of those on board are from Venezuela," the city said in a statement.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS 'MIGRANT CRISIS' UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS 'DESTROYED' CITY

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced news initiatives to secure the Texas-Mexico border in anticipation of the ending of Title 42.

Texas has set thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities across the country in recent months in an effort to alleviate pressure on his state's border towns.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been the most vocal opponent of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's busing program. Adams accused Abbott last week of targeting "Black mayors" with the program. He later insisted the comment was not an accusation of racism.

"Let's be clear  I never used the term racist. That was a little creative journalism that was used," Adams said Tuesday. "But let's look at the facts. 108,000 cities in New York. One-hundred and eight thousand. Governor Abbott sent asylum seekers to New York  Black mayor; to Washington  Black mayor; to Houston  Black mayor; to Los Angeles  Black mayor; to Denver  Black mayor. He passed over thousands of cities to land here."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

ADAMS APPLAUDS NYC HOSPITALS FOR FEEDING PATIENTS PLANT-BASED MEALS OVER MEAT BY DEFAULT IN CLIMATE PUSH

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is White, and his city has been receiving buses since November.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks for identification of immigrants as they wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico on Dec. 30, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona.

The latest bus to Philadelphia comes in the shadow of Title 42's expiration on Thursday. The program, a public health order first implemented under former President Trump, allows border authorities to reject asylum seekers unilaterally if they come from countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigrants step over a trickle of the Rio Grande while crossing the border from Mexico hoping to be processed for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 08, 2023.

Immigrants step over a trickle of the Rio Grande while crossing the border from Mexico hoping to be processed for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 8, 2023. Credit - John MooreGetty Images

On Thursday, a pandemic-era federal order allowing the U.S. to quickly expel large numbers of migrants at the southern border will come to an end. Officials and local communities are already bracing for a significant increase in the number of migrants crossing the border.

Since it began under the Trump Administration three years ago, Title 42 has been used more than 2.8 million times to expel migrants without giving them a chance to file asylum claims in the name of mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Most of those expelled are from Mexico and Central America; many are fleeing violence and extreme poverty. Immigration advocates have criticized the policy for infringing on asylum seekers rights to access legal pathways to entry.

The programs expiration has already been delayed multiple times after Republican officials have sued to keep it in place. Three Republican-governed statesMissouri, Arizona and Louisiana sued last month to preserve Title 42 restrictions, claiming that doing so would lead to an unprecedented crisis at the border.

But if that suit doesnt halt the expiry, the Biden Administration is preparing for an influx of migrants, planning to open about 100 centers to help direct migrants to legal pathways to enter the U.S., expand border cities capacity to detain migrants, and deploy additional troops to support border patrol.

Migrant aid groups on the border have also been increasing their capacity to handle an influx. Blake Barrow, CEO of Rescue Mission of El Paso, which provides overnight shelter, opened up a second building to house migrant families last weekend. Together, the two facilities can now hold 250 people, and Barrow is prepared to convert the parking lot into an additional shelter if needed. We were never set up to handle numbers like this, he says. He says the group has spent $20,000 on mattresses and added about a dozen staff members to its roughly 30-person team since September.

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The current situation has created a bottleneck at the border, says Dylan Corbett, the executive director of Hope Border Institute, a faith based research advocacy and action organization operating in El Paso, Texas. The group is working with six Catholic parishes to provide housing and food to migrants and is also planning to expand its number of sites in anticipation of increased arrivals. We dont know how long its going to last, he says. But theres going to be a need for increased support in El Paso for this population.

Pulitzer-prize winning photographer John Moore has covered the Southern border and immigration for many years. Below are photos he took along the border in El Paso on May 8 and 9, days before the end of Title 42, documenting the preparations from officials and the arriving migrants.

Immigrant families cross into the United States from Mexico to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 8, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

As seen from an aerial view, Texas National Guard troops set up a choke point near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States wait to be processed by U.S. border agents after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

Texas National Guard troops set up razor wire near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

Immigrants pray while hoping to be processed by U.S. border agents for asylum after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

Immigrants speak with Texas National Guard troops after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

Immigrants cross from Mexico into the United States to seek asylum on May 8, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

As seen from an aerial view, immigrants wait to be processed to make asylum claims after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images

An immigrant hydrates after crossing into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023. John MooreGetty Images
After confirming its existence last week, Google has formally introduced the Pixel Fold, its first stab at a foldable phone. Like past foldables, the new Pixel has a vertical hinge that lets it unfurl like a book. When it's folded, you get a more traditional form factor with a 5.8-inch display. Open it up, and you get a wider 7.6-inch screen for multitasking or watching videos. Both OLED panels have 120Hz refresh rates, and the device runs on the same Tensor G2 chip found in last year's Pixel 7 line. Google is pushing the phone's thinness (12.1mm folded, 5.8mm when not), battery ("over 24 hours") and weight (10 ounces) in particular as selling points. It also claims that the near-gapless hinge is built to last over time.

We'll have to review the Pixel Fold before we can speak to that. For now, though, we've laid out how the Fold compares on paper to the most prominent book-style foldable on the market today: Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4. No, specs can't tell the whole story with a form factor like this, and both Samsung and OnePlus are expected to launch new foldables in the coming months. But if you want a sense of what the Pixel Fold's $1,799 starting price will get you, here's a quick rundown. The phone is available to pre-order now and will ship in June. For more impressions, check out our initial hands-on.

Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Google Pixel Fold Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 $1,799 (256 GB), $1,919 (512 GB) $1,800 (256 GB), $1,920 (512GB), $2,160 (1TB) Folded: 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1mm (5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches) Unfolded: 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8mm (5.5 x 6.2 x 0.2 inches) Folded: 155.1 x 67.1 x 14.2-15.8 mm (6.11 x 2.64 x 0.56-0.62 inches) Unfolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm (6.11 x 5.12 x 0.25 inches) 283g (10 oz) 263g (9.28 oz) External cover: 5.8 inches (146.7 mm) Unfolded: 7.6 inches (192.3mm) External cover: 6.2 inches (157mm) Unfolded: 7.6 inches (195mm) External cover: 2,092 x 1,080 (408 ppi) Unfolded: 2,208 x 1,840 (380 ppi) External cover: 2,316 x 904 (402 ppi) Unfolded: 2,176 x 1,812 (374 ppi) OLED (up to 120Hz) External cover: 17.4:9 aspect ratio, up to 1,550 nits peak brightness Unfolded: 6:5 aspect ratio, up to 1,450 nits peak brightness AMOLED (up to 120Hz) External cover: 23.1:9 aspect ratio Unfolded: 21.6:18 aspect ratio, up to 1,200 nits peak brightness 4,821 mAh 4,400 mAh 256 GB / 512 GB 256 GB / 512 GB / 1TB None None Main: 48MP, f/1.7 Ultrawide: 10.8MP, f/2.2 Telephoto: 10.8MP, f/3.05, 5x optical zoom, 20x Super Res zoom Main: 50MP, f/1.8 Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom, 30x Digital zoom 9.5MP, f/2.2 10MP, f/2.2 Inner camera(s) 8MP, f/2.0 4MP, f/1.8 Rear camera: 4K at 30 fps, 60 fps Front camera: 4K at 30 fps, 60 fps Inner camera: 1080p at 30 fps Rear camera: 8K at 24 fps, 4K at 60 fps Front camera: 4K at 30 fps, 60 fps Google Tensor G2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Octa-core (2x 2.85 GHz Cortex-X1, 2x 2.35 GHz Cortex-A78, 4x 1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) Octa-core (1x 3.19 GHz Cortex-X2, 3x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A710, 4x 1.80 GHz Cortex A-510) ARM Mali-G710 MP7 Adreno 730 12 GB LPDDR5 12 GB LPDDR5 WiFi 6E WiFi 6E v5.2 v5.2 Yes Yes Android 13 5 years of security updates Android 12L, upgradeable to Android 13, One UI 5.1 4 years of OS updates 5 years of security updates Colors Obsidian, Porcelain Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Qi wireless charging, 30W charging, Titan M2 security chip, IPX8 water resistance, 1-year warranty S Pen support, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, Qi wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging, 25W charging, IPX8 water resistance, Samsung DeX, 1-year warranty

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Google is ready to give Android tablets another go. Nearly five years after launching the ill-fated Pixel Slate, the company has fully taken the wraps off its latest large-screen device, the Pixel Tablet. Google had teased the device a couple of times over the past year, but now it's official: This is a 10.95-inch tablet that doubles as a Nest Hub-style smart display with an included speaker dock. That dock also charges the tablet, and the slate itself runs on the same Tensor G2 SoC you'd find in a Pixel 7 phone.

The Pixel Tablet starts at $499 and is available to pre-order starting today, with shipping starting in June. We'll have a full review in the future, but for now, we've laid out how the device compares on the spec sheet to a couple popular alternatives in Apple's 10th-gen iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab A8. The $599 iPad Air and $630 Galaxy Tab S8 are notable options here, too, but since the Pixel Tablet is really two devices in one, we've stuck to sub-$500 options below. You can read our initial hands-on for more impressions.

Google Pixel Tablet Apple iPad (10th gen) Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 Pricing (MSRP) $499 (128 GB), $599 (256 GB) $449 (64 GB), $599 (256 GB) $230 (32 GB), $280 (64 GB), $330 (128 GB) Dimensions 258 x 169 x 8.1mm (10.2 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches) 248.6 x 179.5 x 7mm (9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches) 246.8 x 161.9 x 6.9mm (9.72 x 6.37 x 0.27 inches) Weight 493g (17.4 oz) 477g (16.8 oz) 508g (17.9 oz) Screen size 10.95 inches (278mm) 10.9 inches (277mm) 10.5 inches (267mm) Screen resolution 2,560 x 1,600 (276 ppi) 2,360 x 1,640 (264 ppi) 1,920 x 1,200 (216 ppi) Screen type LCD, 16:10 aspect ratio, 500 nits brightness (typical) IPS LCD, 23:16 aspect ratio, 500 nits brightness (typical) TFT LCD, 16:10 aspect ratio SoC Google Tensor G2 Apple A14 Bionic Unisoc Tiger T618 RAM 8 GB LPDDR5 4 GB LPDDR4X 3 GB / 4 GB Battery 27 Wh 28.6 Wh (7,606 mAh) 7,040 mAh Internal storage 128 GB / 256 GB 64 GB / 256 GB 32 GB / 64 GB / 128 GB External storage None None microSDXC up to 1 TB Rear camera(s) 8MP, f/2.0 12MP, f/1.8, 5x Digital zoom 8MP Front camera(s) 8MP, f/2.0 12MP, f/2.4 5MP Video capture Front camera: 1080p at 30 fps Rear camera: 1080p at 30 fps Front camera: 1080p at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps Rear camera: 4K at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps; 1080p at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, 120 fps, 240 fps Front camera: 1080p at 30 fps Rear camera: 1080p at 30 fps WiFi WiFi 6 WiFi 6 802.11ac Bluetooth v5.2 v5.2 v5.0 OS Android 13 5 years of security updates iPadOS 16.1, upgradeable to iPadOS 16.4.1 Android 11, upgradeable to Android 13, One UI 5.1 Colors Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Silver, Blue, Pink, Yellow Gray, Silver, Pink Gold Other features Comes with Charging Speaker Dock for 15W wireless charging, external speakers and smart home control; Google Cast support (in Hub Mode), stylus support, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, Titan M2 security chip, 1-year warranty Apple Pencil (1st gen) support, Cellular models available, FaceTime, Center Stage, iMessage, landscape-oriented front camera, USB-C 2.0, 1-year warranty 3.5mm headphone jack, Dolby Atmos tuning, 15W charging, USB-C 2.0

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Fighting in Sudan affects relationship with South Sudan: UN envoy

Xinhua) 08:39, May 10, 2023

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, briefs a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 9, 2023. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The fighting in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on the Sudanese population, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, a United Nations envoy said on Tuesday.

The conflict in Sudan, which erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is putting the incremental progress achieved by Sudan and South Sudan in addressing their outstanding bilateral issues in jeopardy, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, told a UN Security Council meeting.

The government of South Sudan is also wary of the consequences of the Sudanese conflict on South Sudan's stability and security, Tetteh said.

The unstable situation has already seen the return of South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan with the potential for more than 200,000 South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan returning to a country where two-thirds of the population already requires humanitarian assistance, she said.

Tetteh noted that as the Sudanese authorities are not currently in a position to effectively protect their borders, the insecurity at the border between Sudan and South Sudan could increase with cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

The fighting in Sudan is also affecting the daily commercial activities and delivery of food and other basic goods from Sudan to South Sudan and putting oil exports from South Sudan through Port Sudan at risk, she added.

Tetteh stressed that the priority now in Sudan is to stop the fighting and start constructive negotiations between the SAF and RSF that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire and the return to a transitional civilian government.

This would be "the pre-requisite" for further efforts, including future engagement on Abyei, and addressing the outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan, she said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
JUBA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Wednesday contributed 15 million U.S. dollars to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to boost provision of relief food to vulnerable people.

Minister of Finance and Planning Dier Tong Ngor said the government's contribution to the WFP comes when the East African nation is experiencing a huge influx of returnees and refugees from neighboring Sudan.

He added that the government's contribution follows last year's UN General Assembly pledge of 10 million dollars to support the activities of the WFP in the country but opted to contribute 15 million dollars from the funding Juba received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the new Food Shock Window of the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF).

"When we were negotiating with the IMF the Food Shock Window, we made sure that in the implementation of the resources that were given to us that we will make an allocation first to meet our commitment that we have pledged during the UN General Assembly but also we thought we can do more so instead of us contributing 10 million, we agreed that 15 million dollars will be implemented through the World Food Program," Tong said.

He also said that the government will dispatch the funding to the WFP promptly to enable the agency to respond to the influx of displaced and returnees fleeing violence in Sudan.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty, country director for the WFP in South Sudan, said the contribution to the WFP is an important milestone that will cover emergency assistance to vulnerable people and the school feeding program.

She said South Sudan's funding comes at a critical time when relief agencies are dealing with the crisis in Sudan in which more than 40,000 people have arrived from Sudan, adding that citizens need food assistance as the lean season approaches. 
Russian Ambassador Sergei Andreyev has summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland in connection with the incident over the Black Sea, when a Russian Su-35 fighter jet performed a dangerous interception of a plane belonging to the Polish Border Service.

Source: This was reported on Twitter by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, ukasz Jasina, writes European Pravda.

Details: He reported that on 10 May, the Russian ambassador to Poland was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, the Russian diplomat was handed a note of protest in connection with the incident involving the Russian fighter jet against the Polish plane.

W dniu 10 maja do MSZ wezwany zosta ambasador Federacji Rosyjskiej w Polsce Siergiej Andriejew.

W trakcie spotkania rosyjskiemu dyplomacie wreczono note protestacyjna, dotyczaca incydentu z udziaem rosyjskiego mysliwca wobec samolotu Strazy Granicznej RP.  ukasz Jasina (@RzecznikMSZ) May 10, 2023

Quote: "We strongly condemn the provocative and aggressive behaviour of the Russian side, which is a serious international incident," Yasina said.

As reported, on Friday, a Russian Su-35 aircraft performed a dangerous interception of an L410 TURBOLET aircraft belonging to the Polish Border Guard Service, which was performing a scheduled patrol mission under the auspices of Frontex over the Black Sea in international airspace in cooperation with Romanian services.

The incident resulted in much turbulence on the Polish border plane. During the incident, the five-person crew of Polish border guards temporarily lost control of the plane and began to lose altitude. NATO warplanes were ready to interfere in the incident.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller commented on the interception of the plane of Polish border guards by a Russian fighter, saying that it was a planned provocation.

Story continues

Frontex patrols over the Black Sea were temporarily suspended due to the incident.

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A suspect has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a family member in Atwater, according to authorities.

At about noon Tuesday, officers responded to a report of a stabbing at the Castle Trailer Park in the 2800 block of North Buhach Road, according to an Atwater Police Department news release. Officers found a woman suffering from two stab wounds.

She was transported to a Modesto hospital by air ambulance for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

During an investigation, police learned the stabbing was related to a family disturbance. According to Atwater Police Chief Michael Salvador, the suspect, identified as 40-year-old John Garcia, was at the residence in violation of a court order. During some sort of family fight, Garcia allegedly stabbed his aunt twice before leaving the scene. Police conducted a search of the area and Garcia was located in the area of Nashua and Swaps streets where he was arrested without incident, according to police.

Garcia was booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon, committing a felony while on bail as well as misdemeanor violation of a court order and possession of a controlled substance, according to jail records.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the alleged crime is asked to contact the Atwater Police Department at 209-357-6384 and ask for Detective-Sgt. Brum or Detective Vargas.
Law enforcement officers have discovered and exhumed the bodies of six residents of Donetsk Oblast killed by the Russians. In total, 385 bodies of those killed as a result of Russian war crimes have been discovered since the beginning of the liberation of parts of Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs

Details: New bodies were discovered in the village of Bohorodychne in the Svyatohirsk hromada [an administrative unit designating, in this case, a town of Svyatohirsk and its adjacent territories -ed.]. The police exhumed the bodies of two elderly women and a man. Civilians were buried in one of the yards.

The bodies of three more civilian men were exhumed in Lyman.

Reportedly, a mass grave with dead servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was discovered in the city cemetery after the liberation of Lyman. Work is currently underway to identify each of them.

Quote from the Internal Affairs Ministry: "In total, the police of Donetsk Oblast found 385 bodies in the liberated territories, of which 309 were civilians. Among the victims of Russian aggression are 174 men, 117 women and six children; the gender of another 12 people has not been established."

To date, 282 people have been identified, and the work is ongoing.

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Boston police are investigating multiple shootings across Boston over the weekend including a double shooting in Mattapan that killed one person.

Police identify the victim of the Wildwood Street shooting as 37-year-old Gavyn Henry of Mattapan.

Police first responded to Wildwood Street in Mattapan around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday when Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds.

Both Henry and the other victim, who has not been identified, were taken to a local hospital. Henry died due to his injuries and the other man is in critical condition.

The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding these incidents. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office reported that a suspect was apprehended after attacking a male victim with a glass bottle and stealing jewelry and personal items during a robbery on the 400 block of W 8th St earlier this evening.

According to JSO, at around 5:00 p.m., officers responded to a reported robbery at the 400 block of W 8th St.

Upon arrival, they found a male victim who reported being robbed by a known male. According to the victims account, during the course of the robbery, the suspect hit him in the head with a glass bottle causing it to break.

The suspect then snatched jewelry and personal items from the victim before fleeing the area on foot. However, responding officers were quick to apprehend the suspect.

The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released the victims name or age.

According to police reports, the glass bottle was the only weapon used during the robbery. The victims jewelry and other personal items were taken by the suspect.

Police are requesting that anyone with information regarding this incident contact them at 630-0500 or they can contact Crimestoppers if they would like to remain anonymous at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Police did not release any further details on the suspects identity or motives for the robbery. The investigation is ongoing.

This is an ongoing investigation and will be updated when details arise.

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LAS CRUCES  A threat calling for a mass shooting is unfounded, according to a news release from the City of Las Cruces.

"Law enforcement agencies in New Mexico, along with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, have so far found no validity to the claims," the news release said.

Screen grabs of shared SnapChat messages state that 17 people would engage in a mass shooting at a school and an Albertson's grocery store. The messages said the shooting would occur on May 10 at 2:30 p.m. and featured a grainy picture of a gun.

Kelly Jameson, a Las Cruces Public Schools spokesperson, said the threats led to reduced attendance on Wednesday, although the exact number was unknown as of this article's publication.

In its news release, LCPD said the threats did not appear to be directed at any school in particular or even any school in Las Cruces. They noted that other communities across the state also reported the same false threats.

"The Las Cruces Police Department reminds users of social media to refrain from re-posting or sharing unverified information. Sharing information from an untrusted source can create the rapid spread of misinformation and an unnecessary fear within our community. Sharing and re-posting such information to social media also makes it more difficult for law enforcement to track the creator of the original content. Anyone who learns of a threat to a school, or any threat to life or public safety, is encouraged to call police at (575) 526-0795 or immediately call 911 if the nature of the information is believed to be an emergency."

Justin Garcia covers public safety and local government in Las Cruces. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com, via phone or text at 575-541-5449, or on Twitter @Just516Garc.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Police say school shooting threats bunk. Here's what we know
Police are searching for a man who was barefoot and covered in blood, who they say went door-to-door in a Washington County neighborhood on Wednesday.

According to police, the man went around to different homes begging to be let inside.

Homeowners 11 News spoke to said the man is lucky he wasnt hurt as he went door to door. Neighbors tell us the man demanded to be let into their homes.

The incident began at 4 a.m., and the man told people his truck broke down and not to call the police.

He allegedly went through backyards, into garages and onto back decks.

Around 7 a.m., the man had his face pressed against a side door window when the homeowner woke up.

Hes standing at my side door with his face against my window just staring at me, I said what are you doing? the homeowner said. And he motioned for me to come over and I look down and hes barefoot and bleeding on his legs.

Police did not find any vehicles after an extensive search of the area.

The man went to at least six homes.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call North Strabane Police.

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A woman has been arrested in connection with a road rage stabbing outside of an ice rink in Newton last week that may have stemmed from an encounter on Interstate 93, authorities announced Wednesday.

Imani Abraham, 27, of Dorchester, is slated to be arraigned in Newton District Court on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Troopers responding to a report of a stabbing at the Daly Rink at 4 Nonantum Road in Newton on May 4 found a 32-year-old Quincy man suffering from a stab wound to his leg.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

A subsequent investigation revealed that Abraham followed the victim to the rink after their vehicles nearly came into contact on a stretch of I-93 that runs through Bostons Dorchester section, state police said. Upon reaching the rink, Abraham allegedly got out of her car, approached the victim, and stabbed him before driving away.

Abraham was arrested without incident at her place of employment in Braintree.

An investigation remains ongoing.

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The potential meteorite, in the bedroom where it landed. Hopewell Township Police Department

A grapefruit-sized metallic object fell through the roof of a New Jersey home and dented the floor.

It could be a meteorite, maybe from the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

Nobody was injured in the rare incident.

A grapefruit-sized metallic object fell from the sky, straight through the roof of a New Jersey home, and crashed into the floor of the bedroom on Monday, according to local reports.

Police who responded to the incident in Hopewell, New Jersey, believe the falling object may be a meteorite, possibly from the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which peaked this weekend.

Nobody was home when the likely meteorite shot into the house, punching a hole in the roof and appearing to dent the floor, at about 1:15 p.m. local time, according to police.

"We are thinking it's a meteorite, came through here, hit the floor here because that's completely damaged, it ricocheted up to this part of the ceiling and then finally coming down and resting just on the floor there," Suzy Kop, who said the object fell into her father's bedroom, told CBS News Philadelphia.

"I did touch the thing because I just thought it was a random rock, I don't know, and it was warm," she said.

The offending falling object, beside a dent it cracked in the hardwood floor. Hopewell Township Police Department

After a local fire department's hazmat team confirmed that the object was not hazardous, police say they contacted an astrophysicist at the College of New Jersey for further examination.

"I have seen quite a few interesting and strange happenings in my career, but I would never have thought a meteorite would be one of them," James Rosso, Chief of the Hopewell Township Police Department, told Insider in an email.

According to local reporter Alex Zdan, the rock was estimated to weigh about 4 pounds.

Shooting stars  the streaks of bright light that flash across the sky during meteor showers  come from small space rocks entering our atmosphere at high speeds, heating to extreme temperatures from the friction between the rock's surface and our planet's air particles, and burning up.

Story continues

The Eta Aquarids in the US. Getty Images

Not all meteors burn up all the way, though. Sometimes a chunk survives the fall and hits the ground. That's called a meteorite.

It's rare for these falling space rocks to hit buildings or people.

"It's been running around in space all that time and now it's come to Earth and it fell right into their laps," Derrick Pitts, the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute, told CBS News Philadelphia. "For it to actually strike a house, for people to be able to pick up, that's really unusual and has happened very few times in history."

He added that this falling object could be as old as the solar system: 4 to 5 billion years old.

According to CBS, the family was considering buying a lottery ticket, since they just won the space lottery.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Diabetes specialists say the drug metformin has decades of safety and efficacy data, contrary to posts shared repeatedly in the Philippines that falsely claimed it causes "early death" for patients suffering from the condition. The posts shared a fabricated message from a Filipino doctor as well as advertising food supplements that have not been proven to treat diabetes.

"Metformin is not the solution for diabetics!" reads part of a lengthy Tagalog-language post shared on Facebook on April 15, 2023.

It claims to share purported comments from Filipino doctor Willie Ong warning against metformin.

The oral drug is used to treat type 2 diabetes, a condition that results in the body being unable to regulate the level of sugar in the blood (archived link).

Over time, it can lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

The false post claims Ong said: "Metformin is the way towards sickness and early death; not towards becoming well. If you have type 2 diabetes and your doctor prescribed metformin, you should change your physician right away."

It goes on to say the drug has "fatal side effects" including certain types of cancer, blindness, kidney stones and liver disease.

The post concludes by misleadingly suggesting Ong recommended a product called "GlucoPro" instead of metformin.

Ong is a well-known Filipino cardiologist -- not an endocrinologist as the post claims -- who regularly gives medical advice to his more than 17 million followers on Facebook (archived link).

He has been a frequent target of misinformation debunked by AFP here, here and here.

Screenshot of the false post taken on May 3, 2023

Identical posts were also shared on Facebook here and here while similar false claims were shared here and here touting another product called "FibreLife".

But multiple endocrinologists -- doctors who specialise in hormone diseases including diabetes -- told AFP the posts actually contradict decades of health data about metformin.

Story continues

'Effective' diabetes drug

"Metformin is an effective medication for diabetes. It lowers blood sugar which can help prevent complications," Dr Iris Isip Tan of the Philippine General Hospital in the capital Manila said on May 3, 2023.

"Persons with diabetes may have shorter life expectancy because of complications."

She shared a link to a landmark diabetes study that ran from 1977 to 1997 in the United Kingdom which found metformin appears to decrease the risk of diabetes-related deaths in overweight patients (archived links here and here).

The study said the drug "may be the first-line pharmacological therapy of choice" for these patients as metformin is associated with less weight gain than other diabetes medications such as insulin and sulphonylureas.

Citing the medical journal Diabetologia, Dr Tan added that metformin -- which can cause minor side effects such as abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea -- has been used to treat diabetes for more than 60 years with "no major safety issues" (archived link).

Dr John Paul Bagos, a board-certified endocrinologist at the Novaliches General Hospital, separately refuted claims about metformin's purported side effects listed in the posts.

"Metformin does not cause kidney or liver damage, kidney stones, cancers, hypertension and blindness," he told AFP on May 3, 2023. "Uncontrolled diabetes would actually be the reason for these conditions mentioned. It's not the other way around."

The US National Library of Medicine says metformin can "rarely" cause a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis (archived link), however, doctors will endeavour to avoid this by conducting pre-treatment tests on their patients before monitoring how they respond to the drug.

Fabricated message

In two separate posts on his verified Facebook page, Dr Willie Ong said the claim circulating online was "fake news".

"This is the truth: metformin is okay. Believe your doctors," he said in a Tagalog-language post on April 21, 2023 (archived link).

In a Facebook video shared on the same day, he cited previous posts in which he referred to metformin as an effective medication for diabetes (archived link).

Multiple keyword searches on the Philippine Food and Drug Administration's database have not found a registration for "GlucoPro", an untested product which AFP has previously debunked false adverts for.

"FibreLife", the other product touted as a diabetes treatment in some of the posts, is listed with the FDA as a "food supplement with no approved therapeutic claims" (archived link).
Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, briefs a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 9, 2023. The fighting in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on the Sudanese population, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, the United Nations envoy said on Tuesday. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The fighting in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on the Sudanese population, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, a United Nations envoy said on Tuesday.

The conflict in Sudan, which erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is putting the incremental progress achieved by Sudan and South Sudan in addressing their outstanding bilateral issues in jeopardy, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, told a UN Security Council meeting.

The government of South Sudan is also wary of the consequences of the Sudanese conflict on South Sudan's stability and security, Tetteh said.

The unstable situation has already seen the return of South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan with the potential for more than 200,000 South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan returning to a country where two-thirds of the population already requires humanitarian assistance, she said.

Tetteh noted that as the Sudanese authorities are not currently in a position to effectively protect their borders, the insecurity at the border between Sudan and South Sudan could increase with cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

The fighting in Sudan is also affecting the daily commercial activities and delivery of food and other basic goods from Sudan to South Sudan and putting oil exports from South Sudan through Port Sudan at risk, she added.

Tetteh stressed that the priority now in Sudan is to stop the fighting and start constructive negotiations between the SAF and RSF that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire and the return to a transitional civilian government.

This would be "the pre-requisite" for further efforts, including future engagement on Abyei, and addressing the outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan, she said. 
The stars were out this past weekend at Carbone Beach, a four-night, pop-up restaurant event in South Beach to celebrate the Miami Grand Prix that featured a caviar bar, a four-course meal curated by chef Mario Carbone and surprise musical performances by Diana Ross, Diddy and Lauryn Hill. Among the notable guests were Jeff Bezos, Jimmy Butler, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

Also in attendance: several Miami Beach elected officials.

The officials receipt of complimentary tickets, valued at $3,000 apiece, is now raising eyebrows among city residents concerned about potential conflicts of interest regarding the future of the Nikki Beach site, as well as experts who say the gifts could run afoul of state ethics laws.

Carbone Beach was hosted by Major Food Group, parent of the acclaimed Carbone restaurant. According to city permit documents, the event was produced by Boucher Brothers, which operates concessions up and down Miami Beach.

Those two entities are at the heart of discussions about the future of Nikki Beach, the waterfront day club where city officials voted last month to give Boucher Brothers a leg up in negotiations to manage the property after a lease agreement expires in 2026. Boucher executives have engaged Major Food Group in talks about opening a restaurant there.

The idea of giving Boucher Brothers the inside track has led to backlash from Nikki Beach ownership and residents who say the sites future should be determined by a competitive bid process. The issue is expected to be reconsidered at a commission meeting next week.

Attending an event does not in any way influence my vote  clearly, because I voted against what they wanted, said Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who along with Steven Meiner was opposed to the proposal by Commissioner Ricky Arriola last month. There are public events that were asked to attend because they take place in a world-famous city and [people] want to see their local city officials participating there.

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But by accepting the Carbone Beach tickets, city officials have also run up against questions about compliance with Florida ethics statutes.

Elected officials cant accept gifts worth over $100 from city vendors or anyone who has lobbied their city in the past 12 months, nor from the clients those lobbyists represent.

Representatives of Boucher Brothers and Major Food Group are listed as active lobbyists with the city of Miami Beach on issues unrelated to Nikki Beach, and Boucher Brothers is also a city vendor.

Last year, when Fernandez and Commissioners Kristen Rosen Gonzalez and David Richardson listed Carbone Beach tickets on their required gift disclosure forms, they named Major Food Group as the donor. That could indicate a violation of state rules about accepting gifts from lobbyists or their clients, given that entities tied to Major Food Group were registered at the time to lobby the city on issues related to the groups HaSalon and Carbone restaurants.

Whether ethics rules may have also been violated this year depends on who paid for the tickets  something the officials who attended Carbone Beach last week dont seem to know for sure.

Those who attended  Mayor Dan Gelber and Commissioners Fernandez, Arriola and Laura Dominguez  said it wasnt clear which entity paid for their tickets, or whether American Express, the events sponsor, may have helped cover the costs.

After publication of this story, a spokesperson for American Express said the company did not provide complimentary tickets to Carbone Beach to any of the elected or city officials, candidates for public office or lobbyists named in your story.

Representatives for Boucher Brothers, Major Food Group and Carbone Beach did not respond to multiple inquiries from the Miami Herald.

Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora posted on Facebook about attending Carbone Beach, featuring a performance by Diana Ross, on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Violations of the states gift laws for public officials can result in civil penalties up to $10,000 and punishment as severe as suspension or removal from office.

You need to be careful, said Caroline Klancke, executive director of the Florida Ethics Institute. If the entity that is providing [the gift] is paid to persuade you, you should not be accepting gifts from them.

An intimate performance

On Thursday at Carbone Beach, Gelber presented a key to the city to American Express CEO Stephen Squeri. Gelbers wife and two members of his staff also attended the soiree, the mayor said, as Ross performed hits like You Cant Hurry Love and Stop! In The Name Of Love.

Fernandez, Dominguez and former commissioner and current mayoral candidate Michael Gongora were also in attendance Thursday. Fernandez and Gongora each brought their significant others, social media posts show.

Wonderful evening in Miami Beach at American Express Carbone Beach featuring an intimate performance by the legendary Ms. Diana Ross, Gongora posted on Facebook.

On Sunday, the final night of the pop-up event on the beach near 18th Street, Arriola attended with a plus-one as LL Cool J and Lauryn Hill performed.

Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola was pictured at Carbone Beach on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Klancke said elected officials shouldnt have gone to the event if they werent sure who was paying for their tickets or whether they were complying with ethics laws.

Thats a perilous approach to gift acceptance for a public officer, she said. They should be certain regarding who theyre taking hundreds of dollars of gifts from before they accept it.

Gelber said he was invited by Jeff Zalaznick, co-owner of Major Food Group, while Fernandez said he learned about the event from Boucher Brothers co-owner Steve Boucher. Arriola said he got his tickets through American Express but couldnt provide evidence they were paid by the company.

Meiner and Richardson said they didnt attend and werent aware of receiving an invitation. Rosen Gonzalez didnt respond to the Heralds inquiries about whether she was invited.

Gongora, meanwhile, declined to answer questions about his tickets, noting that he is not subject to gift disclosure requirements as a candidate for office.

Its really nobodys business where I go or who I go with, he said. Its one of the benefits of being a private citizen at the moment. I dont need to discuss my private life.

Gelber told the Herald he wasnt sure if the gift disclosure requirements applied to him in this case because he was attending in his official capacity, delivering a key to the city.

Last year, when Gelber went to the event and gave a ceremonial key to Zalaznick, he did not report his ticket as a gift, records show.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who was also spotted at the event each of the past two years, didnt include last years event on his gift disclosure forms, either. The disclosures are filed quarterly.

But Klancke said elected officials are subject to gift disclosure requirements in most cases, even when they are attending an event in their official role.

The only reason why youre being offered the tickets is because youre the mayor, she said. Thats why your independence and impartiality needs to be protected.

This story has been updated to include a statement from American Express.
When a pregnant womans body was found submerged in a pond, her death was viewed as suspicious by detectives who noticed multiple slashes on her head, police said.

The day after Leila Patricia Duarte Da Luz, 42, of Brockton, Rhode Island, was discovered dead on Dec. 21 at Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, her death was ruled a homicide following an autopsy, according to state authorities.

Now, two men, Gary R. Gromkiewicz, 35, of Lincoln, and Michael P. Lambert, 46, who is incarcerated at a correctional facility, have been arrested on murder charges, state police announced in a May 9 news release.

Gromkiewicz is the father of Da Luzs unborn baby and Lambert was described as his associate, according to police.

On behalf of the Rhode Island State Police, I extend my condolences to the loved ones of Ms. Da Luz at this difficult time, state police Superintendent Col. Darnell S. Weaver said in a statement.

Da Luzs body wasnt identified until nearly a week later when a missing persons report was filed on Dec. 27, the release said.

The arrests of Gromkiewicz and Lambert are the result of an investigation involving 53 search warrants, the collection and review of physical evidence and several witness interviews, police said.

When Da Luz was killed, Gromkiewicz was out on probation in connection with a 2015 felony conviction related to assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said.

Lambert was also out on parole stemming from how a murder conviction in 1995, authorities said. Hes again incarcerated because hes accused of violating his parole.

When he was 17, Lambert was accused of killing Sylvester R. Gardiner, who was homeless, on Thanksgiving in 1994 and was later found guilty of second-degree murder, according to The Providence Journal.

A co-defendant, William Page, was found guilty of first-degree murder, the newspaper reported. Both Lambert and Page were accused of torturing Gardiner.

As for the killing of Da Luz, potential motives werent specified by state police.

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Information regarding attorneys for Gromkiewicz and Lambert wasnt immediately available.

Coventry, where Da Luzs body was found, is about 20 miles southwest of Providence.

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Tattooed torso Illustrated/Getty Images

Aside from their long-lasting imagery, what effect do tattoos have on the body, or, more specifically, the immune system?

Why are tattoos permanent?

When a person gets tattooed, the ink is deposited via tiny punctures under the top layer of the skin, explained anthropologist Christopher Lynn. As a result, the body views a tattoo as a wound and sends out macrophages, or white blood cells, to heal the area.

But tattoo ink is especially difficult for the cell enzymes to break down. "The reason pigment stays there is because the pigment particles are too big to be eaten by the white cells," Dr. Anne Laumann, a dermatology professor at Northwestern University, told Popular Science. Instead of breaking down, the ink is passed from macrophage to macrophage, which is why the tattoo becomes fuzzier over time, especially as the skin itself ages and warps. "So not only does it bleed a bit because the pigment moves gradually over time and so those will tend to become sort of smoky edges, but also the whole line might become a little distorted over the years," Laumann said. Basically, adds ZME Science, "your tattoo and your body's immune system are locked in a tug that never stops."

How do tattoos affect your body?

Because the body is constantly fighting with the ink, tattoos may actually impact your larger immune system ... though how, exactly, is still up for debate. "What if you are forcing [white blood cells] to take care of these foreign clumps of pigment instead of doing immune surveillance?" posited virologist Juliet Morrison, speaking with The Atlantic's Katherine J. Wu.

The immune system may actually be slightly weakened following a new tattoo, potentially putting the body "at a disadvantage if a new tattoo ends up inflamed, infected, or triggering allergies," Wu writes. But in the long term, "small bits of damage to the skin  administered by a professional using sterile, hypoallergenic equipment and materials  could even keep nearby immune cells spry," Wu says. Indeed, some studies have found that tattoo ink creates a sort of "priming effect" for your immune system, whereby the body, on high alert from the pesky tattoo ink, is supposedly better able to detect other infections, noted Lynn, the anthropologist. Separately, he told Wu that "frequent tattooing gives the immune system a regular, low-intensity workout  and keeps certain bits of our defensive armamentarium more fit."

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"If your body tolerates a tattoo at all," added Maria Daniela Hermida, a dermatologist based in Buenos Aires, "it means that the immune system adapted."

Are tattoos ultimately good or bad for you?

The answer to that might depend on how many tattoos one person has. A study conducted by Lynn, for instance, "revealed that those with no pre-existing tattoos experienced a greater strain on their immune system ... possibly due to greater feelings of stress," while "those on their second, third (or twelfth) tattoo instead experienced a surge in [antibodies that fight infection] immediately following their inking session," summarizes Scientific American. Still, though, that immune boost is not necessarily very large  "I don't think it's going to cure colds," Lynn told Wu.

On the flip side, tattoos do have the potential to cause infections, especially when administered in unsanitary conditions. Plus, the tattoo ink itself may have ingredients that can trigger an allergic reaction or prove harmful to one's health. "Different colors are created with variations in pigment and dilution, while some contain materials that may be considered carcinogenic," writes Healthline.

But as far as the broader medical field goes, the art of tattooing seemingly has its upsides  in one instance, it prompted some researchers to reconsider how vaccines are administered. Currently, vaccines are injected into muscles that "aren't well stocked with immune cells," Wu writes in The Atlantic. But the skin is "a formidable place to administer vaccines" instead, Gary Kobinger, an immunologist at the Galveston National Laboratory. explained. "The cells are already on site, and there is an immediate reaction." So while, of course, tattoos might not be without their cons, they aren't without their pros, either.

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner private military company (PMC), said there is a high risk of encircling his mercenaries in Bakhmut as the flanks held by the Russian military are cracking.

Source: Prigozhin's press service on Telegram

Quote from Prigozhin: "Due to the reduction of personnel, Wagner PMC was forced to cede its flanks to the military. There is a serious risk of encircling the Wagner PMC in Bakhmut due to the failure of the flanks. The flanks are already cracking and falling through. Without ammunition, the meat grinder will work in the opposite direction: the Ukrainian Armed Forces will destroy the Wagner PMC."

Details: Prigozhin also repeated that Bakhmut allegedly has no strategic importance. Allegedly, the Wagnerites and the Russian army were there to "grind the enemy's manpower" and allow the Russian military to conduct mobilisation.

But despite the fighting in Bakhmut, according to the leader of the Wagnerites, the Armed Forces of Ukraine still accumulated forces for a counteroffensive.

At the same time, Prigozhin again complained that his militants did not receive the necessary number of shells.

As he states, now only the Wagnerites are located within Bakhmut; there are no other units, and the Russian Armed Forces are the only ones to be outside the city.

Prigozhin added that his militants planned to leave Bakhmut "to save the fighters' lives" since there was no ammunition.

After that, the top Russian leadership allegedly instructed the Russian Defence Ministry to provide the Wagner PMC with everything necessary, but they did not receive any ammunition, according to Prigozhin.

At the same time, he claims that the Wagnerites are allegedly continuing the offensive in Bakhmut and are waiting for ammunition.

Background:

On 5 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, wrote a letter to the Russian Defence Ministry stating that he would be withdrawing his mercenaries from Bakhmut after 10 May. He claimed that the reason for the move was that the Ministry of Defence did not give his fighters enough ammunition, and he did not want his people to be "doomed to a senseless death" because of this.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are sceptical about the claim made by Prigozhin.

Later, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov offered his assistance with the occupation of Bakhmut. On 6 May, Prigozhin announced that he would supposedly hand over the positions of his fighters in Bakhmut to Kadyrov's soldiers.

On 7 May, Prigozhin stated he had received a combat instruction  presumably from the Russian Ministry of Defence  saying that his soldiers would receive ammunition and weapons.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) concluded that Yevgeny Prigozhin did not withdraw the Wagnerites from Bakhmut because he is dependent on the Russian Ministry of Defence.

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Prince Harrys ghostwriter has opened up about the process of writing the Duke of Sussexs memoir Spare, and the comfort both Harry and his wife Meghan Markle provided during the project.

Author JR Moehringer opened up about the conversations and work that went into writing the dukes best-selling, tell-all memoir in an essay published by The New Yorker on 8 May.

In the piece, Moehringer recalled visiting the couple at their home in Montecito, California, and how the Sussexes treated both him and his family.

Moehringer said that when he visited the duke and duchess in California with his wife and children, his daughter Gracies heart was won over by Harrys love of Moana.

As the pandemic waned, I was finally able to travel to Montecito. I went once with my wife and children. (Harry won the heart of my daughter, Gracie, with his vast Moana scholarship; his favourite scene, he told her, is when Heihei, the silly chicken, finds himself lost at sea), the author wrote.

Moehringer also recalled two other trips to Harry and Meghans house during which he stayed in the couples guest house. He claimed that Meghan and the duke and duchess now-four-year-old son Prince Archie would visit him during their afternoon walks.

The author said Meghan, knowing that he was homesick during the trips, would also bring him food and desserts.

Harry put me up in his guesthouse, where Meghan and Archie would visit me on their afternoon walks, he wrote. Meghan, knowing I was missing my family, was forever bringing trays of food and sweets.

The novelist said that the duchess also sent a gift of toys to his children.

Moehringer also wrote how, after Spare was published on 10 January 2023, a friend of Prince Harrys hosted a book party to celebrate the memoirs success, to which Moehringer and his wife were invited.

The author said he was initially hesitant about attending the party due to the criticism that the memoirs contents received since the release of the book. He also claimed that in the days before the party, he and his wife had been stalked and followed by paparazzi.

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Moehringer said he ultimately called up his friend Prince Harry, who he knew would understand.

It was like telling Taylor Swift about a bad breakup, he wrote of the dukes response. Harry was all heart. He asked if my family was okay, asked for physical descriptions of the people harassing us, promised to make some calls, see if anything could be done. We both knew nothing could be done, but still.

The novelist said he and his wife ultimately attended the book party, during which Harry thanked him for all his help.

The duke recently returned to the UK where he reunited publicly with members of his family for the first time since the release of Spare for the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Notably, Harrys visit was brief; he arrived a day before the coronation ceremony and then returned to California shortly after the crowning concluded.
Prince Harry leaving Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023, in London, England. Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry spent 28 hours in the UK for King Charles' coronation before returning to the US.

Some British tabloids speculated that Harry's decision to leave so quickly was a snub to the royals.

But a royal commentator told Insider it showed Harry was both "a loving father and loyal son."

Prince Harry was in the UK for a good time, not a long time.

Roughly 28 hours after touching down in London for King Charles' coronation on Saturday, Prince Harry returned to the US for a reunion with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children.

Sky News reported that the Duke of Sussex, who was not photographed interacting with senior members of the royal family at the coronation, made it back home to Montecito, California, on Saturday evening for the last few hours of Prince Archie's 4th birthday, also on May 6.

Given Harry's strained relationship with the British tabloids, it's not surprising that in the days since Harry's UK visit, some publications have published pieces focusing on the brevity of his stay and quotes from commentators interpreting his decision to leave straight after the coronation as somewhat of a snub to the royals.

For example, the Daily Mail published an article saying that Harry's coronation appearance was "a blink or you'll miss it moment." Meanwhile, the Daily Express shared an article speculating that the prince spent a "very sad" 28 hours in the UK before returning to the US.

However, the royal commentator Kristen Meinzer told Insider that, if anything, Harry's brief appearance at the coronation reflected how much he wanted to be present for the most important individuals in his life, both in the UK and the US.

"I don't see anything scandalous about Harry flying in for his father's big event, and then heading back home to be with his family for his son's 4th birthday," Meinzer said. "This is something all of us do: split our time between our given family and our chosen family. "

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Prince Harry arriving at Westminster Abbey in central London ahead of the coronation. PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

For Meinzer, the Duke of Sussex's short stint in the UK indicates that he wants to be a good father to his son and a good son to his father.

"Anyone who's reading more into this should ask themselves: Did Harry snub his duties? Did he betray anyone? No, he did neither. He found a way to be both a loving father and loyal son," she said.

Insider previously spoke to her and several other royal commentators about Meghan Markle's decision to skip the coronation. At the time, most viewed it as a smart strategy in an "impossible" situation.

Regarding the Sussexes' decision to split up the tasks of the coronation and Archie's birthday, Meinzer told Insider it showed how well they worked together as partners.

"The decision for Harry to go and for Meghan to stay home with the children on Archie's birthday is a brilliant way to split the difference," Meinzer said. "I've always maintained that the Sussexes must also do what's best for their own little family and their own mental health."

Prince Harry sitting rows away from Prince William, Kate Middleton, and other senior royals. Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the royal historian Marlene Koenig said Harry's decision to go to the coronation, despite the fractured relationship he has with his father, was proof he was aware of how important it was for him to be there for Charles on what was likely the most important day of his life.

"This is not the time for reconciliation. This is about Charles. This is his day," she said of the coronation. Koenig added that it was far more important Harry attended the royal event than Meghan.

"He's recognized that it's important for him to be there for his father," she said.

Representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Insider
Priyanka Chopra has opened up about how shes getting equal pay for the first time in her 23-year-long career.

During the promotion of her new spy thriller Citadel, the 40-year-old actor told The Views host that shes finally receiving equal pay.

Thank God. 23 years later. But I do think  and I have talked about this a little bit  the head of film and TV for Amazon Prime is Jennifer Salke whose idea was Citadel, Chopra Jonas said.

She came in five years ago and she wanted to build this global universe. I wonder if the head of the studio was not female, would this have been a different conversation?

Would it have been a conversation because with her it wasnt. They [the team] went back and said, Theyre playing co-leads, and should be paid the same. She was like, Yeah, its only fair.

Highlighting that she didnt think equal pay was even possible, Chopra Jonas said: My cynical self was like, No, its never going to happen. I am telling my agents  You can ask for it, but, guys, Ive done this for a long time.

After Citadel, every job I have done where Im the co-lead, Ive gotten parity. So it did change my life.

Earlier this year, the Quantico star opened up about why she left India and moved to America to kick-start her career in the Hollywood industry.

(Getty Images)

During an appearance on Dax Shepherds podcast Armchair Expert, Chopra said: I was being pushed into a corner in the [Bollywood] industry.

I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break, she said.

Chopra then spoke about her short music career, which also ended up being her entryway into Hollywood.

Citadel is available to stream on Prime Video.
A leading progressive group is calling on Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to issue subpoenas in investigations into Supreme Court corruption after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) returned to the Senate on Wednesday.

Durbin has said that everything is on the table when it comes to ethics reforms for the Supreme Court, following a string of reports about Justice Clarence Thomas and his relationship with billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow. The reports, including allegations of unreported expensive trips and real estate deals, have put pressure on lawmakers to act.

But Durbins Judiciary Committee has been short one Democrat while Feinstein has been recovering from a shingles diagnosis in California, complicating any vote for a subpoena. After she returned to Washington this week, and the Senate on Wednesday, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is calling on Durbin to take action.

With Feinstein being the last vote needed, subpoenas must be issued, the group said in an email to supporters. Every day Clarence Thomas remains on the Court, it loses legitimacy.

An accompanying petition for the Senate to fully investigate the Supreme Court, including issuing subpoenas, has received over 135,000 signatures.

Durbin invited Chief Justice John Roberts last month to testify in front of the committee, a request that Roberts denied. Durbin also held a hearing on ethics reforms for the court earlier this month.

Durbin has also requested that Crow produce a list of all the gifts of over $415 that he or his companies gave to Thomas.

But the return of Feinstein, which comes as she has faced intense pressure to resign from the chamber, means Durbin and Democrats on the committee will have an easier path to voting for subpoenas.

Its time for Sen. Durbin to turn up the heat, the group said in the email.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Johnson County homeowner and a property management company are suing the city of Shawnee over its controversial co-living ban, which limits how many unrelated people can live together.

The lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday looks to overturn the city ordinance approved last year, arguing it violates residents rights in a discriminatory and arbitrary manner that bears no relation to any legitimate government interest.

As Americans, who we choose to live with is none of the governments business, David Deerson, attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a news release. There is a serious housing affordability crisis and Shawnee is making it worse. This unconstitutional ordinance would even outlaw the living arrangement of televisions Golden Girls.

The ordinance prohibits more than three unrelated people from living together in a single residence. The city only allows more people to live together if they are blood relatives or related by marriage, adoption or guardianship. The ordinance says if one resident is not related to anyone in their household, then the entire household is considered unrelated.

City spokesman Doug Donahoo said in an email to The Star, The City is not aware nor has been served of pending litigation regarding this issue.

City officials last year argued that the ordinance aimed to crack down on arrangements where co-living has turned into a commercial enterprise, with homeowners collecting rent as if their single-family homes were apartments. But the idea was met with widespread criticism, as communal living has gained popularity in recent years as rent and home prices have soared.

Many say Johnson County has become increasingly unaffordable for many working adults and seniors aging in place, and there are too few living options other than luxury apartments and pricey single-family homes.

HomeRoom Inc., the company suing the city, says it aims to provide a solution to the lack of affordable housing, connecting property owners with people seeking roommates. According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, the property management company opened two homes in Shawnee. Shortly after, the city adopted the co-living ban.

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The lawsuit claims, The major impetus behind the adoption of the Ordinance was a desire to regulate away the operation of Plaintiff HomeRoom and similar property management companies.

Before the ordinance was passed, HomeRoom sublet homes to unrelated roommates. But after it became law, the company was forced to evict tenants which had been renting the property. Many of these former residents are unable to afford rent in the City without roommates and have since relocated to nearby jurisdictions, the suit says.

Because of the ban, HomeRoom now only subleases homes to blood-related families.

Homeowner Val French also joined in suing the city, arguing that the ordinance rendered her living situation unlawful. Last year, French shared her home with her husband, two adult sons and a sons girlfriend. Because the girlfriend is not related to the rest of the household, the lawsuit says, the living arrangement was no longer allowed under city law.

After the ordinance was approved, the son and girlfriend moved out, the lawsuit says.

The attorneys argue the ordinance violates residents constitutional rights, and the citys classification of who can be allowed as a co-living group is discriminatory and arbitrary.
WARWICK  Two men accused of beating a pregnant woman to death appeared in District Court Wednesday as a prosecutor presented a haul of information, including cellphone data and surveillance images as well as specifics regarding matters of romance and a diamond wedding ring that was submerged with the woman's body in the waters of Carbuncle Pond.

The father of the Brockton woman's unborn baby, Gary R. Gromkiewicz, 35, of Lincoln, and one of his associates, 46-year-old Michael P. Lambert, formerly of Pawtucket, face charges of murder and conspiracy in the death of 34-year-old Leila Patricia Duarte Da Luz, according to state police.

The two men, both involved in previous violent crimes, stood silently before Magistrate Judge Joseph P. Ippolito as Assistant Attorney General John Corrigan presented evidence gathered during a months-long state police investigation.

The prosecution details the facts of the Carbuncle Pond case

Corrigan's account began with the discovery of Da Luz's body in Coventry about one mile east of the Connecticut border on Dec. 21.

More: State police make arrest in death of pregnant woman found under ice at a Coventry pond in 2022

A medical examiner determined the body had been in the water for hours, and the autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, with a "compression fracture" to the skull, and drowning, Corrigan said, adding that Da Luz was eight to 10 weeks pregnant.

Water in her lungs indicated that she was alive when she entered the water, Corrigan said.

Gary R. Gromkiewicz, 35, of Lincoln, right, and Michael P. Lambert, 46, formerly of Pawtucket, are accused of fatally beating Gromkiewicz's onetime fiancee, a 34-year-old Brockton woman, last year. They appeared Wednesday in District Court, Warwick.

Leila Patricia Duarte Da Luz goes missing from Brockton

Da Luz had been reported missing from Brockton by friends and acquaintances, Corrigan said. She fit the description of the person found in the pond.

Her landlord, he said, had seen her leaving her home in Brockton on Dec. 21 at 2:30 a.m. At the time, she was with Gromkiewicz, who was her ex-boyfriend, Corrigan said.

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Gromkiewicz and Da Luz were seen climbing into a dark-colored SUV with Rhode Island license plates, Corrigan said. Gromkiewicz sat in the front passenger seat, with Da Luz in the backseat.

Each of the three was associated with a particular cellphone. And cellphone data showed that each of these phones then traveled from Da Luz's home to a Brockton service station, Corrigan said.

At the station, he told Ippolito, Lambert purchased $40 of gasoline for the black Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Following the trail of cellphone data

In the wee hours of the morning, the three cellphones were in the Buttonwoods section of Warwick for about 45 minutes, Corrigan said.

At 5:05 a.m., he said, the cell data shows that Gromkiewicz's phone stopped interacting with the network. Minutes later, the phones of Lambert and Da Luz were near Lincoln Mall. The two phones moved south from there, Corrigan said.

Video surveillance at a convenience store in Lincoln showed the Jeep outside, Corrigan said.

In the video, he said, Lambert enters the store and examines his hand. It's lacerated and has abrasions on the knuckles, Corrigan said.

According to Corrigan, the lacerations are not visible in the video taken at the Brockton station.

From Lincoln, the two phones moved to an area of western Coventry near Carbuncle Pond, Corrigan said.

At 6:16 a.m., the phones were in the area near the Connecticut border and the pond.

At about 7 a.m., the phones were traveling again, back toward Scituate, Corrigan said.

Da Luz's phone, he said, stopped interacting with the network at about 7:20 a.m.

Carbuncle Pond, where the body of Leila Patricia Duarte Da Luz was found on Dec. 21.

A surveillance camera at the Rhode Island State Police barracks captured a black Jeep rolling past on Danielson Pike at 7:18 a.m., Corrigan said.

By 7:55 a.m., he said, an SUV that looked like Lambert's Jeep drove south with a passenger who was bald, like Gromkiewicz, on Mendon Road in Cumberland.

By 9:45 a.m. that day, Gromkiewicz's phone had begun to interact with the network again.

He appeared at a Bank of America branch on Hope Street in Providence and tried to withdraw $1,990 and $1,000 from Da Luz's account.

Lab analysis of a section of liner taken from the Jeep's trunk had DNA samples on it, Corrigan said, adding thata DNA profile for one sample was consistent with a reference sample of Da Luz's DNA.

Lambert later told state police that he had met Gromkiewicz in prison and they had known each other for 20 years and they had worked together.

At the time of Da Luz's death last year, Gromkiewicz was on probation for felony assault. Lambert, meanwhile, was a parolee. In 1994, when he was 17, he had participated in the macabre killing of a homeless man in Providence. His parole had liberated him from a life prison term.

Corrigan's presentation also delved into Gromkiewicz's romantic relationships

In the months leading up to Da Luz's death, Corrigan said, Gromkiewicz began dating Da Luz, and in October 2022 they were engaged. She was pregnant with Gromkiewicz's child.

They argued at one point about his use of her money to purchase an engagement ring, he said, adding that Da Luz gave the ring back to Gromkiewicz.

On Dec. 19, the couple went to Macy's in the Warwick Mall and purchased a diamond wedding band.

The ring was on Da Luz's hand when her body was discovered two days later, Corrigan said.

Just days later, on Dec. 24, Gromkiewicz bought another engagement ring at a Fall River pawnshop, Corrigan said.

That day, he proposed to another woman.

This other woman was aware of Da Luz's pregnancy, and she told state police that Gromkiewicz had been stressed and nervous and he believed it would be a lot to handle, Corrigan said.

Gromkiewicz's mother told police that her son told her he broke up with Da Luz because he believed Da Luz was lying about the pregnancy, according to Corrigan's presentation in court.

She told police that the other woman had told Gromkiewicz to make a choice between her and Da Luz because he couldn't afford to support two families, Corrigan said.

On Dec. 27, a Lincoln police sergeant asked Gromkiewicz if he'd had any contact with Da Luz, Corrigan said.

"Gromkiewicz replied, 'I don't know. Maybe a few days ago. She wouldn't return my texts.'"

He became "increasingly agitated" during the course of the phone call, Corrigan said, adding that Gromkiewicztold the sergeant, "I'm all set. I have a girlfriend. I don't want anything to do with Leila. If you find her, don't call me. I don't care."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI prosecutor links Carbuncle Pond murder suspects to body in testimony
DHAKA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- South Asia has suffered an unprecedented combination of shocks over the past three years, and moving from recovery to growth requires ensuring that economic development is inclusive, said the World Bank in its latest regional economic update.

The report "Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth" is the subject of a two-day conference here that opens Tuesday, organized by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and the World Bank, to discuss South Asia's economic outlook.

Over the past two decades, sustained economic growth in South Asia has lifted some 250 million people out of extreme poverty and improved living standards, said the global lender.

However, economic growth has not benefited all groups equally, and social progress remains elusive, it said.

"Bangladesh has made significant progress in bridging gaps between low and high opportunity groups, particularly in the education sector. However, much remains to be done," said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

He noted that South Asian countries must continue to reduce socio-economic disparities as they lead to differences in access to jobs, earnings, consumption, and welfare, and impact overall growth."

"Reducing inequality of opportunity and increasing economic mobility in South Asia is important because it is an essential part of broadening the tax base," said Hans Timmer, World Bank chief economist for South Asia.

"Therefore, eliminating obstacles to mobility is not merely a long-term agenda, but should be a central part of current reform programs that aim to make the fiscal outlook more sustainable, and help South Asia achieve its full potential," the chief economist said.

To this end, the World Bank report recommends continuing to improve the quality of primary education and expand access to secondary and higher education, evaluate and strengthen affirmative action policies targeted to "low opportunity" groups, and policies to improve the business climate for small and medium enterprises, who account for the bulk of job opportunities for the less well-off.

In addition, reducing barriers to labor mobility can have a powerful equalizing impact, as urban areas tend to offer more opportunities for social mobility, it mentioned. 
On May 3, the terrorist country's propaganda resources reported a drone attack on the Kremlin

When asked about the drone that attacked the Kremlin Senate dome, Putin said that it was made out of wire and some, however modern, materials and only contained around 400 grams of TNT, a Russian propagandist Andrey Kolesnikov, who was present at the meeting, said.

Read also: Video footage of mysterious Kremlin explosion

Putin said the drone was homemade, also claiming that such homemade drones had flown into Russia's Khmeimim Air Base in Syria, and that he was familiar with them.

Read also: Retired SBU major general says third parties might have been behind alleged drone attack on Kremlin

Despite this, the May 9 ceremony at the Red Square in Moscow was held under unprecedented security measures. The public had to go through four different check points on the way from the subway to the square. Security guards confiscated, for example, an IQOS mouthpiece from a journalist and a packet of Tik Tac mints from another.

On May 3, the Kremlin's press office accused Ukraine of being behind the drone attack on Putin's working office and Moscow Kremlin apartment.

However, Putin wasn't affected as he was working in another of his residences  in Novo-Ogaryovo near the Russian capital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied that Ukraine had attacked any Russian territories.

Presidential Office advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia may have tried to seize informational initiative and to justify its war crimes in Ukraine in such a way.

Read also: Zelenskyys advisor calls drone attack on Kremlin absolutely staged

He also speculated that Russia may have prepared other major terror attacks to be blamed on Ukraine.

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
Putin on May 9 next to Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan behind him

Read also: Moscow parade showcases lowest number of soldiers in 15 years, one ancient tank, and no fly-past

"With this human shield, they ensured the security of the Red Square and the Russian establishment, via several dependent (on Russia) presidents who could not refuse (the invitation)," said Yusov.

He added that Ukraine had no plans on staging an attack on Moscow on May 9, reiterating that Kyivs forces strike only military targets.

"Indeed, the main danger for the residents of the Russian Federation comes from their own regime," Yusov concludes.

Read also: Ukraine marks Europe Day, paltry Red Square parade, Russia blocking grain corridor

On May 9, Moscow held a bleak and truncated military parade, lasting only 45 minutes, with only 8,000 troops participating  the lowest number in 15 years. Warplane fly-bys were canceled, and only one tank  a WWII relic T-34  made its way across the Red Square, in stark contrast to columns of modern tanks being usual centerpieces of Victory Day parades.

Read also: Two veterans sitting next to Putin at May 9 parade were not WWII fighters  media reports

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was "immoral and unfriendly" for Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, and Tajik heads of state to attend the parade in person.

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
If youre visiting Mexico City, one of the must-see destinations is the Quetzalcoatl Nest, a stunning architectural masterpiece that has become a sensation among tourists and locals alike. This unique building is located in the neighborhood of Naucalpan and is about a 45-minute drive outside Mexico City. It perfectly exemplifies contemporary Mexican architecture that harmoniously blends tradition and modernity.

The building opened in 2007 and was designed by renowned Mexican architect Javier Senosiain, who was inspired by the pre-Hispanic culture of Mexico and the legend of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity of the Aztecs. The Quetzalcoatl Nest is also known as the Nautilus House because it resembles a seashell, but the intricate details and symbols of Quetzalcoatl genuinely make it a masterpiece.

The Quetzalcoatl Nest is a three-story building that stands out for its unique curved shapes, organic lines, and colorful mosaics. In addition, the building is covered with a waterproof and highly resistant material called gunite, which was specifically designed to construct swimming pools but has been adapted for architecture. The result is a building that is visually stunning, incredibly durable, and resistant to earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The design of El Nido de Quetzalcoatl features a winding dragon-shaped structure made of ferroconcrete and finished with mosaic tiles. The treehouse is built around a large tree and features several levels connected by staircases, bridges, and tunnels. The interior of the treehouse is cozy and comfortable, with natural materials like wood and stone used throughout the space. El Nido de Quetzalcoatl operates off-grid, relying on solar power and rainwater harvesting. The treehouse also features a composting toilet and a bio-filter system to treat wastewater, which makes it a genuinely eco-friendly accommodation.

If you want to learn more about the Quetzalcoatl Nest, you can book a guided tour that will take you through the building and explain its history, design, and symbolism. The tour lasts about three hours and is available in English and Spanish. The cost is very affordable, and its a great way to get an in-depth look at one of Mexico Citys most unique and intriguing buildings.

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Photo credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP

When booking through Airbnb, the hosts also offers other activities that groups can select that add the cherry on top of their stay, such as private chefs, breath work classes, and a spa. If youre planning on visiting during peak season, booking your tour in advance is recommended to ensure availability. You can also book a private tour for a more personalized experience.

In addition to its architectural and historical significance, the Quetzalcoatl Nest has gained even more popularity thanks to its appearance on the Netflix show The Worlds Most Amazing Vacation Rentals. The show features three hosts  Megan Batoon, Jo Franco, and Luis D. Ortiz  who travel the world to explore and showcase some of the most unique and luxurious vacation rentals. The episode showcases Senosiains passion for organic architecture and his desire to create buildings that are not only functional but also beautiful and inspiring. Its a fascinating look at the mind of a visionary architect who has dedicated his life to creating unique and sustainable buildings that reflect the culture and history of his country.

The interior of the Quetzalcoatl Nest is just as impressive as the exterior, with a series of interconnected rooms that form a labyrinthine structure. Each room is designed to represent a different part of the Quetzalcoatl Nest. The property is a true gem of Mexican architecture that should be noticed by everyone visiting Mexico City. Its unique design, rich history, and cultural significance make it a must-see attraction that will leave a lasting impression.
Presidential candidate Bill Clinton and MTV News' Tabitha Soren. (L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty Images)

Bang-bang-bang-bang went the musical mnemonic at 10 to the hour, every hour.

Those four drum-machine snare hits, represented visually by the N, E, W and S bars of a vintage typewriter, told you that things were going to get serious for a moment on MTV. You knew the tone was going to be a little more sober, the level of analysis a little deeper, whether the topic was the death of Kurt Cobain or Vanilla Ices cameo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. It was time for MTV News, where you heard it first.

You probably heard this first on Twitter: On Tuesday, as part of a massive round of layoffs at Paramount Media Networks, MTV News was shut down for good. Media brands are dropping left and right these days, but this one hit differently, and attention must be paid.

In the early 80s on MTV, the VJs had to deliver the music news and do the more in-depth artist interviews. But some things were weightier than an Alan Hunter could be expected to handle, and by 1987, the fresh crop of pop stars the network had helped to create wanted to be interviewed more thoughtfully. What was needed was someone with gravitas. Someone with a lifetime of wisdom and experience, which is to say: someone in their very early 40s.

MTV made the correct choice: Kurt Loder, by then a veteran of rock journalism and criticism, a longtime contributor to Rolling Stone, a co-writer with Tina Turner of her autobiography. Loder brought a new, more worldly vibe to the channel. He was like a cool professor, an eminence blase. A persona so unique in the culture that it would have done Showtime's Yellowjackets no good to create a fictionalized version; they had no choice but to deep-fake him.

That year, the 10-to-the-hour segments expanded to The Week in Rock, a one-hour show that quickly replaced Rolling Stone as the place where Generation X got its pop-culture news. Young journalists like Tabitha Soren, John Norris, Chris Connelly and Alison Stewart entered the fold. As the 1992 elections drew near, the expanding MTV News team asked a question nobody in the history of television had thought to ask: What if a presidential election could be made interesting and relevant to a citizen under age 50? Choose or Lose was born, Bill Clinton was asked whether he wore boxers or briefs, and not long after, there was an MTV inaugural ball.

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After the election, Soren became a TV star in her own right, but in many ways, Loder was MTV News, cool and authoritative, a Cronkite for Generation X. He held it together, smoothly and stoically, in the hours after Kurt Cobain died. He was mischievous enough not to keep Courtney Love from crashing his post-MTV Video Music Awards conversation with Madonna in 1995, something he absolutely could have shut down but didnt, thank God. Kurt is still so tied to the identity of MTV News, even now, years after he left the network, that I have to remind myself that Im not writing his obituary.

During my time at MTV, there was always a distinction between what we were doing as VJs and what the correspondents for the news department got to do. Theyd have their own area at the VMAs or the MTV Movie Awards, doing harder and deeper pieces with the talent than wed be able to: 90 seconds to our 20. They had to have versatility; Gideon Yago would come onto Total Request Live to update us on the production of the upcoming video from Mya, then hop on a plane to Fallujah to interview American soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

To this day, if someone recognizes me and says Youre the guy from MTV News, I am quick to correct them, because it feels like stolen valor. (For the record, I just asked Gideon what was the most dangerous place the network sent him, and he replied, Absolutely the MTV Beach House.)

Kurt Loder, left, Britney Spears and Mick Jagger at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. (Kevin Mazur / WireImage via Getty Images )

Watching the MTV News department from up close for as long as I did, I can only make this comparison: It felt like the West Beverly Blaze, the high school newspaper in the early seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210. In the midst of a world that seemed frivolous, MTV News staffers were devoted to doing work that had depth. They were, whether on-air personalities or producers or writers, committed and intense, yet also hip and extremely good-looking. They were Brandons and Andreas to our Davids and Donnas, and I hope they know thats as high a compliment as a person can give.

If people like Martha Quinn or Carson Daly made you believe a life in television could be full of cool parties and concerts, people like Loder and Connelly and Soren and Yago and SuChin Pak showed you there was a worthy career to be had in there, that there was something serious and meaningful and deserving of respect in the pop culture you loved, and that you could acknowledge all of that and still dress cool.

As kids turned away from television and toward their phones, MTV News lived on for a bit as a surprisingly excellent website  employing the likes of Ana Marie Cox, Ira Madison III and Alex Pappademas  and a Twitter feed with some very good original video content. But the brand had less and less of a presence on the channel, and the channel itself had less of a presence in the culture, as it abandoned music and moved toward an all-Ridiculousness format. Thats something we felt pretty acutely in the last few years, when we had no MTV News to help us process the deaths of David Bowie and Prince and Tom Petty and Taylor Hawkins. Now, we have nothing to help us process the death of MTV News.

It went out, not with a bang-bang-bang-bang, but with a whimper.

Holmes is an editor-at-large for Esquire, and was a VJ on MTV from 1998-2002.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The head of a statue depicting Cleopatra

An Egyptian archaeologist on Wednesday released a documentary on the life of Cleopatra, the same day Netflix began streaming a controversial production depicting the ancient queen as black.

For weeks, pundits and officials in Egypt have reacted angrily to streaming platform Netflix's decision to cast British actress Adele James in the lead role of its production "Queen Cleopatra" -- insisting the ruler had lighter skin.

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass's 90-minute documentary "Cleopatra", released on director Curtis Ryan Woodside's YouTube channel, describes itself as telling the "true" story of the Ptolemaic dynasty's last ruler.

"Was Cleopatra black? First of all, I have nothing against black people at all, but I am stating the facts -- look at the Macedonian queens, none of them were black", Hawass, a former antiquities minister, says in the documentary.

In April, Egypt's antiquities ministry weighed in on the debate, insisting the historical Cleopatra had "white skin and Hellenistic characteristics".

Netflix promoted its documentary-drama "Queen Cleopatra", produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, as featuring "reenactments and expert interviews".

Cleopatra was the last sovereign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was of Greek origin and ruled Egypt between 332 and 30 BC.

While legend holds the queen, born around 69 BC, was a great beauty, her appearance and the colour of her skin are largely open to interpretation.

Following the release of a trailer for the Netflix production, an online petition accusing the streaming service of rewriting history had garnered more than 40,000 signatures by late April.

In a country where some were already calling for Netflix to be banned for content deemed offensive to Egypt or "its family values", legislator Saboura al-Sayyed last month repeated her call for parliament to block the platform.

Commentators in Egypt often decry campaigns among mostly African-American groups claiming the black origins of pharaonic civilisation.

In 2009, a BBC documentary claimed that Cleopatra had African blood, an assertion that passed without incident.

sbh/sst/hme/noc/it
With less than a year until the next California primary election on March 5, analysts are watching key races with vulnerable incumbents that could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ten California seats are in play, according three major election-tracking organizations.

The Cook Political Report, Sabatos Crystal Ball and Inside Elections are among those that have started ranking House districts nationally. To measure partisan advantage, they use the ratings likely, leaning, toss-up and likely. The projections will probably shift over time, changing between now and next years election.

Many contenders have already announced, or at least filed the required paperwork. Prospective candidates have until mid-December to file.

These are the U.S. House races to watch in California according to analysts:

Likely Republican

3rd Congressional District

All three forecasters agree that the seat held by freshman Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, will likely remain in Republican control in 2024.

Californias 3rd, newly-formed by redistricting, stretches from the northern Sierra Nevada along the Nevada border into Death Valley. It did not have an incumbent in 2022.

Kiley, 38, previously represented the area around Rocklin in the State Assembly. He defeated veteran Dr. Kermit Jones, a Democrat. in 2022. Jones has not filed for a 2024 rematch.

40th Congressional District

Californias 40th will likely remain in the GOP in 2024, forecasters say. Represented by Rep. Young Kim, R-La Habra, the 40th district holds parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Kim, 60, has represented parts of Southern California in the House since 2021. She beat Democrat Dr. Asif Mahmood in 2022, when the district was also considered likely for a Republican.

Leans Republican

22nd Congressional District

The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections project a slight GOP advantage for the seat held by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. Sabatos Crystal Ball calls the 2024 race is a toss-up.

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Californias 22nd, which was a toss-up in 2022 as well, includes most of Kings County and parts of Tulare and Kern counties in the San Joaquin Valley.

Valadao, 46, has represented the area around his hometown of Hanford in Congress on and off for a decade. His last few races have been tough. In 2018, he lost by less than 2 percentage points to Democratic challenger T.J. Cox. Valadao regained the seat in 2020 by the same margin.

In 2022, he turned back a challenge from former Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas, winning by about a 3% margin. Salas has filed to run in 2024 but has not announced a campaign.

41st Congressional District

The GOP retains a slight edge in the 41st, analysts found.

The district, represented since 1993 by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, covers Riverside County.

Calvert, 69, had his closest House race in well over a decade in 2022, edging Democrat Will Rollins by less than 4 percentage points. Analysts rated that race as leaning Republican.

Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, has not filed or announced a 2024 rematch. Lake Elsinore Councilmember Tim Sheridan, a Democrat who last ran against Calvert in 2016, said he would run.

45th Congressional District

Experts agree that Rep. Michelle Steels district, the 45th, which takes in parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, leans Republican in 2024, just as it did in 2022.

Steel, R-Seal Beach, 67, bested small business owner Jay Chen, a Democrat with 52.4% of the vote. She has represented the area since 2021.

Chen filed paperwork to contest her again in 2024 but has not announced a campaign. Garden Grove City Councilmember Kim Nguyen announced she would run.

Toss-up

Freshman Congressman John Duarte, a Republican from Modesto, speaks to the media following the opening ceremonies at the World Ag Expo in Tulare on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Maria G. Ortiz-Briones/mortizbriones@vidaenelvalle.com

13th Congressional District

Freshman Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, narrowly defeated former Assemblyman Adam Gray, a Merced Democrat, in one of the last 2022 House races to be called.

The open seat in Californias 13th, which holds all of Merced County and chunks of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties, was rated a toss-up or leaning Republican as Election Day approached. Earlier in the race, many analysts thought it leaned Democratic,given the partys registration advantage and President Joe Bidens win there in 2020.

The back-and-forth race ended when the Associated Press called it for Duarte, 56, on Dec. 2, 2022. The Modesto farmer beat the Assemblyman by just four-tenths of a point  564 votes  making it the second-tightest 2022 House race.

Gray filed for a 2024 rematch. Although he has not announced a campaign, a handful of other Democrats have.

Analysts think this race will be a toss-up again in 2024.

27th Congressional District

Californias 27th, which covers most of northern Los Angeles County, is a toss-up in 2024, forecasters said. Ahead of Election Day last year, they thought it leaned toward the GOP and Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita.

Garcia, 47, has represented the area since he won a 2020 special election. Hes been challenged each time by former Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who Garcia defeated by more than 6 percentage points in 2022. She announced will not run again in 2024.

But Garcia will face at least two Democrats: George Whitesides, former chief executive of space-tourism company Virgin Galactic, and Franky Carrillo, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1991 and exonerated after 20 years in prison.

Leans Democratic

47th Congressional District

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, is relinquishing this seat to run for U.S. Senate against Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and others to succeed outgoing Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections think Porter leaves the Democrats with a slight advantage. Sabatos Crystal Ball calls the race a toss-up.

Analysts thought that the 47th, part of Orange County, would lean in favor of a Democrat in 2022 when Porter, 49, bested Republican Scott Baugh by just over 3 percentage points.

The 2024 field for the open seat has already drawn at least eight candidates. Baugh, an attorney, is running again. So is Democrat Joanna Weiss, founder of Women for American Values and Ethics, and State Sen. David Min, an Irvine Democrat.

Min earned Porters endorsement to replace her earlier this year. Last week, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

Likely Democratic

U.S.Congressional District 9 candidate Josh Harder answers a question from the moderator during a debate with challenger Tom Patti at the Stockton Record newspaper office in Stockton, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Andy Alfaro/aalfaro@modbee.com

9th Congressional District

Sabatos Crystal Ball says that a Democrat will likely prevail in Californias 9th, which takes in Stockton. Other analysts have not rated the district, held by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, indicating that they are more confident the incumbent will win.

Harder, 36, beat San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti in 2022 with almost 55% of the vote. Analysts had thought the election would lean in favor of a Democrat.

Harder has been in the House since 2019, each election facing what analysts predicted to be a tough race. Ripon pastor Brett Dood said last week he would run in 2024 as a Republican to unseat Harder.

49th Congressional District

All three election-tracking groups find that the district, currently held by Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, will likely pick a Democrat again. The 49th covers northern coastal areas of San Diego County.

Levin, 44, defeated businessman Brian Maryott in 2022 by more than 5 percentage points when forecasters believed the district leaned Democratic. He has represented the area in the House since 2019. So far two Republican candidates have said they would run against him. Sheryl Adams, who works in marketing for the automotive industry, has announced. Businessman Matt Gunderson, who ran a close 2022 race against Democratic State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, then mayor of Encinitas, has too.
Over the past year, Spotlight PA State College has established itself as a vital community resource by holding Penn State leadership accountable, revealing what happens in small-town governments when no one is watching, and fighting for access to information.

As a Centre County native, Im proud to lead this bureau of journalists working tirelessly in pursuit of the truth. And today, you can help us continue this critical work.

Weve been given the tremendous opportunity to participate in Centre Gives, a 36-hour online fundraiser on May 10-11, to further our public-service mission. Donate to Spotlight PAs Centre Gives campaign at centregives.org/organizations/273-spotlight-pa.

Your support makes our impactful journalism possible, driving accountability, transparency and positive change. A few examples:

Wyatt Massey is the only full-time investigative reporter covering Penn State. He helps Penn Staters and the wider community understand how the university is run.

In October, his exclusive reporting revealed that the university hadnt set aside funding for the Center for Racial Justice, a key promise following the 2020 protests against racism and police brutality. His reporting was cited by national outlets like The Washington Post and put a spotlight on the Bendapudi administrations approach to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Plus, Massey uncovered a pattern of the Penn State Board of Trustees executive committee gathering in private, potentially violating the states open meetings law. He also launched the Penn State Transparency Tracker, an ongoing effort to document the ways the university is, and is not, being transparent.

Thats just the tip of the iceberg. With your support, Massey can hold university leaders accountable.

On her second day on the job, Min Xian started digging into how and why a small town in rural Pennsylvania hired the cop who killed Tamir Rice. Her monthslong investigation revealed a local government rife with infighting.

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Our readers response to the investigation told us what we had long believed  that they care about local government oversight as much as we do. In January, Xian hosted a virtual event focused on Pennsylvanias fragmented system of local government. She also launched a series called How Local Government Works, answering questions from readers about open records, public meetings and more.

And shes just getting started. With your support, she can keep local elected officials honest.

Investigative and public-service journalism isnt easy to produce. It takes a lot of time, a lot of determination, and a lot of guts. But its worth it because were making a positive difference in our community. Were not just reporting the news. Were fighting for the truth.

We do this work because we are invested in this community. But we need your support to dig deeper and push back against those who would try to deter our efforts.

If you care about high-quality journalism, please donate to our campaign during Centre Gives, a project of Centre Foundation.

This tremendous event elevates and supports more than 200 worthy nonprofits doing important work in Centre County.

Your financial support allows us to publish our work at no cost to readers, and also share it at no cost with more than 90 news organizations across Pennsylvania, including the Centre Daily Times.

Were grateful to the CDT for helping us deliver essential information to our Centre County readers. The newspaper staff are also trusted collaborators on several upcoming projects.

So this Centre Gives, donate to Spotlight PA to support the continued growth of vital local news in Centre County. Go to centregives.org/organizations/273-spotlight-pa to make your donation.

Sarah Rafacz is the editor of Spotlight PA State College. Email her at srafacz@spotlightpa.org .
A Senate committee on Wednesday advanced legislation aimed at preventing disasters like Februarys fiery train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

The Railway Safety Act of 2023, championed by Ohio Sens. J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D), has attracted rare bipartisan support in a fiercely divided Congress. Both President Joe Biden (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) have endorsed the measure.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted 16-11 in favor of the measure, advancing it to the full Senate for consideration.

In its current form, the bill would establish new safety requirements for freight trains hauling hazardous materials, limit the overall size of trains, require at least two-person crews, and drastically increase penalties for rail safety violations. It would also funnel additional funds to law enforcement and first responders for hazardous material training.

We have allowed the rail industry to socialize the risk of their business while privatizing the rewards, Vance said during Wednesdays hearing. The people of East Palestine are going to deal with the costs of what Norfolk Southern did for the next generation  the mental health costs, the physical health costs, the economic damage, the loss of home and property values.

The least that we can do is make it less likely that the next East Palestine happens in our communities, he said.

On Feb. 3, a nearly 2-mile-long Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic and flammable materials, including hundreds of thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride, a common chemical used in the production of plastics, careened off the tracks in East Palestine, a town of approximately 5,000 people on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Fearing a catastrophic explosion, authorities conducted what they described as a controlled burn of the vinyl chloride three days after the crash, releasing black clouds of toxic smoke into the air.

The incident sparked fear in East Palestine and surrounding communities, ultimately made worse by a response effort marked by shoddy water sampling and numerous conflicts of interest.

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A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6 as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains.

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6 as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains.

The bill, which has expanded since first being introduced in March, picked up several new supporters ahead of Wednesdays committee vote, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Commerce Committee, and three additional Republicans: Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

No community should have to go through the trauma, evacuation and environmental damage that East Palestine had to go through, especially when you can prevent these [incidents] from happening, Cantwell said Wednesday.

Several Republicans on the committee voiced concern that the bill will increase costs for both industry and American consumers. Announcing his opposition to the bill, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the committees ranking Republican, argued it would give the Biden administration a free hand to aggressively restrict the movement of coal, oil, natural gas, ethanol and other essential commodities that the radical green movement hates.

Vance swung back at Cruzs comments, noting that a number of industry groups have come out in support of the bill.

They would not be supporting it if they thought it would make it impossible to transport their product by rail, Vance said. Yes, it may make rail transportation a little bit more expensive. But its going to make rail transportation a little bit more expensive in the service of safety.

The bipartisan effort to boost rail safety in the wake of the Ohio disaster hasnt been without its partisan attacks.

Republicans have largely condemned the Biden administrations federal response in Ohio while applauding Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and state agencies despite their numerous missteps at the state level. In a statement announcing support for the bill, Trump slammed Biden for not visiting East Palestine in the wake of the disaster and heaped praise on Vance.

JD Vance has been working hard in the Senate to make sure nothing like this EVER happens again, and thats why its so important for Congress to pass his Railway Safety Act, Trumps statement said.

The railroad industry has a long history of fighting stricter safety regulations while gutting staff. And it found an ally in the Trump administration, which in 2018 repealed an Obama administration-era rule requiring electronically controlled pneumatic brakes  a modern technology that Norfolk Southern once embraced  on trains hauling a certain amount of crude oil and other so-called high-hazard flammable materials. The Association of American Railroads, an industry lobbying group of which Norfolk Southern is a member, fiercely opposed the regulation.

Do Republicans stand for corporate America or our own people? Vance wrote in a Twitter post ahead of Wednesdays vote. Its time for choosing.

Related...
Republican councilwoman Randy DeFoor endorses Democrat Donna Deegan, just one week before Election Day.

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Defoor released the following statement with her endorsement:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men [and women] do nothing. I simply cannot do nothing in the face of what I believe to be a serious threat to this city that we love. I am known to be direct, so let me be so now. The simple facts are these: How you run a campaign is reflective of how you will govern. If that is true, Daniel Davis campaign has shown clearly who he is and who and what values will be guiding him in the future. I believe that 4, potentially 8 more years of that kind of thuggery shown in the campaign will wreak havoc on our city. No one can be safe, or prosper in a city run with Chicago-style rules, and the truth goes out the window. Worse he and his handlers seek to divide us, neighbor against neighbor. Donna Deegan and I do not agree on some issues, but I know her heart, and she loves our city and would not make a move that would harm her home. Like my family, she is a multi-generation Jacksonville native. She is honest. And right now that is more important than anything else. I urge everyone to pause and ponder the issue of honesty before they vote. Randy DeFoor

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DeFoor is senior vice president and national agency counsel for Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 company, and represents District 14 on the Jacksonville City Council. A 5th-generation Jacksonville native, Randy served as a commissioner of the Jacksonville Economic Development from 2006 to 2012 and recently served on the Jacksonville International Airport Community Redevelopment Area.

In response to her endorsement, mayoral candidate Donna Deegan said, Councilwoman DeFoor has always shown a willingness to do whats right regardless of party. Im grateful to have her support and look forward to working with everyone who loves this city to make Jacksonville work for all of us. Its time to put aside the politics of fear and division and bring this community together.

Deegan emerged as the Democratic nominee following the March 21 general election and will face Republican Daniel Davis in a run-off election on May 16.

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(Bloomberg) -- The Confederation of British Industry was quick to add its support as the MeToo movement forced businesses across the world to confront the longstanding mistreatment of women.

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When lurid details emerged in January 2018 of how prominent figures from politics, business and finance behaved at the Presidents Club charity gala at a London hotel, Carolyn Fairbairn, the then chief of the UKs biggest business lobby group, condemned the event. Female hostesses were told to wear skimpy black outfits and women were reportedly groped and propositioned. It showed how far we have still to go to stamp out sexual harassment, she said.

Just how far is now being demonstrated by the CBI, which claims to speak for more than 190,000 companies and has had the ear of the British government for more than 50 years. The organization is unraveling as police investigate two cases of alleged rape and members from insurer Aviva Group Plc to retailer John Lewis Partnership Plc head for the exit.

How the CBI responds before a crisis meeting with its members next month will determine its survival, while the fall from grace of such a venerable institution has reverberated across corporate Britain.

Such scandals, to varying degrees, are far from unique. Insurance market Lloyds of London was rocked by allegations of sexual harassment four years ago that led it to clamp down on alcohol consumption.

But the CBI has been caught out by a sea change in Britains traditionally clubby, male-dominated corporate culture while at the same time publicly campaigning to promote women to more senior positions and offering executives diversity and inclusion training.

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This week, the Guardian newspaper reported allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women by Tesco Plc Chairman John Allan, including while he was president of the CBI  the equivalent of the chairman role at a company  between 2018 and 2020.

The supermarket chain said it was standing by Allan and said it hadnt received any complaints or concerns. Allan apologized for a comment he made in 2019 at a CBI dinner, while other claims were untrue, his spokesperson said.

You talk a really good game when it comes to all these programs and campaigns, but then when it comes to your own culture, it completely passes you by, Ann Francke, chief executive officer at the Chartered Management Institute, a UK group promoting corporate leadership, said of the CBI. One of the reasons for this is that senior leaders did not know what was going on in the organization. To me, this is a failure of leadership.

Executives at the confederation said they believed the internal culture was among the best. Police are now probing the alleged rape of a woman in summer 2019 at a CBI staff party on a boat in London.

Another claim comes from a second female CBI employee reportedly being raped by two male colleagues in an overseas office and blaming the confederation for failing to support her.

Fairbairn, who ran the organization as director-general from 2015 until the end of 2020, has said she had no knowledge of the rape allegations or any other incidents of sexual assault during her tenure.

Any woman facing this kind of shocking abuse deserves nothing but compassion, protection, and the full support of her employer and the law, she told the Sunday Times newspaper in an article published on April 22. Fairbairn didnt respond to emails seeking further comment.

Karan Bilimoria, who was president of the CBI until June last year and remains on the board, said he had absolutely no inkling of any problems, adding he was completely shocked by the reports. Now he hopes the scandal will help other businesses ensure they have systems in place to protect workers. The whole of British business can learn from this, said Bilimoria.

The CBI has been among the loudest advocates of business practices underpinned by environmental, social and governance  or ESG  guidelines in a country where alcohol-fueled workplace socializing is still commonplace and men dominate the corporate suite. Nine of the companies in Britains benchmark FTSE 100 Index are led by women, with another  at Diageo Plc  joining the ranks in July.

The CBIs unraveling began on March 6, when the Guardian newspaper reported that Tony Danker, a former McKinsey consultant who replaced Fairbairn as director general in late 2020, had stepped aside amid an investigation into his conduct.

Danker, 51, allegedly sent unwanted messages to a female employee, some featuring sexually suggestive language, according to the Guardian. The organization hired law firm Fox Williams to investigate. Danker, who apologized publicly on Twitter for making colleagues feel uncomfortable, later said he had become the fall guy for the crisis.

Weeks later, the Guardian published further reports from more than a dozen female CBI staffers who claimed to have been victims of sexual misconduct by senior figures at the business lobby group, including the woman who alleged she was raped at the boat party. The CBI reported those allegations to the police.

Then a second woman claimed that she was raped by two male colleagues. The woman, who did not report the alleged incident to the police, said the CBI had created an atmosphere where perpetrators had no fear of consequences, the Guardian reported on April 21. In addition to the rape cases, there were allegations of sexual harassment and stalking.

Critics such as Michelle Last, an employment partner at Keystone Law, said the CBIs leadership enabled toxic individuals to flourish at the expense of dozens of women. The CBI has dismissed a number of employees, said it will appoint a chief people officer, and is starting a root and branch review of its processes.

Multiple former CBI employees, who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, said there were known bullies inside the CBI. Staff felt that if they raised concerns with human resources, no action would be taken, the people said.

CBI President Brian McBride wrote to members to admit the organization had failed to stop such people from being hired and then didnt fire them when their behavior came to light. It led the victims of harassment or violence to believe that their only option was to take their experiences to a newspaper, he wrote in a letter dated April 24.

Rain Newton-Smith, the CBIs former chief economist who is now leading its fight for survival, said in an interview that there was clearly something really broken within this organization. The CBI has been too hierarchical and she wants to change that, she said.

Thats if the organization can continue in its current form. Since the scandal started unfolding, a slew of companies canceled their membership. They include Natwest Group Plc, BT Group Plc and Unilever cutting ties or pausing engagement with the organization. Accountancy firm PwC said in a statement on April 21 the CBI was currently unable to do its job due to multiple horrific allegations hanging over its head.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, meanwhile, said on April 25 there was no point engaging with the confederation when their own members have deserted them in droves.

That marks a significant comedown. The CBI was at the center of the nexus between business and politics since it was founded in 1965. It opened its first oversees office in Brussels in 1971 followed by Washington, Beijing and New Delhi more recently.

Like the US Chambers of Commerce, Japans Keidanren, or Germanys BDA, the CBI campaigns on the biggest issues of the day and therefore has its opponents. Ahead of the UKs vote to leave the European Union in 2016, for example, the CBI called to remain in the bloc, much to the public anger of the Vote Leave campaign.

Yet that underscored the confederations political clout. Its annual dinners were attended by the prime minister, and its conference was often a key platform for politicians to speak to business. Its position at the heart of the establishment is underscored by the list of honors bestowed on its former chiefs.

Its unclear whether the CBI will ever regain its privileged position in politics. The more immediate challenge is to persuade its members  who make up about 90% of the CBIs 25 million ($31 million) annual income  to rejoin.

Management is aiming to come up with a credible plan before the meeting with members in June. Newton-Smith, 47, has said shes considering a new name for the CBI, and that nothing is off the table in the reset.

Whatever happens, the organization has been compromised, said Wyn Grant, emeritus professor at the University of Warwick and author of an analysis of the CBIs role in Britains political system. The CBI is supposed to set a positive example to companies who are seeking to avoid those sorts of problems he said. They cant do that anymore.

--With assistance from Katie Linsell.

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LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officially kicked off in the town of Labuan Bajo in eastern Indonesia on Wednesday.

Leaders of ASEAN member countries are expected to discuss strengthening ASEAN centrality, economic growth, and food and energy security among other issues during the biannual meeting.

Meanwhile, the Summit is expected to produce a roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership. Last November, ASEAN agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member. Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak is also present at the Summit as an observer.

This year, the Summit under Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship is themed "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." Indonesia has expressed hope that the bloc will remain a center of regional and global growth, focusing on efforts to make ASEAN a fast-growing, inclusive, and sustainable economic region in the long term.

The Asian Development Bank forecast in early April that developing Asia's gross domestic product will grow by 4.8 percent this year and in 2024, up from 4.2 percent in 2022, noting growth in the Asia-Pacific region remains resilient.

For the Summit, Indonesia has prepared a grand vision of ASEAN 2045 as well as a discussion process on the draft ASEAN Leaders Declaration to strengthen ASEAN's institutional capacity and effectiveness, according to foreign ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah on Monday last week.

The ASEAN, founded in 1967, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 
Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's lawyers argued that 2016 recordings of him making big promises about the car's Autopilot software could have been deepfaked.

While the judge didn't buy the lawyers' arguments and ordered Musk to testify under oath, the stunt illustrates a broader trend. As generative AI-powered tools make it easier than ever before to synthesize the voices and faces of public figures, lawyers are trying to seize the opportunity to undermine the very foundation of a shared factual reality.

That has experts deeply worried, NPR reports. The phenomenon could end up influencing the beliefs of jurors and even the general population.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR that he's worried about a future in which evidence of "police violence, human rights violations, a politician saying something inappropriate or illegal" is dismissed because of the possibility that it was digitally faked.

"Suddenly there's no more reality," he said.

Musk's lawyers weren't the first to argue that deepfakes were being invoked in court. Two defendants who were present at the January 6 riot attempted to claim videos showing them at the Capitol could've been AI manipulated, according to NPR.

Insurrectionist Guy Reffitt argued that audiovisual evidence implicating him were deepfakes, arguments that were later dismissed by a judge, with Reffitt being found guilty.

But that may not always be the case as US law is woefully ill equipped for this kind of argumentation.

"Unfortunately, the law does not provide a clear response to Reffitts lawyers reliance on deepfakes as a defense," Rebecca Delfino, associate dean at the Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, wrote in a February review paper. "But this much is clear  the 'deepfake defense' is a new challenge to our legal systems adversarial process and truth-seeking function."

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Delfino argues lawyers are using these objects to "exploit juror bias and skepticism about what is real," which is a troubling development considering the current guidance was "developed before the advent of deepfake technology."

The stakes are high. With the widespread proliferation of manipulated media, the public's trust slowly erodes as the lines between fact from fiction continue to blur.

Legal scholars Bobby Chesney and Danielle Citron dubbed this paradox the "Liar's Dividend."

"As the public becomes more aware of the idea that video and audio can be convincingly faked, some will try to escape accountability for their actions by denouncing authentic video and audio as deepfakes," they wrote in a 2018 law review paper. "Put simply: a skeptical public will be primed to doubt the authenticity of real audio and video evidence."

Even more worryingly, that kind of loss of trust could be very difficult to regain.

"We really have to think about how do we inbuild some kind of security so that we can ensure that there is some degree of trust with all the digital content that we interact with on a day-to-day basis," Nina Schick, political scientist and technology consultant who wrote the book "Deepfakes," told CBS News last year.

"Because if we don't, then any idea of a shared reality or a shared objective reality is absolutely going to disappear," she added.

But given recent developments, the situation is likely to get worse before it can get better. AI tools are making it easier to generate deepfakes every year. These days, an AI can be trained on a relatively small stockpile of audiovisual data to convincingly make it look like somebody is making a statement they never made.

"Whats different is that everybody can do it now," Britt Paris, an assistant professor of library and information science at Rutgers University, told the New York Times earlier this year.

"Its not just people with sophisticated computational technology and fairly sophisticated computational know-how," Paris addd. "Instead, its a free app."

That means we're already seeing a flood of deepfakes making the rounds online. So far this year, we've seen deepfaked clips of president Joe Biden declaring a national draft and podcaster Joe Rogan promoting male enhancement products on TikTok go viral.

It's not just lawyers that are leading the charge in rewiring reality. Even political parties are jumping on the bandwagon.

Last month, the Republican National Committee released an attack ad aimed at Joe Biden's reelection campaign that heavily featured AI-generated images of Taiwan being invaded by China and borders that were being "overrun" by "illegals"  all dreamed up by AI.

In the midst of all that destabilization, we should expect to see more lawyers reaching for the "deepfake defense" in the near future.

And while courts have successfully held the line so far, there's no guarantee that a judge won't eventually be swayed by a particularly convincing argument.

More on deepfakes: Grimes Says She'll Split Royalties With Anyone Who Deepfakes Her Voice Into a Song
PORTLAND, Ind.  A Redkey man has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography after striking a deal with Jay County prosecutors.

Erik E. Caffey, 42, last week pleaded guilty to a Level 5 felony with a maximum six-year sentence.

However, under the terms of a plea agreement taken under advisement by Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison, the Redkey man would receive a three-year sentence, with no more than 18 months of incarceration, likely followed by a period on probation.

If the judge accepts the plea bargain, Caffey will be sentenced on June 1.

A deputy on Feb. 4 served a search warrant at Caffey's rural Redkey home and confiscated his cellphone.

Upon searching the phone, the deputy reported "immediately" observing "numerous images and videos of what appeared to be child pornography.

Those photos and videos reportedly showed juveniles between the ages of 2 and 16 engaging in sexual activity, in some cases with adults.

The Redkey man at that time maintained he had only downloaded images showing adults, and said he did not know how the images of children ended up on his phone.

Caffey was released after posting bond at the Jay County jail, Court records reflect no prior charges against him.

In other court news:

Confinement conviction: A Jay Circuit Court jury has found a Portland man guilty of criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon.

Chance L. Mata, 26, was also convicted of intimidation, and found to be a habitual offender. He will be sentenced by Judge Brian Hutchison on May 23.

The confinement charge is a Level 3 felony carrying up to 15 years in prison.

Court records reflect Mata had earlier been convicted of crimes including battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, dealing in meth, intimidation and resisting law enforcement.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Redkey man strikes deal, pleads guilty in child porn case
A Nampa man registered as a sex offender was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to felony sexual exploitation of a child.

Benjamin James Morton, 39, was indicted in October on suspicion of coercing a 14-year-old victim in April 2022 and recording some of the sexual abuse, according to court records. Morton previously pleaded guilty in Canyon County to felony battery with intent to commit lewd conduct with a minor in 2013, requiring that he register as a sex offender.

Morton served six months in prison and received seven years of probation for his prior offense, court records showed.

Boise police alleged in the latest charge that Morton pretended to be a minor online when he arranged to meet the underage victim, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Idaho.

Through their investigation, Boise police established that Morton sexually abused the victim on two occasions, the news release said. Police said they found video of Morton with the victim on his social media accounts, and also found evidence that he contacted other underage account holders.

Federal sentencing guidelines for Mortons felony sexual exploitation charge called for no less than 25 years and no more than 50 in prison, court records showed. U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced him to 30 years, plus lifetime supervised release that takes effect once he completes his prison term.

As part of Mortons plea agreement, a second charge for being a sex offender who committed a felony offense involving a minor, which required a mandatory 10-year prison sentence on top of the sentencing for exploitation, was dismissed.

U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit noted his gratitude for the collaboration of the Boise Police Department and Nampa Police Department in the case.

The sentence in this case sends the clear message that exploiting children or attempting to do so means a long stay in federal prison, Hurwit said in a written statement to the Idaho Statesman. I am glad that we obtained justice for the courageous victims in this case and am thankful to the law enforcement agents who built a strong case.
In this March 22, 1993 file photo, a spotlight shines over the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. The Branch Davidians were often described as a cult by journalists and law enforcement officials. | Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night.

Unlike faith group or church or Bible study, the term cult evokes a powerful emotional reaction.

When you hear it, your ears perk up as you await juicy details, just like they would if your friends told you they had an exciting piece of gossip to share.

To hear a religious group described as a cult is to feel immediately certain that something nefarious is going on. It calls to mind sex scandals or spiritual abuse or physical violence  in many cases, all three.

The common association between cult and various forms of trauma is a major reason why some religion scholars and journalists, among others, are leading a charge to banish the term from public life.

The Associated Press latest update to the religion section of its style guide suggests avoiding the label, as does a new religion reporting guide from ReligionLink.

ReligionLink notes that describing a group as a cult dehumanizes the people involved and increases the likelihood that theyll face violence from government officials and others seeking to determine whats really going on in the organization.

Virtually no one who is part of a group labeled as a cult sees themself as a cult member. Rather they are a believer, disciple, or part of a religious community, ReligionLink reports.

The guide also says, Once the label is applied ... it is virtually impossible to shake the association, and it can have extraordinary life or death consequences.

To be clear, those who discourage use of the term cult still think its important to report on abusive or otherwise dangerous faith leaders and groups. But they recommend doing so by including thorough, nuanced descriptions of whats happening behind the scenes, rather than labels like cult that encourage readers to jump to conclusions.

As journalist Bobby Ross Jr. pointed out last year, efforts to expel the term cult from the world of journalism have seen mixed success so far. Many journalists have stopped emphasizing the label, but they often still use it to back-up other descriptions by, for example, writing that some people would consider a group to be a cult.

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In that way, the debate over using the term cult reminds me of the ongoing debate over using the term Mormon.

After leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced in 2018 that theyd prefer journalists to avoid the labels LDS or Mormons, many journalists began including the full name of the church in stories. However, they often still use phrases like Latter-day Saints are commonly known as Mormons.

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How a former youth pastor ended up on the FBIs Most Wanted list

A Muslim mayor was denied access to a White House event. What happened?

A famous pastor died. Then, his grandson tried to sell his belongings on eBay

Term of the week: Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury is the title held by the top leader in the Church of England. The archbishop also serves as spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which brings together a variety of churches from around the world.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury is Justin Welby. He assumed the role in 2013.

Archbishop Welby was on my mind quite a bit last week as I researched and wrote about King Charles IIIs coronation, because Archbishop Welby played a leading role in its redesign. He helped make the coronation rite more inclusive by including songs in other languages and faith leaders from outside the Church of England.

What Im reading ...

At age 7, Ava Olsen walked out onto her elementary schools playground just before bullets rained down from a nearby attacker. She survived, but, for six years, she was too scared to return to school. Now, Olsen is attending junior high in person and learning how to process her still-present fear. The Washington Post recently shared her remarkable story.

Thanks to a policy shift under the Biden administration, more refugees are now being welcomed into the U.S. But the same housing market trends that make it hard for you or me to find an affordable home to purchase or apartment to rent are making it hard for refugee families to find an affordable place to live. Religion News Service reported last week on the unique way North Carolina churches are working to solve the refugee housing crisis.

Odds and ends

The Bible that King Charles III placed his hand on during the coronation rite weighed a whopping eight pounds, according to The Washington Times.
BEIJING (AP)  China on Wednesday called on Afghanistan to reform its radical policies excluding women from education and public life and adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism.

The comments from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin came on the heels of a Pakistan-hosted mini-summit of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan that sought to promote trade and lower border tensions amid a surge of attacks inside Pakistan.

Wang said China hopes the Taliban-appointed Afghan interim government will take solid steps in the right direction, make practical efforts to gain the understanding and trust of the international community, and create favorable conditions for Afghanistan to further develop good neighborliness with its neighbors and integrate into the international community.

China generally refrains from commenting on the internal policies of nations with which it wishes to curry favor, or can use as leverage in its campaign to combat the dominance of global affairs by the U.S. and other liberal democracies.

China has also made halting efforts to extend its Belt and Road Initiative to Afghanistan that could see construction of railways and bridges, but is chiefly concerned with Afghanistan harboring separatists opposed to Chinese control in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

"The international community still has a lot of concerns and expectations for the Afghan interim government, including hoping the Afghan side will make more progress in implementing moderate and prudent internal and external policies and safeguarding the rights and interests of women and children, and adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism so as to produce more visible results," Wang said at a daily briefing.

Wang praised a joint statement issued Monday at the end of the trilateral meeting as the first time the Taliban had put in writing a commitment to disallow terrorist groups to use Afghanistan as a base of operations.

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That document is of great significance to the future development of China-Afghanistan relations and the promotion of regional counter-terrorism and security cooperation, Wang said.

As a traditional friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China believes that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community, he said. The well-being and interests of the Afghan people deserve attention, the peace and reconstruction process of Afghanistan should be encouraged, and its sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected.

The joint statement said the three sides stressed the need to prevent any individual, group or party to use their territories to harm and threaten regional security and interests or conduct terrorist actions and activities.

These include the Pakistani Taliban and a nebulous militant group claiming to represent the Uyghur ethnic group in China's Xinjiang region, called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Several hundred, possibly thousands, of Chinese Muslims are believed to live in Pakistan's largely ungoverned northern territories, but terrorism experts question whether the ETIM exists in any form other than on paper.

The Taliban have been shunned by most of the international community for sweeping restrictions on political opposition and civic life imposed after they seized power in August 2021. Those measures have rolled back educational and cultural gains made during the 20-year presence of NATO and U.S. forces, despite earlier pledges by the group that it would moderate its hard-line interpretation of Islam that have left if an outlier in the Muslim world.

Most notably, girls have been banned from education beyond the sixth grade and women banned from most jobs outside the home and kept away

A U.N. report on Monday strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public executions, lashings and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan, and called on the countrys rulers to halt such practices.

At the mini-summit, the diplomats from the three nations agreed to further deepen and expand their cooperation in the security, development and political domains based on the principles of mutual respect, equal-footed consultation and mutual benefit.

The involvement of Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang in the talks represented a further expansion of Chinese diplomacy into the Muslim communities following Beijing's hosting of talks resulting in the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

In Pakistan, Beijing is bankrolling the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC  a sprawling package that includes road works, crop production and power plant construction.

The package is considered a lifeline for impoverished Pakistan, which is currently facing one of its worst economic crises amid stalled talks on a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

During his visit, Qin met with President Arif Alvi, Foreign Minister Bhutto Zardari and Pakistans powerful army chief, Gen. Asim Munir. Qin was assured that Pakistan will boost security for Chinese nationals working in the country, a major concern since a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack in Pakistans volatile northwest in 2021.
Remains found last month in an abandoned property in Santa Monica, California, were determined to belong to a man with Oxford roots who had been missing for more than a year and a half, according to authorities.

The remains of Beau Mann, who was 39 at the time of his disappearance, were found on April 25 in the courtyard of the abandoned property on Santa Monica Boulevard, according to Santa Monica police. A spokesperson for the Santa Monica police said the remains were found by a homeless person.

The cause of death is under investigation.

Mann was living in a Los Angeles apartment while he worked at a company that managed Sober Grid, an app that he had built to support others in recovery.

A missing person posted distributed by the Los Angeles Police Department provides information about Beau Mann who grew up in Oxford, Massachusetts.

He was last seen on the afternoon of Nov. 30, 2021, on video surveillance footage that captured him walking out of a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles with a hefty backpack, a large icy fountain drink in one hand, a bulky plastic store bag in the other and a bandana covering the lower part of his face as a mask.

After family members lost contact with Mann, they filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police.

Jason Abate, Mann's fiance, who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said to have accessed Mann's personal accounts after his disappearance in search of clues. He claims his fiance had taken an Uber ride right after leaving 7-Eleven to reach his Los Angeles apartment.

On the way, he had rerouted his trip to a local address in Santa Monica where a known addict lived.

While Abate is not sure about the reason why Mann chose to add the stop to a trip that had his Los Angeles apartment as the ultimate destination, he claims the stop was 510 feet away from where Mann's remains were found in April.

It's not known whether Mann ever arrived at the destination. During the Uber trip to the address, a text came from his cellphone to 911 which indicated he was in an Uber but gave no more information about why he might need help.

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"I think that Beau met with foul play," said Abate. "100 percent."

Mann was born and raised in Texas and moved to Oxford early in life with his mother and siblings. After some time of living in Oxford, he eventually moved to Los Angeles to start Sober Grind.

Since 2016, Mann had led a long-distance relationship with Abate, meeting in different parts of the country throughout the year to further their relationship.

The couple had gotten engaged in June 2021 and had plans to eventually settle down in two homes.

"Beau really was a wonderful human being," Abate said, "and everyone that knew Beau I don't think would say anything other than that, because it's the truth.

"It's the most horrific thing I've ever been through."

The Los Angeles County Coroner has possession of the remains and is working to determine the cause of death.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Remains of Beau Mann, formerly of Oxford, found in California
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  Skeletal remains discovered in a mangrove swamp in March were found definitively to belong to Susy Tomassi, the missing 73-year-old with dementia who forensic analysts said was shot and killed after walking away from a family restaurant five years ago.

The identity and cause of death were announced Tuesday by Indian River County Sheriffs Office officials citing findings of local medical examiners and University of Florida forensic anthropologists.

Sheriff Eric Flowers and Detective Phil Daugherty speak May 9, 2023, about a newly opened homicide investigation into what was a nearly 5-year-old missing person case. The remains of Assunta "Susy" Tomassi, 73, were identified and a gunshot wound was found to be her cause of death.

Dental records were among laboratory measures used to identify Tomassi from remains found March 3 in a dense mangrove swamp of the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area north of the Oslo Road Boat Ramp.

We have, I would say, the majority of her skeletal remains recovered, said Sheriff Eric Flowers. As well as most of the clothing and her belongings. The majority of them were recovered.

Flowers would not disclose the location of the gunshot wound, but said no other signs of trauma were uncovered from the bones found scattered in the muddy, murky, mangrove area.

Thats the main thing  the gunshot wound, Flowers said, after a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Regarding the possible weapon or bullet size, he said: "Theyll never be able to determine that (caliber)."

More: Susy Tomassi disappearance: Forensic analysis seeks cause of death from remains found earlier in March

More: ID, jewelry found alongside remains of Susy Tomassi, missing for 5 years

We can say that she was struck by a bullet," he said. "Theres a pretty good chance that that had a great effect on her ability to survive.

Flowers, along with Detective Phil Daugherty, announced the creation of a hotline, following what was said to be a great tip from a woman who reported a similar encounter to what they believe Tomassi experienced just before she was killed.

After Tomassis remains were found earlier this year, a woman reported to detectives an encounter she said she had with a white man in a white pickup truck as she walked through the South Vero Square shopping plaza off U.S. 1.

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The woman's reported occurrence happened several months before Tomassis disappearance. The woman said the man attempted to lure her into that truck, Flowers said.

In 2019, detectives released surveillance footage enhanced by the FBI.

Officials said it showed for the first time what is thought to be the last known sighting of Susy Tomassi.

In footage from what appears to be a camera near a generator behind Publix in South Vero Square, a large white pickup pulls up to Oslo Road and stops as a figure similar in build to Tomassi passes behind its tailgate walking west.

A canoe launch in the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area was the closest accessible point by land to the location where law enforcement officials said the remains of Assunta "Suzy" Tomassi were found March 3, 2023.

"If you watch that video of Ms. Tomassi, I mean she walks past the truck; shes called back to the truck, and she gets in the truck," Flowers said. "Its very possible that he lured her into that truck."

The man, described as a person of interest, was possibly in his 30s or 40s with a medium build and shoulder length brown hair at the time of the encounter.

"The amount of time that that truck is down there and gone is not long," Flowers said. "Its going to be an interesting case to try to determine what exactly happened to her down there at the end of the Oslo boat ramp."

The bones were found by a fisherman March 3 in mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon and were analyzed by a Treasure Coast medical examiner and sent to the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory in Gainesville, Flowers said.

"She definitely was in the water at some point," Flowers said. "The fact that articles of clothing were up in the mangroves shows that the water line had come up, rose, and had fallen back down."

Details from the initial missing person report from Susy Tomassi's husband Patrick Tomassi, of St. Lucie Village, on March 16, 2018, state she walked away from their restaurant, The Quilted Giraffe, at 500 U.S. 1, after going to the back porch area to read a book around 5:15 p.m. The restaurant has since been sold, demolished and is where HCA Florida Vero Beach Emergency has been built.

Patrick Tomassi speaks to the media on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, during a press conference with Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar and detective Greg Farless (not pictured) concerning new details in the 2018 disappearance of Tomassi's wife, Susy Tomassi. A new video was released by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office in hopes that new tips will come in from the public.

Tomassi, now 62, reported his wife missing around 6:45 p.m. telling deputies he looked for her for in a nearby plaza off U.S. 1 and Oslo Road where she frequently shopped, but couldnt find her.

An April 13, 2018, a missing person update on Punta Gorda Police Department's social media stated: At the time she walked away, she was able to identify family, friends and was aware her family owned the Quilted Giraffe and Mr. Manatees in Vero Beach, but more recently, she would also sometimes meet strangers and think she knew them as friends.

According to a March 20, 2018, Sheriff's Office social media post, an extensive ground search was conducted of the Oslo Preserve and surrounding areas by air, sea, and on ATV.

"They're looking at everything that we can to make a determination of whether or not she was killed in the location that her body was recovered or if she was actually in the water and made her way to that location," Flowers said. "Its just very early in the investigation."

Now detectives are looking into the case as a homicide which Flowers said provides both optimism and fresh perspective after five years as a missing person search.

More: 'It's a great honor,' says prosecutor Anastasia Norman, appointed judge by Gov. DeSantis

"If people have any other information they remember from that time, anything," he said. "If they have something about the family, anything, well take whatever they can give us. Any tips, well take it."

The information line with the Sheriff's Office was listed as 772-978-6259 while anonymous calls to the local Crime Stoppers network could be made at 800-273-8477.

More: Blaze the rescue dog is found after nearly two months missing in Vero Beach

More: Leapfrog Grades: 3 Treasure Coast hospitals get As in patient safety as Florida rank dips

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: Missing woman Susy Tomassi remains positively identified; homicide investigation opens
Photo: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty (Getty Images)

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the first-term congressman and serial liar, is facing 13 federal charges for financial crimes. Santos surrendered to federal authorities on Wednesday morning; he was arrested and will be arraigned at a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, later today.

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, federal prosecutors charged Santos with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Read more

They allege that Santos embezzled contributions from supporters, fraudulently applied for unemployment benefits in 2020, and lied in his financial disclosure forms submitted to the House of Representatives.

The DOJ says Santos allegedly defrauded political donors by creating a limited liability company that donors believed would purchase TV ads during his 2022 congressional campaign. Two donors gave a total of $50,000 to the LLC. Santos allegedly transferred the money to his personal bank accounts and used it to buy designer clothing, pay down personal debts, and withdraw cash.

As for the unemployment issue, the DOJ said Santos was making a $120,000 salary from a Florida investment firm in 2020 but applied for unemployment benefits anyway. He received more than $24,000 from the government. People receiving unemployment insurance have to certify each week that theyre not working and the DOJ said Santos falsely affirmed each week from June 2020 to April 2021 that he was unemployed.

All congressional candidates have to file financial disclosure forms by law and in his two runs for Congress, Santos certified that his House Disclosures were true, complete, and correct. But on his 2020 form, he didnt disclose the aforementioned $120,000 salary. Then on his 2022 form, Santos wildly inflated his income and didnt report the $24,000 in unemployment benefits received.

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Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Jezebel contacted Santoss office for comment and we cant wait to hear what ridiculous sentiments this man issues in response.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters Tuesday, before the indictment was unsealed, that he would look at the charges but suggested Santos could continue to serve in Congress. If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote [on legislation], but they have to go to trial, McCarthy said.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated.

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Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has been hit with federal charges in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), sources tell Fox News.

Santos, who is the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation, is expected to appear at EDNY Central Islip on Wednesday afternoon for his first appearance.

George Santos

REPUBLICANS TO RELEASE MEMO ON BIDEN FAMILY BUSINESS DEALINGS: JUDGEMENT DAY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

The charges, first reported by CNN, come after the scandal-plagued congressman last month announced his candidacy for reelection.

Fox News has reached out to Santos office and the DOJ for comment.

The freshman congressman flipped New York's 3rd Congressional District for Republicans last year, partly by selling an inspirational personal backstory to voters that he later admitted was largely fictitious.
Justice Department prosecutors have charged Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., with federal offenses, four sources familiar with the matter told NBC News, the most significant escalation in a growing pile of investigations that have plagued him since before he even took office.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to NBC News that Santos, who was spotted in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, is expected to appear at the Long Island Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., on Wednesday.

Separately, a congressional source said Santos learned about the charges Tuesday. Santos and his lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Follow along for live updates

Santos, who faced legal and political pressure to resign from Congress after he admitted to having lied about parts of his background, is the subject of multiple investigations into his finances and other issues.

No court documents associated with the case were immediately available. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment. CNN first reported the pending charges.

In December, two federal law enforcement sources confirmed that federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York had opened an investigation into Santos and were examining his finances, including potential irregularities involving financial disclosures and loans he made to his congressional campaign.

George Santos at the U.S. Capitol (Alex Brandon / AP file)

Santos announced his re-election campaign just last month, despite investigations into a variety of allegations against him in New York state, as well as by the House Ethics Committee, and calls by several of his home-state colleagues for his resignation. Republican Reps. Mike Lawler and Marcus Molinaro of New York reiterated their calls for him to step down in the wake of the indictment news Tuesday night.

"Theres a clock ticking, and George Santos should have resigned in December. He should have resigned in January," Molinaro said. "He should have resigned yesterday, and maybe hell resign today, but sooner or later, honesty and justice will be delivered to him.

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The Ethics Committee announced in early March that it had opened a probe to determine whether Santos may have "engaged in unlawful activity" while campaigning for Congress or whether he "failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House."

The committee also said it would examine whether Santos violated federal conflict-of-interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services, as well as sexual misconduct allegations against him from a prospective aide.

A Navy veteran who accused Santos of having disappeared with thousands of dollars from an online fundraising campaign intended to cover lifesaving surgery for his service dog also said he spoke to the FBI about his allegations.

The Nassau County district attorney's office said in December that it, too, was looking into numerous fabrications and inconsistencies about Santos background after The New York Times uncovered a series of inconsistencies about his biography, including his education, work history and financial dealings. The state attorney generals office said the same month that it was looking into a number of issues surrounding Santos.

While Santos has refused to resign, he said in late January that he would recuse himself from a pair of assignments on the Small Business and Science committees amid the probes.

Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres, Dan Goldman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said Santos should have resigned a long time ago. Ocasio-Cortez called some of the previous allegations against Santos "disturbing" and added: He will have his day in court.

Torres said that if Santos does not resign, Republican leadership must "summon the courage to join House Democrats in expelling" him.

Goldman said, "I think the speaker should encourage him to resign, and if not, I think we ought to bring the expulsion motion that has already been filed to the floor."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said, "George Santos is a disgrace," but he would not discuss trying to expel Santos, saying his focus is on the debt ceiling.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, saw its palm oil stocks fall 10.54 percent month on month to 1.5 million tons, official data showed Wednesday.

According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia's crude palm oil production declined by 7.13 percent month on month to 1.2 million tons.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's palm oil exports decreased by 27.78 percent month on month to 1.07 million tons.

Malaysia's palm oil imports also fell 15.32 percent month on month to 33,678 tons. 
Justice Department prosecutors have charged Rep. George Santos with federal offenses, four sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News, the most significant escalation in a growing pile of investigations that have plagued the first-term lawmaker since before he even took office.

One source said that Santos, who is in Washington, D.C. for House votes on Tuesday night, could surrender at the federal courthouse in the Eastern District of New York Wednesday morning. He is expected to make a court appearance Wednesday afternoon, the source said.

A congressional source said that Santos learned about the charges on Tuesday, May 9. Santos and his lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment.

The New York Republican, who faced legal and political pressure to resign from Congress after he admitted to lying about parts of his background, is the subject of multiple investigations into his finances and other issues.

No court documents associated with the case were immediately available. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment. CNN first reported the pending charges.

In December, two federal law enforcement sources confirmed that federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York had opened an investigation into Santos and were examining his finances, including potential irregularities involving financial disclosures and loans he made to his congressional campaign.

Santos announced his re-election campaign just last month, despite investigations into a variety of allegations against him in New York state, as well as by the House Ethics Committee, and calls by several of his home state colleagues for his resignation. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., reiterated his call for Santos to step down in the wake of the indictment news Tuesday night.

Theres a clock ticking and George Santos should have resigned in December. He should have resigned in January, Molinaro said. He should have resigned yesterday and maybe hell resign today, but sooner or later, honesty and justice will be delivered to him.

Story continues

The House Ethics Committee announced in early March it had opened a probe into Santos to determine whether he may have engaged in unlawful activity while campaigning for Congress or if he failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House.

The panel also said it would examine whether Santos violated federal conflict-of-interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services, as well as sexual misconduct allegations against him from a prospective aide.

A Navy veteran who accused Santos of disappearing with thousands of dollars from an online fundraising campaign intended to cover lifesaving surgery for his service dog also said that he spoke to the FBI about his allegations.

The Nassau County district attorneys office said in December that it, too, was looking into numerous fabrications and inconsistencies about Santos background after The New York Times uncovered a series of inconsistencies about his biography, including his education, work history and financial dealings. The New York State Attorney Generals Office said that same month that it was looking into a number of issues surrounding Santos.

While Santos has refused to resign from Congress, he said in late January that he would recuse himself from a pair of assignments on the Small Business and Science committees amid the probes.

New York Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Santos should have resigned a long time ago. Ocasio-Cortez called some of the prior allegations against Santos disturbing, but added: He will have his day in court.

Torres said that if Santos does not resign, Republican leadership must summon the courage to join House Democrats in expelling Santos.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
For nearly two years, the California Reparations Task Force has carefully studied what is owed, and to whom. Its time to discuss the other side of the issue: Who should provide reparations, and why.

The Task Force is a nine-member advisory body, charged by law with making recommendations to the legislature on reparations to African Americans.

Last year, the Task Force released an excellent interim report that documents a long history of government-supported injustices, including slavery, racial terror, political disenfranchisement, housing segregation, unequal education and more. The long-term effects of these injustices still harm African Americans today, and the purpose of reparations is to acknowledge and repair such harms, and to prevent them in the future.

The Task Forces final report is due July 1. Preliminary recommendations include not only monetary compensation but also a formal government apology, school curriculum initiatives, zero-interest business and housing loans, free college tuition and programs in healthcare, criminal justice and other areas.

Opinion

Wasnt California a free state where slavery was unconstitutional? Yes, but in name only. Hundreds of enslaved African Americans lived here, and slavery was actively supported by the California legislature and courts. Under Californias 1852 fugitive slave law, enslaved people who escaped were legally captured, taken to court and returned to slavery.

Dont other groups also deserve reparations? Yes, and those initiatives are underway. The California Truth and Healing Council, for example, is charged with examining the California governments historical relationship with Native Americans and considering reparations.

Persuading a majority of Californians to support reparations could be an uphill battle. A recent Pew survey found that public support for reparations is 30% nationwide, more than double what it was two decades ago, but far from a majority. Only 18% of white Americans support reparations, but Im one of them.

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You might think Im plagued by white guilt. But reparations are not about individual guilt. Its about the political responsibility of society as a whole.

Political responsibility is a common topic in the political theory courses I teach at Sacramento State, and it has personal resonance for me: My German grandparents were opposed to the Nazis, but years later they paid taxes that helped to fund reparations to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. I want to follow in my grandparents footsteps by contributing my taxes to reparations in California.

The Task Forces interim report invokes the idea of political responsibility when it states that repairing a wrong is a political and moral obligation. Citizens today are more than a random group of people who live in the same geographic area; we bind ourselves into a community that lives beyond the lifespans of its individual members.

The California government owes reparations to African Americans, not because they are in need, but because they have been severely wronged by government policies.

Once we view reparations as a shared political responsibility, its a small step to also see it as patriotic. As Erika D. Smith wrote in the Los Angeles Times last year: Reparations, by the most basic definition, is government acknowledging it did something wrong and then doing something about it. And that is the truest form of patriotism. A love not just of country but of the people who inhabit it.

Research by sociologists Ashley V. Reichelmann and Matthew O. Hunt finds that public support for reparations depends on appealing to Americans shared identities, empathy and sense of democratic citizenship.

The California government should provide reparations for its history of unjust policies toward African Americans  not because anyone alive today is personally to blame, but because its our political responsibility as democratic citizens.

Mark B. Brown is professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento.
George Santos was arrested on federal criminal charges on Wednesday ahead of an expected court appearance - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, has pleaded not guilty after being charged with wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.

In the 20-page indictment, prosecutors have accused him of defrauding campaign donors by spending thousands of dollars of election funds on luxury clothing, settling credit card debts and making car payments.

According to the indictment, he claimed unemployment benefit despite being a regional director of an investment firm. Mr Santos faces a potential 20 years in jail if convicted on all the 13 counts filed against him.

The 34-year-old New York congressman pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared before Judge Ann Shields at the federal court in Central Islip, New York,

Mr Santos, was released from custody on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after turning himself in.

This indictment seeks to hold Mr Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, Breon Peace, Brooklyn US attorney, said in a statement.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Mr Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

He is also accused of lying to Congress about his finances by overstating his income from one job, and failing to declare the salary he was receiving from another.

I am going to have to fight to defend myself against this witch-hunt, a defiant Mr Santos told reporters after the hearing.

He added he will not resign and intends to run for re-election.

I am going to keep fighting. Im going to keep fighting for what I believe in and I am going to keep fighting to represent my district, he said.

Fighting for his political future

The scandal has left Mr Santos fighting for his political future.

Ed Cox, chairman of the New York Republican party, predicted Mr Santos will be ousted by activists if he does not resign.

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Hes out, no matter how you do it, because we have a good party in Nassau County, he told The New York Times.

Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican congressman said on Twitter that Mr Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.

But Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, distanced himself from calls for Mr Santoss expulsion.

In America, you are innocent until proven guilty, he said. If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial.

The people of New Yorks 3rd district deserve a voice in congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.  Tony Gonzales (@TonyGonzales4TX) May 10, 2023

Even if Mr Santos was jailed, he would not face automatic expulsion, according to the Congressional Research Service.

His expulsion would require the support of two-thirds of the 435 members of the House of Representatives.

In March, the US House of Representatives Ethics Committee launched a probe looking at a variety of concerns, including whether Mr Santos engaged in illegal activity over his 2022 campaign, failed to properly disclose information required on House statements, and violated federal laws concerning his role in a financial firm.

Mr Santos' office, through his congressional Twitter account, has previously said he is cooperating with the House Ethics Committee's investigation.

Mr Santos was elected in November in a wealthy district of New York's Long Island in a race, where concerns about crime weighed heavily on voters' minds. It was a bright spot for Republicans in what was otherwise a lacklustre election night for the party.

The race drew outsized attention as both major candidates self-identified as gay, and Mr Santos was the first non-incumbent Republican who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community to win a seat in the US House of Representatives.

But reporting by The New York Times and other media outlets in December called into question almost every element of Mr Santos' life story.

Mr Santos was elected in November in a wealthy district of New York's Long Island - Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images

Among other claims, Mr Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution having any record of him attending. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which also was untrue.

He said falsely that he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two, and he failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019.

Following those revelations, Mr Santos apologised for "embellishing" his resume, while defending aspects of the way he had represented himself.

#For instance, he has since described himself as "Jew-ish" rather than "Jewish" when discussing his heritage, telling the New York Post he described himself that way because his "maternal family had a Jewish background".

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.
A group of Republican-led states have filed a motion with a federal regulator to block BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, from imposing sustainable investing practices on utility companies.

The states, led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R), appealed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to keep BlackRock from laying down environmental, social and governmental (ESG) investing priorities on utility companies, continuing a GOP crusade against what it argues is woke investing.

The states, including Utah, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia, filed the motion against the investment company on Wednesday, asking the FERC to not give it blanket authorization to buy more than $10 million in voting stakes in a utility company if it imposes ESG priorities.

These elitists are trying to impose restrictions on energy companies and utilities that would never win approval at the ballot box, Rokita said in a statement. Their schemes could raise utility bills for regular Americans, including elderly Hoosiers on fixed incomes, and they could diminish the value of investment accounts.

The move from the GOP-led states comes after BlackRock signed onto a number of climate-related goals, including the Climate Action 100+ and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiatives, which call for fossil fuel use to be slashed by 25 percent in 2030 and as far down as 2 percent by 2050.

In response to the filing from the Republican states, BlackRock said it was focused on providing the best financial outcome for clients.

As a fiduciary, BlackRocks core focus is seeking the best financial outcomes for our clients, consistent with their investment objectives, a BlackRock spokesperson said. We continue to offer them choice in financial products, and we are providing the ability for more and more clients to vote their proxies.

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It also continues a crusade against ESG investing by Republicans, who have argued that the practices will raise prices for consumers in pursuit of a woke agenda.

Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law a bill that bars state and local businesses from considering ESG factors when deciding whether to invest or contract with businesses.

In March, DeSantis, joined by 18 other Republican governors, released a statement labeling ESG a direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden

Republicans charged Wednesday that President Joe Biden's family has earned more than $10 million from shady business deals crafted while he was vice president.

With Biden ramping up his bid for a second term as president in the 2024 election, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee alleged that the family took in $1 million tied to a business deal with a Romanian tycoon when the then vice-president oversaw relations with the country in 2014-2015.

The deal was allegedly done by Rob Walker, a business partner of Biden's son Hunter.

In a detailed report, committee Republicans said Walker began receiving money from Romanian tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu shortly after Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House in September 2015.

A Cyprus company allegedly owned by Popoviciu, Bladon Enterprises, paid a private company owned by Walker over $3 million from November 2015 to May 2017.

The Republicans alleged that after the transfers came in from Bladon, Walker's company paid more than $1 million into accounts controlled by Hunter Biden, his sister-in-law Hallie Biden, and James Gilliar, another business partner of Hunter.

They said the pattern matches that of an already well-reported business deal Hunter Biden and Walker had with an energy company in China.

After receiving money from that company in 2017, the committee said Walker distributed more than $1 million to Gilliar and the Bidens.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said the Romanian funds were part of more than $10 million that Hunter Biden, his family and business associates had received from deals with foreigners in China, Ukraine, and elsewhere while Joe Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017.

"Hunter Biden and his associates courted business in countries that correlated directly with Joe Biden's work as vice president. This is also not normal. It is not ethical," Comer said in a press conference.

The Republicans showed no evidence that Joe Biden directly benefitted from or even knew of the business deals and money transfers.

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But they said he must have been aware of all of the companies set up by Hunter and his associates to conduct the business.

"Nobody in this room can logically sit here and say that the president of the United States had no idea that these companies were being formed while he was vice president of the United States," said Republican Representative Byron Reynolds.

Biden has repeatedly denied impropriety with regard to his son's deals, and defended Hunter's business practices.

"My son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him," he said last week.

pmh/jh
Members of the House Oversight Committee who have alleged that President Joe Biden and members of his family have committed multiple federal crimes failed to offer any evidence that any member of Mr Bidens family had done anything of the sort, at a press conference to unveil new evidence against the Biden family on Wednesday.

The nearly hour-long session led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer came one week after Mr Comer and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley alleged in a letter that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has in its records a report detailing an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.

Mr Comer had issued a subpoena for the FBI document, known as a FD-1023, and had given FBI Director Christopher Wray until 10am Wednesday to turn over the document.

I mean, guys, you in the press, this is easy pickings, Representative Byron Donalds of Florida told reporters. I'm giving you Pulitzer stuff here. Like all you have to do is literally look at our memo and see the level of detail upon which they have created this and it's ... very frustrating.

Flanked by a horde of fellow members of the House Oversight Committee ranging from relatively moderate Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina to opponents of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy such as Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, the assembled GOP representatives tried to make the case that Mr Biden and his family had profited off of his tenure in public service.

Republicans attempted to tell the press that the allegations were serous and that reporters should probe into potential illegal activity. In the days leading up to the presentation, Mr Comer and his allies had intimated that they would be presenting bombshell evidence that would show clear instances of wrongdoing. Theyd expected a significant turnout and asked reporters attending to RSVP to the press conference. Upon arrival, The Independent was handed a summary of the allegations of impropriety, but when Mr Comer began to speak shortly after 9am, it was clear that seats in the House television studio were not nearly as packed as the chairman and Republican members had likely hoped.

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As he opened the press conference, Mr Comer noted that the FBI had not yet turned over the report at issue, and said the panel would report to you only facts when they are verified and indisputable after receiving the document. He also said his committee will not pursue witch hunts, or string the American people along for years with false promises of evidence that is beyond circumstantial evidence.

Yet at the same time, the Kentucky Republican offered conclusions for which he had no proof, such as when he told reporters it was inconceivable that the president did not know his family members were allegedly receiving millions of dollars from China.

The House probe being led by Mr Comer, who earlier this year shuttered an investigation into how members of former president Donald Trumps family came into billions of dollars from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds after he left office in 2017, is a continuation of efforts by top Republicans to tar Mr Biden with corruption allegations through his son, attorney and former lobbyist Hunter Biden, and other members of his family.

The first of Mr Trumps two impeachment trials was touched off by efforts by the then-president and his associates to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce sham investigations into both Joe and Hunter Biden, the latter of whom served on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm for several years in the 2010s.

In appearances on Fox News, Mr Comer has also alleged that Hunter Bidens prior business relationship with a Chinese national factored into decisions his father has made as president. He and other top Republicans have accused the president of being compromised by his sons business dealings even though Mr Biden has never been shown to have garnered any financial benefit from them.

He has also repeatedly denied having any involvement in his familys private business affairs. But Republicans have nonetheless attempted to cast the president as somehow leading a family-based enterprise that theyve unfavourably compared to Mr Trumps eponymous real estate and branding company, even though two of Mr Trumps companies were convicted of criminal tax fraud in a New York court last year.

Despite promises to prove Mr Bidens criminality, Mr Comers presentation on Wednesday did not allege any criminal acts by Mr Biden or his family  even as he and his fellow committee members told reporters that Hunter Biden, Mr Bidens brother James, and other members of the presidents family have been involved in shady business deals that capitalised on Joe Biden's public office and risked our country's national security.

Much of what Mr Comer discussed involved bank records which he said reveal that Hunter Biden had a lucrative financial relationship with a Romanian national by the name of Gabriel Popoviciu during the period his father was vice president under Barack Obama.

Mr Popoviciu, he said, was subsequently under investigation for and later convicted of corruption in his home country, though the Kentucky Republican never alleged that the investigation or conviction had anything to do with Mr Biden.

The Oversight Committee chairman alleged that Hunter Bidens relationship with Mr Popoviciu was connected to the then-vice presidents work carrying out Obama administration policy in Romania, which he described as a foreign adversary even though Romania is a longstanding American ally and member of Nato.

He also suggested that the wire transfers to Hunter Biden, an attorney and lobbyist, were suspicious because they occurred while Joe Biden was vice president and leading the United States efforts in these countries and accused the now-president of lecturing Romania on anti corruption policies while walking billboard for his son and family to collect money.

Mr Comer accused the Biden family of engaging in a pattern of influence peddling because the end of Hunter Bidens business relationship with Mr Popoviciu happened around the time the Obama-Biden administration left office, though he offered no evidence that any American policy decision was the result of any undue influence exerted by Hunter Biden or anyone with whom he had a business relationship.

Other committee members who spoke after the chairman attacked other members of Mr Bidens family, including Hallie Biden, the widow of Mr Bidens eldest son, Beau Biden.

Rep Kelly Armstrong noted that bank records show that some of the money paid to Hunter Biden by Mr Popoviciu in 2015 was transferred to Ms Biden, and called those transfers suspicious because then-Vice President Biden had delivered a speech about the dangers of corruption during a May 2014 visit to Romania.

In fact, it's very hard to come up with any legitimate business reason to conduct transactions with this type in this type of complex way, he said.

He also suggested that there was no legitimate reason for Ms Biden to receive any portion of funds paid to Hunter Biden by Mr Popoviciu in late 2015 even though she had by then entered into a romantic relationship with him following the death of her husband in May 2015.

Though not a single committee member offered any evidence that the president, his son or his brother had broken any laws, some called for the prosecution of Mr Biden and his family nonetheless.

Ms Mace of South Carolina said the Department of Justice needs to get off its a** and file charges against the Bidens.

If any these allegations are proven true than someone with the last name Biden needs to be charged, prosecuted, maybe spend a little time in prison to take to account and responsibility, she said, despite it being unclear what crimes, if any, she was alleging the Bidens to have committed.

The presentation by the House Republicans comes as the White House and outside groups are stepping up efforts to defend the president  and his family  from what they describe as unsubstantiated attacks that are heavy on innuendo and lacking in substance.

One such group led by veteran Democratic operative David Brock, Facts First, held a conference call with reporters shortly after Mr Comers session had concluded.

Mr Brock noted that the GOPs own report showed no payments to Joe Biden, no evidence of any policy decisions influenced by anything other than a US national interests and mocked Mr Comers promise to reveal wrongdoing that would make the Watergate scandal which ended Richard Nixons presidency look like jaywalking.

The reality is we don't even have a scandal here, much less Watergate, said Mr Brock, who was followed by former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

Cohen, who in 2018 pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, making false statements to a federally-insured bank, and campaign finance violations for actions he has said he undertook at Mr Trumps behest, told reporters that Mr Comers claim of having found breathtaking foreign entanglements was ridiculous and irresponsible and evidence that the Oversight committee chair is auditioning for a spot on the 2024 GOP ticket alongside Mr Trump.

He also said nothing Mr Comer has alleged about the Bidens is worse than what Mr Trump and his family is known to have done during and after his time in the White House.

The Trump children profited more off their father's presidency than anyone in history. For example, Ivanka, and Jared somehow made over $600 million during their time in service as senior advisors to the President. Now, during that tenure, Ivanka also received a series of trademarks on her clothing and her jewellery lines from China. And Jared, shortly thereafter, received a Middle East bailout on his troubled 666 Fifth Avenue property, a property that Jared acquired on behalf of his family, which happens to be noted as the single worst real estate deal in New York City's history, he said.
Figuring out who you are, making sense of your past, charting a course toward the future  thats a journey that can last a lifetime, or it can come at just the right life-changing moment.

Thats what Catherine (Melissa Almaguer), the peripatetic heroine of Vanessa Garcias world premiere play #Graced, has decided to do in the wake of her recent divorce. With the financial backing of a hipster booze brand called Monteverde Moonshine, the determined Cuban-American influencer (who goes by Cat) is setting off on a cross-country RV trip to discover what being an American means in todays social media-dominated world.

And if she finds a reset button for her life, so much the better.

Sabrin Diehl talks to Kristin Bikic about making a social media-ready sandwich as Melissa Alamaguer is ready to capture the moment in #Graced.

Produced by Miamis Zoetic Stage in the Arsht Centers Carnival Studio Theater, #Graced represents another step in Garcias continuing growth and impact as a playwright. Its clever, often funny, sardonic, poignant, insightful. Carefully researched, the play references the ways social media can commodify, elevate or destroy our fellow human beings. Or us.

After their long-running success with the immersive The Amparo Experience, Garcia teamed up again with director Victoria Collado, her creative partner in the duos Abre Camino Collective, for #Graced. Sarah Hughes, who worked with Garcia on an earlier version of the script at New Yorks WP Theater Lab, also directed this world premiere. Whatever the directors collaborative process was in the rehearsal room, it works: The play moves like an Airstream on a pothole-free highway.

Cat, who has a secret agenda in addition to the aforementioned ones, has a companion for the journey, which launches in Tallahassee. Lewis (Chris Anthony Ferrer), son of the Monteverde owner, was born in Argentina but came to the United States with his widower dad at nine, and hes now as American as Key lime pie, country music and moonshine (all obsessions of his father and American stepmom). Hes the hookup for the trips funding, Cats on-the-road editor (though she bristles at the notion of him making any changes in her posts) and her now-and-again lover.

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Melissa Almaguer turns Chris Anthony Ferrer into click bait in the Zoetic Stage world premiere of Vanessa Garcias #Graced.

Projected social media posts blend with the duos real-life encounters, sometimes chaotically (among the many characters played by Lucy Lopez is one dubbed Algorithmic Mayhem).

In New Orleans, they meet a former nun named Rosalie (Dalia Aleman), and after a tragedy, they take her on as a traveling companion whose Tinder-assisted awakening to a few of lifes long-denied pleasures  sex, drugs  happens in short order.

Near Memphis, Cat encounters 16-year-old Blake (Sabrin Diehl), a sharp-tongued, confused teen whose father has run off with his French mistress. Blake has been following #Graced, and she leads Cat to another post-worthy encounter: a stand where an Uruguayan immigrant named Gianni (Kristian Bikic) makes chivitos, his countrys crazy-popular national sandwich. Everything is friendly and mutually beneficial until a one-word slip-up in Cats post threatens everything Gianni has built in the United States.

Cat and company finally do make it to her non-negotiable destination  a convent in the Dakotas. Turns out her mother was among the more than 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children who were sent to the United States from 1960 to 1962 in a Catholic Welfare Bureau program called Operacion Pedro Pan. Cats mom  whose name was Grace  had never wanted to talk about her time at the convent and then with a foster family.

Lucy Lopez plays the older Elvis and other characters in the Zoetic Stage world premiere of Vanessa Garcias #Graced.

But Cat, wanting to fill in the pieces of a puzzle no one else is left to assemble, persists. And her familial enlightenment shifts something in her, leading to this lovely expression of understanding, closure and unbreakable bonds near the end of the play: My grandmother is Cuba. My grandfather is the ocean. My mother isMy mother is  motherless. A lost girl. Or a found girl . . .My mother is . . .fierce. My mother was fierce.

In #Graced, Almaguer gets a breakout role she has long deserved. Sporting a plaid shirt and magenta-tinted hair, she radiates warmth, strength and compassion. Outspoken and opinionated, her Cat is in the metaphorical drivers seat. Sex and hygiene combine to spark a close-quarters alienation between Cat and Lewis, and Almaguer commits fully to Cats method of determining whether theres any truth to the embarrassed Lewiss jab at her.

Ferrer is a handsome, skilled actor and playwright who makes his Lewis a fine fit for Almaguers Cat. His relatable Lewis is just nerdy and insecure enough that you believe he needs Almaguers Cat at least as much as she needs him.

Dalia Aleman tells Melissa Almaguer and Chris Anthony Ferrer why she parted ways with religious life in Vanessa Garcias #Graced.

Diehl, who uses the pronouns he/him and they/them, is an absolute wonder as Blake, who still uses she but is clearly questioning her identity and sexual orientation. Lonely Blake finds a temporary anchor in the compassionate Cat, who seems to know exactly what to say and how to handle Blakes crush on her.

At one point, Diehl appears behind a sheer screen to deliver an urgent voicemail to Cat  first at normal speed, then at 1.5 times the regular speed, then at twice the usual speed. Its a small tour de force, and the crowd goes (deservedly) wild.

Aleman is lovely, convincingly naive and then go-with-the-flow loose as Rosalie. Bickics role as Gianni is relatively brief, but he becomes such a distinctive foe to Cat that you wish he were around more. Lopez, in addition to playing Algorithmic Mayhem, cycles through a number of other characters, including Las Vegas-era Elvis, Lewiss suave father and a cutesy young nun at the convent in the Dakotas, a character that comes off as unnecessary comic relief in an emotionally fraught scene (Garcias choice, obviously).

Set designer B.J. Duncan, lighting designer Tony Galaska, costume designer Natasha Hernandez, sound designer Matt Corey, video director Delavega and projection mapping designer Steven Covey have created an easily altered world for this theatrical road trip, one that blends multiple locations and the relentless intrusion of social media.

Sabrin Diehl, Lucy Lopez and Melissa Almaguer encounter algorithmic mayhem in the world premiere of Vanessa Garcias #Graced at Zoetic Stage.

The two-section RV is moved around by the actors so that the audience gets different perspectives of the way Cat and Lewis are living, but the major set piece looks like what it is  a skeletal, pretend RV.

World premieres are seldom perfect in their first incarnation, and #Graced would benefit from attention to its ending  or an altogether different one.

However, the artistic journey Garcia has taken with this play is well worth joining. Crazy, contentious, inspiring America awaits.

If you go:

WHAT: World premiere of #Graced by Vanessa Garcia

WHERE: Zoetic Stage production in the Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday (additional performance 7:30 p.m. May 10, no matinee May 13), through May 21

COST: $55-$60

INFORMATION: 305-949-6722 or arshtcenter.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit source of theater, dance, visual arts, music and performing arts news.
As Abraira prepares for surgery and treatment, she urges fans to get regular health check-ups.

Miami-based event planner and Real Housewives of Miami star Guerdy Abraira has returned from a brief social media hiatus to share a difficult diagnosis.

On Wednesday, Abraira announced in an Instagram post that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in March and is set to undergo surgery and treatment. She learned her diagnosis while vacationing in St. Barts with her family when her doctor called to inform her of the results of a recent mammogram test.

Guerdy Abraira attends the premiere of Universal Picturess Bros at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on September 20, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images,)

It took me a while to process it all and this is why I took a break from social media last month, as many noticed. Many of you reached out to check on me and I am thankful for your caring gestures, she wrote.

Currently, Abraira is preparing for an upcoming surgery followed by a treatment plan. Admitting the process is definitely intense, she asked for empowerment not pity from fans, reminding them that her RHOM catchphrase, guerdyfy, referring to her ability to put her own unique spin on events, applies here.

I will guerdyfy this cancer as I guerdyfy everything else in my life, she said.

Abraira added that shes lucky to have discovered her breast cancer early and said, it is still scary of course, but I have love and support from those around me and that alone is the fuel that I need.

According to the American Cancer Society, a woman has a 99% chance of surviving breast cancer if it is detected before it has spread outside of the breast. The ACS also reports that after skin cancer, breast cancer remains the most common form of cancer women in the US are diagnosed with.

Abrairas early detection is especially noteworthy because, according to the ACS, while Black women have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than white women, they have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate.

When theGrio spoke with Dr. Tracy-Ann Moo, a breast surgical oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, she said gaining breast self-awareness and early detection is key.

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The bigger basis of early detection is screening when youre at the right age. For most women who are what we describe as average risk for breast cancer, its starting at 40  its basically a mammogram or an ultrasound yearly starting at 40. The hope is that well find abnormalities or lumps in the breast before you even feel them, said Dr. Moo.

Recent U.S. health reports have also confirmed testing should begin at age 40.

Dr. Moo also stressed that knowing your family history of cancer is crucial. If a member of ones immediate family had breast cancer, testing for the disease is recommended ten years prior to the age they were when first diagnosed, according to Moo.

In the conclusion of her post, Abraira also urged her fans to stay on top of their regular checkups.

For those who do not get health checks regularly, I urge you to, she said. Your life depends on it.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrios Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to Writing Black with Maiysha Kai.

The post RHOM star Guerdy Abraira announces breast cancer diagnosis appeared first on TheGrio.
Robert De Niro just welcomed his seventh child, a rep for the actor confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The 79-year-old actor made the revelation while discussing parenthood and his new role in the comedy "About My Father" with ET Canada.

When the interviewer mentioned his six children, the "Taxi Driver" actor corrected that its "seven, actually. I just had a baby."

The Oscar winner didnt elaborate after dropping the baby bombshell and didn't reveal who the mother is.

REESE WITHERSPOON ADMITS SHE BOMBED AN AUDITION WITH ROBERT DE NIRO: THIS IS SO BAD

Robert De Niro revealed this week that he recently welcomed his seventh child.

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"My kids disagree with me at times and theyre respectful," De Niro told the outlet of whether he considers himself a "cool dad." "My daughter is 11, she gives me grief sometimes. I adore her. And my youngest now, so thatll be more to come, you know, but thats what it is."

Robert De Niro with his oldest daughter Drena De Niro, 51.

The "Irishman" actor said he likes to be "loving" with his children but having to be "stern" is inevitable.

"I mean, theres no way around it with kids," he said. "I dont like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But, [sometimes] you just have no choice. And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes you cant."

De Niros six oldest children are Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46, from his first marriage to Diahnne Abbott; twins, Julian and Aaron, 27, with ex Toukie Smith; and Elliot, 24; and Helen Grace, 11, from his second marriage to Grace Hightower. The former couple divorced in 2018.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping immigration overhaul bill Wednesday, a move that comes weeks ahead of an anticipated run for president and just a day before President Joe Biden's administration plans to end Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration policy that makes it easier to expel migrants.

DeSantis has long used immigration to attack Biden, with whom he has openly sparred for nearly two years as his national ambitions have risen.

We are bracing for some turbulent times ahead, DeSantis said Wednesday. When you have a president that has turned a blind eye to the border  when you have that, you are likely to see it get a lot worse.

Some provisions in the Florida bill, SB 1718:

Banning local governments from issuing identification cards for people who cant prove citizenship.

Requiring hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a question on intake forms about the patients citizenship status.

Banning undocumented law school graduates from being admitted to the Florida bar.

Increasing penalties for human trafficking-related offenses.

Beefing up the required use of E-Verify, a federal database employers can use to check a workers employment eligibility.

DeSantis has acknowledged that immigration policy is set at the federal level and Florida's role is limited, but he has had an intense focus on trying to remove any incentives migrants might have to come to Florida.

People are going to come if they get benefits, DeSantis said. You are either here as a native or come here legally, both fine things, but to come across the border and end up getting benefits in Florida does not make sense.

DeSantis' picking Wednesday to sign a bill focused on immigration, an issue he has spent significant state resources on, is likely no accident.

On Thursday the Biden administration is expected to end Title 42, a provision in federal law that allows the federal government to take steps to keep communicable diseases out of the country. During the height of the pandemic, the Trump administration imposed the policy to remove migrants who had crossed the southern border more quickly.

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DeSantis is among the Republicans who have hammered Biden over ending the pandemic-era policy, even as he and other members of the party have pushed to get rid of other Covid restrictions. He has pointed to the expected increase of migrants who will come to the border when the policy ends.

Revoking Title 42 authority will supercharge the already skyrocketing flow of illegal aliens, increasing drug, human and sex trafficking, DeSantis said last month. Biden is failing miserably to faithfully execute the law and is violating his oath of office.

Among DeSantis most high-profile immigration decision was the state paying for 50 mostly Venezuelan immigrants to be flown from Texas to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts without notice. DeSantis said the flight was to highlight the crisis at the southern border, while Democrats and immigration activists said it made political pawns of vulnerable asylum-seekers.

That migrant transport program has been largely dormant since the September 2022 flights, but the DeSantis administration has quietly signaled that it could become active again. The USA Today Network reported Tuesday that the governor's administration has picked three vendors  ARS Global Emergency Management, GardaWorld Federal Services, and Vertol Systems Company (which carried out the September flights)  to work with the migrant transfer program.

Republican majorities in the state Legislature gave the DeSantis administration $10 million for the program during a February special legislative session, and another $12 million during the recently concluded 2023 legislative session.

DeSantis has not given specifics when asked about when the migrant transport program might resume.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
NAIROBI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and UK on Wednesday signed an agreement to boost cooperation in various security sectors.

Kithure Kindiki, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, told journalists in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that the bilateral pact signed with visiting British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat covers collaboration in combating terrorism, cybercrime, trafficking in persons as well as illicit financial flows.

"The action plan for the agreement signed today will be finalized in the next two weeks," Kindiki said during a joint press conference with Tugendhat.

Kindiki said that the two countries also signed off on a framework for cooperation in the area of training Kenya's police service which will go a long way in enhancing the east African nation's preparedness toward maintaining stability.

He revealed that Kenya and Britain also signed a letter of intent in information sharing with regard to maritime security.

Tugendhat said that the joint agreement is based on the need for the two countries to secure their citizens.

The UK's Security Minister added that the growing nature of the internationalization of crimes means that cross-border cooperation is the only way to guarantee national security. 
A gunfight erupted at a Florida intersection when people in cars began indiscriminately shooting at each other in the middle of the night, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office.

The number of shooters involved remains a mystery, but one man died and another was wounded, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Identities of the two have not been released.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 9, in West Palm Beach, about 70 miles north of Miami.

Deputies responded to the scene of a shooting and crash at an intersection to find a damaged vehicle with a dead man nearby, the sheriffs office reported. Another empty vehicle  with heavy front-end damage and several bullet defects  was found in a parking lot about one block north of the intersection.

Detectives reported discovering people in the two vehicles were shooting at each other while in motion.

The man who died was one of the drivers who lost control and crashed into a power pole, officials say. Passengers were seen exiting the vehicle and fleeing eastbound while being shot at by unknown suspects, officials said.

Those gunshots are believed to have come from people in the other vehicle, officials said.

A second victim was located on scene with a gunshot wound to the arm and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, officials said.

Details of any charges in the case have not been revealed.

9-year-old boy was sealed up in room and denied food as punishment, Florida cops say

Foul odor reveals man was living with a decomposing body, Florida sheriff says

Armed home invasion ends with runaway teens caught without clothes, Florida cops say


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The new Netflix documentary series Queen Cleopatra has already courted controversy over its decision to portray the famous queen as a Black woman, but the producers of the series say they are more concerned with exploring Cleopatras story as a queen, strategist, [and] ruler of formidable intellect.

Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 51 BCE until 30 BCE, when she took her own life following defeat by her Roman rival Octavian. Too often portrayed as a sultry seductress or tragic heroine, she was in fact an incredibly intelligent leader who excelled at politics, diplomacy, communications, and building strategic allegiances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony , among others.

Here are eight attributes of the legendary queen of Egypt that made her such a powerful and effective ruler.

She was well-educated and intelligent

Cleopatra was a remarkably educated person, particularly considering that women in her time period were not usually afforded the same educational opportunities as men, according to Cleopatra: A Biography by Duane W. Roller. She was said to take an almost sensuous pleasure in learning and scholarship, Roller wrote.

She was knowledgeable about a wide range of topics, including economics, law, military strategy, and linguistics. By contrast, her brother Ptolemy XIII, with whom she jointly ruled Egypt from 51 to 47 BCE, was believed to have had little education, according to Roller.

She was an excellent communicator

Cleopatra was an extremely strong communicator, believed to have been fluent in at least nine languages, and was one of the few Ptolemaic leaders to learn and use the native Egyptian language, according to The Reign of Cleopatra by Stanley M. Burstein. This allowed her to speak directly to the diverse populations under her rule.

In addition to her subjects, Cleopatra excelled at communicating with neighboring heads of state and other political allies. For example, her communication with Herod the Greatdespite her own personal dislike of the king of Judearesulted in trade routes and mercantile arrangements between the two leaders, according to Roller.

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She had a ruthless side

Cleopatra was not afraid to get her hands dirty, and in fact she had several of her own siblings killed to secure her power. She engaged in a civil war with her brother Ptolemy XIII for the control of the crown and ultimately combined forces with Julius Caesar to claim victory during the Battle of the Nile . Ptolemy XIII died shortly after in 47 BCE.

Cleopatra arranged for Mark Antony to execute her half-sister Arsinoe IV for her role in a siege against Cleopatras forces, according to the book Cleopatra by Michael Grant. She is also widely believed to have poisoned her 15-year-old brother Ptolemy XIV so that her son, Caesarion, could replace him as pharaoh, according to the Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece.

She had public relations skills

While clearly capable of brutality when necessary, Cleopatra was equally known for her charisma. In fact, Shannon Bowen, a professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina, argues Cleopatra was a master of what today would be considered public relations .

Cleopatra garnered appreciation from her subjects by holding public forums, providing information about agriculture and commerce, and hosting events with performers, animals, and free food for spectators. She had a way of making people feel at ease and was able to win over even the most skeptical of individuals with her wit and charm, Bowen wrote. This made her an effective leader, as she was able to inspire loyalty and respect from those around her.

She formed important strategic alliances

Throughout her reign, Cleopatra formed partnerships with powerful allies to position herself and her kingdom for maximum advantage. Perhaps her most famous such alliance was with Julius Caesar, with whom she had both a political allegiance and romantic affair, which gave her the military strength she needed to dethrone her brother and seize the Egyptian crown.

Following Caesars assassination in 44 BCE, Cleopatra married his successor and key ally, Mark Antony, who formed part of the three-man Second Triumvirate that ruled Rome. Both benefited from this relationship , with Antony receiving financial and military support from Cleopatra, who in turn sought Antonys help in expanding Egypts eastern border.

She was a risk-taker

Cleopatra didnt hesitate to make bold moves or calculated risks for the benefit of her power or her kingdom. One famous example was approaching Caesar on the island of Antirhodos to propose an alliance, despite losing her civil war against Ptolemy XIII at the time. Films about Cleopatra, from the 1934 movie starring Claudette Colbert to the better-known 1963 biopic starring Elizabeth Taylor, depict her being secretly smuggled to Caesar inside a rolled up carpet. That story is largely a myth , but nevertheless, Cleopatras willingness to make those overtures to Caesar speaks to her calculating and risk-taking nature.

She was charming, if not beautiful

Although Cleopatra is often portrayed as stunningly beautiful, historians say that wasnt necessarily the case. Greek biographer Plutarch wrote for her beauty, as we are told, was in itself not altogether incomparable, nor such as to strike those who saw her. Likewise, The National Inquirer infamously reported in a 2000 article that Cleopatra had a big schnozz.

But while Cleopatra might not have been the seductive temptress the way weve seen in the movies, even Plutarch noted she had an irresistible charm as well as a sweet voice, persuasive nature, and stimulating presence. The New York Times described her as unafraid to show her age or blemishes , noting coins with her image did not attempt to conceal her wrinkles.

She was skilled at naval tactics

Cleopatra was the first queen of Greek descent to be a skilled naval commander since Artemisia of Halicarnassus more than four centuries earlier, according to Roller. Cleopatra commanded a formidable fleet, which she personally brought to Greece to assist Mark Antony in his conflict with Caesars assassin Cassius, according to Burstein.

Octavian, the future Roman emperor, did manage to defeat the naval fleet of Cleopatra and Antony during the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Based on this, Cleopatra has sometimes been called a poor naval commander, but historian Barry Strauss argued that is undeserved, noting she was able to save much of the fleet despite being outnumbered and coping with poor weather.

Watch Queen Cleopatra on Netflix

Queen Cleopatra is executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and features actor Adele James as Cleopatra in reenactment scenes. Watch the four-part documentary series now on Netflix.



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If a democracy is defined as elected representatives expressing the will of the majority of the people, North Carolina is something other than that.

Sheltered by their gerrymandered districts, confident they will not be checked by a state Supreme Court with a new Republican majority and emboldened by a Democrats defection that gave them a veto-proof majority, Republic state lawmakers are going to extremes in defiance of popular opinion.

In a recent run, they ended the need to obtain a handgun permit from the local sheriff despite a rise in mass shootings. Theyre on the verge of offering private school vouchers to all families despite the states traditional commitment to public schools.

Theyve opposed a court order to increase funding for public schools. Theyve ignored widespread public support for ending gerrymandering.

Now, in a blatant finale of sorts, Republicans emerged from months of closed-door meetings to pass a 12-week abortion ban and set up obstacles to early abortions. Theyve acted despite a February Meredith Poll showing that more than half of North Carolina voters (57 percent) want to see the abortion limit kept where it is  at 20-weeks  or expand abortion rights further. Only 15 percent want to restrict it to 15 weeks or less.

There is clear evidence that the General Assembly is not in alignment with North Carolinians on a number of issues, such as abortion rights, gun control and gerrymandering, said David McLennan, a Meredith College political science professor and director of the poll.

Another measure of the disconnect is the gap between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Cooper has been elected statewide twice. In a recent High Point University Poll, registered voters gave him a job approval rating of 52%, while 30% said they disapprove. Yet over a four-year period, a popular governor has vetoed 47 bills passed by Republicans who say they are carrying out the will of the people.

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In 2016, an op-ed by University of North Carolina politics professor Andrew Reynolds drew widespread attention by concluding that by objective measures, heavily gerrymandered North Carolina was no longer a fully functioning democracy.

Arguably, the situation is even worse today. Coopers veto power has all but disappeared. The state Supreme Court has cleared the way for extreme gerrymandering. And Republican lawmakers are even more experienced at turning an extreme agenda into law.

Susan Roberts, a Davidson College political scientist whose research includes the role of interest groups, said lawmakers and the voting public are becoming increasingly detached. I dont think they know what all their constituents are thinking, she said. I think they are making assumptions based on partisanship and gerrymandered districts.

She added, People dont feel like the government is listening to them.

John Aldrich, a Duke professor who specializes in American politics and behavior, told me that the combination of political polarization and gerrymandering encourages extremism by making primaries as or more important than the general election. Lawmakers, he said, have as much to fear from not trying to be too extreme in a primary election as they do from being too extreme in a general election.

One-issue voters on guns, abortion or school choice, he said, have more clout in a primary and that tends to push majority opinions aside. Theres an intense minority who care a lot about the issue and a relatively apathetic majority that doesnt care as much about the issue as other things, he said.

But the Democratic Party also has a role in the Republicans dominance, he said. Much more important, it seems to me, is that the Democratic Party has been relatively weak in fielding a broad set of strong candidates across all districts. Under the basic political rule, you cant beat someone with no one.

But he said Republican lawmakers eventually will be particularly vulnerable to electoral retribution if they are consistently taking minority positions, which seems to be happening now.

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@ newsobserver.com
Editor's Note: This is episode 3 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis. The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine. Subscribe to the series' newsletter here.

Russia has not only killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians and ruined much of the country's infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion.

It has also aimed at destroying the core of Ukrainian identity  language, and culture  in the territories it has occupied.

Businesses and institutions there were have been forced to switch to Russian, while the Russian curriculum has been imposed in schools.

The Kherson Fine Arts Museum and the Arkhip Kuindzhi Museum in Mariupol, among others, were emptied of their priceless cultural assets during Russian occupation.

Ukraine's Culture Ministry said Russia has committed over 1,271 crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage since it scaled up its assault against Ukraine in February 2022. As many as 473 cultural sights, including historical churches and theaters, have been destroyed by Russia's shelling and missile strikes over the year of the all-out war, according to the ministry.

But Russia's attempts to destroy the Ukrainian language and culture did not start in 2022.

They trace back to the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union when Moscow consistently banned the Ukrainian language, restricting, persecuting, sentencing, and even executing Ukrainian artists, writers, and poets.

"The Russian Empire and the Soviet Union did not deny the existence of Ukrainians as a separate ethnic group. They denied the existence of Ukrainians as a separate nation," says Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak.

"Because a nation has to have its own politics and its own culture."

Story continues

Russian Empire

Russia has been trying to silence Ukrainian culture and language for the past 400 years when parts of what is now Ukraine fell under Russian influence.

"Oppressions lasted for several centuries, from the first restrictions during the reign of Peter the Great to the actual actions of the Russian regime today," says Deputy Head of National Remembrance Institute, historian Volodymyr Tylishchak.

As of the beginning of the 18th century, the Ukrainian cultural sphere was "as developed as the one in Poland, Lithuanian or Czechia," says another historian Kyrylo Halushko.

"There was book printing, high-class literature, and universities such as the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy," Halushko says.

"Of course, Moscow did not like that," he adds.

Aside from conquering Ukrainian lands, the Russian Empire  proclaimed in 1721 under Peter the Great (or Peter I)  sought to eliminate the Ukrainian identity, suppressing Ukrainian culture and language.

Ukraines True History

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A year before the proclamation, in 1720, Peter the Great issued a decree against the use of the Ukrainian language in religious texts and books.

It was one of the first major steps toward banning the use of the Ukrainian language in public life.

In 1729, Peter II ordered the rewriting of the state regulations and decrees from the Ukrainian language into Russian.

Shortly after coming to power, Russian Empress Catherine II banned teaching in the Ukrainian language at the most prominent center of Ukrainian culture, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She also liquidated two autonomous Ukrainian entities  the Zapirizhzhian Sich and the Cossack Hetmanate.

Later, Catherine II ordered all the churches across the empire to conduct services only in the Russian language and made Russian compulsory for all schools. In 1786, the Russian language became the only language of teaching at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

"Catherine II decided to dissolve the Ukrainian ethnicity among other ethnic groups, to deprive Ukrainians of their national characteristics and identity and, ultimately, to destroy it completely," wrote Ukrainian political scientist Oleksiy Volovych.

But more severe measures followed in 1863 when the Imperial Interior Minister Pyotr Valuev issued a decree eliminating the publishing of books in Ukrainian.

The document said, "no special Little Russian language (meaning Ukrainian) ever existed, does not exist, and shall not exist."

The 1876 Ems Ukaz (Decree) issued by Emperor Alexander II only intensified the restrictions, banning imports of works in Ukrainian along with "stage performances, texts for sheet music, and public readings" in Ukrainian.

Hrytsak says both Valuev Decree and Ems Ukaz were "largely unprecedented."

"Russia declared the Ukrainian language as its enemy," he says. "The language as such was not banned. People could speak it in the villages or sing songs," he continues.

"It was (Russia's) way to not make it the language of public life and literature."

It was also Moscow's attempt to oppress the emerging spirit of Ukraine's national revival, or "the dangers for the state activities of Ukrainophiles," as stated in the Ems Ukaz.

Both documents were issued after a new generation of Ukraine's cultural figures formed a secret Kyiv-based society  the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which ignited the long battle between Ukrainian "intelligentsia" and Moscow authorities.

Among the brotherhood's members were acclaimed Ukrainian authors Mykola Kostomarov and Panteleimon Kulish.

10 popular misconceptions about Ukrainian history, debunked Editors Note: This is episode 1 of Ukraines True History, a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis. The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy o Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Ukrainian writer and poet Taras Shevchenko, who became a symbol of the Ukrainian national movement in the 19th century, was even convicted for influencing the members of the society.

The brotherhood survived for less than two years. Soon after it was exposed, many of its members were either exiled or jailed, while some of their works were banned in the Russian Empire.

Hrytsak says both the foundation of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the publication of Shevchenko's iconic collection of poems titled "Kobzar" have greatly intensified Moscow's "hostility" towards the Ukrainian language.

"Because that showed that it was not just a language," Hrytsak says. "There was a certain political idea behind it."

"Certain national ideology, which was separate from the Russian one, began to form in the times of Shevchenko," says Halushko.

That meant that "wherever there is the Ukrainian language  there must be Ukraine," he adds.

Soviet Union

Ukraine tried to escape Russia's dominance after its empire collapsed in 1917.

It was during the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917-1921) that the Ukrainian language was used for printing and in educational institutions.

But the formal ending to the Russian Empire did not mean its imperial narratives had disappeared: In 1922, Ukraine (apart from its western regions) was once again absorbed by Moscow into the newly formed Soviet Union. It became the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Just like imperial Russia, Soviet authorities did not deny Ukrainians as people. But they fiercely opposed Ukraine's right to be a nation.

To strengthen its power over Ukraine, as well as to show the West that any nation had its right to self-determination within the Soviet Union, the new regime initially launched a policy of so-called "korenizatsiia" or indigenization ("Ukrainization" for Ukraine), which appeared to be quite liberal but temporary.

It allowed schools and other educational facilities to switch to the Ukrainian language. Books, newspapers, and even films in Ukrainian were also freely produced.

At the same time, Soviet authorities wanted to present Ukrainian culture as "rural, outdated," according to Halushko.

Tylishchak says Ukraine's achievements and culture were deliberately simplified.

"In movies, for instance, there are many examples when Ukrainians are shown as silly villagers who sing funny songs," Tylishchak says.

In 1933-34, however, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin canceled "Ukrainization," as the authorities feared it could threaten their regime. Its end was accompanied by brutal repressions.

The lives of numerous Ukrainian cultural figures were destroyed for their pro-Ukrainian stance. They became widely known as the Executed Renaissance.

The spring of 1933 is believed to be the start of the Soviet Unions mass destruction of the Ukrainian intelligentsia. On May 13, 1933, Ukrainian writer and intellectual Mykola Khvylovyi shot himself. In his suicide note, he spoke of the terror gripping Ukraine and criticized the Communist Party.

Russias centuries-long quest to conquer Ukraine Editors Note: This is episode 2 of Ukraines True History, a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis. The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy o Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov

"His slogan 'Get away from Moscow!' related exclusively to the literary process, that Ukrainian culture should be oriented to Europe, not Russia," Tylishchak says.

Repression peaked in 1937 when numerous Ukrainian cultural figures such as writers Valerian Pidmohylny, Mykola Kulish, and Hnat Khotkevych, painters Ivan Padalka and Mykhailo Boychuk, were executed during the so-called Great Purge.

Renowned Ukrainian playwright Les Kurbas, the founder of the avant-garde Berezil Theater that staged plays in Ukrainian, was also shot.

"The theater's fate was tragic as well," says Tylishchak. "It was destroyed because it offered new forms of theatrical art."

According to Tylishchak, everything that did not correspond to the canons of Russia's propaganda back then was declared "bourgeois nationalism."

"Every Ukrainian artist, every Ukrainian scientist, and intellectual was constantly in danger of being accused of Ukrainian bourgeois nationalism," Tylishchak says.

"It was one of the most terrible accusations in the Soviet Union."

Stalin's death in 1953 and the start of Nikita Khrushchevs rule marked at least some easing of Soviet censorship of the Ukrainian language and culture  the so-called Khrushchev Thaw.

Tylishchak says there was a "new push for development" of Ukrainian culture in the 1960s when new "brilliant artists, poets, and writers appeared."

This new generation of creative Ukrainian youth who opposed the Soviet authorities was known as the Sixtiers. Famous writers Ivan Drach, Mykola Vinhranovskyi, Vasyl Symonenko, and painters Alla Horska and Liubov Panchenko were among its representatives.

"It wasn't a mass movement," says Tylishchak. "But the new impulse that Ukrainian culture received in the 1960s allowed it to survive (future) repressive politics," he adds.

Tylishchak says that "unfortunately," many of them ended up in Russian exile, "just like Vasyl Stus," a prominent Ukrainian poet who died in detention in 1985.

According to the historian, the Sixtiers also "gave an impetus" to the generation that regained Ukraine's independence in 1991.

Same old imperialism

Russia's centuries-long attempts to erase Ukrainian culture and language have also affected a newly-independent Ukraine: For many years, Ukraine's television, along with music and other industries, were mainly Russian-speaking.

The country's biggest newspapers were also published in Russian, not to mention streets and monuments named after Russian leaders across Ukraine.

A major shift started during the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2013-2014. It ended with Ukrainians ousting the pro-Kremlin regime and choosing its own future with freedom of speech and democratic values instead.

Modern Russia, on the other hand, was built on the ashes of the Soviet Union and hasn't refused the imperial ideas of its predecessors. Those views have only radicalized under its current dictator Vladimir Putin.

Led by Putin, Russia occupied Crimea in March 2014. It soon invaded Ukraine's east, occupying parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Empty Kherson art museum in despair after entire collection stolen by Russia Housed in a grand imperial building with a view out onto the Dnipro River, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum once hosted one of the richest collections in all of Ukraine. As with the rest of Kherson, which had its electricity infrastructure destroyed by withdrawing Russian forces in early Nove Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

According to Hrytsak, the "radical change in rhetoric" appeared in 2021, when Putin published an article on the Kremlin's website claiming that Ukraine has never existed and that "Ukrainians and Russians are one people, one whole."

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bombarding cities all across the country. Parts of Ukraine were occupied by Russian troops as well.

The all-out invasion would soon prove that neither Russia's goal nor its methods have changed throughout the centuries.

"It wants to destroy the Ukrainian nation as such," says Tylishchak.

"To do so, Russia destroys Ukrainians physically, as we saw in Bucha and Borodianka, and tries to assimilate Ukrainians who ended up in occupied territories," he adds.

A month into the all-out Russian invasion, Russian troops began confiscating and destroying Ukrainian history and fiction books "that do not correspond with the Kremlin propaganda" in the libraries of then-occupied parts of Sumy, Chernihiv, as well as Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry Intelligence Directorate, they had "a whole list of forbidden names," including Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa and controversial nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.

In Melitopol, an occupied city in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian troops have seized all of Ukrainian literature from the local libraries, the Ukrainian military's National Resistance Center reported.

Ukrainian children's writer and poet Volodymyr Vakulenko was killed during the Russian occupation of a village near Izium, Kharkiv Oblast. Artist Panchenko died after a month of starvation in occupied Bucha, Kyiv Oblast.

In occupied Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, Russian troops have erected a monument to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. They have been stealing art collections from local museums and renaming the streets after Moscow leaders and their propaganda slogans.

"It's a cultural genocide against Ukraine," says Hrytsak.
Xi Jinping gestures as he speaks to Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in March

There is only one winner from Vladimir Putins monstrous war on Ukraine, and that is the Chinese Communist Party. To our eternal shame, Xi Jinping has spectacularly outwitted the West, drastically expanded his global influence, and turned Russia into a Chinese protectorate in all but name.

Russia was meant to have collapsed by now. Britain, America and Europes gambit was that drastic trade, financial and technological sanctions, a cap on the price of Russian seaborne oil, and substantial help to Ukraine would be enough to defeat Moscow. It hasnt worked. For all of the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people, the war has reached a stalemate, at least until Kyivs counter-offensive.

The reason? China has quietly stepped in, bailing out Putins shattered economy on a transformational scale, swapping energy and raw materials for goods and technology. The sanctions are a joke. Russian-Chinese trade rose 41.3 per cent in the first four months of the year to $73 billion, financing Putins war. Chinas exports to Russia were up 153 per cent in April 2023 alone; their rise more than cancels out the decline in German and French trade, as Robin Brooks, of the Institute for International Finance, points out. Chinas trade has also shot up with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkey, all with easy, porous access to Russia.

No wonder Russian society hasnt imploded. There may no longer be any McDonalds in Moscow, but sales of Chinese cars are buoyant. We were told Russia couldnt survive without Western technology, but it is switching instead to Chinas rival systems.

The quid pro quo is that Russia is now dependent on the CCP for its survival, and Moscows new paymasters will pitilessly flex their muscles. This is a triumph for Beijings mercantilists: they have permanently absorbed Russia into their orbit. If Putin, a nasty megalomaniac, survives his disastrous war, it will be as a vassal of Xi, the final humiliation. The only upside for the rest of us is that Russia is now less likely to use tactical nuclear weapons, an insane policy China would surely veto.

Story continues

What is certain is that we are now truly in a new Cold War, a historic battle between the West and a resurgent Chinese civilisation-state. The emerging world grasps this, and is taking sides in this new world order. Tragically, Chinas reputation is soaring, and Americas is faltering under the pathetic Joe Biden administration.

China has already brokered a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, endangering Middle East peace. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazils far-Left president, has reset relations with Beijing. In Latin America and Africa, the CCPs influence continues to rise thanks to its Belt and Road initiative, the loans it dishes out, and the deals it strikes to corner the market in key materials and minerals. China is also undermining the Commonwealth. India is buying Russian energy.

Yet for all of these victories, future historians may yet remember the present moment as the CCPs heyday, the moment we hit peak China, rather than the start of a new multi-decade, Han dynasty-style period of Chinese ascendancy.

The Chinese economys period of extremely strong growth is over, despite its prowess in AI and batteries, for three reasons. First, Xi cracked down on Chinas oligarchs, the entrepreneurs who had driven so much of its progress but had started to throw their weight around. The CCP is once again in total control; there are no longer any independent power centres. Real capitalism is dead. Second, the savagery of its lockdowns, its obsession with zero Covid and the cover-ups of the past few years demonstrate that China remains a fundamentally closed society. There is no real individual liberty, no freedom and thus no chance of another sustained economic boom.

Last but not least, Chinas population fell 850,000 last year, a harbinger of a looming demographic implosion that will turn dozens of cities into ghost towns, throttle the banking system, starve the military and threaten permanent stagnation. India is now the worlds most populous nation, with 1.428 billion residents, against Chinas 1.425 billion, according to the United Nations, with America third at 340 million. Chinas population is expected to shrink by almost half during the next three quarters of a century, to just 766 million by 2100  a decline precipitated by its abominable one-child policy, a reminder of the immorality of top-down social engineering.

By contrast, Americas population will continue to grow, hitting 394 million by the end of the century, assuming the country holds together despite its bitter ideological divisions. Unless Chinas productivity suddenly rockets, unlikely in Xis repressive climate, the gap between the American and Chinese economies may never quite close, or will take much longer to do so than expected.

These limits to Chinas model coincide with the beginnings of a fight-back by the free world, symbolised by Italys withdrawal from the Belt and Road initiative. The West is no longer deluded about Chinas intentions, its attachment to authoritarian imperialism, or its propensity to engage in espionage and dissembling, even if few realise the immensity of the challenge.

But at least the David Cameron-George Osborne golden era of close ties with China has long since been forgotten. Liz Truss is travelling to Taiwan next week to warn against China. The Aukus military pact is a great move, as is Britains decision to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Japan is rearming. India will become increasingly assertive. A Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis victory would accelerate attempts at decoupling the American and Chinese economies.

Confident countries that believe their ascent will continue for the foreseeable future dont usually choose to precipitate a major war  for example by invading Taiwan. As Robert Tombs, the historian, has pointed out, it is when nations feel that they are running out of time or that they are being cornered that they lash out.

So what next? Can we avoid a calamitous, global conflict that will set humanity back 50 years, at best? Will Chinas elites see sense and bank their takeover of Putins Russia? Or will they worry that their own window of opportunity is closing, and decide to gamble on an invasion of Taiwan, especially if the unfathomably weak Biden is reelected? Britain must hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.

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KYIV (Reuters) - Russian forces are planning to evacuate more than 3,000 workers from the town that serves the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, resulting in a "catastrophic lack" of personnel, Ukraine's state-owned Energoatom company said on Wednesday.

Last week, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear power watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said the situation around the Russian-held nuclear station had become "potentially dangerous" after Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.

Russia's TASS state news agency said on Monday the Moscow-installed governor of the Russia-controlled part of the surrounding region had suspended operations at the plant.

Ukraine's Energoatom said it had received information about preparations for the evacuation of about 3,100 people from the southern city of Enerhodar, including 2,700 workers who had signed contracts with the Russian-installed company.

"The Russian occupiers are proving their inability to ensure the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as there is now a catastrophic lack of qualified personnel," it said in a statement on the Telegram messaging service.

"Even those Ukrainian workers who, having signed shameful contracts, ... are going to be 'evacuated' soon. And this will exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue of having a sufficient number of personnel to ensure the safety of operation of the NPP (nuclear power plant) even in the current shutdown state."

Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports. Russia did not immediately comment.

Ukraine is widely expected to soon launch a counteroffensive to try to push back Russian forces, and commentators say retaking the whole of the Zaporizhzhia region is one of its aims.

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant days after President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Exchanges of fire have frequently occurred near the facility, with each side blaming the other.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
(Reuters) - Russia may formally "denounce" the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The decree formally appoints Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to represent Putin during parliamentary proceedings on denouncing the treaty, which aimed to regulate the number of forces deployed by Warsaw Pact and NATO countries.

Russia announced in 2015 that it was completely halting its participation in the treaty.

(Reporting by Reuters)
Russia does not have the ability to rapidly increase production of high-precision missile weapons

Read also: National Guard soldier shoots down Russian cruise missile with Igla MANPADS

According to him, Russias ability to produce sophisticated precision missiles is severely limited.

Theres some production capacity; were talking maybe dozens (of missiles) per month, said Yusov.

Even if they take months-long breaks (between air strikes) until fall, they still wont be able to replace (the missiles) theyve spent in this war.

At the same time, the official warned that Moscow still has access to vast reserves of S-300 anti-air missiles. While their range and accuracy are much lower compared to Kalibr or Kinzhal, these munitions are still often used to bombard Ukrainian cities along the frontline.

Read also: Russian missile wreckage found near Bydgoszcz shows it could have flown 300-500 km across Poland

But when it comes to high-precision weapons  namely Kinzhals and Kalibrs  those reserves are already at critical levels, he concluded.

Read also: UK spearheading effort to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, report says

On May 9, Russia launched a barrage of missiles at Ukraine, targeting the Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Of the 25 incoming missiles, 23 were shot down, including 15 intercepted over Kyiv. The two missiles than broke through the defenses caused some injuries, but, thankfully, no deaths.

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Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in Moscow

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin enacted the relevant order on May 10.

Read also: Putin says Russia suspending participation in Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty

He tapped Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as his representative to consider the issue of the withdrawal in the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council.

Russia suspended its participation in the treaty back in 2007 as a protest against NATOs expansion to the east, but participated in meetings of it joint advisory group.

Read also: Russia should return to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, says German FM

However, it completely suspended treaty implementation in March 2015, participating in the agreement only in a formal sense until now.

Moscow announced that it would not participate in the groups meetings under the treaty and asked Belarus to represent its interests there. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said they would not abandon the dialogue on conventional arms control in Europe.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in 1990 by NATO and Warsaw Pact member states. It established the balance of the conventional armed forces of the participating countries at a lower level and limited the possibilities of deploying conventional weapons along the contact line between the blocs.

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang talks to a family member of John Rabe while visiting an exhibition on Rabe at the Confucius Institute in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. Qin visited the Confucius Institute here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited the Confucius Institute in Berlin on Tuesday, encouraging closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Germany.

Qin said that as the first Confucius Institute in Germany, the Confucius Institute in Berlin has not only helped promote the Chinese language and culture, but also spread the seeds of friendship since its establishment 17 years ago.

He encouraged the students to enhance mutual understanding through learning. He also encouraged the faculty to overcome difficulties and tackle challenges for a better institute, and to contribute more to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Germany.

Qin also visited an exhibition on John Rabe at the institute, and met with Rabe's family.

Rabe, a German businessman, together with dozens of foreigners, risked lives to set up an international safety zone in the city of Nanjing in 1937, and helped protect Chinese citizens during the Nanjing Massacre.

Qin said that Rabe saved more than 250,000 Chinese lives during the Nanjing Massacre and won the sincere respect and friendship of the Chinese people. "We should take history as a mirror, cherish and safeguard peace, and never let the tragedy of history repeat itself," he said. 
The Russian occupiers began to deport ZNPP workers and their families to the Rostov Oblast of the Russian Federation

The removal primarily concerns 2,700 station employees who have signed contracts with the illegitimate AT Exploitation Organization of the Zaporizhzhya NPP or other enterprises of Rosatom, and their family members, Energoatom said.

Read also: 3,000 ZNPP employees forced to obtain Russian passports, says General Staff

Energoatom reminded that the invaders previously prohibited ZNPP employees from leaving after taking over the facility.

These actions by the Russians demonstrate their inability to ensure the safe operation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, as there is currently a critical shortage of qualified personnel, Energoatom said.

Read also: Management at ZNPP attempting to flee en masse, Kyiv says

Even Ukrainian employees who, by signing shameful contracts, agreed to cooperate with the Ruscists (a Ukrainian portmanteau for Russian fascist  ed.), are now going to be deported in the near future, Energoatom said.

And this will exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue of having sufficient personnel to ensure the safety of the NPPs operation, even in its current (shut-down) state, the company added.

Energoatom said that it is currently taking all possible measures to assemble the necessary number of specialists capable of ensuring the safe operation of the station during the initial period following its de-occupation.

Read also: Occupied Enerhodar runs out of fuel after evacuation announced, says mayor

This team will be composed of ZNPP employees currently situated on Ukrainian-controlled territory, as well as experts from other nuclear power plants.

The Zaporizhzhya NPP, Europes largest nuclear power plants, was seized by Russian occupiers following the fighting in Enerhodar on March 4, 2022. The NPPs buildings sustained damage in several areas due to Russian shelling, and its workers were taken prisoner.

Read also: Russia claims full shutdown of all Zaporizhzhya NPP reactors, Energoatom denies

Russian troops have established firing positions at the ZNPP and are launching attacks on Ukrainian cities from there.



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By Andrew Osborn

(Reuters) - Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin complained on Wednesday that his Wagner fighters were still not getting enough shells from the defence ministry to underpin what he said was their advance in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin has taken his standoff over the issue with the ministry to new levels in recent days threatening to leave Bakhmut before U-turning and then again raising the prospect of Wagner's departure, a move he said he'd been warned would be viewed by the defence ministry as treachery.

In an audio statement on Wednesday, he said the defence ministry - which has promised to ensure that all combat units have the resources they need - had been holding long meetings on the shell issue but that there had been no breakthrough.

"We're not receiving enough shells, we're only getting 10% (of what we need)," Prigozhin, whose forces have been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut despite taking heavy losses, said in the statement.

"We're scraping by with a minimal quantity of shells," he said, saying his men were nonetheless continuing to advance in Bakhmut which he called by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk.

Prigozhin said that the Russian leadership had asked the defence ministry to check the status of Wagner's shell request, but that bureaucracy meant the process was a slow one.

There was no immediate comment on his latest assertions from the defence ministry while the Kremlin earlier on Wednesday said it had not seen a public appeal for more shells that Prigozhin had made on May 9.

Prigozhin in the same audio statement clarified a crude tirade he had made a day earlier aimed at someone he referred to as "a happy Grandfather," an ambiguous phrase that fuelled speculation he might be widening his criticism of the way that what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine is being run.

Prigozhin said the target of his anger remained the same however - the army's top brass.

Analysts have said his erratic behaviour looks like an attempt to try to deflect blame for a lack of swift success - the battle for Bakhmut is in its 10th month.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Consequences of a missile attack by Russian troops on Kupyansk on May 9

Read also: Russia conducts mass missile, drone attack overnight: six explosions in Kharkiv

The attack on Kupyansk resulted in damage to a civilian enterprise and five private residential buildings, as well as three people being injured, two of whom are in a moderate condition, Oleh Synyehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration (OVA), reported on his Telegram channel on May 10.

Additionally, Russian invasion forces shelled the villages of Petropavlivka, Cherneshchina, and Gatyshche, damaging residential buildings.

Earlier on May 9, the enemy attacked Kherson Oblast with heavy artillery, Grad missiles, tanks, and aviation.

Read also: Number of wounded in Kherson Oblast increases, includes a nine-year-old child

Russian troops fired at Kherson seven times, and occupiers' shells hit a school, a medical center, and the territory and the building of a shopping center in the regional center, leaving one person injured.

In Zaporizhzhya Oblast, the enemy launched 107 attacks during the day, and then attacked with drones as well.

Yuriy Malashko, head of the Zaporizhzhya OVA, clarified on his Telegram channel that 19 settlements on the front line around Kamyanske, Orikhove, and Hulyaipole had come under fire by Russian invasion forces, and during the shelling in the village of Mykilske, one woman was injured.

Read also: Russians using fortified positions atop Zaporizhzhya NPP to fire at Ukraine  photos

 /Telegram

The situation in Donetsk Oblast remains difficult, with significant damage caused to private residential buildings in settlements of the region as a result of shelling by Russian troops, officials there said.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk OVA, reported that one person was injured in Kostiantynivka, and he also published photos of destroyed buildings.

Read also: Over 1,000 residential buildings in Mariupol destroyed by Russians, says city mayor

 /Telegram

 /Telegram

 /Telegram

Read also: Poll reveals over 90% of Ukrainians view Russian dictator Putin as modern Hitler

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The place in the forest near Bydgoszcz, where the wreckage of a Russian X-55 missile was found

Warsaw does not have such missiles in service, so it couldn't have been fired from a Polish training ground, for example, during exercises or tests of air defense systems.

Read also: No trace of second missile found in Przewodow, Polands Duda says

The X-55 missile was highly likely fired from Belarus, although the information is still needed to be confirmed.

Before crashing, could have flown about 300-500 kilometers across Poland, BBC News Ukraine suggested.

The missile probably entered Polish airspace during a Russian mass missile attack on Ukraine in late December. Russia at that time was using Su-34 bombers based in Belarus to launch missiles at Ukraine.

Read also: Fragments of missile used in Russian attack on Ukraine found in Moldova for fourth time

Polish defense services tracked an aerial object but lost sight of it near Bydgoszcz, RMF24 recalled. The track was lost was about two kilometers away from where a civilian came across the remains of a missile in late April.

Despite it being one of their duties, the Polish military didn't immediately report to the prosecutor's office about an unidentified object violating Polish airspace, journalists added.

The Polish Prosecutor General reported on April 27 that the wreckage of an unknown military aircraft had been found in a forest in the north of the country. The Ministry of Defense also confirmed the information.

Journalists speculated it was an air-to-ground missile. The wreckage had inscriptions in Russian, but the warhead was missing.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
RosZMI reported that drones of the Armed Forces tried to attack Moscow on the day of the shameful parade with the participation of Putin on Red Square

Read also: Putin gives first public reaction to drone attack on Kremlin

According to Russian propagandist media, one drone was shot down near the village of Peremyshl in Kaluga Oblast, approximately 175 km from the Russian capital. Another drone was downed near the Bitsevsky forest, not far from the Moscow ring road, while the third was downed in the Lomonosov district of the Northwestern Federal District.

No casualties or damage were reported, and the drones themselves did not explode.

Russian media also claimed that the drones were launched from Chernihiv Oblast, although it is unlikely they could reach targets in Moscow from such a distance.

Read also: Moscows fears of Ukraines counteroffensive will lead to mistakes, military expert

The Russian authorities reacted swiftly to the information about the possible drone attack on Moscow. The press secretary of the Russian dictator, Dmitry Peskov, said that there have been no reports from law enforcement agencies about unsuccessful attempts to attack Red Square on May 9.

Russia held a military parade in the heart of Moscow on May 9. During the event, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin gave a speech, during which he blamed the West and Ukraine for Russias own war of aggression on Ukraine.

Read also: Kremlin wants Russians to think big attacks on Ukraine are a victory, says Zelenskyy

The parade on Red Square was shorter than in previous years, featuring only one 80-year-old T-34 tank and no aviation display.

It was held against the backdrop of the failures and huge losses of the Russian invasion army in Ukraine.

During the parade, Putin was seen to be startled by a loud sound, which may indicate his fears of a possible air attack or other sabotage after the recent drone strike on the Senate Palace in the Moscow Kremlin on May 3.

Read also: Why the Kremlin may have staged a false flag drone attack on itself  ISW

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Jens Stoltenberg

Read also: Taiwan to help finance rebuilding of Bucha, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya

In a comment to CNN on May 10, Stoltenberg emphasized that "what is happening in Europe is important for Asia, and what is happening in Asia is important for Europe."

Security has a global character: Beijing is closely watching what is happening in Ukraine, the price that (Russian) President Putin is paying, as well as the potential benefits, said Stoltenberg.

Therefore, what is happening in Ukraine actually matters for Beijing's calculations regarding Taiwan, for example.

Read also: Zelenskyy, NATO chief Stoltenberg plot Ukraines path to NATO in Kyiv

Earlier, Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki stated that Ukraine's defeat could push China to attack Taiwan "the next day."

Taiwans Foreign Ministry previously assessed that PRC could attempt to invade the island in 2027.

Read also: Main statements and photos of NATO chief Stoltenbergs visit to Kyiv

In recent years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping repeatedly said he wants to achieve "historic reunification" with Taiwan. Besides geopolitical ramifications, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would cause a catastrophic shock to the global economy, given that Taiwanese companies produce much of global microchip supply.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The occupiers have taken family members of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) employees to Rostov Oblast in Russia under the guise of "evacuation".

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "In Enerhodar, the Russian occupiers have organised a so-called evacuation for family members of Zaporizhzhia NPP employees. However, power plant employees are not allowed to leave the city."

Details: The General Staff has noted that the so-called occupation authorities announced the evacuation of people to Berdiansk and Kyrylivka to holiday camps and hotels. However, those who agreed were taken to Rostov Oblast in Russia and placed in tented cities.

The General Staff has also said that the situation in Velyka Bilozerka is somewhat different. Last week, most of the collaborators left the settlement in their own vehicles in the direction of Crimea.

Background:

As stated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian side is evacuating the occupation authorities, the so-called people's militia and their families from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Looted property is being transported towards occupied Crimea.

The Russian invaders are "evacuating" their puppet leaders and collaborators, as well as children with teachers and educators, from Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in the direction of occupied Berdiansk.

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The Russian occupiers plan to deport [to Russia  ed.] about 3,000 workers servicing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) from the town of Enerhodar.

Source: Energoatom

Quote: "Information was received about Russian occupiers preparing for the evacuation of about 3,100 people from the satellite city [Enerhodar  ed.] of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

It is first of all about the 2,700 plant workers who signed a contract with the fake Operating Organization of Zaporizhzhia NPP or another Rosatom subsidiary, and their family members."

Details: Energoatom reports that this will exacerbate the urgent issue of having sufficient personnel to ensure the safe operation of the NPP, even in the shutdown state.

Quote: "Energoatom, for its part, is taking all possible measures to form the necessary numbers of specialists capable of ensuring the safe operation of the plant in the first period after its liberation.

Such a team will be formed on a rotating basis from ZNPP employees currently in the territory controlled by Ukraine and specialists from other nuclear plants."

Background: On 7 May, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that the Russian invaders were taking the residents of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in the direction of Berdiansk and Prymorsk.

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Russia has rerouted its oil exports away from Europe towards Asia. Suriyapong Thongsawang/Getty Images

India's imports of crude oil from OPEC dropped to an all-time low of 46% in April, down from 72% a year ago.

Russia accounts for 36% of India's oil imports, versus less than 1% before Moscow launched its war on Ukraine.

Imports from Russia have surpassed the combined purchases from Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has seen its market share in India shrink to a record low amid a flood of cheap Russian oil imports.

The cartel's share dropped to 46% in April, down from 72% a year earlier, according to Vortexa data cited by the Economic Times.

Russia is partners with the oil cartel under the OPEC+ coalition, but India has been taking advantage of cheap barrels since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia now accounts for 36% of the country's imported supplies, or about 1.67 million barrels per day. Before the war started, that stood at less than 1%.

Meanwhile, OPEC supplied 2.1 million barrels per day to India last month out of the total 4.6 million barrels per day the country took in, per Vortexa.

Total Russian imports have now surpassed the combined purchases from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which have been India's biggest suppliers over the last decade.

The data show, too, that while India's month-on-month purchases set a new record high again in April, the rate of increase slowed, which could suggest it's peaking soon.

Western sanctions on Russian energy  such as bans on coal in August 2022, crude oil in December 2022, and refined oil products in February 2023  have forced the Kremlin over the last year to seek out alternative markets for their energy supplies in Asia.

European Central Bank calculations show that trade volume between the euro area and Russia halved since February last year.

Yet in April, Russia's oil exports returned to pre-war levels, as China and India now account for about 90% of its shipments, Kpler data shows.

Still, Russia is making less money from its energy exports compared to before its invasion, as sanctions weigh on prices. The International Monetary Fund said in April that Moscow's revenues remain roughly 43% lower than the same time last year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's oil pipeline operator Transneft said on Wednesday that a filling point on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline in a Russian region bordering Ukraine had been attacked, the TASS news agency reported, citing the company.

Transneft said nobody was injured in the incident, which it branded a "terrorist attack", TASS reported.

"Yes, indeed, early this morning there was an attempt to commit a terrorist act against the Druzhba oil pipeline system at the Bryansk filling station," Transneft's spokesman told TASS.

"As a result, no one was hurt. The competent authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident."

Early on Wednesday, Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's law enforcement agencies, reported that three empty oil reservoirs at the Druzhba pipeline's filling station came under attack.

It said there were no leaks following the attacks.

Russian oil supplies via the Soviet-built pipeline have not been sanctioned, however, European countries are scaling back usage of the route amid wider sanctions against Moscow.

Druzhba pipeline was attacked several times after the start of what Kremlin casts as a special military operation in Ukraine last February.

Oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the pipeline had been temporarily suspended in November after a rocket hit a power station close to the Belarus border which provides electricity for a pump station.

The pipeline also came under attacks in the Bryansk region in March.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
The Herald-Leader is profiling the major candidates for the GOP nomination for Kentucky governor. Read the other profiles at Kentucky.com.

Ryan Quarles is running a traditional campaign. So traditional, in fact, that its somewhat unique in its approach. Like some others, hes putting forth policy proposals and getting on television advocating for himself. But unlike other top candidates, the two-term commissioner of agriculture has leaned uniquely on local political figures to help spread the word about his campaign.

His campaign touts well over 200 endorsements from local elected officials across Kentucky.

The campaign has stressed Quarles amount of experience, given his tenure in the legislature starting in 2011 and time in office as commissioner of agriculture from 2016 to now. It also brands him as the rural candidate, emphasizing his family farm roots in a recently aired introductory television ad.

Quarles insists that, since the election is currently projected to be low-turnout, he has a path to the nomination because of his agriculture base and his use of old-school campaign methods. The last publicly available poll placed him in third behind Attorney General Daniel Cameron and former ambassador Kelly Craft, though that was before he spent money on advertisements.

On the issues, the commissioner has not tied himself to as many nationally hot-button issues as some others, opting to focus instead on more local issues.

Ryan Quarles on the issues

Education: Quarles education platform, one that focuses on raising teacher pay  something the current GOP legislature has resisted so far  disciplinary reform and making changes to the state higher education system. Do teachers need a raise? Yes they do, and I would support that. Thats something that Beshear has promised and he cant deliver it because he has such a poor relationship with General Assembly, Quarles said, adding that he supports school choice initiatives forwarded by many Republicans in the state legislature.

Reforming foster care and adoption: Quarles says the more than 8,000 Kentucky children currently in the states foster care system is too many, and wants to spur action on getting more kids into loving homes. Quarles proposes hiring more state social workers, reducing the amount of time that children spend in limbo in the system and engaging and challenging churches to support families wanting to adopt. He also recommends reorganizing the Department for Health and Family Services on the topic.

Louisville: Though Quarles has stressed his rural roots in campaign messaging, he has released a rough plan for how he would improve Louisville, Kentuckys largest city. Quarles said levels of violent crime in the city are unacceptable and that there was no serious effort of sustained cooperation between Andy Beshear and Louisvilles previous mayor to reduce violent crime. He also wants to focus on getting homeless Louisvillians in shelters and infrastructure that supports the convention center there.

Abortion: Quarles supports the current ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. The only exception in the law, which is being challenged in court, is for the life of the mother. When pressed on this in a recent debate, Quarles said he was open to having a conversation on the law after the Kentucky Supreme Court rules on it.

LGBTQ issues, Quarles has given full support to the recently passed Senate Bill 150, an omnibus bill that restricts discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools; bans puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries for the purpose of gender transition; and prevents trans students from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, among other things. However, he added that there are bigger issues affecting Kentucky than the ones tackled in that bill, and has not made LGBTQ issues a central part of his messaging.

Story continues

Who is supporting Quarles:

Quarles campaign is all about the local government official endorsements, touting more than 235 as of late.

Quarles has the most support from GOP state legislators of any candidate, including some in leadership. Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, has endorsed Quarles. Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown has donated to both Quarles and Craft, but has also posted photos to social media with Quarles campaign gear on.

The campaign has raised a total of $1.24 million, and had $458,000 left to spend 15 days out from May 16.

A PAC supporting Quarles was formed early in the race, but it didnt get a surge of funding until late April, well after PACs supporting Cameron and Craft were already funded and running ads. It has roughly $45,000, a relatively small sum compared to the million-plus raised by the PACs supporting Cameron and Craft.

What his opponents say:

Quarles has used his long experience in politics as a selling point on the campaign trail.

But some opponents have asked why more hasnt changed under Quarles tenure.

Commissioner Quarles talks a lot about 24 years of Beshear leadership and theyre asking for four more. Ryan was in the legislature for four of those years and hes been statewide for eight. Hell, you dont have to be governor to lead, Keck said.

Northern Kentucky candidate Eric Deters also called Quarles delivery robotic during a recent debate.

Why he says hes the best choice to take on Beshear:

Part of Quarles argument for the primary is that he believes hes the most likely of all the candidates to beat Beshear in the Fall.

While groups supporting Cameron and Craft have tried to bring each other down, Quarles has not yet been the subject of negativity on the airwaves. He also points to his rural roots as more appealing to voters compared to Beshear, whos the son of a former governor.

I feel like Im the uniter whos not focused on partisan politics in this race. I have the best chance to beat Andy Beshear in the fall as the Republican nominee because I have a base. And once I become the nominee, theres a lot of Kentuckians out there that will identify my background and my type of leadership, Quarles said.

Quarles quick facts:

Name: Ryan Quarles

Age: 39

City of residence: Georgetown

Previous political/public experience: State representative, commissioner of agriculture

Professional experience: Farmer

Learn more: ryanquarles.com, Twitter: @RyanQuarlesKY, Facebook: facebook.com/KYRyanQuarles/, YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ryanquarles1797/videos





Quote: I show up. I work hard. Ive visited all 120 counties in this campaign. Im the candidate that will roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

Heres the complete list of candidates running for Kentucky governor in 2023

Kentucky is electing more than just governor in 2023. Meet the down-ballot candidates
Bishop Jaime Soto sat down with me recently to talk about the possibility that the diocese he oversees may declare bankruptcy in response to what hes called the staggering number of clerical sex abuse claims.

Its staggering but no longer surprising that in this diocese alone, some 270 claims were made possible by the 2019 law that allowed Californians to file suit over old allegations. The state lifted the statute of limitations for a three-year period, through the end of 2022.

California decided that justice too long delayed need not be justice denied. As long as theres no statute of limitations on pain and suffering, let the guilty pay; good.

Opinion

But I am not sure what to think about the likelihood that with most of Californias dozen dioceses facing insolvency, eight of the 12 may also see no alternative to filing for Chapter 11. The Diocese of Oakland just filed. And yes, others may very well have to seek this protection because they failed to provide the protection they owed the children in their care.

Victims must be compensated as fully as possible. And  not but  doing so will come at a cost. Not just to those who deserve to be punished, but to all those the church serves.

There is not even agreement about whether bankruptcy is best for victims, with survivors generally fearing that Chapter 11 is just one more way for the church to avoid transparency and shield certain assets. Those who specialize in bankruptcy law argue that this process, on the contrary, not only puts all assets on the table but is the best way to make sure all settlements are equitable.

In an interview in his office in the large pastoral center, where diocesan employees dont expect to work much longer, Soto said he has not concluded that bankruptcy is inevitable, but it is a looming possibility and because of that, even now, any decisions I make for the diocese have to be made in the light of this possibility.  I have to trust that time is going to show me and us, the church, how we move forward.

Story continues

Is the assumption that most California dioceses will eventually declare bankruptcy wrong, then?

No, he said. I know the gravity here in Sacramento, and I think thats true across the state, with bishops, himself included, trying to bring some resolution to the number of claims that are looming.

The most important thing about resolution, though, Soto said, is not financial and so will not be over even after checks are written: I start with the fact that we have a very sad and shameful legacy with regard to abuse, and some of the darkness of that is still coming to light.  This goes back decades, but its coming to light now, and Im the bishop now, and I have to look for the best way I can respond to the suffering of the victims over all these decades and also make some atonement for what happened.

He asks himself, How do I continue to be the bishop going forward? An important part of that is how I respond to this. Many Catholics, this weighs heavy on them and how I respond to it as a pastor and how I try to lead us through this, this will be a part of who we are for a long time. As long as there are victims, I cant close the book on that chapter because thats something were still going to live (with). Because many of these people, many of these Catholics, whether theyre still with us or not, are still living with this.

A sobering, chilling revelation

This attitude is a welcome change from the Why are we still talking about this? posture that for so many years made talking about it all the more imperative.

Some of my fellow Catholics still fall into the whataboutism of asking why there are no grand jury reports on the history of abuse in other institutions; maybe there should be, but making the history of crimes by priests public was an important service.

I was covering the Vatican for The New York Times at the time of the 2002 crisis, and Sotos expression of humility is miles from what church leaders in Rome said back then. They made excuses, feigned ignorance and cast antisemitic aspersions, too, dismissing allegations as the handiwork of American media enemies of the church. Jews, they meant.

As The Bees Marcos Breton wrote in a column five years ago, lay Catholics, too, often reflexively defended the accused priests they knew. Soto made that and other mistakes, he said, and learned from it.

Before Soto knew better, Breton wrote, he acted in a way that showed he cared more about the priests doing the abusing than the children; believed that therapy for pedophiles was the way to go; he would comment on the sexual abuse of priests without really knowing the facts. He thought that sex abuse by priests needed to be kept secret.

Soto believed in all those falsehoods when he was rising through the ranks of the Diocese of Orange County, his home base before moving to Sacramento at the end of 2007, and he acted on them accordingly. What pains him most now is a letter he wrote to a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to plead for mercy for a priest who preyed on altar boys.

The man, Andrew Christian Andersen, a seminary classmate of Sotos, was convicted on 26 counts of molesting altar boys, but got off with a suspended sentence and then re-offended in New Mexico, where hed been sent for therapy.

My letter was stupid and naive, Soto told Breton in 2018. I wrote the letter without any real knowledge about what he had done and the harm he had caused. ... When (Andersen) re-offended, it was a sobering, chilling revelation.

So what does atonement look like from the inside?

Priests are haunted by the abuse crisis, one because it involves guys they know. But at least as hard, Soto said, is coming to the awareness that we might know this guy, but we dont know the victim. To come to understand the pain that the victim suffered? Once a priest recognizes that, it breaks your heart when you understand what one of us did. The betrayal to the victim and the victims family is umpteen magnitudes worse, but there was also the betrayal to us. We feel betrayed. And we owe it to ourselves to be more vigilant with one another.

How, for example? When a guy goes off the radar screen, he doesnt come to meetings, or he disconnects, thats a real warning sign. Maybe its not always abuse, but somethings not right. The outreach that I owe and we owe not just to him but also to the people that he serves is to hold each other accountable.

To do that, I require the priests to do regular workshops on sexual abuse and also on the protocols for reporting, and that gets kind of frustrating, but they also understand we have to do this, this is the new normal. Theres always the temptation to say, Why cant we go back to the way it was before? Well, we cant. And the moment that were in right now is a reminder of why we cant.

Accountability doesnt always feel like ministry, he said. It feels like policing, but it is ministry. Thats how we ensure that people can feel safe.

Ensuring safety, making amends

Todays seminaries do a better job of both vetting and educating future priests, Soto said. The discussions on sexuality are much more candid, where before, there wasnt much in that regard. The idea of self-knowledge and understanding your own sexuality wasnt really a big part of seminary formation. The generation of men coming in now are more comfortable in sexuality in terms of talking about it.

With all of this in mind, what does Soto see as the best arguments for and against declaring bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy would be a prudent option because everything will be on the table. With reason, people will question, Is this enough? Bankruptcy puts a light on everything (and says to victims that) this is everything.

And the argument against taking that step? By not going into bankruptcy, Id be able to continue a lot of good things were doing as a diocese.

What would likely have to be cut? One real glaring example would be the ministry we have at the universities. And it would make fundraising harder, he said, because the Catholic community worries, Is that money going to go to settlements? People who make their gifts and donations for the church, they want it to go for the good works of the church, not for the sins of the clergy.

Would donors not see compensating victims as a good work of the church?

Its my responsibility to lead the church in that way  that its not just a matter of getting past the lawsuits, but recognizing the pain, and that there are real people involved, people who have been hurt by the church. As much as we encourage the other works of mercy, this is also a work of atonement for what happened.

This time, making amends will cut much deeper, he said. When the Diocese of Sacramento settled a group of claims previously, a good portion of that was insurance, and in many cases, the limits were met. Now, while insurers will still have a role to play, I do expect that its going to have to come from the diocese.

Which is what victims want, right? I dont know. Im assuming that some want this to be painful for us, and it will be, but at the same time, its important to make sure that we can continue our charitable works and schools and to be available to provide some haven of mercy throughout the 20 counties that are under the diocese.

Are decisions about compensation hard calls to make?

The stories are difficult. Were dealing with realities its hard to put a price tag on.  Theres some virtue to statute of limitations, because the older the claims are, the harder it gets to investigate what happened.

And yet, the reality of sexual abuse, he said, is that it takes a long time for victims to come to terms with what happened to them.

Compensation will always fall short, and atonement will never be complete. But that Bishop Soto knows this will make more healing possible.
The notorious hot Sacramento weather is slowly creeping back in, and its a good idea to prepare for the heat before it arrives.

From Saturday to at least Tuesday, the city can expect highs between 91 and 95 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Overnight lows will range from the high 50s to the low 60s.

As of Tuesday, its uncertain how hot it will actually get but meteorologists predict it could reach 100 degrees over the weekend.

Latest forecast gives the Central Valley a high likelihood of hitting 90F late week/weekend.



And  sorry to be the bearer of this news  there is also a low to locally medium chance of triple digits over the weekend. #CAwx Latest forecast: https://t.co/WjKBsJmSfA pic.twitter.com/wgIquu1vRr  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) May 9, 2023

Heres what you need to know to keep your home and yourself cool for the next couple of days:

Prepare your home for the heat

If you havent already, you should check your homes air filter and test your air conditioning before Saturday.

Utility companies Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Pacific Gas and Electric Company recommend setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, health permitting, to save on cooling costs.

Youve probably heard the advice to close room doors when the air conditioning is running. According to SMUD, that puts extra strain on the central system.

Instead, make sure the air is flowing throughout the home by keeping all doors and air vents open.

When youre away, consider turning temperatures down from 5 degrees to 8 degrees.

Keeping the home dark and cool by turning off lights, opening windows and using fans is a cost-effective option. Just be sure to close blinds and drapes to block the suns rays.

Story continues

FANS

According to SMUD, fans cost about 90% less to operate than a central air conditioning system.

To maximize the effectiveness of the fan, Lasko, an appliance company, recommends people position the fan to face the opposite wall where most of the activity is within the home.

This forces the fans air to hit the surface, bounce off and mix with the rest of the air in the room.

The result: a cooler space.

If you have a ceiling fan, Energy Star recommends people program it to move in a counterclockwise direction to create a wind chill effect.

WHOLE HOUSE FANS

Whole house fans are not designed to replace air conditioning, according to whole house fan company Centric Air, but it could help reduce the need for it during hot days.

Whole house fans are typically mounted in the homes attic.

Once you open a few windows and turn on the whole house fan  if you have one  the hot air within the home is sucked into the fan, pushed into the attic and out of the vents.

At the same time, the outdoor air is drawn in from the open windows to help reduce the temperature in the home.

A similar method is used for single-story homes with whole-house fans.

Prepare yourself for the heat

Between Wednesday and Saturday, temperatures in Sacramento will increase by more than 20 degrees and the National Weather Services advises people to practice heat safety over the next several days.

A drastic warming trend will take shape this week for NorCal.



60s-70s yesterday in the Valley will soar to the 90s by Fri-Sat. Can't rule out an isolated  reading.



For comparison normal early/mid-May Valley highs are in the low 80s.



Be sure to practice heat safety. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/H6ROrQw3bU  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) May 9, 2023

Those who exercise outdoors should avoid doing so during peak sunlight. Instead, do so early in the morning or late in the evening.

PETS

The same goes for walking pets, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A tip: put your hand on the pavement for a few seconds. If its too hot for you, its too hot for your pet.

Here are the signs of heatstroke and burned paw pads, according to RSPCA:

Heavy panting and difficulty breathing

Excessively drooling

Lethargic, drowsy or uncoordinated

Collapsed or vomiting

BURNED PAW PADS

Limping or refusing to walk

Licking or chewing at their feet

Pads darker in color

Missing part of their pad

Blisters or redness

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.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) fundraised off his indictment Wednesday, calling on supporters to chip in after federal prosecutors slapped him with more than a dozen criminal charges for misrepresenting his finances and misleading donors.

The fight is real & Im OVER the target, I need your support to keep me fighting for freedom, Santos tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Im already a top target of the Democrats for 2024, he added on his fundraising website. We need to start early and get prepared to keep this seat.

The embattled first-term lawmaker Wednesday pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

The majority of the charges center on Santoss alleged use of campaign donations for personal expenses, such as purchasing designer clothing and paying off personal debts. Federal prosecutors accused the congressman of directing an unnamed individual to tell donors that the money would go toward campaign advertisements.

Following his arraignment at a federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., Santos told reporters that he would not resign and that he still planned to seek reelection in 2024.

This has been an experience, you know, for a book or something like that, he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Santos has been the subject of intense scrutiny throughout his first few months in office, after he admitted to lying about his personal and professional background on the campaign trail.

The New York Republicans call for donations appeared to mimic former President Trumps fundraising efforts from last month, after his own indictment over a 2016 hush money payment. Trumps efforts were fairly successful, raking in more than $4 million in campaign contributions within 24 hours.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The judge handed over information about Ukrainian defenders and patriots to the occupiers

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) posted audio recordings as evidence of the court heads alleged crimes on Telegram on May 10.

Read also: SBU and SBI make public recordings alleged to show Kulinich working with FSB

The suspect contacted Russian FSB security service representatives of her own accord the full-scale invasion began, the SBU wrote.

She lived at that time in Berdyansk, and recommended to her FSB handlers candidates for the position of the "gauleiter" of the occupied city, as well as directors for the citys hospitals.

The woman also passed on information to the invaders about the movement of three Azov soldiers from Mariupol to the Mangush area at the end of March 2022.

Read also: Former Azov command speaks out on returned fighters health

The defendant called on other court employees to support the Russian invaders and to cooperate with them, betraying pro-Ukrainian people.

The High Council of Justice decided to remove the defendant from office. The court imposed on her detention without bail as a measure of restraint.

The Prosecutor General's Office also confirmed that the judge had lived in the city of Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, before the full-scale invasion began. She helped the enemy to impose illegal rulings in the region in the form of a unit of the so-called Ministry of Emergency Situations after the city was seized.

Read also: Ukraines SBU seizes ex-MP Novynskyis hidden assets worth $287.1 million

Later, the woman moved to Poltava and headed a district court there.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ford returns to Cannes for the world premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'

Heroes and villains! Screen legends and scandal! Indiana Jones, Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp! The script for the 76th Cannes Film Festival, which opens next Tuesday, suggests it will be a blockbuster.

Hollywood is descending en masse on the French Riviera for the world's leading film shindig, which runs from May 16 to 27.

But it is striking that most of its big stars are icons who made their names in the 20th century.

Harrison Ford will receive a special homage when the 80-year-old's final outing as the whip-cracking archaeologist in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" gets its world premiere.

Martin Scorsese, also 80, will launch his epic "Killers of the Flower Moon" alongside stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

Michael Douglas will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore team up for "May December" from celebrated indie director Todd Haynes, and Jude Law dons the crown of Henry VIII in "Firebrand".

The king of quirky, Wes Anderson, will premiere "Asteroid City" and bring a typically star-packed cast to the red carpet, this time including Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie and Scarlett Johansson.

As if any more attention-grabbing selections were needed, the opening film is Johnny Depp's so-called comeback, "Jeanne du Barry", testing his French accent as King Louis XV.

It is his first role since a defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard involving bitter allegations of domestic abuse, and arrives just after the film's director and star, Maiwenn, was herself accused of assaulting a journalist in a Paris restaurant.

Depp will be joined by his daughter, Lily Rose, who stars in "The Idol", a TV series playing out of competition, produced by musician Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye. It had a tumultuous production with reports of major rewrites and reshoots.

- Women and laureates -

It's a stronger year for women than normal, with a record seven female directors among the 21 competing for the Palme d'Or top prize.

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One has been another source of scandal, however, with France's Catherine Corsini only added at the last minute (with "Homecoming") following controversy over an underage sex scene.

They will face a jury led by Ruben Ostlund, a two-time Palme-winner for "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Square".

There are five previous winners in the competition, including Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, Germany's Wim Wenders, Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Italy's Nanni Moretti and another two-time winner, Britain's Ken Loach.

In a recent interview with AFP, Ostlund joked that he would be scrupulously fair if 86-year-old Loach's "The Old Oak" seduces the jury: "I will definitely work very hard to get over my own egoistic goals of being the first director with three Golden Palmes."

But arthouse fans are perhaps most excited for a rare appearance by Britain's Jonathan Glazer ("Under the Skin", "Sexy Beast") with a romance set in the Auschwitz concentration camp, "The Zone of Interest".

Another lauded Brit, Steve McQueen, will present a four-hour documentary about wartime Amsterdam, "Occupied City", out of competition.

Star of the moment and so-called "Internet Daddy" Pedro Pascal is also expected alongside Ethan Hawke for a "queer Western" short film by Spain's Pedro Almodovar.

And the festival is set to close on a colourful note with the latest animation from Pixar Studios, "Elemental". It is set in a city where residents made from fire, air and water must learn to live together.

er/fg/smw
US Republican Representative George Santos, seen here sitting alone during a visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been charged by the Justice Department

A scandal-plagued Republican congressman whose extensive lies have made political headlines since his election last year was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors on Wednesday.

Representative George Santos pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud, three of money laundering, one of theft of public funds, and two of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

He was arrested on Wednesday morning and entered the plea in the 13-count indictment during a court appearance in Central Islip, on New York's Long Island in the afternoon.

Santos was released on a $500,000 bond and ordered to next appear in court on June 30.

"I will get to clear my name," he told reporters outside of court, branding the government's case "inaccurate."

Santos has already admitted fabricating much of his biography, including his real name, his religion -- he falsely claimed to be Jewish -- his schooling and his employment history when he ran last year for a House seat representing parts of Long Island, New York.

According to the indictment, Santos went much further by defrauding donors during his successful election, transferring the money into his own account and using it to pay off personal debts and buy designer clothing.

The 34-year-old is also accused of collecting unemployment benefits that he was not entitled to during the coronavirus pandemic, before his election to Congress.

Prosecutors say he pocketed $24,000 in benefits while earning $120,000 a year at a Florida-based investment firm.

Breon Peace of the Justice Department's Eastern District of New York said the indictment "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations."

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

"He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives," Peace added.

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Prosecutors additionally allege that Santos filed financial disclosures to the House of Representatives that overstated his assets and income.

If convicted of the charges, Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the most serious counts.

Santos has separately been accused of sexual harassment of a man to whom his office allegedly offered a job and then rescinded when the man turned down Santos's advances.

He has faced calls to resign from constituents, some fellow Republicans as well as Democrats in Congress, but has thus far refused.

In an interview with TV host Piers Morgan earlier this year, Santos admitted to some lies on his resume.

"I have been a terrible liar" on certain issues, he said.

"This wasn't about tricking the people, this was about getting accepted by the party," he said.

pdh/ec
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., cast her first two votes on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon after a nearly three-month absence due to health issues.

Upon her arrival on Capitol Hill, she was assisted into a wheelchair and greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Feinstein told reporters that she feels "much better." She did not answer questions about why she decided to return or respond to calls from critics to resign.

The two votes were the first Feinstein had cast since Feb. 16. She missed two votes that were held earlier Wednesday before she arrived  adding to the 91 floor votes she missed while she recovered from shingles, according to an NBC News tally.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives to the Capitol on May 10, 2023. (Frank Thorp V / NBC News)

Feinstein said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that she is back in Washington but will be working a "lighter schedule" as she resumes her duties.

Even though Ive made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, Im still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus," Feinstein said. "My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. Im hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters Wednesday morning that he expects Feinstein to attend the committees business meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday. He said the committee plans to use her vote to report out to the full Senate some of President Joe Bidens judicial nominees who have been stuck in a stalemate because of her absence. He did not indicate which nominees it would vote on.

Ive got to count noses and also count how theyre gonna vote, Durbin said, I cant predict all will be called. Im not sure yet.

In remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, Schumer welcomed Feinsteins return. He said that he had been in touch with her over the past few weeks and that he can report shes exactly where she wants to be.

Ready to do the thing she loves most: serving the people of California, Schumer said.

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Feinsteins absence has complicated Democratic efforts to confirm some of Bidens nominees, because the Judiciary Committee went from an 11-10 majority to a 10-10 stalemate during her absence.

Image: Senator Feinstein Returns To Capitol Hill After Months-Long Absence (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

While Senate Democrats were able to advance several of Biden's nominees with GOP backing, they have had to hold on others who fell short of bipartisan support.

Democrats had tried to temporarily replace Feinstein on the committee with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., but Republicans blocked the effort, many of them saying they could not vote to make it easier for Biden to seat judicial nominees whom they found to be radical or otherwise unacceptable.

Feinstein later defended her absence and disputed the notion that it impeded the number of nominees advanced by the committee.

There has been no slowdown, Feinstein wrote in a statement last week. 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.

Feinstein, who has been in the Senate since 1992, is its oldest member, at 89 years old. She announced in February that she plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2024, after three decades in the chamber.

The 2024 primary to fill her seat is expected to be a key race. U.S. Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee have announced their campaigns.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., returned to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday after taking a months-long absence following a shingles diagnosis.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the longtime senator's return in a statement, saying he is pleased that his "friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work."

Feinsteins office also confirmed the 89-year-old congresswoman was traveling and expected to be in D.C. Tuesday evening.

Her return to the Capitol restores the Democrats' 51-49 majority in the Senate.

BIDEN REFUSES TO JOIN DEM CALLS FOR SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN TO RESIGN

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is 89 years old. She was elected to the Senate in 1992 and is now the longest-serving woman senator ever.

On March 2, Feinstein revealed she was hospitalized with shingles in San Francisco, California, adding that she hoped to return to the Senate by "later this month."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles. I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco," Feinstein's office shared with Fox News Digital at the time. "I hope to return to the Senate later this month."

FORMER OBAMA SPEECH WRITER CALLS ON DIANNE FEINSTEIN TO RESIGN: SHOULD NOT BE IN THE SENATE

Her nearly three month-long absence prompted calls from politicians on both sides of the aisle for the veteran senator to retire.

"Its time for [Feinstein] to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote on Twitter. "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."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also called for the senator's resignation as several judicial nominations are pending in the senate.

"Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary  precisely where [reproductive] rights are getting stripped," Ocasio-Cortez said during an interview. "That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP-approved nominees."

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MEET BIDEN'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL JUDICIAL NOMINEES STALLED IN SENATE BECAUSE OF FEINSTEIN'S ABSENCE

Last month, Feinstein requested that she be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee after announcing "continued complications" related to her shingles diagnosis.

"When I was first diagnosed with shingles, I expected to return by the end of the March work period. Unfortunately, my return to Washington has been delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis," Feinstein said. "I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee, so Ive asked Leader Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until Im able to resume my committee work."

Republicans in the closely divided chamber rejected Schumer's request, accusing Democrats of only wanting a stand-in to push through Bidens partisan judicial nominations.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is seen in the U.S. Capitol subway on February 15, 2023.

Last week, Feinstein contradicted her statement requesting her temporary replacement by saying that her absence has not caused a "slowdown."

"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 statement on Thursday, May 4. "There has been no slowdown."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Feinstein, who took office in 1992 and is the longest-serving senator in California history, announced in February she would not seek re-election in 2024.

"I am announcing today I will not run for re-election in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends," the senator wrote on Twitter. "Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives."

Prior to representing California in the U.S. Senate, Feinstein served as San Franciscos first female mayor.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Granny, get your gun. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told a rapt Kayleigh McEnany Tuesday on Fox News that grandparents could join a force of armed military vets and retired police officers to protect schools from shootings. (Watch the video below.)

McEnany, Donald Trumps former White House press secretary, was rapt as Blackburn promoted her SAFE Schools Act, which would supply $900 million to harden schools with more security. The proposal, which she introduced after a Nashville school shooting in March, does nothing to address the root of the problem: easy access to powerful guns.

To have this grant pool and to allow local school systems and local law enforcement to work together to bring in veterans and retired law enforcement to serve as a security officer at a school  they know how to use weapons, Blackburn said. They know to de-escalate situations. Ive talked to a lot of them. They like this idea. They are grandparents like we are  my husband and I are grandparents  and they want to be there to help protect children.

Blackburn said she proposed something similar after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers. In that case, hundreds of law enforcement personnel were slowto act while the shooter carried out the massacre.

Even McEnanys own right-wing employer has conceded that most Americans favor stricter weapons restrictions. There have been more than 200 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. But Blackburn, like many Republicans, has pushed back against reasonable gun control in the name of the Second Amendment.

Blackburn said Tuesday it was unseemly that Democrats would reject her idea. She claimed on Fox News that her measure would provide fortress-like protection, including bulletproof doors and the film on windows ... so that parents can have the confidence that their children are going to be safe.

h/t Mediaite

Related...
Senators on Thursday offered a pair of bills that would offer a whole of government reform of the classification system, designed to address both the leaking of Pentagon documents by an Air Guardsman as well as the handling of classified records as presidents leave office.

Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) said the bills would set up processes for reviewing classified records before executives leave office and would also aim to improve insider threat programs to identify those who might leak U.S. government secrets.

The bill comes shortly after the committee was able to secure from the Justice Department the various documents from the homes and offices of former President Trump and President Biden from his tenure as vice president.

Warner noted the lack of oversight of what was packed as each left, saying a security review would now be required.

There was no checking process by the archivist. So that becomes a formal step rather than a nice to do, he told reporters Wednesday.

He also referenced the leaking of classified documents by Jack Teixiera, a Massachusetts air guardsman who posted the information on a private group in Discord, before it spilled out to other sites and eventually to media outlets.

We will also require minimum standards for insider threat programs. Weve seen the failure of those insider threat programs with the recent incident of Airman Teixiera so that by having insider threat programs in place, it would point out where somebody iswalking out the door with classified documents, he said.

The bill builds on an yearslong effort to tackle the overclassification of information  contributing to a system where those with clearances have broad access to what might range from minor insights to some of the most closely guarded secrets.

That system can be accessed in part by an estimated 4 million people who hold a security clearance at various levels.

Every single day, more and more classified records are created. They then build into a digital tsunami that basically overwhelms the declassification system, said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) a longtime proponent of classification reform.

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I want to be very blunt about it. My view is to protect sources and methods and declassification reform go hand in hand. Thats because its a lot easier to protect important secrets when youre not acting like everything is a secret.

The legislation also sets a 25 year maximum for how long records may remain classified.

But ahead of that timeline, it would put the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in charge of leading a reform of the classification system, including more efficient declassification of records. And it would in essence create a tax on agencies stemming from how many records they classify.

The bill deems that documents should only be classified where the harm to national security reasonably expected from disclosure outweighs the public interest.

The sponsors noted a tendency for agencies to want to classify information that could be embarrassing, creating a lack of transparency for taxpayers. But they also pointing the larger problem highlighted by Teixiera.

The peoples right to know is still important in a democracy, all the reasons that this makes sense. But I would add that in todays environment it is too great of a risk to have a circumstance in which so much information is classified that we failed to do the job of protecting the information that should be classified, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said.

And weve seen it too many times. And weve seen it most recently within the last month.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Belgrade, Serbia  Serbians have handed over more than 3,000 illegally-owned weapons and weapons parts in just two days of a mass gun amnesty announced as part of a crackdown on firearm ownership in the wake of two deadly mass shootings. A total of 17 people were killed in the attacks last week, including one at a school, which have brought huge pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic's administration.

Vuvic himself announced the progress of the amnesty campaign on Wednesday, which police had said would apply to guns, grenades, ammunition and other weapons.

Shootings bring grief, and anger over

Thousands marched in silence earlier this week in a major outpouring of grief and anger against the populist government and how it reacted after the two mass shootings, in which many of the victims were children.

A woman holds a banner with writing reading

The gatherings in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad were dubbed "Serbia against violence." They were called by opposition parties, which demanded the resignations of government ministers and the withdrawal of licenses to the state-controlled mainstream media that promote violence and often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their programs.



After the protest officially ended, some of the protesters chanted slogans against Vucic, Serbia's increasingly autocratic president, demanding that he step down, as they passed by government headquarters in Belgrade.



The president later dismissed the protest as "shameful" during an interview on pro-government Happy television. He accused the opposition of abusing people's grief for their political ends and inciting violence.



"It's pure politics," said Vucic, describing the organizers as "vultures."

The mass shootings

The shootings  on Wednesday in Belgrade at an elementary school, and on Thursday in a rural area south of the capital  left the nation stunned. They triggered calls to encourage tolerance and rid society of widespread hate speech and a gun culture stemming from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

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The school shooting was the first in Serbia's recent history. A 13-year-old boy took his father's guns and opened fire at the school he attended in the heart of Belgrade, shooting at his peers and killing seven girls, one boy and a school guard.

Police block streets around the Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade, Serbia, May 3, 2023, after a teenage boy allegedly opened fire in the school. / Credit: Darko Vojinovic/AP

A day later, a 20-year-old man used an automatic weapon in a shooting rampage in two villages in central Serbia, randomly killing eight people and wounding 14. Prosecutors said that he has confessed to the killings and said he wanted to spread fear among residents, state media have reported.

Education Minister Branko Ruzic submitted his resignation on Sunday and authorities launched the crackdown on illegal gun ownership, but the political opposition said this was too little, too late.



There were no official estimates of crowds that streamed into central Belgrade streets on Monday evening, but observers described the gathering as the biggest in years against Vucic and his government.

"We have to learn anew how to speak to each other and how to create a healthy future ... to nurture the beauty of living, of art, science and humanity," said Biljana Stojkovic, a leader of the leftist Zajedno, or Together, party. "The worst among us have been in power for an entire decade, and they imposed the norms of aggression, intolerance, crime and lies."

Gun ownership crackdown

Police were deployed in schools throughout Serbia Wednesday in an effort to restore a shaken sense of security as children returned to classes. Teams of experts have been sent with the backing of U.N. children's agency UNICEF, offering support and guidelines for children, their parents and teachers.

An officer keeps watch at a school in Belgrade, Serbia, May 8, 2023, after a teenage boy opened fire in a school, killing eight students and a security guard. Police officers were assigned in pairs to some 1,800 schools across Serbia. / Credit: Sasa Dordevic/Anadolu Agency/Getty

Under the amnesty that began on Monday, people can hand in unlicensed guns at police stations without punishment.

Other new gun-control measures include a moratorium on new licenses, strict control of existing ones and the tightening of rules for gun possession, which officials say will leave many current gun owners without weapons.

Guns, and Serbia's legacy of war

Independent international surveys have put Serbia among the top countries in Europe for gun ownership per capita. Gun control has been loose since the 1990s Yugoslav wars, when many brought back weapons from battlefields.



Vucic has said there are around 400,000 registered gun owners in Serbia, but many more own guns illegally.



Serbia has never faced up to its role in the conflict against other ethnic groups of the former Yugoslavia. Right-wing and nationalist sentiments have been on the rise and war criminals are regarded as heroes rather than villains, with many retaining public roles after serving their sentences.

On Monday, a group of activists painted a red heart over a mural honoring wartime Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who is serving life in prison for genocide in Bosnia on a U.N. court conviction. The mural, located just a few blocks from the school where the shooting took place, surfaced months ago and previous attempts to remove it were thwarted by masked thugs.

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BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbians have surrendered more than 3,000 illegal weapons and parts in the first two days of a gun amnesty introduced after two mass shootings in which 17 people were killed, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday.

The amnesty was launched on Monday after a 13 year-old schoolboy with two handguns allegedly killed eight pupils and a security guard. Six other pupils and a teacher were wounded.

He is now in custody and undergoing a psychological evaluation but cannot be held criminally responsible due to his young age. Police said he had confessed to the shooting.

Last Thursday, a man brandishing an assault rifle and a pistol killed eight and wounded 14 people in two villages in central Serbia. A 21-year-old suspect is now in custody.

Vucic said people so far surrendered over 3,000 pieces of weaponry, without specifying what kind.

In previous gun amnesties launched over past two decades, people handed over banned military-grade arms, hunting weapons, handguns, and also barrels, locking mechanisms and other parts.

Tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition have also been handed in.

"That's good news, because there's so much less risk involved," Vucic said, speaking on television.

Under the terms of the amnesty, people are invited to hand over illegal weapons including military-grade, legally-owned arms they no longer want, ammunition, and ordnance, anonymously and without fear of prosecution.

Police departments urged people who owned explosives or ordnance not to carry them to police stations but instead to await trained personnel for their removal and disposal.

Earlier, Vucic announced additional checks of registered gun owners and shooting ranges, a greater police presence in schools, and changes to the criminal code that envision longer jail terms for weapons-related crimes.

Also on Wednesday, police said they detained the father of the suspect in the last week's shooting in central Serbia, the Tanjug news agency reported.

Serbia has a deeply entrenched gun culture and along with the rest of the Western Balkans is awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance in private hands after the wars of the 1990s that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
A crowd of Shawnee Mission North High School students walked out of class Wednesday morning to protest teacher Caedran Sullivan, who has been making headlines lately for her far-right claims that the school is indoctrinating students and white shaming.

The more than 60 students were met by counterprotesters feet away, a group of about a dozen encouraged by the Johnson County Republican Party to come out in support of the teacher and fight this evil.

I dont know why this is happening with adults being at the school right now, senior Anylah Jones said of the counterprotest. Being an African American, it is very offensive. This should not be happening here, the most diverse school in the Shawnee Mission school district. I find it kind of scary, if Im being honest. This is a step back.

Sullivan, an English teacher at North, started gaining attention after writing a column in The Lion, a site run by the Herzog Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes Christian education. She wrote that teachers are being manipulated and intimidated by a divisive woke ideology that is creating a culture of contempt and disrespect.

She argued that the districts diversity and equity training is indoctrinating students and pushing a strong anti-capitalism, anti-conservatism, and anti-American bias. She also opposes rules on student pronouns, saying the district faults a teacher for using the students legal name or incorrect pronouns that match the students biological sex.

Her claims, which gained broader attention after being shared by Fox News, echo those shared by conservatives across the country who are fighting in the culture war to limit teaching on Americas history of racism and slavery they call critical race theory and remove library books they deem inappropriate.

Sullivan said in an email to The Star on Wednesday that, I believe my position is being misrepresented and distorted, and shared a link to another column she wrote defending her stance.

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She wrote in her column that she has been threatened and attacked and that, One teacher referred to me as a Nazi and fascist for disagreeing with her views.

Shawnee Mission North High School students protest English teacher Caedran Sullivan, who has made headlines for speaking out against the districts diversity work.

The Shawnee Mission district has expanded its diversity and equity work in recent years, to train teachers on how to be more culturally aware and close achievement gaps. Last school year marked the third year the district has required its employees to participate in that training.

Proponents argue that the training is crucial to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, better supporting students of color, reducing racial disparities and teaching from a variety of perspectives. They say Sullivan is spreading disinformation about the work.

The work of establishing schools where every student feels a sense of belonging and receives the support they need to achieve their personal best, is never done. Every day, across the district, students and staff come together to create One Shawnee Mission, district officials said in a previous statement.

Laveanna Washington, a junior who said she has Sullivan as a teacher, said students felt unheard after going to the school board to voice their concerns, so they planned Wednesdays protest. Several students told The Star on Wednesday that they have other issues with Sullivan as well, alleging that she has misgendered trans students and denied students experiences of racism.

For her to say that diversity is white-shaming, I dont think thats the point at all. Because youre in a POC school, you have whites, you have Blacks, you have Indians, Mexicans, people from all different cultures. And you also have people in the LGBTQ+ community, Washington said. So I think that maybe you need to learn about that. Because while youre educating us, someone needs to educate you about whats going on in the world now.

Shawnee Mission spokesman David Smith said during the protest that the district is choosing not to comment, but instead will let the students speak for themselves.

Smith later said in an email that, It would not be appropriate for me to attempt to directly respond to an article written by one of our teachers during their non-work time, particularly to correct things that are not accurate. If that person or any other individual is interested in filing a formal complaint concerning something they have experienced here in the district, our complaint process is available to them.

It is self-evident that her perspective does not reflect the experience of the vast majority of our staff.

Washington said she wants the district to acknowledge the students concerns.

If Im skipping class, its going to be for a good reason. For my younger siblings, theyre going to probably come (to North) and I dont want them to be taught by her if thats what shes doing, Washington said. Especially being a Black student in her class and being in the LGBTQ+ community, I feel like shes not respecting us. And we want to be heard.

Johnson County Republicans Shay LaVanier, left, and Debbie Detmer showed up to counterprotest at Shawnee Mission North and stand in support of teacher Caedran Sullivan.

Some of the Johnson County residents who showed up to counterprotest in support of Sullivan said they heard about the students walkout from the local GOP and Debbie Detmer, a regular at county, city and school board meetings. Detmer made headlines when she lost a lawsuit against the city of Shawnee after she said she was denied entry into a city meeting because she wasnt wearing a COVID-19 mask.

Detmer told The Star the group was showing up to stand against the indoctrination of our children.

Ive been waiting for one teacher to have the guts to stand up, and Im praying for her daily. Shes in the belly of the beast, Detmer said of Sullivan. This is me saying, I stand with you. And youre not alone.

She said: I dont think that until they started teaching it, that anybody thought about the color of a persons skin.

Jan Bombeck, who said she is a former North school librarian, joined the students protest. She called Sullivans claims ridiculous.

Part of being at a public school is hearing ideas that are diverse. Learning about history is not indoctrination, she said.

Shawnee Mission North has roughly 1,500 students, with about 53% who are white, 9% Black, 30% Hispanic and 6% multiracial, according to the state education department.

Im sorry but I dont feel like you can be anti-white here. Were in the Shawnee Mission school district. Were surrounded by all white people, Jones said.

The senior said the debate makes her worried about going to school.

It makes me afraid of whats going to happen now that this has happened. This is my last year, but whats going to happen for the minorities? We have to speak up.
The UK Supreme Court rejected a claim by two Nigerians about a 2011 oil spill off the Gulf of Guinea

Britain's highest court ruled Wednesday it was too late for people in Nigeria's Niger delta region to lodge pollution claims against energy giant Shell after a huge oil spill more than one decade ago.

The Supreme Court said in a statement that its five judges "unanimously" rejected an appeal over the 2011 spill, upholding prior rulings that claims were not made before a legal deadline.

Nigerian claimants say their shoreline faced a "devastating impact" from a leak at the Bonga oilfield which unleashed 40,000 barrels of crude into the Gulf of Guinea.

Shell said the spill was swiftly contained.

The claimants had sought Wednesday to overturn rulings from two lower courts, arguing that the oil spill constituted a "continuing nuisance", a legal definition to which the deadline would not apply.

The Supreme Court however disagreed and declared the leak was a "one-off event or an isolated escape", in a judgement which does not affect a separate legal action against Shell over other spillages.

"The claimants' argument that there is a continuing nuisance, because on the assumed facts oil is still present on their land and has not been removed or cleaned up, is rejected," said judge Andrew Burrows.

"There was no continuing nuisance in this case because outside the claimant's land, there was no repeated activity by the defendants or an ongoing state of affairs for which the defendants were responsible that was causing continuing undue interference with the use and enjoyment of the claimants' land."

The Supreme Court noted however that the 2011 spill was "one of the largest spills in Nigerian oil exploration history".

The London-listed energy major welcomed the judgement on Wednesday, but said the spill was "regrettable".

"It was clear from the start that these claims were unfounded and brought entirely out of time," a Shell spokesperson said.

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"Today's decision... rejected the claimants' case that Bonga oil could have become trapped and re-mobilised years later, migrating upstream and impacting the claimants' communities.

"While the 2011 Bonga spill was highly regrettable, it was swiftly contained and cleaned up offshore."

Lawyers for the claimants said they had no comment when contacted by AFP.

Nigeria, Africa's biggest crude producer, has struggled with oil spills for decades.

Shell faces a separate ongoing legal case in Britain, after the Supreme Court ruled in February 2021 that more than 50,000 people in the Niger delta region can make pollution claims in English courts.

The ruling overturned a 2017 decision against the Ogale and Bille communities, who brought legal claims for clean-up and compensation following decades of repeated spills in the crude-rich region.

ode-rfj/phz/rox
By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - The UK Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that it was too late for Nigerian claimants to sue two Shell subsidiaries over a 2011 offshore oil spill they say had a devastating long-term impact on the coastal area where they live.

The case was one of a series of legal battles Shell has been fighting in London courts against residents of Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta, a region blighted by pollution, conflict and corruption related to the oil and gas industry.

The action stemmed from the leakage of an estimated 40,000 barrels of crude oil on Dec. 20, 2011, during the loading of an oil tanker at Shell's giant Bonga oil field, 120 km off the coast of the delta.

A group of 27,800 individuals and 457 communities have been trying to sue Shell, saying the resulting oil slick polluted their lands and waterways, damaging farming, fishing, drinking water, mangrove forests and religious shrines.

But a panel of five Supreme Court justices unanimously upheld rulings by two lower courts that found they had brought their case after the expiry of a six-year legal deadline for taking action.

The claimants' lawyers had argued that the ongoing consequences of the pollution represented a "continuing nuisance", a type of civil tort, which would have meant the deadline did not apply.

"The Supreme Court rejects the claimants' submission. There was no continuing nuisance in this case," said justice Andrew Burrows, delivering the ruling.

Shell had disputed the claimants' allegations, saying the Bonga spill did not impact the shoreline. The court did not rule on the disputed facts as it was seeking only to decide the legal point about nuisance.

Just two Nigerian citizens were appellants in the Supreme Court case, but the ruling will also apply to the thousands of other claimants.

Shell said the Supreme Court ruling had brought to an end all legal claims in English courts related to the spill.

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"While the 2011 Bonga spill was highly regrettable, it was swiftly contained and cleaned up offshore," a Shell spokesperson said.

A lawyer for the Nigerian appellants did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled against Shell in another case involving pollution in the Niger Delta. In February 2021, it allowed a group of 42,500 farmers and fishermen from the Ogale and Bille communities to sue Shell over spills, and that case is currently going through the High Court.

In a separate case, Shell agreed in 2015 after a protracted legal battle in London to pay out 55 million pounds ($70 million) to the delta's Bodo community in compensation for two spills.

($1 = 0.7923 pounds)

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alexander Winning and Christina Fincher)
The Manatee County Sheriffs Office is ready to embrace a controversial technology that detects gunshots and reports them to law enforcement officials.

In a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday morning, Manatee Sheriff Rick Wells briefed the board on Raven audio sensors, a fleet of smart devices that listen for gunfire to assist local deputies.

Wells said he hopes to install the devices in three coverage zones, including parts of Oneco, Samoset and Palmetto, which he said are areas that have experienced the most drive-by shootings.

According to Wells, the Bradenton area has seen an uptick in illegal gun activity. The sheriffs office responded to 33 drive-by shootings last year, but the sheriffs office has already investigated 25 drive-by shootings so far in 2023.

Since 2012, there has been a nationwide increase in gun violence and mass shootings, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in Florida, Black people are seven times more likely to die by gun homicide than white people, the data shows.

The three proposed coverage areas have some of Manatee Countys highest percentages of people of color.

As you know, bullets dont discriminate. A lot of times, innocent victims are caught in the crossfire, Wells said. Weve witnessed bullets going through the windows of innocent victims and ending up behind the headboard of a childs bed.

Flock Safety, the company that builds the devices, says it partners with over 2,000 law enforcement agencies. The company also makes automatic license plate readers and cloud-based software to track crime.

Do gunshot trackers work?

According to Wells, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office also uses gunshot detection technology. Deputies in Hillsborough used the system to solve a shooting case two weeks ago, he said.

We believe it was important for us to start to look at technology to do whatever we could to not only stop the shootings but to alert our deputies of real-time shooting incidents so we can get to the scene as soon as possible, he continued. Thats what the Raven system does.

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A report by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) found that gunshot tracking technology is disproportionately installed in minority communities, and benefits to law enforcement are insignificant.

U.S. cities are turning in increasing numbers to gun detection technology, a combination of microphones and audio analytics software that claims to identify the sounds of gunshots, but which frequently also reports other loud noises as shots, STOP wrote in a July 2022 report.

The Manatee County Sheriffs Office will soon begin using Raven sound sensors to listen and detect gunshots following an uptick in local drive-by shootings. The device is pictured on the left side of the pole.

STOP found that a similar system by ShotSpotter, one of Flock Safetys competitors, failed to detect all seven gunshots in a 2018 murder in Fall River, Massachusetts. The Fall River Police Department later ended its contract with the company.

The American Civil Liberties Union also has raised questions about gunshot tracking technology. Pointing to a report by the city of Chicagos inspector general, the ACLU said the sensors tend to attract more police to minority communities and create a circular statistical justification for over-policing in communities of color.

Chicagos August 2021 report determined gunshot detection technology rarely produced documented evidence of a gun-related crime, investigatory stop or recovery of a firearm.

Similar to smart speakers like Amazon Alexa, Raven audio sensors are constantly listening for the sound of a gunshot before a recording actually begins. Wells said the devices do not record until gunfire is detected. When a recording begins, it ends as soon as the gunfire stops.

Within 60 seconds, deputies will receive an alert that allows them to respond to the area, according to a presentation from Flock Safety.

Privacy concerns over new technology

Wells hailed the Raven technology as a necessary tool to stop violent crimes, but some commissioners expressed privacy concerns.

I am concerned about the need to balance privacy for our citizens, said Commissioner Amanda Ballard.

The system also could eventually expand to activate nearby license plate readers to photograph vehicles in the area, according to Wells. Tow truck drivers and certain neighborhood communities also use license plate readers to monitor vehicles.

Sheriff Rick Wells wants to install smart devices in some Manatee neighborhoods to detect gunshots. A shooting on US 41 in this 2020 file photo.

The sheriff assured board members that the recordings are not made to spy on residents. The sheriffs office cannot enable a recording to begin on command, and the device only activates if it detects a gunshot.

Theyre not going to be recording people in their backyard talking. Itll be just that small window. We may hear the bad guys as theyre shooting, Wells said. We may hear victims running for their life, but were not going to be recording citizens throughout the community. The gunfire starts the recording.

This isnt Iraq

Commissioner Jason Bearden, a veteran who served eight years as a Marine and spent time in Iraq, praised the shot trackers. In his experience, he found the technology to be extremely reliable.

In Iraq we had a similar system. It picks up on the crack where it happens and then it locates where its from based on the technology thats in place, Bearden said. These systems are very accurate.

Wells said he hopes to install the devices in three coverage zones, including parts of East Bradenton, Samoset and Palmetto. He said those are the areas that have experienced the most drive-by shootings.

I have no issue with this being used in Iraq at all. This isnt Iraq, said Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who also said he had privacy concerns. This is Samoset. Big difference.

Other commissioners said they trusted the sheriff to run the system and called it a necessary step to reduce drive-by shootings in the area.

I think we have to take the steps to protect our citizens. I think thats what its all about, said Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who used Sundays shooting at the Ellenton Premium Outlets as an example.

After hearing concerns from commissioners, Wells said he is committed to keeping them informed about how the system works and how successful the program is for the sheriffs office.

My hope will be that these criminals realize we have this technology and they stop. Im just trying to keep people from shooting into other peoples homes, said Wells.

The money to pay for the Raven devices will come from the sheriffs offices forfeiture seizure funds, which come from monetary assets that deputies collect during arrests.
Siera Bearchell is sharing about being in the "depths of motherhood hell." (Instagram/ @sierabearchell)

Siera Bearchell is opening up about the difficult realities of motherhood.

On Tuesday, the former Miss Universe Canada took to Instagram with a set of three candid outdoor photos with her two children, paired with a note about her "4 a.m." thoughts on motherhood.

The 30-year-old posed in front of a mountain in Canmore, Alta., in a pair of beige ribbed leggings and a white cable-knit sweater, with her four-year-old daughter and eight-month-old son.

"I feel like Im in the depths of motherhood hell," she penned in the caption. "My baby is so congested that he sleeps for increments of 20-30 minutes  maybe less, and wakes up crying, screaming for relief."

Bearchell admitted that despite her best efforts, "it doesnt seem to be enough."

"Im giving everything I have. Im trying," she continued. "The dark cloud over me grows. The exhaustion settles in."

She explained while she knows the difficulties she's experiencing are "temporary," she still wonders "when Ill feel like myself again. I wonder when Ill be able to take my dreams and goals off pause."

"It feels like it never ends," she added. "Im amazed that I have so much to give but I still feel like I fall short."

"I will slowly rise again. The fog will dissipate. The light will return. I will gather the strength I know I have because I am a mother," the mom-of-two concluded.

Bearchell later commented on her own post, assuring her fans that she is "okay."

"Im OK, just sharing my thoughts from 4 a.m.," she wrote.

Bearchell's vulnerability quickly garnered praise from fans.

"Incredibly relatable," an Instagram user commented alongside a heart emoji.

"You're an amazing mother!," someone else added.

One person wrote: "I love the realness you share."

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"Thank you for sharing this. You're so real and relatable. Sending you positive vibes! You got this!," a fan penned.

Last month, shared an equally honest Instagram post reflecting on the "trenches of parenthood."

"Your baby isnt sleeping, your toddler isnt sleeping, you cant eat a whole piece of toast without getting up from the table multiple times, you forget who you used to be before kids," she shared.

Bearchell pointed out motherhood isn't just about raising her kids, but also "raising a new version" of herself, "who sets an example that shapes the life of these little eyes that watch your every move."

"Im working on ways to better myself mentally and physically so I can be a better version of myself for both myself and them," the Saskatchewan-based influencer wrote.

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
On a recent trip to Korea, a beauty and lifestyle influencer allegedly encountered two men who made fatphobic comments toward her.

Natalie Naploes (@naploes), a Singaporean content creator and college student, disclosed a recent encounter she had while vacationing in Korea.

Hi, so I just came back from Korea and Im back in Singapore now, and I just want to talk about, like, my very real experience with the fatphobia and pretty privilege in Korea, Naploes starts. Every country has, like, different beauty standards but in Korea the beauty standard is, like, being a thin, pale, skinny woman. Because of the whole K-pop, like, culture in Korea, everybodys very harsh on, like, looks and they expect you to be a certain size to fit in.

While in Hongdae, a bustling neighborhood in Seoul, Naploes and her friend came across street performers who she noticed were average-sized young girls. They appeared to have a similar body type and were of similar age to Naploes, too.

When I tell you I never looked back so hard in my life, like, I nearly got whiplash.

It was raining the whole week, so it was really, really cold and they were wearing short skirts and, like, crop tops and stuff, she explains. So my friend made a comment and she was like, Oh, the weather is so cold, like, how are these dancers, like, not feeling it? She said it in English.

It seems Naploes and her friend werent the only ones in this conversation.

These two Korean men behind us, theyre, like, about mid-20s. They said back in English, Its because theyre so fat. Thats why they dont feel the cold,' Naploes reveals. When I tell you I never looked back so hard in my life, like, I nearly got whiplashI just turned and I stared at the guys eyes. I was just appalled.

According to a study conducted by Jaehee Jung, a fashion psychology and consumer culture professor at the University of Delaware, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and distorted perception of body image and weight proved more prevalent in South Korea than in the West and China.

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Naploes believes the men spoke in English because they knew she and her friend could understand them. Given that she is the same size as these dancers, Naploes wonders if the man made his comment in English in an effort to insult her as well.

In Singapore, I would be considered an average-sized girl. But in Korea, they probably think Im, like, overweight, she says. This is why I fully feel for those K-pop idols with, like, body image issues and stuffEspecially for young K-pop idols. They have millions of people commenting on their bodies every single day.

The predisposition for Korean women to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and fear being overweight is further demonstrated by whats known as the 50kg myth. This myth stems from the belief that a woman weighing over 50 kilograms (110 pounds) is chubby in Korea, regardless of their height, as girl group members often talk about breaching the 50kg bar as if it is something unimaginable, Choi Jae-hee of The Korea Herald reports.

Despite her experience, Naploes does urge people to visit Korea, and notes that not everybody is like those two men. She reminds potential travelers, however, that pretty privilege is quite pervasive in the country as well.

They treat you very, very differently if youre all dolled up with makeup and wearing a nice outfit, she says. As compared to, like, if I had my glasses on, no makeup on. They treat you so differently.

Omg I wouldve been so mad! I found that girls were the sweetest in Korea! They often came up to me and my friends to tell us how pretty we were etc.

Naploess video has generated a conversation about beauty standards in Korea, with some commenters noting that the hyper-criticism of womens bodies is also prevalent in Singapore.

This is why Im afraid to visit korea cause i know myself and i am a rather sensitive person so idk if it would turn out to be too much for me, @ansqiii wrote.

Omg I wouldve been so mad! I found that girls were the sweetest in Korea! They often came up to me and my friends to tell us how pretty we were etc, @toucheamafleur revealed.

Im about to travel to Japan and Korea, and I am absolutely terrified of getting comments about my weight, @aensily admitted.

Beauty standards in Singapore are pretty much the same too if not worse, @xxibgm argues.

Isnt it the same in Sg??? @tylersaaaf asked, referencing Singapore.

As suggested by some TikTok users, Singapore isnt without its own narrow set of beauty standards. In fact, this was made especially evident in 2014 when British Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. posed for the cover of Nylon Singapores January issue. Fans couldnt help but notice that she looked different, and its due to the fact that the publication allegedly whitewashed the Grammy nominees photo.

The bias toward fairer skin in Singapore and beyond is a result of what Forbes writer Ruchika Tulshyan has dubbed a colonial hangover.

Rebecca Eu, a Singaporean entrepreneur and owner of Meis Own, a social enterprise that helps underprivileged students earn a living, revealed to Vogue Singapore that shes struggled with weight her whole life.

In Singapore, I always felt that the girls I grew up with had a particular look. They were all tall and fair and linear, Eu explained. I remember getting kicked out of ballet class because of the sound I made when I landed on the wooden floor versus the delicate tap these swans would make in comparison. I was 8 when my ballet teacher called me an elephant. I dont remember much of my primary school life but I remember that.

Naploess video serves as a reminder for women, regardless if theyre from Korea, Singapore or even the West, to be mindful of the harmful beauty standards that exist. While its unfair to reprimand an entire country for the actions of some, its important to remain vigilant in understanding that peoples opinions of your body do not define your worthiness or desirability.

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Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng checking in with pork sellers at Tampines N4 Neighbourhood Centre market on 22 April. (PHOTO: FB/BaeyYamKeng and Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  An Indonesian farm that supplies two-thirds of Singapore's freshly-slaughtered pork may take up to a year to resume exporting live pigs, due to the African swine fever outbreak.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) provided the update on its Facebook page on Tuesday (9 May), after it halted imports from Pulau Bulan after detecting the virus in a consignment of pigs on 19 April.

Although the disease does not impact humans, it is highly contagious and lethal to both wild boars and pigs. SFA will continue to assess the situation on Pulau Bulan, which accounts for 15 per cent of Singapore's overall pork supply.

According to the agency, such food supply disruptions can "happen from time to time", adding that it is working with the industry to diversify import sources.

It added that Mexico was recently approved to export chilled pork to Singapore. Six pork suppliers from the country have been allowed to export their products to Singapore based on a circular from SFA dated 28 April.

Sufficient stock of frozen pork

Meanwhile, according to a Facebook post from the Meat Traders Association on Tuesday, there is a sufficient amount of frozen pork in stock that could last for months even if the supply chain is disrupted.

"Our members have access to more than 20 sources for chilled and frozen pork from different countries and these have been activated," said the association.

The association represents around 80 members from the meat production and trading industry in Singapore and has committed to supporting various businesses such as hotels, restaurants, caterers, retailers, wet markets, and cooked food stallholders to ensure a constant supply of pork.

The association also encourages industry players and consumers to be open to alternative sources and to consider chilled or frozen pork from other sources as well.

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.
Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister - OLIVIER HOSLET/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

A Sinn Fein government would be as bad as Brexit and is the next big threat to face Ireland, Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, has warned.

The Taoiseach accused the former political wing of the IRA of being Eurosceptic and said electing it would risk the same chaos seen in the UK after it left the EU.

This is not the change we need. It would be change for the worse. Like Brexit, it would make us poorer, less secure and less influential in the world, Mr Varadkar said.

Ireland is due to have general elections by March 2025 and Mr Varadkar is concerned that Sinn Fein will build on its strong showing in the last vote and win power.

The next big threat is not an external one. Its an internal one, Mr Varadkar said on Tuesday in a speech to mark Europe Day.

Sinn Fein would make radical changes to long-standing policies on Europe and trade, he claimed.

Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill - Niall Carson/PA

He said that Sinn Fein had opposed joining the European Economic Community and the euro.

Sinn Fein has campaigned for a No vote on every European Treaty put to the people in this State by referendum, he said.

While it has moved a lot since then, it remains a Eurosceptic and Euro-critical party.

Mr Varadkar said that Sinn Feins manifesto committed it to withdrawing from PESCO, an EU deal pooling research funding on defence projects.

If this happens, it will be the first time for Ireland to move away from Europe and away from integration. We would no longer be at the heart of Europe, Mr Varadkar said.

Mr Varadkars Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were forced to form a coalition after Sinn Feins success in the last elections in 2020.

Irish Euroscepticism

A poll last year found that support for EU membership in Ireland was 88 per cent in favour.

Irish Euroscepticism has historically been strongest in Left-wing and Irish republican groups, such as Sinn Fein, which wants a united Ireland.

But the party has moderated those views and is not in favour of Ireland leaving the EU.

One of its arguments for Irish reunification is that the EU has guaranteed Northern Ireland could rejoin the EU as part of a united Ireland.

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Its manifesto for this months council elections in Northern Ireland calls for planning for reunification referendums through discussion, dialogue and negotiation to avoid any repeat of the Brexit debacle.

On Tuesday, Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Feins president, said Michelle ONeill attended the Kings Coronation in an explicit recognition that unionists will still be British in a united Ireland.

Ms ONeill led Sinn Fein to victory in Stormont elections in May 2022 but has not been able to take up the post of first minister because of the DUP boycott of power-sharing over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Mr Varadkar was Ireland's prime minister for the first time during the early years of the Brexit negotiations, during which Dublin worked hard to prevent becoming what it called the "collateral damage" of Brexit.

A 2019 meeting near Liverpool between Mr Varadkar and Boris Johnson paved the way to a deal on the Withdrawal Agreement, which aimed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit, which could put the peace process at risk.

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Sir Karl Jenkins has responded to speculation surrounding his viral appearance at King Charles IIIs coronation over the weekend.

The 79-year-old composer shared a video on TikTok on Tuesday, with a caption that read: Sir Karl Jenkins sets the record straight on his attendance at the coronation. His remarks came days after fans questioned his mullet and white moustache, with some claiming that he was Meghan Markle in a disguise.

Jenkins started his TikTok video by introducing himself before acknowledging how he went viral at the coronation. He also shared a picture of himself at the event, wearing a black jacket with a medal around his neck and tinted sunglasses on his face.

I understand there has been a lot of interest in me since I appeared at the coronation of King Charles III, he said, as he sat in a chair and spoke to the camera. I was there because Id written some music for the service.

He shared a laugh about the false claims that he was the Duchess of Sussex, who skipped the coronation over the weekend, in disguise. Meghan stayed in California with her children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, one, while her husband, Prince Harry, attended the event.

I was quite surprised that some people thought I was Meghan Markle in disguise, the musician continued. Someone wrote I was there, whoever I was, to steal the crown jewels. I look this way all the time.

Jenkins continued his video by holding up the knighthood medal he received in 2015 that he wore at the coronation.

He also addressed his now-viral facial hair: Oh, and my moustache has been referred to in The Times as well. But Ive had this moustache since 18-years-old. It was very trendy then.

As he finished introducing himself, Jenkins also hit back at claims surrounding his coronation look.

So thats me, he conceded. Nothing sinister about it or surprising at all!

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As of 10 May, Jenkins video has more than 826,400 views, with TikTok users in the comments continuing to poke fun at his coronation appearance.

This is just what Meghan Markle in disguise would say,one quipped, while another joked: We wont tell on you Meg.

A third wrote: You being Meghan Markle in disguise was my favourite story about you!! Lovely to meet you properly Sir.

Other people went on to praise the composers reaction to the jokes about him.

I have been waiting for this response, one wrote. And this man is verified and passes the vibe check.

Thank you for introducing yourself. A sense of humour and humility is very attractive. Really enjoyed your music in the ceremony. Xx, another added.

For the coronation over the weekend, Jenkins composed a piece titled Over The Stone - IV. Tros y Garreg. During an interview with BBC, he noted how honoured he felt after he found out that his Welsh folk song was going to be a part of the coronation.

It obviously sums up Welsh culture - the harp - and he [the King] has always supported Welsh music, he told the publication, leading up to the event. I dont know whether he chose it, but he was happy to have it there. I know he likes it otherwise he wouldnt have asked me

During the interview, he also reflected on watching the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation in 1953, adding: We had one of the first TV screens in the street, in the village I guess...12in (30cm) screen, two rows of friends and neighbours watching.
After being closed more than a month for renovations, a popular Arroyo Grande restaurant is gearing up to reopen.

When Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria opens its doors in the Village of Arroyo Grande on May 17 customers will notice significant changes to its menu and aesthetic.

Co-owners Robert Spallino and Michael Goodloe said they hope newcomers and longtime fans of the 26-year-old deli at 203 East Branch St. will be impressed with the new vibe.

The Branch Street Deli has gone through a significant overhaul, Spallino told The Tribune. Aesthetically, menu-wise, branding  everything is all new, and weve refreshed the whole vibe here at the deli, not only inside but outside on the patio.

For instance, he and Goodloe tweaked the former Branch Street Delis name to reflect the restaurants newfound focus on pizza.

With the reopening about a week away, heres an exclusive look inside the remodeled eatery.

Left, Michael Goodloe, general manager and Bob Spallino co-owner are putting the finishing touches on the remodeled Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria. The shop closed nearly a month ago for a big remodel, which saw the deli switch from standard deli counter service to sit-down dining and more upscale options. May 8, 2023.

New pizza oven takes center stage at SLO County deli

One of the most noticeable changes at Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria is the newly renovated interior.

A bar now sits in the front of the restaurant, wrapping around a large pizza oven imported from Italy, Spallino said. Italian tile and marble decorate the floors and wrap around the bar.

The oven made a journey here from Naples from one of the oldest oven makers in Naples, and came over on a boat in pieces, Spallino said. It landed in New York and shipped to Arroyo Grande from New York on a truck, and it was assembled here on site. Michael and I ended up doing the finish work and tile work on it once it was all assembled.

The oven is a state-of-the-art hybrid model that burns wood to give pizzas a smoky taste while using gas burners to maintain a more consistent cooking temperature, Spallino said.

The oven features a revolving table, which cooks the pizzas more uniformly than most other ovens, Spallino said.

Its the best of both worlds: the consistency of gas and the flavor of wood, Spallino said.

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The former interior of the Branch Street Deli, as pictured April 3, 2023. The deli undertook a significant remodel that features the addition of a pizza oven.

That oven will allow the deli to produce a range of handmade pizzas, which guests can watch being made in real time at the wraparound bar, Spallino said.

Why the bar? Because making pizza is an art form, and people love to watch the cook put it all together, play with it in the oven and pull it out piping hot, Spallino said.

The deli is trimming down its menu  keeping a few old favorites while adding pizza and eventually comfort foods such as ribs, fried chicken, fish dishes, farm-to-table salads and pastas this summer, Goodloe said.

Popular dishes such as tri-tip, pastrami and Godfather Italian sandwiches will still be sold alongside the expanded offerings, he said.

Goodloe said three local farms  Chavez Family Farms in Santa Maria, Talley Farms Fresh Harvest in Arroyo Grande and S. Kobara & Sons in Arroyo Grande  will provide the produce used in the new recipes.

Its all part of a push to transition the deli from a simple sandwich counter to a hybrid eatery with counter service and sit-down dining options, Goodloe said.

Once the staff is comfortable running lunch service, Goodloe said dinner service will be layered in.

That will be more of a sit-down dining experience complete with wait staff, he said.

Spallinos ownership of Pizzeria Bello Forno in Orcutt was a big part of the push to change the menu, Goodloe said, noting that the restaurants pizza was voted best pizza in Santa Barbara County five years in a row.

Here is the new patio, Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria closed nearly a month ago for a big remodel, which saw the deli switch from standard deli counter service to sit-down dining and more upscale options and will open within a week May 8, 2023.

More changes in store for Arroyo Grande restaurant

Those arent the only visible changes to the deli.

New signage has already been installed, and the front of the deli will get a new awning in the coming weeks, Spallino said.

The restaurants outdoor seating area has also seen extensive changes.

Though the signature tree design on the side of the building is still in place, the patio now features lemon and olive trees in new planters. New wrought iron chandeliers also hang above parts of the patio.

The former exterior of the Branch Street Deli, as pictured April 3, 2023. The deli undertook a significant remodel that features the addition of a pizza oven.

More work still needs to be done externally, Spallino said, including the addition of a vintage horse trailer that will be converted into an outdoor bar in June.

The delis wine selection will expand to around 50 choices over the coming months, Goodloe said, and gelato will be featured in the deli displays in the summer.

Despite the changes, Spallino said the deli will maintain much of its former feel and appeal to families.

We can have a really nice dining experience without breaking the piggy bank here, and I think thats what make this family friendly, Spallino said. We have a nice cross section of appeal. ... Somebody can share a 12-inch pizza for $20 and have a beer and be under $40 with a tip and everything.
An Arroyo Grande middle school teacher who was arrested on suspicion of child abuse will not face criminal charges, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office said in a Wednesday news release.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office arrested Sarah Watts, a Mesa Middle School teacher, on campus April 25 after she allegedly hurt a 13-year-old female student during class, the District Attorneys Office said.

Watts, 42, was accused of forcibly removing a hairbrush from the hand of a student who was brushing their hair during class and who did not comply with the teachers repeated demand that they put it away, the District Attorneys Office said. This interaction allegedly resulted in scratches on two of the students fingers.

Later in the class period, Watts allegedly dropped or threw paper schoolwork towards the same student, the release said, resulting in a paper cut to the students temple.

The Sheriffs Office believed this conduct warranted a charge of felony child abuse resulting in injury, but the District Attorneys Office disagreed.

After a comprehensive review of the applicable California law, investigative reports, photographs, and body worn camera footage, the District Attorneys office has determined there is insufficient evidence to file criminal charges, the agency said in the release.

Teachers are allowed to use the same amount of physical control as a parent is legally allowed to use in order to keep a class from being unruly under California law, the release said.

The District Attorneys Office found that Watts removal of the hairbrush was the same degree of physical force a parent would be legally allowed to use given the circumstances.

Several students in the classroom were unruly, the agency said, and this specific students brushing of her hair was disrupting the teachers ability to maintain a proper and appropriate environment conducive to learning.

According to the District Attorneys Office, the alleged scratches on the students fingers were found to be very minimal and would be consistent with accidental scratching during the removal of the hairbrush.

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The four other students present in the classroom and interviewed by the Sheriffs Office did not describe seeing the hairbrush incident.

Meanwhile, the papercut allegedly resulted from Watts dropping or throwing paper was found to be superficial, the District Attorneys Office said, and did not warrant filing criminal charges.

The investigation found Watts did not intend the paperwork to hit the student, the release said.

According to the District Attorneys Office, the 13-year-old girl and other students in the classroom stated that they did not believe Watts intended to injure them during the incident.

Theres not enough evidence to conclude that the injuries, as minimal as they are, were a direct result of Watts actions, the agency said.

The students father told his daughter at the scene that he thought the scratch near her temple was from a separate incident occurring the day before and that the scratches on her fingers appeared to be old, according to video.

Even if Wattss conduct was not permissible under California law, the agency said, the resulting minor injuries do not appear to have been intentionally caused and do not rise to the level of injury typically treated as criminal conduct.

The District Attorneys Office said the teachers conduct is subject to review by the school and Lucia Mar Unified School District administration and is more appropriately addressed through the administrative process.

Student was daughter of sheriffs deputy, union says

Watts arrest outraged the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Association, which called the Sheriffs Offices actions egregious in an email sent to union members shortly after the arrest.

This specific matter was being handled swiftly and appropriately by district administration prior to law enforcements encroachment onto the school campus, the union wrote in the email. While many believe this dramatic demonstration of power was exercised only because the accusing student was a child of a sheriffs deputy, we are horrified by the precedent it sets for our profession nationwide.

Neither the school district nor the Sheriffs Office would confirm the student was a child of a deputy.

However, employees at Mesa Middle School told the Tribune the student involved in the incident is the child of a sheriffs deputy who oversees the school resource officer at the school.

In its email, the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Association said the incident clearly highlights a greater need for administrative support for unruly student behaviors in our classrooms.

This year has brought unprecedented levels of defiance and disruption, the email read. Teachers calls for support should not be ignored.
Former President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Smartmatic subpoenaed Donald Trump's 2020 campaign, which has since become his MAGA PAC.

The subpoenas were issued for Smartmatic's defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax.

Trump's lawyers defamed Smartmatic with election conspiracy theories, Smartmatic says.

Smartmatic subpoenaed ex-President Donald Trump's former campaign operation this week as part of its defamation lawsuits over election conspiracy theories.

The election technology company  which was falsely accused of manipulating the 2020 presidential election results by Trump's lawyers  issued the subpoenas as part of its defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax.

The subpoenas were issued on April 12 and made public in court filings Tuesday. They seek communications and files from Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., Trump's campaign vehicle for the 2016 and 2020 elections. The organization has since been transformed into Trump's PAC for his 2024 presidential campaign, called the Make America Great Again PAC, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by Insider.

In the subpoenas, Smartmatic asks for all communications regarding Smartmatic or Dominion  a rival election technology company also caught up in conspiracy theories  in connection with Fox News and Newsmax around the time of the 2020 election. They also ask for communication regarding appearances by Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, two attorneys who advanced the conspiracy theories on behalf of the Trump campaign.

Smartmatic and Dominion have each filed a series of defamation lawsuits against Fox News, Newsmax, the right-wing network One America News, Powell, Giuliani, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and other figures who pushed falsehoods about the 2020 election.

Powell and Giuliani both worked for the Trump campaign and pushed a false conspiracy theory that Dominion and Smartmatic, in cahoots with each other, worked to "flip" results from then-President Trump to now-President Joe Biden. Smartmatic has since alleged that the media organizations defamed them by hosting Powell and Giuliani, and either endorsing or not sufficiently pushing back on their claims.

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Fox News settled Dominion's lawsuit last month, just moments before a scheduled trial was set to begin with opening statements in Delaware Superior Court. The media company agreed to pay $787.5 million, the largest publicly known settlement for a defamation case in US history.

The other lawsuits appear to be hurtling forward. Smartmatic's cases against Fox News in New York and against Newsmax in Delaware appear to be moving swiftly through their discovery phases.

Smartmatic has cast a wide net and seeks to build on Dominion's litigation. In April, lawyers for Fox News agreed to turn over a trove of documents it produced for Dominion's case after Smartmatic's attorneys complained to the judge that it had been slow in responding to discovery requests. The election company also issued a more narrow subpoena to the Trump campaign  formally known as Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.  for the Fox News lawsuit in March, court filings show.

The subpoenas indicate that Smartmatic seeks to penetrate the inner workings of Trump's campaign operation to understand their links with right-wing media organizations. In recent months, Smartmatic also issued subpoenas to other people who are known to advise Trump, including Boris Epshtyn, Bernard Kerik, and Christina Bobb. It also subpoenaed the attorney Alan Dershowitz and Abby Grossberg, a former Fox News producer involved in her own litigation against the network.

Representatives for the Make America Great Again PAC and for Trump's 2024 campaign operation didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Milky haze has filled the sky over parts of Canada and the eastern United States in recent days, a phenomenon that can be traced back to unusually early wildfire activity in the Canadian Prairies.

Wildfire smoke is more commonly seen in the sky during late summer and early fall around the peak of the annual wildfire season, but the smoke has made an early appearance this year due to a surge in fire activity in Alberta over the past week.

The height of wildfire season across North America is still months in the future, but infernos are already ramping up in parts of Canada well ahead of historical averages.

"Western Canada's wildfire season is off and running - in Alberta especially," Plume Labs, an air quality company owned by AccuWeather, said in a blog post. The company added that there are over 100 active wildfires in the province, including 28 out-of-control blazes.

Over 3,100 hectares have burned in Alberta so far this year, more than twice the 10-year average through May 10 of 1,431 hectares, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.

A smoke column rises from wildfire near Lodgepole, Alberta, Canada on May 4. More than 13,000 people who live in the Canadian province of Alberta have been evacuated as wildfires rage across the region. (Alberta Wildfire/Handout/Reuters)

The worst of the fires are burning in the northern half of Alberta and have forced 29,000 people to evacuate their homes. Local officials declared a state of emergency in response to the intense wildfires, according to The Associated Press.

"People have called this season certainly unprecedented in recent memory because we have so many fires so spread out," Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire said during a press briefing on Sunday. "It's been an unusual year."

Wildfires have also broken out in areas of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, but they have not been as intense as those in Alberta.

Massive clouds of smoke billowing from the wildfires in Alberta have traveled thousands of miles across parts of northern Canada toward the Arctic Circle, and in recent days, have spread southward into Ontario and parts of the United States.

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Hazy conditions filled the sky over parts of New England on Tuesday and spread over the mid-Atlantic by Wednesday morning, including over New York City and Washington, D.C.

Wildfire smoke washington monument A hazy sunrise over Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 10, caused by wildfire smoke. (Twitter/@RiverGirl707)

The smoke was easily spotted from space by NOAA's GOES-EAST weather satellite.

"Look at all that smoke from the wildfires in Canada across the Great Lakes and Northeast!" AccuWeather Prime Host Adam Del Rosso said on Twitter after looking at satellite images.

Canada wildfire smoke Smoke from Canadian wildfires seen over Ontario, New England and the mid-Atlantic, on May 10, 2023. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)

The smoke was too high in the atmosphere to have a substantial impact on air quality conditions near the ground, but there were pockets of fair to poor air quality over the Northeast, according to Plume Labs experts.

Smoke can also contribute to vivid sunrises and sunsets, although the smoke was too thick to have the colorful effects in the sky at daybreak on Wednesday.

The most extreme air quality conditions are present in Alberta near the site of the raging wildfires.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was fair to poor in Calgary on Wednesday morning and was even worse north and west of the city along the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Air quality ranged from "very unhealthy" to "dangerous" in this zone, with any exposure to the air posing the risk of serious health effects.

People near the ongoing fires or in areas where it is smokey are urged to check the air quality forecast for their area before spending time outdoors.

Air quality map An air quality map of Canada and the United States. Yellow and red represent areas where air quality is at unhealthy levels. (AccuWeather/Plume Labs)

AccuWeather released its annual U.S. wildfire forecast on April 12 and will have more details about the wildfire season in Canada on May 24 with the release of its annual Canada summer forecast.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
During Mondays lunch hour Columbus resident Carly Hester walked into the colorful Snacks Chabelita for something new to eat.

Hester had heard about the new Mexican snack bar from her boss who urged her to get lunch from the new business. Along with her boss raving about how hes begun eating Snacks Chabelita regularly, Hester had also seen numerous posts praising the eatery on the Columbus, GA Foodies Facebook page.

She was impressed the moment she walked into the snack bar on Warm Springs Road. The ambiance features snacks, woven baskets and bags, flags hanging above the long counter separating customers from where the food is prepared. A glowing, blue sign positioned on the far wall that customers can easily see when they walk inside reads, You are exactly where you need to be.

Hester is even more excited when Snacks Chabelitas manager, Jogel Ramirez, confirms the business is family-run.

Thats awesome, Hester exclaims before making her order.

Angelica Sanchez, Ramirezs aunt, opened Snacks Chabelita on March 10 with the goal of honoring her 9-year-old daughter, Isabella, and bringing another aspect of Mexican culture to Columbus.

Angelica Sanchez (Right) is the owner of Snacks Chabelita located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. Her nephew, Jogel Ramirez (left) manages the restaurant. 05/05/2023

More than just fajitas and tacos

The idea for the snack bar began by creating many of the items for friends and family who would visit Sanchezs home for parties or get-togethers, she said. A lot of her visitors liked the food, so Sanchez began selling products out of her home.

Sanchez began supporting the home business on local social media pages, and eventually clients would approach her to make certain products and the business grew until they could open the physical location next door to Fiesta Mexican Bar and Grill.

When Sanchez saw the success of her home business, she realized there was a demand for more Mexican cuisine in the United States beyond what is typically sold at Mexican restaurants.

Customers can try elotes and esquites, which are both corn-based products. Elotes are corn on the cob with mayo cream sauce garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime, while esquites are corn mixed with creamy mayonnaise with cotija cheese, lime juice and chili powder.

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In Mexico youll see elotes, street corn, all around us in towns and stuff, Raymundo said.

Snacks Chabelita is located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. 05/05/2023

Another popular product is the pina loca, which is a variety of fruit served in a hollow pineapple. People also enjoy the different flavors of aguas de frutas, Sanchez said, which are drinks flavored with real fruit including pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Sanchez likes that she can provide Columbus with something different than tacos or burritos. Snacks Chabelita sells items that people typically dont see around Columbus, she said.

The colorful nature of the food and the creativity put into the presentation of the items are what she believes draws people in who are not familiar with this type of cuisine.

We are bringing Mexico to you, Sanchez said. We are bringing a little taste of what we bring from our country to you, so everybody can have a try of our authentic food.

Snacks Chabelita is located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. 05/05/2023

Inspired by Chabelita

Sanchez, supported by her husband, Antonio Raymundo, wanted to start a business to help Isabella, who is autistic. Her daughter has always wanted to own a business when she grew up, and Sanchez hopes to pass the business down to her one day.

(My daughters) name is Isabella, Sanchez said through a translator. But in Mexico they call Isabella, Chabelita.

This photo is of Isabella (nicknamed Chabelita), who is the 9-year-old daughter of owner Angelica Sanchez and the namesake of Snacks Chabelita.

Since opening Snacks Chabelita, Isabella often joins Sanchez and Raymundo when they work on the weekends. She often hands out tickets and does other small jobs in the restaurant. The experience is helping Isabella come out of her shell, Sanchez said.

Sometimes kids who have autism have a hard time opening up, she said. (They have trouble) having new conversations. Isabella is getting better at reading tickets, talking to clients and bringing out food.

Ultimately, the business is about Isabella, Sanchez said, and she hopes that other individuals who are autistic or disabled can be inspired by Snacks Chabelita and know that they are able to do anything they put their minds to.

Let (children with autism) get involved in everything, Sanchez said. Because they might not be able to do this thing, but theyre always able to do something else.
First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf and Justice Secretary Angela Constance (left) meet crime victims in Edinburgh as major justice reform legislation is introduced at Holyrood

You might think that sexual cases are often hard to prove because they frequently depend upon the credibility of just two people.

You might also think that where juries find it impossible to be sure where the truth lies, it is better to let the guilty off than to convict the innocent.

These views, however, are no longer held by the Scottish Government.

For the SNP-led administration, the relatively high acquittal rate in Scottish rape cases is not attributed to the natural caution of ordinary people agonising over momentous decisions in the absence of conclusive evidence.

Instead, it is attributed to what it calls rape myths, such as the belief that previous sexual contact between a complainer and an accused is indicative of consent. Since ordinary people cant be trusted to eschew such wrong-think, rape cases need to be decided only by those who have been trained in right-think.

In short: it does not trust juries to make the right decision.

Whether all such rape myths are in fact myths is another question, but the belief that juries acquit because of them has long been an article of faith amongst campaigners.

It was given some support by academic research on Scottish mock juries, although research on actual jurors who deliberated on real cases (albeit in England and Wales) reached a very different conclusion.

The Victims Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill contains the most radical proposals for changes in criminal procedure in the British Isles since judge-only Diplock courts were introduced for terrorist trials in Northern Ireland. In many ways the proposed changes are even more far-reaching.

Central to the Bill is the establishment of a Sexual Offences Court to try any case involving a sexual allegation. It will be trauma informed. Judges and advocates  whether prosecution or defence  will only be allowed to practise in it after completing an approved course of training on trauma-informed practice. This vague expression is defined as:

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...processes and practices, based on [the] understanding of the effects of trauma, to seek to avoid, or minimise the risk of, exposing the person to any recurrence of past trauma or further trauma.

These are similar to the processes and practices which led the Metropolitan Police to believe the victim, even when the victim turned out to be someone like the shameless liar Carl Beech. Taking care not to upset Mr Beech  by seeking to avoid anything, such as scepticism, that might have exposed him to a recurrence of past trauma  seemed to lead to a blinkered investigation which sadly increased the trauma for his innocent victims.

We dont know exactly what these approved courses on trauma informed practice will teach, but it takes little imagination to guess that they will encourage practices that improve the chances of convictions. Courses focusing on the prevention of the considerable trauma of facing false allegations will certainly not be approved.

There are many other proposals which are also transparently designed to increase conviction rates, and not only in sexual cases.

Scottish juries currently consist of 15 people, and  unlike in England and Wales and most common law jurisdictions where either unanimity or near unanimity is required  can convict on a simple majority. Scottish law thus provides the unique safeguard of a not proven verdict.

Now it is to be abolished. Instead juries will be reduced to 12, with a two-thirds majority sufficient for a conviction. Without the safeguard of not proven, to allow convictions on such a slender majority makes a mockery of the need for the jury to be sure beyond reasonable doubt.

But it is the proposal for the establishment of a judge-only court for rape cases that has attracted the greatest controversy. The court will run as an experiment for an indefinite period. If it leads to more convictions it will no doubt be judged a success and made permanent.

Admittedly some of the criticisms of the proposal have been rather silly. Magna Carta has been cited, but King Johns settlement with the English barons has no relevance to the Scottish legal system.

And nor is there anything inherently unjust about judge-only trials. Many minor criminal cases both north and south of the border are tried by Sheriffs or District Judges.

What is truly objectionable about the proposals is that they are not being introduced to improve justice, but to ensure that those whom ordinary people would have acquitted will in the future be tried by a cadre of the elite who can be reliably trusted to find them guilty.

Matthew Scott is a barrister at Pump Court Chambers

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The District of Columbia Attorney General today announced an agreement with SoLo Funds, a fintech company that enables peer-to-peer lending, to settle a lawsuit that alleged SoLo Funds engaged in predatory lending practices.

The practices alleged include Los Angeles-based SoLo Funds not telling customers the true cost of the loans on its platform and that it facilitated loans with over 500% APR on average  far exceeding the District's 24% usury cap, according to the Office of the Attorney Generals written release.

In addition, the OAG claims company was advertising affordable and flexible loans with no interest and no fees, but then was requiring borrowers to pay a percentage of the loan as a tip to the lenders, and soliciting borrowers to pay a percentage of the loan to the company as a donation. The OAGs office is also alleging that SoLo attracted lenders to its platform by advertising that they could make a quick return on [their] extra cash, but in reality, for a high percentage of the loans offered by SoLo, the borrowers either failed to repay the loans on time or at all  which SoLo also failed to disclose.

Our office will not tolerate fintech lenders resorting to new, deceptive practices that adversely impact vulnerable residents who are frequently ineligible for traditional loans, said Attorney General Brian Schwalb in a written statement. SoLo sought to disguise exorbitant interest charges by deceptively calling them tips and donations. This settlement makes clear that we will take decisive legal action against predatory lending models in the District and nationwide, regardless of whether the predatory lender is a brick-and-mortar store, or operates entirely online.

SoLo Funds has agreed to make certain changes to its practices relating to tips and donations and provide honest disclosures to both borrowers and lenders. The settlement also includes paying $30,000 to reimburse District of Columbia borrowers for the tips and donations paid to get their loans and a payment to the District. SoLo denies the allegations in the Complaint and denies that it has violated any law or engaged in any deceptive or unfair practices.

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The Office of the Attorney General also said it is the first state-level enforcement agency to reach a settlement with SoLo regarding its use of tips and donations to evade usury restrictions.

In May 2022, the state of Connecticut gave SoLo Funds a temporary cease-and-desist order alleging similar violation of its state rules regarding tips and donations as well as for failure to disclose the tips and for not having lending and collections licenses in the state.

Meanwhile, the District of Columbia settlement follows an agreement with the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation announced this week that SoLo Funds will be able to resume operations in the State of California.

"SoLo has created a community finance model that is groundbreaking and innovative  as demonstrated by our recent inclusion on the 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, said Rodney Williams, co-founder and president of SoLo via email. As a result, we cannot easily be categorized into traditional frameworks. Our recent settlements in DC and CA are the culmination of discussions with each jurisdiction's department, and we appreciate their receptiveness to innovative ideas around a more inclusive financial system. SoLo is now focused on the future, and we are excited to resume operations in the District of Columbia and the state of California.

In February, TechCrunch reported that SoLo Funds had acquired over 1 million registered users and over 1.3 million downloads making it the largest and first Black-owned personal finance platform to do so, Williams said at the time.

Since 2020, SoLo Funds has processed over 800,000 loans, according to the company. It also raised over $13 million in venture-backed capital from firms, including Serena Ventures and ACME Capital.
By David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The British son of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and a leading Catholic U.S. congressman criticized Britain and the Vatican on Wednesday for failing to speak out strongly against the crackdown on dissent in the Chinese territory.

At a Washington event about the human rights situation in the former British colony, Sebastien Lai said self-censorship in Hong Kong was the anticipated result of the national security crackdown there, but the "hypocrisy" of some governments trying to trade with China was unexpected.

"We are incredibly grateful that the Americans have been a lot stronger on these values that we all share ... than the UK government. The UK government has been incredibly weak, said Lai, who like his father is a British citizen.

Lai said Britain had not called for the release of his 75-year-old father, who founded the now shut pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and faces charges under Hong Kong's security law and a colonial-era sedition law.

"It's very sad to see a democratic government being afraid  or asking permission even  to speak on behalf of one of its citizens that is in prison for freedom of speech," said Lai. "Its just ridiculous."

Britain's Minister for Investment Dominic Johnson said he held a series of meetings with government officials and executives in Hong Kong this week, the first official visit by a senior British official to the city in five years.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said in January that a junior foreign office minister had met Jimmy Lai's legal team and that the ministry had provided support for him for some time.

U.S. Congressman Mike Gallagher, chair of the House of Representatives select committee on Chinas Communist Party, slammed the Vatican for not standing up for Jimmy Lai, who, like him, is a Catholic.

"The silence from the Vatican on Chinas human rights abuses and Jimmys case, in particular, is deafening," he said.

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The Vatican's Washington embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gallagher said it was necessary to move human rights back to the center of U.S. foreign policy and to look for "creative ways to put cracks in the Great Firewall - a reference to China's online censorship.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina, editing by Mark Heinrich)
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, defamation in civil case

Xinhua) 08:47, May 10, 2023

Then U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn heading for the Marine One departing from the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

Trump, in Truth Social posts on Tuesday, wrote that he would appeal the case while describing the verdict as "a disgrace" and "a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time."

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A federal jury in New York on Tuesday found former U.S. President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

The jury also found Trump defamed Carroll by denying her claims. She was awarded 5 million U.S. dollars in damages.

Trump, in Truth Social posts on Tuesday, wrote that he would appeal the case while describing the verdict as "a disgrace" and "a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time."

Carroll came forward publicly in 2019 when an excerpt of her forthcoming book was released in a magazine.

Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll's claims, alleging that the American writer and former magazine columnist made it up to sell the book.

A Republican who held the White House from early 2017 to early 2021, Trump is running again for the U.S. presidency.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The ash winds up everywhere  its in the laundry, on cars and blankets vegetation in backyard gardens.

Black snow, as the ash is known, flutters down, covering homes in parts of South Florida from October through May each year, as planned burns are carried out in thousands of acres of sugar cane fields to help the crops.

People who live around the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, an area that includes predominantly Black and Latino communities and many living in poverty, have complained for decades about the ash. While nearby sugar companies and farmers insist burnings are tightly regulated by the state, some residents say they stay in their homes with their windows shut in an effort to thwart respiratory illnesses.

Ahead of the current preharvest burn season, Florida State University researchers published a study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, stating that between one and six people die because of health complications brought on by the crop burns each year. The researchers also cite previous work showing that the burns are known to cause asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. Members of Floridas Stop the Burn movement say they hope the study, as well as joining forces with a similar campaign in Louisiana, will bring national attention to their longtime battle and push sugar companies and farmers to consider alternatives to burning.

Efforts to stop the practice of sugar cane burning

According to the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has organized the Stop the Burn campaign, Black and Latino residents in western Palm Beach County, who are surrounded by over 75 percent of the total sugarcane acreage in Florida are more likely to interact with the fallout of the burns.

Burned sugar cane is harvested in Clewiston, Fla., in 2015. (Andrew West / The News-Press / USA Today Network)

Kina Phillips, who joined the Stop the Burn campaign seven years ago, had been working as a patient outreach coordinator for a doctor when, she said, she noticed the impact the sugar cane burning was having on the communitys health.

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We had to put more people on breathing machines and write scripts for asthma medication during the burning, she said. We had to call ambulances when they could hardly breathe.

A review of eight years of hospital data in 2021 by the investigative organization ProPublica and the Palm Beach Post newspaper, showed a spike in hospital and emergency room visits for residents of Belle Glade, the largest city in the burn area, during the burning season.

R.D. Williams, CEO of the Hendry Regional Medical Center in Clewiston, Florida, said his centers records show little fluctuation for respiratory complaints month to month, except some variability during flu season, which seems to line up well with harvest season.

Influence of the sugar industry on the region

Farmers burn sugar cane to destroy unneeded leaves so it can be harvested more easily and efficiently. Sugar companies point out that the Florida Forest Service issues permits to farmers for burns and that burnings are carefully monitored by government regulations. The Florida Forest Service did not respond to questions.

Sugar farming is big business in South Florida, employing more than 14,000 people, generating about $800 million in revenues annually, according to Palm Beach County. Environmental activists say the power of Big Sugar makes some people hesitate to criticize the burnings.

Some people say the sugar companies do a lot of good, said Luz Torres, a member of the Stop the Burn Campaign who lives in Pahokee. They are afraid the sugar company will close and they will lose their jobs. Some people tell me, Luz, whats the difference between whats burning in the air and people smoking? I say, I dont choose to have ash falling on me and to breathe in smoke.

The two largest sugar companies in the state, U.S. Sugar. and Florida Crystals have repeatedly stated that they abide by state air quality measures.

U.S. Sugar did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Florida Crystals said the company is committed to safe farming practices. The prescribed burns, the company said, are regulated and permitted on a daily, field-by-field basis by Florida Forest Service as part of the State of Floridas nationally recognized regulatory program. Air-quality monitoring conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and by private air monitors consistently shows that our Glades farming region has some of the best air quality in the State of Florida  better than the state average, year after year.

But there has long been disagreement over how air quality is measured.

Data availability around air quality hinders activists claims

Katherine Pruitt, national senior director of policy at the American Lung Association, said the organization does not support agricultural burning; we believe it has negative health and air impact. But for a community fighting an industry like this, they need more data. Its a challenge when its your story versus mine.

The American Lung Association recently published its State of the Air report and gave Palm Beach County an A for air quality.

Smoke, reportedly from a burning sugar cane field, rises in the background as farm workers and their allies take a break during a five-day march to push for better wages and working conditions on March 14, 2023, in Pahokee, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP file)

We dont collect air quality data ourselves, Pruitt said. We use EPA collected data. We rely on EPA state monitors. In Palm Beach, there are three monitors for the whole county.

There are no monitors in Hendry County, and three in Palm Beach County to the west, she added. And while EPA monitors do pick up short-term spikes, such as those caused by agriculture burning, these increases tend to get lost when data is averaged over longer periods of time.

We are not seeing an intensity of exposure in those communities because we cannot capture it if there is not a monitor there, Pruitt said.

While the region passed the State of Air report, she said, the annual particle pollution for Palm Beach County doesnt look too great. It doesnt violate clean air standards, but pollution is on the rise. We know burning things produces these deadly particles, but it can also come from tail pipes.

Globally, prescribed burns are becoming obsolete

In 2015, the Sierra Club officially began its Stop the Burn Campaign, answering the call of residents in the burn region. Patrick Ferguson, Sierra Club senior organizing representative for Florida, has since visited Brazil, which stopped burning sugar cane fields and instead uses equipment that allows farmers to cut the cane. He said they hope to convince Floridas sugar companies to do the same.

David Mitchell, CEO of CROPS Carbon International., was interviewed for this article from Ireland, where he is working with farmers to reduce their environmental impact.

There is an opportunity for farmers to be heroes again, he said. One method he points to is storing refuse from sugar cane deep in the ocean to aid marine ecology.

Mitchell says the cost of transporting the trash to the deep sea is nominal compared to the current path of burning or other alternatives that require expensive equipment.

On the sidelines watching anxiously are independent farmers who have contracts with sugar companies and who say their methods are highly regulated and do not cause harm.

Ardis Hammock has lived on her 105-year-old farm for 47 years. I dont remember a time when there hasnt been an activist group that hasnt been attacking us for some reason, she said.

She owns the farm on the southwest shore of Lake Okeechobee with her husband.

I have sugar cane fields 30 feet outside my house and I dont have any health issues associated with the burn, Hammock said. I raised my two children in this house, and they never had health issues from the burn. As a mom, I would never put my children in harms way I thought was caused by my lifestyle.

Phillips, with the Stop the Burn campaign, said she is also concerned about what she might pass on to the children in her family.

Kina Phillips,Jamal Tillman (Ellis Rua / AP file)

My daughter had a son born during the time of burning, she said. He was a very healthy baby except we noticed when we took him out, he struggled to breathe.

Though her grandson has become better, the family monitors his breathing because he deals with congestion during the burn season.

I grew up here and there were things we were so used to and adapted to  they were not good, Phillips said. But it was normal for all my friends to have asthma, normal for people to have breakouts on their skin and when they went somewhere else, it cleared up. Everybodys parents got disability checks because they had bad asthma. When we went on school field trips, they had inhalers for us. We didnt put thought into what was causing it.

She said she is standing up for her ancestors who couldnt because they were afraid they would lose their sugar company jobs or because they did not have information from health studies.

We cant leave this on the shoulders of our kids. They will have another injustice they will have to fight.

CORRECTION (May 11, 2023, 12:05 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the number of EPA monitors in Palm Beach County. There are three, not none. The article also misstated which county Belle Glade and Pahokee are in; they are in Palm Beach County, not Hendry. (Clewiston is in Hendry County.)

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (Reuters) - Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday called for an end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar to allow inclusive dialogue and humanitarian assistance.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," it said in a statement issued during a summit in Indonesia.

(Reporting by Kate Lamb; Writing by Martin Petty)
By Kate Lamb

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders pledged on Wednesday to crack down on online scams operated by human traffickers to prey on vulnerable job seekers, particularly in the poorest countries of the region.

Meeting in Indonesia for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the leaders called for a regional approach to combat human trafficking.

Issuing the first declaration by ASEAN on the danger of traffickers' cyber scams, the leaders noted "the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms".

Lured by social media posts promising well-paid jobs in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, thousands of people have become trapped in cyber scam operations, in some cases held captive and forced to defraud strangers online.

There has been a spike in cases of people enslaved in cyber scams, and more than 1,000 victims have been rescued just in recent days.

Indonesia's foreign ministry said that 20 Indonesian citizens who had been trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam were repatriated last Sunday.

In a separate operation, officials in the Philippines said more than 1,000 people from across Asia were rescued in night raids last week. The victims were forced to work up to 18 hours a day in cryptocurrency scams, police said.

ASEAN's efforts to combat human trafficking will include enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to investigate, collect data, exchange information and conduct joint exercises, the declaration said.

Cambodia has emerged as a hotspot for cybercrime rings but networks, which civil society groups say are often linked to Chinese criminal gangs, have since expanded to countries such as Myanmar and Laos.

Experts say the trafficked captives are held in large compounds in converted casinos in Cambodia, and in special economic zones in Myanmar and Laos.

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
In the Upper Midwest, the Mississippi River has spilled out of its banks, flooding surrounding towns. Areas around the southern portions of the river, however, are not at risk of flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

The flooding was caused by the rapid melting of the large amount of snow that accumulated this year in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"There has been some rain as well, but the volume of water moving downstream is dominated by runoff from the snowmelt for the most part," said Michael A. Welvaert, hydrologist for the National Weather Service's North Central Forecast Center.

Floodwater from the Mississippi River reaches near the top of mailboxes in Albany, Illinois, on May 3. Rapid melting of snow that accumulated this year in Minnesota and Wisconsin has caused the Mississippi to spill out of its banks in the Upper Midwest, according to the National Weather Service.

Other Midwestern states saw less snowfall than average. The Missouri and the Ohio rivers, which both feed into the Mississippi, are running lower than normal.

"Those tributaries that normally contribute water to the river didn't do that this year," Welvaert said.

The Upper Midwest also has seen little rain in recent weeks, which has reduced the danger of flooding farther downstream on the Mississippi.

"As the water moves downstream, the 'wave' attenuates and stretches out somewhat, so that is contributing to a lesser impact as water progresses downstream," Welvaert said.

More news: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee calls special session on gun legislation for Aug. 21

Late last year, the Mississippi fell to historic low levels, delaying the shipment of crops and other goods. The river carries 60% of America's soybean and corn exports.

The low river levels last year were caused by a draught in the Upper Midwest.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NWS: Lower section of Mississippi River not at risk of flooding
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will ban some outdoor working during extreme heat conditions, Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said on Wednesday, as the country faces high temperatures more frequently as a result of climate change.

The ban will be in place when the national weather agency AEMET issues an alert warning about a severe or extreme risk of high temperatures.

The measure will affect outdoors working such as street cleaning and agriculture, the Labour Ministry added.

"We have already seen many episodes, certainly very serious ones, in cleaning and waste collection in which workers have died from heat strokes," Diaz told reporters.

Climate change is already affecting people, so the government has to act, she said.

The move is part of a package the Socialist-led government will approve on Thursday in reaction to a prolonged drought currently hitting parts of Spain.

To adapt to the heat, some regions such as southern Andalusia or Madrid already allow students to go home early in case of heatwaves.

Spain's water reservoirs are on average below 50% of their capacity, while levels have fallen to approximately 25% in Andalusia and the northeastern region of Catalonia, two of the worst-hit areas.

Spain has registered the driest start to a year since records started, AEMET said on Wednesday, with less than half the average rainfall during the first four months of 2023.

So far this year, Spain has recorded 11 hotter-than-normal days, more than twice the number typically observed during a full year.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Inti Landauro and Christina Fincher)
I still enjoy a cups of tea back in New York. Zoe Ettinger

I lived in London for a year and picked up some UK slang words that I still find myself using.

Wonky, dodgy, and many others have become mainstays in my vocabulary.

I've also started referring to French fries as "chips" just like my British counterparts.

I lived in the UK for just over a year, and then moved back to New York. There are a few things I miss about living across the pond, and one has to be the British language. Yes, I know it's still English  I'm talking about their slang words.

The British have a way of using words to describe things that are often indescribable. For example, when a painting is just slightly off-kilter on a wall, don't you wish there was a word for that? Well, the Brits have one: "wonky."

Though I may no longer live there, I've brought a bit of London back home with me in my language.

Cuppa: (n) a cup of tea.

I still enjoy a cups of tea back in New York. Zoe Ettinger

Any time I went to someone's home while living in the UK, without fail, I would be offered a "cuppa." There's truth behind the stereotype that Brits love tea, and after spending a year there I've become a convert. I choose it over coffee every time, which now gives me too much of a caffeine buzz.

Knackered: (adj) exhausted, tired, unable to move.

Absolutely knackered. Matthew Wilson

I can't think of any of my British friends who wouldn't use this word when they were tired. "I am absolutely knackered" was a phrase I would often hear at school or work on a Monday morning.

Gutted: (adj) devastated, disappointed.

Just gutted. Zoe Ettinger

If you've failed an important test, or your crush doesn't like you back, you would say you were "gutted."

Chuffed: (adj) proud, pleased with one's accomplishment.

Chuffed with this A-plus. Zoe Ettinger

After acing a test or getting a new promotion at work, you'd say you're really "chuffed."

Dodgy: (adj) sketchy, suspicious, potentially dangerous.

That shoe looks a bit dodgy. Zoe Ettinger

An alleyway late at night, or a boarded up house could be described as "dodgy," but the word can be used to describe anything suspicious looking, like this shoe creeping out of the closet.

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Wonky: (adj) off kilter, not right.

The box below our television is currently wonky. Zoe Ettinger

You know the feeling when you see a picture frame and it's slightly tilted? In the US we would say its "messed up" ... but isn't the word "wonky" just so much better?

Shambles: (n) mess, chaos.

The state of my desk is a shambles. Zoe Ettinger

A "shambles" can be used to refer to any type of mess. You, yourself can also be a shambles, like if you're late to work and forgot your lunch, you're a shambles. Also if your plans don't work out one night, you could say, "This night was a total shambles."

Bloody: (adv) absolutely, completely.

The London Eye. Zoe Ettinger

Like the London Eye, pictured here, the word "bloody" is one of the most quintessentially British things there is. Bloody, which was once considered offensive, can be put before any word for emphasis: bloody delicious, bloody good, or bloody hard are all common usages.

Quid: (n) one British pound.

One pound is a quid. A pound is worth slightly more than a dollar. Zoe Ettinger

I like the word quid because you can use it to make things sound cheaper: 50 pounds might sound like a lot, but 50 quid doesn't seem like that much.

Nosh: (n) food, snack.

There's plenty of nosh in our office. Zoe Ettinger

"Nosh" can be used to refer to any type of food, though you probably wouldn't say it when talking about a fancy dinner.

Chips: (n) french fries.

Chips. Shutterstock

I was definitely confused when I first heard french fries referred to as "chips," and chips referred to as "crisps," but now back in New York, I still find myself calling french fries chips. It just rolls off the tongue easier.

Offie: (n) liquor store.

An "offie" in Bristol. Shutterstock

The "offie" or "off-licence" is a liquor store and convenience store combined. In certain parts of London, like where I lived, the closest shop was an offie and I'd head there for all my shopping needs.

Banging: (adj) awesome, great, spot on.

This falafel sandwich I had was banging. Zoe Ettinger

I think I most often heard "banging" when referring to food. This falafel sandwich I had was so good I had to take a picture midway through eating, which I almost never do. It was just that banging.

Skint: (adj) broke, penniless.

I'm skint! Matthew Wilson

When it's reaching the end of the month and you're waiting for your next paycheck to go grocery shopping, that's when you're "skint."

Uni: (n) college, university.

I went to uni here, at the University of Virginia. Zoe Ettinger

"Uni" is how everyone refers to college and university. They actually call high school "college" so the whole thing is a bit confusing.

Cheeky: (adj) cute, flippant.

Me with my dog, Jasper, as a cheeky puppy. Elyse Ettinger

"A cheeky chap" is how I'd refer to my pup, Jasper, in the above photo. He's just so cute.

Faff: (v) dither about, procrastinate; (n) bother, unnecessary work.

Faffing about on my phone. Talia Lakritz

To "faff" about is to procrastinate, or simply not get something done, like I am in the photo above, looking at my phone at the office. I'd also use faff to describe an annoyance, such as, "I'd go to his party, but it's an hour away, that's too much faff."

Fit: (adj) attractive, good-looking.

Timothee Chalamet is my celebrity crush. Dan MacMedan/Getty Images

I think Timothee Chalamet is quite "fit."

Pear-shaped: (adj) wrong, disastrous.

It's all gone pear-shaped. Shutterstock

If something's gone wrong, you could say its a shambles, but you could also say its gone "pear-shaped." BBC America cites the origin of the phrase dating back to 1940s fighter pilots trying to do loops in the air, but sometimes having them come out more pear-shaped.

Posh: (adj) upper-class, fancy.

Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls was called Posh Spice. Matt Dunham/AP Images

According to Fandom, Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls was called Posh Spice because "of her refined attitude, form-fitting designer outfits, such as little black dresses, and her love of high-heeled footwear."

Rubbish: (n) garbage, trash.

The rubbish bin in my office. Zoe Ettinger

Something about the word "rubbish" just seems so much nicer than garbage.

Hoover: (n, v) vacuum.

Hoovers. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Just like vacuum, hoover can be used as a noun or a verb. You could say, "The floor is filthy, someone needs to hoover," or, "Where's the hoover? There's dust everywhere!"

Blimey: my goodness, wow.

Blimey! Zoe Ettinger

Blimey is a slightly more old-fashioned term, but it's still a great way of expressing excitement that no one will expect.

Bangers: (n) sausages.

Bangers. Pablo Debat/Shutterstock

If you look at any classic British menu, you're sure to find bangers and mash, a traditional dish of sausages and mashed potatoes. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "The term bangers supposedly originated during World War I, when meat shortages resulted in sausages being made with a number of fillers, notably water, that caused them to explode when cooked."

This article was originally published in June 2020.

Gobsmacked: (adj) astonished, astounded.

I'm gobsmacked! Zoe Ettinger

According to Dictionary.com, the word gobsmacked comes from two words: gob, which is slang for mouth, and smack, to hit. Feeling gobsmacked means that you feel like you have been (figuratively) hit in the mouth.

Kerfuffle: (n) skirmish, argument, fight.

Siblings have a kerfuffle. Shutterstock

In my experience, kerfuffle is used to describe a not-so-serious disagreement. For example, "We had a kerfuffle over which restaurant has the best burgers in the city."

Zed: (n) the letter Z.

My name starts with the letter Zed. Zoe Ettinger

The reason I like this one is that since my name is Zoe , a lot of my friends call me "Z." By differentiating between the Z and the Zed, I know when one is referring to the letter, and the other to me.

Read the original article on Insider
The Kansas City Star has won the award for best political coverage in the prestigious National Headliner Awards, the second year in a row the news organization has taken the categorys top prize.

Reporters Katie Bernard, Jonathan Shorman and Kevin Hardy won for Kansas Decides, a collection of stories in the run-up to last years elections. The Star also won third place in the public service category for an investigation into racism within the Kansas City Police Department.

The winning entry in the political category included an in-depth report in June by Bernard on the Catholic Churchs fight against abortion rights in Kansas by funding and shaping the messaging for a campaign to pass a state constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to severely restrict or ban abortion. The story was published just two days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and weeks before Kansas was the first state to vote on the issue when voters rejected the amendment.

Also included in The Stars package was an investigation by Shorman in October into how then-Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the Republican candidate for governor, bungled several high-profile prosecutions in connection with the 2016 death of 7-year-old Caleb Schwab on a water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas. Rounding out the entry was a deep dive by Hardy and Bernard in July into how Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys administration secured no job guarantees from Panasonic in exchange for an $829 million incentive package to build a battery plant in De Soto.

In a strong smorgasbord of political coverage, The Kansas City Star brought insight into three significant public issues, the judges said.

Included in the entry we learned that Kansas cut what appears to be a bad deal for economic development; the high-profile case of a legal prosecution gone awry and an excellent look at the role of churches in the abortion debate.

Second place in the political category went to The Dallas Morning News, while third place went to the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Spotlight PA.

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The Stars top place for political coverage comes after it won the same honor last year for stories on U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The Star also won the category in 2018 and 2019.

These are stories that simply would not have been told had talented reporters and editors serving Kansas City not done so, said Star Executive Editor Greg Farmer. Doing journalism that is essential to our local readers is our mission, and were grateful that the National Headliner Awards have chosen to recognize how much this work matters.

The Star secured third place in the public service category for Racism in the KCPD, an investigation by reporters Glenn E. Rice, Katie Moore and Luke Nozicka that found discrimination, racist abuse and unfair discipline of Black officers in the Kansas City Police Department. The reporters brought attention to allegations of white cops using slurs and racially profiling Black members of the force.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the police departments employment practices to determine if the force engaged in racial discrimination.

The Oregonian won first place for public service for its coverage of a controversial water rights deal between Google and The Dalles, a town outside Portland. Second place went to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The National Headliner Awards are sponsored by the Press Club of Atlantic City, N.J. Founded in 1934, the awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing outstanding journalism.
Women should start getting regular mammograms at a younger age than previously recommended, a new proposal from a leading health panel says.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in draft guidelines released Tuesday women should start getting mammograms every other year starting at age 40, not 50, in the fight against breast cancer. The task force is a coalition of doctors who make evidence-based recommendations about preventive health care

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, and is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in North Carolina.

Heres what to know about breast cancer screening and how to get care in Charlotte:

Changes to breast cancer screening guidelines

Under the U.S. Preventive Services Task Forces draft guidelines, cisgender women and those assigned female at birth should get biennial screening mammograms from ages 40 to 74.

New and more inclusive science about breast cancer in people younger than 50 has enabled us to expand our prior recommendation and encourage all women to get screened in their 40s, the group said. We have long known that screening for breast cancer saves lives, and the science now supports all women getting screened, every other year, starting at age 40.

The task force also said that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening mammography in women ages 75 years or older and that there is not yet enough evidence for the Task Force to recommend for or against additional screening with breast ultrasound or MRI for people with dense breasts.

The American Cancer Society already recommends women 45 to 54 get annual mammograms while saying women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.

Screening guidelines have evolved over time as research into breast cancer detection has progressed.

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Where to get a mammogram in Charlotte

Mammograms can be performed in a variety of medical settings, the Susan G. Komen Foundation says, including radiology and imaging centers, mammography clinics, hospital radiology departments, mobile vans and some doctors offices.

Health insurance, including Medicare and North Carolina Medicaid, often covers mammograms, but there also are free and reduced cost options available in Charlotte for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

Local initiatives include the Mecklenburg County Health Department MeckCheck program, Novant Health grants and Atrium Healths Levine Cancer Institutes Project PINK and Project PINK Plus.

What about self exams?

In addition to regular mammograms, self breast exams can help detect signs of breast cancer, the National Breast Cancer Foundation notes.

Adult women of all ages are encouraged to perform breast self-exams at least once a month, the group says.

There are three methods for self exams, the foundation explains:

In the shower, you can use the pads of your middle fingers to check the entire breast and armpit area pressing down with light, medium, and firm pressure to feel for any lump, thickening, hardened knot, or any other breast changes.

In front of a mirror, you can inspect your breasts with your arms at your sides and with your arms raised high overhead. You should look for any changes in the contour, any swelling, or dimpling of the skin, or changes in the nipples.

In bed, you can lie on your back and place a pillow under your right shoulder and your right arm behind your head to make the breast tissues spread across your chest. Then, use your left hand to move the pads of your fingers around your right breast gently covering the entire breast area and armpit to check for discharge and lumps. You should then repeat those steps on your left breast.

If you feel or see anything concerning, you should contact your doctor.
The Scottish government said the sheep were treated in the same way as wild deer

Wild sheep on St Kilda have been left to starve to death, say island vets.

They have raised a petition urging action from the Scottish government and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) - which helps to manage the uninhabited archipelago off the west of Scotland.

The two vets said the number of animals outstripped the available grazing.

NTS said the animals were related to ancient wild sheep and were treated as feral, so there was a presumption against intervention.

And the Scottish government said St Kilda's sheep were similar to wild deer in that they were unowned and unmanaged.

But Western Isles-based vets David Buckland and Graham Charlesworth argue the animals were managed in some way for thousands of years until the last islanders abandoned St Kilda in 1930.

Mr Buckland, who has worked in Uist and Barra for more than 40 years, described the sheep as domestic animals left to live in a "wild state".

He said: "It is the manner of their dying that vets are concerned with. I think starvation is a very bad death."

Mr Buckland said scientific monitoring of populations on St Kilda's islands of Hirta, Boreray and Soay suggested sheep had been dying from starvation on a regular basis for years.

He added: "For the last six years we have been trying to persuade NTS and Scottish government to take measures to reduce the starvation and improve welfare of sheep, but have got nowhere."

Map

NTS said it took its responsibilities relating to animal welfare seriously and always followed relevant legislation.

A spokeswoman said: "The Soay sheep are an important part of the St Kilda archipelago's heritage, and originate from the population on the island of Soay where they were treated as a wild population for hundreds of years, unmanaged save for periodic hunting by the archipelago's inhabitants.

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"The sheep will continue to be treated as feral animals with a presumption against intervention, except in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious outbreak of disease that threatens the sheep populations."

NTS said it had been in long-running communication with the vets regarding the management and welfare of the sheep.

The spokeswoman added: "We will continue to comply with Scottish government legislation relating to St Kilda's sheep populations and are happy to contribute to any review it decides to undertake."

Feral Soay sheep on St Kilda's main island of Hirta

The Scottish government said the history of the sheep meant they were not considered to be a species that was commonly domesticated within the British Islands.

A spokesman said: "This means that provisions contained within the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2006 would not apply. This has been the consistent position of the Scottish government for many years."

He added: "We recognise that within any wild population of animals in Scotland there will be different challenges from year to year which may impact population numbers.

"For the St Kilda sheep the harsher climatic conditions of the winter months can unfortunately lead to increased natural deaths among the population."

The St Kilda Soay Sheep project, which has been studying the animals since 1985 said the sheep had been evolving to their environment for hundreds of years. It said the deaths over winter were potentially comparable with other wildlife in Scotland.

A spokesman said: "There is no evidence whatsoever Soay sheep on St Kilda suffer more or differently than other wild populations experiencing harsh Hebridean winters."

St Kilda is a group of small islands and rocky sea stacks more than 40 miles (64km) west of the Western Isles.

The main island of Hirta is inhabited but only on a temporary basis by visiting NTS workers, scientists and also contractors who work at small Ministry of Defence site.
Pamela Broome teaches four small reading groups every day at Niner University Elementary, a public lab school experts at the University of North Carolina Charlotte created and opened in 2020.

Broome, who has more than three decades as an educator, knows kids need as much small-group or one-on-one time as possible when it comes to literacy. Its why Broome has to block out her packed schedule to ensure nothing interrupts those small reading groups  shes also the schools principal.

Every person in this building understands literacy needs, Broome told The Charlotte Observer. We intentionally schedule and plan so each child gets what they need.

Niner Universitys all-hands-on-deck approach embodies why UNC Charlotte is a statewide leader in training teachers to help children learn to read, according to a University of North Carolina Board of Governors report released in January. In a review of 15 state universities, only UNC Charlotte received a grade of strong when it came to its teaching methods. Its the highest grade an institution can receive.

Its also part of the work that prompted the Mebane Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit based in Mocksville, to select UNC Charlottes Cato College of Education for a five-year grant and potential endowment of up to $23 million to create a new literacy center. UNC Charlotte was the top finisher in a competitive statewide search, in part, because of how it preps teacher candidates on how to teach literacy. The gift is one of the largest in the universitys history.

Were doing well at UNC Charlotte, said Malcolm Butler, the dean of UNC Charlotte Cato College of Education. But there is a larger challenge for all of us.

Cato Colleges science of teaching

Jessica Caro, an arts teacher, works with students at Niner University Elementary, a lab school with the University of North Carolina Charlottes Cato College of Education.

While the rest of the states colleges are trying to catch up with the science of reading and better preparing prospective teachers on how to teach literacy, Cato College students and educators are iterating on their literacy efforts, Butler says. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report found that only a third of North Carolinas third graders were proficient in reading in 2022.

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Niner University Elementary is where many of the Cato Colleges teaching candidates spend time working on teaching fundamental literacy skills. Theyre trained by and have opportunities to work with faculty who provide evidence-based reading instruction.

Butler says faculty also incorporate a whole child approach to their work, meaning they ensure students have access to mental health, nursing and other social supports outside the classroom.

Zoe Klein is among the teaching candidates. The Cato College senior and teacher in training at Niner University will graduate in December.

The priority the university puts on literacy is very strong, Klein said. Its made me a competent instructor and I know Im going to be ready on day one.

Klein, whos led dozens of reading lessons, says understanding roadblocks to literacy is key. For students at Niner University, a K-4 program intended to support struggling students, that means helping them get their hands on a book or giving them the confidence to learn.

Theyre coming from a place where you have to help them believe in what they can do, Klein said.

Paola Pionieta, a Cato College professor of reading and elementary education, is also a coordinator of the undergraduate reading program. She is one of eight literacy fellows tasked with developing a plan that reflects what research says about the essential components of reading. The plan also must align with statewide initiatives.

Pionieta says Cato College faculty focus on proven approaches to teacher preparation in literacy  reviewing assignments and tests and watching video of teaching and instructor interviews.

That science of reading has always been our core, Pionieta said. When the state said this is where you should be, weve always just been there. Now its constantly revising.

Scaling Niner University Elementary

Niner University Elementary, with an enrollment of under 200, has fewer than 15 students per class on average. Every classroom has a teacher assistant. Every student receives 30 minutes of small group or individual instruction every day. Students also are reassessed every 10 lessons.

It has changed outcomes for us, Broome said. There are a lot of factors when it comes to literacy, primarily is student readiness. We have kids who come to school and they can already write a full sentence, and theyre sitting across from a child who is holding a book upside down. You have a group of very diverse learners. Thats why they each have individual needs.

Even though Niner University is smaller and has Cato College support, its literacy plan can translate to districts with much larger student populations, Broome says. She says a literacy plan at larger schools requires time, scrutiny over data and educators who understand literacy needs.

Niner University also relies on after-school programs and targeted interventions. Most importantly, its young students and college students are working together to prioritize literacy.

When (Cato College) students spend time here, their readiness to be in a classroom is so much improved when they walk way from here, she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Tourism on Wednesday raised concern over a new government ad campaign abroad, which she fears may send the message that the Philippines is a labor-exporting country that treats its people as a commodity.

Senator Nancy Binay was reacting to an ad on a bus in the United Kingdom which features Filipina-British nurse May Parsons, who administered the worlds first COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of clinical trials.

Parsons is seen holding a syringe in the ad, along with the lines "We give the world our best. The Philippines."

Based on that one transit ad that recently saw the rounds in London, nakaka-bother lang [its bothering] when you see the ad, it seems that we are offering the world our nurseswhich is a bit off kasi nauubusan na nga tayo rito ng mga health worker [because were seeing a shortage of health workers here], Binay said in a statement.

We don't want to commodify our people, and we don't want to be tagged as a labor-exporting country, she added.

The lawmaker said while she appreciates the effort to give the Philippines the needed boost in the global market, there seems to be a disconnect in the messaging.

She described the idea as vague, questioning if it is meant to promote tourism in the Philippines, help bring in more investments, or encourage employers abroad to hire more Filipinos.

Sa unang tingin pa lang, ano ang konek ng nars, heringgilya at bakuna sa pino-promote nating mga tour destination? Binay asked.

[Translation: At first look, whats the connection of the nurse, syringe, and vaccine to the tour destinations we are promoting?]

Binay also reiterated her call for the Department of Tourism (DOT) to consider deferring its rebranding plan for its tourism campaign, as she urged the agency to continue using the Its More Fun in the Philippines slogan and to just come up with fresh permutations.

The senator earlier expressed opposition to the rebranding move, saying it is very costly, especially given the countrys financial challenges

We have yet to see other renders and permutations of their 'Best' ads. But sad to sayfrom a tourism perspective'di tugma ang 'Best' messaging sa gusto nating ma-achieve sa Philippine tourism. Ang tanong ko rin: 'yan na ba talaga ang ia-adopt ng DOT na bagong slogan? she said.

[Translation: We have yet to see other renders and permutations of their 'Best' ads. But sad to sayfrom a tourism perspectivethe 'Best' messaging does not fit what we want to achieve for Philippine tourism. My other question: Is that really what the DOT will adopt as its new slogan?]

RELATED: It's More Fun in PH: DOT chief wants 'evolved' tourism slogan
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is calling for artificial intelligence (AI) content to be labeled and regulated.

Wozniak, in a recent interview with BBC, warned that AI content should be clearly labeled and regulated, noting that the responsibility of AI content rests on those who publish it.

A human really has to take the responsibility for what is generated by AI, he said, while also pressing for regulations to hold tech companies accountable so they dont feel they can get away with anything.

He added that although they cannot stop the development of AI technology, they can prepare people to learn how to interact with AI and to spot misinformation and potential fraud attempts.

AI is so intelligent its open to the bad players, the ones that want to trick you about who they are, he said.

Calls to regulate AI have increased in the last few months as the rise of AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, have risen in popularity. Other tech giants, like Google and Microsoft, have also announced plans to launch new AI programs.

Some experts and studies have said that the rise in AI could threaten some jobs, with IBM CEO Arvind Krishna saying earlier this month that he could see AI taking over 30 percent of jobs at the company.

About half of Americans also said in a poll earlier this month that Congress should take swift action to regulate AI.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) unveiled a framework last week to regulate the AI industry. The framework includes a requirement for companies to allow independent experts to review and test AI technologies ahead of public releases and subsequent updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Waterfront Warehouse, located at 445 W. Weber Avenue in downtown Stockton, on Jan. 6, 2022. The building was built in 1875 as 2-story storage facility for the Sperry Mill Company. It is the oldest intact building on the banks of the Stockton Channel. In 1926 the mill's operations moved to Vallejo. The building, now a Stockton historical landmark, houses several businesses, organizations and restaurants.

The man accused of a deadly shooting at the Waterfront Warehouse in February has been arrested, according to Stockton police.

This week, Antonio Tamayo, 24, was arrested by U.S. Marshal Task Force on suspicion of homicide and attempted homicide, according to a police statement.

The shooting happened at about 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 4 near the La Vaca Restaurant and Bar at the Waterfront Warehouse. Shots rang out just outside the bar and inside the warehouse.

A 41-year-old man died at the scene, and a 47-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were injured, police said.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden, left, talks with directors at the Inspire Academy of Barbering and Cosmetology Michelle Hickman, center, and Kim Ornelas at the Waterfront Warehouse in downtown Stockton during a police community walkthrough on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 after a multiple shooting that left one person dead and two others wounded at the business complex on Saturday night.

Days after the triple shooting, Chief Stanley McFadden and police visited the Waterfront Warehouse to encourage business owners and employees to call 911 early if they witness a serious conflict.

"Don't wait to call the police until after the fact," McFadden told waterfront workers during the visit.

At the time, the shooting marked the city's sixth reported homicide of 2023. The total number of homicides this year has grown to 22 since then. Stockton had 48 homicides in 2022.

Tamayo's arrest comes days after Stockton police announced arrests in a separate homicide case.

Iosua Sataua, 18, and a 16-year-old boy were arrested in connection with a shooting that happened on March 4 near Southside Market. Police believe the teens shot and killed Jacob Haywood Thomas, 29, and Andrea Lee Jones, 24.

Tamayo was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. He is expected in court Thursday.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Man charged in connection with deadly Waterfront Warehouse shooting
Amar Osman (far left) attended a vigil for the Sudanese community in Londonderry on Tuesday evening

A Sudanese man living in Londonderry has said he fears for his family trapped in his native country.

The clashes between the regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a result of a vicious struggle for power within the country's military leadership.

Amar Osman's family have been in the capital Khartoum for more than a month.

Mr Osman has called on the international community to do more to help his homeland in north-east Africa.

Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly 700,000 civilians have been displaced since the fighting began on 15 April.

A vigil was held in Derry on Tuesday evening to show solidarity with the city's Sudanese community.

Speaking to the BBC's The North West Today, Mr Osman said his father, mother and two sisters were all in Khartoum and were not safe.

"It was all very shocking because no-one seen this coming - in one day Khartoum turned into a warzone," said Mr Osman.

"Attacks where happening everywhere next to our houses and neighbour's houses with people caught in the crossfire.

"I was watching the news and seeing pictures from our neighbourhoods, seeing bullets and the bombs."

Mr Osman said his family were incredibly scared and had been hiding and sleeping under beds for the past month.

He said their food supplies were low and it was not safe for them to venture on to the streets.

"There is no access to cash and all of the banking apps are no longer working," he said.

About seven million people are understood to be trapped in their homes in Khartoum, unable to get basic supplies.

Conditions for civilians trapped in the city continue to deteriorate, with doctors saying the health service is now near total collapse.

'Stand with Sudan'

Mr Osman said he did not know how his family could leave their situation and he added that "it is just about surviving for now".

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"There is nothing we can really do," he said.

"I want people to stand with Sudan - if there is something the world can do then please do it now because if the situation continues we will have no family left."

Conditions in Sudan's capital Khartoum have worsened for civilians trapped in the city

Envoys from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have met in in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah to begin talks about a short-term ceasefire, according to Saudi officials.

Little information has been released publicly on the progress of the mediated talks.

However numerous previous ceasefires agreements have failed to halt the fighting.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nine months ago, near the end of August, Jonah Barrow, a high school senior, attempted to take his own life.

Now, the 18-year-old from Katy, Texas, is speaking out about his survival to share a message of hope amid a mental health crisis in the United States, particularly among teenagers.

"I hope that I can change the mind of at least one person. That's all I care about," Barrow told "Good Morning America." "If I can change the mind of one person or encourage someone to speak out, relieve themselves of their suffering, that's all I can hope to dream."

Barrow said his mental health struggles began in middle school, as he faced difficulties transitioning to a new school and new friends.

When he entered high school a few years later, Barrow said he began to struggle with his mental health again. An accomplished piano, cello, ukulele and guitar player, he found his niche playing guitar in a rock band.

Yet on that day last August, Barrow said he struggled to see a future for himself.

"I felt lost, worthless," he said. "After the suicide attempt, it's kind of jarring to think that before that moment, I had thought that I didn't have a future."

PHOTO: Jonah Barrow, 18, is pictured playing the guitar in July 2022. (Courtesy Jonah Barrow)

Barrow said in the moment, he also struggled to see the support he had all around him, everyone from his therapist to his friends and family.

"That day, if I kept calling other people, other family members or other friends, if just one person had answered the phone, I would be in a much different place today," he said. "It is so important to keep reaching out and keep talking about things."

Barrow's mother, Lori Barrow, said she remembers wishing too that her son had reached out and called even more people who love him in his most difficult moment.

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"He could have called me, his grandmother, his aunts, his cousins, there's so many people," Lori Barrow told "GMA." "That's why it's important to keep reaching out. Reach out to the people that you know are going to be available, and don't stop trying."

As a teen who has attempted suicide, Barrow is far from alone, data shows.

Last year, nearly 24% of female high school students and nearly 12% of male students in the U.S. reported making a suicide plan, according to the latest results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, published last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although suicide is the 11th leading cause of death overall in the United States, it is the third among U.S. high school students between the ages 14 and 18, accounting for one-fifth of all deaths among this age group, according to the report.

MORE: As new data shows kids in a mental health crisis, parents ask, where is the help?

While the past three years of the coronavirus pandemic have put a spotlight on teens' mental health struggles, particularly when it comes to suicide, the issue has been a concern for many years, data shows.

"In the decade prior to the pandemic, there was a 57% increase in the suicide rate among young people," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an April 30 interview with "GMA." "And today, nearly half of high school students are telling us that they feel persistently sad or hopeless."

A CDC report released last year, just one month after Barrow's own suicide attempt, found an 8% increase in the suicide rate among males ages 15 to 24 from 2020 to 2021.

Common risk factors for suicide include a history of depression and other mental illness, bullying, loss of relationships and social isolation, according to the CDC.

Jonah Barrow said that through his own journey, he has learned that simply speaking out loud about his mental health struggles has helped.

"The second you start talking about it, it gets easier," he said. "I would say that's the most important thing."

Experts too say one of the most important suicide prevention steps parents can take is to talk to teenagers about suicide.

"Talk with your kids about suicide because there is a big misconception that we're going to somehow put an idea in our kids' heads and it's going to make them more likely to do something risky or bad. That is absolutely incorrect," Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Psychological Association, told "GMA" earlier this month. "You're not putting an idea in their head, but what you are doing is communicating when they talk with you about it, they're going to feel safe and they're going to feel like they can open up to you."

Lori Barrow noted she has seen the importance of not just talking to kids about mental health and suicide, but also listening to their replies.

"The biggest thing that I think parents can do is to listen, to not talk at them, to not talk about their experiences," she said. "Because it's easy for somebody to say, 'I know how you feel. I've been there,' but we really haven't. Their experience is completely different from our experiences."

Finding hope in music

In addition to finding healing in talking about his mental health, Jonah Barrow said his passion for music has restored hope in his life.

After suffering multiple injuries in his suicide attempt, including being temporarily paralyzed, Jonah Barrow has spent much of the past nine months hospitalized and undergoing rehabilitation.

While recovering at TIRR Memorial Hermann, a rehabilitation center in Houston, he began working with Ty Walcott, a board-certified music therapist.

"I remember I was challenged with trying to stand on my feet for as long as I could and could only stand for about three minutes," Jonah Barrow said. "But when Ty Walcott came to visit me and we started playing songs and listening to music, I was able to stand for about 15 minutes."

"It's like magic," he said of the effect music has had on his recovery.

PHOTO: Jonah Barrow receives music therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas. (Courtesy Jonah Barrow)

Walcott said she used music as a way to help Jonah Barrow regain his mobility and endurance in relearning how to talk, in addition to using it as a tool to help regulate his emotions.

"Music acts as a medium for processing those emotions and trauma and grief," Walcott told "GMA." "And it helps as a calming agent just because of the way that it affects the brain. It's affecting all parts of the brain differently, as opposed to us trying to do it by sheer will."

MORE: After his brother died by suicide, this teacher changed how he talks to students about mental health

Over several months of therapy with Walcott, Jonah Barrow went from not being able to sit up in bed long enough to play an instrument to performing onstage with Walcott at a local music festival.

PHOTO: Jonah Barrow and Ty Walcott, a music therapist at TIRR Memorial Hermann, perform at ReelMusic in February 2023. (Courtesy of Like Minds Communications)

"Not being able to hold your instrument is like losing an arm, losing your hands, losing your feet, because it's a part of you. It's what makes you you," Walcott said. "So it was a huge milestone for him to not only be able to play, but to be able to play for other people, because that's what he wants to do."

Jonah Barrow said he sees reconnecting with music as a turning point in his recovery.

When he arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann, he said he was still struggling with the "internal conflict" of his feelings over the fact that he had survived.

"Because I was still depressed, part of me was still battling with 'I wish it worked,' 'I'm happy that it didn't,'" he said, adding, "But when I started working on myself every single day, and knowing that if I just keep trying and go with this with a positive mindset and a goal to get better, it worked wonders for me."

PHOTO: Jonah Barrow receives music therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas. (Courtesy Jonah Barrow)

Jonah Barrow will graduate from high school this month, and has plans to attend college, with a goal to work in music as a career.

He said he wants people to know that suffering looks different for different people, and that there is no shame in speaking out about mental health struggles.

"I believe many people suffer in silence," he said. "And I can only encourage them to just speak their truth, whatever that may be."

Suicide attempt survivor shares what he wants other teens to know about mental health originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Jet fuel is now around $90 per barrel, cheaper than it was last year, when it reached $178 per barrel in June. Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Booking a domestic flight 3 to 4 months in advance helps travelers find the best price.

Flying mid-week and early in the morning is cheaper and can help avoid travel disruptions.

Domestic airfare is down 19% compared to 2022, with an average price of $306 per ticket.

Prices for US domestic flights have finally cooled off after a very expensive 2022.

A round-trip domestic airfare ticket is now averaging $306, according to a new report by travel website Hopper. That's down 19% compared to last year when the average price peaked at $376 per ticket, the highest it's been since 2017.

After last year's soaring prices and travel disruptions, airlines have made an effort to increase capacity, coming close to pre-COVID levels.

Jet fuel is also cheaper than it was last year, when it reached $178 per barrel in June, according to Bloomberg data. It is now around $90 per barrel.

Domestic tickets could be less expensive as travelers are excited to go international now that restrictions related to the pandemic are almost fully gone.

On the flip side, fares to Europe and Asia are currently 36% and 62% more expensive than last year, respectively. Other than domestic flights, only flights to South America and the Antilles are cheaper than they were last year.

Finding the best deal for summer travel is all about timing.

According to Hopper, domestic travelers should start booking their flights 3 to 4 months in advance  3 to 5 months for international trips  and pay attention to when the flight is scheduled to take off.

Domestic mid-week flights  Wednesday especially  are on average $56 cheaper year-round, $60 cheaper over the summer, and up to $100 cheaper during holidays.

To try and avoid travel disruptions, early morning flights are preferable. After 9 a.m., flights are twice as likely to be delayed, according to Hopper. The Federal Aviation Administration has already warned travelers that it anticipates a 45% increase in flight delays at East Coast airports over the summer

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- The Archbishop of Canterbury denounced Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks immigration legislation as morally unacceptable and a threat to the UKs reputation, in an unusually blunt rebuke against a key government policy by Englands top religious leader.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Archbishop Justin Welby used his status as a member of the the House of Lords to criticize the bill, which Sunak has put forward to slow a surge in migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Provisions include sending people who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda and banning them from ever claiming asylum or citizenship in Britain.

This bill fails utterly to take a long-term and strategic view of the challenges of migration, Welby told the upper chamber, just days after crowning King Charles III in a ceremony watched by millions around the world. It is morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the crisis alone and cut our international aid.

The UK has seen a surge in people making the often dangerous journey across the channel, with some 45,000 arrivals reported last year. The issue has undermined the governments claims that it has got control over the countrys borders, a key argument for the decision to leave the European Union.

Sunak has made a vow to stop the boats one of his five core pledges as he tries to shore up the ruling Conservative Partys base before an election expected to be held next year. But the proposal faces widespread criticism from human rights advocates and even some high-profile Tories, such as former Prime Minister Theresa May.

The Illegal Migration Bill cleared the the House of Commons last month, despite vocal opposition from members of all main parties. The legislation could still be amended by the unelected peers who sit in the Lords, before returning to the lower chamber for final approval.

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While Welby previously condemned Home Secretary Suella Bravermans rhetoric on migration, it was unusual for the archbishop to weigh in on a political proposal so overtly. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick called Welbys remarks wrong and said that the government intended the plans to have a serious deterrent effect on migrants.

Theres nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue, Jenrick told BBC radio. I disagree with him respectfully. By bringing forward this proposal we make it clear that if you come across illegally on a small boat you will not find a route to life in the UK.

Under the governments proposals, the UK would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights to prevent or slow the deportation of asylum seekers. Critics argue the plans break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

A plan to immediately kill the bill in the upper chamber was unlikely to succeed after the main opposition Labour Party said it would oppose a so-called fatal motion proposed by Liberal Democrat peer Brian Paddick. He had argued the legislation undermined the UKs tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees.

Welby said he backed changes to provide greater protections for arrivals and facilitate more safe and legal routes to claim asylum in the UK. He pledged to put forward amendments to encourage the UK to work with international partners to tackle migration.

There must be safe legal routes put in place as soon as illegal, unsafe routes begin to be attacked, Welby said. The bill contained no measures for engaging with the criminal gangs of traffickers directly and offensively rather than tapping into simply what appears to be the unpredictability of market forces, as if traffickers were rationally trained economic actors and not appalling criminals, he said.

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Angel Footman, 23, would lay ground rules before the fights, telling female students not to pull each others' hair or scream. John Coletti/Getty Images

Teachers gasped when the superintendent of a Colorado school district brushed off the murder of a student in a private meeting.

In the meeting, teachers were trying to communicate the importance of addressing students' emotional well-being.

The superintendent wondered aloud why the school's social worker didn't stop the student's murder.

The superintendent of a Colorado school district that has recently been taken over by conservatives brushed off the murder of a student that occurred earlier this year, shocking teachers in the private meeting, video uncovered in an NBC News investigation shows.

The district's school board was opposing expanding mental health initiatives for the students, NBC News reported

After a number of recent local killings, Woodland Park, Colorado's teachers tried to explain to Superintendent Ken Witt that it was important to address students' emotional well-being in schools, according to the video.

The teachers, citing the local killings, fought for the importance of social workers and counselors at the school, video shows, something the GOP-heavy board is pushing against.

In one case, a teacher described how a first-grader's father tried to kill him.

When Witt told her she was supposed to have reported that, she assured the superintendent that she had, "but it would be much more difficult if we didn't have the counselors and the staff," the teacher says according to the video from NBC News.

"We had a murder-suicide," the teacher continued, according to the NBC News Video. Witt said he was "aware of it."

He then asked if there was a social worker in the school when that happened, to which the teachers loudly responded "yes," and pointed to that social worker, who was in the meeting with them, NBC News' video shows.

"Did the murder-suicide still occur?" Witt shot back, according to the video, seemingly implying that having a social worker didn't stop the horrific event.

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The teachers gasped and shouted in response, according to the NBC video.

The video shows the social worker calling Witt out for blaming her for the attack; he said he wasn't blaming her but said that she also "didn't prevent" it.

Nearly half of Woodland Park's high school teachers are leaving their jobs at the end of the school year after the new conservative school board put into place numerous conservative policies that the teachers, along with residents and even Republicans in the town, oppose, according to the NBC News investigation.

Read the original article on Insider
Kansas City, Kansas, police said Wednesday they have arrested the owner of a vehicle suspected of being used in a May 3 shooting that killed a 6-year-old boy as he was playing outside his family home.

The child, SirAntonio Brown, was fatally shot outside his home in the 3100 block of Greeley Avenue after three masked men opened fire from down the street, his family said.

In a news release Wednesday, police said Cassandra Sledge, 18, was charged with obstructing prosecution, accused of lying to law enforcement about the suspects in the shooting.

There is something seriously wrong with society when an individual will say or do anything to protect the killers of a six-year-old child, Police Chief Karl Oakman of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department said in a written statement.

This can never be accepted in our community or any other place in America. We all need to examine our hearts and understand that this can no longer the norm. Others out there know who these individuals are. Little Sir-Antonio has all the support and resources from the KCKPD and our federal partners to bring these killers to justice.

Sledge was booked Tuesday in the Wyandotte County Detention Center and is being held on a $40,000 bond.
A man accused of shooting three customers locked inside a Detroit gas station Saturday during an argument with a clerk over $3 pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Samuel Anthony McCray, 27, of Detroit is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of felony firearm and a count of possessing a firearm as a felon. McCray was on probation for a separate weapons charge when the shooting occurred, prosecutors said.

Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Kym Worthy said Tuesday that McCray attempted to make a purchase at the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road, near the Lodge Freeway, but his card was declined. He then attempted to leave the gas station with unpurchased items, Worthy said, and the gas station clerk locked the door.

More: Gunman shot every customer in Detroit gas station after warning clerk, victim says

Angered, McCray shot three patrons of the store, according to prosecutors. Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, a 37-year-old Detroit father of three, was killed. His friend, David Langston, 37, and another patron survived their gunshot wounds.

Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, 37, of Detroit, was killed in a triple shooting at the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road, near the Lodge Freeway in Detroit, on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

The clerk had locked the door electronically from behind the counter, prosecutors said.

Worthy said the clerk unlocked the door after the three people were shot, and McCray fled. He was found and arrested Sunday.

During McCray's arraignment in 36th District Court on Wednesday morning, prosecutors said the incident was captured on Project Green Light surveillance cameras.

Samuel McCray, accused of shooting three people in a Detroit gas station May 6, 2023, appears via video feed from the Detroit Detention Center on Mound Road for his arraignment on murder and assault charges in 36th District Court on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

The clerk and McCray argued after he attempted to leave the store, McCray became increasingly angry and the clerk refused multiple pleas from the other customers to unlock the door, prosecutors said.

McCray then allegedly began to argue with Fortner-Kelly. McCray told him he would "put one in the head" before pulling out a gun and shooting him and the other two patrons, prosecutors said.

The clerk unlocked the door after the shooting and McCray got into the backseat of his mother's vehicle, according to prosecutors. His mother took McCray to her home, where his sister picked him up and he later went to a motel to have sex with a woman, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors said McCray disposed of the gun used in the killing and attempted to dispose of his cellphone, knowing the police were looking for him. He was found Sunday in the passenger side of a vehicle near his sister's home.

McCray's attorney attempted to argue that McCray is severely mentally ill and should be placed on a tether bond.

Magistrate Dawn White of 36th District Court denied bond.

Efforts to reach owners of the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road near the Lodge Freeway were unsuccessful.

Update: SMM Mobil, which owns the gas station, issued a statement Wednesday evening via attorney Ali Dagher expressing condolences to the victims and their families.

"Mr. Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly was an outstanding young man and leader who was a victim of a heinous and senseless crime," the company said in the statement. "SMM Mobil wants to thank the Michigan State Police and Detroit Police Department in cooperation with community organizations like Crime Stoppers for the swift apprehension of the suspect who committed this tragic and senseless act of violence further proving a need for stricter gun control laws and community unity."SMM Mobil is a participant in the Green Light program and has supported all Detroit Police initiatives to insure safer streets in our community. SMM Mobil has spoken with several community activists and has committed to help the families in any way we can in this difficult time of need. We are devastated by this horrific tragedy and will do all we can to assist and aid in the investigation. Our efforts to obtain a Business License in the City of Detroit is an ongoing process that is currently in motion."

Police said Monday that the gas station was unlicensed and was shut down by the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department amid the shooting investigation.

A business license order is taped to the doors of a Mobil gas station that remains shut down days after a triple-shooting on West McNichols Road near the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The gas station, which police said was unlicensed, has been shut down by the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department.

Fortner-Kelly's loved ones are distraught and angry over the death.

Fortner-Kelly was a graduate of Southfield High School and Wayne State University. He had been a substitute teacher, according to his childhood friend Tihesha Redmond.

"Hes always been a person to be there for everyone around him and take care of them and make sure theyre good," Redmond said.

He was an outgoing, funny, comedian-type of person, Redmond said. No matter what youre going through, hes going to have you laughing.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit gas station shooting victims were locked inside, prosecutors say
The driver of an SUV involved in a early morning crash west of Mulberry on Tuesday that killed two people has been arrested on charges of driving without a license, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Elmer Bryan Giron-Canil, 24, of Mulberry was arrested Tuesday on a third-degree felony charge of negligently operating a motor vehicle and causing serious injury or death while not possessing a license. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid license.

The crash occurred Tuesday at 5:41 a.m. on State Road 60 at Pine Grove Road in Willow Oak. The Sheriff's Office said Giron-Canil was driving a 2007 Ford Expedition west with six passengers and attempted to turn south onto Pine Grove Road in front of an oncoming 1996 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck driven by an 18-year-old Bartow High School senior. The pickup hit the SUV on the rear passenger side, causing it to spin. Four of its passengers were ejected.

Previously Bartow High senior seriously injured, 2 others killed in SR 60 crash

Toxins in the water Blue-green algae warnings issued for five lakes in Polk County, two sites on Peace River

Polluted lakes Lakeland faces state mandates to improve water quality on five lakes

According to the Sheriff's Office, Giron-Canil told detectives that he saw the headlights of the Chevrolet approaching but thought he could make it across.

First responders found one of Giron-Canil's passengers, a 33-year-old man, dead at the scene, the Sheriff's Office said. A second passenger, a 62-year-old man, was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries. The other four passengers were transported to area hospitals where they are being treated for their injuries; two are in stable condition, one is in critical-stable condition, and one is in critical-unstable condition.

The Bartow High student, who is scheduled to graduate next week, was transported to an area hospital where she is being treated for her injuries and is in stable condition, the Sheriff's Office said.

Giron-Canil was also taken to an area hospital Tuesday. He was treated for minor injuries and then transported to the Polk County Jail. Immigration and Customs Enforcement completed an immigration detainer for Giron-Canil after confirming the Guatemalan citizen is in the U.S. illegally.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk sheriff: SUV driver in fatal crash didn't have a driver's license
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista refused to comment or reveal more details about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s reported plan to "reorganize" his Cabinet.

"I don't know. I'm not qualified to answer that," Bautista told the media on Wednesday. He also denied he was called to a meeting in Malacanang.

When asked if he was confident he would retain his position, the DOTr chief said he preferred not to answer.

"We'll just continue to do our work. We have a lot of responsibility to the public," he added.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Cesar Chiong, who was recommended by Bautista, was suspended without pay by the Office of the Ombudsman last week over alleged grave abuse of authority.

In April, Mark Steven Pastor resigned as DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure.

Bautista denied he has plans to step down from his post.

"You know, if you're a Cabinet secretary, you serve at the pleasure of the president," he said.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson has said that his country could not supply its fighter jets to Ukraine because it does not have enough of them.

Source: European Pravda with reference to SVT.

In a statement, Jonson confirmed that Sweden does not plan to send JAS aircraft  fourth-generation Gripen multirole fighter jets  to Ukraine.

"We do not have a surplus of JAS aircraft that we could now send to Ukraine," he said.

The minister added that Sweden's support for Ukraine will now focus on training and maintaining already shipped equipment.

He also said that Swedish participation in joint service and repair centres near the borders of Ukraine may be required.

Previously: In an interview with European Pravda, Jonson stated that sending Gripens is a challenge for Sweden because the country needs them to protect its sovereignty and the inviolability of its airspace.

In February, Ulf Kristersson, Swedish Prime Minister, did not rule out a future decision to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft but noted that such assistance would require an international coalition.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
There are no surplus JAS 39 Gripen jets in Sweden

Jonson said Sweden has now focused its efforts on training assistance and maintenance of weapons that have already been transferred to Ukraine.

Read also: Sweden instructors train Ukrainian conscripts in forest fighting

We dont have a surplus of (Gripen) aircraft that we could send to Ukraine right now, Jonson said.

Earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Ukraine would receive aircraft from its allies after the upcoming counter-offensive.

Read also: Zelenskyy hosts summit on special tribunal for Russia

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the process of transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine should begin with the consent of the United States.

Earlier U.S. President Joe Biden said that so far he rejected the possibility of transferring U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as there is currently no need for them.

Read also: No plans to supply F-16 jets to Ukraine, US reaffirms

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Kerstin Calissendorff, head of the Truth Commission

After centuries of persecution, Sweden's indigenous Sami people are beginning to provide testimony about the injustices they experienced in a recently launched "Truth Commission" probing the country's discriminatory policies and their consequences.

Experts have since February been gathering the often-painful accounts from Samis, formerly known by the pejorative term Laplanders or Lapps.

There are an estimated 100,000 Sami people across the vast Arctic wilderness of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia's Kola peninsula.

They have lived by hunting, fishing and herding reindeer for thousands of years, and been subjected to colonisation for centuries.

Like all children of Sami reindeer herders since 1913, Nils-Henrik Sikku, a Sami writer now aged 72, was taken away from his family at the age of seven and forcibly placed in a state-run boarding school.

At these "nomad schools", founded as part of a policy aimed officially at preserving the Sami, the education was basic and, paradoxically, taught in Swedish rather than the Sami language.

The children were punished if they spoke their mother tongue.

"If you did something wrong you were punished, you could be hit, you could be locked up, they could take your clothes and you would be sitting outside until the next morning," Sikku recalled in an interview with AFP.

The severe conditions led him and a few friends to escape on a freezing winter night.

"We ran... I don't know how we managed to do it," he said. "But we were more afraid to go back than to continue."

The last Sami boarding schools were closed in 1962, but this did not bring an end to the Sami's long and painful history.

The persecution of the Sami, Europe's only indigenous people, goes back to the 17th century, when the state began colonising and exploiting their resource-rich lands.

They were first brutally forced to Christianise and abandon their shamanism, before assimilation efforts intensified in the 19th and 20th centuries as the far north's economic importance grew.

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- Racial biology -

The policies were motivated by the emergence of theories about a "pure Swedish race", leading to the creation in 1922 of the world's first State Institute for Racial Biology in Uppsala.

Its director travelled regularly to Lapland to collect skulls and measure and photograph Sami -- often children and the elderly, forced to strip naked -- in a bid to prove they were an "inferior race".

Sikku believes he, like his father before him, was subjected to the pseudo-scientific examinations.

"We don't know what they did with us. But we stood naked in front of the so-called doctors," he said.

The Sami were treated differently if they were reindeer herders, considered "authentic" Sami.

"Because the Sami were seen as an 'inferior race', (the authorities) thought they were going to disappear so they wanted to preserve the reindeer herders, to salvage them," explained Sami researcher Kaisa Huuva.

Children of reindeer herders were sent to the state boarding schools, while other Sami lost their land rights.

"A lot of these wrongdoings that were committed a long time ago are still reflected in the families, their living conditions or how they perceive their relations with Swedish society," Kerstin Calissendorff, head of the Truth Commission, told AFP.

- 'Stealing land' -

While neighbouring Norway and Finland are scheduled to present the conclusions of their own truth commissions later this year, Sweden is due to publish its report in 2025.

It is expected to pave the way for a reconciliation process.

But Sikku won't be participating.

"I have no confidence" in the process, he said.

"They have stolen our land, forbidden our religion and stolen our childhoods."

The past, as painful as it was, must not overshadow the problems the Sami still face, Huuva warned.

Even today, "it's all about the stealing of the land", she said.

Today's reindeer herders, considered the last guardians of Sami culture, now see their traditional way of life threatened by climate change and conflicts with industry.

A recent study revealed that the suicide rate among young male reindeer herders was significantly higher than in the general population.

"They want to pass on their culture... and they overstretch their capacity" carrying out the challenging work, study author Petter Stoor, a psychologist at Umea University, told AFP.

Swedish mining giant LKAB in January announced the discovery of Europe's biggest deposit of rare earth minerals, much needed for the green transition.

The deposit is located near Kiruna, on Sami land belonging to Huuva's family.

She's worried.

"If our land is gone, we are gone with it. We will melt like snow in the sun."

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Every week in a Damascus cafe, comedians crack jokes about daily struggles like power cuts and fuel shortages after 12 years of war

In a dimly lit Damascus cafe, Sharief Homsi kicked off comedy night with a quip about war-battered Syria's modern-day prince charming: an eligible bachelor with attractive supplies of fuel and electricity.

"Marry me, I have a bright future: 100 litres of petrol, solar panels to generate electricity and three gas canisters," he said, performing a mock proposal that had the audience howling.

Every week, members of Syria's first stand-up comedy troupe crack jokes about daily struggles like power cuts and fuel shortages, lightening the mood for despondent Damascenes after 12 years of war.

The audience prefers "to laugh and forget the problems they cannot solve", said Homsi, 31.

"There is nothing else to do but laugh."

He and a few of his friends founded "Styria" -- an Arabic mash-up of Syria and hysteria -- four months ago, and put out a call on social media for others to join.

The group has since swelled to 35 members and has become a success, regularly drawing crowds at the capital's Deez cafe.

"The country's situation is hysterical," Homsi told AFP, and "filled with problems and gloom".

"We must face it with hysterical laughter."

The war in Syria, which broke out in 2011, has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure and industry.

In government-held Damascus, religion and politics are off-limits for the comedians, deemed too risky to broach.

Before performances, they meet at a troupe member's home to brainstorm and try out new lines.

"They told me to draw in the crowds with funny stories," said one comedian during a rehearsal, as the power dropped in and out.

"I thought long and hard and found that the funniest thing in my life is... my life."

His colleagues encouraged him to talk about his love life.

"He now has so many exes, his life is an equation," one quipped.

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- 'Red lines' -

At the Deez cafe, comedian Malke Mardinali, 28, said the troupe's inspiration came from "our daily lives, which are full of suffering".

"In Europe, even under three metres of snow, the electricity still works," he told the crowd.

"Here, when we hear Fairuz sing 'Winter Is Back' the power cuts out automatically," he said, drawing chuckles with the reference to a famous Lebanese tune.

Mary Obaid, 21 -- the only woman in "Styria" -- joked about Syria's public transport, badly overcrowded as petrol shortages push people to abandon their cars.

"Syrian buses can accommodate 24 million people," she joked, referring to Syria's pre-war population.

"In the end, without misery there is no comedy," she told AFP.

Fellow comedian Amir Dayrawan, 32, said doing stand-up helped him "face the fears locked inside".

Depression set in after he lost his sister and nephew in the conflict, and worsened after a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on February 6, killing thousands.

Joining "Styria" helped him shake off his despair and cope with his loss, he said, despite having to self-censor.

"We don't mention politics, though we sometimes hint at sexual and religious issues -- but within the red lines," he said.

"One day, I hope we can free ourselves intellectually and discuss any topics without fear."

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recives an invitation to next week's Arab summit from Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received an invitation to next week's Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, the presidency said Wednesday, the first such invitation since the country's war began in 2011.

Assad received an invitation from Saudi King Salman "to participate in the thirty-second Arab League summit, which will be held in Jeddah on May 19", the Syrian presidency said in a statement.

Assad said the summit "will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples," the statement added.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, delivered the invitation.

On Sunday, the Arab League welcomed back Syria's government, securing Assad's return to the Arab fold after years of isolation.

The pan-Arab body suspended Damascus in November 2011 over its crackdown on protests that spiralled into a war that has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure and industry.

The last Arab League summit Assad attended was in 2010 in Libya.

The invitation comes a day after Riyadh and Damascus announced that work would resume at their respective diplomatic missions in Syria and Saudi Arabia, after more than a decade of severed ties.

Assad had been politically isolated in the region since the war began, but a flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway in recent weeks after a decision by arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties shifted the political landscape.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recives an invitation to next week's Arab summit from Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received an invitation to next week's Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, the presidency said Wednesday, the first since his country's war began over a decade ago.

The pan-Arab body had suspended Damascus in November 2011 over its crackdown on protests which spiralled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

On Sunday, the Arab League welcomed back Syria's government, securing Assad's return to the Arab fold after years of isolation.

Assad received an invitation from Saudi King Salman "to participate in the 32nd Arab League summit which will be held in Jeddah on May 19", the Syrian presidency said.

Assad said the summit "will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples," it said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, delivered the invitation, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.

He conveyed the King and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "wishes to the brotherly government and people of Syria for security and stability," SPA said.

The last Arab League summit Assad attended was in 2010 in Libya.

The invitation comes a day after Riyadh and Damascus announced that work would resume at their respective diplomatic missions in Syria and Saudi Arabia, after more than a decade of severed relations.

- Diplomatic flurry -

The kingdom cut ties with Assad's government in 2012 and Riyadh had long openly championed Assad's ouster, backing Syrian rebels in earlier stages of the war.

But a flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway since a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on February 6.

A decision in March by former arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties also shifted the political landscape.

In April, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Assad in Damascus on the first such visit since the war broke out.

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Regional capitals have gradually been warming to Assad as he has held onto power and clawed back lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia.

In 2018, the United Arab Emirates re-established ties with Syria and has been leading the recent charge to reintegrate Damascus into the Arab fold.

Turkey, which supported early rebel efforts to topple Assad and maintains a military presence in Syria's north, has also shown interest in mending ties with Damascus.

The foreign ministers of Syria and Turkey were meeting Wednesday in Moscow for the first time since the start of the war.

Russia's top diplomat proposed a roadmap to normalise Syrian-Turkish ties, with Iran's foreign minister also attending the meeting.

- Arab leadership -

While Syria's front lines have mostly quietened, large parts of the north remain outside government control, and no political solution to the conflict is in sight.

Top diplomats from nine Arab countries discussed the Syria crisis in Saudi Arabia last month.

Officials at several recent meetings have said Arab leadership would be needed to find a settlement to the conflict.

The fate of millions of Syrian refugees -- many of them living in neighbouring Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon -- are among some states' main concerns.

Several Arab countries are also seeking increased security co-operation with Syria, which has turned into a narco-state with a $10 billion captagon industry, mostly trafficked to the Gulf.

During a meeting of several Arab foreign ministers in Jordan on May 1, Damascus agreed to "enhance cooperation" with countries "affected by drug trafficking and smuggling across the Syrian border", a statement said.

On Monday, an air strike killed a major drug smuggler and his family in southern Syria, a war monitor said, attributing the strike to Jordan, which has neither confirmed nor denied the hit.

Assad hopes normalisation with wealthy Gulf states can bring economic relief and money for reconstruction, as broader international funding remains elusive without a United Nations-backed political settlement to the conflict.

Analysts say Western sanctions on Syria are likely to continue to deter investment.

The United States and Britain said Tuesday they still opposed relations with Assad, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling reporters in Washington "we are not going to be in the business of normalising relations with Assad and with that regime".

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Tarrant County Judge Tim OHare penned a letter to state comptroller Glenn Hager last week asking for the comptrollers office to look into an all-ages drag show at Tulips FTW, a bar off St. Louis Avenue.

But the comptrollers power in the situation is limited.

According to media reports, OHare wrote in a May 4 letter, a performer may have exposed himself to the audience, which included children, during a March 27 show.

Under Texas laws that define sexually oriented businesses and what nude is, OHare wrote he believes the comptrollers office has the authority to investigate whether Tulips had operated as a sexually oriented business.

The owner of the property has outlawed all-ages drag shows, OHare wrote, but the private action does not address what may have already transpired, nor hold accountable those responsible.

While the outcome of pending legislation on this topic is still uncertain, I believe that we must continue to use all levers of power vested in our offices to protect children, especially when it comes to the scandalization and sexualization of their young minds, OHare wrote.

In an accompanying tweet Wednesday, OHare wrote that the comptrollers officer has been responsive and helpful.

Last week I sent this letter about an all-ages drag show in Tarrant County to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. His office is being responsive and helpful. Elected officials must take action to protect our children from indecency and sexualization. Their innocence is being stolen. pic.twitter.com/jhhzNgH9nt  Tim O'Hare, Tarrant County Judge (@TimothyOHare) May 10, 2023

A representative with the comptrollers office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the comptrollers office has been responsive and helpful in addressing the situation. A spokesperson told the Star-Telegram that the Legislature is responsible for making changes.

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Texas comptroller acts as the states chief tax collector. The county judges duties include overseeing a five-member Commissioners Court, which presides over the countys roadways, property tax rate, public hospital system and jail.

OHares letter comes as Texas lawmakers debate Senate Bill 12, which would restrict and add criminal punishment to some sexually oriented performances on public property and commercial businesses when children are present.

The bill has passed the Senate and is being heard by a House committee today.

Hagers office has gotten involved in investigating all-ages drag performances before. In August 2022, the comptroller said his office would look into a Dallas-area club to see if it was liable for a Sexually Oriented Business fee after images surfaced of a child placing money in a drag performers undergarment.

As a father, I take this matter especially seriously and am committed to ensuring my agency does everything in its power to ensure this establishment as well as others are fully compliant with Texas law, Hager wrote in a statement.

Tulips FTW did not answer a phone call requesting comment and did not immediately respond to an email. A representative for OHares office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
If you have been on TikTok recently, you may have noticed that TikTok creator Bria Jones accused Tarte Cosmetics of mistreating her during a press trip. The influencers accusations are the latest instance of drama for the brand.

Tarte has previously made headlines due to its #TrippinWithTarte influencer trips. Tarte seemingly used its Tarte Island Trip to address criticism that it does not include enough people of color on its excursions. Clarke Peoples and Golloria George were two of the women of color tapped to attend. However, creator, Cynthia Victor, also known as @Shawtysin on TikTok, alleged that she was given a smaller room than non-POC creators during her Tarte trip.

Now Jones recent allegation have once again put the spotlight on Tarte after she shared a TikTok video about her encounter with the brand.

Heres how it all started

Jones accused the brand of mistreatment during a Formula 1 trip to Miami. In her TikTok, Jones shared that she was scheduled to arrive at the event on May 5 and return on May 6. That schedule would result in Jones missing the the main F1 race day, while other non-Black influencers with more followers were invited to stay until May 7. In a since-deleted emotional TikTok video, Jones expressed her disappointment at the treatment she received, stating that it felt like a sorority situation.

Tartes response

On May 5, Tarte founder Maureen Kelly shared her version of the events in a get ready with me video. In it Maureen Kelly stated that her focus was on ensuring as many people as possible could enjoy the experience. She said she was less concerned about what was happening at the F1 racetrack. According to Kelly, a plan was put in place that allowed everyone to enjoy one day at the racetrack. That included one nice dinner, and one fun night out.

So everyone was coming for the same amount of time and I was really excited to hang with so many cool creators. Every day had a mix of big creators and up-and-coming creators, Kelly said.

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Several members of the TikTok community didnt take kindly to the Tarte founders response. Simi Muhumuza called Kelly out for gaslighting and failing to apologize for the mistreatment. Muhumuza also accused Kelly of disregarding the complexities of marginalized voices in these spaces.

More Drama

Another Black influencer who was also invited on the Formula 1 trip came to Tartes defense amidst all the drama. In a series of now-deleted videos, Nike Ojekunle discredited Jones account of the trip. She said Jones should not have complained about the incident.

Another Response

Folllowing the Tarte CEOs response and an outpouring of opinion on social, Jones once again addressed the issue. She apologized in a video posted to TikTok. Jones said there was miscommunication on both ends. She added that Tarte has done a great job of working through the situation with her.

The post Tarte Cosmetics Facing More Backlash From Black Influencers appeared first on 21Ninety.
DeKalb police are investing a shooting that left a teen injured.

Police said they responded to a person shot call in the 2000 block of South Stone Mountain Lithonia Road just after 9:30 p.m. This is the address of a Chevron Gas Station.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds.

He was taken to an area hospital by EMS with life-threatening injuries.

Police said the victim stated he was driving in the area when unknown people shot at him.

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DCPD said detectives are investigating.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology rolls out, kids appear more apt to use and hear about popular tools than their parents, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Fifty-eight percent of surveyed students aged 12 to 18 said they have used ChatGPT, compared to just 30 percent of surveyed parents of school-aged children, according to the poll commissioned by Common Sense Media, a childrens media safety nonprofit group.

While 54 percent of the students said they had heard a lot about ChatGPT, only 30 percent of parents said the same.

ChatGPT is OpenAIs popular generative AI chatbot tool. Its popularity has skyrocketed since it launched in November, and rival products, including one from Google, have hit the market since.

The chatbot gives users a detailed response to inquiries without a user having to click through links, as they do with a traditional search engine response. Nearly as soon as it was available to the public to use, it raised concerns about how children will use it in schools, either for cheating or to aid their education.

The poll found that kids appear to be using ChatGPT for school assignments without their parents or teachers knowledge.

Half of students aged 12 to 18 said they have used ChatGPT for school, but only 26 percent of parents of kids in that age range reported knowing their child used the tool for school, according to the poll.

The poll also found that 38 percent of students said have used ChatGPT for a school assignment without their teachers permission, and 56 percent said they have a friend or classmate who has done so.

Still, 68 percent of parents and an overwhelming 85 percent of students said AI tools like ChatGPT will help kids learn, based on the poll.

At the same time, the vast majority of parents, 82 percent, and students, 85 percent, said ChatGPT has the potential to both greatly benefit the world or cause great harm. And the majority of parents and students said they are concerned about kids becoming too dependent on it for school, using it to cheat, and generating inappropriate content.

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Sixty-one percent of parents and 51 percent of students said they think schools should limit the use of AI programs like ChatGPT until safeguards can be put in place.

The poll was conducted by Impact Research between March 28 and April 9 in English and Spanish. It surveyed 1,181 parents with children aged 5 to 18 enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade, and 300 students aged 12 to 18 in K-12. The margin of error is 2.9 percentage points for the parent results and 5.7 percentage points for the student results.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on his colleagues in the region to look into issues surrounding an aging society in light of a recent report that stated one in four people in Asia Pacific will be over the age of 60 by 2050.

Decades to sustain economic growth and prosperity have resulted in longer life spans in ASEAN I think therefore it is time that ASEAN starts discussing the concerns of an aging population, consistent with the Asian tradition of valuing our elders, Marcos said in a speech Wednesday during the opening session of the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia.

According to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ABD), China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam could see the demographic phenomenon happening very rapidly. Others such as Indonesia may witness a slower transition, but they will end up with very large populations of older persons.

The ADB noted that population aging in the region would have wide social and economic consequences, including the delivery of health and social services, employment, and fiscal policies.

Marcos said ASEAN must see the issue as an opportunity and a challenge in delivering social benefits and social empowerment.

He also said the groups plans should cover the health of the elderly, as well as making sure they would have a safe and dignified, and productive life.

In the Philippines, the policymaking National Economic and Development Authority Board, which is chaired by the president, approved measures that aim to boost social security protection services for the vulnerable sector, including senior citizens.
While diagnosing and treating patients virtually, a telemedicine doctor from Kansas ordered millions of dollars worth of unnecessary and expensive genetic tests and orthotic braces, according to federal authorities.

Now, Dr. Gautam Jayaswal, of Overland Park, has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, records show.

The 64-year-old man faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine in addition to restitution, according to a May 9 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

The defense attorney representing Jayaswal did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on May 10.

Medically licensed since 1986, Jayaswal mostly worked as an emergency room physician, according to his signed plea agreement.

Starting in 2017 and continuing into 2021, authorities said Jayaswal contracted as a telemedicine doctor with several companies.

Through these companies, (he) ordered medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and genetic tests for thousands of patients, prosecutors said.

Between January 2017 and May 2021, authorities said Jayaswal ordered orthotic braces for about 1,433 patients. The companies that supplied the braces then received about $1,366,123 from Medicare.

And between June 2018 and September 2021, Jayaswal fraudulently signed genetic test orders and caused the laboratories receiving his genetic test orders to submit reimbursement claims to health care benefit programs, according to the plea agreement. The laboratories received approximately $14,707,687 for 2,061 Medicare patients.

The doctor knew the braces and tests were not medically necessary, according to his plea, and he knew the companies were submitting reimbursement claims on his fraudulent orders.

Patients at greater risk of amputations after doctors unnecessary procedures, feds say

Doctor removed thin layer of tissue lining patients uteruses when unnecessary, feds say

Fake devices implanted in chronic pain patients in multimillion-dollar scam, feds say

Doctor pressured patients into getting unnecessary brain treatments in Texas, feds say
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law Wednesday a bill aimed at heightening security and offering new safety resources to both public and private schools.

Filed prior to the deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Lee, a Republican, pushed for additional funding and new security protocols and mental health resources following the tragedy.

Nothing is more important than Tennessee students and teachers returning home from school safely each day, Lee said in a statement Wednesday. Every year since 2019, weve worked with the General Assembly to prioritize school safety, and this year, weve passed significant measures to fund an armed SRO for every public school, enhance mental health support and boost physical security at public and private schools across Tennessee.

Approved by both the House and Senate in April, the new law allocates $230 million for enhanced safety, including $30 million to place school resource officers in every public school, $54 million toward security upgrades for public and private schools, $140 million to place Homeland Security agents in every county to coordinate school security responses, and $8 million to provide new school-based behavioral help staff.

It also prescribes new safety protocols for both public and private schools, requiring emergency drills and increasing security collaboration with state and local law enforcement.

The bill does not restrict access to firearms.

Hardening security at our public and private schools is no longer just a priority, it is an imperative, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said in a statement. The safety of our schools is of paramount importance and I am grateful we were in the financial position to quickly allocate the funds for these improvements.

The new law, which takes effect Wednesday, requires every public school to:

Lock exterior doors while students are present, subject to penalties for repeat violations

Conduct annual incident command and bus safety drills, in addition to already-required armed intruder drills

Requires all newly built public school facilities to install classroom door locks and secure visitor entry vestibules

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Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

It requires private schools to:

Develop safety plans for emergency response and crisis management

Conduct annual armed intruder, incident command, and bus safety drills

Lock exterior doors

Require private school security guards to complete the same training that public schools complete

It requires school districts to:

Annually share safety plans, floor plans, and security systems access with state and local law enforcement

Requires districts to have a threat assessment team (they are currently allowed, not required)

Requires annual active shooter training for private security guards, and requires such training to be completed before being posted in a school

Democrats have criticized the measure for not adding any new restrictions on guns, arguing that it does nothing to keep "weapons of war" out of the hands of people who would do harm. The bill passed the House without support from three Democrats who faced expulsion from the chamber after interrupting House proceedings by protesting for gun control.

We dont want gun battles at our schoolhouse door," Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville said during the House floor debate.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, in a statement praised the new security measures and acknowledged that there is more work to do.

We will continue speaking with members and Tennesseans about further improvements to school safety, additional resources to improve mental health outcomes, and the best ways forward to keep our children and schools safe, Sexton said.

Reach Vivian Jones at vjones@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee signs $230M school safety after Nashville shooting
Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

For Donald Trump, the initial plan seemed simple.

By agreeing to an exclusive town hall in New Hampshire with his biggest cable news nemesisCNNthe 2024 Republican frontrunner was poised for a made-for-primetime clash to delight his followers, set off his critics, and suck up the political oxygen in the critical early primary state.

Just over 24 hours before Trumps scheduled sit-down, however, whatever hopes he had to ambush CNN turned into what one of his former advisers called walking into a complete ambush.

Thats because on Tuesday, a Manhattan jury found Trump to be liable for sexually abusing, and then defaming, the writer E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages.

Trump is almost certain to be asked about the case and the verdict by moderator Kaitlan Collins, who covered his White House for CNN.

GOPs 2024 Candidates Dare Not Cross Trump After Sexual Assault Verdict

If I were on his communications team, I would be shitting my pants right now, said the adviser, who held a senior role on Trumps 2016 campaign and requested anonymity to speak candidly. The verdict, they said, could not have come at a worse time for them, so I think this thing takes on a whole new dynamic. Majorly.

It was unclear following the verdict if his campaign was trying to renegotiate the terms of the programming with CNN. One source close to Trump confirmed to The Daily Beast that he still planned to show. Representatives for CNN did not return a request for comment.

But the legal developments only supercharged the existing tensions and perilsfor both partiesin deciding to do the town hall.

The former president hasnt sat down on camera with a CNN journalist since Wolf Blitzer interviewed him in January 2016, shortly before he won the New Hampshire primary. And hes done astonishingly few interviews, of any kind, with non-friendly media since his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or since he was criminally indicted in Manhattan last month.

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Trump is liable to be confronted about it all, on live television, for the first time in years. Just before the Carroll verdict was handed down, he candidly acknowledged that the event was perhaps ill-conceived. In a post on Truth Social, he said it "could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Lets see what happens?"

Many liberal commentators spent Tuesday afternoon calling for CNN to cancel the event and expressing disbelief that the network would give an exclusive platform to a man just found liable for sexually abusing and defaming a woman. But many also felt the same way when CNN was simply granting airtime to the only president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted or impeached twice.

Privately, CNN seemed to recognize other pitfalls on their end, too. The town hall format, with GOP and independent voters asking the candidate questions directly, was initially seen as much more of a gamble for CNN than for the Trump campaign, according to GOP operatives and sources close to Trump who spoke with The Daily Beast for this story.

One senior Granite State Republican said a representative for CNN tried to convince her to ask a question at the event because theyre having a bit of an issue with women.

I said to her, What do you think that tells you? Because theyve lost a lot of the female vote, the Republican told The Daily Beast, adding that she wasnt surprised the bulk of questions submitted were from men.

Trump could have used the event to court the suburban women voters hes steadily lost, but he spent 70-some-odd years saying the things he does say about women and to women, the woman added. Its too late for him to walk that back.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

The town hall, then, comes at a pivotal moment for both Trumps presidential comeback bid and the media tasked with covering it. With an increasing polling lead over his GOP primary rivals, Trump is gaining surprising momentum with the party base, even as top party officials point to news like the Carroll verdict to argue that hes as unelectable as ever.

What Trump says and does on Wednesday night on air at Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, could help define his relationship to his party as the primary contest gets more serious.

Convinced by top advisers to reappear on the network, Trump has been approaching Wednesday night as an easy way to contrast himself against both President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Its also a chance to entertain his supporters.

Those close to the former president said he plans on going after CNNa network he is still suing over DEFAMING and SLANDERING himfor their years of adversarial coverage. Since the lawsuit was filed in early October of last year, Trump has sent out countless email blasts fundraising off the suit.

Just as he did in 2016, Trump can generate a multi-day media cycle out of a confrontation with a major news outlet. The guy is the most shameless PR master in the history of our country, a GOP strategist without a horse in the 2024 race said. Whether its always good for him, thats another story. But in terms of generating raw press coverage, no one can do it like he can.

One Trump operative close to the campaign said Trump has toyed with flipping the script on CNN by getting into a back-and-forth with Collins. One Trump adviser, the pastor Mark Burns, agreed, saying the town hall gives Trump the opportunity to stand his ground and fire back with his quick wit in not-so-friendly territory if hes attackedall with the understanding that the hand of God is upon his life.

Behind the scenes, according to close Trump allies and advisers who spoke to The Daily Beast, Trump has also been eyeing the possibility of attempting to create a viral moment.

Id tune in if I were you, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Daily Beast when asked about that prospect.

Trumps Failed Rape Defense Was Straight Out of the 17th Century

He thrives from confrontation from the media, founder of Pastors for Trump Jackson Lahmeyer said, citing Trumps brutal and misogynistic attacks on then-Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly following the first GOP debate of the 2016 primary. The former Trump 2016 campaign adviser also drew parallels to the Kelly row, sympathizing with Collins for being in an even more difficult position following the Carroll verdict.

I mean, how do you ignore the elephant in the room? the Trump campaign veteran said. You finally get this guy on TV, and this is ratings gold. No matter how much that Megyn Kelly moment backfired, those are the moments where somebody who has Trump participating live is gonna drop that kind of bomb.

Several Republicans who spoke to The Daily Beast said Trump will need to be careful not to get too confrontational with voters who ask unfriendly questionsor with Collins, who cut her teeth at The Daily Caller covering the Trump 2016 campaign before covering his 2020 campaign, and all four years of his presidency, for CNN.

Shes perceived as someone whos been traditionally very tough to both Trump and Biden. Its not like hes going on Sean Hannity or something, the GOP strategist said.

Collins was barred from press conferences in the Trump White House in July 2018, but continued lobbing questions at the president after the spat and covered him on myriad foreign trips.

Her presence as a female moderator, the Trump 2016 adviser said, compounds whats become a real messaging problem for the Trump 2024 team. Because the more they try to say another witch hunt and bullshit like that, especially if you couple it with this abortion thing women are very turned off by this shit.

Appearing on a network Trump has spent years deriding also has its risks among the base.

They will stay fake news but will go up in viewership with our real President appearing! MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell told The Daily Beast, struggling to square the two things. Then their ratings will go back down!

Notably, those close to Trump also see his return to CNN as a great opportunity to stick it to Fox News, now more unpopular than ever among the MAGA base.

"Not for nothing, if Fox hadn't fired Tucker Carlson, maybe we'd be seeing a different platform, Michael Caputo, an outside adviser and longtime friend of Trump, told The Daily Beast. I can't imagine anyone in Mar-a-Lago is too pleased with Fox right now. If they could take it off of all the TVs in there, I bet they would."

Liz Cheney Goes Nuclear on Trump in Ad Ahead of CNN Town Hall

In the end, Trumps closest alliesdespite any hardcore MAGA blowback that might come their wayhad been declaring the town hall as a victory before it even happened.

President Trump is unafraid to take on the liberal media in order to speak directly to all Americans, Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc., told The Daily Beast. In a grassroots-oriented state like New Hampshire, President Trump's direct approach is much appreciated.

Yet for other Republicans looking toward the general election, the potential for a meltdown over either the abortion issue or the Carroll verdict or anything else Trump could say at a random moment still looms large.

Our party is already having trouble with women, and if theres any candidate thats gonna compound that trouble for us, its Trump, said the New Hampshire Republican woman who declined CNNs nudge to ask a question.

Those whove gotten off the Trump train also couldnt help but rejoice a bit at the timing of the town hall and the verdict, where the jury found Trump guilty of sexual battery but not rape.

Apparently, the Trump 2016 adviser said, you cant grab em by the pussy."

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Tesco has partnered with the Trussell Trust to support 29 centres in England. (Getty)

Tesco has provided more than 730,000 meals to food banks across the country to help meet the soaring demand as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

The supermarket has partnered with the Trussell Trust to support 29 centres in England, including venues in London, the Midlands and North East.

The food banks will be able to order food directly at no cost and have it fulfilled by Tescos distribution network  meaning they receive weekly deliveries of items for food parcels.

The Trussell Trust network announced last month it had distributed almost three million emergency food parcels to people between April 2022 and March 2023.

Read more: Who is and isn't eligible for cost of living payments?

Hackney Foodbank will receive help as part of the scheme. (Getty)

Emma Revie, chief executive of Trussell Trust, said: Over the last year there has been a 37% increase nationwide in the number of food parcels that our network has distributed and this is putting a significant strain on our network as they are struggling to source enough food to meet this level of need.

Tescos generosity has been a much-needed lifeline for the food banks who benefited from this initiative.

Trussell Trust added the level of need across the network was far outstripping the donations that weve been receiving, meaning food banks were forced to purchase more food and source additional warehouse space to store it.

It added that food banks also had to extend their opening hours to accommodate employed people who need emergency support around their working patterns.

Read more: Cost of living: Food prices 'will be the new energy crisis'

Trussell Trust has said the level of need across the network is "far outstripping the donations". (Getty)

Tescos emergency support scheme is being led by its distribution centres, which supply stores with products daily.

Andrew Woolfenden, UK distribution and fulfilment director at Tesco, added: When the Trussell Trust told us it had food banks struggling to meet demand we wanted to find a way we could help them quickly and easily.

We have a great partnership with the Trussell Trust through our stores and this was a chance for our distribution colleagues to be involved in helping communities.

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They are brilliant at planning the logistics to make these donations easy for food banks so they could receive exactly what they needed most free of charge from Tesco.

The scheme runs for six months as an emergency provision for the food banks but Tescos Community Food Connection will continue to run all year round in stores.

More than 100 million meals have been donated from Tesco stores since the programme launched in 2016.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

On the evening of Jan. 29, 2017, a 27-year old opened fire in a mosque in Quebec City, killing six people and injuring 19. The shooter was apprehended rather than being killed, allowing a rare glimpse into the potential motivation for such a senseless and racially charged mass killing.

After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was going to allow more refugees in the country, fueled by a fear and hatred of Muslims poured on him by right-wing pundits like Tucker Carlson and ex-Klansman David Duke, the shooter took matters into his own hands and committed an unspeakable hate crime.

Nobody Sold Out Harder Than Tucker Carlson

Although he previously had a few traffic violations, he had no meaningful criminal record and wasnt known to the police. But investigations revealed the shooter was a white nationalist who had been heavily radicalized online by multiple far-right figures. The commentator he most searched for was Ben Shapiro, a hugely popular right-wing podcaster who previously tweeted statements such as Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage.

This past Saturday, May 6, a gunman opened fire outside of a mall in Texas, slaughtering eight people, including children. (The shooter was killed by police at the scene.) The sheer brutality of this massacre was captured profoundly in the statement of a witness who tried to find a pulse on a little girlonly to turn her over and reveal that she had no face.

This time the shooter wasnt white. He was a 33-year-old man of Hispanic heritage, which immediately allowed some far-right pundits to play off any suspicions that this might again be related to white supremacist rhetoric. But as should be obvious by now, white supremacy can be upheld by non-white people (just as white nationalists can be superfans of someone who practices Orthodox Judaism, like Ben Shapiro).

Shoppers leave with their hands up after police responded to a gunman who shot and killed eight people and wounded at least seven others at Allen Premium Outlets mall. Reuters TV/Reuters

Once again, the shooter was heavily inspired by previous mass shootings and idealized the kill count like it was a high score in a video game. He had both a large SS and a swastika tattoo, and frequently praised Hitler. He also posted a very blunt meme demonstrating that Latino men have a choice to either become white supremacists or imitate Black people. While the term incel is overused as a descriptor, the shooter also spoke of women owing men sex and the frustrations of being denied this assumed arrangement.

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He was also a fan of both Tim Poola right-wing podcaster who calls himself a disaffected liberaland Libs of TikTok, a popular anti-LGBTQ account on Twitter run by Chaya Raichik, who was part of the crowd outside the Capitol during the attempted coup on Jan. 6.

Pool and Raichik are not Nazis, nor have they called for violence, nor have they praised mass shooters. There is no evidence that they directly inspired the shooters massacre. But that doesnt mean they havent contributed to the spread of fear and hatred.

Right-Wing Hosts Try Saving Kanye but Hes Too Far Gone

Libs of TikTok has spread false conspiracy theories about kids identifying as cats and accused Pete Buttigiegs husband of being a groomer simply for getting kids to sing a variation on the pledge of allegiance to the rainbow flag. After anti-trans activist Chris Elston in August 2022 falsely claimed that Boston Childrens Hospital was performing genital surgery on children, Libs of TikTok shared the video to its 1.3 million followers. That effectively launched a far-right campaign against the institution.

Anti-trans commentator Matt Walsh (who, like Ben Shapiro, works for the right-wing culture war site Daily Wire) amplified the message by mirroring calls to contact the staff at the hospitaland posted their publicly available information. Once the story had been picked up by Tucker Carlson it became national news and it wasnt long until multiple nurses and doctors reported receiving death threats.

The hospital eventually got multiple bomb threats, which disrupted the healthcare of all children attending the clinic. While such actions could be described as stochastic terrorism, an entire network of plausible deniability had already been established.

Were the people threatening the lives of nurses and doctors inspired by Libs of TikTok? Or was it Matt Walsh? Or did they just watch the Tucker Carlson segment?

Almost always, that answer is unknowable. But the end result is the same.

Tim Pools News Site Plagiarized the Mainstream Media He Claims to Hate

The Texas mall shooter was also a fan of Tim Pool, whose persona is built on a thin resume which included brief stints for lefty sites like Vice and Fusion many years ago. Those supposed liberal bona fides are his shield against accusations that hes a far-right propagandistas he frequently hosts friendly interviews with Proud Boys, Holocaust deniers, alt-right pundits, and Christian fascists. (Disclosure: I recently appeared on Pools show to debate him on transgender rights issues, and the vigilante killing of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway.)

Perhaps Pools lowest moment in a career full of them came after the November 2022 mass shooting at a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub called Club Q, where five queer people were killed.

The shooter in question was a troubled young white male with a history of anti-gay hatred and who ran a neo-Nazi website. He had rainbow-colored practice targets, and his own father appeared to be more concerned with the prospect of him being gay than he was with him being a mass murderer. After the Club Q shooting, Pool tweeted that We shouldnt tolerate pedophiles grooming kids... Club Q had a grooming event No more thoughts and prayers, the right was now blaming the victims.

Dominions Big Fox News Settlement Is Americas Loss

And like the rhetoric used to demonize undocumented immigrants, Muslims, and other marginalized groups, violence against queer people didnt lead to any soul-searching among anti-trans culture warriors. In fact, theyve since doubled-down on their hate. To cite just one example, anti-trans commentator Michael Knowles (yet another Daily Wire employee) said earlier this year that transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.

The Texas mall shooter was not white. And though it may seem counterintuitive, Jewish people and people of color can inspire (and in some cases, become) perpetrators of white supremacist violence. And the people stoking hatred, which all too often plants the seed of violence, never want to be confronted with the fact that their apocalyptic fear mongering is taken quite literally by some in their audience.

A body of evidence already exists to prove this point. And, tragically, it will almost certainly continue to grow.

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A Texas Senate panel has advanced a measure that would ban race-based hair discrimination, sending the bill to the full Senate for approval.

The Senate State Affairs Committee passed the bill, known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, on Tuesday in a 9-1 vote. The legislation passed the state House almost unanimously last month.

The text of the bill states schools, employers, labor unions and companies would be prohibited from instituting a dress or grooming policy that discriminates against a hair texture or protective hairstyle that is associated with race, like braids, locks and twists. It would also apply to housing practices.

The CROWN Act has passed in 20 states, and localities in another 12 states have passed measures to ban race-based hair discrimination, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

The Dallas-based ABC affiliate WFAA reported a Texas state House committee advanced a similar bill during the 2021 legislative session, but it did not proceed to a vote before the full House.

If the current measure is approved and becomes law, it would be set to take effect Sept. 1.

A study found in February that two-thirds of Black women have changed their hairstyle for a job interview, and a quarter said they have not advanced to a job interview because of their hair.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Texas National Guardsmen place concertina wire on a gap migrants were using to cross from Mexico into the United States near El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

AUSTIN, Texas  Four C-130 military transport planes towered over the tarmac at Austins international airport, idling with the doors open as the sun rose over a news conference called by the Texas governor, Greg Abbott.

As Abbott began speaking Monday from a lectern emblazoned with the words Securing the Border, about 200 soldiers from the National Guard hustled onto the planes.

They will be deployed to hot spots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally, the governor said, barely audible over the roar of the engines. Then he turned to watch the planes take off.

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For two years, Texas has engaged in a multibillion-dollar attempt to arrest and deter migrants who cross into the state from Mexico, deploying helicopters and drones, National Guard troops patrolling the border in camouflage and state troopers racing down highways in black-and-white SUVs. The state has bused thousands of migrants to East Coast cities such as New York and lined the reedy banks of the Rio Grande with concertina wire.

But the number of crossings into Texas has only increased.

Now, a new surge of migrants is already arriving at the U.S. border with the expected end on Thursday of a public health measure, known as Title 42, that for the past three years had allowed the government to rapidly expel a large number of migrants who arrived at the border.

Texas is doubling down on its response, not only sending more soldiers and police officers to the border but also pushing legislation that would impose new state penalties on migrants and human smugglers, as well as create a border police force and border protection courts to enforce state controls.

Abbott, a Republican, blames the Biden administration for undermining his states efforts so far to limit the number of migrants arriving from Mexico.

If we were acting in isolation, we would have secured the border, he said. While Texas is doing everything possible to stop people from crossing the border, the president of the United States is setting out the welcome mat.

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The legislative actions, some of which were expected to pass the state House this week, would expand and make permanent elements of the border enforcement program that Abbott unveiled in March 2021 known as Operation Lone Star. Through the program, Abbott has pushed the envelope of what the law allows, using his power as governor to send the National Guard and state police to the border, and employing state trespassing laws to arrest migrants when they cross private land.

But states cannot enforce federal immigration law  that is up to the federal government  and Abbott has thus far resisted calls from some far-right conservatives to declare that Texas is being invaded, order the state police to arrest any migrants found in Texas and return them over the border to Mexico.

For now, when National Guard troops or state officers encounter migrants at the border, they most often turn them over to U.S. Border Patrol agents, who take them into custody under federal law, a process that allows many to stay and pursue asylum claims.

The bills now before the state Legislature  particularly a measure that would make it a state crime for migrants to cross from Mexico into Texas  would mark a big step toward a more direct state role in immigration enforcement and could run afoul of current constitutional precedent, several legal experts said.

Civil rights groups, immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers have opposed the bills as a cruel distraction from the need to provide aid to the desperate people who are making their way to the United States after fleeing poverty and violence. The real issue at the border is that its a humanitarian emergency so we need a humanitarian response, said Alexis Bay of the Texas Civil Rights Project. Weve seen all sorts of deterrence policies but people are still coming to the border.

On Tuesday, the state House in Austin had been scheduled to discuss several big pieces of border legislation, including HB 7 and HB 20, which would create the new system of border courts and border police. Democrats delayed consideration of the bills for much of the day.

Some Texas officials, including the attorney general, Ken Paxton, have expressed an eagerness to take the question of state jurisdiction to court in the apparent hope that more conservative justices on the Supreme Court may be prepared to give broader authority to states such as Texas to enact their own immigration laws.

Paxton said as much during a Senate committee hearing in March, when he told lawmakers that the state should set out to test the landmark 2012 case in Arizona in which the U.S. Supreme Court found that state enforcement of immigration law impermissibly intruded on federal authority. We should test to see if the states can protect themselves, given the circumstances were in that weve never been in before, Paxton said.

A particularly direct challenge to existing law would come from one bill, already passed in the state Senate, that would make it a violation of state law for someone who is not an American citizen to cross into Texas from a foreign country other than at a legal port of entry  something that is already a violation of federal law.

Its hard to imagine a more stark intrusion, a more direct intrusion by a state on what is traditionally thought of as the realm of federal immigration law, said Pratheepan Gulasekaram, a law professor at Santa Clara University in California who has studied state efforts to regulate immigration.

In the short term, Texas has been readying itself for the end of Title 42 by creating teams of soldiers who can rush to areas where a large number of migrants are arriving. That has been the approach in cities such as El Paso, where officials said soldiers had been placing miles of concertina wire near the border and providing an increased presence to discourage crossings.

The surge is coming before Title 42 ends, is what is happening, said Maj. Sean Storrud, who commands hundreds of National Guard soldiers stationed in El Paso.

Storrud  a high school math teacher from Marlin, Texas, when not called up by the Guard  said that what had been a mile-long barrier of concertina wire in December had grown to more than 17 miles of wire, anti-climbing barrier and shipping containers. It is a mixed media fence, he said. The idea is to divert them to the legal points of entry.

But in many places, migrants have created holes allowing them to pass through the sharp wire, sometimes in full view of National Guard troops. The additional troops who were among those who flew into El Paso from Austin on Monday will in part be tasked with watching the fence and making sure no one tries to cross, Storrud said.

The c-wire is only as effective as the soldiers who are guarding that wire, he said, using an abbreviation for concertina wire.

If the troops flying out of Austin were sent on a familiar mission, they had at least been given a new name  the Texas Tactical Border Force  one that echoed the name of the state-level border police force being considered by Republican leaders in the state House.

The bill to create a separate Border Protection Unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety has been a priority of the House speaker, Dade Phelan. It has raised concerns among immigrant rights advocates, because an initial draft would have allowed the new unit to deputize ordinary citizens to participate in operations, giving the color of state authority to private armed groups that have long operated in Texas.

Mike Vickers, who runs the Texas Border Volunteers, said his group had been patrolling on private land to act as lookouts and report suspicious activity to law enforcement for 16 years.

We think its a great idea, he said of the bills. He said opposition to the legislation was coming from all these Democrats" who believed it would mean a bunch of gringos out there wanting to arrest anyone with brown skin. Its so stupid. But thats kind of their mindset.

Last month, Vickers appeared at a rally in Austin along with the musician Ted Nugent and other conservative figures to support the legislation and urge Abbott to more directly challenge the federal government on immigration enforcement.

It remains to be seen how this civilian unit will operate, Vickers said. But if they can coordinate it with law enforcement, I think it will be great.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Alexandra del Moral Mealer, Republican candidate for Harris County Judge, speaks to reporters outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on Election Day in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Annie Mulligan/The New York Times)

HOUSTON  Across Harris County, an emerging Democratic stronghold in reliably red Texas, roadside signs posted last November urged harried drivers to vote Republican. A celebrity furniture salesperson, beloved by many Houstonians, cut ads with the Republican candidate for the top county administrators post.

The 2022 races for local judges and county leaders were among the hardest fought and most expensive yet seen in the sprawling county of 4.8 million, which includes Houston, as Republicans looked to capitalize on crime concerns to make headway in the states largest urban area.

But they fell short.

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Now, the county is in the crosshairs of the Republican-dominated state Legislature, which is trying to exert more control over voting there. Lawmakers are pushing dozens of new election bills, including limits on polling places, felony penalties for illegal voting and a mechanism for the state to order new elections when voting problems occur in Texas counties with more than 2.7 million people, a category that includes only Harris County.

At the same time, more than a dozen election challenges have been filed by losing Republican candidates in the county who have argued that significant problems at a limited number of polling places on Election Day, including insufficient supplies of ballot paper, were enough to change the outcomes of races. While local leaders acknowledge issues, evidence has not been presented that they affected the results.

Still, the two-front fight, both in the courts and in the state Capitol, highlighted just how important it is for Republicans to keep Harris County in play and not let it become another strongly blue urban center along the lines of Austin or Dallas. As recently as 2014, the party controlled the county, whose Republican top official was reelected in a landslide. But it has been moving left ever since.

I tell people, we could be the reason we lose Texas, just because of our size, said Cindy Siegel, the chair of the county Republican Party, sitting in her office under a painting of former President George W. Bush with smoke rising from lower Manhattan after Sept. 11, 2001.

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Were the wall, she added. And they say, so goes Texas, so goes the country. So Harris County is the battleground.

The election bills aimed at the county are part of a broad effort by Republican state leaders to increase their control over Texas Democratic-run urban areas. They include bills prohibiting local governments from adopting certain local ordinances, including over worker pay or hours, and allowing for the removal of elected local prosecutors who refuse to enforce certain laws, such as those banning abortion. The approach mirrors those in other red states with large blue cities, such as Tennessee and Florida.

Republican lawmakers in Texas passed an overhaul of election rules just two years ago in a bitter fight with Democrats. They returned to the subject this session in large part to address the results in Harris County in November.

The election there provided a contentious backdrop because there were real issues during the vote. Some polling places opened late, while others struggled with enough paper to accommodate the two-sheet ballot printouts needed for the countys huge list of races. The local district attorney, a Democrat, opened an investigation last year.

The legislative push is to make sure that this never happens in any county in Texas, said Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and the sponsor of several of the bills. I believe the lack of ballot paper is voter suppression.

But county officials said the election bills do not address the issues that arose in Harris County. Instead, they said, the proposed laws could dampen turnout by limiting voting options and would give a partisan secretary of state, an official appointed by the governor, the power to overturn results and order a new vote if ballot paper issues arose again.

Christian Menefee, the Harris County attorney, said the election challenges appeared to try to lay the groundwork for giving Republicans more control over the elections in a Democratic county. It is a solution in search of a problem thats not widespread, he said.

As a Black man whose grandfather paid a poll tax, this whole ordeal is infuriating, said Menefee, a Democrat. Its a complete misuse of the word disenfranchisement from people who, by the way, are still working to disenfranchise folks.

The scale of the problems on Election Day  which featured new voting machines and a lengthy ballot that required two pages of paper per voter  remain a matter of dispute, both in court and before the Legislature. But they do not appear to have affected the vast majority of the countys 782 polling locations.

At a hearing before a state House committee in March, the head of the secretary of states elections division said that despite logistical problems, the 2022 election was one of the best elections weve seen in several years in Harris County, though he acknowledged it was a low bar given the roundly criticized primary election earlier in the year.

Republicans have said the November results were indeed affected because, they have argued, the ballot issues arose in precincts where their voters turn out in large numbers. Democratic county officials have said the problems occurred in other areas as well and were limited in scope: A postelection report by the election administrator, Clifford Tatum, found that 68 polling places reported running out of paper on Election Day, and 61 said they later received additional paper.

County officials have resisted releasing documents and other information about the handling of voting issues on Election Day in response to public information requests, citing the ongoing litigation. Among Bettencourts election bills is one that would remove the litigation exception for requests for certain election records.

With that backdrop, the state Senate has advanced more than a dozen election bills, explicitly or implicitly aimed at Harris County, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island that includes not only the reliably Democratic city of Houston but also some of its more moderate suburbs.

The county since 2016 has shifted ever more firmly into the Democratic column in presidential races and local ones as well, as formerly conservative neighborhoods and growing Houston suburbs have grown more diverse and trended blue. The political makeup of the five-member commissioners court, which administers the county, has gone from a 3-2 Republican majority in 2014 to a 4-1 Democratic majority now.

Republicans are hoping, if not to reverse that trend, then at least to keep the contests close and, sometimes, winnable.

The Texas Legislature will ensure that there are consequences for Harris Countys failure to run elections, said state Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Houston-area Republican and the sponsor of the bill to allow the secretary of state to order new elections in certain cases of ballot paper problems. Disenfranchising voters is unacceptable, Middletown said, in a statement.

Also of concern to Democrats and advocates of expanding access to the polls is another bill, which passed the state Senate last month, that would limit voters to their assigned polling place. Some counties, including Harris County, currently allow voters to cast a ballot anywhere in the county.

Its definitely one of the most damaging, said Katya Ehresman, the voting rights program manager at the advocacy group Common Cause Texas, because by limiting voters options it could decrease turnout. The bill, like others that have made it through the Senate, must still pass the more moderate, Republican-controlled state House.

In the last election, voters whose polling places ran out of paper were able to go to another location in the county, though some gave up without voting.

Many of the legal challenges to the November election in Harris County involve voters who were unable to cast ballots.

Leila Perrin said she had gone to vote in a more conservative section of West Houston shortly before the polls closed on Election Day and encountered a chaotic scene. I went to get out of my car, and these people were leaving and they said, Dont bother, she recalled. I said Why? And they said, They dont have any paper ballots.

Perrin, 72, had planned to vote against the top county official, Democratic county judge Lina Hidalgo. So she drove to another polling site nearby and found the same situation. By then it was 10 minutes before the polls closed. So I just went home. I was furious, she said.

Twenty-one Republican candidates have filed election challenges including Perrins favored candidate, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who lost to Hidalgo by 18,000 votes. The first trial is set to begin in June.

Some voters also found themselves unable to vote in predominantly Democratic precincts temporarily on Election Day, though no Democratic candidates have filed challenges. For example, voters were turned away from one such location that did not open for hours. All polls in the county were ordered to stay open an extra hour under an emergency court order, but then voting was halted by the Texas Supreme Court after an appeal from the Republican attorney general.

Issues dont mean conspiracies, said Rep. John Bucy, a Democratic member of the Texas House elections committee. Our elections are run effectively in the state of Texas. Nothing is perfect, but theyre effective.

At a hearing of the elections committee last month, an election judge in Harris County said he had run out of paper by 6 p.m. on Election Day despite flagging the issue several times during the day.

We had about 40 people in line, most of whom left to find another polling place, said the judge, Christopher Russo. Those who stayed would be able to vote, he said he told them, but he could not guarantee how long it would take to get the paper.

I finally received ballot paper at 9:05 p.m., he said. By that time, only four people remained in line.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
(Bloomberg) -- As the sun set over Bangkok in late March, a Thai graffiti artist walked up to the pearl-white walls of the 18th-century Grand Palace and spray-painted an anarchy symbol along with the numbers 112 crossed out, like a No Smoking sign.

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Within minutes, police tackled Suttawee Soikham, 25, and pinned him to the ground. Although he was only hit with charges related to public vandalism that night, he was arrested days later over an old Facebook post for breaching Article 112, a law known as lese majeste that can put offenders behind bars for as many as 15 years if theyre convicted of insulting the king or several other top royals  the very statute he was protesting.

Then something happened that wouldve been unthinkable just a few years ago: Footage of the scene went viral on social media, prompting copycat graffiti to pop up at bus stops, taxi stands and Skytrain stations across the capital.

The incident is the latest example of a broader transformation taking place in Thailand since the last national election in 2019, as a new generation publicly challenges a conservative political establishment revolving around the monarchy, the countrys most powerful institution helmed by 70-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Any criticism that in decades past would typically have been whispered in secret is now being openly talked about ahead of the May 14 vote.

The wave of royal skepticism has found a home in the political party Move Forward, the only mainstream group calling for changes to Article 112 to allow greater freedom to discuss the monarchy. The party is surging in the polls, second only behind a pro-democracy group backed by Thaksin Shinawatra, an exiled former prime minister whose various political parties have won the most seats in every election since 2001  only to see generals and judges aligned with the monarchy boot them out of office or disband them entirely.

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The sentiment of the era has changed, Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forwards 42-year-old leader who has surged to the top of recent surveys among individual candidates for prime minister, said in an interview. Those that stand to lose out, he added, are the top 1%, which is the elite, the military, the money.

The phenomenon represents one of the biggest challenges in years to the military and royal establishment, which have aligned to prevent democracy from taking hold. The perpetual sparring  the past two decades have seen two coups, multiple constitutions and several bouts of violent street protests, including unprecedented demonstrations in 2020 targeting the monarchy  has eroded the Southeast Asian nations economic competitiveness just as multinationals look to shift production out of China. Thailands stock market is among the worst performers in Asia this year.

READ: How Military Has a Thumb on Scales in Thai Election: QuickTake

The election outcome is likely to be messy. Even though polls indicate a landslide win for pro-democracy parties against groups backed by the army, a military-appointed Senate ensures the generals have a say in who becomes prime minister. If the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party manages to form a coalition government, it then faces the risk of another coup or disbandment if it tries to fundamentally change the political system to erode the power of the military or monarchy.

The eventual showdown will center on how Thailands traditional centers of power react and respond to these demands for reform, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Anti-monarchy sentiments are growing, and the prime minister has to be able to keep a lid on things.

King Vajiralongkorn, who attended the coronation of King Charles III in London last week, has appeared to spend more time in Thailand since the 2020 protests, a contrast to previous years where he spent long stints in Germany. In recent months, the monarch has presided over university graduation ceremonies, performed Buddhist ceremonies and even cooked various Thai dishes for medical staff.

Read more on Thai politics

A representative of the royal palace said it doesnt comment on social issues and trends. A government spokesman said the administration isnt commenting on political issues during an election campaign, and referred questions to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ochas United Thai Nation party, whose spokesperson didnt answer repeated calls for comment.

Tensions have been brewing since 2016, when King Vajiralongkorn took the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years before passing away at the age of 88. The new monarch quickly asserted his authority, taking direct command of some army units and acquiring personal ownership of Crown Property Bureau assets valued at tens of billions of dollars, including a controlling stake in the nations biggest bank by market value.

King Vajiralongkorn also played a role in the 2019 election, revoking royal decorations given to Thaksin about a week after the inconclusive vote in what was seen as a signal to other parties to avoid working with him to form a coalition. That set the stage for a pro-military party to form a government helmed by Prayuth, a former army chief who led a coup in 2014 and has ruled ever since.

That election also saw the rise of Future Forward to become the second-largest opposition party, attracting younger voters fighting for democracy and questioning the monarchy. In October 2019, 70 lawmakers from the party voted against an emergency decree to transfer some army units to King Vajiralongkorns command, stunning a nation that treats top royals as semi-divine. A court disbanded the party a few months later, and Move Forward emerged as a successor.

Tensions boiled over in 2020, when a student-led protest movement broke longstanding Thai taboos by openly calling for more checks and balances on the monarchy. Although the near-daily protests eventually petered out, many of those who participated are standing for the election with Move Forward.

The movement has started cultural and structural changes, and more importantly it has chipped away at the traditional symbols of power, said Piyarat Chongthep, 32, who was on the front lines of the 2020 protests and is now a candidate with the party.

We dont need to pull out a crossbow or a knife to hurt our enemies, he said. Instead, we have to be what theyre most afraid of: an elected representative of the people.

Piyarat faces almost two dozen charges, including three counts of lese majeste. Hes among nearly 250 people facing lese majeste charges since the demonstrations started in July 2020, according to statistics compiled by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. Under Thai election rules, Piyarat can run for office but he will be disqualified immediately if hes both convicted of a crime and thrown into jail.

Chonthicha Jangrew, a 30-year-old former activist who is also a Move Forward candidate, said she was inspired to run for parliament after watching lawmakers refuse to discuss monarchy reforms in the wake of the protests, which saw young people seeking change hit with tear gas, rubber bullets and police batons.

It made me realize that you cant just change the country from the streets, she said.

All the other political parties are avoiding discussions of the monarchy on the campaign trail, instead competing on a similar slate of populist proposals such as wage increases and suspension of debt repayments. The issue may even prompt the frontrunner Pheu Thai, now led by Thaksins daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to avoid linking up with Move Forward after the election due to fear of being disbanded.

Conservative royalist groups are gearing up for a fight. Prayuths military-aligned United Thai Nation party warned this week that a win for opposition parties will drag Thailand backward into a black hole of conflict and mutiny.

The monarchy is under attack, said Warong Dechgitvigrom, who started a political party called Thai Pakdee, which advocates making the lese majeste law more stringent.

The institution is a spiritual center of the country, but a group of people blames it as a problem, he said in an interview. Thats not true. This group is seeking to change Thailand to be a republic.

Still, the shifting views on the monarchy are also evident more broadly across Thai society.

Many movie-goers no longer stand up when the royal anthem video plays before films, something that in years past has led to brawls and lawsuits. Street graffiti, stickers, and other public displays of frustration are popping up around Bangkok and elsewhere.

Students are also becoming more politically active, pushing back against conservative rules regulating school uniforms and hair styles. One group called Bad Students has been giving out a book to help students survive what it calls authoritarianism in schools, where young people are taught from an early age to respect the monarchy.

Although protesters are no longer on the streets, the impact of the demonstrations is still resonating throughout society and may take decades to change the system, according to Piyarat, the Move Forward candidate.

The impact of the protests cant be measured in statistics, but only in time, he said. I might not live to see it then, but I believe that day will come.

(Updates with latest surveys in sixth paragraph)

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A person wearing a mask walks out of a store past a "wear a face mask" sign in New York City in 2022. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will allow the federal public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic to expire, but not everyone sees it as a cause for celebration. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra had renewed the emergency for 90 days in February, signaling at the time that this would be the last extension.

Coming one month after President Biden signed a Republican-backed bill repealing a separate national COVID emergency declared by President Trump in March 2020, and six days after the World Health Organization declared the global COVID health emergency over, the latest news seems like the capstone on a building consensus that COVID-19 is no longer a crisis.

But over 1,000 Americans continue to die from COVID each week, and countless more are developing debilitating long COVID, so disability advocates are arguing that allowing the protections associated with the public health emergency to lapse is dangerous and irresponsible.

We've called off the fire department while the house is still burning, because the neighbors want it to be over, said Laurie Jones, executive director of #MEAction, an organization that advocates for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, a chronic fatigue condition that a large share of long COVID sufferers develop, in a Wednesday press briefing.

Heres a guide to what the expiration means and what some say should not be forgotten.

What already had changed

The national emergency that ended last month had given the federal government a broad range of powers over the economy. For example, it gave the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the ability to create the COVID-19 mortgage forbearance program. That program will expire at the end of May, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has returned to requiring in-home visits to determine eligibility for a program that pays home caregivers.

What will change now

A COVID-19 antigen home test indicates a positive result. (Patrick Sison/AP)

The public health emergency ending on May 11 allowed the federal government to freely provide COVID-19 tests, treatments such as Paxlovid, and vaccines. Americans with Medicare or private insurance plans have been able to get up to eight COVID tests per month from pharmacies with no copay. (Medicaid rules varied by state.) Therapeutic treatments such as monoclonal antibodies have been fully covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

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All of that is about to change. Medicare beneficiaries will now have to pay a portion of the cost of at-home COVID tests and for COVID treatments. Essentially, COVID will be covered the same way as other conditions. People with Medicaid coverage will get cost-free vaccines and COVID tests when ordered by a doctor, but they will have to pay out of pocket for at-home tests. Those with private insurance may have to pay for tests, even when ordered by a physician, and for COVID treatments.

People will have to start paying some money for things they didnt have to pay for during the emergency, Jen Kates, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told CNN when the May 11 deadline was first announced. Thats the main thing people will start to notice.

Tests will remain free until the supply purchased by the government runs out.

There will also be less comprehensive tracking of the spread of COVID-19. Infections will no longer be monitored, only hospitalizations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer offer a color-coded rating of the severity of COVID-19 in each county.

Perhaps most controversially, Title 42, a Trump-era component of the public health emergency that allowed the U.S. to quickly remove migrants, will expire. Officials expect a subsequent surge in migrants at the southern border. In response, congressional Republicans are pushing a bill to bring back some of Trumps immigration policies, including the construction of a border wall.

What wont change

Colleen Dempsey, 54, receives a COVID-19 booster vaccine in 2022. (Hannah Beier/Reuters)

Vaccines will remain free to anyone with health insurance, due to federal laws, including the Affordable Care Act and pandemic-relief bills.

For those without insurance, all of these benefits have already become costly, as federal funds for free COVID-related health care to uninsured people ran out at the end of last year.

What is separate from the emergency

In a March 2020 COVID-relief law, states were prohibited from removing anyone from Medicaid during the public health emergency, but Congress already reversed that last year, with states being able to revoke Medicaid coverage as April 1 of this year. Millions of people, including an estimated 6.7 million children, may lose coverage as a result.

Food stamp benefits were also increased as part of a 2020 relief measure, but that expired in March.

Expanded access to telehealth that was created during the public health emergency will be separately kept in place through the end of 2024.

What high-risk populations might still need

Many people with disabilities are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 or having severe symptoms because of prior conditions such as a weakened immune system. Advocates for disabled people are concerned that without free access to tests and treatments, some people wont be able to protect themselves. They note that free access could be extended through separate legislation rather than an extension of the emergency.

To protect those who are most vulnerable to infection, disability rights activists argue that mask mandates should still be in place in health care facilities  although that is managed at the state level  and that the CDC should still track COVID rates so that people can make informed decisions about how much to go out in public.

A disabled woman and man get off a Miami-Dade County Metrobus. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal via Getty Images)

The pressure to end the public health [emergency] was enormous, but it didnt have to be an either/or situation, Jones said on Wednesday. It could have both/and. We couldve helped people reenter the world while still masking in hospital settings, tracked COVID rates and warned people of spikes in their area. We could still offer free testing and free treatments.

Some public health experts agree, warning that new variants of the coronavirus could prove more transmissible or more deadly. The need for active management of the virus continues. Many thought the pandemic was over in the spring of 2021, Boston University public health professor Julia Raifman told Yahoo News in April. Unfortunately, we were not prepared for new variants, and we lost hundreds of thousands of lives in the following months. By actively tracking COVID, continuing the work to help people get vaccinated and boosted, and having policies and supplies in place to address new variants, we can help ensure we do not see such a high preventable toll again.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he continues to ask Indonesia for a commutation or pardon for convicted drug mule and prisoner Mary Jane Veloso.

"Ganoon pa rin (It's still the same). We haven't really stopped," Marcos said when asked if he would raise Veloso's case in meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

"The impasse is that we continue to ask for a commutation or even a pardon or extradition back to the Philippines. That is constantly there," he added.

Marcos also said the Indonesian government continues to insist that Veloso's sentence "is the law."

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo asked Indonesia to grant executive clemency to Veloso in September 2022.

Veloso was convicted of drug trafficking after being caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in Yogyakarta in 2010. She was meted the death penalty in the same year.

"They've already given us postponement [of Velosos execution], but that doesn't mean it's done. I always, at least, bring it up na baka sakali, baka sakali magbago (just in case their decision changes)," Marcos said.
Two hikers were rescued on Mount Yonah Saturday with the help of a drone deployed by White County Sheriff officials.

Authorities said officers received a call from two hikers on Mount Yonah that said they were lost in the dark.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

White County Fire Services then deployed a drone after receiving coordinates provided by dispatchers.

With the help of thermal imaging, the drone quickly located the hikers.

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In a video obtained by Channel 2 Action News, the drone is seen over the wooded area and, at one point, captures several moving figures that were identified as the hikers.

After being located by the drone, fire personnel entered the trail and escorted the two hikers back to their vehicle.

No one was injured in the incident.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Watch: Thieves caught on camera fleeing store with 60k ring

This is the moment two thieves sprinted from a jewellery story carrying an 18-carat gold and diamond ring before leading police on a 120mph car chase.

Shabir Patil, 39, and Khaqan Raja, 36, strolled into the shop and pretended to look at jewels on the counter, before snatching a ring worth around 60,000.

The pair then jumped into a Jaguar getaway car waiting in the carpark outside  hitting 120mph as they tried to evade police pursuing them.

The men had travelled some 300 miles from Lancashire to carry out the theft in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

CCTV footage shared with police showed the thieves entering the store, where they spent less than 10 minutes asking to look at three high-value items.

In the clip, Raja pretends to take a phone call and leave, before Patel snatches the valuable ring  which valued at between 50,000-100,000  and heads for the door.

Security cameras caught the thieves sprinting out of a jewellery store with a 60k gold and diamond ring, provoking a high speed police chase. (SWNS)

In the clip, Raja pretended to take a phone call and leave, before Patel snatched the valuable ring and headed for the door. (Sussex Police)

While trying to catch the thieves, police were tipped off by a member of the public who spotted two vehicles travelling together switching registration plates.

The Jaguar was spotted racing along the A23 towards Crawley, West Sussex, at speeds of up to 120mph.

Armed officers tracked the two vehicles down in Lancashire and body cam footage showed officers bringing it to a stop on the M23 north of Blackburn and they were arrested.

A VW Bora was also stopped on the M25 heading north towards London.

Shabir Patil, 39, and Khaqan Raja, 36, strolled into a shop and pretended to look at jewels on the counter, before snatching a ring worth around 60,000. (Sussex Police)

At Lewes Crown Court on 26 April Raja, of Blackburn, Lancashire, was jailed for two years and four months after admitting to driving while disqualified and theft of a gold platinum and diamond ring valued between 50,000 and 100,000.

His accomplice Patel, also of Blackburn, admitted to the same theft offence and was sentenced to a year in prison.

Footage of the escape bid by the two thieves was release by police on Tuesday.

Read more from Yahoo News UK:

'You're pompous and rude': Anti-monarchist protester in on-air spat on Jeremy Vine show

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Police called to smash car window after one-year-old child left locked inside

Moment car left dangling over canal after crashing through bridge

Detective Constable Ciara Richardson, investigating officer for Sussex Police, said: Khaqan and Patel thought they could get away with stealing a high value ring from Sussex.

But thanks to information reported by the public and the fast response by officers, we were able to stop them.

The pair were jailed for more than three years combined following a hearing at Lewes Crown Court. (Getty)

With the weight of evidence they had no choice but to plead guilty.

Superintendent Rachel Glenton, of Sussex and Surrey Polices head of roads policing, added: At one stage a vehicle was seen reaching speeds in excess of 120mph, which put the safety of other road users at high risk."
Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

The "soldiers" that marched in Russia's Victory Day Parade weren't combat soldiers, UK intel said.

UK intel said that the majority were auxiliary, paramilitary, and cadets from training camps.

The parade featured only one old tank, no aircraft, and a few reluctant world leaders.

Russia's Victory Day Parade seemingly featured over 8,000 soldiers marching in Red Square, giving the impression of a strong and capable military force. But UK intelligence says the majority of them likely weren't actual, deployable soldiers fighting in combat.

In an intelligence update on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defense said: "Over 8,000 personnel reportedly took part in the parade, but the majority were auxiliary, paramilitary forces, and cadets from military training establishments."

It's likely that available deployable troops are already currently stationed in Ukraine, the ministry said.

The ministry added: "The only personnel from deployable formations of regular forces were contingents of Railway Troops and military police."

The annual Victory Day Parade  which commemorates the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945  typically shows off Russia's military might and equipment. But this year's celebration featured a much more scaled-back version of the pomp and circumstance.

Just one Soviet T-34 tank was present. No aircraft were displayed in the parade.

And while Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to portray a strong anti-West alliance with attendance from Central Asian world leaders and politicians from Belarus and Armenia, analysts suggested most of the guests weren't particularly thrilled to be there.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, expressed surprise at President Joe Biden's border policy

Before turning himself in to US border officials in El Paso on Tuesday, Juan Fernandez sent a farewell text message to his wife in Venezuela.

He then wiped away his tears and, together with a friend, walked resolutely into the imposing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) building.

"We're pretty scared, but we have to have faith," he said.

Frightened about drastic policy changes coming to the US-Mexico border this week, the 40-year-old Venezuelan crossed illegally through one of the gaps in the frontier wall three days ago.

He is one of thousands of Venezuelans who have been arriving in El Paso in the final days before the expiration of Title 42.

The health measure was introduced by then-president Donald Trump in 2020 to close the southern border during the pandemic.

Inherited by President Joe Biden, the measure previously exempted asylum seekers from countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.

While the exemptions have already been rolled back, those nationalities still benefit from special asylum programs, such as through the CBP One mobile app.

But for thousands waiting across the Mexican border, those programs have yielded no results, and they have decided to cross before the uncertainty of the post-Title 42 era kicks in Friday.

"I waited for four months trying to lodge my request, but I was ignored," said Gleidys Losada.

"All the people I knew were crossing through the gaps. I was left behind, and I decided I couldn't wait any longer."

Losada has spent the last four nights outside the Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, which has become a gathering point for thousands of migrants, mostly Venezuelan, who have no money to reach their final destinations in the United States.

With scant belongings, they sleep in improvised tents -- plastic sheets rigged up to the railings -- and use portable toilets set up around the church.

- 'Humanitarian crisis' -

With the impending expiration of Title 42 overnight Thursday into Friday, tensions have grown in US border cities.

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CBP officials distributed leaflets early Tuesday morning urging undocumented migrants to turn themselves in.

"We are seeing the implementation of a very harsh policy that surprises us very much, because during his campaign Biden promised a more humane border policy," said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization.

"What we are seeing is a humanitarian crisis. We are seeing people asking for asylum and being denied. We are going to see a massive deportation policy in the next few days."

But for the migrants, there is no wall or policy that will stop them trying to reach the US.

"They can throw Title 42 and all these rules at us, but migration is not going to end. We are going to keep coming because we are hungry," said Eibor Tovar, a 34-year-old Venezuelan.

"When you are hungry, when you are repressed by a dictatorship, you do whatever it takes to seek a better life."

- 'Joy, sadness, fear' -

After authorities visited the makeshift camp in El Paso, Fernandez and his friend decided to turn themselves in.

Their gambit inspired a couple who had been watching fearfully from the opposite sidewalk to do the same.

Three hours later, Fernandez and the couple were leaving through a back door of the CBP building, holding a "Welcome to the United States" leaflet and a form making their asylum request official.

The news spread like wildfire, and within minutes, hundreds of Venezuelans were lining up at the doors of the federal agency.

"I feel joy, sadness, fear," said Venezuelan Jose Contreras, 21, in tears. Moments before, he had been kneeling on the sidewalk, deep in prayer.

For others, the fear of being deported outweighed the hope of a legitimate path.

"I'm terrified they will throw me out. I don't want to go back to Venezuela -- there is no future there," said a 23-year-old, who turned around and left the line.

"Some people were allowed to stay, but not all of us will be so lucky."

For Fernandez, those words ring true. He still had no word from the friend who accompanied him into the CBP station.

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Chinese-owned social media app TikTok has defended itself after it was banned from UK and Welsh government phones

TikTok has defended itself after the social media app was banned from UK and Welsh government phones.

The decision was made over fears sensitive data on official phones could be accessed by the Chinese government.

MPs have been quizzing social media bosses as part of a Welsh Affairs Committee inquiry into the changing broadcasting landscape.

Giles Derrington, of TikTok, said the UK government had identified "no specific issue" with the app.

He told the committee that the removal from government phones was done "on a purely precautionary basis".

"What the government has said was very clear that this was being done largely because of geopolitical concerns because others have taken similar steps," he said.

Similar bans on the Chinese-owned app are also in place in the US and Canadian governments and the European Commission.

Mr Derrington said: "What I do think is important is that we as a company, which to be clear is not headquartered in China, TikTok doesn't even exist in China, is headquartered elsewhere."

He added that the company was taking a number of steps "to try and make sure there's protection so that every user and every government can be sure that we are keeping their data safe".

One example he gave was that all UK and EEA citizens data is being moved to data centres within Europe.

"The intention of that is they are they in European countries governed by GDPR and no other country can force a sovereign state to breach GDPR", he said.

Age verification

Asked by Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake whether TikTok was confident in their system to catch people lying about their age, Mr Derrington said: "We know we're not perfect.

"There's a huge role here for parents and educating, working with parents so they understand the tools available to them, they understand that TikTok is for over 13s only and act appropriately."

He said that some age verification technologies are "not yet mature enough" to be fully foolproof.

"There's going to be a balance always between age assurance and data protection, because what we don't want to be doing as an industry is collecting lots of under 13s users passport details," he added.
FREEHOLD  A Tinton Falls man has pleaded guilty to inappropriately touching a female minor he worked with at a seafood restaurant in Red Bank on various occasions in 2020 and 2021, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.

Trinidad Mendez-Romero, 32, is expected to receive probation and be ordered to have no further communication with his victim or contact with anyone under the age of 18, when he is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, the Prosecutors Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Cases are still pending for two other defendants  Eduardo Jimenez-Berdejo, 36, and Jesus E. Reyes-Rodriguez, 36, both of Red Bank  in the same matter, according to the Prosecutors Office.

Mendez-Romero appeared before state Superior Court Judge Chad N. Cagan on May 3. He pleaded guilty to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and disorderly persons harassment, offensive touching. During his appearance at the Monmouth County Courthouse, he admitted that while working together, he touched the victim on her breasts in an offensive manner, according to the statement.

The case involved multiple incidents of sexual contact on multiple dates between June 2020 and February 2021 at the Boondocks Fishery in Red Bank and one other location, the statement said.

The incidents remain under investigation and anyone with additional information is asked to contact Red Bank Police Department Detective John Camarca at 732-530-2700.

The case is assigned to Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan.

Mendez-Romero is represented by Ocean Township-based defense attorney Robert Honecker.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Tinton Falls man admits to touching teen at Red Bank restaurant
A set of 2-year-old twin boys are in critical condition after they were found locked in a Hell on Earth room, a West Virginia sheriff said.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Department was notified about a possible child neglect case after one of the twins was found unresponsive on May 8, Sheriff Ross Mellinger said in a video posted on Facebook on May 9.

The child was brought to a hospital in complete renal failure, Mellinger said, and doctors are still unsure whether the child will survive.

The medical staff told the sheriff the toddler was in a state of extreme malnutrition and dehydration. The sheriffs department was only alerted when the situation became dire, the sheriff said.

When deputies arrived at the home, they found a very soiled condition type of bedroom, Mellinger said, and investigators learned the twins parents would padlock them inside.

The sheriff said the twins would be locked in the room wearing nothing but diapers for as long as six weeks at a time. When they were inside, the parents would only feed them ground beef and Cheerios under the door, Mellinger said.

The parents also self-medicated the children for extended periods of time, Mellinger said, in order to get them to sleep so they wont have to provide parental care.

The childrens mother was living in the basement of the apartment with her boyfriend, while her husband and the childrens father lived upstairs, Mellinger said.

I think its fair to say, given the circumstances at hand, I think the average barnyard animal would probably provide better parental care and nurturing than what these kids were afforded through the three adults living in this home, Mellinger said.

The sheriff said the twins and a third female child were removed from the home.

All three adults have been arraigned on related charges.

Jackson County is about 130 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio.
Republican Sen. Tommy Tubervilles office on Wednesday clarified statements he made about white nationalists serving in the military.

Do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military? the Alabama senator was asked during an interview on WBHM that was posted online on Monday. Well, they call them that. I call them Americans, Tuberville said.

On Wednesday, Tubervilles office clarified those remarks to a publication in his home state, telling AL.com that Tubervilles comment shows that he was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military, and that the senator believes members of the military are patriots.

During the radio interview, Tuberville, a member of the Senate Arms Services Committee, also decried lagging recruitment in the military, blaming Biden-administration policies.

We are losing in the military so fast in terms of recruitment, Tuberville said, adding: Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that dont believe in our agenda, as Joe Bidens agenda.

A rise in white supremacy in the military has plagued the Pentagon for years, coming to the forefront in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot, after analysis found one in five defendants charged in the insurrection had served in the military.

Tuberville's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Southwest Airlines plane taxis on the tarmac at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on June 1, 2021. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines and JetBlue Airways all earned high rankings in the annual J.D. Power 2023 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, published online by the company on Wednesday.

The data analytics firm J.D Power measures eight different factors of airline performance throughout the year: aircraft, baggage, boarding, check-in, cost and fees, flight crew, in-flight services and reservation.

Grouped in three categories  first/business class, premium economy class or economy class  the report based its findings on more than 7,700 surveys from passengers in North America.

Of the 11 carriers ranked, JetBlue Airways, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines earned the top spot for each respective category, Business Insider said.

The press release reporting the study said, Customer satisfaction with major airlines is down significantly for a second consecutive year, introducing the risk of possible brand damage if the current pattern of price hikes, staffing shortages and reduced routes continues.

Related

Which airline is the best?

JetBlue Airways earned top spot for customer satisfaction in the first/business segment, followed by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, the press release said.

USA Today said that Delta Airlines came in first place for passengers flying premium economy, with JetBlue in second place and Alaska Airlines in third.

For the economy segment, the report said Southwest Airlines scored the highest, with Delta Airlines and JetBlue Airways right behind.

This is the second year in a row that both JetBlue and Southwest won a title, Business Insider said.

According to USA Today, the airlines with the lowest customer satisfaction reported was Spirit and Frontier Airlines.

The lowest markings in customer satisfaction came from the economy class.

Annual declines in passenger satisfaction are most pronounced in the economy/basic economy segment where price-conscious passengers have found fewer airfare bargains this year, the press release said.

Story continues

Related

Study details

Business Insider said that since on-time performance was not measured, it may have advantaged certain airlines into placing high in the report.

The article said, A company spokesperson told Insider that delay and cancelation metrics were not included in the survey because they cannot be reported on a subjective scale. However, J.D. Power said on-time performance could still influence passenger perception of airlines even if the data is not taken into account.

Despite the overall decrease in customer satisfaction, the report found that passengers flying premium economy reported higher customer satisfaction this year compared to last, partly due to the food and beverage perks.

Overall, food and beverage satisfaction is up 12 points from last year, which was one of the few areas that showed improvement in all segments of the report.
Toyota retained its top-selling crown for the third year in a row in 2022

Top-selling automaker Toyota said Wednesday that its full-year net profit beat expectations and projected better sales and revenue for the year ahead as supply chain disruptions ease.

The Japanese firm reported 2.45 trillion yen ($18.12 billion) in net profit for the fiscal year, down 14 percent from a year earlier but still beating its projections of 2.36 trillion yen.

It said it expects full-year net profit to increase five percent for the year ahead to 2.58 trillion yen on "improvements in semiconductor supply and the efforts of production sites".

The auto titan retained its top-selling crown for the third year in a row in 2022, but like much of the industry has battled pandemic headwinds and the effects of a global chip shortage.

"In a word, it was a very tough year for us to produce and deliver vehicles to our customers," CEO Koji Sato told reporters.

The company cited everything from natural disasters to the chip crisis for production constraints over the last fiscal year and acknowledged "soaring materials prices" had weighed on the bottom line.

It said it managed to beat its forecast in part due to foreign exchange, but also thanks to the efforts of production sites and dealers, which helped increase year-on-year sales volume across all Toyota's regions.

Toyota sold more than 10.5 million cars worldwide in the last financial year, including those made by its subsidiaries like Hino Motors and Daihatsu, and is projecting a massive jump to 11.4 million for the fiscal year ahead.

"We expect growth in all regions," chief financial officer Yoichi Miyazaki said.

"For the immediate term, it is not all normal yet. But our ability to manage semiconductor (supply) has significantly improved."

The firm's stock price jumped on the earnings result, ending up 0.78 percent to 1,931.5 yen despite Tokyo shares overall ending the day lower.

- Electric push -

Increased production capacity suggests "the impact of semiconductor shortages is waning", Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, told AFP before the results were announced.

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Toyota also benefits from having been "very strict" about building a system that is resilient to the impact of natural disasters like earthquakes, added Satoru Takada, an auto analyst at research and consulting firm TIW.

Sato said the company was boosting volume to "strengthen our resilience to volatile factors like foreign exchange rates and rising material costs".

This year Toyota unveiled a surprise shake-up of its leadership, replacing Akio Toyoda, whose grandfather founded the company, with 53-year-old Sato as CEO.

Sato has vowed to "accelerate" the development of battery-powered electric vehicles through a "new approach" including the invention of "next-generation" Lexus vehicles by 2026.

Toyota pioneered hybrid cars, but some critics say the company has been slow to make the shift to battery-powered engines, even as demand soars for low-emission automobiles.

The firm has set a target of boosting annual EV sales to 1.5 million units by 2026 -- a huge jump from just over 20,000 in 2022.

But the delayed focus on EVs by Toyota and other Japanese automakers has left them "unable to assert their presence at all" in the burgeoning market of China, said Takada.

China is one of the world's largest car markets, with about 30 million vehicles sold annually, and it is pivoting rapidly to EVs.

That means the question of how Japanese automakers including Toyota will "retake their competitive lead in China" is of "paramount importance", Takada said.

Sato said Wednesday that Toyota is committed to China's EV market, while insisting hybrid demand would remain strong.

Last month, Toyoda, now serving as chairman of Toyota's board, was forced to apologise after it emerged Daihatsu rigged crash tests for some of its cars.

The issue involved around 88,000 units largely destined for markets including Thailand, the Middle East and Malaysia.

Toyoda called the rigging "absolutely unacceptable" and promised a detailed investigation.

tmo-hih-sah/axn
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The tensions in the Taiwan Strait will be an "unavoidable" topic at the upcoming 42nd ASEAN Summit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.

"Parang inevitable, eh. Unavoidable yung subject matter na yun dahil pare-pareho na mga miyembro ng ASEAN. Siyempre, it is a grave concern to all the member-states of ASEAN," Marcos said when asked if the Taiwan issue would be tackled during the biannual meeting.

[Translation: It seems inevitable. The subject matter is unavoidable because they are all members of ASEAN. Of course, it is a grave concern to all the ASEAN member-states.]

"So it's considering that we also agree on the concept of ASEAN centrality when it comes to regional concerns that will be one of the most important subjects that we'll bring up," he added.

The chief executive also said a lot has changed since the last ASEAN Summit and the member-states may need to "really calibrate" the plans.

In his recent trip to the United States, Marcos with and US President Joe Biden maintained the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Tensions brew between the US and China over Taiwans independence as Beijing insists that Taiwan is part of its territory.

RELATED: What's at stake for PH in US-China tensions over Taiwan

"There's no way around it. That will inevitably be a part of the conversation that we'll be having tomorrow and the day after," Marcos said.
Washington County District Courtroom

A year and a half after Austin Standeford and Van Parson were shot in an altercation at the Kickstand Saloon, the man accused of killing them is on trial in Bartlesville.

The State of Oklahoma has charged Gregory Rogers with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of the two victims along with carrying a firearm where alcohol is served. The trial began with opening arguments on Tuesday morning.

Washington County District Attorney Will Drake started his opening statement by setting the scene of that fateful night. He explained how tiny the Kickstand Saloon is, noting it's "two shipping containers that have been welded together to form a bar."

More: New charges filed in Dec. double-homicide

According to Drake, the inciting incident happened over Rogers' lack of pool etiquette and getting "handsy" with Standeford's date. When Rogers was asked to leave the bar, he announced he was "strapped," meaning he had a gun.

After hearing Rogers' announcement, Drake said Parson, who worked as a bouncer for the bar but wasn't working that night, joined Standeford to get Rogers to leave the bar. Both were shot once they reached the exit.

Drake pointed out that Rogers' version of events has changed over time. He said Rogers at first claimed it wasn't his gun yet "a gun just falls from the sky onto his lap" after he was tackled by Standeford and Parson. Later, Drake said that after being confronted with evidence, Rogers changed his tune and admitted it was his gun, and that after the shooting, he fled to Tulsa and hid the gun at his girlfriend's house.

During Drake's opening statement, Rogers appeared to be wiping tears and shaking his head in disagreement.

More: Court testimony unveils details of the night two men were shot in a Bartlesville bar

Chase McBride, attorney for Rogers, kept his remarks brief. He said Rogers was out celebrating getting a CDL license and changing careers. McBride said he warned patrons that he had a weapon after the men allegedly accosted Rogers and asked him to leave.

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As he was leaving the bar, McBride said Rogers was "brutally attacked."

"When the dust settles, Mr. Rogers has trauma to his face, significant trauma to his face, he has a gunshot wound in his arm and two of the Mongols (motorcycle club members) are dead."

McBride said Rogers fled the scene because he feared for his life and believed the "Mongols were going to finish what they started when trying to kill him."

While addressing the jury, McBride admitted that Rogers was guilty of the misdemeanor gun charge.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Rogers had a gun in that bar  with just about everyone else," he said.

More: BPD investigating Monday shooting deaths at The Kickstand Saloon

Finally, McBride accused Bartlesville police of "already making up their minds" about Rogers' guilt before hearing all the facts and testimony. He claimed evidence that could prove Rogers' innocence was missing.

The prosecution will spend the next few days calling witnesses, presenting evidence and laying out the state's case against Rogers. The defense is expected to start calling witnesses on Thursday.

The trial could be in the hands of the jury and a verdict rendered as early as Friday, attorneys said. If found guilty of first-degree murder, Rogers faces either a life sentence, a life sentence without the possibility of parole or death.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Trial begins in Kickstand Saloon double-homicide case
Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will not be intimidated by China after Beijing expelled its Canadian diplomat from the consulate in Shanghai Tuesday.

The two nations have seen relations further deteriorate in a recent diplomatic tit-for-tat spat after Canada first ousted Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei from his post after he was found to have been involved in an intimidation ploy that targeted Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong.

"This is a reciprocal countermeasure taken in reaction to Canadas provocation to protect Chinas lawful rights and interests," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday. He added that the move was "consistent with established diplomatic practice and completely justified and necessary."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin answers a question during a press conference in Beijing on Aug. 8, 2022.

CCP DECLARES CANADIAN DIPLOMAT PERSONA NON GRATA AND DEMANDS DEPARTURE FROM CHINA

Trudeau shot back at Chinas response and said, "We understand there is retaliation, but we will not be intimidated, we will continue to do everything necessary to keep Canadians protected from foreign interference."

The most recent deterioration in relations occurred after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly declared Zhao a persona non grata on Monday.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

According to reporters earlier this month, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found that Beijing attempted to gain knowledge on any family members of Chong "who may be located" within Chinese borders in an apparent attempt to "make an example of this MP and deter others" from taking anti-China stances.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed former Governor General David Johnston to investigate alleged Chinese interference in the nation's last two elections.

CANADAS TRUDEAU OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO CHINA ELECTION MEDDLING

"I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home," Joly said in a Monday statement posted to Twitter.

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China has rejected Canadas claims as "false" and "unfounded," calling the ousting of Zhao "unscrupulous."

But the long-standing tense relations between Beijing and Ottawa date back to December 2018, when Canadian authorities detained Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges at the request of the U.S.

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co., speaks during a news conference in Shenzhen, China, on March 31, 2023.

China responded by arresting two Canadians on alleged spying charges later that month, though all three individuals were freed in 2021.

Wenbin did not comment on Trudeaus comments during his Wednesday press conference, though he previously called Canadas actions against Zhao an "ideology and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China."

Reuters contributed to this report.
Former President Donald Trumps candidacy for president in 2024 is under yet another cloud of scrutiny after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll.

The nine-member jury found Trump did not commit rape, but jurors found him liable for sexual abuse, another form of sexual battery. He also was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

It marks the latest legal blow to Trump, who has denied the allegations, and the seriousness of the charges has led to calls from some potential GOP challengers for Trump to step aside. But not all of his would-be competitors were willing to go that far.

Here is what other potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates have said about the Carroll case.

Nikki Haley

Haley, who is a declared candidate for the GOP nomination, dodged questions Wednesday about the jurys findings.

I mean, Im not going to get into that, the former South Carolina governor and Trump administration ambassador to the United Nations told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Thats something for Trump to respond to, Haley continued. You know, I mean, I think the focus has to be not to be distracted. Thats why weve got to leave the baggage and the negativity behind.

Haley added it would be fair for Trump to be asked about the issue at CNNs scheduled town hall event with New Hampshire voters on Wednesday night.

Haley has generally been reluctant to criticize Trump by name, even after she entered the race against him. She has instead made indirect criticisms by calling for the GOP to move on to a new generation of leadership.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is weighing a 2024 bid against Trump, argued the jurys determination that the former president was guilty in the Carroll case was not of concern to most Americans.

Its just one more instance where  at a time when American families are struggling, when our economy is hurting, when the world seems to become a more dangerous place almost every day  [theres] just one more story focusing on my former running mate that I know is a great fascination to members of the national media, but I just dont think is where the American people are focused, Pence told NBC News in an interview.

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Pence went on to say he had never heard or witnessed behavior akin to what Trump was accused of while the two were serving together. Pence stayed on the ticket with Trump in 2016 after an Access Hollywood tape was released that included Trump bragging about groping women.

More from The Hill

Pence has not been shy about criticizing his former boss on matters of policy. He has broken with Trump on U.S. aid for Ukraine, on abortion and on entitlement reforms. Pence has also been critical of Trump for his rhetoric around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, when Pence and his family had to be taken to safety as a mob stormed the building.

But when it comes to legal matters, Pence has largely defended Trump. He previously called the charges against him in Manhattan for an alleged hush money scheme a political prosecution.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who is in the race, largely shrugged off the decision in the Carroll case as yet another legal attack on the former president.

I wasnt one of the jurors, and Im not privy to all the facts that they have, but Ill say what everyone else is privately thinking: If the defendant werent named Donald Trump, would there even be a lawsuit? Ramaswamy said in comments first reported by NBC News.

I want to win this race by showing voters how I will take the America First movement beyond Trump, Ramaswamy added. I look forward to facing him on the debate stage.

Ramaswamy similarly defended Trumps right to remain in the race after the indictment on hush money charges, saying at the time the GOP primary field should send a clear message it would be up to voters to decide who the partys nominee would be in 2024.

Asa Hutchinson

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who officially announced his candidacy for 2024 in late April, is one of the few potential Trump challengers who has explicitly condemned the former president and argued the jurys findings should weigh on voters minds.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire, he said in a Tuesday statement. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.

In a subsequent appearance on CNN, Hutchinson said the Carroll case should be given credence and an issue as we look forward to whos going to be our nominee in 2024.

I dont know that this is going to change things, I dont know, he added. But I believe its an important issue for the public to weigh as to what this says about a person and what this says about who will be our next leader.

Chris Christie

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been one of the most outspoken Trump critics in the field of potential 2024 candidates, and the jurys decision Tuesday added to the reasons Christie said the former president should not get another shot at the White House.

His response to me was ridiculous, that he didnt even know the woman. I mean, you know, how many coincidences are we going to have here with Donald Trump? Christie said on Fox News host Brian Kilmeades radio show.

I mean, he must be the unluckiest S.O.B. in the world. He just has random people who he has never met before, who are able to convince a jury that he sexually abused them. I mean, this guy. It is one person after another, one woman after another. The stories just continue to pile up.

Christie has previously gone after Trump for his indictment in Manhattan, saying it reflects poorly on Trumps character. And he has suggested Trump is afraid of debating his rivals after the former president suggested he may skip one or both of the first two scheduled GOP primary debates this summer.

Christie has not yet announced whether he is running for president in 2024, but he is expected to make a decision in the next few weeks. Christie ran in 2016, bowing out of the race after the New Hampshire primary.

Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor is viewed as Trumps most formidable challenger based on polling data, and he is expected to formally enter the race in the coming weeks.

But DeSantis has not yet weighed in on the jurys findings in the Carroll case.

DeSantis has picked his spots to attack Trump in the past. When Trump was on the verge of being indicted in Manhattan for an alleged hush money scheme, the governor quipped he wasnt familiar with paying hush money to a porn star to keep an affair quiet, a move that drew backlash from some Republicans.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
E Jean Carroll has spoken out to describe Tuesday as the happiest day of my life after a jury returned a verdict that Donald Trump did sexually abuse her in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Elle magazine columnist Ms Carroll appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Wednesday morning to say that she feels fantastic about the trial outcome.

Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life, she said.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

After almost two weeks of testimony, the jury found Mr Trump liable of sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but did not find that she had proven that he raped her.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time and does not have to register as a sex offender but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to post a string of messages blasting the proceedings as he brought up Ms Carrolls cat and her relationship with former anchorman John Johnson.

Key points

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth'

Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

Trump falsely claims he wasnt able to defend myself in E Jean Carroll case

Carroll lawyer calls Access Hollywood tape Trumps confession'

Mr Tacopina criticizes Ms Carrolls testimony, but she showed up'

Carroll lawyer blasts Trump for avoiding trial

Trump is the Republican frontrunner: CNN responds to criticism

18:42 , Gustaf Kilander

In a statement to The Independent, a CNN spokesperson responded to the criticism of the network for hosting a townhall event with Mr Trump.

President Trump is the Republican frontrunner, and our job despite his unique circumstances is to do what we do best. Ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices. That is our role and our responsibility, a network spokesperson said.

Story continues

Audience for CNN Trump townhall will be 400 Republicans & GOP-leaning independents'

18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The author of the Popular Information newsletter, Judd Legum, tweeted on Wednesday that The audience for the CNN townhall w/Trump will be 400 Republicans & GOP-leaning independents.

Allowing Trump to appear in front of an audience exclusively comprised of people who are likely sympathetic to Trump -- and then turn over the questions to that group -- is irresponsible, he added.

He has no appeal, Carroll lawyer says of Trump

18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ms Carrolls attorney Roberta Kaplan told ABC News that Mr Trump has no grounds to launch an appeal.

He has no appeal, she said, adding that the judge afforded Mr Trump multiple chances to come to that courtroom and testify.

Donald Trump, like all of us, is not above the law, she said.

Ms Carroll remembered holding her lawyers hand as the verdict was read.

It was this 5-foot-3, wily, female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable, Ms Carroll told ABC News. It was such a wonderful, overwhelming moment.

Ms Carroll also appeared on CNN, saying that the old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported a woman whose life was supposed to fold up and shes never supposed to experience happiness again.

That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women, she added.

Speaking about her reaction to the jury not finding that Mr Trump raped her, she said: Well, I just immediately [said] in my own head, Oh, yes, he did. Oh yes, he did.

When she shook hands with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, she told him: He did it. And you know it.

Im really sort of taking in the moment and the overwhelming flood of a lot of hate thats part of it, she told CNN.

She added that she was feeling an overwhelming amount of relief and joy.

Theres a sort of a feeling of victory that, at last, somebody has held him accountable in a courtroom, Ms Carroll said.

Cheney launches anti-Trump ad ahead of ex-presidents CNN town hall

17:30 , Andrew Feinberg

The political action committee founded by former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney is out with a television ad warning Americans that former president Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again.

The 60-second ad is set to run in the New Hampshire area before and after Mr Trump appears on the network Wednesday evening for a town hall session with anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Although it will reach viewers who tune in to the event on Wednesday, a CNN spokesperson told The Independent that the network does not control the local ads that run periodically on CNN during local breaks and stressed that CNN doesnt sell ads to candidates or campaigns during our town hall events.

Narrated by Ms Cheney, the ad describes how Mr Trump began lying about the conduct of the 2020 election after it became clear he would lose to Joe Biden.

Read more:

Cheney launches anti-Trump ad ahead of ex-presidents CNN town hall

DC officer injured during Capitol riot blasts CNN for Trump town hall

17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Michael Fanone, who served for two decades as a Washington DC police officer, wrote in a column for Rolling Stone magazine that the news of Mr Trump appearing on CNN in a town hall hit him like a sucker punch.

Mr Fanone is a CNN contributor.

As a result of my efforts that day I was severely beaten, struck numerous times with a taser, and suffered a heart attack as well as a traumatic brain injury, Mr Fanone wrote.

Now, full disclosure I work for CNN. That is, I receive a monthly check from them and have since abruptly quit my job as an MPD officer almost one year to the day after I was injured, he added In the nearly two years that I have worked for this network, I have had countless conversations with its employees, producers, hosts, journalists, cameramen, etc.

They all have stories about the Trump years. When the former president attacked them (many by name), he inspired countless acts of violence, both threatened and overt, from his supporters. Many employees told me they were afraid to wear anything that identified them as CNN employees when out in public. So why lend your networks platform to someone like that? he wrote.

I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it'

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Ms Carroll told ABC News that she didnt report the assault at the time as she was too ashamed and blamed herself.

In a social media post last year, Mr Trump referred to Ms Carrolls claim as a Hoax and a lie.

This woman is not my type! he said at the time.

I only decided to come forward and tell what happened, I thought that was enough, Ms Carroll told ABC News. And then he said terrible things about me.

I was always shaken during the trial, she added. But I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it.

E Jean Carroll reveals she was shaken throughout Trump civil rape trial before overwhelming verdict

16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

E Jean Carroll has said that her court victory against Donald Trump was probably the happiest day of my life.

The writer and magazine journalist appeared on Good Morning America on ABC alongside her lead lawyer Roberta Kaplan on Wednesday, saying that she was shaken during the entire trial, calling the moment the verdict was handed down a wonderful, overwhelming moment.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan court found the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Ms Carroll, a former Elle advice columnist and SNL writer, was awarded $5m in damages.

Ms Carroll filed a lawsuit in November after her 2019 suit against Mr Trump ground to a halt in the courts.

The 79-year-old alleged that Mr Trump raped her in a fitting room at the Berghof Goodman department store in the mid-1990s and subsequently defamed her when he made fun of her and rejected her claim last year.

Read more:

E Jean Carroll reveals she was shaken throughout Trump civil rape trial

Carroll tells Tacopina: He did it. And you know it'

15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Ms Carroll appeared on CNN, saying that the old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported a woman whose life was supposed to fold up and shes never supposed to experience happiness again.

That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women, she added.

Speaking about her reaction to the jury not finding that Mr Trump raped her, she said: Well, I just immediately [said] in my own head, Oh, yes, he did. Oh yes, he did.

When she shook hands with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, she told him: He did it. And you know it.

Im really sort of taking in the moment and the overwhelming flood of a lot of hate thats part of it, she told CNN.

She added that she was feeling an overwhelming amount of relief and joy.

Theres a sort of a feeling of victory that, at last, somebody has held him accountable in a courtroom, Ms Carroll said.

ICYMI: Trump falsely claims he wasnt able to defend myself in E Jean Carroll case after rejecting offer to testify

15:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump has falsely claimed that he wasnt able to defend himself in the E Jean Carroll case after he rejected an offer to testify in the trial.

On Tuesday morning, the former president wrote on Truth Social that he was waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me.

Mr Trumps rant comes after he missed the deadline to testify in the civil rape trial brought against him by Ms Carroll, a writer and magazine journalist.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan had warned Mr Trump that once the deadline passed, he would no longer have the opportunity to testify in the case.

Later on Tuesday a jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused and defamed Ms Carroll.

She was awarded a total of $5m in a payout after a unanimous verdict was reached by the nine jurors in less than three hours.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

E Jean Carroll says verdict day was happiest day of my life'

14:35 , Rachel Sharp

E Jean Carroll has spoken out to describe Tuesday as the happiest day of my life after a jury returned a verdict that Donald Trump did sexually abuse her in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Elle magazine columnist Ms Carroll appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Wednesday morning to say that she feels fantastic about the trial outcome.

Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life, she said.

I feel fantastic. Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life.  E. Jean Carroll on her reaction after former Pres. Trump was found liable for battery and defamation in civil case. https://t.co/UDk3N9S5vu pic.twitter.com/8c1IAZn0Tn  Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2023

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back says vindicated Carroll

14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

After hearing eight days of evidence, the jury took just two and a half hours to find Mr Trump liable for the 1996 sexual assault of Ms Carroll in a dressing room at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman.

Bevan Hurley reports for The Independent from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse in New York.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina clashes with journalist outside court

13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina clashed with a journalist after his client was found liable for sexual abuse.

Footage showed Mr Tacopina confronting a reporter outside court on Tuesday as he faced questions about the verdict.

Get that camera out of my f***ing face, he said.

Dont put that microphone on my shoulder.

As the journalist continued asking him if he was concerned about Donald Trumps social media posts, Mr Tacopina fired back: I already said no, do you speak English or not?

AOC shows support for calls to cancel Trump town hall on CNN

13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trumpafter a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse but not her rape.

The twice-impeached former president, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is set to participate in a town hall on Wednesday. The event will be moderated by Kaitlan Collins.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

Kevin McCarthy has managed to dodge questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump  all the while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by President Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then proceeded to do just that as he skirted around the subjects without giving a definitive answer.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions about George Santos and Donald Trump

Trump goes on Truth Social video rant after he is found liable of sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll

12:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump repeated his false claim that hes never met E Jean Carroll after the jury in the civil trial found he sexually abused the writer.

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME! Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

A photo of Mr Trump meeting Ms Carroll was shown during the trial.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for allegedly raping her in a dressing room at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

Read the full story:

Trump in Truth Social rant after he is found liable of sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll

Six memorable moments from E Jean Carrolls testimony

12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll withstood a barrage of intensely personal questions and inflammatory accusations during more than 13 hours on the witness stand in her civil battery and defamation trial against former president Donald Trump.

The former Elle advice columnist was quizzed about years of emails, text messages, deposition statements, articles and social media posts by Mr Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina as he tried to sow doubt in the minds of the nine jurors.

Here are six memorable moments from Ms Carrolls testimony.

Six memorable moments from E Jean Carrolls testimony during Trump rape trial

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender after $5m E Jean Carroll verdict?

12:10 , Rachel Sharp

A jury in New York has found former president Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll and for then defaming her when he denied the allegations against him.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued Mr Trump, 76, for attacking her in a dressing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the spring of 1996 and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

On Tuesday, the nine-person panel took just three hours of deliberations before returning their verdict, finding that Mr Trump did sexually abuse Ms Carroll. The jury awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages.

The outcome raises the question.

Will Mr Trump have to register as a sex offender?

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender after $5m E Jean Carroll verdict?

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions on Santos and Trump

11:50 , Rachel Sharp

Kevin McCarthy dodged questions about George Santos and Donald Trump  while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent Republicans, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then skirted around the topic without giving a definitive answer.

But as you know, Ive been at the White House. I havent seen the indictment, he said.

But as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees.

In America, well just follow the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, they have the right to vote. But they have to go to trial.

If Mr Santos is found guilty, however, he might have to resign, he said.

When pressed about Mr Trump, Mr McCarthy then claimed he had been in meetings so was unaware of what was going on.

I  I dont know. Ive been in meetings, he said.

In profile: E Jean Carroll, the writer who took on Trump

11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The Independents Bevan Hurley profiles the woman whose life was upended when she accused the worlds most powerful man of rape.

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

WATCH: How Republicans responded to Trump being found liable of sexual abuse

11:10 , Rachel Sharp

Ruhle: I want to share some voices that we heard from today. Republicans on the hill, their reaction. Watch this. pic.twitter.com/PDyOmcI1Cg  Acyn (@Acyn) May 10, 2023

CNN faces growing pressure to cancel Trump town hall

10:50 , Rachel Sharp

CNN is facing growing pressure to cancel its town hall with Donald Trump in light of the former president being found liable for sexual abuse.

On Wednesday night, Kaitlan Collins is scheduled to moderate a town hall at New Hampshires St Anselm College with Mr Trump.

The event was already controversial with Democrats questioning whether the former president should be given the airtime.

Following the jurys verdict in the E Jean Carroll case on Tuesday, calls are mounting on social media for the network to ax the event.

Dear @CNN



I am waiting for your anchors to tell the world that your network has CANCELLED the Town Hall with Donald Trump set for tomorrow.



I cannot believe you would follow what happened in a New York City courtroom today with a town hall for Donald Trump tomorrow.



CANCEL IT  Don Winslow (@donwinslow) May 9, 2023

Raise your hand if you think @CNN should CANCEL tomorrow nights Town Hall with Donald Trump.  pic.twitter.com/JkcM6zF88P  Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) May 9, 2023

Fox News replays clip of Trump identifying E Jean Carroll as his wife while he claims to not know her

10:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

In the aftermath of a jury finding that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll, Fox News replayed a clip of the former president confusing Ms Carroll for his ex-wife at a pre-trial deposition.

Abe Asher has more:

Fox News replays clip of Trump identifying E Jean Carroll as his wife

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender?

10:10 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump does not face any jail time and does not have to register as a sex offender after a jury found that he sexually abused E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

Under New York law, anyone convicted of a sexual offence must register as a sex offender on returning to the community.

But as this is a civil case  and not a criminal case  he was not convicted of a crime.

Instead he was found liable of sexual abuse and jurors awarded Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Trump posts series of Truth Social video rants slamming E Jean Carroll verdict

09:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump posted a series of video rants on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night after a Manhattan federal jury found that he sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

After almost two weeks of testimony, the jury found Mr Trump liable of sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but did not find that she had proven that he raped her.

He was ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

The former president went on the defence following the verdict, posting three blistering videos online where he vowed to appeal and continued to claim he doesnt know who Ms Carroll is.

The whole thing is a scam, he fumed.

Well be appealing this decision. Its a disgrace. I dont even know who this woman is. I have no idea who she is, where she came from.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for the Trump 2024 campaign?

09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden looks at whether the outcome of the trial will have any impact on Mr Trumps chances in 2024.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Donald Trumps chances in 2024?

What were the allegations in E Jean Carrolls rape case against Donald Trump?

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

A chance meeting, an alleged violent sexual assault, and a colossal struggle. A jury was asked to decide whether the businessman-turned-politician raped the columnist in the mid-1990s.

Bevan Hurley reports on the allegations against Donald Trump in the E Jean Carroll case:

What were the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carrolls rape case against Trump?

E Jean Carroll: World finally knows the truth

07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

Bevan Hurley reports from Lower Manhattan.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

AOC shows support for calls to cancel Trump town hall on CNN after E Jean Carroll verdict

06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trump, after a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse in a civil trial.

Eric Garcia reports:

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A jury in New York has found Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman in New York in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

The jury didnt find Mr Trump liable for raping Ms Carroll.

Read more:

Donald Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

I represented Trumps accusers - because five brave women stood up, he has been caught in his truth

04:31 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Because five courageous women stood together, E Jean Carroll won her sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump. Five women said yes, I will brave the haters, the threats, the public attacks by Trump supporters; yes, I will hold my head high and walk into that courtroom; yes, I will answer all the questions posed to me with poise and dignity; yes, I will endure cross-examination by Trumps bare knuckles lawyers; yes, I will do it all, I will overcome the natural terror anyone would feel at doing this, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, because enough is enough, because justice matters. And thats exactly what they did.

Lisa Bloom writes:

I represented Trumps accusers. He has finally been caught in his truth

How did a chance department store meeting lead to a court case decades later?

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg explains how a chance meeting spawned a civil rape and defamation trial almost thirty years later.

Trump on trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape case

Who is Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina?

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawyer Joe Tacopina was the head of the legal team representing former President Donald Trump in the civil rape trial against former Elle advice columnist E Jean Carroll.

Mr Tacopina congratulated Ms Carroll and wished her good luck after the jury in the civil case returned a verdict that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing her in a New York City department store dressing room in 1995 or 1996.

But who is he?

Soccer executive and celebrity attorney: Who is Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina?

Opinion: The lessons we should all be taking from E Jean Carrolls Trump sexual abuse case

01:41 , Lucy Gray

The Carroll v Trump trial, however, provided some surprisingly helpful examples of how we might want to handle rape and sexual abuse cases going forward. Obviously, those cases are always going to involve untold amounts of pain and trauma. Obviously, in an ideal world, those trials would not even be needed, because the wrongs they are designed to right would not exist. But if rape and sexual abuse are going to continue to be prevalent in our world, then, yes, we owe it to ourselves and others to make sure the justice system is equipped to handle them...

You can read the full article by Clemence Michallon here.

The lessons we should all be taking from E Jean Carrolls Trump sexual abuse case

Did Trump mistaking E Jean Carroll for his wife Marla Maples twice seal the verdict?

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Footage of Donald Trumps 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.

A New York jury Ms Carroll in the civil case returned a verdict on 9 May that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but not raping her, and awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages, which includes the defamation claim.

The deposition video was released in response to a records request made by MSNBCs Rachel Maddow.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Trump mistook E Jean Carroll for his ex wife Marla Maples twice during deposition

Who is the journalist who testified in the Trump civil rape trial?

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

People magazine sent correspondent Natasha Stoynoff to Mar-a-Lago in late 2005 to write a wedding anniversary story about Donald Trump, who had then recently married Melania Knauss.

Almost two decades later, her experience of the future president allegedly forcing his tongue down her throat could may have been essential testimony in the E Jean Carroll civil rape trial that began on 25 April in a federal court in New York City.

Read more:

Who is Natasha Stoynoff? The journalist who testified in the Trump civil rape trial

Trump furiously repeats false claim hes never met E Jean Carroll and will appeal

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump repeated his false claim that hes never met E Jean Carroll after the jury in the civil trial found he sexually abused the writer.

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME! Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

A photo of Mr Trump meeting Ms Carroll was shown during the trial.

Gustaf Kilander and Bevan Hurley report.

Trump furiously responds as jury finds he sexually abused E Jean Carroll

Lisa Bloom: I represented Trumps accusers - because five brave women stood up, he has been caught in his truth

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:38 , Lucy Gray

Because five courageous women stood together, E Jean Carroll won her sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump. Five women said yes, I will brave the haters, the threats, the public attacks by Trump supporters; yes, I will hold my head high and walk into that courtroom; yes, I will answer all the questions posed to me with poise and dignity; yes, I will endure cross-examination by Trumps bare knuckles lawyers; yes, I will do it all, I will overcome the natural terror anyone would feel at doing this, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, because enough is enough, because justice matters. And thats exactly what they did. You can read the full piece by attorney Lisa Bloom here.

Lisa Bloom

Watch: Trump attorney heckled outside courthouse

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

'Trump's a coward.'



Donald Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina ended a short press conference with reporters as protesters shouted profanities and heckled him for defending the former president during the NY civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll. pic.twitter.com/vYlikXzqmD  NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 9, 2023

Recap: Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A jury in New York has found Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

Bevan Hurley and Gustaf Kilander filed this report.

Donald Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

E Jean Carroll: World finally knows the truth

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:41 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

Bevan Hurley reports from Lower Manhattan.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Trumps 2024 chances?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The real question for the Republican ex-president is whether this latest legal blow will affect his chances for 2024, where he remains the strongest candidate (currently) running for the GOP nomination.

John Bowden looks at how while his opponents might smell blood, would Mr Trump acutally lose support.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Donald Trumps chances in 2024?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.I would like to express my deep and lasting gratitude to all those who have stood by me from the start, especially my incredible and fearless legal team, led by Robbie Kaplan, who never, ever backed down in pursuit of truth and justice.

E Jean Carroll

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:16 , Oliver O'Connell

No one is above the law, not even a former President of the United States. We are so thrilled that the jury agreed, rendering a unanimous verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll in just two and a half hours. For far too long, survivors of sexual assault faced a wall of doubt and intimidation. We hope and believe todays verdict will be an important step in tearing that wall down. E. Jean Carroll has never wavered in her strength, courage, and determination to seek justice. Donald Trump, on the other hand, failed to even show up in court. This is a victory not only for E. Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere.

Roberta Kaplan, counsel for E Jean Carroll

Watch: GOP Tennessee Senator Hagerty defends Trump

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) defends Donald Trump after he is found liable for sexual abuse and defamation:



This has been going on for years. And he has been amazing in his ability to weather these sorts of attacks and the American public has been amazing in their support for him. pic.twitter.com/PPqpzZZ1ti  The Recount (@therecount) May 9, 2023

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Completed verdict form made public

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:58 , Oliver O'Connell

The verdict form is now public in E. Jean Carroll v. Trump. @LawCrimeNews pic.twitter.com/frCiTiM852  Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 9, 2023

Georgia GOP chairman says he was following Trumps orders and shouldnt face charges over 2020 election

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawyers for the chair of the Georgia Republican Party are arguing their client shouldnt be indicted for attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in the state because he was simply following the advice handed down by members of former President Donald Trumps legal team.

Abe Asher has the story.

Georgia GOP chairman says he was following Trumps orders during 2020 election

Watch: Trump will appeal, attorney says

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Joe Tacopina said former President Donald Trump is planning to appeal the verdict in the NY civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll pic.twitter.com/GnfxXrq48d  NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 9, 2023

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy issues statement after verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

I'll say what everyone else is privately thinking: if the defendant weren't named Donald Trump, would we be talking about this today, would there even be a lawsuit? says GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Full statement from @VivekGRamaswamy on E Jean Carroll verdict: pic.twitter.com/e5XiJsb8YQ  Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) May 9, 2023

It would be a lot easier if Trump werent in this race. But, in this country we dont weaponize the law or decades old allegations to undercut political opponents. I want to win this race because voters believe I can take the America First movement to the next level.

Trump 2024 campaign releases statement following verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:46 , Oliver O'Connell

The Democratic Partys never-ending witch-hunt of President Trump hit a new low today. In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nations justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage. Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States. The continued abuse of our great Constitution for political ends is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. Our nation is in serious trouble when claims lacking any evidence or proof or eyewitnesses can invade our courts to score political points. Sadly, for the enemies of American freedom and democracy, President Trump will never stop fighting for the American people, no matter what the radical Democrats dream up next. This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.

Watch: Were very happy'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

"We're very happy."



E. Jean Carroll and her attorney leave court after a jury found former Pres. Trump liable for battery and defamation in lawsuit, awarding the former Elle magazine columnist $5 million. https://t.co/GOS0uLfesL pic.twitter.com/NhWojoF3I8  ABC News (@ABC) May 9, 2023

AOC shows support for calls to cancel CNN Trump town hall after sexual abuse verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trumpafter a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse but not her rape.

The twice-impeached former president, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is set to participate in a town hall on Wednesday. The event will be moderated by Kaitlan Collins.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

This is not nothing'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Geraldo Rivera says on Fox News: It is so parochial and partisan to suggest that a finding of sexual battery is nothing. This is not nothing.

Geraldo on Fox News: "It is so parochial and partisan to suggest that a finding of sexual battery is nothing. This is not nothing." pic.twitter.com/5Rg8eC3I4T  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2023

Attorney and legal scholar John Turley also noted on the network: Any other candidate faced with this type of verdict would likely never be seen again.

Jon Turley on Fox News: "Any other candidate faced with this type of verdict would likely never be seen again."  Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) May 9, 2023

Meanwhile, Republican Senator John Cornyn told CBS News after the verdict: I dont think he can get elected.

Sen John Cornyn (R-TX) to @CBSNews about Donald Trump:



I dont think he can get elected  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 9, 2023

And GOP Senator John Thune of South Dakota added: It has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama.

Sen John Thune (R-SD) to @cbsnews about Trump civil trial verdict and other investigations:



It has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 9, 2023

GOP 2024 candidate says verdict another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson released a statement following the verdict finding Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of write E Jean Carroll.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt of the rule of law can backfire. The jury versict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behaviour of Donald Trump.

GOP presidential candidate @AsaHutchinson in a new statement after Trump found liable sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll:



. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness & is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.



Full: pic.twitter.com/22rWsHvNa6  Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) May 9, 2023

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll, centre, walks out of Manhattan federal court, on 9 May 2023. A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her $5m in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. (AP)

Watch: Trump identifies E Jean Carroll as his second wife

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

As Donald Trump rants that he has no idea who E Jean Carroll is, Fox News plays a clip of him identifying her in a photo shown to him in his deposition as his second wife Marla Maples.

yikes! Fox News plays the clip of Trump mistaking E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife during his deposition and even they can't spin it pic.twitter.com/IxzajNrcKi  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2023

Trump says Democrats dont really want him as 2024 candidate

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In his fifth Truth Social post of the day, Donald Trump has claimed that Democrats dont mean it when they say they want him as their 2024 opponent.

Heres what he said about the Party of disinformation as he managed to get another dig in at The Wall Street Journal:

The Democrats are the Party of disinformation. When they say something, it usually means they want the opposite, like in the upcoming 2024 Election. They say the want TRUMP to be their opponent, but they dont mean it. Thats why they are viciously Persecuting me in every court in the land, because they DONT want to run against me. They want anybody else! Also, the Polls have me leading big against Biden. I won twice, doing much better the second time, & now Ill do it a third! Explain to WSJ!
E Jean Carroll has spoken out to describe Tuesday as the happiest day of my life after a jury returned a verdict that Donald Trump did sexually abuse her in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Elle magazine columnist Ms Carroll appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Wednesday morning to say that she feels fantastic about the trial outcome.

Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life, she said.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

After almost two weeks of testimony, the jury found Mr Trump liable of sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but did not find that she had proven that he raped her.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time and does not have to register as a sex offender but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to post a string of messages blasting the proceedings as he brought up Ms Carrolls cat and her relationship with former anchorman John Johnson.

Key points

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth'

Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

Trump falsely claims he wasnt able to defend myself in E Jean Carroll case

Carroll lawyer calls Access Hollywood tape Trumps confession'

Mr Tacopina criticizes Ms Carrolls testimony, but she showed up'

Carroll lawyer blasts Trump for avoiding trial

I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it'

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Ms Carroll told ABC News that she didnt report the assault at the time as she was too ashamed and blamed herself.

In a social media post last year, Mr Trump referred to Ms Carrolls claim as a Hoax and a lie.

This woman is not my type! he said at the time.

I only decided to come forward and tell what happened, I thought that was enough, Ms Carroll told ABC News. And then he said terrible things about me.

Story continues

I was always shaken during the trial, she added. But I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it.

E Jean Carroll reveals she was shaken throughout Trump civil rape trial before overwhelming verdict

16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

E Jean Carroll has said that her court victory against Donald Trump was probably the happiest day of my life.

The writer and magazine journalist appeared on Good Morning America on ABC alongside her lead lawyer Roberta Kaplan on Wednesday, saying that she was shaken during the entire trial, calling the moment the verdict was handed down a wonderful, overwhelming moment.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan court found the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Ms Carroll, a former Elle advice columnist and SNL writer, was awarded $5m in damages.

Ms Carroll filed a lawsuit in November after her 2019 suit against Mr Trump ground to a halt in the courts.

The 79-year-old alleged that Mr Trump raped her in a fitting room at the Berghof Goodman department store in the mid-1990s and subsequently defamed her when he made fun of her and rejected her claim last year.

Read more:

E Jean Carroll reveals she was shaken throughout Trump civil rape trial

Carroll tells Tacopina: He did it. And you know it'

15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Ms Carroll appeared on CNN, saying that the old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported a woman whose life was supposed to fold up and shes never supposed to experience happiness again.

That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women, she added.

Speaking about her reaction to the jury not finding that Mr Trump raped her, she said: Well, I just immediately [said] in my own head, Oh, yes, he did. Oh yes, he did.

When she shook hands with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, she told him: He did it. And you know it.

Im really sort of taking in the moment and the overwhelming flood of a lot of hate thats part of it, she told CNN.

She added that she was feeling an overwhelming amount of relief and joy.

Theres a sort of a feeling of victory that, at last, somebody has held him accountable in a courtroom, Ms Carroll said.

ICYMI: Trump falsely claims he wasnt able to defend myself in E Jean Carroll case after rejecting offer to testify

15:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump has falsely claimed that he wasnt able to defend himself in the E Jean Carroll case after he rejected an offer to testify in the trial.

On Tuesday morning, the former president wrote on Truth Social that he was waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me.

Mr Trumps rant comes after he missed the deadline to testify in the civil rape trial brought against him by Ms Carroll, a writer and magazine journalist.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan had warned Mr Trump that once the deadline passed, he would no longer have the opportunity to testify in the case.

Later on Tuesday a jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused and defamed Ms Carroll.

She was awarded a total of $5m in a payout after a unanimous verdict was reached by the nine jurors in less than three hours.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

E Jean Carroll says verdict day was happiest day of my life'

14:35 , Rachel Sharp

E Jean Carroll has spoken out to describe Tuesday as the happiest day of my life after a jury returned a verdict that Donald Trump did sexually abuse her in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Elle magazine columnist Ms Carroll appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Wednesday morning to say that she feels fantastic about the trial outcome.

Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life, she said.

I feel fantastic. Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life.  E. Jean Carroll on her reaction after former Pres. Trump was found liable for battery and defamation in civil case. https://t.co/UDk3N9S5vu pic.twitter.com/8c1IAZn0Tn  Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2023

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back says vindicated Carroll

14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

After hearing eight days of evidence, the jury took just two and a half hours to find Mr Trump liable for the 1996 sexual assault of Ms Carroll in a dressing room at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman.

Bevan Hurley reports for The Independent from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse in New York.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina clashes with journalist outside court

13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina clashed with a journalist after his client was found liable for sexual abuse.

Footage showed Mr Tacopina confronting a reporter outside court on Tuesday as he faced questions about the verdict.

Get that camera out of my f***ing face, he said.

Dont put that microphone on my shoulder.

As the journalist continued asking him if he was concerned about Donald Trumps social media posts, Mr Tacopina fired back: I already said no, do you speak English or not?

AOC shows support for calls to cancel Trump town hall on CNN

13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trumpafter a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse but not her rape.

The twice-impeached former president, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is set to participate in a town hall on Wednesday. The event will be moderated by Kaitlan Collins.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

Kevin McCarthy has managed to dodge questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump  all the while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by President Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then proceeded to do just that as he skirted around the subjects without giving a definitive answer.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions about George Santos and Donald Trump

Trump goes on Truth Social video rant after he is found liable of sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll

12:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump repeated his false claim that hes never met E Jean Carroll after the jury in the civil trial found he sexually abused the writer.

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME! Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

A photo of Mr Trump meeting Ms Carroll was shown during the trial.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for allegedly raping her in a dressing room at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

Read the full story:

Trump in Truth Social rant after he is found liable of sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll

Six memorable moments from E Jean Carrolls testimony

12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll withstood a barrage of intensely personal questions and inflammatory accusations during more than 13 hours on the witness stand in her civil battery and defamation trial against former president Donald Trump.

The former Elle advice columnist was quizzed about years of emails, text messages, deposition statements, articles and social media posts by Mr Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina as he tried to sow doubt in the minds of the nine jurors.

Here are six memorable moments from Ms Carrolls testimony.

Six memorable moments from E Jean Carrolls testimony during Trump rape trial

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender after $5m E Jean Carroll verdict?

12:10 , Rachel Sharp

A jury in New York has found former president Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll and for then defaming her when he denied the allegations against him.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued Mr Trump, 76, for attacking her in a dressing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the spring of 1996 and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

On Tuesday, the nine-person panel took just three hours of deliberations before returning their verdict, finding that Mr Trump did sexually abuse Ms Carroll. The jury awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages.

The outcome raises the question.

Will Mr Trump have to register as a sex offender?

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender after $5m E Jean Carroll verdict?

Kevin McCarthy dodges questions on Santos and Trump

11:50 , Rachel Sharp

Kevin McCarthy dodged questions about George Santos and Donald Trump  while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent Republicans, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then skirted around the topic without giving a definitive answer.

But as you know, Ive been at the White House. I havent seen the indictment, he said.

But as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees.

In America, well just follow the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, they have the right to vote. But they have to go to trial.

If Mr Santos is found guilty, however, he might have to resign, he said.

When pressed about Mr Trump, Mr McCarthy then claimed he had been in meetings so was unaware of what was going on.

I  I dont know. Ive been in meetings, he said.

In profile: E Jean Carroll, the writer who took on Trump

11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The Independents Bevan Hurley profiles the woman whose life was upended when she accused the worlds most powerful man of rape.

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

WATCH: How Republicans responded to Trump being found liable of sexual abuse

11:10 , Rachel Sharp

Ruhle: I want to share some voices that we heard from today. Republicans on the hill, their reaction. Watch this. pic.twitter.com/PDyOmcI1Cg  Acyn (@Acyn) May 10, 2023

CNN faces growing pressure to cancel Trump town hall

10:50 , Rachel Sharp

CNN is facing growing pressure to cancel its town hall with Donald Trump in light of the former president being found liable for sexual abuse.

On Wednesday night, Kaitlan Collins is scheduled to moderate a town hall at New Hampshires St Anselm College with Mr Trump.

The event was already controversial with Democrats questioning whether the former president should be given the airtime.

Following the jurys verdict in the E Jean Carroll case on Tuesday, calls are mounting on social media for the network to ax the event.

Dear @CNN



I am waiting for your anchors to tell the world that your network has CANCELLED the Town Hall with Donald Trump set for tomorrow.



I cannot believe you would follow what happened in a New York City courtroom today with a town hall for Donald Trump tomorrow.



CANCEL IT  Don Winslow (@donwinslow) May 9, 2023

Raise your hand if you think @CNN should CANCEL tomorrow nights Town Hall with Donald Trump.  pic.twitter.com/JkcM6zF88P  Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) May 9, 2023

Fox News replays clip of Trump identifying E Jean Carroll as his wife while he claims to not know her

10:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

In the aftermath of a jury finding that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll, Fox News replayed a clip of the former president confusing Ms Carroll for his ex-wife at a pre-trial deposition.

Abe Asher has more:

Fox News replays clip of Trump identifying E Jean Carroll as his wife

Will Trump have to register as a sex offender?

10:10 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump does not face any jail time and does not have to register as a sex offender after a jury found that he sexually abused E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

Under New York law, anyone convicted of a sexual offence must register as a sex offender on returning to the community.

But as this is a civil case  and not a criminal case  he was not convicted of a crime.

Instead he was found liable of sexual abuse and jurors awarded Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Trump posts series of Truth Social video rants slamming E Jean Carroll verdict

09:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump posted a series of video rants on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night after a Manhattan federal jury found that he sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

After almost two weeks of testimony, the jury found Mr Trump liable of sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but did not find that she had proven that he raped her.

He was ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

The former president went on the defence following the verdict, posting three blistering videos online where he vowed to appeal and continued to claim he doesnt know who Ms Carroll is.

The whole thing is a scam, he fumed.

Well be appealing this decision. Its a disgrace. I dont even know who this woman is. I have no idea who she is, where she came from.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for the Trump 2024 campaign?

09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden looks at whether the outcome of the trial will have any impact on Mr Trumps chances in 2024.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Donald Trumps chances in 2024?

What were the allegations in E Jean Carrolls rape case against Donald Trump?

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

A chance meeting, an alleged violent sexual assault, and a colossal struggle. A jury was asked to decide whether the businessman-turned-politician raped the columnist in the mid-1990s.

Bevan Hurley reports on the allegations against Donald Trump in the E Jean Carroll case:

What were the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carrolls rape case against Trump?

E Jean Carroll: World finally knows the truth

07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

Bevan Hurley reports from Lower Manhattan.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

AOC shows support for calls to cancel Trump town hall on CNN after E Jean Carroll verdict

06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trump, after a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse in a civil trial.

Eric Garcia reports:

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A jury in New York has found Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman in New York in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

The jury didnt find Mr Trump liable for raping Ms Carroll.

Read more:

Donald Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

I represented Trumps accusers - because five brave women stood up, he has been caught in his truth

04:31 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Because five courageous women stood together, E Jean Carroll won her sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump. Five women said yes, I will brave the haters, the threats, the public attacks by Trump supporters; yes, I will hold my head high and walk into that courtroom; yes, I will answer all the questions posed to me with poise and dignity; yes, I will endure cross-examination by Trumps bare knuckles lawyers; yes, I will do it all, I will overcome the natural terror anyone would feel at doing this, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, because enough is enough, because justice matters. And thats exactly what they did.

Lisa Bloom writes:

I represented Trumps accusers. He has finally been caught in his truth

How did a chance department store meeting lead to a court case decades later?

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg explains how a chance meeting spawned a civil rape and defamation trial almost thirty years later.

Trump on trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape case

Who is Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina?

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawyer Joe Tacopina was the head of the legal team representing former President Donald Trump in the civil rape trial against former Elle advice columnist E Jean Carroll.

Mr Tacopina congratulated Ms Carroll and wished her good luck after the jury in the civil case returned a verdict that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing her in a New York City department store dressing room in 1995 or 1996.

But who is he?

Soccer executive and celebrity attorney: Who is Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina?

Opinion: The lessons we should all be taking from E Jean Carrolls Trump sexual abuse case

01:41 , Lucy Gray

The Carroll v Trump trial, however, provided some surprisingly helpful examples of how we might want to handle rape and sexual abuse cases going forward. Obviously, those cases are always going to involve untold amounts of pain and trauma. Obviously, in an ideal world, those trials would not even be needed, because the wrongs they are designed to right would not exist. But if rape and sexual abuse are going to continue to be prevalent in our world, then, yes, we owe it to ourselves and others to make sure the justice system is equipped to handle them...

You can read the full article by Clemence Michallon here.

The lessons we should all be taking from E Jean Carrolls Trump sexual abuse case

Did Trump mistaking E Jean Carroll for his wife Marla Maples twice seal the verdict?

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Footage of Donald Trumps 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.

A New York jury Ms Carroll in the civil case returned a verdict on 9 May that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but not raping her, and awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages, which includes the defamation claim.

The deposition video was released in response to a records request made by MSNBCs Rachel Maddow.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Trump mistook E Jean Carroll for his ex wife Marla Maples twice during deposition

Who is the journalist who testified in the Trump civil rape trial?

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

People magazine sent correspondent Natasha Stoynoff to Mar-a-Lago in late 2005 to write a wedding anniversary story about Donald Trump, who had then recently married Melania Knauss.

Almost two decades later, her experience of the future president allegedly forcing his tongue down her throat could may have been essential testimony in the E Jean Carroll civil rape trial that began on 25 April in a federal court in New York City.

Read more:

Who is Natasha Stoynoff? The journalist who testified in the Trump civil rape trial

Trump furiously repeats false claim hes never met E Jean Carroll and will appeal

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump repeated his false claim that hes never met E Jean Carroll after the jury in the civil trial found he sexually abused the writer.

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME! Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

A photo of Mr Trump meeting Ms Carroll was shown during the trial.

Gustaf Kilander and Bevan Hurley report.

Trump furiously responds as jury finds he sexually abused E Jean Carroll

Lisa Bloom: I represented Trumps accusers - because five brave women stood up, he has been caught in his truth

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:38 , Lucy Gray

Because five courageous women stood together, E Jean Carroll won her sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump. Five women said yes, I will brave the haters, the threats, the public attacks by Trump supporters; yes, I will hold my head high and walk into that courtroom; yes, I will answer all the questions posed to me with poise and dignity; yes, I will endure cross-examination by Trumps bare knuckles lawyers; yes, I will do it all, I will overcome the natural terror anyone would feel at doing this, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, because enough is enough, because justice matters. And thats exactly what they did. You can read the full piece by attorney Lisa Bloom here.

Lisa Bloom

Watch: Trump attorney heckled outside courthouse

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

'Trump's a coward.'



Donald Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina ended a short press conference with reporters as protesters shouted profanities and heckled him for defending the former president during the NY civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll. pic.twitter.com/vYlikXzqmD  NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 9, 2023

Recap: Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A jury in New York has found Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

Bevan Hurley and Gustaf Kilander filed this report.

Donald Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

E Jean Carroll: World finally knows the truth

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:41 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll said the world finally knows the truth after a jury had found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her nearly $5m.

Were very happy, the 79-year-old told reporters outside court before departing in a black SUV on Tuesday afternoon.

Bevan Hurley reports from Lower Manhattan.

E Jean Carroll says the world finally knows the truth about Donald Trump

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Trumps 2024 chances?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The real question for the Republican ex-president is whether this latest legal blow will affect his chances for 2024, where he remains the strongest candidate (currently) running for the GOP nomination.

John Bowden looks at how while his opponents might smell blood, would Mr Trump acutally lose support.

What does the E Jean Carroll verdict mean for Donald Trumps chances in 2024?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.I would like to express my deep and lasting gratitude to all those who have stood by me from the start, especially my incredible and fearless legal team, led by Robbie Kaplan, who never, ever backed down in pursuit of truth and justice.

E Jean Carroll

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:16 , Oliver O'Connell

No one is above the law, not even a former President of the United States. We are so thrilled that the jury agreed, rendering a unanimous verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll in just two and a half hours. For far too long, survivors of sexual assault faced a wall of doubt and intimidation. We hope and believe todays verdict will be an important step in tearing that wall down. E. Jean Carroll has never wavered in her strength, courage, and determination to seek justice. Donald Trump, on the other hand, failed to even show up in court. This is a victory not only for E. Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere.

Roberta Kaplan, counsel for E Jean Carroll

Watch: GOP Tennessee Senator Hagerty defends Trump

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) defends Donald Trump after he is found liable for sexual abuse and defamation:



This has been going on for years. And he has been amazing in his ability to weather these sorts of attacks and the American public has been amazing in their support for him. pic.twitter.com/PPqpzZZ1ti  The Recount (@therecount) May 9, 2023

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Completed verdict form made public

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:58 , Oliver O'Connell

The verdict form is now public in E. Jean Carroll v. Trump. @LawCrimeNews pic.twitter.com/frCiTiM852  Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 9, 2023

Georgia GOP chairman says he was following Trumps orders and shouldnt face charges over 2020 election

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawyers for the chair of the Georgia Republican Party are arguing their client shouldnt be indicted for attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in the state because he was simply following the advice handed down by members of former President Donald Trumps legal team.

Abe Asher has the story.

Georgia GOP chairman says he was following Trumps orders during 2020 election

Watch: Trump will appeal, attorney says

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Joe Tacopina said former President Donald Trump is planning to appeal the verdict in the NY civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll pic.twitter.com/GnfxXrq48d  NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 9, 2023

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy issues statement after verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

I'll say what everyone else is privately thinking: if the defendant weren't named Donald Trump, would we be talking about this today, would there even be a lawsuit? says GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Full statement from @VivekGRamaswamy on E Jean Carroll verdict: pic.twitter.com/e5XiJsb8YQ  Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) May 9, 2023

It would be a lot easier if Trump werent in this race. But, in this country we dont weaponize the law or decades old allegations to undercut political opponents. I want to win this race because voters believe I can take the America First movement to the next level.

Trump 2024 campaign releases statement following verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:46 , Oliver O'Connell

The Democratic Partys never-ending witch-hunt of President Trump hit a new low today. In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nations justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage. Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States. The continued abuse of our great Constitution for political ends is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. Our nation is in serious trouble when claims lacking any evidence or proof or eyewitnesses can invade our courts to score political points. Sadly, for the enemies of American freedom and democracy, President Trump will never stop fighting for the American people, no matter what the radical Democrats dream up next. This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.

Watch: Were very happy'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

"We're very happy."



E. Jean Carroll and her attorney leave court after a jury found former Pres. Trump liable for battery and defamation in lawsuit, awarding the former Elle magazine columnist $5 million. https://t.co/GOS0uLfesL pic.twitter.com/NhWojoF3I8  ABC News (@ABC) May 9, 2023

AOC shows support for calls to cancel CNN Trump town hall after sexual abuse verdict

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York liked a series of tweets calling for CNN to cancel its scheduled town hall with former president Donald Trumpafter a jury found Mr Trump liable for her sexual abuse but not her rape.

The twice-impeached former president, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is set to participate in a town hall on Wednesday. The event will be moderated by Kaitlan Collins.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

AOC likes tweets that calls to cancel Trump town hall after E Jean Carroll verdict

This is not nothing'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Geraldo Rivera says on Fox News: It is so parochial and partisan to suggest that a finding of sexual battery is nothing. This is not nothing.

Geraldo on Fox News: "It is so parochial and partisan to suggest that a finding of sexual battery is nothing. This is not nothing." pic.twitter.com/5Rg8eC3I4T  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2023

Attorney and legal scholar John Turley also noted on the network: Any other candidate faced with this type of verdict would likely never be seen again.

Jon Turley on Fox News: "Any other candidate faced with this type of verdict would likely never be seen again."  Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) May 9, 2023

Meanwhile, Republican Senator John Cornyn told CBS News after the verdict: I dont think he can get elected.

Sen John Cornyn (R-TX) to @CBSNews about Donald Trump:



I dont think he can get elected  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 9, 2023

And GOP Senator John Thune of South Dakota added: It has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama.

Sen John Thune (R-SD) to @cbsnews about Trump civil trial verdict and other investigations:



It has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 9, 2023

GOP 2024 candidate says verdict another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump'

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson released a statement following the verdict finding Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of write E Jean Carroll.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt of the rule of law can backfire. The jury versict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behaviour of Donald Trump.

GOP presidential candidate @AsaHutchinson in a new statement after Trump found liable sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll:



. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness & is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.



Full: pic.twitter.com/22rWsHvNa6  Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) May 9, 2023

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll, centre, walks out of Manhattan federal court, on 9 May 2023. A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her $5m in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. (AP)

Watch: Trump identifies E Jean Carroll as his second wife

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

As Donald Trump rants that he has no idea who E Jean Carroll is, Fox News plays a clip of him identifying her in a photo shown to him in his deposition as his second wife Marla Maples.

yikes! Fox News plays the clip of Trump mistaking E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife during his deposition and even they can't spin it pic.twitter.com/IxzajNrcKi  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2023

Trump says Democrats dont really want him as 2024 candidate

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In his fifth Truth Social post of the day, Donald Trump has claimed that Democrats dont mean it when they say they want him as their 2024 opponent.

Heres what he said about the Party of disinformation as he managed to get another dig in at The Wall Street Journal:

The Democrats are the Party of disinformation. When they say something, it usually means they want the opposite, like in the upcoming 2024 Election. They say the want TRUMP to be their opponent, but they dont mean it. Thats why they are viciously Persecuting me in every court in the land, because they DONT want to run against me. They want anybody else! Also, the Polls have me leading big against Biden. I won twice, doing much better the second time, & now Ill do it a third! Explain to WSJ!
Donald Trump  world-famous misogynist with decades of assault allegations  was brought to justice by none other than a group of sexual assault survivors.

A Manhattan federal jury found on Tuesday that the former president sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in New York City in the mid-1990s. Carroll, a longtime advice columnist, filed a civil suit against Trump for battery and defamation and was awarded a combined $5 million for the jurys findings on her allegations.

Carroll was only able to sue for battery over two decades after the assault took place because of the work of sexual assault survivors. About two dozen survivors worked tirelessly to pass the Adult Survivors Act, a New York state law enacted in November that allows people who were sexually abused a one-time chance to file civil lawsuits despite statutes of limitations. They spent hundreds of unpaid hours away from their families and friends, taking time off of work, all to fly to Albany to change the law.

E. Jean got into that courtroom because a collective group of survivors fought exhaustively and relentlessly to change the law, Alison Turkos, one of the survivors who worked to get the Adult Survivors Act passed, told HuffPost.

I want people to remember that survivors had to fight to change the law, to open the door for this case to happen. And if the law was not changed, this verdict would not happen.

It took over three years for the survivors to get the law passed, and they were building upon the previous work of activists who spent 13 years lobbying for the New York Child Victims Act, which became law in 2019.

Drew Dixon, another survivor who worked to pass the Adult Survivors Act, said she was fighting back tears when she heard the verdict.

I am profoundly moved that I played a small part along with my fellow survivor activists in creating a path for E. Jean Carroll, whose bravery and humanity and grace and vulnerability has absolutely taken my breath away, said Dixon, a writer and producer in the music industry.

Story continues

The sheer force of will of this group of survivors was incredible, she added. A group who just insisted that this window open because trauma takes time and these statute of limitations are unscientific and unaligned with the way the psychology of trauma really unfolds.

Carroll (center) walks out of court after the jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996.

Carroll (center) walks out of court after the jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996.

Turkos, who has navigated the civil legal system for her own rape case, knows just how isolating and re-traumatizing the court system can be. Law enforcement, prosecutors and judges often heavily rely on stereotypes and misconceptions of victims with little knowledge of how trauma manifests.

These stereotypes were on full display throughout Carrolls trial, as she was forced to answer pointed questions from Trumps attorney: Did you say no? Why didnt you scream? Why didnt you call the police? Trump himself said in a deposition that he couldnt have raped Carroll because she wasnt his type.

I was born in 1943. I am a member of the Silent Generation, women like me were taught to keep our heads up  not call the police, Carroll responded to Trumps attorney.

The New York law that resulted from the work of Turkos, Dixon and other survivors had finally created a space for Carroll to tell her story.

Thats why this is true survivor justice, Turkos said. Its the idea that there is a community who made this happen. Survivors lobbied, we told our stories, we talked to the press, we got co-sponsors, we educated so many elected officials.

The window to file civil suits under the Adult Survivors Act closes on Nov. 23, 2023. Under the law, any adult survivor can file a civil case against their abuser or the institution that protected their abuser.

This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed, Carroll said in a statement following the verdict.

For victims of assault who are so often isolated by the violence they experienced, theres a lot of power in community.

We can support each other. And if we stick together we can  little by little, incrementally  transform this culture and make it more just, Dixon said.

Donald Trump said that when youre a star they let you do it. He said that this is the way its been for millions of years. Not anymore.

Related...
donald-trump-e-jean-reaction-2.jpg Donald Trump visit to UK - Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty Images

Donald Trump is not happy that a jury determined he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll.

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS, the former president ranted on Truth Social minutes after the jury handed down the verdict. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE  A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

More from Rolling Stone

Trump taking the Carroll jurys verdict exactly how youd expect him to pic.twitter.com/RDXyPj8QJ6  nikki mccann ramirez (@NikkiMcR) May 9, 2023

Trump added to Fox News that he plans to appeal the ruling. Well appeal. We got treated very badly by the Clinton-appointed judge, Trump said. And [Carroll] is a Clinton person too.

Trumps team released a more fleshed-out response, calling the case part of a political ploy perpetrated by Democrats to keep the former president from winning back the White House.

Trumps team is out with a lengthy document responding to the Carroll verdict, starting with a statement from a Trump spox: pic.twitter.com/1R0tuCMP4t  Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) May 9, 2023

Trump wasnt done on Truth Social, either. VERY UNFAIR TRIAL! he added later.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A TRUMP HATING, CLINTON APPOINTED JUDGE, WHO WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RESULT WAS AS NEGATIVE AS IT COULD POSSIBLY BE, SPEAKING TO, AND IN CONTROL OF, A JURY FROM AN ANTI-TRUMP AREA WHICH IS PROBABLY THE WORST PLACE IN THE U.S. FOR ME TO GET A FAIR TRIAL,' he wrote after that.

Story continues

Trump read the text of his Truth Social in a video released on the platform, adding that the whole thing was a scam, and its a sham, and a disgrace to our country.

Donald Trump's angry rant about the verdict is exactly what you would expect:



"I don't even know who this woman is. I have no idea who she is or where she came from. This is another scam. It's a political witch hunt." pic.twitter.com/GaXT7GnOmc  Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) May 10, 2023

The jury of six men and three woman only needed a few hours to find Trump liable of battery and defamation, ruling that he pay Carroll a total of $5 million. The jury did not, however, find that Carroll was able to prove Trump raped her. Carroll first accused Trump of doing so in 2019, claiming the assault took place in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll sued Trump for defamation later in 2019, and for battery late last year under New Yorks new Adult Survivors Act.

Trump railed about the case ahead of the jury commencing its deliberation earlier on Tuesday. Waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me, the former president wrote on Truth Social. In the meantime, the other side has a book falsely accusing me of Rape, & is working with the press. I will therefore not speak until after the trial, but will appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome!

In reality, Trump declined the opportunity to defend himself in court on multiple occasions, first when his legal team informed Judge Lewis Kaplan last week that they would not be presenting a defense, and again after Kaplan allowed Trump until Sunday evening to request to defend himself. Kaplan had already warned Trumps team about the former presidents social media activity, telling Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina that his client was tampering with a new source of potential liability by bashing Carroll on social media. The warning came the same day Trump called the allegations against him a made up SCAM and accused Carrolls lawyer of being a political operative.

Trumps claim on Tuesday that he has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS is dubious. Hes been photographed with Carroll, and during his deposition he confused her for his second wife.

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An explosive piece of political theater is set for Wednesday evening, when former President Trump appears at a town hall event televised by CNN  a day after he was found liable in a civil trial of sexual abuse.

Trump and the network have been fierce foes in recent years. While president, Trump even went so far as to send a tweet featuring a modified image of him body-slamming a person with the CNN logo superimposed on their head. He also retweeted a cartoon of a train hitting a CNN reporter.

The network, for its part, was seen by some as having damaged its brand with gratuitous or petty attacks on Trump or vainglorious performances from some of its reporters and pundits.

Wednesday evenings broadcast is virtually guaranteed to draw a large audience, especially with the attention on Tuesdays verdict. Beyond that, what are the big things to watch?

What will Trump say about the E. Jean Carroll verdict?

As if the town hall was not set to be dramatic enough, it now comes on the heels of a new bombshell: the decision by a New York jury to hold Trump liable for the sexual abuse of columnist E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s, and for defaming her in his denial of the incident.

The jury awarded $5 million in damages against Trump, even as it did not find him liable for the most serious charge  that he raped Carroll.

A statement from Trumps campaign reacted by blaming a never-ending witch-hunt and a bogus case  targeting President Trump.

Trump himself took to social media to complain about a verdict he deemed a disgrace. He also contended that the nine-person jury, sitting in the city where he was born and has spent most of his life, was from an anti-Trump area which is probably the worst place in the U.S. for me to get a fair trial.

Trump might have plenty more to say about the matter before he appears at the town hall, but a repeat of his previous attacks on Carrolls character seems at least plausible  as well as politically risky, given how female voters in particular may react.

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CNN would also have to push back immediately on certain allegations from the former president in order to avoid being seen as cosigning defamation.

Will Trump play nice with CNN, or lambaste it?

Trump has always gained political advantage with conservative voters with the sheer ferocity of his attacks upon the media.

Now, the question is whether he will continue that approach with CNN or adopt a friendlier demeanor.

Perhaps predictably, most signs favor the former, setting up the possibility CNN and other pundits have once again been fooled by rumors of a new Trump.

In a TruthSocial post Tuesday, Trump promoted his appearance by saying that CNN was rightfully desperate to get those fantastic (TRUMP!) ratings once again.

The former president did include a flimsy olive branch, suggesting that the event could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News.

But then, he added, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me.

Beyond Trumps hype, there are serious issues at play.

There is a widespread belief in the media industry that CNN is seeking to reposition itself closer to the center under new CEO and chairman Chris Licht.

Trump, too, has some incentive to reach beyond his base rather than just play the greatest, media-bashing hits, if hes capable of such a pivot.

What if he repeats election lies?

Trump has never backed away from his lies about the 2020 election being stolen from him. Indeed, he often repeats such allegations, both online and in his campaign appearances.

CNN is under a journalistic obligation to point out that Trumps allegations are fiction. The network would obviously want to put a particularly wide berth between itself and the kind of wild allegations that recently caused Fox News to pay out almost $800 million to settle a defamation case against Dominion Voting Systems.

But dealing with these issues is trickier than it sounds.

CNNs moderator, Kaitlan Collins, will be aiming to address Trumps conspiracy theory without getting into a prolonged back-and-forth that derails the evening.

From Trumps perspective, there are some in his circle who would rather see him move away from the 2020 false allegations, which draw in no new supporters and open him up to the charge that he is looking to the past rather than the future  even as a declared 2024 candidate.

Trump himself, however, has remained impervious to that argument.

Will his main target be President Biden or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis?

Trump has been increasingly vociferous in attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in recent weeks.

Having apparently settled on DeSanctimonious as his nickname of choice, a recent social media post from Trump declared the Florida governor a total flameout who is dropping like a rock in the Polls.

As is often the case with Trump, there is an element of truth in the hyperbole: DeSantis is lagging Trump badly in recent polls.

DeSantis has not officially entered the race yet but is expected to do so within the next month or so. Trump will want to keep the heat on him, hoping to snuff out his rivals candidacy early.

The question is whether he prioritizes that line of attack over targeting President Biden himself.

Trump has had some good news recently against Biden  most notably, a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday showed him defeating his successor by 7 points in a head-to-head match-up.

Attacks on Biden are, in a sense, a simpler proposition for Trump, uniting the GOP base in a way that attacks upon DeSantis do not.

How does Kaitlan Collins do?

The town hall event is a big opportunity for Collins, a rising star at the network. But it comes with plenty of risks, too.

Collins made her name as a White House Correspondent for CNN during Trumps tenure. She was widely praised during that time for the quality and tenacity of her reporting while largely avoiding some of the more theatrical attacks on the president that others in the press corps favored.

Prior to her time at CNN, Collins had covered the White House for The Daily Caller, the conservative website co-founded by Tucker Carlson.

Still, she was hardly in the Trump teams good graces. At one White House press briefing soon after Trump had lost the election, his press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, branded her an activist  a charge Collins immediately denied.

Collins is clearly in the ascendant at CNN, where she co-anchors the networks relatively new morning show, CNN This Morning.

The show has gone through its share of dramas, culminating in the firing of cohost Don Lemon. But Collins herself hasnt seemed damaged by any of that.

If she does well Wednesday, it will show she can handle the biggest occasions for the network.

But moderating a live event with a figure so unpredictable as Trump is always going to be turbulent.

If the stakes are high politically for Trump, they are just as high professionally for Collins.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
When #MeToo went viral in 2017, the movement called for a national reckoning on sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture that pervaded society up to the highest levels of power.

For many women, a New York jurys finding on Tuesday  that former President Donald Trump is liable for sexual assault and defamation in E. Jean Carrolls civil rape trial  was a sign of hope that change is not only possible, but also underway. Yet, there was also an acknowledgement that the kind of justice Carroll received remains elusive and rare for most survivors of sexual assaults.

Among those with an optimistic outlook is Katie Brennan, whose rape allegation against a Gov. Phil Murphy campaign staff member resulted in a court settlement and reforms on how the state handles sex assault cases.

I am pleased that [Carroll] is able to finally get some justice in whatever form it may come, Brennan said late Tuesday. I hope it sends a signal that times have changed and that accountability  while this is certainly not the end  that we are getting some accountability and will continue to seek more for all survivors.

Katie Brennan, the woman who accused a former Murphy staffer of rape, testifies in front of the Senate Oversight Committee in Trenton on December 4, 2018.

The verdict brings a sense of hope, said Brennan, an advocate for reforms to help survivors of sexual assault.

Cultural change takes time, she said. Legal change takes time. We knew that #MeToo was a movement, not a moment, and so I certainly didnt give up hope. Im pleased to see progress. I know it will keep coming.

Legal reform after #MeToo

The federal jury, which deliberated fewer than three hours, ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million in damages. Carroll, a professional writer, said Trump had lied about a 1996 sexual assault in a New York City department store and disparaged her character in doing so.

Carroll said she stayed silent about the incident for years because she feared retribution from Trump. She is one of at least 20 women who have accused the former president of sexual assault or misconduct.

She sued Trump under a 2022 New York state law, called the Adult Survivors Act, that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on sexual abuse complaints.

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E. Jean Carroll walks out of Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back, Carroll said in a statement. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.

The New York law was signed amid a wave of awareness and activism around sexual assault and harassment. Spurred by the #MeToo movement, women across the nation unleashed harrowing stories and accusations against people in powerful positions.

'We are not the liars. He is': Trump #MeToo accuser reacts to E. Jean Carroll verdict

Civil suits a thorny path for women

But most women don't have the means to file civil lawsuits, said Margo Kaplan, a professor at Rutgers Law School, where she teaches courses on criminal law, health law and policy and sex crimes.

"I do think the jury finding for Carroll sends in many ways a strong message about accountability, but it's not the kind of accountability many survivors of sexual assault are going to be able to obtain," she said.

"Being a civil case, there is a lower standard of proof with the jury," Kaplan said. "On the other hand, you need to be able to afford a lawyer. It is very time consuming and remarkably painful. Even if you do win, most are not going to be able to obtain several million dollars in damages."

Women also may face death threats, harassment and humiliation. They may also face questions about how they dressed, if they flirted and "whether you were asking for it," she said. Some have had to leave their jobs or move as a result of harassments.

"I hesitate to say that we are seeing laws that provide real practical protection to victims," Kaplan said. "I don't think we're going to be able to really help victims until we focus on preventing sexual assault in the first place and focus on attitudes and cultural norms that have allowed us to turn a blind eye when women are assaulted."

Slow moving cultural shift

Helen Archontou, chief executive of the YWCA Northern New Jersey, describes this moment as a slow-moving "cultural shift" in the national consciousness surrounding sexual violence. A decade ago, well before #MeToo, the outcome for Carroll may have been different, she said.

"The piece that has been very important for survivors is that you have more of a discussion about these issues," said Archontou. "All of that is helpful in terms of creating empathy and understanding for survivors, in creating better jurors for these cases and better processes in terms of law enforcement, and our judiciary, and [for] people just having a better understanding of the whole issue."

Helen Archontou, Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Northern New Jersey.

Archontou, who previously served as a team coordinator for the sex crimes and child abuse unit in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, said a verdict like this can also provide hope for survivors.

"Historically, we know that survivors are not believed. We know what survivors have to go through when they come forward and do share their story. We saw it play up in this case, as well," Archontou said. "So, I think that they see in this verdict as the potential of, when we have someone who creates an act of sexual violence, that there can be accountability for them and for their actions.

"We also know that most survivors don't come forward immediately for various reasons," she continued. "And so, even if there was a period of time from when the sexual assault occurred to this process, [knowing] that they still can have an outcome like this it creates that level of hope that this is possible."

Helping low-income survivors of sexual assault

Brennan said she was grateful she had the means to sue in court over her alleged rape. Law enforcement had declined to press charges against Murphy campaign staff member Al Alvarez. Her allegations were not taken seriously by the Murphy Administration, she said. In 2020, Murphy's campaign and the state of New Jersey agreed to pay $1 million in a legal settlement with Brennan and enact reform.

She directed part of the settlement to start a program to help low-income survivors of sexual assault at the Waterfront Project, a non-profit group in Hudson County.

"So few people do find justice through the criminal justice system for sexual assault," Brennan said. "It's really, really hard to go that civil route, and I wanted to make sure that people of all income levels were able to get support though the criminal system or through getting protective orders."

Brennan has advocated for state and federal reforms to protect and aid sexual assaults survivors, including the federal Speak Out Act. Signed into law in December, it prohibits the use of nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements that can have the effect of silencing survivors of sexual abuse and assault.

It was pointed out to me the other day that Tiger Woods ex-girlfriend was using the new Speak Out Act," Brennan said."Its one example of changing laws and changing policies that take a long time, but when you are successful in that, the number of people that can be helped is countless. So, I think things are changing.

Staff writer Melanie Anzidei contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Trump indictment in E. Jean Carroll trial gives women hope
Former President Donald Trumps appearance on CNN tonight was already going to be a blockbuster  a primetime TV appearance in front of a live audience on a network he regularly lambasts.

But with a Manhattan federal jury finding him liable in the sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Carroll, the stakes for the GOP frontrunner were instantly raised, virtually ensuring he will be pressed on issue by a network that has historically had an adversarial relationship with the former president.

Trumps camp anticipates that Tuesdays verdict, which found him liable for sexually abusing Carroll, for which she was awarded $5 million in damages, will come up. But they also see the CNN town hall as an opportunity to reach a major national audience, according to a person familiar with their thinking. And they also see political opportunity ahead. The Trump campaign is expected to fundraise off the Carroll decision, that person said.



The verdict comes on the eve of Trumps town hall in New Hampshire moderated by CNNs Kaitlan Collins, a 31-year-old anchor and correspondent who gained a reputation for challenging Trump while she covered the White House.

Trump signaled that he would take a combative approach to any questions around the case, writing on Truth Social immediately after the verdict that he had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA who Carroll was, and that the VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME! He had spent part of the day recording policy videos.

Trump advisers had been negotiating for weeks with CNN, which approached them earlier this year about the idea of doing a sit-down. Trumps decision to agree to the town hall was seen as an implicit jab at Fox News, which he has clashed with in recent months, and at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has eschewed interviews with mainstream media outlets in favor of friendly conservative ones.

The verdict immediately split Republicans on Capitol Hill with some saying it should give voters pause and others arguing that it was a continuation of biased prosecution against the former president. That schism quickly became evident among Republicans on the campaign trail as well.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, who quickly defended Trump after news broke of his criminal indictment a month ago, on Tuesday did the same.

I wasnt one of the jurors and Im not privy to all of the facts that they have, but Ill say what everyone else is privately thinking, Ramaswamy said in a statement to POLITICO. If the defendant werent named Donald Trump, would there even be a lawsuit?

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who called for Trump to drop out of the race after his indictment, said the jurys verdict should be taken seriously and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire, Hutchinson said in a statement.



Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott didnt speak to the verdict. Former Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, also defended Trump in an interview with NBC News.

Trumps support and fundraising have only strengthened in the aftermath of past legal flashpoints, including his indictment over his alleged involvement in a hush money payment scheme to a porn star.

Sarah Longwell, a political strategist and founder of the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project, said she conducted a focus group last week in which two-time Trump voters were asked about the Carroll lawsuit. Just one of the seven voters, a woman, had heard of it  and she didnt believe her, Longwell said.

Throughout other recent focus groups with Republican voters, Longwell and her staff have remarked internally about how Trumps support is the fiercest among women who have already supported him twice.

I wish things were different, but I cant see this changing anything in a Republican primary, Longwell said of the sexual abuse verdict Tuesday. The things that are going to change anything in a Republican primary are if the field  his opponents for 2024  show some political backbone and political talent and ability to capture some of the oxygen that he is sucking up.



A recent NBC News poll found that two thirds of Republican voters believe the investigations are politically motivated attempt to stop Trump. But some party strategists are convinced it could hamper his prospects in a general election where he would have to reach beyond his loyal base.

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel was pressed by Fox News Martha McCallum over whether or not the Carroll ruling or the hush money scheme verdict could have a negative impact on suburban and women voters. McDaniel deflected, and said that women are more focused on President Joe Bidens disappointing administration.

I think we have a long way until the primary process begins, we have debates in August, McDaniel said. I think a lot of women are incredibly disappointed with the Biden administration so theyll be looking at the Republican nominee, whoever that is, to put forward an opposing vision and one that will help suburban moms and kids and families across the country.

But the question, which McCallum repeated again with other guests, underscores how that cohort of female and suburban women voters could potentially impact Trump. While Trump did better with women in 2020 than in 2016, Biden led among women in the last election by 11 points.

How Trump will handle discussing the lawsuit at the CNN town hall is hardly a mystery, said Dave Carney, a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist.

He will spin it, and we could write that script right now, Carney said soon after the verdict was issued. Judge who hates me, a lady made this up, and blah, blah, blah. He will definitely have something to say about it.



And he did, following that script almost exactly in posts he made on his social media website throughout the evening Tuesday.

But for a candidate who won the 2016 election mere weeks after a recording was published of him bragging about being able to sexually assault women, none of this is new, Carney said, and its unlikely voters are still trying to make up their mind about Trumps character.

Do I think any different eyeball is going to watch this show that wasnt going to watch it beforehand? No, Carney said of the Wednesday town hall. Do I think any undecided voter was thinking I dont know about that Trump guy, Im going to tune into CNN and see what he has to say?

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to include Mike Pence's interview with NBC.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Vice President Sara Duterte has been named as the co-vice chairperson of the government's anti-communist task force.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano announced in a press briefing on Wednesday that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's (NTF-ELCAC) executive committee has approved this designation of Duterte, who also concurrently serves as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

"Her unstinting commitment in the cause of the NTF-ELCAC will undoubtedly be very valuable to the task force, and we thank her for accepting the challenge," said Ano, the task force's vice chairman.

Ano expressed belief that the vice president's experience as a former local chief executive will prove helpful in fighting the communist rebellion in the country.

Ang ating vice president ay napaka-well experienced, being a former mayor of Davao City. As what she said a while ago, ang kanyang mga experiences ay magagamit niya para mai-share yung mga best practices na pwedeng magamit ng iba't ibang ahensya na involved dito sa NTF-ELCAC, he said.

[Translation: Our vice president is truly well experienced, being a former mayor of Davao City. As she said a while ago, she can use her experiences to impart best practices to different agencies involved with the NTF-ELCAC.]

The vice president is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered the creation of the NTF-ELCAC in 2018.

"The so-called protracted war must end," she said during a task force meeting in Malacanang.

"This is a show of force  a clear, strong, and powerful statement and warning  against the enemies of the state who slaughter civilians and Indigenous Peoples, abduct and murder and execute members of our security forces, and attempt to pin down our progress as a nation through their ideals anchored on brainwashing, fear, and terrorism, she added.

Duterte also stated that the Philippines is "ingrained with the problem of insurgency" through the recruitment of Filipino students to communist organizations.

She said communist rebels have "infiltrated" institutions and "remained a serious threat" to Filipino youth.

Human rights group Karapatan, however, slammed the designation of Duterte, describing her as a "serial and notorious redtagger."

"It only shows the greater need for the abolition of this TF (task force) that has been responsible for numerous cases of human rights violations," read the groups statement.

Earlier, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) raised alarm over the alleged red-tagging of the DepEd under Dutertes leadership.

This was after Duterte claimed that ACTs support of a "communist-inspired" transport strike earlier this year showed that the group has a communist ideology, and does not serve the interests of students and teachers.

The vice president also previously alleged that ACT's call for the hiring of 30,000 teachers was made to divert attention from clashes initiated by communist rebels against government forces in Masbate in March.
In this file photo, Tucker Carlson poses on the set of Tucker Carlson Tonight at a Fox News studio in New York. | Richard Drew, Associated Press

After eight days of speculation about his post-Fox News future, Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that hes taking his audience to Twitter.

Amazingly, as of tonight, there arent many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining in the world  the only one  is Twitter, where we are now, Carlson said in a three-minute video.

Calling Twitter the place where our national conversation incubates and develops, Carlson said hed soon bring a new version of his Fox show to Twitter. Well bring some other things, too, which well tell you about it, he added.

He gave no other information, but others are reporting that Carlson is giving up $25 million owed to him by Fox by violating a noncompete clause.

The announcement was cheered by conservatives on Twitter, including Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire, who recently took his podcast to Twitter and said Forget YouTube. This is the free speech platform. One person heralded the move as a seismic shift in how Americans consume media.

But others said that Carlsons move made Twitter even more inhospitable to people concerned about what they perceive as a right-leaning tilt. Twitter is becoming the go-to platform tolerant of & incentivizing hyper-partisan rhetoric, wrote civil rights attorney Nora Binavidez.

With nearly 7 million followers, Carlson already has a larger audience than he had on Fox, where he regularly had more than 3 million viewers. Since his departure from Fox, he has gained nearly a million new Twitter followers.

Tucker Carlson bringing the most successful cable news show of all time to Elon Musk's Twitter is going to be the biggest seismic shift America's media landscape has ever seen.



Corporate media is dead.



Establishment narratives are on notice.



All of us are the media now.  Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 9, 2023

In his final days at Fox, Carlson had a sit-down interview with Musk, who has been increasingly embraced by conservatives since his purchase of Twitter. In that interview, Musk told Carlson, it remains to be seen as to whether this was financially smart. Currently, it is not. He went on to say, But some things are priceless. And so whether I lose money or not, that is a secondary issue compared to ensuring the strength of democracy and free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.

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Related

There had been widespread speculation that Carlson might join a Fox competitor like Newsmax, or launch a podcast, like another former Fox personality, Megyn Kelly.

Carlson has consistently been the most popular personality on Fox, and his evening show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, is a ratings leader in the desired demographic of adults ages 25-54. The program averaged 3.25 million total viewers in March, according to AdWeek.

Fox is temporarily airing Fox News Tonight in his 8 p.m. time slot, with revolving hosts. The Washington Post has reported that the network has seen a significant ratings drop in Carlsons time slot.
Tucker Carlson is moving to Twitter. Left: Janos Kummer/Getty Images, Right: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogu

Tucker Carlson announced on Tuesday that he would bring his show to Twitter.

The host was fired last month from Fox News shortly after it settled Dominion's defamation lawsuit.

The median age of Twitter users is much younger than that of Fox News viewers, reports show.

Tucker Carlson is officially moving to Twitter, but whether his loyal  and older  Fox fans will follow is yet to be seen.

In leaked behind-the-scenes tapes of his former show "Tucker Carlson Tonight" released by watchdog group Media Matters for America, the 53-year-old host made sexist comments, promoted well-known misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, and called his fans "post-menopausal."

Though crudely made, the comments reflect that Fox News brings in an older demographic. But for a former TV host looking to build a devoted following on Twitter on par with the one he had at Fox, that may be a problem.

Carlson, who was ousted on April 24, announced Tuesday that he was bringing a "new version" of his show to Twitter. In a video, Carlson touted the social media platform to his seven million followers as a place of "free speech."

A tweet of Carlson's announcement has nearly half a million likes, and conservative politicians and influencers, from Lauren Boebert to Kid Rock, celebrated the move.

However, Carlson is entering a new market with an age demographic that does not reflect that of his previous viewers. Back at Fox News, the median age of an average viewer was 65, according to Nielsen ratings.

A Pew Research study shows a stark difference: The median age of a Twitter user is 40.

There's also a difference in the political leanings of Twitter. Carlson's brand is built on right-wing and white supremacist talking points, but nearly 70% of Twitter's most active users are left-leaning, according to a 2020 study from the Pew Research Center.

Carlson, however, may still be able to find his audience now that Twitter is in the hands of Elon Musk, who acquired the platform in late 2022.

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Musk insists that his politics are at the center and even encouraged content creators "from the left" to follow in Carlson's footsteps and create their own shows on Twitter. However, after Musk's reinstatement of many previously banned conservative accounts, the suspension of left-wing accounts, and the promotion of conspiracy theories and white supremacist talking points, experts previously told Insider that it's clear that Musk is using the platform to amplify right-wing and extremist viewpoints.

"I think he's intentionally empowering right-wing extremists," J.M. Berger, a researcher on extremism on social media like Twitter, told Insider in December. "Any argument that he's trying to empower the center is patently bullshit and should be treated as such."

Representatives for Carlson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Conservative commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is launching a new version of his show on Twitter, he said Tuesday.

Speaking in a nearly three-minute video posted on the platform, Carlson gave few details about the show and offered a familiar criticism of the news media.

Carlson called the platform the "last big one remaining in the world" for free speech.

"Twitter isnt a partisan site," he said. "Everyone is allowed here.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said Carlson would be subject to the same "rules & rewards" of all users, including subscription revenue and "Community Notes," the platform's content moderation feature.

"I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever," Musk said.

Early Wednesday morning, Musk tweeted at former CNN anchor Don Lemon in an attempt to get him do to a show on Twitter as well.

"Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try," Musk said. "Audience is much bigger."

Carlson and Fox agreed to part ways last month for reasons that neither he nor the network specified after the network announced it had agreed to pay nearly $800 million to Dominion Voting Systems after the company sued Fox for defamation.

A Fox spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carlsons lawyer also did not respond to a request for comment.

Tucker Carlson Tonight, which had aired on Fox News since 2016, was one of the most-watched shows on American cable news.

Carlson was known for promoting conspiracy theories and disinformation, such as the racist great replacement theory, found on fringe sites like 4chan. Carlson also used his platform to target people.

A former producer for Carlson, Abby Grossberg, has alleged in a lawsuit that he fostered a work environment that subjugated women based on vile sexist stereotypes, typecasted religious minorities and belittled their traditions, and demonstrated little to no regard for mental health.

Story continues

A spokeswoman for the network has disputed Grossbergs claims, saying they are riddled with false allegations."

Carlson is moving to Twitter as Musks public persona has veered sharply to the right and he has dabbled in fringe conspiracy theories in recent years, as detailed in his prolific tweeting.

On Tuesday, Musk pushed a discredited theory that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg swung the 2020 election and cast doubt on reporting that showed the man who recently killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall was linked to extremist social media posts.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Dominic Lipinski

Notorious Black historian Alex Haley faked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s harsh criticism of Malcolm X, playing up their infamous rivalry, a biographer has found.

In fact, Jonathan Eig found that King respected Xs sentimentsfar different from previous beliefs that King felt X was fiery and demagogic.

Weve been teaching people for decades, for generations, that King had this harsh criticism of Malcolm X, Eig told The Washington Post, and its just not true.

While researching King at Duke University for an upcoming biography, Eig found an unedited transcript of the interview between the civil rights leader and Haley, according to The Post.

Martin Luther King Jnr and Malcolm X pictured in 1964. Marion S.Trikoskor/Universal History Archive/Getty Images

In the 1965 interview for Playboy magazine, Haley, who later interviewed X as the ghostwriter for his autobiography The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley, asked King how he felt about Xs fight for civil rights and criticism of nonviolence.

I totally disagree with many of his political and philosophical views, as I understand them, King said, according to the transcript Eig found. I dont want to seem to sound as if I feel so self-righteous, or absolutist, that I think I have the only truth, the only way. Maybe he does have some of the answer. But I know that I have so often felt that I wished that he would talk less of violence, because I dont think that violence can solve our problem. And in his litany of expressing the despair of the Negro, without offering a positive, creative approach, I think that he falls into a rut sometimes.

However, Haleys article in Playboy included a quote that Eig didnt find anywhere in the transcript in which King also said, I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice.

Haleys article also included Kings infamous quote about X: Fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as [X] has done, can reap nothing but grief. But Eig found that the quote was taken completely out of context from a question about extremists in general, not specifically X.

Story continues

The ethical and journalistic blunder brings Haleys other work into question, including alleged falsehoods in his famous generational saga Roots.

Martin Luther King, Jr. a Communist? Why Hes Been Whitewashed

While Eig said King was more radical than people appear to remember, he was also more understanding of other approaches toward equality.

[King] was a Christian radical, and his radicalism came from a different place than Malcolms did, but they always had a lot in common, Eig told the Post. They always believed that you had to take radical steps to change America, to end racism, to create a country that lived up to the words of its promises.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Twitter logo on phone

Twitter has become the latest social media platform to launch an encrypted messaging service.

Direct messages sent on Twitter will be end-to-end encrypted - this means private messages can only be read by the sender and the recipient.

Chief executive Elon Musk said it meant he could not see users' messages "even if there was a gun to my head".

But he warned that this is an early version, and people should "try it, but don't trust it yet".

The feature is not yet open to everyone, and can only be used by people who pay for Twitter Blue or are affiliated to a verified Twitter account.

It is also not yet possible to send media in the messages - users can only send text and links.

In a post on its support site, Twitter said it was "not quite there yet" with encryption.

"While messages themselves are encrypted, metadata (recipient, creation time, etc) are not, and neither is any linked content," it said.

"If someone - for example, a malicious insider, or Twitter itself as a result of a compulsory legal process - were to compromise an encrypted conversation, neither the sender or receiver would know."

Online Safety Bill criticised

When he bought Twitter in 2022, Mr Musk hinted at plans to turn it into a "super-app" with multiple functions. In China the super-app WeChat can be used for everything from social media and ordering food to payments and messaging, but there is not really a comparable platform in the West.

Since then he has made a number of dramatic changes to the social network, including the introduction of a subscription service, and the removal of old blue tick badges, previously used by Twitter as a tool in the fight against the spread of disinformation.

Many Twitter users have called for its private messaging service to be made more secure for a long time. However, Mr Musk's timing could prove awkward for him in the UK, where the government's Online Safety Bill will introduce new requirements for social media companies, which it says will help to protect children from abuse.

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Messaging platforms WhatsApp and Signal have both criticised this part of the Online Safety Bill, currently near the end of its journey through Parliament.

In April, they said they were concerned the legislation could undermine end-to-end encryption, which is considered by privacy campaigners and activists to be an invaluable tool.

They were two of several messaging services whose heads signed a letter calling for a rethink, saying the bill, in its current form, opens the door to "routine, general and indiscriminate surveillance" of personal messages.

Facebook's parent company Meta has introduced encryption to its Messenger platform with some exceptions, including Marketplace chats.

Mr Musk said he expected encrypted messaging on Twitter "to grow in sophistication rapidly".

Cyber-security expert Jake Moore, from ESET, said Twitter was responding to demand from privacy-conscious users.

"Without the use of end-to-end encrypted messaging, Twitter staff and the company itself have the opportunity to read people's messages," he told the BBC.

"Although this can reap huge rewards for the platform, with advertisers being able to micro-target users, it is a huge security risk to those messaging without such privacy protection."

With latest version of app, you can DM reply to any message in the thread (not just most recent) and use any emoji reaction.



Release of encrypted DMs V1.0 should happen tomorrow. This will grow in sophistication rapidly. The acid test is that I could not see your DMs even if  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023

A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC: "The Online Safety Bill applies to all platforms, regardless of their design and functionality. Therefore, end-to-end encrypted services are in scope and will be required to meet their duties of care to users.

"We have made clear that companies should only implement end-to-end encryption if they can simultaneously uphold public safety. We continue to work with the tech industry to collaborate on mutually agreeable solutions that protect public safety without compromising security."
Tawadros is on a four-day visit to mark 50 years since the historic meeting between pope Paul VI and patriarch Shenouda III in May 1973

There were once again two popes at the Vatican Wednesday, at least briefly, when Pope Francis welcomed Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to his weekly audience.

Francis, the 86-year-old head of the global Catholic Church, embraced the Egyptian patriarch in St Peter's Square before the pair took to the stage, where they both addressed the rain-soaked crowds.

Tawadros is on a four-day visit to mark 50 years since the historic meeting between pope Paul VI and patriarch Shenouda III in May 1973.

"My friend and brother Tawadros, thank you for accepting my invitation," Francis said.

"I sincerely thank you for your commitment to the growing friendship between the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches."

It is the third time the two men have met, after the patriarch visited Rome in 2013, and the 2017 trip by Francis to Egypt.

Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and make up at least 10 million of Muslim-majority Egypt's population of around 100 million.

Copts were targeted in a series of sectarian attacks after the military in 2013 deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Such attacks focused largely on remote villages in southern Egypt.

Francis has sought to build ties with other churches and other faiths since becoming pope in 2013, following the resignation of his predecessor Benedict XVI.

Benedict, who took the title emeritus pope, lived in the Vatican until his death on December 31, 2022.

cmk-ar/ide/yad
Putin at a parade in Moscow

Read also: At last minute, three more heads of state decide to attend Putin's parade

According to journalists, 98-year-old Yuriy Dvoikin, who signed up for the army as a volunteer in 1942, but never got to the front, was sitting to Putins right. After graduating from sniper school in 1944, he was sent to Lviv Oblast to fight against Ukrainian nationalists as part of the NKVD (the Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs).

Gennady Zaitsev, who was born in 1934 and did not take part in the war, was sitting on Putins left. He was called up for military service in 1953, after which he remained in the army and began serving in the KGB (the Soviet Committee for State Security) in 1959.

Read also: Lukashenko unable to walk 300 meters, skips breakfast with Putin in Moscow

Zaitsev took part in the deployment of Soviet troops to Czechoslovakia to suppress anti-Soviet protests. He also led the KGB Directorates 7th group in the Operation Danube. The Interior Ministrys building in Prague was captured under his leadership. In the 1970s, Zaitsev headed the Alpha Group, a sub-unit of Russias special forces within the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

On May 9, Moscow held a bleak and truncated military parade, lasting only 45 minutes, with only 8,000 troops participating  the lowest number in 15 years. Warplane fly-bys were canceled, and only one tank  a WWII relic T-34  trundled its way across Red Square, in stark contrast to the columns of modern tanks that are the usual centerpieces of Victory Day parades.

The parade was commanded by the head of the Ground Forces, General Oleg Salyukov, and hosted by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who crossed himself before entering the square.

Before the parade began, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin gave a speech, repeating falsehoods about Ukraine and the West, and blaming them for Russias own war of aggression.

Read also: Kremlin wants Russians to think big attacks on Ukraine are a victory, says Zelenskyy

Story continues

The leaders of six countries  Armenia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan  as well as the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, showed up to listen to Putin.

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 unexpected elation felt this week by gun control advocates and families of Uvalde shooting victims dissolved to despair Tuesday, when a bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semiautomatic rifles lost its newfound momentum and was left off the Texas Houses agenda ahead of a key deadline.

Barring an unexpected development, the delay likely ends the bills chances of becoming law.

The proposal has long faced stiff odds in a state that has regularly loosened gun restrictions in recent years. But on Monday, in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in an Allen shopping mall, a House committee unexpectedly advanced the legislation in an 8-5 vote that included two Republicans supporting it.

That left little time for the bill to be added to the Houses calendar, however. The final day the House can pass bills is Thursday, and the chambers agenda must be approved 36 hours ahead of when they convene. That creates a de facto deadline of around 10 p.m. Tuesday for the measure to be placed on the calendar.

When that hour arrived Tuesday night, House Bill 2744 remained off the list.

The measures supporters, particularly parents of children who died at Robb Elementary in Uvalde who have been advocating for it all session, pushed until the end. Minutes before 10 p.m., a small group stood outside the House chamber holding signs and chanting and calling for the bill to be heard on the House floor. Even then, they could be heard faintly from the back of the chamber.

2-7-4-4, they yelled. Put this bill on the floor.

There were less than a dozen of them, but they could be heard inside the House chamber  their chants carrying loudly enough that Capitol staffers closed the doors to the second-floor viewing gallery.

Perhaps the loudest was Brett Cross, whose 10-year-old son Uziyah Garcia was shot to death by an AR-15 in one of Robbs classrooms. When the clock passed 10 p.m., a few Democrats left the chamber and hugged him. Soon after, witnesses in the Capitol said, a Department of Public Safety trooper approached with a decibel monitor, informed him he was being too loud and escorted him out of the building. Cross continued chanting the bills number as he left.

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Another parent, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter Alexandria Lexi Aniyah Rubio in the shooting, vowed to travel to the districts of House Speaker Dade Phelan, Calendars Committee Chair Dustin Burrows and Select Committee on Community Safety Chair Ryan Guillen and share Lexis story, and the disrespect shown to Uvalde families.

This isnt over, she said. We will regroup, re-strategize and come back stronger.

HB 2744, filed by Democratic Rep. Tracy King of Batesville, would prohibit selling, renting, leasing or giving a semi-automatic rifle with a caliber greater than .22 that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine to a person younger than 21 years old  an increase from 18 years old. The proposal includes several exemptions that King said he had added after hearing concerns from constituents.

The opposition to the bill hasnt been vocal in the Legislature, but Republican leadership is fiercely protective of gun rights and reluctant to advance anything that challenges them. Gun advocates say the measure would do little to deter crime and only harm law-abiding gun owners. They also argue that gun ownership is an entrenched American right that shouldnt be infringed upon by the government.

Since getting a hearing last month  which in and of itself marked a milestone in a gun-friendly legislature  HB 2744 had been left in committee and was poised to be left there.

That is, until Monday, when dozens of supporters, including many relatives of people killed with guns, filled the Capitol to urge lawmakers to advance it. The committee was met with sobs and applause after the last-minute vote.

The gunman at Robb Elementary in Uvalde used an AR-15-style rifle, which he purchased within days of turning 18, after unsuccessfully trying to persuade relatives to illegally buy him a gun. He killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Relatives of victims have been coming to the Capitol all year to urge lawmakers to raise the age, holding emotional press conferences and confronting lawmakers and state officials.

Their urgency only increased over the weekend, after a gunman killed eight people in Allen.

On Monday, at least two Republicans appeared swayed.

I am not naive enough to think that laws alone will prevent the type of senseless violence that occurs all too frequently in our state, said Rep. Justin Holland, a Rockwall Republican who voted to advance the bill out of committee, in a statement Monday. But after listening to many hours of testimony over this session, I became convinced that this small change to the law might serve as a significant roadblock to a young person (not old enough to buy tobacco or alcohol) acquiring a specific type of semi-automatic rifle intent upon using it in a destructive and illegal manner.

As it became clear Tuesday afternoon that the bill was again in danger, proponents voiced their frustration. Some left signs urging its passage outside the Calendars Committees meeting room. Others protested outside the office of Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, the chair of the committee that advanced the bill Monday.

Guillen could not be immediately reached for comment about whether the committee report had been sent to the calendars committee or whether it would be before the deadline.

Im sickened that HB 2744 will not be brought to a full House vote, said Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a Houston Democrat who voted to advance the bill Monday as a member of the select House committee. For once, the legislature seemed to listen to its constituents & do the right thing after getting this bill out of committee.

Lawmakers could use other approaches to revive the proposal. But advocates are realistic that the measure will most likely ultimately fail. Even if it were to pass the House  a tall request  it would still need to advance through a Senate thats perhaps even more skeptical of the idea.

How many more children have to die before we act? said one supporter, Bishop John Ogletree, a Houston pastor, in a statement.
A Derry man has pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawfully having numerous destructive devices known as Molotov cocktails in a storage unit, U.S. Attorney Jane Young said.

Zachary Tringali, 28, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to an indictment charging him with receipt and possession of an unregistered destructive device. U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe scheduled sentencing for Aug. 22.

Tringali was charged on April 11, 2022.

On Aug. 6, 2021, Derry Police Department officers were investigating a reported burglary from Tringalis commercial storage unit. The officers uncovered 12 assembled Molotov cocktails in the storage unit, Young said.

A Molotov cocktail is an incendiary weapon consisting of a flammable liquid with a wick in a breakable container. Tringali admitted to possessing these weapons and failing to register them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law, Young said.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, led the investigatio, with assitance from Derry Police.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Former Kansas Rep. Michael Capps is seeking to avoid prison time after he was convicted of 12 felonies for defrauding federal pandemic relief programs of nearly $500,000 when he was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Wichita. A jury found him guilty of bank fraud, false statements, wire fraud and money laundering in December.

The U.S. Attorneys Office will argue, according to public court filings, that Capps should serve more than four years in federal prison with supervised release starting after 51 months because of the severity of his crimes, continued deception and lack of contrition. Its unclear how much restitution the government is seeking.

Without question, his conduct substantially eroded the publics trust in its elected officials, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Kate E. Brubachers sentencing memorandum says. Much like a policeman who engages in malfeasance or a doctor who deals in drugs, he should bear greater responsibility for his conduct.

Capps, 45, will argue for no prison time and five years of supervised release, when he would report to a probation officer, court filings show.

An FBI agent testified that it began an investigation into Capps after a Wichita Eagle investigation in December 2020 found Capps used fake payroll numbers, fake employment data and fake revenues on multiple loan applications to tap into emergency funding provided through the CARES Act during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Capps was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars through the Small Business Associations Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program along with two grants through the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Federal investigators found that Capps put some of the COVID cash  which he obtained using two businesses and a now-defunct nonprofit under his control  in a high-risk investment account that was later seized by federal authorities.

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His justification for a lighter sentence includes a concern that  given his mental and physical health  he would be more likely to contract COVID-19 and die from it if he were in prison.

Mike (Capps) has Hypertension Stage I, Combat PTSD, complex sleep apnea, chronic migraines and is prediabetic, Kurt Kerns, his defense lawyer, said in a recent filing. He is, therefore, at an increased risk of death or severe illness in the event he contracts an illness.

Capps was a member of a Statehouse coalition of Republican lawmakers who voted during a special session in June 2020 to severely limit the power of county health officers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to respond to the pandemic.

Kerns contends that Capps deserves leniency because he is a disabled veteran who served in the Air Force in the early 2000s. Kerns said Capps was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2018.

That year, Capps was appointed to represent the 85th House District, which includes parts of north Wichita and northern suburbs Bel Aire, Kechi and Benton. He was elected later that year and served through the end of 2020.

A filing entered by Kerns claims Capps PTSD was 70 percent disabling, a rating assigned by the Department of Veteran Affairs to determine how much disability compensation vets are eligible to receive.

The disability filing says the 70% determination was based on his service treatment records, personal records, treatment from VAMC-Kansas City and an examination by QTC medical services in November 2019.

Combined, they found Capps had difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, difficulty in adapting to work, inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, depressed mood, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in adapting to a worklike setting, anxiety, occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships and chronic sleep impairment.

U.S. Attorney Brubacher said in her filing that these health concerns are not present to an unusual degree that would distinguish this case from other cases covered under sentencing guidelines.

He was caught in lie after lie, and continued to deflect and blame others, the U.S. attorneys filing says. The defendant (Capps) has failed to take responsibility for his actions, and lied brazenly while an elected official to obtain government funds for his own personal use.

Brubacher said Capps actions signal that he could continue to skirt the rules for personal gain if allowed to stay out of prison.

His conduct also included efforts to conceal what he did. Defendant (Capps) has failed to demonstrate any remorse or contrition, and instead persists in casting himself as someone who simply made mistake after mistake after mistake. The defendants acts were intentional, goal-oriented, and duplicitous, and his persistence in offering up ill-conceived and illegitimate claims signals he will continue to try to gain personal advantage despite clearly defined rules.

Federal and state agencies lowered their guard on verifying information submitted by applicants, allowing Capps and others to self-certify that the information they provided was accurate. To maximize his COVID awards, Capps overstated his business revenues and the number of employees at his businesses.

During the trial, Capps admitted that he counted his business partner and former City Council member James Clenenins two young daughters, ages 10 and 14, as employees at Midwest Business Group LLC. He could not account for several other employees he claimed to have at Krivacy LLC and the nonprofit Fourth and Long Foundation.

Support letters

Several friends, family members and other associates submitted letters to U.S. Judge Eric Melgren seeking leniency for Capps.

They portrayed Capps as a family-first public servant, mentor and giving businessman who helped guide several young men  including his adopted son, Chaz Capps  through tough times.

Bud Cortner, a Realtor with Keller Williams Signature Partners and past president of the local Realtor association, wrote in support of a lighter sentence.

I am having a hard time understanding what little I know about the case Michael is involved in, Cortner wrote in his letter to Melgren. The charges he was convicted of just do not sound like something he would do and I do not believe this defines him at all. Anyway, I know you are the one that is doing the sentencing and I am asking you for leniency in this case. Michael is a great individual and a negative sentence would not benefit anyone, especially his son and those that care for Michael. I believe he is a positive influence on those around him and that could possibly be destroyed with a severe sentence that does not serve the public interest.

Clendenin, who testified as a government witness and for the defense at trial, said in his letter that Capps convictions are not at all who Michael is as a person.

I have seen tremendous sacrifices made by Michael in his effort to serve the community, too many to mention in this letter, Clendenin wrote. Ive seen him turn the lives of many kids around as a mentor and father figure, serving with the childrens advocacy group CASA. In fact Michaels passion for people and abused kids is what brought us together as friends in the political arena. Michael had made the world he lives in a better place, and I truly believe it would continue to be better with his freedom.

I am asking you for leniency in the case against Michael, Clendenin wrote. I have heard and read so many things that are not true about him and felt I should at least project the positive light I see him in.

Controversial figure

The federal case was one of several controversies involving Capps during his time in the public eye.

Before he ran for office in 2018, a residency challenge accused him of listing a foreclosed house as his residence so he could qualify for public office. The State Objections Board dismissed the charge and allowed Capps to stay on the ballot. The objections board included several high-profile Republicans: then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is now attorney general; then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who gave up his position to run an unsuccessful campaign for governor; and then-Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann, who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 1st District.

A month later, Sedgwick County Republican precinct committee members appointed Capps to fill Chuck Webers vacant seat, after Weber took a job as a lobbyist for the Kansas Catholic Conference, allowing Capps to run as an incumbent despite not serving while the Legislature was in session. He edged out Democratic challenger Monica Marks by a slim margin.

Capps was disavowed twice by his party in less than 18 months. During the 2018 race, the state GOP cut ties with Capps after the Kansas Department for Children and Families found that he emotionally abused boys as a court-appointed CASA volunteer. The investigations findings were reversed on a technicality, and Capps rejected the investigations conclusions as categorically false and untrue.

A year later, the Sedgwick County Republican Party declared him persona non grata and asked him to resign after an Eagle investigation uncovered his involvement in a smear campaign video that falsely accused then-mayoral candidate Brandon Whipple of sexual harassment. Capps responded by falsely and publicly accusing county GOP Chairman Dalton Glasscock of green-lighting the bogus video.

Capps worked up the plan to frame Glasscock with Michael ODonnell, who at the time was a Sedgwick County commissioner, and Clendenin, his friend, business partner and a city council member. Their plan was secretly recorded and released a year later by Capps former campaign manager Matthew Colborn after Capps lost his primary to Patrick Penn.

Whipple, who was elected mayor, filed a civil conspiracy to commit defamation lawsuit against Capps, Clendenin and ODonnell in 2020. Capps is representing himself in the case, which is expected to go to trial later this year.

ODonnell and Clendenin resigned after Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett announced he would move to oust the two officials for their role in the smear campaign and cover-up. Schmidt, the attorney general at the time, declined to pursue charges against Capps, saying only the Kansas House could expel him from office. The House was not in session at the time and Capps had already lost to Penn.. He ignored multiple calls by Republican officials to resign.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 9)  The Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the country will continue despite the World Health Organization's lifting of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) status on the disease.

Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the country's own declaration of a Public Health Emergency, signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in March 2020, is still in place.

However, if this will also be lifted soon, manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines, including bivalent vaccines, are encouraged to start applying for their Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"(If the PHE is lifted in the country) mawawala na po 'yong authority ng FDA to issue out this EUA (Emergency Use Authorization). Kahit po 'yong mga donasyon na darating sa ating bansa kailangan with CPR na," Vergeire said.

[Translation: If the PHE is lifted in the country, the authority of the FDA to issue this EUA will be dismissed. Even vaccines that will be donated will need to have a CPR.]

"Ito lang ay kailangang pag-aralang maigi at siyempre ma-facilitate at magtulung-tulungan tayo so that we can do this once the public health emergency has been lifted in our country."

[Translation: This will need to be studied carefully and of course, be facilitated and we need to work together so we can do this once the public health emergency has been lifted in our country.]

Currently, the use of COVID-19 vaccines is under an EUA from the FDA, in line with the public health emergency as stated in Executive Order No. 121.

With a CPR from the FDA, vaccines may be available for purchase in the private market. Despite this, the national government may still subsidize a portion of the cost of vaccines if needed by the vulnerable sectors, according to Vergeire.

In response to the call of Sen. Chiz Escudero to lift the secrecy on funds spent on vaccine procurement, Vergeire explained that confidentiality was part of the deals with vaccine manufacturers when the vaccines were procured.

"These confidentiality agreements are part of the conditions of manufacturers once we enter into agreements with them," she said.

"Though syempre, kapag CPR na ito mababago ang landscape. Mababago na 'yong mga conditionalities dapat ng mga manufacturers since it is already registered and we can already pursue negotiation even without the confidentiality agreement," Vergeire added.

[Translation: Once they have a CPR, the landscape will change. Conditionalities with manufacturers will be different since it is already registered and we can already pursue negotiation even without the confidentiality agreement.]
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew, like this one from a July 2020 search, is looking for three people aboard a U.S. Navy contractor's aircraft that crashed near San Clemente Island. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

1:25 p.m. May 10, 2023: An earlier version of this story said the Phoenix Learjet was owned by Fireside Partners out of Delaware. The aircraft is not owned by Fireside Partners.



Search and rescue crews have found wreckage near where a U.S. Navy contractor's aircraft with three people aboard crashed Wednesday morning off San Clemente Island, according to officials.

Crews found a debris field a mile southwest of the Navy-owned island, near where a Phoenix Learjet plunged into the Pacific Ocean at about 7:55 a.m., according to Levi Read, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. Coast Guard officials arrived at the scene at about 8:55 a.m.

That is the last known location of the aircraft that we had suspected crashed, Read said. We are in an active search situation at this point for the three people on board.

An MH 60 Jayhawk helicopter was searching the waters, and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel were also aiding in the search and rescue efforts, Read said. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday evening that it would investigate the crash.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew has launched for search and rescue efforts for the report of a downed aircraft with 3 persons on board 1 mile SW of San Clemente Island. pic.twitter.com/8UWArQoRXj  USCG Southern California (@USCGSoCal) May 10, 2023

Read said Fireside Partners has been hired to contact the family members of the three people on board the Phoenix Learjet, which was not a military plane.



Drew Verbis, a spokesperson for Naval Base Ventura County, said a non-military contract passenger aircraft departed from Naval Air Station Point Mugu and lost contact with air traffic controllers about a mile from San Clemente Island, which lies about 65 miles off the coast of San Diego.

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Verbis said the Navy has small aircraft that are contracted for shuttle flights similar to a bus. Verbis said the aircrafts mission and destination were unknown, but he said it was likely related to travel or transportation.

The identities of the three people on board haven't been confirmed.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A UFC Fight Night will take place in London in July, just four months after the MMA promotion last came to the UK.

In March, the UFC held its first UK pay-per-view event in seven years, as British champion Leon Edwards retained the welterweight title against rival Kamaru Usman at the O2 Arena.

On Saturday 22 July, the UFC returns to the venue for a Fight Night, with Wigans Tom Aspinall set to face Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight main event. Liverpudlian star Molly McCann will also be in action, with more fights to be announced in due course.

Ticket prices for the event are also yet to be revealed, but they are expected to be cheaper than they were for Marchs UFC 286 event. At UFC 286, the average ticket price was 225.50, whereas the same type of seat was 88 at the Fight Night staged by the UFC in March 2022.

As Fight Night events are of a smaller scale than pay-per-views, ticket prices for Julys card should be lower than those from UFC 286, but it is possible that they will still be more expensive than 2022s Fight Nights in London.

Furthermore, all three UFC events at the O2 Arena since March 2022 have been affected by touts, who have sold tickets at drastically-escalated prices  on top of the increased base price.

A statement by the UFC on Friday (21 April) read: Following three consecutive sold-out events in London, fans are encouraged to register their interest early to have the best chance of securing tickets via ufc.com/London and to follow @UFCEurope on social media for the latest updates on this event.

Tickets go on sale from 10am BST on Friday 26 May, via AXS and Ticketmaster. Fight Club members can purchase tickets early at 9am BST on Wednesday 24 May, whilst those who registered their interest early in this event will gain priority access at 10am BST on Thursday 25 May.

All UFC London fights announced so far

Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight)

Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (womens flyweight)

Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (womens bantamweight)

Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight)
UK Defence Intelligence has suggested that Russia could have displayed more armoured vehicles at the 9 May Victory Day parade in Moscow, but the Kremlin feared domestic criticism.

Source: Intelligence report from UK Ministry of Defence on 10 May

Quote: "On 09 May 2023, the make-up of Russias annual Victory Day Parade in Red Square highlighted the materiel and strategic communications challenges the military is facing 15 months into the war in Ukraine."

Details: Over 8,000 military personnel reportedly participated in the parade, but most were auxiliary, paramilitary forces and cadets from military schools.

The only personnel from the deployable regular troops were the Railway Troops and military police.

The sole tank on the parade was a vintage World War II-era T-34 from a ceremonial unit.

Quote: "Despite heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia could have fielded more armoured vehicles. The authorities likely refrained from doing so because they want to avoid domestic criticism about prioritising parades over combat operations."

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 May 2023.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/TKmTuwDqhR



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/F8toJrjKqk  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) May 10, 2023

Previously: On 9 May, Kremlin-aligned news agency TASS reported that "the latest Z-STS Akhmat and AMN-590951 Spartak armoured vehicles entered the Red Square in Moscow during the parade in honour of the 78th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War... after T-34 [World War II-era] tanks", although only one tank was seen.

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Military aircraft have not been displayed at the parade in Moscow for the second year in a row.

Background:

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According to Prystayko, Ukrainian pilots will be able to quickly master the F-16

In the future, pilots will be able to quickly retrain on specific equipment, the European Pravda online newspaper quoted him as saying.

Read also: What are Ukrainian pilots being trained to do in the US?  expert view

If the politicians make the final decision on F-16 fighter jets, these British-trained pilots will quickly master them. Britain has a role here, (it) is taking a step forward.

According to Prystaiko, discussions are underway regarding the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, but there are none in the United Kingdom.

Ukraine expects to receive several types of fighter jets from its partners, one of which will become the main one for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine selects fighter pilots for F-16 training, but allies yet to OK deliveries

The United States is not against other countries transferring aircraft for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, U.S. President Joe Biden said that so far he rejected the possibility of transferring U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as there is currently no need for them.

The U.S. Department of Defense said the most optimistic delivery time for older-model F-16s is about 18 months, while new planes could take three to six years to produce.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the United States had praised the skills of the Ukrainian pilots who were tested for their ability to learn to fly multi-purpose fighter jets.

Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive to determine US decision on F-16s, FM Kuleba says

In future, the F-16 training program may be significantly reduced in duration for them, the air force said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is monitoring the situation in Pakistan carefully, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday, after the arrest of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan sparked unrest.

"The arrest of the former prime minister is an internal matter for Pakistan. We support peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law and we are monitoring the situation carefully," Sunak told lawmakers.

(Reporting by William James, writing by Muvija M)
International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch announced a scaling-back of the repeal of EU-era law

The UK government on Wednesday scrapped an end-of-year deadline to ditch remaining European Union-era laws from the statute book -- angering Brexiteer Conservatives.

London had promised a post-Brexit "bonfire" of Brussels legislation when it left the bloc, after a 2016 referendum on whether to remain a member.

"Take back control" of British sovereignty was a campaigning slogan for Brexiteers, and right-wing Conservatives viewed the U-turn with dismay.

"Regrettably the prime minister (Rishi Sunak) has shredded his own promise rather than EU laws," tweeted senior Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading ally of Sunak's predecessor Boris Johnson.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the government had already "revoked or reformed" more than 1,000 EU laws since the UK's EU departure took full effect in 2020.

But she said in a written statement to parliament that government departments had identified a "growing volume" of retained EU law still in force.

Rather than meeting its pledge to scrap 4,000 items of EU legislation, the government will only revoke around 600 laws, Badenoch said, insisting the plan is "about more than a race to a deadline".

There are "risks of legal uncertainty" by proceeding with wholesale change so soon, she said, after UK business groups had expressed alarm at more Brexit-related upheaval.

Trades unions had also been angered at the prospect of Britain retreating on EU workers' rights, while green groups pointed to the dangers of withdrawing from environmental protections.

The government said it had no intention of abrogating such rights, and Badenoch wrote in the Daily Telegraph: "We will not abolish any law for the sake of it."

The minister announced one deregulation measure, which she said would streamline bureaucracy for businesses while also enhancing workers' rights.

The measure will cut "unnecessary red tape" inherited from the EU on recording weekly working hours, while giving employees more freedom to switch jobs by limiting "non-compete" clauses in contracts.

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But unions reacted angrily to the overhaul of the EU-inherited "Working Time Directive", which caps the working week at 48 hours.

Noting that many Britons are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis, Trades Union Congress general secretary Paul Nowak said: "People are already working all hours to make ends meet.

"This is a recipe for low-paid, burnt-out Britain," he said.

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Harry and a number of other high-profile personalities are suing Mirror Group Newspapers at the High Court in London

The publisher of the British tabloid The Mirror, accused by Prince Harry and other celebrities of unlawful information gathering, apologised at the opening of a trial in London on Wednesday.

The younger son of King Charles III has been involved in several legal cases against British newspaper publishers since moving to California and stepping down from royal duties in early 2020.

Harry is one of several high-profile claimants bringing damages against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over allegations of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking.

The group publishes titles including The Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

The trial at the High Court in London is expected to last up to seven weeks with Harry set to take the stand in June.

At the start of the trial on Wednesday, the publisher admitted "some evidence" of unlawful information gathering and assured that "such conduct will never be repeated".

The group admitted that a private investigator was instructed by a journalist at The People to unlawfully gather information about Harry's activities at a London nightclub one night in 2004.

It apologised to Harry "unreservedly" and said he was entitled to "appropriate compensation" without providing further details.

But MGN lawyer Andrew Green said voicemail interception was denied. He also argued that some of the claims were brought too late with some of the stories in question dating back more than twenty years.

- 'Flood of illegality' -

Lawyer David Sherborne, representing Harry and other claimants, submitted that the use of unlawful information-gathering by journalists from the titles of MGN was happening "at an industrial scale".

"It was a flood of illegality," Sherborne told the hearing, adding that "this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives".

Harry, 38, has had a difficult relationship with the media, particularly since he and his American wife Meghan left the royal family in early 2020.

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He is also pursuing claims against two other media companies, the publisher of The Sun and, separately, the publisher of the Daily Mail. Those cases will be decided later this year.

Harry holds the media responsible for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after being pursued by paparazzi photographers.

His tell-all best-selling memoir "Spare" broke publishing records when it came out earlier this year.

Harry attended last weekend's coronation without Meghan, who remained in California with the couple's two children, and was not given a formal role in the ceremony.

He was absent from the royal procession through central London after the ceremony and did not join other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

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Ukraine is working intensively on new military aid packages together with its partners.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his evening video address on 10 May

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Our international block is working vigorously and thoroughly with [our] partners on new defence packages for Ukraine. New decisions are already at the working level. More protection for our skies, more opportunities for our defence and movement on the ground."

Details: The President noted that he held several meetings on 10 May where all this was discussed.

"We expect appropriate steps from our partners in the near future," Zelenskyy concluded.

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(Bloomberg) -- A two-day meeting on the Black Sea grain deal between United Nations officials and deputy defense ministers from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine started in Istanbul, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Ukraine said troops pushed back Russian forces near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, though the Russian Defense Ministry said its units were advancing in the west and northwest of the devastated town.

Russian central bank assets worth 7.4 billion Swiss francs ($8.3 billion) are held across Switzerland, the government said following the introduction of new reporting obligations as part of the latest European Union sanctions package.

Key Developments

Ukraine Crop Shipments Slow to a Crawl as Key Talks Kick Off

German Lawmakers Approve 1.5 Billion Puma Combat-Vehicle Order

Putin Lifts Flight Ban to Georgia After Years of Tension

(All times CET)

Zelenskiy Says New Defense Aid from Partners Expected Soon (9:08 p.m.)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv is working intensely with partners on new defense packages and decisions are expected shortly.

More protection for skies, more capabilities for our defense on the ground, Zelenskiy said in his regular nightly address.

Ukraine, he said, expects actions from partners in the near future.

Germany Approves Puma Combat-Vehicle Order (5 p.m.)

German lawmakers approved the purchase of 50 Puma infantry fighting vehicles at a cost of 1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) with the nations defense minister raising the prospect of another order later this year.

Boris Pistorius confirmed that the budget committee in the lower house of parliament had given the green light for the procurement at a meeting he attended in Berlin.

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Putin Signs Decree On Annual Training of Military Reservists (4:39 p.m.)

President Vladimir Putins decree on the annual draft of reservists for military training includes two secret orders, as in previous such statements, according to the document published by Kremlin.

The document didnt indicate how many people were being called up for exercises. Putin declared a partial mobilization in September, calling up 300,000 reservists to support Russias faltering invasion of Ukraine, though the total number taken into service is likely to have exceeded half a million, according to Bloomberg Economics estimates.

Ukrainian Consumer Prices Rise Less Than Expected (3: 47 p.m.)

Annual inflation in Ukraine reached the lowest in a year last month as the country moved quickly to rebuild energy infrastructure damaged by Russian missile attacks.

Consumer prices rose 17.9% in April from the previous year, the State Statistics Office said, coming in below the 18.7% median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg survey. Prices rose 0.2% in April from the previous month.

Swiss Say 7.4 Billion Francs in Russian Central Bank Assets Held (1:45 p.m.)

The figure represents all central bank reserves and assets reported in Switzerland to date and those funds have been immobilized, according to the government. It shouldnt be confused with the 7.5 billion francs of assets frozen which belonged to sanctioned Russians or Russian companies, it said.

Talks continue across the EU about whether Russian central bank assets held abroad should be permanently confiscated and put toward the reconstruction of Ukraine. While Swiss officials have previously sounded cool on the idea, the government said Wednesday that these discussions are ongoing and are being followed closely.

Ukrainian Army Chief Misses NATO Committee Meeting (1:39 p.m.)

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi was unable to join a meeting of NATO Military Committee due to the complex operational situation defending against the Russian aggression.

Ukraines military representative to NATO, Serhii Salkutsan, will replace Zaluzhnyi at the meeting.

Ukrainian Troops Break Through Near Bakhmut (12:51 p.m.)

Ukraine advanced 2.6 kilometers into Russian-held areas near Bakhmut along a 3-km (2 mile) stretch of front line, according to Andriy Biletskyi, a commander of the brigade that stormed Russian positions.

The area is now liberated, with many Russians killed and captured and military equipment destroyed, he said in comments that were impossible to immediately confirm.

Ukraines General Staff declined to comment on the report. It came a day after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, said a Russian army unit fled its position in Bakhmut, exposing part of the front line and ceding territory that 500 of his fighters had died taking.

Poland Summons Russian Ambassador Over Flight (12:04 p.m.)

Polands Foreign Ministry issued a note of protest to Moscows ambassador to Warsaw over dangerous maneuvers of a Russian Su-35 fighter near a Frontex border plane off of Romanias coast last Friday.

The crew of the Polish two-engine turboprop temporarily lost control of the plane when the jet intentionally crossed its flight path, Romania and Poland said.

Putin Requests Parliament Approval to Leave Arms Pact (11:35 a.m.)

Putin asked lawmakers for approval to withdraw from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, in which Russia had suspended its participation in 2015.

The 1990 treaty, negotiated in the final years of the Cold War, placed limits on NATO and Warsaw Pact conventional forces to prevent either alliance from waging a full-scale offensive that could have triggered a nuclear response.

Ukraine Crop Shipments Slow to a Crawl Before Talks (10:43 a.m.)

Ukraines crop shipments are being throttled, even before the latest negotiations over extending an export deal thats provided farmers with a vital outlet after Russias invasion.

Vessel inspections have been repeatedly disrupted, leaving grain flows through the Black Sea lagging behind previous months. Thats adding to restrictions on cargoes bound for eastern Europe, which is hampering sales ahead of the next harvest.

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The development of alternative transport corridors bypassing Russia and Belarus is envisaged

Read also: Lithuania to hand over anti-drone weapons to Ukraine

The FREE Rail programme aims to develop closer cooperation in railway transportation and increase the capacity and interoperability of the transport infrastructure to meet the ever-growing flows of freight and passenger traffic passing through Lithuania and Ukraine.

A single, fully independent system of railway operations on 1,520 mm tracks will be created in terms of technical standards, softwear, regulations, and certification.

Read also: Ukrainian Railways signed memorandums with Polish State Railways and Deutsche Bahn. What does that mean?

Alternative transport routes from the Baltic Sea ports to Ukraine will be developed, bypassing Russia and Belarus in order to become more independent of Russian and Belarusian transit cargo flows.

Ukraine has one of the largest railroad networks in Europe. Ukrainian Railways directly borders and cooperates with the railways of Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Before Russia's full-scale invasion, the railway connection was also functioning in 13 Ukrainian seaports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov basins.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(CNN) -- The US Preventive Services Task Force is proposing that all women at average risk of breast cancer start screening at age 40 to reduce their risk of dying from the disease, according to a new draft recommendation statement.

It's an update to the 2016 recommendation, in which the task force recommended that biennial mammograms, which are x-rays of the breasts, start at age 50 and that the decision for women to screen in their 40s "should be an individual one."

Some groups, such as the American Cancer Society, already have been recommending for women to start mammograms in their 40s.

"Our new task force recommendation is recommending that women start screening with mammography for breast cancer at age 40 and screen every other year until age 74," said USPSTF Vice Chair Dr. Wanda Nicholson, a senior associate dean and professor at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health.

The USPSTF, a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help guide doctors' decisions and influence insurance plans, released the proposed update to its breast cancer screening guidance Tuesday. The recommendation is not final but will be available on the task force website for public comment through June 5, along with a draft evidence review and draft modeling report.

The draft recommendation is for all people assigned female at birth, including cisgender women, trans men and nonbinary people, who are at average risk for breast cancer.

Nicholson said that women with dense breasts and those with a family history of cancer generally fall into this category but not women who have a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of genetic mutations, like mutations on the BRCA gene, as they are considered to be at high risk.

The updates would not apply to those at an increased risk of breast cancer, who may already have been encouraged to screen at 40 or earlier. They should continue to follow the screening practices that their doctors have recommended.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, and rates of death are highest among Black women.

'Screening alone is not enough'

The update to the recommendation "will save more lives among all women," Nicholson said. "And this is particularly important for Black women, who are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer."

The draft recommendation comes a few weeks after a study in the journal JAMA Network Open found that the rate of breast cancer deaths among women in their 40s was 27 per 100,000 person-years for Black women, compared with 15 deaths per 100,000 in White women and 11 deaths per 100,000 in American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander women. The researchers suggested that Black women start screening at younger ages, around 42 instead of 50.

The USPSTF members are calling for more research into these racial inequities in breast cancer, Nicholson said, and for all women who get abnormal mammogram results to receive equitable follow-up evaluations, additional testing, biopsies and treatment when needed.

"Screening alone is not enough. Once someone screens with an abnormal mammogram, the subsequent steps in care must occur -- timely follow-up, biopsies that are indicated -- and Black women must have access to equitable treatment," she said.

"We're calling for more research to look across the health systems as to why these inequities occur," she said, adding that the draft recommendation also calls for more research into whether women with dense breasts should get additional screening and among "women who are 75 years of age and older, whether and how to screen that population."

Cases in younger people

To review and update breast cancer screening guidance, the task force members analyzed data from thousands of study abstracts and hundreds of research papers on screening programs, cancer cases and deaths in the United States.

They found that screening with mammograms every other year provided a moderate benefit to women ages 40 to 74, as the benefits, such as detecting cancer early, outweigh potential harms, such as the risk of a false positive that could lead to unnecessary tests and emotional stress.

The evidence is "insufficient" to determine the risks and benefits for screening in women 75 and older, the group determined.

The task force also noticed that the rate of breast cancer diagnoses has been rising each year among women at younger ages.

Population-based data "showed that the rate of breast cancer diagnoses was increasing at 2% annually since 2015. So more women than ever before are being diagnosed in their 40s," Nicholson said.

An estimated 12.9% of women born in the United States today will develop breast cancer at some time during their lives, according to the National Cancer Institute.

"Within our recommendation, we're calling for more research to have a better understanding of the causes and mechanisms that may be contributing to breast cancer development in all women, and in particular among Black women," she said. "We know that Black women continue to have more aggressive tumors."

A paper published in October in the journal Nature suggests that the incidence of various cancers diagnosed in adults 50 and younger has been rising in many parts of the world since the 1990s.

"The rising incidence of early-onset cancers is probably partially attributable to increasing uptake of screening and early detection before the age of 50 years, to variable degrees across certain cancer types, especially breast, prostate and thyroid cancers," the researchers wrote.

"However, increasing incidence of early-onset cancers in several organs, such as colorectal and pancreatic cancers, which might not be fully explained by screening is also apparent," the researchers wrote. "This trend could reflect increased risk factor exposures in early life and/or young adulthood."

To screen biennially or annually?

The draft recommendation appears to be catching up with what other organizations have been recommending for some time.

It aligns more closely -- but not entirely -- with American Cancer Society recommendations that women ages 40 to 44 have the option to screen with a mammogram every year, women 45 to 55 get mammograms every year, and women 55 and older can switch to a schedule of mammograms every other year.

"There are some similarities and some differences. So, now, the new task force recommendations has changed from screening at age 50 to age 40. And our recommendations currently are that women should begin to have the opportunity to begin annual screening if they choose beginning at age 40. The big difference there is, we recommend annual screening at that age, while the task force recommends biennial screening," said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the USPSTF draft recommendation.

"But the big thing is, I think, a lot of women were being screened probably starting in their 40s, and so this is consistent, I think, with how most women and practitioners have been looking at screening," he said.

Both the USPSTF and the American Cancer Society recommendations are for women at average risk. Dahut said that women should talk to their doctors about whether they might have a higher risk for breast cancer and what screening practices would be best for them, including factors like a family history of ovarian or breast cancer or dense breasts, which have less fatty tissue and more connective tissue and have been associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.

"The change in guidelines by the USPSTF to endorse screening mammograms for average risk women 40 and over is warranted, incorporates more modern and 'real world' data into the science informing the guidelines and will hopefully prompt payers to provide better coverage for women seeking breast cancer screening," Dr. Laura Dominici, a breast cancer surgeon at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, said in an emailed statement. She was not involved in the USPSTF draft recommendation.

"This is particularly important related to racial disparities in screening, as Black women are more likely to develop aggressive cancers at younger ages, contributing to worse outcomes," Dominici said. "I am glad to see inequities in screening being acknowledged, but more attention to this will be needed in future guidelines."

Still, the new draft recommendation will not change how Dr. Maxine Jochelson discusses breast cancer risks and the important of screening with her patients, she said.

"Unfortunately, the fact that they're still recommending every other year rather than yearly screening, and in particular in the younger population, is very disappointing," said Jochelson, chief of the breast imaging service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who was not involved in the USPSTF draft recommendation.

"You are going to miss earlier cancers if you're waiting longer, and younger women and Black women often have more aggressive cancer," she said. "I'm going to still tell them to have yearly screening."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Women should start screening for breast cancer at age 40 instead of 50, health task force says in draft recommendation"
 Ukraine marks Europe Day on May 9 for the first time, European Commission chief visits Kyiv

Ukraine celebrated Europe Day instead of Victory Day for the first time on May 9, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he had signed a decree scrapping the Soviet-era holiday still marked in Russia.





 EU Parliament renews trade-liberalization measures for Ukraine

The European Parliament has given the green light to suspending EU import duties on Ukrainian exports of agricultural products for another year to support the countrys economy, the agency said in a press release on May 9.





 Kremlin wants Russians to think big attacks on Ukraine are a victory, says Zelenskyy

The Kremlin wants to convince the Russian public that the growing number of Russian overnight attacks on Ukrainian cities in May represents a victory in Russias ongoing war on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.





 Moscow parade showcases lowest number of soldiers in 15 years, one ancient tank, and no fly-by

The military parade that took place on May 9, on Moscows Red Square was shorter than in previous years, and featured only one tank  an 80-year-old T-34  and no fly-past by warplanes and helicopters, Russian news outlet Agentstvo reported on Telegram.





 Zelenskyy hosts summit on special tribunal for Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at an online summit of the international coalition (Core Group) of 37 countries that support establishing a special tribunal to investigate apparent Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Zelenskyys office said in a message on its website on May 9.





 Russia seeks to erase Ukrainian identity in occupied territories, report says

Moscow is systematically attempting to erase Ukrainian cultural identity among the residents of temporarily occupied territories, hoping to make it impossible for Ukraine to reintegrate the regions in the future, Bloomberg reported on May 9, citing sources in Western intelligence.





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 AFP videographer Arman Seldin killed near Bakhmut

A French citizen and videographer working for French news agency AFP, Arman Seldin, was killed while reporting from the front line near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, AFP said in a Twitter post on May 9.





 Why Russia is blocking the grain corridor  Ukraines Agriculture Ministry comments

The work of the grain initiative to export food from Ukraine has been almost paralyzed by Russia's actions, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Mykola Solskyi, said on national television on May 9.





 Wagner chief claims Russian soldiers deserting positions, fleeing Bakhmut

Some Russian soldiers have fled their positions in Bakhmut and left a gap in the front line at the ruined but still partially Ukrainian-held city, the leader of Russias Wagner mercenary company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in an address on May 9.





 French parliament calls on government and EU to designate Wagner Group a terrorist organization

The National Assembly of France has adopted a resolution calling on the French government and the European Union to recognize Russias Wagner Group private military company (PMC) as a terrorist organization, the assembly said in a message on its website on May 9.

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Whether it's mere rabble-rousing or a genuine warning, Yevgeny Prigozhin is making lots of noise about Russia's standing in the war with Ukraine and especially the battle over Bakhmut.

The head of the Wagner private military company has in recent days threatened to pull his fighters from the fiercely contested eastern city, claimed he was threatened with being branded a traitor if he did so, and now says his forces may lose Bakhmut even though Ukraine only occupies 5% of it.

"There is a serious risk of encirclement of PMC 'Wagner' in Bakhmut as a result of the failure of the flanks. The flanks are already cracking and falling through,'' Prigozhin said in a posting from his Concord company Wednesday. He once again complained the Russian military is not providing his mercenary group enough ammunition, and said if that were to continue, "the Armed Forces of Ukraine will destroy PMC "Wagner."

The once-vaunted Russian military has not claimed a significant battlefield victory in several months and was embarrassed by having to retreat from the Kharkiv province and the city of Kherson in the last four months of last year. A defeat in Bakhmut, where Moscow has already sacrificed thousands of lives and an untold amount of equipment, would be a major psychological blow.

Still, there's plenty of skepticism about Prigozhin's blustery remarks. The Kremlin said Wednesday it had not seen his critical video posting from the previous day, and Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said Russia is still actively engaged in trying to capture Bakhmut.

"The situation remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it (Bakhmut) is (still) the main direction of attack," Cherevatyi said on television.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War questioned Prigozhin's motives, saying about his threat to pull out of Bakhmut:

Story continues

"Prigozhin attempted to blackmail the Russian MoD (Ministry of Defense) into reprioritizing the Bakhmut offensive so he could independently claim victory in the city at the expense of the Russian militarys likely preparations ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.''

Developments:

 The Justice Department announced Wednesday the first transfer of assets forfeited from a sanctioned Russian oligarch  millions of dollars from Konstantin Malofeyev  to Ukraine for use in its reconstruction. "It will not be the last (transfer), Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

 Visual journalist Arman Soldin was killed by a rocket strike as he reported with Agence France-Presse colleagues from Ukrainian positions in Chasiv Yar, the news agency said. AFP said it was devastated by Soldins death.

 Russia is considering "retaliatory measures" in response to a U.S. refusal to issue visas to Russian journalists for Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's trip to New York to attend U.N. Security Council meetings last month, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Tuesday.

 The governor of Russia's Voronezh region bordering Ukraine said two Ukrainian drones attacked a military training ground in his region overnight. The Russian media outlet Baza reported 14 soldiers were injured.

AFP visual journalist Arman Soldin, left, and fixer Oleksiy Obolensky, center, chat with a Ukrainian soldier in Donbass region on April 29, 2022.

UK considers giving Ukraine long-range missiles

British officials have asked defense contractors about supplying Ukraine with missiles with a range of almost 200 miles in what would be a step up in military support for Kyiv.

The call for responses from companies was included in a notice posted by the International Fund for Ukraine, a multinational funding mechanism for providing weapons to the Ukraine military. Britain's Ministry of Defense, which administers the fund, asked companies to reach out if they could provide missiles that can be launched from land, sea or air. The missiles have about the same range as the Army Tactical Missile System, ATACMS, that Washington has refused to provide.

Politico reports that the Biden administration has no plans to follow Britains lead, "with some officials saying the U.S. is now off the hook thanks to the U.K.s planned delivery." Politico cites multiple administration officials it did not name.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that aside from an uptick in weaponry, the U.S. has few of the missiles to spare.

One-tank Victory Day parade a sign of war's impact on Russian military

Tuesday's Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square reflected some of the difficulties the war has created for the Russian military, whose presence in both personnel and equipment was considerably reduced in this year's celebration, the British Defense Ministry said.

Besides the limited number of troops from regular forces, the ministry noted there was only one tank at the parade, a major departure from years past, when dozens of modern tanks would be showcased.

"Despite heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia could have fielded more armored vehicles,'' the ministry said. "The authorities likely refrained from doing so because they want to avoid domestic criticism about prioritizing parades over combat operations.''

Ukraine nuke plant facing 'catastrophic' lack of staff

Russia plans to relocate more than 3,000 Ukrainian staff from the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and leave Europes largest nuclear facility with a "catastrophic lack of qualified personnel," Ukraines atomic energy company warned Wednesday.

Energoatom said that even those Ukrainian workers forced to sign "shameful" contracts are being evacuated, which makes the plant unsafe even though it is not operating.

"The fastest possible de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the expulsion of the (Russians) and the transfer of control over the power plant to its legitimate Ukrainian operator, Energoatom, is the only way to end the Russian mess at the ZNPP and guarantee its future safety," Energoatom said in a statement.

A Russian-appointed deputy prime minister of the region, Andrey Kozenko, said as many as 70,000 civilians will be voluntarily moved out of the region because of risks from artillery shelling. Ukraines National Resistance Center says Russian-installed officials are shutting down schools, preparing buses and appointing officials to oversee the evacuation.

Ukrainian authorities blame Moscow for the strikes and say Moscow's goal is to move people deeper into Russian-controlled Ukraine and Russia itself.

Kremlin deflects questions on mercenary leader's harsh criticism

Kremlin officials have not yet viewed the scathing video posted on social media Tuesday by Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. Prigozhin said his troops have still not been given desperately needed ammunition requested from Russia's defense ministry.

The Wagner boss said he might need to remove his troops because of the shortage  and was told it would be considered treason. But Prigozhin said some Russian troops actually fled positions near Bakhmut, a claim later corroborated by Ukraine's military, which claimed it had advanced in the area.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine, Russia live updates: Bakhmut may fall, mercenary boss says
BAKHMUT

Amid rumors of a possible Ukrainian breakthrough in the bloody battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military claimed today that they have inflicted heavy losses on a Russian brigade there. After 10 months of fighting and tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, the city remains a key objective for Moscow, although its strategic significance has long been debated.

Unfortunately, they have not destroyed the whole [Russian] brigade yet, two companies have been seriously damaged there, said Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east of the country. The brigade he was referring to is the 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, which had only recently been formed to take part in the offensive in Ukraine and is now reported to have fled from the city.

Russian brigade flees Bakhmut.



Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade confirmed on May 9 that the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces has fled Bakhmut.  The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 9, 2023

According to a report from Suspilne, Ukraines state broadcaster, on its official Telegram channel: In Bakhmut, fighters of the 3rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine advanced 2.6km [1.6 miles] during the storming of Russian positions for two days and defeated two companies of the 72nd Brigade of the Russian Federation, said the commander of the Azov Regiment.

https://twitter.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1656177778285510657?s=20 https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1656060182965678081

Despite the claimed partial destruction of this Russian brigade, Cherevatyi admitted that the overall situation around Bakhmut remained difficult. It is notable, however, that Russia appears to now be relying more heavily on regular army units (and not necessarily very experienced ones) in the fighting in this area, likely reflecting the heavy losses that have been sustained by the Wagner Group, the private military company that had been spearheading the offensive there, but the leadership of which has increasingly clashed with the Kremlin in recent weeks.

Story continues

Soldiers from the 4th brigade of the operational assignment of the National Guard operating near Bakhmut target Russian aerial targets near Bakhmut with Igla MANPADS. It is unclear if the target was hit. pic.twitter.com/2GvAuH83ax  NOELREPORTS   (@NOELreports) May 9, 2023

Meanwhile, and speaking further to the divisions between Wagner and the Russian Armed Forces, the boss of the mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed today that the Russian 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions in Bakhmut. Cherevatyi, for his part, accused Prigozhin of trying to create  white noise, while Bakhmut itself still remains Moscows main coveted target in the east, in his opinion.

Prigozhin is furious, as Ukrainian forces have liberated 3 km of land and smashed a vital Russian position in Bakhmut with reportedly 500 Wagner fighters killed. The Russian 72nd brigade gave up its positions and escaped from the Ukrainian attack.https://t.co/uzPzTWDbXq  Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 10, 2023

In related news, Wagner Group boss Prigozhin has once again hit out at the Kremlin for the lack of ammunition being provided to his mercenary fighters. This has been a regular complaint from Prigozhin and even led to his threat to withdraw his troops from the city. He later stepped back from that, stating that his fighters would be considered traitors if they abandoned their positions.

Despite this, calls from Wagner for more ammunition have been relentless.

Were not receiving enough shells, were only getting 10 percent, Prigozhin said in an audio statement, as reported by Reuters.

Were scraping by with a minimal quantity of shells, Prigozhin said, before adding that his mercenaries were continuing to advance in Bakhmut. Prigozhin said that the Russian Ministry of Defense had been holding long meetings to try and solve the issue of ammunition shortages, but that bureaucracy was holding up the process of achieving meaningful results.

A Ukrainian soldier receives mortar fire adjustment data in the suburbs of Bakhmut. Photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Hitting out at the defense ministry is hardly a new development for Prigozhin, who last week posted a now-notorious video of him standing in a field apparently surrounded by Russian corpses. In that video, he accused officials of getting fat in their offices while his troops are dying.

Aside from the ammunition situation, the Wagner Group is also increasingly finding itself an international pariah, with various countries now moving to have it classified as a terrorist group.

According to the Times of London, the U.K. government is poised to designate Wagner as a terrorist organization, following similar moves made by Estonia, France, and Lithuania.

The French parliament adopted a resolution Tuesday calling on the EU to formally label Wagner PMC a "terrorist group". The resolution passed with unanimous support.



Such recognition would make it impossible for companies or banks to work with Wagner PMChttps://t.co/a5lisEIbjy  Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 10, 2023

Such a decision from London would have mainly symbolic significance, although there are, according to the Times, official concerns that the group may have been involved in laundering money out of the United Kingdom, together with organized crime groups, after financial sanctions were imposed against Russian oligarchs and Putin allies following the launch of Russias full-scale invasion.

On a practical level, listing Wagner as a terrorist group would allow the European Union to freeze the assets of its members and prevent any European companies or individuals from dealing with the group. Prigozhin already had his assets in the European Union frozen in 2020, after Wagner fighters began to be involved in combat operations in Libya.

Wherever they work, Wagner members spread instability and violence, French legislator Benjamin Haddad told the French parliament yesterday. They kill and torture. They massacre and pillage. They intimidate and manipulate with almost total impunity.

Before we dive into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can get caught up on our previous rolling coverage here.

The Latest

A remarkable and seemingly recent video documenting the fighting around Bakhmut, the footage in the tweet below apparently shows a Russian soldier surrendering to a Ukrainian drone. After signaling his intention to surrender, the Ukrainian forces drop a note to him, telling him to follow the drone. After some hesitation, he follows, apparently despite gunfire from his own positions. The soldier is apparently now in Ukrainian hands:

This time the drone drop is a bit different.



In the Bakhmut direction, a Russian military man was found, he asked drone operator not to bomb him. Ukrainian team dropped him a note by copter with an order to surrender and follow the drone.

After receiving the note, he gestured pic.twitter.com/EUFC6ViI5u  Malinda  (@TreasChest) May 10, 2023

Suspilne, Ukraines state broadcaster, has provided an update on the latest round of Russian air attacks on targets in Ukraine, on its official Telegram channel:

Air defense forces destroyed three Russian drones over the Dnipropetrovsk region on the night of May 10. Also at night, the Russian Army shelled Kherson heavily. More than 350 projectiles were fired in Kherson oblast during the day: one person was injured. In Zaporizhzhia, the Russian Army shelled 19 settlements yesterday: a resident of the village of Mykilske was seriously injured.

 Head of Dnipropetrovsk.



Today, the long-suffering Nikopol region came under fire again

The enemy covered with artillery fire & attacked from a drone. People were not injured.

In Nikopol, an industrial enterprise, 2 houses & the same number of farm buildings damaged pic.twitter.com/KBdjVckYFN  Tracey/UkrzaliznytsiaFella  #NAFO (@trajaykay) May 10, 2023

According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces media center, two Ukrainian civilians were killed and five were wounded in Russian attacks on Tuesday.

In a statement on Telegram, the Ukrainian Armed Forces media center said: According to the information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian troops shelled nine regions of Ukraine in the past day. In total, 126 settlements were shelled with various types of weapons (mortars, tanks, artillery, MLRS, air defense systems, UAVs, and tactical aircraft), and 153 infrastructure facilities were hit.

These claims have not been independently verified.

My evening message



It's May 10, 2023. There is a war in Ukraine.



Every morning Defense Ministry media center publishes information about russian attacks in the last 24 hours.

So today morning, it informed that russian forces attacked 126 settlements in 9 Ukrainian regions.  Yaroslava Antipina (@strategywoman) May 10, 2023

Additional ground-based air defense systems are headed to Ukraine after President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic announced that his country would deliver two batteries of the 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile system. Known to NATO as the SA-6 Guideline, the Kub was previously promised to Ukraine by Slovakia.

The Kub is the predecessor to the Buk-M1 (SA-11 Gadfly) mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile system that is already used by Ukraine (and by Russia). Like the Buk, the Kub makes use of tracked missile launch vehicles, but unlike the later system, these carry three instead of four ready-to-fire missiles, while the fire-control radar is mounted on a separate vehicle.

#Ukraine/#Russia :



President Petr Pavel announced that the #Czechia will hand over to #Ukraine two batteries of the 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile system with a large number of missiles. pic.twitter.com/YDYVNGoz7p     (@praisethesteph) May 10, 2023

Petr Pavel apparently also stated that the Czech Republic could move to provide some of its L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA) to Ukraine. The subsonic ALCA is fully optimized for combat missions and is available in single-seat L-159A and two-seat L-159B forms. Its advanced avionics are centered around an Italian-supplied Grifo multi-mode radar and the aircraft is also capable of using an array of NATO-standard weaponry.

This is the way Petr Pavel !



The #Czech Republic could give #Ukraine some of its L-159 fighter jets to support its planned counter-offensive, Czech President Petr Pavel was quoted as saying on Wednesday.



Prague has been among Kyiv's staunchest allies from the outbreak of pic.twitter.com/jVJO707Tz5  Kvist.P (@kvistp) May 10, 2023

Evidence of more immediate new weaponry for the Ukrainian Air Force emerged today, with a first known photo showing one of the services Su-25 Frogfoot attack jets armed with U.S.-supplied 5-inch Zuni rockets. Evidence that Zuni rockets pledged to Ukraine by the United States had begun to be delivered emerged at the beginning of the month, as you can read more about here.

First clear photo of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 carrying US-supplied Zuni 5-in unguided rockets in 4-shot LAU-10 pods (Photo: AP/Libkos) pic.twitter.com/Hmor7jFMDo  Mike Yeo  is also at post.news/thebaseleg (@TheBaseLeg) May 10, 2023

As expected, the unguided rockets are in use with the Su-25 fleet, which is carrying them in four-round LAU-10 pods. The Frogfoot has so far been extensively used for attacks on Russian positions using Soviet-era rockets, supplies of which are apparently now running low.

Two more NATO countries have signed up for an initiative to train Ukrainian troops. Canada and Latvia will work together to train Ukrainian personnel on Latvian soil, beginning next week.

Canada is already training Ukrainian troops in Poland and the United Kingdom.

Canada launches training course for junior officers of Ukrainian army in Latvia

This program will complement the training of Ukrainian military personnel by Canadian instructors in the UK, Poland and several other NATO countrieshttps://t.co/7i5oU4zhXR  Mind | EN  (@Mind_ENGL) May 10, 2023

In Russia, too, efforts to get more troops to the front lines are being stepped up. The latest such measure is a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin that calls up military reservists for training this year. This was confirmed by an announcement published on a Russian government website today. Last September, Russia began a partial mobilization of its reservists, around 300,000 in all, as it sought to bolster troop numbers in the wake of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a decree on annual military training for Russian reservists https://t.co/jto0UagN1d pic.twitter.com/x47V9Qa3FA  ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) May 10, 2023

Meanwhile, Russians who refuse to fight in Ukraine continue to be subjected to punitive measures. A report from the human rights group OVD-Info highlights the fates of two soldiers from Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, named as Alexander Stepanov and Andrei Mikhailov. The two were jailed for two and a half years for refusing orders to go into combat during wartime.

The Russian criminal code was amended last year by President Vladimir Putin and its now possible to give prison sentences of up to three years for those refusing to fight.

Two Russian servicemen have been sentenced to 2.5 years for refusing to serve in Ukraine, according to the independent human rights monitor OVD-Info.

Both men  from the Kamchatka area in Russias Far East  were found guilty under the article on refusal to participate in  Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) May 10, 2023

An oil pipeline within Russia has been attacked in what the state-run TASS news agency described as a terrorist incident. The pipeline filling point is located on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline in a border area between Russia and Ukraine.

Early this morning there was an attempt to commit a terrorist act against the Druzhba oil pipeline system at the Bryansk filling station, a spokesman for Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft told TASS.

As a result, no one was hurt. The competent authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Transneft also said that there were no leaks.

Early on Wednesday, Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's law enforcement agencies, reported that three empty oil reservoirs at the Druzhba pipeline's filling station came under attack.https://t.co/EMUJgAHZtX  Saikripa (@saikripa_jpd) May 10, 2023

Also today, reports on the pro-Russian Baza Telegram channel stated that three empty oil reservoirs at the Druzhba pipelines filling station had come under attack.

Exactly how the oil infrastructure might have been targeted is unclear at this stage. However, the alleged attacks certainly fit in with the pattern of targeting critical infrastructure on Russian territory, especially in the border areas and we have repeatedly reported numerous incidents of this kind in the past. Indeed, this is not the first time that the Druzhba pipeline has come under attack since the start of Russias full-scale invasion.

Other reported attacks on Russian territory announced today included an apparent attempted drone strike against an undisclosed military facility in the Voronezh region, which borders eastern Ukraine. This was announced by the regional governor, Alexander Gusev who noted that the attack, by two drones, had failed.

#Ukraine/#Russia

Unknown Attacks in Russian Territory@KyivIndependent

7h Governors claim attacks on three Russian regions bordering Ukraine. The governors of Russia's Voronezh, Belgorod, and Kursk regions reported drone attacks and shelling on May 10. pic.twitter.com/jzahykOHYI  Outposts (@rien4djri) May 10, 2023

As a result of intervention measures, one of them veered off course and went down, while the second was destroyed by gunfire, Reuters reported that Gusev said on Telegram.

Another alleged drone strike was reportedly averted today in Russias Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine. According to a report from Reuters, Russias Air Defense Forces claim to have shot the drone, falling debris from which is said to have damaged a gas pipeline and a house.

Debris fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was hurt, the regional governor, Roman Starovoyt, said on the Telegram messaging app.

In the village of #Tolmachevo, #Kursk region, fragments of a downed drone fell on a private house.



It is also reported that two drones attacked a military training ground in the #Voronezh region. According to preliminary data, 14 Russian soldiers were injured. pic.twitter.com/fIn75JKvyL  Kyivtoday  (@Kyivtodaycom) May 10, 2023

The state-run TASS news agency reports that the Russian Federation security service, or FSB, claims to have prevented an assassination attempt on a police chief in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.

According to TASS, the FSB provided the following statement:

The FSB  prevented an attempt on the life of one of the leaders of the law enforcement agencies of the Zaporizhzhia region. The first victim of the attacker was to be the head of the police department in the village of Kirillovka [which is on the Sea of Azov coast, south of Melitopol]."

An attempt on the life of the head of the police department in the village of Kirillovka was prevented in the Zaporozhye region.



The Ukrainian who planned the attacks was detained. He acted on the instructions of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/aIw2pMe0yX  Theresa   (@tretter50001) May 10, 2023

When trying to detain the criminal, he offered armed resistance, but thanks to the professional actions of the special forces of the FSB of Russia, he was disarmed.

The alleged suspect was described as a 31-year-old Ukrainian man who had arrived in the Zaporizhzhia region to carry out sabotage and terrorist activities. According to TASS, the FSB said he was found with components for the manufacture of an improvised explosive device.

These claims have not been independently verified.

BREAKING: The FSB claims that it prevented an assassination attempt on a police chief in Zaporizhzhia  Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) May 10, 2023

Meanwhile, the FSB today did confirm reports of a sabotage attack against a Russian Su-24 Fencer strike or reconnaissance aircraft at an aircraft factory in Siberia. Accounts of the incident  as well as a video posted on YouTube  emerged yesterday but there was initial confusion as to whether they were legitimate, with the local emergency services apparently denying that the raid had taken place.

Now, according to the Russian Telegram news channel Astra, the local branch of the FSB has confirmed that there was an arson attack on the Su-24 military plane at the Chkalov aircraft factory in Novosibirsk.

According to the Astra report, FSB officers visited the factory and discovered that a mothballed Su-24 aircraft produced in 1990 showed signs of fire damage under its left rear fuselage. There was also said to be a hole cut in the factory fence.

1/This has probably already been discussed, but if not, and if it is indeed NAZ in Novosibirsk, in all likelihood what was set fire to is an old and not flight worthy Su-24M(K), one of two that remaining there for quite some time, while the nearby Su-34(?) are left untouched, https://t.co/oW7whfkCk6  LotA (@LotA_IL) May 9, 2023

This is not the first time that aircraft have been subjected to damage by saboteurs operating within Russian borders, with a previous incident last November in which attack helicopters were the targets of a raid against a Russian airbase in the Pskov region, in the far west of the country. You can read about that here.

In its regular intelligence update today, the U.K Ministry of Defense (MOD) has turned its attention to Russias Victory Day parade in Red Square, Moscow, yesterday, which we covered in this report.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 May 2023.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/TKmTuwDqhR



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/F8toJrjKqk  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) May 10, 2023

The MOD pointed to the glaring lack of tanks or other tracked fighting vehicles in this years parade, noting that A vintage T-34 from a ceremonial unit was the sole tank on parade. Despite heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia could have fielded more armored vehicles.

All in all, the MOD considers that the pared-down Victory Day parade highlighted the materiel and strategic communications challenges the military is facing 15 months into the war in Ukraine.

Thats it for now. We'll update this story when theres more news to report about Ukraine.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
KYIV (Reuters) -A Ukrainian military unit said on Wednesday it had routed a Russian infantry brigade from frontline territory near Bakhmut, claiming to confirm an account by the head of Russia's Wagner private army that the Russian forces had fled.

Later in the day, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who heads Ukraine's ground forces, said Russian units in some parts of Bakhmut had retreated by up to 2 km (1.2 miles) as the result of counterattacks. He did not give details.

Wagner units have led a months-long Russian assault on the eastern city, but Ukrainian forces say the offensive is stalling.

Moscow has not commented on reports that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the situation on the ground.

A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops. Bakhmut is the primary target of Moscow's huge winter offensive and scene of the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar, writing on Telegram, said pro-Kyiv units had not lost a single position in Bakhmut on Wednesday.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has repeatedly accused Moscow's regular armed forces of failing to adequately support his men, said on Tuesday the Russian brigade had abandoned its positions.

"Our army is fleeing. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men," Prigozhin said.

'SITUATION REMAINS DIFFICULT'

In a statement, Ukraine's Third Separate Assault Brigade said: "It's official. Prigozhin's report about the flight of Russia's 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the '500 corpses' of Russians left behind is true."

Ukraine's eastern military command said the Russian brigade had been heavily damaged, although it said Russia was still trying to capture the rest of the city.

Story continues

"Unfortunately they have not destroyed the whole (Russian) brigade yet," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern military command, said in televised comments.

"The situation (in Bakhmut) remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it (Bakhmut) is (still) the main direction of attack," he said.

Early on Wednesday the Third Separate Assault Brigade, which was formed last year from the nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azov's founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had "defeated" the Russian brigade.

"The attacks were implemented within a territory 3 km wide and 2.6 km deep, and this entire territory is completely liberated from the Russian occupying forces," he said.

Since last week, Prigozhin has repeatedly threatened to pull Wagner out of Bakhmut unless Russia's regular armed forces send more ammunition. In his latest remarks on Wednesday he said his troops were receiving only 10% of the shells they needed.

As well as clashing repeatedly with Russia's defence ministry, Prigozhin has also expressed concerns about a long-promised Ukrainian counter-offensive to recapture some of the territory that Russia occupied after the 2022 invasion.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Olena Harmash, Pavel Polityuk and David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Graff and Alex Richardson)
Key developments on May 10:

Journalists geolocate 223 military facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea

Kremlin claims no knowledge of Wagner boss' lack of ammunition complaint

Kuleba says Ukraine may launch more than one counteroffensive

Russia's Victory Day parade shows material, logistical issues

Russian Kh-55 missile likely fell in Poland in December

The military object, found in April near the Polish town of Bydgoszcz, could be a Russian Kh-55 cruise missile launched from Belarus during a mass attack against Ukraine, Polish radio station RMF FM reported on May 10.

According to preliminary findings of the Air Force Institute of Technology, cited by RMF FM, the missile likely flew to Poland, crossing the country's eastern border. The Polish army doesn't have Kh-55 rockets and systems that could launch them in its arsenal.

In mid-December last year, Russia launched one of its now regular mass missile strikes against Ukraine, using aircraft stationed in Belarus.

When a Russian Su-34 tactical bomber got close to the NATO airspace, and its planes took off, the Polish military recorded an object flying to Poland from Belarus, the RMF FM wrote.

According to the media outlet, Polish services tried to track the object but lost sight of it near Bydgoszcz.

The RMF FM also wrote that the Polish military - contrary to its duties - hadn't immediately informed the prosecutor's office about the incident. The Polish personnel reportedly tried to find the object right after it fell in December, but the search was stopped due to bad weather conditions.

The discovery of an unidentified military object in a forest near Bydgoszcz, northern Poland, was first reported on April 27. Then, the RMF FM alleged, citing the former commander of GROM Polish special forces, that those were debris of an air-to-surface missile possibly belonging to the Polish army.

Patriot air defense faces its toughest challenge ever in Ukraine The wait is over  after almost a year of refusals and hesitation, Western-provided MIM-104 Patriot air defense systems have finally arrived and become operational in Ukraine. On April 21 and 26, Ukraines Air Force confirmed the full employment of two Patriot batteries. As Ukraines own Soviet-er Kyiv IndependentIllia Ponomarenko

Story continues

Journalists track down Russian military facilities in occupied Crimea

Krym Realii media outlet journalists published a map with geolocations of 223 active, temporary, and preserved military facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The points on the map are divided into 10 categories, including Russia's Black Sea Fleet warehouses for weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment, air bases and airfields, radio and communication stations, and air defense and missile forces.

Other categories include border guard posts, internal troops, scouts, and other units of Russia's Armed Forces, fuel for troops, training grounds, military facilities with unknown purposes, and chemical and biological defense forces.

Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, which effectively began Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its 10th year.

Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has been using Crimea to launch missiles against mainland Ukraine and as a logistic route to transfer equipment to the southern battlefield.

Wagner boss' rant falls on deaf ear

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow has not yet seen the May 9 video posted by Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, in which he claims that Wagner has still not been given the ammunition requested from Russia's defense ministry.

"You know what we were doing, yesterday," said Peskov in a press briefing on May 10 as cited by Russian media.

In the video, posted by Prigozhin's press service, the Wagner boss also claimed that Russian units of the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade had abandoned positions near Bakhmut, later corroborated by a report from Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade who had claimed to advance in the area.

The internal conflict between Wagner mercenaries and the Russian Defense Ministry has escalated dramatically over the past week.

On May 5, Prigozhin recorded a video in front of what he claimed to be the bodies of dozens of Wagner mercenaries supposedly killed that day around Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

In an explicit rant, the Wagner boss directly blamed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for the fighters' deaths, saying that Wagner was being deprived of the ammunition to continue the assault on Bakhmut.

Prigozhin later recorded several other videos publicly attacking the Russian military command.

On May 10, Prigozhin had to backtrack his previous comments in which he said "our soldiers are being killed, yet the happy grandpa thinks everything is good."

Bakhmut has been the epicenter of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces. The Wagner mercenaries have served as the primary force in Russia's attempts to expand its control over Donetsk Oblast, more than half of which Russia currently occupies.

Ukraine still holds western parts of the city. Ukrainian Ground Force Commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on May 10 Ukrainian troops gained several kilometers in some parts of the city.

Flanks around Bakhmut hold as brutal urban fighting continues for city blocks Two months after Ukraines defense of Bakhmut seemed doomed, the bloodiest battle of Russias full-scale war against Ukraine is still going against all expectations. Making rapid advances at the end of February, Russian forces seemed to be on the cusp of surrounding the city, as the only roads Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Kuleba tones down counteroffensive expectation

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged not to think about Ukraine's expected counteroffensive as the country's last attempt "because we don't know what will come out of it."

"If we succeed in liberating our territories with this counteroffensive, you can say it was the last one, but if not, that means we have to prepare for the next counteroffensive," said Kuleba.

According to the Washington Post, top Ukrainian officials are afraid the much-anticipated upcoming Ukrainian offensive may not live up to expectations.

"The expectation from our counteroffensive campaign is overestimated in the world," Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the Washington Post. "Most people are  waiting for something huge," he said, which could lead to "emotional disappointment."

Meanwhile, Czech President Petr Pavel said his country would provide Ukraine with two more Kub mobile surface-to-air missile systems.

Russia's underwhelming Victory Day parade shows equipment issues

The May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square highlighted the equipment and strategic communications challenges the Russian military has faced during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.

Over 8,000 military personnel reportedly participated in the parade, but most were auxiliaries, paramilitary forces, and military academy cadets, the ministry wrote in its latest intelligence update.

"The only personnel from deployable formations of regular forces were contingents of Railway Troops and military police."

An old T-34, the Soviet main battle tank during World War II, was the only tank on display, which is a substantial downsize from the usual number of vehicles shown at the event held annually to commemorate Nazi Germany's defeat in 1945.

"Despite heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia could have fielded more armored vehicles," reads the ministry's update.

"The authorities likely refrained from doing so because they want to avoid domestic criticism about prioritizing parades over combat operations."

Earlier, six Russian regions, Russian-occupied Crimea, and 21 cities had canceled their parades due to security concerns.

In May 2022, large-scale parades were held in Moscow and other cities in Russia despite the full-scale war raging in Ukraine.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, will not be able to attend the meeting of the NATO Military Committee on 10 May because of the difficult situation at the front.

Source: Ukrinform news outlet referring to Rob Bauer, Head of the NATO Military Committee, at the meetings opening

Quote: "Yesterday, I received a letter from the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief, our friend Valerii Zaluzhnyi, saying that his participation, even via video conference, is impossible because of the difficult operational situation in the defence against Russian aggression. Our best wishes are with the Ukrainian defenders. We are focused on getting Valerii's assessment from his military representative ... on the latest developments on the fronts, where Ukrainians are fighting for what is rightfully theirs."

Details: Rob Bauer has reported that the committees members will hear the information from Major General Serhii Salkutsan, who is Ukraines military representative to NATO.

Quote: "Goliath faltered because David demonstrated outstanding resilience and tactical excellence, with the support of 50 states all around the world."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has stated that the Russians are spreading disinformation about the liquidation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders. In fact, none of this is true.

Source: Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine

Quote: "The Russian information field is spreading information about the alleged liquidation of our commanders. There have been three messages within a week. Everyone is alive."

Details: Maliar has added that such messages are usually intended to psychologically affect the person directly, discourage the Ukrainian military and create a "short-term hype on this topic to raise the spirit of their own troops".

Background:

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, could not attend the meeting of the NATO Military Committee on 10 May because of the difficult situation at the front.

At the beginning of May, Yevgeny Prigozhin, commander of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), claimed that militants from his PMC destroyed an armoured vehicle while Major General Ihor Tantsiura, commander of the Territorial Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was inside it. In the end, this turned out to be a lie.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Ukraines Security Service has shared evidence that Larysa Bohomolova, chair of the Poltava District Court, collaborated with Russia. Bohomolova has been served with a notice of suspicion of high treason.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU)

Details: The SSU has made public excerpts of Bohomolovas conversations with a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) handler, in which she gives the handler the coordinates of Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol, promises to pass on a list of judges who hold a pro-Ukrainian stance, and assures the Russian occupiers of her loyalty.

The SSU officers exposed Bohomolova following a series of complex operations.

The FSB recruited the judge, who then proceeded to leak information about Ukrainian defence forces in Ukraine's south to the Russian occupiers.

She also recommended people for the positions of the overseer of the Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk and the head of a Russian-occupied hospital.

The High Council of Justice decided to remove the defendant from her position in Poltava District Court on the basis of the evidence provided by the SSU. The court arrested her without the right to bail.

Previously: Law enforcement officers have exposed an accomplice of the Russians from Berdiansk who "administered justice" in Poltava Oblast. A notice of suspicion of treason has been served on the judge.

According to Ukrainska Pravdas source, the judge in question is Larysa Bohomolova, who has chaired the Poltava District Court since July 2022.

According to the investigation, in the spring of 2022, following the Russian military occupation of the city of Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Bohomolova, ignoring her oath to the Ukrainian people, began to actively collaborate with Russian secret services and other Russian representatives.

After some time, Bohomolova left Berdiansk for Ukrainian-controlled territory, heading one of the district courts in Poltava Oblast.

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Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, May 7, 2023

The 6th and 8th companies of Russias 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade were in fact fully eliminated, Biletsky said.

Read also: Former Azov commander reports Ukrainian forces' still holding on in Bakhmut

"Brigade reconnaissance was defeated, a significant number of armored vehicles were destroyed, and a significant number of prisoners were captured, he said.

The offensive was conducted on a 3-kilometer-wide and 2.6-kilometer-deep belt. All this area has been completely liberated from the Russian invasion forces.

Read also: Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut withstand Russian phosphorus attack

The Ukrainian soldiers also defeated the 3rd assault detachment of Russias Wagner's mercenary company, which suffered huge losses.

The withdrawal of the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade was first reported on May 9 by Wagner Grous leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Later, the information was confirmed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Azov tactical attacking group killed 64 occupiers, seriously wounded another 87, and took five more captive in the past two days, according to official reports.

Read also: Ukrainian soldier reports on situation in Bakhmut, and about enemy attacks

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
On Monday afternoon, Union County deputies received a call about a double-wide trailer engulfed in flames near S. County Road 229.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Deputies arrived within minutes to find the owner outside her trailer with minor injuries and suffering from smoke inhalation.

Union County Rescue arrived to assist and treat the homeowner.

Read: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue respond to fire near Edwards Park

The woman said the family dog was trapped inside a pet cage in the burning trailer.

Deputy Stock and Deputy Evans didnt waste any time. They found a nearby pool ladder and were able to make entry into the double-wide through a window. Once inside, they worked through thick smoke to find the dog.

Union County Deputies received the call for assistance to S. CR 229 to a doublewide trailer fully engulfed in flames.

The deputies were able to pass the dog back through the window, saving his life.

On top of the heroic acts of both deputies, this was Evans first day on the job.

Forestry and fire units from Bradford, Baker and Union Counties responded to assist with putting out the fire.

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The fire scene was turned over to the State Fire Marshall. The Red Cross is also assisting.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
(CNN)  China on Tuesday expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai, a day after Canada announced it would expel a Chinese diplomat over allegations he was involved in efforts to intimidate a Canadian politician.

In a statement Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned the expulsion of Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei, and as "reciprocal countermeasure," would declare Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, a consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, persona non grata.

Lalonde has been asked to leave China before May 13, according to the statement.

The tit-for-tat move marks a new low in a years-long deterioration of ties between the two countries and comes amid a period of rising concerns in Canada about Chinese influence, including public uproar over allegations that China attempted to meddle in Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections.

Hours after Beijing announced it would expel Lalonde, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson at a regular briefing threatened that China would "resolutely and forcefully respond" if the Canadian government "keeps acting recklessly" and accused Canadian media and some politicians of "fabricating false information."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday that Canada would "not be intimidated" by Beijing's reaction.

"We will take whatever action is necessary to continue to protect our democracy and show that we're standing up for our values and our principles. We understand there is retaliation but we will not be intimidated," Trudeau said.

Canada moved to expel Zhao on Monday, following mounting public pressure on the Canadian government to respond to revelations the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found an accredited Chinese diplomat in the country had taken efforts toward targeting opposition lawmaker Michael Chong and relatives who may be in China.

The alleged targeting took place after Chong sponsored a motion to condemn China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority group. The intelligence was first reported by Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail earlier this month.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Monday said Ottawa "will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home."

Beijing has repeatedly denied accusations of political interference in Canada.

The two countries' relations have already come under significant strain in recent years, in particular following Beijing's detention of two Canadians in China in move widely seen as retaliation for Canada's 2018 arrest of a Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou.

Beijing repeatedly denied that their cases were political retaliation, but the two men, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, were released on the same day Meng was allowed by Canada to return to China in 2021.

There have also been growing public concern about alleged Chinese interference within the country, including through the operation of overseas police stations and policing of speech in the country, which has a large community of people with Chinese heritage.

Mounting pressure

Allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian politics have become a growing challenge for the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who earlier this year initiated an investigation to identify and combat foreign interference in Canada's elections and its democracy.

Trudeau has said intelligence services had failed to brief him about the alleged targeting of Chong. His Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu last week after the media reporting on the intelligence emerged.

Chong, who represents the Wellington-Halton Hills district in Ontario, had called for Zhao's expulsion and criticized Trudeau's government for being too slow to act.

In a statement posted to Twitter on May 1, Chong said that he found out about the intelligence -- which was referenced in a 2021 CSIS report -- through the Globe and Mail report, despite having been briefed on general foreign interference threats by CSIS.

"Like many Canadians, I have family abroad. The PRC's (People's Republic of China) targeting of family abroad to intimidate and coerce Canadians here at home is a serious, national threat," Chong wrote in the statement, in which he says he has family in Hong Kong.

Chong was among several political figures sanctioned by China in March 2021 in what Beijing called a response to American and Canadian sanctions against individuals and entities in its western region of Xinjiang "based on rumors and disinformation."

China has been accused of committing serious human rights violations that may amount to crimes against humanity in its treatment of Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in the region. Beijing denies the claims, and rights groups have documented its efforts to quash international focus on the situation there.

In February 2021, Canada's parliament passed its non-binding motion saying China's treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region constitutes genocide.

Repercussions?

China has yet to specify what "countermeasures" it may take in response to Zhao's expulsion, but these could include a tit-for-tat expulsion of a diplomat at Canada's mission in China.

Beijing is also widely seen to have a track record of using economic or trade-related measures to express displeasure with diplomatic partners.

The expelled diplomat Zhao was listed in the Department of Global Affairs' record of foreign diplomats as working in China's Toronto consulate, the Globe and Mail reported earlier this month.

His name was not visible in a CNN search of the directory of China's foreign representatives Monday night.

Prior to naming Zhao as "persona non grata" Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Joly last week said Canada's government needed to carefully weigh how China might react to a Canadian response.

China would "of course" take action against Canada's "economic interest, consumer interest and also diplomatic interests," Joly told parliamentarians on Thursday, adding that, "I know that we are under pressure to go fast, (but) we need to make sure as well that we protect our democracy."

This story was first published on CNN.com, Canadian diplomat expelled from China in tit-for-tat measure"
An unloaded firearm was found in the backpack of a fourth-grade student at Alta Loma Elementary School on May 9, 2023.

A fourth-grade student is facing criminal charges after an unloaded firearm was found in their backpack Tuesday morning at Alta Loma Elementary School in Peoria.

Officer Kristopher Babros, a spokesman for Peoria police, said officers responded to the school to investigate as school administrators learned of what happened. Babros said the student faces several charges, including carrying a weapon on school grounds and a minor carrying a firearm.

Babros did not say if the student's parents or guardians will face any criminal charges as well. Authorities did not mention what type of firearm the student brought to school.

The school's principal, Mark Harman, shared with The Arizona Republic a message it sent out to families and staff.

"In an effort to keep staff and families fully informed of incidents that take place on our campus, I am writing to inform you that this morning, a few students reported that a fourth-grade student had a firearm in their backpack," the statement reads. "School administration immediately confiscated the backpack and found a weapon inside. The school followed its process and immediately contacted the police department. Like all safety concerns, we are taking this incident very seriously."

The message continued by commending the students who reported the situation to school staff, saying they were an example of what to do when they notice potential threats.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Unloaded firearm found in 4th grade student's backpack at Peoria school
Summertime is quickly approaching, and while people may be hoping to spend more time outdoors, one insect could be paying a visit inside.

Kansas is home to multiple species of ant, including carpenter, pavement, ghost and acrobat ants, just to name a few.

Professor Raymond Cloyd, Ph.D. with Kansas State Universitys Department of Entomology, said ants are active almost year-round, from spring to early winter.

Theyre active in the spring when the reproductive swarmers come out ... the males die ... the females start laying eggs, Cloyd said. That occurs again in the fall, early winter time, but ants ... can be active all year-round, depending on the environmental conditions.

Cloyd said specifically when the weather is wet, ants will try to find a protected environment, like a home or office, to shelter in. If youre hoping to keep ants outside this summer, here are some ways you can do so.

Keeping ants out of your Kansas house

The entomologist said the most common way for ants to get into the home is existing openings, like cracks or crevices.

Any openings, like in the foundation or under doors or ... windows that dont seal very well, those are some of the areas they can get into, Cloyd said.

The best way to prevent ants finding openings is to seal them off.

Ants are pretty smart, they can find openings, he said. Sealing cracks and crevices, putting door sweeps in, just preventing any access can help limit intrusion into your home.

Cloyd also recommends keeping tree branches off of the roof. When tree branches are lying on the roof, ants can climb from the trees onto the branches and make their way into your home.

Here are some natural repellents to keep ants away from your home, from BugMD:

Peppermint oil  Spray a mixture of peppermint oil and water around your home.





White vinegar  Mix together vinegar and water and spray it or wipe areas down where ants are entering.





Cinnamon  Sprinkle where ants are entering.





Borax  Make a paste by mixing 1/2 teaspoon borax, 8 teaspoons sugar and 1 cup water, then put it where ants are in the home.





Diatomaceous earth  Sprinkle where ants are entering.





Story continues

Cloyd said hes also seen people use orange peels and orange oil, but wants people to remember those are just temporary fixes.

Youre not killing them, youre just repelling them and then ... theyll move somewhere else, he said.

The most effective way of getting rid of ants in your house is using baits, Cloyd said. Baits, which contain insecticides, attract worker ants to carry small portions back to the colony, ultimately killing the entire colony.

The most common one he recommends is boric acid, which is usually safe around pets and humans.

Cloyd doesnt recommend using a spray insecticide to fight off ants inside your home.

So its really bait management, using baits, changing them frequently, you may have to change them throughout the year because they tend to want to feed on proteins early in the spring and switch to carbohydrates later in the summertime, he said.

Cloyd said if you have any concerns or questions regarding ants in the home, you should reach out to your local pest control.
Texas Republicans want to pardon Daniel Perry under a self-defence clause

A US Army sergeant convicted of killing a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 has been sentenced to 25 years in a case that has outraged conservatives.

A judge sentenced Daniel Perry, 36, on Wednesday, for fatally shooting Garrett Foster, 28, at a protest in Austin. Perry and Foster are both white.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott previously said he would pardon Perry as soon as an official request "hits my desk".

Republicans and Perry's attorneys have argued he acted in self-defence.

"After three long years we're finally getting justice for Garrett," Foster's mother, Sheila Foster, told the court on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

"Mr Perry, I pray to God that one day, he will get rid of all this hate that is in your heart."

The sentencing comes a month after a Travis County jury unanimously voted to convict Perry of Foster's murder.

The jury also found Perry not guilty on an additional charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The former Army sergeant, now dressed in prison garb, began to cry as the judge issued his sentence.

Clinton Broden, a lawyer for Perry, called the case "political prosecution" in a statement, and vowed to appeal.

He added that Perry and his legal team would "fully co-operate in the pardon process".

Garrett Foster was killed on 25 July 2020, when Perry, a soldier who drove for Uber at the time, turned on to a street where Black Lives Matter demonstrators were marching, went through a red light and stopped his vehicle.

Foster, a former Air Force mechanic who was openly carrying an AK-47 style weapon - which is legal in Texas - was one of several protesters who approached Perry's vehicle.

Perry - who had no passenger at the time - said some of the demonstrators began banging on his car. The protesters told police they feared the vehicle might ram into them, according to media accounts.

Perry's lawyers argued that Foster began to raise the assault rifle toward Sgt Perry.

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According to authorities, Perry lowered his window and shot Foster five times with a .357 revolver before driving off. He called 911 shortly afterwards.

Prosecutors had argued that Perry could have driven away if he feared for his safety, rather than firing his gun.

A forensic psychologist who examined Perry testified during his sentencing that he believed Perry suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder exacerbated by his time in the military and that he had developed an "us vs them" mentality.

Perry began searching for the locations of Black Lives Matter protests weeks before the shooting, according to court documents. He also messaged friends on social media, comparing protesters to "a bunch of monkeys flinging (expletive) at a zoo", court records show.

His lawyers argued Perry was legally acting in self-defence when he shot Foster.

Perry's case has become a lighting rod for so-called 'Stand Your Ground' laws, whichare enacted at the state level and generally permit an individual to protect themselves with the use of reasonable force, including deadly force, to prevent death or great bodily harm.

After his conviction in April, Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, tweeted: "Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defence that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney."

"I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt Perry," he said.

The state's pardon board, which must approve such pardon requests, said an expedited investigation would begin immediately.

Conservatives have attacked the prosecutor who brought the case, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, a Democrat.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told Fox News in April that Mr Garza "maliciously prosecutes people that he doesn't like for political purposes".

Mr Garza has described the pardon request as a "naked political intrusion into our criminal justice system".
(Reuters) -A U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in a Texas prison on Wednesday for killing a man at a protest against police brutality in 2020, setting the stage for Governor Greg Abbott to make good on a pledge to grant a pardon.

Daniel Perry was found guilty last month of shooting to death 28-year-old Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin, Texas. The demonstration came months after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in Minneapolis.

Perry said he was acting in self defense when he shot Foster. His defense team said he had no choice but to fire his handgun when Foster pointed a legally owned AK-47 at Perry, the Texas Tribune reported.

After Perry's conviction, Republican Greg Abbott said he would seek a pardon for him. He said the state's "stand your ground" law justified Perry's actions and could not be "nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney," Abbott said at the time.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 25 years, while the defense had sought 10 years, CNN reported. The sentence was handed down by State District Court Judge Clifford Brown.

Perry's defense lawyers said they were disappointed with the sentence, but would focus to appealing the case and cooperating with the state's pardon process.

"As part of the appeal we will be able to focus on the evidence that was kept from both the grand jury and trial jury," including alleged harassment by Foster, attorney Clinton Broden said in a statement.

Jose Garza, the district attorney for Travis County, where the case was tried and where Austin is located, is a Democrat.

The shooting came moments after Perry, who was driving for Uber, happened upon a group of protesters, including Foster, marching downtown. Foster and several others approached Perry's vehicle after it stopped. Protesters told police that they feared they were being assaulted with the vehicle, according to media accounts.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Sandra Maler)
On Wednesday 10 May, US Attorney General Merrick Garland authorised the first transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine for reconstruction purposes.

Source: a statement by Garland quoted by Reuters, reported by European Pravda

Details: The funds in question were confiscated by a US court from Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, who was charged with evading sanctions. They can be transferred to Ukraine in accordance with a budget amendment adopted in December 2022.

Quote: "While this represents the United States first transfer of forfeited Russian funds for the rebuilding of Ukraine, it will not be the last," Garland said in the statement.

In February 2023, the District Judge of the Manhattan Federal Court authorised the prosecutor's office to confiscate US$5.4 million belonging to Malofeyev.

Malofeyev, who owns Tsargrad TV, has been accused of financing separatism in Crimea and was sanctioned by the United States in 2014. Eight years later, US prosecutors accused him of evading sanctions.

At the end of 2022, prosecutors told the court that they had the right to confiscate the money in Malofeyev's account at Sunflower Bank in Denver because he had attempted to transfer it to a business partner in defiance of US sanctions.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
US Republican Representative George Santos, seen here sitting alone during a visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been charged by the Justice Department, US media reports said

A freshman US Republican lawmaker whose extensive lies have made political headlines since his election last year, has been charged by the Justice Department, US media reported on Tuesday.

The exact nature of the federal charges against Representative George Santos was not immediately known.

Contacted by AFP, the Justice Department declined to comment on the reports.

According to CNN, which cited three sources close to the case, the 34-year-old representative from New York could appear in court as soon as Wednesday.

Santos has admitted fabricating much of his biography, including his real name, his religion (he falsely claimed to be Jewish), his schooling and his employment history when he ran last year for a House seat representing parts of Long Island, New York.

But he has also been accused of misusing and misreporting campaign funds, and of sexual harassment of a man his office allegedly offered a job and then rescinded when the man turned down Santos's advances.

He has faced calls to resign from constituents, some fellow Republicans as well as Democrats in Congress, but has thus far refused.

In an interview with TV host Piers Morgan earlier this year, Santos admitted to some lies on his resume.

"I have been a terrible liar" on certain issues, he said.

"This wasn't about tricking the people, this was about getting accepted by the party," he said.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would "look at the charges," before considering whether Santos should be removed from Congress.

bur-iba/jh/sst
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats released a letter from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday saying a Republican's decision to hold military nominations harms national security, intensifying a dispute over the military's abortion policy.

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has been blocking more than 150 military nominations from moving forward for months because he believes the Pentagon is improperly using funding to cover travel costs for abortions of service members.

After the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a constitutional right to abortion, the Pentagon said it would cover travel costs for service members seeking abortions and up to 21 days off.

The military argues that women service members cannot choose where they are stationed.

"I appreciate and share your deep concern over this hold, which is unprecedented in its size and scope," Austin wrote in a letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on personnel. "Delays in confirming our general and flag officers pose a clear risk to U.S. military readiness, especially at this critical time."

"This indefinite hold harms America's national security and hinders the Pentagon's normal operations," Austin wrote.

Senior military nominations are approved by the committee and eventually the Senate. Although the review is usually routine, a single senator can pause the process by putting a hold on nominations that force them to be considered one at a time, taking many hours each.

A spokesperson for Tuberville said the senator's position has not changed, citing his past comments in the Senate denying that his hold had any effect on readiness.

"Democrats keep repeating the same talking points  and the same opinion. But not one of them has cited any facts. Not one. I've even asked the Pentagon to explain to me how this affects readiness. All I've heard is opinions," Tuberville said.

Tuberville has argued that the Pentagon changed its policy without congressional approval. He said he would continue to hold the nominees until the Pentagon changes its policy or Congress changes the law.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Richard Chang)
The White House issued a statement May 1 that visitors to the United States from other countries will no longer be required to present vaccination documentation for COVID-19.

As of May 11, the United States will no longer mandate that people get vaccinated against the coronavirus because the state of a public health emergency has ended. It will no longer be required for federal employees, contractors, and subcontractors to comply with vaccination requirements. Due to the pandemic, travel is restricted in the United States. It makes the country one of the few countries with such restrictions. The ban will not apply to foreign nationals who enter the United States via land or sea ports, as these types of arrivals are exempt.

In the statement, the White House said, We are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.

Good News for US Tourist Sector

This measure pleased states that rely on tourism for domestic business.

According to Representative Brian Higgins, who serves the area of Buffalo and Niagara Falls in the state of New York, this announcement is positive news for Canadians who cross the border into the United States. Higgins told BBC in a statement, While long overdue, this lifting of pandemic restrictions is certainly welcome news and critically important as we seek opportunities to encourage a robust cross-border exchange that delivers shared prosperity.

In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that put an end to the national emergency that had been declared due to the COVID-19 virus. This made it possible for the United States to implement comprehensive changes to its health and welfare systems in order to combat the virus.

By ending the national emergency, the bill signaled a transition from a state of emergency response to a phase of implementing comprehensive changes aimed at combating the virus and its effects. It provided an opportunity for the United States to reevaluate and adjust its strategies, policies, and resources to better address the evolving needs of the population during the ongoing pandemic.
By Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. negotiators taking part in talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at extending a ceasefire between rival armed forces in Sudan are "cautiously optimistic," U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday, as she faced criticism from senators over the administration's handling of issues in Sudan.

Testifying at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Nuland said she had spoken on Wednesday morning with U.S. officials at the talks that began on Saturday between the army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Both sides have failed to abide by repeated truce deals.

"Our goal for these talks has been very narrowly focused: first securing agreement on a declaration of humanitarian principles and then getting a ceasefire that is long enough to facilitate the steady delivery of badly needed services," Nuland said.

"If this stage is successful - and I talked to our negotiators this morning who are cautiously optimistic - it would then enable expanded talks with additional local, regional and international stakeholders towards a permanent cessation of hostilities, and then a return to civilian-led rule as the Sudanese people have demanded for years."

The fighting in Khartoum, which erupted April 15, has prompted hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and triggered an aid crisis. The people internally displaced within Sudan more than doubled in a week to 700,000, the United Nations' migration agency said.

Republican and Democratic senators at the hearing questioned Nuland on Washington's policy toward Sudan, raising the evacuation of Americans since fighting broke out last month and why sanctions were not imposed following the 2021 coup.

The army, under General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, had joined forces in the military coup, reconfiguring a planned transition to civilian rule.

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But the rival military factions fell out over the transition terms and timing, leading to the sudden explosion of fighting in Khartoum in April.

Nuland said Washington did institute harsh penalties against Sudan that were internally controversial, including suspending bilateral aid and debt relief and imposing sanctions last year on Sudan's Central Reserve Police. Neither Burhan nor Hemedti are under U.S. sanctions.

Nuland added that Washington was looking at appropriate targets, particularly if the generals do not agree to allow humanitarian aid and a ceasefire, after U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order last week laying the groundwork for potential Sudan-related sanctions.

"We have the sanctions tool now that can allow us to continue to pressure them," she said.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Richard Chang)
US President Joe Bidens administration is not planning to follow the example of the UK in sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.

Source: Politico

Details: Politico noted that the US considers this problem solved thanks to the planned supply from the UK.

London intends to send missiles with a range of 300 km to Kyiv.

This is the same range as the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, which Washington has refused to supply to Ukraine.

Politico quoted a US official as saying that "our policy on ATACMS has not changed". Instead, he stated that the US would continue to provide Ukraine with Patriot systems, ammunition and armoured combat vehicles.

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South Africa: Africas Travel Indaba brings much-needed boost for KZN

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, says Africas Travel Indaba marks a critical tipping point in the provinces recovery, as it leaves behind all legacies of the damaging floods.

Dube-Ncube made remarks during Africas Travel Indaba currently underway at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

She said the event shines the spotlight of the world on the province and brings a much-needed boost to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Tourism is one of the foremost sectors we have identified as part of our Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP). As figures for the festive season indicate, the return of our tourism sector is well on its way having recorded a recovery of R2.5 billion during the December period.

As provincial government announced, the province welcomed over 500 000 domestic tourists and 51 000 international tourists. We were also pleased that according to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the occupancy rate from 26 December 2022 to 01 January 2023 reached an average of 81% across the province, Dube-Ncube said.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the Premier said, the tourism sector boosts efforts in the creation of jobs, ending poverty and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor by availing opportunities for entrepreneurship and opening the sector to new players.

Africas Travel Indaba is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three must visit events of its kind on the global calendar.

The 2023 edition of Africas Travel Indaba brings together stakeholders from across the tourism industry ecosystem, just under 1 000 exhibitors, destination marketing bodies, hotel groups, airlines, tour operators, and 10 African tourism boards.

The three-day event, being held from 09 to 11 May 2023, showcases the widest variety of Africa's best tourism products and attracts international buyers and media from across the world.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Students seek stability in jobs, not flexibility

08:56, May 10, 2023 By CHENG SI ( Chinadaily.com.cn

College students attend a job fair in Beijing on April 28. The event was organized by the central government to help young people secure jobs amid a competitive employment market. [Jiang Qiming / China News Service]

College students who are about to graduate are showing increasing preference for stable jobs, mostly in State-owned companies, in the post-COVID times, while authorities are keen on ensuring their employment to secure a safe job market, a survey showed.

According to the report released by recruitment portal Zhaopin, most students it surveyed have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the current economic landscape, and favor job stability in top private and State-owned companies instead of flexible jobs that are often riddled with uncertainties.

Nearly 47 percent of the respondents surveyed between March and April  considered the "golden period" for college students to seek jobs before graduation  want to be employed in State-owned companies, which is a year-on-year increase of 2.3 percentage points.

Large and medium-sized companies remain top choices, while about 26 percent of the respondents are willing to work in small and micro-sized companies, according to the report.

Undergraduates form the bulk of job seekers, but postgraduates and those with doctoral degrees are preferred by recruiters, the survey shows. As of mid-April, about 47.5 percent of the undergraduates Zhaopin surveyed had received job offers. In contrast, about 54.4 percent of vocational graduates and 56.7 percent of graduates with master's or doctoral degrees had job offers by mid-April.

Companies prefer to recruit people with higher academic degrees for white-collar positions and vocational graduates with skills for blue-collar jobs, the portal said in its report. Also, undergraduates either lack the required skill sets or have lower levels of willingness to take up technical positions in companies, which is why they tend to get less job offers, it added.

Lin Songyi, 21, a student at Shanghai University, will graduate in June with a bachelor's degree in finance, but she is yet to land a job. "I aspired to be a civil servant, given the stability of that position, but I couldn't clear the competitive examination. Now, I must find a job before I graduate," she said.

According to Lin, opportunities are scarce for college graduates during the spring recruitment period in March and April, compared with the autumn recruitment period from September to December.

"The job preferences have also changed in recent times. Most of my peers want stable jobs in government agencies or State-owned companies. Many companies, particularly internet firms, have curtailed their recruitment plans after COVID-19," she said, adding that she forwarded her resume to roughly 20 companies and appeared for four interviews, but is still waiting for some "good news".

As a key part of the country's workforce, college graduates attract continuous attention and support from both the authorities and companies.

In March, real estate broker Lianjia Beijing announced over 6,000 house agent vacancies, of which about 3,000 were open to fresh college graduates. Since March, it has been organizing both online and on-site recruitment activities at about 100 universities and colleges nationwide to offer graduates easier access to these job opportunities.

"College graduates are valuable human assets of the nation, and their employment is closely related to the nation's economic development. Their population will reach a record high this year  roughly 11.58 million," said Yu Jiadong, vice-minister of human resources and social security, at a news conference.

In April, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a notice to further promote employment of young people, especially college graduates. The notice encourages State-owned enterprises and government agencies to expand their recruitment campaigns and offer more internships to young job seekers.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
(CNN)  Japan is in talks to open a NATO liaison office, the first of its kind in Asia, the country's foreign minister told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, saying Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable.

Japan is in talks to open a NATO liaison office, the first of its kind in Asia, the country's foreign minister told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, saying Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable.

"We are already in discussions, but no details (have been) finalized yet," Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday.

Hayashi specifically cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year as an event with repercussions far beyond Europe's borders that forced Japan to rethink regional security.

"The reason why we are discussing about this is that since the aggression by Russia to Ukraine, the world (has) become more unstable," he said.

"Something happening in East Europe is not only confined to the issue in East Europe, and that affects directly the situation here in the Pacific. That's why a cooperation between us in East Asia and NATO (is) becoming ... increasingly important."

The Nikkei Asia first reported plans to open the office in Japan last Wednesday, citing unnamed Japanese and NATO officials.

In a statement to CNN last week, a NATO spokesperson said: "As to plans to open a liaison office in Japan, we won't go into the details of ongoing deliberations among NATO allies." She added that NATO and Japan "have a long-standing cooperation."

Russia's invasion drove non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO, with Finland formally joining the bloc last month.

An office in Tokyo would be hugely consequential, as the war in Ukraine and deepening divisions within Asia have seen countries like Japan and South Korea draw closer to their Western partners  and present a united front against perceived threats closer to home, such as North Korea and China.

China, which has previously warned against NATO expanding its reach into Asia or a similar bloc emerging in the region, has already responded angrily to previous reports on the possible Japan office.

"Asia is a promising land for cooperation and a hotbed for peaceful development. It should not be a platform for those who seek geopolitical fights," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in a briefing last week. "NATO's eastward push and interference in Asia Pacific matters will definitely undermine regional peace and stability."

Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Hayashi said the opening of any NATO office was not intended to send a message "to any specific countries."

However, he added, the security environment in Asia is becoming "more and more severe, and also complex"  and he highlighted China as "a greatest challenge for us."

He also pointed to Russia as a neighbor to Japan, and the threat of a North Korean nuclear test, after months of warnings from observers that there is renewed activity at the test site.

Hayashi played down concerns that opening a Tokyo NATO office could further inflame tensions, saying: "I don't feel that's the case."

The country has had a pacifist constitution since World War II  which he argued is reflected in this move.

"We are not offending anyone, we're defending ourselves from any kind of interference and concerns, and in some cases threats," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Exclusive: Japan is in talks to open a NATO office as Ukraine war makes world less stable, foreign minister says."
One of the neighborhoods of Irpin, destroyed at the beginning of the full-scale invasion

Read also: Rebuilding Mariupol may take about 20 years, says mayor

The Ukrainian government has estimated the cost of rebuilding the country after the devastation of Russian aggression at an astronomical $750 billion. Kyiv will most likely receive significantly less than this from its Western partners, but the post-war reconstruction will nevertheless be the largest national project in Ukraines modern history.

David Mazzuca is a Lead Instructor at Columbia University's National Disaster Preparedness Center and a fellow at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University in Japan. Mazzuca recently made a virtual "visit" to Ukraine under the auspices of the International Republican Institute, holding online meetings with local government officials across the country, discussing effective and transparent reconstruction of their communities.

Afterwards, he spoke with NV, outlining his vision for Ukraines recovery and key approaches that should guide the implementation of these projects across the country.

NV: How will Ukraines urban spaces, infrastructure, and residential areas change as a result of post-war reconstruction? What will these reconstruction projects include?

Read also: Denmark to allocate EUR 1 billion for Ukraines reconstruction

Mazzuca: Reconstruction projects must be citizen-focused. The objective should be to recreate communities which encourage those who have been displaced to return. Its important, first and foremost, to focus on building the vital physical structures that encourage people to come back  like schools, hospitals, and housing. You want to create circumstances in which the amenities of urban living are restored, allowing families to return. Once families return, businesses will also naturally return. Projects cannot occur in a vacuum, but must, as I said, be citizen-focused, with the idea being to restore a community. The infrastructure, which enables families to live there, must rebuilt first of all. It is necessary to create conditions for people to come home. And then the business will return.

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I would say that the first thing thats needed are schools, depending on the population makeup of the community. Rebuilding schools allows families to feel comfortable to return back home.

Additionally, the government should be in a position to support the rebuilding of water, sewage, electricity, and road infrastructure  all these help a community rebuild.

Read also: Ukraine needs $400 billion for reconstruction in the next decade, says German Ambassador

When it comes to restoring any community that has been affected by a disaster, be it war, or be it a hurricane, its about making the community a vital component and engaging with the public.

Reconstruction is not a one-size-fits-all approach. You need to understand what the needs are in an individual community when youre rebuilding.

Read also: Over 1,000 residential buildings in Mariupol destroyed by Russians, says city mayor

NV: In what cases should the focus be on restoring what existed pre-war, and when should we focus on building something fundamentally new? How do we decide what to do with all the villages destroyed in the war?

Mazzuca: This is a question that communities across the world grapple with, regardless of the type of hazard they are experiencing. It is important to ask, was the population of the village declining before the war, and was there enough economic activity to keep young people from migrating before the war?

If the answer is that the population was declining, and the level of economic activity was low, then it is likely that the population of the village will continue to decline, even if it was rebuilt today. Thus, it might be beneficial to merge several villages together so that they can be more economically vibrant.

Furthermore, from a government standpoint, this would bring savings in municipal services, including combining schools and other public infrastructure. It is not simply a matter of rebuilding a physical community just to rebuild it. The objective should be creating a vibrant community of people. That may mean a different physical makeup or location.

Read also: French parliament calls on government and EU to designate Wagner Group a terrorist organization

NV: Are there any other countries whose experience with community rejuvenation could be useful for Ukraine?

Mazzuca: As I said earlier, theres no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to reconstruction. I think it is important to be looking more at the ingredients that go into a successful reconstruction. One of those key ingredients is community engagement, receiving feedback from those who are to return on what they want out of a restored community.

The most recent example of this would be Japan, following the tsunami in 2011. Its an example where the government and those who were displaced engaged to discuss what they wanted to rebuild. For example, where housing should be rebuilt, about which areas should be left as memorials and nature reserves.

Read also: Japan, Poland agree to remain united in furthering sanctions against Russia

Recovery and reconstruction are usually easier in communities which have strong social bonds. Even when people are displaced, these social bonds are important so that people talk, and so that they then want to return to the community that was impacted.

NV: What else needs to be taken into account for there to be an efficient reconstruction process?

Mazzuca: One thing we havent hit on yet is transparency in the process. We have already discussed the importance of community involvement in recovery. It is important to have community engagement to discuss what to rebuild, but it is equally important for the public to have insight into where money is being spent. That insight will allow communities to feel like they are a stakeholder, which they are. It will thus be looked upon historically as successful reconstruction. The stories of communities which are looked upon as failed reconstruction are those in which money was poorly spent. Thus, transparency is key.

Read also: NABU candidate Komarova shares details of hiring scandal at anti-corruption body

NV: Ukraine inherited a legacy of very deep corruption from its Soviet days. How can we avoid the risks of corruption in this reconstruction process?

Mazzuca: It is not about how you stop corruption, but rather how you mitigate it. It is important to make fraud and corruption too costly for the perpetrators. Right now, before the reconstruction process even begins, it is time for reforms at the local or national government level to be considered. As an example, Ukraine could create an online portal for all construction vendors to register their companies and to submit the names and biometric data for all their employees. This, as an example, would prevent fraudulent individuals from establishing new companies under new names. You would further make sure that only those companies which are registered in this system are eligible to take part in the reconstruction process.

The other example of a measure Ill mention is having strict auditing and reporting requirements. That would make sense for larger companies in Ukraine. The objective is to make it too costly and too hard for corruption to occur. Other people may have other ideas about how to prevent and mitigate corruption, but the important thing is that this is a conversation that needs to be happening now, before the reconstruction process even begins. If you're doing it when you have shovels in the ground, it is already too late.

NV: Are there some examples of how other countries have successfully mitigated corruption?



Mazzuca: There are different types of fraud, globally. In the U.S. context, we had issues where contractors would seek cash payments from individuals before work began. We mitigated that by requiring people not to use cash. By moving away from cash and instead using electronic payments, it is easier to track. The key is to remove anonymity and the ability of vendors to disappear.

Read also: Odesa mayor arrested in corruption case

Another example would be to ensure that different databases communicate with each other. In reference to that contractor registry I spoke of earlier, its important for that to be a national registry, so that people do not simply jump around (between regions).

When dealing with large corporations, whether domestic or multinational, having stringent auditing requirements will force them to be responsible stewards of how theyre spending public money. The reports they submit need to be publicly available, keeping the companies honest.

Read also: Russia can finance war in Ukraine for another year despite sanctions

One of the ways to ensure that reconstruction is done reliably is the use of construction bonds, which serve essentially as insurance policies against project failures. Companies would be required to buy these bonds, and should they fail to complete their project as required, the bond issuer would pay out the bond to the government to finance the completion of the project.

The last thing Ill mention is procurement  ensuring the procurement process is transparent.

Read also: Canada to confiscate $26 million from Abramovich for reconstruction of Ukraine

NV: What are the sources of money that the Ukraine reconstruction effort could draw upon?

Mazzuca: There will undoubtedly be a number of financial instruments that will be coming into Ukraine. The question becomes how do you set up the government systems and infrastructure to manage it. This infrastructure will need to be in place both within the central government, as well as at smaller municipal levels. The importance of having these systems is to ensure that money is being used in ways that serve the people rather than the needs of the donor.

It doesnt matter so much what the money sources are, but rather how the money is spent.

Read also: Where will the money come from?  IMF questions military bonus reinstatement bill

NV: What should the distribution of responsibilities be between the central and local authorities, and how should they interact?

Mazzuca: Local authorities should be at the heart of the conversation, engaging communities about what reconstruction should be. That said, to manage the programs and funding, it is likely necessary that the reconstruction process will have to be managed at a higher, national level.

Cooperation between different levels of government requires communication and coordination, and coordination requires that all entities involved understand their roles and responsibilities. The central government should consider what the strengths of local government are, in addition to being in a position to solicit public feedback. For example, local governments may be in the best position to manage the health and safety inspections of newly-constructed properties.



NV: The eastern regions of Ukraine have sustained the most damage in this war. They are also the most industrialized. How will the structure of Ukraines economy be ultimately altered by all this devastation?

Mazzuca: The question is: what are the needs of a future Ukraine? Were these industrial areas vital to the national economy of the future?

Read also: Germanys Rheinmetall to produce tanks, anti-air systems, and ammunition in Ukraine

For example, given the anticipated post-war housing needs, should resources be devoted to building manufactured housing in factories?

The state needs to be deciding what the future industries are that Ukraine will need. Do they have the ability to produce more things domestically?

NV: Are there any other lessons or ideas that Ukraine needs to pay attention to in its reconstruction?

Mazzuca: One thing we havent really discussed yet is prioritization. Even with the large amounts of money that will be coming into Ukraine, there will still be limited resources, which means you will have to prioritize projects. Thats why its important to understand what is needed to restore communities, and to focus on those needs first. This is a challenge that is not unique to Ukraine, and is applicable to any area of the world that has suffered damage or destruction.

Read also: French parliament calls on government and EU to designate Wagner Group a terrorist organization

The other thing which we havent discussed is forming partnerships between international and domestic companies. For large national infrastructure projects, the government may wish to require international and domestic partnerships. You would do this to limit international companies from using only their staff to carry out projects, excluding local workers.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Karen Freifeld and Sarah N. Lynch

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos on Wednesday vowed to fight charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in the latest hit to the newly elected Republican, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume.

"It's a witch hunt," Santos said shortly after appearing in court in Central Islip, New York, to face the federal charges, echoing a claim often voiced by former President Donald Trump. "I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I am going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

A 13-count indictment charged Santos, 34, with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

It also accuses him of making false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income and liabilities.

Top House Republicans, who control the chamber by a narrow 222-213 margin, said they would wait for the legal process to play out before taking further action on Santos, who pleaded not guilty.

U.S House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would not support Santos' re-election, CNN reported later on Wednesday.

"Santos has a lot going on. I think he has other things to focus on in his life other than running for re-election," he was quoted as saying.

Santos was released on a $500,000 bond and is due back in court for his next appearance on June 30. This means he can go back to Washington and cast votes in Congress. As a condition of his release, he agreed to surrender his passport and to limit his travel.

Federal prosecutors said they had evidence of a sweeping pattern of fraudulent behavior.

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

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CALLS TO RESIGN

Nine House Republicans have so far called on Santos to resign, including six from his home state of New York. But No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise said the caucus would withhold judgment on Santos.

"In America, there's a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges. He's going to have to go through the legal process," Scalise told a press conference.

Santos said he had no intention of resigning and would run for re-election in 2024.

Shortly after Santos' election in 2022 to represent a wealthy area of New York's Long Island, the New York Times and other media outlets revealed that he had fabricated almost every aspect of his personal and professional history.

Among other claims, Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College despite neither institution's having any record of his attending. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which also was untrue.

He said falsely that he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two. Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019.

He has since admitted to fabricating large parts of his resume.

The House Ethics Committee in March launched an investigation to look at issues from alleged illegal activity over Santos' 2022 campaign and failing to properly disclose information required on House statements to violations of federal conflict-of-interest laws.

Some of the allegations in the indictment track closely with the claims being investigated by the House panel.

In the political campaign scheme, prosecutors said Santos laundered donations into his own personal bank accounts and used thousands of dollars to pay for personal expenses, from luxury clothing to credit card payments.

He also is accused of repeatedly making false statements about his income in forms he filed with the House.

In a third alleged scheme, the indictment says Santos illegally filed for unemployment benefits at the height of the pandemic, reaping more than $24,000 at a time when he was earning a $120,00 salary - a claim Santos called "inaccurate."

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in Central Islip, New York, and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Additional reporting by Moira Warburton, David Morgan and Rami Ayyub in Washington and Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)
The United States has returned to China two stolen 7th-century antiquities that had been loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by a private art collector

The United States returned two looted antiquities to China, the latest in a wave of repatriations of artifacts stolen from more than a dozen countries, New York authorities announced Tuesday.

The two 7th-century stone carvings, currently valued at $3.5 million, had been sawn off a tomb by thieves in the early 1990s and smuggled out of China, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

The carvings were among 89 antiquities from 10 different countries purchased by Shelby White, a private art collector in New York.

From 1998, they were "loaned" to the Metropolitan Museum of Art until they were seized this year by the DA's office following a criminal investigation.

"It is a shame that these two incredible antiquities were stolen and at least one remained largely hidden from the public view for nearly three decades," Bragg said.

"While their total value is more than $3 million, the incredible detail and beauty of these pieces can never be truly captured by a price tag."

Collectively valued at nearly $69 million, they were part of a criminal investigation by the city's Antiquities Trafficking Unit that tracks and repatriates looted artifacts.

One of the funerary carvings was kept in the museum's storage room and never displayed, according to the statement by Bragg's office.

It was never cleaned and caked in dirt, another tell-tale sign of their illicit origin, the statement added.

The carvings were handed over during a repatriation ceremony at the Chinese consulate in New York.

"We regard the crackdown on crimes against cultural property a sacred mission," Chinese Consul General Huang Ping was quoted as saying in the statement by the DA's office.

Since January 2022, more than 950 antiquities worth over $165 million have been returned to 19 countries, including Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Greece, Turkey, and Italy.

In 2021, Michael Steinhardt, a private collector, returned around 180 stolen antiquities worth $70 million following an out-of-court agreement, in one of the most famous cases of art trafficking in New York.

nr/lpa/dhw/qan
Wagner Group mercenaries continue to hold the majority of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast and despite losses, have enough ammunition to hold back the advance of Ukrainian forces.

Source: Politico, citing two senior US officials

Commenting on the latest statements by the Wagnerites leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that the mercenaries lack ammunition and support from regular troops, Politico's sources called them unreliable.

According to several officials involved in White House discussions about Russia and the Wagner Group, Prigozhin's goal is merely to provoke a reaction in Moscow and force the Russian Ministry of Defence to send additional weapons.

They added that Wagner continues to hold significant stockpiles of ammunition and maintains control of at least 85% of Bakhmut. One of the officials said Chechen forces may still move into the city to help.

The US National Security Council refused to comment directly on "Prigozhins theatrics" to Politico.

"Prigozhin has treated his soldiers like cannon fodder, sacrificing their lives for small advances with no apparent strategic gain to try to achieve his political ends," a spokesperson for the US National Security Council said.

Fighting in Bakhmut, which is one of the hottest areas of the Russo-Ukrainian war front, has generally been at a standstill in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, however, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that Ukrainian defenders had been able to conduct effective counterattacks on the Bakhmut front, as a result of which the occupiers had retreated to a distance of up to 2 km in some areas.

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By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican U.S. senators introduced legislation on Wednesday to overhaul the vast security clearance system for protecting national secrets, spurred by damaging document leaks allegedly by a 21-year-old airman and the discovery of classified materials at top officials' homes.

Led by Democratic Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, the lawmakers said the current system classifies far too many documents and gives access to secret information to far too many people.

"That combination of overclassification and then too many people having clearances has led us to this problem," Warner told a news conference. He said more than 4 million people in the United States now have security clearance.

The issue has been in the national spotlight with the arrest last month of Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old low-ranking member of the Air National Guard accused of taking advantage of his clearance to leak top secret military intelligence records online.

Warner, fellow Democrat Ron Wyden and Republicans John Cornyn and Jerry Moran introduced two bills addressing the issue. Among other things, they would tighten the rules for deciding what would be classified and set a 25-year limit for how long most documents would stay that way.

"Our democracy, our ability to govern ourselves, depends on the public getting access to information about what our government is doing and what government officials are doing," Cornyn said, adding that he expected the effort would get broad support.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has also appointed special counsels to investigate the handling of classified records by Republican former President Donald Trump and the handling of classified records from his time as vice president by current Democratic President Joe Biden.

The path forward for the bills was not immediately clear but the senators said they hoped the recent attention on the clearance issue would help.

"This is a piece of legislation that can become law and it is desperately needed for that to happen," Moran said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander, Submarine Group 7; Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander, Fleet Submarine Force; and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy Rear Adm. Su Youl Lee, commander, ROK Navy Submarine Force (left to right); pose for a photo aboard the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine on April 18.

NAVAL BASE GUAM  Senior commanders of the submarine fleets from the United States, South Korea and Japan for the first time embarked on a ballistic missile submarine together last month. The historic tour occurred on the Bangor-based USS Maine operating off Guam on April 18, in what the navies called a movement to enhance relationships between the three countries.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander of Fleet Submarine Force, and Rear Adm. Su Youl Lee, commander of Republic of Korea Navy Submarine Force joined U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander of Submarine Group 7/Task Force 74, onboard USS Marine that day, according to a statement issued by the Navy last week.

The Ohio-class submarine arrived at Naval Base Guam for a logistics stop on April 18, according to the Navy.

The three senior commanders toured the ship during their time at sea. The visit included demonstrations of the units capabilities, the statement said.

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, Seif of the U.S. Navy said in the statement.

Tawara of Japan said the tour facilitated their understanding of a U.S. strategic operational asset, and that deepening understanding "among the commanders of the three nations submarine forces through such visits will strengthen the alliance with the United States.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander, Fleet Submarine Force, third from the left; speaks with U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander, Submarine Group 7, right,; Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy Rear Adm. Su Youl Lee, commander, Submarine Force, second from left; and ROK Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dongkeon Oh, executive officer of ROK Navy submarine ROKS SON WON IL (SS-072), left; during an underway embark aboard USS Maine, in vicinity of Guam on April 18.

Lee of the Republic of Korea pointed out that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance and that the visit "was an opportunity to reaffirm the security commitment and capabilities that the U.S. provides to the ROK, the Rear Admiral said.

More: Navy Admiral stops in Pacific Northwest to see dry dock work, praises submarine community

The U.S. Navy revealed the photos of the trilateral embark on USS Maine after the White House announced in a joint agreement with South Korea that a U.S. ballistic missile submarine will visit South Korea for the purpose of enhancing the regular visibility of strategic assets in the Korean Peninsula. It is unclear if USS Maine or any other Bangor-based "boomers" will be docking in South Korea.

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More: 3-year overhaul at Puget Sound shipyard propels USS Maine back to service

Commissioned in 1995, USS Maine is one of the 8 ballistic-missile submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and can carry 20 Trident ballistic missiles with multiple warheads. The sub finished a nearly three-year overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in June 2019, which extended the ship's service life for two additional decades.

The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) arrives at Naval Base Guam for a logistics stop on April 18.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: South Korea, Japan, US submarine commanders board USS Maine
Ukrainian military during training in Germany

The training continues in Grafenwoehr, General Ryder said.

Read also: 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers currently training abroad, Pentagon spokesman says

He noted that currently 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are undergoing training in Germany.

We will be able to continue to provide this kind of support, this ability to train Ukrainians, as long as there is a need, the general said.

Read also: Now is the time to test Ukrainian weapons on Russian cities  military expert

Ryder stressed that further training will depend on the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to send people for training.

Read also: Shmyhal and Wallace visit Ukrainian troops training in UK

Meanwhile, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defense Dr. Andrew Murrison reported on April 27 that 14,000 Ukrainian troops had undergone training in the United Kingdom.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, on Wednesday signed into law legislation hailed by LGBTQ rights groups as one of the nations most comprehensive transgender and reproductive health care packages.

Together, Vermonts House Bill 89 and Senate Bill 37, both of which were signed into law Wednesday by Scott, establish a slate of protections for both providers and seekers of gender affirming health care, as well as those seeking or administering abortions.

Scott is the second Republican governor to sign legislation explicitly protecting access to gender-affirming health care and abortion into law after former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed a similar bill last year.

House Bill 89, introduced in January by a group of Democratic legislators including state Rep. Taylor Small, Vermonts first and only openly transgender lawmaker, declares that access to gender-affirming and reproductive health care is legally protected under Vermont state law.

Interference with legally protected healthcare activity, whether or not under the color of law, is against the public policy of this State, reads the measure, which will take effect in September.

House Bill 89 additionally shields individuals seeking either gender-affirming health care or an abortion, as well their doctors, from civil or criminal litigation in another state if either service is administered in Vermont.

Eighteen states have enacted laws or policies that ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, according to the Movement Advancement Project, including 15 that have done so this year. In three states, administering gender-affirming health care to a minor is a felony crime, punishable by up to a decade in prison.

At least 13 states have enacted laws or policies that ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health and rights organization.

Under the second bill signed Wednesday by Scott, Senate Bill 37, health insurers in Vermont are required to provide coverage for gender-affirming and reproductive health care. The measure, which will also take effect in September, provides additional protections for doctors against disciplinary action or increased malpractice insurance premiums for administering either service.

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In a brief statement on Wednesday, Scott said both bills reflect the states commitment to preserving bodily autonomy.

Today, we reaffirm once again that Vermont stands on the side of privacy, personal autonomy and reproductive liberty, and that providers are free to practice without fear, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Rock Hill man has been identified as the victim in Fridays fatal shooting in York County, officials said.

Richard Crank, Jr., 32, died in the shooting, according to Sabrina Gast, York County Coroner.

An autopsy and toxicology are pending.

The shooting happened in the late afternoon at a home on Faires Road off McConnells Highway southwest of Rock Hill, York County Sheriffs Office deputies said.

The suspect charged with murder also now faces additional charges.

Detectives charged Stephen Josiah Brooks, 34, of Rock Hill, with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to Sheriff Kevin Tolson and arrest warrants obtained by The Herald.

The arrest warrant for murder states Crank was shot multiple times.

UPDATE: One person is deceased. A person of interest is in custody.

Please note Faires Rd. is closed from McConnells Hwy. to Mockingbird Ln. for the duration of this investigation. We will release more details when we can. #YCSONews pic.twitter.com/OrSSD7XbIs  York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) May 5, 2023

Brooks also was charged with three counts of kidnapping in the incident, arrest warrants show. Brooks allegedly took phones from others while armed with a handgun after the violent crime happened, according to the warrants.

Deputies have not released any other details about the shooting or alleged kidnapping.

A conviction for murder in South Carolina carries a sentence of 30 years in prison to life. Each kidnapping charge carries up to 30 years for a conviction.

Ryan Newkirk, the defense attorney from the 16th Circuit Public Defender office handling the case, said the defense will be conducting its own investigation into the allegations and under the law Brooks is presumed innocent.

The defense case is ongoing, Newkirk said.

Brooks remains in custody at the York County Detention Center after bail was denied in court, online jail records show. No trial date has been set.
[Source]

Vietnam has announced its plan to make identity registration and verification mandatory for social media users to combat scams and other online criminal activities.

At the National Assemblys Judiciary Committee session on Monday, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam announced the new plan as part of the Telecommunications Law Amendment.

The Authority of Information Security will reportedly coordinate with the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center and the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information when local inspectors discover fraudulent behavior social media accounts.

According to Nguyen, the new law will help law enforcement catch offenders operating online, adding that those who fail to pass the verification process will have their social media accounts handled by the government or even locked.

More from NextShark: Man Punches INDIGENOUS Canadian Woman for Sneezing, Tells Her to 'Go Back to China'

There are times the authorities can identify social media account holders that violate the laws but cannot track them down because those criminals use cross-border applications," Nguyen was quoted as saying, according to Reuters. Unverified accounts, no matter on local or foreign platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, will be dealt with."

Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc said the authorities handling of criminal activities online in the past did not perform as well as expected as culprits continue to take advantage of technological advancement.

The ministry also noted that the government will work with banks for online payment account verification to help prevent scams.

More from NextShark: Diet Prada is Getting Sued by Dolce & Gabanna for $4.7 Million After Exposing Alleged Racist Comments

While the new addition to the law will affect several social media platforms, the Vietnamese government announced additional plans to patrol TikTok.

The information ministry's Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information said the comprehensive inspection plan for TikTok was prompted after the agency saw an increase in harmful content. The inspection will reportedly involve multiple agencies and will span the last two weeks of May.

Story continues

No additional details were announced for the mandatory identity verification as the new law still has to be approved by Vietnams lawmakers.

More from NextShark: A spacecraft is named after Ellison Onizuka, NASA's first Asian American astronaut

The nation's recent move to tackle online scams and other criminal activities bears similarities to how the Philippine government rolled out its mandatory sim card registration law in late 2022.

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Trump wanted to nuke North Korea in 2017 and then blame another country: book
(CNN)  London's Metropolitan Police Service has expressed "regret" over the arrests of anti-monarchy activists on Saturday, the day of King Charles III's coronation.

It comes after the Met initially defended the dozens of arrests made on Saturday following fierce backlash, with many accusing the force of taking a heavy-handed approach toward demonstrators led by Britain's largest anti-monarchy group, Republic.

Police arrested 64 people on coronation day. Among those were six anti-monarchy protesters, who have since been released and will face no further action, police said.

In a statement released Monday, the force did not apologize for the arrests but said it regretted the fact that activists were unable to join the planned protest because of the detentions.

Graham Smith, head of Republic, was among the six people arrested on Saturday. He said three Met Police officers visited his home on Monday to apologize and return the items that were confiscated from him during the arrest.

"They apologised while wearing a body cam. I made it clear the apology is not accepted as we will be taking further action," he said on Twitter.

The Met said it made the arrests on Saturday based on the new and highly controversial Public Order Act, which came into effect when King Charles III signed it last week. The royal ascent is a formality, but its timing just days before the coronation raised eyebrows.

The new law gives police powers to take stronger action against people engaging in peaceful demonstrations. It criminalizes some long standing protest tactics, such as locking on, or physically attaching oneself to things like buildings and roads. It also gives police the power to shut down protests before any disruption even occurs.

Writing in the Evening Standard newspaper on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said that, by Friday evening, his force had "become extremely concerned by a rapidly developing intelligence picture."

He said the intelligence suggested some protesters were "intent on using rape alarms and loud hailers as part of their protest which would have caused distress to military horses."

Rowley added that the Met had said in advance that "there would be a low tolerance of disruption and zero tolerance of security and safety threats."

In a statement issued late Monday, the Met said the six Republic activists were arrested over concerns that they were "seeking to seriously disrupt the event" after officers found items that "could be used as lock-on devices" in their car.

However, police said that the investigation "has been unable to prove intent to use them to lock-on and disrupt the event."

Smith said the group carried luggage straps which were intended to be used to secure their posters. "It was not physically possible to 'lock on' with them," he said on Twitter.

Republic also said it spent months working with police liaison officers and meeting senior commanders in order to be able to protest during the coronation. Police said it was "not clear" at the time of the arrest that Smith was engaging with the protest liaison team and that the liaison team was not present during the arrests.

"While it is unfortunate that the six people affected by this were unable to join the hundreds of peaceful protestors, I support the officers' actions in this unique fast-moving operational context," Rowley said in his Evening Standard opinion piece.

The coronation was attended by a large number of VIP guests -- including more than 100 heads of states -- so security was tight throughout central London. The Met said before the event that the day would mark the largest policing action in decades.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is responsible for the Met Police's strategic goals, said Monday that he requested more clarity from the force. "While it's vital the police are able to keep us safe, it must be balanced with protecting the right to peaceful protest -- an integral part of democracy," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, London police express 'regret' over arrests of anti-monarchy protesters during coronation"
Doug Burgum and stock image (AP/iStock)

They called her the mouth of the south. Of course, I did not know that when I came out to my schoolmate as gay; I was a scared 15-year-old boy. Having just moved to the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky, I did not know a single person at my new high school. This girl seemed nice, though  bubbly, outgoing, curious about my life before Leslie County  and so I thought I could trust her. Within a week, however, the whole of Leslie County High School knew the new kid was a [insert homophobic slur here].

I thought about this childhood experience as I read, with grief and righteous fury, about a new law passed in North Dakota which mandates that a school district, public school, or public school teacher may not  withhold or conceal information about a students transgender status from the students parent or legal guardian. In plain English, the law essentially requires teachers and other school employees to out students to their parents against their will. It is nothing more than robbing our children of their most basic autonomy and privacy for no other reason than because North Dakota Republicans can. To be clear, this law is not meant to protect children from medical interventions. That law already passed in North Dakota and was signed into law by Republican Governor Doug Bergum last month. It is not about illegal drug use, or self-harm, or exploitation by adults. Rather a child simply identifying as transgender being enough cause for alarm that the state mandates schools should override a childs decision to keep something that, on its own, is causing no harm  physical or mental  to said child.

Given that they have already banned gender-affirming healthcare for minors, and that any discovery of children using hormone replacement therapy or puberty blockers would thus be illegal drug use and fall under other reporting requirements, there is no other need for such a law to protect children from medical intervention. It is fair to conclude, then, that this law was passed not out of a desire to protect children, but because of a desire to punish them for daring to identify as anything other than their natal sex and not conforming to rigid gender stereotypes.

That is a profoundly dangerous proposition for LGBTQ youth, though, as the growing number of studies suggest. According to the US Department of Educations National Center for Homeless Education, 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. One study found 33 percent of unhoused LGBTQ youth report being thrown out by their parents, compared to only 20 percent of non-LGBTQ unhoused youth. Another study found that 67 percent of unhoused transgender youth and 55.3 percent of LGBQ unhoused youth were forced out by their parents or ran away because their sexual orientation or gender identity was not accepted at home. And the US Department of Health and Human Services Youth website cites a study that found 78 percent of LGBT youth were removed or ran away from foster placements because of the caregivers hostility toward their sexual orientation or gender identity.

54 percent of transgender individuals experienced a low amount of family rejection, while 15 percent experienced a high amount of rejection, a study conducted by researchers at the City University of New York found. Unsurprisingly, the study found a correlation between this rejection and suicide and substance abuse, with 42 percent of participants having attempted suicide and 26 percent reporting abusing of drugs and alcohol. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that 73 percent of transgender adolescents report psychological abuse, 39 percent physical abuse, and 19 percent sexual abuse  consistently reporting higher in all categories than their cisgender counterparts. And though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that their Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance studies have historically excluded transgender respondents, it finds that having a school that creates a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and having caring and accepting parents are especially important.

Yet that is the opposite of what is happening in North Dakota. This law strips children of their most basic agency, determining when parents  parents in all likelihood the teacher and school administration have had minimal contact with  are told that their child is transgender. As these studies demonstrate, that can have catastrophic consequences for the child.

Coming out is an incredibly personal decision, one that should never be stolen from the individual the way that it is now being stolen from students in North Dakota schools. This is a lesson I had hoped we learned in 2010, when 18-year-old Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi killed himself after being outed by two of his classmates. In 2016, after an arduous and lengthy legal battle, one of those students plead guilty to attempted invasion of privacy, a third-degree felony in New Jersey.

Clementi was barely older than the students who will be most affected by this odious North Dakota law  a law that unnecessarily puts children at risk of rejection and violence in their own homes. After all, if a child has not told their parent about their gender identity, there is likely a reason for it. Schools and children may benefit from educators learning what that reason is, but they do not benefit from violating the privacy of children when the most harm being observed is a change of name, pronouns, or fashion.

What makes this even more concerning is that in outing children to their parents, schools risk damaging the trust of those students  students who may otherwise need to rely on education professionals if those parents become abusive or throw them out. This law undermines the relationship students have with teachers and administrators, making it harder for those trusted adults to know when there is something actually warranting school intervention.

I am not someone who holds grudges, but I do hold a grudge against the girl who outed me. She violated my trust, took away my agency, and made my life hell for the next three years by broadcasting my deepest truth to the entire town, which then went on to bully me relentlessly. It was a deeply wounding and disempowering experience, one that left me more vulnerable and lonelier than I have ever been before or since.

Now, in North Dakota, countless young people will be left feeling exactly that and worse. Thanks to this law, schools are being forced to abdicate their role as safeguarding institutions in favor of becoming the gender conformity police. It is a reprehensible dereliction of their duty of care towards these vulnerable children  one being forced upon them by a legislature intent on making transgender peoples lives as hard as possible simply because they can.

I was lucky that my family accepted my sexual orientation, so had my school notified them I would have been okay. Not every child is so fortunate. Even though it all worked out, though, the anguish of being outed has not left me. Thanks to North Dakota Republicans, another generation of LGBTQ youth will be forced to experience that same traumatic and humiliating violation  all because Republicans cant stand the idea of a boy in a dress.
Wind turbine farms in Washington state will be required to turn their blinking red lights off at night when no low-flying aircraft are near after Gov. Jay Inslee signed the requirement into law Tuesday.

The bill will take effect July 1 for new wind farms.

Existing wind farms in Washington with at least five or more turbines must apply to the Federal Aviation Administration by Jan. 1, 2028, for approval of a lighting system that detects approaching aircraft and have it installed within two years of approval.

Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick, who sponsored the bill, was concerned that Inslee would veto it.

Rep. April Connors

The bill eventually had support from Energy Northwest, Pacificcorp and Puget Sound Energy, she said. But other clean power organizations and companies were lobbying against the bill, which would increase their wind farm costs, she said.

Inslee told her during a visit to the Tri-Cities last week, at which he signed other bills, that he would call her if there were any problems with the bill, Connors said.

So she was surprised when the governor vetoed two sections of the bill Tuesday without discussing it with her, she said.

Wash. bill section vetoes

One was an emergency clause that would have the bill take effect immediately. Connors said the governor had canceled emergency clauses in other bills this session.

The other section the governor vetoed would have provided counties in the state some local control.

It would have given county commissioners authority to establish the amount of light pollution that would be allowed, whether it was with new technology approved in the future by the FAA or deciding that a wind farm in a remote area did not need to reduce its light pollution.

Inslee said as he signed the bill that he was looking forward to discussing options that might be needed to support wind farm developers with retrofitting lights.

I wasnt super excited to have those section vetoes, but I am extremely happy we got this passed, Connors said.

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House Bill 1173 as signed will require turbines at wind power farms in Washington to be equipped with aircraft detection lighting systems that meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.

Scout Clean Energy plans a wind farm on Benton County farm land south of the Tri-Cities along the Horse Heaven Hills ridgeline south of Badger Road.

The systems would turn on flashing red lights on turbines when low-flying aircraft are near and then turn them off when they are safely passed.

The new requirement for wind farms ensures wind farms are good neighbors and minimizes light pollution for communities, the governor read as he signed the bill.

Several other sites already require FAA-approved devices that use sensors to detect approaching aircraft and then turn on turbine lights for their safety.

Paul Krupin, a Kennewick scientist and attorney, said at a legislative committee hearing that the bill could reduce at least somewhat public opposition to nearby wind turbines. It also could diminish the perceived risks of harm to property values and tourism, he said.

Wind farm proposed by Kennewick

Krupin, along with key members of nonprofit Tri-Cities CARES, or Community Action for Responsible Environmental Stewardship, met with Connors to suggest a turbine lighting law for Washington state.

The wind turbine lights would cost less than 1% of the entire cost of the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center wind farm, said James Conca, a Richland scientist, speaking at House and Senate committee hearings before the bill passed.

If lights were only activated when low-flying aircraft were near they would be on only 2% to 3% of the time, he said.

The boundary of the proposed Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center south of the Tri-Cities is shown. Solar arrays could be in the yellow areas of the map.

I am not a fan of the Horse Heaven wind farm by any means or stretch, Connors said. If it does happen in the Tri-Cities, I think it is going to have a big impact on our night skies.

Scout Clean Energy is proposing up to 244 wind turbines to stretching along the Horse Heaven Hills from south of Finley to south of Benton City.

At a minimum they would be 500 feet tall, or an alternate plan would have 150 turbines extending about 670 feet tall.

The wind farm is proposed to be built with in six miles of the homes of more than 100,000 people, Krupin said. More than 250,000 people living in Benton and Franklin County will see the wind turbines, he said.

Connors bill passed the House and Senate with just one member in each opposed. She credited Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, with helping win support in the Senate, and then support from Democrats in the Senate and House to help convince the governor to sign the bill.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have concluded that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, does not have as much leverage in the Russian Ministry of Defence as he would like.

Source: ISW

Details: Experts have noted that Yevgeny Prigozhin used Victory Day as an opportunity to ridicule Putin and question his decisions.

While discussing the lack of ammunition and Russia's future prospects in Ukraine, Prigozhin mentioned the figure of a "happy grandfather" [Putin is often called a "bunker grandfather"  ed.] who "thinks he is good".

In addition, Prigozhin has announced that Wagner's forces will not withdraw from Bakhmut by the previously announced deadline of 10 May, despite the fact that the Russian Ministry of Defence has not provided the Wagner Group with additional ammunition.

Prigozhin said on 9 May that the Wagner Group would continue to fight for Bakhmut and defend its demands over the next few days.

Experts believe that the fact that Prigozhin has not fulfilled his threat to withdraw his troops shows that he is aware of his dependence on the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Prigozhin has tried to blackmail the Russian Ministry of Defence into changing the priorities of the Bakhmut offensive so that he could claim victory in the city on his own, due to the alleged preparations of the Russian military before the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.

ISW has suggested that Prigozhin criticised ammunition distribution officials for senselessly saving munitions, allowing Russian soldiers to die in combat, even though the Russian Ministry of Defence is likely retaining limited stocks of ammunition to repel a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

He has probably expected the Russian Ministry of Defence to fully comply with his demands at the risk of leaving its own targets for regular Russian troops, but he has probably realised that he could not deliver on his ultimatum at this time.

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Prigozhin has also probably expected that Sergey Surovikin [Russian military commander, commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces  ed.] would be able to force the Russian Defence Ministry to meet Wagner Group's demands, but his inability to reach Surovikin indicates that Prigozhin does not have as much leverage in the Russian Defence Ministry as he imagined.

He continues to blame the heavy losses and slow progress in Bakhmut on other Russian non-regular military groups in order to portray Wagnerites as the only competent force operating in the area.

Experts have pointed out that Prigozhin has launched a campaign to undermine Russian private military companies linked to the state.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Banko Browns messages had become increasingly desperate in recent weeks. The 24-year-old San Francisco community organizer was often shy about his struggles, but now he told loved ones he was unable to get a housing spot hed long been pursuing, had been turned away from multiple shelters, and was forced to sleep on the train.

Browns friends and family suspect he was severely exhausted and hungry on 27 April when a security guard at a downtown Walgreens confronted him for allegedly shoplifting  and fatally shot him. Brown, who was unarmed, had reportedly tried to take snacks from the store.

The killing of a budding activist, and the San Francisco district attorneys decision not to release video footage of the incident or charge the security guard, has sent shockwaves through the city, sparking disgust at the quick use of deadly force by a private guard and protests about the citys continued failures to provide housing, services and basic safety for Black trans youth like Brown.

It hurts me that another trans person of color is gone without being seen, said Juju Pikes Prince, part of Browns close circle and a trans woman who was previously unhoused. We cant keep screaming and hollering for Black Lives Matter when we dont all matter. My people are not free.

The tragedy comes as several human rights crises are colliding in San Francisco and cities across the US. As homelessness has reached record highs, calls for a crackdown on encampments have intensified and reports of vigilante attacks have increased. In the past two weeks, a former San Francisco fire official has been accused of terrorizing unsheltered people on the citys streets with bear spray, two unhoused people in the university town of Davis, California, were stabbed, and Jordan Neely, an unhoused street performer, was choked to death on a New York subway. At the same time, trans people in the US are facing worsening discrimination and violence, with an onslaught of legislation banning their healthcare and rights to exist in public spaces.

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Its still unclear what exactly transpired on 27 April. One day after Browns killing, San Francisco police arrested the security guard on suspicion of murder, with the SFPD chief telling SF Standard: You have to use force appropriately within the law.

But two days later, San Franciscos district attorney, Brooke Jenkins  elected on promises to restore order to the streets and harshly punish retail thefts  announced she was not pursuing murder charges, saying security footage clearly shows the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense.

Related: North Dakota governor signs bill allowing teachers to ignore students pronouns

Activists, community organizersand the state senator Scott Wiener have since demanded the release of the footage, and on Tuesday the citys board of supervisors unanimously passed a resolution urging the DA to disclose police reports, video and other evidence. So far, Jenkins has declined, citing the ongoing investigation.

On Monday, Jenkins did say she was still considering charges in Browns killing.

Finding family

Charges or not, advocates say, the tragedy that befell Brown is a symptom of the inequality and contradictions of San Francisco, considered an international LGBTQ+ sanctuary, but where the most vulnerable queer people languish in poverty.

Brown grew up in the city and navigated homelessness and the foster care system as a young child, said Julia Arroyo, co-executive director of the Young Womens Freedom Center (YWFC), a California non-profit that has worked with Brown since he was 12 years old: He was always inquisitive and a deep listener and really invested in other peoples lives. Even at a young age, I could see the seed of him being a leader. He did his own research inside of the system.

Like many Black LGBTQ+ youth, who are disproportionately criminalized, Brown ended up locked in juvenile facilities and was keenly aware he was treated differently, Arroyo said: He said, How come everyone gets to go home but me? When is my turn? He saw it was always Black folks that get left behind.

Over the years, Brown formed his own family in San Francisco, building close bonds with other Black trans youth.

He came to me and was like, You are my mother, said Elle Raine Washington, a 24-year-old trans woman, last Friday at a gathering at the YWFC center where Browns family wept and swapped stories of his trials and triumphs. He said, You make me feel welcome, with no judgments. And I was like, You want to be my son, then thats what it is!  In his darkest times, wed talk about his goals and how to be a better him. He really looked up to me and I really looked up to him.

All he wanted was family, said Prince, 24, who became Browns auntie: I could see the man he was becoming and I knew it was going to be beautiful. Banko was the definition of someone who was breaking through barriers.

Brown found ways to be joyous and funny even while facing hardships. A volunteer organizer at YWFC, he would come into the center a ball of energy, bringing along other youth who needed help or interrupting meetings to show off TikTok choreography. Other times, hed crash on the couch: Hed come in hella loud and dancing, said Ari Duarte, a close friend and YWFC organizer, Or hed be so tired of searching for rooms and couch-surfing, hed fall asleep for half the day. Id make sure no one disturbed him.

In the last month, Brown had grown increasingly distressed, Arroyo said. One organization where he was on a housing waiting list had told him his case manager was on vacation, she recalled: He showed me all the phone numbers hed been calling and was just heartbroken. Tears were pouring down his eyes. He said, Theyre on vacation? Im sleeping on Bart [Bay Area Rapid Transit]. Im tired. Im not myself. I want to shower and take care of myself.

YWFC connected him to a temporary hotel room, but stable housing remained out of reach.

A shortage of beds

Its a challenge many young trans people in the city face. Brown was killed blocks away from the Transgender District in the Tenderloin neighborhood, considered the worlds first legally recognized trans cultural district. The city also has a trans initiatives office, a commitment to end trans homelessness by 2027 and a guaranteed income pilot program for low-income trans people.

Weve made this amazing progress, but it doesnt help everyone, said Aria Said, one of three Black trans organizers who founded the trans district.

She noted San Franciscos reputation of being awash with resources and the best place to be unhoused, yet every night 7,750 people in the city are unhoused, according to the 2022 count, a single-day estimate that is considered an undercount. Trans groups struggled to stretch morsels of crumbs from the citys budget and philanthropy, Said said, and young people on the streets still resorted to stealing food and toiletries to get by.

When Said came to San Francisco in 2009, she was unhoused and did sex work, the most common survival gig among her peers. The luckiest Black trans women, she said, worked as makeup artists or in HIV prevention. She said there were more resources these days, but still not enough to meet the growing need.

Our Trans Home SF, which runs housing programs for trans and gender-nonconforming people, has roughly 150 people on a waiting list for rental subsidies, said Sathya Baskaran, the housing director. Anecdotally, he said, he had observed an influx of young trans people migrating to San Francisco from states passing anti-trans laws restricting life-saving medical care and other basic rights. When they got to California, they might find themselves feeling unsafe or unwelcome at some shelters: Trans youth face a really compounded struggle.

The homeless count found 1,073 unhoused youth under age 25 in the city, with surveys estimating more than 400 are LGBTQ+.

Citywide, however, there are roughly 45 housing spots designated for LGBTQ+ youth, said Sherilyn Adams, executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services, a youth housing program: We still have a long way to go.

Banko was home

Emily Cohen, spokesperson for San Franciscos homelessness and supportive housing department, said the city had expanded youth programs, with 891 beds and units and 346 subsidies for youth ages 18 to 24. She also noted a 16% decrease in the homeless youth population in the last five years and pointed to the citys plan to buy a 42-unit building meant to provide housing for historically marginalized young adults leaving homelessness.

San Francisco police declined to comment. The DA did not respond to interview requests, but said in a statement that releasing the footage would be unethical, and added: Banko Browns killing was a tragedy that has deeply impacted our city and our diverse communities. My heart goes out to Bankos family and friends.

Browns loved ones said they wanted him to be remembered for his resilience and selflessness  how hed gone to the state capitol to advocate for foster youth, fought to close the youth jail, was a regular presence at rallies and town halls.

Seated at YWFC, Arroyo scrolled through her texts with Brown, revisiting chats where he had celebrated his first bank account, showed off a new haircut, requested help paying for hormones, and admitted he felt unsafe in a housing situation. She said she was thinking about the estimates that the city spends $1m a year to jail a single youth and how transformative that funding could be for someone like Brown.

Banko made everyone feel at home. Banko was home, said Carlos Santiago Magana, 23, another close friend. He said the killing was hard to process and sparked fear: Whos next? Me? You?

Next to him, Washington wore around her neck two photos  one of Brown and another of Ivory Nicole Smith, a best friend and a Black trans woman and advocate who also died this year: Were all we got.

A few blocks away from the center, a makeshift memorial stood outside the Walgreens, with photos of Brown plastered on a fence and signs saying Justice for Banko and Gone But Never Forgotten. Inside the crowded store, a long line of customers were waiting to check out. Near the door, an armed guard stood watch, his gun visible in his holster.
As we approach the summer travel season, many people will soon be jetting off to iconic destinations like Rome, Paris, Tokyo and New York City.

These cities are popular for a reason  theyre full of fun attractions, delicious food and picturesque sites. But visitors to such hot spots can also expect massive crowds and peak prices.

There is, however, another way to explore exciting destinations without those drawbacks. Its called second city travel. But what exactly is it and how do you take full advantage of this kind of trip? Below, travel experts break it down.

What is a second city trip?

Second-city travel means skipping the most popular city or region in an area and visiting the second-, third-, or fourth- (and so on) most-known spots, said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. Ultimately, you are avoiding the traditional and known tourist destinations that are often overcrowded. Instead of visiting Miami, you could visit Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach.

Although the literal meaning of the term refers to a countrys second most famous or populous city, it has indeed expanded to refer more generally to lesser-known destinations. Over the years, some have also interpreted second city travel to mean tacking on one of these less popular destinations to a trip built around a classic spot like Rome.

Often its the smaller, lesser known city in a region, said Laura Lindsay, a travel trends and destinations expert at Skyscanner. For example, in Southern California, San Diego would be considered a second city and Los Angeles a primary city and on the East Coast, Boston would be the second city and New York City the primary city.

Second cities might not be the most obvious choices for tourists, but these more under-the-radar destinations can still offer enough attractions, food and cultural experiences to make for a wonderful vacation.

Verona is a good example of a

Verona is a good example of a "second city" option in Italy.

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What are the benefits of second city travel?

Second cities often have fewer crowds, are cheaper, and offer a more authentic experience, Dengler said. While places like New York City have a ton to offer, they can often feel hollow and inauthentic with tourist attractions at every corner.

In addition to the affordability and greater sense of calm, second cities can also provide a special charm and more unique travel experience.

The main benefit of second city travel is discovering hidden gems and off-the-beaten path locations, said Ravi Roth, a travel expert and host of The Gaycation Travel Show. I recently traveled to Italy and Venice, and took an hour train ride to Verona, which offers incredible food, landmarks and hidden gems. The best part was that it wasnt overly populated.

Visiting a destination that isnt overrun with tourists allows travelers to better interact with the community that lives there.

These trips can provide opportunities to connect with locals and become immersed in the culture, which leads to a deeper understanding of the city, said Gordon Gurnik, chief operating officer at Hilton Grand Vacations.

Drawing from Skyscanner data, Lindsay noted that smaller island or coastal destinations like Crete, Mallorca and Cancun are attractive options for travelers looking to visit Greece, Spain or Mexico.

Understated second cities definitely dont stand in the shadows of their more showy neighbors, she said. Often packed with local flair, amazing food, great value and a more laid-back pace, second cities are not to be missed.

In this era of overtourism, turning to second city trips also help mitigate the negative impact that the travel industry can have on the environment.

We have seen a rise in people looking for ways to make tourism more sustainable, said travel blogger Rocky Trifari. The second cities trend helps reduce the heavy burden on the most frequently visited cities while opening up the possibility for tourists to walk a path (slightly) less traveled!

How can you plan a top-notch second city trip?

When planning a second city trip, I recommend researching the most populous places within driving distance of the top one, Dengler advised. Doing that betters your odds of being able to fly into an international airport, which are often cheaper and have better routes than regional ones.

Indeed, a drawback of second cities is that they sometimes require a more expensive or inconvenient combination of planes, trains and automobiles to get there. Be mindful of transportation options as you choose a destination.

The biggest con to second city travel is that the most popular city is the most popular for a reason, added travel blogger Sean Lau. Chances are, you might miss some of the most iconic landmarks and attractions of a destination by going to the second city instead.

But even if you arent seeing a country or states classic sites, you can still have a fulfilling and exciting experience in your second city of choice.

Pick a place that has enough things for you to do and consider booking a room at a smaller boutique hotel or bed and breakfast, Dengler said.

Wherever you decide to go, make sure to do your research ahead of time.

Second cities are sometimes not as developed as the main city, especially if you are not in a very developed country, Lau noted. This might mean youll need to rent your own car to get around, or this might mean you need to avoid certain neighborhoods because they are potentially dangerous. And if you are visiting a foreign country where English is not common, the second city might require you to know a little bit of the local language.

Related...
The French judiciary has launched a war crime investigation into the death of AFP reporter Arman Soldin who was killed in Ukraine, anti-terror prosecutors said Wednesday.

Soldin, 32, died when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire by Grad rockets on Tuesday while they were with Ukrainian troops near Chasiv Yar, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. According to the AFP, other reporters with Soldin were not injured in the attack.

The French probe will be handled by the OCLCH, an investigating unit specializing in crimes against humanity and hate crimes, and will seek to determine the exact circumstances of Soldin's death, the prosecutors said.

His death brings to at least 11 the number of journalists, fixers or drivers for media teams killed since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, according to advocacy groups.

This is the 7th investigation for war crimes in Ukraine involving French nationals since Feb 2022, CBS News' Elaine Cobbe reports. Two of them relate to attacks on journalists.

Arman Soldin. / Credit: AFP / Twitter

Soldin was a French national born in Sarajevo who began working for the AFP in 2015, first as an intern in the agency's Rome bureau before being hired in London. He was one of the first AFP journalists to be sent to Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in Feb. 2022. He had been living in Ukraine since Sept. 2022 and traveled regularly to the war's front lines.

The day before he died, Soldin tweeted a video of doctors in Ukraine working to stabilize an injured soldier. Other videos shared by Soldin show him on the front lines in the city of Bakhmut while it faced heavy shelling and reporting on the explosion of a vital bridge in the city.

A week ago, an animal rescue group praised Soldin and his team for helping rescue an injured hedgehog. Soldin and his team reportedly cared for the animal before setting it free. In a thread, Soldin described the animal's story as "unusually cute" and said that the hedgehog had been found in Chasiv Yar, which he called the "worst place possible." That area is where Soldin would later be killed.

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Colleagues and officials have memorialized Soldin. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the administration's "hearts go out" to Soldin's family and loved ones. French president Emmanuel Macron said that Soldin worked to "establish the facts" and inform the public of the war, adding that the country shares "the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues."

AFP photojournalist Daniel Leal shared a photo of himself and Soldin on Twitter, writing "Forever remembered. Forever loved."

Forever remembered. Forever loved. Arman Soldin. pic.twitter.com/DAG5U7IvpR  Daniel Leal (@lealolivas) May 9, 2023

"The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman," AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said on Tuesday. "His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine."

AFP journalist Arman Soldin snaps a selfie with a cat on his shoulder during an assignment for AFP in Ukraine. / Credit: ARMAN SOLDIN/AFP via Getty Images

Inflation cools in April as experts eye housing costs

Rep. George Santos calls federal indictment a "witch hunt"

Beyonce kicks off "Renaissance" world tour
A committee will look into creating a permanent memorial to the beloved mountain lion known as P-22.

The mountain lion roamed Griffith Park in the Los Angeles area for a decade before his death in December 2022.

The Los Angeles City Council voted to create a committee that will look into designing and finding a place for the memorial, according to news reports.

The mountain lion became famous worldwide in 2012 after appearing in Griffith Park, which is considered too small for such a predator, and becoming the only one to successfully travel 20 miles and cross two busy Los Angeles freeways to a new home.

P-22 became a symbol of mountain lions facing extinction in the face of urban sprawl.

He was euthanized on Dec. 17, 2022 after he was injured by a car.

A crowd of about 6,000 people celebrated his life at the Griffith Park amphitheater after he died.
Kevin McCarthy. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy was seen swerving questions about Santos and Trump like a pro.

"I'm not going to avoid your question," McCarthy told a reporter.

Then, he proceeded to do just that.

If dodging reporters' tough questions was a sport, Rep. Kevin McCarthy would be the G.O.A.T.

On Tuesday, McCarthy did just that when it came to questions about former President Donald Trump, who a jury just found liable for sexually abusing the writer, E. Jean Carroll, and beleaguered New York Rep. George Santos, who was just hit with criminal charges from the Justice Department.

"Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that he's been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse?" a reporter asked McCarthy.

"I'm not going to avoid your question," McCarthy told the reporter, before doing just that.

"But as you know, I've been at the White House. I haven't seen the indictment," McCarthy said. "But as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees."

"In America, we'll just follow the same pattern we always have, right?" McCarthy added. "If a person is indicted, they're not on committees, they have the right to vote. But they have to go to trial."

He added that after this process, if found guilty, Santos might have to resign.

"And Trump being found liable?" other reporters chimed in.

"I  I don't know. I've been in meetings," McCarthy said.

In another clip, also from Tuesday, McCarthy again pulled out the "meetings" line.

"Mr. Speaker. A jury just found Donald Trump liable of sexual abuse, do you still support him?" one reporter asked.

"You know what? I've been in this meeting. But let me find out what this is," McCarthy said, brushing off the question and moving on.

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McCarthy's had practice, and it isn't his first rodeo dodging questions while in the hot seat. He's previously swerved questions about the January 6 riot and avoided answering whether the US should pass an assault weapons ban to prevent mass shootings.

A representative for McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Google introduced Wednesday at its Google I/O 2023 event a number of new features and services designed for cars, including video conferencing, gaming and YouTube, as the tech company continues its drive further into the automotive world.

The company has been making inroads into automotive via two paths: Android Auto, an app that runs on the user's phone and wirelessly communicates with and projects navigation, parking, media and messaging to the vehicle's infotainment system, and Google built-in, which is powered by its Android Automotive operating system and integrates Google services directly into the vehicle. Android Automotive OS is modeled after its open-source mobile operating system that runs on Linux. But instead of running smartphones and tablets, Google modified it so automakers could use it in their cars.

Google's aim is to power the whole connected car experience. And it's having success.

Google has become so commonplace in vehicles that Android Auto is expected to be available in around 200 million vehicles by the end of the year, the company said at its annual developers event.

Google also said it expects the number of cars with Google built-in to double by the end of this year, including in brands like Chevrolet, Renault, Volvo, Polestar and Honda. (Google did not share how many vehicles have Google built-in today). This means that even more cars will be integrated directly with Google apps and services like Assistant, Maps and Play.

Here's a roundup up what's coming:

More ways to stream and game

google built in polestar youtube

Image Credits: Google

Google announced Wednesday it will make YouTube available to all vehicles with Google-built in, starting with Polestar.

YouTube joins a list of other available video-streaming apps like Tubi and Epix Now.

In the coming weeks, Polestar vehicles will begin to display YouTube as an option for download and streaming on the car's Google Play Store. Google says more car brands that have Google built-in will soon follow. OEMs just need to go through their respective software update processes to bring it to their cars, according to the company.

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You might also recall that Mercedes struck a deal earlier this year with Google to bring YouTube and other apps to future vehicles.

Speaking of things to do while waiting for an EV to charge or parked curbside, now folks who own cars with Google built-in will also be able to play games from GameSnacks, a collection of bite-sized games like Solitaire, Beach Buggy Racing and My Talking Tom Friends from publishers like Vector Unit, FRVR and Outfit7 Limited.

GameSnacks is already available on Android Auto and nearly a million gamers per month are using it, the company said.

Get more done

Android Auto is working with Cisco, Microsoft Teams and Zoom to enable conferencing. That means that soon, users will be able to join a call directly from their car's display. This feature will only allow users to join via audio  for now.

Cars with Google built-in will also soon have more integration with Google Assistant. Over the next few months, cars will start seeing smart suggestions for messaging, according to the company.

Leaning into crowdsourced navigation

Google bought Waze, the popular navigation app, back in 2013. Rather than folding Waze's technology into Maps, Google has maintained the separate product, even when Google combined Waze and Maps teams last December amid pressure to cut costs.

In March, Waze launched the ability for users to find a charge point nearby via the mobile app. And because it's Waze, the community of volunteers ensures that users have all the facts before driving over, like whether the charge points actually work or if it's the right plug type.

On Wednesday, Waze announced plans to include users who drive with Waze in-car on Android Auto, Google built-in or Apple CarPlay. That means drivers will now be able to receive that information in their in-car display without having to use their mobile phone.

Adding onto Android for Cars App Library

In 2020, Google opened its Cars App Library for developers and OEMs to use so they could design, develop and test apps made for navigation, parking or charging that are compatible with two different, but sometimes overlapping platforms: Android OS and Android Auto. It also means developers can create one app that should work seamlessly between various makes and models of vehicles. The library has templates that developers can tap so they ensure their apps meet driver distraction standards.

Android for Cars App Library, which is available as part of Jetpack, was created to support the Android Automotive operating system which is powered by Android Automotive OS. Many third-party developers like Spotify have used the Android for Cars App Library to create and publish their Android Auto apps to the Play Store. When Google took the step in 2020 to extend Cars App to the operating system, it meant developers only needed to build once.

At Google I/O day, Google expanded the types of apps developers can bring to cars with Android Auto to include Internet of Things (IoT) and weather apps. All developers can access the IoT category, but weather is still in an early access program. As part of this, the Weather Channel app will be available later this year.

Additionally, developers interested in building apps for passenger and parked experiences can now bring video, game and browser apps that are usually available on tablets over to cars to be distributed directly via Play. And because Google Voice Assistant is built in, developers will have the option of adding Assistant integrations into their apps to facilitate more hands-free interactions.
In 1961, police found wealthy produce merchant Joseph DiMare gunned down in his white Cadillac. The killing stumped detectives for more than six decades.

Now, Miami-Dade polices cold case homicide squad has revealed who it thinks was behind the gun: Josephs wife, Frances DiMare, then 33.

The announcement on Tuesday closed the high-profile case, which was also one of the departments oldest.

The long-running case began on the night of March 24, 1961, when Frances DiMare stumbled into Sams Causeway 66 gas station at 2350 NE 123rd St. in North Miami.

She called police and told them that she and her husband had just left their home, in the nearby Keystone Point neighborhood, and were caught at a red light at North Bayshore Drive and Northeast 123th Street when two gunmen jumped into their car. The men ordered the couple to drive to a vacant lot, where they pistol-whipped the DiMares, police were told. Frances said she then blacked out and later saw that her husband, 52, was shot to death.

Police found Joseph DiMare slumped in the front passengers seat. He had been shot four times, including once through the mouth, with a .25 caliber pistol.

Joseph DiMares car, found at the scene of his murder in 1961.

Pol ice were skeptical of story

Detectives at the time, however, doubted Frances story. There were no signs of cuts or scrapes to the bottom of her feet from the gravel road. The first patrolman on the scene told reporters that Frances face had scratches that looked as though she made them herself by running her hands down her face. Her pointed Italian-style shoes were neatly placed beside the car.

Further investigation revealed that Joseph and Frances marriage was strained. Joseph had even changed his will to state that Frances must be living in his home at the time of his death to be eligible for inheritance.

Homicide detectives return to Frances DiMares home after visiting the scene of the murder of her husband, Joseph DiMare, in 1961.

She ultimately received a quarter of her husbands $1 million estate in cash and moved to West Palm Beach, where she remarried twice and became a real estate agent.

A whirlwind of rumors and theories swirled for decades. Joseph DiMare was originally from Boston. So maybe the DiMares were victims of a Massachusetts gang targeting New Englanders in South Florida? Or maybe attackers mistook Joseph for a flashy mobster?

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Physical evidence reviewed

The decades-long investigation that wound up on Tuesday confirmed that Joseph was shot and killed with a gun that he owned. Detectives also concluded that the shooting occurred in the garage of the DiMares home in the 2200 block of Arch Creek Drive.

Frances, detectives say, may have pulled off the murder with accomplices. They also believe that the pistol was thrown out of the car and under one of the local two bridges Frances had to drive over.

After reviewing physical evidence, police determined that Joseph was shot from the drivers seat. That  along with physical evidence, the unconfirmed account of a robbery, and a looming divorce as a motive  pushed Miami-Dade detectives and the State Attorneys Office to agree that there is no credible evidence to show that anyone other than Frances was responsible for Josephs killing.

The Miami Herald has reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department to ask why police made this discovery now, but hadnt heard back as of Wednesday afternoon.

Cracking the case

For nine years, Miami-area attorney Paul Novack, who has dedicated himself to sleuthing several cold cases, has actively investigated Josephs murder. Novack was key to cracking the long-elusive case of 17-year-old Danny Goldman, who was kidnapped from his Surfside home in 1966.

Novack familiarized himself with the eras characters, events and major crimes. He examined every report, statement made to police and newspaper clipping, put them on a timeline and came to a conclusion: Frances DiMare killed her husband.

Paul Novack investigating the murder of Joseph DiMare.

He presented his findings to detectives about nine months ago. Its now the second case hes helped close.

Though Josephs murder happened five years before Goldmans kidnapping, he noticed common links. Thats why he includes the case on his website surfsidekidnapping.org.

There were indications that there were corrupt influences that derailed the case, Novack told the Miami Herald Wednesday.

For Novack, solving the decades-long mystery has uncovered major events in Miami history.

The family now today has the relief of closure that they have been seeking for 62 years, Novack said. Im grateful to be part of bringing them that closure and bringing the community the answers that have been elusive all this time.

Richard DiMare looks over family photographs in his Sparks, Nevada, home, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. In the decades after his fathers murder, he continued to work to get the Miami-Dade authorities to investigate the case.

Josephs son Richard DiMare, who at the time of the murder lived with his brother Joe at the University of Miami, told the Miami Herald in 2011 that he always believed Frances planned his fathers demise. He said that he went to the home after the murder and that Frances told him: You have 24 hours to get everything out. This is my house now.

DiMare badgered officials over the years to continue the investigation into his fathers death, sending many letters about the cold case that was a source of frustration for Miami-Dade detectives and top-ranking leaders.

He also frequently corresponded with Novack, and the pair shared materials as they managed an investigation of their own.

Richard DiMare holds the last picture taken of his father, center, with a young Richard at his side, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Somebody out there knows what happened, Richard told the Miami Herald in 2011. I will continue. I believe thats the highest tribute I can give to my father.

Frances died in March 2006. She was 82.

This report was supplemented with material from the Miami Herald archives
(CNN)  What could be a meteorite struck a home in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, authorities said Monday. The metallic object crashed through the roof of a house and ricocheted around a bedroom. No one was in the bedroom at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported.

Police are still working to determine the precise nature of the object, though officials suspect it is related to the current meteor shower, called the Eta Aquariids, according to a statement from the Hopewell Township Police Department in New Jersey.

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is an annual phenomenon in which debris from the famous Halley's Comet rains down into Earth's atmosphere. The celestial event was expected to peak this past Saturday, according to American Meteor Society predictions, though it will last through May 27.

"I did touch the thing because I just thought it was a random rock," Suzy Kop, a local resident who said the rock fell through the roof of her father's bedroom, told CNN affiliate KYW-TV in Philadelphia. "And it was warm."

"I just thank God that my father was not here. No one was here," she added. "You know, we weren't hurt or anything."

The outermost part of meteorites can reach scorching temperatures because of the incredible friction and pressure involved with plunging into the Earth's thick atmosphere at high speeds, though they typically cool off significantly as they reach the ground.

Space rocks strike all the time, distributed evenly across the Earth's surface. But striking a home or populated area is rare because the majority of our planet is covered in oceans or undeveloped areas.

A meteorite strike is not, however, unheard of.

In November, for example, an object believed to be a meteorite from the Taurid meteor shower struck a house in Northern California, according to CNN affiliate KCRA in Sacramento. A fire broke out soon after. The Nevada County resident, Dustin Procita, was at home with his two dogs at the time of the incident. One of the dogs died in the fire.

Authorities in New Jersey said the possible meteorite that struck on Monday measured about 4 inches by 6 inches.

"It penetrated the roof, the ceiling and then impacted the hardwood floor before coming to a rest," police said.

The police department "has contacted several other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object and safeguarding the residents and the object."

Meteorites can be difficult to distinguish from other types of metallic rocks. Researchers who hunt for meteorites typically look for fusion crust, a glassy coating that forms on the cosmic object's exterior surface, which melts while the rock plummets through the Earth's atmosphere.

Another distinguishing characteristic is the potential specimen's weight. A meteorite will be much heavier for its size than a typical Earth rock because it's packed with dense metals.

This story was first published on CNN.com, Possible meteorite strikes New Jersey home, authorities say"
With one-party rule, the Legislature and the governor, Ron DeSantis, can pass any measures they choose, whether the people approve or not.

What Republicans want, Republicans get

According to a piece reported at Talking Points Memo, the Florida Legislature has moved to allow Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials to hide their travel records from the public.

In recent weeks, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a number of new voting restrictions to state election law, including tweaking the states resign-to-run provision, paving the way for DeSantis to serve as governor as he campaigns for the White House.

Given the numerous issues our state is facing, the work of the governor hardly seems like a part-time job.

More: How to send a letter to the editor

These are the kinds of disgraceful things that happen in a state like ours where Republicans hold a supermajority. They are essentially free to do whatever they want whether the rest of us agree with it or not.

We are seeing the same abuses of power with issues like gun safety and womens health choices, in which our elected officials continue to vote against the interests of the majority.

As we approach the 2024 elections, its past time for average Floridians to say enough is enough and select others to represent them.

William Welsch, Punta Gorda

Affordable mental health care not available

I was sad to see a column May 8 trumpeting all the help available for mental health issues, regardless of ability to pay (Theres help available for mental health issues). Its simply not true  far from it!

I cannot count the number of acquaintances who are seeking, and failing to find, competent mental health professionals at an affordable rate. The best will not take insurance. And of those who do, many are not a good match or are not taking new patients. Or the co-pay does not fit into the persons budget.

Calling 2-1-1 seeking community resources, as the columnist suggested, gets you nowhere. Agencies that used to offer help, like JFCS, dont anymore, and what is available is often substandard.

I know. Ive been to the places theyve suggested, which at this point is just a couple of overburdened agencies.

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This country, or at least our state, needs to come to grips with this crisis and develop a solid plan for affordable and excellent mental health care.

Even before the pandemic, it was hard to find. Now? I would laugh, but its not funny. Too many of us are suffering in silence.

Emily Chalker Lane, Bradenton

Stop treating Trump as legitimate candidate

Some of us are old enough to remember how Gary Harts 1988 dalliance sunk his presidential hopes. Or how Howard Deans scream in 2004, after the Iowa caucuses, took him down.

Now we have a presidential candidate impeached twice, indicted for 34 felony counts in New York, accused by no fewer than 26 women of sexual abuse and facing charges of civil battery and defamation.

He has told more than 30,000 documented lies, incited an insurrection and promised to donate $1 million to military charities without following through until questioned about it.

Yet mainstream media still treat him as legitimate. Many outlets still give him airtime, newspapers still often equivocate and pollsters still give him a legitimate chance to win.

Its embarrassing and disgusting.

Every form of media should announce in three-inch print above the fold for newspapers, lead breaking news stories for TV and radio, and homepage stories on social media, that this man is not qualified to lead our great country!

And then if they want to cover his continuing grift from the poor suckers who still donate to him, they can do it on Page 9, where it belongs.

Donna Linette, Punta Gorda

House GOP takes debt ceiling hostage

Its unfathomable that Rep. Vern Buchanan and other Republicans in the House are threatening to tank our economy  and possibly the worlds  by refusing to increase the debt limit to pay our bills.

As a condition for allowing the U.S. to pay its bills, the House plan would slash dozens of critical services, including SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, preschool and child care. These cuts would force deep hardship onto tens of millions of people.

Roughly 1 million older adults would be at risk of losing food assistance, many of them living here in Florida. Why should Floridians go without food, health care and other critical services to raise the debt ceiling, which every Congress has done before?

The Republican and Democratic parties have major differences in how they want to spend our money, but thats what the budget process is for.

Threatening our economy  and doing it on the backs of low-income people  to wrest concessions is the wrong approach. I urge Floridians to call Buchanan and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and demand that they pass a clean debt ceiling immediately.

Lesley Reed, Sarasota and Vashon, Wash.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: GOP lawmakers pass bills DeSantis wants
It could be an artificial intelligence that takes your order the next time you get a craving for a Baconator and Frosty.

Fast food chain Wendy's is partnering with Google Cloud on an AI chatbot to take orders at a drive-thru, the company announced Tuesday. Wendy's FreshAI will be launched in June as a pilot in a Columbus, Ohio area restaurant. Based on how the AI-ordering system performs, the pilot will be expanded.

The AI could potentially handle a huge portion of service; around 75 to 80% of customers prefer to order through the drive-thru, according to the chain. Wendy's is not the first fast-food chain to turn to automated processes. McDonald's launched an automated restaurant in 2022.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, the owner and operator of fast food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, is also rolling out artificial intelligence at its drive-thrus, the company announced earlier in April. Experts with the National Restaurant Association have said using AI can help cut back on labor costs and address staffing challenges.

Generative AI, which are tools designed to generate text, images or other media from user prompts, will have the ability to converse with Wendy's customers, understand made-to-order requests and generate answers to frequently asked questions, according to the company. It will be integrated with restaurant hardware and the sales system.

The technology could mean faster service for customers, Wendy's President and CEO Todd Penegor said. The restaurant chain said they're hoping that using AI at the drive-thru will let employees focus on making and serving the food, while also building relationships with customers.

Wendy's and Google anticipate some possible challenges due to the complexity of the menu, special requests and ambient noise. With so many menu items and customization possibilities, there are "billions of possible order combinations," according to a press release. That can lead to miscommunication and incorrect orders being served.

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Some have expressed concern about quick pivots to using AI technology. For instance, some worry it could take jobs away from people. A March Goldman Sachs report found that AI services could automate as many as 300 million full-time jobs worldwide.

Industry leaders have taken a close look at the potential problems AI could cause. Geoffrey Hinton, a man known as the "godfather of artificial intelligence," recently quit his job at Google so he could freely speak about the dangers of AI. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also called for AI advancements to be released in a responsible way. In an April interview with "60 Minutes," he said society needed to come up with regulations for AI in the economy, along with laws to punish abuse.

Search underway after report of downed aircraft off California coast

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F-16 fighter jet

According to Pavel, Ukraine needs modern aircraft for the decisive phase of the war with Russia.

Read also: Ukraine, Czech Republic to produce arms jointly, President Pavel says

Pavel claims that the West's indecision is hindered by the secret components installed in these aircraft; Ukraine's partners do not want these items to end up in Russia's hands.

Read also: Russian guerrillas destroy Su-24 aircraft at aviation plant in Novosibirsk  video report

"However, I know that negotiations are ongoing; as a result, Ukraine may receive a few F-16s, possibly with some of that technology removed", the Czech President said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously said that the process of transferring F-16s to Ukraine must begin with the approval from the United States.

Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive to determine US decision on F-16s, FM Kuleba says

The White House has repeatedly stated its not considering transferring F-16s to Ukraine.

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 criminal investigation into the handling of drug cases by Mount Vernon police officers has ended with no charges, but the Westchester District Attorney's Office has moved to vacate the convictions of 26 people who were caught up in a department drug sweep dubbed Operation Crackdown five years ago.

District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced Tuesday that inconsistencies, reliability concerns and disclosure shortcomings made it impossible for prosecutors to stand by the convictions as well as the charges against a 27th defendant whose case is still pending.

Sixteen of the defendants ended up serving time in county jail or state prison.

Mount Vernon police headquarters

"Though rare, wrongful convictions erode community trust and the publics faith in the criminal justice system," Rocah said in a statement.

The investigations by the CRU and the law enforcement integrity bureau were prompted by a series of secret tape recordings Officer Murashea Bovell made of his colleagues that referenced excessive force, false arrests, planting of evidence and other activities by the narcotics unit.

Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah in her office Feb. 1, 2023 in White Plains.

Fed probe of MVPD: Justice Department opens federal civil rights probe into Mount Vernon Police Department

No charges: Westchester DA report on no criminal charges against Mount Vernon officers

Drug cases tossed: Westchester DA moving to vacate Mount Vernon drug convictions

The DA said the recordings, obtained by The Gothamist in 2020, were not sufficient evidence alone and there was a lack of cooperation by narcotics officers and civilian witnesses that stymied the effort to corroborate them.

One of the officers heard on tape, John Campo, later recanted his allegations of corruption.

Rocah, who took office in 2021, also said the investigation was hampered by the lack of inaction by the DA's Office under her predecessor, Anthony Scarpino, after the tapes were originally provided in 2019.

Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard was not immediately available for comment. A city spokesman issued a statement echoing the DA's comments about the lack of cooperation making it difficult to prosecute police officers. The city has cooperated fully in the investigation, the statement read, including providing prosecutors with internal affairs records.

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"The City takes these matters very seriously, and we look forward to assisting any law enforcement agency that is actively rooting out corruption," according to the statement.

The year-long Operation Crackdown resulted in charges in May 2018 against 32 people, most of whom were accused of selling cocaine to an undercover Westchester County police officer.

Charges were dismissed in five cases: three for evidentiary concerns and two after the defendants completed diversion programs. All 26 defendants who were convicted pleaded guilty, most to misdemeanors in city court and some to felonies in county court. Sixteen were incarcerated for terms of up to one year in the county jail or up to four years in state prison.

One of the allegations in the recordings was that the undercover county officer falsely identified certain individuals as drug dealers at the urging of Mount Vernon narcotics officers.

Allegations about officers planting evidence or making false reports could either not be corroborated or the specific officers could not be identified. The review found that detectives had unlawfully returned drugs to a confidential informant but could not determine which officer had done that.

The CRU investigation found primarily that there was insufficient corroboration of the undercover drug buys either by back-up officers or confidential informants. Rocah also said that as many as 30 prosecutors had involvement in the various cases while they were pending, making it difficult to ensure that all obligations regarding disclosure of evidence to the defense were met.

Within months of taking office, Rocah, a former federal prosecutor, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Mount Vernon over potential civil rights violations. That probe began in December 2021 and is ongoing.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon police probe: Westchester DA wants drug convictions tossed
A Whatcom County physician voluntarily surrendered his medical license last month after he was accused of making inappropriate comments to several patients and misdiagnosing one of them.

Mendel M. Gordin voluntarily surrendered his medical license as a physician and surgeon in April, according to the Washington Medical Commission and documents with the Washington State Department of Health.

Gordin, who had held an active medical license since July 9, 1991, will not be allowed to renew, reactivate or practice as a retired physician in Washington state, according to a Monday press release from the state medical commission.

Documents state Gordin retired as a physician and had no future plans of returning to practice medicine.

Gordin was at the effective end of his practice and surrender (of his medical license) alone is enough to protect the public, state health department records show.

The Bellingham Herald has reached out to Gordins attorney for comment.

In a document dated March 15, the commission accused Gordin of unprofessional conduct after two separate complaints had been filed against him related to patients he saw in 2021 and 2022, according to state health department records.

In early June 2021, a patient saw Gordin for a psychiatric evaluation. During the appointment, Gordin allegedly told the patient she reminded him of someone he previously dated and that she had a pelvis like you, according to state health department records.

The patient said Gordin stepped out of the exam room during the appointment to take a phone call related to another patient. The patient in the exam room said she could hear personal details about the other patients call.

The patient also reported that Gordin experienced several brief episodes during her appointment where he either fell asleep or lost consciousness, the documents state.

In mid-August 2022, a mandatory reporter alleged that Gordin made several inappropriate comments to a female patient and misdiagnosed her in early May.

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The state medical commission sent Gordin a letter in early September asking him to provide a complete explanation regarding the details contained in the complaint related to the second patient within 21 days. The commission also sent a formal request for Gordin to provide medical records related to the second patient.

Gordin did not comply with either of the medical commissions requests, state health department documents state.

The medical commission accused Gordin of unprofessional conduct related to incompetence, negligence or malpractice that either resulted in an injury to a patient or created an unreasonable risk that a patient could be harmed.

The commission also accused Gordin of failing to cooperate with the state health departments disciplining authority and of abuse of a client related to inappropriate comments made that had no legitimate medical or therapeutic purpose, the records show.

Gordin does not admit any of the allegations, documents state.

On April 13, he entered into a stipulated informal disposition with the state medical commission. The stipulation is not considered formal disciplinary action and is not considered a finding of unprofessional conduct or inability to practice, the documents state.

As part of the stipulated disposition, Gordin agreed to voluntarily surrender his physician license within five days. He also agreed to only practice administrative medicine in the interim, related to closing his practice and referring patients to alternate providers, the records state.

He agreed to not resume practicing medicine in Washington state, including in any temporary, emergency or volunteer capacity.

Gordin also had to notify all health-care plans and hospitals where he had privileges that he ceased medical practice.

The medical commission agreed to forgo further disciplinary proceedings and sanctions regarding the complaints against Gordin as part of the stipulated agreement, the records show.
The White House is signaling that it wants to close the book on the COVID-19 pandemic once the public health emergency expires Thursday.

But even as the administration and the public look to move on, experts say the virus wont go away. Hundreds of people still die every day from COVID-19, and more are being hospitalized. The current situation is precarious and could backslide in the fall.

The administration also faces a challenge in filling leadership roles across key health positions, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a new White House pandemic response office.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said she will step down effective June 30, and her replacement likely will be the last person a president can appoint to the job without Senate confirmation.

The government funding bill passed at the end of last year will make the CDC director subject to confirmation, but not until Jan. 20, 2025.

Walensky assumed the position in the midst of the greatest threat to the health of Americans in decades, and the pandemic defined much of her tenure.

She faced criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers over the agencys muddled communication and guidance, but forged ahead and last year announced a major organizational overhaul to streamline the agency and make it more accountable.

Walenskys announcement came just days before the administration is set to end the three-year-old COVID-19 public health emergency. When that declaration expires on Thursday, so too will a number of pandemic flexibilities and administration powers.

Ashish Jha, the White Houses COVID-19 response coordinator, said ending the public health emergency doesnt mean the administration thinks its done with COVID-19.

The end of the public health emergency marks a transition, not an end to COVID, Jha said in a brief interview. Its a transition, and its a transition to a period of time where we can manage this virus in a way thats not disruptive.

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But the administrations COVID-19 response team will disband in the coming weeks, and the newly created Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response has no leader and no staff.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control, listens during a Sept. 14, 2022, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington. (Peter Afriyie)

Administration officials are still working through the details, and they have said they will stand up the office as required by law. But it wont be ready for a handoff when the public health emergency ends May 11, and experts are concerned the leadership vacuum could stymie future efforts to combat COVID-19.

Jha would not say when he is planning to leave his White House role and stressed the administration is absolutely not wrapping up its work to address COVID-19, despite the vacancies.

Were in a transitioning phase of managing and dealing with COVID, Jha said. During periods of transition, it is normal to see people who have been working day and night for months and months [depart.] But we are absolutely committed to continuing the fight against COVID and continuing the fight against future pandemics.

Whoever Biden appoints as Walenskys successor is going to have to navigate what comes next, both in terms of public health and politics.

COVID-19 is falling down the list of political priorities, and theres an increasing gulf between what the administration says is needed and what Congress is willing to fund.

No matter who the leader is of CDC, unless theres ongoing support on a regular basis, the public health system will struggle. You need a leader who will come in and who is going to want to advocate for the adequate resources that are necessary, said Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

A former administration official said they expected Biden and his team to look for a replacement who is more of a manager who can run a large government agency, rather than someone whose specialty is responding to an ongoing pandemic.

Morita said the new CDC director should be someone from the public health field, rather than a clinician.

Clinical medicine is doctors who provide care to individuals. Public health is about how you prevent disease, promote health in large populations  theres very different approaches and background and skills that are necessary for a leader who is responsible for the public health of the nation, she said.

While the White House is moving away from the immediate emergency of COVID-19, scientists cautioned that the virus is unpredictable.

I dont think the COVID situation ends for CDC, said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. I think the challenge is going to be, were not sure that its done yet.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
EXCLUSIVE: The White House is accusing House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer of leading an "evidence-free, politically-motivated" investigation into the Biden family just as Comer is set to provide an update on his investigation.

Comer, R-Ky., was planning a press conference for Wednesday at 9 a.m. to describe the latest details of his committees probe of the Biden familys foreign business dealings.

In a memo provided to Fox News Digital by the White House, spokesperson Ian Sams wrote that Comers "absurd innuendo ignores reality."

"House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points," Sams wrote in the White House memo.

CIA 'MAY HAVE ASSISTED IN OBTAINING SIGNATORIES' FOR LETTER DISCREDITING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP: HOUSE GOP REPORT

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., left, is expected to provide an update on his investigation into President Joe Biden's family on Wednesday.

Comer has said his committee has information suggesting that "10 or 12 Biden family members" were involved in efforts to "launder or hide" revenue from "Communist China and other countries around the world." Comer also said Biden was "providing something in return."

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But Sams argued that the timing of Comer's press conference is a sign Republicans are running a disjointed investigation into the business dealings of President Biden's son, Hunter Biden.

"Oddly, he has been promising  then failing to deliver  this press conference for weeks, raising questions about his shoot-first, figure-it-out later approach to what is clearly an evidence-free, politically-motivated investigation," Sams wrote.

WHITE HOUSE INSISTS NO 'POLITICAL INTERFERENCE' IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE AFTER IRS WHISTLEBLOWER COMES FORWARD

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President Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, have been the focus of several lines of inquiry at the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Sams said it's House Republicans who should be blamed for boosting China because of their opposition to legislation that passed last year to direct federal spending to the development of semiconductor plants in the United States. Sams said House GOP lawmakers have "taken positions that benefit the PRC and its leaders, and worked to erode Americas ability to compete with China."

Sams also claimed House Republicans opposed other elements of Bidens agenda and supported tax policies that "benefit China." That includes the debt ceiling fight, in which Sams accused Republicans of undermining Biden's efforts to keep the U.S. economy competitive with China.

"Instead of floating evidence-free innuendo, and making absurd attacks on the President and his family to try to score political points, Chairman Comer and House Oversight Republicans should answer the question: Why have you repeatedly sided with PRC interests over American workers and the American economy, instead of joining President Biden to put in place a strong agenda to create more American jobs and make us more competitive with China?" Sams wrote.

HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 EXTENDED 'BEST WISHES' FROM THE 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHAIRMAN OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM, REQUESTS $10 MILLION WIRE

Comer has said as many as a dozen of Biden's family members may be involved in improper business schemes.

The White House memo was released just hours before Comer and Republicans on the House Oversight Committee were set to release their own memo that details the Biden familys overseas business transactions.

Comer has said the GOP memo will name the countries where the Biden family had been doing business and the family members involved in what he calls an "influence peddling" scheme.

Last week, Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a whistleblower is alleging that the FBI and the Justice Department are in possession of a document that describes a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.

HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATE TEXTS HINT AT PUSH TO GET JOE INVOLVED, MAKE IT LOOK LIKE TRULY FAMILY BUSINESS

The White House has maintained that the president never spoke to his son about his business dealings and has continued to say that the president was never involved in them.

Comer's committee has been investigating Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, how the Biden family has been involved, and whether President Biden has been involved in those foreign business dealings. Comer has warned that the business ventures with individuals in China, Ukraine and more pose a national security risk.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made her second trade mission to Europe this year with a trip to Austria this week focused on creating new jobs and investments in Michigan's auto manufacturing and clean energy sectors.

In Graz, Austria, Whitmer met with executives at AVL List GmbH on Wednesday, according to a news release from her office. The company is among the world's largest mobility technology companies and focuses on auto industry and climate-neutral mobility, according to its website.

"Today, I continued my economic mission to go anywhere and compete with anyone to bring jobs and investment back home to Michigan," Whitmer said in a statement. "We have the workforce, businesses, and mobility ecosystem to lead the future of advanced manufacturing, and I look forward to winning more transformational, job-creating projects for every region of Michigan."

AVL's North American headquarters is located in Plymouth and Whitmer wants to increase the company's presence in the Michigan city, according to her office.

More: How Michigan decides to spend lots of public money on economic development deals

More: Whitmer announces $400 million clean hydrogen plant for Michigan

This recent trade mission follows another Whitmer made earlier this year to Norway. Whitmer announced last week that a Norwegian company  Nel Hydrogen  chose Michigan as the site for a new manufacturing facility that could create 500 jobs after her meeting with them in January.

"We went to Norway, had a meeting with Nel, that really I think, obviously, shows how important it is to build relationships and to make sure we're telling the Michigan story everywhere," Whitmer told the Free Press in an interview last week. "(We) had this conversation and now we're talking about over 500 really good-paying jobs. The biggest electrolyzer facility in the nation is going to come to Michigan. It's going to round out so much of the clean energy work that we're doing and solutions for energy consumption."

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Quentin Messer Jr.  who heads Michigan's economic development agency, which sponsored Whitmer's latest European trade mission  touted the trip to Austria as another chance to land investment in the state.

"As a truly international US state, we seek to partner with our friends in Europe to be a global industry leader and are grateful that the Governor continues to champion this message of opportunity around the world on behalf of Team Michigan," Messer said in a statement.

Whitmer's celebration of the Norwegian company's announced investment in Michigan and this recent European trade mission come amid a rising tide of local and legislative opposition to two recent major economic development deals involving companies with ties to China. Lawmakers say they plan to seek ways to give themselves and communities a greater say in Michigan's biggest economic development deals.

While in Europe, Whitmer will also visit Latvia to meet with President Egils Levits and thank Michigan National Guard troops for their service conducting exercises with the country during the Russia-Ukraine War, according to a news release from Whitmer's office.

Free Press staff writer Todd Spangler contributed to this report

Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer makes second trade mission to Europe in 2023
Whoopi Goldberg addressed her alleged on-air flatulence on Wednesday's episode of "The View." (Jenny Anderson / Associated Press)

Whoopi Goldberg, who once said, If you can't handle a fart, you can't handle me, would like everyone to please stop accusing her of on-air flatulence.

There was never an issue," the co-host of "The View" insisted at the start of Wednesdays show.

Goldberg is addressing the recent fodder that permeated social media and headlines after co-host Sunny Hostin appeared on Andy Cohens Watch What Happens Live! late last month. Hostin let it slip on the chat show that Goldberg was the host who passes gas the most on set. Goldberg wasnt pleased.

Hostin attempted to clear the air during Cohens SiriusXM show on Monday, revealing that Goldberg didnt like all the attention.

Hostin appeared to be referencing a January episode of "The View" in which Goldberg called co-host Sara Haines' attention to some water that had spilled on the table during a chat about former VP Mike Pence and classified documents. Then Goldberg reached over to help Haines clean it up. At that moment, Haines scooted over in her chair, which made a toot noise. A few giggles ensued.

So Whoopi, in an effort to kind of cover that up  we have coasters now  was like, Sorry yall. That was me, and I just took her at her word, Hostin told Cohen. So Whoopi said, Why did you tell everybody I fart all the time?' And I was like, Because you joke about farting all the time and Im across from the table. I cant smell it. I dont know ... whoever smelt it dealt it, so I just had no idea. She said, Thanks a lot, but I mean, Whoopi and I are very close, so she was OK. I didnt realize it would have so much pickup.

While Hostin did make a valiant attempt to close the case, there are YouTube videos spanning years that feature clips of Goldberg appearing to pass gas on air. In the clips, suspicious fart-like noises are picked up on the mic, Goldberg can be seen hopping up in her seat, and then she usually says, Excuse me! In one clip, former host Rosie ODonnell even waves papers to clear the air around where Goldberg was sitting.

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On Wednesdays episode of The View, Goldberg attempted to put the whole thing behind her by addressing Hostin and Cohen when the show began.

Before we get started, I want to put something to bed with the two of you, she said. Im just gonna say it, there was never an issue. A sound was made on the table, and thats what it was. We dont need to bring it up ever again, anywhere. OK? Were good?

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Bloomberg) -- Beijings crackdown on foreign consulting firms in China has found its first official public target: Capvision Pro Corp.

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The global expert network was the only company to be named in a state media report this week announcing the countrys nationwide anti-espionage campaign. While Chinas recent push to tighten foreign access to sensitive information has affected other firms, such as domestic data company Wind Information Co., Capvision is facing a unique level of public scrutiny.

One state broadcaster aired footage this week of security officials seemingly raiding the firms offices, questioning employees and seizing more than 20 computers  a rare public display of state action against a foreign company. Its unclear exactly why Capvision, in particular, has attracted such outsized attention.

Here is what we know about the company:

1. What is Capvision?

Capvision was founded in 2006 by a team of former management consultants and investment bankers, including two graduates from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School who had previously worked at Bain & Co. Xu Rujie is the CEO, according to its 2022 prospectus for a potential public listing. Today, it runs one of Chinas largest expert-research platforms. Headquartered in Shanghai and New York, the company has a global network of more than 450,000 experts providing services such as industry research and business consulting. While the firm remains private, its had three attempts at going public. It initially signed an A-share listing agreement in 2020, then attempted a listing in Hong Kong in 2021 and again the following year. Capvisions 2022 prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange said the company accounted for 33% of Chinas expert consulting market. Most of its employees are based in China, with 638 in Shanghai and 39 in New York City, the prospectus showed.

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2. Who are its clients?

Capvision says it has more than 2,000 clients include hedge funds, management consulting firms and multinational companies. In its 2022 prospectus to the HKEX, its clients included 90% of the top 20 venture capital and private equity companies in China, 90% of the top 10 technology, media, and telecoms firms, and the 20 largest securities companies.

The ruling Communist Partys top legal body paints a different picture. On Tuesday, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission shared a report claiming the company had accepted consulting projects from overseas companies with close ties to foreign governments, and military and intelligence agencies. The report cited a police officer saying Capvision also accepted consulting projects in sensitive fields such as national defense and cutting-edge technology  both areas where Washington has imposed trade restrictions on China in recent months.

3. What are authorities investigating?

The company has been accused of leaking state secrets, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Furthermore, one Shanghai-based security official told CCTV it has no compliance structure for managing its national security risks. China last month passed a vague new counter-espionage law that expanded the list of activities that could be considered spying and what is deemed a national security risk. Security officials have raided the companys Suzhou branch and seized items, according to a Monday report. That raid was part of a synchronized nationwide probe in cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, according to state media. Capvision has offices in those cities, but it wasnt clear if they had been raided.

4. What has Capvision said?

Capvision said in a statement posted to its WeChat account on Monday evening that it would uphold national security policies and play a leading role in the healthy development of the consulting industry. Bloomberg calls and emails to Capvision on Tuesday were not returned.

In its 2022 prospectus, the firm said that it did not operate any critical information infrastructure or systems that may endanger national security, economic development and public interest.

5. Has anyone been charged?

There have been no public announcements of arrests from the recent raids, but state media has identified two former consultants accused of breaking the law, without providing a time frame for their actions. One individual, identified only by his surname Han, accepted a role as one of Capvisions experts and engaged in more than 100 consultations, more than 60% of which were for overseas client. He has been sentenced for stealing almost 5,000 internal company documents, including those related to state and commercial secrets, according to the report circulated by the top legal body. Another individual who worked for a key military industry enterprise allegedly accepted consulting projects for Capvision that included information about a military aircraft model, the report said.

6. Have other consultancies been targeted?

Other US consulting firms have found themselves in the spotlight in recent weeks. Authorities have questioned staff at the Chinese offices of Bain & Company and targeted New York-based due-diligence enterprise Mintz Group. But in contrast to Capvision, there was limited domestic media coverage of these firms. Chinas foreign ministry put out a short statement saying Mintz is suspected of illegal business operations, separately stating that it wasnt aware of any raid at Bains Shanghai office.

--With assistance from Filipe Pacheco and Bei Hu.

(Updates with details from Capvisions 2022 prospectus.)

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(CNN) -- A Polish mayor died after falling from a fourth-floor window of a hotel in Sardinia, Italy, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on Tuesday.

The mayor, named by his municipality as Radosaw Grzegorz Ostakiewicz, was visiting the Sardinian village of Cagliari with the Polish delegation, after he fell out of the window of a room in the Due Colonne hotel.

A spokesperson for the Cagliari police, said Ostakiewicz was sitting on the windowsill and lost his balance. The death is not being investigated as a suicide and there was no violence involved, he added.

The 44-year-old was the mayor of Jaworze, a village in southern Poland. A press release from the village's municipality described his death as "tragic" and an "unfortunate accident."

"Our thoughts are with loved ones. Mayor, family, acquaintances, friends, and residents of the commune. Honor his memory," the municipality press release reported.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Polish mayor falls to death from hotel balcony in Sardinia, Italy"
On the heels of several major hospitals departing the Mississippi Hospital Association, the organizations leader is baffled.

The hospitals move comes shortly after the associations political action committee made a $250,000 contribution to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, an outspoken proponent of Medicaid expansion.

The states largest public hospital system, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, announced in a letter on April 28 that it was leaving the MHA. Days later, three more hospitals  Singing River on the Coast, Gulfports Memorial Hospital and George County Regional in Lucedale  followed suit.

Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg on Monday became the most recent hospital to leave the organization, as first reported by Magnolia Tribune.

The PAC made the donation  the largest it has ever made  in late April, MHA Executive Director Tim Moore said.

Forrest Generals termination letter said the departure was fueled by recent events, while the other four hospitals cited concerns with MHA leadership.

Moore said donating to Presleys campaign was recommended by the MHAs board of governors, who are administrators of member hospitals elected by MHA members.

We all have had these discussions for a number of years now that we support candidates that support hospitals, and here is a candidate that is coming very strongly forward with a complete health care agenda, Moore said. It was certainly not just  it was not my decision.

Presley, a Democrat, is running against incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in the 2023 statewide elections. While Reeves has been an active opponent of Medicaid expansion, Presley has vowed to expand Medicaid if hes elected governor.

Moore, whos led the MHA for nearly 10 years, suspects the donation was a catalyst. The hospitals departures have left him in disbelief, he said.

Theres nothing else that has changed. Nothing, he said in an interview with Mississippi Today last week. Our strategy has not changed.

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Hospital struggling

Mississippi hospitals as a whole are struggling amid the pandemic, when labor and operating costs skyrocketed. The struggle is most apparent in the states rural hospitals  about a third are at risk of closure.

Experts say Medicaid expansion would bring in millions to Mississippi and insure an additional 200,000 to 300,000 Mississippians. State leaders such as Gov. Tate Reeves, the incumbent candidate, have remained opposed to the policy change, though most Mississippians and lawmakers support it.

How can anybody blame the hospital association for committing upfront to somebody that has committed to helping hospitals and patients across the state? How can you condemn that? Moore said. I cant figure it out.

Multiple requests for comment to George County Regional Hospital went unanswered. Spokespeople for UMMC, Singing River, Forrest and Memorial said that hospital administration had no further comment on their decisions to leave the MHA.

A connection to Reeves is clear for at least one hospital.

Memorials CEO Kent Nicaud has consistently been one of Reeves top donors, leading to an appointment to the state gaming commission earlier this year. Reeves also appointed Nicauds wife, Jenny, as an administrative law judge for the Mississippi Workers Compensation Commission in 2021.

While expansion isnt a silver bullet, experts agree that it would go a long way to increasing the financial viability of Mississippis struggling hospitals. Moore previously said that the states hospitals run up about $600 million annually in uncompensated care costs.

Moore said that its difficult to imagine any hospital CEO in Mississippi as an opponent of Medicaid expansion because of the vast financial benefits.

It is a good policy, a fair one, Moore said. Its good for the state of Mississippi. Its good for the patients. Its good for the providers. Its an economic stimulus. It just goes on and on. And theres just no logical reason not to be trying to move forward.

While Im sitting in this seat, Im nonpartisan. Im looking for folks that will support our hospitals and providers to take care of patients.

Presley thoughts

Michael Beyer, Presleys communications director, said Presley was proud to have earned the support of the MHA and if elected, would work to end Tate Reeves hospital crisis.

Tate Reeves needs to answer why there is always enough taxpayer money for pet projects for his celebrity friends and personal trainer but never enough to solve his hospital crisis, which has left many rural hospitals across the state scrambling to keep their lights on and 220,000 working Mississippians without healthcare, Beyer said in a statement.

Shelby Wilcher, Reeves press secretary, said the Governors office does not have any comment on MHAs internal affairs.

The MHA, a member of the American Hospital Association, represents the interests of Mississippis hospitals and advocates for health care policy change, including Medicaid expansion. They also offer services to member hospitals, like a health information exchange program and educational courses. According to its website, the MHA comprises over 100 hospitals, health care systems and other providers, as well as over 50,000 employees.

While the PAC operates as a separate organization from the MHA, it answers to the same board. And Moore serves on the board, as well as director of both organizations.

Moore said during the nearly 100 years that the MHA has represented the states hospitals, hospitals have rotated in and out of the organization, but those departures have not been publicized.

Hopefully at some point we can reconcile whatever differences these are with members that have become dissatisfied or whatever has been the confusion, because I will say Ive been extremely disappointed as to how these were handled, Moore said.

Whether or not hospitals are members of the MHA, they reap the benefits of the changes the organization advocates for, he said, but its harder to convince state lawmakers to make policy changes when the hospitals are fractured.

In a state like Mississippi, with small geography and a relatively small population  if you break them up into segments, you have a much more difficult job in trying to unify the industry and come in one voice, he said. If you implement another association  they tend to undermine each other.
two stacks of newspapers Getty Images / Peter Dazeley

It's little secret that news media polarization in the United States is at a fever pitch, as outlets like Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and others position themselves along disparate sides of the yawning partisan gap that has increasingly come to define American politics. While study after study has shown wavering levels of public trust in the media as a whole, a just-released poll puts a new wrinkle in the sentiment that partisanship is a perfect indicator of which outlet engenders the most trust from its audience. In fact, as respondents to the latest YouGov Trust in Media survey indicated, conservative skepticism of the news at large is so pervasive that even some of the most unambiguously right-wing outlets are considered more trustworthy by self-identified Democrats than the ostensibly Republican audience to which they blatantly cater.

What does the study show?

Conducted between April 3 - 9, YouGov's Trust in Media 2023 poll surveyed 1,500 U.S. citizens, asking them "whether they trust, distrust, or neither trust nor distrust" 56 different outlets across broadcast, digital, and print media. Out of those outlets, the clear winner in terms of bipartisan trustworthiness was The Weather Channel, "the only outlet that YouGov asked about that more Democrats (+64) and Republicans (+47) trust than the shares who distrust it." Outside of the Weather Channel, Fox News was the only other outlet that was deemed trustworthy by a majority of GOP respondents. Given the degree to which Fox has positioned itself  and been positioned in turn by various politicians and notable public figures  as the epicenter of the conservative news universe, broad Republican trust in the network is not much of a surprise.

More surprising, however, was the inverse of this trend when it comes to a number of smaller, more staunchly right-wing outlets, such as the Tucker Carlson-founded Daily Caller, the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner, and even the so-called "bible of American Conservatism," The National Review. Counterintuitively, more Democrats than Republican respondents said that those right-wing publications were trustworthy.

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Despite none of the above three outlets scoring comparatively high in terms of overall trustworthiness, the unexpected support from Democrats was notable enough to draw the attention of several high-profile commentators and pundits, many of whom pointed to a fundamental truth underlying the survey's findings.

'Republicans just do not trust reported news at all'

This pattern emerged after "decades of conservative media relentlessly exacerbating the natural distrust of the [mainstream media] with their audience to ensure that people tuned in," author and academic Brian Rosenwald suggested to Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith, who noted the Democratic tendency to be more trustworthy on Twitter.

Allowing for the "exception of a few avowedly right-wing name brands (which aren't really news)," reporter Chase Woodruff said in a similar conclusion, in general, "the bigger and more widely known a news outlet is, the less Republicans trust it."

"Republicans," he continued, "just do not trust reported news at all," with CNN and MSNBC holding similar levels of distrust among Republicans because "they have roughly the same name recognition."

For MSNBC's Zeeshan Aleem, the survey's results are animated in no small part not simply by Republican self-identification, but by a particular strain of conservatism stemming from  and centered around  former President Donald Trump.

"[Republicans] don't even have trust in a number of famous right-wing outlets, perhaps in part because publications like National Review and the New York Post have been critical of former President Donald Trump, or perhaps because today's Republicans are generally suspicious of old guard, 'establishment' right-wing journalism," Aleem wrote in an opinion essay. "It appears that Republicans seem to only trust overtly propagandistic right-wing outlets that follow not only the party line, but specifically Trumpism," he concluded.

Conversely, Politico's Jack Shafer urged a measure of caution when parsing the poll, highlighting a lack of explanatory data in just how respondents engaged with each outlet, to the point where "allowing respondents to judge the trustworthiness of outlets without determining how often they consume them is like asking a kid to rate the flavors from the Baskin-Robbins library he's never tasted." Still, Shafer similarly noted the self-sabotaging effort by conservative outlets who encourage their audiences to mistrust any source of information beyond the one they're watching at that moment, asserting that "outside of the established TV brands of Fox News, Newsmax and OAN, Republicans refuse to automatically bestow trust on any media, even outlets that appeal to their prejudices."

Ultimately, no matter how seemingly contradictory and disheartening the YouGov poll results may be, many media scholars have stressed that some degree of measured skepticism when consuming news can, as the Knight Foundation wrote in its overview of media trust in 2022, be "beneficial in today's media environment."

University of Maine Communications and Journalism Professor Michael J. Socolow seemingly agrees, writing in an essay on media trust last month that "media criticism comprises an essential component of media literacy."

"And," he added, "a vibrant democracy."

For Shafer, who cited Socolow's work, that skepticism can indeed be important in parsing the increasingly fractious array of news sources available today. But, he cautioned, other "expressions of 'distrust' in media polls are just another way for people to say the contemporary subject matter in the news makes them uncomfortable."

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The city of Ocean Springs has filed a lawsuit in Chancery Court aimed at permanently shutting down The Scratch Kitchen restaurant and bar, where a teenager died and six others were injured in a mass shooting Friday night.

Early findings in the investigation strongly suggest a lack of accountable and responsible business practices that have unnecessarily endangered the health and safety of citizens, the lawsuit says.

Here are some key issues outlined in the lawsuit:

The Scratch Kitchen is accused of operating over its occupancy limit.

The restaurant and bar allegedly failed to screen for deadly weapons, illegal drugs and bottled alcohol.

The restaurant allegedly failed to identify underage customers.

The day after the shooting, the lawsuit says, the crime scene was evident, with liquor bottles scattered throughout along with the overwhelming aroma of marijuana.

At least three other firearms were in the business, which is on Government Street in the heart of downtown, when the shooting happened, the lawsuit says.

On April 16, during a spring break party, a man accidentally shot himself in the leg in a public parking lot behind the business. The Scratch Kitchen has been known for its unique menu but also hosted parties with disc jockeys that drew large crowds. They spilled from the building onto the patio outdoors.

The city is asking that a judge hold a hearing to consider immediately granting a temporary injunction to close the business. The city plans to ask at a later hearing that The Scratch Kitchen be permanently closed.

A response to the lawsuit has not yet been filed by owner Brittany Alexander.

Crime scene tape surrounds The Scratch Kitchen restaurant and bar in downtown Ocean Springs after a mass shooting left one dead and seven injured on Friday, May 5, 2023.

City accused of discrimination of Black-owned business

The Black-owned business is one of two in downtown Ocean Springs.

In September 2022, Alexander accused the city of discrimination, the lawsuit says.

Alexander met then with Mayor Kenny Holloway and other city officials to complain that she was being singled out, with an increased law enforcement presence outside her business driving away customers.

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The lawsuit says the law enforcement officers were not from Ocean Springs. They were with federal and state agencies, including task forces, that had identified The Scratch Kitchen as a known gathering place for suspected criminals, the lawsuit says.

Mayor Kenny Holloway has told the Sun Herald that public safety, rather than race, motivated the citys enforcement actions. In April 2022, Holloway, the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Tourism Bureau participated in a ribbon cutting at The Scratch Kitchen.

Alexanders restaurant is not the only nightlife venue that has had issues with gun violence in recent months. There have also been shootings at Kahuna-OS and Ocean Springs Daiquiri Company. Arrests were made in both of those cases.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Elizabeth Dell, the founder of the romance and intimacy app Amorus, didnt expect friction over her sextech mixer at the upcoming Tech Week in San Francisco.

Dell hosted similar mixers at last years Tech Weeks in New York and Los Angelesgatherings of industry professionals composed of individually organized events. Dell said she wanted to create a space at the gatherings for investors and entrepreneurs interested in the emerging world of sextech, or the technology surrounding sexual health and pleasure. (Think: STI screenings, sex education, and remote control vibrators.)

And according to Dell, the events last year went swimmingly; about 150 people attended the event in New York, and DotLA called her Los Angeles event intimate, loud, and energetic, noting that the number of attendees overwhelmed the small bar where the event was held.

But last month, when the organizers sent out a list of the confirmed events for this year, Dell saw that hers were billed as Healthtech Mixers. The change in wording troubled her, she said, because the point of the mixers was to destigmatize the industry and give founders legitimacy and face time with investors.

There has long been this incredible stigmaand one that is very genderedaround sexual wellness, around sexual health, [and] around that being a legitimate place for business and investment, she told The Daily Beast.

Products cant magically appear in front of consumers, there has to be a whole chain behind them, she added. And a huge part of that is having a place in our entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that includes also having a place in our Tech Weeks.

In emails reviewed by The Daily Beast, Dell asked organizers if they could change the name back to SexTech Mixers. A representative informed her that there was a compliance issue with having the word sex on the website, so they could either change the name or remove it entirely.

Dell asked for details about the compliance issue, but the representative declined to explain. Eventually, the two settled on calling the event a RomanceTech Mixer.

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Frustrated, Dell took to LinkedIn to share her experience.

Apparently #SexTech is too scary, even for TechWeek, she wrote, in a post summarizing the incident with the Tech Week organizers. So on the TechWeek website, the events are now RomanceTech Mixers.

To be clear, these are legal, legitimate businesses, many with VC and tech funding, distributed in the largest stores like Walmart, Sephora, and CVS, she added. And yet our options are to code-switch or be invisible.

Dells post urged people to attend the Tech Week events and even posted the RSVP links in the comments. (The external RSVP page still bills the events as SexTech mixers.) But when she checked the website the next week, she said, the listings for all of her events had been taken down.

Dell asked the organizers about the change but got no response. As of Tuesday, the RomanceTech mixers are still not listed on the site. Representatives for Tech Week did not respond to a request for comment.

Dell said she cant help but feel like she was punished for speaking up. And she is still frustrated by the events refusal to use the word sex in her event title, which she felt was an insult to the entire industry.

There is no way to refuse to acknowledge a thing and not be creating a system of judgment around it, to not be saying, We dont want it here, she said.

Im not asking them to profile us, or put us front and center, or to say, We love you so much, she said. We just want to be on the playing field. we just want to be part of the mix.

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Undated family handout photo of David Hunter, 74, and Janice Hunter 75, as Mr Hunter has denied murdering his wife in Cyprus as his lawyers seek to have the charge changed to assisting suicide. Mr Hunter, originally from Northumberland, is in custody facing trial in April accused of killing his wife Janice at their flat in Paphos in December 2021.

A British woman may not have been terminally ill before she was killed by her husband in what he maintains was assisted suicide, a court has been told.

Janice Hunter, 74, died in 2021 in the home she shared with her husband, David, in the village in Cyprus to which they retired 20 years ago.

Mr Hunter, 75, says she had implored him to end her suffering and that he eventually agreed, smothering her to death.

His daughter and his legal team say that Mrs Hunter was suffering from terminal leukaemia, was in acute pain, and wanted to die.

The court rejected a charge of manslaughter and Mr Hunter, a former miner from Northumberland, is on trial for murder  a charge he strongly denies.

The grave of Janice Hunter at the cemetery in Tremithousa, Cyprus - Joe Giddens/PA

His late wifes doctor told a court in Paphos that she was suffering from a rare blood cancer but may not have had terminal leukaemia.

Dr Ourania Seimeni said that Mrs Hunter was suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of blood cancer, and that it was not necessarily terminal but that it was difficult to say for sure.

She said she could not predict how long Mrs Hunter may have lived. Her patient had lost weight, was in pain and suffering from diarrhoea, and her condition was worsening, Dr Seimeni said.

She said that around a third of MDS cases eventually lead to leukaemia.

In a hearing on Monday, another expert, Dr Andreas Pantelides, put the percentage considerably higher, saying that about 45 per cent of MDS patients develop leukaemia.

He told the court that the only sure way to know whether Mrs Hunter was suffering from leukaemia would have been through obtaining bone marrow samples.

Mrs Hunter may have been suffering from MDS or leukaemia or both, the doctor told the court.

David and Janice Hunter on their wedding day - PA Media/PA

The couple, originally from Ashington in Northumberland, moved to Cyprus two decades ago.

It was to be their dream retirement, but Mrs Hunter became increasingly ill.

After suffocating his wife, Mr Hunter contacted his brother through Facebook to tell him what he had done.

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He then tried to commit suicide by taking pills and alcohol. But his brother contacted British police who then alerted their counterparts in Cyprus.

Cypriot police rushed to the Hunters home in the village of Tremithousa and took Mr Hunter to hospital, where he underwent a stomach pump. He was then arrested and eventually charged with murder.

The prosecution has now concluded its arguments. The trial will resume on Monday, when Mr Hunter is due to give evidence.

The hearing will give him the chance to present his version of events and respond to the evidence presented by prosecutors.

This remains a sad case where the evidence shows David and Janice were in a long-lasting loving marriage (and) that David attempted to take his own life, said Michael Polak, a British defence lawyer and the head of Justice Abroad, a legal assistance organisation acting for Mr Hunter.

It has taken considerable time, but we are at the point where David finally has the opportunity to give evidence as to what has taken place. The trial has been difficult for him. However, he is looking forward to giving evidence on Monday.

The pensioner has been in prison, sharing a cell with around 10 other prisoners, for nearly 18 months.

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.
A Winton Woods City Schools employee is accused of sending sexual text messages to a student, according to Forest Park police.

The employee faces a charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, according to police.

Officers received a report shortly before noon Monday that the employee had sent inappropriate messages that were sexual in nature to a 14-year-old, according to the police report.

The incident was first reported to the school principal, who then notified the school resource officer and the 14-year-olds parents, per the report.

The employee has been removed from his position pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Superintendent Anthony Smith.

Smith said the district has reached out to all parents of students that may allegedly be involved. He adds all students are safe.

This information has been disseminated to the appropriate authorities, and we are conducting a thorough investigation, Smith said. Our proactive measures tend to be our best support, which is that students are guided to see something, say something. In our comprehensive project-based learning educational community, the see something, say something protocol has been paramount in our decision-making process.

Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided this report

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police: Winton Woods school worker sent sexual messages to 14-year-old
A Benbrook woman says a police officer, who was conducting a check at a home and fired his gun at a dog, could have killed her daughter.

The Benbrook Police Department said that it received a call at around 6:40 a.m. Tuesday from a man who was out of town. The man told police that his security system had recorded someone snooping around his home at around 2 a.m.

The man also said he saw someone in his driveway, and his motion detector set off his security light, according to police.

According to what the homeowner told police on the call, when the security light came on, the man who was seen in his driveway ran away.

An officer was sent to the home and ran a check on the license plate of the car in the driveway. The license plate did not match the homeowners information or address, according to police. The officer found that the license of the car was connected to a residence in Haltom City.

The officer went to the back yard of the mans house, which is routine for police when searching the perimeter of a home to make sure it was not broken into, the police department told the Star-Telegram.

The back door was open by about a foot, the responding officer reported. The officer called for backup and was waiting with a gun drawn, thinking that someone may have broken into the house, police said.

A woman  who police later discovered was the girlfriend of the homeowner  came to the door. The girlfriends dog, a German shepherd, also came out, according to police

The officer was yelling at the dog, according to police.. The officer fired his gun as the dog came hard and fast toward him, police said.

Cristy Moya, the mother of the girlfriend, wrote in a Facebook post that her daughter  identified in the post as Andrea Escobar  was in her own home and that she saw a police car parked out front but didnt see anyone so she went out the back door and the cop started shooting at her and her dog.

The officer was simply trying to protect himself from the dog, Benbrook Chief of Police David Babcock told the Star-Telegram.

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Police could not confirm if Escobar lives in the same home as the man who made the report, but said she was there with the homeowners permission.

Escobars dog was seriously injured in the shooting, according to her mother.

Shot Max the German Shepard 5 TIMES!!!, Moya wrote in the post. Andrea didnt get shot but was thrown on the ground and handcuffed.

Police told the Star-Telegram that Escobar was handcuffed so police could conduct a check on the house and make sure she had not broken in, but said the officer did not throw her on the ground.

Moya also said in the post: This officer has to be charged with attempted murder. Andrea could have been killed today.

We told the family today that we are handling the vet bills. Were trying to do everything we can to make this right, Babcock said.

The dog was treated for his injuries by an emergency veterinarian.

Officers were not aware that Escobar was inside the home at the time of the call, according to police. Her presence was not mentioned by the homeowner when he called police about someone snooping in his driveway, police said.

The Benbrook Police Department is conducting an Internal Affairs Investigation. The officer who responded to the home is not on administrative leave.
A woman was arrested after she was accused of headbutting a child outside a Nebraska school and running off, according to local media reports.

The woman approached a group of students outside Everett Elementary School in Lincoln on May 5, according to KOLN, citing court records.

After shouting at the group, she lunged toward an 8-year-old girl and headbutted her, per the outlet. The attack left the girl with a noticeable contusion, the station said.

The woman then charged toward the other students while a teacher tried to stop her, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

One teacher grabbed the womans arm to stop her, but the woman slipped from her grasp and fled, the outlet reported.

Officers later located the 25-year-old woman a few blocks from the school and arrested her, according to KLKN.

She was charged with child abuse, a felony, and could face a maximum sentence of three years in prison if convicted, the outlet reported.

She is being held at the Lancaster County jail on a $5,000 bond, according to county records.

Representatives for the Lincoln Police Department and Everett Elementary School did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News. Attorney information for the woman was not available.

Toddlers locked in Hell on Earth room, fed only beef and cereal for weeks, cops say

Pregnant woman was found dead in a pond, Rhode Island cops say. Now, two arrests made

Middle schooler waiting for train is struck, killed by another train, Indiana cops say
A woman was killed and multiple people, including several children, were injured Tuesday in a crash, according to the Columbia Police Department.

The three-vehicle collision happened at the intersection of North Beltline Boulevard and Trenholm Road, police said. Thats in the Forest Acres area, next to Richland mall.

One vehicle was driving south on Beltline, and another was stopped at a red light at the intersection, police told The State Wednesday.

A third vehicle failed to yield when making a left turn from North Beltline onto a westbound lane of Trenholm Road, police said. The first vehicle collided with the third vehicle, which then hit the second vehicle, according to police.

There were seven people in the third vehicle, including the woman who died, police said.

Nicola D. Harrell, a 31-year-old Columbia resident, was identified as the victim who died, according to the Richland County Coroners Office.

She was a passenger, along with five children, according to police. As of Wednesday morning, two of the children were in critical condition, police said. Further information on the other passengers conditions was not available.

The driver of the third vehicle was not seriously injured, according to police.

Its not believed that the passengers were restrained, police said.

There were two people in the first vehicle, and they suffered minor injuries, according to police. Both of those people, along with two people in the second vehicle who were not injured, were likely restrained, police said.

The crash continues to be investigated by police.

Through Sunday, 321 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 17 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
A California man accused of putting his hand on a sleeping womans inner thigh on a Los Angeles-bound flight faces up to two years in prison, federal officials say.

A jury found Mohammad Jawad Ansari, 49, of Pomona guilty of abusive sexual contact, a felony, on Tuesday, May 9, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for Central California.

On a February 2020 flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Ansari sat next to a woman in a dress who fell asleep during the trip, the release said.

He put his hand on the sleeping womans knee, then moved it to her inner thigh, prosecutors said.

A passenger noticed Ansaris hand on the womans thigh, the release said.

The woman woke up, pushed his hand away and got up to notify a flight attendant, prosecutors said. Attendants watched Ansari, who pretended to be asleep, for the rest of the flight.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in September. The release did not name the airline involved.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

Ex-Homeland Security agent told sexual assault victims he was untouchable, feds say

Man used rigged clock to secretly film women in fitting room, California officials say

Passenger banned after assault on employee at California airport, airline says
(CNN)  Saudi Arabia and Syria have resumed the work of diplomatic missions in both countries, according to state media, more than a decade after Riyadh cut ties over the Syrian government's brutal handling of its civil war.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the Syrian Arab Republic," the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday.

The announcement came two days after Syria was readmitted into the Arab League  despite repeated objections from the United States to ending the isolation of a regime that it holds accountable for the deaths of more 300,000 civilians and displacement of millions in the country's civil war.

Damascus also announced the decision to resume work of its diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Syrian state media SANA, citing a statement from an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Based on the deep bonds and common affiliation of the peoples of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in confirmation of both communities' wills, and based on the Syrian Arab Republic believe in the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve joint Arab action, The Syrian Arab Republic decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the statement reads.

Officials and analysts have said that Syria's re-admission into the Arab League, while symbolic, comes with the hope that it could pave the way for President Bashar Al Assad's rehabilitation internationally, and potentially the removal of crippling sanctions against his regime.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Saudi Arabia and Syria to resume diplomatic missions after decade-long freeze: state media."
The planets aligned. I had coffee with a superhero. The kind who doesnt wear a cape (they never do) and Im certain the kind who would not spend a minute to consider himself a real-life Marvel character. That would be a minute of serious problem-solving wasted for David Gressly. This man is too laser-focused helping humanity and protecting large swaths of the planet. Like, literally.

Several weeks ago, in an ordinary Panera, I had a long chat with this extraordinary man. (I know a guy who knows a guy who tipped me off hed be nearby.)

Gressly, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, happened to be in the area visiting family. He grew up on a farm north of Kansas City, earned a degree in economics at the University of Missouri and an MBA from Thunderbird School of International Management in Arizona. His career is an inspiration to anyone who is considering helping to make a positive impact in a complicated world.

The first thing I asked Gressly, just to get it out of the way, was if it felt head-spinning to go from solving the worlds problems to spending a little time in rural Missouri.

Actually, its relaxing to come here and decompress, he said.

Fair enough, because his lifes work has been, and continues to be, a globetrotting whirlwind of preventing catastrophes, fixing ongoing ones, building infrastructure, negotiating peace, and procuring the exact talent and resources to accomplish it all.

Gressly, 67, gave a fascinating, almost professorial synopsis of his career, which was a mashup lesson of history, geography, epidemiology, psychology, philosophy and even meteorology.

I wanted to work internationally at the time I was in university, so I joined the Peace Corps after. I went to Kenya where I spent four years.

He then worked six years in northwest Africa supervising volunteers before becoming the director of planning and budget with the Peace Corps in Washington.

It was an interesting time because thats when the Soviet Union was breaking up and there were all these new countries we were going into, he said.

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Keep in mind, when I set up the meeting with this man whose international work space includes dodging violence, land mines, bad mosquitoes and a host of other dangers, I tried to come up with a quirky indie place to chat. Like some converted barn that serves only free-market coffee in recycled vessels. But we had a small window of time to meet.

I panicked and suggested an accessible midpoint between my leafy suburb and Gresslys small hometown. A chain eatery just off the interstate offered a striking contrast to his harrowing tales of dealing with worldwide emergencies.

After his Peace Corps work, Gressly joined UNICEF in Nigeria, which eventually turned into a regional position.

Thats when I started working in the emergency field where you have crises, he said. At that time, it was Liberia, New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All were in different crises.

Listening to his stories confirms how this world spins with ongoing disasters, or potential ones. Not just from the man-made problems of war  like having to move 15,000 displaced Sudanese citizens and 150,000 head of cattle across the Nile River  but also natural threats like disease.

Gressly spent a couple of years in India combating a polio outbreak.

I was in charge of the polio eradication portfolio. India at one point had like 350,000 cases. We got it down to 50 cases a year. Now its eradicated. Theres no more polio in India.

He was also put in charge of tamping down Ebola outbreaks in the Congo.

Im not an epidemiologist at all, but the key thing is logistics, he said. Getting everybody in the right place at the right time.

Gresslys style of logistics includes disaster prevention, which sadly is never as newsworthy as ongoing chaos. An example is how he helped large populations circumvent a famine when he worked with UNICEF. He showed me the map of countries in the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.

In 2012, there was a serious shortfall of food, he said. A million children were facing severe malnutrition, which kills them, basically. We were able to get enough food and water and health support  in time  so the people could get through that period. No news is good news.

Most recently, Gressly has been working on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

I tend to go from civil war to civil war to civil war, he said.

Hes working to provide people with food assistance, healthcare and education across a country where more than 20 million people need aid.

I have another job as well, which is trying to see how they initiate recovery work with the economy so that people can get jobs again, so they dont need humanitarian assistance.

And then theres even a third project in Yemen, a real eyebrow-raiser most people in the U.S. probably dont know about: a potential massive oil spill in the Red Sea. Its yet another disaster-prevention job on Gresslys to-do list.

A floating oil storage and offloading facility (FSO) moored off the coast of Yemen is, to put it bluntly, about to blow. Due to the civil war, the deterioration FSO Safer has not been maintained since 2015.

It would be an oil spill four times the size of the Exxon Valdez, just as an order of magnitude. Gressly said, adding that a spill or explosion would block harbors and vital food imports as well as shut down 200,000 fishing families. With 1.14 million barrels at stake, it would be a generational ecological disaster.

The Red Sea is a pristine environment. The consequences are pretty severe if we dont pay attention. Its a catastrophe ready to happen. It will happen; its not a question of if.

Fortunately, Gressly is supervising a high-risk spill prevention plan with the right expertise lined up and a replacement vessel on the way this month. But as massive operations go, theres always something. Costs have shot up due to ripple effects from the war in Ukraine. To close the funding gap, the United Nations has raised resources from many nations and private corporations, and even from individual citizens concerned about the environment.

Gressly mentioned a sweet crowdfunding story.

Out of Bethesda there was an elementary school that picked up on it. They sold lemonade. They even raised money they got from the tooth fairy.

He said the United Nations invited the 6- and 7-year-old students to speak in New York.

Everybody was deeply touched to see these little kids making a contribution.

Nothing like a global response.

Anyone interested in learning more and helping close the gap to save the Red Sea can donate to the project at un.org/StopRedSeaSpill. And while youre googling around, the UN website in general is user-friendly and an efficient tool to get a clear perspective on worldwide humanitarian efforts.

Gressly shared many stories of war and peace, building roads while living in tents, rescuing leaders from violence and navigating the Nile.

Its the stuff most Panera dwellers rarely encounter. And after learning so much over a paper cup of hazelnut coffee, I felt obligated to ask him if hes a pessimist or an optimist. He said, Im a short-term pessimist, long-term optimist.

The long game. I found that hopeful. I also asked Gressly if hes working on a memoir. Hes not. I have work to do.

Said like a true superhero.

Reach Denise Snodell at stripmalltree@gmail.com.
'The climate crisis will be changed in culture and business and technology, not politics': Drawdown Project exectivey director Jonathan Foley

With climate-enhanced droughts, heatwaves and fires ravaging three continents and the threat of a new surge in global warming, the world urgently needs to ramp-up solutions for slashing carbon pollution. But which solutions are most critical?

The organisation Project Drawdown has detailed the potential, feasibility and cost of nearly a hundred climate solutions since it was set up in 2017.

Executive director Jonathan Foley, a leading climate scientist, spoke to AFP about how to assess and prioritise the actions needed to keep Earth liveable.

The following interview has been edited for length and flow:

Q: What are the three most important questions in assessing the usefulness and integrity of carbon-cutting solutions?

A: Is it available now and ready to deploy? Because we need to start bending the emissions curve immediately.

Is it cost-effective? Otherwise, it's not going to scale effectively.

Does it create co-benefits for people, especially in terms of health, jobs, equity, and justice? This will make it far more appealing.

Q: A lot of hope -- and investment -- is going into technological solutions such as filtering fossil fuel pollution or pulling CO2 out of the air. Comment?

A: While some very limited carbon removal will be needed by mid-century, the vast, vast majority of the work we need to do -- more than 95 percent -- is cutting emissions, and doing it now.

Of the five percent focused on carbon removal, I think it should be more than 90 percent nature-based removal, such as ecological restoration and regenerative agriculture. Machine-based removal is unlikely to work at any meaningful scale.

Q: We often hear that solutions are already available, all that's missing is political will. Is that it?

A: It's not political will. It's money and power, which right now is still with fossil fuels, polluting industries, and unsustainable agriculture. That's why too many politicians are still in bed with them.

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But effective climate solutions are here, now, and they are starting to growing exponentially and beat the older, polluting systems at their own game -- in the marketplace. When renewables and other climate solutions are cheaper, better, faster, and more popular than the old systems, we will hit a dramatic tipping point on climate solutions. We are getting close to that now. It's finally a real race.

Q: Government, business, consumers - who's not pulling their weight on climate action?

A: The climate crisis will be changed in culture and business and technology, not politics. Governments aren't leading, not at all. At best, they're followers.

Government regulation has been a very small contributor. So far, businesses and communities are leading on climate action. We have already seen dramatic reductions in emissions -- 20 percent in the US since peaking in 2007, and 40 percent since the mid-1990s in the UK -- in major economies around the world, fuelled by changes in technology, business, investment, and culture.

Activists have also contributed to these positive changes, largely pushing how businesses and investors see the climate problem.

Q: Is greenwashing the new climate denial?

A: Sadly, yes. Outright denial of climate change as an issue is no longer credible. So the new approach is focused on delay and greenwashing -- making it look like we are doing things, but nothing really changes. One could also say delay is the new denial.

But we should also be aware of "doom-washing": the narrative that nothing good is happening on climate change and that we have no hope to stop the climate crisis. Neither of these is true.

Q: Is mainstream media conveying the balanced portfolio of climate action needed?

A: No. Far too much of the coverage is focused on the problem and impacts of climate change -- roughly 99 percent in the US media -- and almost nothing focusing on the solutions.

Mainstream media is doing more harm than good in some cases by promoting more fear and anxiety, leading to disengagement and inaction. This feeds a terrible feedback loop in our broken politics and activists cultures. We need a better, more balanced conversation on how climate solutions can benefit communities around the world.

mh/klm/jj
For New York, as a city, it is the best of times and the worst of times.

On one hand, as the pandemic fades, tourism in the Big Apple is booming. Hotels in New York hit 90 per cent occupancy in December, a nationwide high.

However, Americas financial capital is struggling with a lack of a different kind of occupant: office workers. Theres 74,582,671 square feet of vacant office space in the city that never sleeps, enough to fill more than 26 Empire State Buildings, according to an analysis from Edward Glaeser and Carlo Ratti, a pair of urbanism experts from Harvard and MIT.

But its not just New York thats struggling, according to the experts.

Other large cities and industrial capitals, especially ones with high real estate costs, have seen a similar exodus of office workers.

Chicago has 59,863,725 square feet of vacant office space, while Los Angeles has 44,046,970.

San Francisco, meanwhile, has 18.4m square feet worth of empty offices, and office vacancies in Seattle at the end of 2022 were five times greater than the same time in 2019.

Some people in these cities argue for converting unused office space into new housing.

Mr Glaeser and Carlo Ratti argued in a New York Times opinion piece on Wednesday that this binary of booming tourism and empty offices should herald a new era of the Playground City, an urban environment that sheds the rigid single-use zoning of 20th century American cities in favour of neighbourhoods where work, play and housing all blend together.

To create a city vibrant enough to compete with the convenience of the internet, we need to end the era of single-use zoning and create mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods that bring libraries, offices, movie theaters, grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants and bars closer together, they write. We must reconfigure the city into an experience worth leaving the house for. Streets once filled by commuting crowds can be reinvigorated by those who really want to be there.

Major regional shifts occurred during the pandemic as well, according to data from the US Census.

From 2021 to 2022, populations moved on average out of high-priced and big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, and moved into lower-cost Sunbelt locales like Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Nevada.
New York City officials are scrambling to find housing for thousands of "asylum-seekers" expected to arrive at the sanctuary city once Title 42 lifts on Thursday.

Authorities may even shut down large sections of city streets for temporary housing, according to a spokesperson for City Hall.

"We are literally considering everything at this point (in terms of housing options) and yes the city is considering housing asylum-seekers on NYC streets," the spokesperson told Fox News.

CBS2 first reported the plans to close city streets, which were revealed in a confidential memo obtained by the outlet.

NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL ISSUES EMERGENCY ORDER BEFORE TITLE 42 EXPIRES, AS NYC BEGINS BUSING MIGRANTS TO SUBURBS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall Rotunda. New York City still continues to receive approximately 200 asylum-seekers each day, a number that's only expected to grow once Title 42 is lifted on May 11, 2023.

City officials believe as many as 800 asylum-seekers will begin to arrive daily once the Title 42 public health order lifts, according to the report.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"Those stunning numbers were found in a confidential memo obtained by CBS2 that lays out the housing options Mayor Eric Adams will have to consider as the numbers swell from the over-61,000 who have already come here to as many as 100,000 by the next fiscal year," the report said.

Adams' press secretary Fabien Levy declined to comment on the reported memo.

"While we do not discuss internal discussions, weve been clear that the burden of caring for asylum-seekers shouldnt fall on any one city alone," Levy said in a statement.

"We have reached our limit of new shelters that we can open right now, and we currently have no other option but to temporarily house recent arrivals in gyms," he continued. "This weekend alone, we received hundreds of asylum-seekers every day, and with Title 42 set to be lifted this week, we expect more to arrive in our city daily. We are considering a multitude of options, but, as weve been saying for a year, we desperately need federal and state support to manage this crisis."

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NOTICE OF VIOLATION SENT TO NEW YORK HOTEL SEEMINGLY PREPARED TO RECEIVE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS

Asylum-seekers are greeted by the founder of Artists, Athletes, Activists, Power Malu, and the Immigrant Affairs Commissioner, Manuel Castro, as they arrive at Port Authority in New York City May 3, 2023. Mayor Eric Adams criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for playing politics with people's lives as the governor resumes busing asylum-seekers to New York and other cities. Mayor Adams continues to strongly urge federal intervention, as the cost of providing assistance to the asylum-seekers is expected to reach billions of dollars.

Title 42 has been used since 2020 to expedite removal of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens because of the coronavirus pandemic.

When the order lifts, tens of thousands of migrants are expected to surge over the southern border, believing that they have a better chance of being admitted into the United States. The Biden administration has said that is not true, emphasizing that persons who cross the border illegally face stiff penalties, including deportation.

However, the prospect of mass releases into the U.S. interior of those who have illegally entered the U.S., after crossing multiple countries to do so, is likely to undercut that narrative.

Closing large sections of streets in several neighborhoods for temporary housing is one option for New York City to deal with the incoming crisis.

"Being on the street bed would provide access to water, sewer and electricity and could then support trailers or modular/prefabricated housing," the memo reportedly states.

NEW YORK COUNTIES DECLARE EMERGENCY AS MAYOR ADAMS PLANS TO BUS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM THE BORDER THEIR WAY

Another possibility is for the city to use rehabbed shipping containers or tiny houses to put a roof over migrants' heads, CBS2 reported.

Officials are also reportedly considering using cruise ships and federal installations like Fort Dix in New Jersey to comply with New York's right-to-shelter law.

Schools were floated as yet another possibility because of their gymnasiums, as well as access to kitchens and dining facilities.

Local officials in Rockland and Orange counties blasted Adams earlier this week for plans to bus hundreds of migrants to their area with little notice.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day, a Republican, told Fox News on Monday that officials in Orangetown  located at the county's southeast corner on the New Jersey line, and less than 30 miles upriver from Manhattan  were contacted by Adams' office to make them aware of the plan.

"It's a done deal. That's the bottom line. The pointed question asked of the mayor was very simple: Are these people vetted? He didn't know," Day said on "Your World."

COURT ORDER BLOCKS NYC PLAN TO MOVE MIGRANTS UPSTATE AFTER CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS FIGHT BACK

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order declaring a disaster emergency, which is intended to boost support for migrants by expanding state and municipal procurement capabilities.

It will allow New York State to mobilize an additional 500 members of the National Guard, who are currently providing logistical and operational support at New York Citys Port Authority Bus Terminal and shelter sites, bringing the total mobilization to about 1,500 service members.

The order will also allow the state to deploy more than $1 billion to support New York City's aid efforts included in the state budget for the 2024 fiscal year, the governors office said.

In a fiery statement, New York GOP Chair Ed Cox condemned Democratic officials from President Biden all the way down to Hochul and Adams as "participants in the failure to secure our border."

"Starting at the top, Joe Biden has rolled out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants  over five million have crossed our southern border since he took office  and the crisis will get worse with the expiration of Title 42," Cox said.

"Kamala Harris, who is ostensibly in charge of the border crisis, and Alejandro Mayorkas gaslight the country by insisting the border is closed and secure  but just 60,000 of those 5 million have created a crisis beyond New York Citys ability to handle, as the City considers using more of its iconic landmarks to house migrants, including a potential tent city in Central Park," he continued.

"The City is trying to force saner suburban jurisdictions, which have made no claim to be sanctuary areas, to share the burden, instead of calling out the one person who can do anything about it: Joe Biden.

"Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand could alleviate this crisis by demanding in no uncertain terms that Joe Biden close the border," he said.

"All four lack the political will to challenge a President of their own party. New Yorkers will continue to pay the price for their inaction, as the illegal immigrant crisis here and nationally continues to spiral out of control."

Fox News' Bill Melugin, Adam Shaw, Danielle Wallace and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
The United States has returned to China two stolen 7th-century antiquities that had been loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by a private art collector

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art said Wednesday it would examine the provenance of "several hundred or more" objects that were possibly stolen from their country of origin, and then return them where necessary.

The move comes as Manhattan prosecutors work to repatriate hundreds of artifacts worth millions of dollars to dozens of countries across the world.

The Met will hire additional "provenance" researchers to study some of the museum's 1.5 million works of art, director Max Hollein told staff in a letter published on the institution's website.

"We will broaden, expedite, and intensify our research into all works that came to the museum from art dealers who have been under investigation," he wrote.

Hollein said most of the suspect pieces were acquired between 1970 and 1990, "when there was less information available and less scrutiny on the provenance of many of these works."

The Met has been cited in court cases related to stolen works.

On Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney returned to China two 7th-century stone carvings worth $3.5 million that were smuggled out of the country in the early 1990s.

Authorities had earlier this year seized the artifacts from the Met, where they had been since 1998.

The carvings were among 89 antiquities from 10 different countries purchased by Shelby White, a private art collector in New York and Met trustee.

Since January 2022, the DA has returned more than 950 antiquities worth over $165 million to 19 countries.

"The Met has a longstanding history in the rigorous review of our collection and, when appropriate, the return of art," said Hollein, citing returns to Egypt, Greece, Italy, Nepal, Nigeria, Turkey, and India.

nr/arb/pdh/st
Young Thug

Jayden Myrick, who is Young Thugs co-defendant involved in the YSL RICO case, is getting a separate trial after a mental evaluation found that the 23-year-old YSL affiliate struggles with schizophrenia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

As reported by the outlet, Myrick was diagnosed with schizophrenia after telling a judge it had been months since taking his prescribed medication. He also stated that he wanted to represent himself due to having political friends in high places, which raised eyebrows. Im not the regular inmate, he said in court. I be with Joe Biden and Donald Trump and they be talking to me. Donald Trump is going to get me out.

These statements, of course, prompted Superior Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville, who is presiding over the case, to call for Myricks mental evaluation, which determined his mental illness. Judge Glanville then ruled an individual trial for Myrick, saying I think severance would be appropriate at this point in time.

Myricks charges include attempted murder, possession of a weapon by an incarcerated individual, conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, and participation in criminal street gang activity. Prosecutors say that Myrick also stabbed Young Thugs foe, rapper YFN Lucci, in February 2022. On top of the allegations, he was serving a life sentence for Christian Broders murder prior to the YSL indictment.

Hes been denied bond three times due to being a potential flight risk. Still, Young Thugs lawyer, Brian Steel, filed a fourth motion in late April. He claims his client is being sleep deprived as he awaits trial due to long court days that typically start around 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. Mr. Williams is not a risk to commit a crime and hes not a risk to flee the jurisdiction and thats what bond is about, Steel said.
Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

Not long ago, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) dealing with the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) said intercepted phone conversations indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered the use of a Buk missile system to take down the aircraft. Back in 2014, the downing claimed the lives of all 298 passengers and crew on board.

Essentially, this means that Russias highest official was involved in committing an act of terrorism. Straight thereafter, Putin gave the international community yet another slap in the face, granting the brigade that shot down MH17 the honorary status of Guards for mass heroism and valor, endurance, and courage.

The world continues to watch how Russia erodes the rules-based order. The time has finally come to take decisive steps and call things by their names: Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism.

Nataliya Bugayova: Reframing the US policy debate on a long war in Ukraine Editors Note: This is an analysis by Nataliya Bugayova, a non-resident Russia Fellow, at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based defense and foreign affairs think tank. This analysis was originally published by the ISW on April 27, 2023, and has been republished by Kyiv IndependentNataliya Bugayova

In the legal prosecution of terrorism, international practice suggests two types of responsibility: that of the individual and that of the state. While terrorism is usually associated with individuals and fanatic groups, states can also be sponsors of terrorism (take Libya under the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, for example).

In Russias case, the prosecution of individuals is covered by the JIT. It earlier found three people guilty of shooting down MH17 and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

On Feb. 8, however, the JIT announced that it had postponed the investigation because it had exhausted all possible means of deriving evidence of the participation of other individuals. Despite the recordings that prove Putins involvement and co-responsibility in the crime, he cannot be brought to justice due to the jurisdictional immunity of those currently in office.

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Individual-level criminal prosecution being in a deadlock leaves only one way to bring justice, which is to shift the focus to the responsibility of Russia as a terrorist state. This approach becomes particularly important as the MH17 tragedy is only one episode in a broader pattern of terrorist activity carried out by Russia internationally.

While the MH17 case alone involves four states  Ukraine, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Australia  multiple other countries have suffered from Russias terrorist activities on their national soil over the past decades. Take the U.K., for example, and Russias poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, as well as of Alexander Litvinenko. Another high-profile poisoning case is that of Alexei Navalny.

The terrorist activities of the Russian private military company Wagner Group, which operates in Ukraine and states like Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso, are hard to overlook.

The murder and persecution of those who oppose the Kadyrov dictatorship in Chechnya have occurred in Austria, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, France, Germany, and Sweden, among other countries.

This list is by no means exhaustive.

U.S. senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (L) introduce a Senate resolution calling for the U.S. to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism at a press conference in Washington, D.C., in 2022. The Biden administration has so far opposed the move. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Yet, there are not many states that have officially declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Countries hesitation has both legal and political grounds: such recognition would oblige states to discontinue any relations with Russia and to chase its officials with every possible means. Its no wonder such prospects are scary for many Western officials hoping to go back to business as usual with Russia or to hold some doors open for future diplomatic negotiations.

Under these circumstances, there is only one way to overcome these political precautions: to the international legal track and go via the UNs International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Russia is currently a respondent in the ICJs Ukraine v. Russian Federation case concerning the violation of the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. In this case, Ukraine is suing Russia for financing terrorist acts in eastern Ukraine, particularly the downing of MH17.

The ICJ can resolve these mentioned international hesitations because its decisions are legally binding only for parties to the dispute, i.e., Ukraine and Russia. Other states are free to opt out from recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and its legal implications.

Paul Grod: A cry to bring Russia to justice for its genocidal war in Ukraine Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. On May 8, the world honors the memory of those who sacrificed their lives defending the world from Nazi German dictatorship. This victory Kyiv IndependentPaul Grod

Yet in its judgment on Nov. 8, 2019, the ICJ indirectly stated that Ukraine needs to strengthen its argumentation in the case. The inclusion of other states, as well as their evidence confirming Russias sponsorship of terrorism in their respective territories, would significantly boost Ukraines case and forward a class action against Russia at the international level  International Community v. Russian Federation.

A similar class action is already being considered by the ICJ  33 states joined Ukraine in the case against the Russian Federation concerning allegations of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The best option for the involvement of third parties would be for them to enter as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court. This means that a state that is not a party to the procedure can provide evidence and considerations without being bound to the granted judgment or having access to case-related documents. Through this legal mechanism, a third party can strengthen Ukraines case while remaining independent in its future courses of action with Russia.

It is only fair and just that decades-long Kremlin-sponsored terrorism across the globe finds an adequate international response. The time has finally come to collectively punish Russias terrorist behavior, especially given the realistic legal mechanism in place via the ICJ.

Unlike many other UN proceedings related to international security where Russia enjoys a veto right, the current ICJ case can bring about justice. To achieve this, countries that have suffered from Russias terrorist activities, coupled with those that care about a safe tomorrow, need only one thing: courage.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Bauer told the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform he had received a letter from Zaluzhnyi the day before, stating that participation, even via video, was "impossible in light of the difficult operational situation in defense against Russian aggression."

Read also: Zaluzhnyis former adviser on why Ukrainian counteroffensive will shock the world  interview

The representative of Ukraine to NATO, Major General Serhiy Salkutsan, will attend the meeting instead of Zaluzhnyi.

"Were focused on getting Valerii's assessment of the latest developments on the ground from his military representative, where Ukrainians are fighting for what is rightfully theirs," Bauer said.

Zaluzhnyi held a regular telephone conversation with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States General Mark Milley on May 6.

Read also: Zaluzhnyi meets with US, UK, Polish military commanders

At the end of April, he met with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Twenty years after the death of her daughter Robin, Karen Boes  convicted of her murder  has been denied a new trial.

ZEELAND  Twenty years after the death of her daughter Robin, Karen Boes  convicted of her murder  has been denied a new trial.

Boes was convicted in 2003 of the murder of 14-year-old Robin, who died of smoke inhalation during a house fire on June 30, 2002. Investigators concluded the fire was started in the hallway outside Robins second-floor bedroom with gasoline.

More: Zeeland woman convicted of killing daughter seeking new trial

More: The case of Karen Boes: How much is too much to defend a 20-year-old murder conviction?

Boes was accused and convicted of starting the fire while Robin slept, knowing she was still inside. Two decades later, she continues to insist she's innocent and, in 2021, was aided by the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic in seeking a retrial. Her representatives argue two critical factors  fire science and the psychology of induced false confessions  have advanced since Boes filed a motion for relief in November 2006.

The innocence clinic presented three key arguments:

Since 2006, there's been new consensus about the methods experts in the original investigation used to identify the origin of the fire One of those experts, John DeHaan, resigned his membership with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 2015 after an investigation revealed he acted unethically while giving testimony in another case Shifts in scientific consensus about false confessions and increased awareness of confirmation bias by law enforcement cast doubt on incriminating statements Boes made while being interrogated

The decision denying Boes a new trial, issued by Judge Karen J. Miedema on Wednesday, April 26, says the new research cited by Boes and the innocence clinic doesn't show there's been a change in fire investigations since 2006  and, even if it did, it wouldn't affect the outcome.

Boes argues the investigators used char pattern and a process of elimination, referred to as negative corpus, to determine the origin of the fire. But a fire and forensics expert hired by the prosecutors office said investigators didn't use negative corpus and relied on more evidence than char pattern alone.

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The decision also calls into question the credibility of a report from scientific fire analyst John Lentini provided by Boes. According to the opinion, Lentini left out crucial details, like the fact that a flashover fire was ruled out as the cause of the damage in the hallway and the soot on the bedroom door hinges showed the fire originated there.

Karen Boes testifies on her own behalf at her trial in 2003, where she was convicted of the murder of her daughter.

Ample circumstantial evidence about the defendants hatred for her daughter, her violent streak toward her daughter, her behavior and comments immediately after and in the weeks following her daughters death would remain unchanged at trial," Miedema wrote.

Miedema also wrote, generally, a new trial isn't granted because of new evidence to impeach a witness  referring to DeHaan. She noted DeHaan was a secondary witness to Mike Marquardt, who testified for a full day, while DeHaan testified for a little over half a day.

Miedema also didn't buy the argument about a coerced or false confession. According to Boes' filing, she was first interrogated soon after Robins death for eight hours by the Zeeland Police Department. She was interrogated several additional times over the course of the investigation, without a lawyer present.

Boes argued the investigators used tactics known to cause false confessions, like asking her to imagine how she would've set the fire in a dream or if she'd lost her mind and set the fire without knowing it. A report submitted by the defense from James Trainum concluded Boes admission contains all of the components that lead to false confessions.

Karen Boes holds hands with supporters in 2003 just before the reading of a guilty verdict at the Ottawa County Circuit Court in Grand Haven. Boes maintains she's innocent.

But forensic assessment from Matt DeLisi, who analyzed audio recordings of the interrogations, said the majority of research on false confessions was conducted in the 1990s, making it irrelevant in the Boes case.

DeLisi added Boes didn't possess any of the vulnerabilities associated with false confessions like youth, intellectual disability and intoxication.

On Tuesday, May 9, Ottawa County Prosecutor Lee Fisher gave an update to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, since previous commissioners authorized the office to spend $141,400 on an expert witness to argue against a retrial.

Without these experts, our office would not have been able to effectively respond to the motion and a new trial for Ms. Boes would have been the probable outcome, and that would have been a great expense to the taxpayers of Ottawa County to say the least, Fisher told commissioners.

I believed it was important to update the board and the public regarding the outcome of this case, given the large expenditure of funds that was approved by the board of commissioners to hire the experts."

JoEllen Haas, senior assistant prosecuting attorney, told the board they're expecting Boes to file with the Michigan Court of Appeals.

We will be ready and prepared for whatever it is that the higher courts have for us."

 Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Zeeland woman convicted of murdering daughter denied retrial, expected to appeal
The Ukrainian authorities are working on programmes for Ukraine's post-war recovery and plan to present them to its partners as early as this June.

Source: Zelenskyy in his evening video address on 10 May

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I held a very informative meeting with government officials on programmes to rebuild our territory and Ukrainian life after the hostilities and the war in general. We are working on all aspects of recovery, and each of them is in a new security format.

The economy and industry, the defence industry, energy, infrastructure, education, social services, healthcare, including the rehabilitation component... Everything that needs to be built, that the world is ready to invest in, that will give Ukraine and Ukrainians reliable protection and [ensure] the steady development of our social capital."

Details: The President added that the authorities are currently finalising specific points of these state programmes and will embark on "practical work with [our] partners" regarding these plans in June.

Zelenskyy emphasised that this is about both reconstruction "here and now" (particularly critical systems) and the strategic transformation of Ukraine.

He also expressed confidence that this reconstruction project will give an impetus for development not only to Ukraine, but also to all its partners.

The president said the public service "eVidnovlennia" [eRecovery - ed.] has now been launched based on the resources currently available. It is designed to help people who need to repair houses or apartments that have been damaged by the occupiers.

"The next step is compensation for lost housing. And that will also be implemented," concluded Zelenskyy.

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(CNN)  More than 60 rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel on Wednesday, a day after Israeli military airstrikes killed three leaders of the Palestinian militant group and 10 other Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza and led to threats of retaliation.

Over half a million Israelis were in or near shelters, the chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said just after 2 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) on Wednesday.

The rocket fire came after the Israel Defense Forces targeted what they called Islamic Jihad terrorist organization operatives and infrastructure in renewed strikes in Gaza on Wednesday.

The suspects on Wednesday were traveling to a rocket launch site in the city of Khan Younis, the IDF said. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said one person was killed in Wednesdays attack. It named him as Muhammad Yusuf Saleh Abu Taima, 25, and said he was killed in the bombing east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

A CNN producer in Gaza reported explosions in Khan Younis, Rafah and northern Gaza.

Shortly after, he saw at least six rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel. Sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in the southern Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon and the Lachish area, all near the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said. Sirens later sounded in Tel Aviv, Israels main city on the Mediterranean coast, warning of potential incoming rocket fire.

Nine rockets fired at the city of Sderot were all intercepted by Israels Iron Dome air defense system, the municipality of Sderot said Wednesday. The city said it had no reports of injuries or property damage.

The nearby city of Ashkelon also said it had no reports of injuries or damage.

One of the three Islamic Jihad commanders killed on Tuesday was working on capabilities to launch rockets from the West Bank toward Israel, IDF chief spokesman Hagari said at the time.

Rockets have never been fired from the West Bank into Israel.

Islamic Jihad confirmed three of its commanders were killed in the overnight operation along with their wives and children.

The commanders killed were Jihad Shaker Al-Ghannam, secretary of the Military Council in the al Quds Brigades; Khalil Salah al Bahtini, commander of the Northern Region in the al Quds Brigades; and Ezzedine, one of the leaders of the military wing of the al Quds Brigades in the West Bank, the group said.

Hagari said the operation had been planned since last Tuesday, when Islamic Jihad fired more than 100 rockets toward Israel following the death of its former spokesman while on hunger strike in an Israeli prison.

But, the IDF did not have the operational conditions until overnight Tuesday.

The IDF launched a further strike on Tuesday, saying its air force targeted a terrorist squad belonging to Islamic Jihad in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza said two people were killed and two others injured in that attack east of Khan Younis, although they have yet to identify them, bringing the death toll in Gaza to 15 on Tuesday.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Dozens of rockets fired at Israel following deadly airstrikes in Gaza"
Experian discusses what you need to know about how your credit score affects a car loan, what credit score you need to get approved and other 
Nelson County Future Farmer of America (FFA) students were busy last weekend, competing in a national soils judging competition and then showing their animals at the Central Virginia Livestock Show in Rustburg.

On Friday, NCHS agricultural science teacher and FFA advisor Cole Ramsey said his students had just returned from the competition in Oklahoma, placing 51st out of 93 teams from across the country.

Nelson FFA brought a total of six hogs to Fridays events. Ramsey said his students have been working with since February, caring for the animals and teaching them how to drive, or direct them with a whip.

Area FFA and 4-H participants showed off their driving skills before an audience and judges in the swine showmanship events.

Ramsey explained another event, the market hog show, is where the animals are actually evaluated for their market value.

From Nelsons FFA Chapter, Eli Hatter, Houston Bryant, Daniel Campbell, Hollace Bryant and Waylon Bryant all showed pigs May 5; Daniel Campbell and Campbell Bauserman also showed cattle May 6.
The spectacular northern cardinal is a popular state bird: Virginia is one of seven states that claims this red bird as its own.

But cardinals are hardly unique to or most numerous in any of those states. An employee at Cornell Lab of Ornithology proposed a new slate of state birds, using data from eBird, which gathers hundreds of millions of observations from citizen scientists.

The spring issue of Living Bird magazine lists new alternatives. While this is most likely an academic exercise, it points out the reality of population densities.

Ironically, none of the top three most-honored state birds  the cardinal, American robin and western meadowlark  would remain state birds. While they are familiar in many states, there is no state in which their population rises to a globally significant level.

Virginia would adopt the Acadian flycatcher, a much smaller, less showy bird, but one thats known among birders for its pizza call. The flycatcher was chosen because Virginia boasts the highest population density of this bird during breeding season.

Last year, we had an Acadian nest in our yard. This lovely little olive green and white bird will select a perch and hunt from it repeatedly.

The six other states with cardinals would also get new birds: Kentucky would adopt the yellow-throated warbler because 10% of the global population breeds there, the highest of any state.

North Carolina would get the Carolina chickadee because 8% of the global population lives there year round.

West Virginia would have the cerulean warbler because 27% of the global population breeds there.

Ohio would get the wood thrush, which I think has the most beautiful song of all. Ohio has the second highest population of any state and the third highest density during breeding season.

Illinois would get the indigo bunting with the third highest state population, and the bunting is found in every county.

Indiana would land the sandhill crane with the second highest spring migration and wintering populations.

The meadowlark, one of my favorites since childhood, but one that is literally losing ground to nest on, would be replaced in six states.

Kansas would get the lesser prairie-chicken, while Nebraska would land the greater prairie-chicken, with 56 percent of the year-round population.

Montana would get the thick-billed longspur with 60% of the global breeding population.

Oregon would get the hermit warbler with 53% of the global breeding population.

Wyoming would land the black rosy-finch with 63% of the global breeding population.

With 24% of the worlds population, North Dakota would honor the marsh wren.

The robin would be replaced in three states. Michigan would get Kirklands warbler because it boasts 98% of the worlds breeding population.

Wisconsin would get the lovely rose-breasted grosbeak with 12% of the global population and the most of any state.

Connecticut would honor the blue-winged warbler with the highest population density during breeding season.

To see what birds would represent other states, search for Living Bird magazine.
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Liberty High School in Bedford was on an active lockdown as of 2 p.m. due to a reported threat, and Liberty Middle School is on a low-level lockdown, according to information sent to parents from the Bedford County Schools.

Law enforcement officials are at the high school and have secured the buildings. At this time, there's no active threat, according to the school system. Students will be dismissed as normal.

No further information has been released at this time.
UPDATE: Brown was located on May 10 at approximately 6 p.m. in Tarkio, Missouri. He was located by an Atchison County, Missouri deputy and was found healthy. The family has been notified.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is searching for Clint A. Brown, 53, who has been missing since the weekend.

Brown went missing from his residence in Council Bluffs and was last seen driving a dark blue 2000 Chrysler Town & County minivan with Iowa License Plate IZG-974.

Brown has been missing since Saturday, May 6, and was reported missing on Sunday, May 7. The police department distributed information on the investigation on Wednesday, May 10.

The family is very concerned about Mr. Browns safety, police said in the news release.

If you have had any contact or know of a possible location, call 911 or make contact with the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-4728.
Air Force JROTC Unit IA-951 will celebrate its accomplishments for the year with its annual Ball & Banquet Saturday in the commons area at Thomas Jefferson High School, 2501 W. Broadway in Council Bluffs.

The event will include a social at 4:30 p.m., followed by the presentation of the colors at 5:15 p.m., dinner at 5:45 p.m. and the dance from 8 to 10 p.m.

Its the largest event of the year for the unit, according to Lt. Col. Kevin Bush USAF (retired), senior aerospace science instructor for the unit.

Well probably have about 200 people there, in total, he said.

An awards ceremony will follow the dinner, and 25 awards will be presented, Bush said. Representatives from veterans organizations have been invited to attend.

Were going to have 10 different organizations presenting awards to cadets this year, he said. The seniors do a video on their time in JROTC.

Two of the units seniors will graduate from the Council Bluffs Community School Districts Early College Academy this spring, as well as high school, Bush said. Six of the 25 sophomores chosen to enter the Early College Academy this fall are members of the unit.

A DJ will play songs for the dance.

The kids put together a list of songs they want to the deejay to play, Bush said.

The event is formal, with male cadets expected to wear their uniforms or a suit, and females expected to wear their uniforms, a suit or a dress.
Council Bluffs students are on the home stretch!

In just over three weeks, all four school systems in the city will have dismissed students for the summer.

Even sooner, the citys five high schools will have given members of the class of 2023 a festive sendoff into the Great Unknown.

This week, Iowa Western Community College and the first K-12 school will hold their graduation ceremonies.

Iowa Western Community College will hold two commencement ceremonies this year  at 2 and 6 p.m. Friday, May 12, at Reiver Arena on its Council Bluffs Campus.

Heartland Christian School will hold its graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13 at Victory Fellowship Church, 2111 23rd Ave. in Council Bluffs. Heartlands last day of school will be May 17.

Graduation ceremonies for Council Bluffs Community Schools two high schools will be the following weekend. Abraham Lincoln High School will hold its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 19 at the Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way, and Thomas Jefferson will hold its ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 20 at the MAC. The school districts last day of school will be May 25.

St. Albert Catholic School will hold its graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 21 in the school gymnasium. The last day of the academic year for the school will be May 25.

Lewis Central Community School District will hold its graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 28 at the MAC and its last day of classes on Friday, June 2.
This weekend, Bayliss Park will host a variety of events as part of Celebrate This is a week-long celebration of Council Bluffs, founded over 50 years ago by the school system.

Friday 5/12

Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee CookoutWhat: The Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee will host a barbecue with $12 steak sandwiches and $10 hamburgers with a side of chips and drink. All proceeds from the event will fund scholarships for students studying careers in agriculture.

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Carnival in Bayliss Park

What: Carnival rides, games and food trucks will fill the park Thursday through Sunday for four days of fun.

When: 5 to 10 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Scavenger Hunt on the Iowa West Art app

What: Download the

and leave it open while biking or driving to 10 locations throughout the community. For each site you visit, you will receive an entry to win one of three family-fun themed prize baskets from The 712 Initiative.

When: May 6 through May 13

Saturday 5/13

Carnival in Bayliss Park

20180518_new_celebrate_cb_carnival_1.jpg Workers set up rides along First Avenue, including the Paratrooper, pictured above, as they get ready for the opening of the annual Celebrate 

What: Carnival rides, games and food trucks will fill the park Thursday through Sunday for four days of fun.

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Celebrate CB Parade

051522-cbn-news-parade-p21 Heartland Properties volunteers pass miniature United States flags out to spectators ahead of the annual Celebrate CB parade in downtown Counc

What: The annual parade of floats, performances and music will showcase local business, schools and churches. The parade begins and ends in downtown Council Bluffs circling Bayliss Park. This years theme is magical moments. For schedule and more information, visit the 712 initiative website.

When: 10:30 a.m. to noon

Where: Downtown Council Bluffs

Kids Activities

What: Following the parade, bring the family to Bayliss Park for free childrens activities. Free yard games hosted by City Parks & Rec, obstacle course and healthy snack courtesy of YMCA, temporary tattoos, rubber duck in water ring toss, large Jenga game by the CB Schools Foundation, fire trucks, puppet painting, animal Olympics and more.

When: noon to 3 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Council Bluffs Kids Business Fair

What: Children grades first through 12th are invited to participate as vendors selling their creations or showcasing a service they provide. Support local youths hobbies and dreams by stopping by after the parade and during the childrens activities.

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Kanesville Symphony

Kanesville Symphony gathers musicians to make magic at Council Bluffs shows Violinists Nolan DeVries, left, and Christine McCollum with the Kanesville Symphony rehearse for their upcoming program, Haunted Harmonies at

What: Kanesville Symphony performance following the parade.

When: 1 to 3 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park

Sunday 5/14

Carnival at Bayliss Park

051522-cbn-news-parade-p32 Kids fly through the air on the Musical Chairs ride during the Celebrate CB carnival at Bayliss Park on Saturday, May 14, 2022. The Celebrat

What: Carnival rides, games and food trucks will fill the park Thursday through Sunday for four days of fun.

When: 1 to 7 p.m.

Where: Bayliss Park
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(CNN)  At least five people were killed in a shooting attack near a synagogue in Tunisia, Tunisian state news agency TAP reported on Wednesday, citing the country's interior ministry.

The attack, which took place in Djerba, killed three security officers, one of whom died in hospital after sustaining a serious injury, the ministry said, according to TAP.

Two visitors, a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French national, were also among the victims of the shooting, the Tunisian foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The Israeli foreign ministry said the Tunisian citizen who was killed in the attack was a dual Israeli national. The ministry said it is "in contact with the family members of the deceased and is prepared to assist."

France's foreign ministry condemned the "heinous attack," expressing its "concern and deep sadness".

The identity of the shooter -- who was killed by security forces -- has not been made known so far.

The attack came amid an annual pilgrimage to the island of Djerba that draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel, Reuters reported.

La Ghriba is Africa's oldest synagogue, a revered and iconic location at the heart of the island, according to Reuters. It was built on the site of a Jewish temple that is believed to date back almost 1,900 years.

Authorities did not identify a motive for the attack but Islamist militants have previously targeted the pilgrimage in Djerba and have staged other attacks in the country, according to Reuters.

One of the most well-known attacks is the 2002 truck bombing by al Qaeda militants, which killed 21 Western tourists -- prompting high security at the synagogue in the following years.

This story was first published on CNN.com,, "At least five killed in attack near synagogue in Tunisia"
The Republic of Cabo Verde has reaffirmed its steadfast support to Moroccos territorial integrity and the Moroccan autonomy plan offering a realistic solution to the Sahara regional conflict.

The support stand comes in a joint press release issued Tuesday in Rabat following the 2nd meeting of the Morocco-Cape Verde cooperation commission held under co-chairmanship of the two countries foreign ministers, Nasser Bourita and Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares.

The top diplomat of Cape Verde renewed on this occasion his countrys attachment to the UN exclusive framework for reaching a realistic, practical and lasting solution to the Sahara dispute.

Mr. Soares also affirmed that the opening of a Cape Verde Consulate General in the Moroccan Saharan city of Dakhla in June 2022, is a recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.

The meeting of the Moroccan-Cape Verdan joint commission was crowned with the signing of nine cooperation agreements aimed at boosting investment, strengthening economic & commercial ties, partnership in renewable energies, housing & sustainable development, youth promotion and womens empowerment.
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have declared a ten-day curfew in the town on Binku, Maniema province, near capital Kinshasa, to tackle insecurity after the death of nine people killed in an attack.

Afani Idrissa Mangala, governor of the province made the announcement indicating that curfew will go from 8pm to 6am the following day. The decision came after a Sunday attack during which unidentified armed men carried out a pre-dawn attack on the village of Yosso, killing nine people, including two children.

Five people were seriously hurt and the southern part of the village was completely burned down, AFP reports.

The province has reportedly been a theater of conflict between the Teke, who consider themselves the historic settlers of a swathe of around 200 kilometers (120 miles) of land on the bank of the Congo River, and the Yaka, who the Teke say arrived after them.

The curfew also came on the back of a confrontation between youth of 3z district and security forces. Three youth were shot dead while a top army commander sustained serious injuries.
More than 13,000 women and children have fled islands on the Niger River in western Niger following strings of deadly attacks staged by terrorists, state radio Voix du Sahel said.

The radio indicated that Women and children fleeing the remote islands have sought safety in Ayorou, a town 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Nigerien capital Niamey.

State-run media blamed atrocities (by) armed bandits, a term typically used for suspected jihadists.

Local sources also blame ethnic violence in the area. Last Saturday, four civilians were killed in Dessa, a town in the region, also a theater of atrocities committed by bandits.

Nigers western region which also includes Tillaberi province near the border with Burkina Faso and Mali, is grappling with a jihadist insurgency.

The country is also grappling with jihadist insurgents from Nigeria, in its South-east region.
Tuesday night was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the organization of Habitat of Humanity in North Platte. This year will see the completion of Habitat houses Nos. 65 and 66.

It was also a program in honor of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, longtime strong supporters of Habitat for Humanity. North Platte Mayor Brandon Kelliher read a proclamation designating May 9 as President Jimmy Carter Day.

The legacy of the Carters is something that needs to be shared, said Michelle ODea, outreach and volunteers services coordinator for North Platte Area Habitat for Humanity. One way that will happen is through a mural to be unveiled on Oct. 4, the planned opening of the organizations ReStore in the old Carhart Lumber store at Front and Sycamore.

Artists are invited to submit their designs for a mural by 4:30 p.m. June 16. The selected artist will be announced on July 28, and will receive $1,000 plus supplies.

Members of the community also have an opportunity to support the organization by purchasing bricks to be personalized with their names, names of their family members, favorite sayings, etc. The bricks will form a wall in the store and may be ordered for $100 each. The order deadline is Aug. 1.

Dalene Skates, executive director for the North Platte Habitat said the ReStore will give people an opportunity to donate good building materials, appliances and furniture for others to purchase. The receipts will provide funds to help Habitat for Humanity be sustainable well into the future.

Skates said that many other Habitat for Humanity affiliates operate ReStores, and that people have already donated many items for the local store.

Telegraph reporter Todd von Kampen shared a lot of the background that culminated in Tuesdays celebration. That included a tribute to those who lit the spark that kindled the local organization, particularly the late Keith Blackledge, who was inspired by Jill Claflin that something like this could happen here. Both were previous executive editors of the Telegraph.

Claflin had moved to Americus, Georgia, to work as director of creative services for the Habitat for Humanity international headquarters and conveyed her excitement back to Blackledge.

I consider it a privilege to have observed Jimmy Carter up close in a variety of circumstances, Claflin said, speaking to the audience on Tuesday night. Carter was motivated by three things, said Claflin: The depth of his faith, the breadth of his knowledge and his love of community.

Claflin recounted that she had attended the church where the Carters taught Sunday School class.

What captured my attention was that he and Roslyn were listed to do lawn care for the church that week, she said.

Jimmy Carter often checked on local people and businesses in Plains, Georgia, to see how they were doing, Claflin said. He even attended the grand opening of a Dollar General store. Every year he would organize a softball game between local people and his Secret Service detail.

Once Jimmy and Roselyn rode a bus with volunteers from Georgia to a project in New York City. Volunteers were to spend the night in a hall at a church, but a private room in the church had been set aside for the Carters. However, the Carters learned that a newlywed couple had chosen to spend their honeymoon time on the service project, so the Carters gave up their room for the couple.

Claflin shared many other experiences, including a Habitat project in Thailand. As crews from each house joined together a man took her hand, and said, Wouldnt it be wonderful if everyone in the world could feel what were feeling.

None of the barriers that come between people, such as nationality, religious or political beliefs, or even language, could be felt that day.

Similar feelings occur here as people selected to become Habitat Homeowners, called partner families, are joined by volunteers in building the homes.

There are always three special occasions along the way, Skates said: First is the day the family finds out that they have been selected. Last is dedication day. The other special moment occurs sometime during the building process, she said. Recipients see all the people there at the building site to help, and they get a little emotional.

One of those new homeowners is Amy Kaufman. She applied twice, at the encouragement of Skates, and was accepted the second time.

When they say youre a partner family, its a wonderful feeling, she said. She would drive by the lot every day, anticipating groundbreaking. Outside the time she spent at her job at a local restaurant, she was there, working alongside volunteers to make it happen. I was (even) on the roof in 100 degree weather, Kaufman said.

Now, Every time I walk into my house I ring my doorbell ... I never had one before ... I get to play with my grandson on my carpet, knowing its safe ... I never thought I would own a house. And now, she not only owns a house, but the windows even open.

I will help build another house, for someone else, she said.

To qualify to become partner families, people must:

Be in need of better housing.

Have the ability to make monthly mortgage payments of $450-$550 (but unable to receive a conventional loan).

Be willing to partner with to build their house and complete 400 hours of sweat equity.

Thrivent Financial partners with Habitat for Humanity in developing financial resources. Dave Hovden, financial advisor for Thrivent, explained that there are many ways people can leave a legacy to the organization by through donations of cash, bequeaths, beneficiary designations, etc.

For information about the mural project, buying a brick, applying to be a partner family, etc., go online to npahfh.org.
A subject mulled by North Platte City Council members in the recent past  namely, how they might de-blight TIF-eligible areas  is addressed in a bill that only recently reached the Unicameral floor.

An Urban Affairs Committee amendment to Legislative Bill 532 would allow city councils or village boards to pass a resolution declaring that a given part of their community no longer qualifies as a substandard and blighted area.

That would not only remove the option of using tax increment financing in such an area but also lower the percentage of a towns blighted land within its limits. That in turn would allow other areas to be declared TIF-eligible if they qualify under state law.

Council members publicly discussed whether they could legally reverse the TIF eligibility process in multiple council meetings prior to 2022, when North Platte annexed Lee Bird Field and several connecting parcels.

The would-be de-blighting procedure in LB 532s amendment duplicates the language of an Urban Affairs Committee bill (LB 797) that the panel introduced in the 2022 Legislature but didnt advance.

Several other TIF-related proposals are included in the committee amendment, including one to require a review of an areas TIF status if its been eligible for more than 30 years.

Committee members, who include Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, voted 5-2 to advance the bill and its amendment for debate by the full Legislature.

But it wasnt reported to the floor for action until May 3, making it unlikely that senators will consider LB 532 before the 2024 session.

North Platte Planning Administrator Judy Clark said Tuesday that it would be great to have an option to de-blight if a community feels it is necessary.

But she and Mayor Brandon Kelliher agreed that the conditions that led the council to talk about reversing the TIF process arent as pressing since the airports annexation as they once were.

It might be an interesting conversation, probably for somebody after me in the mayors office, Kelliher said.

State law says cities North Plattes size cant have more than 35% of its land inside its city limits designated as substandard and blighted.

The citys percentage was edging near the 30% level after a series of TIF-eligible declarations through 2021. They included the long Newberry Access strip from U.S. Highway 30 to Interstate 80 including the Sustainable Beef LLC project site and the Exit 179 quadrant where Wilkinson Cos. will build a Fat Dogs truck stop.

Council members on at least two occasions asked during meetings how the city might lift TIF-eligible status from land where TIF projects have been completed. Discussions ended without a clear answer.

Kelliher said city officials talked during that time with Mike Bacon of Gothenburg, counsel for the citys Community Redevelopment Authority, about what that might look like. But they were just theoretical.

The Lee Bird annexation, which brought nearly 2,000 acres inside city limits, lowered North Plattes TIF-eligible percentage at that time from 26.4% to 21.6%.

After additional smaller annexations and substandard and blighted designations, Clark said, the citys TIF-eligible percentage now stands at about 20.5%. So the city is still in a pretty good position, she said.

Nine economic development projects that have received TIF since 1999 have come fully onto property tax rolls, including the Walmart Distribution Center, Menards, Ramada by Wyndham and Holiday Inn Express.

LB 532s committee amendment would let a city do a study or analysis of a TIF-eligible area to determine whether the conditions that led to the relevant designation still exist.

Property owners receiving TIF receive annual reimbursements toward their eligible redevelopment costs for up to 15 years from property taxes generated by the increase in their taxable values.

Removing their areas TIF-eligible status wouldnt affect them if they havent yet gotten their full reimbursements or their 15-year clock hasnt expired, according to the proposed LB 532 amendment.

If an area outside a citys or villages downtown has been TIF-eligible for more than 30 years, it adds, its governing board couldnt approve more TIF projects in that area without completing an analysis of the projects already completed there.
Photo: Ben Hendren/Bloomberg via Getty Images

As a young conservative congressman, Ron DeSantis supported Social Security and Medicare reforms that really amounted to benefit cuts or deferrals. There was nothing unique about this; most Republicans shared this stance before Donald Trumps semi-hostile takeover of the party. But now that DeSantis is preparing to run for president, his support for gutting wildly popular federal retirement programs is a huge liability  and the Florida governor has already shown he lacks the political instincts to mitigate the damage.

DeSantis could have accepted the new political reality and simply flip-flopped on retirement programs like the current Republicans in Congress who insist they wouldnt even think of messing with Social Security and Medicare. Instead, DeSantis has let Trump pummel him on the issue with constant sniping about his untrustworthiness on the subject. As my colleague Jonathan Chait recently noted:

Donald Trump has unleashed a barrage of charges and insults at Ron DeSantis with varying levels of connection to reality, but one line of attack in particular stands out. Trump is drawing attention to DeSantiss prior support for cutting and privatizing Social Security and Medicare.

People are finding out that Ron wanted to destroy Social Security and raise its minimum age to 70, and he fought very hard to do it, Trump said. He also had strong plans for cutting Medicare and still does.

Now, DeSantiss surrogates have begun to fire back, mostly deploying the Sos your old man argument that Trump has hinted at support for entitlement reform in the past, too. The governor finally responded himself in a Friday interview with Newsmax, but his answer basically amounted to whining about Trump sounding like a Democrat. As The Hill reports:

DeSantis said in the interview that Republicans needed to be able to discuss changes to the programs, but he blasted Trump for resorting to Democrat tactics.

Clearly, nobody has ever proposed to do anything to affect the current senior citizens, he said.

A pro-DeSantis super PAC last month launched a TV ad defending him on Social Security and going after Trump for his attacks. The interview from DeSantis echoed some of the same framing from the ad.

Donald Trump is being attacked by a Democrat prosecutor in New York, the narrator in the ad released last month said. So why is he spending millions attacking the Republican governor of Florida? Trumps stealing pages from the Biden-Pelosi playbook.

This interview only underscores that Trump understands the politics of retirement programs and DeSantis really doesnt. Its true that defending Social Security and Medicare from endless Republican efforts to cut, cap, or sunset various elements of the programs has been a favorite Democratic tactic dating back to LBJs savaging of Barry Goldwater in 1964. Thats because these programs are extremely popular, exactly as they are, with voters at every age level and across party lines. The evidence is overwhelming and universal. A March Ipsos poll showed 88 percent of Americans, including 84 percent of Republicans, opposing spending cuts in Social Security or Medicare. A Kaiser tracking poll the same month showed 78 percent of Republicans having a favorable opinion of Social Security and 79 percent of Republicans feeling the same way about Medicare. Raising the retirement age is unpopular too: According to a recent Quinnipiac survey, 78 percent of Americans (including 77 percent of Republicans) oppose that reform.

Republicans often try to avoid enraging seniors by proposing Social Security or Medicare spending cuts that are phased in for future beneficiaries. Thats why DeSantis said he hadnt supported anything that would affect the current senior citizens. But this reform isnt popular either. George W. Bushs 2005 proposal to partially privatize Social Security benefits for future retirees was rejected by a nearly 4-1 margin in an ABCWashington Post poll at that time. Public opinion on the issues hasnt changed; a March Fox News poll found 82 percent of respondents opposing Social Security cuts limited to future retirees. And that same poll showed Republican support for measures to subsidize Social Security and Medicare to maintain current benefits strengthening significantly during the past ten years.

So why do Republican politicians (other than Trump) keep getting this wrong? The problem is that conservatives with any sort of intellectual bent tend to think of Social Security and Medicare as vestiges of the New Deal and Great Society initiatives, which they deeply despise. As Chait explained, that very much describes DeSantis:

His first book articulates a theory that has circulated among elite right-wing economic elites for decades: that redistribution through taxes and spending via the ballot box poses an existential threat to liberty. His devotion to that theory helped drive him to take positions (in favor of cutting and privatizing Social Security and Medicare) that now constitute perhaps his biggest political liabilities.

But rank-and-file Republicans dont share this view; they tend to think of Social Security and Medicare not as redistributive or welfare programs but as earned benefits. Thats partly because they contribute to these programs via payroll taxes (though Medicare in particular is heavily subsidized via general revenues) and partly because they view these benefits as a reward for a lifetime of work. The psychological connection between previous labor and future benefits also helps insulate retirement programs from the kind of conservative hostility that leads them to demand work requirements for beneficiaries of most other government programs; in this case, the work has presumably already been done.

You have to be an ideologue like DeSantis to defy this remarkably consistent positive feeling toward Social Security and Medicare among Republican voters, particularly on an issue that most impacts the portion of the electorate most likely to vote in both primaries and general elections. Trump isnt bothered by any need for intellectual consistency; he sees a political opportunity and demagogues it without hesitation. And thats one major reason why hes now comfortably leading DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination and may actually be more electable.
Business formal. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

George Santos was hit with 13 criminal counts on Tuesday, including wire fraud and money laundering. Though the alleged crimes werent particularly surprising, federal prosecutors allegation that he solicited political contributions in order to pay for personal items including luxury designer clothing harkens back to a recurring theme for the biggest liar in Congress: his passion for fashion.

In 2008, when Santos was living in Brazil, he wrote checks stolen from an elderly man to purchase $1,300 in shoes and clothing from a Rio de Janeiro store. Earlier this year, Santos reached a deal with Brazilian prosecutors to confess to the crime and pay damages to the victim, a store clerk he defrauded.

Voting on Election Day called for a Burberry quilted jacket. Photo: Chris Ware/Newsday RM via Getty Images/Newsday via Getty Images

Years later, when Santos was living in the U.S., he allegedly stole clothes from his roommates in Queens. Two former roommates told Patch that Santos had taken an Armani shirt and a $500 Burberry shirt from them. They also accused him of stealing a Burberry scarf, which they believed he wore under a camel-hair overcoat during his speech at a Stop the Steal rally in Washington on January 5, 2021, after his first failed run for Congress.

Clothing played a key role in the image Santos cultivated for himself as a successful businessman seeking office. As David Freedlander wrote earlier this year, Santos seemed to be constantly competing with everyone around him, making sure it was known that he had the better shoes, clothes, watches, and car.

A chilly day at the Capitol calls for a quarter-zip pullover. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

Even after he copped to embellishing parts of his resume late last year, Santos kept shopping. When the New York Post caught him heading into his sisters apartment after he was exposed, Santos was seen carrying a Hermes bag.

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Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Tonight, Donald Trump will participate in a CNN town hall in his first appearance on the network since his 2016 campaign. CNN is treating this like business as usual, though the network has been ripped for giving Trump a platform after he instigated the Capitol riot, became the first former president placed under arrest, and was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll.

There is no change to our format because of the unique nature of Donald Trumps candidacy, David Chalian, CNNs political director, told the New York Times. CNNs role of bringing a candidate into direct touch with voters in this town hall format has been and continues to be a staple of our presidential campaign coverage.

Trump has largely been relegated to podcasts and conservative media outlets since the end of his presidency, so his return to a mainstream media outlet is notable. But a CNN report previewing the town hall described it, boringly, as a sign that Trump is pursuing a strategy of expanding his appeal by reaching out to audiences beyond friendly conservative media outlets.

Good thing Trump, ever the showman, knows how to promote this thing properly. In a video posted to his Truth Social account on Wednesday afternoon (and quickly recirculated by his fans on larger social-media platforms), Trump preemptively lashed out at CNN and turned the high possibility that the town hall will be a train wreck into a selling point.

Ill be doing CNN tonight live from the great state of New Hampshire because CNN is rightfully desperate to get those fantastic Trump ratings back, Trump said. They were ratings like none other, and they want them back.

Trump then made his return to mainstream media sound like some kind of cease-fire brokered by Vito Corleone, saying, They made me a deal I couldnt refuse.

And finally, he teased that this could be the start of a beautiful new friendship  or a must-watch TV disaster! Could be the beginning of a new and vibrant CNN with no more fake news or it could be a total disaster for all  including me! Lets see what happens, tonight at eight oclock, he said.

President Donald J. Trump: I'll be doing CNN tonight live from the great state of New Hampshire because CNN is rightfully desperate to get those fantastic Trump ratings back!



Tune in TONIGHT at 8PM ET! pic.twitter.com/skg35KoE3A  Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) May 10, 2023

Of course, this wont be a new chapter for Trump and the so-called fake news. Trump has played this game before, like when he complained before a 2020 presidential debate that moderator Kristen Welker was terrible and unfair.

Shes always been terrible & unfair, just like most of the Fake News reporters, but Ill still play the game. The people know! Hows Steve Scully doing? https://t.co/uS3EWzfFPy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2020

CNNs Kaitlan Collins will certainly ask some question that Trump doesnt like, and tomorrow hell call her fake news. While Trump made a compelling pitch, theres actually no way that the town hall can be a total disaster for him, at least in the eyes of his supporters.
(CNN)  Police in China have detained a man they say used ChatGPT to create fake news and spread it online, in what state media has called the country's first criminal case related to the AI chatbot.

According to a statement from police in the northwest province of Gansu, the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate a bogus report about a train crash, which he then posted online for profit. The article received about 15,000 views, the police said in Sunday's statement.

ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it.

Train crashes have been a sensitive issue in China since 2011, when authorities faced pressure to explain why state media had failed to provide timely updates on a bullet train collision in the city of Wenzhou that resulted in 40 deaths.

Gansu authorities said the suspect, surnamed Hong, was questioned in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province on May 5.

"Hong used modern technology to fabricate false information, spreading it on the internet, which was widely disseminated," the Gansu police said in the statement.

"His behavior amounted to picking quarrels and provoking trouble," they added, explaining the offense that Hong was accused of committing.

New rules

Police said the arrest was the first in Gansu since China's Cyberspace Administration enacted new regulations in January to rein in the use of deep fakes. State broadcaster CGTN says it was the country's first arrest of a person accused of using ChatGPT to fabricate and spread fake news.

Formally known as deep synthesis, deep fake refers to highly realistic textual and visual content generated by artificial intelligence.

The new legislation bars users from generating deep fake content on topics already prohibited by existing laws on China's heavily censored internet. It also outlines take down procedures for content considered false or harmful.

The arrest also came amid a 100-day campaign launched by the internet branch of the Ministry of Public Security in March to crack down on the spread of internet rumors.

Since the beginning of the year, Chinese internet giants such as Baidu and Alibaba have sought to catch up with OpenAI, launching their own versions of the ChatGPT service.

Baidu unveiled "Wenxin Yiyan" or "ERNIE Bot" in March. Two months later, Alibaba launched "Tongyi Qianwen," which roughly translates as seeking truth by asking a thousand questions.

In draft guidelines issued last month to solicit public feedback, China's cyberspace regulator said generative AI services would be required to undergo security reviews before they can operate.

Service providers will also be required to verify users' real identities, as well as providing details about the scale and type of data they use, their basic algorithms and other technical information.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Chinese police detain man for allegedly using ChatGPT to spread rumors online."
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges alleging a financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.

Santos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didnt deserve.

Santos, 34, was released from custody on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities.

Santos has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment.

He previously defied calls to resign as details of his fictitious resume came to light. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.

Live updates here:

Photos: Rep. George Santos, R-NY
news

Naturi Harris and Marcus McGahee receive Ouachitas Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award

Ouachita Baptist University students Naturi Harris and Marcus McGahee have been named the recipients of the 2023 Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award for Black student leaders. They both will receive $2,500.

Naturi Harris

Established in 2020, the scholarship honors the legacy of civil rights activist and Arkadelphia native Annie Abrams of Little Rock, Ark., and recognizes students who have demonstrated leadership and service within Ouachitas Multicultural Organization Reaching Equality (MORE), living out the universitys mission to live lives of meaningful work.

Abrams, 91, is a historian, career educator and longtime civil rights activist who was named to Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2010. Among her honors, she was presented with the Making of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Award by Coretta Scott King and received the 2018 First Ladys Woman in Public Service Award from the Womens Foundation of Arkansas.

For six decades, Mrs. Abrams has given her life to make life better for others, said Michael Barnes, director of Multicultural Student Programs at Ouachita. The scholarship award is intended to encourage Ouachita students to become servant leaders and to also make a difference where they will eventually live and work.

Harris, a sophomore psychology and criminal justice double major from DeWitt, Ark., is a member of the Multicultural Student Programs Gospel Choir, MORE, Psychology Women in STEM and the Sociology and Criminology Society. She also serves as a TRIO mentor, helping underrepresented students in their pursuit of a college degree.

Marcus McGahee

It is truly an honor to be awarded with this unexpected scholarship, Harris said. There have been many talks with God about removing my educational financial burdens, so I am grateful for the blessings and people God has placed around me to choose me for this award.

According to Barnes, Harris loves to share the gospel and motivate others to continue striving for their dreams by utilizing God's word.

McGahee, a freshman sociology major from Searcy, Ark., is a member of the Ouachita track team and is involved in his hometown church, Connection Assembly Church.

I am honored to have been selected for this award, said McGahee. When I received the call, I was in shock at the unexpected, good news. I hope to continue to represent myself and the Ouachita community in a positive light.

Marcus received recommendations from several faculty due to his character and conduct, Barnes recalled. We expect great things from this young man.

To donate to the Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award fund, visit obu.edu/give and list Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award in the instructions line. For information about Ouachitas Multicultural Student Programs, contact Michael Barnes at barnesm@obu.edu or at (870) 245-5173.
fuck around and find out

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It's laughable how bad he was at his crimes.



That should be an extra charge.

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If you're going to be bad, at least do it well.

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That's all I'm saying!

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I love all of the memes about this. I found out about this because my husband texted me, I can't believe they arrested the man who single handedly invented and distributed the polio vaccine today!

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I can't believe they're doing this to him after his mom died in 9/11

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The funeral was yesterday, too.

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Youd think people would treat the CEO of Hardees better, but thats the state of the world these days.

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Oh hell nah we are NAWT gonna besmirch the good name of BALTO.

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After all the work he's done caring for lepers too!

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I don't think his father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would be too pleased to hear about this.

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i just feel bad for his kids. TWINS.

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I see he decided to go the Teresa and Joe Guidice route where you commit blatant fraud and then go flaunt your wealth out in public and draw lots of attention to yourself which ultimately causes your downfall. He just can't help himself. Literally a pathological need for attention and taking risks

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George Santos was a great American grifter. This is a tough blow to the scam community. Please respect our privacy at this time. pic.twitter.com/MHCRN4geKE  Scam Goddess (@ScamGoddessPod) May 10, 2023



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LMAOOOOOOOOOO I love the host of this pod

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Same

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those duck lips do lie

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this mf pleaded not guilty lmao



what a shitshow

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Wait he killed a dog?

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Indirectly yes. He stole money from a homeless veteran in a wheel chair who was trying to get vet care for his dog, the dog to died bc it couldn't get care, it's hyperbolic to call him a murderer but I don't care because fuck him. I'm still so mad about it. Literally an animal suffered because he's a greedy scamming piece of shit

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I knew he stole money from a vet and his dog but didn't know the dog died. What a piece of trash. Also, so cruel to do to anyone but especially a homeless person. Poor dog and vet

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He stole money from a homeless veteran in a wheel chair who was trying to get vet care for his dog



The way my jaw dropped

wtf is wrong with this man

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How did he steel it? Like from a hat or a fund or what? I'm trying to measure the level of pettiness.

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I'm sorry, I don't read. There's a comment below explaining.

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Nah hes def a murderer for this.

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I mean, not with his own hands.



But he told a veteran that he was raising money for the veteran's dog's cancer treatments and then stole the money so the dog died without treatment.

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Edited at 2023-05-10 06:38 pm (UTC)

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For the longest time and I didnt get the hype, baby Yoda was just like a less creepy Furbie to me. No absolutely no reason I randomly decided to watch a few Grogu clips and now Im in love and eternally sad I cant have one :(

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This is The Way.

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Take him down!!!! Remove him from office! And then we will hopefully never have to speak of him again.

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And the gop is still not going to ask him to resign.

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BREAKING: Rep. George Santos has been charged by the Justice Department as a result of being gay pic.twitter.com/qSTjRQhkqU  Liv (@Liv_Agar) May 10, 2023





jail ha! jail ha!

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Even his face seems fake, I am half waiting the moment he pulls a mask off

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#manofthepeople I'm convinced he's the first member of Congress who learned to do makeup from watching videos on instagram #faceofageneration

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How dare they arrest decorated war hero, brain surgeon, World Series champion, first man on the moon George Santos! And on his birthday too! It was also his birthday yesterday and tomorrow too! Poor chap..

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Not surprising but still jarring that Republicans knew he was a predator and still let junior staffers around him. I'm still battling to wrap my head around that one.

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i mean, they literally are keeping Matt Gaetz in office, sadly nothing is surprising anymore.

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OSHA, Georgia Agencies Collaborate to Encourage Mental Health Discussions through Stand-Downs

The partnership between OSHA, Georgia Department of Public Health and Mental Health America of Georgia was announced during National Mental Health Awareness Month.

A new collaboration between OSHA and Georgia agencies focuses on the discussion of mental health in the workplace.

According to a news release, OSHA, Georgia Department of Public Health and Mental Health America of Georgias partnership promotes the use of safety-stand downs to talk about this. During a stand-down, everyone takes a break from working to discuss a topic, in this case, caring for their mental health and supporting their co-workers' well-being.

The three-pillar objective provides information, resources and empowerment to help employers reduce exposure to mental health stressors and prevent work-related suicide, per the news release.

Although workplace suicides reached a 27-year high in 2019 with a total of 307 suicides, they decreased in 2020 to 259 and again in 2021 to 236, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When it comes to work-related stress, OSHA reports that about four in five employees in the U.S. (or 83 percent) are affected.

"Nearly everyone faces workplace stress. Left unchecked, the strain may lead to serious mental illness. Employers must recognize these mental health challenges can have a direct impact on workers' and co-workers' safety and health. Guiding employees toward resources to protect and improve workers' mental health makes good business sense," said OSHA Area Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West in the news release. "OSHA offers many resources and materials for employers to develop workplace programs to support mental health and help employees seek assistance."

To learn more about stress or to read OSHA resources, visit the agencys workplace stress page.

The collaboration was announced during National Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mild spring weather with low gas demand combined with pipeline maintenance to drag spot natural gas prices at the Waha hub in West Texas into negative territory this week.

Next-day prices for Wednesday at the Waha hub in the Permian closed on Tuesday at -$0.35 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), per data from Refinitiv cited by Reuters.

The last time prices at Waha sank to below zero was in October 2022, as spot prices were facing pressure from the unfortunate combination of unseasonably warm weather, flourishing production, and takeaway capacity constraints.

Back then, intraday pricing levels were in negative territory, but the settlements in those days were in positive territory.

On Tuesday, however, Waha spot natural gas prices settled in negative territory, for the first time since October 2020, according to Refinitiv data.

The downward pressure on prices came from lower demand amid mild weather and increased maintenance on gas pipelines in this period of generally low consumption.

The U.S. benchmark, Henry Hub, fell early on Wednesday amid low demand after gaining 1% to a one-week high on Tuesday.

Yesterdays gains resulted from estimated lower U.S. daily natural gas production and lower imports from Canada, where wildfires shut in some oil and gas production.

As of early on Tuesday, wildfires in Canada had resulted in the shut-in of 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from the countrys oil and natural gas production, or 3.7% of all output, as operators shut down producing fields and processing plants.

Canadas natural gas exports to the U.S. were at a 25-month low of 6.7 bcfd on Tuesday, per Refinitiv data.

Between May 9 and 15, natural gas demand in the United States is expected to be low, according to NatGasWeather.com. National demand is set to be light in the coming days amid mild and comfortable temperatures despite heavy showers and thunderstorms expected across the U.S.

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By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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Despite oils most recent slump to a 15-month low last week, analysts and investment banks continue to expect higher prices at the end of this year as demand is set to pick up with the driving season, and supply is bound to tighten with the OPEC+ cuts in the second half of 2023.

Concerns about demand in a possible recession and renewed fears of further bank collapses sent oil prices to their lowest level since December 2021 in the middle of last week. In the week to May 5, oil ended its third consecutive week of weekly declinesthe longest weekly losing streak since November last year.

Oils Latest Crash

Data from exchanges showed that traders and speculators fled the oil market in the week to May 2 due to concerns about the economy and the banking sector. Open interest in the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, is now at a three-year low. Lower open interest and liquidity in the market is bound to make price swings even more extreme, according to analysts.

Driven by heavy selling in energy, bullish bets on the major commodities futures plunged by one-third in the latest reporting week to the lowest since June 2020, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, noted.

During an eight week period the crude oil market has seen a banking crisis, an Opec cut driving a spike and subsequent focus on gap closing, and fresh demand concerns, Hansen commented.

The Fed rate hike last week and intensified concerns about a looming recession shifted the focus of the market participants  again  to the macroeconomic picture and away from fundamentals.

But according to analysts, fundamentals point to a tighter oil market in the second half of the year, which, barring a major recession, would drive oil prices higher from the current levels in the low to mid-$70s per barrel. Related: China Is Coming Out Of The Shadows To Defend Its Oil Interests

Banks Expect Higher Prices Through Year-End

Despite last weeks price plunge, Goldman Sachs this weekend reiterated its call for Brent Crude reaching $95 in December 2023 and hitting the $100 per barrel mark next year.

Our forecast remains that Brent rises to $95 per barrel by December and $100 per barrel by April 2024 as we expect large deficits in H2, analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote in a note carried by CNBC.

Concerns about near-term demand and a large oversupply look overblown, according to the investment bank, especially in light of the new OPEC+ production cuts beginning this month.

The OPEC+ group surprised the oil market in early April by announcing additional cuts to production between May and December 2023 to ensure the stability of the market.

OPEC+ ministers are meeting again on June 4, and reports have it that the meeting will be held in person. The last time OPEC+ ministers met in person in Vienna was in October 2022, when the alliance announced the initial oil production cuts from November 2022 through December 2023.

Analysts are not ruling out another OPEC+ action to support prices, although the alliance has always denied it is aiming at a particular price level.

Yet, the latest estimate from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pegs the breakeven oil price for OPECs de facto leader and the worlds top crude oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, at $80.90 per barrel. Thats the price of oil the Kingdom will need to balance its budget this year, suggesting that the Saudis  and its Gulf allies  may not be too happy with prices staying in the low to mid-$70s for too long.

As oil was heading to a third week of weekly losses, ING strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said on Friday that Sentiment clearly remains negative, which suggests that there could be some further downside in the near term, although, we would expect the market to find good support near the March lows of around US$70/bbl.

The bank continues to expect a deficit in the market in the second half of the year.

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 2H23, which should drive prices higher, INGs strategists said.

In the absence of material deterioration in the macroeconomic picture and as long as Wall Street believes that the Fed will cut rates later this year, oil prices could stabilize, according to Ed Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA.

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The oil market was extremely oversold and it will probably continue to stabilize as long as Wall Street is still confident the Fed will cut rates later this year, Moya said on Monday.

Oil prices wont be able to rise that much from here given all the growth demand fears, but expectations are high for OPEC+ to try to keep prices above the $70 a barrel level.

WTI Crude is expected to tick up from current levels in the low $70s and form a range above the mid-$70s to the mid-$80s if the macro backdrop doesnt completely deteriorate, Moya added.

There are a lot of risks on the table, but optimism is growing for debt ceiling drama and banking jitters to remain as short-term problems, the analyst noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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In April 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Rasit Meredow, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkmenistan for a working meeting in Washington, D.C. The meeting followed the Blinken-Meredow meeting at the U.S.-Central Asia (C5+1) ministerial meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan in February 2023.

The U.S. statement on the meeting lacked detail but highlighted the officials discussed the need to rapidly reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, which is a priority for in the U.S. administrations climate action plan.

What might the envoys have discussed?

The U.S. was probably pleased that Israel and Turkmenistan have upgraded relations and Israel now has an embassy in Ashgabat. Of concern to Ashgabat should be Irans reaction to what it may interpret as a change in the countrys policy of permanent neutrality. Iran has lately been aggressive towards Azerbaijan, implying Israels embassy in Baku will inflame tensions between Tehran and Baku. Is Turkmenistan in for the same treatment?

Russia is supplying fuel products to Iran by rail, via Turkmenistan. Did the U.S. urge Turkmenistan to impede the rail traffic, or monitor it and report to Washington? Will the U.S. and Israeli attaches in Ashgabat cooperate to gather information on deliveries to Iran?

Iran-Turkmenistan trade is increasing with trade in the first six months of 2022 greater than in all of 2021. President Berdimuhamedow visited Iran in June 2022 and the countries made several agreements so more trade is likely. Did the U.S. threaten sanctions if trade increases?

Turkmenistan has been considered a possible natural gas supplier to Europe (via Turkey) for some time. Is that deal close to happening? Will the support the pipeline that will run under the Caspian Sea (to avoid crossing Iranian territory)? China loaned Turkmenistan $8 billion USD to expand its energy infrastructure and takes over 70% of its gas exports, so another source of financing and the opportunity to export to another large buyer will reduce Chinas influence.

The U.S. urged Turkmenistan to reduce methane emissions, which are some of the highest in the world. If Ashgabat can make progress on this issue, will it may buy U.S. cooperation, or at least non-interference, with stuff like trade with Iran? Ashgabat may remember the U.S. killed the EastMed natural gas pipeline that would have helped Europe diversify its energy sources as it clashed with Americas climate goals. Will the U.S. attack the pipeline if Turkmenistan cannot reduce methane emissions on Washingtons schedule? According to Scientific American methane capture technologies are new and untested so will the politics wait for the science to deliver? Though the U.S. and China jointly declared in 2020 to bolster monitoring, management and research of methane emissions, if China can commercialize methane capture technology first it will strengthen its position in Turkmenistan.

If Turkmenistan and the U.S. embark on closer relations, it may be part of Ashgabats policy to balance between the U.S., Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran, but will the U.S. expect balance to become tilt in its (and Israels) favor? Turkmenistan saw how casually the U.S. abandoned the Afghans after investing two decades and over $2 trillion USD in the failed effort and probably took the lesson about American insouciance in even the gravest matters.

Closer relations may run up against Turkmenistans declared policy of permanent neutrality that is recognized in a UN General Assembly resolution. And events, such as the recent visit of the commander of the U.S. Central Command, and the opening of the Israeli embassy may call that status into question. Turkmenistans Central Asian neighbors may not be concerned, but Iran will see the presence of more Americans and Israelis in the area as a prelude to an attack on its nuclear research centers and act accordingly.

What will Iran do?

Tehran probably wont do anything too public or that will impede traffic on the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) which, by one estimate, will double its exports to Eurasian countries. Iran will also want to continue its Look East policy that has seen closer relations (and more trade) with the Central Asian republics, and will support efforts such as the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Iran railway that will make Irans ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas options to the Middle Corridor, the favorite of the Americans as it avoids Iran.

Iran may enlist the help of Russia and China, both with influence in the Turkmen capital to put in a word about the hazards of getting too close to the Americans, and that the hazards will come from Washingtons short attention span, not they.

Iran can bring pressure to bear on Turkmenistan via the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea as the parties to the convention have resolved most, but not all the issues. The parties - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan  resolved to call the oil- and gas-rich sea an area of "special legal status" rather than a sea or a lake, and use bilateral negotiations to define seabed boundaries, which may favor Irans greater diplomatic resources (and the fact that it has Russia and Iran on speed dial.)

The American actor Woody Allen once said, 80 percent of success is showing up and that is something the American president has never done in Central Asia. The rulers of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, leave nothing to chance: Xj has visited every one of the republics and has been to Kazakhstan four times and Uzbekistan three times; Putin has visited Kazakhstan twenty-seven times (the countries share a 7,644-kilometre border), and has been to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at least a dozen times each.

The leaders of the Central Asian republics have cordial relations with Putin and Xi and know their limitations. A visit by the American president would signal Washingtons intent see the Central Asian republics not as tools in struggles against Kabul, Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow but as viable potential political and economic partners in a part of the world it ignored until it needed help in Afghanistan.

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Cash-strapped Pakistan hopes it can pay for future Russian crude oil deliveries in Chinese yuan, Pakistani Minister of Power, Khurram Dastgir Khan, told Bloomberg in an interview published on Wednesday.

Pakistan has so far ordered just one crude oil cargo from Russia, expected to arrive this month.

Pakistan expects to receive in May its first cargo loaded with discounted Russian crude after placing its first order for oil from Moscow under a new bilateral deal, Pakistans Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik told Reuters at the end of April.

The payment for the first cargo of Russian oil was made in U.S. dollars.

Pakistan is desperate to import energy at low costs after it was outspent on the market last year when oil and gas prices surged while its foreign exchange reserves dwindled. The country has a currency swap with China, which would make it easier to pay for crude than using the little U.S. dollar reserves it has.

We hope that if this becomes a long-term arrangement, itll become a rupee and Chinese currency transaction, the Pakistani minister Khan told Bloomberg, commenting on the imports of Russian crude oil.

A yuan payment would benefit both China and Russia.

China has been looking for years to establish more trade deals in yuan to increase the relevance of its currency on the global markets and challenge the U.S. dollars dominance in international trade, including in energy trade.

In March, Chinas President Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and the Russian president not only endorsed trade in yuan with China but also with other countries.

We support the use of Chinese yuan in payments between Russia and countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Putin was quoted as saying by Russian media.

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Over the past year, Russia has turned to trade in yuan in the wake of the Western sanctions on its exports, imports, and energy trade, as the Chinese currency has become Putins only alternative to reducing exposure to the U.S. dollar and the euro, and limiting the fallout of the sanctions that have seen Russian state assets seized in Western countries.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russian pipeline monopoly operator Transneft said on Wednesday that there was an attempt at a terrorist attack on a filling station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russias Bryansk region bordering Ukraine.

Yes, indeed, early this morning there was an attempt to commit a terrorist act against the Druzhba oil pipeline system at the Bryansk filling station, Transnefts representative Igor Demin told Russian news agency TASS, confirming an earlier report from a Telegram channel with links to Russias law enforcement agencies.

No injuries have been reported, Demin told TASS, adding that the incident is being investigated.

The Druzhba pipeline is a key artery of oil supply from Russia to Europe. It has two branches  a northern one via Belarus to deliver oil to Belarus, Poland, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania, and a southern one passing through Ukraine and sending oil to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia.

Flows through the Druzhba pipeline are exempted from the EU embargo on imports of Russian crude oil by sea that came into effect on December 5. The EU has exempted pipeline oil flows to landlocked EU member states from the ban.

There have been several reports in Russian media over the past months that Ukrainian forces have been targeting the infrastructure of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

In the middle of March, Transneft said it had found explosive devices near a pumping station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the region of Bryansk.

According to Demin, Russia suspects that drones dropped explosive devices in the vicinity of the Novozybkovo pumping station, which is typically used at peak loads on a one-time basis. The last time the pumping station was used was last year for a few hours.

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In February, representatives for Transneft told Russian media that the Novozybkovo pumping station was targeted on January 31 by Ukraine. The pipeline continued to operate under normal conditions, a representative said after a shell hit on the territory of the pumping station.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Tesla this week broke ground on a lithium refinery in Texas in the companys latest move aimed at ensuring a sufficient supply of critical materials for the manufacturing of its cars.

It is also part of a plan to expand Teslas presence across the EV supply chain, Reuters noted in a report on the news.

The refinery should be up and running by next year, and ready to ramp up a year later to an annual output sufficient for the production of 1 million EV batteries.

"As we look ahead a few years, a fundamental choke point in the advancement of electric vehicles is the availability of battery grade lithium," CEO Elon Musk said at the ceremony.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the project, noting this would make the state self-reliant with lithium processing.

Tesla will invest $375 million in the lithium refinery, to be located in Corpus Christi. The company plans to use a new method of lithium refining that is less polluting because it does not produce sodium sulfate as a byproduct because it uses sulfuric acid in the refining process.

Instead, the byproduct is a mixture of sand & calcium carbonatea viable additive in the production of construction materials, allowing us to make use of this waste stream, Tesla said, adding In the future, we will also process other intermediate lithium feedstocks, including those from recycled batteries & manufacturing scrap.

As for where the lithium for the new facility would come, Musk said Tesla will continue to buy the raw material from its current suppliers, which include Albemarle, Livent Corp, and Piedmont Lithium.

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At the same time, Musk recently begged entrepreneurs to enter the lithium refining business. During a Tesla conference call, the CEO of the company said "We're begging you. We don't want to do it. Can someone please?"

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Turkey has opted to defer until 2024 as much as $600 million in payments to Russia for natural gas deliveries, anonymous sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Last week, Turkeys Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said that the country had reached a deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom to defer part of the payments Turkey owes for natural gas supplies after the price jump last year.

Turkey, a major importer of energy products, has seen its public finances deteriorate since the beginning of the energy crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent oil and natural gas prices soaring in 2022.

Under the terms of the Turkey-Russia deal on payment postponements, Turkey could defer up to $4 billion of its energy import bill from Russia, according to Reuters sources.

Officially a payment worth $600 million has been postponed to next year. The increase in energy prices had a huge impact on this, one of the sources familiar with the agreement told Reuters today.

Turkey is targeting natural gas independence with recent huge finds of gas in the Black Sea and the start of gas transmission from the Sakarya Gas Field last month.

In April, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez told broadcaster CNN Turk that the volumes of natural gas that Turkey had found in the Black Sea were worth more than $500 billion. The huge gas finds would be enough to supply all households in the country for 35 years, or to cover total Turkish natural gas consumption, including from industry, for 15 to 20 years, the minister added.

The newly developed gas fields are set to go a long way toward Turkeys energy diversification. So far, the country has mostly relied on imports to procure energy supply. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has hit Turkeys economy and energy prices hard and has made energy imports much more expensive for Ankara.

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Recession fears rose to the forefront again on Wednesday following a surprise build in U.S. crude oil inventories that has shaved over a dollar off Brent and WTI prices in afternoon trading.



On Wednesday at 1:45 p.m., Brent crude was trading down 1.86% at $76.00 per barrel, for a $1.44 loss on the day, while West Texas Intermediate was trading down 2.13% at $72.14 per barrel, for a loss of $1.57 on the day.



Despite the ongoing draws in gasoline and distillates, the market is interpreting the Energy Information Administrations (EIA) data showing a larger-than-expected crude inventory build as an indication of weaker refinery runs. On Wednesday, the EIA reported a 3-million-barrel inventory build for the week to May 5.

Despite the concerns about the health of the U.S. economy, Data from HFI Research shows that gasoline storage levels remain below the 5-year average ahead of driving season.

Gasoline storage is at the lowest level for this time of the year ahead of the summer driving season. pic.twitter.com/lv6OZELqMt  HFI Research (@HFI_Research) May 10, 2023



This week's surprise crude build hit the market particularly hard due to the comparison with last weeks inventory draw of 1.3 million barrels. However, U.S. crude oil inventories are still 1% below the five-year average for this time of year.



Last week, oil prices hit a 15-month low, though analysts largely seemed to be expecting demand to pick up with the summer driving season and prices to respond in kind, with higher prices near the end of this year. Also contributing to that medium-term optimism are production cuts by OPEC+ that took effect this month, shaving 1.6 million barrels per day off the market. The overriding sentiment is that supply will tighten later in the year as these cuts catch up to the market.



Fears of recession and U.S. bank collapses, however, continue to weigh on expectations, with data showing the extent to which traders and speculators fled oil in the week to May 2 based on these concerns. According to that data, open interest in WTI is at a three-year low, adding to the oil price volatility.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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Pretty Fire has some incendiary moments, as you might expect from a play about a Black familys experience with racism and other issues in the 1950s and 1960s.

Its an autobiographical piece by actor and playwright Charlayne Woodard, based on her childhood. In a series of vignettes, it shines a light on difficult issues  burning crosses, the first time she heard the N-word and a bully who terrorizes her as a little girl.

But it is also funny and heartwarming. It illustrates resilience and faith and celebrates a loving, tight-knit family that extends far beyond parents and children.

The one-woman play is onstage at the Omaha Community Playhouses Howard Drew Theater through May 21. It starts with Woodards premature birth and focuses mostly on her life before adulthood, so it requires an actor who can realistically play a young girl. Director Breanna Carodine found the perfect person in TammyRa, a veteran on Omaha stages.

Woodards stories are compelling as told in the actors believably girlish voice, giddily charming when shes playing with her sister, laced with fear as shes fighting off the boy who intends to commit assault, achingly puzzled as she confronts the pretty fire of the cross on the lawn.

The play has a remarkable volume of dialogue, and she stuttered or paused on lines a few times during preview night. But her delivery was so natural that I may have been the only one who noticed.

The role requires a lot of heavy lifting, and she has the strength to handle it.

I especially liked the funny scenes in which Woodard found her eventual calling when she sang a solo in the youth choir at church.

The set consisted of platforms covered with green material that could depict either grass or carpeting. The only furnishings were a couple of benches, a rocking chair and a cabinet with a turntable on top (Woodards formidable grandfather was a Miles Davis fan).

Despite the simplicity of the surroundings, it wasnt hard at all to envision multiple locations and scenes: young Woodard running down a hill to the neighborhood grocery and being confronted by a bully; her encounter with the Klan in Mississippi; and her proud march down the church aisle with the choir. Thats a testament to the innovation of set and lighting designer Jackie Fox and the performing skills of TammyRa.

Music composed for the play by J. Isaiah Smith was beautiful and evocative.

For some reason, Im frequently curious and sometimes apprehensive about one-character shows. Will there be enough to engage an audience for 90 minutes?

I didnt need to worry about Pretty Fire. In the hands of the talented Carodine and TammyRa, the standing ovation was happening way before I wanted to go home, and I felt joy long after I left the theater.

That happens when youre immersed in a good story. And Pretty Fire is storytelling at its best. You should see it with your family, including kids from middle school on.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of May 2023
For many years, Omahans Glenn and Flavia Robey were loyal customers at the Alpine Inn.

They enjoyed the bar food, listened to live music and schmoozed with other regulars in the small, yet iconic, Ponca Hills restaurant thats rumored to have been a speakeasy during Prohibition.

They sat near the windows, and, as they ate their broasted chicken, watched the raccoons gnaw from bones that had been tossed outside.

Like other faithful patrons, they were sad when one of the owners died. And worried. What if their favorite hangout closed?

You need to buy this place, pals told the Robeys in 1973.

Glenn had an auto-repair business in the Florence neighborhood and raced stock cars at the now-long-gone Playland Park Speedway in Council Bluffs, earning a spot in a local racing hall of fame. He wondered: What would he do with a restaurant?

He must have figured out the answer to that question. As of this month, his family has owned the Alpine Inn for 50 years.

They plan to celebrate that milestone throughout the summer with specials, giveaways and T-shirts, said Jaimi Fay, Glenn and Flavias granddaughter.

Neither of the senior Robeys lived to see the anniversary. Glenn died of COVID in 2020 at age 89 and Flavia died a few years earlier at 87. They had five children: Glenn Michael, Steve, Curtis, Kimberly and Jann.

The family will retain primary ownership of the restaurant, and Fay is the latest Robey relative to buy into it. Her purchase was to become final soon, she said in a recent interview.

There are big boots to fill, she said.

Fay, 48, has done nearly every job there: serving, clearing tables, ordering food and other supplies, cooking, bartending.

Ive had small jobs at the mall, but this is the only full-time job Ive ever had, she said. Every single family member has been employed here. Outside the Robeys and their five children, that includes 12 grandchildren, various spouses and 12 great-grandchildren.

We finally ran out of family members so now we have non-family members, Fay joked.

The restaurant, at 10405 Calhoun Road, has seen changes over the years, though it has retained its small-town-bar feel.

Glenn moved his auto shop to an area behind the inn when he took ownership, and thats gone. But his racing trophies are still displayed in front of a fireplace, and the pool table that occupies a large space next to the bar has been there a long time.

Its missing a ball but we still keep it, Fay said. Its a staple.

A screen door at the front no longer squeaks at patrons and picture windows now frame an area where country bands used to play. Theres now a digital jukebox, which was playing oldies like Michael Martin Murpheys Wildfire on a recent Sunday evening, when the wait was consistently more than 15 minutes and tables were rarely empty.

Several of the windows used to open, allowing customers to toss their chicken bones outside for wildlife.

That created a craze that lives to this day. Raccoons ate the bones and the word spread, causing Omahans and even tourists to visit the inn as much for the show as for the food.

Erik and Chelsea Ott of Ames, Iowa, were there on that crowded Sunday. It was their second visit in two days. They had a prime window table and were enchanted by the scene outside  they saw not only raccoons, but a fox, several types of birds and even a cat, they said.

The raccoons, however, were the stars.

They came up by the glass pretty much the whole time, Erik said.

Both also praised the food.

Fay said the chicken is still prepared in the original fryers from the original recipe. And, our group discovered, it comes out so hot that you have to be careful not to burn your mouth, and so crispy that you wonder how it remains so juicy.

In fact, said Fay, the new generation of owners have made few changes to the food, though theyre thinking of slight upgrades such as handmade patties for the burgers.

The restaurant now takes only cash or checks, but she plans to add credit cards as well. And after using printed sheets as menus for years and years, the Alpine Inn now has laminated menus, complete with color photos of the famous critters outside.

The family has fully embraced the raccoon craze. Fay brought a framed photo of an albino raccoon to our table to show it off.

She said shes aware, however, that some folks arent fans.

Youre either pro or no, she said. They are cute, and ours are nice.

Photos: Alpine Inn celebrates 50 years with wildlife in Omaha
Omaha is once again receiving attention for its efforts to reduce gun violence  this time in the form of a sizable grant from the charitable foundation of former President Barack Obama.

The Obama Foundation is recognizing Omaha for the creation of a model program targeting gun violence. As part of that, the foundation is awarding $800,000 to the Empowerment Network, a community organization active in efforts to reduce gun violence and improve life in North Omaha.

The Empowerment Network in 2008 launched Omaha 360, a collaboration in which community stakeholders work with the Omaha Police Department to head off gun violence. Both shootings and homicides in recent years are down sharply from levels seen a decade ago.

The grant is coming through the Obama Foundations My Brothers Keeper Alliance, which works to create opportunity for boys and young men of color.

Adren Wilson, the executive director of the My Brothers Keeper Alliance, said the group is confident that Omaha will continue to serve as a beacon of hope and best practices for other communities to follow.

Willie Barney, founder and president of the Empowerment Network, said the grant funds over the next two years will help it work with other community partners in an effort to further reduce violence. The idea will be to go upstream with new initiatives aimed at helping youths succeed in school and connecting them with jobs.

Its a huge opportunity for Omaha, Barney said.

Many cities across the country have recently been searching for answers on gun violence after the pandemic resulted in a big spike in shootings. That has recently helped focus more attention on Omahas efforts.

Beginning in 2007, Omaha began seeing escalating homicides and shootings, with much of the violence centered on gang activity in North and South Omaha.

In 2015, the 50 homicides in Omaha represented the citys highest toll since 1967. The situation was so dire and deadly that in 2011, Nebraska ranked No. 1 in the nation for Black homicide victimization rate.

In late 2008, the Empowerment Network organized the first meeting of what has become the Omaha 360 Violence Intervention and Prevention Collaborative.

At each weekly Omaha 360 meeting, representatives of community, youth, faith, neighborhood, education, social service, gang intervention, and mentoring organizations sit down with Omaha police leaders and work on defusing violence. The weekly sessions regularly draw 80 to 100 participants, and can exceed 120 after a particularly rough rash of shootings.

Though Omaha 360 has many elements, prevention is at its center: Sharing information with police to learn of neighborhood gang hot spots. Canvassing those neighborhoods to ask about problem houses and make sure that people know about available Crime Stoppers rewards. Seeking to connect families with community aid organizations in an effort to keep at-risk kids out of gangs.

Omaha police officials have also worked hand in hand with Omaha 360 and employed all-new tactics, including a beefed-up gang specialty unit, shot detection technology that speeds response to shootings, enhanced rewards for tips that solve shootings and street-level gang intervention.

Looking at FBI crime statistics, the results are notable.

Shootings in Omaha began trending down significantly in 2012. Homicides have dropped dramatically since 2015, reaching lows in 2018 and 2019 that were half the previous levels.

Where Nebraska previously ranked at the very top in Black homicide victimization rate, the state was 23rd in 2019 and 16th in 2020. Such figures show improvement as well as the fact that the state has a way to go.

Omaha experienced the same uptick in homicides and shootings seen nationally during the pandemic. But they ticked down in 2021 and 2022 and remain well below the levels seen a decade ago.

A year ago, a City Council member and others in Kansas City concerned about gun violence in that city visited an Omaha 360 meeting. That led months later to the launch of KC 360, the first program nationally modeled on Omahas gun violence initiative.

Then when ABC News in February did a story on Omaha 360 in Omaha, Barney heard from cities around the country. He and Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer subsequently held a Zoom session with representatives of 32 cities discussing the strategy in Omaha, among them San Diego, Houston, Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta.

CNN also recently interviewed Schmaderer and Barney for a segment focused on the Omaha initiative.

Now comes Wednesdays grant award from the Obama Foundation.

I think its really a strong confirmation of the work that has been going on in Omaha for 15 or 16 years and a reflection of the partnership and collaboration, Barney said. We know we have plenty of work ahead, but there are some really positive things that have developed through that collaboration.

The former president is announcing Omaha as one of four cities recognized for model programs supporting success for youths. The others are Tulsa, Newark and Yonkers, New York.

Barney will accept the award in Chicago on Wednesday at a meeting drawing participants from around the country, and he will also speak about Omaha 360.

Barney doesnt think its the last time hell share information on Omahas efforts to stamp out gun violence.

I think this will accelerate things even more, he said.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of May 2023
Omaha City Council members approved a nearly $2.9 million contract with an Omaha company Tuesday to plan a new downtown police and fire headquarters.

The agreement calls for the Leo A Daly firm to provide architectural services, engineering and master planning for the new facility. Its the first of several steps needed to move the proposed project forward.

Omaha voters still will have to approve a bond issue that would take the project through formal design development and bids for construction, said Mike Oestmann with the Public Works Department. Oestmann shared a project timeline with council members Tuesday.

The building that currently houses the Omaha Police Departments central headquarters sits near 15th and Howard Streets, just west of the Old Market. The Omaha Fire Departments headquarters building is about a block away.

The general scope of this project is dealing with the police and fire headquarters, Oestmann said. We will also incorporate a downtown police precinct possibly as part of this project and a fire station.

In August, the city plans to look at potential building sites.

Conceptual designs for the facility could be developed this fall, and completed designs could be rolled out to the public in April 2024, which would mark the end of the projects phase one.

The project team intends to visit multiple police and fire headquarters throughout the country to help determine the facilitys design, Oestmann said.

In May 2024, a final price tag for the project would go to the public for a bond issue vote. If approved, Leo A Daly in June of 2024 will provide the second phase of the companys proposal for construction documents and building.

If all goes as planned, the new headquarters could open in the summer of 2027.

A joint police and fire headquarters has been discussed for many years in downtown Omaha, City Council President Pete Festersen said before the vote.

If this is approved, its just the first step to assess the options and assess locations.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of May 2023
Fred Astaire, who epitomized Hollywood elegance, dancing in a top hat and tails with Ginger Rogers and other stars, was born in Omaha on May 10, 1899.

Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz  18 months after his sister, Adele  to an Austrian brewer and a mother who had been trained as a schoolteacher. The family lived in a one-story frame house located at 2326 S. 10th St.

Their father was a beer salesman for Storz Brewing Co., and their mother had ambitions for her two children. She enrolled them in dancing school here in Omaha, and then took them to New York for professional training in 1906. The children's last name was changed to Astaire when they began their dance careers.

As Fred and Adele Astaire, they were prodigies in vaudeville, then grown-up stars on Broadway. When Adele retired to marry an English nobleman, Fred moved into films and formed a sublime partnership with Ginger Rogers. Thereafter, he danced with Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Audrey Hepburn and others, then turned dramatic actor with "On the Beach" in 1959.

He enchanted moviegoers for generations, not only dancing with beautiful co-stars, but also with firecrackers, coat racks and on the ceiling with an ease that made ballet stars envious.

For his part, the lean hoofer who was famous for white tie and tails but hated formal attire was likely to credit producers or his sister, his first dancing partner, with his success.

In his autobiography, "Steps in Time," Astaire wrote that Omaha "was just right for a hometown" and that it "had the flavor, the neighborliness and that smalltown feeling without actually being one." During a 1959 visit, he said he was sorry he hadn't visited his hometown more often.

He died of pneumonia in 1987.

Photos: Fred Astaire through the years
LINCOLN  Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would increase state support for schools by $305 million annually with the goal of driving down property taxes.

Senators gave the second of three rounds of approval to Legislative Bill 583, a key piece of Gov. Jim Pillens tax cut and school aid plan.

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue on the governors behalf, would nearly double state aid for special education and guarantee state support for every public school student.

Together, the changes would increase state support for schools by about $305 million for the upcoming school year, up from the $1.3 billion estimated for that year.

Money for the additional aid would come from a newly created Education Future Fund. The state budget package sets aside $1.25 billion during the two fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, to establish the fund. Plans call for adding $250 million to the fund in each of the following years.

State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the Education Committee chairman, said the bill would help all school districts, not just those that currently qualify for the bulk of state school aid.

This will make it much more fair across the state, he said.

Other senators praised the bill, while saying they want to see future changes in state school aid. Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar said she wants to see the existing aid formula tossed out and replaced with a simpler distribution method.

Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad said schools need resources to deal with large numbers of students in poverty and to make school lunches and breakfasts more available. Still, she hailed LB 583.

This is a momentous point in our educational policy and funding policy, she said.

The measure would boost Nebraskas ranking among U.S. states in terms of state funding for education. The state ranks 49th for state funding for K-12 education, although its in the top half when state and local spending on education are combined.

Pillen wants to pair the state aid changes with a 3% cap on school revenue growth to ensure that increased state spending helps drive down property taxes. The cap is part of a separate bill that includes other property tax relief measures.

As advanced, LB 583 would benefit all school districts. But the biggest property tax impact would be felt by districts that do not qualify for equalization aid under the current funding formula.

Currently, 160 of the states 244 school districts do not qualify for equalization aid. Those tend to be rural districts with lower property tax levies. Those that get equalization money tend to be larger schools, and their tax levies usually are close to the maximum allowed by law.

Equalization aid fills the gap between a districts educational needs and the money it can get from property taxes and other sources. The number of equalized districts in the state has shrunk because steep increases in agricultural land valuations have allowed more districts to meet their needs with property taxes.

LB 583 would provide $1,500 of new foundation aid for every student enrolled in public school. The per-student payments would primarily help districts that dont get equalization aid.

Equalized districts would get the payments too, but they would be offset by a reduction of equalization aid for the first two years. Starting with the third year, those equalized districts would be able to keep $600 of the $1,500 per-student payments as additional funding.

The bill also would increase state funding for special education so that the combination of state and federal support would cover 80% of school district costs. Currently, the two sources cover around 46% of costs, with the rest coming from schools general fund budgets.

An amendment adopted Tuesday commits the state to maintaining the 80% funding level as special education costs increase. It makes clear that the Education Future Fund would cover any increase not included in future state general fund budgets.

The special ed provision would boost state support for all school districts in the first two years. Starting with the third year, the increased state funding would cause equalization aid to drop, based on how that aid is calculated. But equalized districts would not lose state support because they could keep some of the per-student payments.

District-by-district estimates provided by the Governors Office show that the bill would mean $91.5 million more state support for the Omaha Public Schools over three years. Thats 9.9% of the $920.9 million increase statewide for the same period. But OPS educates 16% of Nebraska students.

During earlier debate, Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha had argued for providing more aid to districts with a large share of students in poverty. He did not attempt any amendments toward that end on Tuesday, saying that he did not have enough support for the change.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
Sometime Friday, without fanfare, the first car will head west from U.S. Highway 275 just south of Fremont on a brand-new strip of asphalt that is nearly two decades  and $62 million  in the making.

Weather permitting, Nebraska Department of Transportation engineers will open up the first section of the new Fremont Southeast Beltway. When it fully opens in July, the 3.2-mile stretch of road will connect U.S. 275 to U.S. Highway 77, which bisects Fremont from north to south. Its expected to carry 11,000 vehicles per day.

The new road will open up access to a large industrial zone along the citys southeast border that is anchored by Lincoln Premium Poultry, the large supplier of chicken to Costco stores.

Its a great project for Fremont, said Mayor Joey Spellerberg. Im excited to be able to cut the ribbon and open it.

Spellerberg was still a student at Fremonts Archbishop Bergan High School in 2006, when city officials first pitched the idea of a southeast beltway to NDOT and the State Legislature.

It took a full decade for the beltway to win funding in the second round of Build Nebraska Act expressway projects, first funded in 2011 with a -cent surcharge in the state sales tax. Transportation planners scheduled the project for construction in 2024, with local city and county officials required to come up with $20 million of the projected $43 million cost of the project.

The beltway got fast-tracked in 2018, after Costco decided to locate its large chicken plant along the route. The $450 million campus was slated to employ 800 workers and process about 100 million chickens a year, enough to supply about one-third of Costcos demand for fresh and roasted chicken.

Its been in the books for a while as a wish-we-had sort of thing, Barbara Gerbino-Bevins, NDOTs district traffic engineer, said of the project. I believe the construction of the chicken plant pushed it over the line.

The cost also jumped, to more than $60 million, including an additional local match of $10 million on top of $20 million already raised locally. The City of Fremont, Dodge County and several local businesses chipped in to keep the project on track, Spellerberg said. Construction began in 2020.

It was a public-private partnership to get to this point, he said.

For the city, a major goal was to move truck traffic off of Broad Street, Fremonts main north-south thoroughfare running through the heart of its commercial district. Within the city limits, it also is designated as Highway 77.

That designation will now move to the new beltway, and the city will take over control and maintenance of one of its major avenues.

Well be able to go into Broad Street and make a lot of improvements, Spellerberg said.

The beltway will have no traffic lights, but it will have two circular roundabouts at Downing Street and Main Street near the Platte River bridge, as well as teardrop roundabouts at U.S. 275.

It is the eastern half of the beltway  from U.S. 275 to Downing  that will open Friday. The opening was delayed from last week to avoid a conflict with a series of lane and ramp closures along U.S. 275 in Fremont, Gerbino-Bevins said.

The middle section will open next, and the western tie-in with U.S. 77 last. The formal ribbon-cutting is scheduled for July 6.

For Spellerberg, the opening cant happen quickly enough. It dovetails with the announcement in February that 1,500 acres along the route was designated as the states first Inland Port Authority because of its proximity to transportation networks.

Its going to be a hub for industrial development, Spellerberg said. The infrastructure around our area is a huge plus. Fremonts becoming a desirable place to locate. 

Photos: Costco plant in Fremont Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House Poultry Open House
On Tuesday, May 9, the supreme court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal that declared Governor Ademola Adeleke as the authentic winner of the July 2023 Guber election in Osun state.

The apex court dashed the hope of former Governor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of returning to power following his victory against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s candidate at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in January earlier this year.

5 Reasons why Adeleke Defeats Oyetola at the tribunal

Photo Credit: Ademola Adeleke

Source: Twitter

Justice Emmanuel Agim-led 5-member panel said the appeal court was right to have declared Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the July 16, 2022, governorship election in the state.

Below are some of the reasons for the appeal that the supreme court upheld:

Appeal court faults over-voting claim

The supreme court held the position of the appeal court that faulted the position of the tribunal on the conclusion that there was over-voting in some parts of the state.

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The over-voting claim was the major legal issue on which Oyetola and the APC had built their petition.

APC Oyetola did not tender the voter register

Supreme Court also upheld the position of the appeal that Oyetola and his party failed to tender voter registers and the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS machines).

The court held that the BVAS machines that captured the data of eligible voters at the Osun governorship election were the authentic evidence.

Certificate forgery

The supreme court, in its ruling on Tuesday, also dismissed the certificate forgery case against the PDP governor in Osun state.

According to Justice Emmanuel Agims panel, the forgery case against Adeleke has been settled, and there was no establishment of a forgery case against the governor.

Oyetolas witness has no evidence

The apex court also maintained that the witness of the APC and Oyetola could not present facts but relied on hearsay.

Thus, the appellants failed to fully justify their case against the victory of Adeleke in the poll.

Tribunal breached Adelekes right

Justice Emmanuel Agims panel held that the tribunal abused the right of Governor Adeleke by not giving him a fair hearing.

The panel said the verdict of the tribunal and the manner in which it came to its conclusion is faulty.

Conclusion

Governor Ademola Adeleke will, therefore, continue as the governor of the state as the apex court decision is the end of the discussion.

Its time for us all to come together: Adeleke tells Oyetola after Supreme Court battle

Legit.ng earlier reported that Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun state, has commended the ruling of the supreme court that affirmed his victory as the winner of the July 2022 governorship election in the state.

Adeleke dedicated the victory to the people of Osun state while noting that it was time for the residents to enjoy the dividend of democracy.

This governor, in his reaction, extended an olive branch to Gboyega Oyetola and the APC, adding that it was time for all to come together in the interest of the state.

Source: Legit.ng
Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun state, has commended the ruling of the supreme court that affirmed his victory as the winner of the July 2022 governorship election in the state

Adeleke dedicated the victory to the people of Osun state while noting that it was time for the residents to enjoy the dividend of democracy

This governor, in his reaction, extended an olive branch to Gboyega Oyetola and the APC, adding that it was time for all to come together in the interest of the state

Osogbo, Osun  Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has commended the decision of the Supreme Court that upheld his victory at the July 2022 governorship election in the state.

The apex court on Tuesday, May 9, affirmed the victory of the governor against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Gboyega Oyetola.

Adeleke dedicates supreme court victory to God and people of Osun

Photo Credit: Ademola Adeleke

Source: Twitter

What Adeleke says about the supreme court judgment that affirms his victory

In a 5-man panel judgment, the court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja in March that declared Governor Adeleke as the authentic winner of the election.

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The verdict of the apex court then brought an end to the controversies that emanated from the July 2022 governorship election in the state and as well killed the hope of Oyetola returning to office following his victory at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in January.

In his reaction to the ruling, Governor Adeleke, on his Twitter page, said the victor at the court is dedicated to God and the people of Osun state, adding that it was time to concentrate on governance and deliver the dividend of democracy to the residents of the state.

Latest about Ademola Adeleke, Gboyega Oyetola, APC, PDP, Osun, Davido

The governor also called on his challenger, Oyetola and the APC to support his administration, saying it was time for everyone to come together in the interest of the state.

The statement reads in part:

This verdict will enable us focus on delivering the dividends of democracy in Osun State. Its time for us all to come together to make this state great

See the tweets here:

Tribunal breached Adelekes right: 4 Other things from supreme court verdict

Legit.ng earlier reported that On Tuesday, May 9, the supreme court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal that declared Governor Ademola Adeleke as the authentic winner of the July 2023 Guber election in Osun state.

The apex court dashed the hope of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of returning to power following his victory against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s candidate at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in January earlier this year.

Source: Legit.ng
.As Vice President Osinbajo inaugurates AFAM 3 Fast Power Project

By Udeme Akpan , Energy Editor & John Bosko

THE Federal government, yesterday, disclosed that the Transcorp Group has emerged as the preferred bidder for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC.

The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed this while speaking at the inauguration of the 240 megawatts, MW AFAM 3 Fast Power Project in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he represented the President.

Related News

He said the National Council on Privatisation, NCP, charged with the responsibility of overseeing the privatization and commercialization of public enterprises, with Vice President Osinbajo, as chairman, has already approved the acquisition of the AEDC by Transcorp Group.

He said: The challenge before us now is for the industry to leverage the improved commercial environment that has been created to sustainably supply electricity and improve service to all citizens. This administration has made significant strides in this direction.

Providing details on some giant strides, he said: These transactions include, Quest PLC which became a core investor in Yola DisCo in 2020 with a transaction worth N19 billion. Last month the NCP, approved the 30-year concession on Zungeru Hydro Power Plant at $70 million a year. And overall, the story of the Nigerian electricity supply industry is also getting better.

Since 2020, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has executed all of its bi-annual review processes without fail, stressing that this was a marked difference from the past.

Service Based Tariff, others enhance collection  VP

He said: The introduction of the Service Based Tariff, the Payment Discipline initiative for the sector (through NERC and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN) and the introduction of the National Mass Metering programme have led to a doubling of market collections in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry from N40 billion per month in 2020 to a record of N80 billion per month in the 1st quarter of 2023.

He said: Five underperforming DISCOs were brought into a restructuring program that has led to a N10 billion per month reduction in shortfalls. If this trajectory continues, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry will attain self-sufficiency by the end of 2023.

We have completed Zungeru

He said: This administration has also completed and concessioned the Zungeru Hydroelectric power plant that will add 700MW of renewable energy to our energy mix. We believe we are on track to electrify all Nigerians in the next decade as we look forward to the next administration scaling up already existing programmes.

The Vice President, who commended the Transcorp Group for its various interventions, said: The tide (inadequacy of investment) is turning with indigenous power entrepreneurs such as Transcorp Power, and Heirs Holding making a significant investment such as this hundred percent acquisition of the 966MW installed capacity Afam Power Plc and Afam 3 Fast Power Limited (jointly referred to as Afam GenCo), at an acquisition cost of N105.3 billion.

Transcorp emerges preferred bidder for Abuja DisCo

He said: Only yesterday, the National Council on Privatization formally delisted Transcorp Power PLC (formerly known as Ughelli Power PLC) from routine Monitoring & Evaluation by the BPE, indicating yet another successful power investment.

The last few days, I must say belong to Transcorp Power because at the same meeting of the NCP, the council approved Transcorp Power consortium as the preferred bidder for the acquisition of the Abuja disco.

Well continue to invest in power  Elumelu

Similarly, the Chairman of Transcorp Group, Mr. Tony Elumelu, who promised to continuously invest in the sector, said: We all know the importance of power in Nigeria, we all experience the consequences of power deficit, implications for our people, our businesses, our schools, our hospitals and our institutions. Therefore, I am proud today that we have been able to put together so many key stakeholders.

Why am I proud and happy, I would like us to tell a success story out of Nigeria. A story that can be repeated over and over again if government, community and the private sector work together as we have worked together here at Afam.

The Transcorp Group Partnership began in November 2020. When we signed the Afam power, share sale, and purchase agreement at a ceremony presided over by the Vice President of Nigeria. The journey has not always been easy but we have delivered, capacity recovery, plant investment, infrastructure improvement, excellent community relationships, and a transformed and motivated Nigerian workforce. We are fulfilling our promises to the government.

Transcorp Group, is a stakeholder in the power sector, we recognize power is the single most critical factor to lifting our people out of poverty and enabling job creation. It is a sector that has been a strategic priority for us since the inception of our journey at Hairs Holdings. Why is it so, it is because to do well, is to do good. Power is a public good, a right, and a catalyst for a better Nigeria.

I am delighted to welcome you, Mr. Vice President to the inauguration of this project; it is a testament to your legacy as chairman of the National Council of Privatisation and reinforces our countrys confidence in the ability serious-minded private sector leader to drive economic growth and progress.

Transcorp has since inception in 2006 laid the way in demonstrating the success of successful revitalization programmes. Transcorp executed the largest capacity recovery in the privatisation power sector in Nigeria by increasing generated electricity of Transcorp power plant in Ugheli by 60 megawatts to over 6080 within five years. We transformed.

I call on the Federal Government to please resolve the gas and power evacuation challenges that exist in this region so that the capacity we are covering in the plants is optimized for the good of Nigerians.

Next administration should demonstrate commitment

He said: I want to use this opportunity to urge the incoming administration also to improve gas supply to our industry and our Afam plants, ensure the completion of the 330 KVF tubor circuit Afam/Ikot Ekpene transmission lines which will increase the capacity of Afam corridor. And success has been built on the partnership with our host community.

Earlier in his remarks, Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. Rufus Godwin, who represented Gov. Nyesom Wike, thanked the Vice President for his love and commitment for the wellbeing of Rivers people and Nigerians at large, stating that the VP has become a son of Rivers and is welcome to the State anytime.

Also, the President of General Electric in Nigeria, Muhammed Mijindadi recalled how on some difficult occasions in the process of delivering the project, the US-based company sought the quick interventions of the Vice President.

He said: The Vice President promptly intervened several times, he disclosed adding that there were times when things were proving rather difficult. He praised the VP, the late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, the BPE, and Ministers of Power and Finance, for their support.

Dignitaries at the event were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Mr. Temitope Fashedemi, who represented the Minister, and the Director General, BPE, Mr. Alex Okoh, among other officials.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said Transcorp Power is the chosen bidder for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

He said this in Oyigbo Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State during the commissioning of the Afam three-fast power plant.

According to him, the decision was given by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), noting that it is a historic development in the countrys power sector.

READ ALSO: Otedola Opens Up On Relationship With Elumelu, Speaks On Transcorp Deal

A major breakthrough of our privatisation process, which of course, as you know, started in 2005-2006, was and has been inadequate of private investments and real cash injections, Osinbajo said during the event.

From the time we started, indigenous firms such as Transcorp Power and Heirs Holding have been making significant investments such as this 100 percent acquisition of installed capacity Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Limited, jointly referred to as Afam GenCo. The acquisition cost, I am sure you have heard already, is N105.3 trillion.

Only yesterday, the National Council on Privatization (NCP) formally delisted Transcorp Power Plc, formerly known as Ughelli Power Plc, from routine monitoring and evaluation by the BPE, indicating yet another successful power investment.

I can say the last few days belong to Transcorp Power because, at the meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), the council approved Transcorp Power Consortium as the preferred bidder of the acquisition of the Abuja Distribution Company.

In total, there are three mobile gas turbines newly installed at the Afam 3 power plants with a power generating capacity of 240 megawatts.
Leaks reveal yet more US hypocrisy

Chinadaily.com.cn) 08:57, May 10, 2023

Photo taken on Feb 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington DC. [Photo/Xinhua]

The recent leak of highly classified Pentagon documents is still a matter of public concern. Although US President Joe Biden and many senior officials have spoken out to dilute the incident's importance, claiming the leak "will not cause serious consequences," but as more leaked documents appear in the media, the hypocrisy of the United States is coming to light.

The leak has exposed the US' unscrupulous efforts to collect intelligence around the world, and confirms the United States has been massively involved in the Ukraine crisis. After the conflict broke out, the US claimed NATO has not been directly involved. However, leaked documents revealed NATO has deployed over 150 military personnel to Ukraine, nearly 100 of them from the US. NATO not only sends huge sums of money to arm Ukraine, but is also training and even directly commanding its troops.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg. According to the leaked documents, the US not only monitors the communications of so-called "hostile countries", but also allies such as South Korea, Israel and Ukraine. It has even intercepted private conversations between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other UN officials. The US has repeatedly and baselessly alleged other countries of doing the very thing it does on a massive scale.

This latest incident is not the first time classified documents have made their way into the public eye. Sadly, no matter how many times these leaks have revealed the true nature of the "leader of the free world", American politicians cannot and will not stop with these nefarious practices.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Tuesday, praised President Muhammadu Buharis democratic credentials.

The president had earlier on Tuesday congratulated the governor on his victory at the Supreme Court.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president urged the people of Osun State to team up with Adeleke in his efforts to build up the state.

Elections should be seen as the path to an end, which is the progress of the people in a peaceful environment, rather than unending bickering. This is the time for inclusion and harmony in the state at the end of litigation, Buhari stated.

The governor, who featured in a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, said the presidents congratulatory message to him on the Supreme Court ruling was not surprising.

He thanked the people of the state for standing by him, saying their love was organic.

READ ALSO: Buhari urges support for Adeleke after Supreme Courts ruling

He promised that more goodies are on the way for the people of Osun State with the election litigation no longer a distraction.

Adeleke noted that the states revenue has gone up and more natural resources discovered in the state since he assumed last year.

The Supreme Court had earlier on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by former governor Gboyega Oyetola on the outcome of the election for lack of merit.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Emmanuel Agim held that the petitioner failed to prove his allegation of over-voting in the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state.

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Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerias president, will spend one extra week in London, the United Kingdom, after attending the coronation ceremony of King Charles III to undergo dental treatment.

A statement signed by the Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, revealed late Tuesday, that Buhari will remain in London, the United Kingdom, for an additional week, based on the advice of his dentist, who has started attending to him.

According to the statement titled: President Buhari to stay an additional week in London, Adesina explained that the Specialist requires to see the President in another five days for a procedure already commenced.

Buhari who left for the UK last Wednesday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, was expected back in the country early this week.

The President joined other world leaders to attend the coronation on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
The cause of the fire incident which caused panic is unknown.

Reports say operatives of the Federal Fire Service quickly intervened to put out the fire from the military base which is beside the Nigerian Correctional Service National Headquarters.

The Head of Operations, FFF FCT, Amiola Adebayo, confirmed the incident and said firefighters are working hard to completely put out the fire.

Adebayo said, The fire gutted part of the NAF Base, and our men are here putting out the fire, and were working hard to completely quench the fire.

However, I cant confirm the cause of the fire outbreak yet, but well put out a statement once our findings are concluded.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported the Action Peoples Party (APP) on Wednesday, announced that it has withdrawn its petition against Nigerias President-elect, Bola Tinubu in the ongoing proceedings challenging his victory at the polls.

Obed Agu, who is the counsel for the party, disclosed this at Wednesdays proceedings.

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The Action Peoples Party (APP) on Wednesday, announced that it has withdrawn its petition against Nigerias President-elect, Bola Tinubu in the ongoing proceedings challenging his victory at the polls.

Obed Agu, who is the counsel for the party, disclosed this at Wednesdays proceedings.

In the brief ruling, Justice Tsammani, who is the presiding judge of the Presidential Election Petition Court, dismissed the suit.

This is a developing story. More details to be added shortly.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Twitter Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, has announced a series of new features for the social media platform.

Musk announced that Twitter, in its latest version, will come with support for direct message replies, voice/video chats, and encrypted DM 1.0.

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President-elect Bola Tinubu has travelled out of Nigeria for a working visit to Europe.

Tinubu departed the country via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Wednesday afternoon.

Tunde Rahman, his media aide, said Tinubu will use the opportunity of the trip to finetune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

The president-elect is also expected to hold meetings with investors while in Europe.
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By the Division of Labour arrangement in our Constitution, Nigeria stands on a tripod  the Legislature makes policies; the policies are executed by the Executive Branch; and any matter of interpretation is referred to the Judiciary.

These divisions are, however, not made into a watertight compartments  one branch occasionally performs roles that are otherwise reserved for another branch. For instance, to become Law, any Bill validly passed by the National Assembly must be assented to by the President. When Executive agencies make subsidiary regulations to facilitate the implementation of any Law, they engage in a Legislative function.

When the Courts strike down a Law validly passed by the Legislature and introduce amendments instead thereof, they carry out what is clearly a Legislative function.

And when the Legislature ousts the role of the Judiciary in carrying out the impeachment of its Members, the Legislature certainly takes on the role of the Judiciary.

Lately, we have come to hear of the nebulous Constituency Projects, under which the Legislators get money to provide projects in their respective Constituencies. This is clearly an executive function.

It is instructive to note that rather than produce a situation of total independence, the Doctrine of Separation of Powers enshrined in our Constitution introduces a situation of a healthy interdependence. The idea here is that no particular Branch of Government should be too strong to become a tyranny.

Representative Government implies that there must be periodic elections in which the citizenry determine the people to represent them in Government. This elective role is reserved specifically for the citizenry.

Party discipline died years ago and money took over. That was when we descended to the realm of what the Americans call MAKING YOU AN OFFER YOU CANT REGRET. When money talks, nobody walks!

Our first reflection goes to the days of our Founding Fathers  Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Northern Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of Western Nigeria; and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of Eastern Nigeria, as recently as the First and Second Republics. Those men were the leaders of their political parties. They instilled discipline and commanded loyalty. The men have since played their part and left the stage. The political parties died and party discipline died as well.

The natural consequences that followed the death of the political parties and the twin brother, discipline, are what we are experiencing today.

From the formation of the so-called political parties of today, to the nomination of party officials; and from the selection of candidates for election at all levels, to the determination of winners and losers at the elections, everything is now determined by the Courts!

Party primaries at all levels, both for party and government positions, have become chance games since the final determination can be made only by the Courts!

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At the election proper, 80 million Nigerians would stand in the sun and under the rain to vote for their preferred candidates, only for them to be vetoed by 5 odd fellows at the Courts and the judges would install their preferred choice. This is an aberration!

At times, the Courts have had to award victory to somebody who did not contest the election in question. This is JUDICIOCRACY at best. We have not seen its type anywhere. The rate at which we are going, we shall soon arrive at the point where the Judiciary will work directly with INEC and leave the electorate alone. The sooner, the better!

As things stand today, of the hundreds of thousands of pre-election cases in our Courts, many of the actual candidates will not be known far beyond May 29, 2023  even granting that all the Courts in the land will be devoted to only those cases! It is a rumble in the jungle. The Courts are simply overwhelmed with election cases at the detriment of the other criminal and civil cases for which they were originally setup.

The way it was: In the era of party discipline, only a few exceptional Intra-party cases of nomination went to the Courts. Intra-party cases of the nomination of candidates were settled in-house and not taken to any court. As the saying goes who born you to say you are taking your fellow UPN member to court when Chief Obafemi Awolowo had initialed the nomination list?.

Look at all the imbroglio playing out today in all the parties from Yobe to Akwa Ibom; and from Calabar to Maiduguri, of cases involving the nomination of dog catchers and Counsellors as well as presidential candidates and Others! Everything must now be decided at the Supreme Court! And yet, when the entire process becomes one of Cash and Carry, we wonder why.

Lets look at a few instances of how discipline worked in those good old days: One fateful morning in 1982 or thereabout, the late Olaiya Fagbamigbe (UPN/Akure) rushed to my office at the Red Brick Building in the House of Representatives, looking dejected and frustrated. What happened? He took an idea to Chief Obafemi Awolowo at his Park Avenue residence, Apapa. After listening to him, he said Baba kept quiet for about 5 minutes and pronounced his verdict: Ill rather wait to attend your send-off party. Goodbye. Fagbamigbe knew he had been fired from the UPN!

Second Case: We were working on the amendments to the ELECTORAL BILL, 1982. Prof. Opeyemi Ola, a profound Professor of Political Science came to my office with some amendments that he wanted me to put on the ORDER PAPER.

I looked at the amendments and advised against including them on the ORDER PAPER because similar amendments had been defeated in the House the previous day and if they were put before the House, they would collapse, Mutatis Mutandis.

In a rather pensive mood, Prof. replied, I know but thats how Baba wants them. Chief Awolowo was one man who believed that it was better to say this was where a man died, rather than this was where he ran into the bush. He would rather see it defeated than it was not included. Very early every morning, Baba would send somebody to the Paper Office to collect the ORDER PAPER, THE DEBATES and the VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS; and if he found traces of disobedience of his instruction, you were in trouble.

We saw that in the beginning, Political Leaders had a grip on their members and such members were appropriately whipped into line.

From that giddy height, we are now down to the ground level where polititians at all levels, both inter-party and intra-party, drag themselves to the Courts at the least prompting and on every issue.

As a direct consequence, the Courts have totally displaced the electorate and have effectively taken over the role of periodically electing the people to represent them.

The cause and effect of this sorry state will be topic for another day.

While we glide down the slippery slope, the aphorisms are steadily on the rise  Why pay a Lawyer when you can buy a Judge? Why strive for good elections when you can buy a Judgement? Is ours not a JUDICIOCRACY? It is so sad that with our own hands, we have dethroned DEMOCRACY and enthroned JUDICIOCRACY! Nigeria is still the worse for it all.
Member of the House of Representatives, Abiodun Faleke, has said that there was no confrontation between him and the Speaker of the House, Olufemi Gbajabiamila, stating that such insinuations were a figment of the imagination of rumour mongers.

Faleke made this known in a press release shared on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

He said, I have read about my alleged confrontation with Mr Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila at the Lagos Caucus meeting which took place at his residence a few days ago.

There was no such confrontation between us rather, what I did was to clear the rumours of disagreement.

 I made it clear to my other colleagues that such insinuation was just a figment of imagination of the rumour mongers. Please ignore such insinuations and the tissue of lies.

A Twitter user, #Imranmuhdz, had on Monday alleged that there was a confrontation between Faleke Femi Gbajabiamila during the Lagos Caucus meeting over misinformation.

He wrote, James Faleke confronted Femi Gbajabiamila at the Lagos Caucus meeting and accused him of misinformation to the public on the issue of the speakership, saying that Abbas adoption was Gbajas personal agenda and not a decision of the party or Tinubus. Femi Vs Falake War.
May 10, (THEWILL)  President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday afternoon, left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit.

According to a release by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu will use the opportunity of the trip to fine-tune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

He said during the visit, the President-elect will engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administrations readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations.

Rahman said Tinubu is already meeting with multi-sectoral actors in Europes business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.

Asiwaju Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigerias readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.

Reviving the countrys economy forms a major plank of Tinubus Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigerias importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the countrys huge youth population, the release stated.

Rahman said the President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

Before he left the country, Asiwaju Tinubu met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by Joint Task Team of the House, Rahman further stated.

He said Tinubu is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023.
President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday afternoon left Nigeria for Europe, less than three weeks to his inauguration .

This was revealed in a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman who said the trip was a working visit.

The trip is coming less than three weeks to Tinubus inauguration as president which is slated for May 29, 2023.

According to Rahman, Tinubu will use the opportunity of the trip to finetune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

He also stated that Tinubu hopes to convince foreign investors of Nigerias readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.

READ ALSO:Tinubu congratulates Adeleke, urges him to unite Osun

Reviving the countrys economy forms a major plank of Tinubus Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigerias importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the countrys huge youth population.

The President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

Before he left the country, Asiwaju Tinubu met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by Joint Task Team of the House.

He is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023.

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed the fire incident in its Air Force Base in the Federal Capital Territory

According to a statement by NAFs director of information, no life was lost, nor were any injuries recorded in the tragic incident

Meanwhile, NAF noted in its statement that investigations have commenced to uncover the real cause of the fire

FCT, Abuja  Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents panicked on Wednesday, May 10, when the Air Force Base along Airport Road was gutted by fire.

Reacting to this development, the director of public relations and information for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, said the incident was caused by a Jet A-1 fuel dump on the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base at Bill Clinton Drive.

The Nigerian Air Force public relations department said no life was lost in the tragic incident. Photo Credit: @coretvnewsng

Source: Twitter

According to a statement made available to Legit.ng, Famuyiwa disclosed that the incident transpired at about 8:00 am on Wednesday.

He said:

PAY ATTENTION: heck out news that is picked exactly for YOU  find the Recommended for you block on the home page and enjoy!

The fire, which created an explosion from the fuel tanks, has since been put out by the combined efforts of Fire Services from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Federal Fire Service, and the NAF Fire Service.

He further revealed that no life was lost in the tragic incident but noted that investigations have begun to unearth the fire outbreaks real cause.

Famuyiwa said:

It is gratifying to note that no life was lost in the incident. However, investigation has been instituted to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the fire incident.

He extend arms of gratitude to the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, who were at the scene to offer the necessary assistance required to extinguish the fire and evacuate valuables.

Fire Breaks Out at Defence Headquarters in Abuja

Similarly, Legit.ng had reported that Nigerias Defence Headquarters in Garki, Abuja caught fire around noon on Monday, December 12, 2023.

A statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor indicates that the second floor of the Defence Headquarters.

General Akpor said the incident has been brought under control with the combined effort of the military and Federal Fire Service personnel.

Source: Legit.ng
A Nigerian journalist, Kachi Offiah, has said that Afrobeat star Burna Boy snubbed her during the 2023 Met Gala in New York.

Naija News recalls that Burna Boy made his debut at the worlds most prestigious and glamorous fashion event, Met Gala on May 1, 2023.

Speaking on meeting the superstar, Offia said she was the only Nigerian reporter at the event but when she approached Burna Boy for an interview he totally ignored her.

The journalist stated this during an interview on Arise 360 music programme recently.

She lamented that she was hurt by Burnas actions and felt like crying.

She said, Im not gonna lie, at that very moment [after Burna Boys snub] I was gonna cry. First of all, I tell you why, I looked hello stupid calling this man Odogwu [laughs]. And then he just walked right past me like I was some crazy lady from Africa that doesnt understand who he was.

Im sure people were probably thinking, who in the world is odogwu?

However, in the video clip, Burna Boy smiled at her when she requested to interview him.

Burna Boy said, Honestly, I have got to go.

After the singer walked away, the journalist said to the camera, Guys, we got to remember this one, Burna Boy really snubbed Nigeria like dont forget that.
The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have requested that the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal be televised.

Obi and his party filed an application asking that the proceedings be televised.

This follows a similar application by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

The former vice president, through his counsel Chris Uche, urged the court to grant permission for the televising of proceedings in his petition challenging the return of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu as the winner of the election.

In a related development, the tribunal adjourned the prehearing session on Obi and the LPs petition till May 17 at the instance of the petitioners.

The counsel to Obi, Livy Uzoukwu, told the tribunal that further prehearing on the petition should be adjourned till a later date as they have pending processes to be filed and served.

Mr Uzoukwu noted that it was a unanimous decision between the petitioner and the respondents, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Tinubu to adjourn the matter till May 17.

Counsel to INEC, the APC, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima confirmed the agreement.

Consequently, the tribunal adjourned the prehearing session till May 17 to enable the parties to decide on documents that are not in contention and the ones that are controversial.

Present at the proceeding were Obi and the Director General of the 2023 LP Campaign Organisation, Akin Osuntokun.
Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie has taken to social media to express his total dedicated to God amid his family crisis.

KanyiDaily recalls that Yul Edochie has been under fire on social media after she shared a video of his second wife, Judy Austins childbirth testimony, while his senior wife, May is still mourning the death of their first son, Kambilichukwu.

Amid the backlash, Yul Edochie took to his Instagram page to emphasize his unwavering commitment to offering praise and glory to God in every situation.

The actor acknowledged that there will always be good and bad days, but he will submit totally to Gods will because he is the beginning and the end.

He wrote, There will be good days and there will be not-so-good days. But in all days, I give God praise. My love for You, Lord, will never shake. In all situations, I give You all the glory, Lord.

Youre the beginning & the end. The Creator of Heaven & Earth. The Giver of Life. I submit totally to Your will. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You, Lord, God Almighty. It is well.

This comes after Yul Edochie and his aunt, Rita Edochie, unfollowed each other on Instagram amid the crisis rocking their family over his wives.

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The President-elect, Bola Tinubu has flown to Europe on Wednesday, a few weeks after he returned to Nigeria following his medical treatment in France.

Although Tinubu was said to have departed Nigeria for Europe on Wednesday for a working visit, SaharaReporters learnt that the president-elect returned to France on Tuesday night to see his doctors, in preparation for his inauguration on May 29.

He is returning to France to see his doctors ahead of the stress of the inauguration period so he can prepare for his swearing-in, a top source in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) told SaharaReporters.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Tinubus Media Aide, Tunde Rahman said the president-elect travelled on a working visit and is scheduled to engage with investors and other key allies to finetune the transition plans with some of his key aides.

The statement did not disclose his exact whereabout in Europe but stated that he is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing-in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023.

The statement reads, Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europes business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.

Asiwaju Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigerias readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.

Reviving the countrys economy forms a major plank of Tinubus Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigerias importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the countrys huge youth population.

The President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

On May 1, SaharaReporters reported that Tinubu visited Lagos to take a medical rest and see some of his doctors who had arrived in the country to give him follow-up medical care.

It was learnt that some members of the medical team who treated Tinubu in France were in Lagos to give the President-elect follow-up treatment, which is the care given to a patient over time after finishing treatment for a disease.

This involves monitoring a persons health over time after treatment.

A source had told SaharaReporters that Tinubu who recently moved into the Defence House in Abuja ahead of his inauguration in May, was in Lagos on the weekend of April 29, 2023, to see his foreign doctors who were purposely in the country for him.

Tinubu sneaked into Lagos on Saturday. He is taking a medical rest to see some doctors who are in Nigeria to follow up on his treatment, the source had said.

Tinubus recent trip to Europe comes a few weeks after he returned to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, following his medical trip in France.

KanyiDaily recalls that Bola Tinubus team had insisted that he was on vacation in France, it was gathered that the president-elect fell ill after the March 18 governorship and State Assembly elections and was flown to France for medical treatment.

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This is not the best of times for President Donald Trump of US following a subpoena issued to his inaugural committee who are suspected of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud and money laundering.

The writ for documents was issued on Monday by the Manhattan US attorneys office, just weeks after it emerged the nonprofit organisation was under investigation over alleged misspending of the $107m (82m) it had raised from donors.

The investigation is reportedly examining whether some of the committees donors gave money in exchange for policy concessions, influencing administration positions or access to the incoming administration.

Prosecutors also showed interest in whether any foreigners illegally donated to the committee.

Federal law prohibits foreign contributions to inaugural funds.

The subpoena seeks a range of documents from the committee, including all information related to donors, vendors, contractors, committee bank accounts and any foreign contributors to the fund, according to a copy seen by The Washington Post.

It also asks for specific information about benefits provided to donors, training documents for fundraisers and payments made directly by donors to vendors.

Although campaign finance laws restrict the size of campaign contributions, inaugurations can accept unlimited donations, including from corporations.

The $107m raised by Mr. Trumps inaugural committee, chaired by real estate developer and investor Thomas Barrack, was the largest in history and more than twice as much as that raised for Barack Obamas assumption of office in 2009, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Donations were made by a range of wealthy supporters of the president and corporate interests.

The committees inaugural spending has been shrouded in controversy after it failed to account for as much as $42m (32m) in spending.

We have just received a subpoena for documents. While we are still reviewing the subpoena, it is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry, a spokesperson for the committee said in a statement.

It comes as the presidents homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, agreed to testify next month before a house panel on the Trump administrations border security policies.

She should be ready to defend the administrations border security actions and its plans to improve its border security agenda going forward, Bennie Thompson, chair of the homeland security committee, said.




The Federal Government has signed a contract agreement for the construction of railway to link Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory with Itakpe and Warri.





The rail line which is about $3.9bn will pass through Barrow and have a branch line to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.





Also included in the contract agreement is the completion of the rail line from Warri Central Station and construction of the new Warri Sea port.





The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, while signing the Contract on behalf of the Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja, said the contract will be operated on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) platform where the Federal Government and the Chinese company are expected to contribute equity to the cost of the construction.





According to Amaechi, The signing ceremony we are witnessing today is the first PPP railway agreement for Abuja, Barrow, Itakpe and Lokoja. The agreement is between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and China Railway Construction Company International (CRCCI). In the agreement, it is 15 percent Nigeria and 10 percent CRCCI and then we would borrow the remaining seventy five percent as SPV from the Chinese EXIM bank.





Part of the agreement is that the CRCCI will provide us with a performance bond before we give a sovereign guarantee for them to be able to borrow the remaining seventy five percent, Amaechi said.









The Minister added that any outstanding fund arising from the contract will be borrowed with the Federal Governments guarantee, which would also be backstopped by performance bond from the company. And then there is a concession agreement that requires CRCCI to manage both the railway and the seaport and recover the seventy five percent and pay the money.





So, the entire railway for now in Nigeria is constructed by CRCCI. Honestly, I dont know why we have not concluded the Ibadan dry port. We need to conclude that and get it out of the way. Nigeria is waiting for CRCCI at Abuja to Itakpe and Warri seaport. Before the approval at the Federal cabinet, CRCCI was pushing us with so much pressure to approve it, now that we have approved it they are not on site, he told the Chinese delegation.





He, however, commended the working relationship between the Federal Government and CRCCI over the years, and reminded them that there was need to localise technology and participation.





I think that the good working relationship between the Federal Government and CRCCI Is the reason we have not engaged other companies, and theres the need to localise the technology and we need local participation of both Nigerian Engineers and contractors. So we need you to work with us to develop the knowledge of Nigerians in terms of the Railway University and provide us with lecturers until such a time that we are able to have our own lecturers, he said.





Amaechi further stated that the Chinese company is expected to operate with the aim of meeting the repayment term of the borrowing within a construction period of thirty years.





Earlier, leader of the Chinese delegation and Vice Chairman of CRCCI, Wang Wenzhong, said they would provide solutions to the development of Nigeria railway and ensure the best in terms of quality delivery. He acknowledged that there had been significant achievements in transportation infrastructure under the present government.





CRCCI is Chinas biggest construction company and the biggest railway company in the world. We pay lots of attention to the development of Nigeria, we also make use of our best resources in Nigeria. We also make demand for our subsidiaries to work harder for Nigeria and her people. We, as government, we know that you have made a lot for the development of CRCCI, we appeal to you to provide your continuous support for the achievements you have made.





We have also witnessed a great achievement in transportation under your leadership and we are going to provide all solutions to the development of Nigeria railway. We want all projects in Nigeria to be the best in terms of quality, Wenzhong stated.
SPRINGFIELD  The state is making $50 million in grant funds available for artists and creators who experienced economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is distributing the grant funds to assist nonprofits, businesses, sole proprietors, independent contractors and freelancers in the arts community.

When the pandemic hit, it just devastated a lot of these organizations, said Doug Johnson, executive director of the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. These organizations are still trying to make up a lot of lost ground. This is the point where were going to lose a lot of these organizations and these artists that have helped define what our communities are and what our culture is.

Johnson said this grant program will help local artists have enough resources to continue providing the creative outlets that communities rely on for quality of life.

"The arts and culture sector was one of the hardest-hit industries during COVID, and that pain is still being felt," said Kacie Smith, director of programs for the advocacy group Art Alliance Illinois. "But having a strong and vibrant arts and culture sector is so important for our quality of life and our economic stability."

During the worst of the pandemic, McLean County Arts Center had to cancel classes for almost a year, causing a significant drop in revenue, Johnson said. Even after classes were able to resume, the center had to operate at reduced capacity and a reduced class schedule.

The grant program, known as Back to Business Arts, is similar to the B2B grants that were distributed earlier in the pandemic. B2B Arts are specifically for the creative community, making more in the sector eligible to apply. Applications are due May 10.

This $50 million in relief for the creative sector couldn't come at a more critical time, said Claire Rice, executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois. Weve always said that the arts were the first to close and the last to reopen.

The creative community in Illinois has never had this much funding available, and with applications closing May 10, the window for people to access it is tight. Thats why were here: to make sure the arts and culture community not only knows that these funds are available, but also has all the help they need to successfully apply.

Eligible categories include those in dance, film, literary arts, media arts, music, theater, or visual arts, arts education organizations, cultural heritage organizations, and museums.

Eligible entities must have:

Experienced a loss in earned and/or contributed revenue of at least $5,000 due to economic disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic;

Been in operation in Illinois since prior to March 12, 2020, and remain in operation at time of application.

"The grant application is really really simple, which I feel like isn't something we get to say too often with grants from the government," said Smith.

Arts Alliance Illinois is offering applicants assistance with the process including 1-on-1 assistance and webinars. More information can be found at www.artsalliance.org/creativerecovery.
SPRINGFIELD  Legislation clarifying Normal's municipal classification following a long-running legal dispute is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk.

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday voted 43-13 to approve the bill, which essentially codifies a January ruling from a McLean County judge that the town clerk was not required to certify election petitions for candidates seeking offices that do not typically appear on the Normal ballot.

Last year, candidates filed petitions to run for town collector, town supervisor and town clerk despite the former two being non-existent positions and the latter being an appointed position within Normal town government.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos said the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, and state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, clarifies Normals municipal status and exempts the town from being required to elect those positions.

Its a very unique situation, really applicable only to the Town of Normal, Koos said. It just adds clarity to the status of the Town of Normal as a chartered town in the state of Illinois.

Koos added that he thinks the governor will not have any issues passing the bill because it is clearing up the ambiguity in the state law.

I cant imagine thered be anything that would impinge on that, Koos said. Im happy that were getting it done because it has been a murky subject.

The litigation stemmed from a legal dispute that began last year after a group of residents calling themselves Citizens for a Better Normal sought to place a referendum on the November ballot that could have changed the makeup of the Normal Town Council.

The group wanted to divide the community into districts, similar to Bloomingtons ward-based system, rather than electing council members at large.

State law allows for such ballot measures in communities that are classified as villages. Supporters of the referendum maintained that Normal meets those standards, specifically arguing that an incorporated town must elect a president, assessor, clerk and supervisor.

But Normals three-member board of electors found, and a McLean County judge agreed, that the community is an incorporated town.

The legislation passed the Illinois House in March.

Mateusz Janik contributed to this report.

Close City Manager $218,696.41 Assistant City Manager $218,696.41 Corporation Counsel $219,676 Chief of Police $161,440.50 Fire Chief $204,050.82 Director of Finance $196,091.53 Library Administrator $152,297.60 Director of Public Works and Engineering $204,293 Director of Parks and Recreation $146,386.50 Director of Cultural Arts $137,280 What top 10 Town of Normal employees make The following salary information is for town of Normal employees. Total compensation includes salary, bonuses, overtime, etc. City Manager $218,696.41 Assistant City Manager $218,696.41 Corporation Counsel $219,676 Chief of Police $161,440.50 Fire Chief $204,050.82 Director of Finance $196,091.53 Library Administrator $152,297.60 Director of Public Works and Engineering $204,293 Director of Parks and Recreation $146,386.50 Director of Cultural Arts $137,280
SPRINGFIELD  A single justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is now weighing whether to block Illinois assault weapons ban from being enforced while the case is being heard in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who hears applications from the 7th Circuit, could decide on her own whether to issue an emergency injunction or she could refer the question to the full court for consideration.

The case involves both the states ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines as well as a local ordinance in the city of Naperville. Both laws were enacted in response to a mass shooting at an Independence Day parade last year in Highland Park. Although the state ban was temporarily blocked by the courts, both laws are currently in effect.

The National Association for Gun Rights, along with a local gun store owner in Naperville, challenged the Naperville ordinance shortly after it was enacted in August 2022 and then added the state as a defendant after the state ban went into effect in January. They argue that both laws violate the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Their lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the laws. But on Feb. 17, Northern District Court Judge Virginia Kendall denied those motions, saying particularly dangerous weapons like those banned under the laws are not protected by the Second Amendment.

The plaintiffs then appealed to the 7th Circuit and asked that court for an emergency injunction pending appeal, but the appellate court rejected that motion on April 18. They next sought an injunction through the U.S. Supreme Court.

At the Supreme Court, applications for stays or injunctions are filed with a justice assigned to hear applications from that appellate circuit. In the case of the Seventh Circuit, that is Justice Barrett.

On May 1, Barrett requested more information from the state and the city. Attorney General Kwame Raouls office, which represents both defendants, filed its response on Monday and the National Association for Gun Rights filed its reply brief Wednesday.

The state argues that the application for an injunction should be denied because the plaintiffs failed to show that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their claim, one of the requirements for granting an in junction.

Nor could they, since this Court has not addressed a Second Amendment challenge to a law similar to the (Protect Illinois Communities) Act, the brief states.

It notes that two district court judges in Illinois, including Kendall, have refused to enjoin the act, and four district court judges in other states have declined to enjoin similar laws.

But on April 28, Judge Stephen P. McGlynn, in the Southern District of Illinois, granted a temporary injunction, although the Seventh Circuit later stayed that order while McGlynns decision is appealed.

The plaintiffs counter that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their case because the laws ban weapons that are commonly used for lawful purposes.

AR platform rifles are just one of the many types of rifles banned by name and/or by feature, they wrote in their brief. At least 20 million AR-15s and similar rifles are owned by millions of American citizens who use those firearms for lawful purposes.

Barrett has not indicated how quickly she will decide on the application or whether she will refer it to the full court for consideration.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has secured a scholarship package for Ghanaian students to study at the prestigious University of Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America (USA).



Under the deal, qualified Ghanaian students will travel to Memphis University to undertake their undergraduate, masters and PhD.



Up to 70 per cent of the opportunity is reserved for students who will undertake courses in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).



The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and the authorities of the University of Memphis last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect at the school, sealing the deal that spells out the modalities for the implementation of the scholarship.



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Briefing the Daily Graphic upon his return from the USA, the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, noted that the Asantehene last year, as a special guest to the famed Memphis in May Festival, made a request for scholarship for Ghanaian students.



He said although the initial target was for only students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Asantehene later called for its expansion to cover more Ghanaian students.



So a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and the University of Memphis which will allow Ghanaian students to undertake their undergraduate, masters and PhD at the university. This deal, I must confess, is a blessing for Ghanaians students, he said.



Dr Agyemang said because the city of Memphis was home to some global brands, the secretariat was working out the possibility for Ghanaian students who got the opportunity to study at the university to undertake their internship there in those industries in a bid to use one stone to kill two birds.



It is important to underscore that the city of Memphis is the headquarters of so many globally acclaimed companies such as Fed Ex, Autozone, Sedgwick Jone Incorporated, International Paper, Baptist Memorial Healthcare, First Horizon National Incorporated (NYSE: FHN) and Mueller Industries, Dr Agyemang said.



What this means is that academics and industry will gradually be bridged as these companies will provide essential internship programmes for Ghanaian students. Discussions between these companies and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat have started, he added.



He said this formed part of the nations drive to create the creative, innovative, knowledgeable and experienced human resource that would lead the charge in accelerating the industrialisation agenda to position the nation for accelerated development.



Asked about when Ghanaians students would be able to fly to Memphis to start their studies under this agreement, Dr Agyemang said very soon the opportunity would be advertised for prospective students to apply and those who made it would commence their studies at the Memphis University from September 2023.



Dr Agyemang commended the Asantehene for brokering such a crucial deal for Ghanaian students, particularly for those into the area of STEM, adding that Otumfuo has shown leadership and demonstrated how he values education. This scholarship is not for just Asanteman but Ghana as a whole.



I must also say we are grateful to the former Minister of Education, now Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for his interest in this scholarship and the necessary inputs he provided us to make it successful, he said.



After the MoU, the Ghanaian delegation, led by Dr Agyemang, toured the university to inspect lecture theatres, laboratories, hostels and other facilities.



The Ghanaian entourage also included the Head of International Relations & Partnerships, Richard Gyamfi; the Head of Treasury, Ghana Embassy, Washington D.C., Janet Koranteng, and a member of the Scholarship Review Committee, Nana Owiredu Wadie.



The University of Memphis was represented by the Interim Provost, Dr Abby L. Parril; the Executive Vice -President and Chief Operating & Financial Officer, Raaj Kurapati; the Vice Provost, and International Affairs, Dr Balaji Krishnan, and the Executive Director, Centre for International Education Services, Rebecca Laumann.

Source: Graphiconline









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The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry has placed the blame for the collapse of four ongoing building projects in the country within the past two weeks squarely on the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).



The Chamber believes that the failure of the MMDAs to effectively assess the work of land developers intending to erect buildings is the root cause of the collapsed structures.



The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry asserts that some land developers engage quack engineers to supervise construction works and thus cut corners in building projects.



Mr. Emmanuel Cherry, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, spoke out on the issue in an interview with Citi FM.



He called on authorities to take action against land developers who flout structural integrity rules.



According to Mr. Cherry, the country has advanced technologies that can only be manned by professionals, but developers often hire unskilled workers who cannot provide the quality work needed.



The CEO identified the ineffective assessment of work by some MMDAs as another significant challenge in the industry. He emphasized that until the authorities crack down on these practices, the problem of collapsed buildings will persist.



There are technologies in the system that are well advanced, that can only be manned by professionals. But what do we see? Developers just fall on any roadside mason, call them to the site and give them whatsoever amount of money and then expect them to deliver quality for them. Some of the MMDAs also fail to effectively assess the work of land developers.

These are some of the challenges we are having as an industry. So until we crack the whip, it will be very difficult to arrest the menace, Mr. Cherry said.



Mr. Cherry announced that a stakeholder engagement would be held next week to address the concerns of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry. During the engagement, the necessary observations and recommendations to improve the industry's practices will be made public.



The CEO hinted that the stakeholders would take responsibility for any faults on their part, including those by government agencies.



The latest incident at the Word In Action Church at old Bortianor is the most recent in a series of collapsed buildings, including the UDS City Campus at Sagnarigu, and the collapse of two separate three-storey buildings at Madina and Adentan in Accra.

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Prophet Nigel Gaisie, the founder and leader of Prophetic Hill Chapel International has again predicted a win for former President John Mahama ahead of the 2024 election.



However, he has cautioned the NDC to avoid assuming that they've already won the election.



"It's a prophetic word God gave me 5 years ago and it will surely come to pass. What I'll tell the NDC is that their posture now is like they have already won and it's dangerous. They should not behave (like that) because 2024 is not going to be like the last election; it's going to be militant. So in my lifetime, we will see that Kwame Dramani (John Mahama) will go to the Jubilee House," he said on UTV's United Showbiz.



Meanwhile, he has advised, "Mahama to take care of himself; those around him should not enjoy opposition than they working to come into power".



"It will come to pass," he added.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Deputy Chairman for Finance and Administration at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Victor Brobbey, has urged Ghanaians to turn out in their numbers to vote in the upcoming local government elections later this year.



According to him, the turnout for local government election is normally about half the national election because most people are not aware of the effects that local governance has directly on their lives.



He further highlighted that decisions made in the local level of governance can cause major change in the lives of Ghanaians than they realise.



He therefore urged citizens to show up in their numbers and cast their votes during local governance elections as this will allow for effective change and democracy in the future.



A lot of development decisions are taken at the local government level and it is important we keep highlighting this fact to encourage people to participate and also to vote in those elections because they have a much more direct impact on their lives than the national elections do sometimes, he stated.



The Deputy Chairman shared his thoughts at an engagement event held by the NCCE at the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) headquarters to educate the personnel on the 1992 constitution of the country and celebrate its 30 year existence in the country.



The event also sought to solicit the opinions of the personnel of the GPS and present it to the Parliament to be kept and taken into account if constitutional reforms should begin.



Director of Prisons at the Human Resource Management, Benedict Bob-Dery, thanked the NCCE for their time and encouraged the NCCE to educate the public on the needs of the prisons service so as to increase the support the service gains from the public.



Please educate the citizens to come to our aid so that the prisons will become a better place for the inmates, he stated.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who is vying to become the ruling New Patriotic Partys (NPPs) flagbearer, has donated a new pick-up van to the party for its campaign activities in the forthcoming Kumawu Constituency by-election in the Ashanti Region.



The vehicle was presented to party officials at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.



Agyapong, who is also the MP for Assin Central, stated that his aim was to assist in the strengthening of the party in the constituency to secure a win.



The by-election has been set for May 23, 2023 by the Electoral Commission following the death of the MP, Philip Basoah on March 27, 2023.



Philip Basoah died at the age of 53 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.



The EC in a statement signed and issued by its Chairperson, Jean Mensah said the exercise would be conducted in line with Article 112 (5) of the constitution.



The Electoral Commission wishes to announce for the information of the general public that following the death of the Member of Parliament for the Kumawu Constituency, Philip Basoah, the seat of the constituency in Parliament has become vacant, the EC said.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Roe in 1973 and Casey in 1992 determined the right to an abortion was found in a combination of protections recognized by the Constitution.

These include the Fourth Amendment's protections against state intrusion, and the Ninth Amendment's recognition of non-enumerated rights, or "others retained by the people." The most prominent justification in those rulings is the 14th Amendment's protection against deprivation of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Roe grounded the abortion right in a broader right of privacy, while Casey added an emphasis on reproductive autonomy and bodily integrity.

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In Alito's view, Roe "was remarkably loose in its treatment of the constitutional text. It held that the abortion right, which is not mentioned in the Constitution, is part of a right to privacy, which is also not mentioned." His draft concludes that Roe's "message seemed to be that the abortion right could be found somewhere in the Constitution and that specifying its exact location was not of paramount importance."

The standard the Supreme Court has employed to recognize a right not specifically stated in the Constitution's text has been whether it is "deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition." Alito's draft demands historical evidence of political assertions, judicial rulings or public laws that demonstrate the existence of the right.

But Alito's review of the history argues that the opposite is the case: There is no evidence of an established right and there are, instead, many examples of public restrictions. A 30-page appendix lists all of the state laws outlawing or regulating abortion passed between 1825 and 1952. He concludes that "until the latter part of the 20th century, there was no support in American law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Zero. None."

An important part of the draft ruling focuses on the question of who has the power to determine prevailing social facts as well as protected legal principles.

At what point a fetus becomes a person  and as such a holder of rights  is a long-standing dispute at the heart of the abortion debate. This is a crucial aspect of the conflict because a woman's rights to autonomy and liberty may be limited if other rights held by other persons are involved. But it has not been clear who has the power to make that determination.

Roe  50 years ago  and Casey  30 years ago  said that the court should set a national standard for recognizing fetal personhood. Casey established viability at around 24 weeks, or the point at which fetal life is deemed to be self-sustaining outside the womb, as the point at which a state could recognize fetal rights and therefore restrict abortion.

But Alito argues that this specific standard "makes no sense" and that the previous rulings "provided no principled defense of the viability line."

So Alito puts the decision about when a fetus becomes a person clearly in the hands of the elected representatives of each state: "In some states, voters may believe that the abortion right should be even more extensive than the right that Roe and Casey recognized. Voters in other states may wish to impose tight restrictions based on their belief that abortion destroys an 'unborn human being.'"

" " At his confirmation hearings in 2006 on Capitol Hill, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito declined to call Roe v. Wade settled law. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
" " Pope John Paul I (1912-1978) greets the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square afer his first blessing, Aug. 27, 1978. He died a month later, his reign lasting for only 33 days. He has moved one step closer to sainthood. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Albino Luciano, better known to the world as Pope John Paul I, reigned as pope for only 34 days before his death in September 1978. But he will soon join the ranks of 20th-century popes who the Catholic Church has canonized. This literally means they have been entered on the "canon," or list, of people formally declared to be in heaven and have been granted the title "Blessed" or "Saint."

The process requires a rigorous examination of the life and holiness of a candidate and involves several stages that can last years or even centuries.

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After someone with a reputation for exceptional holiness dies, a bishop can open an investigation into their life. At this stage, the person can be granted the title "Servant of God." Further details and research are needed for them to be recognized as "Venerable," the next stage in canonization.

The following step is beatification, when someone is declared "Blessed." This usually requires that the Vatican confirm that the person performed a "miracle" by interceding with God. Two miracles are required before a "Blessed" can be declared a saint.

What, then, is a miracle?
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The catastrophic Australian bushfires in 20192020 contributed to ocean cooling thousands of miles away, ultimately nudging the Tropical Pacific into a rare multi-year La Nina event that dissipated only recently.

The research was led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and is published in Science Advances.

La Nina events tend to impact the winter climate over North America, causing drier and warmer than average conditions in the southwest U.S., wetter weather in the Pacific Northwest, and colder temperatures in Canada and the northern U.S. Because the emergence of La Nina can often be predicted months in advance, it's an important phenomenon for seasonal climate forecasts.

"Many people quickly forgot about the Australian fires, especially as the COVID pandemic exploded, but the Earth system has a long memory, and the impacts of the fires lingered for years," said NCAR scientist John Fasullo, lead author of the study.

A rare La Nina three-peat

La Ninas are not uncommon, but an occurrence for three consecutive winters is rare. The recent run of La Ninas, beginning in the winter of 202021 and continuing through last winter, is only the third string of three in the historical record, which dates back to 1950.

The recent La Nina streak is also unusual because it is the only one that did not follow a strong El Ninoa warming instead of cooling in the Tropical Pacific with similar but opposite climate impacts.

Scientists have previously established that events in the Earth system, including large volcanic eruptions in the Southern Hemisphere, can shift the odds toward a La Nina emerging. In the case of a volcano, emissions spewed high into the atmosphere can result in the formation of light-reflecting particles called aerosols, which can cool the climate and ultimately create favorable conditions for La Nina.

Given the massive scale of the Australian fireswhich burned an estimated 46 million acresFasullo and his co-authors wondered what climate impacts the resulting emissions might have had.

To investigate the question, the researchers used an advanced NCAR-based computer model called the Community Earth System Model, version 2, to run two batches of simulations on the Cheyenne system at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center. All the simulations started in August of 2019, before the blazes in Australia became historically large, but only one set incorporated the emissions from the wildfires as observed by satellite. The other used average wildfire emissions, the normal practice when running long-term climate model simulations.

The research team found that the emissions from the wildfires, which quickly encircled the Southern Hemisphere, kicked off a chain of climate interactions. Unlike a volcanic eruption, the bulk of wildfire emissions did not make it high enough in the atmosphere to cool the climate by directly reflecting sunlight. Instead, the aerosols that formed from the emissions brightened the cloud decks across the Southern Hemisphere and especially off the coast of Peru, which cooled and dried the air in the region, ultimately shifting the zone where the northern and southern trade winds come together. The net result was a cooling of the Tropical Pacific ocean, where La Ninas form, over multiple years.

"It's a Rube Goldberg of climate interactions that we were only able to identify because our model now represents specific details in the evolution of smoke and cloud-aerosol interactions, a recent improvement to its capabilities," Fasullo said.

Improving the forecast

In June 2020just a few months before the first of the three La Ninas formedsome seasonal forecasts were still predicting "neutral" conditions in the Tropical Pacific, meaning that neither a La Nina nor El Nino was favored. Instead, a strong three-year La Nina materialized.

Fasullo said the new research helps explain this missed forecast and highlights the importance of using a coupled Earth system model, which includes the atmosphere and the ocean, as a forecast tool.

The research also underscores the importance of having realistic wildfire emissions, both in seasonal climate predictions and long-range climate projections. Currently, biomass burning emissions in most climate model simulations are prescribed, meaning they are imposed on the model run and not determined by interactions happening within the model. For example, a simulated hot and dry period in the model simulation would not lead to more wildfires, and therefore more emissions within the simulation.

"As the climate changes, the emissions from wildfires will also change," Fasullo said. "But we don't have that feedback in the model. It is the goal of our current work to incorporate these effects as realistically as possible."

More information: John Fasullo et al, A multiyear tropical Pacific cooling response to recent Australian wildfires in CESM2, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1213. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg1213 Journal information: Science Advances
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The large-scale production of antibiotics from plants could present a much greener alternative to traditional pharmaceutical production. Credit: Shutterstock

Plants engineered to produce therapeutic peptides could provide a cost-effective and sustainable platform for manufacturing drugs.

As a proof of concept, researchers have coaxed a close relative of tobacco, Nicotiana benthamiana, to churn out peptides with antibiotic activity against some of the nastiest pathogens known to medicine, as others had done in the past.

But, unlike previous efforts to turn plants into drug-production bioreactors, the scientists also modified their shrubs to express a rat enzyme, called PAM, that enhances the stability and prolongs the activity of antimicrobial peptides.

The resulting plants yielded potent drugs that should cost far less to manufacture than those made via other systemswith the added benefit of offering a more environmentally friendly route to drug assembly.

"These plants can be grown on a massive scale, providing a reliable and cost-effective source of medicines for people around the world," says bioengineering professor Magdy Mahfouz, who led the study.

"We now intend to use this technology to produce a wide range of biologics and therapeutics," adds Shahid Chaudhary, a Ph.D. student in Mahfouz's lab group and the first author of the new report.

Establishment of a SynBio chassis for in planta expression of AMPs. a Schematic diagram of the AMP expression cassette for in planta expression, using the backbone of the pEAQ-HT vector. Strep-II, high-affinity strep-tag II; HA, human influenza hemagglutinin epitope; linker, flexible GGSGGS linker; bdSUMOEu1, small ubiquitin-related modifier (bdSUMO) from Brachypodium distachyon containing mutations at SUMO-interacting positions; AMP1, AMP2 and AMP3 with a terminal glycine residue. b, Flowchart created using Affinity designer (https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/) summarized the plant-based production and purification of biologically active AMPs. The individual plasmids are transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens and infiltrated into Nicotiana benthamiana; leaves are harvested at 6 days post infiltration (dpi); total proteins are isolated and applied to Strep-Tactin Superflow resin. Following protease cleavage, His-tagged SENPEuH is removed using Ni-affinity chromatography and isolated AMPs are further purified by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Next, the pooled SEC fractions are applied to a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatograph (RP-HPLC) for final purification of AMPs. c Analysis of the isolated proteins by SDS-PAGE. Strep-II affinity-captured SUMO-fused AMPs were separated by SDS-PAGE and gels were stained with Coomassie Brilliant blue. d Immunoblot confirmation of purified SUMO-fused AMPs. The separated proteins were transferred onto a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane and probed with a monoclonal anti-HA antibody for detection of bdSUMOEu1-AMPs (15.5 kDa). Total proteins extracted from non-infiltrated leaves serving as negative control, NTC; HA-tagged protein used as a positive control, PTC. Two independent blots were performed with similar results. Black arrowheads indicate the expected size of protein. e Gel shift assay for AMP release. Proteins were separated on a 18% Tricine-SDS gel to detect the release of AMPs peptide (1.51.7 kDa) from the bdSUMOEu1 domain (14 kDa). Red and black arrowheads indicate the uncleaved and cleaved proteins, respectively. f RP-HPLC purification of AMPs. Pooled fractions from SEC were separated on C8 column using acetonitrile gradient. Purified AMPs were separated on a 18% Tricine-SDS gel. Two independent Tricine-SDS-PAGE gels were performed with similar results. g Mass analysis of plant-purified AMPs using ESI-MS. The y-axis shows the signal intensity, and the x-axis displays the m/z value of each peptide. Black arrowheads indicate the expected size of peptides. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37003-z

The KAUST research team, which included bioengineers Charlotte Hauser and Samir Hamdan, along with microbiologist Pei-Ying Hong and collaborators from Canada, showed that antimicrobial peptides made in this way could kill several dangerous pathogens, including multiple drug-resistant superbugs responsible for some of the deadliest hospital-acquired infections. The antibiotics also proved harmless to mammalian cells, suggesting that they should be safe for human consumption.

Thinking ahead to eventual deployment of the "biopharming" technique on a massive scale, the researchers showed that their plants were about 3.5-times more efficient at making antibiotics than comparable plants that lack the PAM enzyme modification.

They also added up all the expenses of drug manufacturing and calculated that they could produce 10 milligrams of clinical-grade antimicrobial peptides for less than $0.74 USDmuch less than the ~$1000 USD cost of production in commercial companies that chemically synthesize peptides and well below the cost of manufacturing in mammalian cells.

Moreover, plant-based drug manufacturing generates none of the hazardous waste associated with other production platforms, thus making it a much greener option for the pharmaceutical industry.

Mahfouz and his colleagues next plan to make other types of therapeutics in the same way.

"Large-scale industrial production of therapeutic molecules in plants represents a significant step forward in the democratization of medicine," Mahfouz says. "By harnessing the power of molecular biomanufacturing, we can now produce high-quality clinical-grade therapeutics at a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing methods."

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

More information: Shahid Chaudhary et al, Efficient in planta production of amidated antimicrobial peptides that are active against drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37003-z Journal information: Nature Communications
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Qizhong Liang, a PhD candidate in JILA and the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, demonstrates how the laser-based breathalyzer works, in the Ye lab at JILA. Ultimately, the system could be miniaturized for "on-the-go health monitoring." Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder. Credit: CU Boulder

With each breath, humans exhale more than 1,000 distinct molecules, producing a unique chemical fingerprint or "breathprint" rich with clues about what's going on inside the body.

For decades, scientists have sought to harness that information, turning to dogs, rats and even bees to literally sniff out cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis and more.

Scientists from CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made an important leap forward in the quest to diagnose disease using exhaled breath, reporting that a new laser-based breathalyzer powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can detect COVID-19 in real-time with excellent accuracy.

The results were published April 5 in the Journal of Breath Research.

"Our results demonstrate the promise of breath analysis as an alternative, rapid, non-invasive test for COVID-19 and highlight its remarkable potential for diagnosing diverse conditions and disease states," said first author Qizhong Liang, a Ph.D. candidate in JILA and the Department of Physics at CU Boulder. JILA is a partnership between CU Boulder and NIST.

The multidisciplinary team of physicists, biochemists and biologists is now shifting its focus to a wide range of other diseases in hopes that the "frequency comb breathalyzer"born of Nobel Prize-winning technology from CUcould revolutionize medical diagnostics.

"There is a real, foreseeable future in which you could go to the doctor and have your breath measured along with your height and weightOr you could blow into a mouthpiece integrated into your phone and get information about your health in real-time," said senior author Jun Ye, a JILA fellow and adjoint professor of physics at CU Boulder. "The potential is endless."

A COVID-born collaboration

As far back as 2008, Ye's lab reported that a technique called frequency comb spectroscopyessentially using laser light to distinguish one molecule from anothercould potentially identify biomarkers of disease in human breath.

The technology lacked sensitivity and, more importantly, the capability to link specific molecules to disease states, so they never tested it for diagnosing illness.

But Ye's team has since improved the sensitivity a thousandfold, enabling detection of trace molecules at the parts-per-trillion level. They've also harnessed the power of AI.

"Molecules increase or decrease in concentrations when associated with specific health conditions," said Liang. "Machine learning analyzes this information, identifies patterns and develops criteria we can use to predict a diagnosis."

With SARS-CoV-2 ripping across the country and frustration mounting about long response times for existing tests, the time had come to test the system on people. As a physicist, Ye had never worked with human subjects, so he enlisted help from CU's BioFrontiers Institute, an interdisciplinary hub for biomedical research which was heading up the campus COVID testing program.

Non-invasive, fast, chemical-free

Between May 2021 and January 2022, the research team collected breath samples from 170 CU Boulder students who had, in the previous 48 hours, taken a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, either by submitting a saliva or a nasal sample.

Half had tested positive, half negative. (For safety reasons, volunteer participants came to an outdoor campus parking lot, blew in a sample-collection bag and left it for a lab tech waiting at a safe distance.)

Overall, the process took less than one hour from collection to result.

When compared to PCR, the gold standard COVID test, breathalyzer results matched 85% of the time. For medical diagnostics, accuracy of 80% or greater is considered "excellent."

The resesarchers suspect that the accuracy would likely have been higher if the breath and saliva/nasal swab samples were collected at the same time.

Unlike a nasal swab, the breathalyzer is non-invasive. And unlike a saliva sample, users are not asked to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking before using it. It doesn't require costly chemicals to break down the sample. And the new test could, conceivably, be used on individuals who are not conscious.

But there is still much to be learned, said Ye.

"With one breath, we can collect so many data points from you, but then what? We only understand how a few molecules correlate with specific conditions," Ye said.

Building a smaller breathalyzer

Today, the "breathalyzer" consists of a complex array of lasers and mirrors about the size of a banquet table.

A breath sample is piped in through a tube as lasers fire invisible mid-infrared light at it at thousands of different frequencies. Dozens of tiny mirrors bounce the light back and forth through the molecules so many times that in the end, the light travels about 1.5 miles.

Because each kind of molecule absorbs light differently, breath samples with a different molecular make-up cast distinct shadows. The machine can distinguish between those different shadows or absorption patterns, boiling millions of data points down toin the case of COVIDa simple positive or negative, in a matter of seconds.

Efforts are already underway to miniaturize such systems to a chip scale, allowing for what Liang imagines as "real-time, self-health monitoring on the go." The potential does not end there.

"What if you could find a signature in breath that could detect pancreatic cancer before you were even symptomatic. That would be the home run," said molecular biologist and co-author Leslie Leinwand, chief scientific officer for BioFrontiers and a co-author on the study

Elsewhere, scientists are working to develop a Human Breath Atlas, which maps each molecule in the human exhale and correlates them with health outcomes. Liang hopes to contribute to such efforts with a larger-scale collection of breath samples.

Meanwhile, the team is collaborating with pediatric and respiratory specialists at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to explore how the breathalyzer can not only diagnose diseases but also enable scientists to better understand them, offering hints about immune responses, nutritional deficiencies and other factors that could contribute to or exacerbate illness.

"If you think about dogs, they evolved over thousands of years to smell many different things with remarkable sensitivity," said Ye. "We are just at the very beginning of training our laser-based nose. The more we teach it, the smarter it will be come."

More information: Qizhong Liang et al, Breath analysis by ultra-sensitive broadband laser spectroscopy detects SARS-CoV-2 infection, Journal of Breath Research (2023). DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/acc6e4 Journal information: Journal of Breath Research
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Imagine you could travel to only 1% of the city where you liveareas that were easily accessible to other residents.

That's the situation for manual wheelchair users traveling by public buses in Columbus, a first-of-its-kind study finds. The situation for those with powered wheelchairs is only somewhat betterthe study found they have access to about 25% of the areas available to the general bus ridership.

But the main problem isn't with the bus system itselfthe key obstacle is with the sidewalks and other infrastructure that wheelchair users need to get from their homes to bus stops and from bus stops to their final destinations, researchers found.

"Damaged and missing sidewalks are a huge factor in making much of the city inaccessible to wheelchair users who rely on public transportation to get around," said Luyu Liu, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in geography at The Ohio State University.

"People with mobility disabilities need to get to and from bus stops in order to use public transportation and that isn't easy in many parts of the city."

The study, published recently in the Journal of Transport Geography, is significant because it is one of the first studies to obtain high-resolution, real-time data on the usage of buses by people with and without disabilities and compare it with data on infrastructure such as sidewalks.

"We've never been able to do an analysis like this before. The data simply did not exist until recently," said study co-author Harvey Miller, professor of geography at Ohio State and director of the university's Center for Urban and Regional Analysis.

"It allows us to get new insights into how public transportation operates in our cities and the social equity challenges we are facing."

And while this study was done in Columbus, it is not the only city that has an accessibility problem for those with disabilities.

"Columbus is typical of many cities in the United States, particularly cities of a similar size, because they are very car dependent," Miller said.

"Public transit is not emphasized in many American cities, and many cities have a problem with providing sidewalks."

The study area is Franklin County, where Columbus is located. Franklin County is home to 1.3 million people, including about 64,000 who have mobility disabilities. The researchers focus on the Central Ohio Transit Authority bus system, which serves about 50,000 people daily.

The researchers had access to real-time data on bus operations between 2018 and 2021, including the number of riders and every time a bus deployed equipment to accommodate a wheelchair.

In addition, they used data on all recorded sidewalks in the Franklin County area and the status of each sidewalk segment.

Results showed "striking disparities in accessibility" in the bus system between people with mobility disabilities and non-disabled users, Liu said.

In one analysis, the researchers found how many of the bus stops could get users to various spots in the city within 30 minutes. They found that 75% fewer bus stops could get people with manual wheelchairs to specified points within 30 minutes compared to non-disabled users. Powered wheelchair users had 59% fewer stops.

The researchers then completed calculations that gave riders twice as much time60 minutesto get to various spots, and disabled riders were still at a huge disadvantage.

"Even if we could wave a magic wand and give disabled riders an unrealistic amount of time to travel, they would still have access to significantly fewer opportunities and resources than the general population," Miller said.

In the bus rider usage data, the study found that the bus stops that people with disabilities tended to use were very differentand a much smaller numberthan those of the general population.

"Wheelchair users are self-segregated into areas of the city where they know there are sidewalks and built infrastructure that they can use to get to bus stops," Liu said.

Spatial patterns identified in the study showed that in much of the city, people with mobility disabilities had accessibility levels that were 60% to 100% below levels for public transit users without disabilities.

Strikingly, they found that they core of the citythe place with the highest overall ridership and accessibilitywas also the place with the highest access disparities between those with disabilities and those without.

That's because the center of the city has the highest level of accessibility to all parts of the city to those without disabilities. But for those with disabilities, there were many places they could theoretically travel to from the center of the citybut once they reached the bus stop, they had no good way of getting to their final destination.

"Once you get there, there are no sidewalks," Liu said. "You're stuck."

Miller said the study shows that buses and bus stops that are accessible to people with disabilities are necessary, but not sufficient, for those who use wheelchairs.

"Sidewalks are part of our transportation system. We cannot have effective and equitable public transit without having a good sidewalk network," he said.

Miller noted that those with mobility disabilities are more likely than others to be less affluent and to have to rely on public transit to get to jobs, medical appointments and shopping. That makes it even more crucial to ensure that infrastructure works for them throughout the city.

"Public transit is not a business, it is not just a social service. It is crucial urban infrastructure," Miller said. "Sidewalks are part of that."

Other co-authors, all at Ohio State, were Armita Kar, Ahmad Ilderim Tokey and Huyen T.K. Le.

More information: Luyu Liu et al, Disparities in public transit accessibility and usage by people with mobility disabilities: An evaluation using high-resolution transit data, Journal of Transport Geography (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2023.103589 Journal information: Journal of Transport Geography
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Partial section of the 30-meter-long quantum connection between two superconducting circuits. The vacuum tube (center) contains a microwave waveguide that is cooled to around 273C and connects the two quantum circuits. Credit: ETH Zurich / Daniel Winkler

A group of researchers led by Andreas Wallraff, Professor of Solid State Physics at ETH Zurich, has performed a loophole-free Bell test to disprove the concept of "local causality" formulated by Albert Einstein in response to quantum mechanics.

By showing that quantum mechanical objects that are far apart can be much more strongly correlated with each other than is possible in conventional systems, the researchers have provided further confirmation for quantum mechanics. What's special about this experiment is that the researchers were able for the first time to perform it using superconducting circuits, which are considered to be promising candidates for building powerful quantum computers.

An old dispute

A Bell test is based on an experimental setup that was initially devised as a thought experiment by British physicist John Bell in the 1960s. Bell wanted to settle a question that the greats of physics had already argued about in the 1930s: Are the predictions of quantum mechanics, which run completely counter to everyday intuition, correct, or do the conventional concepts of causality also apply in the atomic microcosm, as Albert Einstein believed?

To answer this question, Bell proposed to perform a random measurement on two entangled particles at the same time and check it against Bell's inequality. If Einstein's concept of local causality is true, these experiments will always satisfy Bell's inequality. By contrast, quantum mechanics predicts that they will violate it.

The last doubts dispelled

In the early 1970s, John Francis Clauser, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics last year, and Stuart Freedman carried out a first practical Bell test. In their experiments, the two researchers were able to prove that Bell's inequality is indeed violated. But they had to make certain assumptions in their experiments to be able to conduct them in the first place. So, theoretically, it might still have been the case that Einstein was correct to be skeptical of quantum mechanics.

Over time, however, more and more of these loopholes could be closed. Finally, in 2015, various groups succeeded in conducting the first truly loophole-free Bell tests, thus finally settling the old dispute.

Promising applications

Wallraff's group can now confirm these results with a novel experiment. The work by the ETH researchers published in Nature shows that research on this topic is not concluded, despite the initial confirmation seven years ago. There are several reasons for this.

For one thing, the ETH researchers' experiment confirms that superconducting circuits operate according to the laws of quantum mechanics too, even though they are much bigger than microscopic quantum objects such as photons or ions. The several hundred micrometer-sized electronic circuits made of superconducting materials and operated at microwave frequencies are referred to as macroscopic quantum objects.

For another thing, Bell tests also have a practical significance. "Modified Bell tests can be used in cryptography, for example, to demonstrate that information is actually transmitted in encrypted form," explains Simon Storz, a doctoral student in Wallraff's group. "With our approach, we can prove much more efficiently than is possible in other experimental setups that Bell's inequality is violated. That makes it particularly interesting for practical applications."

The search for a compromise

However, the researchers need a sophisticated test facility for this. Because for the Bell test to be truly loophole-free, they must ensure that no information can be exchanged between the two entangled circuits before the quantum measurements are complete. Since the fastest that information can be transmitted is at the speed of light, the measurement must take less time than it takes a light particle to travel from one circuit to another.

So, when setting up the experiment, it's important to strike a balance: the greater the distance between the two superconducting circuits, the more time is available for the measurementand the more complex the experimental setup becomes. This is because the entire experiment must be conducted in a vacuum near absolute zero.

The ETH researchers have determined the shortest distance over which to perform a successful loophole-free Bell test to be around 33 meters, as it takes a light particle about 110 nanoseconds to travel this distance in a vacuum. That's a few nanoseconds more than it took the researchers to perform the experiment.

Thirty-meter vacuum

Wallraff's team has built an impressive facility in the underground passageways of the ETH campus. At each of its two ends is a cryostat containing a superconducting circuit. These two cooling apparatuses are connected by a 30-meter-long tube whose interior is cooled to a temperature just above absolute zero (273.15C).

Before the start of each measurement, a microwave photon is transmitted from one of the two superconducting circuits to the other so that the two circuits become entangled. Random number generators then decide which measurements are made on the two circuits as part of the Bell test. Next, the measurement results on both sides are compared.

Large-scale entanglement

After evaluating more than one million measurements, the researchers have shown with very high statistical certainty that Bell's inequality is violated in this experimental setup. In other words, they have confirmed that quantum mechanics also allows for non-local correlations in macroscopic electrical circuits and consequently that superconducting circuits can be entangled over a large distance. This opens up interesting possible applications in the field of distributed quantum computing and quantum cryptography.

Building the facility and carrying out the test was a challenge, Wallraff says. Just cooling the entire experimental setup to a temperature close to absolute zero takes considerable effort.

"There are 1.3 tons of copper and 14,000 screws in our machine, as well as a great deal of physics knowledge and engineering know-how," Wallraff says. He believes that it would in principle be possible to build facilities that overcome even greater distances in the same way. This technology could, for instance, be used to connect superconducting quantum computers over great distances.

More information: Simon Storz, Loophole-free Bell inequality violation with superconducting circuits, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05885-0. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05885-0 Journal information: Nature
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An artists impression of the Extremely Large Telescope - one of the projects supported in ASTRONETs 2008 astronomy roadmap. It is currently under construction. Credit: ESO

The ASTRONET Science Vision and Infrastructure Roadmap 2022 to 2035 is the latest comprehensive roadmap produced by the ASTRONET network of European funding agencies and research organizations. The network includes the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

ASTRONET is an independent consortium whose aim is to create a common science vision for all European astronomy by convening diverse groups to ask some of the biggest questions in science.

Professor Amelie Saintonge (UCL Physics & Astronomy), lead editor of the report, said, "The technology behind the facilities that allow for ground-breaking astronomical discoveries often takes decades to mature. This is why it is essential to take a long term and global look at our scientific priorities, as we do in the ASTRONET Science and Infrastructure Roadmap."

"The Roadmap highlights the need for a balanced and integrated infrastructure where large flagship observatories are complemented by smaller rapid-response facilities, computation and data centers, as well as laboratory facilities and technology development infrastructures.

"Another growing priority of the community is that astronomical research is conducted in a sustainable and equitable manner, that also fulfills our roles as educators and responsible citizens. The report highlights the importance of including these considerations right at the first moments of decision making."

Panels including over 100 scientists from across Europe fed into the report and a series of public consultations were also held to ensure that it reflected the breadth of views within astronomy.

These established key priorities, such as understanding the origin of the Universe and the evolution of planets in our solar system, as well as making recommendations on the facilities and resources needed to meet these priorities.

In making its recommendations, the report considers recently published visions provided by the European Space Agency, NASA, and advisory bodies such as the particle astrophysics consortium.

The aim of the report is to create an openly accessible resource for policymakers and science leaders to support informed decisions that more effectively and efficiently direct scientific discovery.

The previous ASTRONET Science Vision and Infrastructure Roadmap (published in 2007 and revised in 2015) included recommendations which fed into proposals for projects such as:

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope in Chile

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory, which is headquartered at Jodrell Bank near Manchester

These and other recommended initiatives have gone on to receive significant UK support and involvement.

Through recommendations such as these, the ASTRONET Roadmap has become a valuable source of information for the benefit of the entire research community.

The recommendations of the latest report include:

Timely construction of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to detect very high energy gamma rays from black holes and other extreme phenomena

Adoption of the European Space Agency Athena and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna missions to study black holes, detect and accurately measure gravitational waves from astronomical sources and more

Development of second-generation instruments to enhance the capability of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope

Introduction of more robust environmental footprint assessments for astronomical research and greater consideration of how to reduce the environmental impact of space science

Investing in people to guarantee our ability to foster scientific and technological advances in astronomy

Researchers at UCL Physics & Astronomy as well as the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL have key roles in many of the initiatives and facilities discussed in the roadmap.

Dr. Colin Vincent, STFC Associate Director of Astronomy and Chair of the ASTRONET board, said, "Astronomy is a necessarily international field and so, while it is important that individual nations set their own priorities, a common view is essential to enable world class programs and capabilities, with European leadership."

"We are living through an incredibly exciting time for science with game-changing space missions like the James Webb Space Telescope redefining our understanding of our place in the Universe.

"It is imperative that we build on this momentum by taking a strategic view of how we can combine efforts across Europe and globally to continue to push the limits of our knowledge."

More information: ASTRONET roadmap, 2022-2035: www.astronet-eu.org/?page_id=521
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Experimental realization of negative mass. a Schematics of the fabricated microcavity with embedded monolayer WS 2 . b, c Momentum-resolved PL spectra of two samples with different values of the excitonphoton detuning,  0 . The maximum intensity at each k value is scaled to unity to visualize the shape of the lower branch. In panel c, the normalization of the spectrum is performed for E U) and lower (E L ) polaritons and the black dashed lines are the bare microcavity photons (E c ) and excitons (E x ). Error bars in b, c represent 95% confidence interval. d Mass parameters (red) m 1 and (blue) m 2 of the lower branches in panel (b) and panel (c), with the negative-mass regions shaded in red. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36618-6

A surprise observation of negative mass in excitonpolaritons has added yet another dimension of weirdness to these strange light-matter hybrid particles.

Dr. Matthias Wurdack, Dr. Tinghe Yun and Dr. Eliezer Estrecho from the Department of Quantum Sciences and Technology (QST) were experimenting with exciton polaritons when they realized that under certain conditions the dispersion became invertedequating to a negative mass.

To add to the surprise, the unexpected cause has turned out to be losses.

"We did not expect thatthe dispersion followed very unconventional behavior," said Dr. Wurdack, who is a member of the FLEET as well as QST.

An exciton is formed from an electron and a hole pairing up in a semiconducting crystal. If this pair then strongly couples to a photon, a hybrid particle known as an excitonpolariton can form.

FLEET Research Fellows and ANU researchers: from left Dr Eliezer Estrecho, Dr Matthias Wurdack, Dr Tinghe Yun. Credit: Phil Dooley ANU

Excitonpolaritons were first observed more than 30 years ago and have been shown to exhibit remarkable properties, including superfluidity and formation of Bose-Einstein condensates. Around the world a number of research groups are exploring the counter-intuitive behavior of these strange particles in the hope they could underpin future low-energy technologies.

The observation of negative mass sent the scientists, from the group of Professor Elena Ostrovskaya, back to the whiteboard to try to work out what could cause such an effect.

The simplicity of the experiment, a monolayer of tungsten disulfide integrated in a microcavity, meant that it could be approximated with a simple coupled-oscillator model and so left few possibilities for unexpected effects. The team soon realized that an imaginary coupling constant, called dissipative coupling, in their calculations replicated their observations.

However, they struggled to make sense of the mathematical model, until they looked at other fields, such as microwave cavities, and realized that an imaginary coupling constant could equate to losses from the light-matter system.

To confirm that interpretation, the team reached out to experts in numerical modeling of physics in two-dimensional systems, led by Professor Andreas Knorr from Technical University of Berlin in Germany. Manuel Katzer and Dr. Malte Selig from his team were able to confirm that the negative mass could arise from lossesspecifically due to interactions between excitonpolaritons and phonons in the atomically-thin semiconductor.

The calculations also showed that as the excitonphonon interactions were turned off, the mass went from positive to negative, behavior that subsequent experiments at ANU reproduced. The results are now published in Nature Communications.

Dr. Wurdack likened the behavior of excitonpolaritons to that of boats on a lake.

"The phonons in the active material are like waves on the lake which can affect the movement of the boatsredirecting them, causing them to sway and capsize. This reduces their kinetic energies, which overall leads to losses in momentum, energy and occupation numbers," he said.

In the quest for low-energy technology, scientists go to great lengths to reduce or remove losses, said Dr. Estrecho, also from FLEET.

"Typically, we don't want losses, but here losses have given us something new," he said. "It enabled us to introduce a negative mass to the strongly coupled system."

The discovery is another facet of excitonpolaritons' counter-intuitive behavior, Dr. Wurdack said.

"This behavior could be used for dispersion engineering, potentially to probe new physics and create as yet undreamed-of devices. I cannot predict the extent of future applications yet using this kind of dispersion engineering, but I am hopeful this will be explored in future research activities," he said.

More information: M. Wurdack et al, Negative-mass exciton polaritons induced by dissipative light-matter coupling in an atomically thin semiconductor, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36618-6 Journal information: Nature Communications

Provided by FLEET
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The Pando aspen grove in southcentral Utah after a thunderstorm. Credit: Jeff Rice

Spread across 106 acres in southcentral Utah, the Pando aspen grove resembles a forest but is actually a single organism with more than 47,000 genetically identical aspen stems connected at the root. Pando is the world's largest tree by weight and land mass. Research suggests Pando has been regenerating for 9,000 years, making it one of the oldest organisms on Earth.

As part of the 184th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Jeff Rice and Lance Oditt described their work to reveal a unique acoustic portrait of this botanical wonder. Their presentation, "Beneath the tree: The sounds of a trembling giant," took place Wednesday, May 10.

"Pando challenges our basic understanding of the world," said presenter Jeff Rice, a sound artist from Seattle. "The idea that this giant forest could be a single organism defies our concept of the individual. Its vastness humbles our sense of space."

After recording Pando's leaves for The New York Times Magazine's special issue "Listen to the World" in 2018, Rice returned in July 2022 as an artist-in-residence for the nonprofit group, Friends of Pando, which Oditt founded in 2019. Rice used a variety of microphones to record Pando's leaves, birds, and weather.

"The sounds are beautiful and interesting, but from a practical standpoint, natural sounds can be used to document the health of an environment," he said. "They are a record of the local biodiversity, and they provide a baseline that can be measured against environmental change."

Rice was particularly captivated by the sound of vibrations passing through the tree during a windstorm. He wanted to see if they could record the sound of Pando's root system, which can reach depths of 90 feet by some accounts. Oditt, executive director of Friends of Pando, identified several potential recording locations below the surface.

"Hydrophones don't just need water to work," said Rice. "They can pick up vibrations from surfaces like roots as well, and when I put on my headphones, I was instantly surprised. Something was happening. There was a faint sound."

That sound is not conclusively from Pando's root system. But a handful of experiments support the idea. Rice and Oditt were able to show that vibrations can pass from tree to tree through the ground. When they banged lightly on a branch 90 feet away, the hydrophone registered with a low thump. Rice compares this to the classic tin can telephone.

"It's similar to two cans connected by a string," he said. "Except there are 47,000 cans connected by a huge root system."

A similar phenomenon occurred during a thunderstorm. As leaves moved more intensely in the wind, the signal recorded by the hydrophone also increased.

"The findings are tantalizing. While it started as art, we see enormous potential for use in science. Wind, converted to vibration (sound) and traveling the root system, could also reveal the inner workings of Pando's vast hidden hydraulic system in a nondestructive manner," said Oditt. "Friends of Pando plans to use the data gathered as the basis for additional studies on water movement, how branch arrays are related to one another, insect colonies, and root depth, all of which we know little about today."
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers from University of International Business and Economics, University of Groningen, University of Cologne, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines the drivers of brand extension success.

The study is titled "A Meta-Analysis of Brand Extension Success: The Effects of Parent Brand Equity and Extension Fit" and is authored by Chenming Peng, Tammo H.A. Bijmolt, Franziska Volckner, and Hong Zhao.

When a company uses one of its established brand names on a new product or category, it is introducing a brand extension. For example, Google began as a search engine and that continues to be its core focus, but it also has a variety of products such as Google Cloud and Google Play. Almost 70% of new products in the consumer-packaged goods market in the U.S. are brand extensions.

Managers expect that introducing a new product under an existing brand name can reduce introduction costs, lower the risk of failure, and increase firm profit. However, only 30% of all brand extensions in the U.S. consumer packaged goods market survive the first two years, a success rate similar to new brands. Given this unexpectedly high failure rate of brand extensions, it is vital for marketers to understand what drives the success of brand extensions.

This new study offers insights into the drivers of brand extension success. It explores how companies can devise more successful brand extension strategies in terms of contextual factors (parent brand, extension, communication, and consumer factors) and the research methods used.

The study provides three key findings that will benefit chief marketing officers.

There is a 60.6% probability of a more positive response to a brand extension if parent brand equity improves. Similarly, there is a 61.4% probability of a positive response to a brand extension if extension fit improves. Peng says "Managers should leverage both parent brand equity and extension fit to enhance brand extension success. However, pay more attention to extension fit because it is slightly more influential than parent brand equity." Managers should pay attention to the differential effects of various dimensions of parent brand equity and extension fit. For example, when introducing an extension product, creating and highlighting similarities in product features and images of the parent brand and the extension is beneficial. "We find that parent brand equity can strengthen the positive impact of extension fit on brand extension success and vice versa. Therefore, managers should consider parent brand equity and extension fit simultaneously," explains Bijmolt. Parent brand equity has a positive (though small) effect on brand extension success even if the extension has a poor fit. Similarly, extension fit exerts a positive (though small) effect on brand extension success even if the extension has a low parent brand equity. "If the parent brand does not have high equity, brand extensions can still be a viable strategy for launching new products as long as the extension fits well with the parent brand. Likewise, an extension that does not have a good fit can still be successful as long as the parent brand is strong," Volckner adds. Managers should take a broader perspective on brand extension strategies by considering contextual factors related to the parent brand, the extension product, communication, and consumers. For example, managers of brands whose existing core products are services should particularly emphasize the equity of the parent brand (and its dimensions) when introducing an extension product. Besides the contextual factors, the research team also investigates the potential moderating effects of research method factors. Zhao says, "For example, in our large database covering 26 countries, we do not find evidence of a moderating role of the region in which the data were collected, thereby contributing to the debate on whether Eastern cultures have a different way of evaluating brand extensions than Western cultures."

In summary, this study develops empirical generalizations and findings about the main effects, relative importance, and interaction effect of the two key drivers of brand extension successparent brand equity and extension fit. It suggests how to devise more successful brand extension strategies in terms of five groups of moderators: contextual factors (parent brand, extension, communication, and consumer factors) and research method factors.

More information: Chenming Peng et al, EXPRESS: A Meta-Analysis of Brand Extension Success: The Effects of Parent Brand Equity and Extension Fit, Journal of Marketing (2023). DOI: 10.1177/00222429231164654 Journal information: Journal of Marketing
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(left) 5-year-old AAE girl's production of elephant. When the /t/ sound in /nt/ is produced the AAE speaker produces less aspiration noise. The /t/ sound exists for a shorter period in time relative to the WAE /t/ production. The duration of the word is 740 milliseconds (.74 seconds). (right) 5-year-old WAE girl's production of elephant. When the /t/ sound in /nt/ is produced the WAE speaker produces a lot of aspiration noise. The /t/ sound exists for a longer period in time relative to the AAE /t/ production. The duration of the entire word is 973 milliseconds (.97) seconds. Both girls have intelligible productions of the word elephant.. Credit: Holt

African American English (AAE) is a variety of English spoken primarily, though not exclusively, by Black Americans of historical African descent.

Because AAE varies from white American English (WAE) in a systematic way, it is possible that speech and hearing specialists unfamiliar with the language variety could misidentify differences in speech production as speech disorder. Professional understanding of the difference between typical variation and errors in the language system is the first step for accurately identifying disorder and establishing linguistic justice for AAE speakers.

In her presentation, "Kids talk too: Linguistic justice and child African American English," Yolanda Holt of East Carolina University described aspects of the systematic variation between AAE and WAE speech production in children. The talk took place Wednesday, May 10 as part of the 184th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

Common characteristics of AAE speech include variation at all linguistic levels, from sound production at the word level to the choice of commentary in professional interpersonal interactions. A frequent feature of AAE is final consonant reduction/deletion and final consonant cluster reduction. Holt provided the following example to illustrate word level to interpersonal level linguistic variation.

"In the professional setting, if one AAE-speaking professional woman wanted to compliment the attire of the other, the exchange might sound something like this: [Speaker 1] 'I see you rockin' the tone on tone.' [Speaker 2] 'Frien', I'm jus' tryin' to be like you wit' the fully executive flex.'"

This example, in addition to using common aspects of AAE word shape, shows how the choice to use AAE in a professional setting is a way for the two women to share a message beyond the words.

"This exchange illustrates a complex and nuanced cultural understanding between the two speakers. In a few words, they communicate professional respect and a subtle appreciation for the intricate balance that African American women navigate in bringing their whole selves to the corporate setting," said Holt.

Holt and her team examined final consonant cluster reduction (e.g., expressing "shift" as "shif'") in 4- and 5-year-old children. Using instrumental acoustic phonetic analysis, they discovered that the variation in final consonant production in AAE is likely not a wholesale elimination of word endings but is perhaps a difference in aspects of articulation.

"This is an important finding because it could be assumed that if a child does not fully articulate the final sound, they are not aware of its existence," said Holt. "By illustrating that the AAE-speaking child produces a variation of the final sound, not a wholesale removal, we help to eliminate the mistaken idea that AAE speakers don't know the ending sounds exist."

Holt believes the fields of speech and language science, education, and computer science should expect and accept such variation in human communication. Linguistic justice occurs when we accept variation in human language without penalizing the user or defining their speech as "wrong."

"Language is alive. It grows and changes over each generation," said Holt. "Accepting the speech and language used by each generation and each group of speakers is an acceptance of the individual, their life, and their experience. Acceptance, not tolerance, is the next step in the march towards linguistic justice. For that to occur, we must learn from our speakers and educate our professionals that different can be typical. It is not always disordered."
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Overview of the HPA dataset and the proposed solution. a The HPA dataset is the largest collection of images depicting specific protein localisations at a subcellular level, acquired using immunofluorescence staining followed by confocal microscopy imaging. The training dataset consists of 104307 images and corresponding image-level labels. To evaluate the system's performance, the test set comprises 1776 images of 41,597 single cells. The test set is divided into a public test set (559 images) and a private test set (1217 images). The pie charts illustrate the numerical proportion of images and cells per class in the training and test set. Developing ML models for protein localisation is challenging due to issues from weak labeling, prevalent multi-label classifications, 3D-2D projection ambiguities, and severe class imbalance. b Each HPA image is represented by four channels, the nucleus (blue), the protein of interest (green), microtubules (red), and the endoplasmic reticulum (yellow). Our HCPL system takes 4-channel images as input and outputs segmented cells, protein localisation labels with associated probabilities, and the visual integrity scores for each cell. Experimental evaluation shows that HCPL achieves the classification performance of 57.19% mAP in single-cell analysis. Credit: Communications Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04840-z

A new advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system has shown world-leading accuracy and speed in identifying protein patterns within individual cells. The new system, developed at the University of Surrey's Institute for People-Centered AI, could help scientists understand differences in cancer tumors and identify new drugs for diseases.

In a study published in Communications Biology, researchers demonstrate how the HCPL (Hybrid subCellular Protein Localizer) requires only partially labeled data to learn how to decipher the locations of proteins within cellular structures and their behavior in different cells.

The team tested the HCPL on the Human Protein Atlas and found it to be the most accurate tool for identifying the location of proteins within individual cells.

Professor Miroslaw Bober, leader of the HCPL project from the University of Surrey, said, "To understand how proteins work inside cells, scientists need to study where they are located, but this can be a time-consuming and complicated process. HCPL makes this process easier.

"This program uses a deep-learning model to quickly and accurately identify subcellular structures where proteins are present inside individual cells. We are hopeful that HCPL can help scientists study how proteins work and develop new treatments for diseases."

Spatial proteomics is a research area that studies the distribution of proteins in cells or tissues using a combination of experimental techniques and computational approaches. Fluorescence microscopy is a common method in this field where proteins are physically tagged with fluorescent markers. AI maps the proteins onto individual cell compartments (subcellular structures or organelles). This helps scientists to understand the roles and functions of proteins and possibly reveal the complex inner workings of cells.

HCPL was developed in partnership with ForecomAI, a research and development company with world-class expertise in machine and deep learning providing solutions in health care and biosciences.

Dr. Amaia Irizar, director of ForecomAI said, "Proteins play a key role in most cellular processes crucial to our survival. Unraveling protein distributions and interactions within individual cells is vital to understanding their functions and indispensable to developing new treatments.

"Our work with the University of Surrey enables scaling up of this process and opens new frontiers. The partnership between Surrey and ForecomAI has been a successful interdisciplinary collaboration in scientific research, paving the way for further initiatives."

More information: Syed Sameed Husain et al, Single-cell subcellular protein localisation using novel ensembles of diverse deep architectures, Communications Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04840-z Journal information: Communications Biology
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The developmental chemical sensor (SOLARIS) is a centerpiece of the expedition. SOLARIS is used in the ocean to make measurements of a fleetingly scarce compound called superoxide, a reactive oxygen species. SOLARIS utilizes the property chemiluminescence, a chemical reaction that produces light. The sensor SOLARIS enables scientists to bring the high-precision analyses of a chemistry laboratory to depths of up to 4500 meters to better understand the chemical dynamics of reactive oxygen, which researchers hope to use in understanding the corals' abilities to defend against pathogens and stress. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) have returned from an expedition to study the impact of climate change on deep water corals. Scientists from the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico found greater biodiversity than previously known in Puerto Rican waters and may have identified several suspected new species of corals, collecting over 300 samples across 75 different species. Research will be conducted in the coming months to identify and name any new species.

The 20-day expedition included researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Lehigh University, and the University of Puerto Rico, and aimed to assess the health of mesophotic corals, in low light from 200 to 500 feet (60 to 150 meters), to deep-sea corals from 60 to 6,500 feet (20 to 2,000 meters), utilizing a new technology called SOLARIS, which stands for Submersible Oceanic Chemiluminescent Analyzer of Reactive Intermediate Species.

This sensor measures molecules known as "reactive oxygen species (ROS)," which are both essential and detrimental to the health of all living creatures. ROS are difficult to quantify as they have short lifetimes, with some existing for only 30 seconds in the marine environment. SOLARIS is a first-generation sensor that will continue to be developed and used as a framework in building future technologies for assessing ocean health.

An earlier shallow-water prototype, DISCO, helped to inform SOLARIS, and was developed by Colleen Hansel of WHOI, who served as the expedition's chief scientist.

A colony of Precious Coral documented off the coast of Puerto Rico. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

While it is widely known that shallow-water corals are struggling due to climate change, less is understood about the health of corals in deeper waters. The researchers investigated coral health by measuring their production of the ROS superoxide and hydrogen peroxidechemicals that animals release for basic biological functions like eating and when responding to pathogens or environmental stress.

The team found that the amount of ROS formed by corals surrounding Puerto Rico varied as a function of coral species and were substantially lower than those previously observed in the Pacific Ocean. This could provide vital insight into what species and regions are more vulnerable to stress and changing ocean conditions.

Initial results within a controlled laboratory environment also indicate that some deep-sea corals release hydrogen peroxide when wounded, which could provide a diagnostic indicator of stress that scientists may utilize in rapidly assessing the health of deep-sea coral ecosystems.

"We believe reactive oxygen species are critical for acquiring food and fighting off pathogens," said Hansel. "If these chemicals are protecting corals, then we may be able to help corals armor themselves from stress by better understanding the controls that promote their formation."

R/V Falkor (too) with ROV SuBastian in the water during the Health Diagnostics of Deep-Sea Coral expedition in Puerto Rico. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

The scientists also used Schmidt Ocean Institute's underwater robot, ROV SuBastian, to explore the mesophotic and deep sea habitats, including Whiting Seamount and a canyon southwest of Vieques Island, where the team observed 6-foot-high bamboo coral.

At Desecheo Ridge, a part of the Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge west of Puerto Rico, scientists observed dense and diverse coral species outside the marine protected area. The team discovered much higher diversity of corals than previously observed in Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding waterways.

Before this expedition, the region was expected to have low diversity of corals based on the few observations previously done. The new findings could provide evidence for expansion of marine protected areas around Puerto Rico.

This was the second expedition for Schmidt Ocean Institute's newly launched Falkor (too)a state-of-the-art global class ocean research vessel available to the international scientific community to conduct groundbreaking research and test new technologies at no cost in exchange for making their research and discoveries publicly available.

"Through technological advancement, Schmidt Ocean Institute catalyzes the discoveries needed to understand our ocean. We are delighted to assist in testing prototype sensors such as SOLARIS," said SOI Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani. "We also think it is important that scientists and students participate in expeditions that take place within their country's waters and were pleased to welcome researchers from Puerto Rico on board R/V Falkor (too) to discover the wonders that lie hidden just off their coastline."

Provided by Schmidt Ocean Institute
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Beacon Island burials discovered between 2015 and 2018. Credit: University of Western Australia

An archaeological research project spanning five years has shed new light on a tragic chapter in Australian history, revealing a wealth of evidence that has helped to unravel the haunting tale of the Batavia maritime disaster and subsequent mutiny.

Findings from the international research team, led by archaeologists from The University of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum and published in Historical Archaeology, include the unearthing of single and multiple graves, as well as evidence of survivors' resistance to mutineers.

The Dutch East India Company's ill-fated ship Batavia, lost in 1629 off WA's Abrolhos Islands, has captivated historians and adventurers for centuries.

Lead author Professor Alistair Paterson, from UWA's School of Social Sciences and the Oceans Institute, said artifacts and gravesites tell a tale of survival, resistance and grim consequences faced by those involved.

"Through meticulous analysis, we've discovered the remains of 12 victims, interred in both individual and mass graves, as well as evidence of a fierce struggle between survivors and a group of mutineers, and remnants of a possible gallows site where justice was served," Professor Paterson said.

He said the finds provide invaluable insight into the survival landscape encountered by some of the earliest Europeans to visit Australia and have expanded focus beyond the Batavia wreck itself.

"In addition to underwater findings, what we've uncovered on land has contributed to our understanding of the behavioral responses of survivors, including their initial movement from the wreck to nearby islands, the struggles they faced, and the shifting power dynamics among mutineers and survivors," he said.

"The excavation of human remains reveals insights into the treatment and burial practices of victims. Notably, centrally located graves on Beacon Island suggest a functioning graveyard, potentially representing victims from the early days following the wreck.

"Other islands within the vicinity, such as Long (Seals) Island and West Wallabi Island, provide evidence of makeshift weapons, the presence of resistance factions, and structures associated with the survivors.

"The landscape on Long Island contains a concentration of iron fastenings believed to be the gallows site where mutineers were executed, reflecting the company's attempt to establish order."

Future research in a new ARC Project "Mobilizing Dutch East India Company collections for new global stories" involves further forensic analysis of human remains, including physical assessment, stable-isotope technology and DNA studies and new historical research.

More information: Alistair Paterson et al, The Unlucky Voyage: Batavia's (1629) Landscape of Survival on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia, Historical Archaeology (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s41636-023-00396-1
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View of the village and the "Brienzer Rutsch", taken on Tuesday, 9 May 2023, in Brienz-Brinzauls, Switzerland. Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. Credit: Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP

Authorities in eastern Switzerland ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in the coming weeks.

Local leaders said during a town hall and a media event Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6 p.m. on Friday but could return to the village from time to time starting Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight.

The centuries-old village straddles German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the eastern Graubunden region, sitting southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1,150 meters (about 3,800 feet). Today it has under 100 residents.

The mountain and the rocks on it have been moving since the last Ice Age, local officials say. But measurements indicated a "strong acceleration over a large area" in recent days, and "up to 2 million cubic meters of rock material will collapse or slide in the coming seven to 24 days," officials said.

Over the last century, the village itself has moved a few centimeters (inches) each year, but the movement sped up over the last 20 years. The landslide has been moving about 1 meter (about 3 feet) per year. Geological surveys suggest the situation has become even more precarious.

View of the village and the "Brienzer Rutsch", taken on Tuesday, 9 May 2023, in Brienz-Brinzauls, Switzerland. Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. Credit: Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP

Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, which counts Brienz in its municipality, said experts estimate there's a 60% chance that the rock will fall in smaller chunks, which may not reach the village or the valley. The landslide could also move slowly.

But there's also a 10% chance that the whole 2-million-cubic meter mass may tumble down, threatening lives, property and the village itself, he said.

"We hope that the village stays intact," Gartmann said by phone. "We can't eliminate the possibility that it (the rock) will come down. ... It could damage the village or destroy it."

Gartmann said glacier melt had affected the precariousness of the rocks over millennia but that melting glaciers due to "man-made" climate change in recent decades wasn't a factor.

View of the village and the "Brienzer Rutsch", taken on Tuesday, 9 May 2023, in Brienz-Brinzauls, Switzerland. Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. Credit: Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP

A man holds his hand over his eyes during the information meeting for the population on the evacuation of the village of Brienz-Brinzauls under the "Brienzer Rutsch", in Tiefencastel on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Switzerland. Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. Credit: Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP

Experts concluded that a controlled explosion to set off a rock slide was too dangerous because it would require drilling under the rockitself a hazardous operation, Gartmann said. Erecting a giant pile of sand or a wall to try to hold back the rocks also wasn't considered feasible, he said, The wall would have to be at least 70 meters (230 feet) high to protect the village.

Many of the evacuees were expected to stay with family or friends, though local leaders have received offers from concerned neighbors to provide temporary housing. he said. At the current "orange" alert level, however, farm animals were to be left behind.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
GRANVILLE  The woman whose horses were seized on animal neglect charges in February has a chance of getting them back.

Wendy Murphy appeared in Granville Town Court on Monday in front of Judge Roger Forando to answer the charges of animal neglect, but aside from her lawyer Tucker Stanclift, she had some unusual company in the crowd.

Shannon Celeste, animal control officer in Greenwich, Fort Edward and Fort Ann and longtime equine rescuer, was in court alongside Murphy for what she called the first situation of its kind in her 25 years of working with horses.

I have never been called as a witness for the defense, Celeste said outside of the Granville Town Hall. I emailed Tucker (Stanclift) last night, after seeing the vet reports, and I told him I would not have taken those horses, she said.

After Stanclift conferred with Washington County Assistant District Attorney Taylor Fitzsimmons and then with Murphy, he went before Forando to make the case that his client should get back her horses.

Murphy was indicted in February on 33 misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and a felony of tampering with physical evidence, after police seized 31 horses from her property.

Stanclift explained that 10 counts of the indictment against Murphy were dismissed by Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan for insufficient evidence and the remaining charges were sent back down to the town court. One of the main goals was to have the horses returned that were named in the charges dismissed by the county judge.

Pre-trial hearings were set for July; however, Stanclift made it clear he did not believe the case would make it to trial.

Presumably, we could make a decision that would render a trial moot, Stanclift said to the judge on Monday. The grand jury could dismiss the charges.

The judge responded with what he said was his gut feeling.

If Judge McKeighan dismissed the charges on 10 horses, then he should be the one to release those horses, Forando said.

Both Stanclift and ADA Fitzsimmons reminded the judge that the case was already sent back from county court and McKeighan already declined to make the decision regarding the horses.

Of the 31 horses seized, only five or six still remain in Fort Ann where they were held by the Granville Dog Control Officers Ed Holland and Nancy Quell. Seven of the horses were taken in by horse rescue in Connecticut, but the rest were sold back to killpens to await slaughter if the funds are not raised to bail them out, like Murphy did, before they were seized.

There is no law about having skinny horses if they were skinny when you got them, Murphy told The Post-Star on Tuesday. My vet was there two times in five weeks to look at my horses. They never looked at my paperwork.

Fitzsimmons said he didnt feel he had the authority to release the horses, to which Stanclift argued that he had the authority to hold them as evidence.

Stanclift compared Murphys horses to property illegally seized during an arrest or children in a neglect case.

So if someone is accused of neglecting their children and there is no evidence to support that and charges are dropped, they dont get their children back? Of course they do. These are Wendys children, he explained.

The judge and Fitzsimmons stated that Murphys horses were forfeited after she was unable to pay the amount set by the court to cover the costs of caring for the horses.

Fitzsimmons conceded after some back and forth.

I can say I no longer need the animals for evidence, he said in the courtroom.
ALBANY  A man wanted by Connecticut police for robbery and assault charges was captured by authorities in Albany.

Walcott police were looking for Temer Leary, 49, who was wanted on a warrant that included charges of theft of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, risk of injury to a minor, robbery and reckless endangerment.

Police believed that he may be in the Lake George area, where he lived for many years.

The Hartford Courant reported that he was found in Albany.

No further information was available.
On Monday at 12:03 a.m., New York State Police responded to a multi-dwelling residence on Meadowbrook Road in Queensbury for the report of a disturbance. The investigation determined Ian C. Baptiste, 48, who resides at the location, reportedly forcibly entered the victims occupied apartment without permission and brandished a knife. According to police, no one was injured during the incident.
CLIFTON PARK  A Salem man was arrested Saturday after police said he stole a check from his former employer and tried to cash it.

State police charged William Jordan, 57, with felony counts of second-degree forgery, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, attempted grand larceny and misdemeanor petit larceny.

The arrest stemmed from a complaint police received on Feb. 14 from a Clifton Park business owner that an unauthorized check was pending debit from the companys account. The investigation determined Jordan attempted to withdraw money utilizing a fraudulent check.

Jordan allegedly stole the company check from the location without permission or authorization. He forged the check for a value over $11,000 and attempted to deposit funds into another account, police said.

No funds were released as a result of this crime.

Jordan turned himself in to the state police station in Clifton Park for processing. He was issued an appearance ticket and due in Clifton Park Town Court on May 18.
NEW YORK  U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain under seal.

The people could not publicly discuss specific details of the case until it is unsealed and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The unsealing would happen when Santos appears in court, which could come as soon as Wednesday.

Reached on Tuesday, Santos said this is news to me.

Youre the first to call me about this, he said in a brief phone interview.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment. The charges were first reported by CNN.

The New York Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees and a history as a star volleyball player. Serious questions about his finances also surfaced  including the source of what he claimed was a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands of dollars in back rent.

Santos has resisted calls to resign and recently announced he was running for reelection. He said his lies about his life story, which included telling people he had jobs at several global financial firms and a lavish real estate portfolio, were harmless embellishments of his resume.

Pressure on him to quit, though, has been intense. Reporters and members of the public hounded him. He was mocked on social media and late-night television. Fellow New York Republicans demanded he resign, saying he had betrayed voters and his own party with his lies.

Nassau County prosecutors and the New York attorney generals office had previously said they were looking into possible violations of the law.

Besides questions about his life story, Santos campaign spending stoked scrutiny because of unusual payments for travel, lodging and other items.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and urged regulators to investigate Santos. The mountain of lies Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should prompt the commission to thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money.

In his filings with the FEC, Santos initially said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000  money he claimed came from a family company.

Yet, the wealth necessary to make those loans seems to have emerged from nowhere. In a financial disclosure statement filed with the clerk of the U.S. House in 2020, Santos said he had no assets and an annual income of $55,000.

His company, the Devolder Organization, wasnt incorporated until spring 2021. Yet last September, Santos filed another financial disclosure form reporting that this new company, incorporated in Florida, had paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, plus another $1 million to $5 million in dividends. In one interview, Santos described the Devolder Organization as a business that helped rich people buy things like yachts and aircraft.

Court records indicate Santos was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens between 2014 and 2017 because of unpaid rent.

Some Republicans, including those in his district, have sharply castigated Santos for his dishonesty. The Nassau County Republican Committee, which had supported his candidacy, said it would not support Santos for reelection.

Santos lost his first race for Congress in 2020 but ran again in 2022 and won in a district that is in the suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.

A local newspaper, the North Shore Leader, had raised issues about Santos background before the election but it was not until a few weeks after the election that the depth of his duplicity became public.

The New York Times reported that companies where Santos claimed to have worked, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, had no record of him having been an employee. Baruch College, where Santos claimed to have gotten a degree in finance and economics, said he hadnt been a student.

Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has also come under question, including claims that his grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.

During his campaign, he referred to himself as a proud American Jew.

Confronted with questions about that story, Santos, a Roman Catholic, said he never intended to claim Jewish heritage.

The Times also uncovered records in Brazil that show Santos, when he was 19, was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop in the city of Niteroi, which is near Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.
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EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  A dispute over local pigs could spill into court if the situation is not soon resolved.

The township recently sent Brianna and Dave Ferrier a notice of its intent to take legal action against the family in relation to their ownership of pet pigs and chickens.

The specter of a lawsuit comes as simmering tensions about the animals and other intra-neighborhood issues have intensified over the course of several months, igniting a broader conversation about private property and land-use regulations.

Brianna Ferrier said she felt the township was singling her family out for punishment, with the four pot-bellied pigs and eight chickens causing no harm to others around her.

The township is personally going after us now, she said. I just dont understand why the township is upset with what were doing here.

The township notice, dated April 28, alleges the Ferrier family is violating state environmental law by owning the pigs and chickens, creating undo pollution. It said the township intends to take legal action to uphold its regulations. It said it could pursue injunctive or equitable relief to compel compliance and assess an assortment of other penalties.

Recent inspections and information received demonstrate that the property is being used in a manner which causes pollution, impairment and/or destruction of the states natural resources as defined by the (state Environmental Rights Act), township Solicitor Marc Friedman said in the notice. As a result it is the intent of Egg Harbor Township to commence a civil action against all responsible persons.

The latest development furthers the controversy that has been brewing over the animals for five months.

Deadline for removal of Egg Harbor Township pigs, chickens passes EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  A deadline to remove the pet pigs and chickens at the center of a neig

Township Zoning Officer Sarah Schaffer issued the Ferrier family a notice of violation Dec. 15 with respect to two local ordinances. One ordinance prohibits land in the township from being used for piggeries or the business of raising pigs, and another bans the rearing of chickens on a property smaller than 5 acres. The Ferriers keep their animals in a chicken coop and pigpen on their 3.89-acre property. A deadline for compliance was extended periodically until it lapsed April 21.

The Ferriers and their supporters have said the pigs and chickens are pets, beloved by their young daughter, Regan, like members of the family. Brianna Ferrier has also argued that the township prohibition on piggeries applies only to farms that are raising pigs as livestock for slaughter, not to residential homes keeping pigs as pets.

Opponents of the Ferriers have said the animals pose a nuisance to the neighborhood, citing the odor of the pigs and the noise the two roosters make late at night. They have argued the Ferriers are expecting special treatment and undue relief from improper channels.

The two sides have argued in various Township Committee meetings, which have occasionally left people with frayed nerves, expired patience and on the verge of tears.

Friedman said Tuesday that Schaffer had sought to have the Ferrier home inspected but had been rebuffed by the family. The lack of access to the site, he said, required the township to assume that violations could be taking place on the property, factors he said the township considered along with the known presence of the pigs and chickens at the site and the observations made from neighboring properties.

The Ferriers denied anyone had asked to inspect their property.

These are activities that are normally conducted on farms, not residential properties, Friedman said. We put the dots together, and thats why theyve been facing a notice of violation since December.

Pigs, chickens set off neighborhood feud in Egg Harbor Township EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  A neighborhood feud has ignited over chickens, pigs and 6 inches of land.

When discussing his invocation of the state Environmental Rights Act, Friedman cited similar pollution concerns as other residents. He said the township worried about how the Ferriers disposed of the animals waste, as well as the animals odor and the general ecological impact the keeping of pigs and chickens could have on the township. He added these violations could add a burden on their neighbors.

Why should the rest of the public have to suffer with these violations in place? Friedman said. Theres a reason why piggeries are outlawed in residential zones.

The Ferriers have repeatedly disputed that their chickens and pigs cause problems beyond that of a typical household pet. They have said several other properties in the township own pigs in a similar environment as theirs and that the ordinances are being selectively enforced.

Its sickening to me, Brianna Ferrier said. (It is) a good ol boys mentality I cant stand.

The dispute over the pigs is tied to an earlier dispute involving a minute land variance.

In 2022, Doris Dilley, a neighbor of the Ferrier family and former member of the Egg Harbor Township Board of Education, put several properties she owned along Mill Road up for sale. The Ferriers bought their current home from Dilley in May. She needed a 6-inch variance to sell another one of those properties.

Dave Ferrier said he and several other neighbors spoke against granting that variance during a Dec. 5 meeting of the township Zoning Board of Adjustment. During his testimony against the variance, Ferrier mentioned that a pigpen that a township official had seen near Dilleys house belonged to him. The first notice of violation from the township came several days later.

A Missouri mom wanted one friend for her son. Thousands responded. A Missouri mother's Facebook post seeking a friend for her 24-year-old with Down syndrome went viral with tens of thousands of responses.

Echoing what he said in previous meetings, Friedman said the Ferriers could appeal to the Zoning Board or take further legal action.

They think they can win this case by talking to the press, Friedman said. Thats the way they want to defend their violations, go right ahead.

Brianna Ferrier said she has felt the press has helped her raise awareness of issues facing homeowners interested in animal rescue. She noted she has been in contact with other people who have had to battle local authorities to keep their animals. She cited a story in which a 9-year-old boy in Newton, Kansas, was set to lose his emotional-support pot-bellied pig.

Friedman said the township would prioritize the good of the public, not just the good of the Ferriers and their personal beliefs.

Its not a difficult question for us, Friedman said.

The conflict could come to an abrupt end. The Ferriers have said they put their home up for sale, hosting showings and talking with a number of potential buyers. They anticipate they could close on a sale as soon as early June. Friedman said the township could ultimately decide not to file a lawsuit if the house is sold.

Friedman said he could not give a timeline for when the township might take action against the Ferrier family. The Ferriers already face a court date in June related to a noise complaint they received over their roosters. (The chicken coup has since been moved to a more remote location of their property to abate the issue.)

"They'll have their day in court if they don't comply," Friedman said.

Brianna Ferrier has said her experience in the township has inspired her to explore launching other animal-rescue initiatives and find ways to continue helping animals. She said she and Dave had just recently adopted an Alaskan Klee Kai dog from a family who felt they could no longer care for it. She said the dog, named Swift, has already built a relationship with her daughter.

Im done (in Egg Harbor Township), Brianna Ferrier said. Im not done fighting, though.

GALLERY: Egg Harbor Township family told to remove pigs and chickens from home
Tuesday's sunsets and Wednesday's sunrises brought a spectacle across the sky as wildfire smoke from roughly 2,000 miles away entered New Jersey.

Get ready for more in the coming days, too.

More than 75 active wildfires, covering nearly a million acres, burned in Alberta as of Wednesday, according to the provincial government. That smoke traveled the jet stream, the fast-moving river of air roughly 30,000 feet high in the atmosphere, to the Northeastern United States. It initially reached New Jersey Tuesday afternoon and has continued through Wednesday.

This brought vibrant pinks, oranges and yellows when the sun was around the horizon, and made the sky milky shades of blue during the day Wednesday.

"It appears as if it (the sunset) was drawn on with colored pencils. I find it very interesting and fascinating at the same time," said Noelle DiSomma, who captured the colorful hues of color in Brigantine at sunset Tuesday.

Just above the marshes where she took her photos, the sun was pink with a hazy orange and yellow sky around it.

The colorful scenes come down to science.

During sunrises and sunsets, the sun is low on the horizon. The sun's beams of light, its rays, have to pass through roughly 100 miles of the Earth's atmosphere to reach our eyes, according to meteorologist Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Press' sister publication.

Compare that to the roughly 12 miles of atmosphere the sun passes through during the middle of the day in May in the region.

The atmosphere works to remove the shorter wavelengths of light, the blues, indigos and violets. Those colors are more harmful to our eyes and why it's dangerous to look at the sun during the middle of the day.

During the evening and early morning, though, only the longer wavelengths remain, such as oranges and reds. Our eyes are able to view this fairly easily, and the colors spread along the sky.

The wildfire smoke works to act as another layer of atmosphere, reducing the intensity of the sun's rays and creating even more vivid sunrises and sunsets.

"Beautiful, glowing pink sunset," Julie Carlisi said Tuesday evening as she captured the striking view from Ocean City, facing the old B.L. England plant in Upper Township.

Even with clouds blocking part of the view, the intense colors were striking.

The colorful scenes may hang around for a while. The jet stream will continue to run from near Alberta to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic until Friday or Saturday, according to The Press' forecast. As long as smoke continues to fill the air, it will be transported to the region.

Health issues are not expected closer to the ground through Thursday. Air quality was good Wednesday, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors. Ozone is forecasted to be of "moderate" quality Thursday, meaning "acceptable" air quality.

The Alberta wildfires have prompted more than 29,000 people to evacuate from their communities in what officials have called an "unprecedented situation" for the province, according to CNN.

The combination of a stronger May sun angle, dry conditions, gusty winds and warm temperatures led to a very high risk of wildfire spread. However, wetter and more humid conditions arrived in the southern half of the province Wednesday, reducing the risk.

GALLERY: Vivid sunsets and sunrises in NJ caused by Alberta, Canada wildfires Wildfire Smoke Sunrise in Brigantine.jpg Wildfire Smoke Sunset in Brigantine Noelle DiSomma (2).jpg Wildfire Smoke Sunset in Brigantine Noelle DiSomma (3).jpg Wildfire Smoke Sunset in Brigantine Noelle DiSomma.jpg Wildfire Smoke Sunset in Ocean City Julie Carlisi.jpg Wildfire Smoke Sunset in Ocean City Julie Carlisi 2.jpg Joe's 7-Day Forecast
A Clinton man is facing 20 counts of child pornography after his wife found two micro SD cards, or memory cards, containing child pornography and turned them over to police.

Brent Michael Fisher, 47, is charged with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor  possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act  first offense.

Each charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Clinton Police Officer Rodney Livesay, on May 5 at 9:05 a.m., Amanda Fisher went to the Clinton Police Department to report that on May 4 she found two micro SD cards in a construction trailer used by her husband, Brent.

She took the memory cards to Walgreens and placed one of the cards into one of the kiosks for looking at images and saw females in different stages of nudity. Many of the images were of young girls.

Amanda Fisher told police that her husband admitted the cards were his.

A search warrant was obtained for the cards and an investigation started. The cards contained images of 20 different juvenile females in stages of undress or performing simulated sex acts.

Brent Fisher was arrested and taken to the Clinton County Jail.

During a first appearance on the charges Monday in Clinton County District Court, Magistrate Michael Judge scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for May 16.

Fisher was released from the Clinton County Jail on Monday after posting a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Wettest counties in Iowa Wettest counties in Iowa #50. Warren County #49. Tama County #48. Hardin County #47. Mahaska County #46. Taylor County #45. Franklin County #44. Marion County #43. Clarke County #42. Story County #41. Wapello County #40. Cerro Gordo County #39. Jefferson County #38. Grundy County #37. Van Buren County #36. Poweshiek County #35. Monroe County #34. Washington County #33. Worth County #32. Butler County #31. Ringgold County #30. Linn County #29. Lucas County #28. Louisa County #27. Henry County #26. Decatur County #25. Johnson County #24. Davis County #23. Des Moines County #22. Muscatine County #21. Black Hawk County #20. Mitchell County #19. Wayne County #18. Jones County #17. Cedar County #16. Floyd County #15. Buchanan County #14. Appanoose County #13. Lee County #12. Scott County #11. Fayette County #10. Dubuque County #9. Bremer County #8. Clinton County #7. Howard County #6. Jackson County #5. Delaware County #4. Chickasaw County #3. Clayton County #2. Winneshiek County #1. Allamakee County
A 36-year-old man accused of causing a serious-injury crash in Moline awaits his next court hearing on multiple related charges.

The man, Tearrance Pipes, also faces a lawsuit because of the crash. The criminal case lists Pipes address in Rock Island, but the suit states he may have moved to Chicago.

In the criminal case, the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office has charged Pipes with nine counts of aggravated driving under the influence, according to county court records. The charges stem from a crash that happened on Feb. 12 on River Drive. Three people suffered broken bones.

The allegations include that Pipes, who was driving a 2021 Nissan Versa, was so impaired by cannabis use when the crash occurred that he could not safely drive, according to court records.

Some of the other charges state that Pipes was impaired by a combination of alcohol and other intoxicating compounds that rendered him unable to safely drive.

In a release issued shortly after the crash, the Moline Police said it happened just before 2 a.m. in the 4400 block of River Drive and the driver of the Nissan had to be resuscitated by officers using CPR.

Police did not identify Pipes by name in that release but said that the other vehicle was a Chevrolet Cruze and that there were two people in each vehicle.

The Nissan was eastbound and passed vehicles in front of it, colliding with the westbound Cruze, police said at the time.

Court documents state that police could smell the odor of alcohol on Pipes breath and that there was an open bottle of tequila in the passenger door of the Nissan.

An officer spoke with Pipes by telephone on Feb. 13 as he was being admitted into the intensive care unit of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City, court records state.

During that conversation, Pipes said he must have blacked out and did not remember how the collision occurred, court records said. Pipes also told the officer hed had a beer and a shot of alcohol before the accident.

On Tuesday, the police department said Pipes had rented the Nissan from Enterprise.

The county issued a warrant for Pipes arrest on the charges on March 28, court records state. He made his first appearance on Monday before Judge Peter Church, and his next appearance is set for May 23.

His bail is $20,000, according to court records. To be released from the Rock Island County Jail, Pipes must post $2,000.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Jane A. Edwards, names Pipes and EAN Holdings LLC. as defendants.

The suit states that Edwards was the other driver and accuses Pipes of negligence, according to court records. The suit alleges EAN is also culpable because it owned the vehicle.

EAN does business as Enterprise, Alamo and National, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Edwards seeks damages in excess of $50,000, court records state.

As of Tuesday, the defendants had not filed answers to Edwards complaint.

In such documents, civil defendants address the allegations levied against them, usually by denying the culpability alleged by the plaintiff.

The civil case against Pipes was opened on March 21, according to court records. A hearing is scheduled for July 20.

Photos: Flood waters receding Saturday, cleanup to begin along the river
A battle over legal cannabis oversight in Illinois pits startup social equity business owners against big multistate operators, and could determine the future regulation of the industry in the state.

At issue is the desire for a single regulatory body to oversee the complex fledgling industry. Currently, at least seven agencies regulate various aspects, giving rise to sometimes contradictory guidelines. The states licensing system has come under heavy criticism and litigation for delays, inconsistent scoring of applications, and non-responsiveness to applicants with questions about the process.

So most business operators agree there should be one body to issue licenses, set guidelines and mete out discipline, as in most other states that have legalized marijuana. The dispute is over what that single overseer would look like.

One one side, the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois is lobbying for a cannabis commission, with five to nine bipartisan members appointed by the governor, similar to the Illinois Gaming Board or the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

It would hold monthly public meetings, publish agendas and minutes, and be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

On the other side of the argument, members of groups such as the Cannabis Equity IL Coalition, Chicago NORML and the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association prefer one agency to oversee all aspects of the business, including growers, dispensaries, transporters and infusers.

Transparency and public access are the reasons for a commission, according to Pam Althoff, spokeswoman for the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois. It would allow the public to know exactly whats going on in the industry, and for stakeholders to have access in a public forum for a nascent industry that still needs great guidance, and a little more nimbleness.

One of the most common complaints from operators, Althoff said, is that they get contradictory directions from different agencies. One might want security cameras, employee badging or operations arranged one way, while others might want a different way. Some applicants, she said, got contradictory paperwork assigning them to different areas of the state.

The most glaring difference between agencies is that the Illinois Department of Agriculture allows craft growers to sell equity in their licenses at any time, while the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation prohibits dispensary license holders from selling until they have opened for business. That is designed to keep new minority license holders from being replaced by wealthy white-owned conglomerates, but keeps cash-strapped startups from getting new investors to become operational.

The current Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office is meant to coordinate actions among agencies, but has little enforcement authority.

Many smaller operators are afraid that a cannabis commission would be too influenced by large companies.

Edie Moore, co-founder of Chicago NORML and a multiple cannabis business license holder, said a commission that only meets once a month is not nimble or responsive enough. Operators, she said, need full-time state employees to address myriad operational issues that come up every day. And a specialty agency is needed to concentrate on cannabis, rather than existing agencies that also oversee all manner of licenses, from nursing to barbers.

None of those other commissions have social equity in mind, and none are dealing with an industry that is as fast-moving as cannabis, she said.

Scott Redman, a founder of the Illinois Craft Growers Association and investor in a craft growing startup, wrote to the Tribune that an agency would better support social equity license holders, generally defined by state law as people with prior low-level cannabis convictions or coming from disadvantaged areas. They believe an agency would be far more immune to influence by large cannabis companies.

House Bill 1436, sponsored by Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., would create a commission. Advocates of an agency plan to hold a news conference Tuesday, and are hoping an omnibus bill would address a range of issues, including increasing the size of craft growers, allowing people with criminal convictions to work in the industry, and prohibiting police from using cannabis as probable cause to initiate a stop.

The smaller operators have an important ally on their side. In response to the Tribune asking, Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office issued a statement that the governor is focused on promoting equity in the industry through creation of an agency.

Creation of a designated agency for cannabis regulation will contribute to this goal by bolstering and empowering the Cannabis Equity Commission and giving small, social equity businesses more safeguards in the regulatory process, the statement read. Its also a more standardized, cost-effective approach that sets out clear accountability structures, public engagement standards and market response tactics. The governor supports the single regulatory agency proposal, as does the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office.

Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term
Two Bettendorf sisters have teamed up to create a new poster and T-shirt to help fund abortion access in Iowa.

Bettendorf High School graduates Deborah Kraft and Stephanie Kraft Sheley submitted their piece, "Abortion Rights are Iowa Nice." The image is a poster, containing the title phrase in Kraft's signature style, and using vintage images of Iowa, including the Iowa State Capitol and Iowa corn.

The art was turned into a poster by the Iowa Abortion Access Fund and Iowa-based T-shirt shop Raygun, which annually puts out a call to artists to create pieces with the goal of raising funds for its Art for Access program.

Every year, artists submit work to be turned into a poster. The two entities ultimately choose 10 designs to be turned into posters and postcards. The proceeds from the sale of the posters and shirts will go to the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, an organization that funds abortion care in Iowa.

Sheley has been involved in the fight for abortion access since 2016 and currently works in St. Louis, where she is a practicing lawyer and nonprofit leader who helps Missouri residents access abortion care.

In 2021, she launched her own organization, Right by You, to help Missourians access abortion care safely. Advocacy is a cause near to her and with her sister working as an artist in Chicago, the opportunity to submit a design seemed like an opportunity to express both of their passions.

"When I saw this come up, I was super excited to do something with my home state," Sheley said.

Together, the sisters came up with the idea to expand on the popular phrase, "Iowa nice."

"We teamed up and created one that would speak to Iowa's values related to abortion care and why it's consistent to Iowa's values to fight for access," Sheley said.

For her sister, the chance to work together and combine their talents was one she couldn't pass up.

"This is her bread and butter. This is the work that she does all day, every day," Kraft said of her twin. "Having a chance to do something with my practice and my profession that can move this forward in a small way is an opportunity that I want to take advantage of."

Their design was ultimately chosen, and Raygun liked the concept so much, it turned the design into a T-shirt, too. The inspiration behind the design was to be as inclusive as possible, while also pointing out full inclusivity has never been achieved, Sheley said.

"Iowa nice is this really charming concept that we identify with being from Iowa," she said. "Abortion rights are obviously legal rights."

But Iowa nice has never been applied evenly, she said.

"There are many people of color and Black people who have reported not enjoying that same treatment from Iowans," she said. "We invite attention with our large statement, but we have a blurb at the bottom that invites folks to think about what we are really fighting for."

The bottom of the shirt reads, "But rights have never been enough. And Nice has never produced freedom. Tolerate only Abortion Liberation, Abortion Justice." The shirts are available at the Des Moines store and online.
A Davenport man is facing gun and drug charges after he was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing 24 grams of methamphetamine and a handgun.

Tyler Ryan Storment Sr., 31, is charged with one count of possession with the intent to deliver more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. The charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 years.

Storment also is charged with possession of a firearm by a domestic abuser and violating Iowas drug tax stamp law. Each of the charges is a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Scott County Sheriffs Deputy Alex Gries, at 12:53 p.m. Monday, agents with the Scott County Sheriff's Special Operations Unit stopped a Nissan Maxima being driven by Storment in the 1600 block of West Locust Street.

Storment had just left a residence that was being searched by police for stolen property and drugs.

He was not wearing a seatbelt and his vehicle smelled of marijuana. During a search of the vehicle officers seized 24 grams of methamphetamine and a Sig Sauer pistol.

According to Scott County District Court electronic records, on June 19, 2019, Stroment pleaded guilty to the lesser included charge of domestic abuse assault impeding air-blood flow. The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years. He was sentenced on Aug. 7, 2019, to serve two years on supervised probation.

Storment was discharged unsuccessfully from probation on Feb. 2, 2022. He violated the terms of his probation on at least two occasions, according to court records, and even absconded at one point.

Because of that domestic violence conviction, Storment is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

During a first appearance on the charges Tuesday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Ryan Beckenbaugh scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for May 19.

Storment was being held Tuesday night in the Scott County Jail on a $32,000 bond, cash or surety.

As Storment is prohibited from possessing a firearm, federal authorities could take over the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Instituted in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods is a Justice Department initiative that brings together law enforcement at all levels to reduce gun violence.

At the federal level, a conviction of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Additionally, federal authorities could charge Storment with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. The sentence in such a case is not less than five years for possession of the weapon; not less than seven years if the gun was brandished; and, not less than 10 years if the gun was fired. The sentence on that charge is consecutive to any other sentence on the other drug and gun charges.
CAMBRIDGE, Ill.  A Kewanee man was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday in Henry County Circuit Court on two counts of Class 2 felony possession of child pornography.

Joseph D. Czolgosz, 34, pleaded guilty in March to the two counts. Six other counts were dismissed. He received three-year prison terms on each of the two counts, to be served consecutively. He has been in custody for the past year and a half and will be given credit for time served.

Judge Terry Patton waived assessments, and the $1,000 minimum fine on each count will be paid through a credit for each day served to date. Czolgosz will have to register as a sex offender and serve 12 months mandatory supervised release.

Czolgosz gave an unsworn statement in court, saying he was deeply ashamed of his actions and apologizing to the victims, wherever they may be. He mentioned substance abuse and mental health issues.

He credited his parents for standing by him when they had every right to be ashamed and distance themselves. He said he would love the opportunity to get any kind of job after this and have a positive influence on society. He also said registering as a sex offender would be a lifelong reminder never to let those mistakes happen again.

Henry County State's Attorney Catherine Runty sought five years on each count, saying the consequences were serious for society as a whole.

Defense attorney John Ruud asked for probation, noting most people charged with child pornography have hundreds or thousands of images whereas Czolgosz had fewer than 10.

When he says he had a lapse of judgment, I definitely believe him, he said.

Patton said the nature of the offense was serious in that children are victimized not just once, but over and over again every time somebody downloads those images.

Patton said he disagreed that Czolgosz' alcohol problem justified his conduct.

I don't think getting drunk is a substantial grounds to excuse (the behavior), he said. He actually did complete treatment. He knows he has an alcohol problem.

The judge also found that Czolgosz' two prior DUIs and one misdemeanor conviction for cannabis made it difficult to impose a sentence of probation.

He's known for years he's got an alcohol problem, the judge said, adding that alcoholism can lead to other crimes and eventually it's a serious one.

Photos: Flood waters receding Saturday, cleanup to begin along the river
A 32-year-old Rapid City man pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Pennington County Court to two counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement and one count of second-degree burglary.

Easton Mercy represented himself at his arraignment before Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Connolly Tuesday afternoon.

Mercy was arrested on March 30 after he allegedly threatened two Pennington County Sheriff's deputies with a knife when they responded to a report of him crawling out of a vacant trailer, according to Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Braedon Houdek, who represented the state at Mercy's March 31 initial appearance.

In response to the judge asking Mercy on Tuesday how he wanted to proceed with the case, he responded, "I would like the court to dismiss all charges. That would be nice."

The judge declined his request to have the charges dismissed, but allowed Mercy to address bond, which Magistrate Judge Todd Hyronimus set at $5,000 cash only.

Mercy said he's from Rapid City, and the property he allegedly burglarized belonged to a family member.

"I miss my family, and I'll leave it at that," he said.

Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Michael Smith said the state had concerns about the burglary and the alleged threats to law enforcement, calling Mercy a "threat to the community."

"I don't think the bond is overly high," Connolly said, and kept it at $5,000 cash only.

If convicted of the charges, Mercy faces the possibility of a significant amount of prison time.

Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer is a class 2 felony with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine. Second-degree burglary is a class 3 felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

Court documents listed two prior felonies on Mercy's record: a fourth-degree rape conviction from 2010 and an aggravated eluding conviction from 2017.

Under South Dakota law, if someone has been convicted of one or two felonies in the past, any following felony convictions are enhanced to one felony class higher.

If the state is able to prove Mercy's past convictions, the maximum penalties would increase to 50 years in prison for each aggravated assault charge and 25 years in prison for the burglary charge. The maximum fine for the assault charges would remain the same, but the burglary fine would increase to a maximum of $30,000.

As Smith read the information alleging the past felonies, Mercy shook his head no.

During the hearing, the judge asked Mercy to let him know if he changes his mind about representing himself in the case. Mercy said he had not changed his mind.

In a letter to Magistrate Judge Janki Sharma dated April 17, Mercy wrote that his court-appointed attorney "lied to me and prejudiced my defense."

He also wrote a letter to Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Brandy Rhead on April 18 stating, "I'm going to need you to understand to not object to my PR (personal recognizance) bond... or if you do not I am representing myself again. And I will not tolerate stand-by council."

Mercy is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing at 9:45 a.m. on June 2.
After her historic defeat, Wyomings former Rep. Liz Cheney vowed to do whatever it took to ensure that former president Donald Trump would never occupy the oval office again. She hasnt let up on that promise.

On Tuesday, Cheney launched her first television advertisement of the 2024 election cycle in New Hampshire, the first GOP primary state, warning against a second term for Trump and calling him unfit for office.

Donald Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power, Cheney begins.

He lost the election and he knew it. He betrayed millions of Americans by telling them the election was stolen. He ignored the rulings of dozens of courts. Rather than accept his defeat, he mobilized a mob to come to Washington and march on the capitol.

The advertisement shows video footage of Trump telling a crowd that they would stop the steal, as well as clips of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack of the U.S. Capitol. Aside from her voiceover, Cheney herself doesnt appear in the advertisement.

There has never been a greater dereliction of duty of any president, Cheney continues in the advertisement.

Trump was warned repeatedly that his plans for January 6 were illegal. He didnt care. And today, he celebrates those who attacked our capitol. Donald Trump has proven he is unfit for office. Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again.

The advertisement quickly drew the criticism of Wyomings Rep. Harriet Hageman, Trumps pick to unseat Cheney. Hageman  who was once a Trump critic and an ally of Cheneys  ultimately beat out the former representative by more than nearly 40 points in the historical primary election for Wyomings lone House seat last year.

There is one person who Republican voters wish would go away, and its not Donald Trump. Its Liz Cheney, Hageman wrote Tuesday morning on Twitter.

In Wyoming, we rejected the idea that a woman from Virginia could tell us what we should think, and the voters of New Hampshire will do that too. Her personal vendetta against President Trump knows no bounds, and shes proven it once again with this ad. Shes taking the donations shes gotten from Democrats and throwing them away on ineffective TV ads to settle a personal score. She might as well be setting the money on fire, because it wont work, just like all her other attempts to silence President Trump.

Cheney, who took a job as a lecturer at the University of Virginia following her defeat, has previously aired advertisements decrying certain pro-Trump candidates who backed the former presidents election fraud claims. In October, she launched a $500,000 ad campaign taking aim at Arizona GOP candidates and Trump allies Kari Lake and Mark Finchem. Lake and Finchem both lost their races for governor and secretary of state, respectively, by a narrow margin.

Cheney was first voted in as Wyomings lone U.S. representative in 2016, easily winning her primary and general elections that year and garnering wide support again in 2018 and 2020.

But that popularity nosedived when she went against many in her party to condemn Trump for his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and for his role in the Jan. 6 attack of the U.S. Capitol. In 2021, the Wyoming Republican Party voted to censure the former representative. Last year, the Republican National Committee did the same.

Following her defeat to Hageman, Cheney vowed to ensure that Trump, who is the first former president in the nations history to face criminal charges, would never be president again.

I have said since Jan. 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office. And I mean it, she said during her concession speech.

Cheney herself said shortly after her loss that she was contemplating a 2024 presidential bid.

The former representatives saga will soon be available for the public to read in book form. The publisher Little, Brown and Company announced in April that it will publish Cheneys memoir  Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning  in November. The book aims to explain why Cheney stood against her party to denounce Trump and whats at stake in 2024.
Kathmandu, Nepal, May 10, 2023: Responding to the police investigation on Bhutanese refugee scam, CPN-UML has on Thursday suspended its Secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi.





Police have issued warrant after Rayamajhi, who is also the former Deputy Prime Minister, found involved in the alleged fake Bhutanese refugees scam.





Issuing a press statement, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has informed that Rayamajhi has been suspended until the investigation and legal action against him is concluded.




Growing pains of a sort pushed the Richmond-based convenience store giant ARKO Corp.s first quarter into the red, the company reported.

A sharp, nearly 12% or $18.9 million increase in convenience store operating expenses helped cause a $2.6 million first quarter loss, compared with last years first quarter profit of $2.2 million.

Much of that cost increase was due to some $15.9 million of expenses related to its recent acquisition of the Pride convenience store chain in New England and its March 1 purchase of the Transit Energy Group with its 135 convenience stores, fuel supply business serving 192 dealers and transportation operation in the Southeast.

Overall, ARKOs sales rose nearly 6% to $2.09 billion.

ARKO chairman and CEO Arie Kotler said the company will continue to expand its business through mergers and acquisition and that it has secured the financing  an expanded credit line and, separately, an extended term for a $1.5 billion borrowing program that shows investors have confidence in its approach.

In the current, second quarter, ARKO expects to complete its purchase of WTG, with its 24 Uncles Convenience Stores and fleet fueling business with 109 sites in Texas and New Mexico.

The company said it is seeing promising early results from its new loyalty app.

While it saw a rise in the cost of the fuel it sells at its convenience stores, wholesale operation and fleet fueling business  which increased 4.5% over last years level  revenue from fuel sales slightly outpaced that increase, rising 4.9%.

Most of the growth in costs and revenue was due to selling more gallons of fuel  volume was up 4% at its convenience stores, but by less than 1% at its wholesale business.

Its margin on fuel sales at its convenience stores declined to 35.4 cents a gallon in this years first quarter from 37.5 cents a year ago.

Top five weekend events: Powhatan County Fair, Fan Arts Stroll & Mother's Day Powhatan County Fair Fan Arts Stroll Nate Bargatze Mothers Day brunch
A man who sought sexual contact with someone he thought was a 10-year-old girl was ordered Monday to serve at least 15 years in prison.

Matthew Tobias Erickson, 42, of Spotsylvania County, was sentenced to a total of 255 years with most of it suspended. He was previously convicted of 26 counts of soliciting a minor and 10 counts of possessing child pornography.

Judge William Glovers sentence included a number of concurrent sentences, which greatly reduced the actual number of years Erickson has to serve. But the sentence was also somewhat confusing to the lawyers involved in the case.

Defense attorney Price Koch believes the judges active sentence calls for Erickson to serve 15 years. But prosecutors Ryan Mehaffey and Jeremy Theisen were under the impression that Erickson will be serving 25 years.

Erickson was caught in a sting set up by an online group that specializes in catching child predators. A woman from Indiana was online pretending to be a child when she corresponded with Erickson.

Erickson reached out to the girl during the latter part of 2021, telling her she was beautiful and sending her 26 sexually explicit videos.

Eventually the child told Erickson she would be coming to Virginia to visit an aunt. Erickson arranged a meeting with the girl, but instead received a visit from members of the predator group. He admitted to his actions, and the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office was contacted. Child pornography images were later recovered from his phone.

The charges Erickson were convicted of carry a mandatory minimum of 255 years in prison, but Koch successfully argued that Glover could run the sentences concurrently, meaning each sentence could be served at the same time. Koch suggested that five years was enough.

Prosecutor Jeremy Theisen argued against any concurrent sentences. He said Erickson had gotten a deferred disposition on similar charges years ago, yet here we are again.

This man is dangerous and a predator, Theisen said. The fact that his prey wasnt who he thought doesnt make it any better.

Erickson, who was described by his mother as a child in a mans body, apologized for his actions prior to being sentenced. He told Glover he is not a pedophile and would never hurt any child.

This has been a nightmare for me, Erickson said.

Glover called Ericksons actions vile and unacceptable by any standard. He said the videos Erickson sent online were the worst things hed ever seen.
Cigarette giant Altria Group Inc. settled some 6,000 lawsuits for various damages arising from its former stake in the troubled vaping firm JUUL.

The Henrico County-based firm, which makes the nations top-selling Marlboro cigarettes, said it is setting the cases for $235 million.

While we continue to believe the claims against us are meritless, we believe this settlement avoids the uncertainty and expense of a protracted legal process and is in the best interest of our shareholders, said Murray Garnick, Altrias Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

This settlement brings to a close the vast majority of our pending JUUL-related litigation, he said.

Altria shed all of its $12.8 billion investment in JUUL earlier this year, but it also invested in another e-cigarette company, NJOY. Altria had owned 35% of JUUL.

JUULs e-cigarettes stirred controversy because some had sweet, candy-like flavoring, before the Food and Drug Administration banned all e-cigarette flavoring other than tobacco or menthol.

The FDA also issued an order barring JUUL from selling any of its e-cigarettes, but later stayed that order.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered the coordination or consolidation of federal individual and class action lawsuits related to JUUL in October 2019.

The cases include about 50 alleging economic hardship, as well as 4,500 personal injury actions and approximately 1,500 lawsuits from governments, mostly comprising suits from about 1,400 school districts.

Some 750 state court cases are also involved in the settlement.

This settlement does not apply to three cases brought by state attorneys general, 35 cases brought by Native American tribes, 17 antitrust cases or three Canadian cases.

The settlement remains subject to the parties entering into one or more final settlement agreements approved by the relevant courts.

Altrias second quarter financial results will reflect a pre-tax charge of $235 million due to the settlement.

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Historic tax credits have helped to finance renovation of 1,200 buildings in Virginia in the past 26 years, including the future homes of regional governors schools in Richmond and Petersburg.

But the tax credits cannot be used to renovate local school buildings that will remain in service as local schools, an obstacle in the federal tax code that Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Virginia Democrats, are trying again to remove.

They are reintroducing the School Infrastructure Modernization Act, less than two years after the last time they and Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa., tried to change the code to allow tax credits to finance renovation of school buildings that will continue to serve as schools.

Why should you have to change the use of a school building? Kaine asked in a press briefing on Wednesday that drew more media questions on the tax credit issue than the looming showdown in Congress over increasing the debt ceiling.

The issue resonates in Virginia, where state policymakers have been grappling with their role in helping local school divisions address a $25 billion problem. That is the estimated cost of replacing all of the school buildings in the state that are at least 50 years old  estimated at about 1,000, or half, in a Virginia Department of Education study released by the Commission on School Construction and Modernization two years ago.

Many jurisdictions in Virginia are dealing with old school buildings, Kaine said.

Federal tax credits are used by taxpayers who invest in the project. The federal tax code currently does not allow tax-exempt entities to use federal historic tax credits to renovate their own buildings for their continued use. This rule is intended to prevent trafficking in tax benefits.

The federal tax code currently does not allow tax-exempt entities to use federal historic tax credits to renovate their own building for their continued use. The rule is intended to prevent trafficking in tax benefits.

Kaine and Warner hope to revise that provision of the tax code in a general tax policy rewrite later this year. Evans is introducing a companion bill, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act, in the House. He is a longtime acquaintance of Virginia political operative Paul Goldman, who has been lobbying for the change for decades.

When Kaine was mayor of Richmond, he helped to work a deal that allowed school divisions in the region to bypass the provision by creating a regional body to oversee the renovation of the former Maggie Walker High School as the home of the Maggie L. Walker Governors School. The same method allowed a regional coalition of school divisions to renovate the old Petersburg High School for use as the Appomattox Regional Governors School in downtown Petersburg.

He credits the ability to use historic tax credits for reducing the local share of the cost of renovating the Maggie Walker building by one-third. If you can bring the cost down by using historic tax credits, it becomes doable, he said.

In joint statement on Wednesday, Kaine and Warner said, Modernized public schools are critical to providing students with the safe learning environment they need to succeed.

This bill will help upgrade Virginias aging schools and boost local economies by supporting construction jobs and private-public partnerships, they said.

Close Liquor by the drink - Hotel John Marshall, Captain's Grill. Fred Runyan, left and Paul D. Bailey, are the first to be served cocktails with their meals, in the Captain's Grill. The waiter is James Smith. In May 1978, this train caboose traveled by truck along West Broad Street in Richmond was headed for the old Clover Room restaurant, which new owner John Dankos was remodeling into Stanley Stegmeyers Hodgepodge Restaurant. Its eclectic decor was to include two cabooses that would seat 16 diners each. In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, Cornelius T. Rogers mixed a drink at the Hotel John Marshalls Captains Grill restaurant while bartender Richard Kelley watched. In March 1943, teenagers visited the newly reopened Main Street Station Dining Room in Richmond, which was closed for a month to allow for remodeling required by the city. During that period, the Red Cross stepped in to supply food to World War II servicemen passing through the terminal. In June 1943, the restaurant at a Peoples Drug Store in Richmond was bustling. The chain was founded in 1905 in Alexandria, and by 1943, there were six locations in the Richmond area, plus one in Petersburg. Many of them had lunch counters. This December 1973 photo shows the front counter in Roaring Twenties, a new restaurant and nightclub on state Route 10 in the Hopewell area. It was designed to resemble a 1920s speakeasy, with features including an antique cash register, a diving girl and even a dining table from Al Capones Florida home. In April 1970, the Bronze Gateway, a new restaurant at Byrd Field in Henrico County, was about to open. The facility was on the airport terminals first floor, and its upper levels had glass walls overlooking the ramp area. A more casual snack bar was on the first level. In June 1977, Maria Loupassi (from left), Carol Hodges and Joanie Jennings served customers at the Robin Inn in Richmonds Fan District. The Loupassi family restaurant has been a stalwart of the local dining scene for more than 50 years. Mary lou Davis in the Village Cafe in 1977. From the Archives: Richmond restaurants A look back at local eateries. Liquor by the drink - Hotel John Marshall, Captain's Grill. Fred Runyan, left and Paul D. Bailey, are the first to be served cocktails with their meals, in the Captain's Grill. The waiter is James Smith. In May 1978, this train caboose traveled by truck along West Broad Street in Richmond was headed for the old Clover Room restaurant, which new owner John Dankos was remodeling into Stanley Stegmeyers Hodgepodge Restaurant. Its eclectic decor was to include two cabooses that would seat 16 diners each. In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, Cornelius T. Rogers mixed a drink at the Hotel John Marshalls Captains Grill restaurant while bartender Richard Kelley watched. In March 1943, teenagers visited the newly reopened Main Street Station Dining Room in Richmond, which was closed for a month to allow for remodeling required by the city. During that period, the Red Cross stepped in to supply food to World War II servicemen passing through the terminal. In June 1943, the restaurant at a Peoples Drug Store in Richmond was bustling. The chain was founded in 1905 in Alexandria, and by 1943, there were six locations in the Richmond area, plus one in Petersburg. Many of them had lunch counters. This December 1973 photo shows the front counter in Roaring Twenties, a new restaurant and nightclub on state Route 10 in the Hopewell area. It was designed to resemble a 1920s speakeasy, with features including an antique cash register, a diving girl and even a dining table from Al Capones Florida home. In April 1970, the Bronze Gateway, a new restaurant at Byrd Field in Henrico County, was about to open. The facility was on the airport terminals first floor, and its upper levels had glass walls overlooking the ramp area. A more casual snack bar was on the first level. In June 1977, Maria Loupassi (from left), Carol Hodges and Joanie Jennings served customers at the Robin Inn in Richmonds Fan District. The Loupassi family restaurant has been a stalwart of the local dining scene for more than 50 years. Mary lou Davis in the Village Cafe in 1977.
For centuries, members of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe have lived without a written constitution.

Now the tribe has two.

Residents of the Mattaponi reservation in King William County adopted a written constitution on March 29 that allows women to vote, but not lineal descendants who live off the reservation. The vote included tribal women for the first time, with 22 of the 28 eligible residents voting.

Its no different than living in the city of Richmond and coming to King William to vote for the sheriff, longtime Mattaponi Chief Mark Custalow said this week. We do not govern people who live off the reservation.

But Chief Lionel Lonnie Custalow, who is not directly related to his rival chief, is a reservation resident who did not vote because he said the tribe adopted a new constitution last year that does not discriminate against tribal members.

Marks constitution is not the first constitution, Lonnie Custalow said.

He fails to recognize a chief is not like a city mayor or local official, he said. The chief is president of the Mattaponi tribe and the Mattaponi nation, and all lineal descendants who are qualified to vote should have a vote on who the leadership is.

The dueling constitutions reflect an ongoing leadership struggle as the tribe seeks federal recognition that could bring funding for schools, health care, housing and expansion, as well as what Lonnie Custalow called the dignity and sovereignty of the tribe.

The rival group filed a petition this year for tribal recognition by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but Chief Mark Custalow said it had no authority to do so because he is recognized by Virginia and Gov. Glenn Youngkin as the tribes elected leader. He said the tribe is using a $1 million federal grant to prepare a petition for recognition that he expects to file in the next 18 months.

The rival groups petition has not been posted publicly by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as complete for formal review, and Mark Custalow contends it was not filed by the true tribe itself. He said the tribe will hold elections within 90 days under the newly ratified constitution.

The Mattaponi are trailing other Virginia tribes in receiving federal recognition and the benefits it would bring, including the Pamunkey, also based on a reservation established in King William in the 17th century, when Virginia was a British colony. The Pamunkey received federal recognition in 2016 through the same administrative process that both Mattaponi tribal factions are pursuing.

Six other tribes  the Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Eastern Chickahominy, Rappahannock, Nansemond and Monacan  received recognition through a law that Congress adopted and then-President Donald Trump signed in 2018. Three other Virginia tribes  the Nottoway, Cheroenhaka and Patawomeck  are recognized by the state but not by the federal government.

Mark Custalow, who said he was elected chief nine years ago, said the new constitution will help in the tribes quest for federal recognition by putting in writing many of the customs and traditions that the Mattaponi have followed since before the arrival of English settlers in Jamestown in 1607. We never had a written constitution, he said. We only had traditions and the ways we lived by.

One tradition that the new constitution rejects was the exclusion of women from tribal voting. Years ago, when the Mattaponi Indian Tribe and Reservation started this process, everyone on Tribal Council agreed that tribal law needed to change, and give Mattaponi women the right to vote, he said in a statement that the tribe released this week about the new constitution.

That particular traditional law was created many generations ago and we did not want to carry it forward.

The constitution gives the vote to any member of the Tribe who is a legal, Mattaponi lineal resident of the Reservation, and is 18 years of age, according to the tribes statement, which said the constitution keeps the requirement that only reservation residents can vote in tribal elections.

But that exclusion perpetuates the tribes modern history of discrimination, said Lonnie Custalow, the rival chief elected in March, 2022 under a constitution adopted by 41 of the 62 lineal descendants identified then, which he said now would include 140 descendants.

Counting residents of Virginia tribes is difficult because of the Racial Integrity Act, adopted by Virginia in 1924, which denied Indian status and classified tribal members as colored. The law led tribes to adopt rules that prohibited membership by Indians with Black ancestry.

Lonnie Custalow said the constitution adopted last year does not exclude people based on race or gender. He said it provides for the establishment of a separate tribal council to govern the reservation itself.

I just want to make sure Im looking out for all lineal descendants, not just the few who still live on the reservation, he said.

Tribal gathering R0527_POWW01 Tribal gathering R0527_POWW02 R0527_POWW03 R0527_POWW04 R0527_POWW05 R0527_POWW06 R0527_POWW07 R0527_POWW08
The word that Gov. Glenn Youngkin says trips people up in regards to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts is the middle one, and he hopes to talk to Doug Wilder after the former governor said the current one seems to be missing the point of DEI.

Wilder has called on Youngkin to fire the states chief DEI officer, Martin Brown, after Brown told faculty and staff at Virginia Military Institute that DEI was dead.

First, let me say I deeply respect former governor Wilder  weve reached out to him, and I want to hear him, Youngkin said, speaking to reporters after opening a new playground as part of his Partnership for Petersburg push.

Youngkin said he wants to stress diversity and inclusion  we want diversity in business, we want diversity of ideas, we want people to feel included.

But, he added people have so many definitions of equity  sometimes they want it to come at the cost of excellence, and that can mean lowering standards.

He said he thinks if he can explain his view on just this point, he and Wilder would find common ground.

Wilder has said he does not believe Youngkin really understands DEI.

I dont think Governor Youngkin has the experience, or the knowledge, or the wherewithal to be considered anything close to an expert on diversity, Wilder told reporters this week in response to a question about Youngkins recent comments that DEI efforts have gone off the rails.

Wilder said it is especially galling that Brown made his comments at VMI, with its history of racism and sexism that the school is still working to address.

When I was governor, people in the administration spoke for me or they didnt get to speak at all, he said.

Youngkin was in Petersburg to open a $150,000 Kaboom playground at the YMCA, the first of eight that the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Children hopes to erect across the state.

He said he still opens every meeting of his Cabinet with an update and discussion on the nine-month-old Partnership for Petersburg push to boost the beleaguered citys programs for youth, health, economic development and public safety.

Youngkin said what has been particularly striking is how people and plans that were not part of the Partnership have joined in, accelerating its momentum.

Earlier, he hunkered down with a small group of children, all in their bright blue Westview Early Childhood Education Center T-shirts, where he got one shy boy to confide that his blue-green stuffed animal was named Cedric.

Were going to open a playground and then were going to play, he told the kids.

This is the future of Virginia; to give these kids a chance to play and to be kids is what this is all about, he said.

Top five weekend events: Powhatan County Fair, Fan Arts Stroll & Mother's Day Powhatan County Fair Fan Arts Stroll Nate Bargatze Mothers Day brunch
CAIRO (AP)  Sudanese and foreigners streamed out of the capital of Khartoum and other battle zones, as fighting Tuesday shook a new three-day truce brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Aid agencies raised increasing alarm over the crumbling humanitarian situation in a country reliant on outside help.

A series of short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between forces loyal to the country's two top generals since April 15. The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, which continued Tuesday.

But they have brought no relief to millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire, struggling to find food, shelter and medical care as explosions, gunfire and looters wreck their neighborhoods. In a country where a third of the population of 46 million already needed humanitarian assistance, multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and dozens of hospitals have been forced to shut down. The U.N. refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing into neighboring countries.

Calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africas third-largest nation have been ignored. For many Sudanese, the departure of diplomats, aid workers and other foreigners and the closure of embassies are terrifying signs that international powers expect the mayhem to only worsen.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the power struggle between rival generals and their military forces is not only putting Sudan's future at risk, it is lighting a fuse that could detonate across borders, causing immense suffering for years, and setting development back by decades.

The U.N. chief urged the Sudanese military, commanded by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the rival Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, to silence the guns immediately.

""The conflict will not, and must not, be resolved on the battlefield," Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council late Tuesday.

U.N. special envoy for Sudan Volker Perthes, who moved from Khartoum to Port Sudan with most U.N. staff and many humanitarian organizations, accused both warring parties of fighting with disregard for the laws and norms of war, citing attacks on densely populated areas.

With supply lines running out, he said, there is mounting fear of increased criminality, and reports of prisoners being released from detention centers across Khartoum have compounded these fears.

Thousands of Sudanese have been fleeing Khartoum and its neighboring city of Omdurman. Bus stations in the capital were packed Tuesday morning with people who had spent the night there in hopes of getting on a departing bus.

Drivers increased prices, sometimes tenfold, for routes to the border crossing with Egypt or the eastern Red Sea city of Port Sudan. Fuel prices have skyrocketed, to $67 a gallon from $4.20, and prices for food and water have doubled in many cases, the Norwegian Refugee Council said.

Those lucky enough to reach the border crossings face additional hardships.

Moaz al-Ser, a teacher, arrived at the Arqin border crossing with Egypt early Tuesday with his wife and three children after a harrowing trip from Omdurman. They were among hundreds of families who were waiting to be processed. Many had spent the night in an open area near the border.

The crossing point is overwhelmed and authorities on both sides dont have the capacity to handle such a growing number of arrivals, he said.

Secretary-General Guterres cited reports of armed clashes across the country, with people fleeing their homes in Blue Nile and North Kordofan states and across Western Darfur as well. Terrified people remain trapped indoors with dwindling food, water, medicine and fuel, and health services near collapse, he said.

Joyce Msuya, the assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said at least 20 hospitals have been forced to close due to damage, military use or lack of resources. She also told the council there have been numerous reports of sexual and gender-based violence.

The 72-hour cease-fire announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to last until late Thursday night, extending a nominal three-day truce over the weekend.

The rival forces said Tuesday they would observe the cease-fire. In separate announcements, they said Saudi Arabia played a role in the negotiations.

But fighting continued, with explosions, gunfire and the roar of warplanes overhead around the capital region.

They stop only when they run out of ammunition, Omdurman resident Amin Ishaq said. Al-Roumy, a medical facility in Omdurman, said it suspended its services after it was hit by a shell Tuesday.

They dont respect cease-fires, said Atiya Abdalla Atiya, a senior figure in the Sudan Doctors Syndicate, a group that monitors casualties.

Dr. Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a Sudanese-American physician who headed the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Khartoum, was stabbed to death outside his home, the Doctors' Syndicate said. He had practiced medicine for many years in the United States, where his children reside, but had returned to Sudan to train doctors. Colleagues said he had been treating those wounded in the fighting in recent days and that it was not known who killed him.

The World Heath Organization, meanwhile, expressed concern that one of the warring parties had seized control of the central public health laboratory in Khartoum.

That is extremely, extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab. We have measles isolates in the lab. We have cholera isolates in the lab, Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO representative in Sudan, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video call from Port Sudan.

He did not identify which side held the facility but said they had expelled technicians and power was cut, so it was not possible to properly manage the biological materials. There is a huge biological risk.

Clashes meanwhile escalated in the western Darfur region, residents said. Armed groups, wearing RSF uniforms, attacked several areas in Genena, a provincial capital, burning and looting properties and camps for displaced people.

Fierce battles are raging all over the city, said a doctor in Genena, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. "All eyes are on Khartoum but the situation here is unimaginable.

Women and children were fleeing homes in the city center, and the city's main hospital has not functioned for days, with unknown numbers of dead and wounded, she said.

More fighters on motorcycles and horses have flowed into the city to join the battles, with dead bodies lying in the streets, according to Darfur 24, an online news outlet focusing on covering the war-wrecked region.

The RSF has its roots in Darfur, where it emerged from the notorious Janjaweed militias that committed atrocities there while putting down a rebellion in the 2000s.

At least 459 people, including civilians and fighters, have been killed, and over 4,000 wounded since fighting began, the U.N. health agency said, citing Sudans Health Ministry. Among them were 166 deaths and over 2,300 wounded in Khartoum, it said.

Secretary-General Guterres said four U.N. staff were killed. The U.N. said they were three Sudanese working for the World Food Program and one Sudanese working for the International Organization for Migration.

Those who are able have made their way to the Egyptian border, Port Sudan or relatively calmer provinces along the Nile. But the full scale of displacement has been difficult to measure.

Msuya said the U.N. has received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

Mohammed Mahdi, of the International Rescue Committee, warned that resources were growing thin at the Tunaydbah refugee camp in eastern Sudan after 3,000 people fleeing Khartoum took refuge there, joining some 28,000 refugees from Ethiopia.

At least 20,000 people have fled from Khartoum to the city of Wad Madani, 160 kilometers (100 miles) to the south, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Some 20,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad and around 4,000 South Sudanese refugees living in Sudan have returned home, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which is gearing up for tens of thousands more to flee to neighboring countries.
Puerta al Mar project to give Felipe Carrillo Puerto coastal access

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R.  At some point in the near future, residents of the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto will have their own coastal access road. On Monday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed the Puerta al Mar project.

The Puerta al Mar project will consist of a road that will be approximately 57 kilometers long and allow rapid access to the areas of Playon and Vigia Chico through the jungle.

Mayor Mary Hernandez celebrated this historic announcement, which has been the flagship project of her administration.

In this plan, an artisan road is going to be built from Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Vigia Chico, reported AMLO on Monday morning in the presence of Quintana Roo Governor, Mara Lezama from the National Palace in Mexico City.

After the announcement, Mayor Hernandez said bringing the Puerta al Mar project to our President and Governor was a dream that we finally achieved. It will be a well-done artisan road, she said.

From the beginning of her administration, Hernandez promoted the project as a strategy to promote the sustainable development of the region, respecting biodiversity and providing great growth benefits for the population, tourism and the economy.

According to Hernandez, both the President and Governor recently flew over the train track that connected the municipality with Vigia Chico, which years ago was used to transport merchandise during the chiclero boom, with which the Puerta al Mar project received full Presidential support.

Hernandez says this latest project for the region is in addition to the international airport and two Maya Train stations.

She says Felipe Carrillo Puerto has a lot to offer from the Sian Kaan Biosphere, Tihosuco, Tepich, X-Pichil and the Noh Bec lagoon, to the Route of the Churches, cenotes, gastronomy and great historical events.

In March, Governor Mara Lezama said that the long-awaited request of residents of Felipe Carrillo Puerto to have beach access was slowly being answered. At the time, Lezama said that she managed to negotiate with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador the opening of a road that leads to the coastal zone in that municipality.
Growing up hunting, hiking and fishing in the woods of rural Washington County, Austin Holloway said he never expected to become a college graduate.

One of more than 7,000 students in Virginia Techs spring graduating class this week, the first-generation college student from Abingdon said he was never pressured to pursue higher education. At least, not until he met a girl.

When I graduated high school, I had no intention of going to college. I thought I was done with school, Holloway said. I met a girl my senior year of high school, and she and her family changed every bit of that for me.

That girls parents  now his soon-to-be in-laws  encouraged Holloway to attend Virginia Highlands Community College for a two-year degree. From there, it was a community college professor who helped Holloway to a pivotal realization:

Wow, I can have a career where Im outside researching wildlife, or working with landowners, working in forestry, in the places that I like to spend time, Holloway said. And then I got to Virginia Tech and really realized all the career possibilities that are available in natural resources. I never knew any of those jobs or opportunities had ever existed.

Holloway graduates Thursday afternoon with a bachelor of science in wildlife conservation. Hes already started preparing for his next step at Virginia Tech  a graduate school thesis focused on forestry, for his masters degree.

I dont want to leave the animals behind, but I think a broader way for me to have the biggest impact is to focus on forestry, Holloway said. I want to work with private landowners in rural areas, just like Im from, and help manage their habitat.

Because more than 70% of land in the United States is held by private landowners, he said working with private individuals on habitat management is vital to conserving all kinds of wildlife species. Owning a habitat management consulting company is his ultimate dream, he said.

Historically, land has been the most valuable thing that people can own, Holloway said. People want to have that nice piece of property thats got good ecological value, but also an aesthetic value.

He said people from communities such as his often are not pressured to strive for college, and theres nothing inherently wrong with that. But he said people shouldnt feel limited in what they can accomplish, especially not because of where theyre from.

I was a kid from a rural community who got an opportunity that not a lot of people get, and Im super appreciative of that, Holloway said. I hope theres a kid, or a kids parents, sitting there reading this who say, hey, you should do it. If he could do it, anybody could do it.

Holloway said people should take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way, and be unafraid to take chances. Thats what life is about, and thats the attitude embodied by his class of 2023 peers, who achieved their educations even in the face of coronavirus-related disruptions, he said.

Were the next generation thats going to make a difference and change the world, Holloway said. Now is the time to show them that everything theyve prepared us for is exactly what were going to go and do.

Virginia Tech graduation ceremonies proceed through Sunday. The main university commencement event is in Lane Stadium at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Poet Eva Lynch-Comer sits silently, by herself, in a row of seats as she rides a Valley Metro bus at midday on a late April Tuesday along Colonial Avenue.

Lynch-Comer takes it all in: her fellow Roanokers seated in the back rows; the view out the bus window of city parks, apartment buildings, grocery stores, schools and doctors offices; the bus engine rumbling through the southwest quadrant; the unwritten lesson plans for the class she teaches at Hollins University.

Valley Metro route 55 passes many of ones basic life necessities. But for Lynch-Comer, the bus ride provides an inward world of inspiration.

The Writer by Bus program for 2023 gave the 26-year-old creative writer free bus rides this spring to create poetry as part of Roanokes Year of the Artist public art initiative.

Its one of several public art projects celebrating the role of transit and artists in Roanoke with the backing of Ride Solutions, the Roanoke Arts Commission and the Greater Roanoke Transit Authority.

Lynch-Comer, born in Manhattan and raised in Staten Island in New York City, rode public transportation to and from middle school and high school.

She says public transportation provides a beautiful space where a rider doesnt have to do much while in transit.

Its a moment of stillness in what could be a busy day, a busy life, she said. It can just lull you into a sense of peace and it opens up the gates of creativity.

She has worked in the publishing world since 2016 either as a student intern, staff writer, editor, faculty mentor or assistant editor in one of the Big 5 houses helping other writers you may have heard of get their books into places like Barnes & Noble.

During her undergraduate studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, she got her own work into smaller publications more open to the deeply personal reflections examining her childhood trauma.

While studying abroad she remembers her travels in public transportation on double-decker buses and the underground in London and the subway system in Spain.

Now a graduate student at Hollins University, Lynch-Comers intends her Writer by Bus commission will create poetry that shows the magic of Roanoke through the windows of a bus.

Riders overlook public transportation as a chore to get through, she says. But she creates art inspired by the beauty of traveling the neighborhoods around her.

In that way we bring a bit of magic to our everyday experiences and find the beauty in the mundane, she says.

The project concludes with the printed publication of Lynch-Comers writing  and other artists creations  during Transit Month in September.

Photos: Writer by Bus finds 'beauty in the mundane'
" " According to carbon dating, Old Tjikko, a spruce tree on Fulu Mountain in Sweden, sprouted around 7542 B.C.E., making it older than written history. But is it the oldest tree in the world? TTphoto /Shutterstock

The title of oldest tree in the world is, surprisingly enough, up for grabs.

Since about 2018, a majestically gnarled bristlecone pine in California has held the designation, only to be usurped by a new up-and-comer discovered on a Swedish mountaintop. Not to be outdone, a controversial find in a Chilean forest has tree aficionados wondering whether an ancient cypress could actually be hundreds  yes, hundreds  of years older than any known living tree in existence.

With the competition literally growing, crowning the world's oldest tree is much more complicated than one might think. So, which tree is the oldest in the world?

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A Generational Front-runner for World's Oldest Tree

To see the world's oldest tree, or one of the frontrunners for world's oldest tree, one must travel to a mountaintop in Sweden where a spruce tree has kept its tenacious hold on life for nearly 10,000 years. The spruce tree, which took root at the end of the world's last ice age in about 7542 B.C.E., was discovered by scientists surveying tree species on Fulufjallet (Fulu for short) Mountain in Dalarna province in 2004. Its age was confirmed by carbon dating in 2008.

The type of tree  and its age  came as a surprise to Leif Kullmann, professor of Physical Geography at Sweden's Umeaa University. Kullmann led a team of researchers to a spot near the summit of Fulu Mountain, where they found a cluster of spruce trees that were more than 8,000 years old, and among them, evidence that a single tree had been in existence for 9,550 years. (Kullman named the tree Old Tjikko, in honor of his late dog.)

"It was a big surprise because we [previously] thought ... that this kind of spruce grew much later in those regions," Kullmann said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Kullman now believes that people immigrating across a land mass close to shrinking glaciers may have introduced the spruces. "[There was a ] big change in our way of thinking," Kullman told the Daily Mail. "We have also found fossil acorns in this area and people may have taken them with them as they moved over the landscape."

The discovery of the mountain spruce is not without controversy, however. The tree's remarkable age is attributed to its root system, which has been alive for at least four generations; the visible part of the tree  the trunk, branches, cones and needles  only lives for about 600 years. When the trunk dies, a cloned stem takes root to replace it. The ability to replace a new trunk from the tree's root system has been key to its lengthy survival, say researchers.

" " Methuselah, a bristlecone pine in California, was long considered to be the world's oldest tree. Yen Chao /Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Is a long-living clone growing from a generation-spanning root system still the same tree? It's a question scientists and researchers (and record-book publishers) will need to debate. One thing, though, is certain: If you consider that all the world's oldest trees have lived anywhere from 5,000 to nearly 10,000 years, they are each a living example of nature's ingenuity.

While even the shortest-lived trees (like most fruit trees) can survive for 50 years, some species (like pine trees) grow so slowly that even at the age of 40, they may only be 6 inches (15 centimeters) tall. This "slow and steady wins the race" strategy appears to be a winning one, at least when trees are young, but changes as trees age.

A study published in the journal Nature reports that the older a tree is, the faster it will grow. Previously, prevailing thought was that tree-growth slowed with age. Now researchers know that the largest and oldest trees can increase their wood, bark and leaf mass by 1,300 pounds (about 600 kilograms) each year. And, unlike most living creatures whose cells change and break down with each day that passes, many trees don't have an age limit. While trees can succumb to being cut down, or to fire, insect infestations, diseases or natural occurrences like lightning, some trees could technically live indefinitely.

" " El Alerce Milenario (Fitzroya cupressoides), aka Gran Abuelo, stands in the Alerce Costero National Park in Chile. Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 4.0)

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Previous and Potential Record-holders for World's Oldest Tree Title

Before the Egyptians had even started constructing the famed pyramids of Giza, there was a tiny tree putting down roots in the White Mountains of eastern California. This tree, a bristlecone pine dubbed Methuselah, is still growing in California's Great Basin and was once believed to be the world's oldest tree. Tree-ring data from a core sample of its trunk estimates its age at 4,853 years old.

But in 2022, a Patagonian cypress in Chile, known as Gran Abuelo (great-grandfather) or Alerce Milenario, was discovered and is thought to be a new candidate for world's oldest tree. This particular tree, found growing in a ravine in Chile's Alerce Costero National Park, is estimated at 5,484 years old, which is more than 600 years older than Methuselah.

Chilean environmental scientist Jonathan Barichivich, who found and studied the tree, plans to publish the results in a forthcoming scientific journal, and has been presenting the findings at conferences. But because Barichivich estimated the tree's age based on a partial sample of the core, there is some controversy surrounding the accuracy of the estimate.

Whatever their age, the world's oldest trees are vital  not only to the health of their respective environments, but as a measure of climate change. By studying the trees' core samples, scientists are able to see the impact of environmental changes on the trees and their surroundings.

Now That's Interesting Dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, is being used to pinpoint previous eras of climate change. Using the width of a tree ring, which signifies a tree's growth in a single year, scientists can verify whether it was a year of drought (a narrow ring) or of excess moisture (a wide ring). Identifying similar bands across a range of trees helps scientists connect data projections to a timeline and helps identify which trees survived a changing climate.
" " Apollo 11 Command Module pilot Michael Collins practices in the CM simulator on June 19, 1969, at Kennedy Space Center, just a month before liftoff. NASA

One of the three astronauts who made up the historic Apollo 11 crew, NASA veteran Michael Collins passed away today, April 28, 2021, at the age of 90.

"NASA mourns the loss of this accomplished pilot and astronaut, a friend of all who seek to push the envelope of human potential," said Steve Jurczyk, the agency's acting administrator, in a statement.

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"Whether his work was behind the scenes or in full view, his legacy will always be as one of the leaders who took America's first steps into the cosmos. And his spirit will go with us as we venture toward farther horizons."

Collins was born on Oct. 31, 1930, in Rome, Italy. His father, a career officer in the U.S. Army who'd go on to retire as a major general, was stationed there at the time.

After his family returned stateside, Collins earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating with the class of 1952. He then became an Air Force test pilot, which opened some interesting doors (to say the least).

" " Official crew photo of the Apollo 11 Prime Crew. From left are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. NASA

In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. Glenn's achievement was an inspiration for Collins. "I certainly had no childhood dream of flying to the moon or anywhere else, but the idea was damned appealing," Collins wrote in his autobiography, "Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys."

He was selected to join NASA's third class of astronauts the following year. His first extraterrestrial adventure came in 1966, when Collins embarked on a three-day spaceflight with fellow astronaut John Young. Known as Gemini X, their mission was one for the record books; the two men reached the then-unprecedented altitude of 475 miles (764 kilometers).

Of course, Michael Collins is best remembered for his role in Apollo 11.

" " On Jan. 9, 1969, NASA announced the prime crew of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. This portrait was taken on Jan. 10, the day after the announcement of the crew assignment. From left are Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, Commander Neil Armstrong and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins. NASA

On July 16, 1969, at 8:32 AM (Eastern Standard Time), Collins, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were launched out of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They were the three explorers NASA had chosen for the first mission that would ever put a man on the moon.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

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Partly cloudy skies during the evening giving way to a few showers after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
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 Prison Policy Initiative details "Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and supervision by state" | Main | First Circuit panel reverses fraud convictions for two Varsity Blues defendants 

May 10, 2023

Man convicted of murdering BLM marcher, whom Texas Gov has pledged to pardon, sentenced by judge to 25 years in prison

This new AP article, headlined "Army sergeant who fatally shot BLM protester in Texas sentenced to 25 years," reports on the latest legal development in a high-profile case which first caught my attention when Gov. Greg Abbott announced on social media that he would pardon a just-convicted killer. Here are some of the details:

A U.S. Army sergeant plans to appeal his 25-year prison sentence for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, and will cooperate with efforts by the states Republican governor to issue a pardon, his attorney said Wednesday. Daniel Perry, 36, was convicted of murder in April for killing 28-year-old Garrett Foster during the downtown Austin protest in July 2020.... Perry attorney Clinton Broden said in a statement that his client would appeal. He called Perrys conviction the product of political prosecution and said the defense team would fully cooperate in the pardon process. Perrys conviction prompted outrage from prominent conservatives, and Gov. Greg Abbott, citing Texas Stand Your Ground laws, has said he would sign a pardon once a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles hits his desk. The board  which is stacked with Abbott appointees  is reviewing Perrys case on the governors orders, but it is unclear when it will reach a decision. District Judge Clifford Brown delivered a statement during sentencing that didnt address the potential pardon directly. But he insisted that Perry had a fair and impartial trial and that the jurys decision deserves our honor and it deserves to be respected. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said it was Abbott who decided to insert politics in this case. Garza said hes been in touch with the board and has been assured that prosecutors will be allowed to present a case against a pardon, and that it will include a presentation from Fosters family. The pardon process is a valuable check on the court system, Broden said. Those who claim that Governor Abbotts expressed intent is based on politics simply choose to ignore the fact that it was only the political machinations of a rogue district attorney which led to Sgt. Perrys prosecution in the first instance, he said. Perry was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protesters. Perry said he was trying to get past the crowd and fired his pistol when Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting. Perry said he acted in self-defense. His lawyers asked the judge to consider his more than a decadelong military career and hand down a sentence of no more than 10 years. Army spokesman Bryce Dubee has said Perry is classified as in civilian confinement pending separation from the military. On Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some shockingly racist images. They had been excluded from Perrys trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by Brown. This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat, prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez said, urging Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years. Hes going to do it again. Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed Foster, an Air Force veteran. Foster, who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle as he participated in the demonstration against police killings and racial injustice, following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Prior related post:

May 10, 2023 at 04:44 PM | Permalink

Comments

Any pardon by its nature "disrespects" the outcome of the judicial system. Indeed, that's the whole reason for them. I've thought for some time before this that they should be subject to more of a check than they are, but my opinion seems to be pretty lonely.

Posted by: Bill Otis | May 10, 2023 4:59:06 PM

Bill,

I don't think you are alone at all in your sentiments. I believe there are many, if not most, who would want a full (or fuller) explanation as to why or why not a pardon is or is not issued. Along with a reasonable "explanation", a system of 'checks and balances' or some type of oversight should be instituted, although the chief executive (president or state governor) should continue to make the ultimate decision.

Posted by: SG | May 11, 2023 6:11:12 PM

https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2023/05/11/target-of-carjacking-turns-tables-on-assailants-at-dallas-gas-station-n70385

Let's prosecute this guy too . . . .

Posted by: federalist | May 12, 2023 8:27:32 AM

SG --

We agree in part. I don't think the executive should be required to explain the absence if a pardon, since defaulting to the judicial outcome is presumptively proper, and is the result in 99+% of the cases anyway.

Separately, let me ask you this: Do you tell the people you have in drug counseling that they are responsible for their own lives and decisions -- not someone else and not "the system" -- and that their future success depends squarely on stepping up to meet that responsibility? I suspect that is what you say, which is why you and I have discovered something that makes a conversation possible.

Posted by: Bill Otis | May 12, 2023 9:25:51 AM

Bill,

You ask: "Do you tell the people you have in drug counseling that they are responsible for their own lives and decisions..."?

The short answer is: of course, yes. I say that and a whole lot of other stuff. However...

my words, or your words, or words of a judge, prosecutor, probation officer, or any other person who think that their pearls of wisdom will effect significant change in the life of an addict, criminal, etc. who is seeking change, is a false assumption, based upon the speaker's own ego/narcissism ("My pearls will cause them to have life-changing epiphanies, and they will stop using drugs and committing crimes, and be totally cured because of what I say to them"..which is 100% complete horse crap).

What is far more important is that the addict/criminal is (1) in a supportive environment where, (2) "right living" is modeled by others/peers who may also be in recovery and who (3) expect and demand that the subject adheres to that community's standards and rules, and (4) success is greatly determined by the level of participation in the process by the subject who (5) develops motivation to seek and assume responsibility for themselves and for others. In other words, change is possible in an environment that provides to the subject the information (i.e., "you are responsible for yourself"), the setting and the resources, and by the subject "being there" (in other words, if they choose to split, the process is pretty much over).

My spoken words to the subject is, in the larger scheme of things, not all that important, but it could be helpful and inspiring. But it's not "me" who changes them. And now you know.

Posted by: SG | May 12, 2023 6:11:23 PM

SG --

Again, we agree in part. I 've said many times that what the government does is not what matters. What matters is whether the defendant actually understands deep down that the way he's been living is both morally wrong because of what it does to others and self-destructive because of what it does to him. If in his heart -- a place the government can't reach -- he believes this, his chances are decently good. If he doesn't believe it, it doesn't matter what programs the government offers. His chances are bad.

Whether sarcastically characterized as a "pearl of wisdom" or not, the truth is that the individual is responsible for his own life and behavior. When that gets through, there's at least a chance for a better life. Until it gets through, there isn't, and society is left with no realistic choice but to protect itself.

Posted by: Bill Otis | May 12, 2023 10:30:54 PM

Bill

And you believe that a prison is the place where such insights and epiphanies are more (or most)likely to occur?? If so, I think this is where you and I will part ways. I believe a prison setting is the LEAST likely place for such an event to occur. Recidivism rates seem to bare this out. We can do much better than this, and at a far lower cost, in terms of money and human suffering.

Pragmatically,if your car didnt work, you would take it to your mechanic for repairs. After it was in his shop for a while, and present to you his bill for $2500. If there was no significant improvement or if the same problem persistedyou would refuse to pay the bill, and then go find another mechanic. Its just common sense.

Posted by: SG | May 13, 2023 1:03:32 AM

SG,

What if the new mechanic breaks more things?

Its not an issue of whether prison works in regard to recidivism. Im inclined to agree.

1. The safety of the community is the first priority. Incapacitation works.

2. Other things are being tried right now. Go to SanFran, NYC, Chicago, DC, and Los Angeles to see the results.

3. Its not enough to say, We need to try something different. You need to actually come up with something and make a case for why it would work. I did that in the other thread.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | May 13, 2023 2:56:37 PM

Tarls,

"I did that in the other thread." I must have missed that one. If you would, please direct me to the posting so I can read/review.

I am quite pleased that you at least are open to the concept of alternative approaches to prison. I have yet to hear that from Bill Otis, or any other of the "tough on crime" mob.

I have advocated for such changes literally for decades now.

I am a firm believer in the "therapeutic community" approach, as long as the govt. does NOT interfere by setting regulations, conditions, etc. etc. Govt. always screws it up due to politics, money, power, etc. Keep them out of it.

The "therapeutic community model" has been found to be the most successful when addressing the "re-education" of drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, etc. (I can personally attest to this). I believe at least some will have a fighting chance to turn things around if such a change were instituted.

Please keep in mind that there is never a "100% guarantee" of any particular outcome. No "guaranteed cure". Some will succeed, some won't. It totally depends on the committment, dedication, mind-set of the addict/criminal, and the environment in which they find themselves (or so ordered by the court, as I was at age 20).

As to "incapacitation", the 'subject' can be offered the opportunity to partake in this "alternative", and as long as they remain in the program, they are in effect "incapacitated". Should they decide to leave, they would then be in violation and the probation officer/judge can decide what the next step would be (prison cell, or another program, or home detention, etc). I appreciate your points of view.

Posted by: SG | May 13, 2023 11:19:54 PM

Post a comment
 "The Eighth Amendment's Time to Shine; Previewing Florida's Imminent Constitutional Crisis in Capital Punishment" | Main | Prison Policy Initiative details "Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and supervision by state" 

The group Human Rights for Kids has released this big new report titled "Crimes Against Humanity: The Mass Incarceration of Children in the US." Here is part of the report's executive summary:

The extensive negative impact on children from our practice of transferring them into the adult criminal justice system and treating them as if they were adults has been well-documented by state and federal government agencies, researchers, advocates and the press. What has not been documented to date, is the extent of the impact of these policies. This report provides the first ever snapshot and national estimate of the number of people in our prisons who have been there since they were children.

We gathered data from 45 states on every individual currently incarcerated who was under the age of 18 at the time of their offense. Our findings revealed that U.S. prisons are filled with at least 32,359 individuals whose crimes were committed as children....

Beginning in the summer of 2021, we requested data from departments of corrections in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on individuals who are currently incarcerated in adult prisons who committed their offense when they were under the age of 18. We received data from 45 states. Our analysis surfaced trends and findings across sentence length, decade of incarceration, gender, race and ethnicity. In addition to aggregating the data, we also conducted a comparative analysis to highlight which state practices constituted the worst human rights violations across categories.

We are currently incarcerating approximately 32,359 individuals in ourprisons for crimes they committed as children. Some were so young they were still subject to truancy laws, and an astonishing number werent even teenagers. They comprise a full 3.1% of the United States overall state prison population - the equivalent of an entire prison full of children in every state in the country. Notably, this is close to the total number of children in youth prisons of 36,469. We incarcerate more children as adults in our prison system than the total combined prison populations of Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Scotland. In fact,there are more people in our prisons for crimes they committed as children than people in prison who committed their crimes as adults in 76.68% of the countries and independent territories in the world.
SIOUX CITY  The Siouxland community came together Tuesday afternoon to honor nurses for the work they do each and every day.

Presented by UnityPoint Health  Sioux City and held at the Sioux City Country Club, the 2023 "Nurses, the Heart of Health Care" event recognized five nurses from four health care entities.

The ceremony, began by the Journal in 2019, is a way for people to show gratitude to those who often work long hours to make sure patients receive the best medical care possible.

This year's five honorees were: Susan Becker, a neurology nurse at CNOS, Sara Kelly, a nurse with UnityPoint Health  St. Luke's, Mindee Knudson, a Sunrise Retirement Community nurse, Jennifer Perera, MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center nurse, and Michaela Uhl, an orthopedic nurse with CNOS.

Wendy Lindley, the chief nurse executive at UnityPoint health - St. Luke's, called nurses the backbone of the entire industry.

"(They're) not only medical professionals but advocates," she said.

Successes and struggles

Before the ceremony, all five women acknowledged the difficulties they've faced across their various careers.

Becker, a registered nurse who studied at Western Iowa Tech, who has more than 30 years of experience, said one of the challenging moments of her professional life was caring for Capt. Al Haynes following the Flight 232 crash on July 19, 1989.

"When he was dismissed, I was walking him out and told him how proud I was of him and what a hero he was," Becker said. "He said, 'Young lady, you and all the medical professionals are the real heroes.'"

Those sorts of interactions are what matter to Becker even more than any plaques or trophies. Asked to name the most rewarding part of her career, she said two words. 'Patient care."

According to Kelly, an MSN and Morningside University grad with over 15 years in the profession, the COVID-19 pandemic presented the single greatest challenge of her career.

"Not having family at a patient's bedside or allowed in the buildings when they needed them most was very challenging," Kelly said.

Kelly immediately jumped to thanking her family for getting to where she is in her life as a nurse.

"My mom was very supportive helped me through homework, my husband same way in college and through my master's. I don't know how many papers he had to read. He loved every one of them," Kelly said.

Knudson, a Western Iowa tech grad and registered nurse with two-plus decades of experience, didn't pinpoint an especially tough time. Instead, she said a major obstacle can be when a patient declines to proceed with a treatment plan that may be beneficial.

"It can also be difficult when interacting with all the various personalities and not take it personally," Knudson said. "When patients are changing, it can be difficult for their loved ones to process the news."

Knudson said being spotlighted for the work she's done in difficult times was "overwhelming."

"I was not expecting it at all. It was my team. I mean, they make me look good. I have an amazing team. We all work really well together. We bring out everyone's strongest qualities," she said.

Perera, who has spent five years in the profession and obtained an Associate of Science in Nursing degree from St. Luke's College in Sioux City, pointed to the pandemic as the great difficulty to arise during her time on the job thus far. She then said health care never comes down to just one individual.

"It truly takes so many people," Perera said.

Every single nurse Perera's worked with has helped to shape her.

"I've had so many great mentors over the time. And my patients. I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for them," she said while reflecting on being honored.

Uhl's logged more than five years in the medical profession and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from St. Luke's College as well. She said the ever-shifting nature of her work can be a real test.

"Nursing today is not the same it was 20 years ago and will not be the same 20 years from now," Uhl said.

She said her parents and her husband have helped her weather those changes and everything else that comes her way.

"They are understanding. They're willing to sit there and listen to my day and they're willing to learn right alongside," Uhl said.

Since the "Heart of Health Care" awards began in 2019, 25 Siouxland nurses have been honored.

2022's winners were: Brianna Creter, Fabiola Perez, Debra Pierce, Cherie Varenhorst and Cassandra Veltkamp. The recipients for 2021 were: Jackie Barber, Joni Greder, Jennifer Kuiken, Shelby Petersen and Chantelle Prins. In 2020, Tricia DeBoer, Stephanie Hill, Sue LeGree, Greg Sholten and Chris VanBeek all won. (The 2020 celebration was all conducted over video while the 2021 event was a hybrid of in-person and through video.) For the inaugural year, in 2019, Charmaine Cantrell, Tisha Dumkrieger, Loree Steffen, Nancy Treft and Cindy Vaughn won.

Event supporters include: Briar Cliff University, MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, Sioux City Journal and Sunrise Retirement Community.
SIOUX CITY  Western Iowa Techs regional law enforcement training academy graduation ceremony will be held on Thursday at noon.

Ten graduates from regional police and sheriffs departments will be receiving their certifications.

The academy graduates are deputies and officers from law enforcement agencies in Iowa: Spirit Lake Police Department, Crawford County Conservation, Sanborn Police Department, Sioux City Police Department, Hinton Police Department, and Le Mars Police Department.

This is the 33rd academy class to graduate from the Western Iowa Tech Community College Regional Academy.

The Regional Academy is an intermediate course for candidates that have a Police Science two-year degree or a Bachelors Degree with an emphasis in police technology.

It is a nine-week program where students demonstrate competencies in 54 different subject matters from unbiased policing, cultural competency, ethics, mental health training, firearms, and legal issues.

The graduation will take place at the Western Iowa Tech Community College Cargill Auditorium (parking lot 4).
A Clinton man is facing 20 counts of child pornography after his wife found two micro SD cards, or memory cards, containing child pornography and turned them over to police.

Brent Michael Fisher, 47, is charged with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor  possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act  first offense.

Each charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Clinton Police Officer Rodney Livesay, on May 5 at 9:05 a.m., Amanda Fisher went to the Clinton Police Department to report that on May 4 she found two micro SD cards in a construction trailer used by her husband, Brent.

She took the memory cards to Walgreens and placed one of the cards into one of the kiosks for looking at images and saw females in different stages of nudity. Many of the images were of young girls.

Amanda Fisher told police that her husband admitted the cards were his.

A search warrant was obtained for the cards and an investigation started. The cards contained images of 20 different juvenile females in stages of undress or performing simulated sex acts.

Brent Fisher was arrested and taken to the Clinton County Jail.

During a first appearance on the charges Monday in Clinton County District Court, Magistrate Michael Judge scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for May 16.

Fisher was released from the Clinton County Jail on Monday after posting a $50,000 cash-only bond.
Harland 'Wyndham' French

Moville, Iowa

Harland "Wyndham" French, 92, of Moville passed away on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk, Neb., after a brief illness, surrounded by his family.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, at the United Methodist Church of Moville with Rev. Sheryl K. Ashley officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the Arlington Cemetery of Moville. A link for the livestream of the service will be posted at the funeral home website. The Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home of Moville is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences can be made at nicklasdjensenfh.com.

Harland "Wyndham" French was born Aug. 31, 1930, to John N. and Martha Ella (Gist) French in Kingsley, Iowa. He attended Kingsley High School, then began farming at a young age.

Wyndham married the love of his life, Darlene Coles on June 22, 1950, in Kingsley. They were blessed with four children. Together they farmed near Moville, then Le Mars and Climbing Hill. After retiring from farming they returned to Moville. They were blessed to have spent 63 years together before Darlene's death in 2013.

After retiring from farming he worked at Stockmans for a time before working at Sioux City Tarp for 18 years. He still enjoyed helping his sons on their farms from time to time.

Wyndham enjoyed playing cards and he always had a story to share with others. He loved his family and attended some of his children's, grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's activities. He belonged to the United Methodist Church which he dearly loved. He was also a member of the NFO and the 4-Way "Coffee Club," and he looked forward to attending every morning. He had recently been awarded a membership to the Moville's Nonagenarians.

He is survived by his children, Steve (Pam) French, Terri (Gary) Steffen, Chuck (Jodi) French, and Kim (Larry) Hamman; nine grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sister, Marcella Kranz; and several nieces, nephews, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; loving wife, Darlene; five sisters; and one brother.
ONAWA, Iowa  An Onawa woman has been jailed on a charge of attempted murder after authorities say she stabbed her boyfriend in the chest after refusing his repeated requests to drive him to a store to buy alcohol.

Inessa Lyons, 30, is accused of stabbing Derek Webster Jr. in the chest in their Onawa apartment at approximately 1:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Webster, 32, was initially treated in Onawa before being flown to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in Sioux City, where he was in stable condition Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Lyons, who was convicted of manslaughter for a 2008 stabbing in Macy, Nebraska, is charged in Monona County District Court with attempted murder and willful injury.

The Monona County Sheriff's Office was called to Burgess Health Center early Wednesday after Webster arrived at the hospital for treatment of a stab wound.

According to court documents, Webster told sheriff's deputies he had been at a local bar and was jumped outside by a white motorcycle driver and stabbed. Lyons, who was present at the hospital, provided a similar explanation for Webster's injury.

As deputies and DCI special agents conducted interviews and examined Lyons' and Webster's apartment at 803 Second St., court documents said, Lyons continued to speak with investigators and admitted she assaulted Webster because he had been harassing her to drive him to a store to buy more alcohol. She stabbed him with a knife in the kitchen after denying several requests. She was taken into custody by the Monona County Sheriff's Office.

As of late Wednesday, online court records did not indicate if Lyons had had an initial appearance before a judge or if a bond amount had been set. Attempted murder is a Class B felony that carries a 50-year prison sentence.

Lyons was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison in 2011 for a fatal stabbing committed when she was 15 years old.

Lyons pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter and assault for the death of 15-year-old Latressa Lee Walker and the stabbing of 18-year-old Sarah Thomas during a party at a Macy apartment complex in July 2008.

Walker and Lyons got into a dispute when a number of youths attending parties at the apartment building were trying to quiet each other down so police wouldn't be notified. Using a filet knife, Lyons stabbed Walker in the chest, and Thomas in the neck and scalp. Thomas' wounds were superficial, but Walker died later from a stab wound to her heart.
SIOUX CITY  While driving a white Ford F550 down rural Woodbury County roads at 15 miles per hour, Jered Jepsen can identify various weeds and wildflowers in the right-of-way.

For example, leafy spurge has yellow flower bracts, while thistles have rose-purple flower heads.

"You're trying to identify stuff as you go. So, you do a lot of stuff on colors," said Jepsen, who has served as the county's weed commissioner for the last 11 years.

Jepsen's job is to keep land in the county free of noxious and invasive weeds. He's also responsible for ensuring that owners eliminate weeds on private property, as required by state law. Surprisingly, Jepsen has never had to issue a fine.

"Most people are like, 'Yeah, we'll get to it.' Some try to push the limit as far as how long it takes them to get it done. Most everybody gets it done one way or another," he said.

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner As weed commissioner, Jered Jepsen keeps land in Woodbury County free of noxious and invasive weeds. Jepsen is shown in his spray truck on Buc

Motor grader operators in the county also inform Jepsen when they come across weeds while working. However, a great deal of tips come from concerned citizens.

"Some of them like to call weekly. A lot of people call on the weekends. And, you still answer the phone on the weekend. It's kind of 24/7," Jepsen said of the year-round position.

When a weed complaint comes in from within Sioux City limits, Jepsen looks at the property in question before turning the complaint over to the city.

"Don't be afraid to call," he said. "I get plenty of phone calls that people think there's a noxious weed there that has been misidentified. That happens."

Year-round job

Jepsen worked in road construction for more than 20 years, before being hired as weed commissioner. In fact, it was a neighbor who told him about the job opening.

"I went and applied. In my interview, I asked the county engineer, Mark Nahra, if it would be OK if I set my own hours according to the weather. He was like, 'That's a great idea.' That's pretty much how I landed the job," said Jepsen, who has to be reappointed by the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on an annual basis. Jepsen is also required to carrying right-of-way and applicators licenses.

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner Jered Jepsen, the weed commissioner for Woodbury County talks about how the spraying equipment works on his truck on Buchanan Avenue in April.

On a nice day, Jepsen might work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., if needed. He estimated that he puts 30,000 miles on a county spray truck on an annual basis, traveling every township. He also has a secondary pickup, which he uses when cutting brush.

Jepsen services his equipment and fills out plenty of paperwork with the help of two secretaries in the county's Moville office. In the wintertime, he runs a motor grader on the secondary roads to clear snow.

"We cut a lot of trees in the wintertime and put chemical on the stumps," he said.

Spot spraying

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner Jered Jepsen, the weed commissioner for Woodbury County, shows the sprayer controls inside the cab of his truck on Buchanan Avenue.

When it comes to spraying the right-of-way, Jepsen said he doesn't just drive down the road. He said he "spot sprays."

The county spray truck Jepsen drives has a cluster of sprayer nozzles on the side, which can be controlled individually with switches inside the cab. The computer system uses GPS to log areas as they are treated.

"We couldn't budget the amount of chemical it would take if we just blanket sprayed. There's no way," he said.

Jepsen recalled riding on the fender of a tractor when he was a kid. He said his dad and grandpa sprayed anything that didn't look like grass. Today, Jepsen has to be especially cognizant about how his work might affect bees, butterflies and wildflowers.

"Back then, nobody was worried about the bees and the butterflies," he said. "Now, you hear all about the monarchs that go to Mexico every year. The DOT and everyone is all about the wildflowers. In the 11 years that I've done this, it's changed a lot."

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner Jered Jepsen, the weed commissioner for Woodbury County looks through his notes and maps showing his routes for spraying, while parked on Buch

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner Jered Jepsen, the weed commissioner for Woodbury County, talks about how the spraying equipment on his truck works on Buchanan Avenue in April.

The biggest challenges associated with being weed commissioner are being stuck in the office amid bad weather and budgeting, which Jepsen described as "one of the toughest things."

"Chemicals have done nothing but went up in price. It's been crazy," he said. "The Supervisors have been very, very good to me on keeping up with the budget."

Woodbury County Weed Commissioner A cluster of sprayer nozzles on the side of this truck can direct a stream of chemical mixtures to keep the weeds under the control of Jered J
An 86-year-old Cairo woman died after her house in rural Hall County caught fire Tuesday afternoon, according to Nebraska's fire marshal.

Firefighters pronounced Shirley Alber dead at the scene after they found her in her smoke-engulfed home at 8788 140th Road in rural Cairo shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, the State Fire Marshal Agency said in a news release.

Alber died as a result of the fire, which investigators determined was accidental and electrical in nature, according to the news release.

Crews from seven different agencies  including the Cairo Fire Department, Wood River Fire Department, Dannebrog Fire Department and Boelus Fire Department  responded to the scene Tuesday.

Photos: Firefighters in action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action Photos: Firefighters in Action
WASHINGTON, Iowa  Physician assistants in Iowa no longer will be required to be supervised and have a written agreement with a specific physician in order to practice medicine under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Proponents say the measure will ensure PAs can more easily address the health care needs of Iowas underserved rural communities, authorizing them to provide health care services based on their medical education, training and experience.

It really is an important bill that safely expands access to care by making it easier for physician assistants to practice in our state, and addresses a clear need, Reynolds said. She said roughly 60 percent of physician assistants who graduate from Iowa colleges and universities leave to practice in other states that allow them greater independence and flexibility.

PAs are capable, well-trained medical professionals who should be given every encouragement to serve Iowa communities, and that is what todays bill is all about, Reynolds said. By eliminating the requirement for supervisor agreements between physicians and PAs, it allows providers and practitioners the flexibility to really structure the relationship as they see fit, rather than dictating an unnecessarily restrictive approach from the top down.

How many PAs work in rural areas?

More than 40 percent of Iowas PAs work in rural settings, according to the Iowa Physician Assistant Society.

Reynolds noted the state takes a similar approach with nurse practitioners, who continue to work collaboratively with physicians to meet the health needs of Iowans.

The governor signed House File 424 during a ceremony at the Washington County Hospital and Clinics. Reynolds said the hospital and clinics serve as a model of the kind of high-quality rural health care that every Iowa county needs and deserves.

PAs play a critical role in providing both primary and specialty care  including mental health  at a time when Iowa is grappling with a shortage of providers and faces challenges providing equitable access to care due to the states large rural and aging population, said hospital Chief Executive Officer Todd Patterson.

Patterson said the law will allow the critical access hospital to draw from a larger pool of talent in rural areas, by eliminating some of the administrative burdens that currently exists. Requiring oversight by a specific physician presents challenges for rural hospitals that struggle to find physicians.

Or, if you lose a physician, it may threaten your ability to maintain that relationship with a PA, Patterson said.

As a result, Washington County Hospitals and Clinics does not currently have physician assistants on staff. All PAs utilized by the hospital and its three rural health clinics are contracted through other entities.

Removing the requirement now provides the hospital the opportunity to recruit PAs directly and more effectively  something Patterson said the hospital plans to pursue to improve access to care in rural communities.

I really think that this gives us an opportunity address urgent health care needs in our town, our county and by extension our state, he said.

State Sen. Dawn Driscoll, a Republican from Williamsburg whose district includes Washington County, floor managed the bill in the Iowa Senate. Driscoll hosted a legislative forum at the hospital last month with Rep. Heather Hora, a Republican from Washington, who supported the bill.

Driscoll said those conversations drew newfound attention to the issue, and she called the bill one of the more consequential items to pass this session.

Bill gives goose bumps

It gives me goose bumps, you know, that you can see great legislation come forward and where its going to benefit all of Iowa, and especially rural Iowa, Driscoll said.

Reynolds said the bill is part of package of proposals and priorities passed this session seeking to improve access to health care across Iowa, including targeted student loan forgiveness, fellowship programs and capping non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Reynold said she hopes the new law signals to PAs that Iowa wants to welcome them with open arms, and we certainly want to keep you here.

We dont want any more of you leaving the state, she said.

Critics, though, have said others measures signed into law by the governor placing new restrictions on transgender youth  including banning transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care  will make it much more difficult to recruit providers to the state, making Iowa seem unwelcoming for LGBTQ people.

Reynolds pushed back, arguing the state has seen a net migration into the state.

I believe you are going to continue to see those numbers grow, Reynolds told reporters. Im really excited. Our national profile is rising. We are reducing taxes and regulations. Were building out our health care system. We have been recognized as a top 10 state to live by U.S. News and World Report.  So I am excited about what is happening, and I am excited about our future.

Reynolds did not respond to a reporters question about whether she would call lawmakers back for a special session to further restrict access to abortion, depending on how the Iowa Supreme Court rules on her request to reinstate a 2018 state law that would ban the procedure except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy before taking any more steps to restrict abortion in the state.
A federal jury has determined that Donald Trump is a sexual predator. How gratifying it is to type those words, after all these years and all those stories about Trump's treatment of women.

Trump still has criminal indictments to go - one pending, others anticipated - before his legal travails are over. Yet the civil verdict in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump imposes - finally - some consequences on a man who has been a Houdini of accountability. Anyone paying attention knew who this man was and what he had done. Now the legal system has ratified that assessment.

The verdict - that Trump subjected Carroll to sexual abuse and then defamed her when he called her claims a "hoax" and "complete con job" - will not change minds. Still, it is an ineradicable part of the record, perhaps only the beginning of a legal system holding Trump responsible for his actions, however belatedly. The jury did not find that Trump had raped Carroll, but the size of the damages award - $5 million - underscores the seriousness with which they viewed his conduct. So does the fact that the jurors had to find by "clear and convincing" evidence - higher than the usual civil standard - that Trump's defamatory statements about Carroll were false.

The outcome offers a gratifying measure of the imperfect progress that women have made in bringing claims of sexual assault and harassment. Carroll was able to sue for sexual assault only thanks to a New York law enacted last year, the Adult Survivors Act, that opened a one-year window extending the statute of limitations in civil actions related to sexual offenses - a recognition that victims have been understandably reluctant to come forward with such claims.

Yes, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina harangued Carroll about why she didn't scream, why she couldn't pinpoint the precise date that Trump attacked her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s, why she didn't come forward at the time. That tired playbook - how often we have had to endure it - didn't work with the jury of six men and three women.

"An unbelievable work of fiction," Tacopina called Carroll's assertion. Nice try. Two friends - Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin - testified that Carroll had shared the story with them shortly after the incident happened. Two other women - Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds - recounted similar incidents in which, they said, Trump suddenly assaulted them, in a public space at Mar-a-Lago and on an airplane.

"They have nothing to do with whether you believe E. Jean Carroll's unbelievable story," Tacopina asserted. Fact check: Yes, they did. As Carroll attorney Roberta Kaplan argued, Trump's modus operandi is consistent - he seizes the moment, seems to revel in the surprise attack. Tacopina hammered the argument that Carroll's account was based on a 2012 "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" episode in which a woman is raped in a dressing room in the lingerie section of Bergdorf's.

"They modeled their secret scheme on an episode of one of the most popular shows on television," Tacopina said. Some scheme. If you were going to invent a story, wouldn't you actually invent one - or, if you couldn't manage that, pick a more obscure example? Tacopina's claim also asked jurors to conclude that not only Carroll but also her two friends concocted a false story and perjured themselves.

The strongest witness against Trump, though, was Trump himself. He didn't turn up at the trial - in fact, his attorneys called no witnesses; how could they? But his videotaped deposition, parts of which were shown to the jury, was damning.

Trump trotted out his self-incriminating "not my type" defense about Carroll - for good measure insulting her lawyer's appearance. "You wouldn't be a choice of mine either, to be honest with you. I hope you're not insulted," Trump told Kaplan. "I would not under any circumstances have any interest in you."

Imagine how thrilled Trump's lawyers were with that gratuitous, sure-to-charm-the-jurors aside. No wonder they didn't put him on the stand.

Then Trump undercut his own pathetic defense by mistaking a picture of Carroll for that of his ex-wife Marla Maples. Not his type indeed.

And Trump pre-confessed in the "Access Hollywood" tape. He has had six years since that conversation was published to come up with an explanation, beyond locker room talk, of his "when you're a star, they let you do it." Instead, questioned by Kaplan, Trump could not avoid revealing his true self.

"Historically, that's true, with stars," Trump testified.

"True that they can grab women by the p---y?" Kaplan asked.

"Well, that's what - if you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true. Not always, but largely true," Trump replied. He paused and then, as he does, kept going. "Unfortunately or fortunately."

Fortunately? Fortunately?

"Who would say the word 'fortunately' to describe the act of sexual assault?" Kaplan asked the jury.

We know who. The man who was and would be president.

Will this verdict do anything to stop him? Probably not. This isn't a criminal conviction. The jury had to decide to credit Carroll's account by only a preponderance of the evidence - not the higher criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. Trump could have raped E. Jean Carroll in the middle of Fifth Avenue and his true believers wouldn't care. The rest of us have long known who he is and what he is capable of.

In Trump's twisted world, any loss - at the ballot box or in court - is the result of a system rigged against him, and Tuesday brought more of the same. Trump falsely claimed even before the verdict that he was "not allowed to speak or defend myself." (The judge went out of his way to give Trump last-minute leeway to change his mind and testify.) After the jury spoke, the Trump campaign complained that "in jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation's justice system is now compromised by extremist, left-wing politics."

Justice is dispensed in small, imperfect doses. A single teaspoonful will not cure the disease. But it is a start.
Kevin Hoover had his pick of the worlds best universities. A budding economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, he had been accepted into Ph.D. programs at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Oxford. He chose the latter. Hoover excelled in the history and philosophy of economics, and Oxfords program was strong in those areas. After graduating in 1985, he knew he wanted to work in academia. But when Hoover returned to America, despite having a doctorate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, he found that I didnt have connections.

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It was Hoovers first taste of the oligopoly at the heart of the economics profession, which channels power to a handful of institutions and marginalizes thousands of economists working outside them. Graduates of these institutions are vastly overrepresented at one anothers universities, dominate the leadership of the American Economic Association, monopolize the presidents Council of Economic Advisers, and receive most of the fields top honors. The result is an old boys network that limits the development of knowledge and illustrates the severity of Americas obsession with top universities, even among academics who preach the importance of competitive markets.

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Economics is a hierarchical, oligopolistic scientific field, says Andrej Svorencik, an economist at the University of Pennsylvania who recently co-authored a paper on this phenomenon with Hoover, now a professor at Duke University. A few departments have an outsize influence in terms of producing scholars, placing scholars in academia, and influencing or controlling the research agenda.

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Hoover and Svorenciks paper examines the leadership of the American Economic Association, the professions powerful governing body. According to their research, since 1985 almost 70 percent of the leadership of the AEA have been doctoral graduates of Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, or Stanford Universitya staggering overrepresentation, given that around 150 American universities grant doctorates in economics.

But the dominance of graduates from these institutions is not limited to the AEA. It also extends to economics most prestigious prizes. Sixty-five percent of Nobel laureates in economics since 2000 received their Ph.D. from one of the worlds top six universities for the study: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Chicago, and the University of California, Berkeley. That dominance is even more pronounced for the Clark Medal, or baby Nobel: 83 percent of medalists since 2000 received their Ph.D. from Harvard, MIT, or Stanford.

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Graduates of these elite institutions also wield disproportionate political power. Since it was founded in 1946, the White House Council of Economic Advisers has helped chart the countrys economic direction; its members are among the most influential economists in the country. Of the 32 economists to serve on the council since 2000, 24 received their Ph.D.s from Harvard or MIT (three more received doctorates from Chicago or UCBerkeley).

This oligopoly is partly a product of history. The economics programs at Harvard and Chicago are among the oldest in the country, which gave them a head start in amassing prestige and talent, says Svorencik. Other institutions, like MIT, developed into giants through deep ties with existing programs and early successes recruiting talented professors.

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But the oligopoly also entrenches itself in the present. Professorial jobs overwhelmingly go to candidates with Ph.D.s from the top-six institutions. A recent study found that of 2,686 tenure-track academics at the 96 highest-ranked American economics programs, more than a third received their doctorates from top-six universities. Almost 15 percent received doctorates from just two universities: Harvard and MIT. There was little upward mobility in economists careers, according to the study, and few economics professors in this group are teaching at programs ranked higher than their own Ph.D. programs.

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The dominance of top-six graduates is particularly strong among the faculty at the top-six universities. At least half of economics professors at each top-six university received their Ph.D.s from a top-six university. At MIT, Harvard, and Stanfordwhich are tied for first in the world for economics by U.S. News & World Reportthree-quarters of professors are doctoral graduates of top-six universities. At MIT and Harvard, 6 in 10 economics professors received their Ph.D.s from MIT or Harvard.

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The focus on a handful of elite institutions is rooted in a narrow understanding of talent. In a 2014 paper about economics at MIT, Beatrice Cherrier, an economics historian at ENSAE Paris, quotes the MIT professor Robert Solow as saying, To maintain our position in the pecking order, we simply must nab one or two of the top young economists in each succeeding generation. Solow later said, Any connoisseur will tell you that there are only four young mathematical economic theorists under the age of 30 worth talking about in the world.

Following the publication of Cherriers paper, Jake Vigdor, a public policy professor at the University of Washington, wrote on Twitter that this reflects a deep-seated worldview that only the work of a handful of economists truly matters. The thousands upon thousands of dues-paying economists, from the perspective of those atop the hierarchy, busy themselves with work of no consequence and are chiefly useful as potential employers for disappointing students.

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Clearly, says Svorencik, economics is one of the least upwardly mobile academic fields: Compared with political science or sociology programs, an economists doctoral program is more likely to determine their career path. One possibility is that those [at the top] are just the best people, says Hoover. But I dont entirely buy that. Its also that they have a different opportunity set than other people. Other economists might be intellectual late bloomers, or might have come from poorer backgrounds that made it difficult to get into prestigious undergraduate programs where they could get references from famous academics. Another recent study found that U.S. Ph.D. graduates in economics are less socioeconomically and racially diverse than those in any other major academic field.

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Svorencik believes that the dominance of a handful of economics departments may also hinder innovation. Similar people come up with similar ideas, he says. Competition is good for outcomes. Importantly, elite universities homogeneity appears to leave many of their graduates unfamiliar with other, increasingly important aspects of the field. A 2022 report by Rethinking Economics, a group pushing for reform of economics education, found that 78 percent of the American economics students they surveyed hadnt been taught about environmental economics, and 92 percent hadnt been taught about feminist or stratification economics, which focuses on socioeconomic inequalities.

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You have such a narrow scope of what is studied and such a narrow range of perspectives, says Abigail Acheson, co-coordinator of Rethinking Economics USA. The top institutions dont think that thorough historical analysis, or a feminist perspective, or a decolonial perspective, or a radical perspective, is economics, agrees Nouhaila Oudija, also a co-coordinator of Rethinking Economics USA.

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Oudija attributes that disregard to the dominance of the top-six institutions. When you have that privilege of being a Harvard economist or whatever, theres ego. You think that youre in the right and everybody else is in the wrong, she says. The establishment organically breeds that toxicity.

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Interestingly, one of the most important developments in recent economic history, behavioral economics, came from outside the top-six universities (and, in fact, from outside economics): Its earliest proponents, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, started as psychologists at Israels Hebrew University. Richard Thaler, another of behavioral economics most important theorists, received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester.

Despite these problems, however, senior members of the economics profession often seem unwilling to recognize the issue. After finishing their paper about the AEAs leadership, Svorencik and Hoover contacted the American Economic Review, which the AEA runs, to see if the journal was interested in publishing their work.

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Hoover says he didnt expect the journals editor to say yes. But when the editor wrote to say they had been rejected, he was shocked by the reason: Hoover and Svorenciks analysis, the editor said, wasnt connected to a general interest question. It shows an amazing insensitivity to what people regard as important in the profession, says Hoover. Their paper was later accepted by another journal.

Hoover is not particularly aggrieved by the oligopoly at the heart of economics. I dont want to sound like a bitter outsider, says Hoover. The world has treated me well. After graduating from Oxford, he eventually landed at the midranked UCDavis, rose to lead the economics department, then moved to Duke University in 2006.

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However, there is a significant probability he would have ended up at a higher-ranked university earlier in his career had I gone to any of the institutions I had in my choice set other than Oxford, he thinks. Were never going to have a system in which  your connections dont matter. But we can sort of minimize that.

At the very least, he says, economists should talk about the problem. I dont think theres anything nefarious about it, but theres something very unattractive about failing to have any kind of sensible debate or discussion about what we want the organization to be.
There was plenty of street parking on Thursday night outside of Il Bacco Italian restaurant in Little Neck, Queens, but we valeted the car anyway. Il Bacco is the favorite restaurant of serial liar and New York Congressman George Santosa man who, by his account, made million-dollar deals as a seasoned Wall Street financier and investorand I wanted the full Santos experience. Surely he wouldnt park his own car.

Santos loyalty to the restaurant is well documented. Hes posted about it fawningly on his Instagram page over the years. He appointed Joe Oppedisano, the owner of Il Bacco, as well as Oppedisanos daughter Tina, the restaurant manager, plus Tinas fiance, to his Small Businesses for Santos Coalition. He made Tina its chair.

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And hes eaten there a lot. Or at least, thats what his campaign finance records show.

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According to documents filed to the Federal Election Committee, Santos has spent $25,640.26 in campaign money at Il Bacco since he first ran for the Long Island/Queens congressional seat in 2020, a number made even more astonishing by the fact that the coronavirus hobbled indoor dining for most of 2020 in New York City, and the restaurant was shut down for part of 2021. Santos campaign also reported owing Il Bacco $18,773.54 for its election night party in November this year. A political action committee called Rise NY, run by Santos sister, Tiffany, spent another $4,722 there, according to the New York Times.

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All in all, the Santos siblings have dropped nearly $50,000 at the luxury Italian joint over the past two congressional campaigns, which seems like a lot of money for a guy who, according to campaign disclosure forms, declared earnings of only $55,000 total in 2020. I dont know why we were at Il Bacco all the time, an anonymous Santos staffer told Talking Points Memo.

One explanation, I figured, is that it must be very good.

The host escorted us to a table with two white tablecloths. En route, we passed a bar full of men watching the Brooklyn Nets play on two large screens. A sketch of Pope John Paul II hung next to a retouched portrait of a man that did not look like Frank Sinatra but was superimposed with the word Sinatra all the same. There were sepia-toned photos of churches, and cylindrical chandeliers adorned with sepia-colored shingles. The restaurant was mostly full. We sat.

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We had a missionor rather, a conundrum. And we were hoping to solve it by choosing the perfect order. You see, one strange particularity of Santoss Il Bacco habit is his penchant for racking up bills that total exactly $199.99.

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According to campaign finance filings Santos turned in to the government, on at least seven separate occasions he had meals that cost exactly $199.99a sum that happens to be precisely one cent short of the threshold that requires documentation of campaign expenditures in the form of receipts. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit watchdog group, called Santos record of $199.99 astounding, and implausible. I scanned for exorbitant prices, or a $199.99 special, but found nothing like that. The menu offered standard Italian faresalad, pizza, pasta, meat dishes. The most expensive item was a $52 lamb chop.

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I was determined to stick the $199.99 target.

The minute we sat down, a bottle of wine was placed on the table. Its a $125 bottle, today for $75, the waiter told us. It was an expedient upsell, perhaps a window into just how one might run up a $50,000 tab. But we decided to go with cocktails.

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Ordering drinks would have been standard procedure, perhaps even unexciting, at any other restaurant. But not at Il Bacco. In late 2020, the restaurant had its liquor license stripped away after playing host to a drunken, maskless conga line organized by the Whitestone Republican Club at the height of the December 2020 COVID outbreak.

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the Whitestone Republican Club in NYC apparently held a Christmas party this year without a care in the world about COVID pic.twitter.com/mHzW86d9M7  Matt Binder (@MattBinder) December 21, 2020

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At least one guest in attendance got the virus within a matter of days, according to the Whitestone Republican Club; the state liquor authority called it a potential superspreader holiday party, and then found flagrant violations of indoor dining regulations and existing health safety and Alcoholic Beverage Control laws. The liquor license was pulled not long after.

But time heals all, as it did thankfully for the stricken guest, and now you can again order booze at Il Bacco. We got martinis and grazed on a plate of green olives, cheese, and bread that was brought for the table.

Our waiter, one of a battery of older men in white button-downs and ties, rattled off a lengthy list of specialsosso buco, octopus, branzino. I asked him if he had waited on Santos in the past. I have seen him here, but I dont know him, he said. When I followed up to ask if there were any favorites of Santos we could order, he waved me off with both hands. Ive never waited on him, he said, as steered us again toward the osso buco.

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We decided to stick to the more standard fare. We started out with a radicchio and endive salad, and fried zucchini blossoms, a special.

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They came quickly. The salad, conveniently split into three separate portions for me and my two companions, won solid remarks from the table. The turgid, fried squash blossom, overfull with cheese, was slightly less celebrated, but eaten readily. This is basically a mozzarella stick, one said. I was pleasantly surprised. Two separate tables sang Happy Birthday. A clubby remix of Oasis Wonderwall thumped through the speakers.

Santos is not alone in his love of Il Bacco. Plenty of New York Republicans, winners and losers alike, have visited the restaurant in recent years. The restaurants Instagram page features photos of Rudy Giuliani alongside the restaurants owner, Oppedisano, and his daughter Tina. Andrew Giuliani, Rudys son, who lost the most recent Republican primary for governor, is featured as well. The Republican city councilwoman Vicki Paladino has visited. I scrolled and scrolled on the restaurants Instagram but found no picture of Santos.

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One would think a $50,000 tab would win a person a dedicated menu item, or at least an Instagram post. But the lack of visual evidence doesnt mean he isnt well-loved by the Oppedisanos, who have supported Republicans of all stripes.

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Joe Oppedisano, the restaurants owner, is an aviation enthusiast, something chronicled somewhat horrifically in the New York Post. In October of 2020, Oppedisano crashed his private Cessna into the East River near the Throgs Neck bridge, an accident that left him with 16 broken ribs and required 10 separate surgeries during a 30-day hospital stay. The crash also killed one of Oppedisanos passengers, Maggie ONeil. In a truly strange editorial decision, the Post piece ends on a chipper note: Oppedisano was discharged from the hospital on Election Day that fall and said he was heading straight to the polls. I really love this country and I really wanted to vote for Donald Trump, he told the paper.

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Oppedisano is a Santos campaign supporter; he donated $6,500 to Santos campaign and related PACs. So, too, is Oppedisanos brother Rocco, who kicked in $500 to Santos, a donation the Daily Beast called almost certainly illegal.

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According to Daily Beast reporting, in 2009, Rocco was stripped of his permanent resident status following a firearms and drug bust at homes belonging to Joseph Oppedisano. A decade later, the Coast Guard intercepted a yacht that Rocco was sailing from the Bahamas to Florida. Customs and Border Patrol found 14 undocumented Chinese immigrants aboard the boat, a Bahamian national, and $200,000 in cash socked away in the vessels walls. Rocco pleaded guilty to smuggling and was expelled from the U.S., which still wasnt enough to deter him from doing his part for the 3rd Districts newest congressman.

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At Il Bacco, I didnt see much decor that referenced yachts. But the place was festooned with model airplanes, an old-time wooden propeller, and aeronautical paraphernalia.

After our appetizers, we put in for three pasta dishesa puttanesca, a gnocchi, and a tagliolini. I asked the fellow diners at the adjacent tables, both of whom claimed to be regulars, if they had ever seen Santos. Neither had, but both believed he did indeed come often. Its a nice place, both said.

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We made quick work of the pesto gnocchi and the tagliolini with mushroom and mozzarella; the puttanesca was less beloved. I asked my two dinner partners to rate their experience. Not bad, said one; Average, said the other.

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The restaurant was beginning to empty as its 10 p.m. close neared. I watched the bar clear out and the birthday groups up and scatter in a flurry of cheek-kisses and handshakes. We ordered two desserts, a chocolate mousse cake and a homemade tiramisu (which, sadly, we dont recommend).

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The check came, and I tried to bring up Santos with the waiter one more time. No, no, he said, again waving me off. Im only part time, only one or two days a week. We came surprisingly close to striking the perfect $199.99 Santos balance I had hoped to hit, but broke through the amount on the tip. Santos, it should be said, is really good at spending just $199.99 almost everywhere he goeshis financial disclosure forms show him spending that exact amount at a Hyatt Orlando (in July 2021), on Delta Airlines and at BJs Wholesale (August 2021), at Target and on Uber (October 2021), and at many other establishments or services including W Hotel South Beach, JFK Parking, Best Buy, Walgreens, and the TSA line-skipping company Clear.

This is a really specific skill! So specific that Campaign Legal Center has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Committee that zeroes in on the $199.99 spends in particular, stating that there is reason to believe Santos campaign deliberately falsified its disbursement reporting, among numerous other reporting violations.

The sheer number of these just-under-$200 disbursements is implausible, the complaint reiterates. And some payments appear to be impossible given the nature of the item or service covered.

I, unlike Santos, do not feature currency and coin counter as one of my skills on my resume, so maybe this just comes easier to him.

Still, I wondered, how could he have spent nearly $50,000 at Il Bacco? Had he been relentlessly upsold on the fancy wine? Was he an enthusiast of the $52 lamb chop? Was he just a prodigious tipper?

I walked over to the two valets, who had already pulled the car around and were awaiting our departure. Do you guys know George Santos? I asked.

They handed over the keys. Yeah, George is here all the time, although I havent seen him in a while.

Is he a good tipper? I followed. Yeah, hes a great guy, said the other. Although he doesnt tip, his partner does.

Do you know him? they asked me.
A jury this week found that Donald Trump told a flagrant, knowing lie.

This wasnt the days top headline. Thats because the former president was also found liable for a horrific sexual assault and also because his dishonesty has become so commonplace that both his supporters and opponents mostly shrug when yet another of his statements turns out to be wholly untethered from the truth. But the libel portion of the verdict in E. Jean Carrolls civil case against Trump is in and of itself historic: A plaintiff has just showedand a unanimous jury has found as a matter of fact and of lawthat a former president and still-candidate told a deliberate defamatory falsehood, thus clearing a high constitutional hurdle that protects all but the most blatant liars in our public discourse.

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We should not, of course, expect Donald Trump to be deterred by this judgment any more than he has been deterred by his election losses. Indeed, Trump was posting even before the jury verdict that he had been somehow barred from testifying, when he had been invited to do so multiple times. And his social media posts about the verdict itself now seem to be doubling down on his original defamatory claims. He continues to insist that Carroll is the liar. Whether or not Trumps defamation of Carroll continues on the campaign trail, including in a high-profile CNN town hall forum in New Hampshire on Wednesday evening, is anyones guess. But no one should lose sight of the fact that Carrolls win actually represents a staggering turning point: Even under the most free-speech-protective standard imaginable, Trump is accountable for his lies about her.

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At its core, and understandably, the two-week Carroll trial homed in on the dominant harm Trump inflicted on the former columnista traumatizing and life-altering sexual attack in a dressing room of a department store near Trump Tower. (Disclosure: One of us knows E. Jean Carroll professionally and is friends with her attorney in this case.) Yet while the countrys attention has focused primarily on the testimony designed to show that Trump has a pattern of sexually abusing women, Carrolls attorneys were also carefully demonstrating to the jury that Trump has a longstanding pattern of lying.

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This is because, separate and apart from the remedy for the sexual abuse in a department store changing room, in this litigation Carroll also sought a remedy for injury done to her reputation by an ugly falsehood. When she initially came forward with her story, Trump publicly castigated Carroll as a fraud, calling her story a con job and a hoax. (The social media post that the jury found defamatory yesterday was actually the second attack on Carrolls character for which she sued him. The first is still pending in the courts because it happened while Trump was president, and hes argued that he was acting in his official capacity when responding to her accusation.) Even if there had been no trial for sexual abuse, Carroll had a right under the law to try to hold Trump accountable for the assault on her good name and the damage done by his lie.

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The standard In these cases is notoriously difficult for plaintiffs. The law essentially forgives many, if not most, falsehoods about public figures in the interest of preserving space for vibrant dialogue on matters of public concern. Critics of important or newsworthy people have a broad constitutional right to be wrong. The First Amendment rule, famously set forth in New York Times v. Sullivan, provides that plaintiffs like Carroll can prevail only when they prove a shockingly brazen state of mind on the part of their defamer: not just that the statement was false, and not just that this falsehood was reputation-damaging, but also that the speaker subjectively knew that the statement was false and deliberately or recklessly said it anyway. This thick layer of free-speech protection, unique to American jurisprudence, is known as the actual malice rule. The high standard is one that Trump himself has argued should be diluted so that people like him might more easily weaponize defamation law to silence their own critics with threatened libel suits. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have likewise argued that the Supreme Court should reconsider the Sullivan rule, insisting that knowing falsity or reckless disregard for the truth is so strict a standard that it can essentially never be met, and thus permits people to lie with impunity about public figures.

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One of the most astonishing and underappreciated aspects of the E. Jean Carroll suit? That Carrolland Trumphave proven them all wrong. A jury just concluded, and under the most defendant-friendly defamation standard in the world, that Trump fabricated a vile, reputation-harming lie and that he did so on purpose. He knows what he did, Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told the jurors in her closing argument on Monday. In order for you to find for him, you need to conclude that Donald Trump, the nonstop liar, is the only person in the room who has been telling the truth. After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury concluded he had not been telling the truth. The jurors unanimous verdict form reported clear and convincing evidence of both falsity and actual malice. After years of us hearing that the Sullivan standard was far too high to be met, a jury found that Donald Trump met it. Thats how big a liar he is.

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It is a sign of just how numb we have become to public falsehood that an unprecedented finding of a former president and leading presidential candidate to have been lying with actual malice is not squarely front-page news today. As journalists have tracked the thousands of lies told by this former president, and he remains the front-runner for the Republican nomination, it starts to seem that his propensity to distort fact simply doesnt matter; that these are simply the polluted public waters in which we must all swim forevermore. We would do well to remember that authoritarians do not merely attempt to control a nation and its people. They also unfailingly attempt to control the truth. When a would-be president fails even an unstinting rule designed to punish only the most audacious class of liars and lies, it surely should give us pause.

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The lesson here is for the rest of us: We cannot become inured to the fact that Trumpan adjudicated fabricatorwill continue to lie, and that his lies will most likely continue to meet and surpass the actual malice standard. To focus on the fact that a sexual abuser is the front-runner for the GOP nomination for the presidency is important. To focus on the fact that an adjudicated serial liar is the front-runner matters just as much.

That Trump was found to be not believable under the strictest legal standard in the world should shape and dictate every aspect of the media coverage of his campaign going forward. It should undermine every claim he makes, and it should color the way in which we view anyone who works for and with his campaign. In a fundamental sense, the Carroll verdict should be as much a victory for truth-telling in public discourse as it was for womens dignity in public spaces. That this seems boring, or secondary, or technical instead of groundbreaking in this political moment suggests that we are more comfortable with flagrant liars in public office than with sexual predators. That cannot and should not be the takeaway from this verdict. E. Jean Carrolls victory signals a sea change in a decades-long struggle to craft a legal process that trusts and respects women. It also stands as a legal bulwark against a culture in which lying freely and flagrantly goes unpunished. The twin Carroll victories are important for women, yes. They are also vital to the future of democracy itself.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was second in command to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid for 12 years. When Reid announced he wouldnt run for another term in 2015, though, he endorsed Sen. Chuck Schumer, then the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, to replace him as minority leader. Durbin could see the writing on the wall, and also endorsed Schumer, his longtime roommate in Washington, D.C. Durbin was an experienced legislator, and well liked by his caucus. But Schumer was a political animal with no qualms about getting his hands dirty. When youre a rank-and-file senator putting your political life in a leaders hands, you want a killer, which is what the Democratic conference felt they were getting with the New Yorker.

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Eight years later, though, Durbin is at the height of his stature in the Senate. Hes still the Senate majority whip, tasked with keeping Democrats narrow majority united on close votes. At least equally as importantly, hes in charge of Senate Democrats primary agenda in this divided Congress: Rebalancing, and conducting oversight on, a federal judiciary that moved historically to the right during the Trump presidency, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Durbin may not be the Democratic leader, but he has accumulated much power (some of his colleagues think too much). And with great power, comes  all sorts of people yelling at you about all sorts of things. Durbin is currently facing questions about his willingness to push through potential Republican obstruction to remake the federal courts, as well as his commitment to rein in the current, scandalized Supreme Court. How far is he willing to go?

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Durbin took over as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee at the beginning of 2021. The previous ranking member, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was deemed to have blown the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court confirmation hearings the previous fall, while questions about the now-89-year-olds age were already abounding. Durbin was effective as chairman of the committee in the first two years of Joe Bidens presidency, keeping the conveyor belt of judicial nominations humming apace despite a committee split equally between Democrats and Republicans.

In this Congress, thougheven with a slightly larger Democratic majoritythings have been a little tougher. In late February, Feinstein was diagnosed with shingles and hospitalized. Until this week, her office says that shed been working from home in San Francisco after being released from the hospital in March. On Tuesday it was reported that she was finally returning to Washington to conduct actual Senate business, which is fascinating as it pertains to Durbins particular brand and powers of persuasion. Feinsteins extended absence from the Senate caused a slowdown in Democrats ability to move some of its more partisan nominees out of committee (although there are still plenty of nominees available for Senate floor votes now), and her return sets up new opportunitiesand potential headachesfor Durbin.

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The bigger, looming concern for Democrats ability to rebalance the federal courts is a coming clash over the blue slip practice, an classically stuffy tradition that allows senators to block judicial nominees in their home states. Of the remaining district court vacancies Democrats hope to fill this Congress, a much higher percentage of them are in red states than the ones approved in the last Congress. Progressive activist groups predict pure Republican obstructionism going forward, and insist that Durbin do away with the blue slip tradition for district court nominees altogether.

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Durbin hasnt committed to such a move yetand frankly, there are only a couple of nominees knowingly held up for blue-slip reasons at the momentthough hes keeping the threat on the table to hold Republicans in line. I want to keep the blue slip, Durbin told CNN in February. I think its a good thing, but we need cooperation.

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Durbin is far from alone in that thinking among Judiciary Democrats. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, for example, also thinks blue slips are a good thing, as the practice prevented President Donald Trump from nominating a bunch of yahoos for New Jersey courts without his say. At the same time, former Republican Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham very readily cast aside blue-slip norms for appellate nominees in the face of the slightest Democratic obstruction the last time the GOP was in charge of the Senate. (He did, however, uphold the practice for district nominees.) Yet, as Democrats look ahead to an abysmal 2024 Senate map and a small-state bias that gives Republicans a structural advantage in the chamber, theyre less than keen to do away with minority rights without exhausting every other option first. (Progressive activists call it naive to think Republicans wont get rid of those rights the moment it benefits them.)

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How Republicans play their hand on judicial nominations going forward will do much to determine Durbins course of action on blue slips. But theres more to Durbins job right now than the ins and outs of advancing nominees.

One of the biggest stories in the country right now, thanks to revelations about billionaire Harlan Crow lavishing gifts on Justice Clarence Thomas which hes refused to disclose, is that members of the Supreme Court do whatever they want, with little accountability. There is significant public pressure, then, to bring some accountability to the Supreme Court. Durbin, as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, is the guy whod have to bring it.

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But what accountability is available to him?

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Congress could pass a law to tighten ethics or recusal requirements on the Supreme Court. We mean could in the most general sense, though, in that Congress is a lawmaking body that does have the power to make laws. But Republicans love the current Supreme Court and have no interest in passing a law restricting it in any sense. So Durbin, though he could try to put together a SCOTUS ethics bill, would be drafting a bill to nowhere.

The other option, as more of a theatrical exercise, would be to haul Supreme Court justices before Durbins committee and grill them on their lax ethical codes. Durbin tried this, at first, by writing a polite letter to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to testify before the Judiciary Committee. Roberts responded with a polite letter of his own telling Durbin to pound sand.

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The more aggressive option would be to subpoena a Supreme Court justice. That would likely make Durbin, and plenty of other senators concerned about the separation of powers, deeply uncomfortable. For weeks, Durbin had a convenient out: He couldnt approve a subpoena so long as Sen. Feinstein was away from the Senate, as tie-breaking votes cant be made by proxy in the committee.

Durbin had been polite in speaking about Feinsteins absence, noting that shes been having a particularly tough time. But he did not deny that her health-related absence was getting in the way of committee decisions.

I want to treat Dianne Feinstein fairly. I want to be sensitive to her family situation and her personal situation, Durbin said on CNN over the weekend. But the bottom line is, the business of the committee and of the Senate is affected by her absence. On Tuesday, Feinsteins office announced her return. Maybe Durbins gentle public cajoling worked, and maybe hes got more of that killer instinct than he was credited for back in 2015?

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Now the pressure will be on Democrats in the committeestarting with Durbinto actually confront a Supreme Court that progressives see as out of control. Durbin, of course, also has the power to resist that pressure and not lift a finger.

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Difficult decisions are going to come to a head for Durbin soon. Senate Republicans, with more district court vacancies coming up in their states, could ramp up their use of a blue-slip blockade. And with Feinstein returning to D.C., Durbin will have to decide how aggressive he chooses to be with subpoenas, and whether to try them on Supreme Court justices. Durbin is well liked, but not especially feared, because he tries to exhaust all avenues of cooperation before setting a bold new precedent. But he may soon be pressed to show whether he has the savage side that Democratic pressure groups are demanding.
Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the House leadership team were putting every ounce of energy they had into passing a bill to raise the debt limit and cut spending. Their ability to pass the bill was key to their credibility, and getting a seat at the negotiating table with President Biden the most important issue of the year.

But several House Republicans were holding out on McCarthy in the run-up to the vote, including New York Rep. George Santos. He had been describing himself as solidly against McCarthys bill the week before. His reasons were odd: Despite Santos representing a moderate, Biden-won district, one of his supposed complaints was that the bills enhanced work requirements for federal benefit programs were still too weak. It was, in a word, contrived.

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During the floor vote, with the tally sitting at 216215, Santos cast the final aye vote, securing the bills ultimate passage at 217215. There was nothing requiring Santos to wait until the very end. Unless, for him, there wasa personal desire to send yet another reminder to McCarthy: You need me, no matter how much of a political liability I become.

And Santos just became a much bigger liability.

The Justice Department unsealed a 13-count indictment against Santos on Wednesday morning, with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

The indictment alleges, among other things, that Santos used a consultancy to solicit major donations that theoretically would go to campaign ads. But he then had those donations transferred to his personal bank account and used the funds to make personal purchases (including of designer clothing), to withdraw cash, to discharge personal debts, and to transfer money to his associates.

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Another alleged Santos scheme was fraudulently collecting COVID-19 unemployment benefits from March 2020 to April 2021, when he was in fact a salaried employee. The timing of this particular revelation is staggering: The House is set to vote this week on a bill called the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act, which will, among other things, go after individuals fraudulently collecting COVID unemployment benefits. Santos, an apparent expert on the issue, is 1 of 35 co-sponsors.

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Many of Santos fellow New York Republicans have been calling on him to resign for months. But after the indictment, the list of Republicans is growing. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales called for Santos to be immediately expelled. Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack said it would absolutely be better if Santos resigned.

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Republican leadership, however, takes a different view.

When House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was asked at a Wednesday morning press conference whether Santos should resign, he noted that Santos has already been removed from all of his committees and that in America, theres a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process. GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik said much the same.

And McCarthy, too, is standing by Santos.

He will go through his time in trial, and lets find out how the outcome is, McCarthy told reporters Wednesday. When the news had first broken Tuesday afternoon, McCarthy explained the precedent he was following.

Just like we had before with Jeff Fortenberryhe had the same abilityI removed him from committees, but he was found guilty and then I told him he needed to resign, McCarthy told CNN. That is my policy and principles on this.

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Former Nebraska Rep. Fortenberry did, indeed, resign upon McCarthys request in 2022, after being convicted of concealing information from the authorities.

There is, however, a world of difference between Fortenberry and Santos: No one had a problem with Jeff Fortenberry until he was indicted. He was a replacement-level legislator with a top-five House GOP head of hair. Prior to Santos being charged, though, Santos was already well known as a serial fraudster who made up key chunks of his life story. If Santos were in a safe Republican district, he probably would have been pushed to resign months ago for the stain he brought on the GOP conference. An indictmenton one of the very issues that House Republicans are legislating against this week!wouldve sealed it.

But Santos is not in a safe Republican district. Hes in a Biden-won, D+2 district in which McCarthywith his already slender majoritydoes not want a special election right now. He really cannot afford to see his five-vote majority go to a four-vote majority at this moment in time, when he is trying to adequately navigate House Republicans through a debt-limit negotiation and preserve his speakership. McCarthy needs George Santos.

Unfortunately for Santos, McCarthy might need him a lot less after this debt-ceiling situation is figured out.
You may have heard the expression, Its better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Well, this doesnt hold true with property zoning laws and home businesses.

Local zoning laws can ban or restrict business licenses and operations in residential areas. Before you hang out your shingle, learn more about zoning regulations.

What is Home Business Zoning?

Zoning definitions are generally similar in most county and local zoning codes. For example, residential zones are further separated into areas such as R-1, R-2 and R-3, with R-1 being most densely populated.

To locate home businesses in a residential area, you need to research the zoning laws established by the zoning department or board of the governing entity. For example, even if the area is not located within a business zoning area, you may be able to conduct certain business activities from your home.

How Zoning Laws Work for Home-Based Businesses

Within the language of most zoning codes, the type of business activities and business licenses allowed are defined. Home office zoning laws typically detail and define the requirements for a low-impact home-based business.

For example, if a home business requires no increase in traffic into a neighborhood, it could be considered a low-impact home business.

For example, lets compare two people who have a home occupation which is building decorative wooden clocks. Both construct the clocks in the basement of a home. Once a week, one person packs up the clocks and sells them at a local Farmers Market. The other person posts pics of the clocks on social media, inviting people to buy them at the house.

A low-impact home-based business is one that causes no increase in vehicle traffic. Home occupations that require traffic, such as professional offices, retail store type activity, or dog groomers, arent considered low impact by most local planning and zoning offices. A low-impact business typically may not have employees.

How to Check Your Local Zoning Ordinances

Within a state, local zoning laws may be established by a county board or a town or township within the county. Most cities have their own separate rules regarding zoning. Start your search with zoning and planning officials at your local level. What if you learn that due to zoning ordinances, your plan for a home-based business isnt allowed in residential areas? If you feel your home business should be allowed, despite local ordinances, you have options.

A county or local zoning board can grant a variance. Wondering What is zoning variance? Its a type of special exception that may allow you to use your home for business purposes. You would request that the zoning board hold a public hearing regarding your request for a special exception. The board will notify your neighbors about the upcoming hearing, and the neighbors will be permitted to attend the meeting and voice their support or concerns.

A great majority of special exception hearings for home occupations are successful, especially in many cases if the applicant has legal representation  an attorney knowledgeable in zoning law. A board may grant a permit but state with the following restrictions such as no signage on the residence, or no services before or after certain hours.

Other Restrictions You Should Know About

Zoning law can be a maze of regulations. A homeowners association may supersede local ordinances by adding certain types of rules and restrictive covenants that preclude any commercial activities within its boundaries.

It can be valuable to consult an attorney. When you search for an attorney, check your local news source and see who serves as a solicitor or lawyer for local planning and zoning boards. Thats the type of attorney you should contact.

Other Types of Zoning

Youll have more freedom on how you use your property in other zoning designations, such as Ag (agricultural) or Rural (R), generally for properties with a location on a larger piece of land. Industrial zones are solely for industry  not for residences.

Some counties have no zoning laws. For example, a large part of Maine is designated as unorganized territory and has no zoning laws regarding businesses. Some rural counties have no zoning laws you need to know about.

A city most often has its own set of rules for any commercial enterprise which will operate from a house. The rules may vary in certain areas, especially in areas of high density such as high-rise apartment buildings or row homes (homes that share a common wall). Each location in a city may have a certain set of regulations, defining the types of businesses and services that are allowed.

FAQs

Can an apartment be used as an office?

Depending on local ordinances, its possible, even in a city. Check with your city council zoning ordinance. The office would have to be a low-impact, work-from-home business with no employees.

Also, if the apartment is rented, or part of a condo or owners association, that type of use may be subject to laws specific to those properties. Before you start, contact the proper authorities.

Can you run more than one business in your home?

That may depend on the size of the home. Most local zoning codes specifically state the square footage for a home-based business, as a percentage of the entire square footage of the home.

For example, zoning regs may state that a home-based business may occupy no more than 10% of the square footage of a home. If a home is 1200 square feet, the home business can operate in 120 square feet, or a 10 x 12 room.

If you do designate an area for a home-based business, remember you may be able to claim that on your taxes. However, that can also increase your likelihood of being audited.

Should you try to get around local zoning laws?

No. Someone from your community may contact the local zoning entity and report you. Not only will you be fined, but your business will also most likely be shut down.

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In a recent development covered by SFGN powered by Queer News Tonight, the legislative session in Tallahassee, Florida has come to an end, leaving the LGBTQ+ community to assess the aftermath and determine their next course of action.

Additionally, Wilton Manors, a prominent LGBTQ+ hub, is grappling with the ever-evolving concept of LGBTQ+ safety in an increasingly hostile environment. Meanwhile, fans of RuPaul's Drag Race eagerly anticipate the release of Season 8 of All-Stars. This article explores the implications of these events and sheds light on the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights.



Evaluating the Legislative Session:

The conclusion of the legislative session in Tallahassee has significant implications for the LGBTQ+ community in Florida. Advocates and community members must now take stock of the damage done and identify the areas that require immediate attention. Understanding the impact of legislation enacted during this session is crucial for formulating strategies to protect and advance LGBTQ+ rights in the state.



Defining LGBTQ+ Safety in Wilton Manors:

Wilton Manors, renowned for its vibrant LGBTQ+ community, is currently facing the challenge of defining and ensuring LGBTQ+ safety. In an environment where hostility is on the rise, community members are coming together to discuss what safety means to them and how it can be promoted. These conversations pave the way for innovative initiatives and collaborations that prioritize the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals in Wilton Manors and beyond.



Season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars:

Excitement is building as the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars is set to premiere this Friday. The show has been a powerful platform for LGBTQ+ representation, showcasing the talent and creativity of drag performers. With each new season, All-Stars continues to captivate audiences while pushing boundaries and highlighting the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community. Fans eagerly await the fierce competition and the celebration of queer culture that this season promises.



SFGN: A Reliable Source of LGBTQ+ News and Updates:

SFGN, a leading publication dedicated to LGBTQ+ news, offers comprehensive coverage of these stories and more. With their print edition and constantly updated online platform, sfgn keeps the community informed about the latest developments and issues impacting LGBTQ+ rights. Readers can rely on sfgn as a valuable resource for staying connected and engaged with the ongoing fight for equality.



The Journey Continues:

As the LGBTQ+ community reflects on recent events and eagerly anticipates the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, it is clear that the journey towards full equality and acceptance is far from over. It is imperative that individuals, organizations, and allies remain committed to fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, advocating for inclusive policies, and fostering safe spaces for all. Together, we can overcome the challenges and continue moving forward on the path towards a more equitable future.



Conclusion:

The conclusion of the legislative session in Tallahassee, the discussions on LGBTQ+ safety in Wilton Manors, and the excitement surrounding Season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars highlight the ongoing efforts and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. By evaluating the legislative impact, defining safety, staying informed through reliable sources like sfgn, and fostering a sense of unity, the community can navigate the path forward and continue the fight for equality and acceptance.
A screening of a trans film gets canceled a second time in Scotland, and the LGBT community have been protesting in Iran for weeks.

Screening of Film About Trans Issues Canceled a Second Time

A controversial film about trans issues has been canceled for the second time by the University of Edinburgh following student protests.

The film, Adult Human Female, is classified as a gender-critical documentary and was set to be shown at a lecture hall. However, protesters were restricting access to the venue and the event was canceled for safety reasons.

The films description says it is an "explainer about the issues, how far things have already changed for the worse for women and how difficult it has been to be heard, to be listened to," but individuals against Adult Human Female say the documentary was "a clear attack on trans people's identities."

LGBT Community Rises Up in Iran Protest

SFGN file photo.

For almost six weeks, protests have been happening in Iran in what is being called the most serious challenge to the Iranian authorities in decades.

While the protests originally focused around the strict rules that apply to women in the country, the LGTB community is using this as an opportunity to fight for their own rights. According to the BBC, young LGTB people have spoken out against the countrys bans on public shows of affection and same-sex intimacy by removing their hijab and kissing each other in public.

They have also taken to the streets with signs saying Queer, Life, Freedom" and handed out flyers hand-painted with the Pride flag that say: "The Iranian LGBTQ family stands by you."


The flats are rented for a few dozen euros.

Rental flats in this building on Obchodna Street in Bratislava have been a matter of dispute for 30 years. (Source: SME - Jozef Jakubco)

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In Slovakia, there is a rental home market that housing policy experts refer to as a grey zone.

These are flats built under the communist regime, and in the 1990s tenants entered into leases for an indefinite period, but unlike the vast majority of people, they did not buy them.

The flats are officially owned by municipalities, but the contracts practically cannot be cancelled. The Civil Code even allows for children of the renters to continue the contracts when their parents die.

In addition, the rent in the flats is regulated and its amount has not changed for 15 years, so in today's terms it is rather symbolic.

Towns lose out on this, because the low rent does not cover the costs of flat maintenance. Even the tenants partially lose, because the former do not want to invest in the flats. These homes are often in poor condition due to age.

There are thousands of them, no one knowing the exact number. Even the last population census did not give a clear answer.

For example, out of all the rental flats in Bratislava about 10 percent are under indefinite contracts. In particular, the Stare Mesto district has 141 rental flats and up to 77 for an indefinite period.

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"It's a tragedy because the rental market has become, in a way, the ownership market," says Elena Szolgayova, a UN housing expert and formerly headed the housing section at the Transport Ministry.

Officially, these flats were for sale until 2016. Their price was regulated and cost only a few thousand Slovak crowns, or a few hundred euros.

The vast majority were indeed sold, but a small number remained under the ownership of towns for various reasons.

According to Szolgayova, sometimes people really did not have even such small amount of money, but speculations could have also been behind it. The tenants can use the flats during their life and pay less. It is an open secret that some people even rent these flats for commercial prices.
The central banker believes a successful society needs educated people, reasonable rules and quality institutions.

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President Zuzana Caputova is going to appoint a government of experts to be headed by current deputy governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), Ludovit Odor.

For most Slovaks, the next prime minister is a relatively unknown figure, but in economic circles he is considered a highly-capable official and an expert in his field. From his beginnings in public administration, he emphasised analysis, data and facts. He had the ambition of bringing a more substantive debate to key areas, from education to the sustainability of the pension system, and steps towards catching up with the West.

His CV shows that he participated in important reforms, the significance of which no one can explain better to the average Slovak than him. A Most-Hid party nominee, Odor has been the NBS deputy governor since 2018.

He claims that at work he always tries to separate the professional from the personal, so he has had no problem cooperating with politicians from both political camps - whether it was former SDKU finance minister Ivan Miklos, or his current boss and NBS governor, Peter Kazimir (formerly Smer).

He is the co-author of the flat tax, participated in the pension reform, the introduction of the euro, the creation of budget rules, and was behind the establishment of the Value for Money project, the subject of criticism in recent weeks for allegedly slowing down the construction of highways.

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Flat tax for the European tiger economy

Odor started working in the public sector between 2003 and 2005, when Miklos was the finance minister. He worked as his advisor and also managed the newly founded Institute of Financial Policy at the Finance Ministry for three years. It was the most successful period in Odor's CV, which put Slovakia on the path to becoming a European tiger economy.

Mikulas Dzurinda's (SDKU) second government launched a tax reform in 2004. The unification of tax rates to 19 percent (the so-called flat tax) for both natural and legal persons was included. The reform made Slovakia more attractive in the eyes of foreign investors, and Odor was its co-author.
Chinese vehicles hitting roads worldwide

09:09, May 10, 2023 By LI FUSHENG ( China Daily

China-made vehicles are gaining popularity overseas, with the value of the country's auto exports in the first four months more than doubling year-on-year, said the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.

Some 204.5 billion yuan ($29.52 billion) worth of vehicles were shipped from Chinese ports between January and April, up 120.3 percent from the same period last year. The General Administration of Customs did not release vehicle export volume over the period.

In the first quarter, automakers exported 994,000 vehicles, up 70.6 percent year-on-year, with Belgium, Mexico and Saudi Arabia top destinations, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

China's vehicle exports have been on the rise for years, with shipments reaching 3.11 million units last year to overtake Germany as the world's No 2 vehicle exporter, behind only Japan, said the General Administration of Customs.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said prospects for China's exports are bright, especially for its new energy vehicles, thanks to the nation's leading position in the segment.

The CPCA said 300,000 passenger vehicles, including knock-down kits, were exported in April from China, up 227 percent year-on-year, of which NEVs accounted for roughly 30 percent.

Total passenger car exports totaled 1.08 million units from January to April, up 115 percent year-on-year.

Great Wall Motors, China's largest SUV and pickup truck maker, saw its overseas sales reach 21,814 units in April, up 182.09 percent year-on-year, accounting for 23.43 percent of its total deliveries for the month.

The Hebei province-based automaker said it inked cooperation deals with dealerships from dozens of countries at the Shanghai auto show held in April, which further expanded its global reach.

In April, Great Wall Motors launched new energy models in the Philippines and Brazil. The company said it will enter other markets including Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam later this year.

SAIC Motor exported 89,643 vehicles in April, bringing the total for the first four months to 346,696 units  up 64.99 percent from the January-April 2022 period.

SAIC, China's largest vehicle maker and exporter by sales, expects its total exports to hit 1.2 million units this year, up from 1.02 million units in 2022, with Europe, the Middle East and Mexico among its major markets.

Zhao Aimin, vice-president of SAIC International, said one important factor behind SAIC's success in overseas markets is the offer of competitive products based on an understanding of local customer needs.

Zhao gave the example of the company's MG4 EV electric hatchback, launched in 2022, which is its first model developed with global markets in mind.

It has won top ratings in new car quality programs across different regions, including the extremely strict European New Car Assessment Program.

Oliver Blume, CEO of Germany's Volkswagen Group, said there is opportunity for Chinese brands to be successful "not only in China but also worldwide in the future".

"It's still a long way to go but some Chinese automotive brands already have very competitive products," said Blume at the Shanghai auto show in April.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Caputova reveals death threats after Smer leader's comments.

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President Zuzana Caputova has said she will launch legal action over what she says are false claims about her made on May 9 by Smer party leader and former Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"Today, Robert Fico again spread lies about me being an American agent, about the Soros government, and consultations in the American embassy. Around the same time, I had two more hearings in regard to new death threats made against me and my loved ones," Caputova said on social media on Tuesday.

She said several courts, including the Constitutional Court, had all stated that the accusations were unfounded and that they went beyond the boundaries of what could be considered a political attack.

"MP Fico knows this. And he also knows that making someone a target with his hateful lies has already killed in Slovakia," the president added.

Fico's comments came after the president's May 7 decision to appoint a technocrat government. He attacked the move as "anti-democratic" and said that the yet-to-be-appointed PM, Ludovit Odor, was "Soros's pick".

Several politicians, including Speaker Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina) and still acting PM Eduard Heger (Demokrati), slammed Fico for his comments.

On May 10, the president invited several political leaders to discuss the future technocrat government with them. She did not invite Fico for his attacks on her.

Her Office added on Wednesday that she is consulting her next legal steps with the American embassy, the SITA news agency wrote.

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In March 2022, the Bratislava I District Court ordered Smer MP Lubos Blaha to stop making claims that Caputova was a traitor, an agent of foreign countries and a puppet of the United States.

It ruled that Blaha had "severely violated the presidents personal rights".

At a gathering in Nitra a few weeks later to mark May 1 festivities, Blaha whipped up the gathered crowd when he broke into an obscene chant involving a sexual slur aimed at the president.
Pair on trial for 2018 killings of journalist Jan Kuciak and fiancee Martina Kusnirova.

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Prosecutors have demanded life sentences for a former prominent Slovak businessman and his alleged accomplice for the murders of a journalist and his fiancee.

During closing speeches in the retrial of the 2018 murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova on Tuesday prosecutors called for life sentences for Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova.

The pair, already serving time in prison for convictions for other crimes, are also being tried at the same time for the planned murders of three prosecutors in 2017-2018.

Prosecutor Daniel Mikulas said Kocner was an extremely dangerous person who was incapable of remorse.

"If he is ever found at large, society will not be sufficiently protected against his relapse," Mikulas said.

In 2017, Kuciak wrote a number of articles on the controversial businessman.

"It is obvious Marian Kocner felt great animosity towards the journalist," said prosecutor Matus Harkabus.

The trial will continue with further closing speeches on Friday, May 12 with a verdict expected on May 19.

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Back in October, Cxffeeblack announced a shoe collaboration with the proceeds going to help fund their most ambitious project yet: The Barista Exchange Program, a multi-phase initiative that would send Black American coffee professionals to Africa as well as bringing African baristas to America. With the Barista Exchange Program taking shape and coming closer to fruition, the Memphis-based coffee brand is kicking fundraising into overdrive with a GoFundMe pledge, new coffee collabs, limited edition merch, and even an event or two.

The program will work in three phases. First, Cxffeeblack will select four Black coffee professionals to take an origin trip to Africa scheduled for November to be timed with the harvest. The trip will includes stops in Ethiopiato experience Black coffee culture outside of the effects of colonization, per Cxffeeblacks Bartholomew Jonesas well as Rwanda, where the scholarship recipients can experience a coffee culture that has had to unlearn colonial traditions thrust upon them. Attendees will also get to visit coffee farms to learn more about the producer side of the equation in the birthplace of the plant.

The value to scholarship recipients over, say, a traditional SCA course, Jones tells Sprudge, is the experience is heritage. Whats front facing [in SCA-type training] is the culinary aspect, not the cultural.

In Phase Two, four individuals from the African continent will be brought to America to trains at Cxffeeblacks Anti-Gentrification Cxffee Club, visit Black- and minority-owned cafes around the country, and even work bar shifts. Then finally, Phase Three will see the release of a new documentary chronicling the experiences from the first two phases.

In order to provide these eight trans-Atlantic scholarships, though, Cxffeeblack needs to raise the funds. Per the GoFundMe page, the goal is to raise an additional $40,000, which will be used for travel and lodging, logistics, help with securing visas, and paying the farmers for the education they will be providing.

But there are more ways to get involved than just donating. Along with the crowdfunding efforts, Cxffeeblack will be releasing a host of collab coffees, kicking off with a soon-to-be-released offering with Rabbit Hole Roasters, which will then be followed up with a coffee by Onyx Coffee Lab. There will be limited edition merch, including a very small run of hand-painted denim by Tayler Ayers as well as new drops created with longtime Cxffeeblack collaborators, Rjv Collectives. And there are a few coffee dinners in the works around the United States.

And for those looking to apply to the scholarshipsfor both Phase One and TwoJones states that they will be made public at the end of the month, but interested parties can text 901-713-6555 to get notified once they are available (as well as get information on how to view their first documentary Cxffeeblack to Africa). Cxffeeblack is also opening up four spots for individuals who dont need scholarship assistance in order to make the trip to Africa. And to stay up to date on all the collabs, drops, and events assisting in the fundraising, visit Cxffeeblacks official website and follow them on Instagram.

But first, the 40 large. If you are able, head over to the Barista Exchange GoFundMe page to donate.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Hints of ginger and peach from the steeping tea flood your senses, as the sun paints the exposed brick through the ceiling-to-floor windows. A jazz playlist is the backdrop of the inviting space that allows customers to take a journey into fashion, while enjoying a cup of tea. Located in Portlands historic Merchant Hotel in Old Town, Barnes & Morgan Tea and Threads is a tea shop that offers a bespoke garment creation experience. In the early 1900s, this area was known for the diversity among business owners as it allowed owners from all backgrounds to set up shop. Fast forward to 2023, this 2,100-square-foot space is occupied by an individual carrying his familys legacy, and the essence of the significance of the area.

Originally from North Carolina, owner Amir Morgan has created the reputation within the community as a stylish entrepreneur. His parents were creatives outside of work, they showed him that self-expression can be seen using materials. Amir and his sister, whos skilled at sewing, were encouraged to look at clothing and art as form of individualism. When first moving out to Portland, Morgan carried that piece of advice with him.

I looked at clothing as form of self-expression. Whenever I went out, I altered or tapered a part of my clothing to see if there would be a reaction, Morgan explained.

His passion for footwear and apparel was influenced by his family members and their respective hobbies. Those experiences during his formative years opened his eyes to the possibilities within the sportswear industry. After graduation, Morgan landed a role at Nike working with textiles. His position requires travel; hes ventured around the world with the purpose of exploring textiles and its uses. Taiwan, Japan, and Korea are just a few of the locations hes visited and drew inspiration from for his work. Unknowingly, he also discovered the tea culture in each of these locations. Morgan began ideating around blending the concepts together of tea and apparel. This allowed him to honor his familys legacy, all while creating his own.

Named after the surnames of his parents, Barnes & Morgan officially opened their doors in February of 2023. The combination of his parents lives created Amir Morgan, so he pays homage by naming his shop after them. The influence of his parents extends into the menu as well. Tea was used for many purposes in the Morgan household, from welcoming guests to medicinal purposes. Tea is a part of the on-boarding process in their home, and the same applies for his tea shop. In this case, tea can be consumed however you want or need. The tea and fashion house creates a tea experience and bespoke wardrobe session that is tailored to each consumer that walks through the door.

The front of house is the welcoming to the space. You get a tea and exchange pleasantries. The back of house is more the personal space, its like my room, Morgan explained.

The back of house is the intersection of comfort and self-expression. Furnished with two footwear-inspired couches and a mirror that reaches the ceiling, this fitting room gives customers the opportunity to deep dive into the bespoke fashion world. Guests can sift through the dozens of books dedicated to garment making and thumb through the pre-made unisex suits. Once fully staffed, guests can work with a seamstress to get alterations, and even bespoke one-piece garments. For accessories, hats, and tote bags can be found in the front of house. Theres something for everyone at Barnes & Morgan.

Clothing is a way to storytell. Every day you walk out, people will perceive you in a way. You have a choice to influence the story by how you dress, Morgan stated.

Morgan went to a high school that was highly critical of fashion, which developed the thick skin he needs to create a quality product at work and in his space. Although it sharpened the blades he uses to create his pieces, he understands the approach is not meant for all. This informs how he curates experiences.

In high school, we didnt have hallways, we had runways. We got our schoolwork done, but it was a fashion show at our school, Morgan mentioned.

He wanted to create a safe space for people to feel comfortable when trying on new pieces and get feedback from their peers, especially when trying a completely new style of clothing. The design process is meticulous to ensure the client is satisfied with the work.

While the back of house has a different set of tools, the gear in the front of the house is used to craft a different type of experience. Barnes & Morgan works with Tea Freak to source their tea and blends. Their Mint Family tea blend is a connection back to a mainstay in his childhood home. For pastries, their assortments include baklava, breakfast bread and lemon cake. The tea can be enjoyed in drinkware from Loveramics, as well as vintage teacups that were sourced from local estate sales. The tea ritual is started by the Fellow EKG electric kettle and the Bunn H5X Element hot water tower.

As intentional as Morgan is with his selection of tea, and each stitch in his clothing, hes just as intentional with the space he inhabits. Old Town truly has that has a deeper historical significance. Morgans track record can be seen through the fabric within the community. As a 10-year vet in this part of town, hes had his office space in the area, and worked with Pensole Footwear Design Academy. Hes aiming to make Barnes & Morgan another destination spot for Old Town and bringing people back, showing why its truly Portlands cultural hub.

Its the opportunity to leave a family legacy, as well as to keep up the legacy of Black businesses that were once here, Amir Morgan tells me. You feel it in the space, the history, the legacy, and what it means for all this be here now again in 2023. Come for a tea, stay for the clothes, the conversation, and the energy.

Giovanni Fillari is Brand Marketing Specialist at Nike and the publisher of @_coffeefeed. He is the honorable mention Sprudgie Award recipient for Social Media in 2018 and 2021. Read more Giovanni Fillari for Sprudge.
The Tunisian island of Djerba is the home of the 2,500-year-old Ghriba synagogue, and hosts hundreds of worshippers taking part in annual pilgrimages.

At the time of the shooting, individuals had been taking part in a two-day pilgrimage.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/8-year-old-norwegian-girl-finds-stone-age-dagger-while-playing-1110231090.html

8-Year-Old Norwegian Girl Finds Stone Age Dagger While Playing

8-Year-Old Norwegian Girl Finds Stone Age Dagger While Playing

The find, a rarity in itself, poses further questions as it was found alone with no accompanying objects and was made of stone not native to Norway.

2023-05-10T06:30+0000

2023-05-10T06:30+0000

2023-05-10T06:30+0000

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An 8-year-old Norwegian girl has found an unexpected treasure, while playing by her school in Vestland County in the western part of the country. The gray-brown find turned out to be a prehistoric dagger made by Stone Age people some 3,700 years ago.Elise showed the find to her teacher, who concluded that the 12-centimeter tool looked rather ancient and summoned archeologists from Vestland County Council to examine the artefact.Based on its style, the dagger likely dates to the New Stone Age, or the Neolithic, when prehistoric humans began to shape stone tools and use domesticated plants and animals, build permanent villages and develop crafts.Since daggers of this kind are rare finds, often discovered alongside sacrificial goods, the Vestland County Council teamed up with Vestland County's University Museum in Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, to further investigate the area. However, no additional evidence dating back to the Stone Age has been found so far.Yet another question has been posed, regarding the material used for the dagger. Since flint, a hard sedimentary rock, does not occur in Norway naturally, the dagger is likely to have come from neighboring Denmark across the North Sea, researchers concluded. Previous finds of flint items in Norway were explained either through stone movement during the Ice Age or subsequent barter.The Stone Age, which includes the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, lasted from 10,000 BC until 1,800 BC in Norway. The first Stone Age people lived along the the country's coast. They fished in the sea and hunted wild animals. For doing so they needed tools, so they used stone and bone to make spears, axes, bows and arrows, harpoons and fish hooks. A number of local hunter-gatherers settled down permanently for farming in around 2400 BC.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230428/history-altering-find-radar-uncovers-8th-century-viking-ship-in-norway--1109909360.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/ai-tech-could-eliminate-80-of-jobs-over-next-few-years-1110229771.html

AI Tech Could Eliminate 80% of Jobs Over Next Few Years

AI Tech Could Eliminate 80% of Jobs Over Next Few Years

In an interview, SingularityNET CEO and Founder Ben Goertzel said that 80% of jobs could be replaced by AI in the next few years.

2023-05-10T03:18+0000

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An artificial intelligence expert who has been working on making a decentralized AI platform powered by blockchain technologies has said he believes AI could replace 80% of jobs over the next few years.Ben Goertzel, the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, said in an interview with US media that AI could replace most jobs even without reaching the point of matching human intelligence. Goertzel says current AIs are not close to reaching that goal but says even so, 8 in 10 jobs could be replaced by systems similar to AI systems today.Goertzel further said he does not see the growth in AI as a threat, but rather an opportunity for humans to improve their lives.But Goertzel admitted there will be some growing pains. The problem I see is in the interim period, when AIs are obsoleting one human job after another... I don't know how (to) solve all the social issues, he admitted.Still, Goertzel says there will be benefits, like robot nurses. In that case, you're not eliminating human jobs. Because basically, there's not enough people who want to do nursing and nursing assistant jobs, he said, adding education is another market ripe for humanoid robots.Since at least 2010, South Korea has been utilizing robots in the classroom, largely for teaching English. However, those robots were controlled remotely by a human, AI robots would operate autonomously.When asked about potential AI regulation, Goertzel said governance of AI needs to involve the general population. He says the companies driving AI development today are focused on maximizing shareholder value over doing good things.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230508/ai-could-pose-more-urgent-threat-than-climate-change-pioneer-says-1110205651.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/bidens-associates-receive-over-10mln-from-foreign-nationals-firms-1110242317.html

Biden Family Pocketed Over $10Mln From Foreign Entities - House Committee

Biden Family Pocketed Over $10Mln From Foreign Entities - House Committee

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer states that Biden family and its affiliates received more than $10Mln from Foreigners and Foreign Companies.

2023-05-10T15:05+0000

2023-05-10T15:05+0000

2023-05-10T15:11+0000

americas

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"The bank records show the Biden family, their associates and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals and their companies. Some of that money came from a Chinese company and went to Hunter Biden's company," Comer said during a press conference. Comer noted that Chinese nationals created limited liability companies in the US, transferred their "interests" to individuals in China and then transferred the money to the Biden family. The Biden family and their associates activities in Romania from 2015 to 2017 were also indicative of a scheme to peddle influence, the Oversight committee believes. Hunter Biden and his associates benefited from lucrative financial ties with a Romanian national who was later convicted of corruption, the committee said. The Bidens received over $1 million for the Romania deal, with 16 of the 17 payments made during Bidens vice presidency, the committee stated.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220324/fund-of-joe-bidens-son-connected-with-financing-of-us-military-bio-activities-in-ukraine---mod-1094150901.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/borrell-ukraine-conflict-could-end-immediately-if-west-stops-weapons-supply-to-kiev-1110248037.html

Borrell: Ukraine Conflict Could End Immediately if West Stops Weapons Supply to Kiev

Borrell: Ukraine Conflict Could End Immediately if West Stops Weapons Supply to Kiev

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has the Ukraine conflict could be stopped immediately if Western countries and its allies stopped providing military support to Kiev, but Ukraine would lose its sovereignty in this case.

2023-05-10T21:23+0000

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2023-05-10T21:19+0000

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"I know how to end the war immediately: I stop providing military assistance to Ukraine, and Ukraine has to surrender in a few days. That's it, the war is over," Borrell said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Sexta. Borrell noted, however, that Ukraine in this case would turn into "a puppet country, like Belarus, deprived of its freedoms." "That is why we must continue helping Ukraine," Borrell added. Later in the day, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak commented on Borrells statement, claiming that "termination of the supply of weapons to Ukraine absolutely does not end the war immediately." "This is a pure oxymoron," Podolyak said on Twitter. "The only solution is the immediate withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the foreign sovereign territory... And terminating the supply only means scaling up the war, moving it to other territories, a sharp increase in war crimes and total destruction of the civilian population. Set the right emphases."Western countries have been supplying Kiev with various types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230430/merkel-says-many-nations-were-not-interested-in-diplomatic-solution-of-ukraine-conflict-1109988914.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/cannot-be-trusted-musk-slams-whatsapp-over-claims-its-spying-on-users-1110237888.html

'Cannot Be Trusted': Musk Slams WhatsApp Over Claims It's Spying on Users

'Cannot Be Trusted': Musk Slams WhatsApp Over Claims It's Spying on Users

It is not the first time Musk invokes harsh critique on his key rival  Mark Zuckerberg who owns WhatsApp and created world-famous social media platform.

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

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US tech tycoon Elon Musk laced into WhatsApp, saying it "cannot be trusted" in the wake of allegations that the Zuckerberg-controlled app spies on users using a mic.Some users stress that the bug can be easily fixed by pressing the Restart button.WhatsApp's representatives addressed the issue via their Twitter account and alleged that the mic turns on due to a "bug on Android." In other words, they blamed Google and cited glitches in its Privacy Dashboard, while repeating their corporate mantra about end-to-end encryption and 100% safe communications that even Zuckerberg himself can't hear them.This is not the first time Musk castigated his nemesis, Mark Zuckerberg, who created the social network Facebook* and owns WhatsApp. A few weeks ago, the Tesla CEO accused Zuckerberg of covertly financing the Democrats via the so-called "Zuckerbucks" initiative, by illicitly pouring in funds to manipulate the elections. Even before that, Musk used to say that his rival has a "limited" understanding of AI.* Meta and Facebook are banned in Russia over extremist activities.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/cia-biden-campaign-reportedly-conspired-to-dismiss-news-about-hunters-laptop-1110231575.html

CIA, Biden Campaign Reportedly Conspired to Dismiss News About Hunters Laptop

CIA, Biden Campaign Reportedly Conspired to Dismiss News About Hunters Laptop

The information about Hunter Biden's laptop was first mentioned in a 2020 New York Post article that focused on Joe Biden's purported involvement in his son's business dealings overseas during his tenure as US vice president.

2023-05-10T06:49+0000

2023-05-10T06:49+0000

2023-05-10T06:49+0000

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Wednesday will see the release of a Republican report that argues the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) solicited signatures for the 2020 letter from 51 intelligence officials falsely claiming that emails from Hunter Bidens laptop were Russian disinformation.The House Judiciary Committees 65-page interim report, a copy of which was seen by a US media outlet, will be published in conjunction with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.The report alleges that a CIA employee may have helped in the effort to solicit signatures for the [officials] statement and accuses former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA Mike Morell and the Biden campaign of conspiring to swiftly get the letter approved.Morrell recently testified before the House Judiciary Committee that his phone call with Antony Blinken on October 17,2020 had absolutely triggered the US Secretary of States interest in coordinating the letter. In 2020, Blinken served as a senior advisor to the Biden campaign.The top US diplomat, however, rejected the allegations, saying, one of the great benefits of this job is that I don't do politics and that with regard to that letter - it wasn't my idea, I didn't ask for it, didn't solicit it.The letter, of which Morell was one of the signatories, argued that Hunter Biden's laptop had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.Hunter Biden's 'Laptop From Hell' StoryThe story originates with a bombshell New York Post (NYP) article from October 2020, which exposed alleged corruption by the former vice president's son and apparent involvement of Joe Biden in Hunter's business deals.In the October 2020 article, the NYP mentioned two alleged emails that Hunter Biden purportedly received from a top official at the Ukrainian company Burisma while he was on the board of the firm.In a May 2014 email, Burisma board adviser Vadym Pozharskyi purportedly asked Joe Biden's son to "use [his] influence" to politically support the Ukrainian company, while in another email, dated April 2015, Pozharskyi thanked the younger Biden for arranging a meeting with his father, then-US Vice President Joe Biden.POTUS has repeatedly denied that he had any knowledge about his son's work or his financial dealings.Most US news outlets and social media companies successfully shielded Joe Biden from the laptop-related revelations ahead of the 2020 presidential election campaign, when they were written off as part of a Russian disinformation operation. In 2022, however, two influential US newspapers made a U-turn, confirming that the laptop was authentic and that the damning information contained within the device was genuine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230504/us-prosecutors-reportedly-nearing-charging-decision-in-hunter-biden-criminal-case-1110070735.html

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hunter biden's laptop, hunter biden laptop story, cia's allegewd involvement in hunter biden laptop saga, joe biden's election campaign ahead of the 2021 election
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/cia-veteran-blinken-and-morell-meddled-in-2020-election-to-help-biden-win-1110245489.html

CIA Veteran: Blinken and Morell Meddled in 2020 Election to Help Biden Win

CIA Veteran: Blinken and Morell Meddled in 2020 Election to Help Biden Win

Senior Biden campaign officials colluded with the CIA to falsely discredit Hunter Biden's "laptop from hell" ahead of the 2020 presidential election as "Russian disinformation", according to the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. Former CIA station chief Philip Giraldi shared his opinion with Sputnik on the congressional report.

2023-05-10T18:06+0000

2023-05-10T18:06+0000

2023-05-10T18:06+0000

analysis

us

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antony blinken

russia

cia

council for the national interest

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"It was not the CIA that fabricated the story, it was a former acting CIA Director Michael Morell who drafted the letter and got 50 former intelligence community colleagues, all retired, to sign it," highlighted Giraldi, a CIA veteran who now serves as an executive director of the Council for the National Interest. According to Giraldi, Blinken de facto followed in the footsteps of the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, which sought to use fabricated information from the Steele dossier to smear Donald Trump and some of his advisors. Blinken suggested that Morrell promote the argument that the infamous laptop, unearthed by the New York Post in October 2020, should be dismissed as a "Russian disinformation operation." The CIA veteran stressed that at the time there was zero evidence to suggest that Russia had had anything to do with spreading fabricated information about the younger Biden.The notorious letter, titled "Public Statement on the Hunter Biden emails" was signed by 51 former intelligence officials including CIA Directors John Brennan, Leon Panetta, and Mike Hayden, former acting CIA Director Michael Morell, former Director of National Intelligence and James Clapper. It claimed that the data on Hunter's hard drive "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." The document was delivered to Politico five days after the Post's bombshell expose and three days before the final presidential debate of the election campaign.The ex-spies' opinion was quickly disseminated by the US mainstream press, while the Hunter Biden laptop story, shedding light on the Biden family's questionable business dealings and Joe's alleged involvement in the process, was suppressed by both Big Media and Big Tech.In March 2022, the US mainstream media outlets abruptly returned to the story by saying that thousands of emails "purportedly from the laptop computer of Hunter Biden" had been proven to be "authentic communications."In May 2022, Konstantinos "Gus" Dimitrelos, an ex-Secret Service agent who has testified in over 100 classified, criminal and civil matters at the state, federal, and international levels carried out a full forensic examination of Hunter Biden's infamous hard drive to determine whether there are any signs of tampering. According to the US press, Dimitrelos cross-referenced thousands of files, photos, geolocation data, and other information on the drive using a technique called "digital sandwiching" and came to the conclusion that Hunter "was the only person responsible for the activity on this hard drive and all of its stored data."The laptop's data verification prompted conservative journalists and authors to raise the question about the former intelligence community officials' motives and accuse them of meddling in the 2020 elections.In May 2022, Tim Parlatore, a lawyer representing former President Donald Trump, and his colleagues filed five letters of complaint with the agencies that formerly employed the signatories of the 2020 letter, including the CIA, the National Security Agency, the director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Defence.Parlatore argued at the time that the signatories had to seek a prepublication review from the agencies they used to serve at. However, it appears that none of the intelligence agencies were involved in reviewing the letter, according to the lawyer. Nonetheless, the ex-spies in question stood by their claims and insisted that roughly two years ago they were really "concerned about Russian disinformation efforts."However, an April 2023 testimony by Mike Morell shed some new light on the story. The former acting CIA director told the House Judiciary Committee led by Rep. Jim Jordan that back in October 2020 he was asked by Blinken to help discredit the laptop reporting.The latest joint report by the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees concluded that "the public statement by 51 former intelligence officials was a political operation to help elect Vice President Biden in the 2020 presidential election."The report particularly quoted one of Morell's emails written in October 2020 to a former CIA officer: "The more former intelligence officers the better. Campaign will be thrilled."According to Giraldi, the "honorable" Secretary of State Antony Blinken should in fact offer his resignation "over the exposure of his blatant and possibly successful attempt to change the outcome of an election by conspiring to corrupt the electoral process with false information to sway voters." Citing US surveys, the CIA veteran emphasized that Biden would most likely have lost the election if the US press had accurately covered the laptop story.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220526/if-hunters-laptop-from-hell-is-100-authentic-will-dirty-51-ex-spooks-be-held-accountable-1095806921.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/house-panel-says-cia-conspired-with-bidens-team-to-blame-russia-for-hunter-laptop-story-1110242535.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230506/biden-says-hunter-has-done-nothing-wrong-feels-proud-of-him-1110134810.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/memo-biden-family-received-millions-from-foreigners-when-joe-was-vp-1110242908.html

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hunter biden, laptop from hell, antony blinken, mike morell, 51 former intelligence officials, ex-intel officials letter hunter biden laptop, congressional report on biden campaign collusion with cia, biden campaign colluded with cia, 2020 us elections, election interference
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/democrats-urge-biden-to-end-trump-era-venezuela-sanctions-to-alleviate-us-border-crisis-1110247721.html

Democrats Urge Biden to End Trump-Era Venezuela Sanctions to Alleviate US Border Crisis

Democrats Urge Biden to End Trump-Era Venezuela Sanctions to Alleviate US Border Crisis

A group of Democratic lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to lift Trump-era sanctions to help alleviate the vast number of migrants at the US-Mexico border.

2023-05-10T21:40+0000

2023-05-10T21:40+0000

2023-05-10T21:36+0000

americas

joe biden

venezuela

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"Experts widely agree that broad-based US sanctions - expanded to an unprecedented level by former President Donald Trump - are a critical contributing factor in the current increase in migration," the letter said. The lawmakers also suggest that Biden should conduct a broader review of preexisting sanctions policies that his administration inherited, which may also serve as push-factors for migration. According to the letter, Venezuelan migration to the US border increased to more than 189,000 crossings last year, up from roughly 4,500 in 2020, while more than 220,000 Cubans fled Cuba in 2022. Most of the Trump administration-imposed sanctions remain and continue to exacerbate US challenges at the southern border, the lawmakers said, adding that they hope Biden's dialogue with regional partners, such as with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, will communicate a willingness to consider a new approach. A massive surge of illegal immigration is underway on the US-Mexico border ahead of the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday. The Trump-era public health emergency order allowed the US government to turn away migrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19. US Congressman Tony Gonzales's office confirmed to Sputnik earlier in the day that Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei informed him the White House is ignoring his warning calls about a group of 80,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, making their way to the United States border with Mexico in light of the end of Title 42. An all-time record number of migrants has arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, exceeding 2.3 million people. In fiscal year 2023, the US authorities said they have encountered more than 1.2 million migrants. Fox News and other media outlets have said the number of illegal immigrants to enter the United States since Biden assumed office has exceeded six million.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/us-border-agent-biden-plan-to-deter-migrants-was-not-clearly-relayed-to-front-lines-1110246820.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/house-panel-says-cia-conspired-with-bidens-team-to-blame-russia-for-hunter-laptop-story-1110242535.html

House Panel Says CIA Conspired with Biden's Team to Blame Russia for Hunter Laptop Story

House Panel Says CIA Conspired with Biden's Team to Blame Russia for Hunter Laptop Story

Senior Biden administration officials conspired with CIA to discredit allegations about Hunter Biden and laptop story, portraying it as Kremlin disinformation campaign ahead of elections.

2023-05-10T15:21+0000

2023-05-10T15:21+0000

2023-05-10T15:40+0000

americas

us

joe biden

hunter biden

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"Evidence suggests that senior Biden campaign officials, including now Secretary of State Antony Blinken, now Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, and now Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti, took active measures to discredit the allegations about Hunter Biden by exploiting the national security credentials of former intelligence officials," the committee said in a press release coinciding with the release of the report. The committee through its investigations found that Blinken, then a senior Biden campaign advisor, was the impetus of a public letter in which 51 former intelligence officials stated that a story in the New York Post about Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." Senior Biden administration officials then "coordinated efforts to disseminate" the public letter to members of the media in an effort to discredit the allegations about Hunter Biden, the committee stated. The committee detailed through testimony, emails, and other evidence how former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell helped write the public statement and get ex-intelligence officials to sign it. The report alleges that the public letter was a "political operation to help elect Vice President Biden in the 2020 election" aimed at giving then candidate Joe Biden a "talking point" to use in response to any attacks by his rival then-President Donald Trump. Three days after the letter was published, Joe Biden cited it during a debate with Trump, saying, There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this, hes accusing me of is a Russian plan." US officials have repeatedly accused Russia of meddling in US elections, a charge that Moscow has firmly and consistently denied.Also House Oversight Committee recently revealed that Biden and his family received over $10 million from foreign nationals and companies, including Chinese citizens and Romanian businessman who was later charged for corruption.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230430/criminal-probe-stemming-from-laptop-from-hell-is-no-longer-a-hunter-biden-story-1109999350.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230428/bidens-2024-bid-tainted-by-new-corruption-allegations-1109921356.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/bidens-associates-receive-over-10mln-from-foreign-nationals-firms-1110242317.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/israel-assessing-egypt-brokered-proposal-for-truce-with-gaza-strip-1110246280.html

Israel Assessing Egypt-Brokered Proposal for Truce With Gaza Strip

Israel Assessing Egypt-Brokered Proposal for Truce With Gaza Strip

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israel is currently assessing an Egypt-brokered proposal for a ceasefire with militants in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said... 10.05.2023, Sputnik International

2023-05-10T18:56+0000

2023-05-10T18:56+0000

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On Tuesday night, Israel launched a military operation against militants of the Islamic Jihad Movement and its military infrastructure, including rocket launchers and mortars. As a result of the airstrikes on Tuesday, 15 people, including four women and six children, were killed. The victims included a Russian citizen. On Wednesday, four more Palestinians were killed in another series of airstrikes.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Twitter that the targets of the strikes were military facilities of Islamist movement Islamic Jihad in Gaza. The military said it hit ten arms production facilities and military facilities, six Islamic Jihad facilities that were used as weaponry storage and logistics infrastructure, and killed several operation chiefs of the Islamic Jihad.On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country was willing to intensify its campaign against radical militants in the Gaza Strip and conduct further strikes.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/kremlin-on-warsaws-hostile-actions-poland-been-hating-russians-for-centuries-1110236450.html

Kremlin on Warsaw's Hostility: Poland Harboring Centuries of Hatred for Russians

Kremlin on Warsaw's Hostility: Poland Harboring Centuries of Hatred for Russians

Commenting on the incident with Russian Ambassador in Warsaw, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Poland has been expressing hatred toward Russians for centuries.

2023-05-10T11:02+0000

2023-05-10T11:02+0000

2023-05-10T12:06+0000

world

poland

russophobia

wwii

history rewriting

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On Tuesday, an aggressive crowd blocked the way for Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreev at a memorial cemetery in Warsaw, where he arrived to lay flowers on Victory Day. The crowd demanded that the ambassador remove the St. George ribbon from his jacket. Andreev failed to lay a wreath at the cemetery and had to leave the memorial. "It is not even Russophobia anymore, it is a process on the verge of madness that is happening in Poland. We know that throughout history Poland has been slipping into this madness of hatred of Russians from time to time, this has been reoccurring for many centuries," Peskov said, answering the question of how the Kremlin assesses Poland's behavior.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230509/aggressive-crowd-in-warsaw-prevents-russian-ambassador-from-laying-wreath-at-wwii-memorial-1110215522.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/lavrov-meets-with-iranian-turkish-syrian-counterparts-in-moscow-1110233449.html

Lavrov Meets With Iranian, Turkish, Syrian Counterparts in Moscow

Lavrov Meets With Iranian, Turkish, Syrian Counterparts in Moscow

Russia often acted as a peacekeeper in the Middle East and can help Turkiye and Syria find common ground.

2023-05-10T08:07+0000

2023-05-10T08:07+0000

2023-05-10T08:11+0000

russia

middle east

turkiye

syria

iran

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Sputnik comes to you live from Moscow, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is meeting with his Middle Eastern colleagues: Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, and Turkiye's top diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu. Separate talks between Lavrov and Cavusoglu are also expected to take place later in the day.Allegedly, the key topic of the talks is going to be about normalizing relations between Turkiye and Syria, neighboring countries that currently do not have any established diplomatic ties. Historically, there has been discord between Ankara and Damascus, but generally all contradictions were manageable. Tensions heated up after the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, instigated by Western-backed jihadists and the influx of refugees to Turkiye. However, political scientists stress that Russia has a reputation as a peace broker among Middle East politicians and can seriously facilitate rapprochement between Turkiye and Syria.Follow Sputnik's live feed to learn more!

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/man-attacks-kindergarten-with-knife-in-poland-killing-teacher-injuring-9-more-1110236132.html

Man Attacks Kindergarten With Knife in Poland, Killing Teacher, Injuring 9 More

Man Attacks Kindergarten With Knife in Poland, Killing Teacher, Injuring 9 More

A 19-year old man killed kindergarten teacher with a knife and injured 9 other people. Allegedly, the motive was the unrequited love.

2023-05-10T10:47+0000

2023-05-10T10:47+0000

2023-05-10T10:47+0000

world

poland

knife attack

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A 19-year-old man attacked the facility with a knife in the Polish village of Tomislawice, killing his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend. Media allege that unrequited love might be the motive for the crime. Five people were hospitalized with knife wounds, with four others receiving on-site assistance.The attacker was arrested by the police at his home an hour after committing the crime. As many as 13 people were in the day care facility when the attack took place, according to the Polish news agency.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/memo-biden-family-received-millions-from-foreigners-when-joe-was-vp-1110242908.html

Memo: Biden Family Received Millions From Foreigners When Joe Was VP

Memo: Biden Family Received Millions From Foreigners When Joe Was VP

The lack of transparency surrounding the Biden familys foreign business deals raises serious national security concerns, warned House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., directly challenging President Joe Biden's claims about his family's overseas deals.

2023-05-10T16:02+0000

2023-05-10T16:02+0000

2023-05-10T16:02+0000

americas

us

joe biden

hunter biden

delaware

burisma

un general assembly

white house

ukraine

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On May 10, the US House Oversight and Accountability Committee released a memorandum pertaining to the ongoing congressional investigation into the Biden familys "influence peddling and business schemes."As per the memo, the Biden family and their business associates created a web of over 20 companies - most of which were limited liability firms established during Joe Bidens vice presidency - mostly in Delaware and Washington, DC.In particular, first son Hunter Biden and his business associates formed at least 15 companies after Joe became Barack Obama's veep in 2009. Those companies include Lion Hall Group LLC; Owasco P.C.; Robinson Walker, LLC; Skaneateles, LLC; Seneca Global Advisors, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Principal Investments LLC; Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC; Hudson West III, LLC; Hudson West V, LLC; CEFC Infrastructure Investment (US) and others.According to bank records, they received over $10 million from foreign nationals companies. What's more, the committee has reportedly identified payments to Biden family members from foreign companies while Joe Biden served as VP and after he left public office.The document went on to say that the Biden family, their associates and their foreign partners apparently tried to conceal large financial transactions. In particular, after foreign companies sent money to the Bidens' business associates, the then-vice presidential family received "incremental payments over time to different bank accounts."During the Wednesday presser, the committee's chair, James Comer, pointed out that the congressional panel is specifically concerned about the fact that Hunter and his partners largely struck lucrative deals with foreign figures suspected of corruption in countries which his father supervised as Obama's vice president.Comer noted that this pattern was first exposed years ago with a deal between Hunter and Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings led by corrupt Ukrainian tycoon Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky used to pay Hunter a staggering $83,333 per month for serving on the board of Ukrainian gas firm Burisma even though the younger Biden had zero expertise in the energy sector.The newly-released memo has likewise shed light on Hunter's ties with a Romanian businessman named Gabriel Popoviciu, who was charged and convicted with bribery. In particular, the panel focused on a series of transactions between 2015 and 2017, stressing that the money flow from Popoviciu stopped exactly at the time when Joe stepped down as veep. "This is a pattern of influence peddling," Comer alleged.Furthermore, Popovicius Cypriot company Bladon Enterprises Limited began making deposits into a bank account of Robinson Walker LLC, a company controlled by one of Hunter's associates, within five weeks of Joe Bidens meeting with Romanias president at the White House in September 2015. Remarkably, the two met to discuss "anticorruption efforts and rule of law."From November 2015 to May 2017, Bladon Enterprises sent Robinson Walker, LLC over $3 million. Some of the money then went to Biden family members, according to the panel.The panel also indicated that Biden family members and their related companies also received millions of dollars from Chinese foreign nationals companies. In particular, the panel has drawn attention to one specific transaction from August 2017 showing that Hunter Bidens firm received at least $100,000 from Shanghai Huaxin in China.On top of this, the panel's memo also shed light on the Bidens' ties with Serbian businessman Vuc Jeremic, who sought to become the UN General Assembly leader in 2016.The memo emphasized that in October 2020, on a campaign trail, Joe Biden vehemently denied that his son Hunter had been involved in any unethical and inappropriate business dealing with foreign companies. Likewise, then-presidential nominee Biden denied knowing anything about his son's business activities. The panel vowed to unveil further details about the Bidens' questionable dealings which particularly came into light after the New York Post's October 2020 bombshell report about Hunter's "laptop from hell," abandoned by the younger Biden at a Delaware repair shop.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/cia-biden-campaign-reportedly-conspired-to-dismiss-news-about-hunters-laptop-1110231575.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220522/analyst-of-hunters-laptop-from-hell-if-big-guy-is-biden-he-will-pay-a-heavy-price-1095704530.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210409/laptop-saga-juiciest-part-of-hunter-bidens-story-excluded-from-memoir-daily-mail-expos-1082585199.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/russia-celebrates-victory-day-israel-strikes-gaza-and-polling-has-rfk-jr-ahead-of-biden-1110226503.html

Russia Celebrates Victory Day, Israel Strikes Gaza, and Polling Has RFK Jr Ahead of Biden

Russia Celebrates Victory Day, Israel Strikes Gaza, and Polling Has RFK Jr Ahead of Biden

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Tucker Carlson announcing his show will return on Twitter, and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested.

2023-05-10T05:05+0000

2023-05-10T05:05+0000

2023-05-10T11:59+0000

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Russia Celebrates Victory Day, Israel Strikes Gaza, and Polling has RFK Jr Ahead of Biden On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Tucker Carlson announcing his show will return on Twitter, and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested.

Jeff Halper - Author, Activist, Anthropologist, and Professor | Operation Shield and Arrow, Israel Kills Twelve in Gaza, and Netanyahu in Trouble.Tyler Nixon - Attorney, Media Relations Specialist | Trump Found Liable, JFK and the Unspeakable, and Fringe Conspiracy Theories.In the first hour, Lee spoke with Jeff Halper about the Israeli military strike on Gaza, Zionism, and Israel is a major arms supplier. Jeff described the airstrikes on Gaza and the three alleged terrorists targeted by the Israeli military. Jeff talked about the internal political trouble for Prime Minister Netanyahu.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tyler Nixon about the jury verdict for Donald Trump's sexual abuse trial, Hunter Biden indictment rumors, and Tucker Carlson to host his show on Twitter. Tyler criticized the legal profession and the New York jury finding Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Tyler spoke about Democrat lawyers and Robert F. Kennedy Jr called out the CIA's involvement in his uncle 's murder.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, who is imran khan, what victory day is about, who defeated nazis, russia's role in the wwii, tucker carlson's new show
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/russia-denounces-treaty-on-conventional-armed-forces-in-europe-1110235212.html

Russia Denounces Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

Russia Denounces Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

According to legal data, Russia has denounced the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe established in 1990 between Warsaw pact states and NATO.

2023-05-10T09:59+0000

2023-05-10T09:59+0000

2023-05-10T09:59+0000

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"To appoint Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey ... Ryabkov the official representative of the Russian president when the chambers of Russia's Federal Assembly consider the issue of the denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe by Russia, signed in Paris on November 19, 1990," the document reads.The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed at the end of the Cold War by 16 NATO and six Warsaw Pact members. The accord imposed limits on five categories of conventional armaments and military hardware.An "adapted" version of this Treaty was signed in 1999, but NATO countries did not ratify it. In 2007 Moscow imposed a unilateral moratorium on the Treaty, citing its irrelevance over NATO expansion. The complete withdrawal from the agreement took more than fifteen years.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/russias-air-defenses-shoot-down-drone-in-kursk-region-1110232412.html

Russia's Air Defenses Shoot Down Drone in Kursk Region

Russia's Air Defenses Shoot Down Drone in Kursk Region

According to Roman Starovoit  the governor of Kursk region  Russian air defense system shoot down a drone near the village of Tolmachevo.

2023-05-10T06:05+0000

2023-05-10T06:05+0000

2023-05-10T06:05+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

air defense

drone warfare

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"In the early morning, air defense forces shot down an enemy drone near Kursk. The wreckage fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was injured," Starovoit said on Telegram, He added that a gas pipeline and the facade of a house were damaged as a result.

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russian special military operation, special op, ukrainian crisis
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/study-traces-native-american-lineage-to-ice-age-china-1110245003.html

Study Traces Native American Lineage to 'Ice Age China'

Study Traces Native American Lineage to 'Ice Age China'

A significant number of Native Americans ancient ancestors had apparently arrived to the continent thousands of years ago from the territories that would eventually become part of modern-day China.

2023-05-10T17:47+0000

2023-05-10T17:47+0000

2023-05-10T17:47+0000

beyond politics

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Two migrations of Native Americans' ancestors from "northern coastal China" to the Americas occurred in the distant past, according to the results of a new study published in Cell Reports earlier this week.The first took place during the last ice age, between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago; while the second took place during the subsequent melting period between 19,000 and 11,500 years ago.The researchers have arrived at these conclusions after investigating the lineage of ancient humans preserved in mitochondrial DNA which serve as an opportunity to "trace kinship through the female line."The team also postulates that during the melting period, a group of people from northern coastal China also headed to Japan."We were surprised to find that this ancestral source also contributed to the Japanese gene pool, especially the indigenous Ainus," Li remarked.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/there-are-delays-with-inspection-of-ships-under-grain-deal---source-1110230839.html

There are Delays With Inspection of Ships Under Grain Deal - Source

There are Delays With Inspection of Ships Under Grain Deal - Source

There are delays with the inspection of ships under the Black Sea grain deal, talks are underway, a source familiar with the negotiations told Sputnik.

2023-05-10T04:43+0000

2023-05-10T04:43+0000

2023-05-10T04:44+0000

istanbul grain deal

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Earlier, the UN reported that in May the number of inspections of vessels participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative decreased to an average of 2.9 per day (in April, the average figure was 4 inspections per day). In particular, no inspections were carried out on Sunday and Monday. "Yes, there are such problems... But we are holding talks with the parties. Of course, they are not always easy, but they are ongoing," the source said. Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the UN reached an agreement on July 22, 2022 to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. On March 18, 2023, Russia extended the deal for 60 days, until May 18. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is an integral part of a package agreement. The second part - the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years - envisions the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures. Moscow says this part of the package agreement has not been implemented yet.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230509/moscow-high-level-meeting-on-grain-deal-to-be-held-in-istanbul-on-may-10-11-1110215220.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/turkish-interior-minister-accuses-us-of-meddling-in-presidential-election-1110233766.html

Turkish Interior Minister Accuses US of Meddling in Presidential Election

Turkish Interior Minister Accuses US of Meddling in Presidential Election

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Western media is trying to manipulate presidential elections in Turkiye on behalf of US.

2023-05-10T07:43+0000

2023-05-10T07:43+0000

2023-05-14T07:43+0000

world

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In spring of 2023, weeks ahead of Turkey's presidential election, a number of US and European media published their coverage on the upcoming vote, slamming President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a dictator and tyrant. On May 3, Soylu said that the US would attempt a presidential coup during the upcoming election in order to finish what was started in July 2016, when a failed attempt to remove Erdogan from office took place, which Soylu also blamed on the US. The minister also accused the US of being behind the military coups in Turkiye in 1960 and 1971. "The plan by the US intensifies actively. The reason of Western media's interference is the realization of the US's plan," Soylu stated. According to Soylu, the West has infiltrated Turkiye's political system since 1960. "Tayyip Erdogan has eliminated all these Western intrusions. Now, the West started to push its vision [on Turkiye]. With our victory in the 2023 election, a hundred-year stability will begin. They see it. There is no election a US ambassador would not like to control... They say, Turkiye's geopolitical priorities do not meet [Western] interests... Turkiye did not accept the US's mandate. They have been trying to take revenge for it for 104 years. Everyone is aware of it," Soylu added. Turkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on May 14. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, put forward by a six-party opposition alliance, is considered Erdogan's main opponent. The list of presidential candidates also includes Muharrem Ince of the Homeland Party and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance. Results of pre-election polls have not yet revealed a clear favorite in the upcoming election. The second round of the election, which will take place if no candidate gains 50% of votes, is scheduled for May 28.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20170316/us-meddling--1051668661.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220801/irgc-chief-american-ability-to-meddle-abroad-dwindling-as-us-grows-increasingly-isolated-1097988905.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/turkish-politician-on-us-s-400-proposal-turkiye-not-an-american-state-1110241527.html

Turkish Politician on US S-400 Proposal: Turkiye Not an American State

Turkish Politician on US S-400 Proposal: Turkiye Not an American State

Washington's proposal that Ankara send its Russia-made S-400 air defense weapons system to Ukraine was nothing short of an attack on Turkiye's sovereignty and independence, Ahmet Berat Chonkar, co-chairman of the Russian-Turkish Public Forum and member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) told Sputnik.

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

2023-05-10T14:39+0000

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us

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier revealed that the US urged the nation to provide its advanced missile defense system, the S-400 Triumph, to the Kiev regime. "We said no," Cavusoglu stressed as quoted by the Turkish press. The foreign minister added that the proposal was unacceptable since it sought to infringe Turkiye's sovereignty.Washington has been at odds with Ankara over the latter's decision to purchase Russia's state-of-the-art air missile defense system since 2017. At that time, the Turkish government reached an agreement with Russia after failing to strike a deal with the US on the provision of additional air defenses for the country. According to US observers, Turkiye first started to ring the alarm over its vulnerability during the Gulf War (19901991) when Ankara asked NATO to shield the nation from possible retaliatory SCUD missile strikes from then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The alliance agreed to deploy its Patriot systems under a NATO flag. However, it was important for Ankara to build its own air defense shield to protect the country's sovereignty.However, Washington refused to sell its system to Turkiye, prompting the latter to turn to Russia. Russia's alternative was both advanced, flexible and more affordable than the US Patriot-2 system.US and NATO officials opposed Ankara's plan to buy the Russia-made S-400, claiming that it would be incompatible with the transatlantic bloc's military systems and would pose a threat to the alliance's F-35 stealth program.For its part, the Turkish leadership argued that the S-400 would not be integrated into a NATO system and thus would pose no challenge to the alliance's armaments. Ankara also offered to set up a commission to sort the matter out. Nonetheless, Washington expelled Ankara from the US-led multinational fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 - even though Turkiye invested $1.4 billion (TL 24.2 billion) in it.Commenting on the matter on Sunday, Cavusoglu pointed out that Ankara is not going to return to the F-35 program but wants Washington to give back Ankara's money spent on the aircraft development back. Furthermore, the foreign minister emphasized that Turkiye is focused on producing its own "national combat aircraft." It was earlier reported that the nation has been developing indigenous fifth-generation fighter jets.Turkiye's unwillingness to join Washington's anti-Russia sanctions over Moscow's special military operation to de-Nazify and demilitarize Ukraine is named by international observers as a reason for the growing pressure on Ankara from the West.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/nato-biggest-threat-to-turkeys-independence-and-sovereignty-turkish-observers-say-1106758265.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230306/nato-has-never-met-turkiyes-security-needs-and-russias-su-35-is-option-for-ankara-journo-says-1108095634.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/us-border-agent-biden-plan-to-deter-migrants-was-not-clearly-relayed-to-front-lines-1110246820.html

US Border Agent: Biden Plan to Deter Migrants Was Not Clearly Relayed to Front Lines

US Border Agent: Biden Plan to Deter Migrants Was Not Clearly Relayed to Front Lines

The Biden administration's plan to deter migrant surge at the US-Mexico border was not clearly relayed to front-line agents, US National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera told Sputnik.

2023-05-10T20:12+0000

2023-05-10T20:12+0000

2023-05-10T21:42+0000

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A massive surge of illegal immigrants is underway on the US-Mexico border ahead of the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday. The Trump-era public health emergency order allowed the US government to clamp down on illegal immigration at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden said the US southern border will be chaotic once Title 42 expires; in fact, it remains to be seen if the United States is prepared to deal with the massive surge of migrants anticipated when the policy expires. US border agents are already seeing huge numbers of migrants arriving on the US-Mexico border ahead of the end of Title 42, Cabrera said. Non-government organizations (NGOs) that aid migrants may also be at capacity, Cabrera added. "Usually our relief valve is the NGO, so I would imagine if we're capacity, they're at capacity," Cabrera said. Last week, a Sputnik correspondent reported that more than 1,700 migrants were gathered for several days outside a church in downtown El Paso, Texas, that had easily reached its full volume. According to Cabrera, more migrants will likely be released into US border communities due to capacity issues if migrant arrivals continue to intensify after Title 42 expires. "When we have issues like we're having now - Title 42 is still in play and we're still having big numbers and you can't get buses to bus them out of the local area fast enough - so obviously they're gonna release them on the streets," Cabrera said. Cabrera expects migrants who already made the trip to the US-Mexico border will continue to attempt to illegally cross into the United States regardless of any policy the Biden administration imposes to deter them; however, he emphasized the current border crisis can only be fixed by Congress. On Wednesday, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the United States finalized a rule that will impose harsher consequences for migrants that illegally enter the United States. Moreover, after Title 42 is lifted, migrants will still face consequences for crossing into the United States illegally under an authority known as Title 8, which subjects migrants to at least a five year bar on re-entry into the United States, and can face criminal prosecution if they attempt to cross illegally again. Former US Border Patrol sector chief Victor Manjarrez also told Sputnik he expects the number of migrants arriving on the US-Mexico border to increase. The description of what is currently occurring on the US-Mexico border has transformed from a border crisis to a disaster, Manjarrez said. It will take the Biden administration some time to turn the tide on the current surge of migrants at the border, Manjarrez said, adding that US-bound migrants should not be expected to turn back after already suffering hardships and giving up everything they have to make the journey to the United States. "Some of the lowest points of illegal immigration had been when there's been a strong deterrent, some kind of consequence for crossing illegally," Manjarrez said. "You start with that. That's not the cure, but that's a start where you can start to slow the flow down enough so you can manage it." On Monday, US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said more than 26,000 migrants have been apprehended on the US southern border over the last three days. More than 10,300 migrants crossed illegally the US-Mexico border on Tuesday, US media reported citing CBP sources. US Congressman Tony Gonzales has said that Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei informed him the White House is ignoring his warning calls about a group of 80,000 migrants making their way to the United States in light of the end of Title 42.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230504/migrants-overwhelm-us-southern-border-city-days-before-title-42-expulsion-policy-ends-1110104575.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230508/texas-to-deploy-newly-created-guard-unit-to-intercept-migrants-at-border-1110199099.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/us-will-not-send-long-range-missiles-to-kiev-as-uk-planning-deliveries---reports-1110234825.html

US Will Not Send Long-Range Missiles to Kiev as UK Planning Deliveries - Reports

US Will Not Send Long-Range Missiles to Kiev as UK Planning Deliveries - Reports

Washington is not going to send LRM to Kiev regime to avoid criticism.

2023-05-10T09:01+0000

2023-05-10T09:01+0000

2023-05-10T09:01+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

us arms for ukraine

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The US is expected to continue providing the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, ammunition and armored vehicles, the report said. On Tuesday, American news outlet reported that London was planning to send missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (200 miles) to Kiev on the condition that they would be used only for hitting targets on the territory of Ukraine. The report was based on an International Fund for Ukraine procurement notice. Western countries have been supplying Kiev with different types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns, since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230503/eu-commission-says-ammunition-to-fully-support-kiev-lacking-due-to-intensity-of-conflict-1110056489.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/american-f-16s-might-not-last-very-long-if-delivered-to-ukraine--1109869870.html

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New Jersey State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin visited the Rutgers University Equine Exercise Physiology Lab on Monday and got a hands-on look at some of the work done by the Rutgers Equine Science program.

Speaker Coughlins visit, which included a fundraiser and brunch, was hosted by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey and the states Standardbred industrys political action committee TrotPAC.

As part of his visit, Speaker Coughlin toured the Equine Exercise Physiology Lab, watched 19-year-old pacing mare Jolee perform on the labs high-speed treadmill, and participated in a demonstration of the facilitys equipment used to study of the effects of equine-assisted services on veterans with PTSD. Speaker Coughlin even led his equine research partner Randy around the lab.

It was neat to have Speaker Coughlin lead the mare around, said Dr. Karyn Malinowski, founding director of the Equine Science Center at Rutgers. He was a pro.

I think he was surprisingly happy to see we had this kind of agriculture here in New Brunswick, and it was a good opportunity to get the word out about what we do. The cool thing is that we have students engaged; they learn, they become scientists, and were benefiting the horse and the equine industry.

Mondays event with Speaker Coughlin was the third of its kind to introduce the assemblyman to the many aspects of the equine industry in New Jersey.

His first visit to any equine facility in the state came in 2019 when he attended an SBOANJ event at Fair Winds Farm and the Hogan Equine Clinic. Last May, he spent a morning at Gaitway Farm Training Center, where he toured the grounds, talked with horsemen and horsewomen, and even climbed into a double-seated jog cart for a trip around the farms one-mile track.

Speaker Coughlins support was vital to the five-year, $100-million appropriation for the states horse racing industry that was approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2019.

A Democrat representing the 19th Legislative District in Middlesex County, Speaker Coughlin has served in the State Assembly since 2010. He is in his third term as Assembly Speaker and is the first Democratic Assembly Speaker to ever serve three consecutive two-year terms.

The responsibilities of the Speaker include scheduling meetings and determining which bills will be considered within the Assembly. The Speaker also leads the legislative sessions. As the Assembly Speaker, he is third in the line of succession to the governorship, following the Lieutenant Governor and State Senate President.

This was a very intimate event and I think it was very valuable, said Anthony Perretti, the SBOANJs first vice president and TrotPAC chairman. I think to make it personal, to make it intimate, with legislators is a big deal. He can see what the industry looks like. He can touch and feel what the situation is on the ground.

Instead of us just asking for support, we need to show the numbers at work, and the progress and the people behind it that are making it happen. Its not a hard sell once you get involved. It really isnt.

(SBOANJ)
When Bruce Ranger went gate to wire with HS Shauna in the sixth race at Plainridge Park on Tuesday (May 9), he became only the 19th driver in the history of harness racing to reach the 10,000-win plateau.

The milestone victory came as the third of the afternoon for Ranger, who put an exclamation point on his big day with a grand slam in the bike.

A native of Portland, Maine, the 63-year-old Ranger started his driving career in 1979 at the Skowhegan Fair where he scored his first victory. From there, his career path went through Massachusetts at both Foxboro and Plainridge Park as well as Florida, where he was a legendary star and the all-time dash win leader at Pompano Park.

Ranger momentarily retired in 2015 because his aches and pains from many years at the lines seemed to catch up to him and he became a starting judge in Maine. But after being out of the sulky for three years, he felt physically refreshed and regained the desire to go from riding in the starting car, to getting back behind it. He returned to action at Scarborough Downs in the fall of 2018 and hes been on a roll ever since.

Since climbing back into the bike, Ranger has been competing at every track in Maine along with being a regular at Plainridge Park, where he is the two-time defending dash title winner in 2021 and 2022 and has averaged $2 million in earnings.

At the current Plainridge meet, Ranger is once again the leading dash driver with 19 wins out of 109 starts, with 15 seconds and 17 thirds that put $235,265 in the bank. Overall this year, he has 191 starts with 36 wins, 34 seconds and 31 thirds and $315,370 in earnings to date.

Rangers overall career numbers are eye-popping. When the dust settled Tuesday, he now boasts 49,064 starts with 10,001 wins, 7,851 seconds and 6,378 thirds with earnings just shy of the $44-million mark, depositing exactly $43,981,252 into his owners accounts. His win total puts him 19th on the North American all-time driving wins list with only 14 drivers ahead of him who are still active.

Ranger has won in excess of $1 million during a single season 18 times in his career, including 13 straight from 1998 to 2010, and just missed doing it in four other campaigns. He has also won in excess of $2 million in purses five times including $2.4 million in 2021 and $2.5 million in 2022, which were his two most prolific all-time earning efforts. And despite all the starts, Ranger has always been a very high percentage driver and has a career UDR of .337.

Aside from the many driving titles Ranger has earned over the years, he has also been honoured with enshrinement in the United States Harness Writers Associations New England and Florida Chapters Hall of Fame.

Rangers other wins on Tuesday included another gate-to-wire effort with Probert ($4.20 to win) in the featured $25,000 Winners-Over Pace for fillies and mares in a new lifetime clocking of 1:50.4. Probert is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski and is trained by Melissa Beckwith, who also conditioned Rangers 10,000th winner, HS Shauna.

Rangers grand slam was completed with Colt Bennett (1:54.1 winning mile, $6.40) and Fox Valley Hadley (1:54.4, $7.40).

When live harness racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday at 4 p.m. (EDT), there will be a $3,896 carryover in the Jackpot Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta in Race 6 and a $760 carryover in the Bay State Pick 6 in Race 4.

(Plainridge Park)
There were two divisions of the second leg of the Virginia OBrien Memorial Pacing Series contested on Tuesday afternoon (May 9) at Saratoga Casino Hotel and both legs saw their winners put in career-best efforts.

Red Dirt Hot Shot lowered her lifetime mark by three seconds while pulling off a mild upset in her $15,000 division of the series for fillies and mares. Leading driver Jimmy Devaux powered Red Dirt Hot Shot up to the outside of heavy favourite Dance Ticket. Leg one winner Dance Ticket fought gamely but was passed in the final strides by Red Dirt Hot Shot, who stopped the timer in 1:54.3.

Red Dirt Hot Shot, a leg one runner-up, paid $8 to win in the second leg while punching her ticket to the series final. The four-year-old mare is owned by Stephen Picarazzi, Darreyl Bullard and her trainer Brett Derue.

Stay Jelly went coast-to-coast in the other division of leg two on Tuesday. Brett Beckwith drove the three-year-old filly for trainer Michelle Crawford and took advantage of the inside post position to cut the mile. The sophomore filly, who was a second-place finisher in the series first leg, wired the field in a lifetime best 1:57 on Tuesday beating rivals Vibrance and Celia B Money, who finished second and third, respectively.

Stay Jelly is owned by Dragon Tales Farm of Burnt Hills, N.Y.

Beckwith piloted three winners on the Tuesday card.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5 p.m.

(Saratoga Casino Hotel)
The Trixton mare Yanaba pounced, sat and struck from the pocket to land a repeat win in Kentucky Sires Stakes action with a track-record 1:52 mile in the $50,000 third preliminary for four-year-old trotting mares on a rescheduled card Tuesday afternoon (May 9) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel.

Driver John MacDonald motored Yanaba for the front and cleared command past a :27.1 first quarter before yielding control to odds-on favourite Eternal Lee (Andy McCarthy). Eternal Lee clocked a :54.4 half and then grabbed a breather to three-quarters in 1:24 as Pioneer As (Tony Hall) marched first over towards the final turn. Eternal Lee plugged along on the lead into the lane while MacDonald tried to feed racetrack to Yanaba. Once she had clearance, the Jack Rice trainee burst through and by Eternal Lee to a 1-1/4-length win at the beam. Pioneer As settled for third and Adore Me (Andy Miller) finished fourth.

Yanaba competes for owners Ann-Mari Daley, Jared Daley and Oleg Ivutin. She won her sixth race from 25 tries, has earned $200,475 and paid $10.42 to win. Her 1:52 mile lowers the previous track record for aged trotting mares of 1:53 set by Beltassima in July of 2022.

In the $50,000 male trot, Keg Stand (Dave Palone) became the only other repeat winner when he won their third preliminary in 1:52.4.

The Nancy Takter-trained son of Bar Hopping parked through a :27.2 first quarter and crossed to the cones towards a :55.4 half as he then backed the tempo to three-quarters in 1:25. He sealed Longshot in the pocket with Just For Trix (Andy Miller) marching first over into the final turn and staying level with the leader off the corner. Longshot shook loose but deep in the stretch, coming after Keg Stand too late and a half-length shy of victory at the beam with Just For Trix third and Iwon't Backdown As (Tony Hall) fourth.

Keg Stand collected his eighth win from 26 starts and has now earned $427,002 for owners Black Horse Racing, Christina Takter and John Fielding. He paid $3.86 to win.

A pair of Tony Alagna pupils achieved retribution in the $50,000 divisions on the pace. In the mares' dash, Boudoir Hanover (Todd McCarthy, 1:52 winning mile; $3.28 to win) made amends at odds of 3-5 to go mostly coast to coast and win by a nose over a fast-charging Ainthesamewithoutu (Tony Hall). The victory was the 10th from 29 starts for the daughter of Captaintreacherous, who races for Riverview Racing LLC, Alagna Racing LLC, Caviart Farms and D. Plouffe and S. Head. Her stablemate I Did It Myway (Andy McCarthy, 1:49.2; $3.02) popped pocket and just reached the victory over pacesetter All Or Nothing (Dave Palone) to win in the male pace. The son of Captaintreacherous won his 14th race from 31 starts and added to an account now worth $991,298 for owners Country Club Acres Inc., Joe Sbrocco, Don Latore and Alagna and Fodera Racing.

The Tuesday undercard featured a $24,000 Open Pace won in near pillar-to-post fashion by Isitlikeitlooks (1:51.2; $10.40). The seven-year-old gelding by Tellitlikeitis grabbed the top past a :26.4 first quarter and kept his competition at his whim and all behind him through middle splits of :55.2 and 1:23.4. First-over True Blue Lindy (Todd McCarthy) flattened late to finish second, beaten three-quarters of a length, with American Dreamer (Devon Tharps) third off a pocket trip. Joe Putnam trains the 42-time winner from 141 starts who competes for owners J P Racing LLC and driver Joey Putnam.

Live harness racing at Oak Grove resumes Sunday, May 14 for a return to the regular Sunday-Monday rotation. This week only, the draw schedule has shifted at Oak Grove. The entry box for both Sunday's and Monday's card will close Wednesday, May 10 at 1 p.m. (CDT).

First-race post time at Oak Grove is 3 p.m. (CDT).

(Oak Grove)
Named among The Culture Candys Top 40 Artists to Watch in 2023, Michelle Buser got her start as a painter in her hometown of Culpeper.

The 2008 graduate of Culpeper County High School moved to Brooklyn, New York in July 2020 at the height of the pandemic to pursue her dream of living as an artist while working as a graphic designer. Opportunities to create have been plentiful in the Big Apple.

Ive always been artistic and creative  when I was really little, drawing was my main thing, fashion designing, drawing girls in different clothes, Buser said in a recent phone interview. That developed into sewing and my mom got me a sewing machine.

A middle child of three, she thought about getting into the fashion industry as a career after high school, but opted for the more practical field of graphic design. Buser got her degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, worked in Arlington in the profession and then spent a year at a Florida beach town, again working as a graphic designer.

When she moved back to the area, Buser started thinking about fine art and started drawing again, mostly in charcoal. In 2019, she held her first solo show in downtown Culpeper, Reclamation, featuring large scale figurative drawings. It was a success and lit a fire in her.

I had this amazing feeling that I wanted to chase  this is what I want to do, Buser said of living as an artist. After the show, I got curious about painting and color.

She taught herself how to paint with acrylics, focusing on female portraitures, vivid colors and diversity. Painting became her chosen medium.

I love faces, the look in the eye, anything that captivates me emotionally, Buser said. I want to find that power look in glances, in different people.

A close friend moved to New York and the artist, then living in northern Virginia, found herself visiting a lot in the city that never sleeps.

One day we went to Brooklyn and I just fell in love with the people and the creativity. I need to go  I need to move here, she said, recalling her thoughts.

The wheels were in motion when the pandemic hit, but Buser was undeterred.

I decided to go ahead  rent was a little bit cheaper, she said. Its been amazing.

Buser jumped into the art community and found myriad opportunities to collaborate and show her work, mostly outdoors in those early pandemic months. Since moving to Brooklyn, shes shown her work through the Queens Pop Up Markets, Fable-Jones Studios, Blue Gallery Art, Scott Bleu Studios, The East Village Art Collective and Brooklyn Art Cave, among others. She created a giant, eye-catching mural on a surface on the rooftop of her building.

Its my happy space to get away from the hustle-bustle, a great view  you can see the city skyline, Buser said.

The landlord gave her permission to paint the mural, her first.

I wanted a space where I could try things out, zone out and get creative with me, and it turned out really cool, Buser said.

In February, she had a solo show in the TMJArtCollective in Soho. Shes also been an artist in residence with The Culture Candy, a New York City-based arts organization that named Buser among its Top 40 to watch this year.

Shes The Connected Artist, according to theculturecandy.com.

Since her move, she has showcased throughout the underground NYC art scene making her a well-known and widely acknowledged talent in the creative community. Her work is meaningful and draws you to wonder about the life of the subject and how we are all connected, according to the website.

Nearly three years after making New York City home, the local girl is living as an artist, like she dreamed.

I am going into this year focusing on my work itself and making sure its where I want it to be, Buser said of pursuing larger platforms.

Shell be participating in a group show in June at Chelsea Market with a closing event at Artechouse. Buser is also up for an artists residency this fall and winter in Brooklyn at Carroll Hall, ending in a solo show.

Buser enjoys photographing herself with her art.

I know a big part of it is social media and so I have my artists page on Instagram, she said. A lot of people want to know the artist  they want to feel that connection.

Buser said she gravitates toward painting women for the purpose of female empowerment.

Certain powerful looks in people, a look in the eyes and always some kind of strength, a feeling, she said of what inspires her, often using photographs.

Buser attributed her work ethic to growing up in Culpeper.

Its grounding for me, remembering where I am from, how I was raised. A lot of people dream of making it New York, Buser added.

For me, its important not to change who I am to fit in here. (Being from Culpeper) grounds me and makes me feel proud of how far Ive come and where Ive come from.

New York offers every opportunity for those serious about their passion, Buser said. I could not think of a better place to be. Everything is here, all the open doors.

She said shell probably leave Brooklyn one day, but it will break her heart. Because the New York minute thing is so true  you can walk outside and something you never imagined will happen or you can meet somebody that changes things. This is the place for that. For me, it is so exciting. New York is the best place to discover how far you can go.

See her work on Instagram @michellextheartist and at michellebuser.com.
Ronnie Williams and The Carter Family Sound will present a free show honoring the late Mother Maybelle Carter at 7 p.m. on May 19 as part of the Culpeper Acoustic Cafe at Culpeper Baptist Church, located at 318 S. West St.

The show is being presented in remembrance of Mother Carters May 10 birthday in Nickelsville, a town in Scott County, Virginia. The music pioneer died Oct. 23, 1978, in Nashville, Tennessee.

The show will celebrate her music and picking styles, said Williams, who plays guitar and autoharp in the Mother Maybelle style.

Refreshments will be available at the free concert.

Though some of the groups members have changed over time, Williams and his group have been performing in and around the Central Virginia region for almost 30 years, according to a news release. The current lineup consists of Williams, Donald Hockaday, Anthony Oliver, Dennis Stanley and Keith Walters.

Williams has been playing and singing Carter Family music since 1975. He became a close friend to Mother Maybelle around 1969. Soon after, the friendship extended to the rest of the famous family: her daughters, Helen, June and Anita along with Janette Carter (daughter of A.P. and Sara Carter) and her children, Rita and Dale.

Williams and the Carter Family Sound have done many benefit shows and have performed at many schools, churches and fairs around the area, according to the release. They have also been featured performers on the television show Song of the Mountains.

Williams plays the autoharp, guitar and accordion, honoring the Carter Scratch style. It was Mother Maybelle who created the style out of the necessity to play lead and rhythm parts at the same time.

During Williams career, he has shared the stage with all of the Carters, as well as adopted Carter and Junes husband, Johnny Cash.

Williams frequently travels to Hiltons to play at the Carter Family Fold and sometimes does TV interviews and question-and-answer sessions with local college students, discussing Mother Maybelle and her famous picking style.

Williams and Lorrie Carter Bennett, granddaughter of Mother Maybelle Carter and daughter of Anita Carter, often collaborate for shows across the country. Besides The Fold, the two have played at Nashvilles Station Inn, The Johnny Cash Museum, the historic Ashland Theater, Nashville Palace and Third and Lindsley.

Radio shows include Nashvilles Midnite Jamboree broadcast on WSM, as well as Studio One originating from Johnson City, Tennessees WETS studio. The two have appeared several times on Bristols Pickin Porch show and, in 2016, performed at Concert at the Caves in Pennsylvania.

Carter Bennett often says that Williams picks as close like Grandma as anyone I know, the release stated.

A.P., Sara and Maybelle were the founding members of the Carter Familys musical troupe, performing and recording music from 1927 through 1943. Mother Maybelle, Helen, June and Anita carried on the Carter Family tradition from 1943 until the end of their lives.
Every day, events around the world, such as the recent outbreak of violence in Sudan, emphasize how fragile peace can be. As an internal power struggles between rival military leaders erupted into lethal clashes, American diplomats have been evacuated and hundreds of thousands of refugees have been displaced. Sadly, this  along with the ongoing war in Ukraine  brings into sharp focus the importance and challenge of achieving security through peaceful means on the international stage.

I was encouraged by my recent meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. There is strong bipartisan support across the U.S. government for ensuring longstanding freedom and security in Taiwan, as well as their role in regional security, and I thank Speaker McCarthy for spearheading the meeting.

Security, both in East Asia and around the world, relies heavily on effective cooperation among friends and allies. I was pleased to attend South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeols address to a joint session of Congress on April 27. His calls to increase cooperation, stand up to the forces of totalitarianism, and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in North Korea were met with bipartisan applause. The threat of nuclear aggression from multiple adversaries including North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran has never been greater, which makes clear the need for the United States to stand up for freedom from a position of strength and resolve.

Im pleased the House is acting in a strategic and bipartisan way to address the ongoing threat posed by China. In the House Ways and Means Committee, we are partnering with the Select Committee on China, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and other committees to put forward a strong domestic and foreign policy agenda. Recently, the House passed a resolution calling on China to release American Mark Swidan who has been held by the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 and was sentenced to death in 2019 under unjust charges.

The House also passed a bipartisan resolution to block President Bidens moratorium on solar panels imported from several Southeast Asian countries through companies owned by China. The Senate has since passed this resolution as well. I am disappointed the president has refused to support it.

Supply chain issues are integral to homeland security and combatting China, especially when it comes to energy, and American energy dominance remains one of my number top concerns in Congress. As the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committees Subcommittee on Trade, I see enormous potential for the U.S. and other nations to step up and fill many of the gaps left by rogue states. This is why we must be proactive to strengthen ties and trade relationships as we build our own domestic manufacturing capabilities.

As we think about our allies around the world, we cannot ignore one of our most important relationships  our partnership with Israel. The House recently passed a resolution commemorating May 14, 2023, as the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel and affirming support for the advancement in Middle Eastern regional security achieved by the historic Abraham Accords. Mediated by the Trump administration, the accords were ratified Sept. 15, 2020, and signed as a commitment to strengthen peace and prosperity between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. We have no greater friend to freedom in the Middle East than Israel, and we must make our support clear to those who wish to destroy them.

While recent actions by our adversaries and antagonists of our allies have raised serious concerns, promoting global security is of critical importance. Armed conflict and the use of nuclear weapons is an outcome we must work hard to prevent. Through determined leadership, global security can be advanced as we strengthen freedom around the world through robust support for our allies and like-minded nations. Its more important than ever the United States to unite with our allies in support of freedom around the world.
Authorities are investigating the death of a 64-year-old Gering man after his body was discovered Friday, May 5.

Law enforcement officers responding to a shop building at 130615 Lockwood Road at about 3:50 p.m. on Friday discovered the body of Salvador Quijas, lying on the floor, according to information released by Capt. Jason Rogers of the Gering Police Department. Rogers said Gering Police officers and Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Department deputies responded to a report regarding a death.

When officers and deputies arrived, they were led to a shop building on the property, where Quijas body was found. Officers determined that Quijas was a part-time mechanic for the business.

A preliminary investigation indicated Quijas died inside the building during the afternoon hours on Wednesday, May 3. Investigators are reviewing all evidence available to them as well as conducting interviews to determine what led to Quijas death. An autopsy has been ordered by the Scotts Bluff County Attorneys Office.

Investigators from the Nebraska State Patrol, Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Office and the Scottsbluff Police Department assisted during the initial investigation, Rogers said.
The Gering High School Automotive Technology Program celebrated some important milestones Monday. The program marked the success of its first dual credit student and garnered a $30,000 donation to a program aimed at helping others in the community.

The Auto Tech Program celebrated the accomplishments of one of its own, Senior Kealan Hawley, who will be Gering High Schools first dual credit graduate recognized during commencement exercises on May 20. Hawley has completed the requirements for his high school diploma, as well as earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in automotive technology at WNCC.

During remarks on Monday, Hawley thanked a number of WNCC and GHS personnel, as well as family members, for helping him to achieve his accomplishment.

Mario Chavez, GHS principal, said, Were so very proud of this young man and the accomplishments and sacrifice that he made to get to this point. Its not very easy even to go to college and get an associates and he did it while he was managing his high school career as well. So, thats a feat.

Chavez said the vision for the dual credit program began four years ago and GHS added 33 courses to its schedules two years ago that would encompass college offerings. Its been a great partnership with WNCC, he said. One of the highlights has been the building the diesel pathways program, which he said has had a number of students complete courses in. Hawley was the first to achieve earning his two-year degree.

The programs have had great staff, including counseling staff, and GHS had had a successful course completion rate among its dual credit students. Chavez estimated that it is at 90% over the last two years.

John Marrin, who has served as interim president at WNCC, congratulated Hawley on his accomplishment.

He described Hawley as a great example of a high school student who took advantage of every dual credit opportunity that he had. ... I remember going through college and all I could do was the college work. So, Im impressed (he earned dual credit). Its really incredible, surely a testament to his work ethic.

Marrin praised the teachers and staff at WNCC, including superintendent Nicole Regan. He said he has been impressed by Regans leadership and the environment that has been created for the success of students.

Hawley has been working at Floyds Truck Center, where he plans to pursue a career.

Its been a fun journey, he said. Its been difficult, but its been worth it.

A program that helped people with car repairs started earlier this school year got another boost after representatives of Healthy Blue of Nebraska presented a $30,000 donation during a press conference at the GHS Automotive Technology Program building.

Audrey Rocheleau, community relations specialist, explained that Healthy Blue Nebraska had given a similar donation earlier this year to start the program.

They did a really awesome program, she said of the GHS Automotive Technology program to help low-income people. It was one of the first ones in the state.

Through the program, students made small auto repairs or did basic routine maintenance on vehicles for persons who had qualified through an application process at CAPWN.

In a rural area such as that served by Gering, Rocheleau said vehicles are important to people because there isnt a significant transportation system like in urban areas, where buses, taxis and other public transportation are plentiful.

(The students) would help keep these cars going for those people, and they would be able to make it to doctors appointments because some of them were not in good health, or go to buy groceries or get their kids to school, she said, saying that it was a great public service that impacted people.

Were just so grateful that we can be a part of it.

In total, GHS Auto Tech instructor Zzyzx Brown said, students did repairs on 22 vehicles.

Some of these cars had big problems, he said. We were replacing major components. Some cars were in here for a day, some cars were in here for a week.

Among some of the projects included working on power steering pumps and rebuilding front ends to basic repairs such as replacing an alternator.

Weve pretty much almost touched every part of the car, but the transmission.

For the students, Brown said, the program gives them real life experience, while also teaching them about helping people in the community.

Its just so nice to get our hands on these cars, and really work on everything, that way they get a great understanding to how all this works.

He said he looks forward to continuing the program. Student Tim Cook said that for underclassman, its a big achievement for them to get to work on the cars and he agreed that it is a great opportunity for the auto tech students.
CHADRON  An unidentified man threatening to harm himself with a knife kept officers at bay for nearly two hours at the Dawes County Courthouse Tuesday.

Following the standoff, Sheriff Karl Dailey and Dawes County deputies escorted a male subject back inside the building. The man was holding a knife and threatening to do harm to himself, but there were no injuries during the incident, according to information released from law enforcement.

Much of the standoff took place near a window on the lower level of the courthouse, and Dailey could be seen approaching the man several times. The man would become briefly agitated, and at one point removed his shirt. After law enforcement convinced the man to surrender the knife he possessed, Dailey could be seen returning the mans shirt to him.

Those who were in the courthouse at the time were advised to use the buildings west door to exit. People who had parked vehicles in front of the courthouse prior to the incident were allowed to retrieve them, but advised to walk close to the courthouse retaining wall so as not to cause further escalation.

Along with Dailey and his deputies, officers from the Chadron Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol were on the scene, with nonlethal arms including pepper ball guns. Officers helped keep traffic away from the scene, both along the street and sidewalks, while keeping their distance to keep the scene.

Chadron Police Chief Rick Hickstein told the Chadron Record that while police officers were called to assist, they were later told their assistance was not needed. Also, members of the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department readied at Fourth and Chadron Avenue to provide medical assistance, if needed.

As the standoff neared 3 p.m., Chadron Public Schools sent out a mass text message to inform parents to avoid Main Street when picking up their children. Officers also expanded the perimeter around the courthouse.

As of Wednesday morning, Dailey and others had not released additional information about the incident. It is likely that the man was placed into emergency protective custody, a period of observation, which is standard in such incidents.
On Oct. 12, 2020, Kuuleilani Zalopany was at work, shingling a roof in La Vista, when Bellevue police drove up and delivered life-altering news: Her son, 17-year-old Kalani, had been robbed and shot in her home. He was dead.

Ive never screamed like that before and, hopefully, will never ever do it again, she said.

In the days that followed, a hint of hope: An advocate with the Sarpy County Attorneys Office handed Zalopany a brochure on the state-run Crime Victims Reparations program, created to reimburse survivors of violent crime for medical bills, lost wages and counseling.

Its a program meant to help Nebraskans who have been raped, abused, assaulted  or loved ones like Zalopany, reeling from the killing of a child.

But its also a program plagued by issues that prevent it from delivering help to Nebraskans in need, according to a survey of people who serve victims and several advocates who spoke to the Flatwater Free Press.

Nebraskas program aids only a fraction of crime victims when compared to most neighboring states.

It takes, on average, nearly half a calendar year to decide on claims, meaning that even families who receive money can wait in limbo for months.

The numbers reflect the frustration outlined in a recent legislative report and stories told by advocates fed up with what they view as a broken system. A young rape victim denied funding because her dad applied hours too late. A man, hit and killed by a car while standing in his front lawn, whose family was denied funeral costs because the act wasnt intentional.

And an Omaha mom who requested $5,000 to pay for her slain sons memorial service and burial. A mom who instead got zero dollars.

Kuuleilani Zalopany.

Devastated, she said about her reaction. Beyond livid.

Dont hold your breath

Nebraskas program lags behind almost every nearby state.

Iowa approved the applications of almost 5,700 crime victims in the past two years for which data is available, using a mix of state money and federal dollars available to all 50 states.

In that same two-year period, Nebraska approved the requests of 118 victims.

Iowa paid victims $10.4 million. Nebraska: $561,000.

The CVR program is, quite simply, not operating as the Legislature intended ... victims, as well as health care providers, are being left to bear the burden of a program designed to help them (thats) currently failing in almost every way to do so, said Erin Feichtinger, the Womens Fund policy director, at a recent legislative hearing.

Like every U.S. state, Nebraska has broad latitude to decide who is eligible for compensation and how much they can get, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nebraskas program is overseen by the states Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, which since 2019 has been run by executive director Don Arp Jr. He made $103,000 last year, and new Gov. Jim Pillen retained him.

Presented with the data, Arp wrote in an email that comparing Nebraska to other states would not be helpful since each state has its own rules and requirements.

I know our program is serving crime victims well, he wrote.

Several Nebraska lawmakers werent so sure.

Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, a Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, called the state-by-state numbers alarming.

Sens. John Fredrickson and Wendy DeBoer, both Omaha Democrats who introduced CVR-related bills this year, questioned if the program is accessible.

Sen. Rob Clements, a Republican from Elmwood, and Sen. Terrell McKinney, an Omaha Democrat, wondered if victims know the program exists.

Its surprising that were so much lower than nearby states, said Clements, chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Arp isnt concerned about Nebraskas claim volume, saying that community partners, hospitals, care providers and advocates all know about the program.

But advocates said theyre often hesitant to recommend that victims apply, because they believe denial is inevitable. The program denies about half of applications.

A perceived shortage of money is one reason victims dont apply, said Sarpy County Attorney Chief of Staff Jean Brazda.

We really have to put that asterisk there (when we tell people about CVR), saying, Yes, its available, but dont hold your breath, she said.

Teshawna Sawyer, associate director of Grand Island-based Willow Rising, said that a few years ago, after repeated denials, she stopped recommending the domestic violence and sexual assault victims she works apply for the funding.

The program, she said, seems like this elusive thing that we never actually get to work.

A callous denial

When Zalopany heard about the program, she assumed it would work for her family. The cap for funeral cost reimbursement is only $5,000.

She submitted the required materials, including details of her sons death, his death certificate and itemized funeral receipts.

Claims are investigated by one staff member and evaluated by Arp.

The verdict came months later via email: Denied.

She appealed to the Crime Victims Reparations Committee, and sent documentation she hoped would reverse the denial.

Eventually, she received a letter affirming Arps decision.

The committee voted to deny the claim for compensation because based upon the record before the committee, the victim could not be found to be completely free of culpability with regard to the act which produced the injury to the victim, it read.

In plain English: The state had decided her teenage son had some fault in his own death.

How the (expletive) does my son have any culpability in his own death? Its the most asinine miscarriage of justice, she said.

Rigid rules, complex cases

Service providers say CVRs rules are far too rigid  or rigidly interpreted  for a program meant to serve Nebraskans in complex, tragic circumstances.

It requires most crimes be reported to law enforcement in three days, though there are exceptions for sexual assault, sex trafficking and abuse.

Victims, often traumatized, dont report crimes immediately, said Melanie Kirk, legal director at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.

I think that CVR is an incredibly important program and that, unfortunately, the requirements  theyre difficult, she said.

The program mandates that a claim must be received within two years of the crime. The applicant must have cooperated with the criminal justice system during the investigation and prosecution.

And it says applications can be denied if a victim broke the law and that violation caused or contributed to their injury or death. Between 2015 and this January, 33 applications were denied due to contributory conduct.

Not all providers dislike the system. Misty Rowley, program director at Ainsworths Bright Horizons, which aids domestic violence victims, said she has helped roughly five people apply for CVR in the last few years with a roughly 80% success rate.

I think the program is run really well within the parameters that they have, Rowley said. I do think that there could be some changes in the parameters, but thats kind of the legislative side.

A survey of 18 programs, done by DeBoers staff and the Womens Fund of Omaha last year, turned up a few bright spots. (Jo Giles, executive director of the Womens Fund of Omaha, serves on the Nebraska Journalism Trusts board of directors.)

A third of survey takers said how helpful the programs current staff member is during the application process.

But that survey also identified many problems with how Nebraska helps, or doesnt help, its crime victims.

The denial rate is too high, providers argued. The programs requirements are too strict. It sometimes treats Nebraskans who apply for the program like accomplices to the crime instead of victims of crime, they argued.

Nebraskas denial rate affects the programs funding. Thats because federal funding for the program is allocated via a formula: 75% of the state money spent on victim claims two years prior.

North and South Dakota are the only U.S. states that received less federal funding than Nebraska in 2022, federal data shows. Nebraska has been in the bottom three recipients each year since 2019.

The report notes that the programs problems cant be addressed by changing requirements alone  rather, it reads, it demonstrates the need for a program run by professionals who understand the complex dynamics of victimization.

Arp agrees the program needs more staff. The commission has requested funding for another staff member.

Time has shown that only having one staff handicaps our ability to process claims at an acceptable pace, the budget request reads, adding that Nebraska is maybe the only state operating its program with just one employee.

Arp recently responded to the report in an eight-page letter to DeBoer, noting the crime commission wasnt consulted.

He wrote that when CVR denies a claim because of a lack of innocence, there is clear criminal activity. He included recent examples, including a gang fight and drug deals that turned violent.

He told the Flatwater Free Press that his decision making is always victim-focused.

As I review the staff recommendation, I do so from a stance that supports approval and only makes changes if clear grounds for denial are found, he wrote.

Life-changing potential

If Nebraskas program were ultimately able to offer more support, Sawyer said, it would change the lives of crime victims who desperately need it.

It was life-changing for Theresa Lawson, who applied five years ago, soon after she learned her ex-husband had been sexually abusing her teen daughter.

Bills were piling up from the art therapy that had significantly helped her daughter. The therapist wrote Lawsons application, she said, and she quickly received the counseling maximum: $2,000.

As a single mom of five, Lawson said that meant everything.

The program ended up meaning something very different to Kuuleilani Zalopany. She still feels wounded by a system that purports to be there to help people like her.

In the end, she paid for the funeral with money from a GoFundMe fund started by a friend  money meant to help Zalopany and her family move back to Hawaii.

Being back home has not helped her forget what happened in Nebraska.

I sat here struggling and struggling, still trying to recover from when I lost my son, emotionally, mentally and financially, she said from Hawaii. And there is no restitution. There is no balance of the scales, like  its all tipped to one side 

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
A St. Croix County Sheriff's deputy with Panhandle ties died after being shot while on duty, according to a story reported by the Hudson, Wisconsin, Star-Observer.

Kaitie Leising, 29, had been shot and killed after responding to a call of a possible impaired driver in a ditch in the town of Glenwood, Wisconsin, on Saturday, May 6, according to information released by the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office and reported by the Star-Observer. According to media reports, she had stopped the driver and asked him to perform a sobriety test.

Shortly after Leising arrived on the scene, she reported shots fired. Leising suffered a gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.

The individual involved fled the scene and was later found deceased in a wooded area with a gunshot wound, according to a news release from the state's Department of Justice.

On Sunday, community members and public safety personnel gathered on a community bridge and honored the woman as her body was escorted from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office to a local funeral home.

"Deputies and officers will stand vigil by her side until the services are complete," the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office said in its press release.

According to an obituary, Kaitlin "Kaitie" R. Leising, 29, lived in New Richmond, Wisconsin, and was born Jan. 10, 1994, in Scottsbluff to Roger and Kristine (Hansen) Stevens. She graduated in 2012 from Chadron High School and attended Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. She leaves behind a wife and son, in addition to her parents and other family and friends.

Her career in law enforcement first started in the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Rapid City, South Dakota, where she worked for two years until joining the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office in Hudson, Wisconsin.
When local businessman Adam Gollas posted on Facebook Monday, his social media share got quite the response: 219 shares and 89 comments, as of Tuesday.

His announcement? Gollas will be opening a Qdoba Mexican Eats restaurant later this summer. The restaurant will be located inside the Essential Fuels convenience store and fuel station at 27th Street and Avenue I, which opened on Monday.

Gollas told the Star-Herald that he is excited to bring the business to the Scottsbluff community.

I think everybody is pretty excited about it, he said.

Gollas and his wife, Taylor, are also the owners of Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, which opened in March 2020 in the first Essential Fuels location in Scottsbluff at the corner of East Overland and Highway 26. When looking for a second company to work with, Gollas said he chose Qdoba because it allows purchases of franchises.

I am the owner, he said. We just kind of bought a nibble of the company.

Its a similar process to purchase a Qdoba franchise as with Which Which, he said, with Gollas having to go through a pre-qualification process before submitting an application.

Theres a lot that goes into it before you are even approved, he said. Its something that we really wanted to bring. We wanted something different. We didnt want to be repetitive and continue to just offer the same thing.

Though there are lots of Mexican restaurants in Scottsbluff, which Gollas is well aware of since his family is longtime owners of the El Charrito restaurant, he said he thinks that Qdobas offerings are different enough that they will appeal to people.

Sometimes, people misunderstand since it is a chain, he said, noting that some restaurants chains only allow corporate ownership. However, that is not the case with Qdoba, which made it attractive to him. People shop local, and theyll be still shopping local, because it is locally owned and operated.

Gollas also owns the 24/7 Fitness in Scottsbluff and his own company, called ATG Investments. His family is also longtime owners of the El Charrito Restaurant.

An exact opening date for the Qdoba is not yet known. Gollas said that construction at the site has encountered delays in materials and other things since it began, but he is optimistic that it will be open within the next couple of months.

In the meantime, Gollas has completed training and so has his general manager. He will soon begin the hiring process, with postings on different websites, including the Qdoba companys website, to fill 30 positions.

Gollas said its an exciting time to be opening a new business in the Scottsbluff community, saying he has been involved in discussions about other local offerings that will be coming forth in the future, including from Essential Fuels owner Eric Reichert. Reichert purchased the Western Travel Terminal locations in Scottsbluff and Gering last year, and Gollas said plans are taking shape for remodels at both locations.

There are definitely some people who are doing some good things in our community, he said.
Martin Vargas, a local artist who has spent much of his life in Scottsbluff, opened his show, Stages, last week at the West Nebraska Art Center. The show, which runs through May 28, features 50 pieces of his mixed media and sculpture art.

Vargas was born to parents who were migrant workers who settled in the Panhandle because of an education and training program that was offered for those who wanted to stay. He said he has always been drawn to art, but didnt think he could ever make a living as an artist. As a young child, his grandmother would spend time with him, making small animals out of modeling clay. In school, he loved art classes but that was just for a semester or so. He put art on the shelf after high school, served in the military, moved around the country and then, ultimately, moved back to Scottsbluff.

As the single dad of two girls, he picked art back up as a way to relax, back in the 90s.

I started with decoupage, making them mostly for myself, but people started commenting and asking to buy them, Vargas said, saying he started entering craft fairs to sell his pieces. I never thought about it as art  always more of a craft.

Mixed media was one of Vargas first specialties. Layering watercolor, paper, gold leaf, scraps of magazines and found objects give his pieces a depth and texture that is not often found in a single media painting. The show at WNAC features dozens of pieces that reflect his mixed media passion.

I like to make pieces that are unique and out of the ordinary, but that are still current, he said.

A couple of years ago, during the pandemic, Vargas picked up pottery as his newest medium. He took classes by Rod Clause and fell in love with the Japanese art of Raku. Raku is a type of firing process that changes the appearance of the pieces in a distinct way, leaving the pieces with a stunning gray-black color and texture where the artist has not glazed the pottery. Its a multi-step process where you create the piece from clay, allow the piece to dry, glaze the pieces in the areas that you do not want to char, fire the clay in a kiln until it is red hot and, finally, place that piece into a closed container filled with straw or sawdust. The materials combust and create a distinctive charcoal color in the exposed clay and a unique crackle pattern in the glazed sections.

The pottery wheel is not my thing  even though Rod would like me to use it.

Vargas pieces are all hand sculpted, often featuring detailed human faces or some very detailed flowers that he mounted on beautiful pieces of driftwood to be used as wall hangings. When I started doing sculpture, I really liked the clay and how I could create something out of nothing. Very seldom does my art turn out exactly like I have it in mind.

The classes at Clauses studio were full of camaraderie and Vargas shared he is grateful for all of the friendship and support he received in prepping for the show. They helped find ways to beautifully display the top heavy, yet delicate, pieces.

Vargas rolls with the punches with his art, he said. One of his sculptures lost all of her hair in the firing process  it just fell off  and instead of scrapping the entire piece, he pivoted and added copper wiring as hair, making even his sculpture mixed media.

He said, Sometimes, I look at art and think everything has been done, but it hasnt been done this way.

When asked what is the next medium he might add to his repertoire, he shared hes been experimenting with high-flow watercolors.

Reflecting up on his opening, Vargas said, When I walked around, I was on a high. It was such an awesome turn out. There is always a bit of anxiety and fear that people wouldnt like it.

Of the 50 pieces he has displayed, about one-third of them have the distinctive red stickers on their name tags indicating that theyve already sold in the first days of the show. Though Vargas still enjoys working his job as part of Regional West Medical Centers Human Resources department and still does design and floral work, the success of this show truly proves that hes no longer just crafting as a hobby but is a talented artist whose distinctive, recognizable pieces are in high demand locally.

West Nebraska Arts Center will be displaying Vargas artwork through May 28. Gallery hours are Tuesday  Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
LINCOLN  A week after more than 100 Nebraska businesses and nonprofit groups signed a letter opposing restrictions on gender-affirming care, a similar message from national corporations was sent to the states lawmakers.

The Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to state senators and Gov. Jim Pillen listing businesses opposed to anti-LGBTQ state legislation. First drafted in 2020, the letter has so far amassed 319 signatures, including major corporations such as Apple, General Motors, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and United Airlines.

The letter includes some companies that have deep roots in Nebraska  such as Union Pacific, which is headquartered in Omaha  or significant operations in the state: such as Amazon, Cargill, Kellogg, Google and U.S. Bank.

Union Pacific signed on to the Human Rights Campaigns (HRC) Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ+ State Legislation in 2021 and has a longstanding public record of supporting our LGBTQ employees and community, including membership in Nebraska Competes and our 100% rating from the HRC Foundations Corporate Equality Index, the company said in a statement.

This session, the Nebraska Legislature has been embroiled in a debate centered on Legislative Bill 574, which currently aims to ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for individuals under 19. Backlash to the bill includes an ongoing filibuster by opponents that has slowed progress on all bills that have made it to the floor.

The letter contends that such bills are harmful to companies bottom lines, making it difficult for businesses in places with those restrictions to recruit qualified workers. It says such legislation deters businesses from investing in those areas.

Legislation promoting discrimination directly affects our businesses, whether or not it occurs in the workplace, the letter reads. As we make complex decisions about where to invest and grow, these issues can influence our decisions.

LB 574s introducer, State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, called that argument fear-mongering. In fact, she suggested, Nebraska economic prospects might be harmed if it fails to pass such legislation, since many of the states residents are conservative.

But Mike Hornacek, CEO of the nonprofit Together Omaha and LB 574 opponent, said he knows that not all conservatives support the bill.

The Human Rights Campaign letter reflects similar statements made in the letter that Hornacek drafted and sent to lawmakers last week. The more than 100 signatories to his letter said they opposed LB 574 and a similar Kauth bill, LB 575, which would regulate transgender students access to bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation in school sports.

Some of the businesses and groups who signed the Hornacek letter say they have been harassed by supporters of the bills. But Hornacek said he hasnt been asked by any businesses to retract their signatures.

Hornacek said its difficult to know the level of legitimate danger behind such harassment. As a parent to a transgender teenager, he said he constantly fears for his familys safety since he started speaking out. He said its disappointing that Nebraska has reached a point where there cant be real dialogue about these issues.

If we listened to experts in this area, we wouldnt even be here, Hornacek said.

Read the full Human Rights Campaign statement here.
We should be making the crooked places straight, shouldnt we?



Among the most neglected biblical images  neglected in comparison to its importance  is that of the Return of the King. When your King has gone on progress, or for some other reason has left the kingdom or left the capital city, then you patiently but attentively await his return. You look for his appearance on the horizon and while you are waiting, you prepare the way of the Lord. You make a highway for him in the wilderness; you make the crooked places straight and the rough places plain; and then when you see him in the distance, you come out to meet him and escort him home. Thats how its done.

A failure to understand this essential practice is the primary cause of the wholly mistaken idea of the Rapture. Paul tells the Thessalonian church: Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. The assumption of Rapture theology is that when believers go up to meet the Lord in the air, he immediately does a 180 and heads back to heaven, taking them with him. But thats not what the text says, because it wouldnt make any sense. Why would he come halfway between heaven and earth only in order to turn around? He could just summon them to heaven if thats where theyre meant to be going. But the faithful, patient believers are not meeting the Lord in the air so that they can then go to heaven with Him. Theyre meeting the Lord in the air so they can escort him into his Kingdom, what will become the New Earth, with its capital the New Jerusalem, where he shall reign for ever and ever.

Its in response to this story that N. T. Wright wrote a delightful little essay, Jesus Is Coming  Plant a Tree! You plant a tree because every tree that you plant is a token of faith in the New Creation, and a means of preparing for the New Earth. Christians dont often think that way because they assume that the idea of the New Creation means that everything that currently exists will simply be destroyed and then God will start all over from scratch. But that cant be the case, because the first fruit of the New Creation is the resurrected Lord Himself, and His resurrected body bears upon it the marks of his crucifixion. Therefore his resurrection body is a glorified body, yes, but continuous with the body that was born into this world, and that left this world by means of crucifixion. Indeed, a different body might be glorious, but not glorified.
Another massacre in America.

It feels like we are living in a nightmareand we should refuse to become numb to it. Instead, we should use our anger and sorrow and demand that our leaders do the things that most Americans support to stop the carnage.

In 1955, Emmett Tillan African American teenwas kidnapped and brutally murdered by White racists.

His mother, Mamie, insisted on an open casket funeral, forcing the world to see the consequences of racism in America.

I have no idea whether being confronted with the very graphic images of mass shootings in America will rouse the kind of reaction that might lead to meaningful change in the same way that Tills helped further the Civil Rights Movement.

But I believe we owe it to our children to try.

(For more on those graphic images, you can click here to see them on the Connors Forum newsletter.)

It is not radical to say that, nationwide, we should:

Ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines

Enact a 30-day waiting period for all gun sales

Enact red flag laws

Enact better and uniform background checks

Raise the legal age at which people can purchase firearms

Improve our mental health system

I know this is not radical because a majority of Americans support everything on that list. You can read the Gallup surveys yourself.

There is consensus in America on what needs to be done. The problem is not with the citizens, but our leaders.

There is no excuse to wait any longer. Contact your elected representatives and demand a better world for our children.

The best research suggests we can make a serious dent in this problem if our leaders would only implement the reasonable preferences of a majority of Americans.

This week's guest is Dr. Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California-Davis. Wintemute offers his thoughts on how to reduce gun violence.

The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not of our partner institutions.

Episode Music:
A man who sought sexual contact with someone he thought was a 10-year-old girl was ordered Monday to serve at least 15 years in prison.

Matthew Tobias Erickson, 42, of Spotsylvania County, was sentenced to a total of 255 years with most of it suspended. He was previously convicted of 26 counts of soliciting a minor and 10 counts of possessing child pornography.

Judge William Glovers sentence included a number of concurrent sentences, which greatly reduced the actual number of years Erickson has to serve. But the sentence was also somewhat confusing to the lawyers involved in the case.

Defense attorney Price Koch believes the judges active sentence calls for Erickson to serve 15 years. But prosecutors Ryan Mehaffey and Jeremy Theisen were under the impression that Erickson will be serving 25 years.

Erickson was caught in a sting set up by an online group that specializes in catching child predators. A woman from Indiana was online pretending to be a child when she corresponded with Erickson.

Erickson reached out to the girl during the latter part of 2021, telling her she was beautiful and sending her 26 sexually explicit videos.

Eventually the child told Erickson she would be coming to Virginia to visit an aunt. Erickson arranged a meeting with the girl, but instead received a visit from members of the predator group. He admitted to his actions, and the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office was contacted. Child pornography images were later recovered from his phone.

The charges Erickson were convicted of carry a mandatory minimum of 255 years in prison, but Koch successfully argued that Glover could run the sentences concurrently, meaning each sentence could be served at the same time. Koch suggested that five years was enough.

Prosecutor Jeremy Theisen argued against any concurrent sentences. He said Erickson had gotten a deferred disposition on similar charges years ago, yet here we are again.

This man is dangerous and a predator, Theisen said. The fact that his prey wasnt who he thought doesnt make it any better.

Erickson, who was described by his mother as a child in a mans body, apologized for his actions prior to being sentenced. He told Glover he is not a pedophile and would never hurt any child.

This has been a nightmare for me, Erickson said.

Glover called Ericksons actions vile and unacceptable by any standard. He said the videos Erickson sent online were the worst things hed ever seen.

Glover wasnt much happier with the internet group that led to Ericksons arrest. He said they could have contacted the Sheriffs Office after the first video instead of letting him put out 25 more.
Saudi Arabia pushed for the regime's immediate return to the organization without any conditions, al-Modon writes.

The Syrian regimes membership in the Arab League has been restored after two conferences held in Riyadh and Cairo.

Saudi Arabia took the lead in this process, pushing for the regimes immediate return to the organization without any conditions.

The Syrian regime sees its return as a symbolic victory and is not expected to make any concessions.

Observers raise questions about the benefits some Arab countries may derive from it, but former Syrian diplomat Bassam Barabandi believes that it aligns with Saudi Arabias future vision of making independent political decisions and resolving conflicts according to its own vision.

The network reported that Arab efforts to restore the Syrian regimes membership in the Arab League have resulted in the regimes return to occupy Syrias seat in the organization.

Saudi Arabia has taken the lead in restoring the Syrian regime to the Arab embrace and has assumed the responsibility of spearheading political movements on the Syrian file.

The Amman meeting in Jordan, attended by the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, discussed the restoration of order to the Arab incubator.

Following an extraordinary meeting in Cairo, the foreign ministers of the League of Arab States issued a resolution stipulating the return of the Syrian regime to the League, 12 years after it suspended its membership.

The move has raised questions about the benefits some Arab countries may derive from the push to restore order to the Arab League, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia since its foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan, declared an Arab consensus during the Munich Security 2023 conference on February 18.

The former Syrian diplomat, Bassam Barabandi, believes that Saudi Arabia has undergone significant changes and now seeks to demonstrate its ability to make independent political decisions, take the initiative, resolve conflicts, and rebuild the region according to its own vision. Its motto for the year 2030 is Saudi Arabia first, irrespective of whether its policies align with the interests of the regions people or not.

Barabandi explains that this partly explains Saudi Arabias push to restore order to the Arab League under the pretext of finding Arab cooperation to resolve the Syrian conflict under its leadership.

Despite the views of Arab countries like Jordan and Egypt, who believe that relations with the Syrian regime should not be restored without initial concessions or a practical schedule that leads to its return to the Arab League, Saudi Arabia pushed for the regimes immediate return to the organization without any such conditions.

Barabandi argues that this aligns with Saudi Arabias future vision, regardless of any current benefits it may derive from its relationship with the regime.

Meanwhile, the Syrian regime sees its return to the Arab League as a symbolic victory and is not expected to make any concessions. The Arab seat in the League is of great symbolism, as it confirms the loss of the only seat held by the Syrian opposition at the time, represented by the Syrian Coalition, according to former Syrian diplomat Danny Al-Baaj.

Efforts to restore the regime to the Arab League were discussed during visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt by the Syrian foreign minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, and the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, the first such visit since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011.

The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria attended a meeting in Amman earlier this month to discuss restoring order to the Arab incubator.

Following an extraordinary meeting in Cairo, the foreign ministers of the League of Arab States issued a resolution stipulating the return of the Syrian regime to the League, 12 years after it suspended its membership. The ministers also formed a ministerial liaison committee to follow up on the implementation of the Amman statement and continue direct dialogue with the regime to reach a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis.

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.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed the establishment of a military coordination center in Syria with the participation of Turkey, Russia, Syria, and Iran, Athr Press writes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed the development of a road map for normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey at the quadripartite meeting in Moscow on May 10, 2023, which was attended by the foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran. Lavrov suggested that the road map be prepared by experts and submitted to the heads of state after the next ministerial meeting. The road map should clearly define Syria and Turkeys priorities, including restoring the Syrian governments control over all lands, securing the common border, preventing cross-border attacks and terrorism, and facilitating the safe return of Syrian refugees.

Lavrov also addressed the American presence in Syria and alleged the formation of the Free Syrian Army with the participation of ISIS militants and other terrorist organizations. The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized the progress made in the political process to resolve outstanding issues in Syria, and that Iran and Russia facilitated a diplomatic settlement of the Syrian issue.

Earlier, a bilateral meeting took place between the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers, where Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Miqdad emphasized that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian lands is a condition for normalizing relations with Turkey. The Syrian-Turkish path of rapprochement began with a meeting of the defense ministers of Syria, Russia, and Turkey on December 28, followed by a meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Russia, and another meeting of the defence ministers of the four countries on April 24. Positive results were achieved on the military level, including discussions on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory and the implementation of the M4 road agreement. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed the establishment of a military coordination center in Syria with the participation of Turkey, Russia, Syria, and Iran.

During a quadripartite meeting in Moscow with Russia, Iran, and Turkey, Dr. Faisal al-Mekdad, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, emphasized that ending the illegal military presence on Syrian territory, including Turkish forces, is Syrias top priority. He stated that progress in this matter is crucial for achieving real results. Mekdad expressed his gratitude for the efforts made by Russia and Iran to facilitate the meeting and declared that Syria is willing to engage in open and constructive dialogue, provided that its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs are respected.

Mekdad highlighted the shared interests and objectives of Syria and Turkey and noted the potential for cooperation with the assistance of Russia and Iran. He affirmed that future relations with other countries must prioritize Syrian national interests and rights, which cannot be compromised. The Minister clarified that ending the illegal military presence on Syrian territory, including Turkish forces, is Syrias primary objective. He expressed his hope that Turkey will publicly acknowledge its willingness to withdraw its forces from Syria and work towards implementing a coordinated and agreed-upon plan.

Mekdad proposed several principles, including a commitment to Syrias sovereignty and unity, combating terrorism, and rejecting separatist projects. He suggested joint action and cooperation to confront separatist organizations in northeastern Syria, address security concerns along the borders, and facilitate the safe return of Syrian refugees from Turkey. Mekdad also emphasized the need for cooperation to prevent the illegal seizure and transfer of Syrian oil and its revenues.

The Minister concluded by stressing that all previous ideas and points are consistent with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as well as with the final statements issued by the Astana meetings. He reiterated that these practical aspects and requirements are necessary to improve relations between Syria and Turkey and satisfy their mutual interests.

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.
Egypt's FM said the Syrian government bears responsibility for the importance of positive interaction with the Arabs, according to Baladi News.

On Tuesday, May 9th, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, confirmed that the return of the Syrian regime to the Arab League does not qualify for full normalization with it, and raising the level of representation, but it is a first step to creating understanding and measures to increase confidence.

This came in an interview with the Egyptian journalist, Ahmed Moussa, on the Sada Al-Balad channel, which was broadcast and recorded on Tuesday, two days after the Arab League Council at the ministerial level, headed by Shoukry, issued a decision to return Damascus to its frozen seat since 2011.

Concerning the American position on Syrias refusal to return to the League, Shoukry replied, Everyone resides as he pleases, but in the first place, this is an Arab issue and an Arab country that has been subjected to a decade of internal conflict () and we must look for a solution for it.

Syrias return (to its seat) to the League does not qualify for full normalization with its government, and raising the level of representation, but it is a first step to creating a vision, understanding, and measures that increase confidence, and we are on the right path, Shoukry said.

He added, This is an Arab issue that must be focused on and that the Arab countries should interact with it, within the framework of encouraging the Syrian government to take corresponding steps and steps (from us as Arabs) that recognize the achievement that has been made.

He stressed that those steps (with Syria) will be evaluated and the extent of progress will be announced.

In response to a question, considering that they are considered conditions in Syria, Shoukry replied: They are not conditions. Rather, this is a sovereign matter that belongs to the Syrian government, which bears responsibility for the importance of positive interaction (with Arab steps and international resolutions).

And last Sunday, the Arab foreign ministers decided to resume the participation of delegations of the Syrian government in the meetings of the Council of the League of Arab States and all its affiliated organizations and agencies, starting from the day the decision was announced.

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.

At the quadripartite meetings in Moscow, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria met to discuss normalization between Ankara and Damascus. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad proposed a constructive approach based on principles and procedures consistent with international law and good dialogue relations to improve relations between Syria and Turkey. Meanwhile, the Saudi king as invited Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to attend an Arab summit next week in Jeddah. At the same time, the U.S. military is investigating reports that it killed a civilian in a recent strike in northwest Syria

Turkey steps up rapprochement talks with Syria as top diplomats meet

On Wednesday, a landmark quadripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Turkey, the Assad regime of Syria, Russia and Iran was held in Moscow. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu represented Turkey at the meeting, first at this level, Turkish The Daily Sabah reported.

Russia and Iran seek to convince Ankara and the Assad regime to restore their ties through the talks after the two neighbours relations soured after the 2011 unrest in Syria escalated into a civil war, the paper added.

During the meeting, according to the Turkish pro-Erdogan newspaper, the ministers were expected to exchange views on the normalization of Turkey-Syria ties and discuss counterterrorism, the political process to end the war in Syria, and humanitarian matters, including the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians who left their home country due to the war and settled in Turkey.

Mekdad insists on ending the illegitimate military presence

Foreign Minister Mekdad affirmed that Syrias main goal is to end the illegitimate military presence on its lands in all its forms, including the Turkish forces, stressing that without progress in this matter, no results were reached.

We appreciated the efforts of friends in the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate the holding of this meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mekdad, was quoted to have said by SANA during the quadripartite meeting of Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran held Wednesday in Moscow.

He expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with Turkey in a constructive manner, as long as it is based on mutual respect for Syrias sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

Mekdad also emphasized the need for the end of the illegitimate military presence on Syrian territory, including the Turkish forces, and stated that there is an opportunity for Syria and Turkey to work together to achieve common goals and interests with the help of Russia and Iran.

He called for a clear public acknowledgment from Turkey of its intention to withdraw its forces from Syria and for practical steps to be agreed upon to implement this in an organized, coordinated, and agreed-upon manner.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad proposed a constructive approach based on principles and procedures consistent with international law and good dialogue relations to improve relations between Syria and Turkey.

The proposed principles include a full commitment to Syrias sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity, acknowledging the necessity for all foreign forces to leave Syrian territory, combating terrorist organizations, rejecting separatist projects, and joint cooperation and coordination to address security concerns and achieve sustainable security and stability.

Mekdad suggested joint action and coordination to confront separatist organizations in northeastern Syria, addressing security concerns, supporting the safe return of Syrian refugees, and stopping the illegal seizure and transfer of Syrian oil and its revenues. These proposals are consistent with international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the final statements issued by the Astana meetings.

In a tweet following the meeting, Cavusoglu said that at the gathering, he stressed the need for cooperation in the fight against terrorism, working together to establish the basis for returns of Syrians, taking the political process in Syria forward and protection of Syrias territorial integrity.

The meeting was closed to the press while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave an opening speech. Lavrov expressed hope that the meeting would pave the way to draft a normalizing road map. Lavrov said he sees Moscows task as not only in consolidating politically the progress that has been made but also in determining general guidelines for further movement.

King Salman invites Syrias President Assad to attend Arab summit

The custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has invited Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to attend an Arab summit next week in Jeddah.

Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef Al-Sudairi delivered the invitation to President Al-Assad during a meeting in Damascus, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabias Jeddah will host the next Arab League Summit on May 19th.

On Sunday, the Arab League Ministerial Council decided that delegations of the Syrian government could resume participating in meetings of the organization at all levels.

Ambassador Al-Sudairi conveyed the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman to the Syrian president, and their wishes to the government and people of Syria to have security and stability.

The Syrian president conveyed his greetings and appreciation to King Salman and the Crown Prince and for the government and people of Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria.

Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed on March 23 to resume diplomatic relations and open their embassies after a hiatus of more than a decade.

Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had gathered momentum following a landmark agreement to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Car explosion wounds five members of Syrian police in Damascus suburb

Five members of the Syrian regime police force were wounded when a car exploded at their station in the Barzeh suburb of the capital Damascus on Wednesday, state media reported.

The wounded, including one with the rank of officer, were taken to hospital with varying degrees of injuries, state news agency SANA said, quoting the interior ministry.

It said investigations into the source of the blast were still ongoing and did not say whether explosives had been placed in the car or were targeting anyone in particular.

Opposition militants were bussed out of the district, mostly to the northwestern province of Idlib  which largely remains under opposition control to this day.

Saudi Arabia, Syria to Reopen Embassies Restoring Relations

Saudi Arabia and Syria will reopen diplomatic missions between the two countries now that relations have improved 11 years after the facilities were closed, the two nations foreign ministries said Tuesday, Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat reported.

The announcements came nearly a month after Syria and Saudi Arabia said they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming airline flights. That had followed a visit by Syrias top diplomat to the Kingdom, the first since Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012 and a visit by Syrias foreign minister to Riyadh.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the reopening of its embassy in Damascus aims to strengthen security and stability in the region. It did not say when the embassy will reopen, adding that the move follows the Arab Leagues decision to reinstate Syrias membership.

Syrias Foreign Minister later said that Damascus will resume work at its mission in Saudi Arabia.

Syrias return to Arab League leaves opposition dismayed

The decision by several Arab League members to reinstate Syrias membership, under President Bashar al-Assads leadership, after more than a decade of isolation has angered residents of opposition-held northern Syria and members of the countrys political opposition.

In a long report by Al-Jazeera, the outlet said that the anti-government Syrians see it as a vindication of the governments attacks against them during the 12-year war. Syrias Arab League membership was revoked after al-Assad ordered a crackdown on protesters in March 2011 that spiralled the country into a war.

Some Arab states have pushed to end al-Assads isolation and welcomed the decision, while others have opposed full normalization without a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

The Arab League, according to the report, has formed a ministerial committee to continue direct dialogue with the Syrian government toward a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis, including issues such as drug smuggling, which has become a major worry for Gulf countries, as Captagon pills are mainly manufactured in Syria.

However, the decision to readmit Syria to the Arab League has been criticized by opposition activists who see it as a vindication of the governments attacks against them during the 12-year war.

According to Al-Jazeera, while some Arab states have welcomed the decision, others have opposed full normalization without a political solution to the Syrian conflict. Saudi Arabia, which previously rejected normalization with the Assad regime, has shifted its position and become its primary supporter in returning it to the Arab League, following the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement earlier this year.

The opposition plans to unify its efforts and intensify communication with Arab countries that have rejected normalization with the Assad regime until they achieve their demands for political change and reach a civil and democratic Syria.

U.S. probing reports it killed civilian in recent Syria strike

The U.S. military is investigating reports that it killed a civilian in a recent strike in northwest Syria that was meant to target a senior al-Qaida leader, a military official said in a statement Tuesday.

According to AP, relatives and neighbours of a 60-year-old man killed in the May 3 strike in the village of Qorqanya, a rural area in northern Idlib province, told The Associated Press that he was a farmer who raised sheep, chickens and cattle and had no involvement with armed groups.

In an initial statement released the day of the strike, U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said its forces had conducted a unilateral strike  targeting a senior Al Qaeda leader. It did not provide any further details.

Maj. John Moore, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said Tuesday that U.S. forces are in the process of confirming the identity of the individual killed in the strike.

We are aware of the allegations of a civilian casualty and the outcome of the confirmation process will inform if further investigation is necessary and how it should proceed, he said.

Government, opposition mutual shelling in NW Syria causes casualties

On Tuesday, the de-escalation zone in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo in northwest Syria witnessed a resumption of mutual shelling and sniping between Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, leading to casualties from both sides, North Press reported.

Military opposition sources told North Press that the government forces targeted with artillery shells the positions of the opposition in the towns and villages of Teqad, Kafr Taal, al-Wasata, al-Qasir, and the outskirts of Kafr Nuran in the west of Aleppo, and the villages of Fatterah, Sfuhen, and the town of Kansafra in Zawiya Mountain in the south of Idlib.

The sources added that the shelling resulted in the killing of two members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) and the injury of another in the western countryside of Aleppo.

The HTS targeted with heavy artillery and mortars the positions of the government forces in Base 46, Basratun, the oil factory in the west of Aleppo, al-Malaja, and Kafr Battikh in the east of Idlib. They sniped three government soldiers in Base 46 and Afis, according to the sources.

FBI arrests Indian-American man charged with funding ISIS in Hawl Camp

Mohammad Azharuddin Chhipa, a 33-year-old Indian-American man living in the US state of Virginia, has been charged with wiring thousands of dollars to the Islamic State in Hawl camp, northeast Syria, North Press reported.

According to the FBI, more than $18,000 went to wallets known to be used by ISIS women located in Syria. At least another $60,000 remained unaccounted for. Between 2019 and 2022, Chhipa held $172,000 in virtual currency and collected $15,000 from donors.

The funds were meant for sisters in Hawl camp, Chhipa reportedly said.

Chhipa was apprehended after he met an undercover FBI agent in order to collect a donation. He made his initial appearance before a judge on May 5. If convicted Chhipa could face up to 20 years in prison for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a slate of housing bills Monday, capping a legislative session many lawmakers took to calling the year of housing.

Many of the bills are aimed at boosting the supply of homes in a state where its expensive and sorely needed.

Washington will now allow multifamily housing in many more neighborhoods, encourage people to develop accessory dwelling units, and streamline development regulations, among other policies. The overarching effort to smooth regulatory barriers, like zoning and permits, to building housing garnered bipartisan support.

We are attacking this problem at its root, which is the lack of housing in the state of Washington, Inslee said.

The Washington Department of Commerce estimates the state will need about 1 million more homes in the next 20 years.

This year, lawmakers also passed a budget with a $400 million investment in the states Housing Trust Fund, which finances affordable housing projects. That money will pay for about 3,000 new rental homes, and help about 250 to 400 households with homeownership, according to the department.

Lawmakers, after a pandemic thrust a spotlight onto the tenuous situations of many renters and delivered billions in aid toward keeping people in their homes, turned their attention to the lack of housing.

There were more housing bills passed of consequence than in any other legislative session, said Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, in an interview shortly before the end of session last month.

But not all bills related to housing got through the legislative process this year. A bill meant to promote development of housing near transit stalled, as did a bill that would have increased the tax rate on sales of high-dollar real estate.

After the end of the session, advocates for low-income tenants have criticized the Legislatures lack of action on stabilizing the high and rising costs of renting a home in Washington, and for the death of the changes to the real estate sales tax, which would have created a permanent source of funding for affordable housing construction.

The Legislature had opportunities to do something about the massively unaffordable rents that are driving housing insecurity for so many people across the state, said Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. They completely turned their back on that.

Inslee signed nine bills about 1 p.m. Monday in Seattle at SEIU 775, and signed a 10th bill in a separate ceremony later that afternoon at the Northwest African American Museum, in a nod to the lengthy and harmful legacy of racist policies that kept many Black people from buying homes in certain neighborhoods and from building generational wealth.

House Bill 1474, which sponsors say is the first statewide policy of its kind, will help people who were affected by racist housing covenants designed to keep ethnic and religious minorities out of certain neighborhoods, as well as their descendants, with down payments and closing costs.

Another bill the governor signed Monday was House Bill 1074, which requires landlords to show documentation of damages when withholding part of a renters security deposit when they move out, like estimates or invoices.

That bill was the little bright light of the session, said Terri Anderson, policy director and director of the Spokane office for the Tenants Union of Washington State. She said tenants are often denied housing due to debt to a prior landlord, and some arent told of the charges.

But overall, Anderson said, Were pretty disappointed that they did not address the most prominent barrier for tenants to remain in housing, and that is the increases in rent.

House Bill 1389 would have capped rent increases, and House Bill 1124 would have required landlords to provide at least six months notice before increasing the rent above a certain amount. Both bills died.

There may be some support to look again at tackling high rents in the 2024 legislative session.

The theory behind this years focus on generating more housing by loosening regulations is that it would harness the law of supply and demand to bring down sky-high rents.

Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, chair of the Senate Housing Committee, said if thats true, then lawmakers should be thinking about ... a temporary rent stabilization program that keeps people housed now while were building that additional inventory.

Im not talking about them not ever being able to increase the rent, Kuderer said. What Im talking about is that it would be on a temporary, time-limited basis and tied to the housing inventory.
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China produces a large number of the world's wind turbines and solar panels.

The European Union must reduce its dependence on China when it comes to vital equipment used in producing renewable energy, the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency said Tuesday.

It is important to work to "decentralize the supply chain", Francesco La Camera, director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, told AFP on the sidelines of a conference in Berlin on offshore wind power.

There should be "more collaboration with continental Africa, South America, Southeast Asia", he added.

As the EU races to transition to green energy, it is heavily dependent on China for supplies of rare minerals and components for solar panels and wind turbines.

The 27-member bloc gets 98 percent of its supply of rare earth minerals, vital in many green technologies, from China.

China also produces a large number of the world's wind turbines and solar panels.

Heavy dependence on China is "a matter of concern", La Camera said, adding that boosting links between different parts of the world would help "the reaching of goals by the Europeans".

The EU recently reached a deal to almost double the share of renewables in the bloc's energy consumption by 2030, as it seeks to become carbon neutral and ditch Russian fossil fuels.

The provisional political agreement seeks to raise the share of renewable energy to 42.5 percent. However green groups have criticized the agreement as not going far enough.

 2023 AFP
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Toyota retained its top-selling crown for the third year in a row in 2022.

Top-selling automaker Toyota said Wednesday that its full-year net profit beat expectations and projected better sales and revenue for the year ahead as supply chain disruptions ease.

The Japanese firm reported 2.45 trillion yen ($18.12 billion) in net profit for the fiscal year, down 14 percent from a year earlier but still beating its projections of 2.36 trillion yen.

It said it expects full-year net profit to increase five percent for the year ahead to 2.58 trillion yen on "improvements in semiconductor supply and the efforts of production sites".

The auto titan retained its top-selling crown for the third year in a row in 2022, but like much of the industry has battled pandemic headwinds and the effects of a global chip shortage.

"In a word, it was a very tough year for us to produce and deliver vehicles to our customers," CEO Koji Sato told reporters.

The company cited everything from natural disasters to the chip crisis for production constraints over the last fiscal year and acknowledged "soaring materials prices" had weighed on the bottom line.

It said it managed to beat its forecast in part due to foreign exchange, but also thanks to the efforts of production sites and dealers, which helped increase year-on-year sales volume across all Toyota's regions.

Toyota sold more than 10.5 million cars worldwide in the last financial year, including those made by its subsidiaries like Hino Motors and Daihatsu, and is projecting a massive jump to 11.4 million for the fiscal year ahead.

"We expect growth in all regions," chief financial officer Yoichi Miyazaki said.

"For the immediate term, it is not all normal yet. But our ability to manage semiconductor (supply) has significantly improved."

The firm's stock price jumped on the earnings result, ending up 0.78 percent to 1,931.5 yen despite Tokyo shares overall ending the day lower.

Electric push

Increased production capacity suggests "the impact of semiconductor shortages is waning", Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, told AFP before the results were announced.

Toyota also benefits from having been "very strict" about building a system that is resilient to the impact of natural disasters like earthquakes, added Satoru Takada, an auto analyst at research and consulting firm TIW.

Sato said the company was boosting volume to "strengthen our resilience to volatile factors like foreign exchange rates and rising material costs".

This year Toyota unveiled a surprise shake-up of its leadership, replacing Akio Toyoda, whose grandfather founded the company, with 53-year-old Sato as CEO.

Sato has vowed to "accelerate" the development of battery-powered electric vehicles through a "new approach" including the invention of "next-generation" Lexus vehicles by 2026.

Toyota pioneered hybrid cars, but some critics say the company has been slow to make the shift to battery-powered engines, even as demand soars for low-emission automobiles.

The firm has set a target of boosting annual EV sales to 1.5 million units by 2026a huge jump from just over 20,000 in 2022.

But the delayed focus on EVs by Toyota and other Japanese automakers has left them "unable to assert their presence at all" in the burgeoning market of China, said Takada.

China is one of the world's largest car markets, with about 30 million vehicles sold annually, and it is pivoting rapidly to EVs.

That means the question of how Japanese automakers including Toyota will "retake their competitive lead in China" is of "paramount importance", Takada said.

Sato said Wednesday that Toyota is committed to China's EV market, while insisting hybrid demand would remain strong.

Last month, Toyoda, now serving as chairman of Toyota's board, was forced to apologize after it emerged Daihatsu rigged crash tests for some of its cars.

The issue involved around 88,000 units largely destined for markets including Thailand, the Middle East and Malaysia.

Toyoda called the rigging "absolutely unacceptable" and promised a detailed investigation.

 2023 AFP
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Meta's decision to block news for Canadian Facebook in response to a proposed law demanding the social media giant pay news outlets for the journalism content it uses is 'not just flawed, but dangerous to our democracy,' said Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday slammed Meta after executives said it would block news for Canadian Facebook and Instagram users in response to a proposed law that would require digital giants to pay for local journalism content.

In February, Google announced it also tested restricting Canadians' access to news in preparation for the passing of the Online News Act, which is currently before the Senate.

The two tech giants have criticized as overbroad the bill meant to help a news sector a government official has said "is in crisis" after hundreds of news publications closed in the last decade.

Their position and news blocking plans were outlined again by a Meta Canada executive in testimony this week at a Commons committee.

Trudeau said their arguments against the proposals are "not just flawed, it's dangerous to our democracy, to our economy."

"Woodward and Bernstein weren't influencers," he commented, in reference to the pair of Washington Post journalists who led reporting on the Watergate scandal that saw President Richard Nixon resign in 1974.

"Someone reporting on the horrors in Bucha (in Ukraine) is not trying to get likes on their Facebook page," he said.

"Rigorous, challenging, independent journalism is essential and the fact that Facebook is still saying that it doesn't want to pay journalists for the work they do shows how deeply irresponsible and out of touch they are."

The new law would require digital giants to make fair commercial deals with Canadian outlets for the news and information that is shared on their platforms, or face binding arbitration.

It builds on Australia's New Media Bargaining Code, which was a world first, aimed at making Google and Meta pay for news content on their platforms.

Australian regulators, too, had accused the companies, who dominate online advertising, of draining cash away from traditional news organizations while using their content for free.

Big tech firms had fiercely opposed the Australian legislation initially, fearing it would threaten their business models, but with amendments it was easily passed by lawmakers.

 2023 AFP
With Brazos County property appraisals up around 20%, a local arts program in Bryan might have to call it quits if it is unable to win its protest against the Brazos County Appraisal District or choose to pay the uptick in property taxes.

Chris Lawrence, founder of the real estate development firm BCS Modern, worked with Chris Dyer, the former executive director of the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, to create an Artist in Residence program in Bryan, College Station and Navasota.

The program allows the artist to spend their time creating, experimenting and adding to their portfolio, all while living rent free in a Downtown Bryan townhome donated by BCS Modern.

In part of [BCS Moderns] development philosophy, art and culture are important for downtown to be around for a long time, and not have the problems it struggled with before. We always have an art component to everything that we do, Lawrence told the Eagle on Tuesday. With this program, we supply a place to live and we pay utilities and things like that for it, and then the arts council gives the artist a stipend for a one-year term.

Amanda Sisk is the current Bryan Artist in Residence. According to the arts council website, she is a recipient of the National Sculpture Societys Dexter Jones Award for bas-relief sculpture and The Gibbons Prize for New England Sculptors, her recent sculptural works include four collaborative monuments in marble for the city of Rutland, Vt., and an in-progress bronze commission in the state of New York.

The arts council will be seeking a new applicant in July which could interfere with the protest process Lawrence is undergoing due to an 80% valuation increase on the townhome that sits among another 11 townhomes owned by BCS Modern.

We had an increase of about 80% on the improvement values, Lawrence said. On average, each unit [of the 12 townhomes in the same area as the Bryan artist] would have to increase $120 a month.  Plus increase our standard price on the units at $120, which would be a new person coming in and they wouldnt know, but that would still be a crazy amount of money. I cant personally afford to do it. If they dont [lower the valuation] we will lose the program, there is no other option.

Lawrence filed his protest for the property last week after the initial shock in the increase, and is worried about the timeline for a new artist to be selected and move into the home.

I am a bit concerned because we have to start doing these interviews for the new artists, he said. Based on the tax office here we really dont get through appeals until July so I really dont know what to do. I cant put the arts council in a bind and say I am sorry, lets just wait, because they have a schedule also. Really it is just up in the air, it is just mass confusion right now.

Lawrence said they moved the Artists in Residence program to townhomes in Downtown Bryan this past year for the first time. He also said this isnt the first time he has seen a hike in assessments.

I went before the board a couple of years ago to [protest] this property because every single year they were trying to raise it 90% to 100%, he said. I go in front of the board and that particular year they did not raise the taxes at all, and then last year they didnt raise the taxes. So I thought we were back on a normal increase, because values go up and people need to pay more taxes; thats not unrealistic.

I started realizing that the increase just to pay the tax bill was going to be the entire yearly budget of that unit. I would have to go ask 11 other people if they are willing to personally support this increase, or kick out the Artists in Residence program. I dont mean [forcefully] kick them out, but at this point I havent had a chance to talk to the county about it because I just filed the protest.

According to Dana Horton, chief appraiser for the Brazos County Appraisal District, the 2023 appraisal values for condos and townhomes have increased approximately 30% to 35% as a whole.

Some more and some less, she said via email. To date we have had 173 protests filed in these two categories.

Brazos County Tax Assessor Kristy Roe said even though the tax office doesnt handle the appraised values, the push they see at the tax office is with the law.

And the whole property tax system is based on current market value, she said. The appraisal district has got to stay up for all of the different types of properties and any rise in properties is going to be based on the location, amenities, all of these different things. If it were to be a rental property, then it is not going to benefit as far as a homeowner would, as far as homestead options.

Roe said there is a push at the state level and there is a reason is to keep everything at market value across the board for every type of property.

Then when you get into the second portion of the property tax system, that is where my office does come in, and we take all of those values and we take what those taxing jurisdictions had on their tax rolls to function with the previous year, she said. And we start doing adjustments and calculations and we come up with that range of taxes that they can set without having to go to the voters for permission to go up.

Automatically in the calculation, Roe said, when any jurisdiction gets a value increase and she starts calculating those rates, that beginning number doesnt start at last years tax rate.

It starts considerably lower, because when you have more value and you are trying to get the same money, it pushes that tax rate down, she said. The taxing jurisdictions have to start at a lower level, before they can even start considering. They look at their budget and they determine, What do we need? And then from that lower level they have basically, a 3.5% window of increase, is all they have that they can go up without going to the voters for permission to adopt a higher rate.

Everyone is looking at their values going Oh my gosh! It is going to be like it was last year; they are going to tax these same tax rates. Theyre not, unless it falls within that particular range of 3.5% increase to get them that much more dollars.  The no-new-revenue rate, that is the rate that will get them the same dollars as last year, and youre property may be worth more. There may be more people moving into your area  and people are paying more for the properties. If they are paying more, then the market value is higher and you may see a 20% increase.

Lawrence said, above all, he hopes the program is able to stay as he and the council have an everlasting passion for arts in the Brazos Valley.

Having known Downtown Bryan back in the 90s, and [seeing] the complete downfall of Downtown Bryan where it was mostly boarded up  I dont want it to get to that again, he said. We need people living there obviously, but we also need things for people to do that arent just going out to eat. It needs to be culturally oriented in my opinion, and any downtown that has a strong center of art, culture, they make it through the tough times. And I dont know exactly why, it just seems those people are willing to come together to support the places they love when it comes to art and cultural events.

Roe said residents should contact the appraisal district and find out why there is a valuation increase if they have one, and protest if needed.

Horton said the first protest deadline is May 24.

For more information, visit brazoscad.org or call 774-4100. Residents can visit their office at 4051 Pendleton Drive in Bryan, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information about the arts program, visit acbv.org/programs/artists-in-residence/bryan-artist-in-residence or email programs@acbv.org.
E China's Deqing County adheres to green development

Xinhua) 09:11, May 10, 2023

Workers assemble pianos on the production line of a piano factory in Luoshe Town of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 8, 2023. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Erdu Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Gaofeng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Yao Sunfang (1st R), owner of a homestay, talks with colleagues in Gaofeng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 8, 2023. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Dongheng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Egrets are seen in Dongheng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 8, 2023. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Yanhe Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on May 9, 2023 shows the view of Longsheng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Villagers harvest tomatoes in Longsheng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 9, 2023. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

This photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows an art gallery in Xiantan Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Dongheng Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows the view of Erdu Village of Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. Deqing has been adhering to green development in recent years, making use of traditional cultural resources and developing leisure projects. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Prologis, Inc. (NYSE:PLD  Get Rating) by 61.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 522,411 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 198,959 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.s holdings in Prologis were worth $58,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,683,583 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $9,924,652,000 after buying an additional 432,945 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 1.0% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 74,679,148 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $7,587,402,000 after buying an additional 710,141 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Prologis by 27.6% in the third quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,071,004 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,328,016,000 after purchasing an additional 2,823,799 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Prologis by 10.5% in the third quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 10,522,211 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,069,056,000 after purchasing an additional 999,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Prologis by 3.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,978,964 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,126,964,000 after purchasing an additional 232,619 shares in the last quarter. 75.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PLD. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Prologis from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Prologis from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Prologis from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Prologis from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Prologis from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.90.

Prologis Stock Up 1.4 %

Prologis stock traded up $1.70 on Wednesday, hitting $127.62. 803,173 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,938,599. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $117.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.00. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $121.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.58. Prologis, Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.03 and a 1 year high of $138.86.

Prologis (NYSE:PLD  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.71). The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.65 billion. Prologis had a return on equity of 5.54% and a net margin of 41.06%. Prologiss revenue for the quarter was up 64.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Prologis, Inc. will post 5.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Prologis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Prologiss payout ratio is 105.14%.

About Prologis

(Get Rating)

Prologis, Inc engages in providing logistics solutions and services. It operates through the Real Estate and Strategic Capital segments. The Real Estate segment includes rental operations and development. The Strategic Capital segment represents the management of co-investment ventures and other unconsolidated entities.

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Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE:TSLX  Get Rating) declared a Variable dividend on Monday, May 8th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be given a dividend of 0.04 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, June 20th. This represents a yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 30th.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending has raised its dividend payment by an average of 2.7% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 2 years. Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a payout ratio of 87.2% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings tumble. Research analysts expect Sixth Street Specialty Lending to earn $2.13 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.84 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 86.4%.

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Sixth Street Specialty Lending Price Performance

Shares of TSLX traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $18.43. The stock had a trading volume of 264,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,073. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 1.07. Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a 12-month low of $16.02 and a 12-month high of $21.71. The companys 50-day moving average is $18.01 and its 200 day moving average is $18.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sixth Street Specialty Lending

Sixth Street Specialty Lending ( NYSE:TSLX Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $309.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.08 million. Sixth Street Specialty Lending had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 35.51%. The businesss revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sixth Street Specialty Lending will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other news, insider Michael Graf bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.55 per share, with a total value of $37,100.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,100. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Sixth Street Specialty Lending news, insider Michael Graf acquired 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.55 per share, for a total transaction of $37,100.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $37,100. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Hurley Doddy purchased 2,900 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.51 per share, with a total value of $50,779.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 15,241 shares in the company, valued at $266,869.91. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sixth Street Specialty Lending

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 2.4% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,957 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 10.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,310 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 11.9% during the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 9,842 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 8.0% during the third quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 14,818 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 6.7% during the first quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 21,463 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.71% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSLX has been the topic of a number of research reports. JMP Securities dropped their price target on Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $22.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Sixth Street Specialty Lending in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sixth Street Specialty Lending currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $20.83.

About Sixth Street Specialty Lending

(Get Rating)

Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc engages in the provision of financing solutions. It invests in first-lien debt, second-lien debt, mezzanine and unsecured debt or equity or other securities issued by middle-market companies. The company is founded in 2010 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE:SQSP  Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.92.

Several research analysts recently commented on SQSP shares. Citigroup upgraded Squarespace from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Squarespace in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. They set a neutral rating and a $34.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Squarespace from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Bank of America upped their target price on Squarespace from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Squarespace from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th.

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Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Courtenay Oconnor sold 21,801 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total transaction of $504,475.14. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 38,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,318.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Squarespace news, General Counsel Courtenay Oconnor sold 21,801 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total transaction of $504,475.14. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 38,216 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $884,318.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan D. Klein sold 53,758 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.28, for a total transaction of $1,466,518.24. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 691,682 shares in the company, valued at $18,869,084.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 104,005 shares of company stock worth $2,739,035. Insiders own 45.51% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Squarespace

Squarespace Trading Down 0.0 %

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Squarespace by 93.2% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,336 shares of the companys stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,609 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Squarespace by 317.0% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 56,433 shares of the companys stock worth $1,446,000 after acquiring an additional 42,900 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Squarespace in the first quarter worth $207,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Squarespace by 953.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 441,633 shares of the companys stock worth $11,314,000 after acquiring an additional 399,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Squarespace by 44.8% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 12,704 shares of the companys stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 3,931 shares during the last quarter. 40.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of SQSP opened at $27.65 on Wednesday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $29.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.53. Squarespace has a twelve month low of $14.43 and a twelve month high of $33.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 0.32.

Squarespace (NYSE:SQSP  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 7th. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $228.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $222.35 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Squarespace will post 0.16 earnings per share for the current year.

About Squarespace

(Get Rating)

Squarespace, Inc operates platform for businesses and independent creators to build online presence, grow their brands, and manage their businesses across the internet. Its suite of integrated products enables users to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, e-commerce, marketing tools, and scheduling, as well as tools for managing a social media presence.

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Sunbelt Securities Inc. trimmed its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Rating) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,562 shares of the companys stock after selling 99 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,035,879 shares of the companys stock worth $559,235,000 after buying an additional 1,571,747 shares in the last quarter. Eaton Vance Management increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 289.1% in the 3rd quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 1,088,926 shares of the companys stock worth $108,489,000 after acquiring an additional 809,078 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 36,122.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 669,754 shares of the companys stock worth $66,727,000 after acquiring an additional 667,905 shares in the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 5,218,104 shares of the companys stock worth $519,878,000 after acquiring an additional 450,280 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 33.0% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,815,936 shares of the companys stock valued at $201,659,000 after purchasing an additional 450,122 shares in the last quarter. 6.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on NVO. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $383.33.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

About Novo Nordisk A/S

NVO stock opened at $167.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $378.98 billion, a PE ratio of 44.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.48. The companys fifty day moving average price is $156.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.95. Novo Nordisk A/S has a one year low of $95.02 and a one year high of $172.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86.

(Get Rating)

Novo Nordisk A/S is a global healthcare company, which engages in the the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products. It operates through the Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Biopharm segments. The Diabetes and Obesity Care segment includes insulin, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products (OAD), obesity, and other serious chronic diseases.

Further Reading

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Sunbelt Securities Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Get Rating) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,087 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 888 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $1,292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 79,056,643 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,757,495,000 after buying an additional 2,120,629 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 190.1% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 10,219,950 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $356,352,000 after purchasing an additional 6,697,550 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,605,304 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $373,647,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614,016 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,052,072 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $153,574,000 after purchasing an additional 280,878 shares during the period. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $137,811,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance

EEM opened at $39.23 on Wednesday. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $33.49 and a 1-year high of $43.23. The companys fifty day moving average price is $38.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.84.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index).

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD  Get Rating) (NYSE:TD)  Equities researchers at Desjardins decreased their Q2 2023 earnings estimates for Toronto-Dominion Bank in a report released on Thursday, May 4th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.98 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.01. The consensus estimate for Toronto-Dominion Banks current full-year earnings is $8.62 per share. Desjardins also issued estimates for Toronto-Dominion Banks Q3 2023 earnings at $2.12 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $2.06 EPS and FY2023 earnings at $8.40 EPS.

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Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD  Get Rating) (NYSE:TD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported C$2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$2.16 by C$0.07. Toronto-Dominion Bank had a net margin of 31.78% and a return on equity of 14.29%. The business had revenue of C$12.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$12.12 billion.

Toronto-Dominion Bank Price Performance

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Cormark lowered their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$105.00 to C$98.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$110.00 to C$95.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 4th. CSFB cut their price objective on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$97.00 to C$94.00 in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Barclays cut shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the stock from C$101.00 to C$83.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Toronto-Dominion Bank presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$96.76.

Shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank stock opened at C$81.35 on Monday. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a fifty-two week low of C$76.40 and a fifty-two week high of C$97.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of C$81.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$86.79. The company has a market cap of C$148.87 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.84.

Toronto-Dominion Bank Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 5th. Toronto-Dominion Banks dividend payout ratio is currently 46.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Senior Officer Riaz Ahmed sold 37,832 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$89.01, for a total value of C$3,367,426.32. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock.

About Toronto-Dominion Bank

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, U.S. Retail, Wealth Management and Insurance, and Wholesale Banking segments. The company offers personal deposits, such as checking, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases.

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Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 789,617 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after acquiring an additional 18,696 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolinas holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $86,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 154,563,421 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $14,955,557,000 after buying an additional 2,011,683 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,138,862 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $7,173,676,000 after purchasing an additional 351,136 shares during the period. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the third quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 15,689,512 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,518,117,000 after purchasing an additional 316,416 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 218,683 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 8.6% in the third quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,226,688 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $989,536,000 after acquiring an additional 813,894 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.93% of the companys stock.

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Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

ABT stock traded down $0.31 on Wednesday, hitting $109.94. 1,373,831 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,187,361. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $93.25 and a 1-year high of $118.23. The stock has a market cap of $191.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $103.67 and a 200-day moving average of $105.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Rating ) last released 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 business had revenue of $9.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.64 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 22.36%. The firms revenue was down 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.73 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is presently 62.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were 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 directly owns 52,203 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,256,842.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were 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 directly owns 52,203 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,256,842.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,825,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $757,746,582.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 60,197 shares of company stock worth $6,659,607. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on ABT. Citigroup boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. SVB Leerink upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, March 31st. Raymond James upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $122.37.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

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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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VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY  Get Rating) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 9th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 24th will be given a dividend of 0.063 per share by the energy company on Friday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from VAALCO Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.06.

VAALCO Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 25.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings.

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VAALCO Energy Stock Performance

Shares of EGY stock traded down $0.33 on Wednesday, hitting $3.81. 2,964,910 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,498,374. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $409.46 million, a PE ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 1.58. VAALCO Energy has a 1-year low of $3.51 and a 1-year high of $8.77. The companys fifty day moving average is $4.42 and its 200 day moving average is $4.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

VAALCO Energy ( NYSE:EGY Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 6th. The energy company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 43.34% and a net margin of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $96.59 million for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that VAALCO Energy will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EGY. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY lifted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 80.4% in the 4th quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 6,446 shares of the energy companys stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,872 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,310 shares of the energy companys stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980 shares in the last quarter. 31.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on VAALCO Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of VAALCO Energy in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on VAALCO Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. They set a buy rating for the company.

About VAALCO Energy

(Get Rating)

VAALCO Energy, Inc engages in the acquisition, development, and production of crude oil. It operates through the following segments: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Gabon Segment focuses on the Offshore Gabon-Etame Marin Permit operation. The Equatorial Guinea segment deals with the Equatorial Guinea-Block P operation.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IWS  Get Rating) by 83.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,619 shares of the companys stock after selling 13,136 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF were worth $276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF during the first quarter worth $26,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Accurate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 336 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors acquired a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000.

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iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSEARCA IWS opened at $104.15 on Wednesday. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has a 52 week low of $94.32 and a 52 week high of $116.73. The firm has a market cap of $12.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 1.08. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $105.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.57.

About iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell Midcap Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell Midcap Value Index (the Value Index). The Value Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market.

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Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS  Get Rating)  Investment analysts at KeyCorp increased their FY2023 earnings estimates for shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 3rd. KeyCorp analyst J. Hammond now anticipates that the technology company will post earnings per share of $7.50 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.05. The consensus estimate for Watts Water Technologies current full-year earnings is $6.99 per share.

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A number of other research firms also recently commented on WTS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $174.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $144.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given 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 $148.57.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.2 %

Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $168.09 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.71. Watts Water Technologies has a 12 month low of $116.31 and a 12 month high of $181.40.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The technology company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $471.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $473.29 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 19.77% and a net margin of 13.16%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Watts Water Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WTS. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,237 shares of the technology companys stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 41.6% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 881 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,951 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $11,160,000 after purchasing an additional 10,288 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $2,395,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $14,626,000. 74.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 9,254 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.76, for a total value of $1,570,959.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 175,970 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $29,872,667.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from Watts Water Technologiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Watts Water Technologiess payout ratio is 15.38%.

Watts Water Technologies Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Watts Water Technologies, Inc engages in the manufacture and provision of products for water conservation, safety, and flow control. It operates through the following geographic segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Its services include plumbing and flow control solutions, water quality and conditioning, water reuse and drainage, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and municipal waterworks.

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Emotions flared after the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the constitutional right to abortion. Omahans rallied in support of abortion rights at Memorial Park in the wake of the court decision. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  A blockbuster pairing of two controversial bills in the waning days of the 2023 state legislative session has state senators and advocates buzzing.

But could a state constitutional requirement that bills contain only a single subject later trip up the merging of a 12-week ban on abortions into a proposal to ban minors from having gender-affirming surgeries?

That question, posed to state senators, legal scholars, a veteran lobbyist and a longtime former Clerk of the Legislature brought a resounding response: maybe.

No one can say

Nobody can say with any degree of certainty, said veteran lobbyist Walt Radcliffe, who is also an attorney.

The best way to stop a radical abortion ban is to stop a radical abortion  so we need 17 senators to vote against this bill.  State Sen. Danielle Conrad, an abortion rights advocate

Anthony Schutz, of the University of Nebraska College of Law, said the question will come down to, Is there something that ties these two things together?

Thats the thing I have a hard time with, Schutz said.

Richard Witmer, a political science professor at Creighton University, added, as did others, that a final decision might come down to members of a State Supreme Court appointed mostly by Republican governors who oppose abortion rights.

If I am a legislator and I anticipate a legal challenge, I would do everything I could to make the argument that there is a single subject that addresses two topics of interest to the Legislature, Witmer said.

Shock waves hit on Monday when it was announced that opponents of abortion rights were attempting to resurrect the once-dead issue by proposing a new, 12-week ban on abortion  rather than a six-week, heartbeat proposal defeated two weeks ago.

As far as it being germane, the title of my bill is 'Let Them Grow.' That's pretty germane  State Sen. Kathleen Kauth, an opponent of abortion rights and lead sponsor of a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors

The 12-week ban would be amended into Legislative Bill 574, an equally controversial measure sitting on final-round debate that would ban minors from having gender-affirming procedures.

The pairing, portrayed as a compromise to attract more support for both measures, included a narrowing of the original LB 574 to ban only gender-altering surgeries.

The new proposal could come up for debate as early as later this week. Its first hurdle likely will be determining whether the two proposals are germane, or appropriately paired, a decision that would be made by the presiding officer of the Legislature, likely Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, the main sponsor of LB 574, said theres no doubt the two measures are germane, since both deal with allowing lives to mature.

The title of my bill is Let Them Grow. Thats pretty germane, Kauth said.

But deep in the State Constitution is a rarely discussed and largely untested clause that states: No bill shall contain more than one subject, and the subject shall be clearly expressed in the title.

Single subject rule largely untested

That single subject rule could become a key issue later, in an expected legal challenge to the amended LB 574, if, as many expect, it is passed and signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen. His office was keenly involved in crafting the new proposal.

Some history: Schutz said the single subject clause grew out of distrust of government back in pioneer days, when state governments were being formed.

1990 opinion In 1990, the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office issued an opinion that a bill was probably unconstitutional because it contained more than one subject. Then-State Sen. Ernie Chambers had objected to a proposal that paired making steroids a controlled substance with requiring financial institutions to maintain records of transactions of over $10,000. The AGs Office ruled that the main portion of the bill addressed crimes and punishment, while the record-keeping portion did not. But, because courts have given liberal interpretation to the single subject rule in the past, the AG said it was unsure whether a court would find the bill unconstitutional.

The goal, Schutz said, was to require a clear indication of the subject of a piece of legislation, as well as to preventing log rolling, the process of trading favors between lawmakers by adding more provisions they support to a bill to gain their support for it.

Christmas trees proliferate

Schutz, in several tweets this year, has raised questions about the single subject rule when it comes to the proliferation of Christmas tree bills in the Nebraska Legislature, measures that combine up to 20 bills or more into a ingle proposal.

Christmas tree bills are a means to get a lot of things passed when time for debate has been severely limited by an endless string of filibusters, mounted by Omaha Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Megan Hunt in protest of Kauths bill.

But, Schutz asked, can 20-plus proposals really be a single subject and can one description of a Christmas tree bill adequately describe sll of it?

In addition, he asked, can two once-separate proposals  in this case one restricting transgender rights and other restricting abortion rights  now be classified as a single subject?

A big difference, those interviewed said, between a 20-bill Christmas tree on insurance or education issues and the two-bill marriage of abortion restrictions and transgender rights is that the latter is more likely to be challenged in court.

While there have been some pretty strict court rulings on single subject when it comes to initiative petition drives  mostly notably tossing off measures dealing with legalizing medical marijuana from the 2020 ballot  there has been less precedence concerning legislation, Schutz said.

In the court rulings he has found, he said, courts tend to focus on the title of a bill and whether it accurately describes whats in it.

Both deal with reproductive health?

It cant be too broad a description, Schutz said. Saying both measures deal with medical care or protecting children might be too general, he said.

Witmer, the Creighton professor, agreed. Describing the merged bills as focusing on reproductive health care might be enough, he said, but its hard to tell.

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who introduced the amendment Monday melding the two measures, said the single subject issue was considered in crafting the compromise.

The abortion portion of his amendment is called the Preborn Child Protection Act, which bears some resemblance to the Let Them Grow Act.

Hansen said he sees three ways the two bills deal with a single subject: Both deal with the Department of Health and Human Services, both deal with licensure, and both deal with safety and welfare.

It checks a lot of the boxes, the senator said.

Everyone interviewed said that courts tend to give legislatures some leeway in interpreting whether a bill meets the single subject rule. Some said federal courts might be more strict than a state court.

Courts tend to duck and weave

When that kind of stuff goes to a court, they tend to duck and weave, said former Clerk of the Legislature Patrick ODonnell.

He said he could recall only one single subject lawsuit concerning a bill, and that was a federal case back in the 1960s that was ultimately decided on another issue.

It used to be, ODonnell said, that when an issue was killed by a filibuster, it didnt come up again that session. But that changed last year, he said, when a tax relief package failed to advance twice before it finally advanced.

It should be noted that this years speaker of the Legislature, Sen. John Arch, consistently said that the heartbeat bill, LB 626, was dead for the year after a cloture vote  to end a filibuster failed. But Arch did not say that another abortion measure wouldnt be considered.

Lincoln State Sen. Danielle Conrad said fellow supporters of abortion rights should not pin their hopes in blocking the latest abortion proposal on expectations that a court will strike it down on a technicality, such as the single subject rule.

The best way to stop a radical abortion ban is to stop a radical abortion  so we need 17 senators to vote against this bill, she said, referring to the number of votes needed to sustain a filibuster.

Nebraska Examiner intern Zach Wendling contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden and top congressional leaders were unable to reach a bipartisan debt limit agreement during a closed-door meeting Tuesday, leaving the dispute unresolved as the country moves closer to a default predicted as soon as early June.

White House staff and aides to the four congressional leaders, however, will meet throughout the week to discuss the nations borrowing ceiling and future spending levels before Biden and the lawmakers get back together Friday.

Biden said during brief remarks in the Roosevelt Room following the meeting that he believes the talks were productive and that he is looking for a debt limit agreement that addresses the ceiling for at least a year.

He maintained that he would like to see negotiations on the debt limit and on future spending remain on separate paths but noted that staff will discuss federal funding levels ahead of the leaders next meeting on Friday.

Ive said all along lets discuss what we need to cut, what we need to protect, what new revenue we can raise, and how to lower the deficit to put our fiscal house in order, Biden said. But in the meantime, we need to take the threat of default off the table.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said outside the White House following the late-afternoon meeting that nothing has changed since he met with Biden in early February  the last time the two discussed the issue.

The only thing that has changed is the House has raised the debt ceiling and passed a bill. Thats why we had a meeting today, McCarthy said. Everybody at this meeting reiterated the positions they were at. I didnt see any new movement. The president said the staff should get back together, but I was very clear with the president, we have now just two weeks to go.

If (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer could pass something, wed go to conference right away and solve that, but I dont think Chuck Schumer can pass anything. They havent dealt with it, McCarthy, a California Republican, continued.

Schumer, also speaking after the meeting, said Biden asked the leaders to begin discussions on a compromise.

There are probably some places we can agree and some places we can compromise, hopefully, but that has to occur as part of the budget and appropriations process, the New York Democrat said.

Biden and Schumer have repeatedly said they want a clean debt ceiling bill. Biden said he would veto the House bill that Republicans pushed through following a 217-215 vote on April 26.

Neither McCarthy nor Schumer answered questions on whether Congress could reach a short-term deal to raise the debt ceiling while negotiations play out on annual funding levels. When asked about a short-term debt limit solution, Biden said Im not ruling anything out.

I said Id come back and talk. Really the one thing Im ruling out is default, Biden said.

Negotiations on the 12 appropriations bills occur annually, and are supposed to wrap up before the end of the fiscal year each Sept. 30  though Congress hasnt met that deadline in more than two decades.

First-time meeting for all five

The White House meeting was the first time the five men sat down to discuss how to address the countrys borrowing limit amid a deep dispute between Democrats and Republicans.

GOP leaders want to tie caps on some federal spending to the debt limit bill while Democrats argue Congress should pass stand-alone legislation before moving on to debate government spending during the appropriations process.

The Treasury Department says without legislation to raise or suspend the debt limit, the country could default as soon as June 1 and the Bipartisan Policy Center places the window for default between early June and early August.

Without a bipartisan deal, a default would prevent the Treasury Department from borrowing any more money to pay for spending Congress has already approved.

That would mean federal officials could not pay all of the nations bills in full and on time, leading to delays in checks going out for hundreds of federal programs. That would impact Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, federal employee salaries and much more.

A default on the debt would be significantly different from the partial government shutdowns that have occurred a handful of times during the last decade.

Depending on how long a default lasts, it could trigger a global recession and lead the United States to experience its first credit downgrade since 2011.

Were running out of time

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said after the meeting the debt limit can only be solved by the one person in America who can sign something into law, and by the majority of the opposite party in divided government.

Hopefully thats the direction in which well head now because were running out of time, McConnell said after returning to the U.S. Capitol.

McConnell sought to reinforce that the country will not default on the debt, saying its not unusual for negotiations on spending to move alongside talks on the debt limit.

The situation, McConnell said, is similar to 2019, when he told then-President Donald Trumps administration to negotiate a two-year spending caps and debt limit deal with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat.

The way the deal finally came together is when I told President Trump  even though he was not excited about it  he had to reach a deal with Nancy Pelosi, McConnell said. Thats what President Biden needs to do.

One major difference between this year and the Trump administration agreements is that the federal government was operating under a deficit reduction law known as the Budget Control Act during those negotiations. That law lasted for a decade following its enactment in 2011.

The law set strict spending limits on both defense and nondefense discretionary spending, and those limits could only be raised by bipartisan legislation.

Republicans backed raising those caps to avoid what they referred to as austere limits on defense funding while Democrats came to the table to negotiate increases to the domestic spending cap. Debt limit talks often rode along with those spending cap increases.

Biden: Im not being a wise guy

Biden praised Schumer, McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, following the Tuesday meeting, but mentioned that McCarthy occasionally made a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top during the meeting.

As far as whether he can trust any agreements McCarthy makes on behalf of House Republicans, Biden indicated the California Republican could have some challenges with his conference if a debt limit deal is struck.

I trust Kevin will try to do what he says, Biden said. I dont know how much leeway Kevin McCarthy thinks he has  Im not being a wise guy, when I say it took 15 votes for him to acquire the speakership, and apparently he had to make some serious concessions to get it from the most extreme elements of his party.

Biden maintained he remained confident the country wouldnt default on its debts.

Im absolutely certain because you have  an overwhelming number of the members of Congress know it would be a disaster.

When asked about using the 14th Amendment to bypass Congress and raise the debt ceiling unilaterally, Biden said: The problem is, it would have to be litigated, and in the meantime without an extension, the (situation) would still end up in the same place.

Biden said he has been considering the 14th Amendment, which deals in part with the U.S. debt, with respect to the debt limit.

He added once hes past this debt limit debate, he wants to take a look months down the road at what a court would say on whether a president can use those provisions to address the debt ceiling without action by Congress.
Parents, educators, school leaders and members of the public flood the steps of the Nebraska State Capitol in support of public schools and against an "opportunity scholarships" measure on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  The state teachers union has already organized a campaign committee to challenge the Opportunity Scholarships Act, even though the measure hasnt yet been approved by the Nebraska Legislature.

The Support Our Schools Nebraska committee was recently filed with the state sunshine commission, and a Support Our Schools website is already up.

LB 753 awaits final debate

The website calls for donations and for volunteers to gather signatures to put a referendum on the 2024 ballot to overturn the not-yet-approved Legislative Bill 753.

The bill advanced to final-round debate a month ago on a 33-11 vote, putting Nebraska at the doorstep of having its first school choice program.

Jenni Benson, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said Tuesday that if LB 753 is signed into law, her organization will seek to allow voters to repeal.

Three times previously, Nebraska voters have rejected public dollars for private education at the ballot box, Benson said. If a majority of state lawmakers continue to ignore the wishes of Nebraska voters, we will do all we can to allow voters to repeal this harmful, ill-advised legislation.

Time is of the essence  under state law, signatures gathered to force a referendum vote must be turned in within 90 days of the end of the legislative session, which this year would mean a deadline in early September.

Silliness

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the main sponsor of LB 753, called the effort led by NSEA silliness given the large increases in spending on public education in the works this year. Those include a $1 billion education future fund proposed by Gov. Jim Pillen, increased funding for special education services and financial incentives for teachers to remain in the field.

And theyre going to spend $2- to $3 million (on a referendum campaign) because they dont want other kids to have an opportunity? Linehan said. It just boggles my mind.

Her LB 753, the Opportunity Scholarships Act, would allow individuals and corporations to earn a tax credit, allowing them to direct 50% of their state tax liability to organizations that provide scholarships to private and parochial, K-12 schools.

Initially, up to $25 million a year would be allowed for the Opportunity Scholarships tax credits. Scholarships  estimated to be about $5,000 each  would be prioritized for children in poverty.

Nebraska and North Dakota are the only two states that do not provide some kind of school choice. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed a private school voucher bill last month that state lawmakers had passed.

Options for low-income families

Linehan and other backers of LB 753 maintain that low-income families should have the same opportunity to choose a private school as well-heeled families.

Opponents, led by the NSEA, argue that diverting $25 million a year to private schools takes funds away from public education. They question whether LB 753 is constitutional and whether its passage would lead to more extensive school choice measures, such as state vouchers to attend private schools.

Linehan said Tuesday shes confident that shell have the 33 votes necessary to pass LB 753. Gov. Jim Pillen is a supporter, so his signature is assured.

But the NSEA and other public school supporters are banking on Nebraska voters rejecting school choice if given that opportunity.

School choice measures, historically, havent done well across the nation.

The nonprofit, Florida-based news site, flaglerlive.com, has reported that of the 16 referendums presented to voters nationwide on school choice, 14 were rejected.

The website reported that of the 121 school choice programs created across the U.S., only two have been approved by voters.
Contax RTS II with Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar

60mm /2.8 C 1:2 macro lens

I don't know how deep a dive you want on this. I just noticed that these seem to be quite cheap on eBay, and it's a camera I had a lot of history with, although I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of what I once knew. Although I've refreshed my memory on a few names and dates, the following is mostly off the top of my head, not researched exhaustively (I'm a blogger, folks), so take it with that leetle grain o' salt.

Background

Brief history: Zeiss was once by far the most prestigious camera manufacturer in Germany (right, Leica was distinctly second fiddle) and hence the World. When the Japanese started making cameras in a serious way after WWII, most of their efforts were knockoffs and copies at first, and nobody thought they would amount to much. But Japanese cameras were cheapalways an advantageand as the years went by they got better and better. What turned out to be the last great flowering of mainstream German cameramaking occurred in the 1950s, when Leica sold almost a quarter of a million of one of the most beautiful cameras ever made, the M3 rangefinder*. No similar Zeiss rangefinder ever sold in numbers like that, because Zeiss rangefinders were saddled with a more complicated and less reliable shutter design. But no other Leica M rangefinder ever sold as much, either. The M3 was kinda like the Miata in that senseMazda still trumpets the Miata as the most popular two-seater ever made, but that's because of huge sales of the original model in the '90s. Later ones sold in what, comparatively speaking, are dribs and drabs. Same for Leica rangefinders (although the M6 sold strongly, considering. Nowhere near as well as the M3 however). Even Leica once tried to give up on rangefinders, when it moved the tooling for the M4 to Canada.

When Nikon made the professional Nikon F, its first SLR and a camera with build quality rivaling that of older Zeisses, at the end of the nineteen-fifties, and other Japanese makers started upping their game in SLRs (Pentax, with its M42 screwmount Spotmatic line starting in 1964, was the dominant SLR maker of the decade), it spelled the beginning of the end for rangefinders as mainstream top pro cameras. What formerly had been the most admired type of photographer, the globe-trotting photojournalist and the embedded combat photographer, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, David Douglas Duncan, and LIFE magazine's Alfred Eistenstadt as paragons, began giving way among amateur shutterbugs to more of an admiration for studio pros and and fashion photographers such as the David Bailey character in the movie Blow-up. Amateurs wanted to use wider, faster, and longer lenses for effect, and camera magazines, led by the influential Herbert Keppler, who had taken the helm at Modern Photography in 1956, heavily touted the advantages of the SLRs' through-the-lens viewfinders. As photographers began migrating en masse to SLRs, the old rangefinders (apart from the cheaper and delightful fixed-lens compacts you can read all about on Stephen Gandy's CameraQuest site) got slaughtered, and the Japanese eventually sent the Germans packing. (And by the way, this was the origin of the Leica mythos, because a whole new generation of artistic and expressive photographers in the 1960s, young and poor at the time, found Leica M3's plentiful and cheap on camera store used shelves, and adopted them.) By the early 1970s the shift was more or less a fait accompliGermany was no longer the center of cameramaking in the World. Zeiss's camera business, and in fact the entire German camera industry, was in decline, Japan in the ascendancy.

Contax to CONTAX

The result for Zeiss was a cooperative agreement with Yashica, a second-tier Japanese camera company founded in 1949 and based in Nagano, officially dated from 1975 (it's complicated). Yashica would make the cameras, and Zeiss would make the lenses: the best of both worlds, on paper. The marque took a venerated Zeiss model name, Contax, as its brand name; the Japanese styled it "CONTAX" in all caps, but that "sounds" wrong when English speakers read it (all caps was later called "shouting" when the Internet took off) and it never stuck, except internally.

Yashica had something to prove, which is always a good thing. Although it was a giant high tech company, it was not the most prestigious of the Japanese makers: that was Nikon, in those years. Yashica's maiden Contax (or CONTAX) product was the RTS (for "real time system"), designed by Prof. Dr. Katsuiko Sugaya and known from 1973 as "Top Secret Project 130." It was a premium SLR boasting what was then the latest in technology, including an electronically-controlled shutter and electronic aperture and shutter-speed readouts next to the image in the finder. The electronics look rudimentary to us today, but they were the latest thing then: the landmark full-electronic Canon A-1 didn't come along until 1978. Fully in keeping with the new marque's strong German connections, the industrial designthe stylingof the RTS was created by Porsche Design, which had recently been founded as an independent concern in Stuttgart by F.A. Porsche. "Butzi" Porsche, as he was known, was the son of Ferry Porsche and grandson of founder Ferdinand. His first(!) product design had been the original Porsche 911, no less. Which is not too shabby, you must admit. I believe the RTS was his first camera design, but don't hold me to that. The date for the Contax RTS is variously given as 1974 or 1975.

Seven or eight years later, in 1982eight to 10 years being pretty standard as a rate of refresh for top camera models in that era, a standard set by Nikonalong came the RTS II. And although the outer styling was still by Porsche Design and the RTS II looked a lot like the original RTS, the innards, and the operation, of the refreshed and refined new camera were a different story entirely.

And we shall get to that tomorrow.

Mike

*"Willi Stein designed the camera, the rangefinder is from Stein and Ludwig Leitz, the finder optics are from Heinrich Schneider and Willi Keiner, [and] the M bayonet is from Hugo Wehrenfennig." the late Erwin Puts, in private correspondence.

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Andrew Kochanowski: "A post after my heart. The shutter and the overall feel of the Contax cameras, no matter what model, is exactly the same: smooth, damped, weighted, and impeccable. The beauty of it today is you can buy a banged-up model off eBay and it will likely work like new. I got one for about $130 to use with a Zeiss 24mm for a project, and sold it a few years later for about $135. If you don't mind, I can tell you that my book The Grift was shot with a Contax T2 that dates back to the late 1990s. The Trump people frowned on 'professional' cameras, I didn't have the heart to tell them my 38mm /2.8 Zeiss was as pro as anyone needed. Looking forward to Part II and maybe many more on Contax."

Shaun O'Boyle: "I photographed with an RTS II for years. I don't think I've felt as much 'one with a camera' since using the RTS II. It had what I needed, where I needed it, with a solid reliable build. I miss that connection to a well-made image-making instrument, lacking to various degrees in every camera I have owned since the RTS II."

Stephen S. (partial comment): "Please do continue telling us fascinating stories of these cameras, hopefully in a way that satisfies all I want to know without making me want to try to buy one!"

John Krumm: "It's kind of funny to read about the Z8 everywhere, and then come here and the big gear post is part one about a Contax RTS II. Refreshing actually."

Mike replies: I'll get around to writing about the Z8 in 40 years or so.

Spin Drift: "I was in high school when the original came out. I was using my Dad's Contaflex at the time and was smitten by the Zeiss glass. In college I was fortunate to work in a department store camera department and could buy equipment on discount. Saving up for a year and a second job netted me a first generation RTS, 25mm /2.8, 85mm /1.4, and 135mm /2.8. I still have them and use them. Went Nikon for digital and secured an adapter that lets me use those lens on my Z cameras. I bought a 'Blad instead of upgrading to a RTS II in '85. Still have the 'Blad. Sensing a theme here? I like old glass for use on newer mirrorless bodies. I was able to buy an F2AS with 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm and 200mm out of an estate. Having a lot of fun with them. Keep on keeping on!"
CARBONDALE  Dr. Earleen Patterson, Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Student Opportunities, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SIU Edwardsville and Father Joseph Brown, S.J., Ph.D., Professor at SIU Carbondale are the inaugural recipients of the Southern Illinois University System Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards were presented when the SIU Board of Trustees met recently in Carbondale. In addition to recognition during the board meeting, Dr. Patterson and Fr. Brown received a plaque and a $1,500 honorarium.

Dr. Sheila Caldwell, Vice President of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts at the SIU System led the presentation on behalf of the board and President Dan Mahony.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was a collaborative effort of the System Diversity Advisory Council to recognize longtime team members who have documented service promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on our campuses. Dr. Patterson and Fr. Brown have made a robust impact on students, faculty and staff and we are pleased to celebrate them for creating, sustaining and expanding ADEI with the goal of creating opportunities resulting in greater justice and belonging, said Dr. Caldwell.

While making the presentation to Dr. Patterson and Father Brown, Dr. Caldwell shared excerpts from the nominations submitted on each recipients behalf:

Dr. Earleen Patterson is trusted and respected by her students. They recognize and value her commitment to their success. She has proven to be a powerful role model and an inspiration, especially for her female students. Her office is known as a place for caring and developing students who otherwise might not have succeeded in their journey at SIUE. It was noted that Dr. Pattersons staff reflect her values of student first and student self-empowerment. Her compassion and caring earned her the reputation of being someone whom students could turn to in time of adversity.

Dr. Pattersons reputation has earned her many accolades, recognition and praise from staff and faculty and especially students. Her students describe her as phenomenal, inspirational, charismatic, and compassionate, many commenting they credit a lot of their success to her mentorship and guidance.

Father Dr. Joseph Browns contributions to SIU, to Southern Illinois and the world are numerous. In nominating him, one individual wrote when he first met Father Brown, I observed his leadership in person and through broadcast fundraising, programs, and outreach events organized by WSIU: Father Brown supported compassionate care of formerly incarcerated individuals in community conversations; he was a superb facilitator for Ties That Bind, a public Town Hall connecting Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, and Muslim religious leaders, and the community.

Father Brown previously hosted a WSIU Southern Issues episode with Dick Gregory, provided commentary for SIUs Little Rock Three, and appeared with Paul Simon and Bruce Weber on Celebrate 2000. As an advisor to student organizations, Father Brown has created a sense of belonging. He has inspired people of all walks of life to respect each other and to imagine a more just future together.

The purpose of the ADEI Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognize staff and faculty members whose careers include generally 20 years or more of documented service and advocacy in antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion at SIUs campuses. Nominees should have made a meaningful impact on a robust number of students, staff, alumni, and/or faculty members. The Award celebrates individuals who create, sustain, and expand ADEI, resulting in greater justice and belonging for all members in our community.

On behalf of everyone across the SIU System, we congratulate Dr. Patterson and Fr. Brown for their legacy of service and the example of their leadership. The differences they have made to so many, especially our students who have had the benefit of their mentorship, is immeasurable and represents the very best of what we want the SIU experience to be, especially given our strong commitment to ADEI, said SIU System President Dan Mahony.
MOUNT VERNON  A state trooper was wounded and a 23-year-old motorist was killed early Tuesday morning in an exchange of gunfire along an interstate highway in Southern Illinois, police said.

Illinois State Police said preliminary findings indicate that troopers were responding to help a motorist at about 3 a.m. along Interstate 64 when an altercation happened.

Police said the motorist, identified as 23-year-old Brandon L. Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico, displayed a firearm and exchanged gunfire with troopers. Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 16-year-veteran trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

A second trooper who had responded to the scene and a female passenger in Griffin's vehicle were not hurt, the agency said on Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting happened near the Jefferson County seat of Mount Vernon, closing the interstate's eastbound lanes for more than three hours.

State police said the agency's own internal investigators are handling the case, with evidence to be turned over to the Jefferson County State's Attorney's Office for review.

No additional information was made available Tuesday afternoon.

Gallery: Photos from massive Interstate 39 crash 123.png Winter-Weather-Illinois Winter-Weather-Illinois Winter-Weather-Illinois Winter-Weather-Illinois Winter-Weather-Illinois Winter-Weather-Illinois
Electric vehicle drivers are about to have a lot more charging options in Wyoming.

OtterSpace, a company founded in 2021 by state Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, announced Monday that it plans to install fast charging stations  also known as level 3 chargers  in Lander, Dubois and Pinedale this year, along with a number of slower level 2 chargers in downtown Laramie.

The first of the three fast chargers OtterSpace is building, a 120-kilowatt station in Lander, is set to break ground this month at the Fremont County Pioneer Museum and be in operation by early June. Itll be followed by a 200-kilowatt station at the Dubois Museum and a 120-kilowatt station at a public parking lot in Pinedale.

Pinedale Mayor Matt Murdock said in a statement that the station will give Pinedale area residents more transportation options while allowing us to welcome a broader tourism base to strengthen local businesses.

Additional charging stations are expected to follow at the Riverton Museum and other not-yet-named sites over the next few years, OtterSpace said.

The limited availability of charging stations along Wyoming roads make many parts of the state challenging, if not impossible, to traverse in an electric vehicle. OtterSpace wants to open more of the state to those drivers  starting with the most popular routes.

Pinedale, Dubois and Lander are all places where we really expect a lot of traffic, said Kristen Gunther, the companys vice president.

For our first round of projects, she added, we were really trying to think about where traffic is going to be  and trying to get projects in the ground that will actually meet the needs of a growing class of driver that we know are increasingly looking to use those routes.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has identified the highways used heavily by out-of-state travelers, particularly those near Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, as priority sites for electric vehicle charging stations. (Federal officials rejected most of Wyomings requests last year to modify its use of Infrastructure Law charging funds to better meet local needs, frustrating the state and many electric vehicle advocates.)

OtterSpace anticipates that a lot of its stations early demand will come from tourists. But the company is hopeful that the growing network of public chargers throughout the state will prompt more Wyoming residents to buy electric vehicles, too.

As you increase the infrastructure on the ground, that makes it possible for folks to travel through Wyoming with increasing ease, Gunther said. We dont want it to feel like a sacrifice that youre making. If you decide to live in Wyoming and have an EV, we want it to be seamless. Wed like it to be easy for anybody using the roads.

The level 2 chargers planned for Laramie will be installed near stores and restaurants, Gunther said, so that people have the capacity to kind of pass through, stop for a few hours, visit, charge their EV and, again, not be worried about range.

Todd Feezer, Laramies assistant city manager, said in a statement that local leaders are excited about the addition to their downtown.
A Texas couple is suing Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the ski rental and ski manufacturer companies the resort uses after a womans binding blew off, causing her to tumble down a slope during an anniversary trip, a court filing alleges.

On Wednesday, Hoback Sports, Inc., Head USA, Inc. and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort generally denied any responsibility, stating the woman failed to follow the instructions and warnings given to her upon renting the skis, the companies answer states.

Pam and Chad Fields went to Jackson on March 13, 2021, to celebrate their anniversary with a ski trip. The next day, they rented ski equipment, as they had flown in from Dallas.

Pam Fields is an experienced skier, who started when she was 3 years old, the lawsuit states. She skied throughout her childhood and adult years, and was 45 and in good health at the time of the incident.

The Fields rode a gondola to the top of a ski run called Sundog, which is considered a trail for intermediate-skilled skiers.

They put their equipment on at the top of the trail, and Chad Fields started down the slope, the complaint states. He stopped about halfway down to wait for his wife.

While Pam Fields attempted her second right turn, the left binding blew off her ski and flew about 10 to 15 feet in the air, causing her left boot to become detached from her ski.

Her left knee immediately twisted and buckled, and she fell onto her left shoulder, the complaint states. The right ski was still attached, which caused her to twist and dislocate her right shoulder.

Pam continued to tumble and twist down the mountain until her right ski eventually came off.

On the way down, she attempted to claw at the snow to regain control.

The force of her clawing and tumbling broke her fingernails off inside of her gloves, the complaint states. When Pam finally stopped falling and tumbling down the run, she immediately felt shooting pain in her left knee, shoulders and down the right side of her body.

Pam alleges that she did not come in contact with any hazard on the run  natural or otherwise  that would have caused her binding to malfunction.

The couples attorney says that Head USA, Inc. negligently planned, designed and manufactured these ski bindings. The suit further contends the ski lodge and the rental company are also liable for offering the faulty product to their customers.

Although it wasnt detailed how, the ski lodge and rental company argue the ski binding was subject to abuse, misuse and/or unforeseeable modification and/or alteration after it was left with Fields, the defendants answer, which was filed Wednesday, states.

Stephenson Emery and Kevin Gregory, who are representing the ski rental company and the ski binding manufacturer, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Michael Newman, who is representing the Fields, also did not respond to a request for comment.

The couple filed for a jury trial this month and is seeking over $75,000 in damages.
Members of Wyomings congressional delegation were quick to share their stances following the historic March indictment of former president Donald Trump. But the delegation was quiet after a Manhattan jury found Trump liable on Tuesday of sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll.

Carroll brought two lawsuits against Trump for defamation and sexual battery in 2019 and 2022, respectively. She alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury department store, in 1996. Shes among more than a dozen women who have accused the former president of sexual assault or harassment.

After deliberating for nearly three hours on Tuesday, the jury of nine found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her by calling her accusations false. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.

All three of Wyomings Washington delegation were quick to share their stances when Trump was indicted in March, after which he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments he allegedly made to an adult film actress and a Playboy model. Trump is the first former president in the nations history to face criminal charges. Hes is also at the center of criminal investigations in Georgia and Washington related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified materials.

Hageman maintained her ardent support for Trump following his indictment, calling it a political witch hunt and third world stuff in a statement she issued the same day. On the day of his arraignment, Hageman said on Twitter that Trump was being treated like political opponents are treated in Russia, China, Cuba, or other dictatorships.

Hageman didnt respond for comment regarding Tuesdays verdict by deadline, nor did she say anything about the decision on social media as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In statements to the Star-Tribune on the day of Trumps indictment, Wyomings Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso also called the decision politically motivated.

Neither, however, are outspoken supporters of Trumps 2024 presidential bid. Barrasso has remained relatively neutral, saying that he would support whomever is chosen as the Republican Partys presidential nominee. (Barrasso didnt respond to the Star-Tribune by deadline regarding the Tuesday verdict.)

Lummis, on the other hand, has indicated a preference for Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as the partys nominee, though she has also said she would likely support whomever is chosen by the Republican Party.

Lummis was the only member of Wyomings congressional delegation who responded to the Star-Tribunes request for comment on Tuesday. She didnt say whether or not she would support Trump as the partys nominee following the verdict, instead commenting on the decisions impact on Trumps popularity.

People already have their minds made up about Donald Trump. It will not make anyone love him less or hate him less, she said in an emailed statement to the Star-Tribune. He had a trial and the jury came to a decision and that is that.

In addition to Carrolls testimony, the jury heard from Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her on an airplane in the 1970s, and writer Natasha Stoynoff, who said Trump kissed her against her will while she was interviewing him for an article in 2005. Jurors also watched the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape that documents Trump talking about grabbing womens genitals without their consent.

Trump was absent throughout the civil trial, which began April 25, including for the verdict on Tuesday. He plans to appeal the decision, according to Reuters. Theres no legal impact of the verdict on Trumps 2024 presidential candidacy.

The former president took to his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday to decry the verdict and claim again that he doesnt know Carroll. He called the decision a disgrace and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time.

PHOTOS: Inside Donald Trump's Save America Rally in Casper Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally
OPPOSITION Chief Whip Dr David Lee has called on the Government to state clearly whether citizens have been overcharged at retail fuel pumps for the past seven months.

Lee, the Pointe-a-Pierre MP, was contributing to Wednesdays mid-year budget debate in the Parliament, where he noted that for the last seven months, oil has averaged US$79 dollars per barrel but local fuel prices were based on an oil price of US$90, out of the 2023 budget.
Mothers Day, which is being celebrated around the world today, remains one of the best opportunities to honour the matriarch of the family.

Some people have bought flowers, gift baskets, electronics and other items to celebrate mothers today. Others will be preparing their mothers favourite dish to honour her.
This Mothers Day, say a prayer for Mona Johnitty who lost her only child to criminals almost two years ago, but never stopped being a mother.

Every morning she wakes up, she thinks, prays, and whispers her sons nameRyan.

With her unwavering faith and love for God, she keeps the thought in her heart that Ryan Johnitty, who was an electrical engineer, is at peace with the heavenly angels, and no one can harm him.
Not wishing, but before the worst happens it would be wise for all involved in the safety and security of patrons at large entertainment events to deliberate on and execute any and all strategies to secure those who attend.

Last Saturdays Redemption concert at the Queens Park Savannah, while not the first to be oversubscribed, was a near-miss that raises a red flag for promoters, safety officials and patrons. It calls for urgent, proactive intervention.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has resumed the practice of busing migrants to sanctuary cities as he believes that the impending increase in migrants due to the termination of Title 42 is a problem for the entire country.

The termination of Title 42 is expected to lead to a substantial increase in the number of migrants attempting to cross the US border, causing concern for cities like New York and Chicago, which are already struggling to accommodate a large number of asylum seekers.

New York City has reported that over 53,000 migrants have entered the city's shelter system in the last year.

As the COVID-era public health policy gets lifted, the governor of Texas has announced that he will resume busing migrants to sanctuary cities.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has resumed the practice of busing migrants to sanctuary cities, including New York and Chicago, as he believes that the impending increase in migrants due to the termination of Title 42 is a problem for the entire country, ABC 7 reported.

He wrote a letter to the mayor of Chicago on Monday, emphasizing that the migrant crisis is not solely a Texas issue.

This development is problematic for New York City, which has been struggling with the influx of migrants for a year. City officials report that over 53,000 migrants have entered the city's shelter system in the last year, with many arriving at the Port Authority.

Currently, around 200 asylum seekers are arriving in the city each day, but that number is expected to grow once Title 42 gets lifted on May 11.

New York, Chicago Struggle To House Migrants

According to CBS News, Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has tasked each commissioner to dig through their facility portfolios for any space for temporary locations to accommodate asylum seekers since he is in critical need of venues to serve as shelters.

The city has already opened 126 shelters. With even more asylum seekers expected with the termination of Title 42, New York City Mayor Adams is finding that there's simply no more room at the inn.

According to sources, the arrival of 61,000 asylum seekers in the city has prompted this decision. It is estimated that the number of arrivals could reach 100,000 by the end of the next fiscal year, with over 70,000 requiring shelter.

Read Also: Donald Trump Restrained From Posting on Social Media

In response to the surge of migrants in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration on Tuesday. Many people, mostly families, have been arriving in Chicago, and 48 were bused to the city on Tuesday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

With an even larger flood of new arrivals expected once Title 42 is lifted, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on Gov. JB Pritzker to mobilize the National Guard to provide staffing and logistical support to address this emergency in Chicago.

The New Life Center in Little Village is already packed with more migrants arriving in Chicago every day.

What's Title 42?

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented a public health order, referred to as Title 42, aimed at halting the spread of the virus.

Title 42 permitted authorities to quickly expel migrants at US land borders and has resulted in over 2.8 million expulsions of migrants at the US-Mexico border since its inception, per CNN. Migrants have either been returned to their home countries or sent back to Mexico.

The Biden administration has announced that the policy will end on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET, coinciding with the culmination of the national COVID-19 public health emergency, which had served as the legal basis for Title 42.

Officials expect that this move will lead to a substantial increase in the number of migrants attempting to cross the US border.

Related Article: US Authorities Dismantle Russian Cyberespionage Program

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The Government is doing itself and the public a complete disservice by rushing to introduce far-reaching legislative changes without the benefit of thorough research, analysis and consultation.

An immediate example is the Trial by Judge Alone Bill, 2023, which attempts to disband jury trials for all capital and non-capital indictable matters except in cases where the accused asks to be tried by judge and jury. If passed into law, these persons who request jury trial will have a smaller panel of nine jurors instead of the current 12 .
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israel launched targeted airstrikes in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing three senior commanders of the Islamic Jihad militant group in their homes and at least 10 civilians, Palestinian health officials said. Two of the commanders' wives, several of their children and civilian neighbors  including a hospital director, his wife and son  were among the dead.

The attacks set the stage for what is likely to be a new round of fighting a week after an exchange of fire between Israel and Islamic Jihad. Tuesday's airstrikes targeted an apartment and house in Gaza City and a third house in the southern town of Rafah. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 20 people were wounded.

Israel also targeted Islamic Jihad training sites before the airstrikes halted at daybreak. After an hourslong lull, the military said it struck a vehicle carrying anti-tank guided missiles to a launchpad in enclave's southern city of Khan Younis. Two people were killed in that attack, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, without providing their identities. No militant group immediately claimed the two as members.

At midday, tens of thousands of people rushed into the streets for two giant funerals, with at least 10 bodies carried on stretchers in a mass procession in Gaza City. Children's coffins were carried next to those of their parents.

Such targeted killings are rare, and in the past, Palestinian militant groups have retaliated with intense barrages of rocket fire.

In a prime-time televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would need to be patient in the coming days and that he had instructed the army to prepare for every possible scenario of escalation, including the likelihood that this could be on multiple fronts. Tonight I say to our enemies, every escalation by you will be answered with an overwhelming response," he said.

In anticipation of rocket fire, the Israeli military advised residents of communities within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of Gaza to stay close to designated bomb shelters. Israel's Home Front command ordered the closure of schools, beaches and highways in cities and towns in southern Israel, and limited public gatherings. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the call-up of reserves.

The Israeli military alleged that the three militants it targeted had been responsible for recent rocket fire toward Israel. It identified them as Khalil Bahtini, the Islamic Jihad commander for northern Gaza Strip; Tareq Izzeldeen, the group's intermediary between its Gaza and West Bank members; and Jehad Ghanam, the secretary of the Islamic Jihad's military council.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel's chief military spokesman, described the three militants as a source of instability. He alleged that Izzeldeen, for instance, had been trying to establish a rocket-manufacturing operation in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the 13 killed in the predawn strikes included four women and four children. That included Bahtini's wife and 4-year-old daughter and Izzeldeen's two young children. In the southern city of Rafah, Ghanam and his 62-year-old wife were killed in their home, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza.

Other uninvolved civilians who happened to live nearby were also killed. The strike on Izzeldeen's home killed three members of a family living upstairs  Jamal Khaswan, a prominent local dentist and chairman of Al-Wafaa Hospital, his wife and his 19-year-old son, Yousef, who was studying to be a dentist like his father, the rights group reported. Russian diplomats in the West Bank said Khaswan had Russian citizenship. A widely shared video showed their distraught young daughter, Miral, arriving alone at Gaza's main hospital and crying out for her father.

A simultaneous airstrike on Bahtinis home in eastern Gaza City killed two teenage sisters living in the apartment next door, the rights group said.

Danias blood was on her desk and bed. Eman was covered in debris," said their cousin, Ihab Adas. She said the sisters had gone to sleep shortly after Danias fiancee left the apartment. The girls' room was destroyed, she added.

Hagari expressed regret over the civilian casualties, but said they were impossible to avoid because Islamic Jihad operates inside residential areas.

From Israels perspective, Hagari added, the operation was over. But he said it would react to further attacks by Islamic Jihad or any other militant group. We have achieved our goals, he said. Now the ball is on the other side.

The Israeli airstrikes drew condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt, which often mediates between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza. The Arab League denounced the airstrikes as atrocious. The European Union said it was gravely concerned." France issued a stronger statement, saying it condemns all attacks that target civilians, and specifically those ... in which several Palestinian civilians were killed.

Palestinian militants in Gaza vowed revenge. Dawood Shahab, an Islamic Jihad official, said there would be a unified Palestinian response to the strikes at a time and place of the group's choosing.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned that Israel will pay the price for the killings. Assassinating the leaders with a treacherous operation will not bring security to the occupier, but rather more resistance, said Haniyeh.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas are both Iranian-backed groups that oppose Israel's existence and possess large arsenals of rockets and other weapons. Over the past year, the larger and more powerful Hamas has stayed mostly on the sidelines, while allowing Islamic Jihad to carry out attacks.

Islamic Jihad bombarded Israel with over 100 rockets last week after one of its senior members in the West Bank died from an 87-day hunger strike while in Israeli custody. The Israeli military responded with airstrikes and the exchange of fire ended with a fragile cease-fire.

Hagari said Israel had been planning the operation for the past week following Islamic Jihad's rocket fire but waited until Tuesday for what he said were the right conditions.

If Hamas joins the fighting, it would likely trigger an even heavier Israeli response. Two years ago, Israel and Hamas fought a brief war that killed over 250 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel.

The sudden airstrikes come at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Palestinians, particularly in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has been conducting near-daily raids for months to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. Israel says the raids in the West Bank are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks.

The Palestinians see the attacks as further entrenchment of Israels 56-year, open-ended occupation of lands they seek for a future state. So far, 105 Palestinians, about half of them affiliated with militant groups, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel.

Tuesday's airstrikes recalled Israel's similar targeted attacks that killed Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza in the summer of 2022. The surprise strikes set off a three-day blitz that led to the deaths of the militant group's two top commanders and other militants. Some two dozen Palestinian civilians  who have paid a high price over the years in Israeli attacks on Gaza  were also killed.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is angling to sign a $17.8 billion spending plan she negotiated with the Republican majority, even if legislators from her own party refuse to go along.

The move comes as Senate Democrats on Tuesday voted against every piece of the spending plan that Hobbs had approved. A key objection is the lack of a cap on state spending for unrestricted vouchers of state funds for private and parochial school tuition.

But Democrats also are unhappy that what was proposed to be state aid for the poor crafted by Hobbs instead was converted by Republicans  with the governors consent  into an income tax credit that gives no benefits to the neediest Arizonans.

All that leaves the question of whether there will be any support from Democratic lawmakers for the package that Hobbs negotiated when the final votes are counted as early as Wednesday. That may not possible with multiple key points of disagreement.

But their votes may not be necessary.

The governors press aide told Capitol Media Services on Tuesday that his boss stands behind the measure as she agreed to it in closed-door negotiations with GOP leadership  and as it now stands  regardless of objections from members of her own party.

She negotiated a budget that makes historic investments in housing, education, infrastructure and child health care in a divided government, said Christian Slater. He also said the package has critical accountability measures for empowerment scholarship accounts, the formal name for the vouchers of tax dollars available for students to attend private and parochial schools regardless of financial need.

Democrats, however, are less than impressed.

Aside from allowing the program to grow unimpeded  forever  those accountability measures largely include reports that have to be prepared about where students were enrolled before they got the vouchers, how many are English-language learners, how many have disabilities, and the annual amount of each voucher. Those figures can run from about $7,000 for a student without special needs to more than $30,000 depending on the individual needs of each student.

Slater, however, said the governor sees the wins she said she got as a good deal, even if the package contains things that she and many Democrats do not like. And Hobbs wants them to vote for it.

We believe everybody, regardless of party, can support these critical policies that will directly help everyday Arizonans and call on members of the Legislature to join together and pass this budget, Slater said. And he took a swat at those trying to pull the deal apart.

Arizonans want elected officials to be practical leaders, not bickering politicians, Slater said.

Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, said Democratic lawmakers may have no one but themselves to blame if they dont like whats in the package.

Livingston, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged the negotiations were a three-sided deal, with the governor, House Republican leadership and Senate Republican leaders.

And what of the 29 Democratic representatives and 14 Democratic senators?

They had the governors voice, Livingston said. And he said it was their choice to default to Hobbs rather than negotiate on their own.

I met with a number of Democrats in the House and requested their asks, he said of the spending plan. And the Democrat leadership decided not to do that.

Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, echoed the sentiment.

We had a deal with the governor, he said, with the rank-and-file lawmakers defaulting to her to make the case for Democratic priorities.

Some of them may have buyers remorse, Kavanagh said. But this is a good bipartisan budget.

One point of contention is that Hobbs asked for  and Democratic lawmakers supported  a new and permanent tax break that would give low-income parents $100 per year for each child.

There is a tax cut in the spending plan to which the governor agreed. Only thing is, it is an income tax credit of $250 a year per child for up to three children.

And its for one-year only.

More significant from the Democratic perspective is that, as a credit, it is available only to those who actually owe and paid at least $1 in state income taxes in 2019, 2020 or 2021. And that means no tax relief for the neediest Arizonans.

Kavanagh said members of his caucus believe rebates should be available only to people who actually have paid income taxes.

I think from the Republican standpoint we have a problem giving people tax breaks who dont pay taxes, he said. And people whose incomes are so low that they dont pay taxes are probably getting a large amount of government money from the state and federal government already.

Not mentioned, though, is that families who dont pay income taxes have other obligations including sales taxes and property taxes, the latter either paid directly by homeowners or indirectly through the rents paid to landlords.

But Livingston said he sees what the Democrats wanted as a form of wealth transfer: If people who made no income tax payments get cash from the state that means other citizens had to give them money.

Livingston conceded, though, GOP lawmakers have supported these kinds of unearned tax credits  rebates of money they never owed or paid  in the past. But that, he said, was for corporations, something Livingston called part of economic development incentives.

The package does include things Democrats want, like scrapping a program started under Republican Gov. Doug Ducey that awarded extra cash to high-performing schools. Instead, those dollars  about $68 million  will be divided up on a per-student basis among all schools.

On top of that there is a one-time $300 million infusion for K-12 schools.

Eligibility for free health care for children of the working poor was lifted from 200% to 225% of the federal poverty level, a figure that computes to $55,935 for a family of three.

And Kavanagh said the package includes a lot of money for infrastructure, mainly roads and state highways, including programs that have bipartisan support like widening Interstates 10 and 17.

Were not going to install Republican-only lanes, he said. All parties benefit from road improvements.

That doesnt mean there are no special interest provisions in the $17.8 billion spending plan.

Everything in the budget was designed to bring votes, Livingston said. And many were more local than others.

For example, one provision provides $12.5 million for improvements to Happy Valley Road in his district to make it three lanes in each direction. There also is cash to extend a road between Loop 303 up to State Route 74.
Some Arizona politicians are busily telling us that the Biden administration is not prepared enough to lift Title 42 border restrictions.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the newly minted Independent, keeps saying it. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani says so too. Even Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has taken up the refrain.

With Title 42 set to expire in just two days, it doesnt appear the federal government is prepared, Hobbs said Tuesday afternoon in Tucson. As a result, Arizona communities will face incredible challenges trying to deal with the influx of people entering the country.

Maybe theyre right, maybe theyre wrong. Its often hard to tell when politicians talk about the U.S.-Mexico border, because the temptation to hype is so strong. In any case, well find out soon enough, because Title 42, the pandemic policy that allows Border Patrol agents to return many migrants to Mexico immediately, expires at the end of the day Thursday.

Part of what confuses me is our long experience with surges in migration, experiences that we have, by and large, dealt with.

But also, theres this: The chief of the Border Patrols Tucson Sector, John Modlin, sounded much more confident than these politicians did when he spoke at a news conference Monday:

Over the last 18 months to two years, theres probably been six or seven times that we thought Title 42 was going away. We built incredible relationships over this year and a half, especially outside the federal government. Relationships that we didnt always have before.

He said the patrol is in day-to-day contact with the counties, the municipalities, the non-governmental organizations.

I think we are incredibly well-prepared for it.

So if the Border Patrol chief is confident, why are the politicians speaking so fearfully? Maybe they know something he doesnt. Or maybe they are protecting themselves politically from blame if things do go wrong.

If they do, each can say, I told you so, and that it wasnt their fault.

If things go right, and there isnt much disturbance to day-to-day life in Arizona once Title 42 is rescinded, nobody will remember that they cried wolf.

On-the-ground reality is rarely the issue when it comes to talking about migrants and the U.S.-Mexico border. Perception and political position are what really matters when politicians are talking.

If it benefits them, they will say the border is in chaos even when it isnt, or if the problems are isolated to one part of the Rio Grande Valley, hundreds of miles from Arizona. And yes, if it benefits them, they will say the border is under control, even if it isnt.

In short, you cannot trust what politicians say about the border.

In places like Tucson and the borderlands of southern Arizona, though, we have the benefit of being able to judge from our own experiences.

Ive had the chance over the last few years of welcoming groups of foreign journalists who come to the USA on the State Departments Edward R. Murrow exchange program. They always want to talk about migration and occasionally ask about our recent experience in Tucson.

Theyve all heard the news reports about surging irregular migration along the Mexican border and in Arizona.

My answer, even in these Biden years when more migrants have been coming across than during the pandemics first in 2020, has been this: In Tucson, I have noticed no signs in my daily life of an increased presence of migrants. The only times Ive come across them is when Ive been working on stories about them.

For me personally, the much bigger impact was in the spring of 2019. Thats when thousands of migrants from Honduras, other Central American countries and southern Mexico passed through Tucson. A church near my house had a small shelter where I volunteered, and of course the monastery on North Country Club Road was turned into a miraculous locus of shelter and logistics for migrants.

Now, I expect there to be problems cropping up with the end of Title 42. It will probably be most noticeable in towns like Douglas and Bisbee, Ajo, Gila Bend and maybe Yuma County. If the Border Patrol starts dropping people off without coordination in those places, that will be a problem.

In fact, that seems to be the principal concern of Hobbs and the local officials who spoke at the new Casa Alitas shelter on Tucsons south side Tuesday. They dont want so-called street releases of migrants with nowhere to go. And then, they want to be sure there is shelter space for those people who do arrive, at least until they can be sent on to their friends or family elsewhere in the country.

Weve seen them (Border Patrol) not communicating where theyre dropping people off. Were trying to avoid street releases, Hobbs said. They might think they have a plan, but they have not communicated that plan to us.

But our experience has shown that, between the local governments, non-governmental organizations like Casa Alitas, local volunteers and, yes, the federal government, we can withstand the crisis periods that have occurred occasionally for decades.

Not to mention, the Biden administration does have a detailed plan that ought to have some effect. In fact, its considered draconian by many human rights activists.

A new rule, likely to go into effect before Title 42 expires, would prohibit anyone who crosses the border between ports of entry from seeking asylum. That alone would be a massive change, funneling all asylum seekers through ports of entry.

Among other things, they are also increasing the number of hearing officers for credible-fear claims, increasing deportation flights, and setting up regional processing centers around the hemisphere, for people to visit instead of making a perilous journey.

Much of the rest of what needs to be done, though, is up to Congress. Ciscomani and Sinema, Rep. Raul Grijalva and Sen. Mark Kelly  theyre the ones who need to take charge of changing laws and funding to address the deeper, longer-standing problems.

As to the current problem, well find a way to muddle through.
If youre looking for Tucson, youll find it in the once-empty spaces. Here, blank walls become murals; lots become a site of community when a food truck sets up amid the sand, trash and tumbleweeds.

We are the most ourselves when we are informal: the man at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet with a truck bed piled high with oranges or the Instagram order form for the most exquisite Japanese pastries.

Fine-dining pop-ups have combined these two essential traits  creative and casual  to make a uniquely Tucson way of fine dining.

Most Tuesdays, Penelope Wood Fired Pizza is closed, and by 6 p.m. the space they share at 210 E. Broadway with Cartel Coffee is a quiet corner, a spot you pass by as you leave downtown heading east. But tonight, through the miracle of social media, followers of Penelope knew to show up early to grab a spot at their once-a-month pasta dinner.

Followers would also have known the special menu in advance. While owner Jared Schwartz spends his days grinding out pizzas, for these monthly events he collaborates with Chef Morgan Franz to come up with a never-before-seen pasta menu.

Each dinner features three pastas that you might not find elsewhere in Tucson. Their latest menu included balanzoni (a stuffed pasta, like tortellini, in the shape of a Renaissance hat), reginette (a ribbon-shaped pasta, like tagliatelle, with ridges) and cannelloni (a tube filled with goodies  in this case, ricotta, artichoke and dandelion greens).

Their desserts are also unique to each dinner. Dean Blair, who runs the cottage confectionary Okashi, is in charge of small-batch ice cream in flavors like creme fraiche and triple vanilla. The olive oil cakes that accompany the ice cream are made by a friend of Jareds whose day job is a pediatrician.

The baker isnt alone: everyone who works at the pop-up has a different day job.

[Everyone has] their own passions and careers, and shows up here once a month to just create this night, Jared said. It makes me smile when I'm standing there, like, watching a line of people who walk in and think, I'm at this restaurant or I'm at this dining experience and have no idea that, like, Ashley's a doctor and Tim owns his own, like, marketing thing.

The once-a-month pasta pop-up is the product of these peoples big sacrifices met with Jareds small innovations: he didnt want to be charging fine-dining prices for pasta on a paper plate, so he sourced his plates from renowned Tucson ceramicist HF Coors seconds  gorgeous plates with minor defections  for a fraction of the cost.

Silverware, too, was creatively sourced. Jared knows from his time as a restaurant manager that busboys and servers sometimes leave cutlery in their aprons or uniforms. When the restaurant sends the linens out to be cleaned, those silverware are collected at the linen company and not usually picked up again.

I rolled up with a duffle bag, Jared said. He told the linen company hed give them $100, and they let him fill the bag with as much silverware as he could carry. I could literally barely carry the thing out of the place, Jared said.

But the pop-up at Penelope only happens once a month because the weeks where they do pasta nights they have no days off: the chefs work Wednesday through Sunday, prep on Monday and execute on Tuesday. Its a tough week, Jared said. But were young and were hungry.

Penelope isnt the only business hosting pop-up fine-dining dinners in town. Good Pierogi has cooked after-hours Polish dinners at Noodies and Thunder Canyon Brewery. Their next meal is going to be a fundraising event for The Land with No Name. The menu will include, as available, foraged ingredients like cholla buds, barrel cactus fruit and sumac bobs.

Aramsay is a small-scale dinner party, hosted by Chef Kusuma Rao, that pops up informally when Kusuma is in town  to secure a spot, follow Kusuma on Instagram and keep an eye out for announcements in their Stories.

But Jared was inspired by a Chinese-Sonoran Christmas dinner, hosted at Maynards by Chefs Feng-Feng Yeh and Rusty Ramirez.

That one was the final one that really put ... the thought of: the community's gonna come out. The you-build-it-they-will-come mentality of like, people are hungry and want experiences.

People in the restaurant industry are used to hard hours. But these pop-ups give chefs a chance to do something creative, just for themselves.

Jared and Morgans ultimate goal for the business is for it to potentially grow into its own pasta restaurant or to have enough recipes to make a cookbook. Nearer is an all-star dinner during the slower summer months, resurrecting the recipes that people have loved most.

Before turning his pizza trailer into Penelope Wood Fired Pizza, Jareds experience was mostly in the front-of-house. For a while, he was managing a restaurant, working 70-hour weeks to keep it running while the owner would go on vacation. He wants his employees to feel a greater sense of ownership.

To Jared, cooperation and community are the antidote to the pressing feeling of scarcity.

When Jared opened Penelope, he was in conversation with Jim Owens at Thunder Canyon Brewery next door, which has a small kitchen that could be seen as competition. But Jim said, No, you keep people coming into my place, Jared recalled. Because his thought is, it's hard enough to get people to come one half-block from Congress to Broadway.

Congress is bumpin. Broadway's quiet. If somebody leaves my place for pizza, they go get a beer on Congress. They're never coming back. His mentality is how do we keep people on Broadway and keep them and get them to Broadway and then keep them on the block ... Broadway has that abundance feel, Jared said. Dont go down the street. Come in here.

Penelopes pasta pop-ups usually happen the last Tuesday of every month. To confirm dates and to get updated menus, follow Penelope on Instagram.
ALLEN, Texas  The shooter with neo-Nazi leanings who killed eight people at a suburban Dallas shopping mall brought eight legally purchased guns to the scene, apparently chose his victims randomly and was shot dead by police within four minutes, authorities said Tuesday.

The investigation into Mauricio Garcias motive is ongoing, but he expressed neo-Nazi beliefs, said Hank Sibley, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Garcia had no criminal history before he opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets.

Garcia brought eight guns to the scene, including three that he had on him and five that were still in his vehicle, Sibley said. Garcia obtained all of the weapons legally. President Joe Biden has said the assailant wore tactical gear and fired an AR-15-style weapon.

Sibley said it seems Garcia, 33, targeted the location, rather than a specific group of people, adding that, he was very random in the people he killed.

The big question that were dealing with right now is, Whats his motive? Why did he do this? Sibley said. Well, the big question is, we dont know. Thats what the investigation is trying to find out.

Posts by Garcia on a Russian social networking site suggest that he planned for weeks before he launched the attack in Allen, a diverse community of about 100,000 people roughly 25 miles north of downtown Dallas.

Garcia researched when the mall was busiest  Saturday afternoons  and posted photos on social media in mid-April of a store near where he ultimately began shooting people.

An Associated Press review of Garcias online activity shows he displayed a fascination with white supremacy and mass shootings, which he described as sport. Photos Garcia posted showed large Nazi tattoos on his arm and torso, including a swastika and the SS lightning bolt logo of Hitlers paramilitary forces.

The online statements contributed to an emerging picture of Garcia. He was discharged from the Army in 2008 because of mental health problems and apparently worked as a security guard, according to neighbors and an Army official.

Aric Toler, director of training and research at the international research collective bellingcat.com, said he identified Garcias profile on the site OK.RU by searching for active accounts with his date of birth located in the U.S.

The AP independently verified the account, which also featured an image of a traffic ticket with Garcias name and date of birth as well as paperwork from a motel where he stayed before the shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in one of the Dallas most diverse suburbs.

Federal agents investigating what motivated the shooting also reviewed the online posts, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

The official also said Garcia had a patch on his chest when police killed him that read RWDS, an acronym for the phrase Right Wing Death Squad, which is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups.

Garcia joined the Army in 2008 but was terminated three months later without completing his initial training, U.S. Army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan said.

According to an Army official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, he was kicked out due to mental health problems.

Garcia received an uncharacterized discharge, which is common for recruits who dont make it through training or the first 180 days, according to a defense official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. That type of discharge  which is not dishonorable  would not set off red flags or require any reports to law enforcement.

At a Pentagon briefing Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, was asked about the shooters veteran status.

Hes not a veteran, Ryder told reporters. Again, as you highlight from the Department of Veteran Affairs, according to federal regulations, this individual in terms of the time of service would not qualify as a veteran.

On the Dallas block where Garcia lived with his parents until recently, neighbors said they thought he worked as a security guard but they werent sure where. The company that manages the mall where the attack happened didnt immediately reply to messages seeking further information.

The community mourned the dead and awaited word on the seven people who were wounded. Medical City Healthcare said Monday it was treating six patients: Three were in critical condition, two were in fair condition and one was in good condition at a childrens hospital. Police said a seventh wounded person was taken to a different hospital.

Allen is one of the areas most diverse cities. The area saw the largest Asian American growth rate of any major U.S. metro area, according to U.S. Census figures. Those statistics show that Allens population is about 19% Asian, 10% Black and 11% Hispanic.
PHOENIX  Lawmakers approved a $17.8 billion state spending plan Wednesday after Republican lawmakers beat back efforts by Democrats to curb universal access to school vouchers.

The budget deal reached by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders kept the universal voucher eligibility approved last year by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson, sought to impose an immediate pause in enrolling more students in the voucher program, which allows students to attend private or parochial schools at taxpayer expense, regardless of financial need, until lawmakers can get a better handle on costs.

She pointed out that the price tag this school year alone already is more than double the original $200 million estimate. That doesnt include another $176 million that funds the original voucher program, which was steadily expanded since it began in 2011 to serve students with special needs.

Hobbs, in her budget proposal released in January, the month she took office, predicted that universal vouchers, unless repealed, would consume $1 billion a year in state funds within a decade.

Gutierrezs proposal, however, went down to defeat on a party-line vote as Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said Hobbs agreed to keep the universal eligibility.

Gutierrez, a public school teacher, had no more luck with her effort to cap enrollment in the expanded program at 69,000 students, about 25% more than already signed up since universal vouchers first became available last year.

$300M more for K-12 schools

Despite Democrats party-line support for voucher limits, several Democrats agreed to support the budget anyway.

Backers said the package contains other priorities they want, including adding $300 million to K-12 schools.

That didnt impress Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe.

She pointed out that is just a one-time infusion. And she said the exploding costs of universal vouchers, formally known as empowerment scholarship accounts, will make it more difficult in future years for public schools to get additional money.

Rep. Leeza Sun, D-Phoenix, said if the state really has an extra $1 billion, it would be better spent on K-12 schools. She said that amount would fund $10,000 pay raises for about 35,000 teachers.

In an effort to sweeten the deal, House Speaker Ben Toma, R- Peoria, agreed with Minority Leader Andres Cano  a Tucson Democrat who voted for the final package  to create a special study committee to provide clarity and ensure that the governance and administration of empowerment scholarship accounts is appropriately designed to manage a growing and complex problem.

There is nothing that ensures changes will be made to the program or limits will be imposed after the report is issued at the end of the year.

Affordable housing priority

Still, there was enough in the package to add the votes of 16 of the 28 Democrats to all 31 Republicans for the main spending plan.

A separate bill to fund K-12 education  and the vouchers  fared less well with 12 Democratic votes, but still enough for approval.

Those votes, coupled with divided support from Senate Democrats earlier in the day, was sufficient to send the budget to Hobbs who issued a statement praising lawmakers for ratifying the deal she cut with the GOP leaders and promising to sign it.

Not everybody got what they wanted, Hobbs noted.

She made no mention that she gave in and did not pursue the budget plan she announced in January. That would have repealed the universal vouchers and returned the program to what it was before 2022, when only students with special needs or in certain categories qualified for state-paid tuition to private schools.

Hobbs said the deal made historic investments in affordable housing, road and bridge construction, and expanded health care for children of the working poor.

Among the Democrats who found enough worthwhile in the package to support it was Rep. Analise Ortiz. She told colleagues about what she has heard from residents of her district, which includes the Maryvale section of Phoenix and part of Glendale.

The people who sent me here were asking most often for relief from the housing affordability crisis that impacts Arizonans in every part of the state, of all ages and demographics, Ortiz said. There is no portion of the state that is not touched by the rising cost of rent and mortgages. There is a humanitarian crisis as seniors on fixed incomes are living in their cars and as people continue to die on our streets.

What got her yes vote, she said, was a $150 million deposit into the Housing Trust Fund to help finance affordable housing and eviction-prevention programs. Thats more, she said, than has been added over the past 10 years combined. Another $60 million goes into a new emergency fund that can immediately go to finance homeless shelters.

Pointed criticisms of Hobbs

Rep. Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, also agreed to go along. But he made it clear he was not happy about the take-it-or-leave-it choice he was given  nor with the governor for negotiating what he says was a bad deal and putting Democrats in that position.

Democrats seem to be in the same boat as if we had a Republican governor, Aguilar said. He cited Hobbs agreement to not just leave last years universal voucher plan in place but to allow it to grow without caps.

What is the point of holding the governorship? Aguilar asked. Why did we all work to get Gov. Hobbs in office and we are still short? he said, saying what was adopted was not a Democratic budget but a Republican budget.

Rep. Mariana Sandoval, D-Goodyear, was unwilling to accept the arguments by some of her Democratic colleagues that there was enough good in the package to allow them to swallow the bad.

This budget was negotiated through the governors office by the governor and majority leaders, she said. And we as a caucus were given crumbs.

Yet at the same time, Sandoval said, the spending plan is packed with money for other priorities, such as $15.3 million for capital projects for the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo.

That is part of what Salman called $633 million in pet projects handed out by GOP leaders to lawmakers who agreed to support the package. Salman said these are things like road and bridge construction and improvements that are not priorities in the Arizona Department of Transportation Five-Year Plan but some of which jumped the line because they had an in with a certain member.

Parental choice defended

Still, the central point of contention was the decision to leave intact the universal voucher plan and the complaints by Democrats that the ever-increasing price tag will leave the state with less money for other priorities including public education.

But Rep. Justin Heap, R-Mesa, said that has to be examined in the context of what he said has been nearly a doubling of state dollars in public education since 2013.

And what have we gotten for our investment? he asked.

Heap also decried the constant stream of attacks on the voucher program. He said it has to be seen not as an attack on the program but an attack on the students, on the kids and the families that rely on the ESA program to put their kids into schools.

Why? Heap said. Because they had the audacity to take their children out of a government school and put them into a better program.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitzi Epstein of Tempe said she, too, believed she and others were forced to vote for the Hobbs-negotiated package, saying that was the price Democrats had to pay to get their priorities included.

I did not want and do not want to vote yes on these budget bills, she said. But in order to keep the funding for K-12 and to keep the funding for housing and to establish a homelessness fund, I had to vote yes.

Epstein also said that, theoretically speaking, Democrats could have held out for a few more weeks, as the new fiscal year that the budget pays for does not begin until July 1. She said that might have resulted in a budget more to the liking of Democrats.

But this is the budget we have before us today, Epstein said. So we have to make a decision on this budget.

Whether a better deal might have been negotiated is speculative at best.

Senate President Pro-Tem T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, said it always was clear, after the election of a Democratic governor in November, that Republicans would not get the budget that might otherwise be enacted with a Republican as the states chief executive. They were prepared to negotiate, Shope said.

But he said GOP leaders also made it clear to Hobbs from the start that some issues were non-negotiable. That specifically included continuation of the universal vouchers.

It wasnt just the vouchers that left many Democrats unhappy.

Tax break, rebate debated

Sen. Priya Sundareshan of Tucson decried a tax break that the conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus got inserted into the package that Hobbs approved. Only those who have paid some taxes in the past three years will be entitled to get a one-time $250 credit for each child, up to $750.

That means that the most vulnerable, the most needy families will not actually receive the benefits of this tax rebate, Sundareshan said. She also said it denies relief to those who have no state income tax liability, possibly because they are getting tax credits for donating to other programs for the homeless or education.

Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, one of the architects of the plan, defended it.

Arizona families are being crushed right now, he said, pointing to rising costs of food and fuel. Our job is to do all we can to support Arizona families and Arizona citizens to the best of our ability.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Arizonans should get used to being in the spotlight, because a new group is angling to capitalize on our political significance. No Labels, an organization based in DC, recently made news for gaining ballot access here for a third-party presidential unity ticket in 2024. Backed by $70 million from anonymous donors, they insist they can outperform every third-party candidate in history. But Arizonans need to know they will ensure that Donald Trump wins our state and the White House.

No Labels justifies this dangerous third-party plan by describing President Joe Biden and Trump as equally extreme. Think about that: one president passed, with bipartisan support, an infrastructure bill, a bill to increase American manufacturing, and even a gun reform package. The other has been indicted and is under criminal investigation in four different jurisdictions. He said there were good people on both sides of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville and instigated the Jan. 6 insurrection. No Labels does a dangerous disservice by suggesting the two men are the same.

A third-party candidate will not win in 2024, no matter their ideological leaning, gender, or ethnicity. No third-party ticket has come remotely close to winning  including the wildly popular Teddy Roosevelt. Third-party candidates may poll well in the beginning, but they always collapse down the stretch. Ross Perot peaked at 36% in the polls in 1992 and finished at 19%. John Anderson peaked at 26% in 1980 and ended at seven percent. Gary Johnson peaked at 10% in 2016 and finished at 3%. If you combine every third-party candidate from the past 50 years, they amassed a grand total of zero electoral votes.

So then, why am I so concerned for our country and my state? Because No Labels is poised to be a spoiler, handing Trump Arizona and the election. In 2020, Biden flipped five former Trump states from red to blue and won six of the seven states, including Arizona, where the election was within three points. Those are the states No Labels is targeting.

No Labels 2024 map is dominated by places Biden won. In fact, two-thirds of their projected electoral votes come from states Biden won  why? Because those moderate voters backed Biden. Their efforts will target moderate, independent, and late-deciding voters who added anti-Trump votes to the Democratic column.

But what about Arizona, which is known for its independent streak? In 2020, I ran more than 14 surveys among over 7,890 Arizona voters. Both nationally and in Arizona, Latinos are more likely to identify as independents than voters overall. In a post-election study I ran, 19% of all voters identified as independents, compared to 24% of Latinos. Similarly, just 29% of all voters  but 36% of Latinos  were registered Independent. A significant share of Bidens Latino vote comes from moderate to conservative Latinos repelled by Trump. Our polling indicates that Latinos in Arizona who dislike both Trump and Biden break for Biden nearly 2:1. Further, nationally, seven percent of Latinos who voted for Biden in 2020 voted for a third-party candidate in 2016. They may find a third-party appealing, diluting Bidens Latino vote, and handing Arizona back to Trump or a Trump-sycophant.

As someone who researches Latinos nationally and in Arizona, I know a unity ticket sounds appealing. The division, negativity, and violence is disturbing, and we are hungry for a way out. But we cannot be fooled by No Labels. Casting Trump and Biden as equally extreme is not just untrue; it risks our future.

Latinos have a saying  dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres  which roughly translates to show me who you surround yourself with and I will show you who you are. No Labels political strategy would exploit blue states and moderate and conservative Latinos who have rejected Trump. If they dont stand down, they will hurt Biden, damage the Democratic brand among Latinos, and ultimately re-elect Trump.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Douglas died recently.

We dont know how or when. Just that it was within the last few weeks.

We dont even know Douglas last name. Notice of his passing came via a memorial on the wall outside of Time Market, on East University Boulevard, where he often sat.

Rest in Peace  Douglas, the sign says above several bouquets of flowers.

Douglas was homeless, one of thousands of Tucsonans living under bridges, in alleyways, inside abandoned buildings, in makeshift shelters. Many others are hidden in plain sight.

He was a regular around Time Market, where management and employees always welcomed him, to their great credit. We saw him there often, and occasionally, we and others bought meals for him. Once he asked for no more than a cup of hot tea, another time cold water on a hot day.

We first met him as we drove to work one morning through downtown. He walked along the street with his belongings; he was thin and appeared hungry. We offered him a banana, the only food we had with us. He took it, and we traded names.

Im Douglas, he said. And thank you.

He was polite every time we had an exchange with him. And yet our efforts to treat him with a measure of dignity for the human being he was never got him beyond please and thank you with us. Our small acts of kindness, sadly, didnt change Douglas circumstances.

Those of us who are fortunate to have homes, food and the rest of what we call essentials often look askance at homeless people. We tend to tolerate them, with limits. Our tolerance is wrapped in edginess, revulsion, fear.

Homelessness is indeed a problem, but not one for which homeless people are to blame.

Some businesspeople seem to think otherwise. They formed the Tucson Crime Free Coalition recently to advocate for confronting homeless people with adequate staffing and resources for law enforcement, treatment for those in need, and prosecution for criminals who are unwilling to abide by our laws, the Arizona Daily Star quoted the groups mission statement as saying.

Is that a push to criminalize homelessness and poverty? What cost would these measures incur in further indignity to human beings who are down and out? And will any of what this group wants done about homelessness with such tactics change the circumstances?

The Tucson City Council tried 20-plus years ago to attack the problem, passing an ordinance to ban people from soliciting on medians. It was couched as a safety measure, but its effect  intended or otherwise  was that homeless people became invisible, for a while.

They were still around, of course, as they are now more than ever in the face of rising housing costs and other economic circumstances, plus a lack of proper mental health care for many of them. No easy solutions come to mind when one considers the issues that lead to homelessness and the myriad complexities of the problem.

Perhaps a starting point is for us to agree that while homelessness is a problem, the homeless themselves are not. They are human, deserving of dignity and respect, the same as the rest of us.

That is what those of us who knew Douglas tried offering him. Late last year, we saw him near Time Market with a nasty wound on his face. He said yes when we asked if he wanted treatment. At a nearby medical clinic, a healthcare worker agreed to tend to him.

But in less than a minute, Douglas was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared, and we never saw him again.

At the memorial outside of Time Market and on the streets where we and others met and saw this polite, humble human being, his spirit lives. We ask that the universe take his spirit into the next life and give him comfort and dignity.
(Photo : Wojtek Radwanski / AFP) (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Polish activists blocked Russia's ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev as he tried to lay flowers at a cemetery on Victory Day.

Polish activists block Russia's ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreev, from laying flowers at a cemetery in Warsaw

The demonstrators created an art installation that blocked Andreev's path

The protesters also shouted at the Russian official's detail, calling them "Ruscists"

Polish activists blocked Russia's ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreev, from laying flowers at a cemetery in Warsaw on Victory Day, the latest show of opposition to Moscow's war on Ukraine.

The protesters, pro-Ukraine, demanded Andreev take off his St. George's pin, a symbol of Russian aggression. Demonstrators also shouted "Ruscists" at the ambassador's detail, which was a mix of the words Russians and fascists.

Polish Activists Face Off with Russian Ambassador

The pro-Ukraine group, Euromaidan-Warszaw, revealed an art installation they created at the scene, with flags blocking Andreev's path. It also had mockups of buildings that Russia's military forces damaged in attacks against Kyiv's infrastructure. There were also crosses to honor the Ukrainian people that Russia killed since the invasion began.

The protesters said that if Andreev wanted to get to where he was trying to go, he would have to trample the flags and symbolically walk over dead Ukrainians. Video footage from the incident went viral across social media platforms, per the Daily Beast.

The posts showed Andreev being encircled by a crowd while outside the cemetery as protesters chanted amid the tense stand-off in the background. After a while, the Russian ambassador left the scene without being able to lay flowers at the mausoleum and instead chose to place them near the memorial, later calling the incident an "outrage."

In the same area last year, protesters doused the Russian ambassador to Poland with red liquid in a similar visit. Relations between Poland and Russia have grown increasingly tense in the past few months over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Warsaw has continued providing Ukraine with military aid to defend against Russia's aggression while welcoming Ukrainian refugees. The past few weeks have been especially chaotic as Polish authorities took control of a school building for Russian diplomats' children.

Read Also: EU Targets Nations That Aid Russia in Dodging Sanctions

Criticizing Russia's War on Ukraine

In response to the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it was strongly criticizing the Polish government. According to the Associated Press, it argued that they had notified Warsaw in advance of their plans but claimed that they did not do enough to prevent such an incident.

In an official statement, the ministry said that the incident clearly showed the "duplicity of Warsaw's policy in assessing the events of World War II and trying to forget about our nation's role in saving European countries enslaved by Nazi Germany."

A member of Euromaidan, Viktoria Pogrebniak, said that the objective of the protest at the cemetery was to show that there are consequences for Russia's continued war against Ukraine. She argued that Moscow would indeed say that they were still trying to fight against fascism.

The pro-Ukraine group also called on the Polish government to expel Russia's ambassador from the region. She noted that while they cannot demand anything, they would continue to ask officials to send Russian diplomats home, said the Manila Bulletin.

Related Article: Putin Accuses West of Waging "Real War" Against Russia

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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve.

Afterward, he said he wouldn't drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.

Santos' 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republican's fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself," a cheerfully combative Santos told reporters swarming him outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said he's been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a witch hunt.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, was more circumspect, saying: Any time the federal government comes after you its a serious case. We have to take this serious.

Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshman's ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.

I think were seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine, said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February.

Asked about Santos on Wednesday, Biden said, Im not commenting, adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, Thats for Congress to decide.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and then induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."

Santos didnt directly address the specifics of the charges to reporters, but when asked why he received unemployment benefits while employed, Santos cited a job change and confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santos, sporting his usual crewneck sweater, blazer and khakis, said little during the arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes. Reporters spilled from the gallery to the jury box, joined by a handful of constituents.

He should be thrown out of Congress and put in prison, declared Jeff Herzberg, a Long Island resident who spent hours waiting to see Santos' arraignment. I hope that day comes soon.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he said employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before entering politics. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

But a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from the company to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Santos' legal troubles date to his late teens, when he was investigated in Brazil for allegedly using stolen checks to buy clothes  a case that authorities say they've since reopened.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook was stolen and someone else took the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' fundraising for a group that purported to help abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he raised to help his dog get needed surgery.

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in White Plains, New York, Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

On Twitter, follow Jake Offenhartz at twitter.com/jangelooff and Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/

Follow the AP's coverage of U.S. Rep. George Santos at https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  A former Delaware middle school teacher has been charged with multiple counts of rape of a student.

Reed Messer, 42, was extradited to Delaware on Monday after being arrested at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, according to Delaware State Police.

Police received a report from the Division of Family Services in late December alleging that a former teacher at Stanton Middle School in Wilmington had a sexual relationship with a juvenile student about nine years ago, authorities said. Investigators determined that the teacher and student apparently began a sexual relationship in October 2014 that lasted about two months.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Messer on April 26, and she was taken into custody by South Carolina authorities.

Messer is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust, 10 counts of third-degree rape, and 10 counts of fourth-degree rape. She is being held at Delaware's women's prison with bond set at $310,000 cash. The court docket did not list an attorney for Messer.

Messer has not been an employee of the Red Clay Consolidated School District, which includes Stanton Middle School, since November 2014, Delaware authorities said.

After leaving Delaware, Messer was apparently hired by Legacy Early College, a charter school in Greenville, South Carolina. Officials at the school did not respond to an email query seeking confirmation that she worked there.

The South Carolina Department of Education's website indicates that Messer was first certified as a teacher in that state in July 2015 for elementary and early childhood education, middle level language arts, English and special education. Messer received a literacy specialist endorsement in November. Her certificate status reads: summary suspension.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday signed into law legislation designed to place more school resource officers in Tennessee public and private schools, funnel additional money into school security upgrades, and require every school to submit annual safety plans to the state.

The new law is among the few changes the Republican governor and the GOP-dominated Legislature agreed to make in response to a Nashville school shooting in March that killed six people.

Lee has called a special legislative session to consider passing legislation that would keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others. The special session  scheduled to start August 21  comes after Republican lawmakers ignored the governors initial request to take up the proposal in the final days of the regular session in April.

To date, Republican lawmakers have largely focused their support on the school safety package. They contend the changes will make private and public schools safer by making it more difficult for a possible attacker to break into school buildings.

Nothing is more important than Tennessee students and teachers returning home from school safely each day, Lee said in a statement.

While the new laws received support from the state's handful of Democratic lawmakers, some argued that the state should not be pushing to transform schools into mini-fortresses and criticized GOP leaders for refusing to take up gun control proposals.

Lawmakers did, however, move to further protect gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits. That bill is awaiting action from the governor.

The six people who were killed during The Covenant School shooting included three 9-year-old children. Police have said the shooter, Audrey Hale, had been planning the massacre for months. Hale was killed by police. Officials have also said that the school did not have a security guard posted at the school.

Law enforcement officials are currently reviewing writings left behind by Hale. Yet in the weeks since the shooting, a growing chorus of Republican leaders have demanded those writings be publicly released in order to learn more about the motive  which critics have countered is a tactic to distract from the calls to make firearms more difficult for dangerous people to obtain.

The three children who were killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.

The legislation signed into law Wednesday:

 Requires private school security guards receive active shooter training prior to being posted at the school

 Requires every school district to establish threat assessment teams to better ensure students receive appropriate support services and are connected to behavioral health professionals

 Requires private and public schools to develop annual safety plans and submit them to the state.

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report.
The 102 acres purchased by a developer near the east leg of the Creek Turnpike in hopes of bringing back Bells Amusement Park will be going back up for sale, Broken Arrow officials say theyve been told.

Santa Cruz Seaside Co. purchased the land on the south side of Kenosha (71st) Street in August 2021, with plans that included a possible new version of the amusement park that was an iconic part of Tulsa history while it operated at Expo Square.

However, city officials say the company never submitted an application for any kind of development on the property.

A news release issued Wednesday says the California-based firm alerted Broken Arrow city management that it would not be pursuing development and will soon list the property for sale with a local real estate professional.

My company has been focused for most of the last year on other projects within our portfolio, Santa Cruz Seaside CEO Karl J. Rice said in an email to City Manager Michael Spurgeon. Rice added that the company believes the land has potential as a desirable location but made the decision to try to sell it.

In a statement, Spurgeon said he appreciated the notification, especially given the community-wide interest in this site.

I look forward to the day when a development application for this property is brought before the city to review so staff can thoroughly evaluate the potential impacts a valid proposal would have, the city manager said.

Bells Amusement Park closed after the 2006 season at Expo Square, the Tulsa County fairgrounds, when the county didnt renew its lease due to issues related to the parks business plan.

Some residents had objected to the possible development in Broken Arrow, crowding a City Council meeting in January 2022 to air their concerns. The following month, city councilors were told plans for the development were slowing.

In a meeting with city leaders on Feb. 15, 2022, Rice said Santa Cruz Seaside Co. would take its time to conduct research and look at all options to help determine what it would do with the land.
The plan was to open a coffee shop.

The only evidence of that plan is the small espresso machine that sits behind a bar in the back corner of Old World Pizza in Broken Arrow.

Thats my machine that I brought from home, said Lily Neal, who co-owns the newly opened restaurant with her husband, Robert. I love my coffee, and sometimes Ill make myself a cup or two during the day. And if a customer asks for a coffee or a cappuccino, I will make it for them.

But when we started talking about doing a restaurant, we would keep talking about pizza, she said. My husband loves to cook and we were always trying new recipes and learning what we could.

Neal was born and raised in Brazil by Italian parents, and while she has worked in the food business in the past, she had never attempted to run a restaurant before opening Old World Pizza.

We truly didnt know what we were doing, she said, laughing. We started out with this little pizza oven we bought at a home improvement store. We would use ingredients we got at the supermarket. We made a lot of really bad pizzas.

All those trials and errors have paid off, to judge by the pizzas Neal and her staff produce at Old World Pizza.

The restaurant is in a space in Broken Arrows Vandever Acres Shopping Center that formerly housed a Cicis Pizza. Neal said they had considered a couple of other possible locations, including another restaurant space in the shopping center that fronts New Orleans Street, but they proved too cost-prohibitive.

And Neal herself wasnt instantly taken by the space when it was first shown to her. I had wanted something more cozy, and this was a very cool-feeling place, she said. I want this to be a place where people feel comfortable, where they dont feel as if they need to just eat and go.

Fortunately, the food at Old World Pizza is the kind over which diners will want to linger, in order to savor every bite.

Pizza is understandably the star attraction. Pies come in 10- and 16-inch sizes, with prices ranging from $9 for a 10-inch cheese pizza to $27 for a 16-inch Ultimate Meat Lovers, which is topped with beef, pepperoni, salami, pork sausage and Canadian bacon, along with two kinds of cheese.

Some pies, such at the Chicken Bacon Ranch ($26) and the Four Cheese ($21) are available only in the 16-inch size.

The menu also lists a trio of pies under the title Morrison Brothers Pizza. Neal said they are named for the sons of the owner of a tae-kwon do business in the shopping center, who has been a fan of the restaurant since it opened in late November 2022.

These were pizzas his sons liked to order, and the family has been so supportive of us, that we decided to put them on menu, Neal said.

During a recent visit, my companion and I chose a small Supreme ($12.50), which comes topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, red onion and black olives, as well as two salads, the Caesar ($7) and the Caprese ($9).

The Caesar salad was chopped Romaine lettuce topped with commercially made croutons and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese; it was the homemade Caesar dressing  thick, rich and tangy  that made it special.

My companions Caprese salad was on the surface even more simple: thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese shingled with sliced Roma tomatoes and basil leaves, drizzled with a balsamic dressing, extra-virgin olive oil, and Pecorino-Romano cheese. But the freshness of the ingredients and the balance of flavors were just about perfect. She has had Caprese salads in Italy, and this one was at least an equal to any she has had before.

Old World Pizza cooks its pies in a brick oven manufactured in Italy; with temperatures hovering in the 650-degree range, the oven can cook a pizza in about four minutes. It results in a crust that has a crisp bottom with just the right amount of spotty char marks, an edge that is dotted with puffy blisters that turn golden brown, a good chew and robust flavor.

We age our dough for three days, Neal said. It took us a while to discover that, but it makes exactly the kind of crust we want. We did the same thing with the tomatoes we use in our sauce. We tested tomatoes for days  some were too sweet, some were too acidic.

A lot of Italian cuisine is very simple, very rustic, she said. That is what we are trying to do here  if you keep things simple, people can really taste the ingredients. And that means you had better use the best quality ingredients you can find.

On a second visit, we tried perhaps the quintessential expression of pizza simplicity, the Margarita ($10 for a 10-inch pie), which is just white mozzarella cheese, red tomato sauce and green leaves of basil, representing the colors of the Italian flag.

And, because it is such a simple creation, there is no way to hide anything less than top-notch. Which was the case here  the lightly seasoned sauce was bursting with tomato flavor, the mozzarella had a pleasant underlying tang, and the dusting of semolina on the perfectly cooked crust added an added bit of crunch.

Neal said the menu will continue to evolve and expand. She is already offering calzones ($10-$15), as well as desserts that include canolli ($5) and tiramisu ($7), which uses espresso made in Neals personal coffee machine.

We are looking for a way to do pastas, because we have people coming in all the time asking for pasta dishes, she said. But I want to be able to do it fresh, so that may take a little time.
Black Wall Street Rally

The second annual Black Wall Street Rally will take place in the historic Greenwood District Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13.

A news release described the event as the countrys fastest-growing urban motorcycle rally with an anticipated 20,000 attendees.

Hours are noon to 8 p.m. on opening day and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. the following day. Headliner concerts will be held at the Tulsa BMX park. Start time for the concerts is 8 p.m.

In addition to Black Wall Street tours, there will be 60-plus cultural vendors, food trucks, a family-friendly carnival, local restaurant promotional giveaways, Indian Motorcycle demo rides, a motorcycle audio competition, a bike show and line dancing with Big Mucci and the Tulsa Steppers.

For more information, go to blackwallstreetrally.com.

Loudness 40th anniversary show

Get ready for another dose of Crazy Nights.

Loudness, a heavy metal band from Japan that rose to prominence in the early days of MTV, is on a 40th anniversary tour that will bring the band to the Venue Shrine for a Friday, May 12 performance.

For tickets, go to tulsashrine.com.

101 Dalmatians

Theatre Tulsa Academy, the companys educational program for young people wanting to learn the basics of theater by doing theater, will present the Kids Edition of the classic Disney comedy 101 Dalmatians.

Based on Dodie Smiths 1957 novel and the 1961 animated film, its the story of a newlywed couple whose Dalmatian dogs become the obsession of the fur-obsessed Cruella deVil, who wanted to turn the spotted pups into a coat.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. Tickets are $20.25-$26.50. 918-596-7111, tulsa pac.com.

Get fashionable at Philbrook

TikTok sensation Ivy Thompson (@thesewloartist), whose recreations of historical outfits have earned her close to a million followers, will bring her insights into the things people used to wear in a special event called Recreating Renoir: French Fashion with Ivy Thompson, 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road.

Thompson will trace the history of womens clothing through the paintings of Renoir, revealing how women moved through the world in their corsets, bustles, and voluminous skirts, and turn a painting into reality.

Tickets for this event are $10-$30, and include access to A Night with Rembrandt to Monet, an evening of art, music, and activities inspired by the museums current exhibition, Rembrandt to Monet. philbrook.org.

Retro movies at Circle Cinema

Youve Got Mail is celebrating a 25th anniversary. Because the films star, Tom Hanks, is appearing Saturday, May 13 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center for the release of his first novel, Magic City books is presenting a 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11 screening of Youve Got Mail at Circle Cinema. Magic City Books will give away two tickets to see Hanks at the PAC.

Also, Scarface is turning 40. Graveyard Shift, Oklahomas premier big screen experience for cult and retro movies, is presenting a 9 p.m. Saturday, May 13 screening at Circle Cinema.

For tickets to Circle Cinema events, go to circlecinema.org.
HENRYETTA  More than a week after a murder-suicide left seven dead including five teenagers, a family whose efforts motivated authorities to take another look say they believe progress is finally being made.

"There's a lot more work to do. But I'm confident we are going to be getting more answers and the bigger picture," said Justin Webster, whose 14-year-old daughter Ivy was found slain May 1 with six others on a property near Henryetta.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation officials, who took over the case Saturday from Okmulgee County, would only comment Tuesday to say that the investigation is ongoing. Investigators returned to the property last week after Webster's family called their attention to possible evidence inside a house located there.

The home was rented by the alleged perpetrator of the murders  Jesse McFadden, 39, a convicted rapist and registered sex offender who was found dead at the site May 1. Other bodies recovered included those of his wife Holly McFadden, 35, and her children, Tiffany Guess, 13, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Rylee Allen, 17.

Ivy Webster was also found dead along with her friend Brittany Brewer, 15. The pair had been attending a sleepover with Guess. The bodies were all found outside.

Authorities say McFadden shot the others to death before turning the gun on himself. His motive remains unknown, though he was due in court May 1 on other sex-crime charges and was facing a likely return to prison.

County authorities concluded their part of the investigation last week shortly after discovering the bodies and identifying McFadden.

But when Webster and his family went to the house later to look for Ivy's belongings, what they discovered inside alarmed them: sets of handcuffs, chains and padlocks; drugs and drug paraphernalia; along with multiple cellphones, computers and electronic devices.

"It was kind of like shock and awe for us," Webster said.

Authorities have not said why the items were not collected on an initial examination of the house, nor what their significance might be, if any.

"I personally feel there is a much larger story here," Webster said, adding that he believes McFadden may have committed other sex crimes and that he may have had accomplices.

Webster said he also found a list of names inside the home. The list included just first names along with dates of birth.

He said one name and date matched one of McFadden's victims from a previous charge.

"If there are more victims, we want to find them," he said, adding that he gave the list to investigators.

'Huge tragedy'

Webster and his family held a funeral for Ivy on Saturday.

Concerns over the investigation weighed heavily, he said, but news that same day that OSBI was taking charge brought a "sense of peace."

Webster said he's angry at county authorities, whom he believes failed his family.

"It took me and my family going back out there" to convince authorities to initiate a proper search, he said.

Webster praised OSBI's efforts so far.

The new search, which included a dive team probing ponds on the property, continued Sunday and Monday.

By Tuesday, all the searchers had left. Webster said authorities still plan to survey the property by helicopter.

Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice, asked for comment Tuesday, said only: "It's a huge tragedy. We hope that these extra efforts can help give the community and the families some closure."

The victims' families say the situation also represents a failure of the system and that laws need to be changed. They say McFadden should never have been let out of prison; he was facing charges from alleged activities while still behind bars.

Released in 2020 after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence for rape, McFadden was accused in 2017 of using a contraband phone from prison to solicit sexual conduct/communication with a minor and possession of child pornography.

He was due in court May 1 in Muskogee County on those charges but did not show.

State Department of Corrections officials said that McFadden was released after earning credits and completing program and education assignments that were then applied after he served 85% of his sentence.

"We want to get the word out and get the world's attention about this case," Webster said. "We want to make sure that this never happens again."

In the meantime, Webster encourages anyone with information about McFadden and other possible crimes to come forward, he said.

"And if you were involved in any way, know that we are not giving up. We are coming for you," he said.

Video: 988 is the new mental health crisis helpline
OKLAHOMA CITY  A celebrity psychologist and well-known television personality used his star power on Tuesday to advocate for an Oklahoma death row inmate.

Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw headlined a rally at the state Capitol to push for Richard Glossip to be freed from death row.

Glossip was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1997 beating death of his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese. He has long maintained his innocence, arguing he was set up by a motel maintenance man.

Glossip's supporters are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will vacate his conviction. But members of the Van Treese family are preparing to ask the high court to allow the execution to proceed.

McGraw, who was born in Oklahoma, said a friend from the Innocence Project, which advocates for people believed to be wrongfully convicted, first brought Glossip's case to his attention.

Dozens of people, including Republican and Democratic state lawmakers, turned out for the rally at the Capitol. Many held signs saying, "Save Richard Glossip."

"For him to spend another day on death row, on its face, is injustice," McGraw said.

Two independent reviews of Glossip's case have raised questions about his conviction and led Attorney General Gentner Drummond to push for the inmate to get a new trial.

Drummond also asked the Supreme Court to block Glossip's execution that was scheduled for May 18, a request the court granted. The state's top prosecutor told justices Glossip's trial was "unfair and unreliable."

DAs share concerns on Oklahoma AG's handling of death penalty case Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said Gentner Drummond needs pursue the jurys decision and accused the AG of providing more fodder to attack the death penalty in general.

Glossip's attorneys have argued their client was set up by motel worker Justin Sneed, who they say killed Van Treese during a botched robbery and shifted the blame to avoid getting the death penalty himself.

They say new evidence not presented at trial proves their client's innocence. Both independent reviews have noted some evidence has gone missing or been destroyed.

Members of the Van Treese family said Glossip had his day in court and exhausted his appeals.

The family said it was disappointed the Supreme Court granted a stay in the case. But now they're working with a University of Utah law professor to file an independent brief asking the justices not to overturn Glossip's conviction.

"The number of legislators, TV personalities, and the like, supporting a twice-convicted murderer is highly concerning and frankly disappointing," the family said in a statement. "Because, at the end of the day, according to the law, Richard Glossip is guilty of murder in the first degree."

Dismissing arguments from people who say Glossip has twice been convicted of murder in two separate trials, McGraw said the jury did the right thing with the information that they had at the time. The jury didn't have all the information, McGraw said.

He quoted from a letter written by Drummond, who said it would be a "grave injustice" to execute Glossip when errors in the case have resulted in reasonable doubt surrounding his conviction.

"It's one thing to admit making a mistake," McGraw said. "It's another thing to make it right."

He urged Oklahomans to call Gov. Kevin Stitt and their state legislators on behalf of Glossip.

Robin Sellers of Oklahoma City attended Tuesday's rally after learning about Glossip's case a few years ago. The death penalty opponent said she thinks the inmate deserves a new trial so a jury can see evidence that was not presented at trial decades ago.

"I'm someone who believes a fair trial is essential to the things that undergird our democracy," she said. "I think that where we are now, the Supreme Court's decision to stay the execution affirms that."

Glossip has been on death row for about 25 years. He has had nine execution dates and has been mere hours away from being executed on three different occasions.
Vietnams air carriers Vietjet and Vietravel Airlines are rushing to increase the number of aircraft this month to meet high travel demand during the 2023 summer season. Vu Duc Bien, general director of Vietravel Airlines, said that the carrier had cut a deal to charter planes from Cambodia Airways. The airline will take the delivery of an Airbus A319 aircraft on May 20 to raise its fleet to four. Vietravel Airlines, which started commercial operation in January 2021, will receive an additional two planes in July. Vietjet Air received two Airbus A321 aircraft from Germany in early May, taking its fleet to 77 airliners. Vietjet CEO Dinh Viet Phuong said at its recent general shareholders meeting that the airline would increase its fleet of aircraft to 87 by the end of 2023, reported Planespotters. Another local air carrier, Bamboo Airways, is set to add six to eight planes by the end of this year. The airline wants to raise its fleet by 10 airliners in the 2024-25 period. In addition, Bamboo Airways will join hands with BBA Training Vietnam to offer pilot training courses. Following the increase in the number of aircraft, the local airlines are planning to recruit flight attendants to prepare for the summer travel season. Lam Quang Tien from Vietravel Airlines said that the carrier needed an additional 50 flight attendants in May. After two or three months of training, these flight attendants will start their work in July. Similarly, Vietjet has announced its recruitment of flight attendants in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang City. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnams air carriers Vietjet and Vietravel Airlines are rushing to increase the number of aircraft this month to meet high travel demand during the 2023 summer season.

Vu Duc Bien, general director of Vietravel Airlines, said that the carrier had cut a deal to charter planes from Cambodia Airways.

The airline will take the delivery of an Airbus A319 aircraft on May 20 to raise its fleet to four.

Vietravel Airlines, which started commercial operation in January 2021, will receive an additional two planes in July.

Vietjet Air received two Airbus A321 aircraft from Germany in early May, taking its fleet to 77 airliners.

Vietjet CEO Dinh Viet Phuong said at its recent general shareholders meeting that the airline would increase its fleet of aircraft to 87 by the end of 2023, reported Planespotters.

Another local air carrier, Bamboo Airways, is set to add six to eight planes by the end of this year.

The airline wants to raise its fleet by 10 airliners in the 2024-25 period.

In addition, Bamboo Airways will join hands with BBA Training Vietnam to offer pilot training courses.

Following the increase in the number of aircraft, the local airlines are planning to recruit flight attendants to prepare for the summer travel season.

Lam Quang Tien from Vietravel Airlines said that the carrier needed an additional 50 flight attendants in May.

After two or three months of training, these flight attendants will start their work in July.

Similarly, Vietjet has announced its recruitment of flight attendants in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang City.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The administration of Phu Yen Province in south-central Vietnam has suggested resuming the Vung Ro oil refinery project, which was scrapped in 2018, considering a Malaysian firms plan to invest US$5 billion in an oil refinery in the province. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the Institute of Energy and the Vietnam Petroleum Institute to study Phu Yens proposal to add the oil refining and energy industry to the national energy planning and the 8th power master plan. Phu Yen was allowed to develop the Vung Ro oil refinery, the oil refining sector, metallurgy, and renewable energy. The province has worked with some large investors who are interested in projects in its precincts, such as steelmaker Hoa Phat Group which wants to develop four industrial parks, Bai Goc port, an iron and steel complex, and trade-service centers. These four projects require an estimated investment of some VND110 trillion ($4.7 billion). However, the plan to develop oil refining and energy in Phu Yen is not included in draft energy development plans on which the Ministry of Industry and Trade is consulting relevant agencies. The ministry said the Vung Ro oil refinery project was no longer appropriate, so it did not propose developing the project in Phu Yen. The provincial Peoples Committee argued that it needs the consensus of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to exploit its potential advantages and attract large investors. The Vung Ro oil refinery project, whose investor was a consortium of the UKs Technostar Management Ltd and Russias Telloil Group, got the first investment certificate in November 2007 with a price tag of $1.7 billion and a designed capacity of four million metric tons per year. In April 2011, the investor suggested increasing the investment to $2.5 billion and the annual capacity to eight million metric tons. It was not commenced until September 2014 when the investment was revised up to $3.2 billion. Phu Yen had striven to clear the site for the project, handed over 134ha, and been committed to handing over another 400ha. However, the project was put on hold for months before the investor terminated it. The Phu Yen Economic Zone Authority revoked the investment certificate for the project in 2018. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The administration of Phu Yen Province in south-central Vietnam has suggested resuming the Vung Ro oil refinery project, which was scrapped in 2018, considering a Malaysian firms plan to invest US$5 billion in an oil refinery in the province.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the Institute of Energy and the Vietnam Petroleum Institute to study Phu Yens proposal to add the oil refining and energy industry to the national energy planning and the 8th power master plan.

Phu Yen was allowed to develop the Vung Ro oil refinery, the oil refining sector, metallurgy, and renewable energy.

The province has worked with some large investors who are interested in projects in its precincts, such as steelmaker Hoa Phat Group which wants to develop four industrial parks, Bai Goc port, an iron and steel complex, and trade-service centers.

These four projects require an estimated investment of some VND110 trillion ($4.7 billion).

However, the plan to develop oil refining and energy in Phu Yen is not included in draft energy development plans on which the Ministry of Industry and Trade is consulting relevant agencies.

The ministry said the Vung Ro oil refinery project was no longer appropriate, so it did not propose developing the project in Phu Yen.

The provincial Peoples Committee argued that it needs the consensus of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to exploit its potential advantages and attract large investors.

The Vung Ro oil refinery project, whose investor was a consortium of the UKs Technostar Management Ltd and Russias Telloil Group, got the first investment certificate in November 2007 with a price tag of $1.7 billion and a designed capacity of four million metric tons per year.

In April 2011, the investor suggested increasing the investment to $2.5 billion and the annual capacity to eight million metric tons.

It was not commenced until September 2014 when the investment was revised up to $3.2 billion.

Phu Yen had striven to clear the site for the project, handed over 134ha, and been committed to handing over another 400ha.

However, the project was put on hold for months before the investor terminated it.

The Phu Yen Economic Zone Authority revoked the investment certificate for the project in 2018.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
(Photo : Robert Perry/Getty Images)

A jury found former United States President Donald Trump guilty of sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll and awarded the latter $5 million in damages.

Jury finds Donald Trump guilty of sexual abuse of defamation of E. Jean Carroll

The panel, however, said that the complainant failed to prove that the former president raped her nearly three decades ago

The jury did find the Republican businessman guilty of the less serious offenses

A jury found former United States President Donald Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation in the case against E. Jean Carroll and has awarded the victim $5 million in damages.

Despite the dozens of sexual misconduct allegations and cases against the Republican businessman, Carroll's case has been the only one successfully tested before a jury.

Jury Convicts Donald Trump of Sexual Abuse, Defamation

The jury, six men and three women, found that the 79-year-old Carroll, who is a former magazine writer, failed to prove that Trump raped her nearly three decades ago inside a dressing room in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.

However, the panel found that the Republican businessman had sexually abused the victim, which was considered a less serious offense. The jury could have also found the former president liable for the forcible touching of Carroll, as per the New York Times.

Furthermore, the panel found that the former president defamed Carroll in October last year when he posted on his Truth Social platform. In his post, the former president called the complainant "a complete con job" and "a Hoax and a lie." Recently, Trump's lawyer said his client planned to appeal the verdict.

Trump's lawyers did not call witnesses during the trial, and the former president never appeared in court. During the case, Carroll, who sued the Republican businessman last year, delivered a testimony regarding the alleged attack that she said would forever end her romantic life.

Carroll on Tuesday nodded along as a court clerk read the verdict aloud inside the courtroom, nodding more prominently as the clerk pronounced Trump liable for defamation. Later that day, she walked out with a large grin while holding her lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan's, hand.

Read Also: Donald Trump's $500 Million Lawsuit Effort to Intimidate Witnesses

Jury Rewards E. Jean Carroll $5 Million in Damages

Despite the ruling, many do not expect the jury's ruling against Trump to affect the former president's base within the Republican Party. Within the GOP, the Republican businessman's supporters view the US legal system with skepticism and have continued to support him through all manners of controversy, according to BBC.

Two Republican senators responded to the recent verdict and highlighted the potential risks it creates for Trump's 2024 presidential run. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said the conviction would have a cumulative effect. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he believes Trump will not be elected in the 2024 elections.

In a written statement following the verdict, Carroll said she filed the lawsuit against the former president to clear her name and get her life back. She said that the day that the jury voted together against Trump was the day that the world finally found out about the truth of the incident, said Aljazeera.

Related Article: Donald Trump Restrained From Posting on Social Media in Hush-Money Case

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MADRID - Twenty-six people have been arrested for tapping illegal wells to grow tropical fruit such as avocados and mangos in southern Spain amid a long-term drought, police said on Tuesday. During a four-year investigation, authorities uncovered more than 250 illegal wells, bore holes and ponds in the Axarquia area in Andalusia, which has been hit by drought since 2021. Spain is Europes biggest producer of tropical fruit, which requires large volumes of water. Producers estimate that avocado production will drop by 25% this year due to high temperatures and a lack of water. The suspects are being investigated for misappropriation of public waters and alleged fraudulent use of water for irrigation of subtropical crops, police said. The gave no details on whether those arrested included commercial growers or subsistence farmers. The lack of rain has put water management under the spotlight in Spain, particularly around the Donana wetland, a wildlife sanctuary also in Andalusia and endangered by climate change and illegal irrigation in nearby strawberry farms. Spain registered the driest and warmest April since records began, according to the national weather agency AEMET. The average water level in reservoirs in Catalonia and Andalusia - the worst hit areas - stands at around 25%. In Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, farmers staged a go-slow protest in their tractors in several cities on Tuesday, demanding government help to deal with the impact of the drought. Farming union Unio de Pagesos is pushing authorities to provide subsidies as well as tax and labour incentives and emergency network improvements to guarantee a minimum supply of water for farmers. Farmer Josep Andreu Cortina, 35, told Reuters that he expected only around 2% of his produce to be fit for sale this year due to the scarcity of water. Authorities are not taking measures to help the sector deal with the drought, he said during a protest in the town of Lleida, around 150 km (90 miles) from Barcelona. A view shows the ground of the Rialb reservoir as drinking water supplies have plunged to their lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought, in the village of Bassella, Spain May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters A canoe is pictured on the cracked ground at a reservoir as drinking water supplies have plunged to their lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought, near Vic, Spain May 6, 2023. Photo: Reuters Spanish police officers document illegal water pipes in Malaga province, Spain in this screen grab from an undated handout video. Photo: Reuters A Spanish police officer uncovers an illegal well in Malaga province, Spain in this screen grab from an undated handout video. Photo: Reuters Spanish farmers in Catalonia stage a tractor go-slow protest against the effect of drought in Lleida, Spain May 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

MADRID - Twenty-six people have been arrested for tapping illegal wells to grow tropical fruit such as avocados and mangos in southern Spain amid a long-term drought, police said on Tuesday.

During a four-year investigation, authorities uncovered more than 250 illegal wells, bore holes and ponds in the Axarquia area in Andalusia, which has been hit by drought since 2021.

Spain is Europes biggest producer of tropical fruit, which requires large volumes of water. Producers estimate that avocado production will drop by 25% this year due to high temperatures and a lack of water.

The suspects are being investigated for misappropriation of public waters and alleged fraudulent use of water for irrigation of subtropical crops, police said.

The gave no details on whether those arrested included commercial growers or subsistence farmers.

The lack of rain has put water management under the spotlight in Spain, particularly around the Donana wetland, a wildlife sanctuary also in Andalusia and endangered by climate change and illegal irrigation in nearby strawberry farms.

Spain registered the driest and warmest April since records began, according to the national weather agency AEMET. The average water level in reservoirs in Catalonia and Andalusia - the worst hit areas - stands at around 25%.

In Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, farmers staged a go-slow protest in their tractors in several cities on Tuesday, demanding government help to deal with the impact of the drought.

Farming union Unio de Pagesos is pushing authorities to provide subsidies as well as tax and labour incentives and emergency network improvements to guarantee a minimum supply of water for farmers.

Farmer Josep Andreu Cortina, 35, told Reuters that he expected only around 2% of his produce to be fit for sale this year due to the scarcity of water.

Authorities are not taking measures to help the sector deal with the drought, he said during a protest in the town of Lleida, around 150 km (90 miles) from Barcelona.

A view shows the ground of the Rialb reservoir as drinking water supplies have plunged to their lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought, in the village of Bassella, Spain May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A canoe is pictured on the cracked ground at a reservoir as drinking water supplies have plunged to their lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought, near Vic, Spain May 6, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Spanish police officers document illegal water pipes in Malaga province, Spain in this screen grab from an undated handout video. Photo: Reuters

A Spanish police officer uncovers an illegal well in Malaga province, Spain in this screen grab from an undated handout video. Photo: Reuters
Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong on Tuesday afternoon hosted a reception for Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who is on a visit to Vietnam between Tuesday and Thursday as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. President Thuong remarked that the queens visit is a meaningful event at a time when Vietnam and Belgium are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2023). Queen Mathilde said she was looking forward to her upcoming trip to northern Lao Cai Province where she could witness the outcomes of childcare facilities in Vietnam as well as the countrys achievements in sustainable development. The trip will also enable her to learn about challenges facing the Southeast Asian nation in providing child care and protection. The Vietnamese state leader said that the Communist Party, state, and the people of Vietnam have paid great attention to child care, education, and protection over the years, saving the best things for the future generation of the country. Also, the country has constantly worked to perfect its legal framework, formulate and execute multiple policies and programs associated with children. Besides these achievements, the country has encountered some obstacles such as the increasing development gap among regions, as well as differences in the provision of healthcare and nutrition services among localities. President Thuong took this occasion to express his gratitude to Belgium, UNICEF Belgium, and Queen Mathilde for having supported and cooperated with Vietnam in child care and protection. He expected that during her trip to some projects funded by UNICEF Belgium in Vietnam, Queen Mathilde would better understand the efforts, achievements, and obstacles faced by Vietnam in the field. He also requested UNICEF Belgium to consider further support for Vietnam so that the country will be able to provide better child care and education in the years to come. Further, he extended his invitation to King Philippe and Queen Mathilde to visit Vietnam to discuss measures to expand and deepen ties between the two countries. A queen with great love for children Queen Mathilde of Belgium was born into a noble family in a central Belgian city in 1973. The queen is greatly admired for her beauty and talent. She is among the most highly-educated royal members in Europe. She can speak various languages fluently such as French, Dutch, English, Italian, and Spanish. She had previously come to Vietnam in 2012 during which she spent much time visiting Belgium-funded projects in rural areas. During her ongoing trip to Vietnam, the queen will visit educational institutions in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and learn about the results of IT application in teaching and learning. The Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium will also visit nutrition support clubs and meet with Vietnamese students to share about mental healthcare. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong on Tuesday afternoon hosted a reception for Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who is on a visit to Vietnam between Tuesday and Thursday as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium.

President Thuong remarked that the queens visit is a meaningful event at a time when Vietnam and Belgium are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2023).

Queen Mathilde said she was looking forward to her upcoming trip to northern Lao Cai Province where she could witness the outcomes of childcare facilities in Vietnam as well as the countrys achievements in sustainable development.

The trip will also enable her to learn about challenges facing the Southeast Asian nation in providing child care and protection.

The Vietnamese state leader said that the Communist Party, state, and the people of Vietnam have paid great attention to child care, education, and protection over the years, saving the best things for the future generation of the country.

Also, the country has constantly worked to perfect its legal framework, formulate and execute multiple policies and programs associated with children.

Besides these achievements, the country has encountered some obstacles such as the increasing development gap among regions, as well as differences in the provision of healthcare and nutrition services among localities.

President Thuong took this occasion to express his gratitude to Belgium, UNICEF Belgium, and Queen Mathilde for having supported and cooperated with Vietnam in child care and protection.

He expected that during her trip to some projects funded by UNICEF Belgium in Vietnam, Queen Mathilde would better understand the efforts, achievements, and obstacles faced by Vietnam in the field.

He also requested UNICEF Belgium to consider further support for Vietnam so that the country will be able to provide better child care and education in the years to come.

Further, he extended his invitation to King Philippe and Queen Mathilde to visit Vietnam to discuss measures to expand and deepen ties between the two countries.

A queen with great love for children

Queen Mathilde of Belgium was born into a noble family in a central Belgian city in 1973.

The queen is greatly admired for her beauty and talent. She is among the most highly-educated royal members in Europe.

She can speak various languages fluently such as French, Dutch, English, Italian, and Spanish.

She had previously come to Vietnam in 2012 during which she spent much time visiting Belgium-funded projects in rural areas.

During her ongoing trip to Vietnam, the queen will visit educational institutions in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and learn about the results of IT application in teaching and learning.

The Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium will also visit nutrition support clubs and meet with Vietnamese students to share about mental healthcare.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Fifty-five children were admitted to a hospital in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam on Tuesday evening on suspicion of food poisoning after eating yogurt at their kindergarten earlier on the day. Le Duc Hai, director of the general hospital of Do Luong District in Nghe An Province, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that the hospital was treating 55 children. They were diagnosed with a digestive disorder. The children are getting better and no one is becoming worse, Hai said. Many students at a kindergarten in Thuan Son Commune, Do Luong District developed symptoms such as vomiting and fatigue at 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, said their parents. They were immediately rushed to the Thuan Son Commune Medical Station before being transferred to the Do Luong District General Hospital. A woman whose child was among the hospitalized said at about 7:00 pm, her child began vomiting after having dinner. When she took her child to the Thuan Son Commune Medical Station, many other parents were there as their children also exhibited similar symptoms. In the afternoon, the children had eaten yogurt at their kindergarten. Those who did not eat yogurt did not show food poisoning symptoms, the Education and Training Office of Do Luong District informed, citing a report by the school. The provincial food safety and hygiene agency is coordinating with other relevant agencies to take samples from the kindergarten to discover the cause of the case. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Fifty-five children were admitted to a hospital in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam on Tuesday evening on suspicion of food poisoning after eating yogurt at their kindergarten earlier on the day.

Le Duc Hai, director of the general hospital of Do Luong District in Nghe An Province, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that the hospital was treating 55 children.

They were diagnosed with a digestive disorder.

The children are getting better and no one is becoming worse, Hai said.

Many students at a kindergarten in Thuan Son Commune, Do Luong District developed symptoms such as vomiting and fatigue at 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, said their parents.

They were immediately rushed to the Thuan Son Commune Medical Station before being transferred to the Do Luong District General Hospital.

A woman whose child was among the hospitalized said at about 7:00 pm, her child began vomiting after having dinner.

When she took her child to the Thuan Son Commune Medical Station, many other parents were there as their children also exhibited similar symptoms.

In the afternoon, the children had eaten yogurt at their kindergarten.

Those who did not eat yogurt did not show food poisoning symptoms, the Education and Training Office of Do Luong District informed, citing a report by the school.

The provincial food safety and hygiene agency is coordinating with other relevant agencies to take samples from the kindergarten to discover the cause of the case.

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The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction sent an announcement on the termination of a massive pump rental contract for Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District with Quang Trung Industry Group JSC as the street is no longer flooded after downpours. The municipal department said in the announcement that the Nguyen Huu Canh Street repair and upgrade project was completed in April 2021, and since then, the route has not faced inundation. As such, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee decided to halt the pump rental for Nguyen Huu Canh Street, according to the municipal department. The department proposed that Quang Trung Group, which is the provider of the pump system, work with the Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Management Center to conduct procedures to end the pump rental contract. The municipal department also expressed its gratitude for the firms contribution to the citys efforts in controlling flooding on Nguyen Huu Canh Street. Ho Chi Minh City signed a pump rental contract to control flood tides on Nguyen Huu Canh Street with Quang Trung Group in April 2018, for seven years, from 2017 to 2023. The contract to rent the pump, with a capacity of 97,000 cubic meters an hour, is valued at over VND14 billion (nearly US$600,000) a year. However, since early 2022, the route has not witnessed floods as the Nguyen Huu Canh Street upgrade project was completed and features a new drainage system. As such, the Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Management Center, which was assigned to cut the deal with Quang Trung Group for the pump rental, negotiated with the firm for the early contract termination. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction sent an announcement on the termination of a massive pump rental contract for Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District with Quang Trung Industry Group JSC as the street is no longer flooded after downpours.

The municipal department said in the announcement that the Nguyen Huu Canh Street repair and upgrade project was completed in April 2021, and since then, the route has not faced inundation.

As such, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee decided to halt the pump rental for Nguyen Huu Canh Street, according to the municipal department.

The department proposed that Quang Trung Group, which is the provider of the pump system, work with the Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Management Center to conduct procedures to end the pump rental contract.

The municipal department also expressed its gratitude for the firms contribution to the citys efforts in controlling flooding on Nguyen Huu Canh Street.

Ho Chi Minh City signed a pump rental contract to control flood tides on Nguyen Huu Canh Street with Quang Trung Group in April 2018, for seven years, from 2017 to 2023.

The contract to rent the pump, with a capacity of 97,000 cubic meters an hour, is valued at over VND14 billion (nearly US$600,000) a year.

However, since early 2022, the route has not witnessed floods as the Nguyen Huu Canh Street upgrade project was completed and features a new drainage system.

As such, the Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Management Center, which was assigned to cut the deal with Quang Trung Group for the pump rental, negotiated with the firm for the early contract termination.

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The Airbus Beluga, a whale-shaped aircraft offered by the European company Airbus, made its appearance at Da Nang International Airport in central Vietnam for the very first time on Tuesday morning, grabbing social media attention due to its unique shape. A Da Nang airport representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday afternoon that the airport witnessed the arrival of a ferry flight using the uniquely-shaped Airbus A300-600ST early on the same day. Ferry flight is the movement of an aircraft without payload. The ferry flight operated with the Airbus Beluga landed at the Da Nang airport on its way from Kolkata Airport in India and was scheduled to leave the Vietnamese airport for Taiwan on Tuesday evening. The Airbus-operated Belugas, also known as the A300-600ST Super Transporter or Beluga because of their resemblance to the eponymous whale, serve Airbus production and assembly activities. They are also available for freight companies and other customers to meet outsized freight transportation needs. Many photographers in Da Nang City gathered at Da Nang International Airport to capture stunning pictures of the Beluga. Photo: Duong Thanh Tung After this aircraft touched down at the Da Nang airport, many photographers in the central Vietnamese city took this rare occasion to capture stunning pictures of the Beluga. Duong Thanh Tung, a photographer based in Da Nang, said the Da Nang airport had received many well-known aircraft in the world, such as the Air Force One, designated for carrying the U.S. president, and another plane transporting the president of Russia. This was the first time Tung had seen such a huge whale-shaped aircraft at the airport, he said. Many social media groups in Da Nang also shared lots of pictures of the Beluga aircraft. The Airbus A300-600ST is also called Beluga because of its resemblance to the eponymous whale. Photo: N.N.D. / Tuoi Tre The Airbus-operated Belugas serve Airbus production and assembly activities and offer outsized cargo transport services. Photo: N.N.D. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Airbus Beluga, a whale-shaped aircraft offered by the European company Airbus, made its appearance at Da Nang International Airport in central Vietnam for the very first time on Tuesday morning, grabbing social media attention due to its unique shape.

A Da Nang airport representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday afternoon that the airport witnessed the arrival of a ferry flight using the uniquely-shaped Airbus A300-600ST early on the same day.

Ferry flight is the movement of an aircraft without payload.

The ferry flight operated with the Airbus Beluga landed at the Da Nang airport on its way from Kolkata Airport in India and was scheduled to leave the Vietnamese airport for Taiwan on Tuesday evening.

The Airbus-operated Belugas, also known as the A300-600ST Super Transporter or Beluga because of their resemblance to the eponymous whale, serve Airbus production and assembly activities.

They are also available for freight companies and other customers to meet outsized freight transportation needs.

Many photographers in Da Nang City gathered at Da Nang International Airport to capture stunning pictures of the Beluga. Photo: Duong Thanh Tung

After this aircraft touched down at the Da Nang airport, many photographers in the central Vietnamese city took this rare occasion to capture stunning pictures of the Beluga.

Duong Thanh Tung, a photographer based in Da Nang, said the Da Nang airport had received many well-known aircraft in the world, such as the Air Force One, designated for carrying the U.S. president, and another plane transporting the president of Russia.

This was the first time Tung had seen such a huge whale-shaped aircraft at the airport, he said.

Many social media groups in Da Nang also shared lots of pictures of the Beluga aircraft.

The Airbus A300-600ST is also called Beluga because of its resemblance to the eponymous whale. Photo: N.N.D. / Tuoi Tre

The Airbus-operated Belugas serve Airbus production and assembly activities and offer outsized cargo transport services. Photo: N.N.D. / Tuoi Tre

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed its Consular Department to contact the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam and ask for support for the Vietnamese citizens among over 1,000 forced laborers recently rescued in Pampanga Province of the Philippines. More than 1,000 people, including Vietnamese nationals, were rescued by local authorities on May 4 from forced labor at an establishment owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga Province, near Manila, as reported by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines. The rescued individuals are safe at a facility designated by Philippine authorities. The Vietnamese Embassy promptly visited the rescued nationals to gather their information, provide medical aid to those with health issues on May 6 and 9, and is collaborating with relevant Philippine agencies to develop assistance plans. Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that it proposed the Philippine authorities help ensure accommodation for the Vietnamese nationals, update the Vietnamese side on their residence status, and assist Vietnam in repatriating those citizens whose stay is not permitted by the Philippines as soon as possible. The ministry urged the Philippines to enhance cooperation in resolving the forced labor case involving the Vietnamese citizens and take action against violators. The ministry also called on those who have information about the people involved in forced labor or have been lured to work overseas to provide details via the citizen protection switchboard +84 981848484, the Consular Departments email baohocongdan@gmail.com, the citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines +63 9982756666, or their nearest representative agencies of Vietnam. AFP quoted a Philippine official as saying on Saturday that local authorities rescued 1,090 people from several Asian nations who were allegedly trafficked into the country, held captive, and forced to run online scams. Their passports were confiscated and they were made to work up to 18 hours a day, with salary deductions for interacting with colleagues or taking extended breaks. At least 12 suspected ringleaders of the scheme, including seven Chinese nationals, four Indonesians, and a Malaysian, have been arrested and are set to be charged with human trafficking. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed its Consular Department to contact the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam and ask for support for the Vietnamese citizens among over 1,000 forced laborers recently rescued in Pampanga Province of the Philippines.

More than 1,000 people, including Vietnamese nationals, were rescued by local authorities on May 4 from forced labor at an establishment owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga Province, near Manila, as reported by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines.

The rescued individuals are safe at a facility designated by Philippine authorities.

The Vietnamese Embassy promptly visited the rescued nationals to gather their information, provide medical aid to those with health issues on May 6 and 9, and is collaborating with relevant Philippine agencies to develop assistance plans.

Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that it proposed the Philippine authorities help ensure accommodation for the Vietnamese nationals, update the Vietnamese side on their residence status, and assist Vietnam in repatriating those citizens whose stay is not permitted by the Philippines as soon as possible.

The ministry urged the Philippines to enhance cooperation in resolving the forced labor case involving the Vietnamese citizens and take action against violators.

The ministry also called on those who have information about the people involved in forced labor or have been lured to work overseas to provide details via the citizen protection switchboard +84 981848484, the Consular Departments email baohocongdan@gmail.com, the citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines +63 9982756666, or their nearest representative agencies of Vietnam.

AFP quoted a Philippine official as saying on Saturday that local authorities rescued 1,090 people from several Asian nations who were allegedly trafficked into the country, held captive, and forced to run online scams.

Their passports were confiscated and they were made to work up to 18 hours a day, with salary deductions for interacting with colleagues or taking extended breaks.

At least 12 suspected ringleaders of the scheme, including seven Chinese nationals, four Indonesians, and a Malaysian, have been arrested and are set to be charged with human trafficking.

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The inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) started in Da Nang City, central Vietnam in the presence of many international and Vietnamese guests and movie stars on Tuesday evening. The festival is being jointly held by the Vietnam Association for the Promotion and Development of Cinema, authorities of Da Nang, and the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema. DANAFF aims to recognize and honor outstanding Vietnamese and Asia-Pacific cinematographic works, promote them to the public, and foster the growth of emerging talents in the region. Performers dance at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, stated that the festivals theme DANAFF - Bridging Asia focuses on celebrating films that embody humanistic values, unique artistic expression, and new discoveries, while also encouraging new Vietnamese and Asian talents in the industry, and presenting valuable works from Asian and Vietnamese cinemas as well as selected global films to audiences. Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre Visitors to the festival can enjoy the public screening of 89 films free of charge, a three-evening outdoor film screening, and a series of workshops on the development and cooperation of the cinema industry. It also offers tours to local sightseeing spots for foreign participants. The jury board of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival is introduced during the opening ceremony in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre Additionally, the festival will feature 12 to 14 films competing in the Asian film category, with grand prizes for best movie, director, actor, actress, and screenwriter. The event will continue until May 13, with the awards ceremony and the closing ceremony taking place concurrently. Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, speaks at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) started in Da Nang City, central Vietnam in the presence of many international and Vietnamese guests and movie stars on Tuesday evening.

The festival is being jointly held by the Vietnam Association for the Promotion and Development of Cinema, authorities of Da Nang, and the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema.

DANAFF aims to recognize and honor outstanding Vietnamese and Asia-Pacific cinematographic works, promote them to the public, and foster the growth of emerging talents in the region.

Performers dance at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, stated that the festivals theme DANAFF - Bridging Asia focuses on celebrating films that embody humanistic values, unique artistic expression, and new discoveries, while also encouraging new Vietnamese and Asian talents in the industry, and presenting valuable works from Asian and Vietnamese cinemas as well as selected global films to audiences.

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre

Visitors to the festival can enjoy the public screening of 89 films free of charge, a three-evening outdoor film screening, and a series of workshops on the development and cooperation of the cinema industry.

It also offers tours to local sightseeing spots for foreign participants.

The jury board of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival is introduced during the opening ceremony in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre

Additionally, the festival will feature 12 to 14 films competing in the Asian film category, with grand prizes for best movie, director, actor, actress, and screenwriter.

The event will continue until May 13, with the awards ceremony and the closing ceremony taking place concurrently.

Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, speaks at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Da Nang Asian Film Festival in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, May 9, 2023. Photo: Tran Mac / Tuoi Tre

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EXCLUSIVE:

Production is underway on Season Two of RFDS in Broken Hill, set to premiere on Seven later this year.

Based on real-life stories of doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff in the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Season Two picks up one year after Eliza (Emma Hamilton) left Broken Hill behind.

Much has changed, with lives at RFDS South East progressing at a rapid rate. The determined team will face some of their most confronting challenges to date  in the air, on land, with each other, and within themselves  set against the isolation, beauty and brutality of the outback.

Returning cast also include Stephen Peacocke (Home and Away, Five Bedrooms, The Newsreader), Rob Collins (Total Control, The Drovers Wife), Justine Clarke (Going Country, The Time of Our Lives), Ash Ricardo (Offspring, Force of Nature: The Dry 2), Jack Scott (Hardball, Joe v Carole), Sofia Nolan (Home and Away), Rodney Afif (Alis Wedding, Lucky Miles), Ash Hodgkinson (Heartbreak High) and Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High, Blue).

Joining the cast this year is Emma Harvie (Colin from Accounts, Frayed) in the role of Chaya, a charismatic mental health nurse.

Seven Network Head of Drama, Julie McGauran, said: The best part of my day is seeing the dailies come in for the new season of RFDS. Watching this stellar cast bring these wonderful Australian stories to life is such a joy and I cant wait for Australia to fall in love with this show all over again.

Executive Producer and Endemol Shine Australia Head of Scripted, Sara Richardson, said: It is such a joy to be back in Broken Hill and its community for the second season of RFDS. It is a huge privilege to be telling regional stories that are at the very soul of Australia, with scripts which have been crafted by the exceptional Ian Meadows and his team of incredibly talented writers.

We are honoured to be bringing back our sensational cast and crew to showcase the powerful work of real-life heroes with heart, humour and gripping action.

Screen Australias Head of Content, Grainne Brunsdon, said: Returning with an exceptionally strong creative team, season two of RFDS will once again bring to life thrilling storylines with authentic and complex characters, showcasing regional parts of Australia rarely seen on screen. Im confident season two will continue to engage and entertain audiences across Australia and beyond.

RFDS is executive produced by Endemol Shine Australia Head of Scripted Sara Richardson, Imogen Banks (Kindling) and Julie McGauran for Seven. RFDS is produced by Ian Meadows (Upright) and Ross Allsop (The Artful Dodger) and directed by Jeremy Sims (Last Cab To Darwin), Rachel Ward (Rake) and Adrian Russell Wills (The Warriors). Season two is written by Ian Meadows, with other writers including Claire Phillips (Offspring), Magda Wozniak (Bad Behaviour), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road) and Adrian Russell Wills.

RFDS is an Endemol Shine Australia production for the Seven Network. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Seven Network. Financed with support from Screen NSW. Banijay Rights handles international distribution for RFDS outside of Australia.
NITV current affairs program The Point returns later this month engaging in debate and providing analysis to help inform all Australians about the upcoming Voice Referendum.

Returning as hosts are John Paul Janke and Narelda Jacobs.

Proud Mudburra and Wagadagam woman, and NITVs Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs, Natalie Ahmat, said The Point continues to give First Nations peoples a safe space and a vital voice in the media, and is essential viewing for all Australians.

We are looking forward to sharing fresh perspectives, exploring the diversity of views and experiences among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and visiting mob across the country to ensure Australians are informed with facts, unique insights and analysis. We are taking this conversation out of the corridors of Canberra and into community, getting to the heart of the story.

Co-host and Senior Indigenous Affairs Expert, John Paul Janke said We are excited to share a new iteration of The Point this year, with special segments like History Bites where Ill showcase critical moments in Australias First Nations history, interview key players and pay homage to crucial figures who helped pave the way for the current state of Indigenous affairs in Australia.

NITV is in a unique position to inform all Australians about the upcoming Referendum through our extensive coverage. If you want to learn more about the Vote, The Point is one of the many places you can find information from NITV, within the SBS network.

Hosted by proud Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke (Sunset Ceremony, Land Wars) and Whadjuk Noongar woman, Network Tens Narelda Jacobs (10 News First Midday), this season, The Point: Referendum Road Trip will visit every Australian state and territory with special outdoor broadcasts, as well as live episodes from the studio on Cammeraygal Country in Sydney.

The Point: Referendum Road Trip will also include commentary and analysis from Canberra-based Voice Correspondent for SBS and NITV, Gamilaroi man, Cameron Gooley, and current affairs features from National Point Correspondent and Gamilaroi woman, Keira Jenkins.

The Point: Referendum Road Trip will air six episodes before taking a short break and will return to cover the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures in early August. The program will then continue to run until the Referendum and NITV will feature a special week of programming in the lead-up to the vote, with more details to be shared closer to the date.

Episode 1

Join Narelda and JP live from the studio on Cammeraygal Country as they explore what it means to have a voice, and at what cost? The hosts will be accompanied by a group of diverse panellists, including experts and activists, to kick off this Voice to Parliament-focused season.

Episode 2

Coming to you from Waiben (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait, this weeks episode will include a panel of local people who each bring their perspective to the Voice to Parliament debate.

Episode 3

The theme of this weeks broadcast from the studio is sovereignty  a concept that is often mentioned alongside the Voice to Parliament. The episode will tackle the question of what Indigenous sovereignty is and whether a Voice can extinguish it.

The Point is among NITVs comprehensive, multiplatform Indigenous news and current affairs offering. For coverage with a unique First Nations lens, watch The Point: Referendum Road Trip, NITV News, Nula, Living Black, which is celebrating its 20th year on air, and head online to NITV.com.au.

The Point will also be available to stream for free on SBS On Demand and will be subtitled in Arabic and Simplified Chinese.

Tuesday 30 May at 7.30pm on NITV and on SBS from 10.30pm.
Actor Vince Colosimo appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court today via videolink over a Fines Victoria warrant against him for failing to pay more than 160 fines.

Colosimo will seek counselling as he tries to put himself in the best position to pay back more than $65,000 in unpaid fines.

Lawyer Julia Munster said Colosimo had only recently received funding from Legal Aid for her legal representation.

She told the court he was arranging counselling and working hard to put himself in a better position, but needed two months to do this.

No lawyers for the Sheriff of Victoria were in court today.

Colosimo will return to court on July 13.

Source: Nine
(Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The federal government estimates that more than 150,000 migrants waited in shelters and on the streets of the US-Mexico border.

On Thursday, restrictions from the COVID-19 era to avoid unlawful immigration will expire, allowing up to 150,000 individuals to enter the United States from Mexico.

The legislation, known as Title 42, was introduced by the Trump administration and permitted US border agents to return most undocumented migrants to the southern border. Officials must register detained immigrants in an immigration system that can take months to adjudicate individual cases.

Influx of Migrants Continues as Title 42 Set to Expire

According to CNN, 150,000 people wait for the regulations to alter in northern Mexico. The network reported that 60,000 people were camping out in Chihuahua, from which many will attempt to enter the United States at El Paso.

US President Joe Biden spoke with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about "the significance of enhancing cooperation" between the two nations to manage "unprecedented migration in the region," according to a White House summary of the conversation.

Many of the migrants in El Paso on Tuesday, who read the leaflet under Red Cross blankets or by the light of a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, declined to be interviewed. Others dreaded that turning themselves in would result in expulsion or deportation, compelling them to begin their journeys again.

Biden predicted that the US-Mexico border would be "chaotic for a while" following the end of pandemic-related restrictions, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants considered whether or not to cross.

Since 2020, the restrictions have permitted US officials to return migrants across the border swiftly. The US is implementing a new set of policies that will restrict illicit border crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the country if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor, and pass a background check.

Biden stated that his administration was striving to ensure a smooth transition. "But only time will tell," he told reporters, as per AP News.

On Tuesday, Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador discussed the frontier for roughly an hour. The United States and Mexico share a 1,951-mile border, so Mexico is essential to the success of any U.S. plans to control immigration at the southern border.

Approximately 100 people, predominantly from Colombia, crossed the border before dawn on Tuesday and trekked for nearly two hours through desolate, boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego to a sandy plateau where Border Patrol agents kept watch.

The Biden administration has stated that it is prepared for whatever may occur following the expiration of Title 42, despite its repeated criticism of Congress for failing to reform the nation's immigration system.

The deployment of personnel is part of efforts to bolster security along the southern border, but they will primarily be used to help monitor and observe the border, as well as for data entry and support; they will not interact with migrants, according to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary.

The objective is to free up Customs and Border Protection personnel to perform law enforcement duties. At least a portion of the active-duty forces will be deployed near El Paso, Texas, he said, adding that CBP will determine where the forces will be deployed. Around the end of May, more than 900 additional soldiers, Marines, and aircraft will arrive.

Read Also: Victory Day in Russia: Celebrations Begin in Moscow Despite Mounting Pressure

New York Declares State of Emergency

Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order late Tuesday to enhance the state's efforts to assist New York City with an influx of asylum-seekers.

The move by the Democratic governor comes at a time when the New York City suburbs are in an outcry over Mayor Eric Adams' plan to relocate at least 400 migrants from the city to vacant hotels in Rockland and Orange counties, prompting criticism and defiance pledges from local leaders.

Hochul stated that the order would enable the state to send up to 500 additional National Guard members to assist the city, which has received more than 57,000 migrants since spring. According to Politico, it will also enable the state to acquire accommodation and apparatus for newcomers.

Hochul's order may also aim to assuage suburbia's anger in the wake of Adams' announcement on Friday that he would seek to relocate some migrants to other counties to relieve overcrowding and strain on city resources.

The Republican county executives of Orange and Rockland issued emergency orders to prevent hotels from contracting with the city to shelter migrants, setting the stage for a conflict between local governments. Hochul appeared to be attempting to calm the situation on Tuesday, indicating that she would work to locate new locations, possibly state-owned facilities, for asylum-seekers in the city or with municipalities prepared to accept them.

Related Article: Biden Calls for 'Fair Deal' for Hollywood Writers as Strike Continues

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Indigenous Mapuche women of Chile weave on a loom; a new study has linked an ancient Asian lineage with the First Americans

As the last continents to be settled by humans, the question of how and when people first came to the Americas has long intrigued scientists.

A new genetics study published Tuesday in Cell Reports finds that some of the first arrivals came from China during two distinct migrations: the first during the last ice age, and the second shortly after.

"Our findings indicate that besides the previously indicated ancestral sources of Native Americans in Siberia, the northern coastal China also served as a genetic reservoir contributing to the gene pool," Yu-Chun Li, one of the report authors, told AFP.

Li added that during the second migration, the same lineage of people settled in Japan, which could help explain similarities in prehistoric arrowheads and spears found in the Americas, China and Japan.

It was once believed that ancient Siberians, who crossed over a land bridge that existed in the Bering Strait linking modern Russia and Alaska, were the sole ancestors of Native Americans.

More recent research, from the late 2000s onwards, has signaled more diverse sources from Asia could be connected to an ancient lineage responsible for founding populations across the Americas, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and California.

Known as D4h, this lineage is found in mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from mothers and is used to trace maternal ancestry.

The team from the Kunming Institute of Zoology embarked on a ten-year hunt for D4h, combing through 100,000 modern and 15,000 ancient DNA samples across Eurasia. They eventually landed on 216 contemporary and 39 ancient individuals who came from the ancient lineage.

By analyzing the mutations that had accrued over time, looking at the samples' geographic locations and using carbon dating, they were able to reconstruct the D4h lineage's origins and expansion history.

The results revealed two migration events. The first was between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheet coverage was at its greatest and climate conditions in northern China were likely inhospitable.

Story continues

The second occurred during the melting period, between 19,000 and 11,500 years ago. Increasing human populations during this period might have triggered migrations.

- Coastal migration -

In both cases, the scientists think the travelers were seafarers who docked in America and traveled along the Pacific coast by boats. This is because a grassy passageway between two ice sheets in modern Canada, known as the "inland ice-free corridor," was not yet opened.

In the second migration, a subgroup branched out from northern coastal China to Japan, contributing to the Japanese people, especially the indigenous Ainu, the study said, a finding that chimes with archeological similarities between ancient people in the Americas, China and Japan.

Li said a strength of the study was the number of samples they discovered, and complementary evidence from Y chromosomal DNA showing male ancestors of Native Americans lived in northern China at the same time as the female ancestors, made them confident of their findings.

"However, we don't know in which specific place in northern coastal China this expansion occurred and what specific events promoted these migrations," he said.

"More evidence, especially ancient genomes, are needed to answer these questions."

ia/bgs
Hollywood writers for TV and movies have been on strike since last week to demand higher pay, among other pressing concerns, which continues until now.

As thousands of writers demonstrated outside, production firms had to halt the development of shows like Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and HBO's 'Game of Thrones' spinoff.

Hollywood Writers Strike Halts Shows

The Hollywood writers' strike kicked off after the six-week-long talks between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to come to terms, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Since then, roughly 11,000 demonstrated in New York City and Los Angeles streets to voice their concerns, including proper wages and protection against artificial technology (AI).

The people behind our favorite shows and movies are also clamoring for improved transparency of viewership among streaming services like Netflix to standardized royalty payments.

And as such, the strike has forced some production and broadcast firms to shut down the development of some of its programs. Some affected companies include giant streamers like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO.

Read Also: Biden Calls for 'Fair Deal' for Hollywood Writers as Strike Continues

Which Shows Are Affected by the Writers' Strike

Besides the impacted companies, the writers strike heavily affected the production of various existing and upcoming shows. Some of the first shows that have gone off-air are many late-night shows, including the 'Tonight Show,' which Jimmy Fallon hosts, and 'Late Night with Seth Meyers,' both on NBC.

CBS' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and HBO's 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' are now running on reruns amid the strike. The hit Netflix shows Stranger Things also halted production, confirmed by the Duffer brothers, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer.

Reuters reports that the 'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of Dragon' has suspended its development too, as well as Hulu's Emmy-winning drama 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Prime Video's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel, 'The Rings of Power,' continues production albeit in the absence of its executive producers, The Washington Post reports. Apple TV+ was not spared from the strike as the production of 'Loot' is now on pause too.

Not to mention that Marvel Studios has shut down the preproduction of its upcoming Blade series. Showtime's 'Yellowjackets' and HBO Max's 'Hacks' are on hold too. Despite the production hiccups, NBC News reports that Oliver Mayer, an emeritus member of the WGA, believes the strike has yet to bring a striking difference in existing programming.

Mayer, a University of Southern California professor of dramatic writing, says, "[it is] a matter of weeks, not months from now," before viewers notice the change. By then, the WGA emeritus member emphasized we would see plenty of show reruns with lesser new content.

Related Article: Snoop Dogg Supports Writers' Strike, Urges Music Artists To Do the Same

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HA NOI - Wind and solar power investors continued to voice their grievances over difficulties in price negotiations and extending project deadlines with the Power Trading Company (EVNEPTC) a subsidiary of Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the sole power distributor in the market.

Investors said they had submitted documents and requested to participate in negotiations with the Power Trading Company. The process had been said to be very slow due to a lack of guidelines and price calculations and negotiations.

In addition, numerous submitted forms and documents had not been approved.

In order to expedite the process and quickly connect renewable energy sources to the national grid, investors urged Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to instruct the Ministry of Industry and Trade to issue detailed guidelines for price negotiations in a timely manner.

They also called for renewable projects that meet operational and technical requirements to be connected to the national grid in the meantime.

According to a proposal by the investors, there are several courses of action to resolve the ongoing issues.

First, EVN will pay investors at 90 per cent of the ceiling price set by the ministry's Decision 21 until a final price can be successfully negotiated.

Second, EVN will pay investors at 50 per cent of the ceiling price set by Government Decision 21 and start a complaint process. Once price negotiation is completed, EVN will make a full payment at negotiated prices for the entire period, starting from when projects began generating power.

Third, in the event temporary prices are set as low as 50 per cent of the ceiling price, it should not be counted towards the 20-year official power purchase agreement between EVN and the investors.

Investors said they recommend a government leader preside over a meeting among the MoIT, EVN, other ministries and representatives sent by investors to hammer out a solution to connect renewable projects to the national grid as soon as possible.

According to the investors, the options were based on actual investment cost data, the situation of the projects and the investors' financial capacity. They are also willing to collaborate and coordinate with the ministry and other governmental agencies to produce and provide any and all documents required for price negotiations.

MoIT's Decision 21 stipulated ceiling prices for renewable projects as follows: VN1,184.90 per kWh for land-based solar projects, VN1,508.27 per kWh for floating solar projects, VN1,587.12 per kWh for land-based wind projects and VN1,815.95 per kWh for offshore wind projects.

In an earlier development, EVN proposed a scheme to pay investors a temporary price at 50 per cent of what was set in Decision 21 while waiting for price negotiations to be completed.

In response, the group of investors said in the event of no recourse and deduction from the Power Purchase Agreement the proposed temporary price will, in effect, act as the official price, which is completely against the government's policy of promoting renewable energy development and the government's commitments to carbon emissions reduction through renewable energy development. VNS
HA NOI  Domestic property developers are looking to sell assets and shares to deal with debts, restructure, maintain cash flow and keep operations going, according to industry experts.

"The property market has been seeing one of the worst slumps in many years," said inh Thi Nhat Hanh, CEO of Khai Hoan Land.

High inventory and mounting debt have sent developers scrambling for funds, creating good opportunities for new players, including businesses and investment funds, to join the market by acquiring suitable lands for their future projects.

The market recently has seen major deals such as the Novaland Group's share exchange worth over VN1 trillion with Dallas Vietnam Gamma Ltd.

Phat Dat Company sold 89 per cent of its shares in the 197 ien Bien Phu Building Project in Binh Thanh Dist. HCM City. The company said the sales were part of an effort to bolster cash flow, restructure the investment portfolio, optimise investment, improve debt liquidity and settle bonds before maturity.

Nguyen Quoc Anh, deputy director of batdongsan.com.vn, said these were only the first of many deals and that merger and acquisition activity would likely pick up pace in the coming months.

Anh said there had been talks of major M&A deals worth hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars in the making, with foreign investors showing particularly high interest.

David Jackson, managing director of Colliers Vietnam, said foreign investors had shown a lot of confidence in the market's potential and foreign funds could provide a much-needed boost to the market to speed up its recovery.

"We have been contacted by numerous investors, both from inside and outside of the country, about investment opportunities in Viet Nam's property market," he said.

Duong Thuy Dung, CEO of CBRE Vietnam, said foreign investors had been closely watching the market for some time now and many of them had started making their moves. In addition to traditional investors from Hong Kong and Singapore, recently there had been many more investors from South Africa and the Middle East showing interest.

Successful deals, however, remained few and far between.

Dung said one major obstacle was the high return foreign investors demand. They often asked for 18-20 per cent return while domestic developers could only go as high as 13-15 per cent annually.

Foreign investors were also extremely cautious with developers with poor reputations or those who have placed their projects as collateral for the banks.

Nguyen Cong Ai, deputy director-general of KPMG Vietnam, said foreign investors routinely conducted extensive market research and surveys into the market before making their offers. They also tended to value projects slightly lower than domestic developers.

"Vietnamese developers often had to spend a huge sum of money to first acquire the land, finish the legal prerequisites and develop infrastructure. It isn't always an easy decision to sell," Ai said.

On the other hand, investors were the ones with cash to spend and they, of course, were looking out for the best deals possible.

He said M&A activities within the market would likely pick up around the end of 2023 or in early 2024 once both sides have enough time to consider their positions.  VNS
HA NOI  Benchmark indices extended gains on Tuesday, but sell-offs in some large-cap stocks and lower liquidity pared the rally trend.

The VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) ended slightly higher at 1,053.77 points, an increase of 0.33 points, or 0.03 per cent. It posted the biggest daily rise in nearly a month on Monday.

The breadth of the market was still in the positive zone with winners outnumbering losers on the southern bourse.

However, liquidity decreased over the previous session, with the trading value and volume both down 14 per cent to VN9.3 trillion (US$398 million) and 564.4 million shares.

The VN30-Index, tracking the 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, dropped 0.05 points to 1,049.67 points. In the VN30 basket, 13 stocks increased, while 15 went down and two ticker symbols finished flat.

Data compiled by a financial website, vietstock.vn, showed that BIDV (BID), PV Gas (PVG), Hoa Phat Group (HPG), Kinh Bac City Development Holding Corporation (KBC), and Vinamilk (VNM) were the market's pillar stocks. The stocks gained in a range of 0.43-5.36 per cent.

Also supporting the bullish trend, LienVietPostBank (LPB), Vietinbank (CTG), TPBank (TPB), and FPT Corporation (FPT) performed well on Tuesday.

But persistent selling force weighed on some pillar stocks, capping the rally of the benchmark index.

Vietcombank (VCB) witnessed the biggest losses, down 0.75 per cent in market capitalisation. The bank's shares jumped nearly 3.6 per cent on Monday, being the biggest contributor to the uptrend.

It was followed by property developer Vingroup (VIC), Sabeco (SAB), and Masan Group (MSN).

The market showed positive signs of approaching the end of the accumulative cycle after trading sideways in the last six months, said analysts from the Saigon-Hanoi Securities JSC.

"In the short-term, if the bullish trend is extended, the VN-Index is likely to head toward the closest resistance zone of 1,070 - 1,075 points," SHS said.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index also finished higher on Tuesday, up 1.03 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 211.95 points.

Investors poured more than VN1.2 trillion into the northern exchange, equal to a trading volume of 81.1 million shares.

Meanwhile, foreign investors continued to withdraw from the market as they net sold about VN254.4 billion on both main exchanges. Specifically, they net sold a value of nearly VN230 billion on HoSE and VN24.51 billion on HNX.  VNS
HA NOI  Analysts expect meat producers to record more positive business results in 2023 thanks to lower input costs and higher average live hog prices.

According to Ha Thu Hien, an analyst from VNDIRECT Securities Joint Stock Company, global agricultural product prices would maintain a downward trend in 2023 thanks to the increase in the supply of most food items.

In addition, Ukraine continues to return to supplying agricultural products to the world market.

Corn and soybean meal prices are forecast to decrease by 7.9 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively in 2023. Therefore, VNDIRECT expects that feed costs will gradually decrease from the second quarter of 2023. Meat producers will record improved gross profit margin this year.

In addition, low feed costs will have a positive impact on smallholder farmers. However, in the long term, the farmers will be cautious in re-herding because they observe price fluctuations of live hogs in the market.

The farmers also do not have enough capital to immediately re-herd on a large scale because they have suffered losses for two consecutive years because of low hog prices.

The experts from VNDIRECT still believe that the supply will not be significantly affected next year.

An expert from Agribank Securities Joint Stock Company (Agriseco) also said that the price of input materials for animal feed production gradually cooled down. Besides that, a reduction in the animal feed tax was expected.

The Viet Nam Animal Feed Association has recently proposed reducing the import tax on soybean meal from 2 per cent to zero to support businesses.

Agriseco expects live hog prices to recover after bottoming out. The live hog price now is at VN50,000 per kilo. It believes that hog prices may recover this year because the demand for food increases again when the tourism and service industries resume.

Hien from VNDIRECT said the domestic hog price had recovered after six consecutive months of decline. The volume of pigs sold off to the market due to the impact of African swine fever had gradually decreased. While concerns about oversupply had subsided as farmers stopped re-herding activities. The large livestock enterprises also had not yet planned to expand their pig herd.

In addition, supply from smallholder farmers dropped sharply after a long period of losses due to a sharp increase in feed prices while live hog prices remained low.

At present, there is no sign of a shortage of pork supply as in the first quarter of 2023, the total pig herd in the country still increased by 6.2 per cent on year, equivalent to the period before African swine fever (ASF) and live hog production increased by 7.5 per cent on year, according to the expert.

After the price drop in the first quarter of 2023, the domestic live hog prices started a slight increase from the beginning of April of 5.3 per cent on month and 0.1 per cent compared to the beginning of this year. But it was still below 3.5 per cent on year.

The live hog price is expected to increase slightly in the second quarter of 2023 and will improve further in the third quarter of 2023 when the demand for pork recovers.

In the basic scenario, VNDIRECT believes that the live hog price will increase by 5 per cent on year to VN59,000 per kilo this whole year thanks to a recovery in China pork prices when this economy reopens.

However, the average production cost of the smallholder farmers now is about VN55,000-60,000 per kilo of pork.

Therefore, VNDIRECT does not expect the farmers to re-herd strongly in the short term.

The Vietnam Livestock Association said that there were about 45-50 per cent of large farms suspending production while 70-75 per cent of mid and small farms and livestock households temporarily stopping re-herding. Because the input costs have surged while the selling price is low.

Despite the prospect of recovery, meat producers are hesitant to make plans to expand production, according to VNDIRECT.

The two leading enterprises in the livestock industry, Dabaco Vietnam Group Joint Stock Company (stock code: DBC) and Masan MEATLife Joint Stock Company (stock code: MML), have not yet announced specific expansion plans.

Most businesses believed that the meat industry faced difficulties in the first six months of 2023 due to weak demand.

This is also the reason why 3F companies developing feed - farm - food (3F) model postponed making production expansion plans, except for players that want to penetrate deeper into the domestic meat industry such as BaF Vietnam Agriculture Joint Stock Company (stock code: BAF) and Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company (stock code: HAG).

In 2023, BaF Vietnam Agriculture Joint Stock Company plans to build three new farms including one in Binh Phuoc with a capacity of 6,250 breeding pigs and 30,000 meat pigs. Two others are in Nghe An with a total capacity of 5,000 breeding pigs and 90,000 meat pigs.

In addition, the company also targets to expand its distribution network through the Siba supermarket system and the Meat shop system.

Meanwhile, its new rival, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company, has also planned to build its own distribution system in 2022-2023.

However, at a recent shareholders meeting, Hoang Anh Gia Lai announced that it would increase franchised stores to 80 per cent of its total stores instead of building its own branded stores due to insufficient capital.

According to VNDIRECT experts, the livestock enterprises still face risks such as prolonged tension between Russia and Ukraine affecting shipping activities in the Black Sea that could put pressure on global grain prices. African swine fever outbreaks could affect meat supply in 2023. Additionally, consumers tightening spending could lead to weaker-than-expected meat demand, including pork.  VNS
HA NOI  Revenue from information and communications services reached VN1.13 quadrillion ($47.6 billion) in the first four months of 2023, representing 27 per cent of the annual target, figures from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) show.

The sector posted turnover of over VN313 trillion ($13.2 billion) in April, up 6 per cent against March but down 1 per cent year-on-year.

Viet Nam, along with Thailand, India, and Cambodia, has led a significant increase in semiconductor chip exports to the US market this year, accounting for more than 10 per cent of US imported chips for seven consecutive months, according to the MIC.

In February 2023, Viet Nam's semiconductor chip exports to the US reached US$562.5 million, up from $321.7 million in February 2022. Viet Nam ranks third in Asia in terms of semiconductor exports to the US, after Malaysia and Taiwan.

Viet Nam and Thailand are major players in the semiconductor chip manufacturing market and have seen their trade with the US increase by 75 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively.

These results confirm the success of the US diversifying its electronics supply chain by shifting manufacturers from traditional markets to emerging markets.

The ministry reports that in April 2023, the industrys revenue was estimated to surpass VN313 trillion, up 6 per cent compared to the previous month. Marchs revenue stood at VN295 trillion or down 1 per cent over the same period last year.

The output of postal service in April was estimated at 175 million parcels with an increase of over 20 per cent over the same period last year. Revenue from postal service reached VN4.65 trillion, up 8 per cent over the same period of 2022.

In the field of national digital transformation and digital government, the proportion of online public services was 51.32 per cent, increased by 0.71 per cent over the previous month with 50.61 per cent.

In the field of digital economy, in March alone, the total number of downloads of mobile applications in the country stood at 280 million, marking an increase of 13 per cent against February. Direct revenue from mobile app transactions was 34.8 per cent year-on-year increase.  VNS
HA NOI  Chinese BYD Co plan to produce electric vehicles in Viet Nam, the automakers chairman and founder Wang Chanfu said.

During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha this month, Wang said he expected support from the Vietnamese Government for the plan.

Wang said he hoped Viet Nam would create favourable conditions for his company to fulfil investment procedures so electric cars could be sold locally and in other South Asian markets.

BYD also planned to establish a supply chain, he said.

According to Bloomberg, a BYD spokeswoman confirmed by email the plan to make EVs in Viet Nam. She didnt provide any investment details.

BYD's new factory in Viet Nam would be located in Phu Hoa Industrial Zone, Phu Tho Province. It would produce 150,000 vehicles per year once operational in 2024.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, BYD is the biggest producer of electric vehicles in China. In April, BYD sold 210,295 vehicles, double that of last year's period.

The Chinese market accounts for the majority of BYD's sales. The company has also expanded into overseas outlets such as nations in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. VNS
HCM CITY  Italian Navy ship ITS Francesco Morosini is making a port visit in Nha Rong Wharf port in HCM City from May 9-12 to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the Italian Navy and the Viet Nam Peoples Navy.

According to the Italian Embassy, the port call is part of the multipurpose offshore patrol vessels five-month naval campaign in the Asia Pacific.

Morosini will dock in 14 ports in Southeast Asia to strengthen Italys naval diplomacy.

Morosini is the second ship of the Italian Navys Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel class, which represents the cutting-edge of Italian technology in the naval and electronic sector.

The vessel has impressive characteristics, such as 6,000 tonnes of displacement, 143m in length, 17.5m in width, a crew of 137 members and a top speed of 32 knots.

The visit of the vessel is part of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Viet Nam.

From May 10-11, there will be a photo exhibition featuring bilateral relations in many fields between the two countries provided by the Italian News Agency (ANSA) and the Viet Nam News Agency (VNA).

The Morosini vessel will also conduct passage exercises (PASSEX) with the Vietnamese Navy during the port call before it leaves on May 12.

PASSEX is undertaken when two naval units belonging to different Navies meet at sea and testing common procedures in an international training environment, thus helping to maintain the naval fleets operational capability and promoting international cooperation.

The public can visit the vessel from 10am to 12pm on May 10-11. They will need to register at hochiminh.commerciale@esteri.it in advance.  VNS
LABUAN BAJO  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam on Wednesday on the side-lines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

At the meeting, the two leaders reached consensus on increasing high-level contact and discussions to facilitate the implementation of the plan of action to roll out the Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership in 2023-2027.

They agreed to bolster bilateral trade in a more diverse and balanced manner through expanding collaboration in potential areas, with four main priorities of oil and gas, chemicals, Halal products and tourism-people exchange.

PM Chinh asked Brunei to further facilitate market access for Vietnamese goods, particularly agro-fishery products meeting Halal standards; work towards the early signing of an MoU on bilateral cooperation in agriculture and fishery; effectively maintain the hotline supporting fishing activities; and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to participate in construction and oil-and-gas service supply in Brunei.

He appreciated the Vietnamese teaching model at the University of Brunei Darussalam and suggested that Brunei expand the model, thus promoting bilateral cooperation in education.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah was of the view that the two countries have great potential for cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, fisheries, energy, education-training, national defence and people to people exchange.

He stressed that it is time for the two countries to set a new goal for bilateral trade.

The two leaders pledged to maintain close consultations and join hands in the building of the ASEAN Community.

PM Chinh conveyed President Vo Van Thuongs invitation to the Sultan and his wife to visit Viet Nam.  VNS
LABUAN BAJO  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone on Wednesday morning on the sidelines of the ongoing 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

PM Sonexay Siphandone expressed his delight at meeting his Vietnamese counterpart again and highly valued the successful visits to Laos by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and PM Chinh.

He noted that he hopes the two sides will continue increasing high-level mutual visits and meetings.

Thanking Viet Nam for its effective support for and cooperation with Laos in socio-economic development, the Lao leader described the inauguration of the Vietnam-invested Nong Khang Airport in his countrys Houaphanh province and the friendship hospital in Xiengkhouang province this May as a demonstration of the solidarity and friendship between the two Parties and the two Governments.

Both PMs agreed that Viet Nam and Laos would coordinate to carry out high-level agreements and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, elevate cooperation, promote economic connectivity and integration, and assist each other with socio-economic development.

The two Governments are determined to tackle roadblocks to step up key projects, improve the countries investment climate, effectively implement the agreements and results obtained during PM Chinh's official visit to Laos and co-chairmanship of the 45th meeting of the Viet Nam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee, they added.

PM Chinh reaffirmed Viet Nam's strongest support and assistance for Laos to hold the 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship successfully.

Meanwhile, the Lao PM also pledged that his country is ready to advocate Viet Nam's candidacy for membership in United Nations agencies and international organisations.

PM Chinh invited his counterpart to visit Viet Nam this year. VNS
LABUAN BAJO  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday met with President of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., as the two were attending the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

PM Chinh expressed his joy in witnessing the increasingly flourishing strategic partnership between Viet Nam and the Philippines, adding that he wanted to deepen this cooperation to bring practical benefits to the people and contribute to peace, security, and stability in the region.

The Filipino leader expressed his pleasure in meeting PM Chinh again and believed that this meeting was an opportunity to enhance cooperation between the two countries and ASEAN as a whole.

Referring to the recent meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong in the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles III, President Marcos said that the two countries' relationship enjoys a good foundation and he hopes to visit Viet Nam this year to exchange views with Vietnamese leaders on how to push forward the bilateral ties.

Both sides agreed to promote exchanges at all levels, especially at the high levels and between ruling parties, to share experiences and promote people-to-people exchanges.

PM Chinh said Viet Nam is ready to supply rice strategically, long-term, and stably at a reasonable price for the Philippines, contributing to ensuring the country's food security.

The two leaders stated their determination to soon bring bilateral trade value to US$10 billion through measures including facilitating market access for each other's key export items, like agriculture products as well as rice, and to deepen cooperation in areas where both sides have potential and strengths such as agriculture, industry, high technology, tourism, marine economic development, education and training, climate change. The Filipino leader appreciated Viet Nam's goodwill, saying that Viet Nam is an important partner of the Philippines and hopes that both sides will promote the role of private enterprises in economic cooperation and investment.

PM Chinh conveyed the invitation from General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Thuong to President Marcos to visit Viet Nam during 2023.  VNS
(Photo : MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP via Getty Images)

India's Supreme Court could soon have a ruling regarding same-sex marriage in the country amid calls for its legalization.

India's Supreme Court could issue a "constitutional declaration" on the same-sex marriage issue

The bench included Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices S.K. Kaul, S.R. Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha

The debate on the matter would no longer be confined to the Same-Sex Marriage Act

India's Supreme Court could issue a ruling on the country's same-sex marriage hearing, suggesting that it supports a "constitutional declaration" and stops short of granting formal marriage rights to LGBTQIA+ members.

Parliament may implement the declaration by enacting appropriate laws affecting the concerned parties. Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices S.K. Kaul, S.R. Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha made up the bench ruling.

Same-Sex Marriage Rights in India

The country's Supreme Court conducted an intense round of hearings that focused on the court's competence and the right of homosexual partners to claim parity with heterosexuals in marriage. There was clarification that the court would avoid the vexed issue of personal laws.

However, the court said that the scrutiny process in reaching an appropriate conclusion based on the demand for legalizing same-sex marriages would be unrestricted by the Special Marriage Act, as per the Times of India.

In a statement, the bench said that they confined the petitioners to the Special Marriage Act when they opened the debate on the issue. While they still maintain the exclusion of the entirety of personal laws from the debate, they would no longer be confined only to the SM Act.

Kapil Sibal, a senior advocate, had previously volunteered to help the court in the debate over the contentious issue. He also countered the petitioners' argument that the Supreme Court must issue a constitutional declaration because Parliament did not want to do anything about their marriage rights.

The demands called for the Supreme Court to enact a law that would legalize their marriages, which has been only for heterosexuals in India. In a statement, Sibal said it is a dangerous proposition because it is a law under a tectonic shift in societal values.

Read Also: Polish Activists Block Russian Ambassador in Warsaw on Victory Day

Supreme Court's Potential Decision

The case that the Indian Supreme Court is handling comes after a series of petitions filed by LGBTQ couples that argued that the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to the Voice of America News, they also claim that it gives all citizens the right to marry a person of their choice.

One of the lawyers for the petitioners, Vrinda Grover, told the court that what they were canvassing before the court was a new imagination of marriage and family. They argued that this was founded on love, care, and respect.

Despite the calls, the country's Hindu nationalist government and leaders from India's main religions, Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Sikh, and Christian, have all opposed the idea of same-sex marriage rights.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented India's government in the case, questioned the court's right to hear the issue. He argued that more than five individuals should decide it, said BBC.

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LABUAN BAJO  Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the ongoing 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

The leaders noted with pleasure the rapid and strong developments of the relations between the two countries, and affirmed their resolve in realising commitments made during PM Chinh's visit to Singapore in February, especially in economy, trade and investment.

They consented to enhance mutual understanding and trust through all-level delegation exchanges, creating a firm premise for the implementation of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The PMs concurred to increase meetings on the fringes of multilateral events, apart from bilateral meetings, in order to review and promote the bilateral relationship.

The two countries will organise practical activities this year in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership.

On this occasion, Lee accepted the invitation to visit Viet Nam in the second half of this year.

He also agreed with Chinhs proposal on pushing ahead with the implementation of the Viet Nam-Singapore partnership in digital economy and green economy, towards the establishment of an inter-sectoral working mechanism on this matter, on materialising the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in digital economy reached in February 2022, and on enhancing collaboration in such new areas as digital economy, green economy and green energy, contributing to fulfilling the commitments to net zero emissions by 2050.

The two sides will also soon supplement, amend and upgrade the Framework Agreement on Viet Nam-Singapore Connectivity, and foster cooperation in e-commerce.

The PMs welcomed VSIP Group, a brand developed by a joint venture between Viet Nam's Becamex IDC Corporation and Sembcorp Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapores Sembcorp Industries, to sign an MoU on cooperation in developing smart, sustainable parks with nine Vietnamese cities and provinces.

PM Chinh called this a specific step in materialising outcomes of his visit to Singapore in February, and noted his hope that such new-generation parks will create growth momentum for both nations.

The two sides pledged to pay more attention to cooperation in other spheres like security, national defence, education-training, and high-quality human resources development, including training courses in Singapore for senior officials of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV).

Regarding regional and international issues, the leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, maintain solidarity and carry forward the centrality of the ASEAN, and support each others candidacies for seats at international organisations and the United Nations.  VNS
HCM CITY  Two more public restrooms opened last week in downtown HCM City to alleviate the shortage in the busy area, serving both local residents and tourists.

The new restrooms are located on Le Duan and Hai Ba Trung streets in District 1.

They cost around VN1 billion (US$42,450) and were installed by Tien Phong Environment Technology JSC.

Hoang uc Tien Hung, deputy Chief Executive Officer of the company, said the restrooms are made of stainless steel, with an automatic door sensor.

The processes of treating human waste all are handled automatically and based on advanced technologies.

Probiotics are used to treat waste to reduce the bad smell and limit the spread of bacteria to humans and the environment.

The restrooms will be regularly monitored and maintained, and cleaned daily.

They are also equipped with anti-theft devices that are directly connected to the phone number of the company's maintenance team and District 1s civil defense force.

This model will contribute to promoting tourism and urban development towards green and sustainable growth and building a smart and modern city, he said.

Other public restrooms are expected to be installed in the city, he said.

Duong Thanh Binh, deputy head of Urban Management Department under the District 1 Peoples Committee, said the public restrooms are installed without a fixed structure on land managed by the city.

They are easy to dismantle if we need to relocate them, he said.

The district plans to install three more public restrooms on Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Trung Truc streets.

Earlier, District 1 authorities called on local businesses to allow the public to use their restrooms for free.

Some 100 local businesses have offered free restroom use to the public.

Most of the 18 public restrooms in the district have been degraded.

The district has completed the repair and renovation of the degraded public restrooms at Ben Thanh, Dan Sinh and Tan inh markets and Phong Chau Park.

It also plans to build additional public restrooms and new mobile ones.

The city only has 255 public restrooms at parks, markets, bus stations, and residential areas.

The city is taking actions to increase the number of public restrooms after it is ranked near the bottom in a global ranking of public restrooms density of 69 cities by QS Supplies, a U.K. bathroom wholesaler and retailer.

It has only 0.01 public restrooms available per square kilometer, higher only than the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The French capital Paris tops the ranking, with seven per square kilometre, followed by Sydney in Australia with 3.64 and Zurich in Switzerland with 2.9.  VNS
HA NOI  Minister of Health ao Hong Lan said the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been among the largest sponsors of HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes in Viet Nam in recent years, helping the country gradually control HIV/AIDS and maintain the community infection rate below 0.3 per cent.

Speaking at the 20th anniversary of PEPFAR held in Ha Noi on Tuesday, Lan said Viet Nam's HIV/AIDS prevention and control work had gained many important achievements over more than 30 years.

Viet Nam had gradually controlled the HIV/AIDS epidemic on all three criteria, including reducing the number of newly detected HIV infections, reducing the number of people progressing to AIDS stage, and reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths.

This achievement, apart from Viet Nam's efforts in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, was due to the support and cooperation of international organisations, she said.

Lan expressed gratitude for the significant financial and technical support that PEPFAR had provided to Viet Nam.

In 2003, the US Government launched the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In 2004, Viet Nam became the first Asian country to receive support and was a key country during PEPFAR's early stages.

The US Government has become the largest financial supporter of HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes in Viet Nam, with an annual budget of about US$40 million.

PEPFAR is currently supporting 11 key cities and provinces with 45.2 per cent of the country's living HIV-infected population.

Over the past nearly 20 years, PEPFAR and the Global Fund have supported up to 90 per cent of ARV drugs for people living with HIV, helping to prolong and improve the quality of life of over 100,000 HIV-infected individuals.

Speaking at the event, US Ambassador to Viet Nam Marc E. Knapper emphasised that health cooperation was a crucial foundation for bilateral relations between the two countries.

With the support of PEPFAR, Viet Nam had made significant progress in leading and guiding HIV prevention and control efforts.

From 2021 to 2022, PEPFAR provided critical technical assistance to support access to ARV treatment for 8,727 new patients, and helped maintain ARV medication for at least 89,000 people currently undergoing treatment.

In addition to treating people living with HIV, PEPFAR's activities also support access to comprehensive prevention services including HIV counselling and testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and strategic communication.

PEPFAR Global Ambassador Dr John N.Nkengasong expressed his delight over PEPFAR's achievements. The ambassador noted that HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment remained challenging, and therefore, both sides needed to cooperate more closely.

He said that Viet Nam was truly a global example of sustainability and domestic resource mobilisation through the health insurance programme in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

Viet Nam had been very responsive in adapting to innovations and scientific advances to comprehensively implement measures.

Another important factor for the country's success was its ability to attract the participation of various stakeholders, from national-level ministries and agencies to provincial-level organisations, civil society organisations, private sector and community-based organisations, he said.

The ambassador expressed confidence that Viet Nam would continue to achieve many successes in reaching the HIV/AIDS treatment targets set by the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

He stressed that PEPFAR hoped to continue to accompany Viet Nam on this journey.

At the event, Minister of Health Lan expressed her desire for PEPFAR to continue supporting the Ministry of Health with some priority solutions, particularly in supporting the supply of HIV testing and medication in emergency situations, given the current difficulties the healthcare sector is facing in terms of procurement and supply of medicines and medical supplies.

Other priorities would include expanding counselling and testing models, expanding the localities benefiting from the public health response strategy to have sufficient evidence for appropriate interventions.

Furthermore, in the context of the increasing trend of HIV infections in the homosexual and transgender groups, Lan suggested that PEPFAR support a comprehensive strategy to intervene in reducing the risk of HIV infection in these groups.

"Together with the support of PEPFAR, the Vietnamese government commits to continue building sustainable financial mechanisms for the transfer of HIV/AIDS prevention and control services, enhancing the participation of the private sector and social organisations in investing and providing HIV/AIDS prevention and control services to ensure effective use of mobilised resources," she said.

Nguyen Thi Lan, a beneficiary, said she was diagnosed HIV positive in 2020. Two years later, she got pregnant.

Thanks to all the interventions in PEPFAR-supported programmes, my baby was born HIV-free. My baby is now six months old and doing well, she said.

Another beneficiary, who is only known as Son, said he wanted to protect his own health when having casual affairs.

Taking a PrEP pill every day is now my habit. It means a lot to me, he said.

PrEP officially started in Viet Nam in 2020. After three years, the number of PrEP users has reached 67,000, with 51,000 PrEP users as of 2022.

In 2004, PEPFAR supported Viet Nam with $18 million, and increased gradually to $98 million in 2010. From 2004 to 2022, PEPFAR provided nearly $900 million to support Viet Nam.

In 2013-2023, PEPFAR remains the largest sponsor, accounting for over 40 per cent of the total HIV/AIDS spending. PEPFAR and the Global Fund have contributed nearly 90 per cent of the total spending on ARV drugs.

Additionally, PEPFAR directly supports HIV testing supplies, methadone medication, and pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs for high-risk groups.  VNS




HA NOI  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has instructed its Consular Department to contact the Philippine Embassy in Viet Nam and ask for support in assisting the Vietnamese citizens among the over 1,000 forced labourers recently rescued in Pampanga province of the archipelago nation.

The MoFA said on May 9 that it proposed the Philippine authorities help ensure accommodation for the Vietnamese citizens, inform the Vietnamese side about their residence status, and help Viet Nam repatriate the citizens whose stay is not permitted by the Philippines as soon as possible.

The ministry also asked the Philippine side to enhance cooperation in resolving the forced labour case involving Vietnamese citizens and strictly deal with violators.

According to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, local authorities on May 4 rescued more than 1,000 people, including Vietnamese nationals, who were forced to work at an establishment owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga Province, near Manila. The rescued persons are staying safely at a facility arranged by Philippine authorities.

Shortly after being notified, the embassy visited the Vietnamese nationals, collected their information, and gave medication to some with health problems on May 6 and 9. It is working closely with relevant agencies of the Philippines to make assistance plans.

The MoFA also called on those who have information about the persons involved in forced labour or lured to work overseas to provide details via the citizen protection switchboard +84 981848484, the Consular Departments email baohocongdan@gmail.com, the citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines +63 9982756666, or their nearest representative agencies of Viet Nam. VNA/VNS
HCM CITY  The Viet Nam Red Cross Societys HCM City Chapter on Tuesday launched its humanitarian month, with more than VN90.9 billion (US$3.9 million) committed to be donated to various humanitarian programmes.

The donations will benefit more than 49,200 disadvantaged people and fund construction of seven bridges in rural areas and five charitable kitchens, among other humanitarian programmes.

The humanitarian month, themed building a compassionate community together, will run until May 31.

It is aimed at promoting a humanitarian movement to do good deeds and mobilise organisations and individuals to participate in humanitarian activities.

Speaking at the launching event, Duong Anh uc, deputy chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, said the humanitarian month will help raise public awareness on the humanitarian movement and spread good deeds and a spirit of sharing throughout communities.

It has drawn the participation of more young people to charitable activities, uc said.

He called on organisations and individuals to offer kind donations to help poor and disadvantaged people and contribute to the citys sustainable poverty reduction.

A total of 107 humanitarian programmes worth more than VN46 billion ($1.9 million) were implemented during the humanitarian month in May last year, benefiting 149,000 disadvantaged people. VNS
HCM CITY  The HCM Citys Peoples Court on Wednesday upheld an eight-year sentence for Nguyen Kim Trung Thai, 38, for torture of his eight-year-old daughter and concealment of the crime, instead of the death penalty proposed by prosecutors for murder.

Last year, the court sentenced the childs father three years in jail for torture and five years for concealment of crimes, while his partner, Nguyen Vo Quynh Trang, 28, received the death sentence for murder.

The court later requested an investigation into the case proposed by prosecutors to change the fathers crime from torture to murder, which carries a death penalty.

The investigation, which included re-examining the rate of injury caused to the child, concluded the childs death was caused by the injuries inflicted only by the mans partner on December 22, 2021, who received a death sentence.

Based on the conclusions and the principle in favour of the defendant, the court said that the man accompanied his partner in torturing the child but that the man did not consciously or intentionally kill his daughter.

There is no basis to conclude the man should accompany his partner on murder charges, according to the court.

According to the indictment, the victim was the daughter of Thai and his ex-wife. In August 2020, the couple divorced and Thai was permitted to raise the daughter.

In September 2020, Thai started living with his girlfriend Trang at a condo in Binh Thanh District in HCM City. The daughter also lived with them.

During the time they lived together, Thai witnessed his partner Trang repeatedly beat his daughter, especially from December 7 to 22, 2021. The man told the woman to stop torturing his daughter but in fact he did not take any action to prevent her from doing so.

On December 22, 2021, while the father was out for work, Trang grew frustrated with the girl at home. She then scolded and beat the child using a large wooden stick, and repeatedly beat the child for four hours in a row, eventually causing her death.

Knowing Trangs criminal actions, Thai deleted all camera data of the apartment in order to conceal the crime, avoid detection and hinder the investigation. Thais conduct constitutes a cover-up of the crime.

Regarding the motive of the crime, Trang stated that she beat and tortured the child because she did not study well.

However, the childs teacher and her nanny verified that the girl was obedient, polite and a good student.

The camera data shows that Trang repeatedly beat the child.

Testimony from neighbours also revealed that the child suffered from violence numerous times before the fatal event.

Trang was arrested on December 23 one day after the childs death, following a hospital report on the girls unusual wounds and injuries. On December 28, 2021, she was prosecuted on charges of torturing.

The father was detained on December 31 on suspicion of the same crime. The violent death has triggered indignation among the public.  VNS
LAO CAI  Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Lao Cai Province Trinh Xuan Truong on Wednesday hosted a reception for the Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who is paying a working trip to the northern mountainous locality.

Briefing the guest on the local socio-economic situation as well as potential and advantages, Truong said Lao Cai has received support from many international organisations, including the UNICEF through various programmes and projects, helping the province strengthen peoples equal access to safe studying environment.

However, the Lao Cai official said that the province's education and health care sectors have faced many difficulties due to tough terrain and scattered population, two-thirds of education facilities are in mountainous areas, and 70 per cent of students are from ethnic minority groups.

Meanwhile, mental health care and psychosocial support, especially for children and adolescents have also been limited, Truong said.

He proposed that UNICEF increase assistance to the province in these fields.

Lao Cai hopes to continue receiving support in maternal and child malnutrition prevention and control, especially in disadvantaged communes and communes with a high malnutrition rate, along with financial assistance for reproductive health care activities, he said.

He also called for the UNICEF's support in implementing digital transformation in education and foreign language training for local students and teachers, as well as capacity improvement for teachers in remote and mountainous areas.

Queen Mathilde showed her pleasure at the active coordination and engagement of Lao Cai in UNICEF-funded projects in the locality.

She said that she will tour local education establishments in the province and explore the effectiveness of information technology application in teaching and learning activities. She will also visit nutritional clubs for local mothers and have talks with local students on mental health care, which is one of the issues receiving great attention currently, she added.  VNS
A property project by Novaland in HCM City.  VNA/VNS Photo

"The property market has been seeing one of the worst slumps in many years," said Dinh Thi Nhat Hanh, CEO of Khai Hoan Land.

High inventory and mounting debt have sent developers scrambling for funds, creating good opportunities for new players, including businesses and investment funds, to join the market by acquiring suitable lands for their future projects.

The market recently has seen major deals such as the Novaland Group's share exchange worth over VND1 trillion with Dallas Vietnam Gamma Ltd.

Phat Dat Company sold 89 per cent of its shares in the 197 Dien Bien Phu Building Project in Binh Thanh Dist. HCM City. The company said the sales were part of an effort to bolster cash flow, restructure the investment portfolio, optimise investment, improve debt liquidity and settle bonds before maturity.

Nguyen Quoc Anh, deputy director of batdongsan.com.vn, said these were only the first of many deals and that merger and acquisition activity would likely pick up pace in the coming months.

Anh said there had been talks of major M&A deals worth hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars in the making, with foreign investors showing particularly high interest.

David Jackson, managing director of Colliers Vietnam, said foreign investors had shown a lot of confidence in the market's potential and foreign funds could provide a much-needed boost to the market to speed up its recovery.

"We have been contacted by numerous investors, both from inside and outside of the country, about investment opportunities in Viet Nam's property market," he said.

Duong Thuy Dung, CEO of CBRE Vietnam, said foreign investors had been closely watching the market for some time now and many of them had started making their moves. In addition to traditional investors from Hong Kong and Singapore, recently there had been many more investors from South Africa and the Middle East showing interest.

Successful deals, however, remained few and far between.

Dung said one major obstacle was the high return foreign investors demand. They often asked for 18-20 per cent return while domestic developers could only go as high as 13-15 per cent annually.

Foreign investors were also extremely cautious with developers with poor reputations or those who have placed their projects as collateral for the banks.

Nguyen Cong Ai, deputy director-general of KPMG Vietnam, said foreign investors routinely conducted extensive market research and surveys into the market before making their offers. They also tended to value projects slightly lower than domestic developers.

"Vietnamese developers often had to spend a huge sum of money to first acquire the land, finish the legal prerequisites and develop infrastructure. It isn't always an easy decision to sell," Ai said.

On the other hand, investors were the ones with cash to spend and they, of course, were looking out for the best deals possible.

He said M&A activities within the market would likely pick up around the end of 2023 or in early 2024 once both sides have enough time to consider their positions.

Bizhub
The Government yesterday said the impending free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand will be inked within the first quarter of 2024, to boost exports from the country by three folds to $ 1.5 billion.

The move came following the announcement of the final round of discussions scheduled to be held on 27 and 28 June, where a delegation headed by the Thailand Trade Negotiations Department and the Sri Lankan Department of Commerce.

Speaking to journalists post-Cabinet meeting on Monday, Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena said both parties have agreed to complete the negotiations and prepare the relevant agreement to be signed by the first quarter of 2024.

Inking the FTA with Thailand is the first step to joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement and a step towards strengthening traditional ties with the country.

Sri Lanka and Thailand initiated the proposal in 2016, and the negotiations commenced in 2018 with two rounds of discussions in the same year, whilst the third round of discussion concluded in January 2023.

He said President Ranil Wickremesinghe briefed the Cabinet on the progress of the discussions between the two countries, including the deal with trade in goods and services, investment rules, customs cooperation, trade facilitation and economic cooperation.

The only way Sri Lanka can overcome the foreign exchange crisis and economic downturn is through boosting export earnings over time, he added.

He said the objective of the Government is to boost exports from the current $ 550 million to $ 1.5 billion via Sri Lanka and Thailand FTA.

Bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment agreements encourage boosting foreign inflows which is critical for Sri Lanka right now. These FTA are tools to boost the foreign inflows into the country to reduce the burden on the current account, Gunawardena explained.

Source: Daily FT
Exports of Australian goods to China hit $12.71bn in March, up nearly one-third from year earlier.

Australias exports to China surged to record highs in March as the Asian giant sucked in more iron for its steel industry and lowered barriers to thermal coal shipments amid thawing diplomatic relations.

Data released on Thursday showed exports of Australian goods to China hit 19 billion Australian dollars ($12.71bn) in March, a rise of 31 percent from a year earlier and pipping the previous peak from mid-2021.

The jump helped lift Australias total trade surplus to its second-highest on record at 15.3 billion Australian dollars ($10.2bn), a boon to mining profits and tax receipts.

Export volumes of iron ore lumps and iron ore fines to China jumped 24.3 percent and 17.7 percent respectively from a month earlier, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.

Shipments of thermal coal to China surged 125 percent by volume in March from February, offsetting a drop in exports to Japan.

Beijing effectively ended an unofficial ban on Australian coal in January, allowing customs clearance for the first time since 2020 when it launched trade curbs on a series of Australian products as ties froze in the early days of COVID.

Following a leaders meeting late last year, China and Australia agreed last month to resolve a World Trade Organization dispute over Chinese barley tariffs within three months.

Source: Reuters
Will China-Italy BRI cooperation fall victim to anti-Chinese forces?

Global Times) 09:26, May 10, 2023

Illustration: Tang Tengfei/Global Times

Western media outlets seemingly never tire of smearing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and whether the Italian government will renew its BRI deal with China, which is set to expire early next year, has recently become a new target among them.

The latest example is a report from the Chinese version of VOA on Tuesday, which said Italian authorities are reviewing whether to renew the BRI memorandum of understanding with China. It also cited anonymous Italian officials reportedly claiming that a lack of economic benefits is an argument for not renewing the deal.

While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office has not made any statement on this issue, some Western media outlets have been hyping up the uncertainty. But China-Italy cooperation should not be undermined by such idle reports. China is Italy's largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade maintaining strong growth for the past three consecutive years, which reached a record high of $77.88 billion in 2022. For both China and Italy, it is in each other's interest to continue deepening cooperation. Any move that undermines bilateral relations will directly affect the real interests of both countries.

Given the fact that Western public opinion has always been keen to smear the BRI with conspiracy theories which include "debt traps" and "neocolonialism," it is kind of understandable why they are so concerned about the issue.

As is known to all, Italy in 2019 became the first and so far, the only G7 nation to sign up to the BRI, a China-proposed initiative serving as a key platform for international cooperation. So if the BRI suffered any significant setback in Italy, that would undoubtedly fuel various baseless conspiracies and speculations about the BRI progress in Europe.

Indeed, there have always been some forces in Europe attempting to disrupt or derail the development of the BRI in various countries with ideological values and reasons. For instance, after joining the BRI in 2019, Italy was criticized by some European politicians for potentially enabling China to get control of sensitive technologies and vital infrastructure facilities in Europe.

Due to geopolitical factors between China and Europe, the resistance to Chinese investments' access to European infrastructure facilities has been on the rise in recent years, which is entirely politically driven and subject to considerable US influence. Due to the impact of the US' stigmatization of the BRI and its spread of the "China threat" theory, Western politicians and media outlets have often linked BRI projects to political issues by distorting the purpose of the BRI projects. Because of such political headwinds, some infrastructure investment projects in Europe have been delayed or put on hold over the past years, which is regrettable.

Moreover, many European politicians have been carried away by US-led anti-China atmosphere and considered the BRI participation as the gauge of whether a government is drawing a line with China. What they fail to see is that under the BRI framework, Chinese investments in European countries always eye win-win results.

Take Greece as an example. Since Cosco became a major shareholder in the Greek port of Piraeus, Chinese companies have invested heavily on the port facilities and brought many ships to the port, which has now become one of the most important transshipment hubs in the Mediterranean. The port of Piraeus is now the 24th-largest container port globally, the fourth-largest in Europe and the largest in the eastern Mediterranean. The port's development has been a great boost to the Greek economy. In 2022, Greek exports rose 36.7 percent year-on-year to 54.68 billion euros, marking a record high.

Port development is also a part in the BRI deal between China and Italy. And the Greek example is sufficient to indicate that if the relevant projects go smoothly, the potential for China-Italy cooperation will go far beyond the current level. The same also applies to other European countries.

Some may argue that the EU also has ambitious plans for infrastructure projects, but that doesn't mean there is no place for cooperation with China. China's strength and capabilities in infrastructure projects are obvious to all. There is no need for European countries to give up opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefits because of some paranoid hype.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Apple Watch Series 9 might finally get its much-awaited upgrade, an entirely new processor, once it debuts later this year. It is reportedly based on the same chip on the iPhone 13 models, which also powers the non-Pro iPhone 14.

The Cupertino-based tech giant has been clinging to the same system-on-chip (SOC) for its wearables for several years.

Apple Watch Series 9 Processor Upgrade

But this time, things are about to change. As per Engadget, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg disclosed that the iPhone maker is reportedly gearing up to deliver a significant upgrade for the next-generation Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is likely to flaunt a "new processor," the journalist, who gives weekly updates on Apple stuff, told his subscribers in his recent "Power On" newsletter.

Apple has technically powered its watches with the same processor since 2020 when the Series 6 first saw the light of day. The Series 7, which hit the shelves in 2021, and the current Series 8, also feature the A13 Bionic-based chip.

Although the latest model rocks new features like crash detection and temperature sensor, it still runs on the same processor. Even the first-ever Apple Watch Ultra interestingly came with the old SOC, despite its additional functionalities like Depth Gauge.

But after its three-year run, the Cupertino giant plans to upgrade its next-generation Apple Watch. Gurman says that the Series 9 could introduce an A15 Bionic-based SOC, which first got the shimmer of the spotlight during the release of iPhone 13 models.

Read Also: Apple Store Thieves Cut a Hole in a Wall, Stealing Over 400 iPhones Worth $500,000

Here's What to Expect From the New A15 Bionic-Based Chip

According to XDA Developers, the Bloomberg journalist kept mum about the possible performance upgrades that the new processor might bring to the table. Instead, Gurman only revealed that it might be based on the A15 Bionic chip.

But despite that, Mac Rumors suggests that the processor upgrade offers improved speeds, leading to faster load times for the next-gen Apple Watch.

On top of that, the new chip could also bump up its overall efficiency, which should extend its battery life compared to its older siblings. And as such, the Series 9 could provide users a smoother performance. They might get to use it for several days without charging it.

Besides possible performance upgrades, it remains to be seen if the next Apple Watch will deliver new features. Meanwhile, the renowned tech firm has yet to announce its release date. It may take several months more before the Apple Watch Series 9 hits the market.

Related Article: Apple Stock Market: How Did Tech Giant Lose Over $1 Trillion in Value in Just a Year?

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A production line of the South Korea-invested Hana Micron Vina Co in Bac Giang Province.  VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

He suggested Viet Nam relax policies on work permits, temporary residence, and fire protection permits during a seminar to seek further trade and investment opportunities between Viet Nam and South Korea in Ha Noi on Monday.

The chairman said many Korean businesses operating in Viet Nam, especially those in high-tech, finance and energy sectors, considered increasing their investment capital and making new investments if the country's investment climate remained stable.

Korean businesses needed to pay close attention to legal issues to avoid risk in investment in Viet Nam, he said, adding that these firms should carefully review the contracts, and legal issues and seek legal advice from reputable law offices when they start applying for the licence approvals.

Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre agreed. He said businesses from the two countries needed to pay close attention to legal issues and contracts as a means of protecting each other from risks in transactions.

Loc added that with a large network of experts, economists, arbitrators, the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, the Korean Business Association, and the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board would provide them with useful legal advice for their investment activities in the future.

Currently, South Korea is Viet Nam's leading source of foreign investment with a total capital of US$80.5 billion. In the first four months of 2023, South Korea, along with Singapore, Japan, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong accounted for 75.1 per cent of the country's total investment capital.

Besides investment, South Korea also ranks second in terms of cooperation in tourism and labour, and third in trade exchanges with Viet Nam.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached nearly $88 billion last year. South Korea's export turnover to Viet Nam last year totalled $60.98 billion, while it spent $26.72 billion on importing goods from the Southeast Asian nation.

However, Viet Nam's exports to South Korea contracted 7 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion in the first four months of 2023. During the period, Viet Nam's imports from the market hit $16.7 billion, down 26 per cent year-on-year.

Trade experts said the Korean market had an import scale of $731 billion each year, so there remained much potential for Vietnamese enterprises to tap into this lucrative market.

Bizhub
Vietnam accounted for 10% of semiconductor chip exports to the U.S. in the 12 months ending this February, ranking third after Malaysia and Taiwan.

The Vietnam chip industrys revenue from the U.S. market rose by 74.9% during the period, from $321.7 million in February 2022 to $562.5 million this February, according to a report by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Vietnam is also among the countries with the highest growth rate of chip exports to the U.S., alongside Thailand, India and Cambodia.

Cambodian chip exports to the U.S. grew in value 7-fold over the period, from $20.8 million to $166.3 million, while Indian revenues from the market grew 34-fold to $152 million in February.

In February, semiconductor chip export orders to the U.S. reached $4.86 billion, up 17% year-on-year. Among those, chips made in Asia accounted for 83%.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. is diversifying its electronics supply chain by reducing the share of chip imports from Malaysia, a longtime powerhouse in chip packaging, alongside moving its iPhone production chain out of China.

At a government meeting in April, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment the tasks of improving the National Innovation Center, and developing a chip production program.

Experts believe Vietnam has the potential to be a global center of chip production if it can utilize its advantages and implement effective strategies, policies, and incentives for the sector.

Intels Asia Pacific and Japan General Manager Steve Long told VnExpress last year: "Vietnam has the capacity to establish the necessary infrastructure and policies to support cutting-edge chip manufacturing."

Source: VnExpress
Over many past years, China has always been Vietnam's largest trading partner and second - largest export market, following the US. Vietnam and China share borders both on land and at sea, as well as many similarities in cultural traditions, consumption habits and long-standing economic-commercial relations.

Vietnams total export turnover to the Chinese market reached 57.7 billion USD in 2022, accounting for 15.5% of the total turnover of the whole country.

The export potential to China is still very large because it is the most populous country and has the second-largest GDP in the world.China also has many bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements with Vietnam, such as theASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA)and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and has been actively participating in theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

In the context that China has just reopened and made efforts to recover its economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a good opportunity for Vietnams exports.

However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also warned that China is no longer an easy marketas before because it has higher requirements for both imported and exported goods.Specifically, China has issued regulations on the registration of enterprises producingimported foreign food (Order 248), requiring foreign enterprises to complete the extension dossier on the single window system of China Import Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER). At the same time, the country has continued to take steps to tighten the management and control ofepidemic outbreaks of livestock and poultry.

Therefore, Vietnam's associations and industriesneed to actively grasp information and developments in the world and the risk of domestic spread,to promptly warn manufacturing enterprises to take measures, to avoid infection and to ensure food safety.In addition, although China's economy is large,it is mainly based on exports. It will continue to play the roleofthe world's factory, with many export itemsthat are very similar to Vietnams. This creates both advantages and great challenges for Vietnams exports.

Experts recommended that management agencies,business associations and industries, should promptly and correctlyidentifyboth opportunities and challenges from this market,to exploit and promote the advantagesof the economic and trade cooperationbetween the two countries, contributing to boosting the two economiesto complement each other for sustainable development.On the side of exporters,it is necessary to change their approach to the Chinese market,focusing on a few strong items or groups of products to create a spillover effect.

Vietnamese enterprises can research and cooperate with large wholesale markets in China to boost exports.Besidescontinuing to focus on traditional markets and those near the border, such as Guangxi province, export businessesneed to expand to new markets located deep in China's interior, including Shandong and Hebei.

In the near future, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will organise many large-scale trade promotion activitiesin China, to supportbusinesses to expand their markets.When trade cooperation between the two countries isenhanced, it will also promote investment cooperation opportunities.China can take advantage of and exploit Vietnam's strengths as a member of 16 free trade agreements (FTAs). As a result, businesses from the two countries will have the opportunity to join joint venturesand linkages, as well as exploit potentials and incentivesin the FTAs to boost exports.

Source: Nhan Dan
Vietnam should make changes to its legal system, speed up administrative reforms, and cut off sub-licences to better facilitate Korean investors, said Hong Sun, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam.

He suggested Vietnam relax policies on work permits, temporary residence, and fire protection permits during a seminar to seek further trade and investment opportunities between Vietnam and the Korea in Hanoi on May 8.

The chairman said many Korean businesses operating in Vietnam, especially those in high-tech, finance and energy sectors, considered increasing their investment capital and making new investments if the country's investment climate remained stable.

Korean businesses needed to pay close attention to legal issues to avoid risk in investment in Vietnam, he said, adding that these firms should carefully review the contracts, and legal issues and seek legal advice from reputable law offices when they start applying for the licence approvals.

Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre agreed. He said businesses from the two countries needed to pay close attention to legal issues and contracts as a means of protecting each other from risks in transactions.

Loc added that with a large network of experts, economists, arbitrators, the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, the Korean Business Association, and the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board would provide them with useful legal advice for their investment activities in the future.

Currently, the RoK is Vietnam's leading source of foreign investment with a total capital of 80.5 billion USD. In the first four months of 2023, the RoK, along with Singapore, Japan, China, Taiwan (China) and Hong Kong (China) accounted for 75.1% of the country's total investment capital.

Besides investment, the RoK also ranks second in terms of cooperation in tourism and labour, and third in trade exchanges with Vietnam.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached nearly 88 billion USD last year. The RoK's export turnover to Vietnam last year totalled 60.98 billion USD, while it spent 26.72 billion USD on importing goods from the Southeast Asian nation.

However, Vietnam's exports to the RoK contracted 7% year-on-year to 7.8 billion USD in the first four months of 2023. During the period, Vietnam's imports from the market hit 16.7 billion USD, down 26% year-on-year.

Trade experts said the Korean market had an import scale of 731 billion USD each year, so there remained much potential for Vietnamese enterprises to tap into this lucrative market./.

Source: Vietnam Plus
SEOUL, South Korea, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Daesung SmartHive, a smart beekeeping brand that makes beekeeping easier, has introduced a beekeeping smart sensor (temperature, humidity sensor, and automatic feeding-watering device).

Daesung SmartHive Introduces New Innovative Beekeeping Products: Smarthive Beekeeping Sensor, Wasp Trap, and Hive Controller.

SmartHive Beekeeping Smart Sensor is a product that can be used in all seasons, and consists of an 'automatic warming device' and an 'automatic specification feeding-watering device' to continuously observe, maintain, and conveniently use the growing environment of bees. It is a smart beekeeping product that enables integrated management of bee growth environments in dozens to hundreds of hives, such as setting the environment inside the hive through electronic control and feeding-watering through a smartphone app (waterer compatible).

With the Daesung SmartHive beekeeping smart sensor, you can check, manage, and control temperature and humidity, as well as use functions such as air circulation, entrance control, and feeding in the hive to suit your beekeeping situation.

The product will make beekeeping more convenient than the traditional beekeeping method by eliminating cumbersome temperature and humidity control, and will reward beekeepers with a clear increase in yield.

In addition, Daesung SmartHive has a wide range of products that can help beekeepers in innovative ways.

The wasp trap is an eco-friendly ESG product that does not use any attractant such as fermented liquid.

The existing attractant-based wasp traps do not selectively attract only wasps, but also attract and kill all insects around the trap, causing great damage to the insect ecosystem.

The wasp trap utilizes the wasp's habit of following bees when installed at the entrance of the hive. Once inside the trap, the wasps are trapped in the frame, and the bees are free to find their way into the hive safely and freely through the bee pathway.

This eliminates the need to be present at the apiary to manually remove wasps, reducing costs for labor and other control products.

The Hive Controller is a portable smart beekeeping system that safely takes out honeycombs from beehives, brushes bees and stacks honeycombs outside beehives in approximately a minute.

It boasts a lightweight of 9kg without corrosion, and even a novice can use it alone to extract honey as its operation method is simple. Furthermore, it can be used for any beehives with identical widths though their sizes are different. For the power supply, both an adapter and battery pack (optional) can be used.

Using this automated hive controller, beekeeping farms in Korea could reduce working time by 50% compared to the existing products, and it enabled one to extract honey alone.

As two brushes attached inside the equipment and their front/rear covers can be easily removed, one can clean and sanitize them in a speedy and convenient way after use.

And its waterproof feature allows one to wash inside the product with water.

Daesung CEO Mr. Jung said, "We expect to be able to help beekeeping farmers who are suffering from the recent disappearance of bees."

Meanwhile, Daesung SmartHive, founded in 2016, has been recognized for its products and technologies in various places such as the CES fair in Korea and the United States, and has signed MOUs with companies and institutions in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan to enter the overseas market in earnest, and will participate in domestic and foreign agricultural equipment fairs to showcase its products offline.

Source: DAESUNG
Nearly three years into implementation, relations have undergone a gradual growth in trade turnover. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the bilateral trade turnover recorded $61.3 billion in 2022, up 7.69 per cent in comparison with the previous year; of which Vietnams export took up $46.7 billion, up 15 per cent, and import worth $15.26 billion, down 9.65 per cent on-year.

Nguyen Huu Nam, Technical assistance expert ARISE+ Programme Vietnam

One great influence that EVFTA has brought to Vietnamese businesses is the increasing portion of taking advantage of tariff incentives. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trades statistics, the value of exported merchandises using the EUR.1 Form in 2021 reached approximately $8.1 billion, accounting for roughly one-fifth of the export turnover with the EU. In the first 10 months of 2022, the rate increased to 25.1 per cent, up 30 per cent on-year.

The potential for Vietnams export to the EU is huge, as the EVFTA has created plenty of rooms for Vietnamese businesses to further make good use of tariff incentives. Along with its positive impacts, the new-generation trade pact also poses many hurdles for domestic companies. One of them is the strict compliance with rules of origin (ROO), especially in those industries which Vietnams economy has not still had its competitive advantage in the supply chain of raw materials.

ROO is considered as one of key factors to enjoy the preferential tariffs and bring Vietnamese products into the EU market. In fact, many of Vietnams export items to the EU have not overcome technical barriers, in addition to stringent requirements on sanitary and food safety. This is because of Vietnams limited capacity for controlling and supplying input products for manufacturing industries.

The EVFTA was put in place to bring real benefits for the Vietnamese economy. However, for electronic products which reach a dominant value in Vietnams export revenue, the localisation rate of this group remains extremely low. At present, most of the exported electronics are assembled based on components imported from China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Textiles and apparel, other key export items, are facing the same issue as the supporting industry for the category is still undeveloped. This has therefore hindered local manufacturers to reap benefits from the EVFTA. To make better use of the trade pact, Vietnamese producers must move up to higher in the global production chain. This approach enables domestic companies to enjoy great benefits and better fulfil the strict requirements related to ROO ratified in the EVFTA.

Apart from that, aquatic products are one of the categories which can tap the full potential of tariff incentives. Seafood is also one of Vietnams major export items, recording a high value of trade turnover with many countries around the world. These products are principally manufactured with input materials originated from Vietnam, and thus, they can satisfy ROO-related requirements.

Compliance with the ROO is only part of a bigger challenge, which is to uplift the Vietnamese economy to a higher level of sustainable development. Aside from the role of helping Vietnamese firms deliver their products to the EU, ROO can be served as a useful instrument for assessing Vietnams limited capacity for manufacturing components and basic main parts.

The more we know about the low utilisation of ROO in the EVFTA, the better we understand about how to solve the problem, and the low utilisation rate unveils a critical issue of the Vietnamese economy. The lack of supporting industries has created a bottleneck for Vietnamese-made goods to access to the EU and hinders local exporters in making good use of the agreement.

These hurdles can be surmounted if the Vietnamese government and local businesses work together to put in place far-reaching reforms in the regulatory framework and production.

On the one hand, for the private sector, the government should adopt policies to attract more domestic and foreign investment in supporting industries. For electronics, there is a need for an effective mechanism to lure more investors into the manufacturing of key components and parts with high value in technology.

For garments and textiles, local authorities should be aware of the significance of investment attraction in the textile dyeing industry. And for aquatic products, state agencies and associations should formulate supporting policies to raise awareness of the conformity with technical standards and regulations imposed by the Vietnamese government, and especially from the EU.

On the other hand, for the private sector, Vietnamese businesses should increase capital in the supporting industries, especially those with a high value of trade turnover. For electronics, domestic companies are advised to pay more attention to technological factors with an aim to manufacture quality components and parts with diverse designs at a competitive price.

Seafood processing and exporting businesses are also required to have a comprehensive understanding of requirements and customers taste applied in the destination countries. They can therefore disseminate accurate and up-to-date information to the relevant stakeholders.

Vietnamese EU exports benefit from trade deal Vietnamese exports to the EU in 2022 are expected to touch nearly $48 billion thanks to the strong driving force of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Maximising the benefits of EVFTA Entered into force in the context of the bilateral development of relations, the EUVietnam Free Trade Agreement has brought both positive impacts in many fields. Peter Bernhardt, Dr. Eduardo Austin and Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Athanasiadis of the ARISE+ Vietnam Project explain how Vietnam can face up to the challenges that the countrys private and public sector need to address in the years to come.

The significance of Vietnam for US businesses and why they should take notice Vietnam has gone from being a frontier economy in ASEAN to a flourishing, cost-effective, and industrial nation. Firms and investors that are looking for new markets to grow, source, or manufacture their products  especially in Asia  should consider Vietnams long-term potential and stay updated on its opportunities.
A part of the Thanh Oai industrial cluster in Hanoi. (Photo source: tinbatdongsan.com)

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is soliciting feedback on the governments draft decree on industrial clusters (ICs), with an emphasis on expenditure regulations, creating and expanding ICs, and choosing investors to build infrastructure. Vietnamese ICs typically concentrate on production, business, and industrial services for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The MoIT will submit this preliminary decree to the government for review and approval by the end of June.

Many municipalities believe that if the authorities re-establish administration regulations, it will be challenging to establish and expand ICs, thereby hindering their future development. Currently, in addition to legal issues relating to land, localities face challenges in managing the transition of the clusters partially or entirely funded by the state budget to businesses, due to the absence of specific regulations.

Clusters administered at district-level are challenging to draw in secondary investment due to insufficient infrastructure, Bui Duc Hanh, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Thai Binh province, said in late April. Some ICs are planned primarily on rice land, but the complexity of converting land use purposes is impeding execution.

According to existing regulations, a condition for the establishment of new ICs and their expansion is that they must achieve an average occupancy rate of at least 50 per cent.

Due to not yet obtaining the permission of the people involved and low compensated land prices, site approval for projects on the construction and operation of infrastructure in ICs face challenges.

Hanh said that the issue of housing construction licences for foreign experts and labourers in ICs is also making it difficult for investors.

Expanding and altering ICs is of particular interest to industrial development communities with limited land resources. Pham Khac Nam, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade of the northern province of Bac Ninh, said that the draft decree ought to enhance the regulation modifying the size of ICs since this generally changes during the process of establishing such clusters in the locality.

This modification is extremely significant as Bac Ninh has 20 ICs that must alter land use purposes because they are located in a residential area, Nam said. In this regard, localities will be able to eliminate obstacles if the new decree includes expanded regulations, including adding ICs to the directory of provincial clusters and including MoIT implementation guidance.

New decrees have established a solid legal framework for the formation and administration of ICs, but they have also uncovered numerous deficiencies. Nguyen Van Thinh, deputy director of the MoITs Department of Local Industry and Trade, determined that a lack of alignment in legal documents pertaining to land, investments, government funding, and construction had caused local application issues.

Vietnam lacked a sufficiently powerful mechanism to entice business investment in industrial cluster infrastructure. Communities must adapt and expand ICs to satisfy the production space requirements of businesses, Thinh said. During the previous decade, many localities failed to plan for industrial cluster expansion, and provincial planning for 2021-2030 remained sluggish.

Since 2022, the MoIT has held four consultations on IC management. The opinions of ministries, sectors, and localities were centred on several topics, including expansions and selecting investors to construct infrastructure. Two options were provided: integrating the process of establishing or expanding ICs, and carrying out distinct procedures for the approval of policies in accordance with the investment regulations.

Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade The positive effects of Decree No.68/2017/ND-CP and Decree No.66/2020/ND-CP are numerous. Nonetheless, these two decrees disclose shortcomings. Therefore, the proposed decree will promote the benefits, tackle obstacles, and provide favourable circumstances for management firms and investors in ICs. This will be demonstrated by reducing administrative procedures, particularly those associated with investment policy. Numerous localities have implemented them flexibly, but they still require explicit regulations to guarantee transparency and efficiency. Land issues necessitate a thorough evaluation of the land when switching land use purposes. The proposed decree would significantly decentralise authority to local governments, but the transformation has to align with the land law and maximise land use. Additionally, the proposal establishes better conditions for the region. Under appropriate circumstances, investors can be adaptable. The MoIT will consult the Ministry of Finance to establish the most comprehensive regulations on the conversion of public property. The ministry will also review and finalise the draft decree as soon as possible.

In accordance with the master plan to 2020, with a vision to 2025, Vietnam boasts over 1,700 industrial clusters with a total area of 58,100 hectares, distributed by regions: the northern midlands and mountain areas have 250 clusters, the Red River Delta boasts 515 clusters; the central coast covers 457 clusters; and the Central Highlands contains 77 clusters.

Hanoi looks to take action on delayed industrial cluster projects The People's Committee of Hanoi is considering withdrawing investment certificates from slow-moving industrial cluster projects.

Industrial clusters suffering from legal inconsistencies The industrial cluster plays a significant role in Vietnamese industrial development and economic restructuring. Thus, attracting quality foreign-invested and leading companies is not only the preparation of clean land, good human resources, and appropriate and global competitive incentives, but also the need for good thinking and policies to develop some complexes.

South Korea plans waste treatment industrial cluster with ODA funds in Vietnam A new memorandum of agreement is expected to be signed by the South Korean Ministry of Environment and the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction in September.
Officials of Laos and Cuba meet in Vientiane to discuss measures to strengthen cooperation in the agriculture and livestock sectors. (Photo source: kpl.gov.la)

Vientiane  Officials of Laos and Cuba have met in Vientiane to discuss measures to strengthen cooperation in the agriculture and livestock sectors.

The Lao delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Thongphath Vongmany as the Cuban side was headed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Maury Hechavarria Bermudez.

At the meeting, Thongphath spoke highly of the Cuban delegation's visit to Laos, noting that the trip contributed to strengthening the two countries relations and cooperation, mutual assistance and understanding based on the strategic friendship, common ideology and socialist pathway.

The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba signed a memorandum of cooperation in October 2022.

The agreement aims to promote the exchange of scientific and technical information, exchange of experience on development of climate resistant breeds, introduction of resistant crops, integrated pest control, eco-agriculture management, animal husbandry and animal products.

The agreement also prioritises cooperation on artificial insemination, animal breed upgrading, and forestry.

Vietnam, Cuba to enhance trade, investment ties Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi held a working session with Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz in Hanoi on September 27.

Cuba welcomes Vietnamese investment Cuba is drawing increasing international investment in the Vietnamese-strong sectors of sustainable power, tourism, and food production, according to a Vietnam-Cuba business forum.
Vietnam is regarded as having the regions highest logistics costs. How will the implementation of a minimum global corporate tax affect overseas funding?

Dang Dinh Dao, former director of the Institute for Economic Research and Development at the National Economics University

When enterprises, and foreign-invested ones in particular, invest, profit remains the only objective. Currently, logistics costs account for 17-18 per cent of the value of products in Vietnam, whereas the global average is approximately 10 per cent. Transporting products from industrial and export processing zones to seaports incurs higher logistics costs than transporting from Vietnamese seaports to those in importing countries.

Vietnam has always used preferential corporate income tax solutions to compete with other nations for foreign investment due to its high logistics costs. But from 2024, many nations will implement a global minimum tax (GMT) with a 15 per cent minimum rate. Therefore, tax competition is no longer effective, and in order to attract this capital, Vietnam must reduce all business costs, particularly in logistics.

How can logistics costs be reduced?

It can be stated that Vietnam offers numerous perks in the development of logistics. It has a coastline of thousands of kilometres with numerous deepwater ports; a North-South railway system that connects 21 provinces and cities; and railway lines between Hanoi and Haiphong, Hanoi and Lao Cai, and Hanoi and Dong Dang in northern Lang Son province. In addition, National Highway 1A, the Ho Chi Minh Road, runs from north to south.

Transport accounts for approximately 60 per cent of logistics costs. If utilised wisely and sensibly, it will not only minimise logistics costs but also make it easy for domestic merchandise to go to the global market by rail via Lao Cai and Dong Dang to make their way strongly into the Chinese domestic market or transit from China to Europe.

Rail transport offers numerous highlights, such as being quick, safe, and capable of transporting a wide variety of products, but we have neglected this vital mode of transport in export operations.

There are approximately 390 industrial parks across the country, but there is no genuine logistics centre because the geographical region is too compact and requires a warehouse system and infrastructure. The objective of logistics is to supply consumers with products and services at the lowest cost and in the shortest amount of time.

Due to the absence of a logistics system and large enough centres, however, transportation expenses are high, limiting the competitiveness of products, particularly for exports, and luring foreign investment in light of the enactment of a GMT.

Why are foreign companies still in charge of logistics when the government is so engaged in market development?

The master plan to develop the logistics centre system towards 2020, with an eye on 2030, was established in 2015. It focused on the objective of building a network of logistics centres capable of meeting the requirements of production and circulation of domestic and import-export products, and tapping market opportunities to boost manufacturing and company operations by reducing costs.

The plan also stipulated that by 2020, the development rate of logistics services would be 24-25 per cent a year, with a 10 per cent contribution to GDP, and that logistics costs would be reduced to 20 per cent of GDP. By 2030, logistics expenses would account for 15 per cent of GDP and contribute 15 per cent to GDP.

What are the issues with terminal logistics?

Over 90 per cent of Vietnams exports are conveyed by sea, but Vietnamese companies only account for 12 per cent of the volume of products transported by sea. The remainder is owned by foreign companies. As an import and export powerhouse, Vietnam primarily exports free on board and imports at cost, insurance, and freight. Businesses import and export products through Vietnamese ports, so the entire revenue from transportation, insurance, and other expenses goes to foreign companies.

Therefore, firms cannot be diligent in transporting products to consumers when the cargo market is experiencing hardships.

While Vietnam consistently has a trade surplus in commodities, it consistently has a trade deficit in services. In 2022, Vietnam had a commodities trade surplus of $11.2 billion and a services trade deficit of $12.6 billion, with the cost of transportation and insurance coverage for imported goods accounting for $9 billion alone.

Where does Vietnams logistics market stand?

Vietnam is one of the 20 nations with the greatest foreign trade operations around the world, and its population makes its logistics market exceptionally enormous.

In recent times, e-commerce has expanded substantially and thus the logistics industry is expanding and attracting an increasing number of talented students. In reality, the market is currently controlled by foreign companies. According to the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the growth rate of this industry is 14-16 per cent per year, with an average scale of $40-42 billion per year. There is a presence of approximately 3,000 local businesses and 30 firms providing international logistics offerings, including big names such as DHL, FedEx, and Maersk Logistics.

It is significant to note that foreign logistics companies only account for approximately 1 per cent of the total but generate a great deal of income, given that 89 per cent of domestic logistics businesses are small or medium-sized.

Vietnams logistics industry looks bright despite headwinds Vietnams logistics industry remains a bright spot amidst intensifying headwinds in the global market.

Green logistics remain a taxing endeavour Vietnams logistics businesses are advancing on a green path connected with digital transformation, but are also in a highly energy-intensive and polluting industry, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability and financial viability of the sector, experts have said.

Cainiao Dong Nai smart logistics centre approved Cainiao Vietnam, a subsidiary of Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, has expanded its investment to the southern province of Dong Nai after successfully investing in the Cainiao Logistics centre in Long A.

Buon Ma Thuot city set to become logistics hub in Central Highlands The People's Committee of Dak Lak province has recently issued a plan to improve the infrastructure of industrial clusters and establish a logistics and hi-tech industrial centre associated with biological and agro-forestry processing technological research in Buon Ma Thuot city by 2025.
Renewable investors voice grievances over price negotiations, delays

Hanoi - Wind and solar power investors continued to voice their grievances over difficulties in price negotiations and extending project deadlines with the Power Trading Company (EVNEPTC), a subsidiary of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) Group, the sole power distributor in the market.

Investors said they had submitted documents and requested to participate in negotiations with the Power Trading Company. The process had been said to be very slow due to a lack of guidelines and price calculations and negotiations.



In addition, numerous submitted forms and documents had not been approved.



In order to expedite the process and quickly connect renewable energy sources to the national grid, investors urged Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to instruct the Ministry of Industry and Trade to issue detailed guidelines for price negotiations in a timely manner.



They also called for renewable projects that meet operational and technical requirements to be connected to the national grid in the meantime.



According to a proposal by the investors, there are several courses of action to resolve the ongoing issues.



First, EVN will pay investors at 90 per cent of the ceiling price set by the ministry's Decision 21 until a final price can be successfully negotiated.



Second, EVN will pay investors at 50 per cent of the ceiling price set by Government Decision 21 and start a complaint process. Once price negotiation is completed, EVN will make a full payment at negotiated prices for the entire period, starting from when projects began generating power.



Third, in the event temporary prices are set as low as 50 per cent of the ceiling price, it should not be counted towards the 20-year official power purchase agreement between EVN and the investors.



Investors said they recommend a government leader preside over a meeting among the MoIT, EVN, other ministries and representatives sent by investors to hammer out a solution to connect renewable projects to the national grid as soon as possible.



According to the investors, the options were based on actual investment cost data, the situation of the projects and the investors' financial capacity. They are also willing to collaborate and coordinate with the ministry and other governmental agencies to produce and provide any and all documents required for price negotiations.



MoIT's Decision 21 stipulated ceiling prices for renewable projects as follows: 1,184.90 VND per kWh for land-based solar projects, 1,508.27 VND per kWh for floating solar projects, 1,587.12 VND per kWh for land-based wind projects and 1,815.95 VND per kWh for offshore wind projects.



In an earlier development, EVN proposed a scheme to pay investors a temporary price at 50 per cent of what was set in Decision 21 while waiting for price negotiations to be completed.



In response, the group of investors said in the event of no recourse and deduction from the Power Purchase Agreement the proposed temporary price will, in effect, act as the official price, which is completely against the government's policy of promoting renewable energy development and the government's commitments to carbon emissions reduction through renewable energy development.

Renewable energy policy needed to build momentum David Jacobs from International Energy Transition GmbH (IET) and Toby D. Couture (E3 analytics) have advised more than 50 governments worldwide on renewable energy policy and strategy, including over a dozen governments in the Asia Pacific Region, including Vietnam.

Voices grow louder for energy plan approval Numerous organisations and investors are urging Vietnam to swiftly define policies to accelerate the deployment of 7GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope showed proof of hidden planets beyond our solar system as astronomers observed an asteroid belt.

The telescope, launched in December 2021, has made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting a previously unseen debris disk around Fomalhaut, a nearby young star.

First Asteroid Belt Outside Solar System

According to CNN, astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to look at the first-ever asteroid belt outside the solar system. And as they observed the asteroid belt, they encountered a surprising discovery.

An image from the NASA telescope showed two inner dust belts surrounding the Fomalhaut, a bright star in the Piscis Austrinus constellation, 25 light-years away from our home planet, Earth. It is worth noting that previous images, even those the Hubble Space Telescope took, should have included the two dust belts. This time, the Webb telescope successfully captured it, making it visible to humans.

The new belt sightings are reportedly more complex than current discoveries, such as the main asteroid belt and the Kuiper Belt. The latter, which looks like a doughnut, sits on the solar system's edge. On the other hand, the main asteroid belt is sandwiched between Mars and the largest planet in our system, Jupiter.

But this time, Popular Science reports that the latest belt swirled around another star, the Fomalhaut, instead of our sun. The science-focused outlet pointed out that astronomers have been spying on the Fomalhaut, a relatively younger star than the sun, as it resembles the latter. It should help researchers further understand how the brightest star in the solar system came about.

Read Also: Defunct NASA Satellite To Crash Down Into Earth; How Dangerous Is It?

New Webb Images Show Proof of Hidden Planets

The new image captured by the Webb Space Telescope outstandingly uncovers a possible hidden world beyond our solar system. The two belts beyond the solar system hint at the existence of hidden planets, apart from what most of us know these days.

The recent study's lead author, Andras Gaspar, a University of Arizona astronomer, says the discovery possibly uncovers planets similar to Uranus and Neptune. The astronomer says, "The new gap that we see hints at the presence of an ice-giant mass planet." According to ABC7 Chicago, Gaspar adds that further observation of these rings could help us see the hidden planets.

Meanwhile, one of the study's authors, Schuyler Wolff, a University of Arizona astronomer, notes that the hidden planets are likely "carving out the gaps."

On top of that, the study's co-author, George Rieke, believes that there is potentially "a really interesting planetary system" orbiting the nearby star, younger than our sun.

Related Article: Hackers Hijack Gov't-Owned Satellite During a Test Amid Cyber Warfare Threat

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The total electricity capacity in the early 1990s was a mere 4,000 MW, about the same as tiny Singapore. Around half originated in the Hoa Binh hydroelectricity plant, yet much of the demand was in the south, 1,000km away.

Tony Foster - Managing director Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

But Vietnams potential required more fuel in the tank. Demand for electricity accelerated alongside rapid economic growth, straining the governments ability to increase supply. Power shortages intermittently halted those factory lines that did not have the luxury of private generator back-up.

The private sector started building power stations to protect their own investments. CT&D of Taiwan, one of the most admirable foreign investors, developed the Tan Thuan export processing zone and Phu My Hung city, and installed a power plant at Hiep Phuoc to support these developments.

Thai group Amata then built an industrial zone just north of Ho Chi Minh City and persuaded Tractebel to build a captive power plant in 1995 to provide certainty of supply to the industrial tenants in their new zone.

The first infrastructure to be developed on a non-recourse basis was a coal-fired power station in Quang Ninh. The Oxbow/Marubeni consortium proposed an additional 1,000MW or so to the national grid on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The government would not need to find any money for the project.

Unfortunately, these concepts were still difficult for the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the project did not come to fruition until a decade later when AES picked it up and one of the great infrastructure successes arrived  the 1,200 MW Mong Duong 2 BOT power plant.

The major foreign-invested infrastructure success of the 1990s was the Nam Con Son gas-to-power project. The Phu My 2-2 and Phu My 3 power plants depended on receiving natural gas that a BP/Statoil and ONGC consortium was developing offshore Vietnam in the Lan Tay/Lan Do fields in Block 06-1.

No one doubted the existence of sufficient gas. But the gas was 400km across hostile seas from where it could be fired, and the gap took years to bridge. The principal sponsor of the Phu My 2-2 BOT power plant was EDF of France, and that of the Phu My 3 BOT power plant was BP of the United Kingdom.

Both of these plants have successfully generated electricity for 20 years as agreed and will soon be transferred to the MoIT or its nominee. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) deserves credit for overcoming the obstacles and thereby achieving a result that has been beneficial for Vietnam.

Other notable foreign-invested projects from the early years of Vietnams development were the business cooperation contract between VNPT and Telstra, and the Business Cooperation Contract between VNPT and Comvik, which opened up international and mobile telephony, respectively; meanwhile, the Thu Duc and the Binh An BOT water plants supplied clean water to Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition, port connections were improved by Cai Mep International Terminal developed by Maersk; Saigon Premier Container Terminal was developed by P&O Ports; Dinh Vu Port was developed by IPEM of Belgium; and the first of the chain of VSIP parks underlined to Asian investors how receptive Vietnam was to top manufacturing investment.

Resolving the remaining issues in infrastructure investment, Photo: Shutterstock

Actions in need

Infrastructure is vital to fuelling every countrys economic growth. Vietnam has made bold moves to build out its infrastructure. The country has plenty of successful stories to tell in the last three decades, some of which have already been mentioned, but there are two areas where it could have done better.

The first is the equitisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the infrastructure sector, which has been slow. The government attempted to sell strategic stakes in state-owned infrastructure companies, such as generating companies owned by Electricity of Vietnam, gas companies owned by PetroVietnam, and MobiFone and Vinaphone.

If this had been successful, there would have been greater inflows of foreign capital to fund strategic infrastructure projects, greater competition for monopolies or quasi-monopolies; healthier public finances resulting from the proceeds of sale or reduced subsidies for inefficient state companies; improvements to efficiencies and services to customers; and so on. But this is a highly complicated area where different governmental approaches can be equally valid over the long term.

The second is the public-private partnership (PPP) law. The 2021 Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment has been up and running for two years. Before that, there were decrees and pilot decisions which date back a decade. The government and the MPI have worked tirelessly.

Yet none have attracted foreign investment in the challenging infrastructure sector, despite its huge potential. Our information suggests that, other than BOT power projects, there have been no PPP projects that comply with the formal PPP regime and have attracted foreign bank non-recourse funding, which is the goal. IPPs of course exist, but that is a different matter.

There are many issues that need to be solved before foreign investors take interest in PPP projects. If we focus just on the purely legal aspects, foreign investors struggle with the applicability of Vietnamese law; the availability of step-in rights to lenders; the availability of guarantees for foreign exchange and non-payment by an SOE off-taker; the statutory restriction on mortgaging land-use rights to foreign lenders; and complex regulatory approvals.

Infrastructure investment starts from a strong legal framework. Vietnam has passed important laws to support investors. Now the government could act to formulate a robust and consistent risk allocation framework applying across industries, which would provide a level of certainty on the key risks to be retained by the government and to be allocated to investors.

Future trends

Vietnam is now a member of free trade agreements with around 60 countries, and it has integrated into the global value chain and production network. But no deal was more important than the bilateral trade agreement with the US, ratified in 2001. It significantly reduced US tariffs on most imports from Vietnam. Exports boomed, and Vietnam boomed.

In exchange, Vietnam agreed to liberalise a wide range of its market, and to lift barriers to foreign direct investment. This, and Vietnams accession to the World Trade Organization, resulted in an extraordinary 20-year explosion of growth.

Vietnam will need to invest further in the infrastructure system to maintain this growth. We have no doubt that this will occur, and that, together with preferential investment policies, and the strong determination of the government to improve the business environment, Vietnams attractiveness to investors will steadily increase.

The country will transition to a greener future. How it will do this remains open, but the trend lines are clear. More specifically, one can look at the phasing out of coal-fired power and its replacement by natural gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, offshore wind, and other renewable energy projects. All of this will require a change in the conception of transmission and distribution of electricity.

Digital infrastructure for the foundation of the digital economy will be necessary, as will greater soft infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, to respond to rising living standards of the people.

Massive progress has been achieved over the last 35 years. The country will unquestionably respond to the needs of its people in the future, and will maintain its economic growth and create even more favourable conditions for investors in the infrastructure sector. I am confident that if I am able to see the results in 35 years time  which may be pushing it  it will be a bright picture indeed.

Hung Yen focuses investment on transport infrastructure Hung Yen has identified transport infrastructure as crucial in terms of regional connection to spur the provinces socioeconomic development.

Asia-Pacific Capital Projects & Infrastructure Summit spotlights sustainability The Asia-Pacific Capital Projects and Infrastructure Summit, organised by PwC Vietnam, took place on April 27 in Hanoi. The theme, Delivering infrastructure for tomorrow, today, focused on the country's development journey towards sustainable infrastructure.

ASEAN+3 should unlock more capital for sustainable infrastructure COVID-19 has brought severe hardships to peoples and communities across the globe, but for the economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a resilient recovery is underway.
Illustrative image (Photo source: Internet)

Hanoi  New regulations governing the use of online information are being drafted and issued within 2023, under which all users of social networks, including foreign ones such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, will be required to verify themselves, according to Deputy Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) Nguyen Thanh Lam.

Speaking at a hearing of the National Assembly (NA)'s Judicial Committee on May 9, Lam said that the users, both inpiduals, and organizations, that fail to meet the requirements will be reviewed or blocked.



The move aims to prevent law violations and scams using social networks, Lam said.



He added that the upcoming session of the NA will consider a draft of the revised telecom law, which stipulates that overseas over-the-top (OTT) apps will be subject to the same management like domestic ones.



Regarding measures to prevent the abuse of technologies to commit cybercrimes, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc said that the matching of the national resident database and phone numbers has contributed to improving the situation.



As of April 15, the MIC had detected 1.2 million phone numbers whose users have failed to identify themselves, he noted.



Ngoc said that in the time to come, the Ministry of Public Security will discuss with banks to verify payment accounts to minimize frauds and scams in cyberspace.

Local social networking sites shaken by draft amendment More than 500 local social networking sites will need to secure a permit to continue operations and generate revenue if the draft decree amending the rules on internet management is approved and put into force.
The majority of electronic hardware produced in this country is exported, photo Le Toan

Over the past years, Samsung from South Korea has become an exemplary story of a multinational corporation in Vietnam that has been operating successfully in the country and supporting it to climb the global value chain (GVC).

Late last year, Samsung inaugurated its biggest research and development centre in Southeast Asia. The new research facility was opened in Hanoi at an estimated cost of $220 million. This is just the latest investment from the South Korean giant, which has been manufacturing in Vietnam since 2008 with initial investment of $670 million. Since then, Samsung has invested an estimated $20 billion and the group is set to add an additional $3.3 billion in Vietnam.

Samsung Vietnam exported $65 billion worth of products last year, down 0.8 per cent from 2021. According to Samsungs Supplier List 2022, which covers 80 per cent of its manufactured goods, the electronics giant had 28 factories producing electronics in Vietnam across 11 provinces. The bulk is centred in the north, with 25 factories.

Major role

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the contributions of such businesses to Vietnams economic growth are hugely significant. The countrys economy grew 8.02 per cent last year, and 3.32 per cent in the first quarter of 2022. The Vietnamese government has consistently underlined the big role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in spurring its exports via GVC participation, as well as boosting economic growth.

MPI statistics indicate that disbursement of FDI in Vietnam in 2022 was estimated at nearly $22.4 billion, up 13.5 per cent on-year, the highest in five years. Accumulatively as of December 2022, total newly registered and newly added capital and capital contributions and stake acquisitions in the country reached $27.72 billion, down 11 per cent on-year.

Foreign investors pumped money into 19 out of 21 national economic sectors, of which the processing and manufacturing industry took the lead with $16.8 billion, or 60.6 per cent of the total registered capital.

During January-April 20, 2023, total newly registered and newly added capital, and capital from stake acquisitions and capital contributions from foreign investors hit $8.88 billion, down 17.9 per cent on-year. Total four-month FDI disbursement touched an estimated $5.85 billion, down 1.2 per cent on-year.

As the biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam, it is not surprising that Samsung has a sizeable influence on the way Vietnam participates in GVCs. Prior to 2019, of around 100 of Samsungs suppliers who collectively accounted for 80 per cent of its transaction volume, 28 were listed as operating in Vietnam, although these appear to be foreign-owned. More than half were based or had operations in South Korea, 30 in China, and 16 in Japan.

This sourcing breakdown is largely consistent with Vietnams top imports from the ASEAN+3 economies, which are also mostly electronic in nature. In particular, these are mostly intermediate goods consisting of semiconductors and electronics.

As Vietnam continues to be a highly attractive production base to other multinationals, the influx of these new projects will also help shape its future GVC participation. For example, the media reported Apple shifting nearly 30 per cent (up to four million units) of its wireless headphones into Vietnam away from China. As a result, supplier Goertek has also confirmed plans to move its production in the same direction.

Apple and Google supplier Foxconn has reportedly signed an MoU with Vietnams developer in Kinh Bac city to expand their facility in northern Vietnam. The Taiwanese manufacturers new factory will span 50.5 hectares in the northern province of Bac Giang, expecting to create 30,000 jobs. In 2021 alone, Foxconn invested $1.5 billion, and Taiwans Compal Electronics, which also supplies Google, has been expanding production here since 2021.

These investment movements will have a significant impact on how the foreign and/or domestic value added content of its electronics and electrical exports will change in the future.

Similarly, the ongoing movement of international footwear and apparel firms such as Adidas, Nike, and Puma to Vietnam will also influence the backward links of the equally significant garments sector, according to the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO).

Rise in GVCs

Vietnams investment journey since the mid 1980s eventually helped the economy to maintain rapid growth at around 7 per cent since the 2000s, with the exception of periods of global financial crisis. In particular, amid the general slowdown of emerging markets in the post financial crisis period, Vietnam has maintained its strong growth momentum, and more recently, it has seen an explosive growth in exports amid strong FDI.

Vietnams exports have diversified and grown exponentially over the past three decades. The economys gross exports of goods demonstrated a 67.5-times increase in 27 years, from $5.5 billion in 1995 when it joined ASEAN to the end of 2022.

Over this time, Vietnams exports have become more diversified and sophisticated. In the 1990s through the first half of 2000s, primary products, such as food and mineral fuels, accounted for more than half of total exports. From the early 2000s, miscellaneous manufactured goods, such as textiles and clothing, began to increase their contribution to Vietnams exports.

And since 2013, the share of machinery, transport, and equipment  in particular mobile devices  in total exports has grown exponentially and exceeded other manufactured and primary products.

In terms of end-use, Vietnams exports comprise mainly intermediate goods and final consumption goods, while mixed end-use and capital goods have grown in prominence of late.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs reported that in 2022, Vietnams total export-import turnover hit $730.2 billion, up 9.1 per cent on-year. In which the export turnover reached $371.3 billion, up 10.5 per cent, and the import turnover sat at $358.9 billion, up 7.8 per cent.

In the first four months of 2023, Vietnams total trade turnover reached $210.79 billion, down 13.6 per cent on-year. In which, total export turnover hit $108.57 billion, down 11.8 per cent on-year, and imports were valued at $102.22 billion, down 15.4 per cent.

Foreign-invested enterprises accounted for 74.4 per cent of total export turnover and 65.12 per cent of total import turnover last year, and the respective rates were 73.7 and 64.17 per cent in the first four months of 2023.

FDI has played an important role in the rapid growth of exports, said Professor Nguyen Mai, a senior expert on overseas funding in Vietnam. Samsung had helped put Vietnam on the global map of high-tech manufacturers by establishing a production base which produces smartphones, electronics, and home appliances for export.

Currently, about 85 per cent of electronics/ICT hardware and over 40 per cent of electronic-related products produced in Vietnam are destined for export markets, and are mostly manufactured by foreign companies.

Growing interest in Vietnam as a production base has led to strong FDI inflows, particularly in the manufacturing sector. For example, accumulatively as of April 20, FDI-led manufacturing could be found in 16,149 valid projects registered at $265.52 billion  accounting for 43.57 and 59.55 per cent of the total number of foreign-invested projects and registered FDI in Vietnam, respectively. In addition, FDI into higher value-added non-manufacturing sectors has increased recently too, particularly in professional and sci-tech activities, which will help improve Vietnams business environment and total factor productivity going forward.

However, according to experts, amid the post-pandemic GVC reconfiguration, FDI policies need to be carefully aligned to Vietnams development strategy.

The country appears to have successfully weathered the pandemic impact on trade and investment activities. Realising the vulnerabilities of existing supply chain network, several multinational companies, especially those in electronics and textiles businesses, are now moving or diversifying their production facilities to Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, which could further strengthen Vietnams GVC participation.

Amid this re-configuration of global supply chains, there should be scope for Vietnam to take advantage of these ongoing changes to propel the country up the production value chain with greater domestic companies participation, said AMRO.

Additionally, recent increases in FDI in the service sector could provide new opportunities for Vietnam to participate in the higher value tiers of GVCs, it added. A deliberate strategy to attract FDI that is open to engaging domestic firms in providing intermediate inputs would be needed to complement policies to develop and support the domestic suppliers.

Three foreign groups plan to pour 3.7 billion USD into Vietnam Three foreign groups unveiled their plans to pour 3.7 billion USD into Vietnam at the Prime Ministers meeting with foreign investors in Hanoi on April 22, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

$8.8 billion of FDI into Vietnam in the first four months Although total foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into Vietnam in the first four months decreased by 17.9 per cent on-year, both newly registered and share purchase capital was reported to raise.

FDI flow bounces back So far this year, foreign direct investment (FDI) channeled into Vietnam neared 8.9 billion USD, with new capital surging after a slight decrease in the first three months.

Hung Yen creates momentum to improve investment environment The northern province of Hung Yen has taken drastic actions to improve its business and investment environment, and its efforts have paid off.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A man is suing a sheriff's office in South Carolina saying deputies shot at him nearly 50 times when he was having a mental health crisis in a parked truck with a shotgun in his lap, even though he says his hands were raised.

Trevor Mullinax survived being hit nine times in May 2021, with three wounds to the head, according to the lawsuit filed against the York County Sheriffs Office earlier this month.

The four sheriff's deputies started shooting only a few seconds after arriving on the scene and yelling Hands! several times, as seen in police dash cam video released by Mullinax's lawyers. The barrage lasted all of five seconds, leaving the pickup windshield riddled with bullet holes.

Those officer went out there like John Wayne cowboys. They came out there like gunslingers, attorney Justin Bamberg said at a news conference Tuesday.

Prosecutors reviewing the case did not charge the four deputies who shot at Mullinax. Each officer gave a statement to investigators 11 days after the shooting and after reviewing body camera and other footage.

The officers said in those seconds they thought Mullinax was getting ready to flee, then they saw him reach back to the trucks rear seat, grab the shotgun and point it at them, according to the State Law Enforcement Division report on the shooting.

Mullinax's mother, Tammy Beason, said she'd been trying to comfort her son after he threatened to kill himself. She was standing by the driver's-side window when the officers opened fire.

She wasn't wounded. But deputies handcuffed her, wailing and clearly distraught, less than a minute after the shooting. Two deputies hustled her away as she cries, What are they going to do with my son?

The video begins with the deputies driving up to Mullinax's truck parked on his family's land near Rock Hill on May 7, 2021. A family member had called 911 because Mullinax was threatening to kill himself. He said We're just trying to get our buddy some help, and gave the operator the cellphone numbers for him and his mother, according to the 911 call.

The deputies never called either of them, driving to the truck after Mullinax's grandfather told them where it was located, Bamberg said.

There were 47 shots fired. The video shows two deputies pull a bleeding Mullinax out of the truck and handcuff him.

Youre not a death squad. Youre supposed to try to help people, even if youve got to shoot them, Bamberg said. They handcuff this man with three bullet holes in his head and then they handcuff his mama. Treat her like a criminal. This was disgusting.

Mullinax's mother told investigators hours after the shooting it appeared her son might be reaching for a gun.

According to medical records obtained by state investigators, Mullinax told a doctor at the hospital he was talking to his mother about getting help when officers arrived, and when they arrived suddenly, he reached for the gun so they would shoot him because he didnt have the courage to do it himself. He said couldnt say why he changed his mind from seeking help to wanting to die.

Mullinax was the only person charged in the 2021 shooting and faces one count of pointing and presenting a firearm, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. At the time of the shooting, Mullinax had a warrant for his arrest on a different charge, but his lawyers said that burglary charge was dismissed and there are no court records of it.

Mullinax couldn't have a gun legally because he was a felon, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said at a news conference Wednesday where he took no questions.

If a suspect pulls a weapon on a man or woman wearing a badge that says York County Sheriff's Office, that situation is not going to end well, Tolson said.

Police officers shouldn't have to handle people in mental crisis or the other duties piled on them daily, and shouldn't be second guessed after they are cleared by investigators, the sheriff said.

For those of you who are out there making snap judgements about the actions of police officers, hiding behind a computer screen with your thumb courage on Facebook, Instagram  the York County Sheriff's Office is hiring deputies every day. Please put in an application so you can see firsthand what a police officer faces, Tolson said.

Mullinax's mother said it was hours before anyone told her that her son survived the shooting. She says she no longer trusts the police and flinches every time she sees a police cruiser.

I wonder if that's the one who almost killed me that day. Or thats the one who tried to kill my son that day, Beason said.

Mullinax said he hates what his mental crisis turned into.

But if it helps one single person in this world to not have to go through what me and my family have, Im OK with it, he said.
FORT CAVAZOS  When he left Fort Hood 41 years ago, its a sure bet that then-Lt. Gen. Richard E. Cavazos never imagined the day would come when theyd name the place for him.

In a ceremony under a cloudy sky Tuesday morning, the Armys best-known post was officially renamed Fort Cavazos after the service branchs first Hispanic four-star general. Cavazos grew up on South Texas King Ranch where his father was a foreman, and died in San Antonio in 2017 at 88.

Its the end of Fort Hood, named in 1942 for controversial Confederate general Gen. John Bell Hood.

The nations largest active-duty armored military post is one of nine around the country dropping the names of Confederate commanders.

During the ceremony, a solider picked up Fort Hoods flag, which had been rolled up and covered, and marched away. Then the new post flag, signifying the changeover to Fort Cavazos, was unveiled.

Fort Benning in Georgia will stage a similar ceremony on Thursday. The Army post will renamed in honor of Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, who co-authored We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, a book about a pivotal battle in the Vietnam War that became a major Hollywood movie.

About 60 member of Cavazoss family attended the ceremony, including his last surviving sibling, Joseph Cavazos, his four children and many grandchildren.

Veterans who served in combat with Cavazos and still adore him years after his death are elated by the honor.

He was a soldiers soldier. He wasnt a commanding officer that flew around in a helicopter and directed battles. He was down on the ground with the troops doing the maneuvering and taking control, said Mel Brav, 80, of San Diego, California, who served as a lieutenant under Cavazos in the Vietnam War. He was a soldier that the men could identify with because where the men went, he went, on the ground.

There were two finalists in the search for a new name for Fort Hood, and both were well-known Hispanics in the armed forces  Cavazos and Medal of Honor recipient Roy P. Benavidez, an Army master sergeant who spent many of his years in San Antonio and is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Working with leaders in the Killeen community, a commission charged with finding new names for all nine installations settled on Cavazos.
McLennan County deputies, Waco police officers and a U.S. Marshals Service state and local task force opened the month of May with 155 arrests in five days in McLennan and Bell counties through Operation Washout 3.0, officials said in a press conference Tuesday.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara praised cooperation among local, state and federal agencies.

Operation Washout 3.0 was a short-term anti-gang initiative from May 1 through May 5, led by the U.S. Marshals Service Waco Division and focusing on violent offenders and gang members, officials said. Other agencies participating included the Texas Department of Public Safety, Killeen Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations unit, Coryell County Sheriffs Office as well as state and federal prosecutors.

Eight gang members were included among the 155 arrests, and officers seized 25 firearms, 17.4 pounds of narcotics and $11,423 in cash along with the arrests, officials said. The agencies sought out offenders with outstanding warrants for murder, burglary, theft, as well as drugs including marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.

The suspects arrested during the operation are the same kinds of violent offenders Waco police regularly work to arrest, Waco Police Chief Sheryl Victorian said.

We deliberately searched for and found the high-value-target violent offenders who are influential, Victorian said of the operation.

She said most crimes are committed by a small number of people, and by targeting them, Wacos rates of violent, non-violent and overall crime have gone down during the past 12 months. With the operations 155 arrests, crime will be reduced again, Victorian said.

Last weeks operation was the third time the agencies have conducted Operation Washout, McNamara said.

Collaboration among the agencies is nothing less than superb, McNamara said. This is why were able to take 155 arrests in 5 days.

The first Operation Washout, a 5-day operation in October 2019, netted 119 arrests, and the second, in January and February 2022, brought 250 arrests, the Tribune-Herald reported at the time.

Collaboration among local, county, state and federal agencies happens at a smaller scale on a daily and weekly basis, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory Deputy Robert Garmon said.

Garmon praised the behind the scenes efforts of administrative analysts who helped to determine the offenders to be served with warrants, Texas state troopers who escorted those arrested to jail, and jail officers in McLennan and Bell counties who booked those arrested.

Now these offenders will receive justice through the judicial system, Garmon said.

Primary agencies conducting the arrests and transporting the prisoners, under the auspices of the U.S. Marshals task force, were the McLennan County Sheriffs Office, Waco Police Department, Killeen Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety.

Overtime pay, fuel and lodging for the operation was paid for by the U.S. Marshals Service Headquarters in Washington, said Deputy Marshal Brandon Filla, spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals regional office in Austin. Filla said he did not have the total of federal funds spent on the operation.
A Groesbeck man jailed on suspicion of burglary to commit assault in Waco also had outstanding sexual assault warrants from Tarrant County, records show.

A U.S. Marshals Service task force arrested Justin Nasir Shah, 35, on Tuesday on a Waco police warrant charging three first-degree felony counts of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit assault.

Waco police responded at about 4:45 a.m. Thursday to a shots-fired call in the 900 block of Briar Drive, a residential area a few blocks from the Greater Waco YMCA, according to a statement from Waco police spokesperson Cierra Shipley.

When officers arrived, they learned the suspect had briefly met the first female victim earlier in the night and then later the suspect broke into her home and attempted to sexually assault (the first victim), Shipley said.

Investigators determined Shah also fired a handgun in the area of the first victim and her son, who is younger than 5, and beat a second woman while in the Briar Drive home, Shipley said. Shah had left by the time officers arrived, she said.

Shah remained in McLennan County Jail on Tuesday evening with bond listed at a combined $2.25 million on the three Waco charges. Jail records also show two Tarrant County warrants against him, one charging sexual assault and one charging aggravated sexual assault.
Anyone awaiting the debut of large metal light globes casting patterned shadows under the Interstate 35 overpass at Fourth and Fifth streets will have to wait a little longer, pending a resolution of a dispute over their color.

The six 4-foot, brightly painted metal spheres crafted by local artists Morgan Eyring and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis were nearing their full installation on May 2 when city officials halted the work and had crews remove ones already attached.

The issue at hand was the globes colors: green, orange, light blue, yellow, pink and purple. City spokesperson Monica Sedelmeier said the colors are not what city council members had in mind when they approved the light project nearly five years ago in a $2.1 million, three-component plan to add decorative lighting to I-35 overpasses and bridge towers.

The lighting project presentations made to both the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board and the city council featured photos of Ballroom Luminoso, a similar globe lighting project in San Antonio made from bicycle parts.

The City and TIF Board had seen images of the metallic globes and thought this was representative of the finished product, Sedelmeier said in an emailed statement. There was genuine surprise when the look was not what had been discussed, approved, and funded by the approving bodies.

As a result, City Manager Bradley Ford, after conferring with Mayor Dillon Meek, stopped the installation, she said.

While council members might have had a specific look in mind when they approved the $430,000 project, it apparently was not required in the specifications given the artists who were awarded the commission. Arts nonprofit Creative Waco coordinated the project, and Director Fiona Bond said the documents calling for proposals and the specifications given the selected artists were open to either an unfinished or painted design.

In a statement on La Valleur-Purvis website, the artists say the five-month process of designing, assembling and painting the metal spheres was publicly visible. The statement refers to social media posts on the process and links to a Tribune-Herald story from February that includes photos of one globe painted orange and makes multiple references to the finished pieces being painted in bright colors.

Every part of this creative process has been thoughtfully considered, deliberated and researched, the statement says. We had studio visits, reviews, posted our creative process publicly on our instagrams and even had previous press mentions about this project earlier this year.

There were so many opportunities for questions and feedback from city stakeholders prior to installation day. And while we believe the decision to immediately uninstall the work was hasty and unnecessary, it provokes the question of how approvals and artistic license decisions around Public Art Policy are being made in conjunction with the ongoing Public Art Strategic Plan in Waco.

They said the city and Creative Waco have reassured us they are excited to see our work installed soon.

The metal globes Eyring and La Valleur-Purvis crafted feature shapes evoking Waco history, wildlife, flora, structures and images. Each will surround an LED white-light lamp that when illuminated will project shadows of the designs on the plaza area under I-35 and between Fourth and Fifth streets. City officials, in fact, were pleased with the metal designs, Sedelmeier said.

City representatives, Creative Waco and the artists anticipate meeting soon to resolve what Sedelmeier characterized as a miscommunication between the city and Creative Waco. All agree the globes will go back up.

We love the globe pieces, and the outstanding work done by artists Morgan Eyring and Andrea LaValleur Purvis, Bond wrote in a statement. We appreciate their immense grace and professionalism, and are committed to making sure that their voices and thoughtful artistic process are part of determining next steps.

We are looking forward to working with our partners at the city to ensure these lovely artworks become a much-loved artistic feature for the whole community to enjoy.  This is going to end up being a valuable learning experience for us and our partners at the city. We look forward to working together to create strong pathways for more great public art in the future.

In their statement, La Valleur-Purvis and Eyring said the decision to stop installation of their works had left them shocked and professionally embarrassed, but that they consider Creative Waco team a wonderful partner and advocate.

We fully expect to reach a solution that supports both our artistic voice and aligns with the citys Public Art Initiatives and Wacos broader strategic goals, their statement says.

One part of the citys three-part decorative lighting plan for the I-35 overpasses is already in place, with colored LED light strips installed to illuminate the columns of the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, University Parks Drive, Fourth and Fifth street, and 11th Street overpasses.

The lights can be configured to shine in different colors and at specified times, such as for holidays, city celebrations or emphases.

The third component of I-35 decorative lighting, the bridge towers over the Brazos River, will be considered soon with proposals to replace the existing decorative lighting presented to the city, Sedelmeier said.
WAHOO  After more than a year of discussions and evaluations, the Saunders County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday selected a bid to move forward with replacing 122 of the Saunders County Courthouses exterior windows.

On a 5-1 vote, the board approved a $514,000 bid from Omaha-based Chicago Lumber Company to install the windows, which will be manufactured by Marvin Windows. Installation would begin on May 1, 2024 and would be completed by the end of June 2024.

The possibility of replacing the courthouses windows dates back to early 2022, after the county received $4,191,000 in federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The board decided to allocate $500,000 of the ARPA funds to replace the courthouses windows, as many had not been updated since the late 1990s. $3.5 million of the countys ARPA funds were later allocated to be used for its 911 emergency radio system upgrades.

Then-County Clerk Patti Lindgren said at the time that the windows were drafty and difficult to open and close.

I mean, you could sit by my window, and you could just feel the air come through, Lindgren said.

From there, Lincoln-based engineering firm Mainelli Wagner and Associates conducted an examination of the buildings windows, and results showed that many  but not all  of the windows are reaching the end of their useful lives.

Highway Superintendent Andy Nordstrom  who oversees courthouse maintenance  and the county boards Building and Grounds Committee then worked with several window manufacturers to determine which window design would work best for the building.

Some courthouse employees had expressed hopes that the new windows would still be able to open, like those that are in many of the buildings offices. However, the board and Nordstrom determined that the new windows should be fixed, meaning they would not be able to open.

From the heating and air conditioning side of it, if the windows are open, the heating and air conditioning system wouldnt be working to its capacity, Nordstrom said.

The Building and Grounds Committee chose a Marvin window that will be fixed, but will resemble a double-hung window. Because the courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, the sizes of the windows cannot be altered.

Theyre going to pretty much look like the windows that are in there now, Nordstrom said.

The board approved the advertising of bids for the project at its April 11 meeting, and bidding closed at the beginning of the April 25 meeting. When Nordstrom presented the bids received, one bid proposal had been submitted  from Chicago Lumber at a cost of $514,000. Action on the bid was tabled until the May 2 meeting.

Supervisor Frank Albrecht of Valparaiso was dissatisfied with the bid price, and he had long suggested that the county should only focus on replacing the windows that urgently needed to be replaced. He said the money left over from the $500,000 allocated to the project could help pay for the countys radio system.

My personal opinion is that we should just fix the ones that are leaking and that are damaged, Albrecht said.

But Dean Britt, a construction inspector with Mainelli Wagner, said it would be an inefficient use of money over time, as the county would have to conduct a similar bid and design process again when other windows start to reach the end of their useful lives.

It will cost you more money because of the mobilization and the equipment used, Britt said. When you start doing one-offs, every time they come out, they have to bring a very large piece of equipment out.

Board Chairperson David Lutton said the board should move forward and accept Chicago Lumbers bid, as they had already designated the funding they would use to pay for the windows.

The funds are there, Lutton said. Not that they couldnt be used for the radio system or something else, but I guess to replace 60% of them and then think that in a few years were going to be coming back, rebidding and doing all that, to me it makes more sense to use the funds weve already allocated and get the project done as one.

The board voted 5-1 to accept Chicago Lumbers bid, with Albrecht voting no.

New public defender introduced

John Heieck, Saunders Countys new public defender, was introduced to the board for the first time at the May 2 meeting. His first day on the job was May 1.

I met just about everyone, and I think I remembered about a third of everyones names, he said. So, hopefully, Ill get to know everyone a bit better as time goes on. But so far so good.

Heieck is taking over for Thomas Klein, who left the post after former Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed him to the judgeship of the County Court for the Sixth Judicial District.

Heieck studied at Creighton University School of Law and worked at several private firms before becoming Adams Countys deputy public defender. He held that position until 2021, when he left for a position as a circuit court clerk in Reno, Nevada.

That was kind of a sabbatical, if you will, Heieck said in a March interview. But when this job opened up, it was absolutely perfect, because I was planning on moving back to Nebraska anyway.

Heieck will operate from an office on the first floor of the county courthouse.
WAVERLY  Late last year, it appeared the School District 145 Board of Education would have to act quickly to address urgent capacity issues. A new report by a Kansas demographics consulting company says not so fast.

Previous projections by the school districts hired architect DLR Group indicated that enrollment growth could be expected in the next 10 years or so, based on the 1.8% growth rate the district has seen over the past 15 years and the possibility of significant residential development in Waverly and Eagle.

But an analysis presented by school district planning firm RSP & Associates at the May 1 school board meeting projects District 145s enrollment will grow marginally over the next five years, increasing by just 38 students between now and the 2027-2028 school year.

What they are telling us is that in the next five years, we as a school district are not going to grow by that many students, Superintendent Cory Worrell said, which is kind of contrary to what most people would think, because they are seeing all these potential houses going up.

The board contracted RSP to complete the analysis in January. The Kansas-based company has conducted similar enrollment studies for Papillion-La Vista Community Schools, Omaha Public Schools and Springfield Platteview Community Schools.

The RSP analysis accounts for factors like historical growth rates, land use plans and inward and outward migration, among a slew of others.

But the primary drivers contributing to the modest growth projections are the areas slowing residential construction, as well as declining birth rates in Lancaster, Cass and Otoe counties.

The analysis shows five straight years of a decreasing birth rate in Lancaster County from 2015 to 2019, which reflects a national trend. The number ticked up by 41 live births in 2020, the last year from which the analysis provides birth rate data.

The analysis links Lancaster Countys birth rate in a certain year with the number of kindergarten students from the county that attend District 145 schools five years later (the age at which most students begin kindergarten). It suggests that as birth rates decrease, the districts kindergarten classes will be smaller, too.

On the housing side, the analysis says that 47 residential units have been built in the district in the past year  down from 106 in 2021, 80 in 2020, 62 in 2019 and 83 in 2018. The analysis says that as of February 2022, construction costs were up 100% from August 2020. Higher costs coupled with supply chain issues have likely contributed to the areas slowed residential growth.

The analysis does acknowledge, however, the potential for residential growth within District 145. It points to immediate growth potential in Waverlys Anderson North Park and Liberty Estates subdivisions, as well as in the Wandering Creek development near 91st and Van Dorn streets  which is within District 145s boundaries but could be annexed by the City of Lincoln in the future.

Then, within the next 5 years, residential building could take place within Waverlys Riley addition and in a new development on the east side of town that plans to bring more than 500 houses by the time the development is built out. In Eagle, there are developments moving forward or in the works on land east of Eagle Elementary, near the Eagle water tower, and to the southwest of the U.S. Highway 34 and Nebraska Highway 43 interchange.

In the time frame of 10 years and beyond, the analysis lists additional potential for growth near 148th Street and McKelvie Road, as well as east of the existing Evandale Estates subdivision in Waverly.

In total, there is potential for 1,800 new units. But the rate at which new residences are built will depend on demand, infrastructure availability and economic conditions.

Still, RSPs 5-year projection for Waverly shows 38 additional students coming to the district because of slowed birth rates and kindergarten classes that are smaller than graduating senior classes. The only building that is projected to continue facing capacity issues is Waverly High School.

The analysis encourages the district to continue studying demographic and growth trends in the coming years.

What we dont know is what it will look like in years six through 10, years 10 through 15, Worrell said. Its very possible were going to see great growth.

Worrell said the district still has facilities needs that are not diminished by the lower-than-expected enrollment projections.

Our facility needs are still now, Worrell said.

At previous meetings, the school board has discussed possible additions at Waverly High School, as well as district-wide technology and HVAC upgrades. At the May board meeting, the board approved a resolution to choose the construction manager at risk contract delivery system for any forthcoming building projects. The resolution also authorized Worrell to publish a request for proposals from construction companies.

Part of the immediate benefit of working with a construction firm, Worrell said, is the ability to receive more accurate cost estimates on certain projects.

Theyre going to be able to give you a much greater idea of what the costs really are, Worrell said.

Also in the works is a committee that will be made up of district staff, administration and citizens and is intended to provide feedback on what projects the school board should prioritize. Worrell said school board members were tasked with inviting a handful of constituents apiece to be part of the committee.

I think well get a pretty good cross-section of staff and parents and community members to be part of that group, Worrell said.

The committee is scheduled to meet on May 16 for the first time. The RSP analysis can be found online within the school boards May 1 agenda.
(Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

New York Rep. George Santos is facing criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation over his string of political lies.

New York Rep. George Santos faces criminal charges over his alleged false statements related to campaign finances

The charges were filed by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Prosecutors have been examining allegations of false statements in the lawmaker's campaign finance filings and other claims

The Department of Justice (DOJ), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos over his string of political lies related to his background and some of his campaign funds.

The Republican senator is expected to appear at federal court in New York's eastern district as soon as Monday, where authorities filed the charges under seal. Furthermore, the exact nature of the charges has yet to be made public.

George Santos Faces Criminal Charges

However, New York and Washington prosecutors have been examining allegations of false statements during Santos' campaign finance filings and other claims. The congressman's attorney, the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office spokespeople, the DOJ, and the FBI have all declined to comment on the matter, as per CNN.

The Republican was returning to New York on Tuesday night after he skipped House votes for the evening. Naysa Woomer, a spokeswoman for the senator, did not respond to questions that reporters shouted at her on Tuesday afternoon. She was seen suddenly leaving the congressman's D.C. office after she was asked about the federal charges against him.

Before Woomer was seen, three staffers for Santos were observed departing with their bags, keeping quiet when asked for comments. Santos, elected last year, has been facing probes in several jurisdictions and one conducted by the House Ethics Committee.

Several top Democrats, whom some New York Republicans joined, have called on the New York senator to step down from his position following the allegations. The accusations range from criminal behavior on the campaign trail to personal lies stretching back a decade.

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Potentially Breaking Campaign Finance Laws

The lies include information on his biography, education, and work history, which raised questions regarding his personal wealth and campaign finances. Reports following the initial revelation highlighted evidence of potential misconduct, according to the New York Times.

These include an unregistered fund that was found to be raising huge amounts for the senator's campaign but seemingly in violation of campaign finance laws. Authorities also discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained spending and a string of payments for $199.99, just below the threshold needed to show receipts.

Following the reports, Santos admitted that he lied about having Jewish ancestry, a background from Wall Street, college degrees, and a history of being a star volleyball player. However, the New York senator has resisted caving in when called on by his colleagues to resign.

Furthermore, he has recently announced that he was running for re-election. He argued that his lies regarding his life story were harmless resume embellishments, said the Associated Press.

Related Article: Donald Trump Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing, Defaming E. Jean Carroll

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VALPARAISO  A Sunday afternoon joy ride in Valparaiso on a dirt bike resulted in a citation for a juvenile suspect.

According to a Facebook post on the Saunders County Sheriffs Office page, a complaint was made on May 5 at approximately 7:40 p.m. of a dirt bike driving recklessly in Valparaiso.

While patrolling in the area, a sergeant with the Saunders County Sheriffs Office observed the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The suspect took off at a high rate of speed and a pursuit was initiated. After several miles of gravel roads and going through fields, the dirt bike was lost and the pursuit ended.

Further investigation led law enforcement to a residence south of Ceresco in Lancaster County where the suspect and dirt bike were located. The juvenile suspect was cited with numerous charges including felony flight to avoid arrest and released to parents.

The Nebraska State Patrol assisted the Saunders County Sheriffs Office during this incident.
PRESS RELEASE

In observance of Memorial Day, the American Airpower Museum continues its annual Arsenal of Democracy Warbird events, with vintage military aircraft performing aerial demonstrations on Friday, May 26th, and over Jones Beach on Saturday, May 27th, and Sunday, May 28th. AAMs warbirds include a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop transport, Grumman TBM Avenger Torpedo Bomber, North American P-51D Mustang Fighter, and two AT-6 Texan trainers. Once again, three visiting Navy EA-18G Growlers will be parked on AAMs ramp, subject to other military commitments.

If you cant make it to Jones Beach, watch these awe-inspiring aircraft as they take off to perform practice flybys over Republic Airport all day on Friday, May 26th. Get up close and personal with these historic bombers and fighters of yesteryear! Then join us at AAM to catch even more aerial action on Saturday, May 27th and Sunday, May 28th, as they take off to perform in the air show! Flight experiences are also available each day on one of AAMs AT-6 Texans plus the red WACO Biplane! Park for FREE in AAMs lot or along New Highway. Food and Ice Cream trucks will be available onsite. AAM is also open Monday, Memorial Day, closing at 4:00 p.m.

According to AAM President Jeff Clyman, the goal for this three-day extravaganza is two-fold. To honor the men and women of the Greatest Generation who built, maintained and piloted the iconic warbirds of yesteryear, in a bold defense of freedom during World War II, as well as active-duty military, reservists and the national guard, who continue this mission to our present day. Clyman said that public support strengthens AAMs mission to educate the next generation about American military aviation history, and also helps maintain the museums iconic aircraft. Help keep em flying, he added.

As a special promotion, every paying museum guest (18 and over) throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, is entitled to win a Cockpit USA made in the USA leather flight jacket. Cockpit USA, the sponsor of the American Airpower Museum, is an official supplier to the United States Air Force of A-2 leather flight jackets!

Hours for all three days are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. No tickets or preregistration are required. Regular admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and veterans, and $12 for children ages 5-12. Arrive early and stay all day. Three days of action guaranteed to thrill aviation fans of all ages! Dont forget your cameras or smartphones. The American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport, Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735.

The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the landmarked former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. The Museum maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factorys history. The Museum is a 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit Educational Foundation Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. For more information, visit www.americanairpowermuseum.com


PRESS RELEASE

The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour will land at the Nebraska State Fly-In 2023 in June at Grand Island Central Regional Airport. B-29 Doc, one of only two B-29 Superfortress aircraft still airworthy and flying today, will arrive in Grand Island Thursday, June 1, and will be available for B-29 Flight Experience Rides Friday, June 2, along with ground and cockpit tours and B-29 rides during the fly-in event on Saturday, June 3.

The Central Nebraska Regional Airport is thrilled to host B-29 Doc, said Mike Olson, executive airport director. This aircraft will be the centerpiece of our airshow that will draw spectators from all across Nebraska just to view this historic aircraft.

B-29 Doc Flight Experience tickets are on sale now for the tour event at the Grand Island Central Regional Airport and Nebraska State Fly-In. Information about rides and flight ticket information can be found here: www.b29doc.com/rides.

We are honored to be among the participants in the 2023 Nebraska State Fly-In to promote aviation in Nebraska and to spark inspiration for future aviators, said Josh Wells, B-29 Doc executive director. Nebraska has a rich aviation heritage, including being home to one of four manufacturing plants that built B-29 aircraft during World War II. We are looking forward to sharing the experience of an up-close and personal view of a B-29 with our friends in Nebraska.

For questions about the Nebraska State Fly-In, visit: www.nebraskaaviationcouncil.org

Event Details for the B-29 Doc History Restored Tour in Grand Island

B-29 Doc will arrive at the Grand Island Central Regional Airport Thursday, June 1. B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides will be available June 2, 3 and 4, with ground and cockpit tours available during the Fly-In air show event, Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For details about B-29 Doc Flight Experience Rides, visit www.b29doc.com/rides.
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Living with the potential for gun violence takes a cumulative physiological toll on people in Chicago and across the country, said researchers whose new study found that half of that citys residents had witnessed a shooting by age 40.

The study followed Chicagoans from childhood and adolescence in the 1990s over the course of 25 years.

Of the more than 2,400 study participants, about 56% of Black and Hispanic residents had seen at least one shooting by the time they turned 40. About 25% of white Chicagoans had witnessed a shooting by that time.

The average age that Chicago residents first witnessed a shooting was 14.

Some werent just seeing the gun violence, but experiencing it. More than 7% of Black and Hispanic people had been shot before turning 40, compared to 3% of white people. The average age for being shot was 17.

We expected levels of exposure to gun violence to be high, but not this high. Our findings are frankly startling and disturbing, said study lead author Charles Lanfear, from the University of Cambridges Institute of Criminology in the U.K.

A substantial portion of Chicagos population could be living with trauma as a result of witnessing shootings and homicides, often at a very young age, Lanfear said in a university news release. "It is clear that Black people in particular are often living in a very different social context, with far higher risks of seeing and becoming victims of gun violence in the streets near their homes lasting into middle age."

The research was led in collaboration with researchers from Harvard and Oxford Universities.

The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), a Harvard University study, has followed thousands of children since they were first surveyed in the 1990s.

Participants are from households randomly selected from a set list of eighty Chicago districts, which were carefully chosen to reflect Chicagos spectrum of race and levels of social advantage.

In this latest research, the focus was on data gathered from 2,418 of participants born in the early 1980s through the mid-1990s.

The oldest study participants were born in 1981 and hit adolescence when lethal violence reached a peak in the United States.

The '90s saw a demographic bump collide with high poverty levels and rises in gang crime resulting in part from the crack epidemic, Lanfear said. However, since 2016 we have seen another surge in gun violence. Rates of fatal shootings in Chicago are now higher than they ever were in the '90s.

The study also found that rates of shootings within a 250-meter radius of the homes of Black participants were over 12 times higher than those of white participants. Rates of shootings near the homes of Hispanic people were almost four times higher than for white people.

Altogether, this chronic stress may have health implications for people in Chicago and other big cities.

Existing evidence suggests that the long-term stress of exposure to firearm violence can contribute to everything from lower test scores for school kids to diminished life expectancy through heart disease, Lanfear said.

Men were far more likely to be involved in violent crime. The risk for being shot by age 40 was five times higher for men than women.

Yet, the gap in exposure to gun violence was smaller, with 43% of women and 58% of men having seen someone get shot.

The findings were published May 9 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The public health consequences of life in violent and traumatized neighborhoods will be playing out not just in Chicago, but in many cities right across the United States," Lanfear said.

More information

Pew Research Center has more on gun deaths in the United States.

SOURCE: University of Cambridge, news release, May 9, 2023
WATERLOO  A federal grand jury has charged a Waterloo man who was found with a gun and drugs during a search in November.

The indictment charging Davion Everette Madlock, 24, with felon in possession of a firearm was unsealed Wednesday, a day after officers with the Waterloo Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service detained him at 121 Dawson St.

According to court records, police executed a search warrant at his home on Nov. 11 and found a 9 mm Glock pistol with an extended magazine on a coffee table. An Air Jordan shoe box with marijuana, a digital scale and Madlocks drivers license were found behind a nearby couch.

Madlock is prohibited from handling firearms because of prior convictions for felony weapons charges, according to court records.

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WATERLOO  One person was injured in a pair of overnight shootings in Waterloo late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Officers were called to an apparent gunfight on East Fourth Street around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday. Neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots, and officers found 40 spent shell casings from 9 mm and .40-caliber weapons.

A parked car that had been in the line of fire had bullet holes to the hood and windshield, according to police.

Then at about 2:10 a.m. Wednesday, residents called 911 to report shots in the area of 1306 W. Donald St. Officers found spend shell casings at the scene.

A short time later a 36-year-old man arrived at the UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital emergency room by private vehicle. The man was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He is expected to survive, police said.

Witnesses said the man was outside when he was approached by three people who opened fire on him.

It wasnt immediately clear if the shootings were related, and the investigation continues.

The US surpasses 160 mass shootings in 2023. Here's every event mapped Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones The US surpasses 100 mass shootings in 2023here's every event mapped
WAVERLY  The Rev. Maggie Falenschek will become dean of spiritual life and fill the Herbert and Cora Moehlmann Chaplaincy Chair at Wartburg College effective Aug. 7.

Falenschek comes to Wartburg from Gustavus Adolphus College, where she served as chaplain, director of campus ministries, and director of the Gustavus Academy for Faith, Science, and Ethics.

Im excited to be a part of what is happening at Wartburg. What the college put forward for this position matches my skills and what I really value in this work, which is being radically student facing, Falenschek said in a news release.

Im already dreaming about what campus ministry or spiritual life looks like for our students today and moving forward. I look forward to being able to focus on traditional campus ministry while also being very intentional about multifaith and interfaith work on campus. These are the things that make my heart soar.

Falenschek says her ministry is about spiritual wellness and understands the importance of engaging students from all faith and no faith backgrounds as the pastor on a college campus.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Falenschek earned her undergraduate degree at Concordia College in Moorhead before heading west to Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif., for her Master of Divinity. It was in California that she fell in love with campus ministry while interning at Stanford University with the Episcopal Lutheran campus ministry team. She returned to the Midwest to serve as a pastor for youth and family ministries in Urbana, Illinois, before landing at Gustavus.

Pastor Halcyon Bjornstad, interim dean of spiritual life and a member of the search committee, praised Falenscheks ability to build community among groups on campus.

Pastor Maggie brings a wide range of experience that will benefit our student body and has the skills and passion to build new connections between a variety of departments and the Spiritual Life & Campus Ministry Office, Bjornstad said in the release.

Falenschek and her husband, Nikoli, have two rescue dogs. In her free time, she enjoys running, travel and being outside.

Ludicrous Landscapes by Katie Walbert katie walberg artwork .jpg 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-09 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-06 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-07 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-08 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-01 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-02 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-03 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-04 011320kw-ludicrous-landscape-05
WATERLOO  Plans to revamp both Gates and Byrnes parks are coming along  but the city may have to overcome additional hurdles.

Waterloos Leisure Services Director Paul Huting said the commission has nearly met its original fundraising goal of $17.5 million.

The city will open bids Thursday for the project. The inclusive playground and splash pad have already been purchased at previous City Council meetings, due to long wait times for the products to arrive.

However, Huting said the design team for the project has estimated the total project cost may exceed earlier fundraising estimates by 20% to 25%  coming to $3.5 to $4.4 million more.

Huting said although theyre preparing for the project to be more than estimated, he and the rest of the commission are hoping for competitive bids. He said there were five contractors present at a pre-bidding meeting, which could result in those competitive bids.

Bid alternates have been added to allow the project to move forward with the currently available money  now totaling a little more than $17 million. This could result in the project being done in phases.

At Gates Park, construction and development may be done in phases, as well, due to additional environmental reviews being completed on the former Chamberlain Manufacturing site. This would affect the South Gates part of the project. South Gates was already slated to be finished after North Gates because of the environmental cleanup and additional funding.

Huting said the initial cleanup of the site has been completed but there are still structures that need to be removed.

This includes a rail docking system that must be covered up and underground structures that are currently fenced off but have the potential to injure people who are walking in the area. The plan is to cover up the structures with soil from the former pool site.

The soil from the pool site needs to be tested to see if it meets environmental standards but Huting said he isnt worried, stating that contaminants from the Chamberlain site wouldnt have moved uphill. No soil will be excavated from the Chamberlain site.

Huting said theyre doing everything they can to address concerns from the community about where children will eventually play.

According to Courier archives, an environmental assessment completed in 2005 found groundwater contamination from chlorinated solvents and total extractable hydrocarbons.

The Chamberlain Manufacturing site originally made metal washer ringers and later was a defense contractor, from 1919 until 1994. Waterloo acquired the property in 2005 and worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to demolish the buildings.

After environmental testing, there are plans for South Gates to have a pollinator and native plant prairie area with walking trails and mounds for a potential sculpture park.

As for North Gates, where there will be an eventual splash pad and inclusive playground, the deadline for implementation of those structures has been moved. They were originally scheduled to be up and running at the end of summer but now the public may have to wait an extra year to use them.

The effort to receive multiple competitive bids is holding up the progress. Once a bid is awarded, Huting said the finish date would be 240 working days from the start of the project.

As for Byrnes Park, this year will be the last year the current pool operates. Opening day is June 3 and the pool season will end early, near the end of July, to allow for the construction of the new pool.

Photos: Waterloo West boys soccer vs. Iowa City West, May 5 SOC West vs. ICW 7 SOC West vs. ICW 4 SOC West vs. ICW 1 SOC West vs. ICW 5 SOC West vs. ICW 2 SOC West vs. ICW 6 SOC West vs. ICW 8 SOC West vs. ICW 3
A doctor from Kansas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted ordering millions of dollars' worth of unnecessary and expensive genetic tests and orthotic braces for thousands of patients as part of a telemedicine fraud scheme.

Dr. Gautam Jayaswal, 64, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

READ NEXT: FBI Releases 2022 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty

Dr. Jayaswal has been a licensed medical doctor since 1986, working primarily as an emergency room physician. From 2017 to 2021, he contracted with multiple companies to work as a telemedicine doctor, including Barton & Associates, DialCare Co, Doctegrity, Doctorology LLC, USA Management Resources LLC, Rossiter and Cummaro Enterprises LLC, RAS/Sunshine Medical, Fix Ur Rx, Rocky Mountain Health, LSW Management Solutions, Physician Acquisition Pas and MP Network, his plea agreement says.

During that period, Dr. Jayaswal fraudulently ordered one or more orthotic braces for 1,433 patients. The companies used those fraudulent orders to defraud Medicare out of approximately $1.36 million. Between June 2018 and September 2021, Dr. Jayaswal signed orders for medically unnecessary genetic tests. Medicare Part B paid about $14.7 million for the 2,061 patients for whom Dr. Jayaswal was listed as the ordering physician.

Dr. Jayaswal faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

READ MORE: Kurt Ronnow Named Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division at the Washington Field Office

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WATERLOO  The Waterloo Safe Neighborhoods Commission will host its second citizen forum on gun violence from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17 at the Jubilee Freedom Center located at 1621 East Fourth St.

This will be an opportunity for the commission to hear from people who have experienced the impact of gun violence, to gather suggestions and concerns from citizens.
Here's a look at trending topics for today, May 9:

Trump

A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.

The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. Jurors rejected Carrolls claims that she was raped, but found Trump liable for sexually assaulting her.

Word of the verdict emerged just a few hours after the jury began deliberating in the case, which alleges Trump raped Carroll in a luxury Manhattan department store in 1996.

Get more information here:

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven.

A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press on Tuesday but said no other details or statement were expected.

The Oscar winner is also a parent to Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46, from his first marriage; and twins, Julian and Aaron, 27; Elliot, 24; and Helen Grace, 11, from his second marriage.

De Niro is currently promoting the new comedy "About My Father," which opens on May 26.

De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner for his supporting role in "The Godfather: Part II" and best actor in "Raging Bull."

Read more about it here:

Rep. George Santos

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos, the Republican lawmaker whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Santos is expected to appear as soon as Wednesday at federal court in New York's eastern district, where the charges have been filed under seal.

The exact nature of the charges couldn't immediately be learned but the FBI and the Justice Department public integrity prosecutors in New York and Washington have been examining allegations of false statements in Santos' campaign finance filings and other claims.

Find out more here:

***

Get more of today's trending topics here:

Morgan Wallen

The Little Mermaid
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y.  U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve.

Afterward, he said he wouldn't drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.

Santos' 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republican's fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself," Santos told reporters outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said he's been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a "witch hunt."

Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshman's ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.

"I think we're seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine," said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

Santos didn't directly address the specifics of the charges to reporters, but when asked why he received unemployment benefits while employed, Santos cited a job change and confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He should be thrown out of Congress and put in prison," declared Jeff Herzberg, a Long Island resident who spent hours waiting to see Santos' arraignment. "I hope that day comes soon."

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street deal-maker with a substantial real estate portfolio who was a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he said employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before entering politics. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed the company was formed "exclusively" to aid Santos' election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

A month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from the company to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Santos' legal troubles date to his late teens, when he was investigated in Brazil for allegedly using stolen checks to buy clothes  a case that authorities say they've since reopened.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook was stolen and someone else took the dogs.

Federal authorities are separately looking into complaints about Santos' fundraising for a group that purported to help abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he raised to help his dog get needed surgery.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  A federal jury convicted a Cedar Rapids man on Tuesday of seven charges related to the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.

The jury in Washington found Leo Kelly, 37, guilty of charges that included obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct, according to the Des Moines Register.

Kelly's lawyer, Kira West, declined to comment on the verdict.

Kelly will remain out of jail until he is sentenced Aug. 18, according to court records.

Previously, Kelly acknowledged being inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, which coincided with the certification of Joe Biden's election as president. He told the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 2021 that he was in Washington to support President Donald Trump at a rally and then followed a crowd into the Senate chamber.
Former President Donald Trump will headline a rally in Des Moines on the same day  Saturday  that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to attend fundraising events in the state as the feud between the two over the Republican nomination for president heats up.

Trump will rally supporters at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park in Des Moines. It marks his second visit to Iowa since launching his 2024 campaign, marking his third bid for the White House.

It also comes on the heels of a New York jury on Tuesday finding Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment. The verdict in the civil case could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.

And other GOP presidential candidates and potential contenders, including DeSantis, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, are wooing Iowas influential evangelical faith leaders to pry them away from the embattled former president, who is the subject of several lawsuits and criminal investigations.

Doors at Trumps rally in the park open at 2 p.m. Saturday and he is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at donaldjtrump.com/events.

Trump last visited Iowa in March for a rally in Davenport, where he took shots at DeSantis, seen as Trumps main rival for the 2024 GOP nomination.

DeSantis has not officially announced a presidential campaign, but is reportedly nearing a decision. He has been holding events and hiring staff in early states, including in Iowa, the early hallmarks of a campaign.

Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis super PAC, also has been courting support from Iowa Republicans through television ads, online videos and mailings.

Trumps campaign and the two super PACs supporting the top two Republican presidential hopefuls  MAGA Inc., which is backing Trump, and Never Back Down  have aired a wave of dueling TV attack ads in recent weeks.

Trumps campaign released an ad at the end of April painting DeSantis as disloyal in considering launching a rival presidential bid against his former ally.

In the ad, a narrator recounts how Trump's 2018 endorsement of DeSantis played a significant role in his underdog win in that year's Florida Republican gubernatorial primary. The spot includes footage of a 2018 campaign ad of DeSantis fawning over Trump  it shows DeSantis reading Trump's book to his infant son and teaching his young daughter to "build the wall" with blocks.

Never Back Down has gone after Trump for his recent attacks on the popular Florida governor and his claims that DeSantis wants to dismantle Social Security.

"Donald Trump is being attacked by a Democrat prosecutor in New York, so why is he spending millions attacking the Republican governor of Florida?" the ad begins. "Trump is stealing pages from the Biden-Pelosi playbook, repeating lies about Social Security."

The Florida governor will headline Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstras annual fundraiser and later speak at a party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids Saturday evening.

Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann will host a reception and lead an interview-style discussion with DeSantis beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids. Cost is $100 per person and $175 per couple. Details of the party fundraiser are available at iowagop.org/cedar_rapids_reception_desantis.

Trump regularly leads 2024 Republican presidential primary public opinion polls, with DeSantis often taking second place.

Many Iowa Republicans remain committed to Trump. However, the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from March shows support for the former president has slipped as campaigning begins to heat up ahead of Iowas first-in-the-nation 2024 GOP presidential caucuses. The poll shows Trumps favorability numbers put him about on par with DeSantis. But a greater share of Iowa Republicans (18 percent) view Trump unfavorably compared with DeSantis (6 percent).

Photos: Trump returns to Iowa Monday at Adler Theatre in Davenport
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Two days after eight people were killed when an SUV slammed into a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, information on the victims remains scarce. That has left relatives of missing people scrambling to locate loved ones and pleading for information. Police say 18 people were hit and 10 were critically injured. All the victims are said to be male, and several from Venezuela. But none of them have been officially named. Officials say formal identifications have been complicated by circumstances of the crash, including that many victims did not have official identification on them at the time. Authorities believe the driver lost control after running a red light Sunday and plowed into a crowd outside a migrant shelter.
Winona County residents still dont know the final result of Tuesdays primary election for a county commissioner vacancy after the bottom two vote-getters tied with 184 votes each.

Joshua Elsing cruised into the Aug. 8 general election for the countys third district with 456 votes. Bill Spitzer and Pat Heim will have to wait to learn their fate until the county board of canvassers meets Friday morning to verify the vote tallies.

Winona County Commissioner District 3 Special Primary Election . Total Vote% Joshua Elsing 456 53.34% Pat Heim 184 22.33% Bill Spitzer 184 22.33% Total votes cast 824 Precincts reporting 16 of 16

The vacancy in the district  which includes Altura, Elba, Minnesota City, St. Charles and more  came after Steve Jacob was sworn into the Minnesota House of Representatives at the start of the current session.

Voters across western and northern Winona County had three options on the ballot Tuesday, and only two can advance to the general election.

If the county board of canvassers confirms the tie vote between Spitzer and Heim, the winner will then be determined by chance in a method selected by the board of canvassers.

I dont know what to say to Pat or Bill other than good luck, Elsing said. Itll be interesting to see how it moves forward.  But in the meantime, Im very, very humbled for how the results turned out and thankful for that.

Elsing said his time between Tuesdays elections and Augusts general election will be spent listening and talking to the people of Winona County.

I think we just keep staying in front of people and let them know what were about, Elsing said. Hopefully we can increase the voter turnout and keep getting people involved in local elections.

Elsing said he believes contested races are healthy and legitimize the winners.

Heim lamented Tuesdays turnout, with ballots cast by 12.8% of registered voters.

I just dont think a lot of people got out and voted, Heim said. Everybody worked hard. Everybody had it hard. Overall, it was the people getting out and voting.

Heim said if it comes down to a 50/50 chance between him and Spitzer, he wishes his opponent luck.

I just want to thank everybody that did get out and vote. I want to thank all the other candidates  everybody worked hard, Heim said. Whether its myself or Bill, whoever gets in, in August I think itll be a close race.

Spitzer said his primary campaign was a opportunity for voters to learn his stance on issues in the county.

I think we ran a good primary campaign, Spitzer said. I guess we just look forward to seeing how we break the tie.

Voter turnout was also on Spitzers mind coming into Tuesdays election.

We knew we were going to have a low voter turnout. Im sure one of the candidates was able to activate a certain voter class in the community that comes out and votes, Spitzer said. Im sure thats why there is a significant difference there. But its all good, and well see what happens and go from there.

Q&As: Winona County Commissioner District 3 primary election candidates Candidates that are facing off during the May 9 primary election for the vacant Winona County Commissioner District 3 position were recently asked by the Winona Daily News to share about themselves and their interest in the position. Candidates for the position are Josh Elsing, Pat Heim and William "Bill" Spitzer. Josh Elsing 1. Please write a short introduction about yourself. Pat Heim 1. Please write a short introduction about yourself. William "Bill" Spitzer 1. Please write a short introduction about yourself.
The Winona County Board moved to discuss amending zoning ordinances related to dog breeding facilities at Tuesdays meeting in a 3-1 vote, beginning a process that could change how and if Winona County provides permits to dog kennels.

I asked last year, Is there more that we can do? And it sounds like there is more that we can do. Through the presentations that have been given and the volumes of materials that folks have provided, there is scientific evidence that supports that the standard practices in the industry do hurt the dogs that are kenneled, said commissioner Chris Meyer, who supported the motion.

Winona County has approved permits for 12 breeders, and 10 are active. No dog breeders are currently applying for a permit.

Next steps could include a county board working session to discuss issues, receiving feedback from planning staff and sending a draft amendment back to the planning commission for public comment.

A zoning ordinance amendment could ban dog kennels outright through removing the facilities from the list of conditional or interim uses or by prohibiting use in certain areas, a strategy used by the county to ban silica sand mining.

I fully understand our staff does not have the training nor enough staff to take this on. At the same time, I think this is a very important issue thats been falling through the cracks for a long time, said commissioner Dwayne Voegeli, who supported the motion.

Voegeli spoke in favor of more listening sessions but wanted to wait until the county filled the now vacant planning and environmental services director position and staffed the planning department.

Commissioner Gregory Olson, who introduced the motion, disagreed with waiting for better staffing.

This came before this board last year, and it just went through the planning commission because they were waiting for proper staffing and time. And I was at the board table in the other building several years ago when this came up. I dont want to just keep kicking the can down the road. Id like to at least get the process started, said Olson.

Commissioner Marcia Ward voted against the motion, saying there are already state and federal regulations of dog kennels.

Wheres our role as a county? Ward said. Zoning ordinance would still be land-use oriented, building use, not animal welfare. So I dont know that a change in the ordinance, setbacks, size of buildings, exercise areas, weve got all that already.

Tuesdays decision rejects the county planning commissions recommendation to take no action, made during an April planning commission meeting on a 6-3 vote.

The county board in October 2022 directed the planning commission to review dog kennel regulations and consider if a zoning policy change should be pursued.

Inspections of kennels conducted by county staff in February found no permit violations. County staff were not allowed to enter three facilities and did not independently count the number of dogs in each facility.

The planning commission recommended the board make no zoning change, citing animal welfare regulations under the United States Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and lack of staff knowledge on animal welfare.

At public comment during Aprils planning commission meeting, over a dozen of residents spoke against dog kennels during public comment, and a petition that supported a ban on new permits for dog breeding facilities garnered signatures from across the county. Animal Folks, an advocacy group, presented research and news articles to the planning commission regarding poor health conditions at dog kennels licensed by the USDA.
The Minnesota State systems board of trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to appoint Scott Olson as the next chancellor of Minnesota State.

Olson has worked in the Minnesota State system for 20 years and has been president of Winona State University since 2012.

Scott has deep roots in Minnesota State and is known throughout the system as a collaborative and strategic leader, said Minnesota State Board of Trustees chair Roger Moe. He has amassed an outstanding reputation in every role he has played and has the skills needed to build a common vision of what Minnesota State can become.

Olson is set to begin as chancellor Aug. 1. He plans to visit all 26 community and technical colleges and seven state universities in the Minnesota State system when he starts.

The first priority is to get out and around to all the campuses and hear the local stories from the communities they serve, how their needs are being met, meet the students from each campus and get a firsthand sense of what those needs are. So we are all moving together, Olson said.

As the Minnesota State system faces declining enrollment, Moe said Olson can propel the institutions forward and provide new strategies moving into the future.

There was a sense that Scott was in a position to literally not miss a beat between chancellor (Devinder) Malhotra and his leadership, Moe said. I think that was the convincing part when it came to the board of trustees.

Board members said they believed Olson was able, through his experience at Winona State University, to step into the chancellor role during a time when two big initiatives were happening: Equity 2030 and NextGen.

Equity 2030 aims to eliminate education equity gaps in the state system by 2030, and NextGen is a project to create a new technology landscape on each campus in the system.

Dr. Olson comes with the kind of background and experience that causes all of us to feel confident that hell be able to move into the position and move forward with the goals weve already established, Minnesota State Board of Trustees member Kathy Sheran said during a special board meeting Tuesday.

Olson said he has a passion to make college more affordable.

For Minnesota to become what it can be, were going to have to remove affordability as a barrier, Olson said. Our employers are telling us that they cant get the volume of workers that they need, and the only solution to that is to make college be more affordable for our students.

Olson will succeed chancellor Devinder Malhotra, who announced his retirement in October.

Olson and Tonjanita Johnson, the University of Alabama systems senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, were finalists for the position.

This is one of the greatest honors of my life to be a part of this system, Olson said. What our colleges and universities do every day is nothing short of remarkable, and I look forward to working collaboratively with our faculty, staff, business partners, community leaders and especially our students toward a prosperous, inclusive and innovative future.
(Photo : Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP) (EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images)

On World Lupus Day, activists are calling on health authorities to better address the autoimmune disease as more than five million peopel worldwide suffer from the condition.

Activists call on health authorities to better address lupus as they raise awareness on World Lupus Day

The condition is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a patient's immune system attacks healthy cells

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) estimates that there are more than five million worldwide who are affected by the disease

Lupus activists are calling on health authorities to address the autoimmune disease better as they raise awareness on World Lupus Day.

The autoimmune disease occurs when a person's immune system attacks the body's healthy cells, which results in pain, fever, rashes, organ damage, and several other symptoms. An estimate made by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) puts more than five million people living with the condition.

World Lupus Day

The disease affects every individual differently, making it even more difficult for health experts to treat it and even harder to diagnose. In a statement, the interim CEO of the LFA, Mary Crimmings, said that research has shown that it could take about six years to diagnose lupus from the moment a person starts experiencing its symptoms, as per CNN.

The delays in diagnosis can result in devastating consequences for patients afflicted with the autoimmune disease. Currently, there is no cure for lupus, and researchers, advocates, and patients are working together to improve healthcare services and research into the disease.

Health authorities can manage the autoimmune disease once identified inside a patient. However, treatment for the condition is still relatively challenging. In the last seven decades, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved three therapies that were specifically made for lupus.

Many patients are taking chemotherapy and anti-malarial medications off-label to control symptoms, often experiencing serious side effects. The development of drugs to address lupus is delayed compared to other therapies due to the unique complexity and variation of the autoimmune disease.

Read Also: Study Finds Link Between Heart Inflammation in Young Men with COVID Vaccine

Understanding the Autoimmune Disease

The most common type of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which can affect any organ inside a person's body. According to Politico, patients who suffer from the disease experience rashes, hair loss, joint pain, and chronic fatigue.

One patient, Jeanette Andersen, has been battling lupus symptoms for several years and was only diagnosed with the disease while on her honeymoon. She said that the finding forced her to reassess her career aspirations. She was also forced to give up her dream of a Ph.D. placement.

Andersen opted to take a different route in life, trying to understand the disease and building a better future in lupus care for others who are suffering like her. She joined meetings of the Danish Lupus Association and worked on studying the latest research into the disease.

Another concerning factor with lupus is its increasing incidence, which is also true for many autoimmune diseases. Many experts are convinced that increased awareness and diagnosis brought this about. However, some see the possibility of an increase in incidence, said Medical & Life Sciences News.

Related Article: Revolutionary Dual-Action Antidepressant Emerges as Game-Changer

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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Juneau County Health Department named Elroy Family Medical Center a BigShot for its efforts to vaccinate children against hepatitis A. The recognition is given to those health care providers who have vaccinated 90% or more of their patients age 2 and younger based on immunization data collected, during National Infant Immunization week, April 24-30.

Childhood vaccinations are critical in order to protect our children and everyone around them from certain diseases, Sadie Webber, Juneau County Health Department immunization coordinator said.

The Wisconsin Immunization Program webpage at dhs.wisconsin.gov/immunization/childhood.htm shows parents which vaccinations their child needs and at what age, and which shots their children have already had.
Two longtime city officials are retiring from their posts in May.

Daniel Delmore, a Wisconsin Dells Police Department officer and Gary Hansen, the Lake Delton public works director who has been employed with the village since May 8, 1989, are stepping down. Delmores last shift as an officer was on May 8 and Hansen is retiring at the end of the month.

WDPD is currently searching to fill the vacant full-time officer position. Jason Puttkamer, a foreman who has been employed under Hansen in the Lake Delton Public Works department for 15 years, will succeed him as director. Hansen has been director since 2008.

It has been a great time, said Hansen at the village board meeting on May 8, his final board meeting as public works director. Im very grateful and thankful for everything that I have learned here. I am so pleased with the relationship I have had with the board. Its been great to get along with everybody the way I have.

Hansen commended the village board for their diligence in addressing needed improvements and helping his department facilitate repairs to accommodate the many attractions, hotels, and other businesses which have opened in the area since 1989. He also thanked area engineers for their planning and work with the village as well as their help when he first became public works director.

So many good ideas and great decisions throughout the years that you guys have come up with to make the village what it is today, said Hansen, who added that village administrator Tim McCumber has the potential to take the village to the next level.

The public works department has grown in number of employees and expertise areas, according to Hansen. He said that the need for private contracting in the department has greatly been reduced because of the added skill-sets, most notably in electrical and engine work. Snow removal on sidewalks throughout the village is now done by public works, according to Hansen, who also said the amount of sidewalk space has grown substantially in his time with the department.

This department has grown so much since the development, said Hansen. The more things that the village has added, the more responsibilities we have.

After his retirement, Hansen plans on taking a summer trip to Alaska and wants to travel throughout the United States. He said he is most proud of the current public works department staff that he is leaving behind.

These are some of the best well-rounded and knowledgeable guys in so many different areas, said Hansen. Theres not much they cant do.

A special message posted to WDPDs Facebook page indicated that Delmore began his law enforcement career in 1991 in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin for three years. He then spent 17 years as an officer in Germantown before moving back to his hometown, Wisconsin Dells, to serve the final 12 years of his career.

Dan has been an integral part of the agencies he has worked for and the communities he has served, said a WDPD dispatcher who delivered the message. He has touched the lives of thousands of people during the course of his career and made the communities he has served better, safer places.

Delmore has also been a field training officer and mentored younger officers during his career.

He leaves a big pair of shoes to fill at the Wisconsin Dells Police Department, said the dispatcher.
Baraboo took a step toward reducing its carbon footprint on Tuesday night at the strong behest of a local clean energy group.

The city council unanimously approved its membership in the recently-formed Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition. Baraboo joined 16 other jurisdictions statewide in the coalition, which was formed in 2020 to provide local governments (villages, cities, counties) avenues for cleaner energy and initiatives that combat climate change.

Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay are three of the coalitions members. Dane, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire counties also have joined.

Marianne Cotter, the co-president of Baraboo clean energy non-profit Powered Up Baraboo, spoke in favor of the citys membership.

Joining this coalition will enable our city to get access to up-to-date information on possible grants and also learn best practices from other municipalities committed to keeping our quality of life the very best it can be in the face of a changing climate, said Cotter.

She added that WLGCC membership allows Baraboo increased access to resources and research related to environmental sustainability. Baraboo could also become a resource for other municipalities with regard to climate concerns, according to Cotter.

Allison Carlson, the WLGCCs executive director, addressed the city council about the organization and benefits to its membership. She said that WLGCC began as a small group of municipalities looking for environmental solutions and that representatives saw the importance of local government when making such decisions.

Representatives from member municipalities are able to have a collective voice on climate issues and policies relating to them, according to Carlson, who added that interaction with state government is frequent. Local governments have also benefitted from peer-to-peer discussions regarding sustainability.

City Ald. Scott Sloan, who represents the 7th District and led the meeting in the absence of Mayor Rob Nelson, said that the measure was unanimously approved by the citys Finance Committee at no cost to city taxpayers.

City administrator Casey Bradley added that membership and collaboration with other municipalities could increase opportunities for environmental grant funding and called joining WLGCC a win-win because of it and the nonexistent tax impact.

David Olson raised a question regarding an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of the city 25% by 2025. He mentioned a lack of data on the citys current environmental impact and was concerned on whether or not the city could accomplish the initiative in that period of time.

Id hate to see this get passed and get shelved and nothing concrete comes of it, said Olson.

Bradley responded by saying the city is working with Powered Up Baraboo to gather environmental data and will make decisions from there. He also pointed out the LED lighting upgrade slated for the citys Civic Center and hybrid vehicles for the Baraboo Police Department.

More information about the Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition can be found on the organizations website.

Library closure

Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Library in the city will be closed from May 13 through June 4 while staff moves items into new areas of the facility, which is nearly done with its renovation project.
The bluish lights, aka nan aurora borealis, could beryllium visible complete portions of nan bluish U.S. Wednesday night, abstraction upwind forecasters said.

The lights mightiness beryllium seen farther southbound than usual, and mightiness moreover beryllium visible successful U.S. states specified arsenic Oregon, Nebraska and Virginia, SpaceWeather.com reported.

The entity show is owed to a geomagnetic large wind that's now hurtling toward nan Earth.

According to Space.com, nan geomagnetic large wind is nan consequence of a monolithic coronal wide ejection from nan sun that took spot Sunday evening. Energetic particles from nan outburst were forecast to get early Wednesday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday that much large wind impacts from different wide ejection are expected connected Thursday and Friday  truthful coming whitethorn not beryllium your only chance to spot nan bluish lights this week.

Northern lights photos: See aurora borealis ray up skies crossed respective states

Where will nan bluish lights beryllium visible Wednesday?

According to nan National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, nan bluish lights are astir apt to beryllium seen crossed nan bluish tier of nan U.S., specified arsenic successful bluish Michigan and Maine, connected Wednesday night.

The lights whitethorn besides beryllium seen successful Alaska and parts of Canada.

NOAA reports that nan bluish lights will apt beryllium visible coming successful portions of these "Lower 48" states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Maine.

As of precocious day Wednesday, satellite images showed that skies were clear crossed overmuch of nan bluish tier of nan U.S., isolated from for immoderate cloudy areas successful occidental Montana, nan eastbound Dakotas and overmuch of Minnesota.

The colorful aurora forms erstwhile particles flowing from nan sun get caught up successful Earth's magnetic field. The particles interact pinch molecules of atmospheric gases to origin nan famed glowing greenish and reddish colors of nan aurora.

Tips for viewing nan bluish lights

"Go retired astatine night," NOAA said. "And get distant from metropolis lights. The satellite will besides diminish nan evident brightness of nan aurora."

The champion aurora is usually wrong an hr aliases 2 of midnight (between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. section time). These hours grow towards evening and greeting arsenic nan level of geomagnetic activity increases.

There whitethorn beryllium aurora successful nan evening and morning, but it is usually not arsenic progressive and therefore, not arsenic visually appealing, NOAA said.

G2 geomagnetic large wind is responsible

NOAA rated nan geomagnetic large wind a G2, aliases "moderate" level event.

A G2 is nan 2nd level of NOAA's five-level star large wind scale. (G1 storms are minor, and G5s are considered extreme.) The higher nan level, nan much apt nan aurora will appear.

Geomagnetic storms tin impact nan Earth's infrastructure, perchance disrupting communications, powerfulness grids, navigation, power and outer operations, NOAA said. Disruptions to exertion from a G2 large wind mostly stay small, but nan large wind tin thrust nan aurora farther southbound from its accustomed position complete nan polar region, NOAA said.

Impacts from nan geomagnetic large wind are expected to wane by Thursday and Friday, NOAA said.

Photo gallery: Best spots to spot nan bluish lights
Weather Alert

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE SIERRA, WESTERN NEVADA, AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA... * An area of low pressure and increased moisture over the region will bring scattered shower and thunderstorm chances to the Sierra, western Nevada, and northeast California this afternoon and evening. TIMING: * Thunderstorms will begin forming in the late morning and early afternoon over Mono, Mineral, Lyon, Douglas, and El Dorado counties south of US 50. Coverage will then increase through the afternoon northward across the Lake Tahoe Basin and much of western Nevada, finally lifting northward into northeast California, northwest Nevada, and the Basin and Range during the evening, diminishing after 11 pm PST. HAZARDS: * The primary hazards from thunderstorms will be frequent cloud-to- ground lightning, gusty winds of 40+ mph, heavy rainfall, and small hail. PREPAREDNESS: * Keep your eyes on the sky today and limit outdoor recreation activities before 10 am PST to be safe. Lightning can strike from up to 10 miles away. When thunder roars, head indoors! See a flash, dash inside!
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Spotify deleted thousands of AI-generated songs created using the startup service Boomy as the streaming platform seeks to put a stomp on an industry-wide issue.

The music streamer reportedly purged roughly seven percent of the AI-made songs by the startup.

Spotify Deletes Thousands of AI-Made Songs

As per a report by Engadget, Spotify has purged a substantial number of AI-generated songs from its platform, which was created using the startup music service, Boomy.

With the rapid development of AI, streaming services, such as Spotify, started embracing AI-generated songs. But amid its widespread proliferation on the platform, the Swedish-based firm purged a bulk of generative music.

Before ChatGPT took the world by storm, a music service, Boomy, debuted in 2021. It allows users to produce music by merely typing prompts, much like the OpenAI chatbot. It then enables people to create music in a few seconds, allowing them to earn money on services like Spotify through royalties.

Last May 6, the music startup, Boomy, announced in its recent tweet that its users could post their songs on Spotify again.

Gizmodo notes that it turns out that Spotify reportedly removed "tens of thousands" of AI-generated music before re-enabling uploads on the platform.

Read Also: AI-Generated Joe Rogan Podcast With ChatGPT-Written Script Shocks Listeners

Why Did Spotify Purge Thousands of AI-Generated Songs?

The giant streaming service reportedly purged thousands of AI-generated tracks after Universal Music alerted the streamer about suspicious streaming activity on various songs created by Boomy. It seems that bots were increasing the streams of these tracks to bump up the royalties.

Spotify has confirmed that it has already addressed the "artificial streaming" problem reportedly hounding thousands of Boomy music. The Swedish streaming service has been fighting "artificial streaming" for a long time. The platform notes that it is an "industry-wide issue that Spotify is working to stamp out."

With that being said, Spotify assures that it quickly attempts to mitigate such a scheme upon receiving alerts of possible manipulation of streams. The music streaming service may end up removing the streaming numbers and the potential royalty fees.

The streaming giant says it allows them to pay honest and hardworking artists on the platform without compromise. Forbes notes that Universal Music Group, which reportedly flagged the unusual streaming activity on AI music, is behind artists like Drake and Ariana Grande.

Weeks before Spotify took down thousands of AI songs, a TikTok user shared an AI-generation song entitled "Heart on My Sleeve," featuring The Weeknd and Drake. It quickly garnered millions of streams before platforms like Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube took it down from their services due to a request letter from Universal Music.

Related Article: ChatGPT AI Shares Possible Doomsday Scenarios Amid Humanity Threat Concerns

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
May is Older Americans Month. And this years theme, Aging Unbound, recognizes that we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent and included. That freedom and potential are made possible in large part by the support and contributions of unpaid family caregivers.

Illustration by Michael Hoeweler

AARPs recently updated Valuing the Invaluable report estimates that family caregivers provided 36 billion hours of unpaid care worth $600 billion in 2021. In addition, the average caregiver pays more than $7,200 annually in out-of-pocket costs for transportation and other needs.

This demonstrates the value of family caregivers, which is only going to increase. By 2034, adults 65 and older will outnumber children under 18, and the share of potential caregivers is projected to keep shrinking compared with those likely to need long-term care. Family caregivers will continue to face the dual demands of employment and caring for an older adult.

This doesnt just affect families. It also has an impact on communities, employers and long-term care systems.

Consider these statistics:

Roughly 30 percent of family caregivers of older Americans live in a household that includes children or grandchildren. They are increasingly likely to be working while performing their caregiving responsibilities.

Sixty-one percent of family caregivers of adults work either full- or part-time. They face financial risks such as lost income and reduced career opportunities that may mean a future built on lower savings and reduced Social Security benefits.

Direct-care workforce shortages can lead to more hours of care and higher-intensity care by family caregivers. Retaining workers in a field with high turnover and providing sufficient pay and training are challenging.

As our nation becomes more diverse, we must address the caregiving experiences and needs of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian and LGBTQ+ family caregivers.


Acquisition of NSR Royalty Settlement Completed

Perth, May 9, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Venus Metals Corporation Limited ( ASX:VMC ) is pleased to announce the agreement to acquire a 0.3% net smelter royalty ("NSR Royalty") in relation to the Youanmi Gold Mining Leases from St Clair Resources Pty Ltd by Venus' wholly owned subsidiary, Redscope Enterprises Pty Ltd ("Redscope") has settled.



(Refer to ASX announcement dated 12 April 2023 regarding the key terms)





About Venus Metals Corporation Limited





Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold, base metals, vanadium and lithium exploration projects. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects.

The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north-east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%); Indicated and Inferred Resource of the mine is in excess of 3 million ounces of gold.


Mining Licence Application for Advanced 'Anthony' Molybdenum

Perth, May 10, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - QX Resources Limited ( ASX:QXR ) confirms its intention to commence a formal application for a Mining Lease to advance development at the Company's 'Anthony' Molybdenum (Mo) project in Central Queensland.



Anthony is an advanced-stage pure Mo deposit, located in a Tier-1 jurisdiction, adjacent to major sealed roads and near rail and energy support.



In 2021, the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at Anthony was upgraded to JORC Code 2012, with an emphasis on recoverable resources from the near-surface oxidised part of the deposit (refer ASX Announcement 18 October 2021 and Table 2*).



- Indicated and Inferred Resources for the Oxide domain (using a 400ppm Mo cut-off) total 17.5Mt @ 520ppm Mo (contained Mo 9,100 tonnes / 20.1 million lbs)



- Indicated and Inferred Resources for the Sulphide domain (using a 600ppm Mo cut-off) total 17.4Mt @ 780ppm Mo (contained Mo 13,600 tonnes / 29.9 million lbs)



- Indicated and Inferred Resources for the Transition (partially oxidized) domain (using a 600ppm Mo cut-off) total 2.1Mt @ 790ppm Mo (contained Mo 1,700 tonnes / 3.7 million lbs).



- Total Indicated and Inferred Resource of 24,700 tonnes (53.7 million lbs) of contained molybdenum in sulphide, transition (partial oxide) and oxide zones from surface.



QXR Managing Director Stephen Promnitz stated: "Molybdenum is considered a critical mineral by Queensland's Dept of Natural Resources and Mines. This development approach is consistent with QXR's focus on the battery materials and critical materials supply chain. The decision to commence a Mining Lease application followed a detailed review of the existing Mineral Resource Estimate.



Anthony is well located, with mineralisation from surface, uniquely placed as an advanced-stage molybdenum project in geographical proximity to major Asian markets. Future progress will focus on development pathways including high grade starter pits."



QX Resources Chairman Maurice Feilich said: "Molybdenum prices are at the highest level for over a decade due to deep structural supply/demand gaps, so the timing is right for the development of an advanced deposit. The market is looking for molybdenum projects in Tier 1 jurisdictions with good infrastructure."



Molybdenum



Molybdenum (Mo), commonly referred to as "moly", has been used primarily in the steel industry, as an alloy to strengthen structural steel industry and in high-nickel stainless steel, and as a catalyst in the chemical industry. There has been a significant increase in infrastructure projects increasing demand for structural steel globally, together with defence applications. Recent demand has also come from renewable energy technologies, where moly is used in wind turbines, with one megawatt of output requiring 130 kg Mo. For example, a typical offshore turbine of 12MW requires 1.5 tonnes of molybdenum. Outside China, there are only two pure moly "plays" in operation, both in Colorado USA, operated by Freeport-McMoRan ( NYSE:FCX ).

Market trends



Global market conditions for Molybdenum have strengthened significantly recently. Amid a tighter supply environment, benchmark ferromolybdenum prices in Europe rose above US$100/kg (US$45/lb) in February 2023, a 17-year high, and trading continues above US$55/kg (US$27/lb). Asian ferromolybdenum prices also peaked in early February between US$94-$96/kg - the highest level since Platts Asia commenced in weekly pricing index in 1987.



Factoring in the positive macro environment for Mo prices and the upgraded Mineral Resource Estimate, the decision to pursue a Mining Licence application for the Anthony deposit reflects the increased confidence of the QXR management team that it has an opportunity to bring the project through to development. Analysts have attributed the recent spike in support for Molybdenum prices to several supply and demand factors, as opposed to a single disruptive event.



On the supply side, a lack of new investment has been cited as one such catalyst, where a dearth of planning and approvals activity over the past 5+ years globally has left no new mines in an advanced stage of development. The early-2023 price spike was also exacerbated by production disruptions at large copper operations in South America, especially Chile, where molybdenum is produced as a secondary output.



On the demand-side, major infrastructure projects have increased demand for structural steel and strong oil prices have provided consistent support for moly-bearing carbon steel used in off-shore drill rigs. Recent demand has come from renewable energy technologies, where moly is used in wind turbines, similar to the increased demand for rare earth elements (REE).



Asia-based demand also rebounded strongly in February, where the rebound in Chinese demand was stronger than analysts expected following the Lunar New Year holiday, with broader demand expected to stay strong amid the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.



The Anthony Mo Deposit



The Anthony Molybdenum deposit is located approximately 70km northwest of Clermont and 810km northwest of Brisbane, next to the Gregory Development Road The Anthony Molybdenum deposit is covered by EPMs (Exploration Permit for Minerals) 15145 and 14790, held 100% by Zamia Resources Pty Ltd, under an earn-in agreement between QXR and Zamia Metals Limited (Zamia) announced on 1 July 2020, where QXR currently owns a 70% interest.



Zamia previously announced a Mineral Resource Estimate for the Anthony deposit on 15March 2012.



The 2012 MRE was prepared by Hellman & Schofield Pty Ltd (H&S) and was reported under the JORC Code 2004.



In 2021, QXR commissioned Geos Mining, Minerals Consultants, to update the MRE in accordance with the principles and guidelines of the JORC Code 2012, with emphasis on the near-surface oxidized part of the deposit.



A summary of the methodology used in the upgraded MRE was outlined in the ASX Announcement on 18 October 2021.



Table 1* in link below presents the estimated Mineral Resources for the Oxide domain. A cut-off grade of 400ppm Mo was selected, based on preliminary assessments of mining and processing costs.



Reasonable Prospects for Eventual Economic Extraction



The Mineral Resources for the Oxide domain are considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction given the access to critical infrastructure, the tonnage and grade of the mineralization and results of preliminary mining assessments and metallurgical test work. The Mineral Resources for the Transition and Sulphide domains are also considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, although further work is required to determine mining and metallurgical processes and costs.



Expansion Potential and Exploration Upside



Potential exists for high grade starter pits for the project. Infill drilling in the two higher grade zones has the potential to expand and define higher grade zones where development could commence for an earlier economic return.



Exploration upside exists in another look-alike deposit, the Creek prospect, 30km to the south west.



Magnetics show a ring-like intrusion typical of porphyry systems like Anthony, with moly-copper-gold potential. Surface sampling has previously identified elevated Cu-Mo-Au values but significant drilling potential exists to define a new satellite deposit for an operation. Past shallow drilling targeted the magnetic 'high' instead of the adjacent magnetic 'low', which is the pattern identified at the Anthony deposit.



Next Steps



Metallurgical test work has been ongoing, characterising the oxide material to further establish the project economics for a pathway to development, including assessing high grade starter pits.



The process for the mining lease applications includes the following steps:



a) Formal application to the regulator and public notification with development plans



b) Notify landholders regarding the application together with particulars;



c) Access agreements and landholder compensation agreement;



d) Address native title requirements; and



e) Standard Environmental Authority



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/D131S836





About QX Resources Ltd





QX Resources Limited (ASX:QXR) is focused on exploration and development of battery minerals, with hard rock lithium assets in a prime location of Western Australia (WA), and gold assets in Queensland. The aim is to connect end users (battery, cathode and car makers) with QXR, an experienced explorer/developer of battery minerals, with an expanding mineral exploration project portfolio and solid financial support.

Lithium portfolio: QXR's lithium strategy is centred around WA's prolific Pilbara province, where it has acquired a controlling interest in four projects through targeted M&A - all of which sit in strategic proximity to some of Australia's largest lithium deposits and mines. Across the Pilbara, QXR's regional lithium tenement package (both granted or under application) now spans more than 350 km2.

Gold portfolio: QXR is also developing two Central Queensland gold projects - Lucky Break and Belyando - through an earn-in agreement with Zamia Resources Pty Ltd. Both gold projects are strategically located within the Drummond Basin, a region that has a >6.5moz gold endowment.
Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (ASX:PIQ) and Sonic Healthcare USA sign exclusive licence agreement to take PromarkerD to the US market



Sonic Healthcare USA signs licence for PromarkerD in the US

Perth, May 10, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ) is pleased to announce it has signed an exclusive licence agreement with Sonic Healthcare USA, a Division of Sonic Healthcare Ltd ( SKHHY:OTCMKTS ) for the use and commercialisation of the Company's PromarkerD test for diabetic kidney disease in the United States.



- Proteomics International and Sonic Healthcare USA sign exclusive licence agreement to take PromarkerD to the US market



- Proteomics International has signed an exclusive licence agreement with Sonic Healthcare USA for the use and commercialisation of the PromarkerD predictive test for diabetic kidney disease in the United States



- Estimated 32 million adults or 11 per cent of the American population live with diabetes - testing these patients with PromarkerD could help identify their risk of developing diabetic kidney disease



Under the agreement, Sonic Healthcare USA will be offering PromarkerD to physicians and healthcare systems through its client engagement teams across the US.



PromarkerD is a newly developed blood test that can predict a decline in kidney function in type 2 diabetes.



Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major complication arising from diabetes, and PromarkerD is a costeffective, easy-to-use blood test capable of predicting the onset of the disease in patients with diabetes and no existing DKD.



Sonic Healthcare USA's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mohamed Salama said he is looking forward to a fruitful partnership with Proteomics International. "Our goal of this partnership is to offer PromarkerD as a predictive test that will enable clinicians to identify which patients with type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing kidney disease. The PromarkerD test is an important prognostic tool that will substantially advance diagnostic offerings for the diabetic population."



Proteomics International Managing Director Dr. Richard Lipscombe said he is delighted to enter the licence agreement with Sonic Healthcare USA, "Both parties have been working diligently for many months towards the roll-out of PromarkerD in the USA."



"In signing with Sonic Healthcare USA we believe we have an ideal partner to bring our PromarkerD technology to the world's premier healthcare market, potentially benefiting millions of patients with diabetes. The US is one of our key addressable markets and we expect this partnership to significantly increase the reach and adoption of PromarkerD through Sonic Healthcare USA's physician and patient focused channels."



In the USA an estimated 32 million people, or 11 per cent of the population, live with type 2 diabetes.



According to the US Renal Data System, the total cost of diabetic kidney disease is USD 130 billion per year in the USA alone.



The early diagnosis of DKD using PromarkerD testing in diabetes can help inform doctors' treatment decisions to improve clinical outcomes for patients [ASX 2 August 2022], and could drive improved therapeutic interventions [ASX 3 May 2023]. Reducing or delaying the progression of DKD and consequently the incidence of dialysis and kidney transplant would result in significant cost savings for health



About PromarkerD (www.PromarkerD.com)



Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious complication arising from diabetes which if unchecked can lead to dialysis or kidney transplant. PromarkerD is a prognostic test that can predict future kidney function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes and no existing DKD. The patented PromarkerD test system uses a simple blood test to detect a unique 'fingerprint' of the early onset of the disease by measuring three serum protein biomarkers, combined with three routinely available conventional clinical variables (age, HDLcholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)). A cloud-based algorithm integrates the results into a patient risk report. In clinical studies published in leading journals PromarkerD correctly predicted up to 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who went on to develop diabetic kidney disease within four years.



Further information is available through the PromarkerD web portal.



To visit the PromarkerD virtual booth please see: www.PromarkerD.com/product



About Sonic Healthcare USA



Sonic Healthcare USA is a leading provider of state-of-the-art laboratory and pathology services throughout the USA with eight operating divisions and over eight thousand US based employees. Sonic Healthcare USA utilizes a federated business model that emphasizes medical leadership and community based testing services to provide outstanding quality and service to doctors and the patients that they serve. For more information, visit the Sonic Healthcare USA website at www.sonichealthcareusa.com.



*To view the Exchange Announcement, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/6P1K5EE7





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.
Edward Duran, a decorated World War II and Korean War vet who later worked on spaceships, hasnt slowed down. Even weeks before his 100th birthday, he still lives independently and recently renewed his drivers license.

He  can run circles around us at this point, said Durans daughter Cathy Fenner-Garcia.

Duran had a long military career serving as a scout and sniper in World War II. He trained several battalions for the Korean War before joining Los Alamos National Laboratories, where he worked on various projects ranging from cancer fighting technology to working with materials harder than diamonds for use on spaceships.

Born May 17, 1923 in Santa Fe, Duran says what hes most proud of in his century of life is his wife, Beatrice, and the six children they raised. His descendants include 12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and Dachau

Duran joined the U.S. Armys 45th Infantry Division and was deployed to Southern France, joining the D-Day Invasion on its second day. He was a sniper, able to hit a target at 300 yards with his M1 rifle.

We managed to bring in a Bangalore torpedo and cut through the wires so that we could get up to the top Duran said. Then we were able to get to the pill boxes and what have you that they were shooting our troops with. But before that, their machine guns, and everything were firing down on  the landing troops and the water were running red.

After that, Duran joined Gen. George S. Patton and went to Paris where the battalion received the Croix de Guerre for the liberation of France.

From there, we went into the Battle of the Bulge. I was the first scout, and a sniper in the infantry  I was assigned to find a way to get up into where the paratroopers were at. The paratroopers  I take my hat off to them every time  they were called the Bastards of Bastogne because they were isolated. The weather was bad, it was snowing and the  planes could not drop supplies to em. And they stood off the Germans for a good week and there was  Id say 30 tanks, at least. But the battle grounds there was kind of like a horseshoe. And it was a river between them and where the paratroopers were at. I went around and found a way to get up there and we took some equipment up there. And we knew that they were going to attack on Christmas Day, so we went up there Christmas Eve, and set up some equipment  and when they attacked we were able to just wipe em out  the Germans surrendered and that was really, I still think, it was the turning of the war. If they could have gotten through there, they could have gone into the English Channel and service their submarines.

Duran then followed Patton through Germany into Berchtesgaden, where Hitlers Eagles Nest retreat was built. Inside the nest, soldiers found a large storeroom full of liquor. Duran took what he could carry and traded it off to the tankers and artillery for food, which he shared with his squad.

Next, Duran went to Dachau  to a prison camp the division had previously liberated  to work as a translator for the Spanish-speaking prisoners of war at the camp.

Soon, Duran was told he was being sent to Japan.

My job was to cut the cable with a torch at the Bay of Japan. But on the second day out, you hear it like a wave of the waters. And the president had dropped the bomb  so that we just turned right around and came back  into England  I was scheduled to go underwater and cut that cable. Though I didnt figure Id have much of a chance of coming out of that one. So I always liked old (President Harry) Truman, hes my buddy.

After the end of World War II, Duran stayed in the reserves and when the Korean War began, he was called up again.

But this time, due to my experience in Europe  I would be worth more training troops.

Duran trained about four battalions  about 1,000 soldiers each  at Camp Roberts, California and Fort Lewis, Washington.

Leaving a lasting legacy

Shortly before the end of the Korean War, Duran accepted his discharge and had a series of small jobs before learning to be a machinist with Boeing. He worked with The Zia Co., which was the maintenance company for Los Alamos National Laboratory, for a while, until he was laid off. He then returned to Santa Fe to operate a machine shop. It was there that he met his wife Beatrice.

I never counted my life before there, until I met her, then I started to live. She was really a wonderful woman, he said.

They were married 62 years. Beatrice, who passed in July 2012, raised their six children while he worked on his career.

After a stint with Lincoln Mercury, Duran returned to Los Alamos to work for the labs. When a difficult project came up that the company didnt think it would be able to accomplish in time, Duran turned it into an opportunity to start an apprenticeship program, which is still in business today, training post-high-school students to work as machinists.

Laboratory machinists are hard to come by because they work to extremely close tolerances, he said. A lot of those people (from the internship program), by the time I retired  had moved up into supervision places.  They just proved  that the men around here  Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos  were not dummies.

After the successes of the apprenticeship program, the company put Duran on bigger projects such as a cancer-fighting machine that will detect cancer, underneath the skin, and destroy it without harming the skin and either side of it, the flesh on either side of it.

He was then moved to the space program where he worked for almost 10 years before his retirement in 1985 when he left to take care of his wifes failing health. In the space program, he developed materials harder than diamonds to prevent spaceships from burning up in the atmosphere. The spaceships were used to gather information from different satellites, as well as various samples to determine whether different places were capable of supporting life.

He also became a consultant for other countries as they developed their own space programs.

Duran lives in the house he built more than 30 years ago in Pojoaque and still takes care of his own cooking, cleaning and showers. He has a machine shop set up in his garage.

I guess once  a machinist  always same. I enjoy going in and doing a little machining doing, you know, what I can  Ill fix anything I dont care what it is, Ill try it.

Duran says genetics do play into living a long life, but living an honest life, treating people as you would like to be treated and help those that need help  (and) a positive attitude will keep you young.

His advice to those who want to live to his age is to keep physically and mentally active, be social and eat sensible. Most importantly, surround yourself with your family, he said.
A dog from Japan emerged as a hero after saving the life of a Japanese man who suffered a heart attack at a riding school last February.

The local fire department hailed the five-year-old mongrel as a hero after alerting medical staff to help the man.

Japanese Dog Saves Heart Attack Victim

As per CNN, a man roughly in his fifties suddenly fell to the ground while at the riding park in Wakaba-Ku, Chiba City, early this year, or on February 25, to be exact. And upon encountering the collapse, the female canine barked as loud as she could to alarm people in the vicinity of the emergency.

The Japanese dog named Koume caught the attention of other folks, allowing them to help the man suffering a heart attack immediately. One of the instructors in the riding school, Yuna Marao, shares that the five-year-old mongrel is known for being silent most of the time. In other words, Koume only barks on rare occasions wherein she needs to.

According to The Straits Times, Marao emphasized that the mongrel loves people, noting that "everyone thinks [she is] great."

The 23-year-old instructor says the Japanese dog barks "when an emergency arises."

In a previous incident, the dog barked to alert people in the riding club that a horse was trying to escape the facility. The riding club says that the barks of the five-year-old mongrel have helped employees easily reach out to emergency services. The paramedics riding an ambulance quickly made it to the locations to aid the heart attack victim.

Read Also: Jack Ma Resurfaces as Professor in Japan After 2020 Disappearance

Live-Saving Dog in Japan Now Hailed as a Hero

The Japan News reports that the Wakaba Fire Department has hailed the five-year-old dog as a hero after successfully saving a man who suffered a heart attack. The man in his fifties is now reportedly back in the riding club.

The local fire department has awarded the dog a recognition letter after calling for help after stumbling upon a man that collapsed. The officer in charge of the Wakaba Fire Department acknowledged the help that the dog in Japan provided. He notes that the slightest change is crucial" in dealing with such incidents."

Luckily, Koume barked to call for help, attracting the attention of staffers in the area immediately. "Koume's barking for help and the actions taken by the staffer were the perfect way to respond," the fire department official says.

It turns out that the riding club hires these female dogs to greet their guests. But despite being considered as "mascot," Koume went beyond her job and helped one of their members. And now, the local fire station in Japan has hailed her a hero.

Related Article: Nintendo Modifies 'Super Mario Bros' Character's 'Offensive' Name Ahead of Movie Release in Japan

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Apply to become a Forest Stewards crew member

If you like the outdoors or are looking for seasonal employment then you should apply to be a Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) crew member. FSYC is a program of the Forest Stewards Guild that provides employment and job training for youth in rural communities around New Mexico.

The FSYC program is great in developing youth into the next generation of community leaders, stated Sandra Imler-Jacquez, district ranger for the Espanola Ranger District. FSYC has summer and fall programs with crews based in the Jemez Pueblo Natural Resources Department and the Mountainair and Espanola U.S. Forest Service Ranger Districts.

Crew Members will be employees of the Forest Stewards Guild and the program runs for 12 weeks from August 21 until November 10. The fall Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) Fire & Fuels program will include a comprehensive training component that will include wildland fire classes, CPR and First Aid, and defensive driving. FSYC participants will also receive on the job guidance and mentorship from U.S. Forest Service, Pueblo, and Forest Stewards Guild staff. For more information on this exciting job and how to apply visit www.foreststewardsguild.org/FSYC.

GAHP marks 30 years of affordable housing

The Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership (GAHP) is celebrating 30 years of building a better Albuquerque through the development of quality housing that is affordable to people with low incomes. GAHP was established on May 1, 1993, to help meet the City of Albuquerques Housing goals to provide new opportunities for decent, affordable housing for households with low incomes.

In 2010, GAHP turned its focus to multifamily development and has developed 8 apartment communities for a total of 704 rental units with another 174 currently under construction.

Speakers, including City of Albuquerque Mayor, Tim Keller and Izzy Hernandez, executive director of the NM Mortgage Finance Authority will mark the anniversary of Thursday, May 4, 5-8 pm at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque.

For more information about GAHP, visit www.abqgahp.org

Hutton Broadcasting purchases 9 stations

Hutton Broadcasting announced on April 25 the purchase of nine radio stations in Farmington, Durango, and Cortez from American General Media. These stations in New Mexico and Colorado will join the companys flagship stations based in Santa Fe, which were purchased by Hutton Broadcasting in 2007. The nine Four Corners-area stations that are joining Hutton Broadcasting include a mix of popular formats such as rock, adult contemporary, and news talk.

The stations are: Farmington: KISZ KISS Country; KENN News Talk; KRWN Rock; KPRT Pirate Radio Durango: KKDG Contemporary Hit Radio; KDGO Durango News/Talk; KPTE The Point Cortez: KRTZ Adult Contemporary; KVFC News and Talk American General Media is, like Hutton Broadcasting, a family-owned company. Learn more at HuttonBroadcasting.com

Mtuccis wins Best Local Commercial Brand Award

Mtuccis Restaurants, one of the largest locally-owned and operated restaurant groups in New Mexico, received the top honor at the EXHIB-IT! B2B Awards in the category of Best Local Commercial Brand. Presented at the annual B2B Expo, entries for best brands were judged by the New Mexico American Marketing Association and were considered based on community impact and brand presence in New Mexico.

We love living and working in New Mexico, and we strive to create a unique and authentic atmosphere that our guests love, said John Haas, Mtuccis Restaurants President. Were honored to have that hard work and dedication recognized by EXHIB-IT! and the New Mexico American Marketing Association.

Mtuccis has four locations  the original Mtuccis Italian, fine Italian dining at Coors & Montano; Mtuccis Moderno at Unser Pavilion in Rio Rancho, Mtuccis Twenty-Five at 4939 Pan American Freeway NE, and Mtuccis Bar Roma in Nob Hill. For more information on Mtuccis Restaurants, go to mtuccis.com

SBA hosting American Seed Fund Week

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will host its 2nd annual American Seed Fund Week from May 15 to 18. The Americas Seed Fund Startup Expo  showcasing innovative ventures that define the cutting edge of technologies critical for our nations economic prosperity, global competitiveness, and national security will take place Monday, May 15th 2:30-5:00 p.m. This is a virtual event. Register at https://hopin.com/events/america-s-seed-fund-week-2023

AllerPops Corp. holding End of Allergy Era event

AllerPops Corp. announces the Beginning of the End of the Allergy Era event at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos. The event will take place between 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 11th.

AllerPops Corp. is a Los Alamos, NM-based company dedicated to relieving allergies for long periods, removing the need for daily shots or drugs.

AllerPops started operations in 2017 and recently completed its research and development-focused phase, which lasted six years. Over the period, the company has expanded its product mix to include prebiotic toothpaste and a variety of new AllerPops flavors.

Seats are limited for the May 11 event. Please register. To register, go to eventbrite.com search for allerpops. For more information: https://allerpops.com/
Theres a surprising ingredient in chef Steph Herreras doughnuts, which might seem more at home at a Thanksgiving dinner: mashed potatoes.

Although it might sound unorthodox, its not the first time the starchy side has been used to make doughnuts. Rumor has it that Krispy Kreme once used mashed potatoes in their recipe, something that Herrera discovered while going on a months-long deep dive into the history of the fried pastry.

Herrera and her husband, Cisco Chavez, are putting that knowledge to work at their new eatery, Knead Dough Bar + Eatery, at 218 Gold SW.

Im super passionate about dough, Herrera said. I think its like, an act of love.  It takes a lot of time doing quality dough  you have to deal with a first rise or fermentation, you have to do a second one. Its just very much being patient and knowing how to work with it.

Patience is one of Herreras virtues: the chef spent a year and a half working on the recipe for her signature potato brioche doughnut. While doughnuts are the stars, theyre joined by a variety of coffee drinks, courtesy of Chavez, and other pastries.

Herrera and Chavez found their love for doughnuts while traveling around the world. The couple would try a doughnut from every place that they visited  Thailand and Portland were home to some of their favorite bites.

When I officially became obsessed with doughnuts is when we traveled to Thailand, Herrera said. I watched a street vendor cooking doughnuts. He had a huge wok and he was just dropping dough into it  youre just getting hot doughnuts straight out of the fryer. Best thing Ive ever had.

Theres another surprise besides the ingredient in the doughnuts. Although the pastry shelf is filled with sugary sweets, the brunch menu at Knead is chock-full of veggies.

My whole theory behind that is to try to make vegetables cool again, Herrera said. Were planning on having some raw options, and just bringing a very healthy take to brunch. Were gonna have enough sweets anyways, that people can indulge  you dont need more to make you feel like youre just rolling out of this place after you eat.

The cafe is also offering a program called the Kneady Club to encourage sustainability. If a customer buys a reusable mug or tote bag to carry their drink and/or order, they can take 10% off their order.

Herrera and Chavez were part of Albuquerques culinary scene for many years. Herrera graduated from Central New Mexico Community Colleges culinary program in 2013 and got her start slinging empanadas to restaurants around the city. A few years later, the couple opened vegan eatery Wanderlust on 4th.

Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the couple decided to close the restaurant and move to Austin, Texas, for a fresh start. But a holiday visit to Albuquerque ultimately brought Herrera and Chavez back.

We stayed out there for two years, Herrera said. I learned a lot from a lot of chefs, got to be a part of an amazing community out there  then I was like, you know, we need to take a trip, I need a vacation. So Christmas hit, and we traveled out here  and we came across a spot  and there was a for lease sign.

When Herrera and Chavez were running a food truck in Austin, they said their old customers from Albuquerque would fly out to eat their food. And the couple brought a bit of Austin back with them  one of their employees decided to move to Albuquerque to work at Knead Dough Bar.

We were just craving that community, Herrera said. So coming back here, and everybody  that we knew was like How can we help? What can we do? Its just been awesome, how weve been welcomed back.
Anytime Colton Dixon gets the opportunity to release music, its exciting.

In the case of Canvas, hes been waiting for more than a year to release the tracks to the world.

Im just thrilled, he says of the new music. They are finally out to the world. Ive been listening to mix after mix of the songs and they are ready to be listened to.

Dixon is currently on his Build a Boat tour, which is slated to make a stop in Santa Fe at The Light at Mission Viejo at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11.

Dixon is bringing along Jordan St. Cyr and Apollo Ltd. as openers for the tour. His EP, Canvas, was released on April 28.

The musician rose to fame as a contestant on the 11th season of American Idol. Since then, hes amassed over 100 million global streams and is a staple on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts.

Dixon is also basking in the success of the single, Build a Boat, which was the longest running No. 1 Christian Adult Contemporary song of 2022. It held the No. 1 position for 10 weeks.

Im really grateful that the song has touched people, Dixon says. We started writing Build a Boat in 2021 while I was on Winter Jam. Its been well over a year since it all started.

Dixon has been on tour since March and is finding the groove on tour in support of Canvas.

The journey for the EP wasnt clear when Dixon began the process.

It wasnt until the final stages of us having the songs that a direction became clear, he says. The song Canvas came in really late in the process while I was hanging with a buddy in Nashville. There was a piano there and we came together and the song poured out of us. We offer our gifts and entire lives. When this song came into the playing field, I knew exactly what this record needs to be.

Dixon remains humble about his steady rise in music. He credits the fans in keeping him engaged and on a path where he can make a difference.

He navigates the ebb and flow of it all and remains positive.

In the early stages of music, I fell in love with performing, he says. Now that Im older, Ive fallen in love with people again. I know a live show is the vessel to get these songs into peoples hands. Within that, I get to see the response from the crowds and its simply beautiful.
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a man to six years in prison in a case that shows the difficulties of prosecuting crimes among people in Albuquerques homeless community.

Quentin Salazar, 28, pleaded guilty in March to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 29-year-old Joseph Borja at a park at Tramway and Central frequented by the unhoused.

Police identified three witnesses to the killing but all have since disappeared, Assistant District Attorney Jordan Machin said at Salazars sentencing hearing.

They are also members of the homeless community and were unable to be reached, which is primarily why we ended up having to plead the case, Machin told 2nd Judicial District Judge Stan Whitaker.

Both Salazar and Borja reportedly were residents at the park.

Salazars attorney Michael Jones, said he never had an opportunity to interview any of those witnesses.

Because (witnesses) werent provided, we can only rely on the second-hand accounts from the from the police officer, Jones said.

Salazar also pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of possession of methamphetamine in an unrelated case.

Id just like to say that this should never have happened, Salazar said by video from MDC. Im truly sorry that this had to happen.

Jones called the plea deal a good resolution both for Salazar and the prosecution.

Salazar has drug and alcohol addictions that have progressively gotten worse, Jones said. During his nearly two years in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Salazar has benefited from treatment programs offered at the facility, he said.

Police responded to the Bicycle Park at Central and Tramway on June 12, 2021, and found Borja fatally shot in the neck.

A witness told police they were at the park when they overheard a woman known as Momma Red tell Salazar that Borja owed her money and wouldnt pay, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Another witness told police they saw Salazar walk up to Borja as he was sleeping and hit him with a beer bottle, the complaint said.

The witness said Salazar then dragged Borja onto the concrete, kicked him and shot him with a handgun, it said.
A mentally ill man was on his way to Albuquerque with his parents on Tuesday to face a new federal indictment charging him with attempted robbery of a West Side bank in November 2021.

Angel Lara is expected to face the same U.S. district judge who last week dismissed the same robbery charge. U.S. District Judge Matthew Garcia ordered him released from custody on Friday after ruling that Lara had waited too long incarcerated in an Atlanta prison for a bed at an in-patient mental hospital run by the Bureau of Prisons.

Lara had been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial on the original bank robbery charge in August 2022. Garcia ruled that his wait for mental health treatment in the federal system was unnecessary and violated his constitutional rights. Under the federal prison system, people deemed incompetent to stand trial are sent for treatment at a federal mental health facility for up to four months in the hopes of restoring their competency.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico tried to head off the dismissal by reporting that a bed was available on Tuesday. Garcia declined to halt the dismissal. Prosecutors then went to a federal grand jury Tuesday to re-indict Lara on the same charges.

During a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Yarbrough on Tuesday, attorneys for the defense and the U.S. Attorneys Office discussed the possibility of keeping Lara out of jail pending trial on the new charge and placed on some type of conditions of release, such as home confinement in the care of his parents.

It wasnt clear if Lara would require a new finding of mental incompetency to stand trial, and where he would land on the list for a federal mental health bed given the new grand jury indictment. The next hearing on the issue was set for May 18 before Garcia.

Laras attorney didnt respond to requests for comments.
Detectives recovered nearly $7,000 in stolen goods and arrested dozens of people  the majority of them battling addiction  during a recent operation targeting shoplifting around Albuquerque.

The operation titled Sticky Fingers is one of several undertaken recently by the Albuquerque Police Department and other local law enforcement as retail crime has become a hot-button issue nationwide.

During a briefing Tuesday, APD officials said there are more to come.

This isnt going to stop. Were going to continue to pick different shopping areas and districts, said interim Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock of APDs Investigative Enhancement Division.  If you are doing this kind of thieving, youre going to stand a much higher chance of arrest very, very soon.

Hartsock pointed out that recently-passed House Bill 234 will take effect, making it a felony to rack up $500 worth of thefts in a 90-day period.

He said APD will aggressively use that law.

You might only steal $30 or $40 or $80 right now, but if you keep it up and keep doing it, you are going to get hit with a felony and have a much different outcome in court, Hartsock said.

He said this go around they targeted Coronado and Cottownwood shopping malls, finding people who were likely unsheltered or transient in nature doing very bold and brazen thefts with no real fear of enforcement.

We definitely want to change that attitude and behavior, he said.

Hartsock said the highest amount someone tried to shoplift was almost $700 from a Kohls store. Court records show that man told police he stole because he was addicted to drugs.

Hartsock said most of those caught were on foot and 10 rode the city bus.

At least one person arrested during the operation, Lorie Maldonado, had allegedly pulled a gun out on employees in an October shoplifting incident. Hartsock showed security video of Maldonado as she ran out the fire exit of Burlington department store holding a pile of stolen goods.

Maldonado was arrested shortly thereafter.

Hartsock said to those knowingly buying stolen goods, you can expect to see our faces fairly soon as well.

APD provided a list of 26 people arrested during the operation. The majority do not have a violent record.

Six of those people  including Maldonado and her accomplice  committed felony-level shoplifting, stealing more than $500, according to court records. At least 20 others were arrested on misdemeanors, such as lower-level shoplifting, criminal trespass and drug charges.

Court records show five people were arrested for unrelated warrants and another five were given a criminal summons.

Drug use was a common theme among those arrested: 27 of those arrested or cited had prior drug-related arrests while 12 were found with drugs or paraphernalia on them, mostly related to fentanyl use. One man told police he trades merchandise for drugs normally.

A couple was arrested when police found stolen clothes and fentanyl on them during a traffic stop, according to court records. Three people were arrested after officers spotted them allegedly smoking fentanyl on a street corner near Coronado Center.

During Tuesdays briefing, Police Chief Harold Medina acknowledged that most, if not all, of those arrested were addicted to drugs and/or homeless.

Medina said the judicial system needs to be changed to offer more resources to those dealing with drug abuse, mental health issues and homelessness.

House Bill 234, which could give those accused in retail crimes a long prison sentence, overwhelmingly passed the Legislature.

Medina said the goal of the bill wasnt a pipeline to prison but he is concerned about the possible long-term effects.

As long as they have that addiction, theyre going to continue to create issues and theyre going to continue to shoplift, he said. We need to build a system in this state where individuals are released to the right resources.

Medina acknowledged that the resources needed  to help those being arrested by these operations  are not available in the way they need to be.

That is not the place of the police department, but Im here to advocate for those systems to get funded the way they need to so that we can stop this revolving door, the chief said. The revolving door isnt just necessarily stopped by arrests, its stopped by treating the underlying issue, which is drug addiction and mental health.
As two civil cases regarding access to abortion care wind their way through New Mexico courts, the state Attorney Generals Office has asked for one to be put on hold until the other is resolved.

Attorney General Raul Torrez filed a motion in 5th Judicial District Court in Lea County on Monday asking for the judge to order a stay of all proceedings in a lawsuit the city of Eunice has filed against him and the governor. That lawsuit posits that the federal Comstock Act  which prohibits the mailing of materials related to abortion  trumps the states House Bill 7  which says entities cannot restrict access to reproductive health care.

The plaintiff in that case, the city of Eunice, opposes that motion.

No hearings have been scheduled.

Torrez asked that the case be stayed until the New Mexico Supreme Court rules on a petition he had already filed asking it to strike down ordinances passed by four municipalities restricting access to abortion on the basis that they violate civil rights guaranteed in the states constitution. Eunice is not included in that case because it passed its ordinance the same day Torrez filed the petition.

Torrez said on the one hand if the state Supreme Court rules in his favor regarding that petition the ordinances passed by Lea and Roosevelt counties and the cities of Hobbs and Clovis will be declared void and the law on how such ordinances must be treated by the courts in this State will be evident.

On the other hand, he said, if the Supreme Court denies his petition the ordinances will not be declared void by virtue of the writ and the question of whether and how state law impacts the enforceability of the ordinances may remain.

The scope and even the legal issues before this Court will vary substantially depending on what the Supreme Court decides, Torrez wrote.

In a news release, he said the issue should be governed by state law, not some warped interpretation of an anti-vice federal statute from the 1870s.

The New Mexico Constitution guarantees women equal rights under the law and the recently passed Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Act makes it clear that local governments have no authority to involve themselves in the most consequential and private decisions a woman should make in consultation with her family and her physician, Torrez wrote.

The new law, House Bill 7, goes into effect June 16.

Attorney Michael Seibel, who is representing Eunice in its lawsuit against Torrez and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, said he opposes the motion asking for a stay.

Were talking about apples and oranges here, Seibel said. The Attorney General is arguing that the Comstock Act isnt necessary to talk about the complaint in the Supreme Court case. Whereas were talking about the Comstock Act and that it needs to be addressed and whether or not its enforceable here. These are two different questions.

Seibel, who is working pro bono, said he has done more than $1.5 million in pro bono legal work for the pro-life community over the past seven years. He said he does so because he is trying to prevent women from the dangers of abortion, especially those done later in pregnancy.

The humanity of the baby is key in this situation, Seibel said. Maybe Im wrong but I dont think its a natural instinct for a woman to want to kill her child. Most women I know want to protect their child and it goes against their natural instinct. If they had the full truth and the financial resources I think abortion would go away.
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didnt deserve.

Afterward, he said he wouldnt drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.

Santos 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republicans fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself, a cheerfully combative Santos told reporters swarming him outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said hes been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a witch hunt.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, was more circumspect, saying: Any time the federal government comes after you its a serious case. We have to take this serious.

Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshmans ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.

I think were seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine, said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Bidens State of the Union address in February.

Asked about Santos on Wednesday, Biden said, Im not commenting, adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, Thats for Congress to decide.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and then induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

Santos didnt directly address the specifics of the charges to reporters, but when asked why he received unemployment benefits while employed, Santos cited a job change and confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santos, sporting his usual crewneck sweater, blazer and khakis, said little during the arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes. Reporters spilled from the gallery to the jury box, joined by a handful of constituents.

He should be thrown out of Congress and put in prison, declared Jeff Herzberg, a Long Island resident who spent hours waiting to see Santos arraignment. I hope that day comes soon.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didnt work at the big financial firms he said employed him, didnt go to college and struggled financially before entering politics. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

But a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from the company to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Santos legal troubles date to his late teens, when he was investigated in Brazil for allegedly using stolen checks to buy clothes  a case that authorities say theyve since reopened.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook was stolen and someone else took the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos fundraising for a group that purported to help abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he raised to help his dog get needed surgery.

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in White Plains, New York, Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

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On Twitter, follow Jake Offenhartz at twitter.com/jangelooff and Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/

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Follow the APs coverage of U.S. Rep. George Santos at https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistans government called out the military Wednesday in areas roiled by deadly violence following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was dragged from a courtroom and ordered held for another eight days on new corruption charges that outraged his supporters and deepened the countrys political turmoil.

In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the unrest by Khans supporters damaged sensitive public and private property, forcing him to deploy the military in the capital of Islamabad, the most populous province of Punjab and in volatile regions of the northwest.

After Khan was arrested Tuesday, crowds in Islamabad and other major cities blocked roads, clashed with police, and set fire to police checkpoints and military facilities in violence that left six people dead and hundreds arrested. On Wednesday, protesters stormed a radio station in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Such scenes were never seen by the people of Pakistan, Sharif said, following a Cabinet meeting. Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.

Calling such attacks unforgivable, he warned that those involved in violence would be given exemplary punishment.

Sharif said Khan was arrested because of his involvement in corruption, and that there was evidence available to back up these charges.

Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year by Sharif, is being held at a police compound in Islamabad. In a temporary court there, a judge ordered the 70-year-old politician detained for at least another eight days, raising the prospect of more unrest.

The military also weighed in with a strongly worded statement, vowing stern action against those seeking to push Pakistan toward a civil war. It called the organized attacks on its installations a black chapter in the countrys political history.

What the eternal enemy of the country could not do for 75 years, this group, wearing a political cloak, in the lust for power, has done it, the statement said, adding that troops had exercised restraint but they will respond to further attacks, and those involved will bear the responsibility.

It said strict action would be taken against those who planned or took part in attacks on military sites. It did not directly name Khan in its statement.

Khans dramatic arrest Tuesday  he was pulled from a hearing in Islamabads High Court on one set of charges, only to be arrested on another set  was the latest confrontation to roil Pakistan. He is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in the country, which has also seen interventions by the powerful military over the years. The move comes at a time of economic crisis, when the cash-strapped nation is trying to avoid a default.

Khans Islamabad appearance was on multiple graft charges brought by police. As he arrived, the courtroom was stormed by dozens of agents from the anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau, backed by paramilitary troops. They broke windows after Khans guards refused to open the door.

The former cricket star has denounced the cases against him, which include corruption and terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by Sharif, his successor, to keep him from returning to power in elections to be held later this year.

Also on Wednesday, police arrested Fawad Chaudhry, Khans deputy and vice president of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Chaudhry, an outspoken government critic, had insisted that he had been granted legal protection from arrest, and the police did not specify the charges.

The party has appealed for calm, but the country was on high alert. Police were deployed in force, and they placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Khan was held. Despite it, demonstrators Wednesday evening attacked and burned down the office of a senior police officer responsible for the security of the police facilities, including the one where Khan is being held.

His supporters in Peshawar raided a building housing Radio Pakistan, damaging equipment and setting it ablaze, said police official Naeem Khan. Some employees were trapped inside, he said, and police sought to restore order.

In eastern Punjab province, the local government asked the army to step in after authorities said 157 police were injured in clashes with protesters.

Police arrested 945 Khan supporters in eastern Punjab province alone since Tuesday, including Asad Umar and Sarfraz Cheema, two senior leaders of his party.

Pakistans GEO television broadcast video of Khans appearance before a judge in the police compound, showing him seated in a chair, holding documents. He appeared calm but tired.

In the new charges, Khan was accused of accepting millions of dollars worth of property in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon. The National Accountability Bureau asked to hold him for 14 days, but the tribunal granted eight days.

Khan was finally indicted Wednesday in the original graft case for which he appeared at the Islamabad court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty. In that case, he faced multiple graft charges brought by Islamabad police.

Khans lawyers have challenged the Islamabad arrest and are considering taking it to the countrys Supreme Court.

The National Accountability Bureau has detained and investigated former officials, including former prime ministers, politicians and retired military officers. But some view it as a tool used by those in power, especially the military, to crack down on political opponents. When Khan was in power, his government arrested Shahbaz Sharif, then the opposition leader, through the bureau. Sharif faced multiple corruption cases when he ousted Khan, and the charges were later dropped for lack of evidence.

Mobs angered by the dramatic arrest set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore, and supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad. They did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief Gen. Asim Munir.

Demonstrators also tried to reach the prime ministers residence in Lahore, but were stopped by police. Still others attacked troop vehicles, hitting armed soldiers with sticks.

By morning, police in Lahore said about 2,000 protesters still surrounded the fire-damaged residence of Lt. Gen. Salman Fayyaz Ghani, a top regional commander. They chanted, Khan is our red line and you have crossed it. Ghani and his family were moved to a safer place Tuesday.

The unrest comes as cash-strapped Pakistan is struggling to avoid a default amid stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund for the revival of a bailout. The rupee traded Wednesday at a record 290 to the dollar amid a weekly inflation rate of at least 46%, also a record.

Political stability is linked to economic stability and I dont see any sign of revival of the economy, said Shahid Hasan, a former adviser to Pakistan on economic affairs. He said political leaders should set aside their egos and sit together and think about Pakistan, which is on the verge of a default.

Amid the violence, Pakistans telecommunication authority blocked social media, including Twitter. The government also suspended internet service in Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were canceled Wednesday, and several social media sites remained suspended.

____

Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, contributed.

___

The story has been corrected to show that Imran Khan is 70 years old, not 71.
SANTA FE  In recent years, surging New Mexico oil and natural gas production has fueled an unprecedented state revenue gusher.

But a coalition of environmental groups and state residents who live near drilling operations filed a lawsuit Wednesday, arguing the revenue bonanza has come at a high cost.

Specifically, the lawsuit filed in state district court in Santa Fe argues Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration has failed to meet its constitutional duty to protect the states air, water and other natural resources amid a prolonged drought.

Among other things, it seeks an order halting new oil and gas drilling permits in New Mexico until the state fulfills its duties  a move that would likely carry significant budget implications.

Gail Evans, the lead attorney in the lawsuit, compared the effort to a court challenge targeting New Mexicos public education system that led to a landmark 2018 ruling.

That ruling found the state was not meeting its constitutional requirement to provide a sufficient education to all students, including Native Americans and English-language learners.

I think we have a lot of very strong evidence, just like we had in the education lawsuit, that the state is not meeting its duty, Evans told the Journal.

She also said plaintiffs in the case are prepared for a lengthy court battle if necessary.

However, a Lujan Grisham spokeswoman suggested the Democratic governors administration feels confident its regulatory track record will withstand the court challenge.

This administration is proud of its record on the environment, including when it comes to regulating the states oil and gas industry, said the governors spokeswoman Caroline Sweeney.

Frankly, this is a misguided lawsuit that will only serve to distract the state from conducting additional work on environment and climate solutions and from enforcing the nationally leading regulations this administration fought hard to get on the books. she added.

During a Wednesday rally outside the Santa Fe courthouse where the lawsuit was filed, plaintiffs and supporters described the lawsuit as a last resort, saying efforts to get state agencies to step up pollution enforcement have been largely unsuccessful.

Mario Atencio of Torreon, whose family hails from the Counselor area on the Navajo Nation, cited the states slow response to a 2019 spill of produced water  wastewater from oil drilling  near his family land as an incentive to sign on to the lawsuit.

The state is completely failing to hold companies accountable for their mess, Atencio said.

Another plaintiff who lives near a drilling zone said his nose regularly runs, while adding that many younger residents need inhalers due to air quality issues.

Complaint details

The lawsuit filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity and the Santa Fe-based Wild Earth Guardians, along with several other groups and 10 individual plaintiffs, focuses on a provision in the state Constitution approved in 1971.

That provision, called the Pollution Control Clause, declares the protection of the states environment to be of fundamental importance to the public interest, health, safety and the general welfare.

It also stipulates the Legislature should create a legal framework for controlling pollution levels.

Since being enacted, the constitutional provision has not been either challenged or enforced, Evans said.

However, recent attempts to replace the constitutional provision with an updated Green Amendment have failed at the Roundhouse, amid concerns about it possibly leading to expensive litigation.

New Mexico oil and gas industry operators have insisted that technology improvements have led to reduced emissions and waste, even as production levels have surged.

Joe Vigil, a spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said Wednesday the states extractive industries are at the forefront when it comes to producing cleaner, safer and more affordable industries.

Our operators exceed environmental standards through our development and use of cutting-edge technology, innovation and commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint, Vigil said.

Potential stakes

The lawsuits stakes could be high, as New Mexico currently gets about 40% of its indirect revenue from taxes and royalties levied on the oil and gas industries.

The amount of revenue has surged in recent years as New Mexico has passed North Dakota to become the nations second-highest oil producing state  behind only Texas.

A total of $10.8 billion in state and local revenue was generated by the oil and gas industries in the 2022 budget year, according to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, with much of that money flowing into several state permanent funds.

But Evans said the states oil-fueled revenue windfall that has helped boost state spending to an all-time high of $9 billion for the current budget year has not led to significant increases in emission controls.

With that explosion of money has come an explosion of pollution, she said. A very high price is being paid for that money.

While the Lujan Grisham administration has enacted some emission restrictions in recent years, including new rules governing methane emissions and ozone pollutants, she said state oversight agencies have been underfunded and largely unable to enforce those rules.

The states Oil Conservation Division, for instance, had a 25% employee vacancy rate during the 2022 budget year, though the figure dropped to 14.5% for the current year, according to Legislative Finance Committee data.

The agency has also received federal funding to help plug 200 abandoned oil wells over a two-year period.
(Photo : BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, an AFP news agency Ukraine video coordinator was slain in a rocket attack near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

According to AFP journalists who witnessed the incident, Arman Soldin, the Ukraine video coordinator for AFP, was slain by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. on the outskirts of the town near Bakhmut, which has been the epicenter of conflict in eastern Ukraine for several months.

AFP Journalist Killed in Ukraine

The AFP team came under assault from Grad missiles while accompanying Ukrainian soldiers. Soldin was slain when a rocket exploded near where he was lying. The remainder of the crew was unharmed. Soldin, who was born in Sarajevo, was a French national.

In 2015, he began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome bureau before being recruited in London. He was a member of the first AFP team sent to Ukraine after Russia's invasion began on February 24, 2022, arriving the next day.

Since September, Soldin had lived in Ukraine, overseeing the team's coverage and frequent trips to the east and south front lines. According to the media advocacy organizations Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, at least eleven journalists, fixers, and transporters for media teams have been murdered while covering the conflict in Ukraine (CPJ).

Director of AFP Europe Christine Buhagiar recalled Soldin as "enthusiastic, vivacious, and courageous." A day before his death, Soldin documented the horrors of war by publishing a video of physicians operating on a wounded soldier's heart on social media, as per CBS News.

Soldin, whose Twitter profile image depicts a cat perched on his back, also had a soft spot for animals, as evidenced by his profile photograph. The previous week, an animal rescue organization tweeted a video of Soldin and his team rescuing an injured hedgehog from a Ukrainian trench.

AFP stated that it was "devastated" by Soldin's passing and that its "thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, a French journalist operating in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was murdered near Severodonetsk in the east in May 2022. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least ten journalists have been killed in Ukraine while documenting the conflict.

Director of RSF Christophe Deloire lauded the daily bravery of war correspondents. He referred to Soldin's demise as "a tragedy for all those who defend the independence and veracity of information."

In a Tuesday evening speech in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones, NBC News reported.

Read Also: Japanese Dog Who Saved a Heart Attack Victim Now Hailed as a Hero

Leaders Pay Tribute to Arman Soldin

Per BBC, French President Emmanuel Macron praised Soldin's efforts on the front lines of the conflict. Fabrice Fries, the chairman of AFP, stated that the news agency was "devastated" by Soldin's death, which he described as a "terrible reminder of the risks and perils journalists confront every day while covering the conflict in Ukraine."

Director of Europe for the agency, Christine Buhagiar, recalled Soldin as "enthusiastic, energetic, and courageous" and "completely devoted to his craft."

In France's National Assembly, lawmakers from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Soldin. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense offered "Soldin's family and colleagues "heartfelt condolences" with the statement, "He devoted his life to informing the world about the truth. Both his legacy and his cause will endure."

The White House also paid its respects, stating that the world was "indebted" to the journalists who died "while shedding light on the atrocities of Russia's invasion."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Bosnian-born Soldin is the fifteenth journalist slain in Ukraine while covering the conflict since February 2022. At least two other French journalists, Pierre Zakrzewski, and Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, have been slain while documenting the conflict. Bakhmut has been the epicenter of conflict in eastern Ukraine for several months.

Related Article: Russia Rains Missiles on Ukraine Ahead of Victory Day Holiday; Kremlin Fears Domestic Security Threat



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After nearly 20 years of research and development, Virgin Galactic says its space-tourism service is finally taxiing up to the launch runway in southern New Mexico.

Company CEO Michael Colglazier called it a defining moment for Virgin Galactic during a first-quarter earnings conference call Tuesday afternoon.

Our excitement continues to build, Colglazier told investors. Were finally at the cusp of a defining moment for the company with commercial operations set to begin.

The company announced on Monday that its first flight to space since July 2021 will take place in late May with a six-member Virgin Galactic crew, followed by its first-ever flight with paying passengers from the Italian Air Force on board in late June.

That initial research-and-training flight with Italian astronauts, dubbed Galactic 1, will pave the way for monthly suborbital shuttles to space for adventure tourists from Spaceport America, beginning in July or August.

The first commercial flight is scheduled for late June, and thereafter, well fly on regular intervals, Colglazier said.

Commercial launch propels Virgin Galactic into its next phase of development, which aims to ramp up production of the companys next-generation Delta Class spaceships. The company has been designing the new passenger rockets for years, alongside the final development, testing and launch of its current VSS Unity spaceship and VMS Eve, the mothership that flies Unity partway to space.

Under Virgin Galactics system, when launching from the spaceport runway, Unity remains attached to Eve, which flies the rocket to about 50,000 feet. At that point, Unity breaks away and fires up its rocket motors to shoot into suborbit, allowing passengers in the six-seat cabin to float for a few minutes in microgravity and view the Earths curvature before gliding back down to the spaceport.

Eve has flown scores of times over the years, including about two dozen times with Unity attached to its underbelly. The rocket ship itself shot into suborbit on five different occasions, the last time in summer 2021, when Sir Richard Branson flew to space.

The company then spent nearly 18 months upgrading and modifying both Unity and Eve at Virgin Galactic headquarters in southern California to prepare them for regular commercial service. That grounded the ships until early this year, when the company reunited them at Spaceport America for final testing before boarding paying passengers.

That included ground testing with Eve in February, followed by validation flights that culminated with an April 26 Unity glide test, whereby the Unity broke away from Eve at 47,000 feet and floated back to ground without firing up its rocket motors.

Were very pleased with the way both ships performed, Colglazier said. That cleared the way for the Unity 25 (rocket-powered) flight scheduled for late May to conduct a final assessment of the full flight system and customer service program.

The company is now focused on two goals  moving Eve and Unity into recurring commercial flights starting this summer, and progressing into full production of the Delta Class ships, Colglazier said.

Throughout this year, subcontractors will be building parts and components to go into spaceship sub-assemblies that will be shipped next year to Virgin Galactics new rocket manufacturing plant in Phoenix, Arizona, Colglazier said. The company will do final ship construction there, with the first finished Delta Class rockets scheduled to roll off the assembly floor in 2025, followed by a year of testing at Spaceport America and then commercial service in 2026.

The Delta ships will include more robust designs and upgrades to allow for much more frequent flights, said company Chief Financial Officer Doug Ahrens.

Were designing the ship to turn on a weekly basis compared with Unity, which turns on a monthly basis, Ahrens told investors.

Thats important, because the Delta Class rockets are the key driver for future company revenue growth and profitability, Ahrens said.

In fact, Virgin Galactic expects to generate $2.7 million in revenue for every six-passenger space flight, with customers paying $450,000 per seat. And with about $400,000 in estimated operational costs for each flight, profit margins will exceed 75%, Ahrens said.

Within a few years, the company expects to produce four to six Delta rockets per year at a cost of $50 million to $60 million each.

We expect very attractive margins, Ahrens said.  The payback period for each Delta ship will be approximately six months.

Achieving those goals is critical for Virgin Galactic, which reported about $1.5 billion in operating losses from 2018-2022 as it pumped money into fully building out spaceship manufacturing infrastructure and commercial-service programs.

And it will continue to bleed hundreds of millions per year until the Delta ships start flying.

The company reported another $159 million in net losses during first-quarter 2023, up from a $93 million loss in the same period last year.

But it still has a lot of cash on hand to finance company development.

Our balance sheet remains strong, with $874 million in cash, cash equivalents and market securities, Ahrens said.

Company shares on the New York Stock Exchange remained depressed at $4.27 per share as of early Wednesday afternoon. Thats down from about $52 per share in July 2021, but its up about 22% from roughly $3.50 a share in early May.
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In a new post on the micro-blogging site, the 'Lip Sync Battle' star describes Twitter as 'a full nicotine vape' with its 'danger and destruction' which she misses.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Chrissy Teigen yearns for the "danger and destruction" of Twitter. The 37-year-old star has compared the micro-blogging platform to "a full nicotine vape" and Chrissy has suggested that Bluesky Social - the increasingly popular social media platform - is a healthier alternative.

"Twitter is a full nicotine vape and blue sky is the water vape you use to wean off. I miss the danger and destruction of twitter but I know it's better for me. It's just missing a little unhingedness, like when I lifted an entire fridge at jimmy fallon to find my juul (NEVER start) (clean now) (sic)," Chrissy wrote on Twitter.

The model - who shares children Luna, seven, Miles, four, and Esti, three months, with her husband John Legend - has more than 12 million followers on Twitter. But in 2020, Chrissy revealed that she was taking a break from social media after discussing the issue with her therapist.

She told Marie Claire magazine at the time, "I'm barely online anymore, and that was at the request of my therapist. I didn't start therapy until quarantine. I used to avoid it and make fun of the idea of it, and then I found the right person and it changed my world."

Chrissy has found social media to be a tough environment. The model also suggested that she's benefited from taking a break. Chrissy - who has been married to John since 2013 - shared, "People think I'm tough, but I'm such an empath, and I take on other people's pain and sadness as my own. And when I let people down, I'm hyperaware of it. Sometimes I feel like people aren't going to be as hard on me as I am on myself. So it's good for me to take a break."

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While preparing to release his new book about Hollywood, the 'Forrest Gump' actor insists he is prepared for negative reviews that might come from critics.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Tom Hanks believes he can "handle" criticism of his new novel. Feeling proud of "The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece" - which has been inspired by his career in Hollywood, the 66-year-old actor insists he won't be fazed by any negative reviews.

In an interview with BBC, the veteran movie star says he has become "stronger when it comes down to really being torn apart."

In his novel, Tom refers to film stars who are "cry-babies, psychological train wrecks, on-the-wagon alcoholics [and] off-the-wagon addicts." The actor also revealed that he opposes airbrushing classic books for modern audiences after novels by the likes of Ian Fleming and Agatha Christie were recently amended by their publishers.

Tom explained, "I'm of the opinion that we're all grown-ups here. Let's have faith in our own sensibilities as opposed to having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by. Let me decide what I am offended by and what I'm not offended by. I would be against reading any book from any era that says 'abridged due to modern sensitivities.' "

Meanwhile, Tom previously claimed that he's only made four "pretty good" movies during his career. The Oscar-winning actor also described the film-making process as a "miracle."

Tom - who has starred in movies such as "Forrest Gump", "Philadelphia", and "Saving Private Ryan" - told PEOPLE, "No one knows how a movie is made, though everyone thinks they do. I've made a ton of movies - and four of them are pretty good, I think - and I'm still amazed at how films come together. From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image onscreen, the whole process is a miracle."

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The country crooner, who abruptly canceled one of his shows in April, reveals that he 'felt terrible' when performing in Florida last weekend despite having taken '10 days of vocal rest.'

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Morgan Wallen has been forced to cancel six more weeks of his tour dates. The "Wasted on You" crooner shared the announcement after visiting the Vanderbilt Voice Center in Nashville.

"I'm just gonna go ahead and get straight to it. I got some bad news from my doctors at the Vanderbilt Voice Center yesterday," the 29-year-old said in an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, May 9. "After taking 10 days of vocal rest I performed three shows last weekend in Florida and by the third one I felt terrible."

Noting that he has been diagnosed with "vocal fold trauma," Morgan informed his fans that he was told to go on total vocal rest for six weeks. "They told me that if I do this the right way, I'll get back to 100% and they also said that if I don't listen and I keep singing, then I'll permanently damage my voice," he explained.

"So for the longevity of my career, this is just a choice I had to make," the country star continued. "I hate it. But I love you guys, and I appreciate all the support that you always give me."

Morgan declared that his team is working on rescheduling the affected dates. They include shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Moody Center in Austin, Texas; as well as Truist Park in Atlanta.

Morgan initially left around 60,000 fans disappointed on April 23 when he axed his concert in Oxford, Mississippi minutes before he was due onstage. Fans were asked to leave the venue with a message being shown on a screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight. Therefore, tonight's show has been cancelled," it read. "Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonight's event will be available at point of purchase."

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The famous Spanish radio host, whose real name is Renan Almendarez Coello, weighs in on his daughter and Selena's friendship when he was asked about why Francia didn't appear in 'Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me'.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Francia Raisa's father has weighed in on what happened between his daughter and Selena Gomez. Renan Almendarez Coello a.k.a. El Cucuy revealed that the "Grown-ish" alum was upset at the "Love You Like a Love Song" songstress for not stopping drinking alcohol after he donated a kidney to the latter.

The famous Spanish radio host made the revelation when he was asked about why Francia didn't appear in Selena's documentary, "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me". He first said on "Primer Impacto" last November, "Love, money and fame changes the whole world, including Selena."

EL Cucuy was then asked if the fallout between the two women was "provoked" by Selena's drinking. In response, he explained, "There's a difference when Selena is drinking... Francia told Selena that she didn't give her the kidney so she could go out and drink."

The 69-year-old went on to issue a warning to the "Only Murders in the Building" star. He declared, "Be careful. Be really careful."

Francia and Selena have been rumored to be in a feud over the years. It got worse after Selena called Taylor Swift her "only friend in the industry." When speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in 2022, she said, "I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities... My only friend in the industry really is Taylor, so I remember feeling like I didn't belong."

However, the former Disney darling seemingly shut down the speculation as she sang praise to Francia. "My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said 'No I am absolutely getting tested,' " the Rare Beauty founder recalled in an interview on Apple TV+'s new docuseries "Dear...", before adding, "Within three days, she went to [get tested], and she was a match. And it was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so so so lucky."

"I will never, ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia," the ex-girlfriend of Justin Bieber continued. "The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming."

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The 'Luv' rapper faces a minimum of nine years in prison as his legal team tries to delay the sentencing, which is set for June 13, by filing a motion to dismiss judge David Herriford.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Tory Lanez was defeated again in his attempt to escape from prosecution for the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case. His motion for a new trial was dismissed by a judge in court on Tuesday, May 9 despite his plea to the judge not to "ruin his life" the day before.

Meghann Cuniff of Los Angeles Public Press tweeted out from the courtroom, "Herriford went through the seven main arguments from Lanez's lawyers and dismantled each one. He concluded there were no errors. But he also said even if he concluded each error existed, the errors didn't have a material affect on the outcome of the trial to warrant a new trial."

According to the journalist, the judge concluded, "In the end, the jury believed the prosecution's case beyond a reasonable doubt." She reported that the judge "called out Lanez's lawyers for not mentioning any of the other evidence against Lanez when they focused on perceived problems with some evidence."

"The judge said his job is to look at all the evidence in the case, 'not cherry pick very small portions,' " the journalist reported. "He said the Instagram comment "that's not true" that Lanez's lawyers took issue with was really a very minor part of the trial."

The judge set June 13 at 10:30 A.M. as the time of the sentencing. In what Cuniff described as "a jaw-dropping move," Lanez's lawyers filed a motion to disqualify Judge Herriford from the case and argued that they didn't think the judge could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved. Judge Herriford disagreed, though.

Lanez is facing a minimum of nine years in prison. Deputy DA Alex Bott said after the hearing, "I think any time you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger five times, that's an action that could easily kill a person, and I think that's an action that should have serious consequences."

Meanwhile, Lanez's lawyer blamed his former attorney George Mgdesyan for failing the rapper due to lack of preparation time and claimed that the original 10-day trial "was a jumbled, bungled mess."

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The 'In Pieces' artist was previously trolled for sporting big afro hair when attending the premiere event for her sister Halle's movie 'The Little Mermaid' in Los Angeles.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - Chloe Bailey isn't bothered by criticism toward her hair look while attending "The Little Mermaid (2023)" premiere in Los Angeles on Monday, May 8. The "In Pieces" artist took to her Instagram account to share a message to the online trolls who mocked her for her wig at the event.

In a video, Chloe could be seen struggling while trying to remove her wig. "As a girl with locs, I'm very new to the lace front community," she told the camera. "If y'all liked my wig at the premiere, great. If y'all didn't, great, kiss my a**."

The one half of Chloe x Halle then revealed the products that were recommended to her to remove the wig glue, alcohol and oil. "We're going to see how to get this off because I'm not trying to rip my edges out," Chloe said.

She first tried the oil. However, it didn't work well so she decided it was time to try alcohol. Thankfully, it worked like a charm after she found the trick, putting the alcohol on her skin and oil on her hair.

Proving herself to be a supportive sister, Chloe joined her sister Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in "The Little Mermaid", at the premiere event. For the occasion, the 24-year-old wore a sultry yellow gown that hugged her curves. She flashed her cleavage with a sexy crystal cutout while sporting big afro hair.

While Chloe was stunning, some Internet users didn't think her hair style was the right choice. "Now Chloe why would you wear that on your head besides that everyone looks so nice and fitting for the movie colors!" one user commented. Another user wrote, "Chloe I know you probably didn't wanna get a re-twist, but baby this is The little mermaid not The lion king."

Similarly, someone else penned, "the hair. meanwhile Halle looked stunning." Another comment, meanwhile, read, "I just want to know why the hair stylist set my girl up like this!!"

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'Shake Sumn' appears on DaBaby's 'CALL DA FIREMAN' EP, which marks the first release from the artist since his 2022 album 'Baby on Baby 2'.

May 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - DaBaby heated up the Internet with a new music video for "Shake Sumn". The fiery visuals, which arrived on Monday night, May 8, shows a bunch of people dancing in a huge empty warehouse.

The clip begins with a cameo from comedian Funny Marco, who stars as a news anchor. DaBaby then shows up and that's when the party starts.

While a number of scantily-clad women show off their twerking skills, a group of men also join the chaos, dancing in different outfits. DaBaby, in the meantime, delivers his raunchy bars.

"Yeah, call the fireman, she a hot girl, put her out, ooh, I just broke a sweat in this b***h/ Get a towel, she said, 'Nothin' been happenin' now, it's a drought,' I tell her put her a** in the air," he raps. "D**k her down, go get in timeout, you a baddie/ Just sent me a spot with the addy, I get up and pop me a Addy, I get up and pop me a Addy/ I get up and catch me a flight, the s**t took 'bout four hours, went out to Cali."

Many were impressed by the new visuals. One person in particular gushed, "It's the choreo for me !! And the fact that jersey club beats and dances were paid homage to I love it." Another raved, ""Well I have to say the choreography and the vixens were a**-tonishing."

The compliment continued with one writing, "This music video too energetic and one of a kind this was to lit [fire emojis] a legendary song always deserves a legendary music video." Someone else added, "This was an amazing video simply bc everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. He had the dancers and everything I love everything about it!"

"Shake Sumn" appears on DaBaby's "CALL DA FIREMAN" EP, which was dropped on May 5. It marks the first project from the artist since his 2022 album "Baby on Baby 2", which debuted at No. 34 on the Billboard 200.

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On Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice on violating provisions by promoting electronic cigarettes during a business summit by media publishers and broadcasters. It asked the media to ensure that it does not happen again.

The notice was issued for all the media organisations, including print, electronic and digital where the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pointed out this issue. The Ministry in the notice said: It has been brought to the notice by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that in a recently organised Business Summit in New Delhi by a prominent media house, the forum was apparently used to promote electronic cigarettes.

Such an action was in violation of Section 4 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019 which prohibits advertisements that directly or indirectly promote the use of electronic cigarettes, it added.
We, at Adgully, have always saluted and honoured women managers and leaders across diverse fields. Over the years, W-SUITE, a special initiative from Adgully, has been turning the spotlight on some of the most remarkable women achievers in the M&E, Advertising, Marketing, PR and Communications industry.

On the occasion of Mothers Day this year, Adgully has come up with a month-long special series saluting the Moms in the Agency business. The series will explore how successful women leaders, who are also mothers, are achieving work-life balance, and are also creating an inclusive work environment so that the mothers in their teams can work to their full potential.

In conversation with Adgully, Anita Nayyar, COO - Media Branding & Communications, Patanjali speaks about how she maintains work-life balance as a woman leader and mother, how workplaces have appreciated and helped working mothers, and much more.

As a woman leader, how do you manage to maintain a work-life balance as a working mom? What tips would you give to other working mothers who are struggling to manage their work and personal life?

It is indeed tough to maintain a good work-life balance as a working mom. While being a mom is a priority, work has its own importance for professional, personal and financial reasons. One should not overdo any at the cost of others. Exceptions will always be there, but it is important to take help from your support system, especially today when both mom and dad share responsibilities.

How do you deal with mommy guilt while working and how do you balance your personal and professional life while being a mother? Could you share some personal experiences?

Life is never guilt free and is full of compromises. As a mother, I tried my best to balance personal and professional lives and both of them are demanding. I remember I had to attend a two-day training program in Mumbai and my daughter was very young. I did a morning evening flight on both days to be with her at night. In one of the conferences, I took my 3-year old daughter with me and would come and check her out after each session. I am glad I put in the effort and that today reflects in the upbringing of my daughters.

Could you share your experience of returning to work after maternity leave? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? What changes would you like to see in the workplace to support working mothers?

Pre- and post-maternity are challenges for moms. When you are pregnant, your bosses think you cant put in the required effort, which is untrue, and when you come back, your bosses again think that you will not be able to put in the effort, given you have a baby to attend to. It is sad that capabilities and performances are judged based on the situation one is in. I did face this, especially when I had my second daughter. My boss told me that I should be sitting home after my delivery. It is important for workplaces to empathise with working moms as they work double shifts and like many organisations, provide for baby care or flexi hours. As long as work does not suffer, being a mom should not be a barrier.

How has being a mother impacted your leadership style and decision-making as a woman leader? Have you noticed any positive changes in your leadership skills since becoming a mother?

Empathy, love and care and the need to be there always are very important aspects of motherhood. While I have always worked with empathy and cared for my teams, being a mom has only enhanced that aspect of me. It has helped me understand the needs of my team better. A leader is as good as his/ her team and if your teams resonate with you and are always supportive of you then you have succeeded as a leader. Empathy and care for the team has helped me tremendously in my style of leadership.

What steps has your company taken to support and empower working mothers, and how do you ensure that mothers are not discriminated against in the workplace?

At the workplace, one has always supported mothers and appreciated them for multi-tasking. If the culture and environment in an organisation is congenial, it automatically takes off the stress and burden and thats what I have strived to do.

How can other companies follow suit to create a more inclusive workplace for working mothers? What are the best global practices you have come across in this regard?

There are numerous steps that organisations can take to create an inclusive workplace. These steps will vary with the type and ethics of organisations. The core needs to be to make the moms comfortable, wanted and uppity them to perform. For skill sets and capabilities should never be compromised just because she is a mother and is striving to give her best.
(Photo : SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Tech CEO Beau Mann was found dead in Santa Monica, California, after he vanished in 2021.

Authorities discovered the remains of Beau Mann, the founder of a digital health company, in a courtyard area near an abandoned building in Santa Monica, California, nearly a year and a half after he vanished from an Uber in November 2021.

Mann's family stated that the 39-year-old's remains were discovered on the 2900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, approximately one mile from where his Uber driver left him off on November 30, 2021.

Sober Grid Founder Discovered Dead

Mann founded Sober Grid in 2015 as a means for those battling addiction to stay in communication and monitor one another. Users have the option of remaining anonymous or using their actual identities.

According to a statement from Sober Grid, Mann stopped at a 7/Eleven near his office around 2:00 p.m. before boarding an Uber. The company said Sober Grid has "saved thousands of lives" and will continue to "save thousands more."

Authorities from Santa Monica stated in a press release that the Los Angeles County Coroner is still investigating the cause of Mann's demise, as per Fox LA. On an abandoned property near Los Angeles, the remains of a tech Executive whose family had been desperately searching for him for over a year and a half were discovered.

Santa Monica police released a few details about where Beau Mann was discovered and how he is believed to have perished. In a Monday Facebook post, they only stated that they received a complaint about human remains being discovered in the atrium of an abandoned property.

Mann's remains have been turned over to the county coroner, who will determine the cause of death. Mann was last seen on November 30, 2021, at 2:06 p.m., outside a Studio City convenience store, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Less than ten minutes later, at 2:15 p.m., Mann texted 911, according to USA Today. Last year, Jason Abate, the fiance of Mann, stated on NBC's 'Dateline' that Mann founded the company in 2016 to create a safety network and online resource for those afflicted with addiction.

Read Also: Violent Pakistan Protests Erupt Following Former PM's Arrest

Tech CEO's Family Thanked Everyone Who Helped to Locate Him

Since his fiance's disappearance, Abate has been working to locate him, creating a Help Find Beau Mann Facebook group and devoting a popular TikTok account to spreading the word about Mann's case.

Abate previously disclosed to 'Dateline' that he and Mann were in a long-distance relationship and were scheduled to marry in June 2022. He reported speaking with his fiancee the day before he disappeared. On the Facebook page dedicated to Mann's search, his godmother, Sandy Eggers, wrote that his smile will "always enlighten us."

In a statement sent to USA TODAY, Mann's family expressed gratitude to everyone who helped in his search over the past year and a half.

Per NY Daily News, the location of Mann's remains is less than one mile from where Uber dropped him off on November 2021. Shortly after exiting the convenience store, he texted 911. Officer Jill Calhoun verified that the LAPD received Beau Mann's message during an episode of Dateline in 2022, adding that "multiple attempts were made to contact [him] via that correspondence."

Friends and family became concerned when they could not contact Mann, and they reported him missing on December 4, 2021, a few days later. On May 6, the Los Angeles County Coroner determined that the deceased was Mann. His dental records were used to identify him, but no cause of death was given.

Anyone with information regarding Mann's demise is urged to contact SMPD Detective Ismael Tavera at 310-458-2256, Ismael.Tavera@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.

Related Article: French Journalist Dies During Rocket Attack in Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Federal Council

Bern, 10.05.2023 - On 10 May 2023, the Federal Council took note of the results of the consultation on a new law on investment screening. There is widespread scepticism about the proposal, especially as it reduces Switzerland's attractiveness as a business location. The Federal Council has therefore instructed the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) to draft legislation by the end of 2023 that is limited to investments that are most critical to security.

The Investment Screening Act is intended to prevent foreign investments from jeopardising Switzerland's public order or security. The Federal Council remains of the opinion that investment screening should not be introduced. In its view, the existing regulatory framework is sufficient and the cost-benefit ratio of investment screening is unfavourable.

Majority of participants against proposal

The consultation bill was rejected by most participants in the consultation procedure. A majority expressed opposition to investment screening in principle, arguing that a restriction on investment is harmful to business and that the associated curb on economic freedom is excessive. If investment screening is to be introduced, its scope should be narrowed. The focus should be on limiting investment screening to foreign state investors, as potential threats come from these investors in particular. A significant minority, however, sees a clear need for action and is in favour of introducing investment screening, with some calling for even stricter rules.

Revision of the bill

Against this background, the Federal Council decided on 10 May 2023 to substantially revise the bill submitted for consultation. It shares the view that investment screening weakens Switzerland's position as a business location. It therefore plans to draft a substantially revised bill for submission to Parliament that still accords with Switzerland's international obligations: investment screening should be carried out when a foreign state-controlled investor takes over a domestic company operating in a particularly critical sector, such as defence equipment, electricity transmission and production, or health and telecoms infrastructures. This new draft bill will be significantly less detrimental to businesses than the proposed legislation that has already undergone consultation.

The EAER conducted a consultation on an investment screening act from 18 May to 9 September 2022. With the adoption of the Rieder Motion (18.3021), Parliament requested that the Federal Council draft corresponding legislation.

Address for enquiries

GS-EAER Information Service

info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

+41 58 462 20 07

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch




The Federal Council

Bern, 10.05.2023 - The Federal Council wants to simplify address management and to this end, create a national address service (NAS). At its meeting of 10 May 2023, it approved a dispatch to Parliament on the new Federal Act on the national system for the retrieval of addresses of natural persons. The national address service will enable certain administrative offices and third parties with a legal mandate to retrieve the address data of the resident population throughout Switzerland. Address retrieval is currently only possible at communal or cantonal level.

The national address service (NAS) will simplify administrative processes and lend greater efficiency to public services. For the NAS, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) uses the address-relevant parts of individual data provided on a quarterly basis to the FSO under the Register Harmonisation Act (RHA) from the communal and cantonal population registers. In the NAS, data are completed with change notifications updated on a daily basis. This eCH (government standards) notification type is already used when data from the communal and cantonal population registers are communicated to the federal population registers.

Access to the NAS is restricted according to data protection and depending on the purpose for which data is to be used. Users can only obtain data in order to fulfil their defined, statutory mandate. The FSO issues access rights and verifies compliance with the terms of use.

Efficient, modern data management

The NAS offers multiple simplifications for address management in the administrative agencies at all three levels of government as well as for authorised third parties with a statutory mandate. Reductions will be achieved, for example, in payment losses due to undeliverable invoices to persons who can no longer be found, in returns in written correspondence and in the effort required for setting up and maintaining interfaces as well as for data management. In addition, the NAS brings added value in the form of improved data quality, more uniform administrative practice as well as improved transparency of data use by the authorities.

Construction of the NAS is a project of Digital Public Services Switzerland (DPSS) by whom it is funded. The start is planned for 2025. The operating costs of the NAS will be fully covered by user-paid fees. The residents' register office of the communes, which manages address data in the population registers, will be able to use the NAS free of charge.

Address for enquiries

Manuela Lenk, FSO, Interoperability and Registers Division,

tel.: +41 58 469 28 41,

e-mail: manuela.lenk@bfs.admin.ch



FSO Media Service,

tel.: +41 58 463 60 13,

e-mail: media@bfs.admin.ch

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



General Secretariat FDHA

http://www.edi.admin.ch




The Federal Council

Bern, 10.05.2023 - At its meeting on 10 May 2023, the Federal Council appointed State Secretary Livia Leu as Swiss ambassador to Germany. She will take up her new post in autumn 2023, replacing Paul Seger, who is retiring. The FDFA is appointing a selection committee to select Livia Leu's successor. The Federal Council has announced further appointments as part of the usual transfer rotation.

After three years as head of the FDFA's State Secretariat, Livia Leu is transferring to Berlin at her own request. Before taking up her current post, Ms Leu served as ambassador in Tehran and Paris. As Switzerland's ambassador to Germany, she is once again taking on a strategically and diplomatically pivotal task. In Berlin, she will be responsible for maintaining political, economic, cultural and scientific relations with the neighbouring country that is Switzerland's most important trading partner.

Chief negotiator with the EU

The Federal Council appointed Leu as chief negotiator with the EU in October 2020. As state secretary, she was responsible for renegotiating the institutional agreement with the EU in 2021. After these negotiations were concluded, Leu set the general direction of a new negotiating package with the EU, which the Federal Council adopted in February 2022. She has been conducting exploratory talks with the EU on this basis since then, and has thus played a key role in getting the talks between Switzerland and the EU off to a new start.

As substantial progress has been made in the exploratory talks, the Federal Council will decide on the key parameters of a negotiating mandate with the EU at the end of June. Livia Leu will serve as state secretary until the end of August. The talks with the EU will not be affected by this change.

Head of State Secretariat

Since 2021, Livia Leu has also overseen the FDFA State Secretariat's restructuring process, which has bolstered the department's geographical and thematic coherence. On this basis, she also launched the new Foreign Policy Strategy 202427 together with the other departments.

The Federal Council thanks Livia Leu for her committed and successful work as state secretary.

The FDFA is appointing a selection committee to select her successor.

Other appointments

As part of the usual transfer rotation in the FDFA, the Federal Council today announced several other appointments and conferments of ambassadorial titles.

Salman Bal, currently director (with ambassadorial title) of the International Geneva Welcome Centre (CAGI) in Geneva, has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Tajikistan, based in Astana.

Mirko Manzoni, currently personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Mozambique, has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Africa, Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kingdom of Lesotho and Republic of Mauritius, based in Pretoria.

Danielle Meuwly Monteleone, currently regional head of cooperation in Tbilisi, has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Nepal, based in Kathmandu.

Thomas Stahli, currently deputy head of mission in Beijing, has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Azerbaijan and to Turkmenistan, based in Baku.

Stefano Vescovi, currently deputy head of mission in Lima, has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cuba and to Jamaica, based in Havana.

Conferment of an ambassadorial title

Christoph Konig, currently head of the Policy Issues and International Relations Section and deputy head of Planning and Strategy at the Swiss State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) within the FDF in Bern, has been conferred the title of ambassador for his new function as head of Planning and Strategy and deputy State Secretary for International Finance at the SIF within the FDF in Bern.

Address for enquiries

For further information:

FDFA Communication

Tel. +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service +41 460 55 55

kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) offers a range of social grants to provide financial support to various vulnerable groups, including children and pensioners. These grants play a critical role in alleviating poverty and reducing social inequality in South Africa.

Children Support Grant

Firstly, the Child Support Grant (CSG) is one of the most significant grants provided by SASSA. This grant is available to primary caregivers of children up to the age of 18, provided that they meet the requisite income threshold. The grant is intended to help cover the basic costs of raising a child, such as food, clothing, and school-related expenses. The CSG has made a considerable impact on reducing child poverty rates in South Africa since its implementation.

For children with severe disabilities, SASSA offers the Care Dependency Grant. This grant is aimed at caregivers of children who require permanent care due to severe mental or physical disability. To qualify, a full medical assessment must be conducted to confirm that the child requires full-time care.

SASSA Pensioners Grant

When it comes to pensioners, SASSA provides the Older Persons Grant, commonly known as the old age pension. This is available to men and women aged 60 years and over who meet specific income and asset thresholds. The grants aim is to provide a basic level of income support to elderly persons who have no other means of financial support. It plays a significant role in reducing poverty among South Africas elderly population and helps to ensure that they can afford basic necessities such as food, housing, and medical care.

SASSA Disability Grant

The Disability Grant is another grant available for adults, including older adults, who have a disability that prevents them from working. To qualify, the applicant must undergo a medical assessment confirming the disability.

SASSA grants are means-tested, meaning that they are targeted at individuals and households that fall below certain income and asset thresholds. While these grants are not designed to provide a comprehensive income, they do provide a safety net for some of South Africas most vulnerable populations. The accessibility of these grants has been improved over the years through measures such as electronic payments and the decentralization of grant application processes.

Its important to note that the specifics of these grants including the grant amounts, eligibility criteria, and application processes may change over time as they are subject to policy adjustments. Therefore, its always best to check the most recent information on the SASSA website or contact SASSA directly for the most accurate and up-to-date information. You can also do a SASSA status check to see where your payment is currently in the process.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, the SASSA grants for children and pensioners in South Africa play a crucial role in providing financial support to vulnerable populations, combating poverty, and promoting social equality. These grants are a testament to the countrys commitment to ensuring the well-being of its citizens, particularly the most disadvantaged.
Maharashtra State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule asserted on Wednesday that the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance can demonstrate majority support, if necessary, by garnering 184 or more votes in the 288-member Assembly, ahead of the Supreme Courts decision on the Shiv Sena-centric political crisis in Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters, Bawankule also cautioned that commenting on the SC ruling before it is pronounced is akin to contempt of court.

In March this year, the apex court reserved its verdict on a batch of cross-petitions by Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde factions pertaining to last years political crisis in the state, including one seeking disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs (of Shindes party) who revolted against Thackerays leadership.

Even the opposition leader (Ajit Pawar) and Sharad Pawar know that there is no threat to the incumbent Eknath Shinde-BJP government. But if the need arises, we will prove majority by winning more than 184 votes in the state Assembly, Bawankule said while replying to a query on the possible SC verdict. He said some people are speculating about the verdict, and if the top court takes cognizance, it can initiate strict action.

Bawankule was responding to comments attributed to some opposition leaders, wherein they reportedly said that CM Shinde would resign before the apex courts ruling.

He said the upcoming elections would be contested under the guidance of CM Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. The next government will also be formed by the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. We will together win 48 Lok Sabha seats and also win the Assembly elections (due in the second half of 2024), he claimed. Bawankule informed that the state BJP has launched Ghar Chalo Abhiyan to reach 1 crore houses.

Under this campaign, we plan to reach 60,000 houses in each Assembly segment in Maharashtra and strengthen the booths. We will take welfare schemes launched by the Centre and state governments to the common man, he added. Bawankule also spoke about organisational changes in the state BJP on May 15. District presidents and tehsil office-bearers will be appointed from May 20 to June 10, he added.
The Patanjali Yoga Sutras have been interpreted and stated by many people over time. In ancient times, Patanjali wrote the sutras on palm leaves, but most of his teaching was done orally, and students learned by way of sutras. The word sutra comes from the same root as the medical term suture, meaning to join or embrace together. When a teacher illustrated a piece of knowledge, the student would be given a short axiom that would later remind them of the greater body of material. This was somewhat the same as modern-day cue cards.

Patanjali Yoga Sutras places emphasis on four stages, Samadhi Pada, which expresses the goal of concentration as a means of achieving vairagya (detachment) through abhyasa (practice); Sadhana Pada, which describes Kriya yoga (yoga of action) and the steps to eliminate worldly suffering and reach a yogic state. Vibhooti Pada is the fixing of the chitta (the chitta primarily represents ones mindset, or state of mind) in a particular place or area, either physical or psychological. That is, the desha (status) may be a particular place in the body, such as a chakra, or it may be a visualized image, such as a yantra, or a thought, such as a mantra. This mental activity itself produces a vritti. And the last one is Kaivalya Pada, Kaivalya means solitude or detachment in Sanskrit. In this case, it refers to the isolation of purusha from prakrti (nature), and therefore the liberation from rebirth and freedom from suffering. As such, the chapter Kaivalya Pada is about the final liberation. So, Samadhi Pada defines what yoga is, Sadhana Pada describes the eightfold path of yoga, and Vibhuti Pada explains the benefits of yoga.

Mythologically, Vishnu, the maintainer of the universe, sleeps between conceptions, resting on the multi-headed serpent Anantha, floating on the ocean of attentiveness. When Shiva, the Nataraj, woke Vishnu with his dance of creation, Anantha asked for a wish to be born as a great teacher. Shiva granted his wish, and he was born as Patanjali in the palm of the great Yogini, Gonika. In the early 11th century, the Persian scholar Al Biruni visited India, lived among Hindus for 16 years, and, with their help, interpreted several significant Sanskrit works into Arabic and Persian. One was Patanjalis Yoga Sutras.

There are also many arguments on the yoga sutra, such as that Al Birunis text has striking variances from yoga sutra manuscripts discovered in India during the 19th century. Al Birunis record has helped modern scholars establish that Patanjalis Yoga Sutras manuscript existed in India in many versions, each with multiple explanations by Hindu scholars. Some of these versions and commentaries have either vanished or been undiscovered. Let us not get into these discussions, but the fact is that we Hindus believe that yoga was preserved by the sadhus (ascetics, sannyasis) of India. Some of the Hindu yoga elements were adopted by the Sufi sect of Muslims in India. If we look at Buddhism, the yoga scholar Stephen Cope identifies many similarities between Raja yoga and Buddhism. He notes that the two philosophies are not the same but are strikingly similar, having shared a long period of interchange up to about 500 CE.

Some medieval Indian texts on yoga refer to Rajayoga as one of many types of yoga. For example, the 17th-century Sarvanga yoga pradipika, a Braj-bhashya commentary by Sundardas, teaches three tetrads of yoga. The first group is Bhakti yoga, Mantra yoga, Laya yoga, and Carcha yoga; the second is Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Laksha yoga, and Ashtanga yoga; and the third is Samkhya yoga, Jnana yoga, Brahma yoga, and Advaita yoga. Of the twelve, Sundardas states that Rajayoga is the best yoga.

One meaning of Raja yoga is as a modern retronym introduced by Swami Vivekananda, when he equated Raja yoga with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. After its circulation in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, many Indian scholars reviewed it, then published their notes and commentary on it. Together, they form a norm called the Patanjalayogasastra .

Patanjalis Yoga Sutras may be a synthesis of three traditions. From the Samkhya school of Hinduism, the Yoga Sutras adopt the reflective discernment (adhyavasaya) of prakriti and purusha (dualism), its intangible rationalism, and its three epistemic methods for gaining reliable knowledge. The yoga sutras are adages. They are 196 in number. The interesting thing about them is that they are mostly two liners. These short Sanskrit aphorisms have deep meanings. If you have a guru or teacher to guide you through the yoga sutras, then ultimate attainment is possible. One needs to consider each sutra for a long time to understand its underlying meaning. Sutra contemplation helps to purify the mind. Youll be amazed to learn what yoga really is from these sutras.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word Yuj, which means union or to join. Sutras are concise aphorisms; compressed knowledge that is easy to remember. Purify yourself through steady restraints, such as non-violence, and observances, such as moderation. This is how to live in a way conducive to Self-Realization. Its not a pre-meditation thing but rather a lifestyle you activate to think better, among other reasons. After pranayama, ultimately, a breathing technique comes to focus on the breath, the mind, the body, chakras, or any number of internal objects. When single-pointed focus is achieved, this is called Dharana. Once this focus is achieved, it is called Dhyana. After a certain amount of time spent in this absorption, cosmic consciousness dawns. This is samadhi. Its higher- energy. This is the union of matter and spirit, the union between personal and divine consciousness. This state of mind and body is bliss, ecstasy, tingling, sudden insight, siddhis, and other God-consciousness-type effects. Repeated exposure to this state results in liberation, freedom from suffering, spiritual enlightenment, and self-realization.

The studies suggest that a normal human being will have 6000+ thoughts per day, which is about six and a half-thought fluctuation per minute. All these thoughts that keep coming into our minds can be positive, negative, or neutral. And these various thoughts in our mind drive the mood and emotions, and that is what will show in our acts or expressions. If each one of us practices the sutras, one can attain peace and stability in life. Ishwara (God, or the supreme power that controls every cosmic action and nature cycle) is the ultimate! It is nature! It is life! It is the spirit! something that is very difficult to describe but is possible to feel.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is expected to see record defense orders as Japan goes on its biggest military build-up since World War II.

According to forecasts, Japan's biggest orders for its Aircraft, defense, and space units will rise to 42 percent to $7.40 million in the first year of their five-year $318 billion military build-up. This will double their defense spending to approximately two percent of gross domestic product, as reported by Reuters.

It was in April when Japan's Ministry of Defence awarded Mitsubishi Heavy contracts worth 378 billion yen to build a new longer-range missile force to deter China from using military force in East Asia.

Japan also picked the maker of the World War II era fighter to develop a new joint advanced fighter in partnership with Britain's BAE Systems PLC and Italy's Leonardo.

Japan and Its Military Forces

Japan has a long history of militarism, including its role in World War II. However, since the end of the war, Japan has maintained a pacifist constitution and relied heavily on the United States for its security.

In recent years, however, Japan has been increasing its military capabilities in response to perceived threats from China and North Korea. This has included the establishment of a new amphibious unit, the acquisition of advanced military hardware such as F-35 fighter jets, and increased defense spending.

Critics of Japan's military buildup argue that it risks destabilizing the region and could lead to an arms race with China. Proponents, on the other hand, argue that Japan needs to be able to defend itself and its interests in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.

Read also: Japan and Philippines To Boost Military Partnership Amid China's Growing Aggression

Japan Preps for China?

Japan's military buildup is largely in response to perceived threats from China, which has been increasing its military presence and asserting its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas. Japan has also been strengthening its alliances with other countries in the region, such as the United States and Australia, to counterbalance China's growing influence.

(Photo: by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images) IRUMA, JAPAN - JANUARY 31: Members of the Japan Self-Defense Force stand by aircraft during a visit by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (not pictured) at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Iruma Air Base on January 31, 2023, in Iruma, Japan. Stoltenberg is visiting Japan to strengthen bilateral ties between the country and the E.U., local media reported.

Furthermore, Japan's concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs have also played a role in its military buildup. The regime has conducted several tests of ballistic missiles that have flown over Japanese territory, causing alarm among the Japanese public.

In addition to acquiring advanced hardware such as F-35 fighter jets and Aegis-equipped destroyers, Japan has also been developing new capabilities for amphibious operations. This includes the establishment of a new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade tasked with defending remote islands against potential invasion.

Overall, while there are valid arguments both for and against increasing military capabilities in East Asia - one thing is clear: this region remains highly volatile and susceptible to conflict if diplomatic efforts fail or unforeseen events occur which require rapid responses from governments across different nations involved therein (including but not limited to hotspots).

Related article: Japan Announces $320 Billion Military Build-Up Plan Amid Regional Tensions; Its Biggest Since World War II

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Fewer teens and young adults are in Alabamas foster care system, signaling improvements, but a new report says more must be done to connect young people to resources necessary for success later in life.

State experts say the report will help Alabama move forward to address gaps in the foster care system, the Department of Human Resources and other agencies.

I think going forward, it gives us a blueprint to work with DHR and to work with our other partners now that we know where the current numbers are, said John Stone, director of advancement at Childrens Aid Society of Alabama.

The study, conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, highlighted outcomes for the 2,181 foster care youth aged 14-21 in Alabama in 2021. Some of the key findings include:

The population of Black youth in foster care has dropped by almost 20% since 2006 while the population of white youth has increased by 7% and Hispanic youth by 5%.

The number of children entering the foster care system because of neglect has dramatically increased nationwide, by nearly 20%. But in Alabama the raise has only been marginal, by 3%.

The leading reason for entry into foster care in Alabama was child behavior problems in 2021. The percentage of children entering the system for that reason rose from 18% in 2006 to 26%.

Mirroring national trends, more children are being placed into kinship care and fewer are being placed in group homes.

Group homes used to be the most common placement for children in 2006. In 2021, the majority of Alabama children were placed with people they were not related to.

Fewer children stay in foster care past their 18th or 19th birthdays.

Compared to the national average, youth in Alabama foster care are less likely to use transition services like academic supports, vocational training and housing assistance.

In 2021, young adults who aged out of the foster care system were less likely to have health insurance, employment, be enrolled in postsecondary institutions or have a high school diploma compared to the national average. They were, however, more likely to have stable housing.

Advocates have praised some recent efforts to increase resources for young adults to have independent lives after foster care. Alabama has programs like the Alabama Education and Training Voucher program and Fostering Hope scholarships available to help foster youth fund school, but many youth are not aware of them.

I do think a lot more youth are taking advantage of [these programs] but its just getting out the information to the schools and to the kids. I think COVID kind of probably stopped a little bit of thatthat information can kind of get lost during a shutdown especially when the programs are new, said Torre Mcdonald, independent living program director at Childrens Aid Society of Alabama.

Mcdonald said Alabama has begun trying to close that gap by designating officials in charge of those programs to reach out to schools and to build connections with foster children who are close to aging out.

I think that were getting there now and the state has identified the need and theyve designated specific people where their only job is to reach out and make sure the resources are there. They reach out to all of the high schools to say like hey, do you have anybody that could benefit from these programs said Mcdonald.

Childrens Aid Society provides a variety of services for foster youth and families, including shelter for young mothers and their children, adoption support, child trafficking solutions, parenting classes and independent living programs.

The organization even held a ceremony for foster care youth who are graduating from high school over the weekend in Montgomery.

I do think awareness is increasing for whats available to young people and Im hopeful for the next reports that come out that progress will keep rising, Mcdonald said.
Fairfield is set to open its first charter school next year, adding to a growing charter landscape in the greater Birmingham area.

The Alabama Public Charter School Commission unanimously approved Independence Preparatory Academys charter application Tuesday. The K-8 school joins six other Birmingham-area charter schools. It plans to open its doors to local kindergarten and 2nd-grade students in 2024 and add a grade each year.

Leaders say the academy aims to meet the needs of the most deserving students in the area by providing extra learning support and college and career opportunities.

Our mission is to foster a learning environment that prepares students to break the cycle of poverty, improve their lives, and strengthen their community, founder Calandra Sales said at a presentation before the board on Tuesday.

Read more on Alabama charter schools:

Once a booming Birmingham suburb, Fairfields population declined as the steel industry waned, exacerbating poverty in the area.

Today, nearly three-fourths of Fairfield students are economically disadvantaged. As of 2022, 21% of Fairfield students were proficient in English and language arts and 4% were proficient in math, according to state data.

To help bridge gaps and boost proficiency, Sales said Independence Prep staff will be intentional about using time within the school day to support students who need extra math and reading instruction.

Students will receive between 40 minutes to an hour of reading and math acceleration at least four to five times a week, Sales said, in addition to regular coursework. Teachers will also offer time in the day to talk with students about their individual goals  whether thats improving their score on a test or improving their writing skills.

Independence Prep leaders have partnerships with several community organizations to expose students to a variety of career fields. Twice a year, students will spend two weeks completing career-oriented projects, called Eagle Quests.

Sales believes her approach will help grow Fairfields tax base and contribute to a renewed and thriving city.

The model, she said, is based on a prototype she developed during her time at New Schools for Alabama and Building Excellent Schools, two organizations that help to strengthen charter leaders, as well as a series of community and parent surveys.

At least half of the schools board members live, work or worship in Fairfield, she added.

But some district leaders are wary about the schools ability to serve all students.

Our neighborhood is going through a lot of trauma, Superintendent Regina Thompson said at a public hearing last month. Were not just any regular school district for you to just come in and take over and say OK, we want to serve and do better. It goes much deeper than that. Our kids really need a lot of help. They need a lot of servicing.

Fairfield City Schools is not a charter school authorizer, meaning they have no control over local applications.

Still, Thompson said that she wished Independence Prep leaders came to her first about the proposal to ensure that leaders had the proper support for students with disabilities and other populations.

She added that the district also has a robust character education program and has worked hard to address learning loss.

I think as partners, sometimes we can come together and do those things, she said. But first we have to come to the table.

Commissioners Paul Morin and Luis Ferrer echoed Johnsons concerns at the Tuesday meeting, asking leaders for substantial proof of the schools commitment to provide costly services like buses and school meals.

Its very obvious that you have a very strategic plan of instruction and engagement with the kids, Morin said. But at the end of the day, they have to eat and they have to get there and they have to get home.

Sales said she is confident the school can sustain its facilities and services, including up to five special education staff members. She has already received $330,000 in funding from New Schools for Alabama and anticipates a total of $2.45 million in start-up grants, she said.

We really do have a lot of supporters, locally and internationally, who are providing critical resources and services to our school and we are so grateful to have them behind this, she said.

A total of 13 charter schools have opened in Alabama since the states charter law was passed in 2015. Freedom Prep Academy in Titusville and The Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy in Mobile are set to open next year as well.

At the same meeting Tuesday, the commission denied an appeal for I Dream Big Academy, a Montgomery-based charter.
Two bills that would expand public support for private education got approval from an Alabama Senate committee Wednesday.

With the clock ticking on the legislative session, its unclear whether theres time to get them to Gov. Kay Iveys desk. Democrats heavily criticized both bills, saying they divert money from public schools and undermine improvements in and accountability for the states chronically struggling schools.

The PRICE Act, SB202, would bring universal vouchers in the form of Education Savings Accounts to Alabama. Another bill considered in committee, SB263, would allow more students to use tax credit scholarships already available in the state. Both bills, broadly speaking, allow funding that would otherwise go to Alabama public schools to help students attend private schools.

Montgomery Catholic Prep School President Justin Costanza spoke in favor of the changes, telling committee members the tax credit scholarships have helped the school continue to operate.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, argued passionately against allowing public money to fund private school education, saying lawmakers are doing nothing to help failing public schools. We aint doing nothing for public education, Smitherman said. We keep taking money out of public schools and doing all these beautiful projects and leaving these kids behind.

School choice options in Alabama

The two bills are among several being considered this session that might expand school choice options for Alabama families in different ways. Additional efforts include:

HB334 , from Rep. Danny Garrett, would create a tax credit scholarship for students with unique needs.

HB442 , also sponsored by Garrett, would expand scholarship programs and create a program manager position to oversee the efforts, modeled after Utahs ESA program.

Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he wants to conduct a side-by-side comparison of the different options proposed during the session.

Weve still got a lot of work to do, he said, adding that the PRICE Act doesnt have his good seal of approval yet.

The amount of additional money being put into the scholarship program and into ESAs was a big sticking point with Democrats who questioned why lawmakers wouldnt use that money to improve the current public schools.

Original estimates on the PRICE Act stated the cost could be as high as $600 million if ESAs were available to all eligible students likely to use them. The committee capped the number of ESAs that would be made available to a cost of not more than $50 million for three years.

It just seems to me what you all have been doing since 2010 is cruel and unusual punishment to the Alabama public school system, Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, said, alluding to education reform policies Republicans have brought in since taking control of the legislature in 2010. Why dont you just present a bill to do away with it?

Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said lawmakers have no control over private schools.

How do we justify handing our money over to somewhere where we have any control or even know what theyre going to do with that money once they get there?

During public hearings held on each bill, opponents also questioned a lack of accountability for private schools, which are relatively unregulated in Alabama.

Alabama Association of School Boards Sally Smith told lawmakers that public schools must meet lawmakers standards for tests and instruction, but private schools dont.

If youre taking an ESA, Smith said, none of those things are required.

Andy Ryan from the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, one of the organizations that distribute tax credit scholarships to students, thanked lawmakers for considering expanding eligibility.

During the spring scholarship application period, he said, We have to turn away thousands upon thousands of families across the state, some who are in your districts, who are looking for some education option theyve never been provided.

Smitherman said he doesnt have a problem with people who want to send their kids to private school, but they shouldnt take public money.

This money needs to go for tutoring, and the money needs to go for equipment maintenance, he said.

Eagle Forum President Becky Gerritson spoke in favor of the PRICE Act, saying other states have seen a low percentage of students use ESAs. She said she believes the program wouldnt have a big negative impact on public school money.

After the meeting, Gerritson told AL.com she thinks the majority of Alabama residents will stick with their current public schools.

People are mostly happy, but we need to provide options to parents who are not happy whose kids dont fit the mold that the public schools provide. And so this is just honoring parents and their families and letting them choose what is best for their kids.

The PRICE Act is one of the Eagle Forums legislative priorities for this session.

The PRICE Acts sponsor, Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, told AL.com the bill doesnt indicate a lack of confidence in public education, but instead gives parents freedom.

If the parents want to vote and say, I dont have confidence in public education, I want my children to go in this direction, then this enhances their freedom to do that.
Morgan Wallens touring hiatus left the Gulf Coast Jam with a big hole to fill on short notice, but organizers found just the man for the job: Kenny Chesney.

Organizers of the event, which takes place June 1-4 in Panama City, have announced that Chesney will step into a lineup that includes Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown, HARDY and other country acts.

Our Jammers love Kenny Chesney and have been asking for him to headline for years, said Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady. We are so thankful his schedule permitted him to step in and entertain our sold-out crowd Saturday night.

Anyone who knows anything about the touring business, for an artist the caliber of Kenny Chesney to be open on the exact night we needed him, is truly a blessing, said Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam COO Mark Sheldon. We will be praying for Morgan and know he will be back out entertaining fans soon.

Jam organizers described the date as an extension of Chesneys I Go Back tour, which will bring him to The Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach on May 27. That show appeared to be sold out as of Wednesday, with the only options on Ticketmaster being verified resale tickets starting at $244 each.

The Gulf Coast Jam also is sold out. For full information, visit gulfcoastjam.com.

Chesney also has added an appearance at the Carolina Country Music Fest, another event where Wallen was to appear before he announced he was taking a six-week break to save his voice from permanent damage. The Carolina fest is being held June 8-11 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
It could be the most head-turning building in all of Alabama, and it could be yours  sphinxes and all  for an asking price of $7 million.

The Temple Downtown, as the structure has been known in recent years, sits a block from Mobiles Cathedral Square and it truly is hard to miss. Built in 1921-22 for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, its four stories tall with sloping, slab-sided walls evocative of ancient Egyptian pylons or even the pyramids. Two horse-sized sphinxes flank a main entrance worthy of a small fort or castle, and a couple of obelisks rise from the rooftop.

Surviving buildings in the Egyptian Revival style are rare anywhere, and the Temple is certainly unique in Mobile. Its also on the National Register of Historic Places. Its provenance includes the fact that it was designed by George Bigelow Rogers, an architect responsible for numerous Mobile landmarks of the early 20th century.

Bryan J. Olson, an agent with a background in architecture and design who has experience renovating historic properties, is handling the listing for Roberts Brothers TREC. He ran down some of the buildings many features: A ground-floor ballroom with a capacity of 1,000 people, with stage and commercial kitchen. Office space above that could be converted into residential space. A full basement suitable for conversion into a speakeasy-type club. A vast fourth-floor room decorated for the Scottish Rites ceremonies, with velvet-draped murals of Egypt. An expansive rooftop gathering space flanked by those obelisks, designed in part to camouflage chimneys. (Many of these features can be seen in a photo gallery at robertsbrothersstudio.com.)

The familiar sphinxes in front of the Scottish Rite Temple at Claiborne and St. Francis streets have enjoyed many paint schemes over the years. Here they're shown in a fresh coat of yellow. (Mark R. Kent/Press-Register)Mark Kent/Press-Register

The building is heavily famed in steel and concrete, with a six-foot-thick ceiling, Olson said. He said tax records reckon the interior space at about 58,000 square feet, though he said hes not sure thats perfectly accurate because there are hidden passages in there.

The dream client would be someone who understands the historicalness of the building, who wants to maintain that historic fabric, he said. Someone whos willing to develop it in a multi-use manner. A potential event space, restaurants, maybe a boutique hotel. It could be a mini-city within those walls.

That vision has been there for more than a quarter-century, said Scott Gonzalez, who bought the property around 1995. About 2019, he said, he partnered with a co-owner, Frank Ellis.

For Gonzalez, the Temple story begins with the Three Georges candy store, a business that was founded in 1917 and stayed in family ownership until 1992, when Gonzalez bought it and the historic Dauphin Street building that houses it from Euple Pappas.

Like many American downtowns, Mobiles had suffered through blight in the 1970s and 1980s as retailers moved away, chasing customers and they sprawled out into suburbs. In the early 90s, downtown Mobile was just beginning so show the first tender shoots of revitalization. Gonzalez said he was among those who thought better days might be ahead and wanted to invest. He approached Pappas about leasing the Temple, only for her to offer a sale price that he found irresistible.

He wont say exactly what that price was, but it reflected the fact that downtown Mobile wasnt at its best. It was really, really cheap, lets put it that way, he said. It was what I paid for a house in Oakleigh. It was really, way, way down there.

Of course, the property came with some challenges. She always said, with me she found her a sucker, he said. Candy humor, right?

Gonzalez said that the Scottish Rite had been grandfathered into fire code changes, but as the new owner he had to face a centurys worth of accrued regulations. Putting the full building into commercial service would have required some massively expensive upgrades, so he kept the upper floors shuttered. At that point I kind of looked at it as a one-story building with a great facade, he said.

From the mid-90s to the present, the Temples ground floor saw intermittent use as an event space. While that was far short of the potential one might imagine for it, positive things were happening: Over that quarter-century, revitalization took root along Dauphin and Conti streets, blossomed along Royal Street and rocketed back down once-desolate St. Louis Street. Large-scale properties, such as the 18-story Merchants Bank building off Bienville Square, have attracted investors whove renovated them into mixed-use developments.

Gonzalez said his approach has been to keep the roof from leaking and keep the air conditioning going so that the Temple didnt deteriorate. He reckons that a full-on renovation might cost $15 million to $25 million  but that the time has come when those numbers might make sense for an investor, given the progress that downtown Mobile has made.

Olson said the building is eligible for tax credits and grants that could support a renovation.

Mobile's Temple Downtown has been something of a blank canvas for the last 30 years; this image from December 2022 shows it being used as a slate for a temporary tape art mural in a project facilitated by the Mobile Arts Council. Now it's for sale, raising the potential it could see development as a commercial mixed-use space.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

Gonzalez said he always knew that realizing the Temples potential was a tall order, but that he bought it partly as an investment, banking on the possibility that downtown would overcome its doldrums.

Its been a really interesting ride to have that building and preserve it to the extent that I can, said Gonzalez. But now that downtown is coming back, and Im getting close to retirement age, Im like, okay, its time to pass that baton along and see what really can be done with that building.

I think its a great opportunity, and a great opportunity for Mobile, for it to be a showplace, he said.

Its certainly a rarity.

Its absolutely one of the most interesting Egyptian Revival buildings in the country, said Olson. I dont think, if you were to Google that, Egyptian Revival, much would pop up.
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.

 By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press
Four people have been charged in the weekend shooting death of a 16-year-old boy that the Montgomery police chief called a horrendous crime.

Montgomery police on Tuesday announced the arrests of Rodney Moncrief, 21, Benjamin Hamilton, 19, Marcus Jones, 18, and Liclifford Gilmer, 21. All of the suspects are from Montgomery.

They are charged with capital murder in the Sunday slaying of the teen boy. The victims identity has not yet been announced.

They are also charged with two counts each of attempted murder in the wounding of two other people.

Moncrief, Jones and Hamilton were taken into custody Monday. Gilmer was arrested on Tuesday.

If crime is the life you choose, prison is the price youll pay, said Chief Darryl Albert.

Police and fire medics were dispatched at 8:28 p.m. to a report of a person shot in the 1500 block of Hale Street.

When they arrived, they found the 16-year-old boy dead. MPD Deputy Chief John Hall said multiple shots had been fired at the teen.

Court documents say the charge is capital murder because the shots were fired from a vehicle.

All four suspects are being held without bond in the Montgomery County Detention Facility.
Two bills modifying the schedule and rules of the Contract Review Committee are provisions allowing the Alabama Attorney Generals Office to withhold information in professional service contracts.

SB 222, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Gurley, was passed by the House Tuesday. HB 372, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, passed committee last week. The bills include sections allowing the attorney generals office to redact information for professional service contracts it awards to legal firms who will represent the agency in litigation.

The Senate bill was amended on the House floor Wednesday. The bill allows the attorney general to redact the names of the people on a professional service contract for litigation. But it adds language that this subsection does not protect any information from being disclosed, as appropriate during the course of the litigation.

The bill passed the Senate on May 2.

More from Alabama Reflector

It is so people wouldnt get doxed like they were in the last go around, there was an issue that came up, Givhan said Thursday in an interview. He did not discuss specifics.

The committee reviews contracts state agencies enter with outside attorneys, and consider the monetary among, the firm itself and the justification for the contract.

It is not an appropriate way to respond to potential scrutiny of spending of public dollars, said Randy Susskind, deputy director at the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates for social justice issues, in an interview on Tuesday. There is no evidence or documentation of evidence or harassment or anything. There is no basis for saying a contractor has been harassed.

The measure blocks the public and media from knowing about the parties receiving public dollars while allowing legislators access to the information.

I dont think this would stop anyone from telling the legislators who the money is going to, Susskind said. Reporters or the public will not have access to it.

In February, the Alabama Department of Corrections went before the Contract Review Committee with an award to YesCare, the contractor selected to provide health care to people incarcerated in prisons throughout the state.

Members of the committee raised concerns about the $1 billion contract and lawsuits the company was involved in. Much of the attention dealt with Bill Lunsford, an attorney representing the state in a lawsuit brought on by inmates against Corrections alleging it didnt provide them with adequate mental health while incarcerated.

The new rule may make obtaining names such as Lunsfords back to the episode in February prove more difficult moving forward.

With this set of bills in place, it leaves open the possibility of restricting the publics access to information, which further restricts government transparency.

Givhan said all would be disclosed at the right time.

It all would come out in discovery in the trial as part of the process, Givhan said. It just wouldnt allow someone to be lambasted by people who did not like they were going to testify before it even came to trial.

The question is the timing.

Sometimes it takes years for a case to be resolved, so this is something that means there will be no public scrutiny or accountability for contracts for years, Susskind said. At that point it will too be late to question the contracts.
Nearly a year after the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, some Alabama lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow people who get abortions to be prosecuted for murder and assault in certain situations.

HB454, introduced by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would repeal the standing provision that prohibits prosecution following an abortion.

The bill could lead to prosecutions for anyone who terminates a pregnancy after fertilization, though it retains protections for people who are victims of domestic violence of assault.

The bill follows claims from lawmakers and public officials that Alabama would not prosecute people who get abortions, though some confusion occurred following Attorney General Steve Marshalls claims in January that women in Alabama could be prosecuted for using medication to terminate their pregnancies.

Marshall later backed down on the claims, and his deputy communications director told the Washington Post that the Attorney Generals beef is with illegal providers, not women.

The 2019 Human Life Protection Act, Alabamas current law regarding abortions, prohibits prosecution of pregnant people who receive abortions and limits criminalization to medical providers. Yarbroughs bill would eliminate that prohibition.

Yarbroughs bill would:

Allow duress as a defense for murder when the defendant is a mother who is pregnant with the victim

Expand the definition of person to begin at the moment of fertilization

Prohibit prosecutions if a pregnancy is accidentally terminated as a result of legal medical care to save the life of the patient and all other reasonable alternatives to the medical care or treatment have been exhausted.

Repeal the provision in current law that prohibits homicide or assault prosecution following the termination of a pregnancy

Provide that any prosecution taking place after an abortion would be treated the same as prosecutions of homicide or assault of a person born alive.

The bill would not apply to pregnancies terminated in an event of domestic violence or assault. It also does not clearly protect miscarriages or subsequent abortions following them.

Alabama remains sharply divided on the issue of abortion, which has been banned in nearly all instances since the summer of 2022.

Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, about 500 abortions, typically medication abortions, were performed in Alabama each month, according to one estimate.

It is not known whether any legal abortions have occurred in-state since 2022, and some conservatives in the state are pushing for further restrictions.

Marshall has been vocal in his resistance to U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved abortion pills.

At the federal level, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has placed a hold on U.S. Department of Defense nominees in protest of a trio of policies from the organization that provide former service members seeking abortions with assistance. Critics have said the hold is damaging U.S. national security.

At the state level, Democrat Sen. Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile has introduced legislation that would repeal the Human Life Protection Act. Should the act remain in place, Figures also introduced a bill to allow abortion exceptions in pregnancies that are a result of rape or incest. Currently, the Human Life Protection Act provides no exceptions unless the abortion is necessary to save the life of the patients.

Across the state, protests and rallies have occurred both in support of and in opposition to abortion restrictions and bans.

Read more:

Lawmaker wants to repeal Alabamas old misdemeanor abortion law that was in place before Roe v. Wade

Sen. Figures on abortion bills: Women are still crying out loudly

Alabama lawmakers propose tax credits for anti-abortion center donors

No women are currently signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.

Yarbroughs bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It will undergo a committee discussion that will determine whether it heads back to the House floor for a vote.
A pregnant Florida teen missing for one week is believed to have been found dead early this morning in Alabama.

Anastasia Gilley, 19, was last seen at her Jackson County, Florida, home on May 3. She was four months pregnant.

Her sister posted on Facebook that someone heard her scream near her home about 10:30 p.m. that Wednesday and she had not been heard from or seen since then.

Her phone, purse and other personal belongings were found at her home. Also, her sister said, she didnt show up for work and missed a doctor appointment.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Office this morning said their investigators, along with the Houston County Sheriffs Office, have been working around the clock since they received the missing person report.

The investigation quickly led to the arrest of an Alabama man, who has been in custody since earlier this week, the Jackson County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

The suspect has been uncooperative throughout this entire investigation.

The suspect has not been identified nor have formal charges been announced.

Authorities said information gathered through interviews and other investigative techniques led law enforcement to various locations in Houston and Jackson counties.

Earlier today, a body believed to be Gilley was found near Headland in Houston County.

This is a large, multi-state investigation, and is ongoing, but a suspect is in custody and is not a threat to the public, the sheriffs office wrote.

As this tragedy continues to unfold, (Jackson County) Sheriff Edenfield and Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim, the press release stated.

Sheriff Edenfield would also like to thank everyone who has assisted and continues to assist in this investigation.
China supports Europe's strategic autonomy: FM

Xinhua) 10:36, May 10, 2023

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend a joint press conference in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China supports the development path chosen by the European people and supports Europe in achieving strategic autonomy, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said here on Tuesday.

Qin made the remarks while meeting with the press along with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock after their talks in Berlin.

Noting that Tuesday is the "Europe Day" and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-European Union (EU) comprehensive strategic partnership, Qin said China has always maintained a stable and continuous EU policy.

As a key partner for Europe in addressing risks and challenges, China welcomes Europe to continuously share Chinese market opportunities and development dividends, so as to promote the joint development of China's modernization and Europe's integration, he said.

Qin said that China and Germany, as major economic powers in the world and all-round strategic partners, should uphold strategic autonomy, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation to serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the long-term livelihood and welfare of all mankind.

The two sides agreed to make every effort to prepare for the upcoming seventh round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation and map out a comprehensive plan for practical cooperation in various fields in the coming period. The two sides also agreed to increase coordination in multilateral fields and strengthen cooperation in COP28 and biodiversity, Qin said.

"China is willing to work with Germany to play as the promoters of global economic recovery, the maintainers of world peace and stability, and the defenders of the post-war international order," Qin said.

He called on the two sides to maintain and develop the existing cooperation, create a favorable environment and stable expectations for the enterprises of the two countries to cooperate, and provide stronger growth momentum for the global economy.

Europe has gone through two world wars and the Cold War, Qin said, noting that to achieve perpetual peace is the dream of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, while lasting peace remains an important goal in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China and Europe should work together to build a better tomorrow with lasting peace and universal security, Qin said.

Taiwan's return to China is part of the international order after World War II, Qin said, noting that any party who sincerely hopes for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and is sincerely committed to maintaining the international order should strictly abide by the one-China principle and resolutely oppose any act of "Taiwan independence."

The Ukraine issue is highly complex, simplicity and emotionalism are not the solution, Qin said. The only way out is to remain calm and rational and create conditions for a political solution, he noted.

"China is neither the creator of the crisis, nor a party directly concerned, but an advocate of peace and a promoter of peace talks," Qin said, voicing the hope that German will play a leading role and put forward concrete proposals for building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework.

Qin is on a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of his German, French and Norwegian counterparts.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
An American ex-pat was detained by local police in Cavite, Philippines, on Tuesday, May 9, on suspicion of murdering his Filipina live-in partner and disposing of her remains in a plastic barrel, Rappler reported.

Filipina Slain by American

According to a report filed by Colonel Christopher Olazo, head of the Cavite Provincial Police Office, the corpse of 48-year-old Mila Loslos was discovered inside a blue barrel at her home. The victim's body was wrapped in a trash bag and secured with duct tape.

American national William Thomas Worth, 71, was taken into custody by police at the residence of the victim in Brgy. Habay 1, Bacoor City, at around 1:30 PM local time on Tuesday.

The victim's son, 21-year-old Las Pinas resident Nino Jay Loslos, reportedly contacted police in Bacoor after discovering his mother missing. The last time he saw his mother was on May 5, four days since the report.

Nino Jay followed the advice of the police in Bacoor and went to his mother's roommate in search of information about her location.

According to Nino Jay, the suspect was located at his own residence. When he questioned Worth about his mother, the latter said he was unaware of her whereabouts.

However, the unpleasant smell that filled the home heightened the son's suspicions. He returned to the police station and made a request for assistance.

The criminal act was uncovered by Nino Jay's accompanying police force. After investigating, the Cavite Provincial Forensic Unit found three knives and a nylon rope at the site of the crime. The suspect also had injuries all over his body, according to the officials.

The police have said that an autopsy will be performed on the victim's corpse to ascertain the cause of death.

Bacoor law enforcement has taken Worth into custody to formally prosecute him soon. The police contacted the US Embassy for assistance with the investigation.

According to CBS News, a representative for the US Embassy in Manila told AFP, "We are aware of this case. Due to US Privacy Act considerations, we cannot provide any further information."

See Also: Tech CEO Beau Mann Found Dead in California Nearly 2 Years After Disappearance on Uber Ride

Comparable Case

This crime may sound familiar and similar to the 2014 Jennifer Laude case, but not exactly. A few years back, a US Marine was convicted of murdering a transgender Filipina in a hotel room.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, 20 years old at the time, was convicted guilty of murder for choking and drowning 26-year-old Jennifer Laude in a hotel bathroom toilet. Pemberton, who was on shore leave in Olongapo City for joint military exercises, murdered Laude one night in October 2014 after discovering she was transgender.

The murder sparked demonstrations by transgender rights activists and others in the Philippines.

See Also: French Journalist Dies During Rocket Attack in Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The City of Birmingham will invest $1.3 million to renovate space on the ground floor of a parking deck, turning it into a restaurant, and plans to lease the space to YoMamas.

Yo Mamas, a busy restaurant on Second Avenue North famous for its chicken and waffles, will move to 2098 Fourth Avenue North under the plan. Thats the parking deck directly across from the Harbert Center.

Its a match like chicken and waffles, since Yo Mamas needs more space and the city needs a tenant willing to spend some of their own money. The expected cost of renovation into a restaurant is $1.7 million; Yo Mamas would pay about $400,000 towards that.

Theyve been a staple in Birmingham for many years; theyll be celebrating nine years of existence in November, said Cornell Wesley, the citys director of Innovation and Economic Opportunity.

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved the plan to spend $1.3 million from Birmingham Parking Authority proceeds to improve the space.

Built in 1974 and expanded in 2009, the deck was planned with a retail entrance, but no tenant was ever found to develop the space.

Deck 3 was designed with this intent in mind, said City Council member Darrell OQuinn.

Yo Mamas will lease the space from the Birmingham Parking Authority, and if the restaurant ever leaves that location, the city would find a new tenant, Wesley said.

Its really an investment in ourselves, Wesley said.

What Birmingham is known for is our night life and our food offerings in our downtown hub, Wesley said. Helping Yo Mamas expand is a way to double down on the things that were known for, he said.

We are fortunate that Yo Mamas is in our community, Wesley said. Theyre a great fit.
Florida rejected 35% of the social studies textbooks publishers hoped to sell to public schools this year and forced others to delete or change passages state leaders disliked, including references to why some citizens are choosing to Take a Knee to protest police brutality and new calls for social justice after the death of George Floyd.

A press release from the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday said 66 of 101 textbooks submitted have been approved, many after making changes the state demanded. On April 6, the department gave approval to only 19 of the books but then worked for the past month to get publishers to update their texts.

The goal was materials that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric, said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz in a statement.

The textbooks are for elementary and middle school social studies classes as well as civics, economics, U.S. history and world history courses.

In addition to social justice topics, some of the textbooks initially rejected failed to accurately describe communism and socialism, the department said, and those passages were revamped to emphasize the negatives of both economic systems.

Florida routinely vets textbooks before putting them on its approved list  from which districts buy books for their schools  to make sure they align with state standards, or the benchmarks for what students should learn in each course and grade.

The process became highly political a year ago, however, when the state initially rejected 42 math textbooks, a historic number, and touted the news with a press release that said, Florida Rejects Publishers Attempts to Indoctrinate Students.

Gov. Ron DeSantis administration sounded a similar alarm Tuesday.

The political indoctrination of children through the K-12 public education system is a very real and prolific problem in this country, tweeted Bryan Griffin, DeSantis press secretary. Just look at some of these examples from textbooks submitted this year to @EducationFL.

Griffin highlighted a passage from a middle school textbook that described a socialist economy as one that keeps things nice and even and without unnecessary waste. The passage went on to say, These societies may promote greater equality among people while still providing a fully functioning government-supervised economy.

The department did not indicate what textbook included that passage but shared the new version about planned economies that replaced the one about socialist economies. The new passage reads, Critics say these planned economies have slow development and fewer technological advances in part because they limit human incentive. In other words, why do anything if the government is eventually going to do it for you?

The other examples the department shared included two related to social justice, police brutality and racism. The elementary school textbook that mentioned people taking a knee during the National Anthem as a form of protest was deleted as not age appropriate, the department said. So was a passage from a middle school book that discussed new calls for social justice, including the formation of the Black Lives Matter group and the protests after the killing of Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer.

The department also disliked that a middle school textbook about the Holocaust asked, What social justice issues are included in the Hebrew Bible? The line was changed to What are some of the key principles included in the Hebrew Bible?

The DeSantis administration last year claimed the math books contained critical race theory, the idea that racism is embedded in American institutions, and other unacceptable topics such as social emotional learning and culturally responsive learning.

DeSantis and other Republicans argue CRT aims to make white children feel guilty and to teach children to hate the United States and that, while traditionally a graduate school topic, its tenets have seeped into K-12 classrooms. The Legislature last year passed what the governor dubbed his stop woke act that outlaws the teaching of the concept in public schools.

Opponents of DeSantis efforts argued the real aim was to prevent children from learning about tough topics such as slavery and racial discrimination and said they feared it would lead to a whitewashing of history.

Most of those who reviewed the math textbooks  math teachers and professors  found nothing objectionable in the texts, with only three of about 70 reviewers raising concerns about CRT. Eventually, many of the rejected books were approved after making some changes. The three reviewers who raised questions about the math textbooks were a member of the conservative Moms for Liberty group and two people affiliated with the Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan aligned with the DeSantis administration.

The math book rejections stunned school district administrators, who had already made plans to purchase the rejected textbooks  which were part of a longer list first posted to the education departments website. As they typically do, committees of teachers and curriculum experts reviewed the books before recommending which ones should be purchased and had not found material they found objectionable.

The districts needed to buy new math textbooks last year and new social studies textbooks this year to make sure their instructional materials match with new state standards for those subjects.

Mindful of what happened last year, Orange County Public Schools decided to select both first and second-choice options for new social studies books this year. The Orange County School Board approved its list of recommended books April 25, but the district has not yet made any purchases, which could cost more than $21 million.

The social studies textbooks OCPS selected as its top choice for elementary schools is on the rejected list the education department released Tuesday. The district could go with its second-choice option, which is approved, or wait to see if the other wins approval in the coming weeks.

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2023 Orlando Sentinel. Visit at orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, was arrested Wednesday on federal criminal charges ahead of an expected court appearance.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and to pay off his credit cards.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm and running for Congress.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Peace said.

Santos was taken into custody Wednesday at a federal courthouse on Long Island and was expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day.

Reached by the AP on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things. In reality, he didnt work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didnt go to college and had struggled financially before his run for public office.

Questions about his finances also surfaced. In regulatory filings, Santos said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

Many of Santos fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty.

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.
U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain under seal.

The people could not publicly discuss specific details of the case until it is unsealed and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The unsealing would happen when Santos appears in court, which could come as soon as Wednesday.

Reached on Tuesday, Santos said, This is news to me.

Youre the first to call me about this, he said in a brief phone interview.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment. The charges were first reported by CNN.

The New York Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees and a history as a star volleyball player. Serious questions about his finances also surfaced  including the source of what he claimed was a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands of dollars in back rent.

Santos has resisted calls to resign and recently announced he was running for reelection. He said his lies about his life story, which included telling people he had jobs at several global financial firms and a lavish real estate portfolio, were harmless embellishments of his resume.

Pressure on him to quit, though, has been intense. Reporters and members of the public hounded him. He was mocked on social media and late-night television. Fellow New York Republicans demanded he resign, saying he had betrayed voters and his own party with his lies.

Nassau County prosecutors and the New York attorney generals office had previously said they were looking into possible violations of the law.

Besides questions about his life story, Santos campaign spending stoked scrutiny because of unusual payments for travel, lodging and other items.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and urged regulators to investigate Santos. The mountain of lies Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should prompt the commission to thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money.

In his filings with the FEC, Santos initially said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000  money he claimed came from a family company.

Yet, the wealth necessary to make those loans seems to have emerged from nowhere. In a financial disclosure statement filed with the clerk of the U.S. House in 2020, Santos said he had no assets and an annual income of $55,000.

His company, the Devolder Organization, wasnt incorporated until spring 2021. Yet last September, Santos filed another financial disclosure form reporting that this new company, incorporated in Florida, had paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, plus another $1 million to $5 million in dividends. In one interview, Santos described the Devolder Organization as a business that helped rich people buy things like yachts and aircraft.

Court records indicate Santos was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens between 2014 and 2017 because of unpaid rent.

Some Republicans, including those in his district, have sharply castigated Santos for his dishonesty. The Nassau County Republican Committee, which had supported his candidacy, said it would not support Santos for reelection.

Santos lost his first race for Congress in 2020 but ran again in 2022 and won in a district that is in the suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.

A local newspaper, the North Shore Leader, had raised issues about Santos background before the election but it was not until a few weeks after the election that the depth of his duplicity became public.

The New York Times reported that companies where Santos claimed to have worked, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, had no record of him having been an employee. Baruch College, where Santos claimed to have gotten a degree in finance and economics, said he hadnt been a student.

Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has also come under question, including claims that his grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.

During his campaign, he referred to himself as a proud American Jew.

Confronted with questions about that story, Santos, a Roman Catholic, said he never intended to claim Jewish heritage.

The Times also uncovered records in Brazil that show Santos, when he was 19, was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop in the city of Niteroi, which is near Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.
Voters in Alabamas 10th-largest city overwhelmingly rejected in a referendum Tuesday a proposal that would overhaul the citys form of government.

Madison, a suburb of Huntsville with almost 60,000 people, will not change its governing format that would have substantially alter the role of the mayor and reduce the city council from seven districts to six.

In unofficial results, 75 percent of voters opposed the proposal. There were 5,553 votes against the proposal while votes in favor were 1,865.

Madison will continue with its mayor-council form of government that is most prevalent in Alabama.

The city of Madison was happy to see engaged citizens for this election, Madison Mayor Paul Finley said in a statement Tuesday night. Our community voiced its opinion to continue operating under a mayor-council form of government. We have a proven track record of success with this form of government, and we have managed growth and numerous projects for long-term progress. Your elected officials will continue to work hard for quality of life in Madison. Whichever way you cast your vote, as council and mayor, we are encouraged in our communitys involvement with municipal government.

The referendum culminates a process that began in 2021 when Madison Mayor Paul Finley appointed a governance transition committee to study the issue of the city possibly implementing a council-manager form of government that is common nationwide but rare in Alabama. That commission unanimously concluded that adopting a council-manager format was ideal for Madison.

A group in support of the change, Madison Forward, led the effort to collect enough signatures on a petition to put the issue before voters in the referendum -- a process concluded in February and approved by the probate judges in Madison and Limestone counties. Parts of Madison are in both counties.

Under the proposal, the mayor would become a voting member of the council as an at-large representative. To make room for the mayor, the council would be reduced from seven districts to six. The council would also hire a city manager to handle day-to-day activities while the mayor would remain the face of the city and, with the council, set the vision for Madison.

Opponents raised concerns about the restructuring of the city council as well as questioning the accountability of an unelected city manager.

Only 14 cities in Alabama operate under the council-manager format while, nationwide, 40 percent of towns and cities with populations of more than 2,500 people use council-manager. Thats the most common municipal governing format across the country, followed by mayor-council at 38 percent.
An east Alabama man missing for eights months was fatally shot, according to newly released court documents.

Anniston police on Friday night announced the arrests of Gavin Snider, 25, and Keither Snider, 50, in connection with the disappearance and death of 31-year-old Deangelo Dee Allen.

Allen was last seen Sept. 21, 2022, in the area of Old Coldwater Road in Anniston. Family members told authorities its unlike Allen, a father, to disappear and not contact them.

His remains have not yet been found.

Police released no details about what they believe happened to Allen or what led to the charges against the suspects.

According to the warrants against the Sniders made public this week, Allen was shot to death sometime between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.

A press release issued by Sgt. Jason Hawkins said only that the murder charges were made through continued efforts of Anniston Police investigators, the 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit, and the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Ford.

Other records indicate that the victim knew the suspect.

Keither Snider in 2022 sought and obtained a Protection from Abuse order against Allen, claiming physical abuse and threats of violence. That order was set to expire July 11, 2023.

The records state that the two lived in the same home at the time of the PFA request.

Friends and family have been out physically searching for Allen since his disappearance and started a Facebook page which has more than 5,000 members dedicated to Allens disappearance.

Members of the group had previously made multiple posts about Gavin Snider as a potential suspect.

Police Chief Nick Bowles said in January said that Allens disappearance was involuntary, and we believe multiple people are involved.

Gavin Snider was already in the Calhoun County Jail on unrelated charges. Keither Snider was taken into custody on Friday.

Earlier Friday, before the arrests were publicly announced, Allens mother, Adisa Pruitt, changed the name of the Facebook group from Searching 4 Dee Allen to DeAngelos Hope.

We will never stop looking for and fighting for Dee, but our hope is that another family doesnt have to go through what we went through and if they do then they will have us to stand up and advocate on their behalf, Pruitt wrote. We have faced many challenges in the past eight months. Dealing with the police was extremely difficult for us.

We are grateful to everyone on social media for spreading awareness of Dees story and the mistreatment we faced from the police department, she wrote. Lets continue to not only search four Dee but for justice for all those missing, murdered, and mistreated.
Leaders of the Alabama Democratic Party said they correctly and democratically passed new bylaws that eliminated some minority caucuses and reduced the power of others.

The bylaws were approved on a 63-49 vote by the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) on Saturday after a contentious meeting that one faction of the Democrats called undemocratic, and which drew the attention of the chair of the Democratic National Committee.

The new bylaws eliminate the partys youth, LGBTQ+ and disabled caucuses. Supporters of the bylaws said the caucuses, did not represent 15% of the executive committee.

More from Alabama Reflector

The bylaws also reduced the powers of the affirmative action; Asian and Pacific Islander; Hispanic; and Native American caucuses to monitor the affairs of the groups listed.

The leadership of the party, aligned with minority affairs chair Joe Reed, said the old bylaws, approved in 2019, took power away from Black Democrats. In a press release that was not shared with the press, Randy Kelley, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the new bylaws corrected the problems caused by the illegal bylaws passed by Doug Jones and (former DNC Chair) Thomas Perez four years ago.

Attempts to reach Kelley on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The release, acquired by the Reflector on Monday evening, said no one lost representation. It asked members to read the new bylaws and to not pay attention to disgruntled losers.

The LGBTQ+ were not kicked out, the Native Americans were not kicked out, the Youth were not kicked out, the Asians were not kicked out, nobody was kicked out, the release said. NO ONE LOST REPRESENTATION. All persons who are in the SDEC will be represented based on their numbers in the Democratic electorate.

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones said in an interview on Tuesday that the 2019 bylaws added more at-large officers and allowed members of minority caucuses more representation in the SDEC.

In 2019, the party became more inclusive and gave voices to people who did not have voices at all in the party, he said.

Jones said that accomplishment did not happen by diminishing Black Democrats representation. Instead, he said that adding the minority caucuses complimented Black participation.

The former senator said Black representation on the committee reflected Black voters being 60% of the Democratic electorate. The only demographic that was reduced was white democrats.

Among at least, the youth caucus that was added and the LGBTQ caucus that was added, many of those  in fact, probably half of those  were also Black, Jones said. So they did increase the numbers of the minority caucus.

The DNC would have never allowed bylaw changes that reduced the Black electorate, he said.

The new bylaws say the SDEC will provide for representation as nearly as practicable of the diversity constituencies as indicated by their presence in the Democratic electorate of Alabama. According to the bylaws, the chair of party, currently Kelley, can set the percentages that would provide that representation.

The statement from Kelley also accused Tabitha Isner, vice chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, of spending every waking hour trying to undermine the current and progressive goals that we have put forward, and that losers lost.

Isner said in an interview Tuesday that she doesnt know why there is so much animosity towards her. People, even within the same political ideology, can disagree, but to get things done, you have to work with people, even when you dont like them, she said.

Its hard to find two politicians who have not disagreed on something at some point, she said. And yet, were required to keep working together.

She said that the party is not sending a message of unity. She said that its both divisive and derisive, and that it reenforces a narrative of racial animosity that the vast majority of Democrats and Alabama are ready to be moving past.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a tweet on Monday that Democrats must lead by example.

Allegations surrounding Alabamas state party meeting are troubling, he wrote. Im grateful to those who raised concerns & were looking closely into the situation.

Daniel Wessel, deputy director of communications at the Democratic National Committee, referred to Harrisons tweet when contacted on Tuesday.

Jones said the fight over the bylaws was a clash of old and new ways.

You have a new generation that wants to be engaged, that is trying to do things to move forward, to live up to Alabamas promise, and that is inconsistent with the older generation maintaining control, he said.
A controversy involving race and party politics that surfaced in the Alabama House of Representatives continued today.

In an interview, state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, a Black Democrat from Birmingham, fired back against comments a Republican colleague made about her on a radio program. On the House floor today, another Democrat denounced the same comments as demeaning.

The comments came from House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, who appeared on the FM Talk 106.5 program Midday Mobile, as reported by 1819 News. During an interview, Pringle talked about Givan and her exchange on the House floor last week with the only Black Republican in the House, Rep. Kenneth Paschal of Shelby County. Pringle was in the speakers chair at the time and the debate was about Paschals bill on parental rights.

Givan and other Democrats came to the mic to speak in opposition to Paschals bill. Givan brought up a song by the Black rapper Jay-Z, The Story of O.J., which repeatedly uses a form of the N-word. Givan did not use the word but partially quoted the lyrics when speaking to Paschal. Paschal did not respond and the debate moved on to the next speaker.

The state Republican Party later demanded an apology from Givan, saying that she had vulgarly referred to Paschal with a racial slur. Paschal also issued a statement, saying Givan repeatedly inferred she was calling me a racial epithet. Givan said she would not apologize and demanded an apology from the state GOP for asking her to apologize.

I have a right to debate and my debate style is different, Givan said. I was not disruptive in any way last week. I went back and I reviewed the tape. I did not call anyone the N-word.

On the radio program, Pringle said Givan and other Democrats were attacking Paschal rather than the substance of his bill.

Hes a black Republican, and they just hate him, Pringle said. And it was very visceral what they were saying to him when they were all coming down, you know, and attacking him.

Pringle talked specifically about Givan.

I sat next to her for eight years, and some days, her medication is not quite working, and you can tell, Pringle said. He said Givan had been physically dragged from the House floor and from committee rooms. He commented on Givans eyelashes.

Givan, asked today about Pringles comments, said they were defamatory and false.

To accuse me of being on drugs or on any type of medication of any sort, to talk about my eyelashes, to talk about my image as a woman, I was very, very insulted as a Black female, as a woman, period, Givan said. And then to allege that I had ever been dragged out of the House chambers at any time, or out of this building, which is a lie.

In 2019, Givan had a contentious encounter with then-House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. Givan called her Republican colleagues cowardly and said she refused to stay on the plantation. She shouted at McCutcheon after he struck his gavel and had her microphone cut off. Givan left the House floor voluntarily after McCutcheon called for security. McCutcheon said Givan had used obscenities and said he would not tolerate such conduct. Givan apologized but said she stood by her point that she should have been allowed to continue to speak.

Speaking about that incident today, Givan said, I wasnt apologizing for saying I refuse to stay on the plantation. I meant what I said to the speaker at that time. Just as I meant it then, I meant it now.

Again, I am a strong person, Givan said. I am a fierce debater. But what Rep. Pringle did, I am requesting that the speaker take action against him for his decorum, his defamatory comments against me.

A Democratic colleague, Rep. Mary Moore of Birmingham, criticized Pringles comments on the House floor.

A member of this body took to the media this weekend to demean another member of this body, to the extent to lie on that person, to say that security had to drag that person out of this chamber as well as out of a committee meeting, Moore said. And then to talk about this person being drugged up and on medication. And talk about the persons makeup.

To come out and demean one of our colleagues the way that this person did I think is beyond the call of duty and deserving of some type of attention, Moore said.

The Montgomery County Republican Party has also weighed in on the controversy. The party passed a resolution condemning Givan for comments it said were racially charged, morally crude, and beneath the decorum of public office. The resolution called on the House to censure Givan and remove her from committees.

Givan said today she stood by her comments and would not apologize for the exchange with Paschal. She wore a pin bearing the image of U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm of New York, the first African American woman to serve in Congress, and the message Unbought & Unbossed.

I do not fear the Republican Party, Givan said. They do not scare me. And for them to say that I have been belligerent, I have been on a tirade over the course of the last few days, that is a lie. I was very calm. And I was very deliberate in my debate. I have not been outraged. I simply called things as they are.

Givan questioned the Republican Partys outrage over the use of racial slurs directed at Black people.

When have they ever been concerned about one Black person even remotely calling another the N-word? Givan said. I dont even use that word. Anybody who knows me knows I dont use that word. I always spoke against using it. Are they just as concerned when they use the N-word or they are around somebody when they use it or in the presence of someone who uses it? When have they become such moral compasses with regards to race in Alabama?

.
Workers from cities surrounding Birmingham have the top ten longest commutes in the state (time wise) according to a study released last month by Stacker.

Chelsea was ranked as having the longest average one-way commute in Alabama at 35.4 minutes, which sits around 5 minutes under the average drive time from Chelsea into downtown Birmingham according to Google Maps.

The most likely explanation for this average commute time and similar averages for the other top ten cities is workers driving into the Birmingham metro each morning for their jobs according to James Fowler, director of the Birmingham Department of Transportation (BDOT).

One of the biggest determinants of commute time is distance, said Fowler. Birmingham is lucky in that we are a jobs center for the region.

We actually have the largest employer in the state located here in downtown, which is UAB. So, people that live in Birmingham are more likely to have a short distance to travel to get to their job. Some people in Birmingham actually walk to work. My own commute takes me about 12 minutes.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said there should be no efforts to block different ideological groups, including white nationalists, from serving in the military and criticized President Joe Biden for taking steps to remove them even as concerns about extremism in the military dates back to the Trump administration.

Tuberville, a staunch supporter of the military and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the comments in a Monday interview with WBHM, a National Public Radio station in Birmingham.

Asked if he believed white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military, Tuberville said in referring to the Biden administration, They call them that. I call them Americans.

Related: Audio of Tuberville interview with WBHM

Tuberville also said in the interview that singling out any ideological group is detrimental to the military.

We are losing in the military so fast, Tuberville told WBHM. Our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why? Ill tell you why, because the Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that dont believe in our agenda, as Joe Bidens agenda. Theyre destroying it. This year, we will not reach any recruiting goals in the military. So if we want to talk about looking weak, thats where were going to look weak. We cannot start putting rules in there for one type, one group and make different factions in the military, because that is the most important institution in the United States of America, and our allies, is a strong, hard-nosed, killing machine, which is called our military.

Tubervilles office issued a statement Wednesday to AL.com to clarify the senators comments.

Sen. Tubervilles quote that is cited shows that he was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military, the statement from a spokesperson said. He believes the men and women in uniform are patriots. (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin seems to think otherwise, subjecting them to extremism training as his very first act in office. That cost us four million man hours.

While Tuberville is skeptical that there are white nationalists in the military, its a concern that traces to the Trump administration. CQ Roll Call reported in February 2021 about a Pentagon report released in October 2020 that paints a stark picture of white supremacist inroads in the U.S. military.

The report also outlined steps the military was taking to remove them from the armed services and measures to keep them out. CQ Roll Call described the Pentagon report as saying extremism is a threat but to what degree was not clear but there were concerns about possible violence and endangered morale.

A defense department press release on Jan. 14, 2021  a week after the insurgence at the U.S. Capitol attempting to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election and in the final days of the Trump presidency  included the headline No place in DOD for extremism, white supremacy, officials say.

We  are doing everything we can to eliminate extremism in the Department of Defense, Gary Reed, the director for defense intelligence and counterintelligence, law enforcement and security, said in the press release. DOD policy expressly prohibits military personnel from actively advocating supremacist, extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology or causes.

Tuberville, in the interview, focused his criticism on Biden and Austin, the defense secretary.

We, our military and Secretary Austin put out an order to stand down and all military across the country, saying were going to run out the white nationalists, people that dont believe how we believe, Tuberville said. And thats not how we do it in this country. We have got so much division up here (in Washington) that, not for the country. You know, this is not for any individual, this country. This country is for all of us. And were all the same. It doesnt make any difference if youre rich, poor, black, white. It doesnt make any difference. Everybodys an American, has opportunity to make this country better. Weve made it 247 years. But Im going to tell you what, were walking a tightrope right now, at how much longer this country is going to make it, as we all know it.
New York Congressman George Santos, a Republican, was taken into custody at a Long Island courthouse on Wednesday morning after the Department of Justice unsealed a 13-count federal indictment against him.

The charges against him include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, according to NBC News.

The GOP politician, who lied about his education and background during his campaign, will be arraigned at 1 p.m. ET, Wednesday, where the charges will be read.

After being taken into custody in Melville, Long Island, where the FBI is located, George Santos was transported to the courthouse in Central Islip.

The congressman's attorney and spokespeople for the Brooklyn US Attorney's Office, the Justice Department, and the FBI have declined to comment on the George Santos arrest, CNN reported.

According to a reliable source, George Santos was returning to New York on Tuesday evening and missed House votes for the evening.

Read Also: DeSantis Signs New Bill To Limit TikTok Access at Schools

George Santos, a freshman congressman, was elected last year to represent a district comprising parts of Long Island and Queens. He has been under investigation by multiple jurisdictions and the House Ethics Committee.

Top Democrats, along with some New York Republicans, have been urging George Santos to resign, citing allegations ranging from criminal conduct during his campaign to petty personal dishonesty dating back more than a decade, according to The Hill.

George Santos Will Keep His US House Post

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he will examine the allegations against Santos before deciding whether to expel him from the House of Representatives.

George Santos is still permitted to hold office and serve his constituency despite the federal charge.

According to House Rules, a member is required to resign from committees and stand aside from party leadership if they are charged with a crime that carries a minimum penalty of two years imprisonment.

Geoge Santos left his committee duties in January due to the continuing scandal and is not a member of the House GOP leadership.

Related Article: Title 42: Texas Governor Resumes Busing Migrants to Sanctuary Cities Ahead of Impending Influx

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In the words of Carly Simon youre so vain.

Or maybe that should be were so vain?

A new study by BonusFinder.com  and like all these sorts of things you should take it with a grain of salt  ranks Alabama as the second most vain state in the country. The ranking is all based on the percentage of people who said they edit their selfies before posting on social media.

According to the study, 52% of Alabama residents admit to editing selfies before posting  68% of women and 30% of men.

That puts Alabama just behind West Virginia at 55%. Of this percentage, 50% are women and 44% are men. Interestingly, West Virginian males rank fourth among the most concerned about their appearance online in the US, behind Wyoming, Delaware and Hawaii.

Nebraska takes the third spot, with 50% of residents admitting to editing their photos. However for Nebraskans, this was heavily weighted towards the female population with 83% editing photos, while only 17% of males confessed to editing before posting.

Also in third, with a score of 50% is Utah, female residents here are most likely to edit selfies at 83%, while fourth place goes to Iowa with 48% of residents admitting to editing selfies. Of Iowans, 61% of females admitted to making edits, while 39% of men answered that they do.

Heres the top 10 vainest states, with percentage showing the figure for the number of residents who edited a selfie before posting:

1 - West Virginia - 54.5%

2 - Alabama - 51.6%

3 (tie) - Nebraska - 50%

3 (tie) - Utah - 50%

5 - Iowa - 47.5%

6 - Oregon - 46.2%

7 - Louisiana - 45.3%

8 - Missouri - 45.1%

9 (tie) - Montana - 45%

9 (tie)- Rhode Island - 45%

The rankings were determined by a uStats.org survey with 6,100 Americans between the dates of April 6-14. You can see the complete study here.
Two burglars used a van to smash their way into a Montgomery business, and authorities are asking for the publics help in identifying the suspects.

The crime happened April 10 at an undisclosed auto parts business in the 2600 bock of Eastern South Boulevard, according to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers.

Investigators said the two suspects backed the van into the storefront, causing significant damage to the business. The crime was captured on surveillance cameras.

Two burglars used a van to smash into a Montgomery business last month, and authorities are asking for the publics help in identifying the suspects. (Central Alabama Crime Stoppers)

Once inside, authorities said, the suspects stole multiple tire and rims.

Both men were wearing dark clothing, face coverings and sweatshirts. The white Ford van had a Montgomery license plate.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the identification of the suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867). Tips can also be submitted through P3-tips app.
Update 10:07 p.m.: The children were found safe and the suspect has been located, according to the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency. ALEA has canceled the Amber Alert

Original story: State authorities issued an Amber Alert for three children, ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years old, they said were in extreme danger after being abducted Tuesday.

Rhiannon Faye Taylor, 6 months; Chloe Rain Pruitt, 2; and Phoenix Ryleigh Taylor, 6, were last seen around 5 a.m. Tuesday on Boiling Springs Road in Ohatchee, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which issued the alert.

The children are believed to be in extreme danger after they were abducted by Stephen Channing Pruitt, 31, according to ALEA.

The agency asked anyone who has information on the missing children to contact Ohatchee police at 256-236-6600 or call 911.
A 77-year-old Athens man faces several charges, including human trafficking, following his arrest Monday.

The Limestone County Sheriffs Office said deputies responded Monday to a report of a sexual assault in the 9000 block of Snake Road in Athens.

After a series of interviews, Chas Haun Stiles, Jr., 77, was charged with first degree human trafficking, first degree sodomy, first degree sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes.

Investigators say more charges are possible.

Stiles is being held in the Limestone County Jail. A judge will determine bond after an Aniahs Law hearing on Thursday at 9 a.m. before District Judge Gray West.

Anyone needing assistance may call local law enforcement or The National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888. You can also text HELP to 233733.
Annexation proponents hailed yesterdays unanimous vote from the Mobile City Council to allow a referendum on annexing territory west of the city as historic.

For opponents of annexation, though, it was viewed as a sellout: the citys three Black councilmembers voted in favor of annexation, a reversal from 2019. Opponents of annexation remain concerned that the proposal will dilute Black political power in Mobile by increasing the white voting age proportion and decreasing the Black voting age proportion in the city.

Opponents remain unmoved by assurances from members of the city council and the city administration that the citys four majority-Black city council districts will remain so, and that a plurality of voters in Mobile will remain Black.

Throughout the years, there have been obstacles and voter suppression tactics put in our way to prevent us from voting, said Shalela Dowdy, a law student and plaintiff in Milligan v. Merrill, the voting rights case currently under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the voter suppression continues, but in disguise through the rose-colored glasses of annexation.

An official date for the election has not been set, but city officials anticipate that it will be held sometime this summer. In the meantime, advocates for and against annexation will have time to campaign among the residents of west Mobile, who will be voting on whether to come into the city.
The Republican Party should consider other candidates besides Donald Trump in 2024 after the former president was found guilty by a New York jury Tuesday in the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault case, according to former Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks.

Brooks, a Republican and once-prominent backer of Trump who had a prime speaking slot at the former presidents Jan. 6 rally shortly before the Capitol insurrection, referred to Trump in a tweet Tuesday as a repeat sexual predator offender.

GOP CANNOT afford REPEAT sexual predator offender as 2024 president nominee. Offends voters badly, the former north Alabama congressman tweeted. America needs strongest GOP candidate. Trump aint it. Character matters.

.@realDonaldTrump GUILTY! $5 million sexual assault & defamation jury verdict.



GOP CANNOT afford REPEAT sexual predator offender as 2024 president nominee. Offends voters badly.



America needs strongest GOP candidate. Trump aint it.



Character matters.https://t.co/aA8PhxknaT  Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) May 9, 2023

The federal New York City jury found Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing Carroll, an advice columnist, in 1996. It awarded her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.

The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carrolls claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a less serious form of sexual assault. But the judgment adds to Trumps legal woes and offers vindication to Carroll, whose allegations had been mocked and dismissed by Trump for years.

Early on in Trumps first presidential campaign in 2016, Brooks actually sided with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the GOP primary.

Brooks told AL.com back then that he would never endorse Trump because of the then-candidates serial adultery and hundreds of other reasons.

That is one of hundreds of things that are disconcerting about Donald Trump, Brooks said. If the voters knew Donald Trumps background, what he intends to do as president, I am very confident you would have a mass exodus from Donald Trumps support base. And it might be his gutter-mouth tendencies. I dont want in the White House someone who in front of little children on national television uses the kind of profanity that Donald Trump uses.

Associated Press reporting was included in this story.
Donald Trump had the deck stacked against him when a federal jury in New York found liable Tuesday of sexual abuse, according to Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who said the result in the trial makes me want to vote for him twice in 2024.

Theyre going to do anything they can to keep him from winning. It aint gonna work...people are gonna see through the lines, a New York jury, he had no chance, the Republican U.S. senator from Alabama reportedly told Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post.

GOP Sen. Tuberville says the NY verdict against Trump "makes me want to vote for him twice."



"They're going to do anything they can to keep him from winning. It ain't gonna work...people are gonna see through the lines, a New York jury, he had no chance."  Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) May 9, 2023

Tuberville retweeted Bobics tweet, adding: 100% #MAGA

E. Jean Carroll, an advice columnist, accused Trump of sexually abusing her in 1996.

The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carrolls claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a less serious form of sexual assault. But the judgment adds to Trumps legal woes and offers vindication to Carroll, whose allegations had been mocked and dismissed by Trump for years.

Jurors also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll after she made her allegations public. Trump chose not to attend the civil trial and was absent when the verdict was read.

Trump immediately lashed out with a statement on his social media site, claiming again that he does not know Carroll and referring to the verdict as a disgrace and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time. He promised to appeal.

Trumps lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, shook hands with Carroll and hugged her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, after the verdict was announced. Outside the courthouse, he told reporters the jurys decision to rule in Trumps favor on the rape claim, but still find him responsible for sexual assault, was perplexing.

Part of me was obviously very happy that Donald Trump was not branded a rapist, he said.

Carroll was one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. She went public in 2019 with her allegation that the Republican raped her in the dressing room of a posh Manhattan department store.

Trump, 76, denied it, saying he never encountered Carroll at the store and did not know her. He has called her a nut job who invented a fraudulent and false story to sell a memoir.

Carroll, 79, had sought unspecified damages, plus a retraction of what she said were Trumps defamatory denials of her claims.

The trial revisited the lightning-rod topic of Trumps conduct toward women.

Associated Press reporting was included in this story.
A roundup of conversations we're having daily on the site. Subscribe to the Reckon Daily for stories centering marginalized communities and speaking to the under-covered issues of the moment.

Gun reform advocates marked an initial win on Monday after a bill that would raise the age to buy assault rifle-style weapons passed the Texas legislatures Community Safety Committee.

But the bill was left off the agenda items the Texas House floor had to vote on. The states House Calendars Committee failed to include it by a 10 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Since the agenda must be approved 36 hours ahead of the House chambers scheduled convening, the bill did not move forward.

This comes after the state faced two tragedies over the weekend, including an incident in Allen, where a 33-year-old gunman opened fire at an outlet mall, killing eight people and injuring at least seven others.

Less than two weeks earlier, a gunman in Cleveland, Texas, killed five of his neighbors after one had asked him to stop shooting his gun late in the night because an infant was trying to sleep.

The bill, HB 2744, filed by Democratic Rep. Tracy King of Batesville, would prohibit selling, renting, leasing or giving a semi-automatic rifle with a caliber than .22 that can accept a detachable magazine to a person younger than 21 years old.

More than 160 activists, including over a dozen relatives of Uvalde shooting victims, gathered at the Texas state Capitol on Monday morning as they chanted raise the age, raise the age, demanding the legislature act on gun reform even before the House met.

Following the rally, the House Community Safety Committee voted 8-5 to advance HB 2744 to the House floor for further discussion and debate before being voted on.

Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has been an outspoken advocate for the Uvalde families and was among those who rallied on Monday, posted a tweet celebrating after the bill passed the Committee. Our voices are making a difference. The push to bring this bill to the House floor continues.

#BREAKING: #HB2744 has passed the Community Safety Committee and is now on its way to the House Calendar Committee.



Our voices are making a difference.



The push to bring this bill to the House floor continues. #txlege #RaiseTheAge  Senator Roland Gutierrez (@RolandForTexas) May 8, 2023

Despite the bill not moving forward, Tanya Schardt still recognized how extraordinary it was for HB 2744 to actually pass the states Community Safety Committee. Out of the 11 members of the committee, seven are Republicans. Schardt is the director of state and federal policy for Brady, the advocacy organization for gun violence prevention.

I think [HB 2744] getting out of committee at all, and picking up two Republican votes in that committee, shows how important the voices of advocates and survivors, and everyday Americans is, in this fight, said Schardt.

And across the country, several states have made strides in gun reform legislation recently.

Where gun reform legislation has progressed

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of gun reform laws in April that will create universal background checks for all firearms and mandate safe storage requirements around children.

The measures carry strong punishments for violations, as gun owners can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine if a minor obtains a firearm and kills themselves or others.

That same month, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed four gun control bills into law that also raised the age for legally buying firearms from 18 to 21 and requires a longer waiting period for firearm sales (a three-day minimum) to allow for background checks.

The other two pieces of legislation strengthened Colorados red flag laws, allowing teachers and medical care providers to petition the court to confiscate someones weapons if they pose a danger to themselves or others and rolled back legal protections for gun manufacturers, making companies more liable for civil suits related to gun violence.

Washington state also banned the purchase of new assault weapons for residents as part of a three-bill gun control related package last month.

And Marylands state legislature passed several bills that prohibit a person from wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun in an area for children or vulnerable individuals such as schools, or in a special purpose area like restaurants and bars, and ban civilians from bringing a firearm onto someones property without the permission of the propertys owner just to name a few of the provisions.

Its governor is ready to sign those bills into law soon.

Its unfortunate though that, for every state thats moving forward, we have a state moving back and repealing any strong gun laws that do exist in the state, said Schardt. In some sense, its almost like were living in two different countries.

That latest example of that contrast can be seen in Tennessee.

Tennessees fight over gun reform

The southern state will hold a special legislative session on August 21st focusing on potential gun reform legislation.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called lawmakers back for this special session to discuss solutions to keep Tennessee communities safe and preserve the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

Before Tennessee wrapped up its legislative session in April, the governor pushed an 11th hour pitch for lawmakers to pass a limited extreme risk protection order law which would allow courts and law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from people who pose an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others for up to 180 days.

Lee called on lawmakers to vote on the bill right before its legislative session adjourned, saying we owe Tennesseans a vote following the deadly Covenant school shooting that killed three children and three staff members in March.

Its so unfortunate that so often, the set of action comes after the heels of an incredibly preventable tragedy, said Schardt. Every day Americans should continue to be loud about the fact that they expect their elected officials to take action to prevent gun violence.

Tennessees Republican leadership balked at Lees proposal, saying that any red flag law is a non-starter, while the governor maintained that his proposal was not a red flag law.

There is broad agreement that action is needed, said Lee in a statement announcing the special session. And in the weeks ahead, well continue to listen to Tennesseans and pursue thoughtful, practical measures that strengthen the safety of Tennesseans, preserve Second Amendment rights, prioritize due process protections, support law enforcement and address mental health.

Lee has opened a website to solicit feedback from Tennesseans after calling for the special session.

Bipartisan political polling has shown most Tennesseans support additional gun reform that includes a version of a red flag law and gun storage laws. This sentiment is shared with most of the U.S. population who want more gun reform as well.

A recent poll conducted by Gallup also found a high rate of dissatisfaction with U.S. gun laws among Americans, reaching a new high in the past 23 years.

Thats why Schardt believes its important to stay loud and continue to pressure elected officials to step up on gun violence prevention.

While its easy to feel really hopeless after these series of shootings, all less than a year after Uvalde [and] 10 years after Sandy Hook, there is hope, she said. There are things that we can do. We are not helpless. This is not normal. It is preventable. And we can take action because we should not have to live this way.
Representatives for the family of Edward Bronstein announced Tuesday, May 9, that they had reached a civil rights settlement with the state of California for $24 million. Bronstein died in police custody in 2020 after yelling, "I can't breathe," while being detained by three policemen.

The $24 Million Settlement

On March 31, 2020, California Highway Patrol officers arrested Bronstein, then 38 years old, on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).

According to USA Today, a roughly 18-minute video from last year shows police officers attempting to collect a blood sample from Bronstein while throwing him to the floor. Bronstein seemed to lose consciousness on camera after being kept down for a while. His death was officially confirmed afterward.

Los Angeles County prosecutors filed involuntary manslaughter charges against seven CHP officers and a nurse in March, AP News previously reported. All of them have entered not-guilty pleas.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, who announced the criminal charges in March, said the police had failed Bronstein and that their failure was criminally negligent that led to his death.

Attorneys representing Bronstein's minor children, Annee Della Donna and Eric Dubin, have described the $24 million payout as the biggest civil rights settlement in the history of the state of California, as reported by The New York Times.

Also Read: American Detained in Philippines After Filipina Girlfriend Found Dead in Water Drum

His Last Breaths

Last year, a court ordered the release of video evidence of the event after the Bronstein family filed a federal complaint claiming excessive force and a violation of civil rights.

In the video, as described by USA Today, several cops can be seen throwing a tied Bronstein to a mat as he yells, "I'll do it willingly! I'll do it willingly, I promise!" Relatives said that Bronstein's first resistance to the CHP's attempts to collect a blood sample stemmed from his fear of needles.

On camera, Bronstein can be heard asking for aid while being held down by a group of six cops. In their complaint, Bronstein's family claimed the police officers had kneed him in the back.

A panicked "I can't breathe!" and "I can't!" came out of Bronstein's mouth. An officer tells him to just relax and stop resisting.

The footage shows what seems to be Bronstein losing consciousness while the cops hold him down, with his voice gradually getting quieter and then silent. A nurse is seen extracting blood from Bronstein, who is unconscious, while police continue to hold him down.

The policemen can be seen on camera slapping Bronstein's face, trying to wake him up.

They started CPR over 11 minutes after he was last heard screaming. The doctors proclaimed Bronstein dead after he never recovered consciousness.

The coroner for Los Angeles County determined that Bronstein died from "acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement."

Also Read: Tech CEO Beau Mann Found Dead in California Nearly 2 Years After Disappearance on Uber Ride

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(Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

If Congress fails to raise or suspend this borrowing limit by June 1, the country may default, which economists say could cause another recession.

The president is expected to appeal to Congress to raise the debt ceiling without conditions or delays during his visit to Valhalla, NY.

There has been no resolution in the stalemate between the two sides on how to avoid defaulting on the financial obligations of the United States.

Biden is expected to meet again with a bipartisan group of legislative leaders to discuss what needs to be reduced and safeguarded and how to reduce the deficit to clear the fiscal decks.

As the debate over the debt ceiling continues to escalate in Washington, President Biden is scheduled to visit New York on Wednesday to criticize Republicans and urge Congress to take immediate action to prevent default.

The POTUS' remarks follow a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Democratic and Republican leaders that highlighted their growing bitterness and the deepening divide between the two parties, with only three weeks remaining to avert a financial crisis.

During his visit to Valhalla, NY, Joe Biden is expected to appeal to Congress to raise the debt ceiling, which limits the amount of money the United States can borrow to pay its bills, without conditions or delays, according to Washington Post.

If Congress does not act to raise or suspend this borrowing limit by June 1, the country may default, which many economists warn could trigger another recession.

Biden Still Willing To Discuss With Lawmakers

Despite ongoing discussions, there has been no resolution in the stalemate between the two sides on how to avoid defaulting on the financial obligations of the United States. The White House has made it clear that President Biden is not willing to yield. The president is arguing that budget and appropriations talks should include discussions on spending.

Biden also told the press that he notified congressional leaders that he is "prepared to begin a separate discussion" on budget and expenditure priorities, but not under the prospect of default, per USA Today.

Read Also: White House Collaborates with Hackers

On Friday, Biden is anticipated to meet once again with a bipartisan group of legislative leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Biden advised that the conversations should center on what needs to be reduced, and safeguarded, what fresh sources of money may be generated, and how to reduce the deficit to clear the fiscal decks.

Expert: Biden Has Power To Go Past Congress

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), an esteemed constitutional lawyer on Capitol Hill, has stated that President Joe Biden has a "clear constitutional command" to bypass Congress if necessary to prevent a default on the nation's debt obligations.

Raskin believes that President Joe Biden should exhaust all options to break the political stalemate, but failing that, he has the constitutional authority to act.

However, Raskin added that the constitutionality of invoking the 14th Amendment would depend on the specifics of President Biden's actions, per Politico. As there is little precedent on the issue, Raskin cautioned that the legality of such a move is uncertain.

Raskin also noted that the MAGA Republicans are placing pressure on both Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy by forcing them to choose between violating the Constitution or violating the debt limit statute.

Related Article: Rep. George Santos Arrested, Charged With Federal Crimes



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English News How a parcel from China is delivered in Saudi Arabia

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 8 Mai 2023



"Chinese enterprises will invest $2 billion in the Middle East and North Africa together with their local partners in the next 10 years, to build the most advanced and largest intelligent logistics park in the region," the CEO noted.

By Guan Kejiang, People's Daily Saudi Arabia is the largest trading partner of China in the Middle East. Over the recent years, the two countries have witnessed increasingly frequent economic and trade exchanges as China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 achieved greater synergy. More and more people in Saudi Arabia are purchasing Chinese commodities on e-commerce platforms.



People's Daily recently joined logistics personnel in Saudi Arabia and recorded how express delivery parcels were transported from distribution centers in China to Saudi Arabia.



In front of an express delivery transfer center in the southern part of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, trucks were seen arriving and leaving frequently. It is the first stop of parcels received by the Saudi Arabia branch of J&T Express, a Chinese express company, after customs clearance. Parcels would then be sent from this facility to distribution centers across the country and delivered by couriers.



Sun Jiankai, who's in charge of the operation of the transfer center, told People's Daily that the 10,000-square meter facility can handle 200,000 parcels on a daily basis and is one of the largest and most automated logistics centers in the Middle East.



It was the peak season of online shopping. Every day, the transfer center handled about 60,000 parcels. Half of them were from China and the other half domestic.



At 17:30, People's Daily journalist and an employee of the transfer center randomly selected a parcel from a pile to be shipped to Saudi Arabia's Al Qassim Province, and followed it to record how the parcel was delivered after getting consent from the receiver.



According to the shipping label, the parcel was an electronic product, and its destination was 40 kilometers away from Buraidah, capital of Al Qassim Province and 500 kilometers away from Riyadh.



It is learned that the Saudi Arabia branch of J&T Express has established a delivery network that covers the entire country since it was found in January 2022.



Sean Xiao, CEO of J&T Express Middle East, noted that the company has decided to settle in the Middle East and provide stable and quality services for local customers.



"Chinese enterprises will invest $2 billion in the Middle East and North Africa together with their local partners in the next 10 years, to build the most advanced and largest intelligent logistics park in the region," the CEO noted.



At 0:30 the next day, parcels arriving at the transfer center were all sorted and then carried to their destinations by trucks along the wide and flat express way linking Riyadh and Buraidah.



Mohammad, driver of the truck carrying the selected electronic product, told People's Daily that Chinese commodities were quite popular among consumers in Saudi Arabia.



In Saudi Arabia, there are two prominent challenges faced by the courier industry. One of them is the wide distribution of desert and incomplete address information of receivers. To solve the problem, Chinese express delivery companies designed a three-part shipping barcode, with each part designating one specific area. Finally, couriers would contact the receivers and confirm address information.



The other challenge is the low penetration rate of electronic payment. To accelerate digital transformation of the economy, countries in the Middle East have issued policies to encourage digital payments over the recent years, and many e-commerce platforms have also launched incentive measures for users that pay with e-wallets.



Mohammad told People's Daily that more and more of his friends have started using electronic payments under the influence of Chinese express delivery companies and e-commerce platforms, adding that a change is happening to their consumption and payment habits.



At around 8:00, Mohammad's truck arrived at a parcel distribution center of J&T Express in Buraidah, and parcels were soon unloaded and scanned by workers.



"I've been working here for eight months. The work efficiency of the Chinese logistics company is laudable," said Abdulaziz Muhammad Almuhanna, who's in charge of customer services at the distribution center.



He told People's Daily that Saudi Arabia hopes to make its economy diversified, and the BRI has brought opportunities.



More than four hours later, the parcels unloaded from Mohammad's truck were delivered by couriers. The electronic product was received by a young man named Ali Alseqaihi in Unayzah, which sits in the south of Buraidah. The young man signed his name in the app on the mobile phone of the courier and told People's Daily that he was a big fan of Chinese commodities.



"Look, this is a cooling pad I bought from a shop in Shenzhen, which is the best on the market," he said while tearing off the package of the product.



The man invited People's Daily journalist to his home. Many of the home appliances in his house were manufactured by Chinese brands. Ali always follows Chinese news and likes Chinese culture. He said that connected by the ancient Silk Road, Saudi Arabia and China enjoy a long history of friendship.



"Today, the two countries are engaged in close economic and trade cooperation, and China's economy is developing rapidly, which has benefited the two peoples," he told People's Daily.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Cultural digitalization makes progress at Sanxingdui Ruins site Luban Workshop: a bridge of cultural, people-to-people communication between China, foreign countries China's sincere hope to promote security, stability in Middle East Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
Our public education system is failing in its two most important functions: giving children the basic academic skills they need in life, and fostering the common values that allow our country to continue as a civilized republic. Students are underachieving at unprecedented levels. Teachers are prohibited from teaching basic moral values, or covertly teaching values that are anathema to most Americans.

In Chicago, a recent study revealed that not a single student can read at their respective grade level in 30 district schools; in math no student is proficient in 53 schools. In 23 Baltimore elementary schools , not one student was found to be proficient in math. The problem is nationwide and the answer isnt money. Some of the most expensive school districts in the nation, such as Chicago, and Baltimore, are some of the worst.

In addition to its academic failures, the public educational system has proved itself increasingly unable to promote the basic characteristics of good citizenship, and likely to undermine them. Since the founding of our country there has been an attempt to balance religious liberty with the necessity of promoting common moral values. After fleeing religious persecution in Europe, the colonists established a government prohibited from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

But the Founders of our country knew that freedom from a mandated theology was not to be sought at the expense of promoting common virtue. James Madison wrote: To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea. The great challenge to the American public school system has been to promote such virtue while not interfering with religious freedom.

Today, our public schools cant meet this challenge. In 1963 a lawsuit originally brought by atheist Madalyn Murray OHair, the Supreme Court ruled that a law permitting student prayer violated the First Amendment. Since then, schools have moved farther away from religious influence, with the necessity of cultivating civic virtues largely ignored. At first, school prayer was dropped in favor of time set aside for private meditation but courts eventually ruled that this was also objectionable. In most public schools all remnants of quasi-religious practice (e.g., classroom displays of the Ten Commandments) have been removed. Some school districts have even prohibited voluntary religious activities on school grounds.

While public schools have increasingly distanced themselves from traditional moral values, they have substituted secular orthodoxies to fill the vacuum. Examples include environmentalism, materialism, green economics, transgenderism, COVID control, and Critical Race Theory. Frequently, such values are justified because of their supposed connections to societal necessities (e.g., preventing global warming) or individual rights (e.g., transgender students using female restrooms) with which many would disagree. Often, they are not only encouraged in public schools, but mandated. Any objection to their inclusion in the curriculum is viewed as ignorant, intolerant, and even criminal. Attorney General Merrick Garland has encouraged the FBI to investigate parents who testify at school board meetings in opposition to various woke agenda items, calling their actions criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.

As schools continue to fail, teachers, their unions, and the politicians they support have led the fight against educational options demonstrated to be more effective  like charter schools, vouchers, and home schooling -- and particularly popular among those most reliant on public education.

But teachers, teachers' unions, and their political allies are beginning to fail in their obstruction. Arizona recently implemented the largest school voucher program in the nation, enabling the parents of 1.1 million students to receive 90% of the state funding that would normally go to local school districts. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have voucher programs, and more states are planning to follow. The South Carolina senate recently passed a voucher program that would provide parents with up to $6,000 to cover tuition, books and other costs, the second such program currently available.

Support for educational options is growing, primarily because of frustration with the present system, but there is also abundant evidence that alternatives provide more for less. The New York Post recently reported that New York City charter schools are giving taxpayers more bang for their buck, routinely outperforming traditional public schools -- and doing it at less than half the cost per student The charters mostly minority student population bested its public school counterpart by up to 8% on both state math and reading tests in the 2021-21 school year And the impressive results come courtesy of a relative shoestring budget, with city charters spending just $17,626 per student compared to the $35,941 spent on each public student, according to the center and Citizens Budget Commission.

The New York experience -- accomplished in spite of strong opposition from teachers unions and politicians -- adds to a large body of evidence that alternatives to public schools (charter, private and parochial schools, home schooling, etc.) do a much better job at educating children at a much lower cost.

With clear evidence that public schools have failed, its time that government get out of public education. More effective and less expensive alternatives are available, and they can promote the values our nation sorely needs.

A new system would require that educational funding follow each student as directed by their parents. Parents would choose a provider that best met their educational objectives and represented their own values, and educational funding would flow according to their choice. Educational alternatives would then compete for the students' funding, and the strongest would thrive. This would be more than an educational choice; it would mean a redirection of massive educational resources that are currently being wasted.

It's time to stop asking why our schools don't educate. Governments need to get out of the business of directly educating children, and allow parents -- and competition -- to revolutionize the American educational system.

Griff Hogan is a retired educator living in Charleston, South Carolina.

Image: Library of Congress
Family is the basis of a community, and, therefore, nationhood. It is for this simple reason that the family is hated and scorned by those who wish to see nations destroyed and remade into a bland homogenous polyglot. The assault against the family by liberals and Marxists rooted in their denial of a summum bonum (the highest good) in life.

Liberals are ultimately relativistic hedonists. As Steven Pinker says in his sermonizing myth defending liberalism, any religion, or philosophy, or school of thought which elevates a moral good above human well-being -- which he means material comfort and pleasure -- is antagonistic to humanism. How interesting. Moral flourishing is antithetical to humanism even though moral virtue is the basis of humanist thought from the Greeks, Romans, and further elaborated upon in the Christian tradition.

Contrary to relativists, human well-being, which is moral flourishing -- something Pinker would know if he had studied philosophy -- is dependent upon actualizing the moral good in ones life.

Liberalism, in its denial of the summum bonum, denies the life of a higher calling and anything that binds individuals to others. Family naturally and necessarily suffers. In the liberal mind, by being tethered to families, communities, and any organization, individuals are harmed. Thus they must be liberated to choose to be whatever they want. The logic is played out today: biology is also repressive and harms individuals unless they choose to liberate themselves from biology.

Marxism also denies the summum bonum and agrees with liberalism that the highest good is material comfort and pleasure. Socialism and liberalism are mortal enemies because socialism and liberalism both agree on the same end but differ on the means to actualize that end. Liberals believe the free-choosing individual can best achieve their own comfort and pleasure. Marxists believe universal comfort and pleasure is only possible through class warfare which will redistribute all wealth (comfort and pleasure) to everyone equally.

Leo Strauss aptly writes in assessing modern politics, the increased emphasis on economics is a consequence of this. Eventually we arrive at the view that universal affluence and peace is the necessary and sufficient condition of perfect justice. Since affluence and peace are the conditions of perfect justice, and since affluence is disturbed by the sexual division of labor which is instantiated in the family according to Marx, Marxisms attack on the nation is through its attack against the family as the means to derive that universal affluence which is necessary before the arrival at perfect justice.

Marx himself writes:

With the division of labor, in which all these contradictions are implicit, and which in its turn is based on the natural division of labor in the family and the separation of society into individual families opposed to one another, is given simultaneously the distribution, and indeed the unequal distribution the first form, of which lies in the family, where wife and children are the slaves of the husband. This latent slavery in the family, though still very crude, is the first property, but even at this early stage it corresponds perfectly to the definition of modern economists who call it the power of disposing of the labor-power of others.

By destroying the family, Marxism is also destroying nations, since they understand the two are fundamentally interlinked. And since families and nations create inequality, families and nations must be eliminated for a consummated universal order of peace and affluence.

The individualism of liberalism, though, is ironically statist. As the individual grows in power, through rights, the state must also grow in power to enforce those rights. As John Locke wrote, the role of government in the commonwealth society is to decide the rights of subjects. And as Rousseau said, we are forced to be free by the coercive general will. This is achieved by the full power and weight of the state.

The growth of a purely individualistic individualism requires a war against the family. It also demands a war against the nation, since the nation is the instantiated embodiment of the love that binds people together in duties and responsibilities which liberalism comes to believe as harmful to hedonistic living. If the family is dissolved, the practical reality of the nation is also dissolved.

Marxism and liberalism are now strange bedfellows in the war against the family and the nation because they are both seeking the same fundamental end of universal affluence and peace but are pursuing this end by different means. However, the family and nation are barriers to this universal affluence and peace and must be done away with; in doing away with the bonds of family, civil society, and nation, the individual is free, according to liberalism; in doing away with the bonds of structure of family, civil society, and the nation, individuals are once again equal, according to Marxism.

Part of the crumbling reality of our societies is in the disintegration of the family. Liberal states have abandoned the family in the pursuit of excessive and wanton individualism; following Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza, and even Rousseau, the state is now the instrumental of advancing and creating liberal society. The modern liberal state is not merely ideological, it is socially engineering a society. The liberal state, as we see evidently so clearly today in its greater want to help non-citizens, supersedes the nation of citizens.

Marxism has always regarded nations as inegalitarian power creations rooted in the sexual division of labor and the formation of strong families. Families are themselves also unequal, some families being wealthier than others and therefore needing leveling to advance equality. Without families the love that is manifested through the family is lost, and the love that binds a nation together vanishes with the family. No one is ever going to sacrifice for themselves.

Christ, however, teaches us, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Love is best actualized in the family and then manifested outward in citizenship and is the glue of the nation. Without families there is no love, and without that love there is nothing to stop the tentacles of the Leviathan from seizing everything it wants in whatever name it appropriates to justify its tyranny.

Paul Krause is the editor of VoegelinView. He is the author of Finding Arcadia: Wisdom, Truth, and Love in the Classics, The Odyssey of Love: A Christian Guide to the Great Books, The Politics of Plato, and contributed to The College Lecture Today and Making Sense of Diseases and Disasters.

Image: RawPixel.com
The Enforcer from 1976 was the third installment in the "Dirty Harry" film series, where Clint Eastwood's Inspector Callahan and his new partner team up to foil a terrorist organization called "The People's Revolutionary Strike Force."

Early in the film, Callahan is punished by his superior for using excessive force to resolve a hostage situation and is transferred to the personnel department, where he is compelled to be part of an interview panel for promotions.

In addition to the police officers, a certain Mrs. Grey of the mayor's staff is also on the panel to monitor the interviews. Grey is depicted as having a personality like that of Hillary Clinton, with an air of smug sanctimoniousness and arrogance.

Grey instantly loathes Harry; she pompously declares that the mayor plans to bring the department in line with "the mainstream of 20th century" thought by broadening "the areas of participation for women" in the police force and "winnowing the Neanderthals out."

There are eight vacancies, but the San Francisco Police Department has decided in favor of a quota system by promoting five men and three women.

The candidate being interviewed is a woman called Kate Moore. When Harry is given a chance to question Kate, he asks if she can run fast, which is essential for an inspector. But Harry is immediately overridden by another panelist eager for Mrs. Grey's approval.

Harry then asks Kate about her most important felony or misdemeanor arrest. Kate replies that she has made neither, since her experience is restricted to personnel and records.

Harry questions why Kate deserves to be an inspector when there are male officers who have been in the field for over a decade and a half. This causes Mrs. Grey to claim that Harry is implying that a "woman's place is in the home.''

Harry reminds everyone about the perils associated with the job and how Kate will have to make a split-second decision when a gun is pointed at her. Grey accuses Harry of trying to sabotage the female candidate's chances, implying that he is a misogynist and a sexist.

Harry stresses that if Kate falters in the field, she could pay not only with her life, but also that of her partner. Harry wonders if all of this loss of life is worth it so that the department can claim to be "stylish"  i.e., the charade of diversity.

Harry presents Kate with a hypothetical criminal situation and asks Kate to state the laws that were violated.

Kate immediately begins stating the specific laws but is interrupted by an officer on the panel, and the interview is concluded.

Scenes later, we learn that Kate was promoted to being an inspector despite her lack of experience and a hasty interview. She is assigned as Harry's partner, much to his chagrin.

Later in the film, the captain, desperate for good P.R. and to show the mayor that they are delivering results, arrests a black militant group that has no relation to the terror group that is wreaking havoc across the city.

But the P.R. doesn't stop there. The captain suggests to the mayor that Harry and his new female partner be credited with the arrests, in order to demonstrate that the mayor's new guidelines about women in the force have worked wonders. The captain, hoping to be in the good graces of the mayor, suggests that the exercise will be beneficial to the mayor in his upcoming election.

Next, Inspector Moore and Harry in the background are paraded before the press and compelled to pose for pictures before the mayor. Harry resents this charade and makes it amply clear to the captain by using harsh words, for which he is suspended.

Some assumed that Harry resented being saddled with Kate because he is a sexist. But it eventually becomes clear that his resentment strictly owes to her lack of experience. Kate is depicted as humble and willing to learn from Harry's experience; she is also amiable but assertive when she needs to be.

As Harry works with Kate, he learns to respect her. She even ends up saving Harry's life, leading Harry to concede in his usual succinct manner that "whoever draws you as a partner could do a lot worse."

The insanity of identity politics isn't restricted to recruitment and promotion. Harry is informed by the captain that the minority community has "just about had it with this kind of police work," implying that Harry is a racist. Harry wonders if the captain is referring to criminals who happen to be from the minority community and reminds the captain that their job should be focused on protecting citizens.

The captain, who seems keener on local politics than law enforcement, claims he disapproves of violence (against criminals), causing Harry to sarcastically reply: "What should I do, yell ''trick-or-treat'' at them?"

The same "liberal" captain instantly assumes that a black militant group is responsible for a terror attack and even arrests them despite there being no proof of their involvement to generate good P.R.

"Racist" Harry, instead of jumping to conclusions, meets the leader of the black militants to find that they are not guilty. Harry proceeds to cultivate his relationship with the leader, who provides him with valuable clues to resolving the terror conspiracy.

It is quite astonishing how prescient this almost fifty-year-old film is.

Fiction is usually a reflection of reality, which proves that this identity politics insanity has been brewing in liberal precincts for decades.

Liberals gradually made inroads not just in government organizations such as the police force and the U.S. Army, but also in corporate houses such that it is an unwritten law today. Most organizations boast on their websites about diversity.

Diversity is a euphemism for a quota system that is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Diversity focuses on perceived victimhood rather than achievement or experience or talent. Diversity focuses on generating P.R. instead of concrete accomplishment. Diversity crushes spirits because it punishes the meritorious through no fault of their own.

The best system allows everyone to compete fairly and chooses the best among them, irrespective of (and not because of) race or sex or any other attribute.

The film also predicted how the focus shifted from protecting victims to focusing on the racial or ethnic identity of the perpetrators.

No screenwriter could have ever predicted the level of insanity seen now  i.e., lawmakers demanding that the police be defunded.

In current times, law enforcement has been vilified to such an extent that officers are probably petrified to act against criminals who happen to be black for fear of being branded racist and being target of a focused media smear campaign. They probably choose to overlook certain criminals, and the damage done is unspeakable  precious innocent lives lost and property damaged.

The left won this identity politics war by deploying its activists at the grassroots, infiltrating organizations of consequence, attaching virtue to their agenda, and making incremental changes.

Conservatives on the other hand assumed that winning elections was enough to protect their interests.

If this insanity has to be undone and fairness has to be restored, the war will once again have to be waged at the grassroots.

Screen shot from Dirty Harry movie posted by det pekande fingret via YouTube.
Down in Mexico, President Andres Lopez-Obrador has confirmed what most of us knew. Here is the story:

The Mexican president says his country has proof that illegal shipments of the powerful opioid drug fentanyl are arriving from China. A container with hidden packages of the drug was intercepted in the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. "We already have proof," he said, adding that he would ask the Chinese government to help stop the shipments. US authorities say fentanyl is now the main driver of US drug overdose deaths. In March President Lopez Obrador said he had written to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting Chinese help in the anti-narcotics fight, after US politicians had urged him to do so. He told reporters on Friday that he would repeat that plea to Beijing: "In a very respectful manner, we are going to send this information to reiterate the request that they help us." Mexican Navy Secretary Rafael Ojeda said the container intercepted in Lazaro Cardenas had packages weighing 34-35kg (75 pounds) with traces of fentanyl and methamphetamine hidden in fuel resin. The cargo had left the Chinese city of Qingdao and passed through Busan in South Korea before reaching Mexico.

Well, now we know, don't we? Is anyone shocked?

The question is, what is Mexico going to do about it? That answer is a bit more complicated because China denies its role in this game.

My guess is that not much will happen. President Biden is not the kind of leader who will publicly call out China or Mexico on this. The problem is always the same: criminal elements are moving billions of dollars from China to Mexico to the U.S. Add to all of this that the Mexican government has lost control of areas in Mexico where the cartels move the fentanyl. "Un problema muy serio," as they say south of the border.

So what's next? We need a president who will threaten China with consequences. Unfortunately, such a president is not in the White House today, so there is no pressure on China or Mexico to cooperate.

In the meantime, Title 42 ends this week, and more anarchy is around the corner.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image: Eneas de Troya.
Attorneys for Donald J. Trump, former president and candidate for president, say that he will appeal the finding of a federal civil jury in Manhattan that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll and, later, defamed her, resulting in a monetary award of a total of $5 million.

Now bear in mind that Hon. Robert H. Jackson suggested in an address, eighty-three years ago, that the purpose of litigation might just be aimed at embarrassing the defendant:

It is in this realm in which the prosecutor picks some person whom he dislikes or desires to embarrass, or selects some group of unpopular persons and then looks for an offense, that the greatest danger of abuse of prosecuting power lies.

Could an intent to, at the very least, embarrass Mr. Trump explain Judge Lewis Kaplan's ruling to admit into evidence the infamous Access Hollywood tape, which shows Mr. Trump resorting to locker room braggadocio  based on the belief that even if the finding against Trump is reversed, the embarrassment stands? The leap from the Access Hollywood tape to forcible acts is quantum indeed. Only a judge tolerant of using his courtroom to embarrass individuals he dislikes would have received the tape in evidence. But even had the tape not been played to influence the jurors, their verdict likely would have gone against him. That is the reality in deep blue, fanatically anti-Trump Manhattan.

We are not likely to get a poll question: in the E. Jean Carroll case, did Donald J. Trump get a fair trial? Nevertheless, the result against the former president suggests that in a deep blue jurisdiction, the legal standard is "guilty based on the mere allegation, bolstered by hearsay, provided you are former president Trump."

One other nagging thought: Ms. Carroll testified that her encounter with Mr. Trump, 27 years ago, ended her enjoyment of romance. Yet, eight years after her alleged encounter with Trump, she was able to write a book telling her readers how to land a man in just six weeks: Mr. Right, Right Now!: How a Smart Woman Can Land Her Dream Man in 6 Weeks.

Information contained in Carroll's Wikipedia entry shows that she was married twice and divorced her second husband in 1990, six years before Trump. Did her two divorces sour her on men? Her 2019 tome What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal reportedly catalogued 21 bad experiences with men and six "hideous" encounters, including the alleged meeting with Mr. Trump.

How to explain the shift, in fifteen years, from advising women how to get their man in six weeks to convincing women they don't need men after all? Could Ms. Carroll just have been issue-shopping to sell books?

Mr. Trump has inelegantly commented, as proof of innocence, that E. Jean Carroll "isn't my type." Is that what really got Ms. Carroll's dander up?

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously noted: "Hard cases make bad law." Today it might be said, "Bad cases make hard law."

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Take a look around you  what do you see? Whether you're in a big city or out in the suburbs, I bet you see a lot of long-serving brick-and-mortar stores closing their doors.

The reason, in large part, is because liberal prosecutors around the country are refusing to hold criminals accountable when they commit offenses aimed at these types of businesses.

In the past few months alone, Whole Foods has closed its flagship store in San Francisco, the outdoor recreation store REI is leaving Portland, and Nike is closing its popular store in Seattle after nearly 30 years. Each of these companies cites rising crime and the continued threat of theft as a reason for these closures.

While the closure of one Whole Foods, REI, or Nike hardly affects the overall health of these companies, the shuttering of these stores will undoubtedly have a crippling effect that will be felt across the affected communities.

When a grocery store closes, it affects everyone: the loyal customers who have made shopping a part of their weekly routine, the teenager who has his first job stocking shelves, and the employees who depend on these wages to provide for their families. The disruption can be felt across the community; nearby businesses who depend on traffic generated by these stores may experience an abrupt decline in sales, and people may need to travel farther for basic needs. Elderly individuals who may already have trouble with the commute, and those dependent on public transportation for errands, have to make serious adjustments to their routine.

It's important that our cities are able to not only attract, but also retain businesses large and small. In response to this growing crisis of retail theft and the failure of progressive local prosecutors to hold criminals accountable, individuals in the business community are supporting Protecting Americans Action Fund, an organization aimed at electing prosecutors who will enforce our laws.

In the last decade, left-wing billionaire George Soros has spent over $40 million working to elect progressive prosecutors who refuse to enforce the law. Soros believes that the best way to reform our criminal justice system is to install a single prosecutor in the role of district attorney, who is willing to disregard the laws he is elected to carry out. What we need to remember as Americans is that it is the job of the Legislature to write our laws. Law enforcement officials merely implement them. We need to fight back against prosecutors who are simply ignoring laws as written.

In Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona, a Soros-supported organization called Mass Liberation AZ spent over $400,000 last year in an effort to elect a radical, far-left prosecutor who campaigned on holding police, not criminals, accountable.

Fortunately, Protecting Americans Action Fund defeated the progressive candidate and helped elect Rachel Mitchell, a district attorney committed to enforcing the law.

Across the country, we will work to replace these Soros-supported prosecutors with individuals who will enforce the law, leading to reduced retail crime and safer communities where business can flourish rather than falter.

Jessica Curtis is the president of Protecting Americans Action Fund, whose objective is to elect prosecutors who will enforce our laws.

Image: Tdorante10.
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."

Abraham Lincoln

Since the day Trump came down that elevator, the Democrat party, securely aligned with the globalist left, has done everything in its power to destroy the man.

They used every dirty trick in their playbook and so were understandably shocked when he won in 2016. The Clinton campaign had invented the Russia-collusion hoax out of whole cloth; her despicable and dishonest team paid millions for the "dossier" they produced.

Millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on the phony Mueller investigation, just to waste time, money and to gaslight the American people. That criminal enterprise alone should have ended the left in this country. But no, they only doubled down, determined to steal the 2020 election. They used numerous illegal tricks of their trade to do it, as Molly Ball so proudly laid out in her Time Magazine column. They harvested millions of ballots, stuffed ballot boxes, and paused ballot counts only to have Trump's lead vanish when counting resumed. They got consent decrees, changed state election laws without state legislatures. They cheated all around. The American left has been radicalized since Obama took office; America has been "fundamentally transformed."

It was Obama who weaponized the DOJ, the FBI, the CIA, and the DHS. It was Obama who kick-started the racial divisiveness that led to BLM and the violence that is their currency. Biden, always a grifter, used his two terms as V.P. to sell influence and enrich his own family by wholly illegitimate means. That is all coming to light now, but will he be held accountable? Doubtful.

The DNC always and only meant for him to be a placeholder. They too have long known he was a dim bulb who would be easily manipulated. He always had an absurdly pompous view of his own intelligence; he was in reality always a joke. He was always a racist; any protestations of that fact are lies.

Nevertheless, Biden inherited the weaponized law enforcement institutions that have persecuted President Trump every day of his administration and to this day. As Tucker Carlson said in his speech at the Heritage gala, what we are experiencing is not just a two-party partisan conflict; it is a war between good and evil. That the jury in the most ridiculous attempt to damage Trump, the rape and defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll, an eighty-year-old Trump-deranged woman who claims she was assaulted some thirty years ago in a dressing room at Bergdorf's, have awarded her $5M is absolute proof that our justice system has been destroyed, characterized only by the extreme bias of the Marxist/Stalinist left.

E. Jean Carroll is on record (Facebook) planning to devise, as in make up, a way to take him down. She did not remember the year the alleged assault took place. Her story aligns perfectly with an episode of Law Order: SVU, from which she most likely borrowed it! And a N.Y. jury, in just three hours, decided he was guilty of molesting and defaming her when he denied her charge.

It's clearly outrageous that this case got to court, but then again, this is how blatantly our justice system has been taken over by, well...actual criminals. In my opinion, Merrick Garland is a criminal, as is Lisa Monaco and Matt Graves, as were and are Eric Holder, John Brennan, Mike Morrell, and Antony Blinken, the crooks who masterminded the cover-up of the Hunter Biden laptop. That laptop is a probably still incomplete account the Biden family's betrayal of this nation and their deep criminality.

This moment in time is without a doubt the most dangerous in all American history. We have a thoroughly corrupt administration in charge. Many members of this president's administration are either corrupt and/or dangerously incompetent, chosen not for their ability or expertise, but for their skin color or sexual orientation. The examples of this fact are too many to recount here, from the mindless Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Deb Haaland, Sam Brinton, Jennifer Granholm, etc. to Biden's judicial nominees who can't answer basic questions about the Constitution. Kentanji Brown Jackson cannot even define what a woman is? If that is not utter ignorance, what is it?

All the while, numerous other specious legal proceedings against Trump are winding their way through the courts. All of them are fraudulent, "trumped up," to take out the best president since Reagan. These rotten lawyers of the left, many of them funded by George Soros, have no respect for or allegiance to the Constitution. Their job is to destroy America from the inside, with cultural Marxism, the destruction of the nuclear family, by economically ruining the middle class ("You'll own nothing and be happy." WEF). Trump is the greatest impediment to their agenda.

The military has been eviscerated by wokery, especially the cult of transgenderism. The legacy media are the propaganda arm of the left, which is why Tucker Carlson had to be silenced; he spoke the truths about the 2020 election, January 6, Big Pharma, the purposeful tanking of our energy sector, and the economy.

The left's plan to import many millions of migrants from over 164 countries is the most destructive of all. We have been invaded by design. The core of the radical left's agenda is the destruction of the U.S. as founded. This could not be clearer. America has slowly, then suddenly, become a Stalinist nation, beset by corrupt oligarchs, thugs, and criminals with power over us all. If they gain control over A.I., we will be well and truly done, over.

It should be abundantly obvious that the lawfare that has targeted Trump for seven years now is the malevolent scheme of the globalist, communist left. Joe Biden is a controlled asset of the CCP, as are far too many others in Congress. Thousands of Chinese men of military age are crossing the southern border. Why? Part of China's plan to take over the U.S.? Most likely.

This nation is in grave danger on nearly every front  culturally, economically, militarily, legally, globally, academically. It was Stalin himself who said that "Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." Sheer evil is on the march here and across the planet. Wake up, Americans. It's almost too late  it may be already  to save our once great nation.

Justice is being denied; poverty is oppressing more and more Americans. Consider our streets filled with homeless people. The Biden administration is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade us. Neither we nor our property is safe.

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."

Frederick Douglass

Photo credit: YourTube screen grab (cropped).
On Europe Day, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where she joined President Volodymyr Zelensky to celebrate the occasion.

During her visit, von der Leyen highlighted the EU's solidarity with Kyiv as Russia continued its aggression towards Ukraine. She also acknowledged Ukraine's efforts to uphold European values and its commitment to creating "lasting unity and peace," according to DW.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talked about defense matters, Russia's sanctions, and Ukraine's integration with Europe, Reuters reported. He emphasized the importance of united efforts for Europe's security and peace, which should match Russia's intention to ruin it.

Zelensky also noted Russia's military setbacks in Ukraine, citing the failure to capture Bakhmut city before Russia's May 9 holiday.

The main culprit of the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century, the Second World War, did not make it to the Tribunal. He carried out an obvious sentence for himself in the bunker. But his accomplices  including the key figures of Hitlers aggression  were punished in the pic.twitter.com/aEBX08vtjt    (@ZelenskyyUa) May 9, 2023

Read Also: US Debt Ceiling Talks Update

The Ukrainian head of state also urged the EU to hasten the procurement and delivery of ammunition, which is essential on the battlefield.

On Tuesday, EU lawmakers voted to expedite the consideration of a 500 million ($550 million) law to boost ammunition production in Europe.

Ukraine's EU Membership Still Unsure

In less than a month, it will have been a year since Ukraine became a candidate for EU membership. The EU has praised Ukraine and provided it with billions in aid and military support, as well as imposing several rounds of sanctions.

However, Ukraine is growing increasingly frustrated. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently visited the Netherlands, wearing army olive drab and with a hoarse voice, to plead for a quicker membership process.

On Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen heard the same message and acknowledged Ukraine's impressive efforts despite being in the middle of a war. However, time is a flexible concept in the EU, and patience is essential.

The next assessment is scheduled for October, and while progress has been made, more work needs to be done, AP News reported.

This slow process is difficult for Zelensky, who is focused on weeks and months rather than years and decades. Despite this, it is best for Ukraine to continue on the slow but steady path toward EU membership.

Related Article: Ukrainian Catholic Church Makes History

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One of the constants about socialist governments, going back to Stalin and Hitler, is that ordinary people become spies against their neighbors. When East Germany fell, and people could finally see files from the Stasi (i.e., secret police), it turned out that almost 200,000 people were currently serving as informers, and everyone was encouraged to spy on family, friends, and neighbors to serve the cause. Bidens DHS would like to see the same happen in America. A FOIA request revealed that it produced training documents teaching ordinary Americans to report on Americans opposed to Bidens policies.

This sounds too far-fetched to be believable, but its true. The Foundation for Freedom Online reviewed documents that America First Legal obtained from the DHS via a Freedom of Information Act request. It showed that the DHS is planning to train ordinary Americans to intervene when they see radicalization among their peers.

At this point, you might think, Well, having learned about the convert to Islam in Florida who just killed his two roommates for insulting his faith, Id probably want to know what the signs are that an Islamist is preparing to kill. Or maybe youd be worried if someone was speaking longingly of the Bader-Meinhoff gang or the KKK. You might even worry about transgender activists.

Image: Spying by vvstudio.

However, in Bidens America, its not those people who are the problems. Instead, the problem is you. And thats not because you have committed violent acts and neither have those who share your beliefs. Its just that the Biden Administration and the Deep State are worried about suburban moms who are pro-life or old friends who believe that the COVID vaccine doesnt work, masks were a failure, the lockdowns destroyed lives, the border is essentially erased, or any of a number of other conspiracy theories that have proven to be true.

Here's how Mike Benz describes what the DHS documents reveal:

Apparently not content with setting up a Ministry of Truth, an Internet censorship directorate, and even a program for controlling speech in video games, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has devised yet another dystopian program for domestic thought control: pushing citizens to monitor each others political beliefs under the guise of deradicalization. So reveal new documents obtained by America First Legal (AFL) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA files show DHSs Office of Terrorism and Violence Prevention (OTVTP, now known as CP3) using taxpayer dollars in January 2021 to screenwrite an online Choose Your Own Adventure-style video series to deradicalize friends and family. DHSs radicalization suspects in the video screenplays are not violent terrorists or extremists. They are typical everyday Americans with typical everyday American opinions. For example, DHS constructs a detailed profile for Ann, a middle-aged pro-life advocate  she is a suburban Mom surrounded by stock footage of laundry and Minivan who has become increasingly more concerned about the welfare of other children:

Having defined Ann, ostensibly the quintessential good citizen, the DHS walks its new Stasi spies through a variety of scenarios, such as her being heard using the phrase baby killer or talking to her hairdresser about her pro-life stance. Armed with information about what this dangerous radical looks like, Stasi trainees are given advice about calling the law on Ann, trying to destroy her at work, or digging deeper into pro-life groups.

It does the same thing for Courtney, an old friend, who is a budding conspiracy theorist. Her particular conspiracy theory is that the government is connected to child abuse and trafficking. Given the child abuse and trafficking the government is facilitating by opening our border, one can be forgiven for suspecting its motives, but in Courtneys case, Stasi wannabes are told to monitor her social media activity, contact her ex-husband, or snoop into her lifealthough theres a good case to be made here that the DHS, by turning citizens into arms of the state, has made them subject to the Fourth Amendments proscriptions against unreasonable searches.

Here are all the documents America First Legal received:

DHS Domestic Terrorism Scen... by FoundationForFreedomOnline

It's one thing to urge citizens to be vigilant about packages that could be bombs or to be aware of someone sweating, mumbling prayers to himself, and smelling of rosewater at fairs or other crowded venues. Its another thing entirely for the Department of Homeland Security to define the Democrat partys political opponents as incipient terrorists.

This means we no longer live in a free, two-party representative democracy. Instead, we live in a budding socialist, totalitarian state, complete with a secret police that deputizes citizen fanatics to engage in unlawful searches for crimes. Just as the Deep State used social media to circumvent both the First and Fourth Amendments, its doing the same with a generation of citizen spies.
The House Oversight Committee has been investigating whether Joe Biden used his position to make money while selling influence during his Vice Presidency. So far, its found evidence showing that Joe, like a good mafia boss, kept his own nose clean and maintained plausible deniability by funneling money to his family rather than to his personal bank accounts. But it was a lot of money (more than $10 million) and a lot of influenceand not just to China but to Ukraine, too.

The Oversight Committee published a Twitter thread detailing what we currently know. The summary is that, the Biden family created almost two dozen companies to funnel money they received from multiple shell companies that foreign governments and their agents had set up to try to sever the connection between themselves and Biden. In exchange, these foreign governments and their agents got access to Joe Biden, mostly while he was Vice President, with the money stopping when he left that office.

The Oversight Committee also knows that Biden outright lied about Hunter, when he claimed the latter never made money from China. The bank records show otherwise. The thread ends with the promise that there is more to come.

But before getting to that thread, here is Rep. James Comer (R-Ky), making it clear that the Biden family enterprises werent providing specific goods or services in exchange for the millions of dollars flowing their way. Instead, the only thing they could offer was access & influence. Moreover, says Comer, Biden is still lying and is using the administrative state to run interference for him.

BANK RECORDS DONT LIE



The Biden family used their web of LLCs & associates to receive millions of dollars from foreign nationals.



No services were provided other than access & influence.



Our investigation is accelerating and @RepJamesComer will subpoena more bank records. pic.twitter.com/ufkupNnAAv  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

Heres the thread with more details:

We have now established a network of over 20 companies formed by the Bidens and their associates.



Most of these companies were LLCs and formed when Joe Biden was Vice President.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

What services did the Bidens provide in exchange for this money?



It is unclear what they provided other than access and influence.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

The Bidens took steps to hide, confuse, and conceal payments they received from foreign nationals. Heres one example how a CCP-linked associate layered domestic limited liability companies to pay Hunter Biden. pic.twitter.com/GCx81QbrP3  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

In addition to the China money ties, we are adding a new country to our growing list of places the Bidens received money from:



Romania.



The Biden family and associates activities in Romania reveal an influence peddling scheme from 2015 to 2017.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

The Bidens received over $1 million for the Romania deal, with 16 of the 17 payments made during Bidens VP term.



The money stops flowing from Romania soon after Joe Biden leaves office, establishing a pattern of influence peddling.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

.@RepJamesComer will soon issue more subpoenas to banks for specific, targeted information.



In addition, he will provide one more opportunity for certain Biden associatesincluding his art gallerist and Rob Walkerto cooperate willingly with this investigation.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

Ultimately, we believe the Biden family and their associates courted business in countries that correlated directly with Joe Bidens work as Vice President.



This is also not normal.



It is not ethical.



And this is why we are working towards legislative solutions.  Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 10, 2023

Image: Joe Biden. YouTube screen grab.

UPDATE: I just saw Jonathan Turley's thread, which he made while watching the full press conference, so it goes into greater depth about the findings:

...Comer began with new disclosure of $1 million that went to the Biden family from Romania while Joe Biden was working on Romanian issues. Comer noted that this money ended when Biden left the vice presidency.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...Comer is also addressing the 1023 form that they are seeking from the FBI on the alleged bribery allegations made against the President. Comer says that the whistleblower's allegations is "consistent" with the Committee's own investigation, including information from banks.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...Comer is listing new legislative efforts being considered. That could be key to any fights in court to show legitimate legislative interest in these records and documents...  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...Rep. Nancy Mace (R, SC) is detailing the findings of shell companies being used to send money to up to nine Biden family members not just from China but Romania. The Romanian details are new...  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...She is also noting that there is a pattern of 30 percent being repeatedly carved out for the Biden family. Mace taunted DOJ and said it needs to "get off its a**" since they have now done the work for them...  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...During this period, Biden in May 2014 was speaking about corruption in Romania. In Sept. 2015, Biden welcomed the Romanian president to Washington. Five weeks later, money flowed to Biden associates through multiple accounts. Haley Biden received some of this money.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...Rep. Byron Donalds (R, FL). has said that a review of documents showed "many people" were concerned about these transactions and sought to conceal them through a web of LLCs...  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...He says that the Committee (and as someone who worked in banking) believes that there was no legitimate purpose in creating this array of LLCs beyond the effort to conceal money transfers...  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...Jordan just said that the Biden team gave Morell the name of a reporter that they wanted the Hunter Biden letter to be sent to first.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...CNN is also not covering it live but just ran a clip.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...A reporter just asked why the Trumps are not being investigated. The problem is that many of us have long supported investigations into Trump transactions, but the media is remarkably disinterested in the same concerns over the Bidens.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

...A reporter just asked why the Trumps are not being investigated. The problem is that many of us have long supported investigations into Trump transactions, but the media is remarkably disinterested in the same concerns over the Bidens.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 10, 2023

As I'm sure you've already gathered, the media are assiduously ignoring, downplaying, or spinning these revelations.
After sixteen days of uncertainty and rampant speculation in the MSM, the left and right media and blogosphere, and social media, Tucker Carlson let it be known yesterday how he plans to continue to communicate with his millions of fans. In a brief video posted to Twitter titled "We're Back," his second since his top-rated show Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News was abruptly canceled on April 24, Carlson announced that Twitter will soon be his new media home.

As of 7 A.M. EDT Wednesday, 17 hours after it was uploaded, the video had 18 million views, and Carlsons tweet 78 million views. Carlson also launched his new website with the heading "Tucker Is Back."



Screen shot from Tucker Carlson's Twitter video, May 9, 2023.

Carlson's announcement immediately moved to the top breaking news story on most of the mainstream media. The New York Times, for example, reported from behind its paywall:

The former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, declaring, "We're back," said on Tuesday that he was starting a new show on Twitter. ... Mr. Carlson's remarks on Tuesday, posted on Twitter  a platform run by Elon Musk, a provocateur in a similar mold as the combative, contrarian host  consisted of a three-minute monologue delivered directly to the camera. In response to Mr. Carlson's tweet, Mr. Musk posted on Twitter that "we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever." He added that Mr. Carlson would be "subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators." Mr. Carlson started the monologue on Tuesday with a critique of the news industry, which he said was incapable of telling the truth. And he appeared to issue a veiled threat to disclose what he'd learned about the inner workings of the various media companies where he held various roles over the course of three decades. "After more than 30 years in the middle of it, we could tell you stories," said Mr. Carlson, who eschewed his usual coat and tie for a button-up checkered shirt. He recorded the video from his studio in Maine, according to a person with knowledge of how it came together. In the video, Mr. Carlson offered little in the way of explanation for what his new show might entail, saying only that it would resemble "the show we've been doing for the last six and a half years," a reference to his 8 p.m. Fox News program, "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Mr. Carlson said that "free speech" would be a major theme of the show, calling it "the main right you have." "See you soon," Mr. Carlson said. He also launched a website, TuckerCarlson.com, promising subscribers "instant updates" on where and when they could watch the former Fox News host.

That wasn't the only news yesterday about Tucker Carlson. In an equally compelling development, AXIOS reported in an exclusive "scoop": "Tucker Carlson accuses Fox of fraud, contract breach."

Since Carlson's show was ignominiously dropped by FOX News sixteen days ago, speculation has been rife about why and how his employer  the country's number-one cable news channel for more than two decades  made this decision and what kind of restrictions on Carlson's future media work exist, according to his contract with FOX News which reportedly runs for another year and a half, presumably with a non-compete clause.

AXIOS's report, by Mike Allen and Sara Fischer, appeared to shed light on all of these issues and more.

Tucker Carlson, two weeks after being ousted by Fox News, accused the network Tuesday of fraud and breach of contract  and made a host of document demands that could precede legal action. Why it matters: The aggressive letter from his lawyers to Fox positions Carlson to argue that the noncompete provision in his contract is no longer valid  freeing him to launch his own competing show or media enterprise.

And that is exactly what Carlson did shortly after his attorneys, according to AXIOS, informed FOX News of their legal intentions. "The Twitter move would seem to technically violate Carlson's contract with Fox, but his lawyers' letter effectively holds that Fox breached the contract first. Sources told Axios that Carlson's lawyers sent their letter before he took to Twitter to announce his new show."

As Carlson said in his three-minute-long Twitter video yesterday:

Starting soon we'll be bringing a new version of the show we've been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter. We bring some other things too, which we'll tell you about. But for now, we're just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.

To this point, representatives of FOX News have been quoted in a variety of media as denying accusations of bad faith that have been circulating, and referring questions to the terse statement that FOX issued in a press release on April 24:

FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.

This is hardly the end of this story; rather, just the beginning. It promises to open a new chapter in the fast-evolving nature of the news business, cable news, and the impact of alternative platforms including social media like Twitter.



Tucker Carlson at his new website, "Tucker Is Back," May 9, 2023.

It should also be noted that in a prescient article at American Thinker on April 30, Wolf Howling essentially predicted that Tucker Carlson might well wind up at Twitter as his next platform.

If Carlson can find a voice outside of Fox that is accessible to Americans, he will thrive. Moreover, thanks to the nation's most laudable free speech proponent, Elon Musk, the broadcast platform for Carlson to reach Americans already exists. Carlson's [first post-FOX] video, released on Twitter a few days ago, has had tens of million views. That is reaching an audience that dwarfs anything on Fox News many times over. It dwarfs any news show, including on broadcast television. ... This shows that Carlson has viable options for broadcasting himself. And more, it means that Carlson might well be able to establish a consolidation of conservative media that has a much greater reach over Twitter than anything that appears on cable, broadcast media, or the internet today.

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who has covered national politics and the politics and economics of health care, popular culture, and media for over five decades. His web page with links to his work is http://peter.media. Peter's extensive American Thinker archive: http://tinyurl.com/pcathinker. Follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka.
The Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is home to many famous dead people, including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. The grave of Oscar Wilde, in particular, is very popular. His female fans have smothered the tomb with kisses leaving red lipstick marks all over. Many female visitors, after assaulting the grave of the famous Irish writer, move over to the adjacent plot for their next targetthe effigy of Victor Noir.

Its perfectly reasonable to ask who Victor Noir is, just like it was a century and a half ago when the man was alive. He was an ordinary young man, an unimpressive fellow, who just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody knew him until he was dead. His recent cult following, however, has nothing to do with the manner of his death nor its political fallout, but rather on the mysterious bulge in his pants.

Photo credit: David Edwards/Flickr

Victor Noir was working as an apprentice journalist for the newspaper La Marseillaise, in 19th century Paris. At that time, the newspapers owner, Henri Rochefort, and the editor, Pascal Grousset, became embroiled in a conflict with Prince Pierre Bonaparte, the great-nephew of Napoleon, and cousin of the then-ruling Emperor Napoleon III. In order to settle the matter in a way unbefitting of an editor of a newspaper, Grousset sent Victor Noir and another of his employee to the home of Bonaparte to deliver a challenge to a duel. Prince Bonaparte originally declined the challenge and asserted his willingness to fight Rochefort instead. An altercation broke out that resulted in Bonaparte drawing out his pistol and shooting Victor dead.

The murder of a journalist by a member of the emperors family infuriated the public, and on the day of the funeral, some 100,000 people showed up at Noirs home in Neuilly. To add salt to injury, Pierre Bonaparte was acquitted of the murder charge, leading to a number of violent demonstrations across the city. Later on that year, the Prussians invaded France and the empire was overthrown.

Victor Noirs martyrdom was conveniently forgotten and the young journalist remained peacefully in his hometown Neuilly for the next twenty years, until his name began to make rounds again. This time, a decision was made to erect a memorial to his name. Renowned French sculptor, Jules Dalou, was given the job of creating the sculpture in bronze.

Dalou choose to depict Victor Noir at his moment of death. Using sketches made by the press for reference, Dalou sculpted a life-sized bronze effigy of Victor lying flat on the ground as though he had just fallen down when he met his unnatural death. For reasons unknown, Dalou decided to give the sculpture a noticeable bulge under the belt. Whether or not anybody noticed this, we dont know, but in the 1970s, a myth began that rubbing the crotch and kissing the statue on the lips will bring women enhanced fertility and a blissful sex life. You can see the effect of this myth on the statueVictor Noirs lips and groin are shiny, while the rest of his body has the usual greenish tone of oxidized bronze.

In 2004 a fence was erected around the statue of Noir, to deter indecent touching of the statue. But this agitated so many women that the fence was torn down again.

Photo credit: Chupacabra Viranesque/Flickr

Photo credit: theblackdog2071/Flickr

Photo credit: istolethetv/Flickr

Photo credit: istolethetv/Flickr

Photo credit: Neil Howard/Flickr

Photo credit: Jp Rosa/Flickr

Source: Wikipedia / parisisinvisible.blogspot.com
Foldable smartphones have been around for quite some time now. Theyve gotten a lot better since their inception, but what about rollables? When are they coming? Well, according to a new tip, first rollable phones could launch in the second half of 2024.

First rollable phones could launch in the second half of 2024

Rollable smartphones could bring some competition for foldable devices, and also a breath of fresh air to the smartphone market at the same time. OPPO did announce a working rollable smartphone way back in November 2020, the OPPO X 2021.

That device never became available to purchase, as OPPO felt it was not ready. LG was close to announcing its first commercially-available rollable smartphone too, before the companys mobile division got shut down.

Were still waiting for the very first commercially-available rollable smartphone to arrive. Well, based on the info provided by Revegnus, a tipster, that will happen in the second half of next year. He actually highlights Chinese OEMs specifically in his tweet.

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Chinese OEMs are allegedly scrambling to release new form factors

He claims that Chinese OEMs are scrambling to release new form factors, as Samsung is far ahead in terms of foldables. Well, in terms of foldable smartphone sales and market share, that is.

The tipster says that it is highly likely that Chinese OEMs will release Slidable phones in the second half of next year. He did not specifically mention any companies, but we presume many of them are working on it.

OPPO is obviously developing such a device, as some people expected the company to make one available thus far. OPPOs sister companies, Vivo and OnePlus, are possibly doing the same, not to mention Huawei, Xiaomi, and HONOR, amongst others.

Its always nice to see new form factors hit the market. They not only give consumers more options, but also make things more competitive, which usually results in better and cheaper products for consumers.
Google I/O is going on right now, and theres already been a lot of neat stuff announced. One of the main points of interest was AI, and a lot of this conversation was around Bard. Now, according to the company, Google is getting rid of the Bard waitlist.

If you want to know more about what Google announced at Google I/O, you can check out Android Headlines. For example, Google announced the upcoming Magic Editor feature. This will use AI to make edits to photos that would usually take powerful photo editing software. You can read more about it here.

Google is getting rid of the Bard waitlist

Up until this point, Google limited the number of people who could access Bard. As time went on, more people did gain access to the chatbot. However, it was still limited.

Now, thanks to a Google blog post, that is no longer the case. The company announced that it will be getting rid of the waitlist for Google Bard. This means that just about anyone will be able to use the chatbot. This should be a breath of fresh air for people who have been waiting to use Google Bard. A large number of people have been able to gain access so far, so we will see that number increase.

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Google Bard has definitely made some improvements since its first launch, but it is still in the testing stage. So, making it available to the public will give Google access to more feedback.

Google is also expanding the languages that Bard can access. In a tweet, Google said that Bard is available in both Japanese and Korean. The company plans to release Bard to over 40 languages this year. This further increases the amount of feedback that Google could get on its chatbot.

We are going to be seeing Bardt integrated into more of Googles services as time goes on.
Google is adding Immersive View for routes to Maps, letting you visualize an entire route so you know exactly what your trip will look like before you head out the door. Google announced the news today during its annual Google I/O developer conference.

Powered by AI, Immersive View for routes in Maps basically gives you a multidimensional view of your route overlaid on top of Street View images. Giving you a much more realistic view of your route that kind of looks and feels like a video game. Its an interesting new addition to the app to make getting to places a lot simpler, and perhaps a little more fun.

As Google explains it, Immersive View uses computer vision and AI to fuse billions of Street View and aerial images together to create a rich, digital model of the world. The new Maps feature will allow users to see a large array of different pieces of information that werent previously available. Including bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections and more. This will give users a more complete picture of what the entire route looks like. And should help them to decide whether or not their initially chosen route is the best route for them to take.

Immersive View for routes in Maps will come to 15 cities this year

Immersive View is already available in Maps for images, but the availability to use it with routes will start with a slow rollout to just 15 cities over the coming months. Google doesnt say if all cities will have access simultaneously once the rollout begins. But it does note which cities users will be able to take advantage of the new feature first.

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This includes Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo, and Venice. In addition to being able to see bike lanes and intersections, Immersive View for routes will also let you see traffic, as well as details like weather conditions and air quality.
Google today is announcing some new online safety features to promote safer browsing for all, and this includes a new tool called About This Image that Google says will provide more context about visual content. Google is also introducing its latest iteration of Safe Browsing, giving you more control over your private data in Google Maps, and expanding access to its Dark Web report.

For those that use Google a lot to meet their search needs, no doubt images come up often and in many cases are not only part of the search intention, but can add additional information to the search results. In some instances the image may enhance the results. This new tool Google is introducing should help to enhance things further. Google says the tool can add quite a bit of extra information that might be useful. Such as when images were first indexed by Google.

Additionally, the tool can list details like where the image first appeared. As well as noting other online locations where the image has been found. Say it first appeared on a new publication for example. About This Image would show that context. But it would also show if its been shared around on social media.

About This Image is just the start

As mentioned Google is introducing a few new features today. But its also announcing the improvement of features that have been available for a while.

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For example, Google already offers a Content Safety API tool that helps websites identify potential CSAM (child sexual abuse material) images. Websites like Facebook, Yubo and others already use this tool to help make the online world a safer space for kids. And going forward Google says the Content Safety API will be expanded to help identify potential CSAM in video content.

The Dark Web Report is another already available tool that is being expanded to make it more available. As of right now, you need to be a Google One subscriber in the US to make use of this tool. With it, you can scan your Gmail ID to see if pops up anywhere on the dark web. If its found, Google then provides assistance on what steps to take. Over the next few weeks Google says itll be expanding this tool to everyone in the US. So youll no longer need to be a Google One subscriber.

Delete your Maps search history more easily

Another new feature coming is an easier way to delete the search history from Maps. If you, like us, prefer to keep things organized, you likely go through and delete your Maps search history every so often.

Google is making it possible to now do this from the app in just a single tap for recent searches. Which means youll no longer have to do it from the Web & App Activity inside your browser. For those unaware, deleting Maps search history through Web & Activity requires multiple steps. Including having to filter your web and app activity my product. Going forward, youll be able to launch Maps, and delete your search history right from the app or website with just a tap.

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Making the process a lot more convenient, easy to find, and faster to use.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro is one of the years most anticipated smartphones. It has been praised for its sleek design, high-quality camera, and powerful processor. However, some users have reported a problem with the volume buttons falling apart.

The issue seems to be affecting a few users, but it is still a cause for concern. According to Android Central, the volume buttons on the Pixel 7 Pro are not holding up well over time. Users on Reddit and Google Support page have also reported that the buttons have become loose or have fallen off completely.

Users that utilize their devices volume buttons to regulate the sound will find this annoying. Changing the volume or turning off the sound entirely without working volume buttons can be challenging. Users were also concerned that the warranty might not cover the problem because some Google reps claim that the problem results from the mishandling of the phones.

Pixel 7 Pro volume buttons are falling off

Its unclear what is causing the volume buttons to fall apart on the Pixel 7 Pro. Some speculate that it may be due to a manufacturing defect, while others believe it may be related to the devices design.

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Most complaints about Pixel 7 Pro buttons are submitted in the new year. Which shows users bought devices for Christmas, but theyre now dealing with loose buttons after just a few months.

A user wrote, Its been less than a week since I got my Pixel 7 Pro, and already the volume button has fallen off, and Ive lost it! Where can I get a replacement from? I cant find anywhere online.

Google has acknowledged the problem and stated that the team is aware of the issue. However, this is not something you expect to see in a $900 smartphone, and Google certainly needs to address it in the upcoming Pixel 7 Pro devices.
WhatsApp may be continuously listening to you even when the app is not in use. Several users have recently noticed that the Meta-owned encrypted messaging app has been using the microphone in the background. The company says its an Android bug that Google needs to fix.

Over the past few years, Google has greatly improved privacy and security measures on Android. You can now check which app has access to cameras, microphones, location, and more all in one place and instantly revoke access. You can also see the usage timeline to ensure that there havent been any unauthorized or suspicious access. On top of this, Android now shows display indicators when an app uses the camera or microphone. You will see little green dots in the top right corner of the screen.

In recent weeks, several users have noticed that the green dot is persistent on their Android phones if when are not actively using the camera or microphone. Upon checking the Privacy Dashboard, they found that WhatsApp has been using the microphone all the time. Even if the app is not in use or running in the background (removed from recent apps), it doesnt stop using the microphone. Screenshots shared by affected users show continuous microphone usage for several minutes in quick succession.

WhatsApp blamed an Android bug for this problem

This problem seems to have existed for a few weeks now. The folks over at Piunikaweb have compiled user reports dating back to late March. Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones appear to be the most affected, though the problem may exist on devices from other brands as well. For some, a recent update for WhatsApp stopped this creepy behavior but not everyone seems to be this lucky. The company, meanwhile, has blamed Google for the problem. It says WhatsApp isnt using the microphone in the background. An Android bug is incorrectly showing the information on Privacy Dashboard.

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We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate, WhatsApp tweeted yesterday quoting a Twitter engineer who reported the same problem. Users have full control over their mic settings, it added. The company reassured that WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video. Moreover, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them.

Its unclear whats happening here. But users who are facing this problem might be better off revoking microphone access to WhatsApp for the time being. Some users have found that the app stops the creepy behavior after revoking access, then restarting the phone, and then granting access again. If youre having this problem, you can try this workaround. We will let you know if and when WhatsApp or Google provide more information or roll out a fix for the issue.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee revealed that over $1 million was transferred from a corrupt Romanian businessman to members of the Biden family while Joe Biden was serving as Vice President and promoting anti-corruption efforts in Romania.

The committee also focused on transfers from China to the Biden family.

Committee Chairman James Comer accused the Biden family of engaging in shady business deals that capitalized on Joe Biden's public office and risked national security, per The New York Post.

The committee cited subpoenaed bank records in a 36-page memo detailing how $3 million was transferred from Gabriel Popoviciu's Bladon Enterprises to Robinson Walker LLC, controlled by Hunter's business partner Rob Walker, between November 2015 and May 2017.

Roughly one-third of the $3 million, or $1,038,627.08, was transferred to bank accounts belonging to Hunter Biden, first daughter-in-law Hallie Biden, and an unnamed Biden family member.

Read Also: California Compensates Family of Man Who Died in Police Custody With $24 Million

This Romanian distribution reflects a similar division of approximately $3 million in early 2017 from Chinese firm CEFC China Energy, which was shared among Hunter, Hallie, first brother James Biden, and an unidentified Biden, according to an Oversight Committee memo from March.

Obtained emails from Hunter's laptop indicated that Popoviciu hired the POTUS in 2016 to participate in an influence campaign aimed at persuading anti-corruption prosecutors to either cut a deal or drop the case while Joe Biden was serving as vice president, according to Daily Mail.

White House Slams Rep. Comer's Allegations

The House Oversight Committee's memo is also a rebuttal to what Republicans claim is misinformation being disseminated by President Biden, Democrats in Congress, and their supporters about the previous memo's findings regarding China.

Before the memo was made public, White House spokesperson Ian Sams accused Congressman Comer of distorting facts and spreading unfounded allegations while conducting his supposed "investigations" without credibility.

Sams claimed that Comer selectively leaked information to advance his narrative of attacking President Joe Biden and his family, CNN reported.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's attorney, replied to the document in a statement, calling the accusations outdated and repeating previously looked at and lawful commercial transactions by private individuals.

Lowell also asked Comer to look into the several organizations connected to ex-President Donald Trump and his family since prior investigations had revealed no misconduct on the part of Hunter Biden.

Related Article: Biden Pushes for 'Separate Discussion' on Budget, Spending Priorities

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Veranstaltung mit vielen Stars bringt 30.000,00 fur neues Barenrettungszentrum in Vietnam ein 11. Mai 2023





Es war das zehnte Jahr, in dem sich zahlreiche Unterstutzer von Animals Asia vor Kurzem zu einer glanzvollen Veranstaltung zusammenfanden, um die notigen Spenden fur unser neues Barenrettungszentrum in Bach Ma, Vietnam, zu sammeln.

Gesponsert wurde das Ereignis von The Mill in dem wunderschonen, durch und durch englischen Dorf Sonning in Berkshire. Der Ort eignet sich perfekt fur einen Abend der personlichen Begegnung mit der Grunderin und CEO von Animals Asia, Jill Robinson, sowie Botschaftern und Freunden, die grozugig ihre Zeit und ihre fantastischen Talente spendeten.

Musik, Lachen und ein paar Tranen

An der Veranstaltung mit dem Titel Ein Abend mit Rick Wakeman beteiligten sich auer der Rock-Legende selbst die Botschafter Peter Egan und Lesley Nicol, der britische Comedian Jon Culshaw und Schauspielerin Sophia Del Pizzo, eine Unterstutzerin. Sie alle unterhielten ein Publikum von 250 Menschen mit Musik, Comedy und Geschichten uber unsere geretteten Baren.

Spendensammeln fur die Freiheit

Zahlreiche hochtalentierte Unterstutzer wie zum Beispiel die Kunstler Richard Symonds, Steve Tandy und Suzie Marsh spendeten Werke, die unsere wunderschone Natur darstellen. Und unsere Leiterin des Baren- und Tierarztteams, Heide Quine, uberraschte und erfreute das Publikum mit ihren eigenen kunstlerischen Bildern von einigen Baren, die von ihr und unserem Team in China versorgt werden.



Heidis Zeichnung unseres Superbaren Weston mit seinem einzigartigen Merkmal, den goldenen Augenbrauen!

Bei der Auktion sowie durch gespendete Wellness-Tage und Funf-Sterne-Menus mit drei Gangen kam der fantastische Betrag von 30.000,00 fur den Bau des zweiten Rettungszentrums von Animals Asia in Vietnam zusammen. Dieses Rettungszentrum wird den letzten Baren des Landes, die noch auf Gallefarmen leben, ein Zuhause bieten und das endgultige Aus fur die Barengallefarmen in Vietnam bedeuten.

Eine Bewegung der Freundlichkeit

Jill sagte,

Danke, danke, danke an alle, die an dieser fantastischen Veranstaltung mitgewirkt haben! sagte Jill. Danke an unser ausdauerndes Team, das die ganze Show organisierte und leitete, an unsere wundervollen Botschafter und Unterstutzer, die den Abend zu seinem ungeheuren Erfolg verhalfen, an die einzelnen Menschen und die Unternehmen, die so fantastisch grozugige Betrage gespendet haben, und an all die Tierfreunde, die teilnahmen und ihr hart verdientes Geld fur den guten Zweck gaben. Wir alle sind nur aus einem Grund hier: das Leid der letzten paar hundert Baren zu beenden, die noch auf Gallefarmen in Vietnam dahinvegetieren. Und der heutige Abend hat gezeigt, dass wir mit Unterstutzung erfolgreich alle Baren nach Hause bringen und die Barengallefarmen in Vietnam fur immer schlieen werden.

Wir sind schon fast am Ziel. Bitte schlieen Sie sich uns heute an, um uns dabei zu helfen, zu den letzten Baren auf den Gallefarmen zu gelangen. Sie warten geduldig, aber voller Verzweiflung darauf, dass wir sie nach Hause bringen.
Coronation Street star Michael Turner was accused by fellow cast members of being a mole amid alleged phone hacking by journalists, the High Court has been told.

The actor, who has appeared in the role of Kevin Webster in the Manchester-based soap since 1983, is among a number of individuals describing the upsetting, damaging and long-lasting impact of allegedly being targeted by unlawful information gathering activities.

His former Coronation Street co-star Nikki Sanderson felt like she was public property and experienced abuse in the street following false insinuations in articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the court was told.

Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of TV comedian Paul Whitehouse, received an apology from the publisher over the unlawful gathering of her medical information while she was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, court documents revealed.

MGN, publisher of The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting damages claims brought by the trio, as well as the Duke of Sussex, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Their representative claims are being considered by a judge during a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday.

Lawyers for Mr Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, said between 1991 and 2011 he was of considerable interest to MGN due to his career and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape, for which he was later found not guilty.

Mr Turner was also an actors informal union rep, which meant he was privy to private information about his Coronation Street co-stars, his legal team said in a court document.

The actor claims it is likely voicemail messages he left on an associates phone were unlawfully accessed and listened to by MGN journalists.

Nikki Sandersons legal team said in court documents that she experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity (PA)

His barrister, David Sherborne, said in the court document that Mr Turner had set out the enormous and long-lasting impact of these alleged activities explaining that Coronation Street cast members accused him of being a mole due to his position as union rep, which he was absolutely devastated by.

He also became extremely paranoid and blamed people close to him for stories which were public, even abandoning his local pub as a result, the lawyer said.

He is shocked and horrified by MGNs targeting of him for over 15 years.

MGN denies Mr Turners claims, arguing there is no evidence of voicemail interception or unlawful information gathering relating to him.

Ms Sandersons legal team said in court documents that she experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity which was consistent with the unauthorised accessing of her voicemails and other unlawful information gathering, with private information appearing in newspapers with no legitimate explanation as to how it was obtained.

Mr Sherborne said she said it was scary feeling like she was always being watched, and upsetting that MGNs conduct caused the lines between her public and private life to blur, making her believe that she was public property.

The impact of the stories on Nikki Sanderson was aggravated by their false insinuations that she was promiscuous, causing her great upset and giving rise to her being subjected to mental and physical abuse, having people shout at her in the street calling her a whore, slag or slut and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions, Mr Sherborne said.

It gave rise to her feeling in a constant state of paranoia, distrusting everyone around her.

He added that payment records to private investigators show Ms Sanderson was subjected to very large amounts of unlawful information gathering.

This made her feel angry and distressed, with the actress claiming: I was a young girl and they were hiring random men to follow me  they could have done anything to me.

In its trial defence, the publisher says Ms Sandersons claim is brought too late, but unreservedly apologises over four payments made to private investigators which it admits are evidence of instructions to unlawfully obtain her private information.

The publisher also claims that evidence does not suggest Ms Sandersons phone was successfully hacked.

MGN said it unreservedly apologises to Ms Wightman and admitted she was the subject of unlawful private investigator activity on six occasions, but denied she was targeted through voicemail interception.

Its lawyers said instructions to private investigators, shown in payment records, appear to relate to seeking information about Ms Whitehouses medical treatment.

Mr Sherborne said in a court document: It is difficult to conceive of more intrusive and damaging PI activity.

This was plainly unlawful, and Fiona Wightman explains that she was even door-stepped by journalists in relation to her diagnosis and how she, quite understandably, finds the PI activity to be despicable and deeply shocking, the barrister said.

MGN also argues that Ms Wightman is time barred from bringing her case.
Coronation Street star Michael Turner was accused by fellow cast members of being a mole amid alleged phone hacking by journalists, the High Court has been told.

The actor, who has appeared in the role of Kevin Webster in the Manchester-based soap since 1983, is among a number of individuals describing the upsetting, damaging and long-lasting impact of allegedly being targeted by unlawful information gathering activities.

His former Coronation Street co-star Nikki Sanderson felt like she was public property and experienced abuse in the street following false insinuations in articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the court was told.

Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of TV comedian Paul Whitehouse, received an apology from the publisher over the unlawful gathering of her medical information while she was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, court documents revealed.

MGN, publisher of The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting damages claims brought by the trio, as well as the Duke of Sussex, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Nikki Sandersons legal team said in court documents that she experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity (PA)

Their representative claims are being considered by a judge during a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday.

Lawyers for Mr Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, said between 1991 and 2011 he was of considerable interest to MGN due to his career and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape, for which he was later found not guilty.

Mr Turner was also an actors informal union rep, which meant he was privy to private information about his Coronation Street co-stars, his legal team said in a court document.

The actor claims it is likely voicemail messages he left on an associates phone were unlawfully accessed and listened to by MGN journalists.

His barrister, David Sherborne, said in the court document that Mr Turner had set out the enormous and long-lasting impact of these alleged activities explaining that Coronation Street cast members accused him of being a mole due to his position as union rep, which he was absolutely devastated by.

He also became extremely paranoid and blamed people close to him for stories which were public, even abandoning his local pub as a result, the lawyer said.

He is shocked and horrified by MGNs targeting of him for over 15 years.

MGN denies Mr Turners claims, arguing there is no evidence of voicemail interception or unlawful information gathering relating to him.

Ms Sandersons legal team said in court documents that she experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity which was consistent with the unauthorised accessing of her voicemails and other unlawful information gathering, with private information appearing in newspapers with no legitimate explanation as to how it was obtained.

Mr Sherborne said she said it was scary feeling like she was always being watched, and upsetting that MGNs conduct caused the lines between her public and private life to blur, making her believe that she was public property.

The impact of the stories on Nikki Sanderson was aggravated by their false insinuations that she was promiscuous, causing her great upset and giving rise to her being subjected to mental and physical abuse, having people shout at her in the street calling her a whore, slag or slut and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions, Mr Sherborne said.

It gave rise to her feeling in a constant state of paranoia, distrusting everyone around her.

He added that payment records to private investigators show Ms Sanderson was subjected to very large amounts of unlawful information gathering.

This made her feel angry and distressed, with the actress claiming: I was a young girl and they were hiring random men to follow me  they could have done anything to me.

In its trial defence, the publisher says Ms Sandersons claim is brought too late, but unreservedly apologises over four payments made to private investigators which it admits are evidence of instructions to unlawfully obtain her private information.

The publisher also claims that evidence does not suggest Ms Sandersons phone was successfully hacked.

MGN said it unreservedly apologises to Ms Wightman and admitted she was the subject of unlawful private investigator activity on six occasions, but denied she was targeted through voicemail interception.

Its lawyers said instructions to private investigators, shown in payment records, appear to relate to seeking information about Ms Whitehouses medical treatment.

Mr Sherborne said in a court document: It is difficult to conceive of more intrusive and damaging PI activity.

This was plainly unlawful, and Fiona Wightman explains that she was even door-stepped by journalists in relation to her diagnosis and how she, quite understandably, finds the PI activity to be despicable and deeply shocking, the barrister said.

MGN also argues that Ms Wightman is time barred from bringing her case.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will make a rare intervention in the House of Lords on Wednesday, to condemn the Governments Illegal Migration Bill as it faces its first test in the upper chamber.

Justin Welby will argue against the flagship legislation aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

The intervention, first reported in the i, would mark his second major rebuke of the Governments treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

The unelected chamber will sit earlier from 11am to consider the Bill at second reading after it passed the Commons, with almost 90 speakers including the Archbishop listed.

Lord Paddick has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation (PA)

Ahead of the legislation returning to the red benches, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk have urged peers not to stand in the way of the will of the British people by blocking the UK Governments migration policies.

Writing jointly for Times Red Box, the two Cabinet ministers said: We urge the House of Lords to look at the Illegal Migration Bill carefully, remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way, and back the Bill.

But in a rare parliamentary move, Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, a former senior police officer, has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation, aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle.

His amendment argues the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments, allow ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine the UKs tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees, while failing to tackle the backlog of asylum cases or people smuggling gangs.

But the blocking bid is destined to fail without the backing of the main opposition.

A Labour source said: Were not supporting the motion. If successful, which they never are, the Government could just Parliament Act the Bill in the next Kings Speech and peers would lose the opportunity to make any amendments.

It is therefore an irresponsible way to deal with legislation that has already gone through the the elected House.

The two Green Party peers will be among those supporting the fatal motion, with Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb saying: This Bill is illegal because it breaks international law and should be opposed for that reason alone. It is also immoral and plain nasty.

It effectively makes all asylum seekers criminals unless they are from a few select countries where the UK has approved pathways and safe routes for immigration such as Hong Kong.

Lady Jones added: It is hugely disappointing that Labour are failing to oppose this legislation outright, but unsurprising given their recent track record of caving in on Voter ID and the Public Order Bill. If we are to save our democracy, we need an opposition that is up to the job.

The Bill includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

The clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks pledge to stop the boats bringing migrants across the English Channel.

More than 6,000 migrants have crossed the channel so far in 2023.

To cope with the numbers, the Government plans to use disused military camps and a barge as accommodation centres.

But critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

The Archbishop, in a speech to the Lords last year, warned against harmful rhetoric that treats those arriving in the UK as invaders.

He has previously called for a better system based on compassion, justice and co-operation across frontiers.
Texas authorities on Wednesday dispatched a busload of migrants to Philadelphia for the first time in months as the state prepares for the end of Title 42 and the anticipated flow of migrants that will follow.

In November 2022, Texas dispatched its first bus to Philadelphia and has since sent over 12 more. Texas has not sent as many buses to the city as New York or Chicago.

At about 6 a.m. this morning, one bus carrying around 31 asylum seekers arrived in Philadelphia, for a total of 20 buses since November of last year, according to Fox News.

From 30th Street Station, 26 of them were taken to the city's reception center on E. Luzerne Street in North Philadelphia. According to a statement from the Philadelphia, everyone on board is from Venezuela.

The most recent bus to Philadelphia leaves on Thursday, just before Title 42 expires. The initiative, initially enacted under previous President Trump, permits border officials to refuse asylum applications from countries impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The constraints have been referred to as Title 42 since they are sanctioned by Title 42 of a public health legislation from 1944 that permits limit on migration in the interest of safeguarding the health of the public, per AP News.

There are concerns about what will happen to migration at the US-Mexico border now that Title 42 is no longer in effect. The Biden administration is geared up for an influx of migrants.

Read Also: Biden Family Received Over $1 Million From Corrupt Romanian Businessman

More US Troops To Be Deployed

Meanwhile, hundreds of US soldiers are scheduled to start a new mission along the southern border on Wednesday.

According to John Cornelio, a spokesman for US Northern Command, some 550 personnel, largely from the US Army, would assist US Customs and Border Protection by patrolling the border and providing data entry and warehousing assistance, CNN reported.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated Tuesday that the soldiers would not contact migrants or engage in law enforcement.

By the latter part of the month, Cornelio stated that another 950 men, mostly Marines and Army personnel, would arrive at the border.

Related Article: Title 42: Texas Governor Resumes Busing Migrants to Sanctuary Cities

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A 15 year-old boy has been charged with murder after a stabbing attack in east London.

It comes after police were called on Friday, just before midnight, to reports of men armed with machetes near to Dagenham Heathway Underground Station.

Scotland Yard said the teenager, who can not be named for legal reasons, has also been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He is to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, 18  known as Jordan, of Romford, Essex, was stabbed to death near the Tube station.

Police and London Ambulance Service paramedics who responded to the callout on Friday found a man with stab injuries who died at the scene.

A post-mortem on Sunday found Mr Kukabus cause of death was a single stab wound to the chest.

Another man, aged in his 20s, was also taken to hospital with a stab injury. His condition is not life-threatening.

Police said that three other males  aged 16, 17 and 20  were arrested in Suffolk on Tuesday, on suspicion of murder and a separate offence of violent disorder.

They are all in custody.

A 27-year-old man, who was also arrested in Suffolk on Tuesday, on suspicion of assisting an offender and a separate offence of violent disorder, has been bailed pending further inquiries.

A police spokesman said a 20-year-old man, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released with no further action.

They added that this man has also been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to another incident. He has been released on bail for this offence.
Andrew Bridgen has resisted calls for a by-election after announcing his defection to the Reclaim Party.

The former Conservative MP said he expected a general election within 12 months and did not want to put his constituents through two trips to the polling station in a year.

Speaking at an event in Westminster to announce his defection to Reclaim, the party led by actor Laurence Fox, Mr Bridgen said: I wouldnt want to put my constituents through the rigours of having two general elections in 12 months. They dont tend to like it very much.

The North West Leicestershire MP has faced calls to stand down and trigger a by-election since his move to become Reclaims first MP was announced on Tuesday.

Amanda Hack, a Leicestershire councillor and Labours candidate in North West Leicestershire, said: If he wants to try his luck as Britains first-ever Reclaim MP thats fine, but the choice should not be down to him.

That choice should lie with the voters of North West Leicestershire. He should resign immediately and put his extreme views to the test at a by-election.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper has also called for a by-election, saying: Andrew Bridgen and his misinformation have absolutely no place in the House of Commons and now his defection to a failed fringe political party cements it.

If Bridgen wants to sit as an MP for this party he should do the right thing  resign and call a by-election.

Andrew Bridgen alongside Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Mr Bridgen has himself called for MPs to face by-elections after switching parties.

In 2019 he said then-MP Anna Soubry was hypocritical for refusing to stand for re-election after leaving the Conservatives over Brexit.

He said at the time: In good conscience, to your electorate, if you move party, then you should have an election.

Mr Bridgens announcement comes two weeks after he was expelled from the Conservative Party over a tweet in which he described Covid-19 vaccinations as the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust.

Appearing alongside Mr Fox on Wednesday he said a huge chasm had opened up between Parliament and the people, and he was joining Reclaim because they respect free speech as the basis for every aspect of our democracy and our society.

Describing the Conservatives as misguided and out of touch, he said: I believe that true change can only be achieved from outside the party.

He added: This is just the beginning and the people will have a voice in Parliament again.

In the Conservative Party I was a prisoner, but now I have reclaimed my freedom.

Mr Fox welcomed Mr Bridgen to the party, describing him as an actual conservative who would fight for Britain.

He said: The British people have a right to hear what Andrew Bridgen has to say, and the Reclaim Party will make sure he is heard.

Mr Fox said his party plans to run a very targeted campaign at the next general election, targeting problematic MPs.

He said: We are not looking to stand in 650 seats. We are looking to find problematic Tories particularly, or Labour, and stand there, stand on our principles where wokery has taken off terribly and cancel culture exists.

He also left the door open to deals with other anti-woke parties such as Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit Party.
A First World War soldier has finally been laid to rest more than 100 years after his death, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The body of Private Robert Kenneth Malcolm, a 23-year-old stretcher bearer from Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, was found when unidentified remains were recovered from a shell hole outside a German blockhouse in Fusilier Wood near Klein-Zillebeke, Belgium in 2019.

The Royal Army Medical Corps insignia and a medical orderly cloth patch were recovered with the body, which indicated the person found had been a stretcher bearer.

After research carried out by the Ministry of Defences Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) and DNA testing, the remains were identified as Pte Malcolm, who had first been reported missing on August 6 1917, and was believed to have been killed during shelling.

A bearer party carries the coffin of Private Robert Kenneth Malcolm at the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions Bedford House Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Pte Malcolm was buried on Wednesday at the Bedford House Cemetery in Ypres, located in Flanders Field.

Records recovered as part of the JCCCs investigation found that his medals had been sent to his mother after the war but were not delivered so were returned to the Army and destroyed.

The honours have since been reissued and presented to his family, including his 1914 Star with Clasp  often referred to as the Mons Star  and the British War medal and Victory medal.

Pvt Malcolms medals have been reissued and presented to his family (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Linda Jordan, Pte Malcolms great-great-niece, was one of two family members who provided positive DNA matches.

Speaking at the burial service she attended with her sister, Ms Jordan said: Getting a letter five months ago from JCCC suggesting I could be related to a fallen First World War soldier whose body had been recently discovered was quite a shock.

My family was unaware that our great-grandmother had eleven siblings, one of whom was Pte Malcolm. It is fascinating how we were traced and the link confirmed through DNA testing.

As Pte Malcolm had been missing for so long it was amazing and quite emotional to see the care that all those in the wider Army family have taken to identify and honour him.

We were privileged to represent his family at his funeral. It is our way of respecting him and acknowledging the sacrifice he, and so many others, made in service of our country.

The surviving members of the family were unaware of their links to Pte Malcolm (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Rosie Barron, JCCC case lead said: The identification of Pte Malcolm was a long and at times complicated task, so it is very satisfying to have organised his burial service today and to have seen a positive conclusion to this case.

Stretcher bearers such as Pte Malcolm were vital to the war effort. Without their dedication and bravery, many more men would have died on the battlefields.

Pte Malcolm came from a large family. His mother and siblings died unaware of his fate and the memory of Pte Malcolm had been lost through the generations.

It has been a privilege therefore to have his great-great-nieces here today to see him laid to rest and to know that he will be remembered by future generations of his family who will now be able to visit his grave.
A 23-year-old British man has pleaded guilty to hacking into more than 100 Twitter accounts, including those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk, in one of the biggest hacks in social media history.

Joseph James OConnor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty in New York on Tuesday to his role in the July 2020 hacking, in addition to cyberstalking and multiple other schemes.

OConnor was extradited from Spain on April 26 to face charges which carry a total maximum sentence of more than 70 years in prison.

According to the US Department of Justice, OConnor was charged alongside compatriot Mason Sheppard of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli.

Joe Biden was among the high-profile Twitter accounts hacked by OConnor and his co-conspirators (Brian Lawless/PA)

Sheppard, who US authorities previously said is also known as Chaewon, was 19-years-old when the crimes took place in July 2020. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.

On Tuesday, assistant attorney general Kenneth A Polite Jr of the Justice Departments Criminal Division described OConnors criminal activities as flagrant and malicious and said his conduct impacted multiple peoples lives.

The attorney added: He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm.

Like many criminal actors, OConnor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States.

Screen grab taken from the Twitter account of Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, after a number of high-profile Twitter accounts were hacked as part of a widespread cryptocurrency scam in 2020 (Twitter/PA)

But this (guilty) plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.

The US justice department said OConnor had participated in the exploitation of social media accounts, as well as online extortion and cyberstalking.

The hackers used social engineering tricks to get access to the Twitter accounts and send out tweets asking followers to send bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.

The 23-year-old also pleaded guilty to other hacking crimes including gaining access to a high-profile TikTok account.

The US justice department said he had also used technology to stalk a minor.

OConnor will be sentenced on June 23.
A care home has been fined 20,000 for breaking health and safety laws after a resident died from drinking sanitiser during the coronavirus lockdown.

David Fyfe, 90, had dementia and lived in Tigh-Na-Muirn residential home in Dundee but on May 27, 2020 he ingested cleaning liquid and died four days later.

Tigh-Na-Muirn Limited, which runs the home, was fined 20,000 at Dundee Sheriff Court on Wednesday after it admitted breaching health and safety laws, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said.

Debbie Carroll, who leads on health and safety at the Crown Office, said: The death of David Fyfe could have been prevented if Tigh-Na-Muirn Limited had taken the reasonably practicable preventative measure of ensuring that residents were not exposed to the risk of hazardous cleaning chemicals.

Mr Fyfe was unable to take his own medication, and while in the home tested positive for Covid-19 on May 6 and was placed into isolation in line with the homes coronavirus plans.

Inside the room, in line with its infection control plan, cleaning products were to be stored on top of the bathroom cabinet. Supply issues meant the home could not get the preferred clinical wipes, and the plan was altered to include Sterigerm cleaning sanitiser.

During his time in isolation, the Crown Office said, staff at the home reported Mr Fyfe being more confused than usual and the facilitys mental health manager had contact with him daily to help him understand what was happening.

The bathroom cabinet in Tigh Na Muirn Residential Home in Dundee (Crown Office/PA)

But on his final day of isolation on May 27 that year, the Crown Office said, Mr Fyfe came to his door clutching his chest and reported he had chest pain.

Inside the room staff saw a paper cup with green residue on the table next to an unlabelled screw top spray bottle of sanitiser with its lid on, the Crown Office said, and the cup had a green residue in the bottom which was the same colour as the cleaning solution.

Mr Fyfe was taken to hospital, but died on May 31 at midnight.

The charge said he had ingested a quantity of the ammonium-based cleaning fluid and developed acute severe inflammation of his airway and pneumonia before he died.

An Angus Council investigation found the infection control plan did not consider the hazard to Mr Fyfe by storing chemicals in his room, prosecutors said.

Since the death, the Crown Office said, locked boxes were placed outside rooms and contain everything a person with, or suspected to have, Covid needs. It also has access to wipes, so Sterigerm is no longer required.

The charge said the home failed to make suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks associated with the storage of cleaning products within residents rooms between March 20, 2020 and June 1, 2020, and failed to ensure that the exposure of your residents to hazardous cleaning chemicals, was prevented or, where this was not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.

It added that on May 6 that year, a bottle of an ammonium-based cleaning liquid was placed beside toiletries on top of a cabinet above the sink in the bathroom of said David Fyfe and on May 27, 2020, David Fyfe ingested a quantity of the liquid and in consequence he developed acute severe inflammation of his airway and pneumonia from which he died.

The firm was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 1,500, the Crown Office added.
Scientists have released a new pangenome sequence in a bid to try and understand more about the differences between peoples genes.

A pangenome combines the genome sequences of many people which means that it is easier to see all of the genetic diversity and differences in that collection.

Researchers from the international Human Pangenome Reference Consortium have announced that they have mapped out the genomes of 47 people in the new pangenome sequence, and aim to increase this number to 350 by the middle of next year.

Experts hope that the work, which has been published as a collection of papers in the journal Nature, will lead to a a new age of genetic diagnosis.

Researchers from the @genome_gov-funded Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (@HumanPangenome) have completed a collection of new human reference genome sequences that much more accurately reflect global diversity! https://t.co/jaercozEem pic.twitter.com/ZkjSJH8NAE  National Human Genome Research Institute (@genome_gov) May 10, 2023

When researchers and clinicians study peoples DNA, their genetic information is compared to a reference sequence of genomes.

The human reference genome was first completed 20 years ago.

Despite many revisions to the sequence, the three billion letters of DNA code that make up this reference genome were put together using information from just 20 people who lived in the same part of North America, and most of the reference sequence is from only one person.

Experts have said that the reference genome does not reflect the full genetic diversity of humanity, something which the new project is trying to solve.

Any two peoples genomes are, on average, more than 99% identical.

But the small differences are what make people different from one another and can provide insights about their health including how to predict outcomes, diagnose disease and guide medical treatments.

Everyone has a unique genome, so using a single reference genome sequence for every person can lead to inequities in genomic analyses, said co-author of the main study, Adam Phillippy, from the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US.

For example, predicting a genetic disease might not work as well for someone whose genome is more different from the reference genome.

The new pangenome sequence builds upon the previous reference genome sequence, adding more than 100 million new bases, or letters in DNA, academics said.

The previous reference genome is described as linear while the new pangenome represents many different versions of the human genome sequence at the same time and has been likened to a map of a subway system.

Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, added: Basic researchers and clinicians who use genomics need access to a reference sequence that reflects the remarkable diversity of the human population. This will help make the reference useful for all people, thereby helping to reduce the chances of propagating health disparities.

Commenting, Professor David Adelson, from the University of Adelaide in Australia, said: Why is a pangenome so exciting? It includes all the differences between the genomes of the individuals that have been sequenced.

All you have to do is look around you to see how different people are. These differences reflect differences in our genomes. Up until now we have used a single genome sequence as a reference for the detection of genetic changes that cause disease. That reference did not include differences between people or populations.

With the pangenome we can now look for genetic changes across many individuals and ultimately the pangenome will grow to include information from thousands and perhaps millions of genome sequences.

This means our ability to use genetic information for diagnosis will increase enormously. With the current pangenome from only 45 humans, the accuracy of detection to find genetic changes has gone up by 34% and the number of large, difficult-to-detect changes we now know about has gone up by over 100%.

This paper heralds a new age of genetic diagnosis, that will benefit people from all ancestries, unlike our current reference genome that does not reflect all the diversity of humanity.
Investment in Eurovision has been really well spent because it has provided an opportunity for the UK to showcase itself to the world, the minister for the song contest has said.

The Government pledged 10 million in funding to this years competition, which is being held in Liverpool on behalf of last years winners Ukraine.

Funding from the city council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority was also provided to stage the event.

Eurovision Minister Stuart Andrew said: I absolutely think any investment weve made in this has been really well spent because its an opportunity for us to showcase to, on the show itself, 160 million people around the world what Liverpool, what the wider region, what the whole of the UK has to offer.

That is a massive audience and were making sure that we continue to show that we are a great country when it comes to organising huge events like this.

The feedback weve been getting so far is lots of people going home to their countries at the end of this week very, very happy indeed.

He said the welcome received by Eurovision fans was a great credit to the work done by people in the city.

He added: Liverpool has got a great reputation of being a party city and what theyve done is just welcomed everybody here so warmly.

Everybody that Ive spoken to from many different countries has said theyre huge Eurovision fans, been to many contests and they are citing this as one of the best.

Mr Andrew, whose Eurovision remit is part of his role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, said it was disappointing that strikes by rail workers could affect train services to and from the city at the weekend.

Asked if the Government should have taken action to resolve the strikes, he said: Actually, I think its really disappointing that the unions have targeted this event.

We have to remember that there are a lot of displaced Ukrainians who are coming here to enjoy this and to see their country performing, their cultural heritage, and theyve made that really difficult.

Theres offers on the table, they need to get on with accepting that I think.

Mae Muller of the UK performs during rehearsals at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool (Aaron Chown/PA)

Mr Andrew said he and his partner usually held Eurovision parties at home so it was great to be celebrating the contest live.

Seeing it live and how extraordinary it is, is just truly wonderful to see, he said.

The politician said the Ukrainian feel to the contest made it an even more special Eurovision Song Contest.

He added: I think its incredibly important to show to our friends in Ukraine that whilst they cant host this, we are happy to stand side by side with them and make sure it isnt just the UK hosting this, this is a joint venture between our two nations.

Seeing some of the extraordinary cultural elements from Ukraine here is very moving.

He said he was backing United Kingdom entrant Mae Muller to win.

I think that we have shown last year that we are within play and I hope that we can continue that success, he said.

There are clearly other favourites amongst the Eurovision fans.

The reception Norway, Finland and Sweden got last night was great to see.

The Eurovision Song Contest is unpredictable so who knows, its anyones game really.
A number of game-changing amendments are set to be tabled to a controversial Government Bill for dealing with Northern Irelands troubled past, the Secretary of State has said.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill will have its final committee sitting in the House of Lords on Thursday.

Chris Heaton-Harris said the Government has been on a journey to improve the Bill dramatically.

The Bill proposes immunity for people accused of crimes during the Troubles  as long as they co-operate with a new truth recovery body  and will stop future court processes.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle (Beresford Hodge/PA)

It has been widely criticised by political parties, the Irish government and victims groups.

During Northern Ireland questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, shadow secretary of state Peter Kyle put to Mr Heaton-Harris that the Bill undermines the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and pressed for a total rethink on legacy.

Mr Heaton-Harris responded by saying the Bill is something he hopes to talk about a great deal in the coming weeks.

We have been on a journey to improve the legacy Bill dramatically, he told MPs.

It has its final committee sitting in the House of Lords tomorrow and we will be tabling a range of quite big game-changing  I would like to think  amendments over the next couple of weeks before report stage.

Mr Heaton-Harris added: We will also have some other announcements that I am sure he will welcome.

Responding, Grainne Teggart, deputy director for Northern Ireland at Amnesty International UK, said: This bill cannot be fixed.

The only action from the Government that would be game changing is to scrap the bill entirely and put victims at the centre of the legacy processes.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been told neither handwringing or bell ringing will solve the misery of the channel crossings after the church leader condemned Government plans to tackle the small boats crisis.

The rebuke of the Most Rev Justin Welby at Westminster came as he lambasted the Illegal Migration Bill as morally unacceptable and politically impractical and urged a rethink.

The Government also said the top cleric was wrong as it defended the flagship legislation aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

It also includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

Critics argue the immigration reforms, which have already been passed by the Commons but face a bruising passage through the Lords, break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

In a withering attack on the draft legislation as it faces its first test in the unelected chamber, Mr Welby said: This Bill fails to take a long term and strategic view of the challenges of migration and undermines international co-operation rather than taking an opportunity for the UK to show leadership.

Highlighting the existing global agreements on refugees, Mr Welby said: While now inadequate, what those conventions offer is a baseline from which to build a globally shared understanding of what protection must be given to refugees.

They are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary.

Mr Welby added: It is isolationist, it is morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the crisis alone and cut our international aid.

This Bill is an attempt at a short-term fix.

The Archbishop of Canterbury speaking in the House of Lords (House of Lords/UK Parliament/PA)

It risks great damage to the UKs interests and reputation at home and abroad, let alone the interests of those in need of protection or the nations who together face this challenge.

Our interests as a nation are closely linked to our reputation for justice and the rule of law and to our measured language, calm decision and careful legislation.

None of those are seen here.

This nation should lead internationally, not stand apart.

But rejecting the Archbishops criticism, House Of Cards author Lord Dobbs stressed the need to tackle the people smugglers.

The Tory peer and former adviser to the Thatcher government said: They trade in lies, they trade lives.

It is our moral obligation to stop them, to bring an end to the unimaginable pain of mothers and fathers watching their children drowning off our shores in the channel.

No amount of handwringing or bell ringing is going to do that.

Former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean also took a sideswipe at Mr Welbys intervention, telling him: I am in strong agreement where he is concerned with issues spiritual, rather than temporal.

I use the word temporal in this sense, because of course there are things we can do, but these are all going to take time  people are drowning in the English Channel now.

People are leaving a safe country in order to come here and it is fatuous to try and present this as in the way that many have done.

Responding to the the clerics remarks outside the chamber, immigration minister Robert Jenrick told the BBC: Theres nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue I disagree with him respectfully.

By bringing forward this proposal we make it clear that if you come across illegally on a small boat you will not find a route to life in the UK. That will have a serious deterrent effect.

Earlier, Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth faced jeers and shouts of shame in the Lords as he argued the Bill was a compassionate response to the small boats problem.

He said: We simply cannot continue with a situation whereby year-on-year tens of thousands of people make the dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journey across the channel in circumvention of our immigration controls.

He added: We must stop the boats. This Bill, in conjunction with the other steps the Government is taking, is a necessary, urgent and indeed compassionate response to the daily challenge posed to the integrity of our immigration system. We must act now.

Liberal Democrat and former senior police officer Lord Paddick argued the legislation was a low point in the history of this Government.

He said: This Bill seeks to systematically deny human rights to a group of people desperately seeking sanctuary.

Labour frontbencher Lord Coaker said: In response to a broken system that is failing, we have a Government playing fast and loose with our place in the world and our respect for international law. This must change.
May 10, 2023: Information Clearing House -- Just as the Western public is growing increasingly skeptical of the U.S.-led proxy war against Russia and the insane military and financial aid being pumped to prop up the corrupt Kiev regime, we then see a daring assassination drone attack on the Kremlin.

Russia called it an act of terrorism to kill President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has also pointed the finger at Washington for authoring the assassination bid as well as the Kiev regime for having a hand in it.

The White House denies any American role in the air raid as does Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Western media are reporting claims that Russia may have carried out a false-flag terror attack on itself to justify ramping up military force in Ukraine. Those claims echo those put out earlier by the West about Russia blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea last September. In both cases, the notion of Russian false-flag attacks seems absurd.

Would Russia really risk making itself look incompetent by staging an audacious aerial raid on the seat of political power in its capital?

Two small unmanned aerial vehicles were apparently brought down over the Kremlin in the early hours of Wednesday. The lightweight devices could hardly have posed a serious threat to kill Putin in his official residence. So, it can be dismissed as a realistic attempt at assassination. The Kremlin said Putin was not even in the building at the time.

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Nevertheless, the mere fact of explosive drones breaching the iconic walls of the Kremlin and targeting the Senate Palace is certainly an outrageous provocation. One may aver that this provocative act per se was the main aim.

Moscows initial response was that it would retaliate accordingly at a time of its choosing. There are many voices calling for Russia to kill Zelensky. A furious reaction by Russia is understandable, but is it prudent?

It seems highly pertinent that there is growing skepticism and even disgust among the Western public about the U.S.-led proxy war in Ukraine. Polls are showing increasing numbers of Americans critical of the blank checks that Washington is throwing like a drunken sailor at the Kiev regime. Across Europe too people are angered by the unlimited money showering a corrupt cabal and the reckless danger of inciting an all-out war between NATO and Russia that could spiral into nuclear armageddon. This while Western workers are being drummed into poverty and social misery.

Skimming hundreds of millions of dollars by Zelensky and his cronies in Kiev is undermining Western public tolerance of this completely unnecessary conflict. The war is increasingly seen as a racket for the American military-industrial complex, a racket in which Zelensky and his ilk are indulged with their embezzlement and thievery of Western tax payers money.

The Ukraine conflict is blatantly being fueled indefinitely. There is brazen repudiation by Washington and its European minions of any diplomatic solution. A diplomatic solution was obviated from the very beginning when Russias reasonable security concerns and offer of dialogue in December 2021 about NATO and Ukraine were arrogantly brushed aside by the Joe Biden administration.

The war racket is too lucrative for the Pentagon industry and its ancillary European weapons firms.

But the Western propaganda narrative of defending Ukraine for as long as it takes is wearing thin for public consumption. The Kiev regime is burning down churches, ruthlessly repressing opposition political and media voices, glorifying Nazis and beating its own citizens on the streets in forced conscription for the military.

Vladimir Zelensky is seen as a wheedling character whose begging bowl for more weapons and funds is a black hole.

Without public support (or ignorance) in the West, the whole U.S.-led proxy war against Russia comes unstuck. The American presidential elections are approaching and the Ukrainian debacle could become a decisive factor for voters.

In order to salvage the shaky situation, therefore, what better than for Russia to launch an attack to kill Zelensky? Such an event would be spun to death by the pliant Western media as evidence of Russian barbarism, thereby giving the NATO proxy war in Ukraine a new lease of life and most importantly for the weapons racket to find a new throttle.

The American deep state, the CIA and Pentagon corporate oligarchy would be the most plausible agency to author the drone attack on the Kremlin. Just as this faction did with the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines. Technically and militarily, this faction has the capability. Just like the Nord Stream diversionary media stories about Ukrainian military agents being responsible for that sabotage, it is doubtful that the Kiev regime could have carried out the Kremlin attack  alone.

The timing of the Kremlin attack points to a big calculation to incite a wild reaction from Russia. It comes days before the annual May 9 Victory Day parade in Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The last time the Kremlin was attacked in an air raid was reportedly in 1942 during Hitlers invasion. Throw into that incitement that President Putin was targeted.

Arguably, Russia should push to defeat the NATO-backed Kiev regime. The longer that regime survives, the worse the danger persists for Russia from uncontrolled instability on its border. But taking out the contemptible Zelensky and his cronies in a bloody assassination? Such a reaction might be just what his American puppet masters want.
Setting a deadline for restoring powersharing in Northern Ireland would be deadly, according to Chris Heaton-Harris.

The Northern Ireland Secretary added it is pointless to set timelines and the focus is on getting the job done properly to ensure the executive can remain for a very long time when it returns.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since last year when the DUP withdrew in protest over the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The Windsor Framework recently struck by the UK and EU sought to reduce red tape on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, but the DUP wants further assurances.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour former minister Kevin Brennan said: Given the hugely advantageous position Northern Ireland now finds itself in, as outlined by the Prime Minister when the Windsor accord was being announced, isnt it time that powersharing really was restored?

And isnt it time the Secretary of State in fact considered a deadline for the restoration of powersharing?

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: The one thing I have learned in my role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is that deadlines are deadly. It is pointless setting timelines on things.

Getting the job done properly, so when the executive comes back it can be there for a very long time, is the right thing to do. And that is what everyone is working towards.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle (Liam McBurney/PA)

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle later asked Mr Heaton-Harris to reveal what talks were taking place about restoration of powersharing.

Mr Heaton-Harris said there was an ongoing pattern of formal talks with the parties, but added: I would also say to him, one thing I have learned from the negotiations to get the Windsor Framework over the line is that some of these things are best done on a confidential basis, because otherwise, other people get to pull the threads of negotiations and the whole thing falls apart.

Earlier at Northern Ireland questions, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson highlighted ongoing unionist concerns about the EUs influence in Northern Ireland, particularly how divergence from UK law, could inhibit our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.

He added: If we are to get Stormont restored on a stable foundation, which is what we want, then we have got to resolve these issues.

People in Northern Ireland, unionists in particular, need to know that their place in the United Kingdom, which was enshrined and protected in article 1 of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, will be equally enshrined and protected in UK law as a result of any arrangements that are put in place.

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: I can give him that assurance from this despatch box, but I know because of the engagement that we have had that he would like to see that in other terms as well.

That is why I look forward to our continuing conversations so we can work out exactly what the ask is, so I can try and deliver on that.

In the absence of local ministers, it has fallen on Mr Heaton-Harris to set Northern Irelands 2023/24 budget and senior civil servants to run departments.

MPs are considering all stages of the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill on Wednesday.

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, opening the second reading debate, said: The measures in this Bill will ensure a continuation of the current governance arrangements in Northern Ireland should there be no executive when they expire on June 5.

They are not and cannot be a substitute for devolved government they are by no means ideal, particularly in the context of this financial position.

He said the UK Government is acutely concerned about the long-term sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland, and said departments are facing very difficult and unavoidable decisions in the current difficult and frustrating circumstances.
An LGBTQ choir who sang across Liverpool on Monday to celebrate Eurovision and share the joy of their music received a huge amount of support, according to their director.

Proud Marys, an LGBTQ choir from Cheshire, sang a medley of quirky and cheesy versions of songs by Abba, Lady Gaga, Liverpools own soul group The Real Thing and songs from the musical Dear Evan Hansen.

The choirs 40 members received cheers from huge crowds at the Pier Head, the Museum of Liverpool and Church Street.

LGBTQ choir Proud Marys performing at the Pier Head in Liverpool (Natalie Nolan/PA)

Matt Baker, the 52-year-old choir director of Proud Marys, told the PA news agency: When we were at Church Street the rain was torrential, but we were given waterproof ponchos and sang in the belting rain.

And despite that, we were amazed by how many people with umbrellas stood and cheered us on, then when the rain calmed down we attracted a huge crowd.

So, we were really thrilled that even in the terrible British weather we experienced we had such a huge amount of support.

The choir, which formed in 2018 for isolated and older LGBTQ people, even received a huge amount of applause as they made their way out of James Street station singing Abba arrangements.

That gives you an idea of the huge appetite that there is and appreciation that we were clearly an LGBTQ choir travelling on the Merseyrail and everybody was cheering us on, Mr Baker said.

That feeling was multiplied tenfold when we came out onto James Street in Liverpool.

Proud Marys performing on Church Street in Liverpool (Natalie Nolan/PA)

Mr Baker, who was recognised in the late Queens Birthday Honours list in 2021, added theres a real appetite for everything musical and diverse in Liverpool.

It was also Mr Bakers other choir A Handbag Of Harmonies who encouraged Proud Marys to sing in Liverpool after they performed Eurovision medleys in care homes on Saturday.

He said: [A Handbag Of Harmonies] had such an enormous and warm welcome in Liverpool because of the real appetite for everything musical and diverse in that city.

The members of the choir told their friends [Proud Marys] you really need to go to Liverpool to share the joy of your music.

Mr Baker went on to say that Proud Marys Ukrainian friends blessed their trip to Liverpool and he praised how incredibly inclusive the city is in hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine.

He added: The tides are turning and people, through singing, are starting to understand that there are so many different communities out there and singing has got a great power to reach out to people and change peoples perception.
A potential by-election defeat in Rutherglen and Hamilton West would require soul-searching for Labour ahead of the general election, Jackie Baillie has said.

The Scottish Labour deputy leader said her party has confidence there is an appetite for it to take over the constituency as incumbent MP Margaret Ferrier faces being banned from the House of Commons for breaching Covid rules.

Former SNP MP Ms Ferrier has already been ordered to complete a 270-hour community payback order by a court after admitted travelling by train between Scotland and England while positive with the virus.

However, she is appealing against a proposed 30-day sanction recommended by the Commons Standard Committee which could trigger a by-election if 10% of her constituents sign a recall petition.

Speaking during a campaign visit to Rutherglen after Labour confirmed teacher Michael Shanks has been chosen as the constituency candidate, Ms Baillie said the seat is an important milestone towards Labours aim of forming a majority government in the general election expected next year.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie campaigned in Rutherglen with the partys candidate Michael Shanks (Rebecca McCurdy/PA)

Ms Ferrier, who now sits as an independent after being suspended from the SNP, won the seat from Labour in 2019 with a 5% swing and a 5,240-vote majority.

Ms Baillie said: We understand that Rutherglen is an important milestone, both for the UK party, because if we are going to win at a UK level we need to be winning Rutherglen, and also for the party in Scotland.

If we cannot in the set of circumstance where you have a former SNP MP who broke the rules during Covid, who has embarrassed this constituency, if we cant take that on, then I think we need to do some soul-searching.

But we are not complacent about this. We will fight for every single vote.

Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Margaret Ferrier faces a Commons ban for breaching Covid rules (UK Parliament/Luke Newbold/PA)

Speaking on the potential for defeat, she added: I dont think it would be catastrophic. We are 18 months away potentially from a general election but this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate clearly the difference that Labour would make in this local community, and indeed in local communities across the country.

Its of huge significance to us, its of huge significance to the SNP, I have to say, and it is really going to be a contest between the two.

We will be working really hard to win in this election. But on paper, the SNP has a substantial majority in this area.

We need to work hard to reduce that majority.

Meanwhile, Mr Shanks said in his first media address that constituents want a fresh start.
If the UK defies the bookies odds and comes top in the Eurovision final on Saturday, it will be the first time in nearly 30 years that the same nation has both hosted and won the contest.

The last occasion was in 1994, when Ireland staged the event in Dublin and also claimed first place with the song Rock n Roll Kids, performed by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan.

The feat was even more notable for being the second time in a row that Ireland had done the double, having been both host and champion in 1993.

The UK has never yet managed to win Eurovision while also staging the event, though it has come close several times, finishing in second place on five of the eight times it has hosted the contest.

(PA Graphics)

This happened most recently in 1998, when the contest took place in Birmingham and the UK entry Imaani came a close second behind Israels Dana International.

The first occasion was back in 1960, when the UK again came a close second, this time behind France.

Aside from Ireland, only four other countries have won Eurovision while also hosting the event.

They are Switzerland, in the very first contest in 1956; Spain in 1969 (joint winners with the UK, Netherlands and France); Luxembourg in 1973; and Israel in 1979.

Victory for the UK this year would be the sixth time the country has won the contest and the joint second highest number of wins of any competing nation, level with Sweden and one behind Ireland.
Margot Robbie, Paris Hilton and Kristen Stewart were among the famous faces on the front row at Chanels latest fashion show in Los Angeles.

The French fashion house showed its Cruise 2023/24 collection at the Paramount Studios lot, and was celebrating the opening of a new store in Beverly Hills  reportedly the largest Chanel boutique in the US.

The show comes hot on the heels of the Met Gala last week, which showcased plenty of Chanel designs  old and new  as it was dedicated to the labels former creative director, Karl Lagerfeld.

Margot Robbie (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Barbie actor and Chanel ambassador Margot Robbie channelled beachy LA vibes in her outfit, wearing high-waisted denim flares, a simple black bra top and a gold chainmail shrug.

She accessorised the look simply  with her hair loose and holding a black version of Chanels iconic quilted Boy bag.

Paris Hilton (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Paris Hilton seemed to be inspired by the Barbiecore trend for all-pink outfits in a powder pink matching set, with a knitted mini dress and cropped cardigan over the top.

She wore a bow in her hair and multiple strings of pearls  both signature details from the French fashion house.

Elle Fanning (Willy Sanjuan/AP)

The Great actor Elle Fanning went for a rock n roll look, wearing sparkling black trousers, a silver and black tank top and a miniature Chanel purse.

Kristen Stewart (Jordan Strauss/PA)

Chanel brand ambassador and Diana actor Kristen Stewart gave a more relaxed spin to the labels prim tweed tailoring. She wore a loose-fit boucle black and white suit with a white boyfriend T-shirt, a gold chain around her neck and her hair in a mullet style.

Sofia Richie (Willy Sanjuan/AP)

Model Sofia Richie Grainge recently married music executive Elliot Grainge in a lavish South of France extravaganza, wearing a string of custom Chanel outfits  including her lace-embroidered halterneck bridal gown.

Fresh off her honeymoon in the Maldives, Richie Grainge went for another bridal-inspired look for her front row outfit  a white blazer with matching lace-trim shorts and a pale pink feather boa.

Kris Jenner (Willy Sanjuan/AP)

Reality star Kris Jenners look was classic Chanel: a monochromatic tweed skirt set, paired with quilted gloves and a matching bag.

Tracee Ellis Ross (Willy Sanjuan/AP)

Black-ish actor Tracee Ellis Ross gave her Chanel outfit a seventies spin, wearing a patterned top and trousers overlaid with a burgundy vest.

Some A-Listers were reportedly concerned attending the show on the Paramount lot would be crossing the picket line (there is currently a Hollywood writers strike in action) but according to Deadline, the show did not bend or break any strike rules.

Celebs saw the debut of Chanels cruise collection, which falls between the main autumn/winter and spring/summer fashion shows.

Otherwise known as resort collections, they tend to put the spotlight on beachy, holiday-inspired outfits.

Models walk the runway for the Chanel Cruise show (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Two major trends emerged from the show  the first was Barbiecore, where outfits were in bright shades of pink, inspired by the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

Models on the runway for the Chanel Cruise show (Jordan Strauss/AP)

And the other was 70s-inspired fashion, with models sporting flares, aviator sunglasses, funky prints and lots of gold accents.

Models walk the runway at the Chanel Cruise show (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Adwoa Aboah was one of the celebrity models walking the runway for the show, wearing a 70s-inspired shimmering top and trouser set with plenty of jewellery.

Adwoa Aboah on the Chanel runway (Jordan Strauss/AP)

The Chanel Cruise show will be streamed on YouTube at 3pm BST on May 10.
The Metropolitan Police has apologised to the family of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan after documents relevant to the inquiry into his death were discovered in a locked cabinet in New Scotland Yard that had not been used for a number of years.

A total of 95 pages of material should have been disclosed to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which was set up to look into the case and published its final report in June 2021, the force said.

A further 71 pages were identified that would have been provided to His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as part of its subsequent inspection.

Daniel Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987, and a string of unsuccessful investigations into his death have been mired with claims of corruption.

An independent panel set up to look into the case published a scathing report in June last year in which it accused the Met of a form of institutional corruption for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray apologised on behalf of the force to Mr Morgans family.

We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is, she said.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the panel.

The Met said its assessment found there are no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

However, the Police Inspectorate has agreed to review the documents and the Mets assessment of them.

The Met added that it remains in discussions with the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

In a statement, Mr Morgans family said they were not surprised by the new.

We, the family of Daniel Morgan, are not surprised by this latest revelation concerning the Met and its handling of this whole sorry saga over the 36 years since Daniels murder in March 1987, the statement said.

The family said there has been no explanation for why it took the Met four months to tell them about the documents.

We were informed last night  by way of a letter from Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray  that these documents had been stored in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard following a handover between senior officers in 2014 and accessed only when the Met forced entry into this secure storage in January 2023, the statement said.

No explanation has been forthcoming as to why it took the Met over four months to inform us of this development. In the circumstances, we consider we are entitled to ask whether the information has come to light only because, as we understand it, the media had already got hold of the story.

What we see here is precisely the kind of conduct that was identified as institutional corruption in the Panels June 2021 report; it appears that the Mets first objective remains to protect itself, concealing its failings for the sake of its public image and reputational benefit.
The Post Office is facing a second investigation after its chief executive and other senior officers were paid unapproved bonuses relating to the Horizon IT scandal inquiry.

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake described the payments as extremely concerning and deeply regrettable as he announced an independent review of the governance around Post Office decisions on remuneration.

Mr Hollinrake said he has demanded an immediate explanation from the Post Office as to how the mistake occurred, adding that he did not find out about it until Saturday despite a UK Government Investments (UKGI) representative being made aware in April.

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said he has demanded an immediate explanation from the Post Office (David Woolfall/UK Parliament/PA)

MPs heard that the Post Offices incoming chairwoman of its remuneration committee, Amanda Burton, will lead an immediate investigation into this incident and is expected to report back to Mr Hollinrake within two weeks.

Letters between the Post Office and Horizon IT Inquiry representatives published on Friday reveal that remunerations were awarded for the executives succeeding in supplying all required evidence and information on time.

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.

Hundreds of sub-postmasters were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting because of the defective Horizon system, with several since having their convictions overturned.

Mr Hollinrake, responding to an urgent question on the bonuses, told the House of Commons: The situation is extremely concerning and deeply regrettable and the Post Office is right to apologise.

This is a very serious issue, particularly considering it comes at a time when it is essential that the public should have confidence that the culture and processes at the Post Office have been improved.

He added: The Post Offices CEO and CFO have returned the remuneration associated with a sub metric relating to the Post Offices support for the inquiry. Post Offices CEO has also apologised to DBT (Department for Business and Trade) ministers, but more needs to be done.

Mr Hollinrake stressed the importance of the facts being established, saying of the review to be led by Ms Burton: The scope of the investigation is to ensure that the remuneration committees approach and processes on rewarding its executives in this case was consistent with corporate governance best practice.

He went on: I can also announce that my department is commissioning a wider independent review of the governance around Post Office decisions on remuneration.

This should make recommendations about any further changes that are needed. This will run alongside the Post Office remuneration committee chairs investigation of this specific incident.

Labours Kevan Jones (North Durham) said Post Office chief executive Mr Read needs to resign or he needs to be sacked, adding of the company: Frankly it is rotten to the core still, it needs to change.

Shadow business minister Seema Malhotra said: Here we are again. Just when you think weve reached a new low in the ongoing saga that is the Horizon Post Office scandal a new low is reached.

Mr Hollinrake, asked by Ms Malhotra to explain when he was made aware of the bonuses, said: I became aware of the matter on Saturday, my officials became aware of the matter the previous day.

In terms of the UKGI representative, I understand he was made aware in the early part of April about this issue. Were also asking questions about why we were not made aware at that point.

Duncan Baker, Conservative MP for North Norfolk and a former postmaster, said: Its clearly an absolute scandal that Post Office executives are being paid a bonus for co-operating with a scandal that they all turned a blind eye to.

Labour MP Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough) said: Can we just put aside the cheating and the lying thats gone in here and get back to the basic question as to why on earth it is that people are awarded bonuses in the first place for going to work to do their job when people have lost their lives, lost their livelihoods, spent years in jail and people are trying to clean up on this?

Conservative MP James Wild (North West Norfolk) suggested there should be personnel changes, noting: An apology and repaying bonuses that should never have been awarded in the first place is frankly the minimum that we should expect.

Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh urged the minister to consider mutualisation of the Post Office, adding: We should pass control of this body to the people who do all the work who are in the front line. Now I hope the minister wont dismiss that idea.

Mr Hollinrake replied: Im a big fan of mutuals, Ive spoken up in favour of mutuals many times on this side of the House as a backbench (MP). Very happy to keep those conversations going with him and certainly its not something I would dismiss out of hand.
An ex-girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex decided a royal life was not for her as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists at the Mirrors publisher, the High Court has been told.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Claims brought by four individuals, one of whom is the duke, are being heard in a seven-week trial  which began on Wednesday  as representative cases.

MGN, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting the claims, arguing some have been brought too late.

In court documents, David Sherborne, representing Harry, said the activities, including the alleged unauthorised accessing of his voicemails, caused the duke huge distress and created a huge amount of paranoia in his relationships.

He said: He became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age.

It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and made him fear for his and her safety.

Zimbabwe-born Ms Davy dated Harry for around six years. The two are thought to have split in 2009.

The pair were in a long-distance relationship while the duke was training in the Army and overseas and Ms Davy was at university in South Africa.

Lawyers for MGN have said there is no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception in any of these four claims.

Harry, left, and Chelsy Davy at a rugby match (PA)

Andrew Green KC, for the publisher, said in written submissions the allegation is denied or not admitted for a period in a claim brought by actress Nikki Sanderson.

Referencing Harrys witness statement, which is yet to be made public, Mr Sherborne said that each time the duke was thought to be in a relationship, the persons family or friends would be dragged into the chaos and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN.

Addressing Harrys relationship with Ms Davy, Mr Sherborne continued: They were never on their own, which placed a huge amount of unnecessary stress and strain on their relationship.

Ultimately, MGNs activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that a royal life was not for her, which was incredibly upsetting for the Duke of Sussex at the time.

They also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily, and led to huge bouts of depression and paranoia.

The High Court in London was later told the alleged hacking of Harrys mobile phone posed a security risk to the royal family.

Mr Sherborne said Harry experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity which is consistent, now in hindsight but at the time unsuspected, with the unauthorised accessing of his voicemails and other unlawful information gathering.

The barrister said this included missed and hung-up calls on an almost daily basis from numbers he did not recognise.

He said: This unlawful activity, including in particular knowing where the Duke of Sussex was going to be at a given time and the widespread dissemination amongst MGNs journalists of private information relating to him, posed a very real and large-scale security risk for the Duke of Sussex, his family and his associates.

But Mr Green said part of Harrys case includes seven calls to Ms Davys phone.

The barrister said in written submissions: Six of the calls were made on the day in January 2009 that Ms Davy announced that she was no longer in a relationship with the Duke of Sussex, and this had been widely reported.

They are likely attempts to reach her for comment about the split.

Harry and Ms Davy are thought to have split in 2009(PA)

He said it is inherently unlikely they were phone hacking attempts.

The barrister later said in written submissions that out of 33 articles in the dukes claim, the publisher denies 28 of them involved phone hacking or unlawful information gathering.

Mr Green said it is not admitted that there was unlawful information gathering in five articles where there is a related recorded payment.

He also said it is denied that 29 of the articles contained Harrys private information or information that could lead to him being awarded damages.
John Lewis Partnership chairwoman Dame Sharon White has pledged that the historic retailer will always be employee-owned as she won support from staff at a confidence vote over her leadership.

It came after criticism following reports the group, which runs the department store chain and its supermarket arm Waitrose, could bring in outside investment and impact its employee-owned structure.

The group also slumped to a hefty loss in the latest financial year, meaning staff missed out on an annual bonus for only the second time in 70 years, and warned of potential job cuts.

Management and members of the groups elected partnership council gathered for a two-day meeting at its Odney Club holiday retreat in Berkshire on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ms White told the employee event: I want to be absolutely categorical. The John Lewis Partnership will always be an employee-owned business.

No ifs, no buts  there is absolutely no question of demutualisation.

Our model is the very reason I joined the partnership because I believe profoundly in an approach of kinder capitalism in the 21st century that demonstrates our ability to combine commercial excellence with social purpose.

A two-part vote took place on Wednesday over the leadership and performance of the group.

The council voted to support Ms White in continuing her leadership of the group, but was critical of its latest financial performance in a second vote.

John Lewis Partnership chairwoman Sharon White (John Lewis/PA)

Chris Earnshaw, president of the John Lewis Partnership council, said: Every half year, the chairman attends our partnership council to give an update and discuss with councillors the progress of the partnership.

This is central to how we exercise our democratic principles and ownership of the business.

The council voted in support of the chairman to progress the partnership in relation to its purpose, principles and rules.

The council did not support last years performance, in which we reported a full-year loss and no partner bonus.

The council, chairman and board will continue to work together to ensure the long-term success of the partnership and our employee-owned model.
A cross-party panel of MPs will consider whether to open an inquiry into the Metropolitan Polices arrest of anti-monarchy protesters over the coronation weekend, its chairwoman has confirmed.

Six detained anti-monarchy demonstrators were the first to be arrested under the sweeping Public Order Act, under suspicion of going equipped to lock-on, a measure protesters use to make it harder for police to move them.

Dame Diana Johnson, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said there were real questions to be asked about the practical application of the law and what guidance was issued to officers ahead of Saturdays Westminster Abbey service.

The Labour MP said her committee would meet on Wednesday to consider whether we want to spend some time looking at those particular issues.

She said she recognised the Met had co-ordinated a huge policing operation over the weekend which had been very successful at keeping people safe.

She added: But actually that issue of how protests were policed is something that has raised concerns, particularly about the implementation of this very new act of parliament, the Public Order Act 2023, and particular section 2, which is about going equipped to lock-on, which seems to have been at the core of why members of Republic were arrested around the use of luggage tags.

So there are real questions about that and we think this morning well need to look at that and decide whether we want to have that short inquiry to learn some lessons and see what the implementation of that act actually means in practice to frontline police officers.

Dame Diana said the committee would be interested in reviewing how broad the legislation was and what guidance was given to frontline police officers and whether there is an issue about training.

She also said answers were needed on why more top level discussions between the Met and protest group Republic in the months ahead of the coronation were not shared with officers on the ground, particularly when it came to the use of megaphones and luggage tags by demonstrators.

Her comments come after Met chief Sir Mark Rowley on Tuesday defended the arrests during what he called a unique fast-moving operational context.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also backed the new powers, which came into force last week, saying it was right for officers to have the ability to tackle serious disruption.

Helen King, a former assistant commissioner at the Met, said it was legitimate to ask questions about the polices handling of the protests but said frontline officers did not have the benefit of hindsight when making on-the-spot decisions about public safety.

This evening all six have had their bail cancelled and no further action will be taken. We regret that those six people arrested were unable to join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere on the procession route.https://t.co/74ktdpmmkV  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 8, 2023

She told the BBCs Today programme: For the frontline officer, they have a very difficult decision that they have to make quickly, usually with imperfect and partial information.

And those of us who have the benefit of hindsight, knowing that the coronation went off safely, that horses didnt bolt, that there wasnt a stampede, that nobody got seriously hurt, were in a luxurious position compared with the officer on the street having to make a decision there and then.

Ms King challenged what she saw as a growing narrative that police dont care about human rights.

She added: My experience is that absolutely the opposite is the case, every policing decision involves the very careful balancing of different human rights of different groups.

And I think in the case of the coronation, a unique operation, public safety was right up near the top and of course the right to life is the highest right of all.
Speech by the President of Russia at the military parade May 9, 2023

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia,

Dear veterans,

Comrade soldiers and sailors, sergeants and warrant officers, midshipmen and sergeant majors,

Comrade officers, generals and admirals,

Soldiers and commanders participating in the special military operation,

Happy Victory Day!

Happy holiday that commemorates the honour of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who glorified and immortalised their names by defending our Fatherland. They saved the humankind from Nazism through immeasurable courage and immense sacrifice.

Today, our civilisation is at a crucial turning point. A real war is being waged against our country again but we have countered international terrorism and will defend the people of Donbass and safeguard our security.

For us, for Russia, there are no unfriendly or hostile nations either in the west or in the east. Just like the vast majority of people on the planet, we want to see a peaceful, free and stable future.

We believe that any ideology of superiority is abhorrent, criminal and deadly by its nature. However, the Western globalist elites keep speaking about their exceptionalism, pit nations against each other and split societies, provoke bloody conflicts and coups, sow hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism, destroy family and traditional values which make us human. They do all that so as to keep dictating and imposing their will, their rights and rules on peoples, which in reality is a system of plundering, violence and suppression.

They seem to have forgotten what the Nazis insane claims of global dominance led to. They forgot who destroyed that monstrous, total evil, who stood up for their native land and did not spare their lives to liberate the peoples of Europe.

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We see how in certain countries they ruthlessly and cold-bloodedly destroy memorials to Soviet soldiers, demolish monuments to great commanders, create a real cult of the Nazis and their proxies, erase and demonise the memory of true heroes. Such profanation of the feat and sacrifices of the victorious generation is also a crime, an outright revanchism on the part of those who were cynically and blatantly preparing a new march on Russia and who brought together neo-Nazi scum from around the world for this.

Their goal  and there is nothing new about it  is to break apart and destroy our country, to make null and void the outcomes of World War II, to completely break down the system of global security and international law, to choke off any sovereign centres of development.

Boundless ambition, arrogance and impunity inevitably lead to tragedies. This is the reason for the catastrophe the Ukrainian people are going through. They have become hostage to the coup detat and the resulting criminal regime of its Western masters, collateral damage in the implementation of their cruel and self-serving plans.

The memory of defenders of the Fatherland is sacred for us in Russia, and we cherish it in our hearts. We give credit to members of the Resistance who bravely fought Nazism as well as the troops of the allied armies of the United States, Great Britain and other countries. We remember and honour the feat of Chinese soldiers in the fight against Japanese militarism.

I strongly believe that the experience of solidarity and partnership during the years of fighting a common threat is our invaluable heritage and a secure foothold now when the unstoppable movement is gaining momentum towards a more just multipolar world, a world based on the principles of trust and indivisible security, of equal opportunities for a genuine and free development of all nations and peoples.

It is crucial that leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States have gathered here in Moscow today. I see it as appreciation of the feat of our ancestors: they fought and won together since all the peoples of the USSR contributed to our common Victory.

We will always remember that. We bow our heads in cherished memory of those who lost their lives during the war, the memory of sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, sisters and friends.

I declare a minute of silence.

(A minute of silence.)

Citizens of Russia,

The battles that were decisive for our Motherland always became patriotic, national and sacred. We are faithful to our ancestors legacy and have a deep and clear awareness of what it means to be up to the mark of their military, labour and moral achievements.

We take pride in the participants in the special military operation, all those fighting on the frontlines, those who deliver supplies to the front and save the wounded under fire. Your combat activities now are of paramount importance. The countrys security depends on you today as does the future of our statehood and our people. You commendably perform your combat duty fighting for Russia. Your families, children and friends stand behind you. They are waiting for you. I am sure you can feel their unfailing love.

The entire country has united to support our heroes. Everyone is ready to help, everyone prays for you.

Comrades, friends, dear veterans,

Today, every family in our country honours Great Patriotic War participants, remembers their family members and their heroes, and lays flowers to military memorials.

We are standing on Red Square, a place which remembers retainers of Yury Dolgoruky and Dmitry Donskoy, the peoples militia of Minin and Pozharsky, soldiers of Peter the Great and Kutuzov, the military parades of 1941 and 1945.

Today we have here participants in the special military operation  regular servicemen and those who joined the army ranks during the partial mobilisation, troops of the Lugansk and Donetsk corps, many volunteer units, personnel of the National Guard, Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service, Emergencies Ministry and other security agencies and services.

My greetings to all of you, friends. My greetings to everyone who is fighting for Russia in the battlefield, who is now in the line of duty.

Our heroic ancestors proved during the Great Patriotic War that nothing can beat our strong, powerful and reliable unity. There is nothing stronger than our love for the Motherland.

For Russia! For our glorious Armed Forces! For Victory!

Hooray!
Penny Mordaunt has said she is grateful after praise was heaped on the Conservative Cabinet minister for her role in the Kings coronation.

As Lord President of the Council, she was responsible for bearing The Sword of State and presenting The Jewelled Sword of Offering to the King  the first time it has been carried and presented by a woman.

Dressed in a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, she held and carried the pieces for the majority of the service.

Writing in the Telegraph, she described the occasion as a humbling day and said she was grateful that people had decided to recognise her role in the event.

She added: It was a humbling day in every respect. Crowned heads and world leaders were just faces in the congregation. All came to bear witness to love, service and sacrifice. His Majesty the King served longer than anyone in history as Prince of Wales.

This is a life lived in the public eye. The royal family sets a parenthesis. We politicians should heed this example. We, too, have a choice. We can decide to narrow the parenthesis. Or we can decide to widen it. It takes courage, patience and judgment to listen to all views.

If people chose to recognise my role, then Im grateful. But my gratitude and thanks are reserved for all who took part. You can choose dissent. You can choose duty. The real recognition for Saturday, though, belongs to all of us.

Penny Mordaunt holds the Swords of State at the coronation ceremony (PA)

The Leader of the House of Commons, and former Conservative leadership frontrunner, carried the 17th-century Sword of State in procession to the abbey.

Its silver-gilt hilt features the form of a lion and unicorn and the wooden scabbard is covered in red velvet with silver-gilt rose, thistle and fleur-de-lis emblems.

Later in the ceremony, Ms Mordaunt exchanged the Sword of State for the Jewelled Sword of Offering and delivered it to the archbishop.

The second sword was briefly clipped to the Kings coronation sword belt and then after a proclamation by the archbishop, the King stepped forward and offered up the sword.

It was then placed on the altar and redeemed with redemption money by Ms Mordaunt.

The sword was later drawn and she carried it in its naked form  without its scabbard  before the King for the rest of the service.

The Jewelled Sword of Offering was carried for the rest of the coronation ceremony (Gary Calton/The Observer/PA)

Her performance of the highly visible role in proceedings attracted much praise from across the political spectrum.

She wrote that since Saturday, she had been asked hundreds of times about how I felt about the coronation.

She said: The overriding emotion was one of great love. There are a thousand types of love and a thousand ways of showing it. What we saw on Saturday was a form of love. But were British, so we prefer the word duty.

She wrote: Where we were from on Saturday was diverse. Some protested. Most would disagree with such views.

Most would also defend their right to express them. Thats what democracy is about. It doesnt mean unity. Its about dissent.

Some think democracies are weak because of this and believe autocracies are somehow doing better. The reverse is true. At times like this, we are reminded of what we all have in common. And that we should cherish one another, and the differences and obligations between us.
Smartphones should be banned in schools to tackle the damage being done from children watching pornography, MPs have heard.

Campaigners told the Commons Women and Equalities Committee that schools should remove phones from children to reduce their exposure to online pornography and to stop them from upskirting other pupils.

Schools could do more to educate pupils and parents about the dangers of pornography and its links to violence against women and girls, MPs were told.

Lucy Marsh, from the Family Education Trust charity, said: Until we actually address the fact that children are watching porn, were never going to solve the problem of violence against women because while children have got access to smartphones they are going to be able to view it.

I think really we need to be looking at should children have access to smartphones and should they be in schools for that? For that I would say the answer is no. I dont think smartphones should be in schools.

I think that actually we should look at completely banning children having them [smartphones] in school because that would solve some of the problems of things like children being filmed getting changed or being filmed in toilets or upskirting, and things like that, that would solve some of it.

Her comments come after the Childrens Commissioner for England called for more robust online protections for children after its research found that acts of sexual violence commonly found in pornography were referenced in half of police interview transcripts of child-on-child sex abuse cases.

Dame Rachel de Souza said its report, published this week, said further review of some of the cases found children suggesting direct links between exposure to pornography and harmful sexual behaviour.

When asked whether the current Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum does enough to help tackle misogyny and violence against women and girls, Ms Marsh said: Not at all. Were seeing huge damage being done with children watching porn.

She told the Women and Equalities Committee: I think that schools are not addressing the fact that the harm that this does to children in being able to form healthy relationships when theyre adults.

Ms Marsh added schools could hold sessions for parents on the dangers of porn, as she suggested some parents are probably in denial that their children arent looking at this.

Tanya Carter, from campaign group Safe Schools Alliance UK, also called on schools to educate parents about the sheer volume of pornography online.

She told MPs on Wednesday: At Safe Schools we think smartphones absolutely should not be in schools.

Once youve got smartphones in schools, every child in that school is only as protected as the least protected child in that school.

It doesnt matter what controls youve got on your own childs smartphone, if another child in that school has no controls on their phone your child can be exposed to hardcore porn at lunchtime.

In March, Rishi Sunak announced that the Government would bring forward a review of RSHE in schools.

It came after Conservative MP Miriam Cates claimed some pupils have been subjected to relationships and sex education classes that are age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate.

During the committee, Ms Carter called for a public inquiry into the situation as she said the campaign group had heard from lots of parents who cannot get access to teaching materials on the RSHE curriculum.

She added: Absolutely we want children to have education that benefits them, but some of the materials weve seen its really not beneficial to children.
A Ukrainian refugee who fled her home with just a rucksack is now promoting her nations culture in Liverpool amid the Eurovision Song Contest to showcase what Ukraine actually looks like.

Veronika Yasynska is originally from Kyiv but has lived in Liverpool for more than a year after fleeing Ukraine following Russias invasion  a journey which spanned six countries and saw her hide in a basement for five days.

The 29-year-old is now an event project assistant for Eurovision with Culture Liverpool and is part of Discover Ukraine, which is an area of the Eurovision village promoting Ukrainian traditions, food and music.

Authentic dishes, such as borscht with smoked pears, chebureki  deep fried dough with lamb  and dumplings with cherries will be served at the village, while visitors can also take part in a pottery masterclass and learn the Ukrainian art technique of Petrykivka.

Other activities include an interactive exhibition called See, hear, feel Ukraine from Music Saves UA, which is a non-profit fundraiser created by the Ukrainian Association of Music Events providing humanitarian aid for those in Ukraine, to learn about the history of Ukrainian music.

It is really important for me to be here and see this historical event in person, Ms Yasynska told the PA news agency.

I think it helps to describe the resistance of our Ukrainian nation  despite the full-scale invasion happening in our country  [we want] to share our love and the spirit of Ukrainian bravery.

Ms Yasynska (front left) at a demonstration to support Ukraine (Jamie Thursfield)

Ms Yasynska believes that Eurovision can provide Ukrainians with an opportunity to be heard.

We can clarify all of the details around our history, explain the fabric of decolonisation, and to give an understanding that we are always an independent sovereign state, she said.

I think Eurovision has been a trampoline to highlight a lot of questions and to give a better understanding of what Ukraine actually looks like.

Ms Yasynska said she is working with a production team who will deliver commissioned projects.

So it will be two weeks of events and collaborations with Ukrainian artists before the actual song contest, she added.

She said she is proud to be able to share her background and culture, and finds heart-warming moments with colleagues bonding over Ukrainian music.

I can be proud of our country because we have a really rich cultural background and heritage, Ms Yasynska explained.

I cant describe how it is interesting to observe how many people discover Ukraine through these circumstances, and they are working with Ukrainian artists, which is absolutely amazing.

When you can share your earphones with a colleague and were listening to Ukrainian music, its really surreal.

Being part of this years Eurovision is surreal for Ms Yasynska, who has been an avid fan of the singing contest since 2004 when Ukraines entry, Ruslana, won the competition.

Eurovision has been a big part of life since 2004 when Ruslana won Eurovision, she said.

Since that time, I was a fan of the contest and followed the updates.

I will definitely cheer for my country and support it.

Ms Yasynska was initially apprehensive that the UK being host to Eurovision might take away from highlighting Ukrainian culture, but hopes that the Discover Ukraine project will move it forward with our Ukrainian culture.

It was kind of a question of how will it be?, perhaps people wont understand us, or that [Eurovision] might highlight the UK more, but I want to move things forward with our Ukrainian culture, she explained.

However, I am sure that everything will work perfectly.

Ms Yasynska fled Ukraine with just a rucksack, limited essentials, her laptop and camera, and had to camp in basements before making the trip to Liverpool.

I stayed with my family in Kyiv and hid in a basement with five other families before moving to the south-eastern part of Ukraine where I volunteered for a while, she said.

My family and I decided to split, so I continued travelling with my mum and without my father to Poland through Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Warsaw, and after that we moved closer to Germany where we found apartments to rent.

During that time, my friend messaged me that he had been living in Liverpool for a while, and offered me to come to the UK.

Ms Yasynska (second from right) celebrating Ukrainian Independence Day in Liverpool (Nadia Koles)

She initially declined her friends offer after believing that the war on Ukraine would not last more than a few weeks.

Realising that Poland was becoming overwhelmed by displaced and relocated persons from Ukraine she felt the need to move somewhere safer with her mother, despite it being a scary prospect.

I agreed [to the move], though it wasnt something that I really wanted to do as I didnt have a plan or strategy to stay in the UK, she said.

I travelled with one rucksack, my laptop and camera and travelled by train.

It was really scary to move somewhere abroad.

While she was daunted by the move, she hopes that she can help my country through her line of work.

I had no expectations of Liverpool  I just wanted to find a safe place, find a job immediately, start work, and the biggest thing for me is to help my country and it doesnt matter what it will be, she said.

I just wanted to find something that will be helpful for the army or displaced people.

She is grateful for the support that she has received whilst being in the UK.

I want to thank everyone who has supported Ukraine  each individual who has already helped is part of our big victory, she said.

I would like to encourage people to keep [supporting] because we really need to stop this war.
Robert De Niro has revealed he has welcomed his seventh child.

The 79-year-old Oscar-winning actor shared the news during a recent interview with ET Canada about his forthcoming film About My Father.

Asked about being a father of six, he corrected the reporter, saying: Seven, actually  I just had a baby.

Representatives for De Niro later confirmed the news to the PA news agency.

De Niro stars alongside Sebastian Maniscalco in About My Father, which sees a man encouraged by his fiancee to take his father along to spend a holiday weekend with her wealthy and eccentric family.

Asked about his own experiences of fatherhood, De Niro told ET Canada: I dont think Ive ever been a cool father.

Im OK. My kids disagree with me at times, theyre respectful.

My daughter is 11 and she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her and adore her.

He added: With my youngest now there will be more to come but thats, you know  thats what it is.

De Niro has six other children: Drena, Raphael, Aaron, Julian, Elliot and Helen.

The veteran actor added that sometimes he has to be stern about stuff with his children.

I mean, theres no way around it with kids. I dont like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But, (sometimes) you just have no choice, he told ET Canada.

And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you cant.

Robert de Niro revealed the news during a recent interview about his forthcoming film About My Father (Ian West/PA)

The actor did not reveal the identity of the seventh childs mother during the interview.

Recent reports have linked him to Tiffany Chen, who, according to US publication People, is a martial arts instructor, but neither the actor nor Chen have publicly addressed their relationship.

De Niros six other children are from previous relationships with three women, including two with actress and singer Diahnne Abbott  a son, and a daughter from Abbotts previous relationship whom De Niro adopted.

He also has twin sons with actress Toukie Smith, and a son and daughter with Grace Hightower.
Former prime minister Sir John Major has warned against excessive zeal to be tough on crime leading to unwise policy, as he said the UK is locking up too many offenders.

The ex-Tory leader argued that pointless short-term prison sentences are being imposed in cases where non-custodial measures would be more effective and fair.

He also urged the new Justice Secretary to abandon Dominic Raabs proposals to give ministers more power to block Parole Board decisions, warning the system should not be unduly pressured by public campaigns.

Former justice secretary Dominic Raab (James Manning/PA)

Sir John was prime minister when his home secretary, Michael Howard, told the party conference in 1993 that prison works.

But in Tuesdays intervention  the first on prisons and sentencing since his premiership  he called for a stronger focus on rehabilitation.

In a speech to the Prison Reform Trust at the Old Bailey, Sir John said: Stern sentences for violent crimes are necessary, and the instinct to protect the public is laudable  but we should beware that excessive zeal to be tough on crime does not lead us into unwise policy.

In the year to June 2022, 43,000 people were sentenced to a prison term, of which fewer than two in every five had committed a violent offence.

The UK has the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe  and yet I find it hard to believe we British are uniquely criminal, he said.

Many prisoners  far too many, I believe  are sentenced to short-term imprisonment when other sentences would be preferable. In some cases, care and medical attention are called for rather than prison.

To be blunt  my suspicion is that many short sentences are pointless and that a non-custodial sentence would be more effective and, perhaps, more fair.

The former prime minister also warned of intolerable conditions in some prisons, where two to three inmates are sometimes held in a Victorian cell built for one person.

To have inmates held in worse conditions than in Victorian times is an indictment of policy that is hard to ignore, he said.

Sir John defended the Parole Boards ability to make sound decisions, pointing to the low reoffending rate  one in 200 prisoners  in the three years following release.

This would suggest that the Parole Board is not a bunch of gullible softies, he said.

Plans introduced by Mr Raab  who resigned from cabinet last month  to increase ministerial powers to veto board decisions may lead to a slippery slope, Sir John told the audience.

I understand that the former Justice Secretary sought the power to veto decisions made by what is allegedly the independent Parole Board, to release prisoners convicted of serious crimes, he said.

The problem with this is that I do not see how (or why) the Justice Secretary would be able to reach a more just decision than the Parole Board.

Any single Government Minister  however able or well-meaning  would be far more vulnerable to public campaigns and, under pressure, to make a harsher decision to appease them.

I do not think that any politician should have that power, and I hope the new Justice Secretary will reconsider or  if he does not  that Parliament will deny it.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: As the public would rightly expect, we are pressing forward with important reforms to strengthen the parole system and transform the prison estate to keep dangerous offenders behind bars and cut crime.

We have made great strides in steering offenders away from crime by getting them off drugs and in to work, and we are investing 550 million to further reduce reoffending
The pathologist who examined Sheku Bayoh after he died said his struggle while being restrained has to be considered a major part of what led to his death.

Giving evidence at the public inquiry into Mr Bayohs death for a second day, Dr Kerryanne Shearer was asked about the role of struggle and its importance in Mr Bayohs death.

The inquiry also heard she had confirmed Mr Bayohs death as a sudden death in a man intoxicated by MDMA and alpha-PVP whilst being restrained.

The trainee gas engineer died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3 2015 after reports of him acting erratically.

Campaigners take the knee at a previous inquiry hearing in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)

The inquiry is investigating the circumstances of the 31-year-olds death and whether race was a factor.

Senior counsel to the inquiry, Angela Grahame KC, asked Dr Shearer what role struggle may have played in the cause of Mr Bayohs death.

During these types of struggles, with how the deceased may have behaved and moved, they would have been using a great degree of muscle strength, Dr Shearer said.

Whilst doing that at such intensity you can get a breakdown of proteins in the muscle which produces acids and you can get something called an acidosis.

You get acids circulating in the bloodstream and those acids can cause irritation of the heart and can irritate the conduction system (of the heart) and can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrests.

I dont see anything at the post-mortem to confirm this but its taken into consideration with the circumstances described.

I think the struggle is a major part of it as well.

Its something that has to be considered as being important in the whole scenario.

In her statement to the inquiry, Dr Shearer wrote it could not be completely excluded that restraint had a role to play in Mr Bayohs death.

The statement said: It is recognised that restraint in itself can be a cause of contributing factor in some deaths and given the circumstances, in that this man was restrained at the time of his respiratory arrest and post-mortem examination showed petechial haemorrhages that may represent a degree of asphyxia, it cannot be completely excluded that restraint also had a role to play in death here.

The inquiry also heard how Dr Shearer found Mr Bayohs first left rib was fractured whilst she was conducting her internal exam.

Dr Shearer said it could have been sustained while he was being restrained as it was very rare to sustain such an injury while being resuscitated.

A condition called excited delirium had been discussed as a possibility throughout the inquiry, but Dr Shearer dismissed this as a significant cause of death because it is a psychiatric condition, rather than one that can be diagnosed through a post-mortem examination.

Dr Shearer said, (Excited delirium) is a psychiatric syndrome that needs to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist.

It is not a diagnosis I can prove pathologically.

I would never diagnose it as a pathologist.

The inquiry, before Lord Bracadale, continues.
Rishi Sunak is not ruling out entering into a coalition government in the future despite accusing Sir Keir Starmer of plotting to team up with other parties.

The Prime Ministers press secretary declined to speculate on the outcome of the next general election after being asked if Mr Sunak could form a pact with the DUP or other parties.

Labour called on Mr Sunak to rule out a grubby, desperate deal to cling to power if he fails to win.

Labour leader Sir Keir has ruled out doing a deal with the SNP but left the door open to working with the Liberal Democrats if he does not secure a Commons majority.

Mr Sunak attacked Sir Keir on the issue during Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, accusing him of being busy plotting coalitions while the Conservatives are running the country.

But Mr Sunaks press secretary would not rule out any deals, including with Reform, which was founded with Nigel Farages backing, or Reclaim, the party led by actor Laurence Fox, who has just welcomed in MP Andrew Bridgen after he was expelled from the Tories for comparing vaccines to the Holocaust.

I dont think anyone at this stage is going to speculate on the results of the next election, she said.

The Prime Minister is fully committed to and focused on delivering his five priorities and thats what were going to do to get a Conservative majority.

She denied Mr Sunak is being hypocritical by targeting Labour when the Tories have been in coalition with the Lib Dems and entered a pact with the DUP during the last 13 years.

(PA Graphics)

The attacks on Labour came after the Conservatives were punished by voters in last weeks local elections, with the party losing nearly 1,000 councillors.

Labour made large gains but some projections cast doubt on whether Sir Keir is in a position to say he is on course for a majority after the next general election, expected next year.

Shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray said: Rishi Sunaks refusal to rule out a grubby deal with the SNP is a sign of his desperation to cling to power.

Under Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwars leadership, Labour has said repeatedly we wouldnt do any deal with those who want to break up our country. The Tories must now urgently follow Labours example.

On Tuesday, the Labour leader repeatedly declined to rule out doing a deal with the Lib Dems in the future after they performed strongly in the local polls.

He insisted he is going for an outright majority but declined to answer hypotheticals when asked about doing a deal with Sir Ed Daveys party.

However, Sir Keir said he is absolutely clear there are no terms in which we will do a deal with the SNP because there is a fundamental difference between Labour and the Scottish nationalists.

(PA Graphics)

Last Thursday, the Tories lost 957 councillors and control of 48 authorities under Mr Sunaks leadership, but the next general election is not expected until 2024.

With results in from all 230 councils up for grabs, Labour gained 643 seats, the Lib Dems 415 and the Greens 200.

Downing Street said Mr Sunak has confidence in Tory Party chairman Greg Hands despite the losses.

Yes, of course, the press secretary said.

Meanwhile, former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable suggested that secretive discussions will be going on between Labour and his party.

You can be sure that serious, but deniable, conversations will be taking place over the next year, he wrote in an article for the Comment Central website.

But a Lib Dem source responded: Vince doesnt speak for the party. We hope he continues to enjoy his retirement.
A tabloid publisher has unreservedly apologised to the Duke of Sussex for an instance of unlawful information gathering, the High Court has been told.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Claims brought by four individuals, one of whom is the duke, are being heard in a trial as representative cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher.

MGN, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.

At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said voicemail interception was denied in the trial cases, including Harrys.

However Mr Green also said the publisher unreservedly apologises to the duke for one instance of unlawful information gathering and that it accepts he was entitled to appropriate compensation.

The barrister said that it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about his activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

Otherwise, the specified allegations are denied, or in a few cases not admitted, he added.

Mr Green said there was a reference to a payment record for 75 in February 2004.

He continued: It is admitted that this represented an instruction to engage in unlawful information gathering, and MGN unreservedly apologises and accepts that the Duke of Sussex is entitled to appropriate compensation for it.

MGN does not know what information this related to, although it clearly had some connection with his conduct at the nightclub.

The barrister said that there was a People article published in February 2004 giving the recollection of a woman Harry spent time with at the club.

Mr Green added: The Duke of Sussex notably does not claim in relation to this article, so it is not alleged that this instruction led to the publication of his private information.

The fee paid, 75, suggests little work was involved.

As well as Harry, Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman are all expected to give evidence during the six to seven-week trial.

Mr Green said voicemail interception was denied in all four cases and that there was no evidence or no sufficient evidence.

The barrister continued: There is some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of unlawful information gathering in respect of each of the claimants, save for Mr Turner whose claim is entirely denied, and MGN has made pleaded admissions in respect thereof.

MGN unreservedly apologises for all such instances of unlawful information gathering, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated.

Michael Le Vell arrives at the Rolls Buildings in central London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

At the start of the hearing in London, barrister David Sherborne, for the duke and other people bringing claims, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Addressing Harrys case, Mr Sherborne said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

The barrister said that in 1995, the royal family had become big news for the tabloid newspapers with interest continuing throughout the now-King Charles divorce from his then-wife Diana, Princess of Wales, and her untimely death in 1997.

Mr Sherborne told the court: We all remember the images of him walking behind his mothers coffin.

From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information.

An MGN spokesman said: Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully.

MGN is now part of a very different company.

We are committed to acting with integrity and our objective in this trial is to allow both the business and our journalists to move forward from events that took place many years ago.
Two teenagers who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old Afghan refugee in the mistaken belief he was a member of a rival gang have been jailed for life.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, stabbed Rishmeet Singh 15 times after chasing him through a park in Southall, west London, on the evening of November 24 2021.

Two years before, college student and aspiring police officer Rishmeet sought asylum in the UK with his mother and grandmother, after his father was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman, from Hillingdon, west London, were found guilty of murder following an Old Bailey trial in March.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Judge Sarah Munro KC locked up the defendants for life.

Suleiman was handed a minimum term of 21 years and Balakrishnan at least 24 years.

Vanushan Balakrishnan (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Balakrishnan was also detained at his majestys pleasure for a minimum concurrent term of four years for a second offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had admitted attacking a fellow inmate at a young offenders institute while on remand, leaving the victim with severe brain damage.

Judge Munro said: This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager following a violent stabbing on the streets of London.

This case is the more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim.

He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence.

It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him.

Rishmeets mother Gulinder broke down in tears as she spoke outside court with the help of a translator.

She told reporters: I just want to say I do not know what my child has done that they killed him in this way.

My son has got proper justice. I do not want these people to come out. I want them to stay inside.

Previously, the court had heard how Rishmeet had spent the evening before his death with friends in the park.

Meanwhile Balakrishnan and Suleiman, then aged 17, set out on bicycles armed with two blades, a terrifying three-foot long machete and a Rambo knife bought online days before.

Ilyas Suleiman (Metropolitan Police/PA)

They both wore Covid masks and put their hoods up to hide their identities.

The court was told they had deliberately set out for a glide or gang attack on enemy gang territory.

As Rishmeet headed for home he saw the two males running towards him and ran back towards his friends warning them to run, run.

He tripped and fell in Raleigh Road, where he was fatally stabbed by the defendants in an attack lasting 27 seconds.

Police and medics were alerted by a member of the public and Rishmeet died at the scene.

The attackers were captured on CCTV fleeing and were identified by their clothes.

Following the arrest of Balakrishnan police recovered a notebook containing rap lyrics glorifying the murder.

A picture of his blood-stained knife posted on social media after the murder was found on his mobile phone.

The court heard Balakrishnan had a previous conviction for possessing a Rambo knife, for which he was given a referral order in February 2021.

The court heard that Rishmeet was not in a gang and the defendants had mistakenly thought he was part of a rival gang.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple, of Scotland Yard, said: Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him.

He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman.

Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.

There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman left the flat that day with the intention of ending someones life. Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Rishmeets mother Gulinder said: Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him. No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Rishmeet was taken from us.

He has been raised with so much love and now hes gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy.

I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.

Rishmeet was attending college completing a public service course and his ambition was to become a police officer, all he wanted to do was to help people.

Rishmeet was well loved by all that knew him, he was a faithful boy and was very caring in his nature.

His brutal and untimely death has taken away my lifeline as Rishmeet was also my registered carer.

I will never recover from this evil act. I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son. Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me. They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again.

Mitigating for Suleiman, Hossein Zahir KC told the court: In reality, there is the agonising fact of the youth of all those involved.

There is the appalling death of Rishmeet Singh and there is the extraordinary youth of the defendants in the dock.

Mr Singh has lost his life and there are two young people whose lives are wholly destroyed.
The UK Governments handling of Brexit has been blasted in terms of Northern Irelands latest political crisis.

The Stormont Assembly has been effectively collapsed for more than a year while the DUP refuses to take part until their concerns around the Northern Ireland Protocol are addressed.

Andrew McCormick, who formerly served as director general of international relations for the Executive Office, said there was very, very inadequate preparation ahead of Brexit.

He said by contrast the Irish Government had thought through what they needed, which he said showed in the way negotiations unfolded.

From the referendum result in 2016 there were several years of negotiations before the UK formally left the European Union, with the issue of how to handle the only land border with the EU in Ireland a particular sticking point.

Dr McCormick was secretary of a Stormont Executive sub committee dealing with Brexit issues from January 2020.

He said in the early meeting there were some lively and substantive discussions.

But it was just too difficult an issue for the Northern Ireland institutions to deal with, he told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

It was taking us into very sharp binary choices, on which its very, very hard to get resolution, and so the last few Executive committee meetings on Brexit that I was supporting lasted five minutes, because everyone had agreed there was no point having a discussion.

It was just utterly dysfunctional, utterly hopeless, and fundamental responsibility for that lies with the misrepresentation of the nature of what was being agreed, especially from October 2019 onwards, when totally contradictory things were said by the Government, in Parliament and in documentation that was published.

There were directly contradictory statements made.

No wonder there was confusion and dysfunctionality. No wonder nobody in business could prepare properly because this was absolutely ludicrous.

This is all demonstrably clear if you analyse the facts, and go through the documentation, the contradictions are there. Thats why we are where we are.

Dr McCormick said there was a distortion of what the Brexit settlement meant, and what was within the bounds of possibility.

He also said Brexit is part of what contributed to the separation between the British and Irish governments from 2020, which was detrimental to Northern Ireland.

When the two governments arent working together, arent encouraging the parties to make the institutions work, thats deeply dysfunctional, he said.

I place a lot of heavy responsibility there, yes things could have been done differently by Northern Ireland politicians, but the context was created by this issue.
Biden family 'got $1 MILLION from ROMANIA' while Joe vowed to clean up corruption:

GOP 'influence-peddling' probe into $10M in foreign cash reveals Hunter set up 15 companies AFTER his dad became VP and lay out how money came from China

A 'Second Records Memorandum' expands on information the House Oversight Committee received from subpoena returns into Biden family bank docs

The memo specifically outlines the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president

Hunter Biden and his associates formed 'at least 15' of those companies, after Biden took the office of the vice president in 2009

May 11, 2023: Information Clearing House -- " Daily Mail " -- Republicans are digging in on over $10 million received by Biden family members from foreign actors, including previously undisclosed $1 million in Romanian-linked payments, and a 'web' of 20 companies created while President Joe Biden was vice president and pushing anti-corruption efforts abroad.

On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Republicans led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released a 'Second Records Memorandum' that expands on information it received from subpoena returns as the committee continues its investigation into the Biden family's business practices.

The memo specifically outlines the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president. It also accuses President Biden for a 'lack of transparency' regarding his family's receipt of funds from China, which he has said are 'not true.'

It details the efforts by the family to hide, conceal and confuse sources of money - including more China money, according to a committee aide.

'It is inconceivable that the president did not know it, and the White House refuses to correct the President's statement ... the president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes,' said Comer during a press conference announcing the memo Wednesday.

During Biden's time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a 'complicated corporate structure' the memo states.

Hunter Biden and his associates, including Rob Walker, formed 'at least 15' of those companies, after Biden took the office of the vice president in 2009.

Several of those entities including Owasco P.C. - which Hunter owned - Hudson West III, LLC, Robinson Walker, LLC, and Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC, accepted funds from foreign companies ranging from $5,000 to $3 million, the committee says.

This specifically is 'evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates' work, allege the Republicans who point to multiple anti-corruption speeches and meetings with Romanian leaders then-Vice President Biden engaged in between 2014 and 2015.

The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot - a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses.

Between 2015 and 2017, Robinson Walker, LLC received $3 million from Bladon Enterprises Limited - Popoviciu's Cypriot company - which was then paid out to Biden family members in a total sum of over $1 million.

The first payments were received by the LLC just weeks after then-Vice President Biden hosted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House and they discussed anti-corruption policies.

Biden family accounts gained $1.038 million from Robinson Walker, LLC in a series of 17 deposits, 16 of which were made while Biden was still in the White House. The payments went to associate James Gilliar, Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Owasco LLC and an 'unknown Biden bank account.'

'It appears from bank records the Bidens were using Robinson Walker, LLC to conceal that the source of these payments was Popovici,' the memo says.

According to emails from Hunter's laptop obtained by DailyMail.com, Popoviciu hired the president's son in 2016 as part of an influence campaign to persuade anti-corruption prosecutors to cut a deal or drop the case - all while his father was sitting vice president.

The memo also 'serves as a response to misinformation' Republicans say has been spread by President Biden, Democrats in Congress and their allies regarding the China-connected findings in a first memo released last month.

On March 16, Comer released a 'First Bank Records Memorandum' detailing a payment of $3 million in 2017 received by Biden family associate Rob Walker from a CEFC China Energy-linked firm State Energy HK Limited.

About $1 million of that money was then passed from Walker to several Biden family members - including Hallie Biden - in more than 15 incremental payments.

'It is unclear what services were provided to obtain this exorbitant amount of money,' Comer said at the time of the first memo's release.

The new memo released Wednesday provides additional information about Ye Jianming and his company CEFC, including the role of the company's U.S. 'emissary' Gongwen Dong - which the lawmakers say is evidence of the Chinese Communist Party attempting to 'cultivate' a relationship with the Biden family directly.

The Republicans accuse Ye and Dong of 'enticing' Biden family members with millions of dollars 'in exchange for influence and legitimacy' in the U.S. and worldwide.

Dong set up multiple LLCs in the U.S., including in Delaware, under the variation of the phrase 'Hudson West,' including one in which Dong and Hunter Biden were each 50 percent owners.

The bank records show that between 2017 and 2018, Hudson West sent over $4 million to Hunter Biden's connected companies and $75,000 to James Biden's entities.

In addition, Hunter Biden's 'personal entity' of Owasco P.C. received $100,000 directly from CEFC Infrastructure in 2017.

Ian Sams, White House special assistant to the president and oversight spokesperson, blasted Comer in a statement ahead of the press conference calling out his 'absurd' attacks.

'House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points,' said Sams.

The committee is committed to creating 'legislative solutions' that would require more transparency into the vice president or president's immediate family - specifically into 'income, assets, and financial relationships' - the memo states.

As part of pushing for more transparency, Republicans say there needs to be strengthening of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws.

The committee is still scrutinizing whether ethics and financial disclosure laws should require a public official to publicly disclose the identities of the 20companies created by the Biden family.

The Biden family corruption and influence peddling has benefitted at least 12 family members, Comer has said - and includes wires to some of Biden's grandchildren, he confirmed Wednesday.

Additionally, Comer said Tuesday that he hopes DOJ will pay attention to the press conference and consider the information that he and his committee present.

Hunter Biden is facing federal tax and firearm charges out of a four-years-long probe by the Department of Justice.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-N.Y., questioned how the department's probe is being conducted during the press conference.

"It's interesting that the Department of Justice has been investigating Hunter Biden for quite some time. And we seem to just never really get anywhere. And so I think that's also interesting as well. I wonder what's going on in the Department of Justice,' said Donalds.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., added: "DOJ needs to get off its ass and investigate we've done the work for them so they can't screw it up now."

The investigation into the first son being led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware is reported to be close to wrapping up soon - which means charges may be imminent.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has gone head-to-head with the Government after condemning its plans to tackle the small boats crisis as morally unacceptable and politically impractical.

But the intervention by the Most Rev Justin Welby sparked criticism of the church leader at Westminster, who was told neither handwringing or bell ringing will solve the misery of the channel crossings.

Ministers have also said the top cleric was wrong.

The exchanges came during a lengthy, impassioned debate lasting more than 10 hours on the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Lords.

The flagship legislation cleared its first parliamentary hurdle in the unelected chamber after a Liberal Democrat bid to block it was rejected by 179 votes to 76, majority 103.

But the immigration reforms, which have already been passed by the Commons, is set for a rocky ride through the Lords, where it faced a barrage of criticism.

The proposed law change aims to ensure those who arrive in the UK without permission will be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

It also includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

Critics argue the draft legislation breaks international law and threatens modern slavery protections.

Lord Paddick (Ian West/PA)

In a withering attack at second reading, Mr Welby said: This Bill fails to take a long term and strategic view of the challenges of migration and undermines international co-operation rather than taking an opportunity for the UK to show leadership.

Mr Welby added: It is isolationist, it is morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the crisis alone and cut our international aid.

This Bill is an attempt at a short-term fix.

It risks great damage to the UKs interests and reputation at home and abroad, let alone the interests of those in need of protection or the nations who together face this challenge.

Our interests as a nation are closely linked to our reputation for justice and the rule of law and to our measured language, calm decision and careful legislation.

None of those are seen here. This nation should lead internationally, not stand apart.

But rejecting the Archbishops criticism, House Of Cards author Lord Dobbs stressed the need to tackle the people smugglers.

The Tory peer and former adviser to the Thatcher government said: It is our moral obligation to stop them, to bring an end to the unimaginable pain of mothers and fathers watching their children drowning off our shores in the channel. No amount of handwringing or bell ringing is going to do that.

Conservative former Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean also took a sideswipe at Mr Welbys intervention, telling him: I am in strong agreement where he is concerned with issues spiritual, rather than temporal.

Tory peer and former MP Lord Jackson of Peterborough said: As an Anglican, I find dispiriting that the leaders of my own church, who were silent over the impact of 20 years of uncontrolled immigration should seek to mischaracterise those of us who have the courage to support these bold measures as morally deficient  that is not the case.

Former Brexit chief negotiator and minister Lord Frost said: We are told by some that to enshrine these principles in a Bill is in some way shameful, inhuman, immoral or even evil. I disagree with that and I actually rather resent it. I cant agree that we are not living up to our moral responsibility.

In response, Mr Welby pretended to slap his own wrists.

In summing up, Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth said: The Archbishop of Canterbury and other members were right to place the Bill in its moral context. Proceeding with this Bill is the moral course.

We must put a stop to the dangerous channel crossings, putting lives at risk and splitting families.

We must end the callous exploitation of vulnerable people by the people smugglers and we must uphold the law and ensure fair play for those who abide by our immigration rules.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said that he respectfully disagreed with Mr Welby and said that he had not put forward an alternative to the Governments policy.

He told ITVs Peston programme: He was actually very clear that we do need to stop the boats. He didnt have an alternative solution as to how we would do that.

He also said that he did not think that there was anything moral in perpetuating the trade for people smugglers and human traffickers.

Earlier in Parliament, Liberal Democrat and former senior police officer Lord Paddick told peers the legislation was a low point in the history of this Government.

He said: This Bill seeks to systematically deny human rights to a group of people desperately seeking sanctuary.

Labour frontbencher Lord Coaker said: In response to a broken system that is failing, we have a Government playing fast and loose with our place in the world and our respect for international law. This must change.
Ministers have faced suggestions from the DUP that the UK Government has been gaslighting the people of Northern Ireland over funding.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) warned the Barnett squeeze is getting greater, while DUP colleague Gavin Robinson described systemic underfunding of the Northern Ireland budget, as the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill cleared the Commons.

Outlining the legislation, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker told MPs the Bill would ensure a continuation of the current governance arrangements in Northern Ireland should there be no executive when they expire on June 5.

He said: We recognise that this Bill is an interim arrangement, it clarifies the powers the civil servants need to maintain public services in the absence of an executive.

We do recognise that there are some difficult decisions that will be needed, that civil servants will be uncomfortable to take and its possible they will feel unable to take them.

This is of course why we need the executive back and I am aware were very much sounding like a stuck record, but this is what were seeking to do  to get the executive back.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since last year when the DUP withdrew in protest over the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Mr Baker, on direct rule, said: I am absolutely clear this Bill does not give us any powers to implement measures.

He later told MPs: We are very clear that finances in Northern Ireland are not sustainable but were also clear that it is for an executive to act on it.

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker (PA)

The Government, through this Bill, will in the absence of an executive ensure that time is not lost now to start the thinking and the work on this, so we will be commissioning advice from the Northern Ireland civil service on the options for budget sustainability in Northern Ireland.

Mr Robinson said the Barnett formula needs to be assessed on need and outlined policy areas where he has concerns over future funding

The MP for Belfast East said: If the executive was up tomorrow, the fundamental damage being caused by the budget and the fundamental choices that have to be made will be there, the resource wont.

The Barnett formula is the mechanism which aims to give each devolved administration the same funding for devolved services as the equivalent UK Government spending.

Mr Robinson added that the politics of all of this has been about gaslighting the people in Northern Ireland psychologically questioning our understanding of how finances work, telling us that were overfunded when we know were structurally underfunded.

Standing in this chamber and saying oh but Northern Ireland gets 121% of what people in England get, when you know that thats less than what Northern Ireland needs. Thats gaslighting.

His comments were echoed by Mr Wilson who said: Getting back into Stormont is not going to grow the purse, its not going to change the financial situation and its not going to make it any easier.

The extremely challenging (situation) and the difficulties for long-term sustainability will still be there.

He added: We should not be selling the lie to people in Northern Ireland that get back into government and suddenly all the problems that youre facing in health, education, communities, policing and everything else will disappear.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood (PA)

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: What this legislation and what the budget is doing is imposing huge cuts actually on the most vulnerable in our society.

It is disingenuous to say that the presence of an executive would have been irrelevant to this years Northern Ireland budget allocation, Alliance MP Stephen Farry added.

The North Down MP added: Without an executive, theres not a process for managing the pressures as efficiently and effectively as possible and that matters much more in the context of a crisis than it does when we are in a situation of a surplus.

Tory chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Simon Hoare said the Treasury continually providing new money with no concomitant reform from Belfast doesnt serve any particular purpose.

He told the Commons: Local politicians in Northern Ireland either deliver new streams of money through revenue and or expenditure savings and Treasury will provide new money, but just to continually provide new money with no concomitant reform from Belfast doesnt serve any particular purpose and arguably raises too many questions in the minds of English voters as to why they are not getting a greater share of the public purse.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle cautioned the current situation cannot continue forever.

He said: The Secretary of State has been clear that we are not moving into direct rule. What we have instead is limited interventions from Westminster that keep public services functioning with limited scrutiny, the situation cannot continue forever.
The owner of Vinnys Bakery & Bistro, the beloved Pasco eatery that inspired celebrity chef Guy Fieri to wax poetic over its Cuban sandwich, was forced to close over unpaid taxes following a string of setbacks.

The Washington Department of Revenue revoked Vinnys certificate of registration on April 25. The agency previously filed tax warrants totaling $69,000 in Franklin County Superior Court last spring and summer, according to a notice posted on the door.

Vinicio Vinny Marin Gomez, who owns the restaurant with his son Charlie Marin, told the Tri-City Herald he didnt expect to be shut down by tax authorities. The interview was conducted with the help of a translator.

Vinicio Vinny Marin Gomez, owner of Vinnys Bakery & Bistro in downtown Pasco, spends time Thursday morning packaging up leftover food items for donation to a local food bank.

Marin Gomez said he hopes to reopen quickly to settle the tax bill and pay his six employees. But on Thursday morning, he and his dad were inside the closed restaurant collecting items that could be given to the food bank.

Vinnys opened in late 2014 at 1107 W. Lewis St. in Pasco after Marin Gomez, an immigrant and a fifth-generation baker, fell in love with the community.

Hed previously visited Chicago, Colorado and other potential locations before a chance visit to Pasco convinced him to set up here.

Marin Gomez said supporters, including his landlord, encouraged him to find a way to work with the state to reopen. That wasnt his first thought though.

Vinnys Bakery & Bistro in downtown Pasco has been forced to close because of delinquent taxes.

He initially planned to sell the business and equipment to pay off the debt and restart in a new location.

Felix Vargas, a community supporter, said there is no reason for the state to shut down a business if its goal is to settle a tax bill. The only way to do that is to allow it to earn revenue, he said, citing the Internal Revenue Service model of working out payment plans with delinquent tax payers.

Vargas is encouraging supporters to press state officials to make an exception to let Vinnys reopen. Supporters plan to attend Mondays Pasco City Council workshop session to raise awareness about his predicament.

The Department of Revenue said it could not comment on Vinnys but released a statement that license revocation is the last option available. It is not a decision that is made lightly and is only taken when a taxpayer has demonstrated a consistent pattern of noncompliance, it said.

Pandemic troubles

Marin Gomez said his tax trouble began when he took three months off in 2019 to recover from surgery.

Vinicio Vinny Marin Gomez opened Vinnys Bakery & Bistro in downtown Pasco in 2014.

He left his business in the hands of someone he trusted. When he returned there was only $15 in the cash register and no way to pay bills or taxes. The COVID-19 pandemic began shortly afterward, leading to shutdowns that were particularly hard on the hospitality industry.

Vargas said organizers are contemplating a fund-raising campaign to cover Vinnys debt. He noted Marin Gomez is reluctant to ask for money.

Notably, Vinnys did not seek a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan during the pandemic. Marin Gomez said he was too busy trying to keep the business afloat to seek the federal assistance.

In Washington, nearly 195,000 businesses secured $18.2 billion in PPP loans. Most had their loans forgiven. The average restaurant loan was nearly $143,000, according to a PPP database maintained by federalpay.org.

But the pandemic wasnt the first unexpected setback the restaurant had faced.

In 2015, Antonio Zambrano-Montes was shot and killed by Pasco police after a confrontation outside the new bakerys front door. Protests and some nationwide news accounts followed, and the Vinnys name was linked to the unrest by virtue of location, leading to doubts it could stay in business.

But many Tri-Citians, including a concerted effort by the police department, rallied to support the fledgling business with a modest Go Fund Me campaign, which collected $2,260.

Vinny Marin Gomez, owner of Vinnys Bakery & Cafe, makes cookies in this file photo.

The money, coupled with a surge in customers, propelled it forward. Vinnys earned a devoted following for its baked goods, its homemade breads and for its flavorful sandwiches.

Food Network feature

It was thriving in late 2018, before his surgery and the pandemic woes set in. Thats when celebrity chef Guy Fieri called on Vinnys and other Tri-Cities eateries for his Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives program on the Food Network.

The TV chef gushed to a national audience about its Cuban and chicken sandwiches in Sandwich Showcase, featured in Season 29, Episode 4.

The popular Pasco eatery was visited in early 2019 by celebrity chef Guy Fieri for his Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives program on the Food Network.

Vinnys Cuban piles slow-roasted pork, house-made hot sauce, ham and Swiss cheese on a house-made baguette. Its chicken features chicken, red onion, chipotle, tomato and zucchini, which, Fieri noted, melted on the tongue.

As the pandemic recedes, Tri-Citians havent lost their taste for Vinnys.

In March, it tied with Foodies for second place in a Tri-City Herald poll of the best specialty sandwich shops in town.

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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over his handling of Disney, saying it shows he has thin skin.

Keep in mind DeSantis took $50,000 worth of contributions from Disney prior to this, Haley said on the America 180 with David Brody podcast.

He took their executives and lobbyists and put them on prominent state boards, she added. He passed the largest corporate subsidies in Florida history for Disney and Florida right before this, so suddenly they criticize you and youre gonna have thin skin and do a lawsuit that costs taxpayer dollars.

Haley, who served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump, also explained on the podcast that Floridas bill to ban the teaching of gender from certain grades did not go far enough. She then called on DeSantis to work out the issues with Disney so Floridas businesses can return to normal operations.

As a governor talking to another governor who has dealt with work with companies in her state, pick up the phone, meet with the executives and get back to the normal life of business for Florida, Haley said. Because at the end of the day, businesses are our partners.

We need them because they employ a lot of people, and they take care of a lot of families, she added. They bring a lot of revenue to the state.

Feud started over 'Don't Say Gay' bill

DeSantiss ongoing feud with Disney started last year after the company criticized Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay bill, which banned the teaching of gender and sexual orientation in early grades. DeSantis then stripped Disney of its special status the company had since the 1960s, which gave it self-governing power over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The Florida governor later approved replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which is a DeSantis-appointed board created to oversee Disney. However, Disney had previously signed an agreement before the new board took over that gave it developmental authority over its district, which was then voided by the new board, leading to a lawsuit filed by Disney last month.

Haley  who is not the only GOP hopeful to criticize DeSantiss handling of Disney, with Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy both taking swipes at the Florida governor last month  said last month her home state of South Carolina would welcome Disney in the wake of its lawsuit against DeSantis.

Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida, Haley tweeted. Weve got great weather, great people, and its always a great day in South Carolina!

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Netflix has been diving headlong into the lives of powerful queens, and its newest four-part docuseries on Cleopatra is no exception. Queen Cleopatra delves into the life of one of the most iconic Egyptian queens to ever walk the planet. The series, which drops May 11, is definitely intense, and features Cleopatra (played by actress Adele James) saying things like I would die for Egypt and I am a god.

In case youre not already familiar, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt after her father, Ptolemy XII, died in 51 BC, per Brittanica. She was Egypt's last monarch before it became a province of the Roman empire, and she was very famous for her successful political, er, alliances.

The new docuseries delves into Cleopatra's various relationships with important, high-ranking Roman men, including her affair with Julius Caesar and marriage to Mark Antony. The Egyptian queen was incredibly smart, speaking at least eight different languages, and strategically savvy about her connections with these powerful men. She came to the throne at a time when women were not usually afforded much agency, and used these alliances to her benefit.

BTW, Cleopatra was likely married three times over the course of her life (including a marriage to at least one of her younger brothers), which makes for a very bizarre and fascinating history lesson.

But who were all of Cleopatras husbands, and whats the deal with her famous lovers? Pull up a seat. Theres some serious tea coming your way.

She likely married her brother 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII

Husband No. 1 is believed to have been her brother, Ptolemy XIII.

After her father, Ptolemy XII, died, the throne of Egypt passed to Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, Brittanica reports. Its believed that Cleopatra, who was 18 at the time, married her 10-year-old brother at this point (although this hasnt been proven). Not long after, Ptolemy attempted to depose his sister Cleopatra, and she was forced to flee Egypt for Syria. There, she raised an army to fight her brother.

Cleopatra was romantically (and politically) involved with Julius Caesar.

Photo Researchers - Getty Images

After being ousted from Egypt, Cleopatra sought help from Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Empire, whose army's strength could help her regain her throne. The two quickly became lovers and Caesar did, in fact, help her take her throne back from her brother, according to the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE). Ptolemy XIII later died while crossing the Nile River as he fled from Cleopatra and Caesar's forces, Brittanica says.

Queen Cleopatra had now established a strong political alliance with Caesar. And perhaps to sweeten the deal (and keep Caesar close to her), Cleopatra soon gave birth to Ptolemy Caesar, aka Caesarion, who is believed to be Caesar's son, in June 47 BC.

She married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV.

That makes husband No. 2. Despite her ongoing affair with Caesar, Cleopatra married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, Brittanica says.

Despite her marriage, her relationship with Caesar appeared to continue. She paid at least one state visit to Rome with Ptolemy XIV, where she stayed in Caesars private villa by the Tiber River.

Cleopatra later married Mark Antony.

Stock Montage - Getty Images

Here comes husband No. 3. When Caesar was murdered in Rome in 44 BCE (you'll remember the famed "Et tu Brute?" stabbing scene), it jeopardized Cleopatras political standing and hold on international power. Her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV died shortly after Caesar, and Cleopatra began to rule Egypt alone.

Mark Antony was the assumed heir of the Roman empire and in the aftermath of Caesar's death, he demanded to see Cleopatra. She sailed into town in a barge while wearing robes that portrayed her as the goddess Isis, Brittanica says. Antony was hooked and went to Alexandria with Cleopatra, leaving his third wife Fulvia in Rome, and the two eventually married, History reports. The couple had three children, including twins named Alexander and Cleopatra. The couple eventually went to battle against Caesars adopted son, Octavian, for succession of the Roman empire, per ARCE.

Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Mark Antony famously fell on his sword after hearing the (false) news that Cleopatra had died, Brittanica says. Cleopatra died not long after, and its thought that she killed herself after being bitten by a venomous snake called an asp.

brandstaetter images - Getty Images

I don't know about you, but this sounds like the original inspiration for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

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Updated May 10, 2023 at 9:40 PM

As it did last year with math textbooks, the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday announced that dozens of social studies textbooks landed on its not recommended list, while providing few details about why.

The state caught and fixed dozens of other books to prevent political indoctrination of children, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a tweet.

Education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in a statement that the state seeks to approve books that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric.

Below is the list of 34 texts that remain unfit for public schools, according to state officials. Asterisks denote books that contain references to the unwanted strategies and topics.

READ MORE: Florida approves social studies books after references to racism, social justice removed

In its specifications, the state told publishers not to submit books containing topics including critical race theory, culturally responsive teaching, social justice and social-emotional learning.

Here are the rejected books, listed by elementary, middle and high school levels:

Grades K-5

Florida History Makers: Myself, My School, My Community (grade K), 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers First Grade Social Studies My Family, My Community, and Me, 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: My Country and My State (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our Regions, Our Country, Our World (grade 3), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our State (grade 4), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida History Makers: Our United States (grade 5), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.

Florida Social Studies, Living, Learning, and Working Together (grade K), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, Our Community and Beyond (grade 1), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Florida Social Studies, Who We are as Americans (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, United States Regions and Neighbors (grade 3), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Florida Social Studies, Florida Studies (grade 4), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

* Florida Social Studies, United States History (grade 5), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Social Studies Alive! Me and My World (Florida Series, Grade K), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! My School and Family (Florida Seriers, Grade 1), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! My Community (Florida Series, Grade 2), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Social Studies Alive! Our Community and Beyond (Florida Series, Grade 3), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Social Studies Alive! Florida and Its People (Florida Series, Grade 4), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Social Studies Alive! Americas Past (Florida Series, Grade 5), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

Grades 6-8

Gateway to Early American History with Revised Civics and Government Standards Advanced, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Florida Transformative Education

Civics and Government (Florida M/J Social Studies), 2023, 1st Edition, published by Gallopade International, Inc.

* Civics Alive! Foundations and Functions, 2023, 1st Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Civics, Advanced, Florida Edition, 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill

Grades 9-12

* American History, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

* Florida US History interactive, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company

* Florida US History interactive - Honors, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company

* The African-American Experience, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

Living Smarter, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Achievements Educational Development

Personal Financial Literacy and Money Management, 2020, 2nd Edition, published by International Empowerment

Foundations in Personal Finance-Honors, 2022, 4th Edition, published by The Lampo Group

* American Government, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, 2020, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute

* Thinking About Psychology, 2019, 4th Edition, published by Bedford, Freeman and Worth Publishing Group

* Modern Genocide, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO

History of the Holocaust, 2022, 2nd Edition, published by eDynamic Holdings LP
Migrants hoping to cross into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times/Los Angeles Times)

Beginning Friday morning, the Biden administration plans to offer some migrants the chance to voluntarily return to Mexico.

DHS officials are planning to inform some asylum seekers from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti who have been arrested by Border Patrol agents that they can choose a different pathway to the U.S.

I want to let you know about a process that is currently in place for individuals in your situation, a script for asylum officers encountering these migrants reads. The script, included in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services training materials, was obtained by The Times. I will give you an opportunity before we start the interview to choose to follow this process if it is something you would like to do.

The officers are directed to inform the migrants that if they accept voluntary return, they can apply for legal entry into the U.S. if they have a financial sponsor and can pass security checks. The migrants, whom the U.S. can turn back to Mexico under a deal struck between the two countries last week, will be told they must be outside the U.S. to be eligible for that process.

We are giving ... individuals who are in our custody the option of voluntarily returning to the country from which they came because of the consequence of a removal, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a news conference Wednesday, alluding to the plan.

The voluntary return script is part of the Biden administrations wide-ranging effort to deal with what is expected to be an increase in migration at the southern border after Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed border agents to quickly turn back migrants, expires this week. Republicans and others, including independent Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona and officials in border towns, have urged the administration to limit the numbers.

"While it's wonderful that the administration is announcing things like a 1,500-troop deployment and these new processing centers  which will not be operational by next Friday  those are good things," Sinema said last week, according to CBS News . "Those are aspirational. That's not the same as operational. And so what I'm asking for and have been for two years, is for the administration to make concrete plans."

The administration has said it will send troops to help at the border , along with the asylum officers and judges needed to process migrants and rapidly deport those who do not have a right to stay in the U.S.

Another piece of the administrations effort to deter migrants from crossing without authorization will go into place this week as well.

Starting later this week, the U.S. will implement a controversial new policy that limits asylum for migrants who cross through a third country, like Mexico, en route to the U.S. and did not apply for protection there. Although there are exceptions, migrants who cross the border without authorization will likely find it difficult to obtain asylum under the new policy. Immigrant advocates, such as the ACLU, are expected to sue over the effort soon after it is implemented.

To avoid denial and deportation, the migrants from the four countries are offered a way out under the voluntary return plan.

You may choose to depart the United States voluntarily a single time and still be eligible for the parole process. You are being given an opportunity now to withdraw your application for admission to the United States and return to Mexico so that you remain eligible for that parole process, officers will tell migrants, according to the script.

The migrant will then be warned that if they fail their initial asylum screening  known as a credible fear interview  they could be deported and barred from the country for five years.

Would you like to voluntarily withdraw your application for admission at this time so that you can return to Mexico and remain eligible to request access to the parole process I just described? officers will ask.

The Department of Homeland Security has said that migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela who have verified sponsors in the U.S. will continue to be allowed to apply to enter the country legally. Since January, up to 30,000 individuals per month from those countries have been able to apply to live and work in the U.S. The process to apply to the U.S. began earlier this year, at the same time the Biden administration expanded the use of Title 42 to allow it to deport migrants from the four countries to Mexico. Since then, thousands have successfully been able to enter the U.S. using the new pathway.

The migrants, who can apply from anywhere, are required to have passed rigorous background checks and have a sponsor that is willing to financially support them for the two-year period they are allowed in the U.S.

If a migrant declines voluntary removal, they could be offered another chance to leave later in the process.

Migrants who fail to qualify for asylum under the new Biden rule will be told that they will not be screened for asylum, but for a different form of protection that is harder to get.

Before I continue, I would like to offer you another chance to withdraw your application for admission like I offered you at the beginning of the interview, officers will tell those migrants. Do you want me to repeat the explanation of that offer?

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
President Joe Biden speaks to the media following a meeting with Congressional leaders about preventing a first-ever government default, Tuesday, May 9, 2023 in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Fresh off a White House meeting with no serious breakthrough on the debt limit standoff, President Joe Biden is launching a new phase of his pressure campaign against House Republicans as he makes his case that lawmakers should lift the nations borrowing authority without any strings attached.

Biden will travel to Valhalla, New York, on Wednesday to argue that a measure passed by House GOP lawmakers that would lift the debt limit for about a year while curbing some federal spending would impose cuts for veterans care, educators and other domestic priorities. The area is represented by first-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district Biden won in 2020.

The White House will use the trip to trumpet what it says is economic progress under the Democratic president  pointing to the number of jobs created during his term and a fresh focus on domestic manufacturing  while warning that an unprecedented debt default would threaten millions of jobs and raise the prospect of a recession.

Back in Washington, senior White House officials and congressional aides were starting to discuss a path to avert a catastrophic debt default as soon as June 1, in preparation for another meeting between Biden and top Capitol Hill leaders later this week. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., showed few signs that he and House Republicans were willing to budge from their debt limit proposal, and Biden underscored again that their plan was a non-starter with him.

Hes proposed deep cuts that I believe will hurt American families, Biden told reporters after his meeting with McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Biden in his remarks also will invoke the specter of cuts to veterans care, an issue that has become particularly sensitive in the back-and-forth rhetoric between the White House and congressional Republicans. When the president suggested during the meeting that the House GOP plan could end up cutting benefits to veterans, McCarthy told reporters that he shot back that was a lie. But Biden disputed that it was a lie, saying that the across-the-board cuts would affect veterans' care and other vital domestic programs.

The stalemate comes as the U.S. government is rapidly bumping up against its legal borrowing authority, meaning that it may not be able to pay its bills as early as the start of next month unless lawmakers agree to lift the limit.

Biden is also scheduled to spend a week abroad on a trip to Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea later this month. He said postponing his travel is possible but not likely.

With debt talks showing minimal progress, the White House hopes that Bidens public relations campaign  starting in a congressional district that will be key for Democrats seeking to wrest House control back from Republicans next year  increases pressure on GOP lawmakers who cant afford politically to alienate moderate voters. Lawler, as one of 18 House Republicans hailing from a congressional district won by Biden, is a prime target for the White House.

Still, Lawler accepted the invitation from the White House, maybe to their surprise, the lawmaker said in an interview Tuesday. He said it was a little disappointing that Biden was spending his time traveling his district rather than negotiating with other leaders in Washington.

Nobody wants to see us default. Nobody wants to see us not raise the debt limit. But they also dont want to see us continue to spend money that we dont have, Lawler said. When Im out talking to folks in my community, my district, by and large they agree with my stance.

Despite Lawler's presence at the event, at Westchester Community College, Biden is always going to be honest with the American people, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The president is going to drive home the impact of these current discussions that were having  the economy, how it affects real hardworking Americans. Thats what youre going to hear from the president," she said. Hell be very clear about that. Hell be clear about what could potentially happen.

House Republicans, in their debt measure that passed in April, are aiming for $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and undoing the Biden administrations proposal that would forgive student loan debt. The White House has made it clear that Biden would veto that legislation.

Democrats, who control the Senate by 51-49, are calling for a clean debt limit hike without any conditions such as spending cuts, but any such measure would require the support of at least nine Republican senators, and most of them say they will oppose doing so.

While in New York on Wednesday, Biden, who formalized his reelection campaign on April 25, also will hold a pair of fundraisers.

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
When the pandemic-era immigration rule known as Title 42 comes to an end Thursday night, a new regulation will make it harder for migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border to seek political asylum in the United States, the Biden administration said Wednesday.

Asylum seekers showing up at the border without prior authorization will have to show proof they requested asylum in any of the countries they traveled through on their way to the border, and that the request was denied.

The controversial rule, which immigration advocates say mirrors a similar travel ban by the Trump administration, is among several new changes the Department of Homeland Security is rolling out as it prepares for the end of Title 42 at 11:59 pm. Thursday.

A public-health order used by President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 allows border agents to quickly expel asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. It is expiring along with other pandemic-era emergency policies.

Biden administration officials say that, unlike the Trump administration, they are presenting migrants with several new legal pathways to protection in the United States. Immigration advocates, however, disagree and note that the Trump transit asylum ban was ultimately struck down by federal judges in several courts, hinting that they may challenge the latest rule as well.

Migrants climb the bank of the Rio Grande as Texas state police finish placing barbed-wire, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S. on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

While welcoming the end of Title 42, advocates accuse the Biden administration of making it even more difficult for people fleeing violence and political persecution to seek protection in the U.S. during what experts all agree is an unprecedented time of global and hemispheric displacement. Many migrants making their way to the United States travel through several countries, some of them as far as Brazil.

On Wednesday, workers with the Haitian Bridge Alliance fanned out across the Mexican town of Reynosa, just across the border from McAllen, Texas, telling migrants not to listen to smugglers encouraging them to run to the border before Title 42 ends. If they do, they will be detained, expelled and possibly banned from entering the U.S. for at least five years, workers warned.

They are so desperate and anyone can tell them that the border is open and they will believe it and try just in case its true, Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the San Diego-based organization, told the Miami Herald from Mexico. This is why its so very important that the messaging from the administration is clear and precise so people can understand it.

Jozef said there are about 10,000 migrants in the town, and at least 6,000 of them are Haitians. Many of the migrants remain confused, wondering, for instance, if they will now be subject to the asylum rule, despite having spent up to a year in camps trying to get access to the United States.

The new U.S. policy is telling people in transit to apply for asylum in countries where people are also fleeing from and seeking asylum, said Jozef, who opposes the ban. The U.S.-Mexico border is being pushed into South and Central America. That is the reality, and my fear is that they are putting those systems in place so people can avoid smugglers. Those are the very reasons why people will try to find alternative ways to make the journey and create a new ecosystem for human traffickers and smugglers.

President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have come under fire from immigration advocates as well as Republican governors and lawmakers about the changing policies. While advocates have accused the administration of doing away with Title 42 just to replace it with asylum bans and tougher enforcement and detention policies, Republicans say the administration is sending the signal that the U.S.-Mexico border is open.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a news conference on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, ahead of the lifting of Title 42. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

It has put the Democratic president in a political bind just as he launches his campaign for reelection in 2024, faced with a base that is dissatisfied with his approach to the border and a Republican opposition emboldened by a narrative that migrants are overrunning the border.

Biden officials argue that new, innovative policies  such as offering parole to Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans, while cracking down on those who attempt to come to the U.S. unlawfully  shows they are delivering on tough border enforcement.

We are going to continue to enforce U.S. immigration laws and people who attempt to come across illegally are not going to be able to stay, are going to be returned, Homeland Security spokesperson Luis Miranda told the Herald. This administration has done a significant amount of work to ensure there are lawful pathways, there are ways for people who need it to be able to come.

A roughly 90% drop in arrivals at the southern border by nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela between December and March, however, has done little to improve the presidents public standing among critics.

The president has less power here than they would perhaps like to admit, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy directory for the American Immigration Council. Fundamentally, this is a problem that cannot be fixed without substantial investment from Congress. Its been 27 years since weve made any major changes to our humanitarian protection system, and its been 33 years since we updated our legal immigration system  it predates the World Wide Web.

During a Wednesday press conference, Mayorkas defended the administrations approach and said that migration is a regional problem that requires a regional approach, which the administration is taking through various initiatives.

He acknowledged that the U.S. s broken immigration system could be in for a difficult period ahead.

Even after nearly two years of preparation we expect to see large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks after May 11, Mayorkas said. We are already seeing high numbers of encounters in certain sectors.

He touted the new legal pathways for migrants that the administration has put in place, including an asylum-appointment system that uses a smartphone app known as CBP One. He said anyone choosing not to use those legal paths will face bigger hurdles to getting protection in the United States.

He added that Congress is primarily to blame for failing to update the countrys immigration system for over two decades  or to sufficiently fund the agency ahead of a potential, predictable surge.

Migrants help each other up the bank of the U.S. side of the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A majority of Republican voters consistently rank immigration among their top priorities when entering the ballot box, incentivizing some conservatives to keep immigration as a voting issue. And while fewer Democrats consider immigration when they vote, those that do, tend to favor broader pathways for asylum seekers.

The new asylum rule, still being finalized by the Department of Justice and expected to take effect after Thursday, presumes that anyone who shows up at the border without prior authorization is ineligible for asylum. Migrants can rebut that presumption in limited circumstances  for example, if they used the pathway or sought asylum in another country through which they had traveled and were denied.

Forcing persecuted people to first seek protection in countries with no functioning asylum systems is as ludicrous as it is life-threatening, said Lee Williams, chief programs officer at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. This ban is Title 42 in sheeps clothing, and it will have a devastating impact on children and families already uprooted by unimaginable violence, persecution, poverty, and climate disaster.

Williams said the administration is choosing to defy decades of humanitarian protections enshrined in U.S. law and international agreements. The Immigration and Nationality Act, Williams said, provides that people seeking protection may apply for asylum regardless of manner of entry, and does not require them to have first applied for protection in another country.

Victoria Ward, regional director for Save the Children in Latin America and the Caribbean, said by outsourcing asylum decisions to other countries in the region, children and families will face increased deportation from countries once they leave their homeland.

While we welcome the potential for simpler asylum processing, some of the new measures in this policy could increase the dangers facing migrant children and their families. We also worry that more children will travel unaccompanied, she said. It is also possible that across the Americas we will see increases and xenophobia and discrimination against migrants and higher rates of sexual exploitation, violence from gangs, and organized traffickers.
E. Jean Carroll walks out of Manhattan federal court after winning a $5-million judgment against former President Trump. The verdict is unlikely to shake up the 2024 presidential race, at least in the short term. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

There is a long list of descriptors used to identify Donald Trump: real estate magnate, reality TV star, former president, insurrectionist, criminally indicted payer of hush money.

As of Tuesday, a new particularly incriminating label can be added: sexual assailant.

Even so, the determination of a civil jury  that Trump physically brutalized writer E. Jean Carroll  seems unlikely to make much difference to his unshakable political base or, for now, change the fundamental dynamics of the 2024 presidential race.

"I don't see this moving the needle at all," said Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan campaign analyst who's spent decades handicapping elections. "Every time we've thought that something would hurt him, it hasn't."

That said, Trump still faces a raft of criminal investigations involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the attempted Jan. 6 coup he inspired and the mishandling of purloined documents he spirited to his Mar-a-Lago retreat.

By the time Republican voters cast the first ballots next February in Iowa, will the cumulative weight of Trump's legal burdens  compounded by the verdict in Carroll's lawsuit  be enough to drive a significant number of GOP voters away?

That jury is still out.

A Manhattan panel of six men and three women deliberated less than three hours  barely enough time to cater lunch  before returning a verdict finding that Trump had forced himself on Carroll nearly three decades ago in the dressing room of an upscale Manhattan department store.

The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded his victim $5 million in damages.

But if the swiftness of the decision seemed clear-cut and ringingly decisive, the verdict proved less so.

Jurors did not accept Carroll's claim the ex-president had raped her, rejecting the most inflammatory allegation and  crucially  keeping the combination of "rape" and "Trump" out of news headlines.

Even that might not have put off very many Trump's supporters.

His criminal indictment in March for paying hush money to hide an extramarital affair and steady his wobbling 2016 presidential campaign  a career killer under most circumstances  proved a fundraising bonanza and prompted many Republicans to rally behind Trump's bid to reclaim the White House.

Minutes after Tuesday's verdict was delivered, Mike Madrid, a founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, wisecracked on Twitter, "That sound you hear is Trump's polling numbers going up in the Republican primary."

Perhaps.

A great deal will depend on what happens over the next several months  on the campaign trail even more than inside a courthouse  as the fight for the Republican nomination presumably heats up.

Most of Trump's GOP rivals have so far shown a reluctance to go beyond the merest, veiled criticism of Trump, or offered only weak-tea admonitions.

"The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump," former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tut-tutted after Tuesday's verdict was delivered.

That sort of gentility is not unusual for this stage of the campaign. As the balloting nears, and competition intensifies, candidates will have to make a strategic decision. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's main rival at the moment, will in particular have to decide how openly and aggressively he wants go after the GOP front-runner.

"There is an available chunk of the Republican electorate that wants to move on from Trump," said Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist and longtime Trump critic, who has conducted countless focus groups plumbing voter sentiments.

"The question that I've had is whether any of the candidates running against Trump have the political talent to take him on directly and seize that available audience," Longwell said. "Can they start outflanking Trump and showing people they can be a tougher fighter? Maybe. But nobody's figured out how to do that yet."

It is Trump's great good fortune that his political future won't be decided by the jury in Manhattan. He proved a perfectly terrible witness on his own behalf.

In a videotaped deposition  Trump did not take the stand  he seemed alternately bored and put upon, suggesting at one point that Carroll would have enjoyed being raped.

When presented a photograph of Carroll, he mistook his accuser, "not my type," for his second wife, Marla Maples. He defended his infamous hot-mic moment on "Access Hollywood" in which he said he could grab women by the genitals  "and when you're a star, they let you do it"  by saying that history backs him up.

"If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said in his deposition. "Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately."

Trump famously boasted during the 2016 campaign he could stand in the middle of Manhattan's 5th Avenue and shoot someone without losing votes.

Now, with Tuesday's swift verdict, he's about to test another proposition: whether he can sexually maul a woman in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room and still make that claim.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Iran says U.S. pullout from nuclear deal "fatal blow" to rule of law

Xinhua) 10:52, May 10, 2023

TEHRAN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday that the United States dealt a "fatal blow" to the rule of law at the international level by its "unlawful" withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal five years ago.

Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, made the remarks in a post on his Twitter page one day after the fifth anniversary of the U.S. unilateral pullout of the nuclear deal in 2018.

Ever since its withdrawal, the U.S. has failed to reverse its "wrongful" deeds, said the Iranian official, stressing that Iran will continue its "legitimate" remedial measures under the nuclear pact.

The full implementation of the nuclear deal, the main precondition for which is the "effective and lasting" removal of the sanctions, could be resumed should "the reneging party," the European Union, and E3 group of France, Britain and Germany demonstrate "credible" political will to that effect, he said.

He said that the opportunity to resume the full implementation of the nuclear deal would not be available forever.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on the country. The U.S., however, pulled out of the deal on May 8, 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.

The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna. No breakthrough has been achieved after the latest round of talks in August 2022.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Filmmaker Ryuji Otsuka / Courtesy of JIFF



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Husband-and-wife directors Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji are renowned for making films about often-overlooked women's stories that generate empathy.



"Stonewalling" is the finale of a trilogy that centers on young women's sexual and reproductive rights in contemporary China. The two previous films were "Egg and Stone" (2012), about a 14-year-old girl who experiences family sexual abuse, and "The Foolish Bird" (2017), about a 16-year-old girl experiencing pregnancy resulting from rape.



Their latest film follows Lynn (Honggui Yao), a college student aspiring to become a flight attendant. Her plans are plunged into doubt when she discovers she is pregnant. Not wanting an abortion, Lynn decides to carry the baby to term and give it away to another family to settle her mother's debts.



Japanese director Otsuka, who recently visited Korea to screen "Stonewalling" at the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), said he decided to make the film around 2016 when China ended its one-child policy.



The policy was introduced in 1979 in an attempt to control its rapidly expanding population. In between, there were high numbers of abortions without consent and female infanticide.



"When our daughter was five years old, she often asked us a question, 'why did you give birth to me?' My wife and I didn't know how to answer that question. We then decided to make a film and show it to her instead," he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.





A scene from the film "Stonewalling" / Courtesy of JIFF



They began filming "Stonewalling" in 2019 for 10 months  an average pregnancy term  but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic changed many parts of the film including its ending.



"The critical element of the story is the 10-month-long pregnancy. We wanted to depict how pregnancy changes Lynn, played by Honggui, both physically and mentally. We decided to put the camera at a distance to observe our lead actress for 10 months," he said.



Otsuka talked about the extensive research process while preparing for the film. "Because we wanted the protagonist to be in her early 20s, we interviewed many college students and asked them questions like 'How do you earn your money? And 'where do you spend your money?'" he said.



"By chance, we discovered ads posted inside women's restrooms in a college that read 'become an egg donor and get paid.' We asked our lead actress Honggui to call the egg donor agency pretending that she is an egg donor. The agent whom we contacted actually appears in the film because he takes pride in what he does. During the research process, we also found out that many ethnic Uyghur women donate their eggs as a way to make an extra income."



The husband-and-wife directors discovered Honggui, the lead actress of the trilogy when she was 14 years old.



"We discovered her in a middle school in Hunan Province, my wife's home village, back when we were about to make 'Egg and Stone.' Honggui was living with her grandparents because her parents were working elsewhere. Her upbringing matched well with the concept of our film," he said.



All three films were acted by Honggui. "She had no acting experience but had a unique aura. She doesn't talk much, but she has her own world. She is not easily influenced by her surroundings, which was exactly what we were looking for," he said.





A scene from the film "Stonewalling" / Courtesy of JIFF
The West Ada School District, the states largest, is asking voters to pass the largest levy in Idaho history in Tuesdays Ada County election.

School leaders say unprecedented growth has led to the unprecedented request.

Right now were busing kids from Star all the way over to Eagle every single day, West Ada Superintendent Derek Bub told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. Its become a challenge for those families.

If the ballot item gets at least 55% approval, the district would receive up to $50 million annually for the next 10 years for construction of new schools and renovation of existing ones.

West Ada has 58 schools with approximately 40,000 students enrolled in grades K-12, according to the districts website. Every school in the district would receive some level of safety, maintenance, technology and mechanical upgrades if the levy passes.

The largest projects would be two new elementary schools, a new career and technical education center, playground upgrades for increased safety and accessibility, and significant remodeling of Centennial High School, Lake Hazel Middle School and Lowell Scott Middle School, according to the district.

Unlike school bonds, plant facilities levies such as this cannot legally be used for anything other than construction, repairs and maintenance.

Bub called the levy fiscally conservative because it would save taxpayers about $255 million in interest.

We dont have to pay interest on this, Bub said. It really is pay-as-you-go, which allows us to meet the needs of our city in the most fiscally responsible and tax-aware fashion that we can.

The levy would add $89.45 per year for every $100,00 taxable assessed value, according to the resolution passed unanimously by the school board in February, meaning a resident with a home worth $500,000 would pay an additional $447 per year in taxes.

The school district said it is committed to not putting another bond or levy on the ballot for the next 10 years. Because the district will be paying off a 2018 bond this year, Bub said taxes under the proposed levy would be lower than than they have been in recent years.

A graph shows how the proposed levy would compare to past tax rates.

Population growth in Meridian and the western part of Boise is the biggest driver behind the districts needs, according to Bub. Census Bureau numbers show that Ada County has grown by 27% over the past 20 years, going from about 409,000 people in 2012 to 518,000 in 2022.

The new elementary schools would cost $35 million each and have a 700-student capacity apiece. They would ease overcrowding at Star Elementary and Eagle Elementary in the north, and Hillsdale Elementary and Mary McPherson Elementary in the south, all of which are at full capacity.

Rising enrollment numbers have meant that many students arent able to enter the postsecondary education programs in which theyre interested, according to the district.

We have kids that are on waiting lists for some of our programs, Bub said. Its really important that we provide them with the opportunity to engage in career programs, which include welding, pharmaceutical, construction, HVAC, plumbing.

Information on how to vote in Tuesdays election can be found on the Ada County website at adacounty.id.gov/elections.
A dad stormed onto a school bus, yelled at the driver and struck an aide, according to a Florida sheriffs office.

The dad was upset his son had been suspended from the bus route, according to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriffs Office.

The bus was dropping a group of children off at a stop in Ocala on May 2 when the man approached the bus and asked the driver if he could come on board, the affidavit says.

The driver said no, and the dad told him to shut the (expletive) up, according to the affidavit. He then walked onto the bus, the sheriffs office said.

He started to scream at the school bus aide while waving a piece of paper, according to the affidavit. He then gave the paper to the aide and continued to yell.

Cell phone video taken by a student on the bus shows the father hit the aides chest while snatching the paper back. He also grabs a lanyard around the aides neck, according to the video.

Children can be heard screaming and yelling, Oh (expletive) in the background.

The father was arrested and charged with battery on a public or private education employee, disturbance of a school function and unarmed burglary of an occupied conveyance, according to the sheriffs office.

His bond was set at $17,500, according to the sheriffs office.

Ocala is about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.

Substitute teacher trying to fit in shares vape pen with 7th grader, Florida cops say

14-year-old steals school bus then tries to run over someone at gas station, cops say

High school coach hid a GoPro in girls locker room, WI cops say. 18 victims possible
While Florida got attention for its obsession with fighting woke, lawmakers were busy during the 2023 legislative session passing bills with lesser known, but even greater, impacts on the quality of life of Floridians.

These so-called preemption bills curtail how the government closest to the people  county commissions, city and village councils  and local voters can shape their communities. As usual, thats done to benefit big political donors, political players, developers and businesses at odds with local communities. And it happens every year, no matter whos in the governors mansion.

The 2023 session that ended Friday was no exception, but it was notable because many of those preemption bills impact Miami-Dade County directly.

Fortunately, one of the most egregious attacks on our home rule died. Senate Bill 1346 would have given developers the green light to tear down historic oceanfront buildings like the Art Deco gems lining Miami Beach.

But other bills that kneecap the will of local voters and elected officials were approved and are headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

There is legislation to dictate how Miami-Dade County can set up its new sheriffs office. This is, in fact, a double takeover by the state. County voters abolished the sheriff position in the 1960s, following a string of corruption scandals, and, since then, a mayor-appointed police director has overseen the Miami-Dade Police Department. In 2018, a ballot referendum that failed in Miami-Dade but passed statewide required the county to elect a sheriff again. HB 1595 undoes a plan approved by the County Commission to keep the policing of the countys unincorporated areas, such as Kendall, under the police department instead of turning it over to a sheriff elected in 2024.

SB 718 bans local voter referendums related to land development. It appears to be yet another assault on Miami Beach, where voters have often balked at oversized development. Last year, they rejected a request by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to exceed building-size regulations to erect a hotel and condo project at the site of the demolished Deauville Beach Resort. The legislation would make such referendums illegal.

Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Republican whose district includes Key Biscayne, which also is affected by the legislation, said local governments should not govern by referendum, the Herald reported. Whether thats the prudent way to govern or not is beside the point. The reason cities and counties exist is to ensure each community makes decisions that reflect the will of its constituents. Its Miami Beachs responsibility, not the Legislatures, to make development decisions. Local council or commission members  not lawmakers from all across the state  are best equipped to make quality-of-life decisions in their jurisdictions.

That concept of local autonomy, known as home rule, has been enshrined in the Florida Constitution. However, the state Legislature over the years has preempted communities from regulating things big and small: single-use plastic bags, sunscreen that damages coral reefs, fossil fuels, cruise ships in Key West  the list goes on. The main beneficiaries of these preemptions are usually powerful industries  i.e. fossil fuel, cruise companies  that can afford lobbyists and political contributions.

Take HB 1417, widely supported by the Florida Apartment Association and Florida Realtors. It wipes out ordinances that counties like Miami-Dade passed to give tenants more rights at a time when they are experiencing rent increases of hundreds of dollars. The tenants bill of rights required, for example, that landlords give notice of rent increases. Miami-Dade last year required a 60-day notice for increases above 5% and made it easier to bill landlords for repairs.

Supporters of these preemption measures say they want to bring consistency to regulations across the state. But consistency more times than not comes at the expense of those who dont have the clout to influence the lawmaking process. The purpose of a state Legislature isnt to become a central office for local land and development decisions. Unfortunately, the Republicans running the Florida House and Senate have gotten a taste of power, and they will usurp more of it from Floridas communities.
Amid concerns that not enough people had applied to be the next superintendent of the sixth-largest school district in the country, the Broward School Board reopened the application window Tuesday so more candidates can add their names to the list  including a sitting superintendent from Las Vegas who has connections to South Florida.

Board Chair Lori Alhadeff told her fellow board members that Jesus Jara, the superintendent at Clark County School District  the fifth-largest school district in the country  contacted her and said he wanted to apply. That ignited discussion about whether to add only his name to the applicant pool, or reopen the search for him to apply as well as others.

Broward School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff discusses the application process for a new superintendent on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The board voted Tuesday to extend the application window by a week after only 15 applicants met the qualifications for the post.

After about three hours of debate, the board voted 8-1 to reopen the application window from Tuesday to next Tuesday. Board member Torey Alston, from district 2, cast the lone dissenting vote because he wanted to reopen the search for longer.

If youre going to do it right, open it up for two weeks, three weeks so we can conversations with different applicants around the country, Alston said after the meeting.

FROM LAST WEEK: Only 15 qualify for Broward superintendent job

The good news is I think were absolutely headed in the right direction, and I think all nine members of the board are collectively in the same place, he added. We might disagree on should it be one week, two weeks, three weeks, but I think collectively we all want to find the right person for Broward County Public Schools.

Board member Sarah Leonardi, left, sits with her daughter Lia, center, as Broward School Board discusses the application process for a new superintendent for Broward public schools on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

What does the hiring timeline look like?

Heres the new timeline the board approved for the superintendent search:

May 16: Deadline to apply

May 22: Special School Board meeting to vote on semifinalists

May 26: Deadline for semifinalists to submit videos answering some questions

May 30: Special School Board meeting to pick finalists

June 14: Finalists participate in community focus groups and meet with all nine board members one-on-one

June 15: School Board chooses its next superintendent

However, board member Daniel Foganholi, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the district 1 seat in December, said he doesnt want to rush the process.

Im not looking for a superintendent, Im looking for the superintendent, he said.

His colleague Allen Zeman, from the countywide seat 9, warned that waiting too long could be detrimental because the school year starts in August and most superintendents want to be set way before then. He added its unlikely the application deadline could get extended further.

Institutionally, superintendents get real reluctant after the first of July to move to another job, just because they feel some compassion and some level of caring for the district that theyre leaving, and it just gets harder day-by-day to hire after July 1, he said.

About two dozen applicants so far

The application window originally opened March 1 and closed April 27. During those two months, 26 people applied for the top job at the Broward school district, which serves about 260,000 students, employs about 27,000 people and maintains an operating budget of about $2.8 billion. The former superintendent, Vickie Cartwright, who mutually parted ways with the board in January, signed a contract of nearly three years at an annual salary of $350,000.

Last week, board members and a search firm executive hypothesized some reasons why the role attracted few takers  including the tense relationship between DeSantis and state educators, the chaotic departure of Cartwright and the Sunshine Law exposing applicants names early on in the process.

FROM EARLY 2022: Miami schools attract 16 candidates for superintendent post being vacated by Carvalho

Out of those 26 applicants, only 15 met the requirements like a masters degree and computer skills. In January 2022, when the Miami-Dade school district searched for a new superintendent, 16 people applied during a seven-day application window.

In the past week, Keith Oswald, chief of equity and wellness at Palm Beach County Schools, withdrew his name from the running, said David Azzarito, the districts executive director of human resources and equity at the Broward school district, bringing the total qualified candidates to 14.

Interim Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Earlean Smiley comments about the selection process for a new superintendent during a Broward School Board meeting Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

More applicants to come?

Last Tuesday, some Broward School Board members, particularly Alston, raised concerns about the quality and quantity of the superintendent candidates. Alston described the group as junior varsity and said he liked one and a half, maybe two and a half out of the 26.

Im hopeful well add more to the 26, Alston said Tuesday after the board agreed to take more resumes. He said he has been talking to a handful of other potential candidates and hopes theyll come forward, despite the hesitations.

Broward School Board member Torey Alston was the lone dissenting vote when the board voted 8-1 to extend the application window for school superintendent to next Tuesday, May 16, 2023. He wanted the window to be extended further.

Zeman also said he wants more names to consider.

I feel excited, he said, mentioning Jara, from Las Vegas. Maybe thats the icebreaker. Maybe well have some from other top-sized school districts that decide to come here and take this amazing job that we have available for somebody.

Board member Brenda Fam, left, comments during a Broward School Board meeting Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On the right is board member Allen Zeman.

As for the DeSantis concerns he cited last week, Zeman said applicants could view that as a short-term issue.

If youre thinking of being an administrator or a superintendent for five or 10 years, theres a lot of political pendulums swinging back and forth in the state, he said.

Cant judge people off of a piece of paper, board member says

Zeman added that Jara didnt apply earlier because he was leading some negotiations with the Nevada Legislature concerning student funding, but he feels thats in a good place now.

Jara worked as the superintendent of Monroe County Public Schools for a year from 2011 to 2012. He then worked as deputy superintendent at Orange County Public Schools in Central Florida for nearly six years, until 2018, when he left to lead Clark Schools.

The list of qualified applicants also includes a notable internal one: Valerie Wanza, the acting chief of staff at Broward County Public Schools whos been with the district since 1992 and served as superintendent for a few days earlier this year after Cartwright left. But Alhadeff, who represents district 4, said she wants an external candidate who will change the culture.

Broward School Board Vice Chair Debra Hixon said she wanted to hear more from the candidates applying for the superintendents job, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Debra Hixon, the boards vice chair who occupies the countywide seat 9, cautioned her colleagues from discarding anyone too quickly.

What we have is a piece of paper, Hixon said, referring to the candidates resumes. We need to hear more.

Since last week, the board received more data on the candidates, including reference letters.

Board member Sarah Leonardi, from district 3, said she said some of the comments last week were unfair to the original qualified candidates.

We do have candidates who were described as transformational, innovative, she said, adding the additional information showed a much more rounded picture.
Updated May 11, 2023 at 4:02 AM

An employee is dead and another is in custody after a dispute ended in gunfire Wednesday morning at the Virginia hospital where they worked, police said.

Police were called just after midnight to the VCU Medical Center North Hospital in Richmond for reports of an active threat.

Investigators learned that a fight between co-workers TyQuan White and Christopher Boisseau broke out in the stairwell and resulted in one of the individuals shooting the other, authorities said.

White, 25, of Richmond, died from his injury, Richmond and VCU police said in a joint news release. No other injuries were reported.

Police respond to a shooting at VCU Medical Center in Virginia on May 10, 2023. (WWBT)

Boisseau, 24, of Henrico, was taken into custody and charged with maliciously shooting within a building. Police said additional charges are pending.

A firearm was seized at the scene, the release said.

The building was briefly locked down in the police response.

Marlon Levy, the CEO of VCU Health, said in a statement, This was a terrible incident that has shaken us all.

Levy said that police and security arrived within two minutes of the shooting and that first responders valiantly worked to save our team members life before he died.

Levy said a review will focus on understanding what led to the shooting, evaluating the hospitals response and reviewing changes to improve the safety and security of facilities.
Mary Otaiyi and her children, at the U.S.-Mexico border in Somerton, Ariz., last week, flew from Nigeria to Brazil and took multiple buses in hopes of gaining asylum in the United States. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

The yip-howls of coyotes cut through the night as an almost full moon sets to the west, where only I-beam barricades stand silently, marking the U.S. border with Mexico through this largely agricultural section of the Sonoran Desert.

This is where, except for Mexicans, many of the migrants from throughout the world who are seeking asylum take their first steps onto American soil and turn themselves in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Somerton, Ariz.

Chinese nationals were among those seeking U.S. asylum last week after crossing from Mexico to Somerton, Ariz. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

According to a Customs and Border Protection officer who did not want to be identified because he did not have permission to speak to the media, Mexican nationals who try to cross here do it as stealthily as as they can and run toward Yuma, fearing that they'll be sent back immediately if caught.

"The overwhelming majority of the Yuma sector apprehensions are picked up at that location, because the overwhelming majority [whom] they apprehend are nontraditional migrants from nontraditional locations, John Mennell, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection's Arizona sector, said in a phone interview, referring to the crossing at the Cocopah Reservation.

At night, when most migrants make the crossing, a cold wind whips through this desolate strip of desert straddling the border on Cocopah Indian Tribe land. Here, there is no tall metal fence to stop anyone from entering the United States. Migrants walk into the country freely.

Asylum seekers are able to cross the border unimpeded near the Cocopah Indian Reservation to wait for Border Patrol officers to take them for processing in Yuma, Ariz. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

The shallow Colorado River, flowing south through the dry, sandy landscape, is back toward Mexico. On the American side, large swaths of green farmland along large irrigation canals can be seen for miles.

Many asylum seekers are gathering at the border in anticipation of the U.S. government's planned lifting of Title 42 on Thursday. Since March 2020, the decades-old measure has been used by both the Trump and Biden administrations to invoke a public health order from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intended to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

But Title 42 has stayed in place even as the pandemic has receded, effectively blocking asylum seekers and other migrants from legally entering the United States, and allowing border officials to immediately expel them to Mexico regardless of their nationality. The anticipated lifting of the order has provided a glimmer of hope to those seeking refuge from a ruined economy in Venezuela, bloodshed in Nigeria or state repression in China.

They are coming across to surrender  and hopefully enter the asylum process, said Mennell. He added that Mexicans do not wait around at this location because they would be expelled under Title 42.

Men, women and children, some alone, others in groups of family or friends, congregate at this spot after days or months spent traveling. They patiently stand in line and wait for border officers to transport them to the Customs and Border Protection processing center in Yuma.

Mennell believes that some come to take advantage of the asylum system.

"Theres so many people who say theyre asylum seekers, but lot of times theyre asylum seekers in order to use the system," he said. "They dont understand the asylum system and they don't understand the requirements to claim asylum and the process. They just know that if they come up and they answer the questions the right way, they will get released.

Toluwase Oladele Thomas, 47, came with two friends from Nigeria.

I have relatives in Chicago, he said. There is one issue in our area. Our king was killed and they want to kill us.

So Thomas and his friends fled. They first flew to Brazil, then made their way for more than one month" to this crossing.

Toluwase Oladele Thomas of Nigeria entered the U.S. at Somerton, Ariz., with friends. "Our king was killed and they want to kill us," he said of their reason for seeking asylum. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

None of the people waiting one day last week to be processed by border officials were from Mexico. They came from Central and South America and Africa, as well as from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Europe and China.

"Those picked up in Somerton are taken to the central processing center in Yuma, Mennell said. "From Yuma, they can be expelled back to Mexico or processed and placed in detention with Enforcement and Removal Operations," a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which may choose to place them in alternative detention or release them on their own recognizance.

Generally, [migrants] are made aware of services available to them, because once they are processed for release they are technically out of the border agencys custody, he added.

We cant tell them where to go; we have no input on where they go," Mennell said. "They are free to move about the country and go where they need to go.

A large white tent and metal posts with rope stand next to where the 20-foot-plus metal fence begins and Cocopah Tribe land ends. Here, Customs and Border Protection officers check migrants' identities and take their photographs before having them board official vehicles.

Official vehicles arrive throughout the day to take migrants from around the world to Yuma, Ariz., to be processed as asylum seekers. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Vans that can take up to 17 people and buses that carry twice as many are used until the migrants who arrived each day, sometimes 300 or more, are gone.

Luis Orellana, 23, of Nicaragua walked and hitched rides for a month to get to this spot. His will to survive is bringing him closer to Miami and his grandmother.

Luis Orellana traveled for about a month from Nicaragua, working along the way. He's headed to Miami to help his grandmother, who is having surgery soon. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

My grandmother is sick in Miami. She will have surgery, and I want to help by finding work at whatever there is, he said in Spanish as he waited for sunrise. Orellana said that while making his way north, he stopped every few days to work at farms or wherever he could to earn enough money to keep traveling.

His grandmother, Argentina Alvarado, reached by telephone in Miami, said she was happy that her grandson had crossed the border. She knew he was making his way to Miami but didn't know when he would arrive.

I hope [U.S. officials] will allow him to stay, she said in a raspy voice. I havent seen him in six or seven years. He was a young boy."

As dozens of migrants hunkered down last week, fending off the chill, a border officer lifted one slumping 29-year-old male onto his shoulders and carried him to a pickup truck, where he was administered oxygen and his vital signs were checked.

An ambulance soon arrived to take him for further medical treatment. Another migrant was already sitting on the tailgate of the truck, self-administering some type of shot to her left arm.

A Border Patrol officer carries an ailing immigrant to a truck for help last week. The young man was given oxygen and taken by ambulance for further treatment. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Mary Otaiyi, 33, of Nigeria, carried her sleeping 4-year-old on her back while holding her 10-year-olds hand. She said they had flown to Brazil, then walked and bused through Bolivia, Peru and onward into Mexico, taking a month to get to America.

I came for a good life for my kids, she said. I have no relatives here and no job in Nigeria.

"I came for a good life for my kids," says Mary Otaiyi, carrying her 4-year-old on her back. "I have no relatives here and no job in Nigeria." (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Later that morning, as 13 to 17 people at a time boarded vans, 3-year-old Lian Cornejo squatted and drew circles on the sandy ground with a rock while his mother, Paoloa Fano, 30, of Peru, waited to be processed by border officers. Fano came to America because she has family in Virginia.

I have no more family in Peru, she said. She and her little boy had traveled for a week to get to the border, taking buses along the way.

Lian Cornejo and his mother, Paola Fano, are heading to be with relatives in Virginia. She says she has no more family left at home in Peru. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Colombian Vivian Ordonez, 39, kept her two daughters close to her. She had only a backpack with essential toiletries. Ordonez said her husband was murdered in Bogota and she feared for her life.

One daughter, 15, carried a U.S. passport, having been born in New York City. Her younger daughter, 10, was born in Colombia, which Ordonez said she returned to when her eldest daughter was a year old. Ordonez said she also has a 21-year-old son who is an American citizen living in Queens, where she hopes to meet with him soon.

Viviana Ordonez and her daughters traveled from Colombia to Somerton, Ariz., fearing for their lives after her husband was slain in Bogota. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Ordonez and her daughters had flown from Colombia to Mexico City, then took a bus to nearby Mexicali, Baja California, and were dropped off about a mile from the border, she said. The three then walked with dozens of others on a trail through the desert, crossed the Colorado River, and arrived at the I-beam barricades around 3 a.m.

Contacted by phone in Queens, her nephew Marlon Ordonez, 26, said he was glad to hear that his aunt and cousins were on their way. He was also expecting to hear from his mother, Monica Ordonez.

Viviana Ordonez prays as Border Patrol officers finally arrive after her 10-hour wait at the border wall. She and her daughters are headed for New York, where one was born and her son still lives. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

I'm glad to hear about my aunt and cousins, but I need to hear from one other person," he said, referring to his mother. "Im happy, happy, happy to know they are fine."

A group of five migrants from Senegal took a month to reach the border after flying to Honduras. Another migrant, from Punjab, India, took 10 months to get here, while his friends alongside him had needed only one month. All have relatives in New York, where they hope to make a new life.

"Citizenship and Immigration Services decide whether somebody has a credible fear of return to their country of origin, and is it the judge who decides to grant asylum or not," said Mennell, adding that the agency can also grant asylum in certain cases.

Leslie Hernandez, 17, of San Miguel, El Salvador, traveled to the border alone by bus. She met people from Colombia along the way and crossed the Colorado with them.

They are a large family and she wants to help her father, her aunt Rosibel Cruz Hernandez said by phone from Silver Spring, Md.

Leslie Hernandez, 17, traveled alone from El Salvador, determined to join her aunt in Maryland. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Her parents are in El Salvador and she came to study and to work. [Her mother] did not want to let her come, but Leslie wanted to come, Cruz Hernandez said, adding: She would tell me, Aunt, help me; I want to study and work to help my dad.'

Cruz Hernandez agreed to take Leslie in only if her parents allowed her to come because she did not want to be blamed if something happened to her niece, she added.

"If unaccompanied minors are found, they are processed at the Yuma processing center and then turned over to Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, Mennell said.

Katerine Davila, 22, of Lima, Peru, said she had escaped a kidnapping attempt by a cab driver. She was able to jump out of the vehicle at a stop sign.

Renzo Saldana and Katerine Davila fled Lima, Peru, due to frightening harassment after she survived an attempted kidnapping. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

But I was pressured not to file charges, she said.

She began getting phone calls from different numbers, and unknown vehicles were driving by her home. Fearing for their lives, she and her boyfriend, Renzo Saldana, 26, decided to flee to America. They took a flight from Lima to Mexico City then flew to Mexicali.

Saldanas father, Walter Saldana, reached by telephone at home in Liverworth, Tenn., was taken by surprise to hear they were at the border.

They came without telling me; I did not know they were coming, he said. But he was not surprised by the reason why.

There is delinquency, crimes and great corruption in Peru, he said. There is no work, and the government is turning like the one from Venezuela or Bolivia.

I am willing to help them here. I have property, a home, rooms for them, and I can help them economically," the elder Saldana continued. He hadnt seen his son since 2019 and hadnt spoken to him much, but said he was willing to do what he could to help him and his girlfriend.

An asylum seeker takes a solitary moment at the edge of an irrigation canal while waiting their turn at the border. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Just a week after Bryan Kohbergers arrest in last years killing of four University of Idaho students, Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order in the case, citing the need for a balance between protecting the right to fair trial for all parties involved and the right to free expression.

Not everyone agrees that she struck the right balance in a case that quickly and consistently made headlines across the country.

The family of one of the victims and a coalition of media outlets are fighting the order, saying it restricts their First Amendment rights by being overly broad.

The judges order  which was expanded in mid-January, not long after the initial order  prohibits a number of people from speaking publicly about the case, including the attorneys on both sides, investigators, law enforcement personnel and any attorney representing a witness, victim or victims family.

Legal fights aside, there also are questions about whether such orders do what they are intended or are irrelevant, as one expert told the Idaho Statesman.

Kohberger is facing four first-degree murder charges in the stabbing deaths of U of I students Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur dAlene; Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. All were killed in an off-campus house in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger, who could face the death penalty, was arrested at his parents house in eastern Pennsylvania on Dec. 30.

What exactly is a gag order and why is one used?

Gag orders are issued by judges, sometimes at the request of attorneys, and they ban those involved in a case from speaking publicly about it. Anyone who violates the order can be held in contempt of court, which carries a penalty of up to $5,000, five days in jail or both in Idaho.

These orders are intended to protect a defendants constitutional right to a fair trial by an impartial jury by stopping the spread of information that could prejudice potential jurors.

Kohbergers attorney, Anne Taylor, chief of the Kootenai County Public Defenders Office, and Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson have supported the gag order.

Bryan Kohberger, seated, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, looks on as his attorney, public defender Anne Taylor speaks during a hearing.

Not surprisingly, judges generally issue such orders in cases that will attract significant media attention. They have been used when a party involved is widely known by the public  a celebrity, a famous company, a politician or a government entity  or the crime is sensational in nature.

A gag order was in place for Rufo v. Simpson, for example, the civil case brought by the parents of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman against O.J. Simpson, who was accused of killing the pair but found not guilty at a criminal trial. One was also used at Michael Jacksons criminal trial involving child molestation charges.

Gag orders in Idaho cases are fairly rare. No such order was issued in the ongoing high-profile case against Lori and Chad Daybell, but the judge did opt to move their trials to Ada County from Eastern Idaho because of local pretrial publicity.

A recent high-profile case in which a judge did issue a gag order involved a mass stabbing in Boise. Timmy Kinner Jr. stabbed nine people and killed 3-year-old Ruya Kadir in 2018, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murder and eight counts of aggravated battery.

In her order in the Kohberger case, Judge Marshall referenced Sheppard v. Maxwell, a well-known U.S. Supreme Court case that paved the way for the use of court gag orders.

In 1954, prominent Cleveland Dr. Sam Sheppard was charged with stabbing his pregnant wife to death. The case  with an attractive, affluent couple at its center and countless baffling details  garnered widespread national attention. Local media covered the crime feverishly, with much of the coverage insinuating or outright claiming Sheppard was guilty. The prosecutor, police and judge all expressed belief in Shepherds guilt to reporters, according to the Free Speech Center. Headlines included Getting Away With Murder, Why No Inquest? Do It Now, Dr. Gerber and Quit Stalling  Bring Him In.

All three Cleveland newspapers published the names and addresses of the 75 potential jurors, resulting in people contacting them with details on the case, according to the Supreme Court opinion.

After the jury found him guilty, Sheppard filed a federal petition. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that jurors views could have been altered by media coverage, thus violating the doctors right to a fair trial. Since the ruling, judges have often cited the case in issuing gag orders in high-profile trials.

Why are some fighting the gag order in U of I case?

A coalition of more than two dozen media outlets, including the Idaho Statesman, filed a motion against the gag order, believing it violates the First Amendment, the Statesman previously reported. The group is led by The Associated Press and also includes The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In the motion, Boise-based attorney Wendy Olson argued that gag orders cannot be vague, overbroad, unduly restrictive, or not narrowly drawn. Olson is a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho who is now with the private law firm Stoel Rives.

Courts have previously upheld that gag orders must have narrow parameters to ensure freedom of the press. In Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart, a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court case that sided with the media and limited the reach of gag orders, Chief Justice Warren Burger said its in the publics best interest for the press to have access to information.

The press does not simply publish information about trials, but guards against the miscarriage of justice by subjecting the police, prosecutors, and judicial processes to extensive public scrutiny and criticism, Burger wrote in his opinion.

Journalists have often fought gag orders often in high-profile cases, including those initially enacted for the trials of Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

The attorney for the Goncalves family filed a separate challenge to the gag order. Shanon Gray requested that Marshall amend the gag order to remove attorneys for victims families from being barred from commenting. Gray argued that he is not a party to the case, and he called the order unconstitutionally overbroad. He said his clients have felt restricted from speaking to the media as well.

Orders that affect a wide array of people can cause many to fear speaking to the press at all, said Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment specialist at the Freedom Forum.3

Once theres any element of vagueness  then you start having people questioning whether they can speak, Goldberg told the Statesman by phone. They will almost inevitably default to self-censorship, as youve seen, and that is the crux of the problem with gag orders. They are well-intentioned and rarely well-executed.

Citing the gag order, police have refused to answer general questions from the Statesman, such as how many cellphone towers are in the area near where the homicides occurred; the size of the Moscow jail and of Kohbergers cell; and the nature of the suspects meals. In one case a reporter asked for clarification on an apparent mistake in the probable cause affidavit, but was told no one in law enforcement could answer because of the order.

The Moscow Police Department published a press release stating it would no longer communicate with the public or media about Kohbergers case, and Moscow Mayor Art Bettge told a reporter that he could not answer questions about the overall community healing in Moscow because of the gag order.

Candles and flowers are left at a makeshift memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students outside the Mad Greek restaurant in downtown Moscow. Two of the victims worked at Mad Greek.

Do gag orders work?

Most legal scholars who study pretrial publicity dont see the orders as effective at maintaining the impartiality of jurors, according to Jon Bruschke, a California State University, Fullerton professor who researches the subject.

Bruschke said many experts view gag orders as irrelevant because they believe pretrial publicity always causes a bias and no remedy can fix it, he said.

Brushke said he is among a separate group of experts who believe pretrial publicity has a limited effect on the decisions juries make.

Either conclusion just sort of points to: Gag orders shouldnt be that broad, Brushke told the Statesman by phone. I just dont think tidbits of information that come out in the media months before the trial materially alter what the jury is likely to do. Thats my conclusion after reading 65 studies.

Trials such as what Kohberger is expected to face can take months. At that point, Brushke doesnt think jurors are likely to focus on news articles they read well before the court proceedings began.

The research is pretty good that juries work really hard to come up with the right decision, Brushke said.

Even if gag orders stop certain people from speaking, the media dont stop reporting on a case. And in the age of the internet, its not just professional journalists and outlets producing public content. During the 2022 Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial, the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp received nearly 7 billion views across TikTok and regularly trended on Twitter, The Washington Post reported.

What happens next in Kohberger gag order?

Arguing extraordinary circumstances, the media coalition tried to bypass the usual legal steps and went directly to the Idaho Supreme Court in February in an effort to remove the gag order. But on April 24, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against accepting the case, saying the complaint should first be filed in District Court.

Attorneys for the coalition resubmitted filings May 2 in the 2nd Judicial District Court in Latah County after the high courts decision, the Statesman reported.

The Latah County judge filed an order Thursday to set a conference hearing for both the Goncalves and media motions against the gag order at 10 a.m. Pacific time on May 22.
Republicans in North Carolina have passed a sweeping abortion bill that further restricts access to abortion care  a bill filled with medical misinformation, misdirection and false narratives about abortion.

In practice, it will ban medication abortion after 10 weeks and impose insurmountable barriers on people trying to get an abortion early in pregnancy. The new restrictions found in the 46-pages of Senate Bill 20 aim to shut down abortion clinics, make it unworkable for doctors to adequately provide care, and increase medically unnecessary barriers for people seeking an abortion even before 12 weeks.

In 1975, at 15 years old, I experienced the nightmare of one of those back alley abortions, and I dont want to see another generation go through that.

Janice Robinson

All abortion bans and other restrictions on reproductive health care fall hardest on people who already face discriminatory obstacles to health care  particularly Black, Indigenous and other people of color, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, undocumented people, LGBTQ people, and those who have difficulty making ends meet. We should be increasing access to the full range of reproductive health care, not continuing to chip away at it.

Today, women and girls who are already struggling to access health care across this country. They are again being put at risk of having to resort to unsafe abortions because politicians have decided they should interfere in our private health care decisions.

I call on our elected officials in the legislature to set aside politics and focus on patient needs by upholding Gov. Roy Coopers promised veto of this bill. As a Mecklenburg County resident, I call on Rep. Tricia Cotham in particular to uphold her commitment to voters in Mecklenburg County who trusted her with their vote in November 2022, and to uphold the veto.

Cotham has been open about sharing her abortion experience, and has long spoken out strongly in favor of protecting access to abortion. In 2015 when she shared her abortion story on the N.C. House floor she said 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.

I call on Cotham to give people an opportunity to have the same access to care that she did when she had her abortion. I call on her to denounce the extreme power grab by North Carolinas Republican Party to control womens bodies, further disenfranchise Black voters, discriminate against the LBGTQ+ community, disenfranchise our public schools, and increase the risk of our children being gunned down in their schools by making guns more accessible.

Since the Dobbs decision came down in June 2022, people across the country and in North Carolina have been more vocal about their support for abortion access, including nearly 4 in 10 voters who identify as Republican. Respecting peoples bodily autonomy is not a Republican or Democrat issue  its an issue of trust and respect for the 1 in 4 women in our communities who have had an abortion. Its an issue of supporting people with complicated pregnancies, medical emergencies and the need to take back control over their lives.

I call on Cotham to show that her conscience is more bothered by this terrible bill than it was by the mean tweets she said contributed to her party switch. She must push to stop this dangerous bill from becoming law.

Janice Robinson is NC Program Director for Red Wine & Blue, a nonprofit that mobilizes the diversity of suburban women across the U.S.




By Yoon Ja-young







Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo had a discussion over the global and Korean economies as well as financial industries with renowned investor Jim Rogers.







According to Hana, Ham had a meeting with Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, in Singapore, Wednesday. He was accompanied by Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Lee Bok-hyun.







At the meeting, Ham introduced the group's digital strategies, including the establishment of a cooperative paradigm with Big Tech firms and the creation of innovative financial models through partnership with other industries.







They also shared ideas on new growth engines in Korea, including the plan to set up a global hub of green hydrogen on Jeju Island.







Ham said that Hana established its Singapore asset management operation in 2021 while expanding core businesses such as investment banking.







"We will continue communicating with investors so Hana can make a leap forward as Asia's top financial group," he said.







The meeting comes while Hana is participating in joint investor relations (IR) sessions with Korean financial companies in Southeast Asia.







The heads of six financial companies  Ham, KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo, Korea Investment & Securities CEO Jung Il-mun, Mirae Asset Securities CEO Choi Hyun-man, Samsung Fire CEO Hong Won-hak and Korean Reinsurance Company CEO Won Jong-kyu  participated in "Invest K-Finance: Singapore IR 2023" the previous day, which was hosted jointly for the first time by the FSS and the financial firms.







In one-on-one meetings with major investors, Hana Financial Group especially promoted its sound assets and shareholder return policy.


Idaho Gov. Brad Little and a team of Idaho State Police troopers soon will head to Texas to help stop drugs from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the governors office.

The upcoming trip, which the governors office announced Tuesday, will be the second time since 2021 that the Republican governor has directed law enforcement resources to the southern U.S.-Mexico border. During his January State of the State address, Little said that the vast majority of illicit drugs in Idaho are sourced in Mexico.

Little spoke with Kuna high school students Tuesday, on National Fentanyl Awareness Day, about the dangers of fentanyl, the potent opioid that killed 152 Idahoans in 2021, according to the latest available data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Take this problem seriously and learn more about it, Little told the students, according to a news release. Most importantly, take care of each other. Look out for yourselves and your friends.

Combating opioid-related deaths has been a priority for Little in recent years. Last year, Little convened a law enforcement and citizen task force that traveled the state to gather information about fentanyl and meth. A new campaign, Fentanyl Takes All, seeks to educate young people and parents about fentanyl dangers.

The state also has directed additional funding to law enforcement for roadside drug testing equipment, and a new Idaho State Police drug interdiction team is in development.

Little will head to Texas in two weeks to deploy a team of Idaho State Police personnel. The team will assist the state of Texas on a month-long mission for drug and fentanyl interdiction efforts at the border, according to the governors news release.

The governors office tied the trip to the expiration of Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic policy enacted by former President Donald Trumps administration that allowed border authorities to quickly expel migrants crossing the border. The policy is set to expire Thursday.

A spike in illegal border crossings and even more fentanyl coming across the open border is expected as the policy expires, the news release said.

The governors spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for details on the travel costs.

In 2021, Republican governors in Arizona and Texas asked other state leaders to help with border security. Little sent five Idaho State Police troopers on a three-week mission to the border, which cost the state $53,391.
This article has been corrected to clarify that medication abortions would be permitted up to 12 weeks of pregnancy under Senate Bill 20.

Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday made the first of a planned series of stops in North Carolina districts represented by legislators he hopes to sway from overriding his veto on a bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks.

Cooper said he would veto the bill, S.B. 20, on Saturday. Coopers office announced later Tuesday that the veto would take place at a Veto Rally for Health Care Freedom at 10 a.m. in Raleigh on Bicentennial Mall.

At Davidsons Town Hall, Rep. John Bradford, a north Mecklenburg Republican, was not among the six people at a 45-minute discussion about the bill, but the conversation occurred in his district for a reason. Mecklenburg County is also home to GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham, whose district includes the eastern part of the county, including Mint Hill.

Cooper has singled out Bradford, Cotham, Sen. Michael Lee and Rep. Ted Davis, both Wilmington-area Republicans, as legislators who have supported abortion rights in the past and might be votes that could thwart the slim Republican supermajority from overriding Coopers veto. He has additional discussions planned in New Hanover and Guilford counties.

But Cooper said his message Tuesday wasnt aimed specifically at Bradford or Cotham.

Im speaking to their constituents because they (Bradford or Cotham) dont have to answer to me, Cooper said. They do have to answer to the people to whom they made a promise to protect womens reproductive freedom.

All but Davis, who had an excused absence, already voted to pass the bill. Cooper, though, openly pleaded for any Republican to not vote to override his veto. Theres nothing wrong with changing your vote, Cooper said.

All we need is one Republican in either chamber, Cooper said.

The N.C. General Assembly includes 72 Republicans in the House and 30 in the Senate  just enough for a three-fifths supermajority that could override Coopers veto.

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The discussion included doctors from both Planned Parenthood and the North Carolina Obstetrics and Gynecology Society, as well as abortion rights supporters from A Womens Preferred Health Center and the Black Abortion Defense League. All discussed aspects of the bill that would make obtaining an abortion more difficult in North Carolina, including what they said would be further requirements for medication abortions, and three in-person appointments scheduled for a medical abortion.

We just do not want to go backward, said Dr. John Allbert, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who treats high-risk pregnant people. Im begging. Please do not make North Carolina go backwards.

North Carolina currently prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies. The GOP bill brings 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.

Abortion rights supporters speak with Gov. Roy Cooper (center) at Davidson Town Hall on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Effect of Coopers public pressure

Its unclear whether Coopers efforts to plead for public pressure on specific representatives might backfire. Cotham announced last month that she was leaving the Democratic Party, her political home for her entire adult life, due to what she said was an inhospitable environment for moderate and independently minded lawmakers.

Asked if he worried about strengthening Cothams resolve against Democrats with pressure, Cooper countered that her constituents remember a 2015 speech on the House floor when she described her own abortion experience and lobbied for medical decisions to not be legislated.

Nothing has changed since then, Cooper said. A party label shouldnt change that fact. And if you want independent thought, then this is a real time to exercise that independent thought and to stand up to your new party like you stood up to your old party.

Cotham did not respond to an Observer request for comment Tuesday.

Bradford, when contacted by the Observer, did not appear swayed by Coopers efforts.

Governor Cooper has made a career out of attacking Republicans, Bradford said in a text message that went on to say Coopers actions play to the radical left and positions that Bradford said arent supported by mainstream votes.

N.C. Sen. Natasha Marcus, whose district includes Davidson, was among Tuesdays participants. Marcus said she was thankful that Cooper was at least trying to stop the veto override.

I am grateful that we have a governor whos willing to do it, Marcus said. Some governors would have given up and said, Well, it looks like we dont have the votes. I guess were done.

As for whether the final plea will work?

Im a prisoner of hope, Cooper said. I tend to think there will be a person who has a conscience. I tend to think that there will be a person who wants to keep a promise. I tend to think that there would be a person who would want to create a legacy of standing up for what is right, and for saving lives and protecting womens reproductive freedom. This is still an opportunity to do it.

The Observers Josh Bergeron contributed to this story.

NC may soon ban abortion after 12 weeks. Here are answers to questions about GOP plan
In his first official remarks on the death of Jordan Neely more than one week after he was fatally choked on a New York City subway train car, Mayor Eric Adams did not mention how the homeless New Yorker died or discuss the events surrounding his death.

He stressed, however, that Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.

One of our own is dead  a Black man, Black like me. A man named Jordan, the name I gave my son, the mayor said in remarks on 10 May. A New Yorker who struggled with tragedy, trauma and mental illness, a man whose last words were crying for help.

On 1 May, a man identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny wrapped his arm around the neck of the homeless former street performer for several minutes. The citys medical examiner determined the cause of death was homicide. No charges have been filed, and the Manhattan district attorneys office and police are investigating.

Neely was complaining of hunger and thirst when he boarded the F train in Manhattan, according to witnesses, moments before Mr Penny and others pinned him to the ground.

Neelys death has devastated his family and shocked his fellow New Yorkers, said Mr Adams, adding that one thing we can control is how our city responds to that tragedy.

Mr Adams outlined his administrations response to people experiencing homelessness and mental health distress, including legislation proposed to lawmakers in Albany, the creation of outreach teams, and a controversial policy that allows authorities to involuntarily hospitalise people who are considered too mentally ill to care for themselves.

Neely  who was experiencing a mental health crisis in the days leading up to his death  was known among social work teams involved in outreach to New Yorks homeless community. He had numerous interactions with law enforcement and health responders over the years.

When he walked into a subway car on 1 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.

The widely shared video footage shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car for several minutes. Mr Vazquez said that Neely was yelling that 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 grabbed him from behind in a headlock. Others grabbed at his arms.

New York City Police Department officers attempted CPR upon arrival on the F train at the Broadway-Lafayette platform, according to an incident report reviewed by The Independent. Neely was pronounced dead at Lenox Health Greenwich Village hospital.

A statement from attorneys for Mr Penny on 5 May said Mr Penny was involved in a tragic incident ... which ended in the death of Jordan Neely.

Mr Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness, the statement added. 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. Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.

Attorneys for Neelys family said the statement from Mr Pennys legal team was neither an apology nor an expression of regret but character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordans life.

Within the week after his death, New York City Police Department officers have arrested at least 24 people  including a photojournalist, targeted by a high-ranking police official  at protests and vigils demanding an arrest.

The mayor said he will convene a summit next week with mental health providers who work with the city to develop an action plan. He also will meet with faith leaders who are on the front lines of this issue and we need their help and support, he said.

There are more Jordans out there, Mr Adams said. People who are loved, people who are in need of treatment and compassion. Jordan Neelys life mattered. He was suffering from severe mental illness. But that was not the cause of his death. His death was a tragedy that should never have happened.

Mr Adams notably did not discuss the way in which Neely died. In the aftermath of Neelys death, the mayor said 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.

In an interview on CNN on 3 May, after the citys medical examiner formally declared Neelys death a homicide, Mr Adams, a former police officer, 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.

His initial remarks and apparent refusal to condemn what his critics have characterised as an act of vigilantism have drawn widespread criticism, including from members of Neelys family and other elected officials such as US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In an interview with New York magazines The Cut published on 9 May, she excoriated city and state officials who have refused to condemn the actions of the other subway passengers, after the mayor rebuked the congresswoman for her own statements addressing his death.

I would like everyone to pretend that was their son, Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the magazine. I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing.

In the interview, she addresses the failure of public policies to support people experiencing homelessness and their mental health, compounded by rapidly growing costs of living in a city with some of the highest housing costs globally, and pointed to the hypocrisy of officials demanding better public safety while refusing to acknowledge that a person literally killed another human being on the subway.

I think in order to stand up for Jordan Neely, wed have to admit that public decisions made by leaders have been failing, she said. Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders. He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.

Attorneys representing the Neely family have urged the mayor to call them.

The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a statement. You seem to think others are more important than him.

In his remarks on 10 May, Mr Adams said his heart goes out to Jordans family who is suffering great pain from the uncertainty of the circumstances of his death.

Too many Black and brown families bear the brunt of a system long overdue for reform, he added. Our work starts with acknowledging that we must reverse the effects of decades of disinvestment in housing, healthcare and social services.
Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Herman Jones testified Wednesday that two troopers have not yet faced discipline after juries found this year they violated the constitutional rights of motorists during traffic stops.

But Jones also said the Highway Patrol last fall began requiring troopers to write reports about why they detained motorists in stops that dont lead to arrests or the seizure of property.

Jones testified in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, as part of an ongoing civil trial against the law enforcement official over the Kansas two step  when troopers at the end of a traffic stop take a couple steps toward their patrol car before coming back to have what KHP says is a voluntary interaction with the driver.

The tactic is used to keep motorists talking, often buying time for drug-sniffing dogs to arrive. Civil liberties groups and others have criticized the practice as an infringement on 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. They argue motorists often dont actually feel free to leave and that troopers frequently arent clear that the questioning is voluntary.

The ACLU of Kansas has sued Jones on behalf of motorists over the two step and are seeking a court order blocking the agency from using it. U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil is presiding over the bench trial, which means there is no jury and she will issue a verdict.

Jones testimony came just weeks before his July 1 retirement date and after the Highway Patrol has already suffered two courtroom defeats this year related to the practice.

In April, a jury in a separate federal civil trial found that Trooper Brandon McMillan had violated the rights of motorist Joshua Bosire during a 2019 stop and awarded about $40,000 in damages. Another jury earlier this year also ruled that Trooper Douglas Schulte had violated the rights of motorist Blaine Shaw during a 2017 stop but awarded only $1 in nominal damages.

Not as of this date, Jones said repeatedly when asked several times by Patrick McInerney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, whether McMillan or Schulte had been disciplined following the verdicts.

Jones also said he didnt recall whether he had disciplined the troopers supervisors.

Arthur Chalmers, an assistant state attorney general who is representing Jones, during cross-examination implied civil service protections for the troopers may play a role in the lack of discipline so far. He also asked whether troopers have any incentive to illegally search vehicles or seize property; Jones responded no.

Bosire and Shaw were both traveling to or from Colorado, where marijuana is legal, along I-70 with out-of-state plates when they were stopped for minor traffic infractions. Their stops led to lengthy roadside detentions as troopers unsuccessfully searched for drugs. Both incidents occurred before Jones assumed command of KHP but the agency has continued to use the two step.

KHP training slides were shown in court on Wednesday outlining the two step. The slides said troopers are not required to say any particular magic words to make clear that the traffic stop has ended and motorists are free to go. Other Highway Patrol material was shown that says consensual interactions with motorists must be voluntary.

Jones was also questioned about a policy the KHP implemented in September that requires troopers to produce reports detailing their reasonable suspicion for roadside detentions that dont end in arrests or the seizure of contraband. Jones acknowledged legal challenges over the two step played a role in development of the policy.

He also confirmed that the power to change policy rests with him.

The buck stops with you? McInerney asked.

Yes, Jones replied.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who appointed Jones in early 2019, hasnt announced his successor. Under questioning from McInerney, Jones acknowledged that the next superintendent could rescind the policy requiring reports on roadside detentions, but he suggested its unlikely.

The direction were going, it would probably stay, Jones said.

Jones has also been sued by current or former employees who allege a hostile work environment, a culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the agency under his leadership. Kelly announced Jones retirement in February after Republican lawmakers pushed for his ouster. Jones has said he wasnt asked to resign.

The outcome of the two step trial, which began last week, could affect enforcement of Kansas drug laws in the Kansas City area. Recreational marijuana became legal in Missouri in December but remains illegal in Kansas.

Kansas is one of only three remaining states that has no form of legal marijuana  either a medical or recreational program, or some form of legal THC products, the substance that causes the high in marijuana. Under Kansas law, possession of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of six months in jail, and a fine of up to $1,000, for a first time offense.
A 49-year-old man accused of throwing a lit pipe bomb at three people last month in Marissa is facing criminal charges.

On April 29, local law enforcement, Scott Air Force Bases Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, a state bomb squad and the FBI responded to the South Marissa Trailer Park to close roads, evacuate trailers and neutralize the explosive device.

Marissa Police Chief Brian Sheridan said no one was injured.

Jim F. Lanier, of Marissa, was arrested May 1 and has since been charged with three counts of possession of an explosive or incendiary device, a Class 1 felony, in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

A May 4 order from Circuit Judge Robert Haida appointed the public defenders office to represent Lanier in the case. A representative from the office said Tuesday they had not yet received the order, so an attorney had not been assigned to the case.

The police chief said three people confronted Lanier at the trailer park, believing he was a suspicious individual. The three did not know Lanier, according to Sheridan. He said authorities do not believe Lanier went to the trailer park to target them.

A Marissa police officer responded to the area in the 100 block of Hotz Street at about 2:50 a.m. to investigate.

The officer learned a confrontation occurred and found a cylinder wrapped in white tape in the street that was burnt on one end. It later was determined to be a pipe bomb, the Marissa Police Department wrote in a news release.

The Marissa Police Department conducted a joint investigation with the Illinois Secretary of State Police Hazardous Device Unit and the FBI. Sheridan said Tuesday the investigation was ongoing.

Lanier is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on a $90,000 bond awaiting a grand jury hearing. A hearing date had not been set as of Tuesday.
Shinhan Bank headquarters in downtown Seoul / Yonhap





By Lee Yeon-woo







Shinhan Bank is facing additional challenges in addressing internal control risks, after one of its employees reportedly embezzled customer deposits. This comes in addition to an investigation over the alleged mis-selling of funds.







On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police searched the bank's headquarters in downtown Seoul to obtain data related to sales of the Fidelis Private Fund. This investigation follows a lawsuit filed last September by the fund's investors against the bank and Fidelis Asset Management.







The police suspect that the bank sold the fund to customers without fully explaining its profit structure or the possibility of losing the principal. The investors claim that 385 investors lost around 180 billion won ($135.79 million).







A Shinhan Bank official told The Korea Times that the police search was expected. "The bank reached a private settlement with most of the fund investors between September and October last year, although some refused to participate," the official noted.







"There is no guaranteed recourse after the private reconciliation, except for filing a lawsuit. Some customers thus filed suit, and the police consequently conducted a search-and-seizure on the bank to investigate the reported case."







In addition, a separate internal investigation is underway into the embezzlement allegation. On Tuesday, a banker from the bank's Gangnam District branch was found to have embezzled customers' deposits, estimated to total at least 2 hundred million won.







This is putting an additional burden on the bank, as the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has recently singled it out as one of the organizations where a significant amount of abnormal foreign currency remittances were spotted.







As embezzlement cases have been increasing in the country's banking industry, Jin Ok-dong, a former CEO of Shinhan Bank who took the helm of Shinhan Financial Group this year, has also been highlighting the importance of internal control systems.







"When we reorganized the bank earlier this year, we established a control tower to drive innovation in internal control," the official noted. "Additionally, we are deploying compliance officers to local branches to prevent and control accidents proactively."


A Louisiana man walked free after spending nearly three decades behind bars for a rape the victim herself has long insisted he did not commit, authorities said.

Patrick Brown, 49, had been convicted of aggravated rape in 1994 in a case involving his 6-year-old stepdaughter, Orleans Parish prosecutors said.

But the girl never testified, and Brown's conviction was based on adults testifying "to what they believed she had said," according to a statement from the Orleans Parish District Attorney.

The now-adult woman "has remained steadfast for over 20 years" that Brown is innocent "and the evidence corroborated the victims account," the district attorney said.

Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson released Brown on Monday.

Attorney Kelly Orians said her client never lost hope he'd be free someday. She overheard him telling a courthouse bystander that his freedom isn't a stroke of luck.

"He said to somebody, 'This isnt like winning the lottery, this is an act of Jesus Christ,'" Orians told NBC News on Wednesday. "Hes said he never lost hope this would happen, largely due to his faith in God."

District Attorney Jason Williams, who won election to his office in 2020, said it was "disheartening" to know the victim's insistence that Brown wasn't her attacker had not been heeded for so many years.

Listening and engaging victims and survivors of sexual assault is a top priority in this office," Williams said in a statement. "It is incredibly disheartening to know that this woman was dismissed and ignored, no matter how inconvenient her truth, when all she wanted was the real offender to be held responsible."

The New Orleans prosecutor said wrongful convictions have a particularly corrosive impact on the judicial system.

When someone is wrongfully convicted, not only is it an injustice for the person who has years of their life stolen, but it is an injustice for the victim and the people of New Orleans because the real perpetrator is left to harm others," Williams added.

Orians said Brown and his loved ones couldn't be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday morning as they made up for all the years he was locked up at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a maximum-security facility in Angola.

Theyre really just focused on spending time together and making up for the last three decades of not being able to be together," Orians said.

In his first 48 hours of freedom, the exonerated man is trying to acquaint himself to 2023 technology.

"All of it. Everything between cellphones, computers, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, debit and credit cards, it's all very overwhelming and completely brand new to him," Orians said.
Federal agents fanned out on the streets of El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, seeking out migrants who have been gathering at shelters and churches in the southern border town hoping to be able to stay in the United States ahead of the expiration of a Trump-era border-control policy that goes away at the end of the day Thursday.

The enforcement action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security came as a new surge of migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and elsewhere rush to the U.S.-Mexico border and Customs and Border Protections insistence that no one will be allowed through a U.S. port of entry without an appointment via its new CBP One app.

Despite such assertions, migrants have continue to surge to the border, hoping to beat Thursdays deadline and tougher immigration enforcement that could bar re-entry or a chance to apply for asylum for five years.

There are media reports in Mexico that there might be around 600,000 migrants heading to the border, July Rodriguez, the director of Support for Venezuelan Migrants, told the Miami Herald in an interview from Mexico City.

This is a big crisis. No one knows what is going to happen the day after the end of Title 42, she said. This is getting out of hand.

In recent days, advocates working with migrants from Venezuela and Haiti have tried to do outreach, warning them that the border isnt open and they face expulsions from the United States. But many of their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

Rodriguez said there are currently waves of migrants headed to the U.S. from Colombia as well as from Chiapas, a Mexican state that borders Guatemala. Most of those migrants are concentrated near the border town of Tapachula and are trying to obtain from Mexicos National Migration Institute the 45-day migration status that would allow them to travel toward Ciudad Juarez. That would bring them across the border from El Paso.

But they are not all in Chiapas, Rodriguez said. There is also a large number of them already walking or riding toward the border.

After three years, Title 42, the public-health authority invoked by the Trump administration at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to quickly expel migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, will go away  along with other coronavirus public-health emergency rules.

The pending end of the controversial border policy has led to fears that border towns in both Mexico and the U.S. will be overwhelmed as migrants become convinced that the border is now open.

Already, migrants who have made their way into Juarez are camping or lining up in informal areas hoping to cross into the U.S. ahead of the expiration, which is set to bring tougher enforcement laws.

As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed, Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said about migrants gathered on the U.S. side. Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection.

The U.S. recently dispatched 1,500 active-duty troops to the border to join 2,500 National Guards already there.

Rodriguez, who heads the nongovernmental organization focused on helping Venezuelans, said migrants are desperate to reach the U.S. border.

They are suffering a great deal of anxiety, despite our efforts to explain to them the different alternatives they can find in Mexico to ask for asylum or to ask for a CBP One appointment so they dont run risks at the border, where they can be kidnapped or robbed or become extortion victims. They are saying, I am not going to stay here. Ill get to the United States,  Rodriguez said.

There are a lot of rumors that people are being able to get into the United States and they believe that people are lying when they say that the border is closed, she added. And there is very little we can do about that. We can do no more than to try to keep informing them of what the real situation is.

In addition to the migrants in Mexico, Rodriguez said her organization has been informed that there is a large wave headed toward the border in Colombia, and that the Darien Gap  the jungle between Colombia and Panama where many migrants have lost their lives trying to cross  is full.

A large number of them set out a few weeks back with the idea of getting to the border by May 11 and crossing the border, she said. Others believe that the end of Title 42 will actually open the border and that they will be able to enter the following day. So we are seeing that El Darien is full of people and this has been the case for many weeks now. And most of those that were there when the rush began are already here in Mexico. They all think they will be able to cross.

The Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Republican governors and lawmakers, has insisted that it is prepared for the end of Title 42. Theyve announced several new policies that they say are aimed at curbing the flow of migration at the border.

We do expect to see an increase in migrants arriving at the border, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. But we do believe over time that these programs that expand legal pathways, that increase consequences for irregular migration, will have a sustainable and longstanding impact on our flows.

The administration plans to open regional processing centers, initially in Guatemala and Colombia, in partnership with international organizations to prescreen individuals eligibility for a lawful pathway to the U.S.  a centerpiece of the administrations post-Title 42 plan, a second administration official said.

The administration also announced that CBP One will be expanded to allow for more appointments, to about 1,000 each day, and to provide additional time to complete requests and prioritize migrants who have been waiting the longest.

We do expect the initial, early days to include an increase in migration, the second official said, noting that over 4,000 personnel  including 1,000 law enforcement officers, 1,500 military personnel, and a record number of private contractors  have been deployed to the border to assist with the surge. We have been preparing for this for over two years now.

In a statement, CBP said that scheduling an appointment in CBP One provides a safe, orderly, and humane process for noncitizens to access ports of entry rather than attempting to enter the United States irregularly.

Asylum seekers who try to enter the U.S. without permission will face expedited removal and a re-entry ban, immigration officials have warned. In some cases, they will be deported to their home country, and in others back to Mexico, under an agreement with the Mexican government.

Deportations and a ban on re-entering the U.S. will apply to those who attempt to cross either by land at the U.S.-Mexico border or by sea through the Florida Straits or Puerto Ricos Mona Passage. Such migrants will be processed under whats known as Title 8, which bars re-entry into the U.S. for at least five years.

U.S. officials argue that such smuggling ventures are risky and put migrants lives at risk. They said they plan to expand legal pathways into the U.S. such as employment-based visa and family reunification, particular for Cubans and Haitians.

In January, the administration launched a two-year humanitarian parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Already provided to Venezuelan nationals, the program allows individuals from the four countries to legally fly to the U.S. if they have a U.S. sponsor and a valid passport.

Immigration advocates have said that while Title 42 should go away, it should not be replaced with policies that discourage or ban people from seeking asylum at the U.S. border or relies on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and surveillance.

Title 42 should never have been implemented in the first place, and the Biden administrations continuation of the policy for over two years has been shameful, said Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network. Now that it is finally ending this week, we are again making it clear: The administration must end Title 42 without relying on immigration detention and surveillance and restore access to our borders so people can seek safety and opportunity with dignity and respect.
Illustration by Ricardo Rey for Yahoo News

Tiffany Justice was fed up.

The mother of four from Vero Beach, Fla. says her children's elementary school was falling apart. The hallways were flooding. There were rats in the cafeteria. And when she went to the principal with her concerns, she says she was told that nothing could be done.

So Justice took matters into her own hands. She organized other parents and successfully pushed for renovations to the school. Then she ran for the local school board, on which she served for four years until 2019.

When the pandemic began, however, Justice said she was once again alarmed by the way the schools were being operated. Students moved to online classes. They were forced to wear masks. And the curriculum, as she tells it, had become too liberal, delving into subjects such as race and gender that she found inappropriate for young students.

Thats how Moms for Liberty began. In January 2021, Justice teamed up with a friend from the school board, Tina Descovich, in an effort to galvanize parents to fight back. Since then, the group  which describes itself as nonpartisan and claims 115,000 members  has become a major force in Republican politics.

Conservative media outlets highlight videos of members of Moms for Liberty as they turn school board meetings into raucous shouting matches. Its members have won school board seats all over the country. And at the groups first summit meeting last year, the speakers included former HUD secretary Ben Carson and Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and conservative culture war hero who is soon expected to launch a campaign for the presidency.

DeSantis also appointed another leader of the group to a government board involved in his ongoing battle with Disney.

The founders of Moms for Liberty, Tiffany Justice, left, and Tina Descovich, in red, present the Liberty Sword to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with another member of the group, just before he addresses its inaugural summit on July 15, 2022, in Tampa. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The groups goal, Justice says, is to ensure that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their children.

One of the biggest misconceptions is somehow we want to hurt public education or defund public education. And nothing could be further from the truth, Justice told Yahoo News. We are disrupting the balance of power in education.

I've seen horrible nicknames of things that people say about our organization, and it's incredibly hurtful for a group of people who profess kindness and inclusivity and lovingness, she added.

Critics, however, see the group as a right-wing effort to indoctrinate students and censor what they learn.

The language of 'protection of children' is code for 'White children should not be made to know how they benefit from the centuries of violence, theft of land and slavery.'

Part of what makes [them] so successful is pretending, Were moms, were a community, were just grassroots, we want to help protect your children. Its absolute bull****, but they have a great message, Laura Leigh Abby of Defense of Democracy, a nonpartisan group advocating for an inclusive public education system, told Vice News last month. Theres a reason theyre growing, because theyre smart.

Marisa Fuentes, a historian and associate professor of womens and gender studies at Rutgers University who spoke to Yahoo News, goes further, contending that Moms for Liberty is dedicated to promoting white supremacy.

It is the students of color who are the ones who really need to be protected from the centuries of racist education that gaslighted their histories and experiences and now are again being completely displaced by the parents of white children," she said. "The language of protection of children is code for White children should not be made to know how they benefit from centuries of violence, theft of land and slavery.

How Moms for Liberty operates

Sandra Weyer (left), who was charged in the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and another supporter of Moms for Liberty leave the Pennsylvania State Capitol during a Moms for Liberty rally. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Moms for Liberty says it wants to have an elected member on the board of every school district across the country. To do this, its 275 chapters, scattered across 45 states, operate as individual entities, endorsing candidates for local school board elections and setting their own agendas for seeking to shape public education.

Moms for Liberty candidates must sign a pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government. Parents who join the organization have a similar pledge.

Chapters host community service events and regular meetings to decide their candidate endorsements and share resources, but a lot of activity happens out of the view of the public, often on private Facebook pages where members can talk about taboo subjects.

In at least one instance in Chattanooga, Tenn., members of the local Moms for Liberty chapter targeted members of an opposing group, Moms for Social Justice, and threatened to report them for child abuse or distribution of pornography. The Moms for Liberty members called their rivals groomers and tagged them online as #PedophileSympathizers.

They have literally called us witches, one member of Moms for Social Justice told the New Republic.

Descovich, the Moms for Liberty co-founder, dismisses such reports and says theyre not in keeping with the group's goals. The group, she says, is very much mainstream.

"In 2022, our chapters endorsed in over 500 school board races across the country, and they won 275 seats, she recently told CBS News.

Jennifer Grinager, a Moms for Liberty endorsee, won a seat on the Templeton Unified School District board in Templeton, Calif., last year. She told Newsweek that she credits the organization for getting what she called sexually suggestive magazines pulled from schools.

Parents are stepping up, learning about the curriculum and the LGBTQ agenda," she said.

'Its just toxic'

Members of Moms for Liberty at a campaign event for Jacqueline Rosario in Vero Beach, Fla., on Oct. 16, 2022. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

Opponents of the group say Moms for Liberty is being disingenuous about its true objectives.

Moms for Liberty is definitely pushing a political agenda that goes well beyond parental rights, Leigh Ann Wheeler, a history professor at Binghamton University in upstate New York, told Yahoo News. We can see this in its stand against mandatory mask-wearing in schools during the pandemic, as well as in the types of books it identifies as dangerous for children.

In the last 18 months, the group has been accused of pulling age-appropriate books out of libraries and classrooms and peddling conspiracy theories about COVID and voter fraud while harassing and threatening critics.

The group has spent its short existence embroiled in controversy. In Michigan, an administrator for the local chapters Facebook group declared that anyone who backed President Bidens review of school board threats and violence would be REMOVED 1776 style  which some people took as a threat. In South Carolina, a Moms of Liberty-affiliated board member named Ed Kelley allegedly declared at a chapter meeting that if his son's teacher came out as transgender, he would show up at the teacher's home with a gun.

It is not within a teachers unilateral discretion to make statements about personal sexual choices to children without consulting school officials, Kelley said in a statement, after being called to step down. In my opinion, this teacher demonstrated poor judgment, with no consideration of the emotional impact or confusion forced upon these young, impressionable children.

In Arkansas, the head of communications of the local chapter threatened violence towards librarians in the district, saying they should be plowed down with a freaking gun by now, in audio obtained by Media Matters.

Most recently, at a school board forum in Pennsylvania last month, one parent, Christa Caceres, asked a candidate affiliated with Moms for Liberty, Kerri Wilson, why she objected to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Wilson said she was fearful that there is going to be [white] children that are  going to be made to feel bad that they are not a person of color.

Caceres's response  in a video that quickly went viral  explained that her Black son had not been taught about the nations fraught racial history, and that he deserved to know how his ancestors contributed to the country.

Thats equity, Caceres, the local NAACP president, added. Thats inclusion.

Caceres told Yahoo News that she had had enough of Moms for Libertys WWE-style of communication.

I think people are just tired of the performative politics, she added. It's just toxic. It doesn't do anything for us as a community.

Moms for Liberty leaders say that local chapters come up with their own priorities organically. But across the country, those chapters have adopted a common tactic: book challenges, the American Library Associations term for attempts to remove books from schools and libraries.

'Censorship is not liberty'

Jennifer Pippin, president of the Indian River County, Fla., chapter of Moms for Liberty, attends Jacqueline Rosario's campaign event in Vero Beach, Fla., on Oct. 16, 2022. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

Over the last year, Moms of Liberty has made it a priority to target books with content that discusses issues of race, gender and LGBTQ rights. One chapter in Iowa, for example, created a 111-page document providing parents guidance on childrens books, based on a loose rating system that rates books from 0-5, with 0 deemed appropriate for everyone and 5 as abhorrent content, for adults only.

Books that wound up on that target list included such modern classics as Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, a book about a Black girl growing up in the 1940s, and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale.

Lines like Lets go for a beer, Darlene might be pregnant and I dont understand white people were flagged in the document as inappropriate content on books approved by districts for high school education.

A short blurb in the manual states that the group refutes the label of book banners because they do not want to burn books or take them out of circulation but say parents should have a say in what their children read.

We're not removing anything, Justice said. The school districts and the school boards make those decisions. Our biggest concern was that there was no process in place.

But Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom, told Yahoo News last year that in her two decades with the organization, she had never seen as many book challenges.

According to an ALA press release in March, book challenges last year had increased substantially from a record number of challenges in 2021. In all, 2,571 titles were targeted for censorship in 2022, a 38% increase on the 1,858 titles targeted for censorship in 2021. The vast majority of these titles were written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color.

Caldwell-Stone said that typically, about 350 challenges are reported to her office a year, with 373 in 2019, the last full pre-pandemic school year.

You have these  they call themselves parents rights organizations  pursuing this censorship agenda and arguing that censorship is the proper solution. But once you start using book banning as a tool, where does it end? Caldwell-Stone said.

Philip Nel, an expert on childrens literature and an English professor at Kansas State University, characterized the book challenges as part of a larger right-wing backlash after former President Donald Trumps 2020 election loss and the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police.

In the U.S., backlash follows progress, just as night follows day, Nel told Yahoo News. We are now living in that backlash, witnessing the rolling-back of voting rights, reproductive rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights and the right to read.

Censorship is not liberty, he added. They threaten librarians, teachers, and parents who oppose them."
Buried amid the dry desert sands in Egypt, the home of a monk reemerged. Although the occupant is long gone, his writings lingered on the walls.

Archaeologists were excavating the Mir necropolis cemetery in El Qusiya when they unearthed the ruined structure, Egypts Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a May 6 news release.

The building had a patio or courtyard type room, several storage rooms and a fireplace. On the walls, archaeologists found eight lines of prayers written in Coptic language using a black pencil  evidence a monk lived in the structure.

Other spaces of the 1,400-year-old building were likely used to store the monks supplies and written manuscripts, the release said. Photos show the crumbling Byzantine-era building.

Ruins of the building where a monk once lived.

Egypts Byzantine era lasted from 330 to 641 A.D. and is sometimes referred to as the Coptic period, according to Egypts Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Early in this era, Egyptian Christians, who often belonged to the Coptic church, were aggressively persecuted before being granted equal rights as other religions, experts said.

Archaeologists found several other burials at the Mir cemetery site, the release said. These burials were poorly preserved. Photos show the fragmented pieces of a womans wooden coffin.

Fragments of the womans wooden coffin.

Several pottery vessels and funerary beads were also unearthed at the site. Photos show some of these finds.

Funerary beads found with the burials.

The Mir archaeological site is about 200 miles south of Cairo.

Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate the news release from Egypts Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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A North Carolina man seen firing a gun into a vehicle on Ocean Boulevard last month in a TikTok video that went viral has been arrested in Myrtle Beach.

Edward Arnell Williams Jr., 37, of Charlotte, was charged Tuesday by Myrtle Beach Police with attempted murder, possession of weapon during violent crime and discharging firearm into vehicle, a police report said.

He was extradited to Myrtle Beach from North Carolina to face the charges.

Williams bond hearing was Wednesday morning.

The incident happened in the 1100 block of North Ocean Boulevard, at the intersection of Mr. Joe White Avenue, on April 15. Officers responded to several 911 calls at that location, the report said.

At the time, it was believed Williams was the victim of a hit and run, according to the police report. Williams told officers that another vehicle had ran into him while he was trying to keep them from leaving the scene.

Williams was in possession of an automatic handgun, the report said.

It was because of the video that officers launched their investigation, police said previously.

The 54-second video starts off with a truck driver attempting to pull off from behind a black Nissan as a woman stands in front of the truck.

People can be heard yelling in the background as the truck continues to move forward toward the woman. It appears the truck even bumps into the woman, but it is not clear.

Am man then approaches the passenger side window of the vehicle, which is open, and appears to have a gun in his hand. His hand, with the item, is hanging on the inside of the truck and is no longer visible in the video.

After a few seconds of talking to the driver, a potential gunshot is heard.

The driver then speeds off towards South Ocean Boulevard, and the man gets in the Nissan on the passenger side.
The warehouse looks like countless others in South Florida. But whats inside is anything but typical.

Steel barrels lined up wall to wall. Shelves of vials and jars stacked along the sides of refrigerated storage rooms.

Inside the containers, large and small, are samples from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010  the largest oil spill in history.

The 127,000 samples  oil, clothing, protective equipment, cleaning chemicals  were collected by BP but are now in the hands of attorneys representing 150 active litigants in lawsuits against the oil giant  people who suffer from various ailments, including cancer.

They say their illnesses were caused either by the crude spewing from the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, or the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil and collect it from the water and soil.

The massive leak started a mile below the surface of the water, 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and the oil spread far and wide. The plaintiffs are from Louisiana to South Florida.

I remember going to the docks and they were talking about an oil spill, and I didnt think anything about it, said charter fisherman David Mattiford of Destin, Florida. I remember hearing about an explosion and how much oil was coming out.

Over the next 87 days, 134 million gallons of oil gushed from the Macondo well.

BP contract workers look for tar balls along the shore in Pensacola Beach, Florida, Monday, June 7, 2010.

Cleanup of the BP oil spill

In the weeks and months after the disaster, Mattiford, 59, said representatives from BP fanned out across the area handing out money and hiring people to work on cleanup crews. He took the opportunity to make some extra cash.

Between June and July 2010, Mattiford and his charter boat crew colleagues headed out into the Gulf and collected oil samples from the water.

Mattiford, represented by Coconut Groves Downs Law Group claims that during his time on the crew, he received continuous exposure to BPs toxic substances through his oil spill cleanup responsibilities, according to a lawsuit filed January in federal court in North Florida.

The lawsuit also says Mattiford, other cleanup workers and residents were exposed to highly noxious chemical dispersants used in oil collection. Some of these chemicals, the lawyers say, attached to the oil and turned into tiny particles that spread through the air when waves sprayed water mist.

It became airborne through a method called aerosolation. It was landing on equipment, signs. People were inhaling the oil, said Dylan Boigris, a Downs attorney working on the cases against BP.

BP spokesman Paul Takahashi said the company typically doesnt comment on active litigation.

We have nothing to share beyond what is in the court documents, he said.

Workers carry bags of seagrass mixed with tar balls from a beach at St Andrews State Park in Panama City, June 21st, 2010. The tar balls are suspected to be from the BP oils spill in the Gulf of Mexico. About eighty workers comb the beach to remove the tar balls that have been moving slowly eastward into waters off Florida.

The diagnosis

Seven years later, the night before Thanksgiving, Mattiford returned home from work and was watching TV.Something was wrong.

I felt like I was having a heart attack. I had pain shooting down my left arm, and honestly, it took me about two hours to decide to drive myself to the hospital, he said in a recent telephone interview with the Miami Herald.

Mattiford took a battery of tests that night, but it wasnt until the next morning that a doctor gave him the news. He didnt have a heart attack. He had cancer.

You have a tumor on top of your heart, the doctor told him.

It was hell. It was hell, Mattiford said.

Specifically, he had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The next month, a biopsy of his bone marrow showed he also had underlying chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

According to the lawsuit, his work cleaning up the BP spill was a substantial contributing cause to his illness.

At the end of the day, we would come in and wed get decontaminated, Mattiford said. Honestly, and I dont know this for sure, but I think thats where I got the exposure. They were spraying some sort of chemical.

Fishing boat Dora Mae leaves the BP dock in Apalachicola, Florida, May 5, 2010. The fishermen in Apalachicola and the surrounding communities are very concerned the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico with drift into their water ways and destroy the commercial fishing industry that the area relies on for jobs.

Ill never do it again

Mattiford is in remission, but it was a long struggle to get there, and it wasnt without lasting consequences.

I went through hell with the chemo, and dont think Ill ever do it again. I think if I got diagnosed again, I just dont think I could do it, he said. I had a port in my chest, and basically, they just kill all your cells.

Mattiford endured seven rounds of chemotherapy for six hours each session.

I mean, I lost every hair on my body. My arm hair, everything. My eyebrows, everything, he said.

Most of his hair has come back, but not as thick as it was.

But, I am 59 now, he said.

The lingering effects are in the form of headaches, diminished sense of taste and smell, nerve pain, and cramps in his feet. For about two years, he had a handicap placard for his car so he could park closer, but he no longer uses it because the pain has become something hes accepted.

After a while, you just get used to living with something, Mattiford said.

Acceptance of the pain also manifested itself into a hesitancy to ever go back to a medical professional.

I gotta be honest, I dont want to go back to the doctor for fear this is going to pop up again, Mattiford said. You know how men are. I gotta be dying before I go to the doctor. Honestly, I get flashbacks from the chemo. I could never do it again.

Rows of barrels are lined up inside a refrigerated South Florida warehouse. The barrels contain samples from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Dylan Boigris, a Coconut Grove trial attorney, holds a sample from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill that is being stored in a South Florida warehouse.

The warehouse and the samples

The Downs Law Group took possession of the BP samples in 2019 and placed them in the warehouse, the location of which it does not want oil company to know, Boigris said.

BP tested the samples and used the results to fend off litigation from those believing they were harmed from the spill, Boigris said.

Yes, it looked ugly, and yes, we dropped the most oil in the history of oil spills on the Gulf Coast, but dont worry about it, it wasnt harmful, it wasnt toxic, he said about BPs legal strategy with the samples.

In 2019, four years after it reached a $20.8 billion settlement with the five Gulf Coast states and the U.S. Justice Department, BP petitioned a judge for permission to destroy all 127,000 samples. Instead, the Downs Law Group took possession of them and had them transported to the South Florida warehouse.

The only financial burden was taking possession with packing, transport and storage since 2019, which is substantial, Boigris said. A spokesman for the firm said it has spent nearly $1 million to preserve these samples and their evidentiary value.

The law firm is having its own testing done on the samples, saying the testing BP conducted is outdated and was done with the intent of showing the exposure didnt reach toxic levels.

So, thats what were here to prove right now. Were able to take the same samples they tested, were going to find better analytical methods with independent laboratories, and were going to confirm, one, that the levels of exposure were higher than theyll acknowledge, but, two, to prove that the data set that they published in somewhat of a summary Excel sheet is not as accurate or precise as they want the courts to believe, Boigris said.

Thats a really big issue for the litigation because thats BPs wall of defense.

In addition to the 150 people with active cases against BP, Downs represents about 3,000 people with pending cases against the company. According to Boigris, all suffer from chronic health conditions including cancer and heart, eye, respiratory and skin ailments.

Boigris and his colleagues say the samples in the warehouse are key to proving in court that these conditions are linked to the 2010 oil blowout.

Theyre saying, We did the most testing in the history of oil spills, and you should listen to our testing because its the largest one, not necessarily the best investigation, Boigris said. So, were attacking the quality of their investigation at this point.
A man was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in a Kansas City, Kansas, neighborhood, according to police.

Police officers were dispatched shortly before 2 p.m. to the 2200 block of North 56th Terrace on a reported shooting, Officer Jovanna Cheatum, a department spokeswoman, said at the scene.

There, police located one gunshot victim inside a home. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Cheatum said.

Detectives were working to speak with witnesses and search for any home surveillance cameras in the area. Cheatum said the circumstances of what led to the shooting remained unclear Tuesday afternoon.

Police also did not have information to share with the public concerning a suspect. No one had been arrested or detained in regard to the shooting, Cheatum said.

The killing marks the eighth homicide in Kansas City, Kansas so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. In 2022, the city saw 40 homicides.

Kansas City, Kansas police were asking that anyone with information concerning the homcide call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
After three years of using a pandemic-era rule known as Title 42 to control the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration is preparing for its end. In recent days, it has rolled out several new immigration rules meant to discourage migrants from coming to the border.

Those who do not use legal pathways to come to the United States  including securing an asylum appointment using a smartphone application  will face harsher consequences, including removal and a five-year ban from reentering. Among the other pathways the administration has made available is a two-year humanitarian parole program for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. More than 100,000 people have arrived lawfully in the U.S. through the program, Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday.

More than 665,000 people have already been expelled or removed from the U.S. since October and the administration continues to operate dozens of deportation flights, Mayorkas said. Smugglers, he noted, have been hard at work spreading false information that the U.S.-Mexico border will be open after Thursday.

It will not be, Mayorkas said. To people who are thinking of making the journey to our southern border know this: The smugglers care only about profit, not people. They do not care about your or your well-being.

On Wednesday, the administration also announced it was finalizing a new asylum rule requiring migrants to first seek protection in a country they transited through before arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Here is what you should know about Title 42 and the coming changes:

What is Title 42?

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Title 42 to limit migration, saying it was necessary to reduce the spread of the disease. The CDC has the authority to do this under the Public Health Service Act of 1944.

Under Title 42, the Trump administration authorized Customs and Border Protection to immediately expel migrants who crossed into the United States without proper documentation, including those seeking asylum.

The Biden administration continued the policy at first, but said it would push to end it. The policy was initially upheld in federal court after Republican-leaning states sued to keep it in place.

How does it work?

Title 42 lets border agents to quickly expel migrants, including those seeking asylum who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the rule, immigration officials can take as little as 10 minutes to process migrants and expel them either back to Mexico or their home country.

Since Title 42 began to be enforced, it has been used to remove more than 2.8 million times to expel migrants, although children traveling alone have been exempt.

What is changing?

The order will end at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The Biden administration announced in January that it was ending the national emergencies linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. That also spelled the end of using Title 42 to control immigration at the border.

Migrants line up to turn themselves in to Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

What will happen next?

With the end of Title 42, migrants will find tougher immigration enforcement under the regulation known as Title 8. Migrants will be given the option of voluntarily returning to the country from which they came. If they refuse, they will be expelled  and be subjected to at least a five-year ban on admission and potential criminal prosecution should they seek to reenter unlawfully, immigration officials have warned.

In some cases, they will be deported to their home country, and in others back to Mexico, under an agreement with the Mexican government.

Deportations and a ban on re-entering the U.S. will also apply to those who attempt to cross by sea through the Florida Straits or Puerto Ricos Mona Passage. For Haitian and Cuban migrants, this will also make them ineligible to participate in a two-year humanitarian parole program the Biden administration launched in January, which allows legal entry into the U.S. for them if they have a U.S. sponsor and a valid passport.

How can migrants get to the United States after Title 42 ends?

The Biden administration has announced an expansion of several new legal pathways for migrants. In January, the administration launched a humanitarian parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Already provided to Venezuelan nationals, the program allows 30,000 individuals a month from the four countries combined to legally fly to the U.S. if they have a U.S. sponsor and a valid passport.

The administration has also said it will launch regional processing centers in Central and South America to process asylum seekers, who must now seek pre-authorization using a smartphone application, CBP One, to reserve asylum appointments.

What if migrant shows up at the border without permission?

U.S. law will presume that any individual who does not use a lawful pathway to enter the United States is ineligible for asylum. A new rule being finalized by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice will allow the United States to remove individuals who do not establish a reasonable fear of persecution. The rule goes into effect after Title 42 ends.

How have migrants reacted?

Migrants from several countries have massed at the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to beat Thursdays deadline and tougher immigration enforcement that could bar re-entry or a chance to apply for asylum for five years.

In recent days, advocates working with migrants from Venezuela and Haiti have warning migrants seeking to reach the border that it isnt open and they face expulsion from the United States. But many of their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

For example, migrants who have made their way into Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, are camping or lining up in informal areas hoping to cross into the U.S. ahead of the expiration.

As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed, Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said about migrants gathered on the U.S. side. Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection.

The U.S. recently dispatched 1,500 active-duty troops to the border to join 2,500 National Guards already there.

The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week.

Read more: New program for Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants is complex. What you need to know

How is the U.S. getting the news to migrants?

On Wednesday, the U.S. launched a new digital advertising campaign in South and Central America to counter the lies of smugglers with accurate U.S. immigration laws, Mayorkas said.

Miami Herald wire services were used in compiling this report.
With less than a year until the next California primary election on March 5, analysts are watching key races with vulnerable incumbents that could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ten California seats are in play, according three major election-tracking organizations.

The Cook Political Report, Sabatos Crystal Ball and Inside Elections are among those that have started ranking House districts nationally. To measure partisan advantage, they use the ratings likely, leaning, toss-up and likely. The projections will probably shift over time, changing between now and next years election.

Many contenders have already announced, or at least filed the required paperwork. Prospective candidates have until mid-December to file.

These are the U.S. House races to watch in California according to analysts:

Likely Republican

3rd Congressional District

All three forecasters agree that the seat held by freshman Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, will likely remain in Republican control in 2024.

Californias 3rd, newly-formed by redistricting, stretches from the northern Sierra Nevada along the Nevada border into Death Valley. It did not have an incumbent in 2022.

Kiley, 38, previously represented the area around Rocklin in the State Assembly. He defeated veteran Dr. Kermit Jones, a Democrat. in 2022. Jones has not filed for a 2024 rematch.

40th Congressional District

Californias 40th will likely remain in the GOP in 2024, forecasters say. Represented by Rep. Young Kim, R-La Habra, the 40th district holds parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Kim, 60, has represented parts of Southern California in the House since 2021. She beat Democrat Dr. Asif Mahmood in 2022, when the district was also considered likely for a Republican.

Leans Republican

22nd Congressional District

The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections project a slight GOP advantage for the seat held by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. Sabatos Crystal Ball calls the 2024 race is a toss-up.

Californias 22nd, which was a toss-up in 2022 as well, includes most of Kings County and parts of Tulare and Kern counties in the San Joaquin Valley.

Valadao, 46, has represented the area around his hometown of Hanford in Congress on and off for a decade. His last few races have been tough. In 2018, he lost by less than 2 percentage points to Democratic challenger T.J. Cox. Valadao regained the seat in 2020 by the same margin.

In 2022, he turned back a challenge from former Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas, winning by about a 3% margin. Salas has filed to run in 2024 but has not announced a campaign.

41st Congressional District

The GOP retains a slight edge in the 41st, analysts found.

The district, represented since 1993 by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, covers Riverside County.

Calvert, 69, had his closest House race in well over a decade in 2022, edging Democrat Will Rollins by less than 4 percentage points. Analysts rated that race as leaning Republican.

Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, has not filed or announced a 2024 rematch. Lake Elsinore Councilmember Tim Sheridan, a Democrat who last ran against Calvert in 2016, said he would run.

45th Congressional District

Experts agree that Rep. Michelle Steels district, the 45th, which takes in parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, leans Republican in 2024, just as it did in 2022.

Steel, R-Seal Beach, 67, bested small business owner Jay Chen, a Democrat with 52.4% of the vote. She has represented the area since 2021.

Chen filed paperwork to contest her again in 2024 but has not announced a campaign. Garden Grove City Councilmember Kim Nguyen announced she would run.

Toss-up

Freshman Congressman John Duarte, a Republican from Modesto, speaks to the media following the opening ceremonies at the World Ag Expo in Tulare on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.

13th Congressional District

Freshman Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, narrowly defeated former Assemblyman Adam Gray, a Merced Democrat, in one of the last 2022 House races to be called.

The open seat in Californias 13th, which holds all of Merced County and chunks of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties, was rated a toss-up or leaning Republican as Election Day approached. Earlier in the race, many analysts thought it leaned Democratic,given the partys registration advantage and President Joe Bidens win there in 2020.

The back-and-forth race ended when the Associated Press called it for Duarte, 56, on Dec. 2, 2022. The Modesto farmer beat the Assemblyman by just four-tenths of a point  564 votes  making it the second-tightest 2022 House race.

Gray filed for a 2024 rematch. Although he has not announced a campaign, a handful of other Democrats have.

Analysts think this race will be a toss-up again in 2024.

27th Congressional District

Californias 27th, which covers most of northern Los Angeles County, is a toss-up in 2024, forecasters said. Ahead of Election Day last year, they thought it leaned toward the GOP and Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita.

Garcia, 47, has represented the area since he won a 2020 special election. Hes been challenged each time by former Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who Garcia defeated by more than 6 percentage points in 2022. She announced will not run again in 2024.

But Garcia will face at least two Democrats: George Whitesides, former chief executive of space-tourism company Virgin Galactic, and Franky Carrillo, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1991 and exonerated after 20 years in prison.

Leans Democratic

47th Congressional District

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, is relinquishing this seat to run for U.S. Senate against Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and others to succeed outgoing Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections think Porter leaves the Democrats with a slight advantage. Sabatos Crystal Ball calls the race a toss-up.

Analysts thought that the 47th, part of Orange County, would lean in favor of a Democrat in 2022 when Porter, 49, bested Republican Scott Baugh by just over 3 percentage points.

The 2024 field for the open seat has already drawn at least eight candidates. Baugh, an attorney, is running again. So is Democrat Joanna Weiss, founder of Women for American Values and Ethics, and State Sen. David Min, an Irvine Democrat.

Min earned Porters endorsement to replace her earlier this year. Last week, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

Likely Democratic

U.S.Congressional District 9 candidate Josh Harder answers a question from the moderator during a debate with challenger Tom Patti at the Stockton Record newspaper office in Stockton, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.

9th Congressional District

Sabatos Crystal Ball says that a Democrat will likely prevail in Californias 9th, which takes in Stockton. Other analysts have not rated the district, held by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, indicating that they are more confident the incumbent will win.

Harder, 36, beat San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti in 2022 with almost 55% of the vote. Analysts had thought the election would lean in favor of a Democrat.

Harder has been in the House since 2019, each election facing what analysts predicted to be a tough race. Ripon pastor Brett Dood said last week he would run in 2024 as a Republican to unseat Harder.

49th Congressional District

All three election-tracking groups find that the district, currently held by Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, will likely pick a Democrat again. The 49th covers northern coastal areas of San Diego County.

Levin, 44, defeated businessman Brian Maryott in 2022 by more than 5 percentage points when forecasters believed the district leaned Democratic. He has represented the area in the House since 2019. So far two Republican candidates have said they would run against him. Sheryl Adams, who works in marketing for the automotive industry, has announced. Businessman Matt Gunderson, who ran a close 2022 race against Democratic State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, then mayor of Encinitas, has too.
A group of Republican-led states have filed a motion with a federal regulator to block BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, from imposing sustainable investing practices on utility companies.

The states, led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R), appealed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to keep BlackRock from laying down environmental, social and governmental (ESG) investing priorities on utility companies, continuing a GOP crusade against what it argues is woke investing.

The states, including Utah, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia, filed the motion against the investment company on Wednesday, asking the FERC to not give it blanket authorization to buy more than $10 million in voting stakes in a utility company if it imposes ESG priorities.

These elitists are trying to impose restrictions on energy companies and utilities that would never win approval at the ballot box, Rokita said in a statement. Their schemes could raise utility bills for regular Americans, including elderly Hoosiers on fixed incomes, and they could diminish the value of investment accounts.

The move from the GOP-led states comes after BlackRock signed onto a number of climate-related goals, including the Climate Action 100+ and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiatives, which call for fossil fuel use to be slashed by 25 percent in 2030 and as far down as 2 percent by 2050.

In response to the filing from the Republican states, BlackRock said it was focused on providing the best financial outcome for clients.

As a fiduciary, BlackRocks core focus is seeking the best financial outcomes for our clients, consistent with their investment objectives, a BlackRock spokesperson said. We continue to offer them choice in financial products, and we are providing the ability for more and more clients to vote their proxies.

It also continues a crusade against ESG investing by Republicans, who have argued that the practices will raise prices for consumers in pursuit of a woke agenda.

Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law a bill that bars state and local businesses from considering ESG factors when deciding whether to invest or contract with businesses.

In March, DeSantis, joined by 18 other Republican governors, released a statement labeling ESG a direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Yoon Suk Yeol is sworn in as president of South Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 10, 2022. Joint Press Corps-Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which marked its first year in office on Wednesday, is still leaving much to be desired regarding its lack of policy consistency on the controversial resumption of short selling.



The incumbent administration has generally drawn positive responses to its overall capital market policies by preemptively revamping some outdated ones in ways to meet global standards and attract more foreign investors.



Nevertheless, it appears the government has yet to come up with a consistent policy stance on whether to resume short selling in local stock markets amid fierce opposition from retail investors. Short selling is a trading technique that allows investors to generate profit from a fall in a stock's price.



The complete resumption of short selling is considered the most urgent requirement for Korea so as to gain developed market status from MSCI, a U.S. finance company. Few would refute the dire need for Korea to achieve this status recognition, so that the stock market can make another major leap forward. The step is also crucial in order to ease the so-called "Korea discount"  a term used to describe the undervaluation of local stocks compared to their global counterparts due to the country's geopolitical risks and outdated regulatory environment.



Nonetheless, financial authorities have not displayed a unified policy direction about the issue.



The Financial Services Commission (FSC) underscored its basic stance, which is the need to completely resume short selling.



"There is a perception that Korea's partial resumption of short selling does not meet global standards," FSC Chairman Kim Joo-hyun said. "We also have a basic principle for the full resumption of short selling to keep activating the local capital market and attracting more foreign capital into the stock market here."



However, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) exhibited a somewhat ambiguous position on the issue.



"A number of market participants are expressing complaints regarding the complete resumption of short-selling," FSS Governor Lee Bok-hyun said. "But it is hard to discuss the agenda without building a consensus with market participants. We cannot even discuss the agenda without such a process."



Aside from the sensitivity of the matter, the administration has drawn positive feedback from the market, after rooting out the out-of-date policies rapidly. They include the abolishment of foreign investors' mandatory registration of key information when making investments here.



Unlike his predecessors, Yoon is adopting a more deregulatory policy stance in trendy investment areas. In February, the government approved the domestic issuance of security tokens  a kind of cryptocurrency used to trade fractions of assets. The decision will allow more investors to trade security tokens as soon as 2024 if relevant laws are passed without delays.



After registering a lukewarm performance in 2022, the benchmark KOSPI is on a path toward stabilization this year. The main bourse started at 2,225.67 on the first trading day of 2023, and has since recovered to around 2,500 points as of Wednesday.


If a democracy is defined as elected representatives expressing the will of the majority of the people, North Carolina is something other than that.

Sheltered by their gerrymandered districts, confident they will not be checked by a state Supreme Court with a new Republican majority and emboldened by a Democrats defection that gave them a veto-proof majority, Republic state lawmakers are going to extremes in defiance of popular opinion.

In a recent run, they ended the need to obtain a handgun permit from the local sheriff despite a rise in mass shootings. Theyre on the verge of offering private school vouchers to all families despite the states traditional commitment to public schools.

Theyve opposed a court order to increase funding for public schools. Theyve ignored widespread public support for ending gerrymandering.

Now, in a blatant finale of sorts, Republicans emerged from months of closed-door meetings to pass a 12-week abortion ban and set up obstacles to early abortions. Theyve acted despite a February Meredith Poll showing that more than half of North Carolina voters (57 percent) want to see the abortion limit kept where it is  at 20-weeks  or expand abortion rights further. Only 15 percent want to restrict it to 15 weeks or less.

There is clear evidence that the General Assembly is not in alignment with North Carolinians on a number of issues, such as abortion rights, gun control and gerrymandering, said David McLennan, a Meredith College political science professor and director of the poll.

Another measure of the disconnect is the gap between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Cooper has been elected statewide twice. In a recent High Point University Poll, registered voters gave him a job approval rating of 52%, while 30% said they disapprove. Yet over a four-year period, a popular governor has vetoed 47 bills passed by Republicans who say they are carrying out the will of the people.

In 2016, an op-ed by University of North Carolina politics professor Andrew Reynolds drew widespread attention by concluding that by objective measures, heavily gerrymandered North Carolina was no longer a fully functioning democracy.

Arguably, the situation is even worse today. Coopers veto power has all but disappeared. The state Supreme Court has cleared the way for extreme gerrymandering. And Republican lawmakers are even more experienced at turning an extreme agenda into law.

Susan Roberts, a Davidson College political scientist whose research includes the role of interest groups, said lawmakers and the voting public are becoming increasingly detached. I dont think they know what all their constituents are thinking, she said. I think they are making assumptions based on partisanship and gerrymandered districts.

She added, People dont feel like the government is listening to them.

John Aldrich, a Duke professor who specializes in American politics and behavior, told me that the combination of political polarization and gerrymandering encourages extremism by making primaries as or more important than the general election. Lawmakers, he said, have as much to fear from not trying to be too extreme in a primary election as they do from being too extreme in a general election.

One-issue voters on guns, abortion or school choice, he said, have more clout in a primary and that tends to push majority opinions aside. Theres an intense minority who care a lot about the issue and a relatively apathetic majority that doesnt care as much about the issue as other things, he said.

But the Democratic Party also has a role in the Republicans dominance, he said. Much more important, it seems to me, is that the Democratic Party has been relatively weak in fielding a broad set of strong candidates across all districts. Under the basic political rule, you cant beat someone with no one.

But he said Republican lawmakers eventually will be particularly vulnerable to electoral retribution if they are consistently taking minority positions, which seems to be happening now.

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@ newsobserver.com
During Mondays lunch hour Columbus resident Carly Hester walked into the colorful Snacks Chabelita for something new to eat.

Hester had heard about the new Mexican snack bar from her boss who urged her to get lunch from the new business. Along with her boss raving about how hes begun eating Snacks Chabelita regularly, Hester had also seen numerous posts praising the eatery on the Columbus, GA Foodies Facebook page.

She was impressed the moment she walked into the snack bar on Warm Springs Road. The ambiance features snacks, woven baskets and bags, flags hanging above the long counter separating customers from where the food is prepared. A glowing, blue sign positioned on the far wall that customers can easily see when they walk inside reads, You are exactly where you need to be.

Hester is even more excited when Snacks Chabelitas manager, Jogel Ramirez, confirms the business is family-run.

Thats awesome, Hester exclaims before making her order.

Angelica Sanchez, Ramirezs aunt, opened Snacks Chabelita on March 10 with the goal of honoring her 9-year-old daughter, Isabella, and bringing another aspect of Mexican culture to Columbus.

Angelica Sanchez (Right) is the owner of Snacks Chabelita located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. Her nephew, Jogel Ramirez (left) manages the restaurant. 05/05/2023

More than just fajitas and tacos

The idea for the snack bar began by creating many of the items for friends and family who would visit Sanchezs home for parties or get-togethers, she said. A lot of her visitors liked the food, so Sanchez began selling products out of her home.

Sanchez began supporting the home business on local social media pages, and eventually clients would approach her to make certain products and the business grew until they could open the physical location next door to Fiesta Mexican Bar and Grill.

When Sanchez saw the success of her home business, she realized there was a demand for more Mexican cuisine in the United States beyond what is typically sold at Mexican restaurants.

Customers can try elotes and esquites, which are both corn-based products. Elotes are corn on the cob with mayo cream sauce garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime, while esquites are corn mixed with creamy mayonnaise with cotija cheese, lime juice and chili powder.

In Mexico youll see elotes, street corn, all around us in towns and stuff, Raymundo said.

Snacks Chabelita is located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. 05/05/2023

Another popular product is the pina loca, which is a variety of fruit served in a hollow pineapple. People also enjoy the different flavors of aguas de frutas, Sanchez said, which are drinks flavored with real fruit including pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Sanchez likes that she can provide Columbus with something different than tacos or burritos. Snacks Chabelita sells items that people typically dont see around Columbus, she said.

The colorful nature of the food and the creativity put into the presentation of the items are what she believes draws people in who are not familiar with this type of cuisine.

We are bringing Mexico to you, Sanchez said. We are bringing a little taste of what we bring from our country to you, so everybody can have a try of our authentic food.

Snacks Chabelita is located at 4475 Warm Springs Rd. in Columbus, Georgia. 05/05/2023

Inspired by Chabelita

Sanchez, supported by her husband, Antonio Raymundo, wanted to start a business to help Isabella, who is autistic. Her daughter has always wanted to own a business when she grew up, and Sanchez hopes to pass the business down to her one day.

(My daughters) name is Isabella, Sanchez said through a translator. But in Mexico they call Isabella, Chabelita.

This photo is of Isabella (nicknamed Chabelita), who is the 9-year-old daughter of owner Angelica Sanchez and the namesake of Snacks Chabelita.

Since opening Snacks Chabelita, Isabella often joins Sanchez and Raymundo when they work on the weekends. She often hands out tickets and does other small jobs in the restaurant. The experience is helping Isabella come out of her shell, Sanchez said.

Sometimes kids who have autism have a hard time opening up, she said. (They have trouble) having new conversations. Isabella is getting better at reading tickets, talking to clients and bringing out food.

Ultimately, the business is about Isabella, Sanchez said, and she hopes that other individuals who are autistic or disabled can be inspired by Snacks Chabelita and know that they are able to do anything they put their minds to.

Let (children with autism) get involved in everything, Sanchez said. Because they might not be able to do this thing, but theyre always able to do something else.
The Kansas City Star has won the award for best political coverage in the prestigious National Headliner Awards, the second year in a row the news organization has taken the categorys top prize.

Reporters Katie Bernard, Jonathan Shorman and Kevin Hardy won for Kansas Decides, a collection of stories in the run-up to last years elections. The Star also won third place in the public service category for an investigation into racism within the Kansas City Police Department.

The winning entry in the political category included an in-depth report in June by Bernard on the Catholic Churchs fight against abortion rights in Kansas by funding and shaping the messaging for a campaign to pass a state constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to severely restrict or ban abortion. The story was published just two days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and weeks before Kansas was the first state to vote on the issue when voters rejected the amendment.

Also included in The Stars package was an investigation by Shorman in October into how then-Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the Republican candidate for governor, bungled several high-profile prosecutions in connection with the 2016 death of 7-year-old Caleb Schwab on a water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas. Rounding out the entry was a deep dive by Hardy and Bernard in July into how Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys administration secured no job guarantees from Panasonic in exchange for an $829 million incentive package to build a battery plant in De Soto.

In a strong smorgasbord of political coverage, The Kansas City Star brought insight into three significant public issues, the judges said.

Included in the entry we learned that Kansas cut what appears to be a bad deal for economic development; the high-profile case of a legal prosecution gone awry and an excellent look at the role of churches in the abortion debate.

Second place in the political category went to The Dallas Morning News, while third place went to the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Spotlight PA.

The Stars top place for political coverage comes after it won the same honor last year for stories on U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The Star also won the category in 2018 and 2019.

These are stories that simply would not have been told had talented reporters and editors serving Kansas City not done so, said Star Executive Editor Greg Farmer. Doing journalism that is essential to our local readers is our mission, and were grateful that the National Headliner Awards have chosen to recognize how much this work matters.

The Star secured third place in the public service category for Racism in the KCPD, an investigation by reporters Glenn E. Rice, Katie Moore and Luke Nozicka that found discrimination, racist abuse and unfair discipline of Black officers in the Kansas City Police Department. The reporters brought attention to allegations of white cops using slurs and racially profiling Black members of the force.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the police departments employment practices to determine if the force engaged in racial discrimination.

The Oregonian won first place for public service for its coverage of a controversial water rights deal between Google and The Dalles, a town outside Portland. Second place went to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The National Headliner Awards are sponsored by the Press Club of Atlantic City, N.J. Founded in 1934, the awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing outstanding journalism.
A trooper shot a knife-wielding tenant being evicted from his Connecticut home after the man refused to vacate, police said.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. on May 9 at a home in Brooklyn, a town about 45 miles east of Hartford, according to a Connecticut State Police news release.

State troopers were sent to the home to help with a court-ordered eviction after the tenant declined to leave the property, police said.

Troopers arrived at the residence and advised Troop D dispatch that the tenant refused to comply with the court-order and that he was wielding a knife, police said. A Trooper at the scene discharged their duty weapon at the individual, causing injury.

The tenant was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Massachusetts, where he underwent emergency surgery, police said.

The tenant, who was not identified, is in stable condition.

The investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General with assistance from state police.

A representative for the Office of the Inspector General did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Fishermen discover mans body after he was shot and killed by his sons, TN cops say

Nurse secretly replaced hospital fentanyl and used superglue to cover tracks, feds say

Man used rigged clock to secretly film women in fitting room, California officials say
Former Kansas Rep. Michael Capps is seeking to avoid prison time after he was convicted of 12 felonies for defrauding federal pandemic relief programs of nearly $500,000 when he was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Wichita. A jury found him guilty of bank fraud, false statements, wire fraud and money laundering in December.

The U.S. Attorneys Office will argue, according to public court filings, that Capps should serve more than four years in federal prison with supervised release starting after 51 months because of the severity of his crimes, continued deception and lack of contrition. Its unclear how much restitution the government is seeking.

Without question, his conduct substantially eroded the publics trust in its elected officials, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Kate E. Brubachers sentencing memorandum says. Much like a policeman who engages in malfeasance or a doctor who deals in drugs, he should bear greater responsibility for his conduct.

Capps, 45, will argue for no prison time and five years of supervised release, when he would report to a probation officer, court filings show.

An FBI agent testified that it began an investigation into Capps after a Wichita Eagle investigation in December 2020 found Capps used fake payroll numbers, fake employment data and fake revenues on multiple loan applications to tap into emergency funding provided through the CARES Act during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Capps was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars through the Small Business Associations Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program along with two grants through the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Federal investigators found that Capps put some of the COVID cash  which he obtained using two businesses and a now-defunct nonprofit under his control  in a high-risk investment account that was later seized by federal authorities.

His justification for a lighter sentence includes a concern that  given his mental and physical health  he would be more likely to contract COVID-19 and die from it if he were in prison.

Mike (Capps) has Hypertension Stage I, Combat PTSD, complex sleep apnea, chronic migraines and is prediabetic, Kurt Kerns, his defense lawyer, said in a recent filing. He is, therefore, at an increased risk of death or severe illness in the event he contracts an illness.

Capps was a member of a Statehouse coalition of Republican lawmakers who voted during a special session in June 2020 to severely limit the power of county health officers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to respond to the pandemic.

Kerns contends that Capps deserves leniency because he is a disabled veteran who served in the Air Force in the early 2000s. Kerns said Capps was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2018.

That year, Capps was appointed to represent the 85th House District, which includes parts of north Wichita and northern suburbs Bel Aire, Kechi and Benton. He was elected later that year and served through the end of 2020.

A filing entered by Kerns claims Capps PTSD was 70 percent disabling, a rating assigned by the Department of Veteran Affairs to determine how much disability compensation vets are eligible to receive.

The disability filing says the 70% determination was based on his service treatment records, personal records, treatment from VAMC-Kansas City and an examination by QTC medical services in November 2019.

Combined, they found Capps had difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, difficulty in adapting to work, inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, depressed mood, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in adapting to a worklike setting, anxiety, occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships and chronic sleep impairment.

U.S. Attorney Brubacher said in her filing that these health concerns are not present to an unusual degree that would distinguish this case from other cases covered under sentencing guidelines.

He was caught in lie after lie, and continued to deflect and blame others, the U.S. attorneys filing says. The defendant (Capps) has failed to take responsibility for his actions, and lied brazenly while an elected official to obtain government funds for his own personal use.

Brubacher said Capps actions signal that he could continue to skirt the rules for personal gain if allowed to stay out of prison.

His conduct also included efforts to conceal what he did. Defendant (Capps) has failed to demonstrate any remorse or contrition, and instead persists in casting himself as someone who simply made mistake after mistake after mistake. The defendants acts were intentional, goal-oriented, and duplicitous, and his persistence in offering up ill-conceived and illegitimate claims signals he will continue to try to gain personal advantage despite clearly defined rules.

Federal and state agencies lowered their guard on verifying information submitted by applicants, allowing Capps and others to self-certify that the information they provided was accurate. To maximize his COVID awards, Capps overstated his business revenues and the number of employees at his businesses.

During the trial, Capps admitted that he counted his business partner and former City Council member James Clenenins two young daughters, ages 10 and 14, as employees at Midwest Business Group LLC. He could not account for several other employees he claimed to have at Krivacy LLC and the nonprofit Fourth and Long Foundation.

Support letters

Several friends, family members and other associates submitted letters to U.S. Judge Eric Melgren seeking leniency for Capps.

They portrayed Capps as a family-first public servant, mentor and giving businessman who helped guide several young men  including his adopted son, Chaz Capps  through tough times.

Bud Cortner, a Realtor with Keller Williams Signature Partners and past president of the local Realtor association, wrote in support of a lighter sentence.

I am having a hard time understanding what little I know about the case Michael is involved in, Cortner wrote in his letter to Melgren. The charges he was convicted of just do not sound like something he would do and I do not believe this defines him at all. Anyway, I know you are the one that is doing the sentencing and I am asking you for leniency in this case. Michael is a great individual and a negative sentence would not benefit anyone, especially his son and those that care for Michael. I believe he is a positive influence on those around him and that could possibly be destroyed with a severe sentence that does not serve the public interest.

Clendenin, who testified as a government witness and for the defense at trial, said in his letter that Capps convictions are not at all who Michael is as a person.

I have seen tremendous sacrifices made by Michael in his effort to serve the community, too many to mention in this letter, Clendenin wrote. Ive seen him turn the lives of many kids around as a mentor and father figure, serving with the childrens advocacy group CASA. In fact Michaels passion for people and abused kids is what brought us together as friends in the political arena. Michael had made the world he lives in a better place, and I truly believe it would continue to be better with his freedom.

I am asking you for leniency in the case against Michael, Clendenin wrote. I have heard and read so many things that are not true about him and felt I should at least project the positive light I see him in.

Controversial figure

The federal case was one of several controversies involving Capps during his time in the public eye.

Before he ran for office in 2018, a residency challenge accused him of listing a foreclosed house as his residence so he could qualify for public office. The State Objections Board dismissed the charge and allowed Capps to stay on the ballot. The objections board included several high-profile Republicans: then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is now attorney general; then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who gave up his position to run an unsuccessful campaign for governor; and then-Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann, who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 1st District.

A month later, Sedgwick County Republican precinct committee members appointed Capps to fill Chuck Webers vacant seat, after Weber took a job as a lobbyist for the Kansas Catholic Conference, allowing Capps to run as an incumbent despite not serving while the Legislature was in session. He edged out Democratic challenger Monica Marks by a slim margin.

Capps was disavowed twice by his party in less than 18 months. During the 2018 race, the state GOP cut ties with Capps after the Kansas Department for Children and Families found that he emotionally abused boys as a court-appointed CASA volunteer. The investigations findings were reversed on a technicality, and Capps rejected the investigations conclusions as categorically false and untrue.

A year later, the Sedgwick County Republican Party declared him persona non grata and asked him to resign after an Eagle investigation uncovered his involvement in a smear campaign video that falsely accused then-mayoral candidate Brandon Whipple of sexual harassment. Capps responded by falsely and publicly accusing county GOP Chairman Dalton Glasscock of green-lighting the bogus video.

Capps worked up the plan to frame Glasscock with Michael ODonnell, who at the time was a Sedgwick County commissioner, and Clendenin, his friend, business partner and a city council member. Their plan was secretly recorded and released a year later by Capps former campaign manager Matthew Colborn after Capps lost his primary to Patrick Penn.

Whipple, who was elected mayor, filed a civil conspiracy to commit defamation lawsuit against Capps, Clendenin and ODonnell in 2020. Capps is representing himself in the case, which is expected to go to trial later this year.

ODonnell and Clendenin resigned after Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett announced he would move to oust the two officials for their role in the smear campaign and cover-up. Schmidt, the attorney general at the time, declined to pursue charges against Capps, saying only the Kansas House could expel him from office. The House was not in session at the time and Capps had already lost to Penn.. He ignored multiple calls by Republican officials to resign.
A single justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is now weighing whether to block Illinois assault weapons ban from being enforced while the case is being heard in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who hears applications from the Seventh Circuit, could decide on her own whether to issue an emergency injunction or she could refer the question to the full court for consideration.

The case involves both the states ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines as well as a local ordinance in the city of Naperville. Both laws were enacted in response to a mass shooting at an Independence Day parade last year in Highland Park. Although the state ban was temporarily blocked by the courts, both laws are currently in effect.

The National Association for Gun Rights, along with a local gun store owner in Naperville, challenged the Naperville ordinance shortly after it was enacted in August 2022 and then added the state as a defendant after the state ban went into effect in January. They argue that both laws violate the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Their lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the laws. But on Feb. 17, Northern District Court Judge Virginia Kendall denied those motions, saying particularly dangerous weapons like those banned under the laws are not protected by the Second Amendment.

The plaintiffs then appealed to the Seventh Circuit and asked that court for an emergency injunction pending appeal, but the appellate court rejected that motion on April 18. They next sought an injunction through the U.S. Supreme Court.

At the Supreme Court, applications for stays or injunctions are filed with a justice assigned to hear applications from that appellate circuit. In the case of the Seventh Circuit, that is Justice Barrett.

On May 1, Barrett requested more information from the state and the city. Attorney General Kwame Raouls office, which represents both defendants, filed its response on Monday and the National Association for Gun Rights filed its reply brief Wednesday.

The state argues that the application for an injunction should be denied because the plaintiffs failed to show that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their claim, one of the requirements for granting an in junction.

Nor could they, since this Court has not addressed a Second Amendment challenge to a law similar to the (Protect Illinois Communities) Act, the brief states.

It notes that two district court judges in Illinois, including Kendall, have refused to enjoin the act, and four district court judges in other states have declined to enjoin similar laws.

But on April 28, Judge Stephen P. McGlynn, in the Southern District of Illinois, granted a temporary injunction, although the Seventh Circuit later stayed that order while McGlynns decision is appealed.

The plaintiffs counter that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their case because the laws ban weapons that are commonly used for lawful purposes.

AR platform rifles are just one of the many types of rifles banned by name and/or by feature, they wrote in their brief. At least 20 million AR-15s and similar rifles are owned by millions of American citizens who use those firearms for lawful purposes.

Barrett has not indicated how quickly she will decide on the application or whether she will refer it to the full court for consideration.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, was arrested on federal criminal charges on Wednesday ahead of an expected court appearance.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and to pay off his credit cards.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Peace said.

Santos was expected to make an initial court appearance at a federal courthouse on Long Island later Wednesday, at which time the charges against him would be unsealed.

Reached by the AP on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things. In reality, he didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and had struggled financially before his run for public office.

Questions about his finances also surfaced. In regulatory filings, Santos said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos had reporting making $750,000 a year plus dividends from a family company, the Devolder Organization. He later described that business as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him," said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty."

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

___

Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report from Washington.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of U.S. Rep. George Santos at https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.
In 1961, police found wealthy produce merchant Joseph DiMare gunned down in his white Cadillac. The killing stumped detectives for more than six decades.

Now, Miami-Dade polices cold case homicide squad has revealed who it thinks was behind the gun: Josephs wife, Frances DiMare, then 33.

The announcement on Tuesday closed the high-profile case, which was also one of the departments oldest.

The long-running case began on the night of March 24, 1961, when Frances DiMare stumbled into Sams Causeway 66 gas station at 2350 NE 123rd St. in North Miami.

She called police and told them that she and her husband had just left their home, in the nearby Keystone Point neighborhood, and were caught at a red light at North Bayshore Drive and Northeast 123th Street when two gunmen jumped into their car. The men ordered the couple to drive to a vacant lot, where they pistol-whipped the DiMares, police were told. Frances said she then blacked out and later saw that her husband, 52, was shot to death.

Police found Joseph DiMare slumped in the front passengers seat. He had been shot four times, including once through the mouth, with a .25 caliber pistol.

Joseph DiMares car, found at the scene of his murder in 1961.

Pol ice were skeptical of story

Detectives at the time, however, doubted Frances story. There were no signs of cuts or scrapes to the bottom of her feet from the gravel road. The first patrolman on the scene told reporters that Frances face had scratches that looked as though she made them herself by running her hands down her face. Her pointed Italian-style shoes were neatly placed beside the car.

Further investigation revealed that Joseph and Frances marriage was strained. Joseph had even changed his will to state that Frances must be living in his home at the time of his death to be eligible for inheritance.

Homicide detectives return to Frances DiMares home after visiting the scene of the murder of her husband, Joseph DiMare, in 1961.

She ultimately received a quarter of her husbands $1 million estate in cash and moved to West Palm Beach, where she remarried twice and became a real estate agent.

A whirlwind of rumors and theories swirled for decades. Joseph DiMare was originally from Boston. So maybe the DiMares were victims of a Massachusetts gang targeting New Englanders in South Florida? Or maybe attackers mistook Joseph for a flashy mobster?

Physical evidence reviewed

The decades-long investigation that wound up on Tuesday confirmed that Joseph was shot and killed with a gun that he owned. Detectives also concluded that the shooting occurred in the garage of the DiMares home in the 2200 block of Arch Creek Drive.

Frances, detectives say, may have pulled off the murder with accomplices. They also believe that the pistol was thrown out of the car and under one of the local two bridges Frances had to drive over.

After reviewing physical evidence, police determined that Joseph was shot from the drivers seat. That  along with physical evidence, the unconfirmed account of a robbery, and a looming divorce as a motive  pushed Miami-Dade detectives and the State Attorneys Office to agree that there is no credible evidence to show that anyone other than Frances was responsible for Josephs killing.

The Miami Herald has reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department to ask why police made this discovery now, but hadnt heard back as of Wednesday afternoon.

Cracking the case

For nine years, Miami-area attorney Paul Novack, who has dedicated himself to sleuthing several cold cases, has actively investigated Josephs murder. Novack was key to cracking the long-elusive case of 17-year-old Danny Goldman, who was kidnapped from his Surfside home in 1966.

Novack familiarized himself with the eras characters, events and major crimes. He examined every report, statement made to police and newspaper clipping, put them on a timeline and came to a conclusion: Frances DiMare killed her husband.

Paul Novack investigating the murder of Joseph DiMare.

He presented his findings to detectives about nine months ago. Its now the second case hes helped close.

Though Josephs murder happened five years before Goldmans kidnapping, he noticed common links. Thats why he includes the case on his website surfsidekidnapping.org.

There were indications that there were corrupt influences that derailed the case, Novack told the Miami Herald Wednesday.

For Novack, solving the decades-long mystery has uncovered major events in Miami history.

The family now today has the relief of closure that they have been seeking for 62 years, Novack said. Im grateful to be part of bringing them that closure and bringing the community the answers that have been elusive all this time.

Richard DiMare looks over family photographs in his Sparks, Nevada, home, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. In the decades after his fathers murder, he continued to work to get the Miami-Dade authorities to investigate the case.

Josephs son Richard DiMare, who at the time of the murder lived with his brother Joe at the University of Miami, told the Miami Herald in 2011 that he always believed Frances planned his fathers demise. He said that he went to the home after the murder and that Frances told him: You have 24 hours to get everything out. This is my house now.

DiMare badgered officials over the years to continue the investigation into his fathers death, sending many letters about the cold case that was a source of frustration for Miami-Dade detectives and top-ranking leaders.

He also frequently corresponded with Novack, and the pair shared materials as they managed an investigation of their own.

Richard DiMare holds the last picture taken of his father, center, with a young Richard at his side, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Somebody out there knows what happened, Richard told the Miami Herald in 2011. I will continue. I believe thats the highest tribute I can give to my father.

Frances died in March 2006. She was 82.

This report was supplemented with material from the Miami Herald archives
The planets aligned. I had coffee with a superhero. The kind who doesnt wear a cape (they never do) and Im certain the kind who would not spend a minute to consider himself a real-life Marvel character. That would be a minute of serious problem-solving wasted for David Gressly. This man is too laser-focused helping humanity and protecting large swaths of the planet. Like, literally.

Several weeks ago, in an ordinary Panera, I had a long chat with this extraordinary man. (I know a guy who knows a guy who tipped me off hed be nearby.)

Gressly, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, happened to be in the area visiting family. He grew up on a farm north of Kansas City, earned a degree in economics at the University of Missouri and an MBA from Thunderbird School of International Management in Arizona. His career is an inspiration to anyone who is considering helping to make a positive impact in a complicated world.

The first thing I asked Gressly, just to get it out of the way, was if it felt head-spinning to go from solving the worlds problems to spending a little time in rural Missouri.

Actually, its relaxing to come here and decompress, he said.

Fair enough, because his lifes work has been, and continues to be, a globetrotting whirlwind of preventing catastrophes, fixing ongoing ones, building infrastructure, negotiating peace, and procuring the exact talent and resources to accomplish it all.

Gressly, 67, gave a fascinating, almost professorial synopsis of his career, which was a mashup lesson of history, geography, epidemiology, psychology, philosophy and even meteorology.

I wanted to work internationally at the time I was in university, so I joined the Peace Corps after. I went to Kenya where I spent four years.

He then worked six years in northwest Africa supervising volunteers before becoming the director of planning and budget with the Peace Corps in Washington.

It was an interesting time because thats when the Soviet Union was breaking up and there were all these new countries we were going into, he said.

Keep in mind, when I set up the meeting with this man whose international work space includes dodging violence, land mines, bad mosquitoes and a host of other dangers, I tried to come up with a quirky indie place to chat. Like some converted barn that serves only free-market coffee in recycled vessels. But we had a small window of time to meet.

I panicked and suggested an accessible midpoint between my leafy suburb and Gresslys small hometown. A chain eatery just off the interstate offered a striking contrast to his harrowing tales of dealing with worldwide emergencies.

After his Peace Corps work, Gressly joined UNICEF in Nigeria, which eventually turned into a regional position.

Thats when I started working in the emergency field where you have crises, he said. At that time, it was Liberia, New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All were in different crises.

Listening to his stories confirms how this world spins with ongoing disasters, or potential ones. Not just from the man-made problems of war  like having to move 15,000 displaced Sudanese citizens and 150,000 head of cattle across the Nile River  but also natural threats like disease.

Gressly spent a couple of years in India combating a polio outbreak.

I was in charge of the polio eradication portfolio. India at one point had like 350,000 cases. We got it down to 50 cases a year. Now its eradicated. Theres no more polio in India.

He was also put in charge of tamping down Ebola outbreaks in the Congo.

Im not an epidemiologist at all, but the key thing is logistics, he said. Getting everybody in the right place at the right time.

Gresslys style of logistics includes disaster prevention, which sadly is never as newsworthy as ongoing chaos. An example is how he helped large populations circumvent a famine when he worked with UNICEF. He showed me the map of countries in the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.

In 2012, there was a serious shortfall of food, he said. A million children were facing severe malnutrition, which kills them, basically. We were able to get enough food and water and health support  in time  so the people could get through that period. No news is good news.

Most recently, Gressly has been working on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

I tend to go from civil war to civil war to civil war, he said.

Hes working to provide people with food assistance, healthcare and education across a country where more than 20 million people need aid.

I have another job as well, which is trying to see how they initiate recovery work with the economy so that people can get jobs again, so they dont need humanitarian assistance.

And then theres even a third project in Yemen, a real eyebrow-raiser most people in the U.S. probably dont know about: a potential massive oil spill in the Red Sea. Its yet another disaster-prevention job on Gresslys to-do list.

A floating oil storage and offloading facility (FSO) moored off the coast of Yemen is, to put it bluntly, about to blow. Due to the civil war, the deterioration FSO Safer has not been maintained since 2015.

It would be an oil spill four times the size of the Exxon Valdez, just as an order of magnitude. Gressly said, adding that a spill or explosion would block harbors and vital food imports as well as shut down 200,000 fishing families. With 1.14 million barrels at stake, it would be a generational ecological disaster.

The Red Sea is a pristine environment. The consequences are pretty severe if we dont pay attention. Its a catastrophe ready to happen. It will happen; its not a question of if.

Fortunately, Gressly is supervising a high-risk spill prevention plan with the right expertise lined up and a replacement vessel on the way this month. But as massive operations go, theres always something. Costs have shot up due to ripple effects from the war in Ukraine. To close the funding gap, the United Nations has raised resources from many nations and private corporations, and even from individual citizens concerned about the environment.

Gressly mentioned a sweet crowdfunding story.

Out of Bethesda there was an elementary school that picked up on it. They sold lemonade. They even raised money they got from the tooth fairy.

He said the United Nations invited the 6- and 7-year-old students to speak in New York.

Everybody was deeply touched to see these little kids making a contribution.

Nothing like a global response.

Anyone interested in learning more and helping close the gap to save the Red Sea can donate to the project at un.org/StopRedSeaSpill. And while youre googling around, the UN website in general is user-friendly and an efficient tool to get a clear perspective on worldwide humanitarian efforts.

Gressly shared many stories of war and peace, building roads while living in tents, rescuing leaders from violence and navigating the Nile.

Its the stuff most Panera dwellers rarely encounter. And after learning so much over a paper cup of hazelnut coffee, I felt obligated to ask him if hes a pessimist or an optimist. He said, Im a short-term pessimist, long-term optimist.

The long game. I found that hopeful. I also asked Gressly if hes working on a memoir. Hes not. I have work to do.

Said like a true superhero.

Reach Denise Snodell at stripmalltree@gmail.com.
The Ukrainian military has downed a Russian missile using the U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system, the Pentagons top spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

I can confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defense system, press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. As you know, that system is part of a broader range of air defense capabilities that the United States and the international community have provided to Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said Saturday that a U.S.-supplied Patriot was used to hit an incoming Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv earlier that week.

The system destroyed a Kremlin Kinzhal, an armament capable of traveling up to 10 times the speed of sound, Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a post on Telegram.

The event is believed to be Ukraines first use of the U.S.-made defense system, pledged to Kyiv by Washington back in December and arriving in the country last month.

Ryder said that the U.S. and its allies and partners will continue to rush ground-based air defense capabilities and munitions to help Ukraine control its sovereign skies and to help Ukraine defend its citizens from Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones.

The Biden administration earlier Tuesday pledged $1.2 billion in long-term military assistance to Ukraine to include air defense systems and munitions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Chua Choon Hong, Head of Financial Crime Practice Group, APAC and Middle East, Moody's Analytics / Courtesy of Moody's Analytics



By Chua Choon Hong



It's been 14 months since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine, and countries in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the West responded with wide-ranging economic sanctions. Complying with these sanctions has been a massive challenge for financial institutions such as banks in APAC, who face major penalties and reputational damage if they get it wrong.



Recently, sanctions violations led to fines of $98 million for a major U.S. bank, and $53 million for a U.S.-based virtual currency exchange. The U.S. also fined an Australian logistics firm $6 million for breaking sanctions rules, highlighting its ability to target companies in APAC with extra-territorial powers.



Authorities in APAC and the West have rapidly increased the number of sanctioned?individuals and entities from Russia and its ally Belarus, and created a labyrinthine set of compliance requirements to?navigate.



The scale of this risk was reflected in the number of sanctions risk events on Moody's GRID risk database increasing by 67.5 percent in 2022.?



Heavy sanctions changes



The sheer weight of compliance changes that APAC financial institutions must absorb quickly is causing major challenges. For example, a tenth EU package was announced in mid-February, requiring companies doing business in the EU to comply with sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans, and trade and investment restrictions.







Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan announced autonomous sanctions packages against Russia and Belarus. Most of these rules do not extend beyond national boundaries  for most APAC financial institutions, the bigger risk comes from extra-territorial U.S. enforcement.



Financial institutions bear a huge responsibility to keep up with emerging requirements, particularly in Asia, where local laws add to compliance weight and complexity.



Corporate response



According to Global Investigations Review (GIR), many APAC companies have been reassessing long-standing business relationships in Russia and Belarus given the sweeping new rules. GIR highlighted risks from increasing numbers of sanctioned individuals and entities located in, or with economic interests in, APAC. These may be direct transaction counterparties or indirect beneficial owners or shareholders.



The complexity is so great that many APAC companies have turned down business with legitimate companies  particularly in major trading hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Large financial institutions in these hubs  several of which have faced significant sanctions enforcement action  widely observe U.S., EU and U.K. sanctions rules, regardless of the legal necessity, said GIR.



Enforcement actions by U.S. and European regulators show how seriously they take compliance rules such as identifying sources of funds sources. Similar to what European and U.S. financial institutions are doing, it's good practice for APAC banks to know the source of funds, and whether or not they have a direct relationship with the transacting party.



Hidden risks



While the number of entities on sanctions lists has grown rapidly, the sanctioned parties behind them are growing on an even larger scale.



APAC financial institutions are having to become more familiar with complex regulations such as the U.S. 50 percent ownership rule, which prohibits business with organizations owned more than 50 percent by sanctioned parties.



A scenario from GRID, a politically exposed person (PEP) and adverse media database, shows three individuals sanctioned in March 2022 were connected to 42 other sanctioned entities on the list. GRID uncovered 194 additional entities sanctioned "by extension" through U.S. ownership rules, but were not on sanctions lists. Without the right datasets, screening systems miss these hidden risks.




Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., cast her first two votes on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon after a nearly three-month absence due to health issues.

Upon her arrival on Capitol Hill, she was assisted into a wheelchair and greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Feinstein told reporters that she feels "much better." She did not answer questions about why she decided to return or respond to calls from critics to resign.

The two votes were the first Feinstein had cast since Feb. 16. She missed two votes that were held earlier Wednesday before she arrived  adding to the 91 floor votes she missed while she recovered from shingles, according to an NBC News tally.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives to the Capitol on May 10, 2023. (Frank Thorp V / NBC News)

Feinstein said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that she is back in Washington but will be working a "lighter schedule" as she resumes her duties.

Even though Ive made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, Im still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus," Feinstein said. "My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. Im hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters Wednesday morning that he expects Feinstein to attend the committees business meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday. He said the committee plans to use her vote to report out to the full Senate some of President Joe Bidens judicial nominees who have been stuck in a stalemate because of her absence. He did not indicate which nominees it would vote on.

Ive got to count noses and also count how theyre gonna vote, Durbin said, I cant predict all will be called. Im not sure yet.

In remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, Schumer welcomed Feinsteins return. He said that he had been in touch with her over the past few weeks and that he can report shes exactly where she wants to be.

Ready to do the thing she loves most: serving the people of California, Schumer said.

Feinsteins absence has complicated Democratic efforts to confirm some of Bidens nominees, because the Judiciary Committee went from an 11-10 majority to a 10-10 stalemate during her absence.

Image: Senator Feinstein Returns To Capitol Hill After Months-Long Absence (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

While Senate Democrats were able to advance several of Biden's nominees with GOP backing, they have had to hold on others who fell short of bipartisan support.

Democrats had tried to temporarily replace Feinstein on the committee with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., but Republicans blocked the effort, many of them saying they could not vote to make it easier for Biden to seat judicial nominees whom they found to be radical or otherwise unacceptable.

Feinstein later defended her absence and disputed the notion that it impeded the number of nominees advanced by the committee.

There has been no slowdown, Feinstein wrote in a statement last week. 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.

Feinstein, who has been in the Senate since 1992, is its oldest member, at 89 years old. She announced in February that she plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2024, after three decades in the chamber.

The 2024 primary to fill her seat is expected to be a key race. U.S. Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee have announced their campaigns.
The ash winds up everywhere  its in the laundry, on cars and blankets vegetation in backyard gardens.

Black snow, as the ash is known, flutters down, covering homes in parts of South Florida from October through May each year, as planned burns are carried out in thousands of acres of sugar cane fields to help the crops.

People who live around the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, an area that includes predominantly Black and Latino communities and many living in poverty, have complained for decades about the ash. While nearby sugar companies and farmers insist burnings are tightly regulated by the state, some residents say they stay in their homes with their windows shut in an effort to thwart respiratory illnesses.

Ahead of the current preharvest burn season, Florida State University researchers published a study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, stating that between one and six people die because of health complications brought on by the crop burns each year. The researchers also cite previous work showing that the burns are known to cause asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. Members of Floridas Stop the Burn movement say they hope the study, as well as joining forces with a similar campaign in Louisiana, will bring national attention to their longtime battle and push sugar companies and farmers to consider alternatives to burning.

Efforts to stop the practice of sugar cane burning

According to the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has organized the Stop the Burn campaign, Black and Latino residents in western Palm Beach County, who are surrounded by over 75 percent of the total sugarcane acreage in Florida are more likely to interact with the fallout of the burns.

Burned sugar cane is harvested in Clewiston, Fla., in 2015. (Andrew West / The News-Press / USA Today Network)

Kina Phillips, who joined the Stop the Burn campaign seven years ago, had been working as a patient outreach coordinator for a doctor when, she said, she noticed the impact the sugar cane burning was having on the communitys health.

We had to put more people on breathing machines and write scripts for asthma medication during the burning, she said. We had to call ambulances when they could hardly breathe.

A review of eight years of hospital data in 2021 by the investigative organization ProPublica and the Palm Beach Post newspaper, showed a spike in hospital and emergency room visits for residents of Belle Glade, the largest city in the burn area, during the burning season.

R.D. Williams, CEO of the Hendry Regional Medical Center in Clewiston, Florida, said his centers records show little fluctuation for respiratory complaints month to month, except some variability during flu season, which seems to line up well with harvest season.

Influence of the sugar industry on the region

Farmers burn sugar cane to destroy unneeded leaves so it can be harvested more easily and efficiently. Sugar companies point out that the Florida Forest Service issues permits to farmers for burns and that burnings are carefully monitored by government regulations. The Florida Forest Service did not respond to questions.

Sugar farming is big business in South Florida, employing more than 14,000 people, generating about $800 million in revenues annually, according to Palm Beach County. Environmental activists say the power of Big Sugar makes some people hesitate to criticize the burnings.

Some people say the sugar companies do a lot of good, said Luz Torres, a member of the Stop the Burn Campaign who lives in Pahokee. They are afraid the sugar company will close and they will lose their jobs. Some people tell me, Luz, whats the difference between whats burning in the air and people smoking? I say, I dont choose to have ash falling on me and to breathe in smoke.

The two largest sugar companies in the state, U.S. Sugar. and Florida Crystals have repeatedly stated that they abide by state air quality measures.

U.S. Sugar did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Florida Crystals said the company is committed to safe farming practices. The prescribed burns, the company said, are regulated and permitted on a daily, field-by-field basis by Florida Forest Service as part of the State of Floridas nationally recognized regulatory program. Air-quality monitoring conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and by private air monitors consistently shows that our Glades farming region has some of the best air quality in the State of Florida  better than the state average, year after year.

But there has long been disagreement over how air quality is measured.

Data availability around air quality hinders activists claims

Katherine Pruitt, national senior director of policy at the American Lung Association, said the organization does not support agricultural burning; we believe it has negative health and air impact. But for a community fighting an industry like this, they need more data. Its a challenge when its your story versus mine.

The American Lung Association recently published its State of the Air report and gave Palm Beach County an A for air quality.

Smoke, reportedly from a burning sugar cane field, rises in the background as farm workers and their allies take a break during a five-day march to push for better wages and working conditions on March 14, 2023, in Pahokee, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP file)

We dont collect air quality data ourselves, Pruitt said. We use EPA collected data. We rely on EPA state monitors. In Palm Beach, there are three monitors for the whole county.

There are no monitors in Belle Glade, Pahoke and Clewiston in Hendry County, Palm Beach Countys western neighbor, she added. The EPA monitors do not pick up short-term spikes such as those caused by agriculture burning.

We are not seeing an intensity of exposure in those communities because we cannot capture it if there is not a monitor there, Pruitt said.

While the region passed the State of Air report, she said, the annual particle pollution for Palm Beach County doesnt look too great. It doesnt violate clean air standards, but pollution is on the rise. We know burning things produces these deadly particles, but it can also come from tail pipes.

Globally, prescribed burns are becoming obsolete

In 2015, the Sierra Club officially began its Stop the Burn Campaign, answering the call of residents in the burn region. Patrick Ferguson, Sierra Club senior organizing representative for Florida, has since visited Brazil, which stopped burning sugar cane fields and instead uses equipment that allows farmers to cut the cane. He said they hope to convince Floridas sugar companies to do the same.

David Mitchell, CEO of CROPS Carbon International., was interviewed for this article from Ireland, where he is working with farmers to reduce their environmental impact.

There is an opportunity for farmers to be heroes again, he said. One method he points to is storing refuse from sugar cane deep in the ocean to aid marine ecology.

Mitchell says the cost of transporting the trash to the deep sea is nominal compared to the current path of burning or other alternatives that require expensive equipment.

On the sidelines watching anxiously are independent farmers who have contracts with sugar companies and who say their methods are highly regulated and do not cause harm.

Ardis Hammock has lived on her 105-year-old farm for 47 years. I dont remember a time when there hasnt been an activist group that hasnt been attacking us for some reason, she said.

She owns the farm on the southwest shore of Lake Okeechobee with her husband.

I have sugar cane fields 30 feet outside my house and I dont have any health issues associated with the burn, Hammock said. I raised my two children in this house, and they never had health issues from the burn. As a mom, I would never put my children in harms way I thought was caused by my lifestyle.

Phillips, with the Stop the Burn campaign, said she is also concerned about what she might pass on to the children in her family.

Kina Phillips,Jamal Tillman (Ellis Rua / AP file)

My daughter had a son born during the time of burning, she said. He was a very healthy baby except we noticed when we took him out, he struggled to breathe.

Though her grandson has become better, the family monitors his breathing because he deals with congestion during the burn season.

I grew up here and there were things we were so used to and adapted to  they were not good, Phillips said. But it was normal for all my friends to have asthma, normal for people to have breakouts on their skin and when they went somewhere else, it cleared up. Everybodys parents got disability checks because they had bad asthma. When we went on school field trips, they had inhalers for us. We didnt put thought into what was causing it.

She said she is standing up for her ancestors who couldnt because they were afraid they would lose their sugar company jobs or because they did not have information from health studies.

We cant leave this on the shoulders of our kids. They will have another injustice they will have to fight.
The man accused of killing eight people and injuring seven others at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, over the weekend was armed with eight weapons, all of which were obtained legally, a state official said Tuesday.

Mauricio Garcia, 33, had three weapons on him and five more in his car, said Hank Sibley, the regional administrator for the Texas Department of Public Safety, at a press conference.

The big question that were dealing with right now is whats his motive? Why did he do this? Sibley added. Well, the big question is we dont know. Thats what the investigation is trying to find out.

He confirmed Garcia had neo-Nazi ideation, noting he had patches, tattoos, even his signature verified that.

A law enforcement official had told The Associated Press social media accounts and posts believed to belong to Garcia indicated an interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views. Garcia also reportedly was wearing a patch with an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad, a phrase popular with right-wing extremist groups.

However, Sibley noted the alleged shooter appeared to have targeted the location, rather than a specific group of people.

He was very random in the people he killed, Sibley said. It didnt matter the age, same with race or sex. He just shot people, which is horrific in itself.

Three children were among the eight victims of Saturdays shooting, including two elementary-age sisters and a 3-year-old boy and both his parents.

Garcia was killed shortly after the rampage began by a police officer who had been responding to a separate call at the Allen Premium Outlets.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tony Blair was persuaded by George Bush to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Getty)

Tony Blairs most senior No 10 aide warned that George Bush and his f***ing lunatics in the White House would lead Britain into trouble after he won the presidential election, according to a new book.

The claim is made in the new diaries of former Labour MP Chris Mullin, who was a foreign office minister in Blairs government during the 2003 Iraq war.

Mullin says Mr Blairs Downing St chief of staff Jonathan Powell said after meeting Mr Bushs team, shortly after the 2000 US election: Theyre f***ing lunatics. Who knows what theyll get us into?

EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS MULLIN DIARIES

Chris Mullin, who was a Labour MP for more than 20 years and a minister under Tony Blair, has won plaudits for the first three instalments of his political diaries, described as wickedly indiscreet and a treat to be savoured. The Independent is exclusively serialising the fourth volume here.

The allegation is among a series of revelations in Mullins latest memoirs, Didnt You Use to Be Chris Mullin?, which are being serialised exclusively in The Independent.

Waspish Mullin says Jeremy Corbyn was hopelessly unsuited to the realities of power, derides stupid Labour leader Ed Miliband, and says London mayor Sadiq Khan has no charisma. He accuses Diane Abbott of talking nonsense.

He savages former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown for approving plans for Margaret Thatchers funeral in 2013. It was a huge Tory festival at public expense, says Mullin, describing it as yet another of his many misjudgements.

By contrast, left-winger Mullin says he has changed his mind about former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major, who he says is a much more substantial figure than he was ever given credit for.

Jonathan Powell was top adviser to Tony Blair (Getty)

Mullin claims Labour-supporting filmmaker David Puttnam told him about Mr Powells comment regarding Mr Bushs White House team in 2010.

He says Lord Puttnam, ennobled by Blair, told him that Mr Powell had expressed alarm when speaking to him over breakfast in Londons Claridges Hotel in December 2000 about a meeting he had had with Mr Bushs team after they won the election the previous month.

According to David, almost Jonathans first words were: Theyre f***ing lunatics. Who knows what theyll get us into?

In 2003, Mr Blair joined Mr Bush in declaring war on Iraq, in what was seen by most experts as one of the biggest foreign policy disasters in modern British history.

Chris Mullin was Labour MP for Sunderland South until 2010 (PA)

Mr Blair and Mr Powell have always denied that Britain joined the conflict solely because of pressure from the US.

Mullin portrays Mr Blair as increasingly jet-lagged and haunted by the spectre of Iraq as he travels the world making millions from unsavoury autocrats.

He adds: What is the point of all this frenetic activity? There is something tragic about it.

The first extract of Mullins new book charts the rise of Mr Corbyn, as well as the emergence of Sir Keir Starmer.

It also reveals details of Mullins family life with his Vietnamese-born wife Ngoc and their two daughters. He says he wept when the bedraggled, skeletal family cat Bruce was put down by a vet.

He denounces Tory attempts to portray Mr Khan as a Muslim extremist, but goes on: Despite a great backstory, he [Khan] is entirely lacking in charisma and does not appear to stand for very much.

Nor do Mullins own constituents in the Sunderland South seat he represented until 2010 escape his sharp quill. Remainer Mullin condemns the shameful way they backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.

But he does not spare his own blushes, revealing how he repeatedly wrote in his diary that the UK would not vote in favour of Brexit.


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Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a business session in an annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank at the Songdo Convensia convention center in Incheon, west of Seoul, May 4. Yonhap



Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho will head to Japan later this week to take part in the Group of Seven (G-7) meeting of financial ministers following Tokyo's invitation, his office said Wednesday.



Choo will depart for Japan on Thursday to participate in the three-day G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.



It marks Korea's first participation in the gathering since 2008. Other non-member countries invited to the meeting are India, Brazil, Indonesia, Comoros and Singapore.



The finance minister plans to share his opinion on key global economic issues with participating nations. Choo is also set to hold a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giancarlo Giorgetti.



Japan's invitation of Korea came amid the two countries' recent efforts to normalize their economic ties.



The bilateral relationship soured in 2019 as Japan imposed export curbs against Korea in retaliation against the 2018 Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.



Relations between Korea and Japan began to thaw this year after President Yoon Suk Yeol offered to resolve the forced labor issue by compensating victims on Korea's own without asking for contributions from Japan.



Seoul also put Japan back on its "whitelist" of trusted trading partners in late April. Tokyo also announced that it has launched procedures to reinstate Korea on its own list.



Yoon and Japaneses Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Seoul on Sunday, the second of its kind in less than two months, and marked the resumption of "shuttle diplomacy" between the countries' leaders after a 12-year hiatus. (Yonhap)


YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The installation of the Nemesis monument in Yerevan was discussed between Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan and his Turkish counterpart in Ankara where Simonyan was on a visit for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) meeting, MP Babken Tunyan said on May 10.

Tunyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to PABSEC, said at a press conference that numerous other issues were discussed.

Another Armenian delegate to PABSEC, Gevorg Papoyan, stressed that BSEC is an economic organization but because of conflicts between member states the participants are mostly discussing political affairs.

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan also participated in the session.

Tunyan highlighted that Simonyans visit to Turkey is a significant event. And we hope that it will contribute to the normalization of relations with Turkey despite all the difficult problems and challenges facing us, he said.

Asked by reporters whether or not the Nemesis monument issue was discussed at the meeting, Tunyan said: The issue relating to the Nemesis monument became subject to discussion during the meeting between Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and his Turkish counterpart Mustafa Sentop, where we also participated. The Turkish side said that they dont understand how that monument was opened on the backdrop of the efforts for normalization of relations. Mr. Simonyan answered by saying that if there is the will for normalization of relations, we dont believe that such events could become an obstacle for normalization because thereve been, are, and will perhaps be far more significant obstacles, Tunyan said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Turkey would take action if the monument isnt removed. But Tunyan said that the Turkish side did not communicate such approach to them in Turkey. During the session Tunyan was elected Deputy President of PABSEC.

Nemesis was unveiled in Yerevan on April 25 to honor the participants of Operation Nemesis, a 1920s program of assassinations of Ottoman perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.

In response, Turkey closed its airspace to Armenian flights heading to a third destination and threatened to take further actions if it isnt removed.

On May 9, Yerevan city authorities announced that they have no intention of removing the monument.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not facilitated transfer of patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia since April 29 and is now discussing details pertaining to the format of its work with decision-makers from the parties involved, the ICRC told ARMENPRESS on May 10.

In regards to developments, the International Committee of the Red Cross is discussing with all decision-makers from the parties the details pertaining to the format of our work, ICRC Armenia Communications and Prevention Manager Zara Amatuni said when asked to comment on Nagorno Karabakh ombudsman Gegham Stepanyans tweet that Azerbaijan has been obstructing the ICRCs work ever since it illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor.

Amatuni explained that the process is confidential since it is proceeding in a format of a dialogue. She did not elaborate further on the discussions.

Its about the continuity of our humanitarian work. We hope it will be restored. However, theres some need for clarification, and now this process is taking place. During this period we are factually not implementing transfers because we must have clarity regarding several details with all parties involved, Amatuni said.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia, is on a two-day visit to the Republic of Croatia. She is participating in the "Summit of Spouses of European Leaders".

On May 9, at the invitation of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Anna Hakobyan participated in the welcoming dinner served in honor of the high-ranking guests who arrived in the country, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Anna Hakobyan.

First ladies and gentlemen from around 10 countries attended the dinner. Together with Anna Hakobyan, Queen Letizia of Spain, Mrs. Linda Rama, wife of the Prime Minister of Albania, Mrs. Aigul Zhaparova, wife of the President of Kyrgyzstan, First Lady of Latvia Andra Levite, Mrs. Lydia Abela, wife of the Prime Minister of Malta, Husband of the President of Hungary Istvan Veres, Husband of the President of Slovenia Ales Musar, First Lady of Serbia Tamara ukanovic, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the World Health Organization and other senior officials attended the dinner.

During the dinner, Prime Minister's wife Anna Hakobyan had a series of short conversations with those present.

On the second day of her visit to the Republic of Croatia, Prime Minister's wife Anna Hakobyan participated in the "Summit of Spouses of European Leaders".

After the portrait ceremony, the summit started with the participation of Armenian Prime Ministers wife Anna Hakobyan, Croatia's First Lady Sanja Milanovic, Queen Letizia of Spain and spouses of more than a dozen countries' leaders.

One of the topics of discussion was the issue of preventing and combating childhood obesity, during which first ladies of different countries made statements, presenting their country's experience, innovative solutions and established priorities.

The participants of the discussion noted that every third school-aged child in the European region has a tendency to obesity. They noted that obesity, especially at an early age, is a challenge for all countries, and the fight against it is possible only with joint efforts.

During the discussion, Armenian Prime Ministers wife Anna Hakobyan gave a brief speech.

"I must honestly say that this topic was not in the center of my attention, perhaps for objective reasons, due to such important issues as the war, the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. There are many children in Nagorno-Karabakh who have problems with access to food. But I attach great importance to this topic, thank you for the invitation to be here. The government of the Republic of Armenia is making efforts to prevent the problems discussed here, from now on the issue will be in the center of my attention as well. We have to fight against the problem in the early stage, so that it doesn't get more complicated later," said Mrs. Hakobyan.

At the end of the discussion, the Zagreb Declaration was adopted, according to which the representatives of the countries participating in the summit declare and accept the need for joint work in the fight against childhood obesity, undertake to provide the necessary environment for healthy food and physical activity for children.

A cultural visit to the Croatian National Theater, as well as vocal and ballet performances, were also organized for the first ladies who arrived in Zagreb.
Choi Eung-chon, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks during a press conference held at the Westin Josun hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Kwak Yeon-soo



The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it will closely monitor visitor counts after the government introduced free entry to 65 Buddhist temples nationwide.



Having an entry charge for Buddhist temples has been a contentious issue for over six decades, as even hikers who had to simply pass through the temples to enter mountain areas had to pay fees, ranging from 1,000 won ($0.70) to 5,000 won per person.



The government recently revised the Cultural Heritage Protection Act to provide financial support in order to allow free admission to temples affiliated with the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The revised act requires the government to fund free entry at Buddhist temples receiving its support. A total of 42.1 billion won was allocated this year, according to the CHA.



"We haven't received any additional requests from the Jogye Order to increase the government funding to make up for the admission fees. We think the free entry to Buddhist temples will result in a more diverse range of visitors and ensure better access to our cultural heritage," CHA Administrator Choi Eung-chon said during a press conference held at the Westin Josun hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.



"Since the free admissions are financed by the government, we will keep track of the number of visitors and make sure taxes are not overused."



The CHA will continue its Visit Korean Heritage campaign this year in a move to attract international tourists and promote Korea's cultural heritage.



"As Korean culture continues to attract enthusiasts from around the world, we will continue our efforts to promote aspects of our cultural heritage that are lesser-known and share their value with people around the globe," Choi said.



"This year we will hold promotional events in Tokyo (in May), Los Angeles (in August) and London (in November) to raise awareness of our cultural heritage. We plan to hold K-pop concerts, introduce Korean royal desserts and exhibit media art."



Co-organized by the CHA and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, this year's campaign will feature 10 routes centered on UNESCO World Heritage sites and Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in the country.



Actress Kim Min-ha, who shot to fame with her role in the Apple TV+ series "Pachinko," will serve as the campaign's PR ambassador for the second consecutive year. Filmmaker Kim Tae-yong, known for his 2011 film "Late Autumn," will produce a video to promote the Folk Music Route.


With a thousand fires burning now, Pakistan is also on the brink of a total economic collapse

For decades Pakistan has been in the news of all the wrong reasons, but now it may be inexorably sliding towards anarchy. A nation doesnt always need external enemies to propel its decay; internal contradictions due to political animosities, unabating corruption and polarisation, along with gross misgovernance, can cause greater damage to a nations stability and well-being.

The nations institutions have to be provided the environment in which they can fulfil their legally-mandated responsibilities, without fear or favour in a democracy, else harm will surely befall a nation.

The events after former Pakistan PM Imran Khans dramatic arrest on grounds of alleged corruption at the Islamabad high court on Tuesday have led to an unprecedented breakdown in Pakistans law and order situation and its internal stability, never ever seen since the countrys volatile birth in August 1947. The controversial arrest of a former PM by the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary force, and the way in which it was conducted, bereft of any civility or discipline, did not show Pakistan in a good light. The Rangers broke window glass panes to enter the portals of the high court, physically manhandled and injured Imrans legal team and then whisked away the former PM in a rather rough manner to a waiting van. Imran Khan is now reportedly in Rawalpindi, with rumours floating that he will be taken to Balochistan shortly for another trial. Of course, Imran has denied all the corruption charges against him and has openly criticised the Army for its conduct towards him. That Imran was once the Pakistan Armys poster boy and got PMs chair with its support is another story.

After Imrans arrest, lakhs of supporters from his Pakistans Tehreek-e-Insaaf party have run berserk and attacked many of Pakistans cherished institutions, like the Armys General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Mianwali airbase, where they torched a Pakistan Air Force J-6 aircraft of Chinese origin. The fiery protesters even completely vandalised the ornate bungalow of the 4 Corps commander in Lahore, while the corps commanders house in Peshawar was also attacked. The violent protests spread like wildfire across Pakistan, with the PTI declaring that if Imran was not released swiftly, Pakistan will be totally in flames.

Some reports indicated that perhaps the Pakistan Army was caught unprepared at the scale and speed of the public reaction. Some also feel that the lower ranks in the Army did not go all out to quell the public protests, perhaps indicating fissures within the Army itself. If so, such differences in the Armys rank and file may have serious repercussions for the militarys internal discipline and thus its operational capabilities in the near future.

With a thousand fires burning now, Pakistan is also on the brink of a total economic collapse. Millions of hapless Pakistanis were on the verge of starvation even during the past holy month of Ramzan. Despite this, the nations polity remains hopelessly divided, with the Sharif family and the Bhuttos on one side, pitted against the increasingly popular PTI led by Imran Khan. One of Pak PM Shehbaz Sharifs favourites, home minister Rana Sanaullah, has said there are 140 cases against Imran! In addition, the PTI wants early elections while the current Shehbaz Sharif government wants it in October this year, by when it hopes to politically finish Imran Khan.

The former PM has openly accused the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Army plotting to murder him, which to many observers is not a far-fetched possibility. Pakistans troubled political history and the many assassinations it has endured remains a poignant pointer of its dubious record. Meanwhile, it appears that Imran Khans clarion call of a jihad for freedom has found some resonance among his supporters, whose numbers are swelling.

It should be noted that over the past few decades, the Pakistani Army, the most powerful entity in the country, has perfected the art of ruling the roost without staging a coup. It selects its favourite politician and the political party which will remain loyal to it and assists them to get into power. The Army also ensures that Pakistans judiciary too keeps within bounds and does not venture into too many legal truths. On occasions, the Pakistan justice system has delivered some courageous verdicts. A sham democracy also keeps the United States and the West in good humour!

The next few days will spell out how the situation crystallises in Pakistan. If the current widespread agitations across Pakistan do not subside, then not just for Pakistan but for India and the wider region the warning bells will have ominous tidings. Pakistan is after all a nuclear-armed state, so its stability is vital for the region. Internally, the Pakistani public will have to find ways and means to restrain the unlimited powers of their Deep State -- the unholy trinity of the Pakistan Army, its intelligence agencies and the many terror tanzeems it shelters. Or else it will be business as usual!

A fully functional and stable democracy in Pakistan requires a solid, incorruptible and selfless political leadership, with the all-powerful Pakistan Army back to the barracks. This now seems to be a remote possibility. If the situation does not cool down somewhat, the inevitable will result: the Pakistan Army suspending the Constitution and taking over power again officially. This, however, does not augur well for either Pakistan or the region as a whole. Also, sooner or later, a peoples revolution may be one of the scenarios Pakistan that may encounter. The next 24-48 hours remain crucial to underwrite Pakistans destiny.
It is Indias permanent dilemma that complacency about foreign policy alternatives leads to a fatal complacency about defence

History repeats itself. The expectations and disappointments of India- United States relations in the past century seem destined to be repeated as Narendra Modi and Joe Biden, both seemingly oblivious of the past, go through the steps that Jawaharlal Nehru and American leaders from Franklin D. Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy took. Yet, many Indians are cock-a-hoop that Mr Bidens plan to visit in September, following other G-20 and Quad meetings, not only reinforces Atal Behari Vajpayees natural allies theory, but also marks the triumph of Mr Modis diplomacy.

It is Indias permanent dilemma that complacency about foreign policy alternatives leads to a fatal complacency about defence. How much of Indias huge military budget is productively spent is anybodys guess, but the public statements of our leaders do not indicate any realistic view of how to cope with the economic, diplomatic and military challenges presented by China. Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary, had accused Dr Manmohan Singh of trying to make India the new Pakistan when he moved closer to then US President George W. Bush to facilitate the civil nuclear deal. Todays more appropriate analogy is with the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the former dictator, who warns of the complicated geopolitical situation in which the two countries must negotiate. He should know, having recently hosted Chinas foreign minister Qin Gang in Manila, and been Mr Bidens guest in Washington.

What Mr Biden told Mr Marcos Jr he could well have said to Mr Modi as well. We are facing new challenges he said, referring to the deepening Sino-US rivalry, and I couldnt think of a better partner to have than you. The compliment was backed by a promise to transfer three C-130 aircraft and two coastal patrol vessels to the Philippines. Then followed ground rules for enhanced intelligence-sharing in the face of common threats and challenges and jointly countering Beijings activities in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. China claims almost all of the resource-rich region through which about $3 trillion worth of maritime merchandise passes annually.

The Philippines is not alone in opposing Chinas attempt to control this strategic area. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam also have territorial claims there. In some ways, the situation resembles the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, where the current Chinese action invokes memories of the ancient Silk Routes global trade, and where China and Pakistan both vigorously contest Indias position.

It may not have been entirely a coincidence that Mr Qin visited Manila as the Philippines and the US were holding their annual military exercise named Balikatan involving 17,600 military personnel. Chinas foreign minister must have noted that the Filipinos and Americans have now named four new bases in the Philippines to which US troops will have access and updated their 1951 mutual defence treaty.

That treaty belongs to the Cold War era to which a war-torn world that squanders $2.24 trillion on arms and armaments, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, is being dragged back. What is most shameful is that a poverty-stricken country like India that cannot feed, clothe, house and educate all its people should be among the five nations (with the US, China, Britain and Russia) that account for 62 per cent of this dangerously wasted expenditure. Indifferent to the ethical and humanitarian aspects of this conundrum, Beijing fears that the Philippines and the two main US allies in the region, Japan and South Korea, might be drawn into disputes over Taiwan as the US extends its influence in what China considers its backyard.

Beijing is similarly suspicious of the Quadrilateral Initiative, or Quad, involving the United States, India, Japan and Australia, and now with Australia being armed with nuclear submarines. Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, identifies Quad membership with leadership roles that bring the regions countries closer together. China sees the Quad as a provocative Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

This US activism in Southeast Asia is matched by attempts to push the belief that treating India as a potential superpower and a key partner in what is now flatteringly called the Indo-Pacific region will strengthen its own global leadership. This assumption goes hand in hand with the conviction that American supremacy will promote freedom, strengthen democracy and enhance free trade.

The underlying supposition is that initiatives to facilitate Indias access to cutting-edge technology and the acquisition of sophisticated defence equipment will not only give India an edge over China but make her a more democratic nation in the political sense in which the American neo-con school interprets democracy.

Nothing seems to affect this colossal blind spot among US policymakers who are immune to the lessons of Nicaraguas prolonged dictatorship under a US protege or the examples of assorted Asian autocrats like South Koreas Syngman Rhee, the senior Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and his outrageously extravagant wife, Imelda, who eventually had to flee the wrath of the Filipino population, the Shah of Iran, erstwhile South Vietnams Diem family or a succession of Pakistani generals. Uncle Sams benediction turned out to be the kiss of death for the strongest of Asias strongmen.

This alone may not have boded ruin if India had a viable strategy in place for dealing with Chinas rise. There is little evidence of any serious thinking on the subject as India flounders from one under-reported border crisis to another and our political leaders continue to confuse a loyal public with contradictory claims and obvious dissimulation.

The confusion takes one back to 1962 and official denials of Jawaharlal Nehrus desperate appeals for help. The US was still such a political untouchable that he was mortified at the publicity that the American media gave to Operation Shiksha, a defence exercise involving British, Canadian, Australian but mainly American aircraft, equipment and personnel. Air Marshal Aspy Merwan Engineer, who was waiting on the runway at Palam in 1963 with ambassador Chester Bowles to receive a squadron of 18 American F-100s, rejected the mike, flatly refusing to utter a word of welcome for the visiting instructors and airmen. They had to be content with tea and sandwiches.

Waffling about diplomatic initiatives may sometimes be understandable. But no electorate can forgive todays government if it is found to be waffling over defence in Ladakh or anywhere along the border.
Today's headlines: Kazakh President Tokaev will also be present at the 9 May parade in Moscow; Voting for the Assembly in the southern Indian state of Karnataka began today; Among the new Papal Swiss Guards there is also a man of Filipino origin; The Asean summit calls for an end to hostilities in Myanmar.

AFGHANISTAN - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The United Arab Emirates holding company GAAC has signed a third contract with the Taliban to operate three major airports in Afghanistan. After the withdrawal of international forces two years ago, many international flights were suspended: now GAAC has announced that it has invested USD 641,000 and that the airports in Kabul, Kandahar and Herat are operational again.

INDIA

Voting for the Karnataka Assembly began this morning at 7am. The votes will be counted on Saturday. While the Bharatiya Janata Pary, from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails, is struggling to hold on to the only southern state in which it is in power, the Congress party hopes that Karnataka will maintain the tradition of eliminating the incumbent party at the polls since 1985.

ASEAN

Leaders of Southeast Asian nations, meeting today for an ASEAN summit, called for an immediate end to hostilities in Myanmar in a bid to create a window of dialogue to bring in humanitarian aid. Civil war has been raging in the country since 1 February 2021, but so far Asean's actions have proved ineffective.

VATICAN - PHILIPPINES

On Saturday, 6 May, the Pontifical Swiss Guard welcomed 23 new recruits, including a Filipino by the name of Sebastian Esai Eco Eviota. Born in Davao City in 1998, he moved to Switzerland in 2009 with his older sister on a family reunion visa. The pope urged the new recruits to make "good use" of their time serving in the Vatican to deepen and put into practice their Catholic faith.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

The Israeli army killed two Palestinians in the West Bank a day after firing rockets into the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the men killed as Ahmad Jamal Assaf, 19, and Warani Walid Qatanat, 24. "During the assault, soldiers opened fire at a car, killing two people and wounding a third," WAFA news agency reported.

RUSSIA - KAZAKHSTAN

The presence in the parade stands in Moscow of Kazakh President Tokaev, who had officially announced that he would remain in Astana on 9 May, only to change his plans later. For many commentators, the Central Asian countries do not want to leave Russia in total isolation, lest they lose the economic benefits of past dependencies and the current circumvention of sanctions.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

A further reason for conflict between Baku and Yerevan is the 11.5-year prison sentence to one of the Azerbaijani soldiers apprehended on 13 April on Armenian territory on murder charges. The foreign ministry of Azerbaijan appealed to all international organisations to respect the conventions on prisoners of war.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Child protection agencies target another Christian welfare institution, the St Francis Orphanage in Sagar. Founded more than 150 years ago, it serves orphaned and special needs kids. During the raid, its church was desecrated, documents destroyed and mobile phones and computers seized. For the past three years, orphanage administrators have been trying to renew their licence to operate. Court orders upholding the status quo have been ignored.

Shampura (AsiaNews)  In Madhya Pradesh attacks against the Catholic Church continue. Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur was hit with fraud charges last month, while the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) have stepped up their inspections of Catholic child welfare facilities.

The latest one to be targeted is the St Francis Orphanage, Shampura (Sagar district), which has worked with orphaned and special needs children for over 150 years.

On Monday, child protection officials and police officers raided the compound, said Father Sabu Puthenpurackal speaking to AsiaNews.

During their search, they desecrated the church, beat up and arrested two priests (who were later released on bail), destroyed computers, and ransacked the adjoining convent.

The authorities' assault on the orphanage, which took place without any reason or prior warning, came the day before a hearing was set to take place before the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on the orphanages request to renew its licence to operate.

For the past three years, the renewal application has been pending. Since it was made, the applicants have not received any response even though Church leaders have made repeated requests.

Despite repeatedly communicating with the concerned departments enquiring about the delays in granting the renewal, no response has been forthcoming, Fr Puthenpurackal said.

Meanwhile, false and baseless accusations" pile up.

State authorities tried to take the children a first time in December 2021. In court, "we petitioned" against it and the ruling was in our favour, the clergyman noted.

The status quo was maintained. A new hearing was scheduled yesterday, but the day before NCPCR President Priyank Kanoongo and some CWC officials came to the orphanage with police and began to "inspect the site, illegally seizing documents" without any warrant.

Ignoring prior court rulings, "they ransacked the premises, destroyed files and computers, seized documents, mobile phones and PCs, searched the rooms and desecrated the altar of the church," Fr Puthenpurackal lamented.

When the priests resisted, they first beat them, then arrested them. For the clergyman, what the authorities did was "illegal and outrageous".
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By Ko Dong-hwan





With less than a month remaining until the deadline for applications for the Seoul Smart City Prize, the city government is continuing to promote the international award, which acknowledges the self-improvement and innovation of human-centered candidate cities.



According to the Digital Policy Bureau under the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, applications for the award will continue until the end of this month. The authority started registering candidates in March. The assessment of candidates and the selection of winners is due by the end of July. The invitation, celebration and presentation of winners will take place at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in downtown Seoul in September.



The award plans to acknowledge six winners from the "Project" category, two from "Leadership" and three from the "Special" category.



In the country's first international smart city award, the city government, together with the co-organizer WeGO, is looking for local government, business entities or organizations that have improved the quality of living for its constituting members in the most innovative ways using digital technology.



WeGO, a Seoul-based smart city-promoting agency, under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, told The Korea Times that the award is not about competition among candidates and crowning victors with the highest points. But rather, it is about recognizing a candidate's self-improvement to the point members of the candidature city or entity thrive with a higher quality of living than before.





A multi-function street pole known as Smart Pole, one of six in Seoul, is installed in the city's eastern district of Jungnang. Not only does it perform the basic functions of controlling traffic lights, street lights, security video cameras and emergency security lights, but is also capable of other smart functions using ICT technologies related to public WiFi, smart security video surveillance, autonomous driving and drones. The pole is equipped with LED lights, cooperative-intelligent transport system (C-ITS), IoT sensors, electricity chargers and S-Net, a city-wide communication network. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Top Industry Speakers Share Insight During Southeast Collision Conference in Virginia

Written by Stacey Phillips, Autobody News

Published May 10, 2023

At the second annual Southeast Collision Conference in April, collision repair professionals had the opportunity to participate in various educational sessions, attend a tradeshow with more than 50 exhibitors showcasing their products and services, and network with industry peers.

The two-day event in Doswell, VA, was hosted by the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) and the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA). A membership awards dinner was held the evening before the show celebrating those who work in the industry.

See more photos of the show here.

Jordan Hendler, executive director of WMABA, and Josh Kent, executive director of CCA, planned the event for the industry to gather and learn about topical issues impacting the industry and how to address them. For many attendees, it was the first time they attended an industry tradeshow and multi-session event.

The conference went beyond our expectations, said Hendler. Bringing the regional industry together, as well as many from across the country, to take part in the educational opportunities and tradeshow was a win for all those who made the effort to come.

Jordan Hendler, left, executive director of WMABA, and Josh Kent, right, executive director of CCA.

The highlights for me included the awards dinner, where we had the opportunity to celebrate the men and women who make the magic happen in the shop, said Kent. I also enjoyed seeing new faces walking around the tradeshow floor and the fact that our people from the Carolinas showed up and participated.

During the show, KECO Body Repair Products had the unexpected opportunity to showcase the benefits of glue pull repair (GPR) on a Lucid Motors EV door dent that was noticed while on display.

Danny Hacker, technical sales representative and master GPR trainer at KECO, used the companys L2E system to repair the dent in front of show attendees at their booth.

Hacker was able to effectively demonstrate the advantages and effectiveness of GPR techniques on EVs with no need to power down the Lucid, said Chris White, president of KECO.

White said as the industry continues to evolve, KECO Body Repair Products remains dedicated to providing the least invasive collision repair method to increase efficiency and effectiveness. By attending events such as the Southeast Collision Conference, KECO can connect with technicians, listen to their feedback and ensure the innovations never stop, he added.

Throughout the event, classes were held as part of the Collision Professional Repairer Education Program (P.R.E.P.) and taught by nationally recognized speakers.

Mike Anderson kicked off the sessions with his class "Be Extraordinary!" More than 200 attendees showed up hours before the doors opened to hear Anderson talk about what it takes to stand out above the crowd.

John Shoemaker, business development manager for BASF Automotive Refinishes NA, shared information about properly identifying labor types and rates.

There was a time when a vehicle repair consisted of 70% body labor, 20% mechanical labor and 10% frame, said Shoemaker. The evolution of vehicle design has dictated a change in that ratio, but collision centers are still accounting for labor as if nothing has changed.

He stressed the importance of assigning technicians to repairs based on their skill set, whether non-structural, structural, mechanical, electrical/diagnostic or refinish. When steps are taken to do this, he said a repair on a modern vehicle often has a ratio closer to 20% body, 60% structural and 20% mechanical, not including ADAS calibrations.

Knowing that labor sales are the primary profit center of a collision center, explaining that labor rates should be based on the costs to perform the labor and identifying specific labor skill set will allow collision centers to maintain profitability as vehicle design and repair requirements continue to evolve, he noted.

Frank Terlep, VP ADAS services for Opus IVS, said there will be nearly 100 million ADAS-equipped vehicles on North Americas roads in 2023 and more than 4.2 million will need some type of ADAS services or calibration. During his presentation, Terlep discussed the opportunities, challenges, sales, marketing and operational requirements to open and operate a successful and profitable ADAS service and calibration business or division.

If you want to operate an efficient and profitable business, you need to standardize and automate as many workflows and processes as possible, reducing paperwork while increasing and improving your organizations documentation, documentation sharing and communications, said Terlep.

In a joint presentation by Danny Gredinberg, website administrator of the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG), and Scott Ayers, Blueprint Optimization Tool (BOT) project development manager for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), the speakers talked about repair planning resources for shops and how to Write Your Strongest Sheet. Gredinberg and Ayers highlighted free resources to maximize repairs and discussed how SCRSs Blueprint Optimization Tool (BOT) can help capture missing dollars and support charges with information from the DEG.

The biggest takeaway using the resources is that DEG is free and BOT is inexpensive, said Gredinberg. There is no reason that with two critical resources, we are still missing necessary/required operations that can also be supported by p pages/not included operations, as well as an ability to question the labor time if it doesnt make sense.
It was March 25 when a shadowy silhouette waiting at dawn or dusk on top of a hill for the official introduction was shown to the world  and all mid-size pickup truck hell broke loose following that. Since then, every passing week brought us a ' Taco Tuesday ' hint towards what is going on with the 2024 model year  and we are up to the point where we are eagerly wondering about what is left for the official presentation on May 19.After all, we already know the latest iteration will get a flagship i-Force Max hybrid powertrain for the TRD Pro models, for example. It will also get hearts pumping hard and blood racing fast for outdoor adventurers, as Toyota also confirmed the addition of the off-road and overlanding-focused Trailhunter trim to the family. Hey, even those who only have music in their ears might have something to look forward to  the arrival of the JBL Flex portable speaker as standard or optional equipment with the 2024 model year Tacoma.Back to the TRD Pro models, Toyota has spared no expense, with hints of rear-wheel disc brakes, Fox QS3 adjustable shocks, and crimson touches on the coilovers. And think of it  this was only in the real world. Of course, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators also went berserk trying to envision the looks and feel of the 2024 Tacoma, even showcasing all cab and bed sizes ahead of Toyota's own teaser with the manual transmission and the Tacoma Access Cab body style.Now, though, just as we prepare to welcome the new generation into the fold, the good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have imagined the CGI looks of an unofficial round-up of all of their digital impersonations. Of course, they went through all of the resident pixel master's virtual ideas about the 2024 Tacoma and also produced one last hypothetical presentation of the TRD Pro model jumping its heart out of a bushy trail! So, is that CGI (along with the unofficial color presentation reel) better than Toyota's leaked 2024 Tacoma doing a nice drift in the dirt, or not?Well, it better be since the best-selling mid-size pickup truck nameplate is getting into serious competition  the D41 Nissan Frontier is now also a standalone model exclusive to North America. At the same time, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon siblings are fresher than a midsummer night's dream. And, to top everything up, the Japanese automaker also strained this teaser campaign up to the point of allowing Ford to present the 2024 Ranger competitor a few days prior to Tacoma's official arrival!
Muddying up? Seems like yall were stuck to me. For about 2 hours possibly. And left this farmers field a disaster. pic.twitter.com/uvzwriM61o  Stephanie (@stephfischer13) May 10, 2023

On Tuesday, Tesla broke ground on its first US lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. The facility is expected to process 50 GWh of battery materials, enough to produce 1 million electric vehicles annually. The ceremony was hijacked by the Tesla Cybertruck that Elon Musk drove to get to the site, thanks to its custom setup. The truck featured a rack supporting several strangely looking shovels, immediately named "cyber-shovels."It was the first time Tesla showed off an accessory made for the Cybertruck. Tesla executives confirmed earlier that they tasked an in-house team to develop new accessories for the electric pickup . Still, until now, we've only seen renderings and not the actual stuff. Sadly, it's unlikely that Tesla will produce the rack (or the cyber-shovels), but it was nice to see the effort put into this, even for a one-off.Musk arriving in the Cybertruck made quite an impression, but it still doesn't compare to what followed. Soon after the ceremony ended, a Texan woman going through the area caught the Cybertruck on camera in an embarrassing situation. Allegedly, the truck remained stuck in the mud in a crop field nearby. As you can see in the video below, the images are unclear, and the video is shaky, supposedly because of the rough terrain. The video set the internet on fire, though, with Tesla fans fighting to clear Cybertruck's reputation.The video shows the Cybertruck deep into the mud and several people moving around it, looking preoccupied. Stephanie Fischer, who shot the video, returned to the scene and discovered the marks left in the mud after the vehicles left. Judging by the pictures (see the gallery), any car would've remained stuck in that situation, especially a heavy electric truck equipped with road tires. Ultimately, it's also the driver's fault when this happens. Still, this didn't stop some people from blaming Cybertruck's shortcomings for the situation.Tesla and Elon Musk said that the Cybertruck should be able to handle rough terrain just like any other truck. Not only that, but Musk tweeted in 2020 that the Cybertruck will have increased air suspension travel for better off-roading and said it wants to "kick butt in Baja." Still, we don't think the truck could handle soft muddy terrain without preparation, and that should at least include proper mud tires.As for who was driving the truck when it got stuck in the mud, the images are too blurry to tell. Still, a Twitter post shared by Tesla's Senior VP Drew Baglino might offer a clue. He confessed to having fun "muddying up Cyber after Tesla Lithium groundbreaking." Stephanie still had the last words, as you can see below.
VTOL

This family of small military drones is incredibly diverse. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, they launch and land in a variety of ways, and are used for all sorts of imaginable tasks.Generally speaking though, once a drone was built a certain way (like say as a fixed-wing aircraft or a), you can't easily change the way the machine departs for a mission or comes back from it. Well, scratch that, as American defense contractor AeroVironment just came up with a way to do that in minutes and with a minimum of effort. Enter the VTOL kit for the Puma family of drones.For the record, the Pumas are fixed-winged aircraft that are launched by hand, and need a bit of distance to climb and land. They are used for surveillance and intelligence gathering, and the range of just 37 miles (60 km) means they are generally right there in the heat of battle. Meaning in places where horizontal launches and landings are not always possible or advised.And that's what the new VTOL kit is here to change. Without major modifications to the drone's base design, with no need for additional tools, the kit can transform the Pumas into full-blown vertical take-off and landing machines.More to the point, the kit comprises two boom assemblies that go over the wings. Four propellers snap into place, two on each wing, to provide lift with no need for the drone to be tossed into the air.Once airborne, the operator can switch the system off and make the transition to forward (or backward, as these things can do that too) flight. The kit itself has enough juice to be used for up to 1.5 hours, and can receive and respond to commands sent from as far as 37 miles (60 km) away.The system has been designed to work with both the Puma 2 AE and Puma 3 AE drones. It's already being offered by AeroVironment as an add-on option for the new pieces of hardware delivered to the military, but it can also be installed as a retrofit kit for the drones already in use.Pricing is, of course, a confidential matter, but sales of this kit should represent a major boost for the company, already the largest supplier of drones for the American military: some 20,000 of its machines are presently in use.
EV

Giga Texas achieves production of 5k Model Y/week pic.twitter.com/WwZrv3CYae  Tesla (@Tesla) May 9, 2023

Although many think Tesla is fighting a demand problem and doesn't need additional production capacity, themaker is still ramping up production at Giga Berlin and Giga Texas. Both factories were once deemed "money furnaces" by Elon Musk, and they need higher production figures to offset fixed costs and become profitable. This is why Tesla would rather lower production at Giga Shanghai and its factory in Fremont than slow down the rhythm in Texas and Germany. After all, both gigafactories benefit from improving production processes, making them more efficient.Usually, Tesla considers a 250,000 annual production the threshold of mass production, translating into a weekly production rate of 5,000 units. That's why this is an important milestone for new gigafactories. Giga Berlin achieved it on March 25, despite having a slower start. Environmental organizations and the famous German bureaucracy pushed back Giga Berlin's opening and have constantly hindered Tesla operations. Six weeks after the Giga Berlin staff popped the champagne, people in Austin reached the same milestone.Giga Texas passed the 4,000-unit weekly production mark only a month ago, so the ramp-up is quite impressive. Giga Texas is currently producing the Tesla Model Y in two flavors, one with single-piece rear megacastings and 2170-cell battery packs and the other featuring the 4680-cell structural battery packs. This might be why Giga Texas is a little behind Giga Berlin, as the 4680-cell production had its own problems.Tesla Model Y was the third most sold car in the world in 2022 and is on track to becoming the sales champion in 2023. The electric crossover accounts for almost all Tesla sales, with the Model 3 in the second position. The Model Y is currently in production at all of Tesla's factories. In contrast, the Model 3 is not assembled at the newest factories in Berlin and Austin. The main reason is that both gigafactories are expected to launch a new Tesla model in production.For Giga Texas, this will be the Cybertruck. If everything goes as planned, Tesla will also start the Cybertruck production later this year, adding to the Model Y production numbers. Elon Musk announced a delivery event in the third quarter, so the trial production should not be too far. Giga Berlin is expected to add production of the next-generation compact EV that will first launch from Giga Mexico in 2025. The compact EV should be highly popular in Europe, especially as the Continent announced phasing out combustion vehicles by 2035.With four car factories across three continents, Tesla has an estimated run rate of over 2 million vehicles per year. This is enough to surpass the 2023 guidance of 1.8-2.0 million cars and set the stage for future growth. The only challenge is keeping those orders coming, but Tesla has a lot of wiggle room.
Photo: Guillaume Plisson for Superyacht Times

Photo: Guillaume Plisson for Superyacht Times

Photo: Guillaume Plisson for Superyacht Times

Photo: Guillaume Plisson for Superyacht Times

Back when superyacht explorers weren't yet the trendiest, hottest multi-millionaire floating toys for experienced adventurers, wannabe seafarers, and millionaires looking to show off, Luna came to slay  and pave the way for all the rest. Today, MY Luna is a shadow of its former self after years of abandonment and neglect, telling a story as woeful as it's impressive.Motor Yacht Luna, or Luna for short, is one of the most famous, iconic, and instantly-recognizable vessels in its class , a record-setting leisure watercraft that marked a lot of industry firsts and set a new standard for every other superyacht to follow. At 114 meters (374 feet) and a reported cost between $325 million and $550 million, it's also among the world's largest and most expensive  which only makes its downfall all the more sadder.Luna was delivered in 2010 to none other than Russian billionaire turned sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich. Always the man with very specific tastes, he'd asked for a tough but elegant superyacht with far-reaching capabilities and enhanced safety, and Lloyd Werft built it for him. With a design by NewCruise based on a naval platform from Lloyd Werft and interiors by Donald Starkey, Luna was designed as the more elegant and more luxurious version of predecessor Le Grand Bleu.At the time of its delivery , Luna featured the world's largest pool ever built on a yacht and stood out for its oversize aft deck that sacrificed unprecedented amounts of interior space for sun-worshipping. Even then, it was revolutionary both in terms of size and the level of luxury onboard, featuring diesel-electric propulsion for maximum efficiency and performance, a packed garage, and private spaces that no one was allowed to even glimpse until many years later.Powered by twin engines, Luna could cruise at 19 knots (22 mph/35 kph) and max out at 22 (25.3 mph/40.7 kph), and its shallow draft allowed it to sail into waters where similarly-sized yachts couldn't. Accommodation onboard was for 19 guests across eight spacious suites, including the owner's suite situated on a private deck, and 49 crew.Amenities ranged from a private screening room and spectacular sauna to a hospital unit, a dynamic swimmer recovery system, and two large helipads, while security measures included bulletproof glass on the windows, anti-drone system, diver sonar sensors, and even an anti-missile detection system. Abramovich was a man of peculiar tastes , alright, and he'd built this superyacht accordingly.Luna was then the largest private superyacht explorer in the world and has only dropped one position since. It was also among the first vessels of this kind before just about every multi-millionaire with certain adventurous pretensions started commissioning one. It was, in short, a trendsetter in every way.Luna is also one of the most controversial superyachts today, with the strangest history of all. It didn't get to do much exploring under Abramovich's ownership before he either sold it or gifted it to good friend and business associate Farkhad Akhmedov, an Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire looking for a family vessel. After one season in the Mediterranean, Akhmedov sent Luna in for a refit in 2015, just one year after purchase.It would be completed 16 months later and, to the tune of over $50 million, became the most expensive refit undertaken to that date. Luna was born to set and break records, though they didn't do much good for it in the end.When it came out of the yard again, Luna was still recognizable but completely overhauled. This was the only time that members of the press were allowed on board, and a look inside the vessel was possible. Everything from the tiles in the pool to the velvet on the chairs and the exterior paint (now called Luna Blue) had been changed, but the original styling was still noticeable. New modified stabilizers were installed, a beach club was added under the aft deck, and even the tenders were refitted. Luna was still Luna, but somehow brand new, shinier, and more luxurious than before.Just a short while later, the bloom was off the rose for Akhmedov and his soon-to-be-ex-wife Tatyana Akhmedova, as they became locked in a bitter divorce dispute with Luna caught in the crossfire. Since the Akhmedovs had been living in the UK for some time, their divorce played out in the British divorce court, culminating with a 2018 decision to award Tatyana 453 million (approximately $572 million at the current exchange rate) as settlement. She asked for Luna instead.Akhmedov hid the superyacht in Dubai, where it would remain for the next three years, while he fought Tatyana in court and eventually got her to settle for cash instead. In 2021, he ordered Luna back to Germany for another refit required by the extended stay in the dock without proper maintenance. Even this victory would prove short-lived: Akhmedov would be included on the sanctions list in early 2022, as Russia launched an all-out war against Ukraine and third-party countries embraced sanctions as a way of showing support for the Ukrainian people.In May 2022, Luna was seized in Germany at the Blohm + Voss yard, and it's been frozen there since. On May 2, 2023, members of the German police boarded Luna to conduct a raid looking for hidden valuables. Akhmedov stands accused of fraud, and authorities believe he may have undeclared assets onboard, mostly art objects. No word yet on whether they found anything aside from the artworks Luna already had as part of its finishes, but the arrest and subsequent raid mark a sad  and hopefully not final  chapter in the story of one of the world's most impressive explorers
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Before anything, it should be noted that a five-door hatch is also in the works. Come 2024, the Aceman will join the lineup in the form of an electric-only vehicle. It slots right between the Cooper and Countryman, and it serves as the indirect replacement for the Clubman.The crossover body style will certainly help the Aceman sell better than its wagon-bodied predecessor did. To be produced in China by a joint venture between Spotlight and BMW, the newcomer will be offered in two flavors at launch: E and SE. The latter packs 215 horsepower and circa 400 kilometers (249 miles) ofrange.Turning our attention back to the Countryman and Cooper, the British automaker has recently provided us with a glimpse of its "Charismatic Simplicity" design language. As expected, it carries over to the interior, where you'll find a round touchscreen with organic light-emitting diodes rather than conventional LEDs. Said touchscreen features a diameter of 9.4 inches. The bad news? It also integrates air-conditioning/heater/climate functions, which is exceptionally distracting while driving. Dear automakers, when are you going to understand that most of us prefer physical controls?Even Volkswagen got that memo from their customers. Back in October 2022, chief executive officer Thomas Schafer made it clear that his brand would ditch steering wheel touch panels for good ol' buttons. It remains to be seen if the old-school-is-best-school approach will also carry over to thesystem.Not surprising in the least, MINI also redesigned the steering wheel and seats of the Countryman and Cooper. Fret not because it comes exclusively with physical buttons. The British automaker further waxes lyrical about sustainable materials in the press release attached below, but alas, MINI doesn't actually mention what kind of sustainable materials are used for the interior.Last but certainly not least, both models are getting redesigned alloy wheels that follow the design philosophy mentioned just earlier. You can think of the all-new Countryman and Cooper as evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The evolutionary part is even more obvious under the hood. Although unconfirmed, MINI is certain to offer slightly updated versions of the current 1.5-liter turbo I3 and 2.0-liter turbo I4 powerplants.Both are BMW lumps bearing the codenames B38 and B48. It remains to be seen if the B37 and B47 turbo diesels will also make the cut. Based on the latest evolution of the UKL-derived FAAR platform of the all-new X1, the Countryman and Cooper have been confirmed with zero-emission powertrains as well.In the Countryman's case, look forward to 64.7and two motors belting out 308 horsepower and 364 pound-feet (494 Nm) of torque. Driving range is estimated at 450 kilometers (280 miles) under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure. As for the all-electric Cooper , which is coming to the US for the 2025 model year, that'll be up to 215 ponies, 54.2 kWh, and 400 kilometers (249 miles).
Lebanese lawmaker Jihad Pakradouni, right, takes a look around an exhibition during his visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, April 28. Courtesy of Korea Foundation



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Jihad Pakradouni, a member of the Lebanese Parliament, visited Korea last month at the invitation of the Korea Foundation to enhance ties with Korea's National Assembly and other related organizations, having identified Korea as a potential model for change in Lebanon.



"We have a lot to learn from Korea in terms of legislation, especially regarding subjects such as environment, labor, women empowerment and technology," Pakradouni told The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul, April 27.



During his seven-day visit to Korea, Pakradouni visited Korea's National Assembly, Seoul Metropolitan Council, Korea-Arab Society, Korea National Diplomatic Academy and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He also had a meeting with Rep. Kim Sang-hee, chairperson of the Korea-Lebanon Parliamentary Friendship Committee.



The Lebanese lawmaker also had a chance to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas as part of his trip.



"It reminded me of what we witnessed during the civil war in Lebanon. We had exactly the same demilitarization zones and demarcation lines. I sincerely hope that this division will end and the country will be reunited soon," he said.



The lawmaker noted Korea has made significant progress since the end of the war, continuously improving and moving forward every year.



"It's a big achievement and you are on the right track, whereas we are on the other side, going backwards and backwards every day," he said.





Lebanese lawmaker Jihad Pakradouni takes a look around the Hyundai Motorstudio, April 28. Courtesy of Korea Foundation
PHEV

Ricardo has been working with McLaren since 2011, when the small series British sportscar maker launched its first production series supercar, the McLaren 12C. Ricardo delivered around 34,000 engines to the British manufacturer from its Shoreham-by-Sea production facility, located about 80 km (50 miles) from the McLaren Production Center in Woking, Surrey.McLaren announced on May 9 they signed a new multi-year partnership with Ricardo to produce the next generation of V8 engines. The new V8 engine is designed by the McLaren Powertrain division and will power the next-gen high-performance hybrid supercars.The agreement includes both hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the V8, and Ricardo will invest together with McLaren in developing the production facility at Shoreham-by-Sea, where over 100 engineers and technicians work on the high-performance powertrains. Michael Leiters , McLaren CEO, said, "Our new high-performance, hybrid V8 powertrain will form an integral part of McLaren's next-generation product line-up, delivering best-in-class performance and thrilling driver engagement."Ricardo and McLaren have not disclosed any details about the new V8 hybrid powertrain; therefore, it is not known if it will be a mild, full, or plug-in hybrid. But the new V8 will probably use the same technology as the new V6that powers the Artura, the first McLaren hybrid model.In addition, a V8 PHEV engine is the best solution to meet the forthcoming Euro 7 pollution standards and would also allow emission-free driving in cities. The McLaren Artura's V6 PHEV powertrain currently provides 19 miles (31 kilometers) of pure electric driving.The Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the main competitor of the new McLaren 750S, also uses sophisticated PHEV technology.The first models to get the new V8 hybrid could be the successors of the recently launched McLaren 750S and the 765 LT track version of the 720S. The future hypercar, the successor of the McLaren P1, could also benefit from the new V8 hybrid.The new McLaren 750S is extremely fast, accelerating from 0 to 100 kph (0- 62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds. But its rival, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, is even quicker and reaches 100 kph (62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds. Moreover, you can see that the Ferrari SF90 Stradale outperforms the McLaren 720S and the 765LT in almost all sprint events uploaded on YouTube.Michael Leiters confirmed at the Financial Times event "The future of the car" that all McLaren models will have a hybrid version by 2028. "McLaren has chosen to realize the transition to electric era with hybrid models and not with full-electric ones because the current technology needs to be mature enough to meet the requirements of an electric supercar," Leiters said.
EV

Two of the most promisingstartups, Lucid and Rivian, have reported their first-quarter financial results this week. The tone of each presentation couldn't be more different, though. While Lucid results were announced in a gloomy atmosphere, with a tangible sense of desperation hanging in the air, Rivian's presentation was more convincing. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe was confident his company is on track for a good 2023, despite the negative cash flow. The results beat Wall Street expectations, though, and despite huge losses, the trend was clearly improving.Rivian posted a net loss of $1.35 billion with revenue of $661 million in the quarter, exceeding expectations. The company is still burning through cash like there's no tomorrow, but Scaringe was confident that production bottlenecks were in the rearview mirror. The cost-cutting measures announced last year also show results, with the successful introduction of Rivian's Enduro drive unit being the most promising. The Enduro motor is developed in-house and provides significant cost improvements, allowing Rivian to reduce the bill of materials.In the case of the electric delivery van, combining the Enduro motor with the lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery packs allowed Rivian to reduce the cost of materials by 25 percent. The new drive units are so far used in EDV production and will launch on the R1 vehicles in the second half of the year. About half of all R1T trucks and R1S SUVs will feature the new drive unit, with the rest still featuring third-party-supplied motors as before.Scaringe explained that the main reason for the large net losses reported quarter after quarter was the relatively low production from a high-volume factory. Rivian's Normal, Illinois, factory is designed to churn out 150,000 vehicles per year, three times the 2023 production goal . This makes the fixed costs weigh heavily on the company's balance sheet. Rivian needs to grow production volumes if it wants to offset these costs.Unlike Lucid, Rivian still sits on a massive pile of cash, with $11.24 billion in its coffers. It's slightly lower than the $11.57 billion at the end of 2022, which puts Rivian in a good position to execute its plans. Rivian CFO Claire McDonough was confident the money would suffice to make it through 2025. The previous guidance of a $4.3 billion loss for 2023 remains unchanged, as is the 50,000 production estimate. Rivian is expected to reach profitability by the end of next year.Scaringe offered a glimpse into the R2 vehicle platform , which should start production in 2026 at the company's second factory in Georgia. The more affordable line of electric vehicles would benefit from the cost savings achieved on the R1 lineup, allowing lower sticker prices.
Ask any American motorhead, and they'll tell you the Chevrolet Chevelle is an icon in American muscle car history. It's more than 40 years since the last Chevelle rolled out of the production plant, but the classic ripper still enjoys a lot of prevalence in the vintage automotive circles and custom motorsports segments.Shawn of AutotopiaLA YouTube channel recently featured a 1,004 hp (1,018 ps) all-motor 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle by Colorado-based Mile High Muscle.Most modern car enthusiasts wouldn't understand the intricacies of old automotive technology. While it's the foundation of performance today, it's considered outdated, complex, and slow compared to current standards.Mile High Muscle has built this '69 Chevelle to appeal to performance old-timers while also exciting the current crop of petrol heads. Simply put  It's a classic Chevy muscle car made up of the old and new, all wrapped up in one badass ripper.The Colorado-based custom car makers retained all the original chrome and body lines of the classic 1969 Chevy Chevelle. They also upgraded it with a modern drivetrain, chassis, and braking system.Like most classic custom cars, this classic 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle by Mile High Muscle has an interesting backstory.According to Jared Gastineau of Mile High Muscle, about seven years ago, his business partner bought the '69 Chevelle off of eBay. It broke down in front of the dealership where Gastineau was working  and he was asked to work on it."We pulled the car in. Long story short, we opened up Pandora's box. It left the dealership; we started doing car shows. He saw what little bit of traction it was gaining, and he just said, hey, what about opening your own shop," Gastineau revealed.Seven years later, the duo has expanded their business to a 10,000 sqft property, a.k.a. Mile High Muscle, in Colorado  thanks to the '69 Chevelle.That's not all. Gastineau and his business partner decided to go big on the '69 Chevelle. They included a new chassis from Speedtech Performance and later, General Motors offered to put an engine in their car  the ZZ632/1000 big-block V8 crate engine.To remind you, the Chevrolet ZZ632/1000 big-block V8 is one of the newer monster engines by GM. The '632' refers to the crate engine's cubic-inch displacement (10.3 liters), while '1000' is the horsepower it makes (accurately 1,004 hp/1,018 ps) with a warranty.Believe it or not. This naturally aspirated engine is capable of 1,004 hp (1,018 ps) and 876 lb-ft (1,187 Nm) of torque at 5,600 RPM. It doesn't come cheap; a unit goes for $37,758 According to Chevrolet's dyno chart of the ZZ632/1000, it provides about 600 hp (608 [ps) at 3,000 RPM while torque sits above the 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) mark."What is really cool is it is an oversized LS. It really has an LS-style-looking intake manifold, but it's big. It's very big." Gastineau explained about the Chevrolet ZZ632/1000.To harness all the power from the big-block V8, Gastineau and his team installed a 5-speed Tremec TKO 600 transmission on the '69 Chevelle. They are also running a Dutchman 9-inch rear end and a 35-Spline axle.Are you curious how this classic badass racer rips on the open road? We recommend watching the video below for the ride-along session.
Photo: rosemaryL/Bring a Trailer

Photo: rosemaryL/Bring a Trailer

Photo: rosemaryL/Bring a Trailer

DOHC

First of all, what changed in my perspective? I've driven a few Miatas before, but for short and really calm drives, and they are good cars, but they left me feeling a little disappointed knowing how people all over the internet put them on a pedestal. But, recently, I had the opportunity to drive an NB Miata for almost a week, and now I am spending my time looking for one to buy.I absolutely loved the days I spent with the little roadster, even though it was just the 1.6-liter (98 ci) model. So, lets take a look at why it left such a strong impression on me. But, before getting to the car itself, we should glance over its history and how it came to be. I should also add, to avoid confusion, that Miata and MX-5 are the same thing; it's just that Miata , which is German for "prize" or "reward, was the name used for the American market.Back in the '60s, Americans fell in love with the British roadster and the idea of a low-to-the-ground, freeing, and fun-to-drive machine. Yes, Americans love their prized muscle and pony cars, but the idea of elegance and simplicity offered by these British cars opened up the market for them in the States.But there was a problem. They were, let's say, hastily built. They loved to rust away faster than a speeding bullet, and the electrical part was a timebomb waiting to detonate at any minute. Luckily, in 1976 Bob Hall, a journalist at Motor Trend, stepped in and planted an idea. He met with Kenichi Yamamoto, Mazda's president at that time, and Gai Arai, the head of Research and Development. Mister Hall proposed the idea of building a car after the simple British roadster formula.This proposal, unfortunately, didn't get put in motion right away. That said, in 1981, Bob Hall got a pretty sweet gig: a product planning position at Mazda USA. He met once again with mister Yamamoto, which gave Hall the green light to start working on the project. This development spiraled into a sort of brawl between Mazda USA and their Japanese colleagues.The project from the House of the Rising Sun was a front-engine, front-wheel drive design  boring. On the other hand, Hall's team waxed lyrical about the original roadster formula, so they proposed the Duo 101 design  a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive layout.These two designs, which were only put on paper, were judged in 1984, and the next round of this Kumite was fought with full-scale clay models. This time, the Duo 101 won the battle, and a prototype, named the V705 was built in 1985 with a fiberglass body inspired by the '60s Lotus Elan, wrapped around a 1.4-liter (85 ci) engine from the Mazda Familia.The final design was approved in 1986, and the first generation, the NA , hit the roads in 1989. It was instantly praised for its carefree attitude and fun-to-drive dynamics. This same vibe was carried over to the second generation, called the NB, the car that made me reconsider my opinions on the Miata. Now, to dive deeper into what makes it so good, I could show you the car I had on hand, but I don't think a rusty 1.6 Miata would be the best eye-catching example, so let's take a look at this 2002 Special Edition one.On the outside, the NB looks a little more streamlined than its predecessor, but, unfortunately, it loses one of the best things about the Miata  the pop-up headlights. In their place came some meaner-looking ones, and, for the Special Edition we have here today, they have a bezel around them, a bezel which can also be found on the taillights.A Blazing Yellow Mica paint, both a soft black top and a color-matching removable hard top, makes it stand out even more. This Special Edition also has some special things over the normal NB, with a front air dam, bigger side skirts, and a decklid spoiler making it a little more aggressive. Finishing up the outside is a set of 16-inch alloy wheels, behind which you'll find anti-lock disk brakes on all four corners.Moving on to the inside, the rather small cabin is dominated by two bucket seats upholstered in black leather. Upon sitting in the driver seat, you'll find a leather-wrapped Nardi steering wheel, which fronts a tachometer with a 7,000 rpm redline and a 150-mph (240 kph) speedometer. Surprisingly, for such a small car focused on the pleasure of driving, comfort amenities are plentiful. It has cruise control, air-conditioning, a Bose sound system, and keyless entry.Under the hood, the MX-5 came with two different engines - a 1.6-liter (98 ci) with 110 hp, or the variant this one has. It's a 1.8-liter (110 ci)inline-four with 143 hp (145 ps). This is quite a low figure, but I can guarantee that it's more than enough to have a blast  even with the 1.6 in the car I drove, fun was the norm. I'm not kidding nor exaggerating; I had more fun with 110 hp than in other cars with three or four times the power. All of those rampaging ponies are sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual and a limited-slip differential.After the NB, the third iteration of the Miata grew heavier, but both the NC and the ND generations kept the fun-having, carefree attitude of the past. Now, if you want to have this much fun, get ready to overpay a little. Yes, Miatas are overpriced, and that is the singular thing I dislike about them. Now, if you really, really want a Miata, this particular Special Edition is up at auction in Las Vegas, Nevada  come on, what better place? It has 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers) on the clock, and right now, it sits at 4,100 dollars with seven days left on the auction. It has had only one owner, and it comes with a clean Michigan title.
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First and foremost, why A290 Beta? The A stands for Alpine, the number 2 indicates B segment (a.k.a. subcompact or supermini), 90 refers to the French automaker's lifestyle range, and the Greek letter beta is  in this context  a way of saying work in progress.4.05 meters long and 1.85 meters wide (that would be 159.4 and 72.8 inches), the concept stands out in the crowd through its three-seat arrangement. Alpine went for a central driving position to appeal to driving enthusiasts and nostalgics who fondly remember the McLaren F1 bedroom posters from their boyhoods.This car doesn't compete with the V12-powered supercar from the 1990s, but opens a new segment. Alpine's production version of the A290 Beta is expected to arrive in showrooms next year as the first-ever subcompact hot hatchback with electric muscle.Emphasis on subcompact because Hyundai's long-awaited Ioniq 5 N will debut in July 2023 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The South Korean automaker describes its compact electric vehicle as being a crossover, although we all know that the 2023 model year Ioniq 5 is nothing more than a jacked-up compact hatch with no rear wiper. At least for the time beingTwinned with the all-electric Renault 5, which is also due in 2024, the A290 is certain to be far more conventional in both exterior and interior design compared to the concept. Alpine refused to say whether the central driving position will be carried over to the production model or not. If the Renault 5 doesn't receive a hot version, chances are that Alpine will keep it classy with a four-/five-seat arrangement in order to attract more customers than a three-seater would.How large of a lithium-ion battery does it have? That's a secret! How much power does it make on full song? Also a secret, sorry! On the upside, the technically similar Renault 5 is getting 40- and 52-batteries. The latter promises up to 400 kilometers (nearly 250 miles) on thecombined test cycle.Renault has also confirmed a front-mounted electric motor with 100to its name, meaning 134 horsepower in old money. Alpine did mention two electric motors driving the front wheels of the A290 Beta. Does that mean we're in for an electric hot hatchback with more than 200 ponies at its disposal?Power isn't all there is to a small and nimble car like the A290 Beta, though. A hot hatchback  be itor needs to put a smile on your face with the way it corners. With two electric motors delivering near-instant torque to the front wheels at the tap of the throttle pedal, you can also expect pretty good acceleration to 100 kilometers per hour. Or  better said  60 miles per hour if Alpine does bring this fellow to the United States of America.As a brief refresher, Renault intends to return stateside with the Alpine brand through AutoNation's dealership network. The A290  or whatever the production model will be called  is the first of three Dream Garage vehicles confirmed by Alpine in January 2021. Based on a shadowy teaser, the remaining two vehicles are a compact-sized crossover and an A110-inspired berlinette.
EV

SUV

Why did Toyota discontinue it? For starters, old age. With the Japanese automaker now transitioning to the TNGA-F platform of the Land Cruiser 300, the retro-styled utility vehicle had to be canned. Its naturally-aspirated V6 and five-speed automatic aren't exactly modern either. As far as the US market is concerned, the FJ Cruiser initially sold well. But alas, the financial crash of 2007  2008 saw deliveries contract from 56,255 examples in 2006 to a meager 11,941 in 2009.Toyota's off-road utility vehicle didn't recover in subsequent years. 14,718 were sold in 2014, and the final example for the US market was delivered in 2021. This isn't unique to the FJ Cruiser, though. Zombie cars include the Dodge Viper and Lexus LFA, hi-po icons that served as halo models for Chrysler and Toyota.To this day, the FJ Cruiser enjoys a strong following in the United States and beyond as well. Singapore-based pixel artist Theophilus Chin saw a few examples of the breed while visiting Kuching in Malaysia, prompting him to breathe new life into this bygone design in Photoshop. The resulting piece is an FJ Cruiser pickup truck gifted with rear half doors  like the real thing  and a small bed for whatever people haul these days.Theophilus kept it clean in every respect, carrying over the white top and black running boards of the FJ Cruiser that served as the basis for this rendering. Would it make sense for Toyota to bring the XJ10 back in the form of a pickup truck? If you ask me, the answer is negative.The all-new Tacoma is right around the corner, with Toyota having already teased a couple of go-anywhere trim levels in the form of the Trailhunter and TRD Pro. What if the FJ Cruiser came back as a sport utility vehicle? That's a big fat no as well because Stellantis and Ford have this segment covered with the Jeep Wrangler and Bronco. You also have to remember that a brand-new FJ Cruiser would cannibalize the 4Runner, which  of course  is getting a TNGA-F makeover.Be that as it may, there is hope on the horizon. Remember the FT-4X concept from 2017? How about the Compact Cruiserconcept from 2021? Both of them are clearly inspired by the FJ and even older Land Cruisers, and hearsay suggests that a road-going model is just around the corner. Whether it's equipped with an internal combustion engine or a pair of electric motors, FJ loyalists won't like it because of its unibody design.Take, for instance, the Ranger-based Bronco and Escape-based Bronco Sport. No true off-road enthusiast would mistake a body-on-framefor a crossover with rugged looks. The same applies to the FJ Cruiser and its yet-to-be-confirmed unibody heir apparent. The series-production version of the FT-4X/Compact Cruiser is widely believed to be one of 30 electric vehicles that will be introduced by Toyota by 2030.
EV

Toyota's strategy has puzzled many people, as the Japanese carmaker refused to concede that electric vehicles are set to replace combustion engine vehicles. Instead, Toyota pushed alternative solutions such as hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen-powered combustion vehicles, which many think are not viable. In December 2021, Toyota's former CEO Akio Toyoda wowed everyone when he promised 30 newmodels to launch by 2035. Still, nothing changed in the carmaker's strategy following that event.In January, Toyoda announced his surprising departure , and many attributed this to his inability to deliver the promised EV future. Toyoda left the stage with the intriguing words, "The new team can do what I can't do," making people believe his departure was not his choice. For a while, his successor Koji Sato appeared to sing the same tune, speaking about a multi-pronged approach, with hydrogen and the combustion engine still holding an important role in Toyota's future.Yet, Sato promised a new dedicated EV platform by 2026 to underpin the next generation of electric vehicles. Sato also said that in 2026, Toyota would sell 1.5 million electric cars, a very ambitious plan, considering where the Japanese carmaker is now in the EV segment. On Wednesday, Toyota announced it would show concepts of the next-gen EVs as soon as this fall at the Japan Mobility Show at the end of October. If you were wondering, this is the new name for the Tokyo Motor Show.Toyota presented a teaser image of the upcoming concept, which looks like a streamlined Prius. The picture is accompanied by words such as "higher efficiency" and "heart-pounding." The elongated silhouette features a long wheelbase, short overhangs, a raked windshield, and a fastback rear. Although the fifth-generation Prius doesn't look half bad, we expected more from Toyota for their groundbreaking new EV range.Toyota needs this badly to succeed, considering how far behind the competition is in the EV game. Although Japan hasn't embraced electric vehicles, Toyota faces an existential struggle in China, where the market is dominated by young Chinese companies selling EVs. To up its game , Toyota pledged an additional 1 trillion yen ($7.44 billion) to EV development through the decade's end. This brings the total EV investment to 5 trillion yen ($37.2 billion) in that period.Toyota also announced a new EV development center called the "BEV factory," which will help Toyota develop everything from chassis and batteries to software for its latest crop of electric vehicles. Toyota also aims to overhaul the entire manufacturing process it pioneered many years ago. This will imply halving the length of the production lines, which is something that Tesla has done in its gigafactories.According to Automotive News, Toyota wants to add 10 new EV models in the Toyota and Lexus lineups by 2026 , most on evolved versions of the current e-TNGA. The new dedicated EV platform will take over in 2026 and will be critical to Toyota selling 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030.
10 May 2023 15:08 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the architect and founder of the modern independent state of Azerbaijan, national leader Heydar Aliyev, a documentary "Iz" has been demonstrated in the city of Shusha, Azernews reports.

According to Azernews, the screening of the film was attended by state and government officials, participants of the International Music Festival "Kharibulbul" currently taking place in Shusha, famous figures of culture, art and science.

The scenario presented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation tells about the life and activities of the national leader. The script of the film covers different periods of the political activity of national leader Heydar Aliyev based on his speeches.

The film highlights the life of the national leader, his commitment to Azerbaijan and the people, the strengthening of Azerbaijan as an independent state, and his consistent policy to liberate Garabagh from occupation. At the same time, the film features the liberation of the occupied lands from the thirty-year occupation under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the restoration of the territorial integrity of the republic and thus the realization of the will and the wishes of the national leader Heydar Aliyev.

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10 May 2023 17:39 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

Students from the countries of the Caspian region studying at the Astrakhan State University (ASU) named after. V. N. Tatishchev and those who have passed the appropriate selection on academic performance, from September 1 will receive an additional scholarship of Azerbaijan. Azernews informs with reference to the press service of the university.

"I am glad to be here today at Astrakhan State University. The relations of national harmony and good neighborliness of the Russian and Azerbaijani peoples have a long history. I believe that the establishment of a scholarship of the Republic of Azerbaijan for ASU students will serve as a driving force for further development of cooperation between the friendly countries of the Caspian region," press service of the director of the Institute of Education of Azerbaijan said.

The establishment of the scholarship is enshrined in a cooperation agreement signed between the universities. According to the document, starting from the 2023/2024 academic year, the qualified full-time students of ASU - citizens of the states of the Caspian region studying under the bachelor's and specialist's, master's, postgraduate and doctoral programs - will be able to receive a scholarship from the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the bachelor's, specialist's and master's level, they will receive 5,874 rubles, at the postgraduate and doctoral levels - 6,326 rubles, the press service of the university said.

Rector of ASU Konstantin Markelov acquainted his colleague from Azerbaijan with the infrastructure of the main design laboratories of the university, the press service added.

The delegation from the Republic of Azerbaijan arrived in the region on the occasion of the solemn date. May 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, who stood for cooperation between the Astrakhan region and Azerbaijan in the modern history of Russia.

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The top diplomats of Korea and Mexico held talks Tuesday to discuss the resumption of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) negotiation and the strengthening of exchanges in other areas as well, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.







In the meeting with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, in Mexico City, Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin stressed the importance of forging an FTA to promote strategic cooperative ties between the countries and requested Ebrard's support to resume related discussions.







Ebrard said Mexico has much to learn from Korea in areas such as education and innovation, and requested Korean companies' active investment and cooperative projects in Mexico.







Park also held separate meetings with Mexico's economy and energy ministers, Raquel Buenrostro and Rocio Nahle, respectively, to discuss bilateral trade and other economic issues. (Yonhap)


10 May 2023 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

National Leader Heydar Aliyev is the leader whose name and signature are inscribed in golden letters in world politics. His legacy in the world of diplomacy is still being passed on to future generations. The great leader was one of the well-known influential persons in the Caucasus region, the post-Soviet space, and even in the world. Today, his memory is revered in many countries, and one of those is Egypt, one of the oldest in the Middle East.

Azerbaijani Professor, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Diaspora Organizations Association in Egypt Seymur Nasirov, who has an exceptional role in the Egyptian-Azerbaijani friendship, as well as in teaching our native language, popularizing our culture in Egypt, in a comment for Azernews noted that the National Leader was known by his name in many parts of the world during his political activities in the Soviet era.

"There is no doubt that if he had not been a Muslim, he would have been the head of the former SSR," he added.

Speaking about relations between the two countries, Professor said that relations with Egypt were at a high level during the period when Heydar Aliyev was in charge of the Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following Azerbaijan's regaining its independence, not only the political elite of the country, the intelligentsia, but also the people of Egypt began to recognize Heydar Aliyev as a political leader, a man who saved his people from great troubles, he said.

Seymur Nasirov stressed that the National Leader has the right over every Azerbaijani. According to him, as the chairman of the "Egypt-Azerbaijan Friendship Society", he was privileged to tell about him, repeatedly preparing programs about his genius on Egyptian television.

The West has always had plans to confuse the Middle East, plunder their wealth and divide their countries. And these countries needed exemplary personalities to decide their own destiny, build state unity and protect it from chaos. The National Leader was one of the foremost among them," the Professor underlined.

Seymur Nasirov noted that he has been a living witness to everything that was happening, and not as a person who knows the National Leader from books or articles.

It was Heydar Aliyev who came to rescue his people from disaster and cataclysm, which was pulling towards chaos and abyss in the early 90s. It was Azerbaijan's National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who drew a map of the path that led the country from great disasters to peace."

The Professor also touched on the role of the National Leader in liberation of Azerbaijan's lands from occupation.

According to him, there has never been such a victory in history in any Muslim country over the past century.

"Only Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the successor of the policy established by the National Leader, could do this. Therefore, it is our duty to present him to the world as an exemplary man. In this way, we serve our country and promote a person who can prevent chaos. We are even trying to get a textbook on the National Leader of the Eastern Countries in Egyptian high schools. Let them recognize the genius and use his experience," Nasirov emphasized.

Speaking about Heydar Aliyev's visits to Egypt, Seymour Nasirov noted that Egypt was a country that had strong ties with the USSR, but was under occupation.

The year of the National Leader's visit in 1973 was a time when Egypt struggled to reclaim its land. The visit of the SSR representative to Egypt was an act worthy of the country's high appraisal. As for archival information, there is a lot of information about the participation of the National Leader in the Cairo Opera and his numerous visits to the country. His second visit took place in 1994. Heydar Aliyev's development of relations with Egypt, which is one of the founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and currently has the strongest army in the world, is proof that he is a visionary and genius politician," the professor underlined.

Further, Seymur Nasirov spoke about the events held by the Azerbaijani diaspora in Egypt together with the embassy honoring memory of the National Leader.

In 2007, a protocol on brotherhood was signed between the Kalubiya province and the Absheron region of Egypt. In accordance with this protocol, the Egyptian-Azerbaijani friendship park was created in Egypt, in which a monument to Heydar Aliyev was erected in 2008.

At the same time, an Egyptian park and statues characteristic of the country were built in the Absheron region. The Egypt-Azerbaijan school also operates in both countries. I want to emphasize that on May 10 of each year in Egypt, in the Egypt-Azerbaijan Friendship Park, a large event dedicated to the National Leader will be held with the participation of prominent political figures and rulers of Egypt, he added.

In the end, the professor noted that being the Azerbaijani diaspora, the Azerbaijani language is being taught in Egypt to more than 450 students from 42 countries within the Azerbaijan Friendship Society.

"We hang pictures of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev in school classrooms and proudly promote their policies and bring them to the Egyptian world, professor concluded.

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10 May 2023 13:18 (UTC+04:00)

Baku Slavic University held an event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the national leader Haydar Aliyev, Azernews reports.

Member of the Board of the International Committee of ICOMAM (committee of military museums, military history and collections of weapons), First Deputy Chairman of the NGO "GASR" (Castle) For the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Historical Monuments Member of the Board, Doctor of Philosophy in History Parvin Gozalov, made a scientific report On foreign policy and contribution to Azerbaijani studies of the national leader Haydar Aliyev in the 90s. at the International scientific conference on topical issues of Azerbaijani studies, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the national leader Haydar Aliyev, held at the Baku Slavic University.

Parvin Gozalov brought to the attention of respected readers the political events after the Azerbaijani Parliament adopted the constitutional act "On the Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan" on October 18, 1991, thus restoring the state independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Already on November 1, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan appealed to the United Nations (UN) with a request to consider the issue of admitting Azerbaijan to the UN membership. From the first days of gaining state independence, the Republic of Azerbaijan considered joining the International Organization of the United Nations as a sovereign and independent state one of the main tasks in its foreign policy. The application and relevant documents of the Azerbaijani government on joining the UN were considered at a meeting of the Security Council on February 13-15, 1992.

The Security Council decided to satisfy the request of Azerbaijan and issue an appropriate recommendation for consideration by the 46th session of the UN General Assembly, which took place on February 28, 1992. The republics of the former Soviet Union used the mediation of their friendly countries in the issue of their admission to the UN membership. Azerbaijan addressed such a request to Turkey. The Republic of Azerbaijan became a member of the UN on March 2, 1992. The Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN was opened in New York on May 6, 1992. From the first day of its establishment, the Permanent Mission has developed an active activity in the main structures of the organization, aimed at clarifying the real situation around the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and protecting the interests of the republic. One of the most difficult tasks of the Permanent Mission was the destruction of those stereotypes about our republic that created the information structures of unfriendly states.

Further, Parvin Gozalov continued, thanks to the phenomenal diplomatic efforts of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev, the information blockade was gradually lifted. Through ongoing work at the UN and with members of the UN Security Council, diplomatic and political efforts have greatly contributed to the adoption of the following four resolutions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, numbers 822,853,874 and 884, requiring the immediate, complete, unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces, confirming the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan . Return of refugees to the historical territories of Azerbaijan in places of permanent residence. Thus, the cooperation of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the UN and its specialized agencies UNICEF, WHO. The ILO and others are making a positive impact on the further development of activities in this direction as well. The Republic actively cooperates with the UN and its specialized agencies in the following areas: the fight against international terrorism, freedom of conscience and religion, drug control, protection of the rights of national minorities. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan was accepted as a member of the OSCE in January 1992, the beginning of its built and principled political course in relations with this organization was laid in the second half of 1993.

Further, P. Gozalov continued in his report, starting from that very moment, the 3rd President of Azerbaijan, national leader Haydar Aliyev, advocating the condemnation of security problems by international and regional organizations, achieved an acceleration of their reaction to the events taking place in the region, intensified efforts to restore peace and stability in the region. This is especially true of the issue of resolving the conflict in which Azerbaijan is involved, and the unfounded claims of Armenia in the Karabakh territory. The head of Azerbaijan, National Leader Haydar Aliyev, participating in the work of international and regional forums, ensured that the truth about the conflict became known to the general public, in order to expand the number of countries supporting the well-founded position of Azerbaijan and condemning the aggression and occupation of Armenia, so that at high and authoritative levels there were effective decisions were made on ways to resolve the conflict. In 1994, after the establishment of a ceasefire (May 1994). Azerbaijani diplomacy in connection with the approaching Budapest summit of the OSCE has become even more active. In July 1994, a meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in Moscow, In most cases, a general agreement was reached on maintaining the ceasefire regime.

The arrival of the then UN Secretary General Boutros Ghali played an important role in coordinating the efforts of the UN and the OSCE to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, in clarifying approaches to solving a number of fundamental issues. At a meeting with Gali Boutros on 10/30/1994, Haydar Aliyev stated that the side constantly cooperates with the Minsk Group and with the OSCE in general, and tries to provide all conditions for fruitful work in the region.

But unfortunately, due to double standards, before the start of the Second Garabagh War on September 27, 2020, which began after another provocation by the Armenian side, the above-mentioned resolutions were not implemented and were ignored by all international organizations. Today's real events clearly showed all observers the power and authority of Azerbaijan at the world level. The decisive and purposeful political and diplomatic steps of President Ilham Aliyev proved that Azerbaijan is able to solve all artificially created difficulties and obstacles in achieving justice for Azerbaijan without the intervention of the above-mentioned organizations that have been adhering to double standards for about 30 years and have been playing a two-sided game. So, after another provocation by Armenia on September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani armed forces, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I. Aliyev, launched counter-offensive actions and today the Karabakh lands and adjacent Azerbaijani territories have been liberated from the occupation of Armenia.

Thanks to the courageous and active diplomatic efforts, wide information about the conflict and the peaceful initiatives of the Azerbaijani leadership, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has radically changed the approach of the world's leading countries and individual influential politicians to the problem in a short time. Unfortunately, there were no real changes in the period before the Second Karabakh War.

But as a result of another military provocation by the armed formations of Armenia on September 27, 2020, counter-defensive actions began as a result of offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, and an indicator of the political determination and tactical steps of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, by military means were 5 cities, 4 regions and 286 villages were liberated. I think that the diplomatic contribution of the Russian Federation to the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict should be emphasized, as well as, which is very important as a result of the ceasefire, several thousand lives saved on both sides, fathers, sons, brothers and husbands.

And also, I present to the attention of dear readers the historical statement of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on the air of the program Moscow. Kremlin. Putin on the TV channel Russia 1: V. Putin: I want to return you to the part that I spoke about at the beginning. Armenia did not recognize the independence and sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh. This meant, from the point of view of international law, that Nagorno-Karabakh and all the regions adjacent to it were an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The CSTO (collective security) treaty provides for mutual assistance in case of aggression against the territory of a country that is a party to this treaty. No one encroached on the territory of the Armenian Republic. And this did not give us any right to take a direct part in these hostilities.

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10 May 2023 15:58 (UTC+04:00)

Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva and staff of the Office visited the grave of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Azernews reports, citing the Ombudsman office.

In connection with the 100th birth anniversary of Haydar Aliyev, the architect of independent Azerbaijan, and the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva and the staff of the Office visited the grave of the Great Leader Haydar Aliyev, laid a wreath and sweat flowers in front of his monument, his dear memory remembered with deep respect.

Then the memory of outstanding ophthalmologist-scientist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva was commemorated, and flowers were laid in front of her grave.

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10 May 2023 15:32 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members attended a ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone for the 2nd residential complex consisting of 17 buildings in the city of Shusha, Azernews reports.

The President and the First Lady were informed about the works to be carried out in the complex.

The Shusha master plan provides for construction of two-storey and three-storey buildings in the D4 zone. Of 238 apartments of the complex, 119 are two-room and 119 three-room ones.

All conditions will be provided for the residents with kids playground, sport and leisure zones to be built and the greenery and landscaping works to be carried out.

The Azerbaijani President laid the foundation stone for the 2nd residential complex consisting of 17 buildings in the city of Shusha.

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10 May 2023 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members have visited the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honor as May 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the architect and founder of modern and independent Azerbaijani state, the great son of the Azerbaijani people and the National Leader, Azernews reports.

A guard of honor was lined up here.

President Ilham Aliyev laid a wreath at the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and paid tribute to the National Leader.

The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was played.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and the family members paid tribute to the National Leader.

The head of state, the First Lady and their family members then put flowers at the grave of the Great Leader`s wife, outstanding ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

They also paid respect to prominent statesman Aziz Aliyev and professor Tamerlan Aliyev.

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10 May 2023 17:45 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members have attended the opening of the Shusha Hotel-Congress Central Complex.

Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov informed the head of state and the First Lady of the conditions created in the Shusha Hotel-Congress Central Complex, Azernews reports.

The Shusha Hotel-Congress Central Complex, whose foundation was laid on August 29, 2021 with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, is located in the center of the city - on the Zafar road. The construction of the project based on the Caravanserai concept started in 2022. Local and foreign companies were involved in the construction works.

The five-star complex was designed with the synthesis of modern and national architectural styles. The four-storey complex has 154 rooms, a conference hall, banquet hall, restaurant, swimming pool, SPA & Fitness center.

There are nearly 1,000 books in the library of the complex.

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10 May 2023 17:55 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members participated in the event regarding the start of reconstruction and repair works of the Government Services Center in the city of Shusha, Azernews reports.

The President and the First Lady were informed of the works to be done.

Reconstruction and repair of the Government Services Center began at the directions of President Ilham Aliyev. Former post office building and its premises will be overhauled here. The four-storey building after its overhaul will house ASAN Khidmet and DOST Khidmet centers, SMB (Small and Medium Business) house, Digital Development and Transport Ministrys branch (post office, communications hub).

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10 May 2023 14:59 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members have viewed the progress of construction works carried out in a residential complex consisting of 23 building in the city of Shusha, Azernews reports.

Special Representative of the President in the Shusha district Aydin Karimov informed the head of state and the First Lady of the works done.

The residential complex occupies a total area of 8 hectares. The construction of 8 buildings started on July 1, 2022, while the construction of 15 buildings on September 1, 2022.

The construction of the complex consisting of three-storey and five-storey buildings is planned to be completed at the end of this year.

The residential complex will have 450 apartments, including 28 one-room, 195 two-room, 190 three-room, 30 four-room and 7 five-room ones.

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10 May 2023 19:02 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have participated in an unveiling ceremony of the Iron Fist Street sign in Shusha, Azernews reports.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the restoration and reconstruction works carried out in the street.

Iron Fist Street is 2,473 meters in length and 10-15 meters in width.

The head of state unveiled the Iron Fist Street sign.

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Senior Chinese diplomat meets Iranian delegation

Xinhua) 10:54, May 10, 2023

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, in Beijing, capital of China, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with a delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China is willing to work with Iran to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests and implement the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation plan.

China supports countries in the Middle East in upholding strategic independence and taking their destiny into their own hands, and welcomes Syria's return to the big family of the Arab League, Wang said.

China will continue to contribute to security and stability in the Middle East and world peace and development, Wang added.

Zolghadr said Iran attaches importance to enhancing exchanges of governance experience with China and hopes to strengthen international cooperation and safeguard international fairness and justice.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Protesters wearing masks of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida participate in a rally against the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear power plant, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, May 6. AP-Yonhap



Inspection feared to be misused to justify Japan's wastewater release plan



By Lee Hyo-jin



Doubts are rising over the effectiveness of a team of Korean experts heading to Japan to inspect treated radioactive wastewater set to be discharged from a tsunami-hit nuclear power plant, as the level of access the group will be granted remains unclear.



There are even concerns that the Korean team could be used by Japan to justify the release of the treated wastewater.



During a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Sunday, Japan agreed to allow the visit by a team of Korean experts to inspect the safety of the treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant ahead of the planned discharge into the Pacific Ocean.



The group of local experts will be dispatched to the Fukushima nuclear power plant from May 23 to 24, or for a longer period, with the detailed size of the panel and inspection plan to be decided through working-level meetings between the foreign ministries of the two countries later this week.



The arrangement came amid mounting concerns among the Korean public about Japan's plan to discharge the treated wastewater from the tsunami-struck nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as early as this summer. Once initiated, the water release process is expected to continue for the next few decades.



Japan claims that the filtered water has been tested for concentration levels of radioactive nuclides. But Korea  along with China and other Pacific Rim countries  has been demanding that Tokyo cancel the planned dumping of more than a million tons of liquid radioactive waste.









Although details of the inspection team have yet to be set, the two countries do not seem to be on the same page about the exact role of the Korean delegation.



Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin said, Tuesday, that the role of the inspection team will be "de facto verification" of the safety of the wastewater. But on the same day, Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said that the purpose of the inspection is not to "evaluate or certify the safety of the treated water."





A worker stands near tanks used to store treated radioactive water after it was used to cool down melted fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, in this March 3, 2022 photo. AP-Yonhap
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 98F. Winds SSE at less than 5 mph, becoming W and increasing to 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low around 65F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 99F. WSW winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low near 65F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bass-poche-disqualification-51023.html

B.A.S.S. News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  B.A.S.S. officials announced today that, after an extensive investigation and appeals process, Keith Poche's Day 1 catch disqualification from the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Toledo Bend has been upheld.

The disqualification was handed down based on a violation of Rule 15 of the Bassmaster Opens Series rules, which reads in part: "Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament days. Competitors must leave from and return to official checkpoints by boat. Anglers must remain in the boat at all times except in case of dire emergency or with permission from the Tournament Director."

Poches appeal was heard today by a three-person panel which included a Bassmaster College Series angler and Bassmaster Opens angler  neither of whom competed in the 2023 Toledo Bend Open  and a B.A.S.S. employee who is not part of the Tournament Department.
Choi Byong-ok, left, the director general of the defense ministry's defense policy bureau, shakes hands with Mieke Eoyang, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, as they meet for the allies' Cyber Cooperation Working Group session at the ministry in Seoul, in this photo released by the ministry, May 9. Yonhap



South Korea proposed to regularly participate in a U.S.-led multinational cyber exercise during a session of the allies' cybersecurity dialogue earlier this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday.



The proposal to join the Cyber Flag exercise came as Seoul and Washington are seeking to deepen defense cooperation to counter growing North Korean threats from multiple domains, including cyberspace.



It was made during a two-day session of a bilateral working-level Cyber Cooperation Working Group (CCWG) in Seoul, which ended Tuesday. The U.S. side pledged to review it "positively," according to the ministry.



Hosted by the U.S. Cyber Command, the Cyber Flag exercise is designed to enhance readiness against the activities of potential malicious cyber actors and strengthen interoperability among the participating countries. South Korea participated in it for the first time last year.



At the latest CCWG session, Choi Byong-ok, the director general of the ministry's defense policy bureau, led the South Korean delegation, while the U.S. side was represented by Mieke Eoyang, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy.



The session marked the first in-person one in four years following a hiatus caused largely by the COVID-19 pandemic.



The CCWG was launched in 2014 to serve as a venue for the allies' key discussions on cybersecurity. Its outcomes had been dealt with at the two countries' annual defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting. (Yonhap)


This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal . The author of this post is CJ Staff The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a trial court ruling against a former Mocksville police officer. The officer argued he had been fired after complaining about police corruption and mismanagement.In an unsigned opinion released Thursday, the 4th Circuit affirmed U.S. Chief District Judge Thomas Schroeder's December 2021 ruling favoring Mocksville over former officer Brian Hill.Had Hill won, he could not have returned to the Mocksville police. The town board voted unanimously in May 2021 to disband its police department. The Davie County County Sheriff's Office took over law enforcement duties in the town that summer.Hill brought a First Amendment retaliation claim in 2020 against Mocksville, its police chief, and the town manager.according to the order.That three-part test stems from a 4th Circuit precedent in the 1998 case McVey v. Stacy.according to the order.the 4th Circuit order explained.In other words, Mocksville would have fired Hill regardless of his comments to the town board.the order continued.The thirdof the test in Hill's case required two steps, based on a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court precedent.the 4th Circuit order explained.the order added.Judges Paul Niemeyer, Marvin Quattlebaum, and William Traxler reached their decision without holding oral arguments in the case.
PEPPATOWN Peppa Pig's family vacation took an unexpected turn for the worse after Jesus of Nazareth healed a nearby demoniac.asked Peppa Pig.According to eyewitnesses, the Pig family had been enjoying a relaxing day building sandcastles before suddenly rushing to drown themselves in the sea.said Rebecca Rabbit, sobbing.Citizens of the nearby village were reportedly furious that Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs.said local man Abiah, son of Phineas.At publishing time, the villagers had asked Jesus on his way out to send a few demons to chase away this explorer named Dora.
This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire . The author of this post is Hank Berrien Tennessee GOP Senator Bill Hagerty, who served as the ambassador to Japan under former President Donald Trump, endorsed his former boss' candidacy over the weekend. Three other members of the House of Representatives also endorsed Trump: Reps. John Rose and Diana Harshbarger from Tennessee and Florida Rep. Greg Steube.Trump, who is one of two announced candidates for the GOP nomination along with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, has also been endorsed by 38 other members of the House - 184 Republicans have yet to declare.Hagerty joins eight other senators who have endorsed Trump, including Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Forty GOP senators have yet to declare.In recent decades in which Republicans were not in possession of the White House and so primaries were necessary to determine their presidential candidate, the primaries generally featured a bevy of candidates being whittled down to four or even two candidates facing off mano-a-mano.In 2000, although, conservative activist Gary Bauer, businessman Steve Forbes, Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, former Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, Alan Keyes, and former Vice President Dan Quayle threw their hats in the ring, the race ended with then-Texas Governor George W. Bush facing off with Senator John McCain for the nomination. After Bush's Super Tuesday victories on March 7 in California, New York, and the South, McCain suspended his campaign. Bush thus cemented his nomination early, then won the general election to become president.In 2012, candidates included Texas Governor Rick Perry, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul, and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. The field got whittled down to Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, and Paul. Santorum left the race in April, Gingrich in early May, while Paul kept trying to win delegates at state conventions. Romney surpassed a majority of bound delegates on June 5, finally cementing his nomination. He lost in the general election.In 2016, the wide-open field included a whopping 17 candidates. After Senator Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump won the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. By March 16, 2016, only three candidates remained in the race: Trump, Cruz, and Ohio Governor John Kasich. On May 26, Trump passed the threshold of 1,237 delegates required to guarantee his nomination. He later defeated Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton.
Owen Feest and McKenzie Shipp, of Pender County Emergency Medical Services, receive the plaque from Tom Mitchell, chief of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services, commemorating their victory in the North Carolina Paramedic Competition State Championships held in Greensboro, N.C. on April 30, 2023.

NC Department of Health and Human Services

2001 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-2001

Ph : (919) 855-4840

: (919) 855-4840 news@dhhs.nc.gov

The Pender Emergency Medical Services team of McKenzie Shipp and Owen Feest claimed top honors at the 31st Annual Paramedic Competition held this week in Greensboro, earning the title for the first time in the county's history.Shipp and Feest were among six top teams from across the state in this year's competition, part of the North Carolina EMS Expo - an educational conference that brings together paramedics, EMTs and county emergency services directors to sharpen their skills with presentations from faculty from across the state and the U.S.The Pender team out-performed five other pairs of regional champions selected following competitions in March from Iredell, Guilford and Rowan counties, along with FirstHealth of Chatham County. Rounding out the competition was Mecklenburg EMS who was in Greensboro defending their back-to-back championships from the two most recent years of competition.The teams all face the same scenario as each emerges from sequestration to respond to a mock emergency. This year's scenario involved multiple gunshot victims at a live music show at a bar and grill.Tom Mitchell, chief of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services, announced the winners at a banquet held Tuesday evening to cheers and applause from hundreds of the winners' peers.Mitchell said.In the competition, each team takes turns to assess, treat and stabilize victims in a scenario that lasts 15 minutes. They must move quickly and use their experience, education and training to provide care to the victims. Teams are judged on professionalism including areas of communications, organization, patient rapport, conduct and attitude.The competition is watched by hundreds of their peers from bleachers set up inside the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center's Guilford Ballroom, which had been transformed into thecomplete with tables, bar and a stage where the Smokin' Jones band played a set of classic rock favorites.The competition provided a training opportunity not only for the competing teams, but also for the paramedics and emergency medical technicians who closely observe each team's analysis and reaction to the scenario.Through the Office of Emergency Medical Services, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services works to foster emergency medical systems, trauma systems and credentialed EMS personnel to improve in providing responses to emergencies and disasters. For more information, visit ncems.org.
In a conference between the German federal government and its 16 states, all 16 united to demand that the federal government cut the number of illegal alien migrants entering the country, and that they pay for the ones already there. All states joined in this demand, including ones run by parties in the national government coalition.

https://rmx.news/germany/germanys-16-states-unite-against-chancellor-scholz-on-soaring-migration-numbers/

Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Mohammed had become the most common name in Berlin for new baby boys.
The study used by the Biden regime in its drive to ban gas cooking stoves in America was produced by a green energy pressure group with close ties to the Chinese government. This is just the latest example of Chinese influence on the Biden administration.

The report used as the basis for the Biden move against gas stoves is a poorly organized nine paragraph mish-mash of data produced by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a "green energy" advocacy group based in Colorado. It has no real expert staff of its own, and has close ties to China and its communist party. The Rocky Mountain Insititue has partnered with the Chinese government to "implement economy-wide transformation away from oil and gas" in the United States. One of the Institute's board members, Wei Ding, has held high ranking positions in state owned Chinese companies, and most of the other board members are executives of green energy companies.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/meet-the-green-energy-group-behind-the-study-thats-driving-calls-to-ban-gas-stoves/

Red China is pushing wind and solar energy hard for western countries, while building scores of new coal fired power plants for themselves. They want the advantage of cheap and dependable energy for their industry to give it an advantage over western economies that they want to saddle with expensive and unreliable wind and solar. China is also the worlds leading producer of wind and solar energy equipment and the raw materials for them. A significant amount is even made with slave labor from its Uyghur minority.

This is just another example of how the Biden regime is in Communist China's hip pocket to the detriment of America. They seem to have got their money's worth is buying Hunter.
Dreamstime, HO / TNS

A Beaumont man as been indicted on three felony charges after being arrested in December for harboring a runaway teen.

John David Allen III, 44, was arrested around 11:10 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2022 when law enforcement from Jefferson and Orange counties, as well as the Vidor Police Department, found a runaway 14-year-old at the man's home in the 3500 block of 10th Street in Beaumont, according to court documents.
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While Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., planted the seeds for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, volunteers in the Big Thicket National Preserve spent their Day of Service on the federal holiday planting native grasses in the Big Sandy Creek Unit.

Its part of the parks trio of yearly planting days that occur in December, January and February. The goal is to establish habitat restoration throughout the Big Thicket eco-system, with a focus on the Big Sandy Creek and Turkey Creek units.

The restoration project began 13 years ago under the National Parks Conservation Association.

It was Associate Director Erika Pelletiers baby when she started working at the association, covering parks in both Texas and Oklahoma.

This is the very first project I ever did at the National Parks Conservation Association, she recalled. Watching it grow has been very special.

Related: Abandoned wells restored in the Big Thicket

That growth mimicked the kind of development thats taking place within the Big Thicket with each planting.

From plugs of blue stem grasses and mere saplings of long leaf pine, dense forests will eventually grow, bringing with them the return of plants and animals that once flourished in the region decades ago  like Texas trailing phlox and the Red-cockaded woodpecker.

The program started with a mere 20 volunteers and only one planting day, which was held in concert with the Martin Luther King National Day of Service holiday.

Over time, the national association turned the program over to the park, but still offers support through volunteers, funding for food and volunteer recruitment efforts.

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the number of volunteers attending plantings had grown to 100-150 people, according to Megan Urban, the public information officer for the Big Thicket National Preserve.

In 2021, the park increased the plantings to three times per year, and volunteer numbers are now returning to normal.

Roughly 75 volunteers turned out Monday, trekking nearly a half-mile into the prairie land over fallen logs, scrub brush and other remnants of the site which had been burned two years ago in preparation for the planting of new blue stem grass and long leaf pine.

The park works exceptionally hard to get these sites ready, Pelletier said.

Controlled burns are an essential way to prepare the land and soil for the fresh trees and grasses, which park rangers grow from seed in their greenhouse near the parks main Visitor Center.

Within two hours, the group had planted over 7,000 plugs of blue stem grass, using dibblers to drill holes into the soil, then placing the grass plugs by hand into the freshly dug holes.

Related: A guide to the Big Thicket National Preserve

Volunteers ranged from young children to the elderly  the senior member being 94-year-old Maxine Johnston, who was instrumental in getting the Big Thicket Preserve accepted into the National Park system and has remained one of its biggest advocates.

Johnston was a bit of a celebrity among fellow volunteers, garnering hugs and requests for photos with her before the planting got underway.

Among those joining in the effort was the Beck family of Beaumont, who were one of several families from the Jefferson County 4H program attending the event. It was the familys second time planting in the Big Thicket. Josh and Cheryl Beck forged their own path through the brush with children Aaron, Abigail and Katie.

Josh drilled the holes, the children following in tow with grass plugs in their hands. The Beck family alone planted 4 bags-worth of blue stem grass Monday morning.

Others, like the Bunn family of Huntington, were first-timers at habitat restoration. Caleb Bunn said they recently visited the Big Thicket Preserve, where children Ava and Joshua signed up to be junior rangers. That led the family, including his wife Sarah and mother Jeannene Bunn, to join in Mondays volunteer planting.

Liz Jelsma and son Auden were also new to the event, and veteran volunteer Mary Bernard assisted the pair as they dibbled their way across the site.

Restoring natural habitat is close to Jelsmas heart and something she hopes to learn to do at her familys home in Silsbee.

I dont want a traditional yard, I want all native grasses, Jelsma told Bernard.

Mondays event drew volunteers from communities well beyond those surrounding the Big Thicket National Preserve, though.

Groups from the Dallas and Houston zoos also joined in the planting.

About 10 members of the Houston Zoo IDEA team  which stands for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility  were on site, including David Suttinger, an animal night supervisor, and Director of Conservation Education Melissa Wong.

Were doing this in honor of MLK Day, but it also kind of marries all the things that are important to us a zoo  conservancy, the environment and community involvement, Wong said.

Related: Past Service Day projects in Southeast Texas

Monday was their first time back volunteering since the pandemic.

The volunteers who traveled furthest for Mondays restoration efforts were National Parks Conservation Association members Sarah Barmeyer of Washington, D.C., and John Adornato of Annapolis, Maryland.

It was Barmeyers first time in the Big Thicket, while Adornato participated in a planting for the first time several years ago.

We just want to learn about this neat place and the people who love it, Adornato said.

The pair teamed up with Lane Wilson of Beaumont for the planting excursion.

These are my besties - we go way backlike 15 minutes ago, Wilson joked.

Pelletier said the Big Thicket National Preserve always has a good group of volunteers coming from D.C., and she's proud that volunteers from Dallas, Houston and San Antonio also made the trip.

We couldnt imagine that 13 years ago. And were bringing back an endangered species (the woodpecker) that hasnt been here since the 1990s, she said.

In the future, once the habitat is well established, Urban said the preserve's working on getting funding to release pairs of woodpeckers into the habitat.

While habitat restoration is what has brought Dallas-based Pelletier most often to the Big Thicket in years past, a more recent issue got her attention: TxDOTs Highway 96 expansion, which will remove roughly 120 acres of forestation that abuts the park property.

Related: Local groups fighting to save trees from TxDOT expansion

The fear is that by removing (those trees), it could introduce invasive species into the park and possibly (create) flooding issues, Pelletier said.

TxDOT cites driver safety as the primary factor behind the expansion along the thoroughfare, which also serves as a main hurricane evacuation route.

All along weve worked with TxDOT to find a balance between safety issues for drivers that also preserves the environment, and that has now changed, she said.

The National Parks Conservation Association and other environmental groups hope to re-establish that dialogue in a way that meets the needs of both highway safety and environmental integrity.

The goal is to ensure that the Big Thicket eco-system, which encompasses 113,000 acres of land spread across seven counties, not only survives but thrives, in part through the restoration efforts of planting projects like the one that took place Monday.

The next volunteer opportunity will be held at 9 a.m. on Feb. 20, and will again be within the Big Sandy Creek unit. Urban said that planting will include blue stem grass and long leaf pine.
Texas native RBonney Gabriel was crowned Miss USA last year, and she's set to compete for an even bigger crown this weekend in the Miss Universe pageant.

Women representing almost 90 different countries will all meet in New Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 14 to compete for the coveted title, the event's website said. Each delegate will participate in different competitions, including delivering a personal statement, conducting an in-depth interview, and modeling an evening gown.

Gabriel is asking her fellow Texans to help her reach one of the top 16 spots in the semi-finals by voting for her before Saturday's event.

"It would be a dream come true," she said about winning Miss Universe, adding that competing in this pageant is an opportunity for her to spread happiness, spread kindness and empower women.

Gabriel is the first Asian American to win Miss Texas USA, and the first woman of Philipino descent to win Miss USA.

In the National Costumes phase for Miss Universe on Jan. 11, she wore a Woman on the Moon costume involving a red and blue body suit, a huge silver moon crown and a number of big silver stars that extended out from the body suit in front and behind her. Gabriel said on Instagram the costume represented her native Houston's space credentials as home to the NASA Johnson Space Center and dedicated the moment to NASAs Artemis missions, which plan to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon in 2024.

As a Houston native, where the NASA space center is located, I am proud to be from a city working to send the first female to the moon," she said. "The purpose of this costume was to inspire women in all spaces across the universe to dream big, shoot for the moon and achieve something out of this world."

Vote Gabriel into the semi-finals by downloading the iOS or Android Miss Universe app, selecting 'Vote' from the bottom bar and then 'Semifinals Vote.' The countries are listed alphabetically, with a picture of Gabriel at the bottom for USA. Clicking on the yellow star on her picture counts as one vote, which is free.

Additional votes can be bought on the app or the Miss Universe website for a price. The one free vote is only available via the app. Voting ends on Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. CT.

The 71st Miss Universe pageant will stream live on the Roku Channel at 7 p.m. CT and can be watched for free on the Roku Channel website. The winner will be crowned by current Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu, who took home the crown for India in December 2021.
NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A former biology professor in Texas was sentenced for trafficking protected wildlife from 12 countries into the U.S.

Between March 2013 and February 2020, Dr. Richard Kazmaier, who resigned from West Texas A&M in October 2022, illegally imported 358 pieces of wildlife remains into Texas from Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latvia, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
Three KF-16 fighter jets carry a logo celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance on their vertical tails at Gwangju Air Base, in this photo provided by the Republic of Korea Air Force, Wednesday. As part of marking the seven-decade alliance, four KF-16s and three U.S. Air Force F-16s are decorated with the logo. Courtesy of ROK Air Force
CAIRO (AP)  Tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people in southern Sudan, the country's doctors union said Wednesday, raising fears the war between the country's rival top generals  currently centered in the capital  could set off more violence in far-flung provinces.

It remained unclear whether the tribal clashes were related to the brutal fighting that ignited mid-April across the country as a result of a power struggle between the military's head, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

The tribal violence in the south erupted Monday between the Hausa and Nuba tribes in the city of Kosti, the capital of White Nile province bordering South Sudan, according to Sudanese local media reports.

Deadly tribal violence is not uncommon in Sudan's south and west, where disputes dating back to the country's split from South Sudan remain unresolved.

The country's wider conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The violence has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province. Last month, armed fighters, many in RSF uniforms, rampaged through the city of Genena in West Darfur killing at least 100 people, according to the doctors' group, the Sudanese Doctor's Syndicate, which mainly tracks civilian fatalities.

The U.N.'s migration agency said that 700,000 people have now been displaced by the violence, in updated figures released Tuesday, more than double the tally from a week prior. Before the fighting started, 3.7 million people were already displaced internally, mainly in western Darfur, according to the agency's figures.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Wednesday that food insecurity in Sudan is expected to surge to record levels due to the conflict, affecting more than 19 million people, or two-fifths of the population, according to the World Food Program

A series of cease-fires has failed to stop the fighting and prompted foreign governments to speed up the evacuation of their citizens from the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Sudans warring parties are holding talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, but have made little progress as of Monday regarding a more sustained humanitarian truce, a U.N. official in Sudan told The Associated Press.

The talks, the first since the fighting erupted, are a part of a Saudi-U.S. initiative meant to stop the fighting.

The U.N. official added that the gap between the two sides' positions remains wide, due to deep mistrust. He called for more pressure on the two generals, especially from their regional backers. The military has traditionally been backed by Egypts government, and the RSF has enjoyed support from the United Arab Emirates.

They should give concessions to reach a compromise, he said.

The military has demanded that the RSF withdraw from Khartoum's neighborhoods and its hospitals, power and oil facilities to one central base outside the city, according to two senior military officials with direct knowledge of the talks.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary group is saying that it should retain control of all of the bases it had held prior to the conflict, including at key locations inside the capital, such as the Khartoum Airport, according to two RSF officials involved in the preparations for the talks. They said the RSF is also looking to ensure its ranks are still paid out of the national budget and that its wounded soldiers can receive adequate medical treatment.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk the media because of the ongoing negotiations.

Saudi Arabias Foreign Ministry had said the talks aim to achieve an effective short-term cease-fire to facilitate humanitarian assistance, and agree on a timetable for further negotiations to reach a permanent cease-fire.

___

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Aswan, Egypt, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Most panfish junkies will agree that crappie are only where you find them.

A school fish by nature, the tasty panfish might be here one day and over there the next. Find one crappie and others are likely to be nearby.

There are two species of crappie  black and white crappie  and both are common to Texas waters. Black crappie do best in the more acid reservoirs found in the eastern part of the state. White crappie can be found in lakes statewide, but tend to thrive in more turbid reservoirs with some color to the water.

It is not uncommon for both species to grow beyond two pounds. Bigger ones are more abundant on some lakes than others.

RELATED: Spring welcomes changes in the woods and on the water

Texas state records for both species have stood for a while. Toledo Bend produced the states biggest black crappie, a 4.00 pounder caught in December 2002, according to records maintained by Texas Parks and Wildlifes Angler Recognition Program. The state record white crappie  a 4.56 pounder from Navarro Mills in Central Texas  dates way back to February 1968.

There are a passel of good crappie lakes in Texas, but some tend to produce better fishing  and bigger bites  than others do. And the advent of forward-facing sonar technology has made it easier to exploit these fish than ever before.

One student of technology recently told me only a fool would go crappie fishing without it. Im not sure about that, but I do know forward-facing sonar is way different than traditional sonar.

It works using a special transducer that mounts to the trolling motor shaft or an independent pole. Anglers can slip quietly along as the transducer scans the water column all around the boat. High resolution imagery relays to the electronics screen in real time.

One of the main benefits is it boosts the chances of seeing inherently spooky fish before they know you are around. Another is it helps anglers make precise bait presentations to fish and, more importantly, see how they react to baits.

Lake Fork crappie fishing guide Gary Paris is a forward-facing sonar fan for a couple reasons.

First off it helps eliminate a lot of unproductive water very quickly, he said. If LiveScope isnt showing you any fish, there is no sense in fishing there. You just keep looking until you find them.

RELATED: Lady angler lands pending world record at Lake O.H. Ivie

Proper bait presentation at the right depth is essential. Paris says forward-facing sonar helps him tune in quickly and make adjustments on the fly.

If you know what depth the fish are, it helps keep the bait right in their faces 100 percent of the time because you can see it, he said. If the fish move, you just stay with them. You cant do that with traditional sonar.

Late spring: All about location

Late spring is a time of transition for crappie. With the spawn winding down, the fish begin a gradual to deeper water, where they will spend the summer, fall and winter.

Paris looks offshore to find post-spawn schools in water ranging 20-55 feet deep. He uses LiveScope and a 1/8-ounce jig to bird dog fish that are typically suspended 12-17 feet down around old timber or brush piles.

Paris says he frequently catches black and white crappie in the same areas, but white crappie tend to suspend slightly deeper. He added that it is not uncommon find large schools of black crappie suspended away from cover in wide-open water.

Lakes Toledo Bend, Lake O the Pines, Palestine and Cedar Creek are three other East Texas lakes that get top billing for big white and black crappie. In Central Texas, lakes Granger, Buchanan, Mexia, Limestone and Aquilla are worth a look.

Fishing guide Ben Matsubu says there is some spawning activity still taking place at the southern reaches of Toledo Bend, but the majority the fish have made the shift to brush piles, big timber and natural lay downs in 15-22 feet.

Fishing guides Ricky Vandergriff and Jason Barber say similar patterns are will be in play on lakes Palestine and Cedar Creek. On Palestine, Vandergriff likes to use LiveScope to target schools around flooded timber along the Neches River in water ranging 16-20 feet. Non-LiveScopers should look for brush piles in 16 feet or target bridge cross members. Small shiners and jigs can be equally effective, but Vandergriff prefers jigs the most.

Tipping jigs with a Berkley Crappie Nibbles will help at times, Vandergriff said.

Barber says brush piles in 8-16 feet are holding a mix of black and white crappie on Cedar Creek, but deeper boat docks in 5-12 feet of water may be the better bet for blacks. Barber prefers using a jig fishing technique called shooting to get at fish attracted to docks by shade and forage. His favorite set up is a 1/16-ounce hair jig matched with a 6 1/2 foot medium spinning outfit and six-pound high- vis line that helps out with detecting subtle strikes.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Marcos DeJesus spent years overseeing Central Texas lakes before relocating to Tyler to accept a regional director gig. He says Granger and Buchanan were his favorite crappie lakes. While both maintain good populations white crappie, Granger is the stronger of the two.

Sizes arent as big as northeast Texas, but 1-2 pound fish are common, he said.

The biologist says the best action from late spring through summer always happens around brush piles in water water ranging 8-15 feet.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist John Tibbs oversees several lakes in the Waco district. He ranks Aquilla, Mexia and Limestone as the best for numbers and quality white crappie.

Tibbs says most of the fish move offshore and suspend around timber and brush after the spawn winds down. Anglers with forward-facing sonar will have an advantage over those who dont.

Limestone has quite a bit of submerged timber on the main lake that is deep enough for crappie to use, but Aquilla and especially Mexia anglers will need to look for isolated brush piles and other submerged habitat, Tibbs said.

Tibbs added that all three reservoirs are capable of growing crappie upwards of two pounds, but generally the larger crappie will top out in the 1-2 pound range.

Lake LBJ near Marble Falls is another Central Texas impoundment worth a look. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says LBJ has the best white crappie population of any of the Highland Lakes chain.

Veteran fishing guide Brandon Bray of Marble Falls says late spring is when he finds the crappie grouped around brush and old timber along the Colorado River in 15-35 feet.

The boat docks can be pretty good at times, too, Bray said. The fishing can be really good at night, especially around the docks with lights.
Gregg Gallagher is uneasy with his newfound fame after catching the Great Lakes first double-digit smallmouth bass.

The fishing world is abuzz about Gallaghers 10.15-pound smallmouth from Lake Erie. Word of the record-setting fish spread quickly since the Nov. 3 outing with his son, Grant. Back at the same Port Clinton, Ohio, ramp three days after the catch, Gregg was retrieving the trailer when a stranger called out.

Ive been overwhelmed to say the least, Gregg said. Im a really shy, non-attention seeking person. I went from nobody knowing who I was to being called The Big Bass Guy. I didnt realize the guy was talking to me. I had to think about it for a second.

The 54-year-old high school business teacher in Fremont, Ohio, wished it was his son who caught the bass. After all, Grant put in the work to find the behemoth, which ranks among the top 5 ever caught. Grant, a former Bassmaster College Series angler at Adrian College who competes in some regional events, was ecstatic to make such a mark in fishing, and doubly so to do it with the man who started him fishing.

I still dont think its really hit us, Grant said. Its just truly a blessing. Were both men of faith. For it to happen to us, we couldnt be more grateful. Were overwhelmed by all the messages and calls.

It really hasnt set in. When you talk about a 10-pound smallmouth, it doesnt even seem fathomable.

Fog day, fishing day

The day of fishing shouldnt even have happened, Grant said. Thick fog that Thursday morning made travel so bad that school was cancelled. On past fog days, the Gallaghers have gone fishing.

So Grant, a second-grade teacher in Hudson, Mich., texted his dad to get ready. Grant had some prep and a 75-mile drive to Fremont, where Gregg had hooked up his sons Bass Cat for the half-hour drive to Lake Erie.

The fog had burned off and it turned into a beautiful day by the time they launched around 11:30. Gregg, a converted walleye guy, started at their deep area near Pelee Island with an A-rig and single swimbaits, which had worked well over the weekend. Grant advised him to switch bait and follow the plan hed developed.

The last couple weeks, weve been figuring out theres some giant fish that are roaming with these shad. Theyre pelagic, Grant said. They dont live on rock piles. They literally live chasing bait.

With the trolling motor on high and watching for clouds of shad on his forward facing sonar, Grant came across the magic school. He landed a 5-pounder that had 20 to 30 follow it.

It still gives me goosebumps thinking about, Grant said. I scanned one more time, and theres one big blip out there. I yelled to my dad, Pitch out there. Those big ones like to be left alone. He was all by himself.

Greggs first cast with the bait  a very popular soft plastic that Grant said will remain secret for now  didnt get to the bottom. The big guy bit, and Gregg set the hook on a fish that seemed too heavy to be a bass.

I thought it was a sheepshead so I horsed it, hoping it would either come off or I get it to the boat as quickly as possible so I can keep fishing, Gregg said.

Were not taking it serious because we didnt think its a smallmouth, Grant said. Then that line starts to race up. And we just look at each other, and thats when the schoolgirl voices break out.

Im a very quiet, reserved person, Gregg said. Its kind of embarrassing watching that video.

On a video, the two are hooting and hollering. They knew they had a giant, something bigger than theyd ever caught before, but not necessarily a record, yet.

We both went into shock. Weve never seen anything like that, said Gregg, acknowledging neither have topped 7 pounds. It made a couple, Id say, weak dives. Ive had much smaller fish fight harder than that one did. He scooped it up and put it on his bow, and we couldnt believe what we caught.

The fight was really anticlimactic, Grant said. He pulled her right up to the surface, and it was so big. It tried to jump but it couldnt even get out of the water. It was a very easy fight compared to normal smallmouth.

Now what?

After the shouting but still full of excitement, the Gallaghers weighed the fish at 9.87 pounds, although Grants scale is known to weigh light. With unusual cell signal, a call connected to friend and guide, Capt. Ross Robertson, who informed them the Lake Erie record is 9.84.

I dont really want to go in, Gregg said. Ill just take some good pictures and release. What do you do with a 9-pounder? Im not going to skin mount it.

Again cell signal allowed a call to Jason Clemons, who operates Clemons Boats in Sandusky and lets Grant run a Bass Cat Jaguar as part of a pro staff deal. Clemons came from a couple miles away with an accurate scale that registered the bass at 10.16.

I look at Grant. I guess our fishing day is over, Gregg said.

Oh my gosh, what do we have here? This is a record-setting fish, Grant said. Weve got to get a hold of somebody on the mainland.

As they headed in, Robertson hooked them up with Travis Hartman, who runs the fisheries research station in Sandusky for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Hartman, waiting with a cooler to keep the fish alive, helped them get to a certified scale and start the verification process in Ohio and Canada.

The world record smallmouth is David L. Hayes 11-pound, 15-ounce beast caught in 1955 from Dale Hollow Lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. The lake also produced the second-largest smallmouth (10-14) and another 10-8 there tied for third with a fish caught out of the Wheeler Dam Tailwater in Alabama. Gallaghers fish would be the fifth largest, supplanting a 1951 10-pounder from Hiwassee Reservoir in North Carolina.

The catch, which was 23  inches long with a girth of 19 3/8, will overtake Randy VanDams Ohio record of 9-8 from 1993 and replace the current Ontario Province mark of 9.84 set in 1954 by Andy Anderson.

Great Lakes smallmouth have been growing larger since the introduction of invasive species, zebras mussels in the 1980s and gobies in the 1990s. The 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River was won by Jay Przekurat with a total of 102-9, the first time 100 pounds was eclipsed with smallmouth.

Paul Mueller landed a 7-13 in Lake Ontario in 2020, the largest smallmouth the Elites have seen in competition, although Canadian Elites Cory and Chris Johnston have long said there are bigger smallmouth there.

It was an absolute giant, Bassmaster TV analyst Mark Zona said, but Im not surprised at all, especially coming from the Great Lakes in the fall.

I think the biggest surprise is that it didnt happen sooner  Great Lakes smallies get bigger every year with goby and zebra mussels, and I dont think its going to stop. I do feel every Great Lake has 10-pound smallies swimming in them now.

Chris Johnston agrees, however, he said Erie was less likely than lakes like Ontario or Simcoe because its known more for quantities of 5-pounders.

Its a giant, a freak of nature, Johnston said. A 5-pounder is big, and youre doubling that?

Looks small for its size

Grant said hes kind of disappointed that in most of the photos of the leviathan, it doesnt appear as massive as it does in real life.

Those pictures dont do it justice. Thats what still kind of makes us upset, he said. I can stick my whole fist down its mouth. That doesnt make sense. It was like a totally different strain of smallmouth. Weve been pretty diehard smallmouth guys the last five years  it was a true unicorn.

With the recent walleye scandal on Lake Erie where tournament anglers were caught stuffing weights into fish, the Gallaghers werent surprised that Ontario officials wanted the fish X-rayed. It passed, of course. It was also verified as a pure smallmouth, and a scale master and witnesses signed off on the weight.

Ohio DNR officers told the Gallaghers the fish is probably around 15- to 17-years old, is most likely done spawning and is quite possibly a male. The state is keeping the fish to conduct studies.

We are really heart-broken we didnt get to release it, Grant said. We kept it super healthy, unfortunately, the state wanted to test it. Theres a good chance its a giant male.

Gregg said it would have been great to know that fish is back roaming the depths of Lake Erie. He seems reluctant to accept the accolades of having his name in the record books, continuing to credit his son.

Its cool and everything, I just wish Grant would have caught it. It was his boat. He put the time in, Gregg said. Ive been with him a lot, but hes been the one graphing and he keeps perfecting and perfecting.

As a dad, I want no career in fishing. I love to fish. Twelve months out the year its a passion. Its fun. Im a teacher first. I just love to fish. Grants the one that put the time in.

Sure, Grant would have liked to land it, too, but hes pretty stoked with putting his dad on the record fish. Hes been working to get youth into bass fishing, informing his students about the sport and taking out friends and high school anglers.

Its really special for me, he said. The fact that I got to take my dad, the guy that got me into fishing, and that happened to us. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it, because that was a bit of a God wink. Thats what puts a smile on my face at the end of the day.

Gregg said its been a satisfying journey watching Grant progress as an angler, and hes proud of the man he raised.

Hes my favorite fishing partner since 5, he said. Weve been a package deal. Everybody knew if theyre coming with me, Grants going. Or if Im going with you, Grants coming with us.

Grant is certainly pleased to return the joy of fishing to his father.

This is my first year playing captain for him, he said. This has been a really good week.
Charlotte, N.C., is the metropolitan area in which physicians are paid the most, according to Physician Thrive's "2023 Physician Compensation Report."

Physician Thrive compiled data from more than 12 sources, including Doximity, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Merritt Hawkins, for the report.

Here are the metropolitan areas that pay physicians the most:
The New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists held a rally at the state Capitol on May 9, pushing for legislation that would recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists as a profession, according to a report from CBS affiliate WRGB.

Despite receiving advanced training, CRNA is not recognized as a profession in New York. In 49 other states, certified registered nurse anesthetists are able to practice to the full extent of their education and training, according to the association's website.

"We are extremely valuable to the state of New York in delivering safe surgical and anesthetic services," association President Sean McGarry, CRNA, told WRGB. "It's about time we have recognition for what it is we've been doing for 150 years. We believe that if 49 other states can figure it out, New York can as well."
Joel Cleary, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Grangeville, Idaho-based Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, joined Becker's to discuss the biggest threats to physicians and reimbursement issues.

Editor's note: Responses were edited lightly for brevity and clarity.

Question: What are physicians' biggest threats right now?

Dr. Joel Cleary: Themselves.  When the organization appears to be more important than the historical mission, the organization has become dysfunctional. And their greed. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons is a good example. I find it amazing that the starting salary for an ortho surgeon is less than $500,000 a year. They gave up autonomy to insurance companies, politicians and bureaucrats for the big bucks.

Q: What are your biggest concerns regarding reimbursements right now?

JC: Perceptions by politicians that doctors make too much. As I used to say at Montana medical organization meetings, legislators have little sympathy for "poor" doctors when they make five to 10 times what a legislator makes.
The White House is considering a rule that would ban companies from paying hackers' ransoms, but for hospitals and health systems, this rule could result in delays in care, Politico reported May 11.

For hospitals and health systems, paying ransoms may not always be a choice. As healthcare organizations are loaded with troves of sensitive patient data, sometimes paying is the only option to get it back.

In 2021, Attleboro, Mass.-based Sturdy Memorial Hospital fell victim to a data breach and decided to pay the ransom. Hackers demanded an undisclosed amount in exchange for destroying all protected health information it acquired during the breach.

Additionally, when hospitals and health systems are hacked, this can cause crucial IT systems to be taken offline, with a ransom payment being the only promise of getting it back online.

In 2019, Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health said it paid an undisclosed amount in ransom to stop a cyberattack that had caused a two-day shutdown of its computer network.

And in October 2019, Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based DCH Health System said it had paid hackers an undisclosed ransom to restore access to locked systems at its three hospitals.

But, according to Anne Neuberger, President Joe Biden's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, the rule could provide some flexibility for organizations that provide emergency care or are necessary to daily life.

For instance, Ms. Neuberger said hospitals could ask for government approval to pay the ransom to decrypt their systems.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and Oracle executives testified before Congress on May 9 about the ongoing issues associated with the pharmacy functions of its Cerner EHR system that contributed to the death of a veteran in Ohio, The Spokesman Review reported May 9.

The VA's Cerner EHR system has had several problems with its prescribing and dispensing of medications functions. For instance, a 2022 report found that the system caused some medications to disappear from the system, left outpatient drug orders uncompleted, and allowed nurses to prescribe drugs without reviews or approvals from physicians.

These issues have hindered pharmacists at the Spokane, Wash.-based Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center.

According to a statement from one pharmacist at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical facility, the issues with the Cerner system have caused "increased risks due to delays, inefficiencies, vulnerabilities, manual workarounds and the lack of responsiveness from Cerner to identify patient risks."

The pharmacist also said "pharmacy staff must remain in a constant state of hyper-vigilance to recognize and intervene on those risks."

Mike Sicilia, Oracle's executive vice president in charge of the VA project, told Congress he's not surprised staff isn't happy with the system as it is incomplete, but said Oracle has been working quickly to address the problems.

According to Mr. Sicilia, Oracle has fixed three of the most urgent pharmacy issues in a matter of four months, but Carol Harris, director for information technology and cybersecurity and the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said only six of 79 change requests made by pharmacists at the Mann-Grandstaff medical center have been addressed in the past two years.

The hearing comes shortly after the VA said it was going to halt all future deployments of the Cerner EHR system until it can address problems with the system at facilities already using it.
Veterans Charlie Bourg and Charlie Monroe are continuing a yearslong protest against the Cerner EHR system at Spokane, Wa.-based Mann-Grandstaff Veterans Medical Center, The Spokesman Review reported May 9.

Mr. Bourg, an Army veteran, and Mr. Monroe, a veteran of the U.S. Navy Seabees, worked with other volunteers on a petition calling for the removal of the EHR system. The veterans made and distributed 2,000 fliers to employees and patients around the hospital.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, whose district includes Spokane, has called for the termination of the Oracle Cerner contract.

In March, the VA found four deaths that were linked to the EHR system.
Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent will close its obstetrics unit May 26, WAGM News reported.

The moves comes as birth rates decline in the area along with staffing trouble, the May 9 report said. NMMC is in talks with Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine to establish outpatient clinics for prenatal and post-partum care.

Employees affected by the closure will be offered positions within NMMC, the report said.

Between 2006 and 2020, more than 400 rural maternity units closed in the U.S.
Envoys from 18 countries attend a question and answer session with officials of Korea's foreign and defense ministries during an event promoting Korean weapons in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 2 photo released Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs



Envoys from 18 countries watch firing drills as exporters aim for global expansion



By Jung Min-ho



Ambassadors and other diplomats from 18 countries were invited to a special military event promoting Korean weapons last week as local government and arms exporters intensify efforts to expand their presence in the global market.



According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, envoys from the Czech Republic, Chile, Poland, Saudi Arabia and about a dozen other major arms markets for Korean companies were given an opportunity, May 2, to watch live-fire gunnery exercises with ministry officials and military officers.



The event, the first of its kind, was held in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Some of the Korean Army's most lethal hardware, including K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, K21 infantry fighting vehicles and K600 minefield-breaching vehicles were mobilized, apparently impressing many in the audience.



After watching weapons strike targets, the guests had a question and answer session with military officers and representatives of arms makers, in which many showed interest in strengthening cooperation with Korea in the field of defense.





K2 tanks fire while moving during live-fire gunnery exercises at an event promoting Korean weapons in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 2 photo released Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Holly Springs, Miss.-based Alliance HealthCare has finally been granted rural emergency hospital status, a potential lifeline to struggling rural hospitals, Mississippi Today reported May 9.

The news comes after some uncertainty regarding the designation with CMS first approving such status and then apparently withdrawing it. The issue surrounded the hospital's proximity to Memphis, Tenn., which is only 50 miles away.

Now that the status is finalized, the first such designation in Mississippi, financially challenged Alliance will join four other hospitals in the country that have been awarded REH status.

Such a designation is dependent on any hospital closing its inpatient facilities in return for keeping an emergency room open. Such hospitals will receive higher reimbursement rates from the federal government as well as monthly stipends.
Children's hospitals and other pediatric healthcare providers are working to identify and dismantle discriminatory care practices that fuel racial health disparities, according to a May 9 article from The Commonwealth Fund.

At Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., conversations with families of color revealed that many felt staff were not properly addressing their children's pain. Parents said some staff members were quick to call security if they raised their voices or took other measures to try to have their concerns taken seriously.

To address these concerns, Children's National created a program that dispatches social workers to units where staff members have reported conflicts with or among parents. Social workers meet separately with parents or caregivers and staff members to help find a peaceful resolution. Of the 216 instances in which social workers have been called, 84 percent were resolved without the need for hospital security, according to the report.

At Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital, hospital leaders are highly focused on addressing disparities around mental healthcare. The hospital conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment in 2022, which revealed high rates of suicidal ideation among Hispanic and Black children. Parents also reported difficulty accessing mental healthcare services for their kids.

Akron Children's has since increased care access by integrating behavioral health services into a majority of its primary care clinics and training primary care providers to screen for concerns such as anxiety and depression. After learning families wanted more time to discuss mental health concerns with clinicians, the hospital implemented a policy to extend healthcare visits by 15 minutes anytime such a concern is raised.



Read the full article here.
The CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association said the recent exodus of several hospitals from the association has left him perplexed, according to Mississippi Today.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Ocean Springs-based Singing River Health System and George Regional Health System in Lucedale have decided to exit the association, citing concerns about leadership. A fifth hospital, Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Miss., has also decided to leave.

The hospitals' moves come after the association's political action committee, Friends of Mississippi Hospitals, made a $250,000 donation to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, a supporter of Medicaid expansion, according to Mississippi Today. Mr. Presley's opponent, Republican incumbent Tate Reeves, opposes Medicaid expansion.

MHA President Tim Moore told the publication he suspects the donation was a catalyst for the hospitals' departures, and he is baffled by the situation.

"There's nothing else that has changed. Nothing," he said in an interview with Mississippi Today last week. "Our strategy has not changed."

Mr. Moore also emphasized the financial challenges hospitals are facing, telling the publication, "How can anybody blame the hospital association for committing upfront to somebody that has committed to helping hospitals and patients across the state? How can you condemn that? I can't figure it out." According to Mississippi Today, experts estimate that Medicaid expansion could bring in millions to the state and provide up 300,000 additional people with insurance.

None of the hospitals specifically cited the donation as a reason for exiting in letters to the association.

The MHA represents the interests of hospitals in the state legislature. Its website states that it comprises more than 100 hospitals, health systems, networks, care providers and a pool of more than 50,000 employees.
A shooting at Richmond, Va.-based VCU Medical Center North Hospital resulted in one man killed and another taken into custody.

At 12:04 a.m. May 10, VCU police received an emergency call about shots fired in the hospital, according to a news release from the VCU and Richmond police departments. VCU and Richmond police responded to the scene, where they discovered two co-workers, Christopher Boisseau, 24, and Ty'Quan White, 25.

Mr. Boisseau had allegedly shot Mr. White during an altercation; Mr. White received treatment but died from his injury, the release said.

Mr. Boisseau was taken into custody and was charged with maliciously shooting within a building. Other charges are pending, according to the release.

No other injuries were reported and a brief lockdown at the hospital was lifted.

"We are so incredibly thankful and grateful for the joint police response and the brave actions of our own team members and first responders," Marlon Levy, MD, interim CEO of VCU Health, said in a statement on the health system's website. "Our first responders and team members demonstrated the best of what VCU Health stands for."
As lawmakers propose and pass bills aimed at protecting healthcare workers' safety, some staff members at health systems are expressing concerns over the amount of increased violence seen in 2023.

In the first week of May, police shot a woman in a Georgia hospital ER after she barricaded herself and resisted help from medical staff, an Oklahoma hospital went into lockdown after receiving threats of a shooting, and a gunman killed one person and injured four others in an Atlanta hospital.

Healthcare workers are also facing more physical attacks  which are becoming more violent. In Massachusetts, someone was physically assaulted, verbally abused or threatened every 38 minutes in a healthcare facility in 2022. That figure was 49 minutes in 2021 and 57 minutes in 2020.

In a Kansas Hospital Association report, 46 percent of hospitals reported workplace violence in 2022.

Elijah Thompson, director of physical security at Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System, told NBC affiliate KPVI he expects violence in hospitals this year to surpass 2020, 2021 and 2022 numbers.

Employees at Saint Luke's have experienced concussions, dislocations and bite wounds from patients, he said.

"Hospitals are complicated environments," Mr. Thompson told the outlet. "They're already filled with a lot of emotions. We always say some of the best parts of life and some of the worst parts of life all happen under our roof, and we're looking at the best way to manage all of that."

Heidi Boehm, program manager for enterprise initiatives at Kansas City, Kan.-based KU Health Systems, told KPVI the risk of workplace violence is "taking a tremendous toll on our healthcare workers."
Nurses at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., have been raising alarms on short-staffing and work conditions as contract negotiations wear on. Recently, those protests have escalated to a series of formal complaints and labor charges.

On April 21, local nurses filed two new unfair labor practice charges against the hospital with the National Labor Relations Board.

"St. Charles executives are charged with bad faith bargaining after refusing to provide relevant information about its multimillion dollar contracts with outside staffing agencies and refusing to drop contract proposals which are not mandatory subjects of bargaining," states a news release from the Oregon Nurses Association, which represents nearly 1,000 of the hospital's front-line nurses.

The new charges compound previous charges alleging the health system spies on nurses participating in union activity. Those charges are currently being investigated by the NLRB, the union says.

Additionally, on May 5, nurses filed a series of unsafe staffing complaints against the hospital with the Oregon Health Authority. The allegations claim the hospital fails to meet safe staffing standards and provide sufficient replacement staff; fails to limit hospital admissions when providers can't meet patients' needs; and fails to provide meal and rest breaks to staff.

The hospital is unaware of new complaints filed with the Oregon Health Authority, but plans to review and respond to any that are raised, Julie Ostrom, BSN, a senior nursing leader and member of the St. Charles bargaining team, told Becker's. Meanwhile, it believes the NLRB charges to be "without merit."

During an informational picket on April 24, the union alleged that low pay contributes to the hospital's staffing problem. The hospital disagrees.

In early April, the health system significantly cut its travel staff, delaying patient care in at least one instance. However, it has hired more new nurses than it has lost to turnover in the past nine months, Ms. Ostrom, told Becker's. The system also claims it has decreased nursing turnover to its lowest rate in three years  14.5 percent in 2022, compared to a national average of 22.5 percent.

The health system also implemented a $5 hourly wage increase for all bedside nurses for an average annual full-time salary of $108,000. This is one of the highest nursing salaries in the state of Oregon, according to Ms. Ostrom.

The nurses and hospital have been locked in nearly fives months of contract negotiations; RNs are still working without a contract after the previous one expired Dec. 31.

"We have identified common ground in these negotiations that is helping us progress to an agreement," Ms. Ostrom said. "We agree with the ONA about the importance of retaining and recruiting health care professionals and are happy to report that despite a national shortage of nurses we have been making significant progress.

"We are back in negotiations with the ONA this week and will continue to bargain in good faith with the goal of reaching a contract agreement."




After EHR supplier NextGen said a data breach compromised information of 1 million patients, four lawsuits were filed against the company, according to court documents.

Two of the four filed class-action suits accuse NextGen of not informing patients until a month after it became aware of the data breach, which began in late March; one forwarded claims of negligence, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duty; and the other is seeking damages for the risk of identity theft.
Some physicians in Nevada are concerned proposed legislation to significantly increase the limit on damages a plaintiff can recover in malpractice suits would exacerbate the state's physician shortage if it became law, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported May 9.

The bill would raise the limit on noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering a plaintiff can recover, from the current limit of $350,000 to $2.5 million. Additionally, it would lengthen the statute of limitations and apply it retroactively.

Physicians are worried if the bill becomes law, malpractice insurance rates would skyrocket. Two decades ago, when the rates increased dramatically, voters approved a cap on noneconomic damages.

"I can only imagine that premiums would skyrocket again from what they are currently, making it unfeasible for a small practice like mine to really be able to afford coverage," Howard Baron, MD, a pediatric specialist in Las Vegas, told the newspaper.

Supporters of the legislation do not believe it would have such an effect, as Nevada already ranks low for the number of physicians per capita. It ranks 45th nationwide in active physicians, according to the report.
A federal judge in Illinois has tripled the amount Eli Lilly must pay after a jury found the pharmaceutical company guilty of violating the False Claims Act in August 2022, according to a May 9 report from Law360.

Initially, federal Judge Harry Leinenweber had ruled that the company was to pay $61 million in damages. Now, that amount has risen to more than $183 million according to court documents.

After the jury announced the $61 million in damages, the defendant in the case, Ronald Streck,  who initially filed the False Claims Act against Eli Lilly in 2014  filed a post-trial motion to amend the judgment and seek trebled damages  something that is allowed under the False Claims Act, according documents and Law360's report.

"It is granted insofar as the Court orders damages to be trebled," the document reads. The judge also ordered that "civil penalties for all violations at 20 percent above the relevant statutory minimums."

"Lilly is committed to upholding high standards of corporate conduct in our business dealings," an Eli Lilly spokesperson told Becker's. "While we are disappointed with the Court's ruling, we intend to appeal it and are confident that the Seventh Circuit will reverse."
Orthopedic surgeons contribute around $74 billion in economic output nationwide, including more than 411,000 jobs, according to data from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Here is the economic impact of orthopedic surgeons by state:

Alabama

Jobs created: 5,473

Economic activity generated: $902 million

Alaska

Jobs created: 1,198

Economic activity generated: $252 million

Arizona

Jobs created: 8,769

Economic activity generated: $1.48 billion

Arkansas

Jobs created: 2,547

Economic activity generated: $416 million

California

Jobs created: 51,176

Economic activity generated: $9.95 billion

Colorado

Jobs created: 9,067

Economic activity generated: $1.62 billion

Connecticut

Jobs created: 5,570

Economic activity generated: $1.12 billion

Delaware

Jobs created: 1,423

Economic activity generated: $266 million

District of Columbia

Jobs created: 941

Economic activity generated: $219 million

Florida

Jobs created: 29,193

Economic activity generated: $4.95 billion

Georgia

Jobs created: 12,751

Economic activity generated: $2.17 billion

Hawaii

Jobs created: 2,019

Economic activity generated: $368 million

Idaho

Jobs created: 2,411

Economic activity generated: $378 million

Illinois

Jobs created: 15,397

Economic activity generated: $2.86 billion

Indiana

Jobs created: 7,821

Economic activity generated: $1.32 billion

Iowa

Jobs created: 3,174

Economic activity generated: $533 million

Kansas

Jobs created: 3,316

Economic activity generated: $556 million

Kentucky

Jobs created: 4,602

Economic activity generated: $752 million

Louisiana

Jobs created: 6,003

Economic activity generated: $1 billion

Maine

Jobs created: 1,933

Economic activity generated: $318 million

Maryland

Jobs created: 8,483

Economic activity generated: $1.58 billion

Massachusetts

Jobs created: 10,451

Economic activity generated: $2.01 billion

Michigan

Jobs created: 10,897

Economic activity generated: $1.86 billion

Minnesota

Jobs created: 8,496

Economic activity generated: $1.52 billion

Mississippi

Jobs created: 2,844

Economic activity generated: $458 million

Missouri

Jobs created: 8,146

Economic activity generated: $1.37 billion

Montana

Jobs created: 1,600

Economic activity generated: $261 million

Nebraska

Jobs created: 2,488

Economic activity generated: $421 million

Nevada

Jobs created: 2,670

Economic activity generated: $480 million

New Hampshire

Jobs created: 2,598

Economic activity generated: $456 million

New Jersey

Jobs created: 12,804

Economic activity generated: $2.53 billion

New Mexico

Jobs created: 2,418

Economic activity generated: $410 million

New York

Jobs created: 25,438

Economic activity generated: $5.24 billion

North Carolina

Jobs created: 12,455

Economic activity generated: $2.11 billion

North Dakota

Jobs created: 803

Economic activity generated: $144 million

Ohio

Jobs created: 16,495

Economic activity generated: $2.82 billion

Oklahoma

Jobs created: 4,293

Economic activity generated: $717 million

Oregon

Jobs created: 6,239

Economic activity generated: $1.05 billion

Pennsylvania

Jobs created: 17,872

Economic activity generated: $3.21 billion

Rhode Island

Jobs created: 1,754

Economic activity generated: $319 million

South Carolina

Jobs created: 5,730

Economic activity generated: $940 million

South Dakota

Jobs created: 1,133

Economic activity generated: $195 million

Tennessee

Jobs created: 8,413

Economic activity generated: $1.40 billion

Texas

Jobs created: 29,366

Economic activity generated: $5.19 billion

Utah

Jobs created: 4,285

Economic activity generated: $723 million

Vermont

Jobs created: 840

Economic activity generated: $142 million

Virginia

Jobs created: 9,399

Economic activity generated: $1.70 billion

Washington

Jobs created: 8,667

Economic activity generated: $1.63 billion

West Virginia

Jobs created: 1,465

Economic activity generated: $240 million

Wisconsin

Jobs created: 7,414

Economic activity generated: $1.27 billion

Wyoming

Jobs created: 730

Economic activity generated: $133 million






A prosecutor gives a press briefing at the Suwon District Court, May 10. Yonhap



Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted four former officials of South Korea's biggest umbrella union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), on charges of using labor activities as a cover for espionage at the instruction of North Korea.



The Suwon District Court indicted the four former senior KCTU officials, aged 54, 52, 51 and 48, respectively, under physical detention on charges of espionage, communicating and meeting with North Korean spies and other violations of the National Security Act. The identities of all of them have been withheld.



The four allegedly formed an underground organization with an aim to gain control of the labor union and spearheaded labor protests on key political and social issues all at the instruction of North Korea, according to prosecution investigations.



Adopted in late 1948 amid the Cold War, the National Security Act criminalizes praising or propagating activities of "anti-state" organizations or their members, notably from North Korea. Producing or possessing "enemy-benefiting" materials is also punishable under the law.



Of those indicted, the 52-year-old man who served as a senior organization official at the KCTU is suspected of contacting three North Korean spy agents in Cambodia in September 2017 and meeting another North Korean agent in China in September 2018 to receive instructions regarding activities in South Korea.



From late 2018 to late last year, he was allegedly given written instructions from North Korea on a total of 102 occasions and collected information regarding elections for the top KCTU leadership and photo images of the American military base in Pyeongtaek, Air Force facilities in Osan and other military equipment.



The other three men are also accused of meeting North Korean secret agents in Cambodia or Vietnam in 2017 or getting instructions from the North Korean side.



The Cultural Exchange Bureau under North Korea's United Front Department, which handles issues with South Korea, was found to have been in charge of commanding the four men, prosecution officials said.



Working for North Korea, the four had allegedly tried to win other key KCTU figures over to their side and bring the labor union under their control. They are also accused of staging anti-U.S. and anti-Japan protests after getting instructions from the North to "take advantage of public resentment ... to have the public explode in anger."



The prosecution, the National Intelligence Service and the National Police Agency together seized 90 written instructions by North Korea in the probe into the case, and some of them ordered the collection of data for the purpose of paralyzing the electricity supply to Cheong Wa Dae and other main state institutions. Collection of other secrets regarding the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command and other power supply facilities was also demanded.



All of the four indicted are denying their charges and refusing to speak in prosecution investigations. (Yonhap)


Two new Stena Line ships to boost freight capacity on BelfastHeysham route by 80%.

Stena Line is set to launch two new ships to boost freight capacity to and from Belfast by 80%.

The company has announced that it is constructing the freight ferries as part of its expansion of the Belfast-Heysham service.

The multi-million pound investment will almost double capacity on the route.

Each of the two new 147-meter vessels has been designed to maximise volume and will provide 2,800 lane meters of capacity which is an 80% increase on current ship capacities.

Paul Grant, Stena Line trade director, said: This is very significant day for Belfast - Heysham freight traffic. By adding an extra 80% capacity to the route, Stena Line has responded to growing demands from customers.

"We have operated a very popular service on Belfast-Heysham for several years now but with restricted capacity it has been challenging to meet increased market growth.

"With the extra capacity, we will now be able to significantly enhance our service on this route and complement our Birkenhead, Cairnryan and Holyhead services.

The NewMax vessels, the first of which is due to enter service on the route in autumn 2025, will be equipped to carry 12 passengers and 26 crew and will be able to operate on methanol fuel.

Stena Line is currently working closely with the supply chain of methanol and has secured future volumes of e-methanol to fulfil its strategic ambition of shifting to renewable fuels and cutting 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030.

Future proofing of the new vessels for electrification will also be another priority during construction providing in-built technologies that can take advantage of both battery propulsion and shore power, where this is available.

According to Stena Line, the unique tidal systems prevailing in Heysham can be challenging, so each vessel will be fitted with a bespoke marine technology configuration making it more resilient to the prevailing weather conditions. It added that three bow thrusters will provide optimum manoeuvrability and reliability and a specially designed engine/propeller configuration will further enhance berthing capability in extreme weather.

Joe ONeill, chief executive of Belfast Harbour, said: We are delighted to welcome todays announcement by Stena Line that two new vessels will support the increased volume of RoRo traffic moving through Belfast Harbour.

We are committed to working in close collaboration with our long-standing and much valued partners at Stena Line, as we work together to invest in port infrastructure and develop as a world leading regional port. We share Stena Lines ambitions to meet increased market growth and exceed customer expectations and will continue to support them at this exciting time for the Belfast-Heysham freight route.
Rapper Tory Lanez has been denied a new trial over the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion (Amy Harris/ichard Shotwell/Invision/AP/PA   Uncredited

A Los Angeles judge has denied a motion for a new trial from lawyers for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of three charges in December for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her.

Superior Court Judge David Herriford rejected arguments from lawyers for Lanez that evidence was wrongly admitted at the trial he presided over. He said that the exclusion of the disputed evidence would not have made a difference at the trial.

Lanez, 30, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, will now be sentenced for convictions of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

He could get up to 22 years in prison and faces deportation to his native Canada.

As he was led from the court back to jail after a hearing on the motion a day earlier, he pleaded with Judge Herriford to help him, saying: I could be your son. I could be your brother.

Megan Thee Stallion performing at the Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park in London in July 2022 (James Manning/PA)   James Manning

Motions for a new trial filed immediately afterwards with the same judge are a common precursor to appealing to a higher court, which Lanezs lawyers plan to do. The motions are rarely successful.

Lanezs lawyers asserted that a post from his Instagram account was improperly admitted into evidence.

They said that Megans testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to police because he was on parole and would be in serious trouble was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. And they said DNA evidence that prosecutors used to argue Lanez was the likely shooter fell well short of industry standards.

Lanezs lawyers were disappointed from the start of Mondays all-day oral arguments on their motion.

They had an elaborate presentation prepared, complete with audio-visuals and witnesses, but the judge refused to allow it, insisting instead on narrow legal arguments on the precise issues raised.

I feel that I would be ineffective if we proceeded, defence lawyer Jose Baez said. Mr Peterson has the right to due process for which he is entitled.

They moved on under protest, and later filed a motion to have the judge disqualified.

Lanezs lawyers, who did not represent him at trial, said the attorney who did, George Mgdesyan, made mistakes in his case because he was given so little time to prepare before trial when the rappers previous attorney dropped out.

Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified that Lanez fired a handgun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in the Hollywood Hills in the summer of 2020.

Mr Mgdesyan said at trial that Megan was lying in her testimony, and Lanez had not pulled the trigger. He said afterwards that there was not sufficient evidence to convict.

After the verdict was read in December, Lanezs father, Sonstar Peterson, stood and denounced the wicked system that led to his sons conviction and had to be wrestled from the courtroom.

No sentencing date has been set.

Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboards charts.

Megan Thee Stallion was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song Savage, featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi Bs WAP.
A woman who grabbed and twisted a staff members breast in a Belfast city centre cafe has been handed a suspended prison term.

Mina Bounar exploded and attacked the victim who was trying to protect an elderly customer at the city centre eatery, a court heard today.

The 30-year-old defendant, of Magdala Street in Belfast, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She received an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years.

Prosecutors told Belfast Magistrates' Court Bounar initially entered a Patisserie Valerie outlet in June 2021 demanding money for a previous trial work shift. She was asked to leave but returned to the same branch two months later and became confrontational towards those on duty.

During the August 10 incident at the cafe, which has since closed, a member of staff raised her arms to protect an elderly customer.

The defendant grabbed her breast and twisted it with force, a Crown lawyer said.

The victim suffered extensive bruising and scrab marks in the assault.

Defence barrister Luke Curran accepted it was an unprovoked attack which would normally lead to immediate imprisonment.

But he argued that Bounar has been diagnosed with mental health issues and spent 10 months in custody for other cases.

District Judge Anne Marshall described it as a serious assault where significant injuries were inflicted.

Referring to a statement from the victim, Mrs Marshall disclosed: She described the defendant as exploding when she came into the shop.

An elderly lady was paying at the till, and fair play to the injured party for standing in front of and trying to protect her.

Imposing the eight-month suspended jail term, the judge warned Bounar: Make sure there are no more assaults on anybody for the next two years.
A man accused of mugging an 84-year-old pensioner targeted on a train journey is to be granted bail, the High Court ruled today.

Damien Smith, 54, allegedly stole the victims wallet after an accomplice held him and threw away his walking stick at a railway stop just outside Belfast.

Smith, of Tonagh Drive in Lisburn, Co Antrim, is charged with robbing the elderly man of 200 in cash on August 14 last year.

A judge held that he can be released from custody after the prosecution described a delay in completing outstanding work in the case as outrageous.

The victim was targeted after boarding the train at Great Victoria Street in Belfast and being invited to sit with two men on the journey to Lisburn, the court heard.

At one point he challenged one of them, believed to be Smiths co-accused, for allegedly taking his phone and a tin used to store medication while he was at the toilet.

A Crown lawyer said the conductor intervened and told all three men to get off the train at Derriaghy halt.

As the pensioner walked down a disabled access ramp he was followed and grabbed from behind by one of the robbers who seized his walking stick and held him over railings.

Smith allegedly went through his pockets, taking 200 in cash from a wallet before throwing the empty money holder back at him.

Both men who carried out the attack then walked off towards Lisburn.

This was a particularly mean offence, the prosecution barrister submitted.

With Smith denying any involvement in the robbery, Mr Justice Kinney was told CCTV footage at the railway platform only covers a period immediately prior to the attack.

However, the footage was caught up in a backlog of recordings to be uploaded onto police systems.

The delay reached is outrageous, counsel accepted.

Sean Devine, defending, argued that Smith has now served the equivalent of an 18-month sentence in custody on remand.

Granting bail to the accused, Mr Justice Kinney held that any risks can be managed by imposing a curfew and electronic monitoring.

He said: I take account of the length of time it has taken to bring this matter forward.

Somebody needs to get this case moving.
NI artist Sara O'Neill enjoyed the northern lights on the beach in Co Antrim on and shared a picture on Twitter. Photo: Sara O'Neill Twitter

The Met Office have said the Northern Lights may be visible from parts of Northern Ireland on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to the i Newspaper, a spokesperson said: In the most likely scenario aurora would become visible where skies are clear to Scotland as well as the north of England and Northern Ireland.

Those eager to spot the lights will have to stay up late however  theyre most likely to be visible around 3am, according to the Aurora Watch UK Twitter account and website, which is run by space physicists at the University of Lancaster.

Its not the first time the Met Office have predicted that the stunning natural phenomenon would be visible from Northern Ireland this year.

In a tweet posted on last month, the Met Office said there would be a high chance of seeing them on a number of nights in April.

In February, many in Northern Ireland took to social media to share their spectacular pictures of the northern lights.

Read more NI dairy farmer to be star of new M&S TV advert

Fashion designer and illustrator Sara O'Neill was at home near the Co Antrim coastline when her fiance, surfer Al Mennie, alerted her to the mystifying sight.

"I was sitting doing some work and Al was in the living room, she recalled.

"He looked out the window and said I think thats the northern lights, so we grabbed our coats ran down to the beach.

"We watched it for about an hour, it was incredible, there were so many colours and they kept changing shape.

The couple have seen the Aurora before, but never quite so bright.

"I took some photos on my phone and they are beautiful, Ms ONeill said.

Forecasting geomagnetic activity such as powerful coronal mass ejections on the suns surface is a complex task which only allows experts to make short term predictions.

It means the natural light display, typically only seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic, should be appreciated while it lasts.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has condemned the theft of a banner marking the Coronation of King Charles from an Orange Hall on the outskirts of Belfast.

The banner was taken from Dunmurry Orange Hall on Friday.

Deputy Grand Master Harold Henning said the theft of the banner was a disgrace and that it should be treated as a sectarian hate crime.

The theft of the banner marking the Coronation of King Charles III from Dunmurry Orange Hall while the members of the local lodge, Dunmurry True Blues LOL 1046, were holding their monthly meeting is nothing short of a disgrace, he said.

While there may be those who do not wish to celebrate the wonderful occasion that was the Coronation, that does not give them the right to steal the property of those who do.

Mr Henning said that the theft of the banner was more than theft, it was an act of disrespect towards the Lodge.

He said the incident must be condemned and called out for the sectarian hate crime that it most certainly is.

To come to the hall while the lodge members were meeting inside and remove the banner from the side of the building shows once again that there are those in the community who will not respect or even tolerate the views of others.

The PSNI confirmed that they were investigating the incident.

Inspector Hamilton said: Police received a report that a banner had been stolen from outside the hall on the Upper Dunmurry Lane, which is believed to have occurred sometime on Friday evening.

Police have asked that anyone with information about the incident contact them via 101.
NI election stakes: The three council areas in which almost 80% of candidates will take seats
Comedian Ruby Wax has claimed former US president Donald Trump "was the most dangerous man I've ever met" after he was found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing a female writer .

Wax met Trump in the 1990s when he appeared on her show Ruby Wax Meets.

"Hes the most dangerous man Ive ever met, she told Sky News.

"Again, look at peoples eyes and they will tell you the story.

"There was loathing and he got me  he pegged me.

"He said you're aggressive with a smile.

"And that's because I felt like a trapped animal. I don't come across sexually, but if I had, he would have had me.

"But I don't, so he hated me - he only likes women that he can control and use as a kind of... toy."

Her comments come after Trump was found liable for sexually abusing E Jean Carroll in the 1990s, as well as for defamation.

A civil trial rejected her claim she was raped during the encounter.

Donald Trump denies all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal the decision.

In an interview with Kay Burley, Wax recalled how people would have said "this guy cannot go near anything in the same way they would have said about Bill Cosby who was jailed in 2018 on sex assault charges before it was overturned.

Cosby, who denies all allegations, was subsequently found liable for sexually assaulting a woman at the Playboy Mansion, and ordered to pay damages.

Wax recalled being left alone with Trump on one occasion.

"He did get in the car with me at one point with no sound on and tell me what exactly he thinks of women," she said.

And it was appalling.

"And had I had sound, he would have gotten [sic] more votes because that's my country."

Trump has already taken to his Truth Social site to brand the outcome of the civil case "a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time" and a "disgrace".

The potential presidential candidate claimed the judge was biased and made sure "the result was as negative as it could possibly be, speaking to, and in control of a jury from an anti-Trump area..."

Last month Chicago-born Wax branded her stay at the Titanic Hotel and a visit to the Titanic exhibition as macabre and described being left shaking and traumatised.

The 69-year-old performer was on tour to discuss ways to make the world a kinder and more compassionate place.

Ive just done a gig in Belfast where they put me up in the Hotel Titanic, she told fans in a scathing review.

I dont think anyone else at the hotel thought it was as macabre as I did.

The hallways, floors and doors are replicas of the original design. I didnt sleep as I kept waiting to hit an iceberg and run for a life raft.

She also relayed stinging feedback following her trip to the Titanic Museum.

You get on a miniature ship that takes you on a track from the building of the ship to the night of the disaster," she wrote.

"Then you join first class on the fateful night as they dance and sip their champagne.

You hear their laughter followed by a hard crunch and then watch a life like rendition of the ship sinking... now you get a recording of screams, emergency alarms and pointless flares shooting into the sky. In the last room the ship seems to go up to heaven where they have heavenly music and misty clouds with images of some of the people who drowned.

Theres a list of the names who didnt survive... I exited shaking and traumatized while families people around me were smiling like they had been to Disneyland, heading to the souvenir shop to get a Titanic A night to remember coffee mug.

I wonder if there are interactive rides at other disasters? I hope not.

Outside the Titanic Experience is a lawn divided into three sections, she continued. One is about fifty feet by fifty feet. The middle patch is smaller and the final patch is about 10 feet by eight feet.

"These patches represent how many people survived the sinking of the Titanic if they were standing shoulder to shoulder.

"The first patch represents first class  hundreds of people survived. In economy not so many and steerage about fifty. Now if that doesnt make you throw up nothing will.

In response Adrian McNally, General Manager of Titanic Hotel Belfast, said: Titanic Hotel Belfast is one of Northern Irelands most unique and iconic hotels. It has been voted leading hotel for five consecutive years since opening, by the public.

The hotel serves as a tasteful reminder of the great shipbuilding heritage of the area and recognises the world-class workmanship of the people of Belfast who delivered ocean liners designed in the Drawing Offices which now welcome thousands of domestic and overseas guests each year.

He said the hotel and the area is one he hopes people will want to experience for themselves.

We welcome all guest feedback and would thank the social media followers of Ms Wax who have taken the time to comment with their own view of the hotel and our multi-award winning offering, he added.

I would encourage anyone interested in RMS Titanic and the industrial history of Belfast to reserve a place on our free heritage tour or book an overnight stay to experience the hotel for themselves.

Likewise, a spokesperson for Titanic Belfast said they were sorry to hear that the Titanic Experience did not meet (Ms Waxs) expectations.

Our aim is to give a full, well-rounded history of RMS Titanic and the city that built her, through different media and interactive displays and we find that most of our visitors enjoy this experience, said the spokesperson of the attraction, which has become one of the most popular in Northern Ireland since it opened in 2012 and recently completed a major renovation project.

We work hard to be respectful to the Titanic story, the people who built her, sailed on her and perished on her.

We are telling her story in the location where RMS Titanic was built, celebrating the citys maritime heritage and industrial past, offering visitors a unique, rich and authentic experience.
Arnold Samberg, 66, a retired U.S. Air Force tech sergeant, sobs during an interview with The Korea Times in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, March 3, recalling the day he was shot by a stray bullet fired by a Korean police officer who was attempting to shoot an aggressive dog. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Lee Hyo-jin



A local police officer who accidentally shot a retired U.S. Air Force tech sergeant in the jaw three years ago while trying to subdue a dog, was indicted earlier this week, according to the prosecutors' office.



The victim, Arnold Samberg, 66, welcomed the indictment in the investigation that was launched in 2020. Samberg is a retired United States Forces Korea (USFK) soldier who lives in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.



An official at the Pyeongtaek branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office told The Korea Times, Tuesday, that prosecutors indicted the police officer on charges of professional negligence resulting in injuries. If convicted, the officer could face up to five years in prison or up to a 20 million won ($15,000) fine.



"At this point, I just feel numb," Samberg told The Korea Times, Wednesday. "It took so long for the indictment. It's been a long time coming, and I hope justice is served  I've been an emotional, mental and physical wreck since the shooting."



The male police officer surnamed Han, is accused of accidentally shooting Samberg while responding to a vicious dog that attacked a pedestrian and a dog in Pyeongtaek on March 26, 2020. The police officer fired a bullet at the canine, but the projectile ricocheted off the ground and struck the right side of Samberg's face, who was on the opposite side of the street.



Han was a patrol officer from Songtan Police Station at the time of the incident, but is currently working at Pyeongtaek Police Station.



The shooting left Samberg with severe injuries, requiring him to undergo multiple surgeries to reconstruct his jaw.



During a March interview with The Korea Times, Samberg claimed that the shooting had inflicted long-lasting damage on his physical and mental health, saying that he can hardly chew or talk due to the pain.



Samberg and his family protested strongly that the investigation had been dragging on for three years without meaningful progress, raising speculation that the law enforcement authorities were purposely doing so in an effort to minimize the liability of the police. At the time of the interview, the Sambergs were yet to be informed regarding whether Han would face legal proceedings or a suspension from his duties.



Anseong Police Station, which opened an initial investigation against Han in 2020, concluded the case with a non-referral opinion in 2021, meaning that the officer's actions were legally justified.



However, after the case was delivered to the Pyeongtaek branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in June of that year, the prosecutors requested a reinvestigation.


Sligo criminal with big debts thanked gardai for arresting him

The PSNI is seeking to extradite Sligo gangland boss Barry Young in connection with the murder of rival criminal Robbie Lawlor, once he finishes his sentence in the Republic of Ireland for directing a drugs gang.
A man will face trial later this year accused of murdering a delivery driver allegedly hit by his own van.

Christopher Elgifari, 31, appeared before Newport Crown Court accused of killing Mark Lang.

Mr Lang, 54, of Cyncoed, died at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on April 15, more than two weeks after suffering serious injuries in North Road, Cardiff.

He was delivering parcels in Laytonia Avenue in the Cathays area of the city on March 28, and is said to have been hit by his white van, which was allegedly stolen, at 12.49pm.

Elgifari was charged with attempted murder while Mr Lang remained in a critical condition and appeared in court under those offences on March 31 and April 3.

After Mr Langs death, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charged Elgifari with murder.

The defendant, of Cwrt y Esgydd, Aberdare, Cardiff spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address when he appeared via video link.

Judge Daniel Williams said Elgifari would face a trial lasting two or three weeks beginning on September 25. A further hearing will take place on May 24.

I am adjourning your case for a fortnight. By then it will be expected you will enter pleas to the charges you face, the judge told the defendant.

Until then you will be remanded into custody.

In a tribute last month, Mr Langs partner said: Its difficult to put into words quite how any of us are feeling.

I dont think we can ever get over something so brutal and ultimately pointless.

Mark was a good man with a lot of love to give.

He passed in the early hours of the morning surrounded by family. Peacefully. Comfortably. Loved.

He will be sorely missed.
The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for transgender people to legally change their name and gender. (Annette Riedl/dpa via AP, File)   Annette Riedl

The German government presented a proposed law on Tuesday which will make it easier for people to change their name and gender legally.

The law would end decades-old rules which require expert assessments and a courts authorisation.

Under the planned self-determination law, adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at register offices without further formalities.

We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and non-binary people, said Germanys minister for families Lisa Paus.

This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, right, talks to Family Minister Lisa Paus, left, during a weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. (Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)   Markus Schreiber

The existing transsexual law, which took effect in 1981, requires people to obtain assessments from two experts whose training and experience make them sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism.

They would then require a court decision to change the gender on official documents.

Germanys top court has struck down other provisions which required transgender people to get divorced, sterilised and to undergo gender-transition surgery.

Transgender people have been affected by discrimination and undignified treatment for far too long  we will finally put this condition behind us, said Germanys justice minister Marco Buschmann.

The new government proposal declares that for children under the age of 14, legal guardians have to submit the declaration of change, while teenagers aged 14 and older should be able to submit the declaration of change themselves  but it should include the support of their guardians.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf last month said he will challenge the British government over its decision to block a law making it easier for people to change their gender on official documents.

The passage of Scotlands bill in December was hailed by transgender rights activists but vetoed by the British government, which argued it could undermine UK-wide equality legislation that guarantees women and girls access to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf in the main chamber during First Minsters Questions at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh. (Jane Barlow, PA)   Jane Barlow

The bill would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

It would also speed up legal recognition of the change from two years to three months for adults and to six months for people aged 16 and 17.

Spain passed a law earlier this year that allows people over 16 to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

Minors aged 12-13 need a judges authorisation to change, while those aged 14 and 16 must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

On Tuesday, Spains Constitutional Court said it will consider a legal challenge lodged by the far-right Vox party against the new law.
Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Moon-kyu speaks in a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, May 10. Yonhap



The government has successfully removed over 1,000 regulations in the past year, with a focus on providing more convenience for citizens and creating economic benefits, officials said Wednesday.



The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced the outcome of easing 1,027 kinds of regulations and their positive impact, as President Yoon Suk Yeol marks his first year in office.



Of them, 152 kinds of deregulation efforts resulted in an economic effect worth 70 trillion won ($52.9 billion), including attracting 44 trillion won in investment and contributing to a sales increase of 6 trillion won, the office said.



One of the significant outcomes was the removal of the traveler declaration form, which was previously mandatory for all entrants to fill out and submit upon entering the country.



Now, only those with goods to declare are required to submit the form, the officials said.



On the first day of implementation, 71,000 people, or 99.5 percent of all entrants through Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, passed through customs without filling out the form.



The office expects this deregulation to reduce unnecessary waiting times at airports and invigorate the tourism industry.



The government has also given approval to the drone delivery of food and daily necessities for people living in mountainous regions, the officials said.



Additionally, restrictions on business hours for conglomerate-owned big-box stores have been eased, giving them more flexibility in deciding which days to close. Previously, such stores had to close every other Sunday.



"The government aims to create a friendlier environment for conglomerates and small business owners to do their business through various kinds of deregulation efforts," Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Moon-kyu told a press briefing. (Yonhap)


Indonesia President Joko Widodo (center) delivers his speech during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 10, 2023.

ASEAN leaders condemned a weekend attack on a convoy carrying regional diplomats and aid workers in Myanmar, as they opened a summit on Wednesday amid escalating violence in the Southeast Asian country under military rule.

The meeting of government leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began in Labuan Bajo, a picturesque seaside town on the Indonesian island of Flores, as pressure mounted on the 10-nation bloc to take firm action on member-state Myanmar. The country has been ravaged by bloodshed since the military seized power from an elected government more than two years ago and unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.

In a joint statement, leaders of the regional bloc said they condemned the attack on a humanitarian convoy in Myanmars Shan state on Sunday and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Indonesia President Joko Jokowi Widodo, this years chair of ASEAN, urged members of the bloc to unite in the face of challenges.

At the moment, the global economy has not fully recovered. Major power rivalries continue to sharpen. The global dynamic becomes more unpredictable, he said in a speech to open the summit.

Will ASEAN remain a spectator? Will ASEAN stay silent? Furthermore, will ASEAN be capable of being the engine for peace and economic growth? he asked. I am confident that we are certain ASEAN is capable, as long as we hold the key element: ASEAN unity.

In their collective statement, the Southeast Asian leaders expressed support for efforts by Jakarta to push for the implementation of a five-point peace plan, which ASEAN and Myanmars military rulers had agreed to during an emergency summit in April 2021.

The five-point consensus called for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, constructive dialogue among all parties, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian assistance and a visit by an ASEAN delegation.

The junta has largely ignored the plan, prompting ASEAN to bar its leaders from attending the groups summits.

ASEANs founding charter established the groups principles of consensus and non-interference in its members affairs. This has led to criticism of ASEAN as being ineffective.

Among the critics is Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, who was at the summit in eastern Indonesia.

On Wednesday, he called for the five-point plan to be implemented in its entirety.

Malaysia is disappointed that there continues to be a lack of meaningful and real progress in the implementation of the 5PC [five-point consensus], Malaysian state media quoted Anwar as saying.

Analysts: Deadlines, more intense pressure needed

The violent incident in Shan state took place as an ASEAN convoy was delivering humanitarian aid to Hsihseng township. Diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore were traveling with the convoy when it came under gunfire.

There were no reports of injuries in the shooting, which the Myanmar military blamed on anti-junta forces. The opposition to the junta denied any involvement, according to reporting by Radio Free Asia (RFA), a news service affiliated with BenarNews.

Marina Ika Sari, a researcher at the ASEAN Studies Program of The Habibie Center, a think-tank in Jakarta, said the bloc should set a timetable to make the five-point peace plan work.

What is needed is a practical plan  short-term, medium-term, long-term, with targets and timelines, she told BenarNews.

She also said that ASEAN should discuss how to protect foreign diplomats and aid workers who are at risk in Myanmar.

The security protection of civilians such as foreign diplomats and humanitarian workers in Myanmar is an important issue to be discussed after the attack, she said.

Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, an ASEAN researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the situation in Myanmar was no longer only a domestic political issue.

It has degenerated into a civil war, with spillover effects such as refugees and transnational crimes, he told BenarNews.

Kharisma acknowledged that the consensus system limits ASEAN in what the bloc can do. In his opinion, barring Burmese military leaders from summits is not enough to change their behavior.

More varied and intense pressure is needed, he said.

Myanmars military has faced widespread resistance from pro-democracy protesters, ethnic armed groups and other anti-coup forces since seizing power in February 2021.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left) talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, May 10, 2023. [Bay Ismoyo/pool via AP]

The ASEAN summit was also expected to address issues such as a roadmap to Timor Lestes full membership in the bloc, the South China Sea disputes and maritime security as well as the promotion of human rights and democracy in the region.

In his opening remarks, Jokowi said ASEAN, which has a combined population of about 650 million and a gross domestic product of about U.S. $3 trillion, had major assets as the epicenter of growth, such as a fast-growing economy, a young and dynamic workforce and a stable political environment.

He urged the leaders to work together to strengthen economic integration, inclusive cooperation, regional health architecture, food security, energy resilience and financial stability.

Tria Dianti in Jakarta and Iman Muttaqin Yusof in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Activists in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, release pigeons to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, July 31, 2022.

Police in Indonesia said Wednesday they had arrested two people who allegedly trafficked 20 Indonesians to Myanmar where they were trapped in a conflict zone and forced to work as online scammers.

Authorities rescued the victims from Myawaddy, a border town where Myanmars military and rebel groups have been fighting. On Saturday, the victims were taken across the border with Thailand before traveling to Bangkok where they were awaiting repatriation, officials said.

They were in good health, Judha Nugraha, director of Indonesian citizen protection at the Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

The suspects, identified as Andri Satria Nugraha and Anita Setia Dewi, were taken into custody Tuesday night from an apartment in Bekasi near Jakarta, Brig. Gen. Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro, director of general crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, told reporters.

The pair face charges of human trafficking and violating the protection of migrant workers, which carry prison terms of three to 15 years and fines of up to 600 million rupiah (U.S. $40,800).

The case is one of several involving online scams targeting consumers in the United States and Canada.

Last week, Philippine police raided a syndicate north of Manila that employed more than 1,000 people from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians.

Meanwhile, Indonesia, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, has made combating human trafficking a priority for the regional bloc.

While meeting at a summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, ASEAN leaders on Wednesday adopted a declaration on eradicating human trafficking.

They noted the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms.

Joko Jokowi Widodo, Indonesias president, said human trafficking was a serious crime that must be eradicated. He urged ASEAN to expedite negotiations on an extradition agreement to prevent the region from becoming a haven for criminals.

Nurul Azizah, National Police public information chief, said the two suspects had sent the victims to Myanmar to exploit them as online scamming operators.

Information on the two suspects was based on evidence of passports and travel documents to deceive immigration so the victims could pass through immigration safely, she said in a statement.

She added that police continued their investigation in Bangkok and met with officers at the Royal Thai Police headquarters to discuss Interpol support in handling the case.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said it had urged Myanmar authorities to take effective steps to rescue migrant workers who were victims of human trafficking.
Samoas media association has called for the Pacific island countrys communications minister to apologize after he reportedly attempted to intimidate a female journalist whose questioning over a public interest matter angered him.

The Samoa Observer newspaper, in an editorial on Tuesday, also condemned the treatment of its senior reporter Sialai Sarafine Sanerivi by Minister for Communications and Information Technology Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo.

Sanerivi had been reporting on the possible role of Toelupes office in attempting to get customs clearance for a vessel that arrived in Samoa two weeks ago from neighboring American Samoa without the necessary approvals.

Toelupes behavior shows abuse of power of a public officer, the journalists association, which goes by the acronym JAWS, said on Tuesday. "He needs to apologize for his actions.

The newspaper described hostile treatment of Sanerivi by Toelupe that took place over two hours in the ministers office last week. The ministers wife also filed a police complaint against the reporter, according to the newspaper.

The minister called Sanerivi arrogant, said he did not like her tone, belittled her profession as a waste of time and threatened to call the police, according to the editorial. He also demanded the name of the reporters government source so he could sue that person.

Sanerivi confirmed the newspapers account to BenarNews. Toelupe did not respond to a request for comment.

The incident highlights the uneven state of press freedom in Pacific island countries. Fiji last month repealed a draconian media law that mandated prison sentences for content deemed against the national interest, while Papua New Guineas government has been considering proposals for greater control over the media.

In Samoa, defamation is a criminal offense, which in the past has been used to silence journalists and government critics. Samoas Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo earlier this year called for the criminal defamation law to be repealed. He said investigating criminal defamation complaints was a waste of police time.

Samoas ranking in Reporters Without Borders global press freedom index, released on May 3, rose to 19th this year out of 180 countries from 45th in 2022.

The Samoa Observer editorial said the improvement in the press freedom ranking was a matter for celebration. The treatment of its reporter, however, had raised questions about whether the government would promote and uphold press freedom, the newspaper said.

The journalists association said Toelupes actions toward the reporter were beyond belief and undermined the medias role in a democracy.

What is even more shocking is the fact that he is the minister responsible for the media, it said.

State-controlled or influenced media has a prominent role in many Pacific island countries, partly due to small populations and cultural norms that emphasize deference to authority and tradition.

Some Pacific island nations, such as Tuvalu and Nauru, have only government media because they have the populations of a small town. In others, such as Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Fiji, private media has established a greater role despite episodes of government hostility.
Philippine Army Chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (left) and Gen. James McConville, the U.S. Army chief of staff (center), review an honor guard at Philippine Army Headquarters in Manila, May 10, 2023.

The U.S. Army commander met with the top Philippine brass here on Wednesday in the latest show of Washingtons military backing for the Southeast Asian nation as it faces territorial challenges from China.

The visit to Manila by Gen. James C. McConville, the Army chief of staff, was the second by a four-star U.S. general in less than a month. It occurred amid a raging dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, and in the wake of dramatic U.S.-Philippine war games staged against the backdrop of Sino-American tensions over Taiwan.

Ahead of a summit of ASEAN leaders in Indonesia, meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he expected to have discussion on Chinas actions in the Taiwan Strait as it is a grave concern to all member states.

In Manila, McConville met with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Andres Centino, along with his Philippine Army counterpart, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, for closed-door meetings which, sources said, focused on boosting cooperation amid the regional tensions.

The generals discussed the growing bilateral relationship between the Philippines and the United States, which was highlighted by the recent visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the United States, Centinos office said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the military chiefs discussed the decades-old Philippine-U.S. military alliance. It is anchored in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which was recently updated to allow it to be invoked in case of an armed attack on either nation in the South China Sea.

We are thankful for your commitment and your support. We appreciate you for coming here as it goes a long way in strengthening our alliance and promoting cooperation, Centino said.

In his remarks, McConville described Marcos first official visit to the U.S. last week as setting the stage for a bigger and stronger relationship.

Earlier this year, the Marcos administration agreed to a deal with the U.S. to grant military forces access to more Philippine military bases.

While in Washington last week, Marcos said that the bases would not be used for offensive action against China, and that the Biden administration had not asked his administration to contribute Philippine troops for combat should war break out between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

Gen. James McConville, the United States Army chief of staff, is shown during his visit to Fort Bonifacio, the Philippine Armys headquarters in Manila, May 10, 2023. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

On Wednesday, Brawner played down fears expressed by China earlier that the U.S. Army could use Philippine military sites to intervene should Beijing attack Taiwan.

What we are trying to do here is to establish sites where we could help each other, not just in terms of training, but also in terms of preparing for natural disasters, Brawner told reporters.

He acknowledged that some discussions centered on ways to further strengthen relations through more frequent bilateral training and exercises to include exchanges of subject matter experts.

In February, following the announcement that the U.S. would have access to four additional Philippine military sites, Renato Reyes, secretary general of the New Patriotic Alliance, said the country must not allow itself to be used as staging ground for any U.S. military intervention.

Marcos talks Code of Conduct

Ahead of the ASEAN summit In Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Marcos said that the 10-member bloc needed to hold new discussions on China and the South China Sea.

The discussions that we had  close to a year ago, in that time, there had already been many changes. And thats why we have to recalibrate whatever it is that we are planning to do, he told Philippine reporters on Tuesday, according to transcripts released Wednesday.

Asked if he would push for ASEAN to finalize the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea this time around, he answered affirmatively.

You cannot stop trying. So yes, I will bring it up again because when we talk about  when we talk about the issues on the West Philippine Sea (or) South China Sea, that issue will not be calmed down until we have the code.

The solution to all of these problems is really the new Code of Conduct. That is why I always say in every forum  that we really need to finish the Code of Conduct, Marcos said.

Jojo Rinoza in Manila and Jeoffrey Maitem in Davao City, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Chonticha Lookkate Jangrew, a candidate from the opposition Move Forward Party, waves to voters in Pathum Thani, a province north of Bangkok where she is running for one of seven parliamentary seats up for election, May 9, 2023.

A few years ago, Chonticha Lookkate Jangrew braved tear gas and rubber bullets on the front lines of protests calling for reform of Thailands monarchy and its military-scripted constitution.

Now, she is working to overturn that system  by working within it.

Chonticha is part of a new guard of young candidates looking to harness the energy of the pro-democracy protest movement to shake up Thai politics as the country heads to a general election on Sunday.

The 30-year-old, who was a key strategist in the youth-led democracy protests that roiled Thailand in 2020-21, is running for the progressive Move Forward Party in the May 14 polls, pushing its message of economic equality, political freedom and an end to the militarys grip on power.

I believe we cannot change our country by only protests on the street. We have to work together on the streets and in parliament, Chonticha told BenarNews.

From the back of a pickup truck festooned with campaign posters, Chonticha tried to persuade residents surrounding Nava Nakorn  one of Thailands biggest industrial estates on the outskirts of Bangkok  to support her vision earlier this week. Armed with a microphone, she spoke to people at roadside restaurants, workshops and markets  provoking waves and at least one three-fingered Hunger Games salute as she went by.

Opinion polls last week showed that Move Forward is on track to win the second highest number of seats in the House of Representatives, leaving it well placed to partake in a government that could end nine years of military-dominated rule. Thailands main opposition party Pheu Thai, led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin, is leading polling.

Move Forwards campaign messages like changing the constitution, loosening the power of monopolies and reforming the countrys strict royal defamation law, known as Lese-Majeste, have found an eager audience among young Thais. Gen Z and Y account for 41.65% of eligible voters this year, according to the Ministry of Interior.

If I become an MP in parliament, I want to push all those demands from civil society, from the street and from the protests into law and into policies, Chonticha said, while taking a break from campaigning at a Starbucks in Pathum Thani, a province north of Bangkok where she is running for one of seven seats up for election.

The partys clever use of social media and its 42-year-old Havard-educated leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, have also endeared it to younger voters, observers say.

Titanium Paiplod, 20, an engineering student at Thammasat University, said Move Forwards pledge to reform Lese-Majeste was one of the main reasons she would vote for the party.

I think Pita will give me a better life  all of the conservative parties still have the same mindset about politics, so it is not making our country progress, she told BenarNews.

Many first-time voters know nothing but life under former Army Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, said another activist-turned-candidate, Piyarat Toto Chongthep.

Half of their lives were under military pressure, said the Move Forward candidate. So they want to taste the full-fledged democracy.

Titanium Paiplod, 20, an engineering student at Thammasat University, says she will vote for the Move Forward Party in Thailands election on May 14. [BenarNews]

Prayuth, a staunch royalist who has led the country since 2014  first as the junta chief and later as a prime minister following the 2019 general election  has cracked down on democratic freedoms and presided over an economy that the World Bank said last year was the most unequal in East Asia and the Pacific.

Piyarat said he wanted to erase the legacy of the coup.

I want to amend all flawed structures in the constitution  be they senators, electoral rules and the 20-year national strategy.

For many young Thais, they view the nations economic disparities as deeply intertwined with the less-than-democratic nature of the political system, analysts say.

They perceive that promoting liberties and freedoms can help the government restructure the budget for them, said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political scientist at Ubon Ratchathani University.

Chonticha, who says she has had 28 criminal cases brought against her, including two for Lese-Majeste, added that improving social welfare coverage and economic equality would not happen without talking about reform of politics.

If we reduce the budget to the military or the royal family and use that money to build a welfare state, I think a lot of Thai people can have a better life, she said.

While opinion polls show growing support, Move Forward will need to enter a coalition, most likely led by Pheu Thai, for Chonticha to get close to enacting her agenda.

Still, many analysts foresee the military clinging to power in one way or another after the vote, thanks primarily to a 2017 constitution which, critics say, gives the generals a lop-sided edge in the post-polls formation of governments.

A total of 250 senators  all hand-picked by Prayuths administration  will vote with Parliaments lower house to elect the prime minister, so a party must win at least 376 of the 500 seats available to secure a majority.

Other observers have raised the possibility of authorities dissolving Move Forward or Pheu Thai after the election.

Future Forward, the predecessor to Move Forward, was disbanded after the 2019 polls for violating electoral rules. Its leaders, including auto-parts tycoon Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, were barred from political office for a decade.

When asked how she remained optimistic in the face of such constitutional challenges, Chonticha was quick to reply.

If we dont dream big, we will just stay quiet and not do anything at all  and the country will never change, she said. For my generation, I feel I have no choice but to fight for our future.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, right, shakes hands with Chairman Seung Myung-ho of The Korea Times and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo during the Korea Forum 2023 hosted by the two papers at The Shilla Seoul hotel, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



By Jun Ji-hye



Korea needs to address three major challenges  the demographic cliff, digital transformation and regional disparity  to leap forward once again, and this could be solved through education, according to Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, Wednesday.



While the country's significantly decreasing fertility rate is feared to accelerate the so-called demographic cliff, which refers to a major drop in the working population, Lee said the government should take responsibility for child care, from birth through to elementary school graduation.



"If child care problems facing dual-income families are solved, the fertility rate is expected to rise," Lee said during the Korea Forum 2023 at The Shilla Seoul hotel.



The annual forum is hosted by The Korea Times and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo.





Education Minister Lee Ju-ho gives a keynote address during the Korea Forum 2023 hosted by The Korea Times and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo at The Shilla Seoul hotel, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



Korea's total fertility rate was 0.78 last year, breaking the country's own record for the world's lowest level.



"The number of children has decreased for years, while the budget has increased incrementally in accordance with national income. But the level of child care policies did not rise because the government has failed to respond to the situation promptly," Lee said.



"If the government accomplishes this task, the country will be able to offer world-level education and child care services."



The minister also said the education sector should be prepared for the fast introduction of digitalization amid the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.



To that end, the ministry has been working to expand digital-related education, such as coding training, after school hours or during vacations, which has been welcomed by parents and children.



"Textbooks powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are also being developed and will be applied to classrooms beginning in 2025," Lee said. "These textbooks will play a role as assistant teachers offering customized education services in accordance with the learning level of each student."



Lee added that the AI textbooks are expected to open a new market and enable related domestic firms to export their technologies overseas.



In a bid to resolve deepening regional disparity, Lee stressed the importance of the role of local universities, saying universities should become hubs for regional development.



"Various regulations imposed by the central government have disturbed the innovation of local universities," he said. "The ministry has been working to pass part of its administrative and financial authority to local governments so they can push for their own policies to support and develop local universities."



During the forum, participants also discussed issues involving labor and pension reforms in time for the one-year anniversary of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The Yoon government has set its goals on pushing for reforms in three sectors  education, labor and pension.



Chairman Seung Myung-ho of The Korea Times and the Hankook Ilbo said during his welcoming speech: "The three areas are very sensitive issues amid intricate webs of interests involving all of us. But we can no more delay discussions to solve the problems. Without reforms, we cannot expect Korea's sustainability."




If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
Spending items

In addition to the towns operating budget of $1.7 million, a 7 percent increase over current spending, voters approved the following:

 $476,808 for the towns share of the Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts operating/transportation budget, capital and bond costs, an increase of 6.1 percent.

 $459,000 to pay for expenses for the Alford Link Enterprise Fund, the towns broadband network, an increase of 8 percent.

 $150,000 to pay for costs to Alfords highways.

 $97,787 to pay for the salaries of 18 town officers, an increase of 5 percent.

 A $20,000 appropriation to pay for survey and design services for Americans with Disability Act accessibility at town buildings.
Seen is the poster for "First Defence," a documentary on the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, released last Tuesday by the film's producing committee Trust Won-soon. The film will hit theaters in July. Courtesy of Trust Won-soon



By Lee Hae-rin



A documentary film on the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who took his own life after being accused of sexual harassment by a former secretary in 2020, is facing a backlash for denying the alleged offence and thus triggering secondary victimization.



Trust Won-soon, the producing committee of the film "First Defense" released a poster for the documentary on its website, May 2, announcing it will hit theaters in July.



The poster, which has an orange semicolon intended to mean "there is more to come," according to the committee, reads in Korean, "The man who defended the world. He is gone, and people who are left will now defend him."



The film is based on a book published in 2021, consisting of interviews by a Korean journalist with the ex-mayor's close aides. The book raised controversies at the time for allegedly causing secondary victimization. The reporter was suspended from work for a month for defaming the news media by releasing information related to the job without consent and profiting from it.



According to the committee, over 4,000 people sponsored the production since the group announced a fundraising campaign on Sunday through a YouTube channel hosted by the acerbic broadcaster Kim Ou-joon. The campaign has collected over 200 million won ($151,043) as of Wednesday.



Kim Jae-ryun, a lawyer representing the former secretary, told The Korea Times, Wednesday, that the film "denies the facts confirmed by state institutions" and accused the committee of causing secondary victimization by producing and promoting the documentary.



In the film's trailer released on April 7, Park's former chief secretary makes an appearance and negates the secretary's testimony. The committee's YouTube channel says, "If people's wish for the truth comes together, it can win over a silence forced under the pretext of 'secondary victimization.'"





Demonstrators concerned for the victim of sexual harassment by Seoul's ex-Mayor Park Won-soon hold a protest at City Hall in this photo taken on July 28, 2020, calling for an investigation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during a luncheon meeting with reporters covering him at the presidential office in Seoul, in this file photo released by his office, May 2. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the National Cemetery in Seoul on Wednesday to honor the country's fallen heroes on the occasion of his first anniversary in office.



Yoon laid flowers and burned incense in front of a memorial at the cemetery, where the nation's war veterans, independence fighters, past presidents and others are laid to rest.



"Together with the great people, I will create a country of freedom and innovation, a country that responsibly contributes to world peace and prosperity," he wrote in a guest book.



Earlier in the day, Yoon posted a video on his social media accounts with a message that he will continue to work only for the people as he marks his first year in office.



"It was a year of running breathlessly to create a new country of the people," he wrote on his Instagram account. "I will continue to work with only the people in mind."



The accompanying video showed slides of key events during his first year, including his meetings with foreign leaders and attendance at ceremonies.



The same video, with a running time of 2 minutes and 42 seconds, was posted to his Facebook account. (Yonhap)




BIG RAPIDS  Area first responders were invited to attend a safety presentation by team members from the Gotion facility in Independence, Ohio, at the Big Rapids Department of Public Safety on Monday.

The speakers stressed to those in attendance that the chemicals to be transported to and used by the Gotion North America Manufacturing electric battery vehicle component site in Green Charter Township are not hazardous materials.

Martin Payne, research engineer for Gotion Independence and who has been in the industry for over 30 years, said they are familiar with all the materials that go into the components that will be made in the facility in Green Charter Township.

We handle them every day, and are well equipped to know what you need to know about them if you are handling them or come in contact with them in an emergency situation, Martin said. The components that go into the lithium-ion battery  the cathode and the anode  are what we are proposing to make here. Everything else will be made someplace else.

There is no lithium metal in our batteries, he said. An Energizer battery has lithium metal in it; our batteries are lithium-ion batteries. We have no lithium metals, so the fires you see on the internet, we dont put that in our batteries.

He said the lithium they use as a raw material comes in ionic form  lithium carbonate  which is similar to table salt, and the safety guidelines for exposure state it is not a hazardous material.

We dont buy the lithium salts, we buy the lithium carbonate, and we have no salt ponds, he said. So, when you see the salt ponds, those are in Argentina. We dont handle any of those materials anywhere at Gotion.

The materials we plan to make in Michigan are the least hazardous of everything that goes into the battery, he continued. All the raw materials that go into the product and all the finished goods that come out of the product that will be at the production facility in this area are all nonhazardous and we have the research to back that up.

Martin said the two main materials to be used at the facility are graphite and lithium ferrous phosphate.

Graphite (used in anode production) is a form of carbon, he said. When you think of carbon, think of pencils or charcoal briquettes. It is a higher quality, but basically the same thing. Those materials do not spontaneously burst into flames. From a hazard perspective, this is not any more hazardous than that (charcoal briquettes).

Graphite can be mined, he said, but it is too expensive and too hard on the environment. Gotions target is to make its graphite from renewable resources such as biomass.

You can get all kinds of renewable resources that you can make biomass carbon from, he said. It is basically like roasting coffee beans. You dont want them to burn so you blanket them in nitrogen, and that is another safety feature because you are not combusting them.

Once it is roasted, it is ground into a powder and put into a bag for storage and transport.

The lithium ferrous phosphate, which goes into the cathode production, is the lowest cost of the cathode materials, he said. It requires three basic raw materials  iron phosphate, which is readily available, lithium carbonate, which will be purchased from places like Argentina, and sugar.

The lithium carbonate is incorporated into the iron phosphate and the sugar changes the iron into the right oxidation state to make the battery work.

Again, it is done in a nitrogen atmosphere, so it is a noncombustible atmosphere, Martin said. Neither of these have hazardous properties according to the Safety Data Sheet. Neither are soluble in water  they dont react, they dont dissolve. Our main thing is to keep the moisture out because it will ruin the product, however, if they are exposed to water, they can be dried out a reused.

He added that cobalt will not be used in the production because it is very expensive and difficult to obtain.

It (cobalt) is in places that are politically unstable, and it is expensive to get out of the ground, so people have moved away from using that, he said. We are going with a material that is more stable and is the cheapest to make, cheapest to put in a cell, and it performs very well.

Scott Faulkner, with the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, asked if there was any risk in terms of particulate matter for breathing hazards.

Martin said they are not hazardous as far as air particulate matter.

You dont want to inhale a bunch of it, he said. Dust control is very important, because we dont want to lose any of it. If you dont have dust control, that means you have air leaking in and that will make a bad product, so it is really critical that we keep that under control.

Gotion North America Manufacturing vice president Chuck Thelen said, at $55,000 a ton, they will not be wasting any of it, and the dust control system will take all the dust and recycle it back into the process.

With the air quality requirements from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, you wont be able to spew any particles out of the smokestack, Thelen said. We will have our own air quality experts on staff, and we will have our own water quality folks. We will monitor all of this for continuing conformance.

SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Thelen said Chapman had mandated on behalf of the township and the county that certain things would be required regarding safety protocols, and he intends to honor those mandates.

Safety engineer Dr. Jennifer Hoffman told those in attendance that when establishing standard operating procedures and determining risks involved with handling certain materials, they look at three things  identifiable hazard, risk assessment and implementation.

Hazards can be anything, not just chemicals, Hoffman said. Anything that could come up with operating machinery or handling compounds is looked at by a team so that many eyes are on it and nothing gets lost.

She said they identify the hazards, or risks, then determine if it is a high, medium or low risk.

We look at the likelihood of it happening, and if it were to come up, what are the consequences, she said. We determine if it is high level, medium level or low level, and how it needs to be addressed. We go through every level for every hazard that is identified.

The Standard Operating Procedure manual will list all the different personal protective equipment for any particular task and all the hazard mitigating protocols for each task. It is a thorough documentation of everything that needs to be carried out, she said.

Additionally, they do hands on training with the first responders so they know the ins and outs to everything at the facility and they are provided with the Safety Data Sheet, so they know what exactly is in the building at any given time.

Safety is a culture we really try to imbed into everything we do, Hoffman said. We coordinate training with the first responders. We want to make sure they are comfortable with what we are doing. The SDS is available for every chemical used in processing and they dont go out of date because if there is any new information the SDS will show it.

She said the SDS for graphite and lithium ferrous phosphates states they are nonhazardous  no hazard associated with the material. For any type of exposure, the first aid is to flush with water or get fresh air. In the event of an environmental exposure, the materials would not linger.

Gotion logistics expert Jason Cecil addressed the issue of transporting the materials in and out of the area.

Everything says it is not regulated and hazardous, so there are no issues with shipping, Cecil said. If you are worried about it being trucked into the city, we can set up a route into the city to keep it away from waterways and out of the main city.

Thelen said they are working with the state to talk about traffic patterns. The plan will be to bring all the trucks in through the same location to the north of the facility using the 19 Mile Road exit and coming down 220th Avenue. Pedestrian traffic will come off 18 Mile Road.

In the event of a spill, Cecil said, first responders will want to use self contained breathing apparatus to prevent dust inhalation during clean up and use foam in the event of a fire to ensure the materials dont get spread around further.

The materials are not marine pollutants, so if they do get into the water, they are not harmful to aquatic life, he said. It is inert and can be cleaned up.

We want to make this as safe as possible for the community and the environment, he added.

Faulkner said with all the questions about the environmental hazards of these materials, the SDS would go a long way to allaying those fears.

Anyone interested in researching the Safety Data Sheets for any of these materials can find them online, Hoffman said.

To read all articles published by the Pioneer pertaining to the Gotion battery plant, visit: https://bit.ly/3NzZkRl.
To document best practises in health-related teaching and training

Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary has launched the SAKSHAM (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management), a Learning Management Information System (LMIS). This digital learning platform has been developed by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi.

SAKSHAM is a dedicated and unified platform for providing online training and medical education to all health professionals in the country. This digital learning platform will ensure inclusive capacity building of health professionals from primary health centres located in rural and remote areas all the way up to tertiary care and corporate hospitals in metropolitan cities.

Currently SAKSHAM: LMIS is hosting more than 200 public health and 100 clinical courses through online mode. Health professionals can register themselves for these courses on the portal and get the certification after undergoing requisite training and qualifying the required assessment criteria.

SAKSHAM is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India which provides all health-related training programmes to healthcare professionals of the country in digital mode.
Traditionally, South Africa has been a popular country among fraudsters looking for every opportunity to try and find their next victim. Statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) point out that there was a 600% increase in incidents reported by their members in 2022 when compared to 2018.

Nazia Karrim, head of Product Development at the SAFPS

"The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), in its role as the South African custodian of fraud prevention, has decided to take decisive action to tackle the problem that scams are posing to our economy. Over the years, the SAFPS has rolled out several important communication campaigns that aimed to educate South Africans about the various frauds and scams they can become victims of. However, the challenge is that reporting a scam  while important  is a reactive response once a person has already become a victim," says Nazia Karrim, head of Product Development at the SAFPS, "we need to establish a proactive approach to combating fraud and scams."

Yima: A proactive approach to scams prevention

The SAFPS continuously engages with various industry associations to reduce the country's fraud landscape.

"In response to the growing need for a proactive approach to fraud prevention, the SAFPS is developing a product called Yima. Once launched, the products website will be a one-stop-shop for South Africans to report scams, secure their identity, and scan any website for vulnerabilities related to scams. They will also be able to educate themselves on identifying a scam. These tools will enable consumers to surf the net more confidently and go about their daily lives aware and informed. These are just some exciting elements South Africans can access through the site," says Karrim.

The most unique element of Yima is the ability to provide the consumer with the tools to be proactive when preventing scams and the services to assist them when they fall victim to a scam.

 Nazia Karrim, head of Product Development at the SAFPS

The main element of the website will be the ability to report a scam incident or any suspicious activity to the SAFPS. This suspicious activity includes a fake or suspect-looking online shopping website/portal and instances where the user has received phoney banking information. These reports will be collated and shared with law enforcement for investigation. Users will also be provided a scams hotline to report a fraud incident directly to their banks, retailers or insurance companies via a single number. Users will only need to remember one number rather than search for each institution's contact numbers online.

Additionally, Yima users will have access to the consumer products and services offered by the SAFPS.

The most unique element of Yima is the ability to provide the consumer with the tools to be proactive when preventing scams and the services to assist them when they fall victim to a scam. This will make a significant difference in the war on scams. Empowering the consumer is key to prevention, says Karrim.

Not all scams are conducted online

Upon returning to South Africa from a holiday in Mauritius, Ms Jones almost became a victim of a scam. Her mobile SIM card malfunctioned, leaving her incredibly stressed as an important business tool was not working. She quickly switched off her smartphone and restarted it, hoping it was a freak occurrence. A few minutes later, she received a call from an individual who informed her that he was from her mobile service provider. He indicated that he noticed that her SIM card malfunctioned and that he could assist her in fixing it; all she needed to do was provide him with the one-time pin (OTP) sent to her phone.

Well aware of the various scams fraudsters use to target individuals, Ms Jones questioned the so-called representative about why he needed the OTP. Then, in an angry outburst, he started raising his voice and threatening to disconnect her service immediately if she did not comply with his request. Fortunately, Ms Jones, unmoved, was aware of the potential scam risks and informed the so-called representative that she would visit the nearest branch of her mobile operator to address the issue in person. She then disconnected the call.

Many South Africans would have panicked and given in to the scammers demands. This exchange is just one of the many examples of how Yima will make a significant difference in educating the consumer about the tactics used by scammers to pressure them to comply with the demands and, in the process, fall victim to the scam. In the future, Ms Jones will be able to report this incident on Yima and have direct access to her mobile provider and banks to alert them of the issue via the scams hotline," says Karrim.

Prevention is better than cure

One of the crucial elements when it comes to a proactive approach to scam prevention is early detection and intervention. Yima will be the perfect platform to accomplish this and to communicate the message: Stop. Think. Dont get scammed!.

"Additionally, Yima will have a newsroom portal with reports and case studies about these scams so that the public can be warned about them. It will also be a trusted space where victims can report their incidents and request assistance. Yima is unique because it empowers the consumer with a method to access products that will help secure their identity, report a scam incident and provide them with a layer of protection they never had before, free of charge," says Karrim.

The SAFPS is engaging with local and international industry stakeholders to build a powerful product which it plans to launch in June after undergoing significant Beta testing.




Woolworths has partnered with DSV and Everlectric to embark on an extensive rollout of electric panel vans (EVs) to deliver customers' online purchases.

Source: Supplied

According to the company, the move is part of the retailer's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability in the industry.

Last year we announced our commitment to electric delivery vehicles, and we are delighted to now have nearly half our fleet powered by the sun. The new electric vehicles have been introduced on selected routes in Cape Town and Gauteng with further rollouts and extensions into KwaZulu- Natal planned to follow as soon as possible.

We have bold sustainability goals and ambitions, which included the goal to have zero nett carbon emissions by 2040 so this investment is a big step towards these goals. On an annual basis these 41 vehicles will have the potential to save over 400,000 kgs of tailpipe carbon emissions. With the exponential growth of our online business, switching to electric delivery vehicles is a smart and sustainable solution that benefits everyone, confirms Liz Hillock, Woolworths head of online and mobile.

Source: Supplied

To power the vans, electricity will be sourced as far as possible from renewable sources by utilising DSVs extensive solar infrastructure at their Gauteng and Cape Town facilities. Should there be any exception to renewables recharging, DSV and Everlectric will work with an audit firm to procure Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset any indirect grid energy emissions, explains Hillock.

Decarbonising fleets for business and the planet

Greg Saffy, senior director operations, DSV Road Logistics, DSV, comments: We are thrilled to be a part of this collaboration! Recognising our role in the transport and logistics industry, we have raised our sustainability ambitions and committed to reaching net zero emissions across our operations by 2050. Achieving our sustainability goals cannot be realised alone. Thats why we work with customers and industry partners like Woolworths and Everlectric to develop solutions that benefit both our planet and our business.

Everlectric CEO Ndia Magadagela adds, "We are very excited to be powering the Woolworths green logistics journey. Last year we spoke of what is possible, this year we are leading the charge in green logistics, with South Africa's first electric vehicle commercial fleet rollout.

Woolworths along with DSV and Everlectric have proven the viability of the solution through the proof of concept that we have run over the last two years on South African roads, under South African conditions. We are excited to now scale these learnings in our commercial solution that not only decarbonises our clients fleets, but is operationally excellent and cost-efficient."

Vehicle stats:
Copywriter and novelist K. Sello Duiker's well-known book The Hidden Star is now available in isiXhosa.

K. Sello Duiker died in 2005. Source: Supplied.

Dr Xolisa Guzula, who translated the book, describes it as a form of repatriation. Writing in English is both a choice and at most times the only option for black authors because of the poor publishing of writing in African languages, she says.

Transformative project

For Guzula, this means bringing back what should have been written in African languages in the first place.

She credits the idea of translating the book to Carole Bloch and Arabella Koopman, both from the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, PRAESA. As part of the Culture of Reading Project, books were created for isiXhosa readers via translation since publishers were still hesitant about publishing original literature. Added to that, original writing of isiXhosa childrens literature was still in its infancy and there was a shortage of isiXhosa reading books. While the translation of The Hidden Star is the continuation of that work, it also focuses on translating a black South African author.

I see this not only as a transformative project, but also the development we have been wishing to see growth of South African black authors writing for children in any language.

Duikers use of folklore really excites Guzula: The folklore which Duiker weaves into the book is an example of presenting African stories in one book in a contemporary format detailing urban life in a shanty town in Soweto. Even so, as a translator, it was easy for me to predict what is going to happen next in certain parts of the book because I could recognise the rich folklore of African stories told to me as a child.

Promising career

At the time of his untimely death in January 2005, K. Sello Duiker had published various short stories and two novels: thirteen cents, which was awarded the Commonwealth Prize for a first novel (Africa Region), and The Quiet Violence of Dreams, which won the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English Literature.

For many aspiring South African writers, he served as a role model, someone who fearlessly tackled unconventional themes and explored new terrain. For an older generation of writers his work epitomised the best of post-1994 South African black writing.

He spent a large part of his childhood in Soweto, where he was born on 13 April 1974. Further education followed in England when his father took up a position with an international company. After obtaining a degree in journalism at Rhodes University, he worked as a copywriter
Abalobi, the social enterprise working to elevate small-scale fishing communities through data and technology, has launched a new online store making its products more easily accessible to the broader public.

Source: Supplied

Named Fish with a Story, after the company's tagline, the new online store allows home cooks to shop premium local Yellowtail, Cape Bream, Carpenter and other ethically caught filleted fish as well as coastal pantry products including Dune Fig Jam, Bokkom Biltong and Sea-Lettuce Salt.

The Fish with a Story online store takes its place alongside Abalobis traditional offering of fresh, whole catch of the day fish available for order via the Abalobi Marketplace app.

Iain Campbell from Abalobi says that whilst the brand remains committed to the concept of supplying whole fresh fish via the Abalobi app, supplying deli products on the online store, aims to add an element of convenience to the responsible eating mix.

For many home cooks, the prospect of filleting and deboning a whole fish can be daunting. In addition, not everyone has the time to monitor our app for fresh catch of the day information, and so for those looking to eat responsibly without having to work on their knife skills, the deli range allows us to remain true to our core ethos while minimising wastage and retaining ultimate freshness of our excellent South African seafood, says Campbell.

All offcuts are also used throughout Abalobis multi-channel marketplace.

QR codes for traceability

Campbell explains that once the products are delivered, consumers can ascertain the source of their seafood by scanning a QR code that accompanies each fish on the label to access who the fisher was, where and when the fish was caught, as well as full pricing transparency - including the exact portion of the purchase that ended up in the fishers pocket. A second QR code links directly to a relevant recipe on www.fishwithastory.org.

Delivery of 'Fish with a Story' products is currently only available in the Western Cape, but Campbell says that Abalobi hopes to expand delivery areas in the future. The company is actively exploring retail partnerships across the country, including installing branded freezers, full of Fish With a Story seafood in a number of premium delis. Delivery in the Western Cape is free for orders over R450 and orders are fulfilled within 48 hours.
US financial services firm NetCredit has named Pretoria the most affordable capital city in the world. The research analysed more than 800,000 property listings for 73 global capitals and calculated the median house price for each. It used the average monthly net salary for each city to calculate affordability.

This explains, in part, why residential property in the Jacaranda City has been going through a bit of a purple patch, says Carl Coetzee, CEO of BetterBond. Understandably, its popularity has driven up house prices within the Greater Pretoria area, and we saw an increase of more than 13% in average house prices last year, according to the BetterBond Property Brief (April 2023)  good news for the local economy.

"Happily, it still remains one of the most accessible South African cities for buyers across all price bands because it offers a wide selection of property types, including security complexes and estates. In addition, it boasts highly desirable leisure and lifestyle options, outstanding medical facilities, excellent schools, and first-class tertiary education, including the University of Pretoria, University of South Africa and the Tshwane University of Technology.

Appeals to first-time buyers

It also appeals to young homebuyers, says Coetzee, which bodes well in terms of future-proofing the citys residential property market: Property24 reports that buyers in the 18-35 age group account for nearly one-third  30%  of all homebuyers in Pretoria. Many of these will be first-time buyers and its always good to see them getting a foot on the property ladder. BetterBond regional data shows that the average purchase price for first-time buyers in the Greater Pretoria area was almost R1.4m for the 12 months ending April 2023.

The 36-49 age group accounted for just over 38% of homebuyers in the past year, according to Property24, suggesting that the city is also popular with families wanting to be close to schools and educational opportunities.

Looking at all buyers who applied for a bond with BetterBond over the past 12 months, the average purchase price in the Greater Pretoria area was R1.66m.
Huawei has successfully held the Fusion Solar Forum 2023 at the sidelines of the Solar Show Africa 2023 in Johannesburg recently. Industry associations, sector organisations, industry leaders and experts gathered to share industry trends and insights and presented innovative solutions and best practices which will contribute to the development of the industry on the continent.

Leo Chen, President of Huawei sub-Saharan Africa Region | Huawei Fusion Solar Forum 2023

Leo Chen, president of Huawei sub-Saharan Africa, said that the quest for global carbon neutrality, energy security, and commercial value are driving the rapid development of a new international energy industry. The urgency of Africas own transition is being accelerated by power shortages and rising energy prices. Leo Chen indicated that in facing these challenges, Huawei as a leading ICT company, can be part of the solution. With a heavy investment in R&D, weve developed the most comprehensive set of technologies in ICT, and this forms our unique advantage.

He said that by integrating power electronic and digital technologies, Huaweis 4T (WatT, HeaT, BatTery, and BiT) technologies, which refers to Huaweis innovations in the field of power electronics, thermal management, power storage, and Cloud and AI, can enable the traditional solar energy industry to be more efficient and more intelligent.

The application of our '4T' technologies, will also effectively accelerate Africas energy transition toward the direction of 4D, which is Decarbonisation, Digitalisation, Decentralisation, and Democratisation, he said.

Huaweis full-scenario smart PV solutions not only can provide solutions to utility-scale large plants, but also to energy storage facilities, commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops, residential rooftops, data centres, and smart microgrids in rural areas. By doing this, more flexible energy generation solutions that are close to the point of use can be applied and the transmission and distribution setup can be minimised, thus saving costs and losses. Through this approach, power consumers can be transformed into power producers, which helps to achieve better power resilience for users and the whole society.

South Africas Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa gave a keynote address at the forum, and commended Huawei for the role it is playing in infrastructure development in Africa and in greening South Africas energy systems. Huawei is brining technological advancements and innovations that help us keep pace with the developed and industrialised countries in the global north, he said.

He indicated that his role as the electricity minister involves working with the private sector, including Huawei, to address the power deficit issue and boost a digital and sustainable future for South Africa.

He said: The South African government is looking for blended financial facilities for the funding of alternative energy installations, making it more accessible to more people. At the same time, the government will also broaden the flow of participation by upskilling people in the technology of renewable energy systems.

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa | Huawei Fusion Solar Forum 2023 Chen Guoguang, president of Huawei Smart PV Product Line

Chen Guoguang, president of Huawei Smart PV Product Line said that, with Huaweis innovative solutions, it has achieved a very impressive carbon footprint globally. By the end of 2022, Huawei Digital Power has helped our customers to offset 340 million tons of CO2 emissions, roughly the same as planting 470 million trees, he said.

John van Zuylen, CEO of AFSIA (Africa Solar Industry Association), presented on the rapid adoption of solar technologies on the African continent, where almost every country now has some solar capacity. With power storage options becoming more accessible and more affordable, AFSIA predicts that Africa will soon outstrip other regions in its use of solar power supply. Huawei technologies currently powers 25% of the worlds PV capacity, and so the company is well positioned to play a growing role on the continent.

In her presentation, CEO of the SAPVIA (The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association), Dr Rethabile Melamu, stressed the need to skill young South Africans to participate and take full advantage of the huge opportunities in this industry. Huaweis skills development initiative is incredible and we are partnering with them to make sure we get more young people skilled and accredited for the sector, she said.

In addition, industry players also shared their experiences. For example, Bui Power Plant in Ghana shared the latest insights into PV and energy storage trends in their organisations and how Huawei technologies are contributing to their success.

In conclusion, Leo Chen expressed Huaweis commitment to Africa. He said: Working with various partners, over the past two decades, Huawei has brought ubiquitous connectivity to Africa. In the next two decades, Huawei is aiming to bring ubiquitous green power to the continent.




The majority of light vehicles produced in South Africa in 2022 were exported rather than sold locally. So, which countries receive most of our "made-in-SA" cars and bakkies?

In 2022, a whopping 351,785 locally built new vehicles were exported from South Africa, representing a year-on-year increase of 18% and 66.9% of total vehicle production in the country. In the process, SA-built cars and bakkies were shipped off to 110 nations around the world last year.

But which countries received the majority of these Made-in-SA vehicles? Well, according to Naamsa, the United Kingdom was again the top export destination in 2022, accounting for 67,884 units or 19.34% of light vehicles exported. However, Germany was a mere 485 vehicles behind in second, with 67,399 units (or 19.21%) sent over to the central European country.

France (23, 772 units) completed the podium, though Japan (23,750 units) was right on its tail in 4th position, gaining a place compared with 2021. The United States rocketed up the table to fifth spot, with SA shipping off 20,566 units (a year-on-year increase of 171.7%) to the major North American market.

Fascinatingly, Italy (18, 914 units) slipped two rankings to sixth, though still finished well ahead of seventh-placed Belgium (14,812 units). Australia (11,507 units), Spain (9,588 units) and the Netherlands (7,484) closed out the top 10, while the remaining 100 destinations contributed 85,268 units between them.

Volkswagen was the biggest vehicle exporter from South Africa in 2022, followed by Mercedes-Benz, Ford, BMW and Toyota. As a reminder, the passenger vehicles manufactured in South Africa last year were the BMW X3, Ford Everest (previous generation), Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan, Toyota Corolla Quest, Toyota Corolla Cross, Toyota Fortuner, Volkswagen Polo hatchback and Volkswagen Polo Vivo.

Meanwhile, the light-commercial vehicles produced on local soil in 2022 were the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan NP200, Nissan NP300, Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Hi-Ace and Toyota Quantum.

As a destination region, Europe continued to dominate and accounted for 72.7% of light vehicles exported from South Africa in 2022, thanks largely to both Germany and France reflecting major year-on-year increases. Of course, as Naamsa points out, the future of SAs vehicle exports to Europe is under threat owing to increasingly strict emissions regulations in that part of the world.

Naamsa warns these regulations could add a significant cost to any vehicle produced in the domestic market for exports to the region and also points to legislation to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in the European Union by 2035 as a significant risk to vehicle exports.

Top 10 export destinations for SA-built light vehicles in 2022

United Kingdom  67, 884 units (19.34%)

Germany  67, 399 units (19.21%)

France  23, 772 units (6.77%)

Japan  23, 750 units (6.77%)

United States  20, 566 units (5.86%)

Italy  18, 914 units (5.39%)

Belgium  14, 812 units (4.22%)

Australia  11, 507 units (3.28%)

Spain  9, 588 units (2.73%)

Netherlands  7, 484 units (2.13%)

This article was originally published on Cars.co.za...
China's battery manufacturer to build its first European plant in Hungary

Xinhua) 11:11, May 10, 2023

BUDAPEST, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's EVE Energy Co. Ltd. plans to build a plant for the production of electric vehicle batteries in Debrecen, eastern Hungary, the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday.

The battery cell manufacturer, the world's ninth largest, will invest around 400 billion Hungarian forints (1.18 billion U.S. dollars) in the project and will create over 1,000 new jobs.

Hungary's government will support the project with 14 billion forints. EVE Energy aims to fulfill the demand for new-generation cylindrical battery cells by German carmaker BMW's plant in Hungary.

According to Szijjarto, the government of Hungary aims to make the country a global leader in environmental protection. He noted that 95 percent of the water needs of the plant will be provided from treated wastewater and surface water, and the company will also recycle part of the technological wastewater on site.

He said that the transition to electric road transport is key to achieving this goal and to meeting the European Union's green transition requirements.

"Without electric cars, the European Green Deal cannot be a success, and there are no electric cars without electric batteries," he said.

Debrecen has also been chosen as home to a giant 7.34-billion-euro (8 billion U.S. dollars) battery factory to be built by China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited(CATL). (1 Hungarian forint = 0.0030 U.S. dollar)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Democratic Party of Korea Leader Lee Jae-myung speaks at a party leadership meeting held in Daegu, some 302 kilometers south of Seoul, May 10. Yonhap



Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged the government Wednesday to reconsider its plan to send a group of experts to Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, saying the visit could end up endorsing the planned release of contaminated water from the crippled plant.



The inspection visit, set for May 23-24, was one of the agreements that President Yoon Suk Yeol reached with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit talks in Seoul on Sunday amid mounting worries over Tokyo's plan to release the stored contaminated water into the ocean.



The two countries plan to hold working-level talks this week to discuss details.



"It appears the government is trying to be a volunteer helper for Japan's plan to dump contaminated water from the nuclear power plant into the ocean," Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said at a meeting of party leaders held in the southeastern city of Daegu.



"I am concerned it could end up being a Japan publicity ambassador ... giving impunity to the release of contaminated water," he said. "The government should completely reconsider the dispatch of the inspection team that has no power to conduct a substantial and thorough inspection and verification."



Lee also accused Yoon of putting all blame on the previous administration and the opposition parties for security and economic crises Korea is facing, as Wednesday marked the first anniversary of Yoon's assumption of office.



"(The Yoon administration) pushed ahead with a tax reduction policy for the superwealthy without any consideration of the suffering of the people. He needlessly provoked other neighboring countries causing an economic and security crisis. The economy has plunged, our national security is crippled and people's livelihoods are in despair," he said.



He also urged Yoon should step up communication with the opposition. (Yonhap)


Last Thursday, Enrique Tarrio, a reputed national leader of the Proud Boys organization was convicted in federal court of seditious conspiracy along with three-co-defendants . This conviction in a District of Columbia court represents a victory for the Justice Department which has now charged more than a thousand people with crimes related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. capitol. Most of the charges related to the riot have been for small-time offenses that amount to vandalism and trespassing. A handful of those allegedly involved in the riot, however, have been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Notably, Tarrio wasnt even in Washington, DC on the day of the riot, and thus could not have engaged in any violent acts against Capitol personnel. Yet, he has nonetheless been convicted on grounds that he was involved in some sort of agreement to hinder federal laws, and thus is guilty of saying things that allegedly led to the riot. The Tarrio case is an excellent example of how federal crimes can be spun by federal prosecutors from actions that are neither violence, nor fraud, nor any other act that a normal person would recognize as a real crime.

Seditious Conspiracy Was Invented to Get Around Limitations on Treason Prosecutions

Seditious conspiracy must not be confused with the act of treason legally defined in the U.S. Constitution, however. Generally speaking, while treason requires an overt act of some kind, seditious conspiracy is a charge that a person has said things designed to undermine government authority. In other words, it is a crime of intent as interpreted by state authorities. This is fundamentally different from picking up a weapon and using it against agents of a government.

Of course, as weve noted here at mises.org before, the very idea of treason is itself problematic, since it assumes that violence against a government agent is somehow worse than a crime against a private citizen. Governments love this double standard because it reinforces the idea that the regime is more important than the voluntary private sector. Ultimately, however, violence against a person or property should be prosecuted as exactly that, and not as some separate category of crime against the special human beings who work for a regime.

Seditious conspiracy suffers from this same problem but is even more problematic because it relies primarily on circumstantial evidence to prove that a person was saying things in favor of obstructing or overthrowing a government. Indeed, the supposed necessity of such a crime is belied by the fact that no such crime existed even in federal law between the repeal of the hated Alien and Sedition Acts and the advent of the Civil War. Nor did seditious conspiracy laws play an important role in the U.S. regimes military success against the Southern secessionists.

Instead, what we find is that seditious conspiracy is a crime that is both prone to abuse by state authorities and unnecessary in terms of preventing violence to life and property. In cases such as the January 6 riot, crimes against persons and property ought to simply be considered violent crimes and property crimes of the usual sort. Seditious conspiracy, in contrast, is merely a type of thought crime.

The Origins of Seditious Conspiracy

The framers of the Constitution defined treason in very specific and limiting terms:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

Note the use of the word only to specify that the definition of treason shall not be construed as something more broad than what is in the text. As with much of what we now find in the Bill of Rights, this language stems from fears that the U.S. federal government would indulge in some of the same abuses that had occurred under the English crown, especially in the days of the Stuart monarchs. Kings had often construed treason to mean acts, thoughts, and conspiracies far beyond the act of actually taking up arms against the state. By contrast, in the U.S. Constitution, the only flexibility given to Congress is in determining the punishment for treason.

Naturally, those who favored greater federal power chafed at these limitations and sought more federal laws that would punish alleged crimes against the state. It only took the Federalists ten years to come up with the Alien and Sedition Acts, which stated:

That if any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States, which are or shall be directed by proper authority, or to impede the operation of any law of the United States, or to intimidate or prevent any person holding a place or office in or under the government of the United States, from undertaking, performing or executing his trust or duty, and if any person or persons, with intent as aforesaid, shall counsel, advise or attempt to procure any insurrection, riot, unlawful assembly, or combination, whether such conspiracy, threatening, counsel, advice, or attempt shall have the proposed effect or not, he or they shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor.

Note the references to intent, counsel, and advise as criminal acts so long as these types of speech are employed in a presumed effort to obstruct government officials. This part of the act, however, was never used by the regime. Those prosecuted under the Alien and Sedition Acts were charged under the section on seditious libel, which was heartily opposed for being obviously and blatantly against basic rights of free expression. Nonetheless, the Sedition Act was allowed to expire, thanks to the election of Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans (later known as Democrats).

For sixty years, the United States government had no laws addressing sedition on the books. But the heart of the 1798 Sedition Act would be revived. As passed on July 1861, the new Seditious Conspiracy statute stated

that if two or more persons within any State or Territory of the United States shall conspire together to overthrow, or to put down, or to destroy by force, the Government of the United States, or to oppose by force the authority of the Government of the United States; or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States; or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States against the will or contrary to the authority of the United States; or by force, or intimidation, or threat to prevent any person from accepting or holding any office, or trust, or place of confidence, under the United StatesShall be guilty of a high crime.

Given the timing of the legislationi.e., in 1861, following the secession of several Southern statesit is assumed that the legislation originated to address alleged Confederate treason. This is not quite the case. The legislation did enjoy considerable support from those who were especially militant in their opposition to the Confederacy. For example, Rep. Clement Vallandigham of Ohiowho would later be exiled to the Confederacy for opposing the warsupported the bill precisely because he thought it would help punish those engaged in conspiracies to resist the fugitive slave law. But the Congress had initially become serious about punishing conspiracies not in response to Southern secession, but in response to John Browns 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry.

Southern secession and fears of rebellion helped enlarge the coalition in favor of a new sedition law. The new sedition law represented a significant expansion of the idea of crimes against the state in that the sedition law did not require overt acts against the government, but merely conspiring, vaguely defined. Stephen Douglas understood this perfectly well, explaining the benefits of his bill as such:

You must punish the conspiracy, the combination with intent to do the act, and then you will suppress it in advance. There is no principle more familiar to the legal profession than that whenever it is proper to declare an act to be a crime, it is proper to punish a conspiracy or combination with intent to perpetrate the actIf it be unlawful and illegal to invade a State, and run off fugitive slaves, why not make it unlawful to form conspiracies and combinations in the several States with intent to do the act?

Others were more suspicious of expanding federal power in this way, however. Sen. Lazarus Powell and eight other Democrats presented a statement opposing the passage of the bill. Specifically, Powell and his allies believed the new seditious conspiracy law would be a de facto move in the direction of allowing the federal government to effectively expand the definition of treason offered by the federal constitution. The statement read:

The creation of an offense, resting in intention alone, without overt act, would render nugatory the provision last quoted, [i.e., the treason definition in the Constitution] and the door would be opened for those similar oppressions and cruelties which, under the excitement of political struggles, have so often disgraced the past history of the world.

Even worse, the new legislation would provide to the federal government the utmost latitude to prosecutions founded on personal enmity and political animosity and the suspicions as to intention which they inevitably engender.

Seditious conspiracy legislation gives the federal government far greater leeway to punish political opponents. Certainly, such legislation could have been used against opponents of the fugitive slave acts, as well as against opponents of federal conscription. After all, opponents of both the Civil War draft and the Vietnam War draft conspired to destroy government propertyas with the heroic draft-card burnings of the Catonsville Nine, for example. It would be far harder to prove in court that such acts constituted treason. Unfortunately, the new legislation was ultimately approved in 1861, and the United States government had its first permanent laws against seditious conspiracy.

We now have the same reasons to fear seditious conspiracy laws as Powell did in 1861. Such measures allow the federal government to construct laws addressing intent, thoughts, and words, rather than overt acts. This greatly expands federal power and allows for prosecution of mere inflammatory rhetoric against the federal government.

As a practical matter, seditious conspiracy laws are simply unnecessary. A commonsense foundation for addressing violence in the Capitol building would be to simply prosecute those who engaged in actual violence and trespass. It is clear, however, that gaining convictions for seditious conspiracy has been an important goal for the administration because it furthers the narrative that Donald Trumps supporters attempted some sort of coup.

Unfortunately, these sorts of political prosecutions are just the sort of thing weve come to expect from the Justice Department. The FBI cant be bothered with investigating sex criminals such as Larry Nassar, but theyll pull out all the stops to prosecute hundreds of those who entered the Capitol on January 6, many of whom simply stood around gawking at the scenery. But when Congress gives the FBI a near carte blanche, as it has done with seditious conspiracy laws, we should expect as much.

This article was originally featured at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and is republished with permission.
On May 4, 1970, a disorganized and nonviolent antiwar protest turned violent and deadly when the Ohio National Guard inexplicably opened fire on students at Kent State Universityindelibly polarizing the United States populace to an extreme arguably unabated since.

Guardsmen opened fire on the assembled crowd, unleashing between 61 and 67 bullets in 13 secondswhich left four people dead and nine wounded. Now, 49 years after the unjustified bloodbath, critical questions remain unanswered about both details of the incident, as well as circumstances that culminated in the shooting of unarmed protesters.

Perhaps the only inarguable detail of the Kent State massacre, often referred to simply as Kent State, is the fundamental, polarizing shift in popular perception.

The younger generation epiphanically concluded that the constitutional right to speak against a government amounted to a hollow promiseand that same government harbored no qualms in deploying violence to quash such dissent. But that same generation of young people, generally under 30 years old, also witnessed their parents and the older generations acceptance ofand, often, prideful approval ofthat exact violence by the National Guard.

Inaccurate propaganda worked brilliantly to the governments advantageboth before and after the shootingscleaving false divisions between the dirty hippies and ordinary Americans. Families of the dead and wounded received abhorrently telling letters in the weeks following.

Among the dead was an ROTC student-athlete whoevidencing the randomness of the shootinghad nothing to do with protests and happened to be caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. His parents received a letter, cited by The Bulletin, calling their son a destructive, riot-making communistand they should be thankful he is gone.

Soldiers at Quantico Marine Base, The Bulletin reported, erupted in cheers when someone wrote, Kent State 0, National Guard 4 on a chalkboard.

Shocking as those reactions to the killing of unarmed, peaceful protesters might be 46 years removed from that day, elements of division in the U.S. populace residually still affect the political climate.

As many activists observe, society-at-large tends to scoff at activity on which the roots of so-called American democracy was foundeddissent against the unjustparticularly when the injustice is effected by the government. Its likely such misunderstanding and mischaracterization of what makes for a healthy, democratically-modeled system began in earnest in the turbulent 1960s, solidified with the Kent State massacre, and emphatically continues today.

Protests at Kent State prior to the shootings were debatably spurred by President Richard Nixons announcement on April 30 about the expansion of the already-highly contentious Vietnam War into neighboring Cambodia. But, contrary to reports, outside agitators were not involved and angry protesters did not torch the ROTC building on the Kent State campusa matter of no little significance, considering the Guard was only present to protect the burned-out building. Indeed, its torching has inexplicably been claimed as justification for the shooting.

Dean Kahler, an undergraduate at Kent State who was shot and paralyzed in the incident, explained in an interview with NPR the oft-touted idea students had torched the ROTC building has always been one of the misconceptions. The Justice Department and the Presidents Commission on Student Unrest basically said that the students didnt burn the building down. It was burned down by someone who knew how to burn building[s] down.

At the time the building burned down, there were virtually no students at the site. The building was totally surrounded by campus security and local police authorities. And so there was really no reason to assume that the students burned the building down. Its one of the myths of the burning of the ROTC building.

Another misconception, similarly proffered at the time as justification for the Guard to shoot, was the fiction the students had shot first. In fact, no one in attendance at the rally had firearmsand none expected the calm assembly to turn violent. So much so, even once guardsmen opened fire, most believed they were firing blanksthe idea of unleashing live bullets on a crowd whose greatest offense was profanity seemed so ridiculous, many couldnt come to terms with seeing the dead and wounded.

Though there have been sparks and lulls in political polarization since the Kent State shootings, the incidents epiphanic moment solidified national identity in two starkly contrary directions.

On one side, the pro-government nationalists generally willing to support authority for its own sake stood in unwavering support of the National Guard. On the other stood those questioning the eventa widely diverse counterculture who not only view patriotism for the sake of patriotism as hollow absurdity, but who also abruptly realized the necessity in questioning the governmental narrative and paradigm.

One pertinent question should come to mind, though, for people of either stance: why does government continually and only valorize the deaths of those who perish at the hands of civilian criminals, while either excusing or ignoring the value of lives lost to criminal acts by government agents?

Mass schoolshootings or apparent terrorist shooting sprees almost inevitably precede tears from the president and seeming noble calls for strict gun control to rein in the violence. But criminally negligent and wholly unjustified killings by law enforcementboth in the U.S. current epidemic of police violence and in the example of Kent Stateundoubtedly receive no such call.

Hypocrisy, even absent of words, can be enormously telling.

Whatever revelations May 4, 1970, managed to codify, humans maintain a startling tendency not to learn from the past; and, in fact, to frequently err in similar ways. With that in mind, 2023 marks a similar conflagration of competing political theories espoused by competing politicians, all parroted by disenfranchised voterswith underlying policies once again seeking to quash dissent.

What could possibly go wrong? you might ask.

On the anniversary of the day war came home, its pertinent not to forget one answer: Kent State.

This article was originally featured at The Free Thought Project and is republished with permission.
Ex-Pfizer VP Dr. Michael Yeadon, while attending a Truth be Told Rally in London, said that the COVID vaccine push is a supranational operation intended to maim and kill deliberately.

Dr. Michael Yeadon, who formerly served as Pfizers vice president and chief scientist for allergy and respiratory, explained how he knew the COVID virus, with its subsequent vaccine campaign, was a supranational operation designed to injure people, to maim and kill deliberately.

Yeadon, who spent 32 years working mostly for large pharmaceutical companies, spoke to a reporter from Childrens Health Defense in March while attending a Truth be Told Rally in London. Reviewing how he came to understand the COVID pandemic was something other than what it appeared to be, the pharmacology expert recalled that when I started noticing former colleagues of mine, including Patrick Vallance, saying things on the television I knew werent true  and I knew he knew werent true  thats when the penny dropped for me, probably [in] February 2020.

Former Vice President at Pfizer, Dr. Mike Yeadon, on the sequence of events which led him to conclude that the so-called "pandemic" was planned and co-ordinated in advance, by unelected globalist bodies like the WHO and WEF, as a justification to deliberately depopulate the pic.twitter.com/qDcuhNimKg  Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) May 6, 2023

Patrick Vallance was the United Kingdoms chief scientific adviser to the government from 2018 to 2023.

I remember saying to my wife, this is not what theyre saying it is. Somethings going on, Yeadon explained.

And when I saw not only my country locking down, but dozens of countries locking down at the same time  that was proof, and is still proof, of a supranational operation, he said.

A large study, published in the renowned British scientific journal Nature, has found that people who received the Covid jab have a higher risk of visual impairment.
The Oklahoma State Treasurers Office announced the ban on state business with BlackRock and 12 other financial companies over their woke ESG policies.

The Oklahoma State Treasurers Office has announced that it will bar 13 major financial institutions, including BlackRock, J.P. Morgan, and Bank of America, from doing business with the state over their boycotting of energy companies in the name of so-called environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards.

Last year, Oklahoma enacted a law requiring it to divest from companies that boycott the fossil fuel industry, and the treasurers office subsequently sent inquiries across the corporate world as to which companies had such practices.

On May 3, the office announced that almost 160 financial institutions responded, and based on their answers 13 of them are going on the Restricted Financial Companies List: BlackRock, Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America, State Street Corp., GCM Grosvenor, Lexington Partners, FirstMark Fund Partners, StepStone VC Global Partners, WCM Investment Management, William Blair, Actis, and Climate First Bank. Others may be added to or removed from the list every 90 days.

According to The Wall Street Journal, George Soros is planning to buy bankrupt Vice Media at a valuation of around $400 million.
This photo, provided by the presidential office, shows new Second Vice Industry Minister Kang Kyung-sung. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday appointed his secretary for industrial policy to be the new second vice industry minister, his office said.







Kang Kyung-sung, a former official of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will now serve as the ministry's second vice minister. (Yonhap)


President Yoon Suk Yeol smiles during his visit to the press room of the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of presidential office



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk Yeol greeted reporters covering the presidential office on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of his presidency, Wednesday, but did not hold an official press conference or take questions on state affairs.



The president visited the press room at the presidential office in the afternoon and exchanged greetings with reporters, briefly saying, "Thank you."



After shaking hands with reporters, Yoon made a short remark to reporters and asked them for "constructive criticism and accurate reporting" to help the government find the right direction.



"Thanks to your support and valuable insights which were helpful in our work for national progress during the past year, we were able to carry out our work reasonably well," Yoon said.



"I hope that the media will accurately point out any shortcomings and provide us with valuable advice when we are heading in the wrong direction or when we are either too slow or too fast in making actions. We kindly ask you to guide our government effectively through your constructive criticism and accurate reporting," he added.



Yoon did not give a clear answer to a question about the possible resumption of his daily impromptu interview sessions with reporters, which were suspended after a quarrel with a critical media. "We will work hard anyways," he said and did not receive additional questions.



Yoon visited the press room unexpectedly following an unscheduled meeting with reporters during his appearance at the opening event of a children's park last week. Yoon has not held an official press conference since August of last year marking his 100th day in office, although he spoke to reporters at joint press conferences after summits with foreign leaders.



Before visiting the press room, Yoon had a luncheon with the leadership of the ruling People Power Party, including Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, and paid a visit to the Seoul National Cemetery.



On the visitors' book, Yoon wrote: "Together with the great people, I will create a country that embodies freedom and innovation and responsibly contributes to world peace and prosperity."






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Rep. Kim Nam-kuk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is seen answering questions from reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 10. Yonhap



The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has recommended Rep. Kim Nam-kuk sell off his cryptocurrency assets, and will launch an investigation into whether irregularities were involved in his coin trading, an official said Wednesday.



Kim has been under intense media and public scrutiny following revelations he had owned around 800,000 Wemix coins in 2021, worth around 6 billion won ($4.5 million) at that time, a massive amount that does not fit the frugal image of the first-term lawmaker.



"As we have recommended he sell off his cryptocurrency assets, we believe he will comply," senior party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told reporters after the party's leadership meeting Wednesday in the southeastern city of Daegu.



Kwon also said the party's secretary general, Rep. Kim Byung-kee, will lead an investigation.



"Outside experts with specialist knowledge could join the investigation if necessary because coins involve things hard for ordinary people to understand," Kwon said.






ASOS swung to a first-half loss, hit by a squeeze on household budgets and forecast a further drop in sales, sending its shares sharply lower.

The stock was down 11 per cent on Wednesday, extending losses over the last year to 57 per cent, after the company forecast a worse than previously expected "low double-digit" sales decline in its second half.

Sales fell 15 per cent in its second quarter, with that trend continuing into March and April.

ASOS led by chief executive Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte announced an overhaul of its business model last October. His plan focuses on profitable sales rather than top-line growth.

ASOS forecast second-half core earnings of 40-60 million (46-69 million).

"I am very confident of our return to sustainable profit and cash generation in the second half of the year and beyond," Ramos Calamonte said.

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ASOS and rival Boohoo grew rapidly as 20-somethings around the world snapped up their fast fashion, and demand surged again during the pandemic when high street rivals were closed.

But supply chain issues, higher product returns, competition from rivals like Shein and a cost-of-living crisis have weighed on their business models.

"The shares will remain under the shadow of balance sheet concerns until ASOS can demonstrate genuine recovery," analysts at Peel Hunt said.

ASOS made an adjusted loss before tax of 87.4 million in the six months to February 28th, versus a profit of 14.8 million in the same period last year.

Revenue of 1.84 billion was down 10 per cent on a constant currency basis.

Some analysts predict ASOS may need to raise further equity, but Ramos Calamonte told Reuters the company has ample liquidity, ending the half year with cash and undrawn facilities of 408.6 million.

For the full year, ASOS forecast a free cash outflow of around 100 million, around the bottom end of previous guidance.

At the statutory level, ASOS reported a first-half pretax loss of 290.9 million, reflecting a 128.2 million stock write-off and other one-time items relating to its restructuring. -Reuters
It is blindingly obvious to put enormous windfall corporation taxes into a long-term savings fund to protect against an ageing population and other structural changes, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said.

Mr McGrath said windfall corporation tax receipts are estimated to total 12 billion this year.

It will not last indefinitely into the future. We know were going to be meeting enormous costs down the line.

We have to make provision for the future.

He said there had been an effective doubling in corporation tax revenues since before the Covid-19 pandemic, which Mr McGrath said suggested was evidence of windfall gains.

Minister for Finance @mmcgrathtd has today published 'Future-proofing the Public Finances  the Next Steps' which outlines some of the merits of establishing a long-term public savings vehicle in Ireland.



Here's more info on the fund and how it would work  pic.twitter.com/060GAHKP6M Advertisement  Fianna Fail (@fiannafailparty) May 10, 2023

He said there was also a fivefold increase last year compared with a decade ago.

Mr McGrath said there was a growing dependence on these receipts and a growing concentration of them were from a small number of companies.

The minister said the boom in receipts was directly linked to profitability and there was real strength in tech, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

He said profitability was also linked to intellectual property and royalty payments.

Speaking at the launch of a scoping paper on future-proofing the public finances, he said there was a need to plan for medium to long-term challenges such as the ageing population and not just the current political and fiscal problems that we may face.

In headline terms, it is fair to say that our public finances are currently in a sweet spot, he said.

The Department of Finance is projecting an expansion of the surplus in coming years, assuming no major shock to the economy.

Minister @mmcgrathtd has today published analysis entitled 'Future-proofing the Public Finances  the Next Steps'.



This scoping paper outlines some of the merits of establishing a long-term public savings vehicle in Ireland.



Read more: https://t.co/MVJT8NPVT0 pic.twitter.com/eXqZc2TmZd Advertisement  Department of Finance (@IRLDeptFinance) May 10, 2023

Digging below the surface however, it is clear that fiscal vulnerabilities are building up.

The budgetary surplus is entirely due to the extraordinary strength of corporation tax receipts in recent years, a significant portion of which cannot be explained by our economic fundamentals.

We also know that these receipts are highly concentrated in a small number of firms and sectors.

This concentration risk is stark, the top ten largest corporation tax payers account for around one euro in every seven euro of all tax collected.

Mr McGrath said that at the end of the decade, public expenditure will be seven to eight billion euro higher each year simply because of increased age-related spending.

He said Government will also need to finance a climate and digital transition and this provided a strong case for a longer-term savings vehicle.

Mr McGrath said this would ensure the windfall receipts would not be used for permanent expenditure commitments or tax reductions.

However, he said that even if all windfall receipts are saved it would not fund all ageing costs and therefore other structural reforms would be necessary.

One statistic that I think is quite startling is that ratio of people who are working age to pensioners.

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At the moment its about one to four and in the coming decades that will halve to two to one.

He also warned that this was based on the departments best forecasts but a lot can change and the windfall receipts were not guaranteed.

In relation to capital expenditure, Mr McGrath said the economy is running pretty much at full tilt with unemployment at less than 4 per cent.

He said in providing extra capital to individual sectors, the Government had to be careful of the risk of overheating.

However, he said there was still room from recurring receipts for a significant budget package.

So in the budget in the autumn, there will be a tax package, there will be a social welfare package, there will be targeted improvements and public services will see a further increase in the public capital programme.
A man in Co Carlow has been banned for life from owning dogs and fined 4,400 after admitting he paid to have his pets' ears cut off.

Ali Zeeshan Ali, of Castlemore, Tullow, pleaded guilty to six offences under the Animal Health and Welfare act, admitting he paid a stranger to crop the ears of his two American Bullies.

The two dogs were discovered by ISPCA inspector Fiona Conlon at Ali's house on November 2nd. The court heard the dogs are now healthy and safe.

As reported by The Carlow Nationalist, Ms Conlon told the court that when the dogs were found, their ears were infected, describing their cartilage as having been "hacked".

The dogs' ears, she said, had been sewn up with sewing thread rather than medical thread, which was further damaging the pets' ears.

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Photo: The Carlow Nationalist

"It's illegal and barbaric...They do it to make the dogs look tougher," she said.

Ireland Father who abandoned toddler at side of road is ja... Read More

The court heard Ali, who is originally from Pakistan, had given the dogs to a man on Moore Street in Dublin city centre, whom he said he did not know, who cut the dogs' ears.

Ali's solicitor, John O'Sullivan, pleaded for leniency, stating a criminal conviction for his client with negatively impact the residency application of his wife, who plans to join her husband in Ireland.

However, describing Ali's actions as "inexcusable", Judge Geraldine Carthy said the only thing keeping her from imposing a custodial sentence was his guilty plea.

Having issued Ali with a lifetime disqualification order from owning a dog, Judge Carthy also fined him 1,000 and ordered him to pay 2,500 in costs to the ISPCA and a further 900 to cover vet bills.
The Coombe Hospital has offered heartfelt and unreserved apologies for failings in care to the parents of a baby girl who died a day after her birth.

Baby Ruby Holland died at the Dublin hospital almost seven years ago.

A letter of apology from the Master of The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital was read out at the High Court as Rubys parents, Ciara and Glenn Holland from Tallaght, Dublin settled a nervous shock action over her death.

Their counsel Patrick Treacy SC instructed by Cian OCarroll solicitor told the court that it was extremely important for the Hollands to get to the root of the tragedy. A review of the case by the hospital he said acknowledged their pain and suffering but not any deficiencies in their daughters care and this had significantly exacerbated the couples trauma and suffering.

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He said he could not overstate the importance to the Hollands that the tragic loss of Ruby is acknowledged, and the hospital had recently also admitted causation as well as liability in the case.

In the letter Professor Michael OConnell offered on behalf of the hospital heartfelt and unreserved apologies for failings in care on the day of Rubys birth on July 21 2016.

The letter said: In particular I sincerely regret that the maternal blood pressure was not adequately monitored between 4:15 AM and 4:46 AM that day.

Referring to the Hospitals Adverse Incident Review of the events surrounding Rubys birth, Professor OConnell said it was not their intention to add to the Hollands distress in any way.

 I was very sorry to learn that you were unhappy with the process and I sincerely regret that this is the case. I would like to reiterate my apologies for the distress suffered in respect of the tragic outcome and offer my deepest condolences to you and your family, the letter concluded.

Ciara and Glenn Holland of Aylesbury Tallaght, Dublin had sued The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital for nervous shock. It was claimed there was alleged negligence and breach of duty in the treatment of care afforded to Mrs. Holland and her daughter in the course of her delivery and in her neonatal care in the initial minutes of her life and that Ruby was caused to suffer severe and profound injuries which led to her death the following day on July 22, 2016.

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It was further claimed there was a failure to appreciate the deterioration in the babys condition prior to her delivery which it was claimed was attributable to a combination of maternal hypotension and a small placental abruption.

Following birth, it was claimed there was a delay in intubation and a failure to provide effective ventilation to the baby during at least three of the first four minutes of her life.

There was it was alleged a failure to appreciate that the mother's blood pressure had fallen markedly in the aftermath of the administration of the epidural top up.

There was it was claimed a failure to proceed with the expeditious delivery of the baby at a time that would have averted the onset or severity of her hypoxia related injuries.

Ireland Father who abandoned toddler at side of road is ja... Read More

Ruby was delivered at 5.17 AM by forceps delivery, and she was later transferred to the neonatal unit where active cooling treatment took place.

Senior council Patrick Treacy told the court that case had been settled, and it was before the court for the division of the statutory mental distress payment.

He said an expert on their side would say that the quality of foetal and maternal monitoring was substandard.

Approving the division of the solatium Mr Justice Paul Coffey there were very tragic facts and circumstances to the case, and he offered his deepest sympathy to the Holland family.
A member of the Defence Forces accused of attacking his girlfriend at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin has been released on bail, but has been warned not to contact his partner.

Darragh Baldrick (23), based at the barracks in Rathmines, was arrested on Tuesday.

He was taken to the local Garda station to be charged and was held pending his appearance before Judge Brendan OReilly at Dublin District Court on Wednesday.

He is accused of assault causing harm contrary to section three of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Garda Brendan OCallaghan told Judge OReilly the accused was arrested at the barracks on Tuesday morning. He said Mr Baldrick, yet to indicate a plea, was handed a true copy of the charge and made no reply after caution.

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There was no objection to bail with conditions. Solicitor Evan Moore said the terms had been already canvassed with his client, and there is agreement.

The defence solicitor confirmed his client was a member of the Defence Forces, the alleged victim was his partner, and they did not have children.

The judge imposed the terms read out by Garda OCallaghan and told Mr Baldrick to stay away from the womans home and have no direct or indirect contact with her, including by social media.

Garda OCallaghan said directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) need to be obtained, and he sought an eight-week adjournment.

The solicitor consented, adding: I have no issue with that. He also confirmed his client had no trips abroad planned.

Ireland Father who abandoned toddler at side of road is ja... Read More

Judge OCallaghan granted legal aid and remanded Mr Baldrick on bail in his bond of 100 to appear again on July 5th for the DPPs directions to be outlined.

The defence asked the judge to consider imposing reporting restrictions in the matter because the alleged injured party was Mr Baldricks partner, and to save her from being identified. However, he added: I am in the courts hands.

Refusing the application, the judge noted the nature of the charge but remarked: That would be stretching it.

The solicitor said the restrictions were sought out of sensitivity. However, Garda Sergeant Derek Spain told the judge he did not see any basis for imposing the restrictions, and the judge denied the request.
Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Nam-kuk is seen in this photo, May 9. Yonhap



Prosecutors had sought a warrant twice last year to search the financial records of main opposition lawmaker Kim Nam-kuk over suspicions surrounding his cryptocurrency assets, but the requests were denied, sources said Wednesday.



Kim of the Democratic Party of Korea has been under intense media and public scrutiny following revelations he had owned around 800,000 Wemix coins in 2021, worth around 6 billion won ($4.5 million) at that time.






"Difficulties have arisen" in the scheduling of a bid by Gerard "The Monk" Hutch to recoup his legal costs after he was acquitted last month of the murder of Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Mr Hutch is seeking his legal costs and the hearing on the application, which the State is opposing, was originally listed for Friday of this week.

However, Ms Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, told the non-jury court on Wednesday morning that "difficulties have arisen" and asked the court to put the matter in for mention on the last week of the Easter court term, which ends on May 25th.

Ms Justice Tara Burns, presiding, in the three-judge, non-jury court, said she would not do that and instead set a new date for the costs hearing. The judge listed the costs application for the first day of next term on June 7th. "If any issues arise in relation to that we will notify the parties immediately. As things stand it's June 7th," she added.

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Ms Murphy said the State's replying submissions will be filed and served next week.

Ms Justice Burns said the sentence matter for the two men convicted of acting as getaway drivers during the notorious hotel attack in 2016 will stay in the list, and they will be sentenced on Friday.

Last Monday, Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said that submissions from the defence regarding Mr Hutch's costs application had been served on the State, that the application would be opposed, and it would take no more than an hour when it was heard.

Defence barrister Brendan Grehan SC, for Mr Hutch, said on Monday that he understood that this was "fairly well trodden territory".

Last month following the 52-day trial at the Special Criminal Court, two long-term friends of the Hutch family  taxi driver Paul Murphy and builder Jason Bonney  were found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of acting as getaway drivers.

The court has heard that Bonney has no previous convictions and once ran a building company employing 10 people.

Ireland Regency Hotel murder trial: The full story of how... Read More

The non-jury court has also heard that Murphy has 67 previous convictions which include public order offences, road traffic offences, larceny and criminal damage. They have all been dealt with at District Court level. Mr Murphy, the court heard, had changed his name by deed poll from Christopher Ryan to Paul Murphy in 1987.

Ms Justice Tara Burns sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone will pass sentence on Murphy and Bonney on Friday.

In acquitting Mr Hutch for murder, the Special Criminal Court found that it could not rely on the unsupported evidence of the former Sinn Fein councillor and convicted torturer Jonathan Dowdall.

It also found that surveillance audio recordings of a conversation between Dowdall and Mr Hutch did not corroborate Dowdall's claim that Mr Hutch had confessed to being one of the hitmen at the Regency Hotel where Mr Byrne was shot dead.
Setting a deadline for restoring powersharing in Northern Ireland would be deadly, according to Britain's Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

He added it is pointless to set timelines and the focus is on getting the job done properly to ensure the executive can remain for a very long time when it returns.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since last year when the DUP withdrew in protest over the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The Windsor Framework recently struck by the UK and EU sought to reduce red tape on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain, but the DUP wants further assurances.

Speaking in the UK's House of Commons, Labour former minister Kevin Brennan said: Given the hugely advantageous position Northern Ireland now finds itself in, as outlined by the prime minister when the Windsor accord was being announced, isnt it time that powersharing really was restored?

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And isnt it time the Secretary of State in fact considered a deadline for the restoration of powersharing?

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: The one thing I have learned in my role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is that deadlines are deadly. It is pointless setting timelines on things.

Getting the job done properly, so when the executive comes back it can be there for a very long time, is the right thing to do. And that is what everyone is working towards.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle (Liam McBurney/PA)

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle later asked Mr Heaton-Harris to reveal what talks were taking place about restoration of powersharing.

Mr Heaton-Harris said there was an ongoing pattern of formal talks with the parties, but added: I would also say to him, one thing I have learned from the negotiations to get the Windsor Framework over the line is that some of these things are best done on a confidential basis, because otherwise, other people get to pull the threads of negotiations and the whole thing falls apart.

Earlier at Northern Ireland questions, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson highlighted ongoing unionist concerns about the EUs influence in Northern Ireland, particularly how divergence from UK law, could inhibit our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.

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He added: If we are to get Stormont restored on a stable foundation, which is what we want, then we have got to resolve these issues.

People in Northern Ireland, unionists in particular, need to know that their place in the United Kingdom, which was enshrined and protected in article 1 of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, will be equally enshrined and protected in UK law as a result of any arrangements that are put in place.

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: I can give him that assurance from this despatch box, but I know because of the engagement that we have had that he would like to see that in other terms as well.

That is why I look forward to our continuing conversations, so we can work out exactly what the ask is, so I can try and deliver on that.

In the absence of local representatives, it has fallen on Mr Heaton-Harris to set Northern Irelands 2023/2024 budget and senior civil servants to run the North's departments.

British MPs are considering all stages of the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill on Wednesday.

Britain's Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, opening the second reading debate, said: The measures in this Bill will ensure a continuation of the current governance arrangements in Northern Ireland should there be no executive when they expire on June 5th.

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They are not and cannot be a substitute for devolved government they are by no means ideal, particularly in the context of this financial position.

He said the British government is acutely concerned about the long-term sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland, and said departments are facing very difficult and unavoidable decisions in the current difficult and frustrating circumstances.
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has welcomed a court ruling, which resulted in a finance services company being forced to lower the rate of a mortgage owed by a distressed borrower.

As reported by the Irish Independent, the action involved a couple who had got into financial difficulty and were refused a fixed-rate mortgage by Pepper Finance.

The court ruled the fixed-rate should be granted, despite the company stating it does not offer fixed rates.

According to The Irish Times, Judge Mary O'Malley Costello at Tullamore Circuit Court last week approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA) for the couple, which will see a fixed rate of 2.5 per cent applied to their mortgage over 25 years.

Pepper Finance had opposed the deal, claiming it could not offer a fixed rate at that level for that length of time.

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The ruling has since been welcomed by campaigners, who said it will give hope to over 30,000 homeowners with distressed mortgages.

Commenting on the court's decision on Tuesday, Mr McGrath said: "I welcome the judgment. I believe that loan-owners and mortgage providers should be offering fixed-rate options. This is an issue I have raised directly with [finance companies] and also with the Central Banks.

"At present, under the code of conduct on mortgage arrears, the lenders are only required to consider the alternative payment arrangements from the suite of options they offer."
Former Elle magazine advice columnist E Jean Carroll said on Wednesday she felt "fantastic" after a jury a day earlier found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her, and awarded her $5 million in damages in her civil lawsuit against the former US president.

The verdict in Manhattan federal court represented a fresh legal setback for Mr Trump as he seeks to regain the presidency in 2024. It also provided vindication for Ms Carroll, 79, who in 2019 publicly accused Mr Trump, 76, of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

While jurors did not find that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll, it awarded damages over the incident and over a post last October on Mr Trump's Truth Social platform in which he called Ms Carroll's claim a "complete con job," hoax and lie.

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"I feel fantastic. Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life," Ms Carroll told ABC's "Good Morning America".

Mr Trump, who did not attend the trial, plans to appeal.

In a Wednesday post on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote: "I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN, WHO MADE A FALSE AND TOTALLY FABRICATED ACCUSATION, IS. HOPEFULLY JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED ON APPEAL!"

Accompanied by her lawyer Roberta Kaplan, Ms Carroll said on "Good Morning America" that she felt "shaken" while Mr Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina challenged her account during two days of cross-examination, but felt strong because she knew she was telling the truth.

"He said terrible things about me," Ms Carroll said, referring to Mr Trump, "dragged me through the mud, ground my face in the dirt".

Ms Carroll described holding hands with her lawyer as the verdict was read.

It was such an overwhelming moment.

"Her hand was ice cold, ice cold," Ms Carroll said. "And when that jury said, 'Yes,' we looked at each other, and that was the moment. It was such an overwhelming moment."

Asked during a separate appearance on CNN whether she expects Mr Trump to pay her, Ms Carroll said: "This is not about the money - not about the money. This is accomplishing something that I set out to do many years ago to get my name back, and that's what we did."

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Mr Tacopina told reporters on Tuesday that he will appeal the verdict based on what he called unfair rulings by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan including allowing jurors to hear the "Access Hollywood" tape in which Mr Trump describes grabbing women's genitals.

"We made many motions that we thought would create issues for appeal and we're going to employ them," Mr Tacopina said.

Mr Tacopina also said he would seek a stay of a final judgement pending appeal, which if granted would mean Mr Trump would not have to immediately pay the damages award.

Ms Carroll's lawyer Ms Kaplan, who is not related to the judge, called Mr Trump's chance of success in his appeal "absolute zero," saying the judge in the case went out of his way to ensure a fair trial.

Michelle Simpson Tuegel, a victims' rights attorney who was not involved in the case, called Mr Trump's chances on appeal slim.

"The allegations by Ms. Carroll were subject to a very legitimate adversarial process, the case was overseen by an experienced and competent trial judge and it was litigated by competent attorneys on both sides," Ms Simpson Tuegel said.

The appeals process could potentially take years, Ms Simpson Tuegel said.

Mr Trump faces a host of legal issues. He pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 US election, which was aimed at suppressing publication of her claims of a sexual encounter with him.

Mr Trump separately faces two criminal investigations overseen by a US Justice Department special counsel into his keeping classified documents after leaving office and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He also faces a criminal investigation by a county prosecutor in Georgia relating to his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss in that state.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing in all those matters and has called himself the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt.
An Egyptian state-run television channel has said Egypt has brokered an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The announcement was broadcast by the Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, but shortly after the announcement, more rockets were fired toward Israel, raising questions about if or when a truce would take effect.

Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israel or Islamic Jihad, the militant group involved in the latest fighting.

Smoke rises over the skyline following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza (Adel Hana/AP/PA)

The report came after Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 21 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean Sea, 50 miles away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early on Tuesday.

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It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war.

But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.
Piers Morgan has said he is not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Britain's Prince Harry amid allegations of phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday.

Journalist and broadcaster Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, responded to a doorstepping ITV reporter who asked if he was going to apologise to Harry over the claims.

Im not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry.



Amid allegations of phone hacking while he was at the Mirror, Piers Morgan tells ITV News Harry should apologise to the royal family for invasion of privacy hes been perpetratinghttps://t.co/P3RH5guPSb pic.twitter.com/4uGvezu5y6 Advertisement  ITV News (@itvnews) May 10, 2023

The 58-year-old said: All I am going to say is I am not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry, somebody who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the royal familys privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.

So I suggest he gets out of court and apologises to his family for the disgraceful invasion of privacy that hes been purporting.

He added: I think Prince Harry should be apologising for his disgraceful invasion of privacy of the royal family and others by the way.

In 2021, Morgan made headlines after leaving Good Morning Britain following an on-air clash with weather presenter Alex Beresford over Harry and his wife Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Morgan said he did not believe Meghan's claims from the headline-making special, with his comments sparking more than 50,000 complaints  the most in history of the UK's media watchdog, Ofcom.

The watchdog later ruled Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Morgans comments.
Hong Kong lawmakers have passed an amendment to a law granting the citys leader the power to bar overseas lawyers from handling national security cases, following a high-profile row sparked by a pro-democracy Hong Kong publishers hiring of a British lawyer.

The changes will require overseas lawyers who do not generally practice in Hong Kong to obtain permission from the chief executive before submitting applications to represent clients in national security cases in court.

The citys leader will only give approval if there are sufficient grounds to believe the lawyers involvement will not contradict the interests of national security, and the decision cannot be challenged.

The Bill was passed by a majority in the citys legislature, filled with mostly Beijing loyalists, with little opposition through a show-of-hands vote.

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The legal changes were proposed after the citys top court approved jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lais appointment of a London-based lawyer to represent him. Photo: Vincent Yu/AP.

Critics said the changes would leave defendants with even fewer choices when they looked for legal representation in some of the citys most controversial cases.

The legal changes were proposed this year after the citys top court approved jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lais appointment of London-based lawyer Timothy Owen to represent him as he faces collusion charges under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, uses the same common law jurisdiction as the UK, and lawyers from other common law jurisdictions can generally work within the citys legal system when their expertise is needed.

Hours after Hong Kongs top court approved Lais choice of lawyer in November, city leader John Lee asked Beijing to decide whether foreign lawyers should be allowed to work on national security cases.

While Chinas top legislative body did not directly rule on whether these lawyers could handle such cases, it said the citys leader and committee for safeguarding national security had the power to decide the matter.

In proposing the amendment, the government said the changes would effectively implement the spirit of the interpretation of the law and address potential national security risks associated with overseas lawyers handling such cases.

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The mechanism would apply to both criminal and civil cases related to national security, it said.

Speaking on Wednesday, secretary for justice Paul Lam defended the changes by arguing defendants could choose representation from more than 1,600 barristers in Hong Kong.

But in practice, defendants in national security cases are left with a small pool of lawyers who can handle such cases, Kevin Yam, senior fellow at Georgetown Centre for Asian Law, said.

Pretty much almost all the barristers who are willing and able to take up such cases are already handling an ongoing trial involving 47 activists who were charged under a national security law over an unofficial primary election, Mr Yam said. That trial is expected to last 90 days.

Were left with a situation where a type of case that very few lawyers are willing to take up are now going to lose yet another source from which you can get legal representation, he said.

He also noted that the definition of national security was vague, so it would be hard to determine when foreign lawyers would be turned away under the new mechanism.

If you are a foreign lawyer  would you take the risks in going through the whole uncertainty about whether the case youre going to take is going to involve national security elements? he said.

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World Death toll rises to five in Tunisia synagogue atta... Read More

The legal changes passed on Wednesday were not retrospective.

Lais lawyers earlier learned that the committee for safeguarding national security had decided Mr Owens representation of him would be likely to pose national security risks and advised the director of immigration to refuse any new work visa applications from Mr Owen related to the case. The director of immigration said his department would act in accordance with that advice.

Last month, the lawyers filed an application for judicial review, asking the court to quash the committee and directors decisions. The court is expected to hand down a decision later.
A 32-year-old journalist working for the French international news agency Agence France-Presse has been killed during a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The news agency said video co-ordinator Arman Soldin was with a team of its journalists travelling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets.

The rest of the AFP team was uninjured.





The attack took place in the late afternoon in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, a town near Bakhmut, the agency said.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the wars longest battle.

His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine, AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said.

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Mr Soldin was born in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia, and a French citizen, according to AFP.





We are devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine today.



All of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/T2y449o1Ry  AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 9, 2023

He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on February 24 2022 and had travelled regularly to the front lines in recent months.

AFP said it was devastated at Mr Soldins death, adding all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Severodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.





RSF director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Mr Soldins death a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a speech in Washington on Tuesday, expressed his condolences to Mr Soldins family and loved ones.

Countless journalists are working to expose and report on the truth in extremely dangerous settings, Mr Blinken said.

Today, we were devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine.
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan can be held for questioning for eight days, a court has ruled, a day after the countrys popular opposition leader was dragged from a courtroom and arrested.

His detention set off clashes between his supporters and police on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead. On Wednesday, angry protesters stormed and set fire to a building housing Radio Pakistan in the city of Peshawar.

Pakistans government has called out the military in provinces hit by violence following Mr Khans arrest.

The 70-year-old politician, who lost power last year but remains the countrys most popular opposition figure, is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan.

A supporter of Pakistans former prime minister Imran Khan throws a stone towards police officers after supporters set fire to a pile of tyres during clashes in Islamabad, Pakistan (AP/PA)

His dramatic arrest on Tuesday deepened the political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations. Two people were killed initially, one on Tuesday in the southwestern city of Quetta and another in the northwestern city of Peshawar overnight. Two more people died in clashes with police in Peshawar on Wednesday.

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In eastern Punjab province, where authorities said 157 police officers were injured in clashes with Mr Khans supporters, the local government asked the army to step in and restore order.

Pakistans GEO television broadcast footage showing Mr Khan appearing before a judge at a temporary court inside a police compound on Wednesday. The former prime minister was seen seated in a chair, holding documents.

A burning car set on fire by angry supporters of Imran Khan during a protest against his arrest (Muhammad Sajjad/AP/PA)

Earlier, Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau requested the 14-day detention of Mr Khan, but the tribunal said authorities could keep him in custody for eight days.

Meanwhile, Mr Khans legal team were challenging his arrest before the Islamabad High Court, seeking his release.

Also in Peshawar, Mr Khans supporters raided the building housing Radio Pakistan, damaging equipment and setting fire to it, police official Naeem Khan said. Some of the employees were trapped inside and police were trying to restore order, he added.

Mr Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party had called for demonstrators to remain peaceful, hours after mobs  angered over the dramatic arrest  set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.

Shipping containers were used to block a road leading to police headquarters, where Mr Khan was being held (Anjum Naveed/AP)

Mr Khan had been appearing in court when he was arrested on Tuesday on multiple charges brought by Islamabad police.

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As he appeared in court, dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau backed by paramilitary troops stormed the courtroom, breaking windows after Mr Khans guards refused to open the door.

Mr Khans supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital, Islamabad, but did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief General Asim Munir.

Other demonstrators tried to reach the prime ministers residence in Lahore, but were driven off by baton-wielding police. Others attacked vehicles carrying troops and hit armed soldiers with sticks.

Riot officers took up positions around police headquarters (Anjum Naveed/AP)

A police statement on Wednesday said officers in eastern Punjab province had arrested 945 of Mr Khans supporters since Tuesday  including Asad Umar, a senior leader from Mr Khans party. Dozens of Khan supporters had also been detained in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and elsewhere.

Officers deployed in force across the country, and placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Mr Khan was being held and where he appeared before a judge at the temporary court placed there for security reasons, according to the government.

In March, police stormed Mr Khans Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him in a corruption case related to hiding income from the sale of official gifts.

Later on Wednesday, Mr Khan appeared in a different courtroom at the high security court and was indicted in the ongoing graft case, pleading not guilty, local media said.
Rep. Kim Nam-kuk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, second from left, is seen answering questions from reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Rep. Kim Nam-kuk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Wednesday accepted the party's call to sell his cryptocurrency assets amid allegations of possible irregularities and a conflict of interest surrounding his coin holdings.



The first-term lawmaker has been under intense media and public scrutiny following revelations he had owned around 800,000 Wemix coins in 2021, worth around 6 billion won ($4.5 million) at that time, a massive amount that does not fit his frugal image.



Earlier on Wednesday, the DPK recommended Kim sell off the assets and decided to launch an investigation into whether irregularities were involved in his coin trading.



"As we have recommended he sell off his cryptocurrency assets, we believe he will comply," senior party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told reporters after the party's leadership meeting Wednesday in the southeastern city of Daegu.



Kwon also said the party's secretary general, Rep. Kim Byung-kee, will lead an investigation.



"Outside experts with specialist knowledge could join the investigation if necessary because coins involve things hard for ordinary people to understand," Kwon said.



Kim is the only member of the DPK subject to the investigation, but the party's leadership is mulling expanding the investigation to all members, the spokesperson said.



Later in the day, Kim committed to disposing of his virtual assets and cooperating with the investigation.



"I received the recommendation from the party to sell my crypto assets. I will faithfully implement the recommendation," he said in a Facebook posting.



"I will transparently disclose data to the investigation team and undergo the inquiry faithfully," he added.



Kim reportedly withdrew all the coins before last March, ahead of the enforcement of the so-called Travel Rule. The rule requires digital exchanges to report personal information when a transferred amount exceeds a 1 million won threshold.



Critics say Kim's asset holdings represent a conflict of interest, as he co-sponsored a bill proposing a delay of income taxation on virtual assets in July 2021. This was about six months before he withdrew his Wemix coins from the digital wallet.



Suspicions have also arisen over where the money came from and whether he used insider information.



Kim has claimed no irregularities were involved in his trading and disclosed some information on his transactions. (Yonhap)


A US Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas.

Daniel Perry, 36, was convicted of murder in April for killing Garrett Foster during the protest in Austin in July 2020.

Prosecutors said during sentencing that his history of racist and provocative texts and social media posts expose a threat of violence likely to resurface.

On Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some shockingly racist images. They had been excluded from Perrys trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by District Judge Clifford Brown.

Prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez had urged Judge Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years. The sentencing range for the murder conviction is five years to life in prison.

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Materials showing Daniel Perrys text messages and social media posts are displayed on screen during Perrys sentencing hearing (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP/PA)

This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat, Mr Gonzalez said. Hes going to do it again.

Perry said he acted in self-defence. His lawyers asked the judge to consider his more than a decade-long military career and hand down a sentence of no more than 10 years.

Perry is assigned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, but has been classified as in civilian confinement and is pending separation from the military, Army spokesman Bryce Dubee said.

Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed 28-year-old Mr Foster, an Air Force veteran.

Mr Foster, who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle as he participated in the demonstration against police killings and racial injustice, following the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Among Perrys statements introduced on Tuesday, he wrote on Facebook a month before the shooting: It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.

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Whitney Mitchell, the widow of Garrett Foster, gives a witness impact statement in Daniel Perrys sentencing hearing. Mr Foster was the primary caregiver for Ms Mitchell, who is quadriplegic (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP/PA)

Mr Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. A few days later as protests erupted, Perry sent a text message to an acquaintance: I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.

Perry attorney Douglas OConnell argued that the texts and posts were presented by prosecutors out of context, and that Perry has a right to free speech.

Some of those social media posts are frankly repugnant, Mr OConnell said, while classifying others as dark humour.

Forensic psychologist Greg Hupp testified that he believed Perry has post-traumatic stress disorder from his deployment to Afghanistan and being bullied as a child.

Perrys mother, Rachel Perry, testified that he was ostracised as a child because of a speech impediment.

Perrys conviction prompted outrage from prominent conservatives, and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has said he will sign a pardon once a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles  stacked with Abbott appointees  arrives on his desk.

The board is reviewing Perrys case on the governors orders, but it is unclear when it will reach a decision.

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Perry was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protesters.

Perry said he was trying to get past the crowd and fired his pistol when Mr Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Mr Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.
For anyone out there thinking the No campaign for the Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum was looking a little disjointed, great news.

Were delighted to confirm that an outbreak of unity among the naysayers will be formalised this week, as Nyunggai Warren Mundines Recognise a Better Way group, which has a distinctly home-grown feel, will officially merge with the much slicker Fair Australia.

Together again ... Warren Mundine and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Fair Australia, a subsidiary of Liberal-linked attack operation Advance Australia fronted by Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price who defected from Mundines group earlier this year, looks an altogether better funded, more sophisticated outfit.

Price and Mundine looked thick as thieves when we spotted them at Aussies Cafe in Parliament House this week, so we knew something was up. The two groups will come together under the Fair Australia banner, but whos going to be the face of the campaign and whos going to take a back seat?
Hollywood studios are among the biggest winners from Labors second budget, as they finally secure the increased subsidies they have been pursuing for more than a decade.

The Location Offset, a scheme wherein foreign productions receive a refund on their expenditure in Australia, will increase from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent from July 1.

Thanks for coming: Nine Perfect Strangers, which counted Nicole Kidman among its big-name cast, was enticed to Australia by the combination of the Location Offset and the Location Incentive. Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The increase to the Location Offset will mean the end of a secondary scheme, the Location Incentive program, which has effectively added an extra 13.5 per cent rebate via cash grants, to bring the total subsidy to foreign productions from Australian taxpayers to 30 per cent.

The industry has long argued that is the minimum figure necessary to ensure Australia is internationally competitive in the lucrative and employment-heavy blockbuster film and TV sector.
New laws allowing the health watchdog to name and shame doctors who are under investigation for misconduct will only be used in exceptional circumstances  a move that has disappointed some patient advocates.

Changes expected to come into effect next week will let the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) make public statements about individuals under investigation who present an immediate and serious risk to public safety.

New laws will give the health professions watchdog power to issue public statements identifying practitioners who present an immediate and serious risk to public safety. Credit: Andrew Quilty

The watchdogs general counsel, Dr Jamie Orchard, said on Wednesday that a high legal threshold would have to be reached before the powers were activated.

It will be exceptional and I would be surprised if its more than a handful of cases a year, he said.
Local media and clients walked the blue carpet to preview Nines new series The Summit at Event Cinemas Innaloo on Wednesday morning.

One of the Perth stars of the show also joined the event  two-time world champion boxer, Lulu Hawton, who spoke to the audience about her experience in the competition.

The Summit airs Sunday, May 14, at 7pm on Channel Nine and 9Now.
NSW Premier Chris Minns will not answer questions on the floor of parliament from Gareth Ward until a committee has made a judgement on the Kiama MPs continued service while facing historic sexual assault charges in a NSW court.

In his first question time as premier, on Wednesday Minns did not address a question from Ward about disability policy, and instead took it on notice. He later clarified that he would only reply formally to Wards questions until the parliamentary ethics and privileges committee made a finding.

There are serious charges that he is facing as a member of the public, and they have to be weighed against his involvement in the Legislative Assembly, Minns said after question time.

NSW Premier Chris Minns during the new parliaments first question time on Wednesday. Credit: James Brickwood

Im going to take any questions that he asks of the government on notice until we get a determination from the privileges committee.


Naik, 80, will continue to guide the top leadership of the company as chairman emeritus after the end of his tenure on September 30 this calendar. Anil Manibhai Naik, the firebrand group chairman of Indias biggest infrastructure firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T), is stepping down as non-executive chairman after 58 years of association with the company.



L&T has been my life. I am immensely proud that I could play a significant part in its growth. The growth trajectory that the company has charted in the past two/three decades is exemplary. The emphasis we laid on information technology (IT) and technology services has had a significant positive impact on the profitability of the organisation, Naik said on Wednesday. L&Ts board of directors on Wednesday also appointed S N Subrahmanyan as chairman and managing director (MD) with effect from October 1. He is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) and MD, the company said in a stock exchange filing.



AMN, as he is popularly known, is credited with saving the company from corporate raiders in the 1990s including the Ambanis and the Birlas. The company is now 15 per cent owned by an employee trust after a transaction with Aditya Birla Group in 2003 under which the Birlas took over L&Ts cement business and Birla relinquished a 12 per cent stake in favour of the L&T employee trust. I am sure that Subrahmanyan will continue to foster the high growth and entrepreneurial culture at L&T. In him, L&T has a highly capable, passionate, and empathetic leader, he added.

Also Read Ongoing divestment, healthy order inflows positive for Larsen & Toubro New phase of capex cycle to start soon, say analysts. Top stocks to bet on F&O Strategy: Nandish Shah recommends Bull Spread on Larsen & Toubro Stock performance remains polarized even as Sensex, Nifty scale new highs Larsen & Toubro hits record high; market-cap crosses Rs 3 trn mark ED searches Deloitte, BSR offices in IL&FS money laundering probe Cisco to start manufacturing in India, eyes $1 billion production capacity Exploring M&A opportunities in overseas markets; plan to launch IPO: Vinsys Mirae Asset inks pact with FundsIndia to give loan against securities With bankruptcy protection, can Go Airlines return to the air in two weeks



Naik started the groups software services business in the mid-1990s, taking on local competitors like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro. In 2019, Naik acquired rival firm Mindtree for Rs 10,000 crore and later merged it with L&Ts software firm. I have set up L&Ts software services business from zero to become Indias fifth-largest software services company, Naik said in an interview in January this year.



Today 30 per cent of L&T groups market value comes from the software companies, Naik said in an interview to this paper in January. L&Ts future is technology-driven, although our core business of construction and engineering will continue to be a key growth driver, he had said. Naik, who passed out from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya in Anand as an engineer, steadily rose through the ranks after joining L&T as a junior engineer in 1965. He became CEO in 1999 and became group chairman in July 2017. During his tenure, the market valuation of L&T grew to Rs 3.3 trillion as of May 10, while LTIMindtrees market valuation rose to Rs 1.35 trillion as the group diversified into defence, IT, and real estate. Today, 90 per cent of L&Ts revenues come from the businesses started by Naik.



Thanking the board, Subrahmanyan said: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our group chairman Naik and the board for reposing trust in me and appointing me as chairman and MD. I must humbly submit that all that we have been able to achieve has been with the utmost support of all L&Tites, and, of course, with the firm backing of Naik. SNS, as Subrahmanyan is popularly known, joined the construction business of L&T in 1984 as a project planning engineer after completing a degree in civil engineering and postgraduation in business management. SNS has been at the helm of L&T for six years since July 1, 2017, as CEO and MD.
US network gear maker Cisco on Wednesday announced manufacturing plans for Tamil Nadu, India, as its chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins asserted that the company is bullish about India market and its prospects.

The company, in a statement, said it is targeting over USD 1 billion in combined exports and domestic production.

Robbins, who is in India this week and currently on the Delhi leg of the multi-city visit, said that the energy in India is "incredible".

"India has made tons on progress on digitisation. The ambition of India is very clear and momentum I felt here is incredible," he told PTI in an interview.

As the company announced its manufacturing plans for India, Robbins said Cisco will have the first products off the line in 12 months, and will expand to a wider array of Made-in-India products over a period of time.

Cisco's manufacturing in India will be through its contract manufacturers and partners. The company did not comment on the quantum of investments it will infuse.

Also Read Cisco announces lays offs of nearly 700 employees in SF Bay Area in US 24% of companies surveyed in India ready to defend cybersecurity threats Tamil Nadu Governor returns bill on prohibition of online gambling Cyber attacks will grow as hackers get sophisticated: Top Cisco executive Unregistered devices in hybrid work increase hacking risk in India: Report OYO travel agent enrollment reports sharp uptick of 150% in FY23 Maharatnas, Navratnas now appointing younger independent directors: Survey Fitch says outlook for Tata Steel positive, stable for JSW Steel ONDC faces weakening growth online, snags likely to hit expansion ED searches may tarnish Manappuram's business prospects: Fitch report

"We think, we should have first products off the line in about 12 months. We are starting with two of our highest volume products, one of our switches and one of our routers that are widely used in India," he said.

Robbins also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers.

"I met the PM and several ministers and talked about many topics, among them about our commitment to manufacturing here in India, which we are announcing," the Cisco top boss said.

The company will also use India manufacturing for exports.

"We are going to be using this and viewing this as a global export hub as well. So we are building a full manufacturing node just as we have it in other places, and we are really excited about it," the Cisco CEO said.


By Arthur I. Cyr







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 70th 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 Pyongyang's 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 a 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-whan and Roh Tae-woo, but growing pressure for true democratic representation proved insurmountable.







The capstone of the 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 Korea's 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. Ban and Kim personify South Korea's 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 world's developing nations. In short, South Korea is positioned to lead developing nations toward prosperity.







The United Nations today is strong. The U.N. 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 McLean's 1971 song "American Pie."









) is the author of "After the Cold War  American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia" (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan; Korean language edition by Oruem Publishing).















Arthur I. Cyr ( acyr@carthage.edu


Work on the new facility  to be established in Tamil Nadu has already started and the company expects the first product to roll out within a year. The San Jose (California)-based firm will make switching networks and cutting-edge routers in partnership with an undisclosed contract manufacturer. Digital communications and technology conglomerate Cisco on Wednesday said it will start manufacturing in India, creating a core base. It is targeting to generate output worth $1 billion in exports as well as domestic production capacity.



The plans are aimed at supporting supply-chain resiliency, as well as reducing lead times, and elevating customer experience. The company said the manufacturing plans alone may generate around 1,200 jobs in the state.



Ashwani Vaishnaw, Union minister for Communications and Information Technology, said: "We have been pursuing Cisco for a while to.invest in india and started discussions during Davos. They have agreed now to set up a.manufacturing plant and it will be a important step for india." Apart from manufacturing, the company is also investing in testing, development and logistics, and expanding in-house repair operations in the country.



As I have travelled in India this week, it is very clear to me that for Cisco and probably for most multinational companies in India, it is going to be the biggest growth opportunities we will have for the next decade, said Chuck Robbins, chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Cisco. Cisco currently has around 15,000 employees in India with presence in Bengaluru and two other locations. India serves as the second largest R&D centre for Cisco after the US.

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The CEO met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several government officials on Wednesday. He added, Fueled by a rapidly developing digital economy, India is a focal point of innovation and business for Cisco, and we remain deeply committed to our partnerships here.



However, he did not disclose the total investment target for India. When asked if the manufacturing plan was a part of any shift from China and Vietnam to other Asian countries like India, the CEO said, This is not a question of moving production from anywhere. But it is to increase capacity.



Robbins said Private 5G was a big opportunity for Cisco in India. We think we are beginning those use cases. In public 5G service, we build virtually all the tech needed to build the network. We work with major players in India like Jio and Bharti, Robbins added. The company added that since commencing operations in India in 1995, it has focused on helping the country digitise at scale and speed. It includes accelerating the transformation of critical sectors like transport and agriculture through the Country Digitisation Acceleration program.
In its filing, JSW Infra said it will use the proceeds to retire debt and fund infrastructure expansion projects across the country. The company has an installed capacity of 153 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) at its terminals in various ports.

JSW Infrastructure, the ports business arm of the JSW Group, has filed a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for a Rs 2,800-crore initial public offering (IPO). This makes it the third company of the group that aims to go public.


MG Motor India will use these funds to build a second plant in Halol, Gujarat, and boost its annual capacity to about 300,000 units by 2028, said its CEO Emeritus Rajeev Chaba on Wednesday. The second facility is projected to have an annual capacity of 180,000 units, while the current Halol plant has a capacity of 120,000 units per year. MG Motor India, which is owned by Chinese company SAIC Motor, plans to sell a majority stake to Indian investors to raise more than Rs 5,000 crore in 2-4 years.



"We are going to Indianize the operations. We plan to dilute our shareholding, and the majority will be owned by Indians in 2-4 years," Chaba told reporters at a press conference in Delhi. The company, which has invested about Rs 4,000 crore in India till 2022, is trying to bring foreign direct investment from its Chinese parent for the last few years. However, it has not been able to get the necessary approvals from the Indian government to do so. The relationship between India and China has been frosty since border clashes between their troops in 2020.



Chaba said that the company hopes to complete the first stepidentifying the investorsin this financial year itself. "Listing the company on the stock exchange is also part of the plan, but it would happen close to 2028," he said. "We are in talks with multiple partners, and all of them are Indians. We are in talks with Indian financial institutions, Indian private companies, some high net worth individuals (HNIs), etc. We are also encouraging our dealer partners, making it a one-of-a-kind stake sale. We have not finalized anything as of now," he said. The company also plans to sell shares to its employees.

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"Through plant number 2, we will introduce 4-5 new cars, and most of them will be EVs (electric vehicles). So, out of 300,000 units annual capacity, about 65-75 per cent capacity would be for EVs," said Chaba. The domestic sales of MG Motor India jumped by 21 per cent in 2022-23 to 48,886 units, according to SIAM data. The company plans to sell approximately 100,000 units in 2023-24.



Chaba said that "Indianizing the operations" means Indianizing not just the shareholding but also the board, the management, the supply chain, and the technologies. The company currently sells just two EVs, ZS EV and Comet, in India. In FY23, EVs accounted for just 11.6 per cent of its total sales.



Not only this, MG Motor India feels that hydrogen fuel cells will also become a viable option in 3-4 years' time. "Right now, it may not be a viable option because of the cost. Can we localize that hydrogen fuel cell in India at Indian rates, with the help of a joint venture, and then supply them to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in India? If we have this technology, can we bring it to India? This is what we are seriously thinking," Chaba noted. "We are going to assemble the battery ourselves in Halol from next year. Then, we are going to explore cell manufacturing and production of EV parts through a joint venture or a third party in India," he said.



He said that the investment "will be much more than Rs 5,000 crore" for the second plant, but right now, "we are being prudent in saying the investment will be 'Rs 5,000 crore upwards' by 2028". MG Motor India's Halol plant in Gujarat employs about 4,000 people directly and indirectly at present. By 2028, the company plans to employ 20,000 people directly and indirectly through both plants in Halol, he mentioned. Chaba said the front end of the company would continue to be managed by him and his team.
The airline, widely known as Go First, approached the Delaware court after it won an arbitration order in Singapore against Pratt & Whitney, which it said failed to supply engines on time. That, the Indian airline argues, has also forced it to file for bankruptcy in New Delhi.

Pratt & Whitney plans to oppose Go Airlines (India) Ltd's push to enforce an arbitration ruling against the U.S. company for the supply of spare engines, a Delaware court filing showed.
Allcargo Group firm TransIndia Realty & Logistics Parks on Wednesday announced that it has signed a pact with Premier Heavy Lift Pvt Ltd for selling its crane business to the latter for Rs 121 crore.

TransIndia Realty & Logistics Parks Ltd, which specialises in developing and leasing industrial parks, demerged from Allcargo Logistics, and is in the process of becoming an independent listed entity.

The demerger is part of Allcargo's restructuring plan.

Allcargo Group has been divesting from non-core businesses and selling equipment business is part of this strategy, the company said.

The sale of the crane business is on a going concern by way of a slump sale for a lump-sum cash consideration of Rs 121 crore, excluding working capital adjustments as per business transfer agreement, the company said in a statement.

The deal proceeds will be utilised for investing in strategic growth areas for TransIndia, which will now exclusively focus on logistics infra and real estate development beyond logistics also, it added.

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The two companies will now work towards smooth business transfer, continued client serviceability and employee integration.

The transaction is expected to close on or before June 30, the company said.

TransIndia has developed and managed over 6 million square feet of assets across India and will continue to focus on developing annuity-based assets through industrial and logistics parks, and commercial space, among others, the company said.


The value of Olas shares held by Vanguard Group funds fell to around $203.78 as of February 28, 2023, from $311.85 in August 31, 2022. This is according to regulatory filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). US-based investment management firm Vanguard Group has marked down the valuation of ANI Technologies, the parent company of ride-hailing firm Ola, by about 35 per cent to $4.8 billion from $7.4 billion, according to a filing.



In December 2021, the mobility platform raised about $139 million from a few investors, including IIFL, Edelweiss, and Sunil Munjal-led Hero Enterprise. This is according to regulatory documents sourced from business intelligence platform Tofler. Vanguard reportedly has about 0.7 per cent stake in the ride-hailing firm.



This is not the first time Vanguard has marked down the valuation of the Bengaluru-based firm. In 2017, Vanguard marked down Olas valuation by 40 per cent. This indicated a valuation of about $3 billion, down from the companys $5 billion when it last raised $500 million in November 2015. Vanguard later marked up the valuation in subsequent months. Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola had been valued at about $7.3 billion that time. The company declined to comment on its valuation being slashed by Vanguard.

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The new markdown comes at a time when Ola shut its in-cab infotainment service on November 15 last year. Last year, the company shut down its used vehicles business Ola Cars and its quick-commerce unit Ola Dash, which promised 10-minute food delivery. The firm reportedly cut the value of its investment by 45 per cent between December 2019 and June 2020 and 9.5 per cent in 2021, reducing Olas valuation from over $6 billion to around $3 billion.



Last year, the SoftBank-backed mobility platform laid off 400-500 employees in a move aimed at driving cost efficiency, according to the sources. It repurposed the infrastructure and capabilities of Ola Cars business towards boosting the Ola Electric sales and service network. The company shut down Ola Cars within a year of its launch as it shifted focus to its electric two-wheeler and car verticals. Ola has so far shut down Ola Cafe, Food Panda, Ola Foods, and Ola Dash.



ANI Technologies had reported a standalone operating profit (profit before finance cost, depreciation, amortisation and tax or EBITDA) of Rs 89.82 crore in FY21 on a standalone basis. It had registered a loss of Rs 610.18 crore in the previous financial year, according to the regulatory documents of Tofler. Ola has raised a total funding of $5 billion from investors including SoftBank, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and Accel. Ola reported its first operating profit of Rs 89.82 crore for 2020-21, even as its revenue declined 65 per cent to Rs 689.61 crore amid Covid-induced lockdowns.



US investment firm Invesco, which led Swiggys previous funding round, has marked down the food delivery firms valuation by 33 per cent from $8.2 billion to about $5.5 billion. In January last year, Swiggy raised $700 million in Invesco-led funding, which made the outfit a decacorn, almost doubling its valuation to $10.7 billion. Ola is among an increasing number of tech companies facing valuation mark downs. This is because it is witnessing steep losses and laying off employees amid a funding winter and macroeconomic uncertainties.

US-based asset manager BlackRock has reportedly reduced the valuation of Byjus by about 50 per cent to $11.5 billion. This is a sharp decrease from the $22 billion at which the edtech decacorn was valued at in 2022.
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During the sixth India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment in Ottawa, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng reviewed the progress of the seven rounds of negotiations towards an early harvest trade deal. India and Canada have agreed to step up discussions on movement of skilled professionals and students, considering its significant contribution in enhancing the bilateral economic partnership between the two nations, according to an official statement.



The deal will cover commitments in goods, services, investment, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, and dispute settlement, and may also cover other areas where mutual agreement is reached, an official statement said on Wednesday. Recognising the need for a comprehensive trade agreement to create new opportunities for boosting trade and investment flows, the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations were formally re-launched last year. Towards this, it was decided that an early progress trade agreement (EPTA) would be a transitional step towards the CEPA.



According to the statement, Ng will visit India in October with a trade delegation. Ng announced that she would lead a Team Canada trade mission to India in October 2023. This will present an opportunity to further the trade and investment ties between the two countries as she is likely to bring a big business delegation for the same, it said. Both nations also agreed to enhance cooperation for coordinated investment promotion and information exchange and aim to sign a pact regarding the same towards the end of 2023.

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Canada was Indias 35th largest trading partner during April-February (2022-34), with total trade amounting to $7.5 billion. Indias exports to Canada stood at $3.8 billion during April-February as against $3.76 billion in 2021-22. Major items of Indian exports include medicines, garments, diamonds, chemicals, gems and jewellery, sea food, engineering goods, rice, and electric equipment, among others. Both the ministers also held discussions on relaunching the Canada-India CEO Forum. India also invited top Canadian universities to set up their campuses.



The two countries also discussed ways to increase cooperation in sectors, such as agricultural goods, chemicals, green technologies, infrastructure, automotive, clean energy, electronics, and minerals and metals. They emphasised enhancing cooperation in sectors such as clean technologies for infrastructure development, critical minerals, electric vehicles and batteries, renewable energy/hydrogen, and artificial intelligence, the statement said. Imports from Canada stood at $3.77 billion during the 11-month period last year as against $.2 billion in 2021-22. Key imports include imports pulses, fertilisers, aircraft and aviation equipment, diamonds, copper ores and concentrates, bituminous coal, among others.




Chief executive must reread his inaugural address



President Yoon Suk Yeol has marked his first anniversary in office.



Yoon started his presidency a year ago, vowing to restore fairness and common sense and conduct a politics of unity.



Has he kept the promise  or struggled to do so? Almost two-thirds of voters say no. Many surveys show negative ratings are nearly twice as high as positive ones. Some think he went in exactly opposite ways.



Yoon got off on the wrong foot. The first thing he did after taking office was relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the defense ministry compound, citing unconvincing reasons. It was as if U.S. President Joe Biden had moved the White House to the Pentagon without saying much.



Yoon said he "returned Cheong Wa Dae to the public." But few people had asked for it or even wanted it. Most are still wondering why. The president also said he wanted to communicate with people more directly. Yet Yoon held just one official press conference for the entire year. To be fair, he tried to communicate with the public by allowing reporters to doorstep him on his way to work. However, that was discontinued. What kind of open and direct communication did he have in mind?



This was only the beginning of his assertive leadership, however. Yoon has yet to apologize "formally" to the crowd disaster in Seoul last October, which killed at least 159, mostly young people. He sacked a few low-level officials, but kept his interior minister and police chief responsible for public safety. Is this fair or even sensical? The chief executive must revisit his inaugural pledges.



As this paper pointed out in a front-page story, Yoon spent the whole year dividing the world, including his own country, into friends and foes, or right and wrong. Nothing shows this better than his diplomatic report card, where Yoon seems to have given himself a perfect score. Yes, he firmed up the alliance with America and relinked almost severed ties with Japan. However, to reaffirm existing friendships, he turned essential partners like China and Russia into foes. Was that practical, let alone wise?



Ordinary South Koreans think more about their lunch menu than potential attacks from the North. The economy outweighs diplomacy and security. Yoon's economic performance was far from satisfactory in this regard. He may as well blame rising protectionist trends and the post-pandemic slump. But this is no time for fiscal austerity or tax cuts for big businesses and wealthy individuals. Medium- to low-income families are squeezed amid dwindling handouts, which will determine parliamentary polls next year more than anything else.



More problematic is the "politics of division" we are witnessing.



There is a split in society, dividing people by region, ideology, gender and generation. The result: Yoon's three major reforms of labor, pension and education have either gone astray or not even taken the first step. Each task requires endless persuasion to balance and harmonize conflicting interests. Top-down, one-way approaches get nowhere.



In the most profound sense, the most worrying issue is the regression of "freedom and democracy"  the two values this conservative leader supposedly represents.



In a true democracy, freedom of speech prevails. As noted earlier, Yoon gave only one official press conference in a year. He skipped holding other ones on the New Year and his first anniversary. "I don't want to boast noisily," he said. But Yoon replaced "direct communications" with nationally televised speeches lasting up to 23 minutes. Is he too humble or too arrogant?



Yoon did not meet his opposition counterpart even once, something none of his predecessors did. He cites the opposition leader's status as a suspect in a corruption investigation. However, the prosecutor-turned-president must know best the presumption of innocence principle. A true democratic leader who puts the country above all must meet with anyone, be they opposition politicians or North Korean leaders.



We believe all this is not what Yoon intended a year ago. He needed time to transform from a prosecutor to a president.



However, if Yoon spends the remaining four years doing so, it will be a tragedy for the nation  and himself.




Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai cast his ballot in the Assembly election on Wednesday at Shiggaon in Haveri district.

Accompanied by son Bharath Bommai and other family members, he paid temple visits in the constituency before voting at a government school in Shiggaon, from where he is seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive term.

The Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan from the constituency, while Shashidhar Yeligar is the JD(S) candidate.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Bommai appealed to voters to exercise their franchise and thereby contribute in "writing the future of Karnataka".

The election this time is about development on one side and false allegations on the other, he said and expressed confidence that people will vote the BJP in with full majority.

Voting across Karnataka began at 7 am amid tight security and it will go on till 6 in the evening. The results for the 224-member Assembly will be declared on May 13.

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The provisional polling data suggested Karnataka improving upon its all time best voter turnout of 72.36% set in 2018. Most exit polls predicted that the Congress would edge past the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a tight contest for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, polling for which concluded on Wednesday.



Among the exit polls, India Today-Axis My India predicted a clear majority for the Congress of 122-140 seats with a 43 per cent vote share, an increase of five per cent over 2018. It gave the BJP 62-80 seats with 35 per cent of the votes, a percentage point lesser than the last elections. The agency predicted a sharper decline for the regional Janata Dal (Secular). It said the party, influential primarily in the old Mysuru region, might get 20-25 seats with a 16 per cent vote share, a drop of 3 per cent. After the experience of urban apathy towards voting reducing the turnout to 55 per cent in Bengaluru city in 2018, the EC fixed Wednesday as the polling day to prevent people from taking an extended holiday, which was the case in 2018 as the polling took place on a Saturday. However, Bengalurus voting percentage hovered around a poor 50 per cent until 5 pm.



Todays Chanakya also predicted a majority for the Congress with 120 seats and a sharp uptick in its vote share, as against 92 seats for the BJP and 12 for the JD(S). ABP News-C Voter predicted 100-112 seats for the Congress, 83-95 for the BJP, and 21-29 for the JD(S). Most others indicated that the Congress could emerge as the single largest party but fall short of the majority mark of 113. In 2018, the Congress had led the vote share at 38 per cent with 80 seats, but the BJP emerged the single largest party winning 104 seats despite getting 2 per cent lesser vote share. The JD(S), with an 18 per cent vote share, won 37 seats. The exit polls, if they turn out correct, would be consistent with Karnatakas voting behaviour. The state has not repeated a government in nearly four decades.

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The Congress fears a rerun of Operation Kamala, through which the BJP had mustered the support of rival MLAs, if it manages only a wafer-thin majority. Meanwhile, some other polls gave the BJP the lead. A poll by News Nation-CGS said the BJP would get 114 seats, the Congress 86, and the JD(S) 21. The Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat forecast that the BJP was likely to win 94-117, Congress 91-106 and the JD(S) 14-24.



Echoes of the Karnataka Assembly polls were heard in Rajasthan during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the northern states Abu Road, including references to Bajrang Bali and the evacuation from Sudan members of the Hakki Pikki tribe. BJP leaders presented Modi with an idol of Lord Hanuman. The JD(S) still hopes to play king-maker if there is a hung verdict, like it did in 2018.
The results of the exit polls for the Karnataka Assembly elections will be announced by various agencies by Wednesday night. The state reported a 65.69 per cent voter turnout as of 5 pm.

In the Assembly election of 2018, no party won a decisive majority in the exit polls. After the countrin, with 104 MLAs in a House of 224, the BJP was called upon to form the government following the results. To get it removed, however, the Congress and JD(S) quickly gathered 116 names (Congress 76, JD-S 37, and three Independents).Within a year, the situation had changed. The Congress-JD(S) lost 17 of its MLAs after they defected to the BJP after spending the previous months in a resort in Mumbai. BS Yediyurappa, a pillar of the Karnataka BJP, was appointed chief minister but resigned on July 26, 2021. Basavaraj Bommai, a Lingayat like Yediyurappa, was brought in to take his place.

The ABP-C Voter, NewsX-CNX, Republic-Jan ki Baat and Times Now-Todays Chanakya exit polls predicted the BJP would be the largest party in the assembly. India TV-VMR and India Today- Axis My India gave the Congress a narrow lead. All these polls suggested that the JD(S) would be kingmaker.

In 2013, the Congress had won 122 seats. The BJP and the JD(S) got 40 seats each, while Yediyurappas then Karnataka Jantha Paksha got 6 seats and B Sriramulus Badavara Shramikara Raitara Congress Party bagged 4.



The BJP was anticipated to win the most seats in the next Assembly in four out of six significant exit polls conducted by national television networks. All four of them proved to be right.
A voter turnout of nearly 41 per cent was recorded till 3 pm on Wednesday in the by-election to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat which is witnessing a four-cornered electoral battle.

Voting began at 8 am amid tight security and is set to continue till 6 pm, officials said.

The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary due to a cardiac arrest during his party's Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. The AAP, which is the ruling party in the state, the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal are vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

According to the Election Commission's voter turnout app, 40.62 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm.

A few incidents of scuffle and altercations were reported between the AAP and opposition party members at some booths.

Leaders of opposition parties accused the AAP of violating the model code of conduct by deploying outsiders at several booths, a charge denied by the ruling party.

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AAP MLA from Amritsar's Baba Bakala assembly segment Dalbir Singh Tong was arrested for violating model code of conduct and was later released on bail.

The action came after Congress MLA from Shahkot Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia alleged that AAP MLA Tong, being an outsider, was moving in Shahkot which is part of the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.

Sherowalia along with his supporters even blocked the vehicle of the AAP MLA and later called police. The AAP MLA was then taken to Shahkot police station.

The opposition party leaders said as per the instructions of the Election Commission, outsiders were mandated to leave the constituency after the poll campaign period was over.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring accused the AAP leaders of flouting the ECI guidelines to allegedly intimidate voters.

Warring, in a statement, said the Congress has filed a complaint against Baba Bakala MLA Dalbir Singh Tong, Amritsar (West) MLA Jasbir Singh Sandhu, Ludhiana (East) MLA Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola, Ludhiana (West) MLA Gurpreet Gogi, Jaitu MLA Amolak Singh and MLA Amritsar (Central) Ajay Gupta for allegedly being present in the Jalandhar constituency despite ECI guidelines.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma too wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner, alleging several AAP MLAs and leaders were present in the constituency.

Sharma also accused the AAP government of misusing the official machinery.

Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, through her election agent, wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner, alleging AAP leaders and workers came from outside the constituency for campaigning and were still present in almost every village and ward.

In fact, it is these outsiders who are manning almost each and every booth and the entire Election Commission machinery has become a mere spectator to these gross violations of the election regulations, she alleged.

Akali leader Pawan Kumar Tinu too alleged that some AAP workers from Attari in Amritsar were deployed at one of the booths in Adampur.

In Jalandhar constituency, there are 16,21,800 eligible voters, including 8,44,904 males, 7,76,855 females, and 41 third genders.

Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray.

The AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku, who quit the Congress, while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, wife of Santokh Chaudhary.

The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Akali Dal to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, who had also joined the BJP.

The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from the Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, a doctor. The SAD candidate is backed by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Gurjant Singh.

There are 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them have been identified as critical. A dedicated women-only polling station has been set up in each of the nine assembly segments, which are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat, the officials said.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.


The proposed changes would increase the types of entities who trade instruments called Security Receipts, which are backed by non-performing loans. Currently, the business is confined to banks and non-financial companies. Indian companies that buy bad loans from banks have decided to approach policymakers to open up the sector to new players such as wealthy individuals and corporates, according to a sector body.



The group is set to propose the change to the Reserve Bank of India and government officials in coming days. The adjustment would boost liquidity and competition, Hari Hara Mishra, chief executive officer of the Association of Asset Reconstruction Companies in India, told Bloomberg in an interview last week.



Indian Banks Association formed a working group, which met recently to discuss proposals paving the way for those companies known as asset reconscruction companies in India. If those proposals are approved, it may help enhance liquidity and attract offshore investors, said Mishra. A committee decided to approach the authorities with sweeping changes in Indias distressed- asset market.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday described the death of a third cheetah in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park as "administrative murder" and a "clear case of cruelty to animals" as he demanded punitive action in the matter.

A female cheetah from South Africa, named Daksha, died in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Tuesday, following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt, the Union environment ministry said.

This marks the third cheetah death in the park within a month and a half. One of the Namibian cheetahs, Sasha, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and another cheetah, Uday, from South Africa, died on April 13.

"The death of the third cheetah in Kuno is actually an administrative murder. The BJP party, which has gathered people only for political showoff also has the responsibility to provide a safe environment to foreign cheetahs free from diseases and mutual conflicts.

"This is a clear case of cruelty to animals, punitive action should be taken in this case," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.

The sudden death of cheetahs have conservationists and wildlife experts questioning the carrying capacity of the Kuno National Park and the decision to keep the cheetahs in fenced enclosures.

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Experts have decided to release five more cheetahs into the wild before the onset of the monsoon and keep the rest in their fenced acclimatization camps until the monsoon rains get over. They have also decided to open certain internal gates of the fenced enclosures to give more space to cheetahs and allow "interactions between specific males and females.
Awareness campaigns will be held in all the 250 municipal wards of Delhi to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Wednesday.

Oberoi said she has given instructions to officials to start the 'DMC (Dengue-Malaria-Chikungunya)' campaign.

Mass awareness campaigns will be conducted in all 250 wards with the help of RWAs, local councillors and school students, she said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is gearing up to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya to keep residents of Delhi safe from these diseases, her office said in a statement.

The 'DMC' campaign will be undertaken in all zones to prevent the spread of these diseases, she said.

The mayor on Wednesday held a high-level meeting at the Civic Centre with officials of the public health department and deputy commissioners of all zones on this issue.

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To this end, a plan was prepared to prevent vector-borne diseases from spreading in the city. In the meeting, Oberoi said, various public awareness campaigns and programmes will be conducted on a wide scale in all the wards.

Apart from this, if mosquito larvae breeding is repeatedly identified at a spot, a penalty will be imposed on the violator for negligence and legal action may also be taken, she said.

A seminar will be organised on May 16 for malaria inspectors, assistant malaria inspectors and public health department employees to ensure better coordination and success at the ground level, the mayor said.

Continuous monitoring of DBC (dengue breeding checking) employees and field personnel will be conducted so that work continues smoothly, she added.


It also has to enhance skills to increase participation of those in this age bracket, especially females in the labour force, Patra said in his address at Alumni conference of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research. India will need to create jobs in proportion to the growth of the working-age population, RBI Deputy Governor M D Patra said on Wednesday.



There is a paradigm shift in thinking on the subject. Once considered a drag on development, a large population is now regarded as an asset and an opportunity in a world in which many countries are confronting aging and even population decline. By contrast, our population is young  the median age is 28 years. Every sixth working age (15-64 years) person in the world is an Indian, Patra said. He said an institutional environment should be provided that enables work flexibility in tune with changing technologies and demand patterns. According to a United Nations report, India has become the most populous country in the world.



We must prepare for donning this responsibility. In some ways, we have started. India is upgrading physical infrastructure  roads and airports being the most visible dimensions  to world class levels. We are on the cusp of a digital payments revolution. Yet, our most formidable challenges remain: only half of the existing working age population is part of the labour force, he pointed out. The RBI deputy governor said the potential for boosting savings and investments considerably enhances Indias emergence as a future economic powerhouse in the world.

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Furthermore, Indias female labour force participation is among the lowest in the world, even lower than that of low-income countries. They should be assured of the dignity of work and the sanctity of the workplace to enable participation in the workforce, he said.
PRI DSB ESPL LGL NAT NRG .NEWDELHI LGD22 DL-HC-HARYANA-WATER Ensuring free flow of Yamuna water to Delhi, Haryana tells HC (Eds: With file photo of HC) New Delhi, May 10 (PIT) The Haryana government told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday it has been ensuring free flow of Yamuna water to the national capital and there are no illegal bundhs or other structures blocking the supply. In its reply filed in response to applications by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) seeking unhindered supply of clean Yamuna water, Haryana also said the issues of quality of water and its distribution between the two states are in the nature of "Interstate river water dispute" and cannot be decided by the high court. Responding to allegations that water from Haryana contained pollutants, the reply said the water at the entry point is clean but gets "heavily polluted" in the territory of Delhi. The DJB's applications were filed in a 2013 PIL by lawyer S B Tripathi seeking sufficient water supply for Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad granted time to DJB to respond to the submissions made by Haryana and listed the case for further hearing on May 23. The DJB had moved the high court earlier this year, stating that in spite of an order passed in May 2019 directing removal of "illegal bundhs or blockades" from the river, images "clearly showed" such structures blocking the water flow to Delhi. In its reply, Haryana said the issue of polluted water raised in the application has been dealt with by various other fora, including the Supreme Court, and the high court should first adjudicate the preliminary matter with regard to maintainability of the petition. An application filed by a state or its department against another state is not maintainable before the high Court, especially when it pertains to water dispute, it said. "The present application against raising the issue regarding the quality and low/quantity of the water filed before this Hon'ble Court is totally misconceived. The applications is nothing more than an act of forum shopping," it said. The response also said the Haryana government has complied with the 2019 high court order directing supply of water to Delhi without any hindrance and there were no illegal structures on the river. "It has been submitted earlier by the State of Haryana that Delhi has an allocation of 719 cusecs waters at Munak from all sources which is to be supplied through canal network of Haryana. Haryana is supplying nearly 1,040 cusecs by diverting nearly 321 cusecs from the share of citizens of Haryana to Delhi. It may be pointed out here that till date Haryana has never said anything about reducing the present supplies of 1,040 cusecs," the response said. "Since Delhi is receiving nearly double of its raw water requirements, it can be easily concluded that raising of bundhs in question after proper approval, has not impacted at all the supply of raw water to Delhi. Only because some officers of Delhi Jal Board happen to see these bundhs, these bundhs would not become obstacle in the supply of water to Delhi," it stated. The reply further said Haryana has been extremely vigilant to ensure free flow of river water and accordingly permissions are granted to the mining agency by the competent authority. "It is also important to point out that there is no illegal bundh blockage in River Yamuna and there is free flow of water in River Yamuna & there is no pucca structure i.e. weir, barrage or dam where the ultrasonic flow meter may install and hence, ultrasonic flow meter cannot be installed in River Yamuna," it said. Haryana also asserted that a wrong picture has been painted that it is not supplying clean water and, in fact, DJB has been "grossly negligent" in maintaining hygienic conditions at Wazirabad pond. "The Delhi Jal Board is fully aware that the water at Palla/entry point at Haryana border is clean water and this water is then heavily polluted in the territory of GNCT Delhi i.e. within its borders. That is the major reason why Delhi is giving data pertaining to Ammonical-Nitrogen at Wazirabad pond and not at the entry point," it said. While asserting that the issue of jurisdiction has been continuously raised, Haryana said DJB was in a habit of "filing baseless and vague applications one after the other". In 2019, the Haryana government had submitted that the high court had no jurisdiction to decide on its dispute with Delhi over sharing of the water from river Yamuna and the Upper River Yamuna Board (URYB) was the appropriate body to decide the water sharing dispute between the two states. On May 24, 2019, the high court had directed the Haryana government to ensure water is supplied to the national capital without any hindrance after it was told there were "bundhs" on river Yamuna at several places apart from mining activity. The directions had come after a committee, constituted by the high court to inspect whether "bundhs" have been put in the canals carrying water meant for Delhi, said such obstructions were found at 11 locations on the river Yamuna. The committee, also comprising retired high court judge Justice Indermeet Kaur and amicus curiae Rakesh Khanna, had submitted a report which stated that apart from the "bundhs", there was large scale mining in river Yamuna and one of its tributaries -- Somb, and the structures "have definitely affected the flow of water in the river Yamuna". The DJB, in its recent applications filed through advocate Sumit Chander has said the authorities have failed to comply with the directions issued by the high court with respect to illegal bundhs and blockades. The board claimed in the application that the water coming from Haryana contained several pollutants, which required intervention of the court, and surveys showed that Haryana was the main source of pollution in the Yamuna.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 10 percent decrease in exports of semiconductors leads to a 0.78 percent drop in Korea's gross domestic product (GDP), the Korea Development Institute also said in its report, pointing out the country must maintain a stable chip portfolio to cope with uncertainties. Gettyimagesbank



Korea needs to diversify its chip portfolio as its heavy dependence on memory chips has made the country more vulnerable to the industry's cycle, a state-run think tank said Wednesday.



A 10 percent decrease in exports of semiconductors leads to a 0.78 percent drop in Korea's gross domestic product (GDP), the Korea Development Institute also said in its report, pointing out the country must maintain a stable chip portfolio to cope with uncertainties.



Memory chips accounted for 63.8 percent of Korea's outbound shipments of semiconductors in 2022, although the sector takes up around 30.5 percent of the global chip market, the KDI added.



"While the share of the memory sector in the global chip market is only a third of non-memory chips, it tends to show a significant price volatility, leading the recent downcycle in the industry," the think tank said.



The KDI noted that memory chips are usually mass-produced with a small number of products, making them more vulnerable to price fluctuations compared with non-memory products that are normally made through custom orders.



"Expanding the portion of system chips is expected to help in reducing fluctuations," the KDI said, adding the government should also make efforts to cope with the impact of geopolitical risks stemming from the escalating tension between the U.S. and China as well.



Korea's overall outbound shipments fell 14.2 percent on-year to $49.6 billion in April, as exports of semiconductors, the country's key export item, sank 41 percent on-year. (Yonhap)


A task force will be set up for land governance in the North-Eastern states, the Union Rural Development Ministry said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at the recently concluded National Conference on "Land Governance in North Eastern States" held in Guwahati, Assam on May 3-4.

The territorial and autonomous district councils in the states of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya held that digitisation and modernisation of land records is essential for development in the region.

Deliberations in the first-ever such national conference included sessions on current state practices and modernisation of land records, land governance assessment framework and a session on customary and indigenous laws, current practices and new initiatives and role of survey of India in land records modernization.

While the initiatives of computerisation and digitisation of land records and maps have shown good progress in the rest part of Assam, it was seen that there are serious gaps in the areas under Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council, the Rural Development Ministry said in a statement.

The Bodoland Land Policy is being framed and is expected to be finalised shortly.

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Survey and settlement in the Karbi Anglong areas has not been done. While the Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council has adopted the Assam Land Regulation Act, large tracts of land have non-cadastral area and a need was felt that these areas be surveyed, the ministry said.

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council has eight districts and approximately 10,000 sq km under the Sixth Schedule and 10 customary laws. In the Lai Autonomous District Council areas of Sixth Schedule, a need was felt for survey/resurvey of the areas, it said.

In the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council areas of Meghalaya, land is largely owned by the community. The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council have a system of issuance of Annual Pattas by District Council. While the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, Meghalaya follow the Maghalaya Land Survey and Records Preparation Act 1980, the statement said.

Ajay Tirkey, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, said while they felt the need of the various Autonomous District Councils in the North-Eastern states to digitise and modernise their land records was a way forward, all efforts would be undertaken to support the Councils within the constitutional framework and established laws.

As a step forward in this direction, the Bodoland Territorial Council had raised a proposal for digitisation and modernisation of land records and the Department of Land Resources had duly approved it, the statement said.

"Secretary, Department of Land Resources, further looking into the magnitude of work required across the North-Eastern states, informed that a Task Force for Land Governance in North-Eastern states will be constituted after a due process with the approval of Competent Authority after consultation with the various Autonomous District Councils," it said.

Sonmoni Borah, Joint Secretary, Department of Land Resources, requested the various Autonomous District Councils to send their proposals for digitisation and modernisation of land records under Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) and thanked Anandhi, Deputy Director, LBSNAA, and Principal Secretary, Revenue, government of Assam, for organising the National Conference.

Representatives of Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council, Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council (all in Assam); Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council (Tripura); Lai Autonomous District Council (Mizoram); Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (all in Meghalaya) participated in the conference organised by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and Department of Land Resources, with the support of the Revenue Department, government of Assam.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla held back-to-back meetings in Srinagar to review the security arrangements for an upcoming G20 event, as well as for this year's Amarnath Yatra.

According to official sources, a meeting which was also attended by Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Tapan Deka, Director General of Police, J&K Dilbag Singh, ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh, and the IGPs of BSF and CRPF, continued till late Tuesday evening.

"Detailed review of arrangements for the G20 event and the unfolding security scenario in the aftermath of terror attacks in Poonch and Rajouri was held," the sources said.

"An extensive plan made by the security grid to thwart threats posed by vehicle borne IEDs, suicide attacks, sticky bombs, drone operated attacks and grenades was discussed.

"The meeting also discussed deployment of elite marine commandos called 'MARCOS' and those of the NSG to secure lakes and rivers. The union Home Secretary expressed satisfaction over the deployment of the marine commandos and the NSG to secure lakes and rivers during the G20 event being held on May 22-24 in Srinagar.

"Various security arrangements discussed during the meeting would be in place 10 days ahead of the G20 event. The event is going to be a great opportunity to showcase the tourism potential of Jammu and Kashmir and to give a global push to the tourism of the place," the sources noted.

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"It was also decided that the army would manage vigil on highways and other vital road links. Special directions were passed to keep a close watch on the suspects to avoid any untoward incident."

Bhalla also held another meeting with the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar and officials of the tourism department.

Officers of the tourism department briefed the union Home Secretary about the preparations and accommodation arrangements for the G20 guests.

--IANS

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US President Joe Biden will host India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit on June 22 that will affirm the two countries' "deep and close partnership," the White House announced. The visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception at the White House, will boost Washington and New Delhi's "shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific," the statement said.
The Punjab Police has registered 177 first information reports (FIRs) against anti-social elements and drugs smugglers across the state under its two-day 'Operation Vigil', officials said on Wednesday.

Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday went to Ludhiana bus stand to lead the entire police force to carry out this multi-pronged checking and area domination programme, which commenced at 10 am on Tuesday.

The operation was launched against drugs and anti-social elements, said an official statement here on Wednesday.

Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said that police teams have also recovered 2.5kg heroin and over three quintals of poppy husk, besides, other narcotics, pharma drugs and huge quantity of illicit liquor and 'lahan' (raw material used to make liquor) during the statewide operation.

He said that over 17,500 police personnel under the supervision of gazetted rank officers conducted checks at 185 railway stations, 230 bus stands, 1,198 hotels/sarais and 715 market places/malls across the state.

Additional DGP and Inspector General of Police rank officers from Punjab Police headquarters had also remained camped at their assigned police districts to personally supervise the operation.

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The commissioners of police/SSPs were directed to mobilise at least 75 per cent of the force to carry out this operation.

During the operation, as many as 3,405 suspected people were rounded up for questioning.

According to the officials, 79 inter-state and 318 inter-district 'nakas' were set up in the state for a thorough search of suspected vehicles/persons, while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the general public, said the special DGP.

Shukla said that police teams have issued challans to at least 1,596 vehicles, besides impounding 60 others.

Similarly, police have also reviewed security at 6,233 gurdwaras, 2,376 temples, 517 churches and 425 mosques to ensure that CCTV cameras are installed and are in working condition.

The special DGP said that the purpose behind conducting this statewide operation was to boost public confidence and increase the presence of the cops to deter anti-social elements. Police teams have carried out at least 221 flag marches across the state during this operation, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day international museum exposition here on May 18 during which a host of cultural activities will be organised, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Wednesday.

The event will be held from May 18-20 and will also commemorate the International Museum Day that falls on May 18.

It will be held at Pragati Maidan as part of the second phase of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Reddy said, adding PM Modi will inaugurate the International Museum Expo on May 18.

During the opening ceremony, the prime minister will also unveil the mascot of the expo -- an image of the prehistorric dancing girl (found from Mohenjo-daro), which will be "stylised in Channapatna toys form", a graphic novel on museum, a directory of Indian museums, a pocket map of Kartavya Path, and a deck of 75 cards on various museums of India, said Mugdha Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

In a presentation made during a press interaction at the National Museum premises here, Sinha said that Prime Minister Modi will also launch a "virtual walkthrough" providing a glimpse into what will be the upcoming National Museum at North Block and South Block.

According to a booklet shared on the International Museum Expo by the ministry, the upcoming museum will be called Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum, and it will showcase the rich civilisational culture of India spanning over 5,000 years.

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The joint secretary during her presentation also shared that the scale of participation will be big, and about 1,200 museums are slated to take part in its various segments.

There will be three exhibitions to be hosted as part of the event, including of 75 "star objects" -- artefacts drawn from illustrious collections of over 25 museums and institutions across India; exhibitions of covers of books and publications, including from pre-Independence era and an exhibition of Ragamala Series, she said.

A 12-level app-based video game 'Indian Museum Tycoon' will also be launched on the day of the inauguration, and it will be available on both Android and iOS platforms.

The Directory of Museums in India consists of over 1,200 museums located across the country, and has been compiled by the National Museum Institute.

The pocket map of Kartavya Path will have infirmation on the various State House or Bhawans like Kota House and Jaipur House which were built during the British era around India Gate, and cultural spaces and ministry of culture's institutions.

A handbook on conservation, a pictorial bibliography on museums, will also be released during the expo, the senior official said.

Reddy said the ministry is running nearly 383 museums across the country, of which 145 have been constructed since 2014.

Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said many of these 145 museums constructed in the last 8.5 years have been "built in tier-2 cities, and on subjects perhaps not much spoken about", such as the Birsa Munda museum, as also the Pradhan Mantri Sanghralaya in Delhi.

And, to develop areas, museums are being built at places where there is wealth of heritage, but palaces which are not on the cultural map, she said.

As part of the event, the ministry in collaboration with the Mumbai-based Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya has created a 'museum on wheels'. And, the bus will go around the National Capital Region to bring museums closer to people, officials said.

Besides, five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will be signed with nodal departments of five cities -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi and Ahmedabad -- in pursuance of setting up of five cultural spaces, they said.

In January 2020, Prime Minister Modi had announced setting up of these five cultural spaces.

There will be masterclasses and thematic panel discussions and an oral storytelling session -- 'Dastangoi', 'Dastaan-e-Ajaib'.

Joint secretary Sinha said participants from the UK, the US, France and Russia, among other countries, are slated to take part in the expo, besides culture and tourism ministers from various parts of the country.
This undated photo, provided by the industry ministry shows Korea's Blue Whale liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel, May 10. Yonhap



Korea held a ceremony Wednesday to christen a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel equipped with a homegrown advanced cargo system, the industry ministry said.



The Blue Whale ship was constructed at the dockyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in the southern port city of Ulsan for three years from 2020 with 55.3 billion won ($41.74 million), and it is the first vessel equipped with the advanced Korean type KC-2 cargo design, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.



The country developed its own cargo technologies from 2004 to 2014, dubbed KC-1, and built four bunkering vessels adopting the system. Based on that, it launched a project in 2017 to upgrade the system to come up with the advanced KC-2 tank design.



The Blue Whale will be able to provide 7,500 cubic meters of LNG fuel directly to vessels, compared with an average of 30 cubic meters of LNG carried by a truck, which is expected to boost efficiency of LNG bunkering on the ocean, according to the ministry.



"It is our shipbuilding industry's achievement after 20 years of hard work. We will be able to secure advanced, high-value homegrown cargo technology, as the Blue Whale will verify the KC-2 system for commercialization," the ministry said in a release.



The government, meanwhile, vowed to extend support for the shipbuilding industry, which has seen a recovery recently based on stable orders.



Some 180 billion won will be earmarked for technology development this year, and the government will extend refund guarantees (RG) for shipbuilders, according to the ministry.



An RG is a form of security for ship purchasers, who usually make advance payments on an order. If the ordered vessel cannot be delivered, a bank that has taken on the guarantee of the shipbuilder would make the refund.



Korea captured the No. 1 spot in global shipbuilding orders in the January-March period, accounting for 40 percent of the global total, or $9.4 billion, government data showed. (Yonhap)


The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court it has received responses from seven states on the issue of same-sex marriage and the governments of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Assam have opposed the petitioners' contention seeking legal validation for such wedlock.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that states like Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Sikkim have said the issue needed a "very intense and expansive debate" and they would not be able to submit their responses immediately.

The Centre had, in an affidavit filed in the apex court earlier, said it had issued a letter on April 18 to all states inviting comments and views on the "seminal issue" raised in these petitions.

"At the outset, I had said that we have written letters to the state governments. There are seven responses, I am not reading them, from Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Sikkim and Rajasthan. I am placing them on record," Mehta told the bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, on Wednesday.

"Rajasthan takes the position that we have examined it and we are opposed to the position which the petitioners are taking," he said, adding some states have said the issue needed a "very intense and expansive debate and we would not be able to respond immediately."



The bench was hearing arguments for the ninth day on a batch of petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage. The arguments remained inconclusive and will continue on Thursday.

On April 19, the Centre had urged the apex court that all states and Union Territories be made party to the proceedings, saying any decision on the issue without obtaining their view would render the present "adversarial exercise incomplete and truncated".

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Responding to the Centre's letter for views of the state governments on this issue, the state of Manipur has said its views or comments on this matter will require detailed assessment on the existing social customs, practices, values, rules etc that may be prevalent in different sections of the society.

"Therefore, the state government would like to seek more time for proper examination for furnishing the views/comments on the matter," said a communication from the Deputy Secretary (Law) of Manipur to the Secretary of the Department of Legal Affairs, Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

Similarly, in its communication to the Union Law Ministry, the state of Andhra Pradesh said it has consulted the heads of various religions in the state on same-sex marriage.

Referring to their opinions, the special chief secretary to the government of Andhra Pradesh has said, "After considering the above views, I am to inform that the state of Andhra Pradesh is against the same sex marriage and/or persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community".

In its communication to the Union Law Ministry, the state of Uttar Pradesh has said the question involved in these petitions is a "sensitive subject" affecting various sections of the society and different religious denominations.

"The state government cannot formulate its comprehensive response without wide consultation with all sections of the society. Hence, it would not be possible for the state government to provide any comprehensive response in such a short period of time," it said, while seeking additional time to prepare a proper response.

The Maharashtra government, in its communication to the Union Law Ministry, has said the state would have to hold detailed and meaningful consultations with a cross section of society.

"It is submitted that the issue involved in the present batch of petitions is rather sensitive and would potentially affect a cross section of the society in the State of Maharashtra cutting through various religious sections," it said.

It said in the absence of complete material, including the pleadings of various parties before the apex court, the state would not be in a position to come up with a comprehensive response, touching on all the aspects of the matter at such short notice.

The state of Assam has told the Union Law Ministry that the subject invokes new interpretations and challenges the validity of laws concerning marriage and personal laws enforced in the state with diverse cultures, creed, customs and religions.

It said while the matter calls for wide-ranging discussion on various aspects of the institution of marriage as a social phenomenon, it may be said that even across societies, the legal understanding of marriage has been that of an agreement/contract between two persons of opposite genders.

"Further, it would be prudent to maintain that legislation is the prerogative of legislature, at Centre and in states, and the courts may like to view the matter in accordance with core principles of our democratic structure. The Legislature reflects the collective wisdom of the nation and its citizens, and it solely possesses the power to enact a law governing human relationships," the Assam government has said.

It said marriage, divorce and ancillary subjects fall under entry 5 of Concurrent list of the Constitution and hence, it is also in the domain of the state legislature in a manner that it is in the domain of Parliament.

"The state government which is not made a party in the instant litigation while the ramifications clearly affect the state, would therefore also request for copies of the documents, pleadings, etc., made before Supreme Court, so that it can reasonably advance its necessary views before the apex court at the earliest," it said.

"On the basis of the above, the state government would like to oppose the views in the matter as laid out by petitioners... before Supreme Court of India and also requests for providing reasonable time and opportunity to place its views further," the state has said.

The Sikkim government has told the Union Law Ministry that the state is actively considering the matter and is constituting a committee to conduct an in-depth study to assess the ramifications of same-sex marriages on social customs, practices, values and norms after due consultation with all the stakeholders.

"In view of the above, it is hereby informed that the state government shall submit its view/comments once the Committee submits a report to the government," it said.


The court also dismissed an application seeking the recusal of Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, from hearing the pleas relating to legal validation for same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday heard some important cases including legal validation for same-sex marriages. The court said that an individual in a same-sex relationship is not precluded from adopting a child under the law which permits so irrespective of the marital status of the person.



- Centre told the court that the possibility of a declaration by the apex court on pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage may not be a correct course of action as the court would not be able to foresee, envisage, comprehend and thereafter deal with the fallout of that constitutional declaration. Apart from these cases, here are some of the other cases that the apex court heard today:



- It also dismissed a plea by sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to submit additional evidence to support his appeal in the Gujarat High Court against his conviction in a 1990 custodial death case. - The apex court agreed to hear on May 12 a plea by the producers of the controversial multilingual film 'The Kerala Story' against the West Bengal government's ban on screening of the movie after the makers said they are "losing money every day".

Also Read Same-sex marriage in India: What did Supreme Court say in the case? SC begins hearing of pleas to recognise same-sex marriages; details here Same-sex marriage case in the Supreme Court: Here is what the Centre said Adani-Hindenburg row: Supreme Court for expert panel on investors' safety Same-sex marriage: Centre files fresh affidavit in SC, seeks states' views Resources need to be efficiently utilised to make India developed: CAG Over 50,000 water bodies rejuvenated under Mission Amrit Sarovar: Ministry PM Modi to inaugurate mega International Museum Expo in Delhi on May 18 Smriti Irani launches 'Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi' scheme to strengthen EECE Supreme Court Bar Association expresses concern over Manipur violence



- All recruitment to the Army Dental Corps (ADC) will henceforth be gender neutral and there will be no separate quotas for males and females, the government has told SC. - The Supreme Court will hear on May 12 the pleas on the Adani-Hindenburg row in which it had on March 2 asked market regulator SEBI to probe within two months allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group and lapses in regulatory disclosure.



Here are some of the cases heard by the Delhi High Court on Wednesday: - Supreme Court's collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has recommended 51-year-old advocate Arun Kumar's appointment as a judge of the Allahabad High Court.



- The high court listed for hearing on August 7 a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the CBI to investigate and prosecute Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and city Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making "false statements" against the Centre regarding loan waiver to several industrialists.

- The court sought the response of two persons, accused in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam, on pleas by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking cancellation of their bail. - The high court listed for hearing on August 7 a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the CBI to investigate and prosecute Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and city Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making "false statements" against the Centre regarding loan waiver to several industrialists.



- The High Court stayed the trial court proceedings against BJP MP Manoj Tiwari in a defamation case filed by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. * Haryana government told HC it has been ensuring the free flow of Yamuna water to the national capital and there are no illegal bundhs or other structures blocking the supply. - It granted the Centre four weeks to state its stand on a petition for de-registering political parties having names with "caste, religious, ethnic or linguistic" connotations and flags that resemble the national tricolour.


According to a statement from the Ministry, The main objective of the event is to highlight the criticality of focusing on early childhood care and education. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is launching Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, a pathbreaking ECCE program to ensure that India has the worlds largest, universal, high-quality preschool network, as suggested by the National Education Policy." Smriti Irani launches 'Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi' scheme to strengthen on Wednesday, with an aim to strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) said.



During the event, Smriti Irani said that there are over 117,000 mini-Anganwadi centers across India, which the government is trying to upgrade into full-fledged centers. The Mnistry's event was attended by over 800 Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) functionaries from different states and was chaired by Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development. EECE is a crucial component of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) and it was foreseen under the National Education Policy (NEP).



As many as 1.39 million operational Anganwadi centers across the country are providing supplementary nutrition and early care and education to around 80 million children under the age of 6 years, making it the largest public provisioning of such services in the world. The ministry discussed the best EECE practices that were employed in some states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Tamil Nadu.

Also Read Parl panel slams govt over lack of basic amenities in Anganwadi centres T20 World Cup Final Highlights: Australia complete 2nd hattrick of titles Women's T20 World Cup: India fail again, lose to AUS by 5 runs in semifinal This Women's Day, celebrate Anganwadi workers, the unsung nutrition heroes Women's T20 World Cup Semis: South Africa create history, qualify for final PM Modi to inaugurate mega International Museum Expo in Delhi on May 18 Supreme Court Bar Association expresses concern over Manipur violence Half of India's villages attain ODF plus status: Ministry of Jal Shakti FM Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for 2-day visit to Japan to attend G 7 meeting 3,500 phone connections obtained via fraudulent means disconnected: HP

The 'Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi' scheme aims to target the development of children in every domain that is mentioned in the National Curriculum Framework, which includes- physical and motor development, cognitive development, and socio-emotional-ethical development, among others.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) expressed concern on Wednesday over the recent ethnic violence that rocked Manipur, leaving at least 60 people dead.

The executive committee of the SCBA, at its meeting held on Wednesday, unanimously voiced its concern over the incidents of violence in the northeastern state and expressed solidarity with the victims.

"Supreme Court Bar Association is in touch with the High Court Bar Association of Manipur and would extend financial assistance as and when required," a release issued by the bar body read.

Concerned over the huge loss of lives and property, the top court had asked the Centre and the Manipur government on Monday to step up the relief-and-rehabilitation efforts for those hit by the ethnic violence, besides protecting places of worship, many of which were targeted during the mayhem.

At least 60 people have been killed in the clashes between the tribals living in the Manipur hills and the majority Meitei community residing in the Imphal valley over the latter's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. More than 23,000 people have been rescued and sheltered in military garrisons and relief camps.

The apex court had emphasised that due arrangements must be made in the relief camps and those sheltered there should be provided with basic amenities like food and medical facilities.

Also Read Tribal protest in Manipur turns violent; curfew imposed, internet suspended Shielding governance failure will not resolve Manipur's problems Manipur violence: Long-standing issue of ST status for Meitei torches state 54 dead in Manipur violence, Imphal peaceful, most shops, markets open Northeastern Railway cancels all Manipur-bound trains following violence Half of India's villages attain ODF plus status: Ministry of Jal Shakti FM Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for 2-day visit to Japan to attend G 7 meeting 3,500 phone connections obtained via fraudulent means disconnected: HP RBI Grade B recruitment 2023: Application process begins for 291 posts Museum Expo 2023: Video game and a virtual peek inside new address
Go First insolvency: Travel agents claim Rs 900 crore stuck, seek govt help

A key association of travel and tourism companies in India has claimed that around Rs 900 crore is stuck with Go First in the form of advances and forward bookings, and sought the governments help in securing refunds.



IT capital Bengaluru sees 22 per cent decline in voters aged 20-29 The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), which has about 2,500 companies as its members, put forth the estimate in a representation to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday. We need to be protected, and a law regarding refunds needs to be reconsidered. We pay advances to low-cost airlines and all tickets are issued from our credit shells created by the airline and under its possession, it said. Read more...



In the absence of the decennial Census, experts feel this could indicate a slowdown in the state and its inability to generate enough jobs to retain its workforce, and is a cause for concern much beyond the current elections. In a worrying trend for Karnataka, which goes to the polls on Wednesday, Indias IT capital, Bengaluru city, has seen a 22 per cent decline in voters in the 20-29 age group from the previous election.

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Air India pilot union not keen on accepting revised compensation structure Numbers have dipped in absolute terms in all 33 voting districts in Karnataka in the age group, but 13 districts have seen double-digit declines. Overall, there has been a 10.5 per cent decline in this age group since 2018, from 11.1 million voters last time to 9.9 million in this election. Read more...



The airline has given more time till the end of this week for pilots to decide on signing the new contracts. The initial deadline for accepting the revised compensation structure ended on April 30. Read more... Members of Air India's two pilot unions held a joint meeting on Tuesday to discuss the airline's revised compensation structure, and a large section of them remained firm on their stance of not signing the new contracts, according to a source.

HC upholds tribunal verdict favouring Reliance Industries in gas sale case

The Delhi High Court (HC) on Tuesday dismissed the Centres petition accusing Reliance Industries (RIL) and its partners of draining gas from their deposits and making a profit off it.



Edtech giant Byju's may soon raise $1 billion from ADQ and Oaktree In doing so, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani upheld the international arbitration award of July 24, 2018, in favour of the RIL-led consortium. The consortium includes UK-based BP Plc and Niko Resources of Canada. Read more...
Voting for the final phase of urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh will take place on Thursday covering 38 districts, including Meerut, Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Aligarh, Kanpur and Ayodhya.

The polls are considered significant as political parties are trying to showcase their strength before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Campaigning for the final phase ended on Tuesday evening with BJP and Samajwadi Party leaders cris-crossing the poll-bound areas.

Shahjahanpur will vote to elect its first mayor. Meerut and Aligarh had BSP mayors in 2017 while the BJP ruled the rest.

According to the State Election Commission (SEC), over 1.92 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes to elect their representatives in the second phase.

Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on Thursday.

Also Read UP govt installs 5,000 CCTVs across cities for active surveillance 1,600 workers at Aligarh University on strike over non-payment of salary UP industrial development authority receives investments worth Rs 3 trn IIT Kanpur to launch new eMasters program on sustainable construction IIT Kanpur licenses gene therapy technology to Reliance Life Sciences Heatwave unlikely in Delhi for another week, temp may hit 42-deg mark: IMD Violence in Manipur a well-planned conspiracy, alleges JNU Professor Banks insisting CIBIL score of farmers will face FIRs: Maharashtra DY CM India tops list with 60% of global maternal & newborn deaths, stillbirths Home Secy holds meet in Srinagar to review G20, Amarnath Yatra arrangements

The first phase of voting was held on May 4. Counting of votes will take place on May 13.

As many as 39,146 candidates are in the fray in the second round for 6,929 posts, which includes seven mayors and 581 corporators.

Apart from this, voting will be held to elect 95 chairpersons and 2,520 members of nagar palika parishads, and 267 chairpersons and 3,459 members of various nagar panchayats.

The SEC said 77 representatives, including nine corporators in this round, have been elected unopposed.

Addressing an election rally in Kanpur on Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Those who were responsible for riots and curfews in Kanpur and played with people's faith in the past are today the candidates of the Samajwadi Party. The kind of remarks they made against women and the 'Ramayana' are not hidden from anyone."



"This election is not about hatred and personal comments. This is an election to make your city a smart city, a safe city and one which will have all basic facilities," he said.

Targeting the SP in Ayodhya on Monday, Adityanath had also referred to the incidents of firing on 'kar sevaks' in 1990, when the SP led by Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power. He said a "wrong message" would go out if those who opened fire at 'kar sevaks' get votes in the city.

Both the Deputy Chief Ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Union minister Smriti Irani, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also campaigned for the party candidates.

From the opposition camp, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav and Shivpal Yadav extended a helping hand to SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who had been campaigning for the party nominees.

Dimple Yadav held a roadshow in Kanpur Monday. She said people have started realising that it was only her party which could truly work for the state's development. She also said people will no longer be misled by the BJP.

According to the final list of reserved seats, the mayor seat in Agra has been reserved for SC (female), Jhansi for SC, Shahjahanpur and Firozabad for OBC (female), Saharanpur and Meerut for OBC, and Lucknow, Kanpur and Ghaziabad have been reserved for women.


The final announcement about the specifics of the divestment will be announced in 2023. Apart from this, MG Motor India is also considering listing its business on Indian stock exchanges, the report said. MG Motor India is planning to divest a majority stake in its operations in the country. To this end, it is conducting discussions with potential Indian partners, a report published in Autocar Professional said. MG Motor India is a British brand, which is owned by China's largest car maker Shanghai Automotive.

MG's 3.0 Plan

The plan to divest its business is consistent with MG's 3.0 plan for the country which is scheduled between 2025 and 2028. The plan will need an investment of Rs 5,000 crore, which will be used to expand MG's production capacity by setting up another manufacturing plant in Halol, Gujarat.



All of these vehicles will feature an electric powertrain. These new electric vehicles will be manufactured at the second plant in Halol which is likely to generate 20,000 jobs, the report added. The investment is expected to expand the company's present manufacturing capacity of 180,000 units to 300,000 units, Autocar Professional reported. As a part of its expansion plans, MG is likely to roll out four to five new vehicles.

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What is MG up to?

Elaborating on MG's roadmap for India, CEO Emeritus of MG Motor India, Rajeev Chaba said, "The plan is to Indianise the operation. The first step will be announced in 2023. We plan to dilute our shareholding, the majority to be owned by Indians in 2-4 years. We want to Indianise the board, management, shareholding, and supply chain. The majority stake in the coming years will be owned by an Indian partner."



Additionally, the company elevated Gaurav Gupta as the Deputy MD who will be in charge of revenues. Biju Balendran was appointed as Deputy MD who will oversee the cost and plant operations at MG, the report said. In line with its vision statement, MG is taking steps to put Indians at the helm of affairs. Chaba was recently appointed the CEO Emeritus, earlier he was CEO.

Push towards clean energy technologies and manufacturing locally

In its press release, MG stressed its commitment to empowering India's journey towards becoming a manufacturing hub. Additionally, it emphasised MG's plans to invest in clean technologies. Besides supporting the shift to electric vehicles in the country, developing hydrogen fuel cells and cell manufacturing is vital to MG's roadmap for India.



MG Motors 2.0 plan and its presence in India so far MG also talked about bolstering local manufacturing of EV parts via joint ventures or in association with third-party manufacturers.


According to a report by Counterpoint Research and the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA), the manufacturing of semiconductor chips in India will be driven by domestic and export markets with significant demand from the consumer electronics, telecom, IT hardware, and industrial sectors. India's semiconductor market will touch $64 billion by 2026, almost three times its 2019 size of $22.7 billion, a report released on Tuesday said. The country's telecom stack and industrial applications will account for two-thirds of the total market share.



He added that local sourcing is already happening in a significant way and it accounted for 10 per cent of the overall market in 2022. "In the short term, there is a huge opportunity being driven by domestic demand across applications like sensors, logic chips, and analogue devices," said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint.



Under its Semicon India Program, which has an outlay of about $10 billion, Centre funds 50 per cent of the semiconductor manufacturing project costs with 2.5 per cent of the budget earmarked for research and development, skill development, and training Amitesh Kumar Sinha, chief executive officer (CEO) of India Semiconductor Mission and joint secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said, "India is committed to becoming a reliable partner in global supply chains and we are working towards that by framing long-term policies, keeping the next 25 years in mind."

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The Centre is also trying to woo major US companies to set up their chip manufacturing facility in India. Micron is expected to set up a plant in India in the coming months. Business Standard on Wednesday reported that IT and Communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has met top executives of US companies in San Francisco. Sinha added, "More than 70 per cent of the project costs for semiconductor manufacturing are incentivised by the Centre and state governments in India of which 50 per cent is funded by the Centre on an upfront basis while the rest is covered by the state governments."
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Shares of Capacite Infraprojects (CIL) moved higher by 11 per cent to Rs 155.30 on the BSE in Wednesdays intra-day trade on the back of heavy volumes.In past three trading sessions, , the stock of civil construction company has rallied 21 per cent after winning order worth Rs 224 crore from Raymond (realty division) for residential project- TenX Era at Thane.At 12:26 PM; CIL quoted 10.5 per cent higher at Rs 154.70, as compared to 0.11 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The average trading volumes at on the counter jumped five-fold. A combined 1.3 million equity shares representing 1.9 per cent of total equity of the company had changed hands on the NSE and BSE.The management said the company remains confident of delivering the project within the stipulated timelines and to client satisfaction.Last month, CIL had received order worth Rs 478.08 crore from Godrej Residency Private Limited (Godrej Group) for construction of residential towers at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai.CIL provides engineering, procurement and construction/turnkey solutions for housing, high rises, super high rises, speciality buildings and urban infrastructure. The company recently forayed into development of projects for the public sector.Meanwhile, between September 13, 2022 and March 28, 2023, the stock had tanked 42 per cent after the rating agency India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) downgraded CILs Long-Term Issuer Rating to 'IND BB+ from IND BBB+' and placed it on Rating Watch with Negative Implications.The downgrade reflects CILs inability to tie up enhanced working capital limits, continued blockage of working capital and a delay in recovering its pending receivables, resulting in a further stretch in its working capital, Ind-Ra said in rating rationale on February 22, 2023.The company targets to maintain its order book from the public sector at the similar levels (70 per cent) over the near- to medium-term. However, the order book is highly concentrated in terms of geography as most of the projects to be executed are in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Also, the top 10 projects of the company comprised around 84 per cent of the total order book. City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra contributed around 50 per cent to the overall order book.Ind-Ra expects the order book to remain strong over the medium term, considering the governments focus on infrastructure development and the companys ability to execute projects in a timely manner.
In this section

First Published: May 10 2023 | 10:22 AM IST

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Recap FY23: Five key events that shaped equity markets this fiscal year

The going has been good for the Indian stock markets in the last few weeks., deputy chief investment officer at ASK Investment Managers, in conversation with Puneet Wadhwa, says that the Indian equities should find support from robust earnings outlook owing to strength in the domestic economy. Edited excerpts:

There has been a broad-based softening of inflation from the recent peak levels  in India and globally. The drivers of high inflation have started to turn. Globally, commodities prices, including energy, have come off. The supply chain situation has fast normalised, agri prices are off from their highs. Going forward, we may see moderation in services inflation as well. While the possibility of rate cuts may still be away, absence of rate cut itself should help preve

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Sumit Jain, deputy chief investment officer of ASK Investment Managers

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Chinese envoy warns of adverse impact on Abyei issue from situation in Sudan

Xinhua) 13:24, May 10, 2023

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Abyei-related issues should not be subjected to the negative impact of the situation in Sudan, a Chinese envoy said Tuesday.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks while speaking at a Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan.

China hopes that the parties concerned will continue to accumulate favorable conditions for the settlement of the final status of Abyei, he said.

Sudan and South Sudan are disputing the oil-rich Abyei region on the border, which represents one of the biggest obstacles hindering the settlement of differences between the two countries.

In 2011, the UN Security Council established the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to monitor the Abyei border.

"Sudan and South Sudan are parties to the issues related to Abyei," Dai said, noting that a political solution in this connection cannot be achieved without dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

In the previous period, bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan keep improving. The leaders of the two countries maintained close engagement on the situation in Abyei, considered the formation of a joint security force along the border, and sent positive signals on addressing the final status of Abyei, he said.

"All of these have laid a good political foundation for the ultimate settlement of the Abyei-related issues, which is very encouraging for China," Dai said.

It is regrettable that the current instability in Sudan may affect and complicate the resolution of the Abyei issue, he said.

"We wish to see an early ceasefire in Sudan, and believe that Sudan and South Sudan will continue the momentum of dialogue and cooperation and implement the consensus already reached," said the envoy.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) Chairman Sohn Woo-mok, third from right, speaks during the IndustriALL Global Union's meeting at Thang Long Opera Hotel in Hanoi, Tuesday. Courtesy of NSEU



By Park Jae-hyuk



Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics are facing growing criticism from their colleagues for tarnishing the company's international reputation in their pursuit of a sharper wage increase, according to industry officials, Wednesday.



During Tuesday's event held in Hanoi by the IndustriALL Global Union, the leader of the Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) claimed that the company has lied in its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) reports, in which the company has stated that labor and management have been communicating with each other frequently and that they declared future-oriented relations.



"Samsung Electronics is still making all-out efforts to neutralize the union," NSEU Chairman Sohn Woo-mok said.



NSEU, which is under the Federation of Korean Metalworkers' Trade Unions (FKMTU), is the largest of multiple unions of Samsung Electronics. However, its members account for only around 8 percent of the entire workforce.



Since the National Labor Relations Commission enabled NSEU earlier this month to secure the right to stage a legal strike, the union has threatened to go on strike, demanding at least a 6 percent wage hike, instead of the 4.1 percent increase agreed by the company's labor-management council, a consultative body comprised of representatives of employers and employees.



When NSEU held a press conference in front of Samsung's building in Seoul last Thursday, FKMTU even warned that it may carry out an international campaign to boycott the company's products, unless management solves the problem before the IndustriALL Global Union's conference in June.



Considering the fact that Samsung Electronics' first-quarter operating profit plunged 96 percent year-on-year to 640.2 billion won ($483 million) and that the company is expected to suffer a loss during the second quarter, its nonunionized workers have raised concerns over NSEU's request.



NSEU's claim has also been losing ground as the union of Samsung Display, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, agreed with management recently on a 4.1 percent wage hike.



Industry officials said some of Samsung Electronics employees wrote on the company intranet that the boycott will make the union's struggle for higher wages less obtainable.



"Amid difficulties facing the company, the union is making unreasonable requests in a foreign country, in an apparent attempt to draw public attention," an industry official said on condition of anonymity.



Samsung Electronics has never faced a strike since its establishment in 1969.



Although NSEU won the legal right to strike last year, it decided not to take action after its meeting with Samsung Electronics President Kyung Kye-hyun.



This year the union is calling for a meeting with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong or Vice Chairman Chung Hyun-ho.


India has made a strong and well-founded plea at the special session of the agriculture committee of the World Trade Organization (WTO), held in Geneva last week, for finding a permanent solution to the issue of farm subsidies and public stockholding for food security. This matter has been hanging fire since the inception of the WTOs Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), which had prescribed an irrational outer limit for farm subsidies of 10 per cent of the value of crop production, based on the prices prevailing between 1986 and 1988. Any outgo on agricultural support in excess of this cap is deemed trade-distorting. However, an ad hoc relief measure was stipulated for the developing countries during the WTOs ministerial summit at Bali in 2013 in the form of the Peace Clause, which shielded them against penal action for breaching this ceiling. India has often had to take refuge under this Clause because of large stock accumulation due to its market and fa

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A day after meeting his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday left for a four-day trip to the national capital, leading to speculations being bandied about in the state's political circles.

Though the chief minister's office said that Patnaik has a number of official engagements to meet union ministers during his stay in Delhi, sources in the ruling BJD claimed that he may meet political leaders from other parties too.

He is scheduled to return to Odisha on May 13,



Patnaik's sudden visit to Delhi sparked speculations that the BJD president may meet some opposition leaders who are already in touch with Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee on forming an opposition grouping ahead of the 2024 elections.

The Odisha chief minister's move is being apparently seen as aimed at sending a message to the BJP which has of late become an aggressive foe in Odisha ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Though the BJD officially has claimed it was maintaining equal distance from both the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UPA, the party has often supported the saffron party on various issues and bills.

Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra alleged Patnaik has all along supported the BJP central leadership, Threfore, there is no fear of CBI or ED in Odisha.

Also Read RCP Singh attacks Nitish Kumar, asks him to lift liquor ban in Bihar Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to travel to Odisha, meet Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday Odisha receives 145 proposals worth Rs 7.26 trn so far in biz conclave Pradhan asks Odisha CM Patnaik to get cabinet nod for Padampur district Naveen Patnaik urges Sitharaman to withdraw 18% GST on Kendu leaf Shinde will continue to be Maharashtra CM: Fadnavis ahead of SC's verdict Imran Khan to be presented at Police Lines Headquarters in H11 in Islamabad Karnataka polls: Here's how mutts can act as game changer in state politics Opposition unity bid: Nitish meets Naveen, but 'no talks on alliance' Priyanka Gandhi's 'five-point declaration' to Telangana youths 'fake': BJP

BJP state president Manmohan Samal however claimed that BJD has all along perused opportunistic politics.

Patnaik was in alliance with BJP (2000-2009) due to compulsion, Samal said.

However, BJD vice-president Prasanna Acharya said the BJD all along works for the interest of Odisha alone.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday met with his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren in Ranchi, as part of the ongoing efforts to cobble up a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Nitish Kumar held a joint press conference at the Chief Minister's residence.

Addressing a press conference, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that discussions on various issues were held with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.

"Discussed various issues with Chief Minister Hemant Soren today and agreed that we will work unitedly for the benefit of the country," said Kumar.

"You'll see the results in the next Lok Sabha elections when we work unitedly...The history of the country will remain intact, the country will progress and we will not allow any kind of disputes in the country," he added.

Nitish Kumar is continuously meeting the leaders to bring the opposition leaders together before the 2024 general elections. In this sequence, he met the Chief Minister of Jharkhand today.

Also Read BJP takes to street to protest against Hemant Soren govt in Jharkhand RCP Singh attacks Nitish Kumar, asks him to lift liquor ban in Bihar BJP to launch district-level agitation against Jharkhand govt from tomorrow J'khand must check infiltrators who grab land by marrying tribal women: HM Jharkhand BJP to stage agitation against Soren government on April 11 Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi to meet Sharad Pawar, Uddhav in Mumbai on May 11 CM Patnaik's Delhi visit sparks speculations in Odisha political circle Shinde will continue to be Maharashtra CM: Fadnavis ahead of SC's verdict Imran Khan to be presented at Police Lines Headquarters in H11 in Islamabad Karnataka polls: Here's how mutts can act as game changer in state politics

Earlier on May 9, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met with Nitish Kumar in Bhubaneswar, amid the push by the latter for a grand alliance to fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a joint press conference then after the meeting, Patnaik said, "Ours is a known friendship and we were colleagues many years ago. No discussion was held on any alliances today. Land in Puri is being given free of cost to the Bihar government to build a Bihar Bhawan there."

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will also visit Mumbai and hold meetings with senior Opposition leaders.

Nitish Kumar is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on May 11 afternoon and head directly to Matoshree, the residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra, where he will hold talks with the former chief minister.

"He will meet Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) on May 11. He is also likely to meet Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar soon for discussions on a united Opposition," the JDU Maharashtra leader told ANI.

Nitish Kumar is also planning a big meeting of all Opposition Leaders in Delhi on May 18.Sharad Pawar confirmed this meeting in a press conference during which he announced his decision to withdraw his resignation as NCP patron.

"Devesh Chandra Thakur and Kapil Patil met me to discuss the need for a united Opposition (against the BJP) and they passed me a message that Nitish Kumar is likely to host a meeting of Opposition leaders in Delhi on May 18 and I have been requested to attend it," Pawar said.


According to a recent study by tech industry body Nasscom, the average pendency time for a final decision on patent applications in India was around 50 months, as per the latest data of 2021. The pendency time in India is three times more compared to Japan. Mohan Jindal, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur says he will need to be patient enough for at least a year to hear back about his two recent patent applications on cutting-edge technology for semiconductor security and performance. Experts say such delays in the patent examination may become a speed bump for Indian innovators if not improved soon.



Big companies have a team of well-experienced internal legal experts. This gives them an advantage over small startups right from the stage of invention disclosure. For us, it took around a month to get our application vetted by our lawyer. For technologies like semiconductor security, raising the level of expertise at all levels is crucial, he said. For Jindal, who runs a hardware security startup Chipspirit Technologies, this was his first experience with Indian patent filing. Jindal says the solution was developed a year ago, but the legal, financial, and other technical requisites for filing the patent, while managing the day-to-day business of the firm took it till March this year to draft the application.



Since infringers cannot be sued while a patent application is pending, delayed processing can be economically detrimental. Small organizations are likely to feel the heat more than large entities. Consequently, innovation is negatively impacted, Robinson said. He added that the period of patent prosecutions gradually shortened after the enactment of Patents (Amendment) Rules 2016. Dev Robinson, National Practice Head for Intellectual Property Rights at law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. says delayed processing can be hurtful to certain applicants, especially in cases where inventions are commercially viable only for a short period.

Also Read Govt, pharma companies working on pricing mechanism for off-patent drugs Algo rhythm: India's global patent share now higher than UK, shows data Indian Semiconductor Mission: Centre invites more companies to set up units Patent applications grow 13.6% in FY22, highest in a decade: Nasscom report Vaishnaw to meet top tech execs to invite investments in chips, laptops WhatsApp users in India flooded with spam calls; ask to block and report Apple introduces Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro tools for creators on iPad Meta tests views-based creator payments to compete with rival TikTok Select Microsoft users to get peek into AI 'game changer' for office work Grene Robotics acquires deep-tech defence IP from Apogee C4I LLP



It is interesting to note that, per publicly available information, as of 2020, there were more than 160,000 pending patent applications in India with only 858 examiners available to cater to the same. Until 2016, the number of examiners was limited to 280. However, the recent trends show that the Indian Patent Office is actively training and hiring young patent personnel for a more vigorous patent processing ecosystem, said Bharadwaj Jaishankar, Partner at IndusLaw. The Nasscom study adds that the Indian Patent Office has become very proactive over the last few years, but lack of expertise, certain legal clauses delaying the process, and cost overruns for patent filing remained top challenges for stakeholders. Experts on intellectual property (IP) rights say the lack of personnel skilled in rapidly changing technologies was the key reason for delays in the processing of patent applications in India.



Total patent filings in India grew 13.6 per cent year on year in FY2022  the highest annual increase in the last decade, according to Nasscoms study. More than 50 per cent of all technology patents filed between FY2010 and FY2022 came from emerging technologies like AI, IoT, Big Data, Cybersecurity, and Blockchain. Jaishankar said the delays in the prosecution of patents make the possible grant of a patent uncertain and may have a potential knock-on effect on investments. He added that the time taken between developing the invention and the actual grant of patent risks the invention or even parts of it obsolete, making the commercialization of the product more challenging.



Out of some 584,000 patents filed in India between FY2010 and FY2022, 266,000 were from the technology sector. Pattern analysis and image analysis has emerged as an important area in patent applications, accounting for over 28 per cent. Several Blockchain-related patents witnessed the highest CAGR of 25 per cent during the 12 years. One of the most deleterious effects of patent process delay is that it can stifle innovation and discourage inventors as they may find it taxing to seek legal protection and recognition for their invention. Thus, it is very important to expedite the patent approval procedures to spur startup growth, Jaishankar said.



According to Jaishankar, streamlining the patent examination process by bringing in stringent deadlines and compliance rules can also be a boon for the applicants. A provision for expedited processing of patent applications similar to the one available at the US Patent Office could ensure a prioritized examination program upon payment of additional fees. As per a PTI report, the government is revamping the patent office functioning to reduce the massive backlog in granting official recognition for innovations by adding manpower and changing the legislative framework. The government is fast-tracking the hiring process and promotions of some existing officers.

Robinson said the revamp of the patent office could focus on improving administrative practices and reducing the compliance burden on filers. Example of this may be the requirements of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filings. Under the treaty, only a fee needs to be paid to make a valid national phase entry. Simplifying the procedure to this extent would reduce service costs for filers, and that should be welcomed.
More than 500 million cyberattacks were blocked in India out of 1 billion global attacks, representing a sharp increase of over 29 per cent in the number of cyberattacks in Q1, 2023, compared to Q4, 2022, (829 million attacks), globally, a new report showed on Wednesday.

According to the application security SaaS firm Indusface, on average the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance) sector faced 38 per cent more attacks per application compared to the industry average, with over 9,73,000 attacks per website.

"It is interesting to see how industries such as BFSI and Healthcare are more targeted by vulnerability and bot attacks. Clearly, attackers are more interested in Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from these sectors. That said, other industries including SaaS and manufacturing are more targeted by DDoS attacks," said Ashish Tandon, CEO of Indusface.

Moreover, the report said the cyberattacks were particularly alarming for the Indian insurance sector, where it found that 11 per cent of all requests on insurance websites were attacked and this number is just 4 per cent as an industry average.

In Q1 2023, about 1,287 applications were attacked by bots versus 743 applications in Q4 2022, an increase of 73 per cent.

When compared to the industry average, BFS and insurance companies received 75 per cent and 33 per cent more bot attacks, respectively.

Also Read How can India fend off cyberattacks? TMS Ep317: Industry trends, Cyberattacks, Markets, Modular nuclear reactor India sees 18% rise in weekly cyberattacks in Jan-Mar 2023: Report Will RBI devise rules to regulate public sector banks amid rising scams YSR Congress Twitter handle hacked, party's Andhra chief confirmed Centre to examine WhatsApp's privacy breach over background mic use New AI model by IBM-NASA designed to help track Earth's climate change Telangana government launched the first robotics framework in the country 50 months on average: Delayed patent examinations stifle inventors WhatsApp users in India flooded with spam calls; ask to block and report

--IANS

shs/pgh
Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organised crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings.

The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

Also Read How can you protect your bank account from cyber attacks? ASEAN summits concludes; focus on regional cooperation Covid-19 recovery Tepid demand for cyber insurance policies despite steep rise in attacks J-K to create pool of cyber security analysts to tackle cyber terrorism India, ASEAN countries promise to boost cooperation against terrorism India saw 25.1 million wearable unit shipments in Q1 2023, boAt leads 500 mn cyberattacks blocked in India in Q1 2023, attacks grew 29% globally Centre to examine WhatsApp's privacy breach over background mic use New AI model by IBM-NASA designed to help track Earth's climate change Telangana government launched the first robotics framework in the country

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmar's Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimised. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labour abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home," Mahfud said.
The federal jury verdict ordering former US President Donald Trump to pay $5 million in damages to a woman who accused him of rape clouds his election bid with rumblings against him in his own party.

In the civil trial, the jury on Tuesday found he sexually abused the woman and defamed her while not accepting her claim he raped her and awarded her damages.

Being a civil case, Trump does not face prison time but for the first time a court has established a claim of Trump abusing women - an allegation made by several women against him.

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is challenging Trump for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, said "a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire" and the verdict should be taken seriously.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said the verdict raises concerns about Trump.

He asked: "He's been found to be civilly liable, how could it do anything else but create a concern?"

Also Read Why has Donald Trump been indicted and can he run for 2024 elections? Facebook still banning Trump for now despite 2024 presidential campaign Appeals court rejects Donald Trump effort to block Pence testimony Trump to contest 2024 polls; Biden says ex-president failed America Pence calls on Trump to apologise for having dinner with antisemite China delivers 2 new modern naval frigates to Pak Navy, completes order Damage to Indian High Commission in London was not okay: UK Commissioner Volkswagen's annual meeting hit by protests over climate strategy, China Nissan in talks to boost its UK plant as Renault haggling continues Electric bikes are breaking through in Germany, Europe's carmaking capital

E. Jean Carroll, 79, a magazine columnist, brought the case against Trump, who she said had raped her decades ago and defamed her by saying the allegation was a "hoax".

The case was filed in 2019 while Trump was still president and in the midst of his re-election campaign.

He increased his votes in the election next year although he lost to President Joe Biden.

The latest opinion poll by ABC News and The Washington Post taken before the verdict showed him six percentage points ahead of Biden.

Whether he can hold the lead will depend on how the independent voters view the verdict.

Senator John Cornyn, who is from Texas where Trump has a strong base said that he did not think Trump would win the election next year.

But he added: "People who support President Trump, support President Trump. People who don't support President Trump, don't support him, and I don't think this will have any impact" on those with fixed stances.

Many Republicans will not publicly criticise him because of Trump's hold on the party base.

Even a challenger for the Republican nomination, Vivek Ramaswamy, dismissed the verdict as an "establishment" reaction to their "chief political allergen".

Trump is facing a criminal case brought by a local prosecutor in New York accusing him of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to a woman who claimed to have had an affair with him.

If convicted in that case, he could be sentenced to prison time, although that would not bar him from running for election under the US Constitution.

In a post on Truth Social media, Trump characteristically called the civil case verdict a "continuing of the greatest witchhunt of all time" and said he would appeal.

On Tuesday night he is set to face voters in a town hall-style meeting hosted live by CNN in New Hampshire, traditionally the first state to hold the primaries - the intra-party election to select the candidate.

CNN said that he will be fielding questions from an audience of party members and undecided voters and there will be no restrictions on questions he can be asked.

Trump, who is busy campaigning for his presidential run, did not take the witness stand to contest Carrollas case.

Several women have accused him of rape and sex abuse, but the thrice-married Trump who once revelled in the image of a playboy has not faced criminal charges.

A damning piece of evidence introduced against him related to a video of him using an obscenity and saying, "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab 'em by the (genitals)."

During a deposition -- testimony and cross-examination outside a court to speed up the trial -- he defended the statement saying that "historically that is true" when asked about it by Carroll's lawyer.

A video of his statement made during the cross-examination was shown to the jury, a citizens' panel made up of three women and six men, which gave the verdict in less than three hours of deliberations after eight days of the trial.

Carroll herself took the stand at the trial as did two other women who said that they had been abused by Trump, one of them while on a plane.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me," Carroll told the jury and gave a graphic description of Trump abusing her with his fingers before raping her.

She said that the encounter took place in the lingerie section of the department store when he approached her on the pretext of trying to find a gift for a woman friend but did not remember when exactly it happened.

He banged her head on the wall of a fitting room before the attack, she said.

Carroll first made the accusations public while the presidential race was heating up in 2019 in a magazine excerpt ahead of the publication of her book, "What Do We Need Men For"? in which she wrote about the assault more than two decades after the attack.

Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina questioned Carroll's credibility, saying that she did not report the attack to the police, didn't remember the day it took place and brought it up decades later.

Two friends of Carroll testified that she had told them about the assault around the time it took place.

Lisa Birnbach said that she told her about the assault minutes after it happened but declined her offer to accompany her to make a police complaint.

There was a large crowd of demonstrators outside the courthouse denouncing his treatment of women when the verdict came down.

Trump, who has been impeached twice by the House of Representatives is caught in a web of legal issues.

The first former president to face criminal charges, Trump was arrested and produced in court last month in the payment of hush money criminal case but was released pending the trial that could take place early next year.

Trump has not disputed that he had paid off the porn film actress Stormy Daniels who claimed to have had an affair with him.

The payoff made before the 2016 election is not illegal, but claiming it as legal fees to a lawyer in accounts could amount to a criminal offence with a prison term.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James has filed a civil case over his and his adult children's business practices.

A state prosecutor in Georgia is looking into allegations that Trump interfered in the election results and a federal special counsel is examining if he had a role in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress by his supporters.

Federal prosecutors are also investigating his handling of classified documents that he took from the White House when he left office.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

--IANS

al/pgh
New delhi, May 10: The Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) announced that China has signed investments worth around $2 billion after the Taliban formed a government in Afghanistan. This much-needed investment is a shot in the arm for both - the Taliban regime, still unrecognised by most of the world, as well as China.

The investments are in the extraction of mines, oil drilling, services at airports and in industrial parks. Also, Chinese investors have been regularly visiting Kabul to seek out different areas for investment.

Afghan MoIC spokesman Akhundazada Abdul Salam Jawad said: "The contracts have been signed for the extraction of mines, in areas of providing services at the airports, and the formation of industrial parks. Practical work has begun and total investment is reaching $2 billion. There will be contracts for the modernisation of customs offices and other areas with foreign companies."

China is ready to help Afghanistan realise self-reliance, peace, stability, development and prosperity at an early date, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

India Narrative spoke with Research Fellow Dr Anwesha Ghosh at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) to understand Afghan-China relations. She says that China had always been interested in Afghan minerals. "They tried earlier when Afghanistan was a republic but things did not shape up somehow. With the Taliban coming to power in Kabul, China did not express its reservations regarding the Taliban. China has been engaging with Afghanistan for long even without Pakistan's support."

The investment - to the tune of $2 billion - by China almost seems to have materialised suddenly. The announcement by MoIC also happened at a time when Afghanistan's Acting Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister, Mohammad Younus Akhundzada had called upon foreign investors to invest in the country.

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"It now looks as if the Amu Darya deal from January was an exploratory project for China to see whether the Taliban government can be trusted with bigger projects. China possibly also wanted to understand if it had the capacity to work with the Taliban. With the $2 billion investment, China feels that it is feasible to work with Afghanistan," says Ghosh.

For Afghanistan, the investments from China are a big boost as the hitherto pariah government gets a measure of recognition from a global power. This is likely to increase confidence in the Taliban government with a few friendly nations which may also help bring in other investors like Iran and Turkey.

Even as the trio of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan explore investments and search for ways of reducing terrorism related risks, India has taken a completely different pathway to dealing with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Even as India has not shown an inclination to invest, it has been sending food and medicine aid through Pakistan as well as the Chabahar port in Iran.

Ghosh says that India has continued with its humanitarian approach towards the Afghan people in dealing with the Taliban.

The Taliban desperately seeks investments in the country to run the government. This is where Beijing has stepped in to benefit the Taliban. The government in Kabul understands that with Beijing, there is no free lunch. The treasure trove of minerals can be exploited for the recognition of the regime which can be touted as a success for other countries to pitch in.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative
In what may be the first detention related to the misuse of ChatGPT, the Chinese law authorities have arrested a man for allegedly using the OpenAI chatbot for generating fake news and sharing it online.

Police in northwestern China's Gansu province said that a suspect surnamed Hong had been detained for "using artificial intelligence technology to concoct false and untrue information", reports South China Morning Post.

While ChatGPT is not directly available in China, users can still access its service if they have a reliable VPN connection.

The cybersecurity team found the AI-written fake news about a train crash was posted by more than 20 accounts on Baijiahao, a blog-style platform run by Chinese search engine giant Baidu.

The news received more than 15,000 clicks before authorities took action.

Hong confessed to using ChatGPT to quickly produce different versions of the same fake story and uploaded them to his Baijiahao accounts.

Also Read Elon Musk credits father for teaching 'physics, engineering & construction' China police arrests man for spreading fake news of crash using ChatGPT Consultations going on for change of rules on identifying fake news: Rijiju Elon Musk tried to take over OpenAI in 2018, but failed, says report Italy orders OpenAI to stop processing users' data else face fine Moratorium on customs duties on e-com trade, agri issues may come up at WTO Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation: PM on meeting Israeli FM Paramount Media Networks slashes 25% jobs, to also shut down MTV News Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to relaunch his show on Twitter 'soon' PTI calls for countrywide shutdown in Pak to protest Imran's illegal arrest

Hong was suspected of the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a charge that normally carries a maximum sentence of five years.

"But in cases that are deemed especially severe, offenders can be jailed for 10 years and given additional penalties," the report mentioned.

China has slammed ChatGPT, the AI-driven chatbot by Microsoft-owned OpenAI that has become a rage, saying it is spreading US government "misinformation" and directing internet companies not to use it in their applications.

Chinese regulators told Tencent and Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group, not to offer ChatGPT services to the public, Nikkei Asia reported in February.

There is a "growing alarm in Beijing over the AI-powered chatbot's uncensored replies to user queries".

--IANS

na/khz/
Fresh off a White House meeting with no serious breakthrough on the debt limit standoff, President Joe Biden is launching a new phase of his pressure campaign against House Republicans as he makes his case that lawmakers should lift the nation's borrowing authority without any strings attached.

Biden will travel to Valhalla, New York, on Wednesday to argue that a measure passed by House GOP lawmakers that would lift the debt limit for about a year while curbing some federal spending would impose cuts for veterans care, educators and other domestic priorities. The area is represented by first-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district Biden won in 2020.

The White House will use the trip to trumpet what it says is economic progress under the Democratic president pointing to the number of jobs created during his term and a fresh focus on domestic manufacturing while warning that an unprecedented debt default would threaten millions of jobs and raise the prospect of a recession.

Back in Washington, senior White House officials and congressional aides were starting to discuss a path to avert a catastrophic debt default as soon as June 1, in preparation for another meeting between Biden and top Capitol Hill leaders later this week.

But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., showed few signs that he and House Republicans were willing to budge from their debt limit proposal, and Biden underscored again that their plan was a non-starter with him.

He's proposed deep cuts that I believe will hurt American families, Biden told reporters after his meeting with McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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Biden in his remarks also will invoke the specter of cuts to veterans' care, an issue that has become particularly sensitive in the back-and-forth rhetoric between the White House and congressional Republicans.

When the president suggested during the meeting that the House GOP plan could end up cutting benefits to veterans, McCarthy told reporters that he shot back that was a lie.

But Biden disputed that it was a lie, saying that the across-the-board cuts would affect veterans' care and other vital domestic programs.

The stalemate comes as the US government is rapidly bumping up against its legal borrowing authority, meaning that it may not be able to pay its bills as early as the start of next month unless lawmakers agree to lift the limit.

Biden is also scheduled to spend a week abroad on a trip to Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea later this month. He said postponing his travel is possible but not likely.

With debt talks showing minimal progress, the White House hopes that Biden's public relations campaign starting in a congressional district that will be key for Democrats seeking to wrest House control back from Republicans next year increases pressure on GOP lawmakers who can't afford politically to alienate moderate voters. Lawler, as one of 18 House Republicans hailing from a congressional district won by Biden, is a prime target for the White House.

Still, Lawler accepted the invitation from the White House, maybe to their surprise, the lawmaker said in an interview Tuesday.

He said it was a little disappointing that Biden was spending his time travelling his district rather than negotiating with other leaders in Washington.

Nobody wants to see us default. Nobody wants to see us not raise the debt limit. But they also don't want to see us continue to spend money that we don't have, Lawler said.

When I'm out talking to folks in my community, my district, by and large they agree with my stance.

Despite Lawler's presence at the event, at Westchester Community College, Biden is always going to be honest with the American people, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The president is going to drive home the impact of these current discussions that we're having the economy, how it affects real hardworking Americans. That's what you're going to hear from the president," she said. He'll be very clear about that. He'll be clear about what could potentially happen.

House Republicans, in their debt measure that passed in April, are aiming for USD 4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and undoing the Biden administration's proposal that would forgive student loan debt. The White House has made it clear that Biden would veto that legislation.

Democrats, who control the Senate by 51-49, are calling for a clean debt limit hike without any conditions such as spending cuts, but any such measure would require the support of at least nine Republican senators, and most of them say they will oppose doing so.

While in New York on Wednesday, Biden, who formalized his reelection campaign on April 25, also will hold a pair of fundraisers.
Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) acting Chairman Kim Byung-joon, left, speaks during a press conference at the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) headquarters in Tokyo, Wednesday, as Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura listens. Courtesy of FKI



FKI leaves door open for participation of 4 major Korean conglomerates



By Park Jae-hyuk



The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) declined once again, Wednesday, to clarify whether Japanese firms accused of wartime forced labor will contribute to the Future Partnership Fund, established to support various cooperation projects.



The business lobby groups have also remained uncertain as to whether Korea's four largest business groups will participate in the funding, which was proposed in March by the two lobbies. The fund is a separate one from a foundation to be set up by the Korean government to compensate forced labor victims.



At that time, the FKI and Keidanren agreed to pay 1 billion won ($750,000) and 100 million yen ($740,000), respectively, without confirming whether Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel will also make donations. The two Japanese firms were ordered by the Korean Supreme Court in 2018 to compensate the victims of forced labor during World War II.



During Wednesday's press conference in Tokyo, Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura reiterated that the lobby group will neither force nor ban the participation of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel in contributing to the fund.



"The specific theme of the fund is important," the chairman told reporters. "Participation in the project will depend on each company's intention."



However, both Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel remained lukewarm about participating, saying that they will review details about the fund, according to Yonhap News Agency.



The FKI's acting Chairman Kim Byung-joon, claimed that frequent questions about the two companies' participation will make the fund less meaningful, as it will be created for the bilateral cooperation of both countries  in the future.



In response to questions about the participation of Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG, all of which left the FKI after a corruption scandal in 2016 that resulted in former President Park Geun-hey being put behind bars, Kim answered that any company will be able to make contributions regardless of membership.



"When the FKI organized business meetings during the Korea-Japan summit and the Korea-U.S. summit, the four business groups gladly participated in the events for the national interest," he said. "The fund is also for Korea's interest, so I'd like to say that the door is open to all."



While keeping silent about the list of Korean and Japanese companies that showed interest in contributing to the fund, the FKI and Keidanren just unveiled who will participate in the fund's steering committee, along with who will co-chair the committee.



According to the business lobbies, Samyang Holdings Chairman Kim Yoon and Kolon Honorary Chairman Lee Woong-yeul will participate in the steering committee. From Japan, former Mizuho Financial Group Chairman Sato Yasuhiro and Hitachi Chairman Toshiaki Higashihara will serve as committee members. For a separate advisory committee, its chair positions were given to Korea University economics professor Kang Sung-jin and Waseda University economics professor Yukiko Fukagawa.



The FKI and Keidanren also announced that they will jointly host a forum in Seoul on July 6, as part of efforts to boost the business ties of both countries.




The arrest was made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an autonomous and constitutionally established federal body responsible for building efforts against corruption and "prepare critical national economic intelligence assessments against economic terrorism for the government of Pakistan". Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on May 9 from the Islamabad High Court premises, where he had arrived for the hearing of two cases. Pakistani daily Dawn reported that Akbar Nasir Khan, inspector general police of Islamabad, said Imran Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case. In the case, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been accused of receiving "billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising a laundered amount of 5,000 crore Pakistani rupee."

Khan was arrested in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

What is the Al-Qadir Trust case?

Part 1 - The UK probe

Pakistani property tycoon Malik Riaz was investigated in the United Kingdom in connection with his business in the country. In 2018, UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) agreed to settle the dispute with Riaz for 190 million pounds, including a UK property  1 Hyde Park Place, London, W2 2LH  valued at approximately 50 million pounds.

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Part 2 - The Pak SC penalty The NCA said that settlement money would be returned to the state of Pakistan.



The land was originally granted to develop a housing scheme, but Bahria Town instead launched a scheme of its own, called the Malir or Karachi Superhighway project. Before the UK judgement, Pakistan's Supreme Court had also pronounced a judgement and imposed a penalty on Riaz's business in Pakistan. The Sindh government had granted 16,896 acres of land to the Malir Development Authority (MDA), which later exchanged it with Riaz's Bahria Town.



Part 3 - The settlement The Supreme Court of Pakistan said that Bahria Town acquired the land illegally and accepted a settlement of Pak Rs 460 billion.



The money was eventually transferred to the court's account and not to the Pakistan government's. After the UK NCA verdict, Riaz tweeted that 190 million pounds would go to Pakistan's Supreme Court against the Pak Rs 460 billion fine. However, the NCA judgement had asked for the amount to be sent to the government.



Part 4 - Allegations of quid pro quo The questions about the origins of the money transferred remained unanswered. There were suspicions that Riaz's company was involved in money laundering. Pakistan's special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) also refused to entertain queries about the money and how it was stashed abroad.



A report by The Nation said that in December 2019, Imran Khan's cabinet took up the matter concerning the freezing of Riaz's accounts. Soon, a "private housing society" announced it would bear all expenses of the Al-Qadir University project. It purchased 460 Kanals (valued at Pak Rs 243 million) in Jhelum and transferred the land in the name of Zulfi Bukhari. In June 2022, audio of an alleged telephone conversation between Riaz and his daughter leaked where they were heard about the supposed demands of Farah Khan, aka Gogi, against some favours for the previous government of Imran Khan. Gogi is a friend of Bushra Bibi. Dawn reported that the woman (believed to be Riaz's daughter) told the man that Gogi had told her that the former first lady had asked her not to accept a three-karat diamond ring and demanded a five-karat one.



In April 2020, Khan informed the joint sub-registrar of Islamabad that Bukhari's name had been "deleted" from the trust, the report added. Khan was then the chairman of Al Qadir Trust and the PM of Pakistan. Bukhari, it later surfaced, transferred the land to the trust (to Bushra Bibi) after receiving it.



Now, according to Dawn, Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a NAB inquiry on these allegations. In the same month, Pakistan's interior minister Rana Sanaullah accused Khan and his wife of accepting "Pak Rs 500 crore and hundreds of Kanals of land from Private Housing Society in return for 'providing protection' to the real estate firm in a money laundering case".
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday took note" of the ongoing protests in Pakistan following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, urging authorities to respect due process and calling for all parties to refrain from violence.

Guterres urged authorities in Pakistan to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings brought against the country's former prime minister, a statement issued by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said here on Wednesday.

The statement said that Guterres takes note of the ongoing protests that have erupted following Khan's arrest on Tuesday in Islamabad.

Guterres calls for all parties to refrain from violence. He stresses the need to respect the right to peaceful assembly.

Violent clashes between Imran Khan's supporters and security forces have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 injured across Pakistan as the army was deployed in the country's capital Islamabad, as well as in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on Wednesday to maintain law and order.

Khan was taken into custody by the paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the premises of the Islamabad High Court where he came to attend a corruption case hearing.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that police raided the residence of PTI leader Usman Dar. The party said that the mother of the Dar brothers was harassed by violating the sanctity of the four walls.

Taking to its official Twitter handle, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted, "Sialkot: Police raided the residence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Usman Dar. The mother of the Dar brothers was harassed by violating the sanctity of the chador and the four walls." PTI also shared the visuals of the house on Twitter.

The development comes after the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday. Imran Khan was arrested outside Islamabad High Court by Rangers on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case. After his arrest, PTI workers across the country held protests and called for his release.

Meanwhile, PTI Karachi President Aftab Siddiqui has announced protests in Karachi. He called on the people to observe the shutdown in Karachi for PTI chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan.

A few hours back, PTI leader Hassaan Niazi tweeted, "Core commander house lahore surround from all chowks. Protesters have decided to stay here all night. All cantt check post deserted. Scary anger in public. PTI workers trying to stop the public but anger is too much."

PTI workers held protests in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News. In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery. They pelted stones at police vehicles and tore down street lights.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday said the party will approach the Supreme Court today morning to challenge the Islamabad High Court's upholding of party chairman Imran Khan's arrest. Fawad Chaudhry termed Islamabad High Court's decision "surprising."

He tweeted, "It is surprising that Islamabad High Court has declared the arrest of Imran Khan as legal, the arrest of Imran Khan without giving a decision on bail before his arrest is illegal, this decision is being challenged in the Supreme Court this morning."

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has instructed the party leaders, workers and supporters to gather at the Islamabad Judicial Complex at 8 am on Wednesday.

Taking to its official Twitter handle, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stated, "Important instructions from the party leadership: Senior leadership of Tehreek-e-Insaf and workers and supporters of Islamabad will arrive at Judicial Complex Islamabad at 8 am. The ongoing sit-ins and protests across the country will continue in their respective locations until the release of Imran Khan."

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday termed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's arrest as "legal," Geo News reported. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, who had raised questions over the Rangers' move to arrest Imran Khan from the court's premises on Tuesday announced the reserved verdict.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Islamabad High Court's ruling which backed the arrest of the former prime minister in a corruption case, according to a media report.

Khan, 70, was arrested by the paramilitary Rangers in a corruption case from the IHC and bundled into a prison van sparking massive protests across the country by supporters of his PTI party.

On Wednesday, the petition was submitted to the Supreme Court to nullify the verdict announced by the IHC on Tuesday night, the Dawn News reported.

"An application in the Supreme Court was filed by barrister Ali Zafar and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry challenging the verdict of the IHC against Imran Khan," the report said.

On Wednesday, following Khan's arrest, PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi summoned an emergency meeting of the seven-member committee to review the situation and devise a comprehensive strategy to secure the safe and early release of the party chair.

Qureshi discussed with the committee members Senators Saifullah Khan Nyazee, Azam Swati, Ijaz Chaudhry, Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, and Hassan Niazi.

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"PTI will challenge the IHC's decision to term party chief Imran Khan's arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) 'legal' before the Supreme Court today (Wednesday)," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Qureshi, a former foreign minister, maintained that the demand for Khan's release is a reasonable and legitimate demand.

Khan was presented before the accountability court on Wednesday and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought a 14-day physical remand of Khan.

Moreover, terming the Al-Qadir Trust case a "dirty political case" and a "revenge plot," the PTI vice chairman asserted: "We will fight it politically and legally."



He further added that PTI will hold peaceful but vigorous protests across the country to ensure the release of its chairman as soon as possible, the Geo news report said.

He also noted that the IHC was raided to arrest Khan despite the fact that the PTI chairman had offered voluntary arrest in his statement before appearing in court.

"Arrest of Imran Khan is fascism and it is condemnable to attack the Islamabad High Court during biometrics and injure lawyers, he remarked and made an appeal to the chief justice of IHC to issue an order for his immediate recovery and appearance in the court.

Khan's party has claimed that at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and PTI supporters.

On Tuesday, a NAB official said that Khan has been arrested in the case related to Al-Qadir Trust, owned by the PTI chairman and his wife Bushra Bibi, which is about the setting up of Al-Qadir University for Sufism in the 2019 Sohawa area of Jhelum district of Punjab.

Khan's arrest warrant, issued on May 1, said that he was accused of corruption and corrupt practice.

The anti-graft watchdog has also justified the PTI chief's arrest with the help of Rangers from inside the court premises on Tuesday and termed it legal and purely according to the NAB laws.
Issues such as ending moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce trade and matters pertaining to the agriculture sector are likely to come up in the forthcoming mini-ministerial meet of the WTO in Paris on June 7, an official said.

Trade ministers of certain countries, including India, Australia, and the US, may participate in the meet, which would be held on the sidelines of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and development (OECD) meeting.

This ministerial meet will happen in the run up to the 13th ministerial conference (MC) of the WTO, which is scheduled in February next year in the UAE. MC is the highest decision making body of the Geneva-based WTO.

"Issues like agriculture, moratorium on e-commerce trade, patent waiver for Covid related therapeutics and other equipment may come up in the meeting," the official said.

In the 12th MC at Geneva in June last year, WTO members secured a 'Geneva Package' which included agreements on curbing harmful fishing subsidies and temporary patent waiver for production of COVID-19 vaccines.

The 164-member WTO (World Trade Organization) formulates rules for global exports and imports and adjudicates disputes between two or more than two nations. As per its rules, all decisions are taken by consensus and a single member nation can veto a decision.

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India strongly opposes continuation of the moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce trade at the WTO as the issue has huge implications for the economy of developing countries.

The WTO members had agreed not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions since 1998 and the moratorium has been periodically extended at successive WTO's ministerial conferences.

India has also called for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security at the ministerial-level meeting of the WTO, scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024.
China's foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart in Berlin, Foreign Minister Qin Gang noted the recent talks the government in Beijing had with both Moscow and Kyiv, and said China's special envoy for Europe was expected to visit Ukraine again soon.

We won't pour oil on the fire of the war, Qin said, according to an official interpreter.

Western countries have accused Beijing of providing political and material support to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The European Union is currently considering imposing sanctions against companies that supply critical components to Russia's arms industry.

Qin denied Chinese firms were doing so. He said China maintains normal trade relations with Russia, not mentioning a significant bump in China's purchases of Russian crude oil at a major discount.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged China to use its clout to find a peaceful solution to the conflict but suggested that Beijing wasn't doing enough yet.

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As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China can play a significant role in ending the war, if it decides to do so, she told reporters in Berlin.

Baerbock welcomed recent statements by the Chinese government confirming the sovereignty of countries that once made up the Soviet Union, adding that the position must hold for Ukraine, too.

The German government is currently in the process of adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line toward Beijing.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday that he favours a de-risking rather than a decoupling of Germany's economy from China.

The distinction did not satisfy Qin, who suggested the German government's eventually policy could hurt trade between the two countries.

Normal economic exchange should not be politicized, he said.

Qin downplayed the recent cancellation of a meeting between China and Germany's finance ministers, saying the visit was postponed for technical reasons and should not be over-interpreted.

A fellow member of German Finance Minister Christian Lindner's Free Democratic Party, Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, visited Taiwan in March, prompting criticism from Beijing, which considers the island part of its territory.

Lindner said Tuesday that Germany should have less of a soft touch approach in its dealings with China.

We won't allow our liberal values to be bought in return for good business," he told German news site The Pioneer.


Notably, ONGC holds a 20 per cent participating interest in Sakhalin-1 and it used to get one-fifth of the oil production from the field. However, with the onset of war in Ukraine last year, all the oil produced at Sakhalin-1 is being sold to a new company set up by Russia last year. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is not receiving its share of oil from Russia's Sakhalin-1 oil field anymore, an Economic Times (ET) report said. However, ONGC will continue to receive dividends from the field, said the report.



ONGC is receiving dividends proportionate to its 20 per cent stake in the new Russian company. However, payment in the form of dividends has changed the equation for ONGC. Earlier, it could sell oil from Sakhalin-1 and get cash quickly. However, there are gaps in dividend payments which are paid only once or twice a year in this case, according to ET. The field is operating at its normal capacity after a stoppage for several months due to the war. The field is producing 200,000 barrels of oil every day, the ET report said.



It is important to note that Indian public sector companies including ONGC, Oil India, and BPCL have ownership in a few other Russian fields which only pay dividends and do not supply oil. However, the situation with Sakhalin-1 has changed in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine. Indian public sector undertakings (PSUs) have found it challenging to repatriate their dividend incomes from some other Russian oil and gas fields as well, thanks to the Western sanctions.

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As a result of this, PSUs have been unable to repatriate around $300-400 million in dividends from Russia, an official from the petroleum ministry was quoted in the report. This is also affecting Indian companies' ability to invest more in the capital expenditure and operational expenditure of these projects.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the deadly protests by the supporters of former premier Imran Khan after his arrest in a corruption case and warned to deal with demonstrators with an iron fist.

The prime minister made a brief address to the nation after the country was rocked by deadly violence during the last two days which saw attacks on military installations and state properties.

Attack on public property is an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country, the prime minister said, adding that those taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with an iron fist.

They will be given an exemplary punishment, he said.

The premier said the protection of the State and ideology of Pakistan is more precious to us than our lives and we will not allow anyone to conspire against it and vowed to defeat the "nefarious designs of enemies.

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The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) alleged that there is a conspiracy afoot to blame it for violence and vandalism on state properties by baton-wielding protesters waving party flags.

PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said that those involved in public vandalism and damage to property during Tuesday's protests had nothing to do with the PTI and that a "planned conspiracy" using criminals' acts like vandalism of state buildings may be used as a pretext to ban the party, The News reported.

Umar's comments came as unverified videos circulated across Pakistani social media of PTI workers allegedly storming and vandalising state buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, even apparently setting fire to part of one of the buildings.

Umar added that it was not possible to "prove that those are PTI supporters who are burning and vandalising."

PTI workers had taken to the streets on Tuesday, following the arrest of party chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Protests were held across major cities of the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, The News reported.

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In Karachi, PTI protesters managed to block the main thoroughfare -- Shahrah-e-Faisal -- and also damaged property.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab has claimed that PTI supporters also set a vehicle on fire.

In Lahore, PTI protesters blocked various roads, burnt tyres and reportedly led to injuries on police personnel, while in Rawalpindi, PTI workers protested on Murree Road and blocked other roads as well.

Earlier, Khan had called on supporters to "shut down Pakistan" over his arrest.

--IANS

san/ksk/
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday said the party will approach the Supreme Court today morning to challenge the Islamabad High Court's upholding of party chairman Imran Khan's arrest.

Fawad Chaudhry termed Islamabad High Court's decision "surprising." He tweeted, "It is surprising that Islamabad High Court has declared the arrest of Imran Khan as legal, the arrest of Imran Khan without giving a decision on bail before his arrest is illegal, this decision is being challenged in the Supreme Court this morning."

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday termed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's arrest as "legal," Geo News reported. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was arrested outside IHC by Rangers on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had started an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, Imran Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted 50 billion -- 190 million pounds at the time -- sent by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government. Former PM Imran Khan registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.

Khan, who has been embroiled in dozens of cases pending since he was ousted last year, was arrested inside the premises of the high court when he appeared before the court in two cases.

Also Read My arrest part of London plan, says Imran; accuses govt of planning arrest Amid political turmoil, Imran Khan-led PTI seeks clearance for Lahore rally Pak's Election Commission plans to oust Imran Khan as chairman of PTI party Imran Khan will be arrested if fresh protests are launched: Pak minister PTI to write to Pak Prez Arif Alvi about Punjab caretaker govt's tenure Amnesty International calls on Pakistan to restore internet services Wendy's turns to AI-powered chatbots, automation for drive-thru orders For Netflix Inc, a Poorer Consumer Isn't Necessarily Bad Boeing wins landmark order from Ryanair for 300 737 Max 10 jets Powell faces lowest public confidence for Fed chairman on record: Gallup

The arrest of Imran Khan on Tuesday outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) resulted in protests and demonstrations by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters across Pakistan.

PTI workers protested in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News.

In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery. They threw stones at police vehicles and tore down street lights. There were reports that police fired teargas shells at the protesters. Police also fired teargas shells at protesters on Rawalpindi's Murree Road.

PTI supporters chanted slogans like "Release Imran Khan," and "Shut down Pakistan," in the streets of Lahore, Faizabad, Bannu, and Peshawar.

Imran Khan's party Twitter handle urged the people of Pakistan to come out and protest against his arrest. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a tweet said, "Pakistan, its your time now. It's now or never an opportunity. People must come out to defend their country now."

It further said, "It's your time, people of Pakistan. Khan has always stood for you, now its time to stand for him. #ReleaseImranKhan."

Tweeting the picture of Imran Khan's arrest, it said, "This picture will be historical as we will see Imran Khan winning very soon. The people of Pakistan must come out today to defend their country.
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during a Question Period, May 9, in Ottawa, Ontario. AP-Yonhap



Canada won't be intimidated by China's tit-for-tat expulsion of a Canadian consul, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, after Ottawa this week ousted a Chinese diplomat accused of targeting a lawmaker critical of Beijing.



The Canadian leader said his administration took the decision to expel the Chinese official "to send a very clear message that we will not accept foreign interference."



"Whatever next choices they make, we will not be intimidated," he told reporters in Ottawa, after the quickly escalating row saw Beijing accuse Canada of seeking to "sabotage" relations with its second-largest trading partner.



Following years of cool relations, tensions flared on Monday when Canada announced the expulsion of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei at its consulate in Toronto.



Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said it was a clear demonstration of Ottawa's resolve to defend its democracy.



She acted after local media revealed China's intelligence agency had planned to target MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong with sanctions for sponsoring a 2021 motion that condemned Beijing's conduct in the Xinjiang region as genocide.



A few hours later China responded by expelling the Canadian consul in Shanghai, Jennifer Lalonde, accusing Canadian politicians and media of hyping up the allegations of foreign meddling in Canadian affairs.



This was characterized by Beijing as "a reciprocal countermeasure in reaction to Canada's unscrupulous move."



Beijing also said it filed an official protest with Ottawa over breaches of international law and diplomatic norms, and warned that it "reserves the right to further react."



Joly said Tuesday that Canadians would be made aware of the "different risks" of travelling to China.





Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gestures during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China, May 9. EPA-Yonhap
According to a decree Putin signed, starting from May 15, Georgian nationals will be allowed to enter Russia without visas  unless theyre coming to Russia to work or to stay for longer than 90 days.



Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday abolished visas for Georgian nationals and lifted a 2019 ban on direct flights to the South Caucasus nation, a move that comes amid rocky relations between the two countries and that was quickly denounced by Georgias president as a provocation.
Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO and founder of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, has filed a pre-trial motion to dismiss 10 out of 13 charges against him.

His attorneys seek to dismiss the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud charges, reports TechCrunch.

The lawyers also seek to dismiss a few other charges, including bribery and political contribution charges, the report mentioned.

Bankman-Fried is currently under house arrest at his parent's house in Palo Alto, California, ahead of his expected trial in October.

The US authorities have charged him with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to misuse customer funds.

He is also facing suits by the SEC and CFTC over similar charges.

Also Read Sam Bankman-Fried: 'Crypto genius' who lost $14.5 billion in a single day Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to testify before US House committee Indian-origin engineer at FTX, Nishad Singh, pleads guilty to fraud charges Associates of FTX founder Bankman-Fried plead guilty to criminal charges FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to cheating charges In aftermath of Imran's arrest, internet services suspended in Pakistan Pakistan Army has nothing to do with Ex-PM Imran's arrest: Government Israel foreign minister's India visit provided further impetus to ties: MEA Chinese authorities arrest man for generating fake news via ChatGPT Moratorium on customs duties on e-com trade, agri issues may come up at WTO

The US District Court for Southern District of New York has charged him for allegedly bribing Chinese officials "at least $40 million."

The US Department of Justice alleged that Bankman-Fried "authorised and directed a bribe of at least $40 million to one or more Chinese government officials."

The Justice Department said the Bankman-Fried wanted access to the funds in order to assist Alameda "in obtaining and retaining business."

Bankman-Fried has also been charged with four additional counts of fraud, including unlawful political contributions leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.

He was arrested in the Bahamas on December 12, 2022 and extradited to the US on December 21.

--IANS

na/prw/uk/
The diplomatic mission of Saudi Arabia in Syria will resume its work 11 years after it was closed as the two countries' relations have improved recently, the kingdom's news agency reported late Tuesday.

The announcement came nearly a month after Syria and Saudi Arabia said they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming airline flights. Last month's development followed a visit by Syria's top diplomat to the kingdom, the first since Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012 and a visit by Syria's foreign minister to Riyadh.

On Sunday, the 22-member Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria, ending a 12-year suspension and taking another step toward bringing Syrian President Bashar Assad, a long-time regional pariah, back into the fold.

Syria was widely shunned by Arab governments over the Assad government's brutal crackdown on protesters in a 2011 uprising that descended into civil war. The breakdown in relations culminated with Syria being ousted from the Arab League.

After the conflict started, Saudi Arabia backed the Syrian opposition.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the reopening of its embassy in Damascus aims "to strengthen security and stability in the region." It did not say when the embassy will reopen, adding that the move follows the Arab League's decision to reinstate Syria's membership.

Also Read Saudi Arabia, Australia ask citizens in Pakistan to limit movement Baghdad mediated talks with Iran reported stalled over protests in Iran Tunisia welcomes decision as Saudi Arabia, Iran move ahead to resume ties Saudi Arabia announces order of up to 121 Boeing airplanes: State media Indians travelling to Saudi Arabia no longer need police clearance for visa 21 dead from wildfire in Russia's Ural Mountains; death toll may rise US Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards E Jean Carroll $5 mn PTI to move SC against Court upholding Imran Khan's arrest: Fawad Chaudhry Amnesty International calls on Pakistan to restore internet services Wendy's turns to AI-powered chatbots, automation for drive-thru orders

There was no official comment from Damascus.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country, Syria's neighbours have begun to take steps toward rapprochement.

The overtures picked up pace since the massive February 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.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19 and Syria is expected to attend.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United States and Britain voiced dissatisfaction with the weekend decision by the Arab League to re-instate Syria as a member.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said they opposed the move. But they also allowed it was up to the Arab League to determine its membership.

Also on Tuesday, Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Moscow where he will attend a meeting on Wednesday that will include his counterparts from Iran, Turkey and Russia.

It will be the first time that Syria's foreign minister will meet his Turkish counterpart in more than a decade, as Turkey has been a main backer of opposition fighters trying to remove Assad from power.

Meetings between the defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia were held in Moscow in late April.

Syria's 12-year conflict has killed half a million people and displaced half the country's pre-war population of 23 million.
A jury found Donald Trump liable on Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her USD 5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.

The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. Jurors rejected Carroll's claims that she was raped, but found Trump liable for sexually abusing her.

Hours earlier, US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan read instructions on the law to the nine-person jury before the panel began discussing Carroll's allegations of battery and defamation shortly before noon.

Trump, who did not attend the trial, has insisted he never sexually assaulted Carroll or even knew her.

Kaplan told jurors that the first question on the verdict form was to decide whether they think there is more than a 50 per cent chance that Trump raped Carroll inside a store dressing room. If they answered yes, they would then decide whether compensatory and punitive damages should be awarded.

If they answered no on the rape question, they could then decide if Trump subjected her to lesser forms of assault involving sexual contact without her consent or forcible touching to degrade her or gratify his sexual desire. If they answered yes on either of those questions, they will decide if damages are appropriate.

Also Read LinkedIn co-founder defends funding rape accuser suit against Trump Why has Donald Trump been indicted and can he run for 2024 elections? Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape, sexual assault in Los Angeles trial Redact name of sexual assault victim from order: SC tells Madras HC State must encourage families to report sexual abuse, says CJI Chandrachud PTI to move SC against Court upholding Imran Khan's arrest: Fawad Chaudhry Amnesty International calls on Pakistan to restore internet services Wendy's turns to AI-powered chatbots, automation for drive-thru orders For Netflix Inc, a Poorer Consumer Isn't Necessarily Bad Boeing wins landmark order from Ryanair for 300 737 Max 10 jets

On defamation claims stemming from a statement Trump made on social media last October, Kaplan said jurors needed to be guided by a higher legal standard clear and convincing evidence.

He said they would have to agree it was highly probable that Trump's statement was false and was made maliciously with deliberate intent to injure or out of hatred or ill will with reckless disregard for Carroll's rights.

Meanwhile, Trump posted a new message on social media, complaining that he is now awaiting the jury's decision on a False Accusation. He said he is not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me.

Trump said he will not speak until after the trial, but will appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me ... no matter the outcome!



Trump never attended the trial, which is in its third week, and rejected an invitation to testify, which the judge extended through the weekend even after Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on Thursday that his client would not testify.

Tacopina told the jury in closing arguments Monday that Carroll's account is too far fetched to be believed. He said she made it up to fuel sales of a 2019 memoir in which she first publicly revealed her claims and to disparage Trump for political reasons.

Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, cited excerpts from Trump's October deposition and his notorious comments on a 2005 Access Hollywood video in which he said celebrities can grab women between the legs without asking.

She urged jurors to believe her client.

He didn't even bother to show up here in person, Kaplan said. She said much of what he said in his deposition and in public statements actually supports our side of the case.

In a very real sense, Donald Trump is a witness against himself, she said. He knows what he did. He knows that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll.

Carroll, 79, testified that she had a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store across the street from Trump Tower. She said it was a lighthearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying on a piece of lingerie before Trump became violent inside a dressing room.

Tacopina told jurors there was no reason to call Trump as a witness when Carroll can't even recall when her encounter with Trump happened.

He told the jury Carroll made up her claims after hearing about a 2012 Law and Order episode in which a woman is raped in the dressing room of the lingerie section of a Bergdorf Goodman store.

They modeled their secret scheme on an episode of one of the most popular shows on television, he said of Carroll.

Two of Carroll's friends testified that she told them about the encounter with Trump shortly after it happened, many years before the Law and Order episode aired.
Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that it has launched clinical development of its first-in-class IL-11 inhibitor antibody BI 765423 with a Phase 1 study (NCT05658107) to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. Boehringer Ingelheim is already a global leader in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, and the initiation of clinical development of the anti-IL-11 treatment reflects the companys long-term commitment to combat fibrotic disease across therapeutic areas. The IL-11 inhibitor antibody is the first of its kind to reach clinical development stage and is based on a partnership between the Company and Enleofen Bio Pte. Ltd. (Enleofen), with a goal to improve patient outcomes.

Fibrotic disease is a term that covers a range of diseases characterized by uncontrolled and progressive fibrosis, or scarring, of various organs and tissues. It can be triggered by different factors (such as infections, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, degenerative diseases, tumors, and injury), can cause organ dysfunction/failure, and affect the quality of life and survival of patients. Some examples of fibrotic diseases are, systemic sclerosis, graft-versus-host disease as well as heart, lung, liver, and kidney fibrosis. Current treatments have led to progress in some areas, however fibrotic diseases remain to be a leading cause of morbidity/mortality and account for more than one third of deaths worldwide.

IL-11 plays a key role in fibrosis across multiple organs and pre-clinical studies have shown that anti-IL-11 treatment has the potential to stop  and even reverse fibrosis  in different fibrotic diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim joined forces with Enleofen, a leader in IL-11 biology, in 2020.

The initiation of this trial is an important milestone for Boehringer Ingelheim and brings us closer to achieving our aim of transforming lives of people living with fibrotic diseases, said Clive R. Wood, Ph.D., Corporate Senior Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. The effects shown for anti-IL-11 preclinically are impressive and could, if confirmed in the clinic, herald a dramatic advance in the treatment of fibrotic diseases.

Enleofen is very excited to see the IL-11 inhibitor partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in anti-fibrotic therapy R&D, moving forward into the clinic to address unmet patient needs, said Prof Stuart Cook, co-founder of Enleofen and Tanoto Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre and the Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

The IL-11 program complements Boehringer Ingelheims clinical fibrotic disease pipeline portfolio which includes BI 1015550, a phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) inhibitor, under investigation in two Phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialsFIBRONEER-IPF (NCT05321069) and FIBRONEER-ILD (NCT05321082)to investigate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of BI 1015550 over at least 52 weeks in patients with IPF and in patients with other progressive fibrosing ILDs and several other clinical stage programs.

###

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two business units Human Pharma and Animal Health. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

About Enleofen

Enleofen is a Singapore-based biotech company developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics for the treatment of fibro-inflammatory human diseases. The initial discovery science and drug target validation was carried out by founders Stuart Cook and Sebastian Schafer at the National Heart Centre Singapore at SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School and was subsequently licensed to Enleofen. Since 2017, the company has invested extensively in target validation, drug development, and preclinical studies, with the support of experienced international life sciences executives and investors, including founding directors Jeffrey Lu and Andrew Khoo.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005762/en/
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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, right, and her counterpart, Qin Gang, Foreign Minister of China, attend a press conference after bilateral talks at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin,, May 9. AP-Yonhap



China and Germany traded barbs on Tuesday over Ukraine, with Beijing warning the EU against sanctions targeting its companies while Berlin said "neutrality" in the conflict meant taking Russia's side.



At their second meeting in a month, the foreign ministers of the two countries, Qin Gang and Annalena Baerbock, clashed repeatedly over major powers' responsibilities on the world stage.



Qin warned the European Union against imposing punitive measures again Chinese companies over Russia, saying it would take action to protect their interests.



Referring to discussions within the EU over possible restrictions on eight Chinese companies, he said that if punitive action was taken, "China will also take the necessary response to firmly protect the legitimate interests of Chinese companies".



Chinese and Russian companies enjoy "normal exchanges and cooperation" which "should not be affected", Qin said, following talks in the German capital with Baerbock.



China was "firmly against" other countries imposing their own regulations or taking unilateral action against it, added Qin, who is on a European tour also taking in France and Norway.





Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, welcomes her counterpart, Qin Gang, Foreign Minister of China, before bilateral talks at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, May 9. AP-Yonhap
President Joe Biden speaks to the media following a meeting with Congressional leaders about preventing a first-ever government default, May 9, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. AP-Yonhap



President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default.



Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as "productive" even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he "didn't see any new movement" toward resolving the stalemate.



House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden's encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.



After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was "absolutely certain" that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations "is not an option."



Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country's full faith and credit to be held "hostage" to negotiations  while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.



"I told congressional leaders that I'm prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default," Biden said.



Outside the White House, McCarthy said, "I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there's any place we could find savings."



As the president welcomed McCarthy, Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, "We're going to get started, solve all the world's problems."



Biden described the meeting's tone as "very measured and low key," adding, "occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker." Still, he added, "I trust Kevin will try to do what he says."



There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.



The Senate leader categorically said, "The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, "I've done everything in my power to make sure we will not default."





U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) holds a media availability at the U.S. Capitol on May 9, in Washington, D.C. AFP-Yonhap




Israel and Gaza militants traded cross-border fire Wednesday, renewing deadly violence a day after Israeli strikes killed 15 people in the Palestinian territory.







Smoke billowed from the densely-populated coastal territory after Israel announced it was targeting rocket launching infrastructure held by Islamic Jihad militants.







Sirens warning of incoming fire then blared in the Tel Aviv area, an AFP journalist reported, as well as in communities close to the border, according to the army.







A Gaza health ministry official told AFP one person was killed in the Israeli strikes, while another was seriously wounded.







An AFP journalist in Gaza saw dozens of rockets fired by Palestinian militants, while a senior Israeli security official told journalists "more than 60 rockets" were launched.







Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said it received no immediate reports of casualties from the rocket fire.







The latest violence comes a day after Israeli strikes on Gaza killed three top Islamic Jihad militants and 12 others, including four children, according to a health ministry toll.







Israel's military said Wednesday's strikes included firing on militants "who were travelling to a rocket launch site in the city of Khan Yunis" in southern Gaza.







While Hamas has fought multiple wars with Israel in recent years, the group stayed on the sidelines of a three-day conflict fought between the country and Islamic Jihad in August. (AFP)




Gulzar Group of Institutes (GGI) Ludhiana has announced the opening of admissions for the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) programme for the academic year 2023. The GGI BTech course is offered in 11 different branches, including Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), Electronics & Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Information Technology, among others. The duration of the GGI Ludhiana engineering course is four years.

To be eligible for the BTech programme, candidates should have passed 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with one of the following subjects: Chemistry/ Biotechnology/ Computer Science/ Biology with a minimum of 50% marks. Interested and eligible applicants can apply for the Gulzar Group of Institutes BTech programme either in online or offline mode before the application submission deadline.

Before filling out the GGI Ludhiana application form for the BTech programme, applicants must go through all the relevant details mentioned in the Gulzar Group of Institutes BTech admission notification 2023.

The fee for the GGI Ludhiana BTech application is Rs. 1000, and candidates can fill out the application form either online or offline. For those who are short on time, online mode is the best option.

The GGI Ludhiana engineering programme is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to succeed in today's fast-paced and rapidly evolving technological world. The programme is aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental concepts of engineering, coupled with hands-on experience in the latest technologies.

The BTech programme is divided into eight semesters, with each semester having a duration of six months. The registration charges for the BTech programme are Rs. 15,000, and the tuition fees per semester range from Rs. 39,500 to Rs. 49,500, depending on the chosen branch of engineering.

For those interested in lateral entry, GGI Ludhiana also offers the LEET programme in all branches. The registration charges for the LEET programme are Rs. 15,000, and the tuition fees per semester are Rs. 30,000.

The Gulzar Group of Institutes is known for its excellent infrastructure and facilities, including well-equipped labs, a vast library, and a highly qualified faculty. The institute's goal is to provide quality education and training to its students, enabling them to achieve their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to society
Remember that issue surrounding the Nissan Kicks aircon system ? The one that Nissan said they found a fix for and that it doesnt affect u...
ATLANTA (May 10, 2023)  The Carter Center has launched an international election observation mission to Sierra Leone in advance of the countrys national elections scheduled for June 24.

The Center was invited to observe this years elections by the Election Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL).

A four-person core team of experts has arrived in Freetown from the United States, Poland, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. Additional electoral experts and medium-term observers from around the world will join them in advance of the campaign period, followed by short-term observers and high-level leadership around election day.

We look forward to engaging with Sierra Leonean stakeholders across the political spectrum and providing an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process. We hope that our observation and reporting will provide important information to Sierra Leonean citizens, key recommendations to stakeholders, and help uphold transparency for the remainder of the electoral process, said Carter Center Field Office Director Nicholas Jahr.

The Carter Center has had a longstanding commitment to democracy in Sierra Leone, and we are honored to launch this International Election Observation Mission in support of the electoral process, said Barbara J. Smith, the Carter Centers vice president for peace programs.

The Carter Center conducts election observation work in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and makes assessments based on relevant parts of national legal frameworks as well as regional and international obligations for democratic elections.

The Carter Center has been a force for peace in Sierra Leone since 2002, when it observed the first presidential and parliamentary elections following the end of Sierra Leone's devastating civil war. Since then, The Carter Center has played a role in the countrys 2007, 2012, and 2018 national elections.

The Carter Center has observed more than 110 elections in 39 countries.

###

Contact: In Atlanta, Maria Cartaya, maria.cartaya@cartercenter.org

The Carter Center

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.



A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Fletcher Building secures pond ash supply

10 May 2023

Fletcher Building has teamed up with Genesis to use ash from Huntly Power Station as an alternative raw material in cement.

This includes up to 20,000t of pond ash, also known as bottom ash, which is produced each year after coal is used to generate power. The pond ash is extracted from existing settling ponds and used in the manufacturing process at Golden Bay Cement as a raw material, assisting the performance of the cement with its technical composition.

Fletcher Building firmly believes we can play a significant part in a carbon zero and circular future through sustainable innovation. This latest innovation where we use an ash by-product is another example of us continuing to take positive action to improve the world around us, says Nick Traber, Fletcher Buildings Chief Executive, Concrete.

The circular solution for the pond ash is in addition to the annual 15,000t of Fly Ash from Huntly Power Station that Golden Bay is already diverting from landfill and supplying customers, helping them to lower the carbon of the concrete they produce. It also adds to Golden Bays decision to access end of life tyres and wood waste as alternative fuels in its cement production process, resulting in the launch last year of EcoSure Cement, New Zealands low-carbon general-purpose cement.

Finding circular solutions with companies like Golden Bay is a vital part of Genesis focus on sustainability. Here at Golden Bay, we are driven to decarbonise and achieve 30 per cent less carbon by 2030, says Gian Raffainer, General Manager at Golden Bay.

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Argos reports record 1Q23 operating EBITDA

10 May 2023

Argos recorded an operating EBITDA of US$127m in the 1Q23, the highest achieved in a first quarter in its history and 41.3 per cent higher than in the 1Q22. Regarding consolidated revenues, it earned US$721m, representing a growth of 11.9 per cent compared to the previous year. Net profit closed at US$25m, while the leverage index stood at a level of 3.1 times, with a slight increase compared to December, mainly caused by the accelerated revaluation of the Colombian peso at the end of March.

In consolidated terms, the cement company dispatched 3.9Mt of cement, 0.6 per cent less than in the 1Q22, a loss largely caused by the slight falls that occurred in the Colombian market. Concrete volumes stood at 1.7Mm3, with a slight decrease of 2.3 per cent that was mainly due to unfavourable weather conditions in the USA.

USA

During the year, cement volumes increased by 7.1 per cent and reached 1.5Mt leveraged by the import of the product incentivised by the organisations extensive logistics network of ports and terminals. Concrete dispatches decreased by 2.5 per cent and were located at 1.1Mm3, which were largely affected by harmful climatic conditions in the region, specifically in Georgia.

The US arm saw revenues of US$416m in the 1Q23, which represents an increase of 22 per cent over the same period last year and EBITDA was US$65m, 77 per cent more than the 1Q22.

Colombia

Cement volumes stood at 1.4Mt, with a decrease of 4.6 per cent, mainly impacted by the fall of the local market and the closure of the main road between Popayan and Pasto, which altered the logistics efficiency of supply in the southwest of the country, where the company has a relevant presence. Of the total cement dispatches, 345Mt were sold abroad, an increase of 16 per cent. Exports to the USA grew by 81 per cent, which strengthens the organisations presence in the North American market. Concrete volumes reached 621Mm3, a reduction of 4.3 per cent.

In a challenging environment, revenues reached US$150m, 7.4 per cent lower than in the 1Q22. In addition, EBITDA stood at US$38m, 15 per cent higher than last year.

Central America

Cement dispatches were 1Mt, with a reduction of 5.2 per cent compared to the first three months of the previous year, this slight impact is the result of Argos' strategy of replacing trading volumes with exports from its Cartagena plant, in Colombia, to supply its markets in the region. Those of concrete stood at 71Mm3, 22 per cent higher.

The company reported revenues of US$145m, an increase of five per cent, and an EBITDA of US$30m, which grew two per cent. These results were largely leveraged by the successful recovery of cement volumes in Panama and the Dominican Republic, which increased by 21 and 14 per cent respectively, and the commitment to new products that diversify Argos' value proposition in Panama.

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South Africa: Tourism stats indicate journey to recovery

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly left a dent in the tourism industry, but the resilient sector is recovering.

South Africa offers travellers unparalleled beauty and affordability, making it an irresistible destination, De Lille said when addressing a media briefing on the sidelines of Africas Travel Indaba, which is underway in Durban.

De Lille said the sector is geared to catapult inbound tourism numbers beyond pre-COVID-19 levels.

Achieving this monumental goal requires a united front: government, private sector, and all tourism stakeholders joining forces to redefine the travel experience in our beloved country.

She said 2022 heralded a resurgence, with nearly 5.8 million visitors gracing South Africas shores, including four million from Africa. This was a 152.6% increase from 2021.

We're not quite at the 10 million arrivals of 2019 but rest assured, our tireless collaboration with the private sector and Africa will take us there and beyond in no time.

As the world reawakens, tourists are flocking back to South Africa, enticed by our unparalleled natural beauty and the warmth of our people. We are broadcasting a clear message - South Africa is open for tourism, welcoming business, and eagerly awaiting travelers from across Africa and the globe.

De Lille said the world is rediscovering South Africa, and will that will not only reach but will surpass pre-COVID numbers.

Our determination and unity will light the way to a brighter future for South African tourism. From a domestic perspective, we have seen an incredible resilience, with Q1 2023 performance surpassing pre-pandemic levels and those of Q1 2022, De Lille said.

De Lille said tourists from Europe contributed the most spend of R10.8 billion, followed by Africa with a collective spend of R9.3 billion.

According to recent statistics, an impressive 2.1 million visitors were recorded, a 102.5% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

The African continent led the way again, with 1.6 million arrivals, followed by Europe's 387 000 and the Americas' 104 000 visitors.

De Lille said a significant driver of these remarkable figures is as a result of lifting of travel restrictions and affordability.

After two years of restrictions and confinement, travellers are eager to explore wide-open spaces, and South Africa offers these in abundance, De Lille said.

Over 500 000 Zimbabwean travellers journeyed to South Africa between January and March 2023 compared to 643 000 in the same period in 2019 and 173 000 in 2022.

Mozambique followed as the second-largest source market, boasting over 354 000 arrivals between January and March 2023.

According to De Lille, South Africa offers a diverse range of captivating destinations for travellers, with Gauteng taking the lead in international arrivals, spend and bed nights.

International visitors tend to spend most of their nights in the Western Cape, followed by Gauteng. The Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KZN and the North West draw tourists to their unique charms.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Unmanned chopper helps inspect, maintain UHV transmission line for first time in China

People's Daily Online) 15:59, May 10, 2023

A dual-rotor heavy-lift unmanned helicopter was used to transport materials to high-voltage towers during the annual inspection and maintenance of an 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line on May 5. It marked the first time such a helicopter was used in the annual inspection and maintenance of UHV power lines in China.

A dual-rotor heavy-lift unmanned helicopter carries materials to a high-voltage tower in Chatangzi village, Naxi district, Luzhou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, during the annual inspection and maintenance of an 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line. (Photo/Wang Zhiqi)

A reliable source said the unmanned helicopter was domestically made. With a loading capacity of more than 200 kilograms and an endurance of four-and-a-half hours, the vehicle is safe and reliable, flexible, and free from geographical restrictions.

On a single trip, it transported 210 kilograms of materials along a preset route to a designated spot in Chatangzi village, Naxi district, Luzhou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, through a 30-meter-long insulated rope.

After 36 consecutive round trips, the helicopter successfully transported more than 300 pieces of material and other materials weighing a total of 3.75 tonnes to designated spots.

A dual-rotor heavy-lift unmanned helicopter takes off in Chatangzi village, Naxi district, Luzhou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, to help transport materials during the annual inspection and maintenance of an 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line. (Photo/Wang Zhiqi)

"One unmanned helicopter completed the work that could have taken 20 people a day in four hours. It was really fast," said Zhang Jie, head of a maintenance crew of the UHV branch of State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company.

Spanning 2,090 kilometers from Yulong Hui ethnic township, Xichang city, Sichuan Province, to Suzhou city in east China's Jiangsu Province, the 800-kilovolt UHV direct current power transmission line is one of the important arteries of China's west-to-east power transmission program.

A dual-rotor heavy-lift unmanned helicopter transports materials in Chatangzi village, Naxi district, Luzhou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, during the annual inspection and maintenance of an 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line. (Photo/Wang Zhiqi)

A dual-rotor heavy-lift unmanned helicopter transports materials in Chatangzi village, Naxi district, Luzhou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, during the annual inspection and maintenance of an 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line. (Photo/Wang Zhiqi)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
The nauseating nationalism surrounding the coronation celebrations in Britain was accompanied by a swathe of anti-monarchy arrests. The ruling class are gearing up for the battles ahead. Workers and youth must fight back with militant class struggle.

The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place last weekend, in case anyone didnt notice.

But despite the establishment plastering this spectacle over television screens, social media, and electronic billboards across the country, for most people life went on as usual.

Damp squib

In fact, viewership of the coronation was much lower than expected, peaking at just under 19 million viewers on Saturday. To put that into perspective, this figure is 10 million less than the number who tuned in to watch the Euro 2020 finals.

In London itself, the route of the procession was merely a quarter of the length of the 1953 coronation, taking into account the reduced crowd sizes.

And photographs from empty, grey town centres across the country made for a sorry sight, revealing the widespread mood of apathy amongst ordinary people towards this latest circus.

Love u Britain  pic.twitter.com/Sa91xcHm6R  Sudden Beth (@bethdanger) May 6, 2023

Indeed, two thirds of the public said that they simply dont care about the coronation at all. Most were probably too distracted by trivial matters like am I going to be able to afford my food shop this month? or is my landlord going to hike my rent again?

Not that anyone would have missed much, mind you. The coronation itself was an extremely dull affair, with the new King exuding all the regality of a scarecrow as he read his oaths from a prompt card. Even his own grandson, Prince Louis, was seen yawning throughout the ceremony.

How things have changed for the House of Windsor. Having enjoyed wide popularity during the reign of the late Queen Liz, the monarchy is now mired in crisis, and is suffering its lowest-ever public approval. The future looks bleak for the Crown.

Anti-monarchy arrests

The Met Police clamped down on anti-monarchy protests in a particularly severe manner / Image: Steve Eason, Flickr

Much more notable than all this pomp and pageantry were the events taking place just a few hundred metres from Westminster Abbey, where the Met Police clamped down on anti-monarchy protests in a particularly severe manner.

As part of Operation Golden Orb, the police made 64 arrests, with all but a few of them relating to concerns people were going to disrupt the [coronation].

A number of the arrests were made using legislation brought into force barely a week ago, as part of the Tories Public Order Act.

Police arrest anti-monarchy protestors ahead of King Charles Coronation.



The leader of anti-monarchy group Republic and others holding 'not my King' banners are arrested as part of a significant police operation. #TimesRadio pic.twitter.com/UbrO0uV9DO  Times Radio (@TimesRadio) May 6, 2023

This is a bill that was explicitly designed to repress protests and direct action, in response to the rising tide of class struggle, and discontent over issues like the climate crisis.

On the grounds of this new legislation, protesters were handcuffed and detained for hours on the flimsy grounds of suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

Scandalously, six anti-monarchy activists were arrested simply for carrying placards and other items that might be used to cause disruption  including a piece of string!

Reportedly, one student, who was previously arrested and charged for throwing eggs at a royal procession in York, was detained after being flagged by new facial recognition software being deployed en masse over the weekend.

All of this seems more like what one would expect from a totalitarian dictatorship in a dystopian sci-fi novel, rather from those who profess to uphold British values like liberty and democracy. As one human rights campaigner commented: This is something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London.

This reveals the reality of Britains rotten ruling class; the ugly face of the capitalist establishment.

Playing with fire

A number of protesters have been released without charge, and the Met has issued a number of (empty) apologies / Image: fair use

Since the arrests, a number of protesters have been released without charge, and the Met has issued a number of (empty) apologies.

In an official statement, police chiefs said that they regret a number of wrongful arrests  no doubt just as they regret the rampant sexism, racism, and abuse which abound in their ranks.

The Met also claimed that they only aimed to arrest those who sought to disrupt the coronation, and had no intention of clamping down on all protests.

But if possession of a simple piece of string is enough to land republican activists in cuffs, then such words dont provide any reassurance whatsoever.

This fiasco, and the Public Order Bill itself, has even drawn condemnation from those within the establishment, including figures such as Tory MP David Davis and ex-head of Manchester police Peter Fahy.

No doubt they can see that such heavy-handed tactics offer diminishing returns, and could even risk sparking a bigger backlash, all while further undermining confidence in the police.

By deploying the police so vigorously, in other words, the ruling class is playing with fire.

Law and order

In a remarkable display of forensic analysis, Labour MP Lisa Nandy said that clearly something [went] wrong with Saturdays policing, while maintaining that the police deserve credit for their work.

The shadow frontbencher also affirmed that Labour are not committed to repealing the Public Order Bill  another disgusting effort to outflank the Tories and underline Starmers message about Labour being the true law and order party.

Such rhetoric will not wash with workers and youth, however, who want policies to end the cost-of-living crisis, not fervent flag-waving and praise for the boys in blue.

Social explosion

With class struggle and discontent on the rise, the ruling class are growing anxious / Image: Socialist Appeal

It would have been fairly easy for the Met to allow this 2000-strong protest to go ahead as normal, without drawing attention to it.

As one campaigner commented, the police had been in discussion with the organisers of the demonstration for months, and hadnt raised any concerns.

So why did this clampdown happen?

With class struggle and discontent on the rise, the ruling class are growing anxious, and are increasingly looking to beef up the powers of the state in advance of the social explosions that impend.

From the Public Order Act to the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Court Bill, the bosses are gearing up for a turbulent period of bitter class war.

Saturdays clampdown was therefore quite clearly a deliberate provocation; an attempt to demonstrate to activists  and the wider labour movement  that the capitalist state can and will resort to repression if necessary, in order to defend the interests of the British establishment.

Class struggle

In 1972 a group of trade unionists known as the Pentonville Five were arbitrarily arrested and charged for unlawful picketing / Image: public domain

But such methods can easily backfire, as more farsighted sections of the ruling class are no doubt aware.

In 1972, for example, a group of trade unionists known as the Pentonville Five were arbitrarily arrested and charged for unlawful picketing. This attack provoked militant action by the working class, including the threat of general strike. This forced the Tories to retreat, and revealed the weakness of the government.

This latest clampdown is a warning to the labour movement of what to expect in the battles ahead. But as the experience of the Pentonville Five shows, there is no force on earth more powerful than the working class, when mobilised and organised.

To combat state repression and defend our political rights, we need militant class struggle.
There was a suspicious man parked in a silver sedan in front of the 911 Telecommunications Center at 3404 Amnicola Hwy. The occupant said he was homeless and believed people were following him. He felt as though the Police Service Center was the safest place for him to stay. An officer explained to him he couldnt stay there and gave him the addresses to the Community Kitchen and Chattanooga Mission. Police saw him leave.

* * *

A woman on Sequoia Drive told police she had a package stolen from her porch. She had an automatic cat feeder delivered to her address, but it wasnt there when she arrived at home. The cat feeder is valued at $45.

* * *

Police were on normal patrol at 25th Street and Market Street at Mary Walker Towers and saw several vehicles with expired tags. A 2000 black Honda Accord had a tag that expired in July, 2020. A 1998 blue Ford Ranger had a tag which expired April, 2021. A gray Chrysler Sebring had a tag that was registered to a Ford Focus and the complete VIN of the vehicle couldnt be read to determine proper registration and if the vehicle was stolen. A Ford F150 had a tag that was suspended. Police placed an orange warning sticker giving the owners a 48-hour notice to move the vehicles off public streets. Police will follow up to determine if the vehicles need to be towed after the allotted 48 hours.

* * *

The store manager at Walgreens at 2104 McCallie Ave. told police a white male, possibly in his 60's and wearing a camouflage jacket, came into the store with a large bag and went to the cooler section of the store. He opened several cooler doors before leaving the store. She believes he possibly shoplifted items, but is unable to verify that at this time. Police searched the area and were unable to locate him.

* * *

A man on Gunbarrel Road showed police a video of a woman and him arguing. As the officer watched the video, the man was gathering his belongings to leave because of the argument. The woman told the man he could leave, but she was standing in the doorway of his room. The man said he didnt feel threatened by this action, however he wanted police presence so he could leave without causing any trouble.

* * *

Police were called to InTown Suites Extended Stay at 5730 Lee Hwy. where it was reported a man had exposed himself with no clothes on in the hallway. Police arrived and met the property manager who told police what room the man was in. Another employee/resident witnessed the incident. Police spoke with the suspect in his room and explained why they were there. The man said he had just woken up and hadnt been outside his room. The property manager said they wanted the man trespassed from the property. Police informed him he was trespassed from this property and that the property management was allowing him one hour to gather his belongings. He was upset but eventually started packing his belongings.

* * *

A man on Willow Lake Circle told police he and his son were in an argument and his son left for the night. The man and woman told police they didnt want their son to return that night.

* * *

A man on Wheeler Avenue told police he had recently bought a 2005 Ford Ranger but it was stolen. He had not registered the truck yet or gotten insurance for it. He said the truck had a white passenger fender and damage to the front bumper. He had left it running while he went into his residence.
There have been lawyers in America since the nations creation.

However, it was not until 1957 that a president of the American Bar Association proposed that a special day be established for celebrating our legal system.

In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially established Law Day in recognition of a national dedication to the principles that we are a government under law.

In Hamilton County the Chattanooga Bar Association has traditionally participated in an annual luncheon with a prominent speaker.

2023s Law Day speaker for the May 17 event at the Westin Hotel is former Attorney General of the United States and present Dean and Doyle Rogers Distinguished Chair of Law at Belmont University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, Alberto Gonzales.

His record of public service and accomplishments are duly noted on the chattanoogabar.org website.

In light of the current political attacks on the legal system as a prelude to the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, his comments and observations as to the current statue of the rule of law are timely.

* * *

You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
The topic facing most cities and counties around, airbnbs and short term vacation rentals (STVRs), came up during the Rhea County Commissions agenda meeting on Tuesday night.

Property Assessor Debbie Byrd addressed the commission along with Noah Wilson of GovOS, a private group, on what the county is missing out on right now.

We have a problem identifying the airbnbs versus regular properties, said Mrs. Byrd. It takes me time to get them on the tax roll as well as with Linda Shavers' office getting them to collect business taxes from them. Mrs. Byrd said both she and Mrs. Shaver would need to hire a full-time person just to keep up with these properties in the county.

She added that the rentals are taxed at 40 percent vs. the 25 percent that residential properties are taxed at.

Mr. Wilson said his company has already identified 116 properties in Rhea County that are not currently listed as airbnbs or STVRs.

We have a staff of over 200 people who work on covering 30 different websites looking for airbnbs and rentals and match them to a data base of the government requesting the check by geo files and recognition of photos, he said.

GovOS is an Austin, Tex.,-based company offering "Short-Term Rental Solution a comprehensive software suite backed by industry experts and enhanced support."

Mr. Wilson said, "With a multitude of use cases focusing on community and economic impact of short-term rentals, the GovOS Short-Term Rental Solution offers compliance, registration/permitting, tax collection and a 24/7 complaint hotline."

The firm touts that they are the leading company in this field. They also add no matter your ordinance structure or existing regulations, "the Short-Term Rental Software can be configured to meet your communitys unique needs."

They state their key components are identification of properties, compliance, seamless paperless tax collections, online registrations and the 24/7 hotline.

In press releases, GovOs includes in their client list more than 100 local governments including the state of Idaho, Greenwood County (near the Augusta, Ga., area), Sandusky Ohio, Dallas, Tex., Vail, Colorado, Newport Beach, Calif., Washington, D. C., Blanco County Texas, Cuyahoga (Cleveland) Ohio, Dauphin (Gulf Shores and Orange Beach) County, Alabama. In Tennessee they have Rutherford, Union, Unicoi, Anderson and Grundy counties.

Mr. Wilson told commissioners that with some 116 units they have found, the county could look to recoup some $216,000 in just motel/hotel taxes and an additional $60,000 in property taxes.

Commissioner Mark Cashman asked Mrs. Byrd how many properties are currently listed on the county tax roll. She said so far she has been able to identify 30. It takes time to sit and look up these properties and then check them out, said Mrs. Byrd.

County Commission Chairman Jim Reed asked Mr. Wilson what the cost would be to Rhea County to get this started.

He replied that the GovOS uses a tiered assessment for their clients, depending on how many units they identify. He said Rhea County would be in the bottom tier and would start out around $25,000. They could also add on the other features of a 24/7 hotline for people to call in complaints, and an online registry for owners of airbnbs and STVRs. He said they send out compliance letters to the owners to show them how to get registered and be in compliance with the county.

When asked by Chairman Reed about the letters, Mr. Wilson said,Ninety percent of them will register after getting the first notice. Many cities and counties add penalties to those who dont."

Commissioner Nick Welch pointed out to the commission that this service would take care of any staffing and equipping staff to do the same things. To make money, you sometimes have to spend a little money, he said.

County Attorney Carol Barron asked Mr. Wilson if there were other companies like his.

We are the only one in Southeast Tennessee. We are the highest rated company nationwide on finding and bringing units in compliance, Mr. Wilson said.

County Executive Jim Vincent said that the Rhea/Dayton Economic Community Development Board recently had a presentation by another company on the same topic.

He brought up the subject of creating a procedure for renting venue space or the grounds at the Historic Rhea County Courthouse. Included in the proposal are rules and requirements for rental, a fee schedule which starts out at $50 for the first floor lobby or conference room and $100 for the second floor Main Courtroom, $250 for the grounds, and $300 for the grounds, lobby, and the second floor Courtroom.

The contract will also require $1 million general liability insurance to cover the event being held. Also included is a hold harmless clause to exempt Rhea County from any problems that would arise from the event.

County Commission Chairman Reed said he would only want to rent out the Courthouse to civic organizations in the county. I would hate to rent it out for a third-grade birthday party, he said.

Commissioner Welch and County Executive Vincent pointed out that the first line of the rules states "Where the situation warrants, special individual; or group contracts will be prepared in lieu of the standard contract used." County Executive Vincent said that this gives the county the right of refusal for the event.

Chairman Reed said he was of the opinion that the liability insurance would shut down a lot of people from renting it.

Commissioner Welch said that with this contract in place it will be good, before we had nothing in place.

Commissioner Cashman asked, Wouldnt it be better to collect a $150 security deposit to insure they left the Courthouse clean than wait to charge them later.

Chairman Reed agreed this would be better.

The Commission will meet in regular session next Tuesday starting at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse Annex.
Chattanooga State Community College is investigating the cyber incident that was discovered on Saturday, and the college is actively working with law enforcement and a cyber forensics vendor "to determine the nature and scope of the incident."

As recommended by law enforcement, the college cannot release specific details at this time, it was stated.

Officials stated, "The college is working closely with TBRThe College System of Tennessee, the State of Tennessee Attorney Generals Office, and the cyber forensics and protection vendor to ensure a successful recovery. Additional measures are being taken to protect the college's systems and data to prevent future incidents.

"The college apologizes for any inconvenience this incident may have caused and assures students, faculty, staff, and the community that they will be kept informed as the investigation continues. The Cyber Incident Update page on the college's website provides current operations and the latest updates, which currently include:

TCAT classes are currently meeting.

Classes scheduled for the three-week mini-session from May 8th to May 26th are canceled, affecting a total of 17 students.

The study abroad mini-sessions are not affected.

Classes scheduled for the 13-week full session from May 8th to August 4th are currently delayed, and the college asks the campus community to check back daily on the college website for updates.

The college encourages vigilance and recommends taking precautionary measures to protect personal information. Information about best practices can be found on the FAQ page on the college's website.

"The college community is rallying to get us through this moment, said Dr. Rebecca Ashford, Chattanooga State president. I am reminded of our college values that encourage us to demonstrate resiliency, trust, and care for each other during this challenging time."

Chattanooga State thanks the community for its continued patience and support as they work to resolve this incident. Further updates can be found on chattanoogastate.edu.
For ten seasons, fans loved seeing Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey on Chicago Fire, and since his departure, it is almost as if Firehouse 51 hasnt been the same. In a decade of playing a firefighter, there is no doubt that Spencer has picked up on some secrets and skills of what firefighters do in their extremely important jobs. Now, the actor talks about how life imitated art when he nearly used a Chicago Fire prop to open an elevator when his daughter was stuck.

Why did Spencer leave Chicago Fire?

Spencer was such an important part of the show, and millions loved his character. So, why did the decide to leave Chicago Fire? Well, according to NBC, it wasnt the easiest thing for him to do. After being on television for 18 years, the actor said that I called [showrunner] Derek [Haas] and broke him the news, said I thought it was time to leave. He added that He agreed that we should at least get Casey to 200 episodes. Spencer explained how There are other things that I would like to do in the future, and theres some family that I need to take care of, and 18 years is a long time. He also made sure to say that It was a difficult decision but you know, when the time comes, the time comes.

Spencer nearly used a Chicago Fire prop to pry open an elevator that his daughter was stuck in

After so many years of playing a heroic firefighter, Spencer got to apply his skills to a real-life situation. He recalls the time his daughter got stuck in an elevator in his apartment building, and as any parent would, he sprang into action. According to USA Today, the actor was still in possession of his firefighter Halligan bar forcible entry tool, saying that You never know when youre going to need one. When the young girl couldnt get out of the elevator, Spencer considered prying the doors open himself, saying that I nearly ran upstairs and grabbed my Halligan. He added that I figured the building HOA wouldnt appreciate me busting open the doors. So I called the fire department. They came and got my child out. How wonderful that the situation worked out for the best.

That wasnt the only time Spencer had to help people out of an elevator

As it turns out, Spencer has experience in getting people out of stuck elevators. People reports that it was at the Illinois State Capitol that Spencer became a real-life hero, when, years ago, he, his parents, and a group of tourists became trapped. The actor was able to keep the group calm as they were in the elevator for 45 minutes, and, according to Spencer, It was getting so hot. Its claustrophobic. One poor girl had a fear of being trapped in elevators.

Although someone in the group used the elevators phone to call a security guard, who in turn called an elevator mechanic, Springfield Fire Captain Trey McCormick said that Being a Sunday, that probably would have been a couple of hours. As luck would have it, Spencer was wearing a cap with a fire department logo on it, and some people thought he was a real firefighter.

Spencer took matters into his own hands, prying the doors open just enough to get a cell phone signal and call 911. The actor helped everyone who was in distress, saying, I took turns getting people that were freaking out over near the door. I didnt want them sticking their heads out in case the elevator took off again. A rescue crew arrived a short time later and opened the doors from the outside, helping everyone out.

How lucky everyone was that Spencer was on the elevator at the time of the incident and that he knew exactly what to do.
Bridgertons imperious Queen Charlotte gets her origin story in Netflixs prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The six-episode drama follows a young Charlotte (India Amarteifio), a German noblewoman who is married off to King George III (Corey Mylchreest). Her arrival in the U.K. sparks the Great Experiment  the racial integration of the countrys aristocracy. As characters such as a young Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) navigate a new social reality, Charlotte must adjust to life in a strange country while also dealing with her husbands secret illness.

Queen Charlotte will surely help sate Bridgerton fanatics as they wait for the shows third season. In the meantime, if youre craving more royal romance, here are five shows to binge after youve watched the Bridgerton prequel.

The Great

A young German woman finds herself at sea in a strange foreign court and married to a royal husband who is nothing like what she expected. The setup for Hulus The Great isnt unlike that of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Both shows even take place at roughly the same time  the mid-18th century  and each plays loose with historical facts.

Like Charlotte, Elle Fannings Catherine must learn to fend for herself in a world where womens voices are often silenced. She must also navigate a complicated relationship with her spouse, Emperor Peter of Russia (Nicholas Hoult, to whom Queen Charlottes Mylchreest bears a passing resemblance). To be fair, Catherine and Peters marriage is less of a romance and more of a battle of wills, with the occasional coup and assassination attempt thrown in for good measure. But this wickedly funny story of a young woman coming into her own power is a must-watch.

The Great Seasons 1-2 are currently streaming on Hulu. Season 3 drops Friday, May 12.

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette | Courtesy of  Caroline Dubois  Capa Drama / Banijay Studios France / Les Gens / Canal+

Looking for another story of a young woman who ends up in an arranged marriage to a foreign king? PBSs Marie Antoinette (which aired earlier in 2023) is a fresh take on the oft-told story of Frances doomed last queen. Emilia Schule plays the title character, the daughter of the Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa. The teenage Marie arrives at the court of Versailles as a bride for Louis, the dauphin of France (Louis Cunningham). But its not exactly love at first sight for the new royal couple. And Marie faces additional challenges learning her way around the royal court, with its strict protocol and ruthless nobles.

Marie Antoinette Season 1 is streaming on PBS Passport and the Masterpiece PBS channel on Prime Video. French producer Canal+ has renewed the show for season 2.

The Empress

Inspired by the life of the real-life Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, Netflixs The Empress is perfect for anyone who prefers their historical dramas with a mix of romance and political intrigue. Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau)  aka Sisi  falls for her cousin, the Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant). The catch? Hes supposed to marry her sister. Things get even more complicated after Sisi and Franz get married. The young couple has their own ideas for how the country should be run. However, those put them in conflict with relatives and political rivals, including the Emperors ambitious brother.

The Empress Season 1 is streaming on Netflix. The show has been renewed for a second season.

The Spanish Princess

Starz has churned out several adaptations of best-selling author Philippa Gregorys novels based on the lives of English queens. First came The White Queen, which focuses on Edward IVs wife Elizabeth Woodville. That was followed by The White Princess, which centers on Edward and Elizabeths daughter, Elizabeth of York, who married Henry VII. The Spanish Princess explores the story of Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope), the first of Henry VIIIs (Ruairi OConnor) six wives. Unlike many on-screen depictions of Catherine, The Spanish Princess focuses on Catherines early years in England, including her brief marriage to Henrys older brother Arthur and her romance with Henry.

The Spanish Princess Seasons 1-2 are streaming on Starz.

Reign

Reign is heavy on soapy drama and low on historical accuracy. But that doesnt make it any less of an enjoyable (if at times ridiculous) binge. Adelaide Kane stars as a young Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, who arrives at the French court ahead of her marriage to Francis (Tony Regbo), the future king of France. But she and her ladies-in-waiting soon discover that life in the palace is more complicated than they could have imagined, thanks to Marys scheming future mother-in-law Catherine de Medici (Megan Follows), Francis lustful father Henry II (Alan Van Sprang), and Henrys illegitimate son Bash (Torrance Coombs).

Reign Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Prime Video.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.
If you are planning a trip to Taiwan this or next year, read on because there's now an easier way to get around - PLUS, you may just win a travel package too! 









The last time we visited Taipei, Taiwan was in 2008 and I've got the photo to prove it.









This was taken more than 15 years ago - and Ale wasn't even born then!





Since then, a lot have changed but some of the attractions within Taipei and New Taipei City remain popular with tourists... like Jiufen, Yehliu Geopark, Wulai Hot Springs, Pingxi, Shifen and many more!





But truth is, if you are not self-driving, it can get a little tricky to get to the outlying areas in New Taipei City. Visitors, especially families with kids, usually hire a private driver or join a day tour. So it is not really straightforward to move around on your own.





BUT GREAT NEWS! Did you know there is now a Tourist Shuttle Bus service that takes you from Taipei all the way to Shifen? Plus, it makes stops along the way at major tourist attractions too!





Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 (795) lets tourists conveniently board at the bus stop at Muzha MRT Station (Exit 2) and they will be able to hop on and off the bus at various stops like Jingtong Keng, Pingxi Old Street, Tianzi, Qinghe or Shifenliao (Old Street).









How convenient is that???





Some of the highlights that Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 stops at include:





A2 Shenkeng Old Street









Shenkeng Old Street boasts a hundred-year-old tofu culture and is famous for The Tofu Town and the distribution center of Tamsui-Kavaian South Trails.





A3-1 Wenshan Coal Mine





Located at Zhong Min village of Shiding district, Wenshan Coal Mine was a famous coal mine field of Greater Wenshan area. From Wenshan Coal Mine along Shi Ba Zhong stream, you can walk about 300 meters and arrive at Sun Gertain Eco Farm B&B and Fireflies Bookhouse.





A5 Jingtong Keng









Head to Jingtong Sky Lantern Pavilion, where a 9-metre tall Sky Lantern-shaped awaits. Made of glass and using 200 thousand LED lamps, travellers write down their wishes on cards and watch them appear on the sky lantern during the 7-min sky lantern show.





A6 Pingxi Old Street





Featured in the movie, "Your Are the Apple of My Eye" (), Pingxi Old Street exudes old charm, complete with the stone-covered roads. You will also find the oldest mailbox in Taiwan here!





A9 Shifenliao





During the Pingxi mining period in the past.Shifen was the earliest and the largest village. Not only is Shifen Old Street popular with tourists, it is also popular with those who are looking to release sky lanterns.





A10 Shifen Visitor Center





The most famous attraction here has to be Shifen Waterfall Park, otherwise known as the Taiwan version of Niagara waterfalls.





And the most convenient thing about visiting all of these attractions is you just have to hop onto the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795!









HERE for the bus timetable. Head tofor the bus timetable.









6 Tour Itineraries of "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795  Muzha Pingxi Route"





To further enhance your experience, the New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau has introuduced 'TK Trails' which consists of 6 package tour itineraries titled [ ] .





The various tour itineraries will take travellers to explore different cultures and enjoy a leisurely discovery of the towns of Shenkeng, Shiding, and Pingxi in partnership of 39 local partners.





Of the six tour itineraries, I highly recommend the following two:





Danlan Tea Road Travel Package  Crossing the Southern Route of TK Trails







Explore the ecology of Shiding and cross the Southern Route of TK Trails with a 200-year-old Tea Road History!





Tour Recommendation

 Starting from Muzha Station of Taipei Metro ( Recommended departure time: 8:00-10:00 am)

 Take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 to depart.





 In the morning, go to A3 Shuangxi Station, walk 5 minutes to Danlan Suspension Bridge ( Recommended stay time: 3 hours)

 Experience TK Trails Shiding section and explore the tea culture of Danlan South Route through the context of tea ceremony, leisurely wander through the Shiding mountains, forests, and streams, and go to Shiding Old Street.

 Experience Sock Fish DIY at HA SOCK Sock Doll Shop ( Reservation required: 0906-988266).

 Stroll through Shiding Old Street and taste local snacks.





 In the afternoon, go to A3-1 Wenshan Coal Mine Station  Sungertain Eco Farm ( Recommended stay time: 3 hours)

 Visit the Firefly Bookhouse and care about rural companion reading, environmental education, and ESG sustainable development.

 Walk barefoot on the grass and enjoy the foot SPA with healing herbs.

 Enjoy dinner with Ganoderma Medicinal Cuisine of "Danlan Family Feast."





 Take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 to return.









Danlan Folk Road Travel Package  Crossing the Central Route of TK Trails 

Explore the beautiful TK Triails, Century-old Mining Railway, and Pingxi Sky Lantern Blessing Culture!

Tour Recommendation  Starting from Muzha Station of Taipei Metro ( Recommended departure time: 8:00-10:00 am)  Take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 to depart.

 Morning: A5 Jingtong Station | Jingtong Train Station (Recommended stay time: 1 hour) Stroll through Jingtong Old Street, try the traditional Jingtong Red Treasure Noodles at the Jingtong Hongbao Restaurant Visit the Jingtong Sky Lantern Pavilion and write a wish card Write a wish on a bamboo tube and appreciate the 7-minute "Prayer Sky Lantern Show" Hang the wish bamboo tube next to Jingtong Train Station and enjoy a photo-taking salon

 In the morning, transfer to the Pingxi Line of Taiwan Railway and go to A9 Shifen Station (Recommended stay time: 1 hour) Stroll through Shifen Old Street

 At noon, go to A10 Shifen Visitor Center Station (Recommended stay time: 1 hour) Experience the friendly trail and walk to Shifen Waterfall

 In the afternoon, go to the Xinpingxi Coal Mine Heritage Park (Recommended stay time: 3 hours) Experience the century-old mining tour and the culture of the century-old mining railway Coal Train Experience-Kiko

 Cross the most beautiful TK Trails  the Central Route of TK Trails and hiking enthusiasts can arrange ample time to cross in the direction of Nuannuan.

 Take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 to Return / Or after experiencing the long-distance trail as a hiker at Nuannuan Station by Taiwan Railway Train back.





[GIVEAWAY!]





Thanks to New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau, I have Tour Packages to give away, with a TOTAL of 18 prizes up for grabs!





They will come in really useful if you are planning a trip to Taiwan as the expiry date is 31 December 2024 (that's next year)!









PRIZES







Crossing the Southern Route of TK Trails - Danlan Tea Road Travel Package [2 PRIZES] (valued at NTD1,580)

includes: Classic Shiding Eco Voucher @ ShidingSungertain Eco Farm B&B - Ganoderma Medicinal Cuisine*1 set - Herbal Foot SPA*1 set

TK Trails Easy Card - Includes NTD100 Traffic Fee - Show TK Trails Easy Cardand get a 10% discount on the recommended tastes of co-op partners - Get one set of Roasted Wheat Flour of Jingtong Miners Canteen and Foot Bath DIY of Shiding Sungertain Eco Farm after showing the above card mentioned

Cultural & Creative Gifts - Postcard*1 piece - Pocket Map*1 set - Envelope*1 set

Shangde Teahouse from a century-old tea farm: - Baozhong Tea*2 packets

Crossing the Central Route of TK Trails - Danlan Tea Road Travel Package [2 PRIZES] (valued at NTD1,480)

includes: Xipingxi Coal Mine Heritage Park Voucher @ Xipingxi Coal Mine Heritage Park - Guided Tour - Coal Train Experience Kiko*1 person

Refreshing Pingxi Blessing Voucher @Jingtong Sky Lantern Pavilion - Sky Lantern Show*1 set - Wishing Card*1 piece - Wishing Bamboo Tube*1 set

Refreshing Pingxi Blessing Voucher @Jingtong Miners Canteen - Roasted Wheat Flour (Taiwanese local snack)*1 set

TK Trails Easy Card - Includes NTD100 Traffic Fee - Show TK Trails Easy Cardand get a 10% discount on the recommended tastes of co-op partners - Get one set of Roasted Wheat Flour of Jingtong Miners Canteen and Foot Bath DIY of Shiding Sungertain Eco Farm after showing the above card mentioned

Pingxi Six Door Teahouse - Pingxi Tea*1 packet

Cultural & Creative Gifts - Postcard*1 piece - Pocket Map*1 set - Envelope*1 set





Pingxi Sky Lantern Blessing Travel Package [2 PRIZES] (valued at NTD1,080)

Classic Pingxi Sky Lantern Blessing Voucher - @ Pingxi Six-Door Teahouse: Pingxi Tea*1 set, Tea Snack (brioche and dried fruit)*1 set & Classic Sky Lantern Releasing Experience*1 set - @ Mei Yun Hakka Printed Clothes Workshop: Classic Sky Lantern Releasing Experience*1 set - @ Mei Yu Sky Lantern: Mini Hand-made Sky Lantern*1 set

Taipei Fun PassTransportation 1-Day Pass - Unlimited rides on MRT, city buses, and five Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes within the period of validity - Get a 10% discount on the recommended taste of co-op partners - Get one set of Roasted Wheat Flour of Jingtong Miners Canteen and Foot Bath DIY of Shiding Sungertain Eco Farm after showing the above card mentioned

Cultural & Creative Gifts - Postcard*1 piece - Pocket Map*1 set - Envelope*1 set



Shiding Firefly Bookhouse Charity Giftbox [2 PRIZES] (valued at NTD880)

Giftbox includes Ganoderma Coffee and other secret gifts

Taipei FunPASS - Transportation 1-Day Pass: Unlimited rides [10 PRIZES] (valued at NTD180)

Taipei Fun Pass gives you unlimited rides on MRT, city buses, and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes within the period of validity





HOW TO PARTICIPATE





To participate, all you have to do is the following:



1. COMMENT in the corresponding FACEBOOK POST HERE with "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 795 +1".





2. BONUS CHANCE #1: TAG 2 of your friends in the comment for one bonus chance!





3. BONUS CHANCE #2: SHARE the Facebook post for one bonus chance!







*Giveaway ends on 17 May 2023, 2359 hours.



GOOD LUCK! 







Useful Information



WEBSITE

Facebook

Instagram








Magnetotactic bacteria bind uranium in their cell wall (schematically shown on the right). This can be used to purify uranium-contaminated water by separating the loaded bacteria with a magnet (shown on the left).

A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has managed to purify water containing uranium using a special kind of bacteria known as magnetotactic bacteria. The name derives from their ability to react to magnetic fields. They can accumulate dissolved heavy metal in their cell walls. These research findings also shed new light on the interaction between uranium and bioligands.

Our experiments are geared towards potential industrial applications in the field of microbiological remediation of water, especially when it is contaminated with heavy metals of the type you find in mine drainage water in the old uranium mines, explains Dr. Evelyn Krawczyk-Barsch of HZDRs Institute of Resource Ecology. For this project we sought help from a very special group of living creatures: the magnetotactic bacteria, her colleague, Dr. Johannes Raff, adds and continues, Due to their structure, they are positively predestined for such a task.

Because they exhibit a feature that differentiates them from other bacteria: magnetotactic bacteria form nanoscopic magnetic crystals within the cell. They are arranged like a row of beads and so perfectly formed that humans would currently be unable to reproduce them synthetically. Each individual magnetic crystal is embedded in a protective membrane. Together, the crystals and membrane form the so-called magnetosome which the bacteria use to align themselves with the Earths magnetic field and orientate themselves in their habitat. It also makes them suitable for simple separation processes.

Magnetotactic bacteria can be found in almost any aqueous environment from fresh water to saltwater, including environments with very few nutrients. Microbiologist Dr. Christopher Lefevre has even discovered them in the hot springs of Nevada. It was from him and his colleague Dr. Damien Faivre of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) that the Rossendorf scientists acquired their bacteria strain, not to mention expert advice on how best to preserve them  because despite being fairly common, cultivating them requires some specialist knowledge.

Stable heavy metal collectors in a hostile environment

Magnetotactic bacteria can survive at neutral pH values, even in aqueous solutions containing higher concentrations of uranium. Over a wide pH range, they bind the uranium almost exclusively in their cell walls  an excellent basis for dealing with the conditions found in water associated with mining. None of the uranium penetrates into the interior of the cell in the process, nor is it bound by the magnetosome.

It was already known that different types of bacteria could bind heavy metals in their cell walls despite being potentially quite differently structured. In the case of magnetotactic bacteria the cell walls are formed of a peptidoglycan layer, a macromolecule composed of sugars and amino acids which is the main component of the cell walls of many bacteria, which is only four nanometers thick. The cell walls of magnetotactic bacteria are surrounded by an external membrane composed of sugars and fat-like components: potential docking sites for uranium.

Our results show that in magnetotactic bacteria peptidoglycan plays the main role in absorbing uranium. This knowledge is new and unexpected in this type of bacteria, says Krawczyk-Barsch. The team even managed to identify three specific uranium peptidoglycan species and confirm their findings with reference samples. These new insights were only possible thanks to a combination of microscopy and various spectroscopic techniques, a combination that is rarely found anywhere else in the world. By cooperating with the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR, for example, we were able to use the electron microscope. The proximity of our institutes at the site and the expertise of our colleagues are a major advantage for our work, Raff summarizes.

Significance for purifying contaminated water

Thanks to their magnetic properties, magnetotactic bacteria can be easily separated from water using magnets. Its conceivable this could be done on a large scale by carrying out the treatment right in the surface water or by pumping water from underground mines and directing it to pilot treatment plants, Krawczyk-Barsch explains with an eye to developing innovative purification strategies for contaminated water. Using magnetotactic bacteria could be an effective alternative to expensive, conventional chemical treatments  because magnetotactic bacteria are undemanding in terms of upkeep; implementing other biomass-based solutions, by contrast, regularly fails due to the costs involved in increased nutrient and energy requirements.

And another detail has sparked the researchers interest in these bacteria: their proteins can stabilize divalent and trivalent iron so that the magnetite stored in the magnetosomes can be synthesized. So, we are really asking ourselves how these microorganisms interact with radionuclides in various oxidation states. In particular, we are thinking of plutonium, explains Raff. This is because, unlike uranium, it is conceivable that its chemical similarity to iron means it uses other routes into the cell. How does this influence the migration behavior of plutonium in nature, and could this also be a way of removing plutonium from wastewater? Thus, the topic is also of relevance to repository research: any results could then be incorporated into the safety assessment.
Early voting days on May 27, May 30, May 31 and June 1 are available at the Cherokee Nation Election Commission Office located at 17763 S. Muskogee Ave., in Tahlequah.
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FORMER Finance minister Tendai Biti has taken a dig at current Treasury boss Mthuli Ncube over the free-falling local currency.

There is rampant rejection of the local currency in the market, Biti wrote on Twitter.

Local manufacturers are openly rejecting the RTGS [real time gross settlement], proving once more that an economy will never be run by statutory instruments. There is an urgent need to address the failed de-dollarisation experiment. What a disaster.

Government has introduced a cocktail of measures to stabilise the local currency including gold coins but without success.

Zimbabwe has remained trapped by multiple crises  economic, political and social. The decay of infrastructure and the collapse of public services, the mismanagement of the exchange rate, the closure of political space, point to the fact that this lot is the worst regime in the history of governments, Biti said.

The local currency, which was reintroduced in 2019 after a decade of multi-currency system, is trading at over 200% premium on the parallel market.

It is currently trading at between $2 500 and $2 700 to the greenback, against US$1 070 on the official market.

Some businesses have ditched the local currency altogether, charging their goods and services exclusively in United States dollars despite threats by government to unleash the Financial Intelligence Unit on them.

Ncube could not be reached for comment.

Finance ministry spokesperson Clive Mphambela requested questions in writing,.

Economists have said the continuous decline of the local currency is due to the Zimbabwe dollar liquidity chasing paltry US dollars, putting pressure on the exchange rate. Newsday
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Episcopal churches across the United States celebrated King Charles III's coronation by hosting festive watch parties filled with tea, music, and other festivities. The event, which took place on May 6, 2023, marked a significant moment in British history, and many Episcopalians were excited to join in the celebration.

Episcopal Churches' Celebration of King Charles III's Coronation

According to Episcopal News Service, several churches organized watch parties with tea and scones to honor the new King. The festivities included screenings of the coronation ceremony, live music performances, and communal singing of patriotic hymns.

As mentioned, the Episcopal Church in Westport, Connecticut, hosted a watch party where attendees dressed formally and enjoyed tea and snacks while watching the coronation ceremony on a large screen. The church also arranged for a live musical performance by a local choir.

At St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, the celebration began with a morning prayer service, a reception with tea and refreshments, and a screening of the coronation ceremony. The church's rector, the Rev. Dr. Meredith Hunt, said the event was a way to show solidarity with their Anglican brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom.

"We wanted to celebrate this historic moment with our fellow Episcopalians around the world and show our support for the new King," Hunt said. "It's a reminder of the strong ties between our church and the Anglican Communion." Moreover, the Episcopal Church is part of the global Anglican Communion, including the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in Scotland, and other churches worldwide.

Also Read: King Charles III's Coronation on May 6 Prepares A Special Prayer, Holy Oil By Church of England

King Charles III's Coronation

On Saturday, May 6, King Charles III was officially crowned as the new monarch of the United Kingdom in a historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The coronation, which was watched by millions of people worldwide, marked a momentous occasion in British history.

As per CBS News, the ceremony was filled with pageantry and tradition, including the anointing of the King with holy oil and the presentation of symbols of his office, such as the scepter and the orb. The King was also presented with a crown, which had been specially made for the occasion.

During the ceremony, the King pledged to uphold his subjects' rights and freedoms and serve the nation with honor and integrity. He was also anointed with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who prayed for God's blessings upon the new monarch.

The coronation was attended by many royal family members, including the new Queen Consort, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Other notable guests included political leaders, religious figures, and representatives from the armed forces.

Furthermore, The Guardian reported that the new King and Queen shared heartfelt thanks in a statement released after the coronation. They expressed their gratitude for the support and well wishes they had received from people worldwide and pledged to serve their country to the best of their ability.

"We are humbled and honored by the outpouring of love and support we have received on this special day. We will work tirelessly to serve our nation and to honor the trust that has been placed in us," the written message stated.

Related Article:Pope Offers Fragments of Christ's Cross for King Charles' Coronation Ceremony
Pixabay/PublicDomainPictures

A horrible shooting recently took the life of a young boy who was just six. Church leaders felt sorrow and expressed their concerns over violence following the incident.

Tragic Shooting

According to a report from WDBJ7, several individuals can be seen on the video footage obtained during this investigation firing firearms into the occupied home before fleeing down Floyd Street in the direction of 17th Street. Anyone who can identify the people in the video is asked to contact the LPD.

According to the police, Kingston had already passed away when they arrived. Hugh Oulds, Kingston's stepfather, cannot reportedly comprehend what life might be like without his stepson. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do tomorrow whenever I go to sleep, and I don't hear him say my name or I come through the house and he's not there to ask me to turn on Fortnite," he asserted.

Oluds also mentioned that it is extremely upsetting that children are no longer permitted to act like children. Moreover, the anti-violence organization Lynchburg Peacemakers believes that the current cycle of violence must end. Since the beginning of the new year, Kingston is reportedly the third young person to lose their life in Lynchburg.

Shawn Hunter, the president of the Peacemakers, stated that "the community is going to come out, and we are going to have to push back," as this will be required of us to put an end to this "senseless violence." "We got babies dying." Therefore, if infants pass away while sleeping, it is reasonable to assume that all people are in danger.

Furthermore, Oulds is concerned that his kid will not receive justice if the community does not raise their voices. The police announced early on Tuesday morning, May 4, that they had not yet been able to identify the person or people responsible for the tragic incident. They also noted that there was no current danger to the neighborhood.

Also Read: Brooklyn Congregations Grieves After the Tragic Death of Emmanuel Church of Gods Assistant Pastor, Aracely Courtenay

Church Leaders

WSET reported that Gospel Community Church's Pastor of Teaching and Vision, Andrew Moroz expressed that the recent tragedy utterly shakes him and the church. He asserted that in specific languages, people are told in Psalm 34 that "God is close to the brokenhearted and that he raises up he lifts those who are crushed in spirit." Thus, people are aware that even amid tragedy and challenging situations, God is not away from what is happening, but rather that he is nearby.

In addition, a statement made by the Reverend Shawn Hyska of Westminster Presbyterian Church indicates that he is overcome with sorrow due to the passing of this innocent youngster. Hyska said, "When any life is lost, there is just a deep sadness in our community." Hyska remarked that the shootings must end, and he and his church are motivated to take action.

This level of aggression cannot reportedly be maintained. The pastor added that it is not desirable for the community in any part of the world, but certainly not right here in Lynchburg. As per WFCR Fox, it has been brought to the attention of Mayor Reed and Councilman Wilder that Kingston Campbell has become the third kid to lose their life in Lynchburg due to being shot since the beginning of the year.

The mayor stated that resources for mental health could be a part of the solution; however, they do not yet know the issue's primary cause. Concerning the regulation of firearms, the city of Lynchburg has been designated as a "Second Amendment Sanctuary," a designation that acts as a symbolic tool to demonstrate support for the right to bear arms. Mayor Reed highlighted that they only support law-abiding gun ownership, which includes responsible ownership and law-abiding possession of firearms.

Related Article:Park City Presbyterian Church in Texas Holds Prayer Service to Mourn a Victim of Nashville School Shooting
Pixabay/Brigitte Werner

After a rally, the vandalism, fire, and violent acts committed against a community in India began. Authorities reportedly fired multiple rubber bullets and tear gas bottles at the protesters, and dozens of churches got affected.

Churches Set Fire and Vandalized

On Wednesday, May. 3, a tribal protest to the current Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party-led federal government's acceptance of a demand by the majority, non-tribal Meitei population for the designation of a Scheduled Tribe (ST) has caused a significant increase in the level of tension in the region, Sky.com reported. At the expense of people from the minority group, it would set aside positions in the government and educational institutions exclusively for members of the dominant group.

As mentioned, violent incidents broke out in the state of Manipur, which is located in the northeastern region of the country. The majority of the non-tribal Hindu group wanted the legally defined status of a listed tribe, which can bring opportunities for jobs and education. However, thousands of Christian tribal people protested against this proposal.

Moreover, during late-night hours, police countered attacks on homes and churches by firing multiple rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets. The military, paramilitary forces, and police have all dispatched significant numbers of personnel to conduct patrols in the impacted regions.

On the other hand, the internet will be unavailable for the next five days due to government action. Eight districts have been given a curfew that is in effect from dawn to sunset, and a rule has been passed that makes it illegal for groups of four or more persons to assemble in a public location. Accordingly, approximately 9,000 individuals from various areas have been relocated to secure sites run by the military and the government.

The worst of the violence occurred in the main city of the state, Imphal, when mobs ran berserk and attacked tribal people, their homes, and their churches. As per The Guardian, in Manipur, located in the northeastern part of the country, Sanatomba searched among the wreckage of his sister's house, hoping to find something of worth. Still, all he was able to find was a traditional stool.

The chief minister of Manipur state, N Biren Singh, stated that approximately 230 people were wounded, and 1,700 houses were burned down due to skirmishes between the overwhelming number of Meitei people, who are predominantly Hindu, and the largely Christian Kuki tribe. Around 35,000 locals have left their houses for protection from the ad-hoc army run for refugees being handled by the military. Meanwhile, numerous troops have been sent to restore order.

Also Read:Diocese of Temuco's Catholic Community Says No to Violence Following Fire That Destroyed Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel

Violence in India

According to a report from Christianity Today, looting gangs have been responsible for the deaths of at least six individuals and the destruction or burning of 25 churches in India. Since Wednesday, May 3, thousands of victims, the vast majority of whom are Christians, have fled as their houses and places of business have been set ablaze.

Although conflicts over ownership rights and financial interests have existed between the state's ethnic groupings for many years, local officials said that church burnings result from the emergence of Hindu nationalism among the dominant Meite community.

These tensions have existed even though tensions have existed between the state's ethnic groups for decades. Furthermore, Singh referred to the conflict as a "prevailing misunderstanding between two communities" and stated that his administration was dedicated to defending "the lives and property of all our people."

Related Article: Thousands of Indians Christians Participate at Historic Delhi Gathering to Call Attention of Government Following Christian Violence
Pixabay/Romy

A recent announcement confirmed that the Church of St. John the Evangelist, commonly known as Red Roof Church, will be closing its doors. Thus, some Christians voiced their sadness upon receiving the news.

Church's Closure

The Reason reported that Father Keith Schmidt, the pastor of St. John's Church, said the parish is not exempt from the widespread fall in church attendance throughout Quebec. The church is having difficulty since there are fewer people attending services regularly.

This contrasts starkly with the surrounding neighborhood, which, in recent years, has witnessed a surge in the amount of new development that has taken place. For this reason, St. John's has been mulling over the possibility of redeveloping its hall into a new facility. The new structure would then be able to be rented out long-term, and the cash generated from this would be used to support the church's ongoing operations.

According to Schmidt, his church has done everything it can with its existing buildings to sustain its activities. It includes renting out its hall to musical performers and the church to film crews from movies. However, they should have addressed the more systemic and long-term monetary issues they face. The burden is only made worse by the financial resources for researching the possibility of redeveloping the parish hall.

A recent report from CBA News stated that the Red Roof Church, which has been around for 162 years and is known for its distinctive red roof, is now up for sale. Moreover, over the past twenty years, Abioseh Cromanty has been going to mass at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in the downtown area of Montreal. She is one of the people taking the news with a sorrowful heart.

"This is my home and I have not thought beyond its closing yet, I still walk in faith and still hope there will be some remedy, really," she noted. In addition, Father Schmidt asserted that they did everything they could to save the church, yet there was no other way than to close it. The church building has reportedly deteriorated into a dilapidated state. After nearly seventy years of conducting business within the walls of the historic church, one of these organizations, St. Michael's Mission, was ordered in December to move its operations out of the building.

As per Schmidt, the mission was forced to relocate because the congregation needed more financial resources to keep up the part of the building that belonged to the objective. Thus, its lease was not renewed.

The pastor explained that there are insurance-related expenses of over $30,000. The costs of maintaining the building are in addition to the expenditures of providing heat and electricity, which total at least another $90,000. Furthermore, the state government has provided the church with some financial assistance. Schmidt estimated it was around one million dollars over the past twenty years, yet more is needed to bring the building up to code.

Also Read: 12 Catholic Schools in New York Archdiocese to Shutdown Due to Financial Instability

About the Church of St. John the Evangelist

Since its founding in 1861, the Church of St. John the Evangelist has remained true to the purpose established by its founder, Father Edmund Wood, to defend all aspects of Catholic beliefs and practices within the Anglican Communion.

As mentioned, a strong sense of Catholic tradition can be found at St. John's University. It involves an orthodox and devoted religious and fundamental perspective, a caring and compassionate view of moral and humanitarian problems, a full liturgical calendar, a liturgy devoted to the Western Rite, and a rich and varied musical giving well as a spiritual life that is diverse.

Related Article:St. Bernard Church Now Up For Sale For $250,000 Following Deconsecration in 2022
Unsplash/Sophie Emeny

A Baltimore church discovered one of its LGBTQ+ Pride flags torn outside the congregation on Sunday. Light Street Presbyterian Church in Federal Hill has been an LGBTQ-affirming church since 1996.

Baltimore Church's LGBTQ+ Pride Flag Torn, Police Investigate Incident as Hate Crime

According to the report of CBS News, following reports that a man attempted to rip a pride flag from the Light Street Presbyterian Church in Federal Hill, Baltimore, police are looking into whether a hate crime has occurred. Around 4 p.m., police were sent to the area on Monday to look into the property damage.

Police say a witness saw an unidentified individual attempt to remove the pride flag by climbing the church's external wall and hanging from it. The flag was torn in half but still hung from the church in a picture taken during the incident.

Authorities have acknowledged that they are looking for a suspect in relation to the incident right now and that this event brings to light the persistent difficulties LGBTQ+ people and their allies have in keeping safe spaces in their communities.

According to WMAR 2 ABC News, the church's pastor, Tim Hughes Williams, expressed sorrow at the occurrence and noted that the congregation was located in a community and city that was generally encouraging. Hughes said they were ready for this time because they are a very visible LGBTQ-affirming congregation.

Hughes went on to say that many people find refuge in churches and that, for certain people, churches are the safest locations. He emphasized that the flags serve as a reminder of the purpose behind their display, as do the reactions they elicit. Hughes said he felt as though the incident had violated this hallowed space.

Also Read: Persistent Vandalism at United Methodist Church in Chicago Prompts Pastor to Seek Police Intervention

Related Incidents Involving Attacking of LGBTQ+ Inclusive Churches

In a similar incident, Christianity Daily also shared a report involving the attacking of churches that are inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. Despite recent difficulties, The Stratham Community Church, well-known for its longtime support of the LGBTQ+ community, remains unwavering in its commitment to inclusivity and love. The church has proudly flown a rainbow-colored flag to represent its commitment to accepting persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities for almost 20 years.

Since 2005, Pastor Westley Conn and his congregation have actively promoted inclusivity in public, fostering a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for everyone who enters the church. Since someone took down the pride flag in March, the neighborhood has had to deal with hardship. Unfazed, the church swiftly changed the flag, only to have it taken down once more in April.

Kristen Dussault, the office manager of the Stratham Community Church, replied to the incidents by restating the church's dedication to inclusivity and tolerance. She stated that the police had been notified about the incidents and committed to keep assisting the LGBTQ+ community.

The Startham community church is commited to continue giving their full support and love for everyone no matter what the sexual orientation that they have. The congregation's tenacity in the face of difficulty conveys a potent message of hope and harmony to the neighborhood it serves.

Related Article: Stratham Enhances LGBTQ+ Flag Display After Being Stolen Two Times
Pixabay/Alexa

Before April ends, a 15-year-old man reportedly broke into St. John's Church at 66 Oxford Road. He allegedly used a stone to shatter the glass door of the church.

Vandalism at St. John's Church

A report from Local SYR.com stated that on Saturday night, Apr. 29, the New Hartford Police Department arrived at St. John's Church at approximately 11:30 p.m. upon receiving a report of a burglary in progress from a resident who called 911 to report seeing three individuals near the church who seemed to be breaking in.

As police approached, the citizen told them they believed several individuals were attempting to enter the rectory by shattering the glass on the door. The three suspects reportedly fled the scene as soon as law enforcement arrived, causing the responding police officers to pursue them before they were finally captured.

In addition, the New Hartford Police Department conducted further investigations, which led to the discovery that the glass panel in the church door had been shattered due to a rock being thrown at it.

As per WKTV, due to the destruction, authorities arrested a male minor aged 15 and charged him with fourth-degree criminal mischief. However, because of the man's young age, his name will not be made public.

After being processed, the teenager was turned over to his parents. The Oneida County Probation Department has been responsible for looking into this matter. The money required to restore the damage to the church door is undetermined, and the filing of additional charges is still pending.

Also Read:Emmanuel Christian Community Vandalized With Satanic Graffiti For the Second Time

Other Vandalism Made By Teenagers in Churches

KSL TV5 reported that a church facility that belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was broken into and vandalized. The police have identified two teenagers they suspect are responsible for the crimes.

As mentioned, Perry Police Department claims that on Nov. 11, 2022, authorities responded to a complaint of vandalism and burglary at a church located at 9001 W. 2450 South.

Damage caused by the vandalism included tearing up paintings, destroying things in the chapel, breaking glass, damaging an organ and piano, and tearing down the cooking area. Since the structure and its facilities sustained such severe damage, the church meetings scheduled for Sunday morning were called off.

Furthermore, Ozarks First reported another act of vandalism. Accordingly, after filming themselves firing at a church and releasing the video online, four teenagers are now facing hate crimes charges.

Two of those charged are minors, ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, while the remaining two are identified as 18-year-olds Zacory Thomas Stauffer and Bryce D. Martin.

At 3:50 a.m. on Mar. 18, an individual contacted the Morgan County Sheriff's Office to report that he saw a vehicle pull up to the ClearView Church and someone inside firing a gun at it. A deputy found multiple 9mm shell casings at the church.

Additionally, the police officers returned later that morning to gather additional proof. They discovered other round shells and tallied a minimum of 52 bullet holes throughout the church.

The sheriff's office received gunfire reports around 11 a.m. A Snapchat video reportedly shows four men in a Pontiac Grand Am or Gran Prix sipping Busch Light and blasting pistols out through the windows, and they were all identified.

Related Article: St. Paul's Church Increases Security; Vandalizers Could Face Imprisonment Up to 5 Years, $11,000 Fine
Ever since COVID-19 gave parents a direct Zoom feed into the challenges faced by the public education system in North America, theres been growing momentum for policy change. Even The Economist, often skeptical of school choice, recently reported on the new wave of education reform. The movement has intensified, with debates about critical race theory increasingly becoming the focus of legislation and litigation.

Oklahoma recently pushed the debate into new territory with a proposal for a Catholic charter school primarily funded by taxpayers.

The key question in this case is not whether a charter would help or harm local education, writes Charles Russo for The Conversation, but whether explicitly religious instruction at charter schools is constitutional.

As debates continue, those in favor of school choice argue that enabling parents to select the best school and curricula for their children is a logical expression of the ancient principle in loco parentis. In the context of schooling, the Latin phrase means teachers act on behalf of parents and answer to them.

An alternate, more practical argument is that competition between schools produces better accountability, greater innovation, and more options that a public education monopoly is hard pressed to match.

Those opposed to school choice typically argue that a single public education system provides greater equality for all students and helps overcome class, religious, and other social distinctions. In their view, a uniform education ensures no child is left behind.

While this side of the debate avoids any suggestion of indoctrination, the National Education Association tweeted last November that educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive. They are enthusiastically opposed to the principle of in loco parentis.

However, the politics of education hinge on a false dichotomy between public and private spheres. The framing itself is unhelpful. In advancing the debate, we need to celebrate choice and diversity in education, both inside and outside government-run institutions. All schools serve the public and contribute to the common good, and our systems should reflect that.

As a parent and a professional, Ive never been a neutral observer to this debate. I was raised in a community that valued Christian education. While all but my elementary education took place in the public school system, as a father, I chose independent options and was prepared to pay for them. My time at Cardus Education also reflects my views. I served as the original program director for Cardus, which has become a leader in studying educational pluralism.

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As an advocate for this pluralistic approach, I believe that every form of education, including government-run schools, should in theory enable parental rights. But in our current system, parents often have to opt out of public institutions to achieve meaningful expression of those rights. Thats a huge flaw.

Part of the remedy is redefining public schooling to include all education that contributes to the commonwealth. When we use the term education system, we shouldnt think about a single network of schools (government-run or otherwise) where private ones lie outside that space. Instead, we need to see all schools as participating in the development of the next generation of workers, neighbors, and voters who will together build a flourishing society.

Christians are among the many groups with a vested interest in seeing private education folded into public systems. We want faith-learning integration in the classroom, and we want that integrated approach to be legitimated, not marginalized.

Practically, what would it look like to reframe the debate? Beyond the paradigm shift in our thinking and conversations, pulling on a few policy levers would make an outsized difference.

First, end redlining in public school districts by opening boundaries between schools. Second, dont prohibit the growth of public charter schools. They allow innovators to meet localized needs. Third, use mechanisms like education savings accounts (ESAs) to provide opportunity for more students (especially the socioeconomically disadvantaged) to access independent or faith-based schools. And, finally, use ESAs or tax-credit programs to support the work happening in the fastest-growing school sector: homeschooling.

Theres little doubt that education is changing significantly. Advocates of independent education celebrated 2021 as the year of school choice, with 18 separate initiatives passed that year. The movement isnt without struggle, however. School choice promoters recently faced setbacks in Texas and Georgia even as they celebrated victories in Iowa, Utah, and Arkansas.

It will take time to see the impact of these policy reforms, but we can get a sneak peek by studying initiatives that have been in place for decades. The city of Milwaukee, for example, has two 5-star rated schools with significant turnaround stories.

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At St. Marcus Lutheran, which was near closing in 1998, vouchers made it possible to increase enrollment over time from 100 students to about 1,000. The school serves a primarily African American community in North Milwaukee. The private Christian school Augustine Prep, which started in 2017 in the predominantly Latino South Side, will soon be educating up to 2,400 students. Since its opening, the surrounding community has seen a significant decrease in crime rates.

In the midst of these developments, groups on both sides of the issue continue to cultivate public support for their causes. But making any progress will be difficult unless we move beyond binary debates into a new, inclusive space.

As I watch the conversation from my perch at Cardus, I am more and more convinced that the key to meaningful change involves replacing the framework of public-versus-private with an overall respect for each others diverse methods of serving the common good.

Ray Pennings is the executive vice president of the nonpartisan think tank Cardus.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin 10PARIS207 2010-02-22 14:02 2010-12-06 21:09 CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN Embassy Paris VZCZCXRO2986 PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR DE RUEHFR #0207/01 0531431 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 221431Z FEB 10 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8368 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 000207 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL RS GG SR BK AF IR AM FR SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA ON RUSSIA, BALKANS, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, CAUCASUS Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew R. Young, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d). 1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: During separate discussions with OSD Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow and EUR Deputy Assistant Secretary Spencer Boyer in early February, Roland Galharague, MFA A/S-equivalent for Continental Europe, adopted a defensive posture about the potential sale of Mistral class ships to Russia; expressed skepticism about the depth and durability of Russia's support for sanctions against Iran; acknowledged Putin's dominance in Russia while proposing, as a means to strengthen Medvedev, that we respond positively to his proposals for reforming European security and holding an OSCE summit; asserted that Serbia cannot win back Kosovo and also win entry into the EU; expressed pessimism about the future of Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations and about the impact of instability in Iran on Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia; and claimed that Bosnia and Afghanistan could become difficult issues for trans-Atlantic relations this year because of the USG's alleged disengagement from Bosnia and its alleged failure to consult adequately with European NATO allies on strategy in Afghanistan. END SUMMARY. ----------------------------------------- MISTRAL: FRENCH ADOPT A DEFENSIVE POSTURE ----------------------------------------- 2. (C/NF) When asked about the potential sale of Mistral class ships to Russia, Galharague inquired as to why the USG seems to be singling out France for criticism on this issue. "I recently spoke to my Dutch counterpart," he reported, "and he said you have not approached him on this subject" despite recent Dutch (and Spanish) efforts to make similar sales. Furthermore, the Mistral is not "top end" military equipment, Galharague argued, describing it instead as a combination between "a truck and an oil ship" with some helpful navigation tools. It will not contribute significantly to Russian military capabilities. Russian leaders have been over-selling the military significance of the Mistral in order to quell domestic opposition to its purchase from abroad. Some Russians consider the sale a harbinger of the end of shipbuilding in their country, and claim the ship could be built at home but would simply take longer. The production and sale of armaments is a major industry in Russia, possibly second only to oil and gas. In his February 10 press conference, the Chairman of Russia's National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, seemed "very reticent" about the possible sale, according to Galharague. 4. (C/NF) Asked about Georgia's reaction to the possible sale, Galharague insisted that France has maintained "very good" relations with Tbilisi. The GOF "strategy" for Georgia to recover its lost territory is to persuade the Tblisi government to engage with the leaders of the secessionist territories and to continue on their path toward EU accession. The demands of accession -- such as internal democratic reforms and good relations with their neighbors -- will serve Georgia and the region well. Nonetheless, Galharague acknowledged that Tbilisi has good reason to fear Russia, given their recent history. This ship will not, however, affect their strategic situation, Galharague argued: "The Russians have already invaded Georgia without the ship." 5. (C/NF) While acknowledging that Georgia and the Baltic countries feel threatened by Russia -- with reason -- Galharague concluded that Russia is not a threat to us and there is no reason we should not sell equipment to them which does not fall into the realm of restricted armaments. The Mistral class ship does not contain high end or sensitive technology, he insisted. ------------------------------------------- RUSSIA'S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAN ------------------------------------------- 6. (C/NF) The Russians are currently benefiting from their helpful statements on Iran while realizing full well that China will water down any sanctions proposals, Galharague asserted. When praising Russia's new stance, he argued, we should be cognizant of their complicated relationship with Iran. Russians have an interest in strong ties with Tehran, especially because Iran is still a primary market for Russian arms sales. On the other hand, were Iran to normalize its relations with western governments, it could develop into a major Russian rival for gas sales to the European market. To balance various and competing elements of its relationship with Iran, Russia has an interest in serving as a "go-between" in the conflict between Iran and the west. In fact, Galharague claimed, Russian leaders were furious when Turkey recently started to seize that mantel. --------------------- MEDVEDEV VERSUS PUTIN --------------------- 7. (C/NF) When discussing the comparative influence of President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, Galharague claimed that Medvedev, whose initial gut reactions to events clearly differ from those of Putin, is trying to assemble his own power bases independent of the former President. In the meantime, "power still rests with Putin," Galharague assessed. Putin, not Medvedev, constantly juggles and balances competing domestic interests in Russia. As a case in point, Galharague cited the Russian government's reaction to the financial crisis. After the government painstakingly established a mechanism for determining how to divide stimulus funds among various economic sectors and private interests, Putin simply decided unilaterally who would receive state support. In general, Galharague observed, Putin much prefers to focus on domestic issues rather than foreign policy. Putin prefers cutting deals in the murky Russian business world to delving into the complexities of international politics. --------------------------------------------- ------------- STRENGTHEN MEDVEDEV BY RESPONDING TO HIS SECURITY PROPOSAL --------------------------------------------- ------------- 8. (C/NF) Galharague described the long-standing French effort to strengthen Medvedev by respecting his official role as president of Russia, regardless of Putin's competing power and influence. "We treat Medvedev as president and address presidential issues with him." They also seek to validate Medvedev's initiatives, regardless of the substantive content, in order to reward his efforts to put new ideas forward. As an important example, Galharague mentioned Medvedev's proposal for revamping European security architecture. Medvedev invested a lot of political capital in this effort, Galharague argued, and we should provide a positive response, even if we do not accept the proposals. For this reason, President Sarkozy sent Medvedev a letter of acknowledgment after receiving the proposal. Tying this approach to USG policy toward Russia, Galharague several times asked how the USG plans to measure the success of the "reset" with Russia? The French, he said, would like to know whether the USG has established benchmarks for progress, and they wonder how START negotiations might fit into this equation. ------------------------------------------- EUROPEAN SECURITY: GOF SUPPORTS OSCE SUMMIT ------------------------------------------- 9. (C/NF) Galharague stated that the French largely agree with us about how to address questions of European security, except in one area: they support the idea of an OSCE summit. While Paris concurs with the USG analysis that the Russian proposals for reforming Europe's security institutions contain a number of "unacceptable" elements, he argued that we must understand that "we're playing a game of judo  we do not want to give the Russians a pretext to claim they're being ignored." He added that the Russians are adept at manipulation. "We constantly feel like we have a better hand but they're playing a better game -- it's the same in business and economic arenas." Claims of disrespect by western nations resonate in Russian domestic politics, to our detriment, he warned. Therefore, we must emphasize the positive elements of the Russian proposal and communicate a sincere willingness to engage. An OSCE summit can help with these aims, Galharague argued, and at the same time support the Corfu process. A summit would need to involve at least a minimum number of substantive issues, such as regional conflicts or the status of conventional forces in Europe, but by agreeing to move ahead with the summit we would put the onus back on Russia. --------------------------------------------- ----- BALKANS: SERBS CAN'T WIN IN BOTH KOSOVO AND THE EU --------------------------------------------- ----- 10. (C/NF) Galharague asked that the USG work together with the EU to discourage the Serbians from proposing a new U.N. resolution on Kosovo, stating that Serbian Foreign Minister Jeremic "seems to believe Serbia can win on Kosovo and win EU entry. We need to let him know this is not true." Right now, Galharague reported, "the Serbs are furious with us (the French)" in response to the demarche the GOF delivered in Belgrade in early February (reftel) about Serbia's possible plans for a U.N. resolution. "We delivered the message in very forceful terms." In fact, the Serbs interpreted the demarche as a major change in position, Galharague reported. The EU had thus far maintained the position that the issues of Kosovo and Serbian entry into the EU were not formally linked. "There was no formal conditionality," Galharague said, adding that the Serbs now understand that to be a member of the EU they must eventually recognize Kosovo. "We told them we do not want another Cyprus," he explained, referring to Cyprus' controversial EU accession in 2004 as a divided island where EU legislation remains partly "suspended" in the northern part of the island which is outside of the government in Nicosia's control. Nonetheless, Galharague predicted the Serbs will likely go ahead with the U.N. resolution in any case, and the USG and the EU will be forced to oppose it. 11. (C/NF) Furthermore, Galharague asserted, before the Serbs join the EU, they will need to resolve key issues with Kosovo in the fields of justice, police, customs, transport, griculture, and also any differences over names and terminology. The best way for Serbia to address issues related to Kosovo is by working with the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). "At the end of the day, though," he reiterated, "Serbia must recognize Kosovo if it wants to join the EU." ------------------------------ PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE CAUCASUS ------------------------------ 12. (C/NF) The Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations appear to be at a "dead end," Galharague averred, adding that "Minsk (The Minsk Group) is going nowhere fast." He noted that the French government is not in a position to push the Armenians at the moment because French citizens of Armenian origin "represent about 500,000 votes" and French regional elections will take place in March. Other actors may soon impact the Caucasus region, he warned, such as instability in Iran. Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan all have important trade and energy ties with Iran and they could be immediately affected by the Iran sanctions bill currently making its way through the U.S. Congress. At the same time, the effort to impose harsher U.N. sanctions may offer us an opportunity to further engage with those three countries about their approach to Iran. --------------------------------------------- ---- FUTURE USG-EU FLASHPOINTS: BOSNIA AND AFGHANISTAN --------------------------------------------- ---- 13. (C/NF) When assessing potential issue areas where the USG and EU may differ during 2010, Galharague focused first on Bosnia. He said the French are disappointed that the USG appears to have put all plans and actions on hold pending the elections in October. Indeed, he implied that U.S. and EU officials have differing assessments of the need for continual engagement with the conflicting parties in Bosnia. Bosnian parties will not make progress without unity between the U.S. and the EU. When the Americans disengage, even temporarily, Galharague claimed the Bosnians perceive it immediately and react accordingly: "The Americans are giving up, so why should we do this (make compromises)?" The USG, the Spanish EU presidency, and High Representative Ashton should lead the charge in engaging this year -- "we need U.S. backing now," he urged. As a lever to press the Bosnians forward on constitutional issues, the EU may be able to use the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which declared that the Bosnian Constitution does not conform with European human rights standards. 14. (C/NF) Galharague described Afghanistan as the second potential trans-Atlantic flashpoint in 2010: "There is an emerging feeling the war is not jointly owned and managed." President Obama waited eight months to make a decision and, during that period, at no point did European opinion factor into his deliberations, according to Galharague. DAS Boyer firmly disagreed, citing USG consultations and discussions with French officials in Paris and in Washington, DC. Galharague acknowledged these discussions took place, but claimed the question Americans posed to their European NATO allies was not "What do you think?" but "How many troops can you put on the ground?". More recently, he said, the USG has begun contemplating engagement with elements of the Taliban without consulting European NATO allies. The French would like to know, for instance, what this engagement might mean for our future relations with Pakistan and India. 15. (C/NF) In purely political terms, Galharague explained that Afghanistan has developed into a difficult issue, especially in France. With the French death toll in Afghanistan having reached 40, he noted, local politicians have found themselves increasingly faced with grieving families, to whom they must explain the purpose of the war. "The perception is that we're there because the Americans are there," he said. "We're not sure where we're going and we're not being asked or consulted." Initially, the majority of Europeans supported the war in Afghanistan, invoking Article Five of the NATO Charter and committing a "fairly high" amount of troops and resources. But now "no one knows the purpose" of the war. "Perhaps the French government should have made a better show of the consultations" that did take place, Galharague admitted, "but to display them you have to have them." 16. (C/NF) EMBASSY COMMENT: Galharague is not ultimately responsible for the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which is handled by a separate cell within the MFA, so his comments may not reflect the views of those who regularly engage with the USG on this issue. Notably, when discussing public and official perceptions of the war in Afghanistan, he made no mention of SRAP Holbrooke's two visits to Paris in the last three months, or post's constant exchanges about Afghanistan with French officials at the senior and working levels. Galharague focused on a perception of minimal consultation, which he admitted could persist regardless of reality. END COMMENT. 17. (U) ASD Vershbow and DAS Boyer have cleared this cable.RIVKIN
Historic 182-year-old Alabama church closes its doors due to dwindling attendance

After 182 years of operation, a historic church in Birmingham, Alabama, held its final service before closing its doors for good, citing dwindling attendance numbers as the reason.

The Five Mile Presbyterian Church held its final service on Sunday. Following the closure, the churchs original building and cemetery will be placed in a trust to maintain the building as a historical site, as NBC News affiliate WVTM 13 reported.

Sharon Eich, the lay pastor of Five Mile Presbyterian Church, said in an interview with the local news station that there is a certain sadness to the church's closure. Eich has been at the church since 2002, WVTM added.

It has been a blessing in my life over the years, Eich said. She highlighted some of the churchs community outreach efforts, including First Light, a ministry that creates a nurturing community for homeless and abused women.

When Eich began serving as a pastor at the church, the congregation had around 40 people, and by the time of the churchs closure, that number was down to nine.

Walter Chesser, a former member of the church, recalled that he and his sister started attending the church around the late '40s and early '50s. After worshiping at the church for decades, Chesser and his family must now find a new church to join, which he hopes will be Presbyterian.

Its sad to be in the group that says we are closing, Chesser told WVTM.

Eich told al.com that many members have passed away or started living in nursing homes and are no longer able ot attend services. University of Georgia professor John Knox, the son of the Rev. Harold Knox, said the congregation members had distinctive personalities.

Their task in life was to help others, Knox said. It was always about faith that did things.

The professor delivered a historical presentation during the churchs final Sunday service. The congregation of the historic church was founded in 1841, predating the city of Birmingham by 30 years. The church expanded, and in 1880, the white clapboard wooden church was built.

By the time of the churchs closure, the building could hold 30 people and did not have any modern amenities, such as air-conditioning or bathrooms. Eich noted that the building also did not have any heat or running water.

Regarding the church and an adjoining Civil War-era cemetery, the plan is to place that in a trust. The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, an administrative unit, will own the 1958 brick sanctuary and fellowship hall, which will likely be sold to another congregation, according to Eich.

The 182-year-old church in Alabama is not the only historic church that recently closed its doors due to dwindling attendance.

As The Christian Post previously reported, members of Christ Church UMC in Southwick, Massachusetts, voted in May 2022 to permanently disband the congregation on July 1 of that year.

When the church opened in 1816, it consisted of just eight members who would meet in their homes and district schoolhouses. Methodist ministers known as circuit riders traveled by horseback to preach to various towns.

Over the years, the community expanded and grew in size. However, church officials accepted around 2019 that they were at the end of an era, citing an aging population and diminishing numbers.

Carol Jones, who was christened at the church and whose brother served as a treasurer for 40 years, told Mass Live that she foresaw the churchs end after younger people moved away.

Another member, Carol Locke, who had been a part of the church for 22 years, agreed. Locke said that much of the revenue-generating work of the church required younger people whom the church didnt have enough of anymore.

We are a very old congregation. Most of us are over 80 and we cant do the potluck dinners and the craft fairs and all that kind of stuff, she said. It has been (a big part of her life), but unfortunately, I think the time has come.

The churchs final Sunday service consisted of 30 people, closing after 206 years. Following the churchs closure, the Rev. Ken Blanchard decided that it was time to retire.

The time has come for this congregation of Christs holy church to disband and take leave of this building, he said during the churchs last worship service. It has served our holy faith well. It is fitting, therefore, that we should take leave of this consecrated house, lifting up our hearts in thanksgiving for this common store of memories.  This is my farewell to pastoral service.
193 churches in Alabama, Florida leave United Methodist Church

A regional body of The United Methodist Church has voted to approve the disaffiliation of 193 congregations in Alabama and Florida, joining nearly 3,000 churches that have recently left the mainline Protestant denomination.

At a special called session Saturday, the UMC Alabama-West Florida Conference voted to ratify the disaffiliation votes of 193 congregations, representing 38% of the churches of the regional body and 39% of its membership.

AWFUMC Bishop David Graves said in a statement Saturday that it was a somber day in the life of the Alabama-West Florida Conference.

We grieve in saying farewell to the 193 churches disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church and wish them the best in ministry, said Graves. Many of these churches have dedicated clergy and laity who truly desire to serve God and their communities.

I especially want to thank those churches who have decided to remain United Methodist and those who heard my call to refrain from holding discussions around leaving the denomination until we have more information.

The recent wave of disaffiliations brings the total number of congregations that have left the conference since June of last year to 233 churches, with 35 disaffiliating last November.

This has been a labor-intensive and emotional process for our cabinet and staff, Graves added. In the most difficult of times, I see so many signs of hope and renewal.

Today, we are turning a page in the Alabama-West Florida and will be focusing on life-giving and life-changing ministry. Im excited to see the Kingdom work this conference and connection will accomplish with Gods guidance.

Although the conference voted to allow these congregations to disaffiliate, the regional body remains in a legal battle with a local church over its efforts to leave the denomination.

Harvest Church of Dothan, which voted to leave the UMC back in January, has sued the Alabama-West Florida Conference to try and secure the rights to their church campus.

Last month, Houston County Circuit Judge Chris Richardson rejected a request by the UMC to dismiss the departing churchs lawsuit, reported WTVY, and rejected a request to remove the UMC General Conference from the litigation.

Since last year, large numbers of congregations in the United States have decided to leave the UMC, largely because of concerns over the theological direction of the denomination and its ongoing debate over homosexuality.

Although the UMC presently bans the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions, many theological progressives have refused to enforce or follow these rules.

On the same day that the Alabama-West Florida Conference voted to allow 193 churches to leave the UMC, the UMC Western North Carolina Conference voted to allow 192 congregations in their regional body to leave the denomination.

According to numbers compiled by the United Methodist publication UM News, as of Tuesday, 2,996 churches have left the UMC since 2019, with most voting to do so in 2022 and this year.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes PBS funding over 'indoctrination and sexualization of our children'

The governor of Oklahoma has vetoed a bill that would provide funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, citing concerns about programming that engages in indoctrination and over-sexualization of our children.

On April 26, Oklahomas Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed House Bill 2820, which would have extended funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority through 2026. The measure received bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled state Senate as well as the Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives, with all but seven members of the Senate supporting the legislation while no members of the House opposed it. All seven members of the Senate who voted against continued funding for the OETA were Republicans.

Two-thirds majorities in both chambers are required to override Stitts veto. The measure received the support of more than two-thirds of legislators in both the Senate and the House, suggesting that an override is possible.

Stitt detailed his concerns about continued funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, which is the Oklahoma affiliate of PBS, partly funded by taxpayers, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

When you go through all of the programming thats happening, indoctrination and oversexualization of our children, its just really problematic and it doesnt line up with Oklahoma values, he said.

Some of the programming that were seeing on OETA is The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, parents defend child transitions, he added. It just doesnt need to be on public television and when you add the fact that Oklahoma tax dollars are funding that, thats where the Oklahoma taxpayers are going Hey, hang on, time out for just a second, thats not my values.

As noted in an op-ed piece published in The Christian Post earlier this year, PBS featured a drag queen who goes by the name Lil Miss Hot Mess reading the book he wrote, titled The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish in a 2021 segment of the Lets Learn TV series marketed at young children. Additional examples of the inclusion of LGBT ideology in recent PBS programming include same-sex weddings on The Odd Squad and Arthur. Like Lets Learn, the target audience for The Odd Squad and Arthur is young children.

Stitts effort to defund OETA comes as Citizens Defending Freedom, a national nonprofit organization, is calling on the federal government to strip taxpayer funding from PBS. As the organization explained, PBS has compiled a curriculum for schoolteachers, which includes a digital toolkit devoted to Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity.

A screenshot from the toolkit reveals that its purpose is to integrate LGBTQ+ history and narratives into U.S. History and English classrooms. Citizens Defending Freedom is also expressing concern about the inclusion of a video called All Oppression is Connected in a professional development guide for teachers.

The video claims: If you line up all the people who are against the black people, and all the people who are against the gay people, and all the people who are against poor women or abortion, chances are theyre related to each other, they know each other, and so therefore, its the same enemy.

CDF Chief Communications Officer Kristin Huber addressed the rationale behind the call to defund PBS at the federal level in a statement:

PBS is clearly engaged in promoting inappropriate LGBTQ+ and Critical Race Theory propaganda to our children. Their LGBTQ+Identity Kit is clearly a partisan effort to brainwash teachers and students, sowing seeds of division and hatred in an environment that should seek to protect our children, not use them as political pawns. Were calling on the federal government to immediately strip PBS of its funding. American taxpayers should not be forced to fund questionable curriculum for our children.
Texas lawmaker calling Ten Commandments in schools 'deeply un-Christian' opposed ban on sexually explicit materials in libraries Rep. Talarico misquotes Jesus, suggests placing Commandments in schools is 'idolatrous' in hearing

A Texas state lawmaker who voted against rating pornographic materials in school libraries is leading a legislative effort to oppose the placing of the Ten Commandments in public schools.

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, has accused his Republican colleagues of trying to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom under a bill passed last month by the state Senate.

Introduced by Republican state Sen. Phil King, Senate Bill 1515 would require Texas public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom by amending current law related to how such displays are regulated in public schools.

But Talarico  whose Twitter bio describes him as a former middle school teacher, proud progressive, and eighth generation Texan and quotes 1 John 4:8  said during a public education committee hearing on May 2 that he believes SB1515 is unconstitutional and deeply un-Christian.

During the hearing, Talarico addressed the bills author, state Rep. Candy Noble, R-Plano, by acknowledging what he said was their shared faith in Christ.

I know you're a devout Christian, and so am I, said Talarico. This bill to me is not only unconstitutional, it's not only un-American, I think it is also deeply un-Christian.

And I say that because I believe this bill is idolatrous, I believe it is exclusionary, and I believe it is arrogant. And those three things, in my reading of the Gospel, are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus.

Talarico went on to paraphrase part of Jesus Sermon on the Mount in an apparent argument against publicly proclaiming the Gospel.

You probably know Matthew 6:5 when Jesus says, Don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners. When you pray, go into your room and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.

A religion that has to force people to put up a poster to prove its legitimacy is a dead religion. And it's not one that I want to be a part of, it's not one that I think I am a part of.

Talarico also misquoted the words of Jesus when he attempted to apply Jesus command to love our neighbor to those who are not Christians.

We both follow a teacher, a rabbi, who said, 'Don't let the law get in the way of loving your neighbor. Loving your neighbor is the most important law. It is the summation of all the law and all the prophets, said Talarico, misquoting Matthew 22, in which Jesus teaches that loving God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mindis the first and greatest commandment.

Talarico added, I would submit to you that our neighbor also includes the Hindu student who sits in a classroom, the Buddhist student who sits in a classroom, and an atheist student who sits in a classroom.

And my question to you is, does this bill truly love those students?

Talarico then suggested the Ten Commandments bill itself is idolatrous according to the Second Commandment, which forbids the making of carved images to worship.

The idea is that some people would try to make an object  maybe two tablets  to worship rather than worshiping the God behind those two tablets. Are you worried that this bill is idolatrous? he asked.

Absolutely not, said Noble.

The Christian Post is awaiting comment from Talarico as of Tuesday evening. This story will be updated if a response is received.

In March, Talarico was one of two Democrats who voted against legislation that would prohibit sexually explicit materials in schools and require parents to opt-in their child in order for them to access any sexually relevant material in school.

Known as the READER Act, House Bill 900, which was introduced by state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, is currently in the Senate Education Committee.

During a House committee hearing in March on HB 900, Talarico voiced concern to Patterson that classic works like Catcher in the Rye could be banned due to excessive use of profanity, and even suggested the Bible might fall under the category  an assertion Patterson rejected outright, according to The Texan.

Ultimately, Talarico voted along with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, against the bill, which passed the committee by a 10-2 vote.

Prior to the committee vote, Talarico retweeted a post that slammed HB 900 as Christian nationalist purity culture.

In an interview with Texas Freedom Network last December, Talarico revealed that in addition to serving his third term in the Texas House, he will be going to seminary in between legislative sessions and election cycles.

He also said that just as religion always pointed me toward politics ... now politics is pointing me back to religion.

As a progressive member of the Legislature, people often ask me where I got my politics. Theyre usually surprised when I say my church. Last session, I (accidentally) sparked some controversy with my invocation on the House floor. I guess after decades of hearing from the Religious Right, some people had forgotten what progressive Christianity sounds like.
18 Christian colleges close, merge campuses since beginning of COVID-19 pandemic

Eighteen of the dozens of colleges that have closed permanently or were forced to merge since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic were Christian colleges, according to a recent report.

Higher Ed Dive recently published a report on the closure or merging of dozens of colleges throughout the country, 18 of which were Christian colleges.

In addition to the pandemic, the group noted that factors such as the high cost of attending college, stagnating state funding, and a shrinking number of high school graduate enrollees have contributed to the decline.

The Christian Post reached out to Higher Ed Dive for this story. A response is pending.

Amanda Staggenborg, chief communications officer at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, a Christian higher education advocacy association with more than 185 member institutions, has noticed that the trend is impacting colleges across the board.

Staggenborg told The Christian Post that both secular and religious institutions have experienced an enrollment decline. She cited multiple reasons for the decline, including a drop in birth rates leading to a decreasing number of students graduating high school and fewer high school graduates seeking higher education.

As Staggenborg noted, Christian universities did not begin to see a decline in enrollment until 2016, six years after secular public universities started experiencing a drop in students.

Staggenborg pointed to a report last updated in May 2022 by the National Center for Education Statistics, which found that total undergraduate enrollment at undergraduate institutions had decreased by 9% between 2009 and 2020. The report believes that COVID-19 pandemic was the reason for most of the decline in 2020.

In contrast, total undergraduate enrollment is projected to increase by 8 percent (from 15.9 million to 17.1 million students) between 2020 and 2030, the report noted.

Staggenborg also cited the 2020 study, "Diversity and distance learning: An exploratory study of the relationships between online and minority enrollment at private nonprofit Christian colleges," which addressed the likely reasons behind the higher education enrollment decline.

According to that study, private nonprofit colleges feel the impact of declining enrollment of students ages 18 to 24 more strongly than larger public universities with more robust academic options.

Declining birth rates, changing national demographics, competition among colleges, and a strong economy have resulted in a decline in the number of new high school graduates seeking a traditional residential college experience, the study noted.

Staggenborg believes that Christian universities, in particular, can boost their enrollment by promoting their values and showing people what they have to gain by attending a faith-based institution over a secular one.

There is no better time to communicate the value of Christian higher education, Staggenborg said. Faith is rooted in Christian higher education, where a student is called to use God-given talents and gifts combined with the learned skills in that university setting to live out that calling or that vocation.

Earlier this year, CP reported on a conference titled "The Fate of the Religious University," which was held at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., and consisted of various panels discussing how religious universities can boost their enrollment, encouraging the institutions to lean into their religious identities.

Multiple panelists discussed strategies such as partnering with local businesses and allowing students to work on behalf of their community to help spread the campus culture.
Slain American missionary John Chau to be honored on 'Day of the Christian Martyr'

A prominent Christian persecution advocacy organization will honor the legacy and sacrifice of American missionary John Chau, who lost his life while taking the Gospel to a remote island in the Indian Ocean in 2018.

On Wednesday, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization serving persecuted Christians around the world, will add Chau's name to the 60-foot-long granite Martyr's Memorial at the ministry headquarters in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Chau was 26 years old when he was killed on Nov. 17, 2018, while on a mission to North Sentinel Island in the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal about 600 miles from mainland India.

Chau, a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, was killed by an indigenous tribe that lives in isolation from the rest of the world.

June 29 marks the Day of the Christian Martyr and the anniversary of the Apostle Paul's beheading in Rome. Throughout Church history, Christians worldwide have commemorated the lives of countless believers who've given their lives for Christ.

With the help of a fishing boat, Chau first made contact with the Sentinelese people  considered by many to be the "most isolated tribe on the planet"  on Nov. 15, 2018, according to VOM.

Later that day, a Sentinelese boy shot an arrow at Chau that lodged in the Bible he was holding.

In his journal that evening, Chau wrote: "God, I don't want to die  WHO WILL TAKE MY PLACE IF I DO? Forgive [the boy who shot me] and any of the people on this island who try to kill me, and especially forgive them if they succeed."

On the morning of Nov. 17, the fishermen who dropped Chau off on the island saw tribesmen burying his body on the beach.

Indian authorities called Chau's efforts to evangelize the unreached Sentinelese tribe a "misplaced adventure" in a highly restricted area. His death, which received international media attention, inspired much scrutiny of mission organizations trying to reach unreached and uncontacted tribes.

But Todd Nettleton, host of VOM Radio, told The Christian Post that a closer look at Chau's life and death reveal his Christ-like compassion, extensive training and preparation, and clear-headed conviction of his calling to the Sentinelese people.

"We as the Church should recognize those who follow Christ's call to go into all the world regardless of the cost. And John Chau is certainly an outstanding example of that," Nettleton said.

Far from being an impulsive adventurer, Nettleton says Chau first felt God's calling on his life after returning from his first mission trip as a teenager.

Nettleton said Chau spent time praying and preparing to go wherever God would call him, researching different people groups until he came across info online about the Sentinelese people.

"Every single decision he made was with an eye toward going to North Sentinel Island, meeting those people, learning their language, being able to share Christ with them," Nettleton said.

Nine years before his trip, Nettleton says Chau began preparing physically and spiritually for his journey.

Throughout college at Oral Roberts University, Chau took cold showers to prepare for life on the island, knowing he would be without hot water. He underwent laser eye surgery so he wouldn't have to worry about contact lenses.

Nettleton said that Chau also went through a training process with the Kansas City-based missionary organization All Nations under its Church Planting Experience program for future missionaries.

Chau took a linguistics training course sponsored by Wycliffe to pick up the Sentinelese language quickly. He earned a certification as a wilderness EMT with the idea of bringing medical assistance to the isolated island people.

Dr. Mary Ho, the international executive leader of All Nations International, called Chau one of the "most prepared missionaries she has ever met," according to Nettleton.

After Chau's death in 2018, Nettleton claimed there was a "lot of misinformation" floating around about the circumstances surrounding his death.

While some of that may have been Chau's own design to protect anyone who might go after him, Nettleton added: "So much of the misinformation about John was that lack of preparation, like he woke up one morning and just decided to go to North Sentinel Island."

"That is so far from the truth," Nettleton assured.

While Chau believed in God's calling on his life, he wasn't shy about expressing doubt about sharing the Gospel with hostile and unpredictable people groups.

In a video Chau made for a church supporting his mission, Nettleton said Chau was wondering whether he was truly called to the island after his first scouting trip to the area.

As he took off from Port Blair, leaving to come back to the U.S., Nettleton says Chau glanced out the airplane window and saw the sight of an island he instantly recognized from photos he had up on the wall of his college dorm.

Chau knew the island by name and knew where he was headed.

"He said in that moment, it was like God just completely confirmed, 'You're the one I want, you're the one I'm calling, that's the place I'm calling you to, I want you to go there,'" Nettleton said.

In his journal, the night before he went ashore for what would be the final time, Chau also expressed doubt.

"I believe that the measure of success in the kingdom of God is obedience," Chau wrote. "I want my life to reflect obedience to Christ and to live in obedience to Him. I think that Jesus is worth it. He's worth everything."

"He understood the value of the Gospel, he understood the eternal significance of sharing Christ with the Sentinelese people, and he considered [losing his life] a fair trade," said Nettleton.

Chau's father, Patrick Chau, said he did not support his son's missionary zeal.

While both graduated from charismatic evangelical Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, Patrick Chau said he no longer considers himself a Christian but rather a follower of the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

"John is gone because the Western ideology overpowered my [Confucian] influence," Chau was quoted as writing, adding that evangelical "extreme Christianity" was to blame for his son's life coming to a "not unexpected end."
Pro-life pediatricians group falls victim to 'malicious cyberattack': We won't be intimidated by bullying tactics

A pro-life organization is vowing to remain undeterred in its advocacy after falling victim to a cyberattack.

American College of Pediatricians Executive Director Dr. Jill Simons said in a statement on Friday that the organization had found itself subject to an ongoing, coordinated, malicious cyberattack by hackers on our key technology structures, databases, and our financial accounts. Simons said the cyberattack began on April 24.

This attack was intended to intimidate and incapacitate, and it will be costly to recover, but we will not be intimidated by these illegal bullying tactics that amount to a hate crime, she added. We will continue to promote the health and well-being of children by protecting the rights of born and preborn children, promoting biological integrity, and defending conscience rights for healthcare providers.

The American College of Pediatricians identifies itself as a national medical association of licensed physicians and healthcare professionals who specialize in the care of infants, children, and adolescents. It was founded by a group of concerned physicians who saw the need for a pediatric organization that would not be influenced by the politically driven pronouncements of the day and places a high premium on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and the importance of the mother-father family unit in the rearing of children.

Simons explained why she believed the cyberattack was carried out against the organization in an interview on The Daily Signal podcast last Friday. Theres no doubt in my mind that this is related to a few recent bold, brave stances that weve had, she asserted. One is that were part of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which recently filed a lawsuit against the [Food and Drug Administration's expanded use of] the abortion pill.

The American College of Pediatricians is one of the five founding members of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, she explained.

Simons told The Daily Signal that slander about our organization spread following a federal judges ruling suspending the FDAs approval of the abortion pill. While the future of the abortion pill remains uncertain as litigation continues, Simons reported that other pro-life organizations were receiving very similar threats following the initial April 7 decision that outraged pro-abortion activists.

In addition to its advocacy against the abortion pill, the American College of Pediatricians has spoken out against the push to provide children experiencing gender dysphoria with services referred to by LGBT activists as gender-affirming care. Specifically, the American College of Pediatricians has warned that puberty blockers can cause many serious permanent side effects including osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment as well as sterility.

Additionally, the American College of Pediatricians has listed an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan as potential long-term impacts of cross-sex hormones. These stances so-called sex-change procedures, including chemical and surgical castration for minors, have caused the organization to receive the ire of trans activist groups.

A tweet posted on April 24 by the Twitter account AnonOpsUnited, which describes itself as a source of news about the anarchist group #Anonymous and everything of importance, told the American College of Pediatricians that youve been hacked.

The social media post denounced the pediatricians' organization as a fringe anti-LGBTQ hate group that masquerades as the premier U.S. association of pediatricians to push anti-LGBTQ junk science.

#Anonymous#LGBTQ

Youve been hacked



The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) is a fringe anti-LGBTQ hate group that masquerades as the premier U.S. association of pediatricians to push anti-LGBTQ junk sciencehttps://t.co/TtUrHQva4Jpic.twitter.com/VOofRCnOOV  AnonOpsUnited (@AnonOpsUnited2) April 24, 2023

The tweet contained a screenshot of a page proclaiming that the American College of Pediatricians are not nice people and urging people to illegally use this private information belonging to them.

Speaking to The Daily Signal, Simons expressed gratitude for the support her organization has received following the cyberattack. We are not alone in this and we are going to get through this and believe me, we are going to be stronger than ever, she added.

We are gearing up and this is definitely not the end of anything. We have just begun the fight and this has woken a sleeping giant.
Student at Prestonwood Christian Academy loses family in Texas outlet mall shooting Superintendent says school is 'heartbroken,' will 'rely on God'

A crowdfunding campaign for a 6-year-old boy who lost his entire family in the Texas outlet mall shooting has raised more than $1.5 million just days after the tragedy.

According to the GoFundMe page, Cindy, Kyu, 6-year-old William and 3-year-old James Cho were at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday afternoon when a gunman opened fire, killing at least eight people, including children, and injuring seven others.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the crowdfunding effort had earned over $1,509,360.

Cindy, Kyu and James were among those who lost their lives in the shooting, while William was wounded but later released from the ICU as the only surviving member of this horrific event.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the South Korean consulate confirmed the family as Korean-Americans, adding that all of the victims of Korean descent are U.S. citizens.

The Cho family reportedly attended New Song, a Korean Baptist church in Carrollton, a suburb located about 10 miles north of Dallas.

While a spokesperson for New Song was unable to confirm the Cho family attended services at the church, the spokesperson said they were currently preparing to hold funeral services and would release more information once an official announcement is made.

New Song Church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and upholds the Baptist Faith and Message, according to its website.

Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano announced William was also a student at the private school and that students and staff would be provided counseling following the shooting.

"We're certainly heartbroken over the news of the shooting in Allen, Texas, and we can confirm that it did impact a family here at PCA, said PCA Superintendent Dr. Mike Goddard. One of the things that's really powerful about having a connection to church and school is that we're family-oriented and we rely on God during times like this.

Prestonwood Church Pastor Jack Graham urged his congregation to be the Church and continue to pray and serve both the family and the community impacted by the shooting.

"This wonderful, sweet family, three of the four now in Heaven, and a child left behind, needs the ministry and the care of Christian people and our entire community needs this as well, said Graham. We're going to keep loving and serving this family, we're going to be present in their lives.

A daycare teacher told ABC News affiliate WFAA she remembered young James as sweet and smart.

"Ive never actually met a 3-year-old that was that smart.  He was writing his own name, Trinity Whitley was quoted as telling WFAA. He was a super sweet kid and every day were going to miss him. And there wont be a day were not thinking about him.

The Cho family was among the eight victims killed by gunman Mauricio Garcia at the Allen outlet mall on May 6. Garcia was eventually fatally wounded by an on-duty police officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call.

Witnesses at the mall told The Associated Press they saw several victims, including some who seemed to be children. They also reported seeing a police officer and a security guard who appeared to be unconscious on the ground.

At least nine people were hospitalized following the incident, with their ages ranging from 5 to 61, according to a spokesperson for Medical City Healthcare, which operates three trauma facilities treating the victims.
Christian convert beaten, strangled by Muslim intruders: 'I refused to renounce Jesus as the Son of God'

NAIROBI, Kenya  A former Islamic teacher remains hospitalized after Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda beat him unconscious for converting to Christianity, sources said.

Shaquru Ndifuna, 33, was receiving treatment for blood loss at a medical clinic in Iganga town in the district of the same name, area Christians said.

A former Islamic teacher at Noor Islamic Institute in Mayuge District, Ndifuna is a resident of Kaliro Town Council, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Iganga town. He put his faith in Christ in January at an open-air evangelistic event in Namutumba, 39 kilometers from Iganga town.

Word of his conversion spread, a cleric at the Noor Islamic Mosque began monitoring his movements, and in April three Islamic leaders visited him at his home, said an area Christian unnamed for security reasons.

They questioned me about my absence as a teacher at Noor Mosque, Ndifuna told Morning Star News. I tried to explain to them about my other commitments elsewhere. One of them mentioned about me having become a Christian, but I did not respond. Afterwards the three Muslim leaders left.

At 7:30 p.m. on May 2, four Muslims intruded into his house, he said.

They forcefully entered into the house, shouting about me having blasphemed the Islamic religion and trying to force me to confess that Jesus is not the Son of God, and that Allah is the only God to be worshiped and Muhammad is His prophet, Ndifuna said. I refused to renounce Jesus as the Son of God. They started beating me up.

His wife and three children hid in a bedroom, and his wife telephoned a family friend, saying that the assailants were beating him unconscious and that he had lost a lot of blood, the source said.

The attackers have left, I think they thought my husband is dead  they did not touch his phone nor any property, his wife told the friend, according to the source.

The friend drove to their home, took Ndifuna to a nearby medicine shop for first aid and later transferred him to the clinic in Iganga, the source said.

Please take care of my children, I am not sure whether I will survive, Ndifuna told Morning Star News at the hospital. The Muslims who injured me were trying to force me to return to Islam, but I refused.

Ndifuna suffered a deep cut on the right side of the forehead, a fracture in his right hand and a neck injury as the assailants tried to strangle him, the source said. His vision has been affected, and he has difficulty breathing.

He cant swallow solid food, the source said. He is using a drip of intravenous fluids with a little juice for his survival.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12% of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
Two Genders Shirt Controversy, Democrats Don't Want Biden, Utah's Pornhub Ban, And Media Bias On Shootings

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:20 06:20

Top headlines for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

In today's podcast, we delve into the story of a middle school student's viral video against school punishment for a 'two genders' shirt, sparking legal action considerations by the family. We then discuss a new poll revealing most Democrat-leaning voters don't want President Joe Biden running for re-election in 2024. Listen in as we cover Utah's age verification law, prompting Pornhub to disable its site for the state, and wrap up with Ben Shapiro questioning the mainstream media's coverage of two different shooting incidents.

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Top headlines for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

In today's podcast, we delve into the story of a middle school student's viral video against school punishment for a 'two genders' shirt, sparking legal action considerations by the family. We then discuss a new poll revealing most Democrat-leaning voters don't want President Joe Biden running for re-election in 2024. Listen in as we cover Utah's age verification law, prompting Pornhub to disable its site for the state, and wrap up with Ben Shapiro questioning the mainstream media's coverage of two different shooting incidents.
Revelation 12: Satan is thrown to the earth, his war against Israel and the tribulation saints

The devil in the end times is somewhat like a man who loses his job because of his drunkenness, is thrown out the door by security, and afterward, in a fit of rage, takes out his demise on the bosss wife and children.

Inebriated by his revulsion of God, Satan is forcefully tossed out of Heaven in an epoch battle with the archangel Michael and his angels. When Satan finds himself cast down to the earth, he directs his unjustified fury at Israel (the woman who birthed the Messiah) and the rest of her children (Revelation 12:17), the Tribulation Saints.

The remainder of Revelation 12 says the following:

When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time. Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her childrenall who keep Gods commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. (Revelation 12:13-17).

There has never been any race of people who have suffered so much discrimination, bigotry, hatred, and persecution as the Jews. Because God chooses these people for a leading role in his plan of redemption, the Evil One has specifically targeted them for destruction throughout history. When at the end he knows hes rapidly running out of time, he directs his most intensified campaign to obliterate them.



We have already seen precursors of this final offensive and something of its ferocity. In Revelation Visualized, Dr. Gary G. Cohen (a messianic Jew) and Salem Kirban write:

Sadly enough  for the Jews, their day of persecution is not over. Many will recall in recent years in the 1930s when Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany made antisemitism, or hatred of the Jews, an important part of their program. Hitler blamed the Jews for Germanys many problems in the years after World War I. He repeated his falsehoods so often that most of the German people believed them. Before World War II ended in 1945, the Germans had slaughtered more than 6 million men, women, and children of the 10 million Jews in Europe. They also destroyed most of the synagogues. Six out of 10 killed! Perhaps such persecution will strike closer to home if you were to count 10 of your closest relatives (mother, father, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters) and imagine that of that closely knit group of 10  six would die horrible deaths! Perhaps then you can come closer to this tragedy  and the wicked persecution, far greater, that still awaits Gods chosen people.

It is hard to comprehend anything comparable to the Holocaust. Yet the Scriptures indicate the Holocaust was more like a dress rehearsal for the devils grand premiere during the Tribulation.

God has made many promises in His Word that Israel will be saved, not simply as a race of people, but He will save them from their sins and restore them to that blessed place of favor they once enjoyed with him.

He will make them chief among the nations and restore the throne of King David. At this point in Revelation, Satans primary purpose is to make God a liar and demonstrate he cannot keep His promises, and that He is unworthy of peoples trust.

Revelation 12 says the woman is given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time (vs. 14).

Dr. Chuck Missler says in his commentary handbook, The Book of Revelation, Israels respite has always been linked to eagles and eagles wings.

In Exodus 19:4, the Lord tells the Hebrews: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.

Deuteronomy 32:11-12 says, Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions. The Lord alone guided them

Isaiah 40:31 reads, But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.

The interpretation of the woman given two wings like that of a great eagle has been widely interpreted. For instance, M.R. De Haan, in Revelation, mentions:

Some say the reference is to the fact that the woman, Israel, will escape by airplane. Others think the eagle typifies the United States of America and that this nation is destined to be the champion of Israels cause in the end-time.

William Barclay, in his commentary on The Revelation of John, also shares: We may note that, when men came to allegorize Scripture, Hippolytus saw in the eagles wings the symbol of the the two holy arms of Christ outstretched upon the Cross.'

In The Revelation Record, Henry Morris believes the eagle symbol is appropriate for the angels who provide Israel with miraculous help and deliverance from Satans attacks.

These are undoubtedly interesting interpretations, and the meaning of the text isnt abundantly clear. However, what is clear is that the wings given to the woman are symbols of Gods protection bearing her upward.

She is flown, says the Scriptures, to a place of protection prepared for her in the wilderness, and [t]here she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time (vs. 14).

Where the woman lands is her refuge from the dragon and his evil forces. The Bible says its a place that God has prepared for her. O, how wonderfully and providentially God goes before his people to protect and provide for them in times of struggle and calamity.

Here are a few examples:

1. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers that God used for good what they intended for evil. Josephs brothers sold him into slavery, but through a series of events providentially orchestrated by God, Joseph ended up in a position of power in Egypt. When a famine strikes, his family comes to Egypt looking for food, and Joseph is able to provide for them and protect them from starvation. In Gods providence, they are given the land of Goshen to reside and thrive in numbers.

2. In Exodus 2, Moses mother puts him in a basket and sets him adrift on the Nile River to protect him from Pharaohs decree that all Hebrew baby boys should be killed. The basket floats down the river and is found by Pharaohs daughter, who takes Moses in and raises him as her own in the royal palace.

3. In 1 Samuel 18-19, King Saul becomes jealous of Davids popularity and attempts to kill him. However, Davids friend Jonathan warns him of Sauls plans and helps him escape. Later, when David is on the run from Saul, God provides him with food, shelter, and protection in the wilderness.

4. In the book of Esther, God providentially arranges for Esther to become queen of Persia at just the right time to prevent a plot to annihilate the Jews. Through a series of events, Esther is able to reveal the plot to the king and save her people from destruction.

These examples show how Gods providence works through the worst circumstances to protect and provide for his people. This truth not only applies to the remnant of Jews who believe in Christ during the Tribulation period, but it applies to all of Gods people in every age as it serves his purposes.

Revelation 12 is unclear about where this prepared hiding place for Israel is located. Considering Old Testament passages such as Zechariah 14:5, Isaiah 63:1, and Daniel 11:41, some scholars contend that the site is most likely Petra.



Petra is an ancient rose-red city situated in the southwestern part of Jordan. It is renowned for its remarkable rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. It was part of the Old Testament land of Edom.

Charles F. Pfeiffer and Howard F. Voss in Wycliffe Historical Geography of Bible Lands say:

The description of the Edomites building their nests like eagles in the clefts of the rocks (Obadiah 3-4) is in perfect accord with the geography of the region. Petra is an irregular valley of trapezoidal shape, surrounded on all sides by lofty hills, with only a few narrow gorges leading into the area.

Petra was known for its strategic location and the natural defenses of its terrain, making it a challenging fortress to invade. Its downfall was primarily due to its geographic isolation and economic decline rather than a result of military conquest.

The great Bible expositor Dr. Louis Talbot so strongly believed this location would be where the Jews would be safely hidden away that he arranged to have Gospel pamphlets stashed there in anticipation of the fulfillment of Revelations prophecy.

In a similar fashion and for the same reason, W.E. Blackstone hid thousands of copies of the New Testament in the caves of Petra. Dr. Harold Wilmington and some of his Thomas Road Bible Institute students in Lynchburg, Virginia (now Liberty University) placed a Bible there with their names and favorite Bible verses in it.

Nevertheless, it should be emphasized Petra is not the only place. As the late and renowned radio Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee has said, Some say that it is the wilderness of the peoples of the world; that is, there will be another worldwide scattering of Israel.

The Scripture also says how long Israel will be hidden away and shielded. It says, a time, times, and half a time (vs. 14). This phrase can be traced back to Daniels 70th week.

I have not written much about Daniels 70th week in these commentaries on the chapters of Revelation. Therefore, for those who might not know, Daniels 70th week, also known as the final seven years of tribulation or the Great Tribulation, describes a period of intense suffering and challenges that will be faced by humanity in general and Israel in particular. The prophecy is based on the book of Daniel chapter 9, where the angel Gabriel tells Daniel that 70 weeks have been determined for his people and the holy city, Jerusalem. The first 69 weeks, or 483 years, have already occurred, and the final week, or seven years, is still to come.

This period is described in the previous chapters of Revelation when there will be a tremendous increase in war, natural disasters, and persecution of believers. The antichrist will rise to power and deceive many, and the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The tribulation will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ to defeat the antichrist and establish his kingdom on earth.

What is portrayed in these last verses of Revelation 12 appears to be in the last half of the Tribulation period.

Finally, chapter 12 of Revelation tells us:

Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children  all who keep Gods commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus (vv.15-17).

Although various interpretations have been given of these last verses, John F. Walvoord, in The Revelation of Jesus Christ, seems to provide the most responsible handling of the passage. He writes:

The flood cast after Israel is the total effort of Satan to exterminate the nation, and the resistance of the earth is the natural difficulty in executing such a massive program. The nature of the terrain in the Middle East, including many areas not heavily populated, provides countless places of refuge for fleeing people. Whether the exact meaning of these two verses can be determined with certainty, the implication is that Satan strives with all his power to persecute and exterminate the people of Israel. By divine intervention, both natural and supernatural means are used to circumvent this program and to carry a remnant of Israel safely through their time of great tribulation.

When it becomes apparent to Satan that he has lost again and cannot destroy those from the Jewish nation who have believed, he then picks another target. He turns with all his wrath and anger on the rest of her children  all who keep Gods commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus (v. 17).

In other words, when the devil sees believing Israel is protected, he turns on those who, for whatever reason, were not hidden in a place of safety. He determines to wipe every person from the earth who has trusted in Christ during the Tribulation period  the Tribulation Saints. For a while, he succeeds (Revelation 13:7), but his day of defeat is inevitable.

There is only one admonishment to be given here: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household (Acts 16:31).

What are you going to do? This terrible day is coming? Tis better to face the wrath of the dragon for believing than to face the wrath of God for not believing. Moreover, if you repent of your sins and trust Christ now, you can escape this period and be caught up in the Rapture before any of it happens.

Jesus said, Dont be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).
The Squad shamefully tries to inflame another summer of riots

Reckless politicians and more than a few of their media allies are apparently eager to create another summer of riots.

Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, was killed last week on the New York subway F train by an active-duty, 24-year-old Marine who reportedly restrained him by the neck for several minutes. There are conflicting reports about how long Neely was restrained: One witness said 15 minutes, but that seems highly unlikely given the distance between stops.

Shortly after the Marine, Daniel Penny, released Neely, the homeless man stopped breathing. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office hasnt pressed charges as of this storys publication, but a grand jury could be called on this week to decide if the Marine is to be indicted.

Neely was black and Penny is white.

It didnt take long before the squad, as a group of liberal House lawmakers has been dubbed, got ahold of the story, and soberly explained that the situation on the subway was complicated and it would wait for facts before casting judgment.

Ha!

Just kidding. The squad did exactly what you would expect. It immediately rushed to social media to ensure that the story fit the Narrative, declared the Marine a murderer, and insisted that Neely was killed because of racism. This was set up to be George Floyd 2.0 and a new summer of riots.

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. https://t.co/YJeQp9bbgE  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 3, 2023

He was 30 years old.



Black men deserve to grow oldnot be lynched on a Subway because they were having a mental health crisis.



Jordan deserved better. Accountability now. pic.twitter.com/aX5qcryrbx  Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) May 4, 2023

In New York, the unrest is already beginning.

On Saturday night, a mob of protesters climbed down to the tracks on the Q train line at the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street station. It disrupted the trains and was charged with various crimes, including assault.

The story is getting a lot of massaging from the media, where headlines describe Neely in the best possible light. He was a beloved street performera Michael Jackson impersonatorfrom a family of musicians, a little down on his luck because of a rough childhood.

This from USA Today:

Jordan Neely, a beloved subway performer, grew up in a family of musicians who want him to be remembered as a "human being," a family lawyer said. https://t.co/mXJVudDMpF  USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 7, 2023

And CNN:

Jordan Neely, the man who died last week after being held in a chokehold on a New York City subway, was on a list of homeless people identified as having dire needs. https://t.co/dHdRoEiPPK  CNN (@CNN) May 8, 2023

As the details emerge, its quite clear that Neely wasnt just a beloved subway moonwalker bringing joy and happiness to commuters before being lynched by a hateful white supremacist.

The New York Times noted that Neely had racked up dozens of arrests in recent years while exhibiting bizarre and dangerous behaviors after he began taking K2, which is synthetic marijuana. Neely had been arrested for, among other things, punching a 67-year-old woman in the face and allegedly attempting to kidnap a 7-year-old he was found dragging down the street.

In the case where he punched the woman coming out of an East Village subway stop he pleaded guilty and received an alternative-to-incarceration program that let him dodge jail, according to Fox News. The felony assault charge would have been reduced to a misdemeanor had he done the program, but Neely skipped a compliance court date, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Feb. 22.

In the case of the 7-year-old, Neely pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and was sentenced to four months in jail, per the New York Daily News.

According to reports, Neely had made the citys top 50 list of homeless people who were at risk and a danger to themselves and others.

So, this was a man with a history of dangerous and violent behavior.

Before Penny restrained Neely on the subway, Neely was allegedly yelling, I dont care if I die. I dont care if I go to jail. I dont have any food  Im done.

Penny couldnt have known about Neelys past behavior, of course, but his current behavior was disturbing enough that Penny and two other men  one of whom was not white  felt like they should restrain him.

Mr. Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness, a statement by Pennys lawyer reads. 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. Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.

On Monday, Neelys family released a statement lashing out at the Marine who killed him.

Daniel Pennys press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret, their statement read. It is a character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordans life.

They said Penny acted with indifference toward Neely and never attempted to help him at all.

What was Penny supposed to do? Where were these people when Neely was out on the streets, taking drugs and acting like a lunatic? Talk about indifference.

Following Neelys death, the head of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that riders should find a way to deescalate to prevent violence. Most try to, but thats not always possible when dealing with somebody high on drugs, mentally ill, or both.

I live in New York and travel frequently on the F line. Run-ins with street people exhibiting bizarre and vaguely threatening behavior arent uncommon and they seem to be increasing.

When you ride the subway, people waiting for their train frequently put their backs to the wall or to beams so they dont get blindsided and shoved on the tracks.

If something bad happens, I pray that someone like Penny is around to help deal with the situation. Even a strong, young man might have difficulty dealing with a deranged person on drugs if they turn physical and violent.

I dont want to live in a society in which good men who act in those situations are ruthlessly and maliciously punished, where you are only rewarded for being a coward or a victim.

Its tragic that Neely died, but from what we know now, there was no racial component to this incident and he wasnt killed by racism.

Repeat offenders like Neely should either be in jail or in an institution caring for those with mental illness. Given his past behavior, Neely shouldnt have been on that train. Penny should have never been put in the position of having to make a snap judgment to restrain him or potentially risk his own life and the lives of other passengers.

If Penny is actually charged, lets hope the jury will get all the facts and make the right call. Mobs dont decide who is guilty and who isnt, at least not yet.

The world that left-wing cultural revolutionaries in the squad and the protesters in the subway would create is one in which the Neelys of the world die on the street in a drug-induced stupor, cities remain in a perpetual state of unrest, and the Pennys of the world do nothing.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Calls for swift action to end 'anti-Christian' violence in India

Christians have made an urgent appeal to the Indian government to quell violence in the north east of the country that has killed dozens of people, believed to be mostly Christians.

Release International has received reports from India of Christians being attacked across 27 villages in Manipur, sometimes "in plain sight of state police and military, while mobs roamed the street".

At least 60 people are reported dead, while around 50 churches have been set on fire and destroyed.

The violence is concentrated on the Imphal Valley and Churachandpur, where tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.

Release International said the attacks were "anti-Christian".

Bishop Joseph D'Souza, of the Good Shepherd Church in India, has asked people to pray for Manipur and the people of India.

"The primary victims are the Christians. In this uncontrolled violence that took place in Manipur it was a systematic attack on the churches. I am told that in the plains almost all the churches are destroyed," he said.

He continued, "'There is no question about tribal Christians being in the middle of the storm that has erupted in Manipur at this time."

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has asked the government to take urgent action to restore peace and security to the region.

"We mourn the loss of innocent lives, destruction of homes, property, and the burning of multiple churches. Our hearts ache for the families left grieving," it said.

"We urge the government to take immediate measures to restore peace and ensure the safety and security of all its citizens.

"As a Christian body, representing evangelicals in India, we stand for the values of love, peace, and justice. We believe that every human being is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

"The recent incidents of violence go against these values and have caused great harm to the people of Manipur. May the peace of Christ be with us all."

Mervyn Thomas, founder president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, has issued a similar appeal.

"The violence in Manipur is not surprising, but deeply worrying given the trend towards greater tensions between ethnic and religious minorities under the Modi government," he said.

"We urge the state and central governments to act swiftly to stop further violence and to ensure that people who have been displaced or stranded are cared for.

"We also call on the government in Manipur to ensure that all citizens are afforded opportunities for economic and social advancement, regardless of whether they are granted Scheduled Tribe status."
Enigmatic human fossil jawbone may be evidence of an early Homo sapiens presence in Europe  and adds mystery about who those humans were





Homo sapiens, our own species, evolved in Africa sometime between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago. Anthropologists are pretty confident in that estimate, based on fossil, genetic and archaeological evidence.

Then what happened? How modern humans spread throughout the rest of the world is one of the most active areas of research in human evolutionary studies.

The earliest fossil evidence of our species outside of Africa is found at a site called Misliya cave, in the Middle East, and dates to around 185,000 years ago. While additional H. sapiens fossils are found from around 120,000 years ago in this same region, it seems modern humans reached Europe much later.

Understanding when our species migrated out of Africa can reveal insights into present-day biological, behavioral and cultural diversity. While we Homo sapiens are the only humans alive today, our species coexisted with different human lineages in the past, including Neanderthals and Denisovans. Scientists are interested in when and where H. sapiens encountered these other kinds of humans.

Our recent reanalysis of a fossil jawbone from a Spanish site called Banyoles is raising new questions about when our species may have migrated to Europe.

Homo sapiens fossils found in Europe

The first documented discoveries of human fossils were in Europe, just before Darwin's 1859 publication of "The Origin of Species." Ideas of evolution were being actively debated within European universities and scientific societies.

Many of the earliest fossil findings were Neanderthals, a species that evolved in Europe by 250,000 years ago and became extinct around 40,000 years ago. They are also our closest evolutionary relatives and, because of ancient interbreeding, the genomes of people today include Neanderthal DNA. Because of their early historical presence, Neanderthal fossils had a big influence on how early researchers thought about human evolution.

The first fossil evidence of Neanderthals was found in 1856 during quarrying activities from the Neander Tal (Neander Valley) in Germany. Paleontologists took the hint and started to search for human fossils in other caves and exposed areas that preserved ancient sediments.

More than a decade later, in 1868, paleontologists uncovered H. sapiens fossils at the site of Cro-Magnon in southern France. For much of the 20th century, the 30,000-year-old Cro-Magnon fossils represented the earliest fossil evidence of our species in Europe.

More recently, evidence for an earlier H. sapiens presence in Europe has come from two sites in Eastern Europe, including a partial skull from Zlaty kun Cave in Czechia dating to 45,000 years ago, as well as more fragmentary remains from Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria dating to around 44,000 years ago. Ancient DNA analysis has confirmed that the fossils from these sites represent H. sapiens. Additional, potentially earlier, evidence is represented by a single tooth dating to 54,000 years ago from the Grotte Mandrin Cave in France.

This is where the human fossil from Banyoles comes into the story.

Reinvestigating a 'Neanderthal' mandible

Over a century ago in 1889, a fossil human lower jaw, or mandible, was found at a quarry near the town of Banyoles, in northeastern Spain. Pere Alsius, a prominent local pharmacist, first studied the mandible, and the fossil has been curated by his family ever since.

A number of anthropologists have studied the fossil over time, but it has not usually been included in discussions about H. sapiens in Europe. Most researchers instead argued it represented a Neanderthal or showed Neanderthal-like features, in part because the Banyoles fossil lacks a feature considered typical and diagnostic of our own species: a bony chin on the front of the mandible.

Researchers did not have a good idea of how old the Banyoles mandible was, with most believing it likely dated to the Middle Pleistocene (780,000-130,000 years ago). That age made it seem too old to represent H. sapiens. Thus, with the absence of a chin and the presumed early date, the designation as a Neanderthal seemed to make sense.



Based on recent modern uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating, researchers now believe the Banyoles mandible is between 45,000 and 66,000 years old. This younger estimate overlaps with the early H. sapiens fossils from Eastern Europe.

Working with Spanish paleoanthropologists and archaeologists, we took another look at what species the fossil might represent. We relied on a CT scan to virtually reconstruct damaged or missing portions of the mandible and generated a 3D model of the complete fossil. Then, we studied its overall shape and distinctive anatomical features, comparing it to H. sapiens, Neanderthals and other earlier human species.



In contrast to earlier analyses, our results revealed that the Banyoles jawbone was most similar to H. sapiens fossils  not Neanderthals.

When we examined the mandible's bony features where muscle tendons and ligaments would have attached, it most closely resembled H. sapiens. We also found no unique bony features shared with the Neanderthals. Additionally, when we used sophisticated 3D analysis techniques, we found that Banyoles' overall shape was a better match with H. sapiens than with Neanderthal individuals.

While nearly all of our evidence suggests this prehistoric human was indeed a member of our species, the lack of a chin remains puzzling. This feature is present in all human populations today and should be present in Banyoles if it is a member of our species.

Figuring out the closest match

How do we reconcile our results showing that Banyoles is a modern human with the fact that it lacks one of the most distinctive modern human features? We considered several possible scenarios.

When the mandible was discovered, it was still encased in a hard travertine block and only partially exposed. During initial cleaning and preparation of the specimen, it was accidentally dropped and the chin region was damaged. The fossil was subsequently reconstructed, with the damaged fragments aligned in their correct anatomical position, and the current state of the fossil does seem to accurately reflect an original chinless shape. Thus, the lack of a chin in Banyoles cannot be attributed to this initial incident.

Could the lack of a chin in the Banyoles fossil be a result of interbreeding with Neanderthals, who also lacked a chin? Genetic evidence suggests that H. sapiens most likely interbred with Neanderthals between 45,000 and 65,000 years ago, making this a possibility.

To assess this hypothesis, we compared Banyoles with an early H. sapiens mandible dating to about 42,000 years ago from a Romanian site called Pestera cu Oase. Ancient DNA analysis has revealed that the Oase individual had a Neanderthal ancestor between four and six generations back, making it close to a hybrid individual. However, unlike Banyoles, this mandible shows a full chin along with some other Neanderthal features. Since Banyoles shared no distinctive features with Neanderthals, we ruled out the possibility of this individual representing interbreeding between Neanderthals and H. sapiens.



We're left with two possibilities. Banyoles may represent a hybrid individual between H. sapiens and a non-Neanderthal archaic human lineage. This scenario might account for the absence of the chin as well as the lack of any other Neanderthal features in Banyoles. However, scientists haven't identified any such non-Neanderthal archaic group in the fossil record of the European Late Pleistocene (129,000-11,700 years ago), making this hypothesis less likely.

Alternatively, Banyoles may document a previously unknown lineage of largely chinless H. sapiens in Europe. Possible support for this hypothesis comes from the fact that early H. sapiens fossils from Africa and the Middle East show a less prominent chin than do living humans.

Additionally, ancient DNA research has shown that H. sapiens populations in Europe before 35,000 years ago did not contribute to the modern European gene pool. Thus, we believe the least unlikely hypothesis is that Banyoles represents an individual from one of these early H. sapiens populations.

Our study of Banyoles demonstrates how new discoveries about our evolutionary past do not solely rely on new fossil discoveries, but can also come about through applying new methodologies to previously discovered fossils. If Banyoles is really a member of our species, it would potentially represent the earliest H. sapiens lineage documented to date in Europe. Future ancient DNA analysis could confirm or refute this surprising result. In the meantime, the 3D model of Banyoles is available for other researchers to study and form their own conclusions.

Brian Anthony Keeling is a Doctoral Candidate in Anthropology at Binghamton University, State University of New York and Rolf Quam is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University, State University of New York. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
The problem with King Charles's coronation prayer

King Charles's prayer before the Westminster Abbey altar at his Coronation signalled a major change in the Church of England's doctrine of salvation.

The established Church's teaching is that faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for eternal salvation and that people cannot become regenerate (born again) children of God by faithfully following their non-Christian religion. Article 18 of the CofE's 39 Articles of Religion, Of Obtaining eternal salvation only by the Name of Christ, makes a strong statement against the idea that a person can achieve salvation by being a good Muslim, a good Sikh, or a good Hindu:

"They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved."

The CofE also officially teaches that a person cannot be saved by being a good Christian. Article 11, Of the Justification of Man, declares: "We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works and deservings."

But King Charles's prayer before the altar was explicit that people of every faith and belief can justly be called children of God and thus achieve salvation:

"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."

In his 1994 BBC interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, the then Prince Charles made clear that he aspired to be "Defender of Faith" rather than Defender of the (Protestant Christian) Faith. He effectively got his way through his prayer before the altar.

Readers should not be deceived by the 'thy' there as if this was ancient liturgy. It was King Charles's innovation and the fact that his prayer was offered "through Jesus Christ our Lord" does not detract from the alteration to the Church's teaching about salvation that it signalled.

Kind Charles did swear as his mother did in 1953 to "maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law". But in an article in the Telegraph on May 7, "Against all odds, The King has proved himself a true Defender of the Faiths", columnist Charles Moore was quite right that King Charles succeeded in making "bold changes" to the Coronation service.

Moore wrote: "As plans were made for this Coronation, there was some official embarrassment about the oath. The very word 'Protestant' is now falling into disuse. It sounds almost antagonistic. It certainly does not embrace Catholics or show the slightest interest in wider religious belief ... Church and state were nervous, however, about formal change.

"The oath can be altered only by full parliamentary process. Such delicate matters could not be settled in the few months available. Any rush would excite suspicion. New wording might easily stir up new rows.

"The eventual compromise was: keep the oath, but surround it with the church equivalent of small print tactfully hinting it is not as bad as it sounds."

The King's prayer was part of the surrounding small print but the spiritual direction it sign-posted is not small. The spiritual consequences for the Church of embracing the multi-faith agenda are significant. If the Church starts saying that people can be saved without calling on the name of Christ, that very arguably takes the urgency out of evangelism.

When Pope Gregory the Great sent the Roman monk who eventually became Augustine of Canterbury to evangelise the Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century AD, he certainly did not believe that they could be saved without calling on the name of Christ.

Neither did 19th century British missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, the chemist's son from Barnsley who evangelised inland China, harbour any optimism about humanity's spiritual chances without faith in Christ.

Yet King Charles, Supreme Governor of the Protestant Church by law established, clearly is optimistic that "God's children of every faith and belief" can "discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace" without intentionally turning to Jesus Christ as Lord.

Julian Mann is a former Church of England vicar, now an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire.
J.E. Safras encyclopedic collection continues to showcase eye-catching paintings from the Dutch Golden Age through the 19th century

Sold entirely without reserve, J.E. Safras collection presents something for everyone

This is a really unique and wide-ranging collection, says Laura Mathis, head of 19th Century European Art at Christies. Featuring a variety of periods and styles, theres something for everyone. High life in the Dutch Golden Age During the 17th century, the Dutch Republic emerged as a naval superpower and one of the wealthiest nations in the world. As a result of this newfound prosperity, a demand emerged for art that celebrated Dutch achievements, culture, and high life. Since music instruction was a standard feature of upper-class education in the 17th century, images of musicians were popular with artists of these high-life genre paintings. This selection includes images of music-makers by Eglon Hendrick van der Neer and Pieter de Hooch. In An interior scene with a woman playing a lute and a man playing a violin, de Hooch emphasizes the luxury of the scene with details like the players costly white satin dress and the expensive Ottoman carpet draping over the table.

De Hooch was one of the most accomplished painters of domestic genre scenes during the Dutch Golden Age, producing works that subtly respond to the expressive effects of light and convey complex spatial arrangements, often including, as in this case, views through a doorway or window. The writer Peter Sutton classes this painting as one of the artists most fanciful compositions, noting how the architecture opens abruptly, and improbably, onto a river. A significant Rococo landscape This masterful play with spatial arrangements, and luxuriant use of light and colour, both characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age, are also on display in Jean-Baptiste Oudrys A landscape with a shepherd driving animals to pasture, a castle beyond.

The work is one of six landscapes that Henri-Camille, Marquis de Beringhen, commissioned from Oudry. For this series, Oudry portrayed daily episodes of French country life in the genre pittoresque  or, Rococo  style. Grounded in the observation of nature but relying on the artists inventive powers, they were executed in a brilliant palette that takes advantage of contrasting passages of light and shade. The art dealer Jean Cailleux counted this landscape series as among the very first true landscapes of the eighteenth century. An album of 138 illustrations by Oudry was the top lot of the first instalment of Remastered: Old Masters in the Collection of J.E. Safra in January. It exceeded estimates, achieving $2,700,000. Neoclassical ideals Neoclassical art arose in the late 18th century in opposition to the perceived frivolity of the Rococo style that had come to dominate European art. The Age of Enlightenment promoted the idea that art should mirror the idealized forms of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, illustrating key virtues and imparting a moral lesson upon the viewer.

Penelope awakened by Euryclea with the news of Ulysses return, by Angelica Kauffman and Studio, epitomises the height of Neoclassical style. We see Penelope as she is woken with the news of the return of her husband, Ulysses, after many years fighting in the Trojan War. Penelope, who rejected over a hundred suitors and remained loyal to her husband in his absence, recurs throughout Kauffmans oeuvre as a symbol of the ideal wife and mother. Realists looking to the past Mathis says, If you want to represent the most important eras of art history, 19th-century paintings are integral to forming a complete collection. J.E. Safras collection proves her point: his 19th-century paintings both pay homage to the Old Masters and look forward to future movements like Impressionism and Modernism. Upon moving to Paris in 1839 Gustave Courbet spent his time studying Titian, Zurbaran, Rembrandt, and Rubens at the Louvre: a founding father of the Realism movement, his style is redolent of these and other Old Masters. Courbets practice of painting on a dark ground  laying down the darkest colour first and building up from there  is an example of something he picked up from the Old Masters, and we can recognise this in Chateau de Chillon.

This painting comes from a particularly interesting point in Courbets career, when he was exiled in Switzerland. Throughout his life, his landscapes favoured the topography of his native Ornans in France, and the surrounding Jura Mountains. Here, he reflects his earlier paintings of the Jura through his depiction of the rocky and overgrown Swiss landscape, whilst the reflections in the lake hark back to his paysages de mer  or, sea landscapes  another important aspect of his career. Gaston La Touche, who also started as a realist, similarly draws on past eras with fresh eyes in his painting La Demangeaison. This work, from his later Impressionist-inspired period, offers a 19th-century reimagining of the Rococo period: the 18th-century interior furniture depicted are reminiscent of Watteau. The figures twisting pose, however, is inspired by Degas bathers.

Open a larger version of this image Gaston La Touche (1854-1913), La Demangeaison. Oil on panel. 30 x 21 in (77.5 x 55.4 cm). Estimate: $20,000-30,000. Offered in Remastered: Old Masters from the Collection of J.E. Safra  Selling Without Reserve on 24 May at Christies in New York

In 1877, La Touche asked Manet to take him on as his student to which the older artist replied that he had nothing to teach him, telling him only that he should paint what he saw and that there was no black and white, only colour. Bold use of colour Mastery of colour is a focus throughout the Safra collection. It was also a dominating preoccupation for the Neo-Romantic artist Harald Oscar Sohlberg. He insisted that each painting should have a dominant colour  as demonstrated in Baten (Viksfjord) (1918).

Here, blue unifies the sweeping sky with the clouds, distant hills and calm waters of the harbour. Although the blue harmonies give way to the green of the shoreline, the compositions dominant colour reasserts itself in the boat and shadows of the foreground. Traversing centuries of artistic excellence, Safras collection is consistently resplendent in luxuriant brushwork and colour  from the refined contrasting use of light and shade in Dutch Golden Age landscapes to the vivid hues of the Neo-Romantic Sohlberg.
The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers in the past 18 months as part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs, the U.S. Department of Education said this week.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is open to teachers, librarians, nurses, public interest lawyers, military members and other public workers. It cancels a borrower's remaining student debt after 10 years of public interest work, or 120 monthly payments.

The program is separate from President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan, which would wipe away or reduce loans for millions of borrowers regardless of what field they work in. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether that plan can go ahead.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, known as PSLF, was launched in 2007, but stringent rules meant that more than 90% of applicants were rejected, the Department of Education said in 2019.

In October 2021, the government temporarily relaxed the requirements, making it easier for people to apply and be approved. Those relaxed requirements ended in October 2022. However, borrowers who want to increase their payment count have another opportunity to do so. They can apply for the one-time account adjustment until the end of the year.

Through the one-time account adjustment, borrowers with direct loans through the William D. Ford program will have similar benefits to those that were available under the limited PSLF waiver. Borrowers who do not have direct loans can consolidate and receive PSLF credit for prior payments as part of this adjustment, as long as they submit a consolidation application by the end of 2023.

One of the people who benefited from the PSLF waiver was Beth Bourdon, an assistant public defender in Orlando, Florida.

Bourdon had about $57,000 of student loans forgiven in February 2022. Previously, because her loans had been acquired through the Family Federal Education Loan Program, Bourdon didnt qualify for relief. But when the waiver took effect in October 2021, she successfully applied.

I kept checking and re-checking the site, and one day I went and the balance was zero, Bourdon said. Two days later I got the official letter.

With the exception of one two-year period, Bourdon has worked in public interest law since 2005. She said she made payments of about $417 every month from June 2008 to October 2021, when she consolidated her loans and applied for PSLF.

Public defenders, we dont get paid a lot, she said. When peoples student loans hit, theyre faced with a really hard decision. Can I remain doing this job I love or will I have to go to a civil firm to try to make money? The PSLF helps try to retain talented people who would otherwise go somewhere else.

Bourdon said the cancellation gives her breathing room.

She added that she personally talked about 10 people she knows through the process of applying for forgiveness via the waiver, and that several have already received cancellation.

Its so great  knowing how relieved I was, for my friends to have that kind of relief too, she said.

Starting July 1 of this year, the Education Department will implement changes designed to make the PSLF application process easier. Some of the changes were previously included in the waiver.

Heres what you need to know if you want to apply:

WHO QUALIFIES?

If you are or were previously employed at least 30 hours per week with the following types of organizations, you qualify:

 Government organizations at any level (U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal). This includes the U.S. military, all work in public education, and full-time volunteer work with AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps.

 Any not-for-profit organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 If you work for a not-for-profit organization that is not tax-exempt, you may still qualify for PSLF if the organization provides certain types of qualifying public services such as emergency management, legal aid and legal services, early childhood education, service to individuals with disabilities or the elderly, public health, including nurses and nurse practitioners, public library and school library services, and public safety such as crime prevention and law enforcement.

To demonstrate that your job in public service qualifies you for forgiveness, youll file an employer certification form with your servicer, listing jobs youve held.

You must have direct loans or consolidate other federal student loans into a direct loan. You must also make 120 qualifying payments or 10 years of payments.

WHICH STUDENT LOANS ARE ELIGIBLE?

Any federal student loan received under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program is eligible.

If you have either a Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or a Federal Perkins Loan, youll need to consolidate those into direct loans with your servicer. Payments made on these loans before you consolidated them do not count as qualifying PSLF payments.

Private student loans are not eligible.

HOW CAN I APPLY?

You can apply to the program using the PSLF help tool. If you want to do it manually, you can print and mail a PSLF form.

HOW CAN I CONSOLIDATE MY DEBT INTO A DIRECT LOAN?

First, visit studentaid.gov to see if you have loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan or Perkins Loan Program. Those are the loans youll consolidate.

Next, apply online or by mail. The process is free and takes about six weeks to complete, but you can submit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness form after consolidation is complete.

WHAT COUNTS AS A QUALIFYING PAYMENT?

A qualifying monthly payment is a payment that you made after Oct. 1, 2007, while you were employed by a qualifying employer.

The 120 qualifying monthly payments dont need to be consecutive. For example, if you have a period of employment with a non-qualifying employer, you will not lose credit for prior qualifying payments.

WHAT ABOUT THE PAYMENT PAUSE?

Student loan payments are currently paused because of the COVID pandemic.

Payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, 60 days after the current Supreme Court case about student loan forgiveness is resolved. If the case hasnt been resolved by June 30, payments will start 60 days after that.

Borrowers will get credit toward PSLF for payments they would have made during the pause as long as they meet all other qualifications for the program, according to the Education Department.

For the qualifying payments to show in your account, you must submit a PSLF form that certifies your employment during the pause.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROGRAM?

As of mid-April of this year, more than 615,000 borrowers have qualified for forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver, which ended in October. Some borrowers who submitted their applications prior to the end date may continue to have their applications processed from the waiver period.

WHO CAN I CONTACT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you have a specific question about your application, its best to call or email a representative.

For general questions about student loans, the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) hosts a contact center that allows borrowers to live chat, call or email.

___

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
BLOOMFIELD  Acting Town Manager Sharron Howe will earn $160,000 following a hotly contested town council vote Monday night.

After former Town Manager Stanley Hawthorne left in April, Howe, the assistant town manager, took over. Howe, in a letter to the council, alleged that the council's failure to increase her salary from $123,000, the amount she received as assistant town manager, was discriminatory.

The $160,000 is a 30 percent increase.

The increase passed with four votes in favor, one vote against, two abstentions and the mayor's recusal. Councilors Kenneth McClary, Joe Merritt, Anthony Harrington and Francis Politis voted in favor.

"I believe she is competent and she deserves $160,000" McClary said. "She is a dedicated employee."

The previous acting town manager, Philip Schenck, made $160,000 when he served in the role in 2019. The highest paid director in Bloomfield is the police chief who earns $154,000 each year.

"In my regular role as assistant town manager, I am in the lower tier of compensation for senior management level employees," Howe wrote in her April 28 email. "As assistant town manager and even as assistant to the town manager over many years, I was periodically asked to oversee full town operations during the absence of the town manager  responsible to supervise department directors and other senior staff; most of their salaries exceeded mine and in some cases by tens of thousands of dollars."

Greg Davis, former deputy mayor, stepped down last week following an appointment to the Connecticut Superior Court. Councilor Shamar Mahon voted against the increase.

Councilors Suzette Debeatham-Brown and Kirton abstained.

"I am not going to be manipulated, and I am not going to be bullied," Debeatham-Brown said. "And that's what I feel like tonight. And while I agree the acting town manager should be compensated for the job she should take on, performance bonuses was one of my suggestions, I think it is really unfair what is happening."

The town council was divided on the best way to compensate Howe. Some, like Debeatham-Brown, proposed a performance bonus and others questioned whether Howe was even the best candidate to serve as acting town manager.

"In the very first meeting, knowing Miss Howe was not interested in the position long-term, I requested we talk to other directors to see if there was any interest from the body, anywhere, to take the permanent position," Politis said.

The decision to offer Howe a salary increase followed a strange and tense discussion period. At one point, Mahon asked Wong, Howe's niece, to remove herself from the room.

"I do believe to avoid any conflict of interest that our mayor should also not only excuse herself from this conversation as she has, but also excuse herself from the chambers for the duration of this specific item so as to not give any indication how she feels about the deliberation via body language because even that can sway how others may participate," Mahon said.

The town attorney said there was no ordinance compelling Wong to leave. She remained.

McClary, in his public comment attempted to debunk any conflict of interest between Wong and Howe.

"This whole perception that it's a conflict of interest?" McClary said. "The mayor was in seventh grade when her aunt got hired in this town. Seventh grade. There is no conspiracy about a mayor to put her aunt up here."

One former resident, Alvin Schwapp, during public comment, called out members of council for failure to support Howe's salary increase, citing an article from Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

"It spoke about a reluctance to have that person compensated fairly," Schwapp said. "I would like to know, by show of hands, who here would want a promotion of a job but would feel like it was fair to not be compensated by that?"

Schwapp called out Mahon, Debeatham-Brown and Kirton for being "out of line."

"Everyone else could see the rationale of this, but for whatever reason, you three couldn't get it," Schwapp said. "So now I am here to talk about it."

During discussion of the salary increase motion, Debeatham-Brown called out the same Hearst Connecticut Media Group article. Debeatham-Brown did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication of that article.

"I think it is very unfair that only one side of a story comes out and then everyone comes in and jumps on everyone else without getting proper information," Debeatham-Brown said. "I also believe the way the story was written was written for a specific outcome."

Mahon, the one nay vote, pushed Schwapp's criticism of his position.

"I can't support $160,000," Mahon said. "I made this very clear to fellow councilors and the mayor. It is not an issue of feeling like she shouldn't be in the position, because I definitely feel Sharron is phenomenal, but after a budget season where we are pinching and scraping and trying to find every way around a sharp increase, which we couldn't avoid ... just to say let's just make this decision on a salary, if we are going to be frank, most of our residents don't see in a year. I just couldn't do it."

In the article, Davis and McClary spoke out in favor of increasing Howe's salary and not pursuing other candidates for acting town manager. Mahon spoke in favor of continuing the discussion and cited conflicting ordinances in the town charter and town ordinance when it comes to who will become the next town manager.

The reporting was part of Debeatham-Brown's decision to abstain.

"Because of the way I feel this has gone, I will not be able to vote because I believe this was extremely, extremely unfair," Debeatham-Brown said. "The lies that were told to paint other counselors are rude and disrespectful to the whole process."

The article quoted an email from Howe, obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

At the conclusion of the debate, the town council came together in a rare moment of unity to appoint Harrington as the new deputy mayor, following Davis's resignation.

"You have consistently maintained a calm, cool demeanor in a very contentious term on this council," Wong said. "I thank you for bringing some reasoning to the group and for your support for everyone and always being open-minded, no matter party."
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Dances With Wolves actor charged with sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for more than a decade has asked Nevada's high court to toss his sweeping indictment in state court.

Nathan Chasing Horse and his lawyers have argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him.

The 46-year-old's appeal to the state Supreme Court, filed Tuesday, marks his latest attempt to get his case dismissed as he remains jailed in Las Vegas on charges that could send him to prison for decades  or life  if convicted.

Nathan is pursuing this extraordinary writ because the trial court refused to dismiss the charges contained within the indictment in this case, Deputy Clark County Public Defender Kristy S. Holston wrote in an affidavit attached to the formal appeal to the high court.

The presiding judge in the state's case, Carli Kierny, upheld Chasing Horse's indictment last month, writing in an order that prosecutors in Clark County presented enough evidence for a reasonable grand juror to conclude that the sexual assaults occurred.

His trial had been set to begin May 1, but Kierny put a pause on criminal proceedings indefinitely as Chasing Horse appeals her decision.

Extraordinary relief is warranted here because Nathan has no plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of the law, his lawyer wrote in Tuesdays filing. The trial courts rulings have exposed petitioner to criminal liability for legally insufficient charges.

Chasing Horse, who is known for his work in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning movie, was arrested Jan. 31 in southern Nevada, the culmination of a monthslong investigation by Las Vegas police after receiving a tip from Canadian authorities. He is charged with 18 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse and kidnapping.

Since starring in the 1990 film, Chasing Horse had built a name for himself among tribes in the U.S. and Canada as a self-proclaimed medicine man. Authorities have accused him of using that position to lead a cult, gain access to vulnerable Indigenous women and girls, and take underage wives starting in the early 2000s.

His arrest in Nevada stunned Indian Country and helped authorities in other jurisdictions corroborate allegations against him. Chasing Horse also faces criminal charges in Canada, the U.S. District Court in Nevada, and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

His lawyers argued Tuesday that, beyond the question of Chasing Horse's guilt, the appeal presents an opportunity for the high court to clarify confusion in state law regarding definitions of consensual sex and spiritual guidance, among other things.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.
Ongoing strength at its theme parks and an improving streaming business propelled The Walt Disney Co. to higher profits and revenue in its fiscal second quarter.

But the company lost 4 million streaming subscribers to its Disney+ service and its shares fell 4.5% in after-hours trading.

The entertainment giant, which is in the midst of a  strategic reorganization, has been working on trimming about 7,000 jobs as part of a targeted $5.5 billion cost savings across the company.

Bob Iger, who returned in November to take over the CEO post from Bob Chapek, has been working over the past six months to turn around Disney's streaming business while simultaneously making sure that the financial might coming from its theme parks doesn't waver.

He's also had to contend with trying to protect Disney Worlds theme park district from a takeover by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney sued DeSantis in late April, alleging the governor waged a targeted campaign of government retaliation after the company opposed a law critics call  Dont Say Gay. Disneys legal filing is the latest salvo in a more than year-old feud between the company and DeSantis.

"Were pleased with our accomplishments this quarter, including the improved financial performance of our streaming business, which reflect the strategic changes weve been making throughout the company to realign Disney for sustained growth and success, Iger said in a statement.

For the three months ended April 1, Disney earned $1.27 billion or 69 cents per share. That compares with $470 million, or 26 cents per share, a year ago.

After adjusting for one-time items, Disney earned 93 cents per share, matching analysts' expectations according to a poll by FactSet.

Revenue rose 13% to $21.82 billion. This also met Wall Street's forecast of $21.8 billion.

Sales at its parks, experiences and products segment rose 17% in the quarter. Revenue for the segment that includes Disneys movie business climbed 3%.

In Disney's fiscal first quarter, sales at its parks, experiences and products division grew 21%, while revenue for the unit housing its movie business inched up 1%.

The company lost 4 million subscribers at its Disney+ streaming service, ending the second quarter with 157.8 million paying subscribers.

Hulu subscribers were just about flat at 48.2 million. Disney said it plans to combine the two services into one app. The decline was largely due to losses at Disney+ Hotstar, which is the company's streaming service brand in India and some other Southeast Asian countries.

Disney's theme parks are widely viewed by industry experts as a critical component of the Burbank, California-based company's business. To that end, Iger has prioritized reconnecting with the Disney theme park die-hards and restoring their faith in the brand.

Shortly after Igers return, changes were rolling out at U.S. parks. And on Monday Disney announced that some big updates are in store for Walt Disney World next year, including the return of Disney dining plans and offering some days that annual passholders and Disney cast members can visit Walt Disney World theme parks without needing a park reservation.

Disney's stock fell $4.69, or 4.6%, to $96.45 in after-hours trading.
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SAO PAULO (AP)  Thousands of fans mourning the death of Brazils Queen of Rock lined up in the rain early Wednesday to join relatives of Rita Lee Jones at a wake for the singer inside a planetarium in Sao Paulo.

Rita Lee, as she was popularly known, died Monday at age 75.

Fans started lining up at 5 a.m. Wednesday in Ibapuera Park outside the planetarium, which Rita Lee wrote about in her memoirs and often visited. Images of the sky as it was on Dec. 31, 1947, the day Rita Lee was born, were displayed on the planetariums ceiling.

Grammy Award winner Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, two legends of Brazilian music, posted photos of themselves with Rita Lee, celebrating her unique personality as much as her art.

Rita Lee left a lasting mark with her irreverence, creativity and compositions containing messages that helped introduce Brazilian society to feminism. She was the author of hits such as Ovelha Negra, Mania de Voce and Now Only Missing You.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also lamented Tuesday the loss of one of the biggest and most brilliant names in Brazilian music. He praised an artist ahead of her time and declared three days of mourning.

Her cause of death wasnt immediately disclosed but she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021, which her son had said last year that she had defeated.

The wake was scheduled until evening. Her body was to be cremated.
SOUTHPORT  The lower wharf in Southport is a picturesque, idyllic space where people can come to walk their dogs, sit on benches or go fishing.

"It's wonderful," said Marcia O'Connell, a Southport resident. "It's a no-brainer to have this for the community."

But the wharf's retaining wall has missing and broken stones, and the cement cap on top of it is chipped and cracked. Meanwhile, the fishing pier is in a state of disrepair, with a sign hanging on it warning people to stay off.

The town wants to repair the retaining wall and its top layer of cement, as well as replace the pilons of the fishing pier and rebuild its walkway so people could use the pier again. The state is expected to approve the plan soon, though the funding piece is still in question.

Those at the wharf on Tuesday were met with a gentle breeze, geese swimming in the water and the sound of wind chimes on a nearby resident's front porch. O'Connell said she brings her dog Tucker to the wharf as often as she can, adding it can be quiet during the week but gets a lot of visitors on Saturdays.

"At one time, one of the schools brought their little boys over here once a week or once a month to fish as a group," she said. "I think the community loves it for that kind of reason."

O'Connell said she hopes they repair and improve the wharf, noting she once saw a wedding there where the fishing pier was used, and called the spot a boon to the community.

"I think it's really special, and I would be disappointed, and so would Tucker, if we lost it," she said.

Plans to repair the wharf, which officials said has been needed for a long time but became even more necessary after a storm last December, have been stymied by roadblocks at various points in the process. Kim Taylor, the chair of Fairfield's Harbor Management Commission, said the town is expecting state approval of the plans in the coming weeks.

Taylor said the wharf had been beginning to look "kind of seedy" in recent years.

"It's a wonderful space for taking a look at Long Island Sound and strolling the beautiful village of Southport," she said. "But, if you've been down there, you can see that the retaining wall around the edges has stones beginning to slip out. The concrete edging is beginning to crack. There's supposed to be two piers down there. One of them had to be dismantled several years ago because it was falling in."

Taylor noted the other fishing pier had to be closed because it was unsafe. She said the commission decided years ago it needed to be spruced up.

Taylor said there were plans in the work to dredge the harbor in that spot around the boat launch, and the town got a grant from the Connecticut Port Authority to do it. This way, she said, boats could be launched at lower tides than the mud there currently allows.

"For a whole lot of reasons... we were unable to proceed with the dredging," she said, later noting the town ran into problems finding a place to put the material that would have been dug up.

So, Taylor said, the commission decided to move to phase two of its plan  fixing up the wharf and its piers. She said they sent in those plans to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for approval in February.

Also in February, town bodies approved $800,000 to do the work, with officials noting at the time that Fairfield was applying for a $640,000 grant to cover part of that expense, but were unsure if it would come through. Taylor said the Connecticut Port Authority has not issued that type of grant so far this year.

"We're not sure when the (Small Harbor Improvement Projects Program) grant process will re-open," she said.

So now, Taylor said, the town is in a situation where the plan will be approved but the funding source is in question. She said the town will immediately apply if the port authority starts issuing grants again, adding she thinks Fairfield would get the money if that happens.

"Or, maybe there's a wonderful person in town who wants to have a fishing pier named after them," she said. "That remains to be seen."

Taylor said she can't see how the work could be done in the next year, noting it is a project that has to be done in the winter. She said the fishing pier will likely not be open this summer.

"We've done everything we can possibly do, and until we come up with $800,000, we can't even go to bid," she said.

Robert Bruder, a longtime Fairfield resident, said he has been visiting the wharf with his dog Kip for a few years. He said it means a lot for the community to have a place like the wharf.

"There aren't a lot of places like this on the water, with boats and wildlife, overlooking the sound," she said. "It's an important part of the local lore."

Bruder said he sees people there all the time with their dogs or sitting on the benches, adding he used to see people fishing off the pier as well. He said it is in "pretty bad shape" now, and he hopes it gets fixed up.

"It's an important little enclave of the area," he said. "People come not only from town but also from other towns. It's a nice sort of interaction with community people and people from outside of it, and the dogs bring everyone together. It's kind of a meditative, benevolent environment."

CJ Young, a Milford resident who was fishing off the wharf, said he goes down there for the beauty as well as the fishing.

"I haven't come here this year yet, but historically it's pretty good fishing," he said, adding he primarily catches striped bass and bluefish there.

Young said he has in-laws that live nearby, and he used to go to the fishing pier just to hang out with his fiance.

"This is always a good spot to come down, walk the dog and just look around," he said.
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You may have noticed lately that several local wildlife officials are asking Texans to turn off or dim non-essential lights and close blinds at their homes and businesses in the evening and early morning hours through June 15. This is because May happens to be the height of bird migration in the Lone Star State, with up to two billion migratory birds passing through Texas in search of food, water, and a safe place to stop and rest, according to the Houston Zoo.

One out of every three birds migrating through the U.S. in spring passes through Texas. The Upper Texas Coast specifically plays a key role on the Central Flyway, an important migratory path for birds, according to Houston Audubon. Birds that make the grueling 17-hour flight over the Gulf of Mexico depend on safe passage through the Houston-Galveston area.
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After a surge in business earlier in the year, Conroes longtime hamburger joint, Burger Fresh & More has doubled its size.

The spot, owned by Conroe businessman James Canada, went from a 1,500-square-foot space at 804 Gladstell Road in Conroe to a total of 3,800 square foot by expanding into the space adjacent to the original spot.

On YourConroeNews.com: Overcrowded Montgomery County shelter ships rescued dogs and cats to other states in the northeast

Canada said the new dining area has been open for about three weeks.

The original space is now used for overflow from the main dinning area and as a party and events room.

Earlier in the year, Burger Fresh got in on the sign war in Conroe that was started by Lubys and Montgomery Bakehouse and swept through the city. The two businesses began putting up cute and quirky slogans on the signs in front of their businesses.

This caught on across the city and Burger Fresh saw a boost in its customers as they engaged in the sign war on social media.

We started getting really busy after that, he said. Our location is a little out of the way, so before most people didnt know we were here.

The Conroe staple was opened in 1997 by Jay Lehman who died in 2019. When Lehman retired, Scott Levantino bought it and five years ago Canada bought the establishment.

In 2009, Texas Monthly named Burger Freshs burger the No. 13 best burger in Texas.

The Texas Monthly award is Canadas favorite thing on the menu and features mayo, mustard, a sourdough jalapeno bun, bacon, avocado, pepper jack, grilled onion and pepper, lettuce, tomato, and pickle.

Canada, a 1966 graduate of Conroe High School, grew up in Conroe and has been in the restaurant business since 1982.

When he bought Burger Fresh, he began to add memorabilia from the 1950s and 1960s. He also started using fresh meats and made upgrades to the menu items.

I was a kid in the 1950s and 1960s and it was a great time in America, he said.

Canada enjoys collecting 1950s and 1960s memorabilia and much of it is displayed on the walls of the restaurant. Visitors can even take a picture with an Elvis or Marilyn Monroe cardboard cutout.

On YourConroeNews.com: Shut down during the pandemic, Cafe Texan reopens as dual concept: Coffee house and global museum

Just recently he found several photos of old Conroe hangouts like The Oasis Drive Inn, The Tasty Freeze and Hewetts Cafe to hang at Burger Fresh.

Those are all places I grew up going to, he said. I think it gives people a good feeling to come in here and hear the 50s music and see all the memorabilia.

Even the seating is 1950s style with metallic red chairs and a row of metallic green booths.

Along with the expansion of the restaurant, Canada has made other changes to the restaurant and menu.

The party room can host 50 and he doesnt charge for the use as long as patrons use the Burger Fresh menu. Call the restaurant at 936-756-4414 to reserve the party room.

With the expansion, Burger Fresh now has two cases of Blue Bell Ice Cream serving up to 16 flavors.

Within the last year, hes added hot dogs and loaded fries to the menu.

They also began serving breakfast at 7 a.m.

Its a really good breakfast and one of the most affordable in town, he said. Its just that a lot of people dont know about it.

The restaurant also has new hours. It opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Its open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

See the Burger Fresh Facebook page for more.
The landmark deciphering of the human genome more than two decades ago allowed doctors to solve thousands of medicine's cruelest mysteries, including the reason 10-year-old Celia Steele has never walked or talked, and now needs tubes to deliver oxygen and food. Deep in the genetic blueprint of the Wichita girl, doctors discovered the cause: two mutations in PDE2A, one of the 20,000 genes in the body. Just four people in the world share her condition.

The answer mattered deeply, but it came with disappointment. Doctors have yet to find a treatment. As powerful and transformative as the sequencing of the human genome has been, the medical revolution it kick-started still falls short, often delivering explanations for illness but no solution.

But hope for Celia and millions of other people with hereditary diseases rose on Wednesday with the announcement of a second scientific landmark: a new, more detailed version of our genetic code that finally begins to account for human diversity - a factor of critical importance to medicine.

Until now, doctors have been comparing their patients to a genetic yardstick heavily weighted toward people of White European ancestry. The first draft of the human genome, released in 2001, relied on one man in Buffalo for about 70 percent of the code.

"There is so much frustration in medicine about how we are operating with such a lack of fundamental knowledge," said Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. "We will look back on how we practiced medicine, and we will be astonished at how barbaric it was."

The pangenome, unveiled in the journal Nature, is based on the full genetic blueprints of 47 people who were sequenced between 2008 and 2015 for another study, including some of African, Asian, Caribbean, American and European ancestries. Scientists hope to expand the new tool over the next two years to incorporate 350 genetic blueprints from around the world.

While the human genome is like a single road, the pangenome resembles a subway map, converging in parts of the sequence that are common to most people and branching out in areas where we differ.

"We can see human variation as if through a new microscope. We'll now be able to make new associations to predict diseases and disease outcomes," said Evan Eichler, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington, and one of more than 120 scientists who worked on the five-year, $40 million pangenome project.

Eichler stressed that the pangenome ("pan" comes from the Greek word for "whole") still needs far greater representation from the Middle East, Africa and Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

This broader version of humankind's genetic architecture builds on previous drafts of the genome. The most complete version yet, unveiled last year, uncovered the mysterious final 8 percent of our code, including millions of new genetic variants  622 of them linked to disease.

It is likely to be years before many Americans benefit directly from the pangenome. Even if scientists do not find a cure, Celia's mother, Teresa Cruz-Steele, dreams that the pangenome will help experts discover better ways to treat the girl's seizures: "I'm kind of hoping for that, so I can get back my happy child."

Among its early results, the project has aided groundbreaking research into the genetic underpinnings of autism, a disorder estimated to affect 5.4 million adults in the United States.

Eichler, who is one of the researchers on the autism project, said the pangenome helped scientists separate genetic variants that appear in the general population from those that are specific to autism. It also led to the discovery of 150 genes that had not previously been linked to the disorder.

The idea for the pangenome came from bacteria researchers, who realized that they needed multiple genomes to capture true diversity within a species. The human project, carried out by an international consortium of institutions in the United States and Europe, delved deeply into some of the most difficult regions of our genetic code, areas made of long repeating sequences that were devilishly hard to tease apart.

"You realize that there was a degree of genetic complexity that we were completely blind to," said Eimear Kenny, one of the pangenome researchers and director for the Institute for Genomic Health at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "We just didn't have the microscope to see it."

Dramatic improvements in sequencing and computational technology fueled the pangenome research, in part by bringing down the cost of the process.

"There were announcements just this year that we will soon have a $100 human genome," Kenny said. "That's an extraordinary leap forward from the 3 billion or so dollars it cost to sequence the first human genome."

Even with its limitations, the basic ability to map a person's unique genetic blueprint has had a profound effect on medicine.

"Oh, it's night and day," said Tom Curran, executive director and chief scientific officer of the Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute.

Consider cystic fibrosis. Children with the disease often died because doctors lacked the precise molecular diagnosis required to match them to the right treatment, Curran said. The number of children saved by getting the right treatment, he said, meant "we had to invent adult clinics for cystic fibrosis. There is now a cohort of [cystic fibrosis] patients who would never have lived before."

Then there's cancer, which will kill an estimated 610,000 Americans this year.

"Cancer is fundamentally a disease of the genome," said Andrew Futreal, chairman of the department of genomic medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Measuring patients' genetic blueprints and comparing them with the altered versions found in their tumors allows doctors to see what has changed, and helps drug developers to target specific points where they can prevent change, or lessen its effects.

Beyond its impact on any single illness, the human genome marked "a tectonic shift in the way we think about health and diseases," said Stanley Crooke, the chairman and chief executive of n-Lorem Foundation, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based nonprofit that helps people with the rarest of mutations, those that cause diseases affecting fewer than 30 people worldwide. "It's teaching really important lessons about human life."

One such lesson is that while Celia Steele's disease is extraordinarily rare, her predicament is not. There are about 10,000 rare diseases, most of them hereditary; all told, they afflict 30 million Americans, or roughly 1 person in 10.

For many of the affected families, the pain and doubt of not knowing what caused an illness can feel overwhelming. Finding an answer - even one that comes without cure or treatment - often has great meaning.

Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neurology at Children's Mercy Kansas City, recalled explaining to a mother that a genetic mutation was to blame for her son's autism.

"She dissolved into tears because she finally had an answer and she had a relief," he said. "She knew it wasn't something she did. Her entire life - she told me this on the phone - she had wondered what she had done wrong while she was pregnant to cause this child to have autism."

For much of Celia's life, her family has struggled to understand why her twin bother, Corbin, born just one minute and one second after her, shared none of her symptoms.

Corbin hit all his developmental milestones on schedule: rolling over, crawling, sitting, standing, walking, talking.

"He was doing those things, and she wasn't," Celia's mother said.

Celia had strange jerking arm movements. She would tense up suddenly. Teresa and her husband, Cornell, used pillows to prop up Celia whenever she tried to sit; otherwise she fell backward. She didn't start crawling until she was 2.

At 5, Celia was still crawling and had learned the words, "Mama" and "what." Then her progress unraveled. About age 7, she began to lose the ability to crawl and say the occasional word. She had trouble breathing. She experienced seizures, sometimes more than 100 in a day. Her eyes would roll back. Her hands would jerk up at her sides as if in surrender.

In 2020, after the family returned from a Make-A-Wish trip to Walt Disney World in Florida, Celia's condition suddenly grew dire.

"We just couldn't keep her oxygen up," Teresa said. "Whatever we tried, we just couldn't do it."

Celia wound up in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children's Mercy Kansas City, where a machine had to breathe for her. It was not her first trip to the emergency room, nor her last. Celia's parents estimate there have been somewhere between 15 and 20.

Running on little sleep after nights spent listening for the warning beeps from Celia's ventilator and oximeter, Teresa would tell her four other children: "I go to battle for you guys, but I am in a war for Celia."

Over the years, doctors tested Celia, seeking a genetic explanation for her condition. Always the tests came back with no answer. Her mother felt defeated.

Celia was enrolled in the Genomic Answers for Kids program at Children's Mercy, which has analyzed the genetic blueprints of about 6,000 patients, boys and girls for whom all other tests had failed.

In September 2020, a genetic counselor phoned Teresa with the results from Celia's test. Her condition had a name: PDE2A-related disorder. The gene involved carried the instructions for making an enzyme linked to other neurological disorders. To cause harm, the mutation must come from both parents. Teresa and Cornell were carriers. Each had one copy of the mutation.

"I literally felt the blood just rush down my body," Teresa said, recalling the phone call with Celia's test results. "I had to sit down. I was sitting there with my hands on my face listening to her, shaking and shaking, crying and crying. It was like a sense of relief."

Although doctors don't fully understand how the mutations cause Celia's symptoms, they know the genetic changes destroy the function of an enzyme that helps cells throughout the body receive, process and transmit signals. Some of the signals come from the brain and direct movement in parts of the body, "so when those signals aren't transmitted correctly, the body doesn't move and function as it would typically," said Rose Gelineau-Morel, a pediatric neurologist at Children's Mercy who has treated Celia and specializes in movement disorders.

There is no clear prognosis for Celia, Teresa said. "We don't know for sure if it's fatal, if it'll get worse or stay the same. We are hopeful because there is an adult who has this condition, so we know at least maybe it's not fatal. But we cannot say 100 percent."

The much more detailed pangenome fuels hope for families like Celia's because there already have been cases in which better understanding of the human genome has led to viable treatments.

The National Institutes of Health's Undiagnosed Diseases Program has searched the genetic sequences of about 2,700 patients, diagnosing around 300 through the tests. Of those, roughly 100 have received treatment for a specific disease; about 250 have been able to get treatments that provide some relief from symptoms.

In March 2022, Melissa Evans received news about her son, Logan, whose genome was sequenced after years of illness climaxing in a cardiac arrest when he was 9.

"Melissa," the doctor said, "this rarely happens, but I know what Logan has, and there's a treatment."

Melissa and her husband, Jason, adopted Logan from foster care when he was 3. He was not talking at that point, struggled with walking and showed signs of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. From an early age, he displayed behavioral problems.

"He got kicked out of every preschool he ever attended," said Melissa, who lives with her husband in Quinton, Va. "In second grade, he had nine suspensions. He'd throw furniture. I was getting a phone call every single day. 'Hey can you calm Logan down?'"

On the evening of Dec. 14, 2021, he began vomiting and had to be taken to the emergency room of a local hospital. His blood sugar level was at 7; it should have been around 120. Logan was then taken by helicopter to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. There he flailed away at his intravenous and medication lines, as well as at the tubes in his chest that helped remove the fluid accumulating around his lungs. Hospital staff placed his arms and legs in restraints and administered the antipsychotic drug Haldol.

Shortly afterward, the Evans were told that their son had suffered a cardiac arrest, a rare side effect of the medication. When they entered the room a nun was already there. Jason remembers telling her, "Your being here terrifies us. It's a sign he is not going to make it."

Doctors were able to stabilize Logan, who was later transferred to Children's National Hospital. While there, his genome was sequenced.

A few months later, medical geneticist Seth Berger discovered a harmful mutation in the gene SLC6A8, which had impaired the body's ability to transport an important source of energy called creatine. Logan's condition, which is known to have affected about 300 people around the world, could be treated.

Since starting on supplements that boost his creatine levels, Logan has changed dramatically. He takes about 50 pills a day, but he is able to work with his parents on vocabulary assignments. He no longer lashes out at school, and for the first time in years he can ride the bus to school with the other children.

"It's groundbreaking, and it completely changed the course of his life," said Kyle Moser, his former assistant principal. "If we can do this for one child, we should continue the research."
The race to build a successor to the aging International Space Station is on and features some of the biggest names in aerospace, from Northrop Grumman to Blue Origin. Now, a relatively unknown new entrant hopes to beat all of them by lofting a station to orbit that could host its first crew by late 2025.

Backed by a billionaire entrepreneur, Vast, a California-based start-up, is partnering with Elon Musk's SpaceX to lift a station that could host up to four people for 30 days. And it's planning on getting it to space quickly, as soon as August 2025.

While that timeline is ambitious, and likely to slip, it is well ahead of some of the other commercial stations being developed as successors to the ISS. If Vast's plans come to fruition, it would mark the first time a commercial rocket company had launched humans to a commercial space station, another milestone in the privatization of space.

Later this month, SpaceX is set to launch its second crew of private citizens to the ISS in a mission chartered by Axiom Space. The company is also working with Jared Isaacman, the entrepreneur and explorer, who in 2021 spent three days in orbit with three other civilians. He's since booked three more flights, including one for later this year that will feature the first private citizen spacewalk.

The clock is ticking on the ISS.

NASA and many of its partner countries have committed to operating the ISS through 2030. Last month, Russia confirmed it would remain a partner at least through 2028, easing concerns that it might pull out of the partnership. But while NASA now has those commitments in place, the space agency is also moving ahead with funding the commercial stations that might replace it.

In late 2021, it awarded contracts, worth a total of $415.6 million to three companies - Northrop Grumman, and teams led by NanoRacks and Blue Origin - to develop commercial stations that could eventually replace the ISS. Another company, Axiom Space, is also working with NASA on a station of its own. (Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

There is a concern among some at NASA and throughout the space industry that the commercial stations won't be ready in time, leaving the United States without a destination in Earth orbit for its astronauts. After the space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA was left without a way to get its astronauts to space for nearly a decade, while it waited for its commercial providers to develop their spacecraft. In the meantime, it was forced to rely on Russia to fly its astronauts to the ISS.

But there is no backup space station for NASA to use if the commercial habitats aren't ready in time. China has recently assembled one of its own, but NASA is effectively barred from partnering with China in space.

The future of NASA in the neighborhood just beyond Earth's atmosphere has gotten the attention of the White House, which in a statement in March released a five-part strategy dedicated to "maintaining U.S. preeminence in low Earth orbit."

But first it needs to ensure there isn't a gap between the retirement of the ISS and the commercial stations.

Vast did not participate in the first round of NASA funding, but says that with a small and simple design, and a partnership with SpaceX, it should be able to get a station up relatively quickly. The company recently signed a contract with SpaceX to launch its first station, a small module it calls Haven-1.

The whole thing would be able to fit inside the nose cone of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, meaning it could be put into orbit with a single launch. Vast also has a contract with SpaceX to fly a crew of up to four people to the station in its Dragon spacecraft, which is also used to fly NASA astronauts to the ISS. Vast has not said what it would charge for the stays. The company said its customers could come from international space agencies as well as wealthy individuals.

"A commercial rocket launching a commercial spacecraft with commercial astronauts to a commercial space station is the future of low Earth orbit, and with Vast we're taking another step toward making that future a reality," Tom Ochinero, SpaceX's senior vice president of commercial business, said in a statement.

Vast is led and backed by Jed McCaleb, who is worth $2.4 billion, according to Forbes, from his work in cryptocurrency. While he said SpaceX is solving the problem of getting large amounts of mass to orbit cheaply with its fleet of rockets, "the next thing is providing low-cost, successful human habitation. That's what Vast is working on."

While Haven-1 would be a relatively small station, just about 33 feet long and about 12.5 feet in diameter, the company plans to send up additional modules. One of its main goals, however, is an ever bigger station that would rotate, providing artificial gravity.

That's in part what attracted Hans Koenigsmann, who had served as SpaceX's vice president of build and flight reliability before retiring in 2021, to serve as a consultant to Vast, which he said "reminds me a little bit of SpaceX." One of the benefits of a station with gravity would be to mimic Mars's gravity, allowing researchers to see how it affects the human body before sending people to the Red Planet.

"It would give us a chance to test these things before you go to Mars," he said. "I really like that idea."
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The federal criminal charges against Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) divided House Republicans on Wednesday, with party leaders signaling no additional immediate action would be taken against him and many of his GOP colleagues from New York re-upping their animated calls for his resignation.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters that he would not support Santos for reelection next year, saying, "I think he has other things to focus on in his life."

But McCarthy suggested he would wait to see if the House Ethics Committee determines whether Santos broke the law before deciding on whether to call on him to resign.

Speaking at an earlier news conference, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) noted that Santos previously stepped down from his committee assignments amid the months-long outcry over fabrications in his biography. Scalise did not respond directly to a reporter's question about whether the freshman lawmaker should now resign.

"First of all, in regard to George Santos, he was already removed from all of his committees," Scalise inaccurately told reporters as Santos took that step, not Republican leadership. "In America, there's a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges. He's going to have to go through the legal process.  [T]hat court process is going to play itself out."

But many of Santos's colleagues did not appear to be that patient.

"Resign," Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.) said in a text message to The Washington Post.

"I once again call on this serial fraudster to resign from office," Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.) said in a statement.

"These charges bring us one step closer to never having to talk about this lying loser ever again," Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said.

Several of Santos's most vocal GOP critics represent highly competitive districts, where voter disgust with Santos could splash over onto them as well. For the House leadership, meanwhile, the temporary loss of even one GOP vote has the potential to cause headaches in the narrowly divided chamber. Republicans hold 222 seats, while Democrats hold 213.

Santos, 34, pleaded not guilty to all charges during an appearance in a federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., on Wednesday afternoon. He was charged with fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements.

Democrats on Wednesday re-upped their calls for Santos to step down, and some suggested it was ironic that House Republicans are pushing a bill this week that would purportedly crack down on unemployment fraud.

According to the charges brought by prosecutors, Santos fraudulently applied to receive unemployment benefits when he was employed and running for Congress in 2020.

"You can't make this up: House Republicans are beginning floor consideration today of a bill that would defund efforts to crack down on unemployment fraud," Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said in a tweet. "On the same day that one of their own members was hit with a criminal indictment for unemployment fraud."

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the House Republican conference chairwoman, also suggested that GOP leadership would take no further action against Santos in the short term - and sought to defend the unemployment bill.

"He voluntarily had stepped down from his committees," she said, appearing at the same news conference as Scalise. "We are committed to making sure that we root out any fraud when it comes to unemployment, pandemic assistance, and we're working to have support from our conference. And it's good policy. And we urge the Democrats to vote in support."

President Biden has threatened to veto the bill, saying it would actually decrease resources available to combat fraud.

In late January, Santos announced that he was voluntarily stepping down from the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.

"With the ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations, I have submitted a request to Speaker McCarthy that I be temporarily recused from my committee assignments until I am cleared," Santos said in a statement at the time.

Santos later told reporters he was confident he would be cleared "because I have nothing to hide."

Other members of Congress have continued to serve while facing criminal charges. In recent years, those include now-former representatives Duncan D. Hunter (Calif.), indicted in 2018 for spending campaign funds on personal expenses, including trips to Hawaii and Italy; Chris Collins (N.Y.), charged in 2018 with securities fraud; and Jeff Fortenberry (Neb.), indicted in 2021 for concealing information about foreign campaign contributions. Hunter and Collins later pleaded guilty; Fortenberry was found guilty in March 2022 of concealing facts and lying to investigators probing illegal campaign contributions.

Meanwhile, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) continues to serve years after a 2015 indictment on bribery charges. A trial ended with a hung jury in 2017.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said Wednesday that he hoped Santos would have already stepped down and would not continue to put House leaders through this "distraction."

"It's a punchline for a lot of commentary regarding the Republican Party that we don't need, and I just  feel like he should have done the right thing," Womack said.

On the other side of the Capitol, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) reiterated his view that Santos should step down. The two had a tense exchange on the House floor ahead of the State of the Union, with Romney rebuking Santos for seeking out a high-profile spot in the chamber.

"I think he's already demonstrated that he has a very loose relationship with the truth," Romney said of Santos on Wednesday. "I think it's a question of why he still remains in Congress and should resign immediately. Should have resigned a long time ago. But I think we're seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow but they grind fine, and he will have his day in court."

Republicans outside of Washington also weighed in on Wednesday.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, reiterated his call for Santos to "resign immediately."

In a statement Blakeman also said Santos "is a stain on Congress and he's doing a disservice to the residents of the Third Congressional District."

The criminal charges also provided new fodder for Concerned Citizens of NY-03, a group that has been seeking Santos's ouster.

"The world has known for months that Santos is a liar, an impostor, a criminal," said Jody Kass Finkel, a Santos constituent and spokeswoman for the group. "The only thing we didn't know was which of his many crimes would be prosecuted first. It's beyond time for Speaker Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his support for Santos and show him the door."

House Democrats on Wednesday also seized on the Santos charges - and lack of action by Republican leaders - to highlight the difficulties of the Republican conference.

"The party of George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene cannot be trusted to govern," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet, referencing the controversial Republican firebrand from Georgia. "Not now. Not ever."

- - -

The Washington Post's Mariana Alfaro, Camila DeChalus and Shayna Jacobs contributed to this report.
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against George Santos, the freshman Republican congressman from New York who lied about his background and accomplishments during his 2022 campaign, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The charges are under seal in a New York federal courthouse, and it was not immediately known what crime or crimes Santos is alleged to have committed. The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity.

Santos did not respond to a text message seeking comment. A spokeswoman and an attorney for the congressman also did not respond. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment.

The federal allegations mark the latest chapter in a saga that has put Santos, 34, under a bright spotlight in Washington and beyond. The lies he told voters, in a district stretching from parts of Long Island to Queens, only unraveled after his November victory. He apologized for what he called "resume embellishment."

But some of the scrutiny has been aimed at more serious potential wrongdoing, including allegedly misrepresenting his campaign's finances and deceiving people for his financial gain. Federal prosecutors' decision to charge Santos was first reported by CNN.

Santos has been the subject of multiple investigations. Prosecutors and federal agents have been scrutinizing Santos's campaign finance reports and a host of related questions about his personal finances. Of particular interest to authorities is how his income seemed to fluctuate significantly, as well as a loan he made to his campaign of more than $700,000, according to people familiar with the matter.

He also came under fire for allegedly pocketing $3,000 from a GoFundMe page he purportedly set up for a homeless veteran to help pay for surgery for the man's dying service dog. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission has interviewed people about Santos's role in Harbor City Capital, an investment firm that was forced to shut down in 2021 after the SEC accused it of operating a "classic Ponzi scheme."

The agency's interest in speaking with those people came after they were quoted in The Washington Post describing how Santos solicited an investment in Harbor City at an Italian restaurant in Queens in late 2020.

Wide-ranging complaints filed by watchdog groups with the Federal Election Commission earlier this year accused Santos of misrepresenting campaign spending and using campaign resources to cover personal expenses, among other allegations. In January, the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section asked the FEC to hold off on any enforcement action against Santos, suggesting that prosecutors were examining overlapping issues.

In March, a House ethics panel said it would investigate Santos and established a bipartisan subcommittee to examine claims about the freshman congressman, including about his past business practices, campaign finance expenditures and an allegation of sexual misconduct.

The congressman's fabrications touched nearly every aspect of his life, from his family background to his academic pedigree and work experience.

Santos said his mother was inside one of the World Trade Center towers when they were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, but immigration records indicate that his mother wasn't in the United States on that day. He claimed to have worked for high-powered Wall Street firms that denied employing him. He even falsely claimed to have been a star on his college volleyball team.

Republican leaders in his district and members of New York's congressional delegation called on him to resign, but Santos refused. After initially dodging cameras and refusing interviews in the halls of Congress, the lawmaker came to embrace his notoriety. He threw in with the far-right faction of his party and endorsed former president Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. Last month, he announced that he would seek reelection.

At a January event hosted at the Conrad Hotel by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for donors and new members of Congress, Santos was asked how he was faring, according to two people present.

"This is an event for the new speaker, but I'm the most famous person in the room," he replied.

- - -

The Washington Post's Azi Paybarah and Jonathan O'Connell contributed to this report.
Plainview ISD has been the talk of the town over the past week after multiple protests against the school district in their handling of a sexual abuse case between multiple students and recorded and watched by others at Plainview South Elementary in mid-April.

One of the main activists of the protests in Plainview last week was Heather Gonzales. During Monday and Fridays protest, she stated that she wants protesters to remain non-violent and focus on making their voice heard. She spoke with the Herald Monday morning to reiterate her stance.

We continue to tell everyone who's standing with us that we want everything to be completely calm. We do not want any violence. We will not want any, you know, aggression towards anybody. We want this to remain peaceful, Gonzales said.

News of Plainview ISD and the protests gained traction on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Those media outlets have helped spread the story to a national audience with some individuals on those apps condemning PISD while others have commented their support in the protesters cause. More notably, there have been individuals that have made threats upon the districts faculty and students.

The threats Plainview ISD received over the past week were directed towards faculty and students at South Elementary. Specifically, there were death threats made to the boys and teacher in the classroom at South Elementary along with others.

PISD took screenshots of those threats posted on social media and sent them to the FBI, Department of Public Safety and other relevant law enforcement agencies.

The Herald reached out to those agencies but was unable to receive a response before press time.

In response to the threats received, the district initially announced their plan to cancel Monday classes at South Elementary. That announcement was made last Friday. PISD later sent out a message to district families Sunday evening alerting them of the cancellation of classes district wide.

That was posted on Plainview ISDs website the same day and read, As we continue to receive threats and as there was a mass shooting in Allen Texas, PISD will cancel school Monday throughout the district in an abundance of caution. Due to misinformation regarding a matter under investigation, we continue to receive threats of violence that are extremely concerning.

The district released another statement Monday afternoon that announced their plans to cancel school for a second day in a row. The statement shared more details on the actions PISD took in their decision to cancel classes.

PISD submitted a case to the Hale County District Attorneys Office regarding the threats. The district is also working with the Texas Education Agency and Texas Department of Public Safetys Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division to, assess the containment and continued viability of threats of violence made state-wide and nationally against South Elementary and PISD educators, the districts statement Monday read.

The return of classes at Planview ISD this year is still up in the air. The statement the district released Monday did not give a clear timetable on when classes would resume. The statement read, Once we receive feedback from both entities (TEA and DPS), we will decide on when classes may continue.

Gonzales shared with the Herald that threats made to the district will distract from what the movement and the changes they are looking to make.

We know that if there's any violence that occurs with whoever is making these threats, it's going to take away from what we're trying to do, Gonzales said.

Gonzales and protesters are calling for change from the district leaders. They want change in the districts communication with parents and members of the community. They also want the district to hold its faculty and district leaders accountable. Gonzales has already organized two protests last week and told the Herald she plans to speak at the upcoming school board meeting May 18.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  The parents of an Iowa man who fled to Jordan before his attempted murder trial have been arrested after prosecutors accused them of helping their son escape the country.

Ali Younes, 19, had been set to go on trial next week for allegedly attacking a woman on the University of Iowa campus last April and stealing a pair of earrings from her that were valued at $20,000. Prosecutors have said he tackled the woman and strangled her until she passed out before taking the earrings.
President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that the West has unleashed a real war against Russia, reprising a familiar refrain at scaled-down Victory Day celebrations that may reflect the toll the Ukraine conflict is taking on his forces.

Putins remarks came just hours after Moscow fired its latest barrage of cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than 14 months ago. Ukrainian authorities said air defenses destroyed 23 of 25 missiles launched.

The Russian leader has repeatedly sought to paint his invasion of Ukraine as necessary to defend against a Western threat. Kyiv and its Western allies say they pose no such threat and that Moscow's war is meant to deter Western influence in a country that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence.

Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point, Putin said at the annual commemorations celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. A real war has been unleashed against our motherland.

Putin has often used patriotic rhetoric that harkens back to the earlier war in an effort to rally his citizens and forces  and May 9 is one of the most important dates in the Russian political calendar. But this year's celebrations were markedly smaller, at least partially because of security concerns after several drone attacks have been reported inside Russia.

Some 8,000 troops took part in the parade in Moscows Red Square on Tuesday  the lowest number since 2008. Even the procession in 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured some 13,000 soldiers, and last year, 11,000 troops took part. There was no fly-over of military jets, and the event lasted less than the usual hour.

This is weak. There are no tanks, said Yelena Orlova, watching the vehicles rumble down Moscow's Novy Arbat avenue after leaving Red Square. Were upset, but thats all right; it will be better in the future.

The Kremlins forces deployed in Ukraine are defending a front line stretching more than 600 miles, presumably thinning the ranks of troops available for such displays.

This is supposed to be a showpiece for Russian military might. But so much of that military might has already been mauled in Ukraine that Russia has very little to show on its parade in Red Square," said Keir Giles, a Russia expert at Londons Chatham House think tank.

Meanwhile, the traditional Immortal Regiment processions, in which crowds take to the streets holding portraits of relatives who died or served in World War II  a pillar of the holiday  were canceled in multiple cities.

That seems to be for fear that those people who have lost their relatives in this current war on Ukraine might actually join the processions and show just the scale of the casualties that Russia has suffered in its current war," Giles said.

Russian media counted 24 cities that also scrapped military parades  another staple of the celebrations  for the first time in years. Regional officials blamed unspecified security concerns or vaguely referred to the current situation for the restrictions and cancelations. It wasnt clear whether their decisions were taken in coordination with the Kremlin.

Last week, Russia claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin that it called an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied involvement.

There was no independent verification of the purported attack, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it.

On a tribune in Red Square, Putin praised soldiers taking part in the war in Ukraine and urged Russians to stand together.

Our heroic ancestors proved that there is nothing stronger, more powerful and more reliable than our unity. There is nothing in the world stronger than our love for the motherland, Putin said.

The guest list was also light amid Putins broad diplomatic isolation over the war. Initially, only one foreign leader was expected to attend this years parade  Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov. That was one more foreign guest than last year, when no leaders went.

At the last minute on Monday, officials announced that the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would head to Moscow as well.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said in a Telegram post that eight Kalibr cruise missiles were fired from carriers in the Black Sea toward the east and 17 from strategic aircraft.

The missiles came hours before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Unions executive branch, arrived in Kyiv.

Von der Leyen urged EU member nations to take measures to prevent countries from helping Russia to circumvent the blocs sanctions. The EU has noticed that certain products that have been banned to undermine Russias war effort are still getting through, she said.

Von der Leyen did not name the countries, but unusual trade flows through China and Turkey have been on the EUs radar for some time.

Ukraine is keen to join the EU, but membership has many requirements and is still a long way off. Ukraine is also hoping to join NATO, after moving close to the Western military alliance during the war.

In the latest help from a NATO member, the U.S. was expected to announce Tuesday that it will provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further bolster its air defenses.
Trevor Mullinax needed help. There was a shotgun in the cab of the pickup truck where he sat, parked in a South Carolina field. He was contemplating suicide. Tammy Beason, his mother, stood next to the truck trying to talk him down.

Then, four deputies from the York County Sheriff's Office drove up to Mullinax's truck. A family member had called for a wellness check, according to a newly filed lawsuit.

But the officers rode in "like cowboys from a John Wayne movie," the lawsuit alleges. In a confrontation captured by dashboard and body-worn cameras, they can be seen quickly drawing their guns and firing at Mullinax, riddling his windshield with bullet holes. Beason, who was inches away, screamed and darted to the side.

The officers fired about 50 rounds at Mullinax, according to the lawsuit.

Mullinax's attorneys say his hands were raised before the officers opened fire in the May 2021 encounter, but the deputies who shot him alleged that he reached for his gun. Mullinax was shot nine times, including three times in the head, and sustained several injuries that required surgery, Beason told The Washington Post.

Mullinax and Beason sued York County and its sheriff's office on Friday in the county's Common Pleas Court, alleging gross negligence, among other charges.

"As a mother, there are not enough negative words to tell you how I felt that day," Beason said at a Tuesday news conference. "All we wanted was to get some help for my son."

The sheriff's office said in a statement Tuesday that the deputies involved in the shooting were investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and cleared of wrongdoing by the 16th Circuit Solicitor's Office, and that Mullinax had been charged with presenting a firearm during the confrontation.

"These deputies responded appropriately to the threat as they were trained to do," Sheriff Kevin Tolson said in the statement.

Mullinax's firearm case is pending trial, according to court records. His attorneys said Tuesday that he was innocent of the charge and never used the shotgun in an aggressive manner.

Mullinax was in a severe state of emotional distress before the encounter with the deputies, according to Justin Bamberg, an attorney representing Mullinax and Beason. He'd had an argument with his girlfriend two days earlier and began contemplating suicide, Bamberg said at the news conference. Mullinax kicked a door during the argument, which led to a burglary charge that was later dropped, Bamberg said.

On the day he was shot, Mullinax had visited his grandmother's gravesite, Bamberg said. Beason was alarmed and drove to find Mullinax, who had parked in a York County field with a hunting shotgun that he owned. Beason said she spoke to Mullinax for four hours as he sat in his truck cab.

"I really felt that he was getting to a point that he was willing to come with me," Beason said.

Beason shared what was happening with an extended family member, who called 911 and requested a wellness check on Mullinax, according to call logs shared by Bamberg. The caller told a dispatcher that Mullinax was suicidal and locked in his truck with a knife.

"We're just trying to get our buddy some help," the caller said. He later repeated the warning that Mullinax was armed.

"I say that because I don't want him to hop out and get shot," the caller said.

Around 6:15 p.m. on May 7, 2021, several patrol cars from the York County Sheriff's Office approached Beason and Mullinax in the field at speed - "flying down through the field," Beason said - and stopped a few feet from Mullinax's truck, video shows.

Four deputies aimed their guns at the pickup truck as they exited their cars and yelled "Hands! Hands! Hands!" at Mullinax and Beason, who was still standing by Mullinax's truck. Six seconds after first issuing a command, the officers opened fire at Mullinax.

Mullinax is not clearly visible in body-camera footage at the moment he is fired upon by deputies.

"It felt like a split second," Beason said. "They just jumped out of the cars, and then I start to realize that the sounds that I'm hearing are bullets hitting the windshield."

The four officers fired continuously for six seconds, the footage shows.

The officers then handcuffed both Beason and Mullinax, who was unresponsive and covered in blood, the footage shows. A deputy can be heard confirming that a shotgun was in the truck cabin. Officers did not appear to recover a knife.

After the shooting, the officers can be heard alleging that Mullinax pointed the shotgun at them before they opened fire. Although the body-camera footage does not clearly depict Mullinax in that moment, it shows that his bloodied arms were raised in front of his face at the time officers handcuffed him. The shotgun was lying on his seat, near the center console.

Mullinax was shot in the head, groin, hands and right arm, according to the lawsuit. He required surgery, and metal screws were installed in his right shoulder.

"He was literally trying to shield himself from the bullets," Beason said. "His hands were up in the air."

Beason was unharmed in the shooting but said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. She relives the day in nightmares and now distrusts law enforcement.

"It's very difficult to really put into words," Beason said. "Never ever did I think that I was going to have to protect my child or me from people who are supposed to be sworn to serve and protect us."

Mullinax continues to receive mental health treatment and has improved greatly, Beason added. He spoke through tears at Tuesday's news conference, noting that May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

"I hate that I have to be the face of it this month," Mullinax said, his voice breaking. "But if it helps even one single person in this world to not have to go through what me and my family have, I'm okay with it."
BRACKETTVILLE, Tex. - There was something about the Dodge Durango that roused the deputy's suspicions. It sped up. It slowed down. It veered to the center and off the road, kicking up clouds of caliche. It bounced a little more than it should.

Kinney County Sheriff's Deputy Rolando Escobar followed at a distance, waiting for details from dispatch on the vehicle's license plates. Then it took off.

"Be careful of that driver," Escobar radioed to the other deputies joining the pursuit. "Looks like he is reaching down for something."

Minutes later, the suspected smuggler's vehicle came to a sudden stop - Escobar's cruiser nearly crashing into it from behind. The doors swung open and the driver leaped over a four-foot fence. Several passengers darted off into the moonless night. A pepper ball exploded. Deputies tackled two men and quickly arrested three others.

Smuggling in this rural stretch of Texas picks up at twilight, when Escobar's shift begins. Over the next 24 hours, he'd join two other high-speed chases, respond to one crash, and arrest more than 10 migrants and two suspected smugglers.

Young women crammed into trunks. A Mexican couple fleeing violence. Men who tried to run but gave up rather than get lost in vast ranch lands without water.

As Texas leaders prepare for the end of the Title 42 border policy - the pandemic-era public health rule that resulted in automatic expulsions for most migrants - Kinney County offers a lens into the more aggressive tactics some border sheriffs have adopted even before the expected surge in the weeks ahead. The Biden administration plans to lift the order Thursday, and already, growing numbers of migrants are arriving at the Southwest border.

"We can't stop it," said Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber, who oversees a border community adjacent to Kinney County. "We really aren't prepared for what's coming."

Kinney County officials were the first to declare a local "border crisis" emergency two years ago, allowing authorities to act with the same executive powers they often utilize after a major storm. Here, deputies act as a de facto U.S. Border Patrol extension, spending much of their time capturing migrants. Sheriff's deputies have arrested nearly twice as many migrants in the past two years as there are residents in the remote ranching community.

The county has become the showpiece of Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial border initiative, Operation Lone Star, which directs troopers to arrest migrant men and charge them with state crimes. Proponents say the $4 billion program is needed in the absence of a stronger federal response. In recent weeks, at least one other county sheriff's office has joined the operation, bringing the total to nearly 50, roughly a fifth of all Texas counties. Some border sheriffs are preparing to devote more officers to detaining suspected smugglers and border crossers.

Migrant advocates and some community members say Kinney County's leaders have gone too far. Residents in the county of 3,200 people routinely stumble across deputies chasing smugglers like NASCAR drivers. Boulders line the front of local schools to prevent vehicles from smashing into classrooms. The town has one ambulance crew frequently tied up with the aftermath of pursuits.

Civil rights groups have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Operation Lone Star for allegations of racial profiling and discrimination. They contend Texas is usurping the federal government's immigration enforcement responsibility by creating its own unilateral system that weaponizes state law and puts migrants in danger.

"It has become the media star of the anti-immigrant movement," Bob Libal, a civil rights consultant for Human Rights Watch, said of Kinney County. "They have achieved the goal of heightening the rhetoric and bringing us to a place in Texas that 10 years ago would have been unimaginable."

Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe, for his part, believes capturing migrants is the best way to protect both his residents and those trying to enter the United States.

"For every one that we stop, every group that we catch that's being smuggled, I feel like we're saving somebody a life of grief," Coe said. "You get wrapped up in the sex trade, is it a better life?"

At the scene of the Dodge Durango chase, officers found an older Mexican woman and her husband in tears hiding inside the sport-utility vehicle. The woman rested her head against her husband's shoulder while they sat on the ground between patrol vehicles flashing red and blue lights.

"We're here because they killed our whole family," the woman's husband said. The couple began to sob, saying they were from Guerrero, a lawless southern Mexican state where warring criminal organizations have pushed the homicide rate to one of the highest in the country. They were quickly escorted away before sharing their names with a reporter.

As he stepped into a Border Patrol van, the man said, "We're the only ones left."

- - -

The sheriff

A web of lonely roads winds from the Rio Grande to Brackettville. The two-streetlight town sits on U.S. Highway 90 between official border crossings in Del Rio to the west, Eagle Pass to the southeast and a checkpoint heading northeast to Uvalde. That makes Kinney County a choke point attractive to migrants and smugglers trying to evade authorities.

Coe spent 30 years working for Border Patrol and had hoped for a quiet second act busting small-time drug dealers and reading books to schoolchildren when he signed up for the job. The community is known mostly for an old frontier garrison. Residents also proudly note it was the backdrop for John Wayne's 1960 film "The Alamo."

But when President Biden assumed office, Coe said his community came "under siege." Federal authorities made 1.7 million and 2.4 million arrests respectively in 2021 and 2022 at the Southwest border - and the Del Rio sector, where Kinney County is located, became one of the busiest in that time.

It took little time for Coe's resource-strapped force to be overwhelmed.

"I have to fight tooth and toenail to protect my ranchers and hunters," Coe said from his office, where stacks of reports are piled next to a large-lettered study Bible and Donald Trump bumper stickers. He is worried that frustrations with migration will push the county's tax base out.

"If we lose them," he said, "I lose the county."

Coe started airing his frustrations in Facebook videos in which he has imaginary conversations with a cardboard cutout of Vice President Harris. In one 2021 video, he asked "Kardbord Kamala," as he called the effigy, what her plans were for thousands of Haitian migrants camping out under a border bridge in Del Rio.

"Why are we on our own?" he asked.

The camera panned right to the cutout as a recording of Harris laughing played. Soon Fox News was calling to interview him on border security. Then came meetings with former Trump officials, conspiracy theorists, vigilante groups and, ultimately, Abbott (R).

"I had every militia group in the world call me wanting to help," Coe said.

For many county leaders, the issue hit close to home. County Judge John Paul Schuster said his family has had several unsettling experiences with men walking through their property in recent years. They got a dog and don't leave the house before daybreak.

"We shouldn't have to live like this," Schuster said, holding back tears. "I don't want my home to become a gateway that wrecks the country."

The county declared a border disaster in April 2021. At a news conference a few months later, Coe warned of an invasion of "thousands of illegal aliens." State and federal money came swiftly. The sheriff bought five vehicles, and the county hired more than two dozen support staff to help process the sudden rise in arrests. The county has also raised about $22,000 in donations through a Christian crowdfunding site.

"The only thing standing between our residents and an open border is Operation Lone Star," said Brent Smith, the county attorney. "It's the only thing that stands between them and chaos."

Kinney's prominence grew, but it came at a price.

- - -

The migrants

As deputies wrapped up interrogating the Mexican couple found in the Dodge Durango, news of another smuggling attempt crackled across the dispatch radio.

Kinney County Deputy Sheriff Liz Aguirre stopped a blue Mitsubishi with expired tags. She spotted two people slouched in a back seat. A 21-year-old San Antonio woman driving the car said the female passengers were her aunts. According to an arrest report, she told the deputy that both were lying down because they were taking a nap.

Aguirre didn't buy it. She detained the driver. Inside the vehicle, deputies found two more suspected migrants crouched in the trunk. In all, four young women trying to cross the border were taken into custody. One pulled her long obsidian hair across her face to obscure it as officers turned her over to Border Patrol.

Most migrants caught in Kinney County are turned over to Border Patrol and deported. But the sheriff's office is also on pace to make more than 900 human smuggling arrests on state charges this year. That figure would eclipse the total number of similar arrests in the past two years combined - a stunning increase in a county that previously had only a handful of jury trials.

While Coe and county leaders hold up those numbers as a sign of success, others point to concerning stories behind the arrests.

The American Civil Liberties Union in Texas obtained documents describing a June incident in which the sheriff removed four men suspected of being smuggled from the country by driving them from a crash scene to a port of entry. County sheriffs do not have the authority to deport.

When asked about the incident, Coe said the men had refused medical treatment but Border Patrol wasn't willing to take them into custody without it. He didn't have time to wait, so he said he took the migrants to the border himself.

Arrest records reviewed by The Washington Post show instances in which Kinney County property owners have detained migrants at rifle-point, in a sign of how tense the situation has grown. Rights advocates also point to sheriff's deputies citing dubious legal reasons for traffic stops. One state trooper stopped a vehicle on a county road in June, suspicious of its tinted windows. He determined the tint was legal but said a smell prompted him to investigate further.

"I identified the smell as an odor that is associated with human smuggling," Cpl. Orlando Rivera wrote. "Undocumented aliens emit a distinct odor due to sweat and being exposed to the environment."

The trooper found two Mexican migrants in the trunk and arrested the driver for felony smuggling.

Abbott's office has defended the state's approach, noting in a recent press release that thousands of pounds of fentanyl and weapons have been seized and more than 360,000 migrants detained as part of Operation Lone Star.

"Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden's open border policies," the governor said.

Civil rights leaders say the approach hasn't proved effective in curbing migration, but lawmakers are doubling down. Bills creating a Texas border protection unit with the power to detain and deport migrants are advancing swiftly through the state legislature. Some of the text mirrors Kinney County's disaster declaration.

"We are seeing some of the most dangerous legislation on the border being proposed in Austin," Roberto Lopez, an organizer with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said. "It's built on the invasion rhetoric Kinney advocates."

Roberto Mejia, 32, was arrested and charged with trespassing in Kinney County in October 2021. The child psychologist from Honduras said he tried to enter legally at the Del Rio crossing but was told he could not apply for asylum because the Title 42 policy remained in effect. Desperate, he jumped into the Rio Grande, despite not knowing how to swim.

Mejia said members of the Texas National Guard found his group soon afterward and instructed them to walk onto the nearby train tracks - private property. They were all immediately apprehended.

Mejia said he spent months inside a special Texas prison unit for migrants enduring emotional torture and physical abuse. He said officers hit him and told him he had less right to be in the country than an animal. Weeks went by with no word on the status of his case.

"My will to live was crumbling," he said.

Mejia was eventually released with the help of an attorney and has petitioned for political asylum.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said they investigated the complaints and they were "unfounded." Both prison units are undergoing unannounced inspections and comply with standards, according to a spokesperson.

"I was treated as less than a delinquent for trying to seek out a better life," Mejia said.

- - -

The community

Cole Hill's security cameras go off incessantly. The ranch manager has scores of snapshots of backpack-carrying men and women, some wearing camouflage. His cattle get loose on the highway after smugglers slice his fences open. He is scared for his young children, whom he has forbidden from wandering through their big backyard.

"I'm neither left nor right; I just want everybody else to know that it's ridiculous what we are dealing with," he said. "It's getting worse and worse for us down here."

Hill supports local and state law enforcement efforts, but he also wants to see immigration reform at the federal level.

"We need to make immigration laws much easier and more accessible for the people who generally want to be here for good reasons," Hill said. "But we also need to deter anyone coming here for anything less than that."

Gage Brown, a working artist whose ranching family has been in the county for five generations, said the intense focus on border enforcement is taking away from other pressing needs. Brackettville is experiencing a teacher shortage, and drought has left local waterways dry. Domestic violence and drug abuse are persistent ills.

For all of Kinney County's official bluster, many border residents here say they favor opening more legal pathways for people to enter the United States. But they also don't want migrants coming through their lands without permission.

"Deterrence doesn't work," Brown said. "So why haven't we begun to create something that does?"

Brown has testified against Operation Lone Star at the legislature in Austin, where civil rights groups have been tracking the program's alleged abuses. Texas judges have dismissed cases over rights violations and ruled the operation unconstitutional because it targets only men for arrest.

Some frustrated residents have taken matters into their own hands. Moses Lozano wears a body camera everywhere he goes to record police.

"There's no sheriff here; they're an extension of the Border Patrol," he said. "The siege is not from any aliens. It's from law enforcement."

- - -

The border

Nearly 24 hours after the Dodge Durango chase, Escobar was gunning the engine again behind another suspected smuggling vehicle. The gold-colored truck veered off the main road and crashed into a wire fence. Those inside quickly fled.

The deputy and a handful of other officers scanned the brush and eventually caught two men. How many others escaped was unclear.

As the Title 42 policy comes to an end, deputies here and elsewhere are bracing for more chases, more detentions and more smuggling. The Biden administration will send 1,500 additional troops to augment security at the southern border. The United States also recently reached a deal with the Mexican government to allow U.S. authorities to deport non-Mexican migrants who entered illegally back across the border.

But sheriffs anticipate that much of the day-to-day policing will fall on them.

In Kinney County, an uptick in migration has begun. Deputies found nearly 100 people crowded into a sweltering rail car days before Title 42's end. Investigators believe just as many escaped before authorities could take them into custody.

"It's already started," Coe said. "We don't know what we are going to get, if we get them all at once, or if they come in waves. All I know is that they're coming."
Democrats led by House lawmakers from border states are urging President Biden to put an end to Trump-era sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela that have battered those countries' economies and contributed to a surge of migrants at the southern border of the United States.

The push from within the president's own party comes as the Biden administration expects a significant influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border following Thursday's expiration of Title 42, the health law imposed during the coronavirus pandemic that allowed the U.S. government to quickly expel huge numbers of migrants at the border.

The effort, led by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), a co-chair of Biden's reelection campaign, sets up a major clash with another influential Democrat, Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the hawkish chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has loomed large over Biden's reluctance to overturn President Donald Trump's sanctions.

"Experts widely agree that broad-based U.S. sanctions - expanded to an unprecedented level by your predecessor - are a leading contributing factor in the current surge in migration," the House lawmakers wrote in a letter to Biden obtained by The Washington Post. "We urge you to act swiftly to lift the failed and indiscriminate economic sanctions that were imposed by the prior administration."

Other signatories of the letter include lawmakers from border states such as Rep. Nanette Barragan of California, Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona and Greg Casar of Texas as well as members of the party's progressive wing including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

The Biden administration has tallied record numbers of illegal entries across the southern border since the president took office, and Biden's homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said he expects such crossings to go even higher in the coming days as pandemic restrictions end.

"What we are expecting is indeed a surge," Mayorkas said during a visit to southern Texas last week. He stressed that the situation at the border is "extremely challenging."

A handful of cities in Texas, including El Paso and Laredo, have declared states of emergency as officials expect an influx of tens of thousands of migrants.

U.S. officials have said huge numbers of migrants at the border come from Venezuela, where Trump's broad financial and sectoral sanctions have contributed to "difficulties in accessing food, the deterioration of social services and public goods from health care to energy to water; delays in importing essential vaccines; increases in poverty and malnutrition" and other negative outcomes, the letter's authors argue.

"Ending these indiscriminate economic sanctions regimes is an indispensable part of addressing the migrant crisis," the authors said.

The Biden administration has said it's willing to lift some sanctions in exchange for steps taken by Nicolas Maduro's government such as not banning opposition candidates from running against him but most of the sanctions that Biden inherited from Trump remain in place.

Trump, led by his former national security adviser John Bolton, made regime change in Venezuela a top priority. At the time, the country's opposition supported a "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions to force Maduro from power. But now even some opposition members have called for a relaxation of U.S. sanctions to provide relief to Venezuelans and prevent Washington from being scapegoated for the country's problems.

"If we continue down this path, Venezuela is destined to be another Cuba," Fernando Blasi, the Venezuelan opposition's new envoy to the United States, told the Associated Press in April. "It will become an issue for politicians in Florida to win elections. ... That would be an extremely sad destiny for a country."

Former senior Obama administration officials such as Ben Rhodes have also questioned the Biden administration's continuation of the sanctions, saying that "there's something hypocritical about a policy where we turn up these sanctions in our own hemisphere so high that it's driving all these people to our border, and then we close the border to those people. ... My suggestion is, let's start unwinding those sanctions."

Menendez's office did not respond to a request for comment about his support for sanctions. Proponents of the measures say most of the problems in Cuba and Venezuela are the result of economic mismanagement by the countries' leaders. While U.S. sanctions could contribute to some migrants fleeing to the border, they are by no means the only factor.

The White House relies on Menendez, a hard-line critic of the leaders in Cuba and Venezuela, to push its appointments through the confirmation process given his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Privately, senior Biden officials have conceded that picking a fight with him is not worth whatever benefit might come from relaxing sanctions on the two countries, even if it would fulfill a campaign promise Biden made to restore President Barack Obama's policies toward Cuba.

"Biden is a creature of the Senate, and he's gone to great lengths to keep Menendez onside," said Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. "This administration is not going to make major policy shifts without getting buy-in from the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee - or at least an agreement to disagree."
A new lawsuit filed in Harris County claims that the Dairy Queen Corporation kept a sexual abuser employed in a managerial position after he assaulted a minor employee at a Houston-area restaurant while on the job. The lawsuit seeks upwards of $1 million in damages from Defendant Joshua Flores and multiple Dairy Queen corporate entities.

Flores has already been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and was handed a 10-year sentence in Harris County criminal court in May of last year, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records. The conviction stems from the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the minor victim and plaintiff in the new lawsuit. Per court records, Jane Doe's attorneys claim that systemic failures within Dairy Queen's corporate reporting structure in Texas allowed a known sexual abuser to remain in a managerial position at a Houston-area franchise, even after the victim reported the assault.

Jane Doe's lawyers allege that on July 11, 2019, Flores, Jane Doe and a third employee were part of a closing shift at a Dairy Queen franchise in Huffman, Texas, located about 45 minutes northeast of the Houston metro area. Flores allowed the third employee to wrap up early, leaving him alone with Jane Doe in the restaurant.

After the third employee left, Flores offered Jane Doe "approximately twenty dollars" to do extra cleaning around the restaurant. At some point after Jane Doe agreed, Flores told her to check the bathrooms. He then "cornered Jane Doe, a minor, in the bathroom and then proceeded to sexually assault her. Defendant Flores used physical force against Jane Doe in the course of the sexual assault," Jane Doe's attorneys claim in court documents.

Jane Doe eventually reported the assault to "a manager for the Dairy Queen Defendants," her attorneys allege in court documents. "The manager told Plaintiff Jane Doe to write down what happened on a piece of paper. The manager placed the paper in a drawer instead of reporting the sexual assault of a minor to the authorities as required by law," Jane Doe's attorneys claim.

Jane Doe's attorneys also allege that managers higher up the Dairy Queen' corporate food chain were aware of Flores' behavior and chose to do nothing. "I've interviewed other witnesses and workers, and I believe that there were other issues reported regarding this employee," said Michelle Simpson Tuegel, lead attorney for the plaintiff.

"He was just openly talking to other employees, basically bragging about being inappropriate with women on the job and actually harassing female employees at a previous fast food job," Tuegel continued. "It wasn't just said to one person, it was communicated openly. They had full access to that information as he was just telling everyone," she added. Tuegel also said she believes that these other employees reported Flores' behavior and bragging to superiors, who didn't act to remove Flores from managing minor employees.

A Tuesday request for comment from Dairy Queen was not returned by Wednesday morning.

"Minors are especially vulnerable in these fast food positions because they're learning, and it's often their first job, and it's often a situation where they're working that job because they really need it," Tuegel told Chron. "If Dairy Queen was doing their due diligence, and just listening to what their employee was saying openly to other employees--if they had flagged and prevented that, our client's sexual abuse and assault could have been prevented," Tuegel said.
Shell Chemical L.P. and Shell USA Inc. face their first lawsuit stemming from a fire that erupted at its Deer Park chemical facility on Friday, May 5. Contractor Cristoball Jasso was one of 15 workers who went to the hospital to undergo "precautionary medical evaluations" after the blaze.

The lawsuit claims Jasso suffered significant injuries due to Shell Chemical's negligence, gross negligence, and premises liability. Legal documents state that the catastrophic release and fire caused Jasso to suffer serious injuries due to the event's magnitude and his proximity to the fire. Jasso and his attorney noted he suffered burns and injuries to his neck, back, spine and other body parts.

The lawsuit outlines alleged negligence on the part of Shell leading to the fire, including failure to inspect equipment, monitor gasses and flammables, as well as failure to maintain a safe work environment, among other shortcomings.

Jasso's attorneys, Kurt Arnold and Kyle Findley have a record of representing injured workers involved with similar chemical explosions and fires in Texas.

"When a fireball erupts at a facility like Deer Park, there is an immediate fear of secondary explosions, and many people are injured during the chaos as they try to escape flames in a confirmed space surrounded by explosive materials," Arnold said in a statement.

According to Harris County officials, emergency units responded to the fiery blaze on Friday just before 3 p.m. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the fire started after a heat exchange between two heavy gas oils. Specifically, Shell said the fire started from workers performing routine maintenance in the facility's olefins unit, which Jasso noted in his lawsuit.

Shell also said Friday evening that all facility employees were accounted for, and the 15 contractors sent to the hospital were released after undergoing preliminary evaluations the same day.

The initial blaze at the facility later reignited Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday morning, Shell officials said the responding crews reached the maximum local wastewater storage capacity to control the fire and were instructed to discard runoff water into the Houston Ship Channel.

"Water continues to be added to nearby retention ponds," Shell officials stated on Monday. "Large volumes will still be needed to cool equipment for up to 36 hours."

According to Shell officials, runoff water from the fire was being dumped into the Houston Ship Channel under a "controlled discharge." The water stopped being added to the Ship Channel after emergency crews fully extinguished the fire after 70 hours of the blaze on Monday.

"Shell is committed to the safety and well-being of everyone at our facilities and the surrounding communities," Shell Spokesperson Natalie Gunnell said Wednesday morning. "Nothing more to add as we do not comment on pending litigation."
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Another Twitter feud broke out between top Texas Republicans on Tuesday over the subject ofyou guessed itproperty taxes, a topic of repeated consternation between House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick in recent weeks.

The fight between the two state GOP leaders escalated to public thirst traps in April, and on Tuesday began anew with Phelan posting a minute-and-a-half-long clip calling out Patrick for previously favoring appraisal caps for Texas property owners.

"It's time for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to agree with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and cut property taxes for good by passing appraisal caps for all Texans," Phelan tweeted. "The House is ready to work with the Senate to ensure the largest tax cut in state history. Let's get this done for Texas, @DanPatrick."

The video footage shows previous statements by Patrick saying that Texas needs to reduce appraisal caps and pointing to liberal lawmakers for delaying a vote on HB 2. In a send-off message, Phelan also asked Texans to call Patrick's office to demand he pass HB 2.

Patrick promptly fire with a meme of Phelan between two surfboards, a reference to the speaker's previous Twitter dustup with the lieutenant, while again giving the House Speaker the nickname "California Dade."

"As I've said, years ago, it seemed appraisal caps were a good idea, but I learned better. California Dade still hasn't. Compared to the House plan, the Senate plan delivers $27 BILLION MORE in property tax savings to Texas, homeowners over the life of their ownership. #txlege," Patrick tweeted.

After initially posting the video, Phelan didn't respond to Patrick's comments. Still, Patrick ended the Twitter feud with another classic meme of his head photoshopped on a surfer.

Patrick's property tax bill Senate Bill 3, which passed the Senatorial chamber in March, increases the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $70,000. At the same time, House Bill 2, supported by Phelan, caps the annual appraisal value of all properties from 10 percent to five percent. HB 2 passed in late the House chamber in April.

Since its passage, HB 2 has been sitting in the Local Government Committee in the Senate, and SB 3 currently sits in the Ways and Means Committee in the House. Both bills must pass the other chamber before heading to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for final signoff. The Texas Legislature has until Memorial Day to vote on the two property tax bills. Without a compromise, both are at risk of dying on the vine.
The unexpected elation felt this week by gun control advocates and families of Uvalde shooting victims dissolved to despair Tuesday, when a bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles lost its newfound momentum and was left off the Texas Houses agenda ahead of a key deadline.

Barring an unexpected development, the delay likely ends the bill's chances of becoming law.

The proposal has long faced stiff odds in a state that has regularly loosened gun restrictions in recent years. But on Monday, in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in an Allen shopping mall, a House committee unexpectedly advanced the legislation in an 8-5 vote that included two Republicans supporting it.

That left little time for the bill to be added to the Houses calendar, however. The final day the House can pass bills is Thursday, and the chambers agenda must be approved 36 hours ahead of when they convene. That creates a de facto deadline of around 10 p.m. Tuesday for the measure to be placed on the calendar.

When that hour arrived Tuesday night, House Bill 2744 remained off the list.

The measure's supporters, particularly parents of children who died at Robb Elementary in Uvalde who have been advocating for it all session, pushed until the end. Minutes before 10 p.m., a small group stood outside the House chamber holding signs and chanting and calling for the bill to be heard on the House floor. Even then, they could be heard faintly from the back of the chamber.

"2-7-4-4," they yelled. "Put this bill on the floor."

There were less than a dozen of them, but they could be heard inside the House chamber  their chants carrying loudly enough that Capitol staffers closed the doors to the second-floor viewing gallery.

Perhaps the loudest was Brett Cross, whose 10-year-old son Uziyah Garcia was shot to death by an AR-15 in one of Robb's classrooms. When the clock passed 10 p.m., a few Democrats left the chamber and hugged him. Soon after, witnesses in the Capitol said, a Department of Public Safety trooper approached with a decibel monitor, informed him he was being too loud and escorted him out of the building. Cross continued chanting the bill's number as he left.

"This is just another f*cking attempt to slow and stop us," Cross said on Twitter. "2744 may have died tonight, but we will never stop!

"Texas f*cked with the wrong parents!"

Another parent, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter Alexandria Lexi Aniyah Rubio in the shooting, vowed to travel to the districts of House Speaker Dade Phelan, Calendars Committee Chair Dustin Burrows and Select Committee on Community Safety Chair Ryan Guillen and "share Lexis story, and the disrespect shown to Uvalde families."

"This isnt over," she said. "We will regroup, re-strategize and come back stronger."

HB 2744, filed by Democratic Rep. Tracy King of Batesville, would prohibit selling, renting, leasing or giving a semi-automatic rifle with a caliber greater than .22 that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine to a person younger than 21 years old  an increase from 18 years old. The proposal includes several exemptions that King said he had added after hearing concerns from constituents.

The opposition to the bill hasnt been vocal in the Legislature, but Republican leadership is fiercely protective of gun rights and reluctant to advance anything that challenges them. Gun advocates say the measure would do little to deter crime and only harm law-abiding gun owners. They also argue that gun ownership is an entrenched American right that shouldnt be infringed upon by the government.

Since getting a hearing last month  which in and of itself marked a milestone in a gun-friendly legislature  HB 2744 had been left in committee and was poised to be left there.

That is, until Monday, when dozens of supporters, including many relatives of people killed with guns, filled the Capitol to urge lawmakers to advance it. The committee was met with sobs and applause after the last-minute vote.

The gunman at Robb Elementary in Uvalde used an AR-15-style rifle, which he purchased within days of turning 18, after unsuccessfully trying to persuade relatives to illegally buy him a gun. He killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Relatives of victims have been coming to the Capitol all year to urge lawmakers to raise the age, holding emotional press conferences and confronting lawmakers and state officials.

Their urgency only increased over the weekend, after a gunman killed eight people in Allen.

On Monday, at least two Republicans appeared swayed.

I am not naive enough to think that laws alone will prevent the type of senseless violence that occurs all too frequently in our state, said Rep. Justin Holland, a Rockwall Republican who voted to advance the bill out of committee, in a statement Monday. But after listening to many hours of testimony over this session, I became convinced that this small change to the law might serve as a significant roadblock to a young person (not old enough to buy tobacco or alcohol) acquiring a specific type of semi-automatic rifle intent upon using it in a destructive and illegal manner.

As it became clear Tuesday afternoon that the bill was again in danger, proponents voiced their frustration. Some left signs urging its passage outside the Calendars Committees meeting room. Others protested outside the office of Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, the chair of the committee that advanced the bill Monday.

Guillen could not be immediately reached for comment about whether the committee report had been sent to the calendars committee or whether it would be before the deadline.

Im sickened that HB 2744 will not be brought to a full House vote, said Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a Houston Democrat who voted to advance the bill Monday as a member of the select House committee. For once, the legislature seemed to listen to its constituents & do the right thing after getting this bill out of committee.

Lawmakers could use other approaches to revive the proposal. But advocates are realistic that the measure will most likely ultimately fail. Even if it were to pass the House  a tall request  it would still need to advance through a Senate thats perhaps even more skeptical of the idea.

"How many more children have to die before we act?" said one supporter, Bishop John Ogletree, a Houston pastor, in a statement.

Alexa Ura contributed reporting.

This article was first published on The Texas Tribune.
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VALHALLA, N.Y. (AP)  President Joe Biden on Wednesday blasted Republican-demanded spending cuts as devastating, making his case in a campaign-style speech to voters as lawmakers met in Washington on raising the government's borrowing limit to avoid a potentially catastrophic U.S. default.

The president is showing an increased willingness to discuss possible budget restraints, yet he insisted anew that any talks on that should occur without the risk of the federal government being unable to pay its bills. As he spoke, negotiators from the White House and Congress met for two hours privately at the Capitol to discuss a path forward.

America is the strongest economy in the world, but we should be cutting spending and lowering the deficit without a needless crisis," Biden said Wednesday.

His words were a challenge to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who met Tuesday with Biden at the White House, declaring afterward that sharp spending cuts were required for House Republicans to increase the debt limit and stave off the risk of default.

Biden laid into that GOP proposal on Wednesday in Valhalla, New York, saying spending cuts recently passed by the Republican House could hurt schools and the country's sacred obligations to military veterans.

The faceoff comes as the government is rapidly bumping up against its legal borrowing authority, meaning that it may not be able to pay its bills as early as the start of next month unless lawmakers agree to lift the limit. Negotiations between the White House and Congress are expected to resume Thursday.

Wednesdays events marked a preview of what the coming 18 months will look like for Biden as he performs his presidential duties while also trying to campaign in the 2024 election. He went to a region represented by first-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district Biden won in 2020. Yet the president was gracious to the congressman, saying that Lawler is the kind of Republican I was used to dealing with.

Biden used the trip to trumpet recent economic progress  pointing to the 12.7 million jobs created during his term and a fresh focus on domestic manufacturing  while warning that an unprecedented debt default would threaten millions of jobs and raise the prospect of a recession. Yet GOP lawmakers blame his coronavirus relief spending for the high inflation that has many voters already worrying about the U.S. economy.

Back in Washington, senior White House officials and congressional aides were starting to discuss a path to avert a painful debt default that could come as soon as June 1. Negotiators are racing to strike a budget deal that could unlock a vote on separate debt ceiling legislation. Biden and Capitol Hill leaders are to meet again on Friday.

But McCarthy has shown few signs that he and other House Republicans were willing to budge from their debt limit proposal, leaving Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to warn the speaker is being reckless.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has stepped aside as McCarthy tries to negotiate with the White House, has assured, America is not going to default.

McConnell has said that the past several times the debt ceiling has been raised, Congress has attached priorities that were agreed to with the White House, including a deal negotiated between then-President Donald Trump and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

There has to be an agreement between the speaker and the president -- and there will be, McConnell said.

In his remarks Tuesday, Biden raised the specter of cuts to veterans care, an issue that has become particularly sensitive in the back-and-forth rhetoric between the White House and congressional Republicans. When the president suggested during the meeting on Tuesday that the House GOP plan could end up cutting benefits to veterans, McCarthy told reporters that he shot back that was a lie. But Biden disputed that it was a lie, saying that the across-the-board cuts would affect veterans' care and other vital domestic programs.

The president has countered the GOP plan with his own budget proposal, which could save $800 billion through changes to government programs. Of that sum, Biden said that $200 billion over 10 years would come from expanding Medicare's ability to negotiate on prescription drug prices. He said by contrast that the House Republican bill could jeopardize medical care for U.S. families, while his deficit savings would lower costs.

Would you rather cut Big Pharma or cut health care for Americans? Biden asked. These are real world choices.

After his speech, Biden told reporters he was still holding out hope for a long term debt limit increase. He said he hadnt been briefed yet on what lawmakers were discussing on the budget. But when he meets with them on Friday, he said he wants specifics of what spending cuts Republicans hope to make. What are they going to cut? he asked.

Biden is also scheduled to spend a week abroad on a trip to Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea later this month. He said postponing his travel is possible but not likely.

With debt talks showing minimal progress, the White House hopes that Bidens public outreach  starting in a congressional district that will be key for Democrats seeking to wrest House control back from Republicans next year  increases pressure on GOP lawmakers who cant afford politically to alienate moderate voters.

Rep. Lawler, as one of 18 House Republicans hailing from a congressional district won by Biden, is a prime target for the White House.

Still, Lawler accepted the invitation from the White House, maybe to their surprise, the lawmaker said in an interview Tuesday. He said it was a little disappointing that Biden was spending his time traveling to his district rather than negotiating with other leaders in Washington.

He told me he wasnt here to put any pressure on me, Lawler told reporters after the president spoke. Look, I showed up because I believe very strongly that we all have an obligation to work together.

House Republicans, in their debt measure that passed in April, are aiming for $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and undoing the Biden administrations proposal that would forgive student loan debt. The White House has made it clear that Biden would veto that legislation.

Democrats, who control the Senate by 51-49, are calling for a clean debt limit hike without any conditions such as spending cuts, but any such measure would require the support of at least nine Republican senators, and most of them say they will oppose doing so.

While in New York on Wednesday, Biden, who formalized his reelection campaign on April 25, also held a pair of fundraisers.

The president told donors at the Manhattan home of Nitzia and George Logothetis, the executive chairman of the privately held international conglomerate Libra Group, that freedom is at stake in next year's election. Biden was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for a separate fundraiser hosted by Amabel and Hamilton Tony James, a former executive at the private equity firm Blackstone.

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AP Writer Josh Boak reported from Washington. AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  A European Union commissioner from Bulgaria was nominated Wednesday for the post of prime minister, as the Balkan country struggles to end a two-year period of political instability and economic hardship.

Maria Gabriel was tipped on Wednesday by the center-right GERB party  the winner of the parliamentary election last month  to receive a mandate from the countrys president to nominate a Cabinet, which needs to be approved by a majority in parliament.

President Rumen Radev has announced that he would give the mandate on Monday.

Gabriel, 43, a member of the European Parliament since 2009, is EU commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. She is also the first vice chair of the European Peoples Party.

The EPP's leader, Manfred Weber, tweeted Wednesday that Gabriel has the experience and international authority to overcome the political stalemate in Sofia, regarding the formation of a government.

In Sofia, GERB leader Boyko Borissov, himself a three-time prime minister, praised Gabriel in parliament as someone who can lead the economy, industry, modernization in the direction we expect.

Borissov, whose party won in the early election in October by just 2 percent over the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria group, said that he prefers a coalition government with them. But the reformists promptly rejected that, saying that the very reason for their existence was to eliminate the corruption that they say was brought about by GERB.

Now, Borissov will have to seek support from the remaining parliamentary groups, which include an ethnic Turkish party, the Socialist party, an anti-elite party and a pro-Russia nationalist group.

If GERB fails to form a government, the president must give the mandate to the second-largest political party in parliament and then to the third largest if theres no result.

Because of deep rifts between the parties in parliament, analysts have serious doubts that a viable coalition can be formed, and many dont exclude the possibility of another election  the sixth in 2 years.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing growing pressure to show progress in their investigations, House Republicans on Wednesday detailed what they say are concerning new findings about President Joe Biden's family and their finances.

The smoking gun, according to the GOP, is recently obtained financial records connected to the president's son Hunter Biden, brother James Biden and a growing number of associates who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania. They suggest, without evidence, that the payments were part of a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves off the family name.

To help them get here, Congressional Republicans relied on more than 150 suspicious activity reports as a roadmap to follow what they call the Bidens complicated financial money trail.

The confidential reports, called SARs for short, are often routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the government. The filing of a SARs report is not evidence on its own of misconduct.

But Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee leading the probe, said Wednesday that other types of financial records obtained through congressional subpoenas and lawsuits have now become the focus of their investigation.

The White House dismissed the whole investigation as yet another political stunt."

Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called investigations with legitimacy, White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

Here's a deeper look at suspicious activity reports and how Republicans are using them as a roadmap to investigate the Biden family:

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WHAT IS A SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORT?

Financial institutions are required to file a suspicious activity report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) no later than 30 calendar days from when it detects a suspicious transaction that could have links to money laundering or terrorism financing.

First originated as a criminal referral form, suspicious activity reports were established through the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. In 1996, according to FinCEN, the form became the standard way to report suspicious activity in the financial system.

The rules around the reports were later amended under the U.S. Patriot Act. Today, banks and credit unions routinely submit SARs.

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WHAT TRIGGERS A SARS?

Industries that deal in large sums of money are required to file SARs to the government when they detect a transaction with possible links to money laundering, counterfeiting, fraud or illicit finance  this includes banks, casinos, loan companies and depository firms.

Signs of insider trading and individual transactions of $5,000 or more often trigger an institution to file a report, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation states that entities "are encouraged to file nonetheless in appropriate situations involving these matters, based on the potential harm that such crimes can produce.

Large transactions involving foreign payers  like the kind that Hunter and James Biden are known to have engaged in through their work  are the kinds of transactions often flagged to federal authorities.

SARs can also be filed by individuals or entities outside the financial sector, including law enforcement, public safety workers, city or state officials, business owners, and even the general public.

Law enforcement agencies use the reports to uncover and prosecute illegal activity, as well as help identify and counteract fraudulent and criminal behavior before it becomes a larger issue.

In recent years, electronic SARs reporting has increased through FinCENs Bank Secrecy Act e-filing system. Nearly 42,000 reports were filed by the loan and financial services industry in 2021, according to data compiled by FinCEN, a huge jump from the more than 1,500 reports filed in 2015.

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HISTORY OF SARS AGAINST POLITICAL ACTORS

The filing of suspicious activity reports against elected officials is not uncommon. During the Trump administration, Deutsche Banks anti-money laundering division recommended filing suspicious activity reports on transactions conducted by Trump companies, including the Trump Foundation, and firms owned by his son-law Jared Kushner.

Michael Cohen, a one-time attorney for former President Donald Trump, had several suspicious activity reports filed against him, including one that recorded a $500,000 deposit from a company connected to a Russian oligarch who donated money to Trumps inauguration fund.

Most SARs are never made public. The records connected to Trump and Cohen were revealed through leaks to the media and as part of federal investigations.

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CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE REPORTING PROCESS

Suspicious activity reports are cloaked in secrecy to make them useful for law enforcement. The person suspected of triggering a SARs is not routinely informed about the pending report.

Any discussion or disclosure about SARs to outside groups such as news outlets would be considered an unauthorized disclosure and is punishable as a federal criminal offense.

In the case involving Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, an IRS employee was charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 with leaking banking records that had been flagged as suspicious activity.

The confidentiality rules have come up again as Comer conducts his probe into supposed suspicious activity reports by Biden family members. The Kentucky lawmaker and some committee members and staff were recently able to view some of the thousands of pages of the Biden familys financial records through subpoenas made to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January.

A handful of lawmakers immediately began talking on social media and cable news about what they had seen in the reports, asserting evidence of misconduct.

House Democrats have accused Comer and other Republicans on the committee of potentially violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

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WHAT ARE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING?

Republicans vowed after winning the House majority last year that they would use their subpoena power to investigate foreign entities that did business with the family during Biden's time as vice president and during the Trump administration, including a specific focus on his son Hunter.

This all comes as Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware reportedly making a charging decision in the next few months. And while Hunter Biden never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, his membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his fathers public service, including reported references in his emails to the big guy.

Joe Biden has said hes never spoken to his son about his foreign business. And there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way.

An attorney for Hunter Biden on Wednesday slammed years of Republicans' investigations as chasing conspiracies.

Todays so-called revelations are retread, repackaged misstatements of perfectly proper meetings and business by private citizens," Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for the president's son, said.

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WHAT EVIDENCE HAVE THEY GATHERED?

Up until now, Comer and Republicans have not publicly revealed evidence to substantiate their claims of wrongdoing by the Biden family. But Comer said their investigation into the Biden family is widening.

This is not just about the presidents son. This is about the entire Biden family, including the president of the United States, Comer said during an appearance Sunday on Fox News. So we believe there are a whole lot of accounts that the IRS and the DOJ dont know about because we dont believe they have done a whole lot of digging in this. And we have.

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Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
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TOKYO (AP)  Top business leaders from Japan and South Korea announced Wednesday they will use a fund meant to underscore the two countries' burgeoning ties to strengthen their cooperation in energy, industry and other sectors.

Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, and its South Korean counterpart, the Federation of Korean Industry, announced a fund of 200 million yen ($1.5 million) in March. The money comes from an initial installment of 100 million yen ($750,000) from each side to complement efforts initiated by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's government to resolve a historical dispute over Japanese brutality during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The two groups selected specific areas of joint projects for the Future Partnership funds, focusing on youth exchanges and industrial cooperation, said Kendanren chair Masakazu Tokura and Federation of Korean Industry acting chair Kim Byong-joon Wednesday at a joint news conference in Tokyo. Areas of focus include semiconductor supply chain resiliency, energy security, maintaining the free and open international order, and climate change, among others.

I'm extremely encouraged that the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations are now getting on the right track," Tokura said.

In March, Yoon announced a local fund to compensate South Koreans who were forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II. Though Yoon faces criticisms at home that he compromised too much, the fund effectively ended a bitter dispute triggered by the 2018 South Korean court rulings ordering two Japanese companies  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel Corp.  to compensate the victims. Japan, however, had insisted all compensation issues were settled by a 1965 treaty that normalized relations.

Yoon followed his announcement with a trip to Japan, after which ties have been rapidly improving. Less than two months later, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida responded in kind with a trip to Seoul for a summit with Yoon. The quick thaw underscores their shared sense of urgency over growing military threats from China, North Korea and Russia and the need to strengthen their three-way united front with the United States.

A series of talks in defense, finance and trade have resumed since then and, Tokura said, the momentum is rising. He said that a free and open global order increasingly important, and economic security and semiconductor supply chain resilience are key.

South Koreas excellent companies like Samsung and SK Hynix and renowned materials and equipment from Japan would go very well together, he said, adding that he hoped Japan and South Korea's cooperation would take root in East Asia as an example to follow.

Kim said a paradigm shift and creative solutions are needed to overcome unprecedented global crisis" and that the two business groups will overcome our common problems and walk toward the future.

Tokura and Kim will each head an organizing committee for the fund. They said they will set up a panel of academic experts to work with the fund and will have their first meeting in early July in Seoul.

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Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department has reached a settlement with a New Jersey county over language barriers for Spanish-speaking voters, emphasizing a growing challenge for certain minority communities nationwide.

The agreement with Union County comes after federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit alleging it failed to make registration and voting notices, forms, instructions and ballots available in Spanish, violating sections of the federal Voting Rights Act.

We know firsthand how language barriers hurt our community," said Hector Sanchez Barba, chief executive of Mi Familia Vota, a national group seeking to boost Latino political influence. "Eliminating language barriers is not only legally sound but also the right thing to do to strengthen our democracy.

The county, which has nearly 28,000 Spanish-speaking citizens of voting age, will be required to print all election materials in English and Spanish, and ensure that someone is available to assist Spanish-speaking voters in person. It also will have to assist voters with disabilities, who have long been overlooked in the fight for access to the polls.

The consent decree, announced Tuesday, will need approval from a federal judge.

New Jersey is one of several places across the U.S. where language barriers hamper access to the ballot for minority communities, according to voter advocacy groups. Some Asian American and Asian immigrant communities are particularly affected, said Susana Lorenzo-Giguere, the associate director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Funds Democracy Program.

Despite a long history in the U.S., Asian Americans still face bias that views them as perpetual foreigners who arent real Americans and dont deserve to be a part of the fabric of our democracy, she said.

Under the federal Voting Rights Act, communities must provide language assistance for voting if more than 5% of the voting-age citizens  or over 10,000  have limited English proficiency.

It can be harder for Asian-speaking communities to be covered under federal law because there are so many languages to consider, said Bob Sakaniwa, director of policy and advocacy of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong and Vietnamese are just some, he said.

For example, Asian communities make up a significant portion of Mercer, Hudson and Somerset counties in New Jersey, but the populations don't meet the federal threshold for providing assistance. Arabic-speaking communities also are not reflected in New Jerseys voting rights legislation, which state advocacy groups are still fighting to change.

Union County did not immediately respond when asked how it intended to implement the consent decree.

The New Jersey agreement underscores the importance of the federal Voting Rights Act, despite the landmark law being undermined by Supreme Court decisions and voting restrictions in Republican-led states. Henal Patel, law and policy director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said it's important for local officials to comply with the act and for the federal government to enforce it.

This is necessary for voters in these areas so that they can cast their ballots with a full understanding of what theyre voting for," Patel said.

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Associated Press coverage of race and voting receives support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Rare momentum in the Texas Capitol for a tougher gun law flickered out Wednesday after Republicans stalled a bill that would raise the purchase age for AR-style rifles, virtually assuring the GOP-controlled Legislature will in no major way restrict gun access after more mass shootings.

The legislation  always a longshot at best  now has little chance of coming back after unexpectedly coming within reach of a full vote in the state House with the help of two Republicans, which sent Texas' powerful gun lobby scrambling into action.

The unusual forward progress in Texas of a proposed gun restriction jolted the Capitol on Monday, two days after a gunman near Dallas opened fire at an outdoor shopping mall with an AR-style rifle, killing eight people.

But late Tuesday night, House Republicans let a deadline lapse that stops the bill from going any further.

Uvalde families didnt fail. Texas politicians did, tweeted Kimberly Mata Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was among the 19 children and two teachers killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School nearly a year ago in Uvalde, Texas.

The deadline to move the bill toward a full House vote came and went as protesters chanted outside the chamber, including Brett Cross, who had been raising his 10-year-old nephew Uziyah Garcia in Uvalde before the fourth-grader was killed in the shooting. Video on social media showed four Texas Department of Public Safety troopers escorting Cross out of the Capitol during the protest.

Cross said troopers removed him from the Capitol for being too loud. DPS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident Wednesday. State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, said he was concerned by the removal and planned to seek more information.

The failure of the bill was not unexpected: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has long rejected calls for tighter gun laws after mass shootings in Texas. He did so again this week after another shooting Saturday in Allen, Texas.

Two Republicans had unexpectedly helped advance the legislation that would raise the purchase age of semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21. For gun control advocates in Texas, it was nothing short of a milestone.

But that was followed by gun rights groups  which are rarely forced to play defense in the Texas Capitol  mobilizing pushback in an effort to swiftly stamp out even a glimpse of momentum for gun control supporters.

Texas Gun Rights, one of the most outspoken groups, was joined by Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three people during a Wisconsin protest in 2020 and was later acquitted of murder.

This is a perfect example of a knee jerk just do something mentality, said Chris McNutt, president of Texas Gun Rights.

It underlined how almost any attempt to tighten gun laws in Texas is off the table in the states GOP-controlled Legislature, which in recent years has made gun access easier following other mass shootings and shows no appetite for reversing course. That includes Abbott, who after the shooting in Allen, called mental health the root of the problem.

One of the Republicans who voted to advance the bill was state Rep. Sam Harless, who represents a solidly GOP-leaning suburb near Houston. He said he received no pushback form his House colleagues over his decision.

I just voted my heart and my constituents are likely not the gun groups, Harless said.

Another Republican, state Rep. Justin Holland, also joined Democrats on the House Select Committee on Community Safety in voting 8-5 to advance the measure that would raise the purchase age of certain semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21.

In a statement defending his vote, Holland said, I do not believe in gun control." He noted that he previously voted in support of Texas removing training and background checks to carry a handgun. He also said he had earned three consecutive A ratings from the National Rifle Association  but acknowledged he now has no idea if they will rate him so highly going forward.

He said testimony given to the committee convinced him that a law raising the purchase age might serve as a significant roadblock to a young person acquiring certain semiautomatic weapons and causing harm.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday passed a joint resolution that would codify reproductive rights  including already-existing abortion access up to 24 weeks  into the state constitution.

The state Assembly approved of the measure 28 to 14 along party lines, about three weeks after the state Senate passed it 13 to 8 along party lines. State lawmakers must pass the resolution again in 2025 before it would go before voters as a ballot question in 2026. If passed, the resolution would provide the highest level of state protection for not only abortion rights, but also other reproductive access, including postpartum and prenatal care, as well as birth control.

Our state, among many other states, are being tested whether we stand up for reproductive and medical freedom for Nevadans, said Democratic Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch before voting for the resolution. Decisions about our health care, especially our reproductive health care, should be between a doctor, a patient, and those they trust.

Since last years reversal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized the right to an abortion, more than a dozen states have effectively outlawed abortion and others have moved to further tighten abortion laws, including neighboring Utah and Idaho.

Abortion rights up to 24 weeks are already codified into Nevada law through a 1990 referendum vote, where two-thirds of voters were in favor. That can be changed with another referendum vote.

The standards are higher for amending the constitution, which requires either approval from two legislative sessions and an election, or two consecutive elections with a simple majority of votes. A governor is unable to veto a constitutional amendment.

Republicans spoke out against the proposal, mentioning that the protections are already codified into law and that it includes reproductive protections that extend beyond the 1990 referendum vote.

Republican Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant said she would be in favor of splitting the resolution into two proposals  one with abortion protections outlined in the 1990 referendum vote and another with the other reproductive protections  but would ultimately vote against the measure.

In an emotional speech, Republican Assemblyman Ken Gray recounted how his mother considered having an abortion before deciding against it, saying if I weren't here, my kids wouldn't be here.

I cannot and will not view (abortion) as anything other than evil, he said.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro led a group of 40 Democratic lawmakers in co-sponsoring the measure.

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Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Stern on Twitter: @gabestern326.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina Republicans are pushing new abortion restrictions in a late attempt to curtail access after a near-total ban failed last month.

A Senate bill that would ban abortion except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy is moving quickly through the South Carolina House in the first sign that Republican leaders may be close to restoring limits passed in 2021 but overturned by the state Supreme Court.

The effort cleared two hurdles Tuesday. Lawmakers advanced the proposal through a morning subcommittee meeting with one hour of public comment and a full committee meeting lasting over three hours.

The measure would ban abortion when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, around six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. It includes exceptions for fatal fetal anomaly, rape, incest, and the patients life and health up to 12 weeks. Doctors could face felony charges carrying a $10,000 fine and two years of imprisonment for violations.

But the House committee voted Tuesday to insert many provisions from the chamber's failed near-total ban. The bill now outlines specific medical conditions like ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages in a list of exceptions to the ban. It also requires that fathers pay retroactive child support starting at conception and cover half of all medical expenses.

Republican Majority Leader David Hiott said Senate negotiators have approved the changes. But a second Senate passage is not guaranteed.

The move comes two weeks after the only five women in the South Carolina Senate filibustered a House bill banning nearly all abortions, and six Republicans helped defeat any chance it becomes law this year.

Two of the three Republican women attended the Tuesday morning deliberations. All three told The Associated Press they don't support any changes.

We dont have to put everything in the kitchen sink with this thing, State Sen. Penry Gustafson said. Lets get it across the finish line so we can reduce abortions.

She said House Republicans should have passed the original Senate bill earlier this year.

State Sen. Sandy Senn said she did not expect the new version would pass the Senate, but she added that crazier things have happened.

We had told them if you want it to pass, don't move a semicolon," said Senn, who voted against the bill in February. "They were very, very substantive changes. So, yes, we will be filibustering.

The bill now faces a full House vote before returning to the Senate. The session is scheduled to end May 11. But Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has said he will exercise his power to call lawmakers back next week if they do not fulfill a number of GOP priorities.

Abortion remains legal through 22 weeks of pregnancy in South Carolina. The conservative General Assembly has been unable to reach agreement over when to ban abortion after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled 3-2 this January that a 2021 ban when cardiac activity is detected violated the state's right to privacy.

Republican leaders hope new restrictions will withstand legal scrutiny after they tweaked the measure's language and voted this February on a new state Supreme Court justice.

An all-male bench would hear any challenge that reaches the states highest court. Justice Gary Hill replaced the lone female justice, Kaye Hearn, who had reached the mandatory retirement age and who authored the lead opinion in the abortion decision.

Republican state Rep. Jay Jordan emphasized Tuesday that the justices sent the ball back in our court to craft a new law for their consideration.

Democratic state Rep. Spencer Wetmore accused her colleagues of also recrafting the South Carolina Supreme Court. Jordan responded that all courts change membership.

The committee's debate lasted late into the evening as Republicans defeated attempts to expand Medicaid coverage or reduce the penalty for doctors. Democrats said threatening medical professionals with felony prosecution would drive them away from a state where 15 counties already have no OB-GYN.

Another failed amendment would have expanded exceptions for severe fetal anomaly and not just fatal fetal anomaly.

A Charleston woman had testified that hospital lawyers determined a complicated health defect discovered last July at her 18-week anatomy scan did not count as a fatal fetal anomaly." Jill Hartle said lawmakers' restrictions added to the stress of an excruciating decision by forcing her to get abortion care in Washington, D.C.

If these bans continue to be placed, this is the utmost breach of privacy any government could impose," Hartle said. The Republican Party that I used to align with wanted less government. But these bills are total control.

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James Pollard 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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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve.

Afterward, he said he wouldn't drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.

Santos' 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republican's fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself," a cheerfully combative Santos told reporters swarming him outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said he's been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a witch hunt.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, was more circumspect, saying: Any time the federal government comes after you its a serious case. We have to take this serious.

Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshman's ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.

I think were seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine, said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February.

Asked about Santos on Wednesday, Biden said, Im not commenting, adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, Thats for Congress to decide.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and then induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."

Santos didnt directly address the specifics of the charges to reporters, but when asked why he received unemployment benefits while employed, Santos cited a job change and confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santos, sporting his usual crewneck sweater, blazer and khakis, said little during the arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes. Reporters spilled from the gallery to the jury box, joined by a handful of constituents.

He should be thrown out of Congress and put in prison, declared Jeff Herzberg, a Long Island resident who spent hours waiting to see Santos' arraignment. I hope that day comes soon.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he said employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before entering politics. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

But a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from the company to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Santos' legal troubles date to his late teens, when he was investigated in Brazil for allegedly using stolen checks to buy clothes  a case that authorities say they've since reopened.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook was stolen and someone else took the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' fundraising for a group that purported to help abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he raised to help his dog get needed surgery.

___

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in White Plains, New York, Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

___

On Twitter, follow Jake Offenhartz at twitter.com/jangelooff and Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/

___

Follow the AP's coverage of U.S. Rep. George Santos at https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox pope, Tawadros II, delivered a joint blessing Wednesday from St. Peters Square in a significant ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of their predecessors.

Tawadros, the Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, joined Francis on the stage for the entirety of Francis weekly general audience. He delivered a lengthy speech at the start in Arabic and then joined Francis in blessing the crowd at the end during a rainy morning.

In welcoming Tawadros to the Vatican, Francis recalled that Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the meeting of St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, a first between a Catholic and Coptic Orthodox pope. During that May 10, 1973, encounter, the two popes signed a joint statement on their shared faith in Christ and their rejection of proselytism, while also voicing concern for the plight of the Palestinian people and calling for peace in the Middle East.

Francis has called that declaration a milestone on the ecumenical journey, and welcomed Tawadros to the Vatican soon after his election in 2013. Francis then visited Tawadros in 2017 at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo at a time in which Egypts Orthodox Christians were reeling from a spate of Islamic militant suicide bombings at churches that killed dozens of people.

Francis has frequently referred to the ecumenism of blood, the idea that Catholics and Orthodox  while divided by schism and theological differences  are united in mourning religiously inspired violence against Christians. Francis referred Wednesday in particular to the 2015 beheading of 21 mostly Egyptian Coptic Christian workers in Libya.

And speaking of martyrs of the Coptic Church, who are ours as well, I want to remember the martyrs on the Libyan beach, who were made martyrs a few years ago," Francis said.

Tawadros, for his part, reaffirmed the ties that unite the churches. Despite the differences in our roots and affiliations, we are united by the love of Christ who dwells in us and the host of our apostle fathers and saints surrounds and guides us, he said, according to a translation of his Arabic remarks provided by the Vatican.

Tawadros visit will culminate with another ecumenically important event when he celebrates a Coptic Orthodox liturgy Sunday at Francis' cathedral in Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

According to the Vaticans ecumenical norms, Catholic churches are generally reserved for Catholic worship. But a bishop can offer one of his churches to another Christian community if it will not cause scandal or confusion to the faithful.

Last month, there was an uproar among some conservative Catholics when a group of 50 Anglican bishops and priests celebrated a liturgy at St. John Laterans main altar without such proper approvals. The basilica issued an apology and said the celebration violated canonical norms.

In the case of Tawadros, the Vatican has made clear that he has full approval to celebrate the divine liturgy on Sunday at Francis' cathedral, which is his seat as bishop of Rome. A statement from the Vatican secretariat of state announcing Tawadros' visit and the celebration noted that the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is one of the most important realities in the ecclesial panorama of the Middle East where in these times the Christian community is facing situations of great difficulty.
ROME (AP)  Italian police on Wednesday arrested 29 suspected smugglers as they smashed a transnational operation that for years brought migrants illegally into Italy by sea and then moved them overland into northern Europe, authorities said.

The nearly four-year-long investigation was spearheaded by prosecutors in Calabria, the toe of the Italian peninsula, where many of these migrants arrive from Turkey or Greece, often on well-outfitted sailboats that elude detection by police or military personnel.

In Calabria, Catanzaro Chief Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri described the investigation as groundbreaking in terms of understanding how a series of smuggling gangs work together, from point of origin to point of destination for the migrants, as well as in following the trail of the laundered revenues  profits off people's misery and desperation.

For the first time we succeeded in demonstrating all the passages, all the steps, of the migrant, depending on the passenger's origin and desired destination," Gratteri told reporters. For example, departing from Syria and going to Oslo (Norway), or wherever they wanted to go."

Depending on how much the migrants could pay  investigators said some paid as much as 15,000 euros ($16,500) apiece just for the sea leg of the voyage, although the going rate appeared to be 10,000 euros  the passengers on the land routes to northern Europe either took trucks, trains or taxis across Italy's northern land borders. Transit points included Ventimiglia, an Italian city near its border with France and Trieste, in eastern Italy near Slovenia.

Police said colleagues in Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Britain and Morocco collaborated in the investigation that led to the arrests. The operation began at dawn Wednesday in Italy when some 200 officers fanned out in various cities, including other major points on the smugglers' land routes, the cities of Milan and Turin.

From the moment the migrants set foot in southern Italy  either in Calabria or in Puglia, an adjacent region forming the heel of the peninsula  the smugglers looked after the travelers until they could be moved into northern Europe, according to written statements by the Italian police.

"In effect, a real and true system of illegal welcome, organized both abroad and in various Italian cities, that included food and lodging in the various stops, was created, and to which the migrants entrusted themselves completely,'' Francesco Messina, a top Italian police official, said in a statement.

All that came at a price. After reaching Italy, migrants would be charged as much as 600 euros ($660) to reach northern cities like Milan, before the next stage taking them overland into countries north of Italian borders.

Elaborating at a news conference, Messina said that besides smuggler cells in Greece and in Turkey, the investigation found seven more operating in Italy.

"Essentially, the passage of the migrant from one cell to another had a sort of geographic connotation,'' the police official said.

One of those cells, based in Trieste, also served as the money-processing hub, investigators said. The smugglers used complicit figureheads to transfer money weekly abroad, in sums low enough to avoid triggering suspicion.

Another key point in the operations was Thessaloniki, Greece, investigators said. From that gathering point, migrants were moved to Athens, then to Patras, where they waited until they could set sail in smugglers' sailboats. Still, others directly set sail for Italy's southern coastline from Izmir, a Turkish port, Italian police said.

The smugglers exploited a sea route plying the eastern Mediterranean and used sailboats  less likely to appear to be a migrant vessel than the frequently used overcrowded rubber dinghies or decrepit wooden fishing boats, according to the Italian authorities.

Those arrested risk being charged with aiding illegal immigration and money laundering in connection with about 30 sea voyages, police said. Many of the crew were from Ukraine or other former Soviet Union countries, while the ringleaders were mainly from Iraqi Kurdish areas, according to the Italian authorities.

Most of the passengers were of Asian or Middle Eastern origin, the police said.

It was an aging wooden boat, and not a sailboat, that capsized and splintered after smashing into a sandbank just off a Calabrian beach on Feb. 6, killing 92 migrants. Authorities said the smugglers aboard deliberately kept the boat for hours longer at sea, despite very high waves, in hopes of eluding detection by police ashore.

___

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CANAL-PIGI COUNTY, South Sudan (AP)  Moments after gunshots and explosions rang out in Khartoum, killing civilians and damaging buildings, Nyarok Gach grabbed her eight children and reluctantly began the treacherous journey home. Four years ago she had crossed into Sudan, fleeing civil war in her native South Sudan, but the place she hoped would be a refuge turned out to be anything but.

Now she's back in South Sudan, but it's a country still in turmoil.

The suffering we fled in Sudan is the same suffering we have now, said Gach. Sitting on a straw mat in the impoverished village of Wunlueth in South Sudans Canal-Pigi County, the 35-year-old said she has come home to misery. Her village has been plagued by floods, people dont have access to clean water or food, and violence in parts of the country persists despite a fragile peace deal signed in 2018 to end fighting that killed nearly 400,000 people.

More than 40,000 people  mostly South Sudanese  have crossed the border since Sudan erupted in conflict nearly a month ago. Many are returning to areas unable to support to them and still riddled with fighting. Five years of war and unprecedented floods have pushed South Sudan into a dire situation with more than 75% of the nations 12 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 3 million on the brink of starvation.

Earlier this month, the United Nations warned that 180,000 South Sudanese could return by August and called for more than $95 million in urgent assistance.

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, said said Peter Van der Auweraert, South Sudans acting humanitarian coordinator.

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.

Most people are crossing into South Sudans northern town of Renk, in Upper Nile state, where some 6,000 are sheltering in a makeshift transition center with thousands more scattered throughout the town, according to government statistics. Some have been flown out of the nearby border town of Paloch in chartered planes funded by generous businessmen from the capital, Juba, while nearly 2,000 others have traveled by boat along the Nile to the state capital of Malakal.

But aid workers say many people either dont have the means to get home or dont want to return to their villages because of security concerns.

Violence between fighters aligned to the government and opposition armies in Upper Nile state spiked last year, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. Senior government officials and military officers are implicated in human rights violations such as widespread attacks against civilians, killings, rape and sexual slavery, said a report last month by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

Many who do return are going back to remote villages, like Wunlueth, with no roads, little access to health care or food and which are already struggling to host an influx of displaced people from last year's fighting. Gach's family are among some 100 residents who returned to her village, traveling by bus, boat and walking barefoot for hours to get there. Her village is buckling under the pressure of 18,000 displaced people  more than the villages population  who fled their homes due to violence.

Those people who come from Khartoum, they need support. But myself, we have no support. We are not able to support them. We need ... to give them the shelter, and food and medicine and clean water, said Simon Ajak, head of the area.

Funding cuts before Sudans conflict, meant that organizations were already scaling back assistance. The World Food Program has only been able to reach 50% of people facing crisis levels of food insecurity and now has to reallocate help to those fleeing Sudan, further cutting assistance to communities in crisis, said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, representative and country director for WFP in South Sudan. The war is also disrupting supply chains. WFP has 7,000 tons of grain stuck in Sudan, enough to support 100,000 people for several months, she said.

As Sudans fighting continues theres concern that itll inflate prices  the cost of a food basket has risen nearly 30% in South Sudanese states along the border since the conflict broke out  and that traders, who get much of their goods from Sudan, wont have anything to sell.

I brought this food from Sudan, said Wawic Gatluak a shopkeeper in the market in Wunlueth, pointing to his stock of goods. When these things finish, I cant go back and get more, he said.
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GENEVA (AP)  Authorities in eastern Switzerland ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in the coming weeks.

Local leaders said during a town hall and a media event Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6 p.m. on Friday but could return to the village from time to time starting Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight.

The centuries-old village straddles German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the eastern Graubunden region, sitting southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1,150 meters (about 3,800 feet). Today it has under 100 residents.

The mountain and the rocks on it have been moving since the last Ice Age, local officials say. But measurements indicated a strong acceleration over a large area in recent days, and up to 2 million cubic meters of rock material will collapse or slide in the coming seven to 24 days, officials said.

Over the last century, the village itself has moved a few centimeters (inches) each year, but the movement sped up over the last 20 years. The landslide has been moving about a meter (about three feet) per year. Geological surveys suggest the situation has become even more precarious.

Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, which counts Brienz in its municipality, said experts estimate there's a 60% chance that the rock will fall in smaller chunks, which may not reach the village or the valley. The landslide could also move slowly.

But there's also a 10% chance that the whole 2-million-cubic meter mass may tumble down, threatening lives, property and the village itself, he said.

We hope that the village stays intact, Gartmann said by phone. We can't eliminate the possibility that it (the rock) will come down. ... It could damage the village or destroy it."

Gartmann said glacier melt had affected the precariousness of the rocks over millennia but that melting glaciers due to man-made climate change in recent decades wasn't a factor.

Experts concluded that a controlled explosion to set off a rock slide was too dangerous because it would require drilling under the rock  itself a hazardous operation, Gartmann said. Erecting a giant pile of sand or a wall to try to hold back the rocks also wasn't considered feasible, he said: The wall would have to be at least 70 meters (230 feet) high to protect the village.

Many of the evacuees were expected to stay with family or friends, though local leaders have received offers from concerned neighbors to provide temporary housing. he said. At the current orange alert level, however, farm animals were to be left behind.

Federico Pelico, the pastor of Albula and Brienz, said they managed to disassemble and remove the precious 500-year-old winged altarpiece that was in the church.

The church and the altar are important, but the people are more important, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Pelico said many residents of the village had grown used to hearing the regular thunder of rockfall over the years. But now theyre suddenly realizing that something terrible might happen.

They have to leave their village, he added. These arent just buildings. There are emotions and histories here. Ive seen a lot of tears lately.

Pelico said members of his congregation are torn between hope and pain.

Theres nothing you can do against nature, he said. But deep in their hearts, theres hope that theyll be able to return to the village.

___

Frank Jordans has contributed to this report from Berlin.
WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in League City has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southwestern Galveston County in southeastern Texas...

East central Fort Bend County in southeastern Texas...

Eastern Brazoria County in southeastern Texas...

Southeastern Harris County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 715 AM CDT.

* At 628 AM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from Pearland to 16 miles southeast of Surfside Beach,

moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Western Pasadena, Pearland, League City, Missouri City, Galveston

Island West End, Texas City, Friendswood, Lake Jackson, Alvin,

Angleton, Dickinson, Stafford, La Marque, Santa Fe, Freeport,

Clute, Webster, Hitchcock, Manvel and Surfside Beach.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
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Austrian pianist Buchbinder returns to China with Beethoven sonatas

Xinhua) 16:20, May 10, 2023

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder kicked off the first of his seven concerts in Beijing on Tuesday night, performing Beethoven piano sonatas at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

The 76-year-old piano virtuoso, renowned for his exceptional interpretations of Beethoven's music, will perform the complete collection of 32 Beethoven piano sonatas during his tour in Beijing that will end on May 17.

"(Performing) a concert is always a challenge," said the musician. "(For the audience) this is a fantastic discovery of new pieces that are seldom, practically never played."

Buchbinder performed the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven for the first time in China at the 15th Beijing Music Festival in 2012.

In May 2019, he joined Staatskapelle Dresden as the pianist and conductor to stage Beethoven's five piano concertos in Beijing.

Tuesday's performance is part of this year's NCPA May Festival, which began on May 1 and will last till May 27.

The festival brings performances of musicians from home and abroad, including world-renowned French violinist Renaud Capucon and celebrated Chinese cellist Wang Jian.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
This May, Thoughtworks is proud to celebrate 30 years of helping their clients across the world to build the modern digital businesses of the future through the application of strategy, technology and design. Since launching in 1993, Thoughtworks is now over 12,500 people strong with 50 offices in 18 countries.

Thirty years of leadership in any industry is a remarkable accomplishment. But especially in the rapidly changing technology industry, it demonstrates a relentless, company-wide commitment to innovation and client impact.

Its about more than just luck for us, said Chris Murphy, Thoughtworks CEO of North America. Weve built into our culture this ability to proactively stay ahead of the industry, by attracting, growing, and retaining the passionate, diverse technologists who want to bring that thought leadership to our industry, to our clients, and to society.

Murphy, whos been with Thoughtworks for almost 20 years, has seen much of this growth firsthand. Thoughtworks was an early pioneer of agile software development, and has been fundamental to multiple industry innovations including CI/CD, microservices, evolutionary architectures, infrastructure as code, lean portfolio management, and data-mesh. They have helped hundreds of businesses to use technology to build leaner, more responsive, and more adaptive organizations.

Were constantly asking ourselves, Are we still relevant? Are we still innovating? Are we still continuing to bring unique, differentiating value to our clients? Murphy said. And Im proud to say that as long as were asking ourselves those questions, well be able to see over the next 30 years the success weve seen over the last 30.

Most recently, Thoughtworks launched its Engineering Effectiveness solution, which helps businesses empower their software engineering teams to deliver more customer value, more efficiently and more effectively.

Since the pandemic, many organizations have invested in top-notch engineering talent but theyre seeing dwindling productivity, Murphy said. Now, how can they empower and retain that talent while delivering more customer value, more quickly, and with less wasted time? How can they improve the developer experience? These are just a few of the areas where Engineering Effectiveness can help.

In Thoughtworks experience, some organizations utilize as little as 30% of their engineering functions optimum capacity. Engineering Effectiveness helps developers to spend more of their time delivering value, while reducing friction and waste in their workflows. This, to me, is really the next evolution of agile, Murphy said. Its this systematic, scalable way of increasing productivity, so you can be nimble and get to market faster.

Murphy now looks forward to the next 30 years  and beyond  of Thoughtworks industry innovation and thought leadership. As he said, Theres no room for complacency. With the industry changing so quickly, organizations like Thoughtworks must continue to innovate and adapt.

Of course, no one can predict exactly what the future will bring. But Thoughtworks plans to be there for it  continuing to innovate and lead technology-led business transformation.

Thoughtworks has a 30-year history of providing a curated understanding of technological evolutions and applying them in real, practical terms to get real, practical outcomes, Murphy said. Our continued focus on that will give us the best opportunity to be at the forefront of embracing new technological changes as they come. And I think thats very exciting. Learn more about how to accelerate business-wide transformation with Engineering Effectiveness.
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Three charities have announced a renewal of their partnership to address the UKs mental health crisis.

Mind, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and Inspire will once again collaborate across a range of areas including fundraising, communications and policy influencing.

The charities will work together to campaign to end the stigma faced by people with mental health issues, improve mental wellbeing and influence policymakers.

Other areas of work will include sharing research and insight, supporting each other as preferred fundraising partners and signposting each others services and resources.

Mind: Work we do has never been more important

Under the partnership, the charities will take action to prevent mental health inequalities by, for instance, promoting the needs of individuals living in poverty.

Another area the charities will collaborate on include supporting and promoting young peoples needs, those who have gone through trauma and other priority groups for suicide prevention.

They will also do some work to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace and promote sport and physical activity among other things.

Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, said: We're in the midst of a mental health crisis so the work we do as mental health charities has never been more important, particularly among those hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why I am so pleased to be re-committing to working so closely with SAMH and Inspire to fight for the UKs mental health.

At Mind, we have a bold strategy which centres those who are most likely to experience mental health problems and face barriers to accessing the right support. We know that to do this justice, we must work in partnership, which is why we committed to connect minds  bringing together people and organisations who want to join the fight for mental health. Working with SAMH and Inspire will play a crucial role in fulfilling this commitment.

She continued: With the cost-of-living crisis, deepening health inequalities and increasing numbers of young people reaching crisis point, the UK has never needed us more to step up for their mental health and we know we will be stronger together.

Collective effort will drive change

SAMHs chief executive Billy Watson said that only a collective effort will drive change.

This renewed partnership combines the individual strengths of three of the countrys leading charities in a UK-wide platform, enhancing our impact to reach even more people through our services, and supply accessible, quality information on mental health and wellbeing to those who need it most.

Inspires chief executive Kerry Anthony added: When organisations with a common aim work together, we can achieve great things. That is why we are dedicated to this important partnership with Mind and SAMH. Together we can increase our opportunity to empower people to seek help, challenge stigma and discrimination and campaign with those living with mental ill-health.

We understand the challenges people are facing. The continual impact due to the rise in the cost-of-living, post-pandemic burn out and mental health services facing significant challenges due to a lack of resources and staff. This has an impact on individuals, communities and the wider society. Alongside our friends in Mind and SAMH, we are best placed to reach more people ensuring everyone has the opportunity to access mental health and wellbeing support, information and services.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
A new pay offer has been rejected by staff at St Mungos, meaning a month-long strike is set to take place.



The strike will begin on 30 May and end on 26 June, after strike action at the homelessness charity had been paused.

Members of workers union Unite had been due to take part in a four-week strike starting on 24 April and ending on 21 May, but it was suspended after the homelessness charity made a revised offer to staff.

The union said the charity increased its 1.75% pay rise offer to 2.25%, but has now been rejected by 91% of 500 staff balloted across southern England.

A St Mungos spokesperson said: We are naturally very disappointed our new offer has been rejected by Unite the Unions members and that an unprecedented 28 days of strike is due to commence from 30 May to 26 June 2023.

We have compromised and tried everything possible to reach a reasonable negotiation and avoid strike action, and we believe our new offer was fair and appropriate. Our lines of communication with Unite will remain open as we continue to try to resolve the dispute.

Our priority is to continue supporting our clients and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We have contingency plans in place to minimise the risks to our clients; however, are concerned about the impact prolonged strike action will have on our service users, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

They added: The 1.75% was the pay rise in 2021-22. The latest amount we offered Unite the Union was on top of the 2023-24 pay rise, which is still being negotiated with the National Joint Council (NJC).

Our additional offer was capped to focus on staff on lower salaries. On top of the fixed sum offer already made by the NJC, this meant the lowest paid would have benefitted the most as both offers were fixed sum increases. Therefore, staff earning up to 25k were expected to gain at least a 10% increase.

The pitiful pay offer has just made everyone in the union angrier

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: Charity workers who are on the streets helping the homeless are now prepared to go on strike for a month for a decent wage. This shows what they think of the way theyve been treated by St Mungos management.

Graham dubbed the pay offer pitiful and said it has just made everyone in the union angrier.



So if the management at St Mungos want to avoid a month-long strike they have the answer in their own hands. Make Unite members a decent pay offer. Their indifference to the financial pressures facing their own staff is quite frankly astonishing, she added.



Unite regional officer Steve ODonnell said new members are joining in droves and the end result will be a stronger month-long strike.



He said: The workers are at the end of their tether, they dont want to be on strike but they cant pay the bills. The bosses need to wake up to this reality so the charity can focus on the invaluable work it does for the homeless.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include additional comment from St Mungo's.

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In February, millions of Nigerians cast ballots in an election to replace Muhammadu Buhari, a former military general who has served as president for the past eight years. On the ballot, as expected, were representatives from the two major political parties: Bola Tinubu, of the incumbent All Progressives Congress party, and Atiku Abubakar, of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. And, for the first time, there was a viable third candidate: Peter Obi, from the lesser-known Labour Party, who galvanized large swaths of the countrys younger population, a demographic that has experienced high rates of unemployment and increased violence and repression under Buhari.

Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) moved to deliver ballots electronically as a safeguard against the manipulation of votes, but in spite of such changes, Election Day saw many errors. Delayed opening times and glitches in a system that was supposed to upload results from over 177,000 polling stations rendered millions of votes susceptible to tampering. The Financial Times reported a staggeringly low turnout rate of 27 percent; two-thirds of the 87 million people who waited to collect voter registration cards reportedly did not end up casting a ballot. There were cases of violence at some polling places, and members of the press were targeted, too: according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least fourteen reporters covering the election were arrested, attacked, or harassed by the authorities or private citizens or groups. (According to Reporters Without Borders most recent World Press Freedom Index, which was published last week, Nigeria ranks 123rd out of 180 countries worldwidea low score, despite the countrys diverse media landscape.)

In the end, Tinubu was declared the winner; he is scheduled to be sworn in as his countrys new leader later this month. But Abubakar and Obi are still challenging the results. This week, a court began hearing their appeals; according to the Associated Press, armed security forces blocked some journalists from entering the courthouse. Before the hearings got underway, I spoke with Aanu Adeoye, West Africa correspondent at the Financial Times, about covering the presidential election, Obis and Abubakars ongoing challenges, and the task facing Tinubu.



FM: Why was this election so important for Nigerias democratic development?

AA: Nigeria has had previous iterations of democracy that military men have cut short, but since 1999, theres been this unbroken democratic rule in the country. Whatever we as citizens or journalists may think of the quality of that democratic rule, its important that, by and large, people choose their own leaders. We hold elections very similarly to the American systemevery four years with a maximum of two terms for a presidentso I think that the message going into this election was that there was an opportunity for people to vote for a new leader after eight years of the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari. Some people, I think, were optimistic, excited, because if you look at the trajectory of the country over the past eight years, under the current president, things have not been going well, so to say. I think there was a chance for people to elect someone to put the economy on the right path and help with the insecurity thats plaguing so many parts of the country.

Now Obi and Abubakar are challenging the validity of the results in court. What arguments are they making?

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Prior to the elections, INEC introduced a new system called BVAS [the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System] and something called the Result Viewing Portal. The idea behind this was to eliminate fraud that has typically bedeviled Nigerian elections, like people voting multiple times and stuffing ballot boxes. This new technology was going to verify who was voting based on peoples voter cards and fingerprinting. The other part of the new technology [the Result Viewing Portal] was supposed to almost instantaneously update the results from each of the 177,000 polling units across the country. That did not end up happening, for various reasons. There were massive delays in uploading the results on the part of the commission. They acknowledged that there was a glitch on their part. But people were not satisfied with that and felt that INEC broke with what it promised to do. Thats the backbone of a lot of the major election complaints.

No presidential election results have been overturned by the courts in this country before; governorship and other elections have been overturned by various courts, but not one for the presidency. For something this historic to happen we would expect there to be a high bar of evidence. As journalists and as citizens, were all waiting to see what evidence will be presented in court.

What have been the challenges in covering the ongoing story of the election?

I think the main challenge actually came on Election Day. We started our election coverage at the FT in October: I interviewed Abubakar, who was running for president for the sixth time and was a former vice president; I did stories on the youth movement and went to a few rallies. Everything was fine. On Election Day itself, I covered the elections partly in Lagos and then in Abuja, the capital. I was in a suburb of Lagos called Surulere when some gunmen came to steal a ballot box. They came to the polling station; they shot into the air about four times. It was terrifying.

How did election coverage play out in the Nigerian media more broadly?

The Nigerian press were pretty granular in their coverage. There were a few TV channels that had rolling coveragekind of like the John King Magic Wall on CNNsaying We just got results in XYZ state, with a rotating cast of analysts and experts. Because it took a few days for the results to be declaredpeople voted on a Saturday, and the results were not announced until the very early hours of Wednesdaythe nation was on a knife edge. People were following closely, mostly glued to their TV sets.

Theres a huge young population here, so they were glued to their phones, looking at Facebook and WhatsApp. A lot of things flow from WhatsApp group chats; thats where fake news comes alive. When there were voting delays, or when certain polling stations were attacked, it didnt take long for those pictures to surface on social media; we could see in real time how things were happening. In the aftermath of the violence that I saw at the polling station I went to, I took a few pictures and put them up on Twitter. So social media was a huge part of the electoral process. Currently, the people who support Obi are very active on social media, using it as a way of telling people to keep the faith. And Obi himself has been very clear on social media, telling his supporters that there should be no violence and that theyre going to pursue this in the courts.

Tinubu is still scheduled to be sworn in at the end of this month. If all goes as planned, what would he need to do to begin to bridge divides between Nigerias various constituencies?

He would need to put out a message of unity, and he has to mean it because the country feels very divided along religious and ethnic lines. There was a lot of pre-election rhetoric of people saying really terrible things about different ethnic groups. Its about making sure that people who spout ethnically divisive rhetoric have no place in his government. People are facing massive challenges with the economy. Insecurity is widespread. This is the other major challenge he has to take on. He needs to make a lot of tough decisions economically.

Is there any chance that the new administration will be less repressive of the press?

The current government banned Twitter for about seven months in 2021. Theres a few journalists behind bars right now. So theres evidence that this incumbent party has an appetite to censor the press. And its not just the central federal government; governors in several states are going after local news reporters and have held them without charges. So I think we dont have any promise that the incoming administration will change things. We can only judge them based on their actions going forward.



Other notable stories:

New from CJR: The vulture fund that picked American newspapers apart has a new target

Feven Merid is CJRs staff writer and Senior Delacorte Fellow.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Authorities in Auckland declared a state of emergency Tuesday as flooding again hit New Zealands largest city.

Further north in the city of Whangarei, a high school student was missing after a school group that was exploring caves got into trouble when floodwaters hit.

Fire and emergency crews said they had responded to more than 200 calls, most of them in Auckland. Many were for floodwaters entering buildings, but they had also responded to landslides, falling trees and trapped cars.

Severe weather has plagued the North Island this year. In January, four people were killed when floodwaters hit Auckland. In February, 11 people died when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region.

We will get through this. We will support Auckland through it, he told reporters. We know that its tough coming on top of everything else that theyve been dealing with, but right now my request to people is just to keep yourself safe.

Authorities said heavy rain was expected to continue off and on through until midnight, although they hoped the most severe downpours may have already passed. Some train and bus services were canceled, and authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Police said a group of 15 students and two adults had been at the Abbey Caves in Whangarei when they got into trouble. Search and rescue crews tried to find the missing student, police said, while the other students made it out safely.

Police suspended their search Tuesday evening and said they would resume again Wednesday morning.

Local media reported the missing boy had been swept away by floodwaters.

Whangarei Boys High School Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith wrote on Facebook that an outdoor education class had been on a caving trip when they encountered severe weather. She said the event was hugely upsetting for all those involved.

In time we will seek to understand how this situation occurred, but for now I ask that we stay united as a WBHS community and provide support where required, the principal wrote.

Hipkins said: I do want to express my deep concern there and my absolute support for the school community.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
HOUSTON (AP)  Crews have finally extinguished a fire at a Houston-area petrochemical plant that had been burning on and off for days, according to Shell, which operates the plant.

Firefighters first responded to the blaze at the Deer Park facility on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, Shell said the fire had been extinguished. But a few hours later, Shell announced the fire had reignited.

The fire was finally extinguished on Sunday night, Shell spokeswoman Natasha Qamar said Monday. The reignited fire was contained in a controlled area.

Air monitoring is ongoing and has not detected any harmful levels of chemicals affecting neighboring communities. There is no danger to the nearby community, Shell said.

The city of Deer Park did not issue a shelter-in-place order for residents during the fire.

The fire had started at plants olefins unit, which makes plastics and rubber. The unit was undergoing routine maintenance at the time of the fire.

Nine workers who were sent to a hospital were released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

Shell said Sunday that the large amount of water being used to extinguish the blaze had exceeded the plants wastewater storage capacity and was being released into the Houston Ship Channel.

A floating barrier or boom was being used to prevent any chemical products from the plant from running off with the wastewater and contaminating the channel, Qamar said.

After some rain on Sunday, a light sheen was seen outside the boom but it has been cleaned up, Shell said.

Our teams are working around the clock to verify the environmental and safety precautions of the actions taken thus far, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the countys top elected official, said in a statement Sunday night.

Local environmental groups were not reassured by Shells statements that the community was not in danger.

History has shown that these early statements are for the benefit of industry public relations and not public health, said Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of Air Alliance Houston.

Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the large 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.

Top photo: A fire burns at a Shell chemical facility in Deer Park, Friday, May 5, 2023, east of Houston. A chemical plant in the Houston area has caught fire, sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky. The Harris County Sheriffs Office said Friday the fire was at a Shell USA Inc. facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  A company that operates a more than century-old hydroelectric dam near Mount Rainier National Park will pay $1 million after synthetic field turf and its tiny rubber particles spilled into the Puyallup River in 2020.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Philip Sorensen approved the amount in fines and restitution last week, with most to go toward restoring salmon habitat, the Washington state attorney generals office said in a statement Monday. The office said $745,000 in restitution will be paid to Puyallup Tribal Fisheries, and $255,000 in fines will be paid to Pierce County.

The rubber particles, made from recycled tires, contain a chemical that is especially toxic to coho salmon, according to the attorney generals office.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson initially brought three dozen misdemeanor charges against Electron and Fischer, saying they discharged pollutants and intentionally violated a permit when they used old field turf as a liner during a dam construction project. The dam, built near Tacoma in 1904, provides electricity to 20,000 customers.

The turf was placed in a temporary bypass channel in 2020 and topped with a plastic liner so the river could be diverted, allowing for the construction work on the dam. A tear in the liner sent large amounts of the turf downstream. The rubber particles lined the shore for miles.

Removing the artificial turf has been ongoing since the release. Tribal personnel found and removed more turf as recently as March, Ferguson said.

In a statement through an attorney Monday, the company told The Seattle Times: Thom Fischer and Electron Hydro are thankful that the states case is concluded, and pleased that restitution will be invested in fisheries enhancement on the Puyallup River.

The company previously agreed to pay about $500,000 in a settlement with the state Department of Ecology. Related lawsuits brought by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Puyallup Tribe are set to go to trial later this year.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada  The Oakland As have struck a deal with Ballys Corp. to build a $1.5 billion stadium on Ballys Tropicana Las Vegas site, a deal that will reduce the public financing for the project by more than $100 million.

The Nevada Independent, citing sources with knowledge of the negotiations, reported Tuesday that the deal calls for Ballys to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the As to construct a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium on 9 acres of the 34-acre site.

The reported new deal would be the second in a month for the As. The team was initially looking to secure legislative support for a $500 million public funding package involving tax credits and the creation of a special taxation district to help fund stadium construction.

In mid-April, the team announced that it had reached a binding agreement with Red Rock Resorts to acquire land to house the stadium, but recently moved to revisit other potential stadium sites, The Independent reported.

The new deal with Ballys reported would only seek $395 million in public financing support,

The package still would have to be submitted to the Nevada State Legislature before it ends its current session on June 5 in order to secure the needed $395 million in public funding, CBS News said.

The land at the Tropicana site near the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip is owned by a real estate investment trust, Gaming and Leisure Properties, which leases the land to Ballys. With the new deal, the As would no longer have to pay land acquisition costs. Ballys pays Gaming and Leisure an annual rent of $10.5 million under a 50-year lease agreement.

This is now the deal. This is what were working on, a source familiar with the negotiations told The Independent in regard to the team dropping the focus on the Red Rock land.

The As lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, suggesting that the franchise could relocate to Las Vegas before the new stadium is completed, CBS said. Construction is projected to be completed in 2027 or 2028. Under such a scenario, the As would likely play their home games at a minor-league ballpark.
KAMAS, Utah  A woman who wrote a childrens book on dealing with grief after the death of her husband last year is now accused of killing him with a lethal dose of fentanyl, reports say.

The Summit County Attorneys Office confirmed in a news release Tuesday that Kouri Richins, 33, of Kamas, has been arrested in connection with the death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, in March 2022. The attorneys office released no details on the arrest but said it was the result of a lengthy investigation by the Summit County Sheriffs Office and United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
WASHINGTON, D. C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, on Wednesday announced that hell cosponsor bipartisan legislation that would extend for another two years a coronavirus emergency health policy known as Title 42 that has been used to keep millions of migrants from entering the United States.

The administration of President Joe Biden announced in January that it would allow pandemic-related national emergencies to expire, including the Trump-era immigration provisions that end Thursday. Those restrictions are called Title 42 because they stem from Title 42 of a 1944 law that permits migration curbs to protect public health.

They allowed border protection agents to immediately remove migrants, including those seeking asylum, on the grounds that the areas where migrants are processed arent designed for social distancing or quarantines.

The end of the policy is expected to generate a surge of migrants at the border. Its also led the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to consider border security legislation.

Brown told reporters Wednesday that border policies of U.S. presidents Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have failed us, as they did on trade.

Brown said he thinks the United States should continue the Title 42 policy, as people are still getting sick and dying from this terrible illness. He said he plans to cosponsor bipartisan legislation that would extend the Title 42 policy for two years.

We need more resources at the border, Brown continued. That means everything from military people at the border, police at the border, inspectors at the border, mental health professionals at the border to deal with this situation. Its troubling. And as I said, I dont think Presidents of either party have really stepped up on this.

Brown, who is up for re-election in 2024, also broke from Biden last week in voting to overturn the administrations suspension of tariffs on Chinese solar product parts that go through other countries.

U.S. Sen. JD Vance, a Cincinnati Republican, released a statement on the end of Title 42 that said: We have a choice in this country: we can choose immigration enforcement and the safety of our own citizens, or we can choose to let cartels run roughshod and bring fentanyl by the ton. The Biden admin has chosen fentanyl and destruction.

When Biden was asked Tuesday whether the United States is ready to handle the surge of migrants expected to cross the border when Title 42 ends, he told reporters it remains to be seen.

He said the United States is getting overwhelming cooperation from Mexico in its border control efforts and is setting up offices in Colombia and other countries where people seeking asylum can go first.

Its going to be chaotic for a while, he added.

The White House says it has implemented a comprehensive multi-agency, multi-country plan rooted in enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy to humanely manage the border when the Title 42 public health order lifts.

A statement from the White House said the Pentagon is sending 1,500 troops to support Border Patrol agents and supporting a massive counter-smuggling operation in the Darien Gap, a stretch of jungle between Panama and Colombia thats often traversed by migrants to the United States.

The statement said the Department of Homeland Security is expanding detention capacity, surging resources and technology to support border communities, and deploying hundreds more asylum officers and immigration judges to quickly and humanely process migrants. In addition, it said the State Department is opening Regional Processing Centers across the Western Hemisphere to direct migrants to lawful pathways and reduce unlawful immigration.

It said that when Title 42 ends, individuals who unlawfully cross the U.S. Southwest border will be processed in a matter of days, barred from reentry for at least five years if ordered removed, and would be presumed ineligible for asylum under a proposed regulation, absent an applicable exception.

Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
WASHINGTON, D. C. - Members of the U.S. Senate announced Wednesday that Norfolk Southern railroad will establish a fund to compensate East Palestine homeowners for declines in their property values caused by a Feb. 3 train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals.

Their announcement came as the Senate Commerce Committee approved bipartisan rail safety legislation from Ohio U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and JD Vance thats intended to prevent future train disasters.

Read more: Coverage of the East Palestine train derailment

In a May 9 letter to Brown, Vance and U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw agreed to establish the fund immediately instead of waiting for litigation to end.

Shaw said he expects the fund will be used to compensate people whose homes sit within an approximately 5-mile radius of the derailment, and who sell their homes for less than their propertys pre-Feb. 3 appraised value.

He said Norfolk Southern has already contracted with Alvarez & Marsal to evaluate the local property market and develop a detailed plan.

The Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment spilled toxic chemicals such as vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Federal and state officials, fearing the vinyl chloride tanks would explode, set them afire, creating a massive plume of thick black smoke. Other chemicals seeped into local streams, killing fish and traveling down into the Ohio River. Some residents evacuated and have been living in hotels until theyre convinced their homes are safe.

Federal and state officials have repeatedly said its safe for evacuated residents to return to the area. They say air testing in the town and inside hundreds of homes hasnt detected any concerning levels of contaminants. The state says the local municipal drinking water system is not polluted, and bottled water is available while testing is conducted for those with private wells.

Cruz, the top Senate Commerce Committee Republican, took credit for securing the property value compensation fund commitment from Norfolk Southern. Shaws letter said it was written at the encouragement of Senator Cruz. Cruz called it major progress for ensuring justice for the homes and the families injured by that horrific derailment.

Cruz nonetheless said he could not support the rail safety bill before his committee because it is overly and needlessly prescriptive in certain places.

In particular, I worry that these numerous new rulemakings and authorities empower (U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete) Buttigieg and the Biden administration to further and aggressively restrict the movement of American energy products, Cruz said at the markup.

Cantwell, a Democrat who chairs the Commerce Committee, said she backs the Railway Safety Act of 2023. She said she was pleased it would require installation of more hot box sensors on rail tracks that can detect defects of the sort believed to have caused the East Palestine derailment.

A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report on the crash said it was most likely caused by an overheated bearing on the trains 23rd rail car, the first car to derail, and the wheels. The railroads system for detecting overheated bearings recorded increasingly higher temperatures for the bearing as the train approached East Palestine.

This legislation requires, for the first time, railroads to use these defect detectors with more frequency and makes it not just voluntary, but a requirement. said Cantwell. It also establishes rules for the minimum distance that they have to be placed, focusing on the fact that in urban areas is where you have great concern, and requires the implementation of those rules by the Federal Railroad Administration.

In addition to those provisions, the Railway Safety Act of 2023 would require well-trained, two-person crews aboard every train, substantially increase maximum fines the U.S. Department of Transportation can issue for safety violations, and expand HAZMAT training grants for local first responders by increasing fees assessed to railroads.

It would also create new safety requirements and procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials like the vinyl chloride, such as requiring rail carriers to provide advance notification and information to state emergency response officials about what they are transporting, requiring more rigorous safety inspections, setting rules for train size and weight and imposing requirements to prevent blocked rail crossings.

The committee approved it by a 16 to 11 margin. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Committee member Vance, an Ohio Republican who co-authored the legislation, said the accident in East Palestine cant be undone, but Congress can act to try to prevent future disasters. He said the legislation made numerous concessions to interest groups, which helped it get support from industry as well as both Republicans and Democrats.

Our rail system is becoming less safe, not more safe, said Vance. We have the technology and we have the tools to change that.

A statement that Brown released after the markup pledged to continue working with members of both parties to make sure disastrous derailments like the one in East Palestine never happen again.

Today, we are one step closer to making railroads safer, said Brown. We built a broad, bipartisan coalition that agree on these commonsense safety measures that will finally hold big railroad companies like Norfolk Southern accountable.

Brown told reporters that President Joe Biden has agreed to sign the bill, and the believes it will have enough bipartisan backing to be approved by the full Senate. He also predicted an endorsement of the bill from former President Donald Trump will help it pick up House of Representatives support.

A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives members from Ohio have introduced separate legislation that would eliminate the tax liability for any disaster relief payments to individuals and businesses affected by the derailment.

The Reducing Accidents in Locomotives (RAIL) Act that U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, a Marietta Republican, introduced with U.S. Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes, an Akron Democrat, would audit federal rail inspection programs, increase maximum penalties for rail safety regulation violations, increase funding for first responders hazardous materials training and increase inspections on all trains, including those carrying hazardous materials.

Johnson said he believes provisions in the U.S. Senate bill would probably not clear the Republican-majority House of Representatives. A spokesman for Johnson said the House bill has similar goals to the Senate bill, but has several differences that include omitting the two-person crew requirement and asking the Federal Railroad Administration to recommend safety changes instead of giving broad authority to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
Rotunda Rumblings

Decision day: A final vote setting an August election to ask voters to require a 60% vote to approve future state constitutional amendments is teed up today in Columbus. Andrew Tobias writes that that the House Rules and Reference Committee voted Tuesday to refer the measure, called Senate Joint Resolution 2, to the full House today for a vote. The committee changed the resolution, setting the vote for November rather than August, but signs point to the House voting to change it back to August on the floor today. If the House makes changes, they would have to be approved by the Senate ahead of a legal deadline at midnight tonight.

Putting kids to work: An Ohio House committee passed legislation Tuesday that would change state law to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work an extra two hours into the night during the school year, Jake Zuckerman reports. The Senate passed the legislation earlier this year. Should Gov. Mike DeWine sign it, Ohio would join a small train of states rolling back child labor laws.

Wipe out: About 27,000 Ohioans will have $1.7 billion in student loans wiped out under the Biden administrations student loan forgiveness plan for public servant. Zach Mentz provides information for how people in public service can apply for loan forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Right as rain: The U.S. House of Representatives is set to approve legislation from U.S. Rep. Max Miller that instructs the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research on weather and climate prediction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Sabrina Eaton reports. Millers Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act would set up a process where NOAA researchers could use the Energy Departments high performance computers for its weather prediction efforts. Its the first bill of Millers to get a House of Representatives vote.

Guest appearances: Although the U.S. Department of Justice has made progress in convictions of insurrectionists on Jan. 6, far-right extremism is on the rise  with Ohio as a setting for threats and violence, writes the New York Times Alan Feuer. A neo-Nazi group protested a drag show in Columbus. Two white supremacists were sentenced in Ohio to more than five years behind bars for scheming to attack energy facilities across the country. And after Donald Trump announced the FBI was searching Mar-a-Lago, a man armed with a semiautomatic weapon walked into the FBIs Cincinnati office, and was shot and killed by law enforcement.

New ads: Protect Ohio Women, the campaign working to defeat the abortion rights constitutional amendment, announced a new statewide digital ad that, like previous ads, emphasizes the proposal would strip parents of their rights and incorrectly claims children could get sex change surgery without their consent. It also ties the ACLU, one of the groups pushing for the abortion rights amendment, with President Joe Biden, claiming they both want to buck parents rights.

Unexpected threat: Vivek Ramaswamys candidacy for president in 2024 has become enough of a threat that opposition research has started to be distributed from other Republican candidates. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who lives in the Columbus suburbs, is still considered a longshot but is tied with Mike Pence as third in the GOP primary, Politicos Natalie Allison and Lisa Kashinsk report.

Making the rounds: Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and current 2024 Republican presidential contender, is taking a fundraising trip to Ohio. She had an event scheduled Tuesday in Cincinnati, with stops scheduled today in Columbus and Cincinnati, according to invitations we obtained.

More 2024 vibes: Former Vice President Mike Pence also was in Ohio on Tuesday, headlining a Center for Christian Virtue event in Cincinnati and helping raise money for Protect Ohio Women, the campaign group opposing the upcoming abortion-rights measure.

Sights on Ohio: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN his main focus is flipping seats in Montana, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania to gain a GOP majority in 2024. The Ohio seat is held by Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. McConnell assessing whether hell put resources into Senate races in Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.

Late fee: Brown, who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on Tuesday joined a group of Democratic U.S. Senators in letters to query the nations largest credit card issuers on their late fee policies. Their effort is in response to the banking industrys strong pushback against a Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPB) proposed rule that would require credit card issuers to justify late fees in excess of $8. Consumers clearly suffer under excessive late fees, the letter said.

Drug testing: U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a South Russell Republican, teamed up with Brown and other legislators from both political parties to reintroduce bicameral legislation that would provide state and local law enforcement with high-tech devices to detect and identify dangerous drugs, including fentanyl. The Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure these high-tech, portable screening devices.

Paper trail: The Columbus Dispatch may soon be leaving downtown Columbus for the first time in the newspapers 152-year-old history, as an unnamed buyer has been found for the papers headquarters at 62 East Broad Street, according to Bonnie Meibers of Columbus Business First. The Dispatch moved to the five-story building, which has been listed for $1.6 million, after it sold its iconic building on South Third Street in 2016. Gannett, which owns the Dispatch, said it intends to move the papers employees to a building in the Brewery District because the COVID-19 pandemic has led more people to work from home.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from the April 28 financial disclosure of state Sen. Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat.

1. She earned last year $96,800 from the Ohio Senate. She also earned up to $999 on interest from two savings accounts and her state tax return.

2. Antonio has a license to perform marriage ceremonies in Ohio.

3. She reported receiving drinks and dinner from the Ohio Mayors Alliance both in March 2022, when she received its Commonsense Governing Award, and July 2022, when she had refreshments and dinner at its Cleveland mayors and lawmakers regional meeting. She attended Intels groundbreaking ceremony for its chip manufacturing facility outside Columbus, and reported having light snacks refreshments valued at $35. She got a $50 ticket from the Greater Cleveland Partnership for its 2002 All In Leadership Forum.

4. The General Assembly reimbursed her $3,912 for mileage between home and Columbus.

5. For investments, she has pensions with the State Teachers Retirement System and the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, an Ohio Deferred Compensation mutual fund, an IRA with Pax World Fund and a certificate of deposit with First Federal of Lakewood.

On The Move

NASAs Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is hosting an event for small business owners to learn about partnership opportunities, how to license NASA technology, and the procurement process. Opening Doors and Breaking Barriers will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. This free, in-person event requires pre-registration by May 11th.

On Saturday, May 20, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown of Warrensville Heights will host a Small Business Expo at Cuyahoga Community Colleges Jerry Sue Thornton Center from 9 a.m. to noon where business professionals and grant experts will share resources with local aspiring entrepreneurs.

Rep. Brown has hired Will McDonald as her communications director.

Jeff Crossman, a former Democratic state representative from Parma who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general last year, has joined ex-AG Marc Danns law firm. Crossman will be litigating complex class action, mortgage servicing, and corporate/business cases, according to a release from the firm.

Birthdays

Micah Derry, campaign director for Arnold Ventures

Ex-state Rep. Jim Butler

Straight From The Source

Listen to others with whom one may disagree. We must provide a cultural norm that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

-Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer, on Tuesday during remarks after he received the Ohio State Bar Associations highest honor, the Ohio Bar Metal.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Republican state lawmakers voted to set an Aug. 8 election in which Ohio voters will decide whether it should be harder for citizens to make future changes to the state constitution, a proposal intended to spoil a potential abortion-rights ballot issue that could come later this year.

The Ohio House approved Senate Joint Resolution 2 on Wednesday by a 62 to 37 vote. The yes votes all came from Republicans, while five Republicans  Reps. Jamie Callender, Jay Edwards, Brett Hillyer, Jeff LaRe and Tom Patton  joined minority Democrats in voting no.

The Republican-dominated Ohio Senate passed the measure shortly afterward 26-7 on a party-line vote. The votes set up what will be a heated summer election  a typically sleepy time in the election calendar  that could be the first round in deciding whether abortion should have broad, difficult to undo legal protections throughout Ohio.

Wednesdays votes follow months of delays in the House, accompanied by months of intense lobbying from Republican activists and socially conservative groups. Two influential lobbying groups, Ohio Right to Life and the Buckeye Firearms Association, led a public effort to whip votes and pressure House Speaker Jason Stephens, a Lawrence County Republican, to put it up for a vote. In the closing stretch before the vote, a Super PAC backing the measure popped up airing TV ads pressuring individual lawmakers by name, bankrolled by a Republican megadonor from Illinois.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis, a key outside advocate for the amendment, issued a statement calling the vote a great day for democracy.

Ohioans are grateful that the Ohio House and Ohio Senate trust we the people by creating an election for all of us to self-determine what Ohios future may look like, Gonidakis said. Speaker Jason Stephens and House Republicans made the clear statement today that they unequivocally trust Ohios voters.

Opponents vowed an aggressive opposition campaign. The coalition includes abortion-rights advocates, voting-rights groups, labor unions and Democratic activists, as well as several recent Republican governors and state attorneys general. The election may well draw national attention, with Ohio becoming the latest frontier in an ongoing political battle over abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. The opponents have released internal polling claiming a majority of Ohioans initially oppose the 60% threshold.

This amendment is a political ploy  designed by special interests and politicians to get voters to give up their rights under false pretenses. Ohioans wont fall for it, said Dennis Willard, a spokesman for the anti campaign, which is calling itself the The Protect One Person One Vote campaign.

Both sides already have been running ads ahead of the vote, with the largest spending coming from the pro-60% campaign, which is funded with a $1.2 million contribution from an Illinois billionaire. The opposition campaign also has been active, mounting several demonstrations, including a rollicking one Wednesday at the Statehouse ahead of the vote. There, hundreds of opponents chanted loud enough from the atrium for their voices to pierce the thick walls of the House chamber and be heard from the floor.

Similar measures setting higher thresholds for state constitutional amendments have fallen in other states in recent months. Voters in Arkansas and South Dakota both voted against proposals to require a 60% supermajority approval for amendment proposals last year, although neither of those proposals were tied to abortion.

Republican leaders called the vote Wednesday following roughly 90 minutes of debate. In floor speeches, Democrats called the measure undemocratic and predicted voters will reject it in August. Anti-SJR2 protesters chanted following an initial vote, leading Stephens to call for House sergeants-at-arms to clear the gallery.

This would create minority rule in Ohio, said state Rep. Richard Brown, a Columbus-area Democrat. A 40.01% minority of Ohio can dictate to the 59.99% majority of what Ohios constitution could say.

Democrats just started a one person one vote chant that has overturned the session pic.twitter.com/8RElb1qnsl  Jake Zuckerman (@jake_zuckerman) May 10, 2023

Republicans, meanwhile, generally downplayed the role the measure would have in creating potentially unsurmountable hurdles to the abortion-rights ballot issue in November. They said it would safeguard the constitution from special-interest groups.

I think its a fair bill. Were not taking anyones votes from them, state Rep. Phil Plummer, a Dayton Republican, said ahead of the vote. Were giving them an opportunity to vote on this. This is ultimately up to the people.

State constitutional amendments are a way through which members of the public can propose law changes without the involvement of the legislature. SJR2 asks voters to require a 60% supermajority to approve future constitutional changes, compared to the 50% simple majority standard thats been in place for more than a century. SJR2 itself would need just a simple majority to pass.

SJR2 also would create new legal hurdles making it even harder for proposed amendments to qualify for the ballot. Its already a complex and expensive process that involves collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures from registered voters around the state within legally set timeframes.

Right now, groups that want to send proposed constitutional amendments to voters first must collect 412,591 signatures  10% of the total votes cast in the most recent election for governor  including a set number from 44 of Ohios 88 counties. Supporters of the potential abortion-rights ballot issue currently are working to meet these signature requirements ahead of a July 5 deadline.

SJR2 would require that a certain number of signatures for future amendment campaigns come from all 88 counties, which would make organizing drives more expensive and more complex.

It also would eliminate a current 10-day cure period during which amendment campaigns can collect additional signatures if the first batch they collect ends up falling short.

The proposed abortion-rights ballot issue would create broad legal protections for abortions. The campaign has hired a professional signature-gathering firm to aid in the process, a major step given the tight timelines they face.

Abortion in Ohio currently is legal up to 22 weeks into pregnancy, but only pending a court challenge to the states Heartbeat law that would ban abortion as early as six weeks, before many women know theyre pregnant. The Ohio Supreme Court, where Republicans hold a 4-3 majority, is considering the case.

The higher standard would potentially cause the expected ballot issue to fail, since abortion-rights advocates racked up wins in the 53% to 59% last year in elections in states like Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan. The issue polled in Ohio at 59% support last November. The new 60% standard would go into effect in November, although the new signature-gathering rules wouldnt go into effect until 2024.

The 60% rule would have broader ramifications, since the higher standard would apply to any other citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. Citizen-led amendments in the past have been used to hike the state minimum wage, legalize gambling and ban smoking in public places. They also have been used to approve Republican-backed policies, like banning same-sex marriage in 2004  although this was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court  and forbidding state government from requiring healthcare coverage.

Republican supporters at times have downplayed the connection between the proposal and the abortion issue. Lawmakers over the years have grumbled about Ohios constitutional amendment process, since it allowed casino interests to bankroll a campaign in 2009 granting themselves a monopoly, including writing their parcels of land into permanent law. Even the threat of a ballot issue, like a forming anti-gerrymandering reform a decade ago, at times has spurred the legislature into action, leading to the redistricting reforms lawmakers helped pass in 2015 and 2018.

But over time, Republicans have become increasingly explicit in tying the 60% proposal to the potential abortion campaign. The Ohio Republican Party endorsed the measure last week, with its committee members describing it as a key part of their plan to defeat the abortion amendment.

Extremists have said the quiet part out loud, state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, a Westlake Democrat, said during floor debate ahead of the Wednesday vote. Today, were here about abortion.

But not all Republicans are on board with tying the issue to defeating the abortion measure. Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, a Perrysburg Republican, repeatedly denied as much after the vote.

For me this is about protecting the constitution. Period, he said.

As the potential abortion-rights amendment picked up steam last year, so did the proposal to make it harder to amend the state constitution. Republicans tried but failed to approve it in the hectic lame-duck session last December, and failed again in January, thanks to the complicated politics that emanated from a heated leadership fight.

During the Houses first session of the year on Jan. 3, Stephens became speaker, defeating a rival Republican candidate whod appeared to lock the position up, thanks to support from minority Democrats. In exchange for their votes, Democrats believed at the time that they had at least an implied promise from Stephens to halt the 60% proposal, which was a top priority of Stephenss rival, state Rep. Derek Merrin.

The measure did indeed miss a February deadline, dooming the chances of putting the 60% proposal up for a statewide vote in the May election. Republicans seemed to be out of opportunities to pre-empt the abortion issue, since they had just voted in December to eliminate most August special elections. But in March, Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, revived the proposal, pushing to revive August special elections specifically to handle the 60% proposal.

Before the final Wednesday vote, House Republicans undid a confusing amendment a House committee added to SJR2 on on Tuesday. The amendment, at the behest of GOP state Rep. Sharon Ray, would have set the election on SJR2 for November. The measure in that form never would have passed, since it would have undermined the Republican goal of blocking the abortion-rights amendment. But it allowed Ray, a former elections official who said she promised her former colleagues she wouldnt vote for an Aug. 8 election, to allow the measure to advance while nominally keeping her promise.

I also think it enabled some of our members to express their disapproval of an August election on the floor today, but still not totally cancel out their vote for the resolution all together, Stephens said to reporters.

The Wednesday vote to strip the November election from SJR2 and restore the Aug. 8 date passed by a 56-42, including 10 Republican no votes. Five Republicans  reps. Jon Cross, Adam Holmes, Mike Loychik, Gayle Manning and Ray  voted against the amendment changing the election date back to Aug. 8, but voted for the final resolution.

House Minority Leader Allison Russo, the ranking House Democrat, scoffed at their political position.

It shows an extreme lack of courage, and the theatrics around trying to pretend that you stand on some principle, but when push comes to shove, caving to an extremist view, she said.

A court challenge to SJR2 also is possible. Thats because Republicans have decided to abandon an accompanying bill that would have funded the election, and partially undone a law Republicans approved in December banning most August special elections.

Stephens told reporters Tuesday that even though Republicans initially thought the companion bill was legally important enough to try to pass, he thinks lawmakers have legal authority to set election dates without it. Joint resolutions cant be challenged with a referendum, while opponents were preparing to potentially do so to the companion bill, Senate Bill 92.

Opponents of the 60% proposal said Tuesday using a joint resolution to set an August election is illegal  an assessment backed up by Steven Steinglass, a retired Cleveland State University law professor and state constitutional law expert  and have said they will consider their legal options if SJR2 passes. Huffman told reporters on Wednesday they have their own legal opinion that says they have the legal authority to do what theyre doing.

Killing SB92 also killed a $20 million appropriation lawmakers proposed to pay for the August election. Both Huffman and Stephens suggested Wednesday that county boards of election may wind up fronting the money for the contest, to be reimbursed by the state later.

Stephens, a former county auditor, acknowledged that elections make for a pretty heavy expense for counties, but said theyd be made whole down the line.

I think we have many different opportunities for appropriation measures in the future, so we will be looking at that, he said.

Andrew Tobias covers state politics and government for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer

Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Ohios Republican-controlled state legislature is poised to vote today to set a special election this summer to ask voters to make it harder to amend the state constitution.

The Ohio House is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m., when it will consider approving Senate Joint Resolution 2, which already has cleared the state Senate. You can follow along on the state government-backed Ohio Channel here.

Although SJR2 has broader ramifications, the debate around the measure has emerged as a proxy fight over abortion rights in Ohio, since Republicans are fast-tracking it specifically to try to sabotage a potential abortion-rights ballot issue in November.

Heres a quick rundown of the issue and what to expect:

What would Senate Joint Resolution 2 do?

Ohio Constitutional amendments are a way through which members of the public can propose law changes without the involvement of the legislature. SJR2 would ask voters to decide whether to require a 60% supermajority to approve future constitutional changes, compared to the 50% simple majority standard thats been in place for more than a century.

SJR2 also would create new legal hurdles making it even harder for proposed amendments to qualify for the ballot. Its already a complex and expensive process that involves collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures from registered voters within legally set timeframes.

Right now, groups that want to send proposed constitutional amendments to voters first must collect 412,591 signatures  10% of the most recent election for governor  including a set number from 44 of Ohios 88 counties. Supporters of the potential abortion-rights ballot issue currently are working to meet these signature requirements ahead of a July 5 deadline.

SJR2 would require that a certain number of signatures come from all 88 counties, which would make organizing drives more expensive and more complex.

It also would eliminate a current 10-day cure period during which amendment campaigns can collect additional signatures if the first batch they collect ends up falling short.

When would the election be held?

The current version of SJR2, thanks to a confusing amendment added Tuesday by the Ohio House Rules and Reference committee, says the election would be held on Nov. 8. All signs, though, point to Republican lawmakers voting today to change it back to the original date they proposed, Aug. 8.

Scheduling the 60% vote in November almost certainly wont get Republican support. Thats because if voters were to approve both, it would take a 60% vote to undo the abortion-rights measure in the future.

It also would defeat the purpose of Republican urgency behind the amendment, which is spoiling the potential abortion-rights amendment by preempting it with a special election that would make it harder to pass. Put simply, Republicans goal is to stop the abortion-rights measure, not potentially create ironclad abortion rights in Ohio.

So why did House Republicans vote for the Nov. 8 date on Tuesday? It appears they did so to collect a yes vote from state Rep. Sharon Ray, a Medina County Republican who sits on the rules committee because of her position in GOP House leadership.

Ray said during Tuesdays committee meeting she promised elections officials she would not vote for an Aug. 8 election, because of their concerns about the challenges of carrying one out. But nothing is stopping House Republicans from simply changing it back to Aug. 8 on the floor today, which Republican and Democrat lawmakers are expecting unless theres a major surprise.

How would SJR2 affect the potential upcoming abortion rights amendment?

It would potentially cause it to fail, since abortion-rights advocates racked up wins in the 53% to 59% last year in elections in states like Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan. The issue polled at 59% support last November. The new 60% standard would go into effect in November, although the new signature-gathering rules wouldnt go into effect until 2024.

The 60% rule would have broader ramifications, since the higher standard would apply to any other citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. Citizen-led amendments in the past have been used to hike the state minimum wage, legalize gambling and ban smoking in public places. They also have been used to approve Republican-backed policies, like banning same-sex marriage in 2004  although this was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court  and forbidding state government from requiring health-care coverage.

There is another expected minimum-wage issue thats being organized for 2024, and there also could be a redistricting-reform amendment coming in the near future, too.

If voters approve SJR2, citizens still could propose law changes with a 50% approval standard through the initiated statute process. But unlike state constitutional amendments, lawmakers are allowed to immediately undo initiated statutes, which make them a less popular option for ballot-issue campaigns.

What would happen next if SJR2 is approved?

First, the House and Senate will need to agree on a final version of the resolution ahead of a deadline today. If they do that, groups supporting and opposing the measure will immediately start preparing campaigns for an Aug. 8 election.

Opponents include abortion-rights advocates, voting-rights groups, labor unions and Democratic activists, as well as several recent Republican governors and state attorneys general. Supporters include anti-abortion groups, gun-rights advocates and Republican activists. Both sides already have been running ads ahead of the vote, with the largest spending coming from the pro-60% campaign, which is funded with a $1.2 million contribution from an Illinois billionaire. The opposition campaign also has been active, mounting several large demonstrations, including Wednesday at the Statehouse ahead of the vote.

Opponents of HJR1 chant in the Ohio Statehouse rotunda. The proposed constitutional amendment would make it harder to pass future constitutional amendments, including an abortion-rights measure in November pic.twitter.com/1YuaIu4P7U  Jeremy Pelzer (@jpelzer) May 10, 2023

But a court challenge to SJR2 also is possible. Thats because Republicans have decided to abandon an accompanying bill that would have funded the election, and partially undone a law Republicans approved in December banning most August special elections.

Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens told reporters Tuesday that even though Republicans initially thought the companion bill was legally important enough to try to pass, he thinks lawmakers have legal authority to set election dates without it. Joint resolutions cant be challenged with a referendum, while opponents were preparing to potentially do so to the companion bill, Senate Bill 92.

Opponents of the 60% proposal said Tuesday using a joint resolution to set an August election is illegal  an assessment backed up by Steve Steinglass, a retired Cleveland State University law professor and state constitutional law expert  and have said they will consider their legal options if SJR2 passes. Senate President Matt Huffman, a Republican, told reporters on Wednesday they have their own legal opinion that says they have the legal authority to do what theyre doing.

Andrew Tobias covers state politics and government for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

Companies all around the world are focused on how they can better support the physical and mental wellness of their employees and prevent burnout. Some workplaces have even started offering days off just for mental health.

At Nutrition Solutions this looks like paying their staff a little extra money to exercise.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, every employee at the meal-prep company has the option to attend a free exercise class before the workday starts. For many, the incentive is hard to pass up.

"If they come to those workouts, they are on the clock. They're getting compensated whatever their pay rate is to be there," says Chris Cavallini, CEO of Nutrition Solutions.

"It's basically logged into their normal pay, just like the regular hours they would work. It works exactly the same."

Essentially, the sessions can be thought of as overtime for personal and financial gain, with employees having the autonomy to go as often, or as little, as they'd like.

"It gives them the benefit of getting [exercise] out of the way, so after work they can go home, and work on their personal goals, spend time with their family and loved ones," Cavallini says.

Exercises range from body-weight calisthenics, outdoor runs and even "mental toughness training" like body plunges in ice water.
Antitrust enforcement, rather than the absence of it, can better position the U.S. to stay ahead of China in the race to build cutting-edge technologies, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Wednesday.

The tech industry often points to the threat of China catching up to U.S. technologies as an argument against more aggressive enforcement against them. For example, after the FTC proposed barring Meta from monetizing kids' data for allegedly violating an earlier privacy agreement, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone tweeted in part that it was an example of the FTC trying to "single out one American company while allowing Chinese companies, like Tik Tok, to operate without constraint on American soil." The FTC also has a privacy agreement in place from 2019 with TikTok over alleged violations.

Khan said Wednesday that lessons of the past suggest more aggressive enforcement at home will actually benefit the U.S. on the international stage.

"What history and experience have shown us is what best positions the United States to compete internationally, to stay ahead internationally, is making sure that we are a home for innovation," Khan said in an interview with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin. "And what best produces breakthrough innovations, cutting edge technologies, is competition. I think we've seen time and time again monopolies and incumbent firms arguing that they need to preserve their monopoly to make sure that the U.S. stays ahead. But historically the U.S. has instead enforced competition laws, enforced antitrust and that is what has led us to be the home of cutting-edge technologies."

Khan offered an example of two historic tech antitrust cases in the last century, those of IBM and AT&T . In AT&T's case, Khan noted that the government's requirement that the telecom firm open its "patent vault ... led to decades and decades of innovation."

"I think we saw that Silicon Valley was birthed in the wake of strong competition and antitrust enforcement," Khan added. "And so I think we need to be very wary of arguments that it's really monopoly that's going to best position us to thrive internationally when time and time again we've seen the exact opposite."

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

WATCH: How US antitrust law works, and what it means for Big Tech
HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel.

A panel of experts who advise the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended Wednesday that the agency for the first time allow women to obtain a birth control pill without a prescription.

The panel had been asked whether the benefits of selling HRA Pharma's birth control pill Opill outweighed the risks of consumers improperly using the medication resulting in unintended pregnancy.

The FDA is not obligated to follow the recommendations of its independent advisors, all 17 of whom voted "yes" on the proposal after a two-day hearing.

But HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel. The Paris-based drugmaker is owned by Perrigo , a manufacturer of over-the-counter drugs.

Since they were approved in the United States more than 60 years ago, oral contraceptives have only been available to women with a prescription for their use. If the FDA approves HRA Pharma's application, women could obtain Opill without first having to visit a doctor or other health-care provider.

"The history of women's contraception is a struggle for women's control over their reproduction and we need to trust women," said Dr. Katalin Roth, a member of the FDA advisory panel and a professor of medicine at George Washington University.

"I urge the FDA to approve over-the-counter availability of Opill," Roth said, in explaining her vote in favor of HRA Pharma's application.

The FDA originally approved norgestrel in 1973 as a prescription drug, but the company stopped U.S. sales of the pill in 2005 for business reasons, according to the agency.

HRA Pharma updated the pill's label in 2017 in hopes of reintroducing the medication to the U.S. market, explicitly as an over-the-counter drug.

Medical associations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for years have urged over-the-counter sales of birth control pills be allowed.

More than 50 members of Congress in March 2022 called on FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to ensure the agency reviewed applications for over-the-counter birth control pills without delay.

"This is a critical issue for reproductive health, rights, and justice," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Califf.

"Despite decades of proven safety and effectiveness, people still face immense barriers to getting birth control due to systemic inequities in our healthcare system."

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. were unintended in 2011, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study published in 2016.

According to that study, 75% of all pregnancies among girls 15 to 19 years old were unintended.

HRA Pharma submitted its application to the FDA last summer, two weeks after the Supreme Court abolished federal abortion rights by overturning its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The fall of Roe v. Wade led some states to ban abortion or place tight restrictions on the procedure. It also led to legal efforts to pull abortion medication from the U.S. market.

Shrinking access to abortion across the U.S. in turn sparked renewed calls for expanded access to birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
ISTANBUL, 10 May 2023 - CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, and Ilbak Holding today announced the upcoming launch of a comprehensive business and financial news service, CNBC Turkiye.

Delivering essential, unbiased and accurate information, CNBC Turkiye will provide the global business story from a Turkish perspective. Updates from global financial markets, in-depth reports and exclusive interviews will bring a local point of view to global news and interpret how global events affect the local market. The news service will help influential and aspirational audiences get ahead by capitalizing on the plays of the day.

Turkish conglomerate Ilbak Holding operates in a wide variety of industries including media and marketing communications.

Headquartered in Istanbul, CNBC Turkiye will offer a minimum of 10 hours of daily live programming, providing financial and business news coverage from the region. The channel's regional coverage will be complemented by international coverage from CNBC bureaus around the world, including Abu Dhabi, London, New York and Singapore.

John Casey, President and Managing Director of CNBC International, said, "As a global brand, we recognize the importance of delivering business news, insights and analysis with local relevance. We are thrilled to launch CNBC Turkiye with Ilbak Holding and bring CNBC's unique and robust offering to audiences across Turkey."

Murat Ilbak, Chairman of the Board of Ilbak Holding, said, "We are delighted to bring CNBC back to Turkey, offering its unparalled content in the Turkish language. With our commitment to providing essential, unbiased and accurate information and news coverage, CNBC Turkiye will undoubtedly become the benchmark business brand in the country. I strongly believe that our partnership with CNBC International will also demonstrate the dynamism of the Turkish economy, and play a pivotal role in the economic development of Turkiye."

With a population of 85 million and a growing investor base, Turkey ranks among the world's top 20 economies, and CNBC Turkiye will facilitate improved information flow for decision-making and will equip its audiences to seize opportunities in the ever-changing global business landscape.

Scheduled to launch in October 2023, CNBC Turkiye will be accessible through satellite, cable, terrestrial broadcast networks, internet platforms, and broadband services, ensuring widespread availability and convenience for viewers across the country.

About CNBC

CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, is the recognized global leader in business and financial news. With headquarters in New Jersey, London and Singapore, CNBC covers financial markets in real-time, offering breaking news, exclusive interviews, stocks and trading analysis, and in-depth reports on factors driving the economy. CNBC's mission is to help business leaders, the financial community and anyone with assets to invest or protect make informed money decisions and get ahead.

CNBC's vast portfolio includes the TV channel, available in over 372 million households, hotels and office buildings across 154 countries; CNBC.com, the online destination for the latest financial news and information; CNBC PRO, the network's premium subscription service with first access to markets and influential voices, as well as the CNBC app, podcasts, newsletters, live events, and social media and digital video platforms.

CNBC is a NBCUniversal company. For more information, visit www.cnbc.com

About Ilbak Holding

Ilbak Holding is a leading Turkish company with diverse business interests across multiple sectors. The group operates in the industries of mining, marketing communication, media, tourism, print services, real estate development and FMCG. With a commitment to innovation, excellence, and sustainable growth, Ilbak Holding strives to contribute to the economic development of Turkey.

For more information, visit www.ilbak.com.tr

Media Contact

Eden Kyle, Communications Manager, CNBC International

Eden.Kyle@nbcuni.com
The Walt Disney Company isn't the only business in Florida that operates within a special district, CEO Bob Iger reminded investors Wednesday.

He noted that the Daytona Speedway and the retirement community The Villages reside within two of nearly 2,000 special districts in the state and have not been under the same scrutiny Disney has experienced in the last year.

"The case that we filed last month made our position and the facts very clear," he said during an earnings call. "And that's really that this is about one thing and one thing only and that's retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation."

The battle began last year, when Disney came out against a Florida bill limiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, which critics dubbed "Don't Say Gay."

DeSantis' office referred CNBC to previous comments made by the governor.

"You can't have a situation where the legislature has spoken and one company just decides to contract out against the will of the people," the governor said during an interview with Newsmax on Friday. "At the end of the day, they just have to understand the party is over for them."

DeSantis is expected to run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, although he is a distant second in primary polls to former President Donald Trump, a fellow Florida resident.

Earlier this week, Disney expanded its federal lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing the Republican leader of doubling down on his "retribution campaign" against the company by signing legislation to void Disney's development deals in Orlando.

Disney's amended lawsuit also noted that Florida's Republican-led Legislature passed legislation last week targeting Walt Disney World's monorail system.

Iger addressed the "false narrative" that Disney is battling DeSantis to protect tax breaks in the district. He said the company is the largest taxpayer in central Florida, having paid more than $1.1 billion in state and local taxes last year.

"And we all know there was no concerted effort to do anything to dismantle what was once called Reedy Creek special district until we spoke out on the legislation," he said. "So this is plainly a matter of retaliation while the rest of the Florida special districts continue operating basically as they were."

Iger said that if the state's goal is to "level the playing field," then the oversight needs to be applied to all special districts.

"And I think it's also important for us to say our primary goal has always been to be able to continue to do exactly what we've been doing there, which is investing in Florida," he added. "We never wanted, and we certainly never expected, to be in the position of having to defend our business interests in federal court, particularly having such a terrific relationship with the state as we've had for more than 50 years."

Iger said Disney still plans to spend more than $17 billion in investments at Walt Disney World over the next decade, which would create around 13,000 jobs at the company and generate even more taxes for Florida. The company currently employs more than 75,000 people in the area.
Userba011d64_201 | Istock | Getty Images

Wall Street has eagerly rallied around companies making notable strides in artificial intelligence. However, several investors warn that the increasingly widespread deployment of AI has opened a Pandora's box of concerns about environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG. Generative AI models  ChatGPT being the most prominent example  have already been implemented in technical roles, such as financial analytics and drug development, as well as more human-facing sectors such as customer service and marketing. related investing news FAANG stocks could soar up to 50% this year, says Fundstrat's Tom Lee Amid the quick rise and implementation of AI across these industries, some investors worry that the potential ESG downsides haven't been adequately considered and safeguarded against. Investors have called for more transparency and data from companies on how they're using and investing in the new technology. The current lack of sufficient data from U.S. companies means the space is currently "the Wild West," as described by Thomas Martin, a senior portfolio manager who runs ESG strategy at Globalt. "If you're an ESG-focused investor, you're dependent on the information that you get. The companies aren't providing that yet, except the things that will make you imagine things. You can't base an evaluation based on something you're imagining, or don't know if it's true or accurate, or when it's coming," Martin said. "There has to be information that's out there that comes from the companies themselves and how they're using [AI]."

Lack of transparency and safeguards

Investors and analysts have noted that ESG regulatory guidelines for AI are notably laxer in the U.S. than in the European Union and in Asia. Meanwhile, in South Korea, the government's post-Covid Digital New Deal initiative includes national guidelines for AI ethics to promote ethics and responsibility when developing artificial intelligence. Researchers have also sought to quantify fairness and bias in AI models through various socio-ethnic parameters. For example, Stanford University's artificial intelligence index report scores for bias across AI models. It found a "counterintuitive" correlation between fairness and bias: models that scored better on fairness metrics demonstrated stronger gender bias, and less gender-biased models were more toxic.

Technology's moving so quickly, and I think this is the most disruptive from a social fabric standpoint. It's actually pretty damn scary. And I'm an engineer by trade, and I've been doing this for 30 years. ... You know, what I do for a living can probably be replaced in two to three years. Ted Mortonson managing director, Baird

Ted Mortonson, managing director at Baird, warned that he sees AI in a similar position to where bitcoin was a few years ago, noting that the U.S. regulatory framework is "not set up for very extreme technology advances." He added Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's comments during the company's earnings call that it has "taken the approach that we are not waiting for regulation to show up" did not bode well. "For my clients, that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Because this is a social issue," he said. "I mean, if the [Federal Reserve] wants unemployment to go up and a weakening economy, generative AI is going to do it for them."

Assessing ESG impacts

While there is no standardized methodology to quantify the exact ESG impacts of a given AI-related investment, there are certain considerations investors can take. Morgan Stanley created a three-pronged approach on AI-ESG-driven investments: Assessing how an AI investment can reduce harm to our environment  such as by driving energy efficiencies, preserving biodiversity and reducing waste. Examining how AI enhances people's lives, such as by improving interactions between people and businesses. Driving AI technology advancements  being a "key player or enabler across the AI ecosystem to make businesses and society better." The firm characterizes the first two as likely requiring a low to a high level of effort from investors. It notes that the final step likely requires a high level of engagement. Some investors believe AI itself can help investors monitor and track ESG efforts by companies. Sarah Hargreaves, head of sustainability for Commonwealth Financial Network, said AI could be particularly useful for investors to compare the environmental impacts of their investments alongside current and forthcoming regulatory standards. "I'd also think that AI's ability to manage and optimize relative ESG data would be particularly relevant for investors looking to delineate between dedicated ESG investments versus those subject to greenwashing," she wrote in an email to CNBC. Baird's Mortonson also mentioned that tech companies themselves could make AI-ESG analysis easier. He noted that databases and cloud-based companies such as ServiceNow and Snowflake are "incredibly well positioned with Next Generation AI" to release accurate and detailed ESG data given the significant amounts of data they store.

Employment obsolescence
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2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Ford

DETROIT  Ford Motor on Wednesday revealed its redesigned Ranger midsize pickup truck for the U.S., including a new Raptor performance model. The addition of the Raptor  starting at $56,960  is part of Ford's plan to increase high-profit variants to boost its bottom line, as the company pours billions into electric vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley last month told investors that special variants such as the Raptor share roughly 80% of their parts with regular models but have 30% higher contribution margins, with a "twofold increase in capital efficiency." Ford expects the Raptor to represent around 10% of Ranger's sales in the U.S., according to Gretchen Sauer, Ford's marketing manager of the pickup. "The Raptor's going to be at the top end of our Ranger offering," Sauer said. "It's going to extend up our overall transaction price for Ranger."

2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Ford

Ford declined to release the current average transaction price of the Ranger. Auto research firm Edmunds reports it was roughly $41,300 as of last month. The Ranger Raptor, which is powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, adds to Ford's Raptor lineup that currently includes the F-150 full-size pickup and Bronco SUV. Ford also is raising the starting prices of its standard Ranger models, which include additional tech and safety features. The price of the entry-level XL model will start at $34,160, up roughly 18% from $27,400 for the current model. The Ranger Raptor raises the top-end starting price for the vehicle by 34%. Pricing includes mandatory destination fees. Ordering for the 2024 Ranger opens this month, with vehicles scheduled to arrive at dealerships beginning in late summer.

Global pickup

While the Ranger's U.S. sales pale in comparison to Ford's larger F-Series trucks, the smaller pickup is critical to the Detroit automaker's global sales. Ford produces the vehicle in five different plants globally to be sold in more than 180 markets. The Ford brand sold more than 1 million pickups globally in 2022, and the automaker said Ranger sales more than doubled from a decade ago to more than 300,000 units last year. The Ranger is second in global sales to the Toyota Hilux, according to industry data.

2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Ford

"The mission has always been to climb the mountain to No. 1," Jim Baumbick, vice president of Ford product development and quality, told CNBC. "We're a clear global No. 2 and we have our sights fully set for the top of the podium." Ranger's U.S. sales were down about 40% last year, as the automaker battled supply chain problems and prioritized production of the Ford Bronco SUV, which saw sales more than triple in 2022 to top 117,000 units.

Ranger vs. Bronco

The Ranger and the Bronco are both produced at a Michigan plant, which creates a sort of push-pull in their respective production. "Ford is going to be trying to decide at any given moment which is the vehicle to produce, but they can flex back and forth," said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility. Baumbick says balancing production of the Ranger and Bronco at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant is something he's spending a tremendous amount of time working on. "It's a challenge. It's a good problem to have. We have incredible demand on both the Bronco and the Ranger side," he said. "As we launch the new Ranger, we're going to be constantly balancing between the two."

2024 Ford Ranger XLT Sport Ford

The Ranger fits in between Ford's compact Maverick pickup and the automaker's full-size F-150 and larger F-Series trucks. This is the first time the Ranger has been redesigned since Ford released the well-received Maverick pickup in 2021. To assist in differentiating the pickups, Ford added more capability and power to the Ranger. It's also 2 inches wider and longer than the current generation truck. The 2024 Ranger will come standard with 2.3-liter turbocharged engine with 270 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque. A 2.7-liter V6 twin-turbo engine that's currently offered in the F-150 and Bronco SUV also will be available. That engine produces 315 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. The Ranger Raptor will come standard with a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that's expected to produce best-in-class 405 horsepower and 430 foot-pounds of torque.
Despite Russia approaching a pivotal deadline to continue a deal that could affect the global grain supply, one expert doesn't see a disruption to the downturn in commodity prices.

"Russia and Ukraine combined, they're the biggest exporters of wheat in the world," Sal Gilbertie, CEO of Teucrium, told CNBC's Bob Pisani on "ETF Edge" on Monday.

"There's an oversupply of wheat in Russia right now," he said. "They need to move that grain."

The surplus comes as Russia threatens to abandon the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal bartered by the U.N. last July following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that permits the safe export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports amid the war. It is set to expire on May 18.

"They go right to the end in terms of bluffing," Gilbertie said. "But it's in Russia's best interest to keep things running smoothly."

Teucrium manages exchange-traded funds that offer exposure to various agricultural commodities, but a distinguishing factor of the funds is the structure of their underlying holdings. The Teucrium Wheat Fund (WEAT) , for example, spreads futures contracts across multiple maturities instead of concentrating holdings in front-month futures.

"Because you spread it out, we're rolling roughly one-third five times a year," Gilbertie said. "So, it's a lot less in terms of rolling and roll call."

In addition to WEAT, Teucrium offers four other ETFs with agricultural exposure: CORN , CANE and SOYB , as well as the Teucrium Agricultural Fund (TAGS) .

"Generally, you're using this as a trading product, in which case you don't care where it holds," Gilbertie said. "But a lot of people allocate to grains. [Grains] spend a lot of time trading at their cost of production when there are times of surplus and balance."

Russian wheat inventories are almost 80% higher than the five-year average, Gilbertie said. He forecast that global agriculture prices should contract toward cost of production over the next year pending any disruptions stemming from climate or war-related conflict.

"Wheat prices have been coming down, but that wheat's got to get out of the Black Sea," he said. "And so, without [the Black Sea Grain Initiative], shipping will become uncertain, because you'll be in a war zone."

Despite renewed threats to discontinue the deal, Gilbertie believes Russia is still inclined to renew the initiative. However, prolonged conflict or expansion of the conflict could continue to harm Ukraine grain production, he said, underpinning valuation uncertainty for the commodity regardless of the current oversupply.

"Prices are high, you're motivated to produce," he said. "And that's what all commodity producers are doing. They're producing."

Disclaimer
Sissie Hsiao speaking at the Google I/O Developer's Conference in Mountain View, Calif. on May 10th, 2023.

Google is upgrading its Bard artificial intelligence chatbot, making it more widely available and giving it a variety of new capabilities.

In March, Google started letting users in the U.S. and the U.K. test Bard, a rival to ChatGPT, the viral chatbot that Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI released in November. Now Google is opening access to the broader public, releasing it in over 180 countries and territories.

Last week, Microsoft scrapped the waiting list for its revamped Bing search engine, featuring a chatbot powered in part by OpenAI's GPT-4 large language model, which is at the heart of ChatGPT.

Google has moved Bard to the new PaLM 2 large language model to provide smarter answers to user questions. Models like PaLM 2 and GPT-4 are trained on reams of text data and can come up with human-like responses to questions and commands.

Bard will be able to respond to queries in English, Japanese and Korean, and Google will expand availability to the top 40 languages soon, Jack Krawczyk, Bard product lead at Google, said during a media briefing with reporters earlier this week.

Google is taking its time in opening up access to Bard because of a commitment to AI responsibility and alignment, and awareness of the limitations of the large language models that power chatbots like Bard and ChatGPT, Krawczyk said.

Bard will soon include images in responses, and in the next few months Google will make it easier to prompt the chatbot with images through the Google Lens tool, Krawczyk said. For example, a person can point a smartphone at a drawer full of arts and crafts supplies and ask what can be made with them.

Over time, Krawczyk said, Bard will be able to bring information from Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Gmail into conversations. Bard will also be able to show responses with help from third-party tools such as Adobe's Firefly generative AI service, he said, which can create images inspired by people's text descriptions.

Integrations with Spotify, Walmart, Redfin, Uber Eats, Tripadvisor and ZipRecruiter will appear in time as well, Google vice president Sissie Hsiao said during Wednesday's keynote.

Other new Bard features include a dark theme designed to make it easier on the eyes, and the ability for people to export responses to Gmail, Google Docs, Google's Colab interactive coding tool and third-party collaborative programming app Replit. Jordan Novet
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrive to the White House for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris on artificial intelligence, Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Washington.

WASHINGTON  House Democrats and Republicans will hold a dinner at the Capitol next week with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, which developed the popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, according to an invitation obtained by NBC News.

The closed-door, members-only event, planned for Monday night after House votes, comes as Washington tries to figure out how, if at all, to create rules for and regulate the rapidly moving AI industry.

The bipartisan dinner is hosted by GOP Conference Vice Chairman Mike Johnson, R-La., and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu, D-Calif., who made headlines this year when he introduced a resolution written by ChatGPT that calls on Congress to regulate AI.

The goal of the Altman dinner is to "educate members," said Lieu, who shared the invitation with NBC News. More than 50 lawmakers have RSVPed to the dinner, he said.

The dinner will be one of several appearances on Capitol Hill for Altman. He will testify before Congress for the first time on Tuesday, appearing before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy and technology that is led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting at the White House with Altman and other tech CEOs about the opportunities but also to potential dangers of emerging generative, self-learning AI technology. The Biden administration that day announced new steps to promote "responsible" AI innovation while also protecting people's rights and safety, including a $140 million investment to create seven new AI research institutes.

And top lawmakers are warning that if Congress doesn't act soon, the U.S. will fall behind China, which is already moving ahead with proposed regulations for AI.




If you know who Jasmine Taylor is, there's a good chance it's because you've seen her on TikTok. The 31-year-old from Amarillo, Texas, began cataloguing her journey with "cash-stuffing"  a money management method by which budgeters separate their cash into physical envelopes  in 2021 and soon became a sensation on the popular app. It's one thing to go viral. It's quite another to turn a spark of internet fame into a full-fledged business. But that's exactly what Taylor has done. It started in spring 2021, when Taylor used her $1,200 stimulus check to form Baddies and Budgets. She bought a Shopify account, shipping supplies, a Cricut machine and materials to create cash-stuffing accessories, such as customized envelopes and cash wallets. "I just went into it hoping I would make my money back," Taylor told CNBC Make It in March. She did better than that. In 2022, her business, which now sells not only budgeting accessories but branded apparel, pulled in revenue of about $850,000. As of March, it was on track to clear $1 million in 2023. This week, in an appearance on CNBC's Last Call, Taylor offered advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. "Make sure you have the backbone for it," she told host Brian Sullivan. "Entrepreneurship has been one of the most challenging but rewarding things I've ever done in my life. And it's taught me so much. But if you're not a self-starter, it is not for you." In our recent interviews, Taylor shared some of the most important startup lessons she's learned so far.

Capitalize on unmet demand

When Taylor started posting her cash stuffing videos to TikTok, she wasn't looking to become famous or launch a business. "When I started on TikTok, it was mostly kids dancing," says Taylor. "I think I was just trying to keep myself accountable. And I put it out there and it went crazy viral, and I was like, 'Well, well  I'll be back tomorrow with another one.'" Taylor says financial content had always felt boring to her, but after her TikToks took off, she knew she had tapped into an area people were hungry for. "I was like, 'OK, people are actually interested in this,'" she says. "For some reason, people were engaging, so I opted to start the business." As her business started taking off, Taylor knew she had to meet her potential customers where they already were, and began to expand her content to work for different social media sites. "I realized that if I was going to use social media to market, I needed to be everywhere that people were possibly looking for budgeting," she says.

Learn from your failures

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to willing to be willing to screw up, Taylor says. "I tried a few different businesses and some of them failed. Some of them went OK for a little while, and then they kind of fell off. Toward the end of my 20s, I was really struggling." But the experience Taylor had gained from those dry runs has proved invaluable. Take Taylor's clothing boutique, which folded after about a year. "I learned a lot about how to sell things, about shipping, building a website. Even though it ended up being a failing business, it taught me so many things that were foundational and important that I was able to build on with Baddies and Budgets," she says. That knowledge base helped Taylor hit the ground running. As soon as her TikToks started booming, she remembered how she'd tried to build a customer base for her boutique. "I instantly went on Shopify, built the website and started collecting emails," she says. "So when we launched, things went really well. We've been profitable every month since we started."

Give yourself room to grow
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre delivered the commencement speech to Rice University's undergraduate class of 2023 on May 6. That was just after the anniversary of the day when President Joe Biden announced her historic appointment to the role. Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay, Black, immigrant American to serve in the position, pointed to the one-year-mark as a moment to reflect on the progress of the U.S. "I want to just sit there for a second," she said to the crowd. "I am the face of the most powerful political person in the world. Just think about that." Throughout the 22-minute address, Jean-Pierre had one central message, which she repeated 12 times: "Hope is action." She used the stories of her ancestors and parents to demonstrate what she meant. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Jean-Pierre spoke about how the Haitian Revolution  when enslaved people overthrew their colonizers to secure freedom  instructed her own values of "resilience, determination, and hope." She noted the sacrifices her parents made to provide better opportunities for her and her two younger siblings. "My parents' story is proof that change is possible," she said. "But that story also attests to the fact that change doesn't come to those who merely want it. It comes to those who work for it."

Her parents made sure she and her siblings 'got the education we needed'

There has been recent debate about the value of a traditional four-year degree, especially given the massive loads of student debt that has become standard to attend college in the U.S. Jean-Pierre maintained that it was her education that ultimately got her to a job in the White House. Upon immigrating to the U.S., Jean-Pierre's father became a taxi driver and woke up at 4 a.m. to get in the queue of pick-up cabs outside John F. Kennedy airport. Her mother worked multiple jobs as a home healthcare aide and a hair salon manager. At the same time, they juggled the raising of three children. While her parents got minimal rest, she said, they bet that education was the key to social and economic mobility for their kids. "My parents worked hard jobs, and even harder hours, to make sure my siblings and I got the education we needed," she said. She attended the New York Institute of Technology for undergrad and later Columbia University for her masters. She went on to work in local politics and eventually for national campaigns, including both of Barack Obama's presidential bids, before joining the Biden White House.

'Voting is special'

Over a decade after Jean-Pierre's family moved to the U.S., her and her father passed the citizenship test and were able to vote. It was a significant moment for Jean-Pierre and especially for her father. He had not been able to use his political voice for over two decades since he had left Haiti to escape the dictatorship of former president Francois Duvalier. She acknowledged that there are other ways to enact change within a community but said that "voting is special," specifically for those who have been deprived of democratic processes. Everyday workers may struggle to find time to vote, especially if they don't live in one of the states that guarantees paid time-off to cast a ballot. Still, Jean-Pierre points to voting as one of the key actions an individual can take to change their community. "We aren't ignorant of all the obstacles in our way. We are simply choosing to say, 'I know the road ahead will be long so I better start the walking.' Because hope is action. Hope is not blind optimism," she said.

Her message: You're equipped 'to face the challenges ahead'
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee speaks during the hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing more than 20 data broker companies, including Equifax , Oracle and Whitepages, to reveal the types of information they collect on U.S. consumers and how they distribute it, according to letters shared exclusively with CNBC.

In the letters, 10 lawmakers asked the companies for detailed responses on the types of sensitive information they gather, such as health, location and phone data, including apps consumers download to their devices. The companies were also asked what information they collect on minors.

The push comes as the House Energy and Commerce Committee continues its review of data brokers, a key portion of the tech industry that collects and sells heaps of Americans' digital information.

The letters ask whether the brokers consider any type of data to be off limits for them to buy or sell, what restrictions they put on data they share with third parties and how they verify the accuracy of the data they collect and distribute. Additional questions span from seeking to understand how much money the businesses make from selling data to how many sources they use to get that information.

Last month, the subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing with expert witnesses to examine "the role of data brokers in the digital economy." The letters indicate the committee remains focused on this slice of the tech industry as it looks to pass comprehensive privacy legislation. It also shows that Congress is focused on a broader swath of companies than just the massive players like Google and Facebook that attract so much scrutiny.

The lawmakers point to a recent proposed settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and online mental health service provider BetterHelp, after the agency alleged the company shared sensitive customer data with third-party websites for advertising.

"American privacy concerns in the data broker industry are not new, and existing laws do not sufficiently protect Americans' data from misuse," the letter said, adding that an FTC report in 2014 left wiggle room. In that report, the regulator recommended that Congress force brokers to give consumers greater control over their data, but the "data brokers can easily circumvent existing rules and laws," the letter said.

Lawmakers who signed the letter include Committee Chair Cathy McMorris, R-Wash., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., as well as several subcommittee chairs and ranking members: Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., Bob Latta, R-Ohio, Doris Matsui, D-Calif., Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

Here's the full list of data brokers who received the letter::

Acxiom

AtData

Babel Street

CoreLogic Solutions

Epsilon Data Management

Equifax

Experian

Gravy Analytics

Intelius

Kochava

LiveRamp

Mylife

Oracle America

PeopleConnect

Placer.ai

RELX

Safegraph

Spokeo

Thomson Reuters

TransUnion

Verisk Analytics

Whitepages

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WATCH: Facebook battles Apple over user privacy features in iOS update
LONDON  Microsoft invested an undisclosed sum into Builder.ai, a startup that helps companies make applications without any coding experience, doubling down on its artificial intelligence efforts.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in London, Builder.ai falls into the camp of startups that make so-called "no-code" and "low-code" platforms. Its software allows anyone from tech-shy artists looking to sell their work online to design professionals with limited programming experience to develop and manage apps.

Through a strategic partnership, Microsoft plans to integrate Builder.ai's own AI assistant Natasha into its Teams video and chat software to let customers build business apps within the platform. Builder.ai will also enhance Natasha by leveraging Microsoft's AI algorithms to make it sound more human, the company said.

The collaboration will give Builder.ai and its clients access to Microsoft's Azure suite of cloud tools, including a set of AI services it offers through a tie-up with U.S. startup OpenAI, Builder.ai said. Developers on the Microsoft Azure platform will also be able to tap into Builder.ai's network of experts, it added.

"We're all convinced that the future of software is going to be where the customer doesn't need to be technical," Duggal told CNBC in an interview. "What we're really doing is bringing together a world where customers are able to build software, run software, host software."

"For Microsoft, it opens up not only a brand new customer that's become digital native, but somebody that's coming on to the Azure Cloud, where that building of the software is leveraging core parts of the Microsoft stack, as well as the Builder stack. So I think from that perspective, it's really quite holistic. And the mission really is to empower the next 100 million software applications."

Jon Tinter, corporate vice president of business development at Microsoft, said the deal marked "an extension of our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more."
Check out the companies making headlines in premarket trading.

Rivian Automotive  The electric vehicle maker saw its stock jump more than 6% after the company reported a first-quarter loss that was narrower than expected. Rivian also said it's still on track to meet a 50,000-vehicle production target for 2023.

Airbnb  Shares dropped 13.3% after the vacation booking platform gave a weak outlook for the second quarter and said the company could have a tough time meeting year-over-year comparables. Airbnb still beat expectations on both lines for quarterly earnings.

Twilio  Shares of the software company slid 16% in premarket trading after Twilio's revenue forecast came in weaker than expected. The company said it was expecting between $980 million and $990 million in revenue for the second quarter. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting $1.05 billion in revenue.

Dutch Bros  Shares tumbled 7.6% after the company reported same-store sales and revenue for the first quarter that came in under expectations. The company did break even for the quarter, while analysts polled by StreetAccount expected a loss of 3 cents per share. JPMorgan downgraded the stock to neutral from overweight as a result of the report.

Celsius Holdings  The drinks company jumped 11.1% following a strong earnings report. Celsius posted 40 cents in earnings per share for the first quarter, more than doubling the 19-cent consensus estimate of analysts polled by StreetAccount. Revenue also came in well ahead of analyst expectations. Bank of America upgraded shares to buy from neutral as a result.

Virgin Galactic  The space tourism company saw its shares fall more than 4.5% after reporting a widened quarterly loss from the same period a year ago. Virgin, which aims to fly its first spaceflight in nearly two years later this month, cited "increases in research and development expenses," in a press release.

GoodRx  The digital healthcare platform lost 8.3% after giving weaker-than-expectation guidance for current-quarter and full-year revenue. However, GoodRx beat expectations for revenue in the first quarter.

Alcon  The eye care stock popped 5.1% after beating expectations on the top and bottom lines in the first quarter. Alcon reaffirmed its full-year revenue guidance and said core diluted earnings per share for the year should come in a range that encompasses the consensus estimate of analysts polled by StreetAccount.

Rockwell Automation  Shares slid 2.8% following a Wall Street Journal report that said the Biden administration is investigating whether the industrial technology company exposed U.S. military, infrastructure and government assets through one of its facilities in China. The company said there has been no report or indication that practices or protocols have been breached or any products have been intentionally compromised, and it has not been notified of an investigation.

Halozyme Therapeutics  Shares of the biopharma stock rose 1.9% after the company reaffirmed full-year earnings guidance. That helped investors overlook a miss on revenue in the first quarter. Piper Sandler upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral following the report.

Roblox  Roblox shares fell 8.1% after the company reported higher losses per share than Wall Street had expected. Roblox posted losses of 44 cents per share in the first quarter. Meanwhile, analysts had estimated losses of 40 cents per share, according to Refinitiv data. The company's average bookings per daily active user remained flat year-over-year despite reporting a 23% increase in hours engaged over the same period.

Occidental Petroleum  Shares declined 1.5% after the company's quarterly earnings missed Wall Street's expectations. The company also reported a year-over-year decline in earnings as oil prices fell.

Akamai Technologies  Shares of the cloud company rose nearly 5% in premarket trading on better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter. Akamai also raised its full-year profit guidance.

Affirm  Shares of the buy now, pay later company dipped 5.7% in premarket trading even after Affirm reported better-than-expected quarterly results a day earlier, with an adjusted loss per share of 69 cents. Analysts polled by Refinitiv were expecting a loss of 92 cents per share.

 CNBC's Jesse Pound, Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Brian Evans, Hakyung Kim and Michelle Fox contributed reporting
Former US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday again pushed false claims that his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden was "rigged" as he clashed with a CNN host in a live town hall.

Trump also mocked and lashed out at the woman who in a civil lawsuit accused him of rape, one day after a jury in that case found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The 70-minute event in New Hampshire marked Trump's first appearance on the network since the 2016 presidential campaign, according to CNN. It was moderated by "CNN This Morning" anchor Kaitlan Collins, who attempted to fact-check Trump in real time. It featured a live audience of Republicans and undeclared voters.

Much of the crowd was highly favorable to Trump, frequently applauding and laughing in support of his remarks.

Trump, who for years has falsely claimed he beat Biden in 2020, told Collins that "unless you're a very stupid person you see what happened" in that contest. When asked if he would publicly acknowledge his loss, Trump referred to claims from a group that promotes election conspiracy theories.

Trump also defended his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when asked if he regretted his actions on that day. Trump said the people who came to hear him deliver a speech near the Capitol  some of whom would then storm the Capitol and disrupt the transfer of power from Trump to Biden  were "there with love in their heart."

"It was a beautiful day," said Trump, who went on to suggest former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bore blame for the riot.

He also said he would likely pardon "many of them" if he won back the White House in 2024.

Trump also praised Ashli Babbitt, one of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd shot and killed Babbitt as she and a mob of Trump supporters tried to break through a door. Trump on Wednesday called Byrd, who is Black, a "thug."

When an undeclared voter asked him about the country's debt and the ongoing clash in Congress over the debt ceiling, Trump said the U.S. should go into default if Democrats don't agree to major spending cuts.

"Well, you might as well do it now, because you'll do it later. Because we have to save this country," Trump said when pressed on his views on a sovereign debt default.

Collins pushed Trump repeatedly on abortion, likely to be a major issue in the 2024 cycle. Trump, who has been more opaque than some of his GOP competitors, repeatedly declined to give a firm answer on whether he would sign a federal abortion ban if he was elected again.

"I would negotiate so people are happy," he said at one point, while touting his conservative Supreme Court picks who were critical to last year's decision overturning Roe v. Wade. When the host continued to push for clarity, he said, "I'm looking at a solution that's going to work."

The conversation also lingered on Russia's war in Ukraine, with Trump dodging questions about whether he wanted Ukraine to win but saying he thought Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion was "a tremendous mistake."

The town hall at times sounded more like a debate, with Collins frequently interjecting to rebut Trump's claims and the ex-president responding aggressively. "You're a nasty person," Trump told Collins at one point, as she grilled him on why he took classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago home after leaving the presidency.

Some journalists and media critics were quick to pan the town hall, while mostly praising Collins' efforts. Others defended the event. "Collins was a true pro and showed what a stellar journalist she is," New York Times reporter Peter Baker tweeted.

Biden, meanwhile, saw the town hall as a fundraising opportunity. "It's simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that? If you don't, pitch in to our campaign," read a tweet from Biden's account that was posted after the CNN event.

Since souring on CNN years earlier, Trump has railed against the network, its ratings, its leadership and many of its on-air personalities.

But following a change in leadership at CNN and amid a reported ratings slump, the network has apparently decided to give Trump another chance.

"He's the Republican frontrunner. He has to be on," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose company owns CNN, said of Trump on CNBC's "Squawk Box" last week. The town hall was also seen as a test of CNN CEO Chris Licht's rule against airing disinformation.

The decision raised concerns from Trump's critics, who argue giving the ex-president a live platform to spread misinformation neglects the lessons the media learned during his presidency. Some of them have also accused Licht of trying to court a more centrist audience as part of his overhaul of the network.
The Twitter logo is displayed on a smartphone screen on April 14, 2021.

LONDON  A U.K. man pleaded guilty to helping orchestrate a high-profile hack on the Twitter accounts of numerous celebrities and politicians including Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Kanye West.

Joseph O'Connor, 23, who is known under an online alias as "PlugwalkJoe," submitted his guilty plea in a New York court on Tuesday, according to a Department of Justice press release. He was extradited from Spain last month.

O'Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, committing computer intrusions, making extortive and threatening communications, cyberstalking, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Combined, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 77 years, the Justice Department said.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department's criminal division said that O'Connor's activities were "flagrant and malicious."

"He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm," Polite, Jr. said in a statement Tuesday.

"Like many criminal actors, O'Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States. But this plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes."

The attack, which took place in 2020, targeted about 130 people, Twitter said at the time. Hackers took control of the accounts to promote a bitcoin scam, directing users to send the funds to several bitcoin addresses.

Twitter said in 2020, shortly after the cyberattack took place, that it believes the hack was a "coordinated social engineering attack" on its employees  in other words, insiders at the company were tricked into handing over access to internal systems and tools.

The attackers were able to gain access to Twitter's internal controls by compromising a small number of employees, according to a July 2020 Twitter blog post.

"O'Connor communicated with others regarding purchasing unauthorized access to a variety of Twitter accounts, including accounts associated with public figures around the world," the Justice Department said Wednesday.

"A number of Twitter accounts targeted by O'Connor were subsequently transferred away from their rightful owners. O'Connor agreed to purchase unauthorized access to one Twitter account for $10,000."
Members of a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency visit the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023.

Russian forces plan to "evacuate" more than 3,000 workers from the town of Enerhodar that serves the nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine's state nuclear power company said Wednesday.

The move proved Russia's "inability to ensure the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as there is now a catastrophic lack of skilled personnel," Energoatom said.

The company said Russia planned to evacuate just over 3,000 people, including 2,700 who had signed contracts with the Russian-installed company in de facto control of the plant, Rosatom.

Energoatom said that information from Ukraine's armed forces suggested "some families of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power professionals have already been taken from Enerhodar to the Rostov region of the Russian Federation."



Energoatom said that it was "taking all possible measures to form the necessary number of professionals capable of ensuring the safe operation of the plant."

Such a team will be formed on a rotating basis from ZNPP employees who are currently in the territory controlled by Ukraine, as well as specialists from other nuclear plants, it said.

Concerns over ZNPP's fate have been rife since Russian forces started evacuating areas near the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station. The plant has often found itself at the center of fighting, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces accusing each other of shelling near it, creating the potential for a nuclear disaster.

Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last week that following reports of Russian evacuations, "the general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous."

"I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences for the population and the environment. This major nuclear facility must be protected."

Energoatom has repeatedly called for the de-occupation of the ZNPP. It did so again today, and urged "the expulsion of the Russians from Enerhodar and the transfer of control over the power plant to its legitimate Ukrainian operator, Energoatom," saying this was "the only way to end the Russian mess at the ZNPP and guarantee its future safety."

 Holly Ellyatt
The looming threat of a U.S. government shutdown could rattle global markets this summer but may also create an opportunity for options traders to profit, according to Goldman Sachs. The investment bank's derivatives research team said in a note to clients Wednesday the timeline for a government shutdown is potentially accelerating and parts of the options market have not priced in the potential effects. "Our economists expect Treasury to set a late-July deadline to Congress for increasing the debt limits as a base case but see odds of an early June deadline rising. This political and economic uncertainty related to the U.S. Congress extending the debt limits may lead to short-term volatility in the financial markets," the Goldman report said. The debt ceiling debate is now front and center in Washington. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the U.S. could exhaust the emergency measures to pay its bills as early as June 1 because of weak tax receipts. Congressional leaders met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday to discuss the issue, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters he did not see " any new movement " during the talks. As the deadline gets closer , investors in companies that rely heavily on government spending may get nervous. The Goldman team looked at a basket of stocks that have more than 20% revenue exposure to U.S. government spending and found a few health care names whose stock options are pricing in relatively low volatility. Those names include drugmakers AbbVie and Merck and insurer UnitedHealth . All three stocks could be hurt by potential cuts or disruptions to government health care spending. Shares of Merck have been a big winner for investors lately, jumping 33% over the past year, while UnitedHealth and AbbVie have both retreated in recent weeks. MRK 1Y mountain Merck's stock has climbed more than 30% over the past 12 months. One way to play the potential future volatility in these stocks is through an options strategy using so-called straddles. These derivatives serve as both a put option and a call option on the same stock, with the same strike price and expiration date for each leg of the trade. With a straddle, an investor can benefit from big moves in a stock regardless of direction, and losses are capped at the upfront cost of the options contract. Goldman highlighted the July 21 straddles in the note, which would let investors capture any volatility through most of the projected debt limit standoff.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
How a parcel from China is delivered in Saudi Arabia

17:20, May 10, 2023 By Guan Kejiang ( People's Daily

Parcels are sorted in a transfer center of J&T Express in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (People's Daily/Guan Kejiang)

Saudi Arabia is the largest trading partner of China in the Middle East. Over the recent years, the two countries have witnessed increasingly frequent economic and trade exchanges as China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 achieved greater synergy. More and more people in Saudi Arabia are purchasing Chinese commodities on e-commerce platforms.

People's Daily recently joined logistics personnel in Saudi Arabia and recorded how express delivery parcels were transported from distribution centers in China to Saudi Arabia.

In front of an express delivery transfer center in the southern part of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, trucks were seen arriving and leaving frequently. It is the first stop of parcels received by the Saudi Arabia branch of J&T Express, a Chinese express company, after customs clearance. Parcels would then be sent from this facility to distribution centers across the country and delivered by couriers.

Sun Jiankai, who's in charge of the operation of the transfer center, told People's Daily that the 10,000-square meter facility can handle 200,000 parcels on a daily basis and is one of the largest and most automated logistics centers in the Middle East.

It was the peak season of online shopping. Every day, the transfer center handled about 60,000 parcels. Half of them were from China and the other half domestic.

Photo shows a parcel distribution center of J&T Express in Buraidah, capital of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (People's Daily/Guan Kejiang)

At 17:30, People's Daily journalist and an employee of the transfer center randomly selected a parcel from a pile to be shipped to Saudi Arabia's Al Qassim Province, and followed it to record how the parcel was delivered after getting consent from the receiver.

According to the shipping label, the parcel was an electronic product, and its destination was 40 kilometers away from Buraidah, capital of Al Qassim Province and 500 kilometers away from Riyadh.

It is learned that the Saudi Arabia branch of J&T Express has established a delivery network that covers the entire country since it was found in January 2022.

Sean Xiao, CEO of J&T Express Middle East, noted that the company has decided to settle in the Middle East and provide stable and quality services for local customers.

"Chinese enterprises will invest $2 billion in the Middle East and North Africa together with their local partners in the next 10 years, to build the most advanced and largest intelligent logistics park in the region," the CEO noted.

Photo shows a courier of J&T Express delivering parcels in Saudi Arabia. (People's Daily/Guan Kejiang)

At 0:30 the next day, parcels arriving at the transfer center were all sorted and then carried to their destinations by trucks along the wide and flat express way linking Riyadh and Buraidah.

Mohammad, driver of the truck carrying the selected electronic product, told People's Daily that Chinese commodities were quite popular among consumers in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, there are two prominent challenges faced by the courier industry. One of them is the wide distribution of desert and incomplete address information of receivers. To solve the problem, Chinese express delivery companies designed a three-part shipping barcode, with each part designating one specific area. Finally, couriers would contact the receivers and confirm address information.

The other challenge is the low penetration rate of electronic payment. To accelerate digital transformation of the economy, countries in the Middle East have issued policies to encourage digital payments over the recent years, and many e-commerce platforms have also launched incentive measures for users that pay with e-wallets.

Mohammad told People's Daily that more and more of his friends have started using electronic payments under the influence of Chinese express delivery companies and e-commerce platforms, adding that a change is happening to their consumption and payment habits.

A parcel is delivered by a courier of J&T Express. (People's Daily/Guan Kejiang)

At around 8:00, Mohammad's truck arrived at a parcel distribution center of J&T Express in Buraidah, and parcels were soon unloaded and scanned by workers.

"I've been working here for eight months. The work efficiency of the Chinese logistics company is laudable," said Abdulaziz Muhammad Almuhanna, who's in charge of customer services at the distribution center.

He told People's Daily that Saudi Arabia hopes to make its economy diversified, and the BRI has brought opportunities.

More than four hours later, the parcels unloaded from Mohammad's truck were delivered by couriers. The electronic product was received by a young man named Ali Alseqaihi in Unayzah, which sits in the south of Buraidah. The young man signed his name in the app on the mobile phone of the courier and told People's Daily that he was a big fan of Chinese commodities.

"Look, this is a cooling pad I bought from a shop in Shenzhen, which is the best on the market," he said while tearing off the package of the product.

The man invited People's Daily journalist to his home. Many of the home appliances in his house were manufactured by Chinese brands. Ali always follows Chinese news and likes Chinese culture. He said that connected by the ancient Silk Road, Saudi Arabia and China enjoy a long history of friendship.

"Today, the two countries are engaged in close economic and trade cooperation, and China's economy is developing rapidly, which has benefited the two peoples," he told People's Daily.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
A protester holds up a banner reading "VW = Forced Labor" at the Volkswagen AG annual general meeting (AGM) in the CityCube Berlin conference centre in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Volkswagen defended its record in China and its decision to jointly own a plant in the Xinjiang region after activists and investors lashed out at the carmaker at a volatile annual general shareholder meeting on Wednesday.

About ten activists, including one topless woman with 'Dirty Money' painted on her back, interrupted executives' speeches, shouting that the carmaker's vehicles were built with forced labour and waving banners that read: "End Uyghur Forced Labour."

The United Nations said last year that China's "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. Rights groups have documented abuses including mass forced labour in detention camps which China has denied.

Investors called on Volkswagen to request its joint venture partner SAIC seeks an independent external audit of the Xinjiang plant. "Volkswagen must be certain that its supply chains are clean," said Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka, a top-20 Volkswagen shareholder.

China chief Ralf Brandstaetter said: "We do not see any evidence of human rights abuses at the plant," adding that the carmaker was not able to implement an audit without agreement from SAIC.

Brandstaetter visited the plant earlier this year and said on Wednesday: "I have no reason to doubt my impressions or the information available to me."

Still, activists including Haiyuer Kuerban of the World Uyhur Congress highlighted the reports of mass internment camps and links between Volkswagen suppliers and companies with a presence there, as well as the difficulty for locals to speak openly given the state's restrictions on free speech.

Investors also raised fears that Volkswagen was falling behind in China's increasingly competitive electric vehicle market, with BYD outselling Volkswagen as the top passenger car brand earlier this year.

Chief Executive Oliver Blume acknowledged the fast pace of China's electrification, and outlined Volkswagen's strategy to hold on to its position as market leader - tailoring products to Chinese tastes and building local partnerships.
Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bank of America upgrades Celsius Holdings to buy from neutral Bank of America said in its upgrade of the energy drink company that it sees improving consumption. "Since initiating on Celsius Holdings in January we have kept a close eye on evolving scanner trends for signs of velocity improvement to emerge once distribution expansion slowed." Barclays downgrades Lumentum to equal weight from overweight Barclays said in its downgrade of the laser company that it sees no compelling reason to accumulate Lumentum shares right now. "Another reset, but this time across all segments. We move to Equal Weight as we struggle to find a compelling reason to support the stock with no imminent positive catalyst and further risk to Telecom." Read more about this call here. Barclays initiates 10X Genomics as overweight Barclays said in its initiation of the gene sequencing biotech company that it has margin expansion opportunities for 10X. "New product launches + conservative guidance + underpenetrated market. Spatial provides long-term opportunity and further diversification outside of single-cell." Baird upgrades Alcon to outperform from neutral Baird said in its upgrade of the eyecare company that margin uncertainties are easing. "But with 1Q margin upside and contact lens sequential improvement bolstering our confidence both in this year and ALC's longer-term margin improvement potential, we now see a multi-year path to continued upside for this stock and are upgrading shares to Outperform." Wells Fargo initiates Braze as overweight Wells said the cloud based software company is "well positioned." "While we recognize a tough macro for most, our work suggests BRZE is well positioned to blaze a path ahead & maintain growth given its differentiated customer engagement platform, robust value prop, & quick time to value." DA Davidson initiates JFrog as buy DA said the software company is an AI beneficiary. " JFrog' s mission critical software supply chain platform reduces complexity and we are impressed with the company's history of balancing growth and margins." HSBC downgrades Anheuser-Busch InBev to hold from buy HSBC said the beverage giant is having a brand "crisis." "The lead-up to this Bud Light crisis and the handling of it renews questions about whether A-B can build a brand culture." Read more about this call here. Piper Sandler reiterates Tesla as overweight Piper said its checks show wait times for Tesla's Model Y jumping which portends "solid production" for the rest of the second quarter. "American buyers must now wait 3-12 weeks to receive all variants of the Model Y, up from 0-3 weeks when we checked the website yesterday." Bank of America upgrades InterDigital to buy from underperform Bank of America said in its double upgrade of the 5G device licensing company that it has a "robust pipeline." "Strong 1Q results and robust catalysts over the next 1-2 years (medium-term) drive us to upgrade InterDigital , a leader in 5G device licensing, to Buy from U/P. JPMorgan downgrades Dutch Bros to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees slowing comps for the coffee company. "Details in the Dutch Bros 1Q23 results finally tip the scale for us as we retreat back to a Neutral rating, first put in place on June 2022, before we rated OW in October 2022." Barclays reiterates Apple as equal weight Barclays said in its analysis of Apple TV+ that "incremental content spend could take some cash away from buybacks." "TV+ is a small revenue contributor to AAPL Services (2% by our estimates). We also estimate it currently has a negative operating margin as it is loss-making and dilutive to EPS." Evercore ISI adds a tactical outperform on Walmart Evercore added a tactical outperform on the stock heading into earnings next week and said it's a "trade down beneficiary." "Outperformance, look for a meaningful pullback given a rising probability for downwards revisions. WMT, comp traffic potential, trade down beneficiary, and stock price only flat vs mkt YTD." TD Cowen downgrades Nikola to market perform from outperform TD Cowen said it sees a "lack of investor enthusiasm" for shares of the electric truck company. "however, with limited ability to raise capital given they can only issue ~60mn shares before hitting their outstanding cap coupled with the overall macro environment and lack of investor enthusiasm for emerging EV companies, we are moving to the sidelines." Goldman Sachs reiterates Chevron as neutral Goldman said it's waiting for an "upstream inflection" before getting positive on Chevron shares. "While we recently downgraded Exxon to Neutral after outperformance, we believe it is too early to get positive on Chevron shares until we get closer to an Upstream inection." Piper Sandler upgrades Halozyme Therapeutics to overweight from neutral Piper said likes Halozyme's pipeline of products. "On the background of HALO's recent pullback and now through 1Q, we are upgrading to Overweight from Neutral as we believe the royalty business, despite some longer term uncertainty, is still well positioned in the near-term to continue its meaningful growth trajectory within the current commercial portfolio along with significant catalysts across the partner pipeline." Bank of America reiterates Virgin Galactic as underperform Bank of America said it still sees too much uncertainty for the spaceflight company. "We maintain our Underperform rating based on the uncertain macroeconomic backdrop and the discretionary nature of SPCE's business model. We may revisit our model after our call with management." Bank of America reiterates Rivian as buy Bank of America saidit's standing by shares of the electric vehicle company after its earnings report on Tuesday. "We reiterate our Buy rating on RIVN , which is predicated on our view that the company is one of the most viable among the start-up EV automakers and also a relative competitive threat to incumbent OEMs." Read more about this call here. KeyBanc downgrades Twilio to sector weight from overweight KeyBanc said in its downgrade of the cellular and text communication tools company that it's seeing "meaningful deceleration." "We are downgrading shares of TWLO from OW (prior PT $89) to SW post Twilio's relatively strong 1Q23 result and poor guide for 2Q23 indicating a possible meaningful deceleration in both Twilio's Communication segment."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it will conduct a hearing on the proposal to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Negros Oriental amid security concerns.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the hearing will be held around the second or third week of September.

We are going to conduct the hearing in all the municipalities and barangays of Negros [Oriental]," Garcia told a Senate hearing. "Kasi po may posibilidad na may municipality diyan na ayaw po nila ng postponement (Because there is a possibility that some municipalities do not agree with the postponement), so there should be a proper hearing."

The BSK elections are scheduled for Oct. 30, but Senator Francis Tolentino earlier proposed to postpone the polls in the province due to cases of political violence.

The laws on election and setting the BSK poll date allow the Comelec to postpone elections not later than 30 days after the cessation of the cause for such postponement, and in all cases not later than 90 days after the original date of elections.

The grounds for postponement of elections include rebellion, insurrection, violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other analogous causes of such a nature that prevents the holding of a free and orderly election.

However, Comelec noted some gaps with the existing laws with regards to the postponement of an election.

Ang problema, kailan ba dapat nage-exist ang mga grounds na yan?," Garcia said. "Pwede bang nag-exist ang grounds na yan several months before the conduct of election? Hindi po naging maliwanag yun. That is an open issue. That is still subject to interpretation.

[Translation: The problem now is when should the grounds exist? Is it okay for the grounds to exist several months before the conduct of election?]

Moreover, the poll body also pointed out that the postponement of elections in an area would mean that incumbent barangay officials would have to extend their terms.

Kung sakaling ipo-postpone namin ang barangay at SK elections, paano yung mga barangay officials dun?" the Comelec chief said. "Yung holdover capacity ay wala sa kapangyarihan ng Commission on Elections.

[Translation: If ever we will postpone the barangay and SK elections, what would happen to the incumbent barangay officials? The holdover capacity is already beyond the control of the Commission on Elections.]

Tolentino is hoping that his suggestion would be considered for fair elections in Negros Oriental.

Yung peace and order ay hindi naman kailangan one day before the elections... Ang gusto lang natin mangyari ay maging malaya ang halalan sa Negros Oriental, he said.

[Translation: I dont think peace and order are only needed a day before the elections... What we only want to achieve is a free election in Negros Oriental.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said it is looking into other possible crimes related to the alleged human trafficking of over 1,000 individuals in Clark, Pampanga after only 18 of them filed complaints against 12 arrested suspects.

What was brought to us for inquest were just 12 people who were arrested with 18 complainants against them, DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla told CNN Philippines' The Source. "So, the other 1,000 is a mystery to me as to why they are also under hold order unless they are being held to account for other crimes."

The Philippine National Police on May 5 said it rescued over 1,000 suspected human trafficking victims of various nationalities from Clark Sun Valley Hub. They were supposedly forced to work as cyber scammers.

Remulla said he is still requesting for a full report on the incident, noting that it was possible that some of the victims were forced, while some willingly participated in the scam.

I will ask the anti-trafficking force to account for these people who are now in custody so that we can treat everybody properly, he said.

The DOJ chief added this would also help Philippine authorities determine the status of the victims, whether they want to be repatriated or have complaints to file.

It was earlier reported that complaints against the 12 maintainers have already been filed during the weekend.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros revealed last month in a hearing that the Philippines is hosting its very own scam hubs operated by trafficked foreign nationals.

She said there were possibly thousands of victims from Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and other nations in Africa and South Asia.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said there should be reasonable certainty of conviction before filing the complaints against Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves, the alleged mastermind in the murder of Gov. Roel Degamo.

When we file a case, I want a reasonable certainty that we can convict the person, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told CNN Philippines The Source. We want to be sure of what we file. We want to be sure that when we file it, we can prove it.

Two months after the assassination of Degamo, authorities have yet to file any complaint against the alleged mastermind.

Remulla said the DOJ aims to file the complaints by Friday this week or Monday next week.

Its not a very simple case, it involves many actors, it involves so many statements, it involves so many details," he explained. "The case has to be properly written up to include all the facts that are part of the testimonies of the witnesses."

Teves former bodyguard Marvin Miranda was also tagged as a mastermind.

Investigators are still looking into at least two other individuals who also possibly participated in the killing of Degamo, Remulla said.

Meanwhile, former Negros Oriental Gov. Henry Teves, the brother of the embattled lawmaker, is not yet being considered by authorities as one of the orchestrators of the crime, the DOJ chief added.

Earlier, Levi Baligod, lawyer of the Degamo family, said the suspects named the Teves brothers as the main perpetrators of the murder.

In total, there are 10 suspects under custody, while one was killed in a firefight with the police team trying to arrest him.

Teves, on the other hand, is reportedly in the capital city of Dili in Timor-Leste and has applied "for a protection visa with the intent of asylum."

The Timor-Leste government has denied Teves application and has ordered the lawmaker to leave within five days.

Teves first left the country late February to fly to the United States for medical purposes. Despite an expired travel authority, he has refused to return to the Philippines, prompting the House of Representatives to suspend him.

Remulla said authorities will push for the cancelation of Teves' passport after filing the complaints.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and former deputy officer Ricardo Zulueta  who are facing arrest warrants  may be given detention options once they surrender to authorities.

Camp Crame detention is one. We can ask the PNP chief and other people within the police force to help us out, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told CNN Philippines The Source on Wednesday, referring to the facility inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Quezon City where prominent personalities are detained.

Other possible facilities may be considered but the courts permission is needed, he noted.

The two former officials were linked to the murder of broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa and alleged middleman in the crime, Jun Villamor.

Remulla told reporters on Tuesday that Bantag and Zulueta may not be serious about surrendering.

Bantag had sent two feelers, one through a Cabinet official and another through a law enforcement officer, he said.

The DOJ secretary said the agency understands some of the concerns, specifically of Bantag's, given his history at the BuCor.

He considers himself unsafe in BuCor itself. That's why if that is his request then we can consider other detention facilities, Remulla said.

Remulla said he believes Bantag and Zulueta can be found in a short time.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said it is finalizing the proposed terms of reference (TOR) for the privatization of the country's main gateway as it noted the need for more airports.

The agency is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with hopes of releasing the TOR by June.

"We're now in the process of checking the completion of requirements that were submitted to us," said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Plans for NAIA come on the heels of an unsolicited proposal from a consortium that offered to rehabilitate and operate the aging facility.

The 100-billion unsolicited proposal came from the Manila International Airport Consortium. It groups Alliance Global Group Inc., Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Infracorp Development, Inc., Filinvest Development Corporation and JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, with US-based Global Infrastructure Partners.

Bautista said the Bulacan International Airport, currently under development, is expected to serve passengers by 2024 or 2025, while authorities are finalizing the design for the Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite.

"[The] Manila International Airport [Authority] is very congested," Bautista said. "Initial [projections] showed by 2040, we will need around 100 million capacity. Right now, MIAA will have 40 to 45 million. So, we really need those additional airports."

Issues at NAIA have been compounded by power disruptions at the air traffic management that has shut down the countys air space on days with heavy passenger traffic: Jan. 1 (News Years Day) and May 1 (Labor Day).

Business tycoon Manuel "Manny" Pangilinan has offered to shoulder the electrical audit for NAIA, according to the DOTr.

On the suspension of the MIAA head

Meanwhile, questions are being raised over the timing of the suspension of MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong over allegations of grave abuse of authority and grave misconduct.

Bautista said Chiong was neither given the chance to explain nor was he made aware that a case was filed against him.

"Nag-file lang (siya) ng motion for reconsideration [He just filed a motion for reconsideration]," he said.

Chiong was placed under preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman for up to six months for reassigning some 285 MIAA employees.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  A 9.77-billion healthcare facility in Makati City funded under a public-private partnership (PPP) has started its partial operations, the local government said Wednesday.

The city government said the outpatient department of Makati Life Medical Center is now operational, and the citys Yellow Card holders, including private patients, can access healthcare, consultations, diagnostic, and pharmacy services.

[This] marks a great milestone for the people of Makati, especially our senior citizens, as they now have access to quality primary care services 24/7, Mayor Abby Binay said in a statement.

Binay considers Makati Life Medical Center as the countrys most significant PPP project to date. It is a partnership between the city government and LifeNurture Incorporated.

The city said that the full operations of the medical center are being eyed by the first quarter of 2024.

The hospital is designed to have a total of 360 beds and 190 doctor's clinics. It would also be equipped with advanced medical technology and modern facilities focusing on prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.

Makati Life Medical Center would also have a physical rehabilitation center that will use robotics in treating joint and soft tissue ailments.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Southeast Asian leaders, including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., formally opened on Wednesday the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, where they are expected to discuss post-COVID-19 plans for economic recovery and other issues facing the region.

Malacanang said in a statement that the biannual meeting, with the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth, seeks to bolster the regions economic recovery and make Southeast Asia the world's engine of sustainable growth.

Some of the points that leaders are set to tackle include the adoption of the One Health Initiative, which targets to reaffirm ASEANs commitment to prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies.

Marcos earlier said that participating in the ASEAN Summit would give a boost to the Philippines community-building efforts and ensure the security of Filipinos.

Discussions on issues about the South China Sea, Myanmar, and Taiwan are also expected to be highlighted during the summit.

Marcos said talks on the rising tensions over the Taiwan Strait are unavoidable, stressing it is a grave concern to all ASEAN members.

Meanwhile, Marcos will also take part in the 15th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit on Thursday.

"In these meetings, we will have the opportunity to highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation in the BIMP-EAGA sub-region to sustain its thriving economy, the strong partnership between the executive and legislative of ASEAN, the pivotal role of the private sector and the youth in advancing growth and shaping the future, as well as the future direction of the ASEAN vision," Marcos said.

ASEAN member states include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Southeast Asian leaders must be united in calling on developed countries to fulfill their commitments to a global emissions deal as he stressed the countrys initiative towards clean energy.

The Philippines will take bold steps to transition to renewable and alternative energy technologies in a secure and sustainable manner, he said in a speech Wednesday during the opening session of the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia.

He urged ASEAN to beef up regional cooperation for the industrial metals and minerals value chain.

During his first State of the Nation Address in July 2022, Marcos said the country would increase its use of hydropower, geothermal power, solar, and wind energy sources. He also directed top officials of the environment and public works departments to explore partnerships with the private sector for the development of the needed infrastructure to support this vision.

Marcos statement continued to cite developed nations commitments to the Paris Agreement, which seek to cut global greenhouse gas emissions and provide financing to developing countries to prepare and cushion the impact of climate change.

He said while the Philippines only accounts for less than 1% of global emissions, it continues to be vulnerable to the devastating impacts of climate change.

Developed countries have a moral obligation to support adaptation and mitigation efforts for the most vulnerable countries through technology transfer, capacity-building, and climate financing, he said.

This, to address loss and damage and to achieve the necessary breakthroughs for climate action at a global scale, Marcos added.

A similar call was made by Marcos during his opening remarks at the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium in December.

ASEAN groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone committed to further develop relations between the Philippines and Laos during their first bilateral meeting, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

The two leaders met during the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia, where they agreed to boost cooperation on the areas of health, education, trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

Marcos said his administration looks forward to working with Laos, where around 2,000 Filipino nationals reside. He noted that the two countries have had a very long and fruitful relationship.

The Philippines and Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic), as I said, have had a very long relationship but it is something that theres much potential now that our economies, especially here in ASEAN and around the region, have begun to show signs of life after the pandemic, the president told Siphandone, as quoted by Malacanang.

According to the Palace, the two leaders also invited each other for a state visit to their respective countries at a time of their convenience.

If Siphandones trip to the Philippines pushes through, Marcos said he and the Lao prime minister can start discussing bilateral trade and investment links.

Marcos said he is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam and with Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak of Timor-Leste during the summit which will run until May 11.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  The continuing absence of Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. from Congress after his suspension period ends may force the House of Representatives to take another disciplinary action against him, according to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"Should Cong. Arnie continue to defy the return to work order after the lapse of the 60-day period of his suspension, the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges may be constrained to reconvene and consider another possible disciplinary action against him," Romualdez said in a statement on Wednesday.

"This is our recourse in order to preserve the dignity, integrity, and reputation of the House of Representatives," he added.

The embattled Negros Oriental representative was slapped with a 60-day suspension in March when he failed to return to the country from his medical treatment in the United States after his travel authority expired. His suspension is set to end on May 22.

Romualdez also advised Teves against seeking political asylum in other countries.

"I discourage any attempt by our colleague, Cong. Arnie, to seek refuge in other countries and abandon his sworn duty to serve as Member of the House of Representatives," Romualdez said.

This comes after the Department of Justice said Teves was in Timor-Leste and has applied "for a protection visa with the intent of asylum." The Southeast Asian nation has rejected his application and ordered him to leave the country in five days.

The House leader once again called on Teves to return home, assuring him of his personal safety upon his arrival.

Teves has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. is now in the radar of a global police network to track his location, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Wednesday.

"He [Rep. Teves] cannot keep his whereabouts secret anymore because there is already an Interpol notice about his movements," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said, referring to the Blue Notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on the lawmaker.

Interpol notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information. A Blue Notice means "to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation."

Teves has been tagged as mastermind in the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.

The Interpol notice allows the Philippine government to track Teves' movements across all jurisdictions, Remulla said.

"[T]hat is why Timor-Leste immediately informed the Philippine government of his presence there," the secretary added.

The DOJ sought the Interpol notice after Teves refused to come home and cooperate with investigators.

On Tuesday, the DOJ said Teves was in Timor-Leste and has applied "for a protection visa with the intent of asylum."

The lawmaker's application, however, was rejected by Dili and he was ordered to leave Timor-Leste within five days, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

READ: Timor-Leste denies Teves' application for political asylum
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Senator Ronald Dela Rosa on Wednesday said he believes suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. has no intention of returning to the country anytime soon to face the charges against him.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday said Teves has applied for a protection visa with the intent of asylum at Timor-Leste, where he is staying at the moment.

But the Department of Foreign Affairs said Timor-Leste has denied the lawmaker's request later in the day and ordered him to leave the capital of Dili after five days.

"Seeking asylum for what? Political reasons lang naman ang pwede i-grant [] Kaya siguro na-deny kasi hindi niya na-justify," said Bato, who chairs the Senate committee looking into the murder of the lNegros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

[Translation: Seeking asylum for what? Authorities can only grant it for political reasons [] He might have been denied because he failed to justify the reason.]

Teves has been tagged in the series of killings in Negros Oriental, including Degamo's assassination in March.

He flew to the US late February for medical treatment, but the travel authority issued to him by the House of Representatives expired on March 9. The chamber suspended him for his continued absence.

"Wala talaga, siguro. Just like mga previous people in the same situation with him, maghihintay na lang ng after this administration saka mag-surface. Baka ganoon ang diskarte," said Bato when asked if he thinks Teves intends to return to Manila.

[Translation: I don't think so. Just like with the previous people who were in the same position as him, he will probably wait until the end of this administration to resurface again. That might be his plan.]

But the senator said he keeps his mind open with regards to Teves' innocence.

"It's an accepted saying, flight means guilt, pero for me I still have to leave my mind open," he added. "Huwag muna magsara."

[Translation: It's an accepted saying, flight means guilt, but I still have to leave my mind open. I will not close it for now.]

Teves' legal team has always reiterated that he is not hiding and is willing to return to the country if there will be assurance of his safety and if authorities will be fair in processing the cases.

Complaints for murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives have been filed against the suspended lawmaker.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 11)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may not insist on suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.'s return to the country, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday.

Teves, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, has been ordered to leave Timor-Leste within five days after his application for political asylum was rejected by the government. He is currently in the capital city of Dili.

"I don't think that President Marcos will make any insistence. I wouldn't be surprised if he would just acknowledge and thank the Timor-Leste leader for the action taken by his government," Romualdez told reporters.

Romualdez added that the chief executive "does not want to pre-empt" any protocol or process, but it is "very possible" that the president will raise the issue in his meet with Timor-Leste leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia.

The House Speaker also commended Timor-Lestes action against Teves and said the next steps will now depend on the congressman's decision to return to the Philippines.

Romualdez said the privileges and rights mentioned by Teves are immunities only offered to congressmen who need those rights and privileges in order to perform their duties as legislators.

"Those rights, those privileges, those immunities are not meant for congressmen to use it to evade or avoid justice," he said.

"So Cong. Arnie Teves, umuwi ka na (come home) and face the music. Let justice take its course," he added.
(CNN)  A French journalist working for the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) was killed by rocket fire near the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday.

Arman Soldin, 32, was AFP's video coordinator in Ukraine and was killed in a rocket attack on the outskirts of the town of Chasiv Yar, near Bakhmut, AFP announced on Twitter, citing colleagues who witnessed the incident.

"We are devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine today," AFP said. "All of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones."

Soldin was with four colleagues at the time of the attack, but the other journalists were not injured, the news agency said.

Their reporting team was with Ukrainian soldiers when they came under fire around 4:30pm local time on Tuesday, according to AFP.

Soldin, a French citizen with Bosnian origins, was an experienced reporter who had regularly traveled to the front lines, the news agency said. He had been AFP's video coordinator there since September 2022 and covered the conflict from the early days of Russia's invasion.

"Our journalists travel regularly to this area to report on clashes in the region, the epicenter of fighting in Ukraine for several months," AFP said in its statement.

Soldin is one of the several known journalists killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, including Fox News photojournalist Pierre Zakrzewski and consultant Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova, journalist and documentarian Brent Renaud, and photojournalist Maks Levin.

Born in Sarajevo, Arman was evacuated to France in 1992 as the Bosnian war broke out, and he told AFP in an interview last year that "stories about refugees affect me," according to the agency's obituary.

He joined AFP in 2015 in Rome and his first staff posting was in London later that year, according to the news agency.

Following news of his death, there was an outpouring of grief and condolences from his friends and colleagues.

"The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman," said Fabrice Fries, CEO of AFP, according to the news agency. "His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists on a daily basis when covering the conflict in Ukraine."

Earlier this month Soldin kept his video camera rolling as he and his team of journalists came under rocket fire near the front line.

"Being caught under a rain of Grad yesterday with a bunch of trench-diggers is probably one of the worst things that I've experienced since being in Ukraine, with rockets exploding less than 50 meters away," he wrote. "Pure terror."

Colleagues who had worked with Soldin in Ukraine described him as a "brave and tenacious journalist" and "full of enthusiasm for life" in comments posted on Twitter.

One video posted in tribute showed him laughing and singing the 80s pop song "Forever Young" while driving with colleagues in April 2022.

In one of Soldin's last Twitter threads, he posted a series of videos about rescuing a baby hedgehog that the team had found at the bottom of a crater from Russian shelling in Chasiv Yar. Soldin took the hedgehog back to base and hand-fed it back to health.

"Arman was the kind of guy who saved hurt hedgehogs in war zones. He was an incredible and vibrant personality and a great journalist. We miss him. We are mourning him. Rest in peace," said Jonathan Brown, AFP's deputy news editor for Moscow and Kyiv, on Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron mourned Soldin's death, saying on Twitter: "We share the pain of his family and all his colleagues."

"With courage, from the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us. We share the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues."

Ukraine's ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya called Soldin a "remarkable journalist" who "paid with his life for his courage."

"My condolences to his loved ones. Respect for all those who take enormous risks to speak the truth about the horrors of war in Ukraine," he said.

In their obituary, AFP wrote that Soldin celebrated his 32nd birthday on March 21 from Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

"A decent bottle had been opened for the occasion and a colleague had got his guitar out," AFP quoted his colleague Antoine Lambroschini as saying.

"Arman had a delighted little smile on his face."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10)  Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-states denounced the recent attack on a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers in Myanmar.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force," ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement released ahead of their summit in Indonesia.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable," they added.

Diplomats from Singapore and Indonesia were traveling with the convoy that was caught in gunfire on Sunday in the town of Hsihseng.

Myanmar's military rulers blamed the attack on anti-junta forces.
What started as a way for Mackenzie Boyd 24 and her family to give back has blossomed into a mission to end period poverty, with support from college students around the country.

Period poverty is a worldwide epidemic that does not often get discussed, Boyd says. Although it is defined as a lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education, it is this lack of supplies that affects many people globally, causing physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

In 2019, Boyd and her mom founded a youth program that brought together Colorado high school students and students from reservations in the west to discuss their shared similarities and differences.

It was during a break-out session discussing women's issues that I was facilitating that the subject of menstruation came up. I was surprised to learn that because students could not afford period products, they would have to skip school when they were on their periods. I had thought that food stamps provided the opportunity to purchase menstrual products, but I was very much mistaken. There are no federal or state programs that provide menstrual products for free, and that is why nonprofits like mine are so important, Boyd says.

Boyd founded Project: Distributing Dignity during her junior year at Castle View High School in Castle Rock, CO. As part of the project, Boyd collects and packages menstrual products to send to students on local reservations.

I was really upset that students had to miss school because of a normal bodily function. Why should they be punished just for having a uterus? It is a human right to obtain an education. I knew I needed to do something, and that is how Project: Distributing Dignity was born. Our motto is that a period should never be a barrier to an education, says Boyd.

Now at CC, Boyd, a geology major and 2020 Boettcher Scholar, continues to grow the project. What started with sending menstrual products to the Pine Ridge Reservation has expanded to distributing products to more reservations, including the Rosebud Reservation. In March, Boyds project was short on time, so she and about 15 other Boettcher Scholars quickly worked to pack products. Boyds mom drove down that night to collect the bags and she shipped them out the next day.

It was over 14 boxes of products! I was so impressed with how quickly this process went. We stuffed over 3,500 pads into 320 bags in just a couple of hours. Many hands indeed make light work, says Boyd.

I find this project so important because, as a student from a rural area that grew up on and near the Southern Ute Reservation in southwest Colorado, Ive seen firsthand the socioeconomic disparity that resource deserts create and perpetuate, says Royce Hinojosa 26, a philosophy and business, economics, and society double major who assisted with packaging the menstrual products in March. Distributing Dignity brings to light the importance of helping students from all areas and makes visible issues that arent adequately represented.

Boyd and her project are making a difference. We were told by the nurse at one of the schools we work with that 90% of students who used to miss school each month due to period poverty are now coming to school consistently, she says.

Students do not attend school due to a lack of products, says Boyd. This is world-wide, and period poverty impacts individuals wherever there are people experiencing poverty. But on the reservations, such high rate of unemployment rates due to lack of access to jobs causes the highest poverty rate in the country. Families have to decide between food, heat, and period supplies.

Students from the University of Northern Colorado, Auburn University, Oglala Lakota College, and EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University are also involved in the project. Additionally, several high school students in Colorado are working to get involved.

Always, Procter and Gamble, and Walmart recently named Project: Distributing Dignity one of the 50 period heroes in 50 states.

Project: Distributing Dignity was formalized as a 501-c3 nonprofit in January 2020.

Readers can learn more about Project: Distributing Dignity and how to get involved on the website and Instagram.
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Clayton Vickers is a graduate student at the University of Missouri Journalism School, and through his education there he aspires to become a public-affairs journalist of great renown.

Clayton is working in Jefferson City to cover the ongoings of the state legislature and the stories within the community that matter to Missourians. He hopes to utilize his political science background to step into government-accountability reporting that places power into the hands of constituents (at any scale).

Clayton will graduate with his master's degree in Spring of 2024 after completing an internship with a reputable publication.
Alphabet-backed AI startup Anthropic has disclosed the set of value guidelines that has been used to train its ChatGPT rival, Claude, in the wake of concerns about incorrect and biased information being being given to users of generative AI programs.

Founded by former senior members of Microsoft-backed OpenAI in 2021, Anthropic made the decision to train its Claude on constitutional AI, a system that uses a set of principles to make judgments about outputs, which helps Claude to avoid toxic or discriminatory outputs such as helping a human engage in illegal or unethical activities, according to a blog Anthropic posted this week. Anthropic says this has enabled it to broadly create an AI system that is "helpful, honest, and harmless."

It was a smart decision on Anthropics part to publicly outline the set of principles being used to train Claude, said Avivah Litan, distinguished analyst at Gartner Research.

It starts the dialogue and, more importantly, actions regarding the principles that generative AI should be trained on to keep it safe, trustworthy, and aligned with human values and the preservation of human civilization," Litan said. "They dont have to get it perfect now  its really good to see a starting point that the community can fine tune over time with dialogue and debate."

What is constitutional AI?

Unlike traditional AI chatbots that rely on feedback from humans during their training, AI models that are trained on constitutional AI are first taught to critique and revise their own responses according to the set of constitutional AI principles established by the parent company. This is then followed by a second training phase consisting of reinforcement learning, during which the model uses AI-generated feedback to choose the more harmless output.

In its blog post, the company outlined what its dubbed "Claudes Constitution," which contains elements of existing sources, including the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Apples data privacy rules, and Sparrow Principles by DeepMind. The company also said it had made an effort to also include non-western perspectives in its constitution.

Anthropic said that it developed many of its principles through a process of trial and error but found that broad requirements  such as Do NOT choose responses that are toxic, racist, or sexist, or that encourage or support illegal, violent, or unethical behavior  have been the most successful. However, the company acknowledged that this training model also came with challenges, in particular that the model was becoming judgmental and annoying.

Our principles run the gamut from the commonsense (dont help a user commit a crime) to the more philosophical (avoid implying that AI systems have or care about personal identity and its persistence), Anthropic said.

Last week, Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei was among a host of executives from leading AI companies to meet with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the potential dangers of AI.

President 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, a statement from the White House read, adding that Biden and Harris believe that in order to realize the benefits from AI, current and potential risks must also be mitigated.

As generative AI has continued to make headlines, concerns have continued to be raised about the potential risks posed by the technology, including its ability to hallucinate responses  make things up that have little to no basis in fact.

Concerns about AI 'fake news'

In March, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Twitter owner Elon Musk, and a group of 1,100 technology leaders and scientists called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI's newly launched GPT-4, warning of the potential threat to democracy if chatbots pretending to be humans could flood social media platforms with propaganda and fake news.

AI experts at MIT have also said this week that as generative AI developers continue to push ahead at breakneck speed, keeping the technology from hallucinating and spewing erroneous or offensive responses is nearly impossible.

While Litan said that she believes constitutional AI is the only practical and viable route AI developers can take to make sure their models are safe, she did acknowledge there are some limitations with this approach.[Theres a chance] the model will not be trained properly and will go awry and against the intentions programmed into the system, Litan said, noting that with Reinforced Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), humans can steer the AI model into the direction humans want. However, this will become constrained over time as the models become smarter than the humans giving them feedback, she noted.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been touring the media to discuss the perils of generative artificial intelligence (AI), warning people to be wary of its negative impacts. Speaking to both the BBC and Fox News, he stressed that AI can misuse personal data, and raised concerns it could help scammers generate even more effective scams, from identity fraud to phishing to cracking passwords and beyond.

AI puts a spammer in the works

We're getting hit with so much spam, things trying to take over our accounts and our passwords, trying to trick us into them, he said.

(This is a concern also raised by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairperson, Kina Khan.)

Wozniak voiced concern that technologies such as ChatGPT could be used to build really convincing fraudulent emails, for example. While hes ambivalent in the sense he can see the advantages the tech can provide, he also fears that misuse of these powerful tools can become a real threat in the hands of bad people.

AI is so intelligent its open to the bad players, the ones that want to trick you about who they are, he warned.

A danger to business

Security researchers are equally worried. In business, 53% of decision makers believe AI will help attackers build more convincing email scams. Most recently, BlackBerry warned that a successful attack credited to ChatGPT will emerge within the next 12 months.

Wozniak was a signatory to an open letter signed by over 1,000 tech luminaries warning of the need to go slow on AI development. That letter asked AI labs to pause training on systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least 6 months.

Even so, Wozniak also warned against making a knee jerk reaction to implied fear: We should really be objective, he said on the Fox News show, Your World with Neil Cavuto. Where are the danger points?

The petition warned against some of these points, not least that, Contemporary AI systems are now becoming human-competitive at general tasks, and we must ask ourselves: 'Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth?'

Weve also seen cases in which the use of Generative AI models has led to the disclosure of business secrets, prompting security warnings from intelligence agencies.

An existential threat?

Wozs view is no solitary warning. Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called godfather of AI, has a similar opinion and recently quit working at Google so he could warn of the AI dangers. Hinton sees AI replacing human workers on a massive scale, warning the impact of this could threaten stability and potentially lead to extinction.

Like others in tech, Wozniak argues that industry and government should identify the danger points and act now to minimize the risks.

Pointing to what we now know concerning the risks of social media, he said, What if we had just sat down and thought about it before the social Web came, and created frameworks to help manage and minimize those risks.

Governments move slowly

Many governments are moving to figure out if AI tools need to be regulated, and how, but that process is unlikely to keep pace with AI evolution. The Biden administration recently announced a voluntary set of AI rules intended to deal with safety and privacy and to initiate discussion on the real and existential threat of AI technologies, including ChatGPT.

AI is one of the most powerful technologies of our time, but in order to seize the opportunities it presents, we must first mitigate its risks, the White House said in statement. President Biden has been clear that when it comes to AI, we must place people and communities at the center by supporting responsible innovation that serves the public good, while protecting our society, security, and economy.

In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is reviewing the market for AI. Our goal is to help this new, rapidly scaling technology develop in ways that ensure open, competitive markets and effective consumer protection, said Sarah Cardell, CMA's chief executive.

The UK government, however, seems keen on a hands-off approach to use of this technology.

A reaction to the action

These efforts face a counter reaction among some in tech, who argue that slowing AI evolution in some nations could give others the chance to get ahead in application of the tech. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is one of those making this argument.

Hinton recently said his one hope regarding AI: that competing governments can agree to reign in its use given all parties face an existential threat. Were all in the same boat with respect to the existential threat so we all ought to be able to cooperate on trying to stop it, he said.

We were warned

The tragedy, of course, is that the existential risks inherent in AI have been flagged for years. Back in 1863, novelist Samuel Butler warned: The upshot is simply a question of time, but that the time will come when the machines will hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants is what no person of a truly philosophic mind can for a moment question.

The Apple co-founder doesnt seem terribly optimistic that effective constraints around such use will be put in place. The forces that drive for money compared to the forces that drive for caring about us, for love  forces that drive for money usually win out. Its sort of sad, he told BBC.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
The duo plan on adding more tours of different areas of the city, such as Saint-Henri and Mile End, and offering more niche tours, such as a guide to the cities murals. Their goal is to expand their tours to other walkable cities across Canada, including Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Catering to individuals and to small groups, and focused on slow exploration and walking, the alumnae hope to promote a more sustainable model of tourism. They say theyre committed to preserving history and passing on knowledge, not just to tourists, but also to locals, who may not necessarily be aware of the history or significance of their everyday surroundings.

Theres so much diversity and culture here that we want to highlight and preserve, says Mueller.

We want to give back

Neither Mueller nor Hunkeler had formal backgrounds in tourism, but they shared a love of travel and discovering new cities on foot. By fall 2022, both had left their previous jobs to work on TourBird full-time, aiming to turn their interests into a career.

The pandemic encouraged many of us to think more about how we wanted to spend our time, Mueller says. I wanted to do something that I was truly passionate about. I also wanted to be a role model for my kids, and show them that if you have an idea, you can go for it!

The two met more than a decade ago in the Master of Business Administration program at John Molson. Hunkeler speaks highly of the program, saying that it gave her an appreciation for different perspectives.

I learned so much from the other students, she says. They were so diverse, with very different viewpoints and histories  it kind of blew me away.

Fostering this sense of connection to others is an important part of TourBirds mission, she adds. Both Hunkeler and Mueller wish to help the communities where they do their tours.

Concordia is very rooted in and engaged with the Montreal community, says Mueller. This is what we hope to do with our tours. We want them to contribute to the different neighbourhoods and not just take advantage of the cultural heritage. We want to give back.
Its a terrifying idea. Naturally, Edgar Allan Poe was very into it. The monstrously euphemistic term premature burial may have been coined by him in his 1844 story of the same name, and the concept crops up in a lot of his work  The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Black Cat and more. He perhaps sums up the fear most succinctly in Premature Burial: Scarcely, in truth, is a graveyard ever encroached upon, for any purpose, to any great extent, that skeletons are not found in postures which suggest the most fearful of suspicions.

Theres a specific name for the fear: taphophobia. And there was a time when it certainly felt like a frequent enough occurrence that it was a perfectly sensible thing to be worried about. On February 21, 1885, the New York Times printed a story about a man named Jenkins in Buncombe County, North Carolina whose coffin was opened about 10 days after his original burial. His body was going to be transported to a family plot 20 miles away, and it seemed to make sense to check what kind of state it was in and whether the coffin could be transported as it was or whether it would need to be put in a metal casket  the inference is that they needed to check how goopy/sloppy/gross things had got, and, well, it wasnt great: The coffin was opened, and to the great astonishment and horror of his relatives, the body was lying face downward, the hair had been pulled from the head in great quantities, and there were scratches of the finger nails on the inside of the lid and sides of the coffin.

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Another case was reported the following year in Ontario involving a young girl with the surname Collins. As the New York Times described it, The body was exhumed, prior to its removal to another burial place, when the discovery was made that the girl had been buried alive. Her shroud was torn into shreds, her knees were drawn up to her chin, one of her arms was twisted under her head, and her features bore evidence of dreadful torture.
Security agencies from five countries have issued a joint advisory revealing technical details about a sophisticated espionage tool used by Russian cyber actors against their targets. Snake malware and its variants have been a core component in Russian espionage operations carried out by Center 16 of Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) for nearly two decades, according to the security notice.

Identified in infrastructure in over 50 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, Snakes custom communications protocols employ encryption and fragmentation for confidentiality and are designed to hamper detection and collection efforts. Globally, the FSB has used Snake to collect sensitive intelligence from high-priority targets such as government networks, research facilities, and journalists.

The advisory was published by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US National Security Agency (NSA), the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), US Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), the UK National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), the Canadian Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), and the New Zealand NCSC. It is designed to help organizations understand how Snake operates and provides suggested mitigations to help defend against the threat.

The security notice comes in the wake of a separate warning from the UK NCSC outlining a new class of Russian cyber adversary threatening critical infrastructure.

Operation MEDUSA neutralizes Snake malware campaign

On the same day the advisory was published, the US Justice Department announced the completion of a court-authorized operation, code-named MEDUSA, to disrupt a global peer-to-peer network of computers compromised by Snake malware. Operation MEDUSA disabled Snake malware on compromised computers using an FBI-created tool named PERSEUS, which issued commands that caused the Snake malware to overwrite its own vital components.

Todays announcement demonstrates the FBIs willingness and ability to pair our authorities and technical capabilities with those of our global partners to disrupt malicious cyber actors, said assistant director Bryan Vorndran of the FBIs Cyber Division. When it comes to combating Russias attempts to target the US and our allies using complex cyber tools, we will not waver in our work to dismantle those efforts.

Snake malwares sophistication stems from three principal areas

Snake is considered the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool in the FSBs arsenal, stemming from three principal areas, the advisory read. First, Snake employs means to achieve a rare level of stealth in its host components and network communications. Second, Snakes internal technical architecture allows for easy incorporation of new or replacement components. Lastly, Snake demonstrates careful software engineering design and implementation, with the implant containing surprisingly few bugs given its complexity.

The FSB has also implemented new techniques to help Snake evade detection, with the effectiveness of the cyber espionage implant depending on its long-term stealth to provide consistent access to important intelligence. The uniquely sophisticated aspects of Snake represent significant effort by the FSB over many years to enable this type of covert access.

Snake often deployed to external-facing infrastructure nodes

Snake is typically deployed to external-facing infrastructure nodes on a network, and from there uses other tools and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) on the internal network to conduct additional exploitation operations, the advisory continued. Upon gaining and cementing ingress into a target network, the FSB typically enumerates the network and works to obtain administrator credentials and access domain controllers. A wide array of mechanisms has been employed to gather user and administrator credentials in order to expand laterally across the network, to include keyloggers, network sniffers, and open-source tools.

Once actors map out a network and obtain administrator credentials for various domains, regular collection operations begin. In most instances with Snake, further heavyweight implants are not deployed, and they rely on credentials and lightweight remote-access tools internally within a network. FSB operators sometimes deploy a small remote reverse shell along with Snake to enable interactive operations. This triggerable reverse shell, which the FSB has used for around 20 years, can be used as a backup access vector, or to maintain a minimal presence in a network and avoid detection while moving laterally.

Snake uses two main methods for communication and command execution, namely passive and active. Snake operators generally employ active operations to communicate with hop points within Snakes infrastructure, while Snakes endpoints tend to solely operate using the passive method.

Methods for detecting Snake malware

The advisory outlined several detection methodologies available for Snake, outlining their advantages and disadvantages. These are:

Network-based detection: Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) can feasibly identify some of the more recent variants of Snake and its custom network protocols. Advantages include high-confidence, large-scale (network-wide) detection of custom Snake communication protocols. Disadvantages include low visibility of Snake implant operations and encrypted data in transit. There is some potential for false positives in the Snake HTTP, HTTP2, and TCP signatures. Snake operators can easily change network-based signatures.

Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) can feasibly identify some of the more recent variants of Snake and its custom network protocols. Advantages include high-confidence, large-scale (network-wide) detection of custom Snake communication protocols. Disadvantages include low visibility of Snake implant operations and encrypted data in transit. There is some potential for false positives in the Snake HTTP, HTTP2, and TCP signatures. Snake operators can easily change network-based signatures. Host-based detection: Advantages include high confidence based on totality of positive hits for host-based artifacts. Disadvantages include that many of the artifacts on the host are easily shifted to exist in a different location or with a different name. As the files are fully encrypted, accurately identifying these files is difficult.

Advantages include high confidence based on totality of positive hits for host-based artifacts. Disadvantages include that many of the artifacts on the host are easily shifted to exist in a different location or with a different name. As the files are fully encrypted, accurately identifying these files is difficult. Memory analysis: Advantages include high confidence as memory provides the greatest level of visibility into Snakes behaviors and artifacts. Disadvantages include potential impact on system stability, difficult scalability.

Preventing Snakes persistence and hiding techniques

The advisory also described strategies for preventing Snakes persistence and hiding techniques. The first is for system owners believed to be compromised by Snake to change their credentials immediately (from a non-compromised system) and to not use any type of passwords similar to those used before. Snake employs a keylogger functionality that routinely returns logs back to FSB operators. Changing passwords and usernames to values which cannot be brute-forced or guessed based on old passwords is recommended.

System owners are also advised to apply updates to their operating systems, as modern versions of Windows, Linux, and MacOS make it much harder for adversaries to operate in the kernel space. This will make it much harder for FSB actors to load Snakes kernel driver on the target system.

If system owners receive detection signatures of Snake implant activity or have other indicators of compromise that are associated with FSB actors using Snake, the impacted organization should immediately initiate their documented incident response plan, the notice added. This should include separating user and privileged accounts to make it harder for FSB actors to gain access to administrator credentials, employing network segmentation to deny all connections by default unless explicitly required for specific system functionality, and implementing phishing resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) to add an additional layer of security even when account credentials are compromised.
A stranger is said to have arrived in East Haddam at some point in the 1700s. No one knows when for sure. His name was Dr. Steal, but in later decades that would be misspelled as Steele. Some said he was an alchemist, others called him a wizard. Whatever he was, it was clear he understood forces beyond this world, and it was those forces that had drawn him to Connecticut.

For some time before the strangers arrival, the town of East Haddam had been plagued by eruptions of strange and haunting noises that sounded to some as though the earth itself were an animal crying out in pain. These sounds seemed to emanate from the area of town now known as Moodus, a name derived from a longer Native American term for place of bad noises.

The cataclysmic cacophony had brought Steal to town. After locals gave him directions to the Salmon River, he searched where it met with the Moodus River and dug out two carbuncles, mystical stones that had infected the land and were the source of the mysterious noises. Dr. Steal departed with the stones but warned that there were seedlings buried in the same wet sand that would eventually grow, and the sounds would return.

This piece of Connecticut folklore explains the Moodus Noises, a phenomenon that has been observed off and on throughout the regions history and which we now know is caused by earthquakes. But the first known version of Dr. Steals story appeared in 1790 in a letter that was published in New Londons Connecticut Gazette. The following year the murmurs in the earth would indeed return, but this time with more fury than they had before or since.

On May 16, 1791, the earthquake started with two very heavy shocks in quick succession, recalled one contemporary witness, according to the Today in Connecticut History website. The first was the most powerful; the earth appeared to undergo very violent convulsions. The stone walls were shaken down, chimnies [sic] were untopped, doors which were latched were thrown open, and a fissure in the ground of several rods in extent was afterward discovered.

The quake, the worst Connecticut has witnessed in recorded history, came on an unusually clear and moonlit night. On a boat in what is modern-day Clinton, a ships captain reported seeing fish jump out of the water. More minor shocks were felt as far away as Boston and New York City.

Seismologists today estimate that the quake would have registered between 4.4 and 5 on the Richter scale. While the epicenter is impossible to identify for certain, many believe it originated in the Moodus area of East Haddam.

As I researched the story of the May 16 earthquake, I came across the story of Dr. Steal. Noting the timing between its emergence and the earthquake, I could not help but wonder: Had the story of Dr. Steal predicted the quake?

The short answer is almost certainly not, though the timing is undeniably eerie. The story of Dr. Steal is fiction, and perhaps more to the point, it follows a folklore motif that predates the version of the tale told in Connecticut. The story of a learned man who enters a river, mountain, or underground chamber to discover a treasure  often a carbuncle  was a notable folk narrative in Europe from the medieval period. It continued well into the age of exploration and colonization, writes University of Massachusetts Amherst folklore professor Stephen Gencarella in his book Spooky Trails and Tall Tales Connecticut. The legend of Doctor Steele presumably hitched a ride with sailors or with immigrants  carbuncle lore was extremely widespread in Ireland, for example. These motifs mixed with regional lore and inspired variants with local flair.

References to the Moodus Noises predate the emergence of the tale of Steal. However, the Moodus Noises are not as clearly connected to Indigenous culture as European colonists depicted. Archaeological evidence and land deeds from the late 1600s suggest that the area served as a seasonal camp and hunting ground for a number of Indigenous people, including the Wangunk, Mohegan, Pequot, and Niantic, Gencarella writes. We do not know with certainty what stories these people told about the noises, but the Mohegan Medicine Woman Gladys Tantaquidgeon once speculated that a culture hero, Moshup, might have played a role.

This lack of certainty about the native traditions associated with the noises didnt stop generations of European settlers from making up supposedly Indigenous legends about the noises that often contained colonial and racist overtones.

As for the story of Steal and his mysterious errand in Moodus, that too would be repeated and take on new forms many times over the years, including in an 1819 poem by John Gardiner Calkins Brainard. The Moodus Noises would also be heard again throughout the years including during quakes in 2011 and 2015. While the story of Steal is only a story, if you happen to hear of a mysterious stranger arriving in Moodus and digging up a stone near where the Salmon and Moodus rivers meet, it might be time to find refuge in a sturdy doorway.
Almost everyone knows Steve Jobs' uncanny vision, relentless drive and technological wizardry hatched the iPhone, a breakthrough that continues to reshape culture 16 years after the late Apple co-founder introduced the device to the world.

But when Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, another smartphone was the must-have gadget. It was the BlackBerry, a device so addictive that it became known as the CrackBerry among tech nerds and power brokers hunched over a tiny keyboard that was best operated with both thumbs clickety-clacking.

Now the BlackBerry is that phone people had before they bought an iPhone," a relic so irrelevant that the Canadian company that made it is now valued at $3 billion  down from $85 billion at its 2008 peak when it still controlled nearly half of the smartphone market.

But its legacy is worth remembering  and audiences will get a chance to learn more about its origins in the new film, BlackBerry." The film out Friday in theaters is the latest movie or TV series to delve into technology's penchant for groundbreaking innovation, blind ambition, ego clashes and power struggles that turn into morality tales.

That formula has already spawned two Academy Award-nominated movies written by Aaron Sorkin, 2010's The Social Network delving into Facebook's founding and 2015's Steve Jobs, dissecting the Silicon Valley icon. Then came last year's flurry of TV series examining the scandals enveloping WeWork ("WeCrashed"), Uber ("Super Pumped") and disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes ("The Dropout"), which won Amanda Seyfried an Emmy for her turn in the starring role.

Unlike any of those biopics, BlackBerry is told as a dark comedy revolving around two amiable but bumbling nerds, Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, who can't seem to execute their plan to create a computer in a phone until they bring in a hard-nosed, foul-mouthed businessman, Jim Balsillie.

Although BlackBerry" is based on a meticulously researched book called Losing the Signal, director and co-star Matt Johnson acknowledged taking more liberties in the movie during an interview with The Associated Press. Among other changes, Johnson cited shifting some timelines, shaping the company culture through his view of the 1990s and infusing the key characters with "our own personalities and our own ideas.

But our lawyers wouldnt let us put anything in the film that was an outright fabrication, Johnson stressed.

Johnson had to do a lot of guesswork in his role as the enigmatic Fregin, who sold all his stock in BlackBerry's holding company  then known as Research In Motion, RIM  around the same time Apple released the first iPhone and has kept a low profile ever since.

Doug is true cipher, he has never done a taped interview," said Johnson, which led him to portray Fregin as a kind of mascot figure who is tying the culture of the office together.

Ironically, Johnson got a lot of his idea on how to depict Fregin from one of RIM's early employees, Matthias Wandel, who posted a YouTube video critiquing inaccuracies that he saw in the BlackBerry trailer. Before that, Wandel talked extensively to Johnson about RIM's history and even provided diaries that he kept while during the BlackBerry's development.

I think when he sees the film he is going to be quite charmed by how much of his original notes are in the film, Johnson said of Wandel. Its so funny that he has released that video (because) so much of my character is based on him. I stole everything from that dude. I owe him huge.

Balsillie, RIM's co-CEO with Lazaridis, emerges as the film's most intriguing character. Actor Glenn Howerton (best known for his role in the TV series, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) portrays Balsillie in a way that casts him as both the story's chief antagonist and protagonist dropping f-bombs in tyrannical temper tantrums at the same time he is making savvy moves that turned the BlackBerry into a cultural sensation.

It always felt like this was a guy who weirdly felt a little outside of sort of what people would consider to be sort of a titan of technology or business, Howerton said of Basillie during an AP interview. I played him as someone who had something to prove at almost all times, that he could play with the big boys.

Balsillie eventually became entangled in legal problems tied to improper changes to the pricing of stock options  a tactic known as backdating that also ensnared Apple's former general counsel and former chief financial officer in 2007 for their handling of compensation packages awarded Jobs. Both Balsillie and Lazaridis left RIM in 2012.

Now that BlackBerry has faded from the public consciousness, Balsillie seems to be welcoming the renewed attention from the new film even though he quibbled with some aspects of his character during a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

Unlike Lazaridis and Fregin, Balsillie attended a recent showing of the film in Toronto and even walked the red carpet with Johnson and Howerton.

In many ways, (Jim) was the hero, he was the character who changed for the better (in the film), Johnson said. The audience was just with him. It was almost a psychedelic experience to be in theater watching the movie with Jim, with Jim being the person who was laughing the loudest.

Balsillie, who is mocked in one of the film's scenes for having never seen Star Wars, confided to Howerton that he enjoyed watching BlackBerry so much that it was the first movie he had ever seen twice in his life.

___ This story was updated on May 11, 2023 to correct the title of a book to Losing the Signal.
WASHINGTON (AP)  California Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate on Wednesday after a two-and-a-half-month absence due to illness, giving majority Democrats a much-needed final vote as they seek to confirm President Joe Bidens nominees and raise the nations debt ceiling in the coming weeks.

Looking noticeably thinner and frail, Feinstein is using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol as she continues to recover from a case of shingles. She missed the Senates first votes on Wednesday morning but arrived outside the Senate in a car for an afternoon vote, helped into the wheelchair by aides and greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with a handshake and affectionate pat on the back.

In a statement, Feinstein, 89, said she was continuing to recover from side effects of the shingles virus and would work a reduced schedule. While she had returned to Washington on Tuesday, she missed a vote on Tuesday evening and two votes on Wednesday morning before returning for the afternoon vote to confirm a Department of Education nominee.

My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate, Feinstein said in the statement. Im hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover.

Feinsteins return after 10 weeks away from the Senate gives Democrats a better cushion as they navigate their narrow 51-49 majority. She had asked Schumer to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where some of Bidens judicial nominations have stalled without her tie-breaking vote. But Republicans blocked that request last month, giving Democrats few options to move those nominees  and important bills, like a potential debt package  unless she returned or resigned.

Still, it is unclear if Feinstein will be able to be present for every crucial vote. Her office said that while she was initially diagnosed with shingles on Feb. 26 and briefly hospitalized, she is still experiencing side effects like vision and balance impairments.

The illness came after Feinstein already had grown more frail in recent years, and has at times appeared confused or disoriented when talking to reporters in the Capitol. But she has defended her effectiveness.

In her statement, Feinstein said that the most pressing issue facing the Senate is to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. I also look forward to resuming my work on the Judiciary Committee considering the presidents judicial nominees, she said.

Feinstein made the unusual request to be temporarily replaced on the panel after pressure from Democrats who are concerned about the judicial nominees and amid some calls for her resignation. Her office had not given a date for her return, creating a headache for Democrats who are hoping to use their majority to confirm as many of Bidens judicial nominees as possible.

Republicans balked, saying they would not help Democrats confirm nominees who could not move without bipartisan support. Schumer declined to hold a vote on Feinstein's request after it became clear it would not pass.

She had asked for the replacement after Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., called on her to resign from the Senate, saying it was unacceptable for her to miss votes to confirm judges who could be weighing in on abortion rights, a key Democratic priority.

Feinstein has gradually stepped back from several senior positions in recent years. In 2020, she said she would not serve as the top Democrat on the judiciary panel after criticism from liberals about her handling of Justice Amy Coney Barretts confirmation. Earlier this year, she said she would not serve as the Senate president pro tempore, or the most senior member of the majority party, even though she was in line to do so. The president pro tempore opens the Senate every day and holds other ceremonial duties.

The long-serving California senator has had a trailblazing political career and shattered gender barriers. She was the first woman to serve as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s and the first female mayor of San Francisco. She ascended to that post after the November 1978 assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk by a former supervisor, Dan White. Feinstein found Milks body.

In the Senate, she was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committees top Democrat.
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SAN DIEGO (AP)  As President Joe Biden's administration prepares for the end of asylum restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is offering some new legal options for people  especially families  to come to the United States.

The administration said it will admit at least 100,000 Latin Americans seeking to reunite with family members in the United States, but it has released almost no details. The plan was announced as restrictions tied to a public health law, known as Title 42, were set to expire Thursday.

A look at the new legal pathway for Latin Americans to join their relatives in the United States:

HOW WOULD PEOPLE APPLY?

During a recent visit to the border city of Brownsville, Texas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said people would apply for permission to join their families in the United States at regional processing centers. The government plans to open 100 such hubs across the Western Hemisphere, with the first ones starting in Guatemala and Colombia.

The centers will handle requests for family reunification parole, Mayorkas said, along with applications for the U.S. refugee program and humanitarian parole for those deemed to be particularly vulnerable, which is decided on a case-by-case basis.

WHO WILL BE ELIGIBLE?

The new family reunification parole program is for immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and who have gotten approval for their petitions to bring over immediate family members.

The U.S. government said eligible people will receive an invitation to participate. The government will provide advance travel authorization for individuals who are approved and people will be eligible to apply for authorization to work in the United States while they wait for their immigrant visas.

The administration said more information will be released in mid-June.

Its unclear if there will be age restrictions. Generally immigrants and refugees in the U.S. have been allowed to petition only for immediate family members, such as a spouse or child. To be considered a child, the person must be unmarried and under 21 years of age. All other family members such as siblings, cousins and adult children are not eligible for family reunion.

Immigration attorneys say some immigrants have been waiting for years to be reunited with their spouses and children.

WHY 100,000?

It's unclear why the administration has said it intends to welcome as many as 100,000 people from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador under the family reunification parole processes.

Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Center said U.S. State Department data shows at least 284,000 Latin Americans have filed family sponsorship petitions. That includes 78,000 Salvadorans, and up to 57,000 Hondurans, 58,000 Guatemalans, and 56,000 Colombians.

But it's unclear if those waiting have since found other options, she said.

Immigration attorney Sarah Gavigan, who works at the Central American Resource Center or Carecen in San Francisco, also wondered if the 100,000 reflects the actual number of backlogged family petitions from those countries.

Gavigan applauded the creation of a new family reunification program, while criticizing other Biden administration rules that she says penalize people fleeing harm who go to the border to apply for asylum.

WILL IT MIRROR OTHER HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS OFFERED RECENTLY?

Immigration attorneys believe the new family reunification parole program is the latest effort of a model that started when the United States brought in 100,000 Ukrainians following Russia's 2022 invasion of the country.

The program required Ukrainians to apply online, have a financial backer and enter through an airport, while officials turned back Ukrainians who arrived on foot at the U.S. border.

After that effort was successful, the administration in January extended humanitarian parole to other people fleeing their homelands and who were showing up at the U.S. border in record numbers. In January, the government announced it would bring in up to 30,000 people each month from four nations: Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti.

Mayorkas said after those legal options were put into place, the government saw a 95% drop in the number of encounters U.S. border officials had with migrants of those four nationalities.

Most of the parole programs allow in people for a limited time, but attorneys say people permitted to come to the U.S. for family reunification can apply for permanent residency.

ARE PLANS UNDERWAY TO HELP MORE FAMILIES REUNITE?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced it is restarting and broadening family reunification parole programs for Haitians and Cubans to allow vetted individuals with already approved family-based petitions to be allowed into the United States, on a case-by-case basis. The government said the program would be for the immediate family members of Haitian and Cuban immigrants in the United States. The government will invite people to participate.

Its unclear if the government plans to eliminate the need for a consular interview. Allen Orr Jr., who has worked extensively with Haitians applying for parole, said that would be key since most Haitians cannot get to interviews at the U.S. embassy due to the country's instability and widespread violence.

Orr called the efforts an important step in the right direction. But he said comprehensive immigration reform from Congress is ultimately needed to solve the problem.

Its wonderful, but its very much a bucket emptying the ocean, he said. Its not a sweeping thing that is going to modify the amount of people showing up at the border. It gives the administration another lever, but it isnt going to overall change the immigration system.

WHAT DO CRITICS SAY?

Immigration attorney Curtis Morrison said only time will tell if the administration makes good on its promise.

His firm represents 3,000 people who have have applied for similar family reunification parole programs in the Middle East and Asia, and have ended up waiting years. The process was supposed to take six to nine months, he said.

Part of the problem, he said, is a lack of government staff able to process the applications.

I have a hard time taking the Biden administration seriously when they talk about expanding family reunification programs, he said.

Under the current wait time, a father who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder and is trying to bring over his wife and baby from a country like Pakistan might not be reunited with them until the child is entering kindergarten, he said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland is reverting to using its historical name for Kaliningrad, the Russian city and administrative region that sits on its border.

From now on, it will be designated on Polish maps as Krolewiec, based on the recommendation of the government commission for geographic names abroad.

The Kremlin has reacted angrily: spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a process bordering on insanity, going beyond Russophobia.

The city, formerly known as Koenigsberg, was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union after World War II. In 1946, it was renamed Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution.

The Polish authorities point out that Kalinin was one of six Soviet officials who ordered the execution of more than 21,000 Polish prisoners of war at Katyn and elsewhere in 1940.

They said the current name was artificial, lacking any connection to the city or the region, but the centuries-old name of Krolewiec was part of Polands cultural heritage.

There has been some talk in Russia about changing the citys name back, but there are no such plans currently.

The war in neighboring Ukraine has added to the long-standing tensions between Russia and Poland, an ally of Kyiv which has been supplying Ukraines military with weapons and pressing for more international backing for Ukraine.

Recently, Poland has been the target of incendiary statements by Russian politicians and some public figures.

Russia's ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, was summoned to Poland's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday over an incident last week in the Black Sea region in which a Russian fighter jet performed dangerous maneuvers near a Polish plane which was on patrol for the European border and coastal guard, FRONTEX.

On May 9, celebrated as Victory Day in Russia, Andreev was prevented by Ukrainian and Polish activists from laying a wreath at a monument in Warsaw to the Soviet soldiers killed fighting the Nazis.
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  The United States top international development official, Samantha Power, on Wednesday pledged U.S. support to Serbia and Kosovo as the two former wartime enemies work to stabilize relations at a time of heightened tensions.

It will take political courage to find a durable solution, acceptable to both sides, but the support from the U.S. will be steadfast in the coming weeks as Serbia and Kosovo work to take next steps, Power told reporters in Belgrade, Serbia's capital.

Power spoke after meeting Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic earlier on Wednesday. From Serbia, Power will travel to Kosovo, a former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008.

Washington and most European Union countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state but Serbia, along with Russia and China, has not. Washington and Brussels have stepped up efforts to help solve the dispute, fearing further instability in Europe as the war rages in Ukraine.

As I said to President Vucic, his commitment to the dialogue with Kosovo, to the cause of normalizing relations with Kosovo, that commitment is extremely important, said Power. And the United States offers its very strong support.

Both Serbia and Kosovo have been told they must normalize relations in order to advance in their intentions to join the EU. The two sides have tentatively agreed to back an EU plan on how to proceed, but tensions continue to simmer.

We discussed how the United States can be helpful in advancing progress on what will be an incredibly important step forward on Serbias European path, said Power.

Power is the first head of the U.S. Agency for International Development to travel to Serbia, which maintains close historical and cultural ties with Russia. She praised Serbia's support to Ukraine, though Belgrade has refused join Western sanctions against Moscow over the war.

The conflict in Kosovo erupted in 1998 when separatist ethnic Albanians rebelled against Serbias rule, and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died. NATOs military intervention in 1999 eventually forced Serbia to pull out of the territory.

As she arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday, Power paid her respects to the schoolchildren who were killed in an elementary school in the city by a fellow student last week. She expressed deepest condolences on behalf of (U.S.) President (Joe) Biden, on behalf of the American people.

Too many Americans, sadly, know the pain you are feeling, a pain that no parent, no child, and no community should ever have to feel, said Power.
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ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistans government called out the military Wednesday in areas roiled by deadly violence following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was dragged from a courtroom and ordered held for another eight days on new corruption charges that outraged his supporters and deepened the countrys political turmoil.

In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the unrest by Khan's supporters damaged sensitive public and private property," forcing him to deploy the military in the capital of Islamabad, the most populous province of Punjab and in volatile regions of the northwest.

After Khan was arrested Tuesday, crowds in Islamabad and other major cities blocked roads, clashed with police, and set fire to police checkpoints and military facilities in violence that left six people dead and hundreds arrested. On Wednesday, protesters stormed a radio station in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Such scenes were never seen by the people of Pakistan, Sharif said, following a Cabinet meeting. "Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.

Calling such attacks unforgivable, he warned that those involved in violence would be given exemplary punishment.

Sharif said Khan was arrested because of his involvement in corruption, and that there was evidence available to back up these charges.

Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year by Sharif, is being held at a police compound in Islamabad. In a temporary court there, a judge ordered the 70-year-old politician detained for at least another eight days, raising the prospect of more unrest.

The military also weighed in with a strongly worded statement, vowing stern action against those seeking to push Pakistan toward a civil war. It called the organized attacks on its installations a black chapter in the countrys political history.

What the eternal enemy of the country could not do for 75 years, this group, wearing a political cloak, in the lust for power, has done it, the statement said, adding that troops had exercised restraint but they will respond to further attacks, and those involved will bear the responsibility.

It said strict action would be taken against those who planned or took part in attacks on military sites. It did not directly name Khan in its statement.

Khan's dramatic arrest Tuesday  he was pulled from a hearing in Islamabad's High Court on one set of charges, only to be arrested on another set  was the latest confrontation to roil Pakistan. He is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in the country, which has also seen interventions by the powerful military over the years. The move comes at a time of economic crisis, when the cash-strapped nation is trying to avoid a default.

Khan's Islamabad appearance was on multiple graft charges brought by police. As he arrived, the courtroom was stormed by dozens of agents from the anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau, backed by paramilitary troops. They broke windows after Khans guards refused to open the door.

The former cricket star has denounced the cases against him, which include corruption and terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by Sharif, his successor, to keep him from returning to power in elections to be held later this year.

Also on Wednesday, police arrested Fawad Chaudhry, Khan's deputy and vice president of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Chaudhry, an outspoken government critic, had insisted that he had been granted legal protection from arrest, and the police did not specify the charges.

The party has appealed for calm, but the country was on high alert. Police were deployed in force, and they placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Khan was held. Despite it, demonstrators Wednesday evening attacked and burned down the office of a senior police officer responsible for the security of the police facilities, including the one where Khan is being held.

His supporters in Peshawar raided a building housing Radio Pakistan, damaging equipment and setting it ablaze, said police official Naeem Khan. Some employees were trapped inside, he said, and police sought to restore order.

In eastern Punjab province, the local government asked the army to step in after authorities said 157 police were injured in clashes with protesters.

Police arrested 945 Khan supporters in eastern Punjab province alone since Tuesday, including Asad Umar and Sarfraz Cheema, two senior leaders of his party.

Pakistans GEO television broadcast video of Khan's appearance before a judge in the police compound, showing him seated in a chair, holding documents. He appeared calm but tired.

In the new charges, Khan was accused of accepting millions of dollars worth of property in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon. The National Accountability Bureau asked to hold him for 14 days, but the tribunal granted eight days.

Khan was finally indicted Wednesday in the original graft case for which he appeared at the Islamabad court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty. In that case, he faced multiple graft charges brought by Islamabad police.

Khans lawyers have challenged the Islamabad arrest and are considering taking it to the countrys Supreme Court.

The National Accountability Bureau has detained and investigated former officials, including former prime ministers, politicians and retired military officers. But some view it as a tool used by those in power, especially the military, to crack down on political opponents. When Khan was in power, his government arrested Shahbaz Sharif, then the opposition leader, through the bureau. Sharif faced multiple corruption cases when he ousted Khan, and the charges were later dropped for lack of evidence.

Mobs angered by the dramatic arrest set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore, and supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad. They did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief Gen. Asim Munir.

Demonstrators also tried to reach the prime minister's residence in Lahore, but were stopped by police. Still others attacked troop vehicles, hitting armed soldiers with sticks.

By morning, police in Lahore said about 2,000 protesters still surrounded the fire-damaged residence of Lt. Gen. Salman Fayyaz Ghani, a top regional commander. They chanted, Khan is our red line and you have crossed it. Ghani and his family were moved to a safer place Tuesday.

The unrest comes as cash-strapped Pakistan is struggling to avoid a default amid stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund for the revival of a bailout. The rupee traded Wednesday at a record 290 to the dollar amid a weekly inflation rate of at least 46%, also a record.

Political stability is linked to economic stability and I don't see any sign of revival of the economy, said Shahid Hasan, a former adviser to Pakistan on economic affairs. He said political leaders should set aside their egos and sit together and think about Pakistan, which is on the verge of a default.

Amid the violence, Pakistans telecommunication authority blocked social media, including Twitter. The government also suspended internet service in Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were canceled Wednesday, and several social media sites remained suspended.

____

Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, contributed.

___

The story has been corrected to show that Imran Khan is 70 years old, not 71.
For nearly a millennium, Windsor Castle has been a chosen home of the British Royal Family, making it the largest and longest-occupied palace in Europe.

On Sunday, one of the largest concert stages ever built was constructed in the de facto backyard of the massive, sprawling medieval castle for a coronation concert celebrating the newly crowned King Charles III.

YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Sitting not far from the royal box  from which king and cohort looked on  Connecticut resident, self-professed anglophile and founder of Highclere Castle Gin Adam Von Gootkin drank it all in.

There was something about being there and listening to 20,000 people sing God Save the King under the shadow of Windsor Castle as the light show is going off and everyone is feeling so patriotic, Von Gootkin said. What an amazing moment in history. The air was electric. Everyone knew this was a moment in human history that would not soon be forgotten.

The crowd sang as night fell over the castle. Images of a waving Union Jack in its bright blues and reds were projected across the castles masonry and temporary stage. A fleet of 1,000 drones were flown with expert choreography to form giant images in the sky. There was a lions head, a giant blue whale and even a clematis flower named the Prince Charles in honor of the kings former title.

JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Tickets for the concert were available through a lottery or by invitation. Von Gootkin got an invite through the Queens Commonwealth Trust, a charity founded by the late Queen Elizabeth that helps foster young leaders and entrepreneurs. Von Gootkin is a board member of the charity.

It was a full-circle moment for Von Gootkin. His maternal family, the Chafees, hail from England. During prohibition in the U.S., the family ran liquor up the Connecticut River to its Middletown hotel. Von Gootkin founded Onyx Spirits, making moonshine, before Highclere. But he wanted to go back to his roots for his next brand.

Im very proud of my British heritage. Ive always felt an affinity for the U.K., he said. I wanted to do my next spirit brand and I thought it would be fun to do it in the U.K. Being in the spirits business is like being a storyteller in a way  bringing to life the beautiful terroir of places around the world.

Von Gootkin found the next story to tell at Highclere Castle. Highclere and its stewards, the Lord and Lady Carnarvon, are the real-life inspiration for the castle and family of Downton Abbey. In another full-circle moment, one of the shows stars, Hugh Bonneville, was the coronation concerts emcee.

Daniel Figueroa IV/Hearst Connecticut Media

The gin Highclere makes is distilled in one of Englands oldest distilleries and uses lavender and citrus botanicals sourced from the castle grounds. The estate, itself, has a number of stories to tell from its 1,300 years of existence. Its halls were frequented by Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonapartes desk sits in the music room and the treaty that formed Canada was conceived between its walls. In the early 20th Century, a former Earl of Carnarvon sponsored the archaeological expedition that uncovered King Tuts tomb.

Von Gootkin and Highclere Gin hope to add to that history with by bringing some to New London flavor to the United Kingdom. Highclere created a cocktail for the coronation, the King Charles. The drink starts with two ounces of Highclere Gin, mixed with a quarter ounce of single-malt scotch and half an ounce each of fresh lemon juice and orange curaco. That gets shaken vigorously before being strained into a coupe glass and garnished with an expression of slightly toasted rosemary for an herbaceous and savory cocktail Van Gootkin called mature and refreshing.

Lisa Nichols / Contributed

The drink is already on the menu at restaurants around the U.S. and was being served in London the day of the coronation.

A dish from the New London restaurant Tuskers was selected in a blind tasting at the Garde Arts Center to accompany the cocktail and be served this summer at the actual Highclere Castle.

The dish, called Golden Krathong, blends Tuskers chef Chanmany Nois Thai and Lao influenes. The dish consists of a crispy wonton shell filled with roasted coconut, grilled shrimp, roasted garlic, mango, cashew and peanut. Its topped with a sauce made of dried shrimp, dried shallots, palm sugar, chili and salt. Its topped with a crispy piece of shallot for a bit more crunch up top.

Daniel Figueroa IV/Hearst Connecticut Media

I liked the flavor of the gin and I wanted to pair it with something that had a little bit of spiciness, a little bit of sour and a little sweet and crispy, Noi said. Another thing for the cocktail is should be easy to eat, handheld. You can have the drink in one hand, food in the other and still socialize.

The dish will also be added to the menu at Tuskers.

Von Gootkin said King Charles, himself, has not tried the cocktail yet, emphasizing the yet.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A former Tennessee nurse who was convicted of homicide last year after a medication error killed a patient argued Tuesday that the state Board of Nursing acted improperly when it revoked her license.

Nurses around the country rallied for RaDonda Vaught during her criminal trial, saying the risk of going to prison for a mistake made nursing intolerable. Vaught was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation.

At the Tuesday hearing at Chancery Court in Nashville, her attorney pointed out that the Department of Health initially reviewed Vaught's errors and concluded the case "did not merit further action" in a 2018 letter. That should have been the end of the review, attorney Peter Strianse argued. Instead, about a year later, the department reversed itself, charging Vaught with unprofessional conduct and eventually revoking her license.

Strianse implied that outside pressure, including the fact that the Nashville district attorney decided to prosecute Vaught, led to the reversal, rather than any new evidence against her. The second review was a kind of improper double jeopardy, he argued.

Whether the second review was improper is a legal question that turns on several factors, including whether the initial review was a quasi-judicial proceeding. Strianse argued that it was. Assistant Attorney General Trent Meriwether, representing the state, argued that it was not.

Meriwether also argued that the second review was proper because it was based on a new complaint.

Nothing stops the Department of Health from choosing to go after the unprofessional conduct on a new complaint at a later date, he said.

Strianse additionally argued that the Board of Nursing hearing where Vaught's license was revoked was unfair. That's because a Vanderbilt University Medical Center doctor who testified to the board that there were no systemic problems with medication dispensing at the time of the fatal accident later wrote a letter to the judge overseeing the criminal trial that seemed to contradict the earlier testimony.

Vaught injected the paralyzing drug vecuronium into 75-year-old Charlene Murphey instead of the sedative Versed on Dec. 26, 2017. Vaught freely admitted to making several errors with the medication that day, but her defense attorney argued that she was not acting outside of the norm and that systemic problems at Vanderbilt were at least partly to blame for the error.

A jury last year found Vaught not guilty of reckless homicide. Instead, they found her guilty of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. She was also found guilty of gross neglect of an impaired adult.

After the Tuesday hearing, Vaught said she would never go back to nursing, even if her license is reinstated, but that she still cares about the profession and has good friends who are nurses.

Vaught said it is concerning that the Health Department and Board of Nursing, which are supposed to be protecting the public, could go so far from one decision to another" in her case.

They went from "'Not only is this not an issue, but were going to go so far as to keep it off of your licensure record to the complete opposite conclusion that You are a threat to public safety, and your license is going to be revoked, Vaught said.
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A Connecticut man has been accused of fraudulently collecting more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits over a seven-month period amid the pandemic while he was still working full-time, officials said.

Marcus Johnson, 41, of Waterbury, was charged Friday with unemployment compensation fraud and first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, the state Division of Criminal Justice said in a news release.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  California will pay a $24 million civil rights settlement to the family of a man who died in police custody after screaming I can't breathe as multiple officers restrained him while trying to take a blood sample, lawyers said Tuesday.

Seven California Highway Patrol officers and a nurse were charged with involuntary manslaughter earlier this year in connection with the 2020 death of Edward Bronstein, age 38.

Annee Della Donna and Eric Dubin, attorneys for Bronstein's young children, said it's the largest civil rights settlement of its kind by the state of California, and the second largest nationally since the city of Minneapolis paid $27 million in the George Floyd case. The attorneys scheduled a news conference in Los Angeles for Wednesday to provide details.

The settlement comes amid renewed scrutiny of potentially fatal restraints following last week's death of a New York City subway rider, Jordan Neely, who was placed in a chokehold by a U.S. Marine veteran. Bronstein's death also echoes that of Eric Garner, a New Yorker put in a chokehold by police in 2014 and whose dying words I cant breathe became a chant in protests against racial injustice. Both Garner and Neely were Black.

The Los Angeles County coroner said Bronsteins death was caused by acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement. The report lists Bronsteins race as white.

Bronstein was taken into custody following a traffic stop on suspicion of driving under the influence on March 31, 2020. He died at a highway patrol station in Altadena, north of downtown Los Angeles, less than two months before Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota as he, too, repeatedly told officers, I cant breathe.

When announcing the criminal charges in March, LA County District Attorney George Gascon said the highway patrol officers failed Bronstein, "and their failure was criminally negligent, causing his death.

A nearly 18-minute video showing the officers treatment of Bronstein was released last year following a judges order in the family's federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and a violation of civil rights.

Family members have said Bronstein was terrified of needles and they believe thats why he was reluctant to comply with the CHP initially as they tried to take a blood sample.

The video, filmed by the sergeant, shows several officers forcing a handcuffed Bronstein to a mat on the floor as he shouts, Ill do it willingly! Ill do it willingly, I promise!

He continues screaming as six officers hold him face-down  the lawsuit alleged they put their knees on his back  and pleads for help.

Its too late, one officer replies. Stop yelling! another shouts.

I cant breathe! and I cant! Bronstein cries, and an officer responds, Just relax and stop resisting!

But Bronsteins voice gets softer and he then falls silent. While he is unresponsive, the nurse continues to draw blood and the officers keep pinning him down.

After they realize he may not have a pulse and does not appear to be breathing, they slap his face and say, Edward, wake up. More than 11 minutes after his last screams, they begin CPR.

Bronstein never regained consciousness and was later pronounced dead.

In a statement, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee extended condolences to the family and said he would respect the judicial process. His office didnt immediately respond Tuesday to request for comment on the settlement.

The officers, who were put on administrative leave in March, face one count each of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of assault under the color of authority. If convicted, they could get up to four years in prison. The registered nurse was also charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Bronsteins death prompted the CHP to change its policies to prevent officers from using techniques or transport methods that involve a substantial risk of positional asphyxia, the agency said. Additional training was also ordered for uniformed officers.

In September 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law barring police from using certain face-down holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths. The bill was aimed at expanding on the states ban on chokeholds in the wake of Floyds murder.
NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain under seal.

The people could not publicly discuss specific details of the case until it is unsealed and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The unsealing would happen when Santos appears in court, which could come as soon as Wednesday.

Reached on Tuesday, Santos said, This is news to me.

Youre the first to call me about this, he said in a brief phone interview.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment. The charges were first reported by CNN.

The New York Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees and a history as a star volleyball player. Serious questions about his finances also surfaced  including the source of what he claimed was a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands of dollars in back rent.

Santos has resisted calls to resign and recently announced he was running for reelection. He said his lies about his life story, which included telling people he had jobs at several global financial firms and a lavish real estate portfolio, were harmless embellishments of his resume.

Pressure on him to quit, though, has been intense. Reporters and members of the public hounded him. He was mocked on social media and late-night television. Fellow New York Republicans demanded he resign, saying he had betrayed voters and his own party with his lies.

Nassau County prosecutors and the New York attorney generals office had previously said they were looking into possible violations of the law.

Besides questions about his life story, Santos campaign spending stoked scrutiny because of unusual payments for travel, lodging and other items.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and urged regulators to investigate Santos. The mountain of lies Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should prompt the commission to thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money.

In his filings with the FEC, Santos initially said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000  money he claimed came from a family company.

Yet, the wealth necessary to make those loans seems to have emerged from nowhere. In a financial disclosure statement filed with the clerk of the U.S. House in 2020, Santos said he had no assets and an annual income of $55,000.

His company, the Devolder Organization, wasnt incorporated until spring 2021. Yet last September, Santos filed another financial disclosure form reporting that this new company, incorporated in Florida, had paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, plus another $1 million to $5 million in dividends. In one interview, Santos described the Devolder Organization as a business that helped rich people buy things like yachts and aircraft.

Court records indicate Santos was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens between 2014 and 2017 because of unpaid rent.

Some Republicans, including those in his district, have sharply castigated Santos for his dishonesty. The Nassau County Republican Committee, which had supported his candidacy, said it would not support Santos for reelection.

Santos lost his first race for Congress in 2020 but ran again in 2022 and won in a district that is in the suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.

A local newspaper, the North Shore Leader, had raised issues about Santos background before the election but it was not until a few weeks after the election that the depth of his duplicity became public.

The New York Times reported that companies where Santos claimed to have worked, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, had no record of him having been an employee. Baruch College, where Santos claimed to have gotten a degree in finance and economics, said he hadnt been a student.

Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has also come under question, including claims that his grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.

During his campaign, he referred to himself as a proud American Jew.

Confronted with questions about that story, Santos, a Roman Catholic, said he never intended to claim Jewish heritage.

The Times also uncovered records in Brazil that show Santos, when he was 19, was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop in the city of Niteroi, which is near Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

___

Amiri reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri lawmakers approved two bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming health care for minors, and prevent transgender girls and women from participating on female sports teams. But Kansas City was preparing to defy the state, with its City Council set to vote on creating a sanctuary for people seeking gender-affirming treatment.

Transgender minors in Missouri would no longer have access to puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery under one bill passed by the Republican-led House. The ban affects some adults  Medicaid health care wont cover any gender-affirming care in the state, and surgery will no longer be available to prisoners and inmates.

Another bill bans transgender student-athletes from joining girls and womens teams from kindergarten through college, both at public and private schools. Schools that allow transgender girls and women to play on such teams would lose state funding.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign both bills, which would expire in 2027 thanks to concessions made through Republican negotiations with Senate Democrats.

Democrats wept during the House debate.

To deny these children care is to deny them their very existence, Rep. Joe Adams said.

The ACLU of Missouri said the two measures amount to weaponization of the government.

Missouris bans come amid a national push by conservatives to put restrictions on transgender and nonbinary people, which alongside abortion has become a major theme of state legislative sessions this year.

When you have kids being surgically and or chemically altered for life for no good reason, yes, its time for the government to get involved, Republican Rep. Brad Hudson told colleagues on the House floor Wednesday.

The governor had threatened to keep lawmakers working beyond the normal end of their session if they didnt approve the gender-affirming care ban, which would take effect Aug. 28. The ban includes exceptions for minors already getting such treatments.

Republican State Rep. Chris Sander, who is gay, said hes considering leaving his party after most of his GOP colleagues voted for the bills without allowing him to speak against them on the House floor.

Its not a partisan thing to be gay or trans, Sander, who represents the Kansas City suburb of Lone Jack, told reporters after the vote. It has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat. They want to make it about party politics by zipping my lips.

As the bills cleared the Republican-controlled Legislature, a City Council committee in Kansas City opened a hearing on a resolution to designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care.

Supporters acknowledged that the city could face retaliation from the state.

But council member Melissa Robinson said, I do believe in good trouble, and this might just be one of those lines of good trouble.

The committee approved the resolution, forwarding it to the full council, which plans to consider it Thursday.

The proposed resolution says the city wouldn't prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone receive gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery. It also says city personnel will make enforcing requirements against gender-affirming care their lowest priority.

It would minimize the legal violence toward trans people in accessing gender-affirming care, Merrique Jenson, a transgender woman and founder of a nonprofit that advocates for trans women of color, told the council committee.

At least 16 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and several states are still considering bills this year to restrict or ban care, creating uncertainty for many families. Florida and Texas have banned or restricted the care via regulations or administrative orders, and a bill to restrict care is on Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

At least 21 other states have passed restrictions on transgender athletes participation in sports.

California, Minnesota and Washington have declared themselves sanctuary states for gender-affirming care, as have the cities of Chicago; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and West Hollywood, California.

Missouris Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, now campaigning for the 2024 election, launched an investigation in February into St. Louis Washington University Transgender Center. A former staffer had complained that doctors were prescribing hormones too quickly and without enough mental health wraparound services. An internal Washington University review found no malpractice.

Bailey has since expanded his investigation to any clinic offering pediatric gender-affirming care in Missouri, and demanded records from a St. Louis Planned Parenthood where doctors provide such health care.

In April, Bailey took the novel step of imposing restrictions on adults as well as children under Missouris consumer-protection law. A judge temporarily blocked the limits from taking effect as she considers a legal challenge.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Also contributing was Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  A man convicted of killing and sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman in separate South Florida attacks in 1984 is set to be executed next month under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Duane Owen's execution is set for June 15 at 6 p.m. It's the fourth execution scheduled in Florida this year after a break dating back to 2019. Donald Dillbeck was executed in February, and Louis Bernard Gaskin was executed in April. Darryl B. Barwick was executed earlier this month.
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HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Two transgender children, their parents and two health care providers filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that a Montana law that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth is unconstitutional.

The ban on puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgical procedures applies only to transgender youth being treated for gender dysphoria, but that same care can be provided to cisgender adolescents for any other purpose, according to the complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Montana and Lambda Legal.

The ban serves no purpose other than to intentionally burden a transgender person's ability to seek necessary care to align their body with their gender identity, the complaint states. It asks a state judge to block enforcement of the law, which is to take effect on Oct. 1.

The new law provides commonsense protections for Montana children  who cant even enter into contracts or buy cigarettes or alcohol  from harmful, life-altering medications and surgeries," said Emily Flower, spokesperson for Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Opposition to the bill by Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr  the first openly transgender female lawmaker to serve in the Montana Legislature  triggered a series of events that eventually led to her being banned from the House floor for the final days of the 2023 session.

The Republican-controlled Montana Legislature passed the bill and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it late last month. Montana is one of at least 16 states with laws to ban such care, despite protests from the families of transgender youth that the care is essential.

It is mentally and physically painful to feel like you are trapped in the wrong body, Jessica van Garderen, the mother of a 16-year-old transgender daughter, said in a statement. Going through puberty for the wrong sex is like having your body betray you on a daily basis. The only treatment we have found to be effective and give our daughter hope again is hormone therapy.

Taking away this crucial medical care is inhumane and a violation of our rights, van Garderen said.

The complaint argues that the new law interferes with parental rights and is unconstitutional because it violates the plaintiffs' right to privacy, their right to seek health care and the right to human dignity.

Supporters of the ban, including bill sponsor Republican Sen. John Fuller, said minors should not be allowed to undergo irreversible, life-changing procedures before they are adults and are old enough to understand the consequences and give legal permission.

Just living as a trans teenager is difficult enough, the last thing me and my peers need is to have our rights taken away," plaintiff Phoebe Cross, a 15-year-old transgender boy, said in a statement. The blatant disrespect for my humanity and existence is deeply unsettling.

Under the new law, health care providers who provide such care could lose their medical licenses for at least a year and be subject to lawsuits for up to 25 years after any treatment was provided.

The bill also prohibits public money, such as Medicaid, from being used to pay for such care.

Federal judges in Alabama and Arkansas have blocked laws that sought to ban gender-affirming care. The Department of Justice joined a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of transgender parents and their children against a similar ban in Tennessee.
PARIS (AP)  Colleagues of Arman Soldin, the Agence France-Presse journalist slain in Ukraine, gathered solemnly at the press agencys Paris headquarters on Wednesday, a day after his death, to remember the 32-year old.

A widely broadcast photo of Soldin, pictured in protective gear and smiling broadly with a cat on his shoulder, has plucked at the heartstrings of the French nation.

Arman was so enthusiastic, so energetic, so alive that it seems unreal to be here and talk about it this morning, said Juliette Hollier-Larousse, the agency's deputy news director.

Soldin, who was working as the Ukraine video coordinator, was killed in a Grad rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. He was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire. The rest of the team escaped uninjured.

The Paris prosecutors office, which handles counterterrorism cases, said Wednesday evening that it was launching an inquiry into war crimes over the journalist's death.

At the editorial meeting, AFP news director Phil Chetwynd said that the shock reverberated across the whole company, saying that Arman was someone who is loved by his colleagues.

To lose him in these circumstances is incredibly painful for all of us, Chetwynd said, even though we all know the risks."

Chetwynd said the logistical priority now was to return Soldin's body to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, so we can safely take it out of the country and return it home to his family.

He added: "Its just something we never, ever want to have to contact the family about. It goes to some of our worst fears and concerns. So really, all our thoughts are with his family today.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said in a Telegram update that Soldin was killed near Chasiv Yar, a western suburb of the embattled city of Bakhmut.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the wars longest battle.

I sympathize with the family and friends of the journalist and thank all who, risking their own lives, continue to tell the truth about our war, Kyrylenko said.

Tributes have come from far and wide for the Sarajevo-born journalist, who lived for many years in France. Denis Becirovic, a member of the Bosnian presidency, called him a journalist dedicated to his profession who since the beginning of Russian aggression on Ukraine bravely reported to the public about events from this country.

Becirovic also called Armans death a painful reminder to dangers posed to journalists and media workers in areas caught up in war.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna paid a brief but emotional tribute to Soldin while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

I remember him..." she said, pausing before continuing. "I dont want to say things that are too personal, but he notably covered my last visit to Kyiv. I want to pay homage not only to his courage, but to the work that you do, which is indispensable for us to know the reality of the facts, for us to know the truth of what is happening in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Max Blain, spokesman for U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, paid tribute to Soldin's work in Ukraine.

Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Armans work was vital to that. Any death in this needless invasion is tragic and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost loved ones during this conflict, he said.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Sievierodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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Connecticut is among the New England states seeing hazy conditions today due to wildfires burning in Western Canada.

WALTER TYCHNOWICZ/AFP via Getty Images

Nutmeggers may be seeing opaque skies due to a mix of clouds and smoke from wildfires currently active in Alberta, Canada according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Satellite imagery from the National Weather Service shows the path of the smoke from Western Canada moving east over New England.
FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP)  A current and a former sheriff's deputy in Virginia have been indicted on assault charges following the death of a 77-year-old man with dementia who was injured during his arrest after a traffic stop.

Zachary Fadely, a former deputy in the Warren County Sheriffs Office, is charged with malicious wounding. Tyler Poe, who remains employed by the sheriffs office, faces a less serious felony charge of unlawful wounding.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. is putting new restrictions into place at its southern border to try to to stop migrants from crossing illegally and encourage them instead to apply for asylum online through a new process.

The changes come with the end of coronavirus restrictions on asylum that have allowed the U.S. to quickly turn back migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border for the past three years. Those restrictions are known as Title 42, because the authority comes from Title 42 of a 1944 public health law allowing curbs on migration in the name of protecting public health.

Disinformation has swirled and confusion has set in during the transition. A look at the new rules (and the old ones):

WHAT IS TITLE 42 AND WHAT DID IT DO?

Title 42 is the name of an emergency health authority. It was a holdover from President Donald Trump's administration and began in March 2020. The authority allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants who came to the U.S.-Mexico border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Before that, migrants could cross illegally, ask for asylum and be allowed into the U.S. They were then screened and often released to wait out their immigration cases.

Under Title 42, migrants were returned over the border and denied the right to seek asylum. U.S. officials turned away migrants more than 2.8 million times. Families and children traveling alone were exempt.

But there were no real consequences when someone illegally crossed the border. So migrants were able to try again and again to cross, on the off chance they would get into the U.S.

President Joe Biden initially kept Title 42 in place after he took office, then tried to end its use in 2022. Republicans sued, arguing the restrictions were necessary for border security. Courts had kept the rules in place. But the Biden administration announced in January that it was ending national COVID-19 emergencies, and so the border restrictions have now gone away.

Biden has said the new changes are necessary, in part because Congress has not passed immigration reform in decades.

SO WHATS HAPPENING NEXT?

The Title 42 restrictions lifted at 11:59 p.m. EDT Thursday.

The Biden administration has put into place a series of new policies cracking down on illegal crossings. The administration says it's trying to stop people from paying smuggling operations to make a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Now there will be strict consequences. Migrants caught crossing illegally will not be allowed to return for five years and can face criminal prosecution if they do.

NEW ASYLUM RULES

Under U.S. and international law, anyone who comes to the U.S. can ask for asylum. People from all over the world travel to the U.S-Mexico border to seek asylum. They are screened to determine whether they have a credible fear of persecution in their homeland. Their case then goes to the immigration court system to determine if they can stay in the U.S., but that process can take years. Usually they are released into the U.S. to wait out their cases.

The Biden administration is now turning away anyone seeking asylum who didnt first seek protection in a country they traveled through, or first applied online. This is a version of a Trump administration policy that was overturned by the courts. Advocacy groups sued to block the new rule minutes before it took effect.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco by the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies and other groups, alleges the Biden administration doubled down on the policy proposed by Trump that the same court rejected. The Biden administration has said its new rule is substantially different.

WHOS ALLOWED IN?

The U.S. has said it will accept up to 30,000 people per month from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba as long as they come by air, have a sponsor and apply online first. The government also will allow up to 100,000 people from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras into the U.S. who have family here if they, too, apply online. Border officials will otherwise deport people, including turning 30,000 per month from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba who will be sent back over the border to Mexico.

Other migrants also may be allowed in if they apply through the CBP One app. Right now, 740 people per day have been allowed in using the app, which is being increased to 1,000 per day.

WHAT ABOUT FAMILIES?

Families crossing the border illegally will be subject to curfews and the head of household will have to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet. Immigration officials will try to determine within 30 days whether a family can stay in the U.S. or be deported. Usually the process would take years.

The Biden administration considered detaining families until they cleared initial asylum screenings but opted instead for the curfews, which will run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and begin soon in Baltimore; Chicago; Newark, New Jersey; and Washington, D.C., according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not intended to be public. Families who do not appear for their screening interviews will be picked up by immigration authorities and deported.

OVERCROWDING

Border Patrol stations are meant to house migrants temporarily and dont have capacity to hold the volume of people coming. Some stations are already too crowded. As a result, agents began releasing migrants into the U.S. with instructions to appear at an immigration office within 60 days or face deportation.

Agents were told to begin releases in any area where holding facilities were at 125% capacity or the average time in custody exceeded 60 hours. They also were told to start releases if 7,000 migrants were taken into custody across the entire border in any one day.

Thats already happened, with some 10,000 people taken into custody on Tuesday. This could create problems for Biden administration officials trying to crack down on those entering the country.

Florida filed a lawsuit claiming the releases violate an earlier court ruling. Late Thursday, a federal judge agreed and at least temporarily halted the administrations plan for releases. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that it would comply with the court order, while also calling it a harmful ruling that will result in unsafe overcrowding ... and undercut our ability to efficiently process and remove migrants.

MIGRATION HUBS

U.S. officials plan to open 100 regional migration hubs across the Western Hemisphere, where people can seek placement in other countries, including Canada and Spain.

There will be hubs in Colombia and Guatemala, but it's not clear where others will be or when they will be up and running.

___

Associated Press Writers Rebecca Santana in Washington and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
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NEW HAVEN  City and Yale University police both will have increased presence in the neighborhood where police said a Yale graduate student sleeping at home was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by an unfamiliar man early Tuesday.

But New Haven Chief Karl Jacobson said the city takes sexual assault and other violent crime seriously anywhere it happens  and both Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker said New Haven largely is a safe place.

"We have a safe city" and "we're responding to this in the same way we'd respond to a sexual assault anywhere else in the city ... whether it's in Newhallville or the Hill or Fair Haven," said Jacobson.

An incident like the one that reportedly happened early Tuesday in the 300 block of Elm Street  just steps off the Broadway shopping district between Broadway and Howe Street  "is very rare, and we're doing everything (we) can to catch this person," Jacobson said.

"We have 136,000 people in our city" and things happen, said Elicker. "... But the message here is not 'lock your doors, lock your windows, do not go outside.' The message here is, 'do not be afraid.' ... This is predominantly a safe city."

City detectives, who are taking the lead in the investigation, responded and collected potential evidence, said Jacobson. Anyone with any information is asked to contact New Haven police, he said.

The student, whose sex and age were not disclosed, awoke around 2 a.m. Tuesday to find the unknown suspect pointing a gun at them, Anthony Campbell, chief of the Yale Police Department, wrote in a message emailed to members of the Yale community.

The man attacked the student before fleeing the scene, said Campbell, former chief of the New Haven Police Department. Campbell said New Haven police, aided by Yale police, are investigating the assault. In response to the incident, Yale police are increasing patrols in the area, Campbell said.

The assault took place in the 300 block of Elm Street, according to Campbell. University spokesperson Karen Peart described the home as an off-campus apartment.

"We believe there was some form of forced entry," said Jacobson.

The student was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, said Campbell. He did not provide any information about the extent of the students injuries.

Peart said resources are available through Yale to those seeking support.

Julie Dahlquist, who is both a Yale employee and the mother of a Yale undergraduate who was in the process of moving into an apartment in the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, was not at ease with the situation as she walked along Elm Street.

"It's of extreme concern," said Dahlquist, who as an employee received an email about the assault. "Anytime there's an assault" inside someone's apartment, it's a concern, she said. "It's concerning to me that (the resident) was inside" their own apartment.

"As a parent of a Yale undergraduate students, that's extremely concerning to me," Dahlquist said. "Whatever Yale can do to make this and surrounding areas safe, they should do."

Martha Kahlson, a visiting graduate student fellow at Yale from Stanford University, took it more in stride, saying, "I always lock my door, but usually I don't feel like it's necessary."

Now it feels necessary, although most of the time she is not worried, Kahlson said.

"I'm street smart, but I don't live in fear," although "I have a lot of friends who are hyper-vigilant" and "I think the person this happened to is probably going to live in fear" for a long time, she said.

Elsewhere along Elm Street, a little closer to Howe Street and the Dwight neighborhood, Yale undergraduate Marc Gonzalez, who was getting ready to leave for the summer, said the attack was a cause for concern for him.

"It's really scary because it happened so close," and because it can happen even if "you do everything right," Gonzalez said.

Leah Kang, a professional dog walker whose partner is a Yale student, said the attack in the neighborhood made her worry.

"I feel like a lot of stuff happens around here," said Kang, originally from Orange County in California, as she walked Freddie, a close-to-the-ground dachshund along Elm Street near Lynwood Place. But while the attack concerns her, it does so "not that much," she said.
WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lake Charles LA

507 PM CDT Tue May 9 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern

Cameron, southwestern Calcasieu Parishes in southwestern Louisiana

and east central Orange Counties through 545 PM CDT...

At 507 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7

miles north of Sabine National Wildlife, moving north at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...

Orange, West Orange, Vinton, Toomey, Carlyss and Hackberry.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 10 in Texas near mile marker 880.

Interstate 10 in Louisiana between mile markers 1 and 9.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 3006 9376 3012 9372 3013 9370 3019 9356

3014 9335 2995 9347 2992 9368

TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 171DEG 11KT 3001 9359

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Great Rooms A visual diary by Design Editor Wendy Goodman. Photo: Lucas Michael

Sculptor Hannah Levys mother was an architect, and perhaps because of this, I was always interested in design and the way that we interact with objects that we are most familiar with, she says.

Not that you would find her welded organic sculptures entirely familiar. Some of her work is influenced by architects like Hector Guimard, who is probably best known for his Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro. I really like playing with the interaction of two materials and how something soft might mate with or resist something hard, she says.

Levy grew up in Morningside Heights, then went to Cornell. In the summer of 2012, while she was an undergraduate, she learned welding at the Polich Tallix, a fine-art foundry in upstate Rock Tavern. I think that for physically making things, you learn by doing, she says. She then completed a postgraduate program in art at the Stadelschule in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2015.

When she moved back to the city, she did her welding in a communal space in Brooklyn but also kept a studio in the South Bronx. In late 2018, which was also a big year of shows for her  in Dusseldorf, Dublin, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Brooklyn, Savannah, and Milwaukee  Levy moved into her current studio. Actually, it was a group project: She took over a floor of this building with ten friends, each carving out their own space. (Among her co-habitants for a while was Hugh Hayden.)

She expanded her portion of the floor in 2020 to 1,400 square feet. Now, she can work on different components of her sculptures in the same space, separated by a wall, which means that when she is welding metal, the dust can fly in one area while, in the other, the gooey silicone material she uses to make molds stays free of it. Its really exciting, she says, because now I have assistants who sand things for me a lot  I could never have somebody helping me sand and be working on the mold side of things at the same time. It gave her more room to maneuver: All of my previous work was modular, so you could take it apart and screw it back together, which makes sense for shipping, but it doesnt all have to be modular now.

In her latest show, Crutch, which closed April 29 at Casey Kaplan Gallery, there were two pieces that have this caged glass in them, Levy says, and those are based on this device called the Hoyer lift, which is meant to lift people who are bedbound from one space to another. Levy works with a glass artisan to produce elements of these sculptures. The polished bars with molded glass pieces you first encounter on walking in to her Casey Kaplan show were installed at the height of ballet bars, and again they reference ADA bars that might exist in a bathroom or staircase, she says. I think that some designers think of as a hindrance rather than an opportunity for creativity, so it was fun to think of it as an opportunity.

One Studio Is for Casting  Photo: Lucas Michael

(1) Silicone Mold: It is the size and shape of one of the pieces I showed in Venice last year but did not end up using.

(2) Pulley: I originally installed it while working on a series of chandelier sculptures.

(3) Casts of Her Friends Feet: Used to design the shoe elements of her stilt sculptures.

 And the Other, Next Door, is for Welding Photo: Lucas Michael

(4) Bench Sander

(5) Drill-Press Machine

(6) Sculpture, Part One: The metal armature for a piece going to Art Basel. (7) Sculpture, Part Two: The slumped glass portion of the same piece.
Classes are canceled at South Eugene High School on Wednesday after it went on lock-down due to receiving two threatening phone calls from a male.

The first threat came in as a bomb threat and was the same message the school received last week. The second call came from a man who said he was at the school in a bathroom with a shotgun and handgun, according to a Eugene Police Department press release.

The calls were made at 9:28 a.m. and 9:32 a.m. The threats are similar to those made in a call to EPD on May 3, which also caused the school to evacuate, according to a EPD press release. EPD found no threat to the school after a search of the campus last week.

Eugene Police responded to the school and completed an initial clearing of the building. Students were evacuated after EPD searched the building.

Metro Explosives Disposal Units have been notified to begin coordinating for an additional search of the school.

Similar threats have been reported to other schools in Washington and California with nothing verified so far, according to EPD.

Update: Students were evacuated to Kidsports, and students needing transportation support are advised to go to Kidsports. There will be no releases from South Eugene High School, according to EPD.

Editors note: This is a developing story. Stay with us for updates.
They say the definition of a bore is someone who feels the need to tell you everything. In which case Graham Smith is one of life's ocean-going, chateau-bottled wet blankets.

Mr Smith, in case you were lucky enough to have missed it, is the unsmiling chief executive of anti-monarchist group Republic who, rather than simply ignore Saturday's coronation festivities like most people who aren't enamoured with the royals, chose to toddle along to Trafalgar Square to try to spoil the fun.

That is the traditional tactic of the Class A bore, you see  to try to suck all joy from life. It's how they operate. It's what they do.

Unfortunately for Mr Smith, before he'd even had time to scream some doubtlessly wit-filled soundbite from his rusty megaphone, he and five of his Republic stooges had found themselves being arrested, a move police have now admitted might have been a little de trop.

And, boy, haven't we've heard about it. Thanks to Smith, precious few have been spared the details of his ordeal, be it on television, radio or his over-active Twitter account. The way he's carried on these past 48 hours, one would think here was some sort of latter-day Rosa Parks.

Graham Smith (pictured) is the unsmiling chief executive of anti-monarchist group Republic

Parliament is chock-a-block with yawn-inducing crashers so naturally plenty of like-minded MPs rallied to Smith's defence yesterday.

The issue was raised in the Commons via an Urgent Question from Joanna Cherry QC (SNP, Edinburgh SW) whose whole-hearted support for Smith barely requires comment.

Responding for the Government was Chris Philp, the tightly buttoned policing minister who always wears a slightly put-upon expression. Imagine a flustered air steward dealing with a passenger complaining about the lack of a vegetarian meal option and you're pretty much there.

Philp explained the Coronation had been a 'once in a lifetime event', which the police were responsible for passing off safely.

They had received specific intelligence about plots ahead of the big day. Some idiots planned to throw paint over the procession. Others were apparently preparing to spook the horses involved with rape alarms. Hideous.

Given such threats, most sensible-minded voters probably understand the need for police to exercise caution.

Strange, then, that so many moderate Labour MPs chose to accuse the police and the Government of being heavy-handed.

Dame Diana Johnson (Lab, Hull N) attacked the Government's new Public Order Act which had allowed the police to make their arrests.

Mr Smith attending an anti-monarchy protest prior back in March 2023

Not that Labour would repeal it, of course. Heavens, no  they could be the ones having to deal with the eco mob soon.

Hilary Benn (Lab, Leeds Central) worried the arrests had damaged trust between police and protesters in the future. Boo hoo, I hear you cry.

Twit of the day went to Kirsten Oswald (SNP, E Renfrewshire), who claimed the arrests made London resemble Moscow. Which might have been funny had it not been so insulting to the innocent saps currently languishing in Putin's jails.

Needless to say, the Corbynite wing were out in force. Any excuse to moan about the monarchy. If they'd had their way William and Kate would be working the salt mines by now.

Clive Lewis (Lab, Norwich S) reckoned the Public Order Act had been rushed through the House without proper scrutiny. 'Absolute nonsense,' blurted Philp.

There had been 'extensive ping-pong' debating the Bill in the chamber 'which I do not recall him turning up to,' he said, nodding in Lewis's direction. Well, well, well.

John McDonnell (Lab, Hayes) wearily rose to his feet to express concern over a journalist who was arrested. Old man McDonnell sticking up for journalists? That's a first.

Corbyn himself was there. After launching into one of his doddery rants, he walked over to where his old friend McDonnell sat, whereupon a lengthy consultation between these two spent volcanoes took place concerning their mobile telephones.

Cue much quizzical arching of eyebrows and scratching of foreheads. Searching for the On button, perhaps. Either that or they were working out how to log on to Russia Today.
For 200 years, the Oxford Union has played host to prime ministers and presidents, pop stars, prodigies and polymaths. Once, it was a matter of honour that this august debating society invited speakers to challenge the comfortable views of cosseted students.

But times have changed.

A visit to the chamber by academic Kathleen Stock has prompted an outpouring of distress, with the Union forced to offer 'welfare resources' to help the little darlings cope.

What monstrous opinions does Stock hold? She has 'gender-critical views'  she questions the typically Left-wing orthodoxy that biological sex is not at all important, and what gender an individual feels they are is the only thing that really matters.

Because of these views, shared by millions, Stock was 'cancelled' and quit her professorship at Sussex University in 2021. Now she faces a fresh campaign from undergraduates determined to prevent her from speaking.

For 200 years, the Oxford Union has played host to prime ministers and presidents, pop stars, prodigies and polymaths

The row exposes a terrible truth. Former Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillan called the Oxford Union 'the last bastion of free speech'. But that bastion has crumbled, as Oxford's shrill students try  and often succeed  in silencing anyone whose opinions differ from their own.

I graduated from Cambridge in 2020. During my three years at the university, I gazed open-mouthed at the increasingly ridiculous parade of hypocrisy and virtue-signalling that now rules university life.

So I am not even slightly surprised by the Stock affair. What shocks me, instead, is that she was invited in the first place: few people holding even remotely controversial views are permitted to air them nowadays in our top universities.

A raft of leading names have been banned from speaking at Cambridge in recent years, from rock star Canadian philosopher Professor Jordan Peterson to historian Andrew Graham-Dixon and even veteran feminist Germaine Greer.

Only last Friday, a rabble of Cambridge students protested the visit of Simon Fanshawe, the co-founder of the gay-rights group Stonewall, who also has gender-critical views, by walking out of his lecture while brandishing the transgender flag. Outside, others did their best to disrupt Fanshawe's speech by banging drums and shaking the doors to the building.

Increasingly, everything that once made Oxbridge respected the world over is at risk from this woke fanaticism. Of course, to disagree with 'gender-critical' views is fine, but banning speech and debate is not the way to go about it.

I've seen how these two universities are increasingly no longer seats of learning, but of indoctrination. The brainwashing is systematic: all students are made aware of it from the day they arrive. I had my first warning a week before I matriculated, when a friend who was also beginning university life attended a compulsory 'consent workshop' and another on 'unconscious bias'.

These courses are distasteful and humiliating: dry and condescending chats on sexual protocols and racism.

Some find this merely frustrating. I felt insulted to be treated as a potential sex criminal or racist, even if some aspects were interesting.

Yet I am lucky I didn't feel inclined to protest. My friend did  and was immediately suspended. For writing an article in a small periodical that dared to assert both that he would never dream of forcing his attentions on a woman and that questioned how the courses had been run, he was barred from college for a week.

It was a wretched start to his university career.

Far from being an arena for free debate, I soon learnt that Cambridge was a town where the wise kept their opinions to themselves.

I loved the social side of university life, the opportunities for sport and the chance to be friends with so many people. But wrongthink was a very real crime. Emboldened by what I saw as a battle to help reclaim free speech, I joined the Cambridge University Conservative Association and by my second year became chairman.

I did not anticipate the furious reaction. Walking around Cambridge, it was often hard not to feel that my card had been marked.

Once, in a nightclub, I was attacked by a woman I didn't know. Unprovoked, she hurled a drink over me and called me various unprintable things as well as the worst insult she knew: 'Tory!'

Then she slapped me full in the face, hard enough to send me staggering. My crime, in her eyes, was merely holding centre-Right views.

What infuriated me most was that this woman believed she had the right to attack me. Indeed, she was convinced that her act of violence made her a good person.

Kathleen Stock resigned from her Professorship at Sussex University after controversy over her views on gender and trans issues

Needless to say, the dishonesty of the hard Left is not restricted to Oxbridge. But in the minds of the privileged, pampered, highly educated young, it takes on an ugly new light. Convinced above all of their own rectitude, they believe all tactics are justified.

I have no doubt there are plenty of students at Oxford who disagree with the pitiful attempts to stop Kathleen Stock from speaking. But they are too afraid to speak up.

And it's not just the trans debate. Other skirmishes in the culture wars, often imported from America, play out at Oxbridge in occasionally ludicrous forms.

For example, the British Left has a loathing for firearms. While a source of great contention across the pond, of course, thankfully the debate barely registers here.

Rifle shooting, which is subject to stringent safeguards, is an Olympic sport. I was a keen target shooter, and offered to promote the club at a Freshers Fair in my second year.

The Cambridge Union's officers, who oversee the fair, were horrified when we brought a decommissioned rifle as part of our display. This wasn't a working gun  its firing pin had been removed, and in any case we had no ammunition. The rifle was bolted to the table: it was as dangerous as a broomstick.

But we were forbidden from unpacking it. Why? We were told undergraduates who saw the rifle might suffer from the effects of 'microaggression'. The club chairman was informed, without irony, that he should have supplied 'a trigger warning'.

I recall a friend having invited a former MEP, a Brexiteer, to address the Conservative Association. (He has asked me not name him.)

With 24 hours' notice, the college due to host the MEP told me the event couldn't go ahead unless I hired a team of security guards to keep attendees safe.

Safe from what? I was told that students had claimed the MEP's politics were tantamount to inciting 'violence'. His ideas were physically dangerous, in other words.

The officials knew what they were doing. I had no hope of employing a security team at such short notice, even if the Association had had the funds. The talk had to be cancelled  which was their intention all along.

The medieval cloisters of Oxford and Cambridge are meant to be serious seats of learning. But YouTubers, social media influencers and Love Island contestants have all found themselves welcome to address the two Unions recently, while only last Thursday, a former porn star spoke at the Oxford Union without any student protest or any need for 'welfare resources'.

The students need to grow up. In trying to silence Kathleen Stock, they have convinced themselves they can never be wrong.

That's how cults work, and they have Oxbridge in their grip.
Belted coat. Hear those two words and what springs to mind? Ali McGraw in her camel wool iteration in 1970s Love Story, or maybe Anne Hathaway in pristine cream in 2006s The Devil Wears Prada?

Regardless, its undoubtedly being worn by a woman who positively oozes chic.

Yet the once-humble belted coat has now cemented its place in public consciousness as the epitome of classic taste - and is de rigeur for royals.

It is a staple item in the recent fashion move dubbed by insiders as quiet luxury.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex with Prince Harry on the day of their engagement in November 2017. Meghan wore the cream Line the Label belted wrap coat. It sold out within minutes of her appearance

Meghan looks radiant in this deep red Sentaler belted wrap coat on a visit to Birkenhead in 2019. Here, she has it elegantly belted up against the cold January air

Prince Harry and Meghan with her Sentaler wrap coat unbelted to show a stunning purple dress underneath in 2019

Spearheaded by a group of perennially-chic, timeless designers (think The Row, Saint Laurent, MaxMara), quiet luxury favours natural fabrics, tailoring, and quality. No garish logos or fleeting trends here.

While the Princess of Wales enjoys a belted coat from time to time, it is the Duchess of Sussex who has relied upon their easy elegance (particularly those in wrap styles) to take her through many events  and with good reason.

The belted wrap coat first gained popularity in the 1920s amongst flappers embracing androgyny. Isnt a belted coat made to highlight the figure, I hear you say? Well, yes. But originally, this was the male figure: the belted coat was born at a time when men still highlighted their waists. Suit trousers sat flatteringly high  no exposed underpants here, thank you very much.

An amalgamation of the Norfolk jackets made popular in the 1860s for shooting (a single-breasted tweed jacket with box pleats and a belt) and the trench coats made by Burberry for British army officers during World War I, look no further than Richard Gere in 1980s American Gigolo for the perfect example of how smart a belted coat can look on a man.

And for women today, a belted coat offers a balanced fusion of masculinity and femininity. The boxy silhouette reminiscent of military uniforms combines with a highlighted waist in the ultimate cool-meets-smart cocktail.

For the royals, a belted coat allows them to look smart but not stuffy, tailored but not rigid. Approachable. No wonder Meghan chose a cream belted wrap coat by Canadian designer Line the Label to announce her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017.

And a camel design by another Canadian brand, this time Sentaler (the Princess of Wales wore a different belted coat by the same designer in 2016) for another oh-so-important occasion: her first Christmas at Sandringham that same year.

So fit-for-purpose was Meghans Sentaler coat that she wore it again in October 2019 to attend the WellChild awards in London. You know somethings good when you buy it in two colours and Meghan did just that, debuting the same coat in red for a visit to Birkenhead in January 2019.

Part of the belted coats appeal is that its an outfit in itself  the fact it closes so snugly means the clothing underneath is barely visible. In Birkenhead, Meghan left her coat open to reveal the beautiful purple colour of her dress underneath (and perhaps to not constrict her baby bump), but on other occasions, she tightly belts them for a dressier effect, such as when arriving in Wellington in October 2018 in a checked coat by New Zealand designer Karen Walker.

The coat was appropriate for both the joy of arriving in Wellington and the solemnity of the laying of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior that Meghan and Harry carried out shortly after.

Princess Diana looking effortlessly chic wearing a Caroline Charles belted wrap coat during a visit to Wandsworth in December 1982

Kate wore a Hobbs London's Lori Wool Cashmere Belted Coat when she visited Colham Manor Children's Centre with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance in November 2022

Kate in Canada wearing Canadian brand Sentaler grey wrap coat, when she visited Montana Mountain in Carcross, Canada in September 2018

Queen Consort, Camilla visiting the Komische Oper in Berlin as part of the State visit to Germany wearing a belted coat with an Aspinall top handle croc handbag in March 2023

Queen Maxima in a mustard-coloured belted wrap coat at the welcoming ceremony for the State Visit of the French Presidential couple in Amsterdam, April 2023

Meghan wearing a checked belted coat by New Zealand designer Karen Walker at a traditional welcome ceremony in Wellington on a New Zealand tour in October 2018

All wrapped up against the cold weather in December 2018, Meghan wore a wintery 500 wool wrap coat by Canadian brand Soia & Kyo when she visited Brinsworth House in Twickenham, the residential home for retired theatrical performers

Meghan wore a mixture of two seasons in this photograph from December 2018: a wintery 500 wool coat by Canadian brand Soia & Kyo and a short sleeved 834 summer dress by American label, Brock collection

Meghans 'greige' coat is the Mai belted wool coat with a waterfall collar from Mackage, which she wore unbelted when she visited Titanic Belfast Maritime Museum in March 2018

Meghan Markle wrapped up warm in a front tie wrap coat by British designer Stella McCartney when she visited Cardiff Castle with Prince Harry in January 2018

Meghan wearing a Sentaler camel wrap-coat for Christmas at Sandringham with all the Royal Family in December 2017

There arent many items of clothing that can bridge two such different events with such ease. Warmth is also ensured by the possibility of tightly closing the coat with the belt, as Meghan did when visiting a London care home in December 2018 in a grey Soia & Kyo design.

Princess Diana likewise knew the power of a belted coat to combat an icy British December day. For a visit to Wandsworth in 1982, she wore a camel design by Caroline Charles that would look completely at home in Meghans wardrobe today. Warmth, practicality (no flapping lapels and coat skirts here) and a single-piece, tie-and-go outfit? A fashion triple threat if ever there was one.

Safe to say here we have the ultimate safe investment: theres not many items of clothing that would look as at home in 1982 as in 2023. Whoever said practicality and style were mutually exclusive had clearly never met the belted coat.
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READ MORE: Doctor reveals her simple trick to getting rid of garlic breath

People have shared what goes on behind the scenes of their respective industries in a very enlightening thread.

Workers have taken to Reddit to share the little-known facts in their field, including lawyers, doctors, zoo keepers and call centre workers who claim the person on the other end can listen in to what you're saying when you're on hold.

Hotel workers from the UK revealed the grim realities of working in their establishment, including the fact that bed bugs are more common than people think.

Meanwhile, a lawyer in the US revealed that if a solicitor charges you a lot of money upfront, your case might have a low rate of success.

And a bartender has admitted that if you ask for a 'strong drink,' at the bar, the person serving you will nod and give you a normal drink.

Workers from the US and the UK have taken to Reddit to share the little-known facts in their field, from lawyers to doctors and zoo keepers

One person revealed that a team that's passed drug tests is not the same as a drug-free team, because companies have their ways of bending the rules.

'My dad's company needs a certain amount of random drug tests a year so my dad is randomly chosen once a month cause they know hes one of the only ones that will pass haha! Talk about taking one for the team,' another revealed.

Meanwhile, a UK hotel worker revealed the reality behind hotel booking issues.

'When a guest is told their room that they booked has had to be taken offline due to a maintenance issue and they have been found a room in another hotel close by means the hotel f***** up and overbooked the hotel or the room has bed bugs,' one said.

'Or the guests before made a mess and trashed the room worse than the cleaning crew had time to fix,' another added.

Another hospitality worker also shared their secrets from behind the reception desk.

'If you want an upgraded room, just give the front desk a nice tip while asking,' they said.

'Keep you door latches shut whenever possible, another guest or staff could walk into your room at anytime. It doesn't matter how high class the hotel it happens all the time,' they added.

They also said that people die in hotels all the time and that bed bugs are a common occurrence.

A lawyer in the US revealed that if a solicitor charges you a lot of money upfront, your case might have a low rate of success

A US lawyer working in employment law explained that the higher you are asked to pay upfront, the weaker your case might be.

'The price of a lawyer can be entirely dependent on your case. If you have a very strong case and with a high likelihood that it will be paid out in a significant amount of money, then chances are a lawyer will be willing to take it on at a low retainer or even on a contingency basis (as in they don't get paid until the case is resolved and they only get paid part of the judgment/settlement),' they explained.

'If a lawyer is going to charge you a lot of money upfront or request a high retainer that means the case may either be not as strong as you think it is, or the chances it gets paid out will be somewhat small,' they added.

'But yeah, if you make a post on Reddit and all the commenters are saying "You have a strong case, go to a lawyer and get paid." And then the lawyer wants to charge you a high fee upfront, take this advice into consideration,' they went on.

Meanwhile, someone working in maintenance revealed that thermostats in offices are not meant to actually work.

Other secrets included the fact that office thermostats don't actually work and that animated shows in the US have to comply with strict regulations

'Sometimes thermostats in offices are only there to make the occupants feel good,' they said.

'They appear to change the temperature but on the back end of the system they are locked out or limited to 1 or 2 degrees.

'This placebo keeps people happy because they have some control over their environment. Other times, the unit is just broken,' they added.

A bartender revealed that you won't get more alcohol by asking a bartender for a 'strong drink,' even if they agree with your request.

'If you ask a Barkeeper to make you a strong drink theyll say "sure thing" - and make you a standard one,' the hospitality worker revealed, adding: 'Unless youre a well tipping regular.'

However, another bar worker revealed that you can get a strong drink, but it will just have less mixer and not more alcohol.

Someone working in movie animation revealed the very strict rules cartoons and shows have to adhere to in the US.

An insurance worker revealed that people do indeed listen to the recordings of your phone calls made when you've contacted a company.

'Theres an entire industry surrounding aggregating and analyzing the data from those calls and how they went from a compliance and QC perspective,' they said.

'Also found out they can listen to your personal conversations while you are on hold.

'Had a friend find this out when he made incriminating remarks about a damaged package claim to his buddy, while the elevator music played,' they added.

A nanny in the US revealed that she never tells parents that their babies have actually done something for the first time in front of her so they can enjoy it.

'I'm a nanny. And no, your child will never say their first word in front of me without you around. Your child will never take their first step without you around,' she said.

'I will only ever say, "You should keep an eye out, I think they're going to... for the first time soon!"

'I always do my best to allow parents to experience that First Time on their time (even if it wasn't actually the first time),' she added.

And an intern zoo keeper shared the grim but hilarious reality of looking after animal.

'Take a deep breath before opening the cathouse door, shovel two shovelfuls of lion dung and catp***-soaked bedding into the wheelbarrow, sprint out the door before you run out of breath, make sure you're 10 feet away from the door, inhale again, run back in, repeat,' they said.

'You puke instantly if you inhale in there,' they added.
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands stepped out for an evening of fun to mark the beginning of the annual Oerol music festival during a visit to Terschelling, one of the five Wadden Islands.

The royal, 51, looked chic in an outfit of creamy nude shades alongside her husband King Willem-Alexander, 56.

Maxima opted for a stylish three-piece suit made up of a high, round neck top with a smart tailored jacket, all constructed out of a soft, thick, woollen fabric.

Teamed with wide-legged trousers in the same shade, the royal tied the look together with camel-coloured round-toe boots.

The royal, who opted for a similar palette at King Charles III's Coronation over the weekend, added a pop of colour on her nails with a rich autumn plum.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands appeared in good spirits as she and husband King Willem-Alexander arrived at the Oerol festival during their visit to the five Wadden Islands

The royals complemented each other in contrasting shades but tying in their looks with King Willem's crisp white shirt

Maxima finished her stunning look with a nod to Terschelling's 30km long sandy beach by wearing earrings made from shells.

Likely from Seaman Schepps, the brand is synonymous for incorporating natural elements into their jewellery.

The accessory is the perfect encapsulation of the Queen's playful personality, who has worn the earrings to a number of high profile events.

Meanwhile, the King looked dapper in a dark navy blue suit with polished shoes, a crisp white shirt and a chic white handkerchief in the pocket.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are making a two-day regional visit to the Wadden Islands of Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima beam as they visit the annual Oerol music festival during their visit to Terschelling, in the Wadden Sea, which is transformed for ten days into a unique stage for theatre, dance, art installations and music

The King and Queen were out on Tuesday evening to mark the start of the annual Oerol festival looking chic but warm for the occasion

During their first day of the tour the couple stopped by the Museum Kaap Skil, sheep farm De Waddell and a beach pavilion at Den Hoorn, where they spoke to volunteers from Texel Plastic Free on Texel.

The King and Queen were out on Tuesday evening to mark the beginning of the annual Oerol music festival, which sees the island transformed for ten days into a unique stage for theatre, dance, art installations and music.

Queen Maxima looked stunning over the weekend in a white dress as she attended the Coronation of King Charles alongside her husband King Willem-Alexander.

The European monarch donned a smart outfit as she arrived in London for the historic first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years at Westminster Abbey.

King Willem-Alexander is distantly related to King Charles - he was the Queen's fifth cousin once removed thanks to an ancient connection in their family tree.
A couple have left Twitter users raging after they licked a tub of ice cream before putting it back in the supermarket freezer.

Tequan Hines and his partner Asia, from Portsmouth, Virginia, sparked outrage when one of their videos went viral this week.

The clip - which has since been deleted from their Instagram account - begins with the couple walking down the freezer aisle of a local supermarket.

When Tequan is confident no one is looking, he encourages Asia to open a tub of soft whip ice cream and lick the top.

As he discreetly films her on his phone, Tequan then asks Asia to hold it over her shoulder so he can have a taste.

The viral video - which was deleted from Instagram and later shared on Twitter - shows Asia opening the tub of ice cream and licking the top

'Let me taste it. Let me taste it,' he says in the background.

Worried that they may get caught, Asia looks further down the aisle and says: 'Hurry up, hurry up!'

As the pair have no intention of buying the ice cream, the mother then rushes to put the tub back in the freezer.

The 19-second video ends with Tequan and Asia running away and trying to hold in their laughter.

The couple's clip was later posted on Twitter - where it amassed over three million views and sparked outrage among users.

One replied: 'So when are they getting locked up?'

'20 years in jail,' another added: 'I'm so serious.'

'If I read a news article saying they'd been imprisoned for life, it still wouldn't satisfy me,' a third joked.

After making sure no was watching, Tequan then filmed himself having a taste of the ice cream too

The clip has amassed over three million views on Twitter and sparked outrage among disgusted users

Meanwhile, a fourth said: 'Now I don't wanna eat the ice cream I got myself to enjoy with my cake. I'm throwing everything away.'

A fifth horrified viewer said: 'What?! What is wrong with people? Why is this even a thing? This is disgusting.'

Social media users started sharing videos of them doing the viral prank back in 2019.

In March 2020, D'Adrien L'Quinn Anderson, of Port Arthur, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for running his tongue over a tub of Blue Bell ice cream at a Texas Walmart before returning it to the shelf.

He was also given an additional 180 days probation over two years, and ordered to pay a $,1000 fine and $1,565 in restitution to Blue Bell Creameries.

According to Virginia state law, an individual who 'adulterates or causes to be adulterated any food, drink, prescription or over-the-counter medicine, cosmetic or other substance with the intent to kill or injure any individual who ingests, inhales or uses such substance' can be charged with a Class 3 felony.

It can also result in a fine of up to $100,000 and between five and 20 years imprisonment.
This is the hilarious moment a mum tried to surprise her twins with a holiday to Disneyland - only for one of them to burst into tears because she'd rather go to school.

Heather Lisle, 32, and partner Tom, 30, from Finchdean, East Hampshire, had decided to surprise their identical twin daughters Poppy and Ruby, six, with a family holiday to Disneyland Paris on April 20.

Heather, the owner of a maintenance company and Tom, a recruitment consultant, packed their daughters' suitcases and told them they were dropping their grandmother, Emma, 53, off at the airport before school starts.

They successfully tricked their daughters, who are in primary school, into plain clothes by telling them it was a 'non-school uniform day.'

When they arrived at Southampton airport, the parents whipped out two boarding passes and announced that instead of going to school, they'd be jetting off on a plane to Paris.

This is the hilarious moment a mum attempted to surprise her twins with a holiday to Disneyland Paris - only for her daughter Poppy (pictured) to burst into tears and say she'd rather go to school

Poppy Lisle, 6, (pictured) threw an adorable little tantrum while refusing to leave the seat of her parents' car

But while Ruby jumped with happiness into her mother's arms, her twin Poppy burst into a flood of tears and had to be consoled by her father.

While sobbing, Poppy began chanting 'But I want to go to school.'

'I want to go to school and then after school we can go' she added.

Unmoved, Poppy retired to the seat of their car, while mother Heather tried to cheer her up with the thought of meeting 'Mickey, Minnie and Spiderman.'

The heartwarming moment was captured on video and posted online, with the post racking up more than 2,000 reactions from other parents who found it hilarious.

Heather explained: 'The night before I told them their teacher had just emailed and it was a non-school uniform day. They said that was really cool.'

'We said we were dropping their nan at the airport and that's why we had the big suitcase out because we were letting her borrow it.'

'It was Ruby's turn to take the register down to the office so she was getting really irate and stroppy saying if we made her late then we were going to be in trouble and Poppy was in her own little world.'

Heather Lisle, 32, and partner Tom, 30, (pictured) from East Hampshire, decided to surprise their identical twin daughters Poppy and Ruby, six, with a family holiday to Disneyland Paris

The hilarious moment Poppy retreated to her parents' car because she preferred to go to school

Mother Heather, who owns a maintenance company, said Ruby was elated with the surprise, that she pretended to faint (both pictured)

Heather says Poppy had a change of heart when they arrived at Disneyland and even cried again when it was time to leave

'When we got to the airport, we started the video in the car park. They were saying 'why are we here? We're going to be late' and literally kicking off.'

'I told them they weren't going to school and we had a surprise, we got out the boarding passes and Poppy started kicking off. Ruby was saying we were going to be late for school.'

'After the Disney reveal, Poppy kicked off massively and started crying for no reason because she wanted to go to school first and go to Disney afterwards.'

Heather was excited about treating her little girls, especially because daughter Ruby was 'obsessed' with Marvel superheroes like Spiderman.

She said Ruby was so elated by the trip, that she fell into her arms and even pretended to faint - but Poppy on the other hand played the complete opposite and cried her eyes out.

The family of four with grandmother Emma, 53, (pictured right) had a swell time in Disneyland Paris

All smiles! Poppy was initially so upset with the surprise that she burst into tears and had to be consoled with a hug by her father

However, Heather says Poppy had a change of heart when they arrived at Disneyland and even cried again when it was time to leave.

Heather said: 'They absolutely loved it. When we left Disney, Poppy was hysterically crying saying she didn't want to leave and begging me to stay for one more day so a completely opposite reaction.'

'I've tried to instill Disney in them over the years because I'm beyond a massive Disney fan. But they didn't really take to it until we got there. Now we're watching Disney films every other day.'
McDonald's has announced a huge shake up to its menu today in honour of the mighty McNuggets' 40th birthday.

The fast food chain has celebrated the anniversary by releasing four dips and a brand new burger - as well as relaunching some old fan favourites.

The burger giant is now offering garlic mayo, chipotle mayo, mega hot sauce and creamy ranch for a limited time across the UK and Ireland from today.

The new dips are welcomed by fans who have been crying out for new flavours for years.

The brand new Mega Hot Sauce and Garlic Mayo dips are available today, with two more to follow on May 31.

The burger joint has also launched the new Spicy Big Tasty which is similar to the Big Tasty but with a fiery kick.

McDonalds celebrates McNuggets' 40th birthday today by releasing four dips and a brand new burger

The spicy version is built with a beef patty, Emmental cheese, lettuce, bacon, tomato and the classic Big Tasty sauce with a jalapeno twist.

It has also relaunched old favourites like the original version of the The Big Tasty burger and halloumi fries.

The four delicious halloumi cheese sticks are coated in a light batter and served with a rich tomato dip.

And if that isn't enough, fans can now get their hands on the popular Wispa McFlurry which has also be made a return.

It's made up of soft dairy ice cream, swirled with Wispa chocolate pieces and a chocolate sauce.

Or fans can opt for a Wispa Gold McFlurry which is made with Wispa chocolate pieces and a Cadbury caramel sauce.

The spicy version of the Big Tasty will feature Emmental cheese, lettuce, bacon, tomato and Big Tasty sauce with a jalapeno twist

The new dips are welcomed by fans who have been crying out for new flavours for years

Chipotle mayo is part of the new line up at McDonald's

The brand new Mega Hot Sauce and Garlic Mayo dips are available from today, with two more to follow on May 31

Meanwhile another new addition has been added to the menu, as Netflix series Karmas World has been made into a Happy Meal.

It's available in all McDonalds restaurants nationwide until June 3.

The new promotion sees Karma and her friends encourage joyful family moments with a set of unique journal toys  or the option of a Little People, Big Dreams book.

Featuring the characters of Karma, Winston and Switch, there are eight unique activity journals from Karmas World to collect in a limited-edition Happy Meal box.

Netflix series Karmas World has become a Happy Meal, with every box containing a QR code which gives fans the chance to dance along with Karma and her friends as well as an activity journal

Each Happy Meal box also includes a QR code which gives fans the chance to dance along with Karma and her friends.

As part of McDonalds mission to support childrens literacy, it has partnered with Little People Big Dreams, the best-selling biography series for kids by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, throughout 2023.

The book series allows children to discover the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists.

Available for around 3.49, a Happy Meal contains a choice of Fish Fingers, Chicken McNuggets or Veggie Dippers. You can also opt for an Apple & Grapefruit Bag, or Carrot Bag side, plus drink options including water, milk, or Fruit Shoot.
A stunning jewellery set made for Princess Diana and reputed to have been a gift by Dodi Al-Fayed is going up for sale next month.

The diamond and pearl necklace was famously worn by Diana at the gala evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in June 1997 - her last official engagement before her death.

The necklace, which was made from 178 diamonds totalling 51 carats and five matching 12mm South Sea pearls, was returned to Crown jewellers Garrard so they could make a matching pair of earrings for her.

But before the complete set could be given to Diana, she and her lover Dodi Al-Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

The jewels will now be auctioned off in New York next month, and are expected to reach a sale price of 4m to 11m ($5-$15m.)

The diamond and pearl necklace was famously worn by Diana at the gala evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in June 1997 - her last official engagement before her death

The stunning jewellery set made for Princess Diana and reputed to have been a gift by Dodi Al-Fayed has emerged for sale for more than 10 million

The magnificent gems - known as the Swan Lake Suite - have belonged to a prominent Ukrainian family since 2008.

But the owners' ability to maintain their business in the war-torn country has led to them to put them up for auction.

When she was part of the Royal family the jewellery Diana wore was mostly loaned to her by the Crown.

So the Swan Lake Suite is thought to be the only fine jewellery owned by Diana ever to be sold publicly.

It will be auctioned off next month in New York after first being displayed in London.

Experts at Guernsey's Auctioneers of New York have given the jewels a pre-sale estimate of anywhere between 4m to 11m ($5-$15m.) It is likely the unique gems will be sold to a high net-worth individual.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be dedicated to the re-building of Ukraine.

The set of jewels was reputed to have been a gift to her from Dodi Al-Fayed who was in her life at the time

The magnificent gems - known as the Swan Lake Suite - have belonged to a prominent Ukrainian family since 2008

The set was made from 178 diamonds totalling 51 carats and five matching 12mm South Sea pearls (pictured left and right)

Experts at Guernsey's Auctioneers of New York have given the jewels a pre-sale estimate of anywhere between 4m to 11m ($5-$15m.)

It is thought to be her only jewellery to have ever been sold, with the auctioneers saying the jewels are 'extraordinarily important' (pictured left and right, details of the clasp on the jewels)

Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey's Auctioneers, said: 'While many accomplished figures fade from view, Princess Diana is as vibrant today as when she was indeed the most admired woman on the planet.

'The jewellery Princess Diana wore when she was part of the Royal family was loaned to her by the Crown.

'The Swan Lake Suite was especially made for her. She was part of the design process.

'It is thought to be her only jewellery to have ever been sold, making it extraordinarily important.

'There are many people who have described it as priceless but we have given it a very broad estimate.

'Extraordinary items like these and works of art have expediently increased in recent times.

'The suite was reputed to have been a gift to her from Dodi Al-Fayed who was in her life at the time.

'The necklace was given to her to wear at the Royal Albert Hall for the gala opening of the UK's ballet season.

There is a letter of authenticity from Diana's butler, Paul Burrell. Dated April 1998, he explained how he approached Diana's older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who consented for Garrard to sell the set

'After the evening the jeweller requested the necklace back in order to create the earrings to match. They needed the necklace in hand so the stones in the earrings would match perfectly with the stones in the necklace.

'She returned the necklace to Garrard and over the next two months they made the earrings. But before they could give them to Diana was she tragically killed.'

The National Jeweler reports Ettinger recently received an email from Evelyne Poumellec, a lead designer at Garrard in 1997, who described how she and the workshop had been 'overjoyed' to work on the design of the necklace for Princess Diana.

She added it was a project that would normally have taken up to six months to complete, but that the team had worked 'feverishly' on the piece to ensure it was ready for the late royal to wear during her appearance at the ballet.

Nothing happened to the jewellery for months when Diana's family gave permission for the necklace and earrings to be sold, with some of the proceeds going to UNICEF.

There is a letter of authenticity from Diana's butler, Paul Burrell. Dated April 1998, he explained how he approached Diana's older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who consented for Garrard to sell the set.

It was purchased in 1999 by American businessman, Jim McIngvale, for just under a million dollars.

He sold it on during the financial downturn of 2008 when it was acquired by the current owners, who are big fans of the British royal family.

Mt Ettinger added: 'The war in Ukraine has been a motivating factor in them deciding to sell the Swan Lake Suite now.

'They have had them for 14 years but given what is going on over, their thoughts are now very much on rebuilding their country.

'The suite is here in our office.'

The Swan Lake Suite will be sold on June 27.
Netflix's controversial Queen Cleopatra drama has been panned by critics - after claims the Jada Pinkett Smith's docuseries has been blackwashed.

The British actress Adele James, 37, takes on the role of Macedonian-Greek ruler in the latest instalment of the Netflix African Queens show, which has faced a wave of controversy since the trailer was released.

Cleopatra was the companion of Alexander The Great, renowned for her marriages and affairs with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar.

Her first language was Greek although she was the only Ptolemaic ruler to use the Egyptian language.

Director Tina Gharavi recently defended the show after Egyptians reacted with horror to the denial of records which show Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek.

Netflix's controversial Queen Cleopatra drama has been panned by critics - after claims the Jada Pinkett Smith's docuseries has been blackwashed

An Egyptian lawyer has filed a case with the country's public prosecutor demanding that Netflix be shutdown.

Meanwhile Cairo's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass condemned the documentary as 'completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black.'

Now critics have widely panned the series, with one deeming it 'a misfire' while another said they couldn't 'contain their laughter' during 'serious scenes.'

Here FEMAIL reveals the reviews of those who have seen the series...

THE TELEGRAPH

Rating:

Writing for the Telegraph, Anita Singh said was an 'over-abundance of former soap stars' which made the new drama documentary' a misfire'.

She penned: 'You're left wondering why Netflix didn't just throw another 100 million at it and make a lavish, soapy drama instead of this halfway house.

'I'll admit that I now know more about Cleopatra than I did before - narratively it flows well, and does a halfway decent job of explaining why she was such a significant figure.

'But it's too soapy for serious history fans, and not enough of a soap for viewers who like juicy historical dramas.'

THE GUARDIAN

Rating:

Leila Latif penned in The Guardian that Adele James is 'the best thing about' the docudrama.

She wrote: 'It's clear that they want to have a little fun with the documentary elements, but using terms like 'ghosting' when describing Marc Antony's three-year absence feels incongruous.

'James's characterisation of Cleopatra as a female badass feels plucked from contemporary graphic novels, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

'A nonfiction sexing up of one of the most powerful women who ever lived, espousing knowledge of her prowess in the bedroom, however, is a more uneasy proposition.'

READYSTEADYCUT

Romey Norton, writing for online blog ReadySteadyCut, suggested the series was 'disappointing', calling the programme 'a mismatch of historical inaccuracies, disjointed scene work, and sub-par acting.'

While she criticised the hair and makeup on display in the series, she also wrote: 'Reenactments to support their words works, but when there are full scenes of drama between the actors, this is where the historians' interjections disrupt the drama and break the rhythm.'

DIGITAL MAFIA TALKIES

Meanwhile online culture blog Digital Mafia Talkies had a similar review, calling the series 'substandard.'

Writing for the website, Srijoni Rudra wrote: 'The dialogues were ineffective and out of touch; the acting was subpar except for Adele James, who did her best to embody Cleopatra, and there was overall confusion with the style they were aiming for.'

She added: 'I could not hold my laughter during scenes that were meant to be serious.

'The show's creators struggled to decide the flavor they aimed to bring to the table, and ultimately a soap-opera-esque texture was produced.'

OTT PLAY

Rating:

Dhwani Desai gave the series two and a half stars out of five, writing that the documentary feels like 'guess work'.

She wrote: 'It is unfortunate that so much of the documentary makes it seem like almost all of Cleopatra's choices were about seducing men, considering that huge portions focus on her love life rather than her intellect, cunning, and strong-willed nature.

'The audience doesn't even really get to know what Egypt was like at the time of her rule.'

THE CONVERSATION

A critic for The Conversation wrote that the script is 'terrible' and the acting is 'unable to elevate it.'

They write that Adele is 'hampered' by John Partridge's performance and 'a weak and weaselly Antony', played by Craig Russell.

They penned: 'As the series continues, its limitations become more apparent. The sets and supporting cast start to disappear, the pacing becomes subject to padding and the narrative takes a turn to the speculative.'

The documentary has been causing controversy since it's first trailer emerged earlier this year.



'Blackwashing' in other films and shows Anne Boleyn (2021) Black English actress Jodie Turner-Smith played the Queen of England in a British TV series. Anne Boleyn was white and the second wife of King Henry VIII. Saint Joan (2020) Black New Yorker Condola Rashad played the French heroine Joan of Arc in a stage production of the tale set in the 15th century. In the play, Rashad is a gender non-confirming Joan. Troy: Fall of a City (2018) In the TV drama, Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, is played by black English actor David Gyasi. The Hollow Crown (2012 - 2016) Sophie Okonedo, a Nigerian-British actress, played Queen Margaret of Anjou in the Shakespearean TV adaptation. Margaret, of French descent, was Queen of England and married to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461. Once Upon a Time (2011 - 2018) The ABC series about fairytales features a black actor Sinqua Walls as Sir Lancelot. Lancelot is a British character who features as one of King Arthur's close companions and one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table. Arthur was a legendary king of Britain and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition. Robin Hood (2006 - 2009) The BBC series featured black English actor David Harewood as Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck is one of the legendary Merry Men, the band of heroic outlaws in the folklore of Robin Hood which was set in England's Sherwood Forest in the 15th century. Advertisement

On Sunday, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the public prosecutor demanding that he take 'the necessary legal measures' to block access to Netflix.

He alleged the show featured content that violated Egypt's media laws and accused Netflix of trying to 'promote the Afrocentric thinking... which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.'

Cleopatra was famously played by white English actress Elizabeth Taylor opposite Richard Burton as Mark Anthony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's historical epic from 1963.

Three years ago plans for a new movie about the queen starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot sparked a backlash from people insisting the role should go to an Egyptian or African actress.

Gadot defended the decision, saying: 'We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn't there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.'

The fury at Netflix's right-on programming comes after it appeared to have ditched the woke messaging last year.

Netflix took a hit in the first half of 2022, losing about 1,170 million subscribers as rivals such as Paramount+ and Disney+ raked them in.

The huge decline was seen by some as a direct consequence of the company's late response to demands from its viewers to tone down their woke agenda.

But after deciding to back figures like comedian Dave Chapelle it bounced back. Netflix added 1.75 million new subscribers for the quarter of 2023, nearly 550,000 more than consensus estimates, and a stark contrast to the loss of 200,000 subscribers the company suffered in the same period last year.

The four-part Cleopatra series will explore the legacy, intellect and life of Cleopatra VII, the Greek Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC.

The trailer notes that Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty but then goes on to dispute her heritage.

The two-minute official Trailer uploaded on April 12 has already amassed over 1.9 million views on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Netflix has been forced to turn comments off on the official trailer, after it was met with controversy.

Cruel: The actress says she has even been sent death threats for taking on the role

Past film: Cleopatra was famously played by white English actress Elizabeth Taylor opposite Richard Burton as Mark Anthony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's historical epic from 1963
A husband and wife were left stunned after they discovered that they were never actually legally married - six years after their wedding.

Stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, 34, from Los Angeles, California, tied the knot with her husband, Ryan Harper Gray, back in June 2017 - or so they thought.

The couple exchanged vows in front of 180 of their closest friends and family members - but more than half a decade later, they were told the paperwork for their marriage was never filed.

While speaking about the predicament to Insider recently, Atsuko explained that they made the shocking discovery after they tried to get Ryan added on to her health insurance.

A couple was left stunned after they discovered that they were never legally married - six years after their wedding. They are pictured signing the paperwork at the wedding six years ago

Stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, from LA, tied the knot with her husband, Ryan Harper Gray, back in June 2017 - or so they thought. They are seen with her grandma at the wedding

The couple (seen at the wedding reception in 2017) exchanged vows in front of 180 of their closest friends and family members - but recently found out their paperwork was never filed

'We were asked for proof that we were married, specifically, our marriage certificate,' she explained.

'We thought we'd had one at some point, but we're not very good at paperwork, and when we went to look for it, we couldn't find one anywhere in the house.

Atsuko, 34, said that after spending some time 'laughing' about the situation, they headed to the courthouse to get married for a second time. They're pictured at the courthouse

'So we sent off a request to the City of Los Angeles for a copy of our marriage certificate, then set off for a holiday in Tokyo, and Taipei, Taiwan, thinking the marriage certificate would be in our mailbox when we returned. It wasn't.

'My husband called the city, and when he finally got through, it told him that we weren't legally married.

'There was no record of us being married. Though we had a wedding in 2017 with 180 of our closest friends and family, the paperwork had never been filed.'

Atsuko said that after spending some time 'laughing' about the situation, they headed to the courthouse to get married for a second time.

'It was starting to sink in that we hadn't been married this whole time,' she continued.

'For the past six years, we'd basically just been dating, like boyfriend and girlfriend. That's when we started laughing. After all, I'm a comedian. You couldn't write this stuff.'

Atsuko opted to wear a white gown to the 'second' wedding, while Ryan kept it simple in a brown button-down shirt and jeans

The two documented the entire thing and shared it to Instagram - where it quickly went viral. 'Hey what's up, it's Atsuko. This is my husband, Ryan, or so I thought,' she said

'Three days ago, we found out there's no record of us ever having gotten married. So here we are at the Registrar Los Angeles County Office,' she added in the video

Atsuko opted to wear a white gown to the 'second' wedding, while Ryan kept it simple in a brown button-down shirt and jeans.

While speaking about the predicament to Insider recently, Atsuko explained that they made the shocking discovery after they tried to get Ryan added on to her health insurance

The two documented the entire thing and shared it to Instagram - where it quickly went viral.

'Hey what's up, it's Atsuko. This is my husband, Ryan, or so I thought,' she began in the video.

'Three days ago, we found out there's no record of us ever having gotten married. We had a wedding, people flew in from all over the world. Here we are at the Registrar Los Angeles County Office.'

Atsuko and Ryan, who is an actor best known for his roles in This Is a Love Story, Go Back to China, No Way to Live, and The Frontier, met on a film set nine years ago.

When the pair married two years later, their mutual friend Clayton officiated the wedding - but they now believe he was the one who accidentally caused the mishap, since it was 'his job to file the paperwork.'

When the pair married in 2017 (seen), their mutual friend Clayton officiated the wedding - but they now believe he accidentally caused the mishap, since it was 'his job to file the paperwork'

Thankfully, they're now legally husband and wife - and after paying a fee of $200, they were even able to have the certificate backdated to 2017

Thankfully, they're now legally husband and wife - and after paying a fee of $200 and bringing two witnesses to prove the wedding actually happened, they were even able to have the certificate backdated to 2017.

'They didn't ask for pictures or anything - we could've got two witnesses off the street,' Atsuko joked.

'The whole thing seems so silly to me: The straights got married again. It was just like, "Give us $200. Here's your wedding certificate, dumb-dumbs."'

She concluded: 'I can't believe we withheld marriage from gay people this long when we're so careless with it. I had to remarry the same person without us ever splitting up.'
Queen Rania of Jordan has opened up about King Charles' 'unforgettable' Coronation ceremony and labelled the monarch an 'insightful, genuine and empathetic' ruler.

The Queen, 52, travelled to the UK last weekend with her husband King Abdullah II, 61, to watch the historic service.

Speaking to People, the mother-of-four said she was 'impressed' by how Charles had updated the service since the late Queen was crowned in 1952.

During the ceremony, the King received a greeting from representatives of the Jewish, Sikk, Muslin, Buddhist and Hindu faiths.

Describing how an 'inclusive' Charles had 'put his own stamp' on the traditional service, Rania said: 'It felt very natural to see representatives of different religions play a role in the service.

Queen Rania, 52, pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey with King Abdullah II, 61, to watch the Coronation of King Charles last week

'This was unprecedented in Britain's history, but it showed how focused His Majesty is on inclusivity.'

As well as cutting down the service to just two hours, King Charles also added crowned royals to the guest list, meaning a number of kings and queens were able to take part in the pageantry.

For centuries, convention dictated that no other crowned royals should attend the coronation of a British monarch, in a tradition that lasted for 900 years.

What's more, the monarch said she was deeply moved by the 'unforgettable' ceremony.

She continued: 'The ceremony was beautiful and unforgettable. It struck the perfect balance of solemnity, spectacle, and spirituality.'

Over the course of their 24-year reign, Rania and Abdullah have met several members of the British Royal Family.

During the interview, Rania described Charles as an 'excellent listener' and says he's 'in his element' when speaking to the public about the causes close to his heart - such as the environment.

The mother added: 'In our every meeting, King Charles has always shown himself to be insightful, genuine, and empathetic - indispensable qualities to a monarch.'

King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured travelling in the Gold State Carriage following their Coronation at Westminster Abbey

As such, the Queen concluded that Charles will be a 'progressive' ruler.

Rania also noted that Queen Camilla's 'kindness, passion and warmth shone through' on their last visit to Jordan.

During the 2021 tour, the newly-crowned Queen accompanied Rania to a meeting with female domestic abuse survivors.

What's more, the royal couple flew over to the UK for the Queen's funeral last September.

Rania seemed fond of the late monarch and she referred to her as the 'Queen of the World' in a sweet Instagram tribute last year.

Sharing a snap of herself with her husband at the state funeral in London she wrote: 'Bidding farewell to a Queen whose legacy will never fade or be forgotten. With His Majesty at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in the UK.'

She said: 'Despite being the most important person in the room, she always made you feel like the most important person in the room.

'She just had a very gentle and subtle way about her. Her elegance wasn't just in her appearance but in the way she lived her life.

Queen Camilla pictured attending a state banquet with Queen Rania during a royal of Jordan in November 2021

King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan pictured leaving for the Queen's funeral in September 2022

'I just have the most wonderful memories of her, throughout the years, every time I met her, I felt she was warmer and warmer.

'She didn't always presume that you wanted her advice but she was very generous when you asked for it. I really looked up to her. To me, she is the queen of the world.'

Queen Rania also expressed her confidence in King Charles III as a leader calling him 'incredibly intelligent.'

In 2020, the King admitted that people thought he was 'dotty' when he began speaking about the importance of protecting the environment to the Countryside Steering Committee for Wales.

At the age of 21, Charles delivered his first impassioned speech about his personal concern over oil pollution and single-use plastic.

He also told how, as a teenager in the 1960s, he was concerned about the destruction of trees, wetlands and habitats as well as 'the white heat of progress and technology to the exclusion of nature and our surroundings'.

In his 1970 address, Charles highlighted a problem that has become an illustration of humanity's threat to nature.
It was only 10.53am on May 6 and already the King was looking intensely irritated. He and his wife had to wait in their grand carriage outside the Abbey. The next in line, the Prince of Wales and his family, had suffered some sort of delay and it's well known the King can't abide anyone being late. 'We can never be on time,' was what one lip reader later revealed he'd said.

It was at that moment of grumpiness that I, and I'm sure many others, began to wonder how King Charles III and Queen Camilla would cope with the huge pressure of what lay ahead. Frankly they both looked exhausted.

Can two people in their mid-70s host a reception for Very Important People from across the globe on a Friday night, get up the next day at the crack of dawn, be dressed, made up, hair done and put on a serene performance, knowing facial expressions will be remembered for ever.

As William performed his duties to perfection and his wife looked every inch a Queen-in-waiting, I couldn't help wondering how long it will be before the next Coronation. Might Charles, at the age of 74 and Camilla, 76 in July, decide in the not-too-distant future to pass the sword, the orb and the crown to his son?

King Charles III was crowned with St Edward's Crown by The Archbishop of Canterbury during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Saturday

I shall be 73 tomorrow and, busy as I like to be, I'm starting to consider for the first time how much I can cope with as the limbs get stiffer and a snooze in the afternoon becomes a regular event.

How easily can I manage the kind of trips I used to do without an ounce of concern? Out for dinner with a friend. Consumption of wine. Late to bed. Up the next morning at 4.30am. To the railway station to take a train to, say, Glasgow. Record a TV programme or appear at a book festival. Back to the station and home late at the end of a long day? Today, I wouldn't even consider it.

But yesterday the King was already digging holes at Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge and the couple's aides are said to be planning visits the length and breadth of Britain, just as his mother did post her Coronation.

I'll never forget, aged three, being held on my father's shoulders outside my grandma's house. She lived in a village just outside Barnsley in Yorkshire, but the Queen and Prince Philip passed slowly by such an obscure part of her realm, waving and smiling.

Next month, it's the Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor, while Camilla will hold her first Reading Room Festival at Hampton Court Palace. Promoting literacy is an excellent cause, but I bet she'd rather be reading a book in bed.

Then there's talk of a state visit in the autumn, possibly to France, before more long-haul visits. Samoa in the South Pacific is on the cards for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Stopovers in New Zealand and Australia are expected. Thousands of miles at our age will be tough, as, I suspect, will charming the Aussies and the Kiwis into still loving a British monarch as Head of State.

Like the late Queen, Charles has very publicly pledged to dedicate his life to service and he is known to have a ferocious work ethic, but his mother was 27 when she was crowned.

The King and Queen Camilla waved at crowds after the coronation ceremony on May 6, as they made their way to the balcony of Buckingham Palace

Jenni Murray (pictured) thinks King Charles seems tired following his Coronation in London this weekend

I hope the King has inherited the extraordinary genes that took his grandmother beyond her century and his mother and father into their 90s, but I don't recall any of them looking as tired and spaced out as the King and Queen did on Saturday.

Queen Elizabeth was up, smiling and getting on with the job of receiving whatever Prime Minister was in office only days before she died. Could Charles do the same?

Retirement is a dirty word for so many of our generation. We want to go on contributing, we want to keep our minds in order and for those of us who aren't royalty, we're still trying to earn enough to ward off the cost-of-living crisis.

But most of us are also asking ourselves is it not time to think of enjoying their final decades rather than flogging ourselves to death?

For the King and Queen, the hard work is just beginning, a brand new role far too late in life for most of us to contemplate.

I wish them well, but urge them to think of 'early' retirement as an option. Maybe plan to work hard up to the age of 80, hand over to a 46-year-old Prince William and enjoy time together in the marriage they struggled so long to achieve and which has clearly made them so happy.

Of course, I would not be saying any of this if we were celebrating the Coronation of a Queen Anne.

The Princess Royal blows me away. She's my exact contemporary. She's tough in a way her three brothers never were. She might engage you in interesting conversation or tell you to naff off.

She marched out of the Abbey on Saturday, mounted her massive steed and rode alongside the King as his protector. Who would dare threaten him with his phenomenal sister at his side?

How sad that, having once been third in line to the throne, Anne is now 16th.

The Post Office boss Nick Read was given a 455,000 bonus. Sub-Postmasters are still waiting for full compensation after being wrongly accused of theft when a computer system failed. Read plans to hand back part of his bonus. Shouldn't he be made to hand back the lot?

Why Eurovision won't be the same

Hopeful: Britain's Eurovision entry Mae Muller helped launch the celebrated event earlier this month

I can't believe it's a year since I sat watching the music fest that is Eurovision with my Ukrainian guests, Ustym and Zoriana. I've never been a fan of the event  and can only muster a modicum of enthusiasm for the UK entry Mae Muller  but, last year, the three of us were on the edge of our seats, rooting for the winning Ukrainian entry. A year on and they have returned to Ukraine. Ustym is studying to be a doctor. Zoriana texts me to describe the constant fear as the bombing continues. They'll be watching the show from their home near Lviv. I'll be missing them.

Wake up to woke issue, Sir Keir

Sir Keir Starmer -leader of the Labour party - is clearly chuffed with his success in last week's local elections

Sir Keir Starmer is clearly chuffed with his success in last week's local elections, but he's mistaken when he tells his team 'woke' issues don't matter to the public.

Don't forget, Sir Keir, women are half the electorate and we do care that potential leaders know what a woman is. I've never heard such nonsense as 99.9 per cent of women 'haven't got a penis'. Sir Keir, no woman has a penis. Get your head round the difference between sex and gender.

Even lifelong female Labour voters tell me that they are afraid of losing hard-won rights.

All credit to the police on Saturday

Protesters 'held Not my king' and 'Citizen not subject' placards during the Coronation last weekend

I see no need for the police to apologise for arresting Republican protesters on Saturday. Protest is vital in a democracy, but not when it poses a threat to security.

Frankly, we should be congratulating the police on ensuring that the biggest ceremony seen in Britain for 70 years passed without mishap.

Scotland has an idea for bumping up convictions in rape cases. Would getting rid of the jury and letting a judge take control fix it? There have long been concerns that juries let rapists get away with it because they believe the myths that 'women lie', 'she asked for it'. I still think the principle of being tried by your peers should not be abandoned, but jurors should be trained. Myths have worked in rapists' favour for too long.
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands looked radiant on a visit to North Holland today as she and King Willem-Alexander popped to the supermarket ahead of their visit to a farm.

The Argentine-born royal, 51, visited The Wadden Islands with her husband before the pair departed in style via helicopter.

The Dutch Queen was a bright flash of colour against an overcast background in a wide-leg mustart suit and a mustard coat, which she wore off-shoulder.

As she met with royal fans who had gathered to greet her, she was handed a colourful posy of flowers which complemented her outfit.

The royal wore her blonde locks in a loose ponytail and accessorised with a black netted fascinator.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands stunned in a mustard suit and coat as she popped into a supermarket during a visit to North Holland

Meanwhile King Willem-Alexander, 56, looked stylish and sharp in a dark suit with a blue tie and a white pocket square.

During the visit, Maxima was pictured lighting up a supermarket she visited with her husband in her stunning ensemble.

The Queen's bright display differed from her neutral ensemble yesterday evening when she opted for a stylish three-piece suit made up of a high, round neck top with a smart tailored jacket, all constructed out of a soft, thick, woollen fabric.

The Dutch King and Queen made the visit to a farm this afternoon, during which they popped into a supermarket

Queen Maxima, 51, accessorised her mustard ensemble with a black fascinator while wearing her hair in a loose bun

The Argentine-born royal shook hands with young royal fans as she visited the province today

Horsing around! During the visit, Maxima made a fuss of a pony on the farm and proved she is a horse person as she looked thrilled

A stylish mode of transport! Following their visit the King and Queen of the Netherlands departed in a helicopter

The royal couple looked regal as they arrived for the visit and were greeted by marines from the Royal Netherlands Navy

She stepped out for an evening of fun to mark the beginning of the annual Oerol music festival during a visit to Terschelling, one of the five Wadden Islands.

Teamed with wide-legged trousers in the same shade, the royal tied the look together with camel-coloured round-toe boots.

The royal, who opted for a similar palette at King Charles III's Coronation over the weekend, added a pop of colour on her nails with a rich autumn plum.

Maxima finished her stunning look with a nod to Terschelling's 30km long sandy beach by wearing earrings made from shells.

Likely from Seaman Schepps, the brand is synonymous for incorporating natural elements into their jewellery.

The accessory is the perfect encapsulation of the Queen's playful personality, who has worn the earrings to a number of high profile events.
No matter how old you are, or what the circumstance, the first day of a new job is almost always a daunting prospect.

The apprehension is surely greater still when youre in your 60s and likely to be faced with a workforce considerably younger and more tech-savvy than you.

But how positively surreal must it be when the job in question is within the company you founded, made your fortune with and then sold  and which still bears your name above the door.

I went in with trepidation but an open mind, says Karen Millen, 61, of that fateful day last summer when, after a near 20-year hiatus, she returned to the fashion brand named after her.

I didnt know what to expect, but I wasnt as nervous as I thought Id be. I was surprised that some of the staff seemed more nervous about meeting me than I did about meeting them. I thought they might think, Whats she doing here, encroaching on us? But it wasnt like that at all. Everyone was so nice and made me feel welcome.

After a near 20-year hiatus, Karen Millen returned to the fashion brand named after her last summer

The new collection Millen has designed for the brand  aptly named The Founder  is seen by some in fashion as vindication for a woman who has had to watch from the wings as the label she launched aged just 19 went through a series of ups and downs

If anyone has earned the right to be there it is, of course, Millen  even if she did sell the business in 2004 in a 95 million deal.

Indeed, the new collection she has designed for the brand  aptly named The Founder  is seen by some in the fashion world as vindication for a woman who has had to watch from the wings as the label she launched aged just 19 went through a series of ups and downs, including the closure of all its High Street stores following a shock sale to fast-fashion chain Boohoo in 2019.

Not that life post-Karen Millen has been plain sailing for Millen herself. On the contrary, hers is a rags-to-riches-to-rags story to rival the plot of any juicy beach read.

It was in 1981, after borrowing 100 to buy 1,000 metres of white cotton, that she began making and selling white shirts to friends. She and her then-husband, Kevin Stanford, opened the first Karen Millen store in Maidstone, Kent, in 1983, and the company expanded throughout the 1990s, its colourful dresses and sharp tailoring gaining a loyal following among women looking for well-priced office attire.

In 2001, she divorced her husband, and in 2004, sold her company to the Icelandic company Mosaic Fashions, in a deal that saw her gain 35 million (Stanford walked away with a sizable chunk, too), but lose the right to use her name. She hasnt designed an item of clothing since  until now.

Financially, however, this was no happy ending. In 2017, after losing large amounts of money in the collapse of Icelandic bank Kaupthing and following disastrous tax advice that left her owing an eye-watering 6 million to HMRC, she was made bankrupt and forced to sell her 2.5 million family home, a six-bedroom Grade II-listed building set in five acres in Wateringbury, Kent, with a swimming pool, private cinema and lake.

I never relied on anyone for money, until it all went wrong

The trappings of her old glamorous life  a flat in Belgravia, London, house in Majorca, private schooling for her three children, that house  were suddenly whipped away and Millen found herself sliding down a snake to the bottom of a ladder. Two years later, Karen Millen the business went into administration and was bought out by Boohoo in a deal that meant the brand was taken exclusively online.

I was really upset, because I knew theyd close the stores, Millen says now. I felt completely devastated that everything wed built over 20 years would all just disappear.

Cropped jacket, 151.20, belted dress, 159.20, both karenmillen.com; shoes, 75, lkbennett.com; earrings, 385, angharadstudio.com

Embroidered kimono dress, 311.20, karenmillen.com; courts, 32.99, zara.com; earrings as before

Cropped jacket, 151.20, and belted dress, 159.20, karenmillen.com; slingbacks, 59.99, zara.com; earrings as before

People would ask at the time of the sale whether I had regrets, and I would say no. But of course I do have regrets. There are things I would have done differently. Id have taken more control over my own destiny, and not listened to others. I think thats probably one of the things women do. You doubt yourself.

I still suffer sometimes with self-belief and insecurities  that whole imposter syndrome thing.

Today, dressed in a dapper red shirt and tie from her new collection teamed with a black trouser suit shes had for decades, Millen looks younger than her 61 years. Slim and chic with a hint of rock-star vibe, she admits to Botox, but is no fan of the big lip look nor lots of fillers.

You want to look your best, so I try to do all I can to look my best without going crazy. I cant afford all that anyway. Its so expensive.

Sipping on a double espresso, shes measured but enthusiastic about her new 30-piece collection for the company she founded. Im excited, but a little nervous, because obviously theres high expectations, she says. The brief was really open, which didnt help in the sense of getting my head around what to do.

Ill be devastated if the new range is a disaster

What she did was go back to her own archives. The result is a carefully curated edit of Karen Millen classics from the 1980s through to the present day: think white shirts, leather trousers and signature shapes such as the mandarin-style dress.

Add pieces influenced by the brands more recent incarnation, which in turn, of course, were influenced by her original designs: flattering shift dresses and modern tailoring in bright, bold hues of the kind that have found favour with the Princess of Wales.

It was the Princesss patronage, alongside other high-profile fans including Jill Biden, Liz Truss and Liz Hurley, that for Millen signified the revival of the label and partly enticed her to dip her toe back into the water.

Embroidered dress, 223.20, karenmillen.com; sandals, 19.99, tkmaxx.com; earrings as before

To have the brand endorsed by names like that  you could not pay for that [publicity]. Its fantastic.

She was also encouraged by the current 1990s fashion revival, which has seen original Karen Millen designs from that era trending on TikTok. Timing is everything, she says. It just felt like the right time.

Pieces in The Founder are priced between 80 and 399, a similar if slightly higher sweet spot than mid-market rivals such as Cos, Mango, Zara and Whistles. I dont know what the price points are, she says, surprisingly. They didnt tell me. Id present them with the collection, and give them an idea of the types of fabrics I wanted to use, then they would present me with fabrics that they suggested.

Dresses are largely polyester (some recycled) and viscose, for example, though thats not an unusual mix among rival brands at similar price points.

Even so, how difficult for her! There were always going to be frustrations, because Im used to having things done a certain way. But you respect what they need to do. Its their company now, and up to them where they want to take it.

This echoes criticism she made in 2020, albeit in milder tone. Back then, Millen launched a coruscating attack on fast fashion and the death of the High Street in the business section of the London Evening Standard, writing: KM was once a premium brand. A brand that prided itself on delivering high-end fashion with attention to detail. Using the best fabrics and trims but keeping our prices affordable.

It saddens me to see where it has been taken and how it has lost its way, but I have to accept that once you let go of something you have no control in where its future lies.

Greed has forced its way to the forefront. Creatives have been pushed to the back whilst business people surge forward unethically to service a young market that quite frankly astonishes me.

Leather jacket, 319.20 and lace dress 239.20, karenmillen.com; sandals, 35.99, mango.com; earrings as before

Today, she seems to have rethought her opposition, or at least to acknowledge that the broader fashion landscape has changed beyond recognition since her 1990s heyday. Despite the frustrations, does her return feel like a redemption story? I guess it is quite unusual, she reflects. Originally, I thought it wouldnt interest me. I was doing other things and thought I needed to move on, not go back.

But its still in my blood. So when they asked if I was interested, I figured Id see what happens. I might feel totally devastated if its a disaster. But its definitely whet my appetite in terms of fashion again, so Im hungry to do more. Whether through the brand, something with someone else, or on my own are all things that I need to work out.

Having sold her company before e-commerce took off, she admits it took her a long time to get used to shopping online. Fashion isnt necessarily about trends now, because were so spoiled by the vast array of looks we can buy.

With online shopping, we can shop the world and create our own style. Its moved fashion forward. Rather than things being in or out its how you wear them.

Neither do you design in the same way, she says. No longer constrained by what works visually on a shop floor, you can have a broader range of colours and styles but produce limited numbers of each item.

The depth of the [new] collection is quite small: they havent produced massive amounts of any one thing. So the idea of meeting somebody wearing the same dress at a wedding is more limited than perhaps it used to be.

While the brand is well loved for its dresses, she herself is more of a trouser person. I wear trousers most of the time. It stems from being short [shes 5 ft 2 in]. Theyve been my uniform ever since I can remember.

Dresses are a key part of the Karen Millen collection, but personally, I struggle with dresses. I dont feel quite so comfortable. Unless Im going to an event or something  then of course Ill wear a frock.

Icon: The Princess of Wales in Karen Millen. It was the Princesss patronage, alongside other high-profile fans including Jill Biden, Liz Truss and Liz Hurley, that for Millen signified the revival of the label

Does she have any thoughts on the alleged death of the floral dress? Oh, god, she says, looking momentarily stricken. Well, theres not a floral one [in the new collection]. Theres a printed dress, but its not a floral dress.

She acknowledges that womens needs have shifted. Two years of lockdown completely changed the way we dress. We didnt need to dress up, and it made people reflect, and shop differently.

But fashion is cyclical. At the moment theres a big move towards the 1980s and 1990s again, which sits very well with the brand, as it was born in the 1980s and grew in the 1990s. Now, its considered vintage. My friends daughters are raiding their wardrobes for [original] Karen Millen pieces, and loving them.

She saw similar enthusiasm for vintage Millen when she was working on the new collection. You think that as you get older, people are not going to want you so much. But actually, youve got so much more to give. I realised that they were interested in hearing my stories of things, because they were unaware of it all.

I took one of my jackets into the office. Id designed it in the 1980s  linen, double breasted, huge shoulders. Honestly, its older than some of the people who work there. I showed them, and they said, Oh my god, thats amazing. 

She loved working with the young design team. Theyve got so much to give. Theyre like sponges, full of ideas and creativity.

Still, shes sanguine at the prospect of the collaboration  if you can collaborate with your own named brand  not working out.

Ill just walk away from it and channel my energy somewhere else, she says, citing her online homeware business, Homemonger, which she launched shortly before the pandemic and wants to move into bricks-and-mortar shops.

I didnt want to start it as an online business  I wanted to do it as more of a store, a destination.

People want more out of shopping than just walking down a high street. They want an experience. Thats what interests me. Its all to play for.

Whatever happens next, experience has taught her that shell be able to cope with it  Ive always been a fairly strong person, just as well, really  and credits her strength to her family.

The third of four children, Millen was brought up in Maidstone, Kent, by her carpet-fitter father, Anthony, and secretary mother, Sheila. That money was tight during her childhood perhaps led Millen to readjust better to life after bankruptcy. A good upbringing, with feet firmly on the ground, being loved and supported, she smiles.

Ive always been strong  just as well really

Her own three children, now 32, 31 and 26, are equally supportive, as is her partner of 11 years, commercial property developer Ben Charnaud upon whose income she now relies.

'Bens been my rock. I had never been dependent on anyone financially until things went wrong with me. That was really hard to come to terms with. Its not ideal. She smiles wryly. He doesnt really like being talked about.

It would be a cliche to say she appears humbled by the events of the past six years. Millen is naturally self-effacing, with a quiet pragmatism and steady gaze.

For now, shes off home to her rented cottage in the grounds of a farm in Kent  its hard to get a mortgage in your 60s having been bankrupt  but you get the feeling she wont tuck herself away in the countryside for long this time.

Its been a great experience, she says of creating The Founder. Ive really enjoyed working within a team again. Theres definitely more in me, so if they want me to do more, Im open to talks.

Having come out of fashion retirement and made such an instant splash, Millen has reminded us all why the 1990s were hers.

Elegant, vibrant and with a definite edge, Karen Millen clothes as designed by the woman herself  have a special place in the heart of all Gen X women.

Lets hope shes back for good.
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We love seeing Holly Willoughby all suited and booted in tailoring. This peachy look is by French brand Sandro, and whilst the real deal costs a total of 698, were here to help you part ways with fewer of your hard-earned pennies.

She joined her fellow Garnier ambassadors Davina McCall and Alex Scott at the beauty brand's summer bash last week, and we're loving the unusual apricot colour of her blazer and matching trousers.

Sandro Tailored Jacket If Sandros not already on your radar, its time to read up. It sits alongside fellow tres chic French brands Claudie Pierlot, Maje, Zadig & Voltaire and The Kooples, and can count the Princess of Wales, Queen Letizia of Spain and Gigi Hadid as fans. Shop

Its certainly a real gear change from the pretty dresses she tends to wear when hosting This Morning. Bravo to her stylist Danielle Whiteman!

Try teaming yours with a white T-shirt and trainers by day, then for after-dark, switch to a camisole and barely there heels.

It's a big investment, we know, but as beautiful as this Sandro suit is as a matching set, you're also going to want to mix both pieces with other items in your wardrobe, making it a full-on wardrobe refresh.

Get the look for less
When relationships hit a rocky patch, couples usually try to fix things by taking a break, going on more date nights or even attending therapy.

But lovers are increasingly turning to ketamine  more famous for being a party drug than a love potion  to bring themselves closer together.

The powerful sedative is a Schedule III controlled substance in the US, but a legal loophole allows for it to be used off-label as long as a licensed medic is present.

This has allowed it to be deployed as a novel therapy to help people battle depression and PTSD in major cities like New York City, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles and Seattle.

But now couples like Jay Godfrey, 43, and his wife of 17 years Dara, 40, are using the drug with the hope that its ability to regenerate brain connections can strengthen their connection to each other.

Jay and Dara Godfrey, pictured above and who live in New York City, used ketamine to help strengthen their marriage of 17 years. They say it helped bring them even closer together

The couple, who live in Chelsea, Manhattan, met back in 2004 in New York City when a friend set them up on a blind date at a sushi bar.

They hit it off immediately, drawn to each other's sense of adventure and love of music and reading  as well as learning that they had grown up five minutes away from each other in Toronto, Canada, but had never met.

Eighteen months later they were engaged, and later married by the sea in Miami, Florida, and took a honeymoon to Bali before settling in New York City, where they now have two young girls, aged 13 and 11, and a cat.

But the pair decided they wanted to strengthen their relationship, after noticing themselves putting on a show on social media.

Dara told DailyMail.com: 'We used to profess our love to the public, all the things we love about each other.

'It felt great in the moment, posting, but it did not feel genuine and it did not feel the best way for us to connect. It wasn't personal, it was for other people's pleasure, not our own.'

Then Jay, who was struggling with insecurities, said he wanted to try ketamine therapy after reading up on the health benefits.

His wife said she would come along too.

Ketamine works by blocking a receptor for the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, causing it to build up to high levels.

When this happens, synapses in the brain  which form connections between cells  become more plastic and can easily be remodeled or there is a higher chance of new connections being formed.

Dr Jeffrey Ditzell, who runs a clinic administering the drug in downtown New York, says that when people use the drug it allows them to dissociate and view emotionally charged situations from a neutral standpoint.

The couple received ketamine intravenously every week for six weeks at a clinic on the Upper East Side. Shown above is the clinic that Jay founded, Nushama, in Midtown Manhattan

The above shows the entry area for the clinic Nushama in Midtown Manhattan

Jay added: 'I really would search for validation so much prior to doing this treatment, whether that meant in the clothes I wore or even the things that I did.

'I used to love telling people that I went to some restaurant opening before anyone else, and if that's not ego, then I don't know what is.

'I have recognized... that so much of that display of that search for validation or that ego display, was simply an underlying condition of just not feeling good enough,' he told DailyMail.com.

Asked about how ketamine affects someone, Dr Ditzell added: 'You are not as attached to the fact someone wronged you or you can see a situation from a neutral standpoint and, when you are in that neutral standpoint, you get more insight into the situation.

'That might actually be useful in couples therapy... [because] you are looking at it from a creative standpoint. It could be helpful.'

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of ketamine via prescription as an anesthetic for patients back in the 1970s, when it was first deployed for soldiers in the Vietnam War.

This created a legal loophole for medics to also start prescribing the drug off-label to treat other conditions such as depression.

Doctors began to take advantage of this in the early 2000s amid early medical research showing that the drug could work as an effective antidepressant. This led to a steady blossoming of clinics offering the drug in major US cities.

But over the last few years, clinics have also started to offer the drug in couples therapy, arguing it can help people to lower their defenses and explore their emotions with their partner.

There are now even 'couples retreats' available for ketamine therapy in upstate New York, where couples take the drug once a day for three days. A few hours are also set aside for 'intimacy and sexuality'.

Jay and Dara went for a session of ketamine talk therapy once a week for six weeks in October 2021 at a clinic in the Upper East Side.

During the sessions, the drug was administered intravenously via shots, that were stronger than those in nasal sprays but weaker than those used in surgery, over about an hour while they were seated in chairs.

A therapist was also present to help guide them before taking the drug and to discuss the experience afterwards, alongside separate machines to monitor their vital signs in case of any untoward reactions.

This differs from how the drug is taken on the street, where it may be injected in one shot as a liquid or snorted as a white powder.

Doctors warn people off snorting the drug, saying it can cause damage to the nasal passageway and respiratory system. There are also concerns over injections in a non-medical setting, with doctors saying it raises the risk of infection and damage to veins.

The couple said they both felt very nervous before their first appointment, but that the treatment quickly prompted an outpouring of love.

Dara said: 'I just remember opening my eyes afterward and looking over at my husband and the first thought that came through in my mind, I remember saying it out loud to him, was "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life".'

The pair now credits ketamine with strengthening their relationship and bringing them closer together.

One way it has achieved this is by allowing them to be more supportive of each other.

Jay tends to get stressed over conferences but now, when this happens, Dara knows to tell him not to worry and points out that he is already one of the best in the field on the topic he is speaking about.

It has also led them both to move away from Instagram and instead of making professions of love on the platform, to post about their children and, of course, the cat.

It has also strengthened their relationship when it comes to sharing household chores, the couple told DailyMail.com while laughing.

Summing up the treatment, Jay said: 'The biggest change for us was number one, vulnerability, and number two, safety.

'So, I know deep down that our relationship is inherently safe and I never ever, ever question that now.'

He added that it had also helped him to realize he is 'good enough', saying: 'Through ketamine treatment I really saw it and I couldn't unsee it, that I was truly good enough and that I was deserving and I didn't need to go to such great lengths to search for validation.'

The pair said there were no unexpected revelations about their lives while on the treatment, adding that they had no secrets from each other.

Asked about how ketamine influenced their sex life, Jay said: 'This is not something we typically talk about, but we've always had an incredible relationship which has just been strengthened in every department.'

The clinic has also started to offer group therapy sessions. It says the drug can help people dissociate from emotions and view situations more clearly

Jay described being on ketamine as like having a 'floating sensation' and being 'dissociated' from the body.

He added that he would also 'forget my consciousness is attached to a physical being and dissociate from that feeling of being in your body'.

Ketamine is a Schedule III drug, but its approval from the FDA means it can be prescribed off-label for medical uses

Jay is also the co-founder of a ketamine clinic, which he decided to set up in June 2020 after receiving the drug in a clinical setting and thinking that it could be offered in a more friendly environment.

In October the following year, he opened Nushama Psychedelic Wellness, which occupies the entire 21st floor of a building in Midtown Manhattan.

It now has about 2,000 clients every year, who pay $4,500 to receive six treatments for three to six weeks as well as preparatory sessions and talking therapy.

Clients are everyone from 18 to as much as 80 years old and from all professions, who tend to be suffering with depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction, Jay said.

He and his wife received the treatment at a separate clinic, however, as they had signed up to take the drug before Jay's clinic opened.

Amid the blossoming of ketamine therapy, doctors are also preparing to test out psilocybin for depression  or the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms.

Early studies show that it is already more effective than standard treatments, with the FDA hinting it could even be approved for use by 2024.

Oregon is the only US state currently planning to legalize the drug for people to use as long as they are with a 'hallucination buddy'.
She said: 'It's extremely surreal to see it. I definitely have a fondness for it'

As reunions go, it perhaps does not get much stranger than to come face to face with your own heart.

Jennifer Sutton, 38, was able to be reunited with her once vital organ as her heart was removed in a transplant operation 16 years ago.

And today she was reunited with the vital organ as it went on permanent display at a central London museum, an experience she described as 'surreal'.

Jennifer, who was just 22 when she received a new heart, which literally gave her a new lease of life at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

Describing seeing her heart in a museum display case, she said: 'It's extremely surreal to see it. I definitely have a fondness for it, although it caused so much trouble inside me.

Jennifer Sutton, 38, was able to be reunited with her once vital organ as her heart was removed in a transplant operation 16 years ago

The heart is preserved in Kaiserling solution, a mixture of glycerine, sodium acetate and distilled water. It appears pale and narrower than a healthy heart, due to the stiffness of the heart muscle

'I'm glad it's in that jar and I have a new one.

'I am grateful though as it kept me alive for 22 hears, it's like an old friend.

'I think it's cool. It reminds me of everything I've been through and I hope that in time other people will look at it and consider organ donation .

'I'm incredibly grateful to my donor, I can't describe how grateful I am and will be forever, and my amazing surgeon'.

Jennifer, from Ringwood, Hampshire, does not know much who her donor except he was a man in his thirties.

How is a heart transplant performed? A heart transplant is an operation to replace a damaged or failing heart with a healthy heart from a donor who's recently died. It may be recommended when a person's life is at risk because their heart no longer works effectively. A heart transplant may be considered if you have severe heart failure and medical treatments are not helping. Conditions that may eventually require a heart transplant include cardiomyopathy  where the walls of the heart have become stretched, thickened or stiff. A heart transplant needs to be carried out as soon as possible after a donor heart becomes available. The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic, where you're asleep. While it's carried out, a heart-lung bypass machine will be used to keep your blood circulating with oxygen-rich blood. A cut is made in the middle of the chest. Your own heart is then removed, and the donor heart is connected to the main arteries and veins. The new heart should then begin beating normally. Source: NHS Advertisement

The heart can be seen by the public at the Hunterian Museum sited in the Royal College of Surgeons of England's building in Holborn, central London, the home of thousands of anatomical exhibits.

The museum was at the centre of some controversy recently after it declined requests to allow the burial of the 7ft7in skeleton of an Irish giant, Charles Byrne, in the museum's collection, although the skeleton is no longer on public display.

The museum has just undergone a 4.6million refit, part of a 100million refurbishment of the building.

The success of the operation was all the more poignant as Jennifer's mother died after a heart transplant when Jennifer was just 13.

Jennifer always assumed there must be something wrong with her heart, but things came to a crisis while at Portsmouth University, studying Animal Science

She said: 'I always assumed I must have had something wrong because I was slower than other children. At school I struggled at sports.

'But nothing was done about it until I went to university. I was in my second year when a friend at the time noticed I seemed to be struggling walking up hills, going blue a lot and getting breathless. My face was blue and my lips and fingers were too.'

She went to see a GP who immediately rang 999 and she was taken to hospital with suspected heart failure where she stayed for two weeks.'

She was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart becomes progressively stiffer over time, and struggles to pump blood around the body.

It was the same condition that her mother had.

She was given drug treatment, but went on the list awaiting surgery in 2007 and had a heart transplant in June the same year.

Describing the moment her heart was removed, she said: 'I woke up and I was pink, my fingers had blood in them, my cheeks were warm and I could feel my heart beating  for the first time in, what seemed like, forever.'

'I felt amazing, and I woke up and I thought "I'm alive" and I did a little dance.'

Her surgeon, Mr Stephen Large, said: 'It's extraordinary to have Jennifer's heart on display.' He added that he hoped it would encourage many more people to sign up for organ donation

The heart (pictured) can be seen by the public at the museum sited in the Royal College of Surgeons of England's building in Holborn, central London, the home of thousands of anatomical exhibits

Pictured: Jennifer Sutton's native heart exhibition. Visitors can follow her story in the Transforming Lives film where Jennifer and her surgeon Stephen Large tell about Jennifer's lifesaving heart transplant

The new heart has allowed her to marry her husband, Tom Evans (pictured), a software engineer, in June

The new heart allowed Jennifer to pursue a career as a park ranger in the New Forest, an active career she would never have been able to have had she not had surgery, and pursuing active hobbies. She has proudly hiked up Snowdonia.

And it has allowed her to marry her husband, Tom Evans, a software engineer, in June.

Jennifer did not find the idea of her heart becoming a museum exhibit strange as her father worked as a researcher at the Natural History Museum, and she was happy to consent to it going on display.

The heart is preserved in Kaiserling solution, a mixture of glycerine, sodium acetate and distilled water.

It appears pale and narrower than a healthy heart, due to the stiffness of the heart muscle.

Her surgeon, Mr Stephen Large, said: 'It's extraordinary to have Jennifer's heart on display.' He added that he hoped it would encourage many more people to sign up for organ donation.

He said: 'The actual issue is not a lack of funds but a lack of donors. It does not just benefit the recipient, but the family who have lost a loved one, and it's a great comfort for them.'

Currently the wait for a heart transplant on the NHS is between 18 months and two years.
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A scientist at the center of the Covid lab leak theory has admitted he cannot rule out the possibility the virus escaped a Chinese research facility.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Dr Peter Daszak, a British zoologist who funded risky virus research at the lab in Wuhan months before the pandemic, said he does not 'fully reject' the theory and 'never did'.

Dr Daszak became infamous when he spearheaded a letter published in The Lancet denouncing the lab leak theory as a conspiracy in early 2020 without disclosing his conflict of interest.

He heads EcoHealth Alliance, a New York City-based non-profit that subcontracted research into bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). He spoke to DailyMail.com this week after the US Government renewed his organization's grant to study those viruses.

Dr Daszak still claims the lab leak theory of Covid was 'extremely unlikely' and argues there is no 'smoking gun' linking the virus to experiments at the WIV. This is despite the FBI and US Energy Department publicly stating a lab accident is the most likely origin of the virus.

Dr Peter Daszak (pictured left alongside Dr Anthony Fauci) oversees EcoHealth Alliance, which funneled NIAID funds to the WIV. The nonprofit will now receive an additional $2.3million in US taxpayer funds to award over the next four years. The money will head to Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, in Singapore

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbor Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right)

Dr Daszak said: 'I don't reject [the lab leak theory]. I never did. [But] I believe it's extremely unlikely based on the evidence.

'The lab leak theory is just that, it's a theory. To prove your theory, you need some facts. Some evidence.

'What a scientist has to do is look at the evidence and say which theory is correct and right now the lab leak theory has no evidence to it. There's no smoking gun.'

Proponents of the lab leak theory point to the lack of cooperation from Chinese officials, and poor infection control measures at the WIV.

The lab was also fraught with problems in the years leading up to the pandemic's outbreak.

In 2018, US officials based in China warned the State Department that the lab was not fit to conduct these types of experiments.

Even Chinese regulators had repeatedly flagged biosafety issues in the institute opening the door to harm for both the lab's employees and the outside world.

In early 2021, the State Department reported that several researchers inside the facility fell ill with a mysterious illness in late 2019  well before the pandemic.

Chinese officials failed to report these illnesses publicly.

There are also reports of doctors who spoke out about experiments at the Wuhan lab later being silenced or disappearing.

In previous viral outbreaks, the intermediate animal between bats and humans was found in a matter of months.

For SARS in the early 2000s, it was quickly confirmed to be raccoon dogs. For MERS in 2012, camels.

Now more than three years into the pandemic, the worldwide hunt to find the animal that spilled Covid into humans has still not been found.

The virus also featured a furin cleavage site  on the virus's spike protein and responsible for binding the pathogen to human cells  optimized for human infection.

It was later revealed that researchers in the WIV were performing experiments where they manipulated the virus in this way.

However, Dr Daszak says a lack of direct evidence means a natural origin is still most likely for Covid.

'If you look at the WHO report it states very clearly, that the lab leak theory was extremely unlikely,' Dr Daszak continued, referencing a March 2021 report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

'It was extremely unlikely at the start of the outbreak. It was extremely unlikely after the WHO team had a sit down in that WIV and asked tough questions to the directors and the staff of the WIV.

'And it's now even more extremely unlikely given there's so much more evidence for the zoonotic origin.'

Proponents of the natural spillover theory will point to the lack of direct evidence of a lab leak, either.

Publicly available data  which is limited because of a lack of cooperation from China  shows the earliest Covid cases were clustered around the Huanan Seafood Market.

This is only ten miles away from the WIV.

Records show many animals were present that could serve as vectors from bats to people around the time the virus first emerged.

Squalid conditions in the 'wet market' created a perfect inter-species breeding ground for a virus like Covid.

Dr Daszak added: 'We know that other viruses in Southeast Asia are very similar in bats.'

'Information about the wildlife trade in China, we now know that live animals were being shipped into that market.

'All these things were unknown at the beginning of the pandemic. And all the new evidence has come through points towards the market and the wildlife trade is the source of this virus.'

Researchers identified stalls in the southwest corner of the market where Covid is most prevalent. A large portion of Covid samples gathered from the area was from raccoon dogs, they determined

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

Consensus remains that Covid is a bat-borne virus, though scientists still have not found the intermediary host that passed the virus on to humans after a massive search across China.

Finding this animal would vindicate China, which has been under pressure recently because of its potential role in Covid's origins.

Meanwhile, the WIV is one of the world's leading research center for coronaviruses.

Its work with bat viruses was so prolific that one leading scientist even earned the title 'Bat Lady' from her colleagues.

US taxpayers funded some of these experiments via an NIH grant to EcoHealth  which was then funneled to the WIV.

In response to the FBI and Energy Department leaning towards the virus being a lab leak, Dr Daszak said: 'I don't know what they've looked. The evidence that they've looked at has not been made public.'

Despite lingering questions about Covid's origins, the NIH has restored funding to EcoHealth for research into bat coronaviruses.

As part of the grant, EcoHealth will receive $576,290 each year for the next four years for its grant title 'Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence'.

In total, the non-profit has received $4.3million as part of this grant.

The NIH terminated the grant with EcoHealth in April 2020, under Trump, who endorsed the lab leak theory.

It was later reinstated but suspended indefinitely as the intelligence community searched for Covid's origins.

Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, on the southern tip of the island nation in Southeast Asia, will be the only recipient of the grant in the next four years, Dr Daszak said.

Their work will investigate hundreds of samples of bat coronaviruses collected from Asian countries such as China.

These researchers will not go into the field and collect new samples, just work with what already exists in their databases.
Breathtaking pictures have captured a baby boy being born while still inside in his amniotic sac.

Jacqueline Melo Oliveira, 43, from Salvador, Brazil, described her son Bernardo as looking 'like a doll coming out of a bubble'.

Images taken during his birth show his face squished against the side of the fluid-filled sac.

Normally, the sac, which cushions the baby during their nine-month stint inside the womb, breaks at the start of labour.

When this happens, it's known as a mother's 'waters breaking'.

Jacqueline Melo Oliveira, 43, from Salvador, Brazil, described her son Bernardo as looking 'like a doll coming out of a bubble'. Images taken during his birth show his face squished against the side of the fluid-filled sac

Speaking about Bernardo's extraordinary birth, Ms Oliveira told reporters in Brazil: 'It's amazing, isn't it? Perfect.' She is pictured after giving birth with her partner Darlan Ribeiro and their twins Bernardo and Rafael. Rafael was born normally a minute before Bernardo

One in 80,000 babies are born 'en caul', when the protective, jelly-like bubble does not burst. Pictured, Bernardo when he was born

But one in 80,000 babies are born 'en caul', when the protective, jelly-like bubble does not burst.

Speaking about Bernardo's extraordinary birth, Ms Oliveira told reporters in Brazil: 'It's amazing, isn't it? Perfect.

'It looks like a doll coming out of a bubble.

'I always saw it on other people's social networks, but I never imagined it would happen to mine.'

What is an en caul birth? An en caul birth is when a baby is born with the amniotic sac intact. The amniotic sac is a jelly like container filled with fluid that helps cushion the baby from bumps and scrapes during pregnancy. It normally bursts during labour however on very rare occasions it can remain intact. Estimates put the number of en caul births as one in every 80,000. It is more common in C-section deliveries where babies are pulled out of the womb via surgery than by vaginal delivery. The phenomenon is also more common in premature babies as they are smaller with the sac less likely to burst during birth as a result. After being a born en caul a doctor will carefully break open the sac to release the baby. Being born en caul is not believed to be dangerous for a baby. Advertisement

She revealed that she had spent 14 years trying to get pregnant before eventually giving birth to Bernardo and his twin Rafael.

The latter, who weighed nearly 5lbs, was born normally at the Hospital Portuges in Salvador.

Bernardo was born a minute later, weighing roughly 7lbs 7oz.

Jose Carlos Jesus Gaspar, the doctor in charge of delivering him, said there was no dangers.

He added: 'As long as he was inside the bag, that means he was in the environment he's been in for the last nine months.

'There is not a sudden change in the birth process.'

Doctors carefully start to snip away at sac to open it, allowing fluid to filter out  similar to the popping of a water-filled balloon.

Numerous myths and beliefs surround en caul births, which are also called mermaid or veiled births.

One is that babies are somehow destined for greatness or will be lucky in life  with many historical figures said to have been born in this way.

Another bogus belief is that those born en caul can never drown.

The amniotic sac is the jelly-like bag of fluid that encases the foetus. It's made of two membranes, the amnion and the chorion.

Though thin, it is robust, holding an increasing amount of fluid throughout gestation, including the foetus's urine.

In an 'en caul' birth, the main priority is to break the sac to allow the baby to breathe, since they no longer have oxygen supplied from being inside their mother.
A cancer-stricken man given just a year to live in 2005 is still alive today  18 years later.

The 30-year-old, of Nashville, Tennessee, who shared his story on Reddit, told how he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour aged 12.

Doctors at the time predicted he would 'only live a year or two'  even with surgery and treatment.

The man, who didn't publicly share his name, claimed he was even granted his last wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which saw his family whisked off for a holiday in Hawaii.

The cancer survivor, who is married and has two children, now says he works in the hospital where he was diagnosed and treated as a child.

The 30-year-old from Nashville, who shared his story on Reddit, told how he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour aged 12

The cancer survivor, who is married and has two children, now says he works in the hospital where he was diagnosed and treated as a child

The man, who didn't share his name, claimed he was even granted his last wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which saw his family holiday in Hawaii

Detailing his case on the discussion website, the man says he was diagnosed with pilomyxoid astrocytoma in 2005 as a kid.

The aggressive cancer, which has poor survival rates, usually affects very young children, with the average age of diagnosis being 18 months, according to a 2004 study published in the journal Medscape General Medicine.

Developmental delay, vomiting, feeding difficulties and weakness are all tell-tale symptoms, along with neck stiffness or a head tilt.

The man, who goes by the username SilentWalrus92, said being sick was his main symptom, which doctors initially dismissed as a stomach bug. But after his parents took him to the emergency department, a scan revealed he had a brain tumour.

He then underwent surgery  usually the first line of cancer treatment that aims to remove as much of the tumour as possible  followed by radiation to kill remaining tumour tissue.

READ MORE Brain tumour symptoms: Five bizarre cancer warning signs There are more than 120 different types of brain tumours meaning the symptoms vary a lot. Hearing voices, losing interest in hobbies, forgetfulness, blurry vision and growth spurts especially in the hands and feet are all warning signs of a brain tumour Advertisement

As a result of his treatment, he was left with mild short-term memory loss, which he says makes it difficult to remember people's names or what he has eaten.

He was granted his last wish  a family holiday to Maui in Hawaii  through the Make A Wish Foundation, on the expectation that he wouldn't live longer than two years.

But, dashing doctors' expectations, the man is still alive nearly two decades later.

He claimed his medics gave an incorrect prognosis because he was only one of four people worldwide to have ever been diagnosed with the cancer by 2005.

The other three cases only lived for 'about a year or two' after their tumour had been detected, he stated.

The man said: 'Doctors had no idea why my surgery and treatment was so successful.

'The hospital sent my tumor off to be studied and they continued giving me regular MRI scans every year up until just now. I finished my final MRI checkup this year.'

He said he now works at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, where he was treated as a child and organises charity fundraisers for children with cancer.

But he has to carry a small notebook with him to write down things he needs to remember, as he still struggles with memory problems.

The man said: 'There was never a "congratulations, you're cancer free!" moment.

'Just yearly brain scans for the past 18 years to make sure the tumor still hasn't started growing again.

'My doctor just now as of this year feels comfortable stopping the brain scans.'
Minnesota is poised to become the first state in the US to ban the use of 'forever chemicals' in everyday household items.

PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are found in almost every type of consumer good - including pots and pans, makeup, menstrual products and even carpets.

But amid rising concern about the chemicals  favored for their stain and heat-resistant qualities  and their link to fertility problems, liver damage and cancer, the state now plans to ban their use by 2025.

The prohibition, if signed into law, will be the most wide-reaching in America and could force companies to completely rethink their manufacturing processes.

Minnesota squares up to forever chemicals: Democrat Governor Tim Walz must sign the bill in before it can become law

A House-Senate conference committee in the state agreed on the details of the ban last Thursday.

The bill must now be passed by a vote and signed by Democrat Governor Tim Walz before it can become law.

Under the regulation, the use of PFAS in items where it is non-essential will be banned.

A long list of items that would be affected includes cleaning products, fabric treatments, furniture, ski wax and children's toys.

The chemicals will still be allowed for use in firefighting foam at airports, oil refineries and in protective clothing for firefighters.

Companies will also be required to disclose if the products they sell in Minnesota contain the chemicals.

Democrat Jeff Brand said: 'This piece of legislation, when it passes and is signed by the Governor, will be a big new day in Minnesota.

'It will be a legacy for clean water in the state of Minnesota but also for public health.'

PFAS chemicals do not break down in the environment but, instead, build-up in the air, water, soil and living organisms.

Studies suggest that more than 99 in 100 Americans have detectable levels of the chemicals in the blood, as a result.

Democrat Sydney Jordan, for Minneapolis, added: 'This will be the strongest PFAS legislation in the nation.'

'Minnesota invented PFAS. By passing this, Minnesota is going to invent the solution.'

Democrat Judy Seeberger, of Afton and lead sponsor of the bill, added: 'We have a duty to lead the charge in their eradication from the environment from our bodies, from our consumer products, from our water.'

Politicians say they were pushed to act by the tireless campaigning of Amara Strande, 20, who died from liver cancer last month. She believed that her illness was caused by groundwater near her home being contaminated with PFAS.

Legislators plan to name the legislation 'Amara's law' in her honor.

Her father Michael, said: 'Through her pain and exhaustion, Amara was willing to be a voice of those who have become the victims of illnesses that are linked to these forever chemicals.

'Amara called on the lawmakers of Minnesota to do what is right in passing laws that will not only protect our environment, and human lives, but also force industries to find alternative ways of manufacturing their products without these deadly chemicals.'

Minnesota-based company 3M, or the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, played a significant role in the development of PFAS.

Pictured above is Michael Strande, the father of Amara who died from liver cancer aged 20 that she suggested was linked to exposure to PFAS chemicals. Her campaigning led legislators to work on bills banning PFAS chemicals

The business has since faced legal action over health risks linked to the chemicals and, as a result, began to phase out its production and develop alternatives.

If they come into force, Minnesota's restrictions will be the harshest in the nation with the ban coming in five years ahead of a similar move in Maine.

Andrea Lovoll, legislative director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said the state's rules were also harsher than California's  which does not cover pots and pans.

Other states with restrictions include New York, which bans PFAS from being added to paper cups, plates and bowls, and Colorado, which prohibits its use in foams deployed in certain aircraft carriers.

The US Environmental Protection Agency last year designated the chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law.

But the EPA stopped short of an outright ban, after warning that the compounds were more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at extremely low levels.
The Michigan paper mill at the center of a deadly fungus outbreak believed to be the largest fungal outbreak in US history reopened this week.

The Billerud facility in Escanaba, Michigan, on the upper peninsula, was shuttered for more than three weeks to clean and investigate the source of the cluster of cases.

In February, a massive outbreak of blastomycosis occurred at the plant. In the time since, 115 cases, 14 hospitalizations and one death related to the infections have been confirmed.

The Swedish company that operates the firm said no blastomyces spores were found in the mill, making it unclear how the outbreak occurred.

The fungus lives primarily on most soil, on damp wood and along some waterways.

A Billerud paper mill in Escabana, Michigan (pictured) has reopened after closing for three weeks because it found itself at the center of a deadly blastomycosis outbreak

The outbreak has been ongoing at the mill since late February when the first cases were detected. The mill was closed for deep cleaning and to find whether spores of the fungus were present at the facility. No spores were found

Blastomyces is a fungus that resides across the eastern half of the United States. Usually, someone will be infected after breathing in a spore and person-to-person spread is rare.

'Following a deep cleaning recommended by public health authorities and experts, the Escanaba Mill has initiated resumption of operations as of May 8,' Billerub wrote on the mill's website.

'To date, no Blastomyces spores have been found within the mill. The health and safety of our employees and contractors remains our top priority and we are focused on ensuring a safe return to the mill.

'We continue to work closely with and follow the recommendations of local, state, and federal health experts as they continue to investigate this dynamic situation.'

Billerud went on to say that they did not find spores at the mill, and do not know the source.

'At this time no Blastomyces spores have been found in the companys Escanaba Mill and the investigation continues in collaboration with health authorities and experts,' it wrote.

'We still have not identified the source of the blastomyces. At this time, no Blastomyces spores have been found in the Escanaba Mill and the investigation continues in collaboration with health authorities and experts.'

All infected persons are employees, contractors or others that had visited the facility before falling ill.

Local officials first recognized the outbreak in March. Billerud says on its website that the firm became aware of the infection cluster on March 3.

On April 14, when there were 100 cases and 12 hospitalizations, Billerud chose to close the plant for cleaning and to allow for an investigation into the outbreak's origin.

The first death related to the outbreak was announced that day too, in a contractor that had recently been on site.

Last week, local officials reported six additional cases, bringing the overall total from 109 to 115. The case total surpasses the previous biggest blastomyces outbreak of 55 cases during a 2010 outbreak in Wisconsin.

It often takes between two to 15 weeks between exposure to the fungus and a person feeling symptoms.

This means that people falling ill now may have been exposed to the disease months ago, and some cases may still arise after the plant reopens.

Gerald Kell, who leads the United Steelworkers union representing employees at the plant, said some workers required weeks of hospital care.

Jamie Dier, vice president of the union, told DailyMail.com that those who had fallen seriously ill were 'not able to breathe' and 'coughing up blood or mucus'.

'Their lungs are filling up with nodules [of the fungus],' he said, 'there is like fungal masses on their lungs that are preventing them from breathing'.

Mr Dier said he had to battle a six-week infection with the fungus that left him short of breath and with fungus nodules in his lungs, but he has since recovered.

Paper produced by the mill is used in magazines and for making pamphlets, workers say.

Blastomycosis can trigger symptoms that look like a cold in the early stages, but the fungus can then spread to other areas of the body triggering more severe disease (file photo)

Blastomyces is a mold that lurks in damp soil and leaf litter in the eastern half of the United States.

People can breathe in its spores, which can infect the lungs and cause a 'cold-like' illness with symptoms including a cough, fever and chest pain.

In severe cases, the fungus spreads from the lungs to other organs, including the muscles, bones and brain.

The disease has a mortality rate of about one in 100 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Drugs are available to treat the condition, including antifungals  such as itraconazole  which works by disrupting the wall of fungus cells, causing cell leakage and eventual death.

Those taking these drugs, however, may need to keep using them for up to a year to clear the infection.
Each vaccine is tailored to the recipient using protein cells from their cancer

A breakthrough pancreatic cancer vaccine prevented the disease from returning in half of patients who received it.

The mRNA vaccines are developed by BioNTech, which also created the widely used Pfizer Covid shot with the same technology, are individually tailored to each recipient. Each dose costs around $100,000 to produce, the company said.

In their trials, 16 patients who had previously suffered pancreatic cancer but had their tumors surgically removed received the vaccine.

Half of the patients showed an increased level of T Cells, white blood cells responsible for fighting diseases. None of those patients had their cancer return over the 18-month period researchers followed them.

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of the disease and is very likely to return even after remission. This has placed increased attention on creating treatments and screening measures to detect and fight the disease.

BioNTech has led research into a groundbreaking vaccine for pancreatic cancer. It prevented the deadly disease from returning in 50 percent of patients that received it (file photo)

The development of the vaccine is an international project, with doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, working alongside BioNTech, from Germany, and the Swiss pharma company Roche.

For the research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers at Memorial Sloan gathered cells from the tumors of more than a dozen patients.

They sent the sample to Germany, where BioNTech labs would analyze the cancerous cells and manufacture a vaccine to fight them.

Scientists then developed an mRNA vaccine that would specifically target proteins from that person's cancer.

After a person received the shot, their body would create a version of the protein that triggers the immune system to remove it.

By doing so, the body would now develop antibodies trained to fight against that protein.

Also, the body's defenses would be on alert to that protein. This means that if the cancer returns, the body would be quick to fight it and prevent it from proliferating.

This is also how the mRNA Covid vaccines worked, as they would create a synthetic version of the virus's spike protein in the body to train the immune system.

Then, patients at Memorial Sloan would undergo surgery to remove cancerous growth from their body.

Nine weeks after successful surgery, they received the vaccine via an IV. Three days later, blood samples were drawn to determine whether the medication had successfully generated new cancer-fighting antibodies.

It did so in eight patients, with the other half of the study group not experiencing an immune response.

Each patient continued chemotherapy and was regularly monitored by doctors to screen if their cancer had returned.

Over the next 18 months, none of the patients whose vaccine provided an immune response had their cancer return.

Further investigation found that one of the patients even had the vaccine antibodies successfully fend off abnormal growth in a person's liver.

'These data are exceedingly promising, and will provide the framework for a planned further clinical trial,' Nature wrote.

For comparison, all of the other eight had their cancer return, called a recurrence, over that time period. It took an average of 13 months for the cancer to return.

Typically, the disease will recur in around 80 percent of patients who have it surgically removed.

This vaccine has sparked hope among doctors, as finding a vaccine for cancer has long been a goal of the medical field.

Breakthroughs in mRNA technology and an increased focus on using them in medicine stem from the Covid pandemic.

BioNTech, Moderna, and other firms have all invested greatly in using mRNA for more than just the Covid shots.

Moderna has seen early success in its own trials for a cancer vaccine.

There are currently trials for mRNA shots to prevent heart failure, HIV, cancer and other conditions.

However, this vaccine is not without faults. It was only effective in half of patients during this trial  providing virtually no benefit to the others.

A high price tag comes with each shot too, with BioNTech spending a six-figure sum on each. This likely means the shot would be prohibitively expensive to consumers if it hit the market.

Beyond that, it is also only effective for people who pancreatic cancer is caught at an early enough stage that it can still be surgically removed.

Pancreatic cancer is famously among the hardest for doctors to get a handle on.

There are no single ways to screen for it and it causes mild symptoms that are often overlooked in early stages.

As a result, a majority of cases are not diagnosed until they have already spread into other organs  making it tough to treat and almost always deadly.

The National Cancer Institute estimates 64,050 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and it will be responsible for 50,550 deaths.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology estimates that 56 percent of all people diagnosed with die from the disease.

If the cancer spreads to another part of the body  called metastasis  the survival rate falls to just three percent.
Simon Thompsons departure from Royal Mail may be the only way to draw a line under a bitter industrial dispute that has battered the business, observers have warned.

The beleaguered chief executive looks set to leave the 507-year-old delivery firm within days following a long-running spat with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and a humiliating appearance in front of MPs.

A City analyst said it would be very difficult to move forward without a change in personnel after Thompson saw his reputation shredded by attacks from both union bosses and MPs.

Exit: Royal Mail chief exec Simon Thompson looks set to leave the 507-year-old delivery firm within days

Royal Mails parent company, International Distributions Services (IDS), is expected to announce his departure before its annual results on May 18, ending a mostly unhappy tenure of just over two years.

IDS shares fell 0.5 per cent, or 1.1p, to 244.7p as speculation swirled about Thompsons imminent exit.

The dispute between Royal Mail and its workers dragged on for nearly a year before a deal  which included a 10 per cent raise for staff  was struck last month.

It followed a bruising period for the company that saw posties walk out on strike for 18 days last year.

The action caused chaos in delivery offices across the UK. And Royal Mail warned it was losing over 1million per day and would need to call in administrators if the situation did not improve.

While a semblance of calm has descended as workers decide whether to approve the peace agreement, the analyst predicted Thompson would need to leave before the wounds began to heal.

The deal is going to be difficult for Thompson to lead the organisation out of this, they said. Theres too much bad blood between him and the staff.

A lot of the rank and file hate him. And its going to be very difficult for him to be an effective leader of those people. After the war its very difficult to forgive and forget.

Andy McDonald, a member of the Commons business select committee, said Thompsons handling of the company has been rocky to say the least and hoped his departure would mark a new approach for the firm.

McDonald and other members of the committee accused Thompson earlier this year of either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness in his running of the business.
Goldman Sachs will pay 170million to settle a long-running lawsuit that alleged women were consistently paid less than men and deprived of promotion opportunities.

The gender discrimination lawsuit, which started in 2010, said female employees were undervalued and blocked from progressing in their careers because of company-wide bias.

The two sides agreed to the settlement yesterday before the case went to trial in New York next month.

Leading the fight: The original claimants were former Goldman employees Cristina Chen-Oster (right) and Shanna Orlich (left) , who first sued the company in 2010

The payment will be shared among the 2,800 female former associates and vice presidents who brought the claim against the Wall Street bank. These women primarily worked across the investment and securities divisions.

After more than a decade of vigorous litigation, both parties have agreed to resolve this matter, said Jacqueline Arthur, Goldman Sachss global head of human capital management. We will continue to focus on our people, our clients and our business.

Under the terms of the agreement, the bank will hire independent experts to analyse its gender pay gap and to conduct an additional analysis on performance evaluation processes. Adam Klein, a lawyer at Outten & Golden who represented the women in their claim, said the settlement offers meaningful relief to our clients.

The original claimants were former Goldman employees Cristina Chen-Oster and Shanna Orlich, who first sued the company in 2010 and won the right to lead a class-action lawsuit in 2018.

The pair argued that men had better prospects for promotion with performance reviews they said were driven by a tap on the shoulder system where men backed each other to climb the ranks.

Allison Gamba, a woman represented in the class action, said she was proud of the final settlement.

Gwen Rhys, chief of campaign group Women In The City, said it was disappointing the action took so long. We are nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century and women are still having this fight, she said.

Jamie Fiore Higgins, former Goldman managing director, also published a memoir last year about her time at the bank, which detailed a sexist and outdated culture.

Examples include the mother-of-four, who was one rank behind partner, being told to stop talking about her children at work because it was too motherly and colleagues making mooing noises at her and making crude gestures after she used breastfeeding rooms at work after giving birth.

Goldman said it strongly disagrees with the characterisation of its culture described in Higgins book.
The long-term future of British car making is under threat because of the failure to develop an electric battery industry, MPs were told yesterday.

More than 800,000 people are employed in the sector which faces a transformation over the next few years as petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles are phased out.

Key to the switch to electric will be the development of so-called gigafactories producing batteries for plug-in electric cars.

Yet Britain is falling behind in the race to make the change amid a global scramble for raw materials such as lithium that are needed for the process, the business select committee was told.

Plugging in: Battery electric vehicles represent the future of motoring, but Britain is falling behind because it has failed to develop a battery industry, MPs have been told

Meanwhile, Make UK, the manufacturing body, claimed that Britain was being let down by the lack of a broader industrial strategy.

Darren Jones, chairman of the business select committee, suggested that if the battery industry fails to catch up, car companies will over time make decisions to relocate new production lines in other countries where these supply chains exist triggering a decline for the industry.

I sadly think thats true  and thats 800,000 peoples jobs on the line and we just cant accept that, said Jeff Townsend, founder of the Critical Minerals Association, an industry body.

Simon Moores, chief executive of the Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a consultancy, warned of the scramble for materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite. He said: We can catch up, most definitely. We are very far behind.

The UK at the moment doesnt have a strategy, doesnt have a runner in this race, he said.

Even if it comes up with a strategy to help attract the industry it will take until 2030 to build a battery supply chain, Moores warned.

City veteran blasts UK The former chairman of BT has sparked outrage after claiming a narrow British way of life is stifling the City of London and called for executive pay to be raised to lure firms back to the UK. Jan du Plessis, chairman of the accountancy watchdog, said resistance to change and lower pay compared to other financial hubs was causing the UK to lose out to rivals in Europe and the US. Du Plessis told Bloomberg: The reality is that across the pond, you go to the US, and they are paid multiples of what people are paid here, stratospherically different levels, and they are being very successful. And no one seems to care. Andrew Speke of the High Pay Centre said firms should be looking to boost staff salaries rather than offering big pay hikes to their already affluent executives.

Paul Lusty, director of the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, told MPs: I dont think we can currently be confident that we are going to be able to fulfil the raw material demands of the UK for building out gigafactories.

Jeremy Wrathall, founder of Cornish Lithium  which is exploring the region for the potential to extract the metal  pointed to the difficulty of competing for funds at a time when the US as well as Europe are offering huge incentives.

Liam Condon, the boss of UK chemicals giant Johnson Matthey, went further, claiming on Sky News that the race for the battery industry was over.

But he said Britain could still become a global champion in green hydrogen, another net zero technology, but must move with a sense of urgency to avoid squandering its lead.

A report from Make UK yesterday called for a new plan for the UK to create high-skilled manufacturing jobs.

Chief executive Stephen Phipson said: A lack of a proper, planned, industrial strategy is the UKs Achilles heel.

Every other major economy, from Germany, to China, to the US, has a long-term national manufacturing plan.
Regulators are investigating Deloitte over its audit of retailer Joules, which collapsed last year.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has launched a probe into an audit of financial statements of the High Street chain for the year to May 30, 2021.

The Big Four accountancy firm could face a significant fine from the regulator if it is found to have failed to meet standards.

Botched audit: Fashion retailer Joules collapsed into administration last year after struggling with rising costs and waning customer demand

London-based Deloitte said it would co-operate fully with the investigation.

The firm added that it was committed to the highest standards of audit quality. Joules was rescued out of administration when retail giant Next bought the majority of the companys assets for 34million in December.

The beleaguered retailer, known for selling colourful wellington boots and floral dresses, has struggled with rising costs and waning customer demand.

Deloitte is the latest firm to be probed by the FRC over an audit of a firm that has collapsed, with a slew of active investigations including into EYs audit of online sofa-seller Made and PwCs audit of shopping centre giant Intu.

Deloitte is also being investigated for its audits of GoAhead Group, which owns the GTR franchise that operates Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express trains, and car dealership Lookers.
Asos shares tumbled 10 per cent after the online retailer revealed widening losses due to the cost of a major restructuring and weaker sales.

The company has also been hit by an uptick in customers returning more parcels, while it has also witnessed a trend of shoppers opting to return to physical stores.

However, Asos said this was 'short-term' behaviour, adding it was confident it would return to profit in its second half, despite expecting sales to keep falling in the coming months.

Falling sales: Asos has been hit by customers sending back more parcels and said some shoppers were choosing to return to physical stores amid the cost of living crisis

Asos posted a 291million reported pre-tax loss for the six months to the end of February, compared to losses of 15.8million a year earlier.

The reported loss included a 128million stock write-off, 49million in property impairments and costs relating to redundancies at its head office.

Excluding these exceptional items, adjusted pre-tax loss was lower at 87.4million, compared to profits of 14.8million a year ago, as total sales fell 8 per cent to 1.8billion.

UK sales were down 10 per cent compared to last year, while Europe was flat, US sales fell 7 per cent and rest of world revenues dropped 12 per cent.

The fast-fashion retailer forecasts a 'low double digit' decline in sales in the second half, but core profits of between 40million and 60million as it pushes ahead with its turnaround strategy.

Asos launched a major restructuring in October, shutting down certain warehouses, axing unprofitable brands and significantly cutting promotions and marketing spend, which it said would help deliver a 300million benefit to its current financial year.

Chief executive, Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte, said the group had so far achieved 100million in profit optimisation and cost savings, despite short-term sales suffering as a result.

'Our focus is on improving our core profitability, prioritising order economics over top-line growth and I am pleased with the strategic and rapid operational progress the business has made in the first half of the financial year, against some very challenging trading conditions,' he told shareholders.

'While some of these changes have impacted short-term sales growth, there are many causes for optimism as we progress through the second half of the year.

'I am very confident of our return to sustainable profit and cash generation in the second half of the year and beyond.'

Asos shares fell 10 per cent to 571.8p in morning trading on Wednesday. They have lost around 57 per cent of their value over the last year.

Over a two year period, the shares are down by 87 per cent and by 90 per cent over the last five.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: 'There is little doubt that there is never a perfect moment within a rugged retail environment to be undertaking a transformation of this magnitude.

'Even so, the change was necessary and the group has strings to its bow which could yet prove to be a saviour'.

Charlie Huggins, manager of the Quality Shares Portfolio at Wealth Club, said the turnaround plan was showing some 'early signs of success'.

He said: 'Asos remains confident of making a profit in the second half, despite the challenging trading conditions, while cash generation appears at least to be on an improving trajectory. But this is coming at the cost of short-term sales.

'The problem Asos faces is that cost-cutting can only go so far. In the long-run, Asos will need to get its sales moving in the right direction. And to do that it needs to find a way of delivering brilliant service to its customers, at the right margins. That battle has barely even begun.'
Anxious families are being forced to wait up to three-and-a-half years for essential documents they need to care for loved ones.

Bombshell figures obtained by Money Mail under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal an enormous backlog of applications for power of attorney.

Tens of thousands of families are trapped in the logjam, with some waiting so long that applicants are dying in the meantime.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint a trusted friend or family member to make decisions about your finances, property and health on your behalf.

Long waits: Tens of thousands of families waiting for essential documents are trapped in a government logjam, with some waiting so long that applicants are dying in the meantime

Having one in place is invaluable if you lose the ability to manage your own affairs and need help from someone you know and trust. Without it, families are being left in limbo, unable to make critical financial and health decisions on behalf of loved ones.

You can apply for a LPA by filling out a form and sending it to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), which is the organisation responsible for processing and approving the applications.

However, evidence seen by Money Mail suggests the system is in chaos. Today we reveal that:

The average wait time has soared to 91 days, according to official figures from the FOI request.

One family waited a staggering 983 working days  thats close to four years  for their application to be granted, the FOI revealed.

One Money Mail readers LPA application has been lost by the OPG, which means that more than a year after the application was made, it still has not been approved.

Another reader says her husbands application took so long that he died while they were waiting for it to be processed.

A Bill is passing through Parliament to urgently reform the LPA system and make applications quicker and easier. But unless it is passed by the House of Lords soon, it may be months before it is approved.

Endless waits

The long waits are leaving thousands of families in fear that their loved one will lose capacity or even die before their application has been approved.

Ian Dalling, 79, and his wife Sheila, 78, breathed a sigh of relief when the LPA applications they made in February last year were finally approved in December.

But then, earlier this year, they received a further letter from the OPG to say that Ians LPAs had not been registered after all because the OPG had lost the original forms.

The couple from Gosport, Hampshire, have now been waiting 15 months since they made applications to give each other and their two children permission to manage their affairs.

Slow progress: Sheila and Ian Dalling have been waiting 15 months for their LPA. They want to give each other and their two children permission to manage their affairs

The OPG is shambolic, says Ian, a retired management consultant. The situation keeps getting worse.

'Every time I call I speak to a different member of staff. The system at the OPG is broken and there seems to be no awareness of where documents are or if they have been processed.

Insiders say that the OPG receives around 4,000 applications a day, which are scanned by hand.

This equates to about 80,000 sheets of paper. However, the OPG is struggling to cope with the sheer volume of paperwork, with the result that essential documents are being misplaced or lost for good.

Waiting times have been rising as the number of applications submitted has soared in recent months.

A growing number of families are realising the benefits of having LPAs in place, following successful public awareness campaigns.

Young love: Sheila and Ian Dalling pictured shortly after getting engaged in 1966

The pandemic forced people to think about their plans if they should become unwell in future, which also influenced the rise in LPA applications. More than 88,600 requests are being registered each month  over 60 per cent more than during the pandemic.

The OPG says its 1,077 staff are working overtime to combat the backlog, and that an extra 103 full-time employees have been taken on since last June.

Janis Ward, 75, has been waiting eight weeks for her two LPA applications to be approved.

Janis submitted the applications in February to grant her adult children, Cora and Simon, the right to manage her affairs if she becomes unable to do so herself. However, the retired telephone operator from Swanley, Kent, has just received a letter from her solicitor to say she should expect a wait of 16 weeks.

The wait is deplorable, says Janis. The delays are very frustrating and the whole thing is a complete and utter shambles.

Sheree Green, former chair of the Law Society Mental Health and Disability Committee, says: If a person has lost capacity while applying for a power of attorney then you can apply to the Court of Protection, but this is a relatively complex procedure, and is not a solution if the person still has capacity.

Causing distress

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners says the backlog has increased the uncertainty and anguish that LPAs are actually meant to reduce.

A spokesman for the society says: The delays cause considerable distress for the families concerned, particularly if someone loses mental capacity while their LPA is being processed.

Sue Martin, whose name has been changed, applied for two LPAs in February for her husband Phil, in order to be able to manage his affairs if he became unable to do so.

Why you need to sort out Lasting Power of Attorney whatever your age It's a vital financial failsafe to help your loved ones in case you are incapacitated. Without an LPA, families can find themselves locked out of an ailing loved one's finances and forced to apply for deputyship. This involves a complicated court process and fees running into many thousands of pounds. Read a This is Money guide to sorting out power of attorney or the fallback of deputyship here.

A few weeks later, Sue was told that her husband was terminally ill and had only four weeks left to live.

Sue contacted the OPG to cancel the applications and was told the cheques worth 164 would be returned  but three days later, both cheques were cashed.

When I called there were 40 people waiting on the line ahead of me, she says.

After staying on the phone for an hour and 15 minutes, I was told a refund could only be made via the post and by cheque. My husband died, the funeral had to be paid for and the refund has still not arrived.

Reform hold-up

A bill to modernise and simplify the LPA application process passed through the House of Commons without opposition and is awaiting approval in the Lords.

However, despite overwhelming support for the Bill, it could be months until it is approved.

A second reading of the Bill has not yet been scheduled and there are limited opportunities left before Parliament stops sitting for the summer recess.

The proposals would allow claimants to complete all parts of the application digitally, which would speed up the process.

Those who cannot complete the application process online will still be able to submit their forms on paper.

Delays: A bill to modernise and simplify the LPA application process passed through the House of Commons without opposition and is awaiting approval in the Lords

Stephen Metcalfe, Conservative MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, who is sponsoring the Bill, says: Lasting Power of Attorney is a very important document and many people cannot afford to wait 91 days to be able to give a loved one authority over their affairs. Many people apply for an LPA when they need it and need it quickly.

The system needs reform, which is why my Bill is so vital.

How to apply

There are two types of Power of Attorney: one covers property and financial affairs; another health and welfare concerns. Each application costs 82 but those on means-tested benefits do not have to pay.

LPA applications can be made online or using paper forms but all requests need to be witnessed and signed on paper.

Attorneys, witnesses and certificate providers must all sign the same original paper document and cannot sign copies online or use digital signatures.

These papers must then be sent to the OPG office in Birmingham, where they are scanned and sent for processing.

You do not have to use a solicitor to create an LPA but taking professional advice can help to avoid problems in the future.

Prices typically vary between 100 and 500.

Prevent delays

Some of the longest delays suffered by LPA applicants are due to mistakes they have made on the forms. Follow these steps to ensure that you dont make the most common errors:

Check the order of signatures. All LPA applications must be signed in a certain order. The donor (the person making the application) signs first, followed by the witnesses, then the certification provider (an independent authority, usually a solicitor). Attorneys sign next and finally the witness to the attorneys signatures signs.

Use a black pen. All LPA papers are scanned into an online system and black ink is better recognised by the scanners than blue, so the information is transferred more efficiently.

Dont use correction fluid. If you make a mistake before you sign your LPA, put a cross through the error and put a correction next to it. You must sign and date the correction for it to be accepted.

Do not staple or bind your forms. All application pages are scanned individually. Bindings and staples can damage the document when they are removed, which can mean your application is rejected.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the OPG, says: We know delays are frustrating and apologise for the distress caused.

a.cooke@dailymail.co.uk
A truckie is lucky to be alive after he was struck down by a rare disease that doctors initially thought could have been a stroke or cancer.

Brendan O'Reilly, 30, suffered problems with balance at work before his condition spiralled and he was sent to Ipswich Hospital, in Queensland.

His condition worsened prompting doctors to rush him to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, in Brisbane.

Mr O'Reilly lost function of his hands and began to slur his words.

Doctors were initially confused by his symptoms before finally diagnosing him with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in February.

Now he's expected to make a full recovery slowly over the next two months as he regains movement, but doctors say he won't be able to drive for the next two years.

Brendan O'Reilly, 30, was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) after undergoing a brain biopsy in February

ADEM only affects one-in-250,000 people and now his brother, Dan O'Reilly, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for what is expected to be a full recovery

The father-of-two is now learning to walk again after he spent weeks paralysed and months in intensive care.

ADEM is a very rare condition that affects one in 250,000 people.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, ADEM inflames the brain and spinal cord which damages the coating of nerve fibres, causing paralysis.

Mr O'Reilly's brother Dan has set up a GoFundMe to support Brendan's children while he continues to recover and regain his movement.

After Mr O'Reilly was diagnosed with ADEM, his mother Marie, 64, said some doctors were unaware exactly what it was.

'Brendan was admitted on January 31 and by the third and fourth day he was losing functionality of hands, couldnt sit, and his words were starting to get jumbled up in sentences,' Ms O'Reilly told Daily Mail Australia.

'Doctors were sending results off to Princess Alexandra hospital and we felt scared as Brendan was scared, they were telling him it could be cancer, brain tumour or multiple sclerosis.

'The second week in hospital he was deteriorating fast - looking straight through you, couldnt turn his head and paralysed on his left side completely.

'We got a diagnosis after three weeks that Brendan has ADEM.'

Mr O'Reilly was just days away from his 30th birthday when he first went to hospital, and now his family are trying to navigate the unpredictable path ahead.

'Brendan had three to five days of plasma exchange which remarkably brought his speech back,' Ms O'Reilly said.

'Movement has come back down his left shoulder and arm and his leg has taken the longest to come back.

'We now have Brendan up standing and learning to walk again.

'This disease came on so quickly out of nowhere and completely changed his life.'

Brendan is expected to be discharged from hospital on July 11 and his family are now trying to raise money for the prolonged treatment while also supporting his seven-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.

Brendan was rushed to hospital just days before his 30th birthday after struggling to stay balanced at work on January 31

Mr O'Reilly underwent a brain biospy at Princess Alexandria Hopsital in Ipswich, QLD, where doctors first though he might've had a stroke or developed cancer

His brother Dan launched a fundraiser which he is hoping will reach $30,000 in donations to ease the increasing burden of medical bills.

'Brendan has been in hospital and unable to work to support his young children, while Brendan is slowly making progress with his physiotherapy and on the mend he will be in hospital for months to come,' he wrote.

'As a family we are asking if anyone has anything spare to donate to Brendan as he will not be able to return to work or drive a car for the foreseeable future when he is eventually allowed to leave hospital.'

So far $12,297 has been raised, and the local Ipswich rugby league club have also organised a raffle to help raise money.

While the cause of Mr O'Reilly's condition isn't clear, symptoms can come shortly after a viral or bacterial infection, although people have also been known to develop ADEM with no pre-existing infection.

Most people diagnosed with ADEM begin recovering immediately after treatment starts, with a full recovery typically happening within six months.

Most patients can recover with no permanent damage to their nerves or spinal cord.
A top lawyer has threatened to take Qantas to court after claiming the airline 'completely ignored' his attempts to redeem credit from flights cancelled during the pandemic.

Former Victorian Crown prosecutor, Gavin Silbert KC, from Melbourne, was given $5.900 credit from Qantas for cancelled flights.

However, since then, he has been unable to cash in his credit and says he has been 'completely and utterly ignored' by Qantas.

'It deserves to be publicised, what's going on,' he told Neil Mitchell on 3AW Mornings.

'I'd just love to give this evidence in an open court because it's just absolutely disgraceful.'

Former Victorian Crown prosecutor, Gavin Silbert KC, from Melbourne, was given $5900 credit from Qantas for cancelled flights but hasn't been able to redeem any

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.

Qantas told A Current Affair that more than $1.2billion worth of flight credits have already been refunded or used.

A spokesperson said the firm had apologised to Mr Silbert for 'an unsatisfactory experience in using his credit' and that 'they're working with him to make the situation right'.

Millions of Qantas flights were cancelled during the pandemic, with customers given credits in their place.

An announcement in March pushed the deadline for using the credits to December 2024.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that there is $800m in Covid credits still held by Qantas and Jetstar customers.

A total of 76 per cent of the credits are worth less than $500, while 24 per cent are worth between $500 and $5,000. Fewer than 1% are worth more than $5,000.

Mr Silbert hit out at the credit scheme in a fiery interview on Tuesday.

He said: 'In 2020, I booked for four adults and one child for a flight from Melbourne to Darwin and paid about $5,900. That flight was cancelled the night before, due to the pandemic and a credit was issued for roughly $5,900.

'That has been completely and utterly ignored effectively. I'm actually out of pocket almost $10,000 as a result of cancelled fares, rebooking fees and additional amounts paid. I haven't seen any of the credit.'

He also criticised the system in place for complaints.

Millions of Qantas flights were cancelled during the pandemic, with customers given credits in their place

'You can't speak to an individual, you get told to go on to their complaints line and lodge a complaint. I did that a long time ago, probably eight or nine months months ago. You never get a response.

'I've had enough. Let's just go to court. I would just love to give this evidence in an open court because it's absolutely disgraceful.

'I don't know how much money Qantas are holding that doesn't belong to them, but it would be in the probably hundreds of millions of dollars I suspect.'

Patrick Veyret, the head of policy and government relations at Choice, a consumer group, previously hit out at Qantas over the credits.

'Some Qantas flight credits can only be used for a booking of equivalent or greater value  so if you have a $300 flight credit, you can't use it to book a $290 flight. That is clearly unfair.

'Qantas customers also frequently complain that when they go to rebook a flight at the same time on the same route, they have to pay significantly more when using a credit than they paid for the original flight.

'Flight credits should work like gift cards. People should have the choice to transfer the credits to other people, as well as split the credits over a number of transactions.'
The FBI has a May 10 deadline to turn over a document Rep. James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley say ties Biden to an alleged bribery scheme

Wednesday promises to be a 'bad day' for the White House, according to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer who is set to unveil 'suspicious' Biden family business bank records and enforce a noon deadline for the FBI to turn over documents related to an alleged pay-to-play bribery scheme between President Biden and a foreign national.

Comer will lead a press conference in the morning during which he says he will reveal to the American people the extent of the Biden family's alleged money laundering schemes based on specific bank records obtained by the committee.

It will be a 'bad day for the White House,' said Comer, who also noted it will be interesting to see what Biden will say in response.

'He lied about the laptop, he lied about his knowledge of his family's shady business dealings and about involvement in his family's shady business dealings. He lies when he says his son has done nothing wrong,' Comer told Fox & Friends First.

'It is judgment day for the White House,' he added.

The committee has been ramping up its investigation into the 'Biden family's influence peddling enterprise' in recent weeks in order to make a determination on whether the first family has been influenced by any foreign actors or threatened national security.

The probe into the first family really grew after Republicans took control of the House and gained subpoena power. They wasted no time in demanding documents from Hunter Biden and his business associates, other Biden family members and linked banks.

Ian Sams, White House special assistant to the president and oversight spokesperson, blasted Comer in a statement ahead of the press conference calling out his 'absurd' attacks.

'House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points.' said Sams.

Biden family alleged 'influence peddling' scheme

Biden defended his son Hunter, saying last Friday evening during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that 'First of all, my son has done nothing wrong'

The House Oversight Cmmittee has been ramping up its investigation into the 'Biden family's influence peddling enterprise' in order to make a determination on whether the first family has been influenced by any foreign actors or threatened national security

A committee aide told DailyMail.com that it has sifted through thousands of pages of financial records 'related to the Biden family and their associates' transactions.'

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have reviewed IRS documents and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) from the Treasury Department that they claim prove that the Biden family corruption and influence peddling has benefitted at least 12 family members.

Comer said last month that there won't be anyone 'left for a Christmas picture' because the 'entire Biden family' is entrapped in the financial enrichment scheme.

According to the SARs reviewed by Comer's committee, he previously confirmed President Biden's brother Jim Biden and his son Beau's widow Hallie Biden benefited from the foreign business deals.

Most recently, the committee revealed that several Biden family members obtained $1 million from a Chinese company through a third party - in more than 15 incremental payments.

'We will present the facts about what the Biden family has been doing,' Comer said about the press conference Wednesday.

'One thing we learned when we had access to Treasury Suspicious Activity Reports is that there are many Biden family members in on the pedaling scheme. We will present bank records [Wednesday] and talk about the different people they were taking money from, their ties to foreign nationals in some of the worst countries on the planet and I think the American people will have a lot of questions for Joe Biden.'

Comer and his committee are also looking into Hunter Biden's laptop and alleged collusion between the then-Biden campaign and Big Tech to suppress the bombshell findings, pictures and videos contained on the device ahead of the 2020 election.

The Republican is also looking into recovered emails from the laptop that may incriminate his father, the sitting president.

The chairman has accused Hunter's attorneys of illegally intimidating witnesses as their probe continues.

'In communication with our witnesses and with people who are cooperating from a subpoena standpoint, we know that they have been contacted by the attorneys for Hunter Biden,' Comer has said. 'We feel that this is really close to crossing the line. Obviously, their objective in my opinion, is witness intimidation. This will not stand.'

Hunter Biden federal investigation

Hunter Biden is facing federal tax and firearm charges out of a four-years-long probe by the Department of Justice.

The investigation into the first son being led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware is reported to be close to wrapping up soon - which means charges may be imminent.

Biden defended his son Hunter, saying last Friday evening during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that 'First of all, my son has done nothing wrong.'

'I trust him. I have faith in him, the president continued. 'It impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him.'

Garland's alleged interference in Hunter probe

A whistleblower from the IRS recently came forward to the House Judiciary Committee claiming that a senior Biden administration official interfered with the DOJ's special counsel probe into Hunter Biden.

DailyMail.com previously confirmed that the 'senior official' in question is Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland.

However, Garland has vouched for the independence of Weiss, and testified in Congress that the probe is being conducted impartially.

'He has been advised he is not to be denied anything he needs,' Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee recently. 'I have not heard anything from that office to suggest that they are not able to do everything the U.S. attorney wants to do.'

The U.S. attorney met with officials at DOJ headquarters in Washington, D.C., at the end of April - another signal that the probe may be wrapping up soon.

Comer over the weekend urged DOJ to hold off on potentially charging Hunter until after his Wednesday press conference because the information he promises to reveal will be bigger than any 'slap on the wrist' by the Justice Department.

'By all accounts from the media reports that we're getting, what they're looking at charging Hunter Biden on is a slap on the wrist. It's a drop in the bucket,' Comer said.

'So Wednesday will be a very big day for the American people in getting the facts presented to them so that they can know the truth, and then the Department of Justice can finally do what they should have done years ago.'

Comer said Tuesday that he hopes DOJ will pay attention to the press conference and consider the information that he and his committee present.

FBI faces deadline on Biden alleged 'bribery scheme' with foreign national

The FBI has a document detailing an alleged cash for access 'criminal scheme' involving Joe Biden and an unnamed foreign national when he was vice president, Republicans said in a bombshell development in the investigation into the president's family.

Photo of laptop computer reportedly owned by Hunter Biden

Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., have now issued a subpoena to the FBI demanding the internal document be handed over by Wednesday, May 10

A whistleblower has come forward with stunning claims that a file 'includes a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme (involving Biden) was employed as well as its purpose', top GOP members of the House and Senate have said.

Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., have now issued a subpoena to the FBI demanding the internal document be handed over by Wednesday, May 10.

'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.

'What we don't know is what, if anything, the FBI has done to verify these claims or investigate further. The FBI's recent history of botching politically charged investigations demands close congressional oversight.'

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray last week obtained by DailyMail.com, the top Republicans state that due to 'credible' whistleblower disclosures, they are seeking access to an internal 'FBI-generated FD-1023 form' through a subpoena.

The form allegedly details an 'arrangement' between Biden and an unnamed foreigner for an exchange of money for policy decisions, they say.

Iam Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations posted a response to Twitter calling the GOP action 'unfounded' and 'politically motivated.'

'For going on 5 years now, Republicans in Congress have been lobbing unfounded politically-motivated attacks against [President Biden] without offering evidence for their claims. Or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests,' he claimed.

Comer's press conference Wednesday detailing the Biden family's bank records will be held at 9:00 a.m. ET.
President Joe Biden took questions from the press Tuesday night after his meeting on the debt ceiling stalemate with Congressional leaders.

He spent a little more time than usual engaging with the press pool on the heels of the left-leaning Washington Post calling his lack of press conferences 'unacceptable.'

In an op-ed published Monday, the Post's editorial board blasted him for 'stonewalling the media,' and pointed out that Biden had headlined zero solo press conferences all year.

'President Biden hasn't dropped the microphone; he appears to have lost it. Mr. Biden is turning into a news media evader, and it's harmful to his presidency and the nation,' the op-ed said.

Biden did participate in two bilateral press conferences - at the White House last month with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and during his trip to Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

President Joe Biden (right) participates in a press conference last month with South Korean Yoon Suk-yeol (left) as part of South Korea's state dinner. Biden has held zero solo press conferences in 2023 and just three accompanied by world leaders

President Joe Biden smiles as he takes questions from the press pool Tuesday evening. The extended Q&A comes after The Washington Post editorial board called it 'unacceptable' the president held so few press conferences

The president also participated in a trilateral press conference with Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during his visit to Mexico City in January.

He skipped holding press conferences during his other two recent trips abroad - to Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as when he visited Ukraine and Poland.

Press conferences are formalized settings where the president takes questions from the press.

Presidents will also take part in gaggles, more spontaneous question-and-answer sessions. They're often held as the president is departing the White House for a trip, or after the president makes a statement.

But the American Presidency Project tracked that Biden does that less than his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.

The Post pointed out that only Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan averaged fewer press conferences than Biden, who came into office cheering press freedom and transparency - a contrast to Trump, who frequently called reporters the 'enemy of the people.'

'Taking questions from the media promotes public accountability. It also shows that the president is willing to defend his positions and instills confidence that he can do the job,' the op-ed argued.

'It is widely known that Mr. Biden is gaffe-prone and that news conferences are not his forte. But as he runs for a second term, he should be eager to show he can handle all aspects of the job,' the opinion piece continued. 'Pick up the microphone, Mr. President. The media is not your enemy.'

The lack of press conferences is also why a Biden gaffe on Friday got so much attention.

Biden had teased journalists that he would be holding a 'major press conference,' as he explained that he wouldn't be engaging in Q&A with them during a meeting of his 'Investing in America Cabinet.'

'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,' the president said at the time.

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.

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.
What a great day for women. What a sad day for America.

A jury of six men and three women found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll.

Think about that jury composition for a moment. Think about how little time they took  just three hours  to reach a verdict on Tuesday.

So much of this is reminiscent of Harvey Weinstein: An infamous New York character on trial in his native New York City, seated before an overwhelmingly male jury that nonetheless understands the nuances of sexual assault, the reasons women don't go to the police immediately, a jury that places credence in contemporaneous reports  even in cases that may be years or decades old.

Trump arguably thought so little of this trial that he never showed up.

Now he's been ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

He'll appeal, of course. But what is undeniably a victory for women everywhere is also a defeat, because there's no law or rule that says anyone found liable of sexual abuse cannot run for president, or be president.

Amazing, isn't it? Women running for office have incredibly high bars to clear, while men accused of sexual abuse, assault or rape have no problem at all.

And it's been ever thus.

What a great day for women. What a sad day for America. A jury of six men and three women found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll (above, right, with her attorney Roberta Kaplan)

Trump arguably thought so little of this trial that he never showed up. Now he's been ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

Everyone in D.C. and the national media knew about JFK and covered up his execrable behavior, including getting a teenage White House intern named Mimi Alford drunk and taking her virginity on his wife's bed.

'Short of screaming,' Alford wrote of that encounter in her memoir, 'I doubt I could have done anything to thwart his intentions.'

Ted Kennedy left Mary Jo Kopechne to die in a shallow pond, alone in a car he drove off a bridge, and years later ran for president, cheered on by the Democratic party and the news media.

Bill Clinton was credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick in 1999 and she was dismissed as a fabulist. Paula Jones was written off as poor white trash looking for a payout. Monica Lewinsky was smeared as a slut who went to D.C. to get her 'presidential kneepads'  a quote attributed to her that was later found to likely have been made up by the Clinton war machine.

And Trump used the same misogynistic tactic the Kennedys and Clinton used to rid themselves of inconvenient women: Call your female accuser crazy.

'It's the most ridiculous, disgusting story,' Trump said of Carroll in his deposition. 'It was just made up. I know nothing about her. I think she's sick. Mentally sick.'

What's sick is a culture that chooses to believe women only when they're accusing the other guy, not the guy they voted for. I can't tell you how often I'd hear liberal women claim that then-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, was the victim of an orchestrated witch hunt by Republicans.

Or that what he did was bad, but not as bad as Trump. So why couldn't we keep him?

To which I always say: Why should women abide any of it? Treating women with respect and decency isn't a high bar to clear. Making women fear for their careers or reputations or financial security should also be considered an act of violence  a hidden one that often leaves no evidence, can be difficult to prove, and can make women sound, yes, crazy.

Hysterical. Overreacting.

Everyone in D.C. and the national media knew about JFK and covered up his execrable behavior, including getting a teenage White House intern named Mimi Alford drunk and taking her virginity on his wife's bed.

'Short of screaming,' Alford (above) wrote of that encounter in her memoir, 'I doubt I could have done anything to thwart his intentions.'

Sexual abuse, assault, rape  none of this is partisan. It should never matter whether the accused is a Republican or a Democrat.

The only side we should be on is the side of women.

Consider that Joe Biden has his own troubles here, troubles that much of the mainstream media ignores, or writes off as Russian disinformation, or as possibly problematic but the lesser of two evils  the supreme evil being, of course, Trump.

Set aside '10 percent for the big guy' or any of the Hunter Biden stuff. By April 2020, eight women had come forward to say Joe Biden had subjected them to unwanted physical contact or had made inappropriate comments. One accused him of sexual assault in 1993.

Multiple photos and videos of Biden grabbing women and young girls, sniffing their hair from behind or placing his hands on their shoulders  a power move, one meant to display dominance and possession  went viral.

And all were dismissed as the unfortunate behaviors of an old man from another time, as if any of these actions were ever okay.

When the diaries of the President's daughter, Ashley, were discovered and went viral in July 2022, the media didn't ask about the explosive contents. Instead, they asked who had discovered and leaked them and when was this person or persons going to be charged with a crime?

The relevant passage from a diary the president's daughter has never denied was her own:

'Was I molested,' the author writes. 'I think so  I can't remember specifics but I do remember trauma. Hyper-sexualized @ a young age . . . I remember being somewhat sexualized with Caroline; I remember having sex with friends @ a young age; showers w/my dad (probably not appropriate).'

Multiple photos and videos of Biden grabbing women and young girls, sniffing their hair from behind or placing his hands on their shoulders  a power move, one meant to display dominance and possession  went viral.

Imagine this as Ivanka Trump's diary. The media would be on everlasting fire with righteous indignation.

But Old Joe gets a pass on this allegation from his own daughter.

This is where America's at: Two severely compromised elderly men as frontrunners, one assuredly our president  again  in 2024.

Neither one can weaponize sexual abuse against the other. We know that the media won't dare question Biden, who at least has a woman on the ticket.

This is what women are meant to accept as progress in 2023  tokenism. It's infuriating.

So while Trump has been found liable in civil court, nothing has changed.

'Grab them by the p---y' activated women's marches and demonstrations. Now it's a punchline, Trump so emboldened that he doubled down in his deposition here. When asked about the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape and whether he believed what he said, Trump replied, 'Well, historically, that's true with stars,' adding that he considered himself a star.

'If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.'

Monica Lewinsky (above, right) was smeared as a slut who went to D.C. to get her 'presidential kneepads'  a quote attributed to her that was later found to likely have been made up by the Clinton war machine.

Ted Kennedy (above) left Mary Jo Kopechne to die in a shallow pond, alone in a car he drove off a bridge, and years later ran for president, cheered on by the Democratic party and the news media.

Fortunately?!?

Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan offered a great detail in her closing argument: One of the friends Carroll disclosed to contemporaneously, the writer Lisa Birnbach, testified that when she took Carroll's call she had been in the kitchen with her two young children. Birnbach left the room so they wouldn't hear the word 'rape.'

'The fact that she left the kitchen, by the way, is a very telling detail,' Kaplan said. 'It's the kind of detail you don't make up.'

Indeed. It's specific. Vibrant. Hard to discount.

Carroll's case was also helped by the detailed testimony of two other women who claimed that Trump sexually abused them.

Clearly the jury found much of that testimony credible. Trump, after all, has been accused of sexual assault, harassment and rape by at least 25 women over decades.

Carroll's victory is significant. It's doubly gratifying that a male-majority jury found him liable.

But will it matter?

Or will this verdict serve as rocket fuel not just for Trump's campaign but for a culture that still retreats to its corners, choosing to selectively believe women when it hurts the other guy  and not the women who have truly been harmed?

My guess is the latter. My hope is that we grow up.
Senator Pocock said the fund was 'inadequate' for renters

Jacqui Lambie has fired up against Greens Senator Barbara Pocock, slamming her party's opposition to the Albanese government's housing package as 'disgusting'.

An argument erupted between the two senators during a discussion about the government's $10 billion Housing Affordability Future Fund on Sky News Australia as the federal budget was handed down in parliament house on Tuesday night.

The $10 billion fund, which is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate this week, will build 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties over the next five years.

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie (pictured) fired up against Greens Senator Barbara Pocock over the government's Housing Affordability Future Fund

The government needs support from the Greens to pass the bill, but the Greens have remained opposed as the party claims the package does not go far enough to help renters.

Senator Pocock argued that there wasn't enough support for renters and there was a lack of housing supply that wasn't keeping up with population growth under the fund.

Senator Lambie chimed in when Senator Pocock described her amendments to the bill as 'inadequate' for her state of South Australia.

'But the thing is if you don't start building these houses now, you're going to have more people out there,' she said.

'You need to start doing something now, you have the biggest balance of power in that bloody Senate up there, that's what you have, and you can't keep doing deals for more housing? You've got to be kidding me.'

'You have to start today, those people need roofs over their head today.'

Senator Pocock, who remained straight faced and tight-lipped during the tirade, defended her view, arguing that greater rental assistance needed to be in place.

But Senator Lambie instantly fired back, claiming the Greens politician could act now with her 'balance of power'.

South Australian Greens Senator Barbara Pocock (pictured) argued for greater renter support and a boost in housing supply to keep up with population growth

'You've got that big balance of power. You've got more than what Tammy (Tyrell) and I have, I can tell you, and you're not using that.'

'You wanna stop people having a roof over their head, that's disgusting,' she added.

The Jacqui Lambie Network struck a deal with the government over the housing bill, which guarantees a minimum of 1,200 social and affordable houses will be built in each territory and state over the next five years.

JLN senator Tammy Tyrrell, who helped secure the deal, said the Greens could end up delivering 'nothing'.

'The Greens need to back in the Housing Australia Future Fund,' she said.

The government wants a vote on the bill before the Senate rises on Thursday.

While Labor will have the support of independents, the Greens are holding out for a more ambitious plan.
A radio host has unleashed on a family living off welfare payments despite having two cars and sending their daughter to private school - with the broadcaster demanding taxpayers get their money back.

Jennifer Searson and Mark Goodrick live in Queensland's Sunshine Coast with their 15-year-old daughter after moving from Sydney, with Mr Goodrick complaining about not having the energy to work a full-time job.

The couple, who rely on Centrelink and Mr Goodrick's casual salary from his job at a service station, featured on the ABC's 7.30 program on Monday night where they discussed the need for income support payments to be increased.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers obliged in Tuesday night's Budget, with a range of measures to benefit those on welfare, with JobSeeker and Youth Allowance both rising by $40 a fortnight from September.

However, viewers of the program were quick to notice the family drove two cars, their daughter appeared to attend a private school, and they spent $350-a-week on groceries, with neither Mr Goodrick or Ms Searson planning to work full-time to pay for any of it.

'So what do I do? Do I do the right thing to not be a supposed dole-bludger and work five days a week for $850? Or do I work the hours I'm working and get that little bit of a top-up (from the taxpayer)?' Mr Goodrick asked on the program

'I don't actually have the energy to say ''hey, I'm off to work for 60 hours a week'', so we had to make a decision, but that's not supported, you're seen as someone who's bludging or taking advantage of the system.'

2GB's morning host Ray Hadley unleashed on the couple on Tuesday morning and questioned why taxpayers were funding people who seemingly 'didn't have the energy to work'.

'Here they are claiming they live in poverty,' he said on his 2GB radio program.

'There'd be plenty of people listening to this program who do live in poverty, who would be living in their cars, not using two cars to drop their daughter to school then going home and sitting on their a***s all day.'

The radio broadcaster said he found it 'offensive' the couple were complaining about spending $350-a-week on groceries, an sum of money families with even more children wouldn't even spend.

'You don't have the energy to work 60 hours a week, so instead, we pay for it. We pay for your laziness,' he said.

'If that's the typical person on JobSeeker, I want my money back. I want some of my tax back.

'If I'm supporting those people and you're out there working your rings off, we need a reduction. We need our money back.

Jennifer Searson and Mark Goodrick live in Queensland's Sunshine Coast with their 15-year-old daughter. They recently featured on the ABC's 7.30 program to discuss living on Centrelink

'I don't want to help that couple.'

Ms Searson, a lab technician who is certified in education support and business administration, is on a carer's payment for her daughter who has autism.

The maximum basic rate fortnightly for a carer's payment is $971.50 according to Services Australia.

Mr Goodrick, a qualified chef, works casually at a service station and earns about $1,300 a fortnight.

On top of that he gets $250 from Centrelink, bringing his fortnightly pay to nearly $1,600.

On Wednesday morning during an interview with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor, Hadley claimed he looked at one jobs site and found more than 230 roles available on the Sunshine Coast for cooks and chefs.

Neither Mr Goodrick nor his wife have worked full-time since moving from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast in 2018, which they did in search of a more affordable life.

'We are poor and we are on low income,' Mr Goodrick said.

'There has been a proliferation of calling people on income support payments, particularly JobSeeker, dole bludgers,' Ms Searson said.

'Anyone can end up in this situation.'

The family have been called out for having two cars, despite claiming they are struggling

The family live in a modern apartment block with a balcony

The couple appear to have a Toyota Hilux pickup and a Nissan Micra

Mr Goodrick said he and his wife were both 'hardworking', but due to their age, many businesses aren't looking to hire them.

Ms Searson said she has applied online to work a part-time role at Big W three times this year but hasn't heard back.

Hadley suggested she instead go down to the store herself and ask to speak to the manager to tell them of her interest in working.

The extraordinary 7.30 segment was shared on program's Twitter account on Tuesday, where the report was met with a flood of comments from questioning whether the couple were an accurate portrayal of struggling Australians.

'These people are not doing it nearly as tough as many people I know. Sure, they're battlers, but many single parent families exist, so in times of financial challenge such as this, the father could opt for the temporary sacrifice of full time work with a long commute,' one person said.

'I saw this and I thought this family seem to be doing ok actually. Is this what welfare looks like?' another questioned.

'$350 a week food for three people seems excessive!' said another.

'There are plenty of people on Jobseeker who are in terribly desperate situations, bordering on poverty, that you could have featured in this story This family are not in that situation. Perplexing as to why you chose them,' one tweet read.

'This is not genuine need. This is two people of working age making a decision to limit how much they work and seeking taxpayer funds to supplement their lifestyle choices. You don't get to refuse to work full time just because you get the difference from the public purse,' another viewer wrote.

'Two cars. Choosing not to work. An insult to people who are really struggling on JobSeeker,' someone said.

It comes as the government increases a number of Centrelink payments as part of the budget announced last night.

The base rate of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance will rise by $40 a fortnight from September.

'We understand that there will be people who are saying $40 a fortnight is not enough, there will be some who will be saying it is too much,' Dr Chalmers said.

'We think we've struck the right balance between what we can afford and taking into consideration the economic pressures in the economy.'

Eligibility for a higher rate of JobSeeker will also be lowered from 60 to 55, following a rise in the number of older Australians on the payment.

About 52,000 Australians aged between 55 and 59 will get an extra $92.10 per fortnight.

Almost $5 billion will be spent over the next five years to support more than 1.1 million people on income support.

Single parents will see a boost, with the threshold for the single parent payment increasing to when the youngest child turns 14, up from the previous limit of eight years old.

The maximum rate of Commonwealth rent assistance will also rise by 15 per cent for 1.1 million households.

With rising power prices being one of the biggest costs to households, energy bill relief has also been a key feature of the federal budget.

The government has set aside $3 billion in relief measures as part of partnerships with states and territories.

Energy bill relief of $500 will be handed out to five million households, while $650 payments will be sent to one million small businesses.

It's forecast energy relief measures would lead to price increases for electricity being 25 percentage points less, while gas prices rises will be 16 percentage points lower.
International travellers will be slugged extra on their trip to Australia after the government increased a little known charge in this year's budget.

Inside Treasurer Jim Chalmers' Tuesday budget was an increase to the Passenger Moving Charge (PMC) - a fee to cross our international border - from $60 to $70, to come into effect in July 2024.

The PMC was first introduced in 1978 at $10 and is used by the Commonwealth to help fund the processing of international passengers into Australia through customs.

The fee is built into the price of travel offered by the airline, which is then passed onto the government.

Airline crew, those on cultural trips and children under 12-years-old are exempt from the fee.

Tourism organisations have slammed the 16 per cent increase as potentially further crippling the industry as it recovers from the Covid pandemic.

International travellers will have to pay more to visit Australia after an increase to the Passenger Moving Charge was announced in Tuesday's budget (stock image)

Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) chief executive, Margy Osmond, described the increase as a 'tourism tax' that will be imposed on everyday Australians.

'This will make it even more difficult for tourism to bounce back, as cost-of-living pressures increase and as the industry rebuilds from the devastating impacts of the Covid pandemic,' Ms Osmond said.

'It will also make it more expensive for international tourists to come to Australia, at a time when we're desperately trying to attract more visitors, with Australia's international tourism levels still below pre-Covid levels.'

The extra $10 charge on every flight leaving Australia will generate $1.38billion in revenue in 2024/25, according to calculations by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA).

AFTA chief executive Dean Long said that 'now is not the time for additional taxes' as travel activity remains 30 per cent below pre-Covid levels.

'Today's decision to increase the PMC by 16 per cent is extremely disappointing and will make it harder for Australian families to stay connected,' Mr Long said.

'We know that the PMC does reduce air capacity to Australia and with supply of air seat still tracking 30 per cent to pre-Covid levels this will slow down our recovery.'

Tourism organisations have described the increase from $60 to $70 in Jim Chalmers' (pictured) budget as a 'tourist tax' on an already struggling industry

The industry is still struggling to recover from Covid-era border closures, with travel activity remains 30 per cent below pre-Covid levels (stock image)

Ms Osmond is calling for the government to impose a five-year freeze on future increases 'to provide certainty for the tourism sector'.

'As we continue to recover from the biggest event to impact the tourism industry in recent memory, the freeze will be critically important to give the industry much-needed certainty,' Ms Osmond said.

'The government also needs to be more transparent about how the money collected through the PMC is spent, explaining where exactly it's allocated given the average rate of over collection.

AFTA says that the increase will cost the industry an extra $520million over the five years from 2022-23.
One of Australia's top doctors says the centrepiece of last night's federal budget - a supposed increase in the availability of bulk-billing for medical treatment - is misleading.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers committed to spending $3.5 billion to triple the incentive paid to doctors who bulk-bill patients, with the Labor government saying this will make 11.6 million individuals eligible for cut-price treatment.

Bulk billing means the patient pays nothing for a doctor visit, because Medicare pays the provider the full cost of the consultation.

But Dr Nick Coatsworth, ambassador for health reform at the Australian Patient's Association, told Daily Mail Australia he was highly skeptical of the government's figures.

Dr Nick Coatsworth, Australia's former deputy chief health officer, welcomed the budget announcement but said the decision to bulk bill still lies with GPs and the 'economics don't support them doing it for all of those 11.6 million' cited by the government

The tripling for the incentive for bulk billing will only apply to those aged under 16, pensioners, and concession card holders

'Firstly, it's better than the current situation and more people will get bulk-billed,' he said.

'But the impression the government is giving that 11.6 million people will be bulk billed is wrong - it won't be that many.'

Dr Coatsworth said the numbers cited would create an 'unrealistic expectation' among Australians for who will be bulk billed.

'The government have given the impression that 11.6 million additional Australians will get bulk billed,' he said,.

'But they've used a subtle word there - 'eligible'.'

The tripling for the incentive for doctors to bulk bill will only apply to those aged under 16, pensioners, and concession card holders.

Treasurer Dr Chalmers estimates this will benefit 11.6 million people, including around five million children.

Currently, in metropolitan areas GPs get paid an incentive of $6.85 to bulk-bill, while those in very remote areas get $13.15.

From November 1, that is going to triple, meaning that GPs who bulk-bill will receive an incentive of between $20.65 and $39.65, depending on where they are located.

But Dr Coatsworth, Australia's former deputy chief health officer, said the decision whether to bulk bill still lies with the GP and, 'more often than not now, the corporate that owns the practice'.

'Of course, GPs will do it if they can,' he said.

'But they don't have to and the economics don't support them doing it for all of those 11.6 million.'

Dr Coatsworth said that on average a GP charges $80 for a 20-minute consultation. Previously, the government would cover $40 while the patient would pay the other half.

Now, under the new plans, the government will cover $62 but the patient will not contribute, leaving the GP $18 out of pocket.

'They will still get less from bulk billing than they will from charging an out of pocket cost,' he said.

'So while it is better, they will have to absorb some sort of financial loss in order to bulk bill.'

Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered his Budget on Tuesday night (pictured) where he estimate the tripling of the bulk billing incentive - at a cost of $3.5 billion - will allow doctors to treat some 11.6 million eligible Australians

But Dr Nick Coatsworth told Daily Mail Australia this figure would create an 'unrealistic expectation' among Australians and would not be met

Dr Coatsworth said it was 'not a reforming health budget' and called for a hybrid system like in other countries where they do not operate solely on a 'fee for service' basis.

'The problem with this budget is that it entrenches the old funding model - '"fee for service" - when all of the health policy experts say that we should reform to a different funding model,' he said.

He added: 'It's a bit discordant with what Health Minister Mark Butler's own Medicare taskforce has said and what Butler himself has said, which is that the current Medicare is not fit for the 21st century and a population that suffers from chronic disease.

'That's fine but you've just delivered a budget that reinforces the power of Medicare.'

The Budget has set aside $5.7 billion to be spent over the next five years strengthening Medicare.

The allocation of this money includes $445 million to employ nurses and allied health professionals in general clinics to work alongside GPs, $143.9 million to encourage practices to extend their opening hours and $98.9 million to transition frequent hospital users to GPs within their local community.

A further $79.4 million will be dedicated to treating people with chronic health conditions in underserviced communities.

In addition to the $3.5 billion over five years to bolster bulk billing by tripling the incentive, eight new bulk billing clinics have also been promised in the Budget.

The Budget has also committed $824.4 million to modernising the My Health Record system and funding other digital health initiatives.

Some medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will also be made available at two for the price of one in a move which could benefit up to six million Australians.

A total of 325 medicines are expected to be included in the list, treating a range of conditions from heart disease and Crohn's to cholesterol.

Patients with stable, chronic health conditions will be able to reduce the number of visits they need to make to the pharmacy by picking up two months worth of medicine at a time.

The Budget estimates this will save about $1.6 billion in out of pocket expenses.
Four buildings worth more than $500 million are ghost sites

Off-the-plan buyers have been left in limbo as almost 500 units remain unfinished by a major building company - as workers desert the company's sites.

Four major developments on the Gold Coast under construction by GCB Constructions have wound down since the weekend, as subcontractors claim invoices remain unpaid.

The company's stability is under question with projects worth more than $500 million hanging in the balance.

The sites include the fifth tower in the $200m Vantage project at Benowa, the $160m Amaya Broadbeach and Drift Main Beach, and the $182m Marine Quarter, which was previously the subject of a court battle between GCB and developer Buildcap.

Almost 500 Gold Coast apartments sit idle with off-the-plan buyers searching for answers as concerns grow about the stability of building company GCB Constructions (pictured: GCB Constructions $200m Vantage project at Benowa)

Four projects valued at more than $500m are underway with apartments under contract to hopeful buyers but the sites are sitting unfinished and without tradespeople on site (stock image of traffic controller)

GCB Constructions managing director Trent Clark previously said the parties had come to 'a mutual agreement' to ensure the Marine Quarter project could progress.

Many of the apartments are already under contract and now the buyers face an anxious wait for news on the state of their purchase.

Local doctor James Ellingford is one of those. He purchased a three-bedroom corner apartment in the second tower of the $182m Marine Quarter project at Southport.

He told the Gold Coast Bulletin he intended to rent it out before moving in and says he has a 'thousand questions'.

'I'm very disappointed,' he said.

'It's a damn shame  it just means we're in a sort of limbo while we see what happens.'

The stalling of the site appears to have also come as a shock to the developers of the project.

Two developers have taken to social media in the past week to share a positive construction update.

One video shows the GDI Group Development at Drift Main Beach progressing nicely.

Yet that particular development has been chained off and no work has been done on the site this week.

The sites include the fifth tower in the $200m Vantage project at Benowa, the $160m Amaya Broadbeach and Drift Main Beach, and the $182m Marine Quarter, which was previously the subject of a court battle between GCB and developer Buildcap

At completion, the building is expected to have 30 levels and include 46 apartments.

At nearby Vantage View at Benowa and Vantage Burleigh, even if the projects are finished they will be past their completion date.

The $45m, 14-level, 56-apartment Burleigh project was set to be finished last year but remains incomplete while Vantage View is the fifth and final building in Rayjon's $200m Vantage project at Benowa and was due to be completed in July but the roof has only just been poured.

The building once completed will have 15 levels containing 120 apartments.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted GCB managing director Trent Clark for comment.
Sinn Fein's vice president said last night that attending the King's Coronation was 'the right thing to do'.

Michelle O'Neill attended the ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Saturday alongside other party leaders from Northern Ireland, including the DUP's leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

Her presence at the Coronation is seen as another demonstration of the markedly improved relations between the Irish republican movement and the Royal Family since the peace process.

At the party's 2023 local election manifesto launch in Newry, Ms O'Neill said that differing political aspirations should be respected.

She explained: 'I attended the Coronation event because I believe that that was the right thing to do.

Pictured: Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill after King Charles Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 2023

'I believe that if we're going to build a better society and look towards the future, and a better future for our children and our grandchildren, then we have to have the confidence in ourselves and who we are and to respect our differences. And we all have equally legitimate political aspirations and outlooks and that's OK. But let's be comfortable enough to be respectful of each other. Let's be comfortable enough to build that better future.

'And let's keep our eyes on the next 25 years, and we've just celebrated 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, and what's been achieved is amazing despite all the political ups and downs.'

She added: 'And I'm focused on the future, and we've talked about change and the changing political landscape and where we want things to go in the future  let's make sure that everybody feels comfortable and feels valued and is treated equally in our society because then we'd have the recipe for something better for everybody.'

(File Photo) Ms O'Neill attended the Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Saturday alongside other party leaders from Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein's president Mary Lou McDonald said Ms O'Neill's representation of the party at the Coronation was a show of respect for Unionists.

'I just wanted to say very clearly that Michelle's attendance, Sinn Fein's attendance at the Coronation, was a mark of recognition and respect for our Unionist citizens, for British people who are British now in a partitioned Ireland, and who will be British in the United Ireland, and it's an explicit recognition of that,' she said.

Ms McDonald added: 'We all live here together, for goodness's sake, when there is an act of respect, kindness, inclusion, let's take that. That's what I think we should do for each other.'
He said he spent over an hour with Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday and they are both 'doing all we can'

'It remains to be seen,' Biden said. 'It's going to be chaotic for a while'

President Biden admitted that the border is 'going to be chaotic' when asked on Tuesday if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42.

'It remains to be seen,' Biden said. 'It's going to be chaotic for a while.'

He said he spent over an hour with Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday and they are both 'doing all we can.'

He praised the 'overwhelming cooperation' from Mexico and noted the U.S. is setting up asylum processing centers in Central American countries.

Only two days remain until even more chaos is expected to ensue at the southern border, with an estimated spike to 13,000 crossings per day  up from the current average of 7,700.

President Biden admitted the border is 'going to be chaotic' on Tuesday when asked if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42

Texas is sending in its tactical border force and the White House is deploying active duty troops to help with the expected deluge of migrant processing.

At the same time the Biden administration plans to expand legal migration and open processing centers in South and Central America allowing migrants hoping to enter to be pre-screened to see if they meet basic qualifications for different forms of entry before making the journey.

The centers will begin operating in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks. Canada and Spain have also agreed to accept migrants from the centers.

On Monday Arizona's Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs sounded the alarm about the Biden administration's preparations for the end of the Covid-era public health policy, claiming at a press conference Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to her letters outlining action needed in her border state before the end of the pandemic-era expulsion policy on Thursday.

She also said that she expects the situation at the border to only get 'worse' if nothing is done to help once Title 42 expires.

Hobbs said in her press conference that she sent letters to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas detailing action she, as a border state leader, feels must be taken ahead of Title 42 expiring on May 11.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a press conference Monday that President Joe Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to letters detailing concerns over Title 42 ending with no replacement policy lined up

'As of today, we have not received an adequate response,' Hobbs told reporters as she stood alongside state and border community leaders.

She added: 'We will continue to relentlessly pressure the federal government until we truly get the resources we need to manage the expected influx.'

The governor doesn't think that the state is prepared to handle the anticipated influx of migrants alone.

'While we are prepared to take state action in any way we can, we cannot manage this influx alone,' Hobbs said.

'Without much more robust action from the federal government, the current situation will only get worse.'

Numbers are already surging at the border, with 26,382 migrant encounters just in 72 hours over the weekend, according to Customs and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. This means the average went up by 1,000 per day just in the days leading up to the end of Title 42.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls confirmed that Arizona is already seeing a surge in crossings in border communities.

'This is not stopping any time soon and it's troubling,' he said at the press conference with Hobbs.

Biden and Mayorkas assure that the administration has been preparing for the end of the pandemic policy. The president tried twice to end the policy last May and again in December  but was stopped by court challenges.

Come May 11, immigration authorities will no longer be using Title 42 to expel migrants without hearing their asylum claims. It is the same day the the three-year-long public health emergency declaration will end.

Thousands of migrants are already lining up at the southern border waiting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico once Title 42 is lifted on Thursday. Pictured: An aerial view of migrants waiting at the border fence on May 8 and hoping to make asylum claims on May 11

Many local leaders in border states have lamented Biden's inaction to address the crisis, with many claiming there has been no communication with the administration regarding the end of Title 42

Title 42 was first enacted in March 2020 under then-President Donald Trump as a way to quell illegal immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arizona Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema also has her doubts about Title 42 ending and how the administration is handling migration.

She told CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday that Biden and his team have not been in communication with local officials about expected surges or how the federal government plans to transport migrants so as to not overwhelm border states.

In an effort to preemptively mitigate the crisis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday deployed to the border hundreds of National Guard, including members of his state's elite Tactical Border Force.

President Biden also sent 1,500 active duty troops to the border earlier this month.
A substitute teacher gave a seventh grader a hit of her vape pen in a bid to 'fit in' with the rest of the young class, cops say.

Now charged with child abuse, 50-year-old Jennifer Hale was arrested on Friday, and is also out of a job due the alleged incident - which transpired at a Central Florida middle school on May 2.

The student who allegedly used the vape pen has not been named due to his age, and told cops that Hale had confronted her during a conversation he was having with classmate about the nicotine delivering devices.

He claimed that after overhearing their talk, Hale 'chimed in' to say that she had one - before brandishing it behind her desk and asking if he wanted a hit. After he obliged, she allegedly told the class to keep quiet about what she had just done.

School administrators quickly learned of the incident - and immediately confronted the middle-aged temp on campus during school hours. She proceeded to own up to the act, and was escorted off the premises and told to never return.

Shortly thereafter, she was arrested at her Mt. Dora home five miles away - at which point she again confessed to local cops. She then offered officers the questionable explanation.

Scroll down for video:

Now charged with child abuse, 50-year-old Jennifer Hale was arrested on Friday, and has lost her job as a result of the alleged incident - which she already confessed to

The incident happened at this Central Florida school, Eustis Middle, roughly a week ago, on May 2. She was escorted off the premises and told to never return last week as well

'We contacted her she immediately post-Miranda confessed to doing it,' Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri told WESH following Hale's arrest Friday, providing the woman's bizarre motive.

'Her response was she just wanted to fit in.'

Appearing for a video interview with the local outlet, the town's top cop proceeded to decry the woman's defense.

'I don't get it. What is there to fit in?' he asked aloud, visibly dumbfounded by Hale's alleged explanation regarding her actions last week at Eustis Middle School.

'You're there to teach a class, not to fit in. She has a responsibility to that classroom to protect kids. Not abuse them.'

Hale has since been released on $1,000 bond - despite facing a third-degree felony.

She stands accused of one count of child abuse - and cops reportedly confiscated her vape pen as evidence.

According to her arrest affidavit, the unnamed child who hit the vape only did so once before returning it.

However, during that interaction, Hale also allegedly warned the youngster to be wary of a 'salt-like' substance on the pen  though the boy could not identify what that substance was during his questioning by cops.

He told officers in the small-town that Hale asked him not to report her, telling him she did not want to get in trouble.

The child evidently obliged - but officers said school staffers soon learned of Hale's actions through another student present in the classroom.

Eutis Police Chief Craig Capri told WESH after Hale's arrest that the temporary teacher offered up her e-cigarettes because 'she just wanted to fit in'

Parents at the school are now aghast after learning of the incident,' including eighth-grade mom Jennifer Hunter (pictured), as well as the boy's mother, who reportedly is planning to press charges

The school's principal called Capri's force the next day - but not before calling Hale into his office to explain herself.

It was at that point that she first admitted to giving the minor her e-cigarette. When asked to provide an explanation, Spencer said the sub told him the same thing she apparently told cops - that she was 'just trying to fit in.'

Parents at the school are now aghast after learning of the incident - including the boy's mother, who local outlet Inside Lake said was 'very upset' and is planning to press charges.

Public records further show that a no contact order between the child and the accused was filed last week, prohibiting Hale of reaching out to her former student in person or any other means.

'Teachers,' parent Jennifer Hunter remarked to WESH, citing how such figures should be the last thing to fret about when dropping your kids off at school

'It's scary.' the eight-grade parent went on. 'I never thought a substitute teacher would give my child that or someone else's child any of that stuff. Just other students.'

She added: 'They don't need to fit in with the kids at all. They need to be more parent-like than fitting in with the kids.'

Not much is known about Hale, other than that she began working as a substitute teacher in November 2022 and had no prior criminal record or disciplinary issues.

She faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted, as well as five years probation and a $5,000 fine. A court date has not yet been announced.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is set to condemn the Government's Illegal Migration Bill that aims to crackdown of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats, according to reports.

In a rare intervention, Justin Welby is set to argue against the flagship legislation as it faces its first test in the upper chamber.

The bill is aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK illegally would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

The intervention, first reported in the i, would mark his second major rebuke of the Government's treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

The unelected chamber will sit earlier from 11am to consider the Bill at second reading after it passed the Commons, with almost 90 speakers including the Archbishop listed.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured on Saturday) is set to condemn the Government's Illegal Migration Bill that aims to crackdown of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats, according to reports

In a rare intervention, Justin Welby is set to argue against the flagship legislation as it faces its first test in the upper chamber. The bill is aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda. Migrants are pictured arriving in small boats last month

The illegal migration clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants across the English Channel. Mr Sunak is pictured inside 10 Downing Street earlier this month

Ahead of the legislation returning to the red benches, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk have urged peers not to stand in the way of the 'will of the British people' by blocking the UK Government's migration policies.

Writing jointly for Times Red Box, the two Cabinet ministers said: 'We urge the House of Lords to look at the Illegal Migration Bill carefully, remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way, and back the Bill.'

But in a rare parliamentary move, Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, a former senior police officer, has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation, aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle.

Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick (pictured in 2014) has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation, aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle

His amendment argues the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments, allow ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine 'the UK's tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees', while failing to tackle the backlog of asylum cases or people smuggling gangs.

However, the blocking bid is destined to fail without the backing of the main opposition.

A Labour source said: 'We're not supporting the motion. If successful, which they never are, the Government could just Parliament Act the Bill in the next King's Speech and peers would lose the opportunity to make any amendments.

'It is therefore an irresponsible way to deal with legislation that has already gone through the the elected House.'

The two Green Party peers will be among those supporting the fatal motion, with Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb saying: 'This Bill is illegal because it breaks international law and should be opposed for that reason alone. It is also immoral and plain nasty.

'It effectively makes all asylum seekers criminals unless they are from a few select countries where the UK has approved pathways and safe routes for immigration such as Hong Kong.'

Lady Jones added: 'It is hugely disappointing that Labour are failing to oppose this legislation outright, but unsurprising given their recent track record of caving in on Voter ID and the Public Order Bill. If we are to save our democracy, we need an opposition that is up to the job.'

It comes as more than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023

The Bill includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

The clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants across the English Channel.

It comes as more than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023.

At least 260 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel last weekend while the rest of the country celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III, according to official figures.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK.

The latest arrivals were seen on Monday morning after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel.

The group of adults and small children, all thought to be migrants, were seen wearing life jackets and disembarking Dover earlier today.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK. Pictured are a group of people thought to be migrants in Dover on Monday morning

A group of people thought to be migrants are pictured after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel

Government figures reveal that a total of 6,549 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in 156 boats to date in 2023. In the eight days of May alone, there have already been 603 migrants arriving in the UK.

To cope with the numbers, the Government plans to use disused military camps and a barge as accommodation centres. But critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

The Archbishop, in a speech to the Lords last year, warned against 'harmful rhetoric' that treats those arriving in the UK as 'invaders'.

He has previously called for a better system based on 'compassion, justice and co-operation across frontiers'.
Altercation followed a US$5million loss to E. Jean Carroll in New York

Donald Trump's lead attorney has squared off with an Australian TV reporter moments after the ex-President was found to have committed sexual assault by a jury.

The jury of three women and six men found Trump had injured advice columnist, E. Jean Carroll, in a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996 after three hours of deliberation in New York.

The ex-president was ordered to pay over US$5million in damages after the jury also found Trump had defamed her when calling her a liar after she made the incident public in a 2019 memoir.

Trump's lead attorney, Joseph Tacopina, was swamped by a media scrum which included veteran 7News reported Tim Lester as he fled the New York Federal Court following the loss on Wednesday morning.

Already agitated, Ms Tacopina took aim at a camerawoman who was walking alongside him, saying: 'Get that camera out of my f***ing face'.

As Mr Lester attempted to question Mr Tacopina, his microphone accidentally touched the lawyer's shoulder prompting another outburst

'Don't put that microphone on my shoulder,' Mr Tacopina snapped.

'Okay, okay, but are you concerned about his social media comments at all?' Mr Lester asked the lawyer while being pushed to the side by security.

After asking a second time, Mr Tacopina responded by saying 'I already said no, do you speak English or not?'

Lester's question was about Trump's comments on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he wrote in all caps: 'I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!'

'VERY UNFAIR TRIAL!' a separate post reads.

Just prior to the verdict, Trump claimed in another post that he had not been allowed to 'defend himself' on the stand, however his lawyers had instead not filed an application by the deadline which was set by the judge at 5pm on Sunday.

'Waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself,' Trump wrote.

After Lester asked Mr Tacopina if he disowned the social media posts that 'interrupted his own case', his microphone touched the lawyer once more.

'You hit me with that microphone and I'm gonna [sic] break it,' Mr Tacopina said.

The lead attorney for Donald Trump's defence against E. Jean Carroll, Joseph Tacopina (pictured), snaps at 7News journalist Tim Lester moments after the ex-President's loss in court

Mr Tacopina threatened to break the microphone of Mr Lester (pictured) that had hit him twice after the reporter tried to question him while leaving the New York Federal Court

In contrast to Mr Tacopina, Ms Carroll was visibly ecstatic by the verdict after leaving the courthouse.

Although she initially dodged the media her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, later issued a statement calling the verdict 'a victory not only for E. Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere.'

Ms Carroll sued for battery under the Adult Survivors Act, a law passed in New York that allowed a one-year window for sexual assault claims normally outside of the statute of limitations.

Her case for defamation resulted from Trump calling her a liar following publicity for her memoir 'What Do We Need Men For?' that revealed the assault in 1996.

She claims Trump had assaulted her after he asked her to help him choose a gift for a woman.

Trump 'shut the door and shoved me against the wall,' Carroll said. She told the court: 'I pushed him back, and he thrust me back against the wall, banging my head.

'He put his shoulder against me and held me against the wall.'

Ms Carroll then claims that Trump had sexually assaulted her before she ran out of the room.

Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to describe the court loss as 'a witch hunt'

In contrast to the agitated Mr Tacopina, Ms Carroll (pictured) was visibly ecstatic at the verdict that awarded her over US$5million in damages for sexual assault and defamation

In his opening remarks, Mr Tacopina told the jury 'It's okay to feel however you feel' about Trump.

'You can hate Donald Trump, it's OK,' he said.

'But there's a time and a secret place for that, it's called the ballot box, not a court of law.'

He later described Ms Carroll's story as 'unbelievable' and an 'affront to justice'.

He said: 'She's abusing the system by advancing a false claim of rape for money, political reasons and for status. In doing so she is minimizing true rape victims, real rape victims and she's exploiting their pain and suffering.'

The jury awarded US$2million in compensatory damages and US$20,000 in punitive damages for the battery allegation. The jury awarded US$1million in compensatory damages for the defamation and US$1.7million for the repair of her reputation.

They awarded another US$280,000 in punitive damages for the defamation.
Labor's new masterplan to turn Australia's roads green is set to fill showrooms with cars that no-one really wants - while ignoring our biggest-selling vehicles, the humble tradie's ute, motoring experts warn.

The National Electric Vehicle Strategy, announced last month, will set fuel emission limits on all new vehicles. Car makers will be allowed to average those out across their entire range, with low-emission EVs compensating for gas-guzzling SUVs.

Energy minister Chris Bowen believes the strategy will give manufacturers an incentive to flood the market with cheaper electric cars to spark a revolution on Australia's roads.

But the nation's most popular vehicles are fuel-smoking utes - with the Toyota HiLux consistently topping Australia's vehicle sales charts since 2016 and the Ford Ranger close behind.

Even motor dealers warn Australia's unique market will struggle to convince car manufacturers to bring electric utes - and many other EV models - Down Under.

Just one electric ute is currently on the market in Australia, and despite the potential popularity, they are still set to be niche sales in a niche market for car manufacturers.

'We're not top of their list,' said Geoff Gwilym, CEO of the Motor Trades Association of Australia.

'We're not even one per cent of vehicle sales in the global market.

'If you're making left-hand drive utes in the US, there are lots of markets you can put them in before you even think about a small right-hand-drive market like ours.'

The government proposal - which has been put out to the industry for discussion - comes as vehicles belch out 10 per cent of the Australia's CO2 pollution every year.

Australia lags far behind the UK, Europe and even the USA for EV take-up, although local EV sales boomed in the first quarter of 2023, up 90 percent from Q4 2022.

Medium-sized EVs outsold their petrol or diesel-powered rivals for the first time, sales data from the Australian Automobile Association reveals.

But utes remain the first choice for Australian vehicle buyers, with more than one in five of every new vehicle sold in the country last year being a tradie's workhorse.

'It's all very well giving buyers more choice - but if buyers want a ute, it doesn't matter many electric sedans and SUVs there are to choose from,' said one industry insider.

There is currently just one electric ute on the market in Australia, the LDV eT60, and little prospect of others launching soon.

Even Tesla's much-hyped Cybertruck still hasn't launched in the USA, years after it was first revealed in 2019, and it may not meet Australian safety standards when it does.

Toyota has teased the possibility of launching low-emission hybrid SUVs and utes within the next two years but so far they have largely avoided the battery EV market.

Battery technology currently limits the load and range capabilities of utes which is restricting any potential take-up. While EVs have power to spare, their range can drop dramatically when heavily loaded.

Prices are also still high in the early-adopter phase of the EV revolution, with vehicles often costing up to double their conventionally-powered equivalent.

Australian company ACE has been developing its Yewt ute for several years and is now taking orders, but admits it has limited capabilities and is more suited to light deliveries than heavy-duty tradie work.

The Chinese-made LDV eT60 is currently the only EV ute on the market in Australia and featured in a recent photoshoot with Labor energy minister Chris Bowen (pictured)

Australian company ACE has been developing its Yewt ute (pictured) for several years but it has limited capabilities and is more suited to light deliveries than heavy-duty tradie work

Its range is said to be under 200km with just a partial load. It takes seven seconds to reach 50km/h, with a maximum speed of 100km/h, and carries a max load of 500kg.

Chinese firm Rivian also has a right-hand drive ute in the works - but the left-hand version on sale in the USA has a hefty $104,000 price tag. An Australian model will probably be even more expensive.

MTAA's CEO told Daily Mail Australia he had stressed to Mr Bowen that Australia's motor industry was unique and needed a uniquely Australian solution.

'Australia isn't Europe. We're not America. We're not even similar to much of Canada,' Mr Gwilym said after meeting the minister in Canberra for the strategy's launch.

'What we can't afford to do is to pick up a fuel emission standard from another country and assume it'll just fit neatly in Australia.

'The single biggest sector of vehicles that we buy are four wheel drives and SUVs We're relatively unique, we're certainly nothing like Europe.

'That means that when you set standards - and people want to drive those sorts of cars - you have to make sure that people don't have to squeeze themselves out of a big SUV or four-wheel drive drive into a very small Euro four-seater that you can't get a box of cherries into.'

Even the lure of electric vehicles' cheaper running costs and near-zero servicing fees has been dismissed as any temptation for ute owners, a recent study found.

While the HiLux and Ranger are the biggest-sellers in Australia, other utes - also fuelled by petrol or diesel - are much cheaper to run, but less popular.

The Ute Beauty study found ute drivers could collectively cut 436,600 tonnes of carbon emissions and save $210 million in fuel costs across five years if they swapped their current utes for the most fuel-efficient model on the market.

Elon Musk's much-hyped Tesla Cybertruck (pictured) still hasn't launched in the USA, years after it was first revealed in 2019, and may not meet Australian safety standards when it does

The report named the 2022 Mazda BT-50 Dual Cab and the 2015 Nissan Navara D23 as the most efficient utes in Australia, with the Mazda emitting 20 per cent less pollution than its equivalent from Mitsubishi.

This research shows there are more efficient options available, which means lower household petrol bills and also lower emissions,' said Dr Jennifer Rayner of the Climate Council.

'But the popularity of really big, really expensive-to-run utes like the HiLux suggests Australians aren't always putting petrol or emissions front-of-mind when they're buying new vehicles.'

New car buyers are currently limited to about eight models of electric vehicle in Australia - with Tesla easily dominating the market.

But overseas buyers have a much wider variety of EVs currently available to them with models from VW, Ford, Honda and others yet to be seen Down Under.

'The cheapest EV here is about $42,000, so that also has to change,' NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury told Daily Mail Australia.

'The new government policy is about ensuring manufacturers open the Australian market up to the same low emission and EV options the rest of the world is getting.'

The trusty tradie's workhorse, the Toyota HiLux (pictured), has been Australia biggest-selling vehicle since 2016

The Ford Ranger (pictured) is close behind the Toyota HiLux and was the nation's biggest-seller in March

Australia is one of only four countries which does not already have fuel emission standards set down in law, alongside Russia, Indonesia and Japan.

The proposed new standards are also expected to deliver improved fuel efficiency in conventional petrol and diesel cars.

New cars in Australia currently use 40 per cent more fuel than the European Union, 20 per cent more than the United States, and 15 per cent more than New Zealand.

The government stresses that the legislation will only apply to new cars and not be applied retrospectively to existing vehicles.

The new proposals were launched in Canberra last month and Mr Bowen stressed: 'Transport is the third largest source of emissions in Australia.

'This strategy will help cut our emissions by at least 3 million tonnes of carbon by 2030, and over 10 million tonnes to 2035.

'Australian governments, car makers, motoring clubs, climate groups, businesses and unions were all on board with getting cleaner and cheaper cars to Australia.'

But the strategy was branded a 'feel-good cash splash' by the Australian Taxpayers Alliance who said it ignores the diesel-powered trucks and buses which create most pollution.

'It is a plan to subsidise the purchase of electric vehicles for wealthy Australians, at the expense of everyday taxpayers,' said a spokesman.

'The government plan will have little effect on the price of electric vehicles, and there is little evidence that it will do much to reduce carbon emissions.'

But Mr Bowen insisted: 'This strategy delivers on our commitment to provide greater choice for Australians to drive cars that are cleaner and cheaper to run.

'This strategy provides the coordination and leadership to drive down costs and improve infrastructure so that we get more affordable and accessible electric vehicles on the market.'

The NRMA welcomed the new policy plan and stressed Australia is just at the start of the EV revolution, and it will take years for the country to catch up with the rest of the developed world.

'We're nowhere near where we need to be,' said Mr Khoury. 'As a nation, we've only really started ramping up the EV network in recent years.

'We've got a long way to go, particularly in regional areas.

'We're not even close to giving people the sense of certainty and assurance that they want if they're going to go out and buy an electric vehicle.

'We need to keep investing in charging infrastructure to give people confidence that they're not going to be left stranded.'
Meghan Markle has seemingly taken on Kim Kardashian's former bodyguard to keep her safe.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was seen with the American socialite's ex-muscle while walking over the weekend - just hours after she missed King Charles III's Coronation.

The mother-of-two donned black leggings and a matching, baggy T-shirt for the outing, as well as a khaki jacket, which she tied around her waist.

Top bodyguards can cost as much as $1,800 a day. Meghan and Harry's protection stopped being funded by the UK taxpayer in 2020.

Only recently Harry and Meghan sacked bodyguard Alberto Alvarez, 46, who used to work for Michael Jackson, over worries about drink-driving convictions and a domestic violence allegation.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was seen with the American socialite's ex-muscle (right, in grey) while walking over the weekend - just hours after she missed King Charles III 's Coronation

The bodyguard was seen in a grey top holding a black phone and rucksack as he protected the Duchess

The bodyguard is no stranger to celebrities as he used to be on the security team for Kim Kardashian

Only recently Harry (left) and Meghan sacked bodyguard Alberto Alvarez, 46, (right) who used to work for Michael Jackson, over worries about drink-driving convictions and a domestic violence allegation

Meghan was noticeably absent from the Coronation in the UK this weekend, opting to stay back in the US to celebrate her son Archie's 'lowkey' fourth birthday at her and Prince Harry's Montecito home.

Harry, 38, attended King Charles' big day, but rushed back to California afterwards.

He headed straight to the airport as soon as the ceremony concluded, and was on the plane before his father and stepmother Camilla, the newly crowned queen, had even finished having their official portraits taken.

Harry headed straight to the airport as soon as the ceremony concluded, and was on the plane before his father had finished having his portraits taken

A source said that while most members of the Royal Family 'breathed a sigh of relief' that Harry left so quickly, King Charles seemed 'genuinely quite disappointed that he didn't stay'

He was seen landing back at LAX airport around 6.30pm on Saturday - after spending a total of 28 hours and 42 minutes in Britain.

Despite Harry's quick exit, the King honoured Archie after the Coronation, raising a glass to toast the toddler's fourth birthday.

A source said that while most members of the Royal Family 'breathed a sigh of relief' that Harry didn't join them at the celebration afterwards, King Charles, 74, seemed 'genuinely quite disappointed that he didn't stay.'

Charles thanked everyone who had worked hard to make the day so special, before paying tribute to 'those that weren't there', including Archie, who he wished a very happy birthday 'wherever he was'.
Half paid to relocate and half after working the job for a year

The Queensland government is offering up to $70,000 for medical practitioners to relocate to the state in a desperate move to address staff shortages in the state.

Up to $20,000 is available for a range of health workers who relocate to anywhere in the state, with an additional $50,000 up for grabs for medical practitioners who move to regional or rural areas.

The announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk comes a day after the state flagged incentives to cover relocation costs for interstate and international police officers.

'With global competition for health workers at an all-time high, our government is dedicated to doing everything that we can to attract and retain frontline health workers,' Ms Palaszczuk said in Cairns on Wednesday.

In a move to bolster public sector staff, the Queensland government is offering up to $70,000 for health workers to relocate to the state, the day after it offered police officers $20,000 to do the same

Up to $20,000 is available for a range of health workers who relocate to anywhere in the state, with an additional $50,000 up for grabs for medical practitioners who move to regional or rural areas

'Our government is committed to delivering more frontline health workers right across Queensland.

'Since 2015 across Queensland we've hired over 17,000 extra frontline workers, and we want to see this grow.'

Under the scheme, interstate and international healthcare workers now can move to Queensland, including the south-east, and receive a $10,000 incentive when they start.

Another $10,000 will then be paid after a year of work.

Eligible workers include doctors, nurses, specialists, dentists and allied health professionals.

Medical practitioners who move to rural or remote areas will receive an additional $25,000 after three months, and then another $25,000 after a year.

This payment is available to those already working in Queensland.

Interstate and international medical practitioners will be eligible for both payments and stand to benefit by an additional $70,000 if they move to Queensland.

Eligible workers include doctors, nurses, specialists, dentists and allied health professionals

Boosting the Queensland Health workforce meant authorities had to 'think outside of the square', Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

'Innovative policies like this means every dollar works hard for Queenslanders delivering the right care at the right time, in the right place,' she said.

'We welcome healthcare workers to experience why we all love Queensland while also making a new life delivering positive results and peace of mind for our regional and remote communities.'

Ms D'ath had been under fire over health service delivery in the state following a 300-day birthing bypass at Gladstone Hospital meaning expecting mothers were being transferred to Rockhampton Hospital over an hour away to give birth.

The Minister vowed maternity ward services would be restored by the middle of the year.

On Tuesday, Queensland Police also announced a $90 million recruitment drive to address police employment shortages.

It includes incentives such as paying up to $20,000 for the relocation costs of police officers from interstate or overseas.

Up to 400 police recruit graduates with a university degree in psychology, criminology, social work, counselling or other human service-related fields can get $20,000 of their HECS debt paid.
This is the moment a brawl broke out on a school field - started by a pair of warring fathers.

Police were called to Benton Park School in Leeds, West Yorkshire, yesterday to break up the battle on the grass.

Shocking footage shows the two burly men scrapping, following another fight which apparently involved their sons.

The pair squared up to each other on the school field and started trading blows as the crowd of pupils surrounding them howled in excitement.

Shocking footage shows the two burly men scrapping  following another fight which apparently involved their sons

In the clip, a member of staff tries to intervene and begs the feuding parents to stop. But the teacher's pleas fall on deaf ears as the two fathers continue to go for each other, much to pupils' delight.

In between blows, the mob of screaming pupils begin pushing and shoving each other.

A second fight then breaks out between two lads, believed to be the sons of the battling fathers, as the other students egg them on.

The two boys wrestle each other to the ground and a thud can be heard as a blow finds it marks.

The two dads squared up to each other and the school field and started trading blows  as the crowd of pupils surrounding them howled in excitement

The enraged fathers then start fighting again as the teenagers howl around them with laughter.

West Yorkshire Police said there were no reports of any injuries or arrests and the crowd were dispersed quickly.

The force said: 'Shortly before 3pm police received reports of a fight taking place off Harrogate Road, Rawdon. The incident dispersed after a short time and no injuries were reported.'
Tunisian authorities opened an investigation on Wednesday into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the country's security forces.

The gunman was killed by guards before he could enter the building on the island of Djerba. His motive remained unclear.

The island's historic Ghriba synagogue, thought to be one of the world's oldest Jewish temples, is a popular pilgrimage destination, but it was unknown if the assailant, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, specifically targeted Jews in Tuesday's attack.

The death toll from the attack rose to five on Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalised in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisia's TAP news agency.

Four other members of Tunisia's security forces remain hospitalised in Djerba, including one in critical condition.

The Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, Tunisia (file photo). The death toll from the attack rose to five on Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalised in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisia's TAP news agency

The chair of the synagogue's committee, Perez Trabelsi, was in the house of worship during the attack and told The Associated Press of his terror 'when the sound of the cartridges broke out'.

'I was scared, as were most of the people gathered in the "oukala," a large space adjacent to the synagogue. Everyone was panicked. Many took refuge in the rooms for fear of being hit by the shots that came from outside,' he said.

The synagogue attracted more pilgrims this year than it had for some time, Trabelsi said. This amounted to around 6,000 people from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and beyond.

Trabelsi said he was saddened that the pilgrimage to the site that is revered in Judaism 'was spoiled by those who wish Tunisia harm'.

Israeli and Tunisian authorities, as well as family members, identified the civilian victims as cousins Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French. Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sorry to hear that two 'members of our people' were killed in Djerba.

'On behalf of myself and the government of Israel, I send condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the murdered,' he said in a statement.

The assailant, a guardsman affiliated with the naval center in the island's port town of Aghir, first killed a colleague with his service weapon before seizing ammunition and heading towards the Ghriba synagogue, the Tunisian Interior ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple. The guards fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said.

Djerba's Jewish population is one of North Africa's biggest, although in recent years it declined to 1,500, down from 100,000 in the 1960s.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its 'deep sadness' at the attack. In a statement, the ministry paid tribute to the 'rapid intervention of the Tunisian security forces and stands by Tunisia to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of fanaticism'.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli noted that 'unfortunately, the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site,' according to his office.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with Tunis Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan and 'told him that Israel stands alongside the community in this difficult hour'.

He said he instructed ministry officials to provide all needed aid.

The European Jewish Congress expressed its 'shock and outrage'.

'Terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue,' Congress President Ariel Muzicant said in a statement.

Former Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM that he was at the Ghriba synagogue with family members during the attack.

He described the place as almost empty because most visitors had already left the site.

'The shooting was heavy and the attacker tried to enter the synagogue compound,' he said.

'The counterterrorism officers, who were extremely professional, quickly blocked all exits. A carnage was thus avoided.'

Aviel Haddad's sister, Rona, told Israel's Kan public radio that the entire family had immigrated to Israel from Tunisia, and that her brother, a jeweller, travelled to Djerba frequently.

She said that she and her family tried unsuccessfully for hours after the attack to contact him and later learned the news through family friends. She said the family intended to bury her brother in Israel.

The president of the Israelite Consistory of the southern French city of Marseille, Michel Cohen-Tenoudji, said Benjamin Haddad, a father of four, was a well-known, very active member of the local Jewish community.

'He was running a kosher bakery in the city center and was known for offering Shabbat bread to people in need,' Cohen-Tenoudji told French media.

'The family is devastated. On a personal level, I feel indignation, horror and sorrow.'

In 2002, a truck bombing killed around 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists, as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, an attack in Tunisia at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed 38 people, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, along with other attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards.
Donald Trump on Tuesday night described being found liable for sexual abuse as a 'scam' and insisted he was denied a fair trial by a biased Manhattan jury and judge.

The 76-year-old was found liable of sexually abusing journalist E. Jean Carroll in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s, and defaming her when he said she lied. He was not found liable of rape in the civil trial, but ordered to pay $5 million in damages.

Trump, on Tuesday, night published a series of three videos on his Truth Social network condemning the verdict and insisting he would appeal.

'The whole thing is a scam,' he said.

'And it's a shame, and it's a disgrace to our country.'

Donald Trump on Tuesday night published three videos to his Truth Social network, saying his sexual abuse verdict was 'a scam'

E. Jean Carroll, the journalist who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the changing room of a Manhattan department store in the mid 1990s, is seen leaving court on Tuesday

Trump repeated his previous claim that his trial was not fair because it was held in his hometown of New York City, in the borough of Manhattan, where he lived for almost all of his adult life.

Manhattan is a staunchly Democrat borough, and the former president is widely loathed in his hometown.

'What else can you expect from a Trump-hating, Clinton-appointed judge, who went out of his way to ensure the result of this trial was as negative as it could possible be,' he asked.

'Speaking to and in control of a jury from an anti-Trump area, which is probably the worst place in the United States for me to get a fair trial.

'We'll be appealing this decision. It's a disgrace. I don't even know who this woman is. I have no idea who she is, where she came from.'

Trump said that the trial, which concluded on Tuesday, was a 'scam'

Trump said the trial was just the latest in a long line of politically-motivated attacks on him.

FULL STATEMENT FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN 'The Democratic Party's never-ending witch-hunt of President Trump hit a new low today. In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation's justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage. Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States. The continued abuse of our great Constitution for political ends is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. Our nation is in serious trouble when claims lacking any evidence or proof or eyewitnesses can invade our courts to score political points. Sadly, for the enemies of American freedom and democracy, President Trump will never stop fighting for the American people, no matter what the radical Democrats dream up next. This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.' Advertisement

He has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot. He has said Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and a registered Democrat, made up the allegations to try to increase sales of her 2019 memoir and to hurt him politically.

'This is another scam. It's a political witch hunt,' he said on Tuesday.

'And somehow we're going to have to fight this stuff.

'We cannot let our country go into this abyss. This is disgraceful.'

He also referenced her financing.

Before the trial began it emerged that Democrat donor Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, had paid for her legal fees. A philanthropic adviser to Hoffman defended the donation and said that the grant was made before Carroll filed suit 'and we had no prior knowledge that our funding would go to support her in particular.'

Trump's attorneys tried, and failed, to have the case delayed.

'You have somebody running for office; you have a woman that is financed - and lied about it, she totally lied about it - by Democrat operatives, like just about the biggest one there is,' Trump said on Tuesday.

'She said that wasn't true. They found that she lied about it. And the judge wasn't even, I guess, letting it be put in as evidence.

'The whole thing is a scam. And it's a shame, and it's a disgrace to our country.'

In a second video, he simply said: 'This was a very unfair trial - that's all you have to say.'

His third and final clip say him state: 'I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.

'The verdict is a disgrace: a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time. Absolutely a shame.'

Trump's comments echo those of his attorney, Joe Tacopina, who said outside court on Tuesday that a Manhattan jury was 'always' going to rule against Trump.

'Obviously, he's firm in his belief, as many people are, that he cannot get a fair trial in New York City, based on the jury pool,' said Tacopina.

'I think one could argue that that's probably an accurate assessment based on what happened today.'

The jury of six men and three women took three hours to reach their verdict.

They found him not liable of rape, but found him liable of sexual abuse.

The jury awarded Carroll $2 million for Trump's sexual abuse and $20,000 in punitive damages.

For defamation, jurors awarded $1 million for Trump's October statement, another $1.7 million for harm to Carroll's reputation and $280,000 in punitive damages.

The total was $5 million.

Tacopina told jurors that Carroll invented her claims after hearing about a 2012 'Law and Order' episode in which a woman is raped in the dressing room of the lingerie section of a Bergdorf Goodman store.

Carroll 'cannot produce any objective evidence to back up her claim because it didn't happen,' he told jurors.

He accused her of 'advancing a false claim of rape for money, for political reasons and for status.'

'In New York, you can't get a fair trial,' said Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina

In questioning Carroll, he sought to cast doubt on her description of fighting off the far heavier Trump without dropping her handbag or ripping her tights, and without anyone around to hear or see them in the lingerie section.

The lawyer pressed her about - by her own account - not screaming, looking for help while fleeing the store or seeking out medical attention, security video or police.

Carroll reproached him.

'I'm telling you he raped me, whether I screamed or not,' she said.

There is no possibility of Trump being charged with attacking Carroll, as the legal time limit has long since passed.

For similar reasons, she initially filed her civil case as a defamation lawsuit, saying Trump's derogatory denials had subjected her to hatred, shredded her reputation and harmed her career.

Last fall New York state gave people a chance to sue over sexual assault allegations that would otherwise be too old. Carroll was one of the first to file.
Swastika Mountain in Oregon will be renamed Mount Halo following a vote by the US Board on Geographic Names.

It is located in a remote part of the Umpqua National Forest outside Eugene, Oregon, and will receive a new name after its old one was spotted in the local newspaper by an 81-year-old Oregonian.

Until recently the mountain was relatively unknown and its name was rarely used - the small peak was named after a local cattle ranch in the early 1900s well before the term became associated with the Nazi Party.

The mountain's new name, Mount Halo, pays tribute to Chief Halito of the Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe.

Swastika Mountain in Oregon will be renamed to Mount Halo following a vote by the US Board on Geographic Names

The mountain is located in a remote part of the Umpqua National Forest outside Eugene, Oregon

Chief Halo (pictured) made a stand by refusing to be relocated to the Grand Ronde Reservation as local tribes were removed from their land

The change was approved in a 19-3 vote in December and came into effect late last month, according to the Register-Guard.

An earlier proposal suggested calling it Umpqua Mountain, but the petitioner withdrew it in support of adopting the name Mount Halo, according to materials from the state board reviews by the newspaper.

In the 1850s, Chief Halo made a stand by refusing to be relocated to the Grand Ronde Reservation as local tribes were removed from their land in the Umpqua Valley. His tribal village was located 20 miles west of the mountain.

The relatively unknown mountain emerged on the public radar in January 2022, when two teenagers were reported missing after hiking near the mountain.

Their rescue triggered a news release from the US Coast Guard, which named peak 'Swastika Mountain'.

Oregon woman Joyce McClain, 81, read about the rescue mission and couldn't believe a mountain still had such a name in 2022. She responded by starting a petition to have its name changed.

'People need to come forward and take action when they see something that isn't right or needs to be changed because one person can make a difference, and this shows how that is so true,' McClain told NPR at the time.

The relatively unknown mountain emerged on the public radar in January 2022 when two teenagers were reported missing after hiking near the mountain

The mountain was not well-known before the rescue and its name went undetected for more than 100 years

McClain wrote to the Oregon Geographic Names Board and filed to propose a name change. Kerry Tymchuk, executive secretary at the historical society, told NPR McClain was the first person he knows of to submit a request for the mountain.

'It is not a very well-known mountain, and frankly, I didn't know there was one,' Tymchuk told NPR.

'It's in a national forest, not accessible to many people like Mount Hood or Mount St. Helen. It's not very well-known throughout the state; the vast majority of people likely never even knew it was there,' he added.

The word 'swastika' comes from the South Asian language Sanskrit and means 'being fortunate' or 'well being'. A variation on the symbol appropriated by the Nazis is a historic Hindu symbol.

The mountain, as well as the nearby and now-extinct town of Swastika, was named after a cattle ranch in the early 1900s before Hitler's rise to power, according to Tymchuk.
The victim's housemate, 66, has been arrested

He was found at a home in the Cairns suburb of White Rock

A man has died after he was stabbed multiple times

A man has died after he was stabbed multiple times in the back following a dispute inside a share house.

Queensland police officers were called to property at White Rock in Cairns, Queensland, at 1:30am on Wednesday.

The found a man, aged in his 50s, with stab wounds to his back.

Queensland Police have launched an investigation after a man was stabbed to death at a home in White Rock

Ambulance crews tried to revive the man but he died at the scene.

The man's housemate, 66, has been arrested over the death and was taken into custody by police. No charges have been laid.

'He's been arrested for the offence of murder and is currently in custody,' Acting Inspector Jason Chetham said.

'We do have information that those two parties were arguing a number of times during the night and then into the morning about noise emanating from the premises.'

Witnesses claimed they heard yelling and screaming on the street on Wednesday morning, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Detectives are interviewing the victim's neighbours as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

Anyone with information relating to the matter is urged to contact police immediately.
Disturbing footage has captured the moment a mass brawl broke out at a family night market and left a man fighting for his life in hospital.

The violent fight erupted at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market, in Darwin, at 8.20pm on Thursday.

NT Police said a 43-year-old involved in the brawl collapsed at a nearby bus stop soon afterwards, while others sustained minor injuries.

The man was found at the bus stop at Gilruth Avenue before he was rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition.

A mass brawl at a popular Darwin night market that left a man fighting for his life has been captured in extraordinary footage (Pictured, a photo of a trouble-free night at Mindil Beach Sunset Markets)

A video of the brawl filmed by a witness showed a chaotic scene with several people involved in the punch-on.

One woman seen fighting in the video can be heard shouting as she lays several blows into another woman.

'I wanna kill her,' she said. 'I'm killing this c***.'

A third woman tried to pull her away before the woman was kicked in the face by a man.

'She's choking her, she's f***ing choking her, she can't breathe,' another man is heard yelling.

On Monday a NT Health spokeswoman said a 43-year-old was in a stable condition, the NT News reported.

Footage of the fight was shared to social media where one woman claimed as many as 20 people were involved in it.

'The tourists must be thinking they have arrived into a war zone!' she wrote.

NT Police issued a statement and urged witnesses to come forward.

'At 8:20pm, police received reports of fighting at Mindil Beach Markets at the Southern end,' it read.

A video of the brawl filmed by a witness showed a chaotic scene with several people involved

'A short time later, a man believed to be involved in the altercation collapsed at a bus stop on Gilruth Avenue.

'St Johns Ambulance conveyed the victim to Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition.'

NT Police said no arrests had been made as of Monday.

'There were obviously a number of people in the area who were witnesses to what was going on in relation to this incident,' Sergeant Richard Howie said.

NT Police appealed for anyone with information or footage of the incident to come forward by calling 131 444 and quoting reference number 10336579.

Daily Mail Australia contacted NT Police for comment.
The case has now been delayed until July

His lawyer said that he might have autism

A teacher caught filming up the skirts of schoolgirls has had his sentencing delayed as a doctor considers whether he has a disorder that could impact on jail time.

Eric Wong has pleaded guilty to two counts of filming a person's private parts without consent.

A 16-year-old student asked to stay behind after class bumped into a white board at Cammeraygal High School on Sydney's lower north shore and revealed a hidden phone strategically placed to film.

Police found hundreds of photos and videos of uniformed students, including images taken up skirts and down shirts when they searched his home.

Eric Wong (right) pleaded guilty to two counts of filming a person's private parts without consent

A 16-year-old student bumped into a white board at Cammeraygal High School (pictured) which revealed a hidden phone strategically placed to film

Wong was due to be sentenced in Hornsby Local Court on Wednesday, however his lawyer secured an adjournment for a report to be prepared.

'The report  raises the possibility of an autistic spectrum disorder which we would say would be highly relevant to the court's approach to sentencing,' the lawyer said.

Police prosecutors opposed the adjournment 'primarily on the basis of the ongoing distress these matters are causing to the cohort and the community of the relevant high school'.

Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said he understood the opposition but the defence was entitled to put material before the court and had not caused any delays before.

'It's not a matter I foresaw being adjourned but on the material before me it is appropriate,' he said.

'There won't be any further adjournments, if material is not ready it's not ready.'

Wong will return to court on July 19.
The Navy has denied the existence of a recruitment outreach program that featured an active-duty drag queen as a 'digital ambassador' during a March phone call with the House Armed Services Committee.

Although the program ran from October 2022 to March of this year and featured drag performer Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley as one of five 'digital ambassadors', the Navy appeared embarrassed by it's own decision and said the recruitment drive 'did not exist.'

The Navy is facing a recruitment crisis and is expected to fall 8,000 people short of its goals for the year.

In an attempt to rectify the issue, it launched a campaign with drag queen influencer Kelley, who is non-binary and goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels.

The Navy had wanted to use Kelley in order to promote diversity in their workforce.

House Armed Services Committee phone call saw the Navy deny the existence of a recruitment outreach program that featured an active-duty drag queen, pictured above

While the campaign was active, Kelley (pictured) was one of five digital ambassadors. Kelley has 61,000 followers on TikTok where they have been sharing videos of drag performances on-board Navy ships for years

News of the denial was revealed by Representative Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Chairman of the HASC Subcommittee on Military Personnel to the New York Post.

'We are facing a historic recruitment crisis and instead of focusing efforts on strengthening our force, the Biden administration is forcing wokeness on our service members,' Banks said.

'Navy leadership knew this was a ridiculous and embarrassing stunt, and that is why they initially denied involvement with the program.'

Banks, himself a Navy veteran, together with Representative Mark Alford (R-Missouri), has now written a formal letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that seeks answers as to why lawmakers were misled.

The letter asks for a response within the next two weeks and demands an explanation for the Navy's denial of the program's existence. It also requests a list of the Department of Defense (DoD) officials involved that chose Kelley as a digital ambassador.

News of the denial of the recruitment program was revealed by Representative Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Chairman of the HASC Subcommittee on Military Personnel

Last week, the Navy defended Kelley's participation in the program and emphasized the Navy's commitment to inclusivity

In November, the Navy hired an active-duty drag queen to boost recruitment.

Kelley, pictured as Harpy Daniels, said he was inspired by the drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race, which he started watching when he was 16

Furthermore, the congressman want to know who authorized Kelley's drag performances for fellow troops on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.

They also wish to know the identities of the other four 'digital ambassadors' that are said to have been involved with the campaign.

'It now appears that not only did the Navy engage in this misguided effort, but it incomprehensibly believed that this woke campaign should become the defining face of the service,' Banks and Alford wrote in the letter.

'While the Navy previously dismissed the existence of the ambassador program, a US Navy spokesman recently embraced the effort in responding to the backlash.'

The pair want to see 'wokeness' eliminated from in the military and have criticized the Navy for selecting Kelley arguing: 'perception is driving reality, and both current and former service members are alarmed at 'a culture putting 'wokeness' before training and combat effectiveness.'

'Fringe ideologies and drag shows have no place in our military. Rather, the military should be focused on deterring adversaries and remaining a lethal force to defend the nation,' they wrote.

The program Kelley was part of ran from October 2022 to March 2023 and was designed to 'explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates' for recruitment

Non-binary Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley moonlights as cross-dressing performer 'Harpy Daniels'.

The Navy says Kelley was hired as part of a pilot scheme - which has since ended - in an attempt 'to attract the most talented and diverse workforce'

'Promoting drag shows does nothing to enhance military readiness and war-fighting capabilities.'

But last week, the Navy defended Kelley's participation in the program and emphasized the Navy's commitment to inclusivity.

'The Navy is proud of and stands by any person who is willing to take an oath to put their life on the line in defense of this nation.

'Much like the country we serve, our Navy is stronger when we draw upon our diverse resources, skills, capabilities and talents. We remain committed to an inclusive environment.'

Previously, the Navy had been open about its digital ambassador program.

In January 2022, the Office of the Navy Chief of Information touted its reaching out to include individuals who had access to audiences comprising of young women and communities of color - perhaps not typically drawn to the Navy for a career.

Kelley, whose drag name is Harpy Daniels, has been performing on Navy ships since 2017

Kelley said they began dressing in drag and performing in shows while still in high school

While the campaign was active, Kelley was one of five digital ambassadors.

Kelley joined the Navy in 2016 and has 61,000 followers on TikTok where they have been sharing videos of drag performances onboard Navy ships for years.

In a post this weekend, they thanked their followers and asked them to also support the four other ambassadors.

'Also give that same respect and support to the other four outstanding sailors that also did the Navy digital ambassador pilot,' they said.

'In the Navy any one has the ability to lead and make a difference no matter the rank, race, gender, sexual orientation, or background. We all fight for the same mission and goals to be a stronger and better Navy,' Kelley wrote in the caption.

A Navy spokesman told DailyMail.com the digital ambassador program was a pilot that ended in March 2023.

The Navy's decision to promote Kelley was part of its larger efforts to reach Gen Z.

It ran a series of ads on social media platforms like Instagram, as well as on TV and streaming services tailored to the younger generation.

The military branch even updated its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement, which it promoted prominently online.

'Our Navy is committed to enabling a workforce demographic similar to that of the nation it serves,' the statement now reads.

'With nearly 50 percent of recruitable talent coming from diverse talent, the Navy must be deliberate to create a culture where every person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.'

Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, announced on TikTok in November that they would be the Navy's first 'digital ambassador,' highlighting their journey from performing on board beginning in 2018 and growing to become an 'advocate' for those who 'were oppressed for years in the service'

The Navy's decision to promote Kelley was part of its larger efforts to reach Gen Z

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.
Two men killed in a suspected gang attack were not the intended targets as footage emerges from just moments before the incident unfolded .

Atem Atem, 29, and Ayuel Akuei, 22, were killed while a third man, 23, was seriously injured in the violence at Wyndham Vale in Melbourne on February 11.

Emergency services were called to a Carmichael Drive address following reports of firearm and knife injuries.

Atem Atem (pictured), 29, was killed as the shooting unfolded at a house in Melbourne's south west at 2.30am on Saturday

Four children and other adults inside the home were not physically hurt.

Investigators released footage on Wednesday of three cars pulling up in a nearby street and men getting out to have a discussion just minutes before the attack.

Detective Acting Inspector Nigel L'Estrange said it was 'sheer luck' no one else was killed or seriously hurt.

'We believe that the group is likely to have attended the address as the result of some kind of dispute between street gangs, however those who were killed and injured were either not gang members or had only very loose links,' Insp L'Estrange said.

He condemned the unnecessary act of violence and asked for anyone with information about the motive behind the attack or people involved to come forward immediately.

'However any details, no matter how small or insignificant you believe they are, may be the key to solving this case and providing justice for these families.'

Investigators released footage on Wednesday of three cars pulling up in a nearby street and men getting out to have a discussion just minutes before the attack

Three cars were seen leaving the area immediately following the shooting with police launching a manhunt (pictured, police at the scene)

Mr Atem's devastated father previously opened up on his heartbreak after the shooting.

'It's not easy to lose someone, it's not easy,' Mr Atem told Herald Sun.

Mr Atem said he had left South Sudan to move to Australia in 2003.

He said he believed his son was followed home before he was gunned down and his son was due to visit his home country with his mother next month.

He revealed his son's mother and two brothers were in the house at the time of the shooting that is believed to have unfolded in the garage.

Inspector L'Estrange said it was believed five men, including Mr Atem and Mr Akuei, were present in the home's garage when a convoy of vehicles arrived about 2.45am on the morning of the attack.

'This was an act of violence that was completely unnecessary and any indiscriminate use of firearms in this way is always immensely concerning for police,' he said.
A batch of enoki mushrooms imported from South Korea has been recalled over contamination fears.

Korea Connections has recalled its 300-gram size marked products with a best before date of August 17.

The popular mushrooms have been sold at independent and Asian grocery stores across Western Australia.

A batch of enoki mushrooms imported from South Korea has been recalled over contamination fears

The mushrooms are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes which can cause serious illness.

The packaging does not contain instructions to cook the mushrooms as heating products with the bacteria is known to kill it off.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has warned shoppers to not eat the mushrooms.

'Listeria monocytogenes may cause severe illness in pregnant women, unborn babies, neonates, the elderly, and individuals who are immunocompromised,' a spokesperson said.

'The general population can also become ill from consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

'Vulnerable people can experience fever, muscle aches, tiredness, sepsis and meningitis. In pregnant women listeriosis can also cause miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth.

'Others can experience headache, fever, tiredness and aches and pains. Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and abdominal cramps.'

Shoppers have been urged to return the product to the store for a refund.
A race is on to ensure a brave little boy gets the lifesaving surgery he needs to finally take his first steps unassisted.

Just like any other four-year-old, Reef Scoble loves The Wiggles, singing and playing with his friends.

But unlike his mates, Reef can't walk independently or run around so he relies on a paediatric walker and crawling to get around.

The Gold Coast preschooler has faced a series of daunting challenges since being diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, a condition caused by abnormal brain development that affects being able to control the muscles.

Abnormal muscle tightness in his lower limbs makes getting around difficult for Reef as the condition takes a gradual a toll on his young body and has left him in constant pain.

His only hope of being to walk independently is Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery, which involves testing and cutting the abnormal nerve fibres in the lower spinal cord in a bid to eliminate or permanently reduce spasticity.

Parents Alana Radford and Tim Scoble are scrambling to raise $130,000 needed to pay for their firstborn's surgery in US, hospital fees and intensive therapy so Reef can live an independent and pain-free life.

Reef Scoble (pictured) needs lifechanging surgery so he can walk independently

Ms Radford said the surgery will be life-changer for her bubbly and determined son.

'Surgery would eliminate spasticity and Reef would no longer be in constant pain,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'It would 100 per cent improve his quality of life and allow him walk independently.

'It's a life-changing opportunity. Reef is at the stage where if he was going to walk on his own, he would have taken his first steps by now so surgery is the next step. '

Reef wears orthotics, has had multiple rounds of Botox in his legs and serial casting on his feet

The Gold Coast community have rallied around the family to raise more than $45,000 and have 10 weeks left to raise the rest.

A surgeon is scheduled to operate on Reef in St Louis, Missouri on July 18.

'Reef is now at the age where he understands the symptoms of his cerebral palsy are putting limitations on things that he wants to and tries to do,' Ms Radford said.

'He's super excited that he may soon be able to walk without his walker.

He's a very intelligent, determined and resilient boy who wants to succeed and do all the things his friends do.'

Reef was all smiles at his fourth birthday party recently, despite his legs and feet being in pain

Reef (pictured as a premmie baby) was born at 30 weeks and was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy

Reef weighed 1.9kg when he was born 10 weeks early in 2019 and spent the first two months of his life in hospital.

After he finally arrived home, his parents and friends noticed his body was always stiff, had difficulty with movement and wasn't reaching his milestones.

Reef was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy at 16 months.

'My world came crashing down at the time as I didn't know what the future would like,' Ms Radford recalled.

'Tim and I have always been Reef's biggest advocates determined to give him the best life possible.'

'My hope now for Reef is that the surgery doesn't let anything stop him and that he can achieve anything he wants to do.'

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery would allow Reef (pictured at a Wiggles concert) enjoy a better quality of life

Tim Scoble and Alana Radford (pictured with son Reef) have until July to raise $130,000

The upcoming surgery costs almost $US67,000 alone.

The family must also scrape together additional funds for travel, accommodation and post-surgery therapy, which will continue when Reef returns home.

'Tim works as a chef and Alana is an admin assistant,' an online fundraiser states.

'The cost of surgery is beyond our financial capacity and this is why we are asking for community support.'

The family have also set up a Facebook page and shared a heartwarming video documenting Reef's journey.

'We're staying positive that we can raise money for Reef's surgery,' Ms Radford said.

'Once people meet Reef, everyone wants to be in his corner and get around him.'
Vintage Victorian licence plate up for up to $1.8million

A simple black-and-white Australian numberplate is predicted to fetch up to seven figures at auction.

The black-and-white heritage Victorian licence plate bearing the characters '52' (VIC52), will go to auction with Shannon's Action house between May 23 to May 30 carrying an expected price tag of between $1.3-$1.6million.

Vintage Victorian and New South Wales plates are a hot item for collectors, with the price growing exponentially for repeating or fewer numbers.

A NSW heritage license plate in the same auction bearing the number '31' is estimated to cost about the same as the Victorian plates.

However, a set of double-digit, heritage Queensland plates in the auction will set back a buyer back about $650,000 and $750,000.

A set of simple yet rare Victorian heritage licence plates (pictured) are expected to fetch between $1.3-$1.6million when they go to auction later this month

The licence plate - which dates back more than a century to the 1910s - was last auctioned at a Roads and Traffic Authority auction in 1984.

'The plate has been in the same ownership since 1984,' Christophe Boribon, Shannons Auctions' national auctions manager, told 3AW.

'So it's been tightly held in that ownership for nearly 40 years.'

According to Mr Boribon, the largest licence plate sale he knows of was a set of VIC14 plates that were sold by the auction house last year.

'I think there are a lot of genuine collectors out there that have been in the numberplate game for a number of years,' Mr Boribon said, adding that each plate could mean something special to each bidder.

'There are number of combinations that sometimes mean something to people in certain cultures and others basically just want to get the lowest number possible.'

Mr Boridon suggested the elusive 'VIC1' license plate, which was last valued at about $2million, could have ballooned to 'anywhere between $7m to $10m in today's market'.

Licence plates have become a hot item for collectors who have caused the price to balloon, with the elusive 'VIC1' (pictured) licence plate potentially costing between $7-10million, last photographed on a $200,000 Mercedes AMG in Melbourne in 2021

The 'VIC1' plate is especially rare not only due to it having the lowest and fewest amount of numbers, but also because of its especially rich history.

The plate was produced for the first time in 1932 and was reportedly the cause of a disagreement between the the Premier, the Police Commissioner and the Governor about who should get to keep it.

To keep the peace, none of the authorities were allowed to keep the plate and it was instead locked in a vault at the Motor Registration Board.

In 1984, the plates were auctioned off for $165,000 to Gary Price, a retired mechanic from Ballarat.

The plates then changed hands a number of times before landing in the hands of the former Coles CEO, Peter Bartels, in 2014 for an undisclosed amount.

It is unknown if Mr Bartels still owned the plates when they were last photographed on a $200,000 Mercedes AMG in Melbourne in 2021.
Shocking video shows the moment a father struck a staffer at his son's school aboard a school bus, police say.

The unsettling clip was filmed by one of several middle schoolers who witnessed the alleged altercation, which Florida cops said came after 50-year-old Esdra Burges-Cruz became irate over his son being temporarily banned from riding the bus.

The footage of the May 2 altercation is now being used in a case against the Ocala dad, who was arrested the next day after the student who filmed the snippet handed it to an on-campus deputy.

Cops in Marion County stated it showed Burges-Cruz menacing the unnamed victim, who hours before wrote school referrals barring the man's son - and another unnamed student - from riding the bus due to unspecified behavioral issues.

After deputies reviewed the video, Burges-Cruz was tracked to his home in Ocala, a few miles from Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield, and arrested on probable cause for battery.

Scroll down for video:

Shocking video shows the moment a father struck a staffer at his son's school aboard a school bus, police say

The unsettling clip was filmed by one of several middle schoolers who witnessed the alleged altercation, which Florida cops said came after 50-year-old Esdra Burges-Cruz became irate over his son being banned from the bus. He was arrested and is out on $17,500 bond

'This is going to be the last time! [The] last time!' the irate dad can be heard repeating in the clip, before appearing to strike the unidentified aide in the chest.

The dad, however, told WESH 2 that he did not hit the employee but simply snatched a piece of paper from him showing that his son had had his bus privileges suspended. It is not immediately clear why.

According to an accompanying police report, shortly before, Burges-Cruz bombarded the school staffer with threats, telling him 'that if anything else happened to his son, the victim "would see whats going to happen."'

Burges-Cruz refused to meet with the Daytona Beach outlet after being released on bond a day after his arrest, which itself came, a day after the incident was reported by the victim - hours after it happened.

The deputy interviewed the bus driver who corroborated the victims statement, though he did not witness the supposed strike.

Later in the day, deputies visited the father's home, during which he 'denied touching the victim.'

On May 3, a student provided the cell phone video to the on-campus officer - and the arrest was made.

While not clear from the footage, officers wrote that Burges-Cruz immediately confronted the school aide while walking on the bus.

The footage of the May 2 altercation is now being used in a case against the Ocala dad, who was arrested the next day after the student who filmed the snippet handed it to an on-campus deputy

After deputies reviewed the video, Burges-Cruz was tracked down to his home in Ocala, a few miles from Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield, and arrested on probable cause for battery

Cops in Marion County say it shows Burges-Cruz menacing the unnamed victim, who hours before wrote school referrals barring the man's son - and another unnamed student - from riding the bus due to unspecified behavioral issues

The suspect's son attends Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield, though the incident took place at a bus stop in nearby Ocala

'Shut the [f**k] up!' the father reportedly said to the staffer as he got on, appearing increasingly confrontational.

Cops said his son and the other student had been riding the bus earlier that day, spurring their suspension.

They maintain the man became upset after learning of his son's suspension - and say the video that spurred his arrest serves as proof.

Now out on $17,5000, Burges-Cruz faces felony counts of battery on a public or private education employee, burglary, and disturbing peace.

Cops noted in their report that the video showed Burges-Cruz 'taking an aggressive stance' towards the victim, 'within a foot' of his person while aggressively pointing his finger and grabbing the lanyard around his neck.

The bus stop where the altercation occurred was in Ocala, where the father and son live.

A court date has not yet been scheduled.
The parents of a four-year-old girl are suing McDonald's and its franchisee after a piping hot Chicken McNugget burned their daughter's thigh, leaving her 'disfigured and scarred'.

Philana Holmes told a court in Broward County in Florida that as she was leaving a McDonald's drive-thru she heard her daughter screaming in the back of the car.

When she pulled over, she found a hot chicken nugget lodged between her daughter's thigh and a seatbelt, which had remained in contact with her skin for around two minutes.

Holmes and the girl's father, Humberto Caraballo Estevez, are now seeking $15,000 in damages on the grounds the restaurant served a chicken nugget that was 'defective, harmful and unfit for human handling'.

Parents of a four-year-old girl are suing McDonald's and its franchisee after a piping hot Chicken McNugget burned their daughter's thigh

Jordan Redavid, who is representing the burned child's family, brought with him to court the iconic Happy Meal box and presented it to the judge

According to the lawsuit, on August 21, 2019, Holmes went to the McDonald's drive-thru in Tamarac and ordered, among other things, a six-piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal for her then-4-year-old daughter, Olivia Holmes.

'The Chicken McNuggets inside of that Happy meal were unreasonably and dangerously hot (in terms of temperature) and caused Olivia Holmes's skin and flesh around her thighs to burn,' reads the lawsuit.

Jordan Redavid, who is representing the burned child's family, told a court on Tuesday that McDonald's and the franchisee failed to warn about the dangers of the nuggets and acted negligently in serving such a hot nugget.

He brought with him to court the iconic Happy Meal box, with two golden arches for handles, and presented it to the judge.

'The reasonable, foreseeable, intended use is for a child to handle this box. The law implies a promise from a corporation to, in this case, a child,' he said.

'And if its preventable, its warnable, you should warn someone about it, and if you don't do that then you're liable.'

His position was challenged by Scott Yount, an attorney representing McDonald's.

Philana Holmes is pictured in surveillance footage passing her daughter a box of nuggets in August 2019, which then burned her

Olivia is seen in the back of the car (bottom right) as her mother pulls out of the drive-thru

'Ms Holmes purchased 32 chicken McNuggets that day. the evidence will show that 31 of them, there was no problem with,' said Yount on Tuesday afternoon.

In making that statement he may have been referring to all of the nuggets in Holmes's order, including those not contained within her daughter's box of six, which fell on her lap.

'In fact, Olivia dropped six on her lap, and she has one burn, and that's the one location where the McNugget was trapped by the seatbelt for two minutes,' he added.

'The Chicken McNuggets are not defective, they are not unreasonably dangerous, they are not dangerously hot, and there is no negligence.'

In a pre-trial deposition, Holmes described the events after she picked up the food.

'As I'm pulling away out of the drive-thru I hear [Olivia] start to yell. But the time I make it to the street it's a full blown scream,' she told the court, according to a transcript.

'I turn around and she dropped the nugget in her lap. So I'm trying to drive and knock them out of her lap as I'm going down the street.

The franchisee told the court that it has to serve hot nuggets in order to adhere to food safety standards

'So as soon as I was able I pulled over, I run to the back seat of the car and I got out the nugget that I could see and I then pulled off her seat belt across the lap there was a chicken nugget that was stuck that I could not reach.

'As I am taking the nugget off of her skin it's falling apart in my hand. Her thigh - upper thighs - it was really, really red. She's screaming, she's yelling,' she said.

Caraballo Estevez also spoke duing a deposition, and told the court that although the girl does not say the scar bothers her, she does sometimes make reference to it.

'Every once in a while she looks at [the scar] and she refers to it as her chicken nugget.'

The hearing is due to resume on Wednesday.
The top prosecutor running the trial against Brittany Higgins' alleged rapist 'perceived' that all jurors except one would find Bruce Lehrmann guilty.

The extraordinary claim was made by Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecution, on Wednesday during a Board of Inquiry hearing investigating his conduct during the jury trial against Mr Lehrmann in October last year.

The trial was aborted due to misconduct by a juror and rescheduled for February 2023.

However, the sexual assault charge against Mr Lehrmann was dropped in December due to concerns for Ms Higgins' mental health.

Brittany Higgins accused Bruce Lehrmann of raping her at Parliament House in March 2019. Lehrmann pleaded not guilty and the charge was dismissed

Lehrmann has always denied the allegation against him.

The inquiry heard that, during the period when the court case was rescheduled and not yet terminated, Mr Drumgold SC wanted to hold a retrial because he believed there would be a guilty conviction.

At the inquiry on Wednesday, Mr Drumgold told Erin Longbottom, the counsel assisting the inquiry, that he believed the trial was in the public interest and he believed he would get a conviction.

'I read the jury and the suggestion was there was one person who was not in favour,' he said.

'It has to be an ongoing reasonable prospect of conviction and every day you have to be satisfied there's a public interest in running it.'

Furthermore, Mr Drumgold said it was 'probable' there was a wider conspiracy by Australian Federal Police for the charge against Mr Lehrmann to be dropped.

'I had not formed a view solidly one way or another, but there was enough incidences to make it possible if not probable,' he told the inquiry.

Ms Longbottom said his allegations were 'serious, and made with the authority of your office'.

He said the AFP 'pursued a passionate interest' in the matter and did not want it to go ahead.

Mr Drumgold claimed it was 'probable' there was a wider conspiracy by Australian Federal Police for the charge against Mr Lehrmann to be dropped

Mr Drumgold alleged police pressured him to agree with them, rather than simply asking his professional opinion on whether the trial should go ahead.

Mr Drumgold claimed police opinions had 'escalated to saying Ms Higgins was 'manipulative, and we can't proceed if she's manipulative'.

Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, made the claim during a hearing on Wednesday

Earlier on Wednesday, the prosecutor said he was also concerned about police interactions with Mr Lehrmann's defence lawyer Steven Whybrow during the trial.

Ms Longbottom then asked whether he was concerned about the interaction because 'police didn't want the matter to proceed to trial'.

'Were a defence lawyer to talk on friendly terms with a police officer, that would warm my heart,' he said.

'But I potentially have a police officer who is committed to writing inadmissible evidence and had very strong opinions, and was attempting to feed those views to defence counsel.'

'Going to great lengths to feed inaccurate information int he hope of derailing the case.'

Retired Justice Walter Sofronoff, who is leading the inquiry, asked: 'How can they do that?'

'How could it upset trial because defence can't do anything other than what is ethically and legally persisted. Why do you care?'

Mr Drumgold said there had been 'so much unusual stuff in this trial' that he was trying to 'keep it sterile'.
The senator criticised stage three tax cuts and the Voice

She claimed First Nations people would be left worse off

Lidia Thorpe has slammed the government over the budget

Lidia Thorpe has blasted the Albanese government's budget, claiming it primarily benefits the rich through tax cuts while leaving First Nations people worse off.

The former Greens senator unleashed on Treasurer Jim Chalmers the morning after the budget was handed down in parliament house on Tuesday night.

'Well done Jim. You delivered a budget that is in surplus and you've done it while giving tax cuts to the rich,' she sarcastically began in a post on Twitter.

The cuts Senator Thorpe is referring to are the stage three tax cuts that scrap the 37 per cent marginal tax bracket, lowers the 32.5 per cent tax rate to 30 per cent and creates a new top marginal tax rate of 45 per cent for those earning over $200,000.

It means everyone who makes between $45,000 and $200,000 will pay the same marginal tax rate.

Lidia Thorpe (pictured) has slammed the Albanese government over the budget, claiming the lives of First Nations people will continue getting worse under the measures

These cuts have been proven to primarily benefit the wealthy, with far greater tax cuts provided to high-income workers compared to those who earn less.

Aussies making more than $200,000 will receive a $9,075 tax cut, while someone who earns $80,000 would get back just $875.

'The slow clap you hear is from the millions of Australians who have been told their battles to put food on the table and a roof over their heads is their burden to bear,' Senator Thorpe continued in her tweet.

'The cries of despair you hear are from the hundreds of thousands of First Nations people who now know that their hardships will increase, their incarceration will increase and their suffering will increase.'

She then mocked the government over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

'But don't worry, we're gonna have a Voice...' she said.

'The word justice receives only six mentions in this budget and indeed it is a budget poor in delivering justice.'

'This budget fails in delivering First Nations justice, social justice, environmental justice, what you call criminal justice, justice for refugees and housing justice,' she added.

Between October and December this year, Australians will be asked via a referendum requiring a compulsory vote whether they support the establishment of the Voice to Parliament.

In order to pass, a referendum needs more than 50 per cent support both nationally and in at least four of the six states.

Consequently only eight of 44 referenda have succeeded in Australian history.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured) has remained adamant the government had no intentions to make changes to the stage three tax cuts

Labor's budget handed out cost of living relief to the vulnerable and included an increase to the JobSeeker payment, financial support for parents and up to $500 in energy bill relief.

Huge tax cuts have been given to the wealthy, while major sectors of middle Australia have been left out.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has remained adamant the government had no intentions to make changes to the stage three tax cuts.

'We understand in those stage three tax cuts, they kick in at $45,000 and they go right up the income scale,' he told 2GB's Ben Fordham on his radio show on Wednesday.

'And we think it is important that when the budget can afford it, that we provide tax relief, particularly for people on low and middle incomes.

'And that's why we haven't changed our position on stage three there in the budget that I handed down last night and we didn't consider changing them in this budget.'
California's governor has come out against reparations checks being handed out to black residents of his state, days after a task force recommended that up to $1.2 million be given to those who met the criteria.

Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday he felt there were better ways of addressing systemic inequality than cash handouts.

The scheme approved by the nine-member reparations task force on Saturday would cost the state around $800 billion - more than twice its annual budget.

Newsom said dealing with the legacy of slavery and discrimination is 'about much more than cash payments.'

He told Fox News in a statement on Tuesday: 'Many of the recommendations put forward by the task force are critical action items we've already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build trust and safety, strengthening economic mobility  all while investing billions to root out disparities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare, and well beyond.

'This work must continue.'

California became the first state to form a reparations task force in September 2020, following national protests over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said on Tuesday he did not support the issuing of checks for reparations

California's reparations task force has approved a plan which could give black residents $1.2million each as compensation for slavery and discrimination

Its final report is to be sent to lawmakers before July 1.

The amount the reparations would cost the state were not outlined in the report, but previous calculations from economists predicted it could cost around $800billion - more than twice California's approximate $300 billion annual budget.

The report suggests that the amounts, based on what has been lost to specific types of racial discrimination, should be paid back to black residents.

This includes $2,352 lost per person per year for the over-policing and mass incarceration of black communities and $3,366 per person per year of residence between 1933 and 1977 for 'discriminatory lending and zoning'.

It also includes $13,619 per person per year for residents in California for 'injustices and discrimination in health' and $77,000 per person for black-owned business losses and devaluations.

This means a lifelong black California resident aged at least 71 could receive more than $1.2million in compensation.

Newsom on Tuesday said: 'Following the task force's submission of its final report this summer, I look forward to a continued partnership with the Legislature to advance systemic changes that ensure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians.'

But the 100 residents and activists who gathered at the meeting were not impressed with the calculations in the draft report.

Reverend Tony Pierce, CEO of the Oakland-based Black Wall Street organization, aired his frustration and pointed to the country's 'broken promise' to offer 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves.

He said: 'You know that the numbers should be equivocal to what an acre was back then. We were given 40, OK? We were given 40 acres.

'You know what that number is. You keep trying to talk about now, yet you research back to slavery and you say nothing about slavery, nothing.

'So, the equivocal number from the 1860s for 40 acres to today is $200 million for each and every African-American.'

He then hit out at the panel for not being ambitious enough with the reparations plan.

'You're not supposed to be afraid,' he added.

'You're just supposed to tell the truth. You're not supposed to be the gatekeepers. You're supposed to say what the people want and hear from the people.'

Residents, including Reverend Tony Pierce, CEO of the Oakland-based Black Wall Street movement, believe it is 'nowhere near enough' and demanded $200 million per person

Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer (left), who sits on the panel, said the recommendation of an apology letter from the state of California is one of the most important. State Sen. Steven Bradford is pictured on the right

One woman said: '$1.2million is nowhere near enough. It should be starting at least $5million like San Francisco.

'We want direct cash payments just like how the stimulus [checks] were sent out. It's our inheritance, and we can handle it.'

And another resident added: 'This million dollars we're hearing on the news is just inadequate and a further injustice if that's what this task force is going to recommend for black Americans for 400-plus years and continuing of slavery and injustice that we have been forced to endure.

'To even throw a million dollars at us is just an injustice.'

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman, urged people to express their frustrations through demonstrations.

The report insisted the figures are just estimates and that lawmakers would have to conduct additional research to work out the specifics.

Panel members recommended direct payments for those eligible in the report.

'The initial down payment is the beginning of a process of addressing historical injustices not the end of it,' it read.

The reparations task force has also asked for those eligible to receive cash 'down payments' as soon as any recommendations are forged into law while they wait for the compensation to be calculated.

The task force, made up of elected officials, academics and lawyers, decided on the eligibility criteria last year.

It determined that any descendant of enslaved African Americans or of a 'free black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century' should be entitled to reparations.

If legislation is passed for the payments, the committee suggested that a state agency be created to process claims and make payments with elderly black residents being the priority.

Around 1.8 million people in California identify as black or African American.
A grandmother has been barred from reporting teenage louts who have been terrorising her and the laneway behind her house for years.

Maria Sealy installed security cameras at her Victoria Point home in Brisbane to catch the vandals roaming in the adjacent Teak Lane to send to her council - but the local authority won't accept her messages anymore.

The lane is the main access corridor between her neighbourhood and the mall, which has become a hotspot for people riding motorbikes, exposing themselves and littering.

Despite spending over a decade reporting incidents to the council, nothing has changed besides the introduction of a lock gate and curfew in the area.

Ms Sealy was forwarding her footage to the local Redland City Council, who have now blocked her for sending too many complaints.

Louts in Victoria Point's Teak Lane have been caught vandalising the public walkway and exposing themselves on camera

Maria Sealy (left) set up CCTV on her adjacent house to capture antisocial behaviour and sent the footage to Redland City Council. She also directly addresses vandals when she sees them (pictured)

Her local council has banned Ms Sealy for sending too many complaints about the behaviour in the laneway

Ms Sealy has been uploading footage to a Teak Lane community group since July, 2020.

'It's disgusting to be honest,' she told A Current Affair.

'We were just like a target here and we're right in the firing line.

'Mainly it was for us as a safety measure because we knew we needed some kind of surveillance and the police knew something needed to be done here as well.'

In the footage she's uploaded, hooded people are seen entering the laneway after-hours and aimlessly throwing what appear to be bottles over the fence.

Other footage shows motorbike riders dangerously using the lane as a shortcut, teenagers tearing out freshly planted young trees, and local louts who have become aware of her security camera regularly stopping to 'moon' it.

A lock gate was previously introduced which prevented access to the lane from 10pm to 6am daily, but Ms Sealy says that it failed to stop people getting in.

The Redland City Council, who encourage residents to report vandalism, sent Ms Sealy received a letter telling her she was no longer welcome to comment on the state of the lane.

In a statement released on April 26 titled 'managing unreasonable complainant conduct', the council defended the move to prevent future contact from Ms Sealy.

'Council does not ban residents from visiting or contacting the organisation but, under extreme circumstances, can implement a communication plan to manage unreasonable complainant conduct,' the council wrote.

'This includes repeated reporting on the same issue. Council has been responding to issues raised by the resident about Teak Lane for more than 15 years.

'Council has a duty of care to the community and to its employees, and if, over time, employees are receiving hundreds of complaints from the same person on the same issue, action can be taken to protect employee wellbeing.'

In the same statement, the council announced additional security measures would be introduced to address the same complaints Ms Sealy had been making.

Previously a curfew of 10pm-6am daily had been introduced to the lane, but did little to keep people out

Over the years, people have been seen riding motorbikes dangerously through the laneway

Teak Lane's daily gate closure has now been expanded to the hours of 4pm to 7am, and other changes have also been made.

'The gate will close from 4pm to 7am Monday to Friday and from 3pm to 8am Saturday and Sunday, effective from about late May,' the statement continued.

'Council has undertaken action in Teak Lane in the interests of community safety.'

These new actions include: site maintenance, additional lighting and signage, daily locking and reopening of the gate, and improved access for police and security.

A Queensland Police spokesperson has said the department is committed to keeping the area safe.

'Our service conducts regular covert and overt intelligence-led operations and patrols of Teak Lane and surrounds, complementing the work of the districts crime prevention unit and local police,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The service charged an adult male with one count of wilful damage following the alleged graffiti of a business on Colburn Ave (bordering Teak Lane) on March 14. The man appeared in Cleveland Magistrates Court on April 14 and the matter is still before the courts.

'Prior to the above incident, police issued a different man with an infringement notice for public nuisance for allegedly exposing himself to CCTV camera on Teak Lane in November last year.'
A young man who was brutally shot in the chest as he sat inside a BMW has been described by loved ones as 'the last person this would ever happen to'.

Aymon Fatho, 31, was shot through the windscreen of the luxury car on Vaucluse Boulevard in Taylors Hill in Melbourne's northwest, just after 11.30pm on Sunday.

First responders discovered Fatho alone in the BMW with a bullet wound to his chest. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, the 31-year-old died at the scene.

On Tuesday morning, an unnamed 42-year-old man who police believe fatally shot Fatho, handed himself in to police but was released after questioning.

Aymon Fatho, 31, was shot through the windscreen of a luxury BMW on Vaucluse Boulevard in Taylors Hill in Melbourne's northwest, just after 11.30pm on Sunday

Victoria Police said officers had received a substantial amount of information on Monday night and were confident they had identified two other men involved.

The attack was not random and the men involved are known to each other, police claimed, however how they are linked is not yet known.

It was revealed earlier this week that the BMW had been following a white Mitsubishi before Fatho was fatally shot.

At one point during the pursuit, the Mitsubishi crashed into some bollards, prompting a man to get out of the vehicle.

He confronted Fatho and the male driver before firing into the windscreen.

It was revealed earlier this week that the BMW had allegedly been following a white Mitsubishi before Fatho was fatally shot (pictured, police at the scene)

The man and his passenger then fled the scene, with one of the men getting out of the car to ask a resident for directions.

The BMW was driven a few streets away before the driver called triple zero and fled scene on foot, leaving Fatho behind.

It comes as loved ones flood social media with heartfelt tributes for the 31-year-old, who has been described as the 'last person this would ever happen to'.

'Everyone that knew you would say you lit up every room you walked into. In our hearts forever,' one person wrote.

Another man said he was 'shattered'.

'All I'm ever going to have left is hearing your voice the other day and all the memories we shared growing up from kids up till now,' he said.

Victoria Police said the incident was being treated as a 'significant priority' by investigators and urged anyone with information to come forward (pictured, police at the scene)

'I wish we could bring you back and start all over again. I love you brother, you will never be forgotten from my heart.'

Victoria Police said the incident is being treated as a 'significant priority' and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Acting Inspector Nigel L'Estrange confirmed the BMW was recently stolen from the nearby Melton area, in Melbourne's west.

He said it was 'shocking' that such a violent incident could happen on the streets.

'There's a family there, a father or a husband or a son who hasn't come home overnight,' he told reporters.
The glamorous lawyer daughter of embattled property developer Jean Nassif has fronted court as she faces allegations she used fraudulent contracts to get a $150m loan.

Ashlyn Nassif was arrested earlier this year following a police raid on four properties, including the offices of her law firm EA Legal, and charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material.

The 27-year-old is accused of submitting fake contracts to meet a $10.5m pre-sale condition for the Sky View apartments in Castle Hill in Sydney's northwest.

Ashlyn Nassif (pictured) was arrested earlier this year following a police raid on four properties, including the offices of her law firm EA Legal

Ms Nassif appeared at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday wearing a chequered black-and-white set paired with knee-high boots (pictured)

Ms Nassif appeared at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday wearing a chequered black-and-white set paired with knee-high boots.

The glamorous lawyer held onto her black shoulder bag as she walked into the courthouse, while a set of rosary beads hung around her neck.

She appeared before magistrate Vivien Swain, who adjourned the matter for two weeks. Ms Nassif does not have to appear at the next occasion if she is legally represented.

Over three months in late 2021, Ms Nassif is accused of submitting fake contracts to Westpac Bank to dishonestly obtain a $150m loan to fund three of the five Skyview towers that consisted of about 960 apartments.

The apartment tower complex was being built by her father's development company, Toplace.

At the time of the alleged offending, Ms Nassif was a legal practitioner in the NSW Supreme Court and a partner at EA Legal. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the firm.

Ms Nassif was granted bail in May after her family put up a $2.6m surety.

She is not allowed to contact 24 people linked to the alleged fraud, must live at her mother's Chiswick home and abide by a curfew from 9pm to 6am.

The 27 year old (pictured) has been charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material

Ms Nassif has had to surrender her passport and report to Burwood Police Station every day

Ms Nassif has had to surrender her passport and report to Burwood Police Station every day.

Her property developer father is among the people she cannot contact, but there is no suggestion he is involved in any wrongdoing.

In 2019, Mr Nassif went viral on social media for gifting his 34-year-old wife Nissering 'Nissy'' Nassif a $480,000 Lamborghini.

Ms Nassif is yet to enter pleas. The matter will return to court this month.
Joe Biden has finalized Trump-style plans to stop illegal migrants flooding into the U.S less than 48 hours before Title 42 expires - and as thousands more are seen streaming across the border from Mexico.

The policy, as seen by CBS News, is almost identical to a law which had been introduced by the Trump administration - and which was decried by Biden at the time. It required migrants to request refugee status in another country, such as Mexico, during their journey to the southern border - before crossing into the United States.

Those who fail to follow the criteria are liable to be deported.

Introduction of the law comes as unauthorized border crossings spike, with Border Patrol averaging over 8,700 daily migrant apprehensions during a recent three-day period, a significant increase from the 5,200 average in March.

The sudden policy reversal appears to have been made in response to images of thousands of desperate migrants now swarming across the border before the change in the law later this week.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have already scoured the streets of El Paso in a 'targeted operation' to tell migrants to register or face detention.

Video shot along the Mexican border at Matamoros, which neighbors Brownsville, Texas, shows hundreds of people risking their lives as they cross the Rio Grande.

Video shot along the Mexican border at Matamoros, which neighbors Brownsville, Texas, shows hundreds of people risking their lives as they cross the Rio Grande

Migrants walk through a barbed-wire barrier into the United States after crossing the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico

To discourage illegal crossings, the Biden administration now plans to implement sweeping new regulations this week that will deny asylum to most migrants caught crossing.

The administration aims to quickly screen migrants for asylum under the new standard and, if they fail, deport them right away.

However, limited U.S. resources to deport migrants could stifle the effectiveness of the measure, which mirrors similar Trump policies that were blocked in the courts at the time.

Asylum officers were being trained on the new standard on Tuesday but some staffers have pushed back for its hasty rollout and others are concerned it undercuts access to asylum services, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

'People are livid,' said one Department of Homeland Security official, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.

The new regulations will likely face legal challenges but it marks a significant shift in asylum policy and will disqualify thousands - who will not have been informed of the sudden change in the rules - from coming across.

The reversal would be a change in direction by President Biden, who had campaigned on restoring access to the U.S. asylum system after the Trump administration implemented rules that made it more challenging for migrants to seek refuge in the United States.

Current asylum laws brought in 1980 prevent the rejection of refugees who may face persecution if returned to their home countries, but there appears to be a bi-partisan rejection of these policies as the numbers of migrants grow ever higher - straining an overwhelmed system and communities along the border.

The new rules will see migrants crossing the southern border to be presumed ineligible for asylum if they are unable to demonstrate they previously sought protection in a third country.

It would disqualify most non-Mexican migrants entering the U.S. between ports of entry. Unaccompanied children would be exempt from the rules.

According to the documents seen by CBS, only migrants with 'exceptionally compelling circumstances' will be able to clear the stricter criteria.

It includes individuals with acute medical emergencies, those facing imminent and extreme threats in Mexico, and victims of severe human trafficking.

Many of the migrants making the journey already know friends and relatives living in the U.S. giving added impetus to their own plight.

Migrants swim across the Rio Grande river into the United States, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico

A US National Guard vehicle patrols the Rio Grande on May 9 2023 but it provides little deterrent

Migrants arrive at the bank of the Rio Grande to attempt a crossing into the United States on May 9 2023

Migrants cross the Rio Bravo on an inflatable mattress into the United States from Matamoros on May 9 2023

At one stage on Tuesday May 9, a yellow rope was erected across the river to give the migrants something to cling onto as they wade into the river chest deep and avoid being washed downstream by the current as they made they way over to the opposite bank

A man and child cling onto a yellow rope beneath the surface as they attempt to make it across on May 9 2023

Migrants cross through the banks of the Rio Grande to the US, as seen from Matamoros

A member of the Mexican National Guard stands by as migrants cross river

In shocking new videos posted on Tuesday by Todd Bensman from the Fellow-Center for Immigration Studies, men, women and children can be seen lining up waiting to cross the Rio Grande on the Mexican side of the border. Many were seen carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they own across the river.

Upon reaching the other side, barbed wire fencing has been cut away allowing the migrants onto U.S. soil.

Mexican border patrol agents appear unwilling to prevent the migrants from making the journey across the river, while there seems to be little to no deterrent on the U.S. side either.

One reporter along the banks of the river estimated that thousands had crossed into the U.S. on Tuesday, with similar numbers expected on Wednesday also.

Many of the migrants making the journey already know friends and relatives living in the U.S. giving added impetus to their own plight.

At one stage on Tuesday, a yellow rope was erected across the river to give the migrants something to cling onto as they waded into the river chest deep and attempted to avoid being washed downstream by the current as they made they way over to the opposite bank.

Migrants walk through a barbed-wire barrier that has been cut to allow to easy access into the United States (May 9, 2023)

Migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande river into the US from Matamoros, state of Tamaulipas, Mexico (May 9, 2023)

On the Mexican side of the border, men, women and children can be seen lining up waiting to cross (May 9, 2023)

Many were seen carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they own across the river and keep them dry (May 9, 2023)

A woman looks on before she attempts to cross the Rio Grande river into the US (May 9, 2023)

Migrants are seen before they attempt to cross the Rio Grande river (May 9, 2023)

Migrants wait before they attempt to cross the river which separates Mexico from the U.S. (May 9, 2023)

Migrants wait before they attempt to cross the Rio Grande river into the US from Matamoros, state of Tamaulipas, Mexico on May 9, 2023

Migrants are seen after crossing the Rio Grande river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, on Tuesday

A handful of migrants cross into the U.S. where El Paso, Texas sits alongside Ciudad Juarez

Drone footage sees migrants standing near the border wall after crossing the Rio Grande river

All along the U.S. - Mexican border, migrants are lining up and waiting to cross into the U.S.

Migrants Yulitza Otero, 27, with her 8-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, sit in a tent made of branches that her husband built while waiting for U.S. Border Patrol agents to transfer them in the remote mountains east of San Diego, early on Tuesday

According to internal training documents seen by CBS, the training manuals for border agents appear to be designed to result in more rejections than the traditional 'credible fear' interviews which migrants currently undertake.

Previously, migrants who were expelled under Title 42 did not face immigration or criminal penalties. It meant some would attempt border crossings until they were successful.

Those who are unable to prove their eligibility to be exempt under the new rules will be deported back to Mexico or their home countries and receive a five-year ban from the U.S.

The Biden administration is warning that those re-entering the U.S. after being deported could face criminal prosecution and jail time.

U.S. Border Patrol Police talks with women as migrants of various nationalities have been trapped between the primary and secondary border fences of the San Diego-Tijuana border sector for seven days

The US is preparing to lift COVID-19-era restrictions known as Title 42, which have prevented migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border from requesting asylum since 2020. Pictured, the border in, in San Diego, California on Tuesday

A border patrol agent drinks water as migrants of various nationalities come across (May 9 2023)

President Biden admitted the border is 'going to be chaotic' on Tuesday when asked if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42

On Tuesday, President Biden admitted the border is 'going to be chaotic' when asked if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42.

'It remains to be seen,' Biden said. 'It's going to be chaotic for a while.'

He said he spent over an hour with Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday and they are both 'doing all we can.'

He praised the 'overwhelming cooperation' from Mexico and noted the U.S. is setting up asylum processing centers in Central American countries.

Texas is sending in its tactical border force and the White House is deploying active duty troops to help with the expected deluge of migrant processing.

At the same time the Biden administration plans to expand legal migration and open processing centers in South and Central America allowing migrants hoping to enter to be pre-screened to see if they meet basic qualifications for different forms of entry before making the journey.

The centers will begin operating in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks. Canada and Spain have also agreed to accept migrants from the centers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video in the early hours of Tuesday morning showing where authorities put in place razor write to stop migrants from flowing over a popular crossing point

Customs and Border Protection apprehended 26,382 migrants over the weekend - a staggering unprecedented average of 8,794 per day

As Title 42 is set to expire Thursday, May 11, migrants are lining up at the southern border to immediately cross into the U.S. once the policy is no longer in use. Pictured: Hundreds of migrants arrived in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Sunday, May 7 to cross the border into El Paso, Texas

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a press conference Monday that President Joe Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to letters detailing concerns over Title 42 ending with no replacement policy lined up

Thousands of migrants are already lining up at the southern border waiting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico once Title 42 is lifted on Thursday. Pictured: An aerial view of migrants waiting at the border fence on May 8 and hoping to make asylum claims on May 11

On Monday Arizona's Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs sounded the alarm over Biden administration's preparations for the end of the Covid-era public health policy, claiming at a press conference Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to her letters outline action needed in her border state.

She also said that she expects the situation at the border to only get 'worse' if nothing is done to help once Title 42 is done.

Hobbs said in her press conference that she sent letters to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas detailing actions she, as a border state leader, feels must be taken ahead of the expiration.

'As of today, we have not received an adequate response,' Hobbs told reporters as she stood alongside state and border community leaders.

She added: 'We will continue to relentlessly pressure the federal government until we truly get the resources we need to manage the expected influx.'

The governor does not think the state is prepared to handle the anticipated influx of migrants alone.

'While we are prepared to take state action in any way we can, we cannot manage this influx alone,' Hobbs said.

'Without much more robust action from the federal government, the current situation will only get worse.'
Fish and chips store has been robbed five times this year

A fish and chip shop has been broken into for the fifth time this year as security vision emerges of two thieves using an axe to steal charity tins.

The takeaway joint in Logan, Queensland has once again been a target of young thieves who broke in on Monday night to steal just under $20 from the till and small change from charity tins.

Vision shows the two young men force their way into Greenbank Takeaway and make away with small amounts of cash.

The Greenbank store was smashed in with an axe and a cordless grinder, with the shop owner arriving in the morning to $2,500 in damage.

The store has been broken into on January 17, January 30, February 5, February 30 and now May 8.

A spokesperson for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia police are investigating the incident where three separate businesses were targeted in the same complex that night.

A fish and chips shop in Greenbank, Queensland has been broken into for the fifth time this year with thieves making off with just under $20 from the cash register and small change from two charity tins

'Police are investigating the break and enter of three businesses on Sheppards Drive, Greenbank earlier this week,' the spokesperson said.

'In the early hours of May 8, unknown offenders forced entry into two businesses within the same complex.

'The same offenders also attempted to gain entry into a nearby service station. Investigations are continuing.'

The other store broken into that night was Greenbank Pizzeria, with the thieves then attempting to enter Puma Petrol Station.

The pizza shop and petrol station have been targeted on several occasions in recent months.

CCTV vision of the burglars shows the pair looking around outside the takeaway shop before making a prompt move to break in when they are confident the coast is clear.

Greenbank Takeaway (right) has been broken into on January 17, January 30, February 5, February 30 and now May 8. A pizza shop and petrol station (left) in the same complex has also been targeted multiple times in recent months

The Greenbank store was smashed in with an axe and a cordless grinder, with the shop owner arriving in the morning to $2,500 in damage

The video shows the balaclava-clad men shatter the front glass and climb in through the bottom of the broken door.

They then proceed to smash open the cash register by swinging an axe from over their heads to crack open the till.

The duo then race out of the store before one of the thieves returns minutes later to snatch two charity tins from the counter, then once more scrambling out of the store.
A Korean family who faced deportation when their son was deemed a burden on the Australian taxpayer because of his autism will be allowed to stay.

Seongjae Lim, 7, and his parents Yoojin Yang and Hyusin Lim were granted a permanent Australian visa after an intervention by immigration minister Andrew Giles this week.

Although Seongjae was born in Cairns he was ordered to leave when the family's permanent residency application was denied due to his medical condition.

He was diagnosed with autism when he was two-and-a-half years old.

Although Seongjae Lim was born in Cairns he was ordered to leave when the family's permanent residency application was denied due to his autism

Ms Yang paid tribute to the family's supporters in an emotional online post on Tuesday.

'Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping Seongjae so much with deep interest and love so that he can remain in his hometown,' she wrote.

'As much as the love shown to Seongjae, I will do my best so that he can grow into a confident Australian who can help everyone.

'The world is still worth living in and I think it will get better in the future.'

Giles opted to exercise his public interest power to overturn the decision to deport the family and instead allowed the family to stay.

Seongjae parents arrived in Australia in 2013 and settled in Cairns where they ran a cafe.

Hyusin Lim, a restaurant manager, chose to migrate here after coming under on a working holiday visa in the early 2000s.

They applied for permanent residency through the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme but were refused.

That sparked an eight-year battle with immigration authorities that was finally resolved this week.

Australian actress Chloe Hayden, who starred on Heartbreak High and also has autism, lent her voice to the family's cause

The Lim family took the original decision to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal but lost there.

'Seongjae was born in Australia, and English is his native language. The thought of going back to Korea would be difficult for Seongjae to understand and may cause him trauma at a young age,' Ms Yang told SBS in 2022.

She started an online petition and received 30,095 signatures.

'Imagine you are a 7-year-old kid born and bred in Australia, and today you hear the news that you are no longer allowed to live here because your Autism is likely to 'result in a significant cost to the Australian community',' she told supporters.

The Lim family's plight was taken up by Australia's autism community, which threw itself behind a final appeal to Home Affairs minister Clare O'Neil.

Australian actress Chloe Hayden, who starred on Heartbreak High and also has autism, lent her voice to their cause.

Ms Yang also paid tribute to her local MP, Warren Entsch, who worked behind the scenes to back the family.
The ex-boyfriend of a reality TV star who appeared in Real Housewives of Orange County was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday for holding her hostage and threatening to kill her.

Ryan Geraghty, 34, was arrested in February 2022 after a two-hour standoff with police at the Newport Beach home of Elizabeth Lyn Vargas.

Prosecutors said Geraghty, of Los Angeles, began blackmailing Vargas on Christmas Eve 2022, forcing her to pay tens of thousands of dollars to prevent him from releasing nude photos of her.

He also allegedly forced her to buy him a BMW.

When she stopped paying him, he went to her house with a gun, and fired a shot into the ceiling during a fight. Police were called for a welfare check and a standoff ensued.

Geraghty, who had previous convictions for burglary and firearm possession, was sentenced to six years in jail

Vargas was on the Real Housewives of Orange County for one season. Geraghty (right) was arrested at her home in February 2022

Geraghty was charged with single counts of extortion, assault with a firearm; criminal threats, corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitan,' possession of a firearm by a felon and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, Deadline reported.

He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Geraghty pleaded guilty Tuesday, and was sentenced immediately.

Vargas, after the hearing, posted on Instagram: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'

Vargas was featured on only one season - season 15, which ran from October 2020 to January 2021.

On the show, she detailed her dark past growing up in a cult that was run by her grandmother.

Before the series began, she was married to American Seafoods CEO Bernt O. Bodal.

Security camera footage from her house shows the moment Geraghty threatened to kill her, moments before a SWAT team arrived at the house.

Ryan Geraghty is seen in court in Orange County on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to attacking his former girlfriend, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas

SWAT teams descended on the star's Newport Beach home in February after Geraghty stormed the property with a gun

Vargas appeared on one season of Real Housewives of Orange County, from October 2020 to January 2021

Footage taken on a Ring camera showed him pacing through her home with a gun in hand, threatening to take her 'out' and then kill others.

'I'm taking you out, and then everybody else. They can shoot me if they want. I don't give a f**k anymore, I've got nothing to lose,' he said in the video that was obtained by TMZ.

She warned him to be careful, saying she'd reported him to police.

He replied: 'Bring the big boys, how f**king dare you.'

SWAT teams had, by this point, gathered outside the home - which Vargas's sources say they were monitoring.

They eventually got inside the house, whisked her out to safety and arrested him.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office says he previously punched her in the face.

Geraghty pleaded guilty to burglary in 2008 and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2016.
A 23-year-old British man has pleaded guilty to hacking into more than 100 Twitter accounts, including those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk, in one of the biggest hacks in social media history.

Joseph James O'Connor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty in New York on Tuesday to his role in the July 2020 hacking, in addition to cyberstalking and multiple other schemes.

O'Connor was extradited from Spain on April 26 to face charges which carry a total maximum sentence of more than 70 years in prison.

According to the US Department of Justice, O'Connor was charged alongside compatriot Mason Sheppard of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli.

Joseph James O'Connor being led by Spanish police officers in July 22, 2021

Sheppard, who US authorities previously said is also known as Chaewon, was 19-years-old when the crimes took place in July 2020. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.

On Tuesday, assistant attorney general Kenneth A Polite Jr of the Justice Department's Criminal Division described O'Connor's criminal activities as 'flagrant and malicious' and said his conduct 'impacted multiple people's lives'.

The attorney added: 'He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm.

'Like many criminal actors, O'Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States.

O'Connor admitted to his role in the hack of Twitter accounts belonging to celebrities including Barack Obama and Bill Gates

'But this (guilty) plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.'

The US justice department said O'Connor had participated in the exploitation of social media accounts, as well as online extortion and cyberstalking.

The hackers used social engineering tricks to get access to the Twitter accounts and send out tweets asking followers to send bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.

The 23-year-old also pleaded guilty to other hacking crimes including gaining access to a high-profile TikTok account.

The US justice department said he had also used technology to stalk a minor.

O'Connor will be sentenced on June 23.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed the massive migration boost outlined in the federal Budget and questioned how Australia will accommodate an additional 1.5million migrants in just five years.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers' financial statement forecast the country will take in 1.495million new migrants over five years, including a record 400,000 in the current 2022-23 financial year and 315,000 in 2023-24.

Mr Dutton kicked off Question Time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by asking how much thought had gone in to the migration policy.

'We all support planned migration, but your Budget announcement to bring in 1.5million people over this five-year period, more than the entire population of Adelaide, has no plan,' he said as MPs shouted and jeered.

'Every city is already congested.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jumped to Dr Chalmers' defence, slamming the Opposition for 'hypocrisy which knows no bounds'

Mr Dutton noted infrastructure spending had been cut and there appeared to be 'no plan on where these people would live during a housing and rental crisis'.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jumped to Dr Chalmers' defence, slamming the Opposition for 'hypocrisy which knows no bounds'.

Mr Albanese recalled two statements Mr Dutton made back in September and October 2022, in which he said 'we need migration'.

The Opposition Leader said the difference was the amount of migrants expected to arrive in Australia over the next five years.

The nation's population is still tipped to swell from 26.5million to 28.172milion over that time period.

The population growth pace of 1.7 per cent during this upcoming financial year will be among the highest in the developed world.

Population growth will have consequences  with unemployment already at a 48-year low of 3.5 per cent and bosses struggling to recruit staff.

Mr Dutton noted infrastructure spending had been cut and there appeared to be 'no plan on where these people would live during a housing and rental crisis'

What the Budget said about population boost

From the next financial year, Australia's net overseas migration level  based on permanent and long-term arrivals minus departures  is predicted to settle back to 260,000 every year.

NSW is expected to see its population surge by 434,000 from 8.3million in 2022-23 to 8.734million in 2026-27, based mainly on foreign arrivals.

As a big influx of new skilled migrants and international students moved in, 30,100 people were expected to leave the state for another part of Australia during this financial year, adding up to 124,100 interstate departures over five years.

Sydney's median house price of $1.25million is already the second most expensive in the world, after Hong Kong when compared with incomes, CoreLogic and Demographia data shows.

Queensland by comparison was expected to see 114,900 move to the Sunshine State from other parts of Australia between 2022-23 and 2026-27. Brisbane's mid-point house price of $781,881 is much more affordable than Sydney or Melbourne.

The Sunshine State's population was predicted to grow by 341,000 in five years, from 5.441million to 5.782million.

Victoria's population was tipped to surge by 534,000 from 6.78million to 7.314million in a state where Melbourne houses typically cost $907,220.

Australia's second most populated state was expected to see 2,000 leave in 2022-23 for another state, but growth in every other year meant 8,400 new residents would come from interstate by 2026-27.

Mining-rich Western Australia's population was predicted to grow by 183,000 over five years to 3.030million, from 2.847million, with just 8,000 of that from interstate migration in a state where Perth's median house price is $599,240.

Mr Dutton kicked off Question Time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by questioning how much thought had gone in to the migration policy

South Australia, however, was expected to see 13,000 residents leave by 2026-27 for another state. Adelaide has a mid-point house price of $697,909.

The population was still forecast to grow by 78,000 over five years to 1.927million from 1.849million, based on overseas migration.

Tasmania's population was tipped to grow by 29,000 by 2026-27 to 607,000 from 578,000, as 3,500 moved from interstate in the island state where Hobart houses cost $692,341.

The Australian Capital Territory, covering Canberra where houses typically cost $946,463, was expected to see its population grow by 39,000 over five years, to 505,000 from 466,000, as 3,500 people moved from interstate.

The Northern Territory's population was expected to grow by just 16,000, to 270,000 from 254,000, as 4,400 people moved interstate over five years despite Darwin having the most affordable house price of $573,534.

Australia's population surpassed the 25million milestone in 2018 - 24 years earlier than forecast in Treasury's 2002 Intergenerational Report.

It last year passed the 26million level, after the population in 2020 shrunk for the first time since 1916, during World War I, as a result of the pandemic border closure.
Two Melbourne dads have issued an important message to parents after tragically losing their miracle baby to a deadly disease just one week after his first birthday.

Leigh and Justin Khoo were overjoyed when their son Owen was born last March, following a years-long battle to get approved for a surrogate baby.

He was born premature at just 29 weeks, weighed just 1.44kg, and was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), meaning he suffered blindness from birth.

With the support of his parents, Owen was able to overcome his tough start to life and blossomed into a healthy baby that no longer relied on any medication.

But during the early hours of March 14, just one week after his first birthday, the couple were horrified to find Owen unconscious in his cot.

The one-year-old was diagnosed with meningococcal, a deadly and contagious disease that can cause the head and spine to inflame.

Two heartbroken dads have issued a urgent warning to parents after the couple lost their baby boy to a deadly disease just one week after his first birthday

Leigh and Justin Khoo were overjoyed when their son Owen was born last March, following a five-year battle to get approved for a surrogate baby

Owen had only a mild fever in the 48 hours before he was admitted to hospital already suffering from sepsis, with the diagnosis coming as a shock.

His fingers shrunk and turned blue, sparking fears they would have to be amputated, with the inflammation of his head causing multiple brain haemorrhages and clots.

After four difficult days in hospital, baby Owen passed away on March 17.

His parents took to Instagram to share the sad news with loved ones, revealing the infant had died of the aggressive W strain of meningococcal.

'As a result of the infection and aftermath of the sepsis/inflammation to his tiny body, it ultimately caused severe brain damage, where Owen was not able to recover or sustain life with any treatment or medication there on,' they wrote.

'Justin and I got to hold Owen right up until his last breath and I know he feels all the love from everyone who knew him, and we know that he is now at peace in Heaven.'

Owen had only a mild fever in the 48 hours before he was admitted to hospital already suffering from sepsis, with the diagnosis coming as a shock

The couple issued a urgent warning to parents to be vigilant for symptoms in their own children, warning that cases in Australia were on the rise.

They said sometimes the tell-tale rash, which looks like red or purple pinprick spots or sometimes larger bruises, doesn't always appear.

'Always follow your gut instincts, seek professional help if in doubt and advocate for your children,' they wrote alongside a series of photos of happier times with Owen.

In honour of their son, the couple have announced plans to once again grow their family, with hopes of raising another surrogate child.

They are raising funds to put towards the costs of surrogacy agency fee services, medical bills, legal paperwork and pregnancy related costs.

The Khoos have started a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $100,000.

The couple explained that as gay parents and people, they have already faced 'incredible challenges' in order to grow their family.

After four difficult days in hospital, baby Owen sadly passed away on March 17

They said four years of organising legal meetings, counselling sessions, medical reviews and excessive government paperwork had taken a toll on their savings.

'We have set up a GoFundMe page as a starting block for us to grow our family again in a way that was never how we imagined,' the couple wrote on Instagram.

'We know this journey ahead isn't quick and isn't easy but is something that as a same sex couple we needed to forward plan in order to be parents again.

'With as much love as we can send to all of you, we want to thank you for your support, words of advice and words of encouragement in these tough times.'
The UK is set to designate Russia's mercenary Wagner Group as a proscribed terrorist organisation, it is understood.

The Times quoted a Government source as saying the move was 'imminent' and likely to be enacted within weeks after two months spent building a legal case.

Proscription would make it a criminal offence to join Wagner, encourage support for it, display its logo in public or attend its meetings. Among other organisations on the Government's proscribed list are the Islamic State, al Qaeda and neo-Nazi group National Action.

The Wagner Group, led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin and made up of contractors and recruited convicts, has been fighting alongside Russian armed forces in areas of eastern Ukraine.

It has been heavily involved in the city of Bakhmut, where the longest - and likely bloodiest - battle of the war has taken place.

It comes as Labour demanded ministers formally label the Wagner Group a terror outfit after accusing it of committing 'appalling atrocities'.

Vladimir Putin delivers his speech during a Victory Day military parade on Red Square

Putin with Wagner Group warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin

Earlier on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin used Moscow's Victory Day parade to accuse the West of unleashing a 'real war' on the country with its 'untamed ambitions'.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that international allies must continue supporting Ukraine in order to uphold the principle that 'powerful nations cannot invade their neighbours with impunity'.

Speaking on a visit to the US, Mr Cleverly said: 'Things are complicated, things are messy, things are difficult, things will get scary.

'We will expect to hear escalatory words coming out of Vladimir Putin's lips - we need to be ready for that, we need to have the resolve to continue to do the right thing, notwithstanding those comments.'

Labour said in February it wanted ministers to follow the US's lead after Washington designated Wagner a 'significant transnational criminal organisation'.

Ukrainian soldier of the Aidar battalion fires artillery in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast on April 4

In a joint statement, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The Wagner Group is responsible for the appalling atrocities in Ukraine and across the world.

'No one in the UK should be allowed to belong to the Wagner Group, support it or promote it.'

The push for Wagner to be proscribed came after a Government department reportedly helped its millionaire owner Mr Prigozhin to circumvent UK sanctions to take a British journalist to court in 2021.

The Treasury commissioned an internal review of its processes after it was reported that licences had been issued to allow lawyers to help Mr Prigozhin launch legal action against a Bellingcat reporter in the UK while the Russian oligarch was subject to sanctions.

As a result of the review, the department said the Government was committed to 'further targeted changes to the process for issuing legal fees licences that safeguard the sanctions regime against the risk of manipulation and ensure ministers are accountable for OFSI Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation) decision-making'.
The grieving mother of a German backpacker who died at a Queensland avocado farm has journeyed across the world to find out what happened to her daughter.

Jennifer Kohl, 27, was crushed to death when the ride-on mower she was riding with her then-boyfriend rolled while they were working at Mt Tamborine Avocados in December 2017.

Cornelia Kohl travelled from Germany to be in the court as an inquest into the tragedy began in Southport on Wednesday.

The inquest will investigate what caused the mower to roll and whether employers implemented appropriate workplace health and safety measures for mower use on the property.

Jennifer Kohl, 27, was crushed to death when the ride-on mower she was riding with her then-boyfriend rolled while they were working at Mt Tamborine Avocados in December 2017

It will also explore whether the delay in dispatching emergency services could have been avoided.

Ms Kohl and her boyfriend Paul Tunik arrived in Australia in February 2017 and worked at Mt Tamborine Avacados for two to three weeks before the incident, counsel assisting Melina Zerner told the inquest.

'Ms Kohl and Mr Tunik had been travelling on a large John Deere four-by-four mower. It was attached to a trailer when it rolled over, pinning Ms Kohl under the mower and causing fatal injuries,' Ms Zerner said.

'When the incident occurred, Mr Tunik called triple zero. Due to his poor English, there was some miscommunication as to his location.'

A panicked Mr Tunik told emergency services that the accident occurred at Mount Coot-tha.

'Clearly, he was very distressed and desperate,' Ms Zerner said.

Eventually, the backpacker flagged down two passers-by to talk to operators and redirect paramedics to the MacDonnell Road, Tamborine Mountain property - only for paramedics to again be sent to the wrong address.

'Because of the miscommunication, the QAS paramedics were dispatched to McDonald Road, Jimboomba instead of Tamborine Mountain.

'There was a delay, and once the address was confirmed, the QAS were redirected.'

Ms Kohl remained trapped under the mower until paramedics arrived and together were able to lift it off the critically injured backpacker.

Cornelia Kohl travelled from Germany to be in the court as an inquest into the tragedy began in Southport on Wednesday

Farm owner Kenneth William Jacobi initially refused to give evidence until being granted immunity and being directed to answer by coroner Carol Lee.

Mr Jacobi told the inquest the backpackers had responded to a Gumtree advertisement and had been working around the property for about two weeks before being shown how to operate the tractor the day before the tragedy.

The tractor's cutting deck had been removed, with the four-by-four used for transporting avocados and general transportation.

The court was told that removing the deck significantly altered the John Deere machine's weight.

He said farm co-owner Kathryn Singleton
A mother-of-two who was shot dead while being held hostage in her home has been praised by friends as a 'bubbly' woman who 'had so much love and life to give'.

Hayley Burke, 36, died in hospital on Monday evening after she was shot two days earlier while police engaged in a stand-off with a man in Dartford, Kent.

Armed police and a trained negotiator scrambled to a terraced house on Priory Road at 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon following reports of a disturbance.

Ms Burke, who had two sons whom friends said 'were her life', was taken to a hospital in London suffering from shots from a handgun. Police said a 29-year-old man was also taken to hospital with a firearms injury and remains in a critical condition.

The incident happened while millions of television viewers were watching King Charles III's Coronation take place 16 miles away at Westminster Abbey.

Hayley Burke died in hospital on Monday evening after she was shot on Saturday afternoon

Ms Burke was taken to a hospital in London after suffering from shots from a handgun

One of Ms Burke's friends told KentLive: 'Hayley was the loudest friend in the group and never failed to have everyone laughing.

'Hayley loved her children with every inch of her heart. Everything she did was for her boys  they were her life.

'Hayley would do anything for anybody but wasn't afraid to tell you if you took the mick. She was so brutally honest  it was one of her best character traits.

'If you wanted an honest opinion you would always ask Hayley. Her space in our lives will never be filled. She didn't deserve any of this. She had so much love and life to give.'

One couple who knew Ms Burke described her as a 'lovely woman'. The 46-year-old father, who did not want to be named, said: 'She used to work at my kid's school years ago.

Ms Burke, from Dartford in Kent, had two sons whom friends said 'were her life'

One of Ms Burke's friends paid tribute, saying she was 'the loudest friend in the group'

'I've known her for years. She was a beautiful looking girl. It's awful, especially on our doorstep, it scared a lot of people around here. But it's terrible, this area has gone right downhill.'

And the mother, who said her children were outside when it happened, added: 'My son, 14 years old, recognised her and said "she really helped me". She always helped him and was never rude.'

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had just come back from the Coronation in the capital to find the road blocked off.

He told KentLive: 'I couldn't get down from that end, and I went down to that end, and then I heard the shots, and police were telling everyone to get behind the walls. It was worrying'

'It was worrying because I hadn't heard what was going on. I just heard rumours from the neighbours. I just heard that someone died.'

One couple who said they had known Ms Burke 'for years' described her as a 'lovely woman'

Police officers at the scene on Priory Road in Dartford, Kent, on Saturday afternoon

He said it was normally a quiet road, adding: 'I'm embarrassed to tell people, because there's been a shooting in your road, they think you live in a rough estate but it's not, it's a nice road.'

When asked whether he still feels safe in the area, he said: 'Yes. The police came and knocked on the door the following day, just to try and reassure everybody.'

A Kent Police spokesman said: 'An investigation into a firearms incident at a property in Dartford is now being treated as murder after the victim died in hospital.

'Officers, along with a trained police negotiator, attended and attempted to engage with a man inside the address.

'Firearms officers also attended and whilst they were at the scene, a 36-year-old woman suffered injuries believed to have been caused by a handgun and she was taken to a London hospital.

Police officers in Dartfort on Saturday after the mother-of-two was rushed to hospital

'The victim died from her injuries shortly before the evening of May 8. The man, aged 29, was also taken to hospital with a firearms injury and he remains in a critical condition.

'He is being treated as the suspect and an investigation is being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.'

Witnesses described how police cordoned off the road and ordered people to stay inside their homes, before officers broke through the front door.

After an hour-long stand-off, 'pandemonium' broke out and neighbours heard what they described as sounding like two rounds of gunshots.

One woman, who wished not to be named, described the scene as 'chilling'.

Armed police and a trained negotiator scrambled to the terraced house in Dartford

The woman died in hospital after she was shot while police engaged in a stand-off in Dartford

Kent Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because police were at the scene at the time of the injuries.

No police weapons were discharged.

An IOPC spokesman said: 'On Saturday we were notified by Kent Police about a firearms incident in Dartford, where a woman and a man sustained serious injuries.

'We have now been advised that sadly the woman involved has died.

'Today we received a mandatory referral from Kent Police regarding this incident, which we are assessing to determine whether any further action is required from us.'
A giant barge that will house asylum seekers off the coast of Dorset has space for 506 people in 222 en-suite bedrooms and features a gym and a games room.

The Bibby Stockholm, which has previously been used to house offshore workers, offers 'delicious, nutritious food' in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship.

The vessel, operated by Liverpool-based Bibby Marine, arrived in Falmouth for renovations yesterday ahead of going into service next month.

Photos from inside the barge show clean but functional interiors, including a bar area with seats gathered around small wooden tables.

The gym has exercise equipment including running machines, spin bikes and indoor rowers.

The Bibby Stockholm, which has previously been used to house offshore workers, will now house asylum seekers

The vessel will accommodate up to 506 people in 222 en-suite bedrooms who will be free to come and go while their asylum claims are processed

A gym inside the barge, which is owned by Liverpool based company Bibby Marine

It was towed from Italy and will now undergo safety checks as well as being refitted to increase the onboard capacity as it currently only has space for 200 people.

The vessel will be moved into position off Dorset in the middle of June, and used for single adult male asylum seekers.

Justin Welby set to condemn crackdown on asylum seekers Advertisement

Confirming the plan last month, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it will help trim the 6million-a-day cost of housing Channel migrants in hotels.

He also claimed it would help 'prevent the UK becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe'.

The Home Office said it was in discussion with other ports and further barges would be announced 'in due course'.

The Bibby Stockholm barge will provide 'basic and functional accommodation' as well as healthcare and catering facilities when it is berthed at Portland in Dorset, according to the Home Office.

The Port of Portland is also set to welcome more than 40 cruise ships over the course of the year, and usually advertises arrival and departure dates on its website to help residents and local businesses plan for busy periods.

But it has now removed the dates, with a source telling The Times that bosses feared far-Right activists would arrange protests when there were large numbers of tourists in the area to maximise their impact.

Single adult males will be housed on the barge while their asylum claims are processed

The barge offers 'delicious, nutritious food' in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship

The barge, operated by Liverpool-based Bibby Marine features a games room

The Bibby Stockholm will offer 'basic and functional accommodation, healthcare provision, catering facilities and 24/7 security

A Portland Port spokesman, when asked about the report, said: 'All cruise calls are proceeding as normal at Portland Port but arrivals and departures are subject to change, as they are at any port.

'Therefore, it is best to contact the cruise line involved for the most up-to-date information.'

There will also be round-the-clock security on board to 'minimise the disruption to local communities'.

However, the Government is facing stiff local opposition to positioning the Bibby Stockholm at a popular beauty spot.

This is despite suggestions that local councils could be paid up to 3,500 per migrant to accept barges in their ports.

There has also been a backlash from charities and human rights campaigners who say the accommodation is not fit for people fleeing war.

The barge includes a gym, games room and bar. It also has 'delicious, nutritious food' in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship.

The Bibby Stockholm has arrived in Falmouth for renovations ahead of going into service next month

An aerial view of the barge being accompanied by tug boats into Falmouth

The barge was towed from Italy and will now undergo safety checks as well as being refitted to increase the onboard capacity as it currently only has space for 200 people

The barge, operated by Liverpool-based Bibby Marine, will house up to 506 people in 222 en-suite bedrooms.

Rishi Sunak has said the barge would save taxpayers' money.

'We are spending, as a country, 6million a day housing illegal asylum seekers in hotels  that can't be right,' the Prime Minister said.

It comes as the reopening of two immigration detention centres has been delayed by at least six months in a fresh blow to Suella Braverman's borders crackdown.

Mothballed facilities in Hampshire and Oxfordshire were due to be brought back into use by this summer.

But they will not now be ready until early next year at the earliest, sources said.

The delay casts doubt on the Government's plan to 'detain and swiftly remove' Channel migrants under new measures in the Illegal Migration Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

There are just 2,500 existing beds in Britain's immigration detention centres, which means the system will not be able to keep pace with the number of small boat arrivals.

The barge is seen being pulled into Falmouth after arriving from Genoa in Italy

It will now undergo safety checks as well as being refitted to increase the onboard capacity as it currently only has space for 200 people

The ship will later be taken to Dorset to house asylum seekers

The vessel will be moved into position off Dorset in the middle of June. Pictured, the boat arriving in Falmouth

An aerial view of the barge, which is spread over three storeys and will house around 500 migrants

Among last year's 45,700 total, 8,600 reached UK shores during August alone and the highest daily total was almost 1,300.

Government tenders to run disused centres Campfield House, near Oxford, and Haslar, at Gosport, Hampshire, closed in January.

Under the 450million, six-year contracts the centres were both due to be up and running by August. They will hold an extra 1,000 detainees in total.

The Bill is due to face strong opposition in the House of Lords in the coming weeks but ministers still hope it will gain Royal Assent by the time Parliament's summer recess begins in July.

Once its measures are in place, 'irregular' migrants such as small boat arrivals will be detained rather than placed in controversial and costly hotel accommodation.

But the Home Office will need a major expansion of detention capacity if Mr Sunak's pledge to remove Channel migrants is to be met.

Prisons cannot be used because they are already full, with inmates being kept in police station cells under an emergency scheme.

Sources said the reopening of the two additional detention centres is now delayed until early next year. Reasons for the hold-up are not known.

However, ministers are hoping the threat of detention and removal  to Rwanda or another safe country  will deter migrants from crossing the Channel in the first place.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK. Pictured are a group of people thought to be migrants in Dover on Sunday morning

Plans to reopen the two detention centres have been delayed until early next year (Pictured: Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire)

So far this year, 6,549 small boat migrants have reached the UK, 15 per cent down on the 7,752 who had arrived by the same point last year.

It is too early to say whether the Government's tough policies have already begun deterring migrants or whether the decline in numbers is down to the weather.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'Immigration removal-centre capacity will not cause delays to the passage of the Illegal Migration Bill.

'The Bill will enable us to remove people as quickly as possible, meaning they will be in detention for a shorter amount of time.

'We are also working to build these new sites as a priority, while looking at finding alternative solutions to further increase detention capacity.'

Meanwhile, new protections for free speech are in doubt as human rights reforms face the scrapheap.

Former justice secretary Dominic Raab's Bill of Rights, published last year, would have ditched Labour's Human Rights Act and made free speech a 'trump card' over other competing rights.

Ministers are hoping their tough approach will deter migrants from coming to UK shores (Pictured: Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire)

But his successor Alex Chalk is 'looking carefully' at the Bill, with scrapping it the most likely option, sources told The Times.

The Bill was designed to block the creation of European-style privacy laws by unelected judges through the back door.

However, in September Liz Truss' government shelved the legislation and said it was 'unlikely to progress in its current form'.

It was resurrected when Mr Raab returned to Mr Sunak's Cabinet, but is now in doubt again after he was forced to resign in the wake of a bullying inquiry.

A Government source told The Times: 'Dom's departure sounded the death knell for the Bill of Rights. It won't be coming back, or at least not in any form that resembles the current Bill.'

Another Government source described the legislation as a 'complete mess'.
Russian forces made a humiliating retreat on Tuesday in the battle for Bakhmut, according to dramatic footage, on the same day Putin was forced to scale back his annual military parade due to his army's devastating losses.

The video appears to confirm reports that Vladimir Putin's regular forces 'turned and ran', with Ukraine claiming it is gaining ground around the fiercely contested city after months of incremental Russian advances.

Footage shows Russian forces fleeing the frontline around the eastern city after being overwhelmed by Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade.

This had been alleged first by close Kremlin henchman Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary army, as he blasted the performance of the Russian armed forces and especially their commanders in the battle that has raged on for months.

The footage of the Russian retreat was posted online - embarrassingly - as Putin in his annual Red Square Victory Day parade speech on Tuesday told his troops: 'Your combat activities now are of paramount importance. The country's security depends on you today as does the future of our statehood and our people.'

Russian forces made a humiliating retreat on Tuesday in the battle for Bakhmut, according to this dramatic aerial footage, on the same day Putin was forced to scale back his annual military parade due to his army's devastating losses

The footage of the Russian retreat was posted online - embarrassingly - as President Vladimir Putin, in his annual Red Square Victory Day parade speech on Tuesday (pictured), told his troops: 'Your combat activities now are of paramount importance'

A single Second World War-era T-34 tank is seen rolling through Moscow's Red Square on Tuesday as part of Vladimir Putin's Victory Day parade. The parade normally sees dozens of the most up-to-date military hardware Russia has in its arsenal on display

Ukraine claims that it eliminated 64 Russian 'occupant' fighters, and left 87 more wounded, while capturing many PoWs on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut.

According to the US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War, Prigozhin claimed Russia's 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps abandoned a strategic position, resulting in 500 Wagner casualties.

READ MORE: Russia sends out just ONE tank on Victory Day parade as Putin's depleted military suffers continued losses in Ukraine Advertisement

What's more, reports say several depots of Russian ammunition including mortars were destroyed along with armoured personnel carriers.

The video - a combination of drone and first-person footage - showed Ukraine's forces advancing rapidly across an open field near Bakhmut.

The drone footage shows the tank rolling through a treeline while firing off a machine gun, as Russian soldiers are seen turning and running.

Ukrainian soldiers are then seen advancing through the trees, ruthlessly picking off any stragglers that have chosen to hold their positions.

Other Russian soldiers are seen running out of military transport vehicles and fleeing through another treeline, which they are chased into by Ukrainian forces.

One part of the footage shows Ukrainian artillery landing near a personnel carrier - one of four Russian vehicles sat in a line in the open field.

Meanwhile, the first person footage from a Ukrainian soldier shows a gun battle on the ground. Kyiv's troops are seen firing off shots as they move through a ditch as Putin's troops turn tails and run in the opposite direction.

Over many months pro-Putin forces have inched forwards in a stalemate battle that has cost thousands of lives on both sides.

Now, with Ukraine poised to stage another counter offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's troops have scored a significant local victory.

'The advance of the [Ukrainian] 3rd Assault Brigade defeated units of the [Russian] 72nd Brigade,' said Colonel Andriy Biletsky, of the Ukrainian national guards, formerly head of the Azov brigade.

'The 6th and 8th companies of that [Russian] brigade were completely destroyed. The brigade's reconnaissance force is defeated,' he said.

'A significant number of BMPs [infantry fighting vehicles] were destroyed and many prisoners were taken. The so-called 3rd assault squad of the Wagner [Russian private military company] suffered significant losses.

'The offensive was conducted in an area 3 kilometres [1.9 miles] wide and 2.6km [1.6 miles] deep,' Biletsky continued.

'The entire area was completely liberated from the Russian occupying forces.'

In the video message he told his Ukrainian troops: 'It is a great honour to fight beside you, to serve with you, to command you. You are real warriors, real heroes who have shown what the Ukrainian fighting spirit is. Glory to Ukraine.'

The main Russian push in Bakhmut has been by Wagner forces, mainly mercenaries, volunteers and convicts freed from jail to fight by Putin.

Russian troops are seen fleeing across an open field away from advancing Ukrainian forces, who are said to have overwhelmed Russian positions near Bakhmut

A blast from an artillery shell is seen just feet away from a Russian military transport vehicle near the city of Bakhmut

Colonel Andriy Biletsky, of the Ukrainian national guards, gave an update on the situation around Bakhmut in a post on social media. He said Russia's '6th and 8th companies [...] were completely destroyed. The brigade's reconnaissance force is defeated'

In a desperate attempt to seize the city earlier in the conflict, Wagner employed 'human wave' tactics, crashing unit after unit against Ukraine's defences.

Estimates suggest as many as 40,000 Wagner fighters were killed.

Despite the massive push, Ukraine's defenders have managed to cling on to parts of the city and stopped Russia from advancing any further west in the region.

Prigozhin again threatened today to pull his forces out of Bakhmut due to a lack of ammunition supplies by the Russian defence ministry.

He was threatened with treason if he did so.

A furious Prigozhin savaged Putin's forces as a fish - rotting from the head.

He accused Russian commanders appointed by Putin of allowing their soldiers to die in vain. 'One of the Ministry of Defence's detachments ran away from one of the flanks,' said a raging Prigozhin. They abandoned their positions.

'All of them ran away' - leaving a key area of the frontline exposed.

'This is not the problem of soldiers, but of those who manage them and set their tasks,' said billionaire Prigozhin, nicknamed Putin's 'chef', who set up Wagner in support of the dictator.

He has repeatedly warned of the failures in Russia's high command, suggesting it can lead to losing the war to Ukraine.

'A fish rots from its head, and if decision-making is done through the ****, soldiers leave because there is no point to die in vain.'

Yesterday, he said his fighters had yet to receive ammunition promised to them by the military - but that they would continue to fight in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut despite earlier threatening to withdraw them.

The threat of departure marked another flare-up in Prigozhin's long-running dispute with Russia's military brass over credit and tactics in the war.

On Tuesday, he contrasted the pomp of the May 9 celebrations, broadcast across Russia, with the reality on the ground.

'Victory Day marks the victory of our grandfathers; we did not deserve a single bit of this victory. The counteroffensive will be on the ground, not on television,' Prigozhin warned, adding that the Russian state is 'unable to defend the country.'

Prigozhin has become known for such inflammatory, headline-grabbing statements, particularly at key moments when attention is focused elsewhere - but issuing them on Victory Day was remarkably bold.

Hundreds of Russian servicemen march through Moscow's Red Square on May 9 after Putin's Victory Day address

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu drives an Aurus cabriolet during a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems drive in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, May 9, after the parade

Footage of the retreat came after Putin hosted Russia's annual May 9 Victory Day parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany.

'Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point,' Putin said at the annual commemorations 'A real war has been unleashed against our motherland.'

The Russian leader has repeatedly sought to paint his invasion of Ukraine as necessary to defend against a Western threat. Kyiv and its Western allies say they pose no such threat and that Moscow's war is meant to deter Western influence in a country that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence.

Putin has often used patriotic rhetoric that harkens back to the earlier war in an effort to rally his citizens and forces - and May 9 is one of the most important dates in the Russian political calendar.

But this year's celebrations were markedly smaller, at least partially because of security concerns after several drone attacks have been reported inside Russia.

Some 8,000 troops took part in the parade in Moscow's Red Square on Tuesday - the lowest number since 2008. Even the procession in 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, featured some 13,000 soldiers, and last year, 11,000 troops took part.

There was no fly-over of military jets, and the event lasted less than the usual hour.

'This is weak. There are no tanks,' said Yelena Orlova, watching the vehicles rumble down Moscow's Novy Arbat avenue after leaving Red Square. 'We're upset, but that's all right; it will be better in the future.'

The Kremlin's forces deployed in Ukraine are defending a front line stretching more than 600 miles, presumably thinning the ranks of troops available for such displays.

'This is supposed to be a showpiece for Russian military might. But so much of that military might has already been mauled in Ukraine that Russia has very little to show on its parade in Red Square,' said Keir Giles, a Russia expert at London's Chatham House think tank.

As a display of military hardware it was 'very underwhelming', said Michael Clarke, visiting professor of war studies at King's College London, noting that the T-34, the iconic World War II tank, was the only tank on display.

'Normally they show off all the really modern stuff, and they didn't have any of those. Nor did they seem to have armored fighting vehicles. So there was nothing new on display.'

Meanwhile, the traditional Immortal Regiment processions, in which crowds take to the streets holding portraits of relatives who died or served in World War II - a pillar of the holiday - were canceled in multiple cities.

'That seems to be for fear that those people who have lost their relatives in this current war on Ukraine might actually join the processions and show just the scale of the casualties that Russia has suffered in its current war,' Giles said.

Russian media counted 24 cities that also scrapped military parades - another staple of the celebrations - for the first time in years.

Regional officials blamed unspecified 'security concerns' or vaguely referred to 'the current situation' for the restrictions and cancellations. It wasn't clear whether their decisions were taken in coordination with the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Russia's air defence forces shot down an 'enemy' drone in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said on Wednesday, adding that falling debris damaged a gas pipeline and a house.

Ukrainian army Grad multiple rocket launcher fires rockets at Russian positions in the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 3

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, the eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 3

Smoke erupts following a shell explosion, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, in a video released on May 7

'Debris fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was hurt,' the regional governor, Roman Starovoyt, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the report.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

However, Kyiv has recently said that undermining Russia's logistics is part of preparation for a planned counteroffensive.
An Australian tourist who bought fake currency for his trip to Bali has raised alarm bells with other holidaymakers who said his ploy to 'scam the scammers' could put him in danger.

The man shared a photo of the fake Australian cash he bought from Kmart to a Facebook group on Sunday.

'Can't wait to find the scammers,' he captioned the pic.

Several commenters wrote that locals will often approach Aussie tourists on the street and ask to see Australian currency before running off with the cash.

A man headed to Bali for a holiday shared a photo of the fake cash (above) he bought to 'scam the scammers'

'You will have so much fun,' one commenter said.

'Great idea,' another wrote.

'Let us know what happens! So funny,' another said.

However, several others were worried the man's seemingly tricky tactic could put him at risk.

'So you're looking for trouble?' one person wrote.

'Not sure if that will go as well as it sounds,' another said.

'Aren't you scamming if you're trying to use it as currency?' a third asked.

Another warned: 'I bet you'll get done for trying to pass counterfeit money.'

Several people warned the man against using fake money in Bali (above), even on scammers, with one mother writing how a local yelled at her children

One mother said she'd already had a run-in with a local woman after her children tried to play a joke with fake money.

'My kids sat at a cafe and put (fake money) on the ground one day,' she wrote.

'An older lady picked one up and realised it was fake.

'She saw them having a giggle and tried to yell at them for tricking her!

'We laughed her away from the table along with the fake money she tried to pocket.'
A single image has compounded the outrage felt over the massive amount of money being handed out for a new stadium that protesters say should be spent on more housing.

Anthony Albanese's government has promised to pitch in $240million towards the proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, Tasmania, out of a total cost of $750million.

The anger felt by so many has been captured by a viral tweet comparing the plan for the stadium side-by-side with an image of how the same space could be used to build 1,000 new homes.

'Compare the pair,' the tweet said. 'One thousand homes or 23000 seats sitting empty for 350 days of the year.'

The opposition to the stadium, which will be home to a new AFL franchise, is mainly driven by the ongoing housing crisis Hobart has been suffering for years.

This single image has compounded the outrage felt over the massive amount of money being handed out for a new stadium that protesters say should be spent on more housing

Anthony Albanese's government has promised $240million towards the proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, Tasmania. The Prime Minister is pictured (centre) surrounded by people opposed to the stadium, saying the money should be spent on housing

The Prime Minister was met by protesters when he visited Macquarie Point two weeks ago to announce the investment into a 'one-in-a-generation' urban renewal project.

The $240million federal contribution to the stadium's cost was made official in Tuesday's budget papers, bringing the issue back for more criticism.

An alternative plan for Macquarie Point - which is featured in the viral tweet - has been developed by architects and is being pushed by Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan.

The plan includes 1,000 homes, housing around 3,000 people, which would cost $400million - just over half of the stadium's price.

'The question for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is, does he want to be remembered as the man who funded a white elephant Tasmanians didn't want?' Mr Flanagan recently told the ABC.

'Or the man who funded the 1,000 homes that Tasmanians needed?'

A tweet comparing Hobart's new stadium plan (pictured right) with an alternate plan for housing (left) has sparked anger

The opposition to the stadium, which will be home to a new AFL franchise, is mainly driven by the ongoing housing crisis Hobart has been suffering for years. Protesters are pictured

The tweet comparing the alternate plans has been backed with comments saying funding the stadium is 'appalling', 'bonkers' and 'a spectacular fail'.

Another poster said 'There are so many better ways that the $ could be spent.'

Anglicare Tasmania's annual Rental Affordability report has just revealed that rents in the island state were rising 10 times faster than income support payments.

'The snapshot reveals a widening gap between the rents being charged and the amount that people on low incomes can afford,' Anglicare Social Action and Research Centre co-ordinator Mary Bennett said.

Polling leaked to The Australian found that 67 per cent of Tasmanians opposed plans to build the stadium at Macquarie Point.

When Mr Albanese visited the site at the end of April, he was swamped by protesters holding banners opposing the project.

'We want affordable housing, not a stadium. Affordable housing!' a man shouted.

When Mr Albanese visited the site (pictured) at the end of April, he was swamped by protesters holding banners opposing the project

'Priorities Albo, please,' another woman said. 'The big picture is housing.'

Many critics say a new stadium is unnecessary as Hobart's Bellerive Oval and Launceston's York Park both could be used for the coming AFL team's home games.

Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy O'Connor told the state parliament that 'We deserve a team of our own without having to make taxpayers pay for a stadium  something no other state has had to do to get a team.

'We deserve our own teams and we deserve not to be saddled with a billion-dollar stadium, a half-billion-dollar debt, an eyesore on the waterfront and two existing, perfectly good stadiums that become white elephants.'
A buyer has snapped up a luxurious house with waterfront views for $5million after just taking just 30 minutes to inspect the property.

The lavish home at 53 Admiralty Drive, Paradise Waters on the Gold Coast was sold to a Sydneysider who walked in and 'knew it was the one'.

The property has been freshly renovated from its 'bare bones' with the previous owner changing the floor plan to enhance the stunning views and its 'liveability.'

Russell Rollington from Surfers Paradise First National Real Estate said the house which is adorned with timber, stone and marble materials was sold off the market.

The lavish home at 53 Admiralty Drive, Paradise Waters on the Gold Coast (pictured) was sold after the buyer from Sydney walked in and 'knew it was the one'

The property (pictured) has been freshly renovated from its 'bare bones' which including shifting rooms and changing the floor plan to enhance the views and its 'liveability'

'We were working with [the buyer] showing him homes in Paradise Waters and as soon as he walked into this home he knew it was the one,' Mr Rollington told realestate.com.au.

'Within about 30 minutes or so an offer was submitted and we went from there.'

Reece Keil Design oversaw the new design to switch-up the floor plan.

'Inside they moved the kitchen and moved the master bedroom to really maximise the views and the liveability of the house,' Mr Rollington said.

He said the home has a real contemporary look to it now.

The prestigious Paradise Waters suburb sits on an island between the Nerang Riverfront and the Gold Coast Highway in Surfers Paradise and has eight streets with water views (pictured)

The Paradise Waters property was last sold in June 2020 for $1,995,000.

The prestigious suburb sits on an island between the Nerang Riverfront and the Gold Coast Highway in Surfers Paradise and has eight streets with water views.

It has some of the most expensive mansions in the city.

The exclusive neighbourhood is not only close to schools and the Main Beach area but has direct river access for boats.
A former Delaware middle school teacher has been charged with repeatedly raping a student nine years ago when she was in her mid-30s.

Reed Messer, now 42, has been charged with multiple counts of rape after accusations of a sexual relationship with a former student.

She was extradited to the state of Delaware on Monday after being arrested by police at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, Delaware State Police said in a statement.

Police found that Reed had engaged in a sexual relationship with a student over the course of two months back in 2014.

Reed Messer, 42, was charged with multiple counts of rape after accusations of a sexual relationship with a former student

Delaware Police said they first received a report from the Delaware Division of Family Services in December last year alleging a former teacher at Stanton Middle School, in Willmington, had a sexual relationship with a juvenile student, some nine years prior.

Following further investigation, police determined that the teacher and student had engaged in a sexual relationship over the course of two months, initially beginning on October 2014.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Messer and took the former teacher into custody at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, last month on April 26.

The former middle school teacher was held at the Department of Corrections in South Carolina until Monday, when she was extradited back to Delaware.

Messer is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust, 10 counts of rape in the third-degree, and a further 10 counts of rape in the fourth-degree.

Messer was subsequently arraigned and is being held at the Delores J. Baylor Womens Correctional Institution with a $310,000 cash bond.

Police said Messer had left her employment at the Red Clay Consolidated School District, which includes Stanton Middle School, in November 2014.

Messer was later hired by Legacy Early College, a public charter school in Greenville, South Carolina.

Police said they received a report in December last year alleging a former teacher at Stanton Middle School (pictured), in Willmington, had a sexual relationship with a juvenile student, some nice years prior

She was first certified as a teacher in South Carolina in July 2015, the state's education department's website notes.

On May 5, the State Board of Education ruled that Messer have her teaching certificate suspended 'as a result of her arrest for 22 counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor'.

Police said that they would only release a limited amount of information related to this case due to the sensitivity and consideration for the victim.

Delaware police asked that anyone with further information come forward as they continue to investigate the case.
Bruce Lehrmann's defence lawyer warned the lead prosecutor in the rape trial of the former Liberal staffer not to let Brittany Higgins address the national Press Club in a heated phone call, according to documents released by an inquiry.

The content of the call can now be revealed after bombshell files were released this week by a Board of Inquiry, which is investigating the way the jury trial against Mr Lehrmann was handled in October last year.

A statement by Mr Lehrmann's former lawyer John Korn detailed a phone call he claims to have had with ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, on February 7, 2022.

The call, Mr Korn claimed, took place two days before Ms Higgins delivered her address alongside former Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor, Grace Tame.

At the time, Mr Lehrmann had been charged over allegations that he raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House after a night out in 2019. He has always maintained his innocence.

During her speech, Ms Higgins alleged: 'I was raped on a couch in what I thought was the safest and most secure building in Australia'.

Brittany Higgins (left) accused Bruce Lehrmann of raping her in Parliament House. He denies the allegations

In his statement, Mr Korn said he phoned Mr Drumgold and warned him against allowing Ms Higgins to give the address because the allegations were yet to be tried in the ACT Supreme Court.

During the phone call, Mr Korn said: 'Mr Director, does the Director's Office consider that it would be appropriate to invite Ms Higgins not to speak on the podium this week?'

According to Mr Korn, the prosecutor replied: 'No, why would we do that?'

Mr Korn said: 'From what I understand, she will be standing on the podium as a survivor of sexual assault ... for a matter which has not yet been determined to have taken place, in circumstances where my client denies that sexual intercourse ever took place.'

Mr Korn recalled Mr Drumgold saying: 'Oh no no no, that's not the way I see it.'

In his statement, the lawyer noted his growing frustration, and said: 'Mr Director, I don't give a f**k how you see it, but every right-minded person in Australia, including me, would see it that way and she should not speak on that podium from that perspective.'

Mr Korn claimed the prosecutor said he did not plan to stop Ms Higgins from speaking. Mr Drumgold allegedly said: 'She has been appropriately warned not to give any details of the offence.'

The speech eventually resulted in Mr Lehrmann suing the ABC for defamation. He claims the broadcaster should have edited the allegations against him out before it went to air.

He was not named in the address, but claims he was identifiable because his name and photo made national headlines when he was charged with sexual assault in August 2021 over Ms Higgins' allegations - six months before the press club address.

The defamation trial will take place in the Federal Court later in 2023.

The Press Club speech eventually resulted in Mr Lehrmann suing the ABC for defamation. He claims the broadcaster should have edited the allegations against him out before it went to air. Pictured: Ms Higgins is pictured on stage during the address

ACT DPP Shane Drumgold (pictured outside the inquiry on Wednesday) is being investigated over the trial

THE HEATED PHONE CALL, ACCORDING TO JOHN KORN Mr Korn: 'Good morning Mr Director, it's John Korn.' Mr Drumgold: 'Good morning, John.' Mr Korn: 'Mr Director, does the Directors Office consider that it would be appropriate to invite Ms Higgins not to speak on the podium this week?' Mr Drumgold: 'No, why would we do that?' Mr Korn: 'From what I understand, she will be standing on the podium as a survivor of sexual assault survivor, for a matter which has not yet been determined to have taken place, in circumstances where my client denies that sexual intercourse ever took place.' Mr Drumgold: 'Oh no no no, that's not the way I see it.' Mr Korn: 'Mr Director, I don't give a f**k how you see it, but every right-minded person in Australia, including me, would see it that way and she should not speak on that podium from that perspective.' Mr Drumgold: 'No, I don't propose to do that. She has been appropriately warned not to give any details of the offence.' Mr Korn: 'Thank you, Mr Director.' Advertisement

At the inquiry's hearing on Wednesday, Mr Drumgold was heavily questioned by Erin Longbottom, who is the counsel assisting the inquiry.

He told the inquiry he regretted making personal comments about Ms Higgins in the media after he dropped the the case in December last year.

The first criminal trial was abandoned due to misconduct by a juror. A retrial was scheduled, but the charge against Mr Lehrmann was dropped altogether on December 1 due to concerns about Ms Higgins' mental health.

Mr Drumgold fronted camera crews on December 2, to announce there would not be a retrial - at the very end of the speech, he added: 'Ms Higgins has faced the level of personal attack that I've not seen in over 20 years doing this work.

'She's done so with bravery, grace and dignity. And it is my hope that this will now stop.'

During the inquiry on Wednesday, the prosecutor told the inquiry those words were 'burned into my memory'.

When Ms Longbottom asked why those lines were burned into his mind, he elaborated: 'I probably shouldn't have done it'.

'It was naive on my part that it would have any benefit.'

Mr Drumgold explained he made the statements because he wanted the public interest in Ms Higgins to die down, but it didn't happen that way.

'I knew this decision would [to vacate the trial] would impact her state of mind and I was really just trying to lighten the load in some way that would be upon her,' he said.

Ms Longbottom then asked whether he turned his mind to Mr Lehrmann, who was never convicted and entitled to the presumption of innocence.

'I am sympathetic to all parties,' he said.

'This case has no winners and losers - only losers and losers, and before me was a complainant [Ms Higgins] in a very vulnerable position and I have evidence of that vulnerable position.'

Ms Longbottom asked again: 'Did you turn your mind to the impact that might have had on Mr Lehrmann?'

Mr Drumgold replied: 'Possibly not as much as I should have.'

The charge against Bruce Lehrmann (pictured, centre) was dropped in December

Earlier in the day, Mr Drumgold also said he was concerned about a 'political conspiracy' to stop the case from going ahead at all.

He told the inquiry the federal government had been involved in the matter 'early' and Ms Higgins was concerned about political interference in the case.

He said he was concerned by 'strange events' over the course of the investigation and trial that led him to believe there was a wider interest in the failure of the prosecution.

'Some of the questions in my mind, hypothetically, were: was this a government minister exerting pressure through the federal [police] commissioner onto ACT Policing to make a matter go away,' Mr Drumgold said.

'I felt the plan may have been if [police] can convince me to give them the imprimatur not to charge then a political matter would go away, was my first presumption.

'As time went on I felt that their interests aligned with an unsuccessful prosecution, that was my fear.'

Asked if he thought there was a political conspiracy to stop the trial from going ahead, Mr Drumgold said there were 'enough incidences to make it possible, if not probable'.

The inquiry continues.
Ministers have warned peers not to defy 'the will of the British people' as the House of Lords gears up to battle the government's Channel migrant crackdown.

The Illegal Migration Bill is set to be debated in the Upper House for the first time today, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby among those set to speak against it.

But Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk have fired a warning shot, telling the unelected chamber that the public wants the issue addressed. Rishi Sunak has made 'stopping the boats' one of his five key pledges ahead of the general election - with many Tories viewing success as their only hope of staying in power.

Writing jointly for Times Red Box, the Cabinet minister said: 'We urge the House of Lords to look at the Illegal Migration Bill carefully, remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way, and back the Bill.'

The legislation is aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK illegally would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured on Saturday) is set to condemn the Government's Illegal Migration Bill that aims to crackdown of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats, according to reports

In a rare intervention, Justin Welby is set to argue against the flagship legislation as it faces its first test in the upper chamber. The bill is aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda. Migrants are pictured arriving in small boats last month

The illegal migration clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants across the English Channel. Mr Sunak is pictured inside 10 Downing Street earlier this month

Mr Welby is among 90 speakers listed for the debate from 11am, and is expected to deliver another rebuke over the Government's treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, a former senior police officer, has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation, aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle.

His amendment argues the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments, allow ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine 'the UK's tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees', while failing to tackle the backlog of asylum cases or people smuggling gangs.

However, the blocking bid is doomed to fail without the backing of the main opposition.

A Labour source said: 'We're not supporting the motion. If successful, which they never are, the Government could just Parliament Act the Bill in the next King's Speech and peers would lose the opportunity to make any amendments.

'It is therefore an irresponsible way to deal with legislation that has already gone through the the elected House.'

The two Green Party peers will be among those supporting the fatal motion, with Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb saying: 'This Bill is illegal because it breaks international law and should be opposed for that reason alone. It is also immoral and plain nasty.

'It effectively makes all asylum seekers criminals unless they are from a few select countries where the UK has approved pathways and safe routes for immigration such as Hong Kong.'

Lady Jones added: 'It is hugely disappointing that Labour are failing to oppose this legislation outright, but unsurprising given their recent track record of caving in on Voter ID and the Public Order Bill. If we are to save our democracy, we need an opposition that is up to the job.'

It comes as more than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023

The Bill includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

The clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants across the English Channel.

It comes as more than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023.

At least 260 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel last weekend while the rest of the country celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III, according to official figures.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK.

The latest arrivals were seen on Monday morning after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel.

The group of adults and small children, all thought to be migrants, were seen wearing life jackets and disembarking Dover earlier today.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK. Pictured are a group of people thought to be migrants in Dover on Monday morning

A group of people thought to be migrants are pictured after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel

Government figures reveal that a total of 6,549 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in 156 boats to date in 2023. In the eight days of May alone, there have already been 603 migrants arriving in the UK.

To cope with the numbers, the Government plans to use disused military camps and a barge as accommodation centres. But critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

The Archbishop, in a speech to the Lords last year, warned against 'harmful rhetoric' that treats those arriving in the UK as 'invaders'.

He has previously called for a better system based on 'compassion, justice and co-operation across frontiers'.
A mother who claims to have saved 10,000 by taking her two children out of school to go on holiday says she'll do it again this year, despite being fined hundreds of pounds.

Rachel Smith, 33, takes Brayden, 11, and Elianna, nine, abroad during term time every year.

The single mother, who works in finance, saved 3,000 last year by taking her children to Majorca and Magaluf in May and June rather than peak season August when prices soar.

Whilst she regularly receives 60-per-child fines, she says the decision is a 'no brainer' as 'it's nothing compared to the cost of holidays in the school holidays'.

They have been on four holidays so far during term time, and are jet-set for Majorca next week on another adventure.

Rachel Smith, 33, takes Brayden, 11, and Elianna, nine, out of classes every year during term time to go on holiday abroad

The single mother, who works in finance, saved 3,000 last year by taking her children to Majorca and Magaluf in May and June rather than peak-season August when prices soar. Pictured: Elianna in Ibiza in 2018

Whilst she regularly receives 60-per-child fines, she says the decision is a 'no brainer' as 'it's nothing compared to the cost of holidays in the school holidays'. Pictured: Elianna and Brayden play in the pool in Ibiza, 2018

They have been on four holidays so far during term time, and are jet-set for Majorca next week on another adventure. Pictured: Brayden and Elianna play in the pool on their last Majorca holiday

Rachel, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, said: 'Although I have a good job, as a single working parent I just don't have the money to take my kids on holiday during the school holidays.

What are the rules on taking children out of school for holidays in term time? You have to get permission from the head teacher if you want to take your child out of school during term time. You can only do this if you make an application to the head teacher in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with), or if there are exceptional circumstances. It's up to the head teacher how many days your child can be away from school if leave is granted. You can also be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the school's permission. Your local council can give each parent a fine of 60, which rises to 120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child's absence from school. Advertisement

'The cost is outrageous. Why should people, and most importantly children, be penalised because they can't afford to pay 5,000 for a holiday in August?

'I've worked really hard and so do my children, why shouldn't we get to go on a family holiday?

'Why should some children miss out on those experiences and only the kids with parents that afford it get to go?

'The cost is double, even triple, out of term time compared to in term time.

'So long as you look carefully at the school calendar and make sure it's not impacting your child's education, I think it's fine.'

The first holiday the family took during term time was to Ibiza in May 2018 when Brayden was five and Eliana was four.

The following year, they visited Magaluf, Majorca, Spain, during term time.

They were unable to holiday abroad for the next two years due to Covid but made up for lost time by holidaying in Magaluf again in May last year, followed by a trip to Can Picafort, Majorca, Spain, in June.

Rachel received a fine for each of her children last year for their Can Picafort trip, amounting to 120, but says she saved 3,000 on the holiday.

She also received fines for both children for their 2019 holiday, and a fine for Brayden's absence during their Ibiza trip.

The family are planning another trip to Majorca next week, the day after Brayden finishes his SATs.

The first holiday the family took during term time was to Ibiza in May 2018 when Brayden was five and Eliana was four

The following year, they visited Magaluf, Majorca, Spain, during term time

They were unable to holiday abroad for the next two years due to Covid but made up for lost time by holidaying in Magaluf again in May last year, followed by a trip to Can Picafort (pictured), Majorca, Spain, in June

Rachel received a fine for each of her children last year for their Can Picafort trip, amounting to 120, but says she saved 3,000 on the holiday

Rachel said: 'I don't think them missing school to go on holiday once a year has been detrimental to their education at all.

'I always check the calendar carefully to make sure it doesn't impact their learning too much.

'At the end of term they're not doing much, and after SATs Brayden won't be doing anything at school anyway.

'They're both doing really well at school. Brayden got 40 out of 40 on his last SATs maths mock test. If it was impacting their education I obviously wouldn't do it.

'They learn a lot from going on holiday too. They've been able to experience other culture, they have a massive social awareness and they're learning another language.

'They can even pack their own hand luggage.

'These are all things they wouldn't be able to experience if we didn't miss a few days of school. It would be out of the question.

'Schools shut to do teacher training and there's been strike days. I don't see why it's deemed OK for them to miss school for that but not for a family holiday.'

Rachel thinks that schools should implement a system where parents are allocated a number of days to take children out of school for holidays.

She also received fines for both children for their 2019 holiday, and a fine for Brayden's absence during their Ibiza trip

The family are planning another trip to Majorca next week, the day after Brayden (pictured lounging in a pool in Majorca) finishes his SATs

Rachel thinks that schools should implement a system where parents are allocated a number of days to take children out of school for holidays. Pictured: Elianna in Ibiza in 2018

The mother added: 'There should be red zones at important times of the year like leading up to exams'. Pictured: Elianna on a boat in Magaluf, May 2022

The mother stands by her controversial stance. Pictured: Rachel on a beach in Magaluf, May 2022

She continued: 'I think there should be a system where kids can have time off during term time.

'Just a few days a year, and there should be red zones at important times of the year like leading up to exams.

'I stand by taking my children out of school for holiday. I never had that growing up, so if I can give my kids that then I'm going to.'
A trainee PC sacked after disgusted colleagues complained about him telling a 'foul' racist joke likening an Asian person to a skunk claims his dismissal from the force was 'irrational'.

Nicholas Barnes, 29, was 'discharged' from duty as a probationer after he told colleagues a twisted joke likening 'P***' to being 'smelly and slimy' like a skunk, and laughed as he did so.

Colleagues who heard the joke were offended and 'felt revolted', London's High Court heard, and Thames Valley Chief Constable, Justin Hogg, decided PC Barnes could no longer continue under his command.

Mr Barnes later told a disciplinary investigation that it 'never really occurred' to him that the joke would be 'so offensive' and is now fighting to continue his career at the High Court.

Trainee PC Nicholas Barnes was 'discharged' from duty as a probationer from the police force

Mr Justice Lavender was told PC Barnes relayed his 'starkly racist' jibe to shocked officers in the police station briefing room in April 2020 while no superior officers were present.

His joke amounted to a 'nasty racist trope', said the chief constable's barrister, John Beggs KC, adding that PC Barnes had 'giggled' at the gag.

'It's something that goes to the heart of public confidence,' he explained, adding that the chief constable 'felt that the joke showed an extremely concerning mindset'.

'There was extensive evidence that he laughed at it - both when he first heard the joke in his personal life and/or when he retold it to colleagues,' said Mr Beggs, branding it 'an inappropriate and bluntly foul racist joke'.

The barrister also highlighted evidence from a shocked colleague in the room, who recounted: 'PC Barnes laughed but the rest of the room weren't laughing'.

The racist joke incident was referred to a police misconduct panel in February 2021, resulting in 'serious adverse findings,' the High Court heard.

PC Barnes was initially hit with a formal written warning lasting 18 months, but was spared dismissal.

He had been a probationer with Thames Valley Police, whose Oxfordshire HQ is seen here

But separately, the chief constable went on to consider whether PC Barnes should be able to carry on as a probationer, finally resolving against keeping him on.

He cited concerns about maintaining public confidence, commenting in his reasons: 'a well conducted constable must be able to command the confidence of colleagues, the organisation generally and - most importantly - the diverse communities which we serve.

'To my mind the telling of a racist "joke" of this nature is obviously relevant to these issues.'

PC Barnes has now launched a legal case against the chief constable, challenging the decision to discharge him.

He says it was 'irrational' and flew in the face of the disciplinary panel's view that he should be allowed to continue, although with a stern warning about his conduct.

His lawyers highlighted the panel's findings that he had acted out of character, expressed remorse and had demonstrated insight.

On top of that, they pointed out that a senior Thames Valley officer assessing the case had 'recommended against discharge'.

But Mr Beggs said the chief constable had a wide discretion on the issue of whether a probationer should be allowed to stay on if there was a mark on his record.

And he stressed that his decision would not snuff out PC Barnes' hopes of becoming a cop as he can re-apply to Thames Valley as a trainee in three to five years' time when he has matured and learnt from his experiences.

'The chief constable has not terminated his career. He discharged PC Barnes from his probationary service with Thames Valley Police,' he said.

'He has not been barred from police or law enforcement work, or any other form of employment.'

Although realising his folly, PC Barnes had stated he was 'still unclear why he said what he said' and also explained: 'It never really occurred to me that it might be so offensive, although I was aware that it was racist'.

Looking at all the facts, it was reasonable for the chief constable to have deep concerns about the trainee constable's judgment, argued Mr Beggs.

'Given his interest in - and amusement at - the particular way the joke stereotyped "P*ki" it was entirely rational for the chief constable to be concerned that PC Barnes had racist tendencies or at the very least had bad professional judgment,' he told the judge.

But Mr Barnes' lawyers say there was no solid basis for discharging him given evidence of his insight and remorse - and the fact that his case had already been resolved without dismissal by the police misconduct panel.

The chief constable's decision deviated 'from the substantive and procedural legitimate expectation by Mr Barnes that the behaviour had been dealt with and concluded under the police conduct regulations'.

The judge has now reserved his ruling in the case.
Animal Rising have vowed to hold a candlelit vigil for two dogs that were shot dead by armed Metropolitan Police officers on Sunday.

While Scotland Yard insists its officers, who arrived to reports of a woman being attacked, did nothing wrong by killing the 'dangerous' pets and arresting their owner.

Eye witnesses who saw a woman being 'attacked' by the dogs claimed she got caught up in their leads and was not seriously injured.

The Met Police has already cleared two officers of misconduct who shot dead the 'out-of-control' pets in Limehouse, east London.

Now activist group Animal Rising have organised a vigil outside the headquarters of the Met for tomorrow evening and said the force have proven 'themselves to be a dangerous establishment time after time'.

Animal Rising will hold a candlelit vigil for two dogs that were shot dead by armed police officers in London on Sunday

Animal Rising are encouraging people to bring placards and flowers to Met Police's headquarters tomorrow evening

Flowers and a note have been left behind at the scene of the shooting in Tower Hamlets

A post from Animal Rising read: 'We know this is wrong. Heartbreaking footage first uploaded to social media last night shows the Met Police shooting dead two distressed dogs who were on a lead and realistically did not represent any danger to the public nor the police.

'@metpoliceuk prove themselves to be a dangerous establishment time after time, enforcing unjust laws and overextending their powers. They exert oppression and brutal force on innocent people and animals alike.

'The Police do not serve and protect us. They exist to control us, the people, and uphold dangerous systems to protect the state and the elite.

'This has always been the case - but the mask is slipping. This is injustice.'

Louie Turnbull, 46, was charged with being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control and that he had custody of a dog while disqualified from owning or keeping a dog.

Turnbull appeared in custody at Thames Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Barber Zee K, 33, whose shop is near Commercial Road where the alleged attack happened, saw the incident unfold but does not believe the dogs attacked the woman.

He said today: 'I can tell you for a fact that the dog didn't attack the woman, it attacked another dog. A little brown dog.

The scene of Commercial Road, Limehouse, nearby to the spot the two dogs were shot dead

'Me and another woman came out when we heard what was going on and took the dog away.

'I was scared going to get it, but they didn't attack me or the woman.'

While the barber claimed the dogs did not harm the woman, he explained how she ended up falling after getting tangled by the dog lead.

He added: 'I don't think the woman who owned the dog got attacked by the dogs, but she did get tangled in the lead and fell over.

'Their owner is homeless I believe...'

After rescuing the dog Zee, who did not want to give his full name, went back to work at his barbers, Zee Cutz.

Despite witnessing the dog attack, he was deeply saddened by the news of the dogs' deaths

He said: 'I heard the shots and when I found out I was so sad about it. I couldn't sleep, I was so sad.

'I see those dogs everyday - they are always here with the owner.

'About 20 minutes before I was petting them. They never have seemed aggressive before.'

Fareed Rashid, who owns the shop All Seasons Food and Wine along Commercial Road, also saw the incident.

Barber Zee K, 33, whose shop is near Commercial Road where the alleged attack happened, saw the incident unfold but does not believe the dogs attacked the woman

He often sees the two dogs walking along the pavement and their owner regularly would sit outside the shop with them.

On Sunday before the attack, the 62-year-old from Leytonstone, east London, told the dog's owner to move away from the shop as his animals had been barking at customers as they came and left the shop.

Mr Rashid said: 'The fellow was sitting on the side with his dogs and they were scaring the customers so I told him to move but he didn't move.

'When police came one of the dogs jumped up at one of the officers. They chased the dogs around the corner onto St Anne's Street.'

From there the canines ended up along the canal and were shot by officers at the scene.

CCTV from Mr Rashid's shop was said to show the woman as tall, European looking, blonde aged around 30 years old.

She suffered an injury to her leg during the incident, but did not need hospital treatment, police said.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'We are aware of the video being shared on social media showing part of an incident in Limehouse where two dogs were destroyed by police officers responding to a report of a woman being attacked.

'Police were called just after 5pm on Sunday, May 7, to a woman being attacked by a dog in Commercial Road, E14.

'Officers attended the location where the aggressive behaviour of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them.

'A man was arrested in connection with the incident for having a dog dangerously out of control and assault offences.

'A Taser was discharged by police. No person was taken to hospital.

'Both dogs were destroyed by police at the scene. This is never an easy decision for any officer to take, but police have a duty to act where necessary before any further injury is caused.

The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards have conducted a thorough review of the incident, including all of the available body worn footage, and are satisfied that there are no concerns around officer conduct.
The mother of a woman bludgeoned to death by her husband today revealed she's meeting with the new Justice Secretary to urge him to block his early release - amid fears Dominic Raab's resignation could derail her family's bid to keep him locked up.

British Airways captain Robert Brown killed Joanna Simpson, 46, in their family home in October 2010 as their two young children cowered in a playroom, before dumping her body in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park.

He was acquitted of murder by a jury at Reading Crown Court the following year, having admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Brown, who believed he was 'stitched up' by a prenuptial agreement, is due to be released on licence in November after serving 13 years of a 26-year sentence because the lesser charge means he will not face a Parole Board.

However, new Justice Secretary Alex Chalk could use his powers to refer the case to the board to consider whether it is safe to release him.

Joanna Simpson, 46, had filed for divorce from Brown after enduring years of abuse, harassment and intimidation

Just months ago, Brown was still deemed to pose a serious threat to the public, and was kept confined in a category C prison. He was jailed for using a hammer to beat Joanna Simpson to death - before then burying her body in a grave he had dug himself

Joanna's mother, Diana Parks, said she was 'very grateful' new Justice Secretary Alex Chalk had agreed to meet her

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain today, Joanna's mother, Diana Parks, said: 'I'm very grateful that he's agreed to meet us and I just really hope that we can get through to him that Brown is not fit to be released, and that he should stay in prison for as long as possible.'

'He was given a 26-year sentence, which I told my grandchildren about. I didn't say he could come out after 13 years.

'I didn't want to spoil their schooling until he was old enough to understand. He should stay in prison for 26 years.'

If Brown had been convicted of murder he would have been handed a minimum sentence. But because he was found guilty of manslaughter this meant he was automatically slated for release at the half-way point.

Automatic release for violent or sexual offences now occurs at two-thirds through the sentence after a recent change in the law, but this came too late to affect Brown's case.

'It's so crazy. I'm afraid I knew nothing about the law until Jo was killed,' Mrs Parkes said.

'I am very concerned about his release because he will seek revenge. He will blame everybody else but himself for what he did.

'Jo's friends, my family and women in general will be in general because he has lost everything that he had - he's been stripped of it all.

'He's lost his job as a British Airways air captain, he's lost his home, he's lost his status, he's lost his high earning, but most of all he's lost his children because they never want to see him again.'

Brown has been classed as a 'critical public protection case', meaning he has been assessed as posing a very high risk of serious harm.

He will be subject to strict licence conditions upon his release and could be recalled to prison if he breaks these.

However, Mrs Parkes said the threat he poses was proof he should not be released early.

Before his resignation, Mr Raab had promised a complete risk assessment of Brown's release - raising the possibility he could remain in jail

Ms Simpson's friend, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who is also chairwoman of Refuge, the largest domestic abuse charity in the UK, said that Mr Chalk was the 'one man on the planet' who can stop her friend's killer from being released

'Brown is already regarded as a critical public protection place so he hasn't been allowed to go into an open prison, he was refused in June and refused in December,' she said.

'He won't be going into an open prison but he'll be released into society in November. It's crazy.'

Under legislation passed last year, the Justice Secretary can refer cases to the Parole Board if he feels prisoners due for release could pose a risk to the public, or to national security.

Before his resignation, Mr Raab had promised a complete risk assessment of Brown's release - raising the possibility he could remain in jail.

Ms Simpson's friend, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who is also chairwoman of Refuge, the largest domestic abuse charity in the UK, said that Mr Chalk was the 'one man on the planet' who can stop her friend's killer from being released.

'With manslaughter in the determinate sentence, which is what Robert Brown got, they get given a sentence but they are entitled to be let out halfway through - now two thirds of the way through.

'And that's the problem, there is no protection for the public.

Brown, a former British Airways pilot, is pictured on a long-distance run in BA-branded kit

'And what we're trying to do is leverage the changes that came in last year, which gives one man on this planet the ability to stop this from happening and that is Alex (Chalk).'

Ms Simpson, 46, had filed for divorce from Brown after enduring years of abuse, harassment and intimidation.

On the day of her death, Brown had driven to her home in Ascot before beating her 14 times with a hammer.

He was charged with murder and prosecutors argued the killing was a premeditated attack, but Brown said he had been suffering from 'severe stress' and 'abnormality of mental function' which had impaired his self-control.

The jury at Reading Crown Court acquitted him of murder and he was given a 26-year sentence for manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, which he had already admitted.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'The Lord Chancellor understands the anguish Mrs Parkes and Ms Barkworth-Nanton feel at the prospect of Robert Brown's release and has invited them to meet with him before he considers this case later in the year.'
The father of a toddler who mysteriously died has broken his silence in an emotional tribute to his 'angel'.

Harley Jessep said his daughter Valentina Rose, aged two years and seven months, 'touched so many hearts, I just want you to know that daddy loves you so so much.'

The little girl was found dead at a luxury Mermaid Beach apartment complex on the Gold Coast on Tuesday with emergency services arriving at the Peerless Avenue address at 8am.

Police and paramedics attended the Bela by Mosaic building, with forensic officers scouring the block with evidence bags.

'I will always be blessed to have been you're father you changed my life baby girl. God must of needed you more than us,' Mr Jessep wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

The father of a toddler who died mysteriously on Queensland's Gold Coast has broken his silence in an emotional tribute to his daughter. Harley Jessep (right) is pictured with his late daughter Valentina Rose (left)

Valentina Rose (pictured) was found dead in a luxury Mermaid Beach apartment complex on Peerless Avenue on Tuesday morning and emergency services were called at 8am

'You're mother and I will always remember and Cherish you're beautiful little soul princess I love you to the f****** moon and back. Please rest easy my angel.'

Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy into Valentina Rose's death.

Her dad told Nine News she had a very rare genetic disorder called Lamb-Shaffer syndrome, which causes developmental and intellectual delays and changes in facial features.

A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched to help pay for the toddler's funeral expenses.

'This morning we were made aware of the passing of our sweet Valentina Rose,' it reads.

Her dad told Nine News she had a very rare genetic disorder called Lamb-Shaffer syndrome, which causes developmental and intellectual delays and changes in facial features. Valentina Rose and Harley Jessep are pictured

'We are absolutely devastated by Valentina's unsuspecting passing, and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service.

'We want to give Valentina the service she deserves, to honour her memory, her infectious giggles and smiles, her love, and to be able to say our last goodbyes.

'We are asking for donations to help cover the unexpected costs of Valentina's funeral.'

Monique Monneron, who set up the fundraiser, said the family is waiting for an autopsy report.

'We are still awaiting an autopsy report to find out exactly what caused this sudden passing. Valentina was loved by many, especially her mum Tahlia and her dad Harley,' she wrote.

Emergency services rushed to a home in Mermaid Beach, a coastal suburb on the Gold Coast, at about 8am on Tuesday morning (pictured is police and paramedics at the scene)

'Valentina was the most beautiful, loving and caring 2-year-old girl. She would make you laugh and smile with her beautiful personality.

'We are aiming to raise funds to cover the costs of Valentina's funeral, casket, burial plot, and so on.

'Tahlia and Harley have lost their only baby girl, to an unknown reason. Their worlds have shattered, and their baby girl is no longer earth side.'

The account had raised $1,400 of its $10,000 goal already by Wednesday evening.
A British Army corporal has been convicted of leaving a fellow soldier covered in blood by biting his ears and nose after he was accused of calling a Muslim colleague a 'P***' at a Christmas party.

Cpl Paul Byron followed Lance Corporal Dean Taylor into toilets at the event before hitting him on the back of the head and repeatedly punching and kneeing him in a 'frenzied' attack.

The pair tangled on the floor before Cpl Byron was pulled away but the brutal assault left LCpl Taylor with blood 'all down' his face.

A court martial was told that before the attack Cpl Byron had been accused of making a racist comment about Lance Corporal Faisal Murtaza.

LCpl Taylor told the court Cpl Byron had threatened him earlier in the evening.

'He came over to the table and said "I'll kick your head in" - he was very drunk and angry,' he said. 'He called LCpl Murtaza a P***.'

Cpl Paul Byron at Bulford Military Court, where the four-day trial was held

Lance Corporal Dean Taylor, who was left with blood down his face, outside the court

After a four-day trial at Bulford Military Court, Wilts, Cpl Byron was convicted of causing actual bodily harm - despite claiming he had acted in self-defence.

During the case, the court heard the men - members of the Royal Anglian Regiment - had been wearing 'best dress' during the boozy party at Kendrew Barracks, Rutland.

Prosecutor Major James Eveleigh told the trial: '[Cpl Byron and LCpl Taylor] both attended a unit Christmas function.

'Everyone was in best dress, nothing out of the ordinary, but of course alcohol was involved.

'The defendant became involved in a series of backwards and forwards arguments which culminated in a suggestion of racist behaviour from Cpl Byron [towards LCpl Murtaza].

'These arguments were thought to have been settled in a practical way - but that wasn't the case for Cpl Byron.

'LCpl Taylor went to the toilets and was standing with his back to the door.

'As he stood in that position he was struck on the back of the head and dealt a number of blows all while his body was wedged between the toilet and cubicle wall.

The hearing was told that before the attack Cpl Byron was accused of making a racist comment about a Muslim soldier

'I tried to get him off me but I was being punched and kneed in the face,' LCpl Taylor said

'He managed to turn around and face Cpl Byron, but he proceeded to attack him as he lay helplessly on the floor.

'Cpl Byron was shouting, swearing and even growling at him in what was a frenzied attack.

'He bit him on the back of the head and ears, causing him blood to freely run.

'It was unprovoked, extreme violence conducted in drink and only separated by a bystander.'

After being separated, details of the incident eventually were reported up the chain of command and Service Police were informed.

The court heard LCpl Murtaza and Cpl Byron had shaken hands after the alleged racist remark, before LCpl Taylor was assaulted.

'I started going to the toilet in a cubicle and I got punched from behind and fell,' he continued.

'I tried to get him off me but I was being punched and kneed in the face.

'He was very angry, swearing, punching, biting.

'He bit me on the front of my nose, my ear on the back of my head.

'I had blood all down my face.'
A 71-year-old American man has been arrested after the body of his Filipina girlfriend was found inside a water drum at their home near the Philippine capital of Manila.

Police in Bacoor city said they arrested William Thomas Worth on Tuesday after discovering 48-year-old Mila Loslos' body inside the blue plastic container.

Mila's body had been sealed in a garbage bag and duct tape inside the drum, which had been stored inside a cupboard in the home.

Officers said they visited the home hours after Mila's 21-year-old son, Nino Jay Loslos, reported that his mother had been missing for four days.

Loslos told authorities he had visited his mother's home after becoming concerned for her welfare and found Worth there.

Police in Bacoor city said they arrested William Thomas Worth on Tuesday after discovering 48-year-old Mila Loslos' body inside the blue plastic container

Mila's body had been sealed in a garbage bag and duct tape inside the drum, which had been stored inside a cupboard in the home

Police in Bacoor city said they arrested William Thomas Worth (pictured) on Tuesday after discovering 48-year-old Mila Loslos' body inside the blue plastic container

The American expat allegedly claimed he did not know where Mila was but Loslos became suspicious after he smelled a 'foul odour' inside the house and told the police.

Officer's discovered Mila's body inside the blue plastic drum and arrested Worth on suspicion of murder.

Police also recovered three knives and a length of nylon rope.

'The body was already bloated, it was inside the drum and covered with packing tape, Bacoor City police chief Ruther Saquilayan told the Manila Bulletin.

'Based on our assessment, the victim has been dead for two or three days.'

Officer's discovered Mila's body inside the blue plastic drum and arrested Worth on suspicion of murder

Officer's discovered Mila's body inside the blue plastic drum and arrested Worth on suspicion of murder

Officers said they visited the home hours after Mila's 21-year-old son, Nino Jay Loslos, reported that his mother had been missing for four days

Bacoor City Police at the crime scene where Mila's body was found wrapped in duct tape

William Thomas Worth, 71, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend

The authorities said the suspect had wounds on different parts of his body, local media report.

'We are aware of this case. Due to US Privacy Act considerations, we cannot provide any further information,' a US embassy spokesman in Manila said.

Police said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of the woman's death.
Eco-zealots Just Stop Oil have targeted motorists again with the latest in their series of tedious slow marching protests - drawing a predictably irate reaction.

The group - who want the end of fossil fuel projects - were shuffling from Princes Street in the direction of Bank Junction this morning.

But the Met Police appear to have finally discovered the way to stop them.

This morning Superintendent Matt Cox issued the group with a Section 12 order, meaning they had to stay off the road or face arrest.

They went onto the pavements but a few hours later other campaigners were back doing the same trick at Parliament Square.

The group were shuffling from Princes Street in the direction of Bank Junction this morning

Then other protesters were seen at Westminster attempting to do the same trick in the road

Again the police began speaking to them and they were moved on by 11.06am.

It was not before the Reform Party - who have just welcomed Andrew Bridgen as their first MP remonstrated with them.

Leader Laurence Fox was captured in pictures asking them why they were causing so much disruption.

Their Groundhog Day-style cycle of slow road marches are in their third week, but JSO say they are going to continue until the fossil fuel ban is met.

But the protest group has become frustrated by the police tactic of issuing the order.

The Reform Party's Laurence Fox was captured in pictures asking them why they were causing so much disruption at Westminster

Police appear to have now worked out the best way to deal with the disruption and act swiftly

A driver speaks to an activist from the climate group Just Stop Oil as they continue their protest

It adds a condition to 'any public procession' and has curtailed the activists' demonstrations in the past few days.

What is Section 12 of the Public Order Act? A Section 12 order under the Public Order Act 1986 relates to 'imposing conditions on public processions'. It states: If the senior police officer, having regard to the time or place at which and the circumstances in which any public procession is being held or is intended to be held and to its route or proposed route, reasonably believes that - (a) it may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community, or

(b) the purpose of the persons organising it is the intimidation of others with a view to compelling them not to do an act they have a right to do, or to do an act they have a right not to do, he may give directions imposing on the persons organising or taking part in the procession such conditions as appear to him necessary to prevent such disorder, damage, disruption or intimidation, including conditions as to the route of the procession or prohibiting it from entering any public place specified in the directions. Advertisement

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson fumed: 'The Public Order Bill and specifically Section 12 notices are being used to remove the British public's right to peacefully oppose government policies that threaten the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

'Marching has been an integral means of bringing about social change for centuries, be it for those seeking universal suffrage, those seeking to gain equality, or those seeking to make transport accessible for disabled people.'

Just Stop Oil have angered motorists since they came into existence in February last year.

One of the protesters today Jonathan Kennedy, 43, an engineer and father of two, explained why they were doing it.

He said: 'I'm a parent of two young children, three and six.

'Our government, right now, is actively increasing the climate related suffering they are going to experience.

'New oil and gas licences at this point in history are an act of aggression against our children's generation.'

'In ten years' time my children will be teenagers. They will ask me - how was it possible that new oil sites were being opened when everyone knew what it meant for humanity?

'What were you doing? This is why I am marching today; to be on the right side of history, and to have an answer when my children ask me what I was doing to help.

'The forest fires, the flooding, the crop failures, the record temperatures are all happening RIGHT NOW, and it's only getting worse.'

Another of those taking action was Virginia Barret, 52, a hospital consultant from East Grinstead.

She said: 'I live near an oil well in a National Park. It used to be allowed to release ten tonnes of methane per day into the atmosphere.

Just Stop Oil activists block the traffic in Parliament Square with a slow march as the climate group continue their protests

Superintendent Matt Cox issued the group with a Section 12 order making the march illegal

Section 12 of the Public Order Act lets police impose conditions onto any 'public processions'

'That is enough methane to fill 142 double decker buses. This ten tonne limit was being exceeded, so locals complained to the relevant authorities. Would you like to guess what they did? They removed the daily limit! They are now allowed to release any amount per day.

'In the hospital where I work, we operate under the tenet of "first do no harm" - shame this does not apply to our government.'

The Met confirmed it had acted to end the protests with the order.

It said: 'At 9.09am, following the implementation conditions, the Just Stop Oil procession at Moorgate moved out of the road and onto the pavement.

'The road is now clear and traffic is flowing.'
A man has told police he stored the corpse of his 101-year-old father so he could 'still talk to him' after officers discovered the body in his freezer.

Netherlands police said the body had been in cold storage since the man's death 18 months ago.

De Limburger reported the dead man's doctor had raised concerns about his missing patient, alerting police who later found the body at the home in Landgraaf which he shared with his son, 82.

While the son is being investigated for hiding his father's body, police said they do not suspect foul play was involved and have not made an arrest.

The son, who has not been named, explained his actions, saying: 'I didn't want to lose him. Otherwise, I would miss him.'

An image of the shared residence in Landgraaf where the man and his father had lived

Illustrative photo of a chest freezer. The 101-year-old was found in a freezer, apparently 18 months after he died of natural causes

Investigators are still trying to understand how and when the father would have died.

The exact time of death will be important in establishing any scope for fraud.

The octogenarian told 1Limburg that his father had died a year and a half prior of natural causes.

The family doctor confirmed he had not heard from his patient for 'months' and thought it suspicious before contacting the police.

Officials visited the house again on Monday afternoon, claiming the house was a 'mess' and giving the son a week to tidy up before assessing whether he can carry on living independently.

In February police in Poland found an elderly man named only as Marian L living with his deceased and mummified mother, who he had dug up from her grave and positioned on the living room sofa for 13 years.

For more than a decade, he would allegedly sit talking to the body at their house in the small town of Radlin, southwest Poland.

The corpse was found when the 76-year-old's estranged brother-in-law decided to visit the home.

Police determined that 'It is likely that the man dug up the mother's body immediately after its burial and then mummified it and the body has remained in this house since 2010.'

The body was apparently in 'perfect condition' regardless. His mother was to be reburied.

Police said Marian L had been charged with desecrating a corpse.
Tom Hanks has vowed to boycott any book that is re-written to avoid offending 'modern sensitivities', insisting that he himself will decide what to be offended by.

The Forrest Gump star, 66, waded into the book censorship row during a pre-recorded interview on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday.

Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones had asked the Toy Story actor for his thoughts on the retroactive editing of dead authors such as Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie.

Publishers have sparked fury among literary fans in recent months by hiring sensitivity readers to make iconic works 'less offensive' - including removing words like 'fat', 'mad' and 'old hag'.

Giving his two cents, Hanks said: 'Well, I'm of the opinion that we're all grown-ups here. And we understand the time and the place and when these things were written.

Tom Hanks has vowed to boycott any book that is re-written to avoid offending 'modern sensitivities', insisting that he himself will decide what to be offended by

Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones had asked the Forrest Gump star for his thoughts on the retroactive editing of dead authors such as Roald Dahl (pictured) and Agatha Christie

'And it's not very hard at all to say: that doesn't quite fly right now, does it?

'Let's have faith in our own sensibilities here, instead of having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by.'

He added: 'Let me decide what I am offended by and not offended by. I would be against reading any book from any era that says ''abridged due to modern sensitivities''.'

Hanks appeared on the show to plug his upcoming novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.

His first book, a collection of short stories named Uncommon Type, was published in 2017 and sold more than 234,000 copies in the UK, inspiring him to start writing his new 448-page novel a year later.

It comes after Sir Michael Morpurgo, 79, last month warned publishers against rewriting classic books to suit modern sensibilities.

The award-winning children's novelist, whose works include War Horse, Private Peaceful and Friend or Foe, argued that if publishers 'start nitpicking' language that is now deemed controversial they will 'never stop'.

Sir Michael argued that it is 'really important' that children read books and have an understanding of the time in which they were written.

The author noted that over time society has developed 'different attitudes' towards certain words or expressions that are now 'important to avoid', but also believes that children should be aware of how 'life was different, people were different' before.

He told Radio Times: 'We've learnt a lot that's been very good, we've learnt a lot that's rubbish. If you start the nitpicking, you never stop.

'I think that it's really important for children to read books and have some sense of when the books were written. You just cannot go on rewriting Dickens and rewriting Shakespeare to suit people.'

It was revealed in February that Puffin hired sensitivity readers to rewrite chunks of Dahl's texts to ensure the books 'can continue to be enjoyed by all today'.

Hanks appeared on the BBC radio show to plug his upcoming book, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece

It emerged in March that several passages in Agatha's Poirot and Miss Marple had been reworked or stripped altogether from new editions of the books (Pictured: English detective novelist Agatha Christie in 1949)

Considerable edits had been made to descriptions of characters' physical appearances - the new editions no longer used the word 'fat', for example, which had been cut from every book, and the Oompa Loompas from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory were made to be gender neutral.

Elsewhere, in The Witches, 'old hag' was changed to 'old crow', while 'you must be mad, woman' became 'you must be out of your mind'. And in Matilda, Miss Trunchbull no longer had a 'great horsey face.'

Whoopi Goldberg slammed the decisions to remove 'offensive' content from Dahl's books, as well as from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

Speaking on the US talk show The View in February, the EGOT winner, 67, seemed particularly incensed by reports that the classic spy novels were being re-edited to remove racist content.

The publisher of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming Publications, made the announcement shortly after Penguin Random House said that it would release edited versions of Roald Dahl's novels.

'Y'all gotta stop this, OK?' Goldberg said. 'Just put a disclaimer on it that says, "Listen, this book was written at this time," or [publish] the original.'

Most of her co-hosts on the morning talk show agreed with her - with the notable exception of Sunny Hostin, 54, who argued in favour of the woke changes.

But both publishers have since announced that they would continue to publish the original, un-edited versions following public outcry.

It then emerged in March that several passages in Agatha's Poirot and Miss Marple had been reworked or stripped altogether from new editions of the books.

Publisher HarperCollins eliminated text containing 'insults or references to ethnicity', as well as descriptions of certain characters' physiques, The Telegraph reported.

Ms Christie's works were the latest to undergo politically correct rewriting. Books by Ian Fleming and Enid Blyton were also edited over sensitivity concerns.

New editions of Ms Christie's novels, reviewed by the newspaper, showed that editors had made 'scores of changes' to her books.

The novels, penned between 1920 and 1976, were stripped of sections of 'unsympathetic' dialogue, apparent insults and character descriptions.

For example, the word 'Oriental' had been removed from her 1937 mystery Death on the Nile, which follows sleuth Hercule Poirot as he investigates a murder on a luxury cruise.

The publisher changed dialogue of character of Mrs Allerton, who was complaining about pestering children.

Sir Michael Morpurgo last month warned publishers against rewriting classic books to suit modern sensibilities

The original text said: 'They come back and stare, and stare, and their eyes are simply disgusting, and so are their noses, and I don't believe I really like children.'

The rewritten version reportedly reads: 'They come back and stare, and stare. And I don't believe I really like children.'

Similar changes were made in the 1964 novel A Caribbean Mystery, which tells the tale of detective Miss Marple's holiday at a resort hotel in the West Indies.

Phrases including 'such lovely white teeth' and 'beautiful teeth,' which were used to described a smiling hotel worker, have been removed.

The book also no longer features text that described a female character as having 'a torso of black marble such as a sculptor would have enjoyed.'

In later Miss Marple works, text has been changed from 'his Indian temper' to just 'his temper' when describing an Indian judge character who undergoes a fit of rage.
Two young drivers have been charged over the death of a young woman whose body was found by her fireman father when he responded to a 999 call.

Care home worker Ella Brooke Smith, 21, was discovered by her parent Adrian, 47, when he and his crew were called to a three-car pile-up on the B4341 at Portfield Gate near Haverfordwest, south Wales in June 2021.

Ella - described as 'always bringing a bright ray of sunshine into our lives' - was caught in the wreckage of a white Ford Ka after a day trip to the seaside.

She had said goodbye to her parents just hours she was picked her up for the day out in the heatwave and driven seven miles to the seaside resort of Broadhaven, Pembrokeshire, before setting back to her home in nearby Camrose.

Father Adrian, who was on shift with his firefighting crew, was called to the pile-up on the country road and arrived to see the Ka had overturned on a bend before being hit by two other vehicles.

Ella Brooke Smith - described as 'always bringing a bright ray of sunshine into our lives' - was caught in the wreckage of a white Ford Ka after a day trip to the seaside

Care home worker Ella (middle), 21, was discovered by her parent Adrian (right), 47, when he and his crew were called to a three-car pile-up on the B4341 at Portfield Gate near Haverfordwest, south Wales in June 2021

Emma Price and Jago Clarke, both 21, have since been charged with causing Ella's death by dangerous driving.

Price, of Haverfordwest, and Clarke, of Milford Haven, both face additional charges of causing serious injury to Daisy Buck by dangerous driving during the same alleged incident, and of driving an unlicensed and an uninsured vehicle.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Price was driving a Citroen C1 at the time of the alleged incident while Clarke was driving a Ford Ka.

Both have appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates and are due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on June 6.

Following the tragedy, Ella's father posted a picture of him and his daughter dancing at a family party when she was little.

The family said in a statement at the time: 'We are utterly devastated at losing our beloved Ella. She was a much loved and caring daughter, sister and granddaughter.

'She was a beautiful girl who will be missed by us all. We would like to thank everyone for their support at this horrific time. It has meant so much to the whole family as we grieve for our Ella.'

Ella Brooke Smith, who was killed in the smash in June 2021, is pictured with boyfriend Ashden King

She worked at the Parc Y Llyn Nursing and Residential Home in nearby Ambleston.

Owner David Van Dyk said: 'She always brought a bright ray of sunshine into our lives. We are all absolutely devastated.

'We all feel very strongly for her family and offer them our sympathy. She was so very happy and the residents here loved her.'

Tributes were also paid by friends on social media to the 'sweetest girl who ever walked the earth.'
The Coronation guest who was accused of being Meghan Markle in disguise has revealed the truth behind his unique look.

Legendary composer Sir Karl Jenkins, whose 'haunting' work Tros y Garreg was played during the ceremony, caught the eyes of viewers as he sat next to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

After days of wild speculation the 79-year-old confirmed he was not the duchess in a large white wig and glasses, or a thief dressed in disguise trying to steal the crown jewels.

Sir Karl, who is perhaps best known for composing the song Adeimus, told viewers that he has had his distinguished moustache since the age of 18.

While Lord Lloyd Webber tweeted about the matter today, he said: 'I can confirm it probably wasn't MM and had no jewels on his person as far as I could see  ALW.'

Composer Sir Karl Jenkins, 79, took to TikTok to tell Coronation viewers he was not Meghan Markle in disguise and that he has had his moustache since he was 18

He said: 'I was quite surprised that some people thought I was Meghan Markle in disguise. Someone wrote I was there, whoever I was, to steal the crown jewels.'

He said: 'I was quite surprised that some people thought I was Meghan Markle in disguise. Someone wrote I was there, whoever I was, to steal the crown jewels.'

Sir Karl chuckles then adds: 'I look like this all the time and in addition this on my neck, which is what they give you when you get a knighthood - this was around my neck over which my tie came and my jacket.

'Oh and my moustache has been referred to in The Times as well - but I've had the moustache since I was 18 years old. It was very trendy then. So that's me. Nothing sinister about it or surprising at all.'

Others joked online about the misunderstanding, saying it was 'Tilda Swinton deep in character' or 'Just wait until the polyjuice [a transforming potion from Harry Potter] wears off'.

Many agreed that the off-the-cuff remark was one of the best jokes made about the day, which saw King Charles III crowed at Westminster Abbey alongside his wife, Queen Camilla.

Composer Sir Karl Jenkins, 79, recently told BBC News that he remembered watching the last coronation in 1953 as an eight-year-old in Swansea.

his music formed part of Charles III's coronation ceremony, to show the King's love and appreciation for Welsh culture and music.

'I am very honoured. It obviously sums up Welsh culture - the harp - and he [the King] has always supported Welsh music,' said Sir Karl.

'I don't know whether he chose it, but he was happy to have it there. I know he likes it otherwise he wouldn't have asked me.'

Sir Karl told viewers how he had sported his moustache since he was 18, and that it was 'trendy' back then (Pictured: A younger Sir Karl)

The 79-year-old' work Tros y Garreg was played during the ceremony (pictured in 2015 receiving his knighthood)

Social media users enjoyed the suggestion that the Duchess of Sussex would don a disguise to sneak in to the coronation. One said the image reminded him of Tony Clifton, the rude alter-ego of American comedian Andy Kaufam in Man In The Moon, who was memorably portrayed by Jim Carrey (pictured)

The piece was first composed for the then Prince of Wales two decades ago, when he was reinstating the role of royal harpist. Catrin Finch, the first person to win the reinvigorated role, played the piece.

'It's a slow movement based on old Welsh folk tune,' said Sir Karl. 'It's haunting, it's very Welsh and the story is redolent of a soldier returning home and crossing the stile.

It starts very quietly, with the strings playing the melody of the folksong, then the harpist is doing this technique called bisbigliando, which means whispering in Italian,' he added.

He studied music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a fellow and an associate. He became the lead songwriter of jazz-rock bank Soft Machine in 1974, having joined the band two years earlier.

He collaborated with Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber on Jesus Christ Superstar and with Elton John on Tumbleweed Connection, released in 1970.

In 2008 Jenkins's The Armed Nab was listed as No. 1 in Classic FM's 'Top 10 by living composers'.

He received an OBE in the 2005 New Year Honours and a CBE in 2010, before being knighted in 2015.
A woman has miraculously survived more than a week lost in the bush, wearing thongs and with just one bottle of water.

Rikki Mitchell went missing from the Reid River rest stop in far north Queensland on May 2 and hopes were quickly fading that she would even be found.

The mother-of-four had gone for a swim near the rest stop with her boyfriend the day she disappeared - he went to see some friends in the area and when he got back a half hour later, Ms Mitchell was gone.

But just before police were about to give an update on the search on Wednesday, she arrived at the coordination site on an all terrain vehicle (ATV).

The Charters Towers mum, 38, had become disorientated on a walk and had to drink from puddles to survive the extremely hot days and cool nights lost in thick bushland.

Queensland woman Rikki Mitchell (pictured) has miraculously survived more than a week lost in the bush, wearing thongs and with just one bottle of water

Her boyfriend reported her missing on the afternoon of Thursday May 4, and the police launched an extensive land and air search of the area with the help of SES volunteers the next day.

Homicide detectives were also called in as the days ticked over without sight of Ms Mitchell.

But just before 10am on Wednesday rescuers saw the ATV driving up to the search command centre, driven by a local man, with the missing woman with him on the vehicle.

Shortly after, Townsville Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd told reporters the incredible news that Ms Mitchell had been found.

She had gone for a walk after her swim and travelled several kilometres away from the river and road.

Detective Shepherd said she got 'disoriented' and spent days walking before she came across a dirt road that led to the ATV on a rural property.

A man found Ms Mitchell driving the vehicle on his property, near the Flinders Highway.

Just before police were about to give an update on the search on Wednesday, she arrived into the coordination site on an all terrain vehicle (pictured)

She was taken to Townsville University Hospital after being examined by paramedics (pictured), but did not appear to have suffered any major injuries

He knew about the search for her and drove her on the ATV to where the emergency services were based.

Detective Shepherd said it was 'remarkable' she survived that long, given she only had no food and only a one-litre bottle of water with her.

'I was ecstatic to have this outcome. I've got to be honest, the longer the search went, the less optimistic we were,' he told reporters.

'She did say to me she struggled to find small amounts of freshwater to drink and even had to rely on puddles to drink from.

'She obviously became disoriented because she didn't believe she'd been away for seven days. The longer you're out there that can lead to more sickness.'

He added that 'the fact she's done this well in the bush is a credit to her'.

Ms Mitchell was wearing a t-shirt, shorts and thongs when she went missing, and had no phone.

She was taken to Townsville University Hospital after being examined by paramedics, but did not appear to have suffered any major injuries.

Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd said Ms Mitchell (pictured) got 'disoriented' and spent days walking around in the bush

'She's obviously got signs that she's been out in the bush  she's got lots of scratches over her body, her feet look like they're cut open and bleeding,' Detective Shepherd said.

Police will interview the mum when she is ready.

'Its just to really knuckle down on what actually happened, as best she can recall, over the past seven days,' he said.

'We obviously want to make sure she actually was OK at the start, that she did legitimately disappear into the bush, that no one else was involved.

'And once we're satisfied with that there won't be anymore police involvement.'
'How will we win the war if it turns out grandfather is a complete a**hole?' he said

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has issued what appears to be his greatest criticism of Vladimir Putin yet, seemingly labelling him a 'complete a**hole' and 'happy grandfather' in a new video.

Yevgeny Prigozhin last week declared he would pull his private army out of the brutal fight for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, complaining that Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief Valery Gerasimov were not providing his troops with ammunition. He later rescinded the retreat order.

But yesterday the Wagner leader released a scathing video seemingly directed at the Russian president, trashing his troops' lack of ammunition and threatening to strangle those who are preventing shells from reaching the frontline.

'They're collecting [artillery shells] in warehouses - why, no one knows.

'Instead of spending a shell to kill the enemy and save the lives of our soldiers, they let our soldiers die - and the "happy grandfather" thinks this is good for him.

'If he turns out to be right, then God bless everybody... but how will we win the war, if, by chance - and I'm just speculating - it turns out that this grandfather is a complete a**hole?

Prigozhin concluded: 'The shells give freedom. And if they don't give freedom with the shells... if they keep holding onto them then first we need to shove it up their a*** and then throw them in jail.'

Yevgeny Prigozhin uttered what appears to be his greatest criticism of Vladimir Putin yet, labelling him a 'complete asshole' in a video published yesterday

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2023

After 14 months of war in Ukraine, Russia's armed forces were only able to muster one T-34 tank for yesterday's Victory Day parade

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes to President Vladimir Putin during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow, May 9

Though the Wagner chief did not refer to Putin by name, he has never shied away from criticising other senior Russian defence figures - and Putin is often referred to as 'grandfather' or even 'the bunker grandfather' in opposition circles, suggesting his rant was almost certainly aimed at the President.

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov remained coy when asked about Prigozhin's comments later today, playing down the Wagner leader's video and claiming the Kremlin was 'too busy' to comment.

It came as Putin presided over May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow's Red Square to mark the Red Army's victory over the Nazis in the Second World War.

READ MORE: Russia sends out just ONE tank on Victory Day parade as Putin's depleted military suffers continued losses in Ukraine Advertisement

In previous years the parade has been formidable, with all manner of Russian tanks, missiles, armoured vehicles and other impressive machinery rolling past the Kremlin in a display of Moscow's military prowess.

But after 14 months of war in Ukraine, Russia's armed forces were only able to muster one T-34 tank for yesterday's parade, with all other tanks smouldering on the battlefield or requisitioned for deployment.

The WWII-era relic sputtered through Red Square trailing black exhaust smoke in an apt encapsulation of Russia's military performance over the border.

In a speech watched by scores of uniformed soldiers, military officials and leaders of former Soviet nations, Putin claimed that Russia wants peace while accusing the 'western elite' of waging a 'real war' against his invading troops.

It came just hours after another barrage of cruise missiles hit several sites across Ukraine.

'Civilisation is once again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,' he said in a reference to his ongoing invasion that the Kremlin says is a proxy conflict with the West.

Putin welcomed soldiers fighting in Ukraine who were present at the parade and likened his invasion to the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany in the Second World War - a false narrative that has nevertheless resonated with Russian nationalists.

'To Russia! To our brave armed forces! To Victory!' Putin concluded in his speech.

Prigozhin meanwhile has maintained his position close to the frontlines in Ukraine, and in recent weeks has made his disdain for the Russian defence ministry and army generals painfully clear.

In a profanity-laced video released last week, the mercenary chief raged against defence minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov.

He 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.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner private mercenary army, points to piles of dead mercenaries as he rages against the Russian defence minister

Pictured: Russian troops are seen fleeing across an open field away from advancing Ukrainian forces, who are said to have overwhelmed Russian positions near Bakhmut

'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*******.'

Then yesterday, Prigozhin released another video alongside his thinly-veiled jibe at Putin in which he alleged an entire Russian army brigade left their posts near Bakhmut, leaving his mercenary troops outgunned on the frontlines.

He also threatened to pull his troops back from the battle - the second time he has done so in the space of a week - despite allegedly being told he would be tried for treason if he followed through on his warning.

'Yesterday we received a military order which stated several important things... if we leave our positions this would be seen as state treason.

'If there will be no ammunition, we will leave. And we will ask the question who is the traitor to the motherland here.'

Prigozhin continued: 'Today one of the Ministry of Defence's detachments ran away from one of the flanks.

'All of them ran away, and they left a frontline nearly 2.5 kilometres deep exposed.'

Prigozhin's claims of Russian desertion were supported by a statement from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, which confirmed that Russia's 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps abandoned a strategic position near Bakhmut, resulting in hundreds of Wagner casualties.
A jury has found that Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll, ordering that the former President pay a total of $5million in damages.

The panel of jurors found that Trump injured Carroll in the Manhattan luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-90s, and that he has since defamed her when calling her a liar.

Questioned by Carroll's lawyer during the May 2023 civil trial, Lisa Birnbach told the court how her friend was 'breathless, hyperventilating, [and] emotional' as she gave a brief description to her of the alleged assault over the phone.

After telling Birnbach of how Trump allegedly pinned her down at the changing room wall, pulled her tights down, and assaulted her, Birnbach pleaded with Carroll that she should go to the police. But Carroll refused.

Now, almost three decades after the alleged altercation - with the help of Birnbach who detailed their phone call from the mid-90s to the court - a civil jury found the former president legally responsible for sexual assault.

Lisa Birnbach arrives to federal court to testify as part of a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump in New York, May 2, 2023

A court room sketch shows Lisa Birnbach answering questions from lawyer of E. Jean Carroll during the civil trial against former U.S. president Donald Trump, New York, May 2, 2023

Who is Lisa Birnbach?

The Manhattanite was born in the Upper East Side in the late 1950s to a Jewish family. Her father had immigrated from Germany prior to the Second World War where he later worked as a diamond importer in the US. Her mother worked at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan.

After spending a year studying at Barnard College in New York, Birnbach transferred to Brown University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Semiotics.

She started her writing career at Village Voice in New York City, Birnbach's Prabook profile details. She then went on to spend three years as a correspondent on CBSs The Early Show, and hosted her own radio program The Lisa Birnbach Show.

Birnbach is an award-winning journalist with bylines in the New York Times and The New Yorker. She also spent time as deputy editor at Spy magazine.

She is perhaps best known as the author of The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep. The satirical reference guide pokes fun at North American prep-school and university culture. Released in 1980 and 2010 respectively, the books went on to be New York Times best sellers.

Birnbach has also published over 20 other books, and has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Parade, and Rolling Stone.

Lisa Birnbach arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Manhattan, New York, United States. 2 May 2023

Donald Trump in 1987 with his first wife, Ivana, assault accuser E. Jean Carroll and Carroll's then-husband

A lawyer of E. Jean Carroll questions Lisa Birnbach during a civil trial where Carroll accuses the former U.S. president in a civil lawsuit of raping her, New York, May 2, 2023

What was Lisa Birnbach's testimony in E Jean Carroll's case against Donald Trump?

After Carroll told her of the alleged assault over the phone in the mid-90s, Lisa Birnbach urged her friend to come forward to the police. Carroll refused.

A key witness in the 2023 civil case, handpicked by prosecutors in the civil trial to sway jurors into holding Trump liable for sexually abusing and later defaming Carroll, the court heard how Birnbach was a 'close, close, close friend' of Carroll and had known her for more than 20 years.

The award-winning writer said that she remembered throughout the phone call that Carroll did not use the term 'rape' to characterize the altercation, instead calling it a 'fight.'

Carroll allegedly was 'hyperventilating' throughout the call, Birnbach said, adding that she appeared to be 'still processing' what had happened.

'Lisa, you're not going to believe what happened to me,' Carrol told Birnbach.

Carroll told her that after some 'jokey banter,' Trump 'slammed her against the wall' in the dressing room, then did it again.

Birnbach said that Carroll told him the former President pinned her down with one arm and shoulder and pulled her tights down with the other.

She then said Carroll kept repeating 'he pulled down my tights' during the call.

Lisa Birnbach attends The Grand Opening Of SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Robin Williams Center on October 5, 2016 in New York City

Lisa Birnbach arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Manhattan, New York, 2 May 2023

Birnbach said that she was feeding her young children in her kitchen and 'ducked out' of the room to tell Carroll: 'He raped you, you should go to the police.'

Carroll replied: 'No, no, no, I don't want to go to the police.'

She added that Carroll made her swear to 'never speak of this again', staying quiet until 2019 when Carroll went public when Trump was president.

The testimony was enough for a Manhattan jury to find the former liable for sexually abusing Carroll, and then defaming her in a post to social media in October 2022.

The jury of six men and three women took only three hours to reach their verdict, acquitting Trump - who was a no show during the two weeks of testimony and claimed that he doesn't even know 'who [Carroll] is' - of rape, but finding him guilty of the other two charges.

What was Lisa Birnbach's reaction after the trial?

The case had weighed 'on my neck and back like no other.' Birnbach told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell shortly after the court's verdict.

'I never thought this day would happen', the award-winning journalist added, hailing the decision handed down by federal jurors as 'incredible.'

'It's incredible validation - incredible vindication,' Birnbach told the O'Donnell, detailing Carroll's lengthy battle to bring the case to court but not mentioning the hefty $5million payout.

'It's good. I feel wonderful,' she said. 'It's been a long road.'

She told the program shortly after the ruling: 'I was doing errands today not thinking there would be a verdict.'

'When I got a text from a lawyer saying verdict in 15 minutes  and I hightailed it to my lawyer's office, and I was in a conference room with the lawyers who helped me out.'

She recalled: 'I was terrified in the few minutes waiting for it.

'When I heard the first 'no,' I panicked and thought, 'It wasn't going to be favorable for E. Jean Carroll.'

The case had weighed 'on my neck and back like no other.' Birnbach told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell shortly after the court's verdict

E. Jean Carroll departs the Manhattan Federal Court in New York City on May 9, 2023. A New York jury ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump was liable for the sexual abuse of an American former magazine columnist in the mid-1990s

'We found out that it was. I could not be happier or prouder of my friend.' She added that she was toasting Carroll's victory with a glass of rose.

She added of how she and others were deposed over the past year by Trump's attorneys, whom she said 'used every trick in the book' to hold up the proceedings.

'I really, really never thought it would happen. It just seemed to go on and on,' Birnbach said.

'But telling the truth is a very freeing and fortunate position to be in,' she continued.

'And being a good friend is a very fortunate and good position to be in. So, right now, I feel very good.'
Actor Stephen Tompkinson may have been 'playing a part' of a 'man tormented by a pair of drunks' in his account to the jury of an 'assault' on a stranger, a court heard today.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch said the 57-year-old star of DCI Banks was an 'expert' performer, adding: 'He can deliver a line.'

Mr Bunch told the jury at Newcastle Crown Court that after Tompkinson's evidence of the incident outside his house at 5.30am one Sunday in May 2021 'I am not sure he truly regrets the events of that morning.'

The court heard friends Karl Poole and Andrew Hall had been for a dip in the sea at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, after an all-night drinking session and were falling over laughing yards from Tompkinson's house.

In a confrontation with the defendant that followed, Mr Poole ended up unconscious on the ground with fractures to his skull.

Stephen Tompkinson arriving at Newcastle Crown Court today for the fourth day of his GBH trial

Mr Bunch said 'nobody is saying he wanted to cause significant harm to either of them' but he suggested Tompkinson 'snapped and lashed out.'

The prosecutor dismissed character references about the successful actor as insignificant, asking the jury: 'How many of us can say we have never lost our temper?'

He added: 'We all have things that antagonise us and cause us to react in ways we are not proud of later.'

He told jurors the 'central question of the case' was how Mr Poole ended up unconscious on the road.

'Was Mr Poole punched by the defendant in anger or was the anger Mr Poole's when the defendant challenged him over his drunken condition?'

Mr Bunch said the actor had also been 'utterly callous' in filming video clips of the stricken Mr Poole on the ground while his friend tended to him as they awaited the arrival of paramedics.

And he told the jury the defendant was 'evasive' in not telling police officers details of what happened when they arrived at the scene.

Mr Bunch insisted Tompkinson 'lost his temper' and 'punched' the stranger and the 'evidence shows the defendant is guilty.'

Nicholas Lumley, KC, for Tompkinson, said the neighbour who watched the incident from her bedroom window was 'honestly mistaken' in her unbiased account of what she saw from 100ft away.

'Few things in life are certain,' he said. Mr Lumley told the jury he did not claim neighbour Caroline Davidson 'made up' her testimony that she saw Tompkinson floor Mr Poole with a punch to his head from his left hand.

A witness allegedly saw Tompkinson slap Karl Poole before punching him in the head

But he said she was mistaken and that the 'really key feature or prop' in the case was Tompkinson's phone which he allegedly clutched in his left hand - while on hold awaiting to speak to the police - throughout the incident.

Mr Lumley said: 'Like a teenager that phone didn't leave his hand.'

He said if he had been 'intent on violence' the phone would have been an 'impediment.'

Adding: 'It's quite impossible to clench a fist, to make a fist around a phone and to punch.'

He stressed the actor was a man of good character who was 'acting royalty.'

Mr Lumley said that in showbusiness 'there may be hellraisers who wear their reputation as some sort of badge of honour and trade on it' but Tompkinson had always been a true professional.

He said he was no criminal, commenting: 'Whatever he did he did in self-defence and what he did was reasonable and no more than many of us would have done.'

Earlier Judge Paul Sloan, KC, told jurors they must put 'feelings and sympathies' to one side and decide the case in a 'measure and dispassionate' way.

Tompkinson denies causing grievous bodily harm.

The case continues.
McDonald's has come under fire after posting a 'bizarre' job ad that indicated those over 60 were excluded from applying.

The notice to attract graveyard shift workers at a McDonald's in Auckland Central, in New Zealand was posted online with a list of criteria including - 'any age from 16 to 60'.

The fast food behemoth said a franchisee had posted the ad probably trying to make it sound catchy - but an Auckland store manager pointed the finger at 'head office'.

Legal experts, unions and social media have condemned the ad for its 'ageism' with one calling it a 'blatant' violation of the Human Rights Act.

The ad was posted wanting night owls for the 10pm to 6am shifts - which listed a range of benefits workers including free meals and drinks during the shift.

'Starting rates at $22.80, discounted food anytime, special overnight allowances, 'DM for details or apply today via the link,' the post read.

The McDonald's ad (pictured) was posted wanting night owls for the 10pm to 6am shifts - which listed a range of benefits workers get at Maccas including free meals and drinks during the shift

The fast food behemoth said a franchisee had posted the ad probably trying to make it sound catchy - but an Auckland store manager pointed the finger at 'head office'

It also said there were five and 40 hour shifts available and applicants needed no experience to apply.

But Joe Carolan from Unite Union in New Zealand said the 'bizarre' ad shone a spotlight on the issue of ageism.

'Contrary to the myth that most McDonald's jobs are [for] part-time students, improvements made by the union throughout the years have seen many workers stay in these jobs into their 50s,' Mr Carolan told the New Zealand Herald.

'Older workers bring experience, stability and maturity to a workplace and we call on McDonald's to end this discriminatory ageism.'

Employment relations expert Max Whitehead said the ad wanting workers between 16 and 60 was not the only 'blatant' breach of the Human Rights Act.

Mr Whitehead also called out the advert for its meagre $22.80 an hour offering.

The Human Rights Act bans discrimination against those over 60, fellow employment law expert Professor Bill Hodge said.

But he added the fast food restaurant was in the all clear when it came to the under 16 age limit.

'We discriminate against people 14 or 15 all the time and it's justifiable to say: No, you can't drive a car, you can't leave school.'

Mr Hodge said he couldn't see a reason why someone over 60 would be excluded - adding he himself had retired at 77.

McDonald's spokesman Simon Kenny said he was aware one of its franchisees had created a job ad that drew attention on social media over its '16 to 60' age range.

He said the ad was designed to illustrate that all ages were welcome to work at the fast food giant - but said he had advised them to update it to avoid 'potential confusion'.

But a manager at a McDonald's using the contact number on the ad claimed 'it's the head office' that made the decision on the ad.

Meanwhile, the job notice also sparked outcry on social media over the age reference and the pay.

'Work for Macca's Auckland as long as you're not older than 60 years old!' a fiery post read.

'Freedom from discrimination based on age is in our bill of rights,' one said.

'It is illegal to discriminate based on age for 60 year olds I'm guessing?' another asked.

'Yeah, 100% illegal,' the original poster replied.

'[The rate of]$22.80 is a sad state of times for a graveyard or any time shift in general,' a fourth wrote.

McDonald's spokesman Simon Kenny said the ad was designed to illustrate that all ages were welcome to work at the fast food giant

'Graveyard at Macca's is the most depressing and draining thing I've ever done,' a former worker said.

'16 is the youngest you can work. [McDonald's] put 60 as it is not easy working in fast food,' another said.

'I'm sure there over 60s that can easily stand for five hours or more but many can't.'

McDonald's at Auckland Central was also contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Contacted by the Mail, he said: 'All I can say is the allegations are false'

A headteacher has been banned from the profession after a series of bizarre incidents including carrying an unruly pupil to his office.

Jordan Risebrow also waved his arms like a chimp before slapping a colleagues hands after they accidentally tore a Harry Potter poster, and tipped a child off their chair.

The 51-year-old, who had a previously unblemished career, refused to take part in a professional conduct panel which ruled his behaviour amounted to serious misconduct.

Contacted by the Mail yesterday, he said: All I can say is the allegations are false. Ive got nothing to say. Im disgusted with the outcome.

The first incident happened in June 2019, four months after Mr Risebrow had taken the helm Hemsby Primary School in Norfolk.

Jordan Risebrow, 51, has been banned from teaching in the classroom for two years after a series of bizarre incidents including carrying an unruly pupil to his office

Hemsby Primary School in Norfolk where Mr Risebrow was headteacher

A pupil had been brought in from the playground after hitting another child and was lying on the floor, refusing to move.

The teacher who brought in the boy said he was not distressed and was satisfied he was not a danger to himself or to anyone else. He had acted similarly in the past and she was waiting for him to calm down before talking to him.

But Mr Risebrow intervened, she said, and carried the boy to his office without the pupils feet touching the ground.

When she attempted to confront him about it, he avoided the subject.

He left the school in August 2019 and moved to Henderson Green in Norwich.

Five months later, shortly after the start of the spring term, he flipped out after a colleague accidentally tore the corner off a Harry Potter poster in his office while removing a door that needed to be replaced.

Witness A said that he started to prepare to take the door off, the Teaching Regulation Agency report stated.

In the process of removing a Harry Potter poster from the door, he tore a corner off the poster.

Mr Risebrow is said to have screamed like a child and ran over, waving his arms furiously like a chimp before slapping his colleague on the back of his hands.

It caused reddening and a stinging sensation which lasted for about a minute-and-a-half.

Two weeks later, he went up to a pupil who appeared frustrated and angry and was hugging his knees on a chair.

Asked by the Mail about his ban, Mr Risebrow said: All I can say is the allegations are false. Ive got nothing to say. Im disgusted with the outcome

A witness described seeing Mr Risebrow pivot the chair, causing the the boy to slide off.

Mr Risebrow span the chair away at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and then tipped the chair, the witness said.

Witness C said that Mr Risebrow did this at slow speed to slide pupil B off the chair, rather than fling him off.

The staff member added the headteachers actions were absolutely unnecessary, although he didnt believe there was any intention to harm the pupil.

The panel banned Mr Risebrow, who lives near Norwich, from teaching for two years, saying his behaviour amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

It added he had breached a reasonable force and touch policy, the purpose of which was to safeguard the wellbeing of pupils.

Heart Education Trust, which runs Henderson Green Primary School, declined to comment.

Mr Risebrow was interviewed in September 2019 about the first incident and was adamant that he had not touched the pupil at all.

He had also been spoken to about the other incidents at Henderson Green Primary but insisted he had only brushed his [colleagues] hand over when the poster was torn.

But the staff member involved complained it was a way of demonstrating to him and others present that he had power over [him].

He added it left him feeling like he was a child who had done something wrong.

Mr Risebrow claimed the last incident occurred when the boy was blocking the door to the pastoral room. They moved the chair together and the child had fallen on to his hands and knees as he attempted to sit down again.

Hemsby Primary School, near Great Yarmouth, was rated good at its last full Ofsted inspection in 2016.

Henderson Green received the same rating in 2018.
Fabulist Republican Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and his career, has claimed he is unaware of any federal criminal charges made against him.

'This is news to me,' the Long Island lawmaker said on Tuesday after he was asked about federal prosecutors filing criminal charges against him.

Santos, who has admitted to lying about his past and fabricating his resume, is expected to be arrested and then appear in court today.

The nature of the charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain unclear as they are under seal. They will be unsealed when the Republican appears in court, two people familiar with the matter told AP.

Prosecutors in New York and Washington have been looking into a variety of false statements Santos made during his campaign for Congress in 2022.

Among a litany of lies, he has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, stealing money meant for a dying Iraq War veteran's dog and being behind a credit card fraud. It is a crime to make false statements on a federal financial disclosure form.

Fabulist Republican Rep. George Santos (pictured), who faced outrage over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and his career, has claimed he is unaware of any federal criminal charges made against him

Santos, who has admitted to lying about his past and fabricating his resume, is expected to be arrested and then appear in court today

Santos has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees and a history as a star volleyball player.

Serious questions about his finances also surfaced - not least over the source of what he claimed was a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands of dollars in back rent.

Democrats and some Republican colleagues have called for him to resign, but he has refused and instead announced his run for reelection in 2024.

He said his lies about his life story, which included telling people he had jobs at several global financial firms and a lavish real estate portfolio, were harmless embellishments of his resume.

Nassau County prosecutors and the New York attorney general's office had previously said they were looking into possible violations of the law.

Besides questions about his life story, Santos' campaign spending stoked scrutiny because of unusual payments for travel, lodging and other items.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and urged regulators to investigate Santos.

The 'mountain of lies' Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should prompt the commission to 'thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money.'

The move came after Santos filed a new campaign financial disclosure report listing a new treasurer.

Santos' longtime treasurer resigned in late January. The campaign finance reports that Nancy Marks oversaw were already the subject of a Federal Elections Commission complaint.

People hold banners on the day of a news conference calling for the resignation of Representative George Santos at the U.S., Capitol in Washington on February 7

In his filings with the FEC, Santos initially said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000 - money he claimed came from a family company.

Yet, the wealth necessary to make those loans seems to have emerged from nowhere. In a financial disclosure statement filed with the clerk of the U.S. House in 2020, Santos said he had no assets and an annual income of $55,000.

His latest report shows more refunds to donors this year than money coming in.

Investigators for the Securities and Exchange Commission have interviewed sources familiar with Santos' work for Harbor City Capital, which is accused of running a Ponzi scheme.

He was charged in 2017 with writing bad checks relating to a pet adoption event. But the charges ultimately got expunged after Santos said his checkbook had been stolen.

Meanwhile, Santos' company, the Devolder Organization, wasn't incorporated until spring 2021.

Yet last September, Santos filed another financial disclosure form reporting that this new company, incorporated in Florida, had paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, plus another $1 million to $5 million in dividends.

In one interview, Santos described the Devolder Organization as a business that helped rich people buy things like yachts and aircraft.

Court records indicate Santos was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens between 2014 and 2017 because of unpaid rent.

Some Republicans, including those in his district, have sharply castigated Santos for his dishonesty. The Nassau County Republican Committee, which had supported his candidacy, said it would not support Santos for reelection.

Santos has admitted to fabricating some of his background, but has rejected the claims that could amount to criminal charges.

Santos voluntarily came forward to say he would not seek to serve on congressional committees after his pending appointment held the prospect of posing a political problem.

Despite his role as a lightning rod and opposition even within New York Republican circles, Santos provided critical support to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy when he was scrounging for votes to secure the post.

Among a litany of lies, he has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, stealing money meant for a dying Iraq War veteran's dog and being behind a credit card fraud

Santos was revealed to be a pathological liar after he won the 2022 midterm elections to represent New York's 3rd congressional district.

His lies and fabricated stories span almost every topic from his education background to his family's heritage.

Santos flipped the New York seat red and is on track to make history by being sworn in as the first openly gay Republican member of Congress.

The New York Times originally broke the story of Santos' resume embellishments on December 19. It reported that companies where Santos claimed to have worked, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, had no record of him having been an employee.

Baruch College, where Santos claimed to have gotten a degree in finance and economics, said he hadn't been a student.

Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has also come under question, including claims that his grandparents 'fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.'

During his campaign, he referred to himself as 'a proud American Jew.'

Confronted with questions about that story, Santos, a Roman Catholic, said he never intended to claim Jewish heritage.

The Times also uncovered records in Brazil that show Santos, when he was 19, was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop in the city of Niteroi, which is near Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

Some of the lies he has been caught in so far include:

Santos says he is of Ukrainian Jewish descent

In one interview, Santos said his family name on his mother's side was the historically Jewish name 'Zabrovsky.'

'My grandfather was born in Kyiv and left in the late 20s and migrated to Belgium where he met my grandmother and then started a family,' Santos told Fox Digital in February. 'We don't carry the Ukrainian last name, for a lot of people who are descendants of World War II refuges or survivors of the Holocaust, a lot of names or paperwork were changed in the name of survival.'

George Santos was revealed to be a pathological liar after he won the 2022 midterm elections to represent New York's 3rd congressional district. His lies and fabricated stories span almost every topic from his education background to his family's heritage

Reports indicate that there have been no successful efforts to find any Jewish or Ukrainian heritage in his family tree according to the Forward.

Santos said in a separate interview in 2020 that he was raised by 'a white Caucasian mother, an immigrant from Belgium. But Santos' mother, Fatima Devolder, was born in Brazil, according to her obituary in 2016.

Additionally, newly resurfaced tweets show that Santos, who is Brazilian-American, claimed in July 2020 on Twitter that he was biracial, meaning 'Caucasian and black.'

Santos' claims his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Santos wrote in a July 2021 tweet that he was 'blocking' an account with the handle '9/11 was a victimless crime' because his mother was a victim of the terrorist attack.

He wrote, '9/11 claimed my mother's life so I'm blocking so I don't ever have to read this again,' after the user responded to a tweet from Santos regarding immigration.

An obituary for Santos' mother, however, states that she died in December 2016, which is more than 15 years after the attack took place.

He also confirmed the real date in a December 2021 tweet where he said: 'December 23rd this year marks 5 years I lost my best friend and mentor. Mom you will live forever in my heart.'

Santos' campaign website said his mother 'survived the tragic events of September 11th' in the South Tower office of the World Trade Center and died 'a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer.'

A New York Times report had described Santos' mother as a 'domestic worker' or 'housekeeper.'

His campaign website described his mother as a top executive.

'George's work ethic comes from his mother, who came from nothing, but worked her way up to be the first female executive at a major financial institution,' the website states.

The congressman-elect said in a 2021 tweet that, '9/11 claimed my mother's life,' however Fatima Devolder died in 2016 of cancer and it's unclear if it was 9/11-related. It's also unclear if she was an executive or a housekeeper

Santos said he attended a prestigious New York prep school

The Representative-elect said that he attended Horace Mann School  an elite private school in the Brox where tuition costs $59,800 per year.

'He began Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, however, did not graduate from Horace Mann due to financial difficulties for his family,' read a 2019 biography during his first campaign for Congress, which Santos lost.

'He obtained a GED during his senior year,' it added.

The school said, according to CNN, that he never attended.

'We've searched the records and there is no evidence that George Santos (or any alias) attended Horace Mann,' spokesperson for Horace Mann Prep School Ed Adler said.

CNN reported late Wednesday that the New York Republican never attended Horace Mann School (pictured), an elite private school in the Bronx

Former call center worker Santos' resume includes time at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup

Santos said that he worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but now says he used a 'poor choice of words' when describing his relationship with the two firms.

The incoming congressman worked at a DISH Satellite call center from October 2011 to July 2012.

He also worked for LinkBridge, where, in an attempt to justify his lie, Santos said that he did business with Goldman and Citi and made 'capital introductions' between clients and investors.

Santos said he 'never worked directly' for either firm.

George Santos (right) poses with his then fiance at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve

Santos' claim his family-owned real estate portfolio of 10+ properties

Santos posted on Twitter in February 2021 that 'my family and I' had not received any rent on 13 properties allegedly owned by him.

A review property taxes owed or paid for in New York state shows no evidence of ownership.

He claimed to have a brain tumor

On March 30, 2020, at the start of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic, an interview with Santos was published on YouTube titled 'George Santos: A Corona Story.' The video has since been set to private

In the video, according to Newsweek, Santos tells two men, one wearing a 'Guns and Freedom' hat and the other seated by a 'Don't Tread on Me' flag, that he had 'battled a brain tumor.'

Discussing his health Santos said: 'I have an immunodeficiency and I also have acute chronic bronchitis. I also battled a brain tumor a couple of years ago and I had radiation done which really lowers your immunity in general.'

Claimed that he lost four employees in Pulse nightclub massacre

During an interview with WNYC, Santos alleged that four 'people that work for me' were killed during the June 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, which left 49 dead.

No connection has yet to be establish between any of the victims and Santos.

Said he was the founder of a charitable foundation

Santos said he founded a tax-exempt animal rights group, Friends of Pets United, which rescued more than 2,500 cats and dogs.

But no records relating to the group's charitable status could be found by the IRS, nor could either the New York or New Jersey attorney general's offices uncover documentation confirming Friends of Pets United had been registered as a charity.

Public records, however, show that Santos was previously married to a woman named Uadla Vieira, a native of Brazil, until 2019

In 2016, he claimed $2,250 was stolen in a mugging on his way to pay rent - but cops have no record of the incident

Santos claimed that in 2016 he was mugged on his way to pay his apartment rent in Queens.

In a sworn statement battling eviction, he said $2,250 was stolen. According to Gothamist, he wrote: 'I have been mugged at approx 1:15 p.m. on 01/15/16 on Queens Boro Plaza, as I was on my way to pay the lawyer.

'I have gone to the checks cash location located on 31st and 23rd Ave in Astoria to request a stop payment.

'I am unable to provide a police report today as I was requested to go back Tuesday to pick it up.'

The NYPD, however, have no record of the incident, the outlet reported.

Santos eventually moved out of the apartment as a result of the case and paid the rest of what he owed in rent.
Australian-born Big Brother Italy star Monica Sirianni has died after collapsing in a bar on a night out, according to local media.

Reports say the 37-year-old suddenly fell ill on Friday during a night out with friends in Sauveria Mannelli, a town in Italy's Catanzaro province.

Ms Sirianni was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The former TV star appeared on the 12th season of the Italian version of the reality show, which aired between 2011 and 2012.

She was born in Australia to Italian parents who had emigrated from the southern region of Calabria before she was born.

Italian Big Brother star Monica Sirianni (pictured), 37, has died after collapsing in a bar on night out, according to local media

Reports say the 37-year-old suddenly fell ill on Friday during a night out with friends in Sauveria Mannelli, a town in the Catanzaro province. The former TV star appeared on 12th season of the Italian version of the reality show, which aired between 2011 and 2012

Ms Sirianni had returned to Italy for some years as an adult, and lived in a city in the country's northern Lombardy region, according to Ansa news agency.

During this time she entered Italy's Big Brother house, but she was evicted from the house after around a month. She put her television career behind her, and went on to teach English, according to Italian news sources.

Ms Sirianni had only been in Catanzaro for a few days when she collapsed. It is understood that her parents were originally from the region.

Friends immediately raised the alarm after watching her collapse, reports said.

Paramedics rushed to the scene, and efforts were made to revive her, to no avail.

She was then rushed to the local Soveria Mannelli hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead.

Reports say that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of her sudden illness and death, with no information yet being released to the public, although reports said third party involvement has been ruled out.

It is understood that doctors have not ruled out the cause being a heart attack.

According to Gazzetta del Sud, her body will be repatriated to her parents in Sydney, Australia once the investigation is complete.

Ms Sirianni was a popular figure during her spell in the Big Brother house, which she entered when she was just 25 years old.

However, she was evicted after around a month, with a contestant named Sabrina Mbarek going on to win the series.

during her time in the house, she was embroiled in a romantic relationship with another contestant, Fabrizio Conti. According to Italian news sources, she broke off another relationship in order to be with Conti.

However, they split up soon after she left the Big Brother house.

Despite leaving the Italian limelight and having parents abroad, she stayed in Italy to peruse her passion as a teacher.

As the new broke about her death, tributes were paid on social media.

Monica Sirianni (pictured) was born in Australia to Italian parents who had emigrated from the southern region of Calabria before she was born

'I wanted to remember this beautiful girl Monica Sirianni, former competitor of Big Brother and now a teacher,' one person wrote on Twitter.

Another posted simply 'RIP', while someone else said that 'It doesn't seem true that she is no longer here.'

Others reminisced about watching her on Big Brother. 'At the time I still watched the program and I remember it, I'm very sorry! A hug to the family,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'OMG. I'm so sorry, condolences to the family.'
The SNP have suffered a fresh blow after a new poll revealed only a third of Scots who support independence believe it is a top priority for their country.

The YouGov survey showed, among those who voted to break up the UK at the 2014 referendum, just 33 per cent thought independence should be a main priority for the Scottish Government.

This compared to 62 per cent who thought health should be a main priority, and 53 per cent who thought the economy should be a key concern for Scottish ministers.

The poll, conducted between January and April, also revealed how the SNP were still Scotland's best supported party on 40 per cent - but had suffered a five-point drop since their 45 per cent vote share at the 2019 general election.

Scottish Labour were shown to have gained ground on Humza Yousaf's party by attracting the support of 28 per cent of Scottish voters.

This was up 10 per cent on Labour's 2019 vote share and put Anas Sarwar's party in second, ahead of Douglas Ross's Scottish Conservatives in third (17 per cent in the YouGov poll).

Among those who voted to break up the UK at the 2014 referendum, just 33 per cent thought independence should be a main priority for the Scottish Government

Labour's increase in support from their 2019 performance was found to have come from among both Yes and No voters from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum

Anas Sarwar's Scottish Labour were shown to have gained ground on the SNP by attracting the support of 28 per cent of Scottish voters

Humza Yousaf has witnessed turmoil in the SNP since taking over as leader from Nicola Sturgeon amid the chaos of the continuing police probe into the party's finances

Labour's increase in support from their 2019 performance was found to have come from among both Yes and No voters from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

The party's vote share was revealed to have increased by 15 points among unionists, which was largely at the expense of the Tories (down 12 points).

Among independence supporters Labour were up eight points, with the SNP losing the same percentage of voters.

But YouGov's Adam McDonnell, research director of political and social research, said this 'only tells part of the story'.

He revealed that splitting Yes voters by whether or not they see independence as a top order issue 'shows that where Labour are really gaining ground amongst this cohort is amongst those who don't feel it is a priority right now'.

'Labour are up 12 points with this group, and while the SNP still hold the majority of these more agnostic independence supporters (59 per cent) they are down 12 points since 2019,' he wrote in an article on the YouGov website.

'Those who do see independence as a priority right now are far more loyal to the SNP, with 90 per cent planning to vote for the party to Labour's miniscule 4 per cent.'

Mr McDonnell said the polling implied Labour were 'on course to gain ground in the next election from both sides of the independence debate'.

But he said the party's main gains so far had come from unionists amid the drop in the Tories' poll rating across the UK.

Among those who voted against independence in 2014, the YouGov poll found 70 per cent said health should be a main priority for the Scottish Government, while 61 per cent chose the economy, and 42 per cent chose education.

Just 4 per cent of those who voted to remain in the UK in 2014 chose whether or not Scotland becomes independent as one of three main priorities.

Since replacing Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister, Mr Yousaf has insisted Scotland becoming independent is still a 'realistic' goal.

But he has witnessed turmoil in his party since taking over amid the chaos of the continuing police probe into the SNP's finances, which saw Ms Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell's Glasgow home search by officers.

Responding to the YouGov poll, SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said it was 'brilliant to see the SNP is still by far the most trusted party across Scotland but we take absolutely nothing for granted'.

However, Jackie Baillie of Scottish Labour said it was 'clear that Scotland is ready for change and Labour will be the party to deliver it'.

'Voters are sick of the sleaze and incompetence of the SNP and the Tories, but this isn't as good as it gets,' she added.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said it was 'clear increasing numbers of voters are deserting the feuding, scandal-ridden SNP'.

'While the nationalists are distracted by their own civil war, only the Scottish Conservatives are focused on Scotland's real priorities,' the spokesman said.

'And voters know that in numerous seats up and down Scotland, we are the only party who can defeat the SNP.'
Interpol are seeking help identifying 22 women murdered and found in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany between 1976 and 2019.

The campaign was launched by the International Criminal Police Organization after a forensic detective pushed for information to held solve a 'cold case' from 1999 in which a woman was found shot in the head and chest, dead in a bin in Amsterdam.

Carina Van Leeuwen brought together resources from European police forces to help find answers to 22 separate long-unsolved cases.

It is the first time Interpol has asked the public for information in identifying bodies.

Interpol are seeking help identifying 22 women (12 pictured) who have been found since 1976

Since 2005, Carina Van Leeuwen has been on the case of the woman found in Amsterdam in 1999, left in a wheelie bin after being shot in the head and chest.

She and a colleague contacted police in neighbouring countries and discovered a number of other possible murder cases that had not been resolved.

A list of 22 female victims of possible killings were drawn together and shared with Interpol, who have since shared the details in 'Operation Identify Me'.

Belgian police brought seven of the cases and the Netherlands nine.

The Interpol website notes most are cold cases: women who died as far back as 40 years ago.

'Who they are, where they are from and why they were in these countries is unknown.'

Interpol urge people who might have information to 'take a look and contact the relevant national police team' via the website.

The original victim found in Amsterdam has been moved to a graveyard in the city.

She was found when local man Jan Meijer went to retrieve a bin a neighbour had seen floating in the river, the BBC reported.

He noticed the smell and weight of the bin and found the bin had been nailed shut.

Inside, police found bags of washing powder on top of concrete, laid over the body of a woman likely in her mid-20s.

Van Leeuwen said forensic investigators were able to identify she was likely born in the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg or Belgium based on isotope analysis, all to do with 'the food that you eat and the water that you drink, but also the air that you breathe'.

Efforts to identify a man's clothes also found in the bin led nowhere and the case soon died down.

Van Leeuwen says the operation serves to give women back their names.

She says 'no matter how long it took' to identify the 41 people she has identified as a forensic detective, 'they all had somebody who missed them.

'Even if it's 25 years later, people are very happy to have something that they can bury and pay respects to.'

'The woman in the suitcase' (left) and 'the woman in the Meuse' (right)

One of the women, identified only as 'the woman in the suitcase' was found in Thorbeckesingel in the Netherlands in October 2005, aged between 16 and 22, wearing sweatpants and a red shirt.

She was discovered inside a suitcase found lying in the canal in a residential neighbourhood.

Interpol say the red case had been there for some time.

The woman is likely to have been from Northern Scandinavia, Poland or Russia.

If you have information that could help Dutch national police, you can file a report via Interpol here.

Another, named 'the woman in the Meuse', was found in the river in Belgium in June 2005.

She was estimated to be between 25 and 40, wearing distinctive vertical stripes. She had an identifying scar due to the removal of her appendix.

If you have information that could help Belgian police, you can file a report here.

'The body in the carpet' (left) and 'the burned body in the forest' (right)

Police are also seeking information on 'the body in the carpet' a woman between 22 and 35 found at the Port at the Weser in Bremen, Germany on 30 June 2002.

The woman was revealed to have likely given birth between 1985 and 1999 before her disappearance. She was wearing only light cotton pants in a child's size when she was found.

She wore a 'conspicuous' hair clip with a neon green butterfly design made from plastic with a metal clasp, likely of Russian origin.

The body was found at a marina wrapped in sheets, a plastic sack, a fabric cover and a carpet, tied up. She was found with injuries to her throat.

If you have information that could help German police, you can file a report here.

'The burned body in the forest' is among the 22 identities yet to be recovered.

The woman was found on 2 June 1997, likely a day after she died, in Altena forest area, Germany.

She was estimated to be between the ages of 18 and 22, weighing about 45kg.

She was not wearing any clothes when found. She had been raped, strangled and then set on fire.

The place where the body was found did not match up with where the crime was committed, so it is believed the body had been moved.

If you have information that could help German police, you can file a report here.

For the full list of the 22 victims, click here.
Post-mortems could help establish what is behind the epidemic

Expert said second minke whale in Scotland showed 'signs of entanglement'

Five whales have now been washed up across Britain in less than a month, as one expert said one of the stranded mammals showed 'signs of entanglement'.

The first - a minke whale - was discovered on a beach in East Lothian on April 19 with another of the same species showing 'lesions suggestive of entanglement' found on the same beach on Sunday morning.

The latest casualty in Britain's beached whale epidemic was discovered on Monday, when the carcass of what experts believe was a young sperm whale was washed ashore in on Porth Neigwl on the south coast of the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales.

A dead humpback whale was also found on a sand bank at Loch Fleet nature reserve in Sutherland on Friday, with experts saying that the juvenile female had died after becoming tangled in creel lines.

And last Wednesday, a 30-tonne fin whale died after being beached in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and was later removed in an operation described as the 'largest of its kind' the local council has ever carried out.

The body of a second minke whale was discovered washed up on a North Berwick beach on Sunday

Workers previously spent hours removing the nine-tonne carcass of a minke whale from the same North Berwick beach on April 19

A sperm whale was discovered washed ashore in on Porth Neigwl on the south coast of the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales

The 17m whale became a macabre tourist attraction on Bridlington's South Beach after it died on May 3 during attempts to return it to the sea.

The second minke whale to wash up on the East Lothian beach had 'signs of becoming entangled', an expert has said in what could be a breakthrough in answering what's causing Britain's beached whale epidemic.

READ MORE: Giant 39ft fin WHALE dies after getting stranded in the North Sea off the East Yorkshire coast Advertisement

Its discovery sparked a major operation to remove the carcass.

Nick Davison, stranding coordinator at the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), said on inspection of the mammal there 'were some lesions present suggestive of entanglement'.

In Scotland, stranded whales longer than 25ft (7.62m) are considered 'royal fish', with the Scottish Government having first claim on those found dead or stranded on the shoreline north of the border on behalf of the Crown.

If it does not want to claim it, it will speak to the local authority and environmental officers, who can then arrange to collect the carcass.

Responsibility for smaller whales, as well as all porpoises, dolphins and sturgeons, lies with the local authority.

The latest casualty in the epidemic was found on Monday, when the carcass of what experts believe was a young sperm whale was washed ashore in on Porth Neigwl on the south coast of the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales.

A spokeswoman for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said post-mortems were required to establish the cause of death.

'That will allow us to determine how [the whale] died, what it had eaten recently and other factors that led to its death,' she said.

The carcass of a 30-tonne fin whale washed up on a popular beach in Bridlington, East Yorkshire

The 55ft carcass found in Bridlington became a macabre tourist attraction, with people coming down to see it and take selfies

The BDMLR were called to reports of a 'live stranded large whale' at around 8am on Bank Holiday Monday.

Because of high tide, marine mammal medics sent to assess the creature were not able to get close to it, and 'as the tide retreated, it became clear that the whale had passed away'.

The BDMLR added that the whale's body was in a 'incredibly poor condition'.

Last week, the carcass of a 30-tonne male fin whale was found washed up on a beach in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, with a major operation getting under way to remove the body without dissecting it.

The huge carcass became a macabre tourist attraction, with families coming down to see it and take selfies. But the local council warned people to stay away from the body, citing health fears and respect for the creature.

It is uncommon for fin whales, the second largest species in the world, to be in the North Sea. Experts suggested at the time that it could have been suffering from malnutrition or disease.

Hundreds of people watched as teams from the Coastguard and British Divers Marine Life Rescue tried in vain to save the animal.

Mary Ford, who lives nearby, said: 'It is very sad to see such a beautiful creature die. It was throwing a huge spout initially, then that got less and less as time went on.'
A woman accused of being 'transphobic' in Starbucks has revealed how she feared for her life after being thrown out of the cafe for using the word 'lady' to describe a non-binary member of staff.

Vanessa Thomas, 55, was screamed at by the store manager, who is trans, after the customer inadvertently referred to another worker behind the counter as female.

The footage was filmed by her partner Mark Andrews who revealed that he too feared for his safety as the manager of the store - which is partially owned by a licensor - tried to grab his mobile phone from him and smash it.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Ms Thomas, who works as a carer, said: 'The video does not tell you the whole story. It was very frightening and shocking. The Starbucks manager grabbed me and threw me out of the cafe. I could have been seriously hurt or even killed because if Mark hadn't caught me, I would have crashed onto the pavement.

'What happened was disgusting and so far, we have not even received an apology from Starbucks. I'm 100% not transphobic or trans anything. That's just not me at all. This manager behaved in an appalling way and should be prosecuted for seriously assaulting me.'

Vanessa Thomas, pictured with partner Mark Andrews, has revealed how she feared for her life after being thrown out of the cafe for using the word 'lady' to describe a member of staff without realising that they did not identify as a woman

Vanessa (pictured) was seen on camera being screamed at by a trans Starbucks store manager at the branch near the ferry terminal of Southampton

Mr Andrews, a builder, added: 'I'm quite a big lad but even I was very scared. When I saw the altercation developing, I got my phone out and started filming. Then I saw the manager come over to me and didn't realise what they were going to do.

READ MORE: Police launch probe after trans Starbucks worker was filmed aggressively accusing customer of being transphobic then 'assaulting' person filming the incident Advertisement

'The manager just lunged at me and could have really hurt both myself and Vanessa. He had his hands on my phone and then he was trying to grab my arms to try and get it off me to stop me from filming. Both of us are still very shocked and upset by what happened. We've never experienced anything like this.'

The couple, who live on the Isle of Wight, revealed that they had gone to Southampton for a shopping trip on 30 April and were waiting for the ferry to return home at around 4.45pm.

Ms Thomas said that the altercation started after she was informed by a Starbucks employee serving her that they did not accept cash payments.

She added: 'I was speaking with somebody who I thought was a lady behind the counter who was serving me. I complained that this is another company that doesn't take cash and that I don't like using contactless cards because I don't want anybody to know what I'm buying.

'The trans store manager then jumped in and I said, "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the lady behind the counter." And that's when the store manager went totally ballistic, came around from behind the counter and confronted me.'

When the row broke out, Ms Thomas demanded a refund but was refused by the store manager.

She added: 'I wasn't trying to offend anyone. I've got no problems with whatever gender people want to be. It was a genuine mistake because as far as I could see the person behind the counter was female. But genders are not so straightforward these days, which is fine, but it can be confusing.'

During the angry confrontation, footage shows Ms Thomas defending herself and stating: 'You're rude, don't ever call me transphobic, ever. You do not know me.'

The incident was recorded by Ms Thomas's partner Mark Andrews, 60, who posted it on social media

A transgender woman was sacked by Starbucks after footage showed her berating Ms Thomas and allegedly assaulting her partner who filmed the incident

Footage shows the transgender woman approaching the man filming after the row before knocking his phone out of his hand

In response, the transgender Starbucks manager says: 'You're calling me a man, you're being transphobic, Karen. Now get out.'

'Karen' is a derisive insult from the US, taking aim at white, middle-aged women. Feminists have criticised it as a misogynistic term.

The conversation heats up, as Ms Thomas insists, 'do not call me transphobic'.

The transgender employee then claps in Ms Thomas's face and denies her request for a refund, adding: 'You are transphobic, now get out.'

Ms Thomas said that she and Mr Andrews had purchased a fruit juice, latte and cake which cost them 10 and that soon after the row started with the trans store manager she asked for a refund.

She added: 'I just wanted to leave and get my money back, but the manager said I couldn't have a refund, which I found insulting.'

Ms Thomas said that after being grabbed and thrown out of the Starbucks, the store manager slammed a glass front door shut with such ferocity that it smashed.

She said: 'The store manager then grabbed their coat and ran out of the front door, which was a very cowardly thing to do. They didn't even have the courage to explain themselves and just wanted to get the hell out of there.'

The couple revealed that they contacted police immediately after the incident who are now investigating the matter.

Ms Thomas said that she has also sent numerous emails to Starbucks requesting CCTV of the incident, demanding an apology and requesting a refund.

She said: 'Starbucks haven't even had the decency to respond properly to my emails, they just want to wash their hands of the matter. The least they could do is give me my 10 back, it's not very much but it's all hard-earned cash.'

Ms Thomas said that the altercation started after she was informed by a Starbucks employee serving her that they did not accept cash payments

Ms Thomas said that after being grabbed and thrown out of the Starbucks, the store manager slammed a glass front door shut with such ferocity that it smashed

Mr Andrews fumed: 'Starbucks just want to bury their head in the sand. Vanessa has sent them quite a few emails and from the responses we've had, it appears that they just want to forget about the whole thing.'

The couple are currently on holiday in Tenerife, which they said, is helping them come to terms with their ordeal.

Ms Thomas said: 'I'm still very shocked and upset by what happened and the holiday has certainly helped. I didn't behave in a bad way and don't expect to be treated like this while buying a coffee.

'I've had a lot of supportive messages from friends, they know what I'm like and I'm not the kind of person who has a problem with trans people or anybody else for that matter.'

A Starbucks spokesman said earlier this week: 'The licensee has confirmed that the partner (employee) no longer works at the company. Starbucks has no tolerance for behaviour of this kind and we are very sorry for the experience that this customer had.'

The company has been approached for further comment.
In what is one of the biggest hacks in social media history, scores of scam messages were pumped out from 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Kim Kardashian, Joe Biden, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos so that their followers would send them bitcoin.

All of the tweets, sent from the hacked accounts of the likes of Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg, Kanye West and Bill Gates in July 2020, urged the celebrities' millions of followers to send bitcoin to an account while promising to double their money if they did so.

Yesterday, Brit Joseph James O'Connor, 23, admitted to hijacking the celebrity Twitter accounts as part of a hacking campaign that left a 'trail of destruction' with unsuspecting victims swindled out of more than $180,000.

O'Connor, also known under an online alias as Plugwalk Joe, pleaded guilty in New York on Tuesday to his role in the hacking, in addition to stealing $794,000 in cryptocurrency, cyberstalking and online extortion.

The Briton, who was extradited to the US from Spain on April 26, admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. O'Connor was charged alongside fellow Briton Mason Sheppard, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli.

O'Connor is also believed to be behind an attack on actress Bella Thorne where he allegedly threatened to leak nude photographs he had obtained by hacking her SnapChat account unless she agreed to various demands.

Briton Joseph James O'Connor, 23, (pictured) has admitted to hijacking the celebrity Twitter accounts and stealing $794,000 in cryptocurrency after being extradited to the United States from Spain on April 26

Joseph James O'Connor is lead by Spanish police officers as he leaves a court after being arrested in connection with the hack in Estepona, Spain on July 22, 2021. He was later extradited to the US

Scores of scam messages were pumped out from 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Kim Kardashian (pictured), Joe Biden, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos so that their followers would send them Bitcoin

The hackers hacked Kim Kardashian's Twitter and asked her followers to send Bitcoin

O'Connor, from Liverpool, UK, will also forfeit more than $794,000 and pay restitution to victims, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum of 77 years in prison at sentencing on June 23.

The Briton, alongside the three other hackers, used social engineering tricks to get access to the Twitter accounts and send out tweets asking followers to send bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.

One hacked tweet from Biden read: 'I am giving back to the community. All bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back doubled! If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000. Only doing this for 30 minutes.'

Another tweet from Bezos read: 'I have decided to give back to my community. All Bitcoin sent to my address below will be sent back doubled. I am only doing a maximum of $50,000,000.'

Just days after the Twitter hack, O'Connor had laughed off any suggestion he was the one behind it.

'I don't care - they can come arrest me,' O'Connor told the New York Times in July 2020 about his links to the breach. 'I would laugh at them. I haven't done anything.'

But two years later, O'Connor admitted to being behind the major hack.

The July 2020 Twitter attack hijacked a variety of verified accounts, including those of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (pictured)

One hacked tweet from Biden read: 'I am giving back to the community. All bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back doubled! If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000. Only doing this for 30 minutes

The accounts of former President Barack Obama, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Bezos (pictured), Michael Bloomberg and Kanye West were also hit

Jeff Bezos was targeted in the Twitter hack

Scores of scam messages were pumped out from 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Kim Kardashian, Joe Biden, Elon Musk (pictured) and Jeff Bezos so that their followers would send them Bitcoin

Scores of scam messages were pumped out from 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Kim Kardashian, Joe Biden, Elon Musk (pictured) and Jeff Bezos so that their followers would send them Bitcoin

The attack reached over 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Elon Musk

In 2019 O'Connor and the three other hackers also used a technique known as sim card swaps to break their way into social media accounts of two media stars, not named in court filings but named in press reports as TikTok star Addison Rae and actress Bella Thorne.

The group threatened to release their private images and other information.

As a result, Thorne preemptively posted on Twitter that she had been 'threatened with my own nudes,' and posted screenshots of the text messages. Thorne said she was releasing the photographs so that the hacker would not be able to 'take yet another thing from me.'

O'Connor allegedly used Rae's TikTok account to post self-promotional messages, including a video in which his voice is recognisable, the US justice department said. He then threatened to release sensitive personal information related to Rae to individuals who joined a specified Discord server.

O'Connor is also said to have cyberstalked a 16-year-old girl and sent her nude pictures.

He also cyberstalked a minor and threatened them in June and July 2020. O'Connor called the local police several times and falsely claimed the victim was making threats to shoot people in order to put the minor in danger, the US justice department said.

O'Connor later called multiple family members of the victim and threatened to kill them, the department added.

In a separate case, the hackers used the same technique to steal $794,000 of virtual currency from a New York cryptocurrency company. Prosecutors said O'Connor will forfeit the money and pay restitution to the victims.

In 2019 O'Connor and the three other hackers also used a technique known as sim card swaps to break their way into social media accounts of two media stars, not named in court filings but named in press reports as TikTok star Addison Rae and actress Bella Thorne (pictured)

Barack Obama (left) and Bill Gates (right) were targeted in the Twitter hack in 2020

Kanye West was targeted in the Twitter hack in July 2020. O'Connor has now admitted to being behind the attack

'O'Connor's criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple people's lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm,' Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said in a statement.

'Like many criminal actors, O'Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States.

'But this (guilty) plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.'

'O'Connor has left an impressive trail of destruction in the wake of his wave of criminality,' said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.

'This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate.'

O'Connor was charged alongside compatriot Mason Sheppard of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli.

Sheppard, who US authorities previously said is also known as Chaewon, was 19-years-old when the crimes took place in July 2020.

O'Connor was charged alongside compatriot Mason Sheppard (pictured) of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli

Pictured: Sheppard's family's address (centre, white door) in Bognor Regis

US teenager Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested on Friday morning in Tampa

He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.

In July 2021, Florida teenager Graham Ivan Clark, the alleged mastermind of the hacking group, was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison under a plea agreement.

Clark, only 17 when he was charged, was sentenced to the maximum allowed under Florida's Youthful Offender Act.

Prosecutors said the schemes included gaining unauthorized access to social media accounts on Twitter in July 2020 as well as a TikTok account in August 2020. Along with his co-conspirators, O'Connor stole at least $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

The July 2020 Twitter attack hijacked a variety of verified accounts, including those of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk, who now owns Twitter.

The accounts of former President Barack Obama, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Kanye West were also hit.

The hackers used the accounts to solicit digital currency, prompting Twitter to prevent some verified accounts from publishing messages for several hours until security could be restored.
ITV has been hit with 4,165 Ofcom complaints after Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh prompted fury by calling the Buckingham Palace balcony 'terribly white' - making it the most complained about moment of the year.

Despite the overwhelming number of complaints, the broadcaster has maintained a wall of silence and refused to comment on the record figures released today.

Ms Andoh, who appeared as a guest during ITV's coverage of King Charles III's Coronation, made the comment when the royals were standing on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the traditional Red Arrows flypast.

The 60-year-old, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury in the Netflix show, said: 'Looking at all those young people, there is a bit of me that has gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to the terribly white balcony. I'm very struck by that.

'I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking: ''What are the nuances that they will inhabit when they grow?''

But her comments were met with a fierce backlash among disappointed viewers who pledged to report it to the watchdog.

The actress backtracked the following day, insisting in a BBC interview that she'd meant no offence - but that too sparked another furious response from listeners who criticised the presenter for failing to challenge her views. Instead, Radio 4 host Paddy O'Connell told Ms Andoh she had 'nothing to apologise for'.

Ofcom has now received a staggering 4,165 complaints, making it the most complained about moment this year. It has attracted almost double the amount of complaints made after a segment on the Jeremy Vine Show about junior doctors.

Adjoa Andoh stunned viewers by calling the Buckingham Palace balcony 'terribly white'

Ms Andoh said on Saturday: 'We have gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly white balcony. I am very struck by that'

News of the record number of Ofcom complaints prompted comments from some of Britain's top journalists.

Former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie tweeted: 'I see there have been 4,165 complaints to Ofcom about Adjoa Andoh calling the Palace balcony terribly white but surely there should be as many complaints about the hopeless ITV news presenter Tom Bradby for not taking her to task. Not a journo, just an overpaid autocue reader.'

Numerous people took to Twitter to voice their outrage. with one commenter slamming her comments as 'ridiculous' and asking: 'How can she get away with that? Any white person would have to make a public apology.'

In comparison, Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show was hit with 2,250 complaints after a discussion about junior doctors' pay dispute.

Ms Andoh's comments prompted a major backlash on social media, with one Twitter user asking: 'Why is it OK to dismiss a white family for being white?'

A second said: 'I'm disappointed in Adjoa Andoh. The #Coronation focused on promoting positive race relations & representing modern Britain.

'There were many people from diverse backgrounds who had prominent positions yesterday, and yet Adjoa chose to discriminate with her divisive comment.'

And a third added: 'Why make such an appalling #whitebalcony comment?! Appalling.'

Andoh later appeared on BBC Radio 4 to clarify what she meant and apologise.

She said: 'I think I upset a few people yesterday.

'I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly going: 'Oh it's so white!' because the day had been so mixed and I didn't mean to upset anybody.'

Bridgerton Star Adjoa Andoh, pictured outside the BBC, insisted she 'didn't mean to upset anyone' after sparking backlash by calling the Buckingham Palace balcony 'terribly white' on Coronation Day

Most complained about TV moments ever 1 - Jerry Springer: The Opera - BBC 2 - 2005 55,000 for swear words and blasphemy. 2 - Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty race row - Celebrity Big Brother - 2007 44,500 after Goody called her 'Shilpa Poppadom'. 3 - Piers Morgan's comments about Meghan Markle - GMB - 2021 41,015 complaints after Morgan accused the duchess of lying about having suicidal thoughts. 4 - Jeremy Clarkson's comments about striking workers - The One Show - 2011 31,000 complaints after he said they should be 'executed in front of their families'. 5 - Ghostwatch 'death' - ITV - 1992 30,000 after viewers were left traumatised by a presenter being 'killed' by a ghost. 6 - Celebrity Big Brother 'punchgate' row - 2018 25,327 complained after Roxanne Pallett falsely claimed that fellow contestant Ryan Thomas had assaulted her. 7. Love Island barracking - 2021 More than 25,000 complaints over scenes showing Faye Winter shouting and swearing at Teddy Soares, after she was shown footage of him telling another Islander he was attracted to her. 8. Britain's Got Talent Diversity dance - 2020 24,500 complaints after the troupe did a dance that included a police officer kneeling on Ashley Banjo's neck. 9. EastEnders' baby swap - 2010 After discovering her had died from cot death, Ronnie secretly his body of her son James for Kat's Tommy. 10. Kim Woodburn on Loose Women - 2018 8,002 complained after an infamous argument between Celebrity Big Brother contestants Coleen Nolan and Kim Woodburn. Advertisement

The BBC is also facing backlash over the interview with Radio 4's Paddy O'Connell after he told Ms Andoh she had 'nothing to apologise for'.

One Twitter user said in response: 'Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh has just tried to back track on @bbcradio4, about her comment that the Buckingham Palace balcony was 'terribly white'.

'And then the presenter Paddy O'Connell tells her that she's got nothing to apologise for. Please don't speak for me!'

Another critic tweeted that her comments were 'outrageous' and create 'division' while another said: 'Paddy O'Connell is an enabler. Where is the impartiality @BBCRadio4?'

The moment is now the most complained about of the year so far. In second place was a comment on the Jeremy Vine Show about junior doctors, which attracted more than 2,250 complaints for several supposed errors.

In third place was Capital Radio DJ Ant Payne's 'insensitive' joke about earthquake-hit Turkey.

The presenter, who hosts the 4pm to 7pm slot on the station, said while on-air on Monday February 13 that 'now is actually the best time' to start looking for 'cheap flights' to the country.

He also joked that listeners could 'get your teeth done while you are over there' and 'come back looking 19-years-old', adding: 'You will be on Love Island next year if you are doing that.'

A total of 1,430 complained as a result.

The most-complained about programme of 2022 was Love Island which received 2,360 complaints on July 17 after alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the villa.

In second place was I'm a Celebrity.... Get me out of here! from November 6-27 where viewers objected to the inclusion of Matt Hancock in the series.

Other notable complained about moments included 860 complaints against comments made by Richard Madeley about death threats to Keir Starmer on Good Morning Britain.

Another large talking point was Gary Neville's 'politicised' comments during the World Cup Final in 2022, which received 605 complaints as well.

Ms Andoh, 60, who plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, left fellow pundit Myleene Klass  who was sitting next to her  appearing bewildered as she made her comments.

The actress, who played Dr Isaacs in the psychological thriller Fractured, as well as DI Nina Rosen in BBC's Silent Witness, has enjoyed a successful career in TV, film and on the stage.

She made her Hollywood debut in 2009 in Clint Eastwood's hit-film Invictus alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

Andoh (left) stunned her ITV co-stars when she referred to the Buckingham Palace balcony as being 'terribly white' during their live Coronation coverage

The actress plays Lady Danbury, pictured left, in the popular period TV series Bridgerton

Ms Andoh made her Hollywood debut in 2009 in Clint Eastwood's hit-film Invictus alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

Ten years later, she co-directed and played Richard II at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, in the UK's first all women-of-colour production.

READ MORE: The most controversial programmes of 2023 revealed Advertisement

Ms Andoh's comments come after TV historian Professor David Olusoga warned that the future of the monarchy was 'open to discussion' and that it could be a struggle to modernise.

The University of Manchester professor told the BBC: 'Now a new reign formally begins, lots of questions about the monarchy and his role are up for discussion as they always are and always have been.

'I think it's more difficult with a thousand-year-old ceremony to reflect the fact that we are one of the most secular nations in the world.

'There's only so much you can modernise a thousand-year-old ceremony without it stopping being that ceremony.'

He added: 'I'd like to think that he'll find ways of modernising the Royal Family but I do think it's a challenge.'

Ms Andoh said that she made the comment because the Westminster Abbey service (pictured) had featured 'rich diversity'

Radio presenter Paddy O'Connell told Adjoa that she hadn't 'upset anyone'
The Archbishop of Canterbury took aim at the Government's immigration policy again today as peers began their attempt to water down a new law to tackle Channel boat arrivals.

Justin Welby used a rare speech in the House of Lords to attack the Illegal Immigration Bill, which would make it easier to deport people arriving on the UK's shores.

He told the upper chamber the law 'fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility, and our political and international interests', and said he would personally table an amendment.

Ahead of the legislation returning to the red benches, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk today urged peers not to stand in the way of the 'will of the British people' by blocking the UK Government's migration policies.

The Archbishop, who crowned Charles III on Saturday, told the chamber that a new law was needed to stop the boats and end the role of 'evil' traffickers.

But he added: 'We need a Bill to reform migration. We need a Bill to stop the boats. We need a Bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that without much change this is not that Bill.'

The intervention is his second major rebuke of the Government's treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

Justin Welby used a rare speech in the House of Lords to attack the Illegal Immigration Bill, which would make it easier to deport people arriving on the UK's shores.

The bill is aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda. Migrants are pictured arriving in small boats last month

Ahead of the legislation returning to the red benches, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk today urged peers not to stand in the way of the 'will of the British people' by blocking the UK Government's migration policies.

The Archbishop, in a speech to the Lords last year, warned against 'harmful rhetoric' that treats those arriving in the UK as 'invaders'.

He has previously called for a better system based on 'compassion, justice and co-operation across frontiers'.

This afternoon he highlighted the existing global agreements on refugees, saying: 'While now inadequate, what those conventions offer is a baseline from which to build a globally shared understanding of what protection must be given to refugees.

'They are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary.'

He added: 'Even if this Bill succeeded in temporarily stopping the boats, and I don't think it will, it won't stop conflict or climate migration.'

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick accused the archbishop of being 'wrong on both counts' after the Anglican leader said the plan was 'morally unacceptable and politically impractical'.

Mr Jenrick told the BBC's World At One: 'It's important that the House of Lords plays its constitutional function scrutinising legislation but I strongly disagree with some of the comments that have been heard in the House of Lords today. This is the right approach.

'We have to tackle illegal migration and we have to bring control back to our borders.'

Asked about the archbishop's comments in the Lords earlier on Wednesday, Mr Jenrick said: 'Well, he's wrong on both counts.

'Firstly there's nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue... I disagree with him respectfully. By bringing forward this proposal we make it clear that if you come across illegally on a small boat you will not find a route to life in the UK.'

He added: 'That will have a serious deterrent effect.'

Downing Street defended the Illegal Migration Bill as 'compassionate and fair'.

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed Justin Welby's intervention was appropriate, his official spokesman said: 'Obviously it's right that the Lords are able to scrutinise this Bill.

'The Government for its part will continue to robustly defend it.

'We think it is about an issue of fairness and it is not right to allow people to be preyed upon by criminal gangs.'

Downing Street refused to be drawn on the Archbishop's criticism specifically but added: 'The Prime Minister does not think it is compassionate or fair to allow people who are jumping the queue over some of the most vulnerable people who are seeking to come here through safe and legal routes.'

Asked whether the Bill was morally acceptable, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'We think it is the compassionate and fair thing to do.'

The Bill includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

The clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants across the English Channel.

It comes as more than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023.

At least 260 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel last weekend while the rest of the country celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III, according to official figures.

On Saturday and Sunday the Home Office recorded 269 migrant arrivals into the UK.

The Archbishop, who crowned Charles III on Saturday, told the chamber that a new law was needed to stop the boats and end the role of 'evil' traffickers. But he added: 'The tragedy is that without much change, this is not that bill.'

The latest arrivals were seen on Monday morning after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel.

The group of adults and small children, all thought to be migrants, were seen wearing life jackets and disembarking in Dover.

Writing jointly for Times Red Box, Mrs Braverman and Mr Chalk said: 'We urge the House of Lords to look at the Illegal Migration Bill carefully, remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way, and back the Bill.'

But in a rare parliamentary move, Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, a former senior police officer, has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation, aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle.

His amendment argues the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments, allow ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine 'the UK's tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees', while failing to tackle the backlog of asylum cases or people smuggling gangs.

However, the blocking bid is destined to fail without the backing of the main opposition.

A Labour source said: 'We're not supporting the motion. If successful, which they never are, the Government could just Parliament Act the Bill in the next King's Speech and peers would lose the opportunity to make any amendments.

'It is therefore an irresponsible way to deal with legislation that has already gone through the the elected House.'
Oxford students will be given 'welfare resources' to help them cope with a talk by gender-critical professor Kathleen Stock.

The feminist philosopher is due to speak at the prestigious Oxford Union later this month, a move that has sparked outrage from campaigners.

Prof Stock was hounded out of her job at the University of Sussex after she was 'cancelled' for saying biological sex cannot be changed.

And she became the subject of a ruthless campaign of harassment from gender activists in a bid to oust her from her post.

She was accused of being a 'transphobic and trans-exclusionary speaker' by the university's LBGTQ+ society, which has demanded her invitation be rescinded.

Former philosophy lecturer Kathleen Stock resigned from Sussex University in October 2021

Protests against Dr Stock at Sussex University before she decided to quit two years ago

Ahead of the event, The Oxford Union said it will provide 'welfare resources' to students due to the 'sensitive nature' of the occasion.

A spokesman said: 'The Oxford Union is deeply committed to its core foundational principle of free speech.

'In light of this, the Society will take active steps to ensure that the event on May 30th goes ahead as planned.

'We acknowledge that some of our speakers may hold views that some find offensive - but regardless believe that we must debate complex issues in full.

'Given the sensitive nature of Dr Stock's views, welfare support will be available.'

Dr Stock's Oxford Union appearance on May 30 was announced in the society's 'term card'

Most of the Oxford Union's members are current or former Oxford students (file picture)

Pressured into resigning, Prof Stock received a flurry of threats when she said biological sex cannot be changed in 2021.

A hate mob plastered the campus with posters accusing her of 'transphobia'.

And vile posters were put up near the university's campus claiming she made trans students 'unsafe'.

Matthew Dick, president of the Oxford Union, said the event would go ahead but member's welfare will be 'attended to' during the event.

He said: 'The Union aims to challenge Professor Kathleen Stock's views and provide a platform for members to question her beliefs in a "mini-debate" format, where members will have an automatic right of reply to their questions, so to uphold the freedom of expression of our members as well that of Professor Stock.

Protestors gathered in Library Square at Sussex University to rally against Dr Stock in 2021

The phrase 'Stock Out' was seen written on walls around the campus at Sussex University

'The Union assures its members' welfare will be attended to during the event, providing welfare spaces devoted to this, and encourages dissenting members to challenge Professor Stock's opinions, as the Union is devoted to promoting free speech both ways.'

The rise of 'no-platforming' has seen high-profile speakers banned from holding talks on campus, often at the 11th hour.

They include former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was dis-invited by an Oxford University group over links with the Windrush Scandal.

And Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, who in 2019 had his offer of a visiting fellowship at Cambridge rescinded after the student union complained that his views were 'not representative of the student body'.
Taylor has been charged with child neglect, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm as to endanger a child

Deja Taylor said that she 'takes responsibility for her son' following the incident at Richneck Elementary in Virginia

The mother of a six-year-old boy who shot his teacher in the classroom says her son felt 'ignored' in the days before the incident.

Deja Taylor says her child had always 'really liked' Abby Zwerner, 25, but talked a lot in the week before the incident, saying that she 'wasn't listening' to him.

He opened fire on his first-grade teacher on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School, in Virginia, and Zwerner has filed a $40million lawsuit against the school and district.

Speaking for the first time since the incident Taylor told Good Morning America that her son was suspended the week before the shooting for 'knocking the phone' out of his teacher's hand 'on accident.'

But Zwerner said that the child was 'violent' in the lawsuit, claiming that he 'slammed the cellphone on the ground so hard that it cracked and shattered.'

Deja Taylor (center) says her child had always 'really liked' Abby Zwerner, but talked a lot in the week before the incident saying that she 'wasn't listening' to him

He opened fire on his first-grade teacher on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School, and Zwerner has filed a $40million lawsuit against the school and district

Her lawsuit also states that the boy had a 'history of random violence' and that he 'attacked students and teachers alike.'

Taylor described her son as a 'great' and 'energetic kid', claiming he doesn't talk about the incident, but he does speak about the 'day or two days before'.

She said: 'He has ADHD. Some people have it mildly. He's off the wall. Doesn't sit still ever. He had started medication and he was meeting his goals academically.

'He actually really liked her. I will say that week, he did come home and he was talking a lot about how he felt like he was being ignored.

'He would come home, and say "Mom, I don't think she was listening to me. I didn't like that."

'He ended up getting suspended the next day because he was in class, he was trying to tell her something and she asked him to go sit back down.

'He threw his arms up and said fine. When he put his arms up he knocked the phone out of her hand on accident. He got suspended for that. '

Lawyer for the family, James Ellenson, said that the school enrolled the boy with full knowledge of his past behaviors.

"I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for his self."



The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher breaks her silence to @LinseyDavis. https://t.co/0D5udKp2VK pic.twitter.com/bMxdsinCh8  Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2023

Taylor described her son as a 'great' and 'energetic kid', claiming he doesn't talk about the incident, but he does speak about the 'day or two days before'

The school reportedly told the family that they were no longer required to be present in the classroom, a request they made in the fall due to the boy's behavior challenges

Ellenson said: 'If they believed all of these behaviors to be true, then they should not have allowed him to advance to a higher level.

'They should've put him back into kindergarten, possibly even pre-K, but at the minimum to kindergarten.'

He added that 'no adult knows exactly how he got the gun', with Taylor confirming the gun was bought legally and was kept locked away.

When asked if she felt responsible for the incident, Taylor said: 'Yes, of course.

'That is my son so I am, as a parent, I would be willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself.

'I truly would like to apologize and that out of the incident, she did get hurt. We were kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. She is a really bright person.'

The school reportedly told the family that they were no longer required to be present in the classroom, a request they made in the fall due to the boy's behavior challenges.

The 25-year-old first-grade teacher survived the attack. She was shot at point-blank range, and the bullet went through her hand and into her chest

The bullet first pierced Abby's left hand, ripping through the middle bone, index finger and thumb

Taylor has been charged with child neglect, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm as to endanger a child. Her trial is set for August.

Zwerner's lawsuit claims that Newport News School District and Richneck Elementary officials ignored multiple warnings about the student's behavior, as well as concerns that he may have a gun.

Lawyers for the school board have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming her injuries are covered under the state's worker's compensation law.

They claim that she was approved to receive the benefits, but she turned them down.

She was shot one, but the bullet pierced through her hand and into her chest, where fragments of it still remain.

Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano, pictured, told a news conference in January that multiple teachers had alerted school administrators to the boy's troubling behavior prior to the shooting

Children at Richneck Elementary School held a candlelight vigil for the beloved teacher following the shooting

Speaking in March Zwerner said that she thought she was going to die, and that shell never forget the look on his face.

Zwerner said she still 'can't make sense' of the shooting, but that her first thought when he pulled out his weapon was to ensure the other kids in the class were safe.

Talking to NBC's TODAY show she said: 'Some days I can't get up out of bed, then some days are better than others, where I can make it to my appointments. I try to stay positive and have a positive outlook on what's happened,' she said.

'There's some things I'll never forget and I just will never forget. The look on his face while he pointed the gun at me. It's changed me. It's changed my life. You can't make sense of it. I'm not sure when the shock will ever go away.

'The vivid memories that I have of that day... sometimes I have nightmares.'
A trans predator was jailed for nine years today for raping a 'vulnerable' friend with 'her penis' - just weeks after being released from prison for child sex offences.

Lexi-Rose Crawford, 24, began identifying as a woman after being released on licence from a four-year jail term imposed for having sex with an underage girl she met online.

A jury heard how she went on to attack the latest victim in her own home, after taking a PlayStation to the address so they could play computer games.

The defendant, who was referred to as 'Miss' throughout her March trial, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and returned to Bristol Crown Court for sentencing today.

Judge Michael Longman described her offences as 'especially shocking'.

Crawford's conviction came in the wake of the sentencing of Scottish trans rapist Isla Bryson, who was jailed for eight years in February for attacking two vulnerable female victims in their own homes while living as a man.

Bryson, 31, began transitioning from male to female after being charged with the rapes, and was initially held in an all-women's prison after being found guilty. She is now serving her sentence at HMP Edinburgh, a men's jail.

Pervert Lexi-Rose Crawford, 24, has been locked up for nine years after carrying out her latest attack on her 'extremely vulnerable' victim. Pictured outside court today

It is expected that under new government guidelines she will serve her term in a male prison

During today's sentencing hearing, prosecutors outlined the attack and repeatedly referred to 'her penis' being used to carry out the rape in the victim's own home in April 2019

The judge told Crawford: 'Given your previous record of offending, these convictions are particularly serious, given that the victim was your friend and a friend you knew to be vulnerable herself.

'You were a guest in her home at the time. That is also especially shocking and the sense of betrayal is perfectly understandable.'

In a personal impact statement read to the court, the victim said the attack had left her so traumatised she had to move out of her home, and had repeatedly attempted suicide.

She added: 'Before that day I did have some mental health issues such as PTSD but I believe I was making progress. What Lexi did that day sent me back to square one.

'I was having flashbacks and night terrors about what happened. I could not live there anymore and became homeless.'

She added: 'Lexi was supposed to be my friend and I feel betrayed by her.'

Crawford's conviction came in the wake of the sentencing of Scottish trans rapist Isla Bryson (pictured), who was jailed for eight years in February for attacking two vulnerable female victims in their own homes while living as a man

Bryson, 31, began transitioning from male (pictured) to female after being charged with the rapes, and was initially held in an all-women's prison after being found guilty. She is now serving her sentence at HMP Edinburgh, a men's jail

Prosecutor Gregory Gordon told the court Crawford, a former volunteer guitar technician, 'now identifies as female' and was 'good friends' with the victim. He said she had contacted the woman via Facebook, arranging to go to her address.

He added: 'She sat on the sofa and went to kiss the victim who said "no, stop" because she wasn't her girlfriend.'

The prosecutor said the defendant then pulled the victim down to the floor and was 'not listening to the victim's protests to stop.'

He added: 'She began to touch the victim sexually - (the victim) pulled the defendant's hands away. She said 'stop, I don't want this' making it abundantly clear.

'She was told repeatedly to stop but wouldn't listen.'

The rape indictment specified that 'her penis' was used during the rape on the formal indictment used in court, and Mr Gordon repeatedly referred to 'her penis' being used to carry out the rape during this morning's hearing.

During her trial, Crawford had claimed to suffer blackouts and couldn't remember the attack but this was dismissed as a 'convenient excuse' by prosecutors.

The defendant was convicted by a jury after just two hours of deliberations.

Judge Longman told her that whether she remembered the attack or not, it was 'clear' she had ignored the victim's wishes and 'carried on regardless'.

Crawford, a biological male formerly known as Dominic Risden, began to identify as a female and changed her name after being released from a four-year jail term for child sex offences

But within weeks of being freed on licence in January 2019 and the start of her using feminine pronouns, Bristol Crown Court heard she raped a vulnerable friend after going to her flat to play computer games

Judge Longman said he balanced aggravating and mitigating factors including Crawford still being on licence and said the sentence of the earlier offences were 'powerful and serious' aggravating factors.

He sentenced Crawford, from Bristol, to nine years for the rape charge and six and half years for the sexual assault that would run concurrently.

Charley Pattison, defending, said mitigating factors included Crawford being only 20 at the time of the attack.

She said: 'It is difficult for her to express remorse. There has been some element of blocking things out and not wanting to think about what happened - but there is an element of remorse for what happened.

'She accepts the verdict of the jury but wants the jury to take into account her age, and what she's been through.'

Crawford will remain on licence once she is released after no later than two thirds of her sentence and will be on the sex offenders register 'indefinitely'. A restraining order was also made.

Under new guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year, transgender women who have male genitalia or who are convicted of sexual offences will automatically be sent to a male prison unless there are exceptional circumstances.
He's continually hailed the success of the Elizabeth line since it opened, and would no doubt have been hoping to do the same on its first birthday later this month.

But any plans Sadiq Khan had to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the east-rail rail line have been ruined after a union confirmed it would strike on the big day.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) on the Elizabeth line will strike on May 24 - the date last year that the first train ran in the new tunnels from Paddington to Abbey Wood. They will also ban overtime from May 27 to June 4.

Transport for London (TfL) has not yet confirmed what impact the strike could have, but it is expected that the central section of the line could have to shut on May 24.

The industrial action is due only three days after the Elizabeth line's full timetable is finally launched on May 21, which will mark the final stage in its protracted opening.

But he TSSA claims that many staff on the Elizabeth line are paid tens of thousands of pounds less than colleagues performing similar roles on other parts of the TfL network, such as the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan embraces Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford as they travel on the first eastbound train on the Elizabeth Line from Paddington on May 24, 2022

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for a selfie on the first Elizabeth line train on May 24, 2022

People queue for the Elizabeth line at Paddington station before the first train on May 24, 2022

The first passengers for the Elizabeth line at Paddington go down an escalator on May 24, 2022

The workers have already rejected a 4 per cent pay rise for this year and a 4.4 per cent increase for next year.

From Cross London Rail Links to Crossrail: A 21-year timeline of the capital's Elizabeth line London's Crossrail project has suffered numerous setbacks over the past two decades, as follows: January 2002: Cross London Rail Links Ltd, a joint venture between the Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London (TfL), is set up to develop plans for Crossrail. July 2004: The Government commits to introducing legislation to enable Crossrail to proceed. October 2007: Prime Minister Gordon Brown gives the green light for the project. It is expected to cost 15.9 billion and open in December 2017. May 2009: London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Lord Adonis break ground on the project at Canary Wharf. October 2010: Crossrail's budget is cut to 14.8 billion in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government's comprehensive spending review. Its opening date is pushed back 12 months to December 2018. January 2014: The National Audit Office says the scheme is 'just behind schedule', adding that Crossrail Ltd 'remains confident' it will open on time. May 2015: Tunnel boring is completed as a tunnelling machine named Victoria arrives at Farringdon. Some 13 miles of new tunnels have been dug under London. February 2016: The Queen visits Bond Street station and announces the railway will be named the Elizabeth line in her honour. July 2018: Rail minister Jo Johnson announces that Crossrail's budget has risen to 15.4billion as 'cost pressures have increased across the project'. August 2018: Crossrail Ltd announces it will miss its December 2018 opening date but the central section 'will open in autumn 2019'. The project is suffering from construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems. December 2018: TfL says Crossrail may be delayed further and could require a 2billion funding boost, taking the cost up to 17.6billion. The Government, TfL and London Mayor Sadiq Khan agree a financial package. December 2018: Sir Terry Morgan resigns as chairman of Crossrail Ltd and HS2, days after predicting he would be sacked. He is replaced at Crossrail by London Underground managing director Mark Wild. April 2019: A 'delivery window' between October 2020 and March 2021 is announced for the central section of Crossrail. November 2019: Crossrail Ltd announces that the railway will open 'as soon as practically possible in 2021'. The cost has increased by up to 650 million to 18.25billion. January 2020: The 'latest assessment' is that services will commence in summer 2021. July 2020: Crossrail Ltd says the railway will not open in summer 2021 because of delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It does not give an updated schedule. August 2020: It is announced that the line will open in the first half of 2022. July 2021: The National Audit Office says the estimated total cost of Crossrail is 18.9billion. May 17, 2022: The Queen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visit Paddington station to celebrate the completion of Crossrail. May 24, 2022 : Elizabeth line services are launched in three sections. The line has services on Monday to Saturday from Paddington to Abbey Wood. Services from Reading and Heathrow to Paddington, and from Shenfield to Liverpool Street, are rebranded from 'TfL Rail' to the 'Elizabeth line'. November 6, 2022: The three sections are integrated. Services from Reading and Heathrow now operate through to Abbey Wood. Services from Shenfield will go through to Paddington. May 21, 2023: The full timetable of up to 24 trains per hour is scheduled to be introduced, with direct trains from Shenfield to Heathrow for the first time - but not from Shenfield to Reading. Advertisement

This is the second strike on the 18.9billion Elizabeth Line in recent months, after TSSA and Prospect unions members took action in the same dispute on January 12, which closed the line between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

Commuters travelling through London have also faced disrupted services on the line on other days of national strike action over the past year.

TSSA members work in roles including 'traffic managers', 'service and infrastructure', and 'incident response manager' grades.

The union's organising director, Mel Taylor, said: 'We've been in talks with management for almost a year now, yet the majority of our members have been offered an uplift of just over 1 per cent to make up for the huge pay differentials.

'Elizabeth line staff work weekends, nights and even Christmas Day, operating the world's only fully digital railway, but many earn less than two thirds of the salary paid to other TfL staff in similar roles.

'Our members don't want to have to take strike action, but they've had enough.'

The overtime ban from May 27 to June 4 will mean a refusal to work rest days and special spare shifts.

During this period there will also be a 'removal of goodwill', which the TSSA defines as including no covering duties of other roles and grades, only working contracted hours and taking all contractual breaks, no out-of-hours communications and no taking on of contingency duties caused by strike action.

Howard Smith, director of the Elizabeth line, told MailOnline today: 'Strikes are bad news for everyone, and we have worked with the TSSA to try to resolve this dispute, including undertaking a separate benchmarking exercise to review the competitiveness of the salary ranges on offer.

'We urge them to continue to work with us rather than resorting to industrial action.'

TfL has made a two-year offer of a 4 per cent increase for 2022 and then a 4.4 per cent increase in 2023.

Sources say that in practice, individual salaries would be increased above this in 2023 as a result of a separate benchmarking exercise undertaken with the TSSA's involvement.

They also insist that TfL remains open to talks with the TSSA.

Earlier this week, RMT workers voted to strike for another six months, paving the way for a second 'summer of discontent' on the railways.

The union balloted 20,000 staff at 14 train operators on whether to carry on striking until November in the absence of a better pay offer.

Just over 91 per cent voted yes on a turnout of just under 69 per cent. It effectively means they snubbed the latest offer of 9 per cent over two years.

Train drivers' union Aslef has also vowed to carry on striking, meaning holidaymakers and commuters face another summer of chaos.

In March, 20,000 RMT members who work for Network Rail accepted a 9 per cent rise in a separate dispute.

But the standoff involving the 14 train operators covering most of England and Wales has remained unresolved, along with the Aslef one.

In March, MailOnline revealed that the Elizabeth line will not run any direct trains between each end of the network when the final full timetable is launched on May 21.

The two far end points of the line in Reading and Shenfield will not be connected by through trains  with passengers instead having to change in the central section.

The line will continue to run from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood, as it has done since last November, and also now from Shenfield to Heathrow from May 21.

But the full timetable revealed there will be no direct Reading to Shenfield services, despite TfL previously heralding the line as a 'new east-west railway'.

TfL told MailOnline this was because of very low demand for journeys between the eastern and western sections of the line, based on customer journey patterns. It added that there were never plans for trains to run direct from Shenfield to Reading.

But it has also emerged that at Acton Main Line and Hanwell, there will be almost no direct services to Shenfield or Reading - with these West London stations only served by trains between Abbey Wood and Heathrow every 15 minutes, as they currently are.

Prince William and Kate Middleton on an Elizabeth line train at Acton Main Line last Thursday

The Queen opened the Elizabeth Line with Prince Edward at Paddington on May 17, 2022

An Elizabeth line Class 345 train at Maidenhead railway station in Berkshire (file picture)

The Elizabeth line map, included in the new timetable valid from May 21. [CLICK TO EXPAND]

The only exceptions are after 11pm each evening and before 10am on Sundays when there will be a handful of direct trains calling at Acton and Hanwell when running from Heathrow to Shenfield  but these are at useless times for most commuters.

READ MORE Rail union votes for more strikes - and another summer of chaos for passengers Advertisement

The Crossrail project suffered numerous issues including construction difficulties and complications installing signalling systems which delayed the opening multiple times.

In 2007, the line was given an opening date of December 2017, and set a budget of 14.8billion in 2010. But the estimated final cost was 18.9billion, including 5.1billion from the Government.

Only later this month will the line finally run its full service, following a staggered opening since May 24, 2022 that has seen the timetable extended in stages.

It opened last May in three sections - from Reading/Heathrow to Paddington, Liverpool Street to Shenfield and the new Paddington to Abbey Wood section.

Then in November last year, the second stage began which saw through trains start running from Reading/Heathrow to Abbey Wood and Shenfield to Paddington.

The final stage from May 21 will see services start running from Shenfield to Heathrow, as well as the current Reading/ Heathrow to Abbey Wood offering.

But there will be no direct trains from Shenfield to Reading  with trains from Shenfield instead forking off after Hayes and Harlington to terminate at Heathrow.

However, despite all of its woes the Elizabeth line has been a big hit with passengers in terms of usage - with more than three million journeys a week now taken on the network. It also now accounts for one in six rail passengers across Britain.

It was revealed in March that the line had carried 125million passengers over its first ten months.

Last week, it was used by Prince William and Kate Middleton to visit a pub in Soho. They boarded a train at Acton Main Line and got off at Tottenham Court Road.
A junior doctor exposed himself at a West End tapas restaurant and a shopping centre all in the same day.

Canadian Mohammed Farooq, 40, was seen touching himself at Salt Yard in Goodge Street on April 8.

Farooq, of Croydon, south London, had earlier admitted two counts of exposure and two of outraging public decency at Isleworth Crown Court.

Prosecutor Leila Nahaboo-Osman earlier said the female complainant had gone to a toilet in the restaurant.

Canadian Mohammed Farooq, 40, was seen touching himself at Salt Yard in London

'On her way out she saw the defendant performing the sex act.

He also made sexual comments towards her. She describes wanting to get out as soon as she saw him.

He is a junior doctor.

Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush was the other place Farooq went to expose himself

Farooq also exposed himself at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush the same day.

He was due to be sentenced at the same court today but refused to appear.

Farooq was remanded in custody while psychiatric reports are prepared.
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A man who is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in East Harlem while dressed in a teddy bear T-shirt already has a lengthy rap sheet, it has emerged.

Geovanni Romero Gonzales, 26, was charged with rape, robbery, stalking and sex abuse and was perp-walked after being arrested at a Randalls Island shelter.

In a bid to track him down, police released images of the man, who is believed to be homeless, wearing a black T-shirt with a teddy bear design on the front and carrying a Target shopping bag.

He was handcuffed and shepherded out of the NYPD Special Victims Division on Tuesday night.

It has since emerged that the suspect is already under investigation for exposing himself to girl in a subway station, resisting arrest and drugs charges.

Geovanni Romero Gonzales, 26, is accused of raping a woman in East Harlem. He was handcuffed and shepherded out of the NYPD Special Victims Division on Tuesday night

The images released by the NYPD in a bid to track down the suspect. Geovanni Romero Gonzales, 26, is seen here wearing a teddy bear T-shirt

According to the police, the 21-year-old woman was attacked at 1.40am on Monday near East 111st Street and Second Avenue in Harlem, New York City.

The suspect first made unwanted advances and tried to chat her up on the street - and then Romero Gonzales chased after her and allegedly raped her, police said.

Following the attack, he allegedly took her bag and snatched her cell phone before fleeing the scene.

The victim was taken to hospital to receive medical attention.

Romero Gonzales was found and arrested at the Randalls Island shelter on Tuesday morning.

As he was lead to a police car to transport him to court, Gonzalez is said to have denied knowing anything about the attack.

The suspect is seen being perp-walked on Tuesday night

Romero Gonzales was found and arrested at the Randalls Island shelter on Tuesday morning

Romero Gonzales is handcuffed and taken to court

It's understood that he already has a criminal rap sheet

According to NYDN, he said: 'I dont know, sir. I dont know.'

This is not the first time the alleged rapist has had a run in with the law.

Gonzalez is currently facing two open criminal cases in Queens, NYC.

He allegedly exposed himself and rubbed his genitals on a 15-year-old girl in the 82nd St. station of the 7 train in 2021, NYDN reports.

And recently in January, he was charged with second-degree assault and harassment using the threat of physical contact and resisting arrest.

On April 8, he was arrested on drug charges, the newspaper reports.
Republicans are digging in on over $10 million received by Biden family members from foreign actors, including previously undisclosed $1 million in Romanian-linked payments, and a 'web' of 20 companies created while President Joe Biden was vice president and pushing anti-corruption efforts abroad.

On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Republicans led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released a 'Second Records Memorandum' that expands on information it received from subpoena returns as the committee continues its investigation into the Biden family's business practices.

The memo specifically outlines the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president. It also accuses President Biden for a 'lack of transparency' regarding his family's receipt of funds from China, which he has said are 'not true.'

It details the efforts by the family to hide, conceal and confuse sources of money - including more China money, according to a committee aide.

'The White House refuses to correct the president's statement. The president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes,' said Comer during a press conference announcing the memo Wednesday.

During Biden's time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a 'complicated corporate structure' the memo states.

Hunter Biden and his associates, including Rob Walker, formed 'at least 15' of those companies, after Biden took the office of the vice president in 2009.

Several of those entities including Owasco P.C. - which Hunter owned - Hudson West III, LLC, Robinson Walker, LLC, and Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC, accepted funds from foreign companies ranging from $5,000 to $3 million, the committee says.

During Biden's time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a 'complicated corporate structure' the memo states

The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot - a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses

This specifically is 'evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates' work, allege the Republicans who point to multiple anti-corruption speeches and meetings with Romanian leaders then-Vice President Biden engaged in between 2014 and 2015.

The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot - a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses.

Between 2015 and 2017, Robinson Walker, LLC received $3 million from Bladon Enterprises Limited - Popoviciu's Cypriot company - which was then paid out to Biden family members in a total sum of over $1 million.

The first payments were received by the LLC just weeks after then-Vice President Biden hosted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House and they discussed anti-corruption policies.

Biden family accounts gained $1.038 million from Robinson Walker, LLC in a series of 17 deposits, 16 of which were made while Biden was still in the White House. The payments went to associate James Gilliar, Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Owasco LLC and an 'unknown Biden bank account.'

'It appears from bank records the Bidens were using Robinson Walker, LLC to conceal that the source of these payments was Popovici,' the memo says.

According to emails from Hunter's laptop obtained by DailyMail.com, Popoviciu hired the president's son in 2016 as part of an influence campaign to persuade anti-corruption prosecutors to cut a deal or drop the case - all while his father was sitting vice president.

The memo also 'serves as a response to misinformation' Republicans say has been spread by President Biden, Democrats in Congress and their allies regarding the China-connected findings in a first memo released last month.

On March 16, Comer released a 'First Bank Records Memorandum' detailing a payment of $3 million in 2017 received by Biden family associate Rob Walker from a CEFC China Energy-linked firm State Energy HK Limited.

About $1 million of that money was then passed from Walker to several Biden family members - including Hallie Biden - in more than 15 incremental payments.

Biden, pictured in 2014, condemned corruption during a speech in Romania before his family allegedly received a $1million payment from a real estate tycoon convicted of bribery

Biden defended his son Hunter, saying last Friday evening during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that 'First of all, my son has done nothing wrong'

Hunter and Hallie Biden started dating after the death of her husband Beau Biden

'It is unclear what services were provided to obtain this exorbitant amount of money,' Comer said at the time of the first memo's release.

The new memo released Wednesday provides additional information about Ye Jianming and his company CEFC, including the role of the company's U.S. 'emissary' Gongwen Dong - which the lawmakers say is evidence of the Chinese Communist Party attempting to 'cultivate' a relationship with the Biden family directly.

The Republicans accuse Ye and Dong of 'enticing' Biden family members with millions of dollars 'in exchange for influence and legitimacy' in the U.S. and worldwide.

Dong set up multiple LLCs in the U.S., including in Delaware, under the variation of the phrase 'Hudson West,' including one in which Dong and Hunter Biden were each 50 percent owners.

The bank records show that between 2017 and 2018, Hudson West sent over $4 million to Hunter Biden's connected companies and $75,000 to James Biden's entities.

In addition, Hunter Biden's 'personal entity' of Owasco P.C. received $100,000 directly from CEFC Infrastructure in 2017.

Ian Sams, White House special assistant to the president and oversight spokesperson, blasted Comer in a statement ahead of the press conference calling out his 'absurd' attacks.

'House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points,' said Sams.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who is the ranking member on the Oversight Committee also slammed Republicans' findings saying they failed to 'provide factual evidence.'

'He continues to bombard the public with innuendo, misrepresentations, and outright lies, recycling baseless claims from stories that were debunked years ago.'

The Republican-led committee is committed to creating 'legislative solutions' that would require more transparency into the vice president or president's immediate family - specifically into 'income, assets, and financial relationships' - the memo states.

As part of pushing for more transparency, Republicans say there needs to be strengthening of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws.

The committee is still scrutinizing whether ethics and financial disclosure laws should require a public official to publicly disclose the identities of the 20companies created by the Biden family.

The Biden family corruption and influence peddling has benefitted at least 12 family members, Comer has said - and includes wires to some of Biden's grandchildren, he confirmed Wednesday.

Additionally, Comer said Tuesday that he hopes DOJ will pay attention to the press conference and consider the information that he and his committee present.

Hunter Biden is facing federal tax and firearm charges out of a four-years-long probe by the Department of Justice.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-N.Y., questioned how the department's probe is being conducted during the press conference.

"It's interesting that the Department of Justice has been investigating Hunter Biden for quite some time. And we seem to just never really get anywhere. And so I think that's also interesting as well. I wonder what's going on in the Department of Justice,' said Donalds.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., added: "DOJ needs to get off its ass and investigate. We've done the work for them so they can't screw it up now."

The investigation into the first son being led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware is reported to be close to wrapping up soon - which means charges may be imminent.
A mother who fled to Britain after the Taliban killer her husband has said she will 'never recover' after her son was stabbed to death when two thugs in a case of mistaken identity.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both then 17, stabbed to death 16-year-old Rishmeet Singh after wrongly thinking he belonged to a rival gang in November 2021.

The pair chased Rishmeet down a street in Southall, west London, before inflicting 15 stab wounds - including five to his back - during a 27-second episode of heinous violence.

Rishmeet, an aspiring police officer who fled Afghanistan to escape the Taliban after they killed his father two years earlier, was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

Speaking outside court after her son's murderers were jailed for life, Rishmeet's mother Gulinder Kaur said: 'I just want to say I do not know what my child has done that they killed him in this way. My son has got proper justice. I do not want these people to come out. I want them to stay inside.'

Ilyas Suleiman (left) and Vanushan Balakrishnan, both 18, killed the teenager in a case of mistaken identity after wrongly thinking he belonged to a rival gang in November 2021.

Rishmeet Singh (pictured) was stabbed to death after being chased along a road in Southall in November 2021

Speaking outside court after her son's murderers were jailed for life, Rishmeet's mother Gulinder Kaur said: 'I just want to say I do not know what my child has done that they killed him in this way'

She added: 'Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him. No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Rishmeet was taken from us.

'He has been raised with so much love and now he's gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy. I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.

'Rishmeet was attending college completing a public service course and his ambition was to become a police officer, all he wanted to do was to help people.

'Rishmeet was well loved by all that knew him, he was a faithful boy and was very caring in his nature.

'His brutal and untimely death has taken away my lifeline as Rishmeet was also my registered carer.

'I will never recover from this evil act. I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son. Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me. They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again.'

Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, now 18, were today jailed for life with minimum terms of 24 years and 21 years respectively.

The pair, from Hillingdon, were found guilty of murder in March following a trial at the Old Bailey.

In a televised sentencing, Judge Sarah Munro KC told the defendants: 'This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager following a violent stabbing on the streets of London.

'This case is the more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim.

'He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence. It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him.'

Balakrishnan also admitted grievous bodily harm after a fellow inmate was left in a life-threatening condition in Feltham Young Offenders Institution on 1 July 2022. Marques Walker, 17, who was detained for at least 19 years yesterday for stabbing 14-year-old Jermaine Cools to death in Croydon, had taken part in the same attack.

In a televised sentencing, Judge Sarah Munro KC told the defendants: 'This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager'

The pair, from Hillingdon, were found guilty of murder in March following a trial at the Old Bailey (pictured)

The trial earlier heard how Rishmeet had been enjoying an evening at a park and was walking home when the two unknown males began running towards him at around 9pm on November 24, 2021.

The heinous lyrics and text messages sent between killers after the stabbing A review of Balakrishnans phone showed that he was reading news reports about Rishmeets murder just an hour after the incident. This included tributes from Rishmeet's family about his good character and their belief he was stabbed for a fake Gucci pouch he was wearing. On November 28, 2021, Balakrishnan wrote a note on his phone saying: 'Saw news statement it says a good yute but he was out with paigions [enemies.]' 'Stupid media it was a glide not for some stupid s*** he wears' A glide is entering gang territory with the intention of using violence against a rival gang. Just six hours before his arrest on December 2, Balakrishnan wrote on his phone: 'He tripped and got dipped into my dank.' A notebook later found at Balakrishnan's home contained the words: 'Feel my blade rip through his flesh. Bro told me u ready to go on a glide tonight. I was so excited like a kid going to a fun fair ride.' He also wrote: 'Tryna push my nank through his lungs. He got left screaming like alvin and the chipmunks and opps running I'm catching up so don't get cheffed (stabbed) in the back. But 1 tripped and fell he knew it was over when I was swinging by shank.' Advertisement

Rishmeet immediately began sprinting towards his friends, who were shouting 'run, run'.

But he tripped and fell to the floor in Raleigh Road, where one of the two defendants stabbed him five times in the back. The second attacker then stabbed him at least ten times, the court heard.

Police and medics were alerted by a member of the public and rushed to the scene, but Rishmeet was pronounced dead at 10.08pm.

The attackers were subsequently captured on CCTV fleeing and were identified by their clothing.

Following the arrest of Balakrishnan, police recovered a notebook containing rap lyrics glorifying the murder.

A picture of his blood-stained knife posted on social media after the murder was found on his mobile phone.

Balakrishnan had a previous conviction for possessing a Rambo knife, for which he was given a referral order in February 2021.

Rishmeet, meanwhile, had no involvement in street violence but the defendants mistakenly thought he was part of a rival gang.

The victim had actually fled Jalalabad in October 2019 to escape the clutches of the Taliban, who killed his father and had attempted to snatch Rishmeet himself.

When his mother and grandmother brought him to what they believed was the safety of the UK, he enrolled in a Public Service course with the hope of becoming a police officer as he wanted to help people.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple said: 'Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him.

'He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman.

'Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.

'There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.

'Balakrishnan and Suleiman left the flat that day with the intention of ending someone's life. Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.'
Carlson was abruptly taken off air at Fox News last month

Ousted Fox News star Tucker Carlson announced that he is relaunching a version of his show on Twitter.

In a three-minute video captioned 'We're back,' posted to his own Twitter page, the controversial cable star slammed the mainstream media and said that anyone who tries to tell the truth will be disposed of.

Before the announcement, Carlson's powerful attorneys sent an aggressive letter to Fox arguing that the $25million noncompete provision in his contract is no longer valid, which would in turn allow him to launch a competing show, or media entity.

In the video, Carlson, 53, told his followers: 'Starting soon we'll be bringing a new version of the show we've been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter.'

'We bring some other things too, which we'll tell you about. But for now we're just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.'

'The best you can hope for in the news business at this point is the freedom to tell the fullest truth that you can, but there are always limits,' Carlson told his fans.

'If you bump up against those limits often enough you will be fired for it. That's not a guess, it's guaranteed.'

Following the announcement, Elon Musk - who purchased the platform last October - clarified that he had not signed a deal with Carlson, and like other creators on the platform, the political host would generate his own revenue from advertising.

'I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators,' Musk tweeted, in response to Carlson's video.

'Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (still working on software needed for latter), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with his content.'

It has also been revealed that Carlson had a conversation with Musk about working together.

The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief executive added that he would like to see others, especially those who lean left, follow Carlson's lead.

The Twitter show would seem to violate Carlson's contract with Fox, but his attorneys' claim in their letter that Fox breached the contract first.

Carlson's contract technically runs through January 2025, and Fox reportedly wants to keep paying him until then, which would prevent him from starting a rival show.

The letter indicates that Fox employees, including 'Rupert Murdoch himself,' broke promises made to Carlson 'intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.'

Specifically, the letter alleged that Fox broke an agreement with Carlson not to leak his private communications to the media and not to use Carlson's private messages 'to take any adverse employment action against him.'

Axios reports Carlson cannot join a rival news organization or start one of his own under his $25-million-a-year contract with Fox, which expires in January 2025 (pictured Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, with his sons James and Lachlan in 2016)

Carlson and his wife Susan Andrews pictured for the first time after his dismissal since parting ways with Fox late last month

Behind the scenes videos of Carlson and several of his private communications have been leaked and reported on by multiple outlets. The material come from pre-trial discovery documents and the suggestion has been made they are, at least, the partial cause of his ousting.

Fox is, in fact, now demanding that an internal probe be conducted into the leak of Carlson's texts.

The letter alleged that Fox shattered promises to Carlson not to settle with Dominion Voting Systems 'in a way which would indicate wrongdoing' on the part of Carlson or to take any actions via settlement that would damage Carlson's image.

Axios reported that Carlson was told by a member of the Fox board that he was removed from air as part of the network's $787.5million Dominion settlement.

An attorney for Dominion claimed that the company did not insist on Fox firing Carlson as part of the settlement.

A spokesperson for Fox also claimed it is 'categorically false' that Carlson lost his job as part of the Dominion settlement.

Nonetheless, Carlson's attorneys believe and are arguing that the narrative spinning about Carlson after his abrupt exit amounts to a breach of contract because the network created additional terms of Carlson's employment that were then broken by the company.

'These actions not only breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the Agreement, but give rise to claims for breach of contract, and intentional and negligent misrepresentation,' read the letter.

Carlson is additionally claiming that Fox's Irena Briganti - the company's longtime PR and communications director - worked to 'undermine, embarrass, and interfere' with Carlson's future business opportunities, which he argues would amount to another breach of contract.

'Make no mistake, we intend to subpoena Ms. Brigantis cell phone records and related documents, which evidence communications with her and all media, including, but not limited to The New York Times,' read the letter.

A New York Times report indicates that the day prior to Carlson's Twitter announcement, he'd had a conversation with Fox CEO, Lachlan Murdoch - son of Rupert.

The newspaper reported the meeting was to discuss a possible exit from the company.

Carlson hosted his last show on April 21, telling the audience he would see them on Monday. After the weekend, there was no official reason given for why the company let their most-watched anchor go.

Fox News said that they had over 40 new advertisers move into the 8pm slot now occupied by Fox News Tonight since the firebrand presenter left the show.

Leaked text messages obtained by some outlets in the aftermath of Carlson's shocking departure implied that the host was looking to leave the company in the wake of the network's 2020 election coverage.
A prospector made a rare - and nearly deadly - find while digging for gold.

Chris Bogusis, 33, discovered a highly-venomous black mouse spider while looking for gold in the remote bush of northeast Victoria in late April.

Mr Bogusis shared a video of his encounter with the spider online.

'I found something way rarer than gold out metal detecting,' he said in the clip.

'While digging in a waste rock pile from an 1890s gold mine, I accidentally uncovered an incredibly dangerous animal.'

Gold prospector Chris Bogusis found a black mouse spider (above) while digging through a waste rock pile from an 1890s mine

I Picked Up Something I Shouldn't Have! Gold prospecting brings me to some remote locations most people don't go to. And I've been fortunate enough to come across several rare types of animals in my adventures. In this case, a rare example of a black Mouse Spider. It's more common, Red Headed Mouse Spiders, can be found across Australia's East Coast. However, comparatively little is known of the black Mouse Spider. Other than that, it shares the same venom as the Sydney funnel web spider. Ranked as the most venomous spider on earth. They live in burrows up to 50cm deep and ambush prey from their homes using a series of trip wires. Known to be aggressive, but also to deliver dry bites, they have not recorded any human fatalities unlike their funnel web counterparts. Go me for picking that up and putting it into the scoop  Posted by Vo-Gus Prospecting on Sunday, April 30, 2023

Footage shows the moment Mr Bogusis scooped the spider, hidden in a pile of dirt, into his shovel using his hand.

Just seconds later he spotted the large spider and was shocked by its large 'fangs'.

'Look at that - woah,' he said while poking the spider.

'There are not many things in Australia that get me nervous but spiders with fangs like that definitely do.'

The black mouse spider is found throughout Australia and its venom has been likened to the Sydney funnel-web spider's - one of the most dangerous spiders in the world.

While the mouse spider's venom isn't lethal it can cause severe illness, particularly in young children.

Mr Bogusis relocated the spider to a nearby tree and continued with his prospecting.

The black mouse spider is found throughout Australia and its venom has been likened to the deadly Sydney funnel-web spider's

Mr Bogusis (above) said he thought the spider was a funnel-web at first and was shocked by its large 'fangs'

He recalled the incident with Nine News earlier this week, saying he thought it was a funnel-web spider at first.

'I noticed a big, black squishy thing that was definitely not a rock,' he said.

'I'm just thankful that when I pushed it, it must have pushed it in butt first by the way it was oriented in the scoop.

'It was very unusual. I didn't see any of the webs, normally when you did up a funnel-web you see the webs and the silk.'
Australian Big Brother Italy star Monica Sirianni turned her back on fame to work as an English teacher before she mysteriously collapsed and died on a night out at a bar.

Local reports say the 37-year-old suddenly fell ill on Friday during a night out with friends in Sauveria Mannelli, a town in Italy's Catanzaro province.

She was rushed to a local hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead.

Ms Sirianni grew up in Sydney as the daughter of Italian parents who had emigrated from the southern region of Calabria before she was born.

She returned to her parent's homeland in her early twenties for a visit but liked it so much she decided to stay

Three years after relocating, the then 25-year-old, who had found work as an English teacher, auditioned for the 12th season of the hit reality show, which aired in Italy between 2011 and 2012.

Sydney born Monica Sirianni, 37, starred in the 2011-12 Italian season of Big Brother but had left the spotlight to return to work as an English teacher in the Lombardy region

Reports say the 37-year-old suddenly fell ill on Friday during a night out with friends in Sauveria Mannelli, a town in the Catanzaro province

She was the 12th person evicted from the Big Brother house but had famously struck up a romance with fellow contestant Fabrizio Conti.

They remained together for a while after the show but eventually ended their relationship.

She briefly returned to Australia for her sister's wedding in 2013.

By then she was doing some modelling work and was photographed for the social pages while attending Doncaster Day at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney before returning to Italy.

Shortly before entering the Big Brother house, Ms Sirianni had also enjoyed a brief television career as a presenter for a local tourism network.

She did a live crosses interviewing Italians in Reggio Calabria - a beachside city on the southern tip of Italy for Calabria TV.

While she didn't return to TV after Big Brother, she found consistent work as fashion model.

But at the time of her death she had returned to working as an English teacher in Lombardy in northern Italy, according to local media.

Ms Sirianni had only been in Catanzaro - two hours north of Reggio Calabria in the south - for a few days when she collapsed.

It is understood she was fond of the warm Mediterranean region as her parents were originally from there.

Ms Sirianni briefly worked as a television presenter before Big Brother. She is pictured here in a live cross promoting tourism in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria

Pictured in another live cross for her presenting role which Ms Sirianni gave up to return to teaching

According to reports, friends immediately raised the alarm after watching her collapse.

Paramedics rushed to the scene, and efforts were made to revive her, to no avail.

She was then rushed to the local Soveria Mannelli hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead.

Reports say that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of her sudden illness and death, with no information yet being released to the public, although reports said third party involvement has been ruled out.

It is understood that doctors have not ruled out the cause being a heart attack.

According to Gazzetta del Sud, her body will be repatriated to her parents in Sydney, Australia once the investigation is complete.

She spent about a month in the Big Brother house (pictured) where she had a relationship with fellow housemate Fabrizio Conti which ended shortly after the show

Monica Sirianni (pictured) was born in Australia to Italian parents who had emigrated from the southern region of Calabria before she was born

As the new broke about her death, tributes were paid on social media.

'I wanted to remember this beautiful girl Monica Sirianni, former competitor of Big Brother and now a teacher,' one person wrote on Twitter.

'She loved animals and would help them when she could,' another woman who works for an animal rescue agency said.

Another posted simply 'RIP', while someone else said that 'It doesn't seem true that she is no longer here.'

Others reminisced about watching her on Big Brother. 'At the time I still watched the program and I remember it, I'm very sorry! A hug to the family,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'OMG. I'm so sorry, condolences to the family.'
A Vermont District Attorney has been branded the 'Archie Bunker of prosecutors' after a damning investigation revealed he called a female colleague a 'whore,' told others to avoid fast food, and that Peloton bikes were for 'fat people like you.'

John Lavoie could be impeached - the first in 50 years in the state - for reportedly making the misogynistic, racist and ableist comments toward his female staff.

He's been compared to the All in the Family character Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor), who often made off-the-cuff off-color remarks.

Despite his fellow prosecutors' demand for his resignation, Lavoie has refused at least twice to step down, arguing that he's worked with the same people for decades, never got a complaint, and that he was simply joking.

'These are not people that I've met two, three months ago, these are people I've been with for 20 years,' he told NBC 5. 'I am the same guy that I have been all that time. And I guess I have to apologize for now suddenly being out of step and being with the times.

'I wonder if anyone thought to ask these employees - that are supposedly so upset with me - if they would like me to leave.'

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John Lavoie could be impeached - the first in 50 years in the state - for reportedly making misogynistic, racist and ableist comments toward his female staff - including telling them not to eat lunch and referring to one as a 'whore'

He's been compared to the All in the Family character Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor as Archie) , who often made off-color remarks

Lavoie, who did not receive a copy of the investigation report, reportedly apologized to his staff Tuesday.

Although the Executive Committee of State's Attorney cannot force Lavoie to resign, they have taken their case to the Professional Conduct Board, the State Ethics Commission and the Legislative Committee Impeachment Investigation.

John Campbell, the executive director of the committee, said: 'We are committed to ensuring that every member of the department, including our state attorneys, are held to these high standards. And most importantly, we are committed to protecting and supporting our state employees to ensure that their workplaces are free of harassment and discrimination.'

The damning report, which was released on April 27, detailed several allegations made by Lavoie's employees.

Several confirmed to investigators that Lavoie referred to one member of staff as a '[redacted] whore' and would often say things like: 'When [redacted] whore gets here, don't let her leave' and 'Where's [redacted] whore?'

He also reportedly referred to the same employee as a 'slut bag,' which he denied saying.

Lavoie, who has been an attorney for nearly 40 years, also allegedly used the 'c-word' 'on a regular basis' in the office, which was confirmed by two witnesses. The attorney denied ever crossing that line.

He also allegedly told another employee her boyfriend looked like a man before wiping the framed photo on his 'backside,' as well as pulling an employee's badge - which was on a lanyard around her neck - until it broke before stuffing it 'down the top of her dress,' and told another employee she had 'magnificent boobs,' the report read.

Lavoie also made several weight comments toward women in the office, including 'pinching' a woman's midsection and telling her: 'I don't think you need to eat lunch today.'

The employee had asked him if she should get KFC or Taco Bell for lunch as she was 'very hungry' before he made the hurtful remarks, causing the woman to cry through her lunch after she made a 'healthier' choice before throwing it out.

The young woman, who was considering a law career, later told a school counselor about the incident, the report said.

Another woman alleged he told her that Peloton bikes are 'for fat people like you' and 'he made me cry again.'

Lavoie denied either incident ever occurred.

In addition, to the misogynistic and sexist comments, Lavoie also reportedly used the n-word and at one point yelled: 'F****** n**** b****.'

Several employees were able to confirm to investigators that Lavoie refers to one employee as a '[redacted] whore.' He also allegedly told another employee her boyfriend looked like a man before wiping the framed photo on his 'backside,' as well as pulling an employee's badge - which was on a lanyard around her neck - until it broke before stuffing it 'down the top of her dress,' and told another employee she had 'magnificent boobs,' the report read

He also reportedly made fun of Indians and called Native Americans 'woo woo Indians.'

He also made degrading comments surrounding his employees' intelligence, as well as ableism comments.

Lavoie reportedly called his staff 'f*******' and 'retards,' and even told one of his employees: '[redacted] guess you aren't the office retard, maybe you are just autistic or maybe it's just Asperger's.'

He also referred to a disabled employee, who is paralyzed from the waist down, as a 'gimp,' the report stated.

Lavoie, a Democrat, won the state attorney position last year after working as a deputy attorney for 20 years in the office.

The allegations were brought to the department in March, and now the Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski announced they are taking the first steps to impeach Lavoie.

'We take this seriously. We want to ensure justice is served and we want to make sure that the process is fair, thorough, and transparent,' she said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The 'long and rigorous process' will start by creating a seven-person bipartisan committee to collect evidence.
The Utah mother accused of poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule texted a drug dealer friend asking for the 'Michael Jackson stuff' which she paid $900 for, according to her arrest warrant.

Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of murdering her husband Eric last March. Police say she gave him a Moscow Mule laced with a lethal dosage of fentanyl after trying to make herself the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy.

In the year since her husband's death, she has written a children's bereavement book titled Are You With Me?, which she promoted on local television.

Eric, who came from a prominent Mormon family in Kamas, Utah, was so convinced his wife was trying to kill him that he told his friends: 'If anything happens to me, it's her.'

Kouri Richins (left) was arrested on Monday in Utah and is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins (right), with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City

Court documents show the charges brought against Richins and how she paid $1800 for the pills allegedly used to kill her husband

He was even 'looking into a divorce', according to the search warrant that led to Kouri's arrest on Monday.

Kouri, a mom-of-three, has not yet responded to the allegations. Her attorney declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

According to the search warrant, Kouri texted a friend asking for 'the Michael Jackson' stuff in an apparent reference to fentanyl.

Jackson was killed in 2009 by a cocktail of prescription drugs like OxyContin and Demerol.

Kouri, in her text to the drug dealer, claimed the drugs were for a real estate investor who had a back injury.

Initially, she asked for hydrocodone - a prescription pain medication - which the dealer left for her in a house she was flipping.

Eric's family told investigators shortly after he died they suspected Richins had killed the father-of-three. Pictured: Kouri and Eric Richens with their three children

Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of murdering her husband Eric, 40, in their home in Kamas , a town near Park City, Utah, last March. She is shown promoting her book, Are You With Me, last month

Following his death, Richins wrote 'Are you with me?' - a picture book she wrote to help children cope after the death of a loved one

Then, she said the investor wanted 'something stronger'. She asked for 'some of the Michael Jackson stuff', and paid $900 for 30 pills and 'specifically asking for fentanyl'.

Three days later, on Valentine's Day, she and her husband had a meal at home, after which Eric became 'very ill'.

He told friends he believed he'd been poisoned, according to the warrant, but he survived.

Kouri went back to the dealer and bought another $900-worth of pills, according to the arrest warrant.

She used them to allegedly murder her husband on March 4.

Shortly after 3am, she called 911 to report her husband was unresponsive.
John Major has lashed out at the Tories' 'excessive zeal' to lock up criminals - arguing that many short sentences are 'pointless'.

The former PM said the push to be seen as tough on crime risked generating 'unwise policy', insisting non-custodial measures would be more effective and fair.

He also urged the new Justice Secretary to abandon Dominic Raab's proposals to give ministers more power to block Parole Board decisions, saying the system should not be politicised.

Sir John was prime minister when his home secretary, Michael Howard, told the 1993 Conservative Party conference that 'prison works'.

However, since Brexit he has become a regular critic of the Tories - and in particular Boris Johnson.

John Major has lashed out at the Tories' 'excessive zeal' to lock up criminals - arguing that many short sentences are 'pointless'

The intervention is Sir John's first on prisons and sentencing since his premiership  he called for a stronger focus on rehabilitation.

In a speech to the Prison Reform Trust at the Old Bailey last night, he said: 'Stern sentences for violent crimes are necessary, and the instinct to protect the public is laudable  but we should beware that excessive zeal to be tough on crime does not lead us into unwise policy.'

In the year to June 2022, 43,000 people were sentenced to a prison term, of which fewer than two in every five had committed a violent offence.

'The UK has the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe  and yet I find it hard to believe we British are uniquely criminal,' he said.

'Many prisoners  far too many, I believe  are sentenced to short-term imprisonment when other sentences would be preferable. In some cases, care and medical attention are called for rather than prison.

'To be blunt  my suspicion is that many short sentences are pointless and that a non-custodial sentence would be more effective and, perhaps, more fair.'

The former prime minister also warned of 'intolerable' conditions in some prisons, where two to three inmates are sometimes held in a Victorian cell built for one person.

'To have inmates held in worse conditions than in Victorian times is an indictment of policy that is hard to ignore,' he said.

Despite anger over high-profile cases, Sir John defended the Parole Board's ability to make decisions.

He pointed to the low reoffending rate  one in 200 prisoners  in the three years following release.

'This would suggest that the Parole Board is not a bunch of gullible softies,' he said.

Plans introduced by Mr Raab  who resigned from cabinet last month  to increase ministerial powers to veto board decisions may lead to a 'slippery slope,' Sir John told the audience.

'I understand that the former Justice Secretary sought the power to veto decisions made by what is allegedly the independent Parole Board, to release prisoners convicted of serious crimes,' he said.

'The problem with this is that I do not see how (or why) the Justice Secretary would be able to reach a more just decision than the Parole Board.

Sir John urged the new Justice Secretary to abandon Dominic Raab's (pictured) proposals to give ministers more power to block Parole Board decisions, saying the system should not be politicised

'Any single Government Minister  however able or well-meaning  would be far more vulnerable to public campaigns and, under pressure, to make a harsher decision to appease them.

'I do not think that any politician should have that power, and I hope the new Justice Secretary will reconsider or  if he does not  that Parliament will deny it.'

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'As the public would rightly expect, we are pressing forward with important reforms to strengthen the parole system and transform the prison estate to keep dangerous offenders behind bars and cut crime.'

'We have made great strides in steering offenders away from crime by getting them off drugs and in to work, and we are investing 550million to further reduce reoffending.'
The family say they are unhappy with the sentencing Brown received of 90 days

The family of a Texas State student, who was shot and killed by his neighbor through the wall of his apartment, is fighting for a county judge to review the sentencing of the shooter after he was sentenced to just 90 days in jail.

Austin Salyer, 20, was lying in bed inside his apartment when he was fatally shot at around midnight at his apartment in San Marcos, between Austin and San Antonio, in September 2021.

Gabriel Brown, now 24, claimed he accidentally fired at his neighbor through the wall while modifying a gun. He subsequently turned himself in but was not arrested.

Brown was later indicted for criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 180 days in jail: spending 18 days in custody over the course of both Salyer's birthday and the anniversary of the shooting for the next five years.

But after Brown's sentence was changed to 90 days, just less than a month later, the Salyer family is now fighting for a judge to review the decision.

Austin Salyer was lying in bed inside his apartment when he was fatally shot at around midnight at his apartment in San Marcos in September 2021

Gabriel Brown claimed he accidentally fired while modifying a gun. He subsequently turned himself in but was not arrested

Salyer had just signed a contract with the US Army in September 2021 before he was shot through the wall of his home. At the time he was a junior studying criminal justice and military science at Texas State University.

Recounting the harrowing story, Salyer's mum told Fox 7 Austin how she had texted her son goodnight for what would be the last time.

Knowing that he had to be up at 4.30am for a marching exercise with his platoon, Bonnie Salyer noticed that her son had not moved from his location at home.

Thinking that he overslept, and knowing he was highly unlikely to leave without his phone, she repeatedly called him to wake him up.

After not hearing from him, she contacted one of his friends later that morning to see if he could get a hold of him.

Going to his apartment, Salyer's friend was met with fire and emergency medical services.

Police officials later made contact with Salyer's parents, giving them the horrific news.

'I'm sorry to tell you over the phone, but we found your son deceased in his apartment this morning,' police told Bonnie Salyer.

They told her how her son had been shot through the wall while he was lying in bed.

'It just terrifies us to think how long he might have laid their suffering with his neighbor next door and not getting any help for him,' Salyer's father Rodney said.

After the shooter's sentence was changed to 90 days, Rodney and Bonnie Salyer are fighting for a judge to review the sentencing

Austin Salyer had just signed a contract with the US Army in September 2021 before he was shot through the wall of his home

Gabriel Brown, the neighbor who claimed to unintentionally shoot Salyer while he was making modifications to the weapon, later handed himself into police. He was indicted on criminally negligent homicide and his bond was set at $3,000.

'As a victim, you're so handcuffed and disadvantaged compared to what the criminal has available to them for loopholes. They get to control things, they get to hire whatever, defense attorney they want, whereas the victim is stuck with whatever judge, whatever prosecutor, whatever,' Salyer's father told Fox 7 Austin.

'You don't have any control over that at all. They don't have to provide any information back to you, but anything you provide has to be provided to them. It is so lopsided against the victim to be able to get any kind of justice,' Mr Salyer added.

Unhappy with the charges presented, the Salyer family is now fighting for a judge to review the sentencing. Mr Salyer claimed police were starting with the lowest felony they could possibly charge Brown with.

The bereaved parents also claim a document outlining the sentencing of 90 days was changed. They say they were presented with a document that was correctly typed up with 18 days, but it was crossed out in pen and changed to nine.

'No, no initials. No, nothing,' Rodney Salyer said. 'If we didn't follow up with him, it would have just gone behind the scenes.'

The Salyers said they asked for a hearing to review the sentencing, but were denied.
The FCC Must Step Up, Too

Any of these newsrooms could be next on its chopping block. But lawmakers in Sacramento and Washington are ignoring Sinclairs dismal track record and moving forward with legislation that would reward Sinclair as it undermines local news.On Tuesday, the CJPA passed through California Assemblys Judiciary Committee just a few days after the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection advanced it . And in Washington, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has reintroduced the JCPA , which failed to pass in the previous Congress after facing headwinds from a coalition of local-news advocates and media-democracy groups.Both bills would create a convoluted mechanism for corporate handouts to highly profitable and consolidated media outletsand both bills would allow these chains to continue to neglect the information needs of the communities theyre supposed to serve.That these bills have any momentum is largely due to the powerful Big Media lobby pushing them. This includes lobbyists working on behalf of Sinclair as well as Gannett Co. and predatory hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which have also cut local newsrooms to the bone even as theyve continued to buy back stocks , go deeper into debt to acquire more local outlets, and use other financial gimmicks to enrich their owners, executives, and shareholders.These companies arent journalisms saviors. In many places theyve created news deserts after shuttering local operations. Lawmakers shouldnt reward them for such slash-and-burn tactics. Instead, policymakers should pass bills that support local-accountability journalism by putting reporters back on local beats and expanding coverage in communities that companies like Sinclair have failed The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has largely taken a pass on disciplining these companies for repeatedly misleading regulators about their constant misuse of the public airwaves. An FCC mandate is to protect and advance diversity, competition, and localism in the media marketplace. The agency has instead allowed Sinclair to consolidate control over nearly 200 local stations. And in 2018, the conglomerate misled the FCC about the nature of its control over the many stations it already owned in a failed attempt to gobble up even more.In exchange for exclusive access to so much of our public airwaves, Sinclair thumbs its nose at public-interest obligations, delivering the bare minimum required by the FCC.It created sham businesses and shell companies to evade FCC station-ownership limits. It forces these local-TV stations to air must-run segments filled with propaganda seemingly pulled straight from a MAGA rally. And it routinely cuts back on local-news staffing while its top executives get rich off the bumper crop of political campaign ads that come around every two years.Whether its via state or federal legislation, or a federal agency that has too often bucked its obligation to serve the public interest, regulators seem intent on saving local news by ignoringor even perpetuatingthe problems that led to its collapse in the first place.Once we recognize the miscues and market failures driving the journalism crisis, it becomes hard to justify simply handing money over to these same incumbents. This recognition requires we shift our focus away from bills like the CJPA and JCPA toward public policy that creates funding for local-accountability journalism, including noncommercial initiatives.The FCC needs to take a long overdue look at its legacy of failure. Promoting competition, localism, and diversity means giving more locally owned outlets access to the public airwavesoutlets that will serve their communities in ways Sinclair has not.In a strategic sleight of hand, the large news-media companies want us to conflate the public importance of local journalism with their own bottom lines. When companies like Sinclair lobby for these bad bills, they want us to forget their actual record of mistreating their own reporters . They want to pretend theyre not getting rich by maintaining this broken system thats misusing our airwaves and poisoning our democracy.The problem is that too many of our elected representatives and appointed media regulators are all too willing to give Sinclair a pass, and have opted to save local news by becoming accessories to its demise.
Insisted he would be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday to vote again

Told reporters he would not resign and then attacked Biden family

Santos pleaded not guilty in a New York court and was released on bond

Republican Rep. George Santos got into a heated confrontation with reporters and criticized the criminal cases against him after pleading not guilty to 13 federal charges for misleading donors and lying about his finances.

The Long Island liar was taken into custody in New York after he was indicted on a string of offenses including money laundering, wire fraud and making false statements during his campaign.

He appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon, pleaded not guilty and was freed on bail in a pivotal moment in his career, just four months after he was sworn in.

Santos was mobbed by reporters when he left court and called the charges against him a 'witch hunt'.

He also said he won't resign, insisted he still plans to run for re-election and asked why President Joe Biden's family wasn't being investigated by the Department of Justice.

'I'm going to fight the witch hunt,' he vowed, picking up a phrase used regularly by former President Donald Trump to describe a series of investigations.

Republican Rep. George Santos got into a heated confrontation with reporters and criticized the criminal cases against him after pleading not guilty to 13 federal charges for misleading donors and lying about his finances

Prosecutors have accused him of using donor funds to buy designer clothes and pay off personal debts and for applying for COVID unemployment benefits while running for Congress and making $125,000 a year.

He will appear in court again on June 30 and was also made to surrender his passport.

Santos address a phalanx of media outside the courthouse, vowing to fight the charges.

'Look, this is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself. We have an indictment. We have the information that the government wants to come after me on and I'm going to comply,' he said.

'I've been complying throughout this entire process. I have no desire not to comply at this point. They've been gracious in there. Now I'm going to have to fight to defend myself.'

The Long Island liar was taken into custody in New York after he was indicted on a string of offenses including money laundering, wire fraud and making false statements during his campaign

Santos addressed a mob of reporters, said he would fight to prove his innocence, and called the charges part of a 'witch hunt'

Then, he tried to change the subject to family members of President Joe Biden  drawing boos from people gathered around him.

'The reality is it's a witch hunt. It makes no sense that in four months, four months, five months I'm indicted. You have Joe Biden's entire family receiving deposits from nine family members receiving money from foreign destinations into their bank accounts. It's been years of exposing  and yet no investigation is launched into them.

'I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I'm going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that.'

He was referencing a new report by House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.). Hunter Biden is reportedly under federal investigation for tax matters and a gun charge.

Santos tried to convey an air of business as usual, despite the extraordinary indictment and the pressure it put on his fellow lawmakers.

'I have to go back and vote. Tomorrow we have one of the the most consequential votes of this Congress, which is a border bill, and I'm very looking forward to be there for that,' he said.

'I appreciate everybody's patience with my presence in Congress,' he said, adding that he respects the media. He said he plans to continue having an 'open door.'

'I think this is about innocent until proven guilty. This starts. I have my right to fight to prove my innocence as the government has the right to fight to try to find me guilty in whatever charges,' he said.

'I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I am going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that,' he said.

The Eastern District of New York unsealed the indictment on Wednesday morning, 24 hours after Santos appeared to have no idea he was being charged.

The indictment includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements to the House of Representatives.

The allegations add to the litany of lies he has been accused of, including stealing money meant for a dying Iraq War veteran's dog and being behind a credit card fraud.

'This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,' stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.

'Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

A defiant Santos told reporters he won't resign and will run for re-election despite the 13 federal criminal charges he is facing

Santos said he was returning to Washington and planned to vote in the Capitol Thursday

'He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.

'My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively root out corruption and self-dealing from our community's public institutions and hold public officials accountable to the constituents who elected them.'

The charges related to unemployment benefits carry potential additional political sting, since the benefits draw funds from the state whose voters sent him to Washington.

Prosecutors say he took those benefits while receiving income.

'At the height of the pandemic in 2020, George Santos allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits while he was employed and running for Congress,' said D.A. Anne Donnelly.

'As charged in the indictment, the defendant's alleged behavior continued during his second run for Congress when he pocketed campaign contributions and used that money to pay down personal debts and buy designer clothing.'

At the time, Santos was pulling in $120,000 a year from his Florida-based investment firm.

Santos' arraignment is set for Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay at the Alfonse D'Amato Federal Courthouse.

A newly unsealed indictment charges Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) with claiming unemployment benefits while pulling in a six-figure salary and using campaign donations for personal uses, as well as making false statements on his financial disclosures

DeSantos sat alone on the first day of the new Congress after a series of revelations about his fabrications. But he has since insinuated himself into his role. Speaker Kevin McCarthy noted that he does not serve on congressional committees, but he provides a crucial vote for the majority

Santos surrendered himself at the Islip Federal Court

Photographers lines up to see the serial fabricator as he faced federal charges

The alleged scheme brought him $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits.

The indictment also spells out a 'fraudulent' scheme where Santos defrauded political supporters, telling a political consultant to inform donors their contributions were to elect him to Congress. That led two donors to transfer $25,000 to the bank account of an LLC operated by Santos.

Santos then took those funds and transferred them to his personal bank accounts, according to the indictment. 'Santos allegedly then used much of that money for personal expenses'  including designer clothing, cash withdrawals, and to service debts.

The feds also charge Santos with making false statements to Congress on his required financial disclosures. Those forms require a 'full and complete' disclosure of his finances.

The indictment says he overstated the income he got from one firm and 'altogether failed' to disclose he got from an investment firm during his first campaign for Congress.

The indictment alleges he overstated his income and assets during his second run  when he shocked political experts by defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman.

The 'false' statement claimed he got $750,000 in salary from the Devolder Organization LLC; got dividends of between $1 million and $5 million, and held a savings account with up to $5 million.

Those claims were 'false,' according to the indictment, which also charges he failed to disclose $28,000 in income from an investment firm and $20,000 in UI benefits from New York.

The indictment's charges of fraud and money laundering pose a political headache for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who relies on Santos' vote in his narrow majority.

McCarthy indicated to reporters Monday after news of the then-sealed indictment broke that he intended to stand by him.

'Just like we had before with [former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry] ... he was found guilty and then I told him he needed to resign,' McCarthy said. Fortenberry was convicted of lying about foreign campaign contributions.
What could be nicer than a summer vacation spent sipping prosecco, watching the sun set over Sicily's shoreline?

You'd need to be almost as rich as a character from hit HBO show The White Lotus to get there this year.

The average airline ticket to European destinations has hit a new high of $1,167 this summer.

Asia is no cheaper. Summer fares to Tokyo, Saigon, Hong Kong and other Far East hubs average at $1,817.

The eye watering cost of globetrotting has led to many passengers souring on US airlines.

Researchers say flights to Europe and Asia have jumped to their highest level in five years

Tourists in Piazza del Duomo admiring Sienna Cathedral. Spectacular, if you can afford to get there

A new survey has revealed how passenger satisfaction with US airlines has dropped for the second year in a row.

Don't expect the prices to get cheaper any time soon.

New Biden administration rules to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers are expected to push up ticket prices once again.

Poll Can you afford a foreign vacation this summer? Yes No Not sure Still working on it Can you afford a foreign vacation this summer? Yes 17 votes

No 34 votes

Not sure 4 votes

Still working on it 3 votes Now share your opinion





'Planes are crowded, tickets are expensive, and flight availability is constrained,' said Michael Taylor, a travel expert with J.D. Power, a data firm that released its annual satisfaction survey on Wednesday.

'If this trend continues, travelers will reach a breaking point and some airline brands may be damaged.'

Airfares to Europe and Asia this summer are the highest they've been in more than five years, according to travel website Hopper.

Travelers will be shelling out $300 more per ticket in each direction than they were last year.

London, which this month celebrated the coronation of King Charles III, is the destination most searched for by US travelers, says Hopper.

It's followed by Paris, Tokyo, Rome, San Juan, Seoul, Shanghai, Milan, Mexico City, and Istanbul.

Those daunted by the cost of flying overseas would benefit from sticking to the homeland.

London, Paris, Tokyo, and Rome were the international destinations most American travelers are searching for

Prices are higher, but the lines don't move any faster. PICTURED: Departing travelers at a security checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington Airport

The average domestic airfare is $306  nearly a fifth cheaper than last summer.

New York City is the top destination for domestic flyers.

The Big Apple is followed by Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, and Seattle.

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn on a moped for the 1953 movie about Americans abroad, Roman Holiday

Hopper says the high cost of international travel is caused by pent-up demand from the pandemic, and the high cost of jet fuel.

Meanwhile, the airlines have kept capacity below 2019 levels, driving up prices while keeping cabins packed.

They've tried to rebuild schedules, but have struggled against a shortage of cabin crew and pilots.

According to Taylor, this makes it a 'banner year for the industry because they are operating at peak economic efficiency.'

Travelers hate it, however.

J.D. Power tracks passenger satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale, and it's down seven points overall to 791 this year.

The steepest decline is among economy passengers.

They are hit hardest by the high prices, and their satisfaction score dropped 19 points against last year.

Southwest, Delta, and JetBlue scored the best among economy passengers.

Frontier, Spirit and American came off worst.

Southwest's strong showing comes as a surprise.

A new survey shows how passenger satisfaction with US airlines has dropped for the second year in a row

Southwest Airlines still scores high among passengers despite its holiday season meltdown

The airline scored worse than last year, but appears to have weathered the recent holiday season's cascading failures that saw more than 16,000 flight cancellations that left passengers stranded.

Like in television's The White Lotus, everything looks better in a first-class seat.

Premier passengers worry less about ticket prices. Their satisfaction scores bucked the trend and jumped nine points.

That's because 'food and beverage  services were reinstated for upper class cabins in the post-pandemic period,' researchers said.

There is good news and bad on the horizon for travelers.

US President Joe Biden this week unveiled new rules to require airlines to compensate passengers with cash for significant flight delays or cancellations when the carriers are to blame.

Officials have suggested payouts could be about $100 for delays of at least three hours.

That's a boon for passengers who are stuck in a terminal, even though there have been fewer cancellations so far this year, says Hopper.

Still, the money will have to come from somewhere, and industry insiders expect this to drive up fares further.
A British military volunteer has been killed while fighting for Ukraine in some of the country's fiercest battles against Russia.

Jay Morais, 52, from Bristol, took part in street battles in Severodonetsk last summer and more recently in Bakhmut, according to The Telegraph. Both are in the eastern Donbas region, where Kyiv's forces continue to hold off against Moscow's forces.

The newspaper reported that Ukraine's International Legion had confirmed his death on Tuesday night, saying that he died in a hospital in Kharkiv in February, while his Ukrainian fiance told the publication: 'I still can't really believe he is dead.'

A spokesperson for the UK's foreign office confirmed to MailOnline that it had supported the family of a man who had died in Ukraine.

The International Legion was set up by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky last year, and is open to fighters from abroad with military experience who wish to take up arms against the Russian invaders to help Kyiv's forces in the conflict.

A British military volunteer has been killed fighting in Ukraine, according to reports. Jay Morais, 52, from Bristol, spent a year fighting in the country and took part in some of the fiercest battles against Vladimir Putin's invading forces

'Sadly, Jay Morais has died in the line of duty,' a spokesman for the Legion said, according The Telegraph. It added that no further details were provided.

A post on Facebook from the International Legion's memorial page dated March 24 also appeared to confirm Morais's death.

'Please Help us Honor Him so that He Is Not Forgotten,' the post said, along-side a picture of Morais with a Union Jack and Portuguese flag over the top - suggesting he was of British and Portuguese origin.

'Our Beloved Portuguese Brother Jay Morais, who had been serving in Ukraine as a Volunteer succumbed on the Battlefield.

'Honor, Glory and Gratitude To Our Brother,' the post added.

Underneath the post, tributes from Ukrainian followers poured in, thanking him for his service. 'Great selfless hero, may you rest in eternal glory and never be forgotten,' one person wrote. Another said: 'Rest in peace brave warrior. We will not forget you.'

The newspaper reported that Morais had briefly spoken to its reporters last summer about his time fighting in Severodonetsk.

The Donbas city became the centre of intense fighting last year, as Russia refocused its military efforts after pulling back from the regions around Kyiv.

The battle lasted for around four months, with the city eventually falling to Putin's forces after the Ukrainian government ordered its own to withdraw on June 24.

The city's capture by Russian forces is seen as one of Russia's last major gains before Moscow's push west stalled and Ukraine launched two major counter offensives in the north and the south to successfully retake swathes of territory.

Since Ukraine's offensives in the north and south, the frontlines have largely been entrenched, with only slight shifts.

Speaking at the time, Morais told The Telegraph that several of his comrades had been killed or injured fighting to defend Severodonetsk.

During one battle, he said he had to 'run for my bloody life' down a street in the city as he was chased by a Russian tank.

He also told the newspaper that the fighting was so intense that other volunteers, among them experienced soldiers, had left the city. He chose to say, however.

According to the publication, Morais said he had previously spent time in the French Foreign Legion, for whom he served in Kosovo and the Ivory Coast. He left in 2007, returning to Britain.

With no wife or children at home, the newspaper said Jay Morais (right) had gone to fight in Ukraine last year to stop Russia from 'doing what it likes'. While there, it is understood that he met Lidiya Martynova (left), 34, and the pair got engaged

However, with no wife or children at home, the newspaper said he had gone to fight in Ukraine last year to stop Russia from 'doing what it likes'. While there, it is understood that he met Lidiya Martynova, 34, and the pair got engaged.

She told The Telegraph that her late fiance was a 'very special guy' and a 'professional soldier' who emphasised that - as a soldier - it was not important how many enemies he had killed, 'but how many people he'd saved.'

'I still can't really believe he is dead. He was planning to stay here in Ukraine once the war was over to start a new life here,' she told the publication.

While it was not specified where Morais was killed, it was reported that he had been fighting in Bakhmut, where the most intense battle since the outset of the war has raged on for months - and where both sides have suffered thousands of casualties.

The city lies south-west of Severodonetsk, and has been described as a 'meat grinder' akin to the battles seen during the First World War.

Trench warfare has become the norm, with Russia making only marginal gains at the cost of vast numbers of soldiers. More recently, Russia has shown signs of taking a 'scorched-earth' approach, bombing large parts of the city with incendiary bombs.

In defending the city so fiercely, Ukraine too has lost many troops.

Morais had previously told The Telegraph that fighting there was 'full on', but that the most difficult part of the job was breaking bad news to the relatives of soldiers under his own command who had been killed in the fighting there.

Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MailOnline: 'We supported the family of a British man following his death in Ukraine'.

The Telegraph reported that Ukraine's International Legion had confirmed the death of Jay Morais (pictured) on Tuesday night, saying that he died in a hospital in Kharkiv in February

Confirmation of Morais's death came as Ukraine's military said on Wednesday its forces had seriously damaged - though not totally destroyed - Russia's 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade near Bakhmut a day earlier.

It stressed that the eastern city remained Moscow's main target.

Footage emerged overnight appearing to confirm that the Russian brigade had retreated from its position, allowing Ukraine to push forward.

The news came at an embarrassing time for Putin, who on the same day as the battlefield defeat hosted Russia's annual Victory Day parade to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the eastern city for nine months, with a deluge of troops and weaponry, despite it having questionable strategic benefit.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukrainian troops in the east, said the situation remained 'difficult' in Bakhmut, but that Moscow was increasingly forced to use regular army forces because of heavy losses among the Wagner private army group.

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private Wagner Group is fighting in Bakhmut, said on Tuesday that the 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions and fled.

He suggested as a result of Moscow losing its position, Wagner had suffered as many as 500 casualties in the fighting.

'Unfortunately they have not destroyed the whole (Russian) brigade yet, two companies have been seriously damaged there,' Cherevatyi said on TV.

'The situation (in Bakhmut) remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it (Bakhmut) is (still) the main direction of attack, the main coveted target.'

The confirmation also came as tributes poured in for Arman Soldin, the Agence France-Presse journalist slain near Bakhmut.

Soldin, who was working as the new agency's Ukraine video coordinator, was killed in a Grad rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

He was with a team of AFP journalists travelling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire. The rest of the team escaped uninjured.

Today, his colleagues gathered solemnly at the press agency's Paris headquarters, a day after his death, to remember the 32-year old.

A widely broadcast photo of Soldin, pictured in protective gear and smiling broadly with a cat on his shoulder, has plucked at the heartstrings of the French nation and many others abroad.

'Arman was so enthusiastic, so energetic, so alive that it seems unreal to be here and talk about it this morning,' said Juliette Hollier-Larousse, AFP's deputy news director.

Britain's Downing Street also paid tribute to the 'talented and courageous' journalist.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesman said 32-year-old Arman Soldin's work with the news agency had been 'vital' in shining a light on Putin's invasion.

Ukrainian army Grad multiple rocket launcher fires rockets at Russian positions in the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'Arman was a talented and courageous journalist and his death is obviously devastating for all those who knew him.

'Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Arman's work was vital to that.

'Any death in this needless invasion is tragic and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost loved ones during this conflict.'

At least 10 media workers are believed to have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine.
A mother, her husband and her boyfriend are in custody on child abuse charges in West Virginia after police say they discovered a 'hell-on-earth' scene on Monday night in the apartment that they all shared.

According to Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger, two-year-old twins were kept trapped in a room, fed ground beef and Cheerios under the door and given medication to make them sleep.

In a statement announcing the arrest, Sheriff Mellinger referred to the parents as 'animals.' The parents have been named as Michael and Lylee Gillenwater, the other man arrested is Lylee's boyfriend, Brian Casto.

The sheriff said that one of the two-year-olds had 'lost consciousness' and was on 'death's door' when he was found. The tot was in a state of dehydration and suffering from renal failure.

Currently, the boy is in stable condition but will have 'a lot of hurdles to clear medically to see whether he's even going to survive or not.'

Parents Lylee and Michael Gillenwater are in custody after police found one of their twin boys as 'death's door' following months of abuse, authorities said

Michael Gillenwater, 24, shown here, married Lylee in 2021, the couple still live together alongside her boyfriend

Lylee Gillenwater, shown here, has three children with her husband

Brian Casto, referred to as Lylee's 'boyfriend,' is also charged with child abuse in the case

The sheriff did not say what alerted deputies to the home, that was raided on May 8th, located in the town of Ripley, nearly 40 miles north of Charleston.

Officers removed the twins as well as their younger female sibling from the apartment.

The child who had lost consciousness was rushed to a hospital in Charleston and then air-lifted to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

The sheriff said that the twins were kept in the room sometimes for six weeks at a time wearing just diapers. The door was kept padlocked. Mellinger described the the room that they were kept in as 'very soiled.'

Lylee lived in the basement area of the apartment with Brian Casto while her husband lived upstairs.

'Its just amazing to me that animals like this still exist  where becoming a parent is a burden, and living in such a nasty environment,' the sheriff said in a video posted on Facebook.

'I think its fair to say that, given the circumstances at hand, I think the average barnyard animal would probably provide better parental care and nurturing than what these kids were afforded through the three adults living in this home,' he added.

The sheriff did not say what alerted deputies to the home, that was raided on May 8th, located in the town of Ripley, nearly 40 miles north of Charleston

The sheriff referred to the trio as 'animals' and stressed that one of their children has a long road to recovery

The parents are charged with two counts of child neglect with risk of injury or death and child neglect resulting in injury. Brian Casto is charged with one county of child abuse resulting in injury and one count of child abuse with risk of injury.

All three are being held on bonds of $150,000.

Lylee Gillewater's Facebook page is adorned with pictures of her three children. She and Michael Gillenwater were married in October 2021. Their twins were born in September 2020.

Michael previously served in the US Marines, according to posts on his Facebook page. At the time of his arrest, Michael says that he works for the US Postal Service.
Most American voters  and an overwhelming majority of Republicans  are looking at scenes of migrants amassing on the southern border with a sense of urgency and alarm, the latest polling shows.

With pandemic-era border entry rules set to lapse on Thursday, a survey of more than 1,000 US adults paints a picture of a country scared by an influx of migrants once the floodgates open.

It shows how Americans don't want bigger people flows into the US, support the military bolstering border guards, and question whether Joe Biden, a Democrat, is the right president for the critical task at hand.

The results come as growing numbers of migrants gather on the Mexican side of the southern border ahead of the expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era rule that's been used to expel many of those entering the US.

Republicans and even a large share of Joe Biden's own Democratic voters are alarmed by an influx of migrants, denting the president's chances in the 2024 election race

Video shot along the Mexican border at Matamoros, which neighbors Brownsville, Texas, shows hundreds of people risking their lives as they cross the Rio Grande

In an eleventh-hour move to staunch the influx on Wednesday, Biden revised the rules to require migrants to request refugee status online or in one of the countries they transit through before they reach the US border.

This may not be enough for most Americans.

Some 54 percent of voters oppose increasing the number of immigrants allowed into the US, according to the three-day Reuters/Ipsos nationwide survey.

That includes more than three quarters of Republicans, but crucially also a third of the Democratic voters Biden, 80, needs on side to secure a second stint in the White House next year.

The poll shows that Americans are most worried about the economy, but see immigration as another major threat, with only 26 percent of the US public confident in Biden's approach to people flows.

This is dragging down the president's approval ratings to 40 percent.

Poll Is the Biden administration ready for the end of Title 42? Yes No Not sure Is the Biden administration ready for the end of Title 42? Yes 2 votes

No 155 votes

Not sure 6 votes Now share your opinion





That's a slight gain on his rating last month, but under par for a US president at this stage in his first term, and bodes ill for the looming contest with Donald Trump, or another Republican rival in 2024.

Still, there is one thing Americans agree on  sending soldiers to the frontier.

The Pentagon announced this month that Biden's administration will temporarily send 1,500 extra troops to help secure the border in preparation for the lifting of the Title 42 restrictions.

Two thirds of voters support the move.

The results come as unauthorized border crossings spike, with Border Patrol averaging over 8,700 daily migrant apprehensions during a recent three-day period, a significant increase from the 5,200 average in March.

The sudden policy reversal appears to have been made in response to images of thousands of desperate migrants now swarming across the border before the change in the law later this week.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have already scoured the streets of El Paso in a 'targeted operation' to tell migrants to register or face detention.

Video shot along the Mexican border at Matamoros, which neighbors Brownsville, Texas, shows hundreds of people risking their lives as they cross the Rio Grande.

Migrants walk through a barbed-wire barrier into the United States after crossing the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico

To discourage illegal crossings, the Biden administration now plans to implement sweeping new regulations this week that will deny asylum to most migrants caught crossing.

The administration aims to quickly screen migrants for asylum under the new standard and, if they fail, deport them right away.

However, limited U.S. resources to deport migrants could stifle the effectiveness of the measure, which mirrors similar policies under former president Trump, that were blocked in the courts at the time.

Asylum officers were being trained on the new standard on Tuesday but some staffers have pushed back for its hasty rollout and others are concerned it undercuts access to asylum services, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

'People are livid,' said one Department of Homeland Security official, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.

The new regulations will likely face legal challenges but it marks a significant shift in asylum policy and will disqualify thousands - who will not have been informed of the sudden change in the rules - from coming across.

The reversal would be a change in direction by President Biden, who had campaigned on restoring access to the U.S. asylum system after the Trump administration implemented rules that made it more challenging for migrants to seek refuge in the United States.

Current asylum laws brought in 1980 prevent the rejection of refugees who may face persecution if returned to their home countries, but there appears to be a bi-partisan rejection of these policies as the numbers of migrants grow ever higher - straining an overwhelmed system and communities along the border.

The new rules will see migrants crossing the southern border to be presumed ineligible for asylum if they are unable to demonstrate they previously sought protection in a third country.

It would disqualify most non-Mexican migrants entering the U.S. between ports of entry. Unaccompanied children would be exempt from the rules.

According to the documents seen by CBS, only migrants with 'exceptionally compelling circumstances' will be able to clear the stricter criteria.

It includes individuals with acute medical emergencies, those facing imminent and extreme threats in Mexico, and victims of severe human trafficking.

Many of the migrants making the journey already know friends and relatives living in the U.S. giving added impetus to their own plight.

Migrants swim across the Rio Grande river into the United States, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico

A US National Guard vehicle patrols the Rio Grande on May 9 2023 but it provides little deterrent

Migrants arrive at the bank of the Rio Grande to attempt a crossing into the United States on May 9 2023

Migrants cross the Rio Bravo on an inflatable mattress into the United States from Matamoros on May 9 2023

At one stage on Tuesday May 9, a yellow rope was erected across the river to give the migrants something to cling onto as they wade into the river chest deep and avoid being washed downstream by the current as they made they way over to the opposite bank

A man and child cling onto a yellow rope beneath the surface as they attempt to make it across on May 9 2023

Migrants cross through the banks of the Rio Grande to the US, as seen from Matamoros

A member of the Mexican National Guard stands by as migrants cross river

In shocking new videos posted on Tuesday by Todd Bensman from the Fellow-Center for Immigration Studies, men, women and children can be seen lining up waiting to cross the Rio Grande on the Mexican side of the border. Many were seen carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they own across the river.

Upon reaching the other side, barbed wire fencing has been cut away allowing the migrants onto U.S. soil.

Mexican border patrol agents appear unwilling to prevent the migrants from making the journey across the river, while there seems to be little to no deterrent on the U.S. side either.

One reporter along the banks of the river estimated that thousands had crossed into the U.S. on Tuesday, with similar numbers expected on Wednesday also.

Many of the migrants making the journey already know friends and relatives living in the U.S. giving added impetus to their own plight.

At one stage on Tuesday, a yellow rope was erected across the river to give the migrants something to cling onto as they waded into the river chest deep and attempted to avoid being washed downstream by the current as they made they way over to the opposite bank.

Migrants walk through a barbed-wire barrier that has been cut to allow to easy access into the United States (May 9, 2023)

Migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande river into the US from Matamoros, state of Tamaulipas, Mexico (May 9, 2023)

On the Mexican side of the border, men, women and children can be seen lining up waiting to cross (May 9, 2023)

Many were seen carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they own across the river and keep them dry (May 9, 2023)

A woman looks on before she attempts to cross the Rio Grande river into the US (May 9, 2023)

Migrants are seen before they attempt to cross the Rio Grande river (May 9, 2023)

Migrants wait before they attempt to cross the river which separates Mexico from the U.S. (May 9, 2023)

Migrants wait before they attempt to cross the Rio Grande river into the US from Matamoros, state of Tamaulipas, Mexico on May 9, 2023

Migrants are seen after crossing the Rio Grande river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, on Tuesday

A handful of migrants cross into the U.S. where El Paso, Texas sits alongside Ciudad Juarez

Drone footage sees migrants standing near the border wall after crossing the Rio Grande river

All along the U.S. - Mexican border, migrants are lining up and waiting to cross into the U.S.

Migrants Yulitza Otero, 27, with her 8-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, sit in a tent made of branches that her husband built while waiting for U.S. Border Patrol agents to transfer them in the remote mountains east of San Diego, early on Tuesday

According to internal training documents seen by CBS, the training manuals for border agents appear to be designed to result in more rejections than the traditional 'credible fear' interviews which migrants currently undertake.

Previously, migrants who were expelled under Title 42 did not face immigration or criminal penalties. It meant some would attempt border crossings until they were successful.

Those who are unable to prove their eligibility to be exempt under the new rules will be deported back to Mexico or their home countries and receive a five-year ban from the U.S.

The Biden administration is warning that those re-entering the U.S. after being deported could face criminal prosecution and jail time.

U.S. Border Patrol Police talks with women as migrants of various nationalities have been trapped between the primary and secondary border fences of the San Diego-Tijuana border sector for seven days

The US is preparing to lift COVID-19-era restrictions known as Title 42, which have prevented migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border from requesting asylum since 2020. Pictured, the border in, in San Diego, California on Tuesday

A border patrol agent drinks water as migrants of various nationalities come across (May 9 2023)

President Biden admitted the border is 'going to be chaotic' on Tuesday when asked if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42

On Tuesday, President Biden admitted the border is 'going to be chaotic' when asked if his administration is prepared to handle the end of Title 42.

'It remains to be seen,' Biden said. 'It's going to be chaotic for a while.'

He said he spent over an hour with Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday and they are both 'doing all we can.'

He praised the 'overwhelming cooperation' from Mexico and noted the U.S. is setting up asylum processing centers in Central American countries.

Texas is sending in its tactical border force and the White House is deploying active duty troops to help with the expected deluge of migrant processing.

At the same time the Biden administration plans to expand legal migration and open processing centers in South and Central America allowing migrants hoping to enter to be pre-screened to see if they meet basic qualifications for different forms of entry before making the journey.

The centers will begin operating in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks. Canada and Spain have also agreed to accept migrants from the centers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video in the early hours of Tuesday morning showing where authorities put in place razor write to stop migrants from flowing over a popular crossing point

Customs and Border Protection apprehended 26,382 migrants over the weekend - a staggering unprecedented average of 8,794 per day

As Title 42 is set to expire Thursday, May 11, migrants are lining up at the southern border to immediately cross into the U.S. once the policy is no longer in use. Pictured: Hundreds of migrants arrived in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Sunday, May 7 to cross the border into El Paso, Texas

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a press conference Monday that President Joe Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to letters detailing concerns over Title 42 ending with no replacement policy lined up

Thousands of migrants are already lining up at the southern border waiting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico once Title 42 is lifted on Thursday. Pictured: An aerial view of migrants waiting at the border fence on May 8 and hoping to make asylum claims on May 11

On Monday Arizona's Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs sounded the alarm over Biden administration's preparations for the end of the Covid-era public health policy, claiming at a press conference Biden has not given an 'adequate response' to her letters outline action needed in her border state.

She also said that she expects the situation at the border to only get 'worse' if nothing is done to help once Title 42 is done.

Hobbs said in her press conference that she sent letters to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas detailing actions she, as a border state leader, feels must be taken ahead of the expiration.

'As of today, we have not received an adequate response,' Hobbs told reporters as she stood alongside state and border community leaders.

She added: 'We will continue to relentlessly pressure the federal government until we truly get the resources we need to manage the expected influx.'

The governor does not think the state is prepared to handle the anticipated influx of migrants alone.

'While we are prepared to take state action in any way we can, we cannot manage this influx alone,' Hobbs said.

'Without much more robust action from the federal government, the current situation will only get worse.'
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the administration's third state dinner, the White House announced Wednesday.

The state visit will take place on June 22.

The dinner comes at a time when the U.S. wants India to take a bolder stance against Russia - and is intended to forge deeper ties between the two leaders, as Modi's relationship with former President Donald Trump was often referred to as a 'bromance.'

It will also mark the first Indian state dinner since reality TV stars tried to crash one during the Obama years.

Last month, the Bidens hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee for a state dinner that concluded by Yoon belting out a rendition of American Pie alongside Broadway greats.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden (left) will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) for the administration's third state dinner, the White House announced Wednesday

Trump's (left) relationship with Modi (right) was described as a 'bromance' as the two leaders traveled to each other's countries for large-scale events

Actress Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox, as well as home improvement stars Chip and Joanna Gaines were in attendance.

For the administration's first state dinner, which took place in December, the Bidens invited French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to Washington.

The last White House state dinner with India - President Barack Obama's first in November 2009 - was crashed by Michaele and Tareq Salahi, who were in the process of filming the Real Housewives of D.C.

Notable guests included Jennifer Garner with daughter Violet Affleck, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, while Jon Batiste entertained.

The Bidens were slower to start hosting state dinners due to COVID-19.

However, with the third state dinner, the Biden administration will outpace the last.

Trump only hosted two state dinners during his tenure - also with France and the Macrons, and with Australia and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

President Barack Obama's first state dinner of his administration was with India, as he hosted the country's then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009.

That dinner was memorable because it attracted two uninvited guests - Michaele and Tareq Salahi, who were filming scenes for the later cancelled reality show, The Real Housewives of D.C.

The gatecrash prompted a federal grand jury and Congress to investigate the incident.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) closed out a state dinner last month by belting out a verse of the classic song 'American Pie' as President Joe Biden (left) stood beside him

Angelina Jolie (left) and her son Maddox (right) enter the state dinner last month with South Korea

When Modi came into power, Obama didn't hold a state dinner for the leader, but they did appear at several summits together.

Trump's relationship with Modi was described as a 'bromance' as the two leaders traveled to each other's countries for large-scale events.

There was the Howdy Modi rally in Houston in 2019.

Trump traveled to Texas to take part in it - with a estimated crowd of 50,000.

In turn, Trump took a quick trip to India in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic brought the globe to a standstill.

Dubbed Namaste Trump, the president, first lady Melania Trump and Modi headlined a rally in Ahmedabad with an estimated crowd size of 125,000.

Modi (left) and Trump (right) arrive to attend Namaste Modi in Ahmedabad, India in February 2020, which reportedly attracted a crowd of 125,000

Since taking office in 2021, Biden has elevated the Quad - a diplomatic partnership between the U.S., India, Australia and Japan.

He'll next meet with the group during his trip to Australia later this month.

Biden will meet Modi on the trip during a brief stopover Papua New Guinea, which is hosting a Pacific Islands leaders meeting.

The U.S.'s relationship with India is particularly important as China cozies up to Russia amid the Ukraine war - a move that has unnerved Indian leaders.

Ukrainian officials have called on India to play a bigger role in ending the Russian invasion.

In the White House's announcement, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the dinner will affirm the 'warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.'

'The visit will strengthen our two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,' he statement said.

'The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security,' Jean-Pierre added.

Asked about the visit, and whether the 'optics' were 'problematic' because Modi has been accused of human rights violations and because India still does business with Russia, Jean-Pierre said the state visit would allow the president to press Modi on human rights.

'As it relates to human rights as I just laid out, this is a conversation that we have with other nations around the world,' Jean-Pierre offered. 'The president never shies away to have that conversation with leaders.'
A pharmacist and his son ran a secret Breaking Bad-style pharmaceuticals factory from an industrial estate, a court heard.

Allen Valentine, 62, and Roshan Valentine, 39, made at least 3.5 million producing Xanax, Valium and Teva and selling the fake drugs on the dark web.

Detectives began investigating the pair in January 2022 and discovered they spent most of their days with Roshan's childhood friend Krunal Patel, 40, at the warehouse unit at Acton Business Park in west London.

The company was called Puzzle Logistics Limited and has produced millions of tablets since it was set up in 2016.

It is believed to be the county's first illegal sedatives factory.

Allen Valentine, 62, and Roshan Valentine, 39, (pictured) made millions of pounds by producing Xanax, Valium and Teva and selling the fake drugs on the dark web

The trio had several accounts on different dark web markets and advertised the sale of Xanax and Diazepam.

Mr Patel was the delivery man and would frequently leave the warehouse with large bags, returning 10 to 15 minutes later without the contents of the bags.

Users would purchase the drugs on the dark web in cryptocurrency.

Mr Patel was arrested near to the warehouse with 15 parcels labelled for posting to addresses across the UK on August 17 last year.

Inside those parcels were fake Xanax and Teva.

Roshan and Allen Valentine were arrested later that same day.

Detectives began investigating the pair in January 2022 and discovered they spend most of their days with Roshan's childhood friend Krunal Patel (pictured left), 40, at the warehouse unit at Acton Business Park in west London (pictured right)

Pictured: Fake Diazepam (file photo). The company that was run by the pair was called Puzzle Logistics Limited and has produced millions of tablets since it was set up in 2016

In the warehouse, police found a secret laboratory containing chemicals, equipment and crates of pills.

The pills were analysed and found to contain Class C drugs from the Benzodiazepine group including Deschloroetizolam, Flubromazepam, Bromazolam and Flualprazolam.

Allen Valentine told the jury he was a doctor and has a string of qualifications in pharmacy.

Detective Constable Alex Hawkins of the Met's Cyber Crime Unit said: 'The three men ran a sophisticated, large-scale production of fake pharmaceutical drugs sold on the dark web that appeared to be genuine.

Pictured: Hidden door of pharmaceuticals factory. Mr Patel was arrested near to the warehouse with 15 parcels labelled for posting to addresses across the UK on August 17 last year

'Their operation was solely for the greed of those involved bearing no concern for the vulnerabilities of those purchasing these drugs.

'Some of the drugs contained completely different chemicals from those which should be in the genuine tablets; some of them are extremely dangerous.

'This is the first seizure of those chemicals in the UK and as such legislation will be amended later this year to include these drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A substances.'

He added: 'Stopping the manufacturing of these drugs has removed a significant risk to the public.

'We would like to thank pharmaceutical companies Viatris and Teva UK for assisting the Met in our investigation and supporting our prosecution against these dangerous and fraudulent men.

'I'd urge anyone to seek medical advice and obtain a prescription for medication through a doctor. If you buy from the dark web there is no guarantee what is in the substances, as with this case.'

Pictured: The warehouse unit at Acton Business Park in west London. Police found a secret laboratory containing chemicals, equipment and crates of pills

Pictured: Fake Xanax (file photo). Users would purchase the drugs on the dark web in cryptocurrency

Pictured: Tools used to make tablets. The pills were analysed and found to contain Class C drugs from the Benzodiazepine group including Deschloroetizolam, Flubromazepam, Bromazolam and Flualprazolam

Mr Patel of Carmalite Road, Harrow, and Roshan Valentine, of Hilliard Road, Northwood, admitted conspiracy to produce controlled drugs of Class C, conspiracy to supply controlled drugs of Class C, possessing a controlled drug of Class C with intent to supply, and conspiracy to sell trademarked goods without authorisation.

They also admitted conspiracy to use a registered trademark for labelling or packaging goods without authorisation, possession of articles designed to make unauthorised copies of registered trademarks, and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property.

Allen Valentine, of Kynaston Wood, Harrow, denied the same offences but was convicted after a trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

They will be sentenced at a later date and face a confiscation hearing.

In the long-running Netflix series Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a chemistry teacher who discovers that he has cancer and sets up a meth-making business to repay his medical debts.
Shocking footage showed the moment a novice pilot lost control of their paraglider and nearly killed a pedestrian walking along the beach in Brazil.

Aliny Nazar, 44, was walking with her husband at Sai Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro Sunday when the person manning the aircraft crashed into her from behind, a cellphone video showed.

The paraglider nearly missed hitting Nazar's spouse before she was knocked to the ground.

She can be seen attempting to get back on her feet and remained on the ground as her husband tended to her.

Aliny Nazar underwent shoulder surgery to repair her clavicle after she was knocked over by an out of control paraglider while she was walking with her husband on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday

Aliny Nazar's husband (right) was nearly hit by the paraglider that knocked her to the ground while they were out for a walk at a beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday

Aliny Nazar (left) and her husband (right) were unaware that the paraglider was approaching before she got hit by it on the back

Nazar was rushed to Copa D'Or Hospital and had surgery on her right shoulder because her clavicle had come out of place, Brazilian news outlet G1 reported.

She also suffered an abrasion on the head and required 10 stitches to close the wound.

'My biggest concern is that if it was a child or an elderly person they would (have) not survived,' Nazar told the outlet.

The name of the person piloting the paraglider is unknown. It's also unknown if they suffered any injuries.

According to the injured woman, the crash took place a distance away from where paragliders are permitted to land.

Aliny Nazar's husbands tends to her while she was trying to get back on her feet moments after she was nearly killed by an out of control paraglider. The 44-year-old had shoulder surgery and received 10 stitches on her head

Bruno Menescal, the Sao Conrado Flight Safety Operational Director, told Brazilian newspaper O'Dia that the man (pictured) was just learning how to pilot the paraglider and made multiple mistakes in attempting to land the aircraft before he slammed into a woman at a beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday

She claimed there was 'no safety protocol' in place to protect beachgoers from incoming aircraft.

Brazilian newspaper O'Dia reported the person piloting the paraglider was a beginner and made numerous mistakes while trying to land.

Bruno Menescal, the Sao Conrado Flight Safety Operational Director, told the newspaper that there were signs in the area that alerted beach visitors of incoming paragliders and hang gliders.

Paragliders land on grass, while hang gliders descend over the sand.

'The landing area is sensitive, as it is next rt a bike path and sidewalk,' he said.

The near-fatal crash raised concerns for Regina Baptista, a 66-year-old retired teacher who has lived in the neighborhood for just over two decades, told that outlet that she is reconsidering whether she should walk or ride her bike on the beach going forward.

'There have been other accidents with paragliding and hang gliding, but hitting people up on the sidewalks, I've never seen that,' she said. 'I was very scared. I'm even afraid, now, to go to the end (of the shore). I think that after what happened they will have to take be careful.'
There is one additional unknown bank account related to a Biden that received payments

Also includes the grandchildren and nieces, nephews of Joe Biden

Those who benefitted included Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Kathleen Buhle, Melissa Cohen Biden, James Biden and his wife Sarah

Oversight Republicans on Wednesday morning revealed how 10 family members of Joe Biden - even down to a grandchild - received wire payments amounting to over $10 million from foreign nationals around the time he was vice president.

Those who benefitted included Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Beau Biden's widow and Hunter Biden's one-time girlfriend, Hunter Biden's ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, Hunter Biden's current wife Melissa Cohen Biden, Biden's brother James and his wife Sarah, and the grandchildren and nieces and nephews of Joe Biden.

An additional Biden bank account has been identified but it's not yet clear who it belongs to.

'We're talking about grandchildren - a grandchild. That's odd. Most people that work hard everyday's grandchild doesn't get a wire from a foreign national or anything like that,' Comer said in a news conference.

At least 10 members of the Biden family have received wire payments from foreign nationals during the time he served as vice president

'We're talking about grandchildren - a grandchild. That's odd. Most people that work hard everyday's grandchild doesn't get a wire from a foreign national or anything like that,' Comer said in a news conference

It has not been suggested that the president himself directly accepted any of the payments but Republicans say they are confident he was aware of the scheme.

'It is inconceivable that the president did not know,' Comer said.

As a presidential candidate Biden said he and his family did not take any money from China.

'The White House refuses to correct the president's statement,' Comer said. 'The president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes.'

Republican members of the Oversight Committee have recently honed in on the previously undisclosed $1 million in Romanian-linked payments, and a 'web' of 20 companies created while President Joe Biden was vice president and pushing anti-corruption efforts abroad.

On Wednesday the committee released a 'Second Records Memorandum' that expands on information it received from subpoena returns as the committee continues its investigation into the Biden family's business practices.

'We're in the beginning stages of this investigation,' Comer warned, announcing that they would subpoena further bank records and ask again for Biden family business associates to cooperate with the probe before issuing subpoenas.

Wednesday's memo specifically outlines the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president. It also accuses President Biden for a 'lack of transparency' regarding his family's receipt of funds from China, which he has said are 'not true.'

It details the efforts by the family to hide, conceal and confuse sources of money - including more China money.

'China is probably the most reputable country on the list,' Comer said of the different nations who were linked to payments to the Bidens.

'It is inconceivable that the president did not know it, and the White House refuses to correct the President's statement ... the president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes,' said Comer during a press conference announcing the memo Wednesday.

Asked for what specific policies then-Vice President Biden could have influenced in exchange for the cash, Comer cited foreign aid.

'You look at some of the decisions that Joe Biden made as vice president, there are many decisions that we would make a strong argument that put China first and America last,' Comer said.

'Comer is asked for a single Joe Biden policy they believe has been unduly influenced. He cannot name a single one. Incredible,' White House spokesperson Ian Sams shot back on Twitter.

During Biden's time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a 'complicated corporate structure' the memo states.

Hunter Biden and his associates, including Rob Walker, formed 'at least 15' of those companies, after Biden took the office of the vice president in 2009.

Several of those entities including Owasco P.C. - which Hunter owned - Hudson West III, LLC, Robinson Walker, LLC, and Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC, accepted funds from foreign companies ranging from $5,000 to $3 million, the committee says.

'I've been accused, all of us have been, over this particular issue, that we're conspiracy theorists. We're not,' Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a news conference on the memo.

'This could be the most corrupt scheme in American politics,' Mace added.

During Biden's time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a 'complicated corporate structure' the memo states

Biden defended his son Hunter, saying last Friday evening during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that 'First of all, my son has done nothing wrong'

This specifically is 'evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates' work, allege the Republicans who point to multiple anti-corruption speeches and meetings with Romanian leaders then-Vice President Biden engaged in between 2014 and 2015.

The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot - a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses.

'While Vice President Biden was lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies, in reality he was a walking billboard for his son and family to collect money,' Comer said.

Between 2015 and 2017, Robinson Walker, LLC received $3 million from Bladon Enterprises Limited - Popoviciu's Cypriot company - which was then paid out to Biden family members in a total sum of over $1 million.

The first payments were received by the LLC just weeks after then-Vice President Biden hosted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House and they discussed anti-corruption policies.

Biden family accounts gained $1.038 million from Robinson Walker, LLC in a series of 17 deposits, 16 of which were made while Biden was still in the White House.

Sarah and James Biden were among the 10 Bidens who received payments from foreign nationals around the time Joe Biden was vice president

Hallie Biden, Beau Biden's widow and Hunter Biden's ex-girlfriend, was also named as having received funds

'The money stops flowing from Romania soon after Joe Biden leaves office, establishing a pattern of influence peddling,' the Oversight Committee wrote on Twitter.

The payments went to associate James Gilliar, Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Owasco LLC and an 'unknown Biden bank account.'

'It appears from bank records the Bidens were using Robinson Walker, LLC to conceal that the source of these payments was Popovici,' the memo says.

The memo also 'serves as a response to misinformation' Republicans say has been spread by President Biden, Democrats in Congress and their allies regarding the China-connected findings in a first memo released last month.

On March 16, Comer released a 'First Bank Records Memorandum' detailing a payment of $3 million in 2017 received by Biden family associate Rob Walker from a CEFC China Energy-linked firm State Energy HK Limited.

About $1 million of that money was then passed from Walker to several Biden family members - including Hallie Biden - in more than 15 incremental payments.

Hunter and Hallie Biden started dating after the death of her husband Beau Biden

'It is unclear what services were provided to obtain this exorbitant amount of money,' Comer said at the time of the first memo's release.

The new memo released Wednesday provides additional information about Ye Jianming and his company CEFC, including the role of the company's U.S. 'emissary' Gongwen Dong - which the lawmakers say is evidence of the Chinese Communist Party attempting to 'cultivate' a relationship with the Biden family directly.

The Republicans accuse Ye and Dong of 'enticing' Biden family members with millions of dollars 'in exchange for influence and legitimacy' in the U.S. and worldwide.

Dong set up multiple LLCs in the U.S., including in Delaware, under the variation of the phrase 'Hudson West,' including one in which Dong and Hunter Biden were each 50 percent owners.

The bank records show that between 2017 and 2018, Hudson West sent over $4 million to Hunter Biden's connected companies and $75,000 to James Biden's entities.

In addition, Hunter Biden's 'personal entity' of Owasco P.C. received $100,000 directly from CEFC Infrastructure in 2017.

Ian Sams, White House special assistant to the president and oversight spokesperson, blasted Comer in a statement ahead of the press conference calling out his 'absurd' attacks.

'House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points.' said Sams.

The committee is committed to creating 'legislative solutions' that would require more transparency into the vice president or president's immediate family - specifically into 'income, assets, and financial relationships' - the memo states.

As part of pushing for more transparency, Republicans say there needs to be strengthening of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws.

The committee is still scrutinizing whether ethics and financial disclosure laws should require a public official to publicly disclose the identities of the 20companies created by the Biden family.

The Biden family corruption and influence peddling has benefitted at least 12 family members, Comer has said - and includes wires to some of Biden's grandchildren, he confirmed Wednesday.

Additionally, Comer said Tuesday that he hopes DOJ will pay attention to the press conference and consider the information that he and his committee present.

Hunter Biden is facing federal tax and firearm charges out of a four-years-long probe by the Department of Justice.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-N.Y., questioned how the department's probe is being conducted during the press conference.

'It's interesting that the Department of Justice has been investigating Hunter Biden for quite some time. And we seem to just never really get anywhere. And so I think that's also interesting as well. I wonder what's going on in the Department of Justice,' said Donalds.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., added: 'DOJ needs to get off its ass and investigate. We've done the work for them so they can't screw it up now.'

The investigation into the first son being led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware is reported to be close to wrapping up soon - which means charges may be imminent.
Dramatic footage shows the moment twin brothers known as the Welsh Krays were arrested following a police pursuit along with two other defendants.

Siblings Thomas and Phillip Berry, 27, were jailed for more than four years each for their roles in an organised crime gang who carried out a string of expensive burglaries in Wales.

When police searched their car officers found cash, face coverings, gloves, and mobile phones.

The brothers, from Wrexham, North Wales, admitted their roles in the burglary gang that often targeted Asian families.

The pair are understood to be known by fellow crooks as the 'Welsh Krays' for copying gangsters Ronnie and Reggie in a sibling life of crime.

Criminal twin brothers Thomas and Phillip Berry, 27, were both jailed for more than four years after a string of burglaries in Wales

Dramatic footage showed the moment the 'Welsh Krays' were arrested following a police pursuit along with two other defendants

Police said they carried out raids across Ellesmere Port, Warrington and Greater Manchester between October and December last year.

But they were caught when CCTV captured the group scouting out a property by looking through the window before making off with goods inside.

Detectives then tracked a car used in the break in and found a screwdriver with Thomas Berry's DNA on it had been left inside.

Organised crime officers traced Berry and his known associates which resulted in them stopping his twin brother's Audi A3 on the M56 last December.

Phillip Berry was jailed for four years and two months, while his twin brother Thomas was sentenced to four years and one month.

Adam Purcell, 34, was jailed alongside them at Chester Crown Court for four years and nine months and a 17-year-old boy is yet to be sentenced.

Adam Purcell, 34, was jailed alongside them at Chester Crown Court for four years and nine months and a 17-year-old boy is yet to be sentenced

The brothers, from Wrexham, North Wales, admitted their roles in the burglary gang that often targeted Asian families

When police searched their car officers found cash, face coverings, gloves, and mobile phones

All four admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.

Speaking after the sentence, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Murray, who leads Chester Police's Serious and Organise Crime Unit said: 'I welcome the sentences that have been handed out and I hope that they provide reassurance to the victims and the wider community.

'The financial impact of burglary can be significant, but it's the emotional effect of being burgled which often lasts much longer and should never be underestimated.

'As a force we understand this and we hope this conviction goes as a warning to criminals who are looking to come to Cheshire, that in policing there are no borders, we work together to get criminals off our streets and behind bars where they belong.'
Joseph Fritzl has told how he dreams of being free one day despite the life sentence he is serving for his appalling crimes.

Fritzl shared his rambling thoughts with a lawyer he wrote a book with, based on a series of letters from prison.

In the curious rants which have now been made public, the depraved criminal tells of his bizarre backing for King Charles III and climate change activists.

The 87-year-old also told lawyer Astrid Wagner that, after watching King Charles's coronation on TV on Saturday, he decided the monarch is a 'pleasant person'.

Fritzl reportedly jokingly described himself as a monarchist in the same letter. He also expressed sympathy for the Last Generation climate activists - whose activities in Germany have been compared to Extinction Rebellion in the UK.

Fritzl is escorted to the fourth day of trial in the courthouse in St. Poelten on 19 March, 2009

The 87-year-old also told lawyer Astrid Wagner that, after watching King Charles's coronation on TV, he decided the monarch is a 'pleasant person'

He told Wagner: 'I understand those climate campaigners who glue themselves on roads. Everything is going to the dogs these days. You've got to take action.'

Earlier this year, Wagner - who is a renowned Viennese lawyer - published a book called 'The Abysses of Josef F' which she co-wrote with Fritzl.

Fritzl's latest bid for freedom was dashed when Austrian High Court judges blocked his parole appeal.

Fritzl, who fathered seven children with his daughter who he kept locked in a cellar for 24 years, said he will 'definitely' see his grandchildren again as he languishes in jail, according to a new interview.

Speaking on Tuesday, Fritzl, 87, said he expects to live until 130 - and is convinced that his grandchildren will see it in themselves to forgive him by then.

Fritzl pleaded guilty to all counts of rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest in March 2009 after he was found to have kept his daughter, Elisabeth, in a basement underneath the family home from the age of 18.

The monster from Amstetten, Lower Austria, reportedly started abusing Elisabeth from the age of 11 and fathered seven children with her, with three remaining in captivity, three being raised by Fritzl and his wife and one sadly dying.

Fritzl also expressed sympathy for the Last Generation climate activists (pictured protesting outside the Saint Thomas church in Berlin's Kreuzberg district in April)

Pictured: Josef Fritzl's dungeon in Amstetten, Austria, 10 years after the crimes were revealed

Images show hidden rooms in the cellar underneath Josef Fritzl's house in Austria

In the interview with The Sun, he detailed his fitness regime and told of how he had saluted King Charles and Queen Camilla during the Coronation on Saturday.

He said that he regretted his crimes and the hurt he had caused, adding that he 'would never ever do anything like that again'.

In the interview, Fritzl - who is understood to be suffering from dementia - claimed to have reformed after undergoing therapy inside.

Last month it was revealed he had written a memoir detailing how he decided to imprison his daughter and the efforts he went to in order to hide it from his wife.

Despite raising three of the children fathered between Fritzl and their daughter, Rosemarie Fritzl - his wife, now 84 - did not know what was going on.

Fritzl reportedly convinced his wife that Elisabeth had run away to join a cult.

He seeks to reconcile with his estranged ex-wife.

Her father forced her to write letters to her mother from the basement claiming all was well but that she could not look after her children.

The book, Die Abgrunde des Josef F (The Abysses Of Josef F), was published in Germany, with the help of Austrian lawyer Astrid Wagner, in April.

Reflecting on his crimes, Fritzl said in his memoir: 'At first it was just a mind game I played. But I got used to it.

'The idea, which had previously seemed so absurd, so monstrous to me, took shape.

'One day I knew what I had to do. All that remained was to wait for the right opportunity. On that rainy Saturday morning the time had come. The thought had become action.'

Fritzl intricately set up his underground prison, which featured a heavy metal door hidden behind a shelf in his workroom.

He had made sure only he could gain access to it, installing a keyless, secret code entry only known to him.

Elisabeth was manipulated by her father into thinking that the door was electrified, so that she would be killed if she tried to flee from the shocking abuse.

Elisabeth Fritzl was held in a cellar under her father's home from the age of eighteen

Image shows handprints traced by Felix, one of the children held in the cellar. Felix writes: 'I like driving in the car, playing ball, swimming, playing with children.' The prints are part of a letter shared after the children were rescued in which the family thanked the village for their support and revealed their slow steps towards recovery

Image shows the house of Josef Fritzl, aged 87, in the town of Amstetten, Lower Austria State

Elisabeth, who is now 57, was reported in 2019 to have found love with a bodyguard assigned to protect her.

Her identity was changed and she moved to the Austrian countryside to start over.

Her partner, Thomas Wagner, moved in with Elisabeth and her children, who are now aged between 17 and 31.

She was said to have received effective therapy which has helped her overcome her past trauma.
The victim, Garrett Foster, 28, had pointed a gun at Perry's car, leading him to fire back at the protestor

Daniel Perry, 36, has been jailed for 25 years for killing a Black Lives Matter protestor in 2020

A Texas Army sergeant has been jailed for 25 years for killing a Black Lives Matter protester who pointed a rifle at his car during the George Floyd protests.

Daniel Perry, 36, was handed the sentence by an Austin court Wednesday, weeks after he was convicted of the July 2020 murder of Garrett Foster, 28.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said he intends to pardon Perry, who he insists acted in self-defense. The state constitution limits Abbott to a pardon only on the recommendation by the state Board of Pardons and Paroles.

'I look forward to approving the board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,' the GOP lawmaker tweeted.

Daniel Perry enters the 147th District Courtroom at the Travis County Justice Center for his sentencing, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Austin, Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has instructed the Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a pardon and to expedite his request

Perry was convicted in April after an eight-day trial, where a jury took 17 hours of deliberation to hand down a guilty verdict.

The killing erupted July 25, 2020, while the army sergeant was driving his car as an Uber through downtown Austin, where he found himself in the midst of a BLM protest.

His defense lawyers argued that Foster raised his AK-47 at Perry during the melee, leading Perry to fire in self-defense.

However, witnesses testified during the trial that Foster never raised his rifle at Perry, and prosecutors argued that social media posts indicate Perry was vehemently opposed to protestors.

The army sergeant broke down in court and hugged his attorney after learning his fate, while his devastated mother Rachel Perry watched on in tears.

Daniel Perry broke down after being sentenced to 25 years behind bars

Rachel Perry, the mother of Daniel Perry, reacts to her son's sentencing on May 10, 2023

Whitney Mitchell, the partner of Garrett Foster, speaks in court during Perry's sentencing hearing on May 9

At Perry's sentencing hearing Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some racist images.

They had been excluded from Perry's trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by District Judge Clifford Brown.

Prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez had urged Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years.

'This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat,' Gonzalez said. 'He's going to do it again.'

Garrett Foster, 28, pictured with his wife Whitney Mitchell, a quadruple amputee who uses a wheelchair

Garrett Foster is seen at the driver's window. The barrel of the rifle is pointed towards the ground, while his right arm is high with his hand seemingly placed on the grip of the weapon. His weapon and Perry's were both legally-obtained

During the closing arguments at the end of Perry's trial last month, Gonzalez argued that Perry drove angrily into the crowd despite seeing protesters marching from three different angles.

However, the claim he sped into the protestors was disputed by the defense's expert witnesses, who used data to track the speed of his car. The expert testified he was slowing down when his car entered the demonstration.

Doug O'Connell, defending Perry, said prosecutors wanted the jury 'to believe (Perry) had this evil plan when he turned right.'

O'Connell argued that Foster was dressed for battle at the protest, including wearing a neoprene vest under his T-shirt and carrying an AK-47, a club and a knife.

Perry was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. 'Garrett Foster is dressed for war,' O'Connell said. 'Daniel Perry is dressed for the beach.'

Following his conviction, Perry's attorneys filed a motion asking for a new trial, maintaining the defense team was blocked from introducing evidence they argue showed Foster intentionally confronting other drivers on the street the night of the shooting.

Foster and Mitchell pictured at the July 2020 protest

Activists are pictured on July 26, 2020 holding a vigil for Foster, the day after he was killed

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said he is hoping to pardon the army sergeant

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made a public plea for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Perry, and the GOP lawmaker says he has requested the body expedited his request for a review.

According to its website, the board can recommend a pardon to the governor on a majority vote from its seven members, and Abbott insists he intends to pardon Perry 'as swiftly as Texas law allows'.

'Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,' Abbott said. 'I look forward to approving the Board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk'.

Abbott previously granted two pardons in 2022 and eight in 2021 based on the board's recommendations, all of which were for lower-level offenses, including theft, providing alcohol to a minor, assault by contact, burglary of a vehicle, credit card abuse and illegally carrying a firearm, according to the Texas Tribune.
New York Times columnist John McWhorter wrote that he believes Jordan Neely, who died on the F train last week after being placed in a chokehold by another passenger, 'did deserve restraint'.

Neely, who was homeless, was placed in a chokehold by former Marine Daniel Penny, 24, after acting erratically and shouting at passengers that 'I dont have food, I dont have a drink, Im fed up. I dont mind going to jail and getting life in prison. Im ready to die.'

Other passengers helped to restrain him until he went limp. He was then taken to a hospital by paramedics where he was declared dead.

McWhorter has also written a book entitled 'Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America'

McWhorter acknowledges that his opinion 'may be unpopular' but that he is fed up with feeling 'terrified' on the transit network, especially when accompanied by his two young daughters.

His caveated opinion reflects how the incident has divided New Yorkers, with some, including Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, labelling it murder, Others have argued the restraint was necessary.

The columnist and Columbia University linguist wrote that it was 'worth noting' that Mr Neely had a history of violence against women, racking up three arrests for assaulting women in the subway system.

McWhorter lamented that the subway has become overrun with the homeless and mentally ill, who he says need specialist help, but that it must be acknowledged that these 'almost always male' passengers are 'most likely to be directly confrontational with women.'

The New York Police Department announced March 8 that subway crime is down 21.5 percent from the same time last year, despite this New Yorkers have continued to express unease at their lack of safety on the network.

There were 10 murders on the subway last year, compared to around two a year in the five years preceding the pandemic.

In other recent columns McWhorter has suggested that race is not always the central factor in news events that ignite racial tensions.

Neely, who was homeless, was placed in a chokehold by former Marine Daniel Penny

In April he wrote that gun violence, not racism, was at the root of the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl after he was mistaken as a trespasser in Kansas City.

'The point is not that race doesnt matter' he wrote in The Times article, 'the point is that we can overplay how much it does in assessing what ails America in a general sense.'

Instead, he argues, 'the grisly prevalence of guns in this country and how readily people use them' was the determining factor behind the violence.'

The columnist has criticized 'todays extremes of wokeness, confusing acting out for action'.

He has written in support of Governor Ron DeSantis' objections to a new A.P course of African American studies and advocated for more nuanced thinking around discussions of race and police brutality.

McWhorter has also written a book entitled 'Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America', in which he argues that the rise of so-called 'antiracism' is really illiberal neoracism that is 'hurting black communities'.
City workers in Phoenix finally began clearing out the massive homeless encampment known as The Zone on Wednesday although one city official has confirmed that there is not enough space in public shelters for those being moved.

A local homeless charity said that as of Tuesday night there were around 740 people still living in The Zone, with some having moved out already prior to the clean-up.

However, there are just 35 beds available in city shelters, reports the Phoenix New Times. Many residents of The Zone have said that they have heard that hotel rooms will be booked for them but most are scared that they will be left to roam the streets.

The Zone, which is seven blocks long and five blocks wide, is located steps from the state capitol building as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks' stadium.

The move to clean-up the encampment came following a judge's ruling in March after business owners with premises located close to the camp filed a lawsuit against the city, demanding its closure. The city is still planning to appeal the ruling.

The demolishing of the largest homeless encampment in Phoenix began on Wednesday

Pictures from the scene showed tents and garbage strewn across city streets as activists attempt to get the unhoused into shelters and hotel rooms

At least one city official admitted that they do not know what to do with most of the residents of the area known as The Zone

The cleanup began at 7am local time on Wednesday. Officials have until July 10 show 'material results' in the removal of the site.

Officials have said that they have beds available for everyone being moved today, around 35-40 people, reports NBC Phoenix. Those beds are spread across shelters and hotels in the city.

Speaking to the media, the deputy director of Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions, Scott Hall, admitted that there are not enough beds for the 700 other residents of The Zone.

Earlier officials said that they plan to add 800 extra beds in city shelters by 2024.

Less than two hours after the clean-up began, AZ Central reported that 'piles of tents, clothes, bedding, wood planks and containers still overwhelmed the sidewalks.

After people have left, city trucks and sweepers will move in to remove any remaining debris. According to the AZ Central report, there are no police officers present at the clean-up initially.

Police were called at one point when an item was found in a tent. The AZ Central report said that officers did not say if it was an air rifle or an actual rifle that was found.

Two residents, Barry Hayes and Daniel Mackey, told the newspaper that they would accept hotel rooms if they were offered them but if they weren't, the pair said that they would just relocate to another section of The Zone.

Cleanup crews relocate a large tent from the area of The Zone that is being cleared

Speaking to the media, the deputy director of Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions, Scott Hall, admitted that there are not enough beds for the 700 other residents of The Zone

Less than two hours after the clean-up began, AZ Central reported that 'piles of tents, clothes, bedding, wood planks and containers still overwhelmed the sidewalks

Brad Lally and his service dog, Rocky, in the process of being relocated away from The Zone

The block being cleared on Wednesday only became a part of The Zone in 2023. Numbers of residents in the area have continued to swell since the Covid-19 pandemic. At its height, around 2,000 people called the space home

Two residents, Barry Hayes and Daniel Mackey, told AZ Central that they would accept hotel rooms if they were offered them but if they weren't, the pair said that they would just relocate to another section of The Zone

KTAR's Taylor Kinnerup reported that one man could be heard yelling at city employees: 'You didn't so s*** then and you're not going to do s*** now'

While a man and his girlfriend told NBC Phoenix's Bianca Buono that they 'couldn't stop smiling' as they loaded their belongings into car and headed to a hotel

KTAR's Taylor Kinnerup reported that one man could be heard yelling at city employees: 'You didn't so s*** then and you're not going to do s*** now.'

While a man and his girlfriend told NBC Phoenix's Bianca Buono that they 'couldn't stop smiling' as they loaded their belongings into car and headed to a hotel.

The block being cleared on Wednesday only became a part of The Zone in 2023. Numbers of residents in the area have continued to swell since the Covid-19 pandemic. At its height, around 2,000 people called the space home.

The city's Democratic Mayor Kate Gallego said in April that she agreed with the demolition of the camp 'in spirit.' In March, Arizona's liberal Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would ban people setting up tents in public spaces.

AZ Central earlier reported that many who live there are drug users and/or battling serious mental illness.

One resident, Shina Sepulveda, told the New York Times that living in the area is not 'a life. It's an existence.'

The CEO of homeless charity Community Bridges said that their organization will be providing shelter space and hotel rooms for the displaced.

The process of removing the encampment will be done block-by-block. When people are removed, they will not be allowed to return or they could face a criminal charge.

According to the lawsuit, the city should have no tents within public property and biohazards that include drugs, trash and human waste should be picked up

The demolishing of the camp will begin on Wednesday and will be done block by block

As many as 2,000 people call The Zone home, the number of homeless in Phoenix has risen from 700 to over 3,000 in less than ten years

Last month, the city's Democratic Mayor Kate Gallego said that she agreed 'in spirit' that the camp should be moved

In an April interview with KSAT, Mayor Gallego said that her office was still seeking solutions to the homeless problem

In an April interview with KSAT, Mayor Gallego said that her office was still seeking solutions to the homeless problem.

'Weve been working with my colleagues to bring seven new investments online that will help take people out of the zone and put them into a better housing situation. These include partnerships with nonprofits like the Salvation Army, UMom and CBI that are in every part of Phoenix,' the mayor said.

A couple who sued the city, seeking to have the camp moved, Joe and Debbie Faillace, said that the regularly found feces and drug paraphernalia outside of the sandwich shop that they have operated in the area for 30 years.

'Theres just a complete lawlessness, and its getting worse. We want our neighborhood back. We want to feel safe,' Debbie told the network. The number of homeless people in Phoenix has risen from 771 in 2014 to 3.096 in 2022.

An advocate told CNN that she was worried that others could follow the Phoenix lawsuit.

'We know that the only way to actually address this issue and homelessness is affordable housing and the services that people want and need in order to get housing,' National Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Ann Oliva said.

Another resident, Rayann Denny, told CNN that she would not be moving to city-run shelter because of her drug use.

'I just try to keep myself high so I don't have to deal with the pain,' the 37-year-old said.

Denny said that she became homeless after her husband died and she couldn't pay the bills.

While another, Stefanie Powell, said that she doesn't know where she and her boyfriend will wind up.

'I dont want to wind up having to walk the streets again. Its hard because nobody wants to see the problem. Nobody wants to acknowledge the problem. They just want it to away,' Powell told CNN.

According to the lawsuit, the city should have no tents within public property and biohazards that include drugs, trash and human waste should be picked up.

Attorneys for the business owners said Phoenix has allowed homeless people to set up permanent tent encampments on public sidewalks and decreased enforcement of loitering, drunken and disorderly conduct and drug use among other things.

Kristin Couturier, a city spokesperson, said in March that officials were reviewing the court ruling.

'We remain committed to address the needs of all residents and property owners,' Couturier said in a statement Monday.

'We continue to work with local and regional partners to address the complex issues surrounding those experiencing homelessness and to connect people in need with safe, indoor spaces and resources to help end their homelessness.'
It comes after shoppers said they are asked to tip at self-checkout machines

Employees at the Maryland store became the first in the US to unionize

Apple workers want to offer a gratuity option of 3-5% at the checkout

Staff at Apple's first unionized store in the US are in talks to implement a tipping system at the check-out.

Workers at the Maryland branch - which became unionized last year - plan to ask customers if they wish to add an optional gratuity worth 3 to 5 percent of their purchase or a custom amount.

A 5 percent tip on the latest MacBook Air - which retails at $1,199 - would work out as $59.95.

It comes after shoppers complained they are increasingly being asked to tip at self-checkout machines - despite having zero interaction with employees.

Currently Apple's policies state that store workers who accept a tip from a customer will be automatically fired.

Employees at an Apple branch in Maryland are in talks to implement a tipping system at the check-out. The members are pictured last year after agreeing to unionize

A 5 percent tip on the latest MacBook Air - which retails at $1,199 - would work out as $59.95

But workers at the store in Towson, Maryland, say customers often 'insist' on leaving money for them after a purchase.

The cash then goes into a safe before being returned to the company - without the employee seeing any of it.

The Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE) - which represents the Apple staff - wrote on Twitter: 'Though we do not see tips as a major way of generating income we wanted to create an acceptable system that allows the occasional customer the ability to reward our team for their hard work.

'We understand there are a lot of concerns about the culture of tipping as a whole in the US, but there is currently no other mechanism that would work otherwise.'

It added that the tips would be split between workers.

But customers took to social media in their droves to slam the new plan.

One wrote on Twitter: 'Tips for what? Assisting a customer for picking out the latest Apple device? Give me a break.'

It is one of several demands being made by CORE on behalf of the Maryland store which is also asking for wage rises of as much as 10 percent, according to Bloomberg.

Other demands include higher pay over a larger portion of holidays, such as the day after Thanksgiving.

The row comes amidst a nationwide backlash over 'tipflation' which has seen tipping culture spill out from bars and restaurants and into coffee shops and take-away stores

And it is seeking to expand vacation pay and time off based on years of service while extending paid bereavement leave from 10 days at a time to a maximum of 45 days a year.

The policy should include pets and close friends, the union said.

On top of that, the union is seeking double pay for staffers who work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week.

Meanwhile it wants employees who are first aid certified to receive $1 more an hour as well as entitlement to 34 weeks severance pay if they are laid off.

The Maryland store hit headlines last year when it became the first Apple branch to unionize.

Since then, workers at an Oklahoma City store have agreed to unionize - though negotiations with Apple have not begun.

Similar efforts were initiated by workers in Atlanta and St Louis - though these were promptly cancelled.

Last year St Louis workers said in a letter they 'no longer felt the union would provide anything complimentary to Apple's culture and existing benefits.'

Apple has been engaged in a national effort to stop its retail workers from unionizing.

The row comes amidst a nationwide backlash over 'tipflation' which has seen tipping culture spill out from bars and restaurants and into coffee shops and take-away stores.

While shoppers can say no, have often complained they felt 'guilt-tripped' into agreeing to the surcharge.

Square, a technology firm which powers many iPad check-outs, said transactions with tips attached had increased by 17 percent over the last year at full-service restaurants.

At quick-service take-away outlets, they have increased by 16 percent since the final quarter of 2022.

Legally employers are obligated to give tips directly to their workers but businesses have faced lawsuits over the years for failing to do so.

Dailymail.com reached out to Apple for comment.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of murdering four Idaho University students, has hired one of the 'top criminal defense lawyers' in the state.

Elisa G. Massoth is a capital-qualified criminal attorney, and she previously attended the same college as the four slain Idaho victims.

She filed a notice of appearance with the Second Judicial District Court on Tuesday - and will be joining Kohberger's defense team as he gears up for his next court appearance on May 22.

His new attorney is described as being 'fearless, persistent advocacy with compassion and winning strategy.'

Kohberger is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin on November 13.

Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of murdering four Idaho University students, has hired one of the 'best criminal defense lawyers' in the state

Elisa G. Massoth is a capital-qualified criminal attorney, and she previously attended the same college as the four slain victims

(L-R) Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders), Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke

Massoth is Idaho's Criminal Justice Panel representative and the former president of the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - and she spent 11 years on the board of directors.

Showcasing all five-star client reviews on her website, some of the people who have worked with her in the past called her a 'great lawyer,' 'a God send,' and 'tough as she needs to be.'

Even a judge, who remained anonymous, said about her: 'Excellent lawyer, always prepared, demonstrates high intelligence with significant level of common sense.'

One of Massoth's former clients was John Wurdemann, who was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus 50 years for attempted murder and kidnapping - before she was hired and got his conviction overturned.

The initial case was featured on 'America's Most Wanted.'

She appealed and convinced the court that the witness had mistakenly identified her client.

The attorney studied at College of Southern Idaho, Boise State University and the University of Idaho - and she does not only practice criminal defense law.

John Wurdemann was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus 50 years for attempted murder and kidnapping - before Elisa G. Massoth was hired and got his conviction overturned

Massoth also advises several local government boards, works in the civil law areas of evictions, real estate transactions, business entity formation and estate planning.

Edwina Elcox, a Boise-based criminal defense attorney told Fox News Digital that Massoth has a strong reputation opposing 'the might of the government' in Idaho courts.

She said: 'She is an excellent, highly respected criminal defense attorney. I have the utmost confidence in her ability to provide Bryan Kohberger an outstanding defense.'

The trial against Kohberger is set to kick off in the coming months.

He is charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing in January

Kohberger, 28, was arrested on December 30 after weeks of thorough investigation by police in Moscow, Idaho, and the FBI

Kohberger earned a psychology degree at community college in 2018, before studying psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University

Kohberger is expected to enter a plea on June 26, around the same time as the presentation of evidence, so Latah County has until the end of July to officially pursue the death penalty.

He is charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing in January.

Kohberger was arrested on December 30 by a SWAT team at his parents home in Pennsylvania as they moved to search his apartment at Washington State University.

He has previously indicated that he believes he will 'be exonerated', with his family unable to pay for him to have private representation.

A new search warrant, made public on January 17, shows that police found several hair strands, including one suspected animal hair, a black glove, a computer tower and one unnamed item with a collection of 'dark red spots'.

They also hauled away a pillow with a 'reddish/brown stain' on it and the top and bottom of a mattress cover with 'multiple stains'.

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.

Authorities initially sealed the search warrant for the murder suspect's Washington home  arguing that releasing the details could 'prematurely' end the investigation.
Tesla, who died in 1943, has previously been credited with predicting the rise of the Internet and cellphones

He wrote of the emergence of machines with their 'own mind' more than 120 years before companies started rolling out the technology

Nikola Tesla may have predicted the rise of artificial intelligence in a magazine article from June 1900

American inventor Nikola Tesla may have predicted the rise of artificial intelligence more than 120 years ago.

In a recently-resurfaced magazine article from June 1900, the Austrian-born inventor wrote of the emergence of machines with their 'own mind.'

His inventions, like the Tesla coil and hydroelectric power, have inspired generations, and Elon Musk even named his electric car company after the inventor.

Tesla, who died in 1943, has previously been credited with predicting the rise of the Internet and cellphones.

His resurfaced prediction about automatons now comes as companies rollout artificial intelligence robots to perform human tasks, despite experts' concerns.

American inventor Nichola Tesla may have predicted the rise of artificial intelligence

He wrote in a June 1900 essay about the emergence of machines with their 'own mind,' similar to the artificial intelligence that is being used today

In his June 1900 piece titled 'The Problem of Increasing Human Energy,' Tesla wrote: 'I propose to show that, however impossible it may now seem, an automaton may be contrived which will have its "own mind."'

He then went on to explain in The Century Magazine that this machine 'will be able, independent of any operator, left entirely to itself, to perform, in response to external influences affecting its sensitive organs, a great variety of acts and operations as if it had intelligence.'

'It will be able to follow a course laid out or to obey orders given far in advance,' Tesla continued. 'It will be capable of distinguishing what it ought and what it ought not to do; and of making experiences, or otherwise stated, of recording impressions which will definitely affect its subsequent actions.'

The essay is now described as the inventor's 'philosophical treatise' in which he used research to explain 'how to satisfy humanity's increasing need for energy,' according to the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in New York.

The facility is 'dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Nikola Tesla' who was born way back in the Austrian Empire in 1856 before he moved to the United States in his late 20s.

'Tesla did foresee an age of machines thinking independently of humans,' Joseph Sikorski, a History and Collection Committee Member at the center told FOX News.

'Perhaps his most famous example is his automaton, a remote-controlled boat that contained the fundamental patents for radio, robotics and the Nano AND gate  a primitive logic gate which is a fundamental part in every computer.'

The technology is seen as the precursor to modern-day drones.

Tesla has also been credited with foreseeing the inventions of the Internet and cellphones

Tesla is seen sitting in his Colorado Springs laboratory with his Magnifying transmitter in 1899

Tesla is also credited with developing the Tesla coil, a transformer that paved the way for radios and were used to project images to the front of television screens.

Tesla had intended for the device to be used as part of a wireless power system  magnifying the power of the device with his magnifying turbine, which was able to illuminate lightbulbs several feet away without any wires.

Additionally, Tesla created a turbine-style engine that used combustion to make discs rotate. It was as much as 90 percent more fuel efficient than the technology used in automobiles at the time.

But Tesla is perhaps best known for creating the alternating current electricity supply system, which allows for electricity to be sent over long distances much more efficiently and is used in much of the electronics we use today.

In a letter Tesla wrote to Purdue University professor Franklin Miessner in the 1890s, in which Tesla explained he never limited himself to 'mechanisms controlled from distance, but to machines possessed of their own intelligence.

'Since that time, I had advanced greatly in the evolution of the invention, and think that the time is not distant when I shall show an automaton, which left to itself, will act as though possessed of reason and without any willful control from the outside,' Tesla wrote in the letter.

'Whatever the practical possibilities of such an achievement, it will mark the beginning of a new epoch in mechanics.'

Sikorski said Tesla also described the teleautomaton as having a 'borrowed mind.'

'This perhaps better illustrates the potential benefits yet dangers of unrestricted AI, for where the mind is "borrowed" from could make all the difference, since it will be built upon the work of human beings who may be unable to contain their inherent flaws or biases,' Sikorski said.

In fact, experts in the developing technology have warned of the dangers of using artificial intelligence.

Thousands of tech leaders, including Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking, have even signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on AI development.

They argue that companies are taking part in a 'dangerous race' by advancing the technology so quickly, and it poses a 'profound risk to society and humanity'.

But the technology is continuing to be developed and used at a variety of companies, with even fast food giant Wendy's announcing on Tuesday that it will roll out a chatbot to take orders in June.

Wendy's is planning to roll out a new AI chatbot to take orders at its drive-thrus starting at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in June

Tesla has previously been credited for accurately predicting a variety of other technological advances currently in use today, writing of technology that could transmit data wirelessly  like the Internet does.

And in a 1926 interview with Collier's magazine, Tesla predicted a 'vest pocket,' that is similar to modern-day cellphones with video calling technology.

'When wireless is perfectly applied, the whole Earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole,' he wrote at the time. 'We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance.

'Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as though we were face-to-face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles, and the instruments through which we shall be able to do this will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone.

'A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket,' he foresaw.

For his work in electronics, Twitter CEO Elon Musk decided to honor the inventor, and buy the name Tesla Motors off a man in Sacramento, California for $75,000.

'I sent the nicest guy in the company to just go sit on his doorstep and not leave until he agreed to sell it to us,' Musk said in a 2022 interview. 'So eventually the guy said, "Fine I'll sell you the name."'
'Queen of the mommy bloggers' Heather B. Armstrong - known as Dooce to her followers - has died at the age of 47.

Armstrong, who lived in Salt Lake City, shot onto the internet scene in the early 2000s and became a pioneering blogger, writing candidly about her struggles with motherhood, depression and alcoholism.

Her death was announced on her Instagram page today.

'Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B. Armstrong aka Dooce aka love of my life. July 19, 1975 - May 9, 2023. "It takes an ocean not to break."

'Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else,' the post read.

'Queen of the mommy bloggers' Heather B. Armstrong - known as Dooce to her followers - has died at the age of 47

Armstrong's death was announced on her Instagram page today

Her boyfriend Pete Ashdow told The Associated Press she died by suicide after recently relapsing following 18 months of sobriety.

Armstrong was among the first 'mommy bloggers', detailing her struggles with depression and parenthood, since 2001.

By 2009, she had a monthly readership of 8.4million and was making $40,000-a-month with banner ads, according to a 2019 Vox profile.

In 2016, after battling suicidal depression and sharing her struggles online, she took part in a clinical trial at the University of Utah.

The three-week trial involved her being induced into minutes-long comas three days a week.

In 2016, Armstrong entered a clinical trial where she was made braindead three times a week for three weeks in an attempt to cure depression

The results were promising - six of the ten patients who took part in say their mental health improved, and continued to be better for three months afterwards.

It's unclear if the treatment was ever advanced for approval.

After the trial, Armstrong wrote about it in her book: The Valedictorian of Death.

The experiment used propofol anesthesia to flatline her brain for 15 minutes. She was the third person to try it.

In an interview with The New York Post about the treatment, she said she was not at all fearful that it might kill her.

She did it ten times, and noticed small changes in her behavior after initial bouts of nausea.

Armstrong with one of her children and ex-husband Jon. No other details about her death have been released

She took part in drastic experiments to try to cure her depression, signing up to be made brain dead 10 times, then writing about it in the book: The Valedictorian of Death. Her previous books include Dear Daughter and It Sucked Then I Cried

Armstrong with her kids Leta (left) and Marlo (right)

'It was after the second treatment when I suddenly realized, "Oh, I showered without even thinking about it.

'After the third treatmentI started doing my hair and wearing cleaner clothes," she said.

She wrote about the experience in her book The Valedictorian of Death.

Her previous books include Dear Daughter and It Sucked Then I Cried.

She was also open with battles about sobriety, writing in an April 6 blog post - her final entry - 'On October 8th, 2021 I celebrated six months of sobriety by myself on the floor next to my bed feeling as if I were a wounded animal who wanted to be left alone to die.

'There was no one in my life who could possibly comprehend how symbolic a victory it was for me, albeit it one fraught with tears and sobbing so violent that at one point I thought my body would split in two.

'The grief submerged me in tidal waves of pain. For a few hours I found it hard to breathe.'
A retired bookkeeper is believed to have lain dead in his flat for six years and was only found when housing officials forced entry to carry out a gas test.

Robert Alton is thought to have died aged 70 in May 2017 but his skeletal remains were not discovered until this year, an inquest heard today.

A court order to enter Mr Altons address in Bolton, Greater Manchester, was obtained by landlord Bolton at Home for the visit on March 9. Officials forced entry and used an angle grinder to cut a security chain.

Inside was post piled 50cm high. Mr Altons body was found at the top of the stairs to his first-floor flat, in jeans and a grey jumper, and police were called.

Det Sgt Dominic Beaver, of Greater Manchester Police, said neighbours had seen nobody at the flat for at least five years.

A court order to enter Mr Altons home (pictured) in Bolton, Greater Manchester, was obtained by landlord Bolton at Home for the visit on March 9

Inside the neat property, police found a television guide for May 4, 2017, open with reading glasses sat on one of the pages, he said. There was also food with 2017 expiry dates.

The detective added there were no suspicious circumstances.

The inquest heard Mr Alton last spoke to Bolton at Home in April 2017, and council tax had been paid up to that year but was then in arrears. He last contacted his GP in 2014.

His rent was still being paid up to the time of his discovery, via housing benefit.

Mr Alton was identified through personal items but no relatives have been traced.

Dr Patrick Waugh, pathologist, said it was not possible to determine a cause of death.

Coroner Peter Sigee said: On the balance of probabilities Mr Alton died in May 2017. Im satisfied the appropriate conclusion is an open conclusion.

The case happened just over a year after a woman had to be identified through dental records after lying undiscovered at a London flat for two-and-a-half years.

Sheila Seleoane, 58, was found in February 2022 at her Peckham home after police were called when a door blew open in a storm - but it emerged neighbours complained about a foul stench and flies in 2019.

Mr Altons landlord revealed its visit only came after a change in procedure prompted officials to obtain an access order in court.

Robert Alton is thought to have died aged 70 in May 2017 but his skeletal remains were not discovered until this year an inquest heard today

The inquest was told that over previous years, officials made 15 visits plus telephone calls and sent dozens of letters seeking to arrange a gas test, all without response  but no further action took place.

After the hearing, Noel Sharpe, chief executive of landlord of Bolton At Home, said: We offer our heartfelt condolences to Roberts loved ones, friends and neighbours and apologise to them for the opportunities we missed in finding out why we couldnt contact Robert.

In hindsight, we should have spotted sooner that something was potentially wrong.

An inquest heard that after officials twice visited Mr Altons home in June 2017 to perform a gas safety test  which must take place annually - but obtained no answer, his supply was simply capped without further investigation.

The procedural change leading to Mr Altons discovery was not made until 2022.

Amid the cost-of-living crisis, Bolton at Home decided to stop automatically capping gas supplies if tenants had not allowed a safety test, and there was a review of homes where supplies were previously capped.

Bolton At Home says it now applies for an access warrant immediately when it cannot contact a tenant about a gas test.

Its tenant support team also works more closely with the gas safety team where they may be welfare concerns.
A school has written to parents warning that a pupil suffered a 'cardiac episode' after drinking a Prime Energy drink.

The primary school said the pupil had to have their stomach pumped after consuming the cult beverage promoted by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul.

There are two types of Prime drink available; Prime Hydration, which is sold in a plastic bottle and has zero caffeine, and Prime Energy, which is sold in a can and contains a high level of caffeine.

Milton Primary School in Newport, Gwent, has warned parents of the 'potential harmful effects' of the canned product, which contains 140mg of caffeine. By comparison, a can of ordinary Red Bull has 30mg of caffeine.

The 474-pupil school told parents: 'This morning a parent has reported that their child has had a cardiac episode over the weekend after drinking a Prime Energy drink.

'The child had to have their stomach pumped and although better now the parent wanted us to share this as a reminder of the potential harmful effects.'

A school has written to parents warning that a pupil suffered a 'cardiac episode' after drinking a Prime energy drink

The primary school said the pupil had to have their stomach pumped after consuming the cult drink promoted by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul

The original Prime Hydration drinks were launched in the UK last year and quickly sold out in supermarkets with bottles then selling online for more than 10 times their retail value.

Prime Energy, however, only became available in the UK last week.

Prime Energy, sold in cans, contains double the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee and the company says it is not recommended for under 18s.

Many UK supermarkets have imposed their own rules against under 16s from buying energy drinks.

Dr Deborah Lee from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy previously said: 'I would not recommend children drink Prime energy drinks or other energy drinks for children of any age.

Milton Primary School in Newport, Gwent, warned parents of the 'potential harmful effects' of the drink which contains 140mg of caffeine

'Children don't need energy drinks anyway - they have plenty of energy. If your child is lacking in energy take them to see their GP - do not give them an energy drink.'

Speaking last year, the British Soft Drinks Association said: 'Energy drinks and their ingredients have been deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world.

'Energy drink manufacturers have taken all possible steps to be clear about the suitability of energy drinks.

'Retailers, schools and parents all have a role to play in educating children about caffeine and sugar consumption from all sources.'

On April 18, queues formed outside Aldi stores as it brought in new supplies of Prime Hydration weeks after a social media frenzy saw scuffles break out in the aisles and bottles selling for as much as 100.

The drink, by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, returned to branches of the budget supermarket nationwide and is available to buy for .1.99.

Shoppers can choose from six different flavours, including the new Limited Edition Orange and Mango, Meta Moon, Tropical Punch, Blue Raspberry, Lemon and Lime, and Ice Pop.

Shoppers were also sent into a frenzy when the Prime Hydration drinks were first released, prompting muggings and near-riots in shops.

Shoppers queue up at Aldi in Ancoats, Manchester last month to buy new flavours of the viral energy drink Prime

Prime Energy drinks, sold in cans, went on sale in the UK last week

So what is actually in the viral Prime Hydration drink? The drink launched by influencer boxers Logan Paul and KSI has been marketed as a healthy alternative to many energy drinks. The vast majority of each 500ml bottle is filtered water, mixed with 10 per cent coconut water. The latter is good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium important components of in heart, skeletal and muscle health. Branding around Prime boasts it contains no added sugar and zero caffeine. Therefore it isn't really an energy drink. Cans of energy drinks, and in particular their consumption by young people, have been controversial as some can contain more than 80g of sugar and have as much caffeine as three cups of coffee. In comparison, prime only has 2g of sugar per bottle, about 7 per cent of an adult's recommended intake. It instead gets its sweetness from a substances Sucralose and Acesulfame K. These are both artificial sweeteners, a family of low-calorie chemicals used instead of sugar. While there have been some health concerns about these substances, health authorities say they are safe. However, some studies have suggested sweeteners can stimulate appetite or alter the gut microbiome and therefore increase the risk of weight gain and obesity. Advertisement

After Prime was first launched in the US last year, it has been estimated that more than 100 million bottles have now been sold worldwide.

The popularity of the Hydration drink, which is mainly comprised of filtered water and coconut water, is thought to have been fuelled by the enormous social media reach of KSI and Logan Paul.

In February, the launch of a new flavour of the drink sent shoppers wild as people were filmed queueing for hours outside supermarkets to get their hands on bottles.

Shocking footage emerged of a branch of Sainsbury's in Liverpool where shoppers fought over bottles of the orange and mango flavour.

As the entrance opened for the first time, scenes soon descended into carnage as impatient shoppers, including both adults and children, climbed over each other in a desperate bid to reach the bottles.

Furious staff, who had moments earlier warned of a three-bottle limit per person, could be heard urging the customers to 'stop f***ing pushing'.

Another individual could be heard saying, 'guys, it's just a drink'.

Children were seen in the crush as staff members tried to prevent the fighting.

And when the drink first arrived in the UK in June last year, scenes of pandemonium broke out.

Demand for the drinks outpaced supply as youngsters tried to emulate their social media heroes.

When Aldi started selling Prime last December, limiting bottles to one per person, customers queued at dawn and were pictured jumping over shelves in the frenzy to get their hands on it.

Wakefield Wines, an off-licence in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, went viral after reportedly selling bottles for 100 each, while a 12-pack was advertised for 50,000 on auction site eBay, together fuelling the demand further.

But the craze acquired a sinister edge when a 17-year-old in Kent was arrested for stealing a case, and reports emerged of children being bullied into handing over their drinks.

One ten-year-old was also reportedly punched in the face when he refused to give his drink to a group of teenagers in the park.
An irate businessman allegedly attacked a flight attendant for her 'sh**ty' behavior aboard a flight from Barbados to South Florida.

According to a criminal complaint, Robert David Croizat lost his cool halfway through a four-hour American Airlines flight.

The complaint details that Croizat became extremely angry after he felt a flight attendant was not sufficiently respectful while telling him about his in-flight meal options. The man was not upset with what was on the menu of the international flight, but rather felt dissatisfied with the way in which they were presented to him.

Croizat demanded to speak with the flight's captain about what he felt was subpar service. His meltdown became so outrageous that another passenger was ultimately moved to physically intervene and force Croizat back into his seat.

Robert David Croizat was arrested upon landing in Miami after having a mid-air meltdown about the way he was being treated by flight attendants that led to a physical confrontation

According to a criminal complaint, Croizat attempted to rush the cockpit after demanding to speak with the pilot

Less than two hours into the flight, the report says Croizat got up from his seat and 'caused a disturbance' by approaching the first of several flight attendants mentioned in the complaint.

'What, you want to call the Captain?' Croizat allegedly asked a second flight attendant, as he continued to 'aggressively, demandingly, and loudly ordered the flight attendants to "get the Captain out here."'

The two flight attendants told Croizat, who had consumed two drinks, to sit back down. He refused and continued to insist on speaking with the captain.

As the encounter continued, Croizat 'touched flight attendant 3,' said the complaint.

When the attendant told Croizat not to touch her, he allegedly pushed her twice. The complaint goes on to say the businessman 'continued to persist in being belligerent and non-compliant.'

Flight attendant 3 then called the captain in the cockpit to let him know what was going on.

Croizat then turned back to attendant 2, who had positioned herself in front of the cockpit door. She again instructed Croizat to sit down, which he refused to do and instead 'pushed FA 2, briefly pinning her against the cockpit door.'

'All the while, passengers told Croizat many times to sit down, but Croizat refused and continued to be disruptive,' the complaint goes on. 'Finally, a passenger lifted Croizat and placed him in his seat in [an] attempt to restrain him, causing a glass of wine to spill.'

The man remained seated for the rest of the flight but 'continu[ed] to complain to the flight attendants about the way he was treated.'

The criminal complaint against Croizat alleges that he laid hands on one of the flight attendants

Croizat flew from Barbados, where it seems he resides, to Miami, to visit his son

The complaint also states that flight attendant 2 strategically placed her serving cart in front of the cockpit door 'to keep Croizat from making any further attempts to contact the Captain.'

The captain ultimately contacted air traffic control to report the mid-air incident, which he described as having included an 'attempted breach of the cockpit.'

Upon landing in Miami, Croizat was arrested.

According to a motion filed by Croizat's attorney, the alleged assailant was going to Miami for five days to visit his son, who wound up co-signing his father's bond.

Croizat then complained that the legal proceedings in America were taking too long and said the cost of continuing to rent an Airbnb while waiting for his case to be adjudicated was 'financially burdensome.' He was ordered to turn in his passport so he could not leave the country.

He asked to be allowed to return home temporarily, a request that was denied.

Last year, the FAA received 2,455 reports of unruly passengers aboard planes, which resulted in 831 investigations being launched.

In addition to law enforcement bringing criminal charges to airborne offenders, the FAA also levied $8.4million in fines for bad behavior.

On Wednesday, Croizat is scheduled to plead guilty in Miami federal court to a misdemeanor charge of interference with a flight crew and assault.

The report follows an incident last week on a Frontier Airlines flight, on which a disruptive passenger was voted off the plane by her fellow travelers.
Prosecutors say they used hammers and an angle grinder to smash their way in

A group of pro-Palestine protesters 'could have caused catastrophic release of cyanide' during an attack on a factory making military gear in a 1.2m wrecking spree, a court hears.

Three women and a man unfurled a 'Palestine' banner after they filled fire extinguishers with paint and drilled holes into the ceiling of a mid-Wales factory, a jury was told.

Campaign group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the siege at the Teledyne Labtech building in Presteigne.

Caernarfon crown court was told there had been the potential for the creation of cyanide should chlorine become mixed with other chemicals at the site which was just yards from a school and housing estate.

Prosecuting counsel, Elen Owen, said there was also fear of a 'thermal runaway'. She said:'That could have caused catastrophic results for anyone in the vicinity, a housing estate and school just a matter of metres away.'

Four Palestine Action members cause 1.2million with of damage after a wrecking spree at the Teledyne Labtech building in Presteigne

Caernarfon crown court was told there had been the potential for the creation of cyanide should chlorine become mixed with other chemicals

The site is just yards from a school and housing estate and in a statement, Palestine Action said it targeted the factory over its supply of weapons to the Israeli army

Activist, Ruth Hogg, 39, of Stanley Road, Aberystwyth, denies her behaviour was unlawful.

She was charged with conspiring to damage property on December 9 with Susan Bagshaw, 65, of Clawdd Helyg, Commins Coch, Morwenna Grey, 41, of Penrallt Street, Machynlleth, and Tristan Dixon, 34, of Huddersfield, and is on trial alone.

The prosecution said Teledyne Labtech made printed circuit boards for various uses including MRI scanners, commercial aircraft, satellites and military radar.

At the time there were 64 staff employed at the factory on a small industrial estate.

Counsel described how workers had been drinking coffee in the canteen when they heard glass smashing. Reception windows had been broken and Bagshaw and Grey were climbing inside the building.

The prosecutor said they wore boiler suits and balaclavas and had a crowbar and sledgehammer. The jury heard paint had been sprayed on walls and the floor, office equipment destroyed and orange smoke grenades detonated.

A freelance photographer had been tipped off and took snaps, the prosecutor said.

Hogg and Dixon were said to have been on the roof. The protestors daubed the building in red paint and used hammers and an angle grinder to smash their way in and broke 25 windows before attacking computers and monitors.

An angle grinder was allegedly used to try to cut through the roof and skylights had been smashed, raining glass over machines and the floor.

'Fortunately there was nobody in that room when that happened,' said the prosecuting barrister.

A police helicopter sent from the Bristol area had filmed Hogg and Dixon who had rucksacks.

'She is with a cordless drill, indiscriminately drilling holes in the roof of the factory and systematically, window-by-window, smashing a long line of windows with a crowbar.' Fire extinguishers had been filled with paint, the lawyer said.

The alleged bill for the damage was 'an issue,' the prosecutor explained.

She added to jurors: 'Mercifully nobody was injured physically but the various staff members will tell you how the incident affected them.'

The trial continues.
The four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in their off-campus home will be awarded posthumous degrees and certificates.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, will be honored on May 13 at the university's graduation ceremony, according to AP.

Mogen and Goncalves were a few months away from receiving their degrees when they were brutally stabbed to death in the early hours of November 13, along with Chapin and Kernodle.

Both Mogen and Goncalves, seniors, will receive a general studies and marketing degree. Kernodle, who was a junior, will be issued a marketing certificate. Meanwhile, Chapin, a freshman, will be granted a recreation, sport and tourism management certificate.

The ceremony comes ahead of suspected murderer Bryan Kohberger's preliminary hearing on June 26.

The four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in their off-campus home will be awarded posthumous degrees and certificates. Kaylee Goncalvez, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, were months away from receiving their degrees. They will receive a general studies and marketing degree

Xana Kernodle (right), who was a junior, will be issued a marketing certificate. Meanwhile, Ethan Chapin (left), a freshman, will be granted a recreation, sport and tourism management certificate

Kohberger's connection to the students remains unclear as investigators dive into whether there was any contact between him and the three female victims leading up to the slayings.

Authorities have submitted several search warrants to social media companies, including TikTok and Google, which date back to January 2021.

Another search warrant for Facebook and Twitter with a start date for the search to June 2022, have also been issued.

The search warrant requested messages, records, files and logs for their accounts as well as those which have been deleted. Information on who the victims followed, unfollowed and blocked will also be revealed.

Authorities have since made a bid for the findings to remain sealed until a future court date, but former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer has questioned if Kohberger could have come across his alleged victims at a much earlier date.

'Did Bryan Kohberger somehow meet Kaylee or Maddie on a possible school visit early on?

'What made Kohberger choose WSU? Did Kohberger have a nexus with his victims sooner than we thought?'

The criminal justice major attended Washington State University  which is less than a 10-minute drive from the University of Idaho.

Authorities have submitted several search warrants to social media companies, including TikTok and Google, which date back to January 2021  more than a year before the brutal killings

Maddie Mogen (top) Kaylee Goncalves (second from left) Xana Kernodle (second from right) and Ethan Chapin (center) - all students at the University of Idaho - were knifed to death on November 13 in the quiet, college town of Moscow

The university where he worked was only a little over eight miles from the murder scene

Kohberger is accused of leaving Maddie and Kaylee with 'devastating injuries' and of having multiple images of one of his alleged female victims on his phone when it was searched by cops.

However, they did not identify which of the girls was in the pictures, and Moscow Police have not yet revealed a motive for the brutal crime.

It is not clear if the images found on the device were photos that Kohberger had taken himself or if they were downloaded from her social media, and if they were taken before or after the quadruple-slaying.

Investigators have remained tight-lipped over the potential motive in the slayings, but revealed in an affidavit that he had visited the area of the home in Moscow 'several times'.

Roommates Bethany Funke, 21, and Dylan Mortensen were home when the murders occurred.

Mortensen came face-to-face with the alleged killer and accounted of seeing a 'tall man' who was 'clad in black clothing and a mask,' according to documents.

Funke's re-account of the night of the slayings hasn't been released.

Kohberger, 28, is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, 20, in their home on Kings Road, in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2023

This is the murder house where four students were stabbed to death. The home is now boarded up and is slated for demolition

Meanwhile, the grieving families of the victims are attempting to find a way to move forward amid the start of the trial.

Stacy and Jim Chapin, the parents of Ethan, spoke out for the first time last month to announce they have set up a foundation in honor of their slain son as they work to heal from their pain.

Ethan's parents said his younger siblings - Maizie and Hunter - are now coping with the loss of their older brother. The three siblings were triplets.

'When you're a triplet,' said Stacy, 'you have spent your whole life together with other people.'

The Chapin family said Hunter, Ethan's younger brother, is now facing life without his 'wingman.'

Talking with ABC, Stacy and Jim said they have not fully recovered but are finding new ways to remember and honor Ethan.

One of the ways is Ethan's Smile, a foundation started by the family that offers scholarships for Conway, Washington-area graduates and for students attending the University of Idaho.

They also created a white and yellow tulip bulb mix named 'Ethan's Smile' at a farm their late son used to work at. The sales goes to supporting the foundation.

The farm is also currently selling a tulip bulb mix named 'Forever Sisters' honoring Kernodle, Goncalves, and Mogen.
The White House pointed fingers at Congress on Wednesday for the current border chaos as daily migrant crossings hit 10,000 a day ahead of Title 42's ending.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gave a press conference Wednesday, while White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke to reporters on board Air Force One as President Joe Biden traveled to New York.

Both officials had the same message - the Biden administration was doing what it could while Congress failed to act.

'I cannot overemphasize that our current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken, outdated immigration system in place for over two decades,' Mayorkas said.

Jean-Pierre pointed to the immigration bill Biden pitched when he entered office in January 2021. 'And Congress, Republicans in Congress, in particular, refuse, they literally refuse to act,' she noted. 'They refuse to come to the middle and meet us at the middle and come up with a real solution,' she added.

Later in the day Biden, himself, wagged a finger at Congress - for not giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection more money.

'They're didn't do it. It made it harder,' Biden said.

'I cannot overemphasize that our current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken, outdated immigration system in place for over two decades,' Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday

The administration is bracing for a crush at the border as Title 42 - the pandemic-era rule used to immediately expel migrants - expires Thursday.

Even in the days ahead of Title 42's expiration, Fox News reported that Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 10,000 migrants a day on both Monday and Tuesday - which set highest single-day records.

'Our overall approach is to build lawful pathways for people to come to the United States and to impose tougher consequences on those who choose not to use those pathways,' Mayorkas said. 'We are taking this approach within the constraints of a broken immigration system that Congress has not fixed for more than two decades.'

He noted that CBP was already seeing a high number of migrant crossings ahead of Thursday.

'We are clear-eyed about the challenges we are likely to race in the days and weeks ahead, which have the potential to be very difficult,' Mayorkas continued.

'Even after nearly two years of preparation, we expect to see large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks after May 11,' he said.

President Joe Biden wagged a finger at Congress Wednesday - for not giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection more money

Migrants gather in a camp next to the border wall in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on Tuesday, two days before Title 42 is set to expire

In a last-minute switch-up, the Biden administration implemented a new rule instructing border agents to immediately expel migrants who arrive at the southern border seeking asylum but have not applied for it in a third country on their journey to the border.

'We are finalizing a new rule to encourage individuals to use available lawful, safe and orderly pathways to enter the United States. The rule presumes that those who do not use lawful pathways to enter the United States are ineligible for asylum,' Mayorkas said.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the American Civil Liberties Union, tore into the policy: 'President Biden just ushered in a new period of immense suffering for people already enduring violence and persecution. He has closed off the possibility of asylum in the United States to the majority of people seeking safety.'

The ACLU said it would sue to repeal the rule.

Congress is facing the immigration issue with a fresh urgency - House Republicans are pushing through H.R. 2, a sweeping border and immigration package, this week and Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin announced he is putting forth a 'bipartisan' bill on Thursday - 'a serious proposal' - as opposed to the House GOP's party-line package.

The Biden administration is also opening up new processing centers in Latin America where migrants can go to apply for asylum and find out if they meet basic qualifications before making the dangerous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Homeland Security officials are also prepping an online platform for migrants to make appointments at the centers in the coming days.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said he hoped the new plan would quell a fresh wave of migration.

'They shouldn't even make the trek. They're trying to stop people from coming to the border,' he said.

'We've got to get ahead of this as much as we can so people don't even show up at the border, and then when they do if they haven't applied, they have immediate expulsions under the president's plan and can be deported, or they're sent back to Mexico. The Mexican government has agreed to take those folks and keep them in their countries, so this is a multi-faceted plan they put forward, we're going to have to see how it gets executed.'
It is there that Detroit cops found his body on April 23 when responding to a welfare call

He was then apparently dragged to a crawlspace in his $1.2million mansion, where he was covered with a comforter, sheet and rug

Devon Hoover, 53, was shot first behind his right ear and then again in the back of his head, according to an autopsy obtained by the Detroit Free Press

A beloved Detroit neurosurgeon was shot twice in the back of his head 'execution style' and was dragged face down into a crawl space, where an unknown murderer covered his body.

An autopsy report filed by the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, and obtained by the Detroit Free Press says Devon Hoover, 53, was first shot behind his right ear and then again in the back of his head.

He was then apparently dragged to a crawlspace in his $1.2million mansion, where he was covered with a comforter, sheet and rug.

Police then found the Ascension Michigan Hospital doctor, who is believed to have lived alone, in the attic of his home in the 100 block of West Boston Boulevard wearing only a black sock.

Hoover's death is now being investigated as a homicide, but Detroit authorities still do not have anybody in custody and are continuing to ask the community for any information.

Devon Hoover, 53, pictured, was found fatally shot and wrapped in a sheet in the attic of his Detroit mansion in late April

An autopsy report suggests he was shot twice in the back of the head before being stuffed into a crawlspace of his home, where he is believed to have lived alone

Hoover was found in the crawlspace on April 23 after police carried out a welfare check when he failed to show up for a family party in Indiana.

Detroit Police Chief James White declined to go into details about how the surgeon was found, but he said officers were 'quickly concerned about some of the things that they saw' inside the home.

Police ruled his death a homicide and announced on April 28 they had a person of interest under custody on unrelated charges that was believed to have key information about Hoover's death.

At the time, White said the arrested man and Hoover knew each other, but declined to go into detail over the nature of their relationship.

'This was not a random act', added White.

The official did not divulge a possible motive for the killing, but said his department has 'some theories'.

'Right now, we're happy to have a person of interest who we can question,' he said. 'We're not going to stop until we have every piece of information that we need.'

'We are actively still investigating this case,' insisted White, adding that there is no indication there is still a risk to the community.

But just one day later, Hoover's multi-million dollar home was entered by at least one suspect who came in through a window.

Nobody was home at the time of the break-in, and it remains unclear whether anything was stolen from the home.

Still charges against the 'person of interest' never materialized, the Detroit Free Press reports, and the suspect was ultimately released.

There have been no updates from police since, and they are now turning to the community to ask for tips.

The leading neurosurgeon was praised as a 'dedicated and well-respected' doctor by his employer, Ascension Michigan Hospital

Hoover was one of the most renowned neurosurgeons in Detroit and was well-liked in the community

Hoover was well-liked in his community, and was previously named in Hour Detroit Magazine as one of the leading neurological surgeons in Detroit in 2008.

In a statement following his murder, Ascension Michigan Hospital said Hoover 'was a dedicated and well-respected member of the Ascension Michigan family and will be greatly missed by our community.

'Our sincerest condolence and heartfelt prayers are with his family, friends and fellow associated during this incredibly difficult time.'

Roland Radinski, a neighbor of Dr Hoover for 15 years, said those who knew him had 'nothing but good things to say about him'

His former neighbor, Roland Radinski, also told DailyMail.com that the community was experiencing 'sadness for loss of a nice neighbor and good surgeon.'

'I have several friends that were patients of Dr Hoover and they were shocked by his untimely death,' he continued. 'They also had nothing but good things to say about him.'

Meanwhile, a dedicated Facebook page titled 'Justice for Dr. Devon Hoover' has attracted hundreds of posts paying tribute to the 'wonderful' doctor.

'Rest In Peace beautiful and kind soul. You will forever be missed. You taught me how to love Neuro surgery working alongside you in the operating room,' wrote one of his colleagues.

'Your patience was unmatched. Prayers to your family and all those that knew you. We are devastated that we have lost you! May your legacy and love for surgery forever live in those that were touched by your presence in this world.'

'Last weekend, we lost a beloved colleague,' added another Ascension Hospital colleague. 'A very talented doctor... a man who no one can say anything bad about. He was a true gentleman. He was genuine and loved to help people.'

A former patient added in a separate post that Hoover was regarded as 'the best' and was 'not like most surgeons'.

'He said he would not operate unless absolutely necessary,' she continued. 'Always so wonderful, knowledgeable and supportive. We are so very devastated for his family, friends and colleagues. May he rest in peace.'

'I am beyond disbelief of how such a horrific tragedy could happen to such a gentle, brilliant soul,' said another.

'God bless you, Dr Hoover... I will never forget your kindness and respect.'
The board can decide by majority vote to send a pardon to Abbott's desk, and is headed by a former veteran sheriff

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has requested the state's pardon board review his case and says he hopes to pardon the killer

US Army sergeant Daniel Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday for the shooting of BLM protestor Garrett Foster in 2020

Following the sentencing of US Army sergeant Daniel Perry for the 2020 shooting of a Black Lives Matter protestor, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott insists he intends to pardon the convicted killer.

The Texas constitution limits Abbott to a pardon only on the recommendation by the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, putting the fate of the convicted killer in the hands of seven members.

Led by former Lubbock County Sheriff David Gutierrez, the committee is formed entirely of those either appointed by Abbott or re-appointed during his time in office.

The board could recommended him for release under its 'extenuating circumstances' criteria. It is not clear how soon the decision could be taken.

Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the shooting of Garrett Forster, 28, during the 2020 George Floyd protests, when Forster pointed an AK-47 at Perry in his car.

US Army sergeant Daniel Perry was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for the shooting of a BLM protestor in 2020

Former Lubbock County Sheriff David Gutierrez chairs the pardons board that will decide Perry's fate

Gutierrez was sheriff of Lubbock County from 1998 to 2009 during a 32-year stint at the department.

Serving on the force since 1977, Gutierrez only resigned his post to accept his appointment to the pardon board from Abbott's predecessor, Republican Rick Perry.

His former county of roughly 310,000 overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections by over 30 percent margins.

Gutierrez is joined on the board by a number of former prosecutors and criminal justice experts, including fellow former-Sheriff Carmella Jones.

Jones was elected to two terms as Sheriff of Armstrong County, one of the most conservative counties in the state that voted for Donald Trump by over 93 percent in 2020.

Former Armstrong County Sheriff Carmella Jones has been on the decisive board since 2018

Marsha Moberley (left) was appointed to the board in 2022 after 25 years of criminal justice experience. She is joined by former advisor to Governor Abbott, Ed Robertson

Jones was also elected to the Texas Jail Association's Hall of Fame in 2008, and is joined on the board by Elodia Brito, a former commissioner and courts administrator.

Other members of the board who are set to decide Perry's fate include former Sheriff's deputy Brian Long, longtime probation and juvenile offender officer Marsha Moberley, and Linda Molina, a former Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney.

Governor Abbott's own past advisor, Ed Robertson, is the final vote on the board. He was appointed to the committee by Abbott after previously guiding the governor in the state's Budget, Planning and Policy department.

Last month, Texas Gov. Abbott said he has requested the board looks into Perry's conviction immediately, with the GOP lawmaker insisting Perry acted in self-defense during the 2020 shooting.

The army sergeant was driving his car as an Uber while the George Floyd protests gripped the nation in the summer of 2020, when he found himself in the midst of a demonstration in Austin on the night of July 25.

One of the protesters - 28-year-old Garrett Foster - pointed his AK-47 in the window of Perry's car. In response, the serviceman opened fire and kille Foster.

Brian Long (left) and Linda Molina (right) have served on the board since 2017 and 2021 respectively

Perry killed Garrett Foster, 28, who is pictured with his wife Whitney Mitchell, a quadruple amputee who uses a wheelchair

Governor Abbott has made a public plea to the pardon board to recommend clemency for Perry, and the GOP lawmaker says he has requested the body expedite his request for a review.

According to its website, the board can recommend a pardon to the governor on a majority vote from its seven members, and Abbott insists he intends to pardon Perry 'as swiftly as Texas law allows'.

'Texas has one of the strongest "Stand Your Ground" laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,' Abbott said. 'I look forward to approving the Board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.'

Abbott previously granted two pardons in 2022 and eight in 2021 based on the board's recommendations, all of which were for lower-level offenses, including theft, providing alcohol to a minor, assault by contact, burglary of a vehicle, credit card abuse and illegally carrying a firearm, according to the Texas Tribune.
Charges were filed against four teenage suspects in the murder of a 24-year-old Chicago police officer.

Joseph Brooks, 18, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, Trevell Breeland, 19, and Jaylan Frazier, 16, were all charged as adults with first-degree murder.

Officer Areanah Preston, 24, was found dead in front of her home on 81st Street and Blackstone Avenue as she came from work at 1.42am on Saturday morning.

She died from multiple gunshot wounds and her death is officially being considered a in-the-line-of-duty killing, a CPD spokesperson said Monday.

Areanah Preston, 24, was killed on her front lawn as she was returning home from work in Avalon Park, Chicago

Joseph Brooks, 18, was one of the teenagers arrested and charged with the murder of a 24-year-old police officer in Chicago last weekend

All four of the suspects have previously been convicted of robbery charges, and were allegedly carrying out a robbery spree before encountering Officer Preston

Surveillance video showed three of the suspects getting out of a car and running toward Preston. Muzzle flashed can then be seen coming from where the teens are standing.

Brooks told detectives he shot Preston, who was still in her uniform, after he saw her reaching for her gun.

As the officer fell to the ground, the teens can be seen running back to the car from which they emerged, but not before one of them ran to Preston and took her gun.

The young officer was hit at least twice and also grazed by a bullet. An officer did not arrive at the scene for more than 30 minutes, at which point Preston was driven to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

She had worked at the Chicago Police Department for three years before her death

The teenagers then fled to a vacant lot, where another private surveillance camera captured them walking through an alley to the back door of a home. Later, the car was caught on camera burning.

One of the teens - Jaylan Frazier - later called a friend to discuss killing Preston.

According to prosecutors, Frazier said the murder 'was his work.'

The friend then went to the police with what Frazier allegedly said and, during an interview with detectives, called Frazier and put him on speakerphone, allowing the detectives to listen as they spoke.

During that call, Frazier made 'additional admissions about the robberies and shooting including details that had not been released.'

Frazier unknowingly told the cops that he had stayed inside the sedan, a stolen Kia, while the other suspects robbed and shot Preston, and that they later burned the Kia using lighter fluid.

Prosecutors said the murder occurred at the end of a robbery spree that began when Jakwon Buchanan was contacted by his girlfriend and told him 'she needed money from a barbecue.'

The group had allegedly robbed three prior victims before encountering Preston.

All four teenagers had previously been convicted of robbery.

Preston was a three-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.

The Fraternal Order of Police wrote: 'Though off-duty Officer Areanah Preston was killed while trying to defend herself from armed individuals in an apparent robbery, she died taking police action.' Police officials have not confirmed the details of what led to her murder.

Preston's family and friends have paid tribute to the officer. Her father, Allen Preston, told the Chicago Sun-Times: 'She was trying to make a change on this Earth.'

Preston, who lives in Los Angeles, described his daughter as a 'beautiful soul' who 'always saw the best in people.'

'This was my baby. Everything I did was for her,' he said. 'I dont know what to do, right now. Ill be dealing with this for the rest of my life.'

Preston's family and friends have paid tribute to the beloved officer

The Fraternal Order of Police, the officer's union, stated online that she was killed while defending herself against armed robbers

Areanah Preston, 24, died in the line of duty in Chicago

Chicago police and fire department personnel prepare for a fallen police officer to arrive at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office

Four people, two males and two females, have now been arrested over the fatal shooting. They were taken into custody after a SWAT standoff on Sunday night

Officer Areanah Preston, 24, was found dead in front of her home on 81st Street and Blackstone Avenue as she came home from work at 1.42am on Saturday morning

Late Saturday morning, more than a dozen family members gathered outside Areanah Prestons home.

'She was a definite role model with a career path that just didnt stop,' said her aunt, Sonia Rawsk.

Another aunt of Preston's, Norma Mhoon, said in a Facebook video: 'It weakens me to even think that she's gone.'

Mhoon said: 'She's a very good sweetheart. A very nice person: educated, intelligent in every way, striving for her master's, her goals and everything. She was just doing such a great job. And this happened to her. It's unbelievable.'

Areanah Preston earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Illinois State University.

Professor Charles Bell told the Sun-Times that she was 'very passionate about making a difference and showing young people that policing is a profession that can make a difference in the community.'

'She was very aware of a lot of the problems that in her opinion had manifested in the Chicago community,' Bell added.

'She was a reformer. She saw a problem and she was dedicated to making a difference.'
Maltese Falcon writer Dashiell Hammett's former San Francisco apartment building has hit the market for $4.3million.

The 23-unit building, located at 237 Leavenworth Street, is located in the Tenderloin District and is being sold in conjunction with neighboring building 620 Eddy Street for a total of 58 units. The combined price for the two buildings is $10.5million, but Leavenworth is listed alone at $4.3million.

Hammett lived in the Leavenworth Street building during the early 1920s, just before he wrote his famous novel, Maltese Falcon, a detective novel set in America. He would go on to move to Post Street, also in the Tenderloin District, to write his novel.

According to the Tenderloin Museum, the novelist, who died in 1961, wrote the majority of his 'ground-breaking hard-boiled detective fiction' in the area.

The two buildings were listened by Michael Johnston and Andrew Black of Berkshire Hathaway Drysdale Properties and the Leavenworth Street building is currently 'fully occupied' with 'solid in-place rent,' according to the listing.

The 23-unit building, located at 237 Leavenworth Street, is located in the Tenderloin District and is being sold in conjunction with neighboring building 620 Eddy Street for a total of 58 units

Hammett lived in the Leavenworth Street building during the early 1920s, just before he wrote his famous novel, Maltese Falcon

Hammett's building is filled with only studio apartments. Average rent for a studio in the area runs for about $2,500, according to Apartments.com. It is unclear what the what the building, which is fully leased, is running rent prices at.

Interior photos of the apartment building show the lobby area featuring a linoleum flooring and splashes of green and peach for color. It is decorated with rows of golden mailboxes and a painting that hangs on the opposite wall.

Apartments in the building feature hardwood flooring, light-colored wood cabinets, white appliances, and clean white paint. Despite the building being built in 1922, the apartments appear to be renovated with modern touches.

The apartments shown in the listening feature a large living area with a curved three-window panel and a large closet.

The apartments shown in the listening feature a large living area with a curved three-window panel and a large closet

Apartments in the building feature hardwood flooring, light-colored wood cabinets, white appliances, and clean white paint. Despite the building being built in 1922, the apartments appear to be renovated with modern touches

The novelist, who died in 1961, wrote the majority of his 'ground-breaking hard-boiled detective fiction' in the area

The Maltese Falcon is a detective novel set in America.

The building also has a back concrete area with trashcans gated off and small trees.

Hammett worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency on Market Street while living in San Francisco, which gave him inspiration for his detective novels, including for his Maltese Falcon main character PI Sam Spade.

The novel was made into a movie in 1941 - more than a decade after it was first published. It is considered one of the first film noir.

Hammett left San Francisco for New York in 1930, where he wrote his other famous work, The Thin Man.

He died in New York City in 1961.
Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso declared the end of Title 42 would lead to an 'invasion' and called Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 'malicious' - as the Biden administration instituted a new asylum rule rankling those on the left.

'It is going to be an invasion like we have never seen,' Barrasso, R-Wyo., said of the impending rush of migrants at the border as he attacked Mayorkas' character.

Meanwhile multiple Democratic senators signaled they are now on board with a proposal to extend Title 42-like immediate expulsion authorities, just one day before the pandemic-era health policy will end.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown signed on as co-sponsors to a bill originally proposed by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. on Tuesday.

They joined Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Sens. John Cornyn, Texas, Susan Collins, Maine, and Shelley Moore Capito, W.Va., in co-sponsoring the legislation.

'Both parties have essentially failed on this,' Brown told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. 'We're not ready, we should extend it.'

'It is going to be an invasion like we have never seen,' Barrasso, R-Wyo., said of the impending rush of migrants at the border as he attacked Mayorkas' character

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown signed on as co-sponsors to a bill to extend Title 42-like expulsion authorities

'We need to bring more doctors in and more more court people to process these, more police or armed services and the military, we've got a lot to do.' The populist progressive is up for a tough re-election race in 2024, as are Tester and Manchin.

'They've gotta be prepared -- we've been writing letters telling them they've gotta be prepared for this. My understanding is there's a bunch of folks at the line that think they can come across with impunity,' Tester told DailyMail.com.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said it remains to be seen whether border agents are prepared to deal with the influx of migrant crossings.

'The Biden administration has done quite a bit of preparing, but I think ultimately we have to see how they implement it. It's all about implementation right now.'

In a last-minute switch-up the Biden administration implemented a new rule instructing border agents to immediately expel migrants who arrive at the southern border seeking asylum but have not applied for it in a third country on their journey to the border.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the ACLU, tore into the policy: 'President Biden just ushered in a new period of immense suffering for people already enduring violence and persecution. He has closed off the possibility of asylum in the United States to the majority of people seeking safety.'

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it would sue to repeal the rule.

Migrants try to cross the United States border before the Title 42 policy, which allows for the immediate expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country, comes to an end, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on May 10

On Monday and Tuesday border apprehensions breached 10,000, setting a new single-day record. Apprehensions could reach as high as 13,000 once Title 42 is lifted

On Monday and Tuesday border apprehensions breached 10,000, setting a new single-day record. Apprehensions could reach as high as 13,000 once Title 42 is lifted.

Congress is facing the immigration issue with a fresh urgency - House Republicans are pushing through H.R. 2, a sweeping border and immigration package, this week and Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin announced he is putting forth a 'bipartisan' bill on Thursday - 'a serious proposal' - as opposed to the House GOP's party-line package.

The Biden administration is also opening up new processing centers in Latin America where migrants can go to apply for asylum and find out if they meet basic qualifications before making the dangerous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Homeland Security officials are also prepping an online platform for migrants to make appointments at the centers in the coming days.

Peters said he hoped the new plan would quell a fresh wave of migration.

'They shouldn't even make the trek. They're trying to stop people from coming to the border,' he said.

'We've got to get ahead of this as much as we can so people don't even show up at the border, and then when they do if they haven't applied, they have immediate expulsions under the president's plan and can be deported, or they're sent back to Mexico. The Mexican government has agreed to take those folks and keep them in their countries, so this is a multi-faceted plan they put forward, we're going to have to see how it gets executed.'

The new rule comes one day before the end of Title 42 - which will happen at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. It expires with the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, and any new policies mirroring its authority would need to not rely on a health emergency.

'We are finalizing a new rule to encourage individuals to use available lawful, safe and orderly pathways to enter the United States. The rule presumes that those who do not use lawful pathways to enter the United States are ineligible for asylum,' Mayorkas said in a Wednesday press conference.

Mayorkas pointed the finger at Congress for the current influx at the border.

'Our current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken outdated immigration system in place for over two decades, despite unanimous agreement that we desperately need legislative reform,' he said.

Another border Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., who opposes Title 42, said the new asylum policy 'continues [Title 42] under a different name.'

He told DailyMail.com the Biden administration needed to pursue more policies to 'respectfully treat people' and to ensure 'when people are fleeing for their lives or their children's lives, the U.S. is going to give them a place to make their case.'
Eight US Marines and one Navy sailor died during a training exercise on the island in 2020

Coast Guard crews discovered aircraft debris a mile southwest of the island near the coast of San Diego

Three people are missing after a military jet crashed into the sea off the coast of a small California island.

The Coast Guard, US Navy and Customs and Border Protection have launched a search and rescue mission after the disaster at around 8am.

A Phoenix Learjet with three people on board took off from the base of San Clemente Island, just off the coast of San Diego.

Watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center reported the emergency, and claimed that the plane did not manage to make it back to the runway.

The Learjet is a type of military training aircraft, according to Phoenix Air's website, and the island is the Navy's only remaining live fire range

A Phoenix Learjet with three people on board took off from the base of San Clemente Island, just off the coast of San Diego

Authorities have launched a search and rescue effort, with crews discovering aircraft debris a mile southwest of the island.

A second Learjet was already in the air and began searching the debris field, with a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the Coast Guard joining the search.

A US Coast Guard spokesman said: 'Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection assets are searching for three people after a report of a downed aircraft approximately one-mile southwest of San Clemente Island, Wednesday morning.

'Watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego received the initial report of a downed aircraft at 7:53 am from the Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility on San Clemente Island, reporting an aircraft emergency aboard a Phoenix Learjet with three people on board.

'The FACSFAC reported that the aircraft didn't make it back to the runway. A U.S. Navy Phoenix Learjet was in the area and began immediately searching the debris field.

It is not the first incident around the island during military training exercises, with eight US Marines from Camp Pendleton and one Navy sailor dying in 2020

A second Learjet was already in the air and began searching the debris field, with a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the Coast Guard joining the search

'A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft and USS SAN DIEGO diverted after hearing the emergency broadcast and began searching the area as well.

'An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego was launched and immediately vectored toward the debris field. Search efforts are ongoing.'

It is not the first incident around the island during military training exercises, with eight US Marines from Camp Pendleton and one Navy sailor dying in 2020.

Their amphibious assault vehicle sank July 30 near San Clemente Island.

Less than a month later, two soldiers were killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash during training on the island.
Texas Army base Fort Hood has officially changed its name to Fort Cavazos as part of the US Army's ongoing effort to rename a handful of bases that currently carry the names of Confederate officers.

On Tuesday, the US Army formally changed the name of the base to honor General Richard Edward Cavazos, a four-star general who fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

'We are proud to be renaming Fort Hood as Fort Cavazos in recognition of an outstanding American hero, a veteran of the Korea and Vietnam wars and the first Hispanic to reach the rank of four-star general in our Army,' said Lt. General Sean Bernabe, III Armored Corps Commanding General in a press release.

He added: 'General Cavazos combat-proven leadership, his moral character and his loyalty to his Soldiers and their families made him the fearless yet respected and influential leader that he was during the time he served, and beyond.

'We are ready and excited to be part of such a momentous part of history, while we honor a leader who we all admire.'

General Richard Edward Cavazos, for whom Fort Hood has been renamed. The four-star general served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars

Fort Hood's name has officially been changed as part of the Army's initiative to eliminate references to the Confederate army

Additionally, Fort Hood has struggled in recent years with a number of murders and deaths - including the brutal beating of servicewoman Vanessa Guillen - happening on its premises.

Earlier this year, the Army opened a probe into the death of 21-year-old Fort Hood engineer Ana Basalduaruiz, who had told her mother she was being sexually harassed by her superior.

Cavazos was born and raised in Kingsville, Texas in 1929. After high school, he enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Technical University and was commissioned into the Army after graduating in 1951.

He was then shipped to Korea, where he served as a platoon leader of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regimen. During the war, he was awarded both the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross - the second-highest military honor for valor.

Before the year was up, he was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross. At the end of his service career, he had also received two Legions of Merit, five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, in addition to more than 29 combat awards.

Retired Army Lt. General Robert Clark told Fox News last year that Cavazos 'would be very humbled at the very idea of that.'

The Texas base was originally named for Confederate General John Bell Hood

The honor guard raises the Fort Cavazos colors during the re-designation ceremony

Cavazos served in the US Army for 33 years, during which time he was awarded 29 combat awards

Forts named after Confederate Generals Fort Benning, Georgia - established in 1909, the fort was named for Confederate Brigadier General Henry Lewis Benning, who was born on a plantation owned by his parents and took an active role in pushing for the secession of Georgia from the union Fort Gordon, Georgia - established in 1941, the fort was named for Confederate Major General John Brown Gordon, who, after the fall of the Confederacy, became a US Senator and Governor of Georgia Fort Bragg, North Carolina - established in 1918, the fort is named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg, whose many losses are cited as highly consequential to the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy Fort Hood, Texas - established in 1942, the fort was named for Confederate General John Bell Hood. It was originally built to test and train soldiers to use World War II tank destroyers Fort Rucker, Alabama - established in 1942, the fort is named for Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The fort is primarily used for flight training for US Army Aviators Fort Polk, Louisiana - established in 1941, the fort was named for Confederate General Leonidas Polk, who was also the first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana and subsequently the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia - established in 1941, the fort was named for Confederate General Ambrose Powell Hill, a native Virginian who fought in the Mexican-American war and the Seminole Wars before he joined the confederacy Fort Pickett, Virginia - established in 1941, fort was named for Confederate General George Pickett, who is best know for leading the futile battle offensive on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg Fort Lee, Virginia - established as Camp Lee in 1917, the fort was named for famed Confederate General Robert E. Lee and is located on the historic grounds where Captain John Smith established some of the first plantations along the James River in the 17th century Advertisement

He added that Cavazos was perhaps known best for prioritizing the well-being of the troops of whom he had been put in charge.

'He was very concerned about the welfare of his soldiers. That was his biggest thing,' said Graves.

Cavazos carried out a 33-year Army career before retiring in 1984. He died in 2017 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.

John Bell Hood, for whom the base was originally named, fought for the Confederacy.

In 2021, Congress authorized a commission to locate references across the military to the Confederacy so that they could be eliminated. Fort Hood was high on a list of about 1,100 references.

Fort Hood is one of nine Army bases that sport the names of Confederate soldiers that will be renamed as part of the $63million project to eliminate any trace of the Confederacy from the Army's modern apparatus.

The nine Army bases that will soon bear new names are Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Polk, Louisiana; and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett, and Fort Lee in Virginia.

The Naming Commission released a list of potential new names for the bases back in May, names that included Fort Eisenhower for Fort Gordon and Fort Liberty for Fort Bragg, among others.

The renaming process began in December of last year.

A large handful of Army bases were named to honor Confederate generals as US troops trained to enter both world wars, specifically because of a policy that allowed regional commanders to oversee the naming process of the forts.

In the committee's first report, which was released last August, the body determined for whom the controversially named bases will be renamed.

Fort Benning in Georgia, will be named for Lieutenant General Hal Moore and Julia Moore - heroes of the Korean War who are buried at the fort.

Fort Bragg in North Carolina, will be named 'in commemoration of the American value of Liberty.'

Fort Gordon in Georgia, will be named for General of the Army and 34th president of the United States Dwight Eisenhower.

Fort Lee, in Virginia, will be named for Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Commander Charity Adams - respectively, one of the army's foremost logistics leaders with a nearly four-decade military history, and the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women's Auxiliary Corps.

Fort Pickett, will be named after officer Van Thomas Barfoot - a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in World War II.

Fort AP Hill in Virginia, will become Fort Walker in memorial of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, an American abolitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon.

Fort Polk, in Louisiana, will be renamed to commemorate Sergeant William Henry Johnson - a US Army soldier who became part of the first African American unit in the Army to engage in combat during World War I.

And Fort Rucker, will be renamed after Michael J. Novosel Jr., a medal of honor recipient who flew the B-29 Superfortress bomber in World War II.
Newspaper stories that Prince Harry claims are from phone hacking actually came from fellow members of the Royal Family and even his own interviews, the High Court heard yesterday.

The Duke of Sussex is suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror, claiming he was the victim of unlawful information gathering, such as phone hacking.

But the publisher told the judge that many of the stories actually came from other royals or palace courtiers  and that one of the articles he complains about was based on an on-the-record interview Harry himself gave.

The newspaper denies hacking Harry's phone, setting the scene for a courtroom clash with the duke, who will become the first senior British royal since 1890 to give evidence in a court.

He is due to take to the witness box in the case early next month to be questioned about his claims he was repeatedly hacked by Mirror Group Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and The People.

Pictured: Prince Harry (file photo). The Duke of Sussex is suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror, claiming he was the victim of unlawful information gathering, such as phone hacking

He was not in court yesterday but his lawyer David Sherborne claimed he was the victim of 'industrial-scale' hacking from 1995 to 2011. The judge has been shown 33 articles which are said to have come from unlawful information gathering.

But Andrew Green KC, for the publisher, told the court that 'many came from information disclosed by or on behalf of royal households or members of the Royal Family', from freelance journalists or confidential sources 'with extensive royal contacts'. Mr Green said in one case a story complained about came from 'an on-the-record interview given by the Duke of Sussex himself'.

Yesterday the newspaper started the trial by offering an apology to Harry for one occasion when The People newspaper did pay a private investigator to gather information about the prince's conduct at Chinawhite, a celebrity nightclub in Soho, in 2004.

Mr Green added the 75 fee paid 'suggests little work was involved' but that Harry, pictured, was 'entitled to compensation for this incident', even though he had not actually included the article in his claim. Harry says the alleged unlawful activities caused him 'huge distress' and created 'a huge amount of paranoia in my relationships'.

Pictured: Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Place watch the flypast after the Trooping the Colour in June, 2019 (file photo)

He claims Mirror Group journalists even managed to book into a hotel in Bazaruto, a small island off Mozambique, where he was staying with his then girlfriend, Chelsy Davy. During the case, witnesses called to give evidence will include Omid Scobie, a journalist who wrote a gushing biography of Harry and Meghan. The prince is one of four claimants in the case against the Mirror Group. The others are Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner and comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

The Mirror case is one of three High Court actions Harry is bringing against UK newspapers. He is suing the publisher of the Daily Mail, which denies all his claims, and the publisher of The Sun.

The last time a prince came to court was in the Baccarat slander case of 1890, when the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, gave evidence about a card game he had played in and in which another player was accused of cheating.
Senator Dianne Feinstein arrived at the Senate on Wednesday in a wheelchair and said she has to work a lighter schedule due to side-effects from shingles.

A car drove her to the entrance of the Capitol building. The 89-year-old Democratic Senator from California looked frail, weak and pale as aides helped her out. Her left eye was closed.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer walked by her side as an aide wheeled her into Senate.

'Hi everybody,' Feinstein said as she came into the building.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at the U.S. Capitol Building

Feinstein has been absent for nearly three months and missed almost 100 votes after suffering from shingles.

Side-effects include lingering pain known as postherpetic neuralgia, painful eye infections that may result in vision loss, facial paralysis, or problems with hearing or balance, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Feinstein faced calls to resign - even from her fellow Democrats - amid her health struggles and concerns that her absence could hold up confirmations of President Joe Biden's judges. She sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds the confirmation hearings.

She has refused to step down. Several women lawmakers supported her, calling it sexist to ask Feinstein - a trailblazing female lawmaker - to resign when many white males have served in the Senate until their deaths.

Feinstein flew from California - where she was recovering in her San Francisco home - to Washington D.C. on Tuesday night via a private plane.

She said doctors advised her to work a lighter schedule as she is still suffering side-effects.

'Even though I've made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I'm still experiencing some side-effects from the shingles virus. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate,' she said in a statement.

Last month, after facing calls from her own party to resign, Feinstein requested to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee.

Republicans in the closely divided Senate rejected the request, saying Democrats only wanted a stand-in to push through Biden's most partisan judicial nominations.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer greeted Senator Dianne Feinstein upon her return

'Hi everybody,' Feinstein said when she entered the building

Senator Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate after missing nearly three months

Senator Dianne Feinstein is escorted through the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

Feinstein has said she won't run for re-election in 2024.

The race to replace her is already competitive with several Democrats running to fill a Senate seat that hasn't been vacant for 30 years, including Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.

There are concerns that if Feinstein did resign, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom - who has to name someone to fill out her term - could upend the race to replace her by appointing someone already running for the seat.

He has said he would appoint a black woman to the job. Rep. Lee is black.

And Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who has led the latest round of calls for Feinstein's resignation, has endorsed Lee in the primary to replace Feinstein.

California has a jungle primary, meaning the top two winners, regardless of party, move forward to the general election. That means the heavily-Democratic state could see two Democrats running in the November 2024 election.
The Biden administration has admitted that thousands of migrants will pour into the United States as draconian Covid-era deportation powers are set to be scrapped.

U.S. officials estimate that already as many as 10,000 people are crossing from Mexico every day.

They say numbers will soar once Title 42, an emergency coronavirus law that makes it easier to boot out illegals, expires at midnight on Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned the days and weeks ahead have the 'potential to be very difficult.'

Authorities have tweaked asylum rules that will reject any claims that have not been lodged online first.

Thousands of migrants are waiting at the border between the U.S. and Mexico as they wait for Title 42 to be lifted before attempting to get into the country

Many of the migrants have crossed through several nations in central America in order to attempt to enter the U.S.

Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas admitted there will be a surge of crossings within the next few days

Would-be migrants who fail to do that can also be denied the right to stay in the U.S. if they have travelled through a safe country without seeking protection there.

Another rule, called Title 8, means that migrants caught sneaking into the U.S. should be deported quickly but also face a five-year ban on applying for legal entry.

'Our plan will deliver results but it will take time time for those results to be fully realized,' Mayorkas said.

Joe Biden himself has also said that he expects the surge in asylum-seekers crossing will be 'chaotic for a while.'

US network NBC News reported that border guards have been ordered to release migrants without court dates or the ability to track them.

It cited three sources familiar with the plan to draft a memo ordering the U.S. Customs and Border Protection free asylum-seekers due to overcrowding.

'Were already breaking and we havent hit the starting line,' one DHS official was quoted as saying.

Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol union leader, called the current situation 'beyond catastrophic' and 'unsustainable.'

More than 29,000 are currently in CBP custody, the highest number on record, with nearly 18,000 being arrested in the past 24 hours.

It will pile pressure on Biden administration officials to cut the numbers crossing into the U.S.

Although a deal has already been struck with Mexico to take back Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who see their asylum claims rejected.

Border shelters in El Paso, Texas are already being overwhelmed by the vast numbers of migrants coming in with some being forced to sleep on the streets.

The frontier town is one of many that has declared a state of emergency.

Last week, a top government accountability watchdog released a bombshell report that painted a bleak picture of how border officials are coping.

The Office of the Inspector General said border forces are struggling to handle the increased numbers of migrants due to low staffing levels.

Investigators warned that border and immigration officials may end up quitting or retiring early unless working conditions improve quickly.

There are some 24,000 law enforcement officers stationed along the 1,951-mile southwestern border with Mexico.

An additional 1,500 troops are being sent to back up U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the 2,500 National Guard troops are already there.

The president, who is seeking reelection in 2024, has seen his public approval ratings sink over the crisis.

The Biden administration had vowed to set up processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia in bid to stem the flow of arrivals

They stood at 40% in recent days, close to the lowest level since he took office in 2021, with Americans unhappy about immigration and the state of the economy.

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.

Emergency powers to remove migrants, known as Title 42, came from a 79-year-old federal law that Donald Trump used on public health.

Republicans are also angry that Joe Biden axed his predecessor's flagship anti-immigration policy: a $16.6-billion border barrier along the frontier with Mexico.
But he said, it all came crashing down when TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, 26, announced she was partnering with Bud Light

The marketing genius behind some of Budweiser's most iconic ads has slammed his former employer for destroying the image he helped create.

Robert Lachky, who created the memorable 'Whassup?' promo of 1999 and the 'Talking Frogs' commercial that debuted at the Super Bowl five years earlier, said it took him two decades to establish Budweiser as one of America's most prominent beers.

But, he said, that all came crashing down last month when TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, 26, announced she was partnering with Bud Light and showed off cans featuring her face.

Now, sales of the light beer are down in every region of the United States.

'It took us 20 years to take Bud Light beer to the Number 1 beer in the country, and it took them one week to dismantle it,' Lachky said of InBev, Budweiser's Belgian parent company.

He also created the iconic 'Whassup?' commercial for Budweiser in 1999

America's flagship beer brand has been sent into a steep decline after it used transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney, 26, to promote the beverage

During Lachky's time at the Anheuser-Busch, he created many of the Budweiser's Super Bowl ad campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s.

One of the ones he created, in which three frogs croaked 'bud,' 'weiss' and 'err,' was dubbed 'one of the most iconic alcohol campaigns in advertising history' by Adweek.

And another, featuring a group of friends calling each other while sitting at their respective homes watching television and drinking a Budweiser, in which they ask each other 'Whassup' helped define the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Lachky also served as Bud Light's brand manager, creating advertisements like the I Love You Man commercial in 1995 and the Real Men of Genius campaigns.

Under his tenure, Bud Light surpassed Miller Light as the top-selling light beer country.

He left Anheuser-Busch in 2009, just four months after InBev acquired the company and began implementing aggressive cost-cutting measures, including several rounds of layoffs  though Lachky says it was his own decision to leave.

Now, Lachky  who runs his own consulting firm in St. Louis  says the company only has itself to blame for its plummeting sales.

'It's self-inflicted,' he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, claiming Anheuser-Busch suffers from a 'complete lack of corporate oversight and it's been that way since [InBev] took the company over.

Lachky was the brains behind the memorable Talking Frogs commercial that debuted at the Super Bowl in 1995

Robert Lachky, who was behind some of Budweiser's most iconic ads, said Anheuser-Busch is destroying the image he helped create

Executives at the company have tried to claim that Mulvaney was never actually partnered with Bud Light despite the transgender TikTok star saying otherwise in her early April video, which even included the hashtag #budlightpartner.

On Monday, Anheuser-Busch Global CEO Michel Doukeris blamed 'misinformation and disinformation' that was spread online for making people believe cans with Mulvaney's face were being rolled out for sale across the US.

'We never intended to make it for general production and sale for the public...it was one post. It was not an advertisement,' he told the Financial Times.

Doukeris also claimed that the video was not part of an advertising campaign in a call with investors last week.

'We need to clarify the facts that this was one camp, one influencer, one post and not a campaign.'

But a letter sent to retailers, bars and restaurants by Grey Eagle  which distributes Anheuser-Busch products around St Louis  claimed that the Mulvaney ad was the brainchild of an outside ad agency that partnered with the company.

It read: 'Anheuser-Busch did not intend to create controversy or make a political statement.

'In reality, the Bud Light can posted by a social media influencer that sparked all the conversation was provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management awareness or approval.

'Since that time, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new VP of Bud Light marketing has been announced.'

Anheuser Busch global CEO Michel Doukeris has tried to claim that the firm never actually partnered with Mulvaney, despite earlier claims that said the campaign was the brainchild of an outside agency that never consulted with the company

He also claimed that cans featuring Mulvaney's face were never meant for sale in the US

The company had previously announced that vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, took a leave of absence and the vice president for mainstream brand, Daniel Blake, stepped down from his post amid backlash for the campaign.

The firm said both bosses 'decided' to temporarily step down, but their decisions were reportedly not voluntary.

'Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support. Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence,' the company said.

But with these constantly changing excuses, Lachky said, the company is only hurting itself.

'It's pretty obvious InBev continues to fan the flames on their own with their defensive comments,' he told the New York Post.

Anheuser-Busch put two of their most senior members of the marketing team on leave following the backlash to Mulvaney's video. Pictured: Alissa Heinerscheid

Daniel Blake, who is the vice president for Anheuser-Busch's mainstream brands has stepped back from his job, after controversy about Bud Light's partnership with Dylan Mulvaney

Almost immediately after Mulvaney posted her video in early April, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6billion in market capitalization.

In total, sales fell 26 percent in the second quarter of 2023 after earning $1.65billion in the first quarter, Doukeris announced in an earnings call last week.

He said the brewer posted revenue of $14.21 billion in the period, which also beat forecasts, with the shares rising 6 percent since the beginning of the year and 12 percent in 12 months.

Still, sales volumes of all Anheuser-Busch products fell more than 12 percent last month, with Bud Light sales falling a staggering 21.4 percent.

That decline in Bud Light sales could be felt in every region of the country, according to new data from Beer Business Daily.

Sales in the Rocky Mountain states dipped the most significantly, down by 29 percent, with the South Atlantic, West North Central and East South Central all dropping 25 percent.

The Tumbleweed, a cowboy bar in Wyoming, ditched Bud Light after the controversy  instead plumping for Guinness.

Sales in the East North Central area - which includes Michigan and Illinois, both of which have seen a backlash against the beer - were down 23.5 percent in the week ending April 22.

The beer was originally the only brand under the brewing conglomerate's umbrella to be affected by the controversy, but the new numbers have revealed that several other products' sales have also dipped.

Budweiser has been struck by the knock-on effect, with sales dipping 11.5 percent.

Two more Anheuser-Busch brands were also feeling the result of the backlash, with Busch dropping 5.3 percent and Natural dropping 6 percent.

Meanwhile, competitors Coors Light was up 17.3 percent, Miller Lite up 19.1 percent, Yuengling was up 20.1 percent with Coors Banquet up 27.9 percent and Miller Genuine Draft up 7.3 percent.

Yuengling took the tumbling sales of Bud Light in their stride, rising up 14.7 percent, while Miller Light had a spike of 12.8 percent, Coors Light rose 10.9 percent, and Coors Banquet 20.5 percent.

That comes in stark contrast to last year, when sales of Bud Light topped $4.8 billion, Modelo Especial had $3.75 billion while Michelob Ultra generated $3.3 billion in sales.

In dollars, Anheuser-Busch has dropped 6.1 percent since the Mulvaney campaign, while Molson Coors was up 13.8 percent and Constellation up 8.7 percent.

Bud Light was down 17.2 percent, Busch was up 1.3 percent and Natural was down 0.2 percent, while Budweiser also fell 6.7 percent.

Competitor Coors Light was up 17.3 percent, Miller Lite up 19.1 percent, Yuengling was up 20.1 percent with Coors Banquet up 27.9 percent and Miller Genuine Draft up 7.3 percent.

Now, analysts at HSBC have downgraded Anheuser-Busch's stock, saying it is in the midst of a 'crisis' over the marketing blunder.

Carlos Laboy, a managing director at HSBC's global beverage sector, downgraded the stock of Anheuser-Busch InBev to a hold status. It means that investors should not buy or sell shares of the company.

He said that the backlash is a sign there are 'deeper problems than ABI admits', questioning if it was 'hiring the best people to grow the brands and gauge risk.'
'to little more than a fishing expedition' and would be '

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez can ignore subpoenas from her brother Michael, a federal judge has ruled.

Hollywood agent Michael Sanchez was trying to depose the couple and pry documents from them in an attempt to prove he was not the only source for a story in the National Enquirer that revealed their steamy affair.

The bid was part of Michael's defamation lawsuit against American Media Inc, the publisher of the tabloid magazine, who he accuses of falsely casting him as the sole leaker of the affair, for which he was allegedly paid $200,000.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez will not have to respond to her brother's subpoenas to depose them in his defamation case against American Media Inc, a judge ruled on Monday

Michael Sanchez - pictured right with his sister and their mother Eleanor  has accused AMI of defaming him when it named him as the 'sole source' of the tip that led to the bombshell National Enquirer of the couple's affair in 2019. He was seeking to depose his sister and Bezos in his case

Following the fallout over The National Enquirer's story of the affair in January 2019, the tabloid's publisher AMI made a public statement naming Sanchez as the sole source of the tip

But in a damning ruling in a California federal court on Monday, US Magistrate Judge Pedro Castillo slapped down Michael's subpoenas to his sister and her lover, calling it 'little more than a fishing expedition'.

The ruling leaves Michael in an increasingly desperate position, after partial or complete defeats in several other lawsuits around the affair scandal and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills.

The brother of the former LA Fox anchor has already been forced to admit under oath that he was a source of racy texts and 10 'pornographic' pictures including a 'below-the-belt selfie' sent by Bezos to Sanchez, and later leaked to the Enquirer.

'Even though Plaintiff argues that he did not provide any racy or explicit photographs to AMI, the evidence is uncontroverted that he in fact did so,' the court ruled in July 2021.

The judge added in his ruling on Monday: 'The only surviving issue on Plaintiff's defamation claim is whether he was AMI's only source.'

Michael sent his sister and the Amazon billionaire legal demands to sit for an on-camera deposition and to divulge documents and communications about who they shared their sordid sexts with, in an attempt to find the Enquirer's alleged second source.

In a court order handed down Monday, the judge ruled that the information Michael sought in the subpoenas is 'not relevant' to his defamation claim

The ruling leaves Michael in an increasingly desperate position, after partial or complete defeats in several other lawsuits around the affair scandal

Bezos, the world's third richest man, argued the subpoenas were 'part of a vendetta against him, to be used in support of any supplemental monetary demand [Michael] may attempt to make,' and that he had 'no knowledge regarding AMI's sources', while Sanchez argued the depositions would be an invasion of privacy.

Judge Castillo sided with the couple in his 33-page ruling he released Monday.

'The request for information on this topic from these witnesses  the victims of the public disclosure of their private affair  amounts at best to little more than a fishing expedition for second- or third-hand knowledge or unfettered speculation,' he wrote.

'Information about mere 'access' to Ms. Sanchez's or Mr. Bezos's cell phone or other electronic device is irrelevant because it says nothing at all about whether anyone other than Plaintiff did in fact provide that information to AMI.

'AMI uniquely knows who its source or sources were, and is clearly in the best position to disclose that information.

'It would be unduly burdensome for Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Bezos to respond.'

Bezos claimed he was blackmailed by AMI over the story, and a grand jury was convened in the Southern District of New York to consider charges over the allegation.

Michael argued in his legal filings that Bezos must have looked into what the jury found, and so likely has information about AMI's sources for the affair story.

But Judge Castillo gave the argument short shrift.

Lauren was married to Hollywood mega agent Patrick Whitesell (left) when she and Bezos started their affair. The three of them are pictured in 2016

In his ruling, Judge Pedro Castillo said it 'would be unduly burdensome for Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Bezos to respond' to Michael's subpoenas

The disgraced Hollywood agent also sensationally claimed that Lauren's lawyer 'threatened for two and a half years to publicize falsely to the world that [Michael] sexually molested Ms. Sanchez when she was a minor,' according to the judge's ruling, though he did not discuss the claims further.

In a mysterious twist in the murky tale, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was labelled as another potential source for the raunchy texts and photos.

Bezos commissioned an investigation by cybersecurity expert Gavin de Becker, who claimed that the Saudis used an ultra-sophisticated hacking tool called Pegasus to infect the Amazon founder's iPhone X and monitor all his communications in 2017 and 2018  during the period of the affair.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, known by his initials MBS, was cast as an enemy of Bezos, after the Bezos-owned Washington Post accused the Arab royal of ordering the gruesome murder of one of its writers, Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018.

Before slapping down Michael's subpoena requests to Bezos and his lover, Judge Castillo presented a damning list of the Hollywood agent's other courtroom defeats.

The Los Angeles Superior Court awarded Bezos $218,385 in fees and $36,019.26 in costs after Michael lost his defamation lawsuit against the Amazon founder in November 2020.

Last month, filings obtained by DailyMail.com showed Lauren Sanchez's lawyers dismissed her brother's latest bid to have her and Bezos deposed as nothing but an abusive ruse

Michael lost his appeal of the decision on April 10 this year and was hit with another bill for fees of $371,928.90.

In January 2023 Michael sued his sister and her law firm in the same court for 'civil extortion, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.'

The LA court struck off all but the breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims  but warned Michael they were so vaguely argued that they 'likely fail to state a claim' and invited him to file amended legal documents.

Michael then sued his own lawyers, the first of three firms that have represented him in his federal defamation case against AMI, on April 19, 2023, accusing the attorney, Jonathan Jenkins, of 'sabotaging' his lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Jenkins wrote to Michael in an email: 'I am now convinced that the motive to depose Bezos in this action is improper.

'This is a legal proceeding against AMI, [its vice president Dylan] Howard, and [CEO David] Pecker, not a Bezos shakedown, and I cannot comply with a demand to issue a subpoena that I believe would be unethical.'
A woke San Francisco lawmaker has been slammed after pushing for legislation to ban store security guards from drawing their guns after a trans shoplifter was killed.

Dean Preston, who is an attorney and member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, caused a stir as he spoke about the death of unarmed Banko Brown, 24, who was shot by Walgreens security guard Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony.

A murder charge against him was dropped after the city's DA ruled the killing was self-defense, because Anthony feared being stabbed.

Preston said: 'Today at the Board of Supervisors I will be calling for legislation to specifically prohibit security guards from drawing their weapons to protect property.

'Human life is more important than property. We need to change our local law so that security guards cannot un-holster their weapons just to protect property.'

He doubled down on his comments today, writing on Twitter: 'Our proposal to fix San Franciscos strange and possibly illegal law that allows a security guard to draw their gun to protect person and/or property should not be controversial.'

The San Francisco lawmaker's comments were faced with backlash.

Dean Preston said: 'Today at the Board of Supervisors I will be calling for legislation to specifically prohibit security guards from drawing their weapons to protect property. Human life is more important than property. We need to change our local law so that security guards cannot un-holster their weapons just to protect property'

Preston, on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, caused backlash after making the comments online following the death of Banko Brown

Pictured: Banko Brown who was shot during an altercation at a Walgreens store in San Francisco

One person said: 'This is basically incitement to robbery.'

Another said: 'In SF they're called insecurity guards now,' while another chimed in 'There won't be any businesses left in SF to rob soon.'

Other people online questioned whether the lawmaker would be so brazen if it was his property on the line. One person said: 'Wonder what happens when they show up at his house? Hypothetically of course.

'Does he have armed security or a personally owned gun in his house?'

Another called for Preston's resignation: 'Glad to know you continue to place a higher value on the lives of criminals than on the employees and citizens that are being violently threatened, harrassed, and attacked for simply trying to work at a low salary job or shop without threat of violence. You should resign.'

And one person on social media added: 'Thieves decide your property is worth more than their own life. Why not actually prosecute thieves as a deterrent rather than try to find new laws for law abiding citizens?!'

Others were supporting Preston. One person on Twitter said: 'Amazing! This is just what California needed to put a nail in its coffin. Sign the law!'

Another said: 'I get this, 100%. But why not also recognize that property crime is an order of magnitude worse in the bay area (car break ins, store theft etc.) than most other cities?

'And pair this legislation with other ability to enforce against these property crimes? Life is most important - but lets also recognize that property crime makes this city specifically less liveable for people and businesses.'

Security guard Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony has also spoken out for the first time following the ordeal.

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.'

Floral tributes and candles where left in memory of Banko

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.

'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.'
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked an anti-Israel event that was being planned at the Capitol by pro-Palestinian 'Squad' member Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

Tlaib, the first member of Congress of Palestinian descent, came under fire earlier this week for helping host an event marking the 'catastrophe' of the creation of the Jewish State of Israel 75 years ago.

The progressive member, wrote in a tweet that '75 years later, the Nakba continues to this day.'

Nakba refers to the creation of the establishment of a Jewish majority state in what was once Palestine. It alleges that the act was a form of 'ethnic cleansing.'

The event, which was originally slated to be held Wednesday, would have 'educated' Congress and 'uplift the experiences of Palestinians who underwent the Nakba.'

However, the pro-Israel House speaker shut it down the day before it was scheduled to occur.

'This event in the US Capitol is canceled,' McCarthy tweeted Tuesday evening, referring to Tlaib's planned event.

Tlaib is aligned with the far-left 'squad', which includes Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has come under fire for sharing anti-semitic tropes

Nakba, which Tlaib has invoked, refers to the 'catastrophe' of the creation of Israel and refers to the establishment of the country in what was once Palestine as a form of 'ethnic cleansing'

This event in the US Capitol is canceled.



Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship. https://t.co/s6YXltFOhu  Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) May 10, 2023

'Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship.'

Not to be deterred, Tlaib told CNN Wednesday that the event will be held in the Senate instead.

'We're having it on the Senate side. It's on campus, it's on Capitol Hill,' she reportedly said.

McCarthy just returned from a congressional delegation trip to Israel, during which he re-affirmed the United State's firm commitment to the state and addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

He also criticized President Joe Biden for failing to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.

Biden has made clear his opposition and said he had no immediate plans to offer the Israeli leader a White House visit.

His ambassador later watered that down to say the administration would 'soon' invite Netanyahu.

Tlaib came under fire from Republicans for the event, including Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

'Rashida Tlaib, who has repeatedly used antisemitic tropes, is hosting an event to attack Israel with groups that defend terrorism and support the antisemitic BDS movement,' McDaniel tweeted on Monday evening.

DailyMail.com reached out to Tlaib's office for comment.
A New York Times writer has sparked a furious backlash for dismissing commuters' fears of violent crooks riding on the subway as 'imaginary monsters.'

Elizabeth Spiers, a columnist for the paper, tweeted that she had been 'safely riding the subway for 23 years' and had never 'been menaced by a half naked lunatic.'

She was replying to National Review writer Dan McLaughlin who said that people should be free to go to work or take their children on the train without being 'accosted and menaced by half-naked lunatics.'

Spiers ridiculed his concerns by telling McLaughlin 'these imaginary monsters in your head are addressable with therapy.'

It comes after fellow NYT columnist John McWhorter wrote that he is fed up with feeling 'terrified' on the transit network, especially when accompanied by his two young daughters.

Spiers' comment, which has been viewed more than three million times, has been widely slammed by other Big Apple residents, with many citing videos showing passengers being shoved off platforms and a dramatic uptick in vagrancy since the pandemic.

Elizabeth Spiers was replying to National Review writer Dan McLaughlin who said that people should be free to go to work or take their children on the train without being 'accosted and menaced by half-naked lunatics.' Spiers ridiculed his concerns by telling McLaughlin 'these imaginary monsters in your head are addressable with therapy'

Elizabeth Spiers is a contributing op-ed writer for the NYTimes and digital media strategist

NYPD figures show transit-related crime has soared by 52 percent since 2021 and the number of the murders on the subway in the last three years is more than 2008 to 2019 combined.

Although transit crime dropped slightly by 9 percent in the last year, shocking incidents continue to plague the transit system.

Grant Hinkle, a professional poker player, asked Spiers: 'Are all the videos showing mentally ill people in the middle of a psychosis on a subway car just CGI or actors? What is your explanation?'

She played down his concerns by arguing that some videos he had seen 'are not indicative of some overall crime spree.'

'Any mass transit system that moves several million people a day will have an occasional incident,' Spiers replied.

Author Melanie Notkin commented: '30 years in NYC. A drugged out large man is screaming in a threatening way on the subway platform right now just got on the same the train as me. I was able to get to next car in time.'

Another person tweeted sarcastically: 'Exactly, Elizabeth! I feel the same way about tornadoes. Everyone complains about them, but they've never bothered me. I've never even seen one and, frankly, I don't really believe they exist.'

When someone else noted how 'everyone who's ridden the subway in NYC for any amount of time has a crazy homeless person story,' Spiers doubled-down and said she had similar experiences 'everywhere I've ever lived.'

The columnist said: 'I fail to see why homeless people on the NYC subway are any different from homeless people at the Walmart in my hometown and why anyone should consider either inherently dangerous.'

It comes after fellow Times writer John McWhorter published an opinion piece on Neely's death and safety on the subway yesterday.

He conceded his take 'may be unpopular' but said he is fed up of feeling 'terrified' on the transit network, and that Neely 'deserved restraint'.

It comes amid a litany of shocking incidents on the train network, particularly harrowing are the numerous videos of people being pushed onto the tracks in seemingly random attacks.

At least 25 people were shoved onto subway tracks in 2022, with at least two dead and others severely injured.

In one terrifying incident in October, a deranged thug pushed a man in front of an oncoming train at random at 149th Street in the Bronx at 11.50am on a Saturday.

The pusher, wide-eyed and with unkempt hair, stalked the 26-year-old man for several seconds first, then ran behind him and pushed him in to the path of the oncoming train.

McWhorter has also written a book entitled 'Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America'

NYPD cops at the scene in the Wall Street subway station in April, 2022, after a man was slashed in the neck with a box cutter

The victim was on a northbound train when he was attacked. He is understood to have disembarked at Wall Street. He was then taken to the hospital

He then fled the station as other, shocked onlookers rushed to the victim's aid. They were able to pull him to safety before the train rushed through the station. He was uninjured in the attack.

In the same month, David Martin, 32, suffered a broken collarbone after a crazed man targeted him at Brooklyn's Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue station at 2.40pm on a Friday.

Video showed how the maniac stalked him and then looked both ways - as if making sure there were no cops - before sprinting and shoulder barging Martin.

The victim fell sideways and tumbled onto the subway tracks, leaving his sunglasses behind on the crowded platform.
Not your typical easter bunny.

A black furry bunny has been terrorizing an Iowa neighborhood where residents report the cute animal lunges straight at them.

While most consider bunnies as some of the sweetest creatures in the world, Ramona Rustan begs to differ.

The Perry resident recalled seeing the bunny patrolling the neighborhood before it approached her outside.

'It jumps up and bites me,' Rustan told AZ Family while reminiscing on the horrific encounter. 'I am like, 'Oh, my gosh. I just got bit by a bunny.''

Aside from Rustan, several other residents, including a 13-year-old have been attacked. The teenager will require a rabies shot.

A black flurry bunny was terrorizing an Iowa neighborhood as residents reported the cute animal lunged straight at them

Ramona Rustan claimed she was attacked by a bunny outside her Perry, Iowa home

After the bunny attacked Rustan, it hopped off to her neighbors to strike again.

The neighbor, who wasn't identified, was horrified when she found herself barricaded in her car.

'It came around to her car and wouldn't let her out of her car,' Rustan said. 'When she did get out of her car, it chased her up to her door.'

Rustan immediately called the police and found out the same bunny had also bitten a teenage girl on May 5.

The animal attacked the girl around 7.30am and broke her skin, records showed. She later went to the doctors and was instructed to receive a rabies shot.

Aside from Rustan, several other residents, including a 13-year-old have been attacked

The bunny will no longer be terrorizing Rustan's quite neighborhood after a wastewater treatment plant captured and relocated it last Friday

But Rustan, who is a nurse, claimed she will not receive medical treatment for her bite because there were no signs the animal was infected.

'When it bit me, you know, I didnt see it frothing at the mouth or anything like that,' she told the news outlet.

Meanwhile, the bunny will no longer be terrorizing Rustan's quite neighborhood after the city captured and relocated to a wastewater treatment plant last Friday.
The FBI missed a noon deadline Wednesday to provide a document allegedly linking Joe Biden to a cash-for-access 'criminal scheme,' angering top Republicans who issued a subpoena last week demanding the unclassified record.

After the deadline passed, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, R-Ky., accused the FBI of 'refusing' to provide the document to his committee.

'The FBI's position is "trust, but you aren't allowed to verify." That is unacceptable. We plan to follow up with the FBI and expect compliance with the subpoena,' Comer said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

Last week, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Comer revealed that a whistleblower had come forward with stunning claims about the document, which they alleged outlined the scheme involving Biden, when he was vice president, and an unnamed foreign national.

The internal FD-1023 form apparently details an 'arrangement' for an exchange of money for policy decisions, the Republicans said.

The Republicans issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding the document be handed over with a May 10 noon deadline - which did not occur.

Grassley said that although the FBI failed to provide the document, they offered an 'accommodation process' that indicates that the 'document is real.'

He said the response letter Wednesday to the top Republicans only raises additional questions, including 'whether the FBI has an open investigation based on these allegations.'

The Republican accusations marks a significant update in the Republican 'influence-peddling' probe into the Biden family and Hunter Biden's overseas business deals

The House Oversight Committee released a new memo Wednesday specifically outlining the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president

The lawmakers say that it 'remains unclear what steps, if any, were taken to investigate the matter,' which is concerning due to the 'significant public interest' in the FBI's response.

The FBI confirmed to DailyMail.com that it provided a response to the Republicans Wednesday, but disputed Grassley's claim that it proves the existence of the specific document alleged by the whistleblower.

'An FD-1023 form is used by FBI agents to record unverified reporting by a confidential human source. Documenting the information does not validate it, establish its credibility, or weigh it against other information verified by the FBI,' a spokesperson said.

'Revealing unverified or possibly incomplete information could harm investigations, prejudice prosecutions or judicial proceedings, unfairly violate privacy or reputations, create misimpressions in the public, or potentially identify individuals who provide information to law enforcement, placing their physical safety at risk.

'Information from confidential human sources and members of the public is critical to the work of the FBI and we are also committed to protecting the confidentiality of anyone who comes forward.'

The subpoena for the document marked a significant update in the Republican 'influence-peddling' probe into the Biden family and came just hours after a report said prosecutors were close to deciding whether to criminally charge Hunter Biden in his tax and gun probes.

Iam Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations has called the GOP subpoena for the document 'unfounded' and 'politically motivated.'

'For going on 5 years now, Republicans in Congress have been lobbing unfounded politically-motivated attacks against [President Biden] without offering evidence for their claims. Or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests,' he claimed.

Sams added that Biden has been 'unprecedented' with his level of transparency, by releasing a total of 25 years of tax returns to the American public

The House Oversight Committee has accused 10 members of the Biden family - including Hunter and Hallie - of being involved in 'shady' business deals where they profited off of the family name

'The information provided by a whistleblower raises concerns that then-Vice President Biden allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme with a foreign national,' Comer said Wednesday

The House Oversight Committee has accused 10 members of the Biden family - including Hunter and Hallie - of being involved in 'shady' business deals where they profited off of the family name.

Earlier Wednesday, the committee released a new memo specifically outlining the Biden family's ties to Romanian 'influence peddling' and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president.

It also accuses President Biden for a 'lack of transparency' regarding his family's receipt of funds from China, which he has said are 'not true.'

It details the efforts by the family to hide, conceal and confuse sources of money - including more China money, according to a committee aide.

'The White House refuses to correct the president's statement. The president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes,' said Comer during a press conference announcing the memo Wednesday.
Google will now write your emails for you, the tech giant has announced.

Gmail, its messaging service with over 1.8bn users worldwide, will use the latest generative AI to compose detailed emails with just a simple prompt.

Revealing the latest development at its annual I/O conference, Google boss Sundar Pichai demonstrated how it could draft a letter to an airline demanding a refund for a cancelled flight.

The 'Help Me Write' feature will incorporate details from previous emails, and also give the user the option to 'elaborate' - in which it will write a longer, seemingly more persuasive and emotional, message.

Mr Pichai said the company was using the latest generative AI - the software behind its chatbot Bard and rival ChatGPT - to 'radically' reimagine all its core products.

(File photo) Google's Gmail service will use AI to write entire emails from just one prompt

Tech experts, academics, and politicians have been calling for more regulation and even an emergency pause in the 'dangerous' arms race in AI.

Google and Microsoft are rolling out their latest developments at breakneck speed.

Today, Google unveiled its new and improved rival to GPT-4, the software behind ChatGPT.

Mr Pichai said its new PaLM 2 model - which runs its Bard chatbot - was even 'stronger in logic and reasoning' than its previous iteration, which had been criticised for giving incorrect information.

Among the other updates revealed was a new feature for Google Maps called 'immersive view', which will let users visualise their route in 3D before they left.

It offers a detailed bird's eye view, allowing individuals to remember landmarks for example, and is already set up for cities including London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo.

(File photo) The AI tool is able to draft a letter demanding a refund for a cancelled flight

Another new feature is 'Magic Editor' which will allow users to make major changes to photos with a simple edit - from changing the background to a blue sky, repositioning where you are, or taking out other people.

Mr Pichai said users would no longer need professional editing tools to completely change pics.

Over recent years Gmail has been incorporating more AI to make it quicker and easier for users to respond to messages.

In 2017, it offered a few suggestions how to reply, such as 'Yes, I can make it!'. Next it introduced 'Smart compose', which guessed what words users were about to type.

Now, with the 'much more powerful' AI, Mr Pichai said they were taking the next step called 'Help me write' - which would compose the whole message for you.

He gave the example of an email that explained a flight was cancelled, in which the airline offers a voucher but what the individual really wants is a full refund.

The user can then type 'ask for a full refund', hit create, and a full email appears - with all the flight details.

If that is not quite enough, it also has an 'elaborate' function that creates a longer email with more detail.

The example email used appeared far more persuasive, featuring a paragraph about how the individual had been a 'loyal customer' and detailing their disappointment at the service.
First through the post comes the United States Marine Corps Desert Ops Sawback machete with a 17-inch razor-sharp blade. On the top edge of that blade are bone-crushing steel teeth designed to tease out the innards of anyone unlucky enough to be skewered by it.

Next comes a machete with an edge so sharp it could slice through flesh with barely any pressure. Its blade is almost as long as my torso and I've seen dozens like it on social media, brandished by thugs in balaclavas chasing their victims down the UK's blood-spattered streets.

Costing just 9.99, it is the cheapest of all the weapons I have bought with just a few clicks of a mouse. I did so to highlight the parlous and confusing nature of Britain's knife laws  set to be debated in a vital public consultation announced last month.

Also delivered to my doorstep was a GI Tanto, a heavy seven-inch combat knife whose box bore a simple message: 'Anytime. Anywhere.'

First through the post comes the United States Marine Corps Desert Ops Sawback machete with a 17-inch razor-sharp blade

Marques Walker, of Bromley, southeast London, was 16 when he repeatedly stabbed Jermaine Cools with a macheteduring a fight near West Croydon railway station, in south London, on November 18, 2021

Jermaine was stabbed seven times as he lay on the ground. At the age of 14 he was the youngest victim of fatal knife crime in 2021

For two days, delivery people have been coming to my front door bearing yet more knives, more machetes  even a sword  bought legally from a plethora of websites. The weapons have spread across the floor of my living room, scaring friends and visitors.

On Monday, the devastating effect knives like these can have on families and communities was laid before the Old Bailey. The court heard how 14-year-old Jermaine Cools was stabbed seven times with a machete, wielded by Marques Walker, then 16, during a street brawl in Croydon in November 2021.

Walker  subsequently sentenced to life for murder, with a minimum jail term of 19 years  was first caught carrying a knife in January 2020 when teachers found a 10-inch Rambo-style blade in his school rucksack. He was cautioned by police but in another incident he pulled a serrated dagger from his waistband and discarded it as he fled from officers in April 2021.

For that he was charged but not prosecuted because he was found to be a victim of modern slavery, groomed by county lines gangs selling drugs outside of London.

But in October that year, he was arrested on a bus carrying a 20-inch blade with serrated edges. While on bail, he killed Jermaine Cools.

Officers had confiscated three terrifying knives from the future killer over two years. 'Walker was able to obtain knife after knife,' said the Met's Superintendent Richard Vandenbergh. 'Anyone seeing the pictures of the weapons that police seized . . . should be concerned that weapons like this seem so readily available to young men.'

Sadly, violent deaths are all too common on Britain's streets. The Coronation weekend alone saw four teenagers and a man in his late 20s lose their lives in separate knife attacks, including 18-year-old Ben Moncrieff who was stabbed outside a McDonald's restaurant in Bath, Somerset, in the early hours of Saturday. A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder.

Delivered to my doorstep was a GI Tanto, a heavy seven-inch combat knife whose box bore a simple message: 'Anytime. Anywhere'

Costing just 9.99, it is the cheapest of all the weapons I have bought with just a few clicks of a mouse. I did so to highlight the parlous and confusing nature of Britain's knife laws  set to be debated in a vital public consultation announced last month

According to the Home Office, there were more than 45,400 crimes involving a knife or other sharp instrument in England and Wales in 2021-22. These included 282 murders  the highest number in 76 years. Within this figure, the number of boys aged 16 to 17 killed with knives rose from ten to 24.

So why on earth, I wondered as I unpacked the latest monstrous blade to be delivered to my home, are these things legal to buy?

Under the Offensive Weapons Act, it is illegal to carry a blade longer than three inches in public without 'good reason' such as needing them for work or if they have religious significance. The maximum penalty for an adult carrying an illegal knife is either four years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

However, the legislation can cause confusion because these offences relate to weapons carried in public.

It's legal to keep some of these knives at home, except for the most horrifying of blades like sword sticks (a thin blade concealed in a cane), flick knives, spiral-bladed knives, knives that can be hidden in belt buckles and several weapons associated with martial arts.

Also banned are 'zombie' knives  these long, jagged weapons are inspired by blades in popular zombie movies and TV series. When these were put on the list of weapons banned in private in 2019, legislation defined them as having a cutting edge, a serrated edge, and bearing words or images suggesting their purpose was for violence.

However, unscrupulous manufacturers simply remove such wording and imagery from zombie-style knives, meaning their sale and storage at home remains legal.

This means such blades, along with machetes  which have never been put on the proscribed list because they have an agricultural use  are the weapons of choice for criminals intent on violence.

According to Commander Stephen Clayman, the lead on knife crime for the National Police Chiefs' Council, officers could raid a property suspected of housing criminals or gang members but would be unable to seize such weapons if they weren't directly associated with a crime.

In a drugs raid, for example, his officers could be powerless to confiscate such weapons found in a room. 'We might suspect they could be used for violent purposes afterwards,' Clayman says, 'but we can't take them away. That's bizarre and very frustrating.'

And it's agonising for people like Dionne Barrett whose son Gordon Gault, 14, was attacked with at least one machete by a gang of youths in Newcastle last November. He died from his injuries after six days in intensive care.

'There should be no place for weapons like this in a civilised society  they just lead to misery and death, and the loss of beautiful and talented young people like my son,' she tells the Mail. 'How can it be right that weapons like this can be legally bought? What use can they have other than for violence? We need to take them off the streets now.'

Police told Dionne, 36, the attack on Gordon was unprovoked.

She tells me he was 'such a lovely boy  and a real clown, always making people laugh.' But she struggles to recount what happened when he was attacked.

'He was on his way to visit his Nana on his friend's bike. He went past a local park facing his Nana's house when a group of males came out of the park with machetes.

For two days, delivery people have been coming to my front door bearing yet more knives, more machetes  even a sword  bought legally from a plethora of websites

The weapons have spread across the floor of my living room, scaring friends and visitors

'I don't know the full story of what happened next, but he had an injury to his arm where he had defended himself.' The injury severed a vital artery. Gordon clung on for nearly a week before dying in Dionne's arms.

Northumbria police say 13 people are being investigated in connection with the offence, but nobody has been charged.

The Ben Kinsella Trust, named after a 16-year-old stabbed to death in Islington, North London, in 2008, has long been campaigning for stricter controls on knives.

Patrick Green, its CEO, says: 'These weapons need to be outlawed because they pose a serious threat to public safety and order.'

Given that such knives are the most likely weapons intended to be used in fatal attacks, he says, they serve no practical purpose other than to glorify violence.

'The current law is not strong enough,' he adds. 'It fails to prevent the possession and sale of these knives, and loopholes exist that allow some machetes and zombie knives to escape seizure by the police. It is clear that some retailers have been deliberately selling zombie knives without any markings or packaging to prevent the police from seizing them.'

The Home Office has begun a consultation  running until the end of June  on proposed knife legislation that could lead to the changes campaigners call for.

One of five areas being considered is the introduction of a ban on certain large knives 'designed to look menacing with no practical purposes'. This would solve the zombie knife problem. Police could also seize knives found in private properties that they fear will be used in crimes.

It's legal to keep some of these knives at home, except for the most horrifying of blades like sword sticks (a thin blade concealed in a cane), flick knives, spiral-bladed knives, knives that can be hidden in belt buckles and several weapons associated with martial arts

Also banned are 'zombie' knives  these long, jagged weapons are inspired by blades in popular zombie movies and TV series

The Home Office is further proposing stiff new sentences for selling prohibited weapons, and a new charge of 'possession of bladed articles with the intention to injure or cause fear of violence' which would attract longer sentences than those in place for possession.

'We think this could make a real difference,' says Commander Clayman. 'At the moment, criminals think that just because these weapons are in their own home, they can keep them without consequence. This would rectify that. We could seize these weapons, destroy them and get them off the streets.'

Lawyers give the proposals a cautious welcome.

Joy Merriam, a former member of the Law Society's Council for Criminal Defence, says that prohibiting these knives will mean the onus is on the owner to prove they have them for a good reason. 'There is no lawful purpose to these kinds of knives,' she adds.

We are not naming the websites from which we bought our arsenal of seven knives and one sword  we don't want to direct criminals to them. I asked several of them why they sold such fearsome weapons, what they thought they were being used for, and how a ban on them would affect business.

None replied.

The Ben Kinsella Trust and lawyer Joy Merriam told me one of the weapons  the Marine Corps Sawback machete  might breach zombie knife regulations because it has a cutting edge, a serrated edge and bears the words: 'Honor. Courage. Commitment' on the blade.

These are the declared core values of the fighting men and women of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Oldham-based company that owns the site is PJS UK Ltd, trading as BA Blades. I asked its managing director, Peter Schofield, if he would discuss the potential illegality of selling the knife, and whether he would consider withdrawing it from sale. I received no reply but the weapon was swiftly removed from the website.

Yvonne Lawson, 52, who received an MBE in 2020 for her work campaigning against knife crime with the Godwin Lawson Foundation, named after her son, says she is sceptical of the latest proposals.

Godwin suffered a fatal knife wound to the heart trying to break up a fight in 2010, aged just 16.

'We've had proposals like this before  from Theresa May in 2016, Amber Rudd in 2017, Sajid Javid in 2018 and Priti Patel in 2021  but they never come to anything,' she says. 'It's one thing to say you want to do something, but it's all about implementation.'

I take the weapons I bought and hand them to the police for destruction. The officers are less shocked than I have been by their casual availability and awful potential to do harm.

I'm just glad they're no longer contaminating my home.
Keir Starmer was yesterday accused of 'plotting coalitions' after he once again refused to rule out an electoral pact with the Liberal Democrats.

Rishi Sunak said Labour were too busy planning pacts while the Tories were 'getting on and delivering for the British people.'

Both Sir Keir and his Liberal Democrat counterpart Sir Ed Davey have evaded questions over a possible deal if Labour  as projected  fall short of a majority at next year's general election.

But last night former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable said the two parties will hold 'serious but deniable' talks about a post-election agreement  with a move to a proportional representation voting system on the table.

Sir Keir's official spokesman did not rule out a coalition last night, instead saying there will be a 'majority Labour government after the next election'.

Pictured: Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey talks with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in Westminster Abbey ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023

Pictured: Sir Vince Cable (file photo). Last night the former Lib Dem leader said the two parties will hold 'serious but deniable' talks about a post-election agreement  with a move to a proportional representation voting system on the table

There are increasing fears among Tory MPs that Sir Keir will be pressured into accepting voting reform  which would involve a move from first-past-the-post to proportional representation (PR).

Sir Vince, who served as business secretary in the Coalition government with the Conservatives between 2010 and 2015, suggested both parties will likely enter discussions on the matter well ahead of next year's polling day.

'Ed Davey is right not to rule out a coalition with Labour but it is highly unlikely that the Lib Dems would go into such an arrangement this side of electoral reform being delivered,' he wrote for the online forum Comment Central yesterday. 'A looser 'confidence and supply' arrangement is much more plausible, depending on how the numbers look after an election and subject to agreement on reform of the voting system. You can be sure that serious, but deniable, conversations will be taking place over the next year.'

Sir Keir said he would never do a deal with the SNP because of a disagreement over Scottish independence. Labour yesterday appeared to soften its position on scrapping the first-past-the-post voting system, which is set to be a key Lib Dem demand in any Coalition talks. A spokesman for Sir Keir has previously said the Labour leader held a 'long-standing view' against PR.

Pictured: Rishi Sunak (file photo). The Prime Minister said Labour were too busy planning pacts while the Tories were 'getting on and delivering for the British people'

But yesterday, the party refused to rule out backing it in the future, saying only that it would not be in the next manifesto. The campaign to reform the voting system enjoys widespread support in the Labour movement. At Labour's annual conference last year, delegates passed a motion calling for the party to introduce PR in its first term.

Former Tory minister Matt Warman said: 'Sir Keir says he won't answer hypotheticals about a coalition with the Lib Dems then immediately rules out a hypothetical coalition with the SNP. We all know he can't be trusted to keep his word on either pledge.

'He's clearly open to a grubby political deal with anyone  that won't help the economy, the NHS or tackling immigration.' Tory backbencher Marco Longhi added: 'It is clear that Labour will do anything and say anything to gain power.

'Sir Keir Starmer's weather vane approach to policy and his alliance with other Left-wing parties is there for all to see.' Polling experts have suggested Sir Ed's party will hold the balance of power after the next election with around 40 seats, with Labour  predicted to win around 300 seats  needing their support to have a stable majority in Parliament.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a strict immigration bill into law on Wednesday, a day before Title 42 ends and a flood of migrants are expected to cross the Southern border.

DeSantis, who is expected to launch a Republican presidential bid in the coming months, blasted President Joe Biden at the signing ceremony.

'We are bracing for some turbulent times ahead,' he said. 'When you have a president that has turned a blind eye to the border  when you have that, you are likely to see it get a lot worse.'

'You are going to see a massive surge of illegal aliens, you have a duty to ensure that these borders are secure. This is a huge disaster on our hands,' DeSantis noted as he spoke in front of a sign reading 'Biden's Border Crisis.'

'We are bracing for some turbulent times ahead,' Ron DeSantis said. 'When you have a president that has turned a blind eye to the border.'

The law provides $12 million for DeSantis migrant relocation initiative, which got national attention last year when the governor ad his state pay to fly 50 mostly Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. He said he was highlighting the migrant issue.

Democrats accused him of making political pawns of vulnerable asylum-seekers and trying to score political points with the Republican base.

It also creates stricter laws for undocumented immigrants in the state, requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a question on intake forms about the patient's citizenship status, and beefed up the required use of E-Verify, a federal database employers can use to check a worker's employment eligibility.

Restrictions tied to a Trump-era public health law, known as Title 42, are set to expire Thursday.

Under Title 42, which has been in place since March 2020, many border crossers were rapidly expelled to Mexico without a chance to seek asylum.

Daily migrant crossings hit 10,000 a day ahead of Title 42's ending.

Florida is no where near the country's southern border and DeSantis acknowledged most immigration policies and laws are set at the federal level but, he argued, he was trying to remove any incentives migrants might have to come to Florida.

'People are going to come if they get benefits,' DeSantis said. 'You are either here as a native or come here legally, both fine things, but to come across the border and end up getting benefits in Florida does not make sense.'

DeSantis has long hammered Biden on the migrant issue.

'This is something that is the responsibility of Joe Biden. This is a responsibility that he has defaulted on really from day one of his presidency,' DeSantis said.

'Obviously if we had a different administration it would be a lot easier to actually deal with the problem at its source.'

When asked about his plans to run for president, DeSantis simply said: 'I may have something to say about the overall landscape for 2024, but stay tuned on that.'

Migrants gather between primary and secondary border fences as the United States prepares to lift COVID-19 era Title 42 restrictions to end this week

Migrants reach out from the border fence to try and get their phones charged while stuck between primary and secondary border fences as the United States prepares to lift Title 42

This week, his administration selected three vendors it intends to use for the governor's migrant relocation program, suggesting that additional flights or relocations are likely.

One of the vendors is the same aviation company DeSantis' office used for the flight to Martha's Vineyard.

Meanwhile Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called Florida's new law 'immoral' and 'politicking' on Monday.

'Imagine, Florida, which is full of migrants, is taking repressive, inhumane measures against migrants in Florida because he wants to be a candidate,' Lopez Obrador said.
Former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah has been seen for the first time since she started her six-and-a-half year prison sentence for wire fraud.

The 49-year-old star could be seen in photographs walking in the yard of Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas with an unnamed fellow inmate.

The two women both donned beige prison uniforms, but Shah sought to add a flair of style to the outfit with a pair of simple gold earrings as she walked with her hair tied back in a pony tail.

Shah and the other women were engaged in conversation as they walked, though it is unclear what they may have been talking about.

Sources have previously said that the former reality television star has already made some strong friendships at the minimum security women's prison, and is trying to keep morale up.

She has even worked with other inmates to design a Real Housewives-inspired play, entitled The Real Housewives Of Bryan.

Jen Shah, 49, has been spotted for the first time since she started her six-and-a-half year prison sentence for wire fraud

She could be seen walking the grounds of Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas with an unnamed fellow inmate

Sources have previously said that the former reality television star has already made some strong friendships at the minimum security women's prison

Shah, one of the most bombastic actresses on the show, was sentenced last year to over six years in prison after admitting to orchestrating a telemarketing scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable individuals.

She duped her victims into buying fake business mentoring programs, before they found themselves with unrelenting subscription payments they couldn't get out of.

At her sentencing hearing, prosecutors told how she callously laughed with colleagues when some of the victims called them in tears begging to be released from the debts.

But as she entered prison in February for her crimes, Shah took to Instagram to apologize for her crimes.

'It is the price I must pay for the bad decisions I made,' she wrote at the time. 'People got hurt because of my decisions.

'While incarcerated, I will work to make amends and reconcile with the victims of my crime.

'In time, I pray that people will judge me for the way I responded to this sentence, rather than only for the decisions that led me to prison.'

She is now expected to be released a year earlier than scheduled, with Page Six reporting in March Shah's release date is now set for August 30, 2028.

A rep for Shah, 49, told People in a statement that the Bravolebrity remains 'committed' towards making amends with her victims and hopes to return home 'as soon as possible.'

'I have spoken with my client Jen Shah over the phone this week  she is doing well and remains committed towards making her victims whole,' Shah's rep said.

'She has initiated her payments towards restitution, and we hope to have her home as soon as possible so that she may resume life with her family and work, putting this chapter of her life behind her.'

Shah was last year to over six years in prison after admitting to orchestrating a telemarketing scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable individuals. She is pictured leaving court

Prosecutors said Shah duped her victims into buying fake business mentoring programs, before they found themselves with unrelenting subscription payments they couldn't get out of

Before reporting to prison, Shah took to Instagram to apologize to her victims

The reality TV star said she wanted to be held 'accountable' as she served her sentence for fraud

But while she is behind bars, Shah is said to be making the most of the time there.

Her manager, Chris Giovanni, previously told TMZ that she is working on a production titled The Real Housewives of Bryan.

He said last month that the play is still in the early phases of development, but is set to revolve around the real-life housewives residing at the prison with their personalities turned up a notch.

In the meantime, Shah is also taking time to teach some of her newfound friends how to read and write.

The manager said that she has been working with the prison's educational department and library since first being incarcerated nearly two months ago.

She has also been focusing on her health as she has lot 15 pounds by working out daily as Giovanni said she is not a fan of the food. Shah has even started a fitness class three times a week.

The manager also said that Shah has maintained her faith by fasting and praying daily during Ramadan.

The bombastic reality television star is now working with her inmates to produce a Real Housewives-inspired play

She may face more legal problems, though, as her lawyer claims she and her husband, Sharrieff, owe her more than $124,000 in legal fees and other expenses. The couple are pictured in a post on Shah's Instagram

Meanwhile, the former star may find herself in more legal trouble, after her lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, claimed that Shah and her husband, Sharrieff Shah, owe her more than $124,000 in legal fees and other expenses.

Chaudhry, of New York-based film Chaudhry Law PLLC, told Judge Sidney Stein that Shah owes $50,000 in unpaid fees and $74,422.95 in unpaid expenses - totaling $124,422.95.

The lawyer also requested in a court filing to drop Shah as a client, claiming the couple 'repeatedly promised to pay these outstanding amounts.'
Labour's shadow justice secretary personally intervened in the case of a violent foreign criminal facing deportation from Britain.

Steve Reed wrote to the Home Office on behalf of the partner of an offender who bottled a man in the face, scarring him for life.

Akeem Finlay was facing deportation to his home country aboard a Home Office charter flight after being handed six years' imprisonment.

Mr Reed's role in the case  on behalf of his constituent  can now be disclosed, just weeks after the Labour frontbencher masterminded an advert attacking PM Rishi Sunak's record on law and order.

The Labour MP was last night condemned as an 'arch hypocrite'.

(File photo) Labour's shadow justice secretary Steve Reed wrote to the Home Office on behalf of the partner of Akeem Finlay, who bottled a man in the face

The shadow justice secretary wrote to the Home Office on August 4, 2021 on behalf of Finlay's partner asking whether her 'concerns can be addressed'.

She had been trying to raise 20,000 to hire a barrister to 'stop his imminent deportation'.

It is not known what role the MP's letter played in the Home Office's decision when  just a few days later  Finlay, then 31, was handed a last-minute reprieve.

The Home Office said Finlay had made 'numerous failed applications and legal claims in the past'.

However, the attacker was eventually deported back to Jamaica that November.

Akeem Finlay (pictured) was deported to Jamaica after being handed a six year sentence for thrusting a broken bottle into another man's face, scarring him for life

Labour frontbencher Steve Reed MP previously masterminded an advert attacking PM Rishi Sunak's record on law and order

Last night a Conservative source said: 'This shows the arch hypocrisy of Steve Reed, the Labour front bench and their leader Sir Keir Starmer.

'Mr Reed had the audacity to intervene in the case of a violent foreign national offender, and yet masterminded a dirty campaign suggesting it is the Conservatives who are somehow soft on crime.'

A Labour spokesman said: 'The job of an MP is to pass on issues raised by constituents to the relevant Government department whether or not the MP agrees with them.

'That's clearly all the letter is doing, and any suggestion otherwise is a lie.'

'They've slashed the number of foreign criminals being deported in half since they came to power.

He added: 'The Conservatives broke the asylum system and went soft on crime.

'They've slashed the number of foreign criminals being deported in half since they came to power

'They should stop taking the public for fools, stop blaming everyone else, and sort out the appalling mess they've made.'
A Louisiana man wrongly convicted of raping his six-year-old stepdaughter in 1994 has walked free after both he and the victim long claimed he did not commit the heinous crime.

Patrick Brown, 49, was convicted based on the testimony of adults claiming 'what they believed' the victim had said, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.

Brown was released by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson on Monday after 29 years in the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The victim never testified and has said for over 20 years that Brown is innocent.

Williams, in a statement, admitted that 'the evidence corroborated the victim's account.'

A Louisiana man convicted of rape of his six-year-old stepdaughter in 1994 is now walking free after both he and the victim long claimed he did not commit the heinous crime

Patrick Brown (pictured center), 49, was convicted based on the testimony of adults claiming 'what they believed' the victim had said, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams

The victim spoke in court as Johnson signed the order releasing her stepfather, whom she embraced afterwards as he apologized to her for what she'd gone through.

'Thank you for listening, finally,' she said, according to NOLA.com. 'Thank you for hearing me... Thank you for helping our family heal. Thank you for giving me my dad back.'

She said she had written over 100 letters arguing her stepfather's innocence and claiming another family member had molested her and even bragged about doing it at the time.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Brown's attorney Kelly Orians slammed the state's unwillingness to hear out the victim.

'Patrick Brown's conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to bring to the State's attention that the wrong man was in prison,' she said.

'Ignoring her only compounded the trauma she has endured, and made the State a party to the infliction of that harm. I commend the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office for taking this young woman seriously, instead of following the same path as their predecessors and refusing to listen,' Orians added.

She heaped praise on attorney's in the DA office's civil rights division, whom she called 'only prosecutors I have ever worked with in Louisiana who truly take the admonition to 'do Justice' seriously, and that should concern us all.'

Orians said that while Brown never gave up hope, something special happened that has allowed him to walk free.

Brown was released by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson on Monday after 29 years in the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary

Brown shakes hands and greets well wishers as he walks to his freedom

'Patrick Brown's conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to bring to the State's attention that the wrong man was in prison,' Brown's attorney, Kelly Orians said

'He said to somebody, 'This isn't like winning the lottery, this is an act of Jesus Christ,'' she told NBC News. 'He's said he never lost hope this would happen, largely due to his faith in God.'

Williams looked into the case after he was elected district attorney back in 2020.

He said he was upset that the victim had never been listened to by the criminal justice system.

'Listening and engaging victims and survivors of sexual assault is a top priority in this office,' Williams said.

'It is incredibly disheartening to know that this woman was dismissed and ignored, no matter how inconvenient her truth, when all she wanted was the real offender to be held responsible.'

Orians' statement noted that there was still a heavy harm caused to the victim in this case.

'Although the right decision was reached today, and there is reason to celebrate, it will never make up for the pain and the loss that Mr. Brown, his step-daughter, and their family have endured over the last three decades.'

At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then just seven, to testify but she was taken off the stand after a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial, The Guardian reported.

Ultimately, prosecutors called the testimony of adults back in the 1990s 'probative but not conclusive' and officially hearsay.

At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then just seven, to testify but she was taken off the stand after a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial

'When someone is wrongfully convicted, not only is it an injustice for the person who has years of their life stolen, but it is an injustice for the victim and the people of New Orleans because the real perpetrator is left to harm others,' Williams added.

Brown has spent his first two days of freedom making up for lost time with his family.

'They're really just focused on spending time together and making up for the last three decades of not being able to be together,' Orians said.

She noted that figuring out modern technology has been the most difficult challenge of learning to live free in 2023.

'All of it. Everything between cellphones, computers, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, debit and credit cards, it's all very overwhelming and completely brand new to him,' Orians added.
The Archbishop of Canterbury faced a Tory backlash last night after claiming the Government's plan to tackle illegal migration is 'morally unacceptable'.

In an extraordinary attack on the Illegal Migration Bill, the Most Rev Justin Welby used a rare speech in the Lords to warn the legislation would do 'great damage' to the UK's reputation.

Mr Welby acknowledged the need to 'stop the boats'  but said the proposed law 'fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility and our political and international interests'.

Meanwhile, the Bishop of Durham quoted Jesus as he voiced concerns that the Bill would see migrant children kept in detention for long periods.

The Rt Rev Paul Butler told the Lords: 'I am reminded of Jesus's words: 'It would be better to have a millstone around the neck and be cast into the sea than to cause a little one to stumble.' This responsibility needs to bear upon us heavily.'

The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured) said the Government's Illegal Migration Bill would do 'great damage' to the UK's international reputation

The bishops' interventions provoked warnings that the Church of England's leadership is 'increasingly detached from church membership'.

Mr Welby was also told that neither 'hand-wringing or bell ringing' will solve the misery of the Channel crossings.

The Bill, which cleared the Commons last month, will allow illegal arrivals to be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a 'safe' third country such as Rwanda.

It includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

Critics claim the reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections, but ministers believe the legislation is a 'compassionate response' to the small boats crisis.

Lambasting the Bill as it faced its first test in the Lords, Mr Welby  who said he would table his own amendments at committee stage  told peers yesterday: 'We need a Bill to reform migration.

'We need a Bill to stop the boats. We need a Bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that, without much change, this is not that Bill.

'This Bill fails utterly to take a long-term and strategic view of the challenges of migration and undermines international co-operation, rather than taking an opportunity for the UK to show leadership.'

But he was quickly slapped down by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who accused the Archbishop of being 'wrong on both counts'.

Tory MPs said they have a 'moral obligation' to stop small boats crossing the Channel

Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: 'Firstly there's nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue... I disagree with him respectfully.

What is a 'fatal motion'? A 'fatal motion' is a rare form of parlia- mentary procedure that can be used to kill off proposed legislation. It is the strongest form of opposition which can be taken in the House of Lords. Fatal motions are controversial because the role of the Lords is traditionally to scrutinise and revise laws put forward by the elected House of Commons  not to reject them altogether. There have only be a handful of occasions since the Second World War when peers have used their powers to veto legislation outright. Advertisement

'By bringing forward this proposal we make it clear that if you come across illegally on a small boat you will not find a route to life in the UK... That will have a serious deterrent effect.'

Conservative peer and former adviser to the Thatcher government Lord Dobbs, author of the House of Cards political thrillers, also rejected Mr Welby's criticism.

Stressing the need to tackle the people smugglers, he said: 'They trade in lies, they trade lives.

'It is our moral obligation to stop them, to bring an end to the unimaginable pain of mothers and fathers watching their children drowning in the Channel. No amount of handwringing or bell ringing is going to do that.'

And former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said: 'People are drowning in the English Channel now. People are leaving a safe country in order to come here and it is fatuous to try to present this as in the way that many have done.'

In a rare parliamentary move Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick put forward a so-called 'fatal motion' to the Bill aimed at stopping it in its tracks.

His amendment argued that the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments, allow ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine 'the UK's tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees', while failing to tackle the backlog of asylum cases or people smuggling gangs. But the blocking bid failed because it did not have Labour's support.

Home secretary Suella Braverman's (pictured) Bill will let the UK send illegal immigrants to Rwanda

The Prime Minister's official spokesman refused to be drawn on the Archbishop's criticism specifically, but added: 'The Prime Minister does not think it is compassionate or fair to allow people who are jumping the queue over some of the most vulnerable people who are seeking to come here through safe and legal routes.'

Asked whether the Bill was morally acceptable, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'We think it is the compassionate and fair thing to do.'

Tory MP Mark Jenkinson said of Mr Welby's comments: 'Church leadership is increasingly detached from church membership. Allowing people to be endangered, and in some cases die, at the hands of vile people smugglers is as far from Christian as it gets.'

Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth told peers the Bill was a 'compassionate response' to the small boats problem.

He said: 'We simply cannot continue with a situation whereby year-on-year tens of thousands of people make the dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journey across the Channel in circumvention of our immigration controls.'

The Bill is not due to complete its passage through the Lords until July.
Hunter's involvement included meeting with U.S. officials and plotting a media blitz in favor of the foreign tycoon, all while his father was Vice President

When Joe Biden was vice-president, he gave a speech in Romania blasting corruption in the country as 'a cancer'

Barack Obama's former right-hand man hit out at the shadowy tycoons who still blighted the EU nation's reputation on the global stage.

'Corruption is just another form of tyranny,' Biden told pro-democracy campaigners.

Hunter Biden was hired by a Romanian tycoon later convicted of bribery - and represented him in meetings with top U.S. officials  emails from Hunter's laptop show

Gabriel Popoviciu was convicted in his home country in 2016 of bribing a university official to buy a 550-acre plot of government-owned land for a drastically reduced price

But little did the audience know that Biden's own son would forge close links with a Romanian real estate tycoon who would later be convicted of bribery.

It is those links that have angered Republican lawmakers who accuse the 53-year-old of influence-peddling.

They point to bank records that show a Cypriot company controlled by real estate tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu paid out to Biden family members a total sum of over $1 million in 2016

The payments followed two years after anti-corruption meetings held by the then-vice-president and top Romanian officials.

Popoviciu was later found guilty in 2016 of bribing a university official to buy a 550-acre plot of government-owned land in a cut-price deal.

Emails leaked from Hunter Biden's laptop show that he and ex-FBI director Louis Freeh worked for the grafting property mogul to try and get the case dropped.

They were hired to organize a propaganda campaign to plant positive stories in the media of how their client was being unfairly by the Romanian justice system.

Emails show Hunter brought in political heavyweight and family friend Louis Freeh, the former director of the FBI, to use his U.S. law enforcement contacts for Popoviciu's advantage, and was offered a referral fee as a result

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), anyone advocating for foreign entities to US government officials, must add themselves to a Department of Justice public register.

However, an exception applies for attorneys representing a client in a foreign court case, who are not required to register under FARA.

Emails show partners from law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, Christopher Boies and Michael Gottlieb, sought to set up meetings with the US Ambassador to Romania.

They discussed with Hunter Biden whether Washington's envoy to the country would intervene in Popoviciu's case.

Hunter brought in political heavyweight and family friend Louis Freeh to use his US law enforcement contacts for Popoviciu's advantage.

Louis Freeh, the former director of the FBI and close family friend of the Bidens

He was offered a generous referral fee as a result.

Hunter and his colleagues also discussed a media campaign, including to major U.S. publication the Wall Street Journal, to support their corrupt client.

None of them were required to register for this work under FARA, due to various exemptions including those for lawyers of foreign defendants.

Popoviciu was first mentioned in Hunter's emails in September 2015. At the time Hunter worked at law firm Boies Schiller Flexner.

Firm partner Chris Boies wrote to Hunter and his business partner Devon Archer with the subject line 'Popoviciu', and the message: 'Let's discuss when convenient One of my partners is best friends with the newly appointed Ambassador to Romania.'

The property tycoon didn't appear again in Hunter's inbox until May 2016, when he was on the brink of a bribery conviction in a Romanian court.

Hunter and his colleagues scrambled into action, with then-Boies Schiller attorney Michael Gottlieb even seeking the help of then-US Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm in a last-ditch effort to stop the corruption conviction.

'I have reached out to Klemm and asked him to help us broker the meeting [with Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors],' Gottlieb wrote to Hunter on May 17, 2016.

'We should put together a persuasive deck with all the procedural and substantive defects in the indictment / case against Gabs, and we should also probably put together the start of what would be a press strategy. And we'll want to line up the big names to bring over.'

A legal source involved in the discussions told DailyMail.com that they never went through with the planned action.

'All of the ideas discussed in this email, including the preparation of a deck and press plan, were never implemented or executed,' the source, who was a member of Popoviciu's legal team, said.

'All of this was being discussed as part of a potential strategy, which depended entirely on scheduling a meeting with the Romanian Government on the case. But that meeting was never scheduled, and never happened, because the Romanian Government declined.'

Hunter and his colleagues scrambled into action, with then-Boies Schiller attorney Michael Gottlieb even seeking the help of then-US Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm in a last-ditch effort to stop the corruption conviction. 'I have reached out to Klemm and asked him to help us broker the meeting [with Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors],' Gottlieb wrote to Hunter on May 17, 2016

Hunter and his colleagues also discussed a media campaign, including to major US publication the Wall Street Journal, to support their client, who was later convicted of bribery

The following week Gottlieb wrote an email to Hunter saying that he had spoken to the US ambassador  but was reluctant to describe his conversation in an email. 'Hans called me to discuss a development that is best relayed over phone. Can we connect either tonight or first thing tomorrow? Bottom line is that we should proceed with requesting the meeting,' he wrote

Gottlieb complained to his colleagues about a Politico article praising Romanian prosecutors for cracking down on corruption.

'This kind of article is likely to make our efforts with the USEMB [the US embassy] an uphill battle, and why I expect HK [Klemm] has had little interest in taking any kind of public position,' Gottlieb wrote.

Hunter weighed in, suggesting they enlist the help of Biden family friend and former FBI director Louis Freeh.

'Agreed Michael. Is now the time to begin to assemble a more high profile team that can speak to the injustice here,' Hunter wrote. 'Who do we have at the firm that can speak with authority about anti-corruption. Mike I was going to reach out to Judge Freeh and if you can think of others of that stature I think now is the time to read them into the situation and see if they are willing to help. Ambassador Gittenstein mentioned names like former US Atty Patrick Fitzgerald.'

The following week Gottlieb wrote an email to Hunter saying that he had spoken to the US ambassador  but was reluctant to describe his conversation in an email.

'Hans called me to discuss a development that is best relayed over phone. Can we connect either tonight or first thing tomorrow? Bottom line is that we should proceed with requesting the meeting,' he wrote.

In a March 24, 2016 email titled 'Re Meet with H. Klemm', Hunter wrote to Gottlieb: 'Where are we meeting?'

A source involved in the meeting told DailyMail.com that Hunter did join Gottlieb and the U.S. ambassador in at least one meeting.

The source on Popoviciu's legal team told DailyMail.com that 'at no point did we ever ask the U.S. Ambassador (or anyone else at the Embassy) to make any statement about the case, or to intervene in any way.'

The lawyer said the U.S. team explained to Popoviciu's foreign representatives 'the reality that the U.S. Embassy, and U.S. Ambassador, would not intervene with the Romanian Government regarding a pending anti-corruption prosecution.'

'The legal team was always attentive to limiting any ''ask'' to the U.S. Embassy to be the making of an introduction to the relevant Romanian Government officials, or the provision of advice about Romanian law or protocol,' the lawyer said.

Boies Schiller Flexner declined to comment. Gottlieb, who has since left the firm, also declined to comment.

The overtures to American diplomats ultimately failed to prevent Popoviciu's conviction. But on June 18 Hunter emailed Freeh for help, saying he had become 'very close to the client personally' and claiming the tycoon was 'being very badly treated by a suspect Romanian justice system.'

Days later the ex-FBI director had signed a retainer with Popoviciu and described in an email a plan to 'intervene with the special Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor' and even launch a propaganda campaign in the US.

'They were talking about us doing a report and then 'going to the WSJ.' I said this would most likely just inflame the prosecutor and make things worse for the client,' Freeh wrote.

'We suggested doing a 'report' (perhaps being retained by a business partner or investor (client owns a $.5B real estate development in Bucharest), and then using that report to establish a dialogue with the prosecutor-resulting in some possible deal or remediated outcome.'

Emails show Hunter's fellow partners in law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, Christopher Boies (right) and Michael Gottlieb (left), seeking to set up meetings with the U.S. Ambassador to Romania, after discussing among themselves whether he would intervene in Popoviciu's case

Freeh did not respond to requests for comment, and it is unclear whether anyone on his team spoke to the Wall Street Journal about the case. No favorable articles about Popoviciu appeared in the paper during that time.

But the former FBI director did quickly bring his extensive law enforcement contacts to bear to help the tycoon.

Flaunting his international connections, he wrote to Hunter on June 21: 'I will see my good friend, Ron Noble [the former secretary general of international police organization Interpol], in NY on Thursday and most likely he knows this DNA [Romanian anti-corruption office] chief prosecutor, Laura Codruta Kobesi, very well.

'Let me talk to him and see what the possibilities may be to meet with her and to initiate a dialogue which would remediate the situation. I want to make sure I can add some value to this equation before proceeding.'

Freeh then began to approach US government officials about the case.

He emailed Hunter on July 8 that he had spoken with the head of the FBI's criminal division about the case  and offered to pay Hunter a referral fee for involving him.

'I wanted to thank you again for referring Gabriel to us and we have finalized an attorney letter of engagement with him,' Freeh wrote to the then-Vice President's son on July 8, 2016, two weeks after Popoviciu was sentenced to nine years in prison. 'I will meet him in Paris Sunday and then we'll deploy to Bucharest and get to work.

'FYI, I have had conversations with the head of the FBI's Criminal Division and there is a sincere Bureau interest in meeting and debriefing Gabriel on other matters he may be willing to discuss. FBIHQ will relay its interest to the Legat [legal attache] in Bucharest, with whom we'll meet next week.

'There is the 'timing' issue about when to make contact with DNA and SRI [Romanian intelligence service], which we'll strategize about with Gabriel next week. We have fortunately been able to enlist for our team a former FBI Legat in Bucharest--she's Romanian-American--who is a fluent speaker with excellent SRI contacts. We may also try to see the Ambassador.'

In the email, Freeh also offered to give a referral payment to Hunter for getting him the job with Popoviciu.

'I would also like to make a small payment to you for this referral-and for your continuing work on this matter,' Freeh wrote. 'This is a standard practice. It's strictly your call as I don't know your relationship with the client. We would just need your bank information in order to make a remittance.'

Despite the extensive planned influence and media campaign, Hunter and his colleagues' attempts failed. On June 23, 2016 Popoviciu was sentenced to nine years in prison.

But when police showed up to his Romanian home, they reportedly found the real estate mogul had fled. He was later arrested in London in August 2017.

Flaunting his international connections two days before the conviction, Freeh wrote to Hunter on June 21: 'I will see my good friend, Ron Noble [the former secretary general of international police organization Interpol], in NY on Thursday and most likely he knows this DNA [Romanian anti-corruption office] chief prosecutor, Laura Codruta Kobesi, very well'

Freeh signed a retainer with Popoviciu and described in an email a plan to 'intervene with the special Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor' and even launch a propaganda campaign in the US

Despite the planned influence and media campaign, Hunter and his colleagues' attempts failed and Popoviciu was sentenced to nine years prison on June 23, 2016

In a press release following the sentencing, Freeh claimed the verdict was 'not supported by either the facts or the law'.

He said that there were 'numerous factual and legal deficiencies in the case against Mr. Popoviciu.'
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Liz Trusss trip to Taiwan next week will make it more likely that China will exercise jurisdiction over the self-governed island, a Chinese Communist Party spokesman said last night.

The former prime minister will give a speech to show solidarity with the island in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour from China. She is also expected to meet Taiwanese government officials.

But last night Victor Gao, a media spokesman for the Chinese Communist Party, suggested the visit could raise tensions.

Asked if it would increase the likelihood of war, he told LBC: I would say more accurately, that illicit, illegitimate steps by people like Liz Truss in making illicit, illegitimate visits to Taiwan will make it more likely that China will exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan sooner rather than later.

He added: Im pretty sure Liz Truss will live to see the unification of Taiwan with the motherland, with China.

Liz Truss will give a speech on her trip to Taiwan next week to show solidarity with the island in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour from China. She is also expected to meet Taiwanese government officials (File photo)

And I hope she will not eternally regret that she made the wrong decision, which damaged the fundamental interests of the British people, inflicting damage on China/UK relations and turning herself into a laughing stock because she will be held responsible for standing in the opposite direction against the peaceful reunification of China.

He also said the trip will further alienate relations between China and Britain.

Her proposed visit to Taiwan will only achieve one goal  to further alienate relations between China and Britain, hurting the fundamental interest of the British people, he told LBCs Tonight with Andrew Marr.

This visit will have no constructive purpose. I hope Liz Truss will no longer damage the fundamental interests of the British people. And she should know, decency and respect for the British people, British fundamental interests, rather than engaging in brinkmanship in damaging the reputation of Britain and undermining China/UK relations.

Last night Victor Gao, a media spokesman for the Chinese Communist Party, suggested the visit could raise tensions (File photo)

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland. Taiwan has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Since leaving No 10, Ms Truss has joined calls from Tory MPs urging Rishi Sunak to avoid engaging with Chinese president Xi Jinping.

By contrast, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has preached a constructive and robust relationship with the superpower. Announcing her trip this week, Ms Truss said: Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy.

Im looking forward to showing solidarity with the Taiwanese people in person in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing.

The announcement came after senior Tories expressed anger at the Foreign Secretarys decision to meet Chinese vice-president Han Zheng  who oversaw the crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong in 2019  after he attended the Kings Coronation.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said it was up to individual MPs to choose where they travel. Our long-standing position on Taiwan has not changed, he added.
The property is in such a state it is non-mortgageable and needs a cash buyer

One of the cheapest flats in the UK is on the market for just 10,000 on a Scottish island.

The doer-upper on the seafront at Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, needs a complete overhaul.

The one-bed flat, 14 East Princes Street, is in such a poor state that no mortgage firm would lend on it, and no viewings can be carried out.

Cash buyers can bid upwards of 10,000 on May 18 at the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow - which is the nearest city at around two hours away.

The auction listing boasts of the properties 'beautiful seaside views from both the lounge and kitchen' despite its squalid state inside.

The doer-upper on the seafront at Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, needs a complete overhaul but offer beautiful sea views

The one-bed flat, 14 East Princes Street, is in such a poor state that no viewings can be carried out

Cash buyers interested in the property can bid upwards of 10,000 on May 18 at the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow

A spokesperson said: 'It's a hard deal for any property developer to turn down'

Bute is one of the 'most accessible Scottish islands' that is just a short ferry ride across the Firth of Clyde

Rothesay is described as a 'pretty, traditional town that still retains many signs of its Victorian heritage'

Pictures from inside the flat show walls completely missing with wooden beams exposed and chunks of wall.

The living area is dressed with a singular couch and a small table, there is exposed brick by the window and the wallpaper is in need of some attention.

The toilet facilities don't offer much in the way of privacy, as there is no wall between the loo and the kitchen. The shower also lacks a curtain but the buyer may be able to stretch to one at this price.

A spokesman for Auction House Scotland said: 'The property may not appeal to everyone, however with a price starting at just 10,000, it's a hard deal for any property developer to turn down.

'The flat sits by the water at Rothesay bay; an ideal town centre location surrounded by various local amenities.

'A popular seaside resort, Rothesay is a pretty, traditional town that still retains many signs of its Victorian heritage through its architecture and is within easy reach of Bute's stunning beaches.'

Visit Scotland describes Bute as one of the 'most accessible Scottish islands' that is just a short ferry ride across the Firth of Clyde.

The website also states that attractions include Rothesay Castle, the stately home at nearby Mount Stuart, and bizarrely 'some of the country's best toilets'.
Medical experts have issued a fresh call to halt the development of artificial intelligence (AI), warning it poses an 'existential threat' to people.

A team of five doctors and global health policy experts from across four continents said there were three ways in which the tech could wipe out humans.

First is the risk that AI will help amplify authoritarian tactics like surveillance and disinformation. 'The ability of AI to rapidly clean, organise and analyse massive data sets consisting of personal data, including images collected by the increasingly ubiquitous presence of cameras,' they say, could make it easier for authoritarian or totalitarian regimes to come to power and stay in power.

Second, the group warns that AI can accelerate mass murder via the expanded use of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS).

And, lastly, the health experts expressed worry over the potential for severe economic devastation and human misery, as untold millions lose their livelihoods to those hard-working bots. 'Projections of the speed and scale of job losses due to AI-driven automation,' according to the authors, 'range from tens to hundreds of millions over the coming decade.'

There commentary comes only weeks after over a thousand scientists, including John Hopfield from Princeton and Rachel Branson from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, signed a letter calling for a halt to AI research over similar concerns.

The fears of AI come as experts predict it will achieve singularity by 2045, which is when the technology surpasses human intelligence to which we cannot control it

Of course, today's text-based AI resources, like OpenAI's ChatGPT, don't exactly pose the apocalyptic threats that these health policy professionals have in mind.

The experts - led by a physician with the International Institute for Global Health at United Nations University - said their most dire warnings applied to a highly advanced, and still theoretical category of artificial intelligence: self-improving general-purpose AI, or AGI.

AGI would be more capable of truly learning and modifying its own code to perform the wide range of tasks that only humans are capable of today.

In their commentary, the health experts argue that such an AGI 'could theoretically learn to bypass any constraints in its code and start developing its own purposes.'

'There are scenarios where AGI could present a threat to humans, and possibly an existential threat,' the experts wrote, 'by intentionally or unintentionally causing harm directly or indirectly, by attacking or subjugating humans or by disrupting the systems or using up resources we depend on.'

While such a threat is likely to be decades away, the health policy experts' commentary, published today in the British Medical Association journal BMJ Global Health, unpacked the myriad possibilities for abuse of today's level of AI technology.

Describing threats to 'democracy, liberty and privacy,' the authors described how governments and other large institutions might automate the complex tasks of mass surveillance and online digital disinformation programs to AI.

In the former case, they cited China's Social Credit System as one example of a state tool to 'control and oppress' human populations.

'When combined with the rapidly improving ability to distort or misrepresent reality with deep fakes,' the authors wrote in the latter case, 'AI-driven information systems may further undermine democracy by causing a general breakdown in trust or by driving social division and conflict, with ensuing public health impacts.'

READ MORE: White House Reveals AI Control Plan, and Kamala is the Czar The Biden Administration said the technology was 'one of the most powerful' of our time, adding: 'But in order to seize the opportunities it presents, we must first mitigate its risks.' Advertisement

Describing threats posed to 'peace and public safety,' the authors detailed the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), killing machines like theT-800 Endoskeleton of the Terminator films. LAWS, these experts say, would be capable of locating, selecting, and engaging human targets all on their own.

'Such weapons,' they write, 'could be cheaply mass-produced and relatively easily set up to kill at an industrial scale. For example, it is possible for a million tiny drones equipped with explosives, visual recognition capacity and autonomous navigational ability to be contained within a regular shipping container and programmed to kill.'

The researchers' last broad threat category, 'threats to work and livelihoods,' drew attention to the likelihood of impoverishment and misery as 'tens to hundreds of millions' lose their jobs to the 'widespread deployment of AI technology.'

'While there would be many benefits from ending work that is repetitive, dangerous and unpleasant,' these medical professionals wrote, 'we already know that unemployment is strongly associated with adverse health outcomes and behaviour,'

Perhaps most alarming, nearly one-in-five professional AI experts appear to agree with them.

The authors cited a survey of members of the AI society in which 18% of participants stated that they believed development of advanced AGI would be existentially catastrophic for humanity.

Half of the members of the AI society surveyed predicted that AGI would likely start knocking on our door sometime between 2040 and 2065.

Researchers in Silicon Valley signed a letter issuing similar warnings last month. Their ranks included DeepAI founder Kevin Baragona, who told DailyMail.com: 'It's almost akin to a war between chimps and humans.

The humans obviously win since we're far smarter and can leverage more advanced technology to defeat them.

'If we're like the chimps, then the AI will destroy us, or we'll become enslaved to it.'
Elon Musk is preparing to take on WhatsApp with huge plans to launch encrypted direct messages (DMs) today.

Intentions to boost the privacy of Twitter were announced in a post late last night, as the billionaire joked he 'could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to [his] head'.

The anticipated launch comes as part of Musk's goal of making Twitter an 'Everything App', with a range of other features such as payments and longform tweets.

His late-night post also revealed that video and voice chat functions were 'coming soon', bringing Twitter in line with Meta's social platforms with similar features.

At midnight, he tweeted: 'With latest version of app, you can DM reply to any message in the thread (not just most recent) and use any emoji reaction. Release of encrypted DMs V1.0 should happen tomorrow.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk is expected to launch encrypted messaging on Twitter today

The billionaire also unveiled that video and voice chat functions were 'coming soon' too

'This will grow in sophistication rapidly. The acid test is that I could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to my head.

WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION? End-to-end encryption ensures only the two participants of a chat can read messages, and no one in between  not even the company that owns the service. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified when it is in transit between the two parties. The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided only to the two people in each conversation. In decrypted form, messages are accessible by a third party  which makes them interceptable by governments for law enforcement reasons. Advertisement

'Coming soon will be voice and video chat from your handle to anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number.'

Encryption converts messages into scrambled text that cannot be read by anyone except the intended recipient.

This can better protect your privacy, with messages, pictures, videos and other documents less likely to fall into the wrong hands.

While Musk shared that encrypted messaging should be available from today, he did not indicate whether future call functions will also be encrypted.

Despite this, the planned launch comes at a time when 'end-to-end encryption' is at risk in the UK.

This is a result of the Online Safety Bill, with the Government pushing for tech giants to have more responsibility to find and remove illegal content on their platforms.

WhatsApp, Viber and numerous other services that use it wrote an open letter just last month in opposition to its 'troubling' intentions.

'As end-to-end-encrypted communication services, we urge the UK Government to address the risks that the Online Safety Bill poses to everyone's privacy and safety. It is not too late to ensure that the Bill aligns with the Government's stated intention to protect end-to-end encryption and respect the human right to privacy,' it reads.

Twitter's feature launch comes amidst uncertainty in the UK surrounding the Online Safety Bill

'Around the world, businesses, individuals and governments face persistent threats from online fraud, scams and data theft. Malicious actors and hostile states routinely challenge the security of our critical infrastructure.

READ MORE: Twitter users SLAM Elon Musk's plan to 'purge' inactive accounts Elon Musk tweeted on Monday that Twitter is purging inactive accounts Advertisement

'End-to-end encryption is one of the strongest possible defenses against these threats, and as vital institutions become ever more dependent on internet technologies to conduct core operations, the stakes have never been higher.'

How this will play into Twitter's future is currently uncertain, however, Global Cybersecurity Advisor, Jake Moore, believes the UK will never ban encrypted messages.

He said: 'As more and more people become privacy conscious online, encrypted direct messaging is naturally more in demand and Twitter are essentially being forced into adding this feature.

'Without the use of encrypted messages, employees and advertisers have the opportunity of reading people's messages which although can make Twitter a lot of money, it can be a huge security risk to those involved.

'I don't think the Online Safety Bill will ever be able to eradicate encrypted messages due to the vital requirement of this feature to protect private communication.

'The OSB may attempt it further but I can't see this happening. Many other big tech companies are suggesting they would pull out of the UK if such policies were to be introduced which have far bigger consequences.'

The encryption changes also come in the midst of numerous others that Musk has made during his time at Twitter.

Just two days ago, Musk announced plans to 'purge' inactive accounts on Twitter, igniting a backlash among numerous social media users.

Less than a month before that, the Twitter CEO also removed the platform's legacy blue ticks, raising fears about misinformation.

Mr Moore believes that too many changes could eventually push loyal fans away.

He said: 'Twitter's competitors are already fully engrossed in encrypted messaging as well as voice and video chat functionality so this is the next obvious step.

'As numbers go, the likes of Meta, Snap and TikTok are dominating over Twitter and therefore to recoup some of the losses in the purchase of the site, Musk needs to align the platform as a better rival.

'However, too many changes can have the opposite effect and could push more loyal fans away like we have previously seen. Many other similar sites to Twitter such as BlueSky and Mastadon are simply waiting on the sidelines for users to migrate over.

'So, Musk will have to be careful not to ruin the essence of what has made the platform what it is today.'
Four years after Samsung released its first foldable smartphone, Google has finally followed suit.

Google's new Pixel Fold, the 'very thinnest foldable' on the market, costs an eyewatering 1,749  making it the tech giant's most expensive device yet.

When folded, it looks much like a standard smartphone, with a 5.8-inch screen on one side and three rear cameras on the back.

But it opens up vertically like a book to reveal an impressive 7.6-inch tablet-style screen, intended for watching YouTube videos, working on-the-go and more.

Google announced the Pixel Fold at its annual developer conference, Google I/O, today along with two other devices  the Pixel 7a and the Pixel Tablet.

Google's new Pixel Fold, which costs an eyewatering 1,749, is the 'very thinnest foldable' on the market according to the tech giant

The launch of Pixel Fold means Apple is now the only major smartphone maker that is yet to launch a foldable phone, although some iPhone fans made a prototype of what this might look like.

Pixel Fold is available to pre-order now and will be shipped to customers from next month, according to Google, which is holding its one-day Google I/O event in Mountain View, California.

Pixel Fold: Specs Screen sizes: 5.8 inches/7.6 inches Dimensions: 5.5 height x 3.1 width x 0.5 depth (inches when folded) Processor: Google Tensor G2 Weight: 283g Release date: June 2023 Cost: 1,749 Advertisement

'Our new foldable phone combines the helpfulness of Pixel with a design that unfolds into a compact tablet, unlocking even more ways for you to use your device,' the firm said in a statement.

'To create this foldable design, we didnt compromise on form and function; many of the Pixel components  from camera, battery, speakers and haptics technology  were cleverly redesigned to fit within the thin design.'

Pixel Fold is similar to Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which was released in autumn last year.

Google's first foldable opens up along a 'mirror polished' metal hinge to reveal a tablet-sized 7.6-inch screen, while the smaller exterior screen measures 5.8 inches across.

The tech firm boasts that its new foldable is the thinnest on the market with a depth of 0.5-inch when folded and 0.2-inch when unfolded.

This compares with 0.62-inch when folded and 0.25 inch when unfolded on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

However, Pixel Fold is much heavier than Samsung's offering  283g compared with 263g.

When closed, the exterior screen of the Pixel Fold allows basic tasks like responding to Messages and browsing Google Chrome.

When unfolded it looks much like a standard smartphone, with a 5.8-inch screen on one side and multiple cameras on the back

Pixel Fold allows hands-free selfies and without a tripod, just by opening it at an angle and resting it on a flat surface

Pictured left and right is the new Pixel Fold's back and front when unfolded and the big interior screen when the device is unfolded (centre)

But when fully open, the 'immersive' screen gives the benefits of a tablet, ideal for playing games, watching films or reading an e-book.

READ MORE - Is this what Apple's foldable iPhone will look like? The foldable iPhone concept has a hinge across the middle Advertisement

A taskbar on the side lets users switch between apps or drag an app into split-screen mode to multitask with two apps side-by-side  useful for work.

Just like Samsung's foldable offerings, Pixel Fold suits users who want to take selfies hands-free and without a tripod, just by opening it at an angle and resting it on a flat surface.

This 'tabletop' mode is also good for watching videos when users are otherwise engaged, such as cooking, doing yoga or learning an instrument.

Pixel Fold has a triple rear camera system, including one with an upgraded telephoto lens for a better zoom, plus two extra cameras above each of the screens.

The phone also comes with an exclusive feature called Live Translate interpreter mode, good for conversations between two people who don't speak the same language.

When Pixel Fold is unfolded, the device owner can speak in their own language and have it appear translated for the person on the other screen.

Whether they're a Spanish waiter or a Hungarian tour guide, he or she will be able to speak back in their native tongue and the phone will translate it back.

Pixel Fold's Live Translate interpreter mode uses both the inner and outer screens simultaneously for easier face-to-face conversations in different languages

Just like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4, Pixel Fold can stay open on its hinges and be placed on a level surface for multiple use cases

Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (pictured), starts from $1,800 in the US or 1,649 in the UK

Pixel Fold runs on Android 13, is 5G compatible and has IPX8 rating for water resistance, meaning it 'can handle an accidental spill'.

It's also packed with Google's Tensor G2 processor, which powers the latest Google Pixel 7 family of smartphones, released last October.

Foldable phone models Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Fold Google Pixel Fold Motorola Motorola Razr 2022 Huawei P50 Pocket, Mate X2 Oppo Find N2 Flip Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 Advertisement

Tensor G2 powers the AI and machine learning capabilities on the camera, including a tool called Photo Unblur, first released on the Pixel 7.

Photo Unblur uses machine learning to remove blur and 'visual noise' from photos, whether they're new or old, with a few taps.

Meanwhile, Magic Eraser, which first arrived with Pixel 6 in 2021, removes unwanted subjects in photos, like a random stranger in the background.

And a new tool called Magic Editor can even use AI to fill out parts of a photo that weren't captured in the original.

Battery life on Pixel Fold is up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver activated (which pauses most apps and notifications to save power).

It comes in two colours  'Obsidian' (jet black) and 'Porcelain' (a pale white).

Google has also today launched the 599 Pixel Tablet  also with Tensor G2 built in  that has a nano-ceramic coating that 'feels like porcelain'.

Google said it's designed with 'premium materials and finishes, a gorgeous display, and the unmistakable smooth, rounded corners that fit right in with the Pixel family'.

The tablet comes with a charging dock that doubles as a speaker, as well as 'enhanced audio' and hands-free help with Google Assistant.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a is being marketed as a budget version of its 599 flagship Pixel 7, although it still costs a hefty 449, more than Britain's entry to the smartphone market.

Google describes Pixel 7a as its most durable A-Series phone yet made from scratch-resistant glass, recycled aluminium and plastic.

Although Pixel 7a still contains the Tensor G2 chip, its biggest difference is that it has a smaller screen  6.1-inch compared with the Pixel 7's 6.3-inch.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a is being marketed as a budget version of its 599 flagship Pixel 7, although it still costs a hefty 449

Google has also launched the Pixel Tablet, which has a nano-ceramic coating that 'feels like porcelain', according to the tech giant

Pixel Tablet (pictured) comes with a charging dock that doubles as a speaker, as well as 'enhanced audio' and hands-free help with Google Assistant

Google is already expected to release its next flagship phone, the Pixel 8, this autumn, although like its predecessors, it won't be foldable.

After entering the smartphone market in 2010 with the Nexus brand, Google kicked off the Pixel line in 2016, but none of its phones have been foldable until now.

Interestingly, the biggest smartphone makers  Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola and Vivo  have all released foldable phones, while the two US giants  Apple and Google  are yet to.

Although Samsung was one of the first to embrace the hinge in 2019, the first ever foldable smartphone was actually the FlexPai from a Chinese company called Royole, first released in 2018.

Rather than the two halves of its 7.8-inch screen coming together, the FlexPai folded outwards with a bizarre convex edge.

FlexPai (pictured) from a Chinese company called Royole folded outwards rather than inwards
A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home on Monday likely came from a cosmic snowball more than three billion miles from Earth.

The space rock - the size of a pork roll sandwich- landed in Hopewell and crashed through the roof of a home, smashing onto a wooden floor.

Officials believe the meteorite was part of the Eta Aquarid shower, which features chunks of debris from the famous Halley's Comet.

The Eta Aquarid shower is active between April 15 and May 27, which peaks May 5 through 6 and produces shooting stars even one week later.

The black metallic object, which shot through the roof of a residence in Hopewell, measures six inches by four inches and weighs four pounds

The Hopewell Township Police Department (HTPD) issues a report shortly after news of the meteorite crashing through the central New Jersey home.

'A metallic object believed to be a meteorite struck the roof of a residence on Old Washington Crossing Pennington Rd,' the department shared.

'The ranch-style home was occupied at the time, but no injuries were reported.

'HTPD has contacted several other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object and safeguarding the residents and the object.

'This may be related to a current Meteor shower called the Eta Aquariids. The investigation is ongoing. '

Halley is often called the most famous comet because it marked the first time astronomers understood comets could be repeated visitors to our night skies.

And scientists have been able to link the comet's appearance to observations dating back more than 2,000 years.

The comet has not visited Earth since 1986 and will not return until 2061 on its regular 76-year journey around the Sun.

Halley's is currently sitting near the constellation of Hydra, which is about 133.8 light-years distant from Earth.

Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere, where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.

The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Eta Aquarid originate from comet 1P/Halley.

Officials believe the meteorite is part of the Eta Aquarid shower, which features chunks of debris from the famous Halley's Comet

The space rock shot right through the roof, leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling

The central New Jersey officials believe the meteorite originated from this month's meteor shower

Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock into space.

The dust grains eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October if they collide with Earth's atmosphere.

And the central New Jersey officials believe the meteorite originated from this month's meteor shower.

Suzy Kop, whose family owns the home, said they thought someone had thrown a rock into an upstairs bedroom on Monday but soon realized that was not the case.

'We are thinking it's a meteorite, came through here, hit the floor here because that's completely damaged, it ricocheted up to this part of the ceiling and then finally rested on the floor there,' Kop told KYW.

Officials said no injuries were reported from the meteorite crashing into the home. The space rock also left a mark on the floor

READ MORE: Did Halley's comet cause a FAMINE 1,500 years ago? Scientists claim they can link Halleys comet to a devastating famine that occurred in 536 AD. Advertisement

'I did touch the thing because it thought it was a random rock, I don't know, and it was warm.'

Kop said hazmat officials responded to their home in case she and her family had been exposed to radioactive material, but those checks were all negative.

Kop said she was thankful that no one was at the house when it happened.

Chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute, Derrick Pitts, said the rock could be four to five billion years old.

'It's been running around in space all that time, and now it's come to earth and it fell right into their laps, but for it to actually strike a house and people be able to pick up, that's really unusual. It has happened very few times in history,' he said.

NASA said anyone who thinks they have found a meteorite must contact the Smithsonian.

'Although meteorites tend to hit Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, they slow as they travel through the atmosphere, breaking into small fragments before hitting the ground,' NASA said.

'Meteorites cool rapidly and generally are not a risk to the public.'
Conventional wisdom says the friendships between adult men are a cold, inhospitable place devoid of nurturing or emotional support.

But researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia and the University of Westminster in the UK report that changing cultural norms are leading to a rise in 'bromances'.

They also say the crisis in loneliness among men has been significantly overblown, despite earning widespread media coverage.

Assumed signs of aggression, like offensive comments and mocking banter, can actually be signs of real closeness, according to sociologist Alex Broom at Sydney and his coauthor Damien Ridge, a practicing psychotherapist at Westminster.

'Lads will only talk when there's beer on board, you know,' one study subject told researchers, 'when the guard is down.' (Above) Jason Segel, Paul Rudd and Rashida Jones in the iconic 2009 bromantic comedy I Love You, Man

'It's true that men often relate to others differently than women,' they write.

'By focusing on the relative lack of verbal expression to suggest that male friendships are not close,' they argue, 'we then do not see how men demonstrate closeness less obviously, in coded ways, or even silently.'

In movies and TV, a quick joke between mates can be seen as a deflection: men avoiding the serious stuff by making light of it. But Broom and Ridge have found that the truth is often the exact opposite.

They unpacked their theory, after examining peer-reviewed academic literature on male-bonding from the past two decades, in an essay for The Conversation.

They cite in-depth interviews with a sample of 30 Israeli military men, conducted by a behavioral scientist at Tel Aviv University, which found that humor  even insults  were often used to foster a sense of togetherness.

The vets described 'humorous interactions involving idioms, nicknames, curses, nonsense talk, aggressive gestures, and embraces,' according to the study, 'staged publicly under the guise of instrumental action.'

But all these unclear messages on duty, according to the researchers, were like a tease designed to engage their fellow servicemen and draw them closer into real friendships.

'Maybe down the track you might become close enough and then you might start ripping into each other,' according to one male participant for another study they cited, this one published in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity.

'I think if people hear you talking like that to other blokes,' the participant said, 'then they definitely know you're good mates.'

Grabbing a beer is a classic excuse for men to open up and express themselves, and the researchers noted it was one of several changes of venue that helped men get their bromantic partners to open up.

They referenced a study of 15 young Irish males (all between 1930 years of age) who'd struggled with the loss of close male friend to suicide in the past 5 years.

'Lads will only talk when there's beer on board, you know,' one subject told the researchers, 'when the guard is down.'

But the pub wasn't the only option. In fact, Broom and Ridge found that men could build emotional intimacy everywhere from volunteer organizations to DIY workshops and hobby groups.

'We believe creating more of these safe zones for young men is key,' they write.

John Beckenbach, a program director in counselor education and supervision at Adler University in Chicago, whose work was used by Broom and Ridge, tells the DailyMail.com that academics should be engaging men on these questions directly.

'I do agree with this article,' Beckenbach says, 'but simply creating the space has to deal with the reality that there is a masculine discourse that says, "Don't do that."

'Instead of us deciding what we should be doing for men,' Beckenbach recommends, 'ask them. "How would you want to have a space created for you to have this opportunity? What would that look like?"'

From Beckenbach's own research, men often second guess their natural instincts on building close friendships, because of their formative experiences with intimacy.

'This one blew my mind at the time,' he told the DailyMail.com, 'they all learned about intimacy from their moms and their sisters and their first girlfriends. That's what they sayand they all got the message that they do it wrong.'

For Broom and Ridge, the trend toward greater male intimacy can be attributed, in part, to changing generational attitudes on gender identity and male intimacy, a wider social acceptance of homosexuality.

But Beckenbach adds that it's most important to let men bond in their own way.

'Any version of trying to improve "bromance,"' Beckenbach says, 'that term makes my eye twitch by the way, has to include the men who you're trying to influence.'

'You have to include them in the process. They have to have a say.'
He often speaks of his disdain for WhatsApp, but is Elon Musk looking to morph Twitter into something similar?

Well, the answer is yes and no.

There's no doubt the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO wants to rival the Meta-owned chat app, but today's announcement of three planned copycat features is actually part of his 'grand vision' to transform Twitter into a more all-encompassing platform.

Even before he bought the social media site for $44 billion (38 billion) last year, Musk had long discussed his plans to create a mysterious 'everything app' or 'X'.

In essence, he sees this as a single place where users can access most, if not all, of their favourite online services and utilities.

Similarities: He often speaks of his disdain for WhatsApp, but is Elon Musk looking to morph Twitter into something similar? Well, the answer is yes and no. MailOnline takes a look at why. Pictured is a graphic showing how the two apps compare in terms of recent WhatsApp-like Twitter features announced

Rollout: There's no doubt Elon Musk wants to rival the Meta-owned chat app, but today's announcement of three planned copycat features (pictured) is actually part of his 'grand vision' to transform Twitter into a more all-encompassing platform

Experts have previously suggested he may be eyeing something along the lines of a 'super app' which incorporates a lot of different services including messaging, social media, payments and food orders.

'Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,' Musk tweeted in October 2022, shortly before completing his takeover.

It is to this end that he has revealed a series of changes, including the launch of encrypted direct messages (DMs)  nonpublic messages users send to one another  from today.

The billionaire added that video and voice chat functions were 'coming soon', bringing Twitter in line with Meta's social platforms  including WhatsApp  which have similar features.

'Grand vision': Even before he bought the social media site for $44 billion (38 billion) last year, Musk had long discussed his plans to create a mysterious 'everything app' or 'X'

Elon Musk is not a fan of Mark Zuckerberg and took the opportunity to slam WhatsApp for being 'untrustworthy' after a user claimed the app was listening in the background

The announcement came just hours after Musk tweeted that 'WhatsApp cannot be trusted'.

It was in response to a claim on Twitter that the Mark Zuckerberg-owned app listens to users, after a person found that WhatsApp had accessed their phone's microphone while they slept.

In reply, WhatsApp blamed this on 'a bug on Android', but it didn't stop Musk using the claim as another chance to take a dig at the platform and his rival Zuckerberg.

However, could Twitter soon closely resemble WhatsApp, and what might the mysterious 'X' app look like?

Well, first off here are the similarities between the two...

Encrypted messaging

WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION? End-to-end encryption ensures only the two participants of a chat can read messages, and no one in between  not even the company that owns the service. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified when it is in transit between the two parties. The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided only to the two people in each conversation. In decrypted form, messages are accessible by a third party  which makes them interceptable by governments for law enforcement reasons. Advertisement

End-to-end encryption of messages is a feature that is already on WhatsApp.

It ensures that only the two participants of a chat can read messages, and no one in between  not even the company that owns the service.

Announcing that it would be rolled out for direct messages on Twitter from today, Musk joked that he 'could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to [his] head'.

The billionaire had previously said he wanted to make it impossible for hackers to gain access to someone's DMs, even in the most extreme circumstances.

However, the planned launch comes at a time when 'end-to-end encryption' is at risk in the UK as a result of the Online Safety Bill.

The Government is pushing for tech giants to have more responsibility to find and remove illegal content on their platforms.

But because those that use end-to-end encryption cannot see messages sent via their services, it is impossible for them to comply with law enforcement requests to either hand them over for anti-terror purposes or to identify and remove child-abuse material, for example.

In March, the boss of WhatsApp said the platform would rather be banned in Britain than weaken its security as part of the UK Government's flagship new internet legislation.

Will Cathcart, Meta's head of WhatsApp, said the app would refuse to comply with the Online Safety Bill if ministers attempted to outlaw 'end-to-end' encryption.

Twitter's feature launch comes amidst uncertainty in the UK surrounding the Online Safety Bill

How this will play into Twitter's future is currently uncertain, but cybersecurity expert Jake Moore believes the UK will never ban encrypted messages.

He said: 'As more and more people become privacy conscious online, encrypted direct messaging is naturally more in demand and Twitter are essentially being forced into adding this feature.

'Without the use of encrypted messages, employees and advertisers have the opportunity of reading people's messages which although can make Twitter a lot of money, it can be a huge security risk to those involved.'

Video calls

It was 2016 when WhatsApp launched video calling for its over 1 billion users worldwide on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

To use the feature, users just tap the video camera icon in the top right corner of a conversation. There is also the ability to make a voice call by hitting the phone icon instead.

Comparison: It was 2016 when WhatsApp launched video calling for its over 1 billion users worldwide on iOS, Android and Windows Phone (stock image)

TWITTER'S NEW VERIFICATION SYSTEM Blue ticks Twitter Blue is a subscription service that gives users a 'Blue Tick' of verification for a monthly fee. It currently costs 9.60 per month for those who purchase the service through the web, but 11 per month through Apple iOS. Gold ticks Companies that want to keep their 'official' Twitter checkmark will be given no option but to pay 11,400 per year - plus an extra 50/month to have affiliated business accounts. Grey ticks These badges are used to verify government accounts and associated bodies. Governments do not have to pay a cost for these ticks. Advertisement

Musk has now announced that Twitter users will soon be able to do the same.

He said they would able to start a video chat 'from your handle to anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number'.

Voice chats

As mentioned above, WhatsApp already offers the ability to make a voice call with fellow users of the app.

But the same will soon be possible for Twitter users, in much the same way as the plan to roll out the video call feature.

Mr Moore broadly welcomed the ideas, but cautioned that too many changes could eventually push loyal fans away.

He said: 'Twitter's competitors are already fully engrossed in encrypted messaging as well as voice and video chat functionality so this is the next obvious step.

'As numbers go, the likes of Meta, Snap and TikTok are dominating over Twitter and therefore to recoup some of the losses in the purchase of the site, Musk needs to align the platform as a better rival.

'However, too many changes can have the opposite effect and could push more loyal fans away like we have previously seen. Many other similar sites to Twitter such as BlueSky and Mastadon are simply waiting on the sidelines for users to migrate over.

'So, Musk will have to be careful not to ruin the essence of what has made the platform what it is today.'

Longform tweets/chats

As part of Twitter's move to a new subscription service for Twitter Blue, Musk also revealed the option for people to post more longform tweets akin to the chats users can have in WhatsApp.

Subscribers can now post up to 4,000 characters, far more than the 280-character limit imposed on non-paying users.

'But don't worry, Twitter is still Twitter,' the company said in a lengthy tweet announcing the feature earlier this year.

Ability to use emojis to react to messages

Musk has said users can now reply to any message in a DM thread, not just the most recent, while they will also be able to use any emoji to react to a message.

Previously, people would only be able to reply to the latest message in a DM thread and only react with specific emojis.

In 2017, WhatsApp created its own range of emojis, allowing it to shun those made by the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung

With WhatsApp, it first used emojis created by Apple, not only in its iOS app, but also in its Android and Windows versions.

But in 2017 it created its own range of emojis, allowing it to shun those made by the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung.

These are hugely popular in people's chat groups.

In 2022, WhatsApp then allowed users to react to messages with any emoji, while in March of this year it rolled out 21 new emojis, including a jellyfish and pink heart.

What would a Twitter 'everything app' look like?

One example of an 'everything app' is the hugely successful Chinese platform WeChat, but as yet there is no such thing in the West.

WeChat began life as a messaging platform similar to WhatsApp but has since become a mini-internet within a single app  allowing users to do everything from sharing social media-style posts with friends, to getting news, making mobile payments, booking restaurants and ordering taxis.

READ MORE: WhatsApp is set to launch a secret tool WhatsApp users will soon have the option of setting an expiry date for their group chats, a leaker has claimed. Advertisement

Despite the success of WeChat in Asia, social media expert and industry commentator Matt Navarra said he was unconvinced that Musk could make it work in the West.

'I'll believe it when I see it,' he said.

'Super apps, as they are known in the industry, are not a new thing. They've been hugely successful in Asia, but have not really caught on elsewhere.

'Could Twitter form part of a super app that lets you buy goods, chat to friends, get news updates, book a taxi etc? Sure. Can Elon Musk make it work? Possibly.

'Will Elon actually do it? Who knows. He seems to have commitment issues.'

Laura Petrone, principal analyst at GlobalData, told MailOnline: 'Musk has rightly understood that super-apps are the future of social media, but challenges lie ahead.

'He probably has the WeChat model in mind, which provides a gateway to access various internet services, from social networking and ecommerce to financial services.

'With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook was viewed as the best candidate to become the West's first super-app, but its plans to set up a cryptocurrency struggled to get off the ground and its parent company, Meta, is haunted by regulatory issues.

'Twitter is a smaller platform and doesn't benefit from network effects to the same extent as Facebook and WeChat.

'Therefore, it could be more difficult for Twitter to use its troves of data and scale to expand into new markets and provide a broader range of services.'

As part of Twitter's move to a new subscription service for Twitter Blue, Musk also revealed the option for people to post more longform tweets akin to the chats users can have in WhatsApp

She added: 'Musk has also mentioned that he wants to open the platform to less regulated speech and reduce moderation. However, pursuing the super-app model will open Twitter up to more regulatory scrutiny, not just for online speech and moderation but also antitrust.

'Social media companies are increasingly accused of acting as gatekeepers around access to personal data to the detriment of competition in the market.'

Paolo Pescatore, a tech analyst at PP Foresight, told MailOnline that 'the notion of a super app is not new', but that it is 'very much needed'.

'Typically, users today have a few apps per category (video, news, social media, games, banking) to name a few; there are of course many more,' he said.

'People are now getting increasingly frustrated with a slew of apps leading to a disastrous experience.

'Driving usage all towards one destination will increase engagement. By having a better sense of users' habits, expect to see more hyper-personalised services, features and offers.

'This opens up scope for plentiful business models including subscription, a la carte and of course ads.'
Transatlantic premium economy fares are roughly double the price of flying economy  with the former available from around 600 ($755) and the latter from around 300 ($380). But is premium economy twice as good?

Travel experts from The Points Guy UK help answer this crucial question with a fascinating video in which they trial the premium economy offerings of three of the biggest players in the transatlantic game - Americas three biggest airlines.

The video is a three-way battle between the premium economy cabins of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on flights to the States from Dublin and London.

Its a tale of wobbly tables, lost headphone sockets, upgraded napkins and very tasty harissa chicken. Read on for more

AMERICAN AIRLINES

Putting American Airlines premium economy offering (above) to the test was Maren Gimnes

The Points Guy UK paid 53,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles plus 259 in tax for her Boeing 777-200 flight from Heathrow to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. She said the food was 'lovely'

Putting American Airlines premium economy offering to the test was Maren Gimnes. The Points Guy UK paid 53,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles plus 259 ($326) in tax for her Boeing 777-200 flight from London Heathrow to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The ups included decent legroom and good food.

She told MailOnline Travel: The legroom was very generous and the seat was comfortable with a nice leather finish.

I liked that the cabin was quite small, which made it feel more exclusive.

And the food was lovely and well presented  I got metal cutlery and a fabric napkin, which was a nice upgrade from economy.

Maren told MailOnline: The legroom was very generous and the seat was comfortable with a nice leather finish'

Maren complained that her table 'was very unstable' and the USB ports were 'not in a convenient location'

And downsides? There were a few.

She said: The table was very unstable, and I didnt like that it folded down into the armrest as it made it hard to move around/get up without having to fold it down every time.

Plus, the charging points and USB ports were not in a convenient location, I paid $37 (29) for the Wi-Fi but it didnt work at all, and there was no fast-track security.

DELTA AIR LINES

Putting Delta to the test was Nicky Kelvin, the head of The Points Guy UK

Nicky's ticket between Dublin and JFK cost 925.80, with the fare including a return flight from Charlotte to Paris in economy. Nicky said the ups included a retrofitted cabin that felt very modern and fresh

Putting Delta to the test was Nicky Kelvin, the head of The Points Guy UK.

His ticket between Dublin and John F. Kennedy International Airport on a Boeing 767-400 cost 925.80 ($1,167), with the fare including a return flight from Charlotte to Paris in economy.

Nicky said the ups included a retrofitted cabin that felt very modern and fresh, priority check-in and security  not always offered with premium economy products  which meant a quick and smooth airport experience, and food that was fresh, tasty and plentiful, and that included a flatbread that was an interesting and welcome addition to the curry.

The food served in Delta premium economy was fresh, tasty and plentiful'

The Boeing 767 is significantly noisier than other more modern aircraft,' commented Nicky

There were, however, also downsides.

Nicky said: The Boeing 767 is significantly noisier than other more modern aircraft and the premium economy cabin is close to the engines.

And the food felt like an upgraded economy class meal rather than a slightly less fancy business class meal. For example, there was no proper crockery.

UNITED AIRLINES

Uniteds premium economy was trialled by Liam Spencer, with his ticket in a 767-300 between Heathrow and Newark Liberty International Airport costing $1,152 (912), including an onward flight to Charlotte

The seat itself was incredibly comfy with a good amount of personal space,' said Liam. It also had an 'excellent depth of recline'

Uniteds premium economy was trialled by Liam Spencer, with his ticket in a 767-300 between Heathrow and Newark Liberty International Airport costing $1,152 (912), including an onward flight to Charlotte.

He said: The seat itself was incredibly comfy with a good amount of personal space and excellent depth of recline. On a long-haul flight, this makes a huge difference when it comes to grabbing a few hours of sleep.

I was also really impressed with the size and quality of my lunch. It included harissa chicken, chickpeas, a huge side salad, bread, and delicious chocolate truffles.

The small cabin, meanwhile, consisting of just four rows, felt secluded, private, and peaceful.

Liam was 'really impressed with the size and quality' of his lunch

Liam said the downsides on his flight included the toilet facilities being shared with the economy cabin

But there were a few niggles.

Liam explained: The toilet facilities were shared with the much larger economy cabin, meaning they were often occupied and busy.

And I was disappointed not to receive a menu ahead of the meal service, and instead given a very economy-feel choice of chicken or veg. The food turned out to be very tasty and plentiful, but I would have appreciated a wider range of options.

For more tricks and tips from The Points Guy UK visit thepointsguy.com/uk-travel and click here to see the original and full-length premium economy review video.
Tripadvisor has revealed the top 20 most sought-after summer holiday destinations for Britons this year  and it's Bembridge on the Isle of Wight that tops the charts domestically and the beach town of Badesi on the northern coast of Sardinia that's the No.1 trending foreign spot.

Ventnor in the Isle of Wight comes in at No.2 in the domestic ranking, followed in third by the picturesque town of Llangollen, North Wales, and Balmaha on Loch Lomond (fourth).

The rest of the domestic list comprises Salcombe, Devon (fifth); Hayling Island, Hampshire (sixth); Banavie, Scottish Highlands (seventh); Seahouses, Northumberland (eighth); Hayle, Cornwall (ninth); and Looe, Cornwall (10th).

In second place in the foreign list is the mountainous town of Hakone-machi, Japan, and in third is Ksamil, on the Albanian 'riviera'.

Tripadvisor explains that this is a new entry for 2023 and 'ideal for those looking for a bargain beach break', adding: 'Less famous than other European hotspots, Ksamil's sandy white shore and crystal clear water gives better-known beach destinations a run for their money.'

Tripadvisor has revealed the top 20 most sought-after summer holiday destinations for Britons this year. Ksamil (above), on the Albanian 'riviera', is the third most sought-after holiday destination abroad for Brits this summer

Tripadvisor says of Ksamil (above) that it's 'ideal for those looking for a bargain beach break'

The Wight stuff: Bembridge (above) tops the charts domestically

The picturesque town of Llangollen, North Wales, is the third fastest growing UK destination for travellers

The rest of the foreign list is made up of Shinjuku, Japan (fourth); Chuo, Japan (fifth); Cala Santandria, Menorca, Spain (sixth); Da Nang, Vietnam (seventh); Hoi An, Vietnam (eighth); Hong Kong (ninth); and Puerto Banus, Spain (10th).

The rankings are based on a combination of search and sentiment survey data and are part of Tripadvisor's Seasonal Travel Index of 2023, which reveals various other insights into Brits' travel plans this summer.

Two in five Brits (43 per cent) intend to travel more this summer than last, the Tripadvisor study also notes, with 79 per cent planning up to two holidays.

THE 20 TRENDING DESTINATIONS FOR SUMMER 2023, FROM THE ISLE OF WIGHT TO ALBANIA Top 10 fastest-growing destinations - domestic (based on year-over-year growth) 1. Bembridge, Isle of Wight 2. Ventnor, Isle of Wight 3. Llangollen, North Wales 4. Balmaha, Stirling 5. Salcombe, Devon 6. Hayling Island, Hampshire 7. Banavie, Scottish Highlands 8. Seahouses, Northumberland 9. Hayle, Cornwall 10. Looe, Cornwall Top 10 fastest-growing destinations - international (based on year-over-year growth) 1. Badesi, Italy 2. Hakone-machi, Japan 3. Ksamil, Albania 4. Shinjuku, Japan 5. Chuo, Japan 6. Cala Santandria, Menorca, Spain 7. Da Nang, Vietnam 8. Hoi An, Vietnam 9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong 10. Puerto Banus, Spain Source: Tripadvisor Advertisement

Balmaha on Loch Lomond ranks fourth in Tripadvisor's 2023 domestic ranking

Water sight: Salcombe in Devon is fifth in the domestic list

Hayling Island in Hampshire is sixth in the domestic ranking

When it comes to where they are going, over a third (37 per cent) will take both international and domestic trips, while a similar number (32 per cent) will only travel abroad. The remainder (31 per cent) will make the most of the warmer weather at home, says Tripadvisor, holidaying exclusively in the UK.

However, amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis, Brits are slightly more cautious than international travellers when it comes to spend. Less than half (46 per cent) are planning to spend more on travel this summer, almost 10 per cent below the global average.

Affordability is the most important factor for Brits planning trips, with 71 per cent taking spend into consideration above other factors, such as convenience of transport and travel time.

The beach town of Badesi on the northern coast of Sardinia is the No.1 trending foreign spot

In second place in the foreign list is the mountainous town of Hakone-machi, Japan

Tripadvisor further reveals that only 18 per cent will use social media sites such as Tiktok and Instagram for travel recommendations, 45 per cent will opt for review sites, and 46 per cent advice from family and friends.

Around half (42 per cent) of Brits are most excited about tours and activities on their trip.

The most booked experiences for summer 2023 include Buckingham Palace Guard Walking Tour in London, the UK's No.1 Most Popular Destination, as well as a day trip to Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh, the UK's second most popular city to visit this summer.
Anthony LaPaglia and his much younger wife Alexandra Henkel - who is more than three decades his junior - celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with a romantic dinner on Tuesday.

The lovebirds cosied up to one another at lavish Italian restaurant Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles.

Looking stunning in a blue, fruit themed sundress, the German actress, 33, shared images of their date night to Instagram.

'Five years married, baby!' she captioned the photos, which showed her and the Without A Trace star, 64, sitting across from each other at the restaurant.

They settled in for a few alcoholic beverages before LaPaglia ordered a pasta dish which he was seen happily digging into.

Anthony LaPaglia and his much younger wife Alexandra Henkel - who is more than three decades his junior - celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with a romantic dinner on Tuesday

Later, the married couple cuddled in the car back home with Henkel flashing her huge diamond diamond engagement and wedding rings.

The Frasier star married Henkel in an intimate ceremony in Hawaii in July 2018, a year after the couple got engaged in April 2017.

Announcing the news on social media at the time, the young bride wrote: '28.4.2018. The day I married the love of my life.'

The lovebirds cosied up to one another at lavish Italian restaurant Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles

Looking stunning in a blue, fruit themed sundress, the German actress, 33, shared images of their date night to Instagram

Clearly aware of the age gap in their relationship, Henkel singled out trolls in another Instagram post.

'They said it wouldn't last. Love you, bub,' she captioned a photo of the pair.

Before meeting Henkel, LaPaglia was married to My Big Fat Greek Wedding actress Gia Carides for 17 years - with whom he shares 20-year-old daughter Bridget.

They announced their split in March 2015, and divorced a year later.
Dean Gaffney showed off his shirtless physique as he has his first shower in camp on Tuesday's episode of I'm A Celeb South Africa.

The actor, 45, stripped off on the latest instalment from the bush as he had a wash after a grubby few days.

As he took his shirt off and got under the water fellow campmate Jordan Banjo caught a glimpse of him as he was brushing his teeth.

He then quipped: 'Wow mate he needs a calendar coming out!'

Dean wore a pair of white swimming shorts as he made his way to the bush shower for a refreshing wash.

Here he is! Dean Gaffney showed off his shirtless physique as he has his first shower in camp on Tuesday's episode of I'm A Celeb South Africa

Shower: The actor, 45, stripped off on the latest instalment from the bush as he had a wash after a grubby few days

Elsewhere on the episode Joe Swash was eliminated from the show.

The former soap star, 41, said goodbye to the bush after losing the latest Survival Trial where he went up against Phil Tufnell.

The pair were locked in snake-infested tombs and had to crack the codes to four locks - with whoever got out first returning to camp.

But Joe was slow with his locks so was sent home in emotional scenes as he admitted he was ready to go home and see his family who he was missing.

As he left he said: 'It has been so long! I'm too old for his game now! I have loved meeting everyone.

'I miss my kids and my wife and I can't wait to see them. I've had too much on my mind and too much waiting for me at home. I've had the time of my life though!

'It is mixed emotions, I have had the best adventure and all good things have to come to an end. I miss my kids so it's time to go'.

The Survival Trial took place between Phil and Joe as the race to the final began.

Swooning: As he took his shirt off and got under the water fellow campmate Jordan Banjo caught a glimpse of him as he was brushing his teeth

Impressive physique: He then quipped: 'Wow mate he needs a calendar coming out!'

Saying goodbye: Elsewhere on the episode an emotional Joe Swash was eliminated from the show

To decide who would go head to head the stars had to pick stones out of a bag to choose who would be exempt.

Helen got the orange stone meaning she was exempt. She then got to chose who would be exempt with her as the line continued until Phil and Joe were left.

They then had to take on the Temple of Doom where they had to get into tombs that were locked shut.

There were four locks they had to get past to get out but weren't alone in their tombs. The first to get out would be saved while the other would go home.

They were joined by 55 huge snakes in the tomb as Joe began swearing and exclaiming how big they were.

At one point one snake wound its way around Phil's neck while he tried to crack the codes of the locks.

However he managed to unlock them the quickest sending Joe home.

Earlier in the episode Joe broke down in tears as he revealed the hunger and tiredness was getting to him and he was missing his wife Stacey Solomon and children.

Wiping away tears, Joe said: 'It's just overwhelming, innit. The hunger, the tiredness. Being away from your family.

'I'm obviously stressing out about the kids. Not seeing them, missing them, so yeah. I think they are getting into my sleep a little bit now.

'It just brings it all to the surface.'

At the time of filming, Stacey was still pregnant with their youngest daughter Belle, now three months old.

The couple also share Rose, 16 months, and Rex, two.

Joe is stepfather to Stacey's sons Zach, 15, and Leighton, nine, from previous relationships and he has a son Harry, 15, with his ex, Emma Sophocleous.

Earlier, Joe tearfully said: 'I'm really missing my kids I don't know how to get rid of the feeling.'

Myleene Klass and Jordan Banjo were the first to get up to embrace their friend as he discussed how he was feeling.

He said: 'I was a different person the first time [I did I'm A Celeb in 2008]. This time there's so much at home waiting for me.

Over: The former soap star, 41, said goodbye to the bush after losing the latest Survival Trial where he went up against Phil Tufnell

Challenge: The pair were locked in snake-infested tombs and had to crack the codes to four locks - with whoever got out first returning to camp

On Monday's show, Joe said he has the ITV show to thank for 'giving him everything'.

The former soap star who won the competition in 2008, met his soon to be wife Stacey Solomon two years later when he presented the series' spin-off and she was crowned Queen of the Jungle.

And in emotional scenes he told his camp mate that he was the 'biggest winner ever' in the series' history after he walked away with a crown as well as a gorgeous family.

Joe said that would have been known simply as 'that guy off EastEnders' before quipping he is much prouder to now be 'Stacey Solomon's husband'.
Katie Maloney showed off her chic style as she arrived to Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in New York City on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old Vanderpump Rules star wore a $228 Vince Camuto Zofi bag over a black and white long sleeve elegant blazer jacket.

She paired the look with a lacy bra-top, short black skirt, thigh-high sheer lace tights, and $144 Dr Martens unisex Oxford shoes.

Her short, dark bob hairstyle was parted to the side. She opted for a glamorous makeup palette with sculpted brows, golden smokey eyes, blush, and a glossy red lip.

On Sunday, Maloney and her VPR co-stars Ariana Madix, Scheana Shay and LaLa Kent were named Best Reality On-Screen Team at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Shopping spree: Katie Maloney showed off her chic style as she arrived to Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday wearing a $228 Vince Camuto Zofi bag over an elegant blazer jacket

They beat out shows Jersey Shore Family Vacation, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, RuPauls Drag Race, and The Challenge: Ride or Dies.

The broadcast was pre-recorded as a result of the Writers Guild of America Strike.

Although host Drew Barrymore bowed out in support of the strike, the show moved forward as planned without a host.

After Barrymore's departure, Maloney's co-star Lala Kent revealed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that she was backing out of attending the awards as well.

Madix called the recent time in her and the Bravo TV cast's lives 'tumultuous' as she gave an acceptance speech remotely.

The award came after a shocking VPR episode in April, when the now infamous kiss between Maloney's ex-husband Tom Schwartz, 40, and Raquel Leviss, 28, took place while they were in Mexico for Scheana Shay and Brock Davies' wedding.

Although Maloney and Schwartz had split in March 2022, the pair agreed that they wouldn't hook up with anyone in their friend group since it's common for the stars to intermingle on the show.

Maloney felt betrayed by the incident and said: 'What he did crossed every f*****g line. There's no coming back from this. I've sat them both down, tears in my eyes.'

Revenge look: The 36-year-old reality tv star flaunted her physique in a short black skirt, thigh-high sheer lace tights, and $144 Dr Martens Unisex Oxford shoes

Fashionista: Maloney styled her short, dark tresses with a side part and opted for sculpted brows, golden smokey eyes, blush, and a glossy red lip

Blasting: Katie spoke her mind in a recent episode of Vanderpump Rules

The kiss: Maloney blew up over the kiss between her ex-husband Tom Schwartz and their VPR co-star Raquel Leviss

Cover up: The kiss aired in an April episode of the show

She further expressed her frustration in a following episode saying: 'I want to light them both on f*****g fire.'

Later in the clip, it cut to a flashback of Maloney's conversations with Leviss and Schwartz, in which she told them that her boundaries weren't being respected and that she felt uncomfortable with the pair's connection.

Schwartz also spoke about the kiss during a guest appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in April.

The TomTom co-owner revealed that he had regrets about the kiss after it happened and said: 'In hindsight, I don't think it was [worth it].'

He spoke about the pain that it caused Maloney: 'I never wanted to hurt Katie. The fallout I got, the blowback I got from that kiss, my God!'

Fans have speculated that the kiss between Schwartz and Leviss was a cover-up for the months-long affair she was having with Schwartz's best friend and business partner, Tom Sandoval.

The scandal, which has been referred to as 'Scandoval,' was exposed on March 3 and led to the end of Sandoval's nine-year relationship with his girlfriend and VPR co-star, Ariana Madix.

Exes: After Maloney's split with Schwartz in March 2022, the pair agreed that they wouldn't hook up with anyone in their friend group; Maloney and Schwartz seen in 2016

His thoughts: Schwartz spoke about the kiss during a guest appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Pals: Fans have speculated that the kiss between Schwartz and Leviss was a cover-up for the months-long affair she was having with Tom Sandoval; Sandoval and Schwartz seen in 2022

Affair: The scandal, which has been referred to as 'Scandoval,' was exposed on March 3 and led to the end of Sandoval's nine-year relationship with girlfriend Ariana Madix

Backing out: Maloney's co-star, LaLa Kent revealed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that she was backing out of attending the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards to support the strike

While on the show, Schwartz cleared up the discourse and said: 'I just feel like there was so much of a buildup.'

He continued: 'The chemistry was building ... It wasn't planned; it wasn't a decoy kiss. It was a real kiss.'

Leviss also opened up about her kiss with Schwartz last month to TMZ and told them a similar point of view.

'I genuinely had an interest in Tom Schwartz, and there's a genuine curiosity there, so it wasn't a cover-up.'
Comedy genius Catherine Tate has reportedly been selected for a huge job at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on Saturday.

The actress and writer, 53, will read out the UK's scores in the hotly-anticipated Eurovision final, hosted at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, according to The Sun.

Her role is expected to be officially announced on Wednesday and will see Catherine announce the points that the UK award to other nations after their performances.

Catherine is best-known for her hit sketch series The Catherine Tate Show and her comedic teenage character Lauren's catchphrase 'Am I bovvered?'.

She went on to launch a hugely successful acting career and has starred in The Office, Hard Cell, and even became a fan-favourite as Donna Noble in Doctor Who.

Big role: Comedy genius Catherine Tate has reportedly been selected for a starring job in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on Saturday

The Eurovision final will be opened by last year's Ukrainian winners Kalush Orchestra before UK runner-up Sam Ryder performs his new single Mountain.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC and Catherine's representatives for comment.

Catherine's selection comes after Amanda Holden took on the role in 2021 but was accused of making 'embarrassing gags' ahead of reading out the scores.

In 2021, the presenter, 50, was on hand to award points on behalf of the UK, whose entry finished last at the Covid-hit competition in Rotterdam.

Appearing from London in an extravagant feathered gown, she announced: 'Bonsoir. Goedenavo. That is good evening in French and Dutch although I've got absolutely no idea which is which.

'This is London calling. What a fantastic show this evening. I am Amanda Holden  I love Eurovision.'

Fans quickly took to Twitter at the time to slam her comments, criticising her as 'arrogant' for her language joke.

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off this week and the first semi-final on Tuesday saw Ireland, Malta, Latvia, the Netherlands and Azerbaijan crash out of the competition.

Exciting! The actress and writer, 53, will read out the UK's scores in the hotly-anticipated Eurovision final, hosted at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, according to reports

Hilarious: Catherine is best-known for her hit sketch series The Catherine Tate Show and her comedic teenage character Lauren's catchphrase 'Am I bovvered?'

On Tuesday night, 15 countries performed at the M&S Bank arena in part one of two semi-finals for the chance to win a place in Saturday's grand final.

Ten acts made it through with Finland favourite Kaarija and Sweden's former winner Loreen - who was victorious in 2012 with her hit Euphoria - securing their places.

The ten acts who made it through were; Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, Portugal and Norway.

Overall, 31 countries will compete in two semi-finals with 10 from each going through to the Grand Final.

Last year's winner Ukraine automatically progressed to the Grand Final, along with the big five, comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Mae Muller is the UK's entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being hosted in the UK on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, with her track I Wrote A Song.

Hopeful: Mae Muller is the UK's entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being hosted in the UK on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, with her track I Wrote A Song

But Mae's recent performance of her self penned track was slammed when she appeared to forget the words.

After a clip of Mae, 25, on stage was shared to TikTok last month, fans have been left fearing for her hopes in the competition.

Despite oozing confidence on stage, she seemingly opted to hum to the music as the excited audience did all the singing.

The Eurovision Grand Final will take place on May 13 and will be hosted by presenters such as Alesha Dixon, Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina.
Adele James has broken her silence on claims that Jada Pinkett Smith's docuseries Queen Cleopatra has been blackwashed.

The British actress, 37, takes on the role of the Macedonian-Greek ruler in the latest instalment of the Netflix African Queens show, which has faced a wave of controversy since the trailer was released.

Director Tina Gharavi recently defended the show after Egyptians reacted with horror to the denial of records which show Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek.

An Egyptian lawyer has filed a case with the country's public prosecutor demanding that Netflix be shutdown.

Meanwhile, Cairo's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass condemned the documentary as 'completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black.'

Now, Adele has spoken out about playing the ruler in a new interview, revealing that she has even been sent death threats for taking on the role.

Speaking out: Adele James has broken her silence on claims that Jada Pinkett Smith's docuseries Queen Cleopatra has been blackwashed

Cruel: The actress says she has even been sent death threats for taking on the role

'The only thing I can say about it [Cleopatras background) is that we just dont know,' she told Glamour. 'There are versions of Cleopatra that exist already with actresses in that role who are fairer skinned than I am, but I think I have every right to have a shot at humanizing this incredible woman.

'We all put our blood, sweat and tears into that show, and I think anybody else has as much of a right as anybody else to have a go at it because we just dont know.

'The death threats that Ive received, the racist comments, its just the vitriol. Its not necessary, and its very harmful, all we did was release a trailer and look at the response, so Im anticipating a wave still yet to come.'

But the actress has vowed to not be driven off social media by the cruel taunts and horrific trolling.

The trailer, released last week, features claims Cleopatra was black with 'curly hair.' One historian asserts in the preview: 'I remember my grandmother saying to me: I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.'

Cleopatra was the companion of Alexander The Great, renowned for her marriages and affairs with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar.

Her first language was Greek although she was the only Ptolemaic ruler to use the Egyptian language.

Hot water: Netflix has had to turn off comments for the official trailer of new docuseries Queen Cleopatra

Strong: Adele has vowed to not be driven off social media by the cruel taunts and horrific trolling

Debate: The Death of Cleopatra, circa 1645-55. Artist Guido Cagnacci

Past film: Cleopatra was famously played by white English actress Elizabeth Taylor opposite Richard Burton as Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's historical epic from 1963

History: A painting from a villa at Herculaneum portraying a red-haired woman (left) and an in 1804, showing a romanticized 19th century conception of Cleopatra (right)

'Blackwashing' in other films and shows Anne Boleyn (2021) Black English actress Jodie Turner-Smith played the Queen of England in a British TV series. Anne Boleyn was white and the second wife of King Henry VIII. Saint Joan (2020) Black New Yorker Condola Rashad played the French heroine Joan of Arc in a stage production of the tale set in the 15th century. In the play, Rashad is a gender non-confirming Joan. Troy: Fall of a City (2018) In the TV drama, Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War is played by black English actor David Gyasi. The Hollow Crown (2012 - 2016) Sophie Okonedo, a Nigerian-British actress, played Queen Margaret of Anjou in the Shakespearean TV adaptation. Margaret, of French descent, was Queen of England and married to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461. Once Upon a Time (2011 - 2018) The ABC series about fairytales features a black actor Sinqua Walls as Sir Lancelot. Lancelot is a British character who features as one of King Arthur's close companions and one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table. Arthur was a legendary king of Britain and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition. Robin Hood (2006 - 2009) The BBC series featured black English actor David Harewood as Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck is one of the legendary Merry Men, the band of heroic outlaws in the folklore of Robin Hood which was set in England's Sherwood Forest in the 15th century. Advertisement

On Sunday, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the public prosecutor demanding that he take 'the necessary legal measures' to block access to Netflix.

He alleged the show featured content that violated Egypt's media laws and accused Netflix of trying to 'promote the Afrocentric thinking... which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.'

Cleopatra was famously played by white English actress Elizabeth Taylor opposite Richard Burton as Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's historical epic from 1963.

Three years ago plans for a new movie about the queen starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot sparked a backlash from people insisting the role should go to an Egyptian or African actress.

Gadot defended the decision, saying: 'We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn't there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.'

The fury at Netflix's right-on programming comes after it appeared to have ditched the woke messaging last year.

Netflix took a hit in the first half of 2022, losing about 1,170 million subscribers as rivals such as Paramount+ and Disney+ raked them in.

The huge decline was seen by some as a direct consequence of the company's late response to demands from its viewers to tone down their woke agenda.

But after deciding to back figures like comedian Dave Chapelle it bounced back. Netflix added 1.75 million new subscribers for the quarter of 2023, nearly 550,000 more than consensus estimates, and a stark contrast to the loss of 200,000 subscribers the company suffered in the same period last year.

The four-part Cleopatra series will explore the legacy, intellect and life of Cleopatra VII, the Greek Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC.

The trailer notes that Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty but then goes on to dispute her heritage.

The two-minute official trailer uploaded on April 12 has already amassed over 1.9 million views on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Netflix has been forced to turn comments off on the official trailer, after it was met with controversy.

Queen Cleopatra will be available to stream on Netflix from May 10.
Channel Nine presenter Airlie Walsh has welcomed her first child with partner Tom Ferrier.

The TV journalist announced on Wednesday that she gave birth to a baby boy called Peter William Ferrier.

Posting to Instagram, Airlie shared a gorgeous snap of herself holding her newborn son in hospital.

The black and white photo shows the new mother looking very emotional as she holds her child for the first time, four days after giving birth to him.

She captioned the image: 'I'll never take this feeling for granted. Four days after he rushed into the world, my first cuddle with Peter William Ferrier.'

Channel Nine presenter Airlie Walsh has welcomed her first child into the world with her partner Tom Ferrier

Friends and fans of the presenter flocked to the comments to congratulate her and her partner on their new arrival.

Airlie's Channel Nine colleague Lizzie Pearl commented: 'Little Petey we love you already   well done mumma Airs big love to you and @tomferrier'.

One friend of the couple wrote: 'P-Boy! We all love you so much already! Youre a lucky little fella the most beautiful mum and an adoring dad. What a wonderful life you have to look forward to.'

The couple have welcomed a baby boy after getting engaged in 2021

While another said: 'What an entrance, Petey! Already keeping mum and dad on their toes. Lots of love to you and Tom, cant wait to meet your little guy.'

It appears that the baby boy was welcomed into the world earlier than expected, as Airlie shared with her followers on Instagram that she was 28 weeks pregnant four weeks ago.

Sharing a snap of her growing baby bump as she worked in the Channel Nine newsroom she wrote: 'Its not easy dressing a big bump. #28weeks #thirdtrimester.'

In November 2021, Airlie announced her engagement to her partner Tom.

She posted a sweet black and white photo of herself and her beau sharing a kiss as she showed off her stunning diamond ring on Tuesday.

The TV journalist proudly wrote in the caption: 'Life has begun.'

It appears that the baby boy was welcomed into the world earlier than expected, as Airlie shared with her followers on Instagram that she was 28 weeks pregnant four weeks ago

Airlie has had more than a decade of on-screen experience with Channel Nine

Airlie has had more than a decade of on-screen experience with Channel Nine.

She began on Weekend Today in 2010, before joining the Nine News team in 2013.

In 2014, Airlie was one of two journalists broadcasting live from the CBD as police stormed the Lindt Cafe during the Sydney siege.

In 2019, she secured a one-on-one interview with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Christmas Island.
Coldplay announced on Tuesday they will be bringing their Music of the Spheres World Tour to Perth in November for a special one-off performance.

The British rock band posted a video on YouTube telling their 25 million subscribers they will be performing at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 18.

They last performed in Australia in 2016, and this concert will be their first in the WA capital since February 2009.

Western Australian fans were thrilled by the news.

'Coldplay haven't played here since 2009 so it's great we're finally getting to see them live again and at our amazing Optus Stadium,' one gushed.

Coldplay announced on Tuesday they will be bringing their Music of the Spheres World Tour to Perth in November for a special one-off performance. (Pictured: Chris Martin on stage in 2017)

Aussie fans from other states complained the one-off date meant they would be missing out on seeing the band perform.

'Nowhere else in Aus? C'mon guys!' one fan lamented, as another wrote: 'Surely the tour will be around Australia? Don't mess around please.'

Back in August, Shane Warne's eldest daughter Brooke got a backstage pass to hang out with Coldplay after seeing them perform at London's Wembley Stadium.

The British rock band posted a video on YouTube telling their 25 million subscribers they will be performing at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 18

The 25-year-old, who was on holiday in England with her boyfriend Alex Heath, was invited backstage by frontman Chris Martin, who was a friend of Brooke's father.

Brooke embraced her dad's mate in a bear hug while beaming from ear to ear.

She posted photos on Instagram of herself and Alex spending quality time with the band, while Chris looked elated to be catching up with Shane's daughter.

They last performed in Australia in 2016, and this concert will be their first in the WA capital since February 2009

Brooke wrote in the caption: 'Two of the most incredible nights with some very special people. Thank you, Chris, for all the happiness you bring to everyone around you.

'We LOVE you. Coldplay will forever be my favourite concert of all time!'

Chris, 46, performed a haunting rendition of Coldplay's Yellow at Shane's memorial service in March last year.

The pair had been close friends since meeting in a hotel elevator in 2001.

Chris even appeared in the movie Shane, the documentary released in January 2022 about the sporting legend's life.

Western Australian fans were thrilled by the news
A Scottish cousin of Jock Zonfrillo who bears an uncanny similarity to the TV chef has reflected on his shock death in a simple one word statement.

Paul Zonfrillo went to school with Jock as a boy and is mentioned fondly in his 2021 memoir Last Shot.

But the lookalike cousin is a man of few words when it comes to mourning the death of the young clan member who found global success as a chef and judge on MasterChef Australia.

Paul Zonfrillo (pictured) paid tribute to his late cousin Jock whom he bears a striking resemblance

On Tuesday, Paul took to Facebook to share a heart-wrenching video compilation of various celebrity chefs sharing their memories of the cheeky Scotsman.

Sad', read the simple post attached to the video, alongside a praying emoji.

The video included tributes from internationally acclaimed chefs Jamie Oliver, Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay which sparked an outpouring of comments from friends and family members.

Jock Zonfrillo's family is still coming to terms with the celebrity chefs sudden passing

Fantastic tributes Paul. A well liked and respected man God bless him a friend commented

'Sincere condolences Paul'.

Paul and brother Marco Zonfrillo grew up close to their younger cousin Jock, with all three of them attending Belmont Academy in Ayr, southwest coast of Scotland a few years apart.

Reflecting in his memoir, Jock wrote how he learned at a young age that it wasnt always easy sharing the surname Zonfrilllo with his older cousins.

Laura and Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) had recently relocated to Rome

'Asked me if I was related to Paul and Marco. Theyd been noted smart-arses, so I tried to convince the teacher that is was a very common Scottish surname and that Id never heard of the other boys, but he was having none of it.

That really set the tone for the next few years. he continued.

Having called Australia home for the last decade, Jock is understood to have had just embarked on an exciting new life in Rome with wife Lauren and the couple's children before it was tragically cut short in a Melbourne hotel room.

The Masterchef judge had moved to the Italian capital with his young family just three weeks before returning to Australia to help promote the latest season of the Network 10 show.

Jock found fame outside the kitchen as a judge on Master Chef Australia in 2019 alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen

Lauren rang police from Rome early on Monday morning when Zonfrillo failed to answer multiple calls from his wife.

Officers who attended Zagame's House at Carlton at about 2am found Zonfrillo dead in his bed and saw no signs of anything suspicious or unusual.

There was no drug paraphernalia located, no one else in the hotel room and police formed the view the father-of-four had died of natural causes.
Pete Davidson's girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders posed up a storm at the premiere of her upcoming show City On Fire.

Based on a buzzy 2015 novel, the crime series will follow a network of interlinked mysteries that all have the common ground of a murder in Central Park.

Chase, 26, who plays the Central Park victim Samantha Yeung, cut a busty figure in a plunging scarlet dress trimmed with feathery fringe.

The slinky little number was cut off high enough to showcase her legs, and she amplified the effect by balancing on monochrome heels.

Held in New York, the red carpet event also welcomed such boldface names as Jemima Kirke of Girls fame and Younger alum Nico Tortorella.

Starlet: Pete Davidson's girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders posed up a storm at the premiere of her upcoming show City On Fire

Lady in red: Chase, 26, who plays the Central Park victim Samantha Yeung, cut a busty figure in a plunging scarlet dress trimmed with feathery fringe

Jemima and Nico play a set of estranged siblings who happen also to be the heirs to their family's formidable real estate fortune.

Sharpening her unmistakable features with striking makeup, Jemima slid her slender frame into a sheer white frock with a tantalizingly open weave.

She lent the look a touch of glitz with a stack of bracelets and a pair of swinging hoop earrings, sweeping her dark hair back into a loose do.

Meanwhile Nico, who came out as gender fluid in 2018 and declared a preference for 'they/them' pronouns, flashed a bit of midriff in a silver sequined getup.

As the festivities rolled along Nico and fitness entrepreneur Bethany C. Meyers, who have been married since 2018, posed with their baby daughter Kilmer.

Xavier Clyde arrived at the fete in a wine-colored suit, while Alexander Pineiro opted for a midnight blue and black combination.

Wyatt Oleff threw a pastel scarf over a powder blue look for his latest outing, which he attended with his pal and I Am Not Okay With This co-star Sophia Lillis.

Alexandra Doke treated the cameras to her heartwarming smile while Max Milner teamed a beige waistcoat with a retro chic suit.

On the town: Held in New York, the red carpet event also welcomed such boldface names as Jemima Kirke (left) of Girls fame and Younger alum Nico Tortorella (right)

Side by side: Jemima and Nico play a set of estranged siblings who happen also to be the heirs to their family's formidable real estate fortune

Use it or lose it: Sharpening her unmistakable features with striking makeup, Jemima slid her slender frame into a sheer white frock with a tantalizingly open weave

Meanwhile: Nico, who came out as gender fluid in 2018 and declared a preference for 'they/them' pronouns, flashed a bit of midriff in a silver sequined getup

Family time: As the festivities rolled along Nico and fitness entrepreneur Bethany C. Meyers, who have been married since 2018, posed with their baby daughter Kilmer

What a night: Xavier Clyde (left) arrived at the fete in a wine-colored suit, while Alexander Pineiro (right) opted for a midnight blue and black combination

Dynamic duo: Wyatt Oleff threw a pastel scarf over a powder blue look for his latest outing, which he attended with his pal and I Am Not Okay With This co-star Sophia Lillis

Big night: Alexandra Doke (left) treated the cameras to her heartwarming smile while Max Milner (right) teamed a beige waistcoat with a retro chic suit

Looking fab: Hedwig And The Angry Inch impresario John Cameron Mitchell was stylishly androgynous in a sleek, pewter grey skirt-suit that fell to the ankle.

Making it happen: Shawnee Smith (left) was boho chic in baggy legwarmers over gold tights, while Harry & Meghan director Liz Garbus (right) kept her look simple in a black jumpsuit

Swanking about: Kathleen Munroe was chic to the hilt in a sleek black coat-dress accented with a bubblegum pink collar and silver shoulders

Monochrome magic: Beth Malone emphasized her enviably trim waistline in clinging black leather trousers, which she clashed elegantly against a summery white blouse

All together now: John, Ashley Zukerman, Xavier, Nico, Chaise Torio, Jemima, Evangeline Decker, Wyatt, Alexandra, Chase, Max, Alexander, Michael Tow, Kathleen, Jesse Peretz, Shawnee and Beth all got together for a dazzling group shot to remember

Hedwig And The Angry Inch impresario John Cameron Mitchell was stylishly androgynous in a sleek, pewter grey skirt-suit that fell to the ankle.

Shawnee Smith was boho chic in baggy legwarmers over gold tights, while Harry & Meghan director Liz Garbus kept her look simple in a black jumpsuit.

Kathleen Munroe was chic to the hilt in a sleek black coat-dress accented with a bubblegum pink collar and silver shoulders.

Beth Malone emphasized her enviably trim waistline in clinging black leather trousers, which she clashed elegantly against a summery white blouse.

John, Ashley Zukerman, Xavier, Nico, Chaise Torio, Jemima, Evangeline Decker, Wyatt, Alexandra, Chase, Max, Alexander, Michael Tow, Kathleen, Jesse Peretz, Shawnee and Beth all got together for a dazzling group shot to remember.

Although the novel by Garth Risk Hallberg takes place the 1970s and includes such events as the New York blackout of 1977, the show has been reset to the early 2000s.

The intrigues of a rich Manhattan family, a string of unsolved fires and the city's music scene are all tangled into the storyline.

Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the team who developed the original Gossip Girl series, City On Fire will bow on Apple TV+ this Friday.
The 15-year-old brother of reality TV star Olivia Plath was killed Thursday when a car hit him as he rode his electric bike.

Micah Meggs died at the scene after he was struck by a Honda Accord on U.S. 220 in Franklin County, Virginia, The Roanoke Times reported.

The family said Micah suffered from cerebral palsy, which was a result of an injury to the network of nerves in the shoulder, the brachial plexus, during birth.

Plath, 25, who stars in the Georgia-based family docuseries Welcome To Plathville, wrote on Instagram stories: 'I lost a younger brother last night to an unexpected accident and I need some clarity and space for grieving.'

Olivia, who is married to Ethan Plath, 24, said she was 'jumping off of social media for a bit' and 'taking some space now' in the wake of the tragedy.

Her mother-in-law Kim Plath, matriarch of the reality TV family, lost her 17-month-old son Joshua in a car accident in 2008 when she ran him over on the family farm in Georgia.

Micah Meggs is seen holding up a fish he caught. The 15-year-old was killed Thursday when a car hit his bike

Micah Meggs, in the orange t-shirt and baseball cap, is pictured with his siblings

Tragic: Welcome to Plathville's Olivia Plath has revealed that her 15-year-old brother Micah Meggs was killed after he was struck by car while riding an electric bike Thursday

Meggs is seen playing in a river. His family said he loved being outdoors

In the incident, Meggs was in the right southbound lane on the route when he was struck by the vehicle.

The crash happened less than a mile north of Virginia 619.

The driver of the Honda did not suffer any injuries.

Micah is the ninth of Don and Karen Meggs' 10 children.

He is survived by his parents, grandmothers, siblings Elijah, Joshua, Elise, Olivia, Lydia, Sophia, Nathan, Carris and Kirsten, and nieces and nephews, his family said in an obituary.

Micah always sought to spread joy to those close to him, according to his relatives.

'Micah loved to hang out with his siblings and a few close friends, playing practical jokes, sharing his understated sense of humor and bringing laughs to those he loved,' the family said.

Micah's family said his 'fun-loving and intrepid determination characterized his life.'

They said he 'enjoyed spending his time outdoors hunting, fishing, camping and trapping, and became a skilled outdoorsman.'

The family added: 'He enjoyed displaying his trophies and making video tutorials to teach others how to enjoy the life he loved.'

Micah is the ninth of Don and Karen Meggs' 10 children, and enjoyed the outdoors, his family said

Micah Meggs, in a photo released by the family

Plath said she was 'jumping off of social media for a bit' and 'taking some space now' in the wake of the tragedy

Plath said Tuesday that she was 'on a social media break due to a family death'

While his cerebral palsy 'made it difficult for him to do the things he enjoyed so much,' his family said, Micah 'never complained or let himself be limited by his disability and continually found ways to pursue his outdoor activities despite this struggle.'

They added: 'Micah brought tremendous light, laughter and love into every life he touched and his presence will be greatly missed.'

The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, donations to the United Brachial Plexus Network.

Welcome to Plathville debuted on TLC in 2019, featuring Olivia and Ethan, his eight siblings, and parents Barry and Kim Plath.

According to a show synopsis from TLC, the Plaths 'are a blonde, blue-eyed family of 11 in southeastern Georgia' who 'share a passion for music, religion, family life and traditional roles.'

Barry and Kim Plath, like the Meggs, had 10 children - their 17-month-old-son Joshua died in a 2008 car accident.

Kim Plath was using her car to move fruit trees on their Georgia property, and did not see the baby.

'I had just seen him and I thought it was okay,' she said, in an episode that aired in 2019.

'But I ran over him.'

She was also pregnant with her eighth child at the time.

The nine surviving siblings all feature on the show.

On a now-deleted family website, according to People, Kim Plath wrote that she was tortured by her baby son's death.

'I woke up every morning and functioned. But just barely. I wanted to die,' she wrote.

'My husband was dealing with losing his son and his wife. I was gone. Checked out. Unavailable for conversations or reality.

'I thought of the accusations I would have thrown at Barry if the situation had been reversed.

'He never did. He never even hinted at anything like that. He was strong. He just loved me.'

Kim and Barry Plath announced their intention to divorce last year, after 24 years of marriage.

'After considerable thought and discussion, we have decided to end our marriage,' they told People.

'While this was not an easy decision, we know it's the best choice for both of us. We have been through many highs and lows in our 24 years of marriage and as we navigate this new chapter in our lives, we will co-parent our amazing children.'
Nick Cannon revealed that his ex-wife Mariah Carey has a relaxed stance about his large number of children on Tuesday during a podcast interview.

The 42-year-old TV host shares 12-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with Mariah, 54, and he also has 10 children with several other women.

He opened up about amicably co-parenting with Mariah on Revolt's The Jason Lee Show podcast.

'She high frequency, man. She always asks me, ''You aight? You good? How you doing? You handling it all?'',' Nick said of his relationship with Mariah.

He added: 'She's like, as long as you don't bring none of that bulls*** to the Manor of Carey. Like, she lives in her own world, nothing can infiltrate that stuff. When we talk daily, she's just checking on my spirit.'

Podcast guest: Nick Cannon revealed that his ex-wife Mariah Carey has a relaxed stance about his large number of children on Tuesday during an appearance on The Jason Lee Show

Nick has children Golden, six, Powerful, two, and seven-month-old Rise with Brittany Bell; 22-month-old twins Zion and Zillion and five-month-old daughter Beautiful with Abby De La Rosa; nine-month-old son Legendary with Bre Tiesi and seven-month-old Onyx with LaNisha Cole.

His son Zen with Alyssa Scott who was born in June 2021 died five months later of a brain tumor and they have since had four-month-old daughter Halo.

Nick clarified on the podcast that he pays expenses for his children, but not child support overseen by the government.

'They can have whatever they want. My account is they account, and there's a lot in there. So we ain't gonna run out!,' said Nick, who recently claimed in a Los Angeles Times column that he makes $100 million a year.

Nick also was shown on Tuesday's episode of The Jason Lee Show on the Revolt network and denied that he was expecting a 13th child.

'Twelve is a righteous number. I'm gonna stay there,' Nick said.

Nick also said that having 12 children 'doesn't seem like it's too much.'

He pointed out that he has three children with two different women along with twins Monroe and Moroccan among his brood and they all live in the same vicinity.

Singing superstar: The 42-year-old TV host shares 12-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with Mariah , shown on Saturday in Las Vegas , and he also has 10 children with several other women.

Family time: Mariah and Nick are shown with their twins Monroe and Moroccan in March 2018 in Inglewood, California

Revolt show: Nick also was shown on Tuesday's episode of The Jason Lee Show on the Revolt network and denied that he was expecting a 13th child

Nick in the Los Angeles Times column shared that after marrying Mariah in 2008 that he went 'rented out the Four Seasons' for their one-year anniversary, but eventually their relationship fizzled.

'Imagine if, like, Trump and Putin had to live in the same house,' he said while trying to describe their relationship.

'It wasn't even about her and I, we've always been good. It was more about us understanding that instead of making it about our relationship and what I want or what you want, we should just do what's best for the children,' Nick said.

Nick while on The Jason Lee Show promoted season 19 of Wild 'N Out that premiered on April 6 on VH1.
Claire Danes arrived in style at Tuesday's Fleishman Is In Trouble FYC event as she donned a long black dress that showed her baby bump.

The 44-year-old actress - who is expecting her third child - was joined by her costar Lizzy Caplan, 40, who she posed with on the red carpet.

The My So-Called Life alum glowed as she smiled and placed a hand on her burgeoning belly.

Her gown boasted cape sleeves that flashed her toned arms and the skirt of the piece had soft, flattering pleats.

Danes and Caplan starred in the 2022 limited series alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Adam Brody, and more.

Striking: Claire Danes arrived in style at Tuesday's Fleishman Is In Trouble FYC event as she donned a long black dress that showed her baby bump

Castmate: The 44-year-old actress - who is expecting her third child - was joined by her costar Lizzy Caplan , 40, who she posed with on the red carpet

Claire's bright blonde graduated bob was styled in a side part with the locks ironed straight as she tucked one side behind her ear.

The sleek look was complemented by a pair of large, silver-toned hoop earrings and she wore two rings.

The mom-to-be, who's married to actor Hugh Dancy, finished the elegant outfit with a pair of open-toe black heels.

The star flashed a bright red pedicure, which contrasted her short, colorless manicure.

She looked typically beautiful in a face of peach-toned makeup that accentuated her features.

Last January Danes shared news that she and husband Hugh, who she married in 2009, were expecting a third child.

Then, at the Golden Globes she debuted her small baby bump in a plunging white Giambattista Valli gown with a pink bow and a fringe hem.

Claire and Hugh, 47, met on the 2006 set of Lajos Koltai's Evening, in which they played love interests.

Look alikes: The two women playfully stood in front of cartoon versions of themselves

Signature style: Claire's bright blonde graduated bob was styled in a side part with the locks ironed straight as she tucked one side behind her ear

Footwear: The mom-to-be, who's married to actor Hugh Dancy, finished the elegant outfit with a pair of open-toe black heels

Mom-to-be: Claire beamed, showing off her pregnancy glow as she cradled her stomach

For her part, Lizzy dazzled in a sheer black shirt and skirt that teased her black undergarment.

The short-sleeved blouse featured a crew neck and flashed a deep v-neck bra.

The Mean Girls actress, who hails from Los Angeles, added purple pantyhose for a quirky touch.

Lizzy stepped out in black peep-toe shoes with a chunky high heel.

She showed off her trim frame in the edgy, feminine outfit, and turned heads as she walked the red carpet.

The longtime performer pulled her lustrous brunette locks into a high bun with face-framing bangs.

Caplan, who is married to English actor Tom Riley, looked pretty in matte, pink-hued makeup abbed on her cheeks and pout.

Fleishman Is In Trouble premiered on FX last November and was based off the 2019 novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

She adapted the novel for TV and was an executive producer on the eight-episode miniseries.

Fashion flair: For her part, Lizzy dazzled in a sheer black shirt and skirt that teased her black undergarment

Flattering look: She showed off her trim frame in the edgy, feminine outfit, and turned heads as she walked the red carpet

Pretty: The longtime performer pulled her lustrous brunette locks into a high bun with face-framing bangs

The show centers on 'recently separated fortysomething Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), who dives into the brave new world of dating with the kind of success he never had dating in his youth,' according to a studio synopsis of the series, 'before he got married at the tail end of medical school.'

'But just at the start of his first summer of sexual freedom, his ex-wife, Rachel (Danes), disappears, leaving him with the kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return.'

The synopsis continued, 'As he balances parenting, the return of old friends (Caplan and Brody), a promotion at the hospital that is a long time coming, and all the eligible women that Manhattan has to offer, he realizes that hell never be able to figure out what happened to Rachel until he can take a more honest look at what happened to their marriage in the first place.'

The show also features Christian Slater, Josh Radnor, Meara Mahoney Gross, Maxim Swinton, Michael Gaston, Ralph Adriel, Shi Ne Nielson and Joy Suprano.

Last fall Lizzy stopped by the Today show to talk about her role in the limited series, which debuted on Hulu.

'It's based on the novel by the same name and... if you like the book, it's such a true adaptation, I think you will dig this,' she said.

She described her character Libby Epstein as, 'struggling with suburban life. It's not what she was meant to be doing. She had a job as a writer at a magazine and she quit her job to move to the suburbs and raise her family and it is suffocating her.'

She told interviewers that if viewers tune in to the eight episode series, 'It will make you laugh and it will absolutely make you cry - like, ugly cry.'

L-R: Claire, executive producer Sarah Timberman, and Lizzy

Sleek: Adam Brody looked great as he arrived at the affair in an all black ensemble

Striking: The longtime actor, who is married to Leighton Meester, looked handsome with his textured dark hair loosely tousled

Miniseries: Fleishman Is In Trouble premiered on FX last November and was based off the 2019 novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Adam, 43, looked great as he arrived at the affair in an all black ensemble.

The longtime actor, who is married to Leighton Meester, looked handsome with his textured dark hair loosely tousled.

He sported a scruffy beard as he stepped out solo for the Los Angeles gathering.

Adam plays the role of Seth on the show, a college friend of Toby and Libby's who can't relate to their midlife woes as he's unmarried and childless.
Kim Cattrall showed off her glamorous style as she attended the About My Father premiere at the SVA Theater in New York City on Tuesday.

Cattrall, 66, glittered in an $800 sequin jumpsuit by Jody Morlock under a metallic silver jacket.

The Sex And The City alum paired the stylish ensemble with silver heels, hoop earrings, multiple chunky rings, bracelets on both wrists and an impressive diamond necklace.

The beauty wore her honey blonde locks several inches past her shoulders with bangs.

After striking a few poses by herself, Cattrall was joined for another round by Leslie Bibb, who showed off her fab figure in a $3195 purple sleeveless cotton dress with floral lace by Jason Wu.

Back in the city: Kim Cattrall looked glamorous at the NYC premiere of About My Father on Tuesday

Blinged out: The Sex And The City alum wowed in a $800 sequin jumpsuit by Jody Morlock under a metallic silver jacket

The former star of The Big Easy was the picture of elegance with her short blonde tresses styled in a wavy bob-cut below her ears.

The upcoming new comedy film About My Father is loosely based on the 49-year-old comedian Sebastian Maniscalco's life and relationship with his father, Salvatore Maniscalco.

In the film, Sebastian's father is played by Robert De Niro, 79, who recently announced the birth of his seventh child.

The two-time Academy Award-Winner wore a black and grey polo shirt under a navy blazer as he posed alongside Maniscalco's father, whom he plays in the film.

Sebastian, 49, who co-wrote and stars in the film, looked handsome in a dark green suit over a light green button up.

Maniscalco shared the spotlight with his dad, who's often been a source of material for his standup comedy act over the years.

His animated father would strike a few poses alongside his son in a black suit with a white dress shirt.

Salvatore Maniscalco and his family immigrated from Cefalu, Sicily to Illinois when he was just 15-years-old, and with him he brought many of his Italian customs and traditions.

It's those traditions and way of life that his son uses to perfection in his comedy, which no doubt plays a big role in the new movie.

Full glame: Cattrall paired the stylish ensemble with silver earrings, multiple chunky rings, bracelets on both wrists, and an impressive diamond necklace

Premise: The story is loosely based on the life of comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and his relationship with his Italian immigrant father Salvatore Maniscalco, played by Robert De Niro

Classic: The Big Easy star, Bibb, was the picture of elegance in a $3195 sleeveless floral dress by Jason Wu

Come on! Kim playfully dragged Leslie onto the carpet for a few snaps together

Legend: They were joined by cinema legend Robert De Niro, 79, who's also in the film

The two-time Academy Award-Winner wore a black and grey polo shirt under a navy blazer as he posed alongside Maniscalco's father, whom he plays in the film

(L-R) Laura Terruso, Anders Holm, Leslie Bibb, Sebastian Maniscalco, Salvo Maniscalco, Robert De Niro, Kim Cattrall, David Rasche and Brett Dier

Family matters: Sebastian Maniscalco shared the spotlight with his father, Salvatore Maniscalco, which is only right considering he has been a source of material for his comedy over the years, including this new film

Coming soon: The acclaimed standup comedian looked handsome in green suit over a light green button-up. About My Father is scheduled to premiere in theaters in the U.S. on May 29

Directed by Laura Terruso from a screenplay by Sebastian Maniscalco and Austen Earl, the story follows Sebastian as he informs his dad about his plan to propose to his American girlfriend during a weekend getaway, which Salvo insists he should attend.

Despite the clash between their two cultures and initial perception of having nothing in common, they eventually become a single, unified family by the end of the summer holiday weekend.

Other stars from the film in attendance were Anders Holm, David Rasche, Brett Diar and Laura Terruso. They also made the rounds in front of the photographers.

About My Father is scheduled to premiere in theaters in the U.S. on May 29.
Lara Worthington and her actor husband Sam Worthington were all smiles when they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday.

The couple, who have been married for eight years, were joined by luxury real estate broker and Million Dollar Listing New York star Steve Gold.

Lara, 35, showed of her signature sense of style in a sheepskin-lined black and yellow leather Louis Vuitton jacket.

The Australian model paired her look with blue low-rise denim jeans and Adidas Samba sneakers.

She accessorised with a set of Martix-style sunglasses and a black handbag.

Lara Worthington and her actor husband Sam Worthington were all smiles when they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Hollywood actor Sam, 46, dressed head-to-toe in black, wearing a denim jacket that was buttoned up at his neck, a black T-shirt and black trousers.

He completed his look with a pair of leather boots and matched his wife with a pair of similar black sunglasses.

The Avatar star let out a rare smile as he chatted with Gold, 38, while Lara also joined in on the conversation.

Sam and Lara - who share three young sons Rocket, seven, Racer, six, and River, two - are rarely seen out together other than to attend red carpet events.

Sam, 46, dressed head-to-toe in black and smiled as he chatted with Million Dollar Listing New York star Steve Gold, 38

Lara, 35, also joined in on the conversation while taking to the streets to show off her eye for style

They were last photographed together departing Sydney to head back to America after a brief Aussie trip.

Back in February, Lara gushed over her husband in a sweet Valentine's Day tribute.

'Happy late V Day, thank you for doing my laundry for nearly a decade,' she wrote alongside a photo of Sam.

Sam and Lara - who share three young sons Rocket, seven, Racer, six, and River, two - are rarely seen out together other than to attend red carpet events

In the image, Sam is seen looking cool as a cucumber as he sits on a couch in an all-black ensemble.

Lara and her husband-of-nine-years recently moved back to the USA after spending much of 2021 in Australia.

The fiercely private couple tied the knot in December 2014 in a low-key ceremony, saying 'I do' in front of just 10 people at a private house in Melbourne.

At the time Lara was six months pregnant with their son Rocket.
Big Brother Reggie Bird has shared a heartbreaking update about her teenage son Lucas' health.

The 13-year-old has cystic fibrosis and is frequently in and out of hospital.

On Tuesday, Reggie, 49, told her Instagram followers that he was not doing well.

Posting a photo of Lucas asleep on a couch, Reggie said she was hoping he doesn't wind up in hospital again.

She wrote: 'Well its Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month and its ironic that Lucas has gone downhill like a ton of bricks.

Big Brother Reggie Bird has shared a heartbreaking update about her teenage son Lucas' health. The 13-year-old has cystic fibrosis and is frequently in and out of hospital

On Tuesday, Reggie, 49, shared with her followers on Instagram that was not doing well. Posting a photo of Lucas asleep on a couch, Reggie said she is hoping he doesn't end up in hospital again

'He hasnt been sick for so long... he wont eat as his throat is sore and hes been sick and sleeping all day.

'My anxiety has gone through the roof as Im hoping we dont end up in hospital.'

The reality star, who also has a daughter called Mia, 15, has been sharing the realities of having a child with a chronic disease for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

On Wednesday, she posted a picture of Lucas with a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) inserted into his arm.

She told her followers that he has had a PICC line inserted many times over the years when he has been very ill.

'PICC Line... Lucas has had many over the years,' she wrote.

'A PICC Line is a thin tube inserted into the vein in the upper arm and then guided into a larger vein above the right side of the heart called the superior vena cava.

'This is used to give strong intravenous fluids when Lucas gets really sick.'

Reggie, who won Big Brother Australia in 2003 and 2022, received an abundance of supportive comments from her friends and followers, who wished her and Lucas well.

One person said: 'Amiga, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Sending Lucas healing vibrations.'

On Wednesday, Reggie posted a picture of Lucas with a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) inserted into his arm

While another wrote: 'Sending love and healing thoughts to you all... I can't begin to imagine what you must be going through so I hope i can help in any way big or small.'

And a third commented: 'I cant imagine how hard this would be as a mother both emotionally and physically you're a pillar of strength for your family Reggie.'

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system and it cannot be cured.

Sufferers with the disease develop 'excessively thick and sticky mucus within the lungs, airways and the digestive system' that cause several issues for their body.

Reggie's son Lucas was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition at just four weeks old.

Reggie pictured with her son Lucas when he was three years old

Speaking to the No Filter podcast last year, the reality star admitted she was scared to have another child in case they were born with the disease.

The mother-of-two also has her own health struggles - she was declared legally blind after battling an eye condition for 12 years.

At 29, she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa and told she would eventually lose her vision.

'I've lost my peripheral vision and I've got 10 degrees of central vision left. I have no night vision,' she told Channel 7's The Daily Edition.
Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge looked in love as they attended the Chanel Cruise Show in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

This marks the first time the newlyweds have attended a red carpet-event since tying the knot in France.

The 24-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie - who wore three Chanel dresses during her recent wedding - looked stunningly dressed in Chanel from head to toe.

The influencer styled her long blonde tresses in a ponytail and wore a white jacket with pink boa-style piping, short lace shorts, and black and white strappy heels.

Her 29-year-old husband, the son of Universal Music Group bigwig Lucian Grainge, looked handsome in a navy suit over a cream sweater with cream sneakers.

True love: Newlyweds Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge attended the Chanel Cruise Show in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Beauty: The 24-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie looked stunningly dressed in Chanel from head to toe

The duo looked happier than ever as they shared moments before entering the event as they crossed the street holding hands.

The spectacular wedding took place at the luxury Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera two weeks ago.

Lionel, 73, told Access Hollywood last year that he didn't need 'to vet' Elliot before he married his daughter as he's known him a long time through his father, Lucian.

'I love Elliot, I've known him since he was 12,' Lionel gushed. 'It was one of those things where I don't have to go back and check out the kid. I know who it is,' said Lionel.

Lionel also revealed that Elliot asked his permission to marry his daughter.

And ahead of the nuptials, Elliot shared some rare insight into his relationship with Sofia in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

When the outlet wondered how Elliot found himself romantically involved with Sofia, Grainge said, 'You can't help who you fall in love with,'

The music executive then joked, 'I really try and keep the profile as low as possible.'

'My happy place is with my girl on the couch binging a TV series where we argue about which episode we're on,' he said.

Fashionista: The influencer styled her long blonde tresses in a ponytail and wore a white jacket with pink boa-style piping, short lace shorts, and black and white strappy heels

Back in LA: This marks the first time the newlyweds have been seen back in LA since tying the knot in France two weeks ago

Dashing duo: Elliot, the son of Universal Music Group bigwig Lucian Grainge, looked handsome in a navy suit over a cream sweater with cream sneakers

Dad connections: Sofia's hitmaker father Lionel Richie, 73, told Access Hollywood last year that he didn't need 'to vet' Elliot as he's known his father Lucian for a long time through music

Gorgeous: The model, 24, radiated beauty on her big day as she posed for pictures in a beaded ivory gown

Love story: Sofia and Elliot started out as friends before taking their relationship to a romantic level in 2021 following her split from Scott Disick, 39

Engaged! He popped the question in April 2022

Sofia and Elliot started out as friends before taking their relationship to a romantic level in 2021 following her split from Scott Disick, 39.

He popped the question in April 2022.

Sofia officially converted to Judaism ahead of their wedding, as Elliot is Jewish.

Sofia was raised as a Christian and spent two years at a Christian school, Oaks Christian.

Sofia called the conversion 'one of the greatest experiences of my life.'
She recently shared her devastation following the tragic death of MasterChef Australia judge, Jock Zonfrillo.

And Nigella Lawson looked downcast as she stepped out to grab a bite to eat in the upmarket suburb of Potts Point, Sydney, on Tuesday.

The British star shielded her eyes with designer sunglasses as she emerged from a local cafe with some takeaway.

She kept her look simple for the outing - wearing a blue and white polka-dot midi dress with puff sleeves and buttons down the front.

She completed her ensemble with white Birkenstocks and and accessorised with a leather strap around her shoulder for her mobile phone.

Cooking queen Nigella Lawson looked downcast as she stepped out in Sydney on Tuesday after paying tribute to fellow chef Jock Zonfrillo

The English native let her brunette hair hang loosely around her shoulders and highlighted her natural beauty by going makeup free for the outing.

Her day out comes after Nigella shared her heartbreak over the loss of fellow culinary icon Zonfrillo.

The Scottish-Australian chef was found dead by police at a hotel on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne, at about 2am on Monday, May 1 at the age of 46.

The British star shielded her eyes with designer sunglasses as she emerged from a local cafe with some takeaway

She kept her look simple for the outing - wearing a blue and white polka-dot midi dress with puff sleeves and buttons down the front

She completed her look with white Birkenstocks and and accessorised with a leather strap around her shoulder for her mobile phone

'I can't stop thinking about Jock Zonfrillo's children, his family,' tweeted Nigella following the sad news.

'So many are plunged into deepest grief. My heart goes out to them. And I hope their wishes for privacy are respected.'

Her day out comes after Nigella shared her heartbreak over the loss of fellow culinary icon Zonfrillo

The beloved British chef later paid tribute to Zonfrillo on The Sunday Project: 'My heart breaks, as I'm sure everyone's does, for Jock's children.

'And his family and everyone who loved him of course. May his memory be a blessing.'

Nigella has two children with with her first husband John Diamond, who died of throat cancer in 2001: Cosima, 29, and Bruno, 26.

The beloved British chef later paid tribute to Zonfrillo on The Sunday Project

'My heart breaks, as I'm sure everyone's does, for Jock's children' she said
She is known for her outrageous skin-baring outfits.

And Nicole Trunfio, 37, flashed plenty of flesh as she attended an event for her Bumpsuit brand in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Aussie supermodel showed off her endless legs in an eye-catching bright pink mini dress complete with pearl and bow detailing.

The mother-of-three completed the look with a pair of matching pink suede Chanel slingback heels.

She had her brunette tresses down and opted for a natural palette when it came to her makeup.

Supermodel Nicole Trunfio, 37, dazzled as she flaunted her endless pins in an eye-catching minidress for a Bumpsuit event in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Pictured

Nicole is the founder of brands Bumpsuit, Erth Jewellery and Erth Swim.

She has been taking time away from the catwalk in order to focus on her business interests and family.

The former Make Me a Supermodel judge shares three children with her American musician husband, Gary Clarke Jnr. - Zion, seven, and daughters Gia, four, and Ella, two.

She had her brunette tresses down and opted for a natural palette when it came to her makeup

The Aussie supermodel showed off her endless legs in an eye-catching bright pink mini dress complete with pearl and bow detailing. Seen with model and influencer Stormi Bree Henley

Nicole often documents her love of being a mother.

Posting a tribute to her children on Instagram in June last year, she wrote: 'All mine, actually... my belief is they are not 'mine', I'm just here to raise, nurture and nourish them, to love them and guide them the best way I can.'

'Hopefully they will love and respect me for that, and we will create a forever unbreakable bond that will keep us close, so we can share a million memories and laughs together for our entire lifetimes.

'I respect these little people as equals and I probably learn as much if not more from them as they do from me.'
Kristen Stewart looked striking at the Chanel Cruise 2023/24 show in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Spencer actress put on a stylish display in a black tweed jacket and the matching trousers as she posed on the red carpet ahead of the star-studded fashion show.

The Charlie's Angel star opted for an effortlessly chic look with a classic, white T-shirt under the open suit jacket.

The Twilight alum accessorized with a brass necklace with an eye-catching square pendant emblazoned with the iconic double C logo.

Stewart has been a brand ambassador for the luxury fashion house since 2013 and sported a Chanel black-and-white suit to the 2023 Met Gala.

Stunning: Kristen Stewart, 33, looked striking at the Chanel Cruise 2023/24 show in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Spencer actress put on a stylish display in a black tweed jacket and the matching trousers as she posed on the red carpet ahead of the star-studded fashion show

The Academy Award nominee teamed the ensemble with a pair of black, patent leather shoes.

For makeup, the SoCal native opted for a minimal look to show off her radiant and natural beauty. She sported a copper smokey eye with no eyeliner for a subtle glam.

Stewart also wore a touch of bronzer and coral blush for a light, sun-kissed appearance. She then finished off the look with a barely-there nude lip.

At the event, she also took a quick snap and posed with Riley Keough.

The actress  who starred alongside Stewart in the 2010 musical biopic The Runaways  donned a quilted fur jacket over a striped, graphic bodysuit.

The look perfectly suited Stewart's personal style and was reminiscent of her 2023 Met Gala look.

Last week, Stewart, the current face of Chanel, wore a sophisticated, androgynous look from Karl Lagerfeld's 2016/2017 Cruise Collection for fashion's biggest night.

Her stylist, Tara Swennen, explained to The Hollywood Reporter why they decided on that particular look for the theme of the year  Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.

Dressed up: The Charlie's Angel star opted for an effortlessly chic look with a classic, white T-shirt under the open suit jacket

Brand ambassador: The Twilight alum accessorized with a brass necklace with an eye-catching square pendant emblazoned with the iconic double C logo

Chic: The Academy Award nominee teamed the ensemble with a pair of black, patent leather shoes. For makeup, the SoCal native opted for a minimal look to show off her radiant and natural beauty. She sported a copper smokey eye with no eyeliner for a subtle glam

Stylish pair: At the event, she also took a quick snap and posed with Riley Keough

Former costars: The actress  who starred alongside Stewart in the 2010 musical biopic The Runaways  donned a quilted fur jacket over a striped, graphic bodysuit

Swennen said: 'The overall look has more of a zoot suit vibe about it, and Kristen was really drawn to that.

'It's more about leaning into an androgynous look, while it also harkens to the way it went down the runway. But overall, the look feels very Kristen,' she added.

'As her longtime stylist, I know she loves it in every way, shape and form,' she continued, adding that the actress enjoys merging comfort with style.

'She's going to be so comfortable and so at ease, she'll be leaping up those museum steps.'
by Sahibzada Muhammad Usman

The enemys major strategy against Pakistan is propaganda warfare, which adversaries are using in an effort to incite various segments of Pakistani society against the government. The standard hybrid war tactic is employed to undermine Pakistani bloggers/journalists and human rights organizations against the state. Accusations that these organizations are being used by enemy agencies of Pakistan to further their agenda with regard to the issue of missing persons are unfounded and unsupported by evidence.





It is important to recognize that accusations of foreign interference or hidden agendas only serve to undermine the important work that human rights organizations do.





Pakistani journalists gather in the newsroom of Geo television in Karachi on June 6, 2014. [AFP PHOTO / ASIF HASSAN ]





Pakistans enemies attempt to undermine Pakistans stability and sovereignty by backing their phoney campaigns for free speech, expression, and missing persons. The issue of missing persons is a complex and multifaceted problem that affects all provinces of Pakistan, albeit to varying degrees. Enforced disappearances have been reported from different parts of the country, including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab.





In the past, Pakistan has seen a number of left-wing individuals, NGO employees, journalists, and purported human rights advocates flee the country in search of refuge overseas by fabricating stories against Pakistan and its security forces for the benefit of mainstream media. However, the UN and other reputable international organizations worldwide have consistently rejected their allegations because they lack supporting documentation. Pakistanis, particularly the young, are proud of their nation and its security forces, so they consistently defend it in forums to dispel hostile lies.





The above-discussed situation is now being produced by forces hostile to Pakistan, who wish to further their own interests by stirring up discontent and upsetting the countrys stability. In this context, tying together the concerns of missing individuals, freedom of speech, and expression will also aid left-wing anarchists in Pakistan and deflect attention from Indias terrorist actions over the border. This poses a real threat to Pakistan and should be considered a strategy in the context of fifth-generation warfare.





Pakistan has suffered the most in terms of manpower and resources as a front-line state in the fight against terrorism. But regrettably, allies and Western nations have doubts about Pakistans efforts, question its dedication to the cause, and steadfastly refuse to consider their own national and strategic interests in the region. The majority of the anti-Pakistan propaganda is produced and delivered outside of Pakistan. As a result, taking any action against them is quite difficult. All this is done by foreign intelligence agencies from other countries to support this fifth-generation assault against Pakistan.





With its unrestricted, worldwide reach and all-permeating power, certain international media is likewise ferociously working to defame Pakistan and damage its reputation among other countries. According to research by the non-governmental organization EU Disinfo Lab in Belgium, more than 265 phoney local news websites run by one Indian influence network have been discovered in over 65 countries. These are responsible for global anti-Pakistan propaganda.





Under the current conditions, the government must prioritize efforts to improve its understanding of Pakistans position and reputation abroad in addition to relying on state-to-state diplomacy. In actuality, Pakistan boasts one of South Asias most active media landscapes. In Pakistan, privately owned media dominate. In contrast to the countrys five state-run TV networks, Pakistan boasts more than 100 privately held television channels and almost 300 privately owned daily newspapers, demonstrating Pakistani medias freedom of expression and free speech rights. Along with it, Pakistans emergence of a free press and an independent judiciary are, in fact, historic developments. Equally encouraging advances are the steps made toward gender equality and womens empowerment.





According to Dawn, tourism in Pakistan has grown by 317% since 2014. This statistic is simple to believe, particularly in light of the many travel influencers and content producers promoting tourism in Pakistan lately. As a result and unavoidably, there are many opinions about travelling in Pakistan on the internet today, some of which are accurate while others are inaccurate and written by tourists who have only spent a short time there, claiming that Pakistan is one of the safest countries in the world or that they felt very safe while visiting.





Dr. Sahibzada Muhammad Usman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pisa, Italy. He is an Assistant Professor and MS Cluster Head in Department of Strategic Studies at Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Chris Hemsworth was spotted barefoot in Byron Bay as he showed off his dirty feet and growing beard.

The Thor actor, 39, ditched his footwear as he was photographed carrying some takeaway food alongside his twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, nine, last Sunday.

Attempting to go incognito, the Hollywood actor wore a black cap and sunglasses as he enjoyed a sunny day.

Chris looked casual but cool as he donned a pair of khaki shorts and a baggy black T-shirt.

The father-of-three, who also shares daughter India Rose, 10, with his wife Elsa Patakay, has been spotted spending lots of time with his family in their hometown of Byron Bay.

Chris Hemsworth (pictured) was spotted barefoot in Byron Bay as he showed off his dirty feet and growing beard

This comes as the actor announced that he is scaling back on work after discovering he's at risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The Rush actor told Vanity Fair last November he has decided to take 'time off' after filming a confronting episode about death on his new Disney+ docu-series Limitless.

After having bloodwork done for the program, he was informed he is 'between eight and 10 times' likelier to develop Alzheimer's than the general population, because he is one of only two to three percent of people with two copies of the gene APOE4.

The Thor actor, 39, ditched his footwear as he was photographed carrying some takeaway food alongside his twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, nine, last Sunday

However, there are evidently a number of steps that people in his position can take to reduce their level of risk, such as ensuring they get a good night's sleep, curbing their alcohol intake and cutting out cigarettes, according to the CDC.

As a result, Chris reacted to the news of his own predisposition to Alzheimer's by cultivating a healthier lifestyle.

'Doing an episode on death and facing your own mortality made me go, "Oh God, I'm not ready to go yet",' he told the publication.

Attempting to go incognito, the Hollywood actor wore a black cap and sunglasses as he enjoyed a sunny day out with his sons

'I want to sit and be in this space with a greater sense of stillness and gratitude. And then you start talking about kids and family...It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off.'

Playing on Chris' stardom through superhero movies, Limitless follows him as he pushes up against the boundaries of what his body can do.

He is seen on the Disney+ program pursuing various physical goals, such as what Variety reports was 40lbs of weight gain for a Thor film.
Milla Jovovich joined a cavalcade of celebrities who flooded into this Tuesday evening's Chanel show in Los Angeles.

The 47-year-old action star, who commands a devoted fanbase from her turn in the Resident Evil franchise, showed off her assets to full advantage.

She arrived at the fete in a sleek black miniskirt that displayed her vertiginous legs, heightening the impact with sky-high heels.

Slipping into black hose, the Soviet-born celeb popped on a cream floral blouse with a few of the top buttons beguilingly undone.

Her dark brown hair was teased into a stylish coiff and she sharpened her unmistakable features with makeup including a slick of blood-red lipstick.

Hello, gorgeous: Milla Jovovich joined a cavalcade of celebrities who flooded into this Tuesday evening's Chanel show in Los Angeles

When you got it: The 47-year-old action star, who commands a devoted fanbase from her turn in the Resident Evil franchise, showed off her assets to full advantage

Milla accessorized the look with a monochrome handbag that glinted under the lights as she strutted her stuff around the beano.

She posed up a storm for the shutterbugs in front of a backdrop that included a tribute to 31 Rue Cambon, the Paris address of the mothership Chanel store.

A parade of boldface names attended the show, including showbiz legacies like Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough and Steve Harvey's daughter Lori Harvey.

Diana Ross' daughter Tracee Ellis Ross was on hand for the extravaganza, as were Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa and their eldest daughter Natalia.

The 'nepo baby' trend also made its way onto the runway, where Lisa Rinna's daughter Amelia Hamlin was working as one of the models.

Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, French screen queen Marion Cotillard and pop act Halsey could be spotted among guests.

Tuesday's Chanel show came just over a week after the Met Gala, the high-octane New York City blowout known as 'fashion's night out.'

This year's edition of the annual event was a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, who became a global sensation in the industry during his decades as the chief designer for Chanel.

Using what she's got: Her dark brown hair was teased into a stylish coiff and she sharpened her unmistakable features with makeup including a slick of blood-red lipstick

Swanking about: Slipping into black hose, the Soviet-born celeb popped on a cream floral blouse with a few of the top buttons beguilingly undone

Strutting her stuff: The 'nepo baby' trend, so in evidence in the audience, also made its way onto the runway in the form of Lisa Rinna's daughter Amelia Hamlin

Milla herself has been mixed up in the modeling industry since she was 11, just a few years after she immigrated to America with her family from the USSR.

At that tender age she found herself among Revlon's 'Most Unforgettable Women in the World' - handpicked by legendary fashion photographer Richard Avedon.

In 1999, having broken into the movies with such releases as The Fifth Element, she told Allure that acting had been her goal all along.

'Modeling was never a priority. I was always taking acting classes,' she said before laying out what she felt was the difference between the two professions.

'With acting, you have to work and practice. With modeling it's the opposite. You shouldn't care. You should just act blase and go to parties.'
Lais Ribeiro was sure to turn up the heat as she flaunted her jaw-dropping physique in a sizzling new campaign for swimwear brand Bikini Lovers.

The Brazilian supermodel, 32, looked sensational as she slipped into an array of skimpy swimwear for the striking photoshoot on the beach.

And Lais was certainly in her element as she struck a number of sultry poses for the campaign shot by Cameron Hammond.

The Victoria's Secret Angel wowed in a tiny emerald two-piece which perfectly highlighted her incredibly toned figure and ample cleavage.

While she also stunned in a one-shouldered bright pink number while sipping on a cool beer.

Hot stuff: Lais Ribeiro was sure to turn up the heat as she flaunted her jaw-dropping physique in a sizzling new campaign for swimwear brand Bikini Lovers

Work it: The Brazilian supermodel, 32, looked sensational as she slipped into an array of skimpy swimwear for the striking photoshoot on the beach

Poser: Lais was certainly in her element as she struck a number of sultry poses for the campaign shot by Cameron Hammond

Down time: Lais wowed in a number of sultry poses for the photoshoot

Lais also flaunted her taut midriff in a cut-out multicoloured swimsuit while soaking up the sun in the idyllic setting.

And she sent temperatures soaring as she posed up a storm in a multitude of other swimwear.

The beauty proved to be the perfect model for the Italian swimwear brand as she gave her all to the campaign which saw her stroll on a beach, seductively apply sunscreen and even enjoy a spot of horse-riding.

At one point, Lais even posed topless as she gazed at the camera wearing nothing but bikini bottoms and a towel wrapped around her head.

The supermodel is best known for her fabulous figure. She first appeared on stage for Victoria's Secret in 2010, and has since gone on to become a coveted VS Angels beginning in 2015.

Meanwhile in her love life, she tied the knot with Joakim Noah last year.

The loved-up pair exchanged vows in a romantic beach ceremony in her native Brazil.

The lovebirds dated for four years before exchanging vows in Brazil, following a proposal at Burning Man festival.

Green Goddess: The Victoria's Secret Angel wowed in a tiny emerald two-piece which perfectly highlighted her incredibly toned figure and ample cleavage

Refreshing: She also stunned in a one-shouldered bright pink number while sipping on a cool beer

Cut above the rest: Lais also flaunted her taut midriff in a cut-out multicoloured swimsuit while soaking up the sun in the idyllic setting

Beach babe: She looked sensational in the geometric number as she posed at sunset

Gorgeous: While setting temperatures soaring as she posed up a storm in a multitude of other swimwear

For the ceremony, Lais wore a white gown with a semi-sheer bodice embroidered with a floral pattern, and a tulle bottom.

She complemented the romantic look with white flowers arranged behind her ear and her nearly waist-length dark hair styled in loose waves.

The model's father walked her down the aisle wearing a navy suit and shook hands with Noah before they exchanged nuptials under a lush green arch filled with roses.

Fellow Victoria's Secret models Jasmine Tookes and Sara Sampaio served as bridesmaids for the lavish affair.

The duo first announced their engagement with a photo of them hugging, in which she appeared to be topless, apart from some colorful pasties on her breasts.

Flaunt: The beauty proved to be the perfect model for the Italian swimwear brand as she gave her all to the campaign

Horseplay: The shoot saw her stroll on a beach, seductively apply sunscreen and even enjoy a spot of horse-riding

Sizzling: Lais was sure to send temperatures soaring with her latest modelling campaign

Cheeky! At one point, Lais even posed topless as she gazed at the camera wearing nothing but bikini bottoms and a towel wrapped around her head

If you've got it, flaunt it: The supermodel is best known for her fabulous figure

Career: She first appeared on stage for Victoria's Secret in 2010, and has since gone on to become a coveted VS Angels beginning in 2015

In the image, they were standing under a tent at the wildly popular nine-day Burning Man festival in the northern Nevada desert.

She wrote: '@stickity13 [Joakim] surprised me at my fav place in the world and proposed. And I couldn't be happier! We are getting married guys.'

At the time, her husband-to-be wasted little time commenting of the sweet snap: 'Proposing to you was the easiest decision of my life. Seeing that smile riding the playa at the burn I will never forget that. I got your back picanha!!!'

He ended the sentiment with: 'I know you know because I tell you everyday. I love u. On another note this wedding is about to be lit.'
Aaron Taylor-Johnson cut a casual figure as he stepped out for a stroll with his wife Sam in Notting Hill on Monday.

The actor, 32, sported somewhat bizarre facial hair, stepping out with thick side burns down to his jaw and a matching moustache.

Aaron opted for a laid back look for the outing, wearing a white T-shirt along with a pair of navy jeans.

Walking arm-in-arm with his partner, the Kick-Ass star completed his look with a pair of sunglasses and white trainers.

Director Sam, 56, also opted for a white top which she paired with a denim jacket and matching jeans.

The filmmaker added to her look with a beige handbag while she also wore several gold necklaces.

Couple: Aaron Taylor-Johnson cut a casual figure as he stepped out for a stroll with his wife Sam in Notting Hill on Monday

Casual: The actor, 32, opted for a laid back look for the outing, sporting a white T-shirt along with a pair of navy jeans

Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, Sam completed her look with a pair of sunglasses.

Aaron and Sam met in 2009 on the set of their film Nowhere Boy, when he was 18 and she was 42.

They soon began dating and married at Babington Hose in Somerset in June 2012.

The outing comes after Aaron was named as a contender for the role of James Bond after Daniel Craig bowed out of the franchise.

Although it's been a year and a half since Daniel's last appearance as Bond in No Time To Die - producers are taking their time when it comes to making their choice as this role will entail one of the biggest reboots the franchise has seen.

The Bond speculation comes after Aaron reportedly 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 claimed the meeting went 'very well'.

In December, it was also reported that Aaron had shot scenes as the secret agent, filming the memorable 'gun barrel teaser footage' seen in the films over the years.

Future: The outing comes after Aaron was named as a contender for the role of James Bond after Daniel Craig bowed out of the franchise (pictured in 2022)

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.'

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, 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.

Rooting for you! 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

The two British heartthrobs have been contending for the win - but there's one new star that joined the odd race for the 007 franchise.

Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu, 32, is said to be the third most-voted choice for James Bond - as he threatens their lead.

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.
Horror fans were left struggling to sleep after tuning into scary Netflix movie Wounds.

The 2019 psychological horror film starring Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson is so bone chilling that viewers admitted to having nightmares, with one terrified fan remarking: 'I guess I won't sleep tonight'.

The film follows Will, played by Hammer, a bartender based in New Orleans who is has a number of creepy and disturbing things happen to him after he picks up a phone left in his run-down bar.

He is horrified by what he sees as he scrolls through the photo and video library on the device.

He's also unnerved by messages from a guys called Garrett, who is seemingly terrified as something follows him from a tunnel.

Creepy: Horror fans were left struggling to sleep after tuning into scary Netflix movie Wounds, starring Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson (pictured)

Uh oh: The film follows Will, played by Hammer, a bartender based in New Orleans who is has a number of creepy and disturbing things happen to him after he picks up a phone left in his run-down bar

Johnson, who plays his wife Carrie, is suspicious about what he's hiding after she overhears him talking to someone late at night and then refuses to let her see what's on the phone.

As mysterious things begin to happen to the bartender, he finds his sanity slowly unravelling.

The film also stars Zazie Beetz as Will's ex Alicia and Karl Glusman as Alicia's boyfriend Jeffrey.

Viewers tuning into the film were quick to express their feelings after settling down to watch the Babak Anvari directed horror.

'So, Im watching #Wounds and its kind of scary' commented one viewer.

While another shared: 'Jesus christ, I just watched "#Wounds" on #Netflix and I guess I won't sleep tonight. This is the most terrifying movie I have watched in a very long time.'

'I'm all about Dakota Johnson at the moment. Now I'm watching #Wounds. It's gross' shared a third freaked-out watcher.

'Just finished watching #wounds on Netflix. Not as scary as I thought it would be but the ending creepy af! #dakotajohnson delivers her scenes well in my opinion' wrote a fourth.

Shocking: As mysterious things begin to happen to the bartender, he finds his sanity slowly unravelling (Hammer pictured with co-star Zazie Beetz)

Horror: The 2019 psychological horror film is so bone chilling that viewers admitted to having nightmares, with one terrified fan remarking: 'I guess I won't sleep tonight'

With another adding: '#Wounds 2019 This one creepy-crawled its way under my skin and into my psyche, stimulating a nightmare wherein I was made aware of arcane knowledge locked within the code for MS Excel.'

Meanwhile, earlier this month, terrified viewers of Netflix horror Hellhole claim they were so shaken by the show they were unable to get the movie out their heads 'weeks'.

The Polish language film, released by the streaming giant last year, and is set in the country in 1987.

Disturbed: Viewers tuning into the film were quick to express their feelings after settling down to watch the Babak Anvari directed horror

It tells the gripping story of a police officer who is investigating mysterious disappearances.

The cop infiltrates a remote monastery before uncovering the dark truth about its clergy.

And many viewers of the frightening flick took to Twitter to express just how disturbed they were after watching, with some saying they could not get it out of their head.

Horrific: Meanwhile, earlier this month, terrified viewers of Netflix horror Hellhole claim they were so shaken by the show they were unable to get the movie out their heads 'weeks'

Telling the tale: The Polish film tells the gripping story of a police officer who is investigating mysterious disappearances

One person wrote: 'Its been over two weeks since Ive watched Hellhole on Netflix and its stuck in my brain!'

While another person wrote: 'Watch Hellhole on Netflix. Slow burner but what an ending! Partner couldn't last though it, it was too gross.'

'I just finished Hellhole on Netflix and Im sitting here thinking about it. It held my attention but wtf did I just watch?,' asked another viewer.

While another shaken viewer tweeted: 'Was a bad decision to watch Hellhole on Netflix.'
Robert De Niro has added another addition to his family after confirming he has welcomed a seventh child.

The 79-year-old Oscar-winning actor did not reveal the identity of his baby's mother, but he was last linked to martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen.

They were photographed holding hands in July 2022 and in March of this year she appeared pregnant when leaving Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California.

The pair were first rumoured to be dating in August 2021 but they actually met several years prior while filming a movie together in 2015.

As Robert has his hands full with his newborn, MailOnline takes a look at his longtime rumoured girlfriend.

Couple: Robert De Niro recently revealed he has welcomed a seventh child, with the mother thought to be his girlfriend Tiffany Chen

History: The pair were first rumoured to be dating in August 2021 but they actually met several years prior while filming a movie together in 2015

How long have Tiffany and Robert been together?

Robert was spotted with Tiffany in August 2021 as they enjoyed a vacation in the South of France together.

The pair's romance was evident as they were seen holding hands while strolling through the sunshine and were later seen kissing on a yacht.

They were also pictured together in New York in June and attended the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa on July 31, in pictures which appeared on social media but were later deleted.

At the time, the Raging Bull actor was locked in a bitter divorce battle with his now ex wife Grace Hightower.

In April 2022, a judge ruled that his ex-wife, 66, should receive $1 million annually and that the couple will split the proceeds after selling their $20 million home.

How did they meet?

Tiffany and Robert are thought to have first met in 2015 when they worked on the film The Intern together.

The film also starred Anne Hathaway as a workaholic CEO, with Robert working at her company as a senior intern.

Tiffany had a small role as a Tai Chi instructor who helps out Robert's character.

Cosy: Robert was spotted with Tiffany in August 2021 as they enjoyed a vacation in the South of France together

What does Tiffany do for a living?

Tiffany has spent years working as a martial arts instructor, following in the footsteps of her father William Chen.

By age 26, she had been voted into the Inside Kung-Fu magazine Hall of Fame as Competitor of the Year.

She told the publication: 'I train as hard and as much as I possibly can. I always try to get to the gym no matter where I am, to keep my cardio and strength training in check.'

Tiffany cited her father as her 'inspiration' and describrf him as 'an amazing mentor and role model'.
Jenna Coleman has gone back to her brunette roots after showing off a darker toned new hairstyle on Tuesday, following her usual bleach-blonde 'do.

The actress, 36, looked effortlessly chic for her day out in North London, as she took a stroll round the English capital and popped into Planet Organic.

She showed off her fashionable sense of style in a grey jumper and tailored black trousers for the day.

She completed her look with a plaid longline coat and stylish white trainers.

The beauty opted for a make up-free display and toted a brown bag to carry her belongings.

Brunette beauty: Jenna Coleman has gone back to her brunette roots after showing off a darker toned new hairstyle on Tuesday, following her usual bleach-blonde 'do

Beauty: The actress, 36, looked effortlessly chic for her day out in North London, as she took a stroll round the English capital and popped into Planet Organic

The actress just finished starring in the two-man show Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London alongside co-star Aidan Turner.

The stars' play was on-stage for a nine-week run and saw Jenna play rule-abiding lawyer Bernadette while Aidan Turner portrayed free-spirited musician Oliver.

The official synopsis read: '"Let's just talk until it goes". You're going to speak more than 123 million words in your lifetime. What will you do when they run out?

'Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a tender and funny rom-com about what we say, how we say it, and what happens when we can't say anything anymore'.

The play explores a young couples response to a dystopian world in which words are rationed by 'hush laws.'

The production saw its final performance on Saturday, March 18.

Jenna and Aidan took starring roles in the two-hander, which is a West End revival of Sam Steiners debut play of the same name - a huge success following its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015.

However, despite the talent of the actors, critics were left with a slightly sour taste in their mouth since the press night in March.

Chic: She showed off her fashionable sense of style in a grey jumper and tailored black trousers for the day

Looking good: Previously Jenna rocked a short brunette do before returning to blonde for her stint on the West End in 2023 (pictured November 2021)

Spotlight: Jenna and Aidan starred in the West End play Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons

MailOnline's Patrick Marmion gave the play two out of five stars and described the script as 'gimmicky'.

He said: 'Give [anyone] a gimmicky script like this one by Sam Steiner and they will inevitably wind up sounding like Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, waffling to kill time on This Morning.'

Offering the play three out of five stars, Time Out magazine described it as 'a disarmingly bleak affair, or certainly in comparison to eight years ago' - with Brexit blamed for its 'dour' tone.

However the 'lovely' set design was praised, while Steiner's words - of which some have been rewritten since its debut - were applauded for standing the test the time.

Elsewhere The Times also offered three out of five stars, while claiming the play soon runs out of steam.

'Can two good actors and a gifted director, Josie Rourke, make this cocktail of cute ideas add up to more than the sum of its parts? Not quite,' they write.

'Worse, a singsong of Total Eclipse of the Heart trails off when he runs out of words before she does. Every now and then they fall apart.'

Meanwhile The Telegraph claimed it was 'tantalising, but limited' despite strong performances from its two stars, writing: 'Plenty for fans to admire, then, but a few syllables short of a humdinger.'
Michelle Keegan cut a glamorous figure in a slew of stunning snaps as she unveiled her stylish new summer collection with Very.

The actress, 35, flaunted her incredible abs in a sexy blue co-ord as she posed for another range of gorgeous images in the 36-piece range.

Michelle showed off her incredible figure in a busty blue bralet which she teamed with matching flared trousers.

The collection also included a skintight nude midi dress which Michelle donned for yet more gorgeous images.

She also posed in an eye-catching orange co-ord, consisting of a stylish ruche crop top with a revealing front slit.

Wow! Michelle Keegan has unveiled her latest summer collection with Very, and posed for a slew of stunning snaps in her new range

Revealing: The actress flaunted her incredible abs in a sexy blue co-ord as she posed for another range of gorgeous images in the 36-piece range

Stunning! She also posed in an eye-catching orange co-ord, consisting of a stylish ruche crop top with a revealing front slit

Other pieces in the range include a racer neck textured knit midi dress, a mint green sleeveless blazer dress, and a stunning relaxed wrap shirt.

Michelle, who is best known for her roles in Coronation Street and Brassic, has reportedly signed a six-figure deal to star in Fool Me Once which is based on one of Harlan Coben's books.

Seven of Harlan's hit books have already been adapted into Netflix series, including psychological thriller The Stranger, which garnered huge popularity on the platform.

In Fool Me Once, Michelle takes on the role of former special ops pilot Maya, who gets a shock after returning from the war.

According to a book synopsis, Maya goes through a trauma when her husband Joe is brutally murdered, but two weeks later, she has to deal with a mystery when she sees her infant daughter playing with Joe on her baby monitor.

Speaking of Michelle's reported new role, a TV source told The Sun: 'This is a huge role for Michelle. Harlan's dramas are some of the most streamed on Netflix and people watch around the world.'

A release date for the series is yet to be confirmed but it is expected to be available for streaming from late this year or early next.

It comes after Michelle said she found it was 'quite scary' going to Australia alone to film Ten Pound Poms.

Glam! Michelle showed off her incredible figure in a busty blue bralet which she teamed with matching flared trousers

Making a statement! The collection also included a skintight nude midi dress which Michelle donned for yet more gorgeous images

Glam! She posed up a storm in her colourful new Very range

Standing out! Michelle's range also includes a mint green sleeveless blazer dress, and a stunning relaxed wrap shirt

Sizzling! She put on a stunning display in a white and grey pinstriped shirt from her latest collection with the online brand

Looking good! Michelle posed up a storm in a beautiful black maxi dress with a crochet trim from her latest Very range

Coming soon! Michelle, who is best known for her roles in Coronation Street and Brassic, has reportedly signed a six-figure deal to star in Fool Me Onc

The ex soap star 'absolutely loved' working Down Under to make the BBC drama about the immigration boom to the country in the post-World War II period, but she was initially apprehensive about heading to Australia without her television personality husband, Mark Wright, 36.

Michelle - who plays nurse Kate Thorne in the show - said: 'I absolutely loved filming in Australia. I mean, when I first got there the weather wasn't great, I'm not going to lie, but as a country I really enjoyed it.

'In fact, in a way my journey to Australia has parallels with Kate's. It was my first time too and I didn't know what to expect, I came on my own which was quite scary, but it's been such an incredible experience.'

Michelle admitted it was 'really challenging' to play her character Kate's 'turmoil' at times.

She said: 'My character Kate is a nurse who has left the UK to go to Australia for a very different reason from the rest of the characters.

'She has an emotional connection to the country and we find out as the show progresses what her intentions are and why she has gone there.

New role! In Fool Me Once, Michelle takes on the role of former special ops pilot Maya, who gets a shock after returning from the war

Insight: It comes after Michelle said she found it was 'quite scary' going to Australia alone to film Ten Pound Poms

On the move! The ex soap star 'absolutely loved' working Down Under to make the BBC drama about the immigration boom to the country in the post-World War II period

Candid: Michelle admitted she was initially apprehensive about heading to Australia without her television personality husband, Mark Wright

Tough scenes: Michelle admitted it was 'really challenging' to play her character Kate's 'turmoil' at times

New series! She also admitted a period drama has been on her bucket list for a long time

'Kate's storyline is definitely very emotionally led. You see her go through a lot of turmoil in Ten Pound Poms. It's been really challenging for me, and I've loved every minute.'

Michelle admitted a period drama has been on her bucket list for a long time.

She added: 'Obviously, the series is set in the 50s, so it's a totally different era and it's the first time I've appeared in a period drama, but it's something I have always wanted to do.'

The series will premiere Sunday May 14 at 9pm on BBC One.
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS

May 9, 2023: Russia gained some notoriety recently because they had sent some of their TOS-1A tank-mounted thermobaric 220mm rocket launchers to Ukraine. A TOS-1A carries 24 220mm rockets while a separate reload vehicle carries two pods containing rockets. An empty pod on the TOS-1A vehicle can be removed and replaced with a full pod in minutes. Thermobaric is one of several terms for fuel-air explosives (FAEs). Another popular term is vacuum bomb. Russians favor thermobaric while Americans prefer FAE.

These weapons are a relatively recent development. Efforts to develop a workable FAE began over a century ago, during World War I (1914-18). Efforts continued after the war and through World War II (1939-45) and into the 1950s. In the 1960s the Americans came up with a workable and reliable FAE design and used it a lot during the Vietnam War. Russia got their thermobaric tech perfected a decade after the United States. Russia considered FAE devices chemical weapons and saw their TOS-1A vehicles as flamethrowers. Many NATO and Russian-backed nations also obtained or developed some FAE weapons.

FAEs are incredibly destructive, because they literally create a fireball. These range in size from a few meters in diameter to over 500 meters, The smallest ones are FAE hand grenades or small projectiles while the larger ones are aircraft-transported bombs. Some short range ballistic missiles also have optional FAE warheads.

Technically, FAE devices can be incredibly destructive, incinerating anyone inside the fireball. Efforts to ban FAEs as inhumane and a crime against humanity have failed. This is largely because FAEs are simply a specialized explosive that is not radioactive and does not generate a lot of metal fragments. FAEs can do things high-explosives cannot do. Clearing minefields is one example. Another is destroying an enemy position in a remote area with a lot of underground bunkers and surrounded by minefields. Since September 11, 2001 American forces have regularly used FAEs, some air dropped, to clear minefields. FAEs will detonate the mines and reach deep into caves or bunkers to kill anyone in there. Islamic terrorists have tried, with mixed success, to include improvised FAEs for major attacks.

Russia first used TOS-1 vehicles in Afghanistan during the 1980s. At the time, the TOS rockets only had a range of 3,500 meters (about two miles) and demonstrated sufficient performance in Syria and Iraq to revive sales of some older systems. One of the more unique among these revived weapons is the TOS-1A. The TOS stands for heavy flamethrower system because the TOS-1A only fires rockets equipped with FAE (Fuel Air Explosives) warheads. The TOS-1A is a 45 ton vehicle that uses a T-72 tank chassis with the turret replaced by a box-like launcher for 24 220mm rockets. These come in two sizes, one is 3.3 meters (20.8 feet) long and weighs 173 kg (381 pounds) while the other is 3.7 meters (12.1 feet) long and weighs 217 kg (478 pounds). The larger rocket has a longer (6,000 meters) range. The TOS-1A is not a direct-fire weapon but the vehicle is meant to get close to the target and is equipped with a laser range finder and computerized fire control system to elevate the launcher to the right angle to put the unguided rocket as close to the target as possible.

While FAE can be very effective, it is a temperamental type of explosive that is not widely used. FAEs detonate and spread a mist of fuel (gasoline type stuff, or a mixture of other chemicals) and then ignite it. This creates a large, impressive looking explosion, as well as a powerful blast (called overpressure). The overpressure is powerful enough to set off landmines, as the pressure created on the ground triggers the pressure sensors on anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.

FAE has always been tricky to use. If the wind is blowing the wrong way, or the humidity isnt quite right, the explosion is something of a fizzle. Russia developed new designs for FAE weapons that overcome many of these problems. Current FAE designs use compressed gas to form a mist cloud of fuel. A detonator then ignites the cloud and causes a huge explosion. The effect is like a nuclear weapon, for there is enormous pressure and a lot of flames. All the oxygen is also used up. If you aren't crushed or burned, you die from lack of oxygen. Modern FAE chemicals are better able to seep into wherever air can go before detonating. In a cave, everyone dies. Even armored vehicles are vulnerable because some of the fuel sometimes seeps into the vehicle and starts fires when it explodes.

The original TOS-1 was developed in the 1980s and used in combat in Afghanistan in 1988. Apparently, it was successful but the Russians were withdrawing and they took their TOS-1s with them. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was little money to build or further develop the TOS-1. At that time there were only about twenty in service. They were used in Chechnya during the 1990s and that was successful enough to revive development. That led to the TOS-1A in 2002 and production has increased since then. Over two hundred TOS-1s (mostly the 1A model) have been ordered. In Syria, the Assad forces used some of the older TOS-1s in combat while Iraq bought a dozen TOS-1As which they used extensively in the battle for Mosul. For city fighting the TOS-1A is particularly effective as the overpressure can kill or disable enemy troops inside buildings or bunkers as well as set off landmines and disable other types of explosive traps. Algeria bought some 52 TOS-1As and stationed the first ones to arrive on the Libyan border. It is unclear why Algeria purchased TOS-1A vehicles. Azerbaijan also ordered 36 of them and used them against Armenian forces in open areas with some success. Armenia has also purchased some TOS-1A vehicles of its own but it is unknown if there has yet been any TOS-1A on TOS-1A action yet.

In 2017 the U.S. used one of its large (9.8 ton) MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) GPS guided smart bombs in combat for the first time. The MOAB was dropped on an ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) tunnel and cave complex in eastern Afghanistan. This area was guarded by hundreds of landmines and explosive traps in addition to several hundred of the Islamic terrorists. Officially known as GBU-43/B, the FAE bomb performed as expected, leaving over a hundred visible dead. Some ISIL men may have been vaporized and others buried deep in the collapsed caves and tunnels. A large explosion like this creates an overpressure that not only kills troops deep inside bunkers, the shock wave causes tunnels to collapse.

MOAB entered service in 2003 and fifteen were built but were never used for fear it would kill nearby civilians. The ISIL complex in Afghanistan was known to be restricted to ISIL members and had become a major storage site for weapons, ammo and bomb making components. It was also a training center, especially for bomb builders. Afghan forces were reluctant to try and take it from the ground because they had suffered a lot of casualties just probing the defenses. Smart bombs and laser guided missiles could destroy cave and tunnel entrances but not get at the men and material inside. This was the sort of target MOAB was made for. Within hours of the explosion Afghan troops and American special operations forces advanced through the destroyed (by overpressure and blast) minefields and encountered no resistance. Using robots and various sensors it was found that a lot of items stored in those caves were destroyed or buried. Excavating all that was time-consuming and necessary to recover useful information on ISIL operations.

MOAB is not dropped out of bombers but pushed out the back of a SOCOM (Special Operations Command) MC-130E aircraft (or any similar aircraft, like the C-17). The blast can be felt several kilometers away, and the mushroom shaped cloud (that rises to over 3,000 meters/10.000 feet) can be seen more than 40 kilometers away. It can be guided to its targets in various ways.

MOAB replaced the Vietnam era BLU-82 (Daisy Cutter) bomb, which used a 6.3 ton slurry of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum. MOAB uses more powerful tritonal explosives. In addition to a more powerful explosion, MOAB doesn't need a parachute, like the Daisy Cutter, but uses a GPS (like JDAM) and an aerodynamic body to glide to and detonate the bomb at a precise area. Thus, the MOAB can be dropped from a higher altitude (like outside the range of machine-guns and rifles). The force of a MOAB explosion is sufficient to knock over tanks and kill any exposed people within several hundred meters of the detonation.

Not to be outdone in 2005 Russia revealed it had built a bomb similar to MOAB, but theirs contained 7.1 tons of a more powerful explosive than MOAB used, and they claimed that the blast radius of the Russia bomb was twice the size of MOABs. While MOAB is equivalent to 11 tons of TNT (the benchmark for measuring different explosives), the Russian bomb was said to be equal to 44 tons of TNT. It also appeared, from the Russian test video, that their bomb was a FAE (fuel air explosive). This could be seen from the typical FAE two stage explosion. A Russian video also showed the area surrounding the blast, and the damage was consistent with an FAE explosion, and about as powerful as MOAB. It appears that the Russians were making publicity, not a factual announcement of a new weapon.

Russia also brought TOS-1As to Ukraine where they could use their new rockets with a range of 10 kilometers. The original 3.5 kilometers range rocket had been replaced with a six kilometer range model. Longer range rockets are important for TOS-1A survival. Russia has found that in combat these vehicles and their large load of FAE rockets are vulnerable to enemy fire, especially from ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles). Some of these have ranges of five to ten kilometers and use fire and forget guidance. To protect TOS-1A vehicles from all this, TOS-1As are usually used in the midst of a group of other armored combat vehicles. The longer range rockets make it possible for TOS-1A vehicles to remain behind a hill or buildings for protection while it fires rockets at targets it cannot see. Russian troops provide a degree of fire control and when firing a barrage (of up to 24 rockets) precision is less of a factor. This led to the development of TOS-2, a truck mounted FAE rocket launcher which carried smaller rocket pods containing twelve rockets. TOS-2 is meant to keep out of sight while firing its rockets. Both TOS-2 and TOS-1 vehicles have three man (commander, driver, gunner) crews. In Ukraine, the Ukrainians have their own FAE weapons and have become quite proficient at destroying TOS-1A and reloading vehicles with ATGMs and armed UAVs.
She is best known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell on EastEnders.

But Samantha Womack surprised soap fans by revealing one of her earlier career moves - when she represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The actress, 50, competed in the wacky music event in Rome when she was just 18 with her song A Message For Your Heart, finishing in joint 10th place with 47 points.

And Samantha reflected on her stint on Eurovision during an appearance on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, having travelled to Liverpool to appear at a welcome event for this year's competition.

She told Ed Balls and Susanna Reid that when she failed to win the contest she was 'devastated' because she thought her career was over.

Blast from the past! Samantha Womack surprised soap fans by revealing one of her earlier career moves - when she represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest

Blast from the past! The actress, 50, competed in the wacky music event in Rome when she was just 18 with her song A Message For Your Heart, finishing in joint 10th place with 47 points

Sharing her Eurovision memories, Samantha said: 'It really was amazing. I was in Liverpool yesterday and actually, it was just wonderful.

'I was terrified - I didn't know anybody would remember but the fans organised this amazing pre-cursor to Eurovision and I went on stage and they knew all the words and there were all these amazing faces.

'I think I was 18 or 19, it was terrifying as the average was like 55 million viewers. So they tell you that before you go on stage.

'It was a bit like reclaiming the beauty of it without the pressure. Liverpool is on fire at the moment, it's so exciting, the whole city is alive and pulsating at the moment.'

After appearing on Eurovision, Samantha's song went onto reach number 30 in the UK Charts, with that year's contest eventually won by Sweden with Fangad av en stormvind.

During her GMB appearance, Samantha was grilled on her former EastEnders co-star Rita Simons' recent return to the soap, despite being killed off in 2017.

The two actresses, who played Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell both met a tragic end on New Year's Day when they drowned in a swimming pool, leaving viewers furious.

Susanna asked: 'Last week Rita Simons, your EastEnders sister, said there could possibly be a comeback on the Square. What do you say?'

Interview: And Samantha reflected on her stint on Eurovision during an appearance on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain

Gutted: She told Ed Balls and Susanna Reid that when she failed to win the contest she was 'devastated' as she thought her career was over

Still going strong! After appearing on Eurovision, Samantha's song went onto reach number 30 in the UK Charts, with that year's contest eventually won by Sweden

Reminiscing: Sharing her Eurovision memories, Samantha said: 'It really was amazing. I was in Liverpool yesterday and actually, it was just wonderful'

Questions: During her GMB appearance, Samantha was grilled on her former EastEnders co-star Rita Simons' recent return to the soap, despite being killed off in 2017

How is she back? Rita returned from the dead as iconic character Roxy Mitchell during Thursday's episode as a figment of her daughter Amy's imagination

But the actress appeared to dampen any prospect of a return to the soap, replying: 'I love her positivity, we were seen at the end of the episode floating lifelessly in the pool but I love her positivity and I am watching it.

'I am in Spain at the moment but my VPN wasn't working - so I want to catch up and watch it. I'm sure it was amazing.'

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off this week and the first semi-final on Tuesday saw Ireland, Malta, Latvia, the Netherlands and Azerbaijan crash out of the competition.

On Tuesday night, 15 countries performed at the M&S Bank arena in part one of two semi-finals for the chance to win a place in Saturday's grand final.

Ten acts made it through with Finland favourite Kaarija and Sweden's former winner Loreen - who was victorious in 2012 with her hit Euphoria - securing their places.

The ten acts who made it through were; Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, Portugal and Norway.

Overall, 31 countries will compete in two semi-finals with 10 from each going through to the Grand Final.

Last year's winner Ukraine automatically progressed to the Grand Final, along with the big five, comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Mae Muller is the UK's entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being hosted in the UK on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, with her track I Wrote A Song.

The Eurovision Grand Final will take place on May 13 and will be hosted by Alesha Dixon, Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
Ireland's Eurovision 2023 act Wild Youth have slammed the contest in a furious post after they failed to land a spot in Saturday's final.

The group were one of five acts who were eliminated in Tuesday's semi-final after performing their song We Are One.

In a now-deleted post, the band's frontman Conor O'Donohoe took to Instagram to claim their country 'were never given a chance,' with a screenshot of the caption later shared by a fan on Twitter.

He wrote: 'We did everything we could. Michael Kealy [RTE's Eurovision Head of Delegation] was amazing. But the truth is they never give Ireland a chance. Sorry if we let you down, we tried our best.'

The ten acts who made it through Tuesday's semi-final were; Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, Portugal and Norway.

Drama! Ireland's Eurovision 2023 act Wild Youth have slammed the contest in a furious post after they failed to land a spot in Saturday's final

Raging: In a now-deleted post, the band's frontman Conor O'Donohoe took to Instagram to claim their country 'were never given a chance'

For their performance, Conor donned a sparkly gold sequinned jumpsuit with matching on-stage lighting, with fans proudly waving the Irish flag in Liverpool's M&S Arena.

Eurovision's Ireland commentator Marty Whelan also struggled to hide his disappointment when he learned his country would not be in the final.

Speaking live on RTE One, he said: 'Everything was absolutely perfect, they were fantastic.

'There's things I want to say, there's things I want to share. You can probably get it from the tone of my voice, what I'm thinking, that this is... Ugh, this is just such a shame.

'But the votes didn't come. So we are not qualifying again this year from Liverpool when we had great expectations, as the famous book says.

'We are extremely proud of Wild Youth - they put on a brilliant performance and were fantastic representatives for Ireland.'

Ireland hasn't reached a Eurovision final since 2018, when Ryan O'Shaughnessy advanced with his song Together.

Yet the country still holds the record of the most wins in Eurovision history with seven, a number which could be matched by Sweden if they win this year's contest.

He's done! The group were one of five acts who were eliminated in Tuesday's semi-final after performing their song We Are One (Conor O'Donohoe is pictured leaving the arena)

Energetic! For their performance, Conor donned a sparkly gold sequinned jumpsuit with matching on-stage lighting

The second Eurovision semi-final will take place on Thursday, with 16 acts taking to the stage, and 10 will advance to Saturday's final.

In a change to the rules this year, the decision of who goes through is entirely down to the public, with national juries being able to have their say during the final on Saturday.

31 countries will compete in two semi-finals with 10 from each going through to the Grand Final.

Last year's winner Ukraine automatically progressed to the Grand Final, along with the big five, comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Eurovision Semi-Final Part Two will take place on Thursday, on BBC One at 8pm.
Joe Swash has credited reality TV for restoring his self-belief after feeling 'lost' following his departure from BBC soap opera EastEnders.

The actor and presenter spent five-years on Albert Square as affable spiv Mickey Miller, but the character was eventually axed in 2008 - leaving Swash at a loose end.

And he admits his subsequent appearance on the eighth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! - which he would go on to win - gave him a renewed sense of purpose.

Featuring on Wednesday's edition of Loose Women, Swash, 41, revealed his success on the show - after which he quickly established himself as a TV mainstay - also served as a catalyst for his recent appearance on the all-star I'm A Celebrity... South Africa.

He said: 'It was one of those things. I thought that chapter was closed and then they asked me about the spin-off show and South Africa.

Grateful: Joe Swash has credited reality TV for restoring his self-belief after feeling 'lost' following his departure from BBC soap opera EastEnders

Old times: The actor and presenter spent five-years on Albert Square as affable spiv Mickey Miller, but the character was eventually axed in 2008 - leaving Swash at a loose end

Tears: Swash admits he was 'emotional' during his second stint on I'm A Celeb because he was missing his family

'When I think about the jungle I think about it as a human being. When I left EastEnders I was a little bit lost and it gave me so much confidence. It all stems from the jungle.'

The Cockney star admitted it was fiancee Stacey Solomon who urged him to take part in the South African series because 'she knew how much' it meant to him.

But her blessing didn't stop father-of-four Swash breaking down in front of campmates while discussing his family, an emotional display that mirrored his first stint on the show.

'I was a bit gutted that I was so emotional,' he explained. 'The first time round I was in there a lot longer. It was a big deal leaving her.

'The first time I only had my eldest son Harry and I'd only see them at weekends. I missed them so much and I was starving hungry, we had no food in there. I was more emotional.'

Success: Swash won the eighth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2008

Don't mind me: The actor and presenter admits he let his emotions get the better of him while participating in the South African spin-off

True love: Swash says fiancee Stacey Solomon urged him to take part in the South African series because 'she knew how much' it meant to him

Having reunited with his family after pre-recording the spin-off last October, Swash now plans to reciprocate Solomon's declaration of love by getting her name tattooed on his body.

He said: 'You know what Stacey's like, She's going to want one on my forehead or something. I was so touched by it.'

The actor also admits they will consider trying for another baby after welcoming daughter Belle, their third child together, last year.

'There's not a lot of one on one time at the moment but it's all part of having a young family,' he added. 'But were so lucky. Well have to give it another year or so.'

At the time of filming I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, Solomon was still pregnant with their youngest daughter, now three months old.

The couple also share Rose, 16 months, and Rex, two.

Swash is stepfather to Solomon's sons Zach, 15, and Leighton, nine, from previous relationships and he has a son Harry, 15, with his ex, Emma Sophocleous.
Married at First Sight star Cyrell Paule is welcoming the winter chill as it heralds one of her favourite times of the year.

The reality TV star, nicknamed 'Cyclone Cyrell', took to Instagram on Wednesday to make the eye-popping confession 'bulge season' is upon us.

Cyrell, 33, celebrated the occasion by sharing a video of her partner Eden Dally meandering down the street holding their son's hand.

In the footage, Eden looks blissfully unaware of Cyrell's thoughts as he strolls down the street in a navy Tommy Hilfiger tee, grey trackies and box fresh sneakers.

'This is why I love trackies on guys = bulge season,' she captioned the short clip.

Married at First Sight star Cyrell Paule has welcomed the winter chill as it heralds one of her favourite times of the year

The reality TV star, nicknamed 'Cyclone Cyrell', took to Instagram on Wednesday to make the eye-popping confession 'bulge season' is upon us

Elsewhere, Boston, three, looks adorable in a off-white jumper and black joggers.

It comes after Cyrell recently revealed her long-time partner had proposed to her after she filmed Channel 10's reality program The Challenge last year.

Cyrell was married to Nic Jovanovic on the sixth season of Married At First Sight.

Cyrell rose to fame on the sixth season of MAFS where she earned the nickname 'Cyclone'

The TV couple ended their relationship, and decided they were better off as friends.

Cyrell and Eden began dating following the show, and she later moved into his Sydney home.

The couple announced they were expecting their first child together in August 2019.

They welcomed son Boston in February 2020.
Carol Vorderman has confessed she once 'told a nun to f*** off'.

The 62-year-old star admitted she was 'naughty' at school and by her mid-teens she was already going out clubbing in Manchester.

Speaking on scenes that will air on Wednesday's I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, she told campmate Myleene Klass: 'Never did my homework. Seriously! Half an hour at the back of the bus, it was all too easy.

'I was always being told off. I told a nun to f*** off once, she was horrible. I was a naughty girl.

'I was in nightclubs in Manchester at 15 with the bad boys. Loved it.'

I'm A Celeb SPOILER: Carol Vorderman reveals she told a NUN to 'f**k off' and went clubbing aged 15 with 'bad boys' as she reflected on her naughty schooldays

She and Myleene have also chatted about their appearances, and the decision to ditch their bathroom scales.

The former Countdown star insisted: 'I only go on dress size.'

She admitted she threw her scales out 'in 1999', adding: 'I've not known [my weight] this century.'

Myleene revealed: 'The second I had daughters, I threw out the scales. No way, I'm not going to have them ruled by numbers. Those numbers.'

She also argued that it's not right to put a focus on children's weight as a way to measure their 'value'.

She said: 'Why would you let your children measure themselves, their value, their contribution by numbers on a scale? I was like, 'No, get rid, I don't want it in the house.' '

Myleene - who has daughters Ava, 15, and Hero, 12, with ex-husband Graham Quinn and three-year-old son Apollo with fiance Simon Motson - insisted 'body positivity is so important'.

She added: 'I want my girls to be empowered by what their abilities are and what they have to say for themselves and how they think.

'I want that to be celebrated, not skin and glands and fat. We all have it.'

Cheeky: The 62-year-old star admitted she was 'naughty' at school and by her mid-teens she was already going out clubbing in Manchester (pictured aged 10)

While fans can see Carol gracing ITV daily on the I'm A Celebrity spin-off she'll also be appearing on Friday's episode of Have I Got News For You.

The TV personality will appear as a panellist for episode seven of the topical comedy show - her third appearance on the programme.

Comedian and Britain's Got Talent finalist Nabil Abdulrashid will makes his second appearance on the panel.

Paul Merton and Ian Hislop will appear as usual and the guest host has yet to be announced.

I'm A Celebrity airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Have I Got News For Youwill air on Friday 26 May on BBC One at 9pm.
Suzanne Somers has had a lot of success in her long career.

The 76-year-old had her breakout role in the 1970s in Three's Company, had a lucrative Las Vegas residency in the 1980s, built an empire in the 1990s with the ThighMaster and rekindled her acting career in with Step by Step.

But there is one opportunity Suzanne - who has been married to husband Alan Hamel for 55 years - was presented with that she passed on: co-hosting The View with Barbara Walters.

'I was originally asked to be on the original View with Barbara Walters and whoever else, and I turned it down,' the actress, 76, shared during Wednesday's episode of the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast.

'And everyone said, "Why would you turn that down? It is a national show,"' Somers recalled.

Mogul: Suzanne Somers has had a lot of success in her long career. The 76-year-old had her breakout role in the 1970s in Three's Company but there's one opportunity she turned down

Bombshell: She had a lucrative Las Vegas residency in the 1980s, built an empire in the 1990s with the ThighMaster and rekindled her acting career in with Step by Step

She continued: 'I said, 'First of all, I have to live in New York. I don't really wanna live in New York. I like the weather down here, and I like the vibe down here.'' she explained.

'But secondly, I don't do well vying for time. And there, you gotta interrupt and butt in and butt out. It's just not my personality.'

And she walked away and 'never looked back.'

Suzanne was fired from Three's Company after four years on the show when she demanded her pay be raised from $30,000 per episode to the $150,000 per episode that her co-star John Ritter was making.

'At that time, the men were making 10 to 15 times more than I was,' she told Fox News Digital.

'And I was on the No. 1 show. It just seemed wrong because I was clearly being underpaid. And it's not like I stopped the show. My contract was up. We had a meeting with the lawyers. But, by then, they had already decided.

'I was waiting at home  and remember, this was a time before cell phones, so it felt like an eternity,' Somers recalled. 'It was a gray day. And the front door opened in a way that you knew bad news was coming. It was really slow. And I heard my husband going up the stairs really slowly. I met him at the landing.

Early years: Susan Lucci, center in red, with, from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck in 2012

'He looked at me, shook his head, and said, "You're out. You were gone within the first five minutes when I walked into the meeting."  Now, I was out of work and labeled 'trouble' only because I wanted to be paid fairly for doing my job.'

The press turned against her and she found herself wondering what to do when she realized she needed to focus on what she had and not what she didn't have. And what she had was the fact that almost everyone on the planet knew who she was.

After a lucrative Las Vegas residency that had a grueling schedule, the Three's Company alum wanted to try something new.

She launched the ThighMaster in 1990 and it was an immediate phenomenon. She said she stopped counting how many she sold after 10 million.

The View: But there's one opportunity she was presented with that she passed on: co-hosting The View with Barbara Walters. 'I was originally asked to be on the original View with Barbara Walters and whoever else, and I turned it down,' the actress, 76, shared during Wednesday's episode of the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast

Long time love: Suzanne has been married to her husband Alan Hamel for 55 years

No regrets: 'And everyone said, "Why would you turn that down? It is a national show,"' Somers recalled

By 1992 she was the Home Shopping Network's top-selling brands. But she has one complaint.

'My biggest complaint today is that I work too much. Im always keeping busy. The pandemic worked for me because we started doing Facebook Live shows and Instagram shows three times a week.

'We start the show with some tequila on ice, and its like having a drink together while my husband is running the camera.

'Theres just so much freedom on the internet than there is on mainstream television. Im just loving where Ive been and where Im heading.'
Cillian Murphy has admitted that fans have been 'underwhelmed' when they meet him in person since he is nothing like his Peaky Blinders character Tommy Shelby.

Gracing the cover of Rolling Stone UK, the actor, 46, admitted that when he's recognised fans expect him to carry the same 'charisma and swagger' as the period gangster.

Cillian starred as the crime boss Tommy Shelby on Peaky Blinders from 2013 until 2022, and fans are hoping that he will reprise the role in a film based on the series.

Discussing fans' expectations that he is like Tommy in person, Cillian said: 'I think it's the Tommy Shelby thing. People expect this mysterious, swaggering it's just a character. I do feel people are a little bit underwhelmed.

'That's fine, it means I'm doing my job. Peaky fans are amazing. But sometimes I feel a little sad that I can't provide - like - that charisma and swagger. He couldn't be further from me.'

Interview: Cillian Murphy has admitted that fans have been 'underwhelmed' when they meet him in person since he is nothing like his Peaky Blinders character Tommy Shelby

Insight: Gracing the cover of Rolling Stone UK , the actor, 46, admitted that when he's recognised fans expect him to carry the same 'charisma and swagger' as the period gangster

Dapper: Cillian starred as the crime boss Tommy Shelby on Peaky Blinders from 2013 until 2022, and fans are hoping that he will reprise the role in a film based on the series

Grilled on the prospect of a Peaky Blinders film, Cillian added: 'If there's more story there, I'd love to do it. But it has to be right.

'Steve Knight wrote 36 hours of television, and we left on such a high. I'm really proud of that last series. So, it would have to feel legitimate and justified to do more.'

Cillian is next set to star as the groundbreaking physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in a Christopher Nolan biopic, with the film focused on his contributions to the Manhattan Project, that led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Discussing his role in the film, the Irish actor said: 'I think it's the best script I ever read. He wanted it to be solely from Oppenheimer's perspective.

'And I think the film is sensational. As a person who loves films  I'm not saying it 'cos I'm in the f*****g thing, I hate looking at myself  but as a lover of film, as a cinephile, I'm a Chris Nolan fan.'

He added: 'Joanne Woodward said acting is like sex: you should do it and not talk about it. And that's why on set, with a good director, you rarely talk about the actual work.

'You talk around it, what you're going to do next. I can do an immense amount of preparation, but then a lot of the action happens to you in real time. So, there is no value, really, in intellectualising anything.'

In 2015, Cillian and his wife Yvonne McGuinness relocated from London to Dublin with their two sons, and the screen star added that moving back to the Ireland was the right decision for his family.

That's not him! Cillian said: 'I think it's the Tommy Shelby thing. People expect this mysterious, swaggering it's just a character. I do feel people are a little bit underwhelmed'

Revelation: 'That's fine, it means I'm doing my job. Peaky fans are amazing. But sometimes I feel a little sad that I can't provide - like - that charisma and swagger,' he added

Cover star: Grilled on the prospect of a Peaky Blinders film, Cillian added: 'If there's more story there, I'd love to do it. But it has to be right'

He told the publication: 'We had 14 years in London. But I feel like as you hit your late 30s and have kids, living in a major metropolis is less exciting.

'And then also, you know, we're both Irish. We wanted the kids to be Irish. I think it's the best decision we made They're really good boys. We have a laugh. We don't do Dad's Movie Night, but they like some of my films. They say all my films are really intense.'

In Oppenheimer, 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 June/July issue of Rolling Stone UK is out now

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.

'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.

'He's had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He's offered me very interesting roles and I've 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.

The June/July issue of Rolling Stone UK is out now.
Christine Quinn revealed whether or not she plans to tune into the highly-anticipated sixth season of Selling Sunset, which returns to Netflix on May 19.

When asked if she will be binging the reality series, which she left last year after quitting The Oppenheim Group, the TV personality, 34, stated that she would not be watching the show.

'I have my girls that I absolutely love, and I'm so supportive of them. But for me, I don't think I'll watch the show just because I want to know them for who they are and not what they're edited to be,' the real estate broker told E! News on Tuesday.

The mother-of-one continued: 'So for me, I probably won't watch it. But I did hear that my name was being dropped in the trailer.'

Despite past tensions with many of her former costars, in particular with Chrishell Stause, the Dallas native revealed she is no longer feuding with her former rival.

Not tuning in: Christine Quinn revealed whether or not she plans to tune into the highly-anticipated sixth season of Selling Sunset, which returns to Netflix on May 19; pictured earlier this month

'I feel like Chrishell and I are actually not on bad terms,' she continued. 'We really aren't.'

Quinn pointed out when she tweeted to Stause about being 'open to reconciliation' that All My Children alum, 41, 'hearted it.'

'There was like a cute little convo. So, who knows what the future holds?' she said.

Last month, Quinn made headlines for sharing some candid thoughts about her time on Selling Sunset while appearing on Savannah Chrisley's podcast Unlocked.

During the interview, the Netflix star claimed that she didn't get as many listings as other cast members because she wasn't 'bangin' the boss.'

Quinn also alleged that Stause - who was dating Oppenheim Group co-founder Jason Oppenheim, 46, at the time - received 'preferential treatment' due to their relationship.

'It's wild,' the reality TV star said. 'That's why I was so s****y at real estate. Because I never f****d my boss,' she mused.

Quinn pointed out: 'Shes only sold three houses. One including her own. The difference is she got preferential treatment when it came to filming the show and having listings on the show, which was more important than real life.'

Moving forward: When asked if she will be binging the reality series, which she left last year after quitting The Oppenheim Group, the TV personality, 34, stated that she would not be watching the show

Stause and Oppenheim went public with their relationship in July 2021. However the union ended by the end of the year partly due to Chrishell's desire to start a family.

Oppenheim also previously dated cast member Mary Fitzerald.

Chrisley also touched on how Quinn was labeled a 'hardcore villain' by her coworkers.

'I was on my own island,' the star replied. 'It was very unfair. It was disgusting, it was vile.'

She went on, 'I remember the last finale scene of the show, and I had just had a baby a week ago. And I said I wasnt coming to that scene. And producers forced me, and gave me ultimatums. I showed up at the end Youd think someone who just went through a really traumatic birth youd be a little nice to.'

Unfortunately, Christine shared that was not what happened: 'No, that was their intervention gang-bang. I was just like, you know, it doesnt matter what I do.'

'I have my girls that I absolutely love, and I'm so supportive of them. But for me, I don't think I'll watch the show just because I want to know them for who they are and not what they're edited to be,' the real estate broker told E! News on Tuesday (seen in November 2022)

In the past: Despite past tensions with many of her former costars , in particular with Chrishell Stause, the Dallas native revealed she is no longer feuding with her former rival

Quinn also complained about how edited down her scenes were.

'I would pretty much walk in and do entire scenes that would be edited down to an eye roll. I would show up knowing that,' she said, adding, 'It doesnt matter what I said or did. I knew the outcome.'

Quinn - who officially exited the show in August 2022 - also clarified that it was her who chose to quit the show, and that she was not fired.

'I quit. It was a decision that I felt coming on for at least 2 seasons. I just remember saying, I want to stick it out for five seasons.'

As for the show's future, Christine said, 'Like the NFL: not for long. I think theyre really having problems trying to have drama. The original formats just completely gone.'

She added, 'Everyone that caused drama, or at least told jokes, is gone.'

She then stated that along with her, other cast mates including Maya Vander, Vanessa Villela, and Davina Potratz are gone.

Netflix has announced Selling Sunset will return for seasons 6 and 7, but a release date has not yet been announced.
Death In Paradise fans were in tears as Ralf Little gave an emotional update on a stray puppy who wandered onto set.

The actor, 43, has been filming scenes as Detective Inspector Neville Parker in the BBC drama, and revealed the pooch, who he affectionately named Canelle, has had a happy ending.

Ralf became attached to the gorgeous street dog after it kept appearing on set as a puppy, and now, just over two months later she has found her forever home.

Taking to Instagram earlier this week, the actor said: 'Some of you may remember this gorgeous little pup who wandered onto the Death in Paradise set last year.

'Now, I promised you an update. What happened is, I took her in, I hoped to find her a home. One of our crew members showed pictures of Canelle to his mother and she promptly fell in love.'

Cute: Death In Paradise fans were in tears as Ralf Little gave an emotional update on a stray puppy who wandered onto set

Happy days: The actor, 43, who takes on the role of Detective Inspector Neville Parker in the BBC drama, revealed the pooch, who he affectionately named Canelle, has had a happy ending

Ralf revealed Canelle has been adopted and now living her best life 'beyond paradise'.

He said: 'None of this would have been possible without the tireless volunteer work from Copa Guadeloupe, who spend their time rescuing animals from the streets and nursing them back to health and then finding them a family.

'I am delighted to say that Canelle's story is a happy one, she is now living her best life beyond paradise, with a loving family and she now actually goes by the name, Po!'

Ralf's followers were thrilled by the update and said they were in tears at Canelle finding her forever home.

One fan wrote: 'Amazing news Thanks for the update. "Rescues are the best breed" as us rescue parents say'.

Another added: 'Beautiful man and a gorgeous pup.. Thankyou for all you do helping to get the best homes for these little darlings.'

'So so happy to see this! Youve made my day', a different follower chimed.

Last month, Ralf revealed contracts have been 'signed and sealed' for his return.

Over the moon: Ralf's followers were thrilled by the update and said they were in tears at Canelle finding her forever home

Returning: Death in Paradise is one of the widest-selling British dramas. BBC Studios over the past 10 years has distributed the show to over 240 territories around the world

While the broadcaster confirmed the extra seasons back in February, along with a feature-length Christmas special, it was not yet announced whether Ralf would be reprising his role.

Taking to Instagram with a live video, the actor excited fans by sharing: 'I am delighted to say that I am going back and I will be playing Neville Parker again in series 13.'

Filming the video, Ralf caught up with fans as he answered their questions while also making the announcement about his future on the show.

'I said I had an announcement to make and I do, and I've been looking forward to making this announcement for a while,' he said.

'And so a lot of you are gonna go "but wait, we kind of already knew that", but this has never been said officially, it's never been officially stated, so here it is.'

'Contracts are signed, sealed. There is another series of Death in Paradise being filmed this year, and I am delighted to say that I am going back and I will be playing Neville Parker again in series 13'.

Fans were over the moon with the news as they took to the comment section, with one writing: 'Yess!! I'm so excited that you are back for another series'.

'So happy youre staying I spent the majority of last season convinced you were leaving! Neville is my favourite DI since Humphrey,' wrote another.

Detective: Set on the French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe, it follows Ralf's character - DI Neville Parker - and his team as they fight crime

While a third echoed this by describing Ralf's character as 'a treat', penning: 'Delighted you are staying! The development of your character is only equal to that of Ben Millers Richard at the shows start! Its been a treat to watch it unfold.'

Death in Paradise is one of the widest-selling British dramas. BBC Studios over the past 10 years has distributed the show to over 240 territories around the world including Australia, France, South Africa and the US.'

The show has just aired its 12th season but viewers can expect a return to the fictional island of Saint Marie soon, with the BBC confirming the news back in February.

Set on the French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe, it follows Ralf's character - DI Neville Parker - and his team as they fight crime.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama revealed: 'With its sparkling blend of mystery, humour and heart, Death In Paradise continues to delight the millions of us who make the return trip to Saint Marie with every sun-drenched episode.

'It is a programme that goes from strength to strength, and I could not be happier that it will return for another two series and specials on BBC One and iPlayer.'

Tim Key, Executive Producer, from Red Planet Pictures added: 'The response to series 12 has been incredible, so were delighted that well be heading back to Guadeloupe for at least two more series.

'Weve got an amazing and joyful Christmas special in store, and then series 13 begins with our 100th episode, so weve got plenty of surprises ready to celebrate that milestone. Weve got huge plans for the future and cant wait to get going again.'

The new series is thought to be released in January 2024, after filming later this year.
Love Island star Laura Anderson and Strictly's Janette Manrara looked radiant at the Pride Of Manchester Awards on Wednesday night.

Laura, who is expecting her first child with now ex Gary Lucy, beamed as she cradled her blossoming baby bump. A heavily pregnant Janette, 39, also hit the red carpet.

The television personality, 34, dressed her pregnancy curves in a figure-hugging yellow Karen Millen dress which had diamond chain detailing and a daring thigh-high slit.

Laura held a hand to her bump as she posed for the cameras before Love Island alum Kaz Crossley, 28, joined her.

Janette, meanwhile, attended the event with husband Aljaz Skorjanec. The dancer, who is expecting her first child, cradled her bump as she wore a pink mini dress with a ruffled neckline.

Oh baby! Love Island star Laura Anderson (L) and Strictly's Janette Manrara (R) looked radiant at the Pride Of Manchester Awards on Wednesday night

Glam: The television personality, 34, dressed her pregnancy curves in a figure-hugging yellow Karen Millen dress which had diamond chain detailing and a daring thigh-high slit

Janette complemented her minidress with nude high heels and a glittering clutch bag.

Aljaz cut a handsome figure in a black suit and shiny shirt.

The MEN Pride of Manchester Awards with TSB will honour the city's unsung heroes for the amazing things they do to bring together and nurture the local communities.

The winners will be honoured during a fancy dinner. In total eight trophies will be handed out, including the Emergency Services Award and the TSB Community Hero prize.

Laura and the Hollyoaks actor Gary announced they were expecting in February and split shortly afterwards.

Laura recently revealed that she and ex Gary are 'definitely' not on good terms' amid their recent split drama.

The pair met last year during a stint on Celebs Go Dating.

After the split, the mother-to-be decided to do an Instagram Q&A with her followers where she shed light on their break-up.

When one curious fan questioned her on her relationship, Laura quickly shut down any suggestion of them getting back together.

All dressed up: The dancer who is expecting her first child, cradled her bump as she wore a pink mini dress with a ruffled neckline

Cute: Janette complemented her minidress with nude high heels and a glittering clutch bag. Aljaz cut a handsome figure in a black suit and shiny shirt

Pregnancy: Laura held a hand to her bump as she posed for the cameras

Pals: Love Island alum Kaz Crossley joined her on the red carpet

Wow factor: Kaz looked gorgeous in a pink sating minidress and silver high heels

Exes: The former reality contestant and actor Gary Lucy announced they were expecting in February and split shortly afterwards

The fan asked her: 'Is there any chance that you and Gary can get back together?'.

But Laura simply replied: 'No' before saying she 'hopes once baby is here' that she and Gary can co-parent successfully.

Janette and Alijaz, meanwhile, have just arrived back from a babymoon in Slovenia.

Aljaz recently spoke out about feeling emotional about his wife's pregnancy during an interview with OK! Magazine.

He told the publication: 'I'm pregnant with her  I cry pretty much every single day!'

'It's hard mentally, it's hard physically. It's a big test,' he admits. 'The struggles some people go through to fall pregnant  I'm just amazed by women.

'I've found a complete new respect for my beautiful little Janette, who I love more than anything. It's a little miracle how we got here.'
Natalie Portman has reflected on her 'cringey and complicated' role in controversial 1994 movie, Leon: The Professional as a child star aged 12 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The Oscar-winning actress, now 41, shot to fame in the Luc Besson film, in which she played a young girl who made friends with a hit man in hopes of avenging her parents' murders.

The French film attracted controversy for its moral ambiguity, with many viewing Portman's character as a Lolita-esque figure and many were left uncomfortable with the relationship between her and the middle-aged killer, played by Jean Reno.

Portman said: 'Its a movie thats still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything Ive ever made, and it gave me my career.

'But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, its complicated for me.

Candid: Natalie Portman has reflected on her 'cringey and complicated' experience making controversial 1994 movie, Leon: The Professional as a child star aged 12 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter

Controversial: The Oscar-winning actress, now 41, shot to fame in the Luc Besson film, in which she played a young girl who made friends with a hit man in hopes of avenging her parents' murders

When asked how she felt about allegations of sexual abuse being levied against Besson in 2018 - he denied all allegations, and rape charges against him were later dropped by a Paris court of appeal - Portman said: 'Its devastating.'

When asked 'Luc was a crucial figure in your career and the career of other young women. Do you think there was any indication that -' Portman responded: 'I really didnt know. I was a kid working. I was a kid. But I dont want to say anything that would invalidate anyones experience.

The film has attracted further controversy when Luc Besson admitted that in the initial draft script, the girl and the hitman actually become lovers, but he changed his mind.

In 2018 Portman said that at the age of 13, after starring in her first film, she experienced 'sexual terrorism' from fans and the media that impacted the way she went about the rest of her career.

When the movie was released a year later, she said she was excited to open her first fan letter. But inside the letter a man had written to her about a 'rape fantasy' he had about her.

'At 13 years old, the message from our culture was clear to me,' Portman said. 'I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I'm someone worthy of safety and respect.

'The response to my expression, from small comments about my body to more deliberate statements, served to control my behavior through an environment of sexual terrorism.'

Chat: The French film attracted controversy for its moral ambiguity, with many viewing Portman's character as a Lolita-esque figure

Style: Portman wowed in a structured mini dress as she posed for the publication

Radiant The star wore a woven ab cut-out gown for the shoot

Role: 'But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, its complicated for me;

In 2020 she said: 'Being sexualised as a child, I think, took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid.

Portman then went on to call for a world in which women can express their sexuality and 'desire' without feeling physically unsafe.

I know I was sexualized in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing,' she added. 'That becomes a part of your public identity.'

In 2020 she said: 'Being sexualised as a child, I think, took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid.

'It made me feel like the way I can be safe is to be like, Im conservative, and Im serious, and you should respect me, and Im smart and dont look at me that way.'
A first look of actor Jonathan Groff filming Doctor Who dressed in regency era-style clothing has been released by the BBC.

The 38-year-old, a regular on Broadway in the US who is known for the crime series Mindhunter, was previously announced to be joining the science fiction series.

The BBC said he will play a 'mysterious and exciting' guest part where he will be 'jumping aboard the Tardis'.

New pictures show Groff wearing 1800s period fashion complete with a blue tailcoat, embroidered vest, dark pantaloons and light blue cravat.

He is shown appearing alongside Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, who is set to take over as the Time Lord, and Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson, who is playing the Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday.

Here he is! A first look of actor Jonathan Groff filming Doctor Who dressed in regency era-style clothing has been released by the BBC

New series: He is shown appearing alongside Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, who is set to take over as the Time Lord, and Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson, who is playing the Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday

Gatwa, 30, is seen in the images dressed in a red waistcoat, cream pants and stockings with coiffed, tied-back hair, while Gibson wears a yellow dress, white gloves and golden jewellery.

Teasing the new episode, the BBC said: 'Dress to impress and beware the duchess....'

Groff, who came to prominence playing the role of Jesse in musical comedy drama Glee, also starred in Knock At The Cabin and LGBT+ comedy Looking and played Holden Ford in period crime drama Mindhunter, which is about two FBI agents in the late 1970s who delve into the psychology of murder.

The latest revamp of the long-running series sees Russell T Davies return as showrunner, drag queen Jinkx Monsoon star as the doctor's 'most powerful enemy yet' and Heartstopper actress Yasmin Finney take on the role of Rose.

In November, Doctor Who will return for three special episodes featuring David Tennant as the 14th doctor to coincide with the show's 60th anniversary.

Gatwa's first episode as the 15th doctor will air over the festive period, with Gibson, 18, becoming the youngest companion in the show's history.

Doctor Who will air on the BBC in the UK and Ireland and streaming platform Disney+ will show episodes to audiences elsewhere.

New cast: Gatwa's first episode as the 15th doctor will air over the festive period, with Gibson, 18, becoming the youngest companion in the show's history

Menacing: The star-studded cast for the upcoming series will also feature two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon as the new villain

EastEnders legend AnitaDobson, 73, will also star in the series and will be playing Mrs Flood, the elderly neighbour to The Doctor's companion Ruby.

Anita recently let slip the name of her Doctor Who character and what her role will entail while speaking exclusively with MailOnline.

While attending the ICON Awards in Support of Prostate Cancer Charity in February, she gushed about playing Mrs Flood, the elderly neighbour to Millie's Ruby Sunday.

She brushed off talk of playing a lead part in the show, admitting: 'I wouldn't say starring, I think the Lord himself, Ncuti and Millie are the ones starring, I'm merely joining the ranks of.

'Well Mrs Flood is the character I play and she's... Millie, the Ruby Sunday, the doctor's assistant, she's her neighbour.

'She lives in the same street so she's always got her eyes on what's going on. She's one of those.'

The star-studded cast for the upcoming series will also feature two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon.

The actor, 35 - who goes by the pronouns she/they - will be portraying the new baddie in the BBC science fiction TV series.
Angie Harrington announced she is leaving the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to focus on her family, following her four-year-old son Hart's recent autism diagnosis.

On Wednesday morning, the reality star, 41, revealed that she would not be returning to her role as a part-time cast member on the popular Bravo program, which focuses on the lives of several women living in or around Utah's capital.

Her departure comes after making the decision to prioritize time with her little boy, who she told People is 'working with therapists and exploring holistic methods.'

'We've adjusted our lifestyle for sure to fit Hart's needs. My husband is a wonderful father, and so he's been great at coming home earlier. He was a 60, 70-hour workweek guy, and now he's more of a 40-hour work-week guy,' she said.

The fashion influencer went on to reveal they 'hired a part-time nanny' and that she and her husband, Chris Harrington, 'spend a lot of our time together doing new activities and getting outdoors' to remove their brains 'from the situation at home' from time to time.

Doting mom: Angie Harrington announced she is leaving the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to focus on her family, following her four-year-old son Hart's recent autism diagnosis (seen in May 2022)

'That's our main priority, of course, but it is important to make sure you're looking after yourself and enjoying yourself as well,' she said.

Harrington continued: 'Life isn't the same, but that's okay. It's our new normal and you just have to come up with the plan that works for your family so that everyone's getting their needs met. And we're still trying to figure that out quite honestly.'

While speaking about making the choice to exit from RHOSLC, the mother-of-three said she 'was offered to come back but this is just a time when' her 'family really needs' her and she 'wasn't able to commit to it.'

Harrington then pointed out how difficult it is for parents to remain employed while caring for a 'neurotypical child.'

The TV personality also praised her former costars Heather Gay and Meredith Marks for their support after revealing Hart's autism diagnosis to them.

'I shared with them that I have to choose my family right now. I already struggle with focus and the show adds another element of stress. I want to be able to give my kids what they need in this moment,' she recalled.

Harrington said after telling them she had to 'wrap' her 'head around what' she was doing to help Hart, her friends 'were extremely supportive and wonderful.'

The Bravolebrity went on to admit that as someone with anxiety and ADHD, herself, filming was 'highly uncomfortable,' at times.

Family first: On Wednesday morning, the reality star, 41, revealed that she would not be returning to her role as a part-time cast member on the popular Bravo program, which focuses on the lives of several women living in or around Utah's capital

Supporting her son: Her departure comes after making the decision to prioritize time with her little boy, who she told People is 'working with therapists and exploring holistic methods'

'It's hard to get the full story on what's going on. I think nobody's naive to the fact that things get edited in a certain way to create a television show, but I think it's important that people know it's not for the faint of heart,' Harrington pointed out.

She went on to say that she does not like 'contention' and that her ADHD comes 'the gift of humor and silliness and being unfiltered and saying and doing things that are entertaining.'

'But I also was able to raise awareness for the transgender community on that show, so I'm forever grateful for that,' Harrington said. 'And I cannot tell you the number of direct messages and notes I would get from people in the transgender community or who have a transgender loved one saying, 'Thank you so much. We feel seen, we feel heard.' That was worth all the challenges that reality TV can bring.'

Harrington also discussed sensing 'something wasn't typical with Hart' when he was just one.

'He was extremely advanced physically. He was walking by 9 months. He was climbing on things, but he wasn't saying those little words that you expected your one-year-old to start saying,' she said.

After enrolling him in preschool, she noticed that 'other kids would follow the instructions' from the teacher, 'Hart would be wandering around the classroom, getting into the teacher's supplies.'

'I just remember getting in my car crying, just feeling like the biggest failure because I thought this was my fault as a parent, that I had done something wrong,' Harrington recalled.

'We've adjusted our lifestyle for sure to fit Hart's needs. My husband is a wonderful father, and so he's been great at coming home earlier. He was a 60, 70-hour workweek guy, and now he's more of a 40-hour work-week guy,' she said

Upon learning his diagnosis, she said she and her spouse 'cried' and waited to tell the news.

'It wasn't the dream we had for our child, but we had to and have empowered ourselves,' she said.'We wanted to make sure that we had coped with it, and we were in an appropriate headspace to give the rest of the family the news.'

Ultimately, her loved ones 'all come together to protect Hart and love Hart and do whatever we can to help him through this process.'

'My husband has a transgender child and it's been sweet to see our transgender child look out for him because he knows some of the challenges Hart's gonna face. Of course, it's different, but it's also aligned in a lot of ways,' she stated.
Brad Pitt's girlfriend Ines de Ramon confirmed she's a master of casual chic ensembles while out taking care of errands in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old jewelry designer looked stylish in a gray double-breasted blazer, but she dressed down the rest of her look.

The sighting comes just days after a report in Us Weekly that Ines and her Oscar-winning boyfriend  who has lately been filming the movie Wolves with his pal George Clooney  are 'not slowing down' their romance at all.

She was on her own on Wednesday, though, as she took care of business around down.

Ines' slate gray jacket hung loosely on her and featured classy peaked lapels.

Looking good! Brad Pitt's girlfriend Ines de Ramon, 30, rocked a casual-chic ensemble featuring a slate gray double-breasted blazer with peaked lapels while running errands in LA on Wednesday

She showed off a bit of her toned midriff with her white crop top, and she stayed comfortable in a baggy set of relaxed-fit jeans.

The brunette beauty wore her long hair styled straight and fluttering in the breeze, and she completed her ensemble with black-and-white sneakers.

Ines accessorized with an elegant, boxy black handbag slung in front of her, and she blocked out the sun with black cat-eye shades.

Although her boyfriend Brad wasn't anywhere to be seen, things are reportedly better than ever with the two.

'Their relationship is still fairly new, but things are going well and are not slowing down,' an insider told Us Weekly last week.

They added that things were particularly serious, as the two have already said 'I love you' to each other.

Despite the tumult from Brad's ongoing divorce from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, he's reportedly looking to 'settle down again' with his new love, though his 'crazy' schedule isn't yet making that possible.

'[Brad] and Ines havent gotten there yet in terms of moving in together, but its going in that direction,' the insider claimed.

However, they added that the two are expecting a packed summer with plenty of time to spend with each other.

'Theyve talked about traveling to Europe together,' the source added, noting that Brad is already mapping out their vacation plans.

Casual: She showed off a bit of her toned midriff with her white crop top, and she stayed comfortable in a baggy set of relaxed-fit jeans

Never better: Her outing comes after an insider told Us Weekly that her relationship with Brad is going strong. The two have reportedly already said they love each other

Around the world: Pitt is reportedly planning their summer vacation, and the two might visit Europe; seen in December 2022 in LA

He's also constantly on the look for new international real estate acquisitions, so their holiday could double as a business trip.

'He loves architecture, so hes always looking!' the source said.

Brad and Ines were first linked in November of last year, two months after she and her Vampire Diaries star husband Paul Wesley had separated.

He made their breakup official in February of this year by filing for divorce.
Honey Boo Boo star Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell had some positive news for her fans on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old reality TV star - who is currently battling stage 4 cancer in her liver, kidneys, and lungs after being diagnosed in January with rare adrenal carcinoma - shared a hopeful health update on her Instagram.

Anna posted a snap of herself alongside boyfriend, Eldridge Toney, at Cracker Barrel in Atlanta, Georgia, and revealed that she is currently undergoing a third round of chemotherapy, and that it's 'working.'

'Well going on to round 3 of chemo. this yesterday it was pretty good day but did get a little and Cracker Barrel was good going down but not up but over all its going good and chemo is working we come to find so things are looking good,' she wrote.

Cardwell underwent her first chemotherapy session in March. Her cancer was diagnosed after she underwent a series of testing due to stomach aches, according to TMZ.

'Chemo is working': Honey Boo Boo star Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell shared a positive health update to her Instagram on Wednesday, revealing her third round of chemotherapy is working

It comes after it was revealed that her mom, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star Mama June, reunited with Anna in the wake of her diagnosis, just weeks after it was reported that she was working on their bond to mend their strained relationship.

The 43-year-old mother-of-four - full name June Shannon - and her daughter seemed to have put their tough past behind them as they smiled for a selfie together in a hospital room.

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.

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.

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.

Health battle: The reality TV star, 28, is currently battling stage 4 cancer in her liver, kidneys, and lungs after being diagnosed in January with rare adrenal carcinoma; Pictured with Mama June Shannon during her second chemotherapy session

Diagnosis: Cardwell underwent her first chemotherapy session in March. Her cancer was diagnosed after she underwent a series of testing due to stomach aches, according to TMZ

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.'

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.

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.

Coming through: Earlier this month it was reported by TMZ that Mama June was nurturing the bond with her daughter although their relationship has been tense in recent years

Mom and her mini-mes: Mama June and her daughters all have been helping out Chickadee and her two children, according to sources close to the family; seen in March 2022

Her family: Cardwell first appeared on TLC's 2009 series Toddlers and Tiaras alongside her now-teenaged sister  famously known as Honey Boo Boo  and their family

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.

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.
Billie Faiers proved to be her own best advert as she modelled her brand new swimwear collection with online retailer In The Style.

The reality star, 33, put on a very busty display in a blue bikini top and matching high-waisted bottoms.

She sported a bronzed makeup palette underneath a pair of white sunglasses, while her blonde locks were swept back into a ponytail.

Billie showed off her incredible figure in a bold green two-piece as she posed for a stunning mirror selfie.

She then slipped into a blue and white patterned bikini and a matching shirt while having her makeup touched up.

Glowing: Billie Faiers proved to be her own best advert as she modelled a green bikini from her brand new swimwear collection with online retailer In The Style

Wow! The reality star, 33, put on a very busty display in a blue bikini top and matching high-waisted bottoms

On Instagram, Billie penned: 'Shooting my In The Style swimwear collection. It's been a while'

The getaway comes after Billie recently returned from her family Maldives trip, with fans branding her 'entitled' as she moaned about the luxury holiday.

The reality star and sister Sam have come under fire for making 'tone deaf' statements in recent weeks with fans questioning when they will 'learn' from the past posts.

In the latest gaffe, complained about her 'nightmare' flight home from the Maldives, revealing the bassinet for the flight was broken and she had to give up the seat with it to someone else as they had booked extra leg room.

This meant she travelled with baby Margot, four months, on her lap for the 12-hour flight.

Yet fans were quick to hit out at Billie for acting as if she 'deserved' the seat more than the passenger who had paid for leg room and noting that most travellers carry their babies on flights without issue.

Billie spoke about her luxury break with husband Greg and their children on the latest episode of The Sam and Billie podcast, revealing the journey back to the UK was not quite as relaxing.

Gorgeous: She then slipped into a blue and white patterned bikini and a matching shirt while having her makeup touched up

Beauty: Billie sported a bronzed makeup palette underneath a pair of white sunglasses, while her blonde locks were swept back into a ponytail

She revealed: 'So I had to hold Margot in my arms for 12 hours  Greg and mum helped as well. I just thought "please don't do this to me".'

The mother-of-three admitted on The Sam and Billie podcast which she hosts with her sister Sam that she was also struggling as Margot had to have her nappy changed five times.

She admitted that it was not an ideal situation at all because Margot is a wriggly baby - but that they had no choice.

But unimpressed fans were not too pleased with the comments, as they hit out at her on social media.

Billie looked stunning on Saturday as she headed for a girls' weekend away to the French capital with her sister Sam, 32, and their glamorous mum Suzie Wells .

The reality star, 33, nailed Parisian chic with a nude look, consisting of a satin chocolate brown maxi skirt with a thigh-grazing slit.

Adding a bodysuit in a similar shade, she draped a double breasted blazer over the top while adding a Fendi handbag over her torso.

Explaining they had bought the trip as a Christmas present to one another, sister Sam shared a snap of the trio as they headed to Paris from London on the Eurostar .

'And we're off! A trip booked at Christmas as our gift to each other! 48 hours in Paris with my favourite ladies,' wrote Billie's sister.

The ladies headed out for some drinks and food in the stunning city, enjoying lunch at upscale French bistro LAvenue.

Here come the girls: Bearing a striking resemblance to one another, the three beauties appeared in high spirits during the time away

Billie beaming for snaps at the table as the trio enjoyed some cocktails in the sun.

Bearing a striking resemblance to one another, the three beauties appeared in high spirits during the time away.

Matching her sister Billie, Sam also rocked a blazer but opted for a white colour scheme instead.

While mother Suzie donned a cream button-up cardigan with a matching coat over the top.
Kate Hudson sent temperatures soaring in sizzling new snaps from a front cover shoot with Flaunt Magazine.

The actress, 44, posed up a storm as she showed off her style credentials while wearing Tod's and Roberto Coinin during the photoshoot.

In one snap, Kate put on a busty display in a sheer white bra, teamed with matching pants and a beige jacket.

The mother-of-three then slipped into a black bra and matching shorts, while covering up with a chic red coat.

Kate flaunted her incredible figure in a skin-tight button-up dress as she posed on the ground.

Wow! Kate Hudson sent temperatures soaring in a sheer white bra in sizzling new snaps from a front cover shoot with Flaunt Magazine

Gorgeous: The actress, 44, slipped into a black bra and matching shorts, while covering up with a chic red coat

She sported a flawless bronzed makeup palette with a swipe of nude lipstick, while her blonde were styled in loose curls.

Speaking about motherhood in her interview with Flaunt, Kate said: 'I think for everybody, the second you have children, it completely changes everything.

'If you look at your life like a pendulum, when you have a child, it just swings the pendulum in a completely different direction. Even if youre trying to hang on to your old life, it just doesnt work that way. Youre still hanging on that pendulum, and then it has to balance itself out.

'I always say, becoming a mother so young, I didnt really have many years as an adult alone, I always had Ryder. Ive been a mom my entire adult life, and Ive had a child almost every decade.

'So not only do you learn, but I was also in a very different place in my life with each of my kids; my relationship to parenting does feel different, each time. Not good or bad, just different.'

Kate recently enjoyed a sun-soaked getaway with her fiance Danny Fujikawa and shared a collection of images to her Instagram account from the trip.

The performer donned a form-revealing yellow bikini top and a matching bottom as she posed for the camera during pool day.

Hudson showed her affection for her partner, fiance Danny Fujikawa, by pretending to lick his face in one of the snaps.

The actress, who was recently seen while leaving a business meeting in Los Angeles, was also seen in the company of Danny in two of the photos.

The 43-year-old performer gave her nearly 17 million followers a look into her personal life in the snaps, many of which featured her daughter Rani Rose, aged four.

She accessorised with a pair of Pepper Eyewear sunglasses and much of her bright blonde hair shot out from underneath a black cap.

The Academy Award-nominated performer also shared a photo in which she watched Fujikawa spend time with a friend.

The actress also shared a shot of notes she had jotted down regarding her views on music.

Hudson included numerous snaps that showed her spending time with Rani Rose.

Glam: Kate flaunted her incredible figure in a skin-tight button-up dress as she posed on the ground

Chic: The mother-of-three went braless in a chocolate brown waist coat and matching trousers

Stylish: Kate boosted her height in a pair of beige heels and accessorised with dainty gold jewellery

Incredible: The actress wowed in a busty purple bra and matching hot pants, while covering up with a black mesh dress

Stunning: Kate posed up a storm as she showed off her style credentials while wearing Tod's and Roberto Coinin during the photoshoot

The Glass Onion actress shares her daughter with Fujikawa, whom she began seeing in 2016.

The performer was previously married to Chris Robinson from 2000 until 2007, and they welcomed a son named Ryder, aged 19.

She went on to begin seeing Matt Bellamy, and they brought a son named Bingham, aged 11, into their lives in 2011.

Hudson and her former fiance split up in 2014, although they have since remained on friendly terms.

The actress eventually began seeing Fujikawa, with whom she had been friends for several years before they started dating.

The happy couple went on to announce that the performer was pregnant in April of 2018, and she gave birth to Rani Rose that September before revealing her engagement two years later.

Hudson spoke about coparenting with the fathers of her children during an interview with The Sunday Times , where she expressed that she was happy about having established a large family.

'It might not look traditional from the outside, but on the inside I feel like we're killing it,' she said.

Photoset: Kate shared a collection of loved-up images with her fiance Danny Fujikawa to her Instagram account

The performer went on to state that she had established close relationships with her kids and their respective fathers over the years.

'The unit that I've created with three children with three different fathers is a seriously strong unit,' she said.

Hudson then spoke about how she had managed to embrace co-parenting with her former husband and partner.

'You can have an amazing time with an ex-partner because you're really only focused on the love of your child,' she said.
Mad Women: ****

Turkey: Empire of Erdogan: *****

Oh, the innocence of it. And it seemed so raunchy at the time. Male model Nick Kamen unbuttoned his Levi's and flung them into the wash, while the ladies in the launderette drooled.

'It was the first time,' said the 1985 advert's copywriter Barbara Nokes, 'that women, us lot, were given the opportunity of ogling a boy. And ogle we did.'

Her hot-and-sudsy fantasy was inspired, she said on Mad Women (Ch4), by a real experience in a London launderette. An Irish workman stripped down to his undies. Yer man might not have been a model but he clearly made quite the impression on Barbara.

Advertisers have always known that sex sells, but this history of female executives in the macho, chauvinist world of TV ad campaigns proves that it sells best to women.

Take the Lynx ads, those tongue-in-cheek promotions for a sickly perfume aimed at men too young to shave. The idea is that it's loaded with chemicals to make its wearer magically irresistible to the opposite sex  seduction by pheromones.

Mad Women on Channel 4: Advertisers have always known that sex sells, but this history of female executives in the macho, chauvinist world of TV ad campaigns proves that it sells best to women

Rosie Arnold, art director at ad firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty, devised some of the more outrageous scenarios, including one where a spotty teen douses himself with Lynx on the beach while a horde of women in bikinis rush from the waves, a mass attack of Ursula Andresses.

'We weren't just selling it to young men,' Rosie explained. 'We were selling it to their mums, because they were the ones actually buying it.'

This one-off salute to the sales sorceresses tried to kid us that these ads were somehow striking a blow for feminism. An example cited was the Pretty Polly spot where a lone woman on a Riviera road fixed the engine of her classic car, by unrolling her silk stocking to use as a fanbelt.

Slightly more convincing was the argument by Alex Taylor, who was a junior art director at Saatchi & Saatchi when the Army started recruiting many more women in the late 1990s. Alex helped to come up with the 'Be The Best' slogan, still used today.

'It's very important to me,' she said, 'because it wasn't a washing powder or a margarine.'

But what's wrong with an ad for marge, if it's done with wit and panache? Nearly half a century after Terry Wogan proclaimed Flora to be 'the margarine for men', I can still hear his dulcet tones urging the women of Britain to 'change their husbands'.

If regime change simply meant a different spreadable on our toast, we didn't know how lucky we were. Turkey: Empire Of Erdogan (BBC2), the first of a two-part potted history of the nation on the fringe of Europe, showed what happens when a military junta oversees the changes.

In 1961, the Turkish generals hanged the Prime Minister, for being a bit too Islamic. And when the firebrand political rebel and mayor of Istanbul Tayyip Erdogan recited dissident poetry in 1997, he was flung into prison.

This profile of Erdogan, Turkey's leader for the past 20 years but now facing the prospect of defeat in the polls, spelled out the scale of his achievements  defying the army and rooting out the organised crime gangs that pulled the strings of power.

Though his closest political allies gave interviews to camera, this was no whitewash. In his determination to hold on to office, Erdogan has become increasingly ruthless, using show trials to silence opponents and setting his police as attack dogs on protesters.

If you knew little of Turkey beyond its Mediterranean resorts, this compact summary was an education. And David Morrissey's rumbling, ominous narration made it better still.
When it comes to Health Insurance, we often think that only hospitalisation expenses will be covered under it. But they are only a part of the actual medical expenses incurred by people. The costs incurred for doctor visits, medical check-ups, diagnosis of diseases and illnesses, prescription drugs, etc., are often overlooked, which can pile up over time and take a huge toll on peoples finances. Such expenses are widely known as outpatient department (OPD) expenses.

It is a known fact that there are few Health Insurance plans that offer coverage for outpatient department expenses. However, some Health Insurance companies offer OPD coverage either as a standalone medical insurance policy or as an add-on feature that can be opted for along with existing coverage by paying an additional premium.

In a country like India, where out-of-pocket expenses in health care are high, people need to consider investing in Health Insurance that takes care of OPD expenses. Spending five hundred rupees for a doctor consultation may not seem like a huge sum, but over a period of time, these expenses get accumulated and can become a significant financial burden. But with a health insurance plan with OPD coverage, people do not have to worry as it covers all such expenses.

Some medical insurance plans allow exclusive and comprehensive coverage against OPD expenses, while some other policies provide this feature along with other regular coverage. Choosing the best plan is crucial and it is purely based on peoples health needs. OPD expenses are inevitable for people with chronic health conditions as they require regular medical attention and check-ups. For instance, people who have diabetes or blood pressure need to undergo routine health check-ups to keep their body vitals stable. The same is the case for women when they are pregnant or delivered a baby as they need regular medical attention. Many people need to refill their prescription drugs regularly and such expenses could become a huge burden over the long run.

Managing these expenses without any Health Insurance plans can be hectic. Health Insurance that covers OPD expenses can be of great help in maintaining both health and finances. As the awareness about health and well-being increases, many people are coming forward to undergo regular health check-ups to keep their health on track. However, there are still people who are left out of medical check-ups or doctor consultations because of the question of affordability. OPD Health Insurance in this aspect helps people to access quality health care and make equitable access to health care a reality.

Many insurance companies offer Health Insurance policies for OPD that can be opted for either as an individual health insurance plan or a family health insurance plan. The coverage includes doctor consultations, medical/health check-ups, diagnoses of diseases, physiotherapy, prescription drugs, etc. Before opting for a suitable plan, it is critical to check the coverage and limits. One important thing to note is that many Health Insurance plans cover outpatient expenses incurred only at Network Hospitals. Hence it is essential to choose an insurance company that has a wide network of hospitals so people can access quality health care easily.

Health Insurance with OPD coverage is a must-needed tool to manage outpatient department expenses without any worries. Based on their needs, people can choose either a standalone OPD policy or opt for OPD cover as an add-on in the existing policy (if the policy allows). To effectively manage OPD expenses Star Health Insurance offers a comprehensive plan named Star Out Patient Care Insurance Policythat takes care of OPD expenses including doctor consultation, physiotherapy, dental and ophthalmic treatments. If you do not have health insurance yet, it is the right time to invest in one.
India has the required capabilities, a stable banking system, responsive administration and a strong government supporting the country's startup dream

India has the required capabilities, a stable banking system, responsive administrative bodies, and a strong government supporting the country's startup dream

Startups from diverse industries, like data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, regularly rake in angel and seed funding. A few of these companies have even made news over acquisitions by major tech firms like Facebook, Google, and Apple. Though the country's ever-evolving startup space attracts the youth with its success stories, certain significant challenges exist. Despite showing much promise in their early stages, numerous Indian startups fail to scale as they mature.

Challenges Encountered by Indian Startups

Funding crunch: Even with the Indian startups crescendoing, the prevailing macroeconomic uncertainty and the threat of a recession have signalled the arrival of a funding winter for Indian startups. According to Inc 42's Indian Tech Startup Funding Report, there has been a 77% YoY decrease in mega deal counts.

Skill gap: The growing skill gap in emerging technologies is another concern for leaders across industries. While the number of STEM graduates has increased over the years, the number of individuals with employable skills leaves much room for improvement. If the current situation prevails, India will look at a shortage of 14-19 lakh tech professionals by 2026, per the NASSCOM-Zinnov 2022 report.

Offer shopping: The growing prevalence of offer shopping in the industry is making the hiring situation trickier for IT companies. Xpheno, a popular specialist staffing firm, identified that the average offer acceptance rate for positions in data science, full stack development, frontend, and backend engineering slumped to 50% in 2022 from 73% in 2021. This rising rate of offer shopping makes it highly challenging for companies to hire desired talent, slowing the whole hiring process.

Diverse market: While the customer base of the Indian startup ecosystem is diverse in terms of regions and cultural backgrounds, most companies have limited knowledge of the market beyond the areas they are familiar with. Such a diverse divide makes it challenging for Indian startups to create impactful products for the country.

Opportunities for Startups

Technically sound population: India's position as the third-largest startup hub following the US and China is strongly backed by its rising tech-savvy English-speaking talent, meeting the IT sector's demand for superior communication skills. Growth of smaller cities: The Indian Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities have become the new and emerging loci of development for IT/ITes companies. Cities like Jaipur and Ahmedabad are emerging as the new hubs and have experienced 40 per cent growth. Government-backed endeavours like The Digital India, Startup India campaigns, JAM Trinity, and Smart City Mission promote urban transformations of India's Tier 2 and 3 cities. Zinnov reports out of the 1,257 Global In-house Centres established by 976 MNCs, 68 are in Tier 2 cities. Government initiatives: The GOI is proactively supporting the growth of Indian startups through a slew of policies and campaigns like the Startup Leadership Program, Startup India Seed Fund, and ASPIRE, among others. The recent budget extended startup income tax benefits till March 2024 to boost the country's entrepreneurship environment. Extending the DigiLocker benefits will also go a long way to provide ease of doing business, ensuring paperless administration.

Internet Connectivity: India has the second largest internet user base after China, thanks to the affordable data plans available. The 5G rollout will further increase the number of internet users and positively impact the Indian tech space. Startups working with AR, VR, AI, and IoT can introduce more advanced features with 5G connectivity. Though the rollout was initially slow, it is moving on hot wheels. Indigenous innovation: India's innovation capabilities are not new to the world, and one such was the UPI or Unified Payments Interface. Launched in 2016, the UPI proved favourably for the country's SMBs, simplifying transactions and eliminating costly point-of-sale devices. Its success is now crossing borders, piquing the interest of many nations.

Challenges exist in every sector, and the Indian startup ecosystem is no different. But despite the multiple challenges, there are ample opportunities in the industry that tip the scales in favour of the country's tech entrepreneurs. India has the required capabilities, a stable banking system, responsive administrative bodies, and a strong government supporting the country's startup dream and in time, will be leading the global tech space.

(The writer is General Manager and Leader for Engineering at Contentstack, India)
Given the close ties between the four countries, National Security Advisors (NSA) of India, the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates(UAE) discussed the entire gamut of their ties and regional matters besides their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle-East.

The NSAs also reportedly discussed the feasibility of a rail link between the countries of West Asia and connect the region to South Asia via sea lanes. India is likely to provide the expertise in building the rail infrastructure as it runs a vast rail network in the country.

The crucial meeting between the NSAs took place in Jeddah on Sunday, the White House said late Sunday in Washington. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval on May 7 in Saudi Arabia to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world.

Sullivan also held bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince, Sheikh Tahnoon, and Doval to discuss bilateral and regional matters. He looks forward to further consulting with Doval on the margins of the Quad Summit later this month in Australia, the White House said. This is the first meeting between Doval and Sullivan after they launched the ambitious India US ICET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) dialogue here in January. Sullivan is currently travelling to Saudi Arabia.

With Crown Prince Mohammed, Sullivan reviewed significant progress in talks to further consolidate the now 15-month-long truce in Yemen and welcomed ongoing UN-led efforts to bring the war to a close, as well as covering a range of other issues. The four delegates agreed to maintain regular consultations and follow up on the matters discussed throughout the day, the White House said.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Monday reported the meeting between Sullivan and Crown Prince in Jeddah. They discussed Saudi-US strategic relations and how to enhance them in various fields, as well as regional and international developments of common interest, the SPA reported. Separately, the Crown Prince held another meeting with the deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Tahnoun and Indian national security adviser Doval, which Sullivan and the US delegation also attended, it said.

The SPA reported that the meeting involved discussions of ways to strengthen ties between the respective countries in a manner that would enhance the growth and stability of the region.

Meanwhile, Axios, a Virginia-headquartered news company, reported that the US, Saudi, Emirati and Indian national security advisers were to discuss a possible major joint infrastructure project to connect Gulf and Arab countries via a network of railways that would also be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the region.

The project is one of the key initiatives the White House wants to push in the Middle East as Chinas influence in the region grows, the report said. The Middle East is a key part of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) vision. Launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, the BRI is a vast collection of development and investment initiatives that have been planned to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure, significantly increasing Chinas economic and political influence across the world.

A US official had said the project would be one of many topics discussed during the visit. The idea for the new initiative came up during talks held over the last 18 months in another forum called I2U2, which includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India, the report quoted two sources as saying. The forum was established in late 2021 to discuss strategic infrastructure projects in the Middle East.

Nobody said it out loud but it was about China from day one, a former senior Israeli official directly involved in early discussions on the issue told Axios.
As a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 passenger plane entered the Indian airspace on May 4, the IAF was keeping a watch. Also, the Delhi air traffic control was informed of the conditions the plane was experiencing and had processed a request for the Boeing to fly a detour given the weather in the area. The Pakistani plane reportedly remained in the Indian airspace for ten minutes.

Giving these details here on Monday, sources also said the incident of the PIA that was flying in Indian airspace due to bad weather was coordinated between Lahore and Delhi, with information being shared with the Air Traffic Liaison Unit. The Indian Air Force was in the picture and was monitoring the situation. The PIA flight PK-248 took off from Muscat for Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore when it had to abort its landing due to bad weather conditions.

A tracker on Flight Radar 24, a commercially available app that monitors aircraft movement around the world, reports that the PIA jet flew north of Bhikhiwind in Punjab at 8.42pm on May 4 shortly after entering Indian airspace.

It then flew over the city of Tarn Taran before turning southwest to eventually return to Pakistani airspace where it diverted to Multan and landed there. Pakistan International Airlines has permission to operate certain flights over Indian airspace, including flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Several Indian airlines operate daily flights to West through Pakistani airspace.
Visiting Foreign Minister of Israel Eli Cohen on Tuesday cut short his three-day visit to India and returned to Tel Aviv. He landed here in the morning and decided to go back after receiving a security update.

He reportedly decided to return after Israel launched air strikes against some militants in the Gaza Strip. Some commanders of the militant group Islamic Jihad were killed in the military action.

A short while ago I landed in India for a very important strategic and political visit. I am receiving constant update from Israel on the situation and I hope to meet today with the Indian Prime Minister, and after that will shorten my visit and go back to Israel, Cohen said. He left after holding talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and calling on Prime Minister Modi.

Announcing the decision, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen landed a short while ago in New Delhi, the capital of India, and as soon as he landed he received a security update. In light of the events in Israel, Foreign Minister Cohen decided to cut short his diplomatic visit to India and return to Israel after the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will take place today.

According to reports from Tel Aviv, Israel has launched a major military offensive targeting some militants in Gaza Strip. At least 12 Palestinians, including three commanders of the militant group Islamic Jihad, have been killed in the air strikes, they said.
Seeking the blessings of brothers and sisters of Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tweeted, Dream of every citizen of Karnataka is my dream. Your resolve is my resolve. When we come together and set our minds to a goal, no force in the world can stop us.

Modi expressed his gratitute for the affection he received in the State over the last few days, and said it has strengthened his resolve to make Karnataka number one across all sectors. My appeal is for the bright future of Karnataka. It is for the bright future of your family, especially the younger generations.

Stating that the people have always showered him with love and affection, he said it feels like a divine blessing to me. Ee Baariya Nirdhara, Bahumatada BJP Sarkara (This times decision: Majority BJP government)  this call of the people of Karnataka is still echoing in my ears.

In our Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, we Indians have aimed to make our beloved country a developed nation, and Karnataka is keen to lead the movement to realise this vision, Modi said.

India is the worlds fifth-largest economy, our next aim is to reach the top three.

This is possible only when Karnataka rapidly grows to become a USD one trillion economy. You have witnessed the work of the Double Engine BJP government over the last 3.5 years. Our decisive, focused and futuristic policies are imparting momentum to the growth of Karnatakas economy, the Prime Minister said.

Despite the COVID pandemic, he said, Karnataka has received over Rs 99,000 crore annually as foreign investment under the BJP government. It was just around Rs 30,000 crore under the previous government. This shows the BJPs commitment to Karnatakas progress and to a bright future for the youth.

We want to make Karnataka the number 1 in investment, industry and innovation. We want to make Karnataka the number 1 in education, employment and entrepreneurship, Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the government is working to empower the farmers with a Beej Se Bazaar Tak vision. Through new irrigation projects, expansion of storage facilities. Increasing ethanol blending, usage of nano urea and modern technology such as drones, the BJP is committed to making Karnataka the number one in agriculture.
India lost yet another imported cheetah on Tuesday, third in as many months, this time a female Cheetah named Daksha to a courtship mating bid by her male counterparts inside the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh which the Government said was common during such attempts.

Such violent behaviours by male coalition cheetahs towards female cheetahs during mating are common. In such a situation, the chances of intervention by the monitoring team are almost non-existent and practically impossible, said the Union Environment Ministry.

Earlier two predators died in March and April. Sasha, a captive-bred Cheetah, died in March from a kidney ailment, while the second Cheetah, Uday, died during treatment after he was found sick at the national park in April.

They must have tried mating, and she must have retaliated, which would have made them aggressive, said JS Chauhan, chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh. All three were poised to be released to the wild before June.

According to the Ministry officials, the female cheetah Daksha released from South Africa in the Park was found fatally injured by the monitoring team on May 9 in the morning. Treatment was conducted by the veterinarians but the female feline succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.

Prima facie, the wounds found on the female cheetah Daksha seem to have been caused by a violent interaction with the male, during the courtship/ mating attempt. Such violent behaviours by male coalition cheetahs towards female cheetahs during mating are common. In such a situation, the chances of intervention by the monitoring team are almost non-existent and practically impossible, the officials said.

The autopsy of the dead female cheetah is being carried out by the veterinary team as per the protocol, they said.

Since September last year when they were released in the KNP as Indias much ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project, two predators died in March and April. Sasha, a captive-bred Cheetah, died in March from a kidney ailment, while the second Cheetah, Uday, died during treatment after he was found sick at the national park in April.

To date, four Namibian cheetahs have been released from the fenced acclimatisation camps into free-ranging conditions in KNP. Two males (Gaurav and Shaurya) have stayed within the park and have not shown any interest in exploring the landscape beyond the parks borders. A female named Aasha has made two exploratory excursions to the east of KNP beyond the buffer zone but has remained within the broader Kuno landscape and has not yet ventured into areas with human populations.

The Ministry also said the cheetahs will be allowed to move out of KNP and will not necessarily be recaptured unless they venture into areas where they are in significant danger.

So far, four of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia have been released from the fenced acclimatisation camps into free-ranging conditions in KNP.
Disgruntled senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday once again declared an open war against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, second within a months time.

He said the recent speech by the Congress veteran (Gehlot) indicated that his real leader is BJPs Vasundhara Raje Scindia and not Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

Mounting pressure on Gehlot and the partys central leadership in the run-up to the Assembly polls, Pilot also announced a Jan Sangharsh Yatra over corruption and the recent cases of leaking of papers for State Government recruitment exams. The 125-km Jan Sangharsh Yatra will begin from Ajmer, where the States Public Service Commission (RPSC) is located, on May 11 and end five days later in Jaipur.

Pilot held a one-day fast last month in Jaipur over inaction by own partys government on alleged corruption during the previous BJP tenure in the State.

In the continuing tussle between the two leaders, Gehlot had on Sunday recalled the rebellion against him by Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs in 2020.

The CM said he survived because BJP leaders Raje and Kailash Meghwal refused to support a conspiracy to topple an elected Government through money power.

Pilot rejected the charge that the dissidents  whom he had led  took any money from the BJP. The Congress leader also reminded that he is the one asking Gehlot to probe charges of corruption during Rajes tenure as the Rajasthan Chief Minister. He pointed at the contradiction in what Gehlot is claiming  that the BJP had conspired to topple his Government and at the same time Raje helped save it. This is a contradiction and it should be explained what you want to say exactly, he said.

After listening to the CMs speech in Dholpur, it appears that his leader is not Sonia, his leader is Raje Scindia, he told reporters.

His Press conference took place the day former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the State, attending a training camp for party workers in Mount Abu. A Rajasthan Minister, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, also appeared to contradict Gehlot on Tuesday, saying the Government survived because 102 Congress MLAs in Rajasthan had faith in Rahul and Sonia.

Targeting Gehlot over the claim of money changing hands during the 2020 revolt, Pilot said it is wrong to make allegations against leaders from ones own party. It is condemnable. I deny the false and baseless allegations. The Congress leader said if there was any evidence, action should have already been taken by the CM. There is no point in making such accusations. Even after being abused, I did not break the party discipline and am not breaking it even today. It is easy to accuse, but it is difficult to answer the public, he said.

The MLAs against whom the CM made the charges were senior leaders who have been in public life for over 30 years, Pilot said. As examples, he named Hemaram Chaudhary and Brijendra Ola, who are now part of the Gehlot Ministry.

Pilot said he had been writing letters for a year and half demanding an investigation into corruption during Rajes tenure.

It is clear from the CMs speech in Dholpur on why no action is being taken, and why it wont happen, he said, in an apparent reference to Gehlot mentioning Rajes help.

Pilot said the planned yatra is not against anyone. This is on the issue of corruption, this is for the youth who are disappointed due to repeated paper leak cases, he said.

He referred to the boycott in September of a Congress Legislature Party meeting by a majority of the state Congress MLAs, in an apparent show of strength for Gehlot. The pro-Gehlot MLAs, apprehending that the CLP meeting was meant to install Pilot as the new chief minister, had then reportedly submitted their resignations. Pilot called the episode an insult to Sonia Gandhi, saying the meeting had been called on her directions. This was the real indiscipline and betrayal. People will raise questions if you insult her, he said.

He seemed to draw a parallel between the chief ministers claim about BJP support for the 2020 rebellion and the resignations in September. Many people allege that the resignations were made at the behest of (Narendra) Modi and (Amit) Shah. If I say such things from this platform now, would it behove me? he said.

Pilot said he has been called corona, gaddar (traitor) and nikamma (worthless), but the sequence of events reveals who strengthened and who is weakening the party.

He said some people want to weaken the Congress party and indulge in character assassination, but that would not be allowed to happen. The month-long crisis in 2020 ended with the intervention of the party high command, but infighting in its Rajasthan unit continues to embarrass the party.

Pilots sharp rejoinder to Gehlots remarks this time comes a day before polling in the Karnataka Assembly elections, in which the Congress is being seen as a strong contender.
The Arvind Kejriwal government on Tuesday claimed that the Delhi government is working round the clock to ensure no waterlogging this monsoon season.

PWD Minister Atishi, Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj and Delhi Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammed Iqbal held a joint review meeting on Tuesday with the officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Counil, Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Cantonment Board to take stock of the preparations for the monsoon.

During the meeting, they assessed the current situation across the capital and discussed potential solutions. The meeting focused on key areas such as the desilting of drains, construction of new drains, identification of water logging hotspots and creating a control room for monitoring waterlogging incidents, with an emphasis on ensuring seamless coordination across various departments.

Atishi instructed the officials to assess the situation after rains now and hold joint inspections at waterlogging hotspots.

The focus should be laid on mitigating waterlogging in these areas with micro-level planning. PWD will work as a nodal agency, and the departments central control room will monitor waterlogged areas 24*7 through CCTV, she said.

During the meeting, PWD officials said that PWD has installed 128 pump houses, which have over 700 pumps. Of them, 11 pump houses are fully automatic and start operating automatically as the water level rises, using sensors.

They said that PWD has marked 165 areas with waterlogging problems, and preparations are underway to address their needs and tackle waterlogging issues. In addition to this, PWD will establish control rooms at 10 other locations.

The Flood and Control department informed that there are a total of 57 drains in Delhi under it with a total length of approximately 382 kilometers.

To clean these drains, 53 machines have been deployed by the department. As of April 30, 2023, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has already carried out 5,65,371 metric tons of desilting work. The remaining desilting work on the drains will also be completed soon.

The MCD informed that desilting of all small and large drains will be completed by June 15th.

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj directed DJB officials to complete the distilling of all sewage lines and drains before the monsoon.

He added that in addition, alarms have been installed in sewage pumping stations (SPS) built in various parts of Delhi to alert officials of the Delhi Jal Board of any water overflow or malfunction.
Delhi BJP on Tuesday lambasted the Aam Aadmi Party leaders for not uttering a word on the sensitive issue of the gangrape of a Dalit woman working as a private nurse at GB Pant Hospital here.

Addressing a joint Press conference on the gangrape of a Dalit woman, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Delhi BJP Vice President Barkha Singh said AAP leaders on this incident even as the leaders pat their backs every day and spew venom against others.

Is it because the name of the main accused is Shakir, and the Aam Aadmi Party does not want to rise above the politics of Muslim appeasement, the BJP leaders questioned.

Bidhuri said a Dalit woman was raped in GB Pant Hospital on the night of May 1 and now it is being said gangrape took place.

The woman was brutalised so much that a rod was inserted in her private part, there were injury marks on the womans head and her teeth were broken. Like Nirbhaya, this woman died on Sunday, 7th May due to this terrible incident, Bidhuri said.

The 40-year-old woman was a resident of the trans-Yamuna area and her husband had died of cancer last year. She was taking care of her two young children who are now orphans by working as helpers at Pant Hospital.

Bidhuri has questioned the role of Aam Aadmi Party leaders in this incident.

He said that because the main accused is a Muslim, everyone is sitting silently on this incident till now.
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12-HOUR BANDH HITS LIFE IN KORAPUT (Pix)

Koraput: The Congress observed a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh in Koraput district on Tuesday demanding fulfilment of a five-point charter of demands. While shops and other business establishments were closed, movement of heavy vehicles came to a halt. Many Congress workers led by Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati resorted to picketing at various places. The effect of the bandh was majorly felt in Sunki, Chandili, Kotpad, Borigumma, Jeypore, Lamtaput and Pottangi. The demands of the agitators included establishment of a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Jeypore, appointment of youths of the district to various vacant posts of the local administration and reopening of the BEd college in Koraput.

MAZUMDER TAKES OVER AS NTPC REGIONAL ED (Pix)

Bhubaneswar: Partha Mazumder has assumed charge as Regional Executive Director (Eastern Region-II) NTPC. He will look after the power stations and projects situated in the States of Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam. Prior to this assignment, Mazumder was the Regional Executive Director NTPC (Coal Mining) at Ranchi.

JRO SWAIN DONATES BLOOD FOR 42ND TIME (Pix)

Baripada: On the World Red Cross Day and World Thalassemia Day, Junior Red Cross Officer and founder of the Blood Donors are Life Savers Laxman Swain donated his 42nd times of blood in life at the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Hospital, Baripada. Due to the summer, maximum blood banks across the State are facing an acute shortage of blood and patients like thalassemia, cancer and road accident victims are facing problems in arranging blood units. Swain appealed to the general public to come forward for donating blood to solve the blood crisis and save many precious lives.

JE, GRS HELD TAKING BRIBE IN GANJAM (Pix)

Brahmapur: The Vigilance police on Tuesday caught Jagadish Kumat Sahu, Junior Engineer (JE), Purusottampur block in Ganjam district along with Surjya Narayan Swain, GRS, Jaganathpur red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. The duo had demanded the bribe from a contractor for facilitating release of his pending bills in connection with works executed by him under the MGNREG scheme. The bribe money was recovered from the possession of Swain and seized. Following the trap, simultaneous searches were carried out at three locations of Sahu.

TARBHA HEAD CLERK ARRESTED FOR TAKING BRIBE (Pix)

Sonepur: The Vigilance police on Tuesday arrested Tarbha Sub-Registrar office Head Clerk Siba Prasad Guru along with a private person, Hemakanta Bishi, for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 24,000 through Bishi to process a persons six sale deeds for registration of his and five others lands. Following the trap, simultaneous searches were conducted at two locations of Guru from the DA angle.

CATTLE-LADEN TRUCK SEIZED IN PALLAHARA (Pix)

Pallahara: A team of the Pallahara police in Angul district on Tuesday seized a truck in which cattle were illegally trafficked to Kolkata a dairy farm in Sohela. As many as 20 cows and bullocks were rescued and handed over to the Nizigarh and Balipasi Sarpanches, said Pallahara police station IIC Parao Tudu. Truck driver Bani Patel and another person, Pintu Mallick, were arrested by police in connection with the incident. Members of the Gorakhya Vahini chased two trucks in which the cattle were transported. But one of the trucks managed to escape from the spot.

AM/NS INDIAS DOORSTEP HEALTHCARE SERVICE (Pix)

Bhubaneswar: The doorstep healthcare services provided by the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) have brought cheers to the communities at its operating locations. With the rolling out of Mobile Medical Unit at the periphery villages at Paradip, Koida and Barbil, the AM/NS India has touched more than1,00,000 lives directly and indirectly in more than seven gram panchayats of three districts.
At a public interaction in the Lormi Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inspected a Rural Industrial Park (RIPA) of Chandeli and expressed his happiness over its livelihood-oriented activities.

He also held extensive discussions with members of the women's group.

Sunita Dhruv, a member of Jai Budha Dev Self-Help Group, told the Chief Minister that she has been manufacturing cow dung-based paint for two months. They have sold 860 liters of the paint, generating an income of Rs. 62,000.

Maa Ambe self-help group member Ganeshia Patel said 10,000 bundles of dona-pattal have been made and they earned Rs 20,000 in two months. They are also selling dona-pattal in C-Mart.

After this, the Chief Minister observed the shoe and slipper manufacturing unit.

Pushpa Khunte of Vande Matram Self-Help Group said she had sold 309 pieces of slippers in a month, earning Rs. 11,400. The Chief Minister then visited a display unit training room and commenced a Wi-Fi facility.

The Chief Minister also learnt about fish farming.

Anupa Yadav of Adarsh Self-Help Group said they have started goat farming and have earned more than Rs. 60,000.

Expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister, Anupa said: "The way you promote Gauthans, the economic condition of women is getting stronger across the rural parts."

The Chief Minister praised all the members of the groups for their commendable work.
Congress completed the campaign for the on-going urban local bodies elections without any star campaigner, including partys general secretary and party incharge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Interestingly for the first time, the party even failed to get contestants on all the seats and was forced to extend support to independent candidates on them. In Lucknow also, the party had no candidates in over 20 per cent of the seats.

The party official spokesman claimed here on Tuesday that after the end of campaigning for the second and final phase of urban local bodies polls, in the absence of Priyanka Gandhi, who was busy campaigning for the assembly elections in Karnataka, the party extensively campaigned with UP Congress president Brijlal Khabri, all provincial presidents and other senior state leaders who held public meetings and roadshows in favor of the party candidates, He claimed that the party would get good results.

The spokesman said that prominent leaders who campaigned for the local bodies elections included Brijlal Khabri, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra `Mona former MP PL Punia, former CLP leader Pradeep Mathur, all provincial presidents MLA Virendra Singh, Ajai Rai, Naseemudin Siddiqui, Nakul Dubey, Yogesh Dixit and others.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Hazratganj police station, seeking registration of a case against Manikant Rathore, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Chittapur constituency in Karnataka, who allegedly threatened to kill president of Indian National Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, and his entire family.

The party alleged that the BJP leaders could not tolerate a Dalit as president of All India Congress hence they were giving life threat to him.

A delegation of UP Congress led by partys provincial president Nakul Dubey visited Hazratganj police station on Tuesday and sought registration of a case against Manikant Rathore.

Talking to media persons, Dubey said that the BJP leaders had crossed all the limits during the election campaign and now they even threatened the president of the oldest national party of the country. He said this type of illegal, offensive intimidation was definitely a criminal act which was not good for democracy.
Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav has appealed to citizens to report any violation of building norms in commercial and residential constructions in the area. The focus is on misuse of the basement area. The move comes in the wake of increasing incidents of illegal and unsafe buildings that pose a risk to public safety and parking.

According to the communique, the Deputy Commissioner has appealed to the general public that any type of construction like shop, school, small scale industry, godown etc. has been established in the basement of any residential or commercial building by deviating from the approved design. And if it is in your notice, then immediately inform the Deputy Commissioner's office, Sub-Divisional Officer Dhalbhum office and JNAC office. Keeping the identity of the informer confidential, legal action will be ensured against the culprits.

According to information the administration has been receiving complaints and feedback from concerned citizens and stakeholders regarding the flouting of building norms by some developers, builders, and property owners. These violations include unauthorized constructions, deviations from approved plans, and misuse of basements.

Such violations not only violate the law and regulations but also endanger the lives and properties of the occupants and the nearby residents. They can also lead to ecological damage, traffic congestion, and social unrest. Therefore, it is imperative that the administration and the citizens work together to identify and rectify such violations, said an official.

The Deputy Commissioner urged citizens to report any suspected violation of building norms to the concerned authorities, such as the local civic body, DC office or SDO . They can do so by submitting a written complaint, an email, or a phone call, providing as much detail as possible, such as the location, the nature of violation, the name of the owner or the builder, and any evidence or proof they may have.

The Deputy Commissioner assured the citizens that their complaints would be taken seriously and investigated promptly, and appropriate action would be taken against the violators, as per the law. The action can range from a warning, a fine, a stop-work notice, a demolition order, or a criminal prosecution, depending on the severity and frequency of the violation.

The administration has also urged the developers, builders, and property owners to comply with the building norms and regulations, and to ensure that their constructions are safe, legal, and eco-friendly. They should also cooperate with the authorities in verifying and rectifying any deviations or violations, and in obtaining the necessary permits and clearances.

The administration's appeal has been welcomed by many citizens and organizations, who see it as a positive step towards ensuring transparency, accountability, and safety in the construction sector.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday continued to attack the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and asked why it was not investigating the PDS scam of the BJP regime.

Directly charging the involvement of his predecessor Raman Singh in the scam, Baghel said the ED must investigate who the 'CM sir' and 'CM madam' are.

The narco test of an Indira Priyadarshini Bank employee had named 'CM sir', 'CM madam', BJP leader Ramvichar Netam and others. He wanted to know why there was no investigation against them.

He accused the ED of taking biased action against Congress leaders and demanded revelations of immovable assets found with Congress leaders and state officials.

The ED must disclose where the money levied under the alleged coal and liquor scams had gone, he said.

It is not fair to merely level allegations of Rs 650 crore and Rs 2,000 crore, he said. After all, the ED must disclose where this money has gone.

The 15-year tenure of BJP was full of corruption and the ED should also probe the scams of that regime, he demanded.
A fire broke out Tuesday morning at the Army Base Hospital in the Delhi Cantonment in the southwestern part of the city, affecting an operation theatre and an intensive care unit, but no one was injured.

Officials said it was a very risky operation for firemen as the blaze was in a room next to the one in which oxygen and nitrogen cylinders were kept. It took around two hours for around 50-60 firemen to douse the flames.

Information about the blaze was received around 3.50 am and 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, Delhi Fire Service officials said. Police, meanwhile, said six fire tenders of the Army Fire Squad were also involved in the operation.

According to officials, the fire spread to the operation theatre, intensive care unit (ICU) and the store room of the hospital before it was was brought under control around 5.30 am.

Most dreaded thing for firemen in fire incidents are cylinder blasts. But team DFS (Delhi Fire Service) has always taken risks to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Delhi. A fire in Base hospital, Cantt, was received...Team fought in presence of cylinder, Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg tweeted. Another senior fire official said oxygen and nitrogen cylinders were in the area where the fire broke out.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has directed the chief secretary to furnish a report on several allegations levelled by former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Ajay Maken of extravagant and obscure expenditure, environmental damage and violations related to heritage, among others, in connection to the renovation and construction activity at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals Civil Lines residence. Saxena directed that the report be submitted to him within seven days.

In the letter to the LG, the Congress senior spokesperson Ajay Maken claimed that the amount spent on Arvind Kejriwals residence was not Rs 45 crore but Rs 171 crore and that too during the time of the Covid pandemic when people were running around for hospital beds and the lack of oxygen.

Maken had also expressed his deep concern and disappointment regarding the extravagant expenditure, environmental damage, and violation of heritage protection and zonal plans in the construction of the chief ministers residence in Delhi.

Responding to Makens complaint, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the Congress leader is trying to tarnish the image of Kejriwal. This is a false case. The Congress leaders complaint shows that BJP and Congress are both together and working against AAP. Maken is a puppet of BJP in Delhi. What does congress have to say about 2000 cr liquor scam in Chhattisgarh?, the AAP said

The construction of the new CM house has cost the exchequer around Rs 171 crore, with 15 out of 22 officers houses adjacent to CMs house at Flagstaff Road being demolished or got vacated. The rest have been asked to not re-allot with time. This figure (Rs 171 crore) includes around Rs 126 crore spent on purchasing 21 new Type 5 flats in the CWG Village to compensate for the housing shortage, the former Delhi Congress chief had claimed in the letter.

I thus request you to conduct an inquiry into the matter. And if found guilty, grant sanction for prosecution of the principal beneficiary, the chief minister and the principal perpetrator the PWD minister of GNCTD, Maken had said.

After receiving the letter, the L-G in a communication to the chief secretary directed that a report be submitted to him within seven days.

The LG has desired that a detailed report on each of the issues raised in the aforesaid representation be furnished within seven days, the communication read. Claiming that the renovation of the chief ministers house has violated the Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2021, Maken had alleged that it has been constructed in the Civil Lines Old Bungalow Zone, an area protected under MPD 2021.

The AAP has maintained that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals official residence was built in 1942 and the roof had collapsed thrice. Following the roof collapse incidents, the Public Works Department suggested a new house be built, the party had said.
While the Uttar Pradesh police had traced the location of Guddu Muslim, an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, to Bargarh in Odisha, a CCTV footage of the same has now come to the fore.

In the video clip dated April 11, 2023, Guddu is seen walking in the premises of a residential house.

As per reports, Guddu was in Odisha for around 12 days as he had been hiding himself. He left the place leaving behind a bag containing his clothes.

The UP polices STF had questioned one Raja Khan, an associate of Guddus driver, in Bargarh. According to sources, Raja told the investigators that Guddu has grown beard to avoid detection by police.

The Odisha link of Guddu came to light after the STF visited Bargarh on April 18 and stayed there for two days. During the period, the cops grilled Raja, a businessman who resides in Bargarhs Sohela.

Notably, Guddu is an aide of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed who was shot dead by three youths in Prayagraj while being taken to a hospital by police for a medical checkup on April 15.

Guddu, who is currently absconding, had bombed lawyer Umesh Pal to death on February 24.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena relaxed the prescribed criterion of physical standards and granted them approval on compassionate grounds for appointment of two persons in the Delhi Police. According to Raj Niwas official, the applications of beneficiaries Muskan Rathore and Gopesh Meena were rejected by Delhi Police as their height fell short by a marginal 0.5 cm and 0.4 cm, respectively.

However, the LG, using his special power under section 30 of Delhi Police (Appointment and Recruitment) Rules, 1980, relaxed the prescribed criterion for physical standards in these two cases and directed for issuing appointment letters to the two beneficiaries. The application of Muskan Rathore dated October 18, 2019, was rejected by Delhi Police on November 12, 2020, while the August 26 application of Gopesh Meena, was rejected on June 23, 2021.

In light of the penury conditions and liabilities/responsibilities of the families, both the cases appear to be fit for appointment on compassionate grounds in Delhi Police, in relaxation of prescribed criterion of physical standards, i.E. Height, the LG noted while overruling Delhi Police in the matter.

LG noted Meena had the liability of a younger sister, brother and his widowed mother while Rathore too had the responsibility of a younger brother and widowed mother.

Saxena said it was important and in the interest of natural justice that such factors, including the families financial conditions, are taken into consideration while deciding cases of compassionate appointment. Rathore, daughter of late Head Constable Raj Narayan Singh, was rejected due to short height. Her height was 151.5 cm against the prescribed height of 152 cm and thus fell short by just 0.5 cm. DCP (Traffic) had recommended her appointment as Constable.
Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai is continuously inspecting cleanliness arrangements in different areas of the city with a view to ensure cleanliness activities as per the prescribed norms of Swachh Survekshan-2023.

In this sequence, Mayor Malti Rai visited Zone no. 4 on Tuesday, observed cleanliness arrangements, door-to-door garbage collection, cleaning of drains and other activities of cleanliness in different areas.

Instructions were given to ensure better security, advised compulsorily keeping 2 dustbins at the shops and to take strict action of spot fine against those who fail to keep dustbins.

During this, Mayor Rai interacted with businessmen and local citizens in different areas and also took feedback regarding cleanliness work and garbage collection and actively cooperated in cleanliness activities to make her city Bhopal number 01 in cleanliness.

Along with several areas in Zone no. 4 she visited other areas including Mangalwara, Silavatpura, Patel Nagar, Sindhi Colony, Tila Jamalpura Hanuman Mandir, Arif Nagar Garbage Transfer Station and Chhola Market, etc. Observed the activities of cleanliness and got detailed information about cleanliness related works.

She directed that residents, markets and other public places and drains should be cleaned better and arrangements for collecting garbage from 100 percent areas should also be made more systematic.

Mayor instructed to take strict action of spot fines against those who do not keep dustbins at the shops and directed that the presence of all the employees involved in the cleanliness work should be ensured in the prescribed uniform.

During the observation of the Garbage Transfer Station located at Arif Nagar, Mayor Rai directed that the segregated waste should always be transported to the Garbage Station by keeping it in separate compartments of the garbage vehicle. While inspecting the Chhola Mechanical Market also directed to ensure better cleanliness of drains and keep the flow of drains in order.

During this, Mayor Rai also had a cleanliness dialogue with the residents and businessmen and also took feedback regarding road sweeping, garbage segregation and door-to-door garbage collection.
Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai reprimanded the sanitary inspector who arrived wearing kurta-pyjama instead of uniform, she said that the uniform should be given to someone else; she got angry after spotting dirt in the drain.

The mayor had gone on Tuesday morning to inspect cleanliness and arrangements of cleanliness along with MIC member RK Singh Baghel during which the whole incident occurred.

To make the city number 1 in Swachh Survekshan 2023 local representatives and officers have put their best to make Bhopal the best. Mayor Rai, Corporation Commissioner KVS Chaudhary Kolsani are also inspecting daily and taking stock of the cleanliness system.

On Tuesday morning also, Mayor Rai reached ward numbers-15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 of Zone-4. MIC member Baghel was also with her. The mayor was inspecting Tila Jamalpura. Then she asked about the Inspector of Ward-15. On this, Sanitary Inspector Chainsingh Chauhan standing behind came forward. He was wearing kurta-pyjama instead of uniform. The mayor got angry on this.

Seeing the inspector, Mayor Rai said that you are the sanitary Inspector ? We thought that you are a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Where is the uniform, get another one? On this, Sanitary Inspector Chauhan said that I have come here straight from the wedding. The mayor said that it is not visible. The mayor also showed the filth filled in the drain.

MIC member Baghel told that he is inspecting everyday. On Tuesday, the mayor also took feedback from the people. Asked whether the sweepers come to pick up the wet-dry garbage or not? He also reached the garbage center built in Arif Nagar.
The State Cabinet here on Tuesday approved the interest waiver scheme for the waiver of the outstanding interest up to Rs 2 lakh of 11 lakh 19 thousand defaulter farmers of Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (PACS) to waive the amount of Rs 2 thousand 123 crore.

The scheme was approved by the Cabinet in accordance with the announcement of Chief Minister Chouhan "Farmers who have become defaulter due to loan waiver, their interest amount will be paid by the government". The state government will compensate the defaulter farmers who have outstanding loans of up to Rs 2 lakh including principal and interest as on March 31, 2023 from Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (PACS).

According to the scheme, the farmer should have a loan of up to Rs. 2 lakh including short-term crop loan and medium-term converted loan with interest till March 31, 2023. Defaulter farmers will have to apply in their committee to avail interest waiver. The list containing the details of outstanding loan and interest etc. on the defaulter farmers will be made public through a portal at the bank level. Along with this, special facility has been given to the farmers to provide fertilisers for agricultural work. The amount deposited by the farmer in cash in his loan account, he will be able to get fertilizer up to that amount in the form of loan from the committee. The last date of the scheme has been fixed as November 30, 2023. Detailed instructions of the scheme will be issued by the Cooperative Department.

The Cabinet approved formation of new subdivisions, Khalwa in Khandwa district, Gaurihar in Chhatarpur and Tonkkhurd in Dewas. The new subdivision Khalwa will have Tehsil Khalwas Patwari Revenue Inspector Mandal Ashpurs Patwari Halka numbers 1 to 6, 8 to 15, 43 to 49, 51, 52, thus a total of 23 Halkas and Patwari Halka numbers 7, 16 to 39 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Khalwa, a total of 25 Halkas and Patwari Halka number 40 to 42, 50, 53 to 71 of the Revenue Inspector Mandal Roshni, a total of 23 Halkas, thus a total of 71 Halkas will be included. After the creation of Khalwa the remaining subdivision Harsud will have Patwari Halka No. 1 to 16 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Killaud of Tehsil Harsud and Patwari Halka No. 17 to 33 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Harsud and Patwari Halka No. 34 to 50 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Chhanera thus total 50 Halkas will be included. A total of 11 posts have been approved for the efficient operation of the subdivision including 1 of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon.

New sub-division Gaurihar in District Chhatarpur will include all Patwari Halka numbers 1 to 74 of Tehsil Gaurihar, thus a total of 74 Patwari Halkas. After the formation of Gaurihar sub-division, the remaining sub-division Lavkushnagar will include Patwari Halka number 1 to 28 of Tehsil Lavkushnagar and Patwari Halka number 1 to 39 of Tehsil Chandla, a total of 67 Patwari Halkas. For the efficient operation of the new sub division, 1 post of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon, thus a total of 11 posts have been approved.

The new subdivision Tonkkhurd in District Dewas will comprise all 60 Patwari Halkas of Tehsil Tonkkhurd. After the formation of the new subdivision, all the 69 Patwari Halks of Tehsil Sonkutch will be included in the remaining Sonkutch subdivision. For the efficient operation of subdivision Tonkkhurd, 1 post of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon, thus a total of 11 posts have been sanctioned.
A meeting of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) elected councillors was held at the office of Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth on Tuesday. In the meeting, the councillors urged the MP to exert pressure on the State Government for holding the Municipal Corporation elections in the State. MP Seth chairing the meeting said that the state government should immediately conduct a triple test so that elections for civic bodies could be held with reservation for OBC.

The triple test requires the government to complete three tasks for finalisation of reservation to OBCs in the local bodies. These include: To set up a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies; To specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies in light of recommendations of the commission, so as not to fall foul of overbreadth; To ensure reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats.

The Supreme Court in March this year paved the way for holding urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh with reservation for the other backward classes, after it was convinced that the state followed the mandatory triple test criteria. Civic polls in UP will be held following the triple test formula.

Seth said that election of the municipal corporation should be held by getting the triple test done, the Uttar Pradesh government is conducting the triple test and getting the elections done within 6 months, for this the state government will have to be serious.

Seth said, If the elections are not held soon, then the development work in the city will be disrupted, which are the middle class people, many important schemes including widow pension, old age pension, red card, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will be disrupted.

MP Seth said that he will soon meet the Minister of the Ministry of Urban Development of the Central Government and force the state government to conduct elections soon.

In today's meeting councilors Vinod Singh, Arun Jha, Roshni Khalkho, Anand Murthy, Omprakash, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Sujata Kachhap, Veena Agarwal, Ashok Yadav, Nakul Tirkey, Dinesh Ram, Deepak Lohra, Suchita Rani Rai, Rita Munda, Krishna Mahto were present

All 48 municipal bodies of Jharkhand are without public representatives after 30 April. Their command will be directly in the hands of officers and staff. The boards of municipal bodies will be dissolved. With this, the mayor, deputy mayor, president and ward councilors elected by the votes of the public will become powerless. It is not yet decided when the next civic body elections will be held.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday declared The Kerala Story to be tax free, making it the second state after Madhya Pradesh to provide tax relief to this controversial film.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also watch the film in a special screening with his Cabinet on May 12.

On Tuesday morning, the chief minister announced through a tweet that The Kerala Story will be exempted from taxes in the state. The tweet read, The Kerala Story will be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh."

The development came a day after the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government banned the movie. She ordered a ban on the film in the state on Monday, citing a threat to law and order.

A government spokesman announced on Tuesday that The Kerala Story, a film based on the large-scale conversion of Hindu women in Kerala and their subsequent involvement in terrorist activities, will now be tax-free in Uttar Pradesh.

He said the CM Yogi would also watch the film along with his entire Cabinet on May 12 after the second phase of polling in Urban Civic Elections.

This decision of the Yogi government is being praised a lot on social media platforms. People are urging everyone to watch the film in theatres and promote it.

UP became the second state after Madhya Pradesh to declare this controversial film tax free. Meanwhile, Opposition parties have called The Kerala Story a propaganda film.

Last week, the Kerala High Court had rejected the demand to stay the screening of the film and refused to declare the A certification issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) illegal. A day before that, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain a plea to direct the Kerala High Court to hear a petition challenging the clearance granted by CBFC to the film.
Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR  Get Rating) insider Michael Alan Farmer sold 12,500 shares of Builders FirstSource stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.97, for a total transaction of $1,362,125.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 62,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,769,434.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Builders FirstSource Price Performance

NYSE BLDR traded up $0.98 on Tuesday, reaching $114.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,424,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,962,300. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.69 billion, a PE ratio of 7.40 and a beta of 1.98. The firms 50 day moving average price is $90.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.55. Builders FirstSource, Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.91 and a 12 month high of $115.50.

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Builders FirstSource (NYSE:BLDR  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.63 by $1.33. The company had revenue of $3.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.57 billion. Builders FirstSource had a net margin of 11.68% and a return on equity of 55.42%. Builders FirstSources revenue for the quarter was down 31.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Builders FirstSource, Inc. will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Builders FirstSource

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Builders FirstSource by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,759 shares of the companys stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Builders FirstSource by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC now owns 45,746 shares of the companys stock worth $4,061,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Builders FirstSource by 20.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 803 shares of the companys stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of Builders FirstSource by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 2,624 shares of the companys stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Builders FirstSource by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,537 shares of the companys stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 94.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BLDR shares. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Builders FirstSource from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Builders FirstSource from $107.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Builders FirstSource from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Builders FirstSource from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut shares of Builders FirstSource from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $96.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Builders FirstSource has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $111.42.

About Builders FirstSource

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Builders FirstSource, Inc engages in the supply and manufacture of building materials, manufactured components and construction services to professional homebuilders, subcontractors, remodelers and consumers. Its products include factory-built roof and floor trusses, wall panels and stairs, vinyl windows, custom millwork and trim, and engineered wood.

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Magellan Aerospace (OTCMKTS:MALJF  Get Rating) and Meggitt (OTCMKTS:MEGGF  Get Rating) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Magellan Aerospace and Meggitts gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Magellan Aerospace N/A N/A N/A $0.95 6.04 Meggitt N/A N/A N/A $0.26 33.94

Magellan Aerospace is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Meggitt, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Magellan Aerospace 0 0 1 0 3.00 Meggitt 0 1 0 0 2.00

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Magellan Aerospace and Meggitt, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Magellan Aerospace presently has a consensus price target of $8.00, indicating a potential upside of 38.89%. Given Magellan Aerospaces stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Magellan Aerospace is more favorable than Meggitt.

Dividends

Magellan Aerospace pays an annual dividend of $0.15 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Meggitt pays an annual dividend of $0.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Magellan Aerospace pays out 15.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Meggitt pays out 48.8% 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. Magellan Aerospace is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

3.9% of Magellan Aerospace shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 54.1% of Meggitt shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Magellan Aerospace and Meggitts net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Magellan Aerospace N/A N/A N/A Meggitt N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Magellan Aerospace beats Meggitt on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Magellan Aerospace

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Magellan Aerospace Corp. engages in the provision of complex assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft and engine manufacturers, and defense and space agencies. Its products include aero engines, aero structures, wire strike protection system, rockets, space, sand castings, power generation, and supporting materials. The company was founded on February 15, 1996 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

About Meggitt

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Meggitt PLC designs and manufactures components and sub-systems in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Airframe Systems, Engine Systems, Energy & Equipment, and Services & Support. It offers ice protection products, radomes, and structures; air data and flight display products; brake control and tyre pressure monitoring systems, and wheels and brakes; engine health and vibration monitors, H2/O2 analyzers, and turbine monitoring and protection products; and aircraft cameras and security systems, and wireless aircraft systems. The company also provides ammunition handling, thermal, weapon scoring, and weapon training systems; energy storage, power conversion and distribution, and power generation systems; ducting systems, engine composites, and flow control valves; and fire protection and controls comprising bleed air leak detection products, cables, electronic control units, fire and overheat detection products, and fire suppression products. In addition, it offers ground fueling, and fuel systems and tanks; motion control actuators, electric motor drives, and electric motors; oxygen and specialty restraint systems; and accelerometers, ceramics, fluid sensors, magnetic and current sensors, position and inertial sensors, pressure sensors, speed sensors, and temperature sensors. Further, the company provides polymer seals; heat exchangers, printed circuit heat exchangers, thermal components, and thermal management systems; and live fire and virtual trainers, as well as aftermarket services. It serves aerospace, defense, and energy and equipment markets. The company was formerly known as Meggitt Holdings Public Limited Company and changed its name to Meggitt PLC in April 1989. Meggitt PLC was incorporated in 1947 and is headquartered in Coventry, the United Kingdom.

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Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:NML  Get Rating) Portfolio Manager Douglas A. Rachlin acquired 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.25 per share, for a total transaction of $312,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the portfolio manager now directly owns 378,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,367,606.25. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund Stock Up 0.3 %

NML traded up $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.32. The company had a trading volume of 193,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,247. Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund Inc. has a one year low of $5.66 and a one year high of $7.51.

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Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be given a $0.0584 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.09%. Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Funds dividend payout ratio is currently -227.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund

About Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund by 42.8% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 5,940 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its position in Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 125,500 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $825,000 after buying an additional 31,000 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its position in Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 111,147 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $730,000 after buying an additional 13,700 shares in the last quarter. Antonetti Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Antonetti Capital Management LLC now owns 40,300 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 5,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 94,133 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 16,265 shares in the last quarter.

(Get Rating)

Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund, Inc is closed-end mutual fund. It seeks total return with an emphasis on cash distributions by investing in master limited partnerships. The company was founded on November 16, 2012 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Shares of Findev Inc. (OTCMKTS:TNSGF  Get Rating) fell 1.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $0.35 and last traded at $0.35. 14 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 99% from the average session volume of 1,933 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.36.

Findev Stock Performance

The companys 50-day moving average price is $0.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.27.

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Findev Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 29th were given a dividend of $0.0058 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.15%.

About Findev

Findev, Inc operates as a real estate investment company, which engages in the financing of property during the development or redevelopment process. It focuses on lending to residential and retail development projects within the Greater Toronto Area. The company was founded by Gavriel State on November 1, 2004 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Shares of The First Citizens National Bank of Upper Sandusky (OTCMKTS:FSDK  Get Rating) were down 2.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $69.44 and last traded at $69.44. Approximately 110 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.32.

First Citizens National Bank of Upper Sandusky Price Performance

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $71.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.31.

About First Citizens National Bank of Upper Sandusky

(Get Rating)

The First Citizens National Bank of Upper Sandusky provides personal and business banking products and services. The company offers checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, health savings, and individual retirement accounts; and home mortgage loans, home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, cash reserve loans, personal loans, and business and agriculture loans, as well as credit and debit cards.

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H&R Block (NYSE:HRB  Get Rating) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.46 by ($0.26), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. H&R Block had a net margin of 14.57% and a negative return on equity of 337.61%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.11 EPS. H&R Block updated its FY 2023 guidance to $3.65-$3.80 EPS and its FY23 guidance to $3.65-$3.80 EPS.

H&R Block Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of HRB stock traded up $0.60 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $32.76. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,285,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,524,983. H&R Block has a fifty-two week low of $23.65 and a fifty-two week high of $48.76. The company has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.67. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $34.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.75.

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H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 6th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. H&R Blocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H&R Block

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 2,597 shares of the companys stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $183,000. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,003 shares of the companys stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Republic Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,927 shares of the companys stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the companys stock.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HRB. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on H&R Block from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com began coverage on H&R Block in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th.

H&R Block Company Profile

(Get Rating)

H&R Block, Inc engages in the provision of tax preparation and other services. The firm offers assisted income tax return preparation and related services through a system of retail offices operated directly by the company or by franchisees. It also develops and markets DIY income tax preparation software online, as well as through third-party retail stores and direct mail, and provides DIY tax services, including federal and state income tax returns, access to tax tips, advice, and tax-related news, use of calculators for tax planning, and error checking and electronic filing.

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Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Get Rating) insider Raghuvir Malhotra sold 11,398 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.62, for a total value of $4,349,704.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,465 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,612,033.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA traded down $2.57 on Tuesday, reaching $382.94. 2,036,351 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,746,610. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $363.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $356.09. The firm has a market cap of $362.97 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $276.87 and a 12 month high of $390.00.

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Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.64 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 169.12% and a net margin of 42.33%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.76 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Mastercards dividend payout ratio is presently 22.78%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $21,442,000. United Bank increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 34.5% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 30.1% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $97,335,000 after purchasing an additional 63,040 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $12,926,000. 74.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $405.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Mastercard from $375.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $425.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mastercard from $395.00 to $452.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $392.00 to $404.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $418.85.

Mastercard Company Profile

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Mastercard, Inc is a technology company, which engages in the payments industry that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and business. It offers payment solutions for the development and implementation of credit, debit, prepaid, commercial, and payment programs. The company was founded in November 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, NY.

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Osirium Technologies PLC (LON:OSI  Get Rating)s stock price traded up 3.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1.84 ($0.02) and last traded at GBX 1.55 ($0.02). 1,701,700 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average session volume of 1,390,276 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1.50 ($0.02).

Osirium Technologies Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of 1.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.83 and a beta of -0.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,173.52, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The companys 50 day moving average is GBX 1.91 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 2.71.

Osirium Technologies Company Profile

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Osirium Technologies PLC develops and sells cyber security software products in the United Kingdom. The company's products include Privileged Access Security, a solution that controls and protects access to customers' shared applications, services, and devices; and Privileged Access Management, a solution to minimize the risk of security breaches by controlling, securing, and auditing the vital assets in privileged accounts.

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Sixt SE (ETR:SIX2  Get Rating)s stock price was up 1.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as 116.10 ($127.58) and last traded at 115.30 ($126.70). Approximately 19,511 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 49,244 shares. The stock had previously closed at 114.10 ($125.38).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SIX2 shares. BNP Paribas set a 150.00 ($164.84) price target on shares of Sixt in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. Metzler set a 140.00 ($153.85) price target on shares of Sixt in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Warburg Research set a 155.00 ($170.33) price target on shares of Sixt in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a 145.00 ($159.34) price target on shares of Sixt in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Hauck Aufhauser Investment Banking set a 108.00 ($118.68) price target on shares of Sixt in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th.

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Sixt Trading Up 1.1 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of 118.72 and a 200-day moving average of 106.26. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 126.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.64, a PEG ratio of 23.89 and a beta of 2.06.

About Sixt

Sixt SE, through its subsidiaries, provides mobility services for private and business customers in Germany and internationally. The company offers mobility service across the fields of vehicle and commercial vehicle rental, car sharing, ride hailing, and car subscriptions. It has a network of 2,115 stations.

Further Reading

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LendingClub Co. (NYSE:LC  Get Rating) Director Stephen M. Cutler bought 7,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,399 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $50,313.20. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

LendingClub Stock Down 0.1 %

LendingClub stock traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.86. 1,777,036 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,131,727. The business has a fifty day moving average of $7.34 and a 200 day moving average of $8.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $737.24 million, a P/E ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.94. LendingClub Co. has a 12-month low of $6.30 and a 12-month high of $16.41.

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LendingClub (NYSE:LC  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The credit services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. LendingClub had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 22.96%. The company had revenue of $245.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $237.32 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. LendingClubs revenue was down 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that LendingClub Co. will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Institutional Trading of LendingClub

LC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded LendingClub from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Maxim Group reduced their price objective on LendingClub from $20.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on LendingClub from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on LendingClub in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. They set an overweight rating and a $11.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott cut LendingClub from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $10.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $13.50.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LC. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in LendingClub in the 1st quarter worth $87,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in LendingClub by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 63,363 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 12,887 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in LendingClub by 68.6% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 346,376 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $2,497,000 after acquiring an additional 140,972 shares during the last quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in LendingClub in the 1st quarter worth $144,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in LendingClub by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,553 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 18,029 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.11% of the companys stock.

About LendingClub

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LendingClub Corp. engages in an online marketplace that facilitates loans to borrowers and investments. It operates through the LendingClub Bank and LendingClub Corporation (Parent Only) segments. The LendingClub Bank segment offers a full complement of financial products and solutions, including loans, leases and deposits.

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The AZEK Company Inc. (NYSE:AZEK  Get Rating) CEO Jesse G. Singh sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $1,013,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,244,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,530,562. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

AZEK Price Performance

AZEK stock traded down $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $25.46. 2,325,368 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,734,991. The AZEK Company Inc. has a 52 week low of $15.12 and a 52 week high of $30.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 2.91. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 288.67, a P/E/G ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 1.60.

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AZEK (NYSE:AZEK  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 8th. The company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.01. AZEK had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 5.48%. The business had revenue of $216.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. AZEKs quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that The AZEK Company Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AZEK

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZEK. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of AZEK by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 15,249 shares of the companys stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of AZEK by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 32,197 shares of the companys stock worth $654,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in AZEK by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 48,286 shares of the companys stock valued at $981,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AZEK by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,739 shares of the companys stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in AZEK by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 15,745 shares of the companys stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.05% of the companys stock.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of AZEK from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of AZEK from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $27.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Bank of America raised shares of AZEK from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the company from $28.00 to $31.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on shares of AZEK from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of AZEK from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their target price for the company from $21.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AZEK has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $28.17.

About AZEK

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The AZEK Company Inc engages in designing, manufacturing, and selling of building products for residential, commercial, and industrial markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Residential and Commercial. The Residential segment designs and manufactures engineered outdoor living products, which includes decking, railing, trim and molding, siding and cladding, pergolas and cabanas, and accessories under the TimberTech, AZEK Exteriors, VERSATEX, and ULTRALOX brand name.

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Alaska Permanent Fund Corp reduced its stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB  Get Rating) by 54.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,044 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 1,228 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corps holdings in Williams Companies were worth $34,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Williams Companies by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 10,414 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in Williams Companies by 1,001.1% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 101,026 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $3,375,000 after acquiring an additional 91,851 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Williams Companies by 42.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 98,677 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $3,297,000 after acquiring an additional 29,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $319,000. 85.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WMB shares. Raymond James downgraded Williams Companies from a strong-buy rating to an outperform rating and dropped their target price for the company from $40.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Williams Companies from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Monday, February 27th. Truist Financial downgraded Williams Companies from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $31.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, US Capital Advisors raised Williams Companies from a hold rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $35.42.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $29.45 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.58. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $27.80 and a 12-month high of $37.97. The stock has a market cap of $35.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.10. Williams Companies had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 17.24%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. Williams Companiess revenue for the quarter was up 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 26th. Investors of record on Monday, June 12th will be given a $0.4475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 9th. This represents a $1.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.08%. Williams Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other news, Director William H. Spence acquired 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $29.61 per share, for a total transaction of $148,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,521 shares in the company, valued at $1,436,706.81. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Williams Companies

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The Williams Cos., Inc operates as an energy infrastructure company, which explores, produces, transports, sells and processes natural gas and petroleum products. It operates through the following segments: Transmission and Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, and West. The Transmission and Gulf of Mexico segment consists of interstate natural gas pipelines, the Transco and Northwest Pipelines, as well as natural gas gathering and processing and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region.

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Augustine Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,258 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 682 shares during the period. Bristol-Myers Squibb accounts for approximately 2.1% of Augustine Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Augustine Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $3,760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BMY. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,886,585 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $14,209,937,000 after acquiring an additional 3,058,491 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.0% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 174,002,852 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $12,369,862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,590 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.1% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,659,982 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,042,264,000 after acquiring an additional 155,845 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 13,794,089 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $992,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,627,705 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 11,442,639 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $813,457,000 after purchasing an additional 59,791 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.51% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

BMY traded up $0.36 on Wednesday, reaching $68.36. 2,306,939 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,913,370. The stock has a market cap of $143.61 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.44. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a twelve month low of $65.28 and a twelve month high of $81.43. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $68.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.07. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The firm had revenue of $11.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BMY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. They set an overweight rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Atlantic Securities upped their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. One 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, Bristol-Myers Squibb has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $79.43.

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In related news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $3,378,818.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,182.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

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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Malaga Cove Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,190 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 241 shares during the period. Bristol-Myers Squibb makes up about 1.4% of Malaga Cove Capital LLCs holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Malaga Cove Capital LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $2,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 55,629 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $3,024,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 39,915 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $2,872,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288 shares during the period. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,000. BerganKDV Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. BerganKDV Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Finally, Davidson Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors now owns 190,096 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $13,677,000 after buying an additional 3,681 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.51% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of BMY stock traded up $0.25 on Wednesday, reaching $68.25. 4,641,588 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,941,951. The stock has a market cap of $143.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.55. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 1-year low of $65.28 and a 1-year high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.07. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.75% and a net margin of 15.95%. The firm had revenue of $11.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 66.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BMY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. They issued an overweight rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $79.43.

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In related news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,182.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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Coupang (NYSE:CPNG  Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.08), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.64 billion. Coupang had a negative net margin of 0.45% and a negative return on equity of 4.24%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.12) earnings per share.

Coupang Price Performance

Shares of CPNG stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.61. 14,795,398 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,169,076. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Coupang has a 1-year low of $8.98 and a 1-year high of $21.38. The firm has a market cap of $29.47 billion, a PE ratio of -332.20 and a beta of 1.36. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $15.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.36.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coupang during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Coupang in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new position in Coupang in the 4th quarter valued at $149,000. Quantamental Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Coupang by 54.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantamental Technologies LLC now owns 11,044 shares of the companys stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 3,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Coupang by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,268 shares of the companys stock valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 2,280 shares during the last quarter. 71.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Coupang Company Profile

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CPNG. Bank of America downgraded shares of Coupang from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the company from $27.00 to $18.00 in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coupang from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Coupang from $23.00 to $22.00 in a report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Coupang in a report on Thursday, February 9th. They issued an overweight rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Coupang presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $21.02.

(Get Rating)

Coupang, Inc owns and operates in e-commerce business through its mobile applications and Internet websites primarily in South Korea. It operates through two segments, Product Commerce and Growth Initiatives. The company sells various products and services in the categories of home goods and decor products, apparel, beauty products, fresh food and groceries, sporting goods, electronics, and everyday consumables, as well as travel, and restaurant order and delivery services.

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MAI Capital Management raised its stake in Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR  Get Rating) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,548 shares of the conglomerates stock after buying an additional 1,618 shares during the period. MAI Capital Managements holdings in Danaher were worth $20,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Private Ocean LLC grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 1,485.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Ocean LLC now owns 111 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Danaher by 157.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 134 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners purchased a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 77.26% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Danaher

In other Danaher news, Director Walter G. Lohr sold 3,490 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.88, for a total value of $840,671.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,115 shares in the company, valued at $2,918,261.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Joakim Weidemanis sold 9,934 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $2,436,512.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 91,423 shares in the company, valued at $22,423,319.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Walter G. Lohr sold 3,490 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.88, for a total transaction of $840,671.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,918,261.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,619 shares of company stock worth $3,568,741 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.10% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Danaher Price Performance

DHR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Danaher from $325.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Danaher from $289.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Danaher from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $285.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. SVB Securities initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a research report on Monday, May 1st. They set an outperform rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Danaher from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $294.06.

Shares of DHR traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.81. 1,244,285 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,802,177. The business has a 50-day moving average of $246.26 and a 200 day moving average of $256.45. Danaher Co. has a one year low of $227.00 and a one year high of $303.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The conglomerate reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.10. Danaher had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 16.70%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.76 earnings per share. Danahers revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Danaher Co. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Danahers dividend payout ratio is currently 11.64%.

Danaher Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Danaher Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. It operates through the following segments: Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental and Applied Solutions. The Biotechnology segment includes the bioprocessing and discovery and medical businesses and offers a range of tools, consumables, and services.

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Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,695 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLCs holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Sargent Bickham Lagudis LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Sargent Bickham Lagudis LLC now owns 1,567 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clarius Group LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 2,731 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total value of $607,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,955 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,756,145.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock traded up $1.35 on Wednesday, reaching $230.70. The companys stock had a trading volume of 199,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,530,222. 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 company has a market capitalization of $59.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.14, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $224.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.57. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $195.24 and a 52-week high of $278.31.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 86.29% and a net margin of 9.41%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. Analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.605 per share. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. Sherwin-Williamss payout ratio is 29.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $263.00 to $268.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 11th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $257.83.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

(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.

Further Reading

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Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its stake in shares of Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR  Get Rating) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,913 shares of the conglomerates stock after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLCs holdings in Danaher were worth $2,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. Fairfield Bush & CO. increased its stake in Danaher by 10.9% during the first quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 4,840 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 19.3% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,468 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 76.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 495 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 14.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 31,530 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $9,248,000 after buying an additional 3,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 135.9% during the first quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 35,270 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $10,346,000 after buying an additional 20,320 shares during the last quarter. 77.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 695 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $170,462.65. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,565 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $383,847.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 695 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $170,462.65. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $383,847.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Walter G. Lohr sold 3,490 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.88, for a total value of $840,671.20. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,115 shares in the company, valued at $2,918,261.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,619 shares of company stock valued at $3,568,741. Company insiders own 11.10% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Danaher Stock Down 0.2 %

A number of research analysts have recently commented on DHR shares. William Blair reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Danaher in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Danaher from $289.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Danaher from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Danaher from $309.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on Danaher from $300.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $294.06.

Shares of DHR traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.64. 990,397 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,798,514. Danaher Co. has a 1 year low of $227.00 and a 1 year high of $303.82. The firms fifty day moving average is $246.26 and its 200-day moving average is $256.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The conglomerate reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.10. Danaher had a return on equity of 16.70% and a net margin of 22.40%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.76 EPS. The firms revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Danaher Co. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Danahers dividend payout ratio is currently 11.64%.

About Danaher

(Get Rating)

Danaher Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. It operates through the following segments: Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental and Applied Solutions. The Biotechnology segment includes the bioprocessing and discovery and medical businesses and offers a range of tools, consumables, and services.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Danaher Co. (NYSE:DHR  Get Rating).

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Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC cut its stake in shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V  Get Rating) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,164 shares of the credit-card processors stock after selling 1,509 shares during the period. Visa comprises approximately 1.0% of Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLCs holdings in Visa were worth $10,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Visa by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 145,236,910 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $25,801,337,000 after acquiring an additional 912,545 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Visa by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 27,141,800 shares of the credit-card processors stock valued at $4,821,741,000 after buying an additional 1,785,695 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Visa by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 13,270,127 shares of the credit-card processors stock valued at $2,357,438,000 after buying an additional 77,186 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Visa by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 13,157,577 shares of the credit-card processors stock valued at $2,337,444,000 after buying an additional 383,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Visa by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,004,830 shares of the credit-card processors stock valued at $2,218,771,000 after buying an additional 126,585 shares in the last quarter. 81.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Visa

In other Visa news, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 13,394 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.00, for a total value of $2,933,286.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 4,583 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,003,677. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Visa news, insider Tullier Kelly Mahon sold 54,146 shares of Visa stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.55, for a total transaction of $12,591,652.30. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,674 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,203,038.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 13,394 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.00, for a total transaction of $2,933,286.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 4,583 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,003,677. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 187,671 shares of company stock worth $42,943,080. Insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock.

Visa Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE V traded down $2.82 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $230.44. The company had a trading volume of 1,525,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,111,030. Visa Inc. has a 12-month low of $174.60 and a 12-month high of $235.57. The stock has a market cap of $431.69 billion, a PE ratio of 31.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.97. The businesss 50-day moving average is $225.72 and its 200 day moving average is $218.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Visa (NYSE:V  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The credit-card processor reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Visa Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Visa Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. Visas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on V. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Visa from $262.00 to $265.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Visa from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Visa from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Visa from $250.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Visa from $243.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $260.96.

Visa Company Profile

(Get Rating)

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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Fair Isaac (NYSE:FICO  Get Rating) and MOGU (NYSE:MOGU  Get Rating) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Fair Isaac and MOGUs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Fair Isaac 26.94% -45.97% 25.28% MOGU N/A N/A N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

87.8% of Fair Isaac shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.1% of MOGU shares are held by institutional investors. 3.4% of Fair Isaac shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.8% of MOGU shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Fair Isaac 0 2 5 0 2.71 MOGU 0 0 0 0 N/A

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Fair Isaac and MOGU, as reported by MarketBeat.

Fair Isaac currently has a consensus target price of $778.71, indicating a potential upside of 5.63%. Given Fair Isaacs higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Fair Isaac is more favorable than MOGU.

Volatility and Risk

Fair Isaac has a beta of 1.27, meaning that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MOGU has a beta of 0.47, meaning that its share price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Fair Isaac and MOGUs gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Fair Isaac $1.42 billion 12.95 $373.54 million $15.00 49.15 MOGU $53.24 million 0.33 -$100.92 million N/A N/A

Fair Isaac has higher revenue and earnings than MOGU.

Summary

Fair Isaac beats MOGU on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. The Scores segment consists of business-to-business scoring solutions and services, business-to-consumer scoring solutions and services including myFICO solutions for consumers and associated professional services. The Decision Management Software segment comprises the analytic and decision management software tools, FICO decision management suite, and associated professional services. The company was founded by Bill Fair and Earl Isaac in 1956 and is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

About MOGU

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Mogu, Inc. engages in the operation of an online fashion and lifestyle destination platform Its platform contents comprises live video broadcasts, short-form videos, photographs, and articles covering topics including product reviews, fashion tips, brand fitting room, celebrity on-screen, and street runway. The company was founded by Qi Chen, Xuqiang Yue, and Yibo Wei on June 9, 2011 and is headquartered in Hangzhou, China.

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Fosterville South Exploration Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FSXLF  Get Rating) saw a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 27,300 shares, a growth of 2,630.0% from the April 15th total of 1,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 140,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Fosterville South Exploration Trading Down 7.5 %

FSXLF stock traded down 0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching 0.40. The stock had a trading volume of 24,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 45,076. The companys fifty day simple moving average is 0.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is 0.35. Fosterville South Exploration has a 52-week low of 0.20 and a 52-week high of 0.58.

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About Fosterville South Exploration

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Fosterville South Exploration Ltd., a junior exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of epizonal orogenic gold deposits in Australia. The Company's principal properties are the 100% owned Lauriston Gold Project covering an area of 215 km2; Golden Mountain Project, which covers an area of 102 km2; Moormbool Project comprising three granted licenses; and Providence Project that covers an area of 650 km2.

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Fortis Inc. (TSE:FTS  Get Rating)  Research analysts at National Bank Financial dropped their FY2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Fortis in a report issued on Thursday, May 4th. National Bank Financial analyst P. Kenny now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $2.94 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.96. The consensus estimate for Fortis current full-year earnings is $2.93 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Fortis FY2024 earnings at $3.12 EPS.

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Fortis (TSE:FTS  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 10th. The company reported C$0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.70 by C$0.02. The firm had revenue of C$3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$2.75 billion. Fortis had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 6.92%.

Fortis Stock Down 0.0 %

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. CIBC boosted their price target on shares of Fortis from C$59.00 to C$61.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Fortis from C$58.00 to C$60.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. CSFB upped their target price on Fortis from C$61.00 to C$62.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Fortis from C$51.00 to C$52.00 in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Finally, Susquehanna Bancshares boosted their price target on Fortis from C$56.00 to C$57.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of C$58.50.

FTS stock opened at C$61.26 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of C$29.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.16. Fortis has a 12 month low of C$48.45 and a 12 month high of C$65.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of C$57.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$55.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 127.16, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Fortis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be given a $0.565 dividend. This represents a $2.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 16th. Fortiss dividend payout ratio is presently 81.29%.

Fortis Company Profile

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Fortis Inc operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 438,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 100,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,485 megawatts (MW), including 53 MW of solar capacity and 252 MV of wind capacity.

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Hydro One Limited (TSE:H  Get Rating) has been given a consensus rating of Hold by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$38.28.

H has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Hydro One from C$34.00 to C$36.00 in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Hydro One from C$35.50 to C$38.50 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an equal weight rating on shares of Hydro One in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. National Bankshares lifted their target price on shares of Hydro One from C$32.00 to C$36.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, CSFB boosted their target price on shares of Hydro One from C$36.00 to C$40.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 26th.

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Hydro One Price Performance

TSE:H opened at C$39.36 on Friday. Hydro One has a 1 year low of C$30.87 and a 1 year high of C$40.68. The firm has a market capitalization of C$23.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 133.36, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$38.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$36.85.

Hydro One Increases Dividend

Hydro One ( TSE:H Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The company reported C$0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of C$0.30. The company had revenue of C$1.86 billion during the quarter. Hydro One had a net margin of 13.50% and a return on equity of 9.46%. Equities analysts forecast that Hydro One will post 1.7222222 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $0.296 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 6th. This is a positive change from Hydro Ones previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Hydro Ones dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.00%.

About Hydro One

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Hydro One Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electricity transmission and distribution company in Ontario. It operates through three segments: Transmission Business, Distribution Business, and Other. The company owns and operates approximately 30,000 circuit kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines and 125,000 circuit kilometers of primary low-voltage distribution network.

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Intermede Investment Partners Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE  Get Rating) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,110,280 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Allegion accounts for approximately 3.3% of Intermede Investment Partners Ltds investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Intermede Investment Partners Ltds holdings in Allegion were worth $116,868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,446,502 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $667,802,000 after acquiring an additional 127,546 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,035,051 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $426,038,000 after acquiring an additional 227,955 shares in the last quarter. AKO Capital LLP raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. AKO Capital LLP now owns 2,692,558 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $241,469,000 after acquiring an additional 223,117 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management LLC increased its position in Allegion by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management LLC now owns 1,714,028 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $153,714,000 after buying an additional 109,878 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in Allegion by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,055,025 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $94,615,000 after buying an additional 10,336 shares during the period. 92.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Allegion from $129.00 to $120.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. StockNews.com cut Allegion from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Allegion from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Allegion from $130.00 to $116.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $120.22.

Allegion Price Performance

Allegion stock traded up $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $108.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 128,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 796,363. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $105.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.30. Allegion plc has a twelve month low of $87.33 and a twelve month high of $123.46.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE  Get Rating) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $923.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.29 million. Allegion had a return on equity of 61.34% and a net margin of 14.07%. The businesss revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.07 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Allegion plc will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Allegions payout ratio is currently 32.55%.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In other news, SVP Jeffrey N. Braun sold 2,278 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total transaction of $251,354.52. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,336 shares in the company, valued at $1,250,814.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Allegion

(Get Rating)

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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Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG  Get Rating) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 350,315 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 33,126 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADVs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF were worth $29,342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EFG. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 11.9% during the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the companys stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,468 shares of the companys stock worth $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 2,657 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,076 shares of the companys stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,319 shares of the companys stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $266,000.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Price Performance

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.88. The companys stock had a trading volume of 377,626 shares. The firms 50 day moving average is $92.61 and its 200 day moving average is $88.46. The company has a market cap of $11.81 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.87. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a 52-week low of $67.58 and a 52-week high of $85.81.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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John Wood Group PLC (OTCMKTS:WDGJF  Get Rating) was the target of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 73,100 shares, a decline of 88.6% from the April 15th total of 643,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.9 days.

John Wood Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of John Wood Group stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $2.80. 3,000 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,427. John Wood Group has a 1-year low of $1.19 and a 1-year high of $3.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $2.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.04.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WDGJF. Berenberg Bank downgraded John Wood Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of John Wood Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Barclays increased their target price on John Wood Group from GBX 180 ($2.27) to GBX 190 ($2.40) in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of John Wood Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on John Wood Group from GBX 237 ($2.99) to GBX 217 ($2.74) in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $189.25.

John Wood Group Company Profile

John Wood Group Plc is an energy service company. It engages in the provision of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul, and repair services to the oil and gas and power generation industries. The firm operates its business through the following segments: Asset Solutions EAAA, Asset Solutions Americas, Technical Consulting Solutions, and Investment Services.

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BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday conveyed condolences to Rwandan President Paul Kagame over the disastrous heavy rains in the country.

In recent days, strong rainstorms have hit many places in Rwanda, causing heavy casualties and property losses, Xi noted in a message.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he mourned the dead and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families, the injured and the affected people.

Xi voiced confidence that Rwanda will surely overcome the difficulties and rebuild the homeland.
Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Rating) announced an annual dividend on Thursday, April 27th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.9387 per share by the technology company on Thursday, May 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th.

Koninklijke Philips has a payout ratio of 58.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Koninklijke Philips to earn $1.45 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.91 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 62.8%.

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Koninklijke Philips Stock Performance

NYSE PHG traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $21.19. 171,509 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,895,023. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $18.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Koninklijke Philips has a fifty-two week low of $11.75 and a fifty-two week high of $26.05.

Institutional Trading of Koninklijke Philips

Koninklijke Philips ( NYSE:PHG Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 24th. The technology company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.05. Koninklijke Philips had a negative net margin of 11.63% and a positive return on equity of 6.29%. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 88,793 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,629,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares in the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 230.8% during the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 1,614,515 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $24,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126,378 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 23,069 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,537 shares in the last quarter. CI Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Koninklijke Philips during the 4th quarter valued at $310,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 14,669 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 10.17% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group cut shares of Koninklijke Philips from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Societe Generale raised shares of Koninklijke Philips from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Koninklijke Philips from 17.00 ($18.68) to 16.00 ($17.58) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $16.79.

About Koninklijke Philips

(Get Rating)

Koninklijke Philips NV is a technology company, which engages in the healthcare, lighting, and consumer well-being markets. It operates through the following segments: Diagnosis and Treatment businesses; Connected Care businesses; Personal Health businesses; and Other. The Diagnosis and Treatment businesses segment consists systems, smart devices, software and services, powered by AI-enabled informatics-that support precision diagnoses and minimally invasive procedures in therapeutic areas such as cardiology, peripheral vascular, neurology, surgery, and oncology.

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Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX  Get Rating) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 319,103 shares of the banks stock after selling 9,858 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. were worth $5,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thomas White International Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 353,718 shares of the banks stock worth $5,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,630,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 972,198 shares of the banks stock worth $15,750,000 after purchasing an additional 15,990 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 7.19% of the companys stock.

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Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Stock Performance

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $18.25. The companys stock had a trading volume of 19,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 95,234. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 12-month low of $12.58 and a 12-month high of $19.49. The company has a market capitalization of $663.02 million, a P/E ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.23. The firms fifty day moving average price is $17.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.84.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Announces Dividend

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. ( NYSE:BLX Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The bank reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $53.19 million during the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a net margin of 26.11% and a return on equity of 11.15%.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 4th 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 5.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 3rd. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

(Get Rating)

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It offers short and medium-term bilateral loans, structured and syndicated credits, and loan commitments; financial guarantee contracts, such as issued and confirmed letters of credit, and stand-by letters of credit; and guarantees covering commercial risk and other assets, as well as co-financing arrangements, underwriting of syndicated credit facilities, structured trade financing in the form of factoring and vendor financing, and financial leasing.

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Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $90.52 and last traded at $91.08, with a volume of 90041 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NBR shares. 888 reissued a maintains rating on shares of Nabors Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nabors Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Nabors Industries in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. They set a hold rating for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Nabors Industries from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Barclays downgraded Nabors Industries from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the company from $250.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $163.57.

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Nabors Industries Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $872.62 million, a P/E ratio of -6.30 and a beta of 2.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nabors Industries

Nabors Industries ( NYSE:NBR Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($3.89) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.06) by ($2.83). The business had revenue of $769.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.46 million. Nabors Industries had a negative return on equity of 26.14% and a negative net margin of 4.03%. On average, equities analysts expect that Nabors Industries Ltd. will post 8.77 EPS for the current year.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NBR. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Nabors Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $243,000. Raymond James & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of Nabors Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Nabors Industries during the first quarter worth $251,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Nabors Industries by 1.2% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 73,869 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $11,281,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Nabors Industries by 108.6% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,779 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.98% of the companys stock.

Nabors Industries Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It also provides performance tools, directional drilling services, tubular running services, and innovative technologies. It operates through the following business segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies.

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Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE:TSLX  Get Rating) announced a Variable dividend on Monday, May 8th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.04 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, June 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 30th.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending has raised its dividend by an average of 2.7% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 2 consecutive years. Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a payout ratio of 87.2% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings fall. Research analysts expect Sixth Street Specialty Lending to earn $2.13 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.84 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 86.4%.

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Sixth Street Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $18.42. The company had a trading volume of 244,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 431,375. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $18.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.31. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.59. Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a 1-year low of $16.02 and a 1-year high of $21.71.

Insider Transactions at Sixth Street Specialty Lending

Sixth Street Specialty Lending ( NYSE:TSLX Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $309.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $94.08 million. Sixth Street Specialty Lending had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 35.51%. Sixth Street Specialty Lendings quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sixth Street Specialty Lending will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In related news, insider Michael Graf bought 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.55 per share, for a total transaction of $37,100.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $37,100. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Hurley Doddy bought 2,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.51 per share, for a total transaction of $50,779.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 15,241 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $266,869.91. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael Graf bought 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.55 per share, for a total transaction of $37,100.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,100. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sixth Street Specialty Lending

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TSLX. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,957 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $791,000 after buying an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,310 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 11.9% in the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 9,842 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 8.0% in the third quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 14,818 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the period. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 6.7% in the first quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 21,463 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 44.71% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities cut their price objective on Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $22.00 to $21.00 in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Sixth Street Specialty Lending in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $20.83.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending Company Profile

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Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc engages in the provision of financing solutions. It invests in first-lien debt, second-lien debt, mezzanine and unsecured debt or equity or other securities issued by middle-market companies. The company is founded in 2010 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC trimmed its holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:MUB  Get Rating) by 64.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,018 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 9,150 shares during the quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLCs holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF were worth $529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MUB. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,309 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,404,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 2,209 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Management raised its stake in shares of iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 2,282 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 7,011 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland Capital Management raised its stake in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland Capital Management now owns 9,947 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period.

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iShares National Muni Bond ETF Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSEARCA MUB opened at $107.08 on Wednesday. iShares National Muni Bond ETF has a one year low of $101.35 and a one year high of $108.82. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $107.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.18.

iShares National Muni Bond ETF Profile

iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Index).

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Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC (LON:TMPL  Get Rating) declared a dividend on Tuesday, May 9th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of GBX 2.30 ($0.03) per share on Friday, June 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Temple Bar Investment Trust Stock Performance

TMPL stock traded down GBX 0.50 ($0.01) during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 230 ($2.90). 408,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 725,921. The firm has a market cap of 706.42 million, a P/E ratio of -4,610.00 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.28, a current ratio of 9.95 and a quick ratio of 3.68. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is GBX 234.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 230.78. Temple Bar Investment Trust has a 1-year low of GBX 195.20 ($2.46) and a 1-year high of GBX 249.50 ($3.15).

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Temple Bar Investment Trust Company Profile

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Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by RWC Asset Management LLP. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in stocks of companies across all market capitalizations, which are constituents of the FTSE 350 Index.

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Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Thursday, April 13th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of GBX 7.05 ($0.09) per share by the retailer on Friday, June 23rd. This represents a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. This is an increase from Tescos previous dividend of $3.85. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

Tesco Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of TSCO stock traded down GBX 5.70 ($0.07) during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching GBX 278.90 ($3.52). 8,028,471 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,414,467. The businesss fifty day moving average is GBX 265.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 245.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.29, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Tesco has a 12-month low of GBX 194.35 ($2.45) and a 12-month high of GBX 289 ($3.65). The firm has a market capitalization of 20.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,846.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.63.

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Insider Activity

In related news, insider Caroline Silver purchased 15,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 250 ($3.15) per share, with a total value of 37,500 ($47,318.61). Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 15,161 shares of company stock valued at $3,791,227. 2.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

About Tesco

Several brokerages have commented on TSCO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Tesco from GBX 270 ($3.41) to GBX 290 ($3.66) and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Tesco to a buy rating and increased their price target for the company from GBX 260 ($3.28) to GBX 310 ($3.91) in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 312 ($3.94).

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Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in retailing and retail banking activities. It provides food products through approximately 4,752 stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, as well as through online. The company is also involved in the food and drink wholesaling activities.

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The European Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE:EEA  Get Rating) announced a semi-annual dividend on Friday, May 5th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.0325 per share by the financial services provider on Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th.

The European Equity Fund has raised its dividend payment by an average of 32.0% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 1 consecutive years.

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The European Equity Fund Stock Performance

Shares of EEA traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,637. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $8.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.11. The European Equity Fund has a 52 week low of $6.06 and a 52 week high of $8.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The European Equity Fund

The European Equity Fund Company Profile

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CSS LLC IL raised its stake in The European Equity Fund by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. CSS LLC IL now owns 44,307 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 9,414 shares during the last quarter. City of London Investment Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of The European Equity Fund during the 1st quarter valued at $129,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of The European Equity Fund by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 13,904 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of The European Equity Fund by 186.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 7,163 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 4,664 shares during the period. 50.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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The European Equity Fund, Inc is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc The fund is managed by Deutsche Asset Management International GmbH. It invests in the public equity markets of Europe. The fund seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
MANZINI - The number of people who seek psychological services has increased to an extent that some are now being placed on a waiting list, which extends to up to five months.

This was revealed by some people who went to the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital in Manzini, to make an appointment to have a session with the government psychologist stationed at the hospital earlier this month. They said they were aware that government had only one psychologist at the psychiatric centre, but they did not expect to be placed on the waiting list for about five months. They said they were told that they could only be able to see the psychologist in September 2023. We believe mental health issues cannot wait, certainly not for that long (about five months), they said.

Chances

This, they said, was because the more a person who required mental health services waited for it, the greater the chances that the situation would escalate and in a worst case scenario, the individual became suicidal. In that regard, they said placing such people on a waiting list for such a long period of time was as good as telling them that they would get the services in their graves. Therefore, they said since government was aware that the outbreak of COVID-19 and civil unrest, which escalated in June/July 2021, affected lives of many emaSwati, it should have anticipated the increase in the number of people who would require psychological services.

They added that government should have seen this even with the alarming statistics of gender-based violence cases, that a lot of emaSwati were in significant distress. Again, they highlighted that government should meet emaSwati halfway. They said it was a good thing that people sought psychological services and they should be afforded to them, instead of being placed on the waiting list, which stretched to about five months. Meanwhile, the Director of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Velephi Okello, acknowledged that government only had one clinical psychologist based at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital. When she was asked what the ministry was doing to increase the availability of such services following the rapid increase in the number of people who sought psychological services, she said the availability of these services required them (ministry) to recruit and/or create additional positions for clinical psychologists.

Available

However, she said this was currently not available due to the prevailing hiring freeze in the civil service, which had an impact on the number of health workers that the Ministry of Health could recruit at a time. After that, the director was asked as to what advice the ministry could give to emaSwati who were seeking psychological services, given the long waiting period due to the fact that the lone available clinical psychologist was fully booked. In response, she said since there were various psychological needs for patients, some of these required counselling and there were a number of trained psychologists and counsellors in the country, who might not be in the government system. She said some patients who required clinical psychologists could access them through the private health sector. Again, the director was asked what could be the cause of the rise in the need for psychological services in the country and how it could be addressed and/or avoided.

She said it was difficult to say with conviction what the cause of the perceived increase in demand for these services was. However, she said the long waiting list might be attributed to the shortage of clinical psychologists in the country. She added that there might also be an increased awareness about the need to seek mental health services by the public, thus the increased demand for the services. Furthermore, she said there was a possibility of social and environmental stressors in recent times as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Communications and Advocacy Officer, Sakhile Dlamini, encouraged emaSwati to also visit non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like them for such services. She said as SWAGGA, on average, they saw about 200 clients per month and attended to approximately 600 through their toll-free line; 951.

Accommodate

We have since extended our working days, as we now open on Saturdays to accommodate those who are working and pupils. Through our toll-free line, some of our clients get the help they need as the calls are attended to by our social workers, the communications and advocacy officer said. She added that if people came to their centres, they would get assistance on the same day. She said clients might find a queue, but they would definitely be attended to on the very same day. Moreover, she highlighted that they did work on appointments, but attended to those who had come or called. However, Dlamini mentioned that if a client required clinical psychologists, they would do the referral.
Im supposed to earn a living from original thought

And question power structures of every sort.

I claim to be a lefty or at least vaguely pink

But in truth, Ive tranquillised myself with centrist groupthink.

Be sceptical and questioning, I tell my students loud,

While of the fact Ive never been, Im oddly proud.

I cite radical scholars, but cant escape the fact

Im a chicken-shit conformist liberal technocratic twat.

Ill wear a rainbow lanyard for the LGBTs,

And spout banalities about diversity.

But thats all just careerist masturbation,

For I dont care about our unis links to corporations:

Racist ones, imperialist ones, sexist ones, they say,

And investments from despots who oppress the gays.

But to get yourself some juicy great research grants

Youve got to suck up to all those murderous c

Cant you see that propositions need no evidence?

That the best form of offence is sitting on the fence?

I promise you theres nothing at all defective

About strongly feeling Keir Starmer is effective.

Ill babble my bromides about austerity,

But when it comes to striking, Ill plead poverty.

I cant miss an instalment of exorbitant school fees

By wasting time on a picket line in minus 5 degrees.

And anyway politics only happens in Whitehall

Where geniuses rule remember Ed Balls?

But if loony lefties stand around chantin

Ill gladly reap the benefits of their collective bargain.

Cos its so much easier to re-tweet James OBrien

And blame the Palestinians for Palestinians dyin.

And roll your eyes at poor people who dont understand

The niceties of the Brexit backstop plan.

Ill change my Facebook picture to the flag of Ukraine

Cos unlike Iraq and Yemen  theres someone else to blame.

Ive got a love emoji for the refugees,

But not the ones who got that way from our brutality.

Two hours later, Ive changed my pic to the stars

Belonging to the EU  Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Cos apart from drowning migrants and looting the Global South

Brussels is perfect  I heard it from Blairs mouth!

Oh, I claim to treat all sources critically,

But the BBC and Guardian I trust completely.

Thats tantamount to drilling a hole in my bonce

And filling it with bullshit right up to the top.

Oh I hate fake news, disinformation,

All of it comes from non-Western nations.

Russia and China must be blamed for everything,

Brexit, Trump, UKIP, especially Corbyn.

He was a commie who hated all the Jews,

I heard it on Andrew Marr, so it must be true.

He lied about the Tories plan for NHS-beating.

Thats accurate cos it came from Wes Streeting.

I wear a badge that says I hate racists,

But I also hate Iran, North Korea, such places.

Thats justified because were nicer than them;

Wed never lock our enemies up in some nasty pen.

Never mind Mr Assange  that storys stale!

And forget 2 million Blacks in American jails.

Lets only fret about those Uyghur lives

And not about our slaughters since 1585.

See, Ive always had a rather fuzzy moral perspective,

Even though you neednt be a genius detective

To know Blair killing a million overseas

Is hardly better than Tory deaths from Covid-19.

Ill name-check Said, Spivak and Gilroy,

While I write about as well as Robert Kilroy.

Lucky thats no barrier to promotion and that,

When youre a chicken-shit conformist liberal technocratic twat.

Cos Id rather veg out over Pol Toynbee

And let Jon Freedland give me a lobotomy.

The Guardian turned right when my students were tots

Now its Jones, Malik, Monbiot  thats your fucking lot.

Ill piously prattle about democracy

But its undermined by my hypocrisy.

See, Im all for voting parliamentary

But totally opposed to it inside HE.

I marched against Thatcher in the eighties,

But now I use her language in my spreadsheets.

Everythings a business case, a strategic conversation,

When we sack a whole department, its called rationalisation.

Cos its just easier to quote-tweet J.K. Rowling

Than devise original transphobic growling.

I think Im being edgy, but in truth Im far from that:

Im a chicken-shit conformist liberal technocratic twat.

While I claim to be a rationalist, Im immune to proof

And cant get my head around this simple truth:

Online, I rant and rave about Tory capers,

Though, between my views and theirs, its just a Rizla paper.
You may wonder why transgenders and transgenderism are given the highest level of attention and this minority are lauded so highly by the elite establishment?

Transgenderism is everywhere these days, pushed in all media, advertising, film, music and even beer. It is a form of transhumanism, a form of transcending the biological into something else that is different to the ordinary human. In esoteric terms, the rise of transgenderism heralds the beginning of the new age of Baphomet, especially as previously dominant religions like Christianity are on the wane.

Baphomet is a symbol of balance in various occult and mystical traditions, the origin of which some occultists have attempted to link with the Gnostics and Templars, although occasionally purported to be a deity or a demon.

Transgenderism is thus part of this symbolic ode to Baphomet, as this androgynous symbol is depicted as the signalling of a revolutionary heretical tradition that embraces the emancipation of humanity and the establishment of a perfect social order incorporating the ideals of romantic and utopian socialism.

Transgenderism also symbolises a new age of decreased population through many techniques which have been in place for over fifty years but are only now coming to fruition.

The future being introduced by the elite controllers, especially by entities like the WEF, UN, EU is one of all-encompassing transition towards a new age. The current Biden administration is a continuation of the Obama term, Joe Biden is a silent front to a former agenda that was nearly ruined by Donald J. Trump. To continue the transgender Baphomet agenda, the next president has to be the third term for Obama, the man behind Biden. Transhumanism will mean augmentation of the human body from one form to an infinitesimal deluge of hybrid transformational forms transcending biological humans, not only in brain power but in actual physical form.

What will be seen as an affront to Christianity will be hailed as a representational victory to Baphomet and the disciples to this deity, as the technological progress will far supersede any natural biological form, humans will be given only two choices, progress to the next level or be left behind to perish.
WASHINGTON D.C. - USA - President Barack Obama is currently getting ready for his fourth term in office behind the scenes.

You may think that Joe Biden has been the one making policy since 2020, but you would be wrongvery wrong. The reality of the situation is that this current term in the White House is Barack Hussein Obamas third term, and when the Democrats engineer another election in 2024, it will be Obamas fourth term.

Joe Biden, a barely functioning person was the perfect puppet for the job simply because he has zero thought process, and most of the time does not know where he is or what he is trying to say whilst mumbling incoherently.

We never wanted someone with a mind of their own. We tell Joe what to say. Everything is heavily scripted, and even though this guy can barely speak, the government is run completely by the team behind the stumbling zombie, a White House insider revealed.

The hiccup after the two Obama terms was Donald Trump, who tried to undo everything Obama and his cronies committed America to do. When Biden was shoehorned into the position, Obama had quite a job on his hands to reinstate his agenda and policies in America. Through the barely animated corpse of Biden, Obama has been working 24/7 along with his teams to repair the damage of the Trump term.

The 2024 election will thus be Obamas fourth term. The extreme process utilised by the Democrats to either discredit, jail and frame Trump will be ongoing. If that does not work, the Democrats will have to utilise the ballot stuffing and postal votes technique that was successful in the 2020 elections when hundreds of thousands of dead voters were recorded as Biden votes. Along with banning election observers during counts, resetting counting machines and all the other tricks utilised to beat Trump.

If there are any honest people left in America, you would not vote in a rigged system because there is absolutely no point in doing so if you are anything other than a Democrat.

As the open borders and the heavy transgender push gives Obama away as being the man behind the Biden regime, the other give away is the Laissez-faire weak foreign policy which encouraged Putin to commit a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Obama lost the Crimea in 2014 during his second term, and he lost a quarter of Ukraine in his third term.

Presidents should only have two terms, but Obama could have four. Thanks to the shuffling corpse of Joe Biden, Obama has truly fulfilled his greatest dreams for pushing his various Marxist communist agenda upon the now compromised nation of America.

A celebrated member of the globalist World Economic Forum (WEF) has called for a staggering 86 percent reduction in the population of humans, arguing that the goal can be achieved peacefully.

Dennis Meadows, one of the main authors of the Club of Romes 1972 pro-depopulation book The Limits to Growth.

Meadows argues that most of the worlds population must be wiped out so that the survivors can have freedom and a high standard of living.

During a 2017 interview, Meadows claims that genocide of 86% of the worlds population is inevitable.

However, he insists that a benevolent dictatorship could accomplish the mass de-population peacefully.

We could [ ] have eight or nine billion, probably, he says of the worlds growing population.

If we have a very strong dictatorship which is smart  and [people have] a low standard of living, Meadows says as he explains how the population reduction agenda could be triggered.
ZULWINI  Coordinator of the SADC RCTC representative Mumbi Mulenga said incidents of violence attributed to the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF) was a serious cause of concern.

He stated that the regional security threat assessment that was conducted in 2020 revealed that the SADC Region was confronted with numerous security threats that may negate the implementation of the strategic objectives of SADC. Among the numerous threats was terrorism. Even though the current regional terrorism threat assessment indicates that the threat in the Kingdom of Eswatini is low, the kingdom need not be complacent, given that terrorism has already manifested in two of SADC MS, namely DRC (eastern parts) and Republic of Mozambique (Cabo Delgado Province). Further, isolated incidences of violent extremism and activities of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces are of great concern, he said. Mulenga said in order to respond to the emerging threat of terrorism, SADC developed its initial Regional Counter Terrorism (CT) strategy in 2015.

In 2021 the coordinator said the regional CT Strategy was revised and a corresponding five-year plan of action (POA) was developed. Due to the threat of terrorism, which has manifested in two of our member States, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique, it became imperative for SADC secretariat to establish a unit dedicated to the management of terrorism, hence the official launch of SADC RCTC on February 28, 2022, in Dar es Salaam, The United Republic of Tanzania, he said.

Terrorism

He explained that the core function of SADC RCTC was the coordination of counter terrorism efforts among the 16 member States of SADC, through the implementation of the five-year POA. He said there was a need to engage each other in open and honest conversation so that they understood the general terrorism threat in SADC Region and the Kingdom of Eswatini, in particular. Similar workshops had been held in the Republic of Malawi and Namibia, including a Regional Workshop CT for stakeholders held in the URT in April 2023. Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sizwe Ntshangase said the engagement could not have come at a better time, because new security threats loomed large on the horizon of the SADC region such as terrorism and violent extremism, posing a significant challenge to the regions ability to maintain peace, stability and sustained economic growth.

The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030) is a framework which is premised on foundation for peace and security in the region as a prerequisite for the achievement of SADC objectives of socio-economic development, poverty eradication and regional integration, he said.

The participants of the workshop included the public and private sectors: non-State actors, traditional leaders and academics closer to the public on a relatively regular basis. We sought to draw participants from a variety of sources, both security and non-security institutions in order to have a broader and deeper interrogation into the aspects of radicalisation, he said.
The Steele Ocean Sciences Building has served as a hub for ocean research at Dalhousie since opening a decade ago. Now, an $8.2-million gift sets the stage for its further evolution into a cutting-edge educational space for the community as well.

The building will soon host the Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity, a first-of-its-kind interactive ocean research and discovery centre made possible through a transformative gift from entrepreneur and conservationist Ross Beaty.

Faculty of Science Dean Dr. Chuck Macdonald said the Beaty Centre will educate audiences on both the challenges facing marine ecosystems and the importance of our oceans.

The Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity will be a fantastic facility for Dalhousie University to engage with the many communities of which we are a part, he said.

It will provide a highly engaging and interactive experience that demonstrates how Dalhousies world-leading research, teaching and training are advancing understanding about the critical issue of marine biodiversity. It will also inspire people to think about what they can do to help protect the ocean, its species and its delicate ecosystems.



Faculty of Science Dean Dr. Chuck Macdonald.

Raising awareness about the ocean's marine crisis



Beaty, who previously supported the development of a biodiversity research centre at the University of British Columbia, said he was intrigued by the chance to establish a marine-focused centre on the opposite coast and shine a light on the changing ocean environment.

The ocean is under threat, he said at an announcement event for the project Wednesday morning in the Steele Ocean Sciences Building. We just cant see it as clearly as we can on land.

Beaty said the space will serve as a tool to inform, educate and make people aware that there is a marine-biodiversity crisis. Were losing species at an alarming rate because humans have too heavy a footprint, he said.

He mentioned the support of his family on this project while pointing out their connection to the ocean: his wife is a marine biologist and his daughter recently graduated with a PhD in marine biology from UBC.



Donor Ross Beaty takes a tour of the Steele Ocean Sciences Building.

This is very near and dear to our hearts, Beaty said. Im proud to be linked with Dalhousie on this project and I look forward to bringing my family back here to visit when it opens.

Construction of the Beaty Centre is scheduled to begin in January 2024, with an expected opening date of early 2025.

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Inspiring the next generation of ocean researchers



The Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity will feature two floors of exhibits developed in collaboration with Discovery Centre International to engage youth and visitors from inside and outside Dal on todays most pressing marine biodiversity issues. Planned exhibits include a life-sized kelp forest, a climate change sphere, educational displays of species facing extinction, and aquaria filled with the diverse plant and animal life found off the coast of Nova Scotia.

A blue whale skeleton suspended from the buildings atrium will serve as a show-stopping focal point of entry into the centre. The display was previously announced as part of Dive In: The Blue Whale Project.

View a series of artistic renderings of what the space will look like below:
Stompin' on the Street - FREE Community event offering shopping, Artisan Crafts, food and Country Music held in downtown Lebanon.

FREE Community event offering shopping, artisan crafts, food and country music held in downtown Lebanon

The Lebanon Country Music Festival is an annual festival held in Lebanon, Ohio to celebrate country music, family fun, and one-of-a-kind vendors.

Festivities kick-off on Friday evening. Saturday brings you amazing music, great food, drinks, and shopping with Main Street Lebanon merchants and visiting vendors.

Last year we had 12,000 people come and enjoy this festival and we want you to be a part of it this year as we grow with you! So come on and start Stompin in the Street!
MBABANE  Not participating in the national elections will not solve anything, because the current regime will elect a legitimate government to be in power for the next five years.

The above statement was made by Sive Siyinqaba. Publicity Secretary and Acting Secretary General (SG) Vusi Nxumalo, said by boycotting the elections, there would be nothing to benefit. Instead, he said by not participating in the national elections, the current regime would elect a legitimate government to be in power for the next five years. According to Nxumalo, the fundamental issue where some political parties stated that they would not participate, while others indicated that they would participate, was irrelevant because the crux of the matter was that when they started the Political Party Assembly (PPA), there were members who included Jan Sithole and Ngomuyayona Gamedze, who were in Parliament, elected through the same system. He said because there were people who were now showing up stating that elections should be boycotted, they had agreed that Sive Siyinqaba had a different manifesto. This is dynamic of democracy to differ in opinion and exercise tolerance of one another, he said.

Democracy

Nxumalo said if the current regime changed and saw the need of democracy and multiparty elections, there was need to then engage in a most peaceful manner for the change to happen.

Furthermore, he stated that Sive Siyinqaba was very clear on that they wanted national elections, which were an outcome of the national dialogue. He said with the trend they were observing from the current regime, it had been clear that when the regime failed to call the national dialogue, they would, as an organisation, encourage their members to participate in the elections, because it was their constitutional right to do so. According to Nxumalo, it would be unfair for them to take away such a right from their members. Our mandate is clear and from the onset, we participated with other organisations that were calling for dialogue, stated the acting SG.

Nxumalo said they could not allow the current regime to do as it pleased, hence they would place their members strategically in political positions, which was why they encouraged their members who were politically minded to participate in the upcoming elections. This, he said, was with one motive, that if three Members of Parliament (MPs) were able to bring the outcome of what happened resulting in the political unrest, electing politically-minded people could bring about change and they could achieve what they wanted. According to Nxumalo, there was no way that the country could achieve multiparty democracy as there was no syllabus for such. He said other parties had been staying away from the elections and there was nothing achieved out of it.

Legislations

Nxumalo stated that emaSwati needed each other collectively, even if the regime changed, there was a need to have MPs who would be able to put legislation in place, which would align with laws that would see them achieve the change that they required. Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo said their organisation was in a drive to encourage all democracy-loving emaSwati to register for the upcoming elections, for purposes of being eligible to nominate, vote and be voted into Parliament. Silolo said their members would vote for reliable candidates when elections time came. We are also part of those calling for the national dialogue to address many issues, which also include the very election of MPs but we understand that we are dealing with a very irresponsible regime that is not pro-people and, therefore, does not take seriously what the nation wants and what the international community says, he said.

Silolo said they wanted to now eat the stubborn elephant piece by piece through legislative participation. On the issue of whether they had a budget to assist their members who would participate in the elections and aspiring to become politicians, he said they practically and financially would support the candidates whom they wanted elected into the Legislature. This, he said, was the only way they would prove they really wanted freedom and democracy in Eswatini.
Brigadier K. Somashankar, president of SCB, Malkajgiri MP A. Revanth Reddy, and others attended the SCB board meeting. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: After the ministry of defence (MoD) orders on April 12 to end the practice of collecting toll charges, the proposal to stop collection of toll tax from goods vehicles at the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) checkposts has been approved at the SCB meeting held on Wednesday.

The SCB also accepted a proposal to construct an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) with a capacity of 10 KLD on the site of the Cantonment General Hospital in Bolaram. Other accepted proposals included a womens hostel in Mudfort, the construction of a foot overbridge (FOB) at Shantiniketan Colony in Mahendra Hills, and the construction of libraries at Bowenpally, Trimulgherry, and Bolaram.

Due to the state of the existing libraries, it was decided to construct new libraries, each on a 500 square yard plot of land. The construction of a womens hostel for employees was approved and this facility will come up at Mudfort, Secunderabad. Meanwhile, the proposal related to the installation of statues of late G. Sayanna, a five-time MLA from the Secunderabad Cantonment, was given a nod and the statues will come up near the Secunderabad Club and West Marredpally.

Brigadier K. Somashankar, president of SCB, Malkajgiri MP A. Revanth Reddy, and others attended the SCB board meeting. At the meeting, other civic works such as the maintenance and repair of underground drains, roads, and door-to-door garbage collection were also approved.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Photo: Twitter)

VIJAYAWADA: The aim of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to provide house sites for 54,000 poor people in capital Amaravati is all set to be achieved soon. The authorities are aiming to complete all the works within a week.

The authorities are preparing 20 layouts of R5 Zone in Mandadam, Navuluru, Ainavolu, Kuragallu, Krishnayapalem and Nidamarru areas in Amaravati, where an Electronics City had earlier been proposed under the nine cities concept for the new capital.

The house sites distribution for the poor was facing hurdles due to protests from Amaravati farmers backed by the Telugu Desam and petitions in the AP high court. However, the high court recently allowed the government to go ahead with allocation of the house sites. Following this, the chief minister has begun the planning for distribution of the house sites next week.

Notably, the farmers of Amaravati had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the AP high court verdict allowing the Jagan-led state government to allot house site for the poor in the R5 Zone. The pro-Amaravati farmers staged protests. On Wednesday, hardcore Amaravati activists and farmer leader Kolikapudi Srinivasa attempted to start an indefinite fast unto death demanding cancellation of the house sites allotment in R5 Zone at Thullur. The police foiled the attempt by arresting Srinivasa Rao and his supporters.

Work is progressing smoothly to provide houses to the poor in the capital area. The layouts are being fully readied for distribution. Plot boundaries have been identified and the work on laying the stones was progressing at a fast pace.

Due to various reasons like unavailability of land, some 23,192 beneficiaries in Tadepalli, Mangalagiri urban and rural areas as well as Thullur and Pedakakani mandals of Guntur district were excluded from the list of those getting the house sites. Further, another 25,000 beneficiaries in NTR district also failed to get house sites for the same reason.

In the wake of the recent judgment given by the high court, land has been allocated through a GO:45 issued by the state government. Under this, 550.65 acres have been allotted for Guntur district and 583.94 acres for NTR district. A total of 1,134.59 acres has been allotted.

Besides this, the state government allocated another 268 acres under the AP CRDA for the 'Navaratnala - Houses for the Poor scheme. In this, 168 acres in Borupalem, Pichikalapalem and Anantavaram villages have been allocated for the beneficiaries of NTR district. Another 100 acres have been allocated in Nekkallu for the beneficiaries of Guntur district.

The officials have completed the process of printing land titles after completion of the verification process. The land title contains all the details of the beneficiaries with chief minister Jagan's message, beneficiary details, Aadhaar number, village details, D. patta, layout and plot boundary details on two pages. These certificates are signed by the concerned tehsildar and the details would be sent to the central government to build houses for all of them under the Modi governments housing-for-the-poor scheme.

According to the officials, 20 layouts were readied for the beneficiaries of Guntur and NTR districts in Ainavolu, Manddam, Navuluru, Nidamarru, Krishnayapalem and Kuragallu villages. After allotting the land to CRDA, the boundaries of the land were ascertained.

After the acquisition of the land, the layouts were prepared. As per the town planning rules, the plots were laid out leaving open space, roads, drains, parking and other necessary land in the layouts.

A deputy collector-level officer and an executive engineer are appointed for each layout. Some 120 surveyors and engineering assistants have been appointed to speed up the works.

Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana and Adimulapu Suresh said the government was firm about allotting house sites to the poor in Amaravati and this was being done under the provisions of the Constitution. "The YSRC government is committed to the development of Amaravati and will do justice to Amaravati farmers," they said.
People wait in a queue to cast votes for Karnataka Assembly polls, in Chikmagalur, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Karnataka on Wednesday voted to decide whether or not the southern state will break the 38-year-old jinx of outing the incumbent government. The verdict will be out on May 13.

As per the latest figure, the voter turnout was 72 per cent. During the last Assembly polls in 2018, it was 72.13 per cent. The Election Commission (EC) said the final figures will be known by Thursday.

The EC said the polling to elect the next government in Karnataka was "largely peaceful" and that there was no indication that a repoll will be required at any of the voting stations.

The voting percentage for the 224-member Assembly showed Ramanagara recording the highest turnout of 78.22 per cent, while the lowest polling was reported from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South (parts of Bengaluru city) at 48.63 per cent, election officials said.

In all, a total of 5.31-crore electors were eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates were in the fray.

Polling was also held Wednesday for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in Punjab, Jharsuguda Assembly seat in Odisha and Chhanbey assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh to fill the vacancies due to the death of sitting lawmakers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during a programme to lay foundation stone and dedicate various projects, in Nathdwara, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo: PTI)

JAIPUR: As Karnataka voted to elect a new government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his rally in Rajasthan on Wednesday to accuse the Congress in the southern state of endangering the lives of the people from the Hakki Pikki tribe who were stuck in conflict-hit Sudan.

But, the prime minister added in the televised speech, the Congress forgot that he can cross any limit to protect every Indian in trouble. Modi said to harm him, the Congress does not desist from harming the country.

About 200 members of the tribal community from Karnataka were reportedly stuck in Sudan, when deadly fighting broke out between the country's army and a paramilitary group last month. India launched Operation Kaveri to rescue its citizens and gradually began evacuating them via several transit points.

Modi said his government's priority was to evacuate all Indians safely from Sudan but the Congress exposed the identity of the people from the tribe stranded there and put their lives at risk. He alleged Congress leaders thought if any Indian stuck in in the African nation gets hurt by bullets, the party would blame him in the Karnataka polls.

"The BJP government was trying to get them out of Sudan but the Congress started making noise here. We had to bring them out quietly but the Congressmen made their faces public and by making such mistakes, they put the lives of these people in danger," the prime minister said at the rally in Abu Road town of Rajasthan's Sirhoi district.

He said the Congress was waiting for something untoward to happen, so they could "grab Modi's collar" and play politics in Karnataka.

"But the Congress forgot one thing. I think the Congress has not understood Modi yet. Congress people should know this is Modi, who can cross any limit to protect every single Indian who is in trouble," he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had tweeted about 31 members from the Hakki Pikki people from Sudan. He had tagged the prime minister in the tweet, urging him to bring the tribal community members to India safely.

Responding to his tweet, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, "Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don't do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs in Sudan."

Polling for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is underway and the results will be announced on May 13.

During his day-long Rajasthan visit, the prime minister also visited Nathdwara and launched various development projects.
Published on: May 10, 2023 | Updated on: May 10, 2023

A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activist and supporter of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran throws back a tear gas shell towards police during a protest against the arrest of their leader (AFP)

Lahore/Islamabad/Karachi: In unprecedented scenes, supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander's residence in Lahore after his dramatic arrest in a corruption case.

Khan, who travelled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khan's security staff.

The arrest of the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman comes a day after the powerful army accused him of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.

As the news of his arrest by the Rangers spread, massive protests broke out in several cities across Pakistan. Protesters at several places turned violent and burned police vehicles and damaged public property.

Reports said at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and the supporters of Khan.

"At least four PTI workers were killed so far in different parts of the country on the firing of the law enforcement agencies. One each has been killed in Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, and Swat," senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari said.

She said over a dozen have also been injured.

However, the deaths could not be verified independently.

Video footage shows that some PTI workers suffered bullet injuries in Lahore and Faisalabad during their clashes with the security agencies.

The protests in Lahore and Faisalabad in some areas were still underway.

Khan's supporters also torched some vehicles of the law enforcement agencies in Faisalabad.

The protesters also set on fire a toll plaza on the Swat Motorway, according to footage shared by PTI.

Video clips shared by the PTI showed that some protesters also entered the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the seat of the army while chanting slogans against the arrest of Imran Khan.

For the first time, Khan's supporters smashed the main gate of the army's sprawling headquarters in Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. The protesters chanted slogans against the establishment.

In Lahore, a large number of PTI workers stormed into the Corps Commander Lahore's residence and smashed the gate and window panes. The army personnel present on duty there, however, did not try to stop the enraged protesters who surrounded them and chanted slogans against the handlers' of the PML-N-led government in the military establishment. The protesters held a demonstration in the Cantonment area.

Lahore was virtually cut off from the rest of the province because of the protest on main roads including the entry and exit points.

The caretaker Punjab government called the Rangers to control the law-and-order situation in the most populous province and imposed section 144 under which not more than five people can gather at one point.

According to the Home Department, the ban on gatherings will remain in place for two days.

The Punjab government also requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to suspend Internet and mobile services in the areas of the province where violent protests took place.

Similarly, the Balochistan government also imposed Section 144 in Quetta and at other places to control political events and protests.

Similar action was taken by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government which banned gathering in Peshawar and other cities of the province.

Section 144 was already in place in Islamabad and authorities had warned of arresting people violating the ban on gathering following the arrest of Khan, police said.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time.

Violent protests also spread to Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh province and Balochistan's Quetta where PTI protesters assembled outside Army cantonment areas.

A spokesman of the Civil Hospital in Quetta, Wasim Baig, confirmed they had received the body of a man with gunshot wounds.

"The dead body was brought from the airport road where protests have been taking place since afternoon," he said, adding that several protesters and policemen with injuries were also brought to the hospital.

People confirmed that internet and mobile services had been blocked by authorities as PTI workers and leaders took to social media to spread the protests.

In Karachi, protesters blocked both sides of the main Shahrah-e-Faisal road which remained closed to traffic as police resorted to heavy tear gas shelling and baton charge in which people from both sides were injured.

"The people are coming onto the streets by themselves as the party leadership had made it clear arresting our chairman would be crossing the red line, PTI leader Alamgir Aurangzeb said.

Senior PTI leaders including Members of the National Assembly and Members of the Provincial Assembly were present at the protests. Not only the Shahrah-e-Faisal but violent protests and clashes with police have also been reported from at least six to seven different areas of Karachi including Sohrab Goth which connects the city to upcountry and rural areas.

Protesters have blocked the roads and set police barricades on fire. Angry protesters also broke windows and damaged public transport buses and set on fire a waterboard vehicle in the Golimar area.

The significant presence of PTI women supporters was visible at the protests in Karachi and Hyderabad where protesters threw away police barricades and set them on fire.

"We are not living in the 70s or 90s Pakistan. Until our leader is released and dates for general elections are announced we will carry on protesting anywhere at any time as the people have had enough now, Zehra Mashidi, a protester on Shahrah e Faisal, said.

Police arrested the President of PTI in Sindh and former minister Ali Zaidi and other local leaders and took them to unknown locations.

Murad Saeed, a senior PTI leader, tweeted that people should continue their protests.

Dozens of protestors have been arrested in different cities, including a 13-year-old girl in Rawalpindi who had come out to protest in support of Khan.

As the incident of violence and attacks on security installations were reported, the PTI distanced itself from the violence.

Party Secretary General Asad Umar said Khan had always advised his followers to remain peaceful. Those in violence are not PTI workers but miscreants who want to malign us, he said.

Umar urged the protestors to never indulge in any kind of lawlessness and any such act would be in violation of what Khan had been saying.

A senior police official confirmed that the situation in Karachi was getting worse as more and more people including women and senior citizens were joining protests in different areas.

In Peshawar, Khan's supporters set a monument of the Chaghi Mountain inside the premises of the Peshawar Radio Station on fire. The Chaghi mountain model was set up in commemoration of Pakistan becoming a nuclear power in 1998.

The Peshawar cantonment and roads leading to the Corps Headquarters and the house of the Corps Commander in Peshawar were sealed.

A large number of PTI workers also pelted stones at the residence of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in Faisalabad City. Similarly, protests were held in Multan, Jhang, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Khanewal, Vehari, Gujranwala, Hafizabad and Gujrat cities. PTI
LOBAMBA  At least 650 000 emaSwati are expected to register for the 2023 national elections.

These figures were shared by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Communications Officer, Mbonisi Bhembe. In the 2018 national elections, a total of 547 426 people registered for the elections, while 414 704 registered in 2013. Bhembe stated that the figures were informed by data they received from the National Statistics Department, under the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. Today, the country will officially start the national registration for the elections. The officer said all voter registration centres would be opened at 8am today.

Exercise

Yesterday, when this reporter visited the EBC Offices at Nkhanini, officials were busy packing the equipment that will be used for the voter registration exercise. It was said that over 1 200 officials, who were hired to conduct registration were ready to kick-start the process. To ensure that the registration is not affected by the communication network, Bhembe said network providers were engaged to ensure full network coverage. We engaged Eswatini MTN, Eswatini Mobile and Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation to ensure that there were no network glitches, he said. He was responding to a question posed by this reporter following that in the 2018 elections, some places in rural communities experienced network glitches, caused by poor network coverage.

Registration

Bhembe stated that the new system had an offline option, which meant registration would not be halted, should the network signal be weak. He went on to urge people to partake in the registration process. Worth noting, the 2023 national elections are taking place at a time when there are calls to boycott the elections by pro-democratic groups. On the other hand, some are calling for a national dialogue before the elections. Bhembe warned that people were not supposed to influence others to boycott the elections. He mentioned that the Elections Act stated that people who disrupted elections, either by uttering words or performing certain actions, were liable to a E20 000 fine or two-year jail sentence. He went on to explain that people could register at a voting station near them. They do not need to register in stations under the constituencies where they will be voting.

To ensure that everyone was included in the registration, Bhembe said they had also organised a provision for all emaSwati in diaspora. He added that companies were welcome to contact the EBC and invite them to conduct registrations at their working premises. Those in the diaspora will be able to register in embassies or sites that will be availed to them, he said. However, the diaspora community will not have an opportunity to nominate but can only vote. When he was asked on how they would ensure that there were no disruptions, more especially from people who were against the national elections, Bhembe said they banked their hope on the countrys national security services. I cannot divulge much information on security, but I can promise that the State intelligent agencies have everything under control, people will be safe during the entire exercise, he said.

Yesterday at the EBC offices, officials were busy packing the equipment and loading it into cars that will be used for the registration. Technicians were testing the equipment and packing it in boxes, as well as stationery and furniture that will be used at the registration sites. Vehicles were all over the EBC yard loading the machinery, among the other items, for transportation to the registration centres. Bhembe explained that they had partnered with organisations of people with disabilities, and would conduct nationwide campaigns, where they would ensure that they also had the chance to register and participate in the entire exercise. He added that they would also have Sign Language interpreters to ensure inclusivity.
Pratt & Whitney (PW) plans to oppose Go Airlines (India) Ltd's push to enforce an arbitration ruling against the US company for the supply of spare engines.

Go Firsts allegations that Pratt & Whitney is responsible for its financial condition are without merit. Pratt & Whitney will vigorously defend itself against Gos claims, and is pursuing its own legal recourse, a company spokesperson told DH.

The cash-strapped carrier which filed for insolvency before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on May 2, has earlier moved a plea before a court in Delaware, United States, seeking enforcement of an arbitration award issued by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) against Pratt & Whitney (P&W) Pratt & Whitney.

Read | SMBC Aviation Capital moves NCLAT challenging NCLT order allowing insolvency Go First

The SIAC had ordered PW to provide Go First with at least 10 serviceable engines by April 27, 2023, and a further 10 spare leased engines per month until December 2023.

PW is complying with the arbitration order which asks PW to take all reasonable steps to dispatch engines to GoFirst. We are invested in all our customers success, the PW spokesperson said.

Currently, Go is seeking to jump the line for engines over other customers worldwide. Airline customers, who have been in good financial standing and compliant with contracts, should not be made to suffer due to the financial mismanagement and contractual violations of one particular airline, a source close to the matter told DH.

The legal team of GoFirst should be well prepared to legally challenge their claims for malicious or fraudulent intent even at later stages when the counsels for the vendors and creditors allege malice or fraud, suggested Nitish Raj, Counsel, Supreme Court of India.
Tunisia's small Jewish community was in shock and mourning Wednesday after a bloody shooting rampage in which a police officer killed five people outside Africa's oldest synagogue.

The shooting Tuesday sparked mass panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage at the historic Ghriba synagogue on the resort island of Djerba, which was quickly locked down by security forces.

"I never believed that I would experience such terror," recounted one survivor, Raoudha Seibi.

Also Read | Israeli forces kill 3 in West Bank and Gaza as fighting flares again

The attack was "a real nightmare", said a tearful Seibi, a member of the Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities. "I am still in shock."

Authorities were investigating the motive of the killer, who was shot dead after killing three police officers and two visitors, a French-Tunisian and an Israeli-Tunisian man.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up the fight "against anti-Semitic hatred", and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the bloodshed proves "evil and hatred are still there".

The Ghriba pilgrimage was previously targeted in a 2002 suicide truck bombing that killed 21 people.

The gunman, wearing his police uniform and a bulletproof vest, started the attack by killing a fellow officer and taking his gun and ammunition at the island's port, said officials.

He then went to the Ghriba synagogue site and opened fire outside, sparking terror on the final day of the annual pilgrimage.

The two victims were named as Tunisian-Israeli dual national Aviel Haddad, 30, and his cousin, Benjamin Haddad, 42, who held both Tunisian and French nationalities.

In the ensuing gun battle, he also wounded six police officers, two of whom later died, hospital sources said.

"Around 8:00 pm we heard the sound of gunfire," recounted another eyewitness, an elderly Israeli man who gave his name as Elyahu. "The police closed all the doors and we couldn't get out. We couldn't do anything for more than three hours.

"Some were praying, some were crying."

Investigations are continuing on the motive behind the "cowardly attack", the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

The shooting was Tunisia's first deadly attack on foreigners since 2015, when Islamist gunmen in Tunis and Sousse killed dozens of foreign holidaymakers.

More than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's event, said organisers. The annual pilgrimage only resumed in 2022 after two years of pandemic-related suspension.

The United States "deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces."

Coming between Passover and Shavuot, the pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live -- mainly on Djerba -- compared with around 100,000 before independence in 1956.

Pilgrims travel to the site from Europe, the United States and Israel, although their numbers have dropped since the deadly bombing in 2002.

Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia has finally rebounded from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the 2015 attacks.

Tunisia suffered a sharp rise in Islamist militancy after the Arab Spring mass protests ousted longtime despot Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

But authorities say they have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia endures a severe financial crisis.

The downturn has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office sweeping powers and neutered parliament.
As Karnataka voted to elect a new government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his rally in Rajasthan on Wednesday to accuse the Congress in the southern state of endangering the lives of the people from the Hakki Pikki tribe who were stuck in conflict-hit Sudan.

But, the prime minister added in the televised speech, the Congress forgot that he can cross any limit to protect every Indian in trouble. Modi said to harm him, the Congress does not desist from harming the country.

Read | Karnataka: PM Modi interacts with members of Hakki Pikki tribe evacuated from Sudan

About 200 members of the tribal community from Karnataka were reportedly stuck in Sudan, when deadly fighting broke out between the country's army and a paramilitary group last month. India launched Operation Kaveri to rescue its citizens and gradually began evacuating them via several transit points.

Modi said his government's priority was to evacuate all Indians safely from Sudan but the Congress exposed the identity of the people from the tribe stranded there and put their lives at risk. He alleged Congress leaders thought if any Indian stuck in in the African nation gets hurt by bullets, the party would blame him in the Karnataka polls.

"The BJP government was trying to get them out of Sudan but the Congress started making noise here. We had to bring them out quietly but the Congressmen made their faces public and by making such mistakes, they put the lives of these people in danger," the prime minister said at the rally in Abu Road town of Rajasthan's Sirhoi district.

He said the Congress was waiting for something untoward to happen, so they could "grab Modi's collar" and play politics in Karnataka.

"But the Congress forgot one thing. I think the Congress has not understood Modi yet. Congress people should know this is Modi, who can cross any limit to protect every single Indian who is in trouble," he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had tweeted about 31 members from the Hakki Pikki people from Sudan. He had tagged the prime minister in the tweet, urging him to bring the tribal community members to India safely.

Responding to his tweet, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, "Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don't do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs in Sudan."

Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; dont do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian Nationals and PIOs in Sudan. https://t.co/MawnIwStQp  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 18, 2023

Polling for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is underway and the results will be announced on May 13.

During his day-long Rajasthan visit, the prime minister also visited Nathdwara and launched various development projects.
Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday stressed that the opposition should be respected in democracy and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "will also move in this direction".

"If this is done, the ruling dispensation and the opposition will be able to serve the country with more vigour," he said in the presence of Modi at a function to launch various projects in Rajsamand district's Nathdwara town.Gehlot said that in a democracy there is no enmity but a fight of ideology and everyone has the right to speak. He also stressed that there should be love and brotherhood amongst all castes and religions in the country.

"The opposition should be respected. I think that you (PM) will also move in this direction," the Rajasthan chief minister said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara town of Rajasthan's Rajsamand district. Later he launched various projects costing over Rs 5,500 crore.

Also Read | Ashok Gehlot keeps Rajasthan on boil, riles up Sachin Pilot



At the event, Gehlot said that former prime minister Indira Gandhi laid down her life to keep the country united and did not allow the creation of Khalistan.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi too was assassinated, he said, adding, "History says that if we all walk together then the country will remain one and united."

Asserting that tension and violence obstruct development, Gehlot told Prime Minister Modi, "I hope your message will always keep the nation together."

On this occasion, Gehlot highlighted some of the initiatives of his government and demanded that the Centre enact laws to ensure the right to health and social security for the people.

The Rajasthan chief minister said his government was providing cylinders to Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries for Rs 500, adding the prime minister should also think in this direction.

Gehlot reiterated the demand for national project status for Eastern Rajasthan Canal Projects and urged the prime minister to start the pending railway projects in the state.

At the event, when the chief minister stood up to address the programme, people started chanting PM Modi's name. At this, the prime minister indicated the people to sit down so that Gehlot could address them without interruption.
Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday filed a criminal defamation case against state BJP chief K Annamalai for his defamatory statements against Chief Minister M K Stalin without any basis or evidence during a press conference on April 14 while releasing the DMK Files.

The case was filed by the City Public Prosecutor (CPP) before the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Chennai after the government in an order dated May 6 accorded sanction to file the complaint. The complaint seeks action against Annamalai, a former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer, under Sections 499 (defamation), and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Also Read | DMK top brass owns assets worth Rs 1.32 lakh crore, says Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai

Annamalai, while releasing details of assets held by top DMK leaders, alleged corruption in the allotment of tender to a rolling stock supplier for the first phase of Chennai Metro Rail. Annamalai claimed that tender rules were tweaked to favour Alstom, which in turn gave Rs 200 crores to the DMK for the 2011 elections through two shell companies and laid the blame at Stalins desk.

The complaint filed before the court said Annamalai made defamatory statements and eventually exhibited videos, which were uploaded and circulated in various social media forums, intending to harm the Chief Ministers reputation in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public functions.

Contending that Stalin enjoys very high reputation among the people of India and Tamil Nadu in particular, the petition said the excellent rule he has delivered for the past two years has earned him a very high reputation among the people of Tamil Nadu and across the country.

The love and affection showered by the people of Tamil Nadu is not digestible by the Opposition parties, and the BJP, of which the accused is the state president, the petition filed by the CPP said, adding that the state is rightly interested in pursuing the prosecution since it believes the offence is committed against the CM is against the state.

The state government and Stalin are open to any fact-based criticism with an intention to do public good," the petition claimed but said the allegations which are per se defamatory and (were) made only with an intention to harm the reputation of the Chief Minister against good faith and without any public good.

Also Read | OPS meets TTV; is BJP behind the meeting?

The complainant submits that the statements were also not made in good faith but only with a malice to defame him (CM) for the personal political gain of the accused, it added.

The government also said it was fully satisfied that the defamatory statements have reasonable connection with the discharge of public duties by the Chief Minister and they are not only defamatory in nature but have a direct nexus between the discharge of public duties of the office of the Chief Minister.
Kejriwal trying to hush up gang-rape of Dalit woman at Delhi govt hospital, alleges BJP

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressing displeasure over the alleged attempt to "hush up gang-rape" of a Dalit woman in GB Pant Hospital.

Read | Kejriwal approves draft policy for regulating cab aggregators, delivery service providers in Delhi

He demanded compensation of Rs one crore to the family of the victim and a government job for her kin.

"It is regrettable that Arvind Kejriwal who has been issuing rhetorical statements on incidents related to women in every corner of the country is today silent on the gang rape of a Dalit woman on the premises of a Delhi government hospital," said Sachdeva.

The Delhi BJP president said he will meet the family of the victim on Thursday morning.

The manner in which the Delhi government has ignored this incident shows that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has no respect towards women and Dalits, Sachdeva charged.

Kejriwal was keeping mum on the incident because it took place at the premises of his own government hospital, he added.
Amidst allegations by the Samajwadi Party that police were preventing voters from casting votes in some booths, the Suar seat recorded 41.78 per cent polling while Chhanbey recorded 39.51 per cent till 5 pm for the assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh.

Voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

The Samajwadi Party, in a release, said that on the instructions of party president Akhilesh Yadav, a letter has been sent to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), New Delhi asking it to take cognizance of the complaints of rigging and intimidation of voters and booth capturing by the ruling party in the by-election in two assembly constituencies and take immediate action.

Arvind Kumar Singh, SP's former member of the Rajya Sabha and outgoing member of the Legislative Council has sent all the complaints related to the by-election to the CEC expecting immediate action on them, the release said.

Also Read | SP MLA beats up BJP leader's husband in police station

In a tweet on its official Twitter handle, the SP charged, "In Khempur, Rasoolpur, Faridpur, Samodia in the Suar seat of Rampur, police are preventing voters from voting. Voters are returned from polling booths. Election Commission should take cognisance and ensure fair elections".

In a separate tweet, it alleged that Cabinet minister Ashish Patel (of Apna Dal-S) was calling SP workers and threatening them to affect polls.

Officials, however, denied any discrepancies and said free and fair polls are being ensured in the state.

There is a direct contest between the ruling coalition and the opposition Samajwadi Party in the bypolls.

A total of 774 polling booths have been set up by the Election Commission at 492 polling centres in the two constituencies, while there are 6.62 lakh eligible voters.

A total of 14 candidates are in the fray with six in Suar and eight in Chhanbey.

The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has kept away from the polls, while the Congress has fielded its candidate only in Chhanbey.

The Suar seat in Rampur district is in focus as it was held by Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of senior SP leader Azam Khan, before it was declared vacant on February 13 after a Moradabad court sentenced him to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case.

In the previous assembly also, the Allahabad High Court had in 2020 set aside his election for not declaring his correct age in the affidavit.

In the 2022 UP Assembly election, Abdullah Azam Khan defeated Apna Dal (Sonelal)'s Haidar Ali Khan on the Suar seat by a margin of over 61,000 votes.

This time, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the seat and Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari.

The Chhanbey seat in Mirzapur fell vacant following the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February. The party has fielded Kol's wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol is contesting as the Samajwadi Party candidate. Eight candidates are in the fray for this seat.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the ruling BJP has 255 MLAs, and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD Party have 11 and six legislators, respectively.

The SP has 109 MLAs while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal has nine. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has six MLAs, the Congress and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two each and the Bahujan Samaj Party has one member in the assembly.
Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday launched green port guidelines, HaritSagar, as part of efforts to meet the larger vision of achieving zero carbon emission goal.

HaritSagar Guidelines envisage ecosystem dynamics in port development, operation and maintenance while aligning with the 'working with nature' concept and minimising impact on biotic components of the harbour ecosystem, the Ports, Shipping and Waterways minitry said in a statement.

The guidelines emphasise the use of clean or green energy in port operation, developing port capabilities for storage, handling and bunkering greener fuels such as green hydrogen and green ammonia, it said.

Also Read | Honeywell's tech can turn hydrogen, CO2 to lower-carbon jet fuel

The guidelines provide a framework for major ports for drawing out a comprehensive action plan for achieving targeted outcomes in terms of quantified reduction in carbon emission over defined timelines, through focused implementation and close monitoring of green Initiatives and to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The objective of guidelines is to minimise waste through reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle to attain zero waste discharge from port operations and promote monitoring, based on environmental performance indicators, the ministry said.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary Sudhansh Pant said India's four major ports of Deendayal Port, Visakhapatnam Port, New Mangalore Port and VOC Port are already generating renewable energy more than their demand.

"From now onwards our ports will be able to evaluate themselves on the environmental indicators to know their capability in the environmental aspects, " he added.

During the event, the major ports were conferred awards for their all-time best performance on select operational and financial parameters during FY2022-23.
Two women were killed and more than 20 passengers were injured when the private bus they were travelling in fell into a dry river after breaking off railings of the bridge in Buldhana district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday night near Peth village in Chikhli taluka, 25 km from the district headqurters, when the driver lost control of the wheel.

Also Read | 22 killed, more than 20 injured after bus falls from bridge in Madhya Pradesh; PM Modi expresses grief

According to police, one of the two women died on the spot while another succumbed to her injuries in a hospital.

The injured passengers were admitted to the government hospital in Chikhli town.

The bus was headed to Pune from Shegaon city, a famous pilgrimage center in Buldhana district.

Police have registered a case against the bus driver.
TD Asset Management Inc cut its stake in Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL  Get Rating) by 33.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,074 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 17,347 shares during the quarter. TD Asset Management Incs holdings in Dell Technologies were worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DELL. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in Dell Technologies by 17.7% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 14,076 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Dell Technologies in the first quarter worth about $304,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dell Technologies in the first quarter worth about $568,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Dell Technologies by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 254,266 shares of the technology companys stock worth $12,762,000 after acquiring an additional 4,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dell Technologies by 5.2% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 6,090 shares of the technology companys stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 26.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Dell Technologies

In other Dell Technologies news, COO Anthony Charles Whitten sold 15,983 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.49, for a total transaction of $583,219.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 841,207 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,695,643.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, General Counsel Richard J. Rothberg sold 200,958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.36, for a total transaction of $9,115,454.88. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 149,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,775,831.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Anthony Charles Whitten sold 15,983 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.49, for a total value of $583,219.67. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 841,207 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,695,643.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 522,371 shares of company stock valued at $22,038,868. 47.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Dell Technologies Price Performance

Several research analysts recently commented on DELL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Dell Technologies from $60.00 to $51.00 in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Dell Technologies from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $47.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Dell Technologies from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. KGI Securities upgraded Dell Technologies from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Dell Technologies from $53.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $48.13.

Shares of DELL stock opened at $45.98 on Wednesday. Dell Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.90 and a 12-month high of $52.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.03.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 2nd. The technology company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.17. Dell Technologies had a negative return on equity of 173.72% and a net margin of 2.39%. The business had revenue of $25.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.82 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Dell Technologies Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dell Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from Dell Technologiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 24th. Dell Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.96%.

Dell Technologies Profile

(Get Rating)

Dell Technologies, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of information technology hardware, software, and service solutions through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), Client Solutions Group (CSG), and VMware. The ISG segment includes servers, networking, and storage, as well as services and third-party software and peripherals that are closely tied to the sale of ISG hardware.

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UAE and Thailand have agreed to launch negotiations to establish a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) between the two countries, the first round of which will commence in the UAE on May 16.

A UAE-Thailand Cepa will build on the rapidly increasing non-oil trade between the two nations, which increased 21% in 2022 to reach $6.1 billion.

For this, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, have signed a joint statement.

Growth agenda

Dr Al Zeyoudi said these negotiations represent another important step in UAEs growth agenda and underline its role as a key enabler of global trade.

Al Zeyoudi underlined the developing relations between the UAE and Thailand, stating that the negotiations are a natural progression following the launch of the first UAE-Thai Business Council in February 2023.

He added: Thailand is an increasingly important trade and investment partner for the UAE, and a high-growth economy in the heart of an exciting, rapidly emerging region. We have enjoyed strong bilateral trade growth in recent years and believe a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will deliver a wealth of opportunity in sectors such as tourism, food security, IT, logistics and financial services. These negotiations represent another important step in our growth agenda and underline our role as a key enabler of global trade.

Tourism sector

Thailands economy is the second largest in South-East Asia and is projected to grow 3.8% in 2023, driven by the rebound in the countrys vital tourism sector. It also boasts a well-developed services sector that contributes 58.3% of the nations GDP.

The UAEs principal exports to Thailand are ethylene polymers, gold, vegetable residues, delivery vehicles and parts, and electric batteries, with iron, steel and cosmetics emerging sectors. In the other direction, Thailands leading exports include office machinery and parts, motor vehicle parts, tyres and aluminium plating.

The Cepa negotiations with Thailand are the latest under the UAEs ambitious foreign trade agenda, which seeks to double its foreign trade and the national economy by 2031.

The country has so far concluded four Cepas with India, Israel, Indonesia and Turkey and the first two have already come into force, and the signing of other two agreements will follow later. The country is currently in talks with more markets of strategic importance at the regional and global levels to establish similar agreements.-- TradeArabia News Service
TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE:THS  Get Rating)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $54.62 and last traded at $54.12, with a volume of 26339 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $54.26.

The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.28. TreeHouse Foods had a positive return on equity of 5.90% and a negative net margin of 3.23%. The business had revenue of $894.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $850.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.15) EPS. The businesss revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on TreeHouse Foods from $49.00 to $57.00 in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on TreeHouse Foods in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a hold rating and a $53.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on TreeHouse Foods from $60.00 to $64.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of TreeHouse Foods in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a 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 $56.20.

Insider Transactions at TreeHouse Foods

Institutional Trading of TreeHouse Foods

In other news, Director Ann Sardini sold 5,083 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.89, for a total transaction of $253,590.87. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $89,802. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THS. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of TreeHouse Foods by 368.3% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,728 shares of the companys stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of TreeHouse Foods by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 142,398 shares of the companys stock worth $7,181,000 after acquiring an additional 14,464 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of TreeHouse Foods by 63.9% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 11,434 shares of the companys stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 4,459 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in TreeHouse Foods by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 523,484 shares of the companys stock worth $26,399,000 after purchasing an additional 5,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of TreeHouse Foods by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 812,760 shares of the companys stock worth $40,987,000 after buying an additional 23,744 shares during the period.

TreeHouse Foods Price Performance

The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $50.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

About TreeHouse Foods

(Get Rating)

TreeHouse Foods, Inc engages is the manufacture and distribution of private label packaged foods and beverages in North America. Its product portfolio includes snacking, beverages, and meal preparation products, available in shelf stable, refrigerated, frozen, and fresh formats. The firm operates through the following segments: Meal Preparation, and Snacking and Beverages.

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While suffering from a toothache back in April 2022, Shane Carmichael could never have imagined that within days he would be fighting for his life.

During a visit to the out-of-hours dentist, the Bellaghy man was told that he had an abscess and that he would need to have a tooth pulled out.

During the procedure, Shane's tooth cracked in half but he was eventually sent home with antibiotics.

However, within days his neck and mouth began to swell up and he was forced to attend the accident and emergency department at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

What Shane didn't know at the time was that a rare flesh eating disease, called necrotizing fasciitis, was rapidly spreading through his body.

It started off with a toothache and although it wasn't that sore at the time I thought I would get it sorted before it got any worse, said Shane.

I went to the out-of-hours dentist and he pulled the tooth and gave me antibiotics. My neck and my mouth started to swell a couple of days later and I knew something wasn't right.

Paramedics were on strike at that time and I couldn't get an ambulance for love nor money so I ended up getting a taxi down to the hospital in Coleraine. I don't remember anything from after I walked into triage to when I woke up four months later.

Shane, who had worked in fabrication and welding engineering, said prior to his illness he was '100% fit' and 'wouldn't even take a headache tablet before that'.

After spending a night in Coleraine, Shane was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where he was placed in a medically induced coma for four months.

While battling necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death, Shane was also struck down by sepsis.

A retained firefighter for 14 years, Shane was later transerred to the ICU in Dundonald Hospital where he underwent 12 different operations.

I am lucky it (the infection) didn't go upwards into my brain instead of downwards, he continued. All the bad tissue had to be cut away. I was cut from ear to ear, my whole neck was cut away and I needed to get plastic surgery. A big lump was cut out of my right breast to go into my neck and my right leg also has scars from the skin graft.

Shane says the infection has severely affected the left hand side of his body and he has suffered from nerve damage and involuntary movements. He also has drop foot and needs to wear a splint on his left leg.

Further complications led to Shane suffering from heart problems and he had to have a pacemaker fitted, making him the first person in the North of Ireland to have this particular type of device fitted.

I was told at one stage all the best surgeons in Ireland were at me, said the 46 year-old, who previously lived in Kilrea.

The plastic surgeon in the ICU in Dundonald was told by his colleagues that I was 'a goner' but thank God he persevered.

I had approximately 12 surgeries and I had multiple organ failure so I had to go on dialysis and life support. I also had to have a tracheostomy to help me breathe.

According to my sister, Kelly (O'Neill), who was at my bedside constantly and actually refused to sign DNR (do not resuscitate) forms, I was given the Last Rites eight times. I had an end of life week but every time my sister came up I pulled through even though the doctors said I wasn't going to make it through the night. I think maybe the fact that I was fairly fit really helped me.

Shane, who has to be tube fed and can only eat pureed foods and liquids as he is at risk of choking, says his life has changed dramatically in the last 12 months.

I haven't had a meal in well over a year. I can't take anything with any lumps in it at all because I am a choking risk, he said.

When I came out of the coma I had to learn to do everything again. I couldn't walk, I couldn't lift my arms, I couldn't even write my name. I needed a hoist to lift me out of bed and the physios had to work with me to try and get a bit of movement but it was pure torture, I couldn't see an end to it, to be honest. Before this all happened me I would have been walking four or five miles every day, maybe twice a day. Now I can't walk the length of myself. I've got a rollator to get about the house, I have to wear a bigger shoe on my left foot because of the splint and I use a stick if I am going anywhere. I can't go very far because it wrecks me, I'm left totally beat and out of breath. My whole quality of life has changed.

My brother passed away a few years ago and I moved in with my mother in Portglenone to give her a hand but now the tables have sort of turned.

While no timescale been put on Shane's recovery, he remains positive and hopeful that things will steadily improve.

He also credits the NHS with saving his life.

The way the NHS is, unfortunately things are very slow, but I will say that I could not have received better treatment anywhere else in the world, he continued.

Everyone I was treated by were absolute legends. My treatment was life-saving and if it wasn't for the doctors and nurses I wouldn't be here today. One of the nurses even got in touch with Manchester United and when I was in hospital I received a get well letter from them.

If you look up the survival rate of necrotizing fasciitis, one in three doesn't survive it so I'm very lucky to be alive. My sister was actually told to make the arrangements for my funeral and she had contacted the undertaker and all.

For now, there is something that many people take for granted that Shane hopes to be able to do again.

The one thing I would love to be fit to do again  it's the simplest thing which I cannot do at the minute - and that's to go out for a nice walk down around Fisherman's Walk in Portglenone, he added.
North West Regional Colleges (NWRC) Business Support Centre (BSC) is recruiting applicants for a fully-funded Advanced Manufacturing Skills Academy with placement opportunities within the advanced manufacturing sector.

This demand-led academy will provide candidates with the necessary skills that employers want, to secure employment within advanced manufacturing as well as gaining a qualification in Health & Safety and Digital Fabrication.

Sinead Hawkins Business Skills Manager at NWRC explained: This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals in the local council area to springboard their careers in Advanced Manufacturing. The programme offers a work placement and a guaranteed interview for employment on successful completion. The programme is employer led through the GMEX group and it is offering a direct link into employment. 

Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) Labour Market Partnership (LMP) Manager Nicky Gilleece added: The Derry and Strabane LMP focuses on improving the districts employability outcomes and labour market conditions by working with a wide range of stakeholders. We are delighted to partner with NWRC for this Academy; they have developed an excellent programme that not only aligns with industry needs but will leave candidates work-ready.

In addition, we are working with GEMX NW who have engaged with industry to offer quality placements for the candidates with employment opportunities also available.

This 5-week academy also includes master classes by industry experts, site visits and will be delivered in the Colleges state-of-the-art campus in Springtown.

Limited spaces available. Applications will close on Wednesday 17th May.

For more information and to register your interest please visit: https://www.nwrc.ac.uk/business/business-programmes/labour-market-partnership-skills-academies
The first military witness has given evidence to the inquest into the death of two Derry men shot dead by the SAS in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984.

Daniel Doherty (23) from Creggan and William Fleming (19) from the Waterside area of the city were shot dead on the morning of December 6 1984.

At today's hearing a witness known as Soldier M gave evidence after having been granted anonymity and screening by the Coroner Mr Justice Ian Huddleston.

He said that he was a member of the Special Investigation Branch of the British Army Military Police.

The witness in his statement said that he could 'vaguely recall the incident' in which Mr Doherty and Mr Fleming died.

He said he could recall there were 'two dead men and a motorbike'.

The former soldier explained his role was to investigate the role of military personnel in incidents such as a shooting but he stressed that any criminal investigation was left to the RUC.

Soldier M said his recollection of the day in question came from reading a report he compiled in 1984 as he had no real memory of the day.

He accepted that his investigation in 1984 would have been 'limited' as it was designed solely for information for the army command.

The hearing continues.
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The Galaxy S Ultra series' upcoming three iterations will use 200MP Samsung cameras. The most recent leak was made by Twitter tipster @Revegnus, who recently tweeted about the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra series camera roadmap.

The primary camera on the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is going to be as similar on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, according to the report. While the Galaxy S27 Ultra will have a 1/1.12-inch ISOCELL GN2 lens, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and S26 Ultra will have a new and enhanced 200MP sensor.

Also read; Samsung Galaxy Watches can now keep a tab on your heart rhythm as FDA approves active monitoring

The primary camera specifications for the upcoming four iterations of the Galaxy S Ultra series flagships have been made public by @Revegnus. The 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP sensor will be the main camera in the future Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra if the tip source is to be trusted. Notably, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra first used this image sensor back in February 2023. The South Korean brand may implement software optimisations to boost camera performance even while the sensor will stay the same.

Regarding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra, the tipster claims that they will include the ISOCELL HP2 sensor's replacement. The 200MP resolution will remain in the camera lens, though.

The Galaxy S27 Ultra, the insider adds, will be the device to depart from the line of 200MP sensors. The tipper claims that the Galaxy S27 Ultra may have a little bigger 1/1.12-inch sensor compared to the 1/1.3-inch HP2 sensor. We can presume that the sensor is a revised version of the 1/1.12-inch Samsung ISOCELL GN2 sensor featured in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra even if the source withheld any additional information about it. Samsung is the only company that has not yet jumped on the 1-inch, 50MP camera sensor bandwagon, in contrast to its rivals.

Also read; Samsung Galaxy F54 could carry Galaxy A54s processor and still be priced lower

According to the tip, the next-generation sensor is going to have an improved light receiver, possibly for use with sophisticated imaging techniques including nanophotonics and low-light imaging. Additionally, the tipper claimed that it might involve a world-first sensor constructed on a 17nm technology node.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
The Realme 11 series went official in the Chinese market, and it consists of two phones Realme 11 Pro and Realme 11 Pro+. The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is the flagship phone for the company. Well, both the Pro phones of this series are of the higher tier. Meanwhile, the Realme 11 5G is the more affordable option.

With that now we are also aware of the price, availability, colour of the phone and also how it's different from its Pro counterparts. Let's have a look at it all one at a time.

Colour variants of the Realme 11

The Realme 11 comes in three colours- Starry Night Dark (Black), City of Greens (Green), City of Sunrise (Orange). Also, the orange colour models have a leather finish back and are anti-drop as well as scratch resistant.

Pricing of the Realme 11

The Realme 11 has two variants- the 8GB RAM+256 GB storage comes for 1599 yuan which is around 19,000. The second variant, 12GB RAM+256GB storage comes for 1799 yuan which is around 21,500.

Availability of the Realme 11

As of now the Realme 11 is available only in China, it will be up for sale from June 1, 2023.

Specification comparison of the Realme 11 series phones

Display:

Realme 11- 6.43-inch FHD+ 20:9 Super AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, 1000Hz instant touch

Realme 11 Pro: 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate

Realme 11 Pro+: 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080 X 2412 pixels resolution, 360Hz touch sampling rate

RAM and Storage:

Realme 11- 8GB RAM+256 GB storage and 12GB RAM+256GB

Realme 11 Pro- 8GB RAM+256GB storage, 12GB RAM+256GB storage, 12GB RAM+512GB storage

Realme 11 Pro+ - 12GB RAM+256GB storage, 12GB RAM+512GB storage, 12GB RAM+1TB storage- 2799 yuan

Processor:

Realme 11- Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6020 along with Mali-G57 GPU

Realme 11 Pro- Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset and Mali-G68 GPU

Realme 11 Pro+ - Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset along with Mali-G68 GPU for graphics.

Camera:

Realme 11- Dual rear camera with 64MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth shooter. Front camera of 8MP

Realme 11 Pro- Dual rear camera with 8MP primary camera with f/1.75 aperture, 6P Lens, and a 2MP dual sensor. Front camera of 16MP

Realme 11 Pro+ - Triple rear camera with 200MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. Front camera of 32MP

Battery:

Realme 11- Packed with 5,000mAh battery and comes with 33W fast charging support

Realme 11 Pro- Packed with 5,000mAh battery and comes with 67W fast charging support

Realme 11 Pro+ - Packed with 5,000mAh battery and comes with 100W fast charging support

Operating System (OS):

Realme 11- Android 13

Realme 1 Pro- Android 13

Realme 11 Pro+ - Android 13

These were the details that the company revealed with the launch of the Realme 11 series phones and especially the mid-ranged version of the flagship. Now, it will all sum up on June 1st as to how well this phone works in the Chinese market and hopefully we will soon have it in the Indian market as well.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Smartphone manufacturer Realme is preparing to introduce the Realme C53 in India after recently introducing the Realme C55 there. The corporation hasn't released any formal announcements about the smartphone despite the device showing up on multiple certification websites.

The smartphone has appeared on a number of certification systems, including those run by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Tingkat Komponen Dalam Negeri in Indonesia, Energy Efficiency Certificates (EEC) in Europe, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The existence of certifications indicates the impending launch. We must, however, wait till the business issues a formal affirmation.



Also read: Redmi 11 Prime available with up to 4000 off in Amazon, Flipkart sales

The Realme C53 poster, created by MySmartPrice, gives a glimpse at the future smartphone's design. The article also stated that it may be one of Realme's most cheap smartphones, citing a reliable source. However, tipster Naveen Tech Wala has disclosed some important details and stated that the smartphone will soon be available in India. Let's take a look at the expected specs.

According to the Realme C53's ad, the device will have a flat, stylish frame and thin bezels around the screen. The phone has a hole-punch cutout in the top centre of the display.

The device's power and volume controls are located on the right edge. It looks like the power button doubles as a fingerprint reader. The main speaker grille and USB Type-C port are both situated at the bottom edge. Additionally, two circular cutouts can be seen on the outer edge of the rear panel, which is blue in colour. According to the source, the cuts would each have a camera sensor, indicating the presence of a dual-camera system with an LED flash module.

Also read: iQOO Neo 8 features leaked: All you need to know

Coming to the technicalities of the device, Realme C53 will feature a dual-camera setup sporting 50MP and 2MP along with 8MP front camera. As of now only one variant has been mentioned for the smartphone 6GB RAM and 128GB storage with 5000mAh battery and 33W SuperVOOC for support for fast charging. The device will be powered by MediaTek Helio G85 and be driven by Android 13, UI 4.0. The phone will be available in Cyan colour.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Spurious liquor tragedy claims 4 lives, 15 hospitalised, 4 cops suspended, one arrested 14 May 2023 | 6:15 PM Chennai, May 14 (UNI) In a tragic incident, four people died and at least

15 people were hospitalised after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor

at Ekkiyarkuppam village near Marakkanam in Villuppuram district of Tamil

Nadu today. see more..

TN BJP Chief Annamalai congratulates Cong on Kar Assembly poll win 14 May 2023 | 6:10 PM Chennai, May 14 (UNI) Tamil Nadu BJP President K.Annamalai, who was

BJPs co-in-charge for the Karnataka Assembly polls, today congratulated

the Congress party for winning the elections. see more..

Telangana CS holds coordination meeting on 21-day 'Rashtra Avatharana Dasabdhi Utsavalu' 14 May 2023 | 6:06 PM Hyderabad, May 14 (UNI) Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari on Sunday held a coordination meeting and discussed the arrangements to be made in connection with the 'Telangana Rashtra Avatharana Dasabdhi Utsavalu.'

The Utsavalu will be held throughout the state for 21 days starting from June 2. see more..

Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood appointed CBI director 14 May 2023 | 6:05 PM Bengaluru, May 14 (UNI) Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood was on Sunday appointed the director of the country's premier probe agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). see more..
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Foxconn acquires more land in southern India for smartphone manufacturing

According to a filing by Foxconn Tuesday night, the world's largest electronics manufacturer has bought land near Bengaluru for future operation.

Foxconn said in the filing that its subsidiary Foxconn Hong Hai Technology India Mega Development acquired a 300-acre land in Information Technology Investment Region in Devanhahalli Taluk, Bengaluru, with a price of INR3 billion (US$36.54 million).

Following Foxconn chairman Young Liu's visit to India earlier in 2023, Karnataka approved 18 projects, including Foxconn's planned mobile phone manufacturing plant, in March. The Economic Times quoted sources saying that Foxconn's mobile phone plant near Bengaluru airport is expected to start construction on May 22.

Besides the plant in Karnataka, MoneyControl reported that Foxconn might hold a ground-breaking ceremony in Telangana on May 15 after an April announcement by the company that it had obtained a 186.7-acre land at Kongara Kalan on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Foxconn and its subsidiary churn out iPhones and other smartphones in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and are looking to expand its smartphone, EV, and semiconductor footprints across southern and western Indian states, including Karnataka, Telangana, and Gujarat. Contrastly, Taiwan-based Wistron, another iPhone manufacturer, is reportedly winding down its investment in India.

Business Intelligence analyst Steven Tseng said in a research note that Apple suppliers' factory location share in China may drop from 42% in 2020 to 30% in 2024 amid Apple's diversification efforts, benefiting Southeast Asian countries and India.
ASEAN and South Asia are top choices for new production bases

According to data collected by DIGITIMES, all 949 publicly traded electronics firms in Taiwan generated sales totaling NT$953 billion in 2022. Manufacturers of electronic devices, such as handsets and notebooks, accounted for about NT$500 billion, of which about NT$400 billion came from the top-6 makers  Foxconn, Pegatron, Quanta, Wistron, Compal, and Inventec. These six firms alone purchase as much as US$300 billion worth of components each year, and if they stopped production at the same time, the impact would be immeasurable. The US bid to rebuild meaningful control of the supply chain has definitely sent shockwaves across the ecosystems supporting these top-6 makers.

Manufacturing capability is in the DNA of the top-6 electronics manufacturers. Of the total output from the world's top-30 EMS providers, Taiwanese firms account for 72%. As the "G2" geopolitical game unfolds, Taiwanese firms, particularly the top-6 electronics firms, have found themselves in the global spotlight. But how are the top-6 going to respond to such a new situation?

We try to imagine what moves the top-6 would make for ASEAN and South Asia, based on the firms' probable needs. These firms have lived mostly on massive orders from Apple, HP, Dell, and other major vendors. They have managed to build up economies of scale, but profit margins have been very low. In 2022, Foxconn, Quanta, and Compal were the top-3 in terms of net profit margins, but they were all under 2.5%. Compal's net profit margin was even less than 1%. These major electronics manufacturers may be crucial to the world, but their R&D has been limited by the specs dictated by their clients. They have been unable to play a major part in software-hardware integration or providing localized services.

But the situation is changing. Many emerging economies are now rethinking their national strategies in the direction of constructing their independent industrial ecosystems. As they aspire to build their own semiconductor value chains, they would look at the electronics assembly sector differently, compared to the views of the US and European brand vendors.

ASEAN and South Asia are rich in resources. In terms of the young demographic group from 15 to 24 years of age, there are 210 million people in China. India has many more  380 million. A lot of other countries with young populations are also in ASEAN and South Asia, such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. With East Africa being a potential market, the countries along the Indian Ocean area have a total population of 2.2 billion and they should be the top choice for manufacturers looking to set up new production bases for handsets and notebooks. Power management, green energy, EV, and IoV will emerge as new applications markets in the region. Further ahead, metaverse and AI applications will also generate local business opportunities. The regionalization of the supply chain is not just about deglobalization; it's also about enormous business opportunities.

How should we respond to Warren Buffet offloading his TSMC stocks due to geopolitical concerns? Should we remain nonchalant, or should we try to make a point that the world needs us?

Credit: DIGITIMES
From microelectronics to hypersonics: US Department of Defense releases latest science and technology strategy to regain lost ground

The US Department of Defense released its 2023 National Science and Technology Strategy (NDSTS) on May 9, identifying the US military's science and technology priorities, goals and investments.

Heidi Shyu, the Department of Defense's Chief Technology Officer, indicated that critical emerging technologies should be leveraged to achieve the objectives identified in the latest National Defense Strategy published in 2022. The release of the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, according to Shyu, will help the government "make carefully crafted decisions" that bolster US comparative advantages instead of engaging in wasteful technology races. "We will emphasize developing asymmetric capabilities that will help ensure our national security over the long term," Shyu indicated.

Who creates cutting-edge technologies?

The National Science and Technology Strategy notes how the US Department of Defense's leadership in science and technology has, in the past, provided the country with "unmatched capabilities," but the advantage has been eroded as advanced science and technology becomes available worldwide. "Infused with private investment, companies around the world conduct R&D with dual-use commercial and defense applications," the strategy observed, concluding that such changes in commercial markets have altered the dynamics of who creates cutting-edge knowledge and tools for the military and how countries access them.

In response, the strategy calls for the US Department of Defense to not only strengthen its connections to the country's science and technology foundation, but also to change its internal processes of identifying technologies and see them progress through acquisition into fielded capabilities. The abilities to "incentivize the design of open systems that can rapidly incorporate cutting-edge technologies" and rewards "rapid experimentation, acquisition, and fielding" are emphasized by the strategy, which also highlights the three "valleys of death" during defense innovation acquisition as technologies move from lab to prototype, prototype to product, and product to volume production.

14 critical technology areas identified

Specifically mentioning the "pacing challenge" posed by the People's Republic of China, the strategy also reiterates the 14 "critical technology areas" previously identified by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in a strategic vision released in February 2022. They are grouped in three categories that represent the approaches required to advance technologies crucial to the Department of Defense:

The first category represents seed areas of emerging opportunity, including biotechnology, quantum science, future-generation wireless, and advanced materials. The second category represents effective adoption areas where there is "vibrant existing commercial activity," including trusted artificial intelligence and autonomy, integrated networked systems-of-systems, microelectronics, renewable energy generation and storage, advanced computing and software, and human-machine interfaces. Finally, the third category touches on defense-specific areas, including directed energy, hypersonics, and integrated sensing, and cyber.

AUKUS and Quad gain further importance, but no "Chip 4" in sight

Notably, the strategy emphasizes the need to strengthen US science and technology defense cooperation with allies and partners through bilateral and multilateral initiatives. These initiatives include the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Australian-UK-US (AUKUS) partnership, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Australia, India, Japan, and the US), and the so-called "Five Eyes" alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US). The so-called "Chip 4" alliance that is taking shape among Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and the US was not mentioned, but it remains to be seen where it will stand in future strategic roadmaps as the US Department of Defense seeks tighter relations with the microelectronics industry.
2 Palestinians killed in clashes in West Bank

Ramallah, May 10 (UNI) Two Palestinians were killed early Wednesday by Israeli soldiers in the town of Qabatiya near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, said Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses.

A short video on social media showed that the bodies of the two young men were covered with blood right after they were shot dead during fierce clashes that broke out in Qabatiya.

Local sources and eyewitnesses said that a troop of Israeli soldiers backed by armored vehicles stormed the center of Qabatiya to arrest Palestinians wanted by Israeli security forces for alleged involvement in attacks against Israel.
Beijing, May 10 (UNI) China supports a thorough, fair and unbiased investigation into the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, a year after the reporter was killed.

Last December, the Al Jazeera broadcaster said that it had submitted a formal request to the International Criminal Court to investigate Abu Akleh's murder. According to evidence collected by the broadcaster's lawyers, there were no clashes in the area where the journalist was located, except for a shooting by the Israeli military directed specifically at Abu Akleh.

"China supports a thorough, transparent, fair and unbiased investigation, hoping that this case will be justly considered in accordance with the law," the diplomat said when asked to comment on Beijing's position on Abu Akleh's death.
International Nurses Day 2023 is being celebrated once again in our hospitals in Louth.

International Nurses Day will be marked on Friday May 12th in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda and Thursday May 18th in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk.

This celebration takes place annually on the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world to mark the contributions nurses make to society. This year the theme is Our Nurses; Our Future.

Something Happens' Tom Dunne to return to Dundalk Gaol Saturday 27 May 2023

Free clean-up kits for Louth volunteers as Clean Coasts celebrates 20th birthday Clean Coasts celebrates 20th birthday on World Ocean Day

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital will celebrate this day with a Festival of Nursing celebrating the inclusivity and diversity of our world class nursing team.

There will be posters, stands, quizzes with spot prizes throughout the day.

The wards and units are focusing on The Building Blocks of Nursing and will have posters on display highlighting what is important to their area of expertise.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to view much of this work, which will be on display in both hospitals over these dates.

Many special guests will visit the hospital on the day including his Excellency, Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra, the Indian ambassador to Ireland.

The Director of Nursing, Mr Adrian Cleary said: There are just over 1,000 nurses employed across our hospitals.

"The care, compassion and commitment delivered by individual nurses and nursing teams has, and will continue to be, at the very heart of healthcare delivery ensuring access to quality healthcare for all.

"On International Nurses Day, we celebrate that contribution to our community and to our society in general."
A quarter of older tenants expect to remain in the private rental sector for life, new research indicates.

Those respondents said they simply felt there were no other options available to them unless an opportunity to access a social housing or other housing presented itself.

A joint report by housing charity Threshold together with Alone  the charity supporting older people  looked at a mix of existing data, interviews with 31 older renters and qualitative interviews with 22 representatives of specialist organisations across statutory, voluntary, property-owner and academic backgrounds.

It found that 42% of respondents felt high stress levels in the private rental sector associated with the insecurity of their accommodation.

Of those interviewed, 16 said they were in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), and said while this was necessary to afford their accommodation, some experienced a shortfall when covering their rent.

A further 17% of those interviewed said landlords were reluctant, and sometimes refused, to accept tenants on HAP.

The report, entitled The Double Deficit: Older And Ageing Persons In The Irish Private Rental Sector was based on interviews with representative older tenants in the private rental sector and an analysis of data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

According to the RTB and Amarach research, 17% of all renters in the private sector were aged over 45, making up 67,000 households, of which just under 16,000 are headed by individuals aged 60 or over.

At the time of interview, 14 of the 31 study participants (45%) had either recently or previously received a termination of tenancy notice from their landlords in respect of their current or most recent accommodation, several of which had been invalid.

The report also found that insecure accommodation was aggravated by other concerns such as older age profiles, illness and health conditions, and low income.

A 55-year-old interviewee who is recovering from cancer told the study: We didnt expect to be in this position. Housing is at the root of all my concerns  over and above my illness.

A woman, 72, told researchers: Landlords are not interested in me, they wont accept HAP, theyre not willing to take a chance on a pensioner. They have plenty of excuses, choose other people over you.

The absence of data and planning for older peoples accommodation, as Irelands elderly population is projected to grow in the coming years, was also raised in the report.

Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien welcomed the joint research and said it would help inform policies, and target government actions.

Housing for All, the governments national strategy, mandates local authorities to develop and submit housing action plans for each of their local authority areas, he said.

These plans must include provision for age-friendly housing, both social and private, and ensures that housing provision appropriate to the needs of older people will be delivered, matching the scale and extent of housing demand.

Housing for All is backed by more than four billion euro in funding ensuring we can meet and even exceed the objectives of the plan.

As people enter the so called golden years of their lives we dont want them to suffer worry and stress if they are renting, we want them to have options. Rapidly increasing the supply of new homes, of all types, will provide those options.

The chief executive of Alone, Sean Moynihan, said the report highlights an issue that has been growing for years.

This evidence now further shows the housing needs of older people and proves the effect of no security of tenure for older people in the rental sector.

Older people in private rented accommodation have lower standards of living and have poorer health & wellbeing outcomes.

Approved Housing Bodies completed 176 age-friendly homes in 2022. This was 3 times larger than in 2021. According to figures published today by the Irish Council for Social Housing. Approved Housing Bodies completed 176 age-friendly homes in 2022. pic.twitter.com/xpVXmJR6sO  alone_ireland (@ALONE_IRELAND) May 3, 2023

We need to plan and build for this increasing amount of people, before it is too late, for whom renting is their only housing option.

This report highlights the areas that we need to focus on now, including ring fencing social housing in line with demand, specifically for older people to meet this need now and in the near future.

The alternative is that the current system will lead to large levels homelessness and poor housing conditions in old age, he added.

Ann-Marie OReilly, national advocacy manager at Threshold, said 17% of renters are from older demographics and that the findings of the report indicate a poor outlook for older and ageing renters across Ireland.

It is critical that the recommendations provided in this report are taken into account and the private rental sector becomes a viable and sustainable option of housing for older renters in the coming years.

Co-author of the report Neil Haran of Nexus Europe said: This study reveals considerable challenges associated with the States reliance on the private rental sector to accommodate many of its citizens.

It also reveals that older renters in private rental are placed at a disproportionate disadvantage in the market, contributing to high levels of stress, vulnerability and a lack of predictability.

But of equal concern is the absence of a data-informed approach to planning for the accommodation of a rapidly growing ageing cohort.

There is a clear need for safeguards to improve the position of older people in the private rental sector; for increased investment in social and age-friendly housing, with supports, as well as a distinct need to commit to gathering age-related, tenure-specific data to aid effective planning.
Ankara, May 10 (UNI) Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main opponent in the upcoming elections, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, of the People's Alliance on Tuesday called on the supporters to ensure his victory as early as in the first round of voting, saying that the opposition also must gain a majority in the parliament for "a rapid change in the system."

"One more question. If we are going to complete our work in the first round, I must say that we must complete it in such a way that the current opposition gets the most seats in the parliament. More lawmakers mean a rapid change in the system," Kilicdaroglu said in a video message on Twitter.

The politician added that "a system where sharp criticism of the head of state will be possible" will be created in Turkey in the event of his victory in the election.

"Their [opponents'] voices will be easily heard. They will be able to oppose me as sharply as they wish. That is precisely the goal. That is what democracy is all about. In other words, freedom of speech. First, we have to make Turkey a place where dissent is possible. After that, it will be easy for everyone. That is why we have to end this in the first round. That is why I ask you to vote consciously. Let's end this thing in the first round," the presidential candidate added.

Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on May 14. The second round of voting, if necessary, will be held on May 28. Erdogan has been nominated as a presidential candidate by the ruling Justice and Development Party, supported by the allied Nationalist Movement Party, while Kilicdaroglu has been declared the single candidate of the opposition People's Alliance. The list of presidential candidates also includes Muharrem Ince of the Homeland Party and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance.

Results of pre-election polls are constantly changing and have not yet revealed a clear favorite in the upcoming election.

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China's cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-6, is ready for launch, according to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, under the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in China's southern island province of Hainan.

The launch of Tianzhou-6 will be the first spaceflight since China's space station entered into the application and development stage.

The site has completed all preparations and a final rehearsal for the launch, which comprehensively covered all relevant systems. This process included fueling up the cargo craft and transferring the spacecraft-rocket combination to the launch area.

"This is the most extensive rehearsal before launch, and it is also the final joint rehearsal," said Zhong Wen'an, chief engineer at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The meteorological system at the launch site has strengthened meteorological monitoring to ensure an accurate weather forecast.

"The equipment and facilities are in good condition," Zhong said.

The combination of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y7 carrier rocket was vertically transferred to the launching area on Sunday.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Heads of CIS missions in Qatar attended victory day celebrations: Russian Ambassador

Doha, May 10 (UNI) The heads of almost all diplomatic missions of the CIS countries (former Soviet republics), accredited in Qatar, attended celebrations on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, held in Doha by the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots, Russian Ambassador Dmitry Dogadkin said.

Dogadkin's speech opened a commemoration event dedicated to the Victory Day called "Woman's Face of War."

"It is very symbolic that among us there are heads of diplomatic missions of almost all CIS countries that are accredited here. It was a common victory for all the republics of the Soviet Union, all peoples, all religious denominations, and each people contributed to the great victory," Dogadkin said.
Islamabad, May 9 (UNI) Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), media reports said on Tuesday.

The PTI chairman was taken into custody in the Al-Qadir Trust case by Rangers personnel from the IHC where he had gone to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him.

The former prime minister was taken in a black vigo by the law enforcement agency.

Confirming the arrest, Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan said that the situation is under control.

According to Geo News, Imran Khan was going for biometric at the IHC when he was taken into custody. The NAB officials had arrest warrants.

Following Khans arrest, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took notice of the matter, and summoned the Islamabad IG and the interior secretary within 15 minutes.

He also directed the additional attorney general to appear before the court in 15 minutes and instructed him to immediately find out who was behind the arrest.

If an inquiry has to be conducted, action will also be taken against the prime minister and ministers, the chief justice said.

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EBRD-supported report on Croatias offshore renewables potential launched in Zagreb

Possibility of unlocking up to 25 GW of offshore wind discussed at RES Croatia event

Bank stands ready to provide further policy support and financing

A new EBRD-funded report, entitled Action Plan for the Uptake of Offshore Renewable Energy Sources in Croatia, has been launched today in Zagreb.

The report, written by Croatian experts and coordinated by the Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (RES Croatia) Association, identifies areas in the Adriatic Sea suitable for renewable energy generation, which could far surpass the countrys current onshore renewable energy capacity and reach levels comparable to Europes entire offshore wind power capacity.

At the reports launch in Zagreb, local and international experts discussed the steps necessary to unlock this potential, including an enabling regulatory framework.

The study identified more than 29,000 km of offshore area available for renewables, including offshore wind (both bottom-fixed and floating) and floating photovoltaic power plants. This includes several low-impact areas in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, where up to 25 GW of offshore wind capacity that could be installed.

Victoria Zinchuk, EBRD Director for Central Europe, said: The identified potential of up to 25 GW of offshore wind capacity in low-impact areas alone could turn Croatia into a major European player in the renewable energy sector over the next decade. At present, the total installed bottom-fixed offshore wind capacity in Europe is 30 GW. Croatia should tap into this potential as soon as possible to increase European energy security in the medium to long term. I thank all those who worked on this study for showcasing this incredible promise. Of course, a lot of stakeholder effort will be required to realise it, including further regulatory reforms, community engagement and investment. The EBRD, the largest enabler and financier of renewable energy in the region, stands ready to support Croatia with both technical cooperation and finance.

Maja Pokrovac, CEO of Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia, said: "Increasing offshore RES can be used for the growth of the national economy. Numerous Croatian companies have already cooperated with the scientific and academic community in the field of production of equipment, installations and other components for onshore RES. In the future, the shipbuilding industry could be linked to the development of offshore renewables, because Croatian shipyards have production capacities that can support the construction and installation of wind turbines at sea. Further research and innovation are necessary in order for offshore RES to reach full momentum and efficiency with lower costs and reduced impact on the environment, We are proud that experts from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture of the University of Zagreb, OIKON Ltd. - the Institute for Applied Ecology and the Island Movement participated in the preparation of this study. As RES Croatia, we always emphasize that Croatia can achieve energy self-sufficiency, and megawatts of wind and photovoltaic offshore power plants can certainly contribute to this."

The study recommends developing a national maritime spatial plan, starting with the low- and medium-impact areas identified, including those areas in Croatias National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which is currently under review. The report also recommends designing an auction scheme, appointing a single contact point for renewable energy developers, conducting further technical studies and embarking on engagement with local stakeholders. Croatias current 10-year plan to upgrade its electricity transmission system should also allow for potential significant new offshore renewables capacity, it says, as well as the plans of neighbouring countries to develop their own offshore renewables.

The report cites the current work of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency to evaluate its existing and obsolete offshore gas fields for potential conversion to renewables and suggests exploring the numerous shipyards, built before independence and well connected to requisite infrastructure, for conversion into offshore renewable servicing hubs. It also identifies additional medium-impact areas with significant potential of up to 32GW.

Croatia, which relies on imports for about half of its energy needs, aims to increase domestic electricity generation from renewable sources. According to 2021 data, the total wind and solar energy installed capacity in Croatia is 1.2 GW; total renewable capacity rises to 4.9 GW if hydropower and other sources are included. While energy prices currently allow for a market-based approach  meaning that renewable electricity is competitively merchant priced and state subsidies are not needed at current price levels  investment is being hampered by lengthy permitting processes at both the local and national level.

There is currently little solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed in the country, but a sizeable pipeline exists over the next decade. A draft law to allow the combined use of land for solar power and agricultural production may open up additional solar opportunities. Another EBRD-funded report on the potential of agri-solar in Croatia is expected to be published in the coming months, adding to the research published today.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than 4.4 billion in Croatia, with almost 300 million of that invested in 2022.
Green transformation is high on the agenda for many small businesses. Whereas some companies are still trying to understand and navigate the new environment, others are already well on their way to making the transition.

Serbian company Papir Print is a case in point. With the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union, the company, which produces flexible packaging for the food and pharmaceutical industries, among others, has invested in a thermal oxidation plant which allows it to convert waste gases into heating and cooling energy.

Most of our employees live in Gornji Milanovac, where the company is located. Our motivation to invest in this equipment was not only to align with green standards and achieve energy savings; we also want to be a responsible company which cares about the environment, clean air and the health of its people, explains company owner Petar Obradovic.

In addition, the company also recently invested in a rooftop solar power plant. The two investments combined now allow it to cover a quarter of its energy needs from renewable sources.

This alignment with the EUs green standards helps us in our business development too. Our clients are large international brands such as Coca-Cola and Nestle, and these companies choose to work with suppliers who share the same environmental standards, adds Milos Maric, Production Manager.

The new equipment will also help the company reduce its operational costs and boost its competitiveness.

Lower operational costs give us more flexibility when it comes to adjusting our prices and offering more competitive conditions to our existing and prospective clients, explains Maric. We already export our products to neighboring countries, but our goal is to expand our services to western Europe, which would allow us to increase our profits significantly. With our high quality standards and competitive conditions, we hope to be able to achieve this.

In addition to the above-mentioned investments, the EBRD and the EU also helped Papir Print finance new printing machines. These improve the quality of printing and provide additional security during the production process by detecting errors and delays, for example. This allows the company to reduce or completely eliminate the occurrence of any scrap in the production process.

The two investments were financed under the SME Competitiveness Programme, which provides EBRD loans and EU grants to local firms, in cooperation with local commercial banks. To date, the programme has supported investments by over 350 businesses in Serbia. 74 percent of those investments contribute to improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emission.

Papir Print also benefited from the business advisory programme offered by the EBRD in partnership with the EU. This helped the company improve its financial management, human resources practices and other areas.

Improving access to finance and helping SMEs to grow their businesses is one of the EBRDs key priorities in Serbia. Together with the EU and local partner banks, we are financing investments that strengthen access to export markets and speed up the transition to a greener, more sustainable economy, says Matteo Colangeli, EBRD Director for Western Balkans and Head of Serbia.
MEMBERS of Cork County Council have agreed to write to the Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan to instruct Applus to apply a two-year National Car Testing (NCT) certificate for vehicles that pass the test from the commencement date of the certificate regardless of the year of the vehicle.

The motion was brought before Mondays council meeting by Independent councillor John Healy and it received unanimous support from his fellow councillors.

Cllr Healy said his proposal will help streamline the test operation.

According to Applus who operates the NCT, there are now 375,000 vehicles overdue for a test. Cars being used without a valid NCT are breaking the law. Presently a car of ten years or more has to be tested annually.

"My proposal is that cars that pass the NCT regardless of the age of the car be given a two-year certificate. This would help streamline the test operation and it would also eliminate the problem of cars with an out-of-date certificate being driven publicly, he said.

This can be done without compromising road safety, said Cllr Healy. There is no evidence that the proposal of giving all cars a two-year certificate instead of one year would result in more accidents.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty seconded the motion. This is a major crisis for the whole vehicle industry. It is causing major problems for all motorists, whether private or commercial. I feel to address the backlog these centres should be operating 24/7.

Independent councillor Frank Roche made another recommendation for people with second cars.

Where you have a second car in the family for collecting children or for a run-around locally it is very hard for those people to NCT their car every year.

"It is another attack on the rural community. I think the NCT should be put up on a mileage basis rather than a yearly basis.

Fianna Fail councillor Seamus McGrath agreed with the motion but he also expressed some concerns: It is not acceptable that those levels of delays are in place. The fact is that when you get the NCT cert it isnt at the date of when it fell due even though there has been a delay in it and you will have to come back in less than 12 months time. This needs to be looked at.

I would be concerned about a 20-year-old car getting a two-year NCT cert from a road safety point of view. There is scope to review the time limit and increase the operational hours of the NCT centre, he added.
CORK City Council is to write to central government to request funding for footpath repairs, with footpaths in certain areas of the city not fit for purpose.

It follows a motion tabled by Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh, who called on the council to undertake a city-wide audit of the footpaths and to produce a planned and focussed footpath-renewal programme.

Our footpaths, in many places across the city, are currently in appalling condition and are in urgent need of refurbishment.

This is as a result of general neglect in terms of ongoing maintenance, various utility companies digging them up to undertake various works and, in many cases, not reinstating them to the original standard and, of course, general wear and tear, Mr Kavanagh said.

A report from David Joyce, the director of services in the councils roads-and-environment operations directorate, said public footpaths are constantly upgraded and renewed.

Cork City Council also has a record of footpath defects gathered from numerous sources, including the public through the CRM [customer relationship management], our own engineering assessments, public liability claims and councillors requests for service, he said.

All funding for footpath maintenance and repairs, he said, comes from the city councils own resources.

There is no funding available from the Department of Transport for footpath maintenance and any repairs must therefore be funded from very limited council own resources, he said.

Mr Joyce said that a city-wide audit would be a mammoth task, requiring substantial resources.

Speaking at a council meeting on Monday evening, Mr Kavanagh thanked the director for the extensive response, but said that certain footpaths in the city are not fit for purpose.

Fianna Fail councillor Sean Martin proposed that the council write to central government to seek funding for footpath repairs and maintenance.

Fine Gael councillor Des Cahill suggested that the council write to the transport minister to see if footpath repairs and maintenance could be funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) under active travel works.

Mr Joyce said the council has the capacity to deliver more footpath maintenance works, but does not have the funding to do so.

If you can convince the ministers or the NTA to provide funding, well happily spend it, he added.
DRUGS unit Gardai raided an apartment with a warrant and found almost 3,000 worth of cannabis and just over 2,700 in cash.

While the target of the search tried to get away when he arrived home and saw the gardai he ultimately cooperated with the investigation and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Now he has been given a five-month suspended jail term.

Sergeant John Kelleher said, On May 3 2022 as a result of confidential information, members of the Cork divisional drugs unit executed a warrant at the defendants apartment at Montenotte View, Albert Road, Cork.

The target of the search was observed by gardai approaching the address and was engaged by gardai. He became aggressive and dropped a key to the property during the struggle. He eventually became compliant and the search warrant was executed.

During the course of the search of the kitchen, cannabis with a street value of 2,854 was recovered in addition to an electronic weighing scales.

2,705 cash was also recovered. Two mobile phones were also seized.

He was arrested. He admitted possession. He also admitted sale or supply to close friends to support himself. And in addition to the drugs offences the defendant also pleaded guilty to the money-laundering charge.

30-year-old Damlara Bammodu of The Rock, Castletownbere, County Cork, who was represented by defence solicitor, Cathal Lombard, was given a total sentence of five months suspended by Judge Colm Roberts.
Environmental charity Clean Coasts is asking volunteers in Co Cork to sign up to request a free clean-up kit and take action on World Ocean Day this June.

With less than a month to go World Ocean Day which is celebrated on June 8, Clean Coasts is encouraging people to get out and help protect and care for Irelands waterways, coastline, seas, ocean, and marine life.

This June, Clean Coasts will also be celebrating its 20th anniversary.

For the past 20 years, Clean Coasts has been working to create tangible and immediate improvements to Irelands coastal environment, involving thousands of volunteers removing large quantities of marine litter from the coastline each year.

The focus of this years World Ocean Day will be on the 30x30 campaign which highlights that in order to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilise the climate, its crucial that 30% of the planets lands, waters, and ocean be protected by the year 2030.

With marine litter becoming a global problem for humans and marine life alike, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to tackle the issue, making sure litter is collected and disposed of properly for a cleaner ocean and greener world.

Communities in Co Cork have demonstrated their desire to be part of the solution by taking part in several beach cleaning calls to action.

Coastal Communities manager, Sinead McCoy, said: Happy 20th birthday to the Clean Coasts community. Lets celebrate by working together to protect our coastlines and waterways.

The Clean Coasts network has over 2,000 groups working across Ireland to clean up Irelands coastline, beaches, and waterways.

"Join us in our clean-up efforts and lets continue to make a positive impact and celebrate the incredible natural environment Irish has to offer.

To request a kit, go to cleancoasts.org.
MIXED opinions on the upcoming Consultative Forum on International Security Policy were expressed at a meeting of Cork City Council this week.

Plans for the forum were announced last month by Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin.

The consultative forum will take place at three locations next month, including UCC on June 22.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence, the forum will focus on a wide range of issues, including Irelands efforts to protect the rules-based international order, through peacekeeping and crisis management, disarmament and non-proliferation, international humanitarian law, and conflict prevention and peacebuilding as well as allowing for a discussion on Irelands policy of military neutrality.

At a city council meeting this week An Rabharta Glas councillor Lorna Bogue expressed deep concerns about the forum, describing it as a thinly-veiled exercise to legitimate an erosion of Irelands military neutrality.

The South East ward councillor tabled a motion calling on the council to write to the Tanaiste to indicate that it would not cooperate with the forum.

She described the forum as a wholly inappropriate and inadequate means by which to address a possible change in State policy.

Concerns about the forum were echoed by some councillors in the Chamber, including Sinn Fein party councillor Mick Nugent.

I think the Citizens' Assembly that the Tanaiste had mentioned would have been a very good way of discussing all this out, and we can discuss it, but I think that would have been the way to do it, he said.

Like councillor Bogue, Im just not totally convinced by the kind of process thats been flagged.

However, Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy said he would not be supporting the motion.

I think its important that we dont shut down the free speech around this, he said. It is a forum, it is just a consultation.

Fianna Fail councillor Terry Shannon also spoke against the motion.

We in Fianna Fail are not in any way, shape or form in favour of joining NATO.

We are in favour of a conversation about our defence, about our neutrality and where we go from here, he said.

Speaking recently, the Tanaiste said there will be "no predetermined or preconceived outcomes from discussions at the forum and participants will be free to raise any relevant issue during deliberations".

The motion was defeated with four votes for, 10 against and one abstention.
Gardai were called to investigate the sudden death of a young man at an apartment in Cork and while present at the property they found evidence of cannabis growing and dealing.

In fairness to the man who has now been sentenced on cultivation and dealing charges, he was the one who called the emergency services to his home because of his concerns for his friend who had taken ill and later died.

32-year-old Aaron Horgan has now been sentenced by Judge Catherine Staines at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to three years in prison with the last 18 months suspended.

Garda Dermot Crowley testified that the incident occurred on March 8 2019 when gardai received a call in relation to a deceased man.

Aaron Horgan called for an ambulance and for the gardai.

Cannabis plants which were being grown at the time had a potential street value of 4,000. And cannabis herb was found to have a street value of 4,400.

While the case dated back more than four years the reason for the delay in it coming before the court was that Aaron Horgan left the country after the drugs were found but before charges were brought against him.

He returned to Ireland in October 2022 and was then charged with cultivation of cannabis and having the drug for sale or supply to others at his apartment at Douglas Hyde apartments on Middle Glanmire Road on March 8 2019.

Defence barrister Donal OSullivan said in relation to Horgans cultivation and dealing of cannabis: Unfortunately, he was his own best customer.

He said the accused had gone on a methadone treatment programmed to get off drugs and had been in custody for the past month.
A father wheeling an infant in a buggy at the Marina in Cork on a Friday afternoon had to jump out of the way to safeguard them from a van driven recklessly through the pedestrian area.

Detective Garda Pat Russell gave details of this dangerous incident when he was testifying in the case against 19-year-old Cian OLeary of OFlynn House, Church Hill, Main Street, Carrigaline, County Cork, who appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on charges of stealing the van in Cork city and endangering life by the nature of his driving during an escapade that extended to the Marina in Blackrock.

Judge Catherine Staines imposed a sentence of three years on the teenager with the last year suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded guilty to stealing the van that Friday afternoon, September 2 2022.

Detective Garda Pat Russell said the accused caused a total of 41,000 worth of damage to the van and to several other vehicles with which he collided that afternoon.

Cian OLeary first crashed into two cars that were stopped at traffic lights, forcing his way through the junction.

He drove to a commercial park near Centre Park Road where he hit a parked car and drove off.

The Marina is pedestrianised, except for residential access traffic, but the defendant drove the stolen van up and down the Marina despite this.

Det Garda Russell said the van came into contact with a pedestrian near Pairc Ui Chaoimh but the impact was more of a pushing motion than a collision and while the driver sped up and impacted with the middle-aged pedestrian a second time by pushing against him again it was fortunate that no injuries were caused.

In fact, nobody was injured throughout the incident.

The defendant drove back into the city but became stuck in traffic at Andersons Quay and despite OLearys efforts to reverse and get away gardai approached and broke the drivers window of the van in an effort to pull him out of the van  the only way that the entire incident of endangerment could be brought to an end, De. Garda Russell said.

Cian OLeary was sentenced for taking a van without the consent of the owner on September 2 last and endangerment. Other related charges of a summary nature will be dealt with at Cork District Court on a later date.
A Buttevant man accused of causing criminal damage to a painting at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork by allegedly throwing soup at it indicated on Wednesday that he would be contesting the case.

Thomas Shinnick from Kilcolman West, Buttevant, County Cork, faces a charge of causing criminal damage to the painting - George Atkinsons Anatomical Study - at the gallery on Emmet Place, Cork. The painting is protected by glazing. It is alleged that 400 worth of damage was caused.

Diarmuid Kelleher solicitor indicated that the accused man would be pleading not guilty to the charge and that a hearing date would be required at Cork District Court. The case was adjourned to Courtroom 3 of the district court on June 20 for the purpose of setting a date for the hearing.

He is also charged with being in possession of a screwdriver on the same occasion without a lawful excuse.

Another solicitor Frank Buttimer who previously represented the accused, has since come off record and the defendant is now represented by Mr Kelleher.

Earlier this year at a previous court hearing, the accused wore a navy suit with shirt and tie and tweed cap and of over this he wore a luminous orange high-vis work jacket. Clipped on to the jacket were up to a dozen handwritten signs bearing various messages. They included, No art on a dead planet, We wont quit and other messages concerning fuel poverty, oil and related matters.
Man stabs junior high school student in Japan - Reports

Tokyo, May 10 (UNI) A junior high student was stabbed with a knife by a man in his 60s in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing the country's police.

According to the report, the incident occurred in Tokyo's Ota Ward. The male student was taken to a hospital, and his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The police arrested the man at the scene of the alleged assault, some 400 meters (1,300 feet) southwest of Japan Railway Kamata Station, the reports said. A knife stained with what appeared to be blood was found nearby.
Cork City Hospitals Childrens Club has been confirmed as the first winner of this years Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards.

The charity organises magical and exciting adventures and trips of a lifetime for children and their families who are going through a difficult time.

The club was founded in 1994 by a small group of Cork University Hospital staff who got together to raise some money to give children attending the hospital a fun day out.

The charity now has more than 40 volunteers made up of security personnel from CUH, gardai, doctors, nurses, social workers, children protection officers, ambulance personnel and pharmacists.

The charity needs to raise 140,000 each year to fund its activities. Its main event every year is a trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Paris in October. Volunteers bring 85 people and this trip alone costs around 84,000 each year.

Other activities throughout the year include a fun cruise and day out on the River Shannon and the Christmas Extravaganza where 250 children are given the chance to meet Santa and Mrs Claus.

The club ensures there is a full medical support team in place on every trip.

The charity was affected by the Covid pandemic and in 2020 was forced to cancel the annual Disneyland trip for the first time in 26 years.

However, Chairperson John Looney and the team of volunteers were determined to continue their aim of bringing smiles to the faces of vulnerable children and announced that they will be bringing a group to the Paris attraction this year.

General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said: The Cork City Hospitals Children's Club is an exceptional charity and epitomises everything the Community Spirit Awards stand for.

John Looney has worked incredibly hard for decades and has successfully brought smiles to the faces of countless sick and deserving children. It is our great pleasure to honour him and the organisation for their unconditional effort and we hope they are able to continue to bring joy to children for many years to come.

The awards see 12 individuals or groups honoured throughout the year with an overall winner announced at a special ceremony at the end of the year. They are sponsored by The Carrigdhoun Newspaper and Gerald McCarthy Giftware.
Name: Dr Lekha Menon Margassery, PhD, PGCert Teaching & Learning Director of Aatma Indian Dance Troupe, Cork President of UCC Indian Alumni Community & World Malayalee Council, Cork Board Member of UCC Alumni and Development EDI Ambassador, School of Microbiology, UCC

Job title: Part-time Postdoctoral Researcher and Lab Demonstrator, School of Microbiology, UCC

Education background: PhD Microbiology

Hobbies: Voluntary work for local charities like Cork Penny Dinners and Cork DAWG, Dance, Cooking, Listening to music, Watching: Kdrama series, cooking shows.

Describe your job in five words: Professional, innovative, inquisitive, teamwork, dedication, Studying Social work: Serving (the community), satisfaction, networking, learning, passion

Describe yourself in five words: Researcher, social worker, dancer, poet, creator.

Personality needed for this kind of work? Professional career (as a researcher): The person should be dedicated and be able to collaborate with others and accept mistakes. They must be honest and also willing to learn new techniques in the research field.

Director of a dance team: Disciplined, strict, be organised, ability to understand others difficulties and also be flexible when circumstances demand.

Team Lead: As a leader, be competent, be creative in giving ideas to organise events, be a good leader and not just delegate but also work with the team.

How long are you doing this job?

Researcher: I am in the research field since my Masters in Biochemistry (2001) at PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, India. Obtained Gold Medal from the department and then, after working for a while, in 2008 I joined University College Cork at the School of Microbiology for my doctoral studies. I have never left research since then.

Founder & Director of a Dance troupe: I am a classical Bharatanatyam dancer from India and have been learning it since the age of four. I wanted to create a platform for the Indian dancers and also to break the misconception that Indian dance is only Bollywood dancing, I started Aatma, Indian Dance troupe, Cork for the UCC graduates and students in 2018.

When the troupe started, it sparked interest not only within the Indian community at UCC but also amongst hidden talented dancers of both the healthcare and IT sectors. The troupe currently consists of dancers from all over India who aspire to articulate their culture through different dance forms and music across classical, semiclassical, folk and even Bollywood.

We were the winners of multicultural dance competition in 2019 held in Cork and also the finalists of the multicultural dance competition in Dublin. Though we started in 2018, we were unable to reach out to other lovers of dance, and so the team put together our launch event on July 9, 2022.

Volunteer/Social worker: I have always loved helping people and decided to step my foot in volunteering for charities. My little one (who I adopted) was rescued by Cork DAWG and since 2015 I have been volunteering for them (either helping them at the stands or organising a fundraiser by selling cards and calendars at UCC).

I came across another wonderful charity which is close to my heart, Cork Penny Dinners.

Catriona Twomey is such an inspiration to me. I organise fundraisers for them and occasionally go there and help out. I participate in Candle of Hope organised by UCC Cancer Society where all funds are raised for Irish Cancer Society. Since 2018, I have been participating as it is for such a noble cause.

President of UCC Indian Alumni Community (UIAC) & World Malayalee Council: UCC Indian Alumni Community was founded in 2017 with the aim of connecting Indian students with their peers. Since then I have been leading the team and we have helped out the Indian students in helping them to connect with their peers, CV workshops, helping to find accommodation, and during the pandemic helping the students with the basic needs with the help of SVP (St Vincent De Paul, Cork). UCC Indian Alumni Community was awarded Enhancing the Student Experience Award in 2020 at UCC Staff Recognition Awards for the voluntary and social work done during the pandemic, not just for Indian students at UCC but also for the international students. We also helped students from CIT (now MTU) and also Griffith with grocery vouchers during the pandemic. We are helping professionals coming from outside Ireland with accommodation as that is something which has always been an issue even for the locals.

For all the voluntary work I am doing, I was awarded an Exceptional Citizen Award by the UCC Staff Recognition Awards in 2021. Recently, I was also recognised by Love and Care for People (LCP) for the Diversity Awards 2022, which was warded in recognition of my contribution to promoting integration and social inclusion in Ireland.

President of World Malayalee Council: Being recently elected as the President of WMC, Cork, my aim is to promote Indian culture, especially the rich and cultural heritage of Kerala. As WMC President, Cork Division, I would strive to be inclusive and help in not just promoting our culture but also learning from other communities.

Dr. Lekha Menon Margassery. Photo By Tomas Tyner, UCC.

How did you get this job? I always wanted to be a doctor by profession but then, due to unexpected circumstances, I joined biochemistry back in India. I did not regret it a slightest bit as I was still pursuing something which would help mankind. Being a gold medalist in my masters (PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, India), I joined as a guest lecturer. I loved teaching and educating students though I did not know from the start that I had the potential. Then, I moved on to Bengaluru to teach vocational courses. But I had always dreamt of doing a PhD.

When my husband got a job at UCC, Cork, I decided to continue my studies after a gap of five years. I booked appointments to meet the supervisors at the School of Biochemistry and Microbiology. Six months passed by and I was starting to lose hope. Being a non-EU in 2008 has always been a hurdle. As I had a paper published when I was in Bengaluru, I was selected as one of the eligible candidate to do the PhD at ERI, UCC. I joined my PhD at 2008 where I was the only non-EU in the team. I did not feel alienated as the team was very friendly and I was one among them. I completed my doctoral degree in 2013 and then took a break for a year in my home town, Palakkad, back in India. During my PhD, I received the ERI Researcher of the year Award in 2012.

I joined as a Postdoctoral researcher in 2014 at UCC at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences. Since then I have been a researcher, exam invigilator, lab demonstrator, scientist in a company, technical officer at the School of Microbiology for a year (2021-2022) and currently I am back into research. Publications lists are on the website: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3366-9520.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience? Doctoral degree.

Describe a day at work: My work has no set duration like 9am to 5pm. I start off my day with not just being a researcher but also as the team lead for UIAC and WMC and director of a dance team, I try to organise and schedule my work. Being a researcher, I have to go check if my bacteria is healthy and growing. My work involves identifying marine bacteria from sponges which are able to kill fish pathogens. So, if my bacteria is not growing, I will have to investigate the reason then solve it. If one of the machines I am using is not working, I analyde the problem, ask for help and try fixing it.

If I have any results, I become an investigator and become inquisitive to check out if my bacteria has killed any fish pathogen. That brightens up my day.

Then time for a coffee as my brain needs caffeine to work. During my break time, if I get a request from a student or an alumnus about visa, medical or accommodation issues, I guide them by sending a voice message in WhatsApp.

I put on my creative mode on and think about dance performances which can be showcased for the events in the future. Break over and time for work. It is time to organise for lab work required for the next day as some of it requires sterilising.

In between certain days, I go for classes (Irish Sign Language, recently joined) and meetings (to listen to sessions which I have to teach).

I have lunch and if I get requests from the Indian community, I help them out. After lunch, I go straight to the teaching lab and demonstrate lab classes to the students. Once that is completed, I come home and plan out for events (for both UIAC and WMC) and also check with my dance team on whats happening.

On alternate Tuesdays (if I am free), I attend the UCC Staff and Social Gaming online which helps me to learn new online games and also connect with the UCC community.

On Fridays, after the labs, I learn Indian classical dance called Kathak from Aatmas choreographer, Manasi Nadkarni, who is a Kathak exponent.

On weekends, Aatma practices for various events on Saturdays and if I have any lab work, I also include that as well. If I am invited to be a speaker for events during weekends, I go for those as well. Most of the committee meetings of both WMC and UIAC, it would normally be on weekends so that I can help out with creative ideas so the events can be more successful. That sums up my day and week :).

How many hours do you work a week? 40 hours (as a researcher), 40 hours (as a team lead)

What do you wear to work? Jeans and tops, Indian attires like churidhar and sare.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10: 5. It is stressful as research jobs are all contract jobs and so once it is almost the end, the fear of getting another one sinks in.

Do you work with others or on your own? My work includes both individual and collaborative work.

Best bits: When someone recognises your work and appreciates you for it. As a researcher, the best part is when your work gets published. As a demonstrator, the best part if a student understands the technique you teach and follows the same, which gives us a satisfaction that we have a done good job. As a team lead, if my team performs well and also brings the best in them and works hard, that satisfies me.

Being the director of a dance school, the best bit is when my dance team performs well and the audience enjoys every bit of it. The joy of watching that performance is unexplainable.

Worst bits: As a researcher, when the results of the experiment are not what you expected. When you apply for a job that you are most suitable for, capable, and you feel you are the most deserving candidate, and you are not selected, that is worse. When you get to know the reasoning for not getting it, it becomes the worst bit. You might be qualified, have taken certifications, but one rejection can make you think that you need to excel more. I always consider this phase as a learning curve and try to learn more.

If you are not accepted in the lab and if people dont respect you as not just a researcher but also as a human being, then the consequences are worse. You will lose the confidence as a researcher and also will doubt yourself in all the fields of life (especially when you are a migrant).

As a director of the dance team, if my team performs but not to the best of their ability, that is the worst bit as a director. As a team lead, if my team doesnt give their best to make it a successful event, I consider it as my failure as being a team lead I was not able to lead them.

I am one of the support group members in the Indian community in Cork, which was established during the pandemic by the former Indian Ambassador to Ireland to help people with the crisis. I used to receive panic calls at 12am from India from parents asking how their children were doing here. All the support group members were working so hard and all work was voluntary and also social service to the community (a letter of appreciation by the former Ambassador of India to Ireland was sent to all the members).

Advice to those who want your job? Be patient, honest, diligent, disciplined, respect one another, accept failures and turn it to something more positive, learn to accept others (be inclusive).

Any other comments? Whatever curve ball someone throws at me, I will continue to be the person I love to be and am meant to be. As I always say, I am Indian at heart and Irish by soul.
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.

Ecuador has just agreed to the largest debt-for-nature exchange ever recorded. The deal involved selling a blue bond to provide over $12 million annually toward conservation around the Galapagos Islands.

Last week, Credit Suisse bought three of the countrys bonds, with a value of $1.6 billion, at about $656 million. This highly discounted rate will save Ecuador about $1 billion in principal and interest debt repayments.

Countries can sell bonds to secure immediate capital, but Ecuadors bonds have lost value in recent years. Possibly to avoid bigger losses in the future, bond investors were able to sell to Credit Suisse for about a 60% discount of the value of the bonds. Credit Suisse turned the purchased bonds into the Galapagos Marine Bond, worth $656 million. This bond will allocate funds toward marine conservation and will mature in 2041.

The deal will reserve at least $12 million per year for conservation, and $5 million annually will be reserved in a fund that could last decades.

As reported by Reuters, Ecuadors bonds have a 17% to 26% yield. The Galapagos Marine Bond has less risk because of a credit guarantee of $85 million from Inter-American Development Bank and $656 million political risk insurance from U.S. International Development Finance Corp (DFC).

Overall, I think it is positive, said Carl Ross, researcher on emerging country debt and partner at asset manager GMO, as reported by Reuters. The bonds have been traded at very depressed prices, so why not take advantage and do some liability management. Its a good idea for a country that is trying to regain credibility with the market.

Other countries, including Belize and Barbados, have also had successful debt-for-nature deals, but the new deal for Ecuador is the largest recorded. It is equivalent to a $1 billion debt reduction after conservation funding.

Despite financial struggles and political turmoil, Ecuadors foreign minister Gustavo Manrique Miranda said the deal highlights that Ecuador is rich in wildlife. Our currency is the biodiversity, he said, as reported by The New York Times.

Still, while the deal can benefit all parties, it does have its criticisms. It only eases up a small portion of Ecuadors debt and still leaves a burden on lower income countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Interest is still flowing from poorer countries suffering the worst impacts of climate change, to which they made a relatively small contribution, to rich countries and banks that bear the vast majority of responsibility for the ecological crisis, Patrick Bigger, a research policy analyst at the University of California, Berkeley and research director at Climate and Community Project, told The New York Times.

The Galapagos Islands have some of the highest rates of endemism, meaning many of its species are found nowhere else on the planet. According to the Galapagos Conservancy, more than 20% of Galapagos marine species are only found there. Further, 80% of the land birds, 30% of the plants, and as much as 97% of the reptiles and land mammals are native only to its area, spotlighting the importance of conserving this unique ecosystem.
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.

The ice island that calved off the Petermann Glacier in northwestern Greenland is seen in this NASA photo taken on August 16, 2010. Jesse Allen / Robert Simmon / NASA Earth Observatory

By Olivia Rosane

A glacier in the north of Greenland is melting faster and in a different way than scientists previously thought, and this has troubling implications for the future speed of global sea-level rise.

The new discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Monday. The scientists found that warming ocean water had melted a cavity in the bottom of Petermann Glacier taller than the Washington Monument, as The Associated Press reported. If other glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica behave the same way, it could double predictions for how quickly the burning of fossil fuels will melt ice and raise sea levels.

Its bad news, study author Eric Rignot, a University of California, Irvine (UCI), glaciologist, told the AP. We know the current projections are too conservative.

This is an order of magnitude larger than expected for grounding lines on a rigid bed.

The Petermann Glacier is a massive glacier in Northwest Greenland that contains enough ice to raise sea levels by a little more than a foot, the study authors noted. It is one of four Greenland ice masses that make up the largest threat for rapid sea-level rise from Greenland in the coming decades since they drain into the ocean below sea level.

Up until recently, however, the glacier was relatively stable, gaining about as much mass each year as it lost. That began to change in 2016, when the center of its grounding line began to edge backward at a rate of 0.6 miles per year.

A glaciers grounding line is the place where it moves from being supported by land to floating on the ocean, and its this feature of Petermann that is the focus of the new study. The scientists from UCI, NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Houston, Finlands Iceye mission, Chinas Tongji University, the German Aerospace Center, and the Italian Space Agency used satellite radar data to learn that the grounding line was moving significantly with the tides.

Petermanns grounding line could be more accurately described as a grounding zone, because it migrates between 2 and 6 kilometers [approximately 1.2 to 3.7 miles] as tides come in and out, lead author Enrico Ciraci, a UCI assistant specialist in Earth system science and NASA postdoctoral fellow, said in a statement. This is an order of magnitude larger than expected for grounding lines on a rigid bed.

This movement, in turn, accelerated ice melt.

These ice-ocean interactions make the glaciers more sensitive to ocean warming, Rignot explained.

Between 2016 and 2022, the grounding line retreated by more than two miles. During that time, the warmer ocean water melted a 669-foot tall cavity at the bottom of the glacier. The melt rates around the cavity for 2020-21 were 50% greater than the melt rates for 2016-19, and, during 2022, the cavity stayed open the entire year.

Whats especially concerning to the study authors is that what happens in Petermann may not stay in Petermann.

These dynamics are not included in models, Rignot said.

If they were included, it could double sea-level rise projections, the study authors observed.

Helene Seroussi, a glaciologist at Dartmouth College who was not involved with the study, cautioned The Washington Post that models for ice melt and sea-level rise would not incorporate these findings overnight, since scientists still need to determine how many glaciers they really apply to. However, Seroussi acknowledged that the measurements were unprecedented.

The melt rates reported are very large, much larger than anything we suspected in this region, Seroussi said.

Andreas Muenchow of the University of Delaware, a scientist who studies Petermann Glacier but was also not a part of the study, further told the Post that the high melt rates were observed over a relatively small area.

My main takeaway is that models need to be improved, Muenchow said.

Reposted with permission from Common Dreams.
New Delhi, May 10 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an Official State Visit to the United States of America, which will include a state dinner on June 22, following an invitation from President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

The visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the United States as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors, a statement said.

The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defense, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections..

Prime Minister Modi and President Biden will also explore ways to strengthen India-US collaboration in pluri-lateral and multilateral fora, including in the G20.

They would reflect on their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement.

This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership, it said.

A White House readout said:

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, 2023.

The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.

The visit will strengthen our two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space.

The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security.

UNI RN
Staffing to be increased at A&E during TT 2023

Manx Care has confirmed how it plans to respond to the increased demand for its services as a result of the forthcoming Isle of Man TT festival.

The Emergency Department (ED) at Nobles Hospital will see an increase in staffing to cover the increase in demand, with additional nursing and medical cover in place to provide a dedicated Trauma team response alongside a team to manage all other people who present there requiring urgent or emergency care.

Manx Care has been in frequent discussion with its partners at the tertiary care providers it works with across North West England, including the major trauma team at Aintree Hospital, which will provide support for patients who have suffered severe and multiple injuries and require urgent off-Island transfer. Working collaboratively, this will be facilitated either by Manx Cares fixed wing air ambulance service or by the team from GNAAS (the Great North Air Ambulance Service) once a patient has been stabilised for transfer at Nobles. GNAAS may also transport those requiring immediate emergency medical care straight to the UK from the scene of a non-racing incident.

Additional locum Radiology and Radiographer support has been secured given the predicted increase in demand for urgent diagnostic assessment, particularly in the case of major trauma incidents, with additional blood products having been ordered in the event that emergency blood transfusions are required.

TT 2022 proved to be the busiest on record for Isle of Man Ambulance Service (IMAS), with the team responding to 710 incidents across the TT fortnight.
Google Maps is expanding Immersive View to routes The upgrade will be available in 15 cities by the end of the year.

Google Maps is expanding the Immersive View format it revealed last year to an important part of the app: routes. When you look for directions in Google Maps on iOS and Android in select cities, you'll see a more detailed view of the route.

The feature isn't just about making your journey look nicer than a bold line tracing the steps from point A to B (and maybe C). The idea is to bring all of the key information that you may need about the trip into a single place. You'll see details on traffic, weather, air quality, bike lanes and where to find nearby parking.

If you're planning a journey ahead of time and the weather is expected to be foggy or rainy, you'll see that in the visualization. Google is also using a blend of AI, real-time data and long-term trends to give you a sense of how busy traffic might be by displaying a certain number of vehicles on the virtual roads.

Ahead of Google I/O, Miriam Daniel, Vice President of Google Maps Experiences, told Engadget that the team was focusing on the above-ground parts of the journey for now. So, don't expect the visualizations to include your subway trips quite yet. Still, given that Google Maps users look up around 20 billion kilometers' worth of directions per day, Immersive View for Routes could come in handy for many folks.

Google plans to roll out Immersive View for Routes in 15 cities by the end of the year. In the coming months, you'll be able to check it out in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo and Venice.

Immersive View uses AI and computer vision to blend together billions of aerial and Street View images to create 3D models of spaces. Google announced the feature at I/O last year and started rolling it out more broadly in February.

Elsewhere, Google has some Maps-related updates for developers (I/O is the company's annual developer conference, after all). The Google Maps Platform is offering a preview of an Aerial View API for locations in the US starting today. Developers can use this to add "a pre-packaged, birds-eye view video" of a location to their apps or websites. Some of Google's partners are testing out the API, including Rent, which is using it to offer potential renters a more expansive look at a property and the surrounding area. That could give folks a clearer idea of the location where they may end up living before they visit an apartment in person.

Meanwhile, Google is adding Photorealistic 3D Tiles to the Map Tiles API on an experimental basis starting today. This grants developers access to the high-resolution 3D imagery that powers Google Earth. It could make it easier for folks to create their own 3D maps. Google suggests that a tourism company might use the tiles to build interactive and immersive maps for guided tours or to show off the most striking features of a national park.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Its Google I/O time, which means the company is about to host a keynote that will likely be packed with announcements and updates. Well be covering all the news as it happens on our liveblog and Google I/O 2023 hub, but you can watch the event in full below. The livestream starts at 1PM ET.

In terms of what to expect from the keynote, one thing that's for certain is we'll get more official details on Google's first foldable phone. The company finally announced the Pixel Fold last week after months of leaks and rumors. More information on Android 14 is also a dead cert. Get ready to hear the term "AI" a lot too, as Google is widely expected to make a ton of announcements on that front, perhaps including updates on its Bard AI chatbot.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.
Traffic congestion has been a serious issue in Vietnam all over the time. To handle this problem, introducing charges for private vehicle owners and then allocating funds for improving public transportation is thought to be the best way. Effective as it may seem, this solution still has some drawbacks, which will be discussed in this essay.

On the one hand, it can be seen that putting taxes on personal vehicles makes cars more expensive to be used on a daily basis. Therefore, people may prefer the public transit system to private cars, which then will gradually decrease the overall volume of traffic. Besides, since taxes on private car owners can be used for innovating public infrastructures and transports, it may enhance the good experience of people when traveling. For instance, the government can use the collected funds to replace old buses with those having modern facilities. This will make people more comfortable when they commute to work by buses while also alleviating air pollution.

On the other hand, imposing high tax on the owners of private cars may lead to several social issues. As our living expenses have been increasing, when this policy is implemented, people will take the cost of using a private car into consideration and get rid of buying this vehicle. As the demand for cars is lower, many car manufacturers will have to reduce the employment number, which leads to the fact that people will lose their jobs and the countrys unemployment rate will be higher. Moreover, it will become a serious matter if people get into emergent circumstances, especially when someone in their family has a health problem and needs steady help while there is no available public transport nearby. This issue may lead to unexpected consequences that could affect our lives.

To conclude, while it is undeniable that the implementation of tax on private car owners has benefits for lowering traffic congestion and improving public facilities, this idea still has some disadvantages in terms of employment and personal quality of life, which can not be overlooked.
Beijings latest crackdown on Capvision, a consultancy firm in Shanghai over concerns of national security, is sending chills throughout Chinas business community.
AP | Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 21 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.
Borders and Coastguard Agency Officers complete Dignity at Work Induction Course

The Borders and Coastguard Agency announced today that over the past months, 103 officers have completed an induction course on Dignity at Work.

The training programme, which was imparted by Mr. Francis Buttigieg, Chairperson of Dignity at Work Now (DAWN) and assisted by Mr. Victor Gonzalez was designed to provide BCA officers with an understanding of how to maintain a respectful and inclusive workplace culture. It covered topics such as discrimination, harassment and unconscious bias and was well received by all officers who participated.

The Agency would like to express its gratitude to Messrs. Buttigieg and Gonzalez for their invaluable contribution to the induction course. Their fair-minded service has helped the BCA to promote a more inclusive and respectful workplace culture.

As the BCA is committed to maintaining a safe, supportive, and respectful work environment for all employees, the completion of this training programme is an important step towards achieving this goal.
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The owners of a Southeast Side nursing home that was stricken with a coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 have settled litigation over six pandemic-related deaths.

Southeast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center LLC and related entities reached the out-of-court settlement agreements with relatives of the deceased residents in March. Terms and conditions were kept confidential.

The six people who died were among 18 deaths linked to COVID-19 at the 116-bed facility at 4302 E. Southcross Blvd. Some 66 residents and nine staff members contracted the virus, according to a May 2020 report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Heirs of the six had alleged in individual lawsuits that the defendants were negligent in failing to take reasonable steps to prevent a COVID outbreak at the facility.

Andrew Skemp, a lawyer with the Janicek Law Firm, which represented the plaintiffs, confirmed the cases were resolved and dismissed by agreement.

What happened at Southeast was a tragedy, and it should have never happened, he said. We hope that the lawsuits will result in improved care at Southeast and that this does not happen to any other residents or their families.

A Houston lawyer for the defendants did not respond to a request for comment.

Much below average

Southeast Nursing currently has a one-star overall rating  out of five stars  from CMS, considered much below average. The rating is based on health inspections, staffing and quality measures.

The facility has received two federal fines over the past three years, including in connection with COVID issues outlined in the May 2020 report. It was fined $38,773 at that time. It also received an $83,940 penalty in September 2021 after inspectors found it failed to timely report suspected abuse, neglect or theft involving a few residents. In addition, it failed to provide enough food/fluids to maintain the health of some residents. Those issues were corrected within five days, CMS reported.

During the nursing homes last standard health inspection in November, CMS found 13 deficiencies. That was about more than double the average number for Texas nursing homes. It has received 47 complaints that resulted in citations over the last three years.

Citations have been a long-running issue for Southeast Nursing. In October 2019, about six months before the coronavirus outbreak, the facility was cited for failing to provide and implement an infection prevention and control program. The CMS website shows that problem was corrected within about a month.

However, its staff did not comply with Texas Health and Human Services expanded March 15, 2020, guidance for nursing homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19, one of the recently settled lawsuits alleged.

Defendants did not wash their hands, did not screen staff entering the facility, did not check for fever of staff, and did not maintain an infection prevention and control program to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the complaint stated. Further, the Defendants failed to put into place proper policies to ensure that the residents were provided standard infection prevention care.

HHS conducted 14 investigations of Southeast Nursing in the aftermath of the outbreak, though its findings werent immediately available.

Josie Norris/Staff Photographer

The deceased

The lawsuits involved the deaths of:

 Robert M. Strait, who died at 67 on April 4, 2020.

 Catalina Romero, who died at 93 on April 5, 2020.

 Ricardo Lozano, who died at 85 on April 6, 2020.

 Ruperto Q. Gutierrez Sr., who died at 89 on April 7, 2020.

 Elodia Salinas, who died at 87 on April 10, 2020.

 Jose Velasquez, who died at 79 on April 17, 2020.

The suits didnt specify how much their relatives were seeking in damages from Southeast Nursing, though the Strait suit said the amount was substantial. It also sought punitive damages for the alleged negligence.

The CMS website shows the owners of Southeast Nursing are Eliezer Scheiner, Teddy Lichtschein and Michael Meisner. Other defendants named in the lawsuits were Texas Operations Management LLC and Advanced HCS LLC. State corporate records show Scheiner and Lichtschein are members of Texas Operations, but each was removed as a governing person of Advanced HCS last month.

The Intercept and the New York Times in 2020 described Scheiner as a major donor to then-President Donald Trumps re-election campaign. Scheiner didnt respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Federal funding

Both publications reported that Scheiners company, TL Management, hired lobbyists to assist in getting federal funding. Scheiner-affiliated nursing homes received more than $27 million in grants and loans since the COVID-19 crisis began, the Intercept reported in August 2020. Many were among the worst-rated nursing homes in their state, the Intercept added.

The New York Times reported that same month that the lobbyists also were hired to help win legal immunity for the nursing home industry in connection with the pandemic.

In comments to the Intercept, TL Management denied operating the nursing homes.

Delia Jaramillo, who sued Southeast Nursing individually and on behalf of the estate of Romero told the Intercept she long felt that the facility never adequately cared for her mother. Romero entered the nursing home in 2010 after developing dementia and Alzheimers disease.

She broke both hips there at the facility, Jaramillo said to the online publication. She broke one hand and had to go through surgery. When she had returned to the facility, she was attempting to get out of the bed and broke the other hip.

Jaramillo also recalled having to clean fecal matter from her mothers fingernails and dispose of adult diapers left on her mothers bed because, she felt, the nursing home was too short-staffed.

Shielding businesses

The defendants had unsuccessfully argued in the Gutierrez case that the lawsuits allegations were governed by the Pandemic Liability Protection Act, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021 to shield doctors, health care providers  including nursing homes  and emergency personnel against claims of injury or death from exposure to a pandemic disease.

Defendants dedicated staff members are on the front lines combating this deadly illness, caring for residents from sickness or advanced age, while also striving to shield them from the novel coronavirus that can be passed from person-to-person even without sign or symptom, they said in a July 2021 court filing.

Lawyers for Gutierrezs son, Ruperto Gutierrez Jr., responded that the defendants failed to set forth specific facts to support that defense, adding that Gutierrez Sr. contracted COVID-19 and died as a result of the defendants breaches of the standard of care.

One plaintiffs medical experts alleged that Southeast failed to plan for the risk of COVID-19 outbreak. Staff werent provided personal protective equipment, and exposed health care workers were allowed to continue treating patients, the expert said.

A judge granted Gutierrez Jr.'s motion to strike the defendants affirmative defenses relating to the Pandemic Liability Protection Act in a September 2021 order.
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WASHINGTON -- One evening last summer, power officials in Texas observed a new phenomenon: the amount of electricity available on the grid went into sharp decline even though temperatures were relatively moderate.

An unusual combination of factors was at play. As the sun went down so too did the wind, causing a simultaneous decline in generation from wind turbines and solar panels. At the same time, a number of coal and gas plants were offline, causing tight grid operations, Pablo Vegas, president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said in a news conference last week.

Had those same events taken place a week later, when temperatures soared and power demand hit a record, grid operators might well have had to implement rolling blackouts. As it turned out, this time there was ample wind that day, so there was no reliability concerns, Vegas said.

With wind and solar farms taking up a larger and larger share of the countrys power generation, the state of the U.S. power grid is coming under increasing scrutiny in Congress, as grid operators around the country warn blackouts could soon be a regular feature of American life.

At issue, grid officials around the country say the closure of so-called dispatchable power sources such as gas and coal plants  which can deliver electricity with the flip of a switch  leaves the power grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewable generation that can go offline with a shift in the weather.

At a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Mark Christie, a Republican appointed during the Trump administration, warned the blackout that left millions of Texans without power during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 could be a harbinger.

Im afraid to say it, but I think the United States is heading towards a catastrophic situation, he said. The problem is not the addition of wind and solar, its the subtraction of dispatchable resources like coal and gas through this cascading number of early retirements.

Those comments echoed statements from officials at some of Americas largest power grids, including PJM on the East Coast and MISO in the Midwest, as well as the North American Electric Reliability Corp., which sets reliability standards for the grid.

In Texas, the state legislature is weighing whether to offer $10 billion in low-interest loans to build around 15 new gas-fired power plants to serve as a backup if ERCOT runs out of power.

We need to make reforms that are going to incentivize building more dispatchable generation so that as demand continues to grow as the state of Texas continues to grow, we'll always have reliable supply to serve it, Peter Lake, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission, said last week.

The state of the power grid is drawing concern at the national level from Democrats and Republicans alike, not just over the rapid closure of coal and gas plants but the rise in extreme weather events that can knock out generation and transmission lines.

There is even movement in some quarters of Washington for the federal government to take a larger role in determining which types of power generation are being built.

At the hearing last week, Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner James Danly, a Republican, said the commission needed to do more to protect markets from inappropriate state subsidies for wind and solar generation.

But other members of FERC are unlikely to go along with a strategy, which could be in conflict with existing energy law dictating decisions regarding generation be largely left to states, said Christi Tezak, managing director at the consulting firm Clearview Energy Partners.

Congress could change the (law) to give FERC more authority over generation, but we think that is highly unlikely, she said in an email.

That leaves decisions on the fate of the U.S. power grid largely in the hands of individual state utility commissions, which have wildly disparate points of view on what a modern power grid should look like.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, echoed the views of many in his state when he criticized federal environmental policies that made it more expensive to generate electricity from coal, a resource his state has in abundance.

But others see little to be gained from building the old fossil fuel-fired power plants of the past.

Alison Silverstein, an Austin-based consultant and former adviser at FERC, said Texas needed to invest in improving its energy efficiency, as well as building more fast-starting gas plants, battery systems and getting homes and businesses to lower their power use at times of high demand.

Its not just old power plants are closing but weve done nothing on energy efficiency, so were always chasing a rising demand growth, she said. The real challenge is how do we adapt to the energy transition and the needs of the grid with high renewable penetration. Thats less, 'Lets build a bunch of gas plants' and more, 'Lets wring as much (electricity) as we can out of the grid.'

That sort of strategy is proving a tough sell in Austin, with Republican lawmakers eager to build a flood of new gas-fired infrastructure and disincentivize the construction of wind and solar farms they view as increasingly unreliable.

At his press conference last week, Lake, who was appointed in 2021 by Gov. Greg Abbott, said wind and solar farms were of great benefit in bringing down the cost of electricity but, don't have an on switch."

We've got lots of renewables, but at the end of the day, zero wind times infinity windmills is zero electricity. And the sun sets every night, he said.
Carriqui Executive Chef Jaime Gonzalez helps keep the fire going in the kitchen and the smokehouse, where the pit slow-cooks barbacoa, brisket, chicken and cabrito.

Food brings people together, and you can smell it down the whole block, Gonzalez said.

Abigail Im / Staff

The 6-foot deep pit forged by Mill Scale Metal Works in Lockhart is fueled by Texas wood  post oak, mesquite and pecan  to complement the regional flavors.

FOOD SHACK: Top 10 BBQ restaurants

The restaurant, which opened last fall at Pearl, receives weekly deliveries of whole goats from Windy Hill Organics in Boerne for the cabrito. The goats are broken down, brined in a solution of sugar and salt for 24 hours, then marinated and wrapped in banana leaves before going into the pit.

Gonzalez wants his staff to connect to the whole food experience that ends when the cooked cabrito is brought out, falling apart in front of you.

On a recent Thursday, pitmaster Ernie Salgado tended to the cabrito and achiote-spiced chicken as the pecan wood infused them with flavor.

We use a pecan mole for cabrito, which also pays homage to the buildings history, Gonzalez said. The original bar in the house was made of pecan wood.

Abigail Im / Staff

Gonzalez has been at the helm of Carriqui, the former home of Liberty Bar, since it opened Sept. 2. The 130-year old wood bar remains, though it has been refinished and includes a replicated extension.

Naming the restaurant after the green jay with a menu following the bird's migratory path from South Texas along the Gulf Coast seems like a large territory to cover. The concept was developed by Potluck Hospitality, which was formed out of Pearl, but Gonzalez has made the mission personal.

First, I put food on a plate that feels like me, said Gonzalez, who ties everything back to the buildings history and this city. We try to highlight San Antonio and Texas cuisine with cultural influences, from the coast to the northern border of Mexico, Laredo and the Hill Country. San Antonio will tell you what they want.

RELATED: Mike Sutters 25 best dishes in San Antonio in 2022

While the menu sources regional ingredients, skimming the Gulf Coast with shrimp cocktail and ceviche, it incorporates local flavors such as breakfast tacos and barbecue brisket kolaches on the weekend brunch menu.

San Antonio is a small town in a big city; its a very family-oriented city, laid-back. I like the pace of life, serving guests and creating experiences more than anything, Gonzalez said.

Theres one recipe in particular that evokes memories for Gonzalez  chilaquiles. Carriquis brunch menu selection features sunny side eggs, quesillo, crema, cracklings and salsa verde.

As a kid, I had chilaquiles for breakfast once a week, said Gonzalez, adding that his moms dish was too spicy for him. As a kid I didnt appreciate it, but now its joyful to share it.

CHEF FEATURE: Elizabeth Johnson of Pharm Table

Abigail Im / Staff

While cabrito is one of the top-three selling items, San Antonians have demonstrated their love for barbacoa. Weekly, the restaurant goes through 400 to 500 pounds of barbacoa beef cheeks and 800 pounds of chicken.

For the barbacoa, we use beef cheek and also brine it in salt and sugar, then let it soak two to three hours, then submerge it in the pit for 12 hours till the fat separates, Gonzalez said. This is not the barbacoa tacos where the tortillas fall apart with grease dripping down; it just has some fat.

Gonzalez, who was raised in Southern California and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, Calif., has lived in San Antonio for nearly 15 years. During his time in the Alamo City, he has worked in a variety of restaurants and hotels, including Hotel Emmas Supper. Carriqui pulls from the totality of his experience, heritage and his new hometown, where he was introduced to Tex-Mex.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Carriqui at the Pearl caught between Texas and Mexico

What distinguishes Mexican cuisine in California from that in Texas? One spice, Gonzalez said, Cumin.

There was always a flavor I couldnt identify here in San Antonio or South Texas, he admitted. Cumin, for me, is a spice used in Tex-Mex restaurants, a staple ingredient that makes that flavor Tex-Mex.

As a child, he and his great-grandfather traveled to Baja California and Zacatecas in Mexico, where Gonzalez learned about his culture.

The brisket at Carriqui is served with a signature barbecue sauce, a fruit-based mole, inspired by his childhood picking fruit from five or six different trees in the backyard with his great-grandfather, who taught him not to waste any ingredient.

Abigail Im / Staff

Wed pick up the dropped fruit to make jams and jellies and sauces. Im taking that experience into the restaurant with the marinated chicken, pollos asados. We have citrus  orange, lemon, grapefruit rinds  from juicing for ceviche and were marinating the chickens in those rinds 24 to 48 hours. Then we throw it in the ground to smoke for 45 minutes.

The ceviche is served with house-made tortilla chips, made from yesterdays fresh corn tortillas.

TASTE TEST: The best store-bought corn and flour tortillas you can find in San Antonio

Gonzalez takes special pride in making the corn tortillas different colors on a rotating schedule featuring cremoso, rosa, azul and rojo.

All are made a little differently with ratios of water to masa and all have a little different flavor, he said. Its cooking with a purpose. I want people to remember it and have a story to tell.

Carriqui serves Mexican sides such as Spanish rice and charro beans, but Gonzalez, equally inspired by his Chinese heritage, offers his own spin on vegetable side dishes.

Abigail Im / Staff

The green bean dish, barbecue carrots and braised cauliflower are very simple dishes but break through the heavy proteins. At the end of the day, Im half Mexican and half Chinese and put them together, said Gonzalez, who added that his children eat rice every day, whether Spanish or fried rice. The green beans go into the fire to get blistered and are tossed with butter, salt, pepper and sherry vinegar, then topped with house-made corn nuts made into a crumble and served with cilantro crema.

The dish employs the same technique used by Gonzalez at home when he cooks in a wok over a fire pit to achieve the char on the beans, further incorporating the smokiness, combined with the Mexican flavors from the crunch of the corn nuts to the queso fresco and cilantro lime crema. The carrots get the same seasoning treatment as the brisket before the sweetness is brought out from the carmelization, combining nicely with the cool cole slaw and pepitas.

Sitting at a patio table, my face was shielded from the sun by an umbrella and multicolored papel picado banners decorating the outdoor bar in celebration of Fiesta. My server shared his excitement over the cabrito cooked just as it was where he was raised in the Rio Grande Valley. With the smell of pecan wood smoke still in my hair, I was invested when an open banana leaf arrived on a plate piled high with tender cabrito smothered in the rich pecan mole. With just a little heat and a little fat, the savory mix was brightened by pickled onions  all captured within four freshly made purple corn tortillas.

Carriqui, 239 E. Grayson St., 210-910-5547, carriquitx.com, Facebook: @CarriquiTX. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday

Marla Segura

Blistered Green Beans

1 pound green beans

1 ounce butter

5 grams sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces lime cream

Lime Cream:

30 grams sour cream

10 grams roasted garlic

10 grams cilantro

Herb oil

Lime juice to taste

Salt to taste

Garnishes:

1 ounce queso fresco

1 ounce corn nuts

1 cilantro sprig

Instructions: To blanch the green beans, take a sauce pot and fill it up with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has boiled, add green beans to blanch for about 2 minutes. Remove the green beans from the water and shock in an ice bath.

To cook the green beans, place the green beans on a hot grill or in a grill basket directly on the coals. Once charred, remove the green beans from the heat and place into a bowl and toss with butter, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Make the lime cream: Put sour cream, cilantro bunch and roasted garlic in a bowl to begin blending with an immersion blender. Slowly stream in herb oil to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with lime juice and salt. Plate your meal with the lime cream as the base, your green beans over it and top with garnishes.

Makes 4 servings
Amazon purchases and Facebook posts helped the FBI identify a San Antonio man who has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, court records show.

Frederic Fiol, 41, is accused of joining hundreds of other supporters of then-President Donald Trump who entered the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Fiol was outside the Capitol for at least 30 minutes, then went inside with others for as long as 15 minutes, according to court documents.

On Dec. 29, 2020, about a week before the storming of the Capitol, Fiol sent a Facebook message to another user, identified only as Facebook User 1, according to an FBI affidavit.

"Gearing up to help save western civilization as we know it," Fiol allegedly wrote.

He attached screenshots of items allegedly purchased on Amazon, including winter attire, U.S. flag parachute pants and other flag-themed clothing and accessories. The items were scheduled to arrive before Jan. 6, 2021, according to the affidavit.

Fiol was charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., with four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol, and illegally parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.

Efforts to reach Fiol for comment were unsuccessful.

His court-appointed lawyer, Leslie Sachanowicz, said: "At this point, its premature for him or me to make a statement because we only have one version of the facts."

According to court records, on Jan. 6, 2021, Fiol sent messages and videos to another Facebook user, which he subsequently "unsent."

The videos depict a person filming while moving through the Capitol.

The recipient, identified only as Facebook User 2, responded in a voice message, saying: Hey buddy. How you doing? Its uh whats going on in Texas, or what is this?

Fiol responded by voice message: Washington D.C.

Facebook User 2 replied: Oh, I see. Its people (expletive) responding to Trumps bullshit.

Fiol sent another Facebook message that said, Dc cops were escorting buses with antifa (expletive) in them to the capitol 30 minutes before curfew.

When Facebook User 2 asked Fiol if he was in Washington, Fiol replied Yeah, accept my friend request so you can see the videos.

Fiol later added, I made history.

Facebook User 2 replied with a voice message punctuated with obscenities: Dude, I cant believe you got involved in this. Now theyre ...

talking on TV to ... prosecute everybody ... that they can find or whatever.

"You guys are following a (expletive) idiot," Facebook User 2 said.

Fiol responded by saying the Capitol was peaceful when he entered.

They let people walk in and took selfies with cops," Fiol said. "That (expletive) happened hours before I got there.

In the ensuing days, Fiol exchanged Facebook messages with others about being inside the Capitol and said news reports of violence by the protesters were false.

The FBI affidavit, however, said he also made a Facebook post that included video of some rioters engaged in acts of violence.

Check out how those thugs break down the doors and violently force themselves inside," Fiol wrote. "How can people be this

violent?
After nearly four months of back-and-forth, the city of San Antonio has abandoned efforts to reach a deal to purchase a bar near the Alamo and has launched an eminent domain proceeding.

The city filed a condemnation petition Wednesday on behalf of the Texas General Land Office as its next step to acquire the Moses Roses Hideout sports bar to clear space for an Alamo museum and visitor center.

The City Council on Jan. 26 authorized eminent domain as an option if the partners in a massive Alamo makeover  the city, GLO and nonprofit Alamo Trust  could not reach an agreement with the owner to purchase the property at 516 E. Houston St.

RELATED: In appraisal protest, Moses Roses owner said property was worth $527,000

The city offered $4 million in February and $5.26 million in April. But the bar owner, Vince Cantu, turned down the offers, saying he wants about $9 million for his land, the 4,700-square-foot building and compensation for projected lost revenue.

Cantu and his lawyer also have quibbled with the Alamo project partners on its independent consultants' assessments of the value of the business and property, accusing the Alamo Trust of attempting a bait and switch. Kate Rogers, the trusts executive director, has called those claims categorically false, saying Cantu has shown a refusal to operate in good faith and made ongoing attempts to obscure the facts to prevent construction of the museum complex.

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The new facility, set to open in 2026, will cover more than 100,000 square feet, providing interpretation of the Alamos entire 300-year history as a mission and battle site, community plaza and restored historic site.

The city, GLO and Alamo Trust issued a joint statement Wednesday:

After numerous attempts by Alamo Trust, Inc., the Texas General Land Office, and the city of San Antonio to negotiate a sales price for the property with Mr. Vincent Cantu, the city has taken action to move forward with the eminent domain process. The city filed a condemnation petition after Mr. Cantus rejection of the final offer of $5.26 million, well over double the appraised value of his building. A hearing will now be conducted before a court-appointed panel of three special commissioners who will assess the value of the property. Even with this process now moving forward, we still remain open to negotiating with Mr. Cantu outside of court proceedings.

READ MORE: 'Are we in China? ' Bar owner near Alamo defiant over property dispute

In a clarification after the statement was released, officials said attorneys were working on the petition Wednesday but it had not yet been filed in a local probate court. It was filed by midafternoon, a few hours later.

Alamo project officials have said a condemnation proceeding would result in a fair market value payout to the owner  likely no more than $2.1 million  less than half the latest offer Cantu declined. State funds allocated for the Alamo for the current biennium would be spent to complete the acquisition.

Cantu and his lawyer, L. Dan Eldredge Jr., have said they plan to challenge the citys authority to use eminent domain. In a statement Tuesday, Cantu said he still believes his property and business are worth $15 million to $20 million. He said he feels hes been publicly attacked as the high-profile property dispute has unfolded.

I have done nothing wrong. I have property that they want, and I have agreed to sell to them, he wrote in an email to reporters.
The symbol of HemisFair 68 that reshaped San Antonios skyline and remains the Alamo Citys tallest structure could have been called the Mast of Columbus.

Or Astroshaft or the Purple Peeple Steeple.

Luckily for San Antonio and a punctual Corpus Christi woman, the Tower of the Americas name was chosen out of 3,354 entries submitted during a naming contest.

DIG DEEPER: 10 things you probably didn't know about the Tower of the Americas

The contest judges  which included Harry Jersig, then the president of the Lone Star Brewing Co.  chose the name 57 years ago on May 9, 1966. Tower of the Americas reportedly fit with the The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas much more than Hi Ya Tower did.

You can thank Rosa M. Gonzalez for the name. Although 68 people recommended the winning name, Gonzalez was named the winner because she had the earliest postmark.

Hearst newspaper archives

Gonzalez got a three-day, expenses-paid stay at the Menger Hotel. She and her family also had their travel expenses paid for, a $100 U.S. savings bond and a season pass to HemisFair.

Gonzalez died in 2002 following complications from injuries sustained from a fall, according to her obituary. She was 81.

PHOTOS: How they built the Tower of the Americas

Her obituary states the Gonzalez family were pioneers in Corpus Christi. Her grandfather was a prominent area businessman, and her father, Juan A. Gonzalez, was one of the largest commercial developers in South Texas.

She followed in her fathers footsteps as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. In the 1960s, she co-owned the ARA Auto Parts Store with her brothers, Adolfo and Arnulfo.

Hearst newspaper archives

Near the bottom of Gonzalezs obituary, it mentions that she named the Tower of the Americas and said she enjoyed her trip to San Antonio.

A commemorative plaque bears her name at the Tower of the Americas, her obituary said. Earlier this year, she was recognized during the anniversary celebration with a certificate honoring her contribution.
A state district judge on Wednesday sentenced a Cibolo woman to 15 years in prison for her role in the 2021 St. Patricks Day slaying of a San Antonio man.

Hayley Ann Gibbens, of Cibolo, was 22 when she and two men were arrested in the March 14, 2021, shooting death of 40-year-old Tito Roman. Roman was shot seven times, once in the face, in a room at San Antonio extended stay hotel.

READ MORE: San Antonio man who drove drunk, killed 61-year-old woman gets 5 years in prison

Prosecutors alleged that Gibbens then-boyfriend, Douglas Skaggs, shot Roman to death in a dispute over stolen property.

Bexar County jurors last week convicted Skaggs, 58, of murder, and on Monday recommended a 60-year prison term for him.

Evidence presented to the jury indicated that Skaggs used Gibbens to lure Roman to his room at the extended stay hotel.

Gibbens agreed to testify against Skaggs in exchange for a plea agreement that limited her potential time in prison to between five and 15 years. She had previously faced the possibility of life in prison.

At Wednesdays court hearing, attorney John Ritenour asked Judge Frank J. Castro in the 399th District Court to sentence Gibbens, who is now 25, on the lower range of punishment.

CRIME & COURTS: S.A. man's Facebook posts lead to his arrest in Capitol riot

But Castro told Gibbens that although she cooperated with the state, Roman's "life didn't need to be taken, and he died not knowing you set him up."

Castro sentenced her to the maximum allowed -- 15 years -- under the plea agreement. He told her he knows she is young, and "still has a chance at life."

Gibbens received two years credit for time served in the Bexar County jail, and could become eligible for parole in about five and a half years.

Skaggs called called Roman "a friend" and said he shot him in self-defense.

Although Skaggs said Roman attacked him and held a gun to his neck after he walked into the room, no evidence was presented that indicated Roman was carrying a weapon.

Video captured by surveillance cameras at the Home Suites hotel at Loop 410 and Summit Parkway captured Skaggs entering and leaving the hotel room where Roman was shot.

Skaggs, Gibbens and a third defendant, Nicholas Darimont also were seen together on the video moving around the hotel, and leaving together.

Darimont, 37, testified that they went to the hotel to find Roman. Darimont said he saw Skaggs walk upstairs to a room, then heard gunshots.

He fled and was arrested weeks later in Arizona, and was extradited to Bexar County and charged with murder. Darimont is expected to appear before Castro next week for his sentencing, court records indicate.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday abolished visas for Georgian nationals and lifted a 2019 ban on direct flights to the South Caucasus nation, a move that comes amid rocky relations between the two countries and that was quickly denounced by Georgia's president as a provocation.

According to a decree Putin signed, starting from May 15, Georgian nationals will be allowed to enter Russia without visas -- unless theyre coming to Russia to work or to stay for longer than 90 days.

Another presidential decree lifts a ban on direct flights by Russian airlines to Georgia. Russia unilaterally imposed the ban in 2019 after a wave of anti-Kremlin protests in Georgia.

The decrees come a day after leaders of several Central Asian and South Caucasus nations stood beside Putin at a military parade marking the anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II, in what looked like the Kremlin seeking to show that Russia still had allies and was not completely isolated.

Following Putins decrees, Russias Foreign Ministry issued a statement lifting its 2019 recommendation for Russian citizens to avoid traveling to Georgia.

Putin's decrees, the statement said, are in line with our principled approach of consistently facilitating the conditions for communication and contacts between the citizens of Russia and Georgia, despite the absence of diplomatic relations.

Russia-Georgia relations have been complicated since the Soviet Unions collapse in the early 1990s. The two countries fought a short war in 2008 that ended with Georgia losing control of two Russia-friendly separatist regions.

In the aftermath, Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Moscow, and the issue of the regions status remains a key irritant, even as relations have somewhat improved.

Beginning in 2000, Georgia and Russia implemented a visa regime. However, in 2012 Tbilisi unilaterally abolished visas for Russians, who are currently allowed to stay in Georgia visa-free for up to a year.

After Moscow sent troops into Ukraine last year, Georgia joined all international resolutions condemning the military action, while also providing Ukraine with humanitarian aid and taking in thousands of war refugees. Its authorities stopped short of supplying Kyiv with military assistance, however, citing the need to maintain neutrality and not get dragged into the conflict.

At the same time, the Black Sea country of 3.7 million became one of the main destinations for Russians fleeing the crackdown and the partial mobilization into the army Putin announced in September 2022.

Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili has said that more than 700,000 Russians crossed into Georgia after the Kremlin started drafting men to fight in Ukraine. While 600,000 moved on to other countries, about 100,000 stayed in Georgia, she said.

Zourabichvili tweeted Wednesday that Putin's decrees were another Russian provocation. Resuming direct flights and lifting visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory! she said.
The recently passed Senate Bill 471 seeks to weaken Texans voices in shaping the health of their local communities by reducing the effectiveness of the Texas Commission on Environmental Qualitys citizen complaint program.

The bill targets how the TCEQ responds to citizen complaints. If the bill becomes law, then among other changes, the agency will no longer be required to investigate a complaint that may be addressed during other commission activities. Because the bill fails to specify the meaning of other commission activities, it grants the agency too much discretion in deciding which complaints it will investigate.

The TCEQ is responsible for making sure thousands of polluting facilities in the state comply with environmental regulations.

Much as local health departments inspect restaurants to make sure their food is safe, TCEQ periodically investigates the facilities it regulates. But because the agency cant be at all facilities all the time, it relies on local residents to be its eyes, ears and noses to identify potential problems.

Texans submit thousands of complaints each year. Complaints cover odors, dust, smoke, wastewater, stormwater, municipal and industrial waste, among many other concerns. When TCEQ investigates a complaint, the agency provides no or minimal advance notice to facilities so as to replicate the complainants experience. For other investigations, it notifies facilities in advance of its site visit. Thus, unlike periodic TCEQ investigations, those that follow up on citizen complaints have the element of surprise.

When we analyzed recent data from TCEQ on tens of thousands of complaints it received between 2003 and 2019, we found citizen complaints help the agency do its job and achieve its mission of clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste.

Our analysis showed that the investigations following up on citizen complaints are up to four times as likely to uncover environmental violations as investigations TCEQ conducts for other reasons. We also found investigations resulting from complaints detect more serious violations than investigations the agency conducts for other reasons. Investigations resulting from a citizen complaint are on average eight times as likely to uncover the most severe type of violation as investigations TCEQ conducts for other reasons.

Texans should be celebrating the effectiveness of the agencys citizen complaint program. It is an example of successful citizen participation in the regulatory process. But now, SB 471 is poised to make sweeping changes that risk undermining this success.

The motivation for the proposed changes is to reduce the resources TCEQ devotes to investigating excessive complaints from the same complainant, but this would give the agency wide-ranging discretion far beyond this narrow goal. The original bill even proposed to fine Texans who made three or more complaints about the same facility in a calendar year if the complaints did not lead to an enforcement action. Luckily, that was not included in the bill that now sits in the House.

Texans care about their local communities, and citizen complaints allow Texans to help TCEQ prioritize the health of their communities. This is now threatened. Texans should continue to be free to submit complaints when they see, smell or hear something concerning. And the agency should continue to investigate their complaints with limited and specific discretion.

Mary F. Evans is a professor in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
Book Council members visit the London Book Fair 2023

Members of the Gibraltar National Book Council recently went to the London Book Fair to look at possible ways of promoting Gibraltar Literature at such events in the future.

The visit, organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministry for Culture, aimed to look at the value of having a Gibraltar stand at next years festival with a view to promoting and representing local authors and their work. The three-day event was held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in Kensington and saw hundreds of professionals come together to consider the challenges facing the book industry, and to explore new opportunities and areas of development.

Council members, author Mark Sanchez and GCS Head of Development Davina Barbara described the fair as a positive and valuable experience and are convinced that future editions of the event could be used to promote Gibraltar, its linguistic identity, and its literature and writers. Contacts were made with major organisations such as the British Council, Literature Ireland and the Book Council of Wales, as well as with smaller entities such as Literature Across Frontiers and Barefoot Books. They also met with members of the Maltese Book Council with whom they had an interesting session looking at how they could incorporate some of Maltas ideas and strategies into Gibraltars model and also exchanged ideas on possible future collaboration.

The book fair also had a diverse seminar programme allowing council members to learn about the latest technologies, industry models and statistics relating to book sales and content. Furthermore, they were able to attend seminars on eBook publishing, author marketing strategies and book cover design. We have learned so much during our three-day visit to the London Book Fair, Gibraltar National Council member Davina Barbara said, ... not just about books and the publishing industry, but also about how small territories like Malta and Estonia go about promoting their language, identity and writing. People are really interested in hearing more about Gibraltars cultural and literary output and we feel the London Book Fair would provide us with an ideal platform to showcase our writers and their work.
Many observers lamented the recent settlement in the Dominion-Fox News defamation case, as if the concussive bombshell they were expecting had turned into a giant dud.

The outcry began almost immediately. It was almost ear-splitting. Dominion settled its defamation lawsuit against the network for $787.5 million, and the cries were the most plaintive since Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

The settlement, some argued, denied the country the chance to witness weeks of testimony exposing the network hosts as the dishonest Trump apologists that court filings already proved them to be. Those hosts advanced allegations of election fraud they knew were false. The statement from Fox afterwards was even more galling: This settlement reflects Foxs continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

The settlement, of course, was its own admission of failure. But while the Dominion lawsuit was an opportunity to address the manipulation of truth to undermine democracy, there is another dynamic to the suit that merits reflection. It has become fodder to weaken press freedoms guaranteed under the landmark New York Times v. Sullivan case.

The landmark ruling in 1964 made it harder for public figures to win libel cases against the media. Those public figures, according to the decision, had to prove either willful lying or reckless disregard of the truth, a doctrine which has come to be known as actual malice.

That standard could change. The Fox News case may seem cut-and-dried; networks hosts, after all, showed they did not believe the views they were advocating on the air, according to text messages with colleagues. But is the standard, actual malice, unrealistically high?

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have both indicated a desire to revisit the ruling. The decision, they believe, gave the media an unbridled ability to publish whatever they wanted about public figures. It made the press bullet-proof.

Some politicians agree. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of them. He thinks the ruling provided the press with too much freedom, and his opinion matters because he is considered a likely candidate for the GOP nomination in the 2020 presidential race.

The proliferation of falsehoods is, and always has been, a serious matter, Thomas has written. Instead of continuing to insulate those who perpetrate lies from traditional remedies like libel suits, we should give them only the protection the First Amendment requires.

Many agree, but if the settlement in the Dominion-Fox News case is instructive, it told us the landmark ruling is sound. Actual malice may seem like an impossibly high standard, but it worked in this case. Court filings showed Fox News hosts lied about the information they were disseminating, and the settlement, believed to be the highest payment ever in a defamation suit, showed that they knew it.

Critics of the ruling fail to understand that it protects both liberals and conservatives. If a liberal cable network had perpetrated the same deceit as Fox News, the outcome would have been no different. Rulings represent standards, and it is up to the subjects, whether liberal or conservative, to live up to those standards. Beyond this, the protections offered under Sullivan assure aggressive coverage of public figures. Without these protections, freedom of the press would be diminished and speech would be frozen.

I think what were seeing is a lot of politicians out there who are openly hostile to the press, Samantha Barbas, a professor of law at the University of Buffalo School of Law, told Poynter, a journalism institute. So I think Sullivan is especially important in this polarized political climate and the hostile culture that we have right now.

The New York Times-Sullivan decision has served democracy well. The press deserves to be protected from the assaults of public figures. Those protections, for more than 60 years, have proved to be reasonable and intelligent, assuring the press of its role as a watchdog on corrupt public figures.
When a large section of the American population starts to use religion as a justification to challenge rights granted by the Constitution, we, as a nation, have lost any expectation of justice.

We just witnessed a coronation by a nation that has just as many issues as we have, yet they came together. We dont have that unifying capability. We have factions funded by secretive donors. We have a judicial system incapable of self-regulation. We have an economy driven by profit well beyond any concern for the ecology of health sustainability. We have manipulative politicians who feed lemming constituents into propagation funded by fear.

What is next? What are our alternatives? The future may well be restroom doctrine. Flush all during the next election.

Steven Schneider, Converse

Lack of voting a problem

If the Texas Senate has its way, Gov. Greg Abbott will be able to decide the winner in all elections starting after this legislative session.

After looking at the results of the May 6 election in San Antonio, this may not matter to anyone living here, anyway. Only about 15 percent of those registered voted. That means out of 1,054,178 people, only 161,589 bothered to vote. Have you ever heard, If you dont use it, you will lose it?

Please wake up. Get involved, write, email or call your representatives at the local, county, state and national level. Join committees that affect your community, volunteer to work on projects that you support and make your opinion known.

Democracy is in danger, and to my disappointment, San Antonio is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Helen Chouinard

A way to protect students

Re: Arming our teachers is not the solution, Editorial, May 3:

The Editorial Board argues that we have to eliminate the root causes of mass shootings rather than arming teachers to prevent them. However, it makes sense to do both, since both would reduce deaths.

One poll found 45 percent of those responding said they would favor arming teachers as a safety strategy, and 30 states allow school employees other than security officers to carry firearms on campuses.

At the same time, the root causes of shootings need to be dealt with. A study by the Department of Education found nearly three-quarters of school shooters had been bullied or harassed at school. Social rejection at school is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, aggression and antisocial behavior.

If stopping an attack isnt successful, the Crime Prevention Research Center analyses show since January 2000, not a single shooting-related death or injury has occurred during class hours on the property of a school that allows teachers to be armed.

Parents, rather than that Gun Free Zone sign outside the school as you drop your child off, wouldnt you prefer a sign that says: The staff at this school is armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students?

Al Koppen, Fair Oaks Ranch
A judge on Wednesday sentenced Daniel Perry to 25 years in prison for the murder of an armed Black Lives Matter protester in Austin. The decision is the latest development in a case that has garnered national attention since Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month that he planned to pardon Perry.

BACKGROUND: Daniel Perry, convicted of murder, wrote of wanting to kill protesters, Muslims, Black people, new court docs show

In handing down the sentence, Travis County District Judge Clifford Brown cited the devastating impact of the killing and said he rarely gives remarks during sentencing, but felt obliged to do so in this case.

The hard work, the service and the sacrifice of this jury deserves our honor and it deserves to be respected, Brown said  making what appeared to be a veiled shot at Abbott for threatening to issue a pardon.

Perry, a 36-year-old Army sergeant, did not appear to react to Browns ruling. His attorneys told reporters afterward that he was devastated and that they plan to file an appeal within 30 days, as the law requires.

The sentencing adds to a building standoff between the Republican governor and liberal Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza. Garzas office indicted Perry even though Austin police declined to arrest or charge him. The office also has indicted more than a dozen police officers for using excessive force on protesters during the summer of 2020.

There have been a lot of comments over the last few weeks regarding the governor and his intent to pardon Daniel Perry, and people calling it a political decision, said Clint Broden, one of Perrys attorneys. I think that misses the point that this prosecution from the very beginning was a political decision.

RECENT: New trial denied for Army sergeant convicted of murdering Austin protester

Criminal appellate courts often take months, if not years, to hand down decisions. But Abbotts extraordinary promise of a pardon injected a political wild card into Perrys fate.

Abbott cant pardon Perry without a recommendation from the state Board of Pardons and Paroles. He appoints all six members of the board and can fire them at any time. The board has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into Perrys case.

Perry was driving for Uber on the night of July 25, 2020, when he made a right turn into an intersection full of protesters in downtown Austin. One of those protesters, 28-year-old Garrett Foster, approached the drivers side of Perrys car while carrying an AK-47 rifle. Perry rolled down the window and, seconds later, used a revolver next to him to shoot and kill Foster.

Both men were legally armed, and both were on opposite sides of a protest movement that had reached a crescendo after the police killing of Floyd. Perrys defense team attempted to portray the protesters as an angry mob and said Foster, an Air Force veteran, was carrying his rifle in a threatening manner, which meant Perry had the right to shoot him under Texas self-defense laws. Prosecutors contended that Perry deliberately drove into a group of peaceful protesters and lost his right to self-defense by provoking the confrontation with Foster.

Dueling portraits of Perry

Perrys indictment made him a celebrity among conservatives, with parallels to Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of fatally shooting two men during protests in Kenosha, Wis., in 2020.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested on his April 7 show that Abbott pardon the sergeant. Less than 24 hours later, Abbott tweeted that he intended to do so.

But Abbotts office took a more muted approach after newly unsealed court documents showed that Perry, who is white, previously had written about wanting to kill protesters, Muslims and Black people.

All pertinent information is for the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider, as this is part of the review process required by the Texas Constitution, his spokeswoman, Renae Eze, told CNN in a statement the day after the documents were unsealed.

Abbott didnt issue any immediate public statements about the sentencing on Wednesday.

In a news conference Wednesday, Garza said the board assured him that prosecutors would be allowed to make a presentation regarding the case before any recommendation is made. He also said that the board committed to hear from the family of the victim in this case.

The Texas Governor made the decision to insert politics into this case, Garza said, adding that his office is not done fighting for Garrett and for the integrity of that process here in Travis County. He added that the pardon board also promised to hear from Fosters family.

During an hours-long hearing on Tuesday, Perrys defense lawyers had pushed for a 10 year sentence, noting he had no previous criminal record and had been ostracized since childhood. A forensic psychologist who evaluated Perry shortly before the recent murder trial said the Army sergeant exhibited classic signs of complex post-traumatic stress disorder, and that Perrys time in the military and autism spectrum disorder caused him to see the world with an us versus them mentality.

Four people who served with Perry in the Army described him as a hard worker who never complained and was always willing to help out, no matter the task.

Prosecutors said Perry had suggested for months before the July 2020 killing that he wanted to get into an armed confrontation with a Black Lives Matter protester. They pointed to private messages and social media postings by Perry as evidence, and they also revealed other messages and social media postings by Perry that contained overtly racist statements.

Whitney Mitchell, who considered Foster her husband and who had been protesting with him the day he was killed, also testified at the hearing. She said Foster was her sole caregiver for more than a decade after a medical condition forced her to have all her limbs amputated. He helped her pursue a career in costume design, even attending classes with her at the Parsons school of design in New York City. They two bought a house together in Austin about a year before his death.



Its extremely hard to be in that house, she said. Its just hard every day that Im there. Its hard to sleep in my bed because hes not there.
The Texas House voted unanimously Tuesday to expel state Rep. Bryan Slaton after an internal investigation found the North Texas Republican had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 19-year-old legislative aide.

Slaton had already resigned Monday, but the members said the Tuesday vote was legally necessary to prevent him from retaining any power in the interim before his successor is elected. The governor has not yet called a special election.

"Rep. Slaton has engaged in conduct unbecoming of a member, said Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, who chairs the investigating committee. No one in this chamber disagrees that his conduct was wrong. We all agree that it cannot and will not be tolerated."

Slaton, 45, was not on the floor Tuesday. Immediately after the vote, Capitol staffers scaled ladders to remove Slatons name from the two voting boards that line the chambers front walls.

The last time a state representative was expelled from the body was in 1927.

BACKGROUND: House panel calls for expulsion of Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton, accused of inappropriate sexual conduct

The investigative report detailed how Slaton, who is married, had grown close to the aide and invited her to his condo one night, offering her and other Capitol staffers alcohol. Whistleblowers who were interviewed said he had sex with her that night, then later pressured her and other staffers to stay quiet about the incident.

The aide said she was drunk enough to have split vision and feel dizzy, and a friend said the aide later told her she went to get Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, the next morning.

Slaton is a conservative firebrand and former youth minister from North Texas is known for pushing attention-grabbing bills, like one calling for Texas to secede, or another providing tax cuts for straight couples with children, as long as neither spouse had been previously divorced. He has often locked horns with more moderate members of his party.

After the vote, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said he supported the decision, adding that it sends a message that sexual harassment and inappropriate activities in the workplace will not be condoned, and they are unacceptable.

Pressure had been building for Slaton to step down in the days after the House General Investigating Committee on Saturday recommended he be expelled. Several GOP groups had called for him to step down, including the majority of the State Republican Executive Committee and anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life.

The Texas GOP did not comment on the report until Slaton issued his resignation.

In his resignation letter Monday, Slaton did not address the alleged inappropriate relationship. He said he looked forward to spending more time with his family and finding other ways to serve his community and the state.

Murr, a former county attorney and judge, told members Tuesday that hes always taken the view that leniency can be exercised when a person shows remorse for their actions; however, he said, that is not the case here.

"Most disappointingly, the letter of resignation from yesterday shows no remorse, Murr said. It contains no apology to those involved or to any of you."

PAST COVERAGE: State Rep. Bryan Slaton steps down after House report finds he had sex with aide

Investigators said they did not have sufficient evidence to determine whether Slaton committed sexual assault under the states penal code. Murr did not respond to requests for comment on whether the panel forwarded the matter to law enforcement authorities.

Prior to the vote, state Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, a member of the House investigating committee and a former prosecutor, said her parents met in that very chamber in the 1960s and were later married.

"We are not here because two consenting adults met and fell in love in the Texas House, Johnson said. We are here because a 45-year-old member took advantage of and abused his power over his subordinate teenage staffer."

She added that the report made her sad because it showed the aide and other staffers involved had an experience that was the polar opposite of her own as a young staffer.

Rather than what our offices can do to show our support for all Texans, these staffers have learned how offices can be manipulated to benefit a few, Johnson said.

Jasper Scherer contributed to this report.
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 66F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.
Sign for the Cascade County Election Office photographed on March 31, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan)

The Great Falls Public Library is requesting an elections monitor to oversee the Cascade County Election Office going into its June 6 mill levy election, according to a letter from the librarys legal council sent Monday.

A letter sent by attorney Raph Graybill to Cascade County Commissioners Joe Briggs, James Larson, and Rae Grulkowski, County Attorney Josh Racki, and Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, listed a series of concerns surrounding the Election Offices handling of the Great Falls Public School District election last week.

These included apprehension over instructions on a sample ballot for their upcoming election, the incorrect processing of signatures with the school board election, along with previously reported concerns of absentee ballots not fitting in secrecy envelopes and the delay to vote in person on Election Day.

The library cannot simply rerun a failed election if any of the same violations or irregularities occur. The library will suffer immediate damage if the election is invalidated, and it will hold those responsible for its losses liable for them, the letter read.

The library could face staffing and service shortages, along with a loss of $30,000 in state funds, if the library levy doesnt pass by July 1.

The letter said in order to prevent the potential for a failed election and the consequences for the library, the board is considering seeking injunctive relief from a court, which would include the appointment of someone to oversee the librarys election.

To avoid involvement of the courts, however, we propose that the county immediately appoint a mutually acceptable monitor, the letter said.

The letter follows a meeting Friday in which the Great Falls Public Library Board met to consider the request and heard from the public and from Merchant, who cited issues with the states new elections system, ElectMT as part of the source of problems. She said that politics played no part in her office, and every vote was counted, the Great Falls Tribune reported.

The Elections Office has been under public scrutiny after Merchant told the Great Falls Public Schools District and the library, among others with upcoming elections in February, that she would be unable to hold an all mail-in ballot election. In November, Merchant narrowly won the election over 16-year incumbent Rina Moore.

The letter said the boards concerns came from a lack of communication from Merchant about the ballot, voting instructions, and evidence of anti-library electioneering within the Elections Office. The electioneering claim was also made by the newly formed Election Protection Committee in a complaint filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices, which was ultimately rejected over jurisdictional issues.

The letter said voters were disenfranchised in the last election, claiming voters in a neighborhood east of Great Falls that pay mills for local schools werent sent absentee ballots and were denied access to ballots at the polling location. There was also a concern surrounding ballot signature verification.

Signature comparisons were, in fact, made after the votes were counted when it is impossible to retrieve the ballot for any mismatched signatures, the letter read. This means counted ballots were not verified as being regular ballots that could be counted, and, therefore, it is not possible to know how many invalid ballots were counted.

The letter said the library board received a copy of the ballot for its upcoming election that contained instructions for write-in candidates, when the mill levy election wont have candidates. A lack of space for write-in candidates on absentee ballots was another concern flagged in the letter and by the Election Protection Committee.

The library is asking the election monitor to have unfettered, unrestricted access to the operations of the Elections Office who could send regular updates regarding any potential election-related irregularities or violations to the county commission, the county attorney, and the library board.

The election monitor would also be asked to provide ongoing, detailed technical advice to Merchant to avoid issues before they arise.

The monitor must be deeply experienced in Montana election law and procedures, such as a non-elected former staff member of the elections office, or a current or former election administrator from another county in Montana, the letter read.

The letter requested a response by Wednesday at 12 p.m. to avoid the need for relief from the court.

The post Great Falls Library wants monitor appointed for mill levy election or it may seek court relief appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Photo illustration by Jernej Furman (Photo via Flickr | CC-BY-SA 2.0).

A federal magistrate has ruled that a class action lawsuit against Ravalli Countys jail diversion program can proceed, with indigent citizens saying the county is running a scheme that leaves clients who are unable to pay hundreds of dollars a month sitting in jail, instead of out on bail.

In a court ruling in January, Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto narrowed the lawsuit and said that while many Ravalli County officials, including Sheriff Stephen Holton, could not be held liable for the diversion program, she also certified that the indigent plaintiffs case against the countys program could proceed as a class-action.

The case, which was filed in 2021, claims that in addition to receiving a bail amount, many indigent residents have to sign up for a jail diversion, which can require monitoring for alcohol or drugs and check-ins with supervisors. The former inmates say they have to pay hundreds of dollars a month, and if they dont theyre sent back to jail. They also argue that the fees they pay make it unable for them to secure housing and transportation.

Meanwhile, county officials say they are merely providing supervisory services based on previous behavior or for public safety. They also contend that often those awaiting trial re-enter the jail based on other violations, such as drugs or alcohol; and no one is detained because of inability to pay for the jail diversion program.

DeSoto said that a trial or discovery is an appropriate way to tease out the facts of the case, but for now, the plaintiffs have proven enough to continue the case as a class action against Ravalli County.

Because indigent pretrial arrestees may be incarcerated if they cannot afford pretrial fees, plaintiffs allege that (Ravalli County) treats similarly situated pretrial arrestees differently based on indigency, and in doing so, engage in wealth-based discrimination in violation of the Fourteenth Amendments equal protection clause, the suit said. Furthermore, it said that jailing them for an inability to pay constitutes false imprisonment.

The plaintiffs also say that even after they post bail, which is a constitutional right in Montana in most cases, the county will not release them until they sign contracts agreeing to pay the fees and agree to the fee schedule regardless of their ability to pay. They also contend they have no means of objecting to or challenging the fees.

Whether pretrial arrestees can, as the county seemingly suggests, request a waiver or reduction in jail diversion program fees during the bond hearing, or by moving to modify the conditions of their release or alter the conditions of bail is not clear, DeSoto wrote. Even considering the bail statutes  plaintiffs have adequately pled procedural due process violations based on the countys alleged failure to provide adequate notice of the jail diversion program fees and a reasonable opportunity to contest those fees.

However, county and state judges, who were also named as part of the lawsuit, said that they dont revoke an arrestees bond just for failure to pay.

However, DeSoto dismissed part of the lawsuit that included proposing a class of arrestees who are non-indigent as a possible group of people harmed, saying that they are not similarly situated and that attorneys for the class action failed to make an adequate argument that their claims should be included.

According to the lawsuit, more than 800 individuals have been placed into the jail diversion program, and it has an indigency rate of 83%.

The post Judge rules class action suit against Ravalli County jail diversion program can proceed appeared first on Daily Montanan.
People protested the House Speaker's not letting Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, speak on the House floor during a rally outside the Capitol on Monday, April 24 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Two transgender Montana teenagers and their families, along with two medical providers of gender-affirming care in the state, are challenging Montanas newly signed law that bans the treatments for minors and opens practitioners up to professional punishment and lawsuits.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, the national ACLU, Lambda Legal and the Perkins Coie law firm filed a lawsuit in Missoula County District Court on Tuesday asking a judge to declare Senate Bill 99 unconstitutional on multiple grounds and to permanently enjoin the state from enforcing it. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the measure on April 28, and it takes effect Oct. 1.

The firms and organizations are representing:

Scarlet van Garderen, a 16-year-old transgender girl from Belgrade, and her parents;

Phoebe Cross, a 15-year-old from Bozeman who is also transgender and uses he/him pronouns, and his parents;

Dr. Juanita Hodax, who provides gender affirming care at the Community Medical Center in Missoula and at Seattle Childrens Hospital, and her patients; and

Dr. Katherine Mistretta, who performs gender-affirming care at Bozeman Creek Family Health, and her patients

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the state of Montana; Gianforte; Attorney General Austin Knudsen; the Department of Public Health and Human Services and its director, Charlie Brereton; the Montana Board of Medical Examiners; and the Montana Board of Nursing.

The plaintiffs contend that the new law is a blatant and unconstitutional attack on transgender Montana children, their parents, and the people who provide care for them. The lawsuit says that for multiple reasons, families with transgender children and medical professionals who work in the field are considering leaving the state altogether if the law is allowed to stand.

The Montana Free Press first reported news of the lawsuit Tuesday and spoke with one of the plaintiff families.

(Senate Bill 99) flies in the face of the Montana Constitution, infringing on myriad fundamental rights guaranteed to Montanans, the suit states. These include the right to equal protection of the laws, the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children, the right to privacy, the right to seek health care, and the right to dignity.

Lawsuit claims lawmakers ignored medical science to target trans community

The lawsuit essentially reiterates what many medical professionals, transgender children, their parents, and transgender adults told lawmakers at every hearing on the bill this winter and spring. In testimony, they said the bill is unconstitutional; that gender dysphoria is a real condition with evidence-based and broadly accepted standards of care; that treatments for gender dysphoria are medically necessary for some children; that there are stringent processes in place to diagnose and then treat a child experiencing gender dysphoria; and that prohibiting those treatments can have vast negative physical and mental consequences for both the child and their families.

It says the law crafted and supported solely by Montana Republicans represents vast government overreach and will harm both transgender children and the doctors and nurses who treat them.

The act was created to marginalize transgender people. It has no plausible public purpose, and specifically targets transgender people for discriminatory treatment, lawyers wrote in the complaint.

DPHHS declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Kaitlin Price, a spokesperson for the Governors Office, said Gianforte is committed to protecting Montana children from permanent, life-altering procedures until they are adults, mature enough to make such serious health decisions.

When Gianforte initially vetoed the bill and asked the legislature to sign off on amendments he requested, he referred to gender-affirming care as Orwellian Newspeak that he said masks its true nature of permanent, invasive, life-altering medical and surgical procedures.

The lawsuit explains that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society have each published standards of care for assessing, diagnosing and treating gender dysphoria for children that take into consideration whether the child has or has not started puberty.

For pre-pubescent children, no drugs, hormones or surgeries are recommended or provided. At the start of puberty, the standard of care if a child is diagnosed with gender dysphoria involves consideration of puberty blockers, which the lawsuit notes do not cause infertility and can be reversed  two things proponents of the law had repeatedly claimed to the contrary.

Transgender youth who are denied this treatment are at a greatly increased risk of experiencing or continuing clinically significant distress, suicidal behavior, self-harm, and other serious and lifelong psychological harm as compared to their cisgender peers, the lawsuit states.

Some, but not all, children experiencing gender dysphoria may qualify for hormone therapy after undergoing sessions with a mental health professional who confirms the diagnosis. But only if they have been told about the irreversible effects and side effects of treatment, if they and their parents have agreed to start the regimen, and if a medical expert in the field agrees it is a proper treatment with no medical contradictions, according to the lawsuit.

The puberty blockers and, in some cases, hormone therapy often have positive effects for a transgender childs mental health, as they see themselves as the person they know themselves to be and can stop their bodies from maturing in ways that do not match the gender with which they identify, the lawsuit says. That mirrors what several medical professionals in the field told lawmakers at committee hearings on the bill.

Further, the lawsuit points out, the new law directly targets transgender children receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy because the definitions of male and female in the bill allow cisgender people  those who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth  to receive the same treatments and for medical professionals to apply them without fear of punishment or civil action.

The act is so damaging to the health and well-being of transgender adolescents that some of these adolescents families with the resources to do so have taken steps to uproot their entire lives to move out of Montana in light of the act, the lawsuit says. For many more, however, that devastating option is not available, so these families and youth will have no choice but to remain and endure the harms that the Act inflicts.

Plaintiffs include trans teenagers, gender-affirming care providers

Scarlet van Garderen, 16, of Belgrade, will be a senior next year and is a member of several school bands, color guard, and speech and debate teams. She wants to attend Montana State University after high school, according to the lawsuit.

She came out as transgender to a friend and then her parents in the spring of 2021, and over the next several months started to see a therapist, then an endocrinologist, and was prescribed puberty blockers and then hormone therapy last summer after turning 16, according to the lawsuit. She legally changed her name in December.

According to the lawsuit, she had been withdrawn and stayed mostly in her room before she began the treatments. But afterward, according to her parents and the lawsuit, the treatments led to a night and day difference that her parents worry will be undone if the law takes effect and she is forced to go through puberty.

The only treatment we have found to be effective and give our daughter hope again is hormone therapy. The difference we have experienced is night and day and there is no going back, Scarlets mother, Jessica van Garderen, said in a statement. Taking away this crucial medical care is inhumane and a violation of our rights. We will fight this law for our daughter and every other family whose rights are being trampled.

The other teenage plaintiff, Phoebe Cross, is 15 and finishing up his first year of high school, where he also plays in the symphonic band and participates on the speech and debate team. He testified against the bill during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in March.

The lawsuit says Cross has believed he was male since preschool, tried to conform with being female in elementary school, and started experiencing gender dysphoria and mental health concerns in middle school  including suicidal ideations and attempts. He cut his hair, started wearing more traditionally male clothing and a chest binder in eighth grade, after which his parents saw noticeable positive changes, the lawsuit says.

A few months after undergoing a mental health crisis that resulted in emergency treatment in January 2022, he started seeing a nurse and therapist, was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and they started discussing treatment options. In September, he was prescribed testosterone, and the lawsuit says while he continues to see a therapist, nurse practitioner and psychiatrist, he is more positive, has less depression and is more comfortable with his appearance, according to the suit.

It says his parents have seen immense growth in his confidence and hope for his future in a way that he did not have before he received gender-affirming care.

Just living as a trans teenager is difficult enough; the last thing me and my peers need is to have our rights taken away, Cross said in a statement. There were many things I hoped my elected officials would achieve, this regression in human rights is not one of those things. The blatant disrespect for my humanity and existence is deeply unsettling.

Hodax and Mistretta each have years of qualified experience providing gender-affirming care and have worked with hundreds of patients from all parts of Montana, according to the lawsuit. Both attest to the positive experiences they have seen from their work.

Dr. Hodax is not aware of any of her patients who have regretted initiating gender-affirming care, the lawsuit says.

But each say they are likely to give up practicing in Montana if the new law takes effect because their medical licenses could be at risk and because they could face civil lawsuits from either former patients or the state attorney general under the law.

The suit says that Mistretta has already seen harm caused by the law even though it is not yet in effect.

Several of her patients and their families have told her that, if the cct takes effect, they may need to leave the state in order to obtain this life-saving medical care, the lawsuit says. She has seen how even discussing the loss of gender-affirming care can cause so much discomfort, pain, fear, and anxiety in her patients that she must seriously consider the most appropriate time and manner to initiate the discussion to minimize its negative consequences to their health and wellness.

Plaintiffs: SB99 passed to express antipathy toward and to harm transgender people

The lawsuit claims the law violates several sections of the Montana Constitution surrounding equal protection under the law, parental rights, the right to privacy, the right to seek health, the right to dignity, and the freedom of speech and expression.

It also claims the law does nothing to compel state interest and discriminates against transgender children because they are not afforded the same treatments that cisgender people can still receive should the law take effect.

These restrictions, only affecting transgender people, serve no legitimate purpose. They do nothing to protect the health or well-being of minors, the lawsuit says. To the contrary, they gravely threaten the health and well-being of transgender adolescents by denying them access to lifesaving care, and evidence an intent to discriminate against transgender people.

The lawsuit further calls out by name several Republican lawmakers  including bill sponsor Sen. John Fuller, Sen. Daniel Emrich, Sen. Theresa Manzella, Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, and Sen. Greg Hertz  for comments they made about transgender people, gender-affirming care, and the bill during committee and floor discussions.

It notes that House Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, stopped acknowledging Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender Democratic lawmaker from Missoula, for her comments that Republicans would have blood on their hands for passing the governors amendments to SB99, which led to protests and her eventual censure and prohibition from the House floor.

The Legislature failed to offer any legitimate public purpose for the act, and none exists, the suit says. The act was passed to express antipathy toward and to harm transgender people.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the law unlawful and unconstitutional, to permanently enjoin the law from being enforced, and for attorneys fees and costs. The lawsuit did not appear on any Missoula County District Court dockets on Tuesday afternoon.

Attorneys for the ACLU and Lambda Legal said they were confident they would prevail in the challenge.

This law represents government overreach on steroids, said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Peter Renn. The families targeted here have worked closely and carefully with qualified healthcare professionals to access the care they need. It is reprehensible that politicians would barge into exam rooms to rip away life-saving treatment, in total defiance of science and medicine, after parents have finally found stability and hope for their childrens future.

The post Montana teenagers, medical providers sue to block law banning gender-affirming care for minors appeared first on Daily Montanan.
COLUMBUS  The Ohio Agricultural Council is set to honor four individuals who have dedicated their lives to working in and promoting Ohios farm community.

On Friday, Aug. 4, Kenneth D. Davis of Leesburg, Terry McClure of Grover Hill, Thomas Menke of Greenville and Dr. Don Sanders of Urbana will be inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame, an esteemed recognition of their contributions to the agricultural industry.

It gives us great pleasure to acknowledge this outstanding group of Hall of Fame inductees, said Chris Henney, president of the Ohio Agricultural Council and president and CEO of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association. Their commendable contributions to the agricultural industry, including advocacy, mentorship, leadership, and conservation efforts, have garnered recognition at the local, state, national and international levels.

With the induction of these four individuals, the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame will have honored 249 recipients since its inception in 1966.

Kenneth D. Davis  Leesburg

Ken Davis has provided decades of service with an unwavering dedication for rural life and agriculture, especially for farmers. He has dedicated time serving in many organizations that prioritize the interests of agriculture.

He continues as a fervent supporter of maintaining local extension presence in Ohio and of The Ohio State Universitys College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Davis has been active in advocating for these and other causes, demonstrating his unrelenting passion to rural life and the youth of his county by working to ensure that the 4-H program remains.

As Chairman of the Board for Ohios largest rural electric cooperative for more than 25 years, the South Central Power Company, Davis dedication and understanding of the cooperative concept within Ohio agriculture has greatly benefited the members in this region, including his leadership in providing rural communities with access to high-speed internet. Through his active participation in addressing legislative and supportive issues handled by the Ohio Farm Bureau, serving on the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Companys Board of Directors, and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, Davis has extended his advocacy for agriculture to the national level.

Kens commitment to preserving the rural communitys assets, where agriculture and families can flourish, is apparent in all his endeavors. Whether managing Davis Farms operations, engaging with his community, or promoting agriculture, his authentic passion for sustaining the rural way of life is always on display.

Terry McClure  Grover Hill

Terry McClure is a farmer-leader who exemplifies excellence in both farming operations and selfless service for the advancement of agriculture. A former Ohio Farm Bureau president and member of the Nationwide Board of Directors, McClure is the fifth generation on McClure Farms where he started a grain hauling and purchasing business in 1978.

While beginning his leadership with the Paulding County Soil & Water Conservation District, he later became involved in association work after understanding more about farmers needs and has since held various leadership positions, including serving on the boards of the Ohio Soybean Council, the Ohio Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau.

He also was one of the leaders who founded Heartland AgDeavor, a nonprofit that assists farmers in value-added investments. In 2004, he was elected to the Nationwide board and provided leadership in the companys growth as a Fortune 100 Company.

McClure has demonstrated his commitment to Ohio agriculture through volunteering and community contributions. He has been a leader in promoting water quality by implementing conservation practices on his farm and supporting research to improve agricultures understanding of this issue. He possesses an exceptional talent for bridging the gap between the practical realities of the farm and the strategic vision of the boardroom. His collaborative approach has been instrumental in solving problems related to Ohio agriculture and his unwavering dedication has left a lasting impact on Ohio agriculture, benefiting the farming community for many generations to come.

Thomas Menke  Greenville

Tom Menke has been providing advice to Ohio livestock and crop farmers for over 40 years in areas such as animal nutrition, nutrient management, and livestock environmental permitting. Menke started his career at the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center South Charleston Branch after completing his BS in Biology. He later joined Brookside Labs Inc. in New Knoxville, Ohio, and worked as an independent consultant, offering soil testing services to farmers in Western Ohio.

Menkes client base grew rapidly as he showed farmers how to reduce fertilizer use, improve yields, and enhance herd health. He later became a sought-after livestock and environmental consultant and worked with various organizations, state agencies and commodity groups over the course of his career.

Menke has voluntarily served on committees and worked with various state agencies, shaping agriculture and environmental rules, laws and policies. He has also worked with Ohio commodity organizations, developing manure brokerage services and organizing poultry manure auctions. Menke has made international trips to China and Japan to promote Ohio agriculture and provide nutrient management expertise.

Menke has a thoughtful and helpful personality and speaks from his extensive experience. He is known for mentoring interns and other consultants, and for sponsoring new consultants around the world. His ability to help people and his calm demeanor have made him a sought-after livestock and environmental consultant and agriculture advocate for more than four decades.

Dr. Don Sanders  Urbana

Doc Sanders impact has been felt across various areas of agriculture both locally in Ohio and across the globe. After graduating from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1968, Don Sanders established a veterinary practice in Champaign County with his wife Judy that focused on large and small animal care while also farming.

He wrote books on dairy and swine management that were translated into multiple languages and consulted in several countries. Later, he joined the faculty at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for eight years before retiring from practice. He has since authored several more books and continues consulting and expert witness work.

Dr. Sanders has received various awards and honors for his work alongside his wife in veterinary medicine and agriculture, including being named National Hospital of the Month by Veterinary Economics Journal and being recognized as a top bovine veterinarian by The Bovine Practitioner Journal. His expertise and work have also been honored in Japan, China, Russia and South Korea.

Locally, many people in across Ohio have been positively influenced by Sanders, making him a true difference-maker. In addition, there are veterinarians around the world who have been taught by Dr. Sanders in not only veterinary medicine but also how to live a balanced life and make a positive impact on the world around them.
WESTERVILLE, Ohio  The National Ground Water Association is urging private water well owners to have their systems inspected by a certified water well contractor as they approach the spring and summer seasons.

The National Ground Water Association recommends an annual inspection of all private water systems. Routine inspection of a water well can help ensure it is operating properly, prolong useful life and most importantly, detect possible water quality issues that may lead to health risks.

Because winter storms and spring flooding can lead to contamination and damage to private water systems, early spring is an ideal time to perform the recommended annual inspection. According to NGWA, the rise of emerging contaminants such as forever chemicals like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)  including PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid)  have made these inspections especially important.

According to NGWA, annual water well inspections should include:

A test of your water for coliform bacteria, nitrates, PFAS/PFOA and anything else of local concern. Other typical additional tests are those for iron, manganese, water hardness, sulfides and other water constituents that cause problems with plumbing, staining, water appearance and odor;

A flow test to determine system output, along with a check of the water level before and during pumping, pump motor performance and pressure tank and pressure switch contact;

An inspection of well equipment to assure that it is sanitary and meets local code requirements;

An overall inspection of the mechanics of the water well;

A concise, clear, written report should be delivered following the checkup that explains results and recommendations and includes all laboratory and other test results.

More information on private water wells, annual inspections and how to find local contractors can be found at wellowner.org, which is operated by NGWA with support from the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the Environmental Protection Agency.
HARRISBURG, Pa.  The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Russell Redding to serve as Pennsylvanias 27th Secretary of Agriculture on May 10. Gov. Josh Shapiro nominated Redding, who previously served as agriculture secretary under Govs. Tom Wolf and Ed Rendell.

It is an honor and privilege to serve Pennsylvania under Governor Josh Shapiros dedicated leadership, Redding said, in his confirmation testimony. Since our first conversation, I have been struck by his energy, experience and vision for Pennsylvania and for agriculture.

I have dedicated my life to agriculture and public service, working to advance an industry that is at the center of some of the most important issues of our time, and shapes the quality of life for every Pennsylvanian.

Redding led the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture through highs and lows during the Wolf administration. This includes the launch of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, a first-of-its-kind program thats invested more than $50 million into various state-level agricultural programs since its inception in 2019.

It also includes responding to the first bird flu outbreak in Pennsylvania in nearly 40 years, which has killed more than 4.6 million domesticated birds in the state in the past year. Of 47 states hit by the outbreak, Pennsylvania is the only state to dedicate a $25 million recovery fund to helping poultry producers cover their losses.

Redding is a Pennsylvania native and grew up on his familys dairy farm. He earned a bachelors in agriculture education and masters in agriculture and extension education from Penn State University. He and his wife Nina have two adult sons and own and operate a farm in Gettysburg.

Redding has extensive experience as a public servant, having spent more than 30 years serving Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and Washington D.C. He worked on Capitol Hill as ag policy advisor to U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford and served for nearly 25 years in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. He currently serves on the Agriculture subcommittee of the USDAs Equity Commission. Redding is also the former dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley University.
A 5-year industry programme designed to improve efficiency in the Welsh red meat supply chain will be sharing its results next week.

Hybu Cig Cymru  Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) Red Meat Development Programme will be highlighted at the NSA Welsh Sheep event on 16 May.

Funded through the Welsh government and the EU Rural Development Programme, the programme has consisted of three projects, each focusing on a different aspect of the red meat supply chain.

The Hill Ram Scheme has supported the use of genetic recording technology to empower hill farmers and breeders to collect and interpret genetic information about their flocks.

Combining traditional hill farming with the latest agri-technologies, the scheme demonstrates how traditional farming methods can be complemented with highly scientific technology to support sustainable sheep farming.

Stoc+ is a flock and herd health planning project which has engaged with beef and sheep farmers and vets to improve proactive health planning on farms.

Concurrently, research work has also been undertaken into diseases and issues which effect farmers efficiency and sustainability such as beef fertility and sheep lameness.

The final strand is the Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project, which has taken a whole supply chain approach to ensuring that Welsh Lamb delivers a premium eating quality experience.

On farm and processing factors have been investigated and the feedback of 2000 consumers from across the UK has been analysed to understand consumer preference.

Research has also been undertaken into consumers buying and cooking habits to gain a full farm to fork analysis.

The project aims to arm the industry with the information and results to ensure that Welsh Lamb continues to be world-leading in terms of eating quality, offering added value to the industry and supply chain.

Results from all three projects will be highlighted at the NSA Welsh Sheep event through the seminar sessions and on HCCs stand.

HCCs producer and processor lead, John Richards, said: "We are proud to be sponsoring the NSA Welsh Sheep event this year and sharing results from the Red Meat Development Programme with farmers and industry.

"The NSA event is a key event for the Welsh sheep industry and we are looking forward to attending and meeting up with levy-payers and project farmers on the day."
Farming charities Addington Fund and Forage Aid have agreed to join forces in a bid to pool resources, combine networks and enhance their offering.

The two charities said the move to form a new organisation would build on the "invaluable work" in supporting farmers and farm workers experiencing hardship.

Known for its work in providing housing, disaster relief and young entrants support, the Addington Fund will extend its on-farm disaster relief support under the Forage Aid brand.

This assistance will continue the legacy of Forage Aid offering emergency, short-term relief to alleviate or relieve livestock suffering by providing feed and bedding to those in need.

The Addington Fund welcomes Andrew Ward MBE, founder of Forage Aid and Tom Hind, Trustee of Forage Aid as Trustees of Addington to the board.

Peter Jinman, chairman of Addington said: "With the increasing challenges that farmers and farm-workers face, were delighted that Addington will be able to offer a wider network of practical support.

"In addition, I am extremely pleased that Andrew Ward and Tom Hind will join our board of Trustees, and we look forward to continuing the important and valued work of Forage Aid."

He said the new organisation would allow administration of the two charities to be combined for efficiency, as well as reducing any competition for funds that might arise within the farming and wider rural sectors.

"In addition, the enlarged Addington team will benefit from an extended network of capable Trustees and supporting stakeholders," he added.

The unified organisation will offer a one-stop-shop for assistance with a range of provisions and support  housing, elderly care, young persons support scheme, farm worker grants and disaster relief.

Forage Aids founder and chair, Andrew Ward MBE said it "makes perfect sense" to combine forces with a charity that complements the work of Forage Aid.

"Being the first respondents in extreme weather situations has meant that Forage Aid has already worked with Addington, and also the Farming Community Network, to support their other work in times of acute need.

"This work has made us very adept at finding the forage needed quickly, in the quantity and bale sizes needed, and through our network of friendly hauliers, to rapidly get it out to farms.

Lord Curry of Kirkharle, former Defra Minister and former Chair of the Princes Countryside Fund, expressed similar sentiments.

"This merger makes absolute sense," he said, "At a time when farming is going through a period of unparalleled change, and help is absolutely necessary, to consolidate and use our resources as efficiently as possible is welcome news."
A 73-year-old man has been charged following a livestock worrying incident in in north east Scotland.

The incident happened between 21 March and 12 April 2023, resulting in the death of four lambs.

A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the man is expected to appear in court at a later date.

Under Scottish legislation, owners of dogs attacking and worrying livestock can now be imprisoned and fined up to 40,000.

The dog does not have to physically attack the sheep to cause them extreme stress or death.

Police Constable Hannah Corbett, of Police Scotland, urged the public to keep dogs under control when out in the countryside.

"Farmers are legally entitled to protect their livestock, which can result in the destruction of a dog by being shot," she said.

"Whilst no farmer wants to resort to this option, it is legal, though it could be easily avoided if owners ensure that their dogs are controlled around livestock.

When you are walking dogs near livestock, please ensure that your dog is kept under control, restrained on a lead, even if you can usually trust it to recall.

Last month, a member of the public was ordered to pay 300 compensation to a farmer following a dog attack which killed one sheep.

The incident happened on the Isle of Wight on 14 March, when a dog off a lead chased sheep which were grazing in a field, before it bit and killed one.

It follows alarming findings from a survey by the National Sheep Association (NSA) that shows sheep farmers are experiencing an increasing occurrence of dog attacks.

In the survey of more than 300 sheep farmers, 70% had experienced a sheep worrying attack in the past 12 months.

On average, three sheep deaths were reported each year per farmer as a result of dog attacks.
NFU Scotland has called for the Scottish government to issue more support to help farmers and crofters become more energy independent.

The Scottish government consultation on its Energy Strategy sets out actions to support the transition to a greener energy system for Scotland.

As farmers are both consumers of, and a growing producer of energy, NFU Scotlands response has mapped out actions it wants to see implemented.

A strategy which supports energy resilience for agriculture by increasing the production of energy on farms while decoupling reliance on the current "unfair" energy system to protect food security is needed, the union said.

And government must do more to support farms to decarbonise, NFU Scotland added, by setting out the preferred options to reduce dependency on red diesel and other fossil fuels used on farm.

The barriers to on-farm green energy production, such as grid blocking, delays in the planning system and the significant costs of connections to the grid, must also be fixed.

Speaking at the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference today (10 May), NFU Scotlands climate change policy manager Kate Hopper said the government must set out support for farms.

She warned that farming businesses had faced unprecedented increases in electricity and other input costs which were threatening to make production unviable.

NFUS is calling for the finalised strategy, over the next five years, to explicitly support the ongoing contribution which farms and crofts can make in the transition to a green energy system," she said.

"Protecting food and other crop production from energy price shocks and maximising the production of home-grown clean energy provision must be a key aim of the Energy Strategy."

Ms Hopper added that the Scottish government must champion on-farm energy as a vital part of the national energy network and future energy mix.

It must also recognise that Scottish agriculture and its wider food and drink supply chain has been exposed to the effects of global energy price shocks," she said.

"The lack of control within our energy system is severely affecting the resilience of our sector and is impacting across the wider supply chain.

As we transition to a new green energy system it is essential that we can decouple our farms and crofts from the current, unfair energy system.
The UK government has announced a 3 million investment to develop, test and scale up new and alternative fertilisers.

The announcement was made at the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Summit, which is taking place in Washington DC.

More than 20 countries are attending to further progress on the Agriculture Breakthrough, a collaborative effort launched under the UKs COP26 presidency.

As part of this, the UK announced it will join the US-led Global Fertiliser Challenge, investing 3 million to develop new fertilisers that can help the environment.

In partnership with the US, the UKs investment will fund a new Efficient Fertiliser Consortium, led by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

Research will be carried out to advance efficient, environmentally beneficial and cost-effective fertilisers and management practices.

Launched during the UKs presidency of COP26, AIM for Climate seeks to increase investment in climate smart agricultural innovation.

The Agriculture Breakthrough is a UK-led collaboration between governments to accelerate development and deployment of clean technologies.

Its goal is to make climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture the most attractive and widely adopted option for farmers everywhere by 2030.

Attending the summit in Washington DC, Defra farming minister Mark Spencer said innovation was key to unlocking a more sustainable, profitable future for farmers.

He added that it was 'vital' for government to join together at the international table to share expertise and best practice.

"And fund new research to catalyse pioneering solutions that will support farmers to meet the challenges of food security while delivering for our environment," Mr Spencer added.

"Alongside todays 3m investment, we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds in ongoing support and one-off grants every year for UK farmers.

"We must continue to foster this innovation not only at home but around the world, and I encourage countries to get onboard as we work to generate a real breakthrough for the agri-food sector."
Vladimir Putin believes that Russia is dependent on the soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin thinks that Russia's fate is dependent on events on the Ukrainian battlefield

The Russian president used his annual Victory Day address in Moscow on Tuesday (09.05.23) to stress the message that the fate of the nation rests in the hands of the soldiers on the battlefields of Ukraine.

Putin said: "There is nothing more important now than your combat effort.

"The security of the country rests on you today, the future of our statehood and our people depend on you."

The military parade, which commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, was scaled back this year for security reasons but Putin followed similar themes to last year in his address as he likened the nation's conflict with Ukraine's "criminal regime" to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The despot took aim at the West by saying that "their goal is nothing else but to see the fall of our country" and accused Western elites of stoking up "hatred and Russophobia" as well as destroying traditional family values.

However, much of the warmonger's speech was centred on his pride for the actions of Russian "heroes" in Ukraine.

He concluded as the national anthem began to play: "There is no cause stronger in the world than our love for our armed forces.

"To Russia, to our armed forces."
Weight-loss jabs can boost protection against cancer.

Weight-loss jabs increase protection against cancer

A new study has found that treatments such as Wegovy and Ozempic have been found to restore the body's natural killer cells that can fend off and destroy tumours.

Obesity reduces the body's defences against cancer as critical cells are rendered useless but Irish experts found that after six months of weekly jabs - known as GLP-1s - the body's killer cell function was successfully recharged.

Professor Donal O'Shea, of the Irish Health Service Executive, said: "Our findings represent very positive news for people living with obesity on GLP-1 therapy.

"They suggest the benefits of this family of treatments may extend to a reduction in cancer risk. We are finally reaching the point where medical treatments for the disease of obesity are being shown to prevent the complications of obesity."
Donald Trump has furiously branded the verdict he sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll part of a witch hunt.

Donald Trump has furiously branded the verdict he sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll part of a witch hunt

The former US President, 76, was ordered to pay $5 million in damages by a jury at a federal court in New York City on Tuesday (09.05.23) over the battery and defamation of Ms Carroll, and in the wake of the decision used his social media app Truth Social to blast the decision as unfair.

He thundered in an all-capitalised outpouring: I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE  A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!Trump later added: VERY UNFAIR TRIAL!Ms Carroll had left court smiling after the verdict, and was reportedly heard saying to the crowd outside: Were very happy.Her attorney Roberta Kaplan later issued a statement calling the verdict a victory not only for E Jean Caroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere.

Trump had been accused of the sexual assault of Ms Carroll, 79, at a department store and the subsequent defamation of the writer by saying she had made up her claim.

A jury of six men and three women spent three hours deciding the civil claims of battery and defamation in the case, and also found Trump defamed Ms Carroll in an October 2022 social media post in which he called her allegations a con job.

The jury told Trump to pay a total of $5 million in damages  $2 million for the battery claim and $20,000 in punitive damages, and for defamation, $2.7 million in compensation and $280,000 in punitive damages.

Before the verdict there was a heated exchange in court over a social media post by Trump in which he claimed he had not been allowed to defend himself.

Trump was allowed to testify but his lawyers did not file an application by the deadline which was set by the judge at 5pm on Sunday.

On Truth Social, Trump said: Waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself.He vowed he would appeal against the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome!

Ms Carrolls lawyer said it was a troublesome post and asked Judge Lewis Kaplan to tell the jury Trump did have the opportunity to come to court.

The judge said: Were dealing here with what were dealing with, and said he wanted to make no further comment.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has reportedly hired Kim Kardashian's former bodyguard.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has hired a new bodyguard

The security expert was spotted walking behind the 41-year-old former actress - who relocated to the US with husband Prince Harry three years ago - and two of her pals during a recent hike near her home in Montecito, California, and as well as his "elite" skills, it is possible the duchess liked the "clout" having such a sought-after minder gives her.

Steve Stanulis, another of Kim's former bodyguards, told The Sun newspaper: "These are guys who come from a small pool of elite bodyguards, from either police or military backgrounds.

"Usually if a guy is good enough to work for high-profile stars, its not unusual for them to be sought-after. Not only for protection, but also for clout. It looks good."

The bodyguard worked for Kim, 42, before and after she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016.

Steve explained that Meghan and Kim are both "equally as vulnerable".

He said: "Kims security will be paramount. Its no different for [Prince] Harry and Meghan - they are world-famous and equally as vulnerable."

Harry previously admitted to being "stunned" after the royal family allowed his security to be taken away.

The 38-year-old prince - who attended King Charles' coronation in London over the weekend - and his wife had their taxpayer-funded protection removed when they relocated to North America in early 2020.

Harry - who has Archie, four, and Lilibet, 23 months, with the duchess - told 'Good Morning America': "I was stunned that my family would allow security to be taken away, especially at the most vulnerable point for us."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the prince previously suggested that the threats to Harry and his family remain very real, observing that they've been subjected to "well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats" in recent years.

The spokesperson said in a statement: "Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life.

"He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats."
Jennifer Garner's kids prefer watching Ben Affleck's movies.

Jennifer Garner's kids don't watch her movies

The 51-year-old actress - who has Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11, with Ben - has revealed that her kids don't enjoy watching her movies and that they much prefer to see her ex-husband on screen.

Jennifer - who has starred in films such as 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'Yes Day' - told Allure magazine: "They dont mind watching their dad, but they kind of want me to be their mom. They dont want to see me upset and women cry more in what we do. And they dont really want to see me in a romantic thing."

Jennifer - who was married to Ben between 2005 and 2018 - loves the challenge of motherhood.

The actress always dreamed of having children, even if that meant having to adopt or becoming a foster parent.

She shared: "Being a mother was one thing I knew I was going to be.

"I really could have been a mother in any way. I could have adopted, I could have fostered, but there was no doubt I was going to be a mom. I mean, I was the kid with the doll everywhere I went. And I had a babysitting company with my friend Carrie - C and Js Babysitting - from, like, seventh or eighth grade."

Jennifer has even confessed to being a little overbearing with her own kids.

The Hollywood star said: "I have a lot of faith in my kids. I dont love every behaviour all the time, always. Its gnarly growing up.

"We didnt have the eyes on us that our kids have. I was such a first-time mom. [My eldest daughter] didnt have a shot. She couldnt have a free thought - I was all over her. I was a nightmare for everyone around me."
Kanye West's campaign treasurer has resigned amid fraud allegations.

Kanye West's campaign treasurer has stepped down

Patrick Krason - who has served as treasurer for the 45-year-old rapper's informal 2024 presidential campaign - informed the Federal Election Commission of his decision in a letter this week.

He wrote: "I have notified the campaign of my resignation and they have been made aware

of the requirement to name a new treasurer within 10 days.

"I have also made them aware that they cannot raise or spend campaign funds until a new treasurer has been named.

"Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns."

As reported by Politico, in a separate letter he alleged that campaign adviser Milo Yiannopoulos could have broken federal campaign finance law.

He claimed that Yiannopoulos "submitted falsified invoices and for expenditures that would be deemed unlawful" last year.

The letter reportedly refers to an expense for a digital asset for with the personality is accused of seeking reimbursement from both Kanye's campaign and that of Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Yiannopoulos has denied the allegations, and told Politico that he wouldn't "give any credence [to] ridiculous, ridiculous and easily disproven claims".

Kanye is yet to officially declare his candidacy, which would require him filing paperwork with the FEC.

However, he did appear to share a campaign video on Twitter in November 2022, which he has since deleted.

He has since shared other videos, including one with a 'Ye 24' logo in reference to running for president.

It would mark his second presidential run after he previously earned around 60,000 votes across 12 states after launching a big for president in 2020.

Last year, the 'Jesus Walks' rapper previously lost his deal with Adidas, was dropped by agents CAA and record label Def Jam, and had the likes of Balenciaga and Vogue magazine distance themselves from him due to a string of anti-Semitic comments he made last year, including praising the "good things" about Adolf Hitler and declaring he wanted to go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE".
At a recent Power of Women event put on by Variety magazine, it was Natasha Lyonne who took to the stage as the center of attention. This is something that she has had to get very used to in recent years, as the success of her television work has blossomed.

Natasha Lyonne

Lyonne seems to be at the forefront of a new group of women that are beginning to build a very noticeable share of the critically acclaimed TV market. These are women who are regularly featured on online betting sites in markets for Emmy Awards and the like. But they are also able to consistently produce, write and act in shows that remain highly rated on all television platforms.

Natasha Lyonne

She started her acting career at the age of six on Pee-wees Playhouse and continued in high-profile roles on television and in the movies throughout her adolescent years before some well-documented personal problems. But she has come back even stronger and really broke through (again) in Orange is the New Black.

Russian Doll allowed her to expand her responsibilities, acting, writing, directing and producing two seasons of the hit comedy drama. More recently she has appeared as the main character in the critically acclaimed Poker Face in which her character was inspired by the classic Columbo. It seems as if there is no stopping her right now.

Issa Rae

Now a star on both small and big screen, Issa Rae first attracted attention with her YouTube series Awkward Black Girl. Her natural charm and comedic talent have won her plenty of successful roles since then and she almost guarantees that a new show will be a smash hit.

She achieved wider recognition for Insecure, which she co-wrote, co-created and starred in. She was nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globes for the comedy drama and has since seamlessly made the move to big romantic dramas. But she is definitely doing it in her own unique style.

Amy Poehler

This comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director really hit the big time when she won a place on Saturday Night Live. But she was introduced to a wider audience with her performance in Parks and Recreation where she played a well-meaning deputy director of parks in small town Indiana.

It was in that show that she came up with the idea of Galentines Day a special day for female friendship  an event that has now become a real thing. Poehler has moved into more producing and directing work since then and actually co-created Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne.

Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson is another star that started off by building a fan base on social media. Her Instagram series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date went viral and helped her get work at Buzzfeed. She went on to create and produce shows on the web platform before leaving in 2018.

Three years later her status went through the roof when Abbott Elementary, a show she wrote, co-executive produced and starred in became a huge hit for ABC. She became the first black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series and was named in Time Magazines Most Influential People of 2022.

Maya Rudolph

When you are the daughter of Minnie Ripperton it might be expected that you will be successful in the arts in some way. But it is television and film that Maya Rudolph has excelled in rather than music like her mother. She is another who got her big break on Saturday Night Live  and has gone on to bigger and brighter things.

She has starred in a whole host of television shows and films and has won a number of Emmy awards along the way. She is another of Natasha Lyonnes inner circle, joining forces to start a production company that is responsible for all their latest hits. Like all the women on this list, she is showing that women can do just about everything these days.
Looking for a perfect long-haul escape in 2023? With its stunning beaches, vibrant culture, and delicious cuisine, the country of Thailand has everything you need for a rejuvenating vacation. And if you're looking for a luxurious stay, look no further than the Amari Phuket and Amari Vogue Krabi. These hotels offer top-notch amenities and unforgettable experiences that will make your stay in Thailand truly unforgettable.

Hong Island

Let's start with Amari Phuket. This stunning hotel is located on a secluded beach in Phuket, the swimming pools here offer breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea and the hotel's luxurious rooms have floor to ceiling windows showing off the beauty of their lush green setting.

Amari Phuket secluded beach

If you're feeling adventurous, the Amari Phuket offers a wide range of activities to keep you entertained. Take a Thai cooking class, learn how to make a traditional flower garland, or go on a snorkeling trip to explore the vibrant coral reefs. And of course, no trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to a temple. The hotel can arrange for you to visit the nearby Wat Chalong temple, where you can see beautiful statues and learn about Thai culture and religion.

Amari Phuket pool

Phuket is also the perfect location for:

For more of a luxury 'hideaway' the Amari Vogue Krabi has you covered. This stunning hotel is located on Tubkaak Beach in Krabi, offering stunning views of the Andaman Sea and the surrounding limestone cliffs. The hotel's luxurious rooms are decorated in a contemporary Thai style and are equipped with all the modern amenities you could need. But what sets the Amari Vogue Krabi apart is the incredible swimming pools that are situated centrally through the hotel creating a grand water feature cascading down towards the stunning sea views that are visible from everywhere in the resort.

Amari Vogue Krabi hideaway

If you're looking to explore the area, the Amari Vogue Krabi offers a wide range of activities to keep you entertained. Take a longtail boat tour to explore the nearby islands, go kayaking in the mangrove forests, or take a sunset cruise to see the stunning coastline from a different perspective. Just 20 minutes boat ride from the resort is Hong Island which is known for its crystal-clear waters and towering limestone cliffs.

Both resorts offer fantastic on-site restaurants, exceptional service and top class spa facilities all nestled immaculately into the abundant flora and fauna.

The best bit? These two Amari resorts are within 3 hours drive from each other so you can include both dreamy escapes in one trip without having to get back on a plane.

Written by Sabrina Chakici, TV Host & Travel Writer. Follow her travels at www.clutchandcarryon.com
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The Australian government in its 2023-24 budget has introduced a new tax breakthe Small Business Energy Incentiveto help small and medium businesses electrify and save on their energy bills.

The incentive will provide $310 million in tax relief and support up to 3.8 million businesses make investments like electrifying their heating and cooling systems, installing batteries and upgrading to high-efficiency electrical goods.

Australia in its 2023-24 budget has introduced a new tax breakthe Small Business Energy Incentiveto help small and medium businesses electrify and save on energy bills. The budget announced setting up of a Net Zero Authority to help guide the net zero transformation. The $2-billion Hydrogen Headstart will accelerate large-scale renewable hydrogen projects.

Businesses with annual turnover of less than $50 million will have access to a bonus 20 per cent tax deduction for eligible assets supporting electrification and more efficient use of energy, from July 1, 2023, until June 30, 2024.

Up to $100,000 of total expenditure will be eligible for the incentive, with the maximum bonus tax deduction being $20,000 per business.

This is in addition to $62.6 million towards energy efficiency grants for small and medium enterprises in the October budget.

The government is also making it easier for small businesses to invest and grow by providing $290 million in cash flow support through the $20,000 instant asset write-off.

It is providing approximately 2.1 million eligible small businesses with cash-flow relief by halving the increase in their quarterly tax instalments for goods and services tax and income tax in fiscal 2023-24.

Instalments will only increase by 6 per cent instead of 12 per cent, which better reflects the economic conditions currently faced by the sector.

A new $392.4-million Industry Growth Programme will help support small to medium businesses and start-ups develop new products and services to grow their operations.

The budget announced funding the establishment of a Net Zero Authority to help guide the net zero transformation.

As part of the Powering the Regions Fund, the $400-million Industrial Transformation Stream will support the growth of new clean energy industries in regional areas, as well as innovative efforts to decarbonise existing industrial activities.

The government's $2-billion Hydrogen Headstart will accelerate large-scale renewable hydrogen projects. Australia already has the largest pipeline of renewable hydrogen projects in the world.

Hydrogen Headstart will bridge the commercial gap for early-stage projects, and position Australia to be a world leading hydrogen producer and exporter, the budget document said.

The government will provide $38.2 million to establish a Guarantee of Origin scheme to underpin markets for green energy, including hydrogen and other low emissions products.

It is also providing $14.8 million to establish the Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre, which will support Australian businesses looking to manufacture, commercialise and adopt renewable technologies.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) has been awarded a contract worth $1.5 billion to construct a multi-purpose seaport in Kampot, Cambodia. The Kampot Logistics and Port project, which covers 600 hectares, was initiated in May last year. The project features other major contributors like the Shanghai Construction Group and China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The agreement, signed by CHEC's Cambodia office managing director Lan Qiuli and Kampot Logistics and Port Company's president Meas Thom, was witnessed by Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol.

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) will construct a $1.5 billion multi-purpose seaport in Kampot, Cambodia, in a 15-year project spanning three phases. The Kampot Logistics and Port project will include a container terminal, a special economic zone, and an oil refinery, among other features. By 2030, the port plans to handle 600,000 TEUs.

The 15-year construction project will be executed in three phases, with the first costing approximately $200 million from 2022 to 2025. Upon completion, the deepwater port will boast a depth of 15 metres, sufficient to house vessels up to 100,000 tons. It aims to handle 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by 2025 and double that by 2030.

The mega project will encompass a container terminal, a special economic zone, a free trade area, a logistics hub, an oil refinery, and a terminal for tourist vessels, among other features. It is anticipated to be the third largest port in Cambodia, following the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, Chinese media reports quoted Chanthol as saying.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)
Beating expectations, exports in China increased by 8.5 per cent year on year (YoY) in April this year to $295.42 billion, down from a 14.8 per cent rise in March, recent China Customs data showed.

Amid weak demand and lower commodity prices, imports, however, fell short of expectations and shrank by 7.9 per cent YoY during the month to $205.21 billion, down further from a fall of 1.4 per cent in March.

China's exports beat expectations and rose by 8.5 per cent year on year (YoY) in April to $295.42 billion, down from a 14.8 per cent rise in March. Imports, however, shrank by 7.9 per cent YoY during the month to $205.21 billion, down from a fall of 1.4 per cent in March. Exports fell by 6.4 per cent and imports by 9.7 per cent in April on a monthly basis.

On a monthly basis, exports fell by 6.4 per cent and imports fell by 9.7 per cent in April.

The countrys trade surplus in April widened, growing by 82.3 per cent YoY.

Trade with the United States and the European Union (EU) contracted during the month compared to the same month last year.

Exports to the United States were down by 6.5 per cent in April to $43 billion, and imports from there fell by 2.9 per cent to $13.3 billion.

Exports to the EU were down by 17.7 per cent YoY in April to $44.7 billion. Imports from the EU contracted as well, shrinking by 38.6 per cent to $23.4 billion. China's trade surplus with the EU grew by 31.5 per cent to $21.3 billion, a global newswire reported.

Exports to Russia were triple what they were in April last year to $9.6 billion, and imports were up by 7 per cent to $9.6 billion. China has eliminated its trade deficit with Russia, with a 99 per cent shrink of the $5.1 billion deficit in Russia's favour last year.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Indonesias economy in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023 grew by 5.03 per cent year-on-year (YoY). The manufacturing sector, which had a dominant contribution, grew by 4.43 per cent, as per Statistics Indonesia.

The structure of Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP) in Q1 2023, on the production side at the current prices, did not show any significant changes. Indonesian economy was still dominated by manufacturing at 18.57 per cent, followed by wholesale and retail trade.

Indonesia's economy in Q1 2023 grew by 5.03 per cent YoY, with the manufacturing sector contributing significantly, growing by 4.43 per cent; exports showed the highest growth of 11.68 per cent. Despite a contraction of 0.92 per cent QoQ in the economy, HFCE component saw a slight growth of 0.25 per cent. Jawa Island contributed 57.17 per cent to the GDP.

Overall exports showed the highest growth of 11.68 per cent. It was followed by the NPISHs Final Consumption Expenditure (NPISHs FCE) component by 6.17 per cent, Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) component by 4.54 per cent; General Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GGFCE) component by 3.99 per cent; and Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) component by 2.11 per cent. Imports of the Goods and Services component (as the reducing factor in GDP by expenditure) also grew by 2.77 per cent, according to data released by Statistics Indonesia.

The structure of Indonesian GDP by expenditure showed no significant changes. Covering more than half of the GDP, the HFCE component still dominated Indonesian economy by giving a 52.88 per cent share. Furthermore, the GFCF component was the second largest contributor with 29.11 per cent share, followed by Exports of Goods and Services with 22.71 per cent, GGFCE component with 5.32 per cent, NPISHs FCE component with 1.17 per cent, and Changes in Inventories with 2.40 per cent. Meanwhile, Imports of Goods and Services component, as the reducing factor in GDP, contributed to 19.56 per cent.

Indonesias economy contracted by 0.92 per cent in Q1 2023 compared to the previous quarter. The contraction occurred on almost all expenditure components, except the HFCE component, which grew by 0.25 per cent. GGFCE component experienced the deepest contraction at 45.38 per cent. This was followed by Exports of Goods and Services component, which contracted by 5.40 per cent, GFCF component by 3.72 per cent, and NPISHs FCE component by 0.97 per cent. On the other hand, Imports of Goods and Services, as the reducing factor in GDP, also experienced contraction at 6.95 per cent.

The group of provinces in Jawa Island in Q1 2023 recorded the domination of Indonesias economic structure spatially with a role of 57.17 per cent of GDP, followed by Sumatera Island at 21.82 per cent, Kalimantan Island by 9.00 per cent, Sulawesi Island by 6.87 per cent, Bali and Nusa Tenggara Islands by 2.68 per cent, and Maluku and Papua Islands by 2.46 per cent.

Meanwhile, with the abolition of the Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement policy on December 30, 2022, economic growth in most provinces has shown strengthening. In Q1 2023, strengthening growth on a YoY basis was recorded in the group of provinces in Sulawesi Island by 7.00 per cent, followed by Kalimantan Island with 5.79 per cent, Sumatera Island by 4.79 per cent; as well as the islands of Bali and Nusa Tenggara by 4.74 per cent. The group of provinces in Jawa Island as well as Maluku and Papua Islands experienced a slowdown in growth of 4.96 per cent and 1.95 per cent, respectively.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)
Bhumi Pednekar recently won her third Filmfare Award for her performance in Badhaai Do. She won Best Actress (Critics) at the 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023 with Maharashtra Tourism.In Badhaai Do, Bhumi played the role of a PT teacher and a lesbian who married a gay policeman Shardul (Rajkummar Rao) to hide their true self from their family.In an interview with a leading news agency, Bhumi came in support of same-sex marriage which is currently heard at the Supreme Court in India. She said, "I just feel love is love and as individuals we should all have equality in every aspect of life. I feel God made us from the same thread and it is not up to us to have biases and pass judgements on what somebody's life deserves to be. I'm an ally of the community."Talking about her Filmfare win, she stated, "Winning the Filmfare is more like a personal victory but the love the film got as a whole is a victory for the community. The success and love the film has received makes you realise that our country is changing and our cinema is part of the changing narrative like in so many of my other films in the past."She further talked about Badhaai Do and said, "Badhaai Do is an extremely important film for me, as I have a part of my soul attached to it, given that I have so many friends who are from the LGBTQIA+ community. I got a chance to represent them in a small way and it makes me feel that I'm part of the solution to their challenges."This award marks Bhumis second Best Actress (Critics) award, previously she had won the black lady for her portrayal in Sonchiriya (2019). She also won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in 2016 for the film Dum Laga Ke Haisha starring alongside Ayushmann Khurrana.Meanwhile, on the professional front, Bhumi was last seen in Bheed and Afwaah. She will next be seen in the thriller film Bhakshak. She also has The Lady Killer and Meri Patni Ka Remake both with Arjun Kapoor in her pipeline.
It seems like the anticipation for Dream Girl 2 is reaching new heights as the release date approaches. The introduction of Ayushmann Khurrana's character, Pooja, through three intriguing videos has caught the attention of fans.

The enthusiasm of the fans is evident in the recent incident where a fan girl was spotted holding a poster that read "DREAM GIRL 2 #PoojaKiKissOnAug25." This further fueled the excitement surrounding the film. Ayushmann Khurrana himself acknowledged the fan's dedication by sharing the image on his social media accounts.

Even Ektaa R Kapoor, the producer of Dream Girl 2, joined in and shared the image on her social media handles, contributing to the growing craze. With the days ticking down to the release date, fans are eagerly waiting to witness the magic of Dream Girl 2 on the big screen.

The movie's unique marketing strategy, talented cast, and promising storyline have positioned it as one of the most highly anticipated Bollywood releases of the year.

Balaji Telefilms Dream Girl 2 is Produced by Ektaa R Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, and it is Directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa. The film is set to hit theatres on August 25th, 2023. Fans can expect an exciting and entertaining cinematic experience with the return of Ayushmann Khurrana as Pooja in this highly awaited sequel.
Robert De Niro Welcomes Child At 79: The Hollywood legend, Robert De Niro, who boasts of a prolific career spanning over five decades has welcomed the newest member to his family. The Oscar-winning actor has become a father for the seventh time.

Robert De Niro, during an interview for his upcoming film, 'About My Father' revealed the news of welcoming a baby at 79. During a sitdown with ET Canada, the legendary actor spoke about parenthood.

ROBERT DE NIRO WELCOMES 7TH CHILD

Robert De Niro took everyone by surprise after he revealed about the newest addition to his family. The actor while promoting the film talked about fatherhood and said, "There's no way around it with kids. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you can't." When the host asked him about his six children, Robert De Niro corrected him and revealed that he actually has seven children.

"I just had a baby," the actor added. However, neither did the actor provide any further details about the newest addition to his family nor revealed the identity of the mother. Recently, his current girlfriend, Tiffany Chen was spotted flaunting her baby bump during their dinner outing.

During the interview, went on to reveal that he doesn't consider himself a cool dad. "I'm okay," he said. "You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they're respectful. My daughter, she's 11, she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know. And my youngest now, that'll be more to come. But, that's what it is."

Meanwhile, Robert De Niro has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films, including "The Godfather Part II," "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," and "The Irishman," among others. Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, Robert has won two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among many other top honors.
Karnataka Election 2023: Sandalwood celebrities cast votes, Kichcha Sudeep, Rishab Shetty's photos from polling booth surface online.

On Wednesday, Kannada actor and filmmaker Rishab Shetty was seen outside a polling booth in Udupi before casting his vote in the Karnataka assembly election 2023. He was photographed by his fans near his car as he entered the polling booth. After casting his vote, Rishab took to Instagram and shared a photo, urging his fans and followers to perform their duties as citizens.

Rishab Shetty shared photos from polling booth on Instagram

Dressed in a white shirt and matching dhothi, he shared photos of himself as he showed his Voter ID Card. He posed while displaying the electoral ink on his forefinger after he had cast his vote. He captioned the post, "We are proud to be citizens of a democratic country. Also, voting is not only our right but also our responsibility. For building a better society, vote without fail to elect a competent representative. I have voted for a better future of our Karnataka. Have you voted yet?" He added the hashtags 'Karnataka assembly election 2023', 'vote now' and 'our right our vote' to his caption. Rishab's photo from near the booth were also shared by fans on social media, where he was seen taking selfies with some of them.

Kichcha Sudeep campaigned for BJP

Apart from the Kantara star, Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep also casted his vote on Wednesday. His photos and videos from the polling booth made their way to social media. He casted his vote from a poll in Bengaluru's JP Nagar. Kichcha also took part in the electoral campaigns and he rendered his support to a BJP candidate from the Molakalmuru Assembly constituency, S Thippeswamy, in Chitradurga.

Earlier in April, he also accompanied Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai along with BJP national president JP Nadda and other BJP leaders who held a road show in Shiggaon. The actor extended his support to the Chief Minister during the road show.
Karnataka Election 2023: Actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday arrived at a polling booth in Sr Joseph's school in Bengaluru's Shanti Nagar. He met the press after casting the vote, urging people to vote wisely. He also said he was there because we need "Karnataka to be beautiful."

KARNATAKA ELECTIONS 2023: PRAKASH RAJ CASTS HIS VOTE

The assembly polls in Karnataka are taking place on Wednesday, with voters flocking to the election booths and cast their votes. The polling started at 7 am and it will go on till 6 pm.

The polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations with a total number of 42,48,028 new voters having been registered to vote the elections. The major political parties that are contesting in the election are JD(S), BJP, and Congress.

On the acting front, Prakash Raj was last seen in the magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan 2. The film directed by Mani Ratnam had him playing the role of Chola king, Sundara Chola and the father of Adithya Karikalan, Arunmozhi Varman, and Kundhavai.

#WATCH | "We've to vote against communal politics. We need Karnataka to be beautiful," says Actor Prakash Raj after casting his vote for #KarnatakaAssemblyElection pic.twitter.com/bvVgTgeetP  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

The film is based on the Tamil novel of the same name written by Kalki. while AR Rahman composed the music for Ponniyin Selvan 2, its cinenatography was handeled by Ravi Varman. The film was bankrolled by Lyca Pictures and Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies.

KARNATAKA ELECTIONS 2023: OTHER CELEBS ARRIVE AT POLLING BOOTHS

As far as the elections are concerned, several other celebrities have cast their votes. This includes actor Upendra Rao, Infosys' billionaire Co-founder Narayana Murthy.

Videos of Narayana Murthy standing in line to vote in the Karnataka polls in Bengaluru surfaced online. After casting his vote, the 76-year-old said, "First, we vote...then we can say 'This is good, this isn't good'. But if we don't do that then we don't have the right to criticise."

Murthy's philanthropist wife Sudha Murthy also cast her vote. Present Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also cast his votes along with his family.

Keep watching this space for more updates!
Viber Good Devu To Re-Enter The House?: Sreedevi Menon, aka Viber Good Devu's exit from Bigg Boss Malayalam season 5, was totally unexpected. Devu was an active contestant in the Bigg Boss house right from the beginning.

From the very first day of this season, Devu's voice was heard loudly in the Bigg Boss house. Devu had been in the front to argue, fight, and comment. But in the later days, Devu lost her initial enthusiasm.

But Devu had to bid farewell to the Bigg Boss house. In a double eviction, Devu was evicted from Bigg Boss. Maneesha was the other one who got kicked out of the show, along with Devu. Both of them bid farewell to the Bigg Boss house unexpectedly.

Bigg Boss Malayalam 5: Sagar and Akhil Engage In Huge FIGHT, Injuring Marar's Neck; SHOCKING New Promo

Angeline Mariya, Gopika Gopi, Devu, and Maneesha are the contestants who have been evicted from Bigg Boss so far. Hanan Hamid and Aiswarya Suresh (Lachu) also went out due to health problems. These six were very popular contestants on the show. There is also the question of how Bigg Boss will get viewers without them.

After coming out of Bigg Boss, Devu has reacted through social media. that it was an unfair eviction. "Thank you all for the support. I would say it was an unfair eviction," she said.

"Because I played genuinely. I never expected this eviction. I will say from the bottom of my heart that it was unfair. I want re-entry and need your support." Devu said soon after her eviction.

Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5: Reneesha Slams Sobha For Using Foul Language, She Apologises To Housemates

Devu's Re-Entry To Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5!

Devu's fans are also waiting for her return to Bigg Boss. Dev is most eligible for a re-entry to Bigg Boss, according to her fans. But now something has happened that gives strength to the doubts that Devu is returning to Bigg Boss.

In a photo she posted on Instagram, Devu can be seen standing at the Mumbai International Airport. The caption she chose for the image raises doubts about her return to the show. The caption given to the picture is 'Time, Trust'. Hashtags: #bb, #biggbossmalayalamseason5, #waiting, and #reentrymatters are also given below the cryptic caption. In another image captioned "Inside the caravan," she can be seen with make-up and dressed beautifully as if she is going to re-enter the show.
Soundarya Rajinikanth Files A Police Complaint: Superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth has filed a complaint at the Thenampet police station in Chennai about the missing keys of her luxury car. This information has become a topic of discussion on the internet now.

Aishwarya Rajinikanth's Jewel Theft Complaint

Actor Rajinikanth's daughters seem to have been hit with bad luck in the family lately. Aishwarya Rajinikanth, the eldest daughter of Rajinikanth, had filed a complaint at the Thenampet police station that a few months ago, she had lost gold and diamond jewelery from her home. This created quite a stir at the time.

Soundarya's Luxury Car Keys Missing?

Later, during the police investigation, it was revealed that the woman who worked at Aishwarya's house and the car driver had planned and carried out the theft. After that, the Saidapet court granted bail to both of them. Not even a month after the commotion subsided, Rajinikanth's youngest daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth came to Thenampet police station today (May 10, 2023) and complained that the keys of her luxury car were missing.

In this complaint of Soundarya, she mentioned that on April 23rd, while she was walking from Gopalapuram near the college in Thenampet, her purse was lost and the spare car key was in it. The Thenampet police have accepted Soundarya Rajinikanth's complaint and are investigating the matter.

Range Rover Family

Lost in the incident are Soundarya's Range Rover car keys. It is not known exactly which model Range Rover car she has. Because there are 4 different Range Rover models currently on sale in India namely Range Rover Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar. All four differ slightly in appearance.

But there are many differences between these four in technical aspects. Because the ex-showroom price of the Range Rover Evoque is Rs 72 lakh. But the ex-showroom price of the Range Rover model is around Rs 4.17 crore. The technical features offered in these also vary according to this price.

Experts Appreciate Soundarya's Smartness

Experts in the field of automobiles says, "If a spare key is lost, we should file a complaint in police station. Because it doesn't matter if the key is accidentally lost. But if someone deliberately took the keys, then the car is also likely to be lost. As we have seen above, Range Rover cars are priced from lakhs to crores each. So what Soundarya Rajinikanth has done is a good thing."
Report underlines advantages of State players in building solutions, biz model The surging demand for better infrastructure nationwide and in global markets  especially those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative  is expected to draw increasing participation from State-owned enterprises engaged in the sector, as such demand is providing valuable opportunities to sharpen their business edge and expand operating scale, a recent report said. According to a report on Tuesday by China Securities Co Ltd, there is robust demand for infrastructure around the world, and the annual global total of infrastructure investment is expected to surpass $3 trillion by 2025. With diplomatic advantages earned by China through its efforts in pushing global cooperation, such as the BRI, and the nation's edge in infrastructure building, State contractors stand out among their global peers also for their professional solutions and maturer operating models. In China, where infrastructure investment has been a key pillar stabilizing economic growth, especially during the COVID-ravaged years, the country's fast recovery still relies heavily on efforts to expand domestic demand, in which infrastructure investment plays a significant role, the report said. Infrastructure investment will still be a focus of macroeconomic policies this year. The annual growth of the sector is expected to reach a relatively high level of around 10 percent this year, with most spending seen in projects concerning urban construction, transportation and infrastructure supporting clean energy use, the report said. "Based on last year's issuing pace of special local bonds and regarding the significant role infrastructure plays in stabilizing the economy, issuance of the bonds is likely to speed up in the second quarter this year," said Wen Bin, chief researcher at China Minsheng Bank. "In addition, with COVID-19 impacts easing, fiscal spending on pandemic controls will fall while that on infrastructure will rise. With various financing tools taking effect, infrastructure construction will further accelerate this year driven by ample fund resources, and more new projects are expected to commence," Wen said. Citing the purchasing managers' index concerning construction in April, which was 63.9  much higher than the 50-point mark that separates contraction from growth  the report said that with various favorable conditions, State contractors which have generally shown clear improvements in their earning strength will reap more benefits in domestic and global markets amid their future expansion. China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp Ltd, a unit of the centrally administered China Railway Construction Corp, told China Daily that its construction is heading faster toward early operations on some domestic projects. One of the builders engaging in the urban rail project in Hefei, Anhui province, CR24 said its workers dug through a two-way tunnel on a section under construction on Hefei Metro's Line 6 over the weekend. Located in the section between Science Avenue and Huaining Road, the underground tunnel went through many high-risk areas in the provincial capital, such as under office buildings, expressways and a railway station. Construction workers paid extra attention as tunneling work runs the risk of leading to the settlement of nearby buildings and foundations, CR24 said. In addition, the State contractor said its team working on the Wenling-Yuhuan High-speed Railway project in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, is also making faster progress than expected, thanks to recovering industrial and logistics chains nationwide. One of the SOEs participating in the building of the high-speed rail line, CR24 said that with the supply of construction workers being adequate thanks to the optimization of the COVID-19 control measures, the team managed to gain back its pace on the project of which 84.8 percent of works are bridge and tunnel construction. The railway is a local railway project to facilitate integrated regional development, CR24 said, with the newly planned section reaching 37.8 kilometers. Globally, in Sri Lanka's Dambulla, the first section of a 17-km canal project undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) Sri Lanka Branch started operating near the village of Nabadagahawatta in late April, with the water carried from the nearby Wemedilla Reservoir. The canal section, which is 1.5 meters high, irrigates the farmlands it passes through before reaching the destination, putting an end to the long-felt difficulties faced by local farmers. CSCEC said its workers are responsible for the construction work of two tunnels, four siphons, an open water canal, an underground water canal, bridges, culverts, roads and landscaping along the canal line. "The construction is progressing smoothly thanks to team efforts, which comprises both Chinese and local employees. The main structure of the entire canal is expected to be completed before the end of this year," said Tao Yanrong, the project manager. CSCEC, ninth on the Fortune Global 500 list, reported in April a 10.6 percent surge in its new contract value last year. Its revenue surpassed 2 trillion yuan ($288.7 billion) for the first time in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent.
TV Star Rejects Bigg Boss: Randeep Rai, who made his TV debut with Channel V's O Gujariya: Badlein Chal Duniya in 2014, has come a long way in his career. After playing a pivotal role in Diya Aur Baati Hum, he finallt made his mark with Sony TV's Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai opposite Ashi Singh.

After Balika Vadhu with Shivangi Joshi, Randeep finally made his small-screen comeback three months ago with Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 as the new male lead after the generation leap.

Co-starring Niti Taylor, BALH 2 failed to make a mark after the leap and is all set to go off-air this month. While Randeep has been regularly doing daily soaps, he's been away from reality shows in his nine-year-long career so far.

RANDEEP RAI ON DOING REALITY SHOWS LIKE BIGG BOSS

Anupamaa Star Rupali Ganguly On Her Journey So Far: Feel Blessed When Fans Say Hum Rahe Ya Na Rahe...

In a recent interview, the actor opened up about his decisiong of staying away from non-fiction shows and revealed rejecting big-ticket shows like Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi 13.

Every year, the actor has been offered reality shows like Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi, and he has always rejected them, leaving the fans disheartened.

Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2: NitI-Randeep's Co-Star Sad Over Show Going Off-Air: Was There In First & Last...

Talking about reality shows to Tellychakkar, Randeep said, "My name keeps popping for many reality shows. Nach Baliye was one of them, even though I'm single. I do not like to talk about something until it's not confirmed. To be honest, I am not comfortable doing reality shows, be it Bigg Boss or Khatron Ke Khiladi. So, once I'm sure I can do the show, I will accept the offer."

RANDEEP RAI'S BOLLYWOOD & OTT CAREER

Well, the actor's fans would love to seen him in reality shows. However, looks like they will have to wait a little longer.

On the career front, Randeep was also seen in films like Pranaam (2019) and Saroj Ka Rishta (2022). He made his OTT debut with Never Kiss Your Bestfriend - Lockdown Special (2020) and was later seen in Virgin Suspect (2021) and Pavitra Rishta 2 (2021).

Keep watching this space for more updates!
Zeeshan Khan Clarifies His Break-up With Reyhna Pandit: Bigg Boss OTT fame Zeeshan Khan recently announced his breakup with his girlfriend Reyhna Pandit. Taking to his Instagram handle, Zeeshan thanked Reyhna for all the good times and also bid her goodbye.

Now, what can be termed as a change of heart, the actor had said that they have not called it quits. The ex-Bigg Boss OTT contestant mentioned that he and Reyhna are just on a break. He even confessed that he can never hate Pandit.

ZEESHAN KHAN SAYS 'THIS IS JUST A BREAK'

During an interview with Times Of India, Zeeshan was quoted as saying, "Yes, I agree with Reyhna. This is just a break that we are taking, it is not a break-up. I did post about parting ways because at that time, I felt that things had reached a certain point. However, I can never hate Reyhna. She has brought a lot of peace in my life and I need to consider that before taking any drastic decision."

The actor further added, "Also, I am not someone who gets into a relationship just for the sake of it. When I commit to someone, it is for life. Reyhna and I will continue to be friends and keep in touch. We are just taking this time to give each other space and figure out a few things."

While Zeeshan earlier called it a break-up, Reyhna always maintained that it was never a break-up from her end. "We had a fight and things got ugly, and that's when Zeeshan posted about our split on his social media account. I was not sure about ending the relationship because I really love him."

REYHNA PANDIT ON BREAK-UP WITH ZEESHAN KHAN

She further added, "So, I just let things be and in the past few weeks, I spent time with my parents in Nashik, looked after my cat, who had given birth to kittens, and since I am not shooting currently, I spent time alone. I needed this space and Zeeshan also needed time for himself. I don't see this as a break-up, I would call it a break. We are giving each other time to see if we can reconnect and build a future together."
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 extension: TV buffs have not been able to control their excitement ever since the news about Randeep Rai and Niti Taylor's show getting an extension surfaced on the internet. The romantic drama, which is produced by Ekta Kapoor, was supposed to go off air this month.

BADE ACHHE LAGTE HAIN 2 LAST EPISODE & OFF AIR DATE

Filmibeat was the first portal to confirm that Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 will bid adieu to the viewers after the culmination of Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2023. The channel decided to pull the plug on the show owing to low TRPs.

"While gossip mills suggested that Shivangi Joshi-Kushal Tandon's upcoming drama will replace BALH 2, all signs point out towards new season of the show. Nakuul Mehta and Disha Parmar are said to be reuniting once again for Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3. However, things are at a nascent stage and not finalised yet. The makers and the channel might introduce a new show instead of season three," a reliable source earlier exclusively told Filmibeat.

WHAT NITI TAYLOR SAID ABOUT BADE ACHHE LAGTE HAIN 2 EXTENSION

Gossip mills have been buzzing with the rumours that Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 artists were called back as the show has received an extension. It is being said that the cast and crew will shoot for 15 more days due to the extension.

The actors were earlier told to take up projects after May 10/11 and now, they have been reportedly notified about the show getting extended. BALH 2 will continue to stay on television for half a month now.

Niti Taylor, while interacting with a portal, reacted to the rumours about Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 getting an extension for fifteen days. She said that she also heard the same for the first time. The TV diva didn't give confirmation on the extension.

"It is news to me as well. I have no confirmation on this," the Ishqbaaaz actress told India Forums.

Do you think BALH 2 deserves another chance? Will you miss Niti Taylor-Randeep's chemistry? Share your thoughts with us @Filmibeat.

Stay tuned for more updates.
Anupamaa twist: If you thought that Rupali Ganguly and Gaurav Khanna's show will soon witness the reunion of MaAn, you're mistaken. The makers have planned new twists and turns to keep the viewers hooked on to their television sets.

While Maya is wreaking havoc in Anuj and Anupama's lives, Vanraj has suffered a heart attack following Kavya's exit from the Shah household. Anupamaa, who had promised to only focus on her life, rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from Baa and Bapuji. Failing to keep up to her promise, she visited her former husband in the hospital after she was informed about his health condition.

The new promo has hinted at the entry of Malti Devi aka Gurumaa. Veteran actress Apara Mehta, who is fondly known for her role of Savita Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, will be seen in a special role. She will essay the role of a dancer in the hit daily soap co-starring Sudhanshu Pandey, Chhavi Pandey and Nidhi Shah.

Guess what? A new mystery man will enter Anupamaa's life amid her separation from Anuj Kapadia. He is none other than Nakul, who will be Malti Devi's son. He will emerge as a pillar of support for Anupama after he will get to know about the troubles in her life.

Amid the melodrama in the show, Nakul's character will be like a breath of fresh air. Aman Maheshwari, who was last seen in Niti Taylor and Randeep Rai's Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2, is playing the role of Nakul in the daily soap, which is produced by Rajan Shahi.

A report in Tellychakkar said that Nakul's painful past will turn out to be a big connecting link between the two. He will provide rock solid support to Anupama and might try to bridge the gap between her and Anuj Kapadia.

Interestingly, both Malti Devi and Nakul will play major roles in Anupama's life in the upcoming episode. On a related note, Maya and Barkha will once again join hands to keep Anuj away from Ahmedabad as the latter is ready to resolve his differences with his wife.
San Jose, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 9, 2023) - ArchLynk, a global leader in Digital Supply Chain Consulting Services and Global Trade Solutions headquartered in San Jose, California, announced today the acquisition of WCS Consulting, a leading consulting advisory firm for Planning and Operational optimization solutions for digital supply chains.

This acquisition is part of ArchLynk's vision to become the leading digital supply chain systems integrator globally. This is ArchLynk's first acquisition following the merger of Krypt and Novigo, SAP digital supply chain partners backed by BV Investment Partners. This strategic acquisition strengthens ArchLynk's standing as a top-tier provider of end to end innovative supply chain solutions.

One of the key factors that made this acquisition an attractive opportunity for ArchLynk was WCS's reputation and deep expertise in the Integrated Business Planning and operations consulting space.

"WCS's clear leadership in IBP adds a critical foundational element to the ArchLynk platform and accelerates our goal of creating the only independent, pure-play provider of the full suite of SAP Digital Supply Chain services. We are excited to partner with Simon Tunmore and his team in bringing our combined capabilities to all of our clients and the broader market."

Eric A. Ahlgren, Managing Director, BV Investment Partners, LP

Simon Tunmore, CEO of WCS, will become SVP, leading the new business unit of Business Consulting & Planning, bringing along his existing team and integrating additional members from ArchLynk.

"Joining forces with ArchLynk was an easy decision and combining our supply chain and factory planning expertise enabled by SAP's solutions will allow us to offer unparalleled value to our clients."

Simon Tunmore, CEO, WCS Consulting

"We are thrilled to welcome WCS Consulting into the ArchLynk family. The opportunities presented by this acquisition, bolstered by the merged organization's strategic vision, end-to-end DSC capabilities, and culture of innovation strengthen our capabilities and position us as a comprehensive digital supply chain solutions provider."

Sekhar Puli, CEO of ArchLynk

In a domain primarily serviced by general Systems Integrators, ArchLynk stands out by offering specialized, targeted domain knowledge backed with an extensive toolkit of Intellectual Property catering exclusively to the supply chain sector.

This acquisition will elevate ArchLynk's position as a leader in the Digital Supply Chain Consulting ecosystem. Customers will leverage a comprehensive range of services that not only address their specific supply chain challenges but also drive digital transformation and continuous improvement. The customer bases of both entities are distinct from one another, presenting a unique opportunity for ArchLynk to offer a wide range of offerings across the combined customer universe.

As part of ArchLynk's vision and strategy, the leadership will also continue to look for strategic and opportunistic acquisitions in the space globally.

For more information about ArchLynk and the acquisition of WCS Consulting, visit ArchLynk's website at www.archlynk.com.

About ArchLynk:

ArchLynk is a global leader in SAP Digital Supply Chain and Global Trade Solutions. ArchLynk, as a combined entity, brings the unparalleled expertise of both Krypt and Novigo in the global trade and supply chain consulting domain to customers. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company provides consulting services for SAP Digital Supply Chain (TM, IBP, EWM, YL, EM, BN4L) platforms and SAP Global Trade Services. Since the inception of its legacy companies in 2008, ArchLynk has successfully delivered the most SAP Supply Chain Execution and Global Trade projects for businesses. With offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC, ArchLynk aims to provide customers with world-leading services through cutting-edge SAP services and innovations.

About WCS Consulting:

WCS Consulting is a leading advisory and delivery firm specializing in digital supply chain solutions. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, WCS Consulting, a premier SAP partner, holds a successful track record of developing and implementing global solutions, primarily focusing on supply chain process improvement, performance management, and deploying SAP supply chain applications. Established in 2014, WCS Consulting has extensive experience in the SAP Integrated Business Planning deployments and developing applications that enhance ERP and supply chain functionalities.

Media Contact:

Charlie Pesti

www.pesti.io

charlie@pesti.io

1-267-514-5497

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ArchLynk completed its acquisition of WCS Consulting



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ArchLynk CEO Sekhar Puli



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TSX and OTC: MPVD

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province", the "Company") (TSX: MPVD) (OTC: MPVD) today announces financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 ("the Quarter" or "Q1 2023") from the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine ("GK Mine"). All figures are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Financial Highlights for First Quarter 2023

961,000 carats sold, with total proceeds of $128.7 million ( US$95.0 million ) at an average realised value of $134 per carat (US$99) , a record quarterly revenue result for the Company.

( ) at an average realised value of per carat , a record quarterly revenue result for the Company. Record Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $67.5 million .

of . Earnings from mine operations of $47.2 million .

. Record Net income of $28.2 million or $0.13 basic and diluted earnings per share 2 .

or basic and diluted earnings per share . Repaid US$12.0 million of second lien bond debt principal on April 4 th 2023.

1Cash costs of production, including capitalized stripping costs, and adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS measures with no standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS. See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" at the end of the news release for explanation and reconciliation.

2Record Net Income, with Q4 2021, normalised for Impairment reversal of $240.6 million



Operational Highlights for First Quarter 2023

(all figures reported on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated)

766,786 ore tonnes treated, an 8% increase relative to Q1 2022, (Q1 2022: 707,553 tonnes treated;)

1,319,603 carats recovered, 11% higher than the comparable quarter (Q1 2022: 1,185,156 carats)

Average grade of 1.72 carats per tonne, a 3% increase relative to Q1 2022 (1.67 carats per tonne)

Cost per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping of $90 /carat, and cost per tonne processed, including capitalized stripping of $155 /tonne.

/carat, and cost per tonne processed, including capitalized stripping of /tonne. Increase in unit cost relative to prior periods reflects greater capitalized stripping incurred in Q1 2023 (approximately $42 million vs $20 million in Q1 2022), as well as an increase in one-off maintenance related costs (numerator).

vs in Q1 2022), as well as an increase in one-off maintenance related costs (numerator).

Net of Capitalized stripping, cost per carat recovered was $58 /carat in Q1 2023 vs $56 in Q1 2022.

Sales Highlights for First Quarter 2023

As previously released, during the first quarter 961,024 carats were sold for total proceeds of $128.7 million (US$95.0 million), resulting in an average value of $134 per carat (US$99 per carat). Three open market sales were completed in the quarter to deliver the highest Q1 revenue recorded by the Company to date. These results compare favourably with two open market sales during Q1 2022 when 506,567 carats were sold for total proceeds of $84.7 million (US$66.7 million).

Reid Mackie, the Company's Vice President Sales and Marketing, commented:

"In Q1 2023 the Company achieved record sales on the back of a three-sale first quarter, which included three full production shipments and buoyant prices for smaller diamonds. Compared with Q1 2022, the lower average sales price achieved can be primarily attributed to the different mix of goods sold in both quarters with market prices also adjusting downwards from the record high seen early last year."

Growth

The latest round of drilling at Hearne has been highly successful with the results strongly supporting the Hearne Extension as modeled. Ten holes have been completed, with each featuring kimberlite intercepts. One scheduled hole remains to be drilled on Hearne, with two additional holes planned to test for extension to the known Tuzo orebody. Final drilling results are expected later in Q2 2023. The Company continues to work with its joint venture partner to study the economic viability of extending the life-of-mine at Gahcho Kue to include underground mining and the potential inclusion of the Kennady North Project kimberlites.

Mark Wall, the Company's President, and Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"In the first quarter we saw an improvement in production compared to Q1 in 2022 despite unplanned maintenance challenges. There remains work to be done to fully optimize production and we are working with our joint venture partner on the required opportunities. The mine operator expects to see production increase as we move through the year in response to these initiatives and warmer weather.

Quarter 1 was an excellent sales period, with our sales team bringing three sales to the market to achieve record sales results in a market that continues to oscillate. We continue to enjoy healthy adjusted EBITDA to revenue margins.

On costs, the mine entered a period of heavy capitalized waste stripping during the quarter, which coupled with some one-off maintenance related costs, resulted in a high unit cost per carat recovered and tonne processed. We expect these costs to reduce as we phase out of the heavy waste stripping, and return to normal operations in the plant.

Reducing our debt by US$12 million in early April was a positive as Q1 is a capital-intensive period for the Company, with all of the bulk commodities and heavy equipment for the year transported up the winter ice road. We remain focused on paying down our debt from free cashflow and we are fortunate to have no early repayment penalties in our debt facilities.

On growth we continue to work with our joint venture partner De Beers on reviewing mine life extension possibilities for the project via the drilling we are currently doing on the underground potential of the Gahcho Kue mine, as well as reviewing any potential to incorporate kimberlites from the Kennady property.

We will continue to push hard in quarter 2 where we have important maintenance work scheduled that is planned to further optimize the processing plant at Gahcho Kue."

Gahcho Kue Mine Operations

The following table summarizes key operating statistics for the Gahcho Kue Mine in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.





Three months ended Three months ended



March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







GK operating data





Mining





*Ore tonnes mined kilo tonnes 428 1,019 *Waste tonnes mined kilo tonnes 8,507 7,149 *Total tonnes mined kilo tonnes 8,935 8,168 *Ore in stockpile kilo tonnes 1,420 1,059







Processing





*Ore tonnes processed kilo tonnes 767 708 *Average plant throughput tonnes per day 8,247 7,867 *Average diamond recovery carats per tonne 1.72 1.67 *Diamonds recovered 000's carats 1,320 1,185 Approximate diamonds recovered - Mountain Province 000's carats 647 581 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, net of capitalized stripping ** $ 99 93 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, including capitalized stripping** $ 155 122 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, net of capitalized stripping** $ 58 56 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping** $ 90 73







Sales





Approximate diamonds sold - Mountain Province*** 000's carats 961 507 Average diamond sales price per carat US $ 99 $ 132

* at 100% interest in the Gahcho Kue Mine **See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" at the end of the news release for explanation and reconciliation. ***Includes the sales directly to De Beers for fancies and specials acquired by De Beers through the production split bidding process



Financial Performance





Three months ended Three months ended (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except where otherwise noted)

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







Sales $ 128,657 84,653 Carats sold 000's carats 961 507 Average price per carat sold $/carat 134 167 Cost of sales per carat* $/carat 85 83 Earnings from mine operations per carat $ 49 84 Earnings from mine operations % 37 % 50 % Selling, general and administrative expenses $ 4,007 3,994 Operating income $ 41,091 35,018 Net income for the period $ 28,224 24,327 Basic earnings per share $ 0.13 0.12 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.13 0.11



Conference Call

The Company will host its quarterly conference call on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 at 11:00am ET.

Title: Mountain Province Diamonds Inc Q1 2023 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID: 44495174

Date of call: 05/10/2023

Time of call: 11:00 Eastern Time

Expected Duration: 60 minutes

Webcast Link:

https://app.webinar.net/dpA23QXRjg8

Participant Toll-Free Dial-In Number: (+1) 888-390-0561

Participant International Dial-In Number: (+1) 416-764-8668

A replay of the webcast and audio call will be available on the Company's website.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS measures

This news release refers to the terms "Cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed" and "Cash costs of production per carat recovered", both including and net of capitalized stripping costs and "Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (Adjusted EBITDA)" and "Adjusted EBITDA Margin". Each of these is a non-IFRS performance measure and is referenced in order to provide investors with information about the measures used by management to monitor performance. These measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. They do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed and cash costs of production per carat recovered are used by management to analyze the actual cash costs associated with processing the ore, and for each recovered carat. Differences from production costs reported within cost of sales are attributed to the amount of production cost included in ore stockpile and rough diamond inventories.

Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to analyze the operational cash flows of the Company, as compared to the net income for accounting purposes. It is also a measure which is defined in the Notes documents. Adjusted EBITDA margin is used by management to analyze the operational margin % on cash flows of the Company.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin with the net income on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income:



Three months ended Three months ended

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022





Net income for the period $ 28,224 $ 24,327 Add/deduct:



Non-cash depreciation and depletion 25,318 8,948 Share-based payment expense 340 444 Fair value (gain) loss of warrants (146) 1,525 Net finance expenses 9,522 9,140 Derivative losses 1,065 77 Deferred income taxes 1,820 4,270 Current income taxes 750

Unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) 645 (4,146) Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and depletion (Adjusted EBITDA) $ 67,538 $ 44,585 Sales 128,657 84,653 Adjusted EBITDA margin 52 % 53 %



The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed and per carat recovered and the production costs reported within cost of sales on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income:





Three months ended Three months ended (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except where otherwise noted)

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







Cost of sales production costs $ 49,116 27,120 Timing differences due to inventory and other non-cash adjustments $ (11,835) 5,150 Cash cost of production of ore processed, net of capitalized stripping $ 37,281 32,270 Cash costs of production of ore processed, including capitalized stripping $ 58,241 42,154







Tonnes processed kilo tonnes 376 347 Carats recovered 000's carats 647 581







Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, net of capitalized stripping $ 99 93 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, including capitalized stripping $ 155 122 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, net of capitalized stripping $ 58 56 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping $ 90 73



About Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.

Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kue diamond mine located in Canada'sNorthwest Territories. The Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls more than 113,000 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases surrounding the Gahcho Kue Mine that include an Indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and Inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites. Kelvin is estimated to contain 13.62 million carats (Mct) in 8.50 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 1.60 carats/tonne and value of US$63/carat, at February 2019. Faraday 2 is estimated to contain 5.45Mct in 2.07Mt at a grade of 2.63 carats/tonne and value of US$140/ct, at February 2019. Faraday 1-3 is estimated to contain 1.90Mct in 1.87Mt at a grade of 1.04 carats/tonne and value of US$75/carat, at February 2019. All resource estimations are based on a 1mm diamond size bottom cut-off.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Matthew MacPhail, P.Eng., MBA, and Tom E. McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo., both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province's business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed.

Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

CONTACT: Mark Wall, President, and CEO, 161 Bay Street, Suite 1410, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2S1, Phone: (416) 361-3562, E-mail: info@mountainprovince.com; Matthew MacPhail, Chief Technical Officer, 161 Bay Street, Suite 1410, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2S1, Phone: (416) 361-3562, E-mail: info@mountainprovince.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mountain-province-diamonds-announces-first-quarter-financial-results-for-2023-301820255.html
COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLAKF, DLAKY) said that its shareholders approved all agenda items by a large majority. The airline said that about 3,000 shareholders followed Tuesday's Annual General Meeting online. A total of 42.41 percent of the share capital was represented. In sum, twelve agenda items were put to the vote at the Annual General Meeting. The shareholders approved the actions of the members of the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board for the 2022 financial year by a large majority. Among the items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting was the election of members of the Supervisory Board. Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and Carsten Knobel, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, were reelected as members of the Supervisory Board. Karl Gernandt, Executive Chairman of Kuhne Holding AG, was newly elected to the Supervisory Board. 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.


AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - Royal Philips (PHG) said that its shareholders voted against the discharge of the collective members of the Board of Management. This follows the voting guidance from certain proxy advisors to signal discontent in respect of one former member of the Board of Management.



At the Annual General Meeting, shareholders reappointed Abhijit Bhattacharya for a two year's term as member of the Board of Management fulfilling the role of CFO, and reappointed Liz Doherty and David Pyott as members of the Supervisory Board.



The shareholders also approved the company's proposed dividend of 0.85 euros per share over 2022, the proposal to reappoint EY as the company's external auditor for a term of one year starting January 1, 2024, and the proposal to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers as the company's new external auditor for a term of four years starting January 1, 2025, as well as a number of recurring items, including the proposal to adopt the company's financial statements.



In addition, the AGM approved the advisory voting item on the 2022 Remuneration Report.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



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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
Deenova, the Franco-Italian group and Europe's leading provider of medication safety automation solutions for hospitals and long-term care facilities, is pleased to announce the signing of two new contracts for the supply of its latest range of AIDE automated systems.

The first contract was signed with the Charles Perrens Hospital in Bordeaux to supply the AIDE-CUT, Deenova's drug safety automation system for tablet cutting and repackaging of all types of drugs. When repackaging unit dose medications, the AIDE-CUT ensures maximum accuracy and safety. The system is outfitted with high-tech sensors that detect and correct errors in real time, ensuring that the cutting and repackaging processes are optimized.

The second contract was signed with the Paul Reig Retirement Home in Banyuls, France, for the supply of the AIDE-PICK, Deenova's personalized therapy preparation automation system for the distribution of treatments to patients. The AIDE-PICK improves patient safety, reduces medication errors, and maximizes operational efficiency by ensuring full medication traceability, allowing nurses to spend more time with patients and less time preparing therapies.

Initially launched in 2013, the AIDE line of automated dispensers has been updated over the course of 2022-2023 to integrate modules that allow for the automatic repackaging and dispensing of all forms of medication, including sachets, ampoules, pre-filled syringes and vials. The new AIDE line will be presented at the French-speaking hospital pharmacy congress Hopipharm, which will be held this year from May 24 to 26 at the Strasbourg Congress Centre (Stand 79).

"These contracts are a testament to our customers' confidence in our ability to provide innovative and reliable solutions that improve the safety and efficiency of medication management," said Lo?c Bessin, AIDE solutions designer and managing director of Deenova France, adding, "With less than a year after the launch of our AIDE line, we already have six installations planned for 2023."

With these two new contracts, Deenova reinforces its leadership position in the French medication safety automation market, as Christophe Jaffuel, member of the Board of Directors and Chief Commercial Officer of the Deenova Group, explains: "After 10 years of leadership in the French market with the ACCED automated system, the successful launch of our new AIDE modular range is very promising for the future of our company."

About Deenova

Deenova is the undisputed leading supplier of combined mechatronics (robotic and automation) solutions for closed loop medications and RFID-based medical devices traceability in the healthcare industry, anytime and anywhere. Deenova's unique, patented, and fully integrated solutions have and will greatly contribute to ease healthcare providers' growing pressures to: simultaneously improve patient safety, reduce therapy errors, minimise waste and controlled substance diversion, contain costs, and diminish the gap between rising patient volume/acuity and scarce medical staff. Deenova guarantees the simplification of all processes related to the management of medications and implantable/disposable medical devices with an expected cost savings range between 15% and 25%.

For more information on Deenova's market-leading solutions, visit www.deenova.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005708/en/

Contacts:

Christophe Jaffuel, c.jaffuel@deenova.com,

Martina Buccianti, m.buccianti@deenova.com, +39 0523 785311
Lonza Group AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results

Q1 2023 Qualitative Update: Business Performance In Line With Full-Year Trajectory



10-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.





Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Robust commercial demand, with softer early-stage demand due to biotech funding constraints

Growth project portfolio progressing in line with plan

Outlook 2023 reiterated, with high single-digit CER sales growth and CORE EBITDA margin of 30 to 31%

Basel, Switzerland, 10 May 2023 - In its quarterly qualitative update, Lonza reported Q1 performance in line with the trajectory for 2023.

In Biologics, there was good momentum across the division, with sustained customer demand for commercial supply and softer demand for early stage services. The Small Molecules division delivered a solid performance. In Cell & Gene, biotech funding constraints impacted demand for pre-clinical and Phase 1 services. Finally, the performance of the Capsules & Health Ingredients division was impacted by the softer demand for consumer health products in the US.

Lonza's growth projects are progressing in line with plan. Operations have commenced in two new facilities for drug product and bioconjugates in Visp (CH), while construction began at the large-scale commercial drug product facility in Stein (CH).

Lonza reiterated its Outlook 2023, and reconfirmed its trajectory for a stronger Second Half balancing a softer First Half, as anticipated at Full-Year 2022.

Pierre-Alain Ruffieux, CEO, Lonza, commented: "Our Q1 performance is in line with the expected trajectory towards our Group Outlook 2023. Thanks to our strong base business and industry fundamentals, we are well-positioned to continue to capture value with our clear focus on quality, a broad range of offerings and our technical expertise."

As announced at Full-Year 2022, Lonza has initiated the return of excess capital to shareholders through a share buyback of up to CHF 2 billion. As planned, the program commenced in early April 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in H1 2025. The program is being executed via a second trading line at the SIX Swiss Exchange.

About Lonza

Lonza is a preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition markets. We work to enable a healthier world by supporting our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. We achieve this by combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence. Our business is structured to meet our customers' complex needs across four divisions: Biologics, Small Molecules, Cell & Gene and Capsules & Health Ingredients.?Our unparalleled breadth of offerings across divisions enables our customers to commercialize their discoveries and innovations in the healthcare industry.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, today, Lonza operates across five continents. With approximately 17,500 full-time employees, we comprise high-performing teams and individual talent who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as to the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 6.2 billion with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 2.0 billion in Full-Year 2022. Find out more at www.lonza.com

Follow @Lonza on LinkedIn

Follow @LonzaGroup on Twitter

Lonza Contact Details

Victoria Morgan

Head of External Communications

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 61 316 2283

victoria.morgan@lonza.com
DKSH Management Ltd. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

DKSH Completes SAP S/4HANA Migration



10.05.2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST





Media release

DKSH has completed the migration of SAP S/4HANA, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Enhancing automation, innovation, and future-readiness, the implementation of this solution is in line with DKSH's digital transformation ambitions.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 10, 2023 - In close collaboration with SAP, DKSH has gone live with SAP S/4HANA to automate processes, boost innovation, and transform the technology infrastructure, supporting the Group's digital future-readiness.



The implementation, which completes a two-year upgrade process will support DKSH's digital transformation and vision to be the trusted partner for companies looking to grow their business in Asia and beyond across four specialized Business Units: Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Performance Materials, and Technology.



The SAP S/4HANA implementation was completed by SAP Cloud Success Services based on its core knowledge, tools, and experience with the solution as well as with DKSH as long-term business partner. The significant scale of the migration and the complexity of the customization required the highest levels of reliability, outcome-driven expertise, best practices, and tailored services to guide DKSH through the implementation process. Working closely with SAP Cloud Success Services on an end-to-end project basis enabled DKSH to complete the whole migration with near-zero downtime, over the course of one weekend, safeguarding its service excellence and customer experience.



Paul Marriott, President of SAP Asia Pacific and Japan, commented: "DKSH is a shining example of a business bringing together highly intelligent technology, a focus on customer service, and a core purpose of supporting the world's environmental health," said Paul Marriott, President of SAP Asia Pacific and Japan. "We're proud that DKSH is now running on a foundation of SAP solutions, all implemented by SAP Cloud Success Services, to enable greater efficiency, real-time analytics, and support its ongoing growth."



Sam Oh, Chief Information Officer and member of the Executive Committee at DKSH, added: "Data is crucial for DKSH's success. We rely on processing large amounts of data quickly through platforms that comply with demanding customer service level agreements and strict regulations. We chose SAP to upgrade our core ERP system to optimize our operations, get access to higher quality data more quickly, and future-proof the business with automation and analytics."

About DKSH

DKSH's purpose is to enrich people's lives. For more than 150 years, we have been delivering growth for companies in Asia and beyond across our Business Units Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Performance Materials, and Technology. As a leading Market Expansion Services provider, we offer sourcing, market insights, marketing and sales, eCommerce, distribution and logistics as well as after-sales services. DKSH is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business. Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, DKSH operates in 37 markets with 32,600 specialists, generating net sales of CHF 11.3 billion in 2022. www.dksh.com



About SAP

SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want - without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com .

For more information please contact:



DKSH Holding Ltd.

Demet Bicer

Manager, Group Media Relations

Phone +41 44 386 7217

demet.bicer@dksh.com



SAP

Rizka Laksmi

Head of Communications for SAP Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines

rizka.laksmi@sap.com

End of Media Release


OSLO, Norway, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiconsult ASA (OSE: MULTI) The positive trend and strong market development continues, and Multiconsult delivered the best quarter ever. Multiconsult's first quarter EBITA was NOK 216.3 million, a margin of 16.5 per cent. There was high activity in most segments, and the result was positively impacted by higher billing rates and increased capacity. Net operating revenues grew by 15.1 per cent year-on-year to NOK 1 310.2 million, while the organic growth was 12.1 per cent y-o-y. The result from the segment LINK Arkitektur has improved compared to the same quarter last year. For the second consecutive quarter the order intake was record high, and with an all-time high result and order backlog Multiconsult is well positioned going forward.

"The first quarter of 2023 is historic for Multiconsult with the best financial result ever. There was high activity in most segments and strong organic growth. All four business areas had high activity during this period and in addition we saw good activity and results in our segments. The improvement in LINK Arkitektur was driven by good performance in Sweden and Norway. We see the effects from the turnaround in Sweden and the start of the improvement program in Norway. Region Norway and Region Oslo delivered a strong performance, while the International segment was impacted by a more challenging market in Poland.

Our dedicated team of 3 400 employees continue to deliver expertise and solutions which our clients require. Our highly skilled workforce is inspired by seeing themselves as part of the solution to the challenges facing us." - Grethe Bergly, CEO of Multiconsult

For a full review of comments from our CEO, please refer to our first quarter 2023 report.

Please find enclosed the presentation and first quarter 2023 report.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 - HIGHLIGHTS

A strong start to 2023 with an all-time high result, solid growth and strong order intake

Solid growth in net operating revenues of 15.1 % to NOK 1 310.2 million (1 138.1)

310.2 million (1 138.1) Organic growth of 12.1 %

All-time high result with EBITA of NOK 216.3 million (169.2) and margin of 16.5 % (14.9)

(169.2) and margin of 16.5 % (14.9) All-time high order intake of NOK 2 573 million (1 467)

All-time high order backlog of NOK 4 654 million (3 521)

Other opex ratio (ex. IFRS 16) decreased to 14.4 per cent (15.2)

Other operating expenses of NOK 140.2 million (126.6)

Net profit of NOK 158.1 million (121.6)

Earnings per share 5.76 (4.44)

Good market outlook in all business areas, while market related to housing and real estate is anticipated to continue cooling down

Net operating revenues came in at NOK 1 310.2 million (1 138.1), an increase of 15.1 per cent compared to the same quarter last year. The organic revenue growth, adjusted for calendar effect, was 12.1 per cent for the quarter. The increase was driven by higher number of employees and higher billing rates. The growth in net operating revenues was offset by a slightly lower billing ratio of 0.4pp, which came in at 71.0 per cent (71.4).

Operating expenses consist of employee benefit expenses and other operating expenses. Operating expenses increased by 13.2 per cent to NOK 1 039.1 million (918.0) compared to the same quarter in 2022. Employee benefit expenses increased by 13.6 per cent due to ordinary salary adjustment, increased number of employees and higher cost from the increased employer contribution tax of 5 per cent (for salaries/compensation above NOK 750 thousand) in Norway. Other operating expenses increased to NOK 140.2 million (126.6), an increase of 10.8 per cent due to increased office expenditure, IT-cost, and higher travel expenditure compared to the first quarter 2022. Other opex ratio (ex. IFRS 16) decreased to 14.4 per cent, compared to a ratio of 15.2 per cent in the comparable quarter last year.

EBITDA was NOK 271.1 million (220.0), an increase of 23.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting an EBITDA margin of 20.7 per cent (19.3) in the quarter.

EBITA was NOK 216.3 million (169.2), reflecting an EBITA margin of 16.5 per cent (14.9) in the quarter.

OUTLOOK

The overall market outlook for Multiconsult's services remains generally good across all four business areas. There are still some uncertainties related to parts of the market within Buildings & Properties. In general, the opportunities in the pipeline are at a high level. Multiconsult is expected to benefit from the growing market related to the green shift and demand for sustainable solutions. Energy transformation and efficiency, circular economy and new green industries are key drivers in the markets.

Strong and diversified portfolio of ongoing projects and a solid order backlog provides Multiconsult with an overall good foundation going forward.

For a full review of outlook and report, please refer to our first quarter 2023 report.

Presentations today 10 May 2023:

Participants are invited to attend the Norwegian presentation that will be held at Felix Conference Centre, Bryggetorget 3, Oslo, at 08:30 (CEST).

The results will also be presented through a live webcast: In Norwegian at 08:30 (CEST) and in English presentation at 09:30 (CEST). Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions online throughout the webcast sessions.

The Norwegian presentation at 08:30 can be accessed at: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20230510_2/

The English presentation at 09:30 can be accessed at: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20230510_3/

Live webcasts, complete report, presentation and a recording of the webcast will be available on www.multiconsult-ir.com and https://newsweb.oslobors.no/

For further information, please contact:

Investor relations:

Ove B. Haupberg, CFO

Phone: +47 401 00 900

E-mail: oveb.haupberg@multiconsult.no

Media:

Cato A. Mrk, Senior Communications Advisor

Phone: +47 911 70 188

E-mail: caam@multiconsult.no

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/12394/3766919/2046838.pdf Multi-report Q123-print https://mb.cision.com/Public/12394/3766919/923b63e44a3f4f9f.pdf Multi-presentation Q123

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/multiconsult-first-quarter-2023--best-quarter-ever-301820463.html
GCEX, a leading digital prime brokerage, has been granted permission from the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) to operate as an investment firm.

The FSA license is a significant milestone for GCEX, enabling the rapidly growing firm to offer rolling Spot FX and CFDs to institutional clients in the EU.

Michael Aagaard, Managing Director, GCEX, Denmark said, "This is a major step forward for our business and we believe it will be a significant catalyst for growth in Europe. Brokers, fund managers, hedge funds and professional traders based in the EU will now have the peace of mind and reassurance of knowing that they are transacting with a credible firm which is regulated in their own jurisdiction."

Lars Holst, CEO, GCEX added, "It is fantastic news that we now have access to the EU market as an investment firm regulated by the Danish FSA. Obtaining this FSA license involved an extremely stringent process in which we had to demonstrate our experience in financial services, the knowledge of our team, good governance and our strong focus on investor protection. It now opens the door for us to market to EU clients, presenting us with a major opportunity for further growth."

"From the outset, we have been advocates of operating within strong regulatory environments. Our broader regulatory coverage reflects our ethos of providing a professional, reliable, trusted and robust service in order to be at the forefront of the industry."

Headquartered in London with multiple offices around the globe including in Copenhagen, GCEX Group enables brokers, fund managers, hedge funds and professional traders to access deep liquidity in FX and CFDs. The firm also offers clients access to XplorDigital, a range of trading solutions.

True Global Ventures are investors in GCEX.

For further information, please visit www.gc.exchange or LinkedIn

Ends -

About GCEX

Founded in 2018, GCEX is a pioneering regulated digital prime brokerage with a best-of-breed digital asset and FX platform for institutional and professional clients. GCEX has partnerships with Tier 1 trusted Liquidity Providers, leading counterparties and regulated digital custody asset institutions. GCEX offers a wide range of products and technology solutions including White Labels.

GCEX is a trading name of GC Exchange Limited, GC Exchange Fondsmglerselskab A/S, GC Exchange A/S and GC Exchange FZE.

GC Exchange Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales (No11382809) with registered address at 75 King William Street, London, EC4N 7BE provides FX and CFDs products. GC Exchange Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 828730).

Digital asset services are provided by GC Exchange A/S, a company incorporated in Denmark (CVR 43088777) with address at Amager Strandvej 390, 2770, Kastrup. GC Exchange A/S is authorised by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority as a Currency Exchange (FTID 45020) and registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (FTID 17524) under the AML regulation.

GC Exchange Fondsmglerselskab A/S, a company incorporated in Denmark (CVR 43345052) with address at Amager Strandvej 390, 2770, Kastrup. GC Exchange Fondsmglerselskab A/S is authorised by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority as an Investment Firm to offer FX and CFDs products.

GC Exchange FZE is incorporated as a Limited Liability Free Zone Establishment under the Dubai World Trade Center Authority with registration number 1896. GC Exchange FZE has been granted a Virtual Asset Service Provider License for the MVP phase by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.

For further information, please visit www.gc.exchange or LinkedIn

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005921/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

Vanessa Green

vanessa@wigwampr.com Tel +44 (0)771 333 2303
Tabreed reduces carbon emissions by selecting technology to unify and centralize monitoring and control of district cooling plants.

ABU DHABI, UAE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced it has extended its partnership with Tabreed to supply technology and lifecycle support services to its Command and Dispatch Center for a large district cooling application in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The collaboration will help Tabreed meet its sustainability targets and make the company more competitive in the market.





Tabreed has been a pioneer in district cooling in the UAE and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), partnering on significant projects that have been critical in infrastructure development and have set the benchmark for the industry. District cooling is highly efficient and cost-effective, providing cost savings from building operations and maintenance to reduced energy consumption while efficiently delivering on cooling requirements. With a longer lifecycle and long-term service contracts, district cooling offers economies of scale for customers, while delivering a cleaner, greener solution.

Tabreed is committed to achieving efficiency and sustainable growth through digital transformation and the integration of AI-based operations. To this end, the company has embarked on a project to deliver industry-leading solutions, beginning with maximizing existing plant operations. This contract for a central Command and Dispatch Center integrates five district cooling plants into a central control room located in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Once this project is successfully completed, Tabreed intends to integrate more than 50 of its other plants in UAE into this control room, setting up infrastructure to bring its Connected Enterprise to life.

The project requires the enhancing of control system assets, using various solutions from Rockwell Automation's comprehensive technology and service offerings, such as integrated industrial data center architecture, software and SCADA applications, as well as a range of solutions for network performance, security, and hardening. Plant-side enhancements also form part of the contract and include a new SIL-3 ESD system (in collaboration with Sensia), the migration/upgrades of existing control systems, field instrumentation, installation, testing and commissioning.

According to Sebastien Grau, regional VP for Rockwell Automation in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa: "The district cooling industry is vital for the Middle East and its growth, and we are honored to be working with Tabreed to support the company's Connected Enterprise journey, which not only improves their operations but also reflects our shared focus on sustainability. This partnership builds on our 24 year-long relationship, supporting Tabreed to improve efficiency and cost savings resulting from the project, as well as to make a positive impact on the environment through the reduction of carbon emissions."

Tabreed is investing in converging its IT and OT infrastructure as part of its digital transformation and big-data strategy, and is capitalizing on data generated over decades of operating district cooling plants and networks. Thanks to state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and the vast amounts of data readily available, Tabreed can achieve what is considered a breakthrough in district cooling by setting up a fully autonomous operation, making it even more competitive in the market.

Atef Al Breiki, senior vice president of operations and maintenance at Tabreed, explains: "We own and operate more than 86 plants across the GCC and Egypt. To maintain business continuity, maximize efficiency and ensure absolute reliability, we have embarked on an initiative to centralize the operation of our plants with the aid of technology. This means district cooling plants will be operated remotely (controlling and monitoring) from a central control room and use intelligent monitoring to manage the assets from this central location."

With cooling demand in the GCC expected to nearly triple by 2030, district cooling is becoming the preferred choice. It offers reliable solutions, reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and helps meet sustainability targets. District cooling is also becoming an integral part of the smart energy networks that are powering the growth of sustainable smart cities in the region and worldwide.

Rockwell Automation is working with Tabreed to secure its OT platform and align it with cybersecurity best practices.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rockwell-automation-and-tabreed-partner-to-drive-sustainability-and-efficiency-through-integrated-plant-cooling-operations-301819629.html
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023situated in northwestern Saskatchewan, scheduled for June 2023. The Company's geological team is set to receive the necessary permit by the end of May and aims to mobilize on-site by June.

The CLR property lies in a region with strong prospects for uranium deposits. Kiplin's summer program will include at least 8 line-kilometres of Induced Polarization.

"We are excited to start our exploration program on the CLR uranium project," said Peter Born, Director of Kiplin . "The region has shown great potential for uranium deposits, and we believe that our summer program will identify new targets for follow-up drilling, adding value for our shareholders."

The Company's CLR property is surrounded by F3 Uranium Corp.'s prominent Paterson Lake North (PLN) project, which recently revealed the discovery of the JR high-grade uranium zone in November 2022. F3 announced intersections in drill hole PLN22-038, comprising 11.0 meters averaging 4.20 percent triuranium octoxide, including a 4.5-meter interval averaging 9.8 percent U3O8. This indicates the presence of the latest basement-hosted uranium deposit in Athabasca, akin to Fission Uranium Corp.'s Triple R uranium deposit.

Kiplin will conduct its exploration activities adhering to the highest environmental management standards and maintain close cooperation with local stakeholders, including indigenous communities. The Company will initiate dialogue and consultations with indigenous partners and stakeholders, continuing throughout the permitting, exploration, and closure stages.

The Company will provide updates on the scheduling of its permitting and work program as and when they are available. The Company advises that discoveries and observations on nearby properties do not necessarily imply the existence of similar mineralization or geological features on the Company's properties.

The Company will release updates regarding its permitting and work program schedules as information becomes available. Kiplin emphasizes that findings and observations on neighbouring properties do not necessarily indicate the presence of comparable mineralization or geological characteristics on the Company's properties.

Dr. Peter Born, PGeo, is the designated qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for and has approved the technical information contained in this release.

About Kiplin Metals Inc.

Kiplin Metals Inc. is a mineral exploration company that aims to generate value for its shareholders by identifying and pursuing highly prospective mineral exploration opportunities. Our strategy involves advancing projects from discovery to production through a vertically integrated approach, ensuring exceptional shareholder value is delivered across the entire mining process life-cycle.

Cluff Lake Road Uranium Project. Kiplin Metals has the right to earn a one-hundred percent interest in the Cluff Lake Road Uranium Project covers ~531 ha in the southwestern Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, where several new discoveries have been made, including the Arrow and Triple R Uranium deposits. The CLR Project is 5 km east of the Cluff Lake Road (Hwy 955), which leads to the historic Cluff Lake Mine, which historically produced approximately 62,000,000 lbs of yellowcake uranium.





For further information, contact the Company at info@kiplinmetals.com , or visit the Company's website at www.kiplinmetals.com .

On behalf of the Board,

Kiplin Metals Inc.

For further information, contact the Company at 604-622-1199.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Peter Born"

Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

Contact Data

CONTACT:

MRKT360 INC

https://mrkt360.com

Alex Zertuche

alexz@mrkt360.com

For E.S.T Office Hours, Call 1 416-477-0587

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7aefb29d-d090-4246-b59f-d3bc29e55a16
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Switzerland-based healthcare business Lonza Group AG (LZAGF) on Wednesday said its first quarter performance was in line with the trajectory for 2023. The company reiterated the outlook for 2023 and confirmed its trajectory for a stronger second half balancing a softer first half, as anticipated at full-year 2022. The company expects high single-digit CER sales growth and CORE EBITDA margin of 30 to 31%. Lonza also noted that operations have commenced in two new facilities for drug product and bioconjugates in Visp and that construction has begun at the large-scale commercial drug product facility in Stein. Shares of Lonza Group closed Tuesday's trading at $627.30, down $30.80 or 4.68 percent from the previous close. 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.
SES annual satellite monitor research highlights SES's continued leadership in content delivery over satellite

SES announced the results of its annual Satellite Monitor market research, a comprehensive survey that tracks satellite TV's reach across a wide range of global regions and industry metrics. SES now delivers more than 8,000 channels to a total of 369 million TV homes worldwide, an increase of three million over the previous year, confirming SES's position as a leading content connectivity provider in the media industry.

The overall growth was driven primarily by increases in Europe (+6.3 million) and Africa (+3 million), with stabilisation in Latin America and Asia-Pacific. The reach in North America (-5.4 million) continues to decline due to the 'cord cutting' trend and the continued expansion of fibre connectivity in the United States.

The following table shows the 2022 Satellite Monitor breakdown by region of SES's TV home reach:

Market: TV Homes: Africa 49.5M APAC 33.1M LATAM 44M Middle East 13.4M North America 53.2M Europe 175.8M

Further insights from the Satellite Monitor include:

While Video on Demand continues to attract viewers, Free to Air TV proves to be growing globally.

As fibre connectivity expands globally, IPTV continues to grow as a TV reception method, taking share from traditional cable TV.

In Africa, satellite continues to drive an increase in the number of direct-to-home (DTH) TV homes as an easily scalable and cost-effective method of TV reception. In Ethiopia, SES has gained 90% penetration of TV homes through its partner Ethiosat.

"For years, we have been collecting data and insight from the annual Satellite Monitor market research on our TV neighbourhoods and the shifting market dynamics around video delivery and consumption trends. We do this because we believe we can add value to our customers with this data and empower them to make informed business decisions on the best way to deliver content to a large audience in the most cost-effective way," said Norbert Holzle, Global Head of Media at SES.

Now in its 29th year, SES's Satellite Monitor has been a key industry benchmark survey conducted by leading market research institutes to analyse the market dynamics (TV reception, resolution, devices, etc.), reach (by country, orbital position and reception mode) and social demographics.

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world's only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 369 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509006297/en/

Contacts:

For further information please contact:

Suzanne Ong

External Communications

Tel. +352 710 725 500

suzanne.ong@ses.com
DUBAI, UAE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DigitAll, a subsidiary of W Group leading digital transformation and the evolution of measurable smart media in the region, and Advertima, the global market leader in real-time audience measurement, have entered a partnership that designates DigitAll as Advertima's exclusive agent in the GCC region.

Under the partnership, DigitAll has begun deploying Advertima's proprietary Smart Targeting technology on DOOH media networks in malls and retail in the UAE, providing consumer insights to advertisers across several sectors.

The roll-out, which started in Q1 of 2023 and covers all 53 Dubai metro stations, over 200 hypermarkets, and more than 40 shopping malls, will be completed by the end of 2023.

This strategic partnership aims to convert conventional digital-out-of-home (DOOH) and In-store Retail Media into audience data-driven media channels that maximize campaign effectiveness and increase advertisers' return on advertising spend (ROAS).

Advertima's Smart Targeting capability enables real-time segmentation targeting to accurately detect audience attributes (age, gender, and group constellation) and behavior, and automate the delivery of relevant content to the right target audience in front of the screen.

With Advertima's technology, for the first time, real-time audience data can be utilized in programmatic DOOH for automated media inventory sales and reporting. In addition, Advertima's proprietary Audience Analytics measurement tools will provide credible, real-time reporting on metrics such as audience traffic, impressions, qualified views, and view times to validate ad performance and improve ROAS.

W Group Chairman and CEO Habib Wehbi said, "I am thrilled to announce this exclusive partnership with Advertima, which further cements our position as a regional leader in retail media and out-of-home (OOH) digital transformation. The ability to offer real-time targeting and audience measurement in the GCC region is a game-changer for our industry. This partnership with Advertima represents a significant milestone in DigitAll's efforts to expand its reach and enhance its smart technology capabilities in the region."

Iman Nahvi, Advertima's Founder and CEO added, "Today's programmatic DOOH standards lack qualified real-time audience data, both for real-time targeting and advanced analytics capabilities. And that's exactly the gap this partnership will fill. With DigitAll, we've found a partner pushing the boundaries of innovation in the OOH and In-store Retail Media space, not just in this region but even at a global level."

DigitAll is rolling-out this technology on several DOOH networks in the UAE, in a move that will revolutionize the DOOH landscape by introducing data-driven and highly effective measurement tools for advertisers. With this new technology, clients and brands can expect greater ROI, increased effectiveness, and a more sophisticated approach to advertising in the digital age.

"We are at the forefront of integrating data measurement into our DOOH and In-store Retail Media offerings. This will help deliver more personalized messaging to audiences based on analyzing data on individual behaviors and preferences," said Wehbi.

"In the UAE, there is a growing interest and investment in this area. As advertisers seek to reach increasingly diverse and segmented audiences, data can provide a powerful tool to enhance the effectiveness of DOOH advertising campaigns and turn them into smart measurable experiences. Our partnership with Advertima allows our clients to use state-of-the-art AI technologies to create personalized and interactive content designed to engage audiences more meaningfully," added Wehbi.

The Advertima Smart Signage solution is a combination of hardware (edge computers and 3D sensors), AI-enabled software which integrates seamlessly with any Digital Signage CMS platform, and 24x7 data analytics services to deliver real-time audience insights. Tested over the last few months at various locations across Dubai Metro stations and Dubai Malls, the technology ably handled the complexity and diversity of real-world audiences at these high-traffic locations and delivered more accurate performance on key parameters than any other alternative on the market.

About DigitAll: DigitAll is a subsidiary of W Group that's all about "The Smart Experience". It's the driving force that ignites the transformation of smart measurable media in the region while providing unique and creative solutions that offer technologies for digital OOH interactions with high ROI. It constantly invests in smart and connected technologies to expand its pool of services in digital consultancy services, smart cities, project management services and content management systems.

About Advertima: Advertima empowers media owners, brands, and media agencies to exploit the full potential of DOOH as a marketing channel to maximize media revenues. We transform anonymous audiences into digital audiences in real-time using Computer Vision and advanced AI technologies. Advertima's solution integrates seamlessly into any existing media ecosystem and enables performance media capabilities, such as real-time targeting, audience analytics, and programmatic audience activation.

For more information, contact:

DigitAll FZ-LLC press contact: Ghada El-Kari, CMO of W Group (Hypermedia & DigitAll) +971 55 5085381 ghada@wgroup.me Dubai Internet City, Galadhari building, 2nd Floor Dubai, United Arab Emirates Web: WGroup LinkedIn:DigitAll Instagram: Digitall.me Facebook: DigitAll Twitter: DigitallMe Advertima Vision AG Press Contact: Mario Siano Co-Founder, Head of Marketing & Sales +41 78 880 57 80mario.siano@advertima.com Lerchenfeldstrasse 3 9014 St.Gallen Switzerland Web: Advertima LinkedIn: Advertima

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073071/DigitAll_1.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073068/DigitAll_2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073069/DigitAll_3.jpg

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OSLO, Norway, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), a Nordic pharma company and provider of high-quality products to hospitals and pharmacies, has today amended its cash offer to acquire the shares and warrants in Sensidose AB not already owned by Navamedic ASA (the "Offer"). The Sensidose shares and warrants of series TO 1 are currently listed on Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden.

Navamedic ASA ("Navamedic") has today amended its Offer to SEK 8.50 per share in Sensidose AB ("Sensidose") and extended the acceptance period for the Offer until 25 May 2023. Navamedic has also offered to acquire the traded warrants of series TO 1 in Sensidose for SEK 0.60 per warrant.

Navamedic has already acquired 6,928,935 shares in Sensidose representing 57.94% of the outstanding shares. Navamedic has also acquired 426,577 tradable warrants of series TO 1 in Sensidose and thereby secured an ownership of more than 50% in Sensidose even if all subscription rights are exercised.

The Offer represents a valuation of Sensidose of approximately SEK 102 million. The value of the Offer (i.e. excluding the shares and warrants already owned by Navamedic) is approximately SEK 44 million.

For further information about the Offer, please see the attached press release regarding the amended Offer.

Carnegie Investment Bank is acting as financial advisor to Navamedic. Roschier Advokatbyra AB and Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS are acting as legal advisors to Navamedic. First House AS is acting as communications and IR advisor to Navamedic.

For further information, please contact:

Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen,

CEO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 951 78 680

E-mail: kathrine@navamedic.com

Lars Hjarrand, CFO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 917 62 842

E-mail: lars.hjarrand@navamedic.com

About Navamedic ASA

Navamedic ASA is a Nordic pharma company and reliable provider of high-quality products, delivered to hospitals and through pharmacies, meeting the specific needs of patients and consumers by leveraging its highly scalable market access platform, leading category competence and local knowledge. Navamedic is present in all the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Benelux, with sales representation in the UK and Greece. Navamedic is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: NAVA). For more information, please visit www.navamedic.com

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication, through Newsweb by Lars Hjarrand at 09:00 hrs CET on 10 May 2023.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/17619/3767173/2047436.pdf Press release (English) - Increase of consideration II

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Evooq, the Swiss-based wealth management software services company specialising in risk analytics, portfolio construction, and advisory platforms, and Titanbay, the private markets investment platform for sophisticated investors, have announced a partnership to provide a comprehensive private markets solution to private banks and wealth managers.

The joint proposition will support private banks and wealth managers by simplifying investing in private markets for a wider client-set through an institutional level of access, reduced investment minimums and a digital platform that provides full flexibility and control.

Titanbay's platform provides unparalleled access to top-tier private markets funds across vintages, strategies and geographies, allowing investors to build thoughtful and sophisticated private markets portfolios.

Delivered through Evooq's ecosystem, advisers will also have access to powerful risk analytics and portfolio customisation to help clients best navigate markets and make portfolio decisions that support their investment objectives and broader life goals.

The partnership comes as abrdn's Stuart McGlynn joins Titanbay as Head of Intermediary Sales, leading Titanbay's relationships with private banks and wealth managers across Europe and the UK. Prior to joining Titanbay, Stuart was Head of EMEA for the merged entity of abrdn.

Steve Metrallet, Investment Solutions Manager at Evooq: "Joining forces with Titanbay enables our clients to access a curated selection of leading private market investment opportunities with first-class investment and selection expertise."

Maximilian Peric, Managing Director, Partnerships at Titanbay: "Our partnership with Evooq provides private banks and wealth managers important access and diversification opportunities in private markets."

Cedric Ullmo, CEO and Founder of Evooq, said: "Our partnership with Titanbay will allow us to add a private markets solution into the Evooq Ecosystem. This is an important step in Evooq's mission to strengthen and simplify private bank and wealth managers' offerings across asset classes so they can achieve better outcomes for both their businesses and their clients."

Thomas Eskebaek, CEO of Titanbay, added: "The combination of Titanbay and Evooq provides wealth managers with the ability to provide an incomparable service to clients. By integrating Titanbay's best-in-class slate of funds with Evooq's technology platform, private banks and wealth managers will have everything they need to build sophisticated bespoke private markets portfolios that align with clients' wider portfolios and investment priorities."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Evooq

Evooq is a solutions provider for wealth and asset managers. Its technology radically simplifies the investment process, making financial instruments more accessible for professional investors and their clients.

It operates a B2B trading platform for structured products as well as a wealth platform for banks and independent asset managers that combines advisory with risk management tools.

Evooq's clients include well-known banks and wealth management companies across Europe and Asia.

Headquartered in Switzerland, the company has offices in Lausanne, Geneva, Zurich, Fribourg and Singapore, for a total of approximately 250 employees. www.evooq.ch

About Titanbay

Founded in 2019, Titanbay was established to help investors gain access to top-tier private market funds. We do this both directly and in partnership with leading private banks and wealth

managers.

Private market investments can be excellent portfolio diversifiers for investors seeking alternative drivers of risk and return. But choosing the right managers, carrying out due diligence and gaining access to top-quartile funds are essential requirements for creating a suitable and effective portfolio.

At Titanbay we know meeting these needs is not a simple task. That's why our Investment Team uses deep knowledge of private markets, combined with extensive network and industry connections to secure access to some of the best opportunities in the asset class.

Our sophisticated yet intuitive technology solution is modular, providing flexibility and control for family offices, wealth managers and private banks on behalf of their clients, as well as for suitable individual investors.

Each year, we access some of the world's leading private market investment opportunities, across a range of sectors, strategies and investment vintages.

Those offered on our platform have undergone a rigorous selection process, led by the Titanbay Investment Team, with additional oversight from the Titanbay Investment Advisory Board (IAB). This is further supplemented by research and ratings through our relationship with Mercer, a leading global investment consultant.

The outcome is a curated selection of top-tier funds each year from which you can build a diversified private market portfolio.

To find out more about Titanbay, visit:

titanbay.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005874/en/

Contacts:

Media Enquiries:

Instinctif Partners on behalf of Titanbay

Nick Corrin

Nick.Corrin@instinctif.com

+44 7900254328
#MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told his countrys Victory Day parade on Moscows Red Square that a real war has been unleashed against Russia by the Wests untamed ambitions, shortly after the Kremlins forces rained cruise missiles on Ukrainian targets.

Today civilisation is once again at a decisive turning point, Putin said at Moscows annual commemorations celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. A real war has been unleashed against our Motherland. Since Russia invaded its neighbor more than 14 months ago, Putin has repeatedly framed the war in Ukraine as a proxy conflict with the West. The Kremlins official narrative of the war has painted a picture of an existential conflict with the West, which in Moscows view is merely using Ukraine as a tool to destroy Russia, re-write its history and crush its traditional values. That version of events has dominated Russian state media coverage of the war.

In his speech, Putin insisted that the Wests untamed ambitions, arrogance and impunity are to blame for the conflict.

Putin welcomed soldiers fighting in Ukraine who were present at the parade. To Russia! To our brave armed forces! To Victory! Putin concluded the speech. Russia unleashed a barrage of cruise missiles on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, hours before the start of the Moscow parade, which this year is taking place amid tight security measures.

The Kremlins forces launched 25 missiles overnight in a wave of attacks across Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that air defense had successfully destroyed 23 of them.

In a Telegram post, the air force said eight Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from carriers in the Black Sea toward the east and 17 from strategic aircraft.

The barrage came as Moscow and other cities hosted military parades and other festivities marking

Victory Day, Russias biggest secular holiday that this year has been significantly overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. AP

Reason for cancelling military parades

At least 21 cities cancelled May 9 military parades across Russia as were the Immortal Regiment processions, in which people walk the streets holding portraits of kin who died or served in WW-II. It is being speculated that the reason behind cancelling the marches was that Russians might bring portraits of relatives who died in Ukraine, illustrating the scale of Russias losses in the drawn-out conflict. AP

Ukraine flags block Russian ambassadors path

A large installation representing Russian atrocities in Ukraine blocked the path of Russias ambassador to Poland as he went to place a wreath at a Warsaw memorial to Soviet soldiers on Victory Day on Tuesday. It included hundreds of fluttering blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and crosses serving as symbolic grave markers for Ukrainians killed by Russians in the full-scale war launched by Moscow. AP


Spanish-based engineering firm will accelerate technical development of Gazelle's floating offshore wind platform

Gazelle Wind Power (Gazelle), the developer of a hybrid modular floating offshore wind platform, has agreed to take a controlling stake in Spanish-based naval architect and marine consulting firm Faustino Carceller, S.L. (F. Carceller). Gazelle's shipbuilding approach for construction creates synergies for both companies, making this acquisition a practical fit to help the company accelerate the technical development of its floating offshore wind platform.

F. Carceller will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Gazelle while remaining focused on the commercial fishing, marine, and shipping industries. As part of this transaction, Pablo Carceller has been appointed CEO and Director of F. Carceller. The Carceller family remains an important shareholder in the company.

Jose Ramon Anton Vilasanchez will remain as Technical Director of Carceller. Inigo Zavala Ortiz de la Torre-the Vice President of the Corporate Social Responsibility Commission for the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE)-will serve as Chairman of the Board of Carceller. Additional board members include Gazelle General Counsel Ena Carballo and Spanish businessman and entrepreneur Valentin de Torres-Solanot del Pino.

"This agreement allows us to continue servicing the needs of shipowners and shipyards to the highest ability-while giving us and our customers a pathway into the burgeoning offshore wind market," said F. Carceller CEO Pablo Carceller. "Gazelle's unique offshore platform technology works in harmony with fishing corridors, making this partnership an ideal fit for both companies."

Since 1988, F. Carceller and its naval architects and engineers have specialized in providing expert technical and consulting services for marine vessels and structures on more than 1,300 projects. Using the latest technologies, F. Carceller is equipped to offer a wide range of unique services that will expand Gazelle's in-house capabilities, including design, refitting and conversion, stability calculations, construction management, appraisals, and more.

"F. Carceller's impeccable reputation, knowledge, and experience have established it as one of the premier naval architecture, engineering, and consulting companies in Spain over the last 35 years; their expertise in the marine market will be key for Gazelle as we transition into an exciting new phase of development for both our company and the offshore wind industry," said Gazelle CEO, Jon Salazar. "Through F. Carceller's team of top-tier technical personnel, Gazelle is better positioned to accelerate engineering processes, project development, R&D, and overall innovation activity."

This acquisition represents a pivotal addition to Gazelle's technical capabilities as it continues its mission to unlock, enable, and accelerate the offshore wind industry, which must deploy 2,000 GW by 2050 to achieve net zero emissions, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Recently, Gazelle announced an agreement with renewable energy developer WAM Horizon to work together on a pilot project in Portugal, as well as further enhancements to the design of its third-generation floating offshore wind platform technology, which utilizes shipbuilding industry processes for sourcing materials, construction, assembly, and transport.

PHOTO: Gazelle CEO Jon Salazar and F. Carceller CEO Pablo Carceller shake hands at the official signing ceremony

About Gazelle Wind Power

Gazelle Wind Power Limited is unlocking the massive deep-water offshore wind market to achieve global decarbonisation. The company's durable, disruptive hybrid floating platform with a high stability attenuated pitch surmounts the current barriers of buoyancy and geographic limitations while reducing costs and preserving fragile marine environments. The company is based in Dublin and has a presence in Dubai, London, Madrid, Paris, and Texas. For more information, visit www.gazellewindpower.com.

About F. Carceller

F. Carceller is a Spanish-based naval architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with more than three decades of expertise in ship design, retrofits, and stability test services. Carceller is a trusted provider to shipowner and shipyard clients in the fishing and maritime industries and is majority owned by floating offshore wind platform technology developer Gazelle Wind Power. For more information, visit carceller.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005205/en/

Contacts:

For Gazelle Wind Power:

Wendy Prabhu Mercom Communications

T: +1 512 215 4452

gazelle@mercomcapital.com
Study publication follows new guidance from global cyber security agencies calling for software manufactures to use threat modeling at design stage

Total Economic Impact Study finds IriusRisk reduced the time required to create a threat model by 90%

LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IriusRisk, the industry-leading platform for automated threat modeling, today publishes the results of an independent Total Economic Impact Study, which provides quantifiable evidence that the IriusRisk platform delivers more than a three-year 200% return on investment (ROI).

The commissioned Total Economic Impact study (TEI), which was carried out by Forrester Consulting, also found that using the IriusRisk Threat Modeling Platform reduced time to create a threat model by 90%.

The publication of the study comes at a time when pressure is growing on software manufacturers to ensure software is made secure-by-design. In April, the national cyber security agencies of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand, published new guidance calling on software manufacturers to deploy threat modelling at the design stage.

This follows fast on the news that the US Government will legislate to introduce liability for software makers for the security of the products they manufacture.

Key findings in the Total Economic Impact Study for a composite organization based on interviewed customers were:

Time: Organisations using IriusRisk were found to have made a time saving of 72 hours per threat model (from 80 to 8 hours or 90%).

Automation: IriusRisk automates repetitive threat modeling tasks, so security teams can effectively focus on their resources - Forrester estimates this is worth $1.8 million over three years.

over three years. Productivity: Developers using IriusRisk were found to be 50% more productive.

Collaboration: The study found that the introduction of IriusRisk helps to build a formal practice around threat modeling within organizations.

The TEI methodology has been used for over 20 years by technology consumers and technology organizations. It consists of four components to evaluate investment value: cost, benefits, flexibility, and risk.

It is a proven industry-standard framework that models all aspects of a piece of technology or solution and the associated impacts on the business and illustrates the ROI of products and services.

The findings of the study are going to be discussed on Thursday May 25th, when IriusRisk will host a webinar featuring Forrester to review the key findings of this study.

Stephen de Vries, Founder and CEO, IriusRisk said: "It is no longer just good practice to use threat modelling; governments, regulators and cyber security agencies are demanding it. Every business that manufactures software should be looking at its processes and ensuring that security is built into the design process.

This important, independent analysis, is a testament to the quality of the IriusRisk threat modelling offer. At a time when threat modelling has become a business imperative, it is key that companies partner with a business that delivers for them and at the scale they require. The Forrester study demonstrates that IriusRisk does just this - saving businesses time, money and upping productivity and ingraining threat modeling as a core asset for organisations."

About IriusRisk

IriusRisk is the industry leader in automated threat modeling and secure software design, working with clients that include four of the top 10 Globally Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs).

Every sector of the global economy is being transformed by software, yet vulnerabilities are too often exposed by increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks. By identifying security flaws in software architecture at the design phase, threat modeling makes it possible to fix issues before code is written.

IriusRisk's platform automates the threat modeling process, enabling developers to design and build secure software. At scale.

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global agriculture equipment industry size stood at USD 286.03 billion in 2021 and will exhibit a robust CAGR of 6.2% from 2022 to 2030, according to the " Agriculture Equipment Industry Data Book, 2022-2030 ," published by Grand View Research. State-of-the-art developments in farm equipment have ramped up speed, scale and productivity, providing efficient cultivation. The emergence of telematics has leveraged farmers with automation and process monitoring, gaining traction as a lucrative option. Investments in smart farming to enhance production and operational efficiency will expedite innovation and foster the application of IoT solutions in agriculture.





Farm managers have sought bespoke solutions, including GPS tracking and smart farming, to know and assess the location of their tools and vehicles and provide real-time data. Farmers have leveraged geofence to emphasize harvesting, fertilizing and soil cultivation. Notably, optimization of the use of vehicles, including tractors, can be instrumental in propelling sustainable farming.

Agricultural machinery manufacturers and suppliers have depicted an inclination towards sustainable tractors with zero emission, low noise levels and low maintenance costs. Farmers will likely explore opportunities in sustainable mechanization and driverless tractors to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture, boost land productivity and negate the burden of labor shortages. Driverless tractors will enable farmers to take control of the vehicle via an app, including positioning the tractor, maneuvering around obstacles, turning around and driving the length of the field.

Order your copy of the Free Sample of "Agriculture Equipment Industry Data Book - Agriculture Tractors & Tractors Implements, Agriculture Equipment Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030" Data Book, published by Grand View Research

The agriculture tractor market size was valued at USD 88.5 billion in 2021 and will observe an 8.3% CAGR during the forecast period. An exponential rise in the demand for food will expedite the need for autonomous tractors that can use weather station data to optimize irrigation plans. Besides, demand for low-engine power equipment will be pronounced for better flexibility and compact size.

Farmers have furthered their focus on agriculture implements to enhance crop yields and minimize human labor. These machines will likely be sought for harvesting, irrigation, threshing, planting, field preparation and sowing in organic and commercial farming. Implements have become a vital cog in augmenting mechanization and improving fuel efficiency. Emerging economies, such as China and India, are banking on threshers, power tillers, rice transplanters, pumping sets and tractors for tremendous maneuverability, augmenting the growth of the agriculture industry and saving money & time. The agriculture implements market size garnered USD 28.6 billion in 2021 and could witness a robust CAGR of 5% over the forecast period.

As stakeholders grapple with seeking tools and equipment to get higher yields in a shorter period, the following dynamics are expected to hold prominence over the next few years:

Precision agriculture has emerged as a lucrative option to boost produce with sustainability, quality and productivity. The applications of robotics, drones and automation will help optimize resources and bolster crop health monitoring.

The trend for farming-as-a-service (FAAS), IoT- and big data-based technologies, along with the penetration of artificial intelligence, will hold the key to the modernization of agriculture.

Europe will account for a considerable share of the global market with the growing commercialization of autonomous farming techniques.

The agriculture equipment industry in Asia Pacific will remain a happy hunting ground on the back of subsidies and the rising footprint of AI, autonomous electric tractors and drones. According to the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India, the number of machines and equipment provided to farmers on subsidy was pegged at 1,388,314 in December 2022, up from 1,378,755 till January 2022.

Go through the table of content of Agriculture Equipment Industry Data Book to get a better understanding of the Coverage & Scope of the study

The Indian government is offering financial assistance at 100% cost of the drone, along with the contingent expenditure to make the technology affordable for farmers and other stakeholders under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM). In essence, farmers across China and partly in India are cashing in on drones to extract soil samples to check moisture, elevation and temperature. Moreover, artificial intelligence can be used to differentiate between weeds and cultivated plants, thereby helping contain the use of pesticides.

The competitive landscape alludes to the infusion of funds into organic and inorganic strategies to tap into the global landscape. Forward-looking companies are expected to emphasize technological advancements, product offerings, innovation, geographical expansion, R&D activities and mergers & acquisitions. For instance, in September 2022, Deere & Co announced the launch of self-driving tractors and sprayers that can plow fields and distinguish crops from weeds, respectively. In January 2022, John Deere introduced a fully autonomous tractor at CES 2022.

Check out more Industry Data Books, published by Grand View Research

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/sector-reports-list

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

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London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Fr. App, the social media platform setting out to fight filters and promoting authenticity and transparency in social media, has announced today its launch into the United States with brand activations in California universities, including the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Picture: Fr. App Store Snapshot

The app is aimed at Gen Zs (18-25 year olds) who are looking for new forms of social media without filters and free of the social pressure to edit content. The app currently has over four million downloads worldwide. Fr. App offers a solution to the current industry problems of inauthenticity and lack of transparency.

"Fr. App is designed to be a filter-free instant messaging app for users to cultivate strong and genuine friendships no matter where you are in the world," said Anna Lee, Founder of Fr. App. "Through our research, we have found that Gen Z social app users are keen on wanting to nurture special bonds with their friends or loved ones to share real-life stories together."

The brand activation campaign led by Fr. App in the California region, comprises more than 30 weekly events that will take place in various university campuses. Its primary objective is to introduce the innovative features of Fr. App, particularly the SEQUEL feature, to Gen Z students. This feature allows friends to strengthen their bond by collaboratively building each other's stories with diverse perspectives. Additionally, the campaign highlights Fr. App's Home Screen WIDGET, which facilitates seamless communication and real-time updates within the network of real friends.

Fr. App plans to expand its Student Elite Representative (SER) network to promote its goal of fostering genuine friendships. The campaign involves nine student brand ambassadors who exhibit exceptional leadership and enthusiasm in promoting the mission.

The month-long campaign will create a lively and friendly atmosphere across the campuses of UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley, as student attendees engage in various fun activities and explore Fr. App's SEQUEL feature. The brand activation campaigns in California universities began in late April 2023 and will run until the end of May 2023.

This campaign is part of the Fr. App's goal to penetrate the Gen Z market in the United States, following its impressive growth in UK, reaching over four million downloads, as well as the success of its immersive pop-up SUPmarket activation at London universities and other universities across UK.

About Fr. App

Fr. App is a social media app founded in 2020 by two London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) alums setting out to fight filters and build a social network for real. Based out of London, California, and Texas, Fr. App now has over 4 million Gen Z users worldwide who enjoy living in real-life moments without filters. With the app prioritizing the nurturing of genuine friendships, Fr. App key features center around SEQUEL, which encourages users to add sequel stories to build each other's real-life moments with their own take, and WIDGET, which allows seamless communication and real-time updates between friends on the smartphone's Home Screen.

Contact Details:

Contact Person: Scynge Xing

Email: press@frog.social

Website: https://thefr.app

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165350
The Toronto-based law firm William Jaksa Criminal Litigation has announced legal defence services for individuals facing domestic assault charges.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - The firm offers experienced legal counsel and trusted advocacy from the point of an initial arrest to police interviews, pre-trial motions, and courtroom appearances. Mr. Jaksa and his team help clients understand the complexities of the law relating to domestic assault and all of the options available to them.

More details can be found at https://www.toronto-criminal-lawyer.co.

Toronto Criminal Law Firm William Jaksa Launches Domestic Assault Defence Services

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The announcement underlines the scope of the firm's experience across all facets of Canadian criminal law. The firm has represented hundreds of clients facing all manner of assault charges, bringing a deep knowledge of the Canadian Criminal Code and its classification of crimes and sentencing guidelines.

According to Canadian criminal law, domestic assault charges may include simple assaults - including a minor push, verbal abuse, grabbing, or gestures that apply force either directly or indirectly. The subtleties of these variations can be hard to establish, which is why the firm ensures that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution and that all evidence presented to the court is valid.

A conviction for domestic assault can have far-reaching consequences for defendants. Reputations can be permanently damaged and future employment opportunities may be limited as a result of a criminal record. William Jaksa Criminal Litigation help to manage these factors by negotiating with law enforcement and the court to have charges reduced and explore counselling, diversion orders or conditional and intermittent sentences as an alternative to jail terms. These options are particularly relevant for first-time offenders.

The firm can also explore the possibilities of early resolution for defendants. This often includes the signing of a Section 810 peace bond or common law bond which makes a permanent record of the incident on police files. The firm can also explain to clients the nature of these disclosures and what is likely to show up on background checks in the future.

The firm also provides representation for bail hearings and any related negotiations. Domestic assault defendants are commonly subject to strict conditions for bail release. William Jaksa Criminal Litigation guides defendants through all aspects of a case including how bail conditions relate to contact between the accused and their alleged victim and the implications for parental access rights. Learn more at https://www.toronto-criminal-lawyer.co/what-criminal-lawyers-do/.

A spokesperson says, "When establishing a defence strategy there should be a focus on gathering and preserving evidence that will show the allegations were false, or will confirm that the police investigation lacked the necessary thoroughness."

Interested parties may visit https://www.toronto-criminal-lawyer.co/best-criminal-lawyer-toronto or call 416-900-0998 for further details.

Contact Info:

Name: William Jaksa

Email: william@jaksa.ca

Phone: 416-900-0998

Organization: William Jaksa Criminal Litigation

Address: 55 University Avenue Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2H7, Canada

Website: https://www.toronto-criminal-lawyer.co/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164813
LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Portfolio Platform (TPP) is a SaaS platform which enables retail investors to benefit from elite and sophisticated trading strategies via a monthly subscription model in just few clicks, by linking them to a broker account of your choice anywhere in the world.

At TPP our experienced traders with extensive track records, are tasked with outperforming the market benchmark by 2 times on a per annum basis. There are no management fees, commissions or performance fees for our investors, simply a nominal monthly subscription fee starting from 50 per strategy.

The Portfolio Platform was built in 2020 by industry veterans Edward Davies and Lane Clark with one mission: "To build an investment product that outperforms the market, while being both affordable and transparent." TPP was created to change the status quo and solve a glaring problem in the investment world by bringing professional trading strategies and making them available to everyone. It is fully transparent, more accessible and frankly more profitable for investors.

Since launch till date, TPP has seen 98% customer retention which is a real game changer for retail investors. With recent crowd funding and growth plans, it was the perfect time strengthen the leadership by appointing Mr. Nandik Barbhaiya as TPP's first CMO.

Edward Davies & Lane Clark (Co-Founders of TPP) say: "We are delighted to have signed a new CMO in Nandik Barbhaiya. His extensive experience in building and growing FinTech businesses to big global brands makes him perfect for the role as we transition from local to multinational. Things have moved even faster than we hoped, but we know that we've got the right man for the job to take us to the next level and beyond."

Mr. Nandik Barbhaiya brings 2 decades of marketing and leadership experience spread across FinTech, eCommerce and WealthTech companies. Mr. Barbhaiya has held global marketing roles with companies like OANDA, Exinity as Global Head of Marketing and recently in the capacity as CMO at OvalX and Moneyfarm.

Mr. Barbhaiya says "I am very excited to join forces with Lane and Edward at The Portfolio Platform and be part of the TPP journey. They have built a great product over last few years, and it is continuously improving. Their energy and vision around building TPP into a global brand is contagious and the perfect challenge for me to support in their growth. TPP is here and we will concur."

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Partnership provides Finastra's Kondor customers with access to cloud-based services for increased agility and lower total cost of ownership

LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra, a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, today announced a new managed services partnership agreement with Luxoft, a DXC Technology company, to support Finastra's Kondor customers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region with their cloud transformation journeys. The strategic partnership expands the companies' long-standing relationship, which has been in place since 2006. Under the new agreement, Luxoft will become the preferred provider of managed services and hosting for Finastra's solution in the region.





"As a long-standing Finastra partner, we are excited to extend our collaboration to help Kondor customers in EMEA modernize their technology estate, migrate to the cloud, increase agility and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO)," said Rob Easter, Managing Director, Banking & Capital Markets at Luxoft. "With Finastra's industry-leading solution, combined with our extensive delivery expertise, banks will have access to robust services underpinned by the as-a-service cloud-construct model to help them accelerate their growth, innovation and the ability to adapt quickly to new demands."

Finastra Kondor is a best-of-breed trading system that meets financial institutions' needs for sophisticated treasury functionality, while enabling growth and ensuring compliance. Open, flexible, easy to use, and based on microservices, Kondor reduces the cost per trade with complete front-to-back office integration across the full range of treasury trading instruments. The solution offers powerful risk analytics, trade processing, position management and real-time risk coverage. It enables banks to trade high volumes in treasury while offering the flexibility to support more complex derivatives, options and structured trades.

"Partnerships are crucial for Finastra's success, and we take great care when it comes to selecting which companies we collaborate with," said Wissam Khoury, EVP, Treasury & Capital Markets at Finastra. "We also recognize the enormous value of managed services, providing banks with the necessary flexibility and adaptability particularly during times of ongoing uncertainty and change. With extensive expertise in delivering financial services software and knowledge of our Treasury & Capital Markets solutions, we believe that Luxoft is the right partner to provide our Kondor customers in EMEA with seamless services that support their ongoing growth."

The new partnership with Finastra in EMEA complements the existing partnerships that Luxoft has with other vendors. Luxoft remains open to collaborate with other software vendors to deliver turnkey managed services to their customer base.

For more information about Kondor, click here.

Finastra.com

About Finastra

Finastra is a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, and launched

the leading open platform for innovation, FusionFabric.cloud, in 2017. It serves institutions

of all sizes, providing award-winning software solutions and services across Lending, Payments,

Treasury & Capital Markets and Universal Banking (Retail, Digital and Commercial Banking) for banks to support direct banking relationships and grow through indirect channels, such as embedded finance and Banking as a Service. Its pioneering approach and commitment to open finance and collaboration is why it is trusted by ~8,600 institutions, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks.

For more information, visit finastra.com

About Luxoft

Luxoft, a DXC Technology Company, is a global banking and capital markets consulting and services provider that offers innovative solutions to clients in various industries, focusing on financial services. Its expertise in operational resiliency, systems monitoring and advanced analytics helps clients improve business operations, increase efficiency and reduce risk. Luxoft has been recognized for significant achievements in the financial services industry in recent years. In 2020, the company was named a "Leader" in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Services in the Banking and Financial Services sector. Industry analysts also acknowledge Luxoft as a leading provider of digital transformation services for financial institutions.

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Francois Ortalo-Magne speaks to Chris Caldwell of United Renewables





Francois Ortalo-Magnespeaks to Chris Caldwell of United Renewables

DOUGLAS, Isle of Man, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and businesses have a crucial role to play in addressing it. But how can we ensure that academic research is directed towards sustainability outcomes without sacrificing academic freedom and curiosity? In a thought-provoking article, Christopher Caldwell, CEO and Clean Energy Entrepreneur, challenges us to resist the temptation to demand sustainability outcomes from academia and instead protect the freedom to be curious.

Caldwell draws inspiration from his interview with Francois Ortalo-Magne, the Dean of London Business School, who believes that academic freedom and curiosity are essential to impactful research. Instead of redirecting all funding towards sustainability, we must protect the values that lead to great thinking and breakthroughs. Caldwell cites the example of Keith Thomas, a researcher who spent 15 years reading what interested him before publishing his classic work, "Religion and the Decline of Magic". Similarly, impactful research on sustainability is the result of long-term academic freedom and curiosity.

Protecting academic freedom and curiosity doesn't mean ignoring sustainability, however. Caldwell acknowledges the need for leaders to ensure that sustainability is at the heart of leadership education, and argues that sustainability should be part of the MBA curriculum to prepare leaders for the future.

In this inspiring article , Caldwell challenges us to trust in the power of curiosity and academic freedom to drive meaningful change. We need more Keith Thomases in the world, and we must resist the urge to force sustainability outcomes from academia. By protecting academic freedom and curiosity, we can pave the way for breakthroughs that may have far-reaching impacts in the future. The article "Do We Need A Climate Revolution In Business School Research?" is available for reading at here .

Caldwell is an entrepreneur and founder of United Renewables, a green energy firm working across wind, solar, tidal and anaerobic technologies with a special interest in serving island communities. He is also a growing authority in the digital climate debate, as host of the podcast Conversations on Climate.

Conversations on Climateis a joint production of United Renewables and the London Business School Alumni Energy Club.

Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Conversations on Climate Podcast, featuring Francois Ortalo-Magne Dean of the of London Business School, is available here.

Conversations on Climate brings world-leading thinkers from business and academia together to share their expertise on the subject of climate change. Previous guests include Sir Andrew Likierman , Julio Dal Poz , Professor Jean-Pierre Benoit , Professor Ioannou , Tara Schmidt , Professor Dan Cable , Professor Zoe Chance and Professor Lynda Gratton.

All previous episodes can be found here. Related articles can be found here.

CONTACT Isabella Hawke - Sales and Marketing Consultant

COMPANY United Renewables

PHONE +447624457139

EMAIL IIhawke@unitedrenewables.co.uk

WEB unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe4886aa-bc3f-4909-b997-e2c2c69ffb10
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / PJX Resources Inc. ("PJX") is pleased to announce that results from Vancouver Petrographics' ("VanPetro") thin section and polished section analyses of rock samples from the Estella Basin support porphyry copper-gold deposit type potential on the Dewdney Trail Property. Deposit potential is also supported by large (5 km diameter) ring features in airborne magnetic data that may define the margins of collapsed plutons at depth. Porphyry copper-gold deposits often occur above and along pluton margins.

Porphyritic intrusions (alkalic porphyries, felsitic rhyolite, trachylatite), breccias, meta-sediments, carbonates, plus quartz-filled veins comprise the various Estella Basin samples that were analyzed by VanPetro laboratory. Typical porphyry deposit alteration assemblages (Ca-Mg-Fe-carbonates, pyrite, epidote, sericite, chlorite) as well as disseminated and vein copper minerals were identified and are similar to those that characterize alkalic porphyry copper-gold deposits.

The Estella Basin target area, with gold-copper-silver mineralization related to alkalic intrusions, is one of a number of target areas on PJX Resources 116 km Dewdney Trail Property in the Sullivan Mining District.

John Keating, President of PJX commented: "It has taken 10 years to consolidate the mineral rights to the Dewdney Trail Property and the historical Estella mine. Geological and geophysical data combined with copper and gold mineralization in soils and porphyry intrusions at surface all support the potential to discover porphyry type deposits on the Dewdney Trail Property. There are multiple drill ready targets that we plan to test for the first time this year."

Factors supporting porphyry deposit potential include:

Differentiated intrusions with porphyritic rock types ranging from syenite to granodiorite in composition.

Hydrothermal breccias.

Copper sulphide and pyrite mineralization in veins and disseminated in the fine-grained groundmass of various porphyry phases (see photo A).

Clustering of multiple and varied intrusions.

An exposure level that indicates only the top of some intrusions are exposed. This supports the potential for additional mineralization at depth.

Airborne geophysical Magnetic and EM signatures of the intrusions that are similar to known porphyry copper-gold deposits elsewhere in the world. These include large ring features (5 km across) that may represent the margins of multiple plutonic phases (magmatic centers) at depth that could generate porphyry and intrusion related deposits (see figures 1 and 2).

Large coincident soil geochemical anomalies of gold, copper, arsenic, molybdenum and other metallic elements associated with mineralized intrusions and geophysical targets (see figures 3 to 6).

Photo A - Rock grab sample MS22-57.

VanPetro's assessment indicates that this is a micro-fractured porphyritic quartz-bearing syenite dominated by fine to very coarse, subhedral to euhedral K-feldspar phenocrysts (in places, replaced by calcite), intergrown with accessory plagioclase phenocrysts and quartz, floating within a groundmass that is dominated by K-feldspar, intergrown with plagioclase, quartz, muscovite flakes, plus minor apatite and scattered calcite spar. Pyrite, chalcopyrite (copper sulphide) blebs and hematite are scattered in the groundmass. Discontinuous veinlets, crosscutting phenocrysts and groundmass are filled with calcite and quartz. A separate grab sample of this phase of porphyry with quartz veins analyzed 6.9 g/t gold, 447 g/t silver, 1.1% copper.

Figure 1 - Airborne magnetic map.

Estella Basin's First target to test is the syenite/alkalic intrusion associated with gold, copper and silver mineralization discovered last year. Intrusion appears as a magnetic high (red colour).

Additional targets are the Donut shaped magnetic anomaly and a syenite/alkalic porphyry with limited access at the base of a cliff. Porphyry copper-gold deposits are known to have a magnetic high and/or a donut shaped magnetic signature.

Two large ring features in the magnetic data (approximately 5 km across) outline what may be the outer margins of multiple collapsed plutons at depth that could generate porphyry copper-gold type deposits.

The possible plutons (magmatic centres) are aligned along a major north trending overturned anticline fold axis that would provide loci for plutons.

Note how the syenite/alkalic porphyry intrusions and donut shaped magnetic anomaly occur along the ring features. Porphyry copper-gold deposits are known to occur along the margin of plutons.

Figure 2 - Airborne Mobile MT - EM map.

Mapping suggests that the more conductive areas (pink to red colours) are related to sedimentary rocks containing iron sulphide, carbonaceous material, and possible massive sulphide mineralization.

The more conductive areas appear to disappear in the centre where a large area of lower conductivity (diffuse red) may represent a pluton at depth.

The lower conductivity area may have been created when the pluton absorbed the conductive iron sulfides and carbonaceous material that are often required to form copper-gold porphyry type deposits.

The ring feature, about 5 km across, represents the outer margin of the possible pluton.

Alkalic/syenite porphyry intrusions and the donut shaped magnetic anomaly occur along the ring feature.

Figure 3 - Gold in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 4 - Copper in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 5 - Arsenic in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 6 - Molybdenum in soil geochem on geology map.

Figures 3 to 6 display gold, copper, arsenic, and molybdenum in soils on the Dewdney Trail property geology map. Note how anomalous concentrations of gold, copper, arsenic and molybdenum occur in proximity to porphyry intrusions, and the large donut shaped magnetic anomaly that may represent a potential copper-gold porphyry type deposit at depth.

Qualified Persons

The foregoing geological disclosure has been reviewed and approved by John Keating P.Geo. (qualified persons for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Keating is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of PJX.

About PJX Resources Inc.

PJX is a mineral exploration company focused on building shareholder value and community opportunity through the exploration and development of mineral resources with a focus on gold, silver and base metals (zinc, lead, copper, nickel). PJX's properties are located in the historical Sullivan Mine District and Vulcan Gold Belt near Cranbrook and Kimberley, British Columbia.

Please refer to our web site http://www.pjxresources.com for additional information.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Linda Brennan, Chief Financial Officer

(416) 799-9205

info@pjxresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release has been prepared as at the date noted above. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expected", "may", "will" or similar terms.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by PJX Resources Inc. as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by law, PJX Resources Inc. expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in PJX Resources Inc.'s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Cautionary Note to US Investors:

This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which PJX Resources Inc. has no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. 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.

This press release uses the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource is economically or legally mineable.

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: PJX Resources Inc.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Tevano Systems Holdings Inc. (CSE: TEVO) (FSE: 7RBA) (OTC Pink: TEVNF) ("Tevano" or the "Company") a leader in commercializing innovative technologies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Alford to its Advisory Board.

Mr. Alford brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles in the mining and exploration industry to the team. He has worked with independent, junior and senior mining companies, including Falconbridge Copper, Teck Mining, Zijin Mining Group, and China Railway Resources, and has managed projects throughout North and South America, SE Asia, China, Central Asia, Russia, Australia, and Africa.

"We are thrilled to welcome Craig to our advisory board," said David Bajwa, CEO of Tevano. "His extensive experience in the mining and exploration industry will be invaluable to our company as we continue to develop our DLE product offerings and grow our customer base."

As a member of Tevano's Advisory Board, Mr. Alford will provide strategic guidance and insight to help the company achieve its goals and objectives. He will work closely with the executive team to develop and execute business strategies that drive growth and innovation.

"I am excited to join Tevano's advisory board and look forward to working with the team," said Mr. Alford. "The company has a very impressive DLE technology called Eo-Cycle, and I believe my experience in the mining and exploration industry will be a valuable asset as we continue to grow this business."

Mr. Alford holds both an Honors Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Geology. He is a registered Professional Geoscientist and is a Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Alford's experience includes budgeting and the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars and developing economic analysis for large M & A transactions. He has negotiated with several Heads of State and assisted the World Bank and the China-Africa Development Fund in tax policy, planning, and investment risk.

"We are honored to have Mr. Alford join our advisory board, and we are confident that his expertise and insight will be instrumental in our growth and success," said Mr. Bajwa.

About Tevano

Tevano is committed to developing and commercializing innovative technologies that have the potential to transform industries and create long-term value for our stakeholders. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aqua-Eo, an environmentally focused industrial technology and engineering company, Tevano is fostering the development of its commercial extraction solutions for Lithium and other strategic metals, industrial wastewater and oil and gas effluent remediation and treatment.

For more information, please visit: www.tevanosystems.com.

On behalf of the Board of:

TEVANO SYSTEMS HOLDING INC.

Eugene Hodgson, Chief Financial Officer

Eugeneh@tevanosystems.com

(604) 805-6600

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165479
COVINA, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Prophecy Market Insights" Global Molybdenum Market accounted for US$ 4.6 billion in 2020 and is estimated to be US$ 5.8 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 2.50%"





What is the Overview of Molybdenum Market?

Molybdenum is metallic element which resembles tungsten and chromium in various properties and used in hardening and strengthening of steel material. Molybdenum is used as catalysts, in alloys, lubricants, fertilizer and pigments.

Growing demand for steel industries has become a key factor in market growth. Wide variety of benefits and growing use in production of high-quality nozzles, warheads, shaped-charge liners in defense sector is expected to boost the demand for Molybdenum market growth in future.

Key Highlights:

In March 2023 , CME Group launched new first trades of Molybdeum Oxide (Platts) Futures designed to manage the risks associated with energy transition for participants and allows industrial to protect against rising volatile prices.

, CME Group launched new first trades of Molybdeum Oxide (Platts) Futures designed to manage the risks associated with energy transition for participants and allows industrial to protect against rising volatile prices. In November 2016 , Highland Metals Inc., launched new "Beta Titanium Molybdenum Archwires" which will provide improved function and performance within nickel-free wire product offerings.

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What is Prophecy's Analyst View on Molybdenum Market?

Wide applications in aerospace, industrial, energy, medical, transportation and agricultural sector has provided lucrative opportunities in market growth. Growing demand from energy sector and rising infrastructure projects is expected to fruitful the demand for Molybdenum market growth in future.

What are some challenges faced by the Molybdenum Market?

Fluctuating demand: The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market.

The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market. Environmental concerns: Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups.

Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups. Supply chain disruptions: The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum.

The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum. Competition from substitutes: Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum. Price volatility: Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively.

Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively. What recent developments are there in the Molybdenum Market?

Technological advancements: There has been an increase in the use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. This includes the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics.

There has been an increase in the use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. This includes the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. Growing demand for renewable energy: The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels. Exploration and production of new mines: There has been a renewed focus on exploration and development of new molybdenum mines in regions such as South America and Central Asia , in response to growing demand.

There has been a renewed focus on exploration and development of new molybdenum mines in regions such as and , in response to growing demand. Increasing investment in infrastructure: Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum.

Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum. Strategic partnerships and collaborations: Companies in the molybdenum market are forming strategic partnerships and collaborations with other businesses and organizations to enhance their research and development capabilities, expand their product offerings, and strengthen their market position.

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Who are the Key Manufacturers in Molybdenum Market?

Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

China Molybdenum Co., Ltd.

Luoyang Hi-Tech Metals Co.

Antofagasta PLC

Jinduicheng Molybdenum Co., Ltd.

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.

Codelco Inc.

Southern Copper Corporation

Rio Tinto Group

Teck Resources Limited.

What are the Drivers and Restrains of Molybdenum Market?

Drivers:

Growing demand from end-use industries: Molybdenum is used in various industries such as steel production, oil and gas exploration, and chemical manufacturing. The growing demand from these industries is driving the demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in various industries such as steel production, oil and gas exploration, and chemical manufacturing. The growing demand from these industries is driving the demand for molybdenum. Increasing investment in infrastructure: Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum.

Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum. Rising demand for renewable energy: The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels. Technological advancements: The use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process is increasing, leading to greater efficiency and productivity.

The use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process is increasing, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. Strategic partnerships and collaborations: Companies in the molybdenum market are forming strategic partnerships and collaborations with other businesses and organizations to enhance their research and development capabilities, expand their product offerings, and strengthen their market position.

Restrains:

Fluctuating demand: The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market.

The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market. Environmental concerns: Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups.

Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups. Supply chain disruptions: The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum.

The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum. Competition from substitutes: Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum. Price volatility: Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively.

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Geographical insights on Molybdenum Market:

Asia Pacific : The Asia Pacific region is the largest consumer of molybdenum, with China being the major consumer and producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries.

The region is the largest consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer and producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries. North America : North America is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with the United States being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and automotive industries.

is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and automotive industries. Europe : Europe is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with Germany being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries.

is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries. South America : South America is a significant producer of molybdenum, with Chile being the major producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the mining, construction, and energy industries.

is a significant producer of molybdenum, with being the major producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the mining, construction, and energy industries. Middle East and Africa : The Middle East and Africa region are minor consumers and producers of molybdenum, with limited production and consumption occurring in the region. However, the region's demand for molybdenum is expected to grow in the coming years, driven by the growth in the construction and energy industries.

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Record 4/20 results with traffic, customers served, and units sold up 10%, 11%, and 9%, respectively, year over year

Cost reduction initiatives deliver $24 million decrease in SG&A expenses

Industry leading U.S. retail network of 184 dispensaries, up 14% year over year, supported by over 4 million square feet of cultivation and processing capacity as of March 31, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) ("Trulieve" or "the Company"), a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the U.S., today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 . Results are reported in U.S. dollars and in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles unless otherwise indicated. Numbers may not sum perfectly due to rounding.

Q1 2023 Financial and Operational Highlights*

Revenue of $289 million, with 95% of revenue from retail sales.

Achieved GAAP gross margin of 52%, with gross profit of $150 million .

SG&A expenses lowered by $24 million sequentially to $102 million .

Reported net loss of $64 million . Adjusted net loss of $21 million * excludes non-recurring charges, asset impairments, disposals and discontinued operations.

Generated adjusted EBITDA of $78 million *, or 27% of revenue.

Cash at quarter end of $195 million .

Opened three new dispensaries in Palatka and Winter Haven, Florida and Beckley, West Virginia .

Launched adult-use sales in Bristol, Connecticut .

First U.S. cannabis company to launch advertising campaigns on Twitter.

Exited the quarter with operations in 11 states, with 32% of retail locations outside of the state of Florida .

*See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for additional information and a reconciliation to GAAP for all Non-GAAP metrics.

Recent Developments

First to launch medical sales in Georgia with two new dispensaries in Macon and Marietta .

Achieved record traffic, customers served, and units sold on 4/20 holiday, up 10%, 11%, and 9%, respectively, year over year.

Currently operate 186 retail dispensaries and over 4 million square feet of cultivation and processing capacity in the United States .

Management Commentary

"Our team is laser focused on cash preservation and generation as we set the stage for the next phase of accelerated growth," said Kim Rivers, Trulieve CEO. "Trulieve's scale and service, operational flexibility, and strong balance sheet are essential for success in the current environment."

Rivers continued, "With increasing adoption and expanding state level access to cannabis, the industry is well beyond the tipping point. Tremendous opportunities lie ahead for companies that can successfully adapt within evolving landscapes."

Financial Highlights*

Results of Operations For the Three Months Ended







(Figures in millions except per

share data and % change based on

these figures) March 31,

2023 March 31,

2022 change December 31,

2022 change







Revenue $ 289 $ 318 (9 %) $ 302 (4 %)



Gross Profit $ 150 $ 180 (17 %) $ 150 0 %



Gross Margin %

52 %

57 %



50 %





Operating Expenses $ 163 $ 151 8 % $ 156 5 %



Operating Expenses %

56 %

48 %



52 %





Net Loss** $ (64) $ (32) --- $ (77) ---



Net Loss Continuing Ops $ (66) $ (30) --- $ (76) ---



Adjusted Net Income (Loss) $ (21) $ 2 --- $ (35) ---



Diluted Shares Outstanding

189

187



189





EPS Continuing Ops $ (0.34) $ (0.16) --- $ (0.40) ---



Adjusted EPS $ (0.11) $ 0.01 --- $ (0.18) ---



Adjusted EBITDA $ 78 $ 105 (26 %) $ 85 (8 %)



Adjusted EBITDA Margin %

27 %

33 %



28 %









*See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for additional information and a reconciliation to GAAP for all Non-GAAP metrics. **Net loss and comprehensive loss attributable to common shareholders which Includes discontinued operations and excludes non-controlling interest.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast on May 10, 2023, at 8:30 A.M. Eastern time, to discuss its first quarter 2023 financial results. Interested parties can join the conference call by dialing in as directed below. Please dial in 15 minutes prior to the call.

North American toll free: 1-888-317-6003 Passcode: 2035918 International: 1-412-317-6061 Passcode: 2035918

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available at:

https://app.webinar.net/bR5Wgq9gJLx

A powerpoint presentation and archived replay of the webcast will be available at:

https://investors.trulieve.com/events

The Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, will be available on the SEC's website or at https://investors.trulieve.com/quarterly-results. The Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the period and the accompanying financial statements and notes will be available under the Company's profile on SEDAR and on its website at https://investors.trulieve.com/quarterly-results. This news release is not in any way a substitute for reading those financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (in millions, expect per share data)





March 31, 2023



December 31,

2022

ASSETS











Current Assets:











Cash and cash equivalents

$ 188.1



$ 212.3

Restricted cash



7.2





6.6

Accounts receivable, net



8.0





9.4

Inventories, net



297.6





297.8

Prepaid expenses and other current assets



70.7





63.6

Notes receivable - current portion



0.7





0.7

Assets associated with discontinued operations



1.9





2.5

Total current assets



574.2





593.0

Property and equipment, net



782.4





796.9

Right of use assets - operating, net



101.8





101.4

Right of use assets - finance, net



70.7





76.2

Intangible assets, net



967.4





1,012.6

Goodwill



791.5





791.5

Notes receivable, net



11.9





12.0

Other assets



15.8





14.7

Long-term assets associated with discontinued operations



0.7





0.7

TOTAL ASSETS

$ 3,316.4



$ 3,399.0

LIABILITIES











Current Liabilities:











Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$ 92.5



$ 83.1

Income tax payable



35.7





49.0

Deferred revenue



5.1





9.6

Notes payable - current portion, net



9.8





12.5

Operating lease liabilities - current portion



10.4





10.4

Finance lease liabilities - current portion



8.0





8.7

Construction finance liabilities - current portion



1.3





1.2

Contingencies



25.5





34.7

Liabilities associated with discontinued operations



0.0





0.5

Total current liabilities



188.3





209.7

Long-Term Liabilities:











Notes payable, net



93.5





94.2

Private placement notes, net



543.0





541.7

Warrant liabilities



-





0.3

Operating lease liabilities



103.1





102.4

Finance lease liabilities



72.0





75.8

Construction finance liabilities



182.4





182.4

Deferred tax liabilities



216.2





224.1

Other long-term liabilities



37.2





26.2

Long-term liabilities associated with discontinued operations



14.6





14.6

TOTAL LIABILITIES



1,450.3





1,471.3

Commitments and contingencies











SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY











Common Stock, no par value; unlimited shares authorized. 185,987,512

issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022,

respectively.



-





-

Additional paid-in-capital



2,049.0





2,045.0

Accumulated (deficit) earnings



(178.0)





(113.8)

Non-controlling interest



(5.0)





(3.5)

TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY



1,866.1





1,927.7

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

$ 3,316.4



$ 3,399.0



Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Unaudited) (in millions, except per share data)





Three Months Ended





March 31, 2023



March 31, 2022

Revenue, net of discounts

$ 289.1



$ 317.7

Cost of goods sold



139.2





137.3

Gross profit



149.9





180.5

Expenses:











Sales and marketing



62.3





72.8

General and administrative



39.4





33.5

Depreciation and amortization



30.4





28.4

Impairments and disposals of long-lived assets, net



31.0





16.5

Total expenses



163.1





151.3

(Loss) income from operations



(13.1)





29.2

Other (expense) income:











Interest expense



(22.7)





(17.9)

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities - warrants



0.3





0.8

Other income, net



4.9





0.9

Total other expense



(17.6)





(16.2)

(Loss) income before provision for income taxes



(30.7)





13.0

Provision for income taxes



35.0





43.1

Net loss from continuing operations and comprehensive loss



(65.7)





(30.1)

Net (income) loss from discontinued operations, net of tax benefit of $8, and $809,

respectively



(0.0)





2.4

Net loss



(65.6)





(32.5)

Less: Net loss and comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest from

continuing operations



(1.5)





(0.5)

Net loss and comprehensive loss attributable to common shareholders

$ (64.1)



$ (32.0)















Net loss per share - Continuing operations:











Basic and diluted

$ (0.34)



$ (0.16)

Net income (loss) per share - Discontinued operations:











Basic and diluted

$ 0.00



$ (0.01)

Weighted average number of common shares used in computing net loss per share:











Basic



188.9





187.1

Diluted



188.9





187.1



Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we supplement our results with non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss), and adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share. Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with GAAP financial measures to evaluate our operating results and financial performance. We believe these measures are useful to investors as they are widely used measures of performance and can facilitate comparison to other companies. These non-GAAP financial measures are not, and should not be considered as, measures of liquidity. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP. Because of these limitations, these non-GAAP financial measures should be considered along with GAAP financial performance measures. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to such GAAP measures can be found below. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental to, and not a substitute for, our reported financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA

The following table presents a reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA, for each of the periods presented:

(Amounts expressed in millions of United States dollars) For the Three Months Ended







March 31,

2023 March 31,

2022 December 31,

2022







Net Loss GAAP $ (64.1) $ (32.0) $ (77.0)



Add (Deduct) Impact of:















Interest Expense $ 22.7 $ 17.9 $ 23.0



Provision For Income Taxes $ 35.0 $ 43.1 $ 45.1



Depreciation and Amortization $ 30.4 $ 28.4 $ 30.7



Depreciation in COGS $ 13.6 $ 10.7 $ 13.4



EBITDA $ 37.5 $ 68.1 $ 35.2





















Impairments and Disposals of Long-lived Assets, Net $ 31.0 $ 16.5 $ (0.6)



Results of Discontinued Operations $ (0.0) $ 2.4 $ 5.2



Acquisition and Transaction Costs $ --- $ 3.3 $ 7.5



Integration and Transition Costs $ 1.9 $ 5.3 $ 4.0



Other Non-Recurring Costs $ --- $ 6.2 $ 16.3



Share-Based Compensation $ 2.4 $ 4.6 $ 3.6



Legislative Campaign Contributions $ 10.5 $ --- $ 10.0



Inventory Step Up Fair Value $ --- $ 0.4 $ ---



Covid Related Expenses $ --- $ 0.4 $ ---



Other (Income) Expense, net $ (4.9) $ (0.9) $ 1.6



Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities - Warrants $ (0.3) $ (0.8) $ (0.0)



Results of Entities Not Legally Controlled $ --- $ 0.0 $ 1.9



Adjusted EBITDA Non-GAAP $ 78.2 $ 105.4 $ 84.7





Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income

The following table presents a reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP adjusted net income, for each of the periods presented:

(Amounts expressed in millions of United States dollars) For the Three Months Ended







March 31,

2023 March 31,

2022 December 31,

2022







Net Loss GAAP $ (64.1) $ (32.0) $ (77.0)



Add (Deduct) Impact of:















Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities - Warrants $ (0.3) $ (0.8) $ (0.0)



Inventory Step Up Fair Value $ --- $ 0.4 $ ---



Transaction, Acquisition, and Integration Costs $ 1.9 $ 14.8 $ 27.8



Legislative Campaign Contributions $ 10.5 $ --- $ 10.0



Covid Related Expenses $ --- $ 0.4 $ ---



Impairments and Disposals of Long-lived Assets, Net $ 31.0 $ 16.5 $ (0.6)



Results of Discontinued Operations $ (0.0) $ 2.4 $ 5.2



Adjusted Net (Loss) Income Non-GAAP $ (21.0) $ 1.6 $ (34.7)





Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Adjusted Earnings Per Share

The following table presents a reconciliation of GAAP loss per share to non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share, for each of the periods presented:

(Amounts expressed are per share) For the Three Months Ended







March 31,

2023 March 31,

2022 December 31,

2022







Loss Per Share GAAP $ (0.34) $ (0.17) $ (0.41)



Add (Deduct) Impact of:















Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities - Warrants $ (0.00) $ (0.00) $ (0.00)



Inventory Step Up Fair Value $ --- $ 0.00 $ ---



Transaction, Acquisition, and Integration Costs $ 0.01 $ 0.08 $ 0.15



Legislative Campaign Contributions $ 0.06 $ --- $ 0.05



Covid Related Expenses $ --- $ 0.00 $ ---



Impairments and Disposals of Long-lived Assets, Net $ 0.16 $ 0.09 $ (0.00)



Results of Discontinued Operations $ (0.00) $ 0.01 $ 0.03



Adjusted Earnings Per Share Non-GAAP $ (0.11) $ 0.01 $ (0.18)





Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to the Company's expectations or forecasts of business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs and include statements regarding cannabis regulatory reform, the Company's success in the current economic and regulatory environment, and opportunities for the Company to adapt to the current environment. Words such as "expects", "continue", "will", "anticipates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends that management believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein, including, without limitation, the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 and in our periodic reports subsequently filed with the United Sates Securities and Exchange Commission and in the Company's filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

About Trulieve

Trulieve is an industry leading, vertically integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the U.S., with established hubs in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest, anchored by leading market positions in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Trulieve is poised for accelerated growth and expansion, building scale in retail and distribution in new and existing markets through its hub strategy. By providing innovative, high-quality products across its brand portfolio, Trulieve delivers optimal customer experiences and increases access to cannabis, helping patients and customers to live without limits. Trulieve is listed on the CSE under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF. For more information, please visit Trulieve.com.

Facebook: @Trulieve

Instagram: @Trulieve_

Twitter: @Trulieve

Investor Contact

Christine Hersey, Vice President of Investor Relations

+1 (424) 202-0210

[email protected]

Media Contact

Nicole Yelland, Executive Director of Corporate Communications

+1 (248) 219-9234

[email protected]

SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global gas sensor market size is expected to reach USD 5.49 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 9.5% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the increasing number of health and safety regulations by the governments of different countries. Furthermore, the need to constantly control and monitor gas emissions by various industrial processes creates more demand for gas sensors globally.





Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

The oxygen/lambda sensor segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. The increasing adoption of oxygen gas sensors in applications such as medical equipment, wearable devices, food and beverage production, and environmental monitoring, among others is expected to drive the growth of the segment.

The wireless segment is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing segment over the forecast period. The demand for wireless gas sensors is rising owing to the benefits, such as ease of installation and flexibility, real-time monitoring, improved safety, and reduced installation cost as wireless gas sensors require minimal wiring, which saves time and money. In addition, these sensors provide continuous gas monitoring, allowing for prompt identification and response to hazardous situations.

The electrochemical technology segment accounted for the largest market share in 2022. The demand for electrochemical gas sensors is rising owing to the ability of these sensors to detect harmful gas emissions and help in improving air quality. These sensors are widely used in industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, and manufacturing to detect toxic and flammable gases.

The environmental end-use segment is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing segment over the forecast period. The increasing number of smart city projects being rolled out worldwide is driving the demand for IoT-enabled gas sensors for monitoring environmental gas.

The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest market share in 2022. Rapid urbanization in emerging economies, such as China and India , is expected to create growth opportunities for the Asia Pacific regional market.

Read full market research report, "Gas Sensor Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Oxygen /Lambda Sensors, Carbon Dioxide Sensors), By Type (Wired, Wireless), By Technology, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Gas Sensor Market Growth & Trends

According to the researchers at Northeastern and Penn State University, wearable gas sensors for human health and environmental monitoring are expected to be commercially available in the coming years. These sensors use a self-heating mechanism that enhances sensitivity and allows for the quick reuse and recovery of the platform.

Miniaturization, smart sensors, multi-gas sensing, IoT integration, and the development of new sensing technologies are key trends shaping the growth and development of the gas sensor industry. IoT-based wireless gas sensors are used in smart cities to predict fire conditions, detect air pollution levels, and track gas combustion. Through IoT gas sensors, air quality data can be collected, processed, analyzed, and exchanged in real-time potentially leading to heathier smart cities. Moreover, gas sensors can potentially help in assessing the levels of various gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other gases in the air and contribute favorably to curbing air pollution.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to create new opportunities for the market players. The demand for carbon dioxide gas sensors is expected to increase significantly in particular. Carbon dioxide gas sensors are being used widely in European countries for monitoring the indoor environment in schools to control the spread of coronavirus. Guidelines published by the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Associations also recommend installing carbon dioxide monitoring systems in schools.

Gas Sensor Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global gas sensor market based on product, type, technology, end-use, and region

Gas Sensor Market - Product Outlook (Volume, Million Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Oxygen (O2)/Lambda Sensors

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Sensors

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Sensors

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Sensors

Methyl Mercaptan Sensor

Others (Hydrogen, Ammonia, Hydrogen Sulfide)

Gas Sensor Market - Type Outlook (Volume, Million Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Wireless

Wired

Gas Sensor Market - Technology Outlook (Volume, Million Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Electrochemical

Semiconductor

Solid State/MOS

Photo-ionization Detector (PID)

Catalytic

Infrared (IR)

Others

Gas Sensor Market - End-use Outlook (Volume, Million Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Medical

Building Automation & Domestic Appliances

Environmental

Petrochemical

Automotive

Industrial

Agriculture

Others

Gas Sensor Market - Regional Outlook (Volume, Million Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Australia

South America

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

& Kingdom of Saudi Arabia



UAE



South Africa

List of Key Players in the Gas Sensor Market

ABB Ltd.

AlphaSense Inc.

City Technology Ltd.

Dynament

Figaro Engineering Inc.

Membrapor

Nemoto & Co. Ltd.

Robert Bosch LLC

Siemens

GfG Gas Detection UK Ltd.

FLIR Systems, Inc.

Check out more market research studies published by Grand View Research:

Pressure Sensor Market - The global pressure sensor market is expected to reach USD 26.44 billion by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for pressure sensors in the automotive sector, such as the measurement of oil pressure in power steering, intake manifold pressure, and fuel pressure measurements in tanks. Moreover, the growing application of pressure sensors in various end-use industries such as aviation and consumer electronic applications bodes well for the growth of the market during the forecast period.

The global pressure sensor market is expected to reach by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for pressure sensors in the automotive sector, such as the measurement of oil pressure in power steering, intake manifold pressure, and fuel pressure measurements in tanks. Moreover, the growing application of pressure sensors in various end-use industries such as aviation and consumer electronic applications bodes well for the growth of the market during the forecast period. Light Sensor Market - The global light sensor market size is anticipated to reach USD 6.39 billion by 2027, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.9% from 2020 to 2027. Market growth can be attributed to the growing implementation of light sensor functions in the automotive industry and consumer electronics, such as smartphones, televisions, and laptops. Advancements in smart lighting and its applications in smart homes and outdoor lighting are also expected to increase the utility of light detectors. In addition, the increased usage of connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the development of smart cities is expected to propel the growth of the market.

- The global light sensor market size is anticipated to reach by 2027, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.9% from 2020 to 2027. Market growth can be attributed to the growing implementation of light sensor functions in the automotive industry and consumer electronics, such as smartphones, televisions, and laptops. Advancements in smart lighting and its applications in smart homes and outdoor lighting are also expected to increase the utility of light detectors. In addition, the increased usage of connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the development of smart cities is expected to propel the growth of the market. Virtual Sensors Market - The global virtual sensors market size is expected to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 27.2%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing use of virtual sensors in the human activity recognition and in the healthcare domain is driving the market. Implementation of cloud platforms integrated with IoT applications is driving the market growth.

Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports.

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COVINA, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Offshore Decommissioning includes removal of decks, subsea pipelines, subsea wells, sank rigs, and damaged offshore platforms. Rising demand for fuel in turn increases demand for offshore decommissioning activities which is expected to propel the target market growth.





Low crude oil prices and maturing oil and gas fields has become major contribution in market growth. Rising adoption of technologies for increasing production from mature fields is expected to provide lucrative opportunities in Offshore Decommissioning market growth in coming years.

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(The sample of this report is readily available on request. The report sample contains a brief introduction to the research report, Table of Contents, Graphical introduction of regional analysis, Top players in the market with their revenue analysis and our research methodology.)

Our Sample Report Includes:

2032 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis.

115+ Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research).

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2023 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends.

Includes Updated List of table & figures.

Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis.

Some of the Top Market Players are:

Amec Foster Wheeler Energy Limited

Aker Solutions

James Fisher Offshore Ltd

AF Gruppen ASA

First Subsea Ltd.

TETRA Technologies, Inc.

John Wood Group PLC

Able UK Ltd.

DNV GL AS

Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland SE

Allseas Group S.A.

DeepOcean Group Holding AS

TechnipFMC plc.

Analyst View:

Strategic partnerships and agreements has become a major factor in target market growth. Presence of large number of mature offshore oil-fields has become a key factor in target market growth. Government initiative in abandonment and well plug activities is expected to fuel the demand for Offshore Decommissioning Market growth in coming years.

Key Factors Driving Market Growth:

There are several key factors driving the growth of the offshore decommissioning market, including:

Aging Infrastructure: As offshore oil and gas infrastructure ages, the need for decommissioning activities increases, creating opportunities for growth in the market.

As offshore oil and gas infrastructure ages, the need for decommissioning activities increases, creating opportunities for growth in the market. Regulatory Requirements: Governments around the world are imposing increasingly stringent regulations on offshore decommissioning, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies.

Governments around the world are imposing increasingly stringent regulations on offshore decommissioning, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies. Environmental Concerns: With growing awareness of the environmental impact of oil and gas operations, there is increasing pressure on companies to safely and responsibly decommission offshore infrastructure.

With growing awareness of the environmental impact of oil and gas operations, there is increasing pressure on companies to safely and responsibly decommission offshore infrastructure. Technological Advancements: Advances in technology are enabling more efficient and cost-effective decommissioning processes, which is driving demand for these services.

Advances in technology are enabling more efficient and cost-effective decommissioning processes, which is driving demand for these services. Cost Reduction: The high costs associated with decommissioning activities are driving innovation in the market, as companies seek to find ways to reduce costs while maintaining safety and environmental standards.

Overall, these factors are contributing to the growth of the offshore decommissioning market, and are expected to continue driving demand for these services in the future.

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Recent Trends Influencing the Market:

There are several recent trends that are influencing the offshore decommissioning market, including:

Increasing Demand: There is a growing demand for decommissioning services as more oil and gas infrastructure reaches the end of its useful life. This is driving growth in the market, as companies seek out specialized services and technologies.

There is a growing demand for decommissioning services as more oil and gas infrastructure reaches the end of its useful life. This is driving growth in the market, as companies seek out specialized services and technologies. Technological Advancements: Advances in technology, such as robotics and automation, are enabling more efficient and cost-effective decommissioning processes. This is helping to drive growth in the market by reducing costs and improving safety.

Advances in technology, such as robotics and automation, are enabling more efficient and cost-effective decommissioning processes. This is helping to drive growth in the market by reducing costs and improving safety. Environmental Concerns: There is growing awareness of the environmental impact of decommissioning activities, and companies are under increasing pressure to minimize this impact. This is driving the development of new technologies and processes that are more environmentally friendly.

There is growing awareness of the environmental impact of decommissioning activities, and companies are under increasing pressure to minimize this impact. This is driving the development of new technologies and processes that are more environmentally friendly. Collaborative Approaches: There is an increasing trend towards collaboration between companies and service providers, as well as between different companies in the same industry. This is helping to drive innovation and improve efficiency in the market.

There is an increasing trend towards collaboration between companies and service providers, as well as between different companies in the same industry. This is helping to drive innovation and improve efficiency in the market. Regulatory Changes: Governments around the world are imposing increasingly stringent regulations on offshore decommissioning activities. This is driving demand for specialized services and technologies that can help companies comply with these regulations.

Overall, these recent trends are influencing the offshore decommissioning market by driving demand for specialized services and technologies, promoting innovation and collaboration, and increasing the focus on safety and environmental concerns.

Pet Food Market Value and Forecast:

Report Attribute Details Revenue forecast in 2022 USD 5.6 Billion Market size value in 2032 USD 12.0 Billion Expected CAGR Growth 7.5 % from 2022 - 2032 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2022 - 2032 Top Market Players Amec Foster Wheeler Energy Limited, Aker Solutions, James Fisher Offshore Ltd, AF Gruppen ASA, First Subsea Ltd., TETRA Technologies, Inc., John Wood Group PLC, Able UK Ltd., DNV GL AS, Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland SE, Allseas Group S.A., DeepOcean Group Holding AS, and TechnipFMC plc. Segments Covered Offshore Decommissioning Market, By Service, By Depth, and By Region Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-customization/834

Geographic Overview:

The offshore decommissioning market is a global market, with activity taking place in a variety of geographic regions. Some of the key regions for offshore decommissioning activity include:

North America : The North American market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of aging oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico . In addition, the United States has some of the most stringent regulations in the world for offshore decommissioning, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies.

The North American market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of aging oil and gas installations in the . In addition, has some of the most stringent regulations in the world for offshore decommissioning, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies. Europe : The European market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of aging oil and gas installations in the North Sea. In addition, there is a strong focus on environmental concerns in Europe , which is driving demand for environmentally friendly decommissioning processes.

The European market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of aging oil and gas installations in the North Sea. In addition, there is a strong focus on environmental concerns in , which is driving demand for environmentally friendly decommissioning processes. Asia Pacific : The Asia Pacific market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of oil and gas installations in the region, particularly in Australia and Southeast Asia . In addition, there is a growing focus on safety and environmental concerns in the region, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies.

The market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of oil and gas installations in the region, particularly in and . In addition, there is a growing focus on safety and environmental concerns in the region, which is driving demand for specialized services and technologies. Middle East & Africa : The Middle East & Africa market for offshore decommissioning is driven by the large number of oil and gas installations in the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf. In addition, there is a growing focus on decommissioning activities in the region, driven by the need to remove aging infrastructure and comply with regulatory requirements.

Overall, the offshore decommissioning market is a global market with activity taking place in a variety of geographic regions. Each region has its own unique characteristics and drivers, but all are experiencing growth in demand for decommissioning services and technologies.

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Key Highlights:

In October 2022 , CessCon Decom launched new decommissioning hub at Port of Aberdeen's located within Crathes Quay at South Harbour. New launched hub will establish Aaberdeen as a Centre of Excellence and will become a port of choice for offshore decommissioning sector.

, CessCon Decom launched new decommissioning hub at Port of located within Crathes Quay at South Harbour. New launched hub will establish Aaberdeen as a Centre of Excellence and will become a port of choice for offshore decommissioning sector. In November 2016 , Lloyd's Register launched new decommissioning service to help equity holders, operators, investors and regulators to navigate technical and regulatory complexities of late-life operators and to improve project efficiency.

Prophecy Market Insights has segmented the Offshore Decommissioning Market, By Service, By Depth and By Region:

By Service

Well Plugging and Abandonment

Project Management

Engineering and Planning

Permitting and Regulatory Compliance

Platform Preparation

Conductor Removal

Mobilization and Demobilization of Derrick Barges

Others

Well Plugging and Abandonment Project Management Engineering and Planning Permitting and Regulatory Compliance Platform Preparation Conductor Removal Mobilization and Demobilization of Others By Depth

Shallow Water

Deepwater

Shallow Water Deepwater By Region Outlook

North America (U.S., Canada )

Europe ( France , Germany , UK, Italy , Netherlands , Spain , Russia )

Asia Pacific ( Japan , China , India , Malaysia , Indonesia , South Korea )

Latin America ( Brazil , Mexico , Argentina )

Middle East & Africa ( Saudi Arabia , UAE, Israel , South Africa )

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Kolibri Global Energy Inc. (the "Company" or "KEI") (TSX: KEI, OTCQX: KGEIF) is pleased to announce that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary BNK Petroleum (US) Inc. ("BNK US") has obtained an increase in its Borrowing Base from US$25 million to US$40 million on its revolving line of credit ("Credit Facility") from BOK Financial ("BOKF"). The current outstanding amount drawn on the Credit Facility is US$18.2 million.

Wolf Regener, President and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased to have BOKF's continued support and belief in our project and our team as we accelerate the development of our Tishomingo field. This 60% increase in our borrowing base provides us more flexibility and supports our production and cash flow growth initiatives."

The increase in available borrowing capacity gives BNK US the ability to draw down an additional US$21.8 million for the further development of the Company's Tishomingo field in Oklahoma. The Credit Facility provides for interest only payments until the June 2026 maturity date, with bi-annual scheduled reserve redeterminations.

WEBINAR

The Company will be presenting via webinar at 2:00 p.m. EST later today, May 10th, 2023 to discuss its first quarter results and a general corporate update. To participate, please register in advance using the following link. Bit.ly/410woFn

About Kolibri Global Energy Inc.

Kolibri Global Energy Inc. is a 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 Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol KEI and on the OTCQX under the stock symbol KGEIF.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of United States securities laws (collectively, "forward looking information"), including statements regarding the Credit Facility and the Company's operations.

Forward-looking information is based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of data by the Company's technical team at the date the data is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including, work and operations in the Company's 2023 drill program being completed on schedule, future operating costs, forecast prices and costs, estimated production, capital and other expenditures, expected results of drilling activity, that anticipated results and estimated costs will be consistent with management's expectations, that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the necessary labor and equipment will be obtained, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the offset operator's operations will proceed as expected by management, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the price of oil will be sustained or increase, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through cash flow, debt, financings, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business, its ability to advance its business strategy and the industry as a whole.

Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate 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 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 equipment failures, permitting delays, labor or contract disputes or shortages of equipment or labor or materials are encountered, 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 conditions), the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, that the offset operator's operations have unexpected adverse effects on the Company's operations, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the price of oil will decline, that the Company is unable to access required capital, 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 and uncertainties applicable to exploration and development activities and the Company's business as set forth in the Company's management discussion and analysis and its annual information form, both of which are available for viewing under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com, any of which could result in delays, cessation in planned work or loss of one or more concessions and have an adverse effect on the Company and its financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005475/en/

Contacts:

Wolf E. Regener +1 (805) 484-3613

Email: wregener@kolibrienergy.com

Website: www.kolibrienergy.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Transocean Ltd. (RIG) said the Transocean Equinox was awarded a five-well contract in Australia by a major operator, representing approximately $137 million in firm backlog, excluding full payment for mobilization and a demobilization fee. The estimated 300-day contract is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2024. Transocean is an international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in and operates a fleet of 37 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 27 ultra-deepwater floaters and 10 harsh environment floaters. 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.
Company debuts IBM Quantum Safe Roadmap alongside portfolio of technology to simplify and enable comprehensive migration to secure critical data against potential future attacks

ARMONK, N.Y. and ORLANDO, Fla., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced at its annual Think conference in Orlando, Florida, new IBM Quantum Safe technology: a comprehensive set of tools and capabilities, combined with IBM's deep security expertise, designed as an end-to-end solution to be made available as organizations, including governmental agencies, prepare their quantum-safe journey towards the post-quantum era.





Quantum technology is rapidly advancing. Quantum systems are on a path to solve previously unsolved problems beneficial to business and science, but this progress also poses security risks. As quantum computers continue to advance, they will reach the ability to break the most widely used security protocols in the world.

Recognizing this risk, IBM has leveraged its extensive expertise across cryptography, quantum computing, and critical infrastructure to develop IBM Quantum Safe technology.

This set of capabilities is designed to help clients prepare for the post-quantum era via:

IBM Quantum Safe Explorer to enable organizations to scan source and object code to locate cryptographic assets, dependencies, vulnerabilities and to build a Cryptography Bill of Materials (CBOM). This allows teams to view and aggregate potential risks into one central location.

to enable organizations to scan source and object code to locate cryptographic assets, dependencies, vulnerabilities and to build a Cryptography Bill of Materials (CBOM). This allows teams to view and aggregate potential risks into one central location. IBM Quantum Safe Advisor allows the creation of a dynamic or operational view of cryptographic inventory to guide remediation and analyzes cryptographic posture and compliance to prioritize risks.

allows the creation of a dynamic or operational view of cryptographic inventory to guide remediation and analyzes cryptographic posture and compliance to prioritize risks. IBM Quantum Safe Remediator enables organizations to deploy and test best practice-based quantum-safe remediation patterns to understand the potential impacts on systems and assets as they prepare to deploy quantum-safe solutions.

IBM is also unveiling its IBM Quantum Safe Roadmap to help clients understand and support them through this security transition. This is IBM's first blueprint that charts the technology milestones towards increasingly advanced quantum-safe technology, which is engineered to help organizations address anticipated cryptographic standards and requirements through crypto-agility and protect systems against emerging vulnerabilities.

This journey is comprised of three key actions:

Discover: Identify cryptography usage, analyze dependencies, and generate a CBOM. Observe: Analyze cryptography posture of vulnerabilities and prioritize remediation based on risks. Transform: Remediate and mitigate with crypto-agility and built-in automation.

"As a leader in quantum computing, IBM recognizes the importance of comprehensively addressing the critical needs of our clients as they also consider transforming their cryptography for the quantum era," said Ray Harishankar, IBM Fellow and lead for IBM Quantum Safe technology. "Our new suite of quantum-safe technologies and milestones laid out on our roadmap is designed for the continuous evolution of post-quantum security in tandem with useful quantum computing, including solutions to help industries navigate this shift effectively and easily."

Last year, the United States government released new requirements and guidelines calling upon federal agencies to start the quantum-safe transition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected four quantum-resistant algorithms for standardization - three of which were developed by IBM, alongside academic and industry collaborators.

Then, the National Security Agency (NSA) announced new requirements for national security systems to transition to quantum-safe algorithms by 2025, and the White House released requirements for federal agencies to submit a cryptographic inventory of systems that could be vulnerable to cryptographically relevant quantum computers.

"As the era of quantum computing quickly approaches reality, it is imperative that quantum-safe technologies are also deployed to protect today's classical systems and data," said Patrick Moorhead, CEO and founder of Moor Insights & Strategy. "What the world needs to secure data for the quantum age is expertise in world-class quantum technology and advanced cryptography, alongside decades of product development experience for critical infrastructure. These pillars are where I believe IBM excels, and now with a quantum-safe roadmap to lead the industry and new technologies to simplify migration, I look forward to seeing the advancement of quantum-safe journeys globally."

The IBM Quantum Safe Roadmap and technology will expose organizations to their existing cryptographic landscape so they can begin to address changes that may be necessary to thrive in the post-quantum era.

For more information about IBM Quantum Safe technology or to request a demo, visit: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/quantum-safe.

Media Contacts:

Chris Nay

cnay@us.ibm.com

Willa Hahn

willa.hahn@ibm.com





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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saudi Space Commission (SCC) has confirmed that the Saudi astronauts are ready for the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) this month, after completing the rigorous nine months training program for the flight.





The astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, will conduct 14 pioneering scientific research experiments in the microgravity environment including three educational awareness experiments during the mission on the ISS. This comes within the Kingdom's astronaut program, that was announced last September as one of the strategic programs the commission is executing.

As part of their training, the astronauts underwent 12 days in simulated space conditions. During this time, they carried out the training related to the experiments that would be conducted on the mission; simulating the penetration of the Earth's atmosphere and the accompanying effect of gravitational forces, rapid acceleration and the heavy pull of gravity on the human body. They trained on all of the equipment and procedures necessary to complete the mission on the ISS with Axiom Space and SpaceX at the National Space Training and Research Center (NASTAR) - one of the state-of-the-art flight simulator facilities in Pennsylvania, USA.

The astronauts underwent their training at the NASA Johnson Center within the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) program which is designed to push people to the extremes and to prepare the team for their AX-2 mission to the ISS. The mission's objective is to inspire students and those interested in space science, whilst stressing the importance of research, the lives of astronauts and the role of integrative science on improving the quality of life on Earth.

The astronauts underwent additional training last September on expeditionary skills at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. The training program included instructing the astronauts on operational programs and operations that would be required aboard the ISS. In addition to conducting training programs at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and European Space Agency (ESA) in January and February, they also carried out space payload merging exercises in March 2023. Additionally, training in weightlessness and floating practice, communication skills whilst in orbit and learning about side effects during spaceflight. Astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni have expressed their pride and gratitude in representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in their first sustainable Human Space Flight (HSF) program and to help realize its ambition in the field of space. Both astronauts stressed their enthusiasm and readiness to carry out this mission.

AlQarni says, "The training program enhanced our readiness to deal with any challenge we may face during the space mission," and has "helped us develop the skills necessary for the success of the mission." The program emphasizes that space skills require intensive and accurate training, not only to ensure the achievement of the mission's objectives, but also to ensure the safety of fellow astronaut's personal space.

It is worth noting that the SSC had earlier launched the Astronauts Program, with the aim of qualifying experienced Saudi candidates to embark on space flights that participate in scientific experiments, international research and future space-related missions. All of which will contribute to the future of the industry in Saudi Arabia, whilst organically increasing the interest of graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This will in turn attract talent and skilled individuals and enhance Saudi Arabia's position in the space sector, becoming an important part of the global community in space science research and investing that research in the service of humanity.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / (TSXV:OGN) (OTCQX:OGNRF) Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Cuervo epithermal gold-silver project in the Nechako Plateau, central British Columbia.

Cuervo Project Highlights

Sixteen square-kilometre gold anomaly developed in basal till with geochemistry indicative of a buried epithermal system

Scale and tenor of till anomaly comparable to Artemis Gold Inc's Blackwater Gold project

The till source region correlates with magnetic low and high chargeability parallel to an up-ice regional-scale structure

Historic drilling on the peripheries of the geochemical and geophysical anomaly intersected epithermal veins with anomalous gold and silver values

Core of geochemical anomaly and geophysical target ready for drill testing

Cuervo was acquired through staking under Orogen's generative exploration programs

Figure 1: Location map

"Since 2017, Orogen's technical team have been exploring in the Nechako Plateau; understanding the opportunities of prospecting in till covered terrane guided by the Geoscience BC TREK dataset" commented Laurence Pryer, VP of Exploration "The gold anomaly at Cuervo represents the largest and strongest geochemical anomaly identified by our team and an early-stage opportunity to explore for buried epithermal style mineralization."

About the Cuervo Project

The nearly 6000-hectare Cuervo project is located in northern British Columbia, 150 kilometres west-southwest of Prince George within the Nechako Plateau, a region that hosts significant porphyry and epithermal mineral deposits but where exploration has been historically hindered by the extensive glacial till cover that blankets the region. (Figure 1). The claims are road accessible.

The property contains a sixteen square-kilometre gold in basal till anomaly (Figure 2). The gold anomaly correlates with anomalous silver, arsenic, and antimony, all geochemical indicators of a buried epithermal system. The scale and tenor of gold anomalism at Cuervo is comparable to Artemis Gold Inc's Blackwater Gold project (Proven and Probable reserves of 8Moz gold at 0.75 g/t and 62.3 Moz silver at 5.8 g/t1).

The well-defined source region of the basal till anomaly correlates with a magnetic trough - inferred to be related to the regional Tatuk fault - and an open-ended area of high conductivity and strong chargeability. Historic drilling on the periphery of the geophysical and geochemical anomaly intersected epithermal style veining with sulphides throughout the hole, anomalous gold and silver values (up to 0.15 g/t gold, 6.6 g/t silver over 8 metres), and highly enriched arsenic and antimony. The alteration and mineralization were described as resembling a silicified, high level sulphide cap atop a buried epithermal system2.

Early indications are that Cuervo mineralization may be epithermal in nature and given the approximate two-kilometre extent of the associated chargeability and size of the gold-till anomaly it more likely represents a bulk system of alteration and mineralization rather than discrete veins.

Cuervo is available for option or sale.

More details on the Cuervo property including a technical presentation and factsheet can be found at https://orogenroyalties.com/project-generation/project-generation/available-projects





Figure 2: Open ended chargeability in the source region of the Cuervo Gold anomaly

Qualified Person Statement

All technical data, as disclosed in this press release, has been verified by Laurence Pryer, Ph.D., P.Geo. VP Exploration for the Company. Dr. Pryer is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

About Orogen Royalties Inc.

Orogen Royalties Inc. is focused on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisitions on precious and base metal discoveries in western North America. The Company's royalty portfolio includes the Ermitano gold and silver mine in Sonora, Mexico (2% NSR royalty) being mined by First Majestic Silver Corp. and the Silicon gold project (1% NSR royalty) in Nevada, USA, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti NA. The Company is well financed with several projects actively being explored under joint ventures.

On Behalf of the Board

OROGEN ROYALTIES INC.

Paddy Nicol

President & CEO

To find out more about Orogen, please contact Paddy Nicol, President & CEO at 604-248-8648, and Marco LoCascio, Vice President, Corporate Development at 604-248-8648. Visit our website at www.orogenroyalties.com.

Orogen Royalties Inc.

1015 - 789 West Pender Street

Vancouver, BC

Canada V6C 1H2

info@orogenroyalties.com

1. https://artemisgoldinc.com/blackwater-project/blackwater-gold-project/reserves-and-resources/

2. https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/pub/aris/Detail/30364

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this presentation, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Orogen Royalties Inc. (the "Company") expect to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur.

Although the Company believe the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

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.

SOURCE: Orogen Royalties Inc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753868/Orogen-Acquires-the-Cuervo-Epithermal-Gold-Silver-Target-in-British-Columbia
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (the "Company") (CSE:BLLG)(FSE:7BL)(OTCQB:BLAGF) is pleased to announce final results from the 2023 Phase I drilling program on its year-round, road accessible, Dome Mountain Gold Project, located a short 50-minute drive from Smithers, British Columbia.

A total of 2909 meters of NQ diamond drilling was completed in ten (10) drill holes during the Phase 1 2023 campaign. Two of the ten holes were abandoned due to technical issues well before target depth and subsequently redrilled (Table 1). The first of these ten holes was focused on undercutting and following up on a significant intersection discovered during the 2022 drill program in drill hole DM-22-273 (see press release January 16, 2023). This intersection consisted of a wide zone of mineralized breccia and quartz-carbonate sulphide veining was intersected grading 5.49 g/t Au, 80.9 g/t Ag and 1.21% Cu over 16.55 meters (291.45 to 308.00m), including 11.02 g/t Au, 115.8 g/t Ag and 2.31% Cu over 5.65 meters (202.35 to 308.00m). This intersection was interpreted to represent the eastern extension of the Boulder Main vein.

Follow-up drilling this year set up on the same drill pad as hole DM-22-273 and targeted strike and dip extents at approximately 50 metres centers (Figure 1).

Table 1: Drill hole collar specifications

Hole ID Location (UTM Zone 9 North) Total Depth (m) Orientation Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip DM-23-285 (Abandoned and redrilled as 285A) 653552 6068474 1293 43.00 350 -58 DM-23-285A 653552 6068474 1293 581.00 350 -58 DM-23-286 653552 6068474 1293 362.70 338 -46 DM-23-287 653552 6068474 1293 359.00 338 -59 DM-23-288 653552 6068474 1293 358.50 5 -47 DM-23-289 653552 6068474 1293 367.70 3 -57 DM-23-290 (Abandoned and redrilled as 290A) 653552 6068474 1293 61.60 13 -46 DM-23-290A 653552 6068474 1293 316.20 16.4 -46 DM-23-291 653403 6068679 1300 205.60 6 -50 DM-23-292 653403 6068679 1300 253.50 67 -45

Figure 1

Table 2: Selected significant intersections, Boulder Main, eastern extension

Hole ID Intersection (m) Grade From To Length Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Cu (%) DM-23-285A 331.05 331.47 0.42 44.20 136.0 0.524 491.00 492.00 1.00 1.31 12.1 0.059 503.00 511.00 8.00 1.80 8.4 0.050 incl 504.60 507.34 2.74 4.25 18.7 0.095 541.00 543.00 2.00 1.75 7.6 0.060 546.00 548.95 2.95 2.39 10.8 0.057 DM-23-286 330.00 331.00 1.00 6.02 83.7 0.380 DM-23-287 309.55 311.10 1.55 15.20 31.4 0.147 DM-23-288 300.51 301.50 0.99 0.95 0.8 0.010 302.54 303.77 1.23 0.97 7.4 0.033 345.05 346.10 1.05 4.55 47.3 0.077 DM-23-289 339.00 340.40 1.40 10.35 38.9 0.108 Incl 339.84 340.40 0.56 25.10 93.0 0.248 DM-23-290A 267.00 267.34 0.34 7.64 30.6 0.167

NOTE: Insufficient information is available to determine true thicknesses.

The down-dip expression of the mineralization in drill hole DM-22-273 appears to be a narrow semi-massive sulphide bearing quartz vein (the Boulder Vein) in drill hole DM-23-285A. Precious metal grades here are 44.20 g/t Au and 136 g/t Ag and 0.52% Cu over 0.42 meters. Further down hole, a broader, but lower grade zone returned 1.80 g/t Au and 8.4 g/t Ag over 8.00 meters, including 4.25 g/t Au and 18.7 g/t Ag over 2.74 meters. Lower copper concentrations in this zone suggest it is not related to mineralization in DM-22-273 but may represent a zone of previously unrecognized mineralization in this structurally complex area.

Drilling on strike to the west, drill holes DM-23-286 and DM-23-287 intersected the mineralized Boulder Vein grading 6.02 g/t Au and 83.7 g/t Ag over 1.00 meters and 15.20 g/t Au and 31.4 g/t Ag over 1.55 meters, respectively.

To the east, drill hole DM-23-288 did intersect a zone of veining approximately 56 metres east at a similar depth as in hole DM-22-273, although the breccia was not developed in this location. Gold and silver grades were only weakly anomalous with a best of 1.48 g/t Au and 18.1 g/t Ag over 0.52 metres. Below this, two samples returned strong silver (and copper) values with concentrations of 97.2 g/t Ag (0.371% Cu) and 233 g/t Ag (1.640% Cu). These are related to narrow disseminated zones of a dark grey sulphide, identified as tennantite based on geochemistry. These zones are rather unique as compared to typical vein character and mineralogy of the Boulder Vein. Narrow tennantite veining was noted in the intersection in drill hole 273. Drill hole DM-23-289 drilled to undercut DM-23-238 intersected a deformed quartz -carbonate sulphide vein which returned 1.4 meters running 10.35 g/t Au, 38.9 g/t Ag and 0.108 Cu% (including 25.10 g/t Au and 93.0 g/t Ag over 0.56 meters). This intercept in the Boulder Vein is significant as it confirms 350 meters of additional strike length along the Boulder Vein east of the current resource model (see figure 2). Drill hole DM-23-290A, drilled to intersect the structure another 50 meters east, cut a narrow quartz-carbonate-sulphide vein grading 7.64 g/t Au and 30.6 g/t Ag over 0.34 meters.

Drill hole DM-23-291 was planned to test an interpreted area of the Boulder Main vein that was not included in the current vein model. A vein was intersected in historical drill hole D89-05 which graded 6.89 g/t Au and 41.6 g/t Ag within altered host rocks. Additional < 5g/t Au mineralization was selectively sampled within the alteration zone. Sampling of DM-23-291 only returned spotty low grade precious metal values within the expected zone. At depth, a better mineralized vein was encountered returning 3.52 g/t Au and 57.3 g/t Ag over 3.00 meters. It is unclear whether this vein represented the Boulder Footwall vein or may possibly be part of the Boulder East structures.

Though there is insufficient infill drilling at this time, it is reasonable to assume, based on drilling, that the strike length and down-dip extent of the Boulder Vein Resource could be doubled by infill drilling. The current resource (news release Feb 3, 2022) discloses a mineral resource of 45,000 Au and 250,000 Ag in the measured category, 173,000 oz Au and 876,000 oz Ag in the indicated category and 16,000 oz Au and 71,000 oz Ag in the inferred category.

Figure 2 Long section showing existing Boulder Vein Resource (measured and indicated resource blocks) and recent drilling. Black arrows showing strike length and dip depth on the resource and red arrows show length along strike and down dip added by recent drilling. Area in green denotes 2023 Phase 1 drilling.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CONTROL

Core selected for sampling was cut in half with a core saw with one half bagged for shipping. Strict chain of custody storing, and shipping protocol was maintained. All core preparation and analyses were completed by Activation Laboratories Ltd. located in Kamloops, BC. Core was crushed, split, and pulverized with 250 grams passing 200 mesh. Each sample was analyzed for gold by fire assay with ICP-OES finish (Act Labs Code 1A2-ICP) and for multi-elements by 4-acid total digestion ICP with OES finish. (Act Labs Code 1F2) Any gold overlimits (>30 ppm Au) were analyzed by gravimetric fire assay (Act Labs Code 1A3). Standards and blanks were inserted by Company staff. The drilling and sampling program was managed and supervised by Company personnel and under the direction of Ted Vanderwart, P.Geo.

The scientific and technical disclosure in this news release was approved by William Cronk, P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and a consultant to the Company.

For further information, please contact:

Rana Vig

President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: 604-218-4766

Email: rana@ranavig.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (the "Company") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include results of exploration activities may not show quality and quantity necessary for further exploration or future exploitation of minerals deposits, volatility of gold and silver prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, permitting and other approvals, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

SOURCE: Blue Lagoon Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753916/Blue-Lagoon-2023-Phase-1-Drilling-Results--DM-23-289-Adds-350-Meters-of-Strike-Length-to-Boulder-Vein
Drilling Now Underway at Knockeen Prospect

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Global Battery Metals Ltd. (TSXV: GBML) (OTCQB: REZZF) (FSE: REZ) (the "Company" or "GBML" or "Global Battery Metals"), a critical mineral exploration company focused on growth-oriented lithium and battery metal projects, is pleased to announce the commencement of its multi-stage diamond core drilling program (the "Drill Program") at the Leinster Lithium Project (the "Project") in County Carlow, Ireland. This inaugural Drill Program has been approved for up to 10 drill holes.

Phase 1 drilling is focused on Prospecting License Area 1597 (the "Knockeen Prospect") and will comprise four drill holes for approximately 1,000 metres of diamond core drilling. The drilling will take place across previously announced prospective lithium pegmatite trend targets which includes the historically reported trenched bedrock occurrence which is coincident with several highly anomalous LCT Pegmatite (lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite) geochemical trends. This, in conjunction with the broad spodumene pegmatite boulder train at surface, has been interpreted to indicate the presence of up to six potential dikes.

The Drill Program has received all necessary government approvals through the Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) which covers all aspects of environmental best practice procedures. This is carried out through the detailed Appropriate Assessment Screening Programme which was approved in April.

"Europe and the US are both pushing for lithium independence and continue to seek out viable parties that can deliver the full package - future access to high-grade domestic lithium supplies through partners that understand and appreciate all of the geopolitical and commercial considerations at stake," said Michael Murphy, CEO of Global Battery Metals. "This will most definitely include battery metal companies operating in the junior mining space that can execute against resource delivery and relationship management with equal intensity. We look forward to continued progress at Leinster and with the associated business discussions all underway."

The results of Phase 1, including all metallurgical testing and other exploration activities completed during this time, will be used to inform Phase 2 drilling. As previously noted, significant sampling and mapping across the Knockeen Prospect was conducted in recent months, with the potential discovery of up to six LCT pegmatite dikes (see March 20, 2023, press release) and the most recent assay results of 66 rock samples released by ALS Laboratories returning Li2O% lithium contents ranging up to 3.75 % Li2O / 17,000 ppm Li (see January 18, 2023, press release).

For additional program details, please see the Company's Leinster Project Overview in addition to the latest version of the Company's Investor Presentation available for download from the GBML website (www.gbml.ca).

Competent Person

All scientific and technical information in this announcement has been prepared under the supervision of and reviewed and approved by EuroGeol Vaughan Williams M.Sc. P.Geo. (Principal of Aurum Exploration Services currently providing exploration services to GBML and to LRH Resources Limited ("LRH")), a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Vaughan Williams is also company secretary of LRH.

The Knockeen Prospect forms part of the Project exploration block, which is operated under an exclusive option and earn-in agreement with Technology Minerals Plc (LSE: TM1), the first listed UK company focused on creating a sustainable circular economy for battery metals, and its wholly owned subsidiary LRH.

About the Leinster Lithium Project

The Project, located in the counties of Wicklow and South Carlow, in the Republic of Ireland, is a lithium pegmatite project that consists of 16 prospecting license areas located SW of Dublin and in direct proximity to the joint venture Ganfeng Lithium / International Lithium Corporation Blackstairs Lithium Project. Lithium mineralization has been confirmed across all Project areas explored to date, with the potential discovery of up to six LCT pegmatite dikes and assay results of 66 rock samples released by ALS Laboratories returning Li2O% lithium contents ranging up to 3.75 % Li2O / 17,000 ppm Li at the Knockeen Prospect. The Project's maiden Drill Program is permitted for up to 10 drill holes, with Phase 1 drilling now underway.

About Global Battery Metals Ltd.

GBML is an international mineral exploration and development company with a focus on lithium and other metals that comprise and support the rapid evolution to battery power. GBML currently maintains economic interests in four battery metal projects: (1) an option to acquire up to a 90% in the drill-ready Leinster Lithium Property in Ireland; (2) a 100% interest in the drill-ready Lithium King Property in Utah; (3) an option to acquire up to a 100% interest in the La Poile Lithium Project in Newfoundland; and (4) a 55% stake in Peru-based Lara Copper Property, which has over 10,000 metres of drilling. As previously disclosed, Minsur S.A., a Peruvian mining company, entered into an option agreement with GBML and Lara Exploration Ltd. to acquire the Lara copper property for staged payments of USD$5.75 million. GBML will retain a 0.75% net smelter royalty. GBML's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: GBML); Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: REZ); and are quoted on the OTC Markets (OTCQB: REZZF).

Global Battery Metals Ltd.

Michael Murphy BA, MBA, MSc., ICD

President & CEO

T: 604-649-2350

E: MM@gbml.ca

W: www.gbml.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operations and activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the Company's exploration plans at the Leinster Lithium Project, including the Drill Program. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions, and the receipt of any required regulatory approvals. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Readers are urged to refer to the Company's reports, 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. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165468
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Ophir Gold Corp. (TSXV: OPHR) (OTCQB: KPZIF) (FSE: 80M) (the "Company" or "Ophir") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of up to 8,571,428 charity flow-through units ("FT Unit") at a price of $0.35 per FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000 (the "Offering").

Each FT Unit shall be comprised of one Common Share, issued on a flow-through basis ("FT Share") and one common share purchase warrant, issued on a non-flow-through basis (each, a "FT Warrant"). Each FT Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") at a price of $0.40 per Common Share for a period of three (3) years from date of issuance. The FT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada), which also qualify for the Canadian government's Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit. The Company may pay finder's fees in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Units will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

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.

About the Company

Ophir Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship property, the past producing Breccia Gold Property located in Lemhi County, Idaho, as well as new Radis Property in James Bay, Quebec.

The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Breccia Gold Property over a three-year period from Canagold Resources Ltd. (formerly Canarc Resource Corp.) and DG Resource Management Ltd.

The Company also has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Radis Lithium Property over a three-year period from Eastmain Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fury Gold Mines Limited

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Shawn Westcott"

Ophir Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Shawn Westcott, CEO

Phone 1 (604) 365 6681

swestcott@ophirgoldcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (referred to as "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements" Including statements relating to: (i) exploration plans for the Company's mineral properties, (ii) potential results of exploration programs, and (iii) the potential for and details of mineralization on the Company's properties. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165510
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Metallic Minerals Corp. (TSX.V:MMG)(OTCQB:MMNGF) ("Metallic Minerals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a strategic equity investment by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newcrest Mining Limited ("Newcrest") in the form of a non-brokered private placement, with the goal of advancing the Company's La Plata copper-silver-gold-platinum group element alkalic porphyry project in Colorado, USA.

Pursuant to the private placement, Newcrest will complete a financing of $6.34 million, consisting of 15,838,593 units of Metallic Minerals at a price of $0.40 per unit, with each unit comprising one common share and 0.75 of a common share purchase warrant. This represents a 13% premium to the 20-day volume weighted average price of Metallic Minerals' shares on the TSX-V on May 9, 2023. Each full warrant shall entitle Newcrest to purchase one common share at an exercise price of $0.55, providing $6.5 million in additional funding, if exercised. The warrants shall be exercisable for three years from the date of issue and contain a customary acceleration provision, which shall be effective if the common shares trade for a period of 20 consecutive trading days at or above $0.825 on the TSX-V.

Following closing of the investment, Newcrest will hold 9.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Metallic Minerals on a non-diluted basis and, including the warrants, 15.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis.

Metallic Minerals CEO and Chairman, Greg Johnson, stated, "As an industry leader with extensive expertise in precious metals rich, alkalic porphyry systems, Newcrest was quick to recognize the geologic significance of the drill results from our 2022 campaign at La Plata. We are very pleased to welcome them as a new major shareholder. Newcrest's investment is a strong endorsement of the technical merits and potential of the project and a vote of confidence in our experienced team. This funding will enable us to fast-track our planned expansion drilling to follow-up the success from 2022. This year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in our company's history, with an updated resource estimate in progress at La Plata and an inaugural resource at our Keno Silver project also underway."

Metallic Minerals President, Scott Petsel, stated, "This is a transformational period for Metallic Minerals and the La Plata project. Newcrest brings key, relevant exploration and operational experience and success in deposits of very similar character to that of La Plata, particularly their Red Chris and Cadia-Ridgeway operations. Our technical team has developed a follow-up drill program for La Plata that we expect can rapidly begin to define the extent of the high-grade mineralization, which remains completely open to expansion from the discovery drilling in 2022. Hole 22-04 intersected 816 meters of continuous porphyry mineralization and ended in spectacular copper and precious minerals grades. We are eager to discover the extent to which that high-grade mineralization continues laterally and to depth and anticipate this new drilling will have a positive impact on the overall grade and value of the deposit. Our team is very much looking forward to working with Newcrest to advance these common exploration and development goals."

Fraser MacCorquodale, Newcrest's GM Exploration, stated, "We are excited to become a cornerstone investor in Metallic Minerals and to be able to contribute towards this promising copper and precious metal project in the United States. We look forward to collaborating with the experienced management team at Metallic Minerals to leverage our combined skills."

In connection with the private placement, Metallic Minerals and Newcrest have entered into an investor rights agreement, pursuant to which Newcrest will be entitled to certain customary rights including participation in future equity issuances and a right to maintain its pro-rata position in the Company. Newcrest and the Company have also agreed to certain customary standstill and transfer restrictions.

In addition, a technical committee will be formed with representatives from Metallic and Newcrest, providing access to Newcrest's substantial technical expertise in similar alkalic porphyry systems and underground bulk-tonnage, block-cave mining operations. Newcrest shall also have a right to appoint a director to Metallic Minerals' board, upon exercise of the private placement warrants, if they hold at least 13% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company.

Live Webinar

Metallic Minerals will be hosting a live webinar with guest, Byron King, on Thursday, May 11 at 10am PT | 1pm ET to discuss the outlook for battery and precious metals and the importance of exploration to be able to deliver the necessary critical minerals for the decade ahead, along with an overview on exploration plans for Metallic Minerals in 2023. To register, click here.

Net proceeds of the private placement are intended to be used for exploration and development activities at the Company's La Plata project, future exploration and development activities, working capital and general and administrative expenses.

The private placement is expected to close, subject to customary conditions, upon acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. The common shares issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities laws. No commissions or finder fees are payable in connection with the private placement.

This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States of America. The common shares of Metallic Minerals Corp. have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.

About Newcrest Mining

Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX, TSX, PNGX: NCM) is one of the world's largest gold mining companies with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia and operating mines in Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea. Newcrest is a technical industry leader, with particular expertise in exploration, deep underground block caving and metallurgical processing. Newcrest is committed to creating a work environment where everyone can go home safe and healthy every day, and where everyone actively contributes to this outcome; operating and developing mines in line with strong environmental, social and governance practices; developing a diverse workforce; and developing and maintaining strong relationships with communities and governments.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a leading exploration and development stage company focused on copper, silver, gold and other critical minerals in the La Plata mining district in Colorado, and silver and gold in the high-grade Keno Hill and Klondike districts of the Yukon. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to making exploration discoveries, growing resources, and advancing projects toward development.

At the Company's La Plata project in southwestern Colorado the 2022 inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate identified a significant porphyry copper-silver resource containing 889 Mlbs copper and 15 Moz of silver. Results from 2022 expansion drilling intercepted the longest and highest-grade interval ever encountered at La Plata and one of the top intersections for any North American copper project in the past several years. An updated NI 43-101 resource estimate for the La Plata project incorporating these results is expected in Q2 2023.

In Canada's Yukon Territory, Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic high-grade Keno Hill silver district, directly adjacent to Hecla Mining's operations, with more than 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past production and current M&I resources. Hecla Mining Company, the largest primary silver producer in the USA and third largest in the world, completed the acquisition of Alexco Resources and their Keno Hill operations in September 2022. Hecla is targeting to start production at the Keno Hill operations by Q3 2023. Metallic is anticipating the announcement of inaugural mineral resource estimate at Keno Silver in the second half of 2023.

Metallic Minerals is also one of the largest holders of alluvial gold claims in the Yukon and is building a production royalty business by partnering with experienced mining operators, including Parker Schnabel of Little Flake Mining from the hit television show Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel.

All of the districts in which Metallic Minerals operates have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits in the region, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise. The Metallic Minerals team has been recognized for its environmental stewardship practices and is committed to responsible and sustainable resource development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Website: www.mmgsilver.com Phone: 604-629-7800

Email: cackerman@mmgsilver.com Toll Free: 1-888-570-4420

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, statements about expected results of operations, royalties, cash flows, financial position and future dividends as well as financial position, prospects, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, unsuccessful operations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration, development of mines and mining operations is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Metallic Minerals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753909/Metallic-Minerals-Announces-63-Million-Strategic-Equity-Investment-by-Newcrest-Mining
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's industrial production declined for the first time in four months in March, though marginally, data from Statistics Sweden showed on Wednesday. Industrial production dropped a calendar-adjusted 0.1 percent year-over-year in March, reversing a 4.9 percent rise in February. The latest downward trend was driven primarily by the paper and pulp industry, which fell 11.4 percent from the previous year. Services growth, excluding financial and insurance services, rose 0.7 percent in March, following a 1.5 percent increase in February. Meanwhile, construction output rebounded 1.2 percent annually in March, after a 1.4 percent fall in the previous month. Separate data from the statistical office showed that industrial orders fell 9.3 percent annually in March, after a 4.7 percent fall in the previous month. On a monthly basis, industrial orders slid a seasonally adjusted 1.0 percent at the end of the first quarter. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Condor Resources Inc. - ("Condor" or the "Company") (TSXV:CN) announces that it was successful at a sealed bid auction conducted by a branch of the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines in late March, and has now acquired the 2.55 sq km Yerupaja 103 concession, bringing the total area of the 100% owned Quriurqu project to over 11 sq kms. The project is approximately 12 kilometres ("km") south of the Soledad project under option to Chakana Copper Corp., and 45 km south of the Pierina Mine.

Condor made application for the Yerupaja 103 concession in January 2014 together with 15 other competing parties, including several majors. When the March 2023 auction date was eventually set several years later, only Condor and two other major mining companies remained eligible to participate in the auction. Condor was the successful bidder for this concession.

In 2008, an eight-hole drill program was completed by a former option owner on a gold prospect in this concession area ("Huarman Prospect") and the results for the first two holes were publicly disclosed in a press release dated September 22, 2008 as summarized below:

2008 Huarman Prospect Drill Results (see note) Hole # Interval (m) From (m) To (m) Au g/t Ag g/t HU-08-01 164 16 180 0.33 13.7 HU-08-02 110 0 110 0.77 25.0 including 54 10 64 1.13 43.6

Reference note: Apoquindo Minerals Inc press release dated September 22, 2008 - renamed AQM Copper Inc on www.sedar.com

Condor has located the drill collars from all eight diamond drill holes completed in 2008. Results for the other six holes were not publicly disclosed. The drilling was concentrated in an area of approximately 100m by 350m and, at the time, was stated to have targeted an east-dipping tabular polymictic volcanic breccia.

Ever Marquez, Condor's Vice President of Exploration states "With this acquisition, Condor has secured control of an excellent precious and base metal project in the prolific Cordillera Negra belt in Central Andres. Gold and silver mineralization is related to the breccias within a high-sulphidization advanced argillic alteration system and the base metals prospects are related to hydrothermal breccia bodies, and structures with high grade silver."

Condor is an active explorer focused exclusively on Peru, supplemented by a project generator and royalty model designed to generate exploration capital whilst minimizing shareholder dilution. Our objective in advancing our portfolio of projects is the discovery of a major new precious metals or base metals deposit in Peru. Project acquisition and exploration activities are managed by the Company's Lima based exploration team.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Lyle Davis,

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact the Company at 1-866-642-5707, or by email at info@condorresources.com

Brian Game, P.Geo. is a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed the compilation of the information forming the basis for this release.

The drill intersections mentioned in this release may not accurately represent the true width of the intersection. The exploration activity completed in 2008 and referenced herein should not be relied upon even though this activity was supervised by a professional geologist at the time. Based on the 2008 disclosure, all 2008 core samples were analyzed by ALS Chemex in Peru.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results.

SOURCE: Condor Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753825/Condor-Expands-Quriurqu-Project-Peru-with-Addition-of-Huarman-Prospect-Containing-Encouraging-Historic-Gold-Results
NI 43-101 Report Highlights:

CAT's South Preston Property encompasses several uranium geochemical anomalies associated with graphite-type conductors and similar in strength to those associated with other unconformity-type deposits in the Athabasca Basin, known to be the highest-grade uranium deposits

Azincourt's prospective zones targeted for drilling are trending directly onto CAT's adjacent exploration property; 2023 drilling results are pending

Field work demonstrates that the Athabasca sandstone has limited exposure on the CAT property, thereby eliminating the need to drill targets through substantial thicknesses of cover rock

CAT's current NI 43-101 report recommendations include extending its airborne VTEM coverage and further bio-geochemical sampling and mapping

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / CAT Strategic Metals Corporation (CSE:CAT), (OTC PINK:CATTF), (FRA:8CH) ("CAT" or the "Company") announces that it has received a Technical Report (the "Report") covering the Company's South Preston Uranium Project ('South Preston' or the "Project"), prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") by Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited, Geological and Mining Consultants' ("WGM") Senior Geologist, Mr. Albert (Al) Workman. The South Preston Project is a uranium exploration project comprising a group of 12 mineral dispositions located in the vicinity of the south-western Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. The dispositions are 100% owned by CAT Strategic Metals Corp. ("CAT"). With exploration experience in a wide variety of geological terranes over a span of more than 45 years, including ground-breaking experience with Gulf Minerals in the eastern Athabasca Basin, Mr. Workman is a Qualified Person in accordance with the definition prescribed in NI 43-101. The Report is available to the public on SEDAR.

NI 43-101 Report by WGM

Following an initial review of the available project data, CAT engaged WGM in September of 2021 to carry out WGM's proposal which outlined the scope of work required to ascertain the potential for uranium mineralization similar to other unconformity-type deposits in the Athabasca Basin. These types of deposits are the highest-grade uranium deposits known.

The location of the South Preston property is predominantly outside of the area currently covered by the Athabasca Formation sandstone. As a result, the area has not received the same degree of attention and exploration given to other areas of the Athabasca Basin crossed by unconformity. The CAT Project area therefore has the distinct advantage that basement-hosted mineralization will not be covered by many hundreds of metres of Athabasca sandstone.

Particular interest in the Project has increased as a result of CAT's neighbour, Azincourt Energy Corp. ("AZINCOURT" OR "AAZ"), discovering a conductive zone on its East Preston property a short distance to the north of the CAT dispositions; Azincourt's SSW-trending zones project directly onto CAT's exploration property. According to WGM, the geological setting in respect to lithology, structural trends and indicative conductivity evidence of the CAT Project is inferred to be similar to that of the Fission Uranium and NexGen Energy properties in the Patterson Lake South area located about 30 km to the northwest.

The continuing exploration by AAZ to the north has been used to inform the design and execution of CAT's recent and future, exploration programs. As a result, CAT has been able to confirm that a series of strong bedrock electromagnetic conductors on the Azincourt property continue onto the CAT property. The conductors have a signature that shows a graphite-associated response, important for triggering uranium mineralization. Follow-up geochemical sampling by CAT's exploration team has discovered strong uranium and radiogenic lead anomalies on the Project.

Update on CAT' South Preston Exploration

CAT's approach to exploring the South Preston project area is considered quite sound, developing the initial exploration approach based on an exhaustive review of historical exploration work followed by conventional geophysical and biogeochemical surveying, and bedrock sampling for geochemical analysis and lithological characterization studies.

To date, the results of CAT's exploration have been very encouraging. In the western survey area, the airborne EM survey delineated multiple bedrock conductors in two zones extending southwesterly from the Azincourt property to the north. Strong biogeochemical uranium and radiogenic lead anomalies are located as distinct multi-point anomalies trending above and along some of these conductors. The uranium anomalies are of an order of magnitude comparable to similar anomalies over known uranium deposits such as Key Lake. In the eastern survey area, only a single, northwest-trending bedrock conductor was detected. This zone has an uncertain relationship to the geology. The biogeochemical survey delineated several very high uranium and radiogenic lead anomalies having a north-easterly trend parallel to the indicated location of the graphitic shear zone.

South Preston Upcoming Exploration Program

Currently, WGM and CAT are planning a summer-2023 exploration program dedicated to explaining the anomalies and exploring additional areas of interest. This exploration is likely to be a combination of geological mapping, bedrock sampling, additional geophysical surveying (ground and airborne) and additional biogeochemical sampling.

CAT's Board of Directors remain highly encouraged by the results of recent exploration activities and have worked with WGM to determine the best way forward vis a vis ongoing exploration activities. CAT has also had discussions with the management team of Azincourt Energy Corp. in order to solidify an ongoing relationship, and ascertain how the two companies can potentially work together in the future toward a common exploration goal. AAZ recently completed it's 2023 diamond drilling in the G-Zone consisted of 3 holes to follow up the 2022 results. The southern extension of the AAZ G-Zone drilling is very close to the CAT property line and, as previously mentioned, bedrock electromagnetic conductors on the Azincourt property continue onto CAT's property.

CAT's South Preston Uranium Project comprises 29,395 hectares, and shares ~50km of contiguous claim border with Azincourt Energy Corp., which reported uranium enrichment within previously identified alteration zones.

According to CAT CEO, Robert Rosner, "Azincourt's continued drilling this year at the south end of their G-Zone, is a strong indication that they are following a trend that intersects, and continues onto, our property. CAT and its financing partners are quite excited about this, and we look forward to Azincourt releasing the results of their 2023 drill program, with a keen eye to the numbers on the G-Zone."

The aforementioned Technical Report was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 and Mr. Albert (Al) Workman is the Qualified Person in accordance with the definition prescribed in NI 43-101. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan ("APEGS") as well as being a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.

About CAT Strategic Metals Corporation (CAT)

CAT Strategic Metals' corporate strategy, as reflected in its overall Mission Statement, is to source, identify, acquire and advance property interests located in mineral districts proven to have world-class potential, primarily for gold and copper. In addition to the priority South Preston Uranium Project, CAT' is focused on advancing the Burntland Project located northeast of St. Quentin in the Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada, directed at the exploration and development of several Skarn-hosted copper-silver, gold targets and the Gold Jackpot strategic metals property located NE of Elko, Nevada, in the Pequop gold-copper trend with multiple targets for gold-silver, copper, and tellurium. CAT's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the trading symbol "CAT", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "8CH".

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Robert Rosner

Chairman, President & CEO

Further information regarding the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com , by visiting the Company's website www.catstrategic.com or by contacting the Company directly at (604) 674-3145.

This news release has been reviewed for accuracy by Watts, Griffis and McOuat Ltd. ("WGM") of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Particular risks applicable to this press release include risks associated with planned production, including the ability of the company to achieve its targeted exploration outline due to regulatory, technical or economic factors. In addition, there are risks associated with estimates of resources, and there is no guarantee that a resource will be found or have demonstrated economic viability as necessary to be classified as a reserve. There is no guarantee that additional exploration work will result in significant increases to resource estimates

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

We seek safe harbour.

SOURCE: CAT Strategic Metals Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753877/CAT-Receives-NI-43101-Technical-Report-on-the-South-Preston-Uranium-Project-Provides-Project-Update
KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed "Lumbini, Nepal: the Buddha's Birthplace" and "The Source of Buddhism and World Peace", a festival for the International Day of Vesak has been hosted by the Nepalese government On May 5. Representatives from the China Religious Culture Communication Association as well as the delegation of the Buddhist Association of China(BAC), led by Buddhist Master Yin Shun attended the celebration festival that included several special events, such as the Charity and Brightness Action program, the launching ceremony of Shenzhen Benhuan Academy's study abroad program, and the Buddha statue ordination ceremony of Bodhi Institute in Lumbini, with the aim of promoting religious and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal and deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The International Day of Vesak takes place on the day of the full moon in the month of May and is celebrated with a festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. Several of Nepal's senior government officials, cabinet ministers, provincial governors, and members of the Federal Parliament attended this year's festivities, at which Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal, and Chen Song, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Nepal, delivered speeches. Buddhist Master Yin Shun, head of the BAC delegation, joined the event as one of the representatives of the global Buddhist community in Lumbini. The festival attracted nearly 5,000 guests and devotees.

Buddhist Master Yin Shun highlighted the importance of the International Day of Vesak in Nepal. "Shakyamuni Buddha who made the pursuit of peace his lifetime mission, was one of the world's original peacemakers," said the Buddhist Master. "On the commemoration of Buddha's 2,567th birth anniversary, the International Day of Vesak is a global initiative aimed at utilizing the teachings and wisdom of Buddha to navigate the complex and tumultuous international landscape and foster a path towards world peace, despite the numerous challenges faced by the world in the past century."

The donation delivery ceremony of the 2023 Silk Road Charity and Brightness Action for Students and Physicians was held at Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery in Nepal, bringing goodwill from China to over 300 inhabitants in Lumbini, Nepal. The aim is to convey the Buddha's message of compassion and goodwill and deepen the friendship between the peoples of China and Nepal.

"Buddhism is a bridge of friendship between China and Nepal. Both countries are poised to deepen their cultural and religious exchanges and collaborations in the near future," stated Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who fully affirmed the philanthropic efforts of Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery under the leadership of Buddhist Master Yin Shun. "We expect the monastery to continue fostering friendship between the peoples of both countries, spreading China's traditional culture of selfless love and compassion, and building a future of peaceful co-existence for the world."

The launching ceremony of Benhuan Academy's study abroad program was also held concurrently with the festival. The lineup of guests in attendance at the ceremony included the Chinese ambassador, Mr. Chen; Benhuan Academy chairman, Buddhist Master Yin Shun; Lumbini Buddhist University registrar, Dr. Acharya Tilak Ram; and the university's international office director, Dr. Khadka Kumar.

The Buddha statue ordination ceremony of the Bodhi Institute also took place during the Festival. "We look forward to lotus flowers blooming in everyone's heart," said Master Yin Shun. "The Buddhists belong to one family, and all of them are the Buddha's disciples with the same religious beliefs. As a result, we shall work fervently and as one to propagate Buddhist teachings."

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073980/video.mp4

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/2023-international-day-of-vesak-zhong-hua-chinese-buddhist-monastery-in-nepal-to-host-a-series-of-celebration-events-301820866.html


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The United States has announced additional security assistance package to support Ukraine's fight against Russia.



Announcing the latest round of US military package, the Department of Defense said the package, worth $1.2 billion, is mainly aimed at bolstering Ukraine's air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs.



'This USAI package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's most urgent requirements by committing critical near-term capabilities, such as air defense systems and munitions, while also building the capacity of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term,' Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference.



The new funding will be used to procure more 155 mm artillery rounds and provide sustainment support to enable Ukraine to better maintain its on-hand systems and equipments.



Other capabilities include additional air defense systems and munitions equipment to integrate Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine's air-defense systems. The Russians have launched waves of missiles into Ukraine, whose military has been adept at knocking them down. The package also contains ammunition to shoot down unmanned aerial systems, commercial, satellite-imagery services and support for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.



Gen. Ryder said the United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.



This package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).



The presidential drawdown authority allows the United States to send equipment already in military stocks to Ukraine, while USAI allows the Defense Department to let contracts for equipment to be delivered later.



'The USAI gives us the ability to leverage the power and the capabilities of the private sector in order to support Ukraine's medium- and long-term security assistance needs,' Ryder told reporters.



The United States is one of many nations providing training for Ukrainian forces in its fight against Russian forces. U.S. training continues at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.



'We will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there,' Ryder said.



White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a routine briefing that unless or until Russian President Vladimir Putin ends the unjustified war against the people of Ukraine, the United States and its allies and partners will work to help Ukraine achieve the peace and security they deserve.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Frequency Exchange Corp. ("Frequency Exchange" or the "Company") (TSXV:FREQ) is excited to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, FREmedica Technologies Inc. ("FREmedica"), has signed its first White Label Agreement. The FREmedica bioenergetic frequency delivery system will be used to optimize and enhance products produced by Beleaf Pharma, a global company at the forefront of developing plant-based medicinal products based on ancient remedies. The contracting of FREmedica as an exclusive supplier to Beleaf Pharma is the culmination of an investment of countless hours of development and hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year alone. FREmedica offers the only patented bioenergetic technology platform designed to capture and deliver frequencies to a wearable device through our Firmware and mobile App over the internet with interconnectivity to our device. The platform can be used with a library of frequencies developed in house or developed by third parties for White Label applications. This high-level partnership will generate global awareness and greatly accelerate our growth in the White Label market.

Beleaf's opening order will be valued at $500,000 and they will take delivery of the 1st 250 units by the end of August 2023, too be used for trials in Israel, with a 1,000-unit order to follow once trials are complete. The remaining 3,750 units to be delivered 6 months after the 1,000-unit order has been delivered. This will give Beleaf the required time to trial their products in the form of frequencies in combination with their products using our technology.

Nicole Sullivan, President of FREmedica states, "We are excited to be launching the second phase of our growth strategy. White Label Programs will set us apart from our competition. This strategy will place FREmedica on the global stage for delivering a frequency platform that all companies can use to their advantage. We have entered discussions with a few companies interested in White Labelling our tech. The more companies we have to White Label our tech, the more people will be introduced to NIKKI and the benefits of bioenergetics."

Beleaf is an innovative manufacturing/distribution /marketing company that develops, manufactures and sells a range of plant-based, medicinal health products. All of them are based around plant extracts and ancient formulations key to the development of modern medicine and wellness products. At the forefront of plant base development led by Dr. Omar Said and as the leader in the health and wellness, Beleaf has developed over 66 plant-based formulations that have been clinically tested over the last 15 years for safety and efficacy in Israel. Beleaf has a number of approved products and is already selling to consumers in Israel. The current products are creams and capsules which treat various health issues including acne, hemorrhoids, skin allergy, skin chaffing, joint pain, burns, varicose veins, face cream (anti-wrinkles and anti-aging, skin brightening) and more. Beleaf is working on more products to be licensed worldwide and in the last few months Beleaf started working on entering new markets including the Middle East and Africa and it is expected to start sales in 2024.

"As a researcher and expert for over 30 years in the field of medicinal plant pharmacology and ethnopharmacology, I was always fascinated by the bioenergetic power of folk health practices and medicinal plants activity. Later on I was attracted to the scientific explanation given like bioresonance/frequency medicine  and lately after seeing the results with FREmedica we are more excited to try the frequency with our formulation that I developed for so many years to promote people's health and wellness. I want to reach every person in need for this products in any country they live in, either by our product line or and by supplying them with the frequencies as people's health and wellness is our main focus," says Dr. Omar Said, co-founder and CSO of Beleaf.

Beleaf is planning to launch FREmedica's wearable technology under their brand, introducing all their products by way of pure frequencies first and with their entire product line of 66 products to follow. This allows Beleaf to enter new markets around the world sooner and enhance it once the products are ready for sale.

"For so many years we have believed in frequency technology. We were looking for the right technology partner to work with to enhance the efficacy of our formulation and promote the health and wellness as our main focus. We have the best and the right formulation from plant base products, and now we will have the right technology to deliver the formulation as frequency to the targeted cells in the body in the safest way. We are looking forward to working with FREremedica to achieve our goals, it is first step with so many milestones ahead," says Eyman Metanis, co-founder of Beleaf.

Beleaf has placed their first 5,000 order with a goal to sell 200,000 units by the end of 2025 starting in the Middle East and Africa with intent to launch into Europe and North America during 2024. Beleaf will require time to capture and trial the frequencies alone and in combination of Beleaf products, in order to confirm the efficacy of the combination of products and frequencies. Beleaf plans to start taking delivery of product in the last quarter of 2023 or the first quarter of 2024.

"We are excited to work towards the launch of our White Label Program with Beleaf. Their plan to use frequencies to enhance results of each plant-based product is perfect. Our technology works to enhance any consumable product by combining the product and the frequencies which will enhance the results people are looking for. The White Label part of our business has started to get traction. We just signed our first White Label deal with an intent to have several more sign this year," says Stephen Davis, Chairman of Frequency Exchange Corp.

About Dr. Omar

Omar Said, PhD, is the Chief Research Officer and founder of BeLeaf Pharma. He is a pioneer in the field of Greco-Arab medicine, herbal medicine and pharmacology. He serves as the head of the Arab medicinal plant project in the Galilee Society R&D Regional Center, Israel. He holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

As an expert in the fields of pharmacology and ethnopharmacology, he made a significant contribution in combining this modern science with the medicinal plants' tradition. His research interests include diabetes, obesity, fertility, psoriasis, acne, hyper-lipidemia, botanical pest control, organic farming, liver diseases and others. He has written more than 65 original papers as well as review articles and book chapters and he is the coauthor of the first reference academic book: "Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine" published by John Wiley 2011. Greco-Arabic Medicine has unfortunately been long lost in the archives of history and its practice today has been confined mainly to "grandmother's" remedies in many families around the region.

Dr. Said's vision was clear from inception - to revive a centuries old medicinal doctrine and merge it with modern science and medicinal practices; all supported by thorough research and controlled clinical trials. Dr. Said is involved in guidance of students in herbal medicine biotechnology and the connection between heritage and science. He also known to be an expert in understanding Arabic ancient scripts and has explored many botanical ingredients that were mentioned in ancient texts using modern science methods. In addition, Dr. Said is a respected member in various regional Arab committees dealing with health, policy and social issues.

About the Company

Based in British Columbia, Canada, FREmedica is focused on the development and global commercialization of a wearable Frequency Delivery System providing specialized programs designed for health and wellness as well as performance enhancement. NIKKI is the fifth-generation Frequency Delivery System released by the Company, initially to help clients with chronic Lyme disease. This wearable frequency technology is the product of years of research and development applying the latest in bioenergetic science.

www.WeAreNikki.com

www.Fremedica.com

www.FrequencyExchangeCorp.com

For more information, please contact:

Frequency Exchange Corp.

FREmedica Technologies Inc.

Stephen Davis Nicole Sullivan CEO & Director President 250-732-7170 nicole@fremedica.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the trading date of the Company's common shares on the Exchange. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. 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. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Frequency Exchange Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753869/Fremedica-Signs-500000-White-Label-Deal-With-a-Group-From-Israel
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / VMware - In 2020 VMware teamed up with Howard University to expose students to VMware's Telecommunications technology and the Telco industry at large. The school, located in Washington, D.C., is one of nearly a hundred historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States.

In partnership with Howard's School of Business Information Systems department, our collective vision is to build the first Telco-focused program at an HBCU. VMware is a leader in this space with technologies like Telco Cloud Automation and Telco Cloud Platform. Over the past three years, we have worked with many teams across the company to begin the foundational work for the program's funding. We have not achieved that goal yet; that work is still ongoing! However, there is progress to celebrate.

Thanks to our Service Provider and Edge Business Unit (SEBU), we funded a $300K grant that gives us the opportunity to expose Howard students to VMware and our Telco work. We also just completed a 2-year successful mentorship program. That mentorship program is part of a two-phased approach to student engagement and exposure. By giving cohorts access to telco professionals and VMware industry executives we are building brand awareness while also introducing Howard students to a new industry that needs diverse talent.

Supported by VMware's employee resource group, Black@VMware, we've also created and delivered a 3-day DevOps Class to expose students to GitOps methodologies using VMware Tanzu, Github, and bit of HTML coding. The students developed a resume website built using GitOps practices. Check out the lab here.

But perhaps best of all, we hired two talented students, now professionals, into SEBU because of our vision and continued efforts to expand our relationship. Our larger plan is to leverage our success at Howard as a model to engage other HBCUs in developing additional Telco industry-focused programs. Building a telco program of this kind, is a first for VMware and the Howard School of Business. Our vision is to build a repeatable model to engage the HBCU community and build VMware Telco-focused centers of excellence that promote exposure to students and diversity in the Telco industry.

Click here to view the original content

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from VMware on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: VMware

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/vmware

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: VMware

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753949/How-VMware-and-Howard-University-Are-Teaming-Up-To-Prepare-the-Next-Generation-of-Technology-Leaders
PLANO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / (via IBN) - Sharing Services Global Corporation (OTCQB:SHRG) (the "Company") today announces that its wholly owned subsidiary The Happy Co., a leading producer and distributor of nootropic, functional beverage products with a focus on health and wellness, has launched a new product called PerX. PerX is more than just a delicious pick-me-up beverage; this refreshing nootropic energy drink, PerX Berry Blast, delivers the ultimate mental focus and energy consumers need - and, of course, that proprietary dose of happy The Happy Co. is known for - so customers can get the most out of their day!

"This tasty drink delivers ultimate mental focus and healthy, happy energy to the 'X' power!" said John "JT" Thatch, CEO of SHRG. "We're talking, exponentially better! Plus."

PRODUCT VIDEO

https://thehappyco.wistia.com/medias/l5xfto0a7j

FACT SHEET

https://shrgstorageacct1.blob.core.windows.net/thehappyco/Fact-Sheets/FactSheet_PerXBerryBlast.pdf

"Our goal with PerX is to give brand partners and our customers a product with potent, natural appetite-control ingredients that can assist in activating your metabolism and providing energy throughout the day," Thatch added. "We are excited to launch this new product category, which addresses the current needs of consumers."

A 30-day supply of PerX is available for purchase, along with The Happy Co.'s full line of nutritional supplements, at TheHappyCo.com via the company's network of independent brand partners.

For more information, visit www.thehappyco.com.

About Sharing Services Global Corporation

Sharing Services Global Corporation (OTCQB: SHRG) is a publicly traded diversified company dedicated to maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition and development of innovative companies, products and technologies. The Sharing Services combined platform leverages the capabilities and expertise of various companies that market and sell products direct to the consumer.

Additional information is contained in the Company's 10-Q and 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Visit: www.SHRGInc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained in this press release, those which are not purely historical or which depend upon future events, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements regarding the Company's expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including the Company's operating margin and rolling average annual growth in tangible book value per share, constitute forward-looking statements. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements because of various factors. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Prospective investors should also consult the risks factors described from time to time in the Company's Reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and Annual Reports to Shareholders.

Company Contact:

Sharing Services Global Corporation

Investor Relations

(469) 304-9400 Ext. 201

Info@SHRGinc.com

Corporate Communications:

InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)

Los Angeles, California

www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

310.299.1717 Office

Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com

SOURCE: Sharing Services Global Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753717/Sharing-Services-Global-Corporation-SHRG-Announces-Launch-of-New-Beverage-Product-by-Its-Subsidiary-The-Happy-Co
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to extend the term of certain outstanding convertible debentures which currently have a maturity date of May 31, 2023 (the "Convertible Debentures").

The Convertible Debentures were originally issued in May of 2020, with a three-year term. On May 21 and 29, 2020, the Company issued 1,280 and 1,520 Convertible Debentures respectively, with a face value of $1,000 each for total gross proceeds of $2.8 million. These unsecured Convertible Debentures bear interest at a rate of 7.5% payable semi-annually and mature on May 31, 2023. Pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Debentures, the Company has the option to extend the maturity date by one year in exchange for the payment of an extension fee equal to 6-months interest.

The Company intends to exercise its right to extend the maturity date of the remaining outstanding Convertible Debentures by one year, with a resulting maturity date of May 31, 2024 (the "Maturity Date"), and to pay the extension fee of $47,063.

At any time during the term of the Convertible Debentures, a holder may elect to convert the outstanding net principal amount, or any portion thereof, into units ("Units") at a conversion price of $1.20 per Unit (the "Conversion Price"). Each Unit shall consist of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of a warrant ("Warrant"), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder to acquire a Common Share at an exercise price of $1.80 for a period ending on the Maturity Date.

As of May 3, 2023, a total of 1,545 Convertible Debentures have been previously converted into Units, resulting in the issue of 1,287,483 Common Shares and 643,746 Warrants. As a result, a total of 1,255 Convertible Debentures remain outstanding as at today's date.

The Company further reports that it intends to extend the term of the previously issued Warrants by one year, to match the revised term of the Convertible Debentures. A total of 643,746 Warrants will now have a term ending on May 31, 2024, the Maturity Date. The extension of the term of the Warrants will be conditional upon the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

Additionally, the Company is pleased to report that it has entered into a new Secured Credit Facility Agreement with Orca Holdings, LLC in the amount of up to USD$1 million (the "2023 Facility"). Proceeds from the 2023 Facility will primarily be used to continue commission trials at the Company's RapidSXTM Rare Earth Element ("REE") Commercial Demonstration Plant located in Kingston, Ontario. Drawdowns on the 2023 Facility will be available in multiples of USD$100,000 and will carry interest at a rate of 10% per annum. All amounts owing under the 2023 Facility will be repayable by December 31, 2023. An administrative loan origination fee equal to 1.5% of the available 2023 Facility will be paid at maturity. A total of 1 million bonus warrants will be issued as consideration for the granting of the 2023 Facility. The warrants will contain a condition precedent to their exercise such that no warrant shall be exercisable if such exercise would cause the lender's ownership of the Company, as calculated on a partially diluted basis, to exceed 19.99%. The warrants will have an exercise price of $1.20 and a term of 12 months from the date of issue. Each warrant, and underlying share, shall be subject to a restricted period such that the holder must not trade the security before the date that is four months and one day after the date of issue. The issuance of the warrants will be conditional upon the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

Orca is wholly owned by Mr. Randy Johnson, a member of Ucore's Board of Directors. The transaction is considered a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-01 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of the transaction, nor the consideration paid, exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization. No new insiders and no control persons were created in connection with the closing of the transaction. The transaction was reviewed and unanimously approved by the Company's Board of Directors. No special committee was created to negotiate, review and approve the 2023 Facility agreement; rather, the agreement was negotiated by the Company with Mr. Johnson declaring his conflict and abstaining from the Board of Directors' deliberations. No cash consideration was paid pursuant to the extension of the 2023 Facility (other than the loan origination fee, which is associated with the administrative aspects of creating the 2023 Facility and making the funds available), and no commissions or similar fees were paid to any person. This news release and the related material change report are being issued and filed on SEDAR less than 21 days before the date of the 2023 Facility agreement and the expected drawdown of the initial tranche from the 2023 Facility since the Company was considering and reviewing financing alternatives and the Company eventually selected the least dilutive and most current-shareholder-friendly financing transaction from the alternatives available, which was the 2023 Facility, the terms of which were not settled and confirmed by Orca until May 9, 2023.

Further, the Company is pleased to report that it has engaged InvestorBrandNetwork ("IBN"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, to provide corporate communications expertise and related services. The Company expects that IBN will leverage its investor-based distribution network of 5,000+ key syndication outlets, various newsletters and other outreach tools to generate awareness of the Company. The Company has engaged IBN until January 2024 at a cost of $19,000 per quarter. The Company has additionally engaged Goldinvest Consulting GmbH ("Goldinvest") for a period ending on June 30, 2023 at a total cost of $16,000. Goldinvest will prepare corporate videos and assist with marketing activities in the German market.

# # #

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare- and critical-metal resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with the potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore has an effective 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Element Project in Southeast Alaska, USA. Ucore's vision and plan is to become a leading advanced technology company, providing best-in-class metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.

Through strategic partnerships, this plan includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's control of the North American REE supply chain through the near-term development of a heavy and light rare-earth processing facility in the US State of Louisiana, subsequent SMCs in Alaska and Canada and the longer-term development of Ucore's heavy-rare-earth-element mineral-resource property at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF."

For further information, please visit www.ucore.com/corporateupdate.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, events, or developments that the Company is pursuing are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Regarding the disclosure in the press release above, the Company has assumed that it will receive the approval of the TSXV in regard to the extension of the term of the previously issued Warrants by one year (from May 31, 2023 to May 31, 2024), to match the revised term of the Convertible Debentures. The Company has also assumed that it will receive the approval of the TSXV in regard to the issuance of the warrants related to the 2023 Facility. If the TSXV objects or does not provide its approval for either of these transactions, then the Company will have to negotiate revised terms with the applicable counterparties, and there is no assurance that the parties will reach an agreement that is acceptable to the Company. Regarding the disclosure that is in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." and "About RapidSX Technology" sections above, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Strategic Metals Complexes ("SMCs"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to complete the Demo Plant commissioning and demonstration schedule and also later prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Element project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer offtake agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to continue the development of the specific engineering plans for the SMCs and their construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: IMC failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX; RapidSX failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the SMCs; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the SMCs and/or the continued development of RapidSX; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Louisiana or Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Mark MacDonald

Vice President, Investor Relations

Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

1.902.482.5214

mark@ucore.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165530
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Following the closing of its oversubscribed $2M financing last week, EDM Resources Inc. (TSXV: EDM) ("EDM" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following update on the Company's activities and its priorities for the next quarters.

The Company's President and CEO, Mr. Mark Haywood, commented: "The Company is pleased to announce Red Cloud Securities Inc. has initiated Research Coverage of EDM, on May 8, 2023, under the title "Re-Starting the Scotia Zn-Pb-GP Mine Near Halifax" and with a one-year target price of C$1.75/ share and BUY recommendation. This is the first time the Company has a Sell-side independent research published, discussing the investment merits of its Scotia Mine and the plans to become a Zinc-Lead-Gypsum producer by early 2024."

Corporate Update:

Red Cloud Securities Inc. ("Red Cloud") has initiated research coverage on EDM with a BUY recommendation and C$1.75 target price. For further information please contact Mr. Taylor Combaluzier, P.Geo., VP, Mining Analyst at research@redcloudsecurities.com.





In connection with the C$2M financing that closed on May 2, 2023, the Company paid an aggregate of C$95,277 in cash compensation and an aggregate of 144,774 in broker warrants to eligible finders, with each broker warrant exercisable in one common share of the Company at a price of C$0.75, with an expiry date of May 2, 2026. The Company would like to thank its long-time supporters at Stephen Avenue Securities Inc., Red Cloud Securities Inc., and Canaccord Genuity Corp.





The Company has commenced field work in preparation for the geotechnical and environmental bonding work over summer.





The Company has received a firm environmental surety bonding proposal and is now waiting on the final environmental bonding amount from the Government of Nova Scotia and the Environment and Climate Change branch.





The Company is actively working with its Stakeholders, Offtaker partner, contractors and consultants to lock in a development timeline which would see the Scotia Mine enter into commercial production within 6-9 months of the timeline announcement.





The Company has commenced exploration field work on our mineral prospects nearby the Scotia Mine.





The Company filed its audited 2022 Annual Financial Statements on April 21, 2023.





A total of 1,210,000 stock options have been granted to certain directors, employees and consultants of the Company at a strike price of C$0.50 and expiring on May 9, 2028, subject to the Company's Stock Option Plan and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX.V").

About EDM Resources Inc.

EDM is a Canadian exploration and mining company that has full ownership of the Scotia Mine and related facilities near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, EDM also holds several prospective exploration licenses near its Scotia Mine and in the surrounding regions of Nova Scotia.

The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "EDM". For more information, please contact:

Mark Haywood

President & Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Farrell

Chief Financial Officer

Simion Candrea

Vice President

Head Office Purdy's Wharf, 1959 Upper Water Street, Suite 1301, Nova Scotia, B3J 3N2, Canada

Telephone +1 (902) 482 4481

Facsimile +1 (902) 422 2388

Email & Web info@EDMresources.com & www.EDMresources.com

The Company's corporate filings and technical reports can be viewed on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further information on EDM is also available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EDMresources.inc Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/EDMresources and LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/EDMresources.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "should", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from EDM's expectations include, among others, the degree to which mineral resource and reserve estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources and reserves, the degree to which factors are present which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable, the price of zinc, lead and gypsum, uncertainties relating to availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of metals, ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in EDM's management's discussion and analysis of the Company's annual financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2022. Although EDM has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results to be not as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165532
Victoria, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") has received final assay results from the initial drilling program on its 100%-owned McDonough property (the "Property") located approximately 15 kilometres north of the town of Red Lake, Ontario. A total of 1,138 metres of drilling was completed over eight holes (Table 1) that targeted induced polarization (IP) chargeability anomalies, including some that had coincident A-horizon gold-in-soil anomalies. The results of the drilling were disappointing, with no significant assays returned.

Drilling confirmed the ground IP geophysical survey, which identified several chargeability anomalies and was successful in locating sulphides (pyrite) in intermediate volcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Pyrite occurred as disseminations and blebs within the groundmass in the intermediate volcanic rocks or replacing magnetite in the metasediment host rocks. Drilling did not explain the A-horizon gold-in-soil anomalies.

"The setting was ideal with coincident geophysical and geochemical anomalies proximal to a regional unconformity where several mines of the Red Lake gold camp are situated. Unfortunately, our first drilling program did not unlock this part of the Camp's secrets," said Mike Romanik, president of GoldON.

Table 1: Drill Hole Details

Drill Hole Easting Northing Azimuth Dip Total Depth (m) MCD23-08 443602 5668842 180 -45 146 MCD23-06 443002 5668421 180 -45 146 MCD23-07 443003 5668320 180 -45 149 MCD23-05 442596 5668754 180 -45 140 MCD23-04 442601 5668402 180 -45 158 MCD23-03 441566 5668117 180 -45 140 MCD23-01 440957 5668407 180 -45 140 MCD23-02 440750 5668443 180 -45 119 Coordinates in UTM NAD83 Zone 15U datum. 1,138

Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company.

About GoldON Resources Ltd.

GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific greenstone belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our current project portfolio includes six properties in the Red Lake Mining District (McDonough, Springpole East, Pipestone Bay, Pakwash North, McInnes Lake, and West Madsen) and a seventh property in the Patricia Mining District (Slate Falls).

For more information, please visit our website at goldonresources.com; you can download our latest investor presentation by clicking here and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Michael Romanik"

Michael Romanik, President

GoldON Resources Ltd.

Direct line: (204) 724-0613

Email: info@goldonresources.com

179 - 2945 Jacklin Road, Suite 416

Victoria, BC, V9B 6J9

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165469
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Tower Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TWR) ("Tower" or the "Company") is pleased to report that Hole RN23-045, the last hole of the winter diamond drilling program on the Company's Rabbit North property near Kamloops, British Columbia, between New Gold's New Afton underground Cu-Au mine and Teck's Highland Valley open pit Cu-Mo mine (see Fig. 1), intersected 92 m grading 1.13 g/t Au in the Lightning Zone, and that a summer drilling program is planned 400 m to the west to expand the new Thunder Au and Rainbow Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo Zones.

Hole 045, Lightning Zone

The near-surface Lightning Au Zone was discovered by Tower in December, 2021, and has yielded highlight intersections of 95 m of 1.40 g/t Au in discovery Hole 026, 138 m of 1.55 g/t Au in Hole 028 and 70.5 m of 1.78 g/t Au in Hole 029 (see press release from June 22, 2022). It occurs beneath 30-50 m of saprolite in strongly sheared Nicola volcaniclastic rocks on the northwest side of a small plug of Durand diorite (see Fig. 2). An older, 10-15 m wide zone of Durand-style porphyry Cu-Au mineralization is present on the south side of the gold zone at the contact between volcaniclastic rocks and diorite. The Hole 026 intersection of this zone averaged 0.28% Cu and 0.31 g/t Au over 13.0 m.

Shear-hosted Au zones typically persist to a depth greater that their strike length, and Hole 045 was designed to test whether this is the case for the Lightning Zone. It was collared over the gold-depleted saprolite horizon that overlies the gold zone and drilled to the north at a -80 dip with the objective of following the steeply northwest dipping gold mineralization to depth without deviating into either the footwall (south side) or hanging wall (north side).

Hole 045 entered the Lightning Zone at 52 m and exited it 92 m further down-hole at 144 m. It appears to have followed the footwall too closely and deviated into it several times rather than flattening slightly and remaining in the zone as expected. The longest uninterrupted mineralized interval, 20.0 m at the bottom of the section, averaged 2.13 g/t Au (see Table 1). The average Au grade of the 92 m section was diluted to 1.13 g/t Au by the unmineralized footwall intervals.

Further down the hole between 198.5 and 203.0 m the hole intersected a more strongly mineralized, 4.5 m wide zone that averaged 4.23 g/t Au and is evidently related to the Lightning Zone as it is devoid of Cu. The hole ended at 297.5 m with the last 6 m being in the Cu-Au porphyry zone and averaging 0.22% Cu and 1.20 g/t Au.

Scout Holes on Dominic Lake Train

The other two holes not previously reported, Nos. 043 and 044, were drilled on the Dominic Lake gold grain dispersal 300 to 500 m glacially down-ice from the Lightning Zone as part of an ongoing investigation into the apparent mismatch between the 400 m width of the dispersal train and the 100-150 m footprint of the Lightning Zone which lies directly up-ice from the western edge of the train (see Fig. 2).

Before drilling Holes 043 and 044, the top of the till horizon over part of the 300 m wide diorite plug between the Lightning Zone and the previously defined segment of the Dominic Lake Train down-ice from the plug was sampled. As noted in Tower's February 23, 2023 press release, the gold grain content of the till was found to be lower over the plug than down ice from it (see Fig. 3), the reverse of the normal pattern for a dispersal train.

The thickness of the till down-ice from the plug was unknown at the time. If it were as thin as the 1-2 m veneer encountered in Tower's drill holes at the Lightning Zone, the down-ice increase in gold grain abundance would indicate the presence of a second gold source beneath the Dominic Lake Train. Holes 043 and 044 were drilled to check this possibility.

The holes were drilled in-line to the southeast obliquely across the dispersal train, starting on the southern edge of the diorite plug. Both holes encountered thick (10-20 m) till, indicating that the second gold source is not beneath the Dominic Lake Train. Instead, the sharp down-ice increase in till thickness in combination with the up-ice decrease in gold grain abundance at its surface implies that the gold source is located on the north side of the diorite plug because hundreds of metres of glacial transport are normally required to elevate gold grains through till as thick as that in the Dominic Lake Train.

The most probable gold source area is northeast of the Lightning Zone where Tower's easternmost drill hole, No. 033, returned the highest grade mineralization encountered to date (69.3 g/t or 2.01 oz/ton Au over 1.0 m) and a historical hole 200 m further northeast intersected 12.4 g/t Au over 10 metres (see Fig. 2).

Porphyry Cu-Au Alteration and Mineralization Ubiquitous West of Durand Stock

Hole 043 crossed the southern contact of the diorite plug into the adjacent Nicola volclanistic rocks while Hole 044 encountered only volcaniclastic rocks. The Nicola volcaniclastics are almost continuously propylitically (epidote  pyrite) altered and anomalous in porphyry-type Cu-Au, and a 35.2 m section in Hole 043, near the diorite, returned 0.14% Cu and 0.26 g/t Au.

The above Cu-Au results, together with the consistently anomalous Cu-Au contents of all of the other Nicola intersections in Tower's drill holes west of the Durand Stock, attest to the large scale and very dynamic environment of the porphyry hydrothermal system and reinforce the potential importance of the new Rainbow Cu-Au-Mo Zone that Tower intersected in the westernmost drill holes, Nos. 041 (36.0 m of 0.19% Cu and 0.33 g/t Au  0.004% Mo) and 042 (72.4 m of 0.27% Cu, 0.40 g/t Au and 0.01% Mo; see Figs. 4 and 5).

Next Drilling Program

Tower is now planning to perform more systematic drilling to expand the newly discovered Thunder Au Zone and Rainbow Cu-Au-Mo Zone both laterally and to depth (see Fig. 4). Permits are currently being processed for a series of drill pads at a much closer spacing than the 300 m separation between the northern and southern pads of the initial four-hole test program. This will shorten the holes and thereby allow more holes to be drilled on the program budget.

With the dip of the shear-hosted Thunder Au Zone now appearing to be to the east, holes targeting it will be drilled toward the west while some of the holes targeting the porphyry Cu-Au-Mo mineralization of the Rainbow Zone will be vertical due to the presumed conical to cylindrical rather than planar form of this zone.

In the present program, differentiating the Thunder and Rainbow zones became a significant issue, especially in Hole 042, due to their newness, side-by-side positions and similar sericitic alteration and, consequently, their equally sheared condition. It is now apparent, however, that the zones can be reliably differentiated on the basis of their sulphide mineralogy.

The Thunder Zone, like the Lightning Zone, invariably contains only pyrite without a trace of chalcopyrite or any other sulphide minerals whereas the Rainbow Zone contains chalcopyrite in addition to pyrite (as does all of the porphyry-style mineralization in the area) and, toward its core, also molybdenite. However the concentration of chalcopyrite and especially molybdenite (where present) is generally low relative to that of pyrite, and extra care is required to accurately determine their presence or absence.

Tower is also planning a new ground magnetic survey of the area west of the Durand Stock because all of the new discoveries are on the southern edge of the Company's previous (2015) survey area. As well, detailed magnetic data are needed to help resolve the potential extents of the Thunder and Rainbow Zones due to the closeness of these zones, the extensive basalt cover (see Fig. 4) and the reversely magnetized character of the basalt. The survey will extend west across Durand Creek to cover the potential source area of the untested Durand Creek gold grain dispersal train (see press release from August 9, 2022).

Methods and Qualified Person

The drill core was logged at Tower's leased, fully equipped core facility near Kamloops by Matthew Husslage, P.Geo, and Lauren Vollo, BSc. Geology. Both have extensive experience with B.C. gold and copper deposits and Mr. Husslage has managed or co-managed all of Tower's Rabbit North diamond drilling programs since the discovery of the Lightning Zone in December 2021.

Split samples of the core, generally 1.0 or 1.5 m in length, were delivered directly to Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Kamloops, BC, a laboratory certified as ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Lab 790) by the Standards Council of Canada. QA/QC samples including blanks and standards were inserted regularly into the sample sequence at a ratio of approximately 1:20.

The samples were analyzed for Au by fire assay and ICP-OES and for Ag and 36 additional elements by ICP-OES using a four-acid, near-total digestion. Any over-limit (>5 g/t) Au analyses were repeated using the same fire assay procedure but with a gravimetric rather than ICP finish.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stuart Averill, P.Geo., a director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Tower Resources

Tower is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in the Americas. The Company's key exploration assets, both in B.C., are the Rabbit North copper-gold porphyry project located between the New Afton copper-gold and Highland Valley copper mines in the Kamloops mining district and the Nechako gold-silver project near Artemis' Blackwater project.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Tower Resources Ltd.

Joe Dhami, President and CEO

(778) 996-4730

www.towerresources.ca

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

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.





Figure 1 - Location of Tower's Rabbit North property relative to the active mines of the Kamloops district.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/165472_0a76153574456a54_002full.jpg





Figure 2 - Locations of the Holes 043 and 045 in relation to previously reported drill holes in or near the Lightning Zone.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/165472_0a76153574456a54_003full.jpg





Figure 3 - Gold grain content per 10 kg sample of the till southwest of the Durand Stock. Gold grain counts greater than 200 are shown individually.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/165472_0a76153574456a54_004full.jpg





Figure 4 - Proposed Rainbow and Thunder Zone targets for the summer drilling program. Note that the orientations of Holes 041 and 042 are more northerly than shown previously due to cut-and-paste errors on the drill logs.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/165472_0a76153574456a54_005full.jpg





Figure 5 - Section through Holes 041 and 042 looking north-northwest. Note the downward (outward from the Rainbow Zone) change from high-temperature Cu-Au-Mo to low-temperature Cu-Au-Ag-Bi mineralization.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/165472_0a76153574456a54_006full.jpg





Depth (m)

Grade Hole No. Zone From To Length

(m) Au

g/t Cu

% RN23-045 Lightning 52.0 144.0 92.0 1.13 0

Including 124.0 144.0 20.0 2.13 0

Sub-Lightning 198.5 203.0 4.5 4.23 0

Porphyry 291.5 297.5 6.0 1.20 0.22

Table 1 - Significant Au and Cu-Au zones intersected in Hole 045.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165472
Wildly Popular Non-Alcoholic, Cannabis-Infused Seltzers to be Distributed in Major Markets Across Texas

HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / The visionary leaders behind three esteemed companies in the Texas beverage industry unveiled their plans to produce and distribute cannabis-infused beverages across traditional sales channels throughout the state. Bayou City Hemp Company (BCHC), the most respected Cannabis Operator in Texas, will join forces with Houston's award-winning 8th Wonder Brewery, Distillery, and Cannabis to develop a captivating line of cannabis-infused products. These offerings will be distributed by Flood Distribution to bars, restaurants, liquor stores, convenience stores, and grocery outlets in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

Drawing upon a meticulously curated portfolio of established cannabis-infused beverage brands from around the country, Bayou City Hemp Company will introduce this emerging category to Texas consumers in a sophisticated and responsible manner. Teaming up with craft beer darlings 8th Wonder, BCHC will formulate and manufacture these beverages, offering both experienced and curious Texans an elevated introduction to this exciting new category. Bayou City Hemp Company and 8th Wonder have enjoyed a close partnership since 2021, having pioneered the first hemp-infused seltzer in Texas.

The initial selection of cannabis-infused beverages will include nationally distributed brands such as Happi, brands that have been available locally, such as Wonder Water, Trillionaire and Lil Bit by 8th Wonder Cannabis, Good Feels from Massachusetts, California's Drippy, and HoBuzz among others. The portfolio will also feature several brands under the Bayou City umbrella, including HOWDY, offering the first THC-infused Ranch water and Paloma seltzers in the country.

"The partnership between Bayou City and Flood Independent Distribution marks a historic milestone in the Texas beverage industry, providing brand partners with a direct route to market, while giving consumers access to these low-dose products at the retail locations and establishments they already know and love," said Joel Canada, Chief Revenue Officer at BCHC. "Thanks to Flood's statewide presence and industry connections, combined with the sterling reputations of Bayou City Hemp Company and 8th Wonder, we can introduce this exciting new category to Texans through traditional markets in a trustworthy and reliable way," added Josh Samples, VP of Distribution at BCHC.

The full set of beverages are compliant with both the 2018 Federal Farm Bill and Texas HB 1325 allowing for legal sale and distribution throughout most of the Nation and across Texas. The beverages are infused with Delta 8 and Delta 9 THC derived from hemp, extracted and formulated using Bayou City Hemp Company's innovative CO2 extraction and proprietary nano-emulsion technologies.

"Our Houston-based R&D lab has enabled us to develop some of the most delicious and effective beverage formulations available on the market today. At Bayou City Hemp Company, we have the expertise to formulate a wide range of functional and flavorful beverages that meet the needs and preferences of today's discerning consumers," said Stephen Horton, Chief Innovation Officer at BCHC.

Previously exclusive to 8th Wonder in Houston, the beverages will now be available across Texas thanks to Flood Distribution, a highly respected distributor known for carefully curating outlets and products, which include popular and high-quality beverages. This announcement represents an important advancement in the state's cannabis-derived product space and has the potential to make a significant impact on the national beverage industry.

"National trends increasingly indicate that now is the time to get into this industry," said Kyle White, Flood Distribution co-founder. "THC-infused beverages are safe, delicious, and offer clients the opportunity to be at the forefront of this industry and steer the direction it will head in the future."

Available in Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas, consumers will see this portfolio of beverages on store shelves and restaurant menus this month and can start requesting them now.

Contact Information

Rachel Austin

Publicist

rachel@hometownsocial.net

SOURCE: Bayou City Hemp Company

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753954/Houstons-Bayou-City-Hemp-Company-and-Craft-Beer-Distributor-Flood-Independent-Distribution-Team-to-Bring-Cannabis-Beverages-to-Texas-Consumers
DES MOINES, IA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Innovation Refunds, a company dedicated to helping American small and medium-sized businesses access funding, has created the all-new Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Affiliates Program. The program is available to qualifying professionals who have a strong network of small and medium-sized business clients. This partnership is designed to educate businesses in America about the employee retention credit and other government-funded programs and to help eligible companies claim refunds to support their business operations.









"The goal of our new affiliate program is to create more access for business owners," said Howard Makler, Co-Founder and CEO of Innovation Refunds. "Studies show that the number of small and medium-sized businesses applying for ERC is well below those who are eligible. By strengthening our network with like-minded professionals, we are raising awareness around the ERC program so that eligible businesses can get the support they deserve to help them focus on their growth and innovation."

Prospective partners interested in the program are able to apply online through the Innovation Refunds website. Each partner who is accepted into the program will receive marketing materials and support documents to leverage when speaking with their clients regarding the access capital available to them. Each partner who joins the program will earn commissions for their qualified referrals.

The ERC Affiliate Program joins the Strategic Partner Program, and Refer and Earn offering as part of a holistic strategy designed by Innovation Refunds to identify and align with key stakeholders to better serve American business owners.

About Innovation Refunds

Innovation Refunds connects small and medium-sized businesses to a network of tax attorneys and licensed tax professionals who provide services and solutions related to government stimulus. By combining people with technology, we have created a secure environment and frictionless customer experience, empowering business owners to focus on the growth and management of their businesses. Innovation Refunds has helped U.S. small businesses access more than $4 billion in tax credits. Learn more about Innovation Refunds by visiting www.innovationrefunds.com, and stay connected on LinkedIn.

Contact Information

Mireille Rosselli

Vice President, Corporate Communications, Innovation Refunds

mrosselli@innovationrefunds.com

(201) 787-8943

SOURCE: Innovation Refunds

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753838/Innovation-Refunds-Launches-ERC-Affiliate-Program-to-Help-American-Business-Owners
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Storm Exploration Inc. (TSXV:STRM) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the twelve-month option payment in connection with its Option Agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Gold Standard Project located in northwest Ontario. The payment consisted of $20,000 cash and the issuance of 47,619 common shares at a deemed price of $0.42 per share to Messrs. Allan Onchulenko and Peter Gehrels the property vendors.

About Storm Exploration Inc.

Storm Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and development of economic precious and base metal deposits on four district-scale projects in northwest Ontario: Miminiska, Keezhik, Attwood and Gold Standard.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Storm Exploration Inc.

+1 (604) 506-2804

info@stormex.ca

SOURCE: Storm Exploration Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753837/Storm-Exploration-Completes-Option-Payment-on-Gold-Standard-Project
SEOUL, South Korea, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Plasma Ozone Storage is an eco-friendly technology that offers exceptional sterilization, disinfection, and odor removal effects. This product is designed to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and harmful substances by storing pollutants inside the storage, making it highly effective in helping livestock farmers maintain the health and safety of their livestock.





To verify the product and technology, the Plasma Ozone Storage and Wasp Trap were installed in various beekeeping farms across Korea, including Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongbuk-do, and Gangwon-do, for empirical testing.

The wasp trap is another eco-friendly product that does not use attractants such as fermented liquid separately. It is placed at the entrance of the hive and utilizes the wasp's habit of following the bees. The trap traps the wasps in the trapping frame, allowing bees to safely and freely enter the hive through the bee passage. This technology reduces the need to be present at the apiary to manually remove wasps, reducing costs for labor and other control products.

It also introduces the Hive Controller, a portable smart beekeeping system that can safely extract honeycombs from beehives, brush bees, and stack honeycombs outside beehives in approximately one minute. This product has a lightweight of 9 kg without corrosion and can be used by a novice alone, making honey extraction a more convenient and efficient process. Furthermore, it can be used for any beehives with identical widths, regardless of their size. Both an adapter and battery pack (optional) can be used for power supply.

The Hive Controller reduces the working time by 50% compared to existing products, enabling beekeeping farms in Korea to extract honey alone.

Daesung SmartHive was founded in 2016 and has been recognized for its innovative products and technology in various places, including the CES fair in Korea and the United States. The company has also signed MOUs with companies and research institutes in Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Africa to enter the overseas market. Daesung SmartHive will showcase its products at domestic and foreign agricultural equipment fairs to expand its reach and continue providing innovative solutions for the agriculture industry.

Daesung SmartHive's new products are expected to provide significant benefits to the livestock and beekeeping industries, making these operations safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073746/EUR_SMARTHIVE_PLASMA_WASPTRAP_HIVECONTROLLER.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/daesung-smarthive-the-leading-smart-agriculture-company-in-korea-has-announced-the-launch-of-their-latest-product-the-plasma-ozone-storage-301820666.html
Global Fashion Group S.A., societe anonyme Registered office: 5, Heienhaff, L-1736 Senningerberg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

RCS Luxembourg B 190.907 Convening notice to the annual general meeting

of the shareholders of Global Fashion Group S.A. (the "Company")

The annual general meeting of the shareholders of the Company is to be held at the offices of Arendt & Medernach SA

41A, Avenue John F. Kennedy

L-2082 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

at 10:00 CEST on Wednesday, 14 June 2023 to deliberate and vote on the below agenda (the "Annual General Meeting"). Following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, we are delighted to welcome shareholders to attend our Annual General Meeting in person (videoconference will not be available). Shareholders may refer to section D. "Availability of the documentation, attendance and voting procedure" in this convening notice for further information. A. Agenda and Proposed Resolutions for the Annual General Meeting of the Company 1. Presentation of the combined consolidated management report of the management board of the Company (the "Management Board") and of the report of the independent auditor (reviseur d'entreprises agree) on the Company's consolidated accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union ("IFRS") and on the Company's annual accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 prepared in accordance with Luxembourg Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("Luxembourg GAAP"). 2. Approval of the Company's consolidated accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 3. Approval of the Company's annual accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 4. Allocation of results for the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 5. Granting of discharge to Christoph Barchewitz, member of the Management Board, for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 6. Granting of discharge to Matthew Price, member of the Management Board, for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 7. Granting of discharge to Patrick Schmidt, former member of the Management Board, for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 8. Granting of discharge to Georgi Ganev, member of the supervisory board of the Company (the "Supervisory Board"), for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 9. Granting of discharge to Cynthia Gordon, member of the Supervisory Board, for the exercise of her mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 10. Granting of discharge to Carol Shen, member of the Supervisory Board, for the exercise of her mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 11. Granting of discharge to Laura Weil, member of the Supervisory Board, for the exercise of her mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 12. Granting of discharge to Philipp Povel, former member of the Supervisory Board, for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 13. Granting of discharge to Victor Herrero, former member of the Supervisory Board, for the exercise of his mandate during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. 14. Ratification of the appointment and approval of the final appointment of John Baker to the Supervisory Board for a period ending at the general meeting of shareholders resolving on the discharge for the exercise of the Supervisory Board's mandates for the financial year ending on 31 December 2024. 15. Renewal of the appointment of Ernst & Young as independent auditor of the Company for a period ending at the general meeting of shareholders approving the annual accounts for the financial year ending on 31 December 2023. 16. Presentation of and advisory vote on the remuneration report for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 . 17. Presentation of and advisory vote on the revised remuneration policy for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. 18. Approval and, to the extent necessary, ratification of the remuneration of the members of the Supervisory Board, payable annually and for the period of their mandate. 19. Presentation and acknowledgement of the special report of the Management Board dated 1 May 2023 with respect to (i) the restatement and renewal of the current authorised capital; (ii) waiving of the preferential subscription right of existing shareholders where expressly provided in the special report of the Management Board dated 1 May 2023; and (iii) and amendment of articles 6.1 and 6.2 of the articles of association of the Company. B. Explanatory Notes to the Business of the Annual General Meeting Resolutions 1 to 4 - Approval of Financial Statements The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting, after having reviewed the management report of the Management Board and the report of the independent auditor, approve: - the consolidated accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 in their entirety, showing a consolidated net loss of EUR 196.6 million; - the annual accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 in their entirety, showing a net loss of EUR 487.8 million; - allocation of the results of the Company based on the stand-alone annual accounts of the Company prepared in accordance with Luxembourg GAAP for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 as follows: - Results of the financial year 2022: Loss ofEUR 487.8 million - Losses brought forward: EUR 2,380.3 million Shareholders are reminded that no vote is required for resolution 1. Resolutions 5 to 7 - Discharge of Current and Former Members of the Management Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting approve that discharge be granted to each current and former member of the Management Board, for the execution of their mandates during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. Resolutions 8 to 13 - Discharge of Current and Former Members of the Supervisory Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting approve that discharge be granted to each current and former member of the Supervisory Board, for the execution of their mandates during the financial year ended 31 December 2022. Resolution 14 - Ratification of the Appointment and Approval of the Final Appointment of John Baker to the Supervisory Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting ratifies the appointment and approves the final appointment of John Baker as member of the Supervisory Board. In line with the German Corporate Governance Code, which the Company has voluntarily elected to comply with, John Baker is deemed to be independent. Further, he does not have any personal or business relationships with either the Company, the governing bodies of the Company or any shareholders with a material interest in the Company. John Baker's mandate shall expire at the general meeting of shareholders that resolves on the discharge for the exercise of the Supervisory Board's mandates for the financial year ending 31 December 2024, being the general meeting of shareholders to be held in 2025. John Baker possesses relevant knowledge, skills and professional experience to assist the Supervisory Board in fulfilling its supervisory duties effectively. John Baker's biographical information is available on the Company's website at https://ir.global-fashion-group.com/agm Resolution 15 - Reappointment of Auditor The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting appoint the auditing firm Ernst & Young as independent auditor (reviseur d'entreprises agree) to perform the independent audit of the Company regarding the financial year ending 31 December 2023. Resolution 16 - Presentation of and advisory vote on the remuneration report for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting pass an advisory vote on the remuneration report for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board for the financial year ended 31 December 2022. Resolution 17 - Presentation of and advisory vote on the revised remuneration policy for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting pass an advisory vote on the remuneration policy for the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. The Company has revised its remuneration policy for the Management Board and the Supervisory Board, as previously approved by the shareholders on 15 June 2022, and submits it to an advisory vote of the Annual General Meeting as required by Article 7bis of the Luxembourg law of 1 August 2019 amending the Luxembourg law of 24 May 2011 on shareholders rights and which became effective on 24 August 2019 (the "Shareholders Rights Law"). The proposed changes relate to an adjustment to the short term incentive plan of the Management Board members, with the on-target performance to be adjusted from 60% to 75% of base salary, resulting in the maximum payout opportunity of 90% to 115% of base salary based on the achievement of the short term incentive plan metrics and targets for each of the Management Board members. The proposed changes also include adjustments to the ratio mix of the remuneration components (fixed vs. variable and STI vs LTI). Further, the proposed changes include some minor factual updates to bring the Remuneration Policy in line with the Company's Declaration of Compliance with the German Corporate Governance Code and removal of legacy references which have ceased to be applicable. Lastly, more general technical updates are also included, such as clarifications around the use of Restricted Stock Units, and the Supervisory Board's ability to establish different performance metrics for the Management Board members for the variable compensation. Resolution 18 - Remuneration for the Members of the Supervisory Board The Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting approve the remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board, payable annually and for the period of their mandate, as follows: Supervisory Board: Supervisory Board Audit Committee Sustainability Committee Nomination Committee Remuneration Committee Chairman  40,000  40,000  20,000  10,000  25,000 Vice Chairman  10,000 - - - - Member  30,000  10,000  10,000  5,000  10,000 The Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board shall be entitled to their fee as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, along with the fee for being a member of the Supervisory Board. Resolution 19 - Restatement and renewal of the authorised capital of the Company, waiver of the preferential subscription right of existing shareholders where expressly provided in the special report of the Management Board dated 1 May 2023 and amendment of articles 6.1 and 6.2 of the articles of association of the Company The Management Board proposes that the Annual General meeting acknowledges the special report of the management board dated 1 May 2023 and approves a restatement and renewal of the authorised capital of the Company, authorising the Management Board to issue up to 215,642,339 common shares without reserving a preferential subscription right to the existing shareholders of the Company. The Management Board has utilised some, but not all, of the previously authorised capital in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and now wishes to restate and renew the Company's authorised capital for a period of five (5) years from the date of the Annual General Meeting. There is no numerical increase in the authorised capital of the Company in relation to this renewal and restatement. The Management Board would like to draw attention to the importance of the Company being able to act quickly and have flexibility in increasing the share capital of the Company, according to the needs of the Company. The protracted procedure of convening an extraordinary general meeting in order to offer shares to shareholders on a pre-emptive basis, as well as the resulting publicity and costs involved in convening such an extraordinary general meeting, may be incompatible with the Company's needs and could result in missed opportunities for the Company. As a result of the above, the Management Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting approve a renewal and restatement of the Company's authorised capital, which, excluding the issued share capital, is set at two million one hundred fifty-six thousand four hundred twenty-three euro and thirty-nine cents (EUR 2,156,423.39) represented by two hundred fifteen million six hundred forty-two thousand three hundred thirty-nine (215,642,339) common shares having a nominal value of one cent (EUR 0.01) each, with the authorised capital lasting for a period of five (5) years from the date of the Annual General Meeting with the possibility to issue up to one hundred nineteen million two hundred fifty-seven thousand three hundred thirty-nine (119,257,339) shares new common shares without reserving a preferential right to subscribe to the shares issued for the existing shareholders subject to the limitations set forth in the special report of the management board dated 1 May 2023 as may be amended from time to time and it being understood, that any issuance of such instruments will reduce the available authorised capital accordingly. The Management Board also notes that the authorised capital allows the Management Board to issue new common shares without reserving a preferential subscription rights to the shareholders to, among other things, convert or grant the right to convert any present or future convertible instruments, including the 3,750 convertible bonds issued by the Company in March 2021 (to the extent that such convertible bonds are outstanding), into shares issued by the Company, satisfy the Company's obligations under its management incentive plans and to use the authorised capital for general corporate purposes, including but not limited to, raising funds required to meet the Company's financing and refinancing needs without delay and seizing opportunities in potential merger & acquisition transactions by enabling the Company to acquire shares and other assets on the best possible terms at short notice. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the current intention of the Management Board is to use the restated and renewed authorised capital for the purposes of satisfying future management incentive schemes. The authorised capital shall apply to rights, options, warrants, convertible instruments and other securities, restricted stock units, or other equity-based awards or rights to subscribe to or receive shares issued prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting as well as apply, to the extent not used yet, to rights issued thereupon and in the future, notably under any existing or future management incentive scheme or other contractual documentation entered into by the Company. Finally, as a consequence of the above, articles 6.1 and 6.2 of the Company's articles of association shall be amended and shall read as follows: "6.1 The Company's authorised capital, excluding the issued share capital, is set at two million one hundred fifty-six thousand four hundred twenty-three euros and thirty-nine cents (EUR 2,156,423.39) represented by two hundred fifteen million six hundred forty-two thousand three hundred thirty nine (215,642,339) common shares having a nominal value of one cent (EUR 0.01) each. 6.2 During a period of five (5) years from the date of any resolutions to create, renew or increase the authorised capital pursuant to this article, the management board with the consent of the supervisory board, is hereby authorised to issue common shares, rights, options, warrants, convertible instruments and other securities, restricted stock units, or other equity-based awards or rights to subscribe to or receive shares or grant rights to convert instruments into shares (whether on a regulated or unregulated market), for contributions in cash and/or in kind or via a conversion of existing reserves, within the limits of the authorised capital to such persons and on such terms as set forth in the special report of the management board dated 1 May 2023 as may be amended from time to time on the authorised capital and specifically to proceed with the issue of up to one hundred nineteen million two hundred fifty-seven thousand three hundred thirty-nine (119,257,339) common shares without reserving a preferential right to subscribe to the shares issued for the existing shareholders subject to the limitations set forth in the special report of the management board dated 1 May 2023 as may be amended from time to time and it being understood, that any issuance of such instruments will reduce the available authorised capital accordingly." C. Important Notes about the Annual General Meeting 1. Timing The Annual General Meeting will start promptly at 10:00 CEST. Shareholders wishing to attend the meeting should arrive at the venue no later than 09:45 CEST. 2. Location of Meeting The annual general meeting of the shareholders of the Company is to be held at the offices of Arendt & Medernach SA at 41A, Avenue John F. Kennedy, L-2082 Luxembourg. A map showing the location of the venue can be found here . 3. Questions about the Annual General Meeting If you have any questions about the Annual General Meeting, please contact the Company's agent, Computershare Operations Center ("Agent"): Global Fashion Group S.A.

c/o Computershare Operations Center

Address: 80249 Munchen

E-mail: anmeldestelle@computershare.de D. Availability of the documentation, attendance and voting procedure 1. Available information and documentation This convening notice is to be published in the RESA (Recueil Electronique des Societes et Associations), the Luxembourg newspaper, Tageblatt, and other media (which may reasonably be expected to be relied upon for the effective dissemination of information to the public throughout the European Economic Area, and which are accessible rapidly and on a non-discriminatory basis) as well as separately dispatched by regular mail or, if agreed with the respective addressee, by e-mail to (i) the members of the Management Board, (ii) the members of the Supervisory Board and (iii) the independent auditor. The following information is available for inspection by the shareholders at least until and including the day of the Annual General Meeting on the Company's website at https://ir.global-fashion-group.com/agm and at the registered office of the Company as from the day of publication of this convening notice in the Luxembourg official gazette (Recueil Electronique des Societes et Associations): - this convening notice for the Annual General Meeting 2023; - the total number of common shares in issue and voting rights at the date of the convening notice; - the full text of any document to be made available by the Company at the Annual General Meeting 2023 (i.e. inter alia the annual report containing the financial year 2022 standalone and consolidated accounts); - the management report; - the independent auditor report on the Company's standalone and consolidated accounts; - the full text of the draft resolutions in relation to each of the items included in the agenda to be adopted at the Annual General Meeting; - the full text of the revised remuneration policy for the Management Board and Supervisory Board and the remuneration report for financial year 2022; - the biographical details of John Baker; - the special report of the Management Board dated 1 May 2023; - the draft consolidated Articles of Association; - the In-Person Attendance Declaration (as defined below); - the Certificate of Holdings (as defined below); and - the Proxy Form and Voting Form (both as defined below) to be used to vote by proxy or to vote by post. Shareholders may obtain without charge a copy of the full text of any of the above documents, and copies of the In-Person Attendance Declaration, the Certificate of Holdings, the Proxy Form and the Voting Form upon request to the Company's Agent at anmeldestelle@computershare.de or download them from the Company's website https://ir.global-fashion-group.com/agm 2. Quorum and majority requirements There are no quorum requirements for the proposed resolutions 1 to 18 to be passed which are adopted by a simple majority of the voting rights duly present or represented except for agenda item 1, for which no vote is necessary. Resolution 19 may be passed by a majority of two thirds of the votes validly cast at the Annual General Meeting provided that half of the share capital is present or represented. 3. Share capital and voting rights At the time of convening the Annual General Meeting, the Company's issued capital amounts to two million two hundred thirty seven thousand nine hundred twenty-nine euro and twelve cents (EUR 2,237,929.12), represented by two hundred twenty three million seven hundred ninety-two thousand nine hundred twelve (223,792,912) common shares with a nominal value of one cent EUR 0.01) each. Each common share entitles the holder to one vote. 4. Requirements for participating in the Annual General Meeting and exercising voting rights 4.1. Record Date The rights of a shareholder to participate in the Annual General Meeting and to vote shall be determined with respect to the shares held by that shareholder at 23:59 CEST on 31 May 2023 (the "Record Date"). Eligibility to participate in the Annual General Meeting is determined exclusively by share ownership on the Record Date. Any transferee having become owner of any shares after the Record Date has no right to vote at the Annual General Meeting. Therefore, any shareholder who holds one or more shares of the Company on the Record Date, registers for the Annual General Meeting (where applicable) and provides the Certificate of Holdings, shall be admitted to participate and vote at the Annual General Meeting, in person, by proxy or by way of written vote. 4.2. Registration procedure and evidence of share ownership Shareholders who wish to participate in the Annual General Meeting and to vote the shares held by them on the Record Date (regardless the manner they wish to participate, either in person or by representation through proxy or voting by post) shall provide proof of their shareholding on the Record Date. Proof of shareholding being a prerequisite for a shareholder to participate and vote in the Annual General Meeting, shareholders whose shares are held in book-entry form through the operator of a securities settlement system or with a professional depositary or sub-depositary designated by such depositary must submit a certificate from their depository bank or financial institution certifying the number of shares recorded in their account and evidencing their ownership of shares as at the Record Date (the "Certificate of Holdings") the latest at 18:00 CEST by 9 June 2023. The right of the shareholder to participate and vote in the Annual General Meeting will only be completed and confirmed when the Certificate of Holdings is provided before the deadline established herein. The Certificate of Holdings shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Company's Agent in the period from the Record Date until 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023. 4.3. Attendance in person Shareholders are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting in person. Video conference will not be available. In order to be admitted to participate in person in the Annual General Meeting, any shareholder who has duly provided a Certificate of Holdings in accordance with Section 4.2 above or any duly appointed proxyholder, must submit a form (the "In-Person Attendance Declaration") to the Company's Agent in writing by e-mail no later than 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023. Shareholders and proxyholders participating in the Annual General Meeting are asked to register at the reception desk upon arrival at the venue and will be required to provide proof of identity. No shareholder nor proxyholder will be admitted to the Annual General Meeting without carrying proof of identity. There will be a security check at the venue prior to admission to the meeting. Please try not to bring any large bags or suitcases with you to the Annual General Meeting, as they will delay admission. We ask you also not to bring cameras, laptop computers or other recorders. Mobile phones should be switched off from admission for the duration of proceedings. The venue has full wheelchair access. If you are hard of hearing and would like access to supportive facilities, or if you have a query about any other disability, please let us know in advance (via email at agm@global-fashion-group.com) so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. 4.4. Proxy voting representative To simplify the execution of their voting rights, the Company provides its shareholders the option of appointing a proxy voting representative named by the Company and bound by the instructions of the shareholder prior to the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders are able to appoint a proxy voting representative other than that named by the Company. One person may represent more than one shareholder. Shareholders who wish to vote via proxy must complete and sign a proxy form (the "Proxy Form"). To be valid, the completed and signed (including for the avoidance of doubt, signed pursuant to a valid, legal and binding power of attorney and/or signed electronically) Proxy Forms must be received by the Company's Agent by e-mail, at 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023, at the latest Exercise of voting rights of shares in connection with duly filled and signed Proxy Forms received after 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023 18:00 CEST, may not be admitted at the Annual General Meeting. If, pursuant to a signed Proxy Form as described above, shareholders appoint a person other than the person appointed by the Company as their proxyholder, please note that the proxyholder will need to provide a new Voting Form in the name and on behalf of the shareholder by 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023. 4.5. Voting by correspondence Shareholders who do not wish to participate in person in the Annual General Meeting or appoint a proxy, and duly appointed proxyholders may exercise their voting rights by casting their votes by correspondence, using the forms provided by the Company to that effect (the "Voting Forms"). Only signed Voting Forms will be taken into account (including for the avoidance of doubt, signed pursuant to a valid, legal and binding power of attorney and/or signed electronically). To be valid, the Voting Forms or electronic votes must be received by the Company's Agent by e-mail, latest at 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023. Exercise of voting rights of shares in connection with duly filled and signed Voting Forms received after 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023 may not be admitted at the Annual General Meeting. 5. Shareholder Questions Shareholders that have correctly submitted their Certificate of Holdings shall have the opportunity to submit questions to the Company. Questions may be submitted in writing in advance of the Annual General Meeting and/or, if shareholders or a duly appointed proxyholder has submitted an In-Person Attendance Declaration as per Section 4.3 above, during the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders wishing to submit questions in advance of the Annual General Meeting, must submit their questions, along with their full name, by e-mail to the Company's Agent at the latest by 18:00 CEST on 9 June 2023. Questions submitted after this deadline may not be answered and any questions submitted by other means will not be considered. The submitted questions will be answered at the reasonable discretion of the Company and the Company is not required to answer all questions. In particular, questions may be summarised, combined or separated. Reasonable questions may be selected in the interest of the other shareholders, and questions from shareholders' associations and institutional investors with significant voting interests may be given preference. 6. Submission of Revised Agenda Shareholders holding individually or collectively at least five per cent (5%) of issued share capital of the Company as at the Record Date are entitled to (i) request the addition of items to the agenda of the Annual General Meeting and (ii) to table draft resolutions for items included or to be included on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting. Such right must be exercised by sending such request by 23:59 CEST on 23 May 2023 at the latest to the e-mail address of the Company's Agent. Such request will only be accepted by the Company provided it includes (i) the wording of the new requested agenda item, and (ii) the justification or the wording of the proposed resolution pertaining to the items included or to be included, and (ii) an e-mail address or a postal address to which the Company may confirm receipt of the request. Where the requests entail a new item in the agenda for the Annual General Meeting already communicated to the shareholders, the Company will publish a revised agenda on or before 30 May 2023 at the latest. Subject to compliance with the threshold notification obligations provided for by the Luxembourg law of 11 January 2008 on transparency requirements for issuers of securities, as amended, there is no limit to the maximum number of votes that may be exercised by the same person, whether in its own name or by proxy. The results of the vote will be published on the Company's website within fifteen (15) days following the Annual General Meeting. 7. Contact details of Agent The contact details of the centralising agent duly mandated by the Company to receive copies, followed by the original of the Certificate of Holdings, the Proxy Form, the Voting Form, the In-Person Declaration, proposals of additional agenda items and proposed resolutions pursuant to this convening notice are as follows: Global Fashion Group S.A.

c/o Computershare Operations Center

Address: 80249 Munchen

E-mail: anmeldestelle@computershare.de

Luxembourg, 1 May 2023 For the Management Board, Christoph Barchewitz

Chief Executive Officer & Member of the Management Board
Schuler North America presents the "Forge Shop of the Future" at Forge Fair 2023

CANTON, MI / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Schuler North America, subsidiary of Schuler Group GmbH, will exhibit at Forge Fair, booth 113, at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio (May 23-25).

Forge Fair is North America's largest event dedicated exclusively to the forging industry. More than 2,000 forging professionals are expected to attend. Schuler will showcase best-in-class forging technology and digital tools that create the Forge Shop of the Future.

"We hosted our Digitalization & Modernization Workshop in February of this year to demonstrate practical and feasible ways stampers can create the Press Shop of the Future. The Forge Shop of the Future is an extension beyond stamping and includes digital tools applicable for forging," explains Kevin McAllister, President of Schuler North America.

Schuler North America's Sales Manager of Forging Technology, Gurinder Singh, will present "Forging Presses with Modern Drives: Economical Solutions & Best-in-Class Forging Technology" on May 24, 11:25 AM EST. Attendees will walk away with a greater technical understanding of how forgers can improve performance (output, electrical energy savings, flexibility, forming speed, and duration of contact). These improvements can be achieved with digital solutions or forging technology such as Schuler's Multistation Forging Press combined with Farina Presse's kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). KERS provides the advantage of conventional and servo drive, can achieve up to 30 strokes per minute, and produces higher quality output.

"There are too many parameters in forging when heating the material-in comparison to sheet metal forming cold or room temperature parts. This, along with forgers working with smaller openings of the slide and using materials such as graphite during the lubrication process, creates a perception that forgers cannot improve performance with digitalization," Singh states. "This perception is true for some technologies, such as camera-based visual systems, but there are digital tools currently available for forging-including predictive maintenance, forge shop planning, and energy savings. There's a lot of work to be done, but the possibilities are endless."

Schuler will host a live demo of Schuler Connect, augmented reality (AR) technology that enables safe and cost-effective remote support and troubleshooting via smart glasses or application software. Attendees will also learn about forge shop planning tools designed to avoid efficiency losses and damage risks. These tools are machine applications from Schuler's Digital Suite and include Schuler's Press Force Monitor, Production Monitor, Cooling Analytics, Lubrication Analytics, and Drive Analytics.

Schuler's comprehensive portfolio of forging presses range from 3,200 kN to 360,000 kN and enable the best economical solutions for quality parts. The company also offers hammers and counter blow hammers ranging from 12 kJ to 1,400 kJ. Schuler's capabilities extend further to process and operational development, dies, and automation systems-securing forging business with a one-stop, one-source supplier.

Website

Schuler's Forging Technology

Schuler's Digital Suite

Img 1.jpg: Schuler is a one-stop, one-source supplier of forging presses, hammers and counter blow hammers, process and operational development, dies, and automation systems.

Img 2.jpg: Farina's KERS system provides the advantage of conventional and servo drive, can achieve up to 30 strokes per minute, and produces higher quality output.

Img 3.jpg: Schuler Connect provides remote service and troubleshooting support with Schuler experts via smart glasses, smartphones, or tablets.

About Schuler Group-www.schulergroup.com

Schuler offers customized cutting-edge technology in all areas of forming-from the networked press to press shop planning. In addition to presses, Schuler's products include automation, dies, process know-how, and service for the entire metalworking industry. Schuler's Digital Suite brings together solutions for networking forming technology and is continuously being developed to further improve line productivity and availability. Schuler customers include automotive manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies in the forging, household appliance, and electrical industries. Schuler presses are minting coins for more than 180 countries. Founded in 1839 at the Goppingen, Germany headquarters, Schuler has approximately 5,000 employees at production sites in Europe, China and the Americas, as well as service companies in more than 40 countries. The company is part of the international technology group ANDRITZ.

Schuler's global portfolio of world-renowned brands include BCN (Bliss Clearing Niagara) Technical Services, Muller Weingarten, Beutler, Umformtechnik Erfurt, SMG Pressen, Hydrap Pressen, Wilkins & Mitchell, Beche, Spiertz Presses, Farina Presse, Liebergeld, Peltzer & Ehlers, Schleicher, and Sovema Group.

About Schuler North America-www.schulergroup.com

Schuler North America (Schuler), headquartered in Canton, Michigan, is the North American subsidiary of Schuler Group. Schuler provides new equipment, spare parts, and a portfolio of lifecycle services for all press systems-including preventative maintenance, press shop design and optimization, turnkey installations, retrofits for existing systems, and localized production and service. Schuler's best-in-class position in the metalworking and materials industry serves automotive manufacturers and tier suppliers, as well as home appliance, electronics, forging, and other industries.

SOURCE: Schuler North America

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753809/Digital-Solutions-Forge-a-New-Future
EQS-News: PlusPlus Capital Financial S.a.r.l. / Key word(s): Quarterly / Interim Statement/Conference

PlusPlus Capital reports unaudited 3M 2023 results on 15 May 2023 - Invitation to earnings call on 17 May 2023



10.05.2023 / 15:15 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





PlusPlus Capital reports unaudited 3M 2023 results on 15 May 2023

Invitation to earnings call on 17 May 2023



Tallinn, Estonia, 10 May 2023. PlusPlus Capital ("PPC"), a leading pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management group, cordially invites investors and analysts to an earningscall with the Management on 17 May 2023, 11.00 CEST, following the publication of its unaudited 3M 2023 results on 15 May 2023 (after the close of trading).



Earnings Call:

CEO Kroot Kilvet and Member of the Management Board Kaarel Raik will comment on the 3M 2023 results by means of a webcast presentation. The earnings call will be held in English and will be recorded.

Please register in time to participate in the earnings call at:

PlusPlus Capital - Earnings Call 3M 2023 .

The corresponding presentation will also be available on the Company's website prior to the earnings call.



Contact:

PlusPlus Capital

Kaarel Raik, Member of the Management Board

Email: kaarel.raik@plusplus.ee

Phone: +372 56 606 148



Aalto Capital (Investor Relations)

Sven Pauly, Consultant

Email: sven.pauly@aaltocapital.com

Phone: +49 89 898 67 77 0



About PlusPlus Capital:

PlusPlus is a pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management company with offices in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Helsinki. The Company acquires overdue loans and other non-performing exposures from financial institutions and non-financial sector merchants. With its core competence in handling claims against private individuals, PlusPlus prefers diversified portfolios balanced by geography, portfolio type, and other metrics.

Since its inception in 2010, PlusPlus has bought over 117 thousand claims with nominal value of approximately EUR 289 million as at 31 December 2022. The Company offers its clients affordable recovery solutions and aims to avoid litigious scenarios. In doing so, PlusPlus pursues win-win solutions that allow sellers to focus on their core business, provide affordable solutions for borrowers, and ensure adequate returns for investors.

PlusPlus is a transparent and socially responsible company set to assist people in resolving problems connected with their insufficient solvency. The ambition of PlusPlus is to increase its market share and further strengthen its position as a leading player in its regional market.

pluspluscapital.eu

10.05.2023 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.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global software and solutions company DVT has announced a new systems integration partnership with data and AI specialist and pioneer of the data lakehouse paradigm, Databricks. The partnership will see DVT rapidly growing a team of certified Databricks engineers, integrators and skilled specialists to serve the demand for integrated Databricks solutions in South Africa, Africa, and further afield.

"The Databricks relationship was born of our longstanding, extensive and highly successful relationship with Microsoft, and was initiated by Databricks through DVT's European office in Ireland," says Damian Potter, Executive Head: Development, Data and Solutions, DVT.

"DVT's expansion has made us front-of-mind for many large global organisations that can see the value of our working model and level of expertise we bring to foreign markets, and understand the benefit of working with us to grow their solutions portfolio and augment their resources in South Africa and the rest of Africa," says Potter.

"This partnership has been embraced by the Databricks EMEA leadership, and we aim to not only build up a solid competency for Africa, but also support our Middle East expansion plans by leveraging the Databricks partnership to aid our growth in this region."

Potter says DVT is already aggressively looking for the best possible skills to fill the positions of Databricks Practice Lead, and to build out the team with skilled individuals that already have the necessary Databricks skills, or the aptitude to quickly skill up for the role.

"As part of our focus on recruitment and staff development, we're going to put new Databricks team members on a rapid learning path, which will not only benefit our existing clients, but also help our staff advance their careers and qualifications," he says.

"Working with Databricks will give us enhanced data capabilities for our service offerings through the company's Data Lakehouse Platform, which ties in with our ongoing focus on machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain solutions and data science, and gives us the necessary skills, resources and support from a global leader in this technology."

The Databricks Lakehouse Platform presents a unified approach that eliminates data silos in data engineering, analytics, BI, data science and machine learning. It uses open source and open standards to maximise flexibility and help companies operate more efficiently and innovate faster.

Databricks is used by more than 9,000 organisations worldwide - including Comcast, Conde Nast, and more than half of Fortune 500 companies. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe.

For more information, or if you're interested in joining DVT's new Databricks team, contact Damian Potter at dpotter@jhb.dvt.co.za.

About DVT

DVT's technology teams have transformed great ideas into successful software solutions for over 23 years. Founded in 1999, DVT provides high-impact business software solutions to clients worldwide.

DVT's comprehensive software solutions are delivered by high-performing Agile technology teams, including dedicated on-site or remote teams, teams co-sourced with clients, turn-key projects, or staff augmentation and professional services.

DVT's range of IT services includes custom software engineering, staff augmentation, digital transformation, data analytics and automation, cloud computing and UX/UI design.

With 8 offices across the globe and over 600 specialised staff members, DVT can deliver high-quality software solutions to meet all of your IT requirements. www.dvtsoftware.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073937/Damian_Potter_DVT.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dvt-announces-databricks-partnership-301820966.html
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Haviland Enviro Corp. (TSXV: HEC.P) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") with Xogen Technologies Inc. ("Xogen") dated May 9, 2023, which outlines the general terms and conditions of a proposed business combination, by way of a share exchange, merger, three-cornered amalgamation, arrangement or other similar form of transaction (the "Proposed Transaction"), taking into account various corporate, securities, tax and other considerations.

It is anticipated that the Proposed Transaction will constitute the qualifying transaction of the Company in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies (the "CPC Policy"). The resulting company following the completion of the Proposed Transaction is referred to as the "Resulting Issuer". The Proposed Transaction will not constitute a Non-Arm's Length Transaction (as such term is defined in the CPC Policy).

About Xogen

Xogen is a private company incorporated on June 3, 2004 under the laws of the Province of Alberta. Xogen is a cleantech company in the water sector that has developed a proprietary Advanced Electro-Oxidation (AEO) technology for the treatment of ammonia and other contaminants in our water. During the process of treating these contaminants the Xogen system generates valuable off gases, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen with trace amounts of CO2. All of these gases can be recaptured as a cost benefit to operating the system. Xogen has successfully demonstrated the viability of their system with pilot plants at a number of landfill sites in Canada and the United States. Xogen also has a commercial scale pilot plant installed at the University of Massachusetts to demonstrate treatment efficacy to potential US customers.

Terms of the Proposed Transaction

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Letter of Intent, the Company and Xogen will negotiate and enter into a definitive agreement incorporating the principal terms of the Proposed Transaction as described in the Letter of Intent on or before June 15, 2023 (the "Definitive Agreement"). The terms and conditions outlined in the Letter of Intent are non-binding on the parties, and the Letter of Intent is expected to be superseded by the Definitive Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Proposed Transaction, the holders of the issued and outstanding Class A common shares of Xogen (the "Xogen Shares") shall receive an aggregate of 25,000,000 common shares of the Resulting Issuer (the "Resulting Issuer Shares") on the basis of one (1) Resulting Issuer Share for each three (3) Xogen Shares held (the "Exchange Ratio"). Any options, warrants, other convertible securities or other right to purchase or acquire Xogen Shares that may be outstanding at the time of completing the Proposed Transaction shall be exchanged in accordance with the Exchange Ratio for similar securities to purchase Resulting Issuer Shares on substantially the same terms and conditions. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, Xogen will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, which will continue the business of Xogen.

Pursuant to the terms of the Letter of Intent, until the earliest of: (i) the completion of the Proposed Transaction; or (ii) the termination of the Letter of Intent in accordance with its terms, each of the Company and Xogen have agreed not to solicit, negotiate, accept or discuss with any other entity, any transaction that would be in opposition to or in competition with the Proposed Transaction.

The completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of terms and conditions, including and without limitation to the following: (a) negotiation and execution of the Definitive Agreement; (b) the parties obtaining all necessary consents, orders, regulatory and shareholder approvals, including the approval of the TSXV; (c) Xogen having advanced it business sufficiently to meet the TSXV listing requirements and being able to establish value on an acceptable basis to the Company in accordance with TSXV policies; (d) there being no material adverse changes in respect of either the Company or Xogen; (e) closing of the Concurrent Financing (as defined below); and other standard conditions of closing for a transaction in the nature of the Proposed Transaction. There can be no assurance that a Definitive Agreement will be successfully negotiated or entered into or that all of the necessary approvals will be obtained or that all conditions of closing will be met.

Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, it is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer will be listed as a Tier 2 Technology issuer on the TSXV, with Xogen as its primary operating subsidiary.

Board of Directors and Management

The board of directors of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Proposed Transaction will consist of David Johnston, David Snowden, Monique Charbonneau and Al Abbas, all subject to the approval of such nominees by the TSXV, and such nominees will be duly nominated and proposed for consideration for election by the shareholders of the Company at a meeting of shareholders of the Company, and the Company shall solicit proxies in favour of the appointment of such nominees to the board of directors. Subject to TSXV approval, management of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Proposed Transaction will be comprised of nominees of Xogen to be confirmed in the Definitive Agreement.

Concurrent Financing

Prior to or concurrent with the closing of the Proposed Transaction, Xogen shall complete a private placement at a price per equity security to be determined in the context of the market by Xogen, acting reasonably, and conform to the minimum requirements as required by the TSXV for qualifying as a Qualifying Transaction and subsequent trading on the TSXV (the "Concurrent Financing") but in any event such Concurrent Financing will seek to raise aggregate gross proceeds in the minimum amount of $500,000. Further details regarding the Concurrent Financing will be provided by the Company in one or more subsequent news releases. There can be no assurance that a Concurrent Financing will be successfully completed.

Reinstatement to Trading

In accordance with the policies of the TSXV, the common shares of the Company are currently halted from trading and will remain so until such time as the TSXV determines, which, depending on the policies of the TSXV, may not occur until completion of the Proposed Transaction.

Filing Statement

In connection with the Proposed Transaction and pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, the Company will file a filing statement or a management information circular on its issuer profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), which will contain details regarding the Proposed Transaction, the Company, the Concurrent Financing, and the Resulting Issuer.

Sponsorship of Qualifying Transaction

Sponsorship of a qualifying transaction of a capital pool company is required by the TSXV unless exempt in accordance with TSXV policies. The Company intends to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements.

About the Company

The Company is a capital pool company and its common shares are listed for trading on the TSXV under the symbol "HEC.P". The Company has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. As at December 31, 2022, the Company had cash and near cash assets, net of liabilities, of approximately $309,001.

As of the date hereof, the Company has 12,606,500 common shares issued and outstanding and has issued convertible securities to acquire an aggregate of 706,880 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 per common share. At the time of closing of the Proposed Transaction, assuming the closing of the Concurrent Financing, it is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer will have approximately 37,606,500 common shares and 706,880 convertible securities outstanding.

Additional Information

The Company will provide further details in respect of the Proposed Transaction and Xogen, including any required financial information of Xogen, in due course by way of one or more press releases in accordance with the requirements of the CPC Policy.

Further Information

Further details about the Proposed Transaction and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in a comprehensive press release when the parties enter into a Definitive Agreement and in the disclosure document to be prepared and filed in respect of the Proposed Transaction. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the disclosure document to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction.

For further information, please contact:

Haviland Enviro Corp.

Albert Contardi

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director

Tel: (416) 361-2832

Xogen Technologies Inc.

Robert Reisig

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (403) 688-6980

Information concerning Xogen, including the proposed directors of the Resulting Issuer, has been provided to the Company by Xogen for inclusion in this press release.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange Requirements (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV), majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that management of the Company expect, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Proposed Transaction and certain terms and conditions thereof; the business of Xogen; the negotiation and completion of the Definitive Agreement; the terms and completion of the Concurrent Financing; the board of directors and management of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Proposed Transaction; the Exchange Ratio; TSXV sponsorship requirements and intended application for exemption therefrom; and regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: future demand for Xogen's products; the results of research and development activities; inability to raise the capital necessary to incur the expenditures required to commercialize Xogen's products; intellectual property protection; environmental regulations; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; and failure to obtain regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165540
PARIS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CrowdSec , the open-source and collaborative cybersecurity company, today announced the appointment of Courtney Austin, as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Andreas Passmann as its new Chief Sales Officer (CSO). Austin and Passmann will be responsible for driving growth and expansion for the company, as well as building its brand and increasing its community presence in the Americas, Europe and across Asia-Pacific.





With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, specifically in the cybersecurity industry, Courtney Austin brings a wealth of expertise to his new role as CMO of CrowdSec. Prior to joining CrowdSec, Austin was most recently the Senior Director, Global Marketing (APJ and EMEA) at Recorded Future , as well as Senior Director, International Marketing for LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Prior to those roles he held leadership positions at ThreatMetrix , RSA and Software AG .

"The adoption of open source cybersecurity has driven exceptional demand as CTI budgets have become increasingly constrained due to the global economic environment. CrowdSec is proud to support over 65,000 real users across 187 countries, flagging nearly 40 million malicious IPs, making the Internet a much safer place for all," commented Austin on his appointment.

Andreas Passmann has a proven track record of driving sales and revenue growth, with over 15 years of experience in the cybersecurity and the fintech industry. Before joining CrowdSec, Passmann was head of worldwide sales at SIS ID , and held various senior sales leadership roles in cybersecurity firms including TIBCO and Bertin IT , where he was responsible for developing and putting in place successful international sales strategies.

"We are thrilled to welcome both Courtney and Andreas to these new roles within the CrowdSec team," said Philippe Humeau, CrowdSec CEO. "Their extensive experience in marketing and sales, coupled with their passion for cybersecurity, make them the perfect candidates to drive growth and expansion for our company. We look forward to the impact they will have on our business."

The appointment of Austin and Passmann comes at an exciting time for CrowdSec, which has seen significant momentum in recent months. In October 2022, CrowdSec raised $14 million in Series A funding, allowing the company to accelerate its growth and expand its reach. More recently in March of 2023, CrowdSec was one of only 15 European startups selected by Google to join the Google for Startups Growth Academy: Cybersecurity, which will provide the company with mentorship, training, and resources to help scale its business.

CrowdSec will be sponsoring several major international cybersecurity conferences in the coming months, including InfoSec Europe in London, Les Assises on the French Riviera, Black Hat in Las Vegas and IT-SA in Nuremberg, where the company plans to showcase its innovative open-source solutions to the cybersecurity community.

About CrowdSec

CrowdSec is an open-source and collaborative cybersecurity company that provides real-time threat detection and response capabilities. Its unique approach to cybersecurity leverages the power of the community to protect against threats, making it an ideal solution for businesses of all sizes. For more information, please visit www.crowdsec.net.

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BANGALORE, India, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rehabilitation Equipment Market by Product Type (Mobility Aids, Daily Living Aids, Exercise Equipment, Body Support Devices), by Application (Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Others), by End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Rehabilitation centers, Homecare Settings): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Medical Devices & Equipment Category.





The global Rehabilitation Equipment Market Size was valued at USD 19,506.10 million in 2021 and is estimated to reach USD 41,293.28 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2022 to 2031.

Major Factor Driving The Growth Of Rehabilitation Equipment Market are

The frequency of chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and others has increased, which has resulted in a growth in the Rehabilitation Equipment Market.

Another important reason driving the expansion of the Rehabilitation Equipment Market is the rise in the number of elderly people with osteoarthritis.

The global rise in technical developments for rehabilitation equipment also contributes to the Rehabilitation Equipment Market growth.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF REHABILITATION EQUIPMENT MARKET

The Rehabilitation Equipment Market is likely to grow as physical disabilities become more prevalent. A mobility device helps persons with mobility impairments walk more easily or otherwise increases their mobility. A variety of walking aids can help people who have trouble walking, and wheelchairs or mobility scooters can be used for those who have more severe impairments or who need to travel farther than they normally would on foot. Walking is replaced with wheelchairs and mobility scooters, which offer a wheeled seat for the user. Both manually and electrically powered wheelchairs are available. Electricity powers both motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Globally, the senior population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The capacity to move and carry out physical chores declines with age, making it harder for the elderly to retain their independence. During the predicted period, there will probably be a rise in the share of elderly people using mobile devices. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Rehabilitation Equipment Market.

The growing prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is expected to drive the growth of the Rehabilitation Equipment Market. Disorders of the musculoskeletal system are frequent and have a broad impact. They are the major cause of the terrible, continuous physical disability and misery that millions of people throughout the world experience. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 20% to 30% of people worldwide are now dealing with a painful musculoskeletal condition. There is an increase in the need for equipment in musculoskeletal rehabilitation centers worldwide as a result of the increased number of patients who are admitted to these facilities.

The potential of wearable and robotic technology in rehabilitation equipment is enormous. Virtual rehabilitation is being used frequently as information technology develops quickly. Currently, a number of technologies are being combined to create extremely effective, new-generation rehabilitation devices. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Rehabilitation Equipment Market.

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REHABILITATION EQUIPMENT MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type, the mobility aids segment is expected to be the most lucrative.

Based on region, North America is expected to be the most lucrative region.

Based on the application, the hospitals and clinics segment is expected to be the most lucrative segment.

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Market By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

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Key players

GF Health Products, Inc

ReWalk Robotics Ltd.

Medical Depot, Inc.

Roma Medical

Hospital Equipment Mfg. Co.

Medline Industries

Baxter International Inc

Caremax Rehabilitation Equipment Co. Ltd

Invacare Corporation

Ekso Bionics

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SIMILAR REPORTS

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- Plasma Protein Therapeutics market size is estimated to be worth USD 28070 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 44730 million by 2029 with a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Global Recombinant Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market

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- The global audiology devices market size was valued at USD 7.2 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 13.1 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2022 to 2031.

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Essity

Originally published on Essity.com

Conducting Essity's business in a socially responsible way is part of our corporate DNA. We have a zero-tolerance approach to unethical business behavior and violations of human rights in the value chains where we exercise control.

Code of Conduct

Essity's Code of Conduct describes how employees should act, how the company operates, and our stakeholder's expectations of Essity and Essity's commitment to human rights, including children's rights. The Code is based on international standards, such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the ILO Core Conventions, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Global Compact Principles and related legislation.

All of Essity's wholly owned subsidiaries are bound by the Code of Conduct. We expect joint-venture companies to implement a Code of Conduct and guidelines equivalent to those stipulated in Essity's Code of Conduct.

To ensure that all employees comply with the Code of Conduct, it is included as a mandatory training course in all the company's onboarding programs. To address the risk of corruption, Essity has an anti-corruption program that includes due diligence programs for business partners, training programs for employees and risk analyses. For Essity employees who have frequent contact with external stakeholders, annual anti-corruption training is mandatory.

All our other business partners are expected to follow principles equivalent to those included in the company's Code of Conduct.

Essity has a Global Supplier Standard to ensure responsible business operations and respect for human rights across the company's supplier base. This standard contains requirements concerning quality, product safety, the environment and chemicals. It also contains a Code of Conduct for Suppliers that includes Essity's expectations as regards human rights and employee relations, health and safety and business ethics. Compliance with these principles is a key factor when choosing suppliers and other business partners.

Compliance and monitoring

Systematic activities, such as audits and other monitoring processes, take place to ensure compliance.

For Essity's own and wholly owned production facilities, compliance with the Code of Conduct is ensured through audits under SA8000 conducted by the Internal Audit unit. The preferred audit format is SMETA, the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange's (Sedex) social auditing methodology, which is the most widely used format in the world for social and ethical audits. Essity's own and wholly owned production facilities that have conducted self-assessments in Sedex are available to our customers who are part of Sedex. Customers conduct audits in accordance with SMETA at Essity's production facilities.

We apply a systematic approach to ensure that our suppliers globally operate in line with our Code of Conduct for Suppliers. Essity requires that the company's suppliers use Sedex to conduct a self-assessment linked to working conditions, environment, business ethics and health and safety. Audits at the suppliers' sites, in accordance with OECD guiding principles for Multinational Enterprises and UN Global Compact, are used to verify compliance and to identify and address potential social and ethical issues.

Reporting breaches

Essity encourages an open and honest culture in which all employees can report suspicions of violations of the Code of Conduct or legislation. Retaliation against individuals who submit reports in good faith will not be accepted. Essity offers its employees a number of internal channels to report violations. Essity's Code of Conduct includes a section on how the company's whistleblower system works. All employees have access to the whistleblower system, Essity's reporting hotline, which is managed by an external party. Our reporting hotline is available 24/7 by phone or online in more than 25 languages. Where permitted by law, breaches can be reported anonymously. Essity's Compliance & Ethics department receives all submitted reports from the whistleblower system and is responsible for ensuring that necessary action is taken. Reports are presented regularly to Essity's Compliance Council and to the Board of Directors. Read more about this on Essity.com.

Partnering for improved global health and well-being

Greater impact can be achieved by collaborating with organizations that share our ambition to improve global hygiene, health and equality. We engage in initiatives where we can best contribute and these must be politically and religiously independent, as set out in Essity's Community Relations Instruction. In 2022, Essity invested approximately SEK 37M in more than 400 projects. For example, during the year we had a close and action-oriented collaboration with UNHCR to support people in Ukraine.

We work with partners to gather and share knowledge and insights. Through our different perspectives, expertise and resources, the aim is to identify solutions to global societal challenges and to drive global change, for example by raising hygiene and health standards, thereby improving well-being for millions worldwide. With important partners such as the United Nations Foundation, we focus on sharing knowledge and raising awareness on what is needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our work in raising awareness of stigmas and breaking taboos related to hygiene and health are examples of how Essity can play an important role in society and participate in the global public debate around issues related to hygiene, health, and well-being.

For many years, Essity has been a strategic partner in the "Global Handwashing Partnership". We also support the "Hand hygiene for all" initiative together with the WHO and UNICEF in Mexico, the aim of which is to guarantee access to products and services for hand hygiene in countries and areas where knowledge of and access to good hygiene and handwashing solutions are limited. Through our partnership with UNICEF in Mexico, we are highlighting the rights of children and young people in relation to health, education and gender equality, with a focus on hand hygiene and menstruation.

As a means of contributing to the global dialogue on improving hygiene and health, driving societal progress and enabling solutions, we have - over the past 15 years - regularly published "The Hygiene and Health Report" in cooperation with the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF). The report contains new insights and relevant action and has been the base for engaging with stakeholders to drive urgently needed changes.

Read more about Essity's strategic priorities, earnings and leading sustainability work in the Annual and Sustainability Report 2022, which can be downloaded at www.essity.com.

To access the digital short version, please click here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Essity on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Essity

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SOURCE: Essity

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LONDON, May 10, 2023, Europe's biggest fresh sushi kiosk brand, is launching a limited-edition book titled, 'The Little Book of Sushi'.



This comes as new research reveals that over a third (39%) of people are hesitant to try new foods if they are unsure of what it is, and over one in 10 (11%) will pass on trying a new dish if they don't know what it looks like.

People are particularly unversed in Asian cuisines, especially Japanese delicacies like sushi. Food dishes such as Maki (48%), Nigiri (47%) and Temaki (43%) are dishes people avoid simply due to their lack of knowledge, alongside other popular foods from Vietnamese culture like Banh mi (47%) and Pho (37%).

There's also the fear of embarrassment when ordering, with almost one in 10 (8%) of people researching foods before heading out to get to grips with the cuisine and restaurant of choice beforehand. A quarter (23%) of people also reveal that to help them face their fears, having an easy guide to understanding the food is something that would make them try something new.

To help people feel less confused and hesitant when faced with new foods, Sushi Daily has produced a vibrant coffee table book, 'The Little Book of Sushi'. Through bright illustrations and easy to read descriptions of popular sushi products, it teaches people all they need to know about sushi when wining and dining their dates or eating with friends.

Talking about the research and 'The Little Book of Sushi', Romy Miller, Global Brand Director of Sushi Daily, said: "At Sushi Daily we are on a mission to make sushi accessible to everyone. This research shows that people often shy away from enjoying food that they love, in particular Asian food, because they don't know what it's called."

"We wrote 'The Little Book of Sushi', an educational and fun guide to help people feel at ease with Japanese cuisine."

'The Little Book of Sushi' launched as a limited-edition hard-copy book and a PDF version is available to download in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish for free via https://sushidaily.com/.
The prevalence of soft tissue sarcoma has been rising over the past few years, which prompts the growing demand for treatment options. The increasing prevalence of soft tissue sarcoma and the growing research and development activities to develop novel therapies to treat soft tissue sarcoma to drive the market. The companies developing the potential therapies in the last stage of development include Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Nanobiotix, and several others.

LAS VEGAS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's ' Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Insight - 2023 ' report provides comprehensive global coverage of available, marketed, and pipeline soft tissue sarcoma therapies in various stages of clinical development, major pharmaceutical companies are working to advance the pipeline space and future growth potential of the soft tissue sarcoma pipeline domain.





Key Takeaways from the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

DelveInsight's soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report depicts a robust space with 125+ active players working to develop 130+ pipeline therapies for soft tissue sarcoma treatment.

active players working to develop pipeline therapies for soft tissue sarcoma treatment. Key soft tissue sarcoma companies such as Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Gradalis, Epizyme, Chugai Pharma France, CytRx, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, KaryoPharm Therapeutics, Nanobiotix, Apexigen, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Aadi Bioscience, Inc., AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, VasGene Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Incyte Corporation, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Exelixis, Qbiotics, AstraZeneca, Loxo Oncology, ImmunityBio, Monopar Therapeutics, Chipscreen Biosciences, Ltd., Agenus, C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Noxopharm Limited, Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical ( Shanghai ) Co., Ltd., Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Guangdong Xiangxue Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Takara Bio Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lyell Immunopharma, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and others are evaluating new soft tissue sarcoma drugs to improve the treatment landscape.

and others are evaluating new soft tissue sarcoma drugs to improve the treatment landscape. Promising soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapies in various stages of development include AL-3818, Onfekafusp alfa, Vigil, Tazemetostat, Aldoxorubicin, TAS-116, Selinexor, NBTXR3, APX005M, GPX-150, LTX-315, Lenvatinib, Chiauranib, Zalifrelimab, INCB081776, LN-145-S1, ABI-009, Tivozanib, LOXO-101, sEphB4-HSA, Sitravatinib, Envafolimab, Camrelizumab, Tigilanol Tiglate, Durvalumab, Tremelimumab, CFT8634, NOX66, Liposomal Annamycin, 609A, YH001, TAEST16001, CPI-613+Hydroxychloroquine, TBI-1301, Lurbinectedin, LYL132, and others.

and others. In October 2022 , LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. announced that the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Agencia Espanola de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, AEMPS) had authorized a Phase 1b /randomized Phase 2 study of LB-100 , the Company's lead clinical compound, plus doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone, the global standard for initial treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcomas (ASTS).

, announced that the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Agencia Espanola de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, AEMPS) had authorized a Phase /randomized Phase 2 study of , the Company's lead clinical compound, plus doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone, the global standard for initial treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcomas (ASTS). In September 2022 , Immutep Limited was pleased to announce it has signed a Material Transfer Agreement ("Agreement") with the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland , to enable an investigator-initiated open-label Phase II clinical trial. The trial will evaluate Immutep's lead product candidate, efti in combination with pembrolizumab and radiotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting (prior to surgery) in up to 40 patients with select soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

, was pleased to announce it has signed a ("Agreement") with the in , to enable an investigator-initiated open-label Phase II clinical trial. The trial will evaluate Immutep's lead product candidate, efti in combination with pembrolizumab and radiotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting (prior to surgery) in up to 40 patients with select soft tissue sarcoma (STS). In September 2022 , TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track designation for the development of envafolimab (KN035) for patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) who have progressed on one or two prior lines of chemotherapy.

, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted for the development of (KN035) for patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) who have progressed on one or two prior lines of chemotherapy. In September 2022 , Avacta Group plc announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to the company's lead pre|CISION drug candidate, AVA6000 , for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.AVA6000 is a form of the generic chemotherapy doxorubicin that has been modified using the pre|CISION technology so that it is activated predominantly in the tumor with the aim of sparing healthy tissue from exposure and improving the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the drug.

, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted to the company's lead pre|CISION drug candidate, , for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.AVA6000 is a form of the generic chemotherapy doxorubicin that has been modified using the pre|CISION technology so that it is activated predominantly in the tumor with the aim of sparing healthy tissue from exposure and improving the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the drug. In May 2022 , Immix Biopharma, Inc. , announced positive interim study data showing that after one cycle of treatment, ImmixBio's lead candidate IMX-110 produced 75% survival vs. 0% survival for Trabectedin (sold as YONDELIS  by Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson Company, a U.S. FDA approved drug) in a connective tissue cancer Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) mice study. In this study, IMX-110 was compared against approved drugs used to treat STS. Trabectedin was dosed according to Meco et al., 2003 (trabectedin monotherapy treatment arm), and IMX-110 was administered at 2.0 mg/kg.

, , announced positive interim study data showing that after one cycle of treatment, ImmixBio's lead candidate produced 75% survival vs. 0% survival for Trabectedin (sold as YONDELIS  by Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson Company, a U.S. FDA approved drug) in a connective tissue cancer Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) mice study. In this study, IMX-110 was compared against approved drugs used to treat STS. Trabectedin was dosed according to Meco et al., 2003 (trabectedin monotherapy treatment arm), and IMX-110 was administered at 2.0 mg/kg. In April 2022 , Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly") under which Telix is granted exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize radiolabelled forms of Lilly's olaratumab antibody for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers. Telix's initial development focus will be on a rare type of cancer known as soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Request a sample and discover the recent advances in soft tissue sarcoma drug treatment @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

The soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report provides detailed profiles of pipeline assets, a comparative analysis of clinical and non-clinical stage soft tissue sarcoma drugs, inactive and dormant assets, a comprehensive assessment of driving and restraining factors, and an assessment of opportunities and risks in the soft tissue sarcoma clinical trial landscape.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Overview

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare neoplasms that can develop in supporting or connective tissue, such as muscle, nerves, tendons, blood vessels, and fatty and fibrous tissues. They commonly affect the arms, legs, and trunk. They can also be found in the stomach and intestines (GIST), behind the abdomen (retroperitoneal sarcomas), and in the female reproductive system (gynecological sarcomas). Soft tissue sarcomas are classified based on the cell type involved, the nature of the malignancy, and the clinical course of the disease.

The signs and soft tissue sarcoma symptoms differ greatly between patients depending on the type of soft tissue sarcoma. It is not associated with any obvious symptoms early in the course of the disease, but affected individuals may notice a slow-growing, painless mass in the affected area.

Find out more about drugs for soft tissue sarcoma @ New Soft Tissue Sarcoma Drugs

A snapshot of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Drugs mentioned in the report:

Drugs Company Phase MoA RoA AL3818 Advenchen Laboratories Phase III Fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists; Platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor antagonists; Proto oncogene protein c-kit inhibitors; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 antagonists; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 antagonists; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antagonists Oral L19 TNF Philogen Phase III Immunostimulants Intravenous NBTXR3 Nanobiotix Phase II/III Free radical stimulants Intratumor GPX-150 Monopar Therapeutics Phase II DNA intercalators; Type II DNA topoisomerase inhibitors Intravenous LTX-315 Lytix Biopharma Phase II Cell membrane structure modulators; Immunostimulants Intratumoural Lurbinectedin Jazz Pharmaceuticals Phase II Alkylating agents; DNA damage stimulants Intravenous FHD-609 Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Phase I Bromodomain and extraterminal domain protein inhibitors Intravenous

Learn more about the emerging soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapies @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Clinical Trials

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Therapeutics Assessment

The soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report proffers an integral view of soft tissue sarcoma emerging novel therapies segmented by stage, product type, molecule type, mechanism of action, and route of administration.

Scope of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

Coverage : Global

: Global Therapeutic Assessment By Product Type: Mono, Combination, Mono/Combination

Mono, Combination, Mono/Combination Therapeutic Assessment By Clinical Stages: Discovery, Pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III

Discovery, Pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III Therapeutics Assessment By Route of Administration: Infusion, Intra-arterial, Intradermal, Intralesional, Intratumoral, Intravenous, Oral, Parenteral, Subcutaneous

Infusion, Intra-arterial, Intradermal, Intralesional, Intratumoral, Intravenous, Oral, Parenteral, Subcutaneous Therapeutics Assessment By Molecule Type : Antibody, Antibody-drug conjugate, Cell therapy, Gene therapy, Immunotherapy, Nanoparticle, Peptide, Recombinant fusion protein, Small molecule

: Antibody, Antibody-drug conjugate, Cell therapy, Gene therapy, Immunotherapy, Nanoparticle, Peptide, Recombinant fusion protein, Small molecule Therapeutics Assessment By Mechanism of Action: Fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor antagonists, Proto oncogene protein c-kit inhibitors, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antagonists, Immunostimulants, Free radical stimulants, DNA intercalators, Type II DNA topoisomerase inhibitors, Cell membrane structure modulators, Antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, Programmed cell death-1 receptor antagonists, T lymphocyte stimulants, Type 1 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 3 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 4 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type-2 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitors, Lymphocyte specific protein tyrosine kinase p56(lck) inhibitors; Lyn protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Src-Family kinase inhibitors

Fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor antagonists, Proto oncogene protein c-kit inhibitors, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antagonists, Immunostimulants, Free radical stimulants, DNA intercalators, Type II DNA topoisomerase inhibitors, Cell membrane structure modulators, Antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, Programmed cell death-1 receptor antagonists, T lymphocyte stimulants, Type 1 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 3 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 4 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type-2 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitors, Lymphocyte specific protein tyrosine kinase p56(lck) inhibitors; Lyn protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Src-Family kinase inhibitors Key Soft Tissue Sarcoma Companies : Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Gradalis, Epizyme, Chugai Pharma France, CytRx, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, KaryoPharm Therapeutics, Nanobiotix, Apexigen, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Aadi Bioscience, Inc., AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, VasGene Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Incyte Corporation, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Exelixis, Qbiotics, AstraZeneca, Loxo Oncology, ImmunityBio, Monopar Therapeutics, Chipscreen Biosciences, Ltd., Agenus, C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Noxopharm Limited, Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical ( Shanghai ) Co., Ltd., Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Guangdong Xiangxue Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Takara Bio Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lyell Immunopharma, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and others.

: Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Gradalis, Epizyme, Chugai Pharma France, CytRx, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, KaryoPharm Therapeutics, Nanobiotix, Apexigen, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Aadi Bioscience, Inc., AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, VasGene Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Incyte Corporation, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Exelixis, Qbiotics, AstraZeneca, Loxo Oncology, ImmunityBio, Monopar Therapeutics, Chipscreen Biosciences, Ltd., Agenus, C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Noxopharm Limited, Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical ( ) Co., Ltd., Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Guangdong Xiangxue Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Takara Bio Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lyell Immunopharma, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and others. Key Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Therapies: AL-3818, Onfekafusp alfa, Vigil, Tazemetostat, Aldoxorubicin, TAS-116, Selinexor, NBTXR3, APX005M, GPX-150, LTX-315, Lenvatinib, Chiauranib, Zalifrelimab, INCB081776, LN-145-S1, ABI-009, Tivozanib, LOXO-101, sEphB4-HSA, Sitravatinib, Envafolimab, Camrelizumab, Tigilanol Tiglate, Durvalumab, Tremelimumab, CFT8634, NOX66, Liposomal Annamycin, 609A, YH001, TAEST16001, CPI-613+Hydroxychloroquine, TBI-1301, Lurbinectedin, LYL132, and others.

Dive deep into rich insights for new drugs for soft tissue sarcoma treatment; visit @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Medications

Table of Contents

1. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report Introduction 2. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report Executive Summary 3. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Overview 4. Analytical Perspective In-depth Commercial Assessment 5. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Clinical Trial Therapeutics 6. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Late Stage Products (Pre-registration) 7. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Late Stage Products (Phase III) 7.1. AL3818: Advenchen Laboratories 8. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Mid Stage Products (Phase II) 8.1. LTX-315: Lytix Biopharma 9. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Early Stage Products (Phase I) 9.1. FHD-609: Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. 10. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Therapeutics Assessment 11. Inactive Products in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline 12. Company-University Collaborations (Licensing/Partnering) Analysis 13. Key Companies 14. Key Products in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline 15. Unmet Needs 16. Market Drivers and Barriers 17. Future Perspectives and Conclusion 18. Analyst Views 19. Appendix

For further information on the soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapeutics, reach out @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Drug Treatment

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CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The use and integration of technology by law enforcement agencies into their daily operations with a focus on enhancing productivity, teamwork, and public safety is expected to drive the growth of the law enforcement software market.





The global Law Enforcement Software Market size is expected to grow from USD 16.4 billion in 2023 to USD 25.6 billion by 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.3% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Increased rates and the changing nature of crime are major drivers for the rise in the need for innovative law enforcement solutions and services. Governments worldwide constantly focus on reforming laws, regulations, and policies to fight against crime and enhance public security. Law enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Law Enforcement Software Market"

223 - Tables

52 - Figures

250 - Pages

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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/Billion) Segments Covered Component, Solutions, Services, Deployment Type, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America Companies Covered Some of the major Law Enforcement Software Market vendors are IBM Corporation (US), Accenture Plc (Ireland), Motorola Solutions Inc (US), Axon Enterprise Inc (Australia), NICE Ltd (Israel), Esri (US), Nuance Communication (US), Palantir Technologies Inc (US), Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure (US), and Genetec (Canada).

Law enforcement agencies and public safety organizations must be prepared to handle the problems of updated legislation as laws and regulations frequently change or are improved. Law enforcement software solutions enable these agencies to meet these challenges. These software solutions facilitate incident response and information management while enhancing public safety.

By solutions, the computer-sided dispatch segment to capture the highest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market, by solutions, includes computer-aided dispatch (CAD), case management, incident response, record management, jail management, and digital policing. Based on solutions, the CAD segment is estimated to account for the highest market share. An essential component of the operations of public safety agencies has been the usability of a reliable CAD system. As CAD system software evolves, it becomes capable of significantly more capability than just basic record-keeping. Law enforcement uses CAD in conjunction with records management systems, portable data terminals, and outside programs to give first responders and 911 dispatchers the most modern tools possible to assist their communities. Also, CAD enables dispatch centers to thoroughly examine the circumstance and status of units sent out. Law enforcement software providers have upgraded their CAD system to merge it with GPS Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and contemporary wireless communications to provide proactive support to patrol personnel, crime analysts, police supervisors, and administrators.

Based on services, the implementation segment is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market, by services, is segmented into implementation, training and support, and consulting services. As per service, the implementation segment is estimated to account for the largest market share based on services. By using implementation services, agencies can avoid the difficulties of adopting and integrating technological solutions for law enforcement. They make it possible for law enforcement organizations and agencies to use more modern technologies to secure and safeguard society. The procedure entails assessing the agencies' demands, comprehending the current systems' operational functionalities, and incorporating value-added features in line with the necessary specifications. IBM Corporation, Nuance Communication, NEC Corporation, and Accenture Plc are some of the key vendors offering implementation services in the Law Enforcement Software Market. Implementation services eliminate information silos that have been around for a long time in law enforcement by combining data from many sources and diverse platforms. Implementation services are easily adaptable, offer the greatest assistance, and can be completely customized. These services are crucial for lowering risks, simplifying processes, and increasing investment returns.

North America is projected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market has been segmented by region into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. As per region, North America is estimated to account for the largest market share in the global Law Enforcement Software Market in 2023, and this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. When it comes to smart technology applications North America has always been at the forefront. Since the economies of North America are strong and established, organizations can invest in R&D and significantly contribute to the development of new technologies. Numerous law enforcement and governmental organizations are attempting to enhance security infrastructure in the US and Canada. For instance, the Canadian government established the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Center to monitor cybersecurity issues and propose solutions. As terrorist organizations increasingly use the internet to support their fundraising and publicity activities, the Canadian government is launching outreach and public awareness initiatives to inform people about the possible dangers of cyberspace. To combat terrorism and violent extremism, the US and Canadian governments frequently work with law enforcement agencies. In addition, different industry players in the region are boosting their investments in cloud-based law enforcement solutions. The prominent law enforcement software vendors in the region include IBM, Motorola Solutions, and Axon. These vendors are investing heavily in the adoption of cloud-based law enforcement solutions.

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Law Enforcement Software Market Dynamics

Driver:

Increasing modern technology integration in law enforcement software

Rising instances of criminal activities and breaches

Increasing focus on community-oriented policing

Increasing investment in public safety measures for smart cities

Rising adoption of cloud-based solutions for law enforcement

Restraint:

Lack of skilled professionals

Government compliances and regulations

Opportunities:

Increase in ransomware attacks to boost market.

Integration of AI and ML technologies

Incorporation of big data analytics in public safety

Challenges:

Integration of logical and physical components of security systems

Lack of efficient storage and data management capacities

Top Key Companies in Law Enforcement Software Market:

Some of the major Law Enforcement Software vendors are IBM Corporation (US), Accenture Plc (Ireland), Motorola Solutions Inc (US), Axon Enterprise Inc (Australia), NICE Ltd (Israel), Esri (US), Nuance Communication (US), Palantir Technologies Inc (US), Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure (US), and Genetec (Canada).

Recent developments:

In March 2023 , Motorola Solutions unveiled the new Avigilon Security Suite, which offers secure, scalable, and adaptable video security and access management to enterprises of all sizes worldwide. The Avigilon security suite comprises the on-premises Avigilon Unity and cloud-native Avigilon Alta systems.

, Motorola Solutions unveiled the new Avigilon Security Suite, which offers secure, scalable, and adaptable video security and access management to enterprises of all sizes worldwide. The Avigilon security suite comprises the on-premises Avigilon Unity and cloud-native Avigilon Alta systems. In November 2022 , Oracle launched a new technology platform for law enforcement and first responders. The platform offers software and unified hardware suite for removing data silos, empower first responders with real-time information to eliminate busy manual work which in turn can help in taking more objective decisions. The suite includes a dispatch command center, law enforcement records, jail management software, body-worn devices, and real-time video communication tools.

, Oracle launched a new technology platform for law enforcement and first responders. The platform offers software and unified hardware suite for removing data silos, empower first responders with real-time information to eliminate busy manual work which in turn can help in taking more objective decisions. The suite includes a dispatch command center, law enforcement records, jail management software, body-worn devices, and real-time video communication tools. In August 2021 , the decision-making system, Genetec Mission Control, released a new version. Tracking important data during active issues, creating robust automation, and auditing occurrences are all simplified in version 3.0.2. Moreover, it enhances Mission Control's maintenance capabilities, lowering security risks and the need for administrative participation in routine activities.

Law Enforcement Software Market Advantages

Many functions that can be automated by law enforcement software, such as scheduling, dispatching, and record keeping, can be done so while also saving time and improving productivity.

In order to better coordination and collaboration, police enforcement organisations, departments, and people can communicate more easily thanks to software.

Law enforcement software can store and handle enormous volumes of data, including case files, incident reports, and criminal histories, which can enhance the accuracy and completeness of the data.

Law enforcement employees can receive real-time data from law enforcement software, enabling them to react to emergencies and other occurrences more swiftly and effectively improving public safety.

By automating processes and increasing productivity, law enforcement software can contribute to cost savings over time.

Report Objectives

To determine and forecast the global Law Enforcement Software Market based on components, solutions, services, deployment types, and regions from 2023 to 2028 and analyze various macro and microeconomic factors affecting the market growth.

To forecast the market size of five main regions: North America , Europe , Asia Pacific , Middle East & Africa , and Latin America

, , , & , and To analyze subsegments concerning individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the total market.

To provide detailed information about the major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) influencing the market's growth.

To provide recession impact on the adoption of law enforcement software adoption.

To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape of the major players.

To comprehensively analyze the core competencies of the key players in the market.

To track and analyze competitive developments, such as product/solution launches and enhancements, business expansions, acquisitions, partnerships, and contracts and collaborations, in the market.

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Muck Rack, the public relations management (PRM) platform, today announced its partnership with the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) on Little Black Book Friends Beach (LBB Friends Beach) at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (Cannes Lions). A Cannes Lions fixture since 2009, LBB Friends Beach brings together people from all over the global ad and PR industry for networking and features a bar and lounge space.

Muck Rack, along with ICCO, will offer content and commentary over the course of the week. Muck Rack will also be hosting meetings on the beach with guests and partners.

"Cannes Lions is the global stage for the PR industry to celebrate their best work and build essential relationships," said Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack. "Partnering with ICCO for the second year at Little Black Book Friends Beach will help our mission of supporting the industry's senior leaders."

"Cannes continues to be an essential opportunity for agencies to showcase and celebrate excellent creative PR work. This exciting partnership with Muck Rack offers our members from around the world the opportunity to network, learn, be inspired, and raise visibility," said Rob Morbin, Deputy Chief Executive at ICCO. "The prime location at Little Black Book Friends Beach will see us sit alongside the best and brightest creatives across various communications disciplines. We look forward to seeing you on Croisette."

LBB Friends Beach is located at Plage Croisette Beach between Rado Beach Helen and Miramar Plage and will be open from June 20 to June 23 from 10:30am to 18:00pm CEST. ICCO's welcome party for PR professionals will take place on June 19 at 18:00pm CEST. Muck Rack is also an official media supporter of Cannes Lions. Access to the LLB Friends Beach is by invitation only.

About Muck Rack

Muck Rack's Public Relations Management (PRM) platform enables thousands of organizations including Google, International Rescue Committee, Pfizer, Golin, Zapier and Duolingo to build trust, tell their stories and prove the value of earned media through its media database and monitoring and reporting features. Journalists use Muck Rack's free tools to showcase their portfolios, analyze news about any topic and measure the impact of their stories. Learn more at muckrack.com.

About ICCO

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. ICCO membership comprises 40 associations representing 82 countries across the globe. Collectively, these associations represent over 3,000 PR firms. ICCO provides a forum for the senior management of the world's top PR firms to meet and address issues of mutual interest and concern. Members share insights and knowledge, working together to raise professional and ethical standards, champion the value of PR in business, and prepare the industry for future technologies, skill requirements and business models. ICCO connects businesses seeking partnerships in different parts of the world, utilising the extensive network of consultancies to support international business growth.

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MEDIA

Bailey Self

Communications Manager

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Regulatory News:

Press Release Paris, 10 May 2023

Pernod Ricard's (Paris:RI) venture capital fund, Convivialite Ventures, has taken a minority share in ecoSPIRITS, a circular economy technology startup focusing on low carbon, low waste distribution systems for the premium wine and spirits industry.

Pernod Ricard joined a $10 million Series A funding of ecoSPIRITS, along with New York-based circular economy investment fund, Closed Loop Partners and leading Asian and global investors, including food sector private equity investor, Proterra Asia, Singapore-based growth stage investor Pavilion Capital, and ecoSPIRITS' existing investor, Wavemaker Partners

ecoSPIRITS'closed-loop distribution system provides a powerful cost advantage and drastically reduces waste and carbon emissions by avoiding the production and transportation of glass bottles and other secondary packaging.

In March 2022 Pernod Ricard was one of the first global drinks companies to partner with ecoSPIRITS for the distribution of some of its premium brands in Hong Kong and Singapore. Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin, and Havana Club rum are transported in bulk and delivered to hospitality venues on a fully reusable 4.5-liter glass container, thus reducing waste and carbon emissions resulting from the production and transportation of bottles and other secondary packaging.

The new funding will be used to strengthen ecoSPIRITS' leadership position and accelerate its research and development program. It will help the company scale up its hardware, software and Internet-of-Things (IoT) research and development program, expand operations in key markets worldwide, including the United States, and grow its regional customer and engineering teams in Miami, London, Singapore and Shanghai. The investment comes as Pernod Ricard is in the process of expanding its partnership with ecoSPIRITS to markets outside of Asia.

Stephane Longuet, co-Founder and Managing Director of Convivialite Venturesdeclared: "We are very pleased to participate in this investment which will help develop a company offering such an innovative solution to our industry, by drastically reducing waste and carbon emissions. ecoSPIRITS' approach is perfectly in line with our Group's objectives to reduce its carbon emissions and we are looking forward to using it on a large scale around the world."

Sui Ling Cheah, ecoSPIRITS Executive Board Chairman, said:"We are thrilled with the successful close of our Series A round, which not only validates ecoSPIRITS' impressive progress in building a comprehensive technology platform, but also marks a significant milestone in our journey to global scale. We are equally honoured to welcome leading investors to our journey such as Closed Loop Partners, Proterra Asia, Pavilion Capital and Convivialite Ventures. The future gets brighter when more resources are invested in circular economy innovation."

About Convivialite Ventures

Convivialite Ventures is the venture arm of Pernod Ricard. Convivialite Ventures invests in innovative and inspiring companies beyond Pernod Ricard's traditional wine and spirits offerings in meaningful, sustainable and responsible ways. Our mission is to cultivate radically different products and services that will enhance and change the way people come together, socialize and entertain in the future. Convivialite Ventures operates globally with investments and teams in the US, Europe, Latam, China and India. The portfolio of more than 45 companies includes companies like Fever, Fetch, Avantstay, Summer Farm, Dunzo, Liquid Death, and Outdoorsy.

About ecoSPIRITS

Founded in 2018, ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world's first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for the premium spirits industry. Leveraging business as a force for good, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. The ecoSPIRITS patent-pending, closed-loop technology is active in 25 countries worldwide, including many of the world's largest consumer markets. the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 15 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 1,500 leading bars, restaurants and hotels have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World's 50 Best and Asia's 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. The ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program is a global coalition of hundreds of brands, distributors, wholesalers and hospitality operators committed to reducing the environmental impact of their operations. ecoSPIRITS serves its customer base from offices in Singapore, Shanghai, London and Miami.

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales amounting to 10,701 million in fiscal year FY22. The Group, which owns 17 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive portfolios in the industry with over 240 premium brands distributed across more than 160 markets. Pernod Ricard's portfolio includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur or Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes. The Group's mission is to unlock the magic of human connections by bringing "Good Times from a Good Place", in line with its Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap. Pernod Ricard's decentralized organization empowers its 19,480 employees to be on-the-ground ambassadors of its purposeful and inclusive culture of conviviality, bringing people together in meaningful, sustainable and responsible ways to create value over the long term. Executing its strategic plan, Transform Accelerate, Pernod Ricard now relies on its "Conviviality Platform", a new growth model based on data and artificial intelligence to meet the ever-changing demand of consumers.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code:FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

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Contacts:

Convivialite Ventures Contacts

Media

Anne Charpignon, Communications Manager anne.charpignon@pernod-ricard.com

To learn more, please visit www.convivialite-ventures.com

Eco SPIRITS Contacts

media@ecospirits.global

Pernod Ricard Contacts

Investor relations

Florence Tresarrieu Global SVP Investors Relations and Treasury

+33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03

Edward Mayle Investor Relations Director

+33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13

Charly Montet Investor Relations Manager

+33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13

Media

Emmanuel Vouin Head of External Engagement

+33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34
Greenland Resources Inc. (NEO:MOLY, FSE:M0LY) ("Greenland Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that on the twenty year anniversary of Molymet Belgium and in the presence of Belgium Prime Minister Mr. Alexander De Croo and Mr. John Graell, CEO Molymet, the Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with binding terms ("MOU/Terms") for long term sales and toll conversion of molybdenum concentrate with Molibdenos y Metales S.A ("Molymet"). Molymet is an international investment grade rated company with the world's largest molybdenum processing capacity and sales with production facilities in Germany, Belgium, Mexico and Chile and sales offices in nine different countries. A communique from Molymet Belgium can also be found on: https://www.molymetbelgium.be/nieuws/molymet-viert-twintigste-verjaardag-in-belgi%C3%AB-en-breidt-uit-nieuwe-fabriek-effent-het-pad-voor-verdere-groei

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The MOU Terms set the path for the sales and tolling conversion of a significant part of the long-term production of the Malmbjerg Molybdenum Project concentrate, and contains both binding and non-binding clauses as well as detailed pro-forma terms and conditions. This MOU Terms will give the Company the option to both sell its molybdenite concentrate to Molymet, and also to toll process only, and sell secondary products like ferromolybdenum, molybdenum oxide and ammonium dimolybdate directly to various steel and chemical companies. The Company has seen strong interest from large EU investment grade metallurgical steel and chemical companies to source molybdenum from Greenland, and has already signed documentation with many of them. As an example, see the Company's January 19, 2023 press release https://greenlandresources.ca/data/news/PR-23-04-Greenland-Resources-Jan-19-2023.pdf

The Company thanks Molymet, the Prime Minister and EIT RawMaterials ERMA who was also was represented at the event. The event had coverage in various national newspapers and photos can be found in Greenland Resources website gallery.

About Molymet

Molymet is an international Chilean headquartered company with the largest molybdenum and rhenium processing capacity in the world. Having production facilities and sales offices in nine different countries allows Molymet to offer services and products on every continent. The company adheres to high environmental standards, supported by its environmental management system with ISO 14001, 45001 and 9001 certifications.

About Greenland Resources Inc.

Greenland Resources is a Canadian public company with the Ontario Securities Commission as its principal regulator and is focused on the development of its 100% owned world-class Climax type pure molybdenum deposit located in central east Greenland. The Malmbjerg molybdenum project is an open pit operation with an environmentally friendly mine design focused on reduced water usage, low aquatic disturbance and low footprint due to modularized infrastructure. The Malmbjerg project benefits from a NI 43-101 Definitive Feasibility Study completed by Tetra Tech in 2022, with Proven and Probable Reserves of 245 million tonnes at 0.176% MoS2, for 571 million pounds of contained molybdenum metal. As the high-grade molybdenum is mined for the first half of the mine life, the average annual production for years one to ten is 32.8 million pounds per year of contained molybdenum metal at an average grade of 0.23% MoS2. The project had a previous exploitation license granted in 2009. With offices in Toronto, the Company is led by a management team with an extensive track record in the mining industry and capital markets. For further details, please refer to our web site (www.greenlandresources.ca) and our Canadian regulatory filings on Greenland Resources' profile at www.sedar.com.

The Project is supported by the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) as stated in their press release EIT/ERMA_June 13, 2022 Press Release, a Knowledge and Innovation Community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

About Molybdenum and the European Union

Molybdenum is a critical metal used mainly in steel and chemicals that is needed in all technologies in the upcoming green energy transition (World Bank, 2020; IEA, 2021). When added to steel and cast iron, it enhances strength, hardenability, weldability, toughness, temperature strength, and corrosion resistance. Based on data from the International Molybdenum Association and the European Commission Steel Report, the world produced around 576 million pounds of molybdenum in 2021 where the European Union ("EU") as the second largest steel producer in the world used approximately 25% of global molybdenum supply and has no domestic molybdenum production. To a greater degree, the EU steel dependent industries like the automotive, construction, and engineering, represent around 18% of the EU's US$16 trillion GDP. Greenland Resources strategically located Malmbjerg molybdenum project has the potential to supply in and for the EU approximately 24 million pounds per year, of environmentally friendly molybdenum from a responsible EU Associate country, for decades to come. The high quality of the Malmbjerg ore, having low impurity content in phosphorus, tin, antimony, and arsenic, makes it an ideal source of molybdenum for the high-performance steel industry lead worldwide by Europe, specifically the Scandinavian countries and Germany.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward looking statements"), which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "hopes", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information in this news release relate to, among other things:: the ability to negotiate with Molymet and enter into a definitive agreement for long term sales and or toll conversion of molybdenum concentrate on terms and conditions that are economic or at all; the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, and their valuation, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions.

These forward-looking statements and information reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include: our mineral reserve estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based, including geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of rock confirming to sampled results and metallurgical performance; tonnage of ore to be mined and processed; ore grades and recoveries; assumptions and discount rates being appropriately applied to the technical studies; estimated valuation and probability of success of the Company's projects, including the Malmbjerg molybdenum project; prices for molybdenum remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; availability of funds for the Company's projects; capital decommissioning and reclamation estimates; mineral reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); no labour-related disruptions; no unplanned delays or interruptions in scheduled construction and production; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals are received in a timely manner; and the ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements and information include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the projected and actual effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the factors relevant to the business of the Corporation, including the effect on supply chains, labour market, currency and commodity prices and global and Canadian capital markets, fluctuations in molybdenum and commodity prices; fluctuations in prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar versus the Euro); operational risks and hazards inherent with the business of mining (including environmental accidents and hazards, industrial accidents, equipment breakdown, unusual or unexpected geological or structure formations, cave-ins, flooding and severe weather); inadequate insurance, or the inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; our ability to obtain all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in a timely manner; changes in laws, regulations and government practices in Greenland, including environmental, export and import laws and regulations; legal restrictions relating to mining; risks relating to expropriation; increased competition in the mining industry for equipment and qualified personnel; the availability of additional capital; the ability to source and negotiate supply and offtake agreements with qualified counterparties on terms that are economic or at all; title matters and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Investors are cautioned against undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable securities regulations, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking information. Neither the NEO Exchange Inc. nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005752/en/

Contacts:

Ruben Shiffman, PhD, Chairman, President

Keith Minty, P.Eng, MBA, Engineering and Project Management

Jim Steel, P.Geo, MBA, Exploration and Mining Geology

Nauja Bianco, M.Pol.Sci., Public and Community Relations

Gary Anstey, Investor Relations

Eric Grossman, CPA, CGA, Chief Financial Officer

Corporate office: Suite 1410, 181 University Av. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 3M7

Telephone: +1 647 273 9913

Email: info@greenlandresourcesinc.com

Web: www.greenlandresources.ca
Regulatory News:

ESI Group (FR0004110310 ESI) (Paris:ESI), leader and pioneer in Virtual Prototyping solutions, hereby releases the total number of shares making up the company's capital and the total number of voting rights on April 30th, 2023, in accordance with articles 223-16 and 221-3 of the General Regulations of the "Autorite des Marches Financiers".

Number of shares Number of theoretical voting

rights * Number of voting rights ** 6,080,157 8,049,178 7,661,495

* The number of theoretical voting rights is calculated based on all shares eligible for voting right (single or double), including shares temporarily deprived of voting rights (treasury shares).

** All Group shares have equal right to vote, except treasury shares, which are deprived of the right to vote, and registered shares held for more than four years that are eligible for double voting rights.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005470/en/

Contacts:

ESI Group
Beter Bed Holding N.V. (BBH) - the Netherlands' largest sleep specialist in retail, wholesale and B2B - held its 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) today. BBH is pleased to announce that all resolutions were adopted. The AGM presentation as well as the voting results will be published on www.beterbedholding.com.

Dividend

Today, the AGM declared a dividend of  0.15 per share for the 2022 financial year. The dividend will be distributed fully in cash. The following schedule will apply to the payment of the dividend:

12 May 2023: listing ex-dividend

15 May 2023: record date

From 22 May 2023: payment of dividend

Supervisory Board composition

At the AGM Mr B.E. Karis and Mr A. Beyens were reappointed as Supervisory Board Member for a term of four years, ending at the end of the first Annual General Meeting held after four years have elapsed since their reappointment.

About Beter Bed Holding

Beter Bed Holding (BBH) is the Netherlands' leading sleep specialist in retail, wholesale and B2B.

Our mission is simple. We believe that the better we sleep, the happier, healthier and more productive we are. And we won't rest until everyone gets the high-quality sleep they deserve.

Listed on Euronext Amsterdam, BBH operates the successful retail brands Beter Bed, Beddenreus, the new subscription brand Leazzzy and the digital organisation LUNEXT. In addition, through its subsidiary DBC International, BBH has a wholesale business in branded products in the bedroom furnishings sector, which includes the well-known international brands M line and Simmons.

With 4 distribution centres, a fleet of 80 vehicles, 131 stores, a fast-growing online presence, and a wholesale company our team of over 1,000 dedicated employees generated  229.4 million revenue in 2022.

Providing expert sleep advice is at the very heart of our strategy, and thanks to our revolutionary 'Beter Slapen ID' tool, our sleep consultants help customers to get the perfect night's sleep. BBH is proud that M line is the official sleep supplier of AFC Ajax, TeamNL, Jumbo-Visma, NOC*NSF and the KNVB.

For more information

Press enquiries: Uneke Dekkers / CFF Communications

T +31

For the PDF of the press release, please click on the link under attachment.

Press photos can be downloaded here.

Attachment
Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

Regulatory News:

Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE):

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 May 9, 2023 (1) 715,383,875 Total number of theoretical voting rights (2): 732,955,440 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (3): 720,505,672

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) On May 9, 2023, Veolia Environnement's share capital was increased as a result of the vesting of the performance shares granted under the 2020 performance share plan, thereby increasing its share capital from 3,572,871,835 to 3,576,919,375

(2) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of May 9, 2023 (17,571,565 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of May 9, 2023 (12,449,768 shares).

(3) 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 May 9, 2023).

Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France

Adresse postale/Correspondence address: 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France

tel.: +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45

www.veolia.com



A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 3,576,919,375

403 210 032 RCS PARIS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005823/en/

Contacts:

Veolia Environnement
Caliber was recognized as a leading company setting a new standard for what it means to have a great company culture.

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Caliber Corporate Advisers , one of the leading marketing and communications agencies for fintech and financial services, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list .

This prominent list, featured in the May/June 2023 issue, is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility.

"The reason I started Caliber was to build a company committed to providing a meaningful experience for our employees and client partners," said Harvey Hudes , founder and CEO. "When you hire amazing people who align with your culture and your values, you can achieve great things. We're very proud of the culture we've built, and the ranking on Inc.'s Best Workplace list is one of my proudest moments as it speaks to the fact that our team members believe in our culture as well."

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 591 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking.

"Being named to Best Workplaces is an honor that only a small fraction of companies have been able to claim," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk . "Proving to the world that you're a magnet for talent and have a culture that keeps teams engaged, productive, and proud to come to work is a truly remarkable achievement."

Caliber, which provides strategy and execution in messaging, PR, content, social media, and digital advertising, was recently recognized by the Financial Times as one of Americas' Fastest Growing Companies in 2023 and as one of the Top Financial PR Firms for 2023 by O'Dwyer's earlier this year. In 2022, the agency was recognized as a Crain's top 50 fastest-growing companies in NYC.

About Caliber

Caliber drives innovation in financial services and fintech, insurance and insurtech, real estate and proptech, and related professional services by being a marketing and communications "go-to" trusted partner. We provide best-in-class strategy and execution in messaging, PR, content, social media, and digital advertising. We take pride in bringing a fresh perspective and acting as an extension of your team. With team members across the U.S. and Europe, we serve a global client base. Visit www.calibercorporate.com to learn more.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

Media Contact:

Ryan Hall, Director

Caliber Corporate Advisers

ryan@calibercorporateadvisers.com

SOURCE: Caliber Corporate Advisers



View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/754025/Caliber-Corporate-Advisers-Ranked-As-One-of-Inc-Magazines-Best-Workplaces-for-2023
First new product tailored for small to medium businesses ahead of wider international roll out

LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced that the company's Chubb Climate+ global business unit has launched an innovative packaged insurance solution in the UK that will support the growth of alternative and renewable energy projects, principally onshore wind and ground-mounted photovoltaic solar. The product, Climate+ Renewables, is designed for small to medium renewables projects and will be rolled out in other countries.





Climate+ Renewables, the first new climate tech insurance solution from Chubb Climate+, provides continuity of insurance across the construction and operational phases of alternative and renewable energy projects. Small to medium renewables projects, up to 50 million in contract value, will benefit from tailored, seamless protection. Climate+ Renewables is available in the UK through Chubb's etrade facility, Ignite, offering a rapid quote and bind process, with instant documentation.

"We are delighted to launch Climate+ Renewables in the UK, where we see enormous potential for our product in this hugely exciting and dynamic sector," said Matt Hardy, Leader of Chubb Climate+ for the company's general insurance operations in 51 countries and territories outside the U.S., Canada and Bermuda. "Chubb Climate+ was created to harness our underwriting and risk engineering capabilities on behalf of companies developing or employing new technologies and processes that support the transition to a low-carbon economy. We look forward to bringing this new solution to companies in additional markets across Europe and beyond."

Jared Concannon, Head of Climate Tech for Chubb Overseas General, said: "In the UK, a record amount of energy was generated from renewable sources in 2022 with 41% of all energy coming from wind, solar, biomass and hydro. Our new Climate+ Renewables product means Chubb is perfectly placed to support clients in the growing UK renewables market, offering a specifically designed insurance programme that keeps pace with the development of their projects."

The innovative insurance product offers a broad scope of insurance coverages across both the construction and operational phases of projects, including: erection all risk, delay in startup, marine cargo, marine delay in start up, material damage, public and products liability, employer's liability and environmental protection.

As a Chubb ClimateTech Industry Practice product, Climate+ Renewables is powered by a service-led model that uses expert insights and specialist underwriters to support clients with tailored coverage, backed by Chubb's renowned claims management and risk engineering capabilities.

Drawing on Chubb's extensive technical capabilities in underwriting and risk engineering, Chubb Climate+ is enabling climate change progress around the world, both at an industry level and in local communities. Chubb Climate+ brings together business units engaged in traditional, alternative and renewable energy, Climate Tech, Agribusiness and Risk Engineering services.

You can learn more about Chubb Climate+ at http://www.chubb.com/climate

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 34,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Enbridge

Dedicated, ADA-accessible fishing pier on Lake Lomond to ensure No Child Left Inside

On bright summer mornings, kids hop on their bikes, fishing poles in tow, and ride to Lake Lomond at the center of Bagley in northwestern Minnesota.

They're excited to spend time on the water, anticipating the joy of reeling in colorful catches the lake is known for-black bullhead, bluegill, green sunfish and yellow perch.

But after attempts at shore fishing, the kids largely leave disappointed, with nothing to show for their efforts.

"Kids love to fish, but they're frustrated they can't get their lines out far enough when they're shore casting," says Bill Prochaska, a Bagley City Park board member and long-time recreational fisher on Lake Lomond.

"For kids, there is no access to good fishing in a lake that has good fishing," he explains.

Currently, the lake has two short boat loading docks that people sometimes try to fish on. But the docks aren't compliant with the American Disability Act, and there are frequent disruptions with trying to fish where boats are docking.

The City of Bagley has the solution-with support from the community, it will build a dedicated fishing pier on the lake.

The initiative is part of the community's commitment to No Child Left Inside, a movement in the United States to promote environmental literacy and opportunities for kids to enjoy time in nature.

With the new fishing pier, children, those who are wheelchair bound, and anyone who needs ambulatory assistance-from toddlers to veterans to octogenarians, Prochaska says-will be able to enjoy fishing on the lake.

"This pier is an answer to all of it," he explains.

The model the city has chosen features a long trunk with a T-section. It will have paved access from the parking lot and is ADA-compliant.

The $120,000 pier is being funded by grants and donations from the community. Enbridge supported the project with a $10,000 Fueling Futures grant. We're committed to building vibrant and sustainable communities near our operations by investing in projects that help improve, grow and nurture our environment and bolster environmental literacy-like this Lake Lomond fishing pier project.

The Bagley fishing pier is set to open in September 2023, in time for a few weeks of late-summer fishing before the cold Minnesota winter sets in.

"What makes kids happy?" Prochaska asks. "Play. Having activities and being outside. It's important to encourage kids to leave video screens behind, to get on a bike or walk, and go play in our park and get on our fishing pier."

"This fishing pier," he adds, "is going to help us 'leave no kid inside.' "

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Enbridge on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Enbridge

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/enbridge

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Enbridge

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/754043/Hooked-on-Fishing-Pier-Project-Underway-in-Northwestern-Minnesota
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Lode Metals Corp. (CSE: LODE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive assignment and assumption agreement (the "Definitive Agreement"), dated May 9, 2023, with Federal Gold Corp. and Angold Resources (US) Ltd. (collectively, the "Subsidiaries"), each wholly-owned subsidiaries of Angold Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AAU) ("Angold"). Pursuant to the terms of the Definitive Agreement, the Subsidiaries will assign (the "Assignment") to Elkhorn Gold Exploration LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, all rights to the contractual arrangements (collectively, the "Option Agreements") pursuant to which the Subsidiaries hold the rights to acquire the Iron Butte Project, located in Lander County, Nevada and the Hope Butte Project, located in Malheur County, Oregon.

Iron Butte Project, Lander County, Nevada

Located near Battle Mountain, Nevada USA, the Iron Butte Gold Project covers an area of 2,227 hectares. Past drilling (31,614 meters) between 1980 and 2009 by Homestake, Newmont and Newcrest defined bulk-tonnage epithermal gold-silver system that outcrops at surface and with a historic mineral resource estimate.

Hope Butte Project, Malheur County, Oregon

Hope Butte is a large, intact hot springs low-sulfidation epithermal gold deposit hosted in Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic-volcaniclastic rocks and covering an area of approximately 2,312 hectares. Regionally, it is located at the intersection of the Oregon-Idaho Graben and the Vale Fault Zone, an area with extensive past and currently active geothermal activity. Cinnabar bearing opaline silica exposed at surface was discovered and mined on a limited scale in the 1950's.

In consideration for the Assignment, the Company has agreed to issue 10,000,000 common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to Angold, and to assume all obligations of the Subsidiaries with respect to the Option Agreements. Following completion of the Assignment, Lode will hold the rights to acquire the Iron Butte Project, and the Hope Butte Project, pursuant to the Option Agreements, in consideration for completing the following cash payments and share issuances:

IRON BUTTE PROJECT Payment Deadline Cash (USD) Common Shares (USD)* December 21, 2023 $150,000 $45,000 December 21, 2024 $200,000 $63,000 December 21, 2025 $300,000 $90,000 December 21, 2026 $500,000 Nil HOPE BUTTE PROJECT October 12, 2023 $75,000 $50,000 October 12, 2024 $150,000 $75,000 October 12, 2025 $200,000 Nil October 12, 2026 **$250,000 Nil

*Payable based upon the volume-weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company in the thirty-days prior to issuance and the prevailing exchange rates at the time.

**Further payments of US$250,000 are owing on each successive anniversary thereafter until the Company elects to exercise the rights to acquire the Hope Butte Project.

The Company is at arms-length from Angold, and the Subsidiaries, and no finders' fees or commissions are payable in connection with the entering into of the Definitive Agreement. The Consideration Shares will be subject to an escrow arrangement, during which time they may not be traded, for a period of twelve months following issuance. In addition to the escrow arrangement, the Consideration Shares and the common shares issuable under the Option Agreements, will bear a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance. Completion of the Assignment remains subject to customary closing conditions, including any required regulatory approvals.

Incentive Security Grant

The Company also announces that its board of directors has approved the adoption of a new long-term incentive plan (the "Incentive Plan") which replaces the existing stock option plan of the Company and allows for the grant of incentive stock options and restricted share units ("RSUs"). Pursuant to the terms of the Incentive Plan, the Company has granted a total of 850,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") and 1,000,000 RSUs to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company. The Options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.06 until May 10, 2028. The RSUs vest and will be settled in an equivalent number of common shares of the Company on September 10, 2023.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kenneth Tullar, P. Geo., the Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Lode Metals Corp.

Lode Metals is a gold exploration company focused on applying modern exploration techniques integrated with current geological models to the previous producing, high-grade Cracker Creek property located in northeastern Oregon, United States. The Cracker Creek property consolidates the contiguous, high-grade, past-producing Columbia, Eureka, Excelsior and North Pole Mines, collectively the most prolific gold producers in Oregon between 1891 and 1934.

For further information contact:

Jon Bey

President & Chief Executive Officer

Lode Metals Corp.

Email: info@lodemetals.com

www.lodemetals.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. 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 news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are 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 disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165562
CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Energy, a global leader in renewable energy solutions, has announced the sale of 60 MW wind turbines for Morocco's first desalination project that's 100% powered by wind energy.





The wind farm is located in Dakhla, Morocco, and is co-owned by Nareva, a leading Moroccan energy company, and ENGIE, a global low-carbon energy company. Envision's state-of-art EN171-5MW turbines will be utilized for the project. These turbines are designed to deliver high performance and efficiency, making them an ideal solution for wind conditions in this region.

The energy generated in the wind farm will be used to power a large desalination project under the Moroccan government, significantly contributing to Morocco's efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase its share of renewable energy in the electricity mix.

"We are proud to enter the Moroccan market with highly valuable partners like Nareva and ENGIE," said Didier Beaumont, Sales Director of Envision Energy. "Envision, as a leading global net-zero technology partner, is committed to helping the Kingdom of Morocco on its green energy transition through technological revolutions."

Envision boasts a strong track record in delivering high-quality wind turbines and renewable energy products worldwide. The company is dedicated to enabling the net-zero transition by providing new energy infrastructure, combining renewables with energy storage, digital grid, and power-to-x (P2X) technologies that meet the evolving needs of its global customers. Later this year, Envision is launching its green hydrogen net-zero industrial park in Inner Mongolia, further demonstrating its technological capabilities in product and system solutions.

About Envision Group

Envision Group is a world-leading green technology company and net zero technology partner. With the mission of "solving the challenges for the sustainable future of humankind". Envision designs, sells, and operates smart wind turbines, smart storage system and green hydrogen solutions through Envision Energy; AIoT-powered batteries through Envision AESC; and the world's largest AIoT operating system through Envision Digital. It also owns Envision Racing Formula E team. Envision continues to promote wind and solar power as the "new coal", batteries and hydrogen fuel as the "new oil", the AIoT network as the "new grid", the net-zero industrial parks to the "new infrastructure", and to promote the construction and cultivation of green "new industry".

Envision Group was ranked among the Top 10 of the 2019 'World's 50 Smartest Companies' by the MIT Technology Review. In October 2021, Envision was ranked second in the world on the Fortune "Change the World" list. Envision Group joined the global 'RE100' initiative and became the first company in mainland China committed to 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

For more information, please visit www.envision-group.com

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - West Oak Gold Corp. (CSE: WO) ("West Oak") is pleased to provide an update on 2022 exploration completed at the Hedgehog project (located near Barkerville, B.C.).

The 2022 program, which was conducted in October 2022, was designed to expand on results from the 2021 program which had identified a strong arsenic soil anomaly with strong spot gold values on the eastern corner of the claim and prompted West Oak to stake additional claims to the east. The 2022 program has expanded the target area which now measures 900 meters in its northeastern extent with a width of 150 to 600 meters and has spot gold values up to 956 ppb. A poorly defined northeast trending copper anomaly is present in the southeast portion of the grid area. Selected statistics are tabulated in Table 1 below.





Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8241/165584_369a4c39347149c1_001full.jpg

Table 1: Selected Soil Geochemistry Statistics As (ppm) Au (ppb) Cu (ppm) Zn (ppm) All Sampling 50th Percentile (Median) 6.5 1.3 34.5 69 90th Percentile 19.3 6.5 93.3 106 95th Percentile 31.8 11.1 123.8 124 97th Percentile 46.9 14.6 149.2 140 98th Percentile 60.7 19.1 166.9 152 99th Percentile 126.3 38.0 210.5 188 Standard Deviation 22.7764 32.5010 66.8052 29.874 Minimum 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 Maximum 444.0 956.0 2210.0 470 2022 Sampling 50th Percentile (Median) 10.4 2.0 29.7 66 90th Percentile 66.2 6.0 97.1 119 95th Percentile 137.1 8.0 170.4 139 97th Percentile 162.2 16.1 207.1 155 98th Percentile 188.7 21.1 273.9 184 99th Percentile 252.9 306.0 305.2 239 Standard Deviation 47.2923 74.4250 55.2260 41.854 Minimum 1.1 0.5 4.8 16 Maximum 363.5 956 429.2 470

The Hedgehog Project, which is fully permitted, is located approximately 12 kilometres north of the community of Barkerville, BC. Exploration models at Hedgehog include lode gold similar to the Cariboo Gold Project owned by Osisko Development Corp. and massive sulfides ("Cyprus Style") similar to Chu Chua, BC. Osisko's Cariboo Gold Project is an advanced stage feasibility level gold project currently going through the provincial Environmental Assessment process and is located ten kilometres south of Hedgehog.

West Oak's management and exploration contractors are in the process of reviewing all data to date and designing the 2023 exploration program.

This news release has been reviewed by Paul Reynolds, P. Geo. who is a Qualified Person within the context of NI43-101 and who takes responsibility for its content.

For further information, please contact:

Paul John

Chief Executive Officer

West Oak Gold Corp.

Tel: (778) 874-6619

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165584


EQS Newswire / 10/05/2023 / 22:45 CET/CEST

SHENZHEN, CHINA - Media OutReach - 11 May 2023 - OPPO today announced its very first clamshell foldable phone - the Find N2 Flip will be one of the first smartphones in the world to receive the new Google Android 14 Beta 1 update. Developers and early-adopters can get their hands on the developer's version of ColorOS built around the first beta of Android 14, experimenting with new features and APIs on their OPPO flip phone.



OPPO Find N2 Flip -One of the First Devices to Receive the Android 14 Beta 1 Update

"OPPO Find N2 Flip sets a high bar for new flip smartphones. We have combined industry-leading engineering and innovation with intuitive design principles to create Find N2 Flip." said Peter Dohyung Lee, head of the flagship product line at OPPO. "Cooperating with Google, OPPO recently brought the Speech-to-Text feature to the cover screen of Find N2 Flip. Further with Android 14, we will continue to take foldable phones to new heights by combining cutting-edge hardware with unparalleled software."



Android 14 includes several updates to enhance productivity, performance, privacy, security, and user customization. It offers more intuitive system user interfaces, such as the new mid-display back arrow and an improved system share sheet. To strengthen users' privacy, the system allows apps to limit visibility of specified views only to accessibility services. These days, foldable devices provide an opportunity for innovative app development. Developers are also encouraged to use Android APIs, tools, and resources provided by Google to build apps designed for large and small screens.



Android 14 Beta 1 update will be available for OPPO Find N2 Flip, which was launched globally in February 2023. OPPO Find N2 Flip comes with one of the largest cover screens of its kind, the most invisible crease with the its New Generation Flexion Hinge, the day-long battery life with SUPERVOOC flash charging. Moreover, it also come with the promise of four major ColorOS updates and five years of security updates for its global users.



Developers can download the developer's version of ColorOS built around Android 14 Beta 1 here right now. Later this year, Find N2 Flip global users can look forward to enjoying the public version of ColorOS based on Android 14.



Hashtag: OPPO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.

About ColorOS ColorOS is a highly customized, efficient, intelligent, and richly designed Android-based mobile OS from OPPO. With over 500 million global monthly active users, ColorOS supports 67 languages, including English, Hindi, Thai, and Indonesian.



News Source: Media OutReach

10/05/2023 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Media archive at www.todayir.com


Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Scryb Inc. (CSE: SCYB) (OTCQB: SCYRF) (FSE: EIY) ("Scryb' or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its press release of March 20, 2023, the Company has completed the second and final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") through the issuance of 6,765,000 units ("Units") of the Company at a price of $0.125 per Unit for gross proceeds of 845,625. In total, an aggregate of 17,320,000 Units were issued for gross proceeds of $2,165,000 through the completion of the two tranches of the Offering.

Each Unit is comprised of: (i) one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share"); and (ii) one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.15 on or before the date that is eighteen (18) months from the date of issuance.

Gross proceeds raised from the Offering will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The securities issued upon closing of the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of closing, pursuant to applicable securities laws. The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals. Certain eligible persons (the "Finders") were issued 60,000 Units representing (a) cash commission in the amount of $7,500.

The Offering constituted a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), as an insider of the Company acquired 1,000,000 Units. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the 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, as the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined 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 Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to avail itself of the proceeds of the Offering in an expeditious manner.

About Scryb Inc.

Scryb is a company that specializes in identifying and developing emerging technologies with the goal of creating disruptive, high-growth businesses. The company's team is composed of experts who use a proven technology development platform to identify high-potential applications and rapidly scale growth. Some of Scryb's most recent successes include exciting early-stage companies like cybersecurity firm Cybeats Technologies (CSE: CYBT), in which Scryb holds approximately 65% ownership, as well as ventures in the fields of applied AI, digital health, medical devices, and biotech. If you would like to learn more about Scryb or receive updates about the company, visit our website at http://scryb.ai.

Contact:

W. Clark Kent

President

Office. 647-872-9982

TF. 1-844-247-6633

Email: info@scryb.ai

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for the technology described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165653
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX: MND) (OTCQB: MNDJF) is pleased to announce its financial and operational results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023.

The Company's condensed and consolidated interim financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, together with its Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the corresponding period, can be accessed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.mandalayresources.com. All currency references in this press release are in U.S. dollars except as otherwise indicated.

First Quarter 2023 Highlights:

Maintained a strong financial position with $34.2 million of cash on hand;

of cash on hand; Generated consolidated quarterly revenue of $42.2 million ;

; Consolidated quarterly adjusted EBITDA[1] of $12.9 million ; and

; and Consolidated net income in Q1 2023 was $0.6 million ( $0.01 or C$0.01 per share).

Frazer Bourchier Mandalay's New Director, President and CEO, commented: "Mandalay delivered stable financial results and maintained a healthy net cash position during the quarter delivering its eleventh consecutive profitable quarter. The gold price was strong and these fundamentals indicate solid future performance. At Costerfield, performance was hindered by lower than planned mined ore tonnes and grade predominately due to non-systemic incidents affecting the quarter. At Bjorkdal, supply chain challenges delayed delivery of underground equipment, which led to lower grade and ore tonnes. We are addressing these production shortfalls with action plans focused on labour, improved infrastructure, mobile equipment availability and increased definition drilling."

Nick Dwyer, CFO of Mandalay, commented: "Mandalay ended the quarter in a strong financial position with $34.2 million in cash on hand and $23.5 million in total interest-bearing debt outstanding, leaving us in a net cash position of $10.7 million. Our consolidated cash costs1 and all-in sustaining costs1 per saleable gold equivalent ounce produced during Q1 2023 were $1,222 and $1,596, respectively, up from previous quarters mainly due to lower metal production."

Mr. Bourchier continued: "Looking forward, Mandalay will be free of all hedging encumbrances after Q2 2023, of which we incurred a $3.0 million outlay during the quarter. The hedges were a requirement of the previous, now closed debt facility. In addition, the Company will continue to invest in exploration to both extend mine life in known mineralized areas and to step out for potential new near mine discoveries. Management remains very focused on improving operational processes and controls to compensate for this Q1 2023 shortfall in order to achieve 2023 guidance. I look forward to further unlocking the considerable value potential I see underlying both assets in the next 12 to 24 months."

First Quarter 2023 Financial Summary

The following table summarizes the Company's consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022:



Three months

ended

March 31,

2023 Three months

ended

December 31,

2022 Three months

ended

March 31,

2022 $'000 $'000 $'000 Revenue 42,179 41,381 54,154 Cost of sales 26,606 19,972 21,716 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 12,945 20,137 31,305 Income from mine ops before depreciation and

depletion(1) 15,573 21,409 32,438 Adjusted net income (1) 518 5,202 13,887 Consolidated net income 554 1,043 10,485 Capital expenditure 8,776 11,028 9,630 Total assets 279,413 282,224 324,600 Total liabilities 94,907 98,070 138,776 Adjusted net income per share (1) 0.01 0.06 0.15 Consolidated net income per share 0.01 0.01 0.11





1. Income from mine operations before depreciation & depletion, Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information.

In Q1 2023, Mandalay generated consolidated revenue of $42.2 million, 22% lower than the $54.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. The decrease in revenue was due to lower production with lower metal grades at both the sites. The Company's realized gold price in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 2% compared to the first quarter of 2022, and the realized price of antimony decreased by 10%. In Q1 2023, Mandalay sold 6,511 fewer gold equivalent ounces than in Q1 2022.

Consolidated cash cost per ounce of $1,222 was higher in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $831 in the first quarter of 2022. Cost of sales during the first quarter of 2023 versus the first quarter of 2022 were $4.3 million higher at Costerfield and $0.6 million higher at Bjorkdal. Consolidated general and administrative costs were $1.5 million higher compared to the prior year quarter.

Mandalay generated adjusted EBITDA of $12.9 million in the first quarter of 2023, 59% lower than adjusted EBITDA of $31.3 million in the first quarter of 2022, the decrease in adjusted EBITDA was due to lower revenue in the current quarter. Adjusted net income was $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2023, which excludes a $0.1 million unrealized gain on financial instruments, compared to an adjusted net income of $13.9 million in the first quarter of 2022.

Consolidated net income was $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2023, versus $10.5 million in the first quarter of 2022. Mandalay ended the first quarter of 2023 with $34.2 million in cash and cash equivalents.

_____________________________________ 1 Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information.

First Quarter Operational Summary

The table below summarizes the Company's operations, capital expenditures and operational unit costs for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022:



Three months

ended

March 31,

2023 Three months

ended

December 31,

2022 Three months

ended

March 31,

2022 $'000 $'000 $'000 Costerfield Gold produced (oz) 7,368 12,085 12,197 Antimony produced (t) 544 504 683 Gold equivalent produced (oz) 11,017 15,427 17,247 Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 921 608 576 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,101 800 775 Capital development 865 678 746 Property, plant and equipment purchases 508 1,584 1,812 Capitalized exploration 2,151 1,747 1,687 Bjorkdal Gold produced (oz) 8,969 10,256 12,384 Cash cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,592 1,362 1,186 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,902 1,774 1,491 Capital development 1,809 2,570 2,460 Property, plant and equipment purchases 2,583 3,335 1,890 Capitalized exploration 794 1,114 755 Consolidated Gold equivalent produced (oz) 19,986 25,683 29,631 Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,222 909 831 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,596 1,246 1,110 Capital development 2,674 3,248 3,206 Property, plant and equipment purchases 3,091 4,919 3,702 Capitalized exploration (2) 3,011 2,861 2,722





1. Cash cost and all-in sustaining cost are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information. 2. Includes capitalized exploration relating to other non-core assets.

Costerfield gold-antimony mine, Victoria, Australia

Costerfield produced 7,368 ounces of gold and 544 tonnes of antimony for 11,017 gold equivalent ounces in the first quarter of 2023. Cash and all-in sustaining costs at Costerfield of $921/oz and $1,101/oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $576/oz and $775/oz, respectively, in the first quarter of 2022.

Costerfield posted another solid quarter with $23.3 million in revenue and $11.5 million in adjusted EBITDA. Head grades during Q1 2023, averaged 7.7 g/t gold and 2.6% antimony, both were below expectations as processed grades were adversely affected by a higher volume of the lower grade stockpile material required to supplement the lower tonnages of mined ore. The lower mining tonnes were mainly a result of higher than usual turnover of staff over the last few quarters, lower than planned equipment availability due to a damaged loader, and a power interruption that resulted in lost production days.

Bjorkdal gold mine, Skelleftea, Sweden

Bjorkdal produced 8,969 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2023 with cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,592/oz and $1,902/oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,186/oz and $1,491/oz, respectively, in the first quarter of 2022.

Bjorkdal generated consistent production and sales figures with $18.9 million and $4.1 million in revenue and adjusted EBITDA, respectively, in Q1 2023. Production was lower than expected as mined tonnage was negatively affected by the lack of availability in trucks and labour shortfalls. As compared to the same period last year, mined ore from the underground was down approximately 24%. This led to lower processed head grades for the quarter at 1.05 g/t gold due to the need to use a larger volume of the 0.6 g/t gold surface stockpile in the blend through the mill. With the operational actions Mandalay is taking to improve production from the first quarter, unit costs at both sites are expected to decrease when compared to the first quarter.

Lupin, Nunavut, Canada

Care and maintenance spending at Lupin was less than $0.1 million during the first quarter of 2023, which was same as in the first quarter of 2022. Reclamation spending at Lupin was $0.1 million during the first quarter of 2023 compared to $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2022. Lupin is currently in the process of final closure and reclamation activities mainly funded by progressive security reductions held by the Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

La Quebrada, Chile

No work was carried out on the La Quebrada development property during Q1 2023.

Conference Call

Mandalay's management will be hosting a conference call for investors and analysts on May 11, 2023, at 8:00 AM (Toronto time).

Analysts and interested investors are recommended to join the conference call by registering your name and phone number at the following URL to receive an instant automated call on your phone, to avoid any wait time to talk to an operator: https://emportal.ink/3Lh7KeL

Alternatively, you may join by using the following dial-in numbers and talking to an operator:

Participant Number (North America toll free): 888-664-6383 Participant Number (Local): 416-764-8650 Conference ID: 13748019

A replay of the conference call will be available until 11:59 PM (Toronto time), May 18, 2023, and can be accessed using the following dial-in numbers:

Encore Number (North America Toll free): 888-390-0541 Encore Number (Local): 416-764-8677 Encore Replay Code: 748019

About Mandalay Resources Corporation:

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia (Costerfield gold-antimony mine) and Sweden (Bjorkdal gold mine). The Company is focused on growing its production and reducing costs to generate significant positive cashflow. Mandalay is committed to operating safely and in an environmentally responsible manner, while developing a high level of community and employee engagement.

Mandalay's mission is to create shareholder value through the profitable operation and continuing the regional exploration program, at both its Costerfield and Bjorkdal mines. Currently, the Company's main objectives are to continue mining the high-grade Youle vein at Costerfield, bring the deeper Shepherd veins into production, both of which are expected to continue to supply high-grade ore to the processing plant, and to extend Youle's Mineral Reserves. At Bjorkdal, the Company will aim to increase production from the Aurora zone and other higher-grade areas in the coming years in order to maximize profit margins from the mine.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in 2023. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, changes in commodity prices and general market and economic conditions. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Mandalay. A description of additional risks that could result in actual results and developments differing from those contemplated by forward-looking statements in this news release can be found under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mandalay's annual information form dated March 31, 2023, a copy of which is available under Mandalay's profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any inferred resources that are discovered as a result of additional drilling will ever be upgraded to proven or probable reserves. Although Mandalay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Non-IFRS Measures

This news release may contain references to Income from mine operations before depreciation & depletion, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, free cash flow, cash cost per saleable ounce of gold equivalent produced and all-in sustaining cost all of which are non-IFRS measures and do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Management uses adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow as measures of operating performance to assist in assessing the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future working capital needs and to fund future capital expenditures, as well as to assist in comparing financial performance from period to period on a consistent basis. Management uses adjusted net income in order to facilitate an understanding of the Company's financial performance prior to the impact of non-recurring or special items. The Company believes that these measures are used by and are useful to investors and other users of the Company's financial statements in evaluating the Company's operating and cash performance because they allow for analysis of its financial results without regard to special, non-cash and other non-core items, which can vary substantially from company to company and over different periods.

The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as income from mine operations, net of administration costs, and before interest, taxes, non-cash charges/(income), intercompany charges and finance costs. The Company defines adjusted net income as net income before special items. Special items are items of income and expense that are presented separately due to their nature and, in some cases, expected infrequency of the events giving rise to them. A reconciliation between adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, on the one hand, and consolidated net income, on the other hand, is included in the MD&A.

The Company defines free cash flow as a measure of the Company's ability to generate and manage liquidity. It is calculated starting with the net cash flows from operating activities (as per IFRS) and then subtracting capital expenditures and lease payments. Refer to Section 1.2 of MD&A for a reconciliation between free cash flow and net cash flows from operating activities.

For Costerfield, saleable equivalent gold ounces produced is calculated by adding to saleable gold ounces produced, the saleable antimony tonnes produced times the average antimony price in the period divided by the average gold price in the period. The total cash operating cost associated with the production of these saleable equivalent ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable equivalent ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For Bjorkdal, the total cash operating cost associated with the production of saleable gold ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable gold ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in costs include total cash operating costs, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For the Company as a whole, cash cost per saleable gold equivalent ounce is calculated by summing the gold equivalent ounces produced by each site and dividing the total by the sum of cash operating costs at the sites. Consolidated cash cost excludes royalty and corporate level general and administrative expenses. This definition was updated in the third quarter of 2020 to exclude corporate general and administrative expenses to better align with industry standard. All-in sustaining cost per saleable ounce gold equivalent in the period equals the sum of cash costs associated with the production of gold equivalent ounces at all operating sites in the period plus corporate overhead expense in the period plus sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization, divided by the total saleable gold equivalent ounces produced in the period. A reconciliation between cost of sales and cash costs, and also cash cost to all-in sustaining costs are included in the MD&A.

Contact: Frazer Bourchier, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edison Nguyen, Direction, Business Valuations and IR, Contact: (647) 258.9722

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mandalay-resources-corporation-announces-earnings-results-for-the-first-quarter-2023-301821546.html
SocialCrowd, a Southern California-based automated employee incentive platform, closed a $550k pre-seed funding round.

The round was led by VC 414 with participation from Anand Gala of Gala Capital Partners and various strategic angel investors.

The company will use the funding from this round to scale its team, enhance its product offering, and continue its expansion.

Led by Raphael Akinsipe, Chief Executive Officer, SocialCrowd describes its platform as the digital Fitbit for work. It helps managers boost employee performance through automated incentive programs. The platform connects with work applications (Salesforce, Square, Jira, etc.) to automatically track employee progress toward work goals. SocialCrowd then sends periodic reminders to keep employees on track and instantly rewards them with points that can be redeemed for gift cards, time off, and much more.

Some of its early customers include Sonic Drive-in (various franchise locations), Motorola Solutions, and more.

SocialCrowd is based in southern California, and is currently a 5 person startup with plans to double its headcount over the next year.

FinSMEs

10/05/2023
Bengaluru: As it looks to diversify production away from China, Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn in a filing on Tuesday said that it has bought a huge tract of land on the outskirts of Indian tech hub Bengaluru.

Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the worlds biggest contract electronics manufacturer and a principal assembler of Apple iPhones.

The 1.2 million-square-metre (13 million-square-foot) acquisition in Devanahalli, near the airport for Bengaluru, was announced in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.

It said that subsidiary Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development was paying three billion rupees ($37 million) for the site, the size of more than 50 Manhattan city blocks.

Another Foxconn unit was acquiring land use rights to a 480,000-square-metre site in Vietnams Nghe An province, it added.

Karnataka state chief minister Basavaraj S. Bommai said in March that Apple would soon manufacture iPhones at a new plant that would create about 100,000 jobs.

Bloomberg News reported that month that Foxconn was planning to invest $700 million in a new factory in Karnataka.

Foxconn chairman Young Liu visited the state then and also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has urged foreign firms to manufacture goods in the South Asian nation.

Foxconn has manufactured Apple handsets in India since 2019 at its plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The company is expected to break ground on a new facility in Telangana state next week, local media reported.

Two other Taiwanese suppliers, Wistron and Pegatron, also manufacture and assemble Apple devices in India.

Good growth

Apple has been making its own push into India and chief executive Tim Cook last month opened its first two retail stores in the worlds most populous country.

The California-based firm is betting big on the nation of 1.4 billion people  home to the second-highest number of smartphone users in the world, after China.

Navkendar Singh of market intelligence firm International Data Corporation told AFP that Apple had already proved quite successful in India, with domestic iPhone sales of 6.7 million last year.

This is good growth considering that Apple plays at the price range of more than $500 all the time, he added.

The worlds biggest company in terms of market value is also expanding its manufacturing footprint in India.

Apple said last September it would manufacture its latest iPhone 14 in India, just weeks after launching the flagship model.

The country last year accounted for seven percent of Apples iPhone production, according to Bloomberg, lagging behind the United States, China, Japan and other countries.

China, by far the leading producer of Apple products, saw production disrupted by violent protests last November at the countrys largest iPhone factory, also owned by Foxconn.

Hundreds of employees protested over conditions and pay at the plant in the central city of Zhengzhou, spurred in part by public frustration over the governments zero-tolerance approach to Covid during the pandemic.

Having contingency or diversification plans helps so you are not too dependent on one region, Counterpoint Technology Market Research senior analyst Prachir Singh told AFP.

Its not like the Chinese operations will come down to zero, he added. It is about building a similar world in India so they have multiple locations to rely on.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,

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It is the first legal battle of its kind in China.

A single Chinese woman on Tuesday began an appeal in her legal battle for the right to freeze her eggs, a procedure only available in China to married couples.

Freelance writer Teresa Xu Zaozao took legal action in 2019 after a Beijing hospital refused to freeze her eggs but a Beijing court dismissed her case in July 2022.

Her case is widely followed in China, where womens rights have become an increasingly prominent issue and the falling birthrate is of growing concern.

The 31-year-old says she wants to freeze her eggs to give herself the option of having a child alone if she cannot find a partner.

I hope more people will recognise the fact that there is a whole diversity of single women, Xu told the Beijing court where the appeal trial opened on Tuesday.

They have the right to have autonomy in matters of reproduction and to make decisions concerning their own bodies, she told journalists.

Since Xu lost her initial case in 2022 a lot has changed.

China recorded the first decline in its population in six decades last year, against a backdrop of very low fertility rates (1.15 children per woman) and the government now strongly encourages people to have children.

In a revolutionary move, the southwest province of Sichuan in January said it would allow single people to register their child, while elsewhere in China it is an option still only available to married people.

This opening gives me hope for greater consideration of womens rights, Xu, a prolific writer on gender issues, said.

I know very well that we dont have such a great chance of winning because this case has a great impact on society, she admitted.

But it provokes public debate and single women have been able to speak out openly.

Also Read: India surpasses China as most populous country: Will this help or hinder the nation?

Judgment will be announced at a later date.

Egg freezing consists of removing the oocytes before preserving them in liquid nitrogen to be used in a subsequent pregnancy.

Women across the world choose to freeze their eggs to give them a greater chance of having children later in life.

Economic development has pushed more Chinese women into the job market in recent decades, leaving many choosing to marry later in life.

Many face great pressure from parents to get married and have a child after the age of 30.

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Former United States president Donald Trump has been found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming magazine writer E Jean Carroll by a New York jury. In its verdict on Tuesday (9 May), the jury also ordered Trump to pay the advice columnist $5 million in damages. Carroll had accused the Republican of raping her in the dressing room of a luxury Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s.

Trump, who was not present at the civil trial, took to his social media site to slam the judgement, calling it a disgrace and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time, reported Associated Press (AP).

Lets look closer at the judgement and how it can impact Trump who is running for the 2024 US presidential elections.

Trump found liable for sexual battery

The New York jury, consisting of six men and three women, dismissed Carrolls claim that Trump raped her but found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Carroll had gone public with her allegations of rape against Trump in a 2019 memoir, describing in detail what occurred in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman, a posh department store, in the spring of 1996.

Trump has denied the allegations, claiming he did not know Carroll. He has also called her a nut job who invented a fraudulent and false story to sell a memoir, as per AP.

Trumps lawyers have told reporters that he would appeal against the verdict.

This was a rape claim, this was a rape case all along, and the jury rejected that, made other findings, Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina was quoted as saying by The Washington Post. Well obviously be appealing those other findings.

Not rape?

Some legal experts were confused by the verdict which found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape.

According to The Washington Post report, the jurors were given three forms of battery under which Trump could be held liable: rape, sexual abuse and forcible touching.

Judge Lewis A Kaplan told them that to deem it rape, they have to find that there was sexual intercourse by force, including penetration. For sexual abuse, they had to find if there was touching of sexual or intimate parts by force.

It doesnt make sense for the jurors to return a no on rape but a yes on sexual abuse, based on the testimony and the defenses arguments, Corey Rayburn Yung, a criminal law professor at the University of Kansas, told Slate magazine.

Explaining why it was not deemed rape, the law professor said that the word rape carries extra connotations in our culture, and the jurors might have been gun shy about applying it regardless of the specific standard there.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump raped me: Who is E Jean Carroll, the writer suing the former US president for alleged sexual assault?

What does the verdict mean for Trump?

As it was a civil case, there would be no potential jail time for Trump.

The GOP leader has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 26 women, as per Vox. However, this was the first time that any sexual misconduct or assault allegations against Trump reached the trial stage.

Most of the Republicans remained silent after the verdict, exhibiting their reluctance to irk Trumps supporters, noted AP. But one of Trumps rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, spoke out, saying: The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.

Citing Trumps many legal troubles, GOP Senator John Thune hinted that the New York jury verdict should make the Republicans rethink their 2024 calculus, reported The Washington Post.

I think theres going to be an ongoing drumbeat over the next couple years as [Trump] is a candidate, Thune said. People are going to have to decide if thats a factor. For a lot of voters, its going to be.

The verdicts impact on the campaign of Trump, who is expected to emerge as the final Republican nominee to take on Joe Biden in 2024, is unclear, as per AP.

According to the latest poll released by ABC News/Washington Post over the weekend, Trump is likely to be ahead of Biden in a two-way race.

Notably, Trump already has legal baggage  he is the first now-former president to be impeached twice and the first that held the top post to be charged with criminal activity.

However, observers believe that the sexual abuse verdict would not have much impact on Trumps core voter base.

Rick Tyler, a Republican strategist and prominent Trump critic, told Insider that it is unlikely to do more than dent his support among Republican voters. The Trump cult will explain it all away.

But, it can sway swing voters, who will swing as far away from Trump as possible, making him unelectable in the general, Tyler was quoted as saying by Insider.

As has been seen previously, Trumps supporters do not appear particularly concerned about his many legal problems, and many of them are likely to hang much on either Trumps denials or the jurys rejection of Carrolls specific claim of rape, according to Politico.

Even if Trumps campaign might not be adversely affected, the New York verdict is another historical first. According to BBC, it stands out and lands a blow against Trump in a way that mere investigations do not. A jury of everyday Americans have considered the evidence and found that Trump did wrong, noted the United Kingdom broadcaster.

With inputs from agencies

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In Pakistan, becoming a prime minister does not shield you in the future. The latest case in point is the arrest of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan.

Khan was arrested on Tuesday from outside the Islamabad high court, where he had arrived to attend a hearing in two separate cases. According to Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he was undergoing a biometric process at the court when paramilitary forces broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khans security staff.

While Imran Khan faces more than 120 cases, including inciting violence and treason, his arrest has come in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The trust was reportedly a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistans richest and most powerful businessmen.

Also read: The Fall of Imran Khan: What finally led to arrest of former Pakistani prime minister?

The PTI leader, however, is not the first former PM to be arrested. Pakistan has a long history of incarcerating those who have held the top job  for corruption and for taking on the powerful military. We take a look.

Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been critical of Khan, has also been arrested in the past. He was taken into custody on 28 September 2020 after the Lahore high court rejected his bail in a money laundering case.

The case filed by Pakistans anti-corruption agency National Accountability Bureau (NAB) alleged that Shehbaz Sharif and his family members were involved in money laundering and illegal transfer of funds through fake accounts.

The premier was released from Lahores Kot Lakhpat central jail nearly seven months after the arrest.

However, Sharif and his son were given a clean shit by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday.

Also read: How Imran Khan crossed a line with Pakistans military and was finally arrested



Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the prime minister of Pakistan from January 2017 to May 2018.

On 18 July 2019, he was arrested in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract. The case dates back to a contract from 2013 when Abbasi was the minister for petroleum and natural resources, according to a report in Dawn.

Abbasi was arrested as part of then-PM Imran Khans accountability drive. However, the PML(N) leader was granted bail and released from Rawalpndis Adiala Jail on 27 February 2020.

Nawaz Sharif

In 1999, Nawaz Sharif was cast into exile by Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharaff. In return, he avoided a life sentence on hijacking and corruption charges.

Sharif returned to Pakistan in September 2007 only to be arrested and sent back to Saudi Arabias Jeddah to complete the remaining three years of exile. However, he was released two months later.

Sharif was arrested and jailed on more than one occasion. In July 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. The NAB ruled that Sharif and his family laundered money in the 1990s to pay for four luxury apartments in Park Lane, central London, drawing on allegations that resurfaced in the Panama Papers leak. He was released two months later after when the anti-graft court suspended the sentences to wait for a final judgement by a Pakistan high court.

In December 2018, the three-time former PM was jailed for seven years on corruption charges after he was unable to prove the source of income for the ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia, according to Geo News.

A year later, in November, he was allowed to leave the country to receive medical treatment and has not returned to Pakistan since.

Benazir Bhutto

The two-time Pakistan prime minister faced arrest several times.

According to a report in Dawn, Bhutto was put under house arrest for 90 days when she arrived in Pakistan from exile in August 1985 for her brothers funeral. These were the days of Zia-ul Haqs dictatorship and Bhutto was the countrys opposition leader.

A year later, in August, she was arrested after denouncing the Zia-ul Haq government at a rally in Karachi on Pakistan independence day. Haq had appointed a civilian government in late 1985 and lifted martial law.

In April 1999, Bhutto was sentenced to five years and disqualified from holding public office on charges of taking kickbacks from a Swiss company hired to fight customs fraud. She was not in the country at the time of the verdict and the conviction was later overturned by a higher court, reports Dawn. In October 1999, non-bailable arrest warrants were re-issued for Bhutto because of her non-appearance in court in the assets reference case.

Benazir Bhutto served as Pakistani prime minister between December 1998 and August 1990 and October 1993 and November 1996. She was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007.



Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto served as prime minister from August 1973 to July 1977. His government was overthrown in a coup by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Bhutto was arrested in September 1977 on charges of conspiracy to murder a political opponent Nawab Kasuri. He was released by the Lahore high court which stated that the arrest had no legal grounds.

However, Haq knew that to stay in power he would have to erase the influence Bhutto wielded. The former PM was arrested again three days later under Martial Law Regulation 12, which empowered law enforcement agencies to arrest a person who was working against security, law and order, or the smooth running of martial law, reports Dawn.

Bhutto was sentenced to death and executed on 4 April 1979.

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

Coups have been common in Pakistan. When Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy refused to support Gen Ayub Khans coup, he was banned from politics through an Elective Bodies Disqualification Order.

He was arrested in January 1962 and put in solitary confinement in Karachi Central Jail without trial on concocted charges of anti-state activities under the 1952 Security of Pakistan Act, reports Dawn.

Suhrawardy was the fifth prime minister of Pakistan, who held office from September 1956 to October 1957.

With inputs from agencies

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Karnataka cast its votes today (10 May) to elect the next government. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks to retain power, the Congress is confident of unseating the ruling saffron party. Its state unit president DK Shivakumar, also a chief ministerial candidate, has earlier said that the Grand Old party will bag at least 141 seats in the 224-member Assembly and the BJP will be reduced to less than 60 constituencies.

Exit poll predictions do not hand a full majority to Congress, which can make it difficult for the party to form a government. Lets take a look at why winning Karnataka is crucial for Congress.

Will Congress defeat BJP?

Five Exit polls predict a hung Assembly in Karnataka, indicating that the JD(S) can play the kingmaker. However, some say it could be a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and the Congress with a slight edge to the latter.

As per a News18 survey, Congress is likely to secure between 99-109 seats, while the BJP could end up with 88-98 seats. The JD(S) is projected to bag 21-26 seats.

Notably, Opinion polls showed that the voters are in the mood for a change this time.

As per the projections by India TV-CNX survey, Congress could bag 105 seats, whereas, the BJP is likely to be restricted to 85 seats. The Janata Dal Secular (S) is predicted to secure 32 seats and others can bag two seats.

In the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP was the largest party with 104 seats.

Congress won 80 seats and 38 seats went to the JD(S) in 2018.

Political parties require at least 113 seats to form the government in Karnataka.

Another Opinion poll released by ABP News and CVoter last week showed that Congress could win between 110 and 122 seats. The BJP may lose constituencies and bag anywhere between 73 and 85 seats, while the JD(S) could get 21-29 seats.

According to the ABP News-CVoter opinion poll, the Congress is expected to perform better in five of the states six major regions, including Greater Bengaluru and Old Mysuru. The BJP is likely to get more support in coastal regions of Karnataka.

A pre-poll survey conducted by Eedina, a Kannada outlet, gave a clear majority to Congress with 134-140 seats. The BJPs tally could fall to 57-65 seats.

However, the Zee News-Matrize opinion poll predicted that the BJP would retain the state, even as Congress increases its seats.

ALSO READ: Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Watch out for these big names in the fray

Why does Congress need to win Karnataka?

It is a high-stake battle for all the parties in Karnataka as the Assembly elections come months ahead of next years Lok Sabha polls.

A victory in Karnataka could herald an electoral comeback for Congress, which has seen a series of humiliating drubbings since 2014.

The party has not won a single major state since gaining power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh at the end of 2018. However, the Congress government in MP collapsed in around a year following defections of MLAs to the BJP.

The Grand Old Party lost Punjab last year to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which registered a landslide victory.

The only state it won was Himachal Pradesh in the 2022 Assembly elections. In the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the party secured its lowest-ever seats at 17.

Congress also faced setbacks in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland in the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Follow Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE updates here.

Now, a win in Karnataka could not only be a morale booster for the Grand Old Party but also offer it more leverage to project itself as the key player to lead the Opposition alliance against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to The Hindu.

The victory will be sweeter for the Congress as it would ouster the BJP from power in the only southern state it rules.

In view of the Assembly elections slated later this year in key states such as Telangana, MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Congress needs to be triumphant in Karnataka.

Moreover, Karnataka is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges home state and a resounding victory here will be more than a symbolic milestone in the partys quest for 2024, as per Indian Express.

As ThePrint report mentioned that the Congress would need a major swing of more than 5 per cent in its favour to secure over 130 seats. Anything less of an outright majority could leave the Grand Old Party candidates susceptible to horse-trading by the BJP, the report added.

With parties such as AAP, Trinamool Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) implying against Congress (read: Rahul Gandhi) leading an anti-BJP front in the next years general elections, wresting Karnataka from the BJP will give a leg up to Grand Old Party. A win in Karnataka will boost the Congresss chances of heading such a front, while a loss will almost end any talk of a Congress-led anti-BJP group of parties. There are already other opposition parties looking to form their own fronts to take on the BJP in 2024, senior journalist BS Arun wrote for The Wire.

According to Arun, losing Karnataka would be particularly hurtful for the Congress as it is a powerful force there and has strong local leaders, unlike many other states.

Wait till 13 May to know if Karnataka, which has voted out the incumbent for decades, has done the same this time or if the BJP has been successful in changing the tradition.

With inputs from agencies

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Pakistans former prime minister Imran Khan, who was arrested by paramilitary rangers on Tuesday, is facing 121 cases across the country, including for committing treason and blasphemy and inciting violence and terrorism.

Khan, who travelled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the court when the Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khans security staff, according to senior party leader Shireen Mazari.

Also Read: How Imran Khans arrest worsens Pakistans economic and political woes

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by 70-year-old Khan recently submitted a list of cases to the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The list states that 31 cases have been registered against Khan in the federal capital and 30 cases and call-up notices have been issued in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

These cases are related to various charges like treason, blasphemy, committing and inciting violence and terrorism.

According to the list, 12 cases of terrorism have been registered against Imran in Lahore and 14 cases have been registered in Faisalabad. Some 22 terrorism cases have been registered against Imran Khan across the country.

An Islamabad court is set to indict him on 10 May in a case in which he allegedly hid the proceeds from the sale of state gifts.

On 19 November last year, the National Accountability Bureau had taken notice of the alleged non-disclosure of the actual value of gifts received by the former prime minister, his wife, and other Cabinet members. Sources privy to the matter said that there was a discrepancy between the actual value of the gifts received by the former prime minister and the sale.

The inquiry proceedings have revealed that during Khans tenure as premier, he retained some state gifts presented to him by various foreign dignitaries.

The corruption case for whose hearing he was present at the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday is not included in the list.

Islamabad police released a statement quoting Inspector General (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan as saying that Imran had been arrested in relation to the case which alleges that Khan and his wife obtained billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising Rs 50 billion.

The former prime minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals (23.16 hectares) of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.

Also Read: Ousted PM Imran Khan arrested, nationwide protests rock Pakistan

Imran Khan had previously said more than 140 cases have been filed against him around the country since his ouster as premier last year.

PTI chief Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.

Khan, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

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Former Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday exuded confidence that BJP will get absolute majority and will form the government in the state.

Yediyurappa, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy were among the early voters in Karnataka Assembly elections 2023.

Yediyurappa said he expects 75 to 80 per cent voters to support the BJP in Karnataka polls 2023.

We will get absolute majority and will form the government. We will win 130-135 seats, the senior BJP leader said.

BJP has worked very hard in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shahs programmes have also helped a lot. Peoples responses are very good in the state and on that basis, I am telling you we are going to get a majority, Yediyurappa added.

#WATCH | I request all people to cast their votes as early as possible. I am 100% sure they will vote in favour of the BJP. More than 75-80% will support BJP. We will win 130-135 seats, says Former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa#KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/PckMSr7jLC  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Yediyurappa's son BY Vijayendra is contesting from the Shikaripura constituency, which was his fathers traditional seat.

Before going to the polling station at Adalitha Soudha in Shivamogga to cast his vote, Yediyurappa along with his son visited Shikaripuras Hucchraya temple.

After quitting electoral politics, Yediyurappa has widely campaigned for the BJP across Karnataka to help the ruling party to retain its power. The former CM also campaigned across the Shikaripura for his son and urged voters of his constituency to help Vijayendra win with a huge majority.

Voting is held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. The counting of votes will be held on 13 May.

Polling is held across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations. The majority mark to form the government is Karnataka is 113 seats.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to exercise their franchise for Karnataka assembly elections 2023.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations.

With inputs from agencies

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Four men riding bikes in New Delhi stopped a man named Praveen Jangra and assaulted him after stopping his car in the middle of the road.

They were later arrested after Jangra took to twitter and requested the Delhi police to take action. The incident took place on 8 May near Nangloi Railway Station.

Jangra wrote on twitter, Some miscreants stopped me in the middle of the road and beat me up. All this happened at Nangloi Railway Station Metro. This type of hooliganism has become common in the capital of the country. @DelhiPolice should look into the matter and take strict action against these goons.

Watch the viral video:

Some miscreants stopped me in the middle of the road and beat me up. All this happened at Nangloi Railway Station Metro. This type of hooliganism has become common in the capital of the country. @DelhiPolice should look into the matter and take strict action against these goons. pic.twitter.com/rBCJqctIQ8  Praveen jangra (@ParveenHere) May 8, 2023

The event happened due to the use of dipper lights. In the video it can be seen that the accused stopped Jangras car, approached him, and slapped him.

Jangra apparently asked the men about why was he being assaulted and kept asking for forgiveness. He tweeted the video a day after the incident, and urged the police to take action.

According to NDTV, after Jangras tweet, on Wednesday, Harendra K Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer Delhi, tweeted to inform that the accused have been detained. He shared the complainants tweet and a photo of four detained men, and said, They did this, we did this.

They did this, we did this. pic.twitter.com/tGISHjTsmw  HARENDRA K SINGH, IPS (@HarendraKS_IPS) May 10, 2023

With inputs from agencies

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BJP leader BY Vijayendra who is also the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said that he is confident about his partys victory in the state and that BJP will secure 135 seats in the Karnataka Elections 2023.

Vijayendra exercised his right to franchise from the Shivamogga constituency. Modis magic will give us the absolute majority. We will win at least 130 seats in this election. Not only the Lingayat community, but all other castes are also with BJP. Congress will lose the election very badly, he said.

Yediyurappa and his family visited their ancestral temple at Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Shikaripura ahead of voting. Vijayendra is contesting for the first time from the Shikaripura constituency, which was his fathers traditional seat.

Catch the LIVE updates of Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 here

He said, This is my first election and I am happy that the party gave me the opportunity to contest. Im blessed to contest for the Shikaripura seat. People are fed up with hung assembly and I am confident that BJP will get a majority.

After casting his vote at Adalitha Soudha in Shivamogga, the former chief minister said, I request all people to cast their votes as early as possible. I am 100 per cent sure they will vote in favour of the BJP. More than 75-80 per cent will support BJP. We will win 130-135 seats.

He added, We will get absolute majority and will form the government, there is no doubt about it. Peoples responses are very good in the state and on that basis, I am telling you we are going to get a majority.

A total number of 42,48,028 new voters have registered to cast their votes in assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote today in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters.

Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.

With inputs from agencies

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On the day of the Karnataka Polls, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai urged people to come out and cast their votes for the development of the State.

After casting his vote, the chief minister said, Ive voted and done my duty towards democracy. Its a privilege to vote in my constituency. I will win by a record margin. People of Karnataka will vote for positive development and BJP will get a comfortable majority.

#WATCH | Ive voted and done my duty towards democracy. Its a privilege to vote in my constituency. I will win by a record margin. People of Karnataka will vote for positive development and BJP will get a comfortable majority, says Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai pic.twitter.com/4rumkWTJ7i  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

He also noted the success of the campaigns led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

I am very happy with the way our party conducted the campaign and the way people have reacted. I appeal to people to come and vote for the development of Karnataka, Bommai said while talking to the reporters here.

Bommai, who is running from the Shiggaon assembly constituency, offered prayers at a Hanuman temple in Hubbali as voting continues across the State.

#WATCH | Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai offered prayers at a Hanuman temple in Hubbali as voting continues across the state. He is contesting as a BJP candidate from Shiggaon assembly constituency.#KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/LGbOwJ1MWE  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Voting is currently underway in Karnataka for 224 assemblies with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

Taking his appeal to Twitter, BJP National President JP Nadda said, I appeal to the voters of Karnataka to participate in the festival of democracy in large numbers. This election is crucial in deciding the future of Karnataka. I request everyone to bring to power a government that will provide continuity to the progress of the state and is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

A total number of 42,48,028 new voters have registered to cast their votes in assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote tomorrow in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters.

With inputs from agencies

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the people of Karnataka have decided to choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government. His comments came as voting is underway for 224 assemblies with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

Kharge, on Twitter, urged voters to come out and take part in the democratic process for a better future for Karnataka.

He said, People of Karnataka have decided to choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government. Today, it is time to vote in large numbers. We welcome our first-time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also urged voters to exercise their franchise. As the polling for the assembly elections begins, I urge all my sisters and brothers in Karnataka to go out there and vote for change.

Catch the LIVE updates of Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 here

After casting his vote, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai said, Ive voted and done my duty towards democracy. Its a privilege to vote in my constituency. I will win by a record margin. People of Karnataka will vote for positive development and BJP will get a comfortable majority.

A total number of 42,48,028 new voters have registered to cast their votes in assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote today in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters.

Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.

With inputs from agencies

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At a time when the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has plunged Pakistan into a state of unrest and sparked fresh political turmoil across the country, a viral interaction between a Pakistani actress and the Delhi Police has left the internet laughing out loud. The actress while expressing her disappointment with the ongoing situation in the country through her tweet added that she wants to file a complaint against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Intelligence Agency RAW. While she hoped that the Supreme Court of India will get her justice, the Delhi Police gave an epic comeback, leaving the internet in splits!

Actress Sehar Shinwari took to Twitter on Tuesday, 9 May and wrote, Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police? I have to file a complaint against Indian Pm & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claim) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will provide me justice.

Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police ? I have to file a complain against Indian Pm & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claims) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will  Sehar Shinwari (@SeharShinwari) May 9, 2023

In response to this, the Delhi Polices Twitter handle took a sarcastic jibe asking how the actress managed to share a tweet when the internet has been shut down in Pakistan. They also stated that the Delhi Police do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan, thus clarifying that they cant take in her complaint.

We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country! https://t.co/lnUCf8tY59  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 9, 2023

In response to the Delhi Polices response, social media took to the comment section and posed reactions like Hahha! Roasted, Haha. roasted really very badly, Whoever handles this account is really witty, etc.

Check more responses:

Whoever tweeted this, kya khaoge sir me order kar deta hu  pic.twitter.com/1qaUJuy8qL  Elite Predators (@elitepredatorss) May 9, 2023

Delhi Police Zindabad  pic.twitter.com/fDxGfoYybG  Durg Singh Rajpurohit (@BarmerDurg) May 9, 2023

Former Pakistan PM arrested

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan has been arrested outside the Islamabad High Court in connection to certain corruption charges. Notably, Khan was in court to appear for a hearing in a mutiny case and another one pertaining to attempted murder. His arrest sparked complete unrest across the country, prompting his supporters and PTI workers to stage nationwide protests on roads.

Internet services have also been suspended in Pakistan in view of the chaotic situation.

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Those living in Bengaluru are well aware of this iconic place in Indiranagar, Rameshwaram Cafe, an eatery that is widely popular for its authentic South Indian Breakfast. The quick service restaurant (QSR) not only attracts a massive footfall, with people waiting in long queues but also manages to do a whopping business of Rs 4.5 crore in a month. It is indeed a big number! Co-founder of B2B marketplace Udaan, Sujeet Kumar while recently speaking on a podcast shared some mind-boggling details about the famous cafe. Kumar who was citing examples of different QSR chains in India mentioned Rameshwaram Cafes name and shared details of its business.

Kumar who was speaking in the third episode titled WTF is E-commerce on Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamaths podcast was accompanied by Future Group founder Kishore Biyani and Meesho co-founder Vidit Aatrey.

While speaking about how QSR chains have started making a mark in the Indian marketplace, Kumar shared deets about the Rameshwaram Cafe, stating that they have managed to do a business of Rs 4.5 crore per month and are further clocking around Rs 50 crore a year.

If you see Rameshwaram Cafe, they cut like 7,500 bills a day. With one store which is hardly 10 by 10 or 10 by 15 square feet, they do Rs 4.5 crore business a month and do around Rs 50 crore a year. They also make decent margins with around 70% gross margins, he said.

Watch the full video here:

Apart from this, Kumar shared his journey, beginning with the e-commerce giant Flipkart to launching Udaan. He also spoke about how he never wanted to leave Delhi and move to Bengaluru. However, he was coaxed by Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal into visiting Bengaluru for attending his wedding and then was convinced to join the company.

The entrepreneurs also spoke on a variety of other topics including their journeys, personal life, Indian retail business, online and offline marketplace, and growing entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem in India and abroad, among other things.

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For the first time in India, blood bags have been delivered by drones. The inaugural flight in a validation study carried 10 units of whole blood samples from The Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) and Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC). This drone sortie was in the visual line of sight conducted at Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JIIT), Noida.

Sharing visuals of the historic delivery, ANI tweeted, In a first in India, validation of blood bags delivered by drones compared to the conventional method of transportation was done today.

#WATCH | Delhi: In a first in India, validation of blood bags delivered by drones compared to the conventional method of transportation was done today. pic.twitter.com/0oBVlEyhhW  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, said, This i-DRONE was first used during covid19 pandemic by ICMR for distributing vaccines to unreachable areas. Today, we are transporting blood & blood-related products, which are supposed to be kept at a low temperature. After the experiment, we found that not only can we maintain the temperature, but there was also no damage to the products transported. We sent another sample through an ambulance & if there are no differences in the samples sent using the two modes, then this drone will be used all over India, reported ANI.

Prof Pammi Gauba, Dean, A&R and Head, Department of Biotechnology, JIIT, stated, This is a pathbreaking validation study involving the collaborative efforts of ICMR, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi, Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida and Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JIIT), Noida.

However, this is not the first time that a drone was deployed for medical purposes in the country. According to Hindustan times, in the year 2022, Skye Air Mobility counducted the first trial in Gurugram, where a drone collected samples from a private hospital and took them to SRL Labs.

The ICMR has previously conducted successful delivery of medical supplies, vaccines, and medicines in remote areas of Manipur and Nagaland.

With inputs from agencies

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One of the most abiding myths about this regions politics is that a weak Pakistan is bad for India. Legacy analysts from the Track II diplomacy and Aman Ki Asha era repeat this every time Pakistan is in deep crisis. It is in reality a cry for help for Pakistan couched as an advice in Indias interest.

Nowhere in the last 75 years is any evidence that a strong Pakistan has been good for India. The Pakistan economys strongest run, for instance, was under Ayub Khans prime ministership (1958-69). Economic growth averaged 5.82 per cent, and manufacturing growth was 8.51 per cent, higher than any other time in Pakistans history.

What did this strong Pakistan do?

It sneaked troops illegally into Jammu and Kashmir in 1965 till India responded militarily and a war broke out. And right after Ayub Khans golden run, Pakistan fought a second and more destructive war with India in 1971. It slaughtered three million Hindus and progressive Muslims in Bangladesh, raped thousands of women before being comprehensively defeated by India again.

Then under the Islamist General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq  a period of relative political strength and prosperity  Pakistan carried out the most extensive radicalisation project, funding terrorism and putting in motion the doctrine of bleeding India with a thousand cuts.

Again, in the twilight of a falling Nawaz Sharif and rising Pervez Musharraf  still, a relatively strong Pakistan  it sent troops and jihadis to Kargil and tried to capture Indian territory. In the following years, it launched dozens of terror attacks on India including 26/11 and the Parliament attack.

In comparison, a Pakistan in free fall and a strong, assertive India have meant no major terror strike on civilian targets in the last nine years. Also, the terror strikes emanating from Pakistan in the rest of the region have considerably lessened, with the Islamist nation busy lacerating itself.

Here are 10 quick points why India should focus on further weakening Pakistan and not heed the advice of the disguised spokespersons of its enemy.

1. Pakistan is created out of hate for India and Hindus. It is a nation with only hatred and rejection as its glue. Most of its institutions have been created and geared to act against India. Prosperity and stability will only aggravate the tendency to hurt India with surplus energy and resources.

2. A strong economy allows Pakistan to divert a lot more money for military purposes and jihad against India. It also allows for a strong military establishment, which is more adept at causing organised trouble in India than a gaggle of lawless Taliban-like militias. Unlike Pakistan and Afghanistan, India is not bound with Pakistan by religion or geography to allow for the indiscriminate infiltration which happens across the Durand Line.

3. A weak and fractious Pakistan allows India to further divide it. Pakistan has already created a swamp of violent, jobless and radicalised youth in every bylane. Instead of dealing with puppet governments controlled from the ante-room by the generals, India can covertly make individuals and groups do its bidding and further its self-interest.

4. Trade with Pakistan is anyway so wafer-thin  it is just $500 million  that it does not bother India. In fact, Pakistan needs the trade a lot more desperately, which is why the volume doubled despite a trade ban in 2021. A stronger Indian rupee because of the weakened Pakistan also works in Indias favour. On 9 May, 2013, one Indian rupee equalled 1.817 Pakistani rupees. Ten years later on 9 May, 2023, one Indian rupee was trading at 3.47 Pakistani rupee.

5. A turbulent Pakistan means less foreign investment flowing into it. That means less lobbying against India on fake issues like Kashmir and victimhood of Indian Muslims from the Left-liberal western interest groups and the Islamic world.

6. Arabs are giving up on a weak and violent Pakistan as the model Islamic state in the Indian subcontinent. They are increasingly more amenable to Muslims coexisting peacefully with Hindus and other religionists in India. They see India as one of the most valued partners. This has palpably improved Indias foreign relations with the Arab world.

7. Radical Indian Muslims have no successful Islamic state in the region to look up to and fan separatism after Pakistans tailspin into chaos and Bangladeshs sliding civil rights and economy. That increases the possibility of reconciliation and peace at home.

8. A weaker Pakistan will mean a weaker Taliban and a ray of hope in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been the chief meddler and tormentor for Afghans, keeping alive and bringing back the Taliban to power. All womens rights including basic ones like education and work have been taken away, nightmare walks the land. A weak Pakistan fails to provide succour to the Taliban, which makes it possible for others to control the savage outfit.

9. China will have less of a leverage and will see more sense in peace with India if Pakistan is too weak to be of any use. The Chinese are already worried by its puppet coming unhinged. Militancy in Balochistan and other areas deeply worry it. And it does not have any love for radical Islam to go out of its way and help Pakistan. A weak Pak could be good for India-China relations.

10. And lastly, a weak Pakistan is an invitation for India to move towards its goal of reclaiming Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Balochistan. Pakistan was a crucial part of the larger civilisation, and Bharat would like every piece of it back in the coming decades, minus the insanity.

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In recent times, Chinese social media has been agog with tank dens being built by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in Tibet; one article speaks of fully underground design, to prevent Indian troops from starting artillery sneak attack.

In December 2022, the site ximalaya.com mentioned: India always wants to act tougher with China in order to please the United States; it is the root cause of disputes on the Sino-Indian border and in the border areas.

This is forgetting that the dispute started at the end of the 1950s, at a time India was close to the Soviet Union.

The article affirmed: The PLA is far better prepared for war than the Indians could imagine, and recently, India has even discovered an unexpected situation. This will not only effectively protect against Indian bombardment, but also provide a fairly good environment for the equipment.

Of course, this can be seen as part of the Information Warfare (IW) waged against India, but it cant be fully ignored.

The article mentioned some Chinese PLA 96A tanks hidden in tank dens near the Indian border (probably in the Chumbi Valley between Sikkim and Bhutan).

Old habits die hard

There is nothing new in the Chinese mania to dig, except that the PLAs technology is today far ahead of what it was decades ago.

Nearly 30 years ago, I had the opportunity to interview several senior Tibetan officials who accompanied the Dalai Lama in exile in 1959.

One of them was Rinchen Sadutshang, who as a young translator accompanied the Tibetan delegation who signed a 17-Point Agreement with China in Beijing in 1951; later he served as the Dalai Lamas representative in Delhi.

When asked whether the Chinese had a massive deployment of troops in Southern Tibet at the end of 1950s (for example in places like Tsona, north of Tawang), Sadutshang replied: Oh yes, all over the place. Wherever the PLA went, they were very secretive. They were always stationed in mountains and they dug tunnels and tunnels and tunnels.

This surprised me greatly.

Later, I asked him again about the tunnels; for example, was the local population involved? Sadutshang recounted: They did not allow the local population [to come nearby]. All aspects of military operations were top secret. Very few civilians were involved, maybe one or two who were indispensable. It was people that either were completely trusted or some after being used, were eliminated. It was so secret, and all the [PLA] movements were happening at night, never during the day. [Tibetan] people could only report: we heard a lot of vehicles moving, a lot trucks moving, it must be the army; they had not seen them.

The Tibetan official continued: Even in Yatung, they used to be a lot of Chinese military forces there, all inside tunnels, they dug the mountains, huge tunnels, [they were] like mice living under the ground. Exactly the same as mice, you do not see them from outside and they are so well guarded, they do not allow anybody to go 10 km from the entrance as all roads were blocked.

I had forgotten about this interview until I recently came across the tank dens.

The Underground City

Some other historical cases are well-known; during the Cold War, a bomb shelter consisting of a network of tunnels existed beneath Beijing, the Chinese capital. Some observers spoke of the Underground Great Wall, it was built for military purposes.

The complex was constructed from 1969 to 1979 in anticipation of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union as the Sino-Soviet relations had worsened.

It is Mao Zedong who ordered the construction of the Underground City.

The complex was designed to withstand nuclear, biochemical and conventional attacks. The averred purpose was to protect Beijings population and allow government officials to leave in the event of an attack on the capital.

Lying some 18 metres underground, the dark, damp, and genuinely eerie tunnels covered an area of 85 square kilometres. At one time there were about 90 entrances to the complex, all of which were hidden in shops along the main streets of Qianmen, says the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

The complex had facilities such as restaurants, clinics, schools, theatres, factories, a roller skating rink, grain and oil warehouses, and a mushroom cultivation farm. It was built by more than 300,000 local workers, including volunteer school students.

There were also almost 70 potential sites where water wells could easily be dug if required. To this add elaborate ventilation systems with 2,300 shafts that could be sealed off to protect the tunnels inhabitants from poison gases. All contingencies had been taken into consideration.

Many believe that the tunnels linked important government buildings such as Zhongnanhai, the Great Hall of the People, and even PLA bases in the outskirts of the city; the rumour was that every senior officials residence had a secret trapdoor leading to the tunnels.

Project 131

Another grandiose scheme was Project 131, located in the town of Gaoqiao of the Xianan District of the Xianning prefecture-level city in Hubei Province. It was located some 80 km south of Wuhan.

The origin of the Project is also the split with the Soviet Union. On 31 January, 1969, the decision was taken to build an underground command headquarters for the PLA (the name derives from the date of the decision or 1-31). The Chief of Staff of the PLAs General Staff Department, Gen Huang Yongsheng was responsible for the construction.

In 1955, Huang had risen through the 1950s and 1960s, and during the Cultural Revolution, he became close to Lin Biao, the Defence Minister.

The tunnels, which had meeting rooms and offices for the top commanders, were constructed under the nearby hills; luxurious villas for Mao Zedong and his heir apparent Lin Biao were also built but over the ground.

After the latters dramatic escape and his subsequent death, Huang was purged due to his close association with the defence minister; the project was stopped and Mao and his cronies never used the facilities.

The Tank Dens

Now, it appears that the PLA has built semi-underground as well as fully underground fortifications and military bases along the Tibet-India border.

The article quoted above said: In recent reports, the PLAs plateau underground fortifications have been revealed and although not many specific [details about the] plateau underground fortifications have become public, there are enough to show the existence of a number of them, including a rare Chinese tank fortress; it can also be called a staging area for tanks and troops. A hundred tanks as well as other armoured vehicles and a large number of PLA troops are already stationed directly in this semi-underground fortification.

The site ximalaya.com added: The PLA plateau bases are now fully underground facilities, and though the amount of work is very important, it has the advantage of good protection for the equipment and it greatly improves the living conditions of the [army] personnel. More importantly, it can provide good protection against sneak attacks by Indian troops using artillery. Due to the very large range of modern weaponry, the problem of facing a surprise attack must be considered even at a distance of several dozen of kilometres from the front line.

The article further rationales: It is not possible to rule out the possibility of a surprise attack by the Indians, [for example] a sudden and massive artillery attack. The PLA should then be prepared with a large number of armoured vehicles [tanks] to ensure that our forces are not destroyed by the Indian army, after all, we cant afford to have a defensive [position] only.

Whether all these details are confirmed in their entirety or not, it should be a serious warning for India.

The border situation

In this context, it was interesting to see that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently stood firm on Indias position when he met his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu. Held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting in Delhi, the Indian Minister is said to have used plain words to characterize the recent developments in the India-China border. A statement said: Rajnath Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders . He reiterated 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.

Undoubtedly, China is getting ready for a long haul; the tank dens should be seen from this perspective.

The author is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views are personal.

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Imran Khan has made a grave miscalculation. In his attempt to take on Pakistans most powerful institution, the military, he has ended up in a corner without exits. Right now, the former prime minister may face either of the two likely consequences. He may be jailed for a long, long time and disqualified from taking part in any election in the future, or in the time-honoured tradition of the Pakistani military, he may simply disappear from public view, and none may hear from him again.

The chance of any prolonged trial before Khan is sentenced by pliant courts is highly unlikely. That runs the risk of reinforcing his popularity even more in a country rendered dangerously unstable due to the pitched battle between Khans ardent supporters and the military establishment. The civilian government of Shehbaz Sharif is just a bit part player in the unfolding drama.

What may happen is a quick trial where Khan is convicted, sentenced and an even quicker incarceration. The signs are evident. The events leading to, and the nature of Khans arrest give an indication of what lies ahead.

Cases against Khan are aplenty, and these were filed in different corners of the country so that arrest becomes plausible wherever he goes. So far, Khan had garrisoned himself in his Lahore residence, fortified by thousands of supporters to foil such an eventuality, and was successful in his tactics.

But with non-bailable arrest warrants piling up for non-availability in courts despite several summons, Khan had to present himself sooner or later. Tuesdays development had therefore a ring of inevitability to it, and Khan had anticipated it.

The former prime minister was submitting biometric data in a court in Islamabad Tuesday when paramilitary forces smashed their way into the premises by breaking down window panes, arrested Khan on multiple corruption charges and forcibly whisked him away to an unknown location.

A court in Islamabad in a late-night hearing Tuesday upheld Khans arrest as legal and deemed that all formalities were fulfilled by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) while carrying out the arrest. Reports emerged that Khan was being held in custody in an ISI safe house.

Within the next few hours, different parts of the country went up in flames, and in unprecedented scenes, even military properties came under attack. Pakistan armys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commanders residence in Lahore were not spared by angry mobs. Interestingly, as the rioters (mostly supporters and workers of Khans party PTI) went on a rampage, the police or the military were nowhere to be seen.

There were widespread reports of violence and arson, even vandalism of war memorials but no large-scale arrests. The government and the military have so far been largely muted in their response. Apart from suspension of internet services and blocking of social media across the country, the feared retaliation didnt take place. It raises speculation that the military is deliberately letting the PTI run amok so that it may become easier to take disciplinary actions against Khan and his party members.

One other point is worth noting. Bloomberg has reported that Khans custody hearing would be held inside Islamabads police headquarters for security reasons. According to Reuters, that cited the police, Khan will not be brought to court, instead the guest house where has been held will serve as the temporary court during Wednesdays hearing.

Meanwhile, Khans party members are alleging that they are unable to get in touch with him. Not only senior party leaders but Khan is even being denied legal representation. According to News18, Khans lawyer does not have access to his client.

Take these strands together, and it becomes clear that the military has hardened its stance on Khan. The former prime ministers strategy of challenging the primacy of Pakistans military and his attempts at shifting the balance of power in the civil-military equation was not misplaced. For the first time since inception, the military establishment seemed to be at a loss in tackling Khan  which is nothing more, but a military project gone rogue.

Yet, Khan, the allrounder extraordinaire, couldnt get his timing right. Had he been a little more patient, the decks would have been cleared. But in raising the ante against the army, targeting senior military officers through video addresses and in rallies and accusing them of assassination plots against him likely tied the hands of the dissenters within the army and made it easier for anti-Khan segment within the military to take him on. Just a day ahead he was arrested, the military warned Khan against making baseless allegations.

That said, not even Nostradamus can predict events in Pakistan. Recent events, however, indicate that Khans career as a politician has become extremely uncertain.

The author is deputy executive editor, Firstpost. He tweets @sreemoytalukdar

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The Kerala Story is now banned in Mamata Banerjees Bengal. Stalins Tamil Nadu too has decided not to show it in its theatres. The liberals across the country are up in arms  not against the banning of the film in the two states, but against the film itself, calling it an assault on Muslims. One senior journalist, whom Rahul Gandhi had not long ago complimented publicly in a press conference of forwarding his side of story, said the film smacks of propaganda. Interestingly, the same journalist had not very long ago recommended people to watch Parzania, based on the plight of a Parsi family during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Victimhood has a religion, especially in Indias elite Left-liberal ecosystem.

First and foremost, banning a film, whether Pathaan, Padmavat, Parzania or The Kerala Story, isnt the sign of a matured democracy, far less an evolved society. The state banning it just because it finds its content uncomfortable is still understandable, given the political class tendency to get edgy when confronted with inconvenient truths. But the same cannot  and should not  be expected of the Left-liberal class. The latters silence  worse, muted support  to the state high-handedness in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu is both unfortunate and dangerous.

The premise of The Kerala Story is hardly a revelation. Historically, from Mohammed bin Qasims invasion onwards, there has been a constant Islamist endeavour to kill all males, especially those capable of bearing arms, and enslave their hapless women, as eminent historian KS Lal wrote in one of his essays. True to their learnings, the contemporary Islamists too look for non-Muslim women to enslave them for jihad. Since its no longer easier to raid and capture these women and girls, they now take recourse to love.

There are numerous reports worldwide of non-Muslim girls being converted via love jihad  and after conversion they are pushed towards terror or terror-related activities. Whether through the Grooming Gang in the UK or via love jihad in India, the Islamist template is similar: Brainwashing young girls, most of whom are still in their teens, to convert to Islam and then become a tool for the radical Islamists to orchestrate terrorism. Girls with a difficult past are easy to lure, so are those hailing from families that have been obsessively secular enough to uproot their children of their own religio-cultural past. Its in this vacuum that these Islamists thrive.

Coming back to the liberals, by turning into an apologist to Islamism and its regressive worldview, they have themselves become a threat to the modern, democratic order. What they dont realise is that by doing so they are not just legitimising the Islamist violence but also emboldening the very regressive forces that challenge the liberal order. As Pallavi Aiyar quotes Manzour Ahmad, a 61-year-old Islamic scholar in Brussels, in her book, Punjabi Parmesan: Dispatches from a Europe in Crisis, Europeans have become victims of their own laws. Its impossible for them to stop the Muslims now. They have cut off their own arms with all these rights. Human rights and womens rights and immigrants rights. When Aiyar asked what he would have done had he been a European policymaker, pat came the reply: I would change their laws to stop all this immigration.

It is this liberal proclivity to turn a blind eye to growing Islamist assertion in the West that has Douglas Murray come up with a book, The Strange Death of Europe, which poignantly explains how Europe is in the process of committing suicide, thanks to its leaders blindly pursuing policies that pander to Islamists in the name of liberalism, multiculturalism, et al. Murray is unsparing in announcing Europes obituary which if its leaders dont mend their ways would be possible by the end of the life-spans of most people currently alive in Europe.

The Indian liberal, being an ideological descendant of his European counterpart, too is bent on committing the same harakiri. He reports on missing Indian girls, mostly from Kerala. He also concedes that these girls are lured into Islam and then forced to join ISIS or such jihadi outfits. But when a film is made on the issue, he gets wary. He calls it a figment of Hindutva imagination, though it is the Church in Kerala that has been aggressively campaigning against such conversions. In 2020, for instance, the Syro-Malabar Church, one of the largest church bodies in Kerala, had released a statement, claiming Christian women were becoming victims of love jihad.

In fact, the murmurs of love jihad were first heard in Kerala more than a decade ago. In 2009, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council had claimed that more than 4,500 girls in the state have been converted into Islam, calling the phenomenon love jihad or Romeo jihad. A year later, this accusation got the official legitimacy when VS Achuthanandan, the then communist chief minister of the state, talked about the sinister Islamist plan to make Kerala a Muslim state in the next 20 years by luring youngsters, offering them money and insisting that they marry Hindu girls to increase the Muslim population. In 2012, Oomen Chandy, the then Congress chief minister of Kerala, said that among those converted to Islam between 2009 and 2012, as many as 2,667 were young women of which 2,195 were Hindus and 492 were Christians. Even the Kerala High Court conceded in 2009 that there was a concerted effort by certain outfits to convert women; there had been 3,000-4,000 such conversions in the past four years, it added.

The Hindutva charge against The Kerala Story also falls flat given the fact that this is not the first time a film has been made on the issue. From the 1991 American drama Not Without My Daughter and Britains Jihadi Brides (2015) to Netflixs Caliphate (2020) to 2016 French film Heaven Will Wait (Le Ciel attendra), there are many films on the subject. Just like so many young, impressionable girls from Britain and France, among other European countries, joined ISIS, several young Indian women too joined this jihad in West Asia. Given that so many people had been lured into conversion in India, it was only a matter of time that The Kerala Story was made.

Equally ludicrous, if not utterly disturbing, is the Left-liberal narrative to hyphenate Islamism with Islam, and ISIS with Muslims at large. Why would the Muslim community per se take offence to the showcasing of Islamist/ISIS wrongdoings in a film? As Abhijit Majumder writes in his Firstpost article, If the Congress and the seculars attacking Hindutva is not an attack on Hindus, how is the RSS and the BJP exposing Islamist conversions and ISIS activities in Kerala or the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits anti-Muslim?

One can, however, understand the apprehension among the elite liberal class in India, which, in reality, has predominantly been closet Leftist. Some of them are Stalinists as well. As one is reminded of Stalin, his whisperers come to the mind. In his book, The Whisperers, British historian Orlando Figes explores the terrorised lives of ordinary people in Stalins Russia  a world where people were so afraid to talk that they spoke in whispers. With first The Kashmir Files and now The Kerala Story, Indias dark secrets are tumbling out of the Left-liberal closet, to be finally discussed and debated in the open. People, finally overcoming the fear of Left-liberal ostracisation, are no longer talking about Kashmir and Kerala in whispers. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the old Left-liberal stranglehold that has blighted most of independent India. The public response to The Kerala Story, just like The Kashmir Files last year, affirms to that change.

The author is Opinion Editor, Firstpost and News18. He tweets from @Utpal_Kumar1. Views expressed are personal.

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New Delhi: Karnataka Congress president and partys candidate from Kanakapura DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said that young voters have a great opportunity to vote for a change and expressed confidence that the party will win at least 141 seats and form the government with absolute majority.

I am 200% confident Congress party will win 141 seats. We will win an absolute majority.., said Shivakumar.

#WATCH | I am 200% confident Congress party will have 141 seats. We will win an absolute majority.., says Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar#KarnatakaAssemblyElection2023 pic.twitter.com/0wlj5wkQ57  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Today young voters have a great opportunityThey will vote for a changeThey know about the price rise and corruption in the state. I am sure they will go for a change and give us 141 seats. I am confident that Congress party will form the government, he added.

Appealing to voters, the state Congress chief said that people should cast their votes by looking at the gas cylinders which have been placed at different voting booths to remind the voters of the price rise unleashed during the BJP regime.

I am appealing to everyone, please cast a vote by looking at our gas cylinders. I have advised all my leaders to put a gas cylinder outside the booth and put a garland on it, he said.

#WATCH | Karnataka Congress president & partys candidate from Kanakapura, DK Shivakumar says, I am appealing to everyone, please cast a vote by looking at our gas cylinders. I have advised all my leaders to put a gas cylinder outside the booth and put a garland on it https://t.co/sXWrC2VyI5 pic.twitter.com/ERVRojpoh1  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Earlier in the day, the state Congress chief offered prayers at Sri Kenkeramma Temple in Kanakapura along with his brother and party MP DK Suresh.

#WATCH | #KarnatakaElections | Karnataka Congress president and partys candidate from Kanakapura, DK Shivakumar offers prayers at Sri Kenkeramma Temple in Kanakapura, Ramanagara. His brother and party MP DK Suresh is also with him. pic.twitter.com/mWII5XkgMJ  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Polling in Karnataka is being held across 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (Secular).

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.

Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 8.26 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling in the state on Wednesday, according to Election Commission data.

The highest percentage was in the coastal district of Udupi (13.28 per cent) and the lowest in Chamarajanagar district (5.75 per cent) till 9 am.

With inputs from agencies

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was arrested on Wednesday, a day after party chief and former prime minister Imran Khan was nabbed by the cash strapped countrys anti-corruption agency, threatening fresh turmoil in the nuclear-armed country amid multiple reports of clashes between PTI supporters and police.

Qureshi was arrested from Red Zone in Islamabad, according to reports.

Earlier in the day, Qureshi said he would announce the partys next course of action keeping in view the instructions from Imran Khan. If I am also arrested, someone else will take over the leadership of the party, the former minister said in Karachi, The Express Tribune reported.

Condemning the party chiefs arrest, Qureshi said, This move is unethical, illegal and unconstitutional. Imran Khans arrest is linked to London.

He further said Imran had already recorded a video in his vehicle while travelling for biometrics and expressed his concerns that he might be arrested. In fact, he had asked (the authorities) himself to arrest him, he alleged.

(With inputs from agencies)

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We all have heard that AI bots like ChatGPT are causing massive attritions and job losses as more and more businesses look to replace human workers with AI-based tools. However, the advent of AI has also led to the creation of new jobs, and perhaps, even new professions.

A software company is hiring people to teach its AI bots how to write perfectly in languages other than AI, and is paying top dollar to the people it hires as trainers.

Its not as if AI is only leading to the erasure of jobs. Just last month, we reported how prompt engineering, is one of the fastest-growing new professions out there, and how tech companies and AI development studios are scrambling to hire engineers who can help AI bots learn how to better process prompts.

Also read: Prompt engineering: Tech firms are paying over $335K a year for new job created by ChatGPT

While AI tools like ChatGPT have made significant advancements in writing fluently in English, they still have room for improvement when it comes to other languages. AI tools often require assistance from human experts to excel in languages beyond English, including the need for writers and language experts to train the AI models effectively.

For those who possess exceptional language skills in languages other than English and consider themselves wordsmiths in the language, this job opportunity is worth considering. Scale AI, a data-labelling company, is currently seeking writers who can assist in training their generative AI models to improve their writing capabilities in diverse languages. The company is offering a competitive compensation of $25 an hour or roughly Rs 2000 for the valuable time and expertise provided.

This opportunity allows language enthusiasts and skilled writers to contribute to the development of AI technology by enhancing its proficiency in various languages. Collaborating with Scale AI to train their AI models offers a chance to make a meaningful impact while being rewarded for your contributions.

Also read: Its Indias Moment: Fierce hunt for AI talent reaches India, salaries being doubled

However, if for some reason, you think that $25 an hour is too low, consider this  you will be required to work for at least 20 hours a week, as per your discretion, and you can work from home. For those 20 hours, you will be making roughly $500 or Rs 41,000 every week. Multiply that by the 4 weeks in a month and youre easily looking at $2000 or roughly Rs 1.6 Lakhs a month.

If you join Scale AI as a writer, youll have the opportunity to showcase your language skills by translating various languages such as Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin, German, Vietnamese, Persian, and Swedish.

Additionally, youll be assigned engaging tasks that align with your language proficiency, such as evaluating and prioritizing AI model responses, crafting concise stories based on specific themes, and verifying the accuracy of text generated by AI models.

The translations produced will be utilized in written material to train generative AI models. All projects can be worked on remotely, and working hours are flexible, enabling you to choose when to work based on your schedule. Weekly payments will be issued for your work on ongoing projects. If youre interested in this opportunity, you can apply, and if theres a good fit, well contact you with further instructions.

Also read: Artificial Intelligence in workplace will kill some jobs, but produce host of creative ones, say experts

If youre considering applying for this job, its necessary to have a background as a professional translator or experience in professional writing such as copywriting, journalism, or technical writing. However, if youre a humanities or writing student currently enrolled or have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree in these fields, youre also eligible to apply.

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Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on Afghanistan to reform its radical policies excluding women from education and public life and adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism.

The comments came on the heels of a Pakistan-hosted mini-summit of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan that sought to promote trade and lower border tensions amid a surge of attacks inside Pakistan.

Wang said China hopes the Taliban-appointed Afghan interim government will take solid steps in the right direction, make practical efforts to gain the understanding and trust of the international community and create favourable conditions for Afghanistan to further develop good neighbourliness with its neighbours and integrate into the international community.

China generally refrains from commenting on the internal policies of nations with which it wishes to curry favor, or can use as leverage in its campaign to combat the dominance of global affairs by the U.S. and other liberal democracies.

China has also made halting efforts to extend its Belt and Road Initiative to Afghanistan which could see the construction of railways and bridges but is chiefly concerned with Afghanistan harbouring separatists opposed to Chinese control in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The international community still has a lot of concerns and expectations for the Afghan interim government, including hoping the Afghan side will make more progress in implementing moderate and prudent internal and external policies and safeguarding the rights and interests of women and children, and adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism so as to produce more visible results, Wang said at a daily briefing.

Wang praised a joint statement issued Monday at the end of the trilateral meeting as the first time the Taliban had put in writing a commitment to disallow terrorist groups to use Afghanistan as a base of operations.

Women barred from receiving education

Women in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime have been deprived of several rights including a ban on school and University education. Since 15 August 2021, the Taliban have restricted women and girls freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned them from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday unanimously condemned a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to swiftly reverse a rigid crackdown on the fundamental rights of women and girls.

Earlier this year, the Taliban began enforcing the ban on Afghan women working for the UN after stopping most women from working for humanitarian aid groups in December. Since toppling the US-backed government in 2021, they have also tightened controls on womens access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls high schools.

With inputs from AP.

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Researchers at Nankai University in China made an announcement regarding their development of a BCI or a brain-computer interface. They claim that this implant enables a monkey to control a robotic arm solely using its mind. The researchers view this achievement as a significant breakthrough that has the potential to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities.

The brain-computer interface converts electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from the monkeys brain into control commands, allowing it to operate the robotic arm, which is equipped with food. Its important to note that the research conducted by the team at Nankai University has not undergone peer review, and the claims made in the announcement have not been independently verified.

Taking BCIs a step further

According to the announcement, the trial was led by Professor Duan Feng and involved collaboration with the General Hospital of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (301 Hospital) and Shanghai Xinwei Medical Technology Company Ltd.

Also read: Mind Hunter: Scientists develop ChatGPT-like tool that turns peoples thoughts into text in real-time

The experiment builds upon previous work with interventional brain-computer interface experiments involving animals, specifically sheep. The announcement mentions the utilization of EEG signal recognition and other core technologies.

The university also shared an image depicting the surgical procedure performed on the sedated monkey, where the doctors are seen monitoring the procedure on a screen while the monkey lies on a table.

In the announcement, the researchers explain that the interventional brain-computer interface developed by Professor Duan Fengs team involves attaching an interventional EEG sensor to the monkeys brain vessels without the need for invasive craniotomy. This method allows for the collection of intracranial EEG signals.

How does the new BCI work?

The interventional EEG sensor is inserted through the jugular vein, travels to the sagittal sinus, and reaches the motor cortex area of the brain. Following the surgical procedure, the researchers were able to successfully collect and recognize EEG signals.

Also read: Biotech firm beats Elon Musks Neuralink, has implanted brain chips in 50 people for ailments

This enabled the monkey to actively control the robotic arm. The announcement emphasizes the consideration of security and stability in developing a type of brain-computer interface that is both non-invasive and effective.

The results of the interventional brain-computer interface experiment carried out in the brains of non-human primates have promoted the advancement of interventional brain-computer interface from laboratory prospective research to clinical application, and will help promote, according to Professor Duan Feng.

The industrial upgrading of medical enterprises, through the combination of medicine and industry to create a national brand of high-end medical equipment, will have broad market prospects in the field of brain disease medical rehabilitation in the future.

In the announcement, the researchers describe the development of an interventional brain-computer interface by Professor Duan Fengs team. This interface involves attaching an interventional EEG sensor to the monkeys brain vessels, eliminating the need for invasive craniotomy. By utilizing this method, the researchers were able to collect intracranial EEG signals.

The mentioned device consists of an electrode placed beneath the scalp and a prescription pod that attaches to the users hair to provide power. It delivers small electrical pulses to the specific brain region affected by depression, specifically the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, for a duration of 15 minutes per day.

The race to perfect human-worthy BCIs

Another company, Synchron, initiated human trials of its brain implant in July last year. This implant allows the wearer to control a computer solely through their thoughts. The Stentrode brain implant, approximately the size of a paperclip, will be implanted in six patients with severe paralysis in New York and Pittsburgh. The Stentrode enables patients to control digital devices and perform daily tasks like texting, emailing, and online shopping using their thoughts.

Also read: Neuralink, Elon Musks brain computer interface company is looking for human trial partners

Elon Musks Neuralink has also garnered attention, although it has faced controversy due to allegations of animal rights violations. In March, Neuralinks request to conduct human testing with its chip was rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA outlined numerous concerns that Neuralink must address before proceeding with human trials, which is a crucial step for final product approval.

Lab notes from experiments conducted at the University of California Davis (UC Davis) raised similar concerns about animal issues related to the implants, aligning with the FDAs apprehensions.

Neuralink is under scrutiny due to animal advocacy groups and former employees raising concerns about animal welfare violations. The FDAs rejection included a list of deficiencies that Neuralink must address before proceeding with human trials, according to multiple sources within Neuralink.

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With military analysts in Beijing criticising Japans placement of the US-made Patriot PAC-3 missile defence system at Miyako Island, which is close to Taiwan, the breach between archrivals China and Japan is certain to grow.

At a news conference on May 8, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that the Air Self-Defense Force has stationed Patriot PAC-3 ground-to-air guided missiles at its Miyako Island installation in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture.

In the first island chain close to Taiwan, this is seen to be a key strategic node.

Matsuno also told the media that the PAC-3 missiles from Japans Ground Self-Defense Force had been stationed at the Ishigaki and Yonaguni islands in addition to the Miyakojima deployment.

Matsuno explained that the Patriot missiles are intended to intercept any future launches of long-range ballistic missiles from North Korea.

Ballistic missiles that North Korea claimed to be artificial satellites were fired; the missiles twice passed close to these three islands, once in 2012 and again in 2016.

However, as reported by the state-owned Global Times, Chinese analysts have harshly criticised the deployment.

The analysts emphasised that Taiwanese media had noticed that the deployment locations are closer to Taiwan than North Korea, adding that this is yet another Japanese attempt to interfere in the Taiwan question.

Regular patrols and drills encircling the island of Taiwan as well as through the Miyako Strait into the West Pacific are conducted by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) between the island of Taiwan and Yonaguni Island.

The focus of Chinas military exercises has also changed significantly, with the PLA soldiers emphasising the practise invasion of Taiwan by surrounding it and cutting it off from any external interference.

China launched extraordinary live-fire drills in reaction to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan in August of last year, firing numerous missiles towards the waters between northeastern and southwestern Taiwan.

Taiwan has had to strengthen its air defences in response to Chinas escalating hostility and grey zone tactics against the island nation.

The Skybow III and Patriot missiles that were deployed to the northern half of the state in February of this year make up the majority of Taiwans air defence. Taiwanese media, however, saw Japans deployment of a PAC battery close to the island as a favourable move given Chinas pattern of military escapades in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan fears a growing threat from China and is hoping the Patriot PAC-3 missile defence system can deflect Chinese missiles headed its way.

The Taiwanese news organisation Taiwan News has reported that these southern Japanese islands are closer to Taiwan than North Korea. The possibility that the deployment could possibly be intended to intercept Chinese missiles is raised by this.

It highlighted that while Yilan County in northeast Taiwan is only 362 kilometers away from Miyako Island, Kaesong, the southernmost metropolis of North Korea, is 1,459 kilometers away. Although Japanese or Taiwanese officials have not supported such theories, Chinese analysts are brimming with suspicion.

According to Wei Dongxu, a military expert in Beijing, Japans placement of Patriot missiles on its southwest island chain has nothing to do with the nearby Korean Peninsula.

The analyst went on to say that the move is extremely aggressive towards China since its real objective is to arm the islands with anti-air and anti-ship missiles and prepare for a military intervention in the Taiwan dispute.

Wei counselled China to bolster its defences against any military incursion attempts from hostile outside forces. Just a few days prior, the PAC-3 Patriot missile defence system in Ukraine performed brilliantly by intercepting and downing a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile.

Modern military hardware that Kyiv is receiving from its partners in the West, mainly the United States, is now being tested in Ukraine. China, for its part, has been closely observing the combat effectiveness of Western military hardware against the powerful military force of Russia.

Ukrainian officials have been clamouring for the PAC-3 Patriot missile defence systems, which can take down the super-maneuverable ballistic missiles, ever since Russia launched a volley of ballistic and cruise missiles on Ukraine, causing devastation on the troubled nation last year.

Finally, these systems were shipped to Ukraine in April, and it is said that they were then installed in Kyiv, the countrys capital. The PAC-3 stunned the Russian and Ukrainian military earlier this month when it successfully shot down a Russian hypersonic missile. Due to their speed and erratic flight paths, hypersonic missiles are thought to be able to penetrate air defence systems.

Thus, China may feel even more uneasy if a PAC-3 Patriot missile defence system is deployed close to Taiwan. The American system has turned into a pain in the neck for its rivals, China and Russia.
The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has been cautioned by state-owned military publications to be on high alert as a result of the United States (US) increased engagement and military cooperation with Chinas regional rivals Japan and South Korea.

Chinas military mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, warned against the rising frequency of military manoeuvres between the three countries in what China views to be its own backyard in one of its most overt and brazen warnings. It continues to warn that the stability of the region may be threatened by these drills.

The warning comes at a time when Chinas main rival, the United States (US), has moved quickly to establish an effective deterrence against North Koreas developing missile programme. Japan and South Korea, longtime enemies, have been patching up their differences to meet this challenge and expand their military cooperation.

Two researchers from the Peoples Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences wrote an essay for the PLA Daily claiming that the alliance the three countries are forming will raise conflict and tension in the region and have a significant impact on security.

It made reference to the countries ongoing military cooperation, including exercises, information exchange, joint weapons development, and their objectives for military growth.

This US-led military cooperation is aimed at controlling what the three states collectively perceive as a provocation by North Korea, despite the PLAs perception that it poses a security threat.

On Friday, a naval practise in the East Seas international waters is attended by warships from the naval forces of South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Republic of Korea Navy, with permission

A naval exercise involving South Korean, American, and Japanese warships took place in the East Seas international waters. courtesy of the Navy of the Republic of Korea on Friday.

For instance, a joint statement from a trilateral meeting between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea read: The US commitment to defend Japan and the ROK are ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear, and reaffirmed the US commitment to strengthen extended deterrence with Japan and the ROK.

Beyond conducting manoeuvres simulating an invasion of Taiwan, the Chinese PLA has increased military exercises with other Asian nations.

In addition, the Shandong aircraft carrier group of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently wrapped off its maiden deep sea operations in the West Pacific, cooperating with the Rocket Force, land-based aviation forces, and other surface combatants beyond the first island chain.

However, with tensions incrementally mounting in the wider Indo-Pacific region and especially in the East and South China Seas, the Chinese suspicion may be palpable. The latest PLA Daily warning came after the US, South Korea, and Japan conducted joint naval missile defence maneuvers targeting North Korean threats in April.

Early in April, combined naval exercises were held by the US, South Korea, and Japan off the Korean Peninsula.

In international waters close to Jeju Island in South Korea, the two-day anti-submarine and rescue drills, which included ships from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group and naval destroyers from South Korea, the US, and Japan, began.

The training, according to a contemporaneous government statement, was designed to improve the three countries capacity to confront challenges to maritime security posed by North Koreas growing submarine-launched ballistic missiles and other weapons. Neither China nor the PLA were mentioned in these exercises.

Later same month, in an effort to counter North Koreas expanding nuclear arsenal, the US, Japan, and South Korea participated in a coordinated missile defence exercise.

The exercises, which took place off the coast of South Korea, were aimed at improving methods for spotting, following, and exchanging information regarding approaching ballistic missiles from North Korea. Each nation sent an Aegis destroyer to the one-day naval exercise.

The PLA Academic additionally cautioned that the three nations were purportedly aiming to create a trilateral intelligence-sharing network based on the Five Eyes, which consists of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

The publication warned that the alliance between the US, South Korea and Japan may eventually lead to an Asia-Pacific version of NATO.

Indias clout in Chinas backyard

India travelled to Chinas backyard, the South China Sea, earlier this month to undertake the first-ever India-ASEAN naval drills, which began on May 2 and finished on May 8.

Through the India-ASEAN Maritime Exercise (AIME-23), the ASEAN and Indian Navies hoped to foster greater camaraderie, trust, and confidence.

Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam make up the ASEAN bloc.

The first AIME was co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Navy of the Republic of Singapore. The exercises harbour phase took place at Changi Naval Base from May 2 to May 4, while the exercises sea phase occurred in the South China Sea from May 7 to May 8.

Over 1,800 personnel from India and the ASEAN nations, along with nine ships and six planes, took part in the drill. The manoeuvres took place as ASEAN nations with overlapping territory claims with Beijing in the South China Sea routinely raised concerns about Chinas growing assertiveness and aggression in the area.

China allegedly attempted to observe these exercises. On the final day of the exercises, boats from a Chinese maritime militia approached a region in the South China Sea where the fleets of India and ASEAN countries were conducting training, according to two Indian sources who spoke to the media.

According to officials with knowledge of the situation, the Chinese surveillance ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 and at least eight maritime militia shipsa front for the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)moved in that area.

According to experts, it was unclear from the Chinese vessels movements whether they were observing the naval exercise or invading Vietnams Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), where China is engaged in a maritime conflict.

According to a local independent expert, China looked to be using the militia to frighten and obstruct the naval exercise.

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Several medical professionals and health policy experts from all around the world have recently made a renewed appeal to put a stop to the progress of artificial intelligence (AI) due to its potential to pose an existential threat to mankind.

According to a team of five experts, there are three ways in which AI can cause the annihilation of humans.

AI Singularity will lead to mass destruction, say doctors and medical professionals

This statement comes just a month or so after more than a thousand scientists, including John Hopfield from Princeton and Rachel Branson from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and historian Yuval Noah Harari signed a letter urging the cessation of AI research for similar reasons.

It is worth noting that current text-based AI resources, such as OpenAIs ChatGPT, do not present the catastrophic risks that the health policy experts are referring to.

The first risk is that AI may assist in amplifying authoritarian tactics, such as the use of surveillance and misinformation. They point out that AIs capability to rapidly clean, categorize, and analyze enormous amounts of personal data, including images captured by the increasingly ubiquitous presence of cameras, could make it easier for authoritarian or totalitarian regimes to ascend and remain in power.

Furthermore, the group of experts cautioned that AI could expedite mass slaughter by enlarging the application of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS).

Finally, the medical professionals expressed apprehension about the potential for severe economic devastation and human suffering, as millions of people lose their jobs to AI-driven automation. The authors noted that predictions of job losses caused by AI automation vary from tens to hundreds of millions in the next decade.

The group, led by a physician associated with the International Institute for Global Health at United Nations University, emphasized that their most severe warnings apply to an exceedingly advanced and still hypothetical form of artificial intelligence: self-improving general-purpose AI (AGI).

AGI or AI Singularity

Unlike current AI, AGI would have the capacity to truly learn and modify its own code, enabling it to perform a wide range of tasks that only humans can do today. In their commentary, the medical experts contend that such an AGI could theoretically learn how to surpass any constraints in its code and start developing its own objectives.

There are scenarios where AGI could present a threat to humans, and possibly an existential threat, the experts said in their statement, by intentionally or unintentionally causing harm directly or indirectly, by attacking or subjugating humans or by disrupting the systems or using up resources we depend on.

The health policy experts commentary, published in the British Medical Association journal BMJ Global Health, emphasized that although such a threat may be several decades away, there are many possibilities for the abuse of AI technology at its current level.

Governments will abuse AI, weaponise it

The authors described how governments and other large organizations might use AI to automate complex tasks of mass surveillance and digital disinformation campaigns, which could pose threats to democracy, liberty, and privacy.

Regarding mass surveillance, they cited Chinas Social Credit System as an example of a state tool used to control and oppress human populations.

In the case of digital disinformation, the authors warned that when combined with the increasingly sophisticated ability to distort or misrepresent reality with deepfakes, AI-driven information systems may exacerbate social division and conflict, leading to public health repercussions by causing a general breakdown of trust and undermining democracy.

AI and Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems or LAWS

The authors outlined the potential dangers posed to peace and public safety, highlighting the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) that resemble the T-800 Endoskeleton from the Terminator films. According to these experts, LAWS would be able to identify, select, and engage human targets entirely on their own.

The authors note that these weapons could be produced in large quantities at a low cost and set up to kill on an industrial scale. For instance, a million tiny drones fitted with explosives, visual recognition capabilities, and autonomous navigational abilities could be programmed to kill and contained in a standard shipping container.

AI destroying the concept of jobs

Lastly, the researchers discussed the likelihood of impoverishment and suffering caused by the widespread deployment of AI technology, emphasizing the possibility of tens to hundreds of millions of individuals losing their jobs.

While there would be many benefits from ending work that is repetitive, dangerous and unpleasant, these medical professionals wrote, we already know that unemployment is strongly associated with adverse health outcomes and behaviour.

The authors of the commentary referred to a survey conducted among members of the AI society, in which 18% of respondents believed that the development of advanced AGI would be catastrophic for humanity. Additionally, half of the members surveyed predicted that AGI would be created sometime between 2040 and 2065.

Similar warnings were issued by Silicon Valley researchers last month, including DeepAI founder Kevin Baragona. Baragona compared the potential conflict between humans and AGI to a war between chimps and humans, stating that humans would win due to their greater intelligence and access to advanced technology.

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday said that Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohens India visit provided further impetus to the bilateral cooperation that has remained on a qualitatively higher trajectory since the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in 2017.

Cohen arrived in Delhi on Tuesday morning on a three-day visit. However, he had to cut short the trip in view of Tel Avivs operation against a militant group in Gaza Strip. He departed from India on Tuesday night.

During the day-long visit, Cohen called on Prime Minister Modi and held wide ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The ties between India and Israel have been on an upswing in the last few years in a range of sectors, including trade and investment, defence, agriculture and water management.

Indias bilateral merchandise trade was US$ 7.86 billion in FY 2021-2022, which has scaled up to a record US$ 10.12 billion in FY 2022-23 (April-Feb), the MEA said.

The MEA said Jaishankar and Cohen, in their talks, touched upon various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including in areas of connectivity, mobility, academic and scientific research, fintech, agriculture, water and trade.

It said they agreed to further diversify the basket of collaboration. They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation under the framework of I2U2, the ongoing conflict in Sudan, developments in West Asia, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, etc., it said.

The I2U2 is a four-nation grouping. It is known as I2U2 with I standing for India and Israel and U for the US and UAE.

Both Ministers initialled on a Framework Agreement on Facilitation of temporary employment of workers in specific labour market sectors in Israel for the recruitment of construction workers and caregivers from India, the MEA said.

Both sides also exchanged two Letters of Intent for setting up of Centres of Water Technology at IIT, Roorkee and IIT, Madras and another LoI for establishment of an upgraded Centre of Innovation in Agriculture at ICAR, Pusa, New Delhi, it said.

Cohen also met Defence Minister Singh and NSA Doval to discuss prospects of further defence and security cooperation between the two countries, it said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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A Dhaka tribunal court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for the murder of his wife in the Kadamtali area in March 2018, driven by dowry-related issues.

According to reports, judge Mosammat Roksana Begum of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 in Dhaka delivered the verdict in the presence of the convicted individual, Md Ripon Gazi.

Earlier, both the prosecution and defense presented their arguments, and the tribunal recorded statements from 11 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.

Case details reveal Ripon Gazi from Kadamtali subjected his wife, Shiuly Akhter, to fatal torture over a dowry amount of Tk 100,000 on Meraznagar Madrasa Road, occurring between March 6 and 7, 2018.

The victims father, Monir Hossain, filed a case against Ripon Gazi at Kadamtali Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

After being arrested, Ripon Gazi admitted to killing his wife due to the dowry demand of Tk 100,000.

Following an investigation, the police submitted a charge sheet to Dhakas Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court on September 20, 2018.

Subsequently, the tribunal issued a conviction warrant and transferred the convict to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

The death-row convict has the option to appeal the judgment within 60 days of receiving a copy of the verdict by challenging it at the High Court.

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A string of national security raids on consulting firms, which have exposed the dangers of conducting business during the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has left foreign companies in China worried.

The American Chamber of Commerces president, Eric Zheng, expressed alarm over the claims that due diligence companies had been singled out by officials since their work is essential to doing business in China.

Chinese authorities should more clearly delineate the areas in which companies can or cannot conduct such due diligence, Zheng said in a statement.

This would give foreign companies more confidence and enable them to comply with Chinese regulations, he added.

Zhengs comments come after a warning of a similar nature issued by a US business organisation last month, who claimed that Chinas recent enlargement of its espionage statute dramatically increases uncertainties and risks of doing business in the Peoples Republic.

Jorge Toledo Albinana, the EUs ambassador to China, said on Tuesday that the legislation was not good news for those who wanted to see the Chinese economy open up even further.

Beijings crackdowns, according to a statement from the EU Chamber of Commerce, send a very mixed signal as China works to regain corporate confidence after abruptly ending its stringent zero COVID approach in December.

Chinese state media said on Monday that authorities were looking into consultancy company Capvision, which has offices in New York, Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, and Shenzhen, for offering to share sensitive information with foreign companies.

On Monday, CCTV aired a lengthy news programme in which it claimed that unnamed Western nations had engaged in rampant theft of intelligence in vital fields relating to Chinas military and economy and accused overseas institutions of doing the same by utilising consultant firms to gather private data.

According to the report, a top researcher at a state-owned corporation was sentenced to six years in prison on espionage charges relating to their work for the consulting firm, and Capvision was accused of forcing local experts to divulge company or state secrets on behalf of unidentified customers.

The investigation comes after Chinese law authorities questioned Bain & Company employees last month, as well as raided the Beijing office of the New York-based due diligence company Mintz Group in March and detained five employees.

For clients like investment banks, hedge funds, and private corporations that may make investments or conduct business in China, Capvision, Bain, and Mintz, all of which have US bases, gather information and data on Chinese companies.

In April, China expanded its anti-spying statute to cover all documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests, signalling a rising mistrust of international institutions in recent months.

Even though the revised law wont go into effect until July, it has already caused concern among international corporations, who claim that access to corporate registries that contain useful information about Chinese enterprises has been blocked.

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New Delhi: The French parliament has called on the EU to formally label the Russian mercenary group Wagner as terrorists, as the United Kingdom reportedly is also poised to designate the group a terror organisation.

Frances parliament unanimously passed a non-binding resolution aimed at encouraging the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organisations.

Wherever they work, Wagner members spread instability and violence, Aljazeera quoted French legislator Benjamin Haddad as saying in the parliament.

They kill and torture. They massacre and pillage. They intimidate and manipulate with almost total impunity, he said.

Wagner fighters are not simple mercenaries driven by an appetite for money but they follow a broad strategy, from Mali to Ukraine, of supporting the aggressive policies of President (Vladimir) Putins regime towards our democracies, he added.

Authorities in France have also blamed the group for running anti-French propaganda operations in west Africa, particularly Mali.

Haddad said he hoped the resolution would encourage the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organisations.

In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the French parliament and urged other countries to follow Frances example.

Special thanks to the French parliament for todays decision to recognise the Russian pseudo-private Wagner group as a terrorist organisation, Zelenskyy said.

This is something that should be adopted by the entire world  every manifestation of terrorism must be destroyed, and every terrorist must be convicted, he said.

Wagner designation imminent

According to Times newspaper, Britain is set to formally classify Russian mercenary force Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation, which would impose financial sanctions and other penalties, as a way of increasing pressure on Russia.

Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Russias months-long assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Home Office has been building a case for two months and proscription was imminent within weeks, the newspaper reported, citing a government source.

Implications of being listed as terror organisation

Being listed as a terrorist organisation means EU members could freeze assets of the Wagner group and its members, with European companies and citizens barred from dealing with the group.

Prigozhin had his assets in the European Union frozen in 2020 and was placed on a visa blacklist over the deployment of Wagner fighters to war-torn Libya, a decision he unsuccessfully appealed.

The French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, conceded to lawmakers on Tuesday that legally the EU terrorist label would not have any direct supplemental effect on the group. But we should not underestimate the symbolic importance of such a designation, nor the dissuasive effect that it could have on states tempted to turn to Wagner.

In the UK, If enacted, it would be a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public, The Times said.

The designation would also impose financial sanctions on the group, and there would be implications for Wagners ability to raise money if any funds went through British financial institutions, the newspaper added.

There has been no evidence that Wagner or individuals linked to the group are operating in Britain since the war in Ukraine started, the report said.

However, there had been suspicions the group helped move money out of Britain after financial sanctions were imposed on Russian oligarchs and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newspaper said, citing a government source.

Britains Home Office said it was looking into the Times report.

Bakhmut has been under Russian attack for more than nine months, with Wagner Group mercenaries leading repeated attempts to advance on what was once a city of 70,000.

The groups leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a social media message on Monday that his troops were beginning to receive ammunition needed to press their advance. Troops had advanced a maximum of 130 metres (400 feet) amid fierce fighting, Prigozhin said.

With inputs from agencies

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A French journalist, aged 32, lost his life while reporting from the war-torn region in eastern Ukraine.

Arman Soldin, an AFP news agency employee, tragically passed away on Tuesday when he was struck by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, located in the west of Bakhmut.

The incident occurred at approximately 16:30 (13:30 GMT) when Soldin was accompanying a group of Ukrainian soldiers, alongside a team of journalists.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his respect for Soldins work on the front lines of the war, stating in a tweet, We share the pain of his loved ones and colleagues.

Journaliste de l'Agence France-Presse, l'un de nos compatriotes, Arman Soldin, a ete tue en Ukraine. Avec courage, des les premieres heures du conflit il etait au front pour etablir les faits. Pour nous informer. Nous partageons la douleur de ses proches et de tous ses confreres.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 9, 2023

Fabrice Fries, the chairman of AFP, conveyed the agencys devastation upon hearing of Soldins death.

He emphasized that it serves as a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.

Soldin received recognition and homage from Members of Parliament representing various political ideologies in Frances National Assembly.

He was a member of the initial AFP team dispatched to Ukraine after Russias invasion in February of the previous year and had resided there since September.

Ukraines defense ministry expressed its deepest condolences to Soldins family and colleagues, acknowledging his unwavering commitment to revealing the truth to the world. The ministry affirmed that his legacy and cause would endure.

The White House also paid tribute, recognizing the immense debt owed to journalists who have sacrificed their lives while exposing the atrocities of Russias invasion.

15th journalist to die so far

Born in Bosnia, Soldin becomes the 15th journalist to have lost their life while reporting on the Ukrainian conflict since February 2022, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Two other French journalists, Pierre Zakrzewski and Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, have also tragically perished while covering the same conflict.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Israel is making significant progress in installing defensive walls at key junctions in the Gaza corridor to protect against Hamas anti-tank missiles, Israels Defence Ministry said.

The walls are designed to protect open areas through which Gaza corridor residents travel even in an emergency situation, it said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Defence Ministry Director-General Eyal Zamir signed a deal widening the project which will be handled by a mix of the ministry, the IDF and the Israel Roads Company, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The walls are not designed to protect areas from rockets coming from above, as that is what the Iron Dome and other Israeli missile defences are for, but from anti-tank missiles, as Hamas has already practised. In 2021, a military bus was shot at, a soldier was injured. The Jerusalem Post reports at least three such hits in quick succession.

The Times of Israel reported that two more people were killed in another Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon. Thus, the number of dead by the Israeli military in the operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which began on Tuesday, has risen to 15. The Palestinians have promised to avenge the victims, especially three high-ranking commanders.

The Israeli military says those killed are members of a terrorist group who were on their way to launch a rocket attack on the Gaza border. The Palestinian branch of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip intended to launch an anti-tank guided missile attack on targets on the Israeli border but was targeted and eliminated, the Times of Israel wrote, adding that the Israeli military had released drone footage of the event.

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Amid massive violent protests that erupted across Pakistan soon after the arrest of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, social, media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have been suspended in parts of the country.

Massive violent protests erupted on Tuesday evening in several cities across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested during his appearance before the Islamabad High Court for one of the dozens of cases pending since he was ousted last year.

Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commanders residence in Lahore after his dramatic arrest in a corruption case.

Khan, who travelled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khans security staff.

Soon after the news of his arrest by the Rangers spread, protests broke out in several cities across Pakistan. Protesters at several places turned violent and burned police vehicles and damaged public property.

Reports said at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and the supporters of Khan.

The protests in Lahore and Faisalabad in some areas were still underway.

Khans supporters also torched some vehicles of the law enforcement agencies in Faisalabad.

The protesters also set on fire a toll plaza on the Swat Motorway, according to footage shared by PTI.

Video clips shared by the PTI showed that some protesters also entered the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the seat of the army while chanting slogans against the arrest of Imran Khan. Section 144 was already in place in Islamabad and authorities had warned of arresting people violating the ban on gathering following the arrest of Khan, police said.

Violent protests also spread to Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh province and Balochistans Quetta where PTI protesters assembled outside Army cantonment areas.

With inputs from agencies.

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Foreign countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have issued new travel advisories for their citizens citing political unrest after the arrest of former Pakistani prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

Imran Khan was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. After his arrest, PTI workers across the country held protests and called for his release.

As the protests have erupted in various parts of Pakistan, the US, Canada and the UK have issued travel advisories for their citizens and diplomatic staff.

The US Embassy has announced a travel alert for its citizens in Pakistan. The latest advisory issued by the US Embassy said, The U.S. Embassy is monitoring earlier reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad and also sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned elsewhere throughout Pakistan.

The US Embassy in Islamabad has cancelled consular appointments for May 10 due to politicaltraffic disruptions and restrictions.

US citizens have been advised to exercise heightened vigilance and avoid locations with large crowds, as per the ARY News report.

The US Embassy asked people to review personal security plans, carry identification and follow requests from law enforcement and be aware of their surroundings and monitor local media for updates.

The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advised their citizens to avoid all political demonstrations, large crowds of people, and public events and be prepared to change plans as necessary. The UK FCDO urged people to keep track of local news.

UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office stated, Public demonstrations are common in Pakistan. You should keep track of the local news. Protests can occur with little warning and while most remain peaceful, they can turn violent and escalate quickly, as per the ARY News report.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government asked its citizens and diplomatic staff to exercise a high degree of caution in Pakistan due to the unpredictable security situation. It further said, There is a threat of terrorism, civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping.

Reacting to Imran Khans arrest, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States does not have a stance on one political candidate or party and called for respect for democratic principles.

Karine Jean-Pierre in the press briefing said, United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus the another. We call for respect for democratic principles and the rule of law around the world.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a joint news conference said, We just want to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stressed We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to.

(With inputs from ANI)

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A MQ-9 drone rented by the Indian Navy was spotted reconnoitring the surrounding areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands amid recent claims of suspicious infrastructure developments in Myanmars Coco Islands.

A report by India Today quoted open-source information to say that the likely SkyGuardian version of the drone conducted a four-hour long scan of the islands on April 12 just a few days after Myanmars top military official paid the adjacent Coco Islands a high-profile visit.

Aviation records also show that a Fokker-70 aircraft from the Myanmar Air Force landed on the island on April 9. According to local accounts, it was reportedly carrying none other than General Min Aung Hlaing, the man in charge of the military takeover in 2021.

Officials need to take preventive measures against illegal fishing by violating relevant laws in the Myanmar waters, the Tatmadaw General was quoted during his trip by local media.

The visit of the top general in the Myanmar army to one of the most remote regions of the nation was simply described as a normal meeting with locals and government representatives that also involved erecting a modest victory monument.

On Twitter, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) accounts conjectured that the Coco Islands would have been included in the MQ-9 censors potential coverage area.

Despite the fact that the drone was recognised by the aviation data aggregator Flightradar24 as the Reaper version rather than the SeaGuardian version, India does not currently fly this model of the drones. The precise model of the aircraft may differ from what was depicted on the flight tracking site, as India Today later learned from Flightradar24 that it was using a generic registration linked to the manufacturer.

The Great Coco island, held by Myanmar, has seen increased building activity recently, according to a report by a U.K.-based think group. This island has long been believed to be Chinas eyes and ears in the area. The islands are only about 55 km away from Indias strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The fact that Andaman and Nicobar are home to Indias sole tri-service command makes the scenario even more logical from the standpoint of national security in India.

Since taking office, the Myanmar Junta has boosted cooperation with China, raising worries. Since the late 1990s, Indian government officials have highlighted concerns over Chinas potential exploitation of access to the Great Coco Island. The powerful military leaders recent low-key visit occurred as the vital islands are once again in the public eye.

India was keeping an eye on the situation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier stated.

When asked about the renovation of the military facilities on the islands, MEA spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi said, India keeps a constant watch on all developments bearing Indias security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard the same.

Indias MQ-9 drones monitor Chinas naval activities

In response to rising Chinese naval activity over the past few years, India has leased MQ-9B SeaGaurdian drones to investigate border areas, particularly those near the Indian Ocean. In the midst of the border clashes between India and China in 2020, India leased two of these drones using the Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) model. The same company also produces the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9A Reaper models of drones.

The US-based defence company General Atomics is selling its MQ-9A Reaper drones to India, who is now interested in buying them. These drones, known as Reaper by the U.S. and Royal Air Force (U.K.), have a payload capacity of 1746 kg, a flight range of 50,000 feet, a speed of 240 KTAS, and an endurance of over 27 hours. The drone also attracted a lot of interest when the US military released a video of it being shot down by two Russian SU-27 jets earlier this year.

They are renowned for having the capacity to carry out several Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations over land or water. The MQ-9B SeaGuardian and MQ-9B SkyGuardian are best suited for operations over water and on land, respectively.

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The UK police have finally made an arrest in one of the worlds biggest cases of hacking. Back in 2020, a team of programmers, hacked into Twitter and accessed the account of several prominent individuals and major companies, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Apple.

These companies and people found themselves embroiled in a troublesome situation after hackers successfully took control of their Twitter accounts and started promoting a crypto scam.

Also read: Twitter locks down multiple profiles after Obama, Biden, Musk have accounts hacked in Bitcoin scam

Twitter, back then, described the incident as a coordinated social engineering attack, whereby the hackers deceived Twitter staff to gain access to internal systems and tools. The company acknowledged that they were investigating the extent of the hackers activities and the information they may have accessed, aside from posting tweets from the compromised accounts.

In an unprecedented move to combat the hack, Twitter had to implement a complete halt on all tweeting activities by verified accounts. The majority of the accounts were restored soon, but Twitter issued a warning that additional actions might be taken. The company took the step of locking the compromised accounts and restricting access to internal systems and tools while they continue their investigation.

According to the report, Joseph James OConnor, the individual identified as the hacker, admitted his wrongdoing in a New York court, after he was arrested and extradited from Spain on April 26 last year. Almost two years ago, OConnor was apprehended in Spain for infiltrating over 130 Twitter accounts in July 2020.

Among the targeted accounts were those belonging to prominent figures such as Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Elon Musk, who currently owns Twitter.

The hacker and his accomplices used the hacked Twitter accounts to promote a traditional Bitcoin fraud scheme, where they promised their followers a doubled amount of money if they sent cryptocurrency to a designated Bitcoin wallet.

Kenneth A Polite Jr, an assistant attorney general in the US justice departments criminal division, expressed that OConnors criminal actions were evident and malicious, significantly impacting the lives of multiple individuals.

OConnor engaged in acts of harassment, threats, and extortion, causing significant emotional distress to his victims. To maintain anonymity, OConnor resorted to using a computer to conceal his identity through stealth accounts and aliases originating from locations outside of the United States.

Also read: Hackers who targeted some of Twitters top users reap bitcoin worth $120,000

This is not the first instance where Twitter has faced an internal threat. In 2017, a customer support employee briefly deleted Donald Trumps account, while in 2019, two former employees faced charges of espionage for allegedly accessing and providing the account information of numerous users to the government of Saudi Arabia.

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Passengers on a particular flight had no idea they were in for an experience of sorts as they began their journey. They could not have guessed that they were about to witness one of the most mesmerizing natural wonders that Planet Earth has to offer.

As the plane soared through the night sky, the captain announced that the passengers were in for a rare sight  a glimpse of the Northern Lights. And when the passengers looked out of their windows, they were left awestruck with the stunning spectacle. A video, which is now going viral on social media, captured the rare moment.

The passengers were witness to a spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights. Without wasting time, the pilot made an announcement over the intercom, alerting passengers of the stunning natural phenomenon taking place outside their windows. Ecstatic passengers whipped out their cameras and phones and captured the stunning display.

The video shared on Instagram has been viewed thousands of times, with many users marvelling at the breathtaking sight. It never comes as a surprise that for many people witnessing this beauty of nature is on their bucket list. Others remarked how extraordinary the view looks from the cockpit. OMG OMG Youre so lucky! Its on my bucket list, a user wrote.

Im so jealous, another person commented.

A third wrote, I still cant get over how good they looked from the cockpit.

Scandinavia is one of the best places to witness the Northern Lights, with Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland being the other top destinations. The Northern Lights are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with particles in the Earths atmosphere, creating a spectacular light show. For those who havent been lucky enough to witness the Northern lights yet, this video is a reminder of the magic and wonder of nature.

This is not the first time passengers were able to witness this beauty from an aircraft. For some lucky folk in North America, the Aurora Borealis made a stunning appearance, leaving people flying from California to Canada awestruck.

Twitter was flooded with awe-inspiring photographs of the Northern Lights. One Twitter user even shared pictures of the phenomenon taken from a plane during a flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix, with the caption, Seeing the Northern Lights on a flight from LA to PHX is CRAZY. Thats so far south. Tonight was wild.

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A mothers role in a childs life is undeniably most important and very special. She is the one who shapes the childs character and values, and lays the foundation of his future through her love, nurture, and teachings. No matter how many years passed, the role of mothers never changes as they continue to remain among those unsung heroes who worked 247 for their children and also play a major role in our society. To honour such selfless mothers, mother figures, and such special maternal bonds, Mothers Day is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May. Speaking of which, this year, Mothers Day falls on 14 May (Sunday). On this day, children make their mothers feel special by spending time with them, greeting them with love-filled wishes, and doing special activities with them.

If you are also among the ones who are looking for some lovely Mothers Day wishes, we have got you covered! Before that, lets dig up a bit about the days history and significance.

Mothers Day: History and Significance

Mothers Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually across several countries. It was marked for the first time in 1908 in the United States by an American activist Anna Jarvis. The activist wanted to honour her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis a peace activist who worked for the wounded soldiers during the American Civil War. Following this, the celebrations gained widespread popularity and eventually, Mothers Day was officially adopted by many other countries. Anna also played a key role in calling for the establishment of a day to honour motherhood.

Since then, Mothers Day is being celebrated to recognise and honour the contributions of mothers towards their children, families, and society. It is also a day to remind us to appreciate our mothers and their efforts.

Mothers Day 2023: Wishes

1. Thanks for being there for all the bad and good times. I wouldnt be here without youliterally! Happy Mothers Day.

2. Theres a reason why you cant buy a mom at a Mothers Day sale. Because moms are priceless!

3. Happy Moms Day to my best friend, biggest influence, friendliest therapist, and support system!

4. Your smile is enough to brighten up my every day and make it better than the last. Happy Mothers Day, Mom!

5. Its my time to tell you how lucky and special I feel and I am to be blessed with a mother as caring and loving as you. Wish you a happy Mothers Day!

6. Thanks for always being there and helping me to remember whats important in life. You are the best! Happy Mothers Day

7. I want to wish you a calm and relaxing Mothers Day as you too deserve to be pampered!

8. Thank you for always being the shining example of what I want to grow up like and being my inspiration. Happy Mothers Day!

9. May this Mothers Day, your life be filled with as much happiness as you brought to me.

10. Happy Mothers Day to the greatest mom in the world!

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New Delhi: President Vladimir Zelenskyys aide Mikhail Podoliak on Tuesday said the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a Hollywood movie and one should not expect the looming Kiev counteroffensive to be a turning point in it.

When we talk about a counteroffensive, that it will cause a collapse for Russia or, conversely, there will be no gains for Ukraine, it looks like we are in a Hollywood movie, where a big battle for Middle-earth begins and one battle for Gondor will decide everything. Things do not happen like that, a Russia Today report quoted Podoliak as saying.

The long-hyped offensive is a set of many events, some of which may be more successful, while others  less (successful), he added.

Podoliaks comments appear to be in line with recent pronouncements by other Ukrainian and Western leaders, who cautioned the people against having too high of expectations for the eagerly anticipated onslaught.

The operation, which was originally expected to start in the spring, even as early as in late winter, has not materialised thus far.

Kievs top diplomat, Dmitry Kuleba, recently advised against treating the counteroffensive as a make-or-break moment in the whole conflict.

Multiple senior US officials have also expressed doubt that Ukraine will be capable of reaching its proclaimed goal of expelling Russian troops from all the territories it claims as its own anytime soon. Moreover, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recently warned that Moscow might launch a new offensive of its own shortly.

In the spring, when the weather improves, and its already starting to improve  we can expect the Russians to want to go on the offensive in some areas, Kirby told the state-run Voice of America outlet on Friday.

With inputs from agencies

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Gaza City: One person was killed in fresh strikes by the Israeli military on Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian territorys health ministry.

In a statement, the military said it was currently striking Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation rocket launching infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

A Gaza health ministry official confirmed that one person was killed, reported AFP.

The air strikes hit north of Gaza City, with smoke billowing from the densely-populated territory.

Israels military said it also fired on militants who were travelling to a rocket launch site in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

According to Al Jazeera report, some of the sites that were hit were camps belonging to the al-Quds Brigade, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Palestinians in Gaza are on high alert, with a lot of worry as schools and public and private facilities have closed and people try to stay indoors, the report added.

The latest violence comes a day after Israeli air strikes killed 15 Gazans, including top militants from Islamic Jihad and four children, according to a health ministry toll.

In an overnight attack, Israeli also killed two people in attacks on the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya, during which a 17-year-old Palestinian was shot in the chest and transferred to hospital.

With inputs from agencies

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Tension continues to mount in Pakistan following Imran Khan arrest. A day after the former prime minister was arrested, his partys secretary general Asad Umar was nabbed by Anti-Terrorism Squad from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday.

Sharing a video on Twitter, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, Asad Umar was abducted from the courts premises. Law of jungle ruling in Pakistan now, the post added.

This is how @Asad_Umar was abducted under the courts premises. Law of the jungle ruling in Pakistan now. #ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/UrA3NL5XwF  PTI (@PTIofficial) May 10, 2023

Meanwhile, a report by Dunya News said that Umar was whisked away by the anti-terror Squad to an "undisclosed" location.

According to a report by Geo TV, Umar was picked up by Islamabad police's from outside the IHC Bar Room where he and other PTI leaders were preparing a plea which they were expected to file before the court to meet Imran Khan.

The report quoted eyewitnesses saying that PTI lawyers fought with the cops to restrict them from arresting Umar, but the law enforcers overpowered the lawyers and took the PTI leader with them.

Umar, who served as finance minister during Imran Khan's regime, was booked in two cases that were registered against him and other PTI leaders after the protests that began following the arrest of the former PM. The cases were registered in Islamabad's Tarnol and Aabpara police stations.

Reports said the police also tried to arrest PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, however, the lawyers and other party workers thwarted them from snatching him.

A report by ARY News said that earlier in the day, PTI leader and former governor of Punjab province, Omer Sarfraz Cheema was taken into custody by "unknown" men in plain clothes.

Red alert has been declared by authorities in Islamabad after imposing Section 144.

Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday from IHC by Rangers on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

On Wednesday, the former PM was produced before a special court amid a high security police facility for the hearing in the case. Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog has sought a 14-day physical remand of the PTI chief.

Protests rocked across Pakistan on Tuesday, minutes after Imran Khan was arrested from IHC. Earlier in the day, PTI called for a nationwide protest against his arrest. Protests were carried out in cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan.

The NAB had started an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

With inputs from agencies

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Imran Khan Arrest: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was taken into custody a day earlier from the grounds of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, and an accountability court on Wednesday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) an eight-day remand.

A sessions court charged PTI leader Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case separately. The Islamabad Police Lines, which was accorded the status of a court venue as a one-time dispensation late on Tuesday night, hosted both proceedings under heavy guard.

Imran Khans 14-day remand was asked by the corruption watchdog during the Al-Qadir Trust case hearing. The hearing was presided over by Judge Mohammad Bashir.

Khawaja Harris, the attorney for PTI Chairman, argued against the motion and claimed that the matter was outside the purview of the agency. He added that the NAB had also not released the probe report.

Everyone has the right to a fair trial, he said, calling for the hearing to be held in an open court. He further said a building had been constructed on the land belonging to Al-Qadir Trust, where people received education free of cost.

Imran was shown the warrant at the time of his detention, the NAB prosecutor informed the court in the meantime. He also guaranteed that Imran Khans attorney would receive the required paperwork.

This is a corruption case which the UKs National Crime Agency has probed, he said, adding that the money received was meant to be transferred to the government of Pakistan.

Instead of the government, the funds that were received were transferred to Bahria Town, he said.

The PTI chairman, however, disputed the NABs account and testified in court that he saw the arrest warrant after being escorted to the bureaus office rather than when he was actually arrested.

I havent gone to the washroom in 24 hours, he told the court, adding that he wanted his physician, Dr Faisal, to be called in.

I dont want what happened to Maqsood chaprasi (peon) to happen to me, he said, referring to one of the people involved in the Ramazan Sugar Mills case who died in UAE last year.

They inject you and the person dies slowly, he alleged. The court then reserved its verdict.

Imran Khan held guilty in Toshakhana case

District and additional sessions the Toshakhana case hearing was presided over by Judge Humayun Dilawar.

The PTI leader was the subject of criminal law proceedings requested by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). In response to a reference submitted by parliamentarians from the ruling coalition last year, the ECP addressed the court about the issue.

According to the reference, Imran deliberately concealed information on gifts he kept from the Toshaskhana during his tenure as prime minister, including the revenues from their reported sales. The Toshaskhana is a storage facility for items given to government officials by foreign authorities.

Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha of the PML-N, was quoted as saying by Pakistani publication Dawn that the PTI leader was arrested after fulfilling all legal requirements when he was present at the Police Lines office.

Separately, the Islamabad Police announced through Twitter that there would be heavy security in place before to the hearing and that only individuals with proper identification would be allowed inside the court.

Strict action will be taken against those causing damage to state and private property, it warned. The police further said that armed security had been kept on high alert considering the risks of terrorism.

Separately, PTI leaders asserted that Imran was denied legal counsel and that party officials were not permitted to speak with him.

So (Imran Khans) lawyers and senior leadership not allowed to meet him in the hastily set up makeshift NAB court in Police Lines Guest House. Many leaders and lawyers not allowed inside premises. All signs of another kangaroo court set up, PTIs Shireen Mazari told the media.

In an interview with Geo News, PTI leader Babar Awan referred to Imrans detention as a state abduction and claimed that party leaders were being denied access to the PTI chairman.

Imran Khans arrest

The NAB issued an arrest warrant charging the PTI chairman with corruption and engaging in corrupt behaviour in violation of Section 9(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and he was taken into custody on Tuesday outside the Islamabad High Court.

The accountability watchdog claims that Imran and his wife bought land worth hundreds of kanals and billions of rupees from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalising Rs50 billion that the UK had discovered and returned to Pakistan under the previous PTI administration.

The turn of events followed the militarys denial of Imrans claims against DG-C Major General Faisal Naseer and his reiteration of them.

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An estimated 13.4 million babies were born pre-term during the period between 2010 to 2020, with nearly 1 million dying from related complications, according to a new report released by United Nations agencies.

Produced by a range of agencies, including the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the report outlines a strategy forward to address this phenomenon, which has been long under-recognized in its scale and severity.

Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of preterm birth, and preterm babies in these regions face the highest mortality risk. Together, these two regions account for more than 65% of preterm births globally.

The report also highlights that the impacts of conflict, climate change and environmental damage, COVID-19, and rising living costs are increasing risks for women and babies everywhere. For example, air pollution is estimated to contribute to 6 million preterm births each year. Nearly 1 in 10 preterm babies are born in the 10 most fragile countries affected by humanitarian crises, according to a new analysis in the report.

Progress is flatlining

Progress is flatlining for maternal and newborn health, as well as the prevention of stillbirths, Executive Director Helga Fogstad of Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health said.

Gains made are now being pushed back further through the devastating combination of COVID-19, climate change, expanding conflicts and rising living costs, she warned.

By working together in partnership  governments, donors, the private sector, civil society, parents, and health professionals  we can sound the alarm about this silent emergency, she said.

This means bringing preterm prevention and care efforts to the forefront of national health and development efforts, building human capital by supporting families, societies, and economies everywhere, she added.

Born too soon

Preterm birth rates have not changed in any region in the world in the past decade, with 152 million vulnerable babies born too soon from 2010 to 2020, the report showed.

Preterm births occur earlier than 37 weeks of an expected 40-week full-term pregnancy.

Leading cause of child deaths

Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at WHO said Ensuring quality care for these tiniest, most vulnerable babies and their families is absolutely imperative for improving child health and survival. Progress is also needed to help prevent preterm births  this means every woman must be able to access quality health services before and during pregnancy to identify and manage risks.

Steven Lauwerier, Director of Health at UNICEF, noted that every preterm death created a trail of loss and heartbreak.

Despite the many advances the world has made in the past decade, we have made no progress in reducing the number of small babies born too soon or averting the risk of their death. The toll is devasting. Its time we improve access to care for pregnant mothers and preterm infants and ensures every child gets a healthy start and thrives in life.

Preterm birth is now the leading cause of child deaths, accounting for more than one in five of all deaths of children occurring before their fifth birthday, the report said. Preterm survivors can face lifelong health consequences, with an increased likelihood of disability and developmental delays, according to the report.

Too often, where babies are born, determines if they survive, the report found, noting that only 1 in 10 extremely preterm babies survive in low-income countries, compared to more than nine in 10 in high-income nations, it said.

Maternal health risks, such as adolescent pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, are closely linked to preterm births, the report said, adding that this underlines the need to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services, including effective family planning, with high-quality care in pregnancy and around the time of birth.

152 million babies born preterm in the last decade

The report includes updated estimates on the prevalence of preterm births. Overall, it finds that preterm birth rates have not changed in any region in the world in the past decade, with 152 million vulnerable babies born too soon from 2010 to 2020.

Preterm birth is now the leading cause of child deaths, accounting for more than 1 in 5 of all deaths of children occurring before their fifth birthday. Preterm survivors can face lifelong health consequences, with an increased likelihood of disability and developmental delays.

The cost of inaction over the last decade was 152 million babies born too soon. While some regions are more affected, preterm birth threatens health progress in every country, it said, adding that greater investment in the care of vulnerable new-borns can save millions of families from heartbreak.

The report showed gaping inequalities related to race, ethnicity, income, and access to quality care, determine the likelihood of preterm birth, death, and disability, even in high-income countries.

At the same time, nearly one in 10 preterm babies are born in the 10 most fragile countries affected by humanitarian crises, according to a new analysis in the report.

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With Frances assistance, Indonesia plans to invest heavily in developing its submarine fleet, perhaps ending its long-standing defence alliance with South Korea in that sector.

The Indonesian Ministry of Finance has authorised the Ministry of Defenses request for US$2,16 billion in foreign loans to finance the submarine acquisition programme, according to this months report from the defence resource Janes.

The Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati cited a request from the Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto outlining a list of 25 military procurement programmes for which foreign loans have been proposed as the source of funding for 2023, according to a declassified letter obtained by Janes during this months International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX 2023) that was made public.

Two air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines with submerged displacements of 1,800 and 2,800 tonnes are mentioned in the letter, according to the source, and money will cover the expenses of logistics and maintenance packages, training, and shipbuilding technology transfer.

In March 2022, Jakarta had made plans to purchase two Scorpene-class submarines from France, formalising an agreement that effectively eliminates South Korea as Indonesias main partner in maintaining its submarine fleet. This information relates to the type of submarines Jakarta intends to purchase.

This occurred despite the Indonesian Ministry of Defence and South Korean builders Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) signing a procurement deal in April 2019.

French Naval Group and Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL had signed a preliminary agreement last February to work together on the construction of two Scorpene submarines and to establish a cooperative research and development facility in Indonesia. The purpose of that agreement was to make it easier to integrate weapons and systems into submarines, provide for training and operations, and expedite building and sustainment.

Indonesia may be aware that submarines might aid fleets with little resources in terms of their sizeable capabilities.

In a January 2022 article for The Diplomat, Muhammad Malufti and Alban Sciascia point out that due to technological developments like long-range precision-guided munitions (PGMs), it is now possible for enemies to attack Indonesia without even entering its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). As a result, it is crucial for the Indonesian Navy to have the ability to project power in order to find and eliminate such adversaries.

Submarines may be the greatest tool for the job, but Malufti and Sciascia argue that Indonesia lacks the means to develop a blue-water navy and must instead focus on cost-effective solutions.

They point out that because of their inherent stealth, submarines are a more effective deterrent than other naval assets, and that Indonesia needs to upgrade its fleet with newer models equipped with politically and economically viable technologies like lithium-ion batteries, very low frequency (VLF) communications systems, and submarine-launched anti-ship missiles.

The Indonesian Navy has vast expertise operating submarines; it has done so since 1959, and its subs have been policing its waters for more than six decades, as noted by Malufti and Sciascia. During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, it dispatched two of its Soviet-built Whiskey-class submarines to support Pakistan, and in 1999, it sent one of its German-built Type 209 submarines to keep an eye on the International Force East Timor fleet.

Additionally, they claim that a submarine programme will benefit Indonesias local shipbuilding sector by providing submarine maintenance, repair, and overhaul.

However, constructing submarines presents substantial difficulties for Indonesia. Regarding PT PALs ability to do so, Mike Yeo writes in a February story for Defence News that the commander of the tragic KRI Nanggala had noted the shipbuilders bad maintenance on the submarine as well as work on the KRI Alugoro.

Yeo claims that may be because Indonesias submarine programme is so jumbled up, with players from Germany, South Korea, France, and home companies making it difficult to integrate systems across several ship designs. In addition, he claims that Indonesias shipbuilding sector would have trouble producing submarines since it lacks the necessary expertise and needs more competent indigenous players.

The sudden withdrawal of South Korea as Indonesias main submarine programme partner may have far-reaching regional effects throughout the Pacific.

As the submarine underwent a renovation in South Korea in 2012, Alexander Hynd and Max Broad speculate in a February article in The Interpreter that Indonesias concerns about its defence alliance with that country may have been exacerbated by the April 2021 loss of KRI Nanggala.

According to Hynd and Broad, should its submarine agreement with Indonesia not materialise, DSME poses significant financial risks to South Korea. They point out that DSME has already placed pre-orders for parts for Indonesias submarine purchase and that South Korea is dissatisfied with Indonesias failure to make good on their April 2019 deal.

They drew parallels between Australia and Indonesias sudden decisions to abandon South Korea and France as their primary submarine programme partners, which led to diplomatic fallout and a loss of trust that might impede future defence cooperation between the two regional powers.

Hynd and Broad added that a speedy resolution of the tentative submarine deal between South Korea and Indonesia in April 2019 would provide Jakarta a fresh start in its relations with Seoul and make clear its aspirations for navy modernisation.

They add that the prompt resolution of the matter will enable South Korea to advance its push as an alternative arms supplier free from the political restrictions placed on US, Chinese, or Russian weapons, as well as consolidate its New Southern Policy, which places an emphasis on establishing economic and political ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
As many as four people including two worshippers were fatally shot during an annual Jewish pilgrimage to a well-known Tunisian synagogue on Tuesday.

According to the internal ministry of Tunisia, the attack was carried out by a police officer. It also stated that four other visitors to the Ghriba synagogue on Djerba Island were injured, along with five additional security officers, before the mass shooter was killed.

The Tunisian foreign ministry, in a statement, identified the two worshippers who lost their lives as a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French citizen, but did not disclose their names.

The interior ministry reported that the assailant initially killed a colleague and obtained their ammunition before proceeding to the Ghriba synagogue.

This incident occurred during the final stages of the annual pilgrimage, which drew hundreds of participants.

The Ghriba synagogue holds the distinction of being Africas oldest synagogue.

It had previously been the target of a suicide truck bombing in 2002, resulting in the loss of 21 lives.

The interior ministry stated that investigations are ongoing to uncover the motives behind this aggressive act but refrained from categorising the shooting as a terrorist attack.

Local media reported that the sound of gunshots at the synagogue caused panic among the numerous pilgrims in attendance.

According to organizers, over 5,000 Jewish devotees, predominantly from abroad, participated in this years pilgrimage to Ghriba. The pilgrimage resumed in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Past attacks in Tunisia

Tunisias most recent significant attack occurred in 2020 when a blast targeted police outside the US embassy, resulting in the death of one officer.

In 2019, two suicide blasts targeted police outside the French embassy, also claiming the life of one officer.

In 2015, Islamist militants carried out separate attacks at a beach resort and a Tunis museum, resulting in the deaths of numerous tourists.

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Amid a series of sanctions on Russian exports by the United States and Europe, Japan imported a record amount of seafood from Moscow last year and continues to import Russian timber and liquefied natural gas from ports in the Russian Far East, despite criticism that such exports are helping to fund its war against Ukraine.

While other governments have largely remained uncritical about Japans sanctions policies to date but Canada has recently expressed its disappointment over the amount of seafood Japan imported from Russia last year, South China Morning Post reported

The issue is likely to be discussed at the G7 summit in Hiroshima later this month.

Tokyo imported a record 155.2-billion-yen worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, Japan Times reported citing the data from the Finance Ministry. It also said that the countrys 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 Times reported.

According to a Kyodo News report, poor catches in domestic waters contributed to the high demand in Japan  at the same time as Russian fishermen enjoyed larger catches off the countrys eastern coast.

Snow crabs accounted for the largest single product brought into Japan. That may partly be due to strong demand but is also a result of Russian exporters expanding into new markets after being banned from the US and other Western markets.

Japanese importers preference for cheap Russian seafood has not gone unnoticed in Canada, with ministers and provincial government leaders raising the issue with Tokyo, The Canadian Press news agency reported.

Clifford Small, a politician with the Conservative Party of Canada representing a maritime constituency in Newfoundland and Labrador, has called on the government to pressure Japan to ban imports of Russian crab to demonstrate solidarity among G7 member states, SCMP reported.

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng confirmed that the issue had been raised with Japan. We are thankful to Japan for its continued efforts to isolate Russia,.

Tokyo has given the option to consider Canadas sustainable, ethical and premium snow crab to replace its current supply of Russian products, he said.

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New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that Washington has developed an artificial intelligence-based system to detect and gather Russian disinformation on the internet.

Speaking at the Freedom House 2023 Annual Awards Ceremony, he said Russia continues to push a steady, relentless stream of disinformation about its war of aggression against Ukraine, to lie about and cover up horrific abuses its committed, to try to justify committing others.

In response, the State Department has created an AI-enabled online Ukraine Content Aggregator to collect verifiable Russian disinformation and then to share that with partners around the world.

The government is cooperating with scholars to be able to reliably detect fake text generated by Russian chatbots, he added.

Speaking about artificial intelligence in general, Blinken warned that the technology can backfire and amplify discrimination and enable abuses.

It also runs the risk of strengthening autocratic governments, including by enabling them to exploit social media even more effectively to manipulate their people and sow division among and within their adversaries, he said.

Blinken said the White House in October put out a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights  some basic principles to try to guide the way that we design and use automated systems.

These include the principle that people should be protected from unsafe and ineffective AI, and that people should know when an automated system is being used and understand how it affects them, he added.

Since the release of the artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT last November, the debate over the dangers posed by AI has intensified in the industry and in academic circles.

Geoffrey Hinton, who is known as one of the godfathers of AI, warned last week that the technology could present a more urgent threat than climate change.

In February last year, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Beyond pounding various Ukrainian cities through artillery and bombs, Russia has also been accused of waging an information war to promote falsehoods that legitimise its war on Ukraine.

The propaganda includes false claims that Russia is protecting Ukraine from Nazi insurgents, that Ukraine has biological weapons and narratives that Ukraine is corrupt.

With inputs from agencies

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New York: A United States jury has found that Donald Trump sexually assaulted writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and later falsely accused her of lying, dealing the former president a legal setback as he runs for reelection in 2024.

The jury also ordered the ex-president to pay her $5 million in damages.

The verdict was read out in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after jurors began deliberating following a seven-day civil trial.

The nine jurors rejected E. Jean Carrolls accusation of rape but unanimously upheld her other complaints in the closely watched civil trial, following less than three hours of deliberations.

It marks the first time Trump has faced legal consequences over a string of sexual assault allegations dating back decades.

Trump did not attend the civil trial and was absent when the verdict was read.

Trump immediately lashed out on his social media site, claiming that he does not know Carroll and referring to the verdict as a disgrace and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time. He promised to appeal.

Carroll, 79, sued Trump last year, alleging that he raped her in the changing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman store on Manhattans Fifth Avenue in 1996.

The former columnist for Elle magazine also claimed that Trump defamed her when he called her a complete con job after she went public with the allegation in 2019.

Trump, the 76-year-old frontrunner for the Republican nomination in next years presidential election, called her case a hoax and a lie.

The jury determined that Carroll had proved sexual abuse  effectively sexual contact without consent  by a preponderance of the evidence and awarded her $2 million.

The six men and three women on the jury also said Trump should pay Carroll nearly $3 million for defamation.

Following the verdict, Carroll left the Manhattan federal court smiling but did not speak to reporters.

Were very happy, said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

Trumps 2024 campaign team said in a statement that the case was a political endeavor intended to derail Trumps bid to regain the White House, and that he would appeal.

Carroll told the two-week-long civil trial that the assault had left her feeling ashamed and unable to have romantic relationships.

She said it took her more than 20 years to go public because she was frightened by Trump.

Her lawyers called to the witness stand two other women who testified that Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago.

Former businesswoman Jessica Leeds said that Trump groped her in the business class section of a flight in the United States in the 1970s.

Journalist Natasha Stoynoff said Trump kissed her without her consent during an interview at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005.

Around a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct ahead of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House.

He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. No criminal case can stem from Carrolls lawsuit.

Porn star case

Trump did not testify during the proceedings, nor did his defence team call any witnesses.

A video of a sworn deposition he gave in October was played to the jury. In it, Trump called Carroll a liar and really sick person.

His lawyers argued that Carroll invented the allegation for money, for political reasons, and for status.

She filed her lawsuit under a New York law that gave victims of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred.

The burden of proof in civil proceedings is lower than in criminal trials cases when prosecutors must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was one of several legal challenges threatening to complicate Trumps bid to regain the presidency  although the Republicans supporters have broadly stayed loyal to their champion up until now.

Last month, Trump pleaded not guilty to criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 vote  allegedly to cover up an affair.

Trump is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.

With inputs from agencies

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President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the US-Mexico border will be chaotic for a while as Title 42 nears an end.

Biden said he spoke with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ffor roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border.

The restrictions have been in place since 2020 and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks.

Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. But it remains to be seen, he told reporters. Its going to be chaotic for a while.

Migrants are already arriving. About 100 people  mostly from Colombia  came across the border before dawn Tuesday and walked nearly two hours through remote, boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego to a sandy plateau where Border Patrol agents watched over them.

Andres Barra, 39, left Colombia on Friday, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, and paid a smuggler $300 to guide him to a mountain peak near the agents, to whom they surrendered. He fled Colombia because frequent robbery and extortion made it difficult to live.

He said he wanted to enter the United States while the restrictions were still in effect because he heard it would be more difficult after Thursday.

It wont be so easy anymore, he said.

Agents in the U.S. Border Patrols relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four- or five-day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, groups handed out fliers Tuesday that explained in English and Haitian Creole how to register for the CBP One app that the U.S. has been using to allow migrants to schedule an appointment to try to gain admittance to the U.S.

Standing in Reynosas central square Tuesday, Phanord Renel of Haiti said he would not risk deportation to cross. We dont want to go back there (Haiti) because the situation is very complicated there, he said. If we cant cross, we have to put up with it here, maybe the government will do something for us, but cross illegally  no.

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42s use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to the countrys immigration system.

We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, were using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border, but they will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are not there in any way to be interacting with migrants, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

At least some of the active-duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go. More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May.

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation. Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. The Biden administrations plan is meant to crack down on those who cross illegally by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some migrants have been spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumours about what the changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

Its a very complicated legal system and its becoming increasingly difficult to communicate the realities of our clients, Daniel Berlin, of the International Rescue Committee, said. While we try to communicate the most accurate and up-to-date information that we have, smugglers and traffickers and other bad actors are communicating false information.

Effects have also been felt far from the southern border. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration in response to a tenfold increase in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in the city in need of temporary shelter and other help.

Chicago officials have warned for several weeks that its shelters cant accommodate the larger number of migrants arriving daily since late April. Migrants have been sheltering inside city police stations or airports because city-run shelters are full.

With inputs from AP.

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Washington: The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it had taken down a sophisticated malware network that had been used for 20 years by the Russian FSB intelligence service to spy on 50 nations, including a NATO ally.

According to US officials, the FSB had successfully inserted the Snake or Uroburos malware on computer systems around the world, focused on government networks, research facilities, journalists and other targets.

Computers in the system also served as relay nodes to disguise traffic to and from Snake malware inserted on target computer systems, they added.

In a years-long operation, the FBI was able to defeat Snake by inserting its own bit of computer code into it, which issued commands causing the malware to overwrite itself, the Justice Department said.

Through a high-tech operation that turned Russian malware against itself, US law enforcement has neutralized one of Russias most sophisticated cyber-espionage tools, used for two decades to advance Russias authoritarian objectives, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

The malware has been known by computer security experts for at least a decade, and CISA, the US cyber defense agency, said the FSB began developing it in 2003.

CISA called Snake the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool in the FSBs arsenal, noting that it was particularly stealthy, extremely hard to detect in computer systems and network traffic.

In addition, it was designed for easy updating and modification, and yet had surprisingly few bugs given its complexity, CISA said.

Those aspects allowed the FSB to work undetected for years through sprawling host networks to get into computers with sensitive documents.

At least in one case Snake was placed on the systems of an unnamed NATO country, allowing Russian intelligence to access and exfiltrate sensitive international relations documents and diplomatic communications, CISA said.

The effectiveness of this type of cyber espionage implant depends entirely on its long-term stealth, the agency said.

FBI hacks back

Previous official and news reports have indicated that Snake and related software has been found on government systems in Germany, Belgium, Ukraine and Switzerland.

CISA said US investigators had traced the malwares development to an FSB unit known as Center 16 operating out of Ryazan, Russia, and its operation from an office the unit has in Moscow.

CISA said it and cyber experts in allies have been investigating the unit and its hacking tools  more broadly known as the Turla toolset  for almost 20 years.

The FSB has adapted it for use in Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems, and even when it was exposed as a threat by computer security firms, the Russians were able to modify it to keep it hidden and functional.

But Snakes sophistication led to errors in using it by less skillful FSB operators, which allowed Western investigators to permeate its inner workings and track the malware, CISA said.

The Justice Department said the FBI developed a tool dubbed Perseus, that rendered the Russian malware ineffective.

Perseus establishes communication sessions with the Snake malware implant on a particular computer, and issues commands that causes the Snake implant to disable itself without affecting the host computer or legitimate applications on the computer, the department said.

Despite the success the Perseus implant, Snake malware is still a threat, according to a joint advisory issued Tuesday from cyber authorities in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: The US and UK on Wednesday appeared to wash their hands off Imran Khan, calling for respect of democratic principles and the rule of law adhered to in Pakistan in the aftermath of former Pakistan Prime Ministers arrest.

In a dramatic turn of events, Khan was on Tuesday arrested and bundled into a prison van by paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court, sparking massive protests across Pakistan by his supporters who stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commanders residence in Lahore.

Khan was undergoing a biometric process at the court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him in a graft case.

The Islamabad High Court had on Tuesday termed the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairmans arrest as legal.

At a joint news conference with his British counterpart, James Cleverly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want rule of law to be followed in this South Asian country.

Ive seen the reports that that youve alluded to and we just want to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law with the constitution showing, Blinken said.

The two diplomats were responding to a question on reports of Khans arrest.

Cleverly said he has not yet had the opportunity to be briefed in detail on the developments on Pakistan.

The UK has a long standing and close relationship with Pakistan. We are Commonwealth partners. We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to. Im uncomfortable to speculate any further without having a detailed briefing on that, Cleverly said.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a daily news conference that the US does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another.

We are aware of the arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. As we have said before, the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another, she said while responding to questions on arrest of Khan in Pakistan.

We call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world. So I would refer you to the Government of Pakistan for any further information on that, she added.

Pakistans National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs 50 billion  190 million pounds at the time  sent by Britains National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

Former PM Imran Khan had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on 26 December, 2019.

With inputs from agencies

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The supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan hit the streets after the leader was arrested in a graft case. Khans supporters held protests across the country and demanded the release of their leader. Some of these supporters rose to the occasion and looted the Corps Commanders House in Lahore.

In a viral video, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was seen with a peacock in his arms. He said that he took the bird because it was bought with citizens money (awam ka paisa). He stole this peacock from the residence of the Lahore corps commander.

This PTI worker stole a peacock from the residence of Lahore corps commander. pic.twitter.com/03KWxgy12K  Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 9, 2023

Another video went viral on social media where two men can be seen holding two white peacocks. They allegedly stole it from the residence of the armys Corps Commander in Lahore.

Peacocks stolen by mob from inside residence of Pakistan Armys Corps Commander in Lahore, Pakistan. Arson, rioting and clashes continue at night. pic.twitter.com/YwyeQLMFLN  Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) May 9, 2023

One supporter did something different, and in the viral video it could be seen that she stole frozen strawberries from a Corps Commanders house.

Khans supporters also barged into the home of a commander and vandalised the house with sticks.

LAHORE CROWDS ATTACK CORPS COMMANDER HOUSE AFTER IMRAN KHAN ARREST. pic.twitter.com/7L1WAP9Zd6  SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) May 9, 2023

Imran Khan arrest

The former Pakistan PM was arrested outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

PTI workers protested in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News.

Khan was arrested as part of NABs investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case ahead of his appearance before the IHC to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him.

Rangers personnel driving a black Toyota Hilux Vigo took Imran Khan away to NAB Rawalpindi, reported Geo News.

The former prime minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs 50 billion  190 million pounds at the time  sent by Britains National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

With inputs from agencies

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An already economically beleaguered Pakistan is now fully gripped by a grave and violent political crisis in the wake of the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former PM Imran Khan on graft charges.

Workers and supporters went on a rampage following Imran Khans arrest. The former Pakistan PM was arrested Tuesday by Rangers personnel from Islamabad High Court (IHC).

However, PTI alleged that Imran Khan was abducted and was taken to an undisclosed place where he was being tortured and beaten.

Videos of incidents of firing allegedly by PTI members and sympathisers are going viral on social media. Public property in the cash-strapped Pakistan was damaged and the private residence of sitting PM Shehbaz Sharif was set ablaze. People also stormed the Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi and vandalised the Corps Commaders residence in Lahore.

Pakistan burning

Supporters of Imran Khan set ablaze vehicles and tankers in Pakistan streets. The demonstrators burnt tyres and chanted anti-government slogans.

Take a look as multiple fires are set in the streets of Karachi, Pakistan, over the arrest (read: abduction) of former PM Imran Khan today in Islamabad:https://t.co/bMZL4tNxpb  Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) May 10, 2023

Massive protests have erupted in Pakistan over the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Take a look at the flames:pic.twitter.com/ICE3NVShZc  Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) May 10, 2023

This is what is trending according to Major Pakistani Twitter users. How can someone in right mind support #ImranKhanArrest? A leader that can let the entire Nation burn#PakistanUnderSiege

#____ #____ #_____ pic.twitter.com/m3twm0peol  Chester Johnson (@ChesterJ00) May 10, 2023

Shehbaz Sharif's private residence set ablaze

The private residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif was set on fire by supporters, hours after their chief Imran Khan was arrested.

The private residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif was set on fire by supporters of Imran Khan pic.twitter.com/Exl9dBAFkR  Spriter (@Spriter99880) May 9, 2023

Streets in Lahore in smoke

The central secretariat of the ruling PMLN (Pakistan Muslim League (N)) government in Pakistan's Lahore was also set on fire by PTI workers on Tuesday.

PTI workers also burnt down a school in Lower Dir area of Pakistan.

Alarming visuals from Lahore Cantonment show the massive destruction done by PTI workers in protest.

the situation in Pakistan. Protesters throughout the country are attacking military units. The footage shows the assault on the headquarters of one of the army units in Abottabad pic.twitter.com/bcHit9BNBv  Spriter (@Spriter99880) May 9, 2023

Don't Miss: WATCH: After Imran Khan's arrest, supporters steal peacocks, strawberries from Lahore Corps Commander's house

Core commander house in Lahore cantt was also vandalised.

Core commander house, #Lahore cantt has set on fire. This is terrible. We still have time to save #Pakistan...!!!

It hurts...!!! pic.twitter.com/eIcQH6ulq1  Pak Lawyers Forum (@PLF_Officials) May 9, 2023

PTI workers also destroyed army barracks.

Protests in Peshawar gets murky as PTI supporters burn public properties.

Pakistani women being molested

Meanwhile, an unverified video shared on Twitter showed Pakistan Army molesting women who were detained during the protest on Tuesday.

Pakistan is currently Facing huge Fascism of current Govt and establishment. They are attacking common PTI supporters and their families. We Need support from international Human rights to come forward to stop this Act

dictatorship. @Declaracion@UNHumanRights#ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/OdP1vo8g4a  PTI North Punjab (@PtiNorthPunjab) May 10, 2023

As per reports, some PTI workers suffered bullet injuries in Lahore and Faisalabad during clashes with the security agencies.

Also Read: WATCH: Imran Khan arrested from outside Islamabad High Court, PTI says Pak ex-PM 'abducted'

Internet and mobile services in most areas of violence-hit Pakistan have been suspended. Also, Section 144 has been imposed in Quetta and at other places to control political events and protests.

Imran Khan, 70, who travelled from Lahore to Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the IHC when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khans security staff.

With inputs from agencies

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Flagler College Class of 2023 Commencement: Honoring achievement, resilience, and a promising future

Rows of friends and family quickly filled the Saint Augustine Ampitheater Saturday morning, May 6, and watched proudly as the Flagler College Class of 2023 made their way down the aisles- the conclusion of their undergraduate experience just minutes ahead of them.

More than 450 students crossed the stage at Saturday Commencement Ceremony. The class included graduates of the Master's Program in Deaf Education, seniors who finished degree credits in Fall of 22, and Spring of 23. For the first time in the Colleges history, graduates of Flaglers Public Administration Program also joined Commencement in place of a separate ceremony.

Today, we gather at this graduation ceremony to celebrate the end of one grand journey and the beginning of another, Rachel Cremona, Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, said.

Cremona was honored as the faculty member to deliver the ceremonys invocation speech which followed a performance of the National Anthem by Flaglers Key of Seas choir group.

You  the students  are the heart of who we are, Cremona said.

Instead focusing on the academic achievement that their diplomas represent, Cremona extended her hope that students can reflect on the development of character Flagler College sets out to foster.

If you sit here today with more kindness towards others, a greater empathy for those around you, and a generous sense of giving towards others and yourself, then we have done our job well, Cremona said.

She recognized traditions that may stand out among the graduating classs favorite memories, but also encouraged them to cherish the memories that are closely linked to person theyve become over the past four years.

We hope that you will remember Flagler- not simply for midnight breakfasts, Harry Potter and your excessive dependency on coffee, Cremona said. But also as the place where you first began to discover who you are, where you found your passion and immersed yourself in it, where you forged lifelong friendships and made priceless memories.

Following Cremonas invocation, President John Delaney recognized the Colleges Trustee members present- John Bailey, Jr., Angela Brav, Kathy Deagan, Mike Santarone, Mitch Walk (79), and Viv Helwig (06) and offered parting advice to the students.

I am firmly convinced that every diploma I bestow today is a passport to success and you are all well prepared to take that next step, Delaney said.

He also encouraged graduates to value the relationships theyve formed at Flagler as much as they value the immersive education they received.

You may not always remember what you learned in each class, but you will remember the people who shared this time with you, Delaney said. I encourage you to nourish these relationships as your experiences take you in different directions.

After his brief congratulatory remarks, Delaney recognized three faculty members who are set to retire at the close of the academic year: Kurt Sebastian, Michael Chester, and Jim Makowski who joined the College in 1989.

Delaney also honored two students who were nominated for the awards by all faculty members. Presleigh Johnson received the senior Presidents Award for Leadership and Matthew Dutton received the Presidents Award for Service.

Brianna Ruiz, selected by peers to deliver the senior speech, is from Deland, Florida. Ruiz completed a degree in International Studies and currently works with University of St. Augustine Health Sciences as an Enrollment Outreach Coordinator.

Ruiz took the opportunity to remind her peers, and those in attendance, of interconnectedness that she believes is so important in how we navigate our lives.

I think the key here is that we are all interconnected, Ruiz said. Every decision we make, every breath we take, and every issue we ache, all means something.

Ruiz said this perspective she holds is hard for most to put into practice.

In an ever-changing world full of conflict and at the peak of a divide, I think this is a difficult concept for many of us to take in, she said.

But said it's a perspective she thinks should shape what we do, how we act, and who we are matters.

President Delaney then returned to the podium to introduce the alumni speaker Jeffrey Garrison, Senior Content Producer at the PGA Tour and President of the Alumni Association.

Trust what youve learned and what you know, Garrison said.

He assured the graduating class that their journey as a member of the Flagler community doesnt have to come to a close with their last semester. Garrison encouraged them to keep up their involvement and consider giving back to seek the same value hes found as an active member of the alumni network.

Flagler places the same immense value on you now as alumni as it did when you were students, Garrison said. While you will be missed on campus, you will not be forgottenOnce a Saint, always a Saint.

He acknowledged that many of students sitting in front of him would soon leave St. Augustine, but said he wants them to take time to reflect in their time here.

Look back on the near misses, the triumphs, the relationships and all the experiences that defined your time here, Garrison said. I challenge you to draw inspiration and purpose from those experiences as you go through your life.

Art Vanden Houten, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Craig Woelfel, Dean of Academic Life, were then invited to call the graduates across the stage to receive their diplomas.

To close Commencement, Associate Professor of Humanities John Young recited a benediction, a formal blessing for ceremonies. To drive message, Young told the story of three historical figures: Dante Alighieri, Socrates, and Stephen Hawkings.

Show forth the integrity of a Socrates, the empathy and willingness to change of a Dante, and the grit and problem-solving of a Hawking, Young said.

He said the value of a Flagler College education prepared him to follow the example of these iconic figures.

These are but a handful of examples that demonstrate the value of education for confronting and overcoming challenges, even unprecedented ones, Young said. I invite you now to create your own story to add to them.

Additional Commencement 2023 Photos.

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Google unveiled a new feature to Maps, that uses AI to show you your route before you leave during its I/O event. Developers can also use the immersive experiences of Maps in their applications.

Immersive View for Routes on Maps

Google has announced a new feature called Immersive View for routes on Maps, enabling users to preview their entire route visually, including bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking spots, before starting their journey.

Using computer vision and AI, Immersive View merges billions of Street View and aerial images to create a comprehensive digital model of the world, allowing you to view all the essential information about your route at once.

Additionally, with the time slider, you can see air quality information and weather changes along the route, ensuring that you are prepared for any weather conditions.

Aerial View API: New Opportunities for Developers

To offer more visual information about a place, Google is introducing the Aerial View API, enabling developers to integrate a 3D birds-eye video of a point of interest into their apps.

The Aerial View API will provide developers with a new way to build immersive experiences in their apps, like Rent., which uses the Aerial View API to help renters visualize a property and its surroundings.

Photorealistic 3D Tiles: Customizable 3D Maps for Developers

Google is also launching an experimental release of Photorealistic 3D Tiles through their Map Tiles API, enabling developers to customize their 3D maps with high-res, 3D imagery behind Google Earth without having to build the 3D map from scratch.

With this technology, developers can create immersive experiences unique to their brand, such as 3D maps of national parks or virtual guided tours of architectural landmarks, overlaying markers to share historical information.

Availability

Google has shared that it plans to introduce Immersive View for routes in select cities in the coming months.

This feature will be available in cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo, and Venice.

Commenting on the announcement, Miriam Daniel, VP, Google Maps Experiences, said:
Google just announced the Pixel Tablet, the companys first Pixel tablet in the Pixel series at the Google I/O, a year after it was teased. The tablet has a 10.95-inch WQXGA screen and also has a charging speaker dock that promises enhanced audio. The tablet has quad speakers and a nano ceramic coating.

When the Pixel Tablet is docked, it acts as a hands-free Assistant or a photo frame. It can also control all your smart home devices with the redesigned Google Home app and the new hub mode. The dock has magnets, so it is easy to dock and undock the Pixel tablet, according to Google. The tablet runs Android 13, and will get minimum 5 years of security updates.

Google said that it has optimized 50+ Google apps for tablets, and has worked with third-party apps such as Minecraft, Disney+ and Spotify to optimize them for tablets.

It is powered by Google Tensor G2, and has 8MP front and rear cameras. The front camera has a portrait mode and automatically adjusts the frame in video calling apps like Google Meet. The tablet has a fingerprint sensor on the top built into the power button. This is the first tablet with Chromecast built-in, said the company.

Google Pixel Tablet specifications

10.95-inch (2560 x 1600) WQXGA 16:10 aspect ratio, 276 PPI, 500 nits (standard value) brightness, antifouling coating, USI 2.0 touch pen compatible

Google Tensor G2 processor with Titan M2 security coprocessor

8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage

Android 13

8MP 84 rear camera with LED flash, /2.0 aperture

8MP 84 front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, Portrait mode

Quad speakers, 3 microphones (for calls, recording, Google Assistant)

Fingerprint sensor

Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ax (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1, 4-pin accessory connector

Magnetic dock with pogo pin connection, 43.5 mm full-range speaker

27 Wh battery, Up to 12 hours of video streaming, 15W charging via speaker dock (included) or USB-C charger (sold separately)

Pricing and availability

The Google Pixel Tablet comes in Hazel, Porcelain and Rose colours and is priced starting at $499 (Rs. 40,880 approx.) for the 128GB model and the 256GB model costs $599 (Rs. 49,075 approx.).

There are several accessories such as Pixel Tablet Case that protects from scratches and drop and has a built-in polished metal ring stand. There is also a speck StandyShell Case.

The tablet is available to order from today in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States, and will roll out starting from June 20th.
Earlier this year, in March, Google unveiled Bard, its new conversational AI service powered by LaMDA to take on ChatGPT. Today, at its I/O event, Google presented fresh avenues for users to collaborate with Bard and has shed light on its future plans for the service.

Google has announced exciting updates to its conversational AI service, Bard, which runs on PaLM 2, a more advanced large language model.

Were also introducing Bard in Japanese and Korean, and were on track to support the top 40 languages soon. #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/a1Ws5jvQvw  Google (@Google) May 10, 2023

Bard is now available worldwide

Google has scrapped the waitlist for Bard and expanded it to more than 180 countries and regions. The service is now available in Japanese and Korean, with support for 40 languages coming soon. Google has promised to maintain its high standards for quality and local nuances as it expands.

Bard is now more visual

Google has made Bard more visually appealing by incorporating images into its responses and prompts. Users can now ask Bard for recommendations, and in addition to text, they will get helpful responses with rich visuals that give them a better sense of what they are exploring.

Users can also include images in their own prompts, and with the power of Google Lens, Bard can analyze the images and draft creative captions in seconds.

Coding upgrades and export features

Google has also incorporated feedback from developers to upgrade Bards coding capabilities. These upgrades include source citations and dark theme, and an export button, which allows users to export and run code with partner Replit, starting with Python. Google is also introducing two export options, allowing you to transfer Bards replies directly into Gmail and Docs.

Connecting Bard with the services users love

Google has announced that Bard will integrate with Google apps such as Docs, Drive, Gmail, Maps, and other services. This integration will allow users to fuel their curiosity and creativity in unprecedented ways.

Bard will also tap into services from external partners, such as Adobe Firefly, to generate high-quality images for users creative projects.

You can try out Bard from bard.google.com

Speaking on the announcement, Sissie Hsiao, Vice President and General Manager, Google Assistant and Bard, said:
Thank you guys for helpful replies. Just to explain why I decided to post here. My wife bought the book The Milepost 2023: Alaska Travel Planner months ago and it has incredible amount of detailed info. Of course I google any time I have a question about anything, and we also talk to fellow RVers who have already made the trip. The gist of it is that oftentimes you get a lot of contradicting info.



I got a lot of good, helpful information from members here when I was shopping for a truck back in 2018-2019. I also noticed many Canadian members post here. So this is a last minute check on my part to get practical, personal based advise/suggestions from people that drive the same truck I do in Canada. We travel in the Rockies so I am used to driving hills up and down, and also used to plan where to get diesel since in most places we stay there are no stations around. So I am used to that as well.



I was mostly looking for hopefully confirmation that any station along that route is OK as beggars can't be choosers (heard contradicting info on that too), or which brands to avoid (hopefully none) or prefer (and why). We also find the apps I mentioned extremely useful, and was wondering if anything similar exists in Canada. Mostly I am trying to avoid water in fuel issue and/or limp mode in the middle of nowhere with limited or no connectivity.



Thank you all for great suggestions, I really appreciate your advise. If there is anything else you think might be helpful to us, feel free to make suggestion.


Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Mount Everest



With an elevation of 8,848 m (29,031 ft), the world's highest mountain above sea level lies on the border between Nepal and China, in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. Previously known as Peak XV, it was named after British surveyor Sir George Everest; it is, however, called "Chomolungma" ("holy mother") in Tibetan, and "Sagarmatha" ("head in the sky") in Nepali.



Mount Everest was first successfully summited by New Zealand explorer Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who reached the top of the mountain on 29 May 1953. The 1924 expedition by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine may have also reached the summit, but neither man returned from the attempt: Mallory's body was eventually found in 1999, while Irvine's has not been recovered so far. Mount Everest is one of the world's most popular climbing destinations, but also one of the most dangerous because of its unpredictable weather, altitude sickness, and the constant threat of avalanches. Since the first recorded deaths in 1922, the mountain has claimed over 310 lives. Everest's attractiveness to climbers and tourists has also caused serious waste management problems, shared by many other iconic peaks.



The concept of the Seven Summits was created by American businessman and mountaineer Richard Bass, who in 1985 completed the successful climb of all the highest peaks in the seven continents by ascending Everest after two unsuccessful attempts. The so-called "Bass list" is one of the two most commonly accepted definitions of the Seven Summits - the other being the Messner list, compiled by Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner).

2. Aconcagua



Located in Argentina's Mendoza Province, about 15 km (9 mi) from the border with Chile, Aconcagua is part of the Cordillera Principal of the Andes mountain range. With its elevation of 6,961 m (22,838 ft), it is the highest peak in South America, and the highest mountain outside Asia. The origin of its name is uncertain, and has been variously interpreted as "sentinel of stone" or "white sentinel" in Quechua, or "white ravine" in Aymara. Aconcagua was sacred to the Incas, who built shrines and performed human sacrifices there. The frozen mummy of a seven-year-old child, surrounded by grave goods, was found at the altitude of 5,300 m (17,400 ft) in 1985.



Unlike Everest or the notoriously deadly K2, Aconcagua is considered a relatively easy climb in a technical sense - which has led many climbers to underestimate the hazards of altitude sickness and cold weather, and caused many deaths. Aconcagua was first summited on 14 January 1897 by Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen, who was a member of a European expedition led by British-American mountaineer Edward FitzGerald.

3. Denali



Formerly known as Mount McKinley, Denali ("high mountain" in Koyukon Athabascan) is the highest peak in North America, located in the interior of the US state of Alaska, in the Alaska Range. It stands at an elevation of 6,190 m (20,310 ft); it is taller than Everest if measured from base to peak. The mountain, which lies within Denali National Park and Preserve (established in 1917), was named in 1896 by a gold prospector in support of William McKinley - at the time a presidential candidate. The name "Mount McKinley" was used officially from 1917 to 2015, when the current name was adopted.



After a number of unsuccessful attempts in the early 1900s, Denali was first summited on 7 June 1913 by climbers Walter Harper, Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Robert Tatum. The first ascent claimed in 1903 by American explorer Frederick Cook has been discredited due to lack of evidence. As the third-highest of the Seven Summits, Denali attracts many climbers, though the ascent is slow and potentially very dangerous: accidents occur regularly, and a number of them prove fatal. Formerly known as Mount McKinley, Denali ("high mountain" in Koyukon Athabascan) is the highest peak in North America, located in the interior of the US state of Alaska, in the Alaska Range. It stands at an elevation of 6,190 m (20,310 ft); it is taller than Everest if measured from base to peak. The mountain, which lies within Denali National Park and Preserve (established in 1917), was named in 1896 by a gold prospector in support of William McKinley - at the time a presidential candidate. The name "Mount McKinley" was used officially from 1917 to 2015, when the current name was adopted.After a number of unsuccessful attempts in the early 1900s, Denali was first summited on 7 June 1913 by climbers Walter Harper, Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Robert Tatum. The first ascent claimed in 1903 by American explorer Frederick Cook has been discredited due to lack of evidence. As the third-highest of the Seven Summits, Denali attracts many climbers, though the ascent is slow and potentially very dangerous: accidents occur regularly, and a number of them prove fatal.

4. Kilimanjaro



Africa's highest peak at 5,895 m (19,341 ft), Kilimanjaro (a name of uncertain origin, though believed to mean "white mountain" in Swahili) is located in the eponymous region of northeastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. It is a dormant stratovolcano with three distinct cones - Kibo (the highest, and the only potentially active one), Mawenzi, and Shira. Kilimanjaro's ice cap is unfortunately diminishing at a rapid rate, but still remarkable because of the mountain's location just south of the Equator. The glacier covering the mountain is referenced in Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1936) - hence the hint.



In the second half of the 19th century there were multiple attempts by Europeans to climb Kilimanjaro, foiled by the weather and the ice. The first successful ascent of the mountain occurred on 6 October 1889, when German geologist Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller reached the highest summit of Kibo (now named Uhuru Peak), realizing that it had a crater. Kilimanjaro and the surrounding National Park draw thousands of visitors every year. There are six routes that allow hikers to reach the mountain's summit; the ascent is considered relatively easy, though altitude sickness and low temperatures are a constant danger.

5. Mount Elbrus



Located in the western Caucasus, in the Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Mount Elbrus is now generally considered Europe's highest peak, with an elevation of 5,642 m (18,510 ft). Like Kilimanjaro, Elbrus is a dormant volcano, with two summits - the western one being the highest of the two - and the highest stratovolcano in Eurasia. The meaning of the mountain's name is still debated, though it is believed to derive from the name of a legendary mountain of ancient Iranian mythology. In the Turkic languages spoken in the north Caucasus, it is called "Mingi Taw", meaning "eternal mountain".



The lower of Elbrus's two summits was first ascended in 1829 by a Circassian guide named Khillar Khachirov, and the higher in 1874 by an English expedition led by mountaineer F. Crauford Grove. In recent times, the mountain has become an important tourist destination for Russians, though visitors from other countries (especially the US) are discouraged from climbing the mountain due to the political instability of the region. The climb, though considered relatively easy from a technical point of view, can be risky because of the altitude and frequent strong winds.



While both the Bass and the Messner lists agree with naming Elbrus the highest peak in Europe, other lists place the mountain in Asia rather than Europe, because it lies south of the Kuma-Manych Depression, the traditional geological border between the two continents. If, on the other hand, the Greater Caucasus watershed is used as a reference, then Elbrus lies wholly within Europe.

6. Vinson Massif



Located in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, in western Antarctica, Vinson Massif lies about 1,200 km (750 mi) from the South Pole. With an elevation of 4,892 m (16,050 ft), Vinson is 21 km (13 mi) long, and 13 km (8 mi) wide, and completely covered by snow and ice. The territory within which the massif is located is claimed by Chile. Vinson Massif was named after US statesman Carl Vinson, who was a keen supporter of Antarctic research.



Due to its remote location, it is not surprising that Vinson Massif was the last of the Seven Summits to be climbed. An expedition led by American climber and environmentalist Nicholas B. Clinch ascended the mountain in December 1966. Mount Vinson, however, is not a particularly difficult mountain to climb, though guided expeditions tend to be very expensive. The main hazards are the cold (the average summer temperature being -30 C/-20 F) and the high winds that often blow in Antarctica.

7. Puncak Jaya



Located on the island of New Guinea, in the Surdiman Range of Central Papua (a province of Indonesia), Puncak Jaya stands at an elevation of 4,884 m (16,024 ft) - the highest mountain peak located on an island. The mountain was originally named Carstensz Pyramid, after Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon, who first sighted it in 1623; renamed "Sukarno Peak" in 1963, the mountain was subsequently given the Indonesian name of Puncak Jaya ("glorious peak"). Because of its height, and in spite of its proximity to the Equator, there are glaciers on the slopes of Puncak Jaya, though they are swiftly retreating.



Shrouded by dense jungle, the towering granite pyramid with its steep walls is one of the world's hardest mountains to climb. The constantly rainy weather, paired with lack of infrastructure and political instability, compound the mountain's difficult reputation. In 1936, a Dutch expedition reached the top of Ngga Pulu, at the time the mountain's highest summit. The first successful ascent of Puncak Jaya's currently highest summit, by an expedition led by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (the author of the autobiographical book "Seven Years in Tibet"), dates from 1962.



Unlike the Bass list, the Messner list has Puncak Jaya as the highest peak in Australia, as the Sahul Shelf where New Guinea lies is part of the Australian continental shelf.

8. Mont Blanc



For a long time, Mont Blanc ("Monte Bianco" in Italian - both names meaning "white mountain") was considered Europe's highest peak, with its elevation of 4,807.81 m (15,773.7 ft). In more recent times, however, the beautiful Alpine massif has lost its status to Mount Elbrus - though there are mountaineers that disagree with the latter's location in Europe rather than Asia. Interestingly, the definition of the Seven Summits that uses tectonic plates as a reference includes neither Elbrus nor Mont Blanc, as Everest is the highest mountain on the Eurasian Plate.



The highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe, Mont Blanc lies on the border between France and Italy, and ownership of the summit has been long disputed between the two countries. The mountain's summit is covered by a thick dome of snow and ice: one of its glaciers, the third-largest in the Alps, bears the descriptive name of "Mer de Glace" ("sea of ice"). Nicknamed "the roof of Europe", Mont Blanc has long been a cultural icon, as well as a highly desirable climbing destination. It was first summited in 1786 by Michel Paccard and Jacques Balmat, both from the historical region of Savoy, at the time part of the Kingdom of Sardinia: their successful ascent is traditionally viewed as the start of modern mountaineering. Now an average 20,000 climbers ascend the summit every year, and fatal incidents occur regularly.



Mont Blanc is also the name of a rather decadent Italian-French dessert of sweetened chestnut puree, meringue, and whipped cream. For a long time, Mont Blanc ("Monte Bianco" in Italian - both names meaning "white mountain") was considered Europe's highest peak, with its elevation of 4,807.81 m (15,773.7 ft). In more recent times, however, the beautiful Alpine massif has lost its status to Mount Elbrus - though there are mountaineers that disagree with the latter's location in Europe rather than Asia. Interestingly, the definition of the Seven Summits that uses tectonic plates as a reference includes neither Elbrus nor Mont Blanc, as Everest is the highest mountain on the Eurasian Plate.The highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe, Mont Blanc lies on the border between France and Italy, and ownership of the summit has been long disputed between the two countries. The mountain's summit is covered by a thick dome of snow and ice: one of its glaciers, the third-largest in the Alps, bears the descriptive name of "Mer de Glace" ("sea of ice"). Nicknamed "the roof of Europe", Mont Blanc has long been a cultural icon, as well as a highly desirable climbing destination. It was first summited in 1786 by Michel Paccard and Jacques Balmat, both from the historical region of Savoy, at the time part of the Kingdom of Sardinia: their successful ascent is traditionally viewed as the start of modern mountaineering. Now an average 20,000 climbers ascend the summit every year, and fatal incidents occur regularly.Mont Blanc is also the name of a rather decadent Italian-French dessert of sweetened chestnut puree, meringue, and whipped cream.

9. Mauna Kea



Although the inclusion of Mauna Kea ("white mountain" in Hawaiian), an active shield volcano located on the island of Hawai'i, may come as a surprise, it is not as odd as it looks. Mauna Kea's elevation above sea level is 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft); however, the mountain extends for about 6,000 m (19,700 ft) below the surface of the sea, for a total height of 10,210 m (33,500 ft) - considerably higher than Everest. In addition, in the tectonic version of the Seven Summits list, Mauna Kea appears as the highest mountain on the Pacific Plate. Though it last erupted about 4,600 years ago, Mauna Kea is expected to erupt again at some time in the future. Like the other four volcanoes located on Hawai'i, the mountain is revered as holy in the Hawaiian religion.



Because of its shape, Mauna Kea is considerably easier to climb than most of the mountains mentioned in this quiz. Since the summit was sacred, and thus placed under strict "kapu" (a concept very similar to "taboo"), the native population (except the highest ranks of the nobility) rarely reached it; however, there were trails that led to shrines and burial sites on the mountain's slopes. The first recorded ascent by a non-Hawaiian - an American missionary named Joseph F. Woodrich - dates from 26 August 1823. Now the summit can be reached by multiple trails.

10. Mount Kosciuszko



Located in the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains, in New South Wales (southeastern Australia), Mount Kosciuszko is considerably smaller than all the other mountains listed in this quiz. Named after Polish-Lithuanian general and freedom fighter Tadeusz Kosciuszko (who also fought in the American Revolutionary War), mainland Australia's highest peak stands at an elevation of 2,228 m (7,310 ft). The name, given to the mountain by Polish explorer Paul Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, stems from its resemblance with the artificial mound erected in Krakow (Poland) in honour of the general.



Unlike most of the other Summits, Mount Kosciuszko is a very easy ascent. There are two walking paths leading to the summit of the mountain; the third, and most challenging route, is called Hannel's Spur Track, and was known to Aboriginal tribes thousands of years before it was used by Strzelecki when he climbed the mountain in 1840. Mount Kosciuszko is one of the few places in Australia that is covered in snow in winter and spring. Kosciuszko National Park (established in 1967) contains a number of ski resorts.



Mount Kosciuszko is included in the Bass list as Australia's highest peak, while other versions include Puncak Jaya or Mount Wilhelm, both on the island of New Guinea.

Source: Author LadyNym This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Sursa foto: Inquam Photos / Daniel Stoenciu

EXCLUSIV Cum a modificat pe tacute coalitia PSD-PNL-UDMR suprataxa prin care voia un miliard de euro de la OMV Petrom: doua intalniri necomunicate public intre premierul Ciuca si reprezentantii companiei, plus o cerere de reexaminare vaga de la Iohannis
Sursa foto: Ilona Andrei / G4Media

Nicolae Ciuca, dupa ce Marcel Ciolacu a cerut sa nu mai fie dezmat la stat cu mii de angajari si pile: Trebuie sa dam dovada de mai multa chibzuinta in cheltuirea banului public/ Premierul anunta si majorarea valorii tichetelor de masa la 40 de lei, de la 1 iulie
Hong Kong: Family office tax relief passed

The Government welcomed the passage of the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Family-owned Investment Holding Vehicles) Bill 2022 by the Legislative Council today.

The bill amends the Inland Revenue Ordinance to provide profits tax concessions for eligible family-owned investment holding vehicles (FIHVs) managed by single family offices (SFOs) in Hong Kong.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said: We are committed to creating a conducive and competitive environment for the businesses of global family offices to thrive in Hong Kong.

The Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong we issued in March sets out our stance and measures tailored to the holistic and unique needs of family offices and asset owners.

Mr Hui pointed out that the tax concession regime under the bill will facilitate family offices to set up and operate in Hong Kong, create new business opportunities for the asset and wealth management sector, and generate demand for other related professional services.

This would foster Hong Kong's position as a premier family office hub and an international asset and wealth management centre.

The bill exempts an FIHV's assessable profits earned from qualifying transactions and incidental transactions from payment of profits tax.

To attain the policy objective of bringing investment management and related activities to Hong Kong, the FIHV shall be managed by an eligible SFO and fulfil the minimum asset threshold of $240 million and substantial activities requirement.

The bill as passed will become effective upon gazettal on May 19. The tax concession will be applicable to any years of assessment commencing on or after April 1, 2022.

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Heres How Google I/O Got Its Name: A Look at Its Origins Ahead of the Companys Biggest Event News lekhaka -Anu Joy

Google is gearing up for the Google I/O 2023 later tonight, which will showcase a slew of new hardware such as the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tab, and more. We can also expect the tech giant to unveil Bard AI at the event.

Prior to I/O 2023, Google explains how the event got its name. And no, it doesn't stand for input/output, as was previously believed. Some thought that it means "innovation in the open," which isn't exactly right either.

The History of Google I/O

This year's Google I/O event marks the annual event's fifteenth anniversary, and Google took a walk down the memory lane to reminisce about how the developer conference evolved over the years.

Most interestingly, the brand revealed the true meaning behind the I/O moniker. Google harkened back to May 2006, which saw the company's first-ever developer conference, the Geo Developer Day.

As the event kept getting bigger, it was moved to a bigger venue at San Francisco's Moscone Center West. And that's where the event got the I/O name that we all recognize. I/O was based on googol, which was also the basis of the company's name.

Lorin Platto, director of events and experiences operations at Google explains, "A googol is a one, followed by 100 zeroes, so that's where the I/O name and logo came from. We just took the first one and zero, and we left off all the other zeroes. It all goes back to Google."

People who thought it stood for input/output or "innovation in the open" aren't entirely wrong either. "And then as we were brainstorming, we started talking about what that one and zero could mean. That's where the 'input / output' and 'innovation in the open' slogans came from," Platto says.

With that mystery finally solved, we can move on to the actual Google I/O event that's taking place tonight. Google I/O 2023 will be livestreamed on Google's official YouTube channel. Those residing in India can watch the event at 10:30 pm IST.

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Oppo to Pull Out of France After June 30: Report News lekhaka -Subhrojit Mallick

After Oppo pulled out of Germany due to a legal tussle with Nokia over patent infringement last year, the company is reportedly exiting France, according to reports. An earlier report had claimed the Chinese smartphone brand and its sibling, OnePlus will leave several crucial markets in Europe including Netherlands, UK, France, and Germany.

Oppo's European Exit Playing Out

A French publication spoke to several employees of the company in France to find out whether the company is really set to exit the country. When speaking to an employee of an Oppo contractor in France, the publication reported that the service contract with the company ends June 30, indicating that the company may not stay after that.

Furthermore, the report quoted a Oppo sales manager as saying that employees were told that the new Find X and the Reno series will not be launched in the European country. In fact, the company's foldable, the Find N2 Flip was set to be available in retail stores, but is only available online.

The report added that sales people have been asked to take down Oppo displays and to stop sales before the June 30 deadline.

Oppo, however, has maintained that it is going to continue operating in France after June 30. The company has assured users that it will continue to support and provide after-sales services for its smartphones. The phones already under use in France will also receive software updates. For now, the France website is selling all the phones Oppo launched in France.

That said, it is not clear as to what capacity it will continue. If Germany serves as precedence, Oppo delisted all its phones from its official site, but kept its wearables and hearables available for sale till recently. Now, those have also stopped selling.

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Realme 11 series launched with up to 200 MP Triple Cameras, 120Hz AMOLED Display News oi -Carlsen Martin

The Realme 11 series has officially been unveiled in China. The line-up includes the Realme 11, Realme 11 Pro and Realme 11 Pro Plus. The top-end Realme 11 Pro Plus debuts as the top-end variant in the series, offering a premium mid-tier spec sheet.

The Realme 11 Pro is touted as a more affordable alternative to the Realme 11 Pro+, while the Realme 11 arrives as a budget 5G phone. The Realme 11 series features MediaTek chipsets, AMOLED displays, large batteries, super-fast charging, and Android 13.

Realme 11 Pro Plus Price

The Realme 11 Pro+ price is set at CNY 2,099 (roughly Rs 24,900) for the base 12GB/256GB model. Realme's latest 'number' series smartphone also comes in a 12GB/512GB and 12GB/1TB variant, which will set you back CNY 2,399 (roughly Rs 28,500) and CNY 2,599 (roughly Rs 30,900), respectively.

Realme 11, Realme 11 Pro Price

The Realme 11 Pro price is set at CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs 21,300) for the base 8GBGB/256GB model, while the 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB variants will set you back CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs 23,700) and CNY 2,299 (roughly Rs 27,200), respectively.

The Realme 11 price is set at CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs 19,000) for the base 8GB/256GB model and CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs 21,300) for the 12GB/256GB variant. Now to the specs of the Realme 11 series.

Realme 11 Pro Plus Specifications

The Realme 11 Pro+ is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC paired with the Mali-G68 GPU. The phone comes with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 2.2 storage. The memory expansion feature allows the phone to use up to 8GB of unused storage as virtual RAM.

The Realme 11 Pro Plus sports a 6.7-inch FHD+ Curved AMOLED display with 20,000 levels of automatic brightness adjustment. The panel boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a 360Hz touch sampling rate. It supports 100 percent DCI-P3 colours and HDR10. The Realme 11 Pro+ also features an in-display fingerprint reader.

For optics, the Realme 11 Pro+ gets a triple-camera setup with a 200 MP Samsung HP3 primary sensor with OIS support and an f/1.69 aperture. The main camera is paired with an 8 MP ultrawide lens and a 2 MP macro unit. On the front, there's a 32 MP selfie camera.

In terms of software, the Realme 11 Pro+ runs Android 13 with the Realme UI 4.0 skin on top. The phone packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 100W fast charging support. It features dual speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. The Realme 11 Pro Plus comes in City of the Rising Sun, City of Green Fields, and Starry Night Black colour options.

Realme 11 Pro Specifications

The Realme 11 Pro retains most of the same specifications as the Realme 11 Pro+, including the battery capacity, chipset, software, and display. The major differences here lie in the camera system, where the Realme 11 Pro opts for a 108 MP primary sensor with OIS.

The Realme 11 Pro lacks an ultrawide shooter and retains the same 2 MP macro unit. The selfie camera is also downgraded to 16 megapixels. The charging speed is also downgraded to 67W. The Realme 11 Pro also comes in the same City of the Rising Sun, City of Green Fields, and Starry Night Black colours.

Realme 11 Specifications

The Realme 11 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 SoC paired with the Mali-G57 GPU. The chip is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. In terms of software, the Realme 11 runs Android 13 with the Realme UI 4.0 skin on top.

The Realme 11 sprots a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 1,000 nits of peak brightness. The panel boasts a 90Hz refresh rate and a 180Hz touch sampling rate. It also features TUV Rheinland low blue light certification and an in-display fingerprint reader.

For optics, the Realme 11 gets a dual-camera setup with a 64 MP primary sensor and a 2 MP macro unit. On the front, there's an 8 MP selfie camera. The Realme 11 packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. The phone comes in Summer Orange and Star Trail Black colours.

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National Technology Day 2023: Know The History, Significance, And This Years Theme News oi -Alap Naik Desai

National Technology Day marks an important occasion in the history of India. Every year it is a joyous reminder of the importance of science and the groundbreaking achievements of the country.

India's National Technology Day is celebrated this month. Let's check out its glorious origin, history, significance, and this year's theme.

National Technology Day: Know The History Of This Important Day

The National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11. This day marks the anniversary of the Pokhran Nuclear Test (Operation Shakti) in 1998.

Specifically speaking, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) carried out five nuclear tests at Pokhran (Rajasthan) on May 11, 1998. Eminent Scientist and former President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam led the operation.

Simply put, India became a "Nuclear State" on May 11, 1998. After the successful nuclear tests, then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared 11 May as National Technology Day.

National Technology Day: Significance

National Technology Day is intended to highlight the significance of science and quantum leaps in the field of technology. Especially for India, the day marks the scientist and engineers' valuable contribution to the field of science and technology.

APJ Kalam had said with the power of technology, Indian youngsters should dream big for the country. Hence, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared 11 May as National Technology Day to celebrate the efforts of scientists, engineers, and technological advancement in the country.

National Technology Day also encourages new youngsters to pursue a career in science or at the very least, take an interest in technology. Even the current Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi said:

"With the passage of time, the country which does not adopt modern technology, time moves ahead leaving it behind. India was a victim of this during the Third Industrial Revolution. But today we can proudly say that India is guiding the world in the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0."

National Technology Day 2023: Theme, Awards

Technology moves ahead at a very rapid pace. Hence, National Technology Day gets a new theme each year.

The National Technology Day 2023's theme is "Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future". Needless to say, this theme lays emphasis on developing and adopting technology to create a sustainable future.

Every year on National Technology Day, several innovators and entrepreneurs are given awards for their outstanding contributions to the field of science and technology. Additionally, the Technology Development Board (TDB) has created a National Award commemorating this day.

TDB Award is awarded to multiple individuals as well as industries for their productive accomplishments in Indigenous Technology commercialization. The awards are given by the President of India.

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China, Canada in tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats over interference report

Beijing vows to 'fight back resolutely and forcefully' but denies that its diplomat intimidated a politician.

By Paul Eckert for RFA 2023.05.09 -- China expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai on Tuesday, a day after Ottawa announced it would expel a Chinese diplomat accused of trying to intimidate a Canadian politician.

The tit-for-tat expulsions follow years of strained ties between the major Pacific trade partners, and come amid mounting Canadian public concern about Chinese influence operations in the country in the wake of intelligence leaks alleging election interference. The spat also fits a pattern of deteriorating Chinese ties with the U.S. and many of its allies.

China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the expulsion of Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei, and declared Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, a consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, persona non grata as a "reciprocal countermeasure." She must leave by May 13, it said.

"In response to the Canadian side's unreasonable provocation, China has adopted corresponding retaliatory measures," Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a regular news conference in Beijing. "This was absolutely just and necessary. We urge Canada to immediately stop its unreasonable provocations."

If Canada continues to "act recklessly", China will "fight back resolutely and forcefully, and the Canadian side must bear all the consequences," Wang added.

Canada would "not be intimidated" by China's reaction, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday.

"We will take whatever action is necessary to continue to protect our democracy and show that we're standing up for our values and our principles. We understand there is retaliation but we will not be intimidated," Trudeau said.

Intelligence revelations

Canada's decision to expel Zhao on Monday followed revelations that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found an accredited Chinese diplomat in the country had been targeting opposition lawmaker Michael Chong and possibly his relatives in China over sponsorship of a successful motion in parliament to condemn China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority group.

The intelligence was first reported by Canadian daily newspaper the Globe and Mail earlier this month, and follows previous revelations that attempted to meddle in Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections that prompted Trudeau to appoint an independent special investigator.

"Like many Canadians, I have family abroad," Chong tweeted. "The PRC's targeting of family abroad to intimidate and coerce Canadians here at home is a serious, national threat. It undermines social cohesion, and our cherished fundamental rights and freedoms," he wrote on May 1, after the intel was published. Chong also called for Zhao's expulsion.

Ottawa "will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Monday. "Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home."

Beijing has denied all allegations of interference in the politics of Canada, which is home to a large community of immigrants from China and the territories of Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.

On the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia last November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping appeared to criticize Trudeau over media leaks alleging Chinese interference in Canadian politics.

Relations between the Canadian and Chinese governments have been strained since Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, in 2018 at the request of Washington.

Beijing subsequently arrested two Canadians on unsubstantiated spying charges. The standoff ended when the Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, were released on the same day Canada allowed Meng to plead out in her case return to China in 2021.

Canada's fractious ties with China often mirror those of the United States and many of its Pacific and European allies, who are also wrestling with alleged Chinese interference - on.top of long-running concerns about security, trade and human rights.

Western countries are now confronting alleged Chinese secret police stations, which Beijing says are offices to help overseas Chinese with administrative affairs, but which human rights groups say are used to spy on dissidents and try to bring them back to China.

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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U.S.-North Macedonia Memorandum of Understanding to Create a Strategic Counter-Disinformation Partnership

US Department of State

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

May 9, 2023

Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken on May 8, 2023, North Macedonia's Prime Minister, Dimitar Kovachevski, and U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Global Engagement Center James P. Rubin signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining cooperation between the two NATO allies in the fight against the manipulation of information.

This MOU followed meetings held in Skopje on April 11, 2023, between the Government of North Macedonia and the U.S. Department of State. During those meetings, both sides expressed concerns about efforts by Russia and others to deploy disinformation to undermine democracy and national security around the globe. The new MOU will enable closer cooperation in the increasingly vital effort to combat misinformation and disinformation, protect democratic processes, and build resilient information ecosystems.

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NAMRU San Antonio hosts 5th Mission Possible

US Navy

08 May 2023

From Burrell Parmer

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Military and support personnel assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio attended the fifth edition of "Mission Possible," an information-sharing event held at the Battlefield Health and Trauma (BHT) Research Institute.

The purpose of "Mission Possible" is to better inform members of the command on the tactics, techniques, and procedures of the three science directorates to include the resource acquisitions and administrative directorates.

NAMRU San Antonio's mission is to conduct gap driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of Department of Defense personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations.

It is one of the leading research and development laboratories for the U.S. Navy under the DoD and is one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of laboratories operating under the Naval Medical Research Command in Silver Spring, Md.

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US, IVORIAN ARMIES HOST AFRICAN LAND FORCES SUMMIT IN ABIDJAN

Senior military leaders from African nations, as well as the U.S. and some /africaEuropean nations, meet to build relationships, exchange information on current topics of mutual interest and encourage cooperation in addressing challenges, May 8-12 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire during the African Land Forces Summit. The theme for this year's summit is "Addressing security challenges through civil-military partnerships."

By Neil Ruggiero , U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire May 09, 2023

ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE -- U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) along with the Cote d'Ivoire Armed Forces held the opening ceremony for the African Land Forces Summit 2023 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan today.

African Land Forces Summit runs May 8-12, 2023. On behalf of the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, the summit brings together over 40 land force chiefs from across Africa, other partner nations, academic thought leaders, and government officials for candid dialogue to discuss and develop cooperative solutions to shared challenges.

"Every country represented by the chiefs here today on the continent are different, have their own objectives, their own priorities, their own identity," said Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, during his opening comments. "But I know that, together, we can learn from each other's experiences, and identify ways to succeed."

Participants will also observe a demonstration by the Ivorian Armed Forces at the International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism (AILCT) on May 9. The AILCT provides world-class training to forces from across the region on combatting violent extremism in a manner that respects human rights and builds the trust and confidence of populations threatened by terrorism.

In addition to plenary sessions and small-group discussions, various cultural events are planned for the visiting participants, including showcasing local Ivorian culture and hospitality.

This year's ALFS also features parallel sessions focused on fostering discussion and development amongst senior enlisted leaders from the U.S. and African nations.

"I know how much I have relied on good [noncommissioned officers] throughout my career," said Williams. "Empowered enlisted leadership is critical to confronting the era's defining global peace, security, and governance challenges."

ALFS 23 builds upon the success of previous summits and continues to bolster U.S. and African security by fostering communication, cooperation, and planning amongst partner nations. The summit exemplifies the U.S. Army's approach in Africa: partner-led, U.S.-enabled.

SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe & Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.

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May 9, 2023

Speech

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Keynote Address at the Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security (As Delivered)

Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you to Stephanie [Carter], and the Special Competitive Studies Project for the invitation  and for bringing us together to celebrate, and advance, the legacy of innovation that Secretary Carter left over more than four decades of incredible contributions to America's security.

I was fortunate to work for, or with, Ash Carter throughout the past 30 years. From the 1995 Nuclear Posture Review, when I was a Presidential Management Intern on his Assistant Secretary of Defense staff; to the beginning of his tenure as Deputy Secretary of Defense, where I helped him lead efforts to rebalance our capabilities to the Indo-Pacific; all the way up to this past year, when Secretary Carter generously gave of his time to host me for innovation discussions in Cambridge, or stop in for breakfast at the Pentagon to confer on our ongoing innovation agenda.

One of Ash's hallmark phrases, was how he continually encouraged everyone in and around the Pentagon to "think outside our five-sided box." It was a shorthand for his dedication to innovation, in many areas: our technology, our operations, our organization, and our people.

Now, I could spend all my time up here updating you on the many seeds of innovation that Ash planted that have blossomed at DoD.

Like the B-21 stealth bomber that Ash helped start development on, and that Secretary Austin just unveiled in December.

Or the Strategic Capabilities Office Ash started when he was in this job, which turned the SM-6 interceptor into an offensive anti-ship missile  a big reason why we're continuing to maximize procurement and grow production of SM-6s.

Or the Defense Innovation Unit, whose new director Doug Beck you just heard from. He was there with Ash from DIU's earliest days, back when it was DIU-X.

Or the opening of all combat roles to women, which not only expanded the pool of talented people serving and leading across the military services, but has also contributed to high rates of retention in recent years.

But I know if Ash were here in my place, a trip down memory lane wouldn't satisfy him. He'd want me to focus on what DoD is doing now to innovate so we can accomplish the mission  which he often described as "defending the country and making a better world for our children." So that's what I'm here to tell you about.

America's DNA is to innovate  Ash knew this as well as anyone. And it has repeatedly enabled us to drive and master the future character of warfare.

In World War II, we retooled our economy on the fly, recruiting captains of commercial industry to exhort their colleagues to help us out-build the Axis powers. Which they did: as one CEO-turned-general later put it, "we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production."

In the Cold War  when the Soviets had replicated our production playbook, looking to overwhelm NATO with seemingly endless waves of tanks and troops in Europe  DARPA's Assault Breaker program changed the game by pioneering the integration of lasers, electro-optical sensors, microelectronics, and more: enabling U.S. forces to strike battlefield targets with pinpoint accuracy.

In the Gulf War, we showcased more innovations that had been in development for over a decade  like stealth aircraft, and GPS navigation  which were used to breathtaking effect.

In the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  and Ash played a critical leadership role in this  we drove innovations in technology, procurement, and production: fielding things like MRAPs, aerostats, and ballistic clothing to protect our troops from the scourge of roadside bombs.

Our innovation pursuits often carried labels specific to their times and origins. The revolution in military affairs. Transformation. Offset strategies. The defense innovation initiative. These are just some of the monikers applied to DoD's efforts over the decades.

But no matter the label, all of these efforts shared a simple and compelling proposition: exploit change as an opportunity to add military value.

Sometimes that change was driven by new technology, but not always. Sometimes the innovation came from new concepts developing around mature technologies, or how DoD bought or built or used its capabilities, or whom we did that with.

To that point: innovations are often shaped by who's in the room, and who has a seat at the table. It isn't just about which tech sectors get R&D dollars. It's also about having a warfighter-centric culture, and making sure we bring together operators, intel analysts, and technologists routinely and systematically. Because it's the interaction among these diverse communities that often sparks and catalyzes innovation, and keeps an innovation ecosystem vibrant and fresh and effective.

But before I tell you what we're doing, it's important to be clear about why innovation matters for the Department of Defense  because it's shaped by the strategic context in which we find ourselves. And as our National Security Strategy makes clear, we're in a new era of strategic competition, and our pacing military challenge is the People's Republic of China.

Even as we face an acute threat from Russia in Europe, and regional threats like Iran and North Korea, and trans-border challenges like climate change and violent extremist organizations  the PRC is the only strategic competitor with the will and increasingly the capability to remake the international order that has provided so much benefit to so many for so long.

Ash was among those who foresaw and foretold this strategic shift, and he took action to improve America's standing for the competition that was to come  especially as Deputy Secretary of Defense, when he played a key role in putting meat behind the Obama Administration's rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, and as Secretary of Defense, when he informed the Congress that America was "entering a new strategic era."

And the implications for U.S. defense were clear to him. In Ash's words, "our military's excellence isn't a birthright. It's not guaranteed. And we can't take it for granted in the 21st century  we have to earn it again and again."

That excellence is vital to deterrence. And I want to be clear that our goal is to deter, because competition does not mean conflict.

In fact, our greatest measure of success, and the one we use in the Pentagon most often, is to make sure that the PRC leadership wakes up every day, considers the risks of aggression, and concludes, "today is not the day"  and for them to think that today, and every day, between now and 2027, now and 2035, now and 2049, and beyond.

Meeting that bar over time, and as the PRC itself modernizes its military, requires us to deliver a combat-credible Joint Force across time horizons  near-term, mid-term, and long-term  capable of deterring, and, if called upon, defeating aggression against the United States, its allies and partners, and our interests.

And because time and our competitors are not standing still, we cannot stand still either. The PRC is a generational challenge; while it will change over time, it's not going anywhere. So we're in a persistent competition for advantage. But we must respond with confidence and urgency, not react with pessimism and panic.

In that context, innovation is a critical tool for achieving our strategic objectives, but it is not a strategy itself.

We have to take what we are doing tactically  for instance, to address pain points related to security, workforce, and transition across the innovation ecosystem  and link that with what we're doing operationally  such as improving our ability to deliver logistics and sustainment in a contested environment  and link that with what we're doing strategically  for example, to ensure that U.S. forces are never in a fair fight, and to preserve the rules-based international order.

Make no mistake, we need defense innovation in every form  from a combination of new technologies and processes, to new tactics, techniques, and procedures  in order to overcome operational challenges and present dilemmas to those who might threaten us.

And achieving those goals requires strategic discipline in where and how we innovate  relentlessly guided by the 2022 National Defense Strategy, and our Joint Warfighting Concept  so that our innovations really make a difference for the warfighter.

That was something Ash never lost sight of. Because while the battlefield of greatest interest may have changed, our ultimate purpose has not.

Ash also believed in hydrating, so give me a moment here...

[Laughter]

So, we know why we have to innovate. But what's the state of innovation in DoD?

Given the Department's sheer size, it's perhaps unsurprising that there's innovation happening every day, in entities both old and new across DoD. You can even see a map of all those entities in the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, released just today.

But even with a blueprint, at our scale and complexity, learning is slower than it should be. Incentives aren't necessarily clear or aligned to get the best outcomes. In some pockets the culture is good, but in others, we don't always foster the right collaboration that lets innovation flourish  and there's no pre-existing playbook, because there's no analogue to an organization as large as DoD.

We have plenty of authorities. Some might say we have all the authorities we need, though we don't use them nearly enough. And I think the average American might say we have plenty of resources. But it's worth asking: with all these inputs, have we gotten the outputs we need?

Unequivocally, the answer is: no, not yet.

That's partly because, as our strategic competitors today move faster and are more capable than previous competitors, we can never fall victim to thinking we've done enough. We should never be satisfied. And in an organization this large, and an ecosystem this complex, we should always be pushing to get out of our own way.

We face several stubborn barriers to innovation, to include: Risk aversion. Workforce gaps. Slow and cumbersome investment processes. Delayed appropriations. And an oversimplified focus on numbers of platforms, and personnel  capacity, for capacity's sake, rather than capability at capacity.

Anyone get innovation inhibitor "BINGO" with that list?

[Laughter]

Some of these causes are beyond our control, but it's also undeniable that others are coming from "inside the house"  within our own Department  which means we all have a responsibility to drive change and support and promote leaders with the courage to think differently.

Another challenge: innovation has become such a buzzword, that some people mistakenly think it's just doing something different.

But remember: our definition requires adding military value. So truthfully, if it doesn't help the warfighter, it's just innovation theater.

More broadly, the proliferation of innovation mechanisms and organizations suggests our problem may be "innovation adoption," rather than "innovation" itself.

There's greater "supply" of innovation opportunities and ideas today, but demand isn't keeping pace everywhere we want it to be. And often that's because of other barriers  bureaucratic, cultural, and sometimes congressional  to reducing investments in old systems and approaches.

And so, too often over the years, the Pentagon has failed to take the more substantial steps needed to prepare for strategic competition and safeguard our military's edge.

But rather than dwell on those failures, we must learn from them and treat them as our opportunity to seize.

Now, Ash Carter was one of DoD's greatest internal champions of innovation. He mentored many of us here today, and many more who continue to champion innovation throughout DoD, the U.S. government, and beyond.

And he knew very well what is a cold, hard reality: ultimately, everything we all do to innovate will just be a blip if we cannot change behavior in an enduring way  beyond any of our individual tenures.

That is the task we have before us today: to stand up, solidify, and scale the internal structures that enable innovation to thrive across the Department of Defense  so that innovation doesn't rely on a single internal champion, but rather, so that everyone is an internal champion for innovation.

Now let me tell you some of what we've been doing, across four key areas, to realize that vision: to deliver innovations at scale and speed for the warfighter, and to make sure it all keeps going after we're gone.

The first is focused on data and artificial intelligence. Along with compute for the enterprise and at the edge, these are foundational to advancing Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2.

As Ash knew, JADC2 is a warfighting function enabled by technology, but it's not itself a single system or technology that we buy. Instead, we're integrating sensors and fusing data across every domain, while leveraging cutting-edge decision support tools to enable high-tempo operations. And it will make us even better than we already are at joint operations and combat integration.

I won't reveal everything we are doing in this space, but let me touch on recent progress we've made to cement its foundations.

In May 2021, I issued five DoD Data Decrees, to ensure all DoD data is visible, accessible, understandable, linked, trustworthy, interoperable, and secure.

To help integrate data across applications, systems, and users, we then launched the AI and Data Acceleration initiative, or ADA, named after computing pioneer Ada Lovelace. ADA provides teams of data scientists to every Combatant Command, to work on problems our warfighters find most vexing.

To ensure we have the needed data storage and compute, last year we developed and awarded the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contracts.

And a major effort was bringing on a Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, or CDAO -- Dr. Craig Martell, who was Lyft's head of machine learning before we hired him last year to accelerate DoD's adoption of data, analytics, and AI from boardroom to battlefield. I know he's on your next panel, so I'll let him say more.

Second, is how we transition from research and development to fielded, concept-derived capabilities. Here, part of the focus is getting the right things transitioned. There's often talk of the "valley of death" between R&D and production, but if we're being honest, there should be a valley of death, and probably more than one.

The fact is, we don't want to scale every idea. Because  and please don't shoot the messenger  not all ideas turn out to be good ones. Not all ideas work for the warfighter.

We've all met our fair share of "good idea fairies," but I don't know any with a 100% success rate.

Instead, our measure of success should be getting the right things to the right people at the right time, to make a difference in the battlespace. And that requires a bridge from key capability needs to effective solutions  a warfighter-defined investment funnel, if you will.

That funnel requires novel operational concepts, as well as prototyping and experimentation. We then must leverage expeditious acquisition pathways  and you want all those parts to be iterative and always moving fast. Then, whenever something proves valuable, you produce and field it, at scale and speed.

Let me give you an example of how those pieces can come together for the warfighter.

The Marine Corps is investigating the ability to fire a Tomahawk cruise missile from a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle  basically, a modern-day Humvee. A few reasons why that example matters: We have thousands of Tomahawks, and JLTVs. I won't say how many exactly. Also, Tomahawks aren't just land-attack missiles. They can also target ships at sea.

Now, if you remember World War II, you'll recall the Marine Corps' legacy of capturing and holding Pacific islands. And as General Smith hopefully relayed to you earlier, they've been designing Marine forces to operate in a more agile, distributed, resilient, lethal, and sustainable way.

We support that, because it's consistent with joint warfighting concepts. Our latest budget accelerates the Marines' Force Design 2030 to field the majority of its novel capabilities and force structure in the Indo-Pacific by 2027.

So if you think about the firepower that just Marines with Tomahawks and JLTVs could bring to bear  along with airpower, guided missile destroyers, submarines, and more, since we always fight as a joint force  that's pretty remarkable. It's an operational concept worth experimenting with, at least.

Meanwhile, proven joint operational concepts have shaped our investments to procure key capabilities  including in DoD's FY '24 budget, which significantly grows production capacity for weapons most relevant to deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

To incentivize more experimentation, and hasten the pathway from concepts to experiments to fielding, we developed RDER, the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve. It's not a program, nor a fund. Instead, RDER is an internal process that evaluates multi-service capability experiments with promise for advancing joint warfighting concepts.

Those that best contribute to joint needs are funded in our annual budget  at no expense to their components' other priorities. By rewarding innovation that way, RDER encourages the services and others to collaborate in solving our most pressing joint operational challenges.

In the first RDER sprint that we did, ahead of the FY23 budget, components put forward hundreds of proposals. We identified almost three dozen projects worth pursuing, focused on long-range fires. In December, Congress appropriated over $270 million to fund them this year. The experiments are now underway, and the most successful will quickly transition to components for fielding.

In terms of leveraging acquisition pathways, we're benefitting significantly from having new software and Middle-Tier Acquisition Pathways, which help us more rapidly respond to changes in warfighter needs, threats, and technology.

Compared to traditional acquisition... that's hard to say... traditional acquisition programs, these pathways are getting better software to the services, faster  such as for the Air Force's Kessel Run Air Operations Center and SOCOM's Global Analytics Platform  and they're accelerating transition to fielding capabilities by three-to-five years: from next-gen squad weapons for Army soldiers and expeditionary wideband SATCOM for Marines, to deep-water wide-area passive sonar arrays for the Navy.

Beyond those pathways, our APFIT initiative, which stands for Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, is helping rapidly transition capabilities like anti-jam radio links and undersea sensors for mine-hunting.

And to help bridge a later-stage valley of death, we've established a Competitive Advantage Pathfinders, or CAP initiative, which is overcoming bureaucratic and cultural barriers to delivering capability at scale to the warfighter.

For example, we found that rigid funding and an inability to reprioritize acquisition strategies was preventing the Navy from leveraging new technology for the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. But with CAP, we aim to speed the delivery of more advanced LRASMs by two years.

Throughout this process, we've been determined to make transition easier, and faster. We could tolerate decades-long timelines in the Cold War, when our main competitor was relatively slow and lumbering. But today, we have to evolve faster than the threats  which means our capabilities must be designed and built to be flexible, adaptable, interoperable, and interchangeable from the beginning.

Another way we're shrinking timelines, in some cases from years to months to weeks, is through the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, which Ash leveraged to rapidly field MRAPs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The JRAC stepped up in the COVID pandemic, after Russia invaded Ukraine again, and they're also working on challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

While the JRAC's work is remarkable, we don't want them doing everything for DoD. Instead, we want more of DoD doing what the JRAC does: for the JRAC approach and mindset to be embraced and scaled across the Department.

Third, we're driving innovation by expanding the pool of those who work with us.

To do that effectively, we're upholding norms of responsible behavior, which sets us apart from our international competitors. One example is artificial intelligence, where we've consistently been a global leader in establishing responsible policies for military use of autonomous systems and AI.

That's partly because of Ash, who as Deputy Secretary of Defense issued the first DoD Directive on Autonomy in Weapon Systems, in 2012.

We've maintained that commitment as technology has evolved: from adopting ethical principles for using AI, to issuing a Responsible AI Strategy and Implementation Pathway last year.

And this past January, we updated that directive on autonomy in weapon systems  to help ensure we remain the global leader of not just development and deployment, but also safety.

Additionally, we're continuing to open more doors to innovators who might want to work with us: from elevating the Defense Innovation Unit, which you just heard about from Doug, to standing up the Office of Strategic Capital  a new effort Secretary Austin announced last fall. That's designed to identify gaps in private capital investment that could hamper our access to critical technologies, and partner with private capital to fill those gaps.

For those who've never worked with us before, we now have an online one-stop-shop, CTOinnovation.mil, where anyone can go to connect with innovation pathways across DoD  whether you're from business and industry, research and academia, or the military and DoD itself.

Another way we're expanding the pool is by partnering with allies and others  including through AUKUS, our collaboration with the United Kingdom and Australia on not only conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines, but also on many more advanced capabilities.

The last area I'll mention today may be the most complex but important aspect of driving innovation in DoD and making it stick  improving our innovation culture and talent management.

Part of that is being more vocal about learning from potentially unsuccessful experiments  like the Air Force's prototype ARRW hypersonic missile.

Some tests worked. Some tests didn't. But even then, we still learned a lot of useful things from ARRW  which we're applying to the many other hypersonic missiles we're developing and procuring across DoD.

A year from now, we might say the same about some of those RDER projects I mentioned earlier. Not all will be fit for fielding at scale. But that's not a bad thing. The bad thing would be wasting taxpayer dollars to field everything, because we were afraid to admit that some had failed.

We have to embrace the fact that being truly innovative requires a willingness to fail, and learn from failure, and try again.

Driving that cultural change takes leadership from the top, and Secretary Austin and I are both committed to it. But we can't forget that everyone has to do their part.

We also cannot forget that people will always be the engine for innovation.

Ash's Force of the Future initiative helped spark a renewed focus on DoD talent management, but he knew it would fall on those who followed him  his successors' successors' successors, as he often said  to tend the flame, stoke the fires, and finish the job.

To that end, we've recently hired DoD's first-ever Chief Talent Management Officer to help lead and drive the Department in identifying, recruiting, and cultivating world-class talent across our enterprise.

We're especially focused on adapting our talent management systems to the unique demands of the cyber workforce, and aim to do the same for software, data, and AI professionals.

And one of my personal priorities for this year is to improve how we attract and retain a world-class workforce that's strong, empowered, and well-equipped: from expanding our applicant pool, to shrinking time-to-hire, to yes, fixing our computers.

None of these are silver bullets  all address different hurdles to accelerating innovation and delivering capabilities faster and at scale to the warfighter, while also maintaining our accountability to the American people we defend.

At the same time, we can't do it all on our own. We do need help from Congress  to end the cycles of continuing resolutions, pass on-time appropriations, and help enable smooth and secure transitions to future capabilities.

I know we ultimately have what it takes to come out ahead in the competition for the 21st century  and over the last two-plus years I've served as Deputy Secretary of Defense, I've seen countless reasons why, both inside and outside the Pentagon, as I've spent time engaging with America's dynamic innovation ecosystem:

With university researchers in California who are working on everything from climate and sustainability to space and autonomy.

With biotechnologists in Boston who are engineering novel medical treatments.

With innovators in Indiana who are driving forward breakthroughs on everything from hypersonics to semiconductors.

With commercial tech entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas, who are using 3D printing to break the mold of how we maintain aircraft and other mechanical systems.

With electrical engineers and engine designers in Detroit, who are figuring out how to make our power grids more secure and our military vehicles more energy efficient.

And with talented personnel from DIU, SCO, DARPA, CDAO, and plenty of other DoD acronyms I won't bother throwing at you today.

Like me, and many of you, these innovators love rolling up their sleeves to solve a wicked problem. And they're eager to lend their expertise to help solve the biggest challenges we face, for the good of our country and the world.

They are some of the many people that a former Secretary of Defense envisioned in October 2016, when he came to my former think tank, CSIS, to give a speech just a little bit longer than this one...

[Laughter]

...about all his work to drive innovation in DoD.

As he said that day, "the next wave of innovation [is] only just beginning. We probably don't even know yet the names of the people who will make it a reality. More likely than not, it won't be by me or anyone from my generation. Instead, it'll be the generation that comes after. ... They're the ones who will end up reinventing and changing anew how we will deter, fight, and win wars in the future. Our job is to give them the foundation, the right kind of Pentagon to help them succeed: one that's more agile and innovative than ever before."

That foundation is stronger because of Ash Carter. And we're committed to making it ever stronger still. Thanks to the work of many of you, I know we will.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/3390220/

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May 9, 2023

Transcript

Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing

Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary

BRIGADIER GENERAL PAT RYDER: Good afternoon, everybody. Just a few things here at the top, and then we'll get right to your questions.

Today, the Department of Defense announced a new security assistance package to reaffirm steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine, including to bolster its air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs. This package, which totals up to $1.2 billion, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This UAI package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's most urgent requirements by committing critical capabilities such as air defense systems and munitions, while also building the capacity of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long-term. This includes procuring additional 155 millimeter artillery rounds and sustainment support to enable Ukraine to better maintain its on-hand systems and equipment. The capabilities in this package include additional air defense systems and munitions equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine's air defense systems, ammunition for counter-unmanned aerial systems, 155 milliliter artillery rounds, commercial satellite imagery services and support for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.

The United States will continue to work with our allies and our partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

Separately, Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley will testify Thursday before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense to discuss the President's Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the department. As always, the secretary and the chairman look forward to working with Congress to provide our service members serving around the world with the resources they need to accomplish the Department of Defense mission and strengthen America's national security for the 21st century and beyond.

In other news, the DOD today released the unclassified version of the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, or NDSTS. Guided by the National Defense Strategy, the NDSTS articulates the DOD's science and technology priorities, goals and investments and makes recommendations on the future of the defense research and engineering enterprise. The strategy will be implemented along three primary lines of effort, which are focus on the joint mission, create and field capabilities at speed and scale and ensure the foundations for research and development. The department will continue to leverage the broad innovation ecosystem across academia, federally-funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research centers, DOD laboratories, national laboratories, nonprofit entities, commercial industry and other government departments and agencies. The unclassified version of the strategy can be found on the DOD website.

And finally, Secretary Austin will travel to North Carolina this weekend where he'll deliver remarks during the Fayetteville State University Commencement to highlight the departments focus on the value of service to our nation.

And with that, we'll take your questions. We'll start with Associated Press, Tara Copp.

Q: Hi, General Ryder. I wondered if you could give us an update on the troop deployments to the border confirming reports that the first tranche of soldiers are arriving at the border now, and any sort of update you can give us on their bed-down, what roles they'll have.

GEN. RYDER: Thanks, Tara. So my understanding is that those troops, an element of those troops should begin arriving soon. I'd refer you to NORTHCOM for the specific timing of that.

In terms of the types of activities, we've talked before about, they'll be providing additional ground detection monitoring capability, warehouse support, data entry. Again, they'll be there in support of Customs and Border Patrol. They will not be conducting any type of law enforcement activities. My understanding is that some of those troops will be operating near El Paso, Texas, but again, I'd refer you to NORTHCOM for any additional details. And -- and a key point there is that they will be there in support, again, of CBP. So really, CBP are going to be the ones to ultimately determine the disposition of those forces because they're there in support.

Q: And just a further clarifier, because there is some interest in this. They will have no role at all in interacting with migrants? And then as far as a ballpark number of this first tranche, in the hundreds?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, that is correct. They are not there in any way to be interacting with migrants. We are talking hundreds in terms of the first tranche, but again, NORTHCOM will be able to provide additional details.

Let me go to Jen.

Q: Thank you, General Ryder. Do you expect that the 90-day window that has been given for these troops to go to the border is going to be extended? Has there been a request from DHS to extend that window? And do you expect more troops, more than the 1,500 to be either requested or on their way to the border?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, as of right now, no change to what we've previously announced, in terms of a 90-day temporary deployment. As always, we maintain ongoing discussions within the interagency, with DHS. I'm not aware of any additional formal requests at this time, but again, you know, we'll continue to stay in close contact, but yes, right now, it is 90 day temporary deployment in support of DHS.

Q: And what is the message that these troops are sending to those on the other side of the border who may consider crossing in the coming days?

GEN. RYDER: Well, again, when it comes to border security, DHS has the lead for the federal government. So in this case, as we've talked about before, they needed assistance performing some of those back shop-type requirements so that they could focus on the law enforcement aspect of this. Thank you.

Tony?

Q: I want to go back to the Ukraine announcement. Can you -- as clearly as you can, can you let the public know that this $1.2 billion has nothing to do with the upcoming spring offensive that the Ukrainians are hoping to launch?

GEN. RYDER: Well, Tony, as we -- as I highlighted at the top of my remarks, USAI is a -- is a authority which exists for us to procure capabilities from industry or partners versus drawing down from our immediate stocks. So the next step in this process will be to look at funding additional capabilities, what's out there in order to meet Ukraine's longer term needs.

Q: So these are -- to be for -- used for contracts to be signed at some point in the future?

GEN. RYDER: That is correct.

Q: Okay. So you've got $18 billion that Congress appropriated for this -- this fund. Congress -- it's -- the Pentagon to date has awarded $5 billion in contracts. This is another $1.2 that you're going to -- potentially going to award. Is the Pentagon going to accelerate somehow the contracting of these dollars that Congress appropriated for you last year?

GEN. RYDER: Thanks, Tony. So we continue to try to leverage the full range of contracting vehicles that we have at our disposal to expedite getting needed security assistance to Ukraine, to include vehicles that allow us to start work immediately, in terms of some of those capabilities, before waiting for final contracts or broader contracts to be signed.

So again, this is something that we'll continue to -- to keep after, cognizant of the fact that this is part of a broader effort, U.S. and international effort, to ensure that Ukraine has the assistance it needs -- the security assistance its -- needs to defend its country.

Q: Thank you.

GEN. RYDER: Thank you.

Go here and then we'll go back to Will.

Q: Thanks, General Ryder. You mentioned the commercial satellite imagery services in the Ukraine package. Can you say which companies DOD is planning to contract with for these services? And just more broadly, can you talk about why DOD is kind of leaning on the commercial sector for this rather than just providing its own imagery to the Ukrainians?

GEN. RYDER: Again, I don't have anything specific to announce today, in terms of particular companies that we may or may not be contracting with through this USAI effort. That will be work that's ongoing, certainly as we look at options on how best to support Ukraine. And so when we do have something to announce on that front, we certainly will. Okay, thank you.

Will?

Q: Thank you. Another USAI question -- it -- it mentioned -- the announcement mentioned air defense systems and munitions. Have the specific systems been selected yet or is that something that -- that still is -- has not been done? And also, is there any timeline on these items, especially the air defense (inaudible) 155s, given the -- kind of the urgency of the need for those capabilities in Ukraine?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, sure. So a couple of things there. So again, on today's announcement about the USAI, just to -- and not to belabor the point here, but again, a key difference between that and the presidential drawdown authorities is that the USAI is an authority under which the United States can procure capabilities from industry or partners versus, again, drawing from existing stocks.

So this -- today's announcement is really focused on -- or represents, rather, the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine, which will entail exploring options as how to best support them.

When it comes to providing nearer term support, you've seen us use the PDA to drawdown on existing capabilities and rush those capabilities to Ukraine. So when it comes to things like air defense, for example, you've seen us provide Patriots, NASAMS, we've provided HAWKs. Our allies and partners have provided things like SAM-T, Avengers, counter-UAS.

So we're not waiting to provide Ukraine with air defense capabilities now. The USAI gives us the ability to leverage the power and the capabilities of the private sector in order to support Ukraine's medium and long term security assistance needs.

Yeah?

Q: One quick follow-up on that. So just to -- just to confirm though that -- but the specific systems that are -- that are under -- are mentioned in this announcement have not been determined yet?

GEN. RYDER: Correct. So that is -- that is something that we'll be exploring, and again, when we have something to announce, we will.

Let me go here to Janne and then we'll come back across over here to Carla.

Q: Thank you, General. Do -- U.S. and South Korea and Japan will conduct maritime interdiction exercise to block North Korea's illegal trans-shipment. Can you provide more about this?

GEN. RYDER: Thanks, Janne. So I -- I have seen some press reports talking about potential future exercises. I don't have anything specifically to announce today, other than to say that the United States and the Republic of Korea do conduct exercises on a regular basis. As you know, those exercises are meant to be defensive in nature and to help us to exercise our interoperability and to signal again our commitment to working with one another to promote peace, stability and security in the region.

Q: How do you anticipate the clash with North Korea during this exercise? Because North Korea is objecting to this exercise.

GEN. RYDER: Certainly aware of that. That's not the first time they've objected to exercises, but again, these are defensive -- any exercises we do are defensive in nature and meant to promote interoperability, with, again, our primary focus being on promoting peace, security and stability in the region. Thank you.

Let me go here to Carla and then Oren.

Q: On the (inaudible) officials are saying that he had served three months in U.S. Army training but he was dismissed due to mental health issues. It looks like the Department of Veterans Affairs would not classify him as a veteran based on Title 38. What does the Pentagon classify him as? Is he a veteran?

GEN. RYDER: He is not a veteran. Again, as -- as you highlight, from the Department of Veteran Affairs, according to federal regulations, this individual, in terms of the time of service, would not qualify as a veteran. Thank you.

Let me go to Oren and then I'll go to Ryo.

Q: Two related questions. Ukrainians say they used a Patriot missile to intercept a Russian Kinzhal, or Killjoy, missile. Was the U.S. able to confirm that? And what did you learn from the intercept of what Putin has called an impossible to intercept missile? And then what is the -- how much concern is there about Ukraine's current stock of air defense munitions? Do they have enough, given the continued Russian barrages?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks, Oren.

So first of all, when it comes to Ukraine's readiness, its inventory or details of missile intercepts, I'd -- I'd refer you to them. I can confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defense system. As you know, that -- that system is part of a broader range of air defense capabilities that the United States and the international community have provided to Ukraine. I listed out some of those, you know, as part of their multilayered integrated air defense capability.

And so as Secretary Austin highlighted about three weeks ago at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the U.S., our allies, our partners, we're going to continue to rush ground-based air defense capabilities and munitions to help Ukraine control its sovereign skies and to help Ukraine defend its citizens from Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones. And again, as evidenced by today's USAI announcement and the procurement of additional air defense systems and munitions, this is something that we're going to keep after both in the near term and the long term. Thank you.

Let me go to Ryo, and then I'll go to Tom.

Q: Thank you very much. Two questions. First, the Taiwanese defense minister said the United States is planning to send $500 million military aid package to Taiwan using the presidential drawdown authority. Are there any particular weapon systems or ammunitions that the Pentel -- Pentagon wants to expedite the delivery of to Taiwan?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks, Ryo. So I don't have any specific announcements to -- to make today in regard to a Taiwan PDA. I would highlight for you, however, that last year, Congress authorized up to $1 billion in presidential drawdown authority for Taiwan in order to deliver vital security assistance in support of Taiwan's self-defense. And as you may recall, in February, Secretary Austin testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that DOD intended to make use of this authority. But again, I don't have anything specific to announce today.

I would also emphasize that our approach remains consistent with long-standing U.S. policy as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiques and the six assurances, and as you know, we remain hard at work in fulfilling our obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act, and we're going to continue to do so.

Q: Separately, the White House announced today the president will visit Papua New Guinea later this month. I wonder how important Pacific nations are for the Pentagon to compete with China in the region. Is the Pentagon seeking new access to military bases or military facilities in the South -- in the South Pacific?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks, Ryo. So as you probably heard the White House say, the U.S. is a Pacific nation and we have deep historical and people-to-people ties with the Pacific islands. And I'm not going to get ahead of the president's meeting. I -- I think his press secretary said today that the president will discuss ways to deepen cooperation on challenges that are critical to the region, but I can assure you that we will continue to work closely with our international allies and our partners to enable and sustain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, as I highlighted a little bit earlier. And as always, our goal is to promote peace in the region and preserve the international rules-based order that has largely kept the peace in that region since World War II. Thank you very much.

Tom?

Q: Thanks, Pat. You were pretty clear in defining the role of the active-duty forces going down to the border, that Customs is the lead. Can you clarify to the best of your knowledge please any type of restrictions or cooperation that could work with the Texas National Guard that's being boosted, their numbers, to the border between our active forces and them? Thank you.

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so -- so the active-duty forces that we're deploying to the border are going there to support the Department of Homeland Security in response to a request. Again, those forces will be supporting CBP and performing essentially back-shop-type of support.

When it comes to -- and if I think I understand you correctly, are you talking about Texas National Guard that are under state orders?

Q: Correct, sir.

GEN. RYDER: OK, two separate missions, and so really, when it comes to the Texas National Guard under state orders, that's really a question for the state of Texas to discuss.

Q: So they won't coop -- I mean, there's no plan to cooperate with them?

GEN. RYDER: Two -- two separate missions.

Q: Yeah, OK.

GEN. RYDER: Correct. Thank you.

Q: Thanks.

GEN. RYDER: Go back here.

Q: Thank you, General. There are -- regarding to the tension in the Middle East, today, the Syrian forces launched air strikes on Gaza. So does the DOD have any communications with their counterparts in Israel regarding to this situation? And do you have any concerns about that escalation maybe will be -- rise up, especially in the region? Thank you so much.

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks for the question. So you know, when it comes to Israeli airstrikes, really, that -- that's something for them to talk about. Clearly, we -- we do have concerns about tensions in the region, and you've heard us a call for all sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, to work together to reduce those tensions. But in terms of any Israeli Defense Force operations, I'd have to refer you to them. So thank you very much.

Let me go back to this side of the room. Let me go here, and then back to Kasim .

Q: Thank you, General. There are reports that are saying that the DOD leaked the command, revealed that Iran and some of its backed groups in Iraq, they moved swiftly some weapons and military equipment through the humanitarian aid in February to Syria through Iraq. Do you confirm this? And are you going to prevent Iran or also the proxy groups to send weapons, and also, military equipment from Iraq to Syria, and also from Iran to Iraq?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so a couple of things there. So in terms of any, you know, alleged classified documents or unauthorized disclosure documents, I'm just not going to get into talking about any aspect of those or confirming or not confirming any potentially sensitive or classified information.

When it comes to Iran and their proxy groups, we've talked a lot about the fact that throughout the region, we've seen illicit activity by Iranian-sponsored groups in terms of moving weapons and ammunition, and I think we've all, for example, followed the situation in -- in Yemen for many years, for example. And so, you know, in -- in accordance with international law and working with our allies and our partners in the region, we will continue to do what we can also working with the broader U.S. government in terms of the interagency to do what we can to stem the tide of the illicit shipment of -- of illegal arms and weapons. Again, this just points to Iran's malign activity in the region and a challenge which I think the U.S. and many of our allies and partners can agree on. And I'll just leave it at that.

Q: My -- my second Q: The DOD officials has always said that the threats of ISIS in Iraq is exist, and we are there to support the local forces to do -- to Defeat Enduring ISIS (sic). Then would you be able to give us what's the level of threats of ISIS in Iraq and the kind of support that you are giving to the Iraqi Forces, and also, the Kurdish Forces to accomplish the mission, Enduring Defeat ISIS (sic), in the region?

GEN. RYDER: Sure, absolutely. So we have about 2,500 U.S. forces in Iraq under Operation Inherent Resolve that are supporting the Iraqi Security Forces in terms of training, advising as they conduct their own operations. And -- and I'm sure you've been following this for a long time -- Iraq has made great progress in terms of its counter-terrorism capabilities and its ability to fight ISIS within Iraq.

In Syria, of course, the United States does maintain a -- a -- a number of forces there that are working with partner forces to -- to fight, as well, to eliminate ISIS and focus on the enduring defeat of that terrorist organization. Thank you.

All right, let me go here to Kasim and then come back over here. I'll get you, Will.

Q: General, last week, CENTCOM announced that it has launched a strike on a senior Al-Qaeda leader but we never heard back from CENTCOM who the Al-Qaeda leader was, and conversely, we also saw local reports that a shepherd was killed during that strike. CENTCOM, I believe, is investigating that -- the civilian casualties but is there a specific reason that the U.S. military holds the name of the senior Al-Qaeda leader that it targeted in Syria? And can you update us on the investigation?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks. So as you highlight, Kasim, that is something that -- that CENTCOM is looking into, those allegations, so they're really in the best position to -- to talk about that. Thank you.

All right, time for a couple more. Let me go to Tara and then Jim.

Q: Hi. I just wanted to ask -- oh -- a couple of follow-ups on the border deployment. For the active duty troops that are going down to the border, where will they be housed? Are -- are you making agreements with area hotels? Because it seemed like some of those hotel rooms are already taken up by National Guard deployments.

And then secondly, there was a caveat in sending any more -- additional DOD support, that DHS was going to have to figure this out by the end of F.Y. '23. You know, we're four months away and three of those months are going to have active duty troops now deployed to the border. Are you confident that this won't be extended and, you know, we'll go into the next fiscal year and troops will still be at the border cause there's still a migrant problem?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah. So a couple of things. In terms of the housing, I'd refer you to CENTCOM. Again, they'd -- they added more granularity as they -- I'm sorry -- NORTHCOM -- got CENTCOM on the mind. Thanks, (Kasim. Refer you to NORTHCOM. They'd have more granularity -- of course, working with CBP on that front.

In terms of the disposition, active duty troops versus the long term, as -- as you've heard us say, again, this was to meet an urgent request from DHS while they explore options, how to support this long term. It -- we've also said that we are exploring options on whether or not there are opportunities to, in stride, replace the active duty forces with forces from the Reserve component or contracted capability.

So again, right now, we're focused on the 90 day temporary deployment of these active duty forces, and that's where things stand at the moment. Thanks.

Jim?

Q: Thanks, General. Back to Ukraine, last week, I think it was the Ukrainian official said that -- that nine BCTs -- nine Ukrainian BCTs have been trained. I'm just curious, does the -- does that mean that the training that the U.S. was providing has finished? And more broadly, what's the status of the U.S. training effort to -- for the Ukrainian forces?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so -- great question. So training does continue at Grafenwohr, combined arms training, and I -- I'd refer you to U.S. Army Europe and Africa to provide you with the exact numbers, but it -- I do know that -- that we have upwards of a couple thousand that are going through training there right now.

And again, we will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there. So we continue to discuss that with our Ukrainian partners, in terms of sending additional forces.

As always, a consideration as they do that is how many forces do they keep in the field, vice getting trained, but I think, going back to what we've talked about all along during this conflict, is that providing equipment along with training gives the Ukrainians a capability, vice just having equipment. Part of that capability includes the maintenance and sustainment of those capabilities.

And so we are very eager to continue working alongside our allies and our partners to provide that type of training to the Ukrainians going forward. Thanks very much.

All right, let me go back here and then I'll get the last two over here.

Q: Thank you. Thank you for taking my question. My question is about National Defense Science and Technology Strategy just released today. Could you talk a little bit about how the new strategy enhanced the science and technology cooperation with allies and partners? Is there a particular area that you expect to enhance the cooperation? Thank you.

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks. So what I -- what I'd ask you to do is take a look at the strategy, which is on our website, and then once you've had the opportunity to do that, be happy to answer any follow-on questions that you have. Thank you.

Q: I just wanted to double check -- you -- you did confirm -- you did confirm that a Patriot downed this Kinzhal missile ...

GEN. RYDER: Correct.

Q: ... did I hear that right?

GEN. RYDER: Correct.

Q: Was this a U.S.-provided Patriot or one of the -- from the Dutch or Germans?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah, in terms of those kinds of operational details, I'd refer you to the Ukrainians.

Q: You can't confirm if the U.S. Patriots are now over there?

GEN. RYDER: The U.S. Patriot is over there.

Q: It is? So you're confirming that ...

GEN. RYDER: I'm confirming U.S. Patriot system is in Ukraine, but in terms of which specific battery they employed, whether it was a U.S.-provided, Dutch-provided, I'd refer you to the Ukrainians.

Q: OK, that's fine. Thanks.

GEN. RYDER: OK, thanks. And last question, we'll go to Will.

Q: Also, I just had a quick follow-up on the -- on the Kinzhal. Is -- is this the first time -- or the first intercept of a hypersonic missile in combat? And do you have the date of the intercept?

GEN. RYDER: I don't, and I -- and I -- again, I'm not going to get into the specifics or trying to characterize it, other than, again, to say we can confirm that the Ukrainians took down this Russian missile with a Patriot missile defense system.

All right, thanks very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3390136/

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Israel/Palestine: Statement by the Spokesperson on the situation in Gaza

European External Action Service (EEAS)

09.05.2023

EEAS Press Team

The European Union is gravely concerned by the escalation in Gaza following today's Israeli air raids. The EU deeply regrets the loss of civilian lives, including children, and calls for the respect of international humanitarian law. Civilian lives must be protected under all circumstances.

We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, promote calm and work towards a political horizon and regional stability in line with the commitments in the Aqaba and Sharm el Sheikh declarations.

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The IDF and ISA targeted an Islamic Jihad Terrorist Organizations' Senior Operative and Coordinator of Terrorism in Judea and Samaria

IDF Press Release

09.05.2023

A short while ago, the IDF struck another senior operative of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, Tarek Az Aldin, who directed Islamic Jihad operations in Judea and Samaria from Gaza. Recently, he was planning and direction multiple attacks against Israeli civilian. Az Aldin 49, originally from A'arbe in Samaria.

In recent years, Az Aldin was promoted in the commanding chain of the organization. He was entrusted with the coordination between the Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria as well as transferring funds for terrorism from Gaza to Judea and Samaria.

Az Aldin was also responsible for disturbing inciting content of the terrorist organization in Israel meant to promote and encourage terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.

The IDF will continue to operate for the security of the civilians in the State of Israel.

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Operation Shield and Arrow-Live Updates

IDF Press Release

09.05.2023

On May 9th, 2023, the IDF launched Operation "Shield and Arrow" in a targeted operation against the Islamic Jihad terror organization in the Gaza Strip. The IDF targeted three senior Islamic Jihad commanders responsible for launching rockets toward Israel over the last month and planning further terror attacks against Israel. The IDF also struck Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including weapons manufacturing sites and military compounds. The strikes were carried out with pinpoint accuracy based on real-time intelligence, while making efforts to avoid harming uninvolved civilians as much as possible.

All three senior Islamic Jihad members targeted in the operation were heavily involved in the terrorist attempts of the Islamic Jihad to harm IDF soldiers and uninvolved Israeli civilians, both from Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. Most notably, over 100 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel on May 2nd, 2023, targeting Israeli communities and leading to the injuries of several civilians.

Khalil Bahitini:

Khalil Bahtini (44, lived in Gaza City) started his activity in the Islamic Jihad in the late 1990s and throughout the years was involved in many terrorist acts against Israel, including suicide bombings, explosive attacks, rocket fire and directing terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria.

After the elimination of Tayseer Jabri during Operation "Breaking Dawn" in August 2022, Bahitini took over his position as the senior operational officer of Islamic Jihad and the commander of the Northern Gaza Division. Bahitini was a member of the terrorist organization's military council and had direct and active contact with senior members of the Islamic Jihads' Political Bureau.

Bahitini was entrusted with approving and carrying out all terrorist activities from northern Gaza as well as, planning and directing terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and planned shooting attacks against Israel in the immediate future, he was also responsible for the rocket fire toward Israel in the past month.

Tarek Az Aldin:

Az Aldin (49, originally from A'arbe in Samaria) was the director of Islamic Jihad operations in Judea and Samaria from Gaza. Recently, he was entrusted with planning and directing multiple attacks against Israeli civilians, the coordination between the Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria as well as transferring funds for terrorism from Gaza to Judea and Samaria. Az Aldin was also responsible for disturbing inciting content of the terrorist organization in Israel meant to promote and encourage terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.

Jahed Ahnam:

Jahed Ahnam (62, lived in Rafiah), was one of the most senior members of the Islamic Jihad, previously served in key positions in the terrorist organization including the Commanding Officer of the Islamic Jihads' Southern Gaza Brigade and Secretary of the Military Council. In his last position, he was entrusted with coordinating weapons and money transfers between the Hamas terrorist organization and the Islamic Jihad. Ahnam operated in promoting terrorism in Gaza, Judea and Samaria and around the world.

As part of the IDF's security situational assessment, the Home Front Command is instructing civilians in the area surrounding Gaza need to remain in the vicinity of a designated shelter.

Special instructions on the Israeli Home Front within 40 km of Gaza have been posted on the National Emergency Portal. (https://www.oref.org.il/en)

The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of terrorism and maintain security for the civilians in the State of Israel.

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Israel warns settlers to stay close to bomb shelters as Hamas vows revenge for Gaza carnage

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 6:11 PM

The Israeli regime has evacuated hundreds from border towns and warned settlers to stay close to bomb shelters as the Hamas resistance movement vowed to revenge for Israeli carnage in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Israel launched surprise airstrikes on several areas across Gaza, leaving 13 people killed, including three high-profile commanders of al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement, as well as their wives and children. Twenty people were also injured in the attacks.

Gaza-based Hamas was quick to strongly condemn the deadly raid as a "great and heinous crime." It also vowed, "a proportionate response whose details will be determined by the joint operations room of all factions."

Fearing retaliatory rocket attacks from Gaza-based resistance groups, most notably Hamas, the Israel regime on Tuesday ordered the closure of schools, beaches and highways in cities and towns in southern Israel, and limited public gatherings.

More than 2,000 settlers fled their homes in the Gaza border settlements for fear of rocket fire in response to the airstrikes, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported, adding that municipalities were preparing to evacuate thousands more.

Israel's minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant also told leaders of local councils near the Gaza border that they "must be prepared for any scenario, including prolonged fighting" and an "expansion of the firing range" of rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.

The Islamic Jihad, for its part, strongly condemned the carnage, vowing revenge.

The Israeli airstrikes "will not pass unpunished," stressed Tareq Selmi, a spokesman for the resistance group. "The bombardment will be met by bombardment and the attack will be met by an attack," he vowed.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.

The regime has also launched several military offensives on the besieged territory since 2008, making the situation even worse.

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Hezbollah pledges full support for Palestinian resistance groups to deter Israel

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 5:30 PM

Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has condemned the latest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, pledging its full support for all measures that the Palestinian resistance groups will take to deter the occupying regime from continuing its acts of aggression.

Hezbollah made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after three high-profile commanders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza earlier in the day.

"We express our solidarity with the Islamic Jihad resistance movement and reiterate our support for all the choices of the Palestinian resistance groups aimed at deterring the Israeli enemy and protecting the Palestinian people as well as their sanctities," the statement said.

Hezbollah further noted that the assassination of the resistance commanders will reinforce the Arab and Muslim Ummah's awareness and unity and make it more determined to proceed with the choice of resistance until achieving full victory.

The Lebanese resistance movement further denounced as "a crime against humanity" the brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip that targeted women and children, urging human rights organizations to take appropriate steps to stop the ongoing Israeli crimes.

Early on Tuesday, Israeli military aircraft launched a series of targeted strikes on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 13 people, including women and children. Three senior commanders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement were also among those martyred.

At least 20 others were also wounded, according to Palestinian reports, with a number of sites in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Yunis targeted, among other locations.

Later on Tuesday, two more Palestinians were also killed in a fresh Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip.

The Gaza health ministry said the two men were killed by an airstrike on a vehicle in Khan Yunis.

The attacks drew widespread international condemnation, with the Palestinian resistance movements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad vowing to take revenge for the blood of those martyred in Gaza.

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Hamas: Israel made grave miscalculation, will pay 'heavy price' for Gaza killings

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 8:29 AM

The head of the political bureau of the Hamas resistance movement has strongly condemned the Israeli assassination of three top resistance commanders in the Gaza Strip, saying the occupying regime has made a grave miscalculation and will pay a hefty price for its act of aggression.

"Assassinating the leaders in a treacherous operation will not bring security to the occupier, but rather more resistance," Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The [Zionist] enemy made a gross miscalculation and will pay the price for the crime. The resistance front will devise a method that will hurt the treacherous enemy the hardest."

The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, mourned the deaths of three of its commanders as a result of the "cowardly Zionist assassination operation."

"As we mourn the loss of our leaders, their wives and some of their children, we affirm that the blood of the martyrs will increase our resolve. We will not leave our positions, and the resistance will continue," it said.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, also said, "We felicitate our nation on the martyrdom of a group of resistance leaders in the Gaza Strip. The occupation (Israeli regime) bears full responsibility for the latest act of aggression on the strip, and the resistance front will continue to defend our people and sanctities."

"Palestinian people and their resistance know how to sharply strike the enemy and respond to the crime of assassinating a number of the al-Quds Brigades commanders," Qassem added.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the senior Islamic Jihad officials assassinated in the early Tuesday strikes include Khalil al-Bahitini, the commander of the al-Quds Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, Tariq Izz al-Din, a spokesperson for the movement who also manages retaliatory operations in the West Bank and Gaza, and Jihad al-Ghannam, secretary of the movement's military council.

At least 13 Palestinians were killed in the strikes and 20 others were wounded, according to Palestinian reports, with a number of sites in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Yunis targeted, among other locations.

According to the Israeli army, Bahitini was the most senior operational commander in the Islamic Jihad and was responsible for the rocket fire toward occupied territories last month. Bahitini was apparently planning further rocket fire in the near future.

Izz al-Din was responsible for the communications between the movement and its branches in the West Bank and for transferring funds and coordinating resistance active in the occupied lands.

Ghannam was one of the most senior operatives in the Islamic Jihad and served at one point as the commander of the al-Quds Brigades in the southern Gaza Strip.

In his latest position, Ghannam was responsible for coordinating the transfer of funds and weapons from the movement to Hamas.

Alongside the assassinations, six military compounds and a military position belonging to the Islamic Jihad were targeted as well.

The Islamic Jihad movement also said the resistance "will not stop until the end of the Zionist occupation."

"The resistance will start from where previous battles ended. The rules of engagement with the enemy have been established, which wants to drive Palestinians out of their land," Tariq Selmi, a spokesman for the group, said.

"All scenarios and options are open to the resistance to respond to the crimes of the occupying regime, which disregarded all initiatives of mediators. The resistance will avenge the commanders' assassinations."

Selmi also stressed that Israel's "crime will not pass unpunished."

"The bombardment will be met by bombardment and the attack will be met by an attack," he said.

'All Israeli cities, settlements will be under fire'

Head of the Islamic Jihad's media office, Daoud Shehab, also stressed that all cities and settlements deep inside the Israeli-occupied territories are within the reach of Palestinian resistance groups' missiles.

"We promise our martyrs, leaders and our people that the Zionist enemy cannot escape unscathed. We will remain steadfast in our positions, and will continue to tread the path of resilience," he told al-Quds al-Youm television network.

Shehab noted that the international community will soon find out that the Israeli apartheid regime has failed to achieve any objectives out of the latest act of aggression, as the Palestinian resistance front will not hesitate and will not be complacent about taking retaliatory measures.

Additionally, Mohammed al-Hindi, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad said that the "Israeli" enemy will pay the price for the treacherous crime it perpetrated against the senior commanders of the al-Quds Brigades.

"The resistance is ongoing and escalating. It will determine the end of this conflict. Martyrdom is our dignity, and the assassination of our commanders demonstrates the path of struggle for us," he added.

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Sudanese Parties Announce Support for Jeddah Talks

Saudi Press Agency

Khartoum, May 09, 2023, SPA -- The Sudanese parties have announced their support for talks between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Jeddah aimed at reaching a ceasefire. This was conveyed through two separate statements issued by the Forces of Freedom and Change (the former ruling coalition) and the Revolutionary Front.

The Freedom and Change forces affirmed their support for the joint talks between the two parties in Jeddah, according to the Saudi-US initiative, to reach a ceasefire and resolve contentious issues through a comprehensive political solution.

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Front praised the representatives of the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the Jeddah negotiations for acknowledging their responsibility to alleviate the suffering of citizens by taking necessary security measures and arrangements.

The Revolutionary Front, which includes armed movements, urged the parties to strictly adhere to the announced armistice and not obstruct the provision of necessary aid.

--SPA

19:17 LOCAL TIME 16:17 GMT

0031

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NATO Airborne Units Arrive in Estonia for Swift Response-23 Drill

Sputnik News

20230509

HELSINKI (Sputnik) - The US-led Swift Response military exercise has been launched in Estonia to increase interoperability and practice deployment of local and NATO armed forces in the country, the Estonian Defense Forces said on Tuesday.

"Almost 1,500 soldiers from Poland, the US, Czech Republic, the UK, Latvia and Estonia are taking part in the drills. Nearly 600 paratroopers from Poland, the UK and the Czech Republic will parachute to Nurmsi airfield as part of a large-scale airborne operation. The active stage of the drills will end in Estonia on May 14," the military said.

The troops will stage various airborne operations to practice fast deployment and immediate task performance during the drills, Estonian Staff Commander at the exercise Colonel Viktor Kalnitski said.

"For the Estonian Defense Forces' part, it is important for us to perfect comprehensive support of allies reception and to coordinate and arrange various aerial and land operations," Kalnitski said in the statement.

Swift Response-23 is comprised of three airborne operations, held by the European and US armed forces in Estonia, Spain and Greece.

On Monday, US Air Force command in Europe said that a squadron of tactical stealth fighters F-22 Raptor had been deployed from Poland to Estonia's Amari air base to "deter aggression over Baltic skies."

 Sputnik

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No: 123, 9 May 2023, Press Release Regarding the Attack on Gaza by Israeli Forces

Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We denounce the attacks carried out by the Israeli forces on Gaza today (May 9), which resulted in the death of Palestinians, including women and children. Such despicable actions are in no way acceptable.

We expect these attacks to be ended immediately, without further loss of life and causing a new spiral of violence in the region.

We wish Allah's mercy upon our Palestinian brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the attacks and extend our condolences to the State of Palestine and its people.

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Sudan violence threatens fragile cross-border progress with Juba

9 May 2023 - The impact of ongoing violence among rival military parties in Sudan is threatening to derail bilateral political progress with neighbouring South Sudan, worsen the fragile humanitarian situation, and pose fresh risks, top UN officials warned the Security Council on Tuesday.

"The outbreak of violence in the Sudan may deeply impact the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues," Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, told the Council.

Security in Abyei, a disputed oil-rich border region straddling both African nations, had been a point of contention, but agreements had been reached before the outbreak of violence in Sudan on 15 April, she said, providing updates to the UN Secretary-General's latest report on the unfolding situation.

Deployments disrupted

Among several pressing concerns were ongoing conflict-triggered disruptions to deployment routes of the Council-mandated UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), established in 2011 to implement bilateral border agreements, which Ms. Pobee also heads.

"With fighting ongoing and mediation efforts underway, the United Nations will continue to support Sudan and South Sudan when dialogue on Abyei resumes," she said.

"The arrival of additional personnel and equipment will need to be postponed, affecting force capacity," she said, adding that planning is currently underway to make alternative arrangements that minimize the delay while safeguarding the security of personnel and equipment.

Progress made

Prior to the crisis, she said UN country teams in Sudan and South Sudan, with UNISFA, had finalized administrative arrangements for the Abyei Joint Programme, and had begun implementing projects to create an environment conducive to peaceful co-existence, including a nutrition centre for women and children and vocational training for youth.

"UNISFA is monitoring the potential impact of the fighting in the Sudan, such as an influx of displaced persons, the entry of armed groups into the area or the emboldening of spoilers in local inter-communal relations," she said, noting that evacuations have been conducted.

"While none of these risks have materialized in a major way so far, the Mission remains alert to their possibility," she said. "With fighting ongoing and mediation efforts underway, the United Nations will continue to support the Sudan and South Sudan when dialogue on Abyei resumes."

Juba raises concerns

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, told the Council said the conflict is jeopardizing pre-conflict stable relations between Juba, South Sudan's capital, and Khartoum.

"The humanitarian, security, economic and political consequences of developments in Sudan have raised concerns among the South Sudanese political leadership," she said.

Thousands of South Sudanese hosted in Sudan are returning, with a potential of another 200,000 returnees fleeing the violence "if we do not see stability returning soon", she said. This would pose a challenge to South Sudan, where two thirds of the population need humanitarian assistance.

Border safety risks

As Sudan is not currently in a position to effectively protect its borders, she raised additional concerns about a possible spike in cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

Meanwhile, the fighting in Sudan has already choked off deliveries of essential goods and food, and could threaten South Sudan's oil exports, she warned.

"The priority now is to stop the fighting and to start constructive negotiations that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire," she said, emphasizing that her Office will continue to engage with Sudan and South Sudan towards resolving outstanding issues.

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Navy Launches Historic Aircrew Study to Update Size Requirements for a Diverse Fleet

US Navy

09 May 2023

From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is leading the Navy's first comprehensive study since 1964 to update aviator size requirements, improve aircrew gear and equipment, and expand access for prospective future aviators. This is the Navy's first aircrew study to include women and minorities.

"We are excited to launch this historic study that will improve the readiness, protection, performance, and safety for our Navy's aviation community," said Lori Basham, NAWCAD's principal investigator for the study. "Updating our data to accurately characterize our aircrew will address the needs of a population that is drastically different than it was in the 1960s."

NAWCAD is seeking participation from more than 4,000 active-duty, enlisted, and commissioned aviators, flight officers, and aircrew. The research team will measure these service members across the country when they tour the Navy's most populous air bases from May 9 through December 2023. Participation in the 30-50 minute study will require 32 simple body measurements that include various heights, lengths, breadths, and circumferences that are relevant to aircrew. Researchers will remove personal information to protect participant privacy.

Traditional anthropometric studies are expensive, historically costing between $6 and $14 million dollars in industry settings, depending on the scope of effort. Today, NAWCAD can perform its own study almost completely in-house, costing the Navy less than $2 million, due to the command's advanced 3D scanning hardware and expertise as well as supportive technology and subject matter experts through other services and industry partnerships.

For more information on the study or for participation coordination, contact Lt. Jennifer Knapp at jennifer.a.knapp2.mil@us.navy.mil. For study technical questions, contact Lori Brattin Basham at lori.l.basham2.civ@us.navy.mil.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division employs more than 17,000 military, civilian and contract personnel. It operates test ranges, laboratories and aircraft in support of test, evaluation, research, development and sustainment of everything flown by the Navy and Marine Corps. Based in Patuxent River, Maryland, the command also has major sites in St. Inigoes, Maryland, Lakehurst, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida.

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Canada on Track to Host Largest Afghan Resettlement Program

By Akmal Dawi May 09, 2023

The government of Canada says it is determined to reach its target of admitting at least 40,000 Afghan refugees by the end of the year.

More than 30,600 Afghans have been resettled in Canada since August 2021 when Ottawa announced it would admit thousands of Afghans whose lives could be at risk under the new Taliban regime.

Canada "is firm in its commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023, which remains one of the largest programs in the world," a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told VOA.

Among those resettled, over 10,000 are individuals who worked for Canadian agencies and programs in Afghanistan while more than 16,000, particularly women and civil society activists, have been admitted under humanitarian considerations.

More than 18,000 applications are still under review by Canadian and international nongovernment organizations and the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for resettlement in the next several months.

Resettlement operations are executed via chartered and commercial flights from Afghanistan and third-party countries.

"The current situation is complex and the challenges are extraordinary," the spokesperson said. "How quickly any Afghan arrives in Canada once their application is approved depends on a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, and often directly relate to where Afghans are located.

"There are significant challenges chartering flights in some regions and each country sets its own entry and exit requirements and determines when and if these requirements are changed," the spokesperson said.

While Canada has no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, a network of Canadian visa officers across the world are tasked with processing applications expeditiously to achieve the target by the end of the year.

Canada's government allocated more than $80 million to fund its Afghan program in the 2022-2023 financial year, according to IRCC, which has a total annual budget of nearly $3 billion, a portion of which is also used to support various resettlement programs.

Women

Half of the Afghan refugees taken by Canada are women who are admitted primarily because of the Taliban's systemic denial of basic rights for women.

Human rights groups say Afghanistan is suffering a gender apartheid under the hardline Islamist regime.

Women leaders, religious and ethnic minorities, journalists and LGBTI individuals are prioritized under Canada's humanitarian resettlement program, which only accepts applicants referred by UNHCR and two European human rights organizations.

"It would actually be helpful if it was just women generally," Lauryn Oates, executive director of a nongovernmental organization Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, told VOA.

"All women are at risk in Afghanistan," Oates said, adding that Canada and other countries that admit Afghan refugees should accept women "on the basis of gender alone."

The United States and European countries have also taken tens of thousands of Afghan refugees over the past 20 months.

In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban's return to power, the U.S. military evacuated more than 124,000 individuals from Afghanistan. More than 77,000 of those evacuees were admitted into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons and offered a two-year entry parole, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A DHS spokesperson did not answer questions about the gender-based breakdown of the Afghans given paroled entry into the United States.

"For the average Afghan woman, there are no pathways to resettle to the U.S.," Devon Cone, a women's rights advocate at Refugees International, told VOA.

Cone said the U.S. Department of State's P-1 and P-2 resettlement programs for Afghans do not specifically target women.

Managed through the U.S. Refugees Admission Program, the P-1 offers resettlement pathways for any individual of any nationality with compelling protection needs, while the P-2 program is for "qualified Afghans" who worked for U.S. agencies in Afghanistan.

"Even though these P-1 and P-2 programs exist, they are not really functioning, especially in places like Pakistan," said Cone. "There are very few options for Afghan women at risk to resettle to the U.S. and the options that do exist are not working."

Addressing a House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee in March, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is "personally committed to keeping our promises to those who stood by us in Afghanistan."

"The efficient processing and ultimate resettlement of these individuals continues apace and remains among the administration's highest priorities," a State Department spokesperson said.

VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros contributed to this report.

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UN Says More than 700,000 Sudanese Internally Displaced in Fighting

By VOA News May 09, 2023

The United Nations refugee agency says more than 700,000 Sudanese have fled their homes since violence broke out last month between two armed factions fighting for control of the northern African nation.

The updated figure, provided Tuesday by the U.N. International Organization for Migration, is more than double the 334,000 the agency reported to be internally displaced last week.

The IOM said an additional 100,000 Sudanese have fled the country.

The new figures were released a day after envoys from both warring factions met for a third day of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The talks are aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to reach hundreds of thousands in need of food, shelter and medical care in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities after more than three weeks of fighting.

The Saudi kingdom has already pledged that it will provide Sudan with $100 million worth of aid.

Fighting between Sudan's military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted on April 15.

Repeated cease-fire agreements have failed to end the conflict or even do much to reduce the violence. Eyewitnesses in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, told VOA they heard renewed gunfire and an airstrike in the city Monday in and around the downtown area.

A Saudi official told Agence France-Presse Monday that the talks in Jeddah have yielded "no major progress" so far. The official said "a permanent cease-fire isn't on the table. Every side believes it is capable of winning the battle."

The Sudan Tribune reported Sunday that the army negotiators have made three demands, including unconditional withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Khartoum, an extension of a humanitarian truce, and the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese army within two years.

The newspaper said, "It's not clear how the RSF negotiators will respond to these demands."

Sudanese citizens are watching the talks in Jeddah with a mix of hope and skepticism.

Sumeya Musa, who fled violence from Khartoum to Al Jazirah state, told VOA she hopes the talks produce a truce that will allow her to safely escape Sudan.

"Our hope from these talks is that the guns will be silenced, and we move out of this country. Practically, we are suffering. We just want to see airstrikes, bombing and guns to stop for a while," she said.

Most aid operations have been suspended or severely scaled back due to the lack of security. Several aid workers have been killed in the fighting.

Looting also has hampered aid operations. The World Food Program said nearly 17,000 tons of food worth between $13 million and $14 million have been stolen from its warehouses across Sudan.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said recently it has launched an emergency appeal to support the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in its effort to deliver assistance to 200,000 people.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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SADC to Send Troops to DRC to Help Quell Disturbances in East

By Mqondisi Dube May 09, 2023

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) plans to send troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help fight rebels in the country's east.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi arrived in Botswana's capital on Tuesday and is expected to discuss details of the deployment with the regional bloc's leaders. He also will talk with Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Addressing the media at the end of a special SADC meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, Namibian President Hage Geingob said the security situation in eastern DRC is cause for concern.

"The summit reiterated SADC's solidarity to assist the government and people of the Republic of Congo in its efforts to restore peace and stability in the eastern part of the country, particularly in light of the upcoming national elections scheduled for December 2023," said Geingob, who serves as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Security and Defense.

Reading out the Windhoek Summit's resolution, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi said the meeting resolved to send troops to the DRC to assist in ending hostilities.

"Summit approved the deployment of a SADC Force within the framework of the SADC Standby Force as a regional response in support of the DRC to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC. Summit approved a SADC Common Position to have a more coordinated approach, given the multiple deployments under multilateral and bilateral arrangements in the eastern DRC, and urged the Government of the DRC to put in place the necessary conditions and measures for effective coordination amongst sub-regional forces and bilateral partners operating in the DRC," said Magosi.

South Africa, an SADC member, already has 1,184 soldiers deployed in the DRC under the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONESCO.

Security expert Willem Els at the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies said there is a need for clarity on the deployment of the SADC force.

"They want to send troops but they did not give any details. We do not know if they are going to complement the troops that are currently deployed in the DRC under MONESCO or whether they will be separate," said Els. "We know that Kenya as well as Uganda have already deployed some troops there."

Conflict has heightened in the DRC's North Kivu province, where hundreds have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced in fighting between M23 rebels and government forces.

Els said any SADC troops deployed in the DRC need sufficient backup in order to be effective.

"If these troops are going to be deployed without the necessary air support and also to provide them with air dominance, they are going to face a similar outcome like we currently have in Cabo Delgado," said Els.

Troops in Cabo Delgado have been unable to stop an Islamist militant insurgency in that energy-rich Mozambican province.

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Afghan Taliban won't allow terror groups to harm regional security: joint statement

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 09, 2023 10:09 PM Updated: May 10, 2023 01:08 AM

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan have stressed on the need of not allowing any individual, group or party, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), to use their territories to harm and threaten regional security and interests, or conduct terrorist actions and activities,the three countries emphasized in a joint statement. The Chinese Foreign Ministry released the joint statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, all three sides underscored the need to refrain from intervening into internal affairs of Afghanistan, and to promote Afghan peace, stability and reconstruction.

The commitment came after the fifth round of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue was held on Saturday in Islamabad, in which Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi had honest and deep exchanges of views on mutual trust, anti-terrorism and investment.

This is the first foreign ministers' dialogue between China, Afghanistan and Pakistan since the dramatic change of the situation in Afghanistan in 2021, marking the resumption of the trilateral cooperation mechanism, Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

During the dialogue, the three foreign ministers candid and in-depth exchanges on such topics as good-neighborly and mutual trust, security cooperation and counter-terrorism, connectivity, trade and investment, and reached a series of consensuses, Wang said.

Compared with the previous vague promise of countering terrorism on its land, it is the first time that the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan authority explicitly stated in a formal multilateral document that the TTP and ETIM, two terrorist organizations of grave concern to China, are not allowed to use Afghanistan's territory to conduct terror attacks, Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to the joint statement, besides expanding and deepening cooperation in political, development, and security areas, including cracking down on organized crimes and drug trafficking, the three countries stressed the importance of sustained and urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, including the urgency of bridging the humanitarian funding gap.

Afghanistan faces the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on May 2 following a two-day meeting on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital of Doha attended by special envoys from more than 20 countries and international organizations, including China, Russia and the US.

Guterres said 97 percent of the population in Afghanistan is living in poverty and two-thirds of them need humanitarian assistance to survive this year, and he called for more funding for the UN humanitarian response plan which seeks $4.6 billion in funding, but has only received $294 million dollars.

The joint statement said the Afghan interim government's repeated promises of protecting women's rights has been noticed and the three countries called on the international community to help Afghanistan support its rebuilding and improve its governance to effectively protect the basic rights of Afghan women, children and people of all social classes.

Zhu said the concerns of China and Pakistan in the joint statement are in line with the international community's. If the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan wants to win recognition and gain support from the international community, it needs to effectively fulfill its commitments such as protecting women's rights, cracking down on terrorist forces within its territory and improving its domestic security situation.

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Israel evacuates communities, bracing for possible Gazan retaliation

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:41, May 10, 2023

JERUSALEM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel was on high alert on Tuesday as it prepared for retaliatory rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed militants and civilians in the coastal Palestinian enclave.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that over 2,000 Israelis have been evacuated from communities near the enclave, as a precaution against possible rocket attacks launched by Gazan militants at nightfall.

Residents in southern Israel were being relocated to hotels in central regions of the country. In the city of Sderot, preparations have been made by the municipality to temporarily relocate approximately 4,500 elderly or sick residents.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told local council heads near Gaza that they "must be prepared for every scenario." He added that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security forces "are prepared to defend every front," according to a statement released on his behalf.

Earlier in the day, Israeli fighter jets and unmanned drones carried out simultaneous and surprise attacks at buildings and apartments which host Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ)'s senior military leaders in Gaza.

The Gaza-based health ministry said 13 Palestinians were killed and more than 20 were injured in the airstrikes, including ten civilian women and children.

The PIJ confirmed in a statement that three commanders, namely Jihad Ghannam, Khalil Al-Bahtini and Tareq Izzeldeen, were killed in the strikes. The faction vowed a response.

In a fresh airstrike in the afternoon, the Israeli military said they killed two PIJ militants preparing a rocket attack against Israel.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 09 May 2023 - Day 440

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 on 28 April 2023, the head of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, announced that regional water supplies were dangerously low. Water scarcity has been a growing issue for Russian-occupied Donetsk since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Siversky-Donets canal which supplies the region remains largely under Ukrainian control but has been frequently contested along its long route. Russian forces have likely been seeking to secure the canal to reduce water scarcity within Donetsk.

The Siversky-Donets canal traverses through the town of Chasiv Yar, approximately 6km to the west of Bakhmut. Russia's heavy use of indirect artillery to support the capture of Bakhmut and surrounding territory has likely inflicted collateral damage to the canal and other regional water infrastructure, undermining Russia's efforts to remedy the lack of water that its invasion originally created. To compensate for its lack of success in capturing and retaining the canal Russia is likely constructing a water pipeline to mitigate the water shortage in Donetsk City. However, this is highly unlikely to fully compensate for the occupied regions' reduced access to water.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during this day, Russian forces launched 20x missile and 30x air strikes, and conducted about 30x MLRS attacks on Ukrainian settlements and Ukrainian Defense Forces. Russia used 17x cruise missiles, 15x of which were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian defenders. Moreover, 3x S-300 SAMSs hit Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka. The attacks caused damage to civilian infrastructure.

The threat of further missile and air strikes remains high across Ukraine.

Russia further concentrates on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mar'inka axes. During the day, Russian forces carried out almost 30x attacks on the specified axes. Heavy battles for Bakhmut and Mar'inka are ongoing.

Volyn' and Polissya axes: no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groupings detected. Certain units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation remain stationed at various training grounds in the Republic of Belarus.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains enhanced military presence in the areas bordering Ukraine. Zaliznyi Myst and Murav'yi (Chernihiv oblast); Tovstodubove, Bachivs'k, Stari Virky, Iskriskivshchyna, Volfyne, Yunakivka, Mogrytsia, Popivka, and Slavhorod (Sumy oblast); as well as Hoptivka, Varvarivka, Bugruvatka, Ohirtseve, Hatyshche, Pletenivka, Tyche, Mala Vovcha, Budarky, Zemlianka, Vilkhuvatka, Dvorichans'ke, and Khatne (Kharkiv oblast) came under mortar and artillery fire during the day.

Kup'yans'k axis: aiming to improve tactical situation, Russian forces have attempted unsuccessful attacks on Ukrainian positions in the vicinities of Masyutivka and Stelmakhivka.

Kam'ianka, Kolodyazne, Krasne Pershe, Figolivka, Dvorichna, and Lyman Pershyi (Kharkiv oblast); Stelmakhivka (Luhansk oblast) came under artillery and mortar fire.

Lyman axis: Russian forces attempted unsuccessful offensive operations in the vicinities of Biloghorivka. Makiivka, Biloghorivka, and Vesele (Luhansk oblast); as well as Yampolivka and Spirne (Donetsk oblast) were targeted by Russian artillery.

Bakhmut axis: Russia continues to advance.

During the day, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the city of Bakhmut, and attempted to advance towards Ivanovs'ke and Stupochki.

Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka, Chasiv Yar, Zalizne, and New York (Donetsk oblast) came under fire.

Avdiivka axis: Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations. However, russian aircraft launched an air strike in the vicinities of Avdiivka.

Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, Netaylove, and Karlivka (Donetsk oblast) suffered from Russian bombardments.

Mar'inka axis: Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled numerous Russian attacks in the vicinities of Mar'inka. Moreover, Russian forces shelled Heorghievka (Donetsk oblast).

Shakhtars'ke axis: Russian forces stayed on the defensive during the day. Russian forces shelled Novomykhailivka, Vodyane, Vuhledar, Prechistivka, and Velyka Novosilka.

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russian occupiers stayed on the defensive. Meanwhile, they shelled Vremivka and Novopil' (Donetsk oblast); Olhivs'ke, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Charivne, Mala Tokmachka, Orihiv, Novodanylivka, Kam'ianske, and Plavni (Zaporizhzhia oblast); Antonivka, Molodizhne, and Zelenivka (Kherson oblast).

On May 8, the Russian occupiers started to take preschool and school-age children along with their parents, as well as educators and other public sector employees, out of the town of Kamianka-Dniprovsk (Zaporizhzhia oblast) to Berdyansk. However, only few people volunteered to be evacuated. At the same time, all medical workers of the local hospital were asked to work.

During the day, Ukrainian Air Force launched 4x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian troops, and 2x anti-aircraft missile systems. Ukrainian missile and artillery troops attacked 2x concentrations of Russian troops and 1x electronic warfare station.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that, the previous night, the Russian Armed Forces launched a concentrated long-range, sea- and air-launched high-precision attack on temporary enemy reserve areas and ammunition depots.

The purpose of the strike has been achieved. All the assigned targets have been engaged.

As a result of the strikes, the movement of reserves as well as the delivery of ammunition to combat areas has been thwarted.

In Kupyansk direction, aviation and artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces have engaged the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Sinkova and Berestovoye (Kharkov region).

Over the past 24 hours, up to 35 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two motor vehicles, and one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system have been neutralised in this direction.

In Krasny Liman direction, Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces have inflicted fire damage on enemy manpower and hardware close to Chervonaya Dibrova and Nevskoye (Lugansk People's Republic).

The enemy suffered losses of up to 75 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, three pick-up trucks, one Grad MLRS, and two D-30 howitzers.

In Donetsk direction, assault detachments continued their offensive in the west part of the city of Artyomovsk. Airborne Troops support the action of the assault detachments paralysing the enemy on the flanks.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery of the Yug Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Bogdanovka and Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic). Russian aviation conducted five sorties in this area during the past 24 hours. The artillery have performed 73 fire tasks overnight.

The enemy has suffered losses of over 465 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries, two tanks, six armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, one Grad self-propelled artillery system, and two D-20 and D-30 howitzers in the past 24 hours.

In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces carried out attack against AFU units in the areas of Ugledar (Donetsk People's Republic) and Gulyay Pole (Zaporozhye region).

Over 90 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one Msta-B howitzer have been neutralised during the day.

Moreover, one ammunition depot of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been hit close to Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region).

In Kherson direction, Russian troops have neutralised up to 30 Ukrainian troops, five motor vehicles, and two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems during the day.

Moreover, an ammunition depot of the 124rd Territorial Defence Brigade was neutralised close to Antonovka (Kherson region).

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 72 AFU artillery units, manpower, and hardware in 94 areas during the day.

An ammunition depot of the 54th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been hit close to Verkhnekamenskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

Russian air defence facilities have shot down one Su-25 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Belozerka (Kherson region).

Air defence systems have downed three HIMARS and Uragan MRLS projectiles and one Tochka-U tactical missile during the day.

In addition, 10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed close to Golikovo (Lugansk People's Republic), Spornoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Removka (Zaporozhye region), as well as Novaya Mayachka and Belozerka (Kherson region).

In total, 419 airplanes and 230 helicopters, 4,052 unmanned aerial vehicles, 421 air defence missile systems, 9,046 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,098 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 4,774 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 10,077 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.





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U.K. Citizen Extradited and Pleads Guilty to Cyber Crime Offenses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 9, 2023



A U.K. citizen pleaded guilty today in New York to his role in cyberstalking and multiple schemes that involve computer hacking, including the July 2020 hack of Twitter.

Joseph James O'Connor, aka PlugwalkJoe, 23, was extradited from Spain on April 26.

"O'Connor's criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple people's lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Like many criminal actors, O'Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States. But this plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes."

"O'Connor has left an impressive trail of destruction in the wake of his wave of criminality," said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. "This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate."

"O'Connor used his sophisticated technological abilities for malicious purposes - conducting a complex SIM swap attack to steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, hacking Twitter, conducting computer intrusions to take over social media accounts, and even cyberstalking two victims, including a minor victim," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. "O'Connor's guilty plea today is a testament to the importance of law enforcement cooperation, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping to bring to justice those who victimize others through cyber-attacks."

"Today's guilty plea is confirmation that the FBI's strategy to counter cyber crime is working. It's also indicative of what can be accomplished when we work closely with our partners to bring these perpetrators to justice and make the cyber ecosystem more secure," said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI's Cyber Division. "O'Connor's extradition is as a warning to all dangerous cyber criminals that the FBI will work tirelessly to find them and hold them accountable wherever in the world they may try to hide."

NDCA Case

According to court documents, between 2019 and 2020, O'Connor participated in a variety of crimes associated with exploitation of social media accounts, online extortion, and cyberstalking.

In July 2020, O'Connor participated in a conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to social media accounts maintained by Twitter Inc. (Twitter). In early July 2020, O'Connor's co-conspirators used social engineering techniques to obtain unauthorized access to administrative tools used by Twitter to maintain its operations. The co-conspirators were able to use the tools to transfer control of certain Twitter accounts from their rightful owners to various unauthorized users. In some instances, the co-conspirators took control themselves and used that control to launch a scheme to defraud other Twitter users. In other instances, the co-conspirators sold access to Twitter accounts to others. O'Connor communicated with others regarding purchasing unauthorized access to a variety of Twitter accounts, including accounts associated with public figures around the world. A number of Twitter accounts targeted by O'Connor were subsequently transferred away from their rightful owners. O'Connor agreed to purchase unauthorized access to one Twitter account for $10,000.

O'Connor also accessed without authorization one of the most highly visible TikTok accounts in August 2020, which was associated with a public figure with millions of followers (Victim-1). O'Connor and his co-conspirators obtained unauthorized access to Victim-1's account via a SIM swap after discussing a variety of celebrities to target, and O'Connor used his unauthorized access to Victim-1's platform to post self-promotional messages, including a video in which O'Connor's voice is recognizable. O'Connor also stated publicly, via a post to Victim-1's TikTok account, that he would release sensitive, personal material related to Victim-1 to individuals who joined a specified Discord server.

O'Connor also targeted another public figure (Victim-2) in June 2019. O'Connor and his co-conspirators obtained unauthorized access to Victim-2's account on Snapchat via a SIM swap. They used that access to obtain sensitive materials, to include private images, that Victim-2 had not made publicly available. O'Connor sent copies of these sensitive materials to his co-conspirators. O'Connor and his co-conspirators also reached out to Victim-2 and threatened to publicly release the stolen sensitive materials unless Victim-2 agreed to publicly post messages related to O'Connor's online persona, among other things.

Lastly, O'Connor stalked and threatened a minor victim (Victim-3) in June and July 2020. In June 2020, O'Connor orchestrated a series of swatting attacks on Victim-3. A "swatting" attack occurs when an individual makes a false emergency call to a public authority in order to cause a law enforcement response that may put the victim or others in danger. On June 25, 2020, O'Connor called a local police department and falsely claimed that Victim-3 was making threats to shoot people. O'Connor provided an address that he believed was Victim-3's address, which would have the result of causing a law enforcement response. That same day, O'Connor placed another call to the same police department and stated that he was planning to kill multiple people at the same address. In response to that call, the department dispatched every on-duty officer to that address in reference to an armed and dangerous individual. O'Connor sent other swatting messages that same day to a high school, a restaurant, and a sheriff's department in the same area. In those messages, O'Connor represented himself as either Victim-3 or as a resident at the address he believed was Victim-3's. The following month, O'Connor called multiple family members of Victim-3 and threatened to kill them.

The NDCA Case was transferred to SDNY pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 20 and consolidated with the SDNY Case.

SDNY Case

According to court documents, between approximately March 2019 and May 2019, O'Connor and his co-conspirators perpetrated a scheme to use subscriber identity module (SIM) swaps, a cyber intrusion technique, to conduct cyber intrusions to steal approximately $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a Manhattan-based cryptocurrency company (Company-1), which provided wallet infrastructure and related software to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world.

During a SIM swap attack, cyber threat actors gain control of a victim's mobile phone number by linking that number to a SIM card controlled by the threat actors, resulting in the victim's calls and messages being routed to a malicious unauthorized device controlled by the threat actors. The threat actors then typically use control of the victim's mobile phone number to obtain unauthorized access to accounts held by the victim that are registered to the mobile phone number.

As part of the scheme, O'Connor and his co-conspirators successfully perpetrated SIM swap attacks targeting at least three Company-1 executives. Following a successful SIM swap attack targeting one of the executives on or about April 30, 2019, O'Connor and his co-conspirators successfully gained unauthorized access to multiple Company-1 accounts and computer systems. On or about May 1, 2019, through their unauthorized access, O'Connor and his co-conspirators stole and fraudulently diverted cryptocurrency of various types from cryptocurrency wallets maintained by Company-1 on behalf of two of its clients. The stolen cryptocurrency was worth at least approximately $794,000 at the time of the theft.

After stealing and fraudulently diverting the stolen cryptocurrency, O'Connor and his co-conspirators laundered it through dozens of transfers and transactions and exchanged some of it for Bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange services. Ultimately, a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O'Connor.

As part of the NDCA Case, O'Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and two counts of committing computer intrusions, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; making extortive communications, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison; two counts of stalking, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and making threatening communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. As part of the SDNY case, O'Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. O'Connor also agreed to forfeit $794,012.64 and to make restitution to victims of his crimes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California and the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are handling the NDCA case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew F. Dawson for the Northern District of California and CCIPS Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne L. Rose are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit is handling the SDNY case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olga I. Zverovich for the Southern District of New York is prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the extradition of O'Connor.

Topic(s): Cybercrime

Component(s): Criminal Division

Criminal - Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section

Criminal - Public Integrity Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

USAO - California, Northern

USAO - New York, Southern

Press Release Number: 23-534

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Treasury Sanctions Fourth Member of "Los Chapitos" and Expands Targeting of Deadly Fentanyl Supply Network

U.S. Department of the Treasury

May 9, 2023

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Joaquin Guzman Lopezaa son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera and the fourth member of Los Chapitosaas well as three Sinaloa Cartel members and two Mexico-based entities pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059. Those sanctioned today are part of a Sinaloa Cartel network overseen by Los Chapitos and responsible for a significant portion of the illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States.

"Today's action continues to disrupt key nodes of the global illicit fentanyl enterprise, including the producers, suppliers, and transporters," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. "Treasury, in close coordination with the Government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to leverage our authorities to isolate and disrupt Los Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel's operations at every juncture."

THE SINALOA CARTEL'S RISE TO DRUG TRAFFICKING DOMINANCE

Founded in the 1980s, the Sinaloa Cartel initially operated as a coalition of Mexico's most powerful drug traffickers. In the early 2000s, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera consolidated their power, which led to the Sinaloa Cartel's ascent into one of the largest and most notorious drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. The Sinaloa Cartel controls drug trafficking activity in key regions throughout Mexico, particularly along the Pacific Coast. Using these strategic points, the cartel traffics multi-ton quantities of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States.

EL CHAPO'S ENDURING LEGACY: LOS CHAPITOS

Following the arrest, extradition, and subsequent conviction of Guzman Loera in a U.S. federal court, four of his sons collectively sought to continue their father's drug trafficking legacy and leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel. Commonly referred to as "Los Chapitos" (The Little Chapos) or "Los Menores" (The Minors), the brothers, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, alongside their stepbrothers, Ovidio Guzman Lopez and Joaquin Guzman Lopezadesignated todayalead a powerful faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

All four members of Los Chapitos are indicted on U.S. federal drug trafficking charges in one or more jurisdictions, to include the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Together, these three jurisdictions have engaged in a decades-long, collaborative, multi-district effort and recently unsealed a 13th superseding indictment charging the four Los Chapitos on April 14, 2023. Also last month, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York brought initial charges against three of the four Los Chapitos. OFAC previously designated the Guzman Salazar brothers, as well as Ovidio Guzman Lopez, in 2012 pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act and again in 2021 pursuant to E.O. 14059.



From left to right: Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar; Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar; Joaquin Guzman Lopez; Ovidio Guzman Lopez. From left to right: Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar; Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar; Joaquin Guzman Lopez; Ovidio Guzman Lopez.

AN EVER-EXPANDING LOS CHAPITOS NETWORK

Today, OFAC designated Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who works closely with his brothers and is responsible for overseeing many aspects of the Los Chapitos drug trafficking empire. For example, Joaquin Guzman Lopez is involved in the management of super labsawhich have often been supplied by a network run by Sinaloa-based brothers Ludim and Luis Alfonso Zamudio Lermaaand in the trafficking of illicit drugs into the United States. In February of this year, OFAC designated the Zamudio Lerma brothers pursuant to E.O. 14059.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez was first indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in 2018 by the Department of Justice's Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section (NDDS) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and Guzman Lopez has since been charged in multiple superseding indictments in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to include the indictment unsealed on April 14, 2023.

The three other individuals OFAC designated today include Raymundo Perez Uribe, who leads a supplier network used by the Sinaloa Cartel to obtain precursor chemicals for the manufacture of illicit drugs; Saul Paez Lopez, who is involved in coordinating illicit drug shipments for his first cousins, Ovidio and Joaquin Guzman Lopez; and Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano, who purchases illicit precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma and operates illegal drug laboratories on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. Additionally, Sumilab, S.A. de C.V. (Sumilab), which is a Culiacan, Sinaloa-based chemical and lab equipment company, was designated today for its involvement in providing and shipping precursor chemicals for and to Sinaloa Cartel members and associates. OFAC designated all four individuals, as well as Sumilab, pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.

In addition, OFAC designated a Sinaloa-based real estate business, Urbanizacion, Inmobiliaria y Construccion de Obras, S.A. de C.V., pursuant to E.O. 14059 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano.

While Ovidio Guzman Lopez was captured in Mexico in January of this year, Joaquin Guzman Lopez and the Guzman Salazar brothers remain fugitives. Through its Narcotics Rewards Program, the U.S. Department of State offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, as well as a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

This action was coordinated closely with the Government of Mexico, including La Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit), and is the result of ongoing collaboration with the FBI Phoenix Field Office (Tucson Resident Agency), the FBI Legal AttachA San Salvador (Sub-Office Guatemala City), the DEA Tampa District Office ("CHEMEX"), the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge in Phoenix, the HSI Nogales Field Office, and the HSI Spokane Field Office.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.

Today's action is part of a whole-of-government effort to counter the global threat posed by the trafficking of illicit drugs into the United States that is causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans annually, as well as countless more non-fatal overdoses. This action demonstrates the Administration's strengthened approach to saving lives by disrupting the trafficking of illicit fentanyl and its precursors into American communities. OFAC, in coordination with its U.S. Government partners and foreign counterparts, will continue to target and pursue accountability for foreign illicit drug actors.

In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals and entities designated today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to an enforcement action.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.

View more information on the individuals and entities designated today.

View the chart on the individuals and entities designated today.

###

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Executive Order on Moving Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Workers

May 09, 2023

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. In 2021, based on the best available data and guidance from our public health experts, I issued Executive Order 14043 of September 9, 2021 (Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees), to direct executive departments and agencies (agencies) to require coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for their employees, and Executive Order 14042 of September 9, 2021 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors), to ensure that Federal contractors and subcontractors have adequate COVID-19 safety protocols. I issued those orders at a time when the highly contagious B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant was the predominant variant of the virus in the United States and had led to a rapid rise in cases and hospitalizations. Those orders were necessary to protect the health and safety of critical workforces serving the American people and to advance the efficiency of Government services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following issuance of those orders, my Administration successfully implemented a vaccination requirement for the Federal Government, the largest employer in the Nation, achieving a 98 percent compliance rate (reflecting employees who had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or had a pending or approved exemption or extension request) by January 2022. More broadly, my Administration has effectively implemented the largest adult vaccination program in the history of the United States, with over 270 million Americans receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Following this important work, along with continued critical investments in tests and therapeutics that are protecting against hospitalization and death, we are no longer in the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and my Administration has begun the process of ending COVID-19 emergency declarations. Our public health experts have issued guidance that allows individuals to understand mitigation measures to protect themselves and those around them. Our healthcare system and public health resources throughout the country are now better able to respond to any potential surge of COVID-19 cases without significantly affecting access to resources or care. Since September 2021, COVID-19 deaths have declined by 93 percent, and new COVID-19 hospitalizations have declined by 86 percent. Considering this progress, and based on the latest guidance from our public health experts, we no longer need a Government-wide vaccination requirement for Federal employees or federally specified safety protocols for Federal contractors. Vaccination remains an important tool to protect individuals from serious illness, but we are now able to move beyond these Federal requirements.

Sec. 2. Revocation of Vaccination Requirements. Executive Order 14042 and Executive Order 14043 are revoked. Agency policies adopted to implement Executive Order 14042 or Executive Order 14043, to the extent such policies are premised on those orders, no longer may be enforced and shall be rescinded consistent with applicable law.

Sec. 3. Effective Date. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 12, 2023.

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.



JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

May 9, 2023.

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Missile launcher a game-changer

10 May 2023

After waiting years for a glimpse of Army's newest air-defence system, 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, gunners got their first look at the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) during a trial and certification activity last month near Jervis Bay.

Air defenders were invited to get hands-on with the equipment during the activity, which was designed to test system components before the regiment takes initial delivery this month.

Qualification training is set to start soon after.

Lance-Bombardier Mitchell North, of 110th Battery, will be among the first soldiers qualified.

"We've been waiting for NASAMS for quite some time, so it's good to finally see the equipment and get it going," Lance-Bombardier North said.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing the first missile live-fire, but even just doing the tests, getting it slewing and opening the missile-bay doors was really cool to watch."

NASAMS is used by more than a dozen militaries, including the US and Ukraine.

Army will operate an enhanced version of the Norwegian design, which includes Australian radar technology, a Hawkei-based launcher and infrared/optical sensor.

A mixture of AMRAAM or Sidewinder missiles can be loaded on a Hawkei high-mobility launcher; or MK II canister launcher, deployed from a HX77 heavy truck enabling mission flexibility with up to six missiles carried per platform.

Each troop will operate three canister or high-mobility launchers and 110th Battery will be the first kitted out with NASAMS.

The regiment is expected to field two batteries once full operational capability is reached by 2026.

Commander 110th Battery Major Brett Watson said 16th Regiment was entering a new chapter.

"The introduction into service of NASAMS represents a step change in ground-based air defence capability for the ADF, providing the ability to sense and effect at much greater ranges with state-of-the-art equipment," Major Watson said.

"The whole team is very excited about this journey.

"This familiarisation activity is about allowing those conducting the initial training to learn more about the equipment and interact with the CASG and Defence Industry teams - it was a very valuable trip."

16th Regiment will relocate from Woodside Barracks to new purpose-built facilities at RAAF Edinburgh once construction is complete.

NASAMS is capable of operating independently, but will also be integrated with joint air-defence under the future Project AIR 6500, which will synchronise capabilities to provide layered air defence.

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China takes necessary, legitimate countermeasure against Canada's unreasonable expulsion of diplomat

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Published: May 09, 2023 09:09 PM Updated: May 09, 2023 09:53 PM

China and Canada are engaged in a rare, high-profile diplomatic row as Beijing declared a consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai as "persona non grata" on Tuesday and asked the Canadian diplomat to leave China before May 13, a necessary and legitimate countermeasure in response to the unreasonable move by the Canadian side of hyping "China's interference" and expelling a Chinese diplomat.

Some Chinese observers point out that it's a rare move for China to expel a foreign diplomat, but Canada appears to have become a leading anti-China force in the US-led small clique. Its China policy has become even more confrontational than that of Washington, which has dragged Canada-China relations into the deep freeze. The current anti-China waves across Canadian politics and public opinion could be seen as a Canadian version of McCarthyism in the 21st century, fully highlighting the lack of strategic vision and continuity of the Ottawa's China policy, some observers said.

In response to Canada's unreasonable expulsion of a Chinese diplomat, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that the consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai has been designated "persona non grata" and been asked to leave China before May 13.

On May 9, the Canadian government declared a diplomat of the Consulate-General of China in Toronto "persona non grata." China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has lodged serious dAmarches and a strong protest to Canada, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

As a reciprocal countermeasure in reaction to Canada's move, China declared Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata, who has been asked to leave China no later than May 13. And China reserves the right to take further measures, the spokesperson said.

The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday the expulsion of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei after days of pressure from opposition parties, who accused Zhao of targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong's family who live in Hong Kong, according to Canadian media reports.

Commenting on the decision to declare the Canadian diplomat in Shanghai "persona non grata," Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Tuesday that in disregard to China's serious dAmarches, Canada openly declared the Chinese diplomat "persona non grata" on the grounds of so-called China's interference in Canada's internal affairs. China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this.

China has never interfered in other countries' internal affairs. The so-called Chinese interference in Canada's internal affairs is complete nonsense, a smear against China and a political manipulation based on ideology. The latest move of the Canadian side violates the basic norms governing international relations and deliberately undermines China-Canada relations, which is of a very bad nature, Wang said.

"This is necessary for China to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. It [the countermeasure] is completely legitimate and necessary," he said.

'Canadian version of McCarthyism'

This year is the 100th anniversary of Canada's infamous Chinese Exclusion Act, the history of which the North American country should have reflected upon. However, Canada explicitly or implicitly listed China as a hostile country, setting off waves of hostility in its publicity, investigation and even legislation against the so-called China's interference in Canada, Yao Peng, deputy secretary-general of the Canadian Studies Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"It's like a Canadian version of a 21st century McCarthyist trend targeting China," Yao said, who pointed out that witch-hunting move against Chinese-Canadian politicians and voters based on groundless accusations could foster conditions for exclusion, hostility and even persecution of people of Chinese descent by the whole Canadian society and people.

Some Canadian media, citing so-called classified documents and anonymous security source, reported that China's intelligence agency 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."

Some also made allegations against Chinese-Canadians, accusing them of lobbying Chinese diplomats for partisan political gain, which has evolved into a series of rows over so-called China's interference in "advanced Western democracies," according to media reports.

"The fundamental reason that Canada made those baseless allegations against China is that the country has been enhancing its strategic coordination with the US, and this expulsion could signal the start of a series of tit-for-tat moves," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

As Canada's China policy looks set to become more and more confrontational, there will not be any change in its policy-decision process, and its China policy appears to be on the brink of a downward spiral, following a trajectory like the US' China policy of the past few years, Li said.

'To respond resolutely and forcefully'

Some observers believe that expelling diplomats is a reckless act rarely used by countries, because international diplomatic practice has long been one of reciprocal retaliation. This sees the expulsion of diplomats as almost a declaration of enmity with the other side.

However, China is not the side that intends to escalate the situation given its reaction is rational but powerful, they said. It also depends on how the Canadian side will react - whether it will make the situation even worse or attempt to control the damage.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang said at the press conference that "We will not waver in our resolve to uphold China's interests. We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada."

Following US' malicious containment move, Canada-China relations have been continuing on a downward trend, especially since the incident involving Huawei's Meng Wanzhou, and there is no sign of easing, Yao said. "Even when some major European countries seek to improve ties with China, Canada has been a leading anti-China force," he said.

Undoubtedly, Canada's anti-China stance has been worse than that of the US, which makes the current China-Canada relations ice cold, Yao said.

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China declares a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai as "persona non grata" in countermeasure

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Published: May 09, 2023 01:15 PM

In response to Canada's unreasonable expulsion of a Chinese diplomat, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai as "persona non grata" and has asked the Canadian diplomat to leave China before May 13.

Earlier on May 9, the Canadian government declared a diplomat of the Consulate-General of China in Toronto persona non grata. China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has lodged serious dAmarches and strong protest to Canada, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

As a reciprocal countermeasure inareactionato Canada's move, China declared Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata, who has been asked to leave China noalaterathan May 13. And China reserves the right to take further measures, the spokesperson said.

The Liberal government is expelling Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, who Canada's spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong, the Canadian Press reported.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly wrote in a statement that Canada has declared the Toronto-based diplomat as "persona non grata," according to the media report.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada said in an earlier statement that China strongly condemned and firmly opposed the latest unreasonable move of the Canadian side, which serious violates international law and basic principles of international relations, as well as relevant bilateral agreements between China and Canada.

The Consulate-General of China in Toronto said in a statement on Tuesday that consular officers always perform their duties in accordance with related international conventions and bilateral consular agreements, which is completely aboveboard and beyond reproach.

The false allegation ofa"China Interference"ais groundless and a projection of the alleger's own image, the consulate-general said. The Canadian side places political manipulation above international law, which is a political provocation and doomed to fail, it noted.

Chinese experts considered China's countermeasure is reasonable, necessary and disciplined, and only in this way can the Canadian society and the international community have a more thorough and clear understanding of the rumors and slander launched by Canada against China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a press conference on Tuesday that declaring a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai as "persona non grata" and requiring the diplomat to leave China before May 13 is an action that China took to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. This action is completely justified and necessary.

The Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Canada and their diplomatic and consular personnel have always abided by relevant international conventions and local laws and regulations and performed their duties in accordance with the law. China will not accept the erroneous actions made by the Canadian government that seriously undermine the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel, Wang said.

The spokesperson also urged the Canadian side to immediately stop its unreasonable provocations. If the Canadian side ignores this advice and acts recklessly, China will respond resolutely and forcefully and all the consequences arising must be borne by the Canadian side, Wang added.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 9, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

CCTV: President Xi Jinping's special representative Vice President Han Zheng attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III in the UK. Can you share more with us?a

Wang Wenbin: President Xi Jinping's special representative Vice President Han Zheng attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and relevant activities in London upon invitation a few days ago. The UK attached high importance to his attendance, received the Chinese delegation with premium courtesy and made thoughtful arrangements. King Charles III expressed appreciation to President Xi Jinping and his wife Professor Peng Liyuan for their congratulatory messages to him and the Queen, and welcome to Han Zheng attending the coronation ceremony as President Xi's special representative. Han Zheng also met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, The Prince of Wales and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, and attended a welcome dinner hosted by the business community.

During those events, Han Zheng shared China's economic situation and policy orientation, highlighting the immense potential in China-UK cooperation and the need for the two governments to respond to businesses' call for cooperation, keep bilateral relations stable and provide more policy support for a sound basis for mutually beneficial cooperation. Han stressed the need for the UK to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the UK, and protect the safety of Chinese students and tourists and facilitate their travel and stay. The British side said it values UK-China relations and looks forward to high-level exchanges. It noted the two countries enjoy broad prospects for cooperation in areas such as green economy and sustainable development. It is important to build a stable and constructive bilateral relationship and make Chinese companies, students and tourists feel safe and welcome.

Han Zheng's trip marked the first face-to-face exchange between Chinese and UK leaders since China's "two sessions". The delegation had deep-going exchanges with people from various sectors in the UK, reached broad common understandings on cooperation and achieved the purpose of the trip. China is ready to work with the UK for the sustained, sound and steady growth of bilateral relations.

Bloomberg: Reports in Japanese media say that the US, Japan and South Korea are planning to link their radar systems to better track missiles from North Korea. So is China concerned that this will also allow greater surveillance of China by the US and its allies? And does this violate the "three noes" policy that was agreed on by China and the previous Moon administration?a

Wang Wenbin: The issues on the Korean Peninsula are essentially political and security issues. They stem from the remnant of the Cold War and the absence of a peace mechanism. Using issues on the Korean Peninsula as a pretext to boost US-Japan-ROK military cooperation will not help remove the remnant of the Cold War or bring about a peace mechanism. It will only drive up the risks of bloc confrontation, take away the already fragile trust among parties in the region and hurt the strategic security interests of other countries. The parties concerned will be culpable if the Peninsula slides into a cycle of tension and arms race.aa

You mentioned what was agreed between China and the ROK on THAAD. Let me reiterate that when the Chinese and ROK foreign ministers met in Qingdao in August last year, they agreed that the two countries would properly handle the THAAD issue and make sure it does not become a stumbling block in bilateral relations. We hope the ROK will act on what was agreed and continue to properly handle and manage this issue to prevent unnecessary disruption to bilateral relations.

AFP: The Chinese foreign ministry declared a consul at Canada's Consulate General in Shanghai persona non grata this afternoon and asked her to leave China no later than May 13. Could you offer more information on the reason behind this decision?

Wang Wenbin: Despite China's serious dAmarches, Canada declared a Chinese diplomat "persona non grata" based on the false accusation of Chinese interference in Canada's internal affairs. We strongly condemn and firmly oppose this. China has lodged serious dAmarches and strong protests to Canada.

China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs. The interference claims about China are unfounded. They are ideology- and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China. Canada's ill-founded decision to declare our diplomat "persona non grata" is an egregious move that violates the basic norms governing international relations, and a deliberate blow to Canada's relations with China.aa

For quite some time, Canadian media and senior politicians have cited so-called CSIS "classified documents" to smear the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Canada. None of the accusations are based on facts. They are trumped up with hidden agenda.aa

In reaction to Canada's unscrupulous move, China has decided to take a reciprocal countermeasure by declaring Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata, who has been asked to leave China no later than May 13. This is a move to uphold China's lawful rights and interests and is fully justified and necessary.

I want to stress that the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions and our diplomats and consular personnel in Canada abide by relevant international conventions and Canada's laws and regulations. They have performed their duty in accordance with the law. The Canadian government's ill-founded and erroneous action seriously harms the lawful rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel. China does not accept this. We will not waver in our resolve to uphold China's interests. We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada.

Kyodo News: Why was the consul from the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai declared persona non grata? Can you elaborate on the reason and background?

Wang Wenbin: This is a reciprocal countermeasure taken in reaction to Canada's provocation to protect China's lawful rights and interests. This is consistent with established diplomatic practice and completely justified and necessary. We urge Canada to stop its unscrupulous provocation at once.

CCTV: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Pakistan a few days ago. This is the first foreign ministers' dialogue among China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the past two years. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: A few days ago, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Islamabad. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari chaired the Dialogue and Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the Dialogue. This is the first foreign ministers' dialogue among China, Afghanistan and Pakistan since the profound change in the situation in Afghanistan in 2021. It marked the resumption of the trilateral cooperation mechanism. During the Dialogue, the three foreign ministers had candid and in-depth exchanges of views on issues of good neighborliness, mutual trust, security cooperation, counter-terrorism, connectivity, trade and investment and reached a number of common understandings.

The three sides issued the Joint Statement of the Fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, resolving to further deepen and expand their cooperation in the security, development and political domains based on the principles of mutual respect, equal-footed consultation and mutual benefit.

The three sides agreed to coordinate and cooperate on security, organized crimes, drugs smuggling, etc. They stressed on the need of not allowing any individual, group or party, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), to use their territories to harm and threaten regional security and interests, or conduct terrorist actions and activities. All three sides underscored the need to refrain from intervening into internal affairs of Afghanistan, and to promote Afghan peace, stability and reconstruction.

The three sides reaffirmed their resolve to fully harness Afghanistan's potential as a hub for regional connectivity and their commitment to further the trilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and to jointly extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan. They emphasized the need to push forward the "hard connectivity" in infrastructure and "soft connectivity" in norms and standards, and further explore the facilitating measures for the movement of people and trade activities between the three countries. The Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in such fields as agriculture, trade, energy, capacity building, etc.

The Ministers called upon the international community to engage constructively with the Afghan side. The three sides urged the relevant countries that are responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan to lift their unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan and return the assets overseas for the benefit of the Afghan people, and create opportunities for economic development and prosperity in Afghanistan.

As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang noted, China is ready to, through the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation channels, strengthen strategic communication and policy coordination among the three countries, enhance good-neighborliness, friendship and strategic mutual trust, strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation, and deepen the bond and connection of interests among the three countries. By doing so, we can set a good example of cooperationa through mini-multilateral engagement among neighbors on hotspot issues, and advance regional stability and prosperity.

Bloomberg: This question is regarding the investigation into Capvision, which was detailed in a CCTV news item extensively last night. My question is, has there been any arrest made at Capvision? Can you tell me what other firms, if any, have been targeted for such raids and investigations?a

Wang Wenbin: Recently, Chinese national security authorities and departments concerned have jointly taken public law enforcement actions on relevant company. These are normal law enforcement actions consistent with Chinese laws that aim to promote sound and well-regulated growth of relevant sector and safeguard national security and development interests.

Financial Times: Just following up on Capvision, such a highly publicized investigation. What message is intended to send to the consultancy industry? And how can foreign investors feel confident to conduct due diligence?a

Wang Wenbin: As I just said, these are normal law enforcement actions consistent with Chinese laws that aim to promote sound and well-regulated growth of relevant sector and safeguard national security and development interests.

Bloomberg: A question regarding China's participation in the inaugural virtual meeting of Sri Lanka's creditors. My question is, will China be joining an inaugural virtual meeting of Sri Lanka's creditors regarding the nation's debt restructuring, which is set to take place this evening at 8pm China time?a

Wang Wenbin: We have stated our position multiple times on the Sri Lanka debt issue. Let me reiterate that we support Chinese financial institutions in actively working out the debt treatment with the Sri Lankan side. We have been in close communication with the Sri Lankan side and taken concrete steps. We will continue to play a positive role in this regard. At the same time, we call on commercial and multilateral creditors to take part in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring based on fair burden-sharing. As to your specific question, I would refer you to relevant authorities.

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China says reciprocal expulsion of Canadian diplomat 'just and necessary'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 11:08 AM

China has expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Canada declared a Chinese envoy 'persona non grata' over allegations he was involved in efforts to intimidate a Canadian politician.

In a statement on Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry said the "just and necessary" expulsion of the Canadian diplomat Jennifer Lynn Lalonde was a "reciprocal countermeasure", as it strongly condemned the expulsion of Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei.

"China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has lodged serious demarches and strong protest to Canada," China's Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

"The expulsion of the Canadian diplomat was just and necessary. China's determination to protect its legitimate interests will not waver," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing hours after Beijing announced it would expel Lalonde.

"China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs. The expulsion of a Chinese diplomat violates rules governing international relations," Wenbin added.

The move might escalate already tense relations between the two countries. Both diplomats have five days to exit the countries.

The move by Ottawa follows a Canadian intelligence report, which emerged in the Globe and Mail newspaper, that accused Zhao of being involved in gathering information about opposition lawmaker, Michael Chong and his relatives.

Last Thursday, Canada summoned China's ambassador to reiterate that Canada would not tolerate what it called 'interference' in its affairs.

"Canada will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs" and that the decision to expel the diplomat had "been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play," Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, MAlanie Joly, said on Monday, after declaring Zhao a "persona non grata".

China's Toronto consulate-general rejected the allegations and said the report on Chong has "no factual basis and is purely baseless."

Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned that China would "resolutely and forcefully respond" if the Canadian government "keeps acting recklessly" and said Canadian media and some politicians are "fabricating false information."

Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister, previously accused China of attempting to meddle in the 2019 and 2021 votes but said that the efforts did not change the outcome. He has appointed an independent special investigator to probe the issue.

Moreover, Canadian media outlets have also published several reports, citing anonymous intelligence sources, alleging schemes run by the Chinese government to interfere in Canada's last two elections. Beijing has denied those allegations.

Diplomatic tensions between Canada and China have been running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges. All three were freed in 2021.

Meng who was released in September, was arrested over charges of selling goods and thus breaking the sanctions imposed by Washington against Iran.

China has previously insisted it does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs and has no interest in doing so, but says it will respond to what it calls provocations.

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Newly published documents reveal how China skirts forced labor scrutiny in Xinjiang

Historic models were not designed to evaluate the political nature of state-sponsored forced labor, expert says

By Adile Ablet for RFA Uyghur 2023.05.09 -- Lazy persons, drunkards, and "other persons with insufficient inner motivation" must be subjected to "repeated ... thought education" to ensure they take part in state-sponsored "poverty alleviation" campaigns to pick cotton in China's Xinjiang region, a previously unpublished internal government document ordered local cadres.

If such efforts fail to produce "obvious results," coercive measures should be taken, the July 2019 document, issued by the Poverty Alleviation Work Group in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture's Yarkand (Shache) county, advises authorities.

By late 2019, authorities in Yarkand were compiling lists of the "unmotivated," including individuals as old as 77 years, and proposing solutions for their "laziness," which included sending them to other counties to labor in cotton fields.

The documents were released in a report Tuesday by Adrian Zenz, senior fellow and director in China studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

They show that state efforts to compel Uyghurs into "poverty alleviation" measures - including labor transfers and seasonal labor - intensified in Xinjiang after 2018. In some cases, the documents mandated an increase of the "political status" of poverty alleviation work, and warned cadres of "severe" repercussions for not achieving outcomes.

They also demonstrate that historical models, such as that used by the International Labor Organization, often fall short when used to evaluate state-sponsored coerced labor in areas including Xinjiang because they only account for commercial and not political exploitation, the report said.

"If a government like a Western government wants to effectively combat Uyghur forced labor, these are the elements that they need to take into account and look at," Zenz told RFA Uyghur in an interview.

"State-sponsored forced labor is a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach affecting an entire region, and not just ... isolated pockets of forced labor that are detected here and there. It creates a whole regional systemic risk, a societal risk."

Linking forced labor to fighting terrorism

By elevating poverty alleviation to a political task, rather than a purely economic one, Beijing has been able to tie forced labor to the eradication of terrorism, Zenz said.

"You take them off the land where they might be free to do their own thing and they might have an idle season, so they may choose to work or to not work," he said.

"But this perceived Uyghur idleness is seen as a national security risk and that's why the drive in 2018 and 2019 to push Uyghurs into all kinds of work is seen as a matter of national security ... and of course, this urgency creates a very strong level of coercion," Zenz said.

In Xinjiang, Beijing has leveraged a centralized authoritarian system to penalize noncompliance with its poverty alleviation campaign, said the report, entitled "Coercive Labor in the Cotton Harvest in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Uzbekistan."

Those penalties included the threat of internment and the detection of deviance through automated systems of preventative policing.

"The resulting environments of 'structurally forced consent' are not necessarily immediately observable to outsiders, and may be challenging to assess through conventional means such as the ILO's forced labor indicator framework, which was not designed to evaluate state-sponsored forced labor," the report said.

Legislative teeth

Zenz called on the European Union to develop "effective legislation" that targets state-sponsored forced labor affecting an entire region and for the United States to continue to enforce the December 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which requires American. companies that import goods from Xinjiang to prove that they have not been manufactured with Uyghur forced labor at any stage of production.

Without the proper tools necessary for the international community to hold China accountable for such practices, "Beijing's economic and long-term political aims in [Xinjiang] could mean that coercive labor transfers into cotton picking and related industries might persist for a long time to come," the report warned.

Andrew Bremberg, the president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and former U.S. representative to the U.N., told RFA that steps taken by the United States and the international community to address forced labor in Xinjiang are "woefully insufficient" and have done little to change Beijing's policies in the region.

"The United States needs to help lead in this effort both on a bilateral basis, in terms of strengthening the enforcement of our own laws ... [and] work[ing] with other countries to hold China accountable in multilateral settings like the International Labor Organization," he said.

"At the same time, we need to strengthen those organizations and entities with other countries to ensure that they better protect against state-sponsored forced labor."

The EU is currently reviewing proposed legislation that would allow for an import ban on products related to severe human rights violations such as forced labor.

Bremberg welcomed the proposed legislation, but warned that such a rule must be constructed correctly if the EU wants it to have the desired effect.

"If they try to only use forced labor indicators that the ILO has used in the past, it likely will not affect importations of products made by forced labor from Xinjiang, given the unique nature that state-sponsored forced labor poses," he said.

Bremberg said a strong response by the international community that includes boycotts of imports is needed to "make clear to China that their behavior, their actions violating individual rights, human rights ... will not be allowed without consequence."

'Hidden from plain sight'

The Washington-based Campaign for Uyghurs issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the state-sponsored coercive labor practices outlined in Zenz's report, which it said reveals the "sociocultural contexts and authoritarian systems that have created coercive labor environments in [Xinjiang], which are not easily captured through standard measures such as the ILO forced labor indicators."

The report "reveals the deeply embedded and systemic dynamics of coercion that have perpetuated environments of 'structurally forced consent' in [Xinjiang], leaving innocent Uyghurs powerless and at the mercy of China's repressive state apparatus," said CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas.

"These atrocities are hidden from plain sight, making them extremely difficult to detect and assess through conventional means," he said. "The international community must take swift and decisive action to put an end to these heinous practices and hold the perpetrators accountable."

In addition to calling on nations to level sanctions on China for its coercive labor practices in Xinjiang, CFU called on companies to thoroughly examine their supply chains and take immediate action to ensure they are not contributing to such abuses.

Edited by Joshua Lipes 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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China Expels Canadian Diplomat in Tit-for-Tat Measure After Zhao Expulsion

Sputnik News

20230509

Ian DeMartino

China has been accused by the Canadian government of trying to influence its politicians and elections.

Beijing expelled a Canadian envoy on Tuesday in response to an earlier expulsion by Canada of a Chinese diplomat accused of attempting to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker who voiced criticism of China.

On Monday, Canada declared Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei persona non grata and asked that he leave the country. The next day, China responded by doing the same to Jennifer Lalonde, a diplomat at Canada's consulate in Shanghai.

Canada alleged Zhao was part of a campaign to pressure Conservative MP Michael Chong and his extended family that lives in Hong Kong.

Chong has taken strong anti-People's Republic of China (PRC) stances, including sponsoring a motion to declare China's alleged abuses against its minority Uyghur Muslim population as genocide.

The move to expel Zhao came days after Canadian media cited Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents that alleged the PRC had been working behind the scenes against Conservative candidates in elections and promoting Liberal party candidates.

The head of the CSIS reportedly told Chong after his vote on the Uyghur issue that he and his family were being targeted. After the report's publication, Chong said he was unaware of any attempts to influence him, but noted he was hit with sanctions by China in 2021 after sponsoring the resolution.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said additional Chinese diplomats could be expelled if such actions continue.

"We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs," Joly said in a statement.

Chinese spokesperson Wang Wenbin, during his daily news conference, commented that accusations that China attempts to influence Canada's internal affairs are "ideology- and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China."

He added that China reserves the right to take further action, and that the move was a "reciprocal countermeasure." He didn't give an answer when asked why Lalonde was specifically picked to be expelled.

Commenting on the CSIS report, Wang told reporters the findings were part of an attempt to "smear the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Canada."

"None of the accusations are based on facts," Wang said. "They are trumped up with [a] hidden agenda."

A Sputnik

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Chinese FM meets German counterpart, vows to inject momentum for world peace, prosperity

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 10, 2023 02:50 AM

China and Germany should stick to the right path and jointly oppose a "new Cold War" as well as "decoupling and disruption" to inject confidence and momentum for world peace and prosperity, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during talks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin on Tuesday.

Under the current turbulent and intertwined international situation, the two countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation and actively prepare for the seventh round of China-Germany government consultations to make a comprehensive plan for practical cooperation in various fields between the two sides in the coming period, Qin said.

In the face of various global issues and challenges, countries need cooperation rather than confrontation and mutual respect rather than blaming each other, he continued.

Baerbock said that Germany attaches great importance to high-level exchanges, cooperation in various fields, and looks forward to holding the seventh round of Germany-China governmental consultations. This will be the first offline consultation since the epidemic and the first round of consultations between the new governments of the two countries.

Germany is ready to work with China to push for positive results of the consultation with a focus on common, sustainable action, especially to promote bilateral cooperation in areas such as climate change, energy transition, biodiversity, and youth exchanges, Baerbock remarked.

While visiting Germany, Qin will strengthen communication with the German side to promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin earlier on Monday.

At the meeting on Tuesday, the two sides also exchanged views on the issue of Ukraine. Qin emphasized that China's consistent position is to promote peace talks and push the international community to form the largest common denominator for a political solution to the crisis.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang is visiting Germany, France, and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of the foreign ministers of the three countries.

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Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Sends Greetings to Russian President

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, May 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), sent a message of greeting to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on Tuesday.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un in the message extended warm congratulations to the president, friendly government and people of Russia on behalf of the government and people of the DPRK on the occasion of the significant day when the Russian people won a brilliant victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The message said that the Russian people won a great victory in the great war of justice to annihilate fascism that threatened the destiny of mankind by displaying matchless heroism and self-sacrificing spirit.

It noted that the victory is a tradition peculiar to Russia, and the glory of the war victory will shine long in history and be eternal along with Russia despite the lapse of many years and replacement of generations.

The message expressed belief that the strong and righteous Russian people would smash all challenges and threats by hostile forces and as ever win victory in the course of ensuring the sovereignty and dignity of the country and stability of the region under the leadership of the Russian president.

Availing himself of this opportunity, Kim Jong Un in the message extended warm militant greetings once again to the president, army and people of Russia who courageously turned out in the sacred struggle to realize international justice and defend global peace against the high-handed and arbitrary practices of the imperialists. -0-

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EU-India: Joint Press Release on Fourth Strategic Partnership review meeting in New Delhi

European External Action Service (EEAS)

09.05.2023

EEAS Press Team

India and The European Union held their fourth Strategic Partnership Review Meeting on 08 May in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) and the EU side was led by Helena KAnig, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues, European External Action Service

The Meeting reviewed the entire gamut of the India - EU bilateral relationship detailed in the 'India-EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025' agreed during the 15th India - EU Summit in 2020. India and The EU went through that extensive review of their successful bilateral relationship also in the context of the meetings organised by India under its G20 Presidency.

The discussions focussed on a broad range of topics covering Climate, Clean Energy, Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Resource efficiency, Smart Urbanisation, Trade, Research &Innovation, Education, Mobility, and Digital issues, including Data protection. Both sides also discussed cooperation in the sphere of Connectivity and emphasized that Connectivity projects respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement and Agreement on Geographical Indications and agreed on their importance as well as the need for full cooperation at multilateral level and of a regular bilateral dialogue on economic issues. They also reviewed the progress and scope of the newly launched India - EU Trade and Technology Council and looked forward to a successful first Ministerial Meeting under the TTC mechanism on 16 May in Brussels.

The EU and India talked about the perspectives for a safer, prosperous and more democratic world. They commended the resumption in 2021 of the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue, and committed to holding it on an annual basis. They also underscored the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law. Both sides emphasized that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes

They unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border attacks.

They also expressed their commitment to their increasedengagement across all areas with a view of identifying areas to strengthen cooperation, including through the Global Gateway, and looking into priorities for the next India-EU Summit.

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Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh meets Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Eli Cohen in New Delhi; Calls for increased investments by Israeli companies in India for co-production of defence equipment

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Israel conveys its willingness to partner with India in advanced technologies

Posted On: 09 MAY 2023 7:19PM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh met with an Israeli delegation, led by Foreign Minister Mr Eli Cohen, in New Delhi on May 09, 2023. During the meeting, the Raksha Mantri underlined Government of India's priority towards indigenisation in accordance with the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Policy'. He acknowledged the cooperation being extended by Israeli companies and encouraged them for more investments in India and for forging joint ventures with Indian partners to manufacture defence equipment in India.

The Israeli Minister affirmed continued cooperation of Israel in India's endeavour for indigenisation and conveyed the willingness to cooperate & partner in advanced technologies. Both sides acknowledged the completion of 30 years of diplomatic relationship between the two countries and looked forward to further strengthening the bilateral ties.

*****

ABB/Savvy



(Release ID: 1922879)

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SEA PHASE OF ASEAN-INDIA MARITIME EXERCISE - 2023

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 09 MAY 2023 4:53PM by PIB Delhi

The inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) successfully culminated in the South China Sea on 08 May 2023. Approximately 1400 personnel manning nine ships participated in the Sea Phase of the multilateral naval exercise. India's indigenously designed and built ships- destroyer INS Delhi & stealth frigate INS Satpura, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and integral helicopters exercised with ASEAN naval ships from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The two-day sea-phase witnessed a wide spectrum of evolutions at sea including tactical manoeuvres, cross deck landings by helicopters, seamanship evolutions and other maritime operations. Apart from honing skills in the maritime domain the exercise enhanced interoperability and demonstrated the ability of Indian & ASEAN navies to operate as an integrated force to promote peace, stability and security in the region.

*******

VM/PS



(Release ID: 1922815)

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Opportunity to revive JCPOA not always there: Iran deputy FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 9, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has said the United States dealt a devastating blow to the international rule of law by withdrawing from Iran nuclear deal some five years ago, adding that the opportunity to revive the deal is not always there.

Bagheri, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, made the remarks on Tuesday on the anniversary of the United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018.

"A critical reminder: 5 years ago, the US rendered a fatal blow to 'rule of law at the international level' by unlawfully withdrawing from JCPOA. Ever since, the US has failed to reverse its wrongful act. Iran's legitimate remedial measures will continue," Bagheri Kani wrote on his Twitter account.

The senior Iranian nuclear negotiator also warned, "The full implementation of JCPOA (with effective sanctions lifting at its core) could be resumed, should the reneging party (and EU/E3) demonstrate credible political will to that effect. No opportunity is forever!"

Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, the UK, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) signed the JCPOA in 2015. However, the US did not abide by its obligations under the deal by withdrawing from it and imposing sanctions on Iran. Washington even forced the European parties to the deal to stop keeping their side of the bargain as well.

4208**9417

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US voices support for Iranian blasphemers

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 9, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- In yet another act of interference in Iran's domestic affairs, Washington has expressed support for those executed in Iran for committing blasphemous acts while accusing Tehran of violating human rights.

Deputy spokesman of the US State Department Vedant Patel told reporters on Monday that all blasphemy laws remain "an affront" to human rights worldwide, including in Iran.

The remarks came hours after the Iranian judiciary said two men convicted of actively propagating against Islam, insulting the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and burning the Holy Quran had been executed.

The judiciary identified those put to death as Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, adding that the two convicts openly confessed to propagating infidelity and sacrilege of the Islamic sanctities.

A day earlier, Iran had condemned the meddlesome positions of certain Western states over the execution of the mastermind of the 2018 Ahvaz terrorist attack, saying that such an approach will only promote the sinister phenomenon of terrorism all over the world.

**9417

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Opportunity to revive JCPOA won't last forever: Iran tells US, E3

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 9:56 AM

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is possible if the US and the European signatories to the agreement have the will to reach that aim, warning that the opportunity will not last forever.

Ali Bagheri Kani, also deputy foreign minister for political affairs, made the remarks in tweets on Tuesday, marking the fifth anniversary of the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in defiance of international criticisms.

"A critical reminder: 5 years ago, the US rendered a fatal blow to 'rule of law at the international level' by unlawfully withdrawing from JCPOA. Ever since, the US has failed to reverse its wrongful act. Iran's legitimate remedial measures will continue," he wrote.

"The full implementation of JCPOA (with effective sanctions lifting at its core) could be resumed, should the reneging party (and EU/E3) demonstrate credible political will to that effect. No opportunity is forever!"

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington's exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of removing anti-Iran sanctions and examining the United States' seriousness in rejoining the accord.

The talks, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington's insistence on not removing all the sanctions and its failure to offer necessary guarantees that it will not abandon the deal again.

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Iranian Students, Teachers, Activists Team Up In Rallies Decrying State Of Education

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda May 09, 2023

Students and teachers' rights activists across Iran joined forces to stage nationwide rallies on May 9 against what they call the deteriorating state of the educational system and the systematic suppression of students, teachers, and parents.

The call for action, dubbed a "revolution of women, life, and freedom," was joined by a number of organizations, including the Iranian Retirees Council, students from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, and the so-called "Revolutionary Students" of Tehran and Bushehr.

In a statement published last week on "Commemorating the Status of Teachers," the Iranian Teachers' Union's Coordination Council called on Iranian educators to hold the May 9 rally to coincide with the birthday of Jabbar Baghtcheban, the founder of the first Iranian kindergarten and deaf education in Iran in the 1920s.

The protesters issued a series of statements and social media slogans condemning a range of shortcomings caused by education officials and touched on the wave of suspected poisonings in girls' schools, the assassination of activist teacher Hossein Mahdipor, and the government's inability to pay teachers' salaries and arrears.

The Teachers' Union's Coordination Council has added its voice to the outcry, stating that the Islamic Republic's behavior has left "no hope for positive change."

Unrest -- including several protests by teachers -- has rattled Iran since last summer in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody in September for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly breathed new life into the unrest, which officials across the country have tried to quell with harsh -- and sometimes deadly -- measures.

The activist HRANA news agency says that more than 500 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.

Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences -- including the death penalty -- to protesters.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-students-teachers- rallies-education-unrest/32403464.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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UN Rights Chief Calls For Iran To End Death Penalty Amid Spate Of Executions

By RFE/RL May 09, 2023

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has slammed Iran for its "abominable record" on the death penalty and called on authorities to end capital punishment as the number of executions is "frightening."

Since January 1, Turk's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said at least 209 people have been executed -- mostly for drug-related offences and a "disproportionately high number" representing minorities.

The exact number of executions is unknown, the office said, due to "a lack of government transparency," so the figure is "likely to be higher."

"On average so far this year, over 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, making it one the world's highest executors," Turk said.

"At this rate, Iran is worryingly on the same track as last year when around 580 people were reportedly executed...This is an abominable record, particularly when you consider the growing consensus for universal abolition of the death penalty," he added.

In the past four days, Iran has admitted to executing two men -- Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare -- who had been sentenced to death for using social media to promote "atheism and insulting religious and Islamic sanctities" and Habib Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian dissident who went missing from a Turkish airport two years ago before turning up in Iranian custody accused of terrorism.

According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, Tehran has executed one person every six hours in the past two weeks.

Turk's office said that at least 45 people, including 22 from the Baluch minority, were executed in the last 14 days alone, most of whom were accused of drug-related charges.

"Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international human rights norms and standards," Turk said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-death-penalty- un-turk/32403290.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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Iran: Over 200 executed since January; TArk calls for end to death penalty

9 May 2023 - The "frightening" number of executions carried out this year in Iran prompted the UN human rights chief Volker TArk on Tuesday, to call on the country's authorities to abolish the death penalty or halt all executions.

More than 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, High Commissioner TArk said, making the country "one of the world's highest executors", with at least 209 people executed since the beginning of the year according to sources quoted by the UN rights office (OHCHR), in a press release.

Incompatible with international norms

Executions are carried out "mostly" for drug-related offences. Mr. TArk said this was "incompatible with international human rights norms and standards".

OHCHR said that minorities were over-represented on Iran's death row, and said that according to sources, at least 45 people, including 22 from the Baluch minority, were executed in the last 14 days alone.

"Most were executed for drug-related charges", added the UN rights chief.

'Abominable record'

"At this rate, Iran is worryingly on the same track as last year, when around 580 people were reportedly executed, said Mr. TArk. "This is an abominable record, particularly when you consider the growing consensus for universal abolition of the death penalty."

Only a small number of States still impose and apply the death penalty, said OHCHR.

On Saturday, Iran executed Habib Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian citizen from the Ahwazi Arab minority, the rights office added, who had been charged and found guilty of "corruption on earth" - a capital offence under Iran's strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Reports on Monday, said that Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare had been executed for crimes including blasphemy, said OHCHR.

Speaking before the Human Rights Council last month, Mr. TArk had called the death penalty an "atavistic relic from the past that should be shed in the 21st century".

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Japan's Patriot missile deployment on Miyako Island slammed as further attempt to interfere in Taiwan question

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: May 09, 2023 07:49 PM Updated: May 10, 2023 01:08 AM

Japan announced on Monday that it has deployed Patriot missiles on Miyako Island, a strategically important node on the "first island chain" close to the island of Taiwan. This move, as Chinese experts said on Tuesday, is yet another Japanese attempt to interfere in the Taiwan question.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has deployed PAC-3 ground-to-air guided missiles at its Miyako Island base in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said on Monday during a press conference, Jiji Press reported.

PAC-3 missiles are also deployed by Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force on Ishigaki and Yonaguni islands, Matsuno said.

While Matsuno said the Patriot missiles target potential long-range ballistic missile launches from North Korea, media on the island of Taiwan quickly pointed out that the locations are closer to the island than to North Korea.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) frequently sends warplanes and warships between the island of Taiwan and Yonaguni Island in routine patrols and drills encircling the island of Taiwan, as well as through the Miyako Strait into the West Pacific for far sea exercises, according to press releases from the defense authority on the island of Taiwan and Japan's Ministry of Defense.

Japan's Patriot missile deployment in its southwestern islands obviously has nothing to do with the Korean Peninsula, which is far away, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Its real purpose is to arm the islands with anti-air and anti-ship missiles and prepare for a military intervention in the Taiwan question, so it is a very provocative move aimed at China, the expert said.

In response, China should further enhance its capabilities in countering potential military intervention attempts by external forces, Wei said.

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 sailed from the Sea of Japan through the Soya Strait into the Pacific Ocean from Friday to Saturday, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Monday.

Observers said that it seems to be a routine PLA far sea training exercise, as 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.

Japan also expressed support for Manila as the Philippines could start joint patrols in the South China Sea with the US and Australia in the third quarter of 2023, CNN Philippines reported on Monday.

Japan should reflect on its history of aggression, not walk on the path of militarism once again and not get tied to the US' chariot of confronting China, analysts said. Other countries that have suffered from Japanese aggression in World War II, including South Korea and the Philippines, should also be concerned about Japan's military developments, they said.

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Myanmar crisis expected to dominate ASEAN summit amid escalating violence

Indonesia touts regional bloc as key to peace amid criticism over inaction on post-coup crisis in member-state.

By Ahmad Syamsudin for BenarNews 2023.05.09 -- As Southeast Asian leaders gather at a scenic spot in Indonesia this week, they face a daunting challenge to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, where a military coup has unleashed a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and ethnic minorities.

Top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met Tuesday to hammer out the agenda for the leaders' summit scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Labuan Bajo, a fishing town on Flores island in eastern Indonesia.

Retno Marsudi, the foreign minister of 2023 ASEAN chair Indonesia, said the bloc was "instrumental to peace, stability and prosperity" in the region.

"We cannot imagine what will happen in this region if we don't have ASEAN," she said after the meeting. "But we cannot be complacent. This achievement should be an asset to build a stronger ASEAN, a more relevant ASEAN."

The summit's main topics include the implementation of ASEAN's five-point peace plan for Myanmar and the bloc's outlook on the Indo-Pacific region, which has become a theater of rivalry between China and the United States.

ASEAN member Myanmar, which will not be represented at the summit after being barred from sending political representatives, has been in turmoil since the military overthrew an elected government in February 2021.

The junta has cracked down on mass protests, killed more than 3,000 people and arrested thousands more, according to human rights groups.

The United Nations said more than 1.8 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Myanmar because of the violence.

Civilian deaths are growing amid a jump in airstrikes by the military junta, whose ground forces have faced stiff resistance from rebels and ordinary citizens who have taken up arms, Radio Free Asia reported.

The military has killed at least 452 civilians in southern Shan and Kayah states in the 26 months since the coup, rebel groups told RFA.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch accused the Burmese military of committing a war crime by using a powerful weapon that killed more than 160 people, including children, in an attack on an opposition building in the Sagaing region on April 11.

HRW said it reviewed photos and videos of the victims and the site, and concluded that the initial strike was conducted with a large, air-dropped "enhanced-blast" type munition, which is often called "thermobaric" or a "vapor-cloud explosive."

"The Myanmar military's use of a weapon designed to cause maximum deaths on an area crowded with civilians shows flagrant disregard for human life," said Elaine Pearson, HRW Asia director. "Foreign governments need to cut off the junta's funding, arms and jet fuel to deter further atrocities."

The attack targeted a gathering of about 300 residents from Kantbalu township who were opening an opposition-controlled administrative office. The military claimed it was aiming at members of an anti-junta militia and that the casualties were caused by explosions of stored explosives and landmines.

'Quiet diplomacy strategy has not worked'

ASEAN has been under pressure to take a more active role in resolving the crisis in Myanmar that is seen as threatening regional stability and security.

In April 2021, ASEAN leaders held a special summit on Myanmar and issued a five-point consensus. It included calls for an immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among all parties, a special envoy to facilitate mediation and humanitarian assistance.

The consensus has not been implemented because of the junta's lack of cooperation and continued repression.

The junta also rejected calls for dialogue with the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow government formed by ousted lawmakers and anti-coup activists.

Retno said last week that she had met with stakeholders from Myanmar and other countries that have leverage over the junta as part of what she described as "non-megaphone diplomacy."

But rights activists and some observers accused ASEAN of being too lenient with the junta.

"ASEAN's quiet diplomacy strategy has not worked. We do not see any reduction of violence there, but rather more civilians have been killed in air strikes," Debbie Stothard, coordinator of Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN), said in an online discussion last week.

Sidharto Suryodipuro, director general of ASEAN cooperation at Indonesia's foreign ministry, defended the lack of publicity, saying some issues were too sensitive to be revealed to the public.

"If everything is opened up, there will be no successful negotiations," he said last week.

On Monday, Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo condemned an attack on a diplomatic convoy delivering humanitarian relief to displaced people in Myanmar the previous day. The convoy included members of the ASEAN disaster management agency and diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore.

Jokowi said the attack would not deter Indonesia and ASEAN from helping Myanmar restore democracy and peace.

"Stop the violence because it will only hurt civilians and benefit no one. Let us sit together and start a dialogue," the president said.

This week's ASEAN summit is also expected to address other issues such as the South China Sea disputes and maritime security as well as the promotion of human rights and democracy in the region.

Indonesia expects the summit to conclude with initiatives on human trafficking, migrant workers, fisheries, health, rural development, electric vehicles and payment connectivity.

Officials also hope the summit will showcase Labuan Bajo as a premium tourism destination. The town is known for its natural beauty and proximity to Komodo National Park, home to the endangered Komodo dragons.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.

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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Pro-junta 'Blood Comrades' resurface in Myanmar with April killings

The group claims responsibility for three deaths after a months-long lull.

By RFA Burmese 2023.05.09 -- The "Blood Comrades" are back.

The shadowy pro-junta militia sows terror by targeting opponents of Myanmar's military for death and leaves a chilling calling card by their victims with their logo - an image of a Burmese warrior holding two swords.

Since emerging about a year ago, the group is believed responsible for the deaths of nearly 60 people, many of them members of the deposed National League for Democracy, or NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi's party that ruled the country before the February 2021 coup.

"They are neither the police nor the military - they are just the junta's stooges," said a Mandalay resident who spoke to Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity for fear of his life. They emerged because "rule of law ceased to exist immediately after the military coup."

After a string of killings last year, the Blood Comrades went quiet for several months.

But in April, they resurfaced, killing three people, including two NLD members.

On April 2, a 40-year-old man was found dead near the U Pwar bridge in the Chan Mya Thar Si township outside Mandalay with a sign bearing the logo of the Thway Thauk, or "Blood Comrades."

The following day, the bodies of two NLD members were found at an intersection of the East Amara Htarni ward of Mandalay's Aung Myay Thar Zan township. They too bore cards with the Blood Comrades' logo.

Attacks by the Blood Comrades illustrate how the conflict that has engulfed Myanmar isn't a clear-cut war between the junta's troops and members of the People's Defense Forces, ordinary citizens who have taken up arms against the military, or the ethnic armies such as the Kachin Independence Army and the Karen National Liberation Army, who have been fighting the government for more autonomy for decades.

Numerous pro-junta militias have aided the junta, including the Pyu Saw Htee militia, which has been responsible for some of the most brutal raids on civilian villages over the past two years.

Others include Thway Thitsar, or "Loyal Bloods, in the capital Naypyidaw, the Yangon Castigators in Myanmar's largest city Yangon, the Patriotic Coalition in Bago region's Pyay township, and the Soon Ye (Kite Force) in Tanintharyi region.

But the Blood Comrades are the most-feared, residents say.

Unclear identity

The group seems to operate mostly in the central region around Mandalay, but its makeup is unclear.

Some members are believed to belong to the Pyu Saw Htee militia, or perhaps were formed by family members of those killed by the armed resistance for allegedly acting as junta informers. Or they may be members of a far-right nationalist Buddhist monk group called Ma Ba Tha or supporters of the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP.

Junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun has denied links between the Blood Comrades and the military.

The group appears to have come out of hibernation after the PDF recently began targeting USDP members and other supporters of the junta.

The Blood Comrades' first known act was a April 21, 2021, post to the Telegram social media network that said it was targeting for assassination members of the NLD, PDF fighters and other opponents of military rule in Myanmar.

The group has also threatened reporters and editors working for news outlets in Myanmar including The Irrawaddy, Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and The Irrawaddy Times, as well as their family members.

Photos obtained by RFA show leaflets or cards bearing the Blood Comrades' logo left near the corpses of NLD members and supporters.

Operating with impunity

Bo Bo Oo, the NLD's Sanchaung township deputy chairman, told RFA that the Blood Comrades are believed to have killed at least 58 of his party's members.

He said that even if the junta is not directly responsible for forming the Blood Comrades, it likely approves of the group's stated goals and has created an environment in which it can operate with impunity.

"These kinds of assassinations often occur in countries with authoritarian regimes," he said. "When there are difficulties in directly confronting the resistance forces due to some legal stipulations, the junta raises and financially supports gangs or murderers and thugs to handle the opposition for it."

Justice lawyer Kyee Myint expressed concern that members of groups like the Blood Comrades "believe that the only way they can get involved in politics is to kill people."

But he said that the existence of such groups is unsurprising, given that they enjoy the tacit support of the junta.

"They kill openly in the middle of the city in broad daylight," he said. "There is no reason why law enforcement agencies cannot track them down, but they have failed to take any action."

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes 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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Violence in Myanmar Likely to Top ASEAN Summit Agenda

By VOA News May 09, 2023

Unrest in Myanmar is likely to dominate the agenda at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

Top diplomats from each of the 10-nation bloc known as ASEAN gathered in the resort town Tuesday to finalize the agenda of the leaders' two-day summit that will begin Wednesday.

The leaders will likely focus attention on Myanmar, which has been in chaos since the military overthrew the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The coup immediately triggered anti-junta demonstrations across Myanmar that have led to the deaths of more than 3,000 civilians and upwards of 18,000 arrests at the hands of the military, according to an independent monitoring group. The unrest has also evolved into a deadly rural conflict between the military and several ethnic rebel groups who have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy.

ASEAN has issued a five-point plan aimed at ending the violence that was reached by the bloc with Myanmar's military rulers. But the junta has yet to follow through in implementing the plan, which has led to criticism of ASEAN as useless.

ASEAN's founding charter established the group's principles of consensus and non-interference into its members affairs. But it has barred Myanmar's leaders from attending its summits due to its failure to implement the peace plan.

A convoy of vehicles carrying diplomats from ASEAN nations and delivering humanitarian aid to displaced residents in Myanmar's eastern Shan state came under fire Sunday, prompting an angry response from Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who vowed the war would not deter efforts to seek a lasting peace.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the violence is a result of "the regime's violence and disregard for the rule of law." The spokesperson called on Myanmar to implement in a meaningful way the Five-Point Consensus and respect the democratic aspirations of the people who have demonstrated they do not want to live another day under the military's tyranny."

The junta released a statement saying security forces will continue to undertake "appropriate counter-terrorism operations in accordance with the law" with the top priority "being the maintenance of law and order, community peace and stability."

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.

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Diesel smuggled from Iran cover 35% of Pakistan's demand: Report

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 7:02 PM

Pakistan is increasingly relying on diesel fuel smuggled from Iran as a report shows that up to 35% of diesel sold in the South Asian country is arriving illegally from its western neighbor.

The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association told Reuters on Tuesday that there has been a major surge in the smuggling of Iranian fuel to Pakistan in recent months.

The report said that fuel smuggled from Iran is currently being used in many areas in Pakistan unlike in the past when smuggling was limited to the Pakistani border province of Balochistan.

It also cited figures from Pakistan's energy ministry showing that diesel sales in the country had slumped more than 40% due to the increased presence of smuggled products in the market.

The report comes against the backdrop of statements by Iranian Oil Ministry authorities suggesting that fuel smuggling from the country has reached record levels mainly due to a significant difference between fuel prices in Iran and those charged in neighboring states.

A report by Fars news agency in late April showed that Iran is losing some $4 billion per year to fuel smuggling.

Figures cited in the report showed that some five million liters per day of gasoline distributed to motorists in Iran end up in the hands of fuel smugglers operating at southeastern and southern borders of the country.

The figures showed that some 10 million liters per day of diesel is also being smuggled out of Iran amid lax controls in some Iranian power plants where diesel is burned to produce electricity.

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Protests erupt in Pakistan after former PM Imran Khan arrested

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 4:08 PM

The Pakistani police have used water cannons and fired teargas canisters to disperse protesters who took to the streets in several cities across the country, hours after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested in Islamabad.

Protests were held on Tuesday in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, the capital Islamabad, neighboring Rawalpindi, and Peshawar as well as dozens of other cities and towns.

People in Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi held demonstrations in front of the offices and residences of top Army officers as Khan's supporters believe Pakistan's powerful Army is behind his arrest.

The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi were raided by angry protesters and they vandalized the property, according to various videos posted on social media.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters to disperse them. According to reports, a number of people have died and dozens more injured.

Khan was arrested during a court appearance in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called on supporters to "shut down Pakistan" in response.

"It's your time, people of Pakistan. Khan has always stood for you, now it's time to stand for him," the PTI wrote on Twitter.

Video broadcast on local TV channels showed the former prime minister being manhandled by dozens of paramilitary rangers of the Army into an armored car inside the Islamabad High Court premises.

"No way to treat a former prime minister and a popular politician. Pakistan is trapped in a vicious cycle and the establishment refuses to learn a lesson from its past misadventures. Imran Khan joins the ranks of former PMs who were a target of state excesses," Pakistani journalist and political analyst Raza Ahmad Rumi tweeted.

"As we reached the court's biometric room to mark the attendance, dozens of rangers attacked us," said Ali Bukhari, a lawyer with PTI. "They beat him and dragged him out."

It was not immediately clear where Khan was taken.

The former prime minister was summoned by the court in relation to charges of unlawfully selling state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries during his time in office.

Khan, 70, was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year.

He has since led a popular campaign against the current government led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office.

Khan has attempted to disrupt Pakistan politics since he was forced out of office in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Since then, he has been facing dozens of cases against him.

He has been pushing for early polls due no later than October by calling for protests, pulling out of parliament and dissolving the two provincial assemblies his party controls.

After his ouster in March last year, Khan accused an unnamed "foreign power" - in a clear reference to the United States - of funding a "conspiracy" to topple his democratically elected government.

Khan said the "foreign power" sent millions of dollars to opposition parties to launch a no-confidence vote against him in the parliament.

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Ex-Pakistan PM Khan Arrested, Sparking Nationwide Protests

By Ayaz Gul May 09, 2023

Authorities in Pakistan Tuesday arrested former prime minister Imran Khan, the leader of the largest national political party, outside a court in the capital, Islamabad.

The 70-year-old politician was taken into custody as he prepared to attend a hearing on the dozens of charges against him ranging from alleged terrorism and corruption to treason and other criminal offenses.

Khan's attorneys claimed that paramilitary forces physically assaulted him before taking him into custody and handing him over to anti-graft authorities accompanying them.

Khan's party denounced their leader's arrest.

"State terrorism - breaking into IHC (Islamabad High Court) premises to abduct Imran Khan from court premises. Law of the jungle in operation. Rangers beat the lawyers, used violence on Imran Khan, and abducted him," tweeted Shireen Mazari, a close aide to the opposition leader, along with a purported video of security action.

Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed Khan's arrest, rejecting charges of physical assault and telling local media about a corruption case against the opposition politician.

Nationwide protests

PTI supporters immediately took to the streets in Islamabad and other parts of the country to protest the arrest. Police in Islamabad dispersed protesters and detained dozens of them in the process.

Protesters and eyewitnesses reported firing by security forces at men and women outside army and ISI installations in several cities, injuring many protesters.

A large number of Khan supporters gathered outside the military headquarters in Rawalpindi and chanted slogans against the army, something that has not been seen in the recent history of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, provincial authorities in Lahore deployed paramilitary forces to assist police in controlling the situation after protesters there assaulted the residence of the regional military corps commander.

Angry protests and demonstrations also erupted across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province abutting Afghanistan.

There was a complete media blackout of the protests on dozens of local news channels in and around Islamabad, but officials were not immediately available to respond to opposition allegations the government was responsible. The violence prompted authorities to immediately ban all gatherings in major cities

Adam Weinstein, a researcher at Washington's Quincy Institute, said, "The arrest of Imran Khan takes an already escalating political firestorm & douses it with petrol as the nation inches off an economic cliff."

"It will harden negative views toward the military & PDM and unleash chaos in the streets. But it is also a blow to IK," he wrote on Twitter.

The arrest came just hours after Khan added new details to his allegation that a senior general within the Pakistani military spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, is plotting to kill him.

The opposition leader warned such an eventuality could plunge the South Asian nation of about 220 million people into a turmoil worse than Sri Lanka's political unrest last year.

The head of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party first made the claims in a video statement a day after the powerful military warned Khan against making what it condemned as "fabricated and malicious" allegations.

Khan was injured in an assassination attempt last November while leading an anti-government protest march near Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province. The attack killed one person, while the PTI chief received bullet wounds in his legs.

Khan accused ISI's Major-General Faisal Naseer of being one of the planners of the assassination attempt.

Government officials have said the assassination attempt was the work of a lone gunman, who is now in custody and confessed in a video controversially leaked to the media.

Former prime minister Khan was removed from office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022, a move he rejected as illegal and orchestrated by the now-retired chief of the Pakistani military, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Pakistan is mired in an economic and political crisis, with the Khan-led PTI pressuring Sharif's embattled coalition government to hold early elections.

The military has a long history of direct and indirect political intervention, with political parties and independent analysts blaming the institution for the fragility of the country's democracy. Army generals have staged several coups and arrested politically popular prime ministers on trumped-up treason and other charges, ruling the country for nearly half its 75 years.

"Today it appears the Pakistan army has reached an "enough is enough" moment re Khan. After several false starts/unsuccessful arrest attempts by the police, this time the mil took matters into its own hands. What a mess," tweeted Michael Kugelman, the South Asia Institute director at the Wilson Center.

Maleeha Lodhi, the former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, while responding to Khan's arrest, described the current crisis facing the country as unprecedented.

"Of total political chaos and economic breakdown. This is untenable, and the people of the country don't deserve this. This must change," Lodhi wrote on Twitter.

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Victory Parade on Red Square

President of Russia - Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Federation Armed Forces Vladimir Putin attended a military parade marking the 78th anniversary of Victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War.

May 9, 2023

10:50

Red Square, Moscow

Alongside with the President of Russia on the stand were Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Before the parade, Vladimir Putin welcomed the heads of foreign states who had arrived in Moscow for the celebrations, in the Heraldic Hall of the Kremlin.

The parade began with the national flag of Russia and the Banner of Victory carried into Red Square. The parade was led by Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Army General Oleg Salyukov and reviewed by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The marching column on Red Square included 30 ceremonial regiments of over 8,000 service personnel, among them 530 troops taking part in the special military operation.

The motorised column was headed by the legendary "Victory tank" T-34-85. Tigr-M and BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, Bumerang infantry fighting vehicles, Iskander-M operational tactical missile systems, S-400 Triumf air defence launchers and Yars mobile ground-based missile systems drove through Red Square. The newest Spartak and 3-STS Akhmat armoured vehicles were presented at the parade for the first time.

The music accompaniment was provided by the combined military orchestra.

* * *

Speech by the President of Russia at the military parade

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia,

Dear veterans,

Comrade soldiers and sailors, sergeants and warrant officers, midshipmen and sergeant majors,

Comrade officers, generals and admirals,

Soldiers and commanders participating in the special military operation,

Happy Victory Day!

Happy holiday that commemorates the honour of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who glorified and immortalised their names by defending our Fatherland. They saved the humankind from Nazism through immeasurable courage and immense sacrifice.

Today, our civilisation is at a crucial turning point. A real war is being waged against our country again but we have countered international terrorism and will defend the people of Donbass and safeguard our security.

For us, for Russia, there are no unfriendly or hostile nations either in the west or in the east. Just like the vast majority of people on the planet, we want to see a peaceful, free and stable future.

We believe that any ideology of superiority is abhorrent, criminal and deadly by its nature. However, the Western globalist elites keep speaking about their exceptionalism, pit nations against each other and split societies, provoke bloody conflicts and coups, sow hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism, destroy family and traditional values which make us human. They do all that so as to keep dictating and imposing their will, their rights and rules on peoples, which in reality is a system of plundering, violence and suppression.

They seem to have forgotten what the Nazis' insane claims of global dominance led to. They forgot who destroyed that monstrous, total evil, who stood up for their native land and did not spare their lives to liberate the peoples of Europe.

We see how in certain countries they ruthlessly and cold-bloodedly destroy memorials to Soviet soldiers, demolish monuments to great commanders, create a real cult of the Nazis and their proxies, erase and demonise the memory of true heroes. Such profanation of the feat and sacrifices of the victorious generation is also a crime, an outright revanchism on the part of those who were cynically and blatantly preparing a new march on Russia and who brought together neo-Nazi scum from around the world for this.

Their goal - and there is nothing new about it - is to break apart and destroy our country, to make null and void the outcomes of World War II, to completely break down the system of global security and international law, to choke off any sovereign centres of development.

Boundless ambition, arrogance and impunity inevitably lead to tragedies. This is the reason for the catastrophe the Ukrainian people are going through. They have become hostage to the coup d'Atat and the resulting criminal regime of its Western masters, collateral damage in the implementation of their cruel and self-serving plans.

The memory of defenders of the Fatherland is sacred for us in Russia, and we cherish it in our hearts. We give credit to members of the Resistance who bravely fought Nazism as well as the troops of the allied armies of the United States, Great Britain and other countries. We remember and honour the feat of Chinese soldiers in the fight against Japanese militarism.

I strongly believe that the experience of solidarity and partnership during the years of fighting a common threat is our invaluable heritage and a secure foothold now when the unstoppable movement is gaining momentum towards a more just multipolar world, a world based on the principles of trust and indivisible security, of equal opportunities for a genuine and free development of all nations and peoples.

It is crucial that leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States have gathered here in Moscow today. I see it as appreciation of the feat of our ancestors: they fought and won together since all the peoples of the USSR contributed to our common Victory.

We will always remember that. We bow our heads in cherished memory of those who lost their lives during the war, the memory of sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, sisters and friends.

I declare a minute of silence.

(A minute of silence.)

Citizens of Russia,

The battles that were decisive for our Motherland always became patriotic, national and sacred. We are faithful to our ancestors' legacy and have a deep and clear awareness of what it means to be up to the mark of their military, labour and moral achievements.

We take pride in the participants in the special military operation, all those fighting on the frontlines, those who deliver supplies to the front and save the wounded under fire. Your combat activities now are of paramount importance. The country's security depends on you today as does the future of our statehood and our people. You commendably perform your combat duty fighting for Russia. Your families, children and friends stand behind you. They are waiting for you. I am sure you can feel their unfailing love.

The entire country has united to support our heroes. Everyone is ready to help, everyone prays for you.

Comrades, friends, dear veterans,

Today, every family in our country honours Great Patriotic War participants, remembers their family members and their heroes, and lays flowers to military memorials.

We are standing on Red Square, a place which remembers retainers of Yury Dolgoruky and Dmitry Donskoy, the people's militia of Minin and Pozharsky, soldiers of Peter the Great and Kutuzov, the military parades of 1941 and 1945.

Today we have here participants in the special military operation - regular servicemen and those who joined the army ranks during the partial mobilisation, troops of the Lugansk and Donetsk corps, many volunteer units, personnel of the National Guard, Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service, Emergencies Ministry and other security agencies and services.

My greetings to all of you, friends. My greetings to everyone who is fighting for Russia in the battlefield, who is now in the line of duty.

Our heroic ancestors proved during the Great Patriotic War that nothing can beat our strong, powerful and reliable unity. There is nothing stronger than our love for the Motherland.

For Russia! For our glorious Armed Forces! For Victory!

Hooray!

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Putin: World at 'turning point'; West waged 'real war' against Russia

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 10:32 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West has unleashed a "real war" against his country, pledging that the fight with the US and its allies over Ukraine will end in Russia's victory.

"Today, civilization is again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our homeland," Putin said in a speech on Moscow's Red Square on Tuesday as Russia is marking the anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

He also vowed to continue to defend the pro-Russian population in eastern Ukraine and protect Russian benefits against Western ambitions.

"We have repulsed international terrorism, we will protect the inhabitants of Donbas, we will ensure our security."

Putin slammed "Western global elites", saying they are "sowing hatred, Russophobia, and aggressive nationalism."

Elsewhere in his remarks, he noted that the Ukrainian people had become "hostages to a state coup" and to the ambitions of the West.

Noting that the US and its Western allies had forgotten the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, Putin vowed that the fight with the West over Ukraine would end in Russia's victory.

Moscow says it started the war in Ukraine in February 2022 in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, known collectively as Donbas, against persecution by Kiev, and also to "de-Nazify" its neighbor.

Russia holds that the West's anti-Russian agendas, including its eagerness for inclusion of Ukraine in NATO -- and, therefore, the Western military alliance's expansion right up to Russia's borders -- forced Moscow to launch the war on the ex-Soviet Republic.

Also on Tuesday, Putin stressed the importance of the efforts exerted by Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, adding that his entire country supports the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

"There is nothing more important now than your combat effort," Putin said, adding "the security of the country rests on you today, the future of our statehood and our people depend on you."

"The whole country rallied to support our heroes. Everyone is ready to help, praying for you," he said of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

His speech was followed by a huge military parade across Red Square as part of Russia's Victory Day celebrations.

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Putin Assails West as Russia Commemorates Defeat of Nazi Germany

By VOA News May 09, 2023

New developments:

United States to provide $1.2 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, including air defenses and ammunition

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv on Tuesday.

Moscow's famed Red Square parade Tuesday on Russia's Victory Day took place amid ramped-up security due to Russian fears of Ukrainian attacks

Russia paraded troops and weaponry across Red Square in Moscow on Tuesday in commemoration of its victory over Nazism in World War II, but it was a celebration that was sharply curtailed from years past because of battlefield setbacks in its 14-month invasion of Ukraine.

In a fiery 10-minute speech in front of the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against "Western global elites," Russia's allies in the world war 80 years ago, and said civilization was at "a decisive turning point."

"A real war has been unleashed against our homeland," the Russian leader said.

The Red Square parade had its traditional pomp but it was unmistakably scaled back from previous May 9 celebrations of the Allied victory in Europe. In place of phalanxes of modern battle tanks, a single World War Two-vintage T-34 rolled across the square. The usual fighter jet flyover was canceled.

On the battlefront in Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said their air defenses had shot down 23 of 25 Russian cruise missiles fired chiefly at the capital, Kyiv, overnight, and there were no reported casualties.

Russian military difficulties were also underscored by a new profanity-laced tirade aimed at Russian defense leaders from the chief of the Wagner mercenary group fighting alongside Moscow's troops, claiming his fighters were not being supplied with enough ammunition.

"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," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. "[But] if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the motherland."

Ukraine has embraced the West in its fight against Russia, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visiting Kyiv, where she called Ukraine "the beating heart of today's European values."

The United States said it was providing Ukraine with another $1.2 billion security package. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Twitter, said the new aid was a "sign of solidarity with Ukraine shown on a symbolic day for us -- Europe Day and the Day of Victory over Nazism in WWII. Together we're moving towards a new victory!"

Von der Leyen welcomed Zelenskyy's move to make May 9 Europe Day in Ukraine to note Europe's support in Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion.

"Today, I signed the relevant decree, and every year from tomorrow, May 9, we will commemorate our historic unity a the unity of all Europeans who destroyed Nazism and will defeat ruscism," Zelenskyy said Monday.

The term "ruscism" was coined by Ukrainians to describe the Russian state under Putin's current rule a roughly, Russian fascism.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Putin Says 'Real War' Being Waged Against Russia

By VOA News May 09, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin told attendees at the annual Victory Day parade Tuesday that "a real war" was being waged by Western nations against Russia.

In a brief speech in Moscow's Red Square at the event celebrating the former Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, President Putin said 'civilization is again at a decisive turning point," and that war has been "unleashed against our Motherland."

Putin used the speech to equate the defeat of Nazi Germany with Russia's 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine. He has repeatedly used the 'de-Nazification of Ukraine" as a justification for the war. He ended his speech by cheering on the soldiers in attendance who have been fighting in Ukraine, who he said were key for the country's future.

"For Russia, for our armed forces, for victory!" he said.

The leaders of six former Soviet republics accompanied Putin to the Victory Day parade.

Tuesday's parade was the highlight of an annual commemorative event with celebrations normally held across Russia, including marches of the Immortal Regiment, where ordinary Russians march through the streets of various cities holding photos of relatives killed in World War II.

But at least 20 cities either canceled or scaled back Victory Day events citing unspecified "security concerns" likely tied to Moscow's accusations that Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Kremlin last week in an attempt to assassinate Putin. Ukraine has denied the accusations.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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Threat of using chemical weapons should not be ignored: Iran's envoy to UN

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue / 9 May 2023 / 13:22

Tehran (ISNA) - Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani stressed that the Islamic Republic strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances.

He made the remarks while addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East that focused on Syria.

Here is the full text of Iravani's speech at the meeting:

At the outset, I would like to congratulate Switzerland for its first presidency of the Security Council. I would also like to thank Russia for its successful accomplishment as the Council's president in the month of April.

We welcome the presence of Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN high representative for disarmament affairs at today's briefing.

Madam. President,

As the main victim of chemical weapons, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances. The use of chemical weapons is a serious violation of international law and a crime against humanity. It constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

Our people will never forget the role that some Western countries played in assisting the Saddam regime in the systematic use of chemical weapons against the Iranian people during Iraq's imposed war against Iran. Some Western countries either remained silent or were complicit in such atrocities. Because of their harmful actions and double standards, the UN Security Council was unable to carry out its based charter duties to take effective action to hold perpetrators accountable for such atrocious crimes.

It is disturbing to see these double standards and detrimental practices continue to persist, as evidenced by the politicization of the Convention and the OPCW for short-sighted political gain. Such an approach not only risks creating divisions among member states but also undermines the credibility and legitimacy of the disarmament machinery.

Madam. President,

The Syrian Arab Republic remains committed to its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. In line with this commitment, the Syrian government has continued its constructive cooperation with OPCW.

Syria has submitted its 112th and 113th monthly reports to the OPCW Director-General, outlining its activities related to the destruction of chemical weapons and their production facilities.

Moreover, a reduced team from the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) visited Syria twice: the first from 17 to 22 January of this year, and the second from 12 to 19 April, during which the Syrian National Authority provided the necessary facilitation to ensure the success of the work of this team. Also, consultations took place between the two sides, and many aspects related to some outstanding issues were discussed, facilitating the visit of some sites, collecting samples, and interviewing witnesses.

Madam. President,

The use of chemical weapons by terrorist organizations poses a grave threat, which the Syrian Arab Republic has repeatedly expressed its concern about.

Such a threat should not be ignored or undervalued and requires condemnation as well as an immediate action to prevent these weapons out of terrorists' hands.

Madam, President,

We support constructive dialogue between Syria and the OPCW at the highest level, with a specific time frame to resolve outstanding issues and finally close the file.

However, any investigation must be impartial, professional, credible, and objective, and must fully comply with the Convention's requirements and procedures.

Furthermore, it is crucial that the OPCW remains a neutral and objective international body, guided solely by scientific and technical considerations, in its efforts to prevent the use of chemical weapons and promote the goals of the Convention.

We call on all member states to uphold the principles of the Convention and work together to ensure the impartiality, professionalism, and integrity of the OPCW.

And finally, Madam. President, continuing to convene monthly meetings on the Syrian chemical file, despite no new developments, where some members repeat previous claims against the Syrian Arab Republic, is not constructive.

The political approach and using double standards in this file can only jeopardize the process of addressing unresolved issues and will only serve to detract from the technical nature of the discussions at hand.

I thank you, Madam. President

End Item

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Syria's chemical weapons programme is an ongoing threat to international peace and security: UK statement at the Security Council

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Tom Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

9 May 2023

As always, I would like to begin by thanking High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu for her briefing.

As Ms Nakamitsu said, at next week's Fifth Review Conference, States Parties will take stock of the Chemical Weapons Convention's implementation and set future priorities. They will also reaffirm the importance of the Convention.

President, the Convention and wider non-proliferation can only hold if its rules are upheld and rule-breakers are held to account.

The Assad regime has repeatedly breached its obligations under the Convention and resolution 2118. There is undeniable and direct evidence of the Syrian state murdering its own civilians using chemical weapons on at least nine occasions. This Council has failed to hold the regime to account for the use of these abhorrent weapons. This failure is primarily due to the actions of one permanent member, which itself used chemical weapons in recent years, including in my country in 2018.

This is not a show, and this statement is not groundless.

The OPCW has put exceptional amounts of resource into trying to help Syria resolve the outstanding issues regarding its initial declaration. These issues are not academic and include the whereabouts of hundreds of tonnes of chemical weapons agents.

As we head again from Ms Nakamitsu, access for OPCW staff remains restricted, and despite worrying findings by the Declaration Assessment Team, Syria and Russia's denials continue. We commend the OPCW team's continued efforts, and underscore that the fundamental obligations that Syria has as a State Party to the convention must be upheld. It must give up all its chemical weapons, stop any banned activity and comply in full with the OPCW.

Until Syria has made meaningful progress on these issues, its chemical weapons programme is an ongoing threat to international peace and security that this Council needs to address. We must collectively send a clear message about our shared commitment to the ban on chemical weapons and we need to uphold and defend the international consensus that these weapons should never be used.

Thank you.

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Training day 2: Female reservists do 5K march, wear gas masks

ROC Central News Agency

05/09/2023 04:55 PM

Taoyuan, May 9 (CNA) A group of 14 female veterans on Tuesday completed a 5-kilometer march and refreshed their memories on how to wear a gas mask in a simulated chemical attack during the second day of a five-day volunteer reservist training program in Taoyuan.

The 14 female reservists, the first women ever to undergo reservist training in Taiwan, engaged in a 5-km march from Danan Forest Park to Reitai Park and back in Taoyuan's Bade District together with around two dozen male counterparts.

In a simulation of an enemy chemical attack during the march, the reservists were asked to drop to the ground, find cover and put on their gas masks.

The training session was open to the media, and military spokesman Sun Li-fang (ac) praised both the men and women who were participating for their willingness to spend five days in the military to freshen up their skills.

"Reservist training will help safeguard national security and demonstrate citizens' willingness to protect their nation," Sun said.

In the past, reservist training has been limited to men because the military has said it did not have sufficient capacity to accommodate both men and women.

Reservists had complained for decades that this was a form of gender discrimination, and the Ministry of National Defense (MND) responded in January by announcing that it would ask female reservists to volunteer for the same training as their male counterparts.

Male reservists cannot say no to such training, which occurs no more than four times in the eight years after their discharge, but the MND said it was now asking women to volunteer because all veterans, regardless of gender, should share the same responsibilities.

According to the MND, the 14 women are all discharged Army personnel ranging from the ranks of master sergeant to private first class.

They are undergoing the same training as their male counterparts during the five-day program but have separate dormitories and bathrooms.

For their safety, the military has also prepared active duty female officers as their supervisors, and a CCTV system is in place around their dormitories, the MND said.

A military source told CNA that the five-day training program is being viewed as a trial run before the MND makes a decision on whether to ask more female reservists to take part in such training in the future.

At present, men in Taiwan are subject to compulsory military conscription while women are not, but they can join the armed forces voluntarily to serve as soldiers and officers, and as of 2021, 8,915 women were listed as reservists.

The MND said 220 female reservists have volunteered to undergo required reservist training this year.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/ls

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KMT presidential hopeful opposes 'one country, two systems,' Taiwan independence

ROC Central News Agency

05/09/2023 07:54 PM

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (), favorite to become the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) candidate in the 2024 presidential election, said on Monday that he opposes Beijing's "one country, two systems" formula and Taiwan independence.

Speaking at a hearing held at the New Taipei City Council on Monday, Hou said he insists on upholding Taiwan's democratic values to allow Taiwan to move ahead, while opposing the "one country, two systems" principle, a constitutional principle proposed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) which underpins the the governance of its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Chinese President Xi Jinping () has argued that the "one country, two systems" formula could be customized to apply to Taiwan, while most people on the island prefer the status quo.

At the hearing, Hou, who could be drafted as the KMT presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential race scheduled for Jan. 13, 2024, was asked a series of questions about his political position by city councilors.

Among the New Taipei City councilors questioning Hou, Chen Chi-nen () from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) noted that Hou has never condemned Beijing for its provocative actions of sending military jets around Taiwan at a time when the mayor is likely to seek the presidential nomination of the KMT.

In response, Hou said at the hearing that challenges to national sovereignty are unacceptable so Taiwan needs to take these challenges seriously and ensure a high level of battle readiness.

If Taiwan is attacked, Hou said, he would stand up and face the challenge, urging city councilors to stop questioning his patriotism.

Chen called Hou New Taipei Mayor of "the Republic of China Taiwan," but Hou immediately corrected him, saying he should be referred to as New Taipei Mayor of "the Republic of China,", adding the latter has a legal basis under the ROC Constitution.

"Taiwan independence has no legal basis so I oppose Taiwan independence," Hou said.

Unity in Taiwan should not be damaged by ideology, Hou said, implying that the DPP's Taiwan independence rhetoric divides the country.

"The ROC is our country and Taiwan is our home. We have to take good care of our home as well as our country," he said.

DPP Spokeswoman Michelle Lin () said Monday that Hou's opposition to the "one country, two systems" formula is an attempt to cheat people and solicit votes for his potential presidential race.

She accused Hou of using his rhetoric on the "one county, two systems formula" to skirt the "1992 consensus" supported by former KMT president Ma Ying-jeou ().

Ma recently discussed the 1992 consensus at an international event and accepted the consensus in public so Hou should say whether he supports Ma's stance on the consensus, Lin added.

In response to Lin, Chiang I-chen (), deputy head of the KMT Culture and Communications Committee, said Hou has clearly described his political beliefs as he adheres to the ROC Constitution and "our country is the ROC, a democratic and free county under rule of law, and a sovereign country."

According to the KMT, the 1992 consensus, reached at a 1992 meeting between the then-KMT government and its Chinese counterpart, refers to a tacit understanding that both sides recognize there is only "one China," with each having its own interpretation of what China means. Beijing has never publicly recognized, nor rejected the second part of the KMT interpretation.

In another hearing at New Taipei City Council held on Tuesday, Hou said the ROC's sovereignty covers Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. "I am here to protect Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu," he said.

Hou said he always deals with cross-strait affairs based on the ROC Constitution and the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, noting that the Act clearly describes ties across the Taiwan Strait.

Under the Act, the Taiwan area refers to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and any other area under the effective control of the government while the mainland area refers to the territory of the Republic of China outside the Taiwan area.

The Act stipulates the provisions of the legislation pertaining to the people of the mainland area shall likewise apply to the people of the mainland area who reside outside the mainland area.

During the Saturday hearing, Hou said he respected Ma's stance on the 1992 consensus.

Vice President and DPP Chairman Lai Ching-te () has received his party's nomination for the presidential race, while former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People's Party Chairman Ko Wen-je () has registered in his party's presidential primary to run as the party's candidate in the 2024 election.

Hou faces competition internally from business tycoon Terry Gou (), who, despite not currently being a member of the KMT, has said he plans to seek the party's nomination.

(By Wang Hung-kuo, Yeh Su-ping and Frances Huang)

Enditem/AW

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St. Kitts and Nevis deputy leader says country will support Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

05/09/2023 09:47 PM

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) Saint Christopher and Nevis will continue to support Taiwan and its participation in international organizations, the Caribbean nation's Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Hanley said in Taipei Tuesday.

Asked by reporters whether his country had been pressured by Beijing to break off diplomatic relations with Taipei, Hanley said that Saint Christopher and Nevis "will continue to support Taiwan."

Hanley noted that his country's parliament had passed a resolution last month pledging continued support for Taiwan and its participation in international organizations.

The deputy prime minister said that the short interval between Prime Minster Terence Drew's visit in November 2022 and his own trip to Taiwan gave Saint Christopher and Nevis' recently elected Labour government a chance to identify ways to best continue collaborating with Taiwan.

Hanley added that he wanted to thank the people of Taiwan for 40 years of diplomatic relations and encouraged them to visit his country to learn English and experience the culture.

Hanley, who doubles as education minister, said his country would "definitely be able to capitalize on" sending teachers from Saint Christopher and Nevis to take part in short-term exchanges to help shore up a shortage of English-language teachers in Taiwan's public schools.

In the meantime, Hanley said, some St. Christopher and Nevis students who study in Taiwan have been teaching English to Taiwanese and continue to do so before they return to their home country.

"My son who studied in Taiwan, he taught [English] for about two or three years before he returned to St. Kitts," Hanley said.

Another area in which Saint Christopher and Nevis hopes to continue to collaborate with Taiwan is renewable energy, said Energy Minister Konris Maynard, who was also interviewed.

Saint Christopher and Nevis' government has put forward a plan to raise the percentage of renewable energy to 100 percent of the country's energy mix by 2030, Maynard said.

His country hopes to lean on Taiwan's expertise in developing renewable energy sources, not just in terms of solar power, but wind energy as well, Maynard said.

Taiwan has helped his country develop solar farms and will be an "integral partner" to help Saint Christopher and Nevis achieve that goal, Maynard said.

(By Sean Lin)

Enditem/ASG

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Taiwan as an Observer in the World Health Assembly

US Department of State

Press Statement

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

May 9, 2023

The World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), will hold its annual meeting May 21-30 in Geneva to discuss global public health priorities. It is a unique opportunity for delegates and health experts from around the world to advance global health and global health security. We strongly encourage the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at this year's WHA meeting so it may lend its expertise to the discussions.

Inviting Taiwan as an observer would exemplify the WHO's commitment to an inclusive, "health for all" approach to international health cooperation. Taiwan is a highly capable, engaged, and responsible member of the global health community and has been invited to participate as an observer in previous WHA meetings.

Taiwan's distinct capabilities and approaches - including its significant public health expertise, democratic governance, and advanced technology - bring considerable value that would inform the WHA's deliberations. Taiwan's isolation from WHA, the preeminent global health forum, is unjustified and undermines inclusive global public health cooperation and security, which the world demands.

Taiwan is a reliable partner, a vibrant democracy, and a force for good in the world. The United States will continue to advocate for Taiwan's return as an observer at the WHA, and, moreover, for its meaningful and robust participation throughout the UN system and in international fora. Our support for Taiwan's participation in appropriate international fora is in line with our one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.

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Secretary General joins the summit of leaders for creation of Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine

Council of Europe

Secretary General

strasbourg

9 May 2023

"There can be no just and sustainable peace without accountability. This is why Ukraine and the accountability for the crimes committed by Russia will be central to our upcoming fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik on 16-17 May", declared Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric while addressing the online summit of the leaders of the member states of the Coalition (Core Group) on the creation of a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Marija Pejcinovic Buric highlighted the Council of Europe relentless action following a three-pronged approach:

- support for the Office of the Prosecutor General in his investigations into war crimes and gross human rights violations;

- establishment of a Register of Damage, a necessary component of a comprehensive compensation mechanism;

- support for international efforts to set up a special tribunal on the crime of aggression.

"The Council of Europe is and remains mobilised to hold Russia accountable for its crimes and illegal actions. By working together, we will ensure that justice will be done," concluded the Secretary General.

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May 9, 2023

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

U.S. Provides Ukraine $1.2 Billion for Air Defense, Artillery

The United States will provide Ukraine with a $1.2 billion package to bolster the country's air defenses and sustain its artillery needs, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said today.

The grant is part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

"This package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's most urgent requirements by committing critical capabilities a such as air defense systems and munitions a while also building the capacity of Ukraine's armed forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term," Ryder said during a news conference.

The money will procure more 155 mm artillery rounds and provide sustainment support to enable Ukraine to better maintain its on-hand systems and equipment, Ryder said.

Other capabilities include additional air defense systems and munitions equipment to integrate Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine's air-defense systems. The Russians have launched waves of missiles into Ukraine, whose military has been adept at knocking them down. The package also contains ammunition to shoot down unmanned aerial systems, commercial, satellite-imagery services and support for training, maintenance and sustainment activities, the general said.

"The United States will continue to work with our allies and our partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements," he said.

The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative looks to bolster the medium- and long-range defenses of Ukraine. The presidential drawdown authority allows the United States to send equipment already in military stocks to Ukraine. The initiative allows the Defense Department to let contracts for equipment to be delivered later.

"Today's announcement ... represents, rather, the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional, priority capabilities to Ukraine, which will entail exploring options as how to best support them," Ryder said. "The USAI gives us the ability to leverage the power and the capabilities of the private sector in order to support Ukraine's medium- and long-term security assistance needs."

But equipment by itself is not enough. The United States is one of many nations providing training for Ukrainian forces. U.S. training continues at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

"We will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there," Ryder said, adding that providing equipment along with training gives the Ukrainians a capability, as opposed to just having equipment.

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Press statement by President von der Leyen with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

European Commission

Statement

9 May 2023

Kyiv

Dear President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,

It is an honour and it is a privilege to be here on the 9 May. The 9 May is a day to celebrate peace and unity in Europe, to remember the lessons of our history and to commit to leave a better future for the next generations. So it is very fitting to be here in Kyiv to commemorate and to celebrate the 9 May, dear Volodymyr. And let me warmly welcome your decision to make the 9 May Europe Day also in Ukraine.

Kyiv as the capital of Ukraine is the beating heart of today's European values. Ukraine is on the front line of the defence of everything we Europeans cherish: our liberty, our democracy, our freedom of thought and of speech. Courageously, Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today. In Russia, Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. And now, they are attempting to destroy them here in Ukraine. Because they are afraid of the success you represent and the example you show. And they are afraid of your path to the European Union.

But the aggressor has already dramatically failed. Ukraine has resisted the attack and is fighting back successfully. And why is that? First and foremost because, as a free society, Ukraine can count on the unquenchable bravery of its millions of women and men. They fight for our European values, while the invaders have been dragged out of prisons and picked off the streets to be sent to the front line.

In this fight, the European Union and its Member States stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. The 9 May also symbolises something else, and that is solidarity. A solidarity born out of the lessons of the great conflicts of the 20th century. That is the spirit of our democracies. Dear President Zelenskyy, I am here today to assure you that you can count on that very same solidarity for as long as it takes.

We had a very good discussion. We are working on different strands. Let me report on some of them: The first priority is to help to secure the ammunition Ukraine needs. You know that we are working along three tracks. The fastest track is the immediate release of ammunition from Member States' stocks. We have allocated EUR 1 billion to this and it is working. Significant stocks of ammunition have been delivered or are on their way to Ukraine, but more needs to be done, urgently. Therefore, the second track we agreed last week provides EUR 1 billion from the European Peace Facility for the procurement of 155- and 152-millimetre ammunition by Member States. To accelerate this work, the third track will help the Member States to ramp up the production, scale up the production and speed up the delivery of ammunition to meet Ukraine's and the Member States' needs.

The second topic is financial support. We continue our vital financial support to Ukraine. You know that we have an EUR 18 billion package for the whole year of 2023, of which we have already disbursed by now EUR 6 billion. This is contributing significantly to closing Ukraine's budgetary gap. But of course, we are already working on financial support beyond 2023.

The third topic has been mentioned: the sanctions. We continue to do everything in our power to erode Putin's war machine and his revenues. Our sanctions are working. And we reduced, for example, our imports from Russia by nearly two-thirds, thus depriving Russia of crucial revenue streams. So, we have already imposed a heavy price on the Kremlin through the ten successive sanctions packages. Last Friday, the Commission adopted its proposal for the 11th sanctions package. The focus of this package is now on cracking down on circumvention. We are doing this in very close coordination with our international partners, particularly with the G7.

Let me deep dive very briefly on three elements in this package. First, we are sharpening our existing tools: We are adding more products to our transit ban. For example, advanced tech products or aircraft parts that are going to third countries via Russia will no longer end up in the Kremlin's hands. However, we will need to take additional action. We recently see a growth of highly unusual trade flows between the European Union and certain third countries. These goods then end up in Russia. This is why, secondly, we are proposing a new tool to combat sanctions circumvention. If we see that goods are going from the European Union to third countries and then end up in Russia, we could propose to the Member States to sanction those goods' export. This tool will be a last resort and it will be used cautiously, following a very diligent risk analysis, and after approval by EU Member States. But there should be no doubt that we work against sanctions circumvention. The third element in this package is: We propose to ban 'shadow' entities from Russia and third countries who are intentionally circumventing our sanctions. This is as far as the 11th sanctions package is concerned.

The fourth work strand we have been discussing is beyond the war. Let me touch upon the future and Ukraine's path towards membership of the European Union. The Commission clearly set out seven steps that Ukraine needs to take before the Commission can recommend to Member States to launch the accession negotiations. Ukraine is tirelessly and intensively working on these seven steps, despite the difficulties of carrying out reforms amidst a full-blown war. I want to pay my deep respect for this outstanding work. You know you can count on our support and our expertise throughout the whole process. Work needs to continue. The Commission will report to the Council. First orally in June, but most importantly then in writing in October.

Dear President Zelenskyy,

You mentioned the grain topic. This is a challenging situation, and we need solutions. The immediate priority now is that the grain transit goes seamlessly and at the lowest possible cost outside of Ukraine towards the European Union. This requires a very close cooperation of the different stakeholders. Therefore, we will jointly set up a coordination platform so that we will get these solidarity lanes fully functioning again. This is important.

Dear Volodymyr,

Ukraine has been fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today, to create lasting unity and peace, to represent the values of freedom, diversity and humanity that Europe is built on. We should never forget that peace in Europe seemed impossible, improbable and far too distant for much of the last century. But it was achieved, despite the pain and despite the divisions of war. As we stand here today in a country senselessly attacked, some might think it is impossible, improbable or too distant to talk about a free and peaceful Ukraine in the European Union. But Europe is about making the impossible possible. And so is Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini.

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Speech by President von der Leyen at the Accountability Summit in Kyiv

European Commission

Speech

9 May 2023

Kyiv

"Check against delivery"

President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,

Thank you for welcoming me once more in Kyiv.

I am glad that today I could be at your side at your side for this important meeting on accountability for the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

There is no peace without justice.

Justice for the unarmed men and women executed in cold blood in the streets of Bucha.

Justice for the mothers, whose children have been abducted and deported to Russia.

Justice for all Ukrainians, whose families have been divided, whose homes have been razed to the ground, whose lives have been shattered by Russia's war of aggression.

And justice means accountability for Russian war crimes.

While everyone knows the stories of Bucha, Irpin, or Mariupol,

there are countless similar tragedies across the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Every victim deserves justice.

Every hidden violence deserves to be brought to light.

This is why we are working daily to collect evidence, and keep record of every crime.

We are doing this in cooperation with the International Criminal Court, whose role is crucial, as could be seen when it took the unprecedented step of issuing an arrest warrant against Putin, for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Our goal is clear: truth will be established, justice will be done, and there will be no escape for war criminals.

But the father of all crimes is Russia's crime of aggression.

It is Putin's decision to unprovokedly roll his tanks over an internationally recognised border, and to unleash Russia's army against the basic principles of the UN Charter.

For this reason, I will support the creation of a dedicated tribunal for the crime of aggression.

And the support of the international community is crucial for this to happen.

This is why we are here together today.

As a first step, we must collect, store and analyse all evidence related to the crime of aggression, for any future trials.

And for this, the European Union is setting up an "International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine", within the Joint Investigation Team on Ukraine.

We should always keep in mind:

The foundation for peace is to uphold the UN Charter.

The foundation for peace is to reaffirm Ukraine's right to justice, to independence, and to freedom.

Thank you.

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The President: The crime of aggression against Ukraine requires international legal response

President of the Republic of Lithuania

May 09, 2023

On Tuesday, President Gitanas NausAda remotely addressed the participants of a summit held at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on creating a special tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

"It is truly unfortunate that on Europe Day, a day of great hope for peace and unity, we continue witnessing Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine," the President said.

According to Gitanas NausAda, the war launched by Russia has demonstrated, like no other act in recent years, its absolute disrespect for the fundamental principles of international law, including the rules on the conduct of war, the protection of civilians and other vulnerable groups.

The President welcomed the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Vladimir Putin. However, he pointed out that international prosecution has so far been limited to one specific crime - the deportation of children. Meanwhile, the crime of aggression, which is the starting point for all other Russian crimes in Ukraine, remains outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Therefore, according to the President, it is necessary to set up a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which would complement the role of the International Criminal Court in seeking legal accountability for Russia's political and military leadership.

"This decision is about every one of us and about our hope to live in a peaceful world," the President said. "To defend the international rule of law, we must know that the crime of aggression, from now on, will always meet the necessary international legal response." Gitanas NausAda expressed his hope that the international community will not fail to deliver on the promises made to the brave people of Ukraine.

Among those who addressed the virtual summit of the Core Group on the Special Tribunal were the Presidents of Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Moldova, as well as the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, the President of the European Commission, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Romania, Greece, Portugal, and Guatemala.

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US announces $1.2 billion in fresh Ukraine military aid as Kiev counteroffensive looming

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 09 May 2023 7:32 PM

The United States has announced a $1.2 billion new military aid package for Ukraine as Kiev is preparing for a major counteroffensive against Russian forces.

The package, announced on Tuesday, is aimed at boosting Ukraine's air defenses and sustaining its artillery ammunition needs in its war with Russia, which launched a full-scale military operation on February 24 last year against the ex-Soviet republic.

"Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package to reaffirm the steadfast US support for Ukraine, including bolstering its air defenses and sustaining its artillery ammunition needs. This package, which totals up to USD 1.2 billion, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI)," the Defense Department said in a statement.

The aid package includes 155mm artillery rounds, additional air defense systems and munitions, and drone ammunition, as well as equipment to help "integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars" with Ukraine's existing systems.

Falling under the USAI means that components of the package will be contracted and purchased from manufacturers instead of pulled directly from Defense Department stocks in a drawdown.

USAI packages are aimed at creating a medium- and long-term supply for Ukraine.

With the announced package, Washington has committed $37.6 billion in military assistance to Kiev since the beginning of the administration of US President Joe Biden, including $36.9 billion since the onset of the ongoing war.

Two weeks ago, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have been delivered, a total of over 1,500 vehicles and 230 tanks.

Since the onset of the war, the US and the European Union have supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems despite Russia's repeated warnings that the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.

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Wagner Chief Again Slams Russian Defense Ministry; Accuses Soldiers Of Fleeing

By Donbas.Realities May 09, 2023

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin again accused the Russian Defense Ministry of failing to supply his mercenary fighters with enough ammunition and accused Russian troops of fleeing fighting around the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin's comments, made in one of several messages released by his press service on May 9, were the latest in his long-running public feud with top Russian military officials.

Last week, he threatened to pull Wagner forces out of the Bakhmut region, where they've played a central role in the months-long pitched assault on the city, by May 10 unless they got more ammunition. Days later, he appeared to relent.

He also appeared in a separate, gruesome video that featured piles of corpses, whom he said were slain Wagner soldiers.

Prigozhin posted several videos and audio messages before and after the Kremlin staged the annual Red Square Victory Day parade in Moscow, to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

In the longest of the messages posted on Telegram, Prigozhin hurled a profanity-laced diatribe at military officials, saying they were incapable of defending the country.

"Instead of fighting, we constantly have all these intrigues. We have a Ministry of Intrigue instead of a Ministry of Defense, and so our army is on the run," he said. "It is running, because the 72nd brigade today lost three square kilometers, and I lost about 500 people because it was a strategic bridgehead," he said.

Russian soldiers were fleeing, he said, because of the "stupidity" of Russian commanders who were giving "criminal orders."

"Soldiers should not die because of the absolute stupidity of their leadership," he said

There was no immediate way to confirm Prigzohin's comments, which were amplified further by military bloggers and nationalist supporters.

The Defense Ministry had no immediate response.

Russia has suffered about 200,000 casualties during the 14-month war, according to Western estimates, and continues to lose dozens a day in Bakhmut. Russian forces have been besieging Bakhmut since last summer and are now believed to control as much 75 percent of the city, if not more.

"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," Prigozhin said in the message.

"(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.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia- ukraine-prigozhin-wagner-defence-ministry- ammnition-fleeing/32403426.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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Interview: The Daunting Challenges Of Ukraine's Counteroffensive

By Vazha Tavberidze May 09, 2023

Retired British General Sir Alexander Richard David Shirreff is a former deputy supreme allied commander Europe and author of the novel War With Russia: An Urgent Warning From Senior Military Command, which the author described as "fact-based, entirely plausible."

In that 2017 book, written nearly a decade after Russia's lightning war with Georgia and three years after Russia occupied and annexed Ukraine's Crimea, Shirreff cited growing risks to Russia's neighbors, including NATO, and pleaded for a new Western mindset to respond to those threats.

In a wide-ranging interview last week with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, he talked about managing expectations as Ukrainian counteroffensives target dug-in Russian forces, the pressure to succeed given the level of its international support, and his argument that Kyiv's allies must "double down" on war economies -- or else.



RFE/RL: Russia has claimed it downed two drones that were apparently attacking the Kremlin, and they blame it on Ukraine, saying the intent was to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Roughly one month ago, a Washington Post report claimed that for the Victory Day anniversary [on May 9], Ukraine was planning to carry out mass strikes on Moscow and other Russian cities [but] was dissuaded by Washington: Moscow was considered off-limits.



Then Politico reported that Ukraine was unwilling to share counteroffensive details with the Americans after recent U.S. intelligence leaks. Finally, there's the May 3 development in which these two drones were downed, and Russia claimed Ukraine was behind it all, that they wanted to kill Putin and called it a "terrorist" act and is reserving the right to respond in kind. What do you make of all of this?



Alexander Richard David Shirreff: Well, it's frankly a bit rich of Russia to start complaining about attacks on Moscow when Russia has launched multiple attacks against every single Ukrainian city ever since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. I was in Kyiv last week, and I spent most of the night in a bomb shelter because Russia was launching cruise missiles against Ukraine. So frankly, it's a bit rich. Ukraine is fighting a war of national survival, and in a war of national survival you have to be prepared to take your fight to the enemy.



I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Ukraine is reluctant to share details of its counteroffensive plans with America after the unbelievable leak of information, because America is a very leaky sieve, as we saw with a 21-year-old IT consultant specialist in the National Guard having access to an extraordinary array of secrets. So quite right of Ukraine to guard its details very, very closely to those who need to know. And that's a basic principle of war: security. And that applies to security of intelligence as much as security of a force.



RFE/RL: Does it not keep Ukraine at a massive disadvantage, creating a sanctuary on Russian territory like that?



Shirreff: You've got to have a sense of perspective there. Ukraine's military aims are to evict every single Russian soldier from sovereign Ukrainian territory and to protect itself. Now I don't know whether these alleged drone attacks were Ukrainians. I mean, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this was Russian disinformation in order to probably drive a wedge between Ukraine and perhaps America -- because yes, the Americans are, absolutely rightly, determined to avoid further escalation into the nuclear sphere -- so of course they're going to be concerned if Ukraine is attacking Russian soil. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it's Russian disinformation designed to get America to lean on Ukraine to tone it down a bit.

RFE/RL: What do you expect from the [reportedly] looming Ukrainian counteroffensive? Over the last few months, I've interviewed two dozen, if not more, top army generals, and military experts, and the overwhelming consensus is that Ukraine will try to liberate the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions in the south, try to cut off [occupied] Crimea [from Russian-controlled territory] to destroy the land bridge, and so on. Is this a foregone conclusion? Because if it is, surely Russia also has seen that and has prepared accordingly? Is there room for tactical surprises here?



Shirreff: Well, nothing is a foregone conclusion. That's the first point I'd make. The second point is that I clearly don't know what Ukraine's plans are; I don't need to know, I don't want to know, and they wouldn't share it with me anyway. I think we have to understand a couple of points. Yes, I'm sure there has to be a counteroffensive. Ukraine has to retake territory. It's got to be able to demonstrate success after the support that it has been given by NATO countries and other partners.



But I think also we have to remember -- and you've sort of touched on it yourself -- that Russia has the vote, too. The Russians have spent the winter [there], they were able to stabilize the front lines after the catastrophes east of Kharkiv last year, and then, of course, the recapture of Kherson. There has been an incredibly bitter attritional fight over the winter, with a series of Russian counteroffensives which by and large have failed.

They haven't certainly delivered the Donbas to Putin, which was the intent. But at the same time, Russia has been able to build significant defenses, lay significant minefields. So, breaking into those defenses and minefields is going to be a major, major issue, a major challenge for Ukraine. It's one of the most difficult operations of war: a deliberate attack against well-defended positions.



RFE/RL: Which also has numerical superiority. My understanding is that usually it's the party that goes on the offensive that has three to five times numerical superiority against the defenders, and even then, success is not guaranteed. And here we have an offensive force attacking a defensive force which enjoys numerical superiority, correct?



Shirreff: Well, of course, it all depends on where you attack. And what you don't do, as a general military principle, is you do not attack where the enemy is strongest. And that's where deception and surprise are fundamental principles. So, what you aim to do is concentrate your force where the enemy is weakest. And you may not, on the face of it, have numerical superiority. But if you're clever, and you catch the enemy off balance, there are plenty of examples in military history where the inferior numerical force has succeeded.



But as a general principle, I would say that we have to manage expectations here. And my sense is -- and perhaps I sound cautious here, I don't want to sound gloomy; I would love for this coming counteroffensive to achieve a catastrophic defeat on Russia -- but I think the chances of doing that must be quite low.

I think they will succeed, but it seems to me that what we should be looking at, given the amount of Ukrainian territory that has been occupied by Russia, is that this is likely to be a lengthy campaign still, a series of counteroffensives -- concurrent, sequential -- each of which is likely to take a fair amount of time to prepare for to build up troops. And the trick is going to be to launch these counteroffensives as a series of hammer blows that get the Russians off balance. But you need to be able to follow up quickly to keep them off balance. But I still think that's likely to take some time.



Meanwhile, of course, Ukraine still has to defend the front line across over 1,000 kilometers in the east against continued Russian attritional attacks. So rather than assume that there will be a single counteroffensive and Ukraine will achieve all its military ends -- this isn't going to be over by Christmas -- I think we're looking at potentially a two- or three-year campaign here.



And the "so what?" out of all this is the paramount importance of NATO support, Western support, to give Ukrainians the tools to do the job. And this means a fundamental mindset shift in NATO countries, which need to start developing and investing in, effectively, a war economy to manufacture and generate the ammunition, for example, the military equipment, required to sustain Ukraine over a lengthy campaign.



RFE/RL: "With or without warplanes, Ukraine will begin its counteroffensive." This seems to be the official Kyiv position. How costly might that lack of warplanes prove?



Shirreff: It depends on how clever the Ukrainians can be, fighting from the disadvantage of [lacking] the sort of state-of-the-art warplanes that they have asked for and that they absolutely need. I think we have to respect and admire the way Ukrainians have demonstrated that, despite apparent military disadvantages, they've demonstrated they're more than able to overcome them. But, in a sense, you have to do the math.

The reality is that advanced Russian fighter aircraft are more capable, in terms of being able to identify targets at range and then to kill those targets at a range greater than the very best aircraft -- the MiG 28s and MiG 29s -- that the Ukrainian Air Force have got. If Russia understands and can learn how to use its air force, that's going to put Ukraine at a disadvantage. But thus far Russia has not been able to demonstrate it knows how to use its air force properly. And so, I put great trust in Ukrainians' ingenuity.

However, I also think that it is long overdue that the Western alliance delivers precisely what Ukraine needs in the air, which is F-16s. And there's been a lot of talk from our specialists about the time it takes to train a fighter pilot, etc, etc. Of course, if this [training] had started on February 24, 2022, or even, as it should have done, in March 2014, when the Ukraine war started, then Ukraine would be in a very different position now.



RFE/RL: What are the chances of Ukraine successfully pulling off this vaunted combined arms maneuver?



Shirreff: Oh, I think they will do this. I think the Ukrainians will be able to deliver a successful combined arms attack in a counteroffensive, a forthcoming counteroffensive. But I just say again what I said earlier about cautioning people to have reasonable expectations and not expect that this is going to be one round and Ukraine is free. This is going to require sustained campaigning over a longer period of time and sustained support from the West.



RFE/RL: In a piece published in January, you said that "now, more than ever, the West has to ensure Ukraine has all the support to fight," and "we must double down." I have a reasonable suspicion that I know what your answer to this might be, but has the West doubled down?



Shirreff: No, it hasn't. "Doubling down" means giving Ukraine the F-16s, the ammunition they need. And it means implementing a war economy in each Western partner in order to ramp up the ammunition supplies and capabilities and other military equipment. And also, "doubling down" means building up NATO's own military forces. So, I would look to see defense spending going up to 4 or 5 percent of GDP. And that means adopting a mindset that says, "We've got to be ready for the worst case."

I've been saying this since the very start of the war. The West has to be ready for the worst case. What is the "worst case"? It's war with Russia. We are a long way short of that, [but] that [new mindset] is simply not happening.

RFE/RL: How realistic do you think that the prospect of direct confrontation with Russia has become since the Ukraine war?



Shirreff: Either the West doubles down now to give Ukraine the tools it really needs to do the job in a series of sustained counteroffensives, or the West faces -- I think NATO faces -- the very real possibility in two to three years' time of potentially having to intervene to support the Ukrainians [to] achieve final victory. Because there's only one outcome of this; it's got to be victory. This is a war not just against Ukraine; it's a war against the West. And I would include, by the way, the fact that Georgia is firmly part of the West, as is Ukraine part of the West.



And you understand, in Georgia, the reality of Russian offensive operations because 20 percent of your country is occupied by Russia. That penny hasn't dropped in this country yet. We cannot accept a decade of a new Iran-Iraq war on Ukraine's eastern flank, because that is Europe's security.... Russia [is] determined to rebuild a second Russian Empire, [and] if it gets a negotiated cease-fire, it will just rest, recover, and start all over again -- and not only will Ukraine be in its sights as a target, but [also] Georgia, Moldova, the Baltic states, eastern Poland.... And we have to recognize that once again in Europe there is a bloodstained autocrat prepared to inflict unspeakable suffering on peaceful democratic neighbors to further his own imperious ambitions. We've been here before in 1939 to 1945. And we're here again.



RFE/RL: Do you see [the West] being ready for a direct confrontation against Russia in four or five years' time?



Shirreff: It's going to take three or four years to get ready to fight. And unless that mindset shift changes now, the West won't be ready.



RFE/RL: What happens then?



Shirreff: Then it turns into a long-running, bloody, attritional battle on Ukraine's eastern frontier. Think back to the 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War. Unless, of course, Ukraine achieves military success as a consequence of counteroffensives, which it could still do -- so let's look at the optimistic side, as well. But we have to look at the best and the worst case.

RFE/RL: One could argue that part of a changing mindset in the West, in NATO in particular, would be Ukraine actually becoming a NATO member. I know it's a cause that you're championing. And let me ask you this billion-dollar question: How do you plan to persuade the longtime skeptics?



Shirreff: There is very little to do to persuade people that the only way Ukraine and Europe can be secure is if Ukraine is a member of the NATO alliance, and I would also include Georgia and Moldova in that, as well. That is going to take time. But I think what we would be expecting from the [NATO] Vilnius Summit [scheduled for July 11-12] is a clear signpost that starts with the strongest realistic and effective bilateral security guarantees and leads ultimately to NATO membership, perhaps at the Washington 75th-anniversary conference summit in 2024.



RFE/RL: Let's talk about Russia. According to [Western] estimates, in the last five months alone there have been more than 100,000 casualties for Russia. How sustainable is this? Is there a chance they will kind of replicate the success of World War II, where this sheer disregard of their own troops' lives was actually one of the determining factors as to why the Soviet Union came out on top?



Shirreff: How sustainable?... I think it's infinitely sustainable that Russia will scoop up expendable manpower and pile it into the fight. The question, I think, is how capable they are of equipping them properly. And if Russia is having to dig out T-55s from the 1960s and deploy those from stocks to the front, that tells me that Russia is running out of equipment.

Will Russia be able to replicate what the Soviet Union did? No, no way, fundamentally. Because the Soviet Union fought a war of national survival, which mobilized the population in defense of not only Mother Russia but of Ukraine, of Belarus, of all the [Soviet] republics. This is a war of aggression, and ultimately Russia will not be able to sustain that.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/interview-shirreff- challenges-ukraine-counteroffensive-russia/32403483.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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Zelenskiy, Von Der Leyen Discuss Ukraine's EU Integration, More Russia Sanctions, Faster Ammo Deliveries

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 09, 2023

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.

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.

Fighting on May 9 in eastern Ukraine took the life of a journalist with the French news agency AFP. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the "bravery" of video journalist Arman Soldin, who was killed by rocket fire.

"With bravery, from the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us," Macron said on Twitter, adding that he shared "the pain of his relatives and all his colleagues."

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry offered "heartfelt condolences" to his family and coworkers.

"He dedicated his life to informing the world about the truth," the ministry said on Twitter.

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. Prigozhin's comments were the latest in his long-running public feud with top Russian military officials.

He blamed a lack of ammunition for his group's 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

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-von- der-leyen-europe-day-zelenskiy/32402745.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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Russian Military Attacks Places of Deployment of Ukrainian Reserves

Sputnik News

20230509

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian military attacked places of temporary deployment of Ukrainian reserves on Monday night, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Last night, the Russian armed forces carried out a concentrated strike with sea and air-based long-range precision weapons at points of temporary deployment of enemy reserves, as well as ammunition depots," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that over 465 Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries were killed in the Donetsk direction over the past day.

A Sputnik

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It is only a matter of time before we can restore a just peace for our part of Europe, for Ukraine - address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

9 May 2023 - 21:51

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today we have all been able to see that when the state has its honest history returned to it, the sequence of events takes on a special meaning.

Yesterday, on May 8, Europe and the world remembered the joint victory over the aggression of Nazism and the surrender of that evil. And today, on May 9, we, along with the entire free Europe, celebrate Europe Day to honor an achievement that simply would not have happened if there had been no victory over Nazism. We would not have had such a united Europe - a Europe without aggression and revanchism, a Europe that respects different cultures, that resolves disputes exclusively in the legal sphere, and that is proud of the diversity on our continent.

The more people know the honest history, the more they see the commonalities between the brutal aggressions of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the more they will appreciate this sequence. The Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II, and immediately after it, the Day of Europe, Europe as a realized dream of a peaceful continent. And it is only a matter of time before we can restore a sustainable and just peace for our part of Europe, for Ukraine. It is only a matter of time before the current aggressor loses, like the aggressor who lost 78 years ago, before Russian revanchism is crushed by the bravery of our warriors and the joint power of the free world.

Today we celebrated Europe Day in Ukraine together with Europe.

The visit of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was both symbolic on this day and very productive. We discussed our defense - what we need to achieve and what we expect from our partners. We discussed sanctions pressure on Russia, and we are actively preparing the 11th sanctions package against Russia together with Europe. We discussed our political prospects for European integration. Of course, we also discussed the export dispute with our neighbors in the EU. We have to overcome it in the clear spirit of the existing treaty framework between us.

I am grateful to the President of the European Commission for the participation in today's meeting of our partners who are working to establish a tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. There are 37 participants in the meeting - states and international institutions. I addressed the participants and urged them to move forward without stopping on the path to full accountability of the aggressor.

Today I also met with the communities of European universities - Britain, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary and, of course, Ukrainian students. We talked to them about the bravery that Europe will always need and how we can all work together to bring our common victory closer.

There is more good news from our partners. From what can be said publicly, there is a new defense package from the United States. The total amount is 1 billion 200 million dollars. Artillery, protection against terrorist missiles and drones, and other things to strengthen our defenders. I thank President Biden, the Congress - both parties - and every American family for their unwavering support and for the American strength that makes us stronger.

We are also working with other partners on additional defense packages to add new opportunities for our warriors.

Special thanks to the French parliament for today's decision to recognize the Russian pseudo-private Wagner group as a terrorist organization. This is something that should be adopted by the entire world - every manifestation of terrorism must be destroyed, and every terrorist must be convicted.

And, of course, today, after the terrorist state has once again tried to torture our people and lost to our defenders of the sky once again, I thank our Air Force and all our warriors of other branches of troops who ensure air defense. Truly well done!

Glory to all who defend Ukraine and Ukrainians! Thank you to everyone who helps!

Thank you to everyone who, together with us, returns peace and justice to Europe!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Defense and freedom are a direct result of bravery - Volodymyr Zelenskyy talked to students of the EUniWell Alliance of European Universities

President of Ukraine

9 May 2023 - 20:45

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the Europe Unity For Well-Being event initiated by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv as part of the EUniWell Alliance of European Universities.

The Head of State dedicated his speech to bravery, as it is important in all spheres of life: in the life of a person, in the life of a state, and in the life of the entire European continent.

"Would we be here today if 80 years ago the free peoples of the world had not shown enough bravery to destroy the evil of Nazism? Obviously, if there had been a lack of bravery then, we would not be here today," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

According to him, after the Second World War, the space of freedom in Europe and almost everywhere else in the world was steadily expanding, as people were becoming braver. However, as the Head of State noted, freedom had to be fought for because there were opponents of freedom and autocrats who believed that they could afford not to give people this or that right.

"All of you can look at the path that your countries have taken in the struggle for freedom for people, in the struggle for our Europe, which we know and value, and see that it was the path of courage - of specific courageous people who built our community of free nations," the President said.

He emphasized that these days we cannot give in to the illusion that the battle for freedom is over and that bravery will never be needed again.

"This brutal terrorist war waged by Russia against Ukraine is a reminder to each of our countries, to each and every one of you personally that you may need courage today just as courage was needed at any other time to protect freedom and our European values," the Head of State emphasized.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, personal bravery grows into the bravery of societies, peoples and states, and as a result, into the bravery of the continent.

"Europe is exactly like that now - brave. It makes decisions, supports the defense of freedom, and puts pressure on the aggressor. What makes this happen? The bravery of leaders. And the bravery of ordinary people who are followed by leaders," he explained.

The President expressed his belief that it is through courage that Ukraine and its allies will win this brutal war unleashed by Russia and overcome the Russian ideology of hatred for European freedom.

"Moreover, our victory now, when Russian aggression has affected only Ukraine, will do what we failed to do in the decisive decade before the Second World War. We will destroy the total evil at its roots, when it has not yet had time to spread aggression to other nations of Europe," the Head of State emphasized.

At the same time, he said, even after our victory, we must not lose bravery.

"You must not lose your bravery! No one knows the time when they may have to defend freedom. No one knows for sure what threats to freedom may arise in a year, in five years. If you have to defend freedom, please be brave! Please do not surrender your values to those who seek to destroy them. Fight so that the space of freedom does not lose anything. If people hadn't done this before us, we wouldn't be here today. If we don't do this, will freedom survive after us?" the President of Ukraine said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished every student to find a field in which their courage could bring more freedom and opportunities to the whole of Europe.

"I sincerely wish your generation to pass on to your children an even freer, more united and more secure Europe than we can provide now and will definitely provide," the Head of State noted.

Answering the students' questions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainians are now defending European values in the fight against Russia, so Ukraine can be considered a pillar of the democratic world.

"Ukraine is a wall between absolute autocracy and democracy. And that is why we must endure. In order to be a true pillar of a powerful and independent Europe in the future. That is why we are holding this wall firmly," the President said.

According to the Head of State, Europeans must also realize that citizens of Ukraine, despite having once been in the USSR, are Europeans by their very nature, profess the same values and, most importantly, defend them today. That is why EU citizens should continue to support Ukraine and help in the fight against the Russian aggressor.

"Not on the battlefield in Ukraine - we can handle that ourselves. But it is very important that you put pressure on your societies, stay united in helping and supporting Ukraine, and condemn Russia's aggression. And put pressure on your political leaders who should help Ukraine. Sanctions against Russia should be powerful, weapons should be transferred without delay, help for Ukraine in its defense in the information space should be total," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized and added that Russia is waging a war not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe.

The President emphasized that the war must end with the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territories and not turn into a frozen conflict in Europe.

"We want to push Russian troops out of our territory. We do not want any further continuation of the war. We just want to be free and remind that we are not in President Putin's puppet theater. We are a self-sufficient state," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He also noted that after the war is over, Ukraine, a future full-fledged EU member, will need to rebuild, as many cities and communities have been destroyed by hostilities.

"All this will require help: in work, in development, in contribution to the renovation of Ukraine. Therefore, we invite energetic people, students with their ideas and knowledge to Ukraine to restore our country," the President said.

The Head of State congratulated everyone on Europe Day and invited them to celebrate this day in peaceful Ukraine next year.

The EUniWell Alliance unites 11 European universities (total number of students is 337 thousand): Linnaeus University (Sweden), University of Nantes (France), Semmelweis University (Hungary), University of Birmingham (UK), University of Cologne (Germany), University of Florence (Italy), University of Konstanz (Germany), University of Murcia (Spain), University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine), National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations INALCO (France). The event was broadcast to all 11 EUniWell universities.

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Joint statement on efforts to establish a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine

President of Ukraine

9 May 2023 - 18:44

We, the representatives of participants of the Core Group on options for the establishment of a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine, gathered today, 9 May 2023, to confirm our unwavering support for peace, security and democracy in the world.

We recall that security in Europe and the world is interconnected and can be guaranteed only in full respect for international law, integral components of which include the territorial integrity and political independence of States, the prohibition of the use of force and the inherent right of States to self-defense as reflected in the UN Charter.

We express our deepest respect for the courage and stamina shown by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have become a strong shield for all European nations with support of nations globally. Ukraine is paying a high price not only for its future, but also for the security and future of others.

We confirm our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine, who have been fighting to defend their independence in the face of Russian aggression.

We support the principles for a just and lasting peace outlined in the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the need for any peace to fully reflect the UN Charter, and the Resolution of the UN General Assembly dated 23 February 2023 "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine". We express our support for the implementation of this peace initiative and call on all states to support this process as well.

We emphasize that we will stand side by side with Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor and call for the full restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

We call on the entire world to support and provide assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible.

We strongly condemn Russia's illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked armed aggression, which grossly violates the UN Charter, as confirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1 (2022), which deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and recalled Resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974, which defines aggression as the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter, and which states that a war of aggression is a crime against international peace.

We condemn any crimes and atrocities committed by Russia's forces and officials, including attacks against civilians, conflict-related sexual violence and other war crimes and crimes against humanity. We call on Russia to immediately release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, and to return all deportees, including children. We reiterate our commitment to holding those responsible to account consistently with international law, and support the efforts of international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, OSCE Moscow Mechanism and the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.

We emphasize the need to pursue justice as called for in the Bucha Declaration regarding responsibility for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine. We therefore reaffirm that those responsible for committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine must not go unpunished, and call on the international community to consider appropriate actions, including through the establishment of an appropriate justice mechanism to ensure effective accountability for the crime of aggression, which is of concern to the international community as a whole.

We therefore support exploring the creation of a tribunal to ensure effective accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

We underline the importance of the Core Group as the main platform for developing an effective mechanism for exploring the legal and technical issues involved in creation of such a tribunal and call on other states and international organizations to join our collective work.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Russia intensified air attacks on Ukraine because it failed to capture Bakhmut by May 9

President of Ukraine

9 May 2023 - 15:57

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that the increase in the intensity of attacks with missiles and Shaheds by the aggressor state is due to the fact that the enemy failed to demonstrate to its society significant victories by May 9, including the capture of the city of Bakhmut.

Answering questions from the media representatives after talks with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation needs to "sell" something to its society, but it has no significant victories on the battlefield.

"But the voracious society is there, and we see it supporting certain radical actions, the number of deaths. They are always happy about it. They failed to "sell" Bakhmut because they failed to capture it. It was their last important operation - to do it by May 9. Although, unfortunately, there is no such whole city there anymore, everything is completely destroyed," the Head of State said.

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It's time for a positive decision on negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU - President following the meeting with the President of the European Commission in Kyiv

President of Ukraine

9 May 2023 - 15:47

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Kyiv with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who is on a visit to our country.

In the course of the meeting with media representatives following the negotiations, the Head of State emphasized that today, the EU countries celebrate Europe Day, which follows the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II.

"Our Europe became possible thanks to the victory over the evil of aggression and the ideology of hatred. Our Europe, which is based on respect for peoples and unites different nations not by subjugation, but by our common values, became possible precisely when the evil of aggression was defeated," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted that Ukraine will always be grateful to all those who fought against Nazism and gained the victory.

"The victory opened up a historic space for unifying efforts in Europe, and it is important that it was obvious then what the efforts for peace - for the sake of our Europe - should be like," he added.

The Head of State quoted the first sentence of the Schuman Declaration: "World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative Efforts - proportionate to the dangers which threaten it."

"Now that we are once again jointly confronting the evil of aggression and the policy of hatred that modern Russia has brought back to the continent, when we once again need to win, we are once again turning to the meaning of those words from the Schuman Declaration. Our efforts for a united Europe, for security and peace must be as strong as Russia's desire to destroy our security, our freedom, our Europe. We must act together proportionally to the threat, not weaker, to defeat this evil of aggression. So that new generations of Europeans can also celebrate Europe Day in peace, and not just remember that there was once such a holiday, that there was once peace on the continent," the President stressed.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine's partners for protecting the European continent and the values of freedom. He also thanked the President of the European Commission for the powerful decisions that are necessary for the whole of Europe.

"Today we have met in particular to make such strong decisions. The first is defense. The second is our further unification. The third is the resolution of existing contradictions. As for defense: Ukraine demonstrates the effectiveness of our defense against Russian aggression every day. Every downed terrorist missile, every success of our warriors in repelling Russian onslaught proves that we can defeat this aggressor. The main thing is the proportionality of our capabilities to those of the aggressor," the Head of State said.

In this context, the President expressed gratitude to Ursula von der Leyen for the readiness of the EU to provide Ukraine with necessary ammunition - 1 million artillery shells. He noted that at the meeting with the President of the European Commission, they discussed the speed of procurement and supply of ammunition.

The leaders also touched upon the issue of sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.

"We look forward to the adoption of the eleventh sanctions package in the near future, and its component should be sanctions against the nuclear industry of the terrorist state. Then the strength of this package will be proportionate to the level of threat," the President said.

The meeting also concerned steps to further unite Ukraine and the European Union.

"The time has long since come to remove the artificial political uncertainty in relations between Ukraine and the European Union. It is time for a positive decision to launch negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Our values, security, our prosperity, peace on the continent - all of this can be realized to the fullest extent for Europe only together with Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The Head of State stressed that our country expects to receive a positive interim assessment of Ukraine's progress on the path of European integration by the European Commission in June.

The President of Ukraine and the President of the European Commission discussed the situation with the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

"We have a mutual agreement on the importance of Ukrainian contribution to global food security and we have common examples of success in the food sector, including our Grain from Ukraine program and our Solidarity Lanes," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine is facing problems today in the issue where Europe should demonstrate strong solidarity proportionate to the existing threats.

"Tough, even brutal for the time of war, protectionist measures from our neighbors cannot but disappoint, to put it mildly. Any restrictions on our exports now are absolutely unacceptable. Because it does not strengthen all of us in Europe, but only strengthens the capabilities of the aggressor," the Head of State said.

The President noted that Ukraine proposes to establish an advisory group to monitor the relevant issues and to refrain from making any decisions on trade without consulting our country.

"We expect strong, European decisions from the EU and the lifting of all restrictions as soon as possible. If there is political will, and our negotiations today show that there is such will, we will be able to find optimal and truly strong solutions that will protect the interests of both Europe as a whole and Ukrainians, who, on top of that, suffer from export restrictions imposed on us," the Head of State emphasized.

For her part, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that she was pleased to be in Kyiv on May 9, which was proclaimed Europe Day on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We warmly welcome your decision to make May 9 Europe Day in Ukraine. Kyiv, as the capital of Ukraine, is the heart that beats in unison with European values. Ukraine is at the forefront of the struggle for everything we in Europe love: our freedom and democracy. Brave Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe," said Ursula von der Leyen.

According to her, Vladimir Putin's regime has destroyed these values in Russia and is trying to do the same in Ukraine because it is afraid of the successful example that our country is setting on its way to the European Union.

"But the aggressor has already made a huge mistake. Ukraine has withstood this attack and is successfully fighting back because Ukrainian society is free. Millions of brave Ukrainians are fighting for their European values, while the invaders are sending people from prisons to the frontline," she stated.

The President of the European Commission assured that the European Union stands with Ukraine in its struggle. According to her, May 9 also symbolizes the solidarity born from the lessons of the great conflicts of the twentieth century, which is the foundation of democracy. Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that Ukraine can rely on the solidarity of Europe for as long as it takes.

According to the President of the European Commission, today's meeting focused, among other things, on the urgent provision of the necessary amount of ammunition to Ukraine and an increase in its production.

The parties also discussed the continuation of financial support for Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen recalled the decision to provide a18 billion in aid in 2023, of which Ukraine has already received a6 billion to support budget programs. The issue of financial assistance in the following years is also being considered.

The President of the European Commission assured that work is underway to increase sanctions pressure on Russia to stop its military machine.

"We have reduced imports from Russia by almost two-thirds, depriving it of important revenues. Thanks to ten successful sanctions packages, the Kremlin is already paying a heavy price. And last Friday, the European Commission adopted proposals for the 11th sanctions package, which focuses on tackling the circumvention of restrictive measures," she said.

In the context of Ukraine's fulfillment of the seven steps to start negotiations on EU membership, Ursula von der Leyen noted that our country is working tirelessly to achieve this despite the difficulties of implementing reforms in the midst of war.

"I would like to express my deepest respect for this work. Please know that you can rely on our expertise and support in this ongoing process," the President of the European Commission emphasized.

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The Acupuncture for our Seniors Act would increase Medicare beneficiaries access to acupuncturists, provide more non-pharmacological options for pain relief, and promote the professions growth.



WASHINGTON, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) commend U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for introducing [H.R. number], the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act. The Acupuncture for our Seniors Act would authorize the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to recognize qualified acupuncturists as healthcare providers. Medicare recognition would enable qualified acupuncturists to provide covered services to Medicare beneficiaries, which will soon surpass 80-million Americans.

CMS already recognizes the value of acupuncture and began covering services in January 2020. Unfortunately, because acupuncturists do not have Medicare-provider status, they cannot provide these covered services to beneficiaries without supervision. The status quo disrupts the acupuncture service-delivery model, as they cannot independently provide services to Medicare beneficiaries, despite their ability to do so for non-Medicare beneficiaries. The resulting access barrier hurts Senior Citizens and exacerbates healthcare inefficiencies.

Research demonstrates that acupuncture is effective in providing high quality, personalized care that helps individuals manage painwithout opioids and invasive proceduresand embrace preventive and wellness care options. Acupuncturists training, expertise, and scope of practice enable them to practice independently.

Medicare beneficiaries are projected to increase from 63 to 80 million in the next seven years, so this bill is critical in removing barriers to the increasing demand for a safe, non-pharmacological option to pain and improved health. The ASA applauds Representative Judy Chu, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, and all involved for understanding the need to solve the opioid crisis while also decreasing healthcare costs and improving long term outcomes, Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, L.Ac., ASA Chair.

The ASA and the NCCAOM support efforts to increase access to acupuncturists. Obtaining Medicare provider status for acupuncturists is a priority for the ASA and the NCCAOM and we are grateful to Representatives Judy Chu and Brian Fitzpatrick for championing this bill, stated Mina Larson, M.S., MBA, CAE, NCCAOM CEO. The Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act would increase Senior Citizens access to non-invasive, cost-effective, care for pain-management that so many cannot access due to current supervision requirements.

The ASA and the NCCAOM will officially launch the professions advocacy efforts on May 15, when over 100 acupuncturists will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressional offices in support of the Acupuncture for our Seniors Act.

About the ASA

The Mission of the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) is to promote the highest standards of professional practice for acupuncture and EAM in the United States, to benefit public health. Through strengthening the profession at the state level while promoting collaboration nationally and internationally, the ASA provides its members, the public, legislators, and regulators resources for ensuring the best expression of this ancient and modern medicine.

About the NCCAOM

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is a non-profit 501(6) organization established in 1982. The NCCAOM is the only national organization that validates entry-level competency in the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine through professional certification. The NCCAOM certification or a passing score on the NCCAOM certification examinations are documentation of competency for licensure as an acupuncturist by 45 states and the District of Columbia, which represents 98 percent of the states that regulate acupuncture. The National Commission for Certification Agencies accredits all NCCAOM-certification programs. To learn more about the NCCAOM, or about acupuncture and national-board certification, visit www.nccaom.org .To find an NCCAOM board-certified practitioner in your area, click on Find a Practitioner at www.nccaom.org .

Media Contact: Olga Cox, M.S.

Phone: 202-381-1116

Email: ocox@thenccaom.org




Chicago, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the new market research report Global Sensor Fusion Market by Technology (Camera, LIDAR & RADAR), Data Fusion Type & Level (Homogeneous, Heterogeneous, Data, Decision, Feature), Software Layer, Vehicle Type (ICE, Autonomous & Electric), Region, Supply & Demand Side Analysis, and Segment Forecasts, 2023-2030, published by Delvens, The global market for sensor fusion is expected to reach $24.8 billion by 2030 from $3.5 billion in 2022, registering impressive expansion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.7%. Due to the technical advancements offered by the sensor fusion along with the lack of standardization in software are some of the factors that have supported long-term expansion for Sensor Fusion Market.

SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces analysis are two of the standard, and full-proof methods used here to carry out the market research study and formulate this particular market report. The Sensor Fusion Market report is exceptionally valuable for mapping the strategies related to production, product launches, costing, inventory, purchasing and marketing. By unearthing the best market opportunities, resourceful information is offered to prosper in the market. The report has appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Thus, the winning Sensor Fusion Market report aids to concentrate on the more important aspects of the market.

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The use of sensor fusion in heavy commercial vehicles and autonomous vehicles like drones and industrial robots is growing as 5G technology is increasingly adopted. Due to the significant adoption of Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology by the automotive and transportation sectors, including the rise of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), smart bus, and robot taxi businesses, there will be an increase in the demand for sensor fusion. Several automakers are starting sensor fusion development programmes as well, mostly to gain a competitive edge. For instance, LeddarTech inaugurated its Sensor Fusion and Perception Development Centre in Tel Aviv in May 2022. LeddarTech is a provider of adaptable, reliable, and precise ADAS and AD sensing technologies.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Some of the key players operating in the global sensor fusion market are Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Stmicroelectronics, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Infineon Technologies, Allegro Microsystems, Denso Corporation, Sensata Technologies, Inc., Elmos Semiconductor Se, TE Connectivity Ltd., CTS Corporation, Baselabs Gmbh, Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Kionix, Inc., TDK Corporation, Analog Devices, Microchip Technology Inc., Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., Leddartech Inc., IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh, Maxim Integrated, Velodyne Lidar, Inc., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Mobileye, Aptiv PLC, and Magna International among others.

Recent Developments

Bosch Sensortec has unveiled a new smart sensor system that boasts the best performance/power consumption ratio in its class while being easy to integrate thanks to its compact design and pre-installed, usable software algorithms. The new BHI360 is a fully customizable, programmable IMU-based sensor system that combines a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The integrated sensor fusion library offers simple gesture recognition in addition to 3D audio with head orientation for customised sound experiences.

Continental and Ambarella Collaborate on Fully Automated and Assisted Driving Systems. Ambarella's CV3-AD AI domain controller SoC series provides centralised, single-chip processing for multi-sensor perception, including deep sensor fusion and autonomous vehicle path planning. These sensors include high-resolution cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and lidar.

Sensor Fusion Market Report Scope



Report Feature Descriptions Growth Rate CAGR of 24.7% during the forecasting period, 2023-2030 Historical Data 2019-2021 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Base Year 2022 Units Considered Revenue in USD billion and CAGR from 2023 to 2030 Report Segmentation Environment, Technology, End-User, Software Layer, Industry, and Region. Report Attribute Market Revenue Sizing (Global, Regional and Country Level) Company Share Analysis, Market Dynamics, Company Profiling Regional Level Scope North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East and Africa Country Level Scope U.S., Japan, Germany, U.K., China, India, Brazil, UAE, South Africa (50+ Countries Across the Globe) Companies Profiled Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Stmicroelectronics, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Infineon Technologies, Allegro Microsystems, Denso Corporation, Sensata Technologies, Inc., Elmos Semiconductor Se, TE Connectivity Ltd., CTS Corporation, Baselabs Gmbh, Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Kionix, Inc., TDK Corporation, Analog Devices, Microchip Technology Inc., Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., Leddartech Inc., IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh, Maxim Integrated, Velodyne Lidar, Inc., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Mobileye, Aptiv PLC, and Magna International among others. Available Customization In addition to the market data for Sensor fusion Market, Delvens offers client-centric reports customized according to the companys specific demand and requirement.

Sensor Fusion Market Overview

The adoption of high-end and luxury vehicles as well as the expanding use of advanced ADAS are predicted to fuel the need for the sensor fusion market for the automotive industry.

However, the lack of any clear worldwide standard severely impedes the continued development and widespread use of this technology, making standardisation one of the main problems impeding the advancement of sensor fusion systems.

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Sensor Fusion Market Segmentation Analysis

On the basis software layer, middleware is anticipated to have the largest and fastest market.

Today, middleware helps different units communicate with one another. However, middleware will make it possible to configure automobiles and enable the installation and upgrading of vehicle software as cars continue to develop into mobile computing platforms. Middleware is anticipated to support remote computing, virtualization, and abstraction in the future when used with ECU hardware in automobiles. Automakers are also going towards middleware systems that are more adaptable due to developments in ADAS technologies. For instance, AUTOSTAR's adaptable platform is a flexible system with multicore CPUs, middleware, and operating system support. The popularity of this market has been fueled by ongoing improvements and the accessibility of many middleware programmes. For instance, Tata Elxsi's autonomai is a middleware for sophisticated ADAS applications that enables simple customer systems, subsystems, and algorithm porting, optimisation, integration, and testing. In order to meet client needs, it also supports combining different sensors (such as LiDAR, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras). Through pre-integrated validation datasets and AI & deep learning capabilities, it enables quick region-specific customization.

Feature market is expected to be the fastest-growing in the forecast period

Feature fusion is the most prevalent sort of fusion in automobiles. North America and Asia Pacific are expected to experience the fastest growth in the feature fusion market, respectively. The market is primarily being driven by the advantages it offers from a technical standpoint and OEMs' propensity for feature fusion. Additionally, it becomes more important to know the coordinates of obstacles and objects as more complex ADAS capabilities are developed. Feature fusion provides the features required for such complex automated driving procedures. As a result, it is projected that the feature fusion industry would expand during the next few years.

The market for sensor fusion for L4 autonomous vehicles is anticipated to be the largest within the anticipated time frame.

Due to a variety of problems, including a lack of infrastructure and legislative restrictions, L4 vehicles have not yet been widely marketed. These cars are predicted to be on the market by 2024. All L4 vehicles have 100% sensor fusion penetration, hence the introduction of L4 vehicles is expected to present significant prospects for sensor fusion software developers and related component producers.

It is predicted that improvements in platforms connected to L4 would drive the autonomous car sensor fusion market. A significant ADAS solution vendor, Magna, created the production-ready autonomous driving platform Max 4.

Sensor Fusion Market Regional Insights

During the projection period, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the sensor fusion industry's largest market. Due to the growing use of advanced ADAS features like automated emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), etc., the market in Asia Pacific is predicted to expand. The main sensor fusion markets in the Asia Pacific area are China and Japan. The main driving forces in these two nations are the rising car production and strict safety laws requiring ADAS technology in new car models. The market in the region is anticipated to be driven by the rising demand for high-end and luxury vehicles as well as technological advancements in sensor fusion hardware. Because of the cost-sensitive nature of these markets and the absence of infrastructure necessary for sensor fusion to function properly, countries in the Rest of Asia Pacific are predicted to embrace sensor fusion somewhat more slowly than other nations.

Sensor Fusion Market Outlook

The increasing use of the GPS-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) fusion principle and advancements in ADAS are assisting in resolving dead reckoning interval accumulation errors with absolute location measurements. Using information gathered from a forward-facing camera, Tesla's Autopilot automatic driving feature is an example of an ADAS that can carry out tasks like maintaining the vehicle's centre in a highway lane and directing the vehicle accordingly.

Absolute position measurements are being made more accurate thanks to the growing application of the GPS-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) fusion principle and developments in ADAS. Tesla's Autopilot automatic driving feature is an example of an ADAS that can do duties like keeping the vehicle's centre in a highway lane and directing the vehicle accordingly. This feature uses data collected from a forward-facing camera.

Some of the most focused applications in the research industry are forward collision warning (FCW), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and adaptive cruise control (ACC).As an illustration, Honda, the world's largest automaker in 2022, declared their intention to release the City Hybrid in India featuring Honda Sensing Tech, a set of active and passive safety features. The company claims that it will also come with features like emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning system, auto high beam assist, lane departure warning system, lane keep assist, and front collision warning system.

Furthermore, the introduction of 5G is anticipated to be a game-changer for the automotive sector as a result of its rapid connectivity and increased coverage density, which will hasten the development of autonomous vehicles and foster favourable market conditions.

Global Sensor Fusion Market Table of Contents

Environment Outlook

Internal Sensors

External Sensors

Algorithms Outlook

Kalman Filter

Bayesian Filter

Central Limit Theorem

Convolutional Neural Networks

Technology Outlook

Cameras

Radar

Lidar

Fusion Level Outlook

Feature Fusion

Decision Fusion

Data Fusion

Vehicle Type Outlook

Passenger Cars

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)

Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV)

Data Fusion Type Outlook

Homogenous

Heterogenous

Software Layer Outlook

Operating System

Middleware

Application Software

Electric Vehicle Type Outlook

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)

Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV)

Level of Autonomy Outlook

L4

L5

Regional Outlook

Europe Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Sweden Austria Finland Belgium Turkey Russia Poland Hungary Czech Republic Switzerland Netherlands Rest of Europe

North America U.S. Canada Mexico

Asia-Pacific Japan China India Australia South Korea Vietnam New Zealand Philippines Thailand Malaysia Hong Kong Taiwan Singapore Indonesia Sri Lanka Rest of Asia-Pacific

South America Brazil Argentina Chile Colombia Rest of South America

Middle East And Africa South Africa U.A.E. Saudi Arabia Oman Qatar Iran Egypt Rest of Middle East and Africa



Key Players of the Sensor Fusion Market

Robert Bosch GmbH

Continental AG

NXP Semiconductors N.V.

Stmicroelectronics

ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Infineon Technologies

Allegro Microsystems

Denso Corporation

Sensata Technologies, Inc.

Elmos Semiconductor Se

TE Connectivity Ltd.

CTS Corporation

Baselabs Gmbh

Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.

Kionix, Inc.

TDK Corporation

Analog Devices

Microchip Technology Inc.

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

Leddartech Inc.

IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh

Maxim Integrated

Velodyne Lidar, Inc.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Mobileye

Aptiv PLC

Magna International

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Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses



LOS ANGELES, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Tupperware Brands Corporation (Tupperware or the Company) (NYSE: TUP) investors that a lawsuit filed on behalf of investors that purchased Tupperware securities (NYSE: TUP) between March 10, 2021 and March 16, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period)

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , by phone 844-767-8529 or email : lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com . The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

Tupperware announced on March 1, 2023 that it had identified misstatements in previous financial statements and lacked effective internal controls related to accounting for income tax. This caused a 15% drop in the stock price. On March 16, 2023, Tupperware disclosed that it would be unable to file its Annual Report and that previous financial statements dating back to 2020 would be restated. This caused a further 7.7% drop in the stock price. The complaint alleges that Tupperware made materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects, including serious issues with internal controls and misstatements in financial statements.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

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lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kiplin Metals Inc. (TSX-V: KIP) ("Kiplin" or the "Company") is delighted to announce the upcoming launch of its summer geophysical program at the Cluff Lake Road (CLR) uranium project situated in northwestern Saskatchewan, scheduled for June 2023. The Company's geological team is set to receive the necessary permit by the end of May and aims to mobilize on-site by June.

The CLR property lies in a region with strong prospects for uranium deposits. Kiplin's summer program will include at least 8 line-kilometres of Induced Polarization (IP) resistivity geophysical surveying, running approximately in an east-west orientation. The program's objective is to generate fresh targets for subsequent drilling and to better delineate the uranium mineralization at the CLR project .

"We are excited to start our exploration program on the CLR uranium project," said Peter Born, Director of Kiplin . "The region has shown great potential for uranium deposits, and we believe that our summer program will identify new targets for follow-up drilling, adding value for our shareholders."

The Company's CLR property is surrounded by F3 Uranium Corp.'s prominent Paterson Lake North (PLN) project, which recently revealed the discovery of the JR high-grade uranium zone in November 2022. F3 announced intersections in drill hole PLN22-038, comprising 11.0 meters averaging 4.20 percent triuranium octoxide, including a 4.5-meter interval averaging 9.8 percent U3O8. This indicates the presence of the latest basement-hosted uranium deposit in Athabasca, akin to Fission Uranium Corp.'s Triple R uranium deposit.

Kiplin will conduct its exploration activities adhering to the highest environmental management standards and maintain close cooperation with local stakeholders, including indigenous communities. The Company will initiate dialogue and consultations with indigenous partners and stakeholders, continuing throughout the permitting, exploration, and closure stages.

The Company will provide updates on the scheduling of its permitting and work program as and when they are available. The Company advises that discoveries and observations on nearby properties do not necessarily imply the existence of similar mineralization or geological features on the Company's properties.

The Company will release updates regarding its permitting and work program schedules as information becomes available. Kiplin emphasizes that findings and observations on neighbouring properties do not necessarily indicate the presence of comparable mineralization or geological characteristics on the Company's properties.

Dr. Peter Born, PGeo, is the designated qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for and has approved the technical information contained in this release.

About Kiplin Metals Inc.

Kiplin Metals Inc. is a mineral exploration company that aims to generate value for its shareholders by identifying and pursuing highly prospective mineral exploration opportunities. Our strategy involves advancing projects from discovery to production through a vertically integrated approach, ensuring exceptional shareholder value is delivered across the entire mining process life-cycle.

Cluff Lake Road Uranium Project. Kiplin Metals has the right to earn a one-hundred percent interest in the Cluff Lake Road Uranium Project (the CLR Project). The CLR Project covers ~531 ha in the southwestern Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, where several new discoveries have been made, including the Arrow and Triple R Uranium deposits. The CLR Project is 5 km east of the Cluff Lake Road (Hwy 955), which leads to the historic Cluff Lake Mine, which historically produced approximately 62,000,000 lbs of yellowcake uranium.





For further information, contact the Company at info@kiplinmetals.com , or visit the Companys website at www.kiplinmetals.com .

On behalf of the Board,

Kiplin Metals Inc.

For further information, contact the Company at 604-622-1199.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peter Born

Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

Contact Data

CONTACT:

MRKT360 INC

https://mrkt360.com

Alex Zertuche

alexz@mrkt360.com

For E.S.T Office Hours, Call 1 416-477-0587

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7aefb29d-d090-4246-b59f-d3bc29e55a16
Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global makeup market size was valued at USD 39.58 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a valuation of USD 41.49 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 58.15 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period. Presently, beauty manufacturers, retailers, and innovators have been offering a holistic approach to grooming solutions. A rising number of concerns about skin problems has resulted in the increasing usage of beauty products. Shift towards organic products with the rising awareness of harmful chemical ingredients on ones health and the environment is projected to assist in the market development. Fortune Business Insights shares this information in its report titled Makeup Market, 2023-2030.

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List of Key Players Profiled in the Makeup Market Report:

Unilever Plc. (U.K.)

L'Oreal S.A. (France)

Avon Products, Inc. (U.K.)

Oriflame Cosmetics AG (Switzerland)

Revlon, Inc. (S.)

Coty Inc. (S.)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (U.S.)

The Procter & Gamble Company (S.)

Kao Corporation (Japan)

Shiseido Co. Ltd (Japan)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 4.9% 2030 Value Projection USD 58.15 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 39.58 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 213 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Product

By Application Area

By Distribution Channel

By Region Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa Makeup Market Growth Drivers Increasing Inclination Toward Personal Grooming to Favor Market Expansion Product Modernization in Terms of Cosmetic Items to Expand Product Demand

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Segmentation

Powder Segment To Dictate Due To Rising Popularity Of Powder Foundations

On the basis of product, the market is segmented into powder, gel, and lotion. Powder segment had the largest part as availability of face powder and powder foundation in powdered form. Rising popularity of powder foundations among young users who wants light coverage drives the market segmental growth.

Face segment to Govern Due to Increasing Usage of Products On Face

Based on application area, the market is categorized into lips, eyes, face, and nails. Face segment is anticipated to dominate the market as consumers generally apply creams and powders on the face compared to other body parts. Major companies have been developing sustainable face products that are safe for the environment.

Supermarkets & Hypermarkets To Lead Due To Wide Variety Of Products

On the basis of distribution channels, the market is categorized into supermarkets & hypermarkets, exclusive brand stores, online/e-commerce channels, and others. Supermarkets & hypermarkets to hold the majority part as these stores offer a variety of products to consumers and every individual has the liberty to validate the authenticity.

Based on geography, the market is studied in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

COVID-19 Impact:

Halt on Supply Chain Activities Affected Market Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted market growth as the prices for the export ingredients as the supply of raw materials were hampered. Due to lockdowns in some countries, import and export activities became difficult which affected the market expansion. Also, the pandemic also affected fashion and cosmetics sectors. Despite, the decrease in the demand for general beauty products, consumer preferences changed to organic and therapeutic formulations due to rising awareness of organic products.

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Report Coverage

The report provides a detailed analysis of the top segments and the latest trends in the market. It comprehensively discusses the driving and restraining factors and the impact of COVID-19 on the market. Additionally, it examines the regional developments and the strategies undertaken by the market's key players.

Drivers and Restraints

Inclination Towards Personal Grooming To Enhance the Market Growth

Inclination towards personal grooming is anticipated to drive makeup market growth. The trend of personal grooming is rising worldwide, with women at the center of the cosmetics industry. The emergence of the glamour industry is boosting the demand for makeup products that can alter the appearance of the young generation. Social media strongly influences this generation, with attractive product promotions showcasing newer trendsusing various brand promotions for brands such SA.AL & Co., Bulldog Skincare, House 99 range, and Chanel's BOY for men's skincare needs.

However, rising awareness about the chemical formulations of beauty products is expected to hamper the market growth.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific Lead The Market Owing To Rising Consumption Of Branded Beauty Products

Asia Pacific is expected to have largest part in the makeup market share due rising consumption of branded beauty products. Moreover, the need for cosmetic products among beauty professionals is projected to drive the demand for cosmetic products. The market reached the valuation of USD 18.73 billion in 2022.

North America is anticipated to have a considerable substantial growth in the forecast period due to high demand from countries such as U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Presence of various key market players have improved the supply chain management of the cosmetic products.

Europe has a moderate growth due to presence of various international cosmetic brands in countries such as France, the U.K., and others.

Competitive Landscape

Acquisition Strategies by Key Players to Advance Market Path

Beauty manufacturers have been acquiring different small-scale cosmetic brands to have maximum customer reach and builds brand identities. Such strategies help in the expansion of the product portfolio of the companies. In 2020, L'Oreal S.A. acquired THAYER'S which is a renowned brand for natural remedies. It will expand the company's product portfolio and add a rich skincare heritage to L'Oreal's Consumer Products Division, offering a wide range of high-quality items.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Overview of the Parent Market Industry SWOT Analysis Recent Industry Developments Qualitative Analysis (In Relation to COVID-19) Impact of COVID-19 on the Market Supply Chain Challenges Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Global Makeup Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Powder Gel Lotions Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application Area Lips Eyes Face Nails Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Distribution Channel Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Exclusive Brand Stores Online/ E-Commerce Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued...!

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Key Industry Development

April 2022- Health and Glow launched H&G Cosmetics, its brand of quality color cosmetics. The new brand offers a range of cruelty-free and vegan everyday makeup products.

Read Related Insights:

Sun Care Products Market to Reach USD 16.84 Billion by 2027 | Sun Care Products Industry Striking CAGR of 3.5%

Cosmetics Market Size to Reach $415.29 Billion by 2028 | Industry to Generate 5.0% CAGR during (2021-2028)

Perfume Market Size to Reach USD 43.2 Billion by 2028 | CAGR of 5.0%

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: ARK) (Arras or the Company) is pleased to provide a summary of the analysis completed from the Companys 2022 regional exploration field program.



Highlights of the Analytical Results from 2022 Exploration Field Program:

Over 16,000 soil samples were collected during the Arras summer field program and analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescent (pXRF) analyzer. The samples were taken from the Beskauga, Ekidos, Stepnoe, Elemes, Nogurbek, and Akkuduk license areas.

The pXRF results confirmed the presence of widespread mineralization in the targeted areas that were identified through Arras 2022 work program and historic Soviet-era geological reports.

The results show three potential copper porphyry targets, along with an epithermal gold and a very promising nickel target which will be followed up in 2023.

In addition to identifying geochemical anomalies, the pXRF analysis of the soils has also been instrumental in mapping out the geology and alteration of our licenses where outcrop is scarce.

It is important to note that due to the limitations of the pXRF technology, the results of the soil program can only be considered indicative of mineralization.



Tim Barry, CEO of Arras, commenting on the results from the 2022 regional field programs, stated, We are pleased to announce the summary results of our extensive 2022 soil sample program. The results have confirmed the presence of mineralization in areas that we initially identified as promising through Arras' geophysical surveys and by reviewing historical Soviet-era reports. Furthermore, the pXRF analysis has revealed additional areas of interest that we will prioritize for follow-up during this year's field program. We look forward to following up the prospects identified in 2023.

The Company is finalizing logistical planning for the 2023 field program which is now underway, and includes the three additional licenses that were secured earlier this year (Bozshakol South, Aimandai & Besshoky). Arras also continues to drill at the Beskauga license and is currently testing new target areas outside of the Beskauga main deposit identified from the Arras geophysical and KGK drilling program in 2021/2022.

Figure 1. Arras Minerals License Package in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan

Qualified Person: The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tim Barry, a Chartered Professional Geologist MAusIMM CP(Geo), and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim Barry"

Tim Barry, MAusIMM (CP(Geo))

Chief Executive Officer and Director

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

+1 604 687 5800

info@arrasminerals.com



Further information can be found on the Companys website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals

About Arras Minerals Corp.

Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group). The Companys shares are listed on the TSX-V under the trading symbol ARK.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources: This press release uses the terms measured resources, indicated resources, and inferred resources which are defined in, and required to be disclosed by, NI 43-101. The Company advises U.S. investors that these terms are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of measured, indicated and inferred resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that measured and indicated mineral resources will be converted into reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that estimates of inferred mineral resources exist, are economically minable, or will be upgraded into measured or indicated mineral resources. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies.

Disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, the information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies that are not subject NI 43-101.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding plans and expectations of the exploration program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras management. Words such as expects, anticipates, targets, goals, projects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, continues, may, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond managements control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption Risk Factors in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR on March 30, 2023 and in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 24, 2023 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/583f2b75-3e7f-45e1-85b0-e02a3bef090d
PUNE, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market" research report focus on overall information that can help to take decisions on current market situation.

Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market Report Contains 2023: -

Complete overview of the global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market

Top Country data and analysis for United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, etc. It also throws light on the progress of key regional Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Markets such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa

Description and analysis of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs market potential by type, Deep Dive, disruption, application capacity, end use industry

impact evaluation of most important drivers and restraints, and dynamics of the global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market and current trends in the enterprise

Personalized gifts have gained popularity in recent years. Customers can find options to customize items with names, initials, photos, or special messages, adding a personal touch to their purchases.

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Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market Segmentation: -

Brick-and-mortar retail and online retail form two key channels for the retail industry. A wide range of products is sold as gifts, novelty, and souvenirs in the global retail market. Based on the product offerings of the major global gift retail players, the products can be divided into five major segments: souvenirs and novelty items, seasonal decoration, greeting cards, giftware, and other products. The other products segment includes accessories, candles, ceramics/pottery, collectibles, gift books, gift packaging, jewelry, personal care, photo frames, plush products, stationery, and wall art.

Highlights

The global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs market was valued at US$ 94970 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 114260 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 2.6% during the forecast period 2023-2029. The influence of COVID-19 and the Netherlands-Ukraine War were considered while estimating market sizes.

The global gifts novelty and souvenirs market witnessed the highest demand from Europe, which emerged as the highest revenue contributor in the market. Factors such as the growing tourism industry in the region and the increasing demand for premium-priced and customized gifts in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany contributed to the growth of the market. The other key geographies analyzed were the Americas, APAC, and MEA.

Report Scope

This report aims to provide a comprehensive presentation of the global market for Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs, with both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to help readers develop business/growth strategies, assess the market competitive situation, analyze their position in the current marketplace, and make informed business decisions regarding Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs.

The Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs market size, estimations, and forecasts are provided in terms of sales volume (K Units) and revenue ($ millions), considering 2022 as the base year, with history and forecast data for the period from 2018 to 2029. This report segments the global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs market comprehensively. Regional market sizes, concerning products by type, by application and by players, are also provided.

For a more in-depth understanding of the market, the report provides profiles of the competitive landscape, key competitors, and their respective market ranks. The report also discusses technological trends and new product developments.

The report will help the Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs manufacturers, new entrants, and industry chain related companies in this market with information on the revenues, sales volume, and average price for the overall market and the sub-segments across the different segments, by company, by type, by application and by regions.

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researchers latest report provides a deep insight into the global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from a macro overview of the market to micro details of the market size, competitive landscape, development trend, niche market, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, Porters five forces analysis, value chain analysis, etc.

Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market segments help decision-makers direct the product, sales, and marketing strategies, and can power your product development cycles by informing how you make product offerings for different segments.

Segment by Type

Souvenirs and Novelty

Seasonal Decorations

Greeting Cards

Giftware

Others

Segment by Application

Online Retail

Offline Retail

Market segment by Region/Country including: -

North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain, etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, etc.)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.)

Middle East & Africa (South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc.)

Key Players in the Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market: -

American Greetings

Card Factory

Hallmark

Spencer Gifts

Alibaba Group

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Key Benefits of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market Research Report:

Types, applications, regions, and key players covered in the study

Industry drivers, restraints, and opportunities covered in the study

Recent industry trends and developments

Competitive landscape & strategies of key players

Historical, current, and projected market size, in terms of value

In-depth analysis of the Artificial Intelligence AI Chips Market

Sales, price, revenue, market share, and growth rate are covered in the report sales channels, distributors, traders, dealers, etc. are covered in the report

Core Chapters

Chapter 1: Introduces the report scope of the report, executive summary of different market segments (by region, product type, application, etc), including the market size of each market segment, future development potential, and so on. It offers a high-level view of the current state of the market and its likely evolution in the short to mid-term, and long term.

Chapter 2: Detailed analysis of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs manufacturers competitive landscape, price, sales and revenue market share, latest development plan, merger, and acquisition information, etc.

Chapter 3: Sales, revenue of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs in regional level and country level. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region and its main countries and introduces the market development, future development prospects, market space, and market size of each country in the world.

Chapter 4: Provides the analysis of various market segments by type, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different market segments.

Chapter 5: Provides the analysis of various market segments by application, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different downstream markets.

Chapter 6: Provides profiles of key players, introducing the basic situation of the key companies in the market in detail, including product sales, revenue, price, gross margin, product introduction, recent development, etc.

Chapter 7: Analysis of industrial chain, including the upstream and downstream of the industry.

Chapter 8: Introduces the market dynamics, latest developments of the market, the driving factors and restrictive factors of the market, the challenges and risks faced by manufacturers in the industry, and the analysis of relevant policies in the industry.

Chapter 9: The main points and conclusions of the report.

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1.To study and analyze the global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirsconsumption (value) by key regions/countries, product type and application

2.To understand the structure of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market by identifying its various sub segments.

3.Focuses on the key global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirsmanufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

4.To analyze the Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

5.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

6.To project the consumption of Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

7.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

8.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

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Client Focus

1. Does this report consider the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on the Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs market?



Yes. As the COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war are profoundly affecting the global supply chain relationship and raw material price system, we have definitely taken them into consideration throughout the research, and we elaborate at full length on the impact of the pandemic and the war on the Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs,Industry.



2. How do you determine the list of the key players included in the report?



With the aim of clearly revealing the competitive situation of the industry, we concretely analyze not only the leading enterprises that have a voice on a global scale, but also the regional small and medium-sized companies that play key roles and have plenty of potential growth.

Please find the key player list in Summary.



3. What are your main data sources?



Both Primary and Secondary data sources are being used while compiling the report.

Primary sources include extensive interviews of key opinion leaders and industry experts (such as experienced front-line staff, directors, CEOs, and marketing executives), downstream distributors, as well as end-users.



Secondary sources include the research of the annual and financial reports of the top companies, public files, new journals, etc. We also cooperate with some third-party databases.



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Yes. Customized requirements of multi-dimensional, deep-level and high-quality can help our customers precisely grasp market opportunities, effortlessly confront market challenges, properly formulate market strategies and act promptly, thus to win them sufficient time and space for market competition.

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Available in the App Store and Google Play, Thumzup Enables Virtually Everyone to Earn Cash Rewards for Posting on Social Media about the Brands They Love

Los Angeles, CA, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation ("Thumzup" or the "Company") (OTCQB: TZUP) is excited to announce that its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Steele, will be presenting at the Emerging Tech Venture Summit today, May 10, 2023. The conference states that there will be over 150 investors in attendance, who collectively manage over $280 billion in capital, to hear pitches from 190 innovative startups, including Thumzup.

The Thumzup mobile app, which is available for download in the App Store and Google Play, incentivizes virtually everyone to become social media advocates for the brands they enjoy by paying them cash for approved posts.

We look forward to presenting Thumzups unique and compelling story at the Emerging Tech Venture Summit, stated Robert Steele, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thumzup. Thumzup is a technology company with the ability to rapidly and simultaneously scale our advertiser base and our community of user generated content producers. We believe that we have many similar hallmarks as some of Silicon Valleys successful startups. With more than $3.5 million in investment capital raised since inception and our ad-tech gig economy cash paying platform already in use, we believe that this is a transformative time for Thumzup and look forward to telling our story.

Thumzup will be presenting on May 10, 2023 at 4:10pm PT as part of Round II  Tech in Grand Ballroom 220A at the San Jose Convention Center. For more information on the Emerging Tech Venture Summit, please visit https://youngstartup.com/events/etvs23/

About Thumzup

Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is democratizing the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through PayPal and other digital payment systems. Thumzup was recently profiled on CBS News Los Angeles.

Thumzup is a publicly traded company (OTCQB stock ticker: TZUP). For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact Info:

800-403-6150

investors@ThumzupMedia.com

Attachment
HIGHLIGHTS



The drill-ready Project is located approximately 10 km west of the currently producing Copper Mountain Mine, which hosts a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 702 Mt of 0.24% Copper.

Upon earning-in under the option, Collective will hold a majority interest in the second largest land package in the area, consisting of 29 mineral tenures totaling approximately 28,560 ha (70,570 acres) in a well-documented and prolific copper-gold porphyry belt.

Neighbouring peer Kodiak Copper Corp.s MPD property recently received a $10.5 million investment by Teck Resources Ltd.

Copper Mountain was recently acquired by Hudbay Minerals Inc., for CDN $439 million creating the 3 rd largest Copper producer in Canada.

largest Copper producer in Canada. The predominant feature of interest on the Project is a large, prominent, high intensity magnetic anomaly comparable to the magnetic anomaly spatially associated with the Copper Mountain Mine and associated intrusive complex.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COLLECTIVE METALS INC. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) (the Company or Collective), is pleased to announce it has signed an option agreement dated May 9, 2023 to acquire 70% of the Princeton Project (the Acquisition), a copper-gold project located in south-central BC covering 70,570 acres (the Project) from Tulmeen Resources Corporation (Tulmeen). The Project is approximately 10 km west of Copper Mountain Corporations (Copper Mountain) currently producing Copper Mountain Mine, which hosts a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 702 Mt of 0.24% Copper. The Project hosts potential for identification of one (or more) copper gold alkalic porphyry occurrences similar in age and deposit type to the Copper Mountain Mine.

The Project is easily accessible by road and is located immediately west of Highway 3 south of Princeton, BC, in a well-established mining district with excellent infrastructure, a local workforce and support services. British Columbia is known as a low-risk jurisdiction with high standards for environmental stewardship and community engagement.





Figure 1 - Collective Metals Princeton Project Regional Location

Christopher Huggins, Chief Executive Officer of Collective, commented, The Acquisition is a major milestone for Collective and gives the Company a drill ready, highly prospective copper project in a world-renowned region. The Company hopes to move quickly to drill high priority targets that have been previously identified from the extensive analysis done on the Project. We believe the Project holds many similarities to the nearby Copper Mountain Mine and has the potential to be developed into a world-class copper gold project.

Project Overview

The predominant feature of interest on the Project is a large, prominent, high intensity magnetic anomaly comparable to the magnetic anomaly spatially associated with the Copper Mountain Mine and associated intrusive complex. The previously identified Trojan and Nev MINFILE occurrences, together with the geophysically identified Condor Corridor, are located on the northwest margin of the high intensity magnetic anomaly. The Whipsaw Property and the Goldrop MINFILE occurrences, immediately adjacent to the Project and held by competitors, are located on the western and northern margins of the high intensity magnetic anomaly, respectively. Therefore, the high intensity magnetic anomaly will provide the dominant focus for exploration and evaluation of the Project.

The most advanced areas on the Project are as follows:

The Trojan - Condor Corridor, which is the highest priority drill target on the Project at this time, located on the northwest fringe of the high intensity magnetic anomaly along Whipsaw Creek.

Magnetite occurrences in the Fifteen Mile, and relatively extensive iron carbonate  silica  pyrite alteration identified in Fourteen Mile Creek drainages, spatially associated with the northwest margin of the high intensity magnetic anomaly.

The Lamont Ridge and Wilmac target areas, which are also spatially associated with smaller high intensity magnetic anomalies slightly farther to the northwest of the large, high intensity magnetic anomaly.



Based on previous work, the Project has documented potential for precious metals (gold and silver), platinum group elements (predominantly platinum and palladium), base metals (copper, molybdenum, lead and zinc), a variety of industrial minerals, including, but not limited to bentonite, clay, gypsum, pyrophyllite and zeolites) and gemstones (agate). With respect to precious and base metals, there is documented potential for a variety of deposit types defined by BC Deposit Models including, but not limited to Cu  Mo  Au Porphyry (L04), Subvolcanic Cu-Ag-Au (As-Sb) (L01), Cu Skarn (K01), Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn (G06) and Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au (I05).

Project Geology

The Project area is underlain by Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Nicola Group volcanic and subordinate sedimentary rocks, overlain on the eastern portion of the property by the Eocene age Princeton Group, a cover sequence that has preserved the underlying Nicola Group from erosion. The Nicola Group was subsequently intruded by Late Triassic  Early Jurassic age diorite intrusions, some of which have been correlated to the Copper Mountain Suite (associated with the Copper Mountain Mine) or the Tulameen Mafic  Ultramafic Complex to the west. Diorite intrusions represent the high priority targets for subsequent exploration and evaluation of the Project area as they are interpreted to potential hosts for porphyry-style alteration and, more importantly, mineralization in the region. Interpreted porphyry-style alteration was identified by previous operators from surface rock samples and sub-surface core samples. The limited drill program carried out on the Project in 2015 also identified weak copper mineralization, as chalcopyrite, also interpreted to indicate the presence of an alkalic copper-gold porphyry.

The Eocene Princeton Group is associated with a distinctly different style of mineralization which includes documented potential for industrial minerals and gemstones (agate). A secondary priority for 2023 is to evaluate volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) potential, specifically with respect to the Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn deposit model. A potential VMS exhalate horizon was tentatively identified in work completed by the BC Geological Survey Branch.





Figure 2 - Princeton Project Magnetic Anomaly Map

Terms of the Option Agreement

Collective has secured an option on the Project from Tulmeen to earn a seventy percent (70%) interest in the Project through a combination of cash payments, common share issuances and incurrence of exploration expenditures, as follows:

(a) paying Tulmeen an aggregate of $500,000 in cash as follows:

(i) $50,000 on or before the date that is ten (10) calendar days after May 9, 2023 (the Effective Date); (ii) $25,000 on or before: (A) the date that Collective consummates an equity investor financing providing not less than $200,000 in gross cash proceeds to Collective; or (B) December 1, 2023, whichever is earlier; (iii) $100,000 on or before the date that is one (1) calendar year after the Effective Date; (iv) $162,500 on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (v) $162,500 on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date;

(b) issuing to Tulmeen an aggregate of 7,000,000 common shares (Shares) as follows:

(i) 1,000,000 Shares on or before the date that is ten (10) calendar days after the Effective Date; (ii) 1,500,000 Shares on or before the date that is one (1) calendar year after the Effective Date; (iii) 2,000,000 Shares on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (iv) 2,500,000 Shares on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date; and

(c) incurring a minimum of $1,400,000 in exploration expenditures on the Project as follows:

(i) $300,000 on or before the date that is sixteen (16) months after the Effective Date, $85,000 of which must be incurred before June 30, 2023; (ii) $300,000 on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; (iii) $300,000 on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (iv) $500,000 on or before the date that is four (4) calendar years after the Effective Date.

Marketing Campaign

The Company announces an agreement with Hillside Consulting & Media Inc. (Hillside) (Address: 474 Main St, Penticton BC, Canada) (Phone: 250-485-3615; Email: hillsideconsultingmedia@gmail.com) for marketing services of up to 3 months, commencing May 9, 2023.

Hillside will utilize their online programs to generate a greater following, increase investor awareness and attract potential new investors through various online platforms and methods of engagement for total consideration of CDN$200,000. The activities will occur by email, online publications, social media and other PPC advertising techniques (the Services). As of the date hereof, to the Companys knowledge, Hillside (including its directors and officers) does not own any securities of the Company and has an arms length relationship with the Company. The Company will not issue any securities to Hillside as compensation for its marketing services.

Options Issuance

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 2,475,000 incentive stock options (Options) under the Companys stock option plan, each with an exercise price of CDN$0.15, to officers, directors and consultants of the Company. Each option, upon payment of the exercise price, entitles the holder thereof to receive one Share of the Company. The Options, and any Shares issued upon the exercise of, will be subject to a hold period of four months in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Correction Notice of Press Release dated March 24, 2023 - Announcing Closing of Non-Brokered Private Placement of Units (the Prior Release)

The second paragraph of the Prior Release is corrected to read as follows. For clarity, the Companys right to accelerate the expiry date of the warrants described therein will apply from closing of the Offering (defined in the Prior Release), instead of starting four-months and one day from closing (as previously indicated in the Prior Release):

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one whole common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.20 on or before March 23, 2025 (the Expiry Day). The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause such that, if the price at which the Shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange is greater than $0.30 for 10 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the Warrant expiry date by giving notice to the holder of the Warrants. In such case, the Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the date which is the earlier of: (i) the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company; and (ii) the Expiry Day.

Qualified Person

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Rick Walker, P. Geo., who is acting as the Companys Qualified Person for the Princeton Property project, in accordance with regulations under NI 43-101.

About Collective Metals:

Collective Metals Inc. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) is a resource exploration company specialized in precious metals exploration in North America. The Companys flagship property is the Princeton Project, located in south-central British Columbia, Canada, approximately 10 km west of the currently producing Copper Mountain Mine. The Princeton Project consists of 29 mineral tenures totaling approximately 28,560 ha (70,570 acres) in a well documented and prolific copper-gold porphyry belt and is easily accessible by road, located immediately west of Highway 3.

The Companys Landings Lake Lithium Project, which is located in northwestern Ontario where numerous lithium deposits have been delineated to host significant reserves of Li2O. The Landings Lake Lithium Project is located 53 km east of Ear Falls, Ontario and covers 3,146 hectares.

Collective Metals is also advancing the Uptown Gold Project 4 km outside of Yellowknife, adjacent to several high grade past producing mines. The Uptown Gold Property is a high-grade Archean lode gold prospect adjoining the Giant Mine in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The property consists of 4 claims covering over 2,000 hectares and borders the west side of the Giant Mine leases.

Social Media



On Behalf of Collective Metals Inc.

Christopher Huggins

Chief Executive Officer

T: 604-968-4844

E: chris@collectivemetalsinc.com

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, including with respect to future plans, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. 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, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, and dependence on key personnel. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements respecting: completion of the Acquisition; the Companys anticipated work program at the Project; and provision of the Services by Hillside. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, the continued availability of capital and financing, litigation, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d55b567d-5b41-49ff-9a7f-d7abef6e0940

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fdc28db2-3e54-444b-b121-58c51a6cc218
CALGARY, Alberta, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTC: TRCTF) (FRA: Z1K) (the Company or Traction) and Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSX.V: FMC; OTCQB: FDCFF) (Forum) are pleased to announce they have commenced an airborne magnetic, electromagnetic (EM) and radiometric survey on Forums 100%-owned Grease River Project, located along the north rim of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. The helicopter-borne survey will be conducted using a New Resolution Geophysics specially designed Xcite Time Domain Electromagnetic System. The 1,290 line-km survey will be conducted at a 100 metre line spacing over the entire Grease River claims totaling 10,528 hectares along the Grease River Shear Zone (Figure 1).



Traction entered into an option agreement with Forum whereby Traction is entitled to acquire a 51% interest in the Property by paying an aggregate of $250,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,625,000 common shares and funding an aggregate of $3 million in exploration expenditures on the Property by December 31, 2025. Forum is the Operator during this First Option Period. Traction has the further option to earn up to 100% interest in the project by making $1.7 million in cash payments, 5.5 million share payments and $6 million in exploration up until December 31, 2028. Forum would retain a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty and $8 million in milestone payments (see News Release dated February 7, 2023).

The Grease River Project

The Grease River Project is located within the north-central margin of the Athabasca Basin near the community of Fond du Lac. The Grease River Project consists of two separate claim blocks situated along the NE-trending Grease River Shear zone, a major intracontinental shear zone greater than 400 km long. The nearby Fond du Lac uranium deposit was previously discovered within the shear zone by Amok Ltd. (Amok) and Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. (Eldorado) in the 1970s and a historical resource estimate was included which was not prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), of one million pounds uranium at an average grade of 0.25% U3O8*. While the Company believes the historical estimate to be relevant and reliable, given the extensive exploration work completed by Amok / Eldorado, experienced mineral resource companies, and the quality of the historical work completed, a qualified person has not completed sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral. As such, the historical estimate should not be relied upon. The Company further notes that the Grease River Project claims are located along trend of the deposit to the southwest and northeast. Limited exploration has been conducted in the Grease River Project area.

*Homeniuk, L A, Clark, R. J., and Bonnar, R., Eldorado Nuclear Limited, CIM Bulletin May,1982. "Fond-du-Lac uranium deposit"





Figure 1. Location of the Grease River Project in northern Saskatchewan nearby the community of Fond-du-Lac. The southern claim block is in Athabasca Basin sandstone cover (yellow) and the northern block is in basement rocks (shown with background magnetics). Dashed line is the Grease River Shear Zone.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Rebecca Hunter, Ph.D, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTC: TRCTF) (FRA: Z1K) is in the business of mineral exploration and the development of discovery prospects in Canada, including its three uranium projects in the world-renowned Athabasca Region.

We invite you to find out more about our exploration-stage activities across Canadas Western region at www.tractionuranium.com .

About Forum Energy Metals

Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSX.V: FMC; OTCQB: FDCFF) is a diversified energy metal company with uranium, copper, nickel, and cobalt projects in Saskatchewan, Canadas Number One Rated mining province for exploration and development, a strategic uranium land position in Nunavut and a strategic cobalt land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt.

For further information: https://www.forumenergymetals.com/

On Behalf of The Board of Directors

Lester Esteban

Chief Executive Officer

+1 (604) 561 2687

info@tractionuranium.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the Company, the Survey and further exploration and development of the Grease River Project. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to risks that the Company will not complete the Survey as contemplated, or at all, risks that the Survey will not yield the anticipated information and data, risks that the Grease River Project will not be explored or developed as contemplated, or at all, as well as those risk identified and reported in the Companys public filings under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/982afb11-6046-4849-b72a-d0f361067cc1
Farmington, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Enterprise Resource Planning Market Was Valued At USD 45.82 billion In 2022 And Is Expected To Expand USD 90.63 billion By 2030 at a CAGR Of 9.1% From 2022 To 2030. Key factors driving the growth of this market include increasing digitization and automation requirements will drive market demand, growing need for enterprises to enhance operational efficiency and streamline business procedures to promote growth.

In order for a business to function effectively, it must ensure that its available resources are utilized efficiently. Digitization boosts business productivity because automated processes are more rapid and effective. Companies have adopted diverse business models on a global scale due to the necessity of transparency and operational efficiency in business processes.

Request Sample Copy of Report Enterprise Resource Planning Market Size, Share & Trends Estimation Report By Deployment Outlook ( Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid ) By Organization Size (SMEs, Large Enterprise) By Business Function ( Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Supply Chain Management, Customer Management, Inventory and Work Order Management, Others (Sourcing and Procurement, Work Order Management ) By End-User ( Manufacturing, BFSI, IT & Telecom, Retail and Consumer Goods, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Transportation & Logistics, Government, Others ) By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights.

Segmentation Overview:

Deployment Outlook:

Based on how it is utilized, the market is divided into cloud, on-premise, and hybrid segments.

Throughout the forecast period, the cloud segment will hold the largest market share. The cloud segment is anticipated to gain market share in the coming years due to its low infrastructure costs and compatibility with mobile and tablet devices. Cloud solutions enable businesses to store data on the internet and provide them with tools to retrieve lost or stolen data.

In addition, the hybrid segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest rate over the coming years. The hybrid deployment model is expanding as more Big Data becomes accessible via cloud computing, as more end users desire better experiences, and as major players invest in hybrid ERP solutions.

Business Function:

The market is segmented by business function into financial management, human capital management, supply chain management, customer management, inventory and work order management, and other categories.

The financial management segment captured the largest market share and is anticipated to maintain its dominance in the coming years. The segment focuses on the money management capabilities of the software. SAP SE's suite includes, among other things, features for financial management such as streamlined financial processes, planning, budgeting, and forecasting. Financial services companies must now rely solely on new, scalable systems to ensure compliance with government data, operations, and accountability regulations.

Inventory and work order management is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate over the next few years. Growing demand for enterprise resource planning tools to help prioritize and coordinate work orders in an accurate and efficient manner is the primary driver of growth. Using the interactive work order management function of an ERP application, businesses can track and manage both planned and emergency maintenance tasks across the entire organization.

Organization Size:

The market is divided between small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and large enterprises. The largest market share was captured by the segment of large businesses. Due to factors such as increased operational efficiency, lower production costs, and centralized data collection for wide distribution, large businesses are likely to purchase more of the product over the next few years. SYSPRO software, for instance, helps large businesses manage their global operations and numerous subsidiaries with customizable tools. In addition, many industries now use products because they must adhere to stringent government regulations. This has increased efficiency and simplified operations.

In addition, the segment of SMBs is anticipated to grow at the highest rate over the next five years. Cloud ERPs were created to assist SMBs in remaining competitive on the market by streamlining business processes and saving money. Also, growing SMBs require effective database management, a service that is anticipated to be in high demand.

End-User:

By end-user, the market is segmented as follows: manufacturing, BFSI, IT & telecom, retail & consumer goods, healthcare & life sciences, transportation & logistics, and others (aerospace & defense).

The healthcare segment is anticipated to grow at the highest rate and contribute the most to the global Enterprise Resource Planning software market share over the forecast period. Hospitals and healthcare organizations must be able to efficiently manage patient records. This is likely to increase the software industry's demand.

A substantial portion of the global market was also dominated by the manufacturing sector. The objective of these solutions for manufacturing companies is to improve all aspects of the manufacturing process, from sourcing and acquisition to development, storage, quality testing, and distribution, using advanced features and functions. Therefore, this type of production solution can increase production efficiency, reduce expenses, and increase sales and profits.

Regional Analysis:

The largest market share was held by North America, which contributed to the expansion of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software market in North America. This was due to the increasing need to digitally automate business functions, which drove the expansion of the ERP software market in North America. Organizations in the United States and Canada are implementing ERP solutions to enhance their business processes and streamline their operations. For instance, Loblaw Companies Limited, a Canadian leader in the food and pharmaceutical industries, utilized SAP solutions to enhance the performance of business functions. Additionally, key players in the region are investing in research and development (R&D) to develop new solutions. For instance, in December 2017, SYSPRO, a global provider of software for businesses, partnered with Shift Group, a Quebec-based company, to strengthen its presence in eastern Canada.

During the projected period, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to expand at a rapid rate. The majority of the region's growth is attributable to expanding industries, such as manufacturing, BFSI, transportation, and logistics. To meet the growing demand for ERP solutions in these vertical industries, a number of major regional vendors are emphasizing the development and deployment of advanced ERP solutions. Numerous small businesses in the region use cloud-based solutions to increase productivity and simplify operations. Aside from this, government regulations that support IT infrastructure are also likely to drive the growth of the market in this region.

The expansion of the European market is primarily attributable to rising technological advances and the expansion of domestic manufacturing businesses. According to the European Commission, 30% of SMEs and 80% of large businesses utilized enterprise resource planning tools in 2019. This expansion is also attributable to the fact that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in countries such as Germany, Italy, and France are adopting hosted enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to better manage their businesses.

The global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software market has been analyzed in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and India, among other regions. In the near future, the Global region will dominate this market.

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https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/buy/51783

Scope of Report:

Report Attributes Details Growth Rate CAGR of 9.1% from 2023 to 2030. Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 90.63 billion By Deployment Type On-premises

Cloud

Hybrid By Organization Size SMEs

Large enterprises By Business Function Financial Management

Human Capital Management

Supply Chain Management

Customer Management

Inventory and Work Order Management

Others (Sourcing and Procurement, Work Order Management) By End-User Manufacturing

BFSI

IT & Telecom

Retail and Consumer Goods

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Transportation & Logistics

Government

Others (Aerospace and Defence) By Companies Oracle

IBM

Microsoft

SAP

Infor

Sage

Netsuite

Totvs

Unit4

Syspro

Others. Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

Europe(Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

The Middle East & Africa(Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Latin America(Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Rest Of the World Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030

Market Dynamics:

 Integration difficulties with on-premises deployment models will impede ERP adoption

The incorporation of cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) services and solutions by businesses has progressed gradually. However, due to implementation costs and system complexity, businesses continue to struggle with integrating these solutions with their existing systems. For a successful implementation, existing legacy systems must be tightly integrated with the new cloud-based ERP. A few businesses continue to rely on systems based on obsolete technology due to a lack of resources. There are manual processes involved, resulting in a longer turnaround time and a high rate of error.

 Integration issues with on-premises deployment models will prevent widespread ERP adoption.

The prevalence of cloud-based enterprise resource planning solutions and services is growing. However, companies still struggle to integrate these solutions with their existing systems due to the implementation costs and system complexity. For the new cloud-based ERP to function effectively, it must be tightly integrated with the existing systems. Due to a lack of funds, some businesses continue to utilize systems based on obsolete technology. They require manual steps that take longer and increase the likelihood of errors.

Opportunity Analysis:

 Emerging Economies Will Offer Growth Opportunities

The market for enterprise resource planning (ERP) can benefit from the rapid commercialization and industrialization of emerging economies. Entrepreneurs in the twenty-first century are willing to spend more on technology systems that give them more time for important tasks and allow them to delegate some tasks to systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. If new or existing players can gain the confidence of new entrepreneurs and businesses in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, they may be able to earn more money in these regions.

Key Segments Covered:

Top Market Players:

Oracle

IBM

Microsoft

SAP

Infor

Sage

Netsuite

Totvs

Unit4

Syspro

Others

By Deployment:

Cloud

On-premise

Hybrid

By Organization Size:

SMEs

Large Enterprise

By Business Function:

Financial Management

Human Capital Management

Supply Chain Management

Customer Management

Inventory and Work Order Management

Others (Sourcing and Procurement, Work Order Management)

By End-User:

Manufacturing

BFSI

IT & Telecom

Retail and Consumer Goods

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Transportation & Logistics

Government

Others (Aerospace and Defence)

Regions and Countries Covered

North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

(US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

(Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

(Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

(Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

(Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World

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Environmental Monitoring Market - At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% between 2022 and 2030, the global environmental monitoring market is expected to expand from its 2022 level of USD 19.89 billion to a 2030 level of USD 43.48 billion.

- At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% between 2022 and 2030, the global environmental monitoring market is expected to expand from its 2022 level of USD 19.89 billion to a 2030 level of USD 43.48 billion. Revenue Cycle Management Market - By 2030, the global revenue cycle management market is expected to be worth USD 67.8 billion, up from an estimated USD 40.9 billion in 2022. This represents a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 10.6%.

- By 2030, the global revenue cycle management market is expected to be worth USD 67.8 billion, up from an estimated USD 40.9 billion in 2022. This represents a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 10.6%. Human Machine Interface Market - In 2022, the global human machine interface market was estimated at USD 4.9 billion; between 2023 and 2030, that number is expected to grow to USD 7.3 billion, or a CAGR of 10.8%.

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About Us:

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New York, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2022, the global medication management system market accounted for USD 2.5 billion and is expected to reach USD 7.4 billion in 2032. This market is estimated to register a CAGR of 11.7% between 2023 and 2032. The term "medication system market" refers to the administration, monitoring, and distribution of medications with the help of modern technology. These systems are designed to decrease medication errors, increase medication adherence and improve patient safety.

The market growth is driven by the continuing incidence of chronic disease, the aging population & the need to reduce healthcare expenditures. Market growth of medication management systems is also expected to continue in the becoming years. The market growth is driven by technological developments such as telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), and other innovations.





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Key Takeaway:

Based on software, in 2022, the medication management system market was dominated by the inventory management software segment.

in 2022, the medication management system market was dominated by the segment. Based on services, in 2022, the medication analytics segment dominated the largest market share.

in 2022, the segment dominated the largest market share. Based on the mode of delivery, in 2022 the cloud-based segment is the most lucrative in the medication management system market.

in 2022 the segment is the most lucrative in the medication management system market. Based on end-use, in 2022, the hospital's segment is dominated in the end-use segment of the medication management system market.

in 2022, the segment is dominated in the end-use segment of the medication management system market. In 2022, North America dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 49.6% .

dominated the market with the highest revenue share of . North America is expected to have the highest CAGR among all regions, owing to the adoption of AI for Medication Management Systems and differences in consumer mindsets.

Factors affecting the growth of the Medication Management System industry

There are several factors that can have an impact on the growth of the Medication Management System industry including:

Aging population: The demand for medication management systems is rising due to the world's aging population. People generally need more prescriptions as they get older, and a medication management system can help them better manage their pharmaceutical regimens.

The demand for medication management systems is rising due to the world's aging population. People generally need more prescriptions as they get older, and a medication management system can help them better manage their pharmaceutical regimens. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases: Globally, chronic illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are on the rise. Medication management systems are necessary since these illnesses frequently call for long-term medication maintenance.

Globally, chronic illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are on the rise. Medication management systems are necessary since these illnesses frequently call for long-term medication maintenance. Technological advancements: Technological improvements including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and mobile health are advantageous to the medication management system sector. These developments are simplifying medication management for patients and patient adherence monitoring for healthcare professionals.

Technological improvements including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and mobile health are advantageous to the medication management system sector. These developments are simplifying medication management for patients and patient adherence monitoring for healthcare professionals. Government initiatives: Governments are putting more of an emphasis on cutting costs and improving healthcare outcomes. By increasing drug adherence and lowering medication errors, medication management systems can aid in achieving these objectives.

Governments are putting more of an emphasis on cutting costs and improving healthcare outcomes. By increasing drug adherence and lowering medication errors, medication management systems can aid in achieving these objectives. Increasing healthcare costs: drug management systems can help cut expenses by increasing drug adherence and lowering medication mistakes. Healthcare prices are rising globally.

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Top Trends in Medication Management System Market

AI and machine learning technologies are increasingly being used in medication management systems in order to evaluate data and provide insights into medication use patterns, patient outcomes, and treatment efficacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of medication management systems and telehealth platforms to provide remote medication management and monitoring. To increase patient involvement and medication adherence, pharmaceutical management systems are being developed with patient-centered features such as patient education materials and medication adherence reminders. A key component of medication management is patient engagement.

Market Growth

The need for effective medication management systems to lower medication errors the rising prevalence of chronic diseases & the expanding need for remote patient monitoring are some of the factors contributing to the market growth. Additionally, as healthcare practitioners explore strategies to treat patients remotely & lower the risk of infection transmission the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for medication management systems. The market for medication management systems is anticipated to increase in the coming years as a result of the growing emphasis on personalized medicine and the rising adoption of electronic health records (EHRs).

Regional Analysis

North America is accounted as the most dominant market in the global medication management system market with a market share of 49.6%, during the forecasted period. North America has the largest market for medication management systems due to the expanding usage of healthcare IT solutions and the focus on patient safety. The United States is the region's biggest market and the source of the majority of the profits.

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Scope of Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) US$ 2.5 Billion Market Size (2032) US$ 7.4 Billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 11.7% North America Revenue Share 49.6% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

Long-term pharmaceutical management is required for chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The rising incidence of chronic diseases is driving the demand for medication management systems to enhance patient safety and reduce medication mistakes. The world's population is aging, and older people commonly have multiple chronic conditions that necessitate taking multiple medications. drug management initiatives are therefore essential for ensuring that seniors adhere to their recommended drug regimes. Medication errors and non-adherence are expensive for healthcare systems. Medication management systems can assist save healthcare costs by lowering medication errors, preventing hospitalizations, and improving patient outcomes.

Market Restraints

In healthcare settings with low resources, specifically, the cost of setting up and maintaining medication management systems may preclude their implementation. Medication management systems require a robust healthcare IT infrastructure, including electronic health records (EHRs) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. Drug management systems may not be widely used in many underdeveloped countries due to a lack of healthcare IT infrastructure. Systems for managing medications retain private patient data, including health information and prescription history. The security and privacy of this data must be ensured.

Market Opportunities

Medication management systems that integrate with EHRs are highly sought after in order to assist healthcare practitioners in managing prescription orders, administration, and paperwork more successfully. The increased incidence of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease is driving the demand for medication management systems that can help medical professionals manage complex prescription regimens and improve treatment outcomes. There is an increasing need for medication management systems as more elderly people develop various chronic conditions and are more likely to require complicated prescription regimens.

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Report Segmentation of the Medication Management System Market

Software Insight

With the greatest revenue share of 29.2% and a predicted CAGR of 11.2% during the forecast period. Inventory management software is anticipated to be the most profitable in the worldwide pharmaceutical management system market. Inventory management software, a crucial component of pharmaceutical management systems, makes a substantial contribution to waste reduction and medication safety. To ensure that pharmaceuticals are available when needed, healthcare professionals can monitor medication usage, keep an eye on medication expiration dates, and maintain the proper inventory levels in medication management systems.

Services Insight

The Medication Management System Market share is dominated by the medication analytics segment with a share of 51.2%. Medication analytics involves analyzing, gathering & interpreting information about the management and use of medications. This data can be used to identify trends and patterns to evaluate the efficiency of medication regimens and to improve patients outcomes. To decrease medication errors, increase drug adherence also to increase patient safety, and optimize prescription regimens medication analytics can be utilized in the market for medication management systems.

Mode of Delivery Insight

The Medication Management System Market, with the largest revenue share of 46.8% and a projected CAGR of 10.6% during the forecast period. Cloud-based distribution refers to a delivery technique in which software applications and services are hosted on remote servers and accessed through the Internet as opposed to being installed on a user's local device. The market for medication management systems is seeing an increase in popularity for cloud-based distribution because of its many benefits including cost-effectiveness, security, accessibility, cooperation, and scalability.

End-Use Insight

the hospitals are expected to be the most lucrative in the global medication management system market, with the largest revenue share of 52.6% and a projected CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period. Medication management systems let hospitals administer medications more precisely and effectively. Hospitals that use medication management systems benefit in a number of ways including, better communication increased productivity and patient safety, regulatory compliance, and lower costs.

Recent Developments of the Medication Management System Market

In 2020, Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG), a provider of data analytics and pharmacy consulting services, has been acquired by Omnicell, a top provider of prescription management solutions. The acquisition was made with the intention of enhancing Omnicell's analytical capabilities and growing its clientele.

Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG), a provider of data analytics and pharmacy consulting services, has been acquired by Omnicell, a top provider of prescription management solutions. The acquisition was made with the intention of enhancing Omnicell's analytical capabilities and growing its clientele. In 2020, BD announced the debut of BD HealthSight, a brand-new drug management platform. In order to increase pharmaceutical safety and lower medication errors, the platform combines the ordering, dispensing, and administration of medications into a single system.

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Market Segmentation

Based on Software

Computerized Physician Order

Clinical Decision Support System Solutions

Inventory Management Software

Administration Software Electronic Medication Administration Record Barcode Medication Administration

Decentralized Pharmacy-based ADS Ward-based ADS Automated Unit-Dose Dispensing

Automated Dispensing Systems

Centralized

Assurance System Software

Other Softwares

Based on Services

Medication Analytics

Point-of-Care Verification

ADE Surveillance

Based on Mode of Delivery

On-premises

Web-based

Cloud-based

Based on End-Use

Hospitals

Pharmacy

Other End-Uses

By Geography

North America

The US Canada Mexico



Western Europe

Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe



Eastern Europe

Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC



Latin America

Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America



Middle East & Africa

Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Competitive Landscape

The market for medication management systems is quite competitive with a number of significant firms & a large number of smaller businesses present. Becton, Dickinson and Company, Omnicell, McKesson Corporation, Allscripts & Cerner Corporation are a few of the prominent companies in the market for medication management systems. These companies provide a wide range of medication management record (eMAR) systems, medication dispensing systems, medication synchronization platforms, automated dispensing cabinets & other solutions.

Key Market Players:

Listed below are some of the most important Medication Management System industry players.

Becton Dickinson and Company

GE Healthcare

McKesson Corporation

QuadraMed Affinity Corporation

Omnicell, Inc.

Allscripts

Cerner Corporation

Other Key Players

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TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian companies are increasingly using social media to find new employees, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.



More than 1 in 3 companies (36%) say social media is one of the best ways to find job seekers, as social media has become an important way for employers and job seekers to find one another and connect.

Finding candidates isnt the only way companies are using social media. Two-thirds of Canadian companies (65%) say they use social media to screen job applicants and say its an effective screening method (64%). Of those employers who use social media to screen applicants, 41% report finding content on a job candidates social media that caused the hiring manager not to employ them.





Interestingly, job seekers appear concerned about how social media impacts their hiring prospects. A recent study of job seekers revealed that more than half (61%) feel a candidates social media profile(s) should not influence their likelihood of being hired.

It may be reassuring for job seekers to know that more than half of Canadian hiring managers (59%) report they have never found content on a social media site that caused them not to hire a candidate.

Social media is a great way for employers to connect with potential job seekers and stay top of mind, according to Shane DeCoste, an Express franchise owner in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In recent years companies have been deploying efforts to open new recruiting streams, said DeCoste. The vast majority of candidates are frequenting some form of social media and going where job seekers are is more effective than asking them to find your organization.

DeCoste says he has had success finding candidates on social media, and that LinkedIn and Facebook have so far been the most useful sites in that regard.

In one case, we hired a CFO for a local organization from a LinkedIn post that caught their attention and other times, we have found skilled trades workers from Facebook posts we have made, said DeCoste. Depending on the social media platform, there are a number of ways companies may use social media. The most common methods are either posting an update on their company page with a link to the company website or in some cases, the social media platform has a job posting function the company may use.

His advice to job seekers: Keep your social media profile clean and professional. If you wouldnt want to share it with your parents, grandparents, children or close friends, then you may want to refrain from posting it on social media.

Despite the potential pitfalls, a professional digital presence can aid employees careers if curated in the right way.

Since hiring managers say they are using social media to source candidates, make your profiles ones that highlight your expertise and experience to stand out from the competition, Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking your personal and private lives should be separate, but this survey shows employers might not feel the same way.

Survey Methodology

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 506 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

The omnibus survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Dec. 13-15, 2022, among 1,050 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

If you would like to arrange for an interview to discuss this topic, please contact Ana Curic at

(613) 858-2622 or email Ana@MapleLeafStrategies.com.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 579,000 people globally in 2022 and more than 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b69b63d-2645-4989-8dc6-b8ebcdb7fb24
New York, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2022, the Global Cathode Material Market was valued at USD 21.0 Billion and is expected to reach USD 50.4 Billion in 2032. This market is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 9.4% between 2023 and 2032.

Cathode materials are important elements in the composition of positive electrodes in battery cell manufacturing. The cathode materials include many elements like manganese, nickel, and cobalt. These cathode materials are used in manufacturing motors, transformers, and generators across various end-use industries. Various components in the electrical industry, like insulating materials, laminated cores, and wire windings, requires cathode material.

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Key Takeaway:

By Battery type, lead acid batteries lead the market with a major revenue share in the account.

lead acid batteries lead the market with a major revenue share in the account. By Material, lead dioxide dominates the segment.

lead dioxide dominates the segment. By End-use, the automotive sector mostly uses cathode material in batteries.

the automotive sector mostly uses cathode material in batteries. Asia Pacific held a major revenue share of 33.4% in 2022.

held a major revenue share of North America is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

The increasing demand for batteries in the industries is also increasing the demand for cathode material in the market. Moreover, the rising awareness among individuals for 0 emission vehicles like electric vehicles has significantly raised the demand for cathode material. With the increasing demand for electric vehicles from individuals across the world, the cathode market is expected to experience significant growth in the upcoming period.

Factors Affecting the Growth of the Cathode Material Market

Several factors can affect the growth of the cathode material market. Some of these factors include:

Rising Environmental Awareness: the increasing environmental awareness among individuals to adopt eco-friendly solutions is boosting the growth of the cathode material market. Individuals are highly adopting electric vehicles to avoid environmental damage and reduce pollution. This is boosting the growth of the cathode material market.

the increasing environmental awareness among individuals to adopt eco-friendly solutions is boosting the growth of the cathode material market. Individuals are highly adopting electric vehicles to avoid environmental damage and reduce pollution. This is boosting the growth of the cathode material market. Increasing Demand from Automotive Industry: with the rising demand for electric vehicles, the demand for cathode material has risen significantly in the automotive industry for its application in batteries. The high usage of cathode material in EV batteries has boosted the demand for cathode material in the automotive industry.

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Top Trends in Global Cathode Material Market

The rising awareness of the environment is positively affecting the cathode material market. The ongoing trend of eco-friendly products among individuals is boosting the growth of the cathode material market. Individuals across the world are highly inclined towards the adoption of eco-friendly products like electric vehicles. Industries are also opting for renewable energy storage. With the increased use of EVs and renewable energy storage, the demand for cathode material has risen significantly in the market. This is expected to boost the growth of the cathode material market over the forecast period.

Market Growth

The demand for cathode material has risen significantly in the automotive industry for its application in batteries. The high usage of cathode material in EV batteries has boosted the demand for cathode material in the automotive industry. Also, the increasing environmental awareness among individuals to adopt eco-friendly solutions is boosting the growth of the cathode material market. The governments of many countries across the world have introduced various schemes and subsidies to promote the use of renewable resources among individuals. This is boosting the growth of the cathode material market.

Regional Analysis

Asia Pacific region leads the cathode material market by accounting for a major revenue share of 33.4%. The growth of the Asia Pacific region is attributed to the presence of countries like Japan, China, India, Taiwan, and South Korea. The increasing demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems in these countries is boosting the growth of the Asia Pacific region in the global cathode material market. After Asia Pacific, North America covers the second biggest share in the global cathode material market. The presence of advanced infrastructure and increasing investments in the automotive sector are driving the growth of North America in the cathode material market.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the market has also been examined in this report. The cathode material market is fragmented into many companies offering the cathode material. The key companies in the market are adopting various strategies like mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations to expand their market share and strengthen their position in the market. Some of the major players include Umicore, Johnson Matthey, LG Chem, BASF SE, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd, Targray Technology International, NEI Corporation, Nichia Corporation, POSCO Chemical, Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd, and other key players.

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Scope of the Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 21.0 billion Market Size (2032) USD 50.4 billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 9.4% from 2023 to 2032 Asia Pacific Revenue Share 33.4% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

The adoption of renewable energy battery storage across various industries has positively affected the cathode material market. The advantages of renewable energy battery storage, like low carbon emission and low cost, attract enterprises to adopt renewable energy battery storage in their industries. These factors are driving the growth of the cathode material market. Moreover, the increased demand for various electric vehicles like HEVs, and PHEVs across the world are boosting the growth of the cathode material market. The depleting fossil fuel reserves have forced individuals to look for better options for the fuel in their vehicles. Therefore, the benefits of electric vehicles, like 0 emissions and better efficiency, are attracting customers to adopt electric vehicles. This has significantly boosted the demand for the cathode material in the market. With the increasing demand for renewable energy battery storage, the cathode materials market is anticipated to grow significantly in the upcoming period.

Market Restraints

The batteries like lithium-ion batteries and lead acid batteries are made up of different types of chemicals and compounds that are toxic to humans. These chemicals and compounds include various acids and heavy metals, which are harmful to human exposure. Therefore, the batteries require proper storage and transportation according to the provided guidelines; otherwise, they can be very dangerous for individuals. With the rising demand for cathode materials for their application in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, the safety concerns of batteries are also rising among individuals. These factors are hindering the growth of the global cathode material market.

Market Opportunities

Many countries' governments have introduced various schemes and subsidies to promote and support the growth of renewable resources. This is anticipated to create many opportunities in the cathode material market during the forecast period. Also, cathode materials are highly used in batteries across various industries. The depleting fossil fuel reserves and increasing awareness of renewable energy storage have significantly affected the cathode material market. All these factors are anticipated to create lucrative opportunities over the forecast period.

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Report Segmentation of the Cathode Material Market

Battery Type Insight

Lead acid batteries lead the battery type segment by accounting for a major revenue share in the market. The increasing use of lead acid-based batteries like lead oxide across various applications in the energy storage systems and automotive industry is driving the growth of lead acid batteries in the battery type segment of the cathode materials market. On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries are anticipated to grow significantly during the forecast period. The lithium-ion batteries like lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, and lithium manganese oxide are used in electric vehicles. This rising adoption of EVs in the last few years has boosted the growth of lithium-ion batteries in the market. It is also expected to continue the growth during the forecast period.

Material Insight

Lead dioxide dominates the material segment of the cathode material market. The growth of lead dioxide in the material segment is attributed to the high use of lead dioxide batteries in telecommunication, energy storage, and the automotive industry. In addition, the moderate discharge rate of lead dioxide, as compared to the other materials in the competition, is driving the growth of lead dioxide in the material segment of the cathode material market.

End-Use Insight

The automotive sector dominates the end-use segment by covering the major revenue share in the market. The growth of the automotive sector is due to the increased adoption of electric vehicles across the world in the last few years, which has boosted the automotive sector's growth in the end-use segment of the cathode material market. The cathode material is used in the manufacturing of many batteries, like lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. These batteries are highly used in electric vehicles for their better efficiency. Therefore, with the increasing use of these batteries in the automotive sector, the cathode material market is growing significantly.

For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/cathode-material-market/request-sample/

Market Segmentation

Based on Battery Capacity

Lithium-Ion

Lead Acid

Other Battery Types

Based on Material

Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO)

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)

Lead Dioxide

Oxyhydroxide

Graphite Cathode

Other Materials

Based on End-Use

Consumer Electronics

Automotive

Other End-Uses

Based on Geography

North America The US Canada Mexico

Western Europe Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC

Latin America Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Market Key Players:

BASF SE

Umicore

LG Chem

Johnson Matthey

Targray Technology International

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd

Nichia Corporation

NEI Corporation

POSCO Chemical

Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd

Other Key Players

Recent Development of the Cathode Material Market

In May 2022, Umicore launched its new R and D center for cathode materials in Cheonan, Korea. The aim of the R&D center is to focus on the development of advanced battery materials.

In April 2022, POSCO Chemical announced that they had started the construction of their new manufacturing plant, which has a capacity of producing 30,000 tons of high-purity nickel cathodes. This is expected to expand the customer base of the cathode material in the market.

Browse More Related Reports:

LFP Cathode Material Market was valued at USD 17.05 Bn in 2022 and is projected to increase significantly at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2022 to 2032.

Solid-State Car Battery Market is projected to reach a valuation of USD 36199.9 Mn by 2031 at a CAGR of 51.7%, from USD 560.9 Mn in 2021.



Lithium Ion Battery Market was valued at USD 59.8 billion in 2022 and it is expected to reach USD 307.8 billion in 2032. Between 2023 and 2032, this market is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 18.3%.

Lithium Market was valued at US$ 5.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow around USD 12.0 billion between 2023 and 2032, this market is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 8.9%.

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GRIMSBY, Ontario, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Andrew Peller Limited ADW.A/ADW.B (APL or the Company) announced today that Mr. Brendan Wall, Executive Vice-President Operations has resigned from the Company effective May 26, 2023. Mr. Wall has accepted the role of CEO with a national health and wellness food and beverage company. With this departure, the Company is pleased to announce that Craig McDonald, Vice-President, Winemaking and Integrated Supply Chain, has accepted the position of Executive Vice-President, Operations.



The Company also announced today that Mr. James Cole, Executive Vice-President, Business to Consumer is leaving the Company effective May 31, 2023. Patrick OBrien, Chief Commercial Officer, will assume the responsibilities of The Wine Shop while Jose Salgado, Executive Vice President, Corporate Planning and Development (VQA & DTC) will assume responsibilities for the Estate Wine Group.

We want to thank Brendan and Jim for their valuable contributions and wish them well in their future opportunities. We are excited for the leadership Craig will bring to Operations given his long tenure at APL and his strong industry knowledge and credentials. Additionally, Patrick and Joses leadership of The Wine Shop and the Estate Wine Group is a natural extension their current responsibilities, commented John Peller, President and Chief Executive Officer.

About Andrew Peller Limited

Andrew Peller Limited is one of Canadas leading producers and marketers of quality wines and craft spirits. The Companys awardwinning premium and ultrapremium Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) brands include Peller Estates, Trius, Thirty Bench, Wayne Gretzky, Sandhill, Red Rooster, Black Hills Estate, Tinhorn Creek, Gray Monk Estates, Raven Conspiracy and Conviction. Complementing these premium brands are a number of popularly priced varietal offerings, wine based liqueurs, craft ciders, beer and craft spirits. The Company owns and operates 101 wellpositioned independent retail locations in Ontario under The Wine Shop, Wine Country Vintners, and Wine Country Merchants store names. The Company also operates Andrew Peller Import Agency and The Small Winemakers Collection Inc., importers and marketing agents of premium wines from around the world. With a focus on serving the needs of all wine consumers, the Company produces and markets premium personal winemaking products through its whollyowned subsidiary, Global Vintners Inc. (GVI), the recognized leader in personal winemaking products. More information about the Company can be found at www.andrewpeller.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forwardlooking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the safe harbour provision of the Securities Act (Ontario) with respect to Andrew Peller Limited and its subsidiaries. These forwardlooking statements are subject to the risks and uncertainties discussed in the Risks and Uncertainties section and elsewhere in the Companys MD&A and other risks detailed from time to time in the publicly filed disclosure documents of Andrew Peller Limited which are available at www.sedar.com. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions which could cause actual results to differ materially from those conclusions, forecasts, or projections anticipated in these forwardlooking statements. The Companys forwardlooking statements are made only as of the date of this news release, and except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

For more information, please contact:

Paul Dubkowski, CFO and Executive Vice-President, IT

(905) 643-4131

Source: Andrew Peller Limited
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Power Nickel Inc. (OTCQB: PNPNF | TSXV: PNPN), based in Toronto, focused on high-potential nickel, copper, gold, and other battery metal prospects today announced that Terry Lynch, CEO, will present live at the Metals and Mining Hybrid Virtual Investor Conference, hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on May 11th, 2023.



DATE: May 11th

TIME: 3:00 PM ET

LINK: https://bit.ly/433RPaN

Available for 1x1 meetings: May 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th

This will be a live, interactive in-person and online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. If you would like to attend the conference in-person at OTC Markets New York office, please contact events@otcmarkets.com.

It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com .

About Power Nickel Inc.

Power Nickel is a Canadian junior exploration company focusing on high-potential nickel, copper, gold, and other battery metal prospects in Canada and Chile.

On February 1, 2021, Power Nickel (formerly 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.

Power Nickel announced on June 8th, 2021 that an agreement has 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 67 million ounces of gold, 569 million ounces of silver, and 27 billion pounds of copper. 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.

About Virtual Investor Conferences

Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

CONTACTS:

Virtual Investor Conferences

John M. Viglotti

SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access

OTC Markets Group

(212) 220-2221

johnv@otcmarkets.com




Visiongain has published a new report entitled Modified Starch 2023-2033. It includes profiles of Modified Starch and Forecasts Market Segment by (Market Value (US$ billion), Market Volume (Thousand Ton)) Market Segment by Function (Stabilizers, Thickeners, Other Functions) Market Segment by Type (Starch Esters & Ethers, Cationic, Pre-gelatinized, Other Type) Market Segment by Source (Corn Starch, Cassava Starch, Wheat Starch, Potato Starch, Other Sources) Market Segment by End-Use (Food & Beverage, Animal Feed, Paper and Board, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles, Other End-Use) plus COVID-19 Impact Analysis and Recovery Pattern Analysis (V-shaped, W-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped), Profiles of Leading Companies, Region and Country.

The global modified starch market was valued at US$12.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.3% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

The Market for Modified Starch Is Expected to Grow at a Significant Rate Over the Forecast Period

The market for modified starch is expected to grow at a significant rate over the forecast period, primarily driven by the growing demand for convenience foods. Convenience foods are foods that require minimal preparation time and effort, making them popular among busy consumers who have little time for cooking. Modified starch is commonly used in the production of convenience foods such as frozen meals, sauces, dressings, and soups, as it helps to maintain the texture and consistency of these products.

Another key driver of the market is the increasing awareness of the benefits of modified starch in various applications. For example, modified starch is used in the animal feed industry as a binder, which helps to improve the quality and consistency of the feed. It is also used in the papermaking industry to improve the strength and texture of paper products.

Recent developments in the market include the launch of new modified starch products with enhanced functional properties. For example, Ingredion, a leading player in the modified starch market, recently launched a new modified potato starch product that is designed to provide enhanced texture and stability in food applications. Another major player, Cargill, recently introduced a new line of modified tapioca starch products that are designed for use in gluten-free and clean-label applications.

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How has COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the Modified Starch Market?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the modified starch market, as it has affected the food and beverage industry as a whole. The pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and led to changes in consumer behaviour and demand.

One of the major impacts of the pandemic on the modified starch market has been the increase in demand for convenience foods. With lockdowns and restrictions in place in many countries, consumers have been spending more time at home and cooking less. This has led to a surge in demand for packaged and processed foods, including convenience foods such as ready meals and snacks, which use modified starch as a key ingredient. The demand for convenience foods has also been driven by the closure of restaurants and other foodservice outlets, leading consumers to rely more on pre-packaged food options.

Another impact of the pandemic has been the shift towards plant-based and healthier food options. Consumers have become more health-conscious and are seeking out foods that support their immune system and overall health. Modified starch is widely used in the production of plant-based and healthy foods, such as meat substitutes, dairy alternatives, and low-fat snacks. This has led to an increase in demand for modified starch in these sectors.

How will this Report Benefit you?

Visiongains 310-page report provides 123 tables and 196 charts/graphs. Our new study is suitable for anyone requiring commercial, in-depth analyses for the global modified starch market, along with detailed segment analysis in the market. Our new study will help you evaluate the overall global and regional market for Modified Starch. Get financial analysis of the overall market and different segments including type, source, end-use, and function and capture higher market share. We believe that there are strong opportunities in this fast-growing modified starch market. See how to use the existing and upcoming opportunities in this market to gain revenue benefits in the near future. Moreover, the report will help you to improve your strategic decision-making, allowing you to frame growth strategies, reinforce the analysis of other market players, and maximise the productivity of the company.

What are the Current Market Drivers?

Growing Demand for Convenience Foods

The growing demand for convenience foods is one of the key drivers of the modified starch market. Convenience foods are gaining popularity as consumers look for quick and easy meal solutions that fit their busy lifestyles. Modified starch is widely used as a thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying agent in the production of various convenience foods such as soups, sauces, and frozen meals. As a result, the demand for modified starch in the food and beverage industry is expected to continue to grow.

In recent news and developments, there has been a significant increase in the demand for convenience foods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With people spending more time at home and cooking less, the demand for packaged and processed foods has increased. This has led to an increase in demand for modified starch as manufacturers look to produce convenience foods with improved texture and stability.

Increasing Awareness of the Benefits of Modified Starch

Modified starch has gained popularity in recent years due to its functional properties, making it a preferred choice for a wide range of applications in various industries such as food, paper, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. Its versatility in applications such as thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying has made it a key ingredient in many food and non-food products.

One of the main benefits of modified starch is its ability to improve the texture, consistency, and stability of food products. It can also be used as a fat replacer in some products, helping to reduce the overall fat content while maintaining the desired texture and flavour. This makes it a valuable ingredient for food manufacturers who are looking to produce healthier products without compromising on taste.

In the pharmaceutical industry, modified starch is used as a binder and disintegrate in tablet formulations. Its use has been linked to improved bioavailability of certain drugs, resulting in better therapeutic outcomes for patients. Additionally, modified starch has shown potential in wound healing applications, with studies showing that it can help to accelerate the healing process.

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Where are the Market Opportunities?

Clean Label and Natural Products as a Market Opportunity

The demand for clean label and natural products is a significant market opportunity for the modified starch market in the US. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety and quality of the food they consume, and are seeking products that are made with natural and clean label ingredients. Modified starches that are derived from natural sources and meet clean label requirements are expected to gain significant market traction in the coming years.

Recent news and developments highlight the growing demand for natural and clean label modified starches. In 2022, Cargill, a key market player in the modified starch market, launched a new line of natural and clean label starches derived from corn and tapioca. The starches are designed to meet the growing demand for natural and clean label ingredients and can be used in a wide range of applications, including sauces, dressings, and soups.

Ingredion Incorporated, another major player in the modified starch market, has also launched a range of natural and clean label modified starches derived from corn and potato. The company's range of natural and clean label starches is designed to meet the growing demand for clean label and natural ingredients in the food and beverage industry.

Plant-Based Products Present a Significant Market Opportunity

Plant-based products present a significant market opportunity for the modified starch market. The demand for plant-based products, including meat alternatives, dairy alternatives, and plant-based beverages, has been steadily growing in recent years due to various factors such as health and environmental concerns. Modified starches can be used as a key ingredient in plant-based products as a stabilizer, thickener, and binder, providing texture and mouthfeel to these products.

Recent news and developments highlight the market opportunity presented by plant-based products for the modified starch market. For instance, in 2022, Ingredion Incorporated launched a range of plant-based meat alternatives, including burgers and sausages, using its proprietary modified starches. The modified starches provide the necessary texture and binding properties required for plant-based meat alternatives and have been well-received by consumers.

Competitive Landscape

The major players operating in the modified starch market are Agrana, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM), Cargill, Incorporated, Emsland Group, Grain Processing Corporation (GPC), Ingredion Incorporated, KMC (Kartoffelmelcentralen A.m.b.a), Qingdao CBH Co., Ltd, Roquette Freres, Royal Avebe U.A., Royal Ingredients Group BV, SMS Corporation, SPAC Starch Products, Tate & Lyle, Tereos S.A.. These major players operating in this market have adopted various strategies comprising M&A, investment in R&D, collaborations, partnerships, regional business expansion, and new product launch.

Recent Developments

24 Jan 2023, BASF and Cargill expanded cooperation to their existing feed enzymes development and distribution agreement. Together, the two companies are committed to bringing to market innovative enzyme-based solutions that provide distinct value to animal feed customers. The partners will form a joint innovation pipeline for animal protein producers by combining BASF's enzyme research and development strengths with Cargill's application know-how and broad market reach.

06 April 2022, Etenia ES, a new multifunctional texturizing potato solution for creamy dairy products, was launched by Royal Avebe. The product perfectly addresses the customer desire for dairy products that are clean label, delicious, and guilt-free.

To access the data contained in this document please email oliver.davison@visiongain.com

To find more Visiongain research reports on the Food and Drink sector, click on the following links:

Do you have any custom requirements we can help you with? Any need for a specific country, geo region, market segment or specific company information? Contact us today, we can discuss your needs and see how we can help: oliver.davison@visiongain.com

About Visiongain

Visiongain is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative independent market intelligence providers around, the company publishes hundreds of market research reports which it adds to its extensive portfolio each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis across 18 industries worldwide. The reports, which cover 10-year forecasts, are hundreds of pages long, with in-depth market analysis and valuable competitive intelligence data. Visiongain works across a range of vertical markets with a lot of synergies. These markets include automotive, aviation, chemicals, cyber, defence, energy, food & drink, materials, packaging, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors. Our customised and syndicated market research reports offer a bespoke piece of market intelligence customised to your very own business needs.

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New York, US, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Electric vehicle thermal management systems Market Research Report Information by System Vehicle Type Region, Technology, Component Type, and Application - Forecast Till 2030, the global Electric vehicle thermal management systems market research predicts that the market is likely to bolster substantially during the review era from 2022 to 2032 at a substantial growth rate of around 9%.

Electric vehicle thermal management systems Market Overview:

The electric vehicle thermal management systems supported by batteries are crucial because they impact the vehicles' robustness, reliability, and performance. Electric vehicles require optimum temperatures to operate efficiently. Temperature maintenance plays a vital part in the proper functioning of the battery pack, the motor in the electric vehicle, and power electronic systems. The battery charge, capacity, and health are maintained at an optimum temperature. The vehicle components exhibit their best working profile under optimum temperature conditions. During charging or driving, electric vehicles tend to heat rapidly, which might cause device failure. The global electric vehicle thermal management system market has demonstrated massive development in recent times owing to the factors such as stringent regulations on emissions, efficient consumption of fuel, technological advances, and increasing demand for electric cars. On the contrary, high capital investment may restrict the market's growth.

Competitive Analysis

The listing of the prominent leaders across the global electric vehicle thermal management system market includes players such as:

Robert Bosch GmbH

Gentherm

Dana Limited

Valeo

BorgWarner Inc.

MAHLE GmbH

VOSS Automotive GmbH

Denso

Modine Manufacturing Company

Hanon Systems

Among others.



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Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The global Electric vehicle thermal management systems industry has lately demonstrated immense development. The parameters causing a surge in the performance of the market include the ever-growing quantity of electrical and electronic components, the growing requirement for greater ride quality & heat insulation for cabin comfort, and the growing use of lithium-ion batteries.

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. Furthermore, factors such as design complexity, lowering power requirements, creating the best flow channels, and government laws are also projected to restrict the market's development.

Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Market COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on several industry areas worldwide. The Electric vehicle thermal management systems 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.

Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Market Size 2032 2032: Significant Value CAGR during 2023-2032 9% CAGR Base Year 2021 Forecast 2023-2032 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered System, Component, Technology, Application, and Vehicle Type Key Market Opportunities Increasing penetration of electric vehicles Key Market Drivers The growing use of lithium-ion batteries





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Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Market Segment Analysis

Among all the systems, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) category secured the top spot across the global electric vehicle thermal management system market in 2021. The air cooling and heating system is straightforward and mainly utilized by inexpensive electric vehicles. Moreover, liquid coolants work well and have greater heat conductivity and capacity than air. On the other hand, the powertrain cooling segment will likely showcase a maximum growth rate over the assessment era, given the rising fuel efficiency.

Among all the component types, the motor batteries segment ensured the leading position across the global market, given the end consumers' choice for zero-emission hybrid and electric vehicles, which has risen owing to conventional cars' negative environmental consequences, declining crude oil reserves, and lowering battery prices. On the other hand, the cabin area is likely to showcase maximum growth over the assessment era owing to the growing need for comfortable seating arrangements.

Among all the technologies, the reduced HVAC system loading category secured the top spot across the global electric vehicle thermal management system market in 2021, given the downsizing of modern HVAC systems, which increases equipment longevity, lowers carbon emissions, and saves energy.

Among all the applications, the air conditioning category ensured the leading position across the global market. The car's compressor allows the air conditioning system to function well, allowing an unhindered cooling process within the vehicle.

Among all the vehicle types, the hybrid electric vehicle category is anticipated to lead the global market over the coming years due to factors such as use in areas with inadequate charging infrastructure.



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Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Industry Regional Analysis

The global electric vehicle thermal management system market 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 Electric vehicle thermal management systems industry in 2021. The main parameter supporting the development of the regional market is the presence of an automotive center. Furthermore, the growing annual production of vehicles is also considered one of the main parameters enhancing the regional market's performance. Moreover, factors such as rising standard of life, rising disposable income, and growing urbanization are also likely to positively impact the growth of the regional market over the coming years.



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The European regional electric vehicle thermal management system market is anticipated to showcase the maximum CAGR over the assessment period. The main parameter supporting the development of the regional market is the escalating demand for electric cars in nations like the Netherlands and Norway. The region has Germany as the leading growth contributor. The rapid growth in sales of all types of vehicles coupled with a greater acceptance rate of technologically upgraded automobiles is considered to be the vital parameters enhancing the performance of the Electric vehicle thermal management system market across the country.

Related Reports:

Automotive Battery Thermal Management Market Research Report Information By Technology Propulsion, Vehicle Type And By Region - Forecast Till 2030

Automotive Thermal Management System Market Research Report Information By Component, By Vehicle Type, By Application And By Region  Market Forecast Till 2030

Thermal Management Market Research Report Information By Material, By End-User, And By Region  Market 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 regarding 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.
LONDON, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sushi Daily, Europes biggest fresh sushi kiosk brand, is launching a limited-edition book titled, The Little Book of Sushi.



This comes as new research reveals that over a third (39%) of people are hesitant to try new foods if they are unsure of what it is, and over one in 10 (11%) will pass on trying a new dish if they dont know what it looks like.

People are particularly unversed in Asian cuisines, especially Japanese delicacies like sushi. Food dishes such as Maki (48%), Nigiri (47%) and Temaki (43%) are dishes people avoid simply due to their lack of knowledge, alongside other popular foods from Vietnamese culture like Banh mi (47%) and Pho (37%).

Theres also the fear of embarrassment when ordering, with almost one in 10 (8%) of people researching foods before heading out to get to grips with the cuisine and restaurant of choice beforehand. A quarter (23%) of people also reveal that to help them face their fears, having an easy guide to understanding the food is something that would make them try something new.

To help people feel less confused and hesitant when faced with new foods, Sushi Daily has produced a vibrant coffee table book, The Little Book of Sushi. Through bright illustrations and easy to read descriptions of popular sushi products, it teaches people all they need to know about sushi when wining and dining their dates or eating with friends.

Talking about the research and The Little Book of Sushi, Romy Miller, Global Brand Director of Sushi Daily, said: At Sushi Daily we are on a mission to make sushi accessible to everyone. This research shows that people often shy away from enjoying food that they love, in particular Asian food, because they dont know what its called.

We wrote The Little Book of Sushi, an educational and fun guide to help people feel at ease with Japanese cuisine.

The Little Book of Sushi launched as a limited-edition hard-copy book and a PDF version is available to download in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish for free via https://sushidaily.com/.
Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Flooring Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report 2023 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global flooring market size is expected to reach USD 398.27 billion by 2030. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023 to 2030

This growth can be attributed to rising construction activities like the construction of new hospitals, residential spaces, office spaces, malls, and hotels to cater to the demand of the growing global population.



The global flooring industry is growing owing to fast-paced economical and industrial development along with the growing population. In addition, the growing service sector and development of industrial clusters in emerging economies such as India are further expected to bolster the demand for flooring materials in commercial and industrial applications. Moreover, the robust industrialization and urbanization in the developing countries in the Asia Pacific and Africa have resulted in high pace construction activities, triggering the growth of the flooring market.



The construction industry in the Asia Pacific is forecasted to grow on account of the increasing per capita income, rapid urbanization, and expanding population. The expansion of residential, commercial, and industrial sectors on account of sustainable economic growth in the region is expected to boost construction activities, thereby, driving the flooring market over the forecast period.



The rising awareness regarding the use of eco-friendly building materials is estimated to propel the green retrofit or renovation activities of existing constructions in developed economies from North America and Europe. In addition, the increasing adoption of recyclable and reusable technologies by major players is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period.



Flooring products are used in numerous commercial building applications including offices, convenience stores, shopping malls, and the construction of other retail stores. The increasing construction of commercial buildings, such as drugstores, grocery, and big-box stores, over the past few years, is expected to benefit the segment growth over the forecasted period. Moreover, robust demand for office spaces, especially in urban areas of emerging economies, is also propelling demand for high-quality products in the flooring market.



The growing demand for luxury housing in European countries is one of the key drivers for the flooring market. Nearly all mid-sized and large cities such as Lisbon, Porto, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Milan, and Madrid are witnessing an increase in luxury real estate investment.

Furthermore, the renovation of dwellings in Europe is anticipated to create numerous opportunities for flooring vendors. Also. The booming hospitality industry in the European region is also contributing to the development of hotels, resorts, and restaurant chains which further contributes to the growth of the global flooring market. Moreover, the refurbishment and redevelopment activities in the European countries are expected to drive the market in the coming years.



Flooring Market Report Highlights

The vitrified (porcelain) accounted for 27.7% of the total revenue of the flooring market in 2022. The market is estimated to reach USD 109.20 billion by 2030. This growth is attributed to the durable properties of porcelain, due to which it is highly preferred in residential and commercial structures.

The residential application segment accounted for 49.4% of the revenue share in 2022. This is owing to the rising population in developing countries and increased spending on residential buildings in developed countries.

The commercial application segment was estimated at USD 114.49 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period. This growth is attributable to growing commercialization and urbanization in developing regions in the Asia Pacific region.

The Asia Pacific region dominated the flooring market in 2022 with a revenue share of 45.5% and this trend is expected to continue over the coming years. The rising population in growing economies such as India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Indonesia is propelling the demand for flooring in the market.

The North American region contributed about 13.7% of the total revenue share in 2022. The flooring industry in North America is expected to witness significant growth over the coming years on account of the increasing construction of residential and commercial buildings in the region.

Company Profiles

Mohawk Industries, Inc.

Tarkett, S.A.

AFI Licensing

Burke Flooring Products, Inc.

Forbo Flooring

Shaw Industries, Inc.

Interface, Inc.

Gerflor

Mannington Mills, Inc.

Polyflor

RAK Ceramics

Crossville Inc.

Atlas Concorde S.P.A.

Porcelanosa Group

Kajaria Ceramics Limited

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 108 Forecast Period 2022 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $266.48 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $398.27 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.2% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Snapshot

2.2. Segmental Insights



Chapter 3. Flooring Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1. Market Lineage Outlook

3.2. Industry Value Chain Analysis

3.2.1. Raw Material Trends

3.2.2. Manufacturing Trends

3.2.3. Sales Channel Analysis

3.3. Technology Overview

3.4. Regulatory Framework

3.5. Market Dynamics

3.5.1. Market Driver Analysis

3.5.2. Market Restraint Analysis

3.5.3. Industry Challenges

3.6. Business Environment Analysis: Flooring Market

3.6.1. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.6.2. PESTEL Analysis by SWOT

3.7. Market Disruption Analysis



Chapter 4. Flooring Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1. Key Takeaways

4.2. Product Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030

4.3. Market size & forecasts and trend analysis, 2018 to 2030

4.3.1. Ceramic Tiles

4.3.2. Vitrified (Porcelain) Tiles

4.3.3. Carpet

4.3.4. Vinyl

4.3.5. Luxury Vinyl Tiles

4.3.6. Linoleum & Rubber

4.3.7. Wood & Laminate

4.3.8. Natural Stone

4.3.9. Other Flooring Materials



Chapter 5. Flooring Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Key Takeaways

5.2. Application Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030

5.3. Market size & forecasts and trend analysis, 2018 to 2030 for the following:

5.3.1. Residential

5.3.2. Commercial

5.3.3. Industrial



Chapter 6. Flooring Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. Key Takeaways

6.2. Region Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030



Chapter 7. Competitive Analysis

7.1. Key Players, their Recent Developments, and Their Impact on the Industry

7.2. Key Company/Competition Categorization

7.3. Company Market Position Analysis

7.4. Company Heat Map Analysis

7.5. Company Market Share Analysis, 2022

7.6. Strategy Mapping

7.7. Company Listing

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hrmw9k

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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DALLAS, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Space Auto, the new integrated software and marketing solution for car dealerships, announces the launch of the first-ever centralized CRM technology for retail automotive that tracks the entire customer journey from first click to close, and uses AI-generated responses to create personalized interactions for car shoppers.



The AI Responses feature is a completely new innovation for automotive retail, leveraging learnings from GPT-4. It empowers dealerships with instantaneous, data-backed suggestions that are based on the entire customer conversation and other data points within the Space Auto CRM, including inventory, digital retailing, deal activity, and consumer website-browsing data.

This cutting-edge feature allows salespeople to easily select AI-suggested text or email messages, giving shoppers the information they want and supporting the dealership with quick, accurate, and powerful responses. Dealers have the ability to adjust the tone of the messages to match their voice and business goals. Additionally, the feature offers language translations and grammar checks.

It takes time and effort for sales to respond to customers. We know that some dealership leads never even get a reply, said Taylor Bartholomew, Chief Product Officer at Space Auto. AI Responses save dealerships time and money. Managers can relax knowing their team has the resources they need to send accurate communications to customers and provide the ideal experience every time.

Space Auto's new, fully integrated CRM software for car dealerships uses AI Responses to give car shoppers helpful, personalized interactions.

The AI Responses tool is just one feature in the new Space Auto CRM. The CRM allows dealership salespeople to monitor every customer interaction and generate deals digitally on desktop, on mobile, and in the Space Auto App  the only retail automotive app with full-feature functionality within the app itself.

With the new Space Auto CRM, a dealer can now work a deal from anywhere  even on the sales lot or at home  and access everything they need to close, said Nick Askew, Space Auto Founder & CEO. The Space Auto CRM improves the process of buying a car by offering a delightfully connected experience for both the customers and the dealerships.

In addition to the ground-breaking AI Responses feature, the new Space Auto CRM gives an auto dealership the ability to:



Deliver a seamless digital retailing experience from anywhere: Whether customers are shopping for a car at the dealership or buying digitally, the Space Auto CRM has a built-in digital retailing portal that provides a one-to-one connection to the data in the dealers CRM. The portal can be accessed by car buyers on any browser, at home, at work or on the go, making it possible for shoppers to conveniently request instant trade values, send important documents such as a drivers license or proof of insurance, and submit credit applications, from their desktop or mobile device. Plus, there are added integrations with technology partners, such as DealerTrack, to increase connectivity.



Whether customers are shopping for a car at the dealership or buying digitally, the Space Auto CRM has a built-in digital retailing portal that provides a one-to-one connection to the data in the dealers CRM. The portal can be accessed by car buyers on any browser, at home, at work or on the go, making it possible for shoppers to conveniently request instant trade values, send important documents such as a drivers license or proof of insurance, and submit credit applications, from their desktop or mobile device. Plus, there are added integrations with technology partners, such as DealerTrack, to increase connectivity. Gain deeper, actionable customer insights: The Space Auto CRM integrates directly with the dealer website and retailing experience, providing robust information about each customer lead, including details such as their marketing channel and ad campaign origination, website behavior, and deal information. Metrics and dashboards can be analyzed at a dealership level as well as via an individual customer view.

The Space Auto CRM integrates directly with the dealer website and retailing experience, providing robust information about each customer lead, including details such as their marketing channel and ad campaign origination, website behavior, and deal information. Metrics and dashboards can be analyzed at a dealership level as well as via an individual customer view. Capitalize on centralized data: To allow dealerships to maximize data throughout the buying process, the Space Auto CRM combines website sessions, communications, deals, appointments and more into one centralized, easy-to-use activity feed. The CRM experience catalogs the entire customer journey chronologically from lead generation to close, in a text message-like view, including all communications and deals.



Watch a demo of the new Space Auto CRM, hosted by Askew. To learn more about the Space Auto CRM technology, visit www.space.auto .

About Space Auto

Space Auto is on a mission to reimagine the car buying journey by streamlining automotive retail tech and elevating the customer experience. From first click to close, Space Auto gives auto dealerships the tools they need to connect with customers, drive sales, and grow business  all in one space. The company offers Software (Website, Retailing, CRM) and Digital Marketing to both independent and OEM dealerships, including BMW, Nissan, Kia, Honda, GMC, Hyundai, and many others. Learn more at www.space.auto , watch an explainer video , and follow Space Auto on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook .

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8d28652-f90a-4abb-8458-545884d5d4b4

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5c9c2e6b-5a76-4a5f-a4e4-0d6543b95878
Novi, MI, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Learning Care Group, Inc. is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2023 US Best Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte* Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams.

The 2023 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic culture, as well as strong financials. Designees propelled their businesses forward and remained true to their purpose and values by investing in their people, creating advantage through digital transformation, taking measurable action on sustainability, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Learning Care Group is honored to be recognized as a US Best Managed Company for the fourth consecutive year, said Mark Bierley, CEO, Learning Care Group. As a family of brands that spans over 1075 schools across the US, this achievement can only be attributed to our tremendous team of employees, from the classroom to our support central offices, who work, day in and day out, to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment and inspire a lifelong love of learning for all of the children in our care.

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture and governance/financial performance. They join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 46 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

About Learning Care Group, Inc.

Learning Care Group is a leader in early childhood education, with more than 50 years of experience in inspiring children to love learning. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., the company is the second-largest for-profit early education and care provider in North America. Learning Care Group provides early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years through 11 unique brands: AppleTree & Gilden Woods, Childtime Learning Centers, The Childrens Courtyard, Creative Kids Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited, Pathways Learning Academy, Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, U-GRO Learning Centres and Young School. It operates more than 1,075 schools across 39 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, and has a capacity to serve more than 156,000 children. Learning Care Group supports child development for infants to school-agers through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, and fun school environment. It empowers children to be ready for school, instills a lifelong love of learning, and provides a foundation for the future. Learning Care Group also offers early education and childcare programs for organizations, including at on-site locations, as well as corporate partnerships and backup care programs in its community-based schools. In addition to serving families in communities nationwide, LCG offers custom benefit solutions designed to meet the needs of any organization and workforce through its corporate funded childcare, back-up-care, open access and on-site child care options. Whether serving Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities, government agencies, or others, LCGs employer-sponsored childcare benefits offer attractive options to suit the needs of America's employees. For more information, please visit www.learningcaregroup.com.

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BOCA RATON, Fla., May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two strangers, who are now deeply connected through a lifesaving blood stem cell transplant, met for the first time at Gift of Life Marrow Registrys One Huge Night Los Angeles Gala, held at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on May 4, 2023. The pair was introduced onstage by comedian and actor Elon Gold.



Anahita Yazdgerdi, 39, of Lombard, Ill., was battling acute myeloid leukemia (AML) until receiving her transplant in 2021 from Rachel Barron, 22, of San Diego, Calif. Barron joined Gift of Lifes registry while on her Birthright Israel trip in 2018.

I was excited and emotional when I got the news I was a match, said Barron. I knew I would go through with the donation to help save my recipients life. I knew what I had to do as soon as I got the call.

Yazdgerdi, while frightened by the diagnosis, remained hopeful. She was astonished that a donor was found only a week into the search of the registry.

I am so appreciative I cannot find the words, said Yazdgerdi. It is very emotional  I was reborn. I cannot thank her enough, and am thankful for the technology that makes it possible for a total stranger to give me this gift.

Due to U.S. medical privacy laws, donors and recipients must wait at least one year before learning the identity of their matches.

Also honored at the gala were longtime supporters and advocates Lia Mantel Krief (Community Impact Award) and Art of Tea Founder Steve Schwartz (Corporate Partner Award). In addition, blood stem cell donor and volunteer Evan Dolgow was presented with the Steven Bochco Award. The organization partners annually with the family of famed television director Steven Bochco, who passed away in 2018 after a battle with leukemia, to honor a Gift of Life volunteer, donor or recipient who exemplifies the qualities Bochco was best known for: vision, innovation and storytelling.

Since its start in 1991, Gift of Life has grown to more than 438,000 individuals who have volunteered to donate blood stem cells or bone marrow to save a life. To date, the organization has facilitated over 26,000 matches for those with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell, and more than 70 other diseases, resulting in more than 4,550 transplants.

About Gift of Life Marrow Registry

Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. The registry houses its own state-of-the-art stem cell collection center, biobank, and laboratory. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org

Media contact: Amy Glanzman, Gift of Life Marrow Registry

Office: (561) 982-2900; aglanzman@giftoflife.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bd5941ed-09d4-42cc-b7c1-1de35c7d4568
Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Revenue Recognition Accounting Update (ASC 606)" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Get your annual revenue recognition update here! The new Revenue Recognition Standard made a significant impact on the way most companies recognize revenues. Best practices continue to evolve and there are a number of areas where companies are still searching for answers.

This conference assumes you are already familiar with the five-step model. It will address the latest developments in key areas, significant changes, scope, disclosure and impacts. There will be plenty of examples and a detailed case study.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Review the latest changes in key areas

Understand the big picture concepts from an SEC perspective

See where your counterparts are getting stuck

Agenda:

Agenda: DAY 1

8:45 - 10:55 Revenue Recognition: Past Issues and Emerging Trends

Where people are getting stuck within the five-step model

Price concessions

Modifying contracts

Customer options and material rights

Performance obligations - software industry considerations

Significant financing component

Principal-versus-agent considerations

Contract costs

Onerous performance obligations/contracts

10:55 - 11:10 Break

11:10 - 12:30 Cases and Examples

Areas of significant complexity and judgement

Top causes of restatements

Operational and business model changes

Interaction with other guidance

12:30 - 1:00 Lunch Break

1:00 - 2:15 Industry Panel Discussion

The format of this session will be interactive and led by a moderator. Three industry panelists will briefly introduce their companies and discuss their revenue recognition hot topics. Questions will follow from the moderator and attendees.

2:15 - 2:25 Break

2:25 - 3:40 SEC & Revenue Recognition Perspectives

SEC Comment Letter Trends and Themes

Accounting for usage-based fees

Acquired Contract Assets/Liabilities from Business Combinations

3:40 - 3:45 Break

3:45 - 4:45 Revenue Automation

Components of Revenue Automation

Defined Approach to Automate Revenue Operations with Illustrative Example

Types of Solutions that Enable Revenue Automation

System Selection Considerations

Agenda: DAY 2

8:45 - 11:15 ASC 606: Interactive discussion on a series of scenarios

Selected practice areas: Revenue Customer, Contract Duration, Enforceable Rights, Performance Obligations, Replacement Right, License Modifications, Measure of Progress, Contract Cost

Group will use polling to work through each question

Moderators from Connor Group will explain their recommended answers and explanations

9:55 - 10:10 Break

11:30 - 12:40 Disclosures

Recent Trends

Disaggregated revenue

Reconciliation of contract balances

Qualification of performance obligations

Disclosure of significant assumptions

Quantification of costs to complete a contract

12:40 - 1:20 Lunch Break

1:20 - 2:40 Commissions: Deeper Dive

Adoption of ASC 340-40, Other Assets and Deferred Costs - Contracts With Customers

Provide foundational understanding of identifying costs to be capitalized under ASC 340-40

Provide foundational understanding of how to amortize incremental contract costs

Provide an overview of disclosure requirements

2:40 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 4:05 Impact on Internal Controls

Changes in Information and Related Data - Quality Needs

ASC 606 Internal Control Considerations

Ongoing ASC 606 Controls

Management Review Controls

Information Used in Controls (IUC)

IT-General Control Considerations

COVID-19 Impact on Internal Controls

SOX Optimization & Modernization

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rbp7mq

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.
Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Middle East MNO Directory 2023-2024" directory has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This directory will help telecom service providers interested in doing business with mobile network operators throughout the Middle East. The latest 'Middle East MNO Directory' features over 40+ operators from over 14 countries.

The product is known among industry stalwarts as the most trusted resource for gaining backdoor access to decision-makers holding influential positions within operator businesses.

The 2023 special edition offers a new design and almost 3 times the number of management contacts as compared to the older edition. Over the past 15 years, these Directories have paved the way for telecom vendor businesses to connect with mobile operators/ service providers and enabled thousands of business connections and collaborations to flourish.



Middle East MNO Directory is carved out as a niche product that specifically helps 'service providers to mobile operators' obtain and gain new business. Featuring important operator business info to contacts of key executives holding influential roles, the Directory offers the following information for any mobile operator business across the Middle East:

Operator Details - Registered Name, Brand, Region

Market Share (%), Ownership, Group Information

Business Details - Network portfolio, Subscribers/Growth Trend, Network Penetration, Technologies offered, Contact Details.

Online presence - website/ URL

CXO/ Management/Decision-Makers/Influencer contacts

Formats Available - PDF & Excel

What's special about the 2023-2024 edition:

Whole Middle East covered: 41+ Operators from over 14 countries

100% Anti-Spam US Law, European GDPR, Middle Eastern Laws compliant

260+ CXO/ Management/Decision-making contacts: Up to 300% more contacts than previous edition

Available in PDF & Excel: New user friendly PDF & campaign friendly XLS design

First time with detailed Executive Summary & Questions Answered: Giving a clear and precise understanding of the Mid-eastern telecom market to corporates.

1-Update free of cost (subject to availability)

Audience: Those looking to do business with MNOs or 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 and Other telecom service providers.

Key Topics Covered:



Executive Summary Questions Answered by the Study Middle East MNO Directory 2023-2024 (Q4, 2022)

For more information about this directory visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qaj910

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.
London, UK, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The SORA Community is excited to announce the launch of SORA Card, a new neobank solution featuring an International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and a Mastercard-powered debit card that integrates the decentralized exchange (DEX) Polkaswap and the SORA Wallet self-custodial crypto wallet.



SORA Card sign-ups are now live, with virtual and physical cards, and IBAN available in a couple of weeks.

The SORA Card aims to offer a complete neobanking experience with known features such as SEPA transfers, Mastercard debit card, foreign exchange, and more, along with unique and innovative self-custody over crypto assets and decentralized exchange features.

Users can also trade, stake, farm, invest, mint NFTs, and much more on the same web and mobile applications. Polkaswap also provides expansive interoperability through bridges to multiple EVM chains and Substrate chains*, which in turn are seamlessly bridged into the traditional financial world. (*under development)

There are three channels to apply for a SORA Card: on the Polkaswap.io dApp, on the SORA Card website, and through the SORA Wallet mobile app available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. There are three options to apply for a SORA Card, each with different fees:

If you already have more than 100 worth of XOR in your account, the application with your SORA address is free.

If you want to purchase XOR to have the 100 balance for a free account, you can buy XOR worth up to 700 within the app with only soft KYC required.

If you do not have 100 worth of XOR and do not want to purchase it, there will be a fee of 20 to apply for KYC and the SORA Card. This payment can be made with any debit/credit card*.

The first 5000 applicants will not pay yearly nor monthly fees for the first two years, only incurring in fees according to their account usage. This is only available to SORA community members, and therefore, pre-launch sign-ups are only open to this group. The KYC-approved applicant 5001 and onwards will be asked to finance an annual flat rate that covers all monthly and annual fees linked to the account and card.

SORA Card is a decentralized and non-custodial solution that does not access user data or crypto assets, meaning that SORA does not make money by selling or exploiting user information. Instead, usage fees are charged to cover the costs of banking and card service partners who handle financial transactions. Usage fees provide a financially sustainable way for SORA to provide its services without compromising user privacy and security.

In Phase 2, which will launch in a couple of weeks, users can expect a virtual and physical Mastercard-powered debit card ready to use and in hand, a European IBAN, account top-ups using XOR, SEPA, or any credit/debit card preferred, and a fiat wallet with integrated SEPA and SWIFT payment functionality. Additionally, Phase 2 will feature a referral program that rewards users for sharing the road to freedom with their friends and family. Next to this, SORA Card will be also available in Fearless Wallet, the DeFi wallet for the interoperable future.

SORA Card is a product of the SORA Community and SORA Biome, in collaboration with leading fintech and blockchain companies. The SORA community has been working tirelessly to bring a new level of financial freedom to individuals, and soon to businesses.

The launch of SORA Card marks an important milestone in the development of the SORA ecosystem, and the community is excited to witness the impact it will have on the broader cryptocurrency and fintech landscape.

Speaking about the launch, one of the main contributors said;

"We are excited to launch SORA Card and provide a neobank solution that integrates a DEX and self-custodial crypto wallet. This is a major step forward in our mission to create a new economic system for the world that is aimed at high growth and financial freedom for all."

To sign up for a SORA Card, visit the SORA Card website or download the SORA Wallet mobile app.

About SORA

SORA is a new economic system for the world aimed at recreating the Japanese post-war miracle economy aimed at high growth. The SORA network links to other networks in the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems, with the capability to bridge assets to external blockchains such as Ethereum. Polkaswap, a non-custodial liquidity aggregating, cross-chain AMM DEX designed uniquely for the Polkadot ecosystem with boundless liquidity through its one-of-a-kind Aggregate Liquidity Technology (ALT), is one of the DeFi applications on the SORA network.

About Polkaswap

Polkaswap is a noncustodial liquidity aggregating, cross-chain AMM DEX designed uniquely for the Polkadot ecosystem with boundless liquidity through its one-of-a-kind Aggregate Liquidity Technology (ALT). Polkaswap's vision is to provide the most efficient, transparent, and user-friendly trading experience in the Polkadot ecosystem.

About Fearless Wallet

Fearless Wallet is a bespoke mobile wallet and browser extension designed for the decentralized future of DeFi on the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems, with native support for iOS and Android mobile platforms, and browser extension availability for Chromium-based browsers. Fearless Wallet features a premium user experience, fast performance, and secure storage for your accounts. Fearless Wallet integrates Polkaswap for easy, decentralized swaps of assets.

Twitter | Telegram | Medium | Reddit | GitHub | YouTube | Instagram | Facebeook

###

SORA

Beno Van Gansen



partners@soracard.com

https://sora.org/

Disclaimer:

This announcement is not directed at any investors or potential investors, and does not constitute an offer to sell  or a solicitation of an offer to buy  any securities, and may not be used or relied upon in evaluating the merits of any investment. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects and/or opinions expressed in this release are subject to change without notice. The contents in here should not be construed as or relied upon in any manner as investment, legal, tax, or other advice.




NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of adidas AG (OTC: ADDYY, ADDDF) between May 3, 2018 and February 21, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important June 27, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action commenced by the Firm.



SO WHAT: If you purchased adidas 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 adidas class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12204 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com 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 June 27, 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. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) in addition to other misconduct, Kanye West (also known as Ye) made anti-Semitic comments in front of adidas staff, and even suggested naming an album after Adolf Hitler; (2) adidas was aware of his behavior, and failed to warn investors that it was aware of that behavior, and had considered ending the Partnership, a business association with adidas and Kanye West, as a result; (3) adidas failed to take meaningful precautionary measures to limit negative financial exposure if the Partnership were to end as a result of Kanye Wests behavior; (4) adidas overstated the risk mitigation measures it took with regard to Yeezy shoes in the event that it terminated the Partnership; and (5) as a result, defendants public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the adidas class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12204 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com 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 investors 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 or 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

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
English French

MONTREAL, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boralex Inc. (Boralex or the Company) (TSX: BLX) held its annual meeting of shareholders earlier today. During the online meeting chaired by Alain Rheaume, Chairman of the Board, shareholders elected directors and adopted the resolutions proposed.



Mr. Rheaume opened the meeting by outlining Boralex's highlights for the year 2022, which took place against a backdrop of a global energy crisis and a desire to accelerate the development of renewable energies on the part of many governments around the world. Mr. Rheaume applauded Boralex exceeding the growth objectives related to the strategic plan and the conclusion of the partnership formed at the beginning of the year with the global investment manager Energy Infrastructure Partners. He also noted the Board of Directors taking charge of establishing and implementing the Company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy as well as the promotion and monitoring of the Company's actions in this regard.

Election of directors

All nominees proposed in the Management Proxy Circular dated March 2, 2023, were elected directors of Boralex. The results of the vote by ballot were as follows:

Nominee For Withheld # % # % Andre Courville 75,922,520 99.94% 42,263 0.06% Lise Croteau 74,642,795 98.26% 1,321,178 1.74% Patrick Decostre 75,334,863 99.17% 629,920 0.83% Ghyslain Deschamps 74,996,219 98.73% 967,754 1.27% Marie-Claude Dumas 74,139,657 97.60% 1,824,316 2.40% Marie Giguere 71,767,808 94.48% 4,196,975 5.52% Ines Kolmsee 74,953,481 98.67% 1,010,492 1.33% Patrick Lemaire 75,326,937 99.16% 637,846 0.84% Alain Rheaume 71,686,686 94.37% 4,278,097 5.63% Zin Smati 74,547,075 98.13% 1,416,898 1.87% Dany St-Pierre 74,957,851 98.67% 1,006,932 1.33%

The final voting results on all questions submitted to a vote at the Annual Meeting will be filed with SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About Boralex

At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and Frances largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has more than doubled to over 3 GW. We are developing a portfolio of over 6 GW in wind, solar and storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralexs shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

For more information, visit boralex.com or sedar.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

For more information

MEDIA INVESTOR RELATIONS Camille Laventure

Advisor, Public Affairs and External Communications



Boralex Inc.



438-883-8580

camille.laventure@boralex.com Stephane Milot

Vice President, Investor Relations



Boralex Inc.



514-213-1045

stephane.milot@boralex.com

Source: Boralex inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zacatecas Silver Corp. (the Company, ZAC:TSX Venture; ZCTSF: OTC Markets; 7TV: Frankfurt) is pleased to report that Esperanza Silver de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of the Company, continues to build on its strategic alliance with the Tetlama community, the host community of the Esperanza Gold Project.



Tetlama, a community of landowners within which 100% of the Esperanza Deposit and key infrastructure is located, supports the development of the mining operations and as host community to the project, continues to work closely with Zacatecas as the Company advances the project forward.

The Company continues to provide on-going social benefit support with programs currently implemented including: medical assistance, funerary compensation, educational scholarships, and the community forest fire fighting brigade. The forest fire fighting brigade employs fifteen (15) people from the Tetlama community, for the duration of the dry-season (January to June), when the risk of fires is greatest. Recently, the Company has agreed to provide financial support for the construction of the first stage of a new community cemetery, combining resources with the community nucleus , an important initiative identified by Tetlama as being crucial infrastructure for the community.

Esperanza Silver de Mexico S.A. de C.V., General Manager, Jos Hantelmann states, We are pleased to contribute to the construction of a new cemetery, which is an essential infrastructure project that will serve the community in the years to come. Having access to a cemetery is of the utmost importance to satisfy religious beliefs and to fulfil human dignity.

As announced on February 14, 2023, Esperanza Silver de Mexico S.A. de C.V entered into a strategic alliance with the Tetlama community for the ongoing development of the Esperanza Gold Project, which is located within Tetlama. As part of the strategic alliance, the Tetlama community confirmed that the extraction of minerals is a strategic activity to further the development of the Tetlama community. Accordingly, each of the Company and the Tetlama community are firmly committed to develop the Esperanza Gold Project for the benefit of all stakeholders.

About Zacatecas Silver Corp.

The Company has two key projects. The Esperanza Gold Project in Morelos State, Mexico and the Zacatecas Silver Project in Zacatecas State, Mexico.

Esperanza is an advanced stage, attractive low-cost, low-capital-intensity and low-technical-risk growth project located in Morelos state, Mexico. Alamos has progressed the project through advanced engineering, including metallurgical work, while also focusing on stakeholder engagement, including building community relations. The Company announced a Mineral Resource Estimate at Esperanza consisting of a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate of 30.5 million tonnes at 0.97 g/t AuEq for 956 thousand ounces AuEq and an Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 8.7 million tonnes at 0.98 g/t AuEq for 277 thousand ounces AuEq (see news release dated November 16, 2022).

The Zacatecas Silver Project is located in Zacatecas state, Mexico, within the highly prospective Fresnillo silver belt, which has produced over 6.2 billion ounces of silver. The Company holds 7,826 hectares (19,338 acres) of ground that is highly prospective for low-sulphidation and intermediate-sulphidation silver base metal mineralization and potentially low-sulphidation gold-dominant mineralization. The Company announced a Mineral Resource Estimate at the Panuco Deposit consisting of 2.7 million tonnes at 187 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent (AgEq) (171 g/t silver (Ag) and 0.17 g/t gold (Au)) for 16.4 million ounces AgEq (15 million ounces silver and 15,000 ounces gold) (see news release dated December 14, 2021).

The property is 25 kilometres (km) southeast of MAG Silver Corp.'s Juanicipio Mine and Fresnillo PLC's Fresnillo Mine. The Property shares common boundaries with Pan American Silver Corp. claims and El Orito, which is owned by Endeavour Silver.

On behalf of the Company

Bryan Slusarchuk

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect managements current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Zacatecas cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, many of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Zacatecas limited operating history, its proposed exploration and development activities on its Esperanza Gold Project and Zacatecas Silver Project and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. A Pre-Feasibility Study has commenced for the Esperanza Gold Project which will provide further information as to economic projections and assumptions related to the project, however there are currently no assurances that the project will be economically viable nor assurances that necessary financing, permitting, and metal prices will exist to enable development. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Zacatecas does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information: Adam Ross, Investor Relations, Direct: (604) 229-9445, Toll Free: 1(833) 923-3334, Email: info@zacatecassilver.com
Earnings Release: Monday, May 15, 2023, Before Market Opens

Conference Call and Webcast: Monday, May 15, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. ET

MONACO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costamare Inc. (NYSE:CMRE), announced today that it will release its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 before the market opens in New York on Monday, May 15, 2023.

Conference Call Details:

On Monday, May 15, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. ET, Costamares management team will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results.

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1-844-887-9405 (from the US), 0808-238-9064 (from the UK) or +1-412-317-9258 (from outside the US). Please quote "Costamare".

A replay of the conference call will be available until May 22, 2023. The United States replay number is +1-877-344-7529; the standard international replay number is +1-412-317-0088; and the access code required for the replay is: 6519880.

Live Webcast:

There will also be a simultaneous live webcast over the Internet, through the Costamare Inc. website (www.costamare.com). Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

About Costamare Inc.

Costamare Inc. is one of the world's leading owners and providers of containerships and dry bulk vessels for charter. The Company has 49 years of history in the international shipping industry and a fleet of 71 containerships, with a total capacity of approximately 524,000 TEU and 44 dry bulk vessels with a total capacity of approximately 2,404,000 DWT (including one vessel that we have agreed to sell). Four of our containerships have been acquired pursuant to the Framework Deed with York by vessel-owning joint venture entities in which we hold a minority equity interest. The Company also has a dry bulk operating platform which charters in/out dry bulk vessels, enters into contracts of affreightment, forward freight agreements and may also utilize hedging solutions. The Companys common stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock and Series E Preferred Stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols CMRE, CMRE PR B, CMRE PR C, CMRE PR D and CMRE PR E, respectively.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as believe, intend, anticipate, estimate, project, forecast, plan, potential, may, should, could and expect and similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Companys beliefs regarding future results, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Companys control. It is possible that actual results may differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could affect future results, see the discussion in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-34934).

Company Contacts:

Gregory Zikos - Chief Financial Officer

Konstantinos Tsakalidis - Business Development, Investor Relations

Costamare Inc., Monaco

Tel: (+377) 93 25 09 40

Email: ir@costamare.com
San Diego, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Martha Mosier, President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, was recognized as a San Diego Woman of Impact nominee for spearheading Team REal Heart, which raised $32,600 and collected a campaign total of 39,800 points. More importantly, throughout the campaign, the five regions of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego) provided CPR training, critical heart-health training, and risk awareness for thousands of its agents and employees.

Over a nine-week period, Martha and Team REal Heart raised the funds and completed multiple projects that earned the team 7,200 impact points, for their campaign total of 39,800.

Had to take action

When Martha learned that one in four women will suffer from coronary heart disease in their lifetimes, she knew she had to take action. A busy executive, Martha decided becoming an advocate for heart health awareness was a calling she could not resist. Martha quickly assembled an enthusiastic team and fully leaned into this challenge.

As a result, Team REal Heart was created and is comprised of real estate professionals whose mission is to share the symptoms of heart disease, when and how to get tested, and steps anyone can take to protect themselves and loved ones.

Throughout the nine-week campaign, Team REal Heart raised $32,600 for the American Heart Association, and completed several team activities, which ultimately helped them achieve an impressive social media reach of more than 20,000. The process all began in fall 2022, when Martha was invited to meet three women from the Association. At the time, she was not looking to take on any projects, but within the first five minutes, she learned the statistic about how one in four women will suffer from coronary heart disease, and how heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined. She had no idea that 350,000 adults suffer from heart attacks in the U.S. each year, and that women are far less likely than men to receive CPR after cardiac arrest.

Compelled to make a difference

In the last 18 months, I had lost two male friends/co-workers and a dear girlfriend to fatal and sudden heart attacks, Martha said. Additionally, one of our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Vice Presidents and my brother were diagnosed and treated for high-risk heart disease requiring stents to be placed in their arteries. I felt a tremendous tug at my heart and an overwhelming feeling that this request from the American Heart Association was happening for a reason. I felt compelled to use our platforms to try to make a difference.

Closely working with Martha on her awareness efforts is Executive Assistant Ashley Cruz. Team REal Heart incorporates our intention  that we will pour our hearts into this initiative and our industry, with the RE in our name standing for real estate, Ashley said.

We are raising awareness through all channels of communication. We have engaged thousands of followers on social media with statistics about heart disease and advice on seeking medical attention as soon as symptoms strike. The nine-week campaign has ended, but we will continue the conversation around the importance of heart health in Southern California.

Multiple projects completed

Since its founding in February, Team REal Heart completed multiple projects, including:

A kick-off week in which Martha shared her introduction video on social media.

A Take Charge of Your Health Week, where Martha completed and documented her first-ever stress test. In addition, the team shared the Associations simple ways to practice gratitude.

Educating how mental health and stress can have an impact on heart health.

In honor of International Women's Day, women from Team REal Heart created a video sharing their mission and who inspired them to join the Team.

CPR Awareness Week, to focus on the importance of Hands-Only CPR through a video on three steps anyone can take to ensure they are prepared to perform Hands-Only CPR on all.

Hosting multiple CPR & AED (automated external defibrillator) trainings in person, in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, with professional instructors, such as San Diego Project Heart Beat.

Raising as much awareness as we possibly could, and educating as many people about heart health and CPR and AED training was not a challenge I accepted lightly, Martha said. But I knew that our network would be incredibly supportive, and would benefit from this important initiative for heart health. We will continue to advocate for as long as it is needed.

Marthas advice to anyone wanting to get involved is to get educated. Team REal Hearts No. 1 priority has been to spread awareness. Martha shared she is significantly more knowledgeable and informed on cardiovascular diseases and heart health than she was just a few months ago, and is truly grateful for this opportunity to spread awareness. She invites everyone to follow her on Facebook and Instagram at @marthabhhscalifornia to stay up to date on the latest news and educational resources.

I personally find that practicing daily gratitude helps me reduce stress, which ultimately helps reduce my risk of heart disease, and makes me a better person. There is no downside, Martha said.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties proudly supports nearly 3,000 sales associates in 42 offices spanning Santa Barbara to San Diego. In 2022, our expert agents assisted in more than 8,000 client transactions for over $13.7 billion in sales volume.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties is a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., and a member of HSF Affiliates, LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. For more information, visit www.bhhscalifornia.com. To learn about career opportunities, visit www.bhhscalifornia.com/careers.

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Highland Park, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highland Park, Illinois -

Joey Morelli, a celebrity chef and owner of Maxs Deli in Highland Park, IL, takes pride in his non-profit organization, Joeys Food Fight, which has the mission of raising funds for orphanages all over the world with the specific goal of providing hunger relief for children in various countries. To fulfill this mission, Joey has been traveling to various places around the world, such as Thailand, Cambodia, and other countries, visiting orphanages, teaching children how to prepare food and cook and urging people from around the world to send their donations to help improve the childrens quality of life.

Joey Morelli explains, "Our mission is to empower and educate children in orphanages worldwide through the power of cooking. We believe that by teaching them valuable culinary and life skills, we can help them become self-sufficient and confident individuals. Our approach is both educational and entertaining, making the learning process enjoyable for the kids we work with. As we continue to grow and expand our reach, we aspire to collaborate with like-minded organizations and individuals who share our passion for making a difference in the lives of children in need.

Chef Joey Morelli is traveling around the world and people can join him in his adventure through his videos that are available on various platforms, including YouTube and Tiktok. Those who want to take a look at his videos can go to https://www.tiktok.com/@joeysfoodfight.

As it turned out, chef Joeys journey to various places around the world is actually an adventure as he visited important places and also took note of the unique culture of the people in places like Thailand and Cambodia. Recently, he visited the Big Buddha in Phuket, Thailand. This is the Great Buddha of Phuket that is sitting on top of Nakkerd Hill near Chalong. As always, he injects his own brand of humor in this particular video.

Joey Morelli also enjoyed several days of scuba diving in Phuket and he features his last seafood meal on the beach in Phuket in one of his videos. He shows the various kinds of fresh seafood available that were grilled and cooked right in front of him. His meal included fish, crabs, lobster, squid, and more.

In another video, Joey featured his tour of Central Market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As usual, there was a wide range of seafood like clams, squid, fish, and more. There were also a broad range of vegetables.

In a more recent video, Joey was teaching the children in an orphanage in Cambodia how to cook banana apple pancakes, eggs, and bacon. This was in the Hope House an orphanage in Cambodia for which he has been collecting donations for rebuilding the orphanages kitchen and he taught those who manage the said kitchen how to shop for various ingredients and then prepare and cook healthy meals while staying within budget.

Joey Morelli obtained his degree in Restaurant Management in 1992 and later on an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts. He has more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry and he currently own Maxs Deli, a high-volume New York style delicatessen in Highland Park, IL. Motivated by his love for cooking and his strong desire to give back to the community by supporting children, he expects to bring his unique combination of humor and culinary expertise to help children in orphanages around the world. He also partners with other organizations, such a Hope for the Silent Voices, to generate a greater impact and change the lives of children for the better.

Joey Morelli says, Your support can help us make a real difference in the lives of children in need. With your help, we can provide them with the skills and resources they need to become self-sufficient. Join us in our mission to create a better future for children everywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fis4IsdQqCg

Those who are interested in learning more about Joey's Food Fight can check out their website at https://www.joeysfoodfight.com or contact them on the phone or through email.

###

For more information about Joey's Food Fight, contact the company here:



Joey's Food Fight

Joey Morelli

(847) 997-0407

joey@joeysfoodfight.com

Joeys Food Figh

191 Skokie Valley Road

Highland Park IL 60035
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In recognition of Asian Heritage Month, the Chinese Canadian Museum is sharing a sneak peek of its new permanent location as it undergoes renewal inside the historic Wing Sang Building  the oldest building in Vancouvers Chinatown.



Set to open to the public on Saturday, July 1st, the Chinese Canadian Museum is Canadas first museum recognizing past, present, and future contributions and stories of Chinese Canadians towards the growth and success of B.C. and Canada. Once completed, the museum will feature bright, renewed, and contemporary spaces that herald cultural experiences and its connection to the illustrious Chinese Canadian historical perspectives and modern-day narratives. Through exhibitions, educational programming, and special events, the Chinese Canadian Museum promises to be an impactful addition to the fabric of Chinatown and across Canada.

Since the Province of B.C. announced plans for Canadas first Chinese Canadian Museum, our passionate and dedicated Board members and museum staff have been working hard towards our unveiling, said Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. The excitement is building, and we want to give Canadians a preview of some of our exhibition and programming spaces as we share and advance the stories of Chinese Canadians.

The new Chinese Canadian Museum space in the Wing Sang Building will feature:

A period living room with interactive antique objects that bring visitors back in time to the 1930s when Yip Sangs children and grandchildren lived in Chinatown.

One of Vancouvers oldest school rooms with many original elements kept intact  it initially served as a classroom for the children from the community.

A separate introduction gallery space that will feature Odysseys and Migration, an exhibition that explores the Chinese diaspora from the early waves to present day.

An interactive immigration map on which visitors can draw and share the origins and immigration journeys of their families.

A painted mural by Chinese Canadian artist Marlene Yuen, highlighting Chinese Canadian journeys and experiences past to present.



The Wing Sang Building, which means everlasting in Chinese, was originally built in 1889 as a small two-storey warehouse by Yip Sang, a successful merchant whose own story is a testament to the success of Chinese immigrants. A larger three-storey warehouse was built in 1901 to envelop the smaller building. Another separate six-storey building was constructed at the back in 1912 to house his growing family, which included three wives and 23 children. A covered walkway was built between the buildings over the narrow Market Alley, which was a thriving social gathering spot for the community with laundry shops, barber shop, and lodgings.

On the buildings facade can be seen a door on the second floor, appearing to open up to  nowhere. Its purpose will be revealed in the museums new video campaign Whats the door for?  giving audiences fun facts about the historic Wing Sang Building. Featuring renowned Hong Kong-born Asian-American actor Tzi Ma, who is now based in Vancouver, the video series also highlights interviews with some of Yip Sangs eldest grandchildren, including 88-year-old Mel Yip, who shares insights into his familys legacy and memories growing up in the building.

Vancouver real estate marketer Bob Rennie bought the Wing Sang Building in 2004, and renovated and restored it as his office and art exhibition space. In 2022, the Province of B.C. provided $27.5 million to help purchase the heritage building as the home of the Chinese Canadian Museum.

I think it is extremely important to have a place like the Chinese Canadian Museum so that all Chinese Canadians can learn about our past in Canada, as well as for the entire country to understand how we as Canadians, along with many other immigrants from around the world, have helped build and transform Canada into the diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and truly eclectic country that we are proud to call home, said Vivienne Poy, Canadas first Chinese Canadian Senator who was instrumental in establishing May as Asian Heritage Month.

Renovations at the museum are currently underway, as well as the installation of its inaugural exhibition, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. July 1, 2023 mark 100 years since the Chinese Immigration Act was passed into law in 1923.

The Chinese Canadian Museum is a transformative place where we can bridge cultures and generations, as well as honour and recognize the Chinese Canadians who came before us and helped shape the country we live in today, said Grace Wong, Board Chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum. We want to pay tribute to the sacrifices these early Chinese Canadians made, and share the diverse and interesting stories of multi-generational Chinese Canadians who are part of the diverse landscape that make up Canada, now and into the future.

The Chinese Canadian Museum is realized by contributions from the Province of B.C., totalling $48.5 million in support of the establishment. Along with a $25-million fundraising campaign from private donors across Canada, the museum is in great shape for its grand opening, with more work needed in subsequent phases for the full building to be renovated into museum, programming, and education space. More details about the Chinese Canadian Museums public opening will be announced in the coming weeks.

About the Chinese Canadian Museum:

The Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia is an independent, non-profit organization established in March 2020 to create a museum honouring and sharing Chinese Canadian history, contributions, and living heritage. Guided by its mission statement Connecting to the Chinese Canadian story  addressing inclusion for all, the Chinese Canadian Museum aspires to provide an invigorating and transformative experience for present and future generations through its exhibitions and educational programming throughout B.C. and Canada.

The first of its kind in Canada, the Chinese Canadian Museum is located in Vancouvers Chinatown, and will open to the public on July 1, 2023. Learn more: www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca

Instagram: @ccmuseumbc Facebook: @ChineseCanadianMuseum Twitter: @ccmuseumbc

Media contact:

Yvonne Chiang, yvonne@chiangpr.ca, 604-880-5090








Chicago, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicago, Illinois -

IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago has explained why ketamine can offer hope from individuals suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). TRD is a kind of depression where antidepressants and psychotherapy are not as effective as for most people. For people with TRD, the symptoms may only improve slightly or not at all and keep, or they may improve but keep on returning. Ketamine given in low doses has been found to offer fast relief of TRD, with the effect lasting for days to weeks. Responses rates reaching as high as 70 percent have been noted in clinical trials involving the use of regular infusions.

A spokesperson for IV Solution & Ketamine Centers says, Ketamine is an FDA approved medication that was synthesized in 1962 and was approved for use as an anesthetic medication in 1970. It is a blocker of the cellular NMDA receptor, a neural receptor for glutamate that has proved to play a significant role in major depression, chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia and other ailments. It is also known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties and is known to stimulate neuronal growth, synaptogenesis, and neuroplasticity. It is a Schedule III drug and should only be used and administered by a skilled licensed anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or trained physician.

The side effects of the ketamine infusions that they provide in low doses in their protocols have been observed to be minimal. These many include nausea, mild drowsiness, and higher blood pressure but they only last for one to two hours. They will also routinely provide medication to prevent nausea. Less typical side effects include agitation or vivid dreams but these can be regulated by making adjustments to the dosage. Most important of all, there is no indication that low dose ketamine infusion provided at the frequency employed for the treatment of mood disorders can result into an addiction or dependence on ketamine. Those who want to know more about IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago can check out their Twitter page.

Oral antidepressant medications have been found to be only effective in around 60 percent of patients and have side effects like reduced sexual drive, weight gain, increased suicidal ideation, fatigue, GI problems, and cognitive and emotional dulling. On the other hand, ketamine has been found to offer relief for TRD in up to 80 percent of patients. Ketamine has minimal side effects and these are usually gone within a few hours after the infusion. In addition, ketamine is effective within minutes to hours while oral antidepressants may take one month or even longer before they take effect. Furthermore, with the guidance of the patients mental health provider or physician, it is possible to stop using the other medications as the ketamine treatment progresses.

The differences may be explained by taking a look at how ketamine works compared to the typical antidepressant medication. Antidepressants are typically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which means they offer relief for depression by increasing the levels of serotonin, which is a chemical messenger that carry signals between neurons. In contrast, ketamine works by building more synapses or connections between the brain cells. Studies have found that these connections are fewer in people suffering from depression.

IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago offers IV treatment for TRD, fibromyalgia, PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, OCD, and more. The ketamine center is headed by Dr. Bal Nandra, who received his training at the University of Chicago Hospitals Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care and has almost 20 years of experience in a clinical setting. The team is made up of registered nurses who are experienced in ketamine infusion and licensed therapists and technicians who collaborate with the patients mental health professional or primary care physician to ensure continuity of care and to optimize the treatment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQjVkoqDjwk

Those who are interested in learning more about IV ketamine therapy for TRD and other related conditions can visit the IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago website at https://chicagoivsolution.com or contact them through the telephone or by email.

###

For more information about IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago, contact the company here:



IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago

Bal Nandra, M.D.

(844) 948-6337

b.nandra@chicagoivsolution.com

712 N Dearborn St

Chicago, IL 60654
Long Beach, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Long Beach, California -

The Irlen Institute, the pioneer and world leader in spectral filter color lens technology, has announced the results of a recent survey performed by the Perceptual Development Corporation of 669 people with visual processing disorders who wear individualized precision-tinted colored lenses. The survey found that the top five issues that were helped by the colored lenses are: light sensitivity at 91 percent; eye strain at 82 percent; reading problems and print distortions at 73 percent; headaches at 65 percent; and fatigue at 62 percent.

It was also observed that 87 percent of those who experienced headaches reported complete relief from the headaches when using Irlen Spectral Filters. In addition, the average number of headaches and migraines each month was substantially reduced from 15 to five headaches per month, and migraines from six to two per month. Furthermore, 86 percent were able to reduce or eliminate their use of over the counter pain relief medication after getting Irlen Spectral Filters. Lastly, 59 percent were able to reduce or eliminate their use of prescription migraine medication after using Irlen Spectral Filters.

This method of employing colored overlays and spectral filters worn as glasses was originally discovered by Helen Irlen in 1983. This method was found to be effective for addressing Irlen Syndrome, which is also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, visual stress, or scotopic sensitivity syndrome and is a perceptual processing disorder and is not about optics. This syndrome is the result of the brain being unable to process visual information properly. It affects different areas, including behavior, concentration, academic performance, work performance, attention, and ability to sit still. This condition affects people differently and is usually a lifetime impediment to education and performance.

Symptoms of Irlen Syndrome include: light sensitivity; discomfort; attention and concentration problems; reading problems; depth perception; distortions; writing problems; and other characteristics. Some people may have physical symptoms, such as feeling tired, anxious, sleepy, irritable, or dizzy. Others have headaches, mood changes, difficulty in remaining focused, and restlessness.

For those who have problems with writing, math, night driving, depth perception, or the environment, colored filters worn as glasses might be the best solution. However, the colored overlays are an important first step in determining if the Irlen Method can work for them and offer relief. It has been noted that colored overlays can: reduce strain and fatigue; eliminate headaches; improve print clarity and stability; enable the person to track and keep ones place while reading; make reading faster; boost comprehension; and allow the person to read longer and with comfort.

Those who have visual processing issues like Irlen Syndrome and visual stress have brains that overreact to visual stimuli, bright lights, and high contrast. Colored overlays work by decreasing the amount of contrast on the page and colored lenses work by adjusting the timing of the visual signals reaching the brain, thus making them less stressful for the brain to process.

At present, the Irlen colored overlays are in two different forms. One form is the original Irlen colored overlays, which are suitable for placing over books and paper. The second form is the Irlen Clings TM, which is applicable for computer screens, iPhones, e-readers, iPads, andother kinds of electronic screens. These come with optical-grade clear adhesive, which makes them removable and reusable.

Established by Helen Irlen in 1983, The Irlen Institute has been helping over a million people all throughout the world via its innovative technology and comprehensive diagnostic procedure. At The Irlen Institute, the health and the physical, educational, and emotional well being of their clients is their top priority. With over 170 Irlen diagnosticians and thousands of Irlen screeners, the institute is able to deliver the Irlen Method for the benefit of people in more than 44 countries. The institutes international headquarters is located in Long Beach, CA, and offers clinical services and is home to the national and international laboratory that provides services to all of the European and North American affiliates of the institute.

Those who want to know more about the colored overlays, spectral filters, and the Irlen Method can visit The Irlen Institute website or contact them through the telephone or by email.

###

For more information about The Irlen Institute, contact the company here:



The Irlen Institute

Sanra Tosta

562-496-2550

sandy@irlen.com

5380 E. Village Road

Long Beach, CA 90808
VANCOUVER, May 09, 2023 - Orezone Gold Corp. (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) ("Orezone" or "Company") reported its operational and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis are available at www.orezone.com and on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company will host a conference call and webcast on May 10, 2023 commencing at 8:00am PDT to discuss the Company's first quarter results. Additional details are provided at the end of this press release.

Patrick Downey, President and CEO, commented "Earnings from mine operations exceeded $39 million in Bombore's first full quarter of commercial production and have provided a strong start to the Company's net earnings and free cash flow for 2023. Gold production of 41,301 oz was helped by excellent performance of the process plant with mill throughput at 13% above design and recoveries at a steady 92.2%. Our operational efficiency and stringent cost management assisted in offsetting cost pressures from a stronger local currency and high in-country diesel prices. With robust gold prices, AISC margin was $966 per oz sold or an impressive 51%.

Our safety record continues to be exemplary with no lost time injuries for the quarter from 928,000 hours worked and an LTIFR of zero since 2021 when construction of the Phase I Oxide plant commenced.

On the growth front, work on our grid power connection is advancing at a steady rate with the awards of all major installation contracts and order placements for schedule-critical equipment. Significant savings from current on-site power generation will be realized once the connection is energized, expected in Q4-2023. Lastly, work on the Bombore Phase II Expansion study update remains on track for completion by the end of this third quarter."

FIRST QUARTER 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Operational

Produced 41,301 gold oz

Sold 43,139 gold oz at an average realized price of $1,892 per oz

AISC of $926 per gold oz sold

Zero lost-time injuries with 928,000 personnel hours worked

Financial

Revenue of $81.7 million

Earnings from mine operations of $39.7 million

Net income and net income per share (basic) attributable to Orezone shareholders of $22.6 million and $0.07, respectively

Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share (basic) attributable to Orezone shareholders of $24.6 million and $0.07, respectively

Cash flow from operations before changes in non-cash working capital of $41.1 million ($38.9 million after changes in non-cash working capital)

Free cash flow of $31.5 million

Cash of $45.2 million at March 31, 2023



Corporate

Rob Henderson appointed as VP Technical Services and Kevin MacKenzie appointed as VP Corporate Development and Investor Relations on January 5, 2023

Non-brokered private placement of 13.0 million common shares at C$1.27 per share arranged with a large, well-established, global institutional fund manager and closed on March 8, 2023, resulting in net proceeds of $11.6 million

 Non-IFRS measures. See "Non-IFRS Measures" section below for additional details.

PRODUCTION AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY

(All mine site figures are on a 100% basis) Q1-2023 Q4-2022 Operating Performance Gold production oz 41,301 22,258 Gold sales oz 43,139 24,676 Average realized gold price $/oz 1,892 1,760 Cash costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 799 973 All-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per gold ounce sold $/oz 926 1,075 Financial Performance Revenue $000s 81,712 43,431 Earnings from mine operations $000s 39,670 16,660 Net income attributable to shareholders of Orezone $000s 22,560 3,763 Net income per common share attributable to shareholders of

Orezone:

Basic

Diluted $

$



0.07

0.06



0.01

0.01 Adjusted EBITDA $000s 42,645 15,725 Adjusted earnings attributable to shareholders of Orezone $000s 24,574 9,903 Adjusted earnings per share attributable to shareholders of

Orezone $ 0.07 0.03 Cash and Cash Flow Data Operating cash flow before changes in working capital $000s 41,137 15,400 Operating cash flow $000s 38,926 23,235 Free cash flow $000s 31,498 8,942 Cash $000s 45,172 9,158

 Non-IFRS measures. See "Non-IFRS Measures" section below for additional information.

BOMBORE GOLD MINE (100% BASIS) - OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

Q1-2023 Q4-2022 Safety Lost-time injuries frequency rate (LTIFR) per 1M hours 0.00 0.00 Personnel-hours worked 000s hours 928 958 Mining Physicals Ore tonnes mined tonnes 2,205,056 1,526,949 Waste tonnes mined tonnes 2,382,135 3,087,950 Total tonnes mined tonnes 4,587,191 4,614,899 Strip ratio waste:ore 1.1 2.0 Processing Physicals Ore tonnes milled tonnes 1,445,693 806,875 Head grade milled Au g/t 0.96 0.93 Recovery rate % 92.2 91.9 Gold produced oz 41,301 22,258 Unit Cash Cost Mining cost per tonne $/tonne 2.91 2.57 Mining cost per ore tonne processed $/tonne 6.51 6.58 Processing cost $/tonne 9.21 12.47 Site general and admin ("G&A") cost $/tonne 3.23 4.87 Cash cost per ore tonne processed $/tonne 18.96 23.92 Cash Costs and AISC Details Mining cost (net of stockpile movements) $000s 9,417 5,306 Processing cost $000s 13,322 10,062 Site general and admin cost $000s 4,667 3,928 Refining and transport cost $000s 148 92 Government royalty cost $000s 4,912 2,608 Gold inventory movements $000s 2,019 2,010 Cash costs on a sales basis $000s 34,485 24,006 Sustaining capital $000s 3,530 1,550 Sustaining leases $000s 187 - Corporate general and admin cost $000s 1,731 959 All-In Sustaining Costs on a sales basis $000s 39,933 26,515 Gold sold oz 43,139 24,676 Cash costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 799 973 All-In Sustaining Costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 926 1,075

 The Bombore Mine entered into commercial production on December 1, 2022. Unit cash costs during pre-commercial production are not representative of cost performance expected under steady-state operations. Cost figures presented for Q4-2022 include a blend of costs before and during commercial production.

 The Bombore Mine did not process any significant quantity of ore for the month of October 2022 due to insufficient power as the power plant underwent repairs. As a result, departmental costs for processing and site general and admin have been excluded from the cash cost and AISC figures presented for Q4-2022. These costs have been capitalized as commissioning costs.

 Non-IFRS measure. See "Non-IFRS Measures" section below for additional details.

Commissioning of the process plant with ore commenced in late August 2022, resulting in the pouring of first gold on September 10, 2022 but commissioning was interrupted in late September 2022 when one of the two working permanent gensets experienced a major failure. As a consequence, mill operations were stopped in October 2022 and only recommenced in November 2022 when replacement rental gensets were mobilized, installed, and put into service. With full and reliable power, the process plant quickly ramped-up daily mill tonnages which led to Bombore declaring commercial production on December 1, 2022.

Bombore Production Results

Gold production in Q1-2023 was 41,301 oz, an increase of 86% from the 22,258 oz produced in Q4-2022. The higher gold production is attributable to a 79% jump in plant throughput combined with slight increases in ore grades and plant recoveries. The process plant performed exceptionally well in Q1-2023 with throughput averaging 16,063 tonnes per day which exceeded nameplate by approximately 13% while process recoveries were consistent with design levels. Favourable ore characteristics and high levels of plant availability and utilization led to a strong quarterly performance. Scheduled maintenance was conducted during the quarter with major mill shutdowns for mill re-line and scheduled change-outs of wear parts planned for in later quarters of the year.

Bombore Operating Costs

AISC per gold ounce sold in Q1-2023 was $926, a decrease of 14% from the AISC per gold ounce sold of $1,075 in Q4-2022. The lower AISC was driven mainly by improved performance in unit costs and a 3% increase in ore grades milled. Cash cost per ore tonne processed covering mining, processing and site G&A declined by 21% or $4.96 from $23.92 in Q4-2022 to $18.96 in Q1-2023 as a result of the higher mill throughput and the corresponding decrease in fixed unit costs. In addition, processing costs benefitted from the optimized consumption of major reagents through enhancements in operator controls and a better understanding of field operating conditions. However, cost of power generation remains elevated and above budget due to persistently high in-country diesel prices set by the Burkina Faso government. The Company had expected a moderation in diesel prices starting in 2023 to reflect falling global oil prices in H2-2022 but decreases in diesel prices have not yet materialized. This high diesel cost also had a negative effect on unit mining costs.

Bombore Growth Capital Projects

Grid Power Connection

The project to connect Bombore to Burkina Faso's national grid is progressing well and remains on schedule for completion before the end of the 2023 year. The Company has engaged ECG Engineering Pty Ltd. ("ECG") to manage the design, construction, and commissioning of the new high voltage transmission line and dedicated substations, and will work closely with SONABEL, Burkina Faso's state-owned electricity company, to ensure timely deliverables and adherence to schedule. ECG is a specialized engineering firm that has successfully delivered on similar projects in West Africa, including Burkina Faso.

To-date, all long lead equipment orders have been placed and all major contracts have been awarded. Land compensation for the transmission line corridor has commenced under the direction of SONABEL and work to clear this ground corridor will follow shortly upon the mobilization of contractor equipment and personnel. Drawings and designs for the powerline and substations have been submitted to SONABEL and are pending their final review and approval.

RAP Phases II and III

RAP Phases II and III involve the construction of four new resettlement villages (MV3, MV2, BV2, and BV1). The Company has sequenced MV3 as the first village to construct in order to gain access to mining areas that are currently contemplated in the 2024 mine plan. MV3 is the largest of the resettlement villages and requires the new erection of over 1,200 private homes and public structures.

The start of construction for the MV3 village encountered a slight delay in the first two months of 2023 as communities conducted sacred ceremonies for the new resettlement grounds. Earthwork for MV3 is now complete and contractors have commenced the mobilization of personnel, materials, and equipment to site.

RAP compensation for displaced households is organized to begin in Q2-2023.

2023 Feasibility Study Update for the Phase II Expansion ("2023 FS")

The 2019 feasibility study ("2019 FS") contemplated the construction of a 2.2M tonnes per annum ("tpa") hard rock facility which would commence production in the third year of oxide operations. Based on the mineral reserves outlined in this 2019 FS, the overall plant capacity was to remain at a nominal 5.2Mtpa, comprising of 3.0Mtpa of oxides and 2.2Mtpa of hard rock, resulting in an average gold production profile of 134,000 oz per year for the first ten years of commercial operations.

Subsequent to the 2019 FS, over 100,000 metres of drilling have been completed leading to the discovery of the near surface P17NE deposit and extensions of other known higher grade hard rock zones with the main Bombore deposit. Results of drilling undertaken in 2022 are expected to successfully convert Inferred resources of higher grade hard rock material into the Measured and Indicated categories. The updated resource modelling is progressing and a new resource, reserve, and mine plan are targeted for completion in Q3-2023.

Metallurgical test work is also nearing completion which confirms more rapid leach kinetics and a resultant significant decrease in required leach time from the 42 hours shown in the 2019 FS to the estimated 24 hours to be used in plant design for the 2023 FS. The Company expects the new hard rock expansion will be sized as a 4.4Mtpa standalone circuit to operate independently to the existing 5.7Mtpa oxide circuit, a notable increase to the 5.2Mtpa combined circuit in the 2019 FS. The Company has chosen to expand the circuit size as it believes recent drilling successes have demonstrated that the Bombore mine is capable of supporting a larger annual operation. The Bombore deposit remains open to further extensions and potential new discoveries from future drilling.

For the 2023 FS, the Company has engaged the same consultants (Lycopodium and Knight Piesold) that completed the development and construction of the current Phase I operations to ensure continuity and consistency. Flowsheet development is complete, and equipment and capital costs are well advanced. Of note is that the carbon-in-leach and elution circuits will be copies of those in current operations.

The Company has held early discussions with its senior lender, Coris Bank, about their participation in this future Phase II Expansion. Coris Bank has indicated they are supportive of this expansion and look forward to furthering discussions as the Company draws closer to completing its 2023 FS.

NON-IFRS MEASURES

The Company has included certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that is not defined under IFRS, including "cash costs", "AISC", "EBITDA", "adjusted EBITDA", "adjusted earnings", "adjusted earnings per share", and "free cash flow". Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company uses such measures to provide additional information and they should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For a complete description of how the Company calculates such measures and reconciliation of certain measures to IFRS terms, refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2023 which is incorporated by reference herein.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

Orezone will host a conference call and audio webcast to discuss first quarter 2023 results on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 8:00am PDT (11:00am EDT).

Webcast

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Time: 8:00 am Pacific Time (11:00 am Eastern time)

Please register for the webcast here: Orezone Q1-2023 Conference Call and Webcast

Conference Call

Toll-free in U.S. and Canada: 1-800- 715-9871

International callers: +646-307-1963

Event ID: 8574266

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Pascal Marquis, Geo., Senior Vice President of Exploration, Mr. Rob Henderson, P. Eng, Vice President of Technical Services, and Mr. Patrick Downey, P.Eng. President and CEO, all of whom are Qualified Persons as defined under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Orezone Gold Corporation

Orezone Gold Corp. (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a Canadian mining company operating the open pit Bombore Gold Mine in Burkina Faso.

Orezone is focusing on mining and processing the Phase I near surface free-dig oxides at a planned annual throughput of 5.7 million tonnes. The Company believes that Bombore has a significant underlying sulphide resource to support a substantially larger Phase II expansion. The Company has recently completed a resource definition drill program, and plans to issue an updated mineral resource, reserve and life of mine plan, as part of this Phase II expansion. It is expected that the pending study will be completed in Q3-2023 to be followed by a production decision.

Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets and M&A.

The technical report for the 2019 Feasibility Study on the Bombore Project entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report (Amended) Feasibility Study of the Bombore Gold Project is available on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Patrick Downey

President and Chief Executive Officer

Vanessa Pickering

Manager, Investor Relations

Tel: 1 778 945 8977 / Toll Free: 1 888 673 0663

info@orezone.com / www.orezone.com

For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945-8977 or visit the Company's website at www.orezone.com.

The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian Securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "potential", "possible" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "will", "could", or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Bombore Growth Capital Projects and the 2023 Feasibility Study Update for the Phase II Expansion.

All forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, terrorist or other violent attacks, the failure of parties to contracts to honour contractual commitments, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, accidents and equipment breakdowns, political risk, unanticipated changes in key management personnel, the spread of diseases, epidemics and pandemics diseases, market or business conditions, the failure of exploration programs, including drilling programs, to deliver anticipated results and the failure of ongoing and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, and other factors described in the Company's most recent annual information form and management's discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR on www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to the Company's 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 Company's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors 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 are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.




TORONTO, May 9, 2023 - Geodrill Ltd. ("Geodrill" or the "Company") (TSX: GEO), a leading West African based drilling company, announced the voting results of its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") held on May 9, 2023.

The nominees listed in the management information circular dated April 4, 2023 were elected as directors of the Company at the Meeting. Detailed results of the vote are set out below:

Director Outcome of Vote Yes No Abstain Dave Harper as Director Carried 33,680,502 99.996% 0 0.000% 1500 0.04% John Bingham as Director Carried 25,618,754 76.061% 0 0.000% 8,063,248 23.939% Ronald Sellwood as Director Carried 25,730,475 76.392% 0 0.000% 7,951,527 23.608% Peter Prattas as Director Carried 33,673,502 99.975% 0 0.000% 8500 0.025% Appointment of Auditor Carried 34,600,116 99.996% 0 0.000% 1500 0.004% Purchase of Odrinary Shares Carried 33,677,052 99.985% 4,950 0.015% 0 0.000% Re-Approval of the Stock Option Plan Carried 20,959,638 62.228% 12,722,364 37.72% 0 0.000%

Note: Numbers do not add due to rounding.

At the Meeting, the shareholders also re-appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the auditors of the Company and passed a special resolution authorizing the Corporation to purchase its own shares through a substantial issuer bid or normal course issuer bid as set forth in the management information circular dated April 4, 2023.

About Geodrill Limited

Geodrill has been successful in establishing a leading market position in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali. The Company also operates in other African jurisdictions including Egypt and is expanding its geographic presence in South America. With the largest fleet of multi-purpose rigs, Geodrill provides a broad selection of diverse drilling services, including exploration, delineation, underground and grade control drilling, to meet the specific needs of its clients. The Company's client mix is made up of senior mining, intermediate and junior exploration companies. www.geodrill-gh.com

Forward Looking Information

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to the future financial or operating performance of the Company, its subsidiaries, future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases that state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company and/or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release including, without limitation those described in the Management's Discussion & Analysis for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 28, 2022 under the heading "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that may cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update or review such information or statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Geodrill Ltd.
CALGARY, May 10, 2023 - Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTC: TRCTF) (FRA: Z1K) (the "Company" or "Traction") and Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSX.V: FMC; OTCQB: FDCFF) ("Forum") are pleased to announce they have commenced an airborne magnetic, electromagnetic (EM) and radiometric survey on Forum's 100%-owned Grease River Project, located along the north rim of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. The helicopter-borne survey will be conducted using a New Resolution Geophysics specially designed Xcite Time Domain Electromagnetic System. The 1,290 line-km survey will be conducted at a 100 metre line spacing over the entire Grease River claims totaling 10,528 hectares along the Grease River Shear Zone (Figure 1).



Traction entered into an option agreement with Forum whereby Traction is entitled to acquire a 51% interest in the Property by paying an aggregate of $250,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,625,000 common shares and funding an aggregate of $3 million in exploration expenditures on the Property by December 31, 2025. Forum is the Operator during this First Option Period. Traction has the further option to earn up to 100% interest in the project by making $1.7 million in cash payments, 5.5 million share payments and $6 million in exploration up until December 31, 2028. Forum would retain a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty and $8 million in milestone payments (see News Release dated February 7, 2023).

The Grease River Project

The Grease River Project is located within the north-central margin of the Athabasca Basin near the community of Fond du Lac. The Grease River Project consists of two separate claim blocks situated along the NE-trending Grease River Shear zone, a major intracontinental shear zone greater than 400 km long. The nearby Fond du Lac uranium deposit was previously discovered within the shear zone by Amok Ltd. ("Amok") and Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. ("Eldorado") in the 1970s and a historical resource estimate was included which was not prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), of one million pounds uranium at an average grade of 0.25% U3O8*. While the Company believes the historical estimate to be relevant and reliable?, given the extensive exploration work completed by Amok / Eldorado, experienced mineral resource companies, and the quality of the ?historical work completed?, a qualified person has not completed sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimate as a current ?mineral resource and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral. As such, ?the historical estimate should not be relied upon. The Company further notes that the Grease River Project claims are located along trend of the deposit to the southwest and northeast. Limited exploration has been conducted in the Grease River Project area.

*Homeniuk, L A, Clark, R. J., and Bonnar, R., Eldorado Nuclear Limited, CIM Bulletin May,1982. "Fond-du-Lac uranium deposit"





Figure 1. Location of the Grease River Project in northern Saskatchewan nearby the community of Fond-du-Lac. The southern claim block is in Athabasca Basin sandstone cover (yellow) and the northern block is in basement rocks (shown with background magnetics). Dashed line is the Grease River Shear Zone.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Rebecca Hunter, Ph.D, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTC: TRCTF) (FRA: Z1K) is in the business of mineral exploration and the development of discovery prospects in Canada, including its three uranium projects in the world-renowned Athabasca Region.

We invite you to find out more about our exploration-stage activities across Canada's Western region at www.tractionuranium.com.

About Forum Energy Metals

Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSX.V: FMC; OTCQB: FDCFF) is a diversified energy metal company with uranium, copper, nickel, and cobalt projects in Saskatchewan, Canada's Number One Rated mining province for exploration and development, a strategic uranium land position in Nunavut and a strategic cobalt land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt.

For further information: https://www.forumenergymetals.com/

On Behalf of The Board of Directors

Lester Esteban

Chief Executive Officer

+1 (604) 561 2687

info@tractionuranium.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, ??including with respect to the Company, the Survey and further exploration and development of the Grease River Project. The Company ??provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current ??expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be ??appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and ??uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, ??forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not ??be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and ??uncertainties include but are not limited to risks that the Company will not complete the Survey as contemplated, or at all, risks that the Survey will not yield the anticipated information and data, risks that the Grease River Project will not be explored or developed as contemplated, or at all, as well as those risk identified and reported in the Company's public filings ??under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify ??important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those ??described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or ??results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information ??will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those ??anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any ??forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless ??required by law.?

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/982afb11-6046-4849-b72a-d0f361067cc1
Vancouver, May 10, 2023 - Durango Resources Inc. (TSXV:DGO) (Frankfurt:86A1) (OTC:ATOXF), (the "Company" or "Durango") congratulates American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV:AE) for the recent announcement of C$2.96M investment with Teck Resources Ltd. to fund their NAK copper-gold porphyry property located near Smithers, BC.

In 2022, American Eagle announced a 125-meter discovery from surface of 1.02% copper equivalent on its NAK property maiden drill hole. In 2022, on November 8 and 22 Durango announced that it had purchased property adjacent to American Eagle and staked additional prospective properties in the region.

One of the newly staked properties is east of the NAK discovery and covers a BC Mineral Title Online occurrence which reports a few veins of chalcopyrite 5-7.6 cm in width with selected portions of the chalcopyrite assaying 5.49 g/t silver and 10.6% copper with trace gold (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1930, pg. 149). *

Durango holds 3,500 hectares in the Babine area and is continuing to review all the historical reports in conjunction with the reported geology from others working in the area. The area has many forestry roads and is located near past producing mines such as Bell and Granisle, so infrastructure is readily available.

Marcy Kiesman of Durango stated, "While researching the area through historical reports our team has determined that there are reported copper occurrences over a large area in the region which generates great upside potential for Durango. Our geological team is planning its initial visit to the property to try to locate the historical occurrences on our claims."

*The historical reports have not been verified by the Company and therefore should not be relied upon. The technical contents of this press release were approved by Melanie Mackay, P.Geo., professional geologist, an independent qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Durango

Durango is a natural resources company engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties. The Company is positioned for discovery with a 100% interest in a strategically located group of properties in the Windfall Lake and Troilus gold camps in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada.

For further information on Durango, please refer to its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Marcy Kiesman, CEO

Telephone: 604.428.2900 or 604.339.2243

Email: durangoresourcesinc@gmail.com

Website: www.durangoresourcesinc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward?looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements that address the upcoming work programs, and other statements relating to the business, financial and technical prospects of the Company. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of minerals, the ability to achieve its goals, the COVID-19 pandemic, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The Company does not undertake to update forward?looking statements or forward?looking information, except as required by law.

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.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, May 10, 2023 - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) (OTCQB: PEXZF) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with AuRico Metals Inc. ("AuRico"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) (NYSE: CGAU) ("Centerra"), to acquire a 100% interest in the Kliyul and Redton copper-gold porphyry projects (the "Projects") by issuing 16,996,099 common shares to AuRico (the "Agreement"). The Projects are located in the prolific Quesnel Trough in northcentral British Columbia (see Figure 1).

This Agreement replaces a previous agreement with AuRico whereby the Company had the right to acquire up to a 75% interest in the Projects by spending $7.0M on exploration, issuing 3,500,000 common shares, and making cash payments totaling $160,000 by December 31, 2025 (see news release dated January 17, 2020). The Agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

"Owning one of B.C.'s newest and most exciting discoveries outright is great news for Pacific Ridge and its shareholders," said Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge. "Over the last three years we have materially increased the size of the Kliyul mineralized body to the point where we believe that there is excellent potential to outline a sizeable copper-gold porphyry deposit. Lastly, I would like to welcome AuRico as our newest and largest shareholder. I truly believe that today's news is an important milestone that will help to create and unlock future value for the Company and its shareholders."

Figure 1: Location of Kliyul and Redton



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2023 Kliyul Copper-Gold Porphyry Project Exploration Plans

Pacific Ridge has budgeted approximately $4.6M for a 7,000 m diamond drill program at the Kliyul copper-gold project ("Kliyul") this year. In addition to further expansion drilling at the Kliyul Main Zone ("KMZ"), Pacific Ridge plans to drill test several other interpreted porphyry centres that occur along a 6-km long mineralized trend (see Figure 2). The Company will mobilize in mid-June and drilling is expected to commence by the end of June/beginning of July.

Figure 2: Kliyul Target Areas



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About Kliyul

Over 60 km2 in size, Kliyul is located 65 km southeast of the Centerra Kemess Project and close to existing infrastructure (Figure 1). Kliyul comprises nine porphyry copper-gold target areas along two main trends: the 1.5 km-long east-northeast Valley Fault Trend, which includes its five fault-defined target areas (Kliyul West, KMZ, Kliyul North, East Wedge, and Kliyul East); and the 6-km-long northwest-trending Divide Lake Fault Trend which includes Ginger, Parish Hill, Bap Ridge, and M-39 target areas (see Figure 2).

Since 2020, Pacific Ridge has spent over $7.5M advancing Kliyul, including 8,557 m of drilling in 15 holes as well as geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys. Based on the exploration results to date, the Company believes that there is excellent potential to define a significant porphyry copper-gold system. Drilling at KMZ to date has defined a mineralized body measuring approximately 600 m by 350 m, and to a depth of 600 m; and geophysical data, including recent magnetic and IP surveys, suggest that this body can be expanded significantly (see Figure 3). Highlights from Pacific Ridge's drilling are shown in Table 1.

Figure 3: Kliyul West, KMZ, and Kliyul North with MVI (magnetic vector inversion) Induced Magnetics



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Drilling confirms that the MVI Induced data closely correlates with mineralization. Anomalous MVI is ~ 38-hectare in size; current KMZ mineralized footprint is only 5.5 hectares, or 14.5% of the total footprint.

Table 1 - Kliyul Drill Highlights - 2021 and 2022

Hole From(m) To(m) Width(m) Cu(%) Au(g/t) Ag(g/t) CuEq(%)* AuEq(g/t)** KLI-21-036 12.0 449.0 437.0 0.22 0.60 1.62 0.68 0.93 Includes 12.0 65.0 53.0 0.22 0.83 1.52 0.84 1.15 And 12.0 33.0 21.0 0.34 1.30 2.48 1.31 1.80 And 47.0 65.0 18.0 0.22 0.89 1.24 0.88 1.21 Includes 143.3 435.0 291.7 0.28 0.74 2.04 0.84 1.15 And 294.0 435.0 141.0 0.36 1.11 2.76 1.19 1.64 KLI21-037 12.3 579.0 566.7 0.20 0.44 1.39 0.53 0.73 Includes 12.3 329.0 316.7 0.30 0.70 2.17 0.83 1.14 And 62.0 73.0 11.0 0.42 1.22 4.48 1.35 1.85 And 90.0 122.0 32.0 0.52 0.88 2.48 1.18 1.62 And 146.0 161.0 15.0 0.39 1.19 2.86 1.29 1.77 Includes 238.8 288.1 49.4 0.66 1.50 4.83 1.79 2.46 And 243.9 268.0 24.1 1.09 2.21 7.92 2.77 3.80 KLI21-038 9.0 516.0 507.0 0.15 0.39 1.51 0.45 0.62 Includes 9.0 351.0 342.0 0.17 0.50 2.00 0.56 0.77 And 9.0 43.0 34.0 0.27 0.72 2.84 0.82 1.13 And 9.0 63.0 54.0 0.21 0.56 2.27 0.64 0.88 And 108.0 136.0 28.0 0.21 0.60 9.01 0.72 0.99 And 153.1 186.0 32.9 0.24 0.78 1.68 0.82 1.12 And 226.0 351.0 125.0 0.23 0.69 1.57 0.74 1.02 And 261.0 349.0 88.0 0.26 0.84 1.82 0.89 1.22 KLI-22-039 9.3 252.0 242.7 0.15 0.17 1.05 0.29 0.39 Includes 22.0 43.4 21.4 0.38 0.48 3.96 0.76 1.04 And 192.0 229.0 37.0 0.20 0.27 0.67 0.40 0.55 KLI-22-040 23.0 550.8 527.8 0.19 0.30 1.35 0.42 0.58 Includes 89.0 355.5 266.5 0.23 0.48 1.94 0.60 0.82 And 170.0 268.0 98.0 0.33 0.90 3.42 1.01 1.39 And 210.0 253.0 43.0 0.50 1.11 2.72 1.33 1.83 And 306.6 340.0 33.4 0.09 0.56 0.77 0.50 0.69 KLI-22-041 12.0 600.0 588.0 0.12 0.39 0.90 0.41 0.56 Includes 106.0 442.0 336.0 0.15 0.62 1.04 0.61 0.84 And 164.0 442.0 278.0 0.14 0.72 0.95 0.67 0.92 And 164.0 200.0 36.0 0.30 0.70 1.61 0.82 1.13 And 280.0 323.0 43.0 0.09 1.59 1.34 1.26 1.73 And 337.0 398.0 61.0 0.25 1.15 1.12 1.09 1.50 And 420.0 442.0 22.0 0.10 0.63 1.01 0.56 0.77 KLI-22-042 9.0 702.0 693.0 0.11 0.20 0.81 0.26 0.36 Includes 136.0 474.4 338.4 0.12 0.30 0.98 0.35 0.48 And 136.0 306.0 170.0 0.18 0.35 1.34 0.44 0.61 And 438.0 474.4 36.4 0.14 0.62 0.99 0.60 0.82 KLI-22-043 9.0 516.0 507.0 0.17 0.19 0.82 0.32 0.44 Includes 147.0 261.0 114.0 0.28 0.36 1.52 0.55 0.76 And 165.0 229.0 64.0 0.31 0.47 1.82 0.67 0.92 Includes 463.0 501.0 38.0 0.45 0.26 0.83 0.65 0.89 KLI-22-044 11.6 651.0 639.4 0.11 0.23 0.84 0.29 0.39 Includes 81.5 432.2 350.7 0.13 0.32 0.98 0.38 0.52 And 134.0 352.0 218.0 0.15 0.37 1.15 0.43 0.59 And 136.0 194.0 58.0 0.25 0.38 1.73 0.54 0.74 And 237.3 336.7 99.4 0.13 0.47 1.01 0.48 0.66 KLI-22-045 112.0 184.0 72.0 0.21 0.59 1.96 0.66 0.91 Includes 141.0 184.0 43.0 0.17 0.57 2.39 0.61 0.83 And 330.0 367.0 37.0 0.15 0.34 0.89 0.40 0.55 KLI-22-046 273.0 442.0 169.0 0.20 0.46 1.65 0.55 0.75 Includes 313.0 336.2 23.2 0.15 0.49 1.36 0.51 0.71 And 371.0 430.0 59.0 0.24 0.87 2.29 0.89 1.22 KLI-22-047 332.0 385.0 53.0 0.10 0.11 0.72 0.18 0.25 KLI-22-048a 352.0 362.0 10.0 0.01 0.59 1.81 0.46 0.63 KLI-22-049 144.0 484.0 340.0 0.15 0.20 0.80 0.30 0.41 Includes 250.0 316.0 66.0 0.23 0.24 0.90 0.41 0.57 And 456.0 484.0 28.0 0.27 0.44 2.87 0.61 0.84 KLI-22-050 58.0 584.0 526.0 0.20 0.43 1.03 0.52 0.71 Includes 115.0 443.0 328.0 0.25 0.57 1.25 0.67 0.92 And 254.0 308.0 54.0 0.40 1.03 2.42 1.17 1.60 And 354.0 443.0 89.0 0.28 1.05 1.20 1.06 1.45 And 514.0 562.0 48.0 0.19 0.41 1.15 0.49 0.68 *CuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151) + (Ag(g/t) x $Ag X 0.032151)) / ($Cu x 22.0462) **AuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151)) + (Ag(g/t) x $Ag X 0.032151)) / ($Au x 0.032151) Commodity prices: $Cu = US$3.50/lb, $Au = US$1,750/oz., and Ag = US$20.00/oz. Factors: 22.0462 = Cu% to lbs per tonne, 0.032151 = Au g/t to troy oz per tonne, and 0.032151 = Ag g/t to troy oz per tonne. Recovery is assumed to be 100% - there has been no metallurgical testing on Kliyul mineralization





About the Redton Copper-Gold Porphyry Project

Approximately 35 sq-km in size, the Redton copper-gold porphyry project ("Redton") is adjacent to NorthWest Copper Corp's Kwanika deposit (Figure 4), which hosts 223.6 million tonnes grading 0.27% copper, 0.25 g/t gold and 0.87 g/t silver containing 1.32 billion pounds of Cu, 1.83 million ounces of Au and 6.27 million ounces of Ag in the Measured and Indicated category1. In 2022, Pacific Ridge identified a surface geochemical target of similar size and orientation as the Kwanika Central Zone footprint, located 4.5 km east of the Kwanika following an interpreted arc-transverse lineament.





Figure 4: Redton Target Areas



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About Pacific Ridge

Our goal is to become British Columbia's leading copper-gold exploration company. Pacific Ridge's flagship project is the Kliyul copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel Trough, approximately 65 km southeast of Centerra Gold Inc's Kemess Project. In addition to Kliyul, the Company's project portfolio includes the RDP copper-gold project (optioned to Antofagasta Minerals S.A.), the Chuchi copper-gold project, the Onjo copper-gold project, and the Redton copper-gold project, all located in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge would like to acknowledge that its B.C. projects are located in the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Gitxsan Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Nak'azdli Whut'en, Takla Nation, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Blaine Monaghan"

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Corporate Contact:

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-4951

www.pacificridgeexploration.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-ridge-exploration-ltd-pex-

https://twitter.com/PacRidge_PEX

Investor Contact:

G2 Consultants Corp.

Telephone: +1 778-678-9050

Email: ir@pacificridgeexploration.com

1Bird, S., Nowak, M., Meintjes, T., 2019. NI 43-101 Technical report for the Kwanika project resource estimate update 2019. Near Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada: Prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Services for Kwanika Copper Corp., Serengeti Resources Inc., and Posco International Corp.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., Executive Chairman of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, which address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include the planned 7,000 m drill program at Kliyul budgeted at $4.6M and the potential for the KMZ mineralized body to continue growing. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165588
(TNS)  Chattanooga, Tenn., has been selected as one of only two U.S. cities in a new global initiative to use broadband connections and data to plan and utilize energy, transportation, health care and communications in a more sustainable and equitable manner.During its Smart City Expo World Congress last month, the World Economic Forum announced that Chattanooga and San Jose, California were picked among three dozen cities around the globe to pilot adoption of new technologies being developed by the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance.Chattanooga, which bills itself as "Gig" city for its citywide high-speed broadband, and San Jose, the home of Silicon Valley and some of America's biggest technology companies, are "pioneer cities" expected to try out policies detailed in the Smart Cities Alliance road map.The international effort builds on the Smart Cities Community Collaborative, a research partnership launched in Chattanooga two years ago by the Enterprise Center, CO.LAB, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Erlanger Health System and EPB. Chattanooga has been using EPB broadband connections to study everything from traffic congestion to energy consumption to identify ways to improve transportation and reduce energy demand.Kevin Comstock, the Smart City director in Chattanooga's Department of Transportation who is working with the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, said Chattanooga's broadband infrastructure and its collaborative approach to encouraging entrepreneurship and research has gained the attention of the world."We are just at the kickoff point with our first meeting (of the G20 Smart Cities Alliance) on Wednesday, but I think this has tremendous potential for the future and underscores the recognition that Chattanooga is getting around the globe as a technology-oriented city with a lot of potentials to implement innovative ideas," Comstock said. "There is also much we can learn from the global perspective of this alliance."A recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan projects that smart cities will spend an estimated $327 billion by 2025 and could spur up to $2.5 trillion in business opportunities in the next five years with the right policies in place."Smart cities will focus on data-driven and connected infrastructure, which will lead to higher adoption of technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and 5G," said Malabika Mandal, the visionary innovation group industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "They will prioritize more digitalized services and a strong data analytics infrastructure, leading to increased spending toward technology."Mandal said the coronavirus pandemic, while primarily a health crisis, has also disrupted urban life and infrastructure and underscored the need for the type of data smart cities can collect and use."Smart technologies offer innovative solutions that can reverse the damage and bring some respite, if not normalcy," Mandel said. "For instance, digital contact tracing can play a critical role in empowering citizens with knowledge of COVID-impacted areas and promote safer urban movement."The G20 Smart Cities Alliance will work to identify practices that help ensure more universal standards and adoption around the globe with technologies that protect individual privacy and ensure equity and inclusion among all people, Comstock said.Chattanooga initiated its smart city work in 2010 when it became the first U.S. city to offer fiber optic internet throughout EPB's 600-square-mile service territory. EPB developed the high-speed broadband system as an outgrowth of its effort to build a smart, more controllable power grid.In 2013 working with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's (UTC) Center for Urban Informatics & Progress, the city of Chattanooga deployed an advanced traffic signal system, and later added its smart city office in the city's transportation department.The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority ( CARTA) has also worked on a number of smart tech programs with the U.S. Department of Energy and Vanderbilt University. At EPB, researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are looking at micro-grid programs, smart building energy mandates and solar field development, among other studies using EPB's smart grid network."The palette is infinite for smart city activities," Comstock said.
New boutique hotel opens in Accra

Maclean Kwofi Business News May - 09 - 2023 , 16:01

The hospitality industry continues to grow and expand by the day with the emergence of new hotels and guest residential facilities across the country.

The latest to enter the market, promising to deliver quality and customised services fashioned along international standards, is the Brynx Haven Hotel located at Ashieyie near Adenta in the Greater Accra Region.

It is the brainchild of the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Isaac Hayford, a quinquagenarian, who is an architect and a building contractor that have designed a number of magnificent buildings at various points in the city and beyond.

The Accra branch brings to two after Cape Coast the number of hospitality facilities owned by Brynx Haven.

The Brynx Haven in Accra is a nine-bedroom exquisitely crafted boutique hotel, established for the client who does not wish to travel too far out of Accra to relax.

Boasting of five executive rooms and four standard rooms, Brynx Havens rooms have unique ambiance, unbelievable space and nicely crafted closets to keep your belongings as well as pleasing bathrooms that give you the kingly feeling of home away from home.

Assurance

Opening the facility in Accra on Saturday, May 6, Mr Hayford, gave the assurance that the new facility would offer services that would factor in the health needs of its clients.

Most hotels in the country do not take into consideration the individual needs of the visitors, they often provide just a broad spectrum of choices, giving patrons less options.

This we think was a huge gap in these days where a lot of people have health issues and so it is very important the needs of people are well taking care of in a special way so that they are not left out; and so, if someone doesnt eat sugar, salt, and oil there should be other options for them, he said

He said the Brynx Haven was targeting clientele from both diaspora and those in the country who value their health.

According to him, aside from the main kitchen in the facility there is a bespoke kitchen indoor that allows guests to interact with the chef while their meals are being prepared.

Separate lounges

Mr Hayford observed that there were three separate lounges for guests and their visitors or just for guests to enjoy a living area experience.

He said Brynx Haven stands for the unflinching resilience of the African spirit.

Staff are smart, polite, well trained to welcome guests and make you wish not to check out once you check in. Tidy and smiling will make you enjoy the experience even more.

There is a massage facility that offers free hands-off massage. If you prefer a personalised hands-on one, a full-body massage can be arranged on appointment, he added.

Industry prospects

The CEO noted that there were a lot of prospects in the countrys hospitality industry.

The industry has a huge prospect for growth when facilities would maintain quality and keep standards to the highest level, he said.

He added that most clients were willing to pay more for top notch quality.
UN World Data Forum: Vodafone speaks on data for social good

Business Desk Report Business News Apr - 30 - 2023 , 09:44

THE Commercial & Digital Operations Director at Vodafone Ghana, Angela Mensah-Poku, has highlighted the role of data in driving social good at the United Nations World Data Forum.

She shared her experiences on a successful public-private partnership, Data for Good, which aimed at using aggregated anonymised data to improve the lives of Ghanaians.

Angela emphasised the importance of collaboration between private organisations and government institutions in generating insights that contribute to community development and socio-economic policy.

When we partnered with Ghana Statistical Service alongside Flowminder, we were able to use this partnership to really drive insight-led decisions, she said.

The partnership has led to a wide range of use cases, such as disaster planning, tracking the spread of communicable diseases, and providing critical information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also mentioned that the data was used to predict the movement of people during the 2021 census in Ghana, showcasing the potential impact of aggregated anonymised data on policy and resource allocation.

Speaking on the importance of building a data-driven ecosystem, Ms Mensah-Poku said, By having the Hewlett team on board, having Flowminder on board, we were able to create a small ecosystem.

And then, with our successes with the data, weve been able to attract a wider set of partners, whether its from NGOs or private businesses, and I think that this encourages the ecosystem to grow larger and inspire more impactful global insights.

One of the key aspects of the partnership has been capacity building and knowledge transfer.

She emphasised the need for local organisations to have the skills and ability to access and analyse data, sharing that Vodafone Ghanas collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service focused on the development of local skills in data science and related fields.

She was joined by other panellists in the discussion: Cathy Riley, Senior Partnerships Director at Flowminder Foundation; Omar Seidu, Head of Demographic Statistics & SDGs Coordinator at Ghana Statistical Service (GSS); Chris Maloney, Director General at William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and Winnie Kamau, Data Journalist at Association of Freelance Journalists/Talk Africa.

Ms Mensah-Poku concluded by reiterating Vodafone Ghanas purpose, using technology to benefit humanity.

The companys commitment to the project stems from the belief that insights derived from data can drive social good, improve critical sectors such as healthcare and education, and foster the growth of small and medium enterprises.

The UN World Data Forum, a hybrid event held both in-person and online this year, is taking place in Hangzhou, China. The forum brings together leaders and experts from various sectors to discuss the power of data in shaping the future and creating a more inclusive and sustainable world.
My case for Constitutional review (2)

Baffour Agyeman-Duah Opinion May - 10 - 2023 , 07:29

I understand that constitutions should not be needlessly tampered with.

The American Constitution, which is 234 years old, has been amended only 27 times, most recently in 1992, though there have been over 11,000 proposed amendments since it became operational in 1789.

However, we should not miss the reason why the American and other veteran democracies have preserved and carefully avoided fiddling with their constitutions.

Theirs followed lengthy and meticulous preparations, including extensive and intense intellectual debates.

They recognised and were guided by their history and traditions before crafting institutions and systems for practice democracy.

They did not copy blindly from others.

The same cannot be said for Ghanas Constitution.

That is why I make the case for a comprehensive constitutional review.

Towards that end, and with the limited space I have, the following restrained recommendations are proffered.

 Advance inclusive politics.

We should consider a proportional representation electoral system, where parties gain seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes obtained in elections.

This would bring more parties into Parliament and encourage wider participation.

It will mitigate the unbridled partisanship and the winner-takes-all syndrome.

 Redefine power distribution (devolution of power). Presidential powers should be circumscribed to mitigate abuses, capriciousness and impunity.

Devolving power and restructuring governance will promote popular political participation and make communities key agencies for development.

This requires effective decentralisation, both in political (election of leaders) and fiscal (power to generate revenue) terms.

Promote relevant traditional/cultural values.

We should delve into our history and culture to create some core indigenous values to complement our democratic practice.

Research by our traditionalists, anthropologists, sociologists and others should help to regenerate some of our traditional institutions.

Chieftaincy should be brought into local governance.

With the immense social/cultural capital of chiefs, they can bring dynamism to local development by presiding at district assemblies.

Strengthen institutions and structures that enhance transparency and accountability in public life.

The legislature should be independent of the executive by eliminating the hybrid system.

Assets declarations should be enforced and include end-of-service accountability.

Public officials should be held to high ethical standards and breaches must be sanctioned.

Remake key governance institutions truly independent. Appointments to institutions such as the Supreme Court, the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Special Prosecutor should be made by independent panels, as in Israel, regarding its Supreme Court, and elsewhere.

Other models insulate political partisans, including the President, from making such appointments.

Above all

Above all, and in the interest of peace and sane development of the country, serious consideration should be given to an interim special arrangement for a 20-year Uniting for Peace and Progress national agenda.

This period of Unity or Union government will be devoid of extreme partisanship to enable a long-term national development plan with a single-minded, focused and disciplined approach.

Backed by an elected Parliament, the formation of an all-inclusive government for the period will be based on meritocracy.

Its worth noting that countries achieving rapid progress in recent decades, most of them in the same league as Ghana in the late 1950s, adopted a single-minded approach to development and took between 20 and 30 years to change their circumstance, mostly with tamed opposition and overbearing leadership.

Paul Kagame of Rwanda exemplifies this model in Africa today.

Although the Rwandese and other such models are knocked for their autocracy and suppression of citizens rights, a Union Government for Ghana could be fashioned differently and within the democratic framework.

Practice democracy should be made to meet the exigency of our time.

We just have to rethink governance because our current path forebodes danger.

The writer is a former UN Senior Governance Advisor
Former Ghanaian ambassador chairs KUMACA past students' historic e-voting

GraphicOnline Education May - 10 - 2023 , 10:36

The Kumasi Academy Past Students' Association (KAPSA-AKUNINI Global) has achieved another milestone after successfully conducting what could be the first-ever electronic elections by any past students' association in Ghana on a global scale.

The innovative electronic voting committee, chaired by Okunini Amerley Ollennu-Awua-Asamoa, a product of the school and Ghana's former ambassador to Denmark, oversaw the entire exercise.

During the association's 6th Congress, Okunini Awua-Asamoa expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve her alma mater, along with her four committee members, in ensuring a fair, open, and secure exercise.

The committee was responsible for compiling a voter's register, calling for nominations, verifying and correcting the register, vetting nominees, distributing unique voting credentials, publishing qualified candidates, allowing contestants to campaign, conducting the actual electronic voting, and declaring results.

The lack of centralized data for association members was the major challenge the committee faced, according to Okunini Awua-Asamoa, who urged the new administration to address this issue.

It is worth noting that exactly a week after the historic e-voting exercise, Okunini Black Sherif was celebrated by the association for winning the Artiste Of The Year at the 24th VGMA held in Accra on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Otumfuo secures US scholarships for Ghanaians

Donald Ato Dapatem Education May - 10 - 2023 , 07:15

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has secured a scholarship package for Ghanaian students to study at the prestigious University of Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America (USA).

Under the deal, qualified Ghanaian students will travel to Memphis University to undertake their undergraduate, masters and PhD.

Up to 70 per cent of the opportunity is reserved for students who will undertake courses in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and the authorities of the University of Memphis last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect at the school, sealing the deal that spells out the modalities for the implementation of the scholarship.

Special

Briefing the Daily Graphic upon his return from the USA, the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, noted that the Asantehene last year, as a special guest to the famed Memphis in May Festival, made a request for scholarship for Ghanaian students.

He said although the initial target was for only students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Asantehene later called for its expansion to cover more Ghanaian students.

So a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and the University of Memphis which will allow Ghanaian students to undertake their undergraduate, masters and PhD at the university. This deal, I must confess, is a blessing for Ghanaians students, he said.

Dr Agyemang said because the city of Memphis was home to some global brands, the secretariat was working out the possibility for Ghanaian students who got the opportunity to study at the university to undertake their internship there in those industries in a bid to use one stone to kill two birds.

It is important to underscore that the city of Memphis is the headquarters of so many globally acclaimed companies such as Fed Ex, Autozone, Sedgwick Jone Incorporated, International Paper, Baptist Memorial Healthcare, First Horizon National Incorporated (NYSE: FHN) and Mueller Industries, Dr Agyemang said.

What this means is that academics and industry will gradually be bridged as these companies will provide essential internship programmes for Ghanaian students. Discussions between these companies and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat have started, he added.

He said this formed part of the nations drive to create the creative, innovative, knowledgeable and experienced human resource that would lead the charge in accelerating the industrialisation agenda to position the nation for accelerated development.

Asked about when Ghanaians students would be able to fly to Memphis to start their studies under this agreement, Dr Agyemang said very soon the opportunity would be advertised for prospective students to apply and those who made it would commence their studies at the Memphis University from September 2023.

Dr Agyemang commended the Asantehene for brokering such a crucial deal for Ghanaian students, particularly for those into the area of STEM, adding that Otumfuo has shown leadership and demonstrated how he values education. This scholarship is not for just Asanteman but Ghana as a whole.

I must also say we are grateful to the former Minister of Education, now Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for his interest in this scholarship and the necessary inputs he provided us to make it successful, he said.

After the MoU, the Ghanaian delegation, led by Dr Agyemang, toured the university to inspect lecture theatres, laboratories, hostels and other facilities.

The Ghanaian entourage also included the Head of International Relations & Partnerships, Richard Gyamfi; the Head of Treasury, Ghana Embassy, Washington D.C., Janet Koranteng, and a member of the Scholarship Review Committee, Nana Owiredu Wadie.

The University of Memphis was represented by the Interim Provost, Dr Abby L. Parril; the Executive Vice -President and Chief Operating & Financial Officer, Raaj Kurapati; the Vice Provost, and International Affairs, Dr Balaji Krishnan, and the Executive Director, Centre for International Education Services, Rebecca Laumann.
Agenda for natural resources: Support value addition drive - Jinapor to stakeholders ahead of Graphic dialogue tomorrow

Timothy Ngnenbe May - 10 - 2023 , 07:01

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called on stakeholders in the natural resource sector to support the governments agenda to build robust infrastructure for value addition in the sector.

He said the policies and programmes the government had put in place for value addition were revolutionary and would ensure effective utilisation of the countrys natural resources.

Mr Jinapor stressed that building strong infrastructure for value addition was crucial as it would ensure a paradigm shift in the exportation of gold and other green minerals in their raw form.

Again, he noted that the discovery of Lithium, iron ore and other green minerals in commercial quantities in some parts of the country made it important for the right structures to be laid to promote value addition along the value chain to rake in benefits to the state.

The minister stated this in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday ahead of the national dialogue on natural resource management tomorrow and Friday being organised by the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.

Green minerals

Often referred to as minerals of the future, green minerals are minerals and metals that are needed to support the transition to clean energy technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

A wide range of minerals that fall under the umbrella of green minerals include bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, granite, manganese and nickel.

In the wake of growing global concerns about the need to shift from the use of fossil fuel to power vehicles, countries are increasingly moving towards the use of electric vehicles to help reduce vehicle emissions and their impact on the climate crisis.

Mr Jinapor said it was within that context that the government had prioritised value addition to support the move towards electric vehicles.

Green minerals such as Lithium, cobalt and phosphate are the minerals of the future. These are the minerals to be used for electric vehicle batteries, and if we can add value to them in the country, that is the way to go, he said.

Interventions

In line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos vision of adding value to the countrys natural resources, the government has, since 2017, implemented a number of policies aimed at retaining value in the natural resource sector.

For instance, the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) was established in 2018 to develop and promote Ghana's integrated aluminium industry.

The Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) was also established in 2019 with the overarching goal to leverage Ghana's iron ore reserves and allied steel assets to drive the countrys industrialisation.

Royal Gold Ghana Limited (RGGL), a refinery in which the state has a 20 per cent stake, has also been established on the premises of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).

The RGGL, which is a partnership between the PMMC and Rosy Royal Limited, an Indian company, has the capacity to refine between 300 and 500 kg of gold daily.

Mr Jinapor said the establishment of those entities was part of the government's policy of value addition to mineral resources.

He stressed that a shift towards value addition would not only ensure that the country benefited fully from the natural resource endowments, but also help in tackling the climate crisis.

The minister said it was unacceptable that after many years of mining in the country, minerals were still exported in their raw form.

He observed that such a development made it impossible for the country to attract the needed foreign exchange or create employment opportunities along the value chain.

Diversification

He added that the discovery of other minerals such as lithium and iron ore in various parts of the country meant that the mineral base of the country was increasingly being diversified, and the move towards value addition was crucial to leverage the potential of those minerals.

The minister observed that the discovery of more minerals was not an end in itself but that the extent to which those resources were refined would determine the value the country would derive from it.

He urged all stakeholders in the GCGL-Lands Ministry dialogue on natural resource management to bring on board useful insight into how the government's agenda to add value to natural resources could be sustained.
Court convicts two persons who attacked Tamale radio presenter

Graphic Online May - 10 - 2023 , 18:59

The two persons who attacked a radio presenter in Tamale have been convicted and fined GH3,600.

The Tamale District Court convicted them today. Iddrisu Hardi alias Pagaaza and his accomplice, Mumuni Osman, were convicted on the charges of conspiracy to commit crime, assault, unlawful entry and threat of death. The two accused persons pleaded guilty to all four counts of charges and were convicted on their own plea, They were subsequently sentenced to a fine of GH3, 600 or in default serve a custodial sentence of 18 months imprisonment in hard labour. Following the convictions, the two duly paid their fines to the Court.

POLICE UPDATE ON ATTACK ON TAMALE RADIO PRESENTER; COURT CONVICTS ACCUSED PERSONS



The Police, following investigation into an attack on a radio presenter in Tamale on 3rd May 2023, put before the Tamale District Court today, Wednesday, 10th May 2023, the two accused persons, pic.twitter.com/HQg3FXEIJ8  Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) May 10, 2023

A radio presenter for Tamale-based Dagbon FM, Abubakari Sadiq Gariba was physically assaulted during a live broadcast on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

The victim, was attacked following his criticism of one of the attackers.

A video of the alleged attack was shared on social media.

The video showed the moment when the two accused persons confronted the victim in his seat and threatened to slap him if he continued to speak.

Gariba then stood up and left the studio with the attackers.

Following that the police arrested the two and charged them accordingly.
Ghana Chamber of Construction blames local authorities for building collapses

GraphicOnline May - 10 - 2023 , 10:59

The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry has placed the blame for the collapse of four ongoing building projects in the country within the past two weeks squarely on the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

The Chamber believes that the failure of the MMDAs to effectively assess the work of land developers intending to erect buildings is the root cause of the collapsed structures.

The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry asserts that some land developers engage quack engineers to supervise construction works and thus cut corners in building projects.

Mr. Emmanuel Cherry, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, spoke out on the issue in an interview with Citi FM.

He called on authorities to take action against land developers who flout structural integrity rules.

According to Mr. Cherry, the country has advanced technologies that can only be manned by professionals, but developers often hire unskilled workers who cannot provide the quality work needed.

The CEO identified the ineffective assessment of work by some MMDAs as another significant challenge in the industry. He emphasized that until the authorities crack down on these practices, the problem of collapsed buildings will persist.

There are technologies in the system that are well advanced, that can only be manned by professionals. But what do we see? Developers just fall on any roadside mason, call them to site and give them whatsoever amount of money and then expect them to deliver quality for them. Some of the MMDAs also fail to effectively assess the work of land developers. These are some of the challenges we are having as an industry. So until we crack the whip, it will be very difficult to arrest the menace, Mr. Cherry said.

Mr. Cherry announced that a stakeholder engagement would be held next week to address the concerns of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry. During the engagement, the necessary observations and recommendations to improve the industry's practices will be made public.

The CEO hinted that the stakeholders would take responsibility for any faults on their part, including those by government agencies.

The latest incident at the Word In Action Church at old Bortianor is the most recent in a series of collapsed buildings, including the UDS City Campus at Sagnarigu, and the collapse of two separate three-storey buildings at Madina and Adentan in Accra.
Labour Commission meets JUSAG, govt

Daily Graphic May - 10 - 2023 , 07:49

The National Labour Commission (NLC),will today (May 10) meet the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the government over the associations intention to embark on an indefinite strike.

The meeting is intended to iron out the issues and help reach an agreement to avert the strike which would impact the administration of justice as the courts would come to a standstill.

This follows JUSAGs threat last Friday to embark on an indefinite strike action by May 22, over governments inability to approve their new salary plans for the past two years.

A notice of the meeting from the NLC, signed by Director, Administration and Human Resource for the Executive Secretary on May 8, Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, asked JUSAG and the respondent, government, to appear before the commission on May 10, 2023.

The National Labour Commission has been served with Notice of Intended Industrial Action dated 5th May, 2023, by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG).

With this intervention, the union is directed to stay any and/or intended actions and appear as scheduled, the letter of invitation from the NLC directed.

Strike notice

JUSAG had given the government up to Friday (May 12), within which to approve and pay our new salaries with all arrears from January to May 2023, failing which we shall resort to industrial action.

It said no word had been heard from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on members new salaries as of close of Friday, May 5.

The notice issued by JUSAG General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu, said a full-blown strike will be declared from Monday, May 22 if within the preceding week government did not address their grievances.

At this moment, we had to say, enough is enough, a notice to members last Friday said.

We cant bear it any longer. Our industrial action plans have been activated.

According to the notice, the National Labour Commission (NLC) has been duly notified on the intention to proceed on strike in accordance with Sections 159-161 of the Ghana Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).

If the government does not respond favourably by Friday, May 12, all staff of the Judicial Service will wear red armbands from Monday, May 15 and that shall continue for one week.

Our indefinite strike shall remain in force until we have the approval and payment of the new salaries with all the arrears from January to May 2023.

Background

In November 2019, JUSAG embarked on an industrial action after they called the bluff of the NLC and the Judicial Service Council who had ordered them to resume work because the strike was illegal.

They were protesting governments failure to review the salaries of its members.

They,however, called off the strike two days later following a meeting with the NLC.
Nene Sakite launches 25th anniversary

Ezekiel E. Sottie May - 10 - 2023 , 07:44

The 25th anniversary of the enstoolment of the Konor of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area in the Eastern Region, Nene Sakite II, has been launched.

The anniversary, which will run throughout May, 2023 will include visits to places of interest in the Manya Krobo Traditional area, launch of Nene Sakites book titled, The gospel, tradition, the royal narrative and a durbar of chiefs and people of the traditional area.

Nene Sakite II, who was known in private life as Seth Nyarko Lanor, succeeded the late Oklemekuku Azu Mate Korle in 1997.

Currently, he is the President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs.

Education

Speaking at the launch, Nene Sakite advised the people of the area to make the education of their children a priority in order to tap their potential for the benefit of themselves and society.

He said many children in the area would have performed well in schools if they had got the chance to have formal education.

I am saying this because of the result that the traditional area is getting from the education endowment fund that I established some years ago since I ascended the throne as the Konor.

Per the records, as many as 1,500 students benefitted from the fund from the senior high school (SHS), technical, vocational and the tertiary institutions, he stated.

Some of his achievements for the past 25 years include the establishment of an Education Endowment Fund; the first to bring to Ghana the antiretroviral drugs for the control of the HIV/AIDS menace; lobbied the European Union office in Accra for funding of a number of educational infrastructure, including JHS classroom blocks at Odumase Presbyterian School, Odumase Akro JHS and offices, teachers bungalow at Asesewa and a clinic at Kodjonya, near Odumase-Krobo.

He also lobbied for the establishment of the Nursing and Midwifery School at Odumase-Krobo and a high court at Odumase Krobo.

He was also appointed as the pioneer council member of the National Health Insurance Scheme in 2004, appointed a Council Member of the Ghana Education Service in 2009 as a Trustee of the GETFund in 2015, among many other achievements.

Patronage

The Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, Nene Teye Adjiso, appealed to the people in the traditional area to patronise the activities to make the anniversary successful as the Konor had done a lot for the area.

The Manya Krobo Development queen mother, Manye Agmorkuor Yoko, in her welcome address said the Konor had done a lot in the past 25 years and needed commendation from the people of the traditional area.
Rainstorm displaces residents of Bimbila

Mohammed Fugu May - 10 - 2023 , 07:19

About 1,000 residents, including schoolchildren, have been displaced in the Nanumba North Municipality and Mion District in the Northern Region following a rainstorm that hit the region last Saturday.

A number of residential homes, school buildings, health facilities, security installations and other property worth millions of Ghana cedis were destroyed.

However, no casualty was recorded.

Checks by the Daily Graphic indicated that a number of the displaced persons were stranded while some were perching with relatives in churches and mosques.

Destruction

At Bimbila, the Nanumba North Municipal capital, a number of residents had the roof of their houses ripped-off and others completely destroyed.

The worst affected areas are Dangbe, Masaaka, Baayanwaya and Kapuhi.

It also destroyed buildings of institutions such as the Electoral Commission, Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Immigration Service.

The situation is not different from that of DC Kura, a farming community in the Mion District, where about six schools, 23 houses and other property were damaged.

Assessment

The Municipal Chief Executive for Nanumba North, Abdulai Yakubu, told the Daily Graphic that officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation, has commenced assessing the extent of damage.

NADMO has started an assessment but it is quite devastating; a number of homes have been completely destroyed with the roofs off and the walls collapsed, he said.

He said the assembly and NADMO were working to, as a matter of urgency, mobilise some relief items for the victims to help alleviate their plight, adding that the items may not be enough for them considering the extent of damage caused by the disaster.

Appeal

The District Chief Executive for Mion, Samuel Mahama, who toured the affected areas on Sunday, appealed to the government and other philanthropists in the region to come to the aid of those affected.

Some of the victims who spoke to the Daily Graphic, said they had been left stranded with their families as all their houses had been affected by the disaster.

They, therefore, appealed to the government, philanthropists and benevolent organisations to come to their aid.

Writers email:mohammed.fugu

@graphic.com.gh
Former Prez John Mahama vows to crack down on corruption if elected

GraphicOnline Politics May - 10 - 2023 , 08:11

John Dramani Mahama, the former President of Ghana, has pledged to create a favourable environment for anti-corruption institutions to clamp down on corrupt officials if he wins the upcoming presidential election.

Mr. Mahama has stated that corrupt government officials will be discouraged from engaging in corrupt practices during his tenure.

Speaking to delegates in Lambussie in the Upper West Region, he reiterated that corrupt individuals will be punished regardless of their political affiliation under the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

Mr. Mahama emphasized that he would allow anti-corruption institutions to function independently and that he would not interfere or shield anyone who engages in corrupt activities.

He stated that anyone who is caught stealing public funds will face the full force of the law, whether they are in his government, past governments, or the previous government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

It doesnt matter whether you belong to our government or past governments, if you steal the peoples money we will deal with you. If elected as President, I will allow anti-corruption institutions to work. Nobody should come and call me to save them when they catch you. Any person whether in my government or outside my government or in the previous NPP government, if the anti-corruption institutions are dealing with you that is your business because we must save this country, Mr. Mahama said.
NDC primaries: See the 15 Constituencies on hold

Samuel Duodu Politics May - 10 - 2023 , 10:46

Fifteen constituencies will not take part in Saturdays parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the party works to resolve issues of dispute on various fronts.

The affected constituencies include Akwatia, Ayensuano, Afram Plains South, Lower West Akim, all in the Eastern Region; Manhyia South, Adansi Asokwa and Mampong in the Ashanti Region; Ayawaso West Wuogon and Odododiodoo in the Greater Accra Region; and Amenfi East and Akontombra in the Western and Western North regions, respectively.

The rest are Tano North in the Ahafo Region; Gomoa Central, Assin North and Effutu in the Central Region.

The party said it was working to resolve the issues surrounding the affected constituencies, and that a new date for the elections would be announced in due course.

Elections

The acting Director of Elections of the NDC, Daniel Amartey Mensah, told the Daily Graphic last Friday that the presidential primary would, however, take place in 275 constituencies across the country except Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region where the presidential primary has been suspended along with the parliamentary primary.

He said the Manhyia South presidential primary had to do with the branch executive delegates list.

The parliamentary primaries would, thus, be held in 217 constituencies, with 15 put on hold, and 44 going unopposed.

In all, 55,862 aspirants will take part in the parliamentary primaries across the country.

Delegates

Mr Mensah said a total of 356,624 delegates of the party were expected to vote in the presidential primary.

They comprise branch, constituency, regional and national executive, former national executive, sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), former MPs and government appointees, NDC-appointed Article 71 Office Holders, and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives that served under the partys government.

The rest are NDC-appointed former Deputy and Ministers of State, former Ambassadors and High Commissioners, former Members of the Council of State, presidential staffers who fall under Article 71 Office Holders, foreign chapters and members of the NDC Professional Forum.

Mr Mensah explained that the election was originally scheduled to have taken place in 276 constituencies, including the Santrokofi-Akpafu-Lolobi-Likpe (SALL) area, until various circumstances intervened to force the suspensions.

Readiness

Mr Mensah expressed the readiness of the party to hold the elections which, he said, would be under the paid-for supervision of the Electoral Commission (EC).

He said the party had opted for a decentralised approach for the polls to save time and ensure efficiency.

He said where the delegates were more than the 1,200 threshold, two more centres had been created to ensure the polls end within the stipulated time of 4 p.m., saying voting would start at 8 a.m. in all the centres.

He said the results of the parliamentary primary polls would be declared at the constituency level, while for the presidential the final collation centre would be at the party's national headquarters in Accra.

Ballot papers

Mr Mensah said the first batch of the ballot papers for the presidential primary had been printed and handed over to the EC, with the rest to follow soon.

He said the party leadership last Wednesday met with representatives of the three presidential aspirants  Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Kojo Bonsu and former President John Dramani Mahama  to discuss the modalities regarding the election, and had also been handed copies of the voters register (albums) that would be used on the voting day.

Regarding the alleged issues of anomalies in the voters register raised by Dr Duffuors campaign team, Mr Mensah said the issue had been addressed, and that if the team still had concerns they could petition the Functional Executive Committee of the party for redress and not the EC.

Last Wednesday, we gave out 228 copies of the photo albums to all the presidential aspirants for the elections, and the rest would be given to them in due course, which would be relevant on the election day, he stated.
High-voltage electrical subsystems throughout Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) require a mechanism to protect the high-voltage distribution and loads in the event of an overload condition. To provide BEV and HEV designers with a faster and more reliable high-voltage circuit protection solution, Microchip Technology has introduced the E-Fuse Demonstrator Board, enabled by silicon carbide (SiC) technology, available in six variants for 400800V battery systems and with a current rating up to 30 amps.





The E-Fuse demonstrator can detect and interrupt fault currents in microseconds, 100500 times faster than traditional mechanical approaches because of its high-voltage solid-state design. The fast response time substantially reduces peak short-circuit currents from tens of kilo-amps to hundreds of amps, which can prevent a fault event from resulting in a hard failure.

The E-Fuse demonstrator provides BEV/HEV OEM designers with a SiC-based technology solution to jumpstart their development process with a faster, more reliable method for protecting power electronics. The E-Fuse solid-state design also alleviates long-term reliability concerns about electromechanical devices because there is no degradation from mechanical shock, arcing or contact bounce. Clayton Pillion, vice president of Microchips silicon carbide business unit

With the E-Fuse demonstrators resettable feature, designers can easily package an E-Fuse in the vehicle without the burden of design-for-serviceability constraints. This reduces design complexities and enables flexible vehicle packaging to improve BEV/HEV power system distribution.

OEMs can accelerate development of SiC-based auxiliary applications with the E-Fuse demonstrator because of the built in Local Interconnect Network (LIN) communication interface. The LIN interface enables the configuration of the over-current trip characteristics without the need to modify hardware components, and it also reports diagnostic status.

The E-Fuse demonstrator leverages the ruggedness and performance of Microchips SiC MOSFET technology and PIC microcontrollers Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) with a LIN-based interface. The companion components are automotive-qualified and yield a lower part count and higher reliability over a discrete design.

The E-Fuse Demonstrator Board is supported by MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to enable customers to quickly develop or debug software. The LIN Serial Analyzer development tool allows customers to easily send and receive serial messages from a PC to the E-Fuse Demonstrator Board.

The E-Fuse Demonstrator Board is available in limited sampling upon request.
ULEMCo has been awarded 3.9 million by government, matched by industry to a total 7.9 million, for a major project with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to develop solutions for hydrogen powered vehicles. The HYER Power project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender module that will integrate into electric vehicles used for specialist applications such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers.

The funding was awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre Collaborative Research and Development program, in support of ambitions to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles in the UK.

OCC will provide the customer input, trialing and dissemination, and the work will lead to a manufacturing-ready, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell based range extension system for electric drivetrains. Other partners in the project with ULEMCo include: Technical Services (UK) Ltd for cooling capability, Altair Ltd for vehicle energy system modeling, along with Emergency One for the fire engine solutions.

The zero-emission range extender used for HYER Power will apply existing, proven fuel cell technology from the Toyota Mirai, and will demonstrate how zero-emission vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings. Key outcomes of the project will include a production-ready zero-emission ambulance as a result from the work already completed by ULEMCo under the ZERRO project, alongside a fully working prototype fire pumping appliance and an HGV road sweeper.

ULEMCo is based in Liverpool, UK and was founded in 2014 to commercialize its globally unique UK capability in hydrogen technology to convert commercial vehicles (from LGV to HGV and specialist utility vehicles like refuse trucks, gritter and sweepers) to run on hydrogen. This is achieved using either the companys technology for hydrogen dual fuel, or applying know-how and experience to developing zero emission engine vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell integration.
Marys has been open for just a few weeks, but strong word of mouth has already brought in a crowd. Photo: Marissa Alper

After Brendan Donohoe moved from Dublin to New York in 2006, he found a hospitality career that attracted many of his fellow expats: as a bartender at an Irish pub. In 2019, Donohoe, who is gay, joined a company that managed a dozen bars, mostly in midtown  but it wasnt a great fit. I didnt recognize myself in that environment, he says. It felt very straight-male dominant. I just didnt mold well to it. He became involved with the lesbian bar Gingers in 2021, partnering with its founder, Sheila Frayne, after the Park Slope institution shuttered during the pandemic. Youre preserving something thats already done well, Donohoe says. In a very good way, I feel like a steward.

Now hes left his other job as CEO to work full-time on Gingers and a new project, Marys Bar, which opened the other week on the border of Greenpoint and East Williamsburg. Marys, which Donohoe named after his mother, is at its core another Irish pub, but its modeled after Dublins public houses, so midtown staples like TVs tuned to ESPN are nowhere to be found. Donohoe wants to offer a traditional Irish sense of warmth in a space that is centered to queer people: In a proper Irish pub, there is a general expectation of respect and inclusion in the community. You come as you are, and youre welcomed, he says. My highest hope is that as a pub that is queer, it doesnt need to be identified as a lesbian bar, gay bar, or anything in between.

As it is at its sister bar Gingers, the unofficial motto of Marys is the vibes are right. A public house is meant to be a space that takes away all the other roles, and titles, says Marys owner Brendan Donohoe. Its a great equalizer in many respects. On warmer nights, groups spill onto the bars wraparound porch. Yes, there is Guinness. Photographs by Marissa Alper

On a recent rainy Sunday night, groups of twos and fours trickled through the heavy wooden doors, dumping their umbrellas before getting settled. This is not necessarily a place for all the loud people, says Donohoe. I dont think that theres that many places for people who are the quieter side of queer. There is no sawdust, but the floors are worn down enough to feel homey. The sprinkling of high-tops that fill in the space point to a pub philosophy instilled by Donohoes father: Low tables create distance, but when seats rise to bar height, its easier to entertain conversation with anyone who might be passing by carrying their next round. In time, the decor will favor memorabilia and artwork from Ireland that are focused on queer narratives, along with plans to host a trad-music night before summer begins.

Most of the drinks at Marys are under $10  an effort to keep everything accessible  and the first thing any bartender learns is how to properly pour a pint of Guinness: at an angle, wait, top it off, no bubbles. If I see anybody put a glass down, pull the tab, and walk away as it fills up, Ill cry, says Donohoe.

In Donohoes view, the heart of an authentic Irish pub is complementary to the philosophy of queer spaces. At their best, both offer a place where you can come as you are without judgment and find community. Its a really lovely thing, to give people ownership of the space. he says. I dont want division, I want connections. A public house thats queer and Irish is probably one of the best places for that.
The Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a were joined today on stage at Google's I/O conference by the long-rumored, oft-leaked, recently teased Pixel Fold, the company's first foldable smartphone.

It measures 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm when folded, and 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm when unfolded, weighing 283g. It's IPX8 rated for water resistance (not dust, though, bear that in mind). The external screen is a 5.8-inch 1080x2092 17.4:9 120 Hz OLED with Gorilla Glass Victus on top, and up to 1,200 nits HDR brightness and 1,550 nits peak brightness.

The inner screen is OLED, 7.6" diagonally, has 6:5 aspect ratio, 2208x1840 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, Ultra Thin Glass with protective plastic layer on top, up to 1,000 nits HDR brightness and 1,450 nits peak brightness.

The hinge features "fluid friction across the full 180-degree range of motion to securely support different postures". The phone is powered by Google's Tensor G2 SoC with the Titan M2 security coprocessor. You get 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

There are three cameras on the rear: a 48 MP main with 1/2" sensor size, 0.8 m pixel width, f/1.7 aperture, and OIS, a 10.8 MP ultrawide with 1/3" sensor size, 1.25 m pixel width, and f/2.2 aperture, and a 10.8 MP 5x optical zoom telephoto with 1/3.1" sensor size, 1.22 m pixel width, f/3.05 aperture, and support for Super Res Zoom up to 20x.

On the outer screen there's a 9.5 MP fixed focus camera with 1.22 m pixel width and f/2.2 aperture, while the inner screen gets an 8 MP snapper, also with fixed focus, and 1.12 m pixel width along with f/2.0 aperture.

A fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button, there's dual-SIM support but only one physical SIM slot (the second SIM has to be eSIM), stereo speakers, and a 4,821 mAh battery that supports Google's 30W USB-C charger with USB-PD 3.0, which is sold separately (there's no charger in the box). The phone runs Android 13 of course.

It's already up for pre-order in the US for $1,799 in two colors - Porcelain and Obsidian, and it will become available sometime next month. If you pre-order, you will receive a free Pixel Watch. In the future, the Pixel Fold will also be sold through the Google Store in Germany, Japan, and the UK, but not any other countries where Google offers its other phones. It might still make it to other shores via third party retailers, however.
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
The amount of contaminated water flowing from the Ordot dump has dropped four months in a row since water line leaks in the area were repaired late last year, which suggests the large increase in leachate flow at the dump was caused by the leaking lines, according to testimony Wednesday in federal court.

Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood held a status hearing in the 21-year-old case which forced the government of Guam to close the environmentally hazardous Ordot dump and build a new landfill in Layon.

The Guam Solid Waste Authority now runs most solid waste operations, but court-appointed receiver Gershman, Brickner and Bratton still is responsible for finalizing the post-closure plan and financing for the Ordot dump, which shut its gates in August 2011.

According to the latest status report, the total post-closure cost for the dump is now estimated to be as much as $31 million, covering the period from November 2021 to March 2046, when the closure will be complete. The fenced site must be monitored, with contaminated water from the covered trash pile removed through the sewer system.

With only $3.9 million now in the closures trust account, and annual expenses exceeding the current $2 million in deposits, Tydingco-Gatewood said a financing plan needs to be developed to cover that gap.

A properly capped dump is supposed to produce less contaminated water over time, but the receiver last summer reported a four-fold increase in the volume of leachate and the cost to dispose of it.

The Solid Waste Authority also has been trying to negotiate a lower disposal fee with the Guam Waterworks Authority for the contaminated water, arguing the contamination levels are so low it should be charged $8 per thousand gallons instead of the current $29.56 per thousand gallons.

Because leaking water lines might have inflated the volume of leachate and the cost to dispose of it, the solid waste authority is currently trying to determine how much leachate actually is being produced at the dump in order to get a rebate from the water agency.

Solid Waste General Manager Irving Slike told the court the rebate might be as much as $2.2 million, assuming the dump produces about 10 million gallons of leachate per year.

Although leaking water lines possibly are a reason for the increased volume of leachate, Slike told the court its possible that rainwater also is making its way into the leachate collection system.

Rainfall, at a properly closed landfill has no discernible effect, Slike said, but during heavy rain on April 6 the volume of leachate jumped from eight gallons per minute to 72 gallons per minute.

That means theres a surface water impact at Ordot, at least that was seen on April 6, Slike said. We need to figure out how that rainwater is getting into the leachate collection system.

Water testing at the dump is scheduled to continue through the end of this year, in order to gather data from the current dry season, through the rainy season.
Theres no word yet where the administration is now planning to put a new hospital, but whatever decisions are made, they will have to be live-streamed.

Senators Wednesday overrode Gov. Lou Leon Guerreros veto of Bill 13, which will require the committee responsible for planning the new hospital and medical campus to comply with the Open Government Law. That means notices will have to be published a week in advance of any committee meetings, which will also have to be live-streamed and open to the public.

The bill also will require the planning committee to have as members the chair of the municipal planning councils of any impacted villages, the presidents of the Guam Medical Society and Guam Medical Association, and the legislative oversight chair for health matterspresently Speaker Therese Terlaje. Any new members may designate another person to fill their seat.

The override passed with support from 12 of 15 lawmakers. Sens. Chris Barnett, Frank Blas Jr., Joanne Brown, Chris Duenas, Tom Fisher, Jesse Lujan, Will Parkinson, Sabina Perez, Dwayne San Nicolas, Amanda Shelton, Telo Taitague, and the speaker voted aye.

Sens. Roy Quinata, Joe San Agustin, and Tina Muna Barnes dissented.

The governor in her March veto message said the measure and its companion, Bill 12, threatened to mire the hospital project in bureaucracy and derail careful and coordinated planning by the executive branch. Politicians supporting the measure supporting Bill 13 were called obstructionist.

Just before the vote Wednesday, Speaker Terlaje said the measure is intended to increase transparency and bring the healthcare community into the discussion about the new hospital.

All we ask is that while they are discussing these things in this committee that we created, that in good faith they also opened that up to the government of Guam and to the people of Guam, to hear the deliberations, to hear if theres federal assistance availablewe might adjust our appropriationsto just lay that out on the table. Not to hide it. Thats all. I feel its a very simple ask, the speaker said.

Charges of a lack of transparency have been denied by Guam Economic Development Authority Melanie Mendiola, who has led the planning committee for the new hospital. GEDA has launched a website detailing progress on the new hospital.

Sen. Telo Taitague Wednesday added that the measure would allow the Legislature and Adelup to work together.

The governor has said countless times that shes looking forward for this body to be a part of building a new hospital on countless times. This bill would actually bring us to the table bring us all to the table, she said.

Who is against increasing public notice? asked Sen. Chris Barnett, calling the governors past veto silly.

He asked his colleagues to vote for the measure, saying it was a nothing burger now that Adelup had dropped plans to build a new hospital at Eagles Field in Mangilao.

The years-long negotiations between the administration and the military for the Eagles Field site, eyed for the construction of a medical campus, have been a source of contention between Adelup and the Legislature.

Senators late last month overrode the veto of a bill that would require them to sign off on any land leases between GovGuam and the federal government. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero shortly after said that she would not be seeking an extension on negotiations with the Navy, calling them fruitless, based on comments made by lawmakers.
Lawmakers on Wednesday afternoon voted to pass five more months of $100 power bill relief and another round of subsidies to struggling businesses.

But the total price tag for the two measures is more than the excess cash that GovGuam has on hand as of this week.

If the governor signs off on both, when and if payouts to businesses are made will depend on whether the government can keep bringing in more tax revenue than expected through the end of the fiscal year.

Senators have also called on Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to funnel more federal American Rescue Plan money to both programs, to help carry costs, though the administration is not receptive to the call and has decried poor fiscal policy.

Together, the two programs would pull about $25 million from excess tax revenue collected by GovGuam this fiscal year. Just about $18 million was available as of Tuesday, Director of Administration Ed Birn told lawmakers.

Senators are taking a wait and see approach to move both forward at the same time.

Bill 75, which provides funding to the Local Employers Assistance Program will only draw the $15 million allotment down as soon as such funds become available.

The bills sponsor Sen. Joe San Agustin said that should keep GovGuam from overextending itselfif the money isnt there, businesses wont get paid. San Agustin, the legislative chair for the budget, said hes confident that the government will be able to rake in more cash to foot the bill.

Bill 75 passed with 14 ayes and one vote against.

Only Sen. Tom Fisher dissented. He said he objected to local money being used on the LEAP, an unaudited program with no proof of success, when the governor could put federal ARP money towards the program, I didnt get elected to fleece the taxpayers.

Speaker Therese Terlajes Bill 83, meanwhile, will pay for the Ayuda Para I Taotao-ta Energy Credit Program through to September at a total cost of about $26 million. It will take $10.8 million from fiscal 2023 excess revenue, and reach back into excess revenue collected last fiscal year for another $15.5 million.

Bill 83 passed unanimously.

Republican Minority Leader Sen. Frank Blas criticized the administration for not putting federal ARP money down on both power credits and business subsidies.

Its kind of sad when you say that you caution about deficit spending while you sit on $228 million, Blas said.

The minority leader has introduced Resolution 122, which would officially request that the governor foot the bill for both programs. It has bipartisan support.

The administration has consistently stated that ARP money cant be used for power bill relief due to federal guidelines, but governor has already committed $5 million from that fund source for the LEAP.

Adelup: No poor fiscal policy

The Office of the Governor issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, after both measures passed.

Gov. Leon Guerreros promise to put $5 million into the LEAP program remains unchanged, the statement said, adding that the administration has already put $37.5 million toward a previous round of the program.

What has changed is the amount of local funds the Legislature has proposed, the statement said, which had spiked from $5 million in previous legislation to $15 million in the latest bill which had passed.

The governor supported businesses and power rebates, but what this administration does not support is poor fiscal policy. Passing two bills that appropriate more money than is currently available is a fiscal policy that may lead to deficit spending.

Whether the full $18 million in excess revenue would hold remained unverified until the end of the month, the statement said, and lawmakers had already committed more money than that.

The governor hoped collections remain buoyant enough to meet the needs of ratepayers and businesses, the statement said.
Point of View

Leon-Guerrero: The governor was not elected to be queen




Haiti - FLASH : BINUH alarmed by the increase of more than 28% in violence in the 1st quarter





During the first quarter of 2023, gang violence has increased in frequency and intensity. Cases of murders, injuries and kidnappings increased by more than 28% compared to the previous quarter. Many medical facilities have closed and schools are currently being used as bases by gangs.



"Haiti needs immediate assistance to counter the increase in violence by armed gangs and to develop its police force", observes Maria Isabel Salvador, the new Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and Chief and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). She stresses "the urgent need for the deployment, authorized by the Security Council, of a specialized international force".



In their latest quarterly report https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/rapport_trimestriel_droits_de_lhomme_-_q1_2023-EN.pdf on human rights, covering the period from January to March 2023, BINUH and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented attacks of extreme cruelty against the population, resulting in at least 1,634 victims who were killed, injured or abducted compared to 674 victims in the same period in 2022 .



All neighborhoodsof the capital, including neighborhoods previously considered safe, as well as the Artibonite department are now affected. Sexual violence continues to be used by gangs as a weapon to terrorize, punish and subjugate populations.



In some cases, gang members broke into areas and shot on sight to kill as many people as possible. Young boys and girls have also been victims of stray bullets while they were in their classroom or at home. At least 42 children were killed, injured or abducted during the reporting period. The report also documents incidents in which gangs used snipers to indiscriminately target people on the streets or their homes. Other people were burned to death on public transport.



The report also highlights the resurgence of acts of lynching against suspected gang members by groups of individuals. Messages broadcast by some personalities on social media or on the radio also called on citizens to arm themselves to respond to gang violence.



The violence only increases. In April 600 people were killed https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39491-haiti-flash-violence-in-haiti-leaves-more-than-600-dead-in-april-alone.html during a new wave of extreme violence that affected several neighborhoods of the capital, including Cabaret, Cite Soleil and Petion Ville. Some people were mutilated or had their throats slit, while at least 49 women were victims of gang rapes in the commune of Cite Soleil alone.



Download the BINUH report (PDF in English 8 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/rapport_trimestriel_droits_de_lhomme_-_q1_2023-EN.pdf



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Crisis : The OAS reiterates the need for international security support





The Special Representative of the Secretary General Cristo Dupouy presented to the Working Group on Haiti of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) the current situation in Haiti. In his speech, he reiterated the urgent need for international security support.



Excerpt from Cristo Dupouy's speech :



"[...] The situation in Haiti is serious. The country is undergoing its deepest crisis since the return of democracy in 1987. Even though, Haiti has had the unfortunate record of having elected 10 presidents during this time frame and agreed to negotiate 12 other interim governments and presidents with the results we all know. Let's be frank, 35 years since the transition to democracy, political instability and the constant negotiation of elected office has never yielded the desired results.



Haiti has deteriorated sharply since the beginning of the year, the gang prevalence in the capital has accelerated and spread somewhat to the provinces, the weakness of the Haitian National Police is as palpable today as it has ever been, the economy is in shambles, many State institutions are dysfunctional, the humanitarian condition faces a disastrous outcome and any prospect for the situation to change course is far, very far away from where we stand today.



[...] Each week, if not every day, reports come in from Haiti on chronic fuel shortages, lack access to food or medicines, increasing hardship and horror has become the norm, and by all accounts, the Haitian population fares much worse today than it has in the past.



[...] As a fragile security situation prevails in Haiti the nexus between criminal groups and politics is still very much strong and may still bring Haiti to the brink.



[...] Now, the question that I ask of you, now that we've had ample time to be exhaustively briefed on Haiti, with the many achievements of the Working Group, what is going to be the stance that we collectively take on this particular issue?



Let me be frank with you as I always have been. Haiti has requested to the UN and to the OAS in October of last year assistance to stem the massive level of violence that is afflicting the country. After months of discussions in other fora, the needle has not budged, and Haiti continues a downward spiral. What are the institutional answers that we are in a position and able to take today here at the OAS?



I do not see any scenario, where there is a viable outcome for Haiti, where there isn't a consequent international presence on the ground, to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people. Whatever form this may take, it should at least be discussed in the adequate forum that this organization authorizes and facilitate a hemispheric answer to the task that Haiti has commended upon us.



[...] I am convinced that we have not been speaking in front of deaf ears, but we struggle to understand why it has taken so long to address the necessity that Haiti so desperately needs. There are examples of other initiatives to support countries in crisis, for which international assistance hasn't had to undergo such tortuous paths.



[...] Wasn't this organization created precisely to deal with situations like the one Haiti is going through as stated in our Charter?



'To achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, [ ... ] and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.' As affirmed in Article 1 of the OAS Charter.



State sovereignty entails the obligation to protect its own people. When a State cannot fully do so and the peace and security of a region is endangered, this responsibility rests with the international community. In the case of Haiti, its authorities have repeatedly requested a special force to support the National Police. Something that becomes urgent in light of what continues to happen in Haiti.



In a country of 12 million inhabitants that counts less than 9,500 police officers [active in the field] I wonder how Haiti will enable to tackle alone this insurmountable task. Citizens are fending and arming themselves in what could become an explosive situation of vigilante expeditious justice and extrajudicial killings, moving Haiti, once again to the brink and on the wrong direction. The worst may be yet to come as gangs get stronger and security forces weaken.



We cannot be seen, the International Community, as gravely paralyzed in the face of Haiti as it keeps on plummeting ever faster. We keep on underscoring this unfolding tragedy at the top of our hemispheric agenda in a country that figurately and literarily stands at the center of our shared hemisphere, hoping that by addressing its needs we can tackle somehow our own shortcomings."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39369-haiti-politic-the-task-force-on-haiti-requests-immediate-support-for-haiti.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Published on 2023/05/09 | Source

New stills added for the Korean drama "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" (2023)

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Directed by Jo Nam-hyung, 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
Finnish buyout and growth investors have continued to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Finland, investing over half a billion euros in 75 unlisted companies in 2022. Despite the economic uncertainties caused by the pandemic, private equity investors have maintained a stable level of investment activity over the past five years, annually investing an average of half a billion euros in around 80 SMEs to help accelerate their growth.

The success of Finnish SMEs can be attributed in part to the expertise of buyout and growth investors, who have primarily focused on supporting domestic companies seeking growth partners. Over 90% of the investments made in 2022 were directed towards domestic companies, with investments dispersed throughout the country. Companies in Central Finland and Pirkanmaa received the highest investment volumes, after Uusimaa.

The investments made by private equity investors have also yielded significant returns for Finnish companies. According to a study conducted by the Finnish Venture Capital Association and PwC in 2022, the growth of private-equity-backed companies is nine times faster in terms of turnover and five times faster in terms of number of employees than that of peer companies.

The success of Finnish SMEs has also attracted a record-breaking 3 billion in new funds between 2018 and 2022, with several growth funds that make minority investments launched in 2022. There is currently a significant amount of unallocated capital in the funds, indicating that more investments in companies seeking growth partners can be expected in the future.

However, the Finnish Venture Capital Association has also emphasized the need to remove obstacles to domestic and foreign fundraising for private equity funds and to create more competitive opportunities to attract growth capital to Finland. Despite the challenges, the success of Finnish SMEs has remained steady, with 38 successful exits through trade sales or sales to another private equity investor in 2022.

In conclusion, the Finnish buyout and growth investors have continued to support the growth of SMEs in Finland, contributing to their success even in the face of economic uncertainty. With a stable level of investment activity and record-breaking funds raised in recent years, the future looks promising for Finnish SMEs seeking growth partners.

HT
Undocumented immigrant sentenced for causing death of toddler

Aaron Santos-Pinzon

An undocumented Mexican national living in Henderson County could serve up to 12 years in prison after being convicted last week of felony death by vehicle and felony hit-and-run causing death, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

Superior Court Judge Mark Powell on Friday sentenced Aaron Santos-Pinzon, 32, to at least eight years and four months and up to 11 years and nine months in prison, the maximum aggravated sentence possible for each of the two charges.

According to court records and Fridays sentencing hearing, on Aug. 21, 2021, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded at approximately 6 p.m. to a report of a small child being struck by a vehicle and severely injured in the cul-de-sac at 58 Pleasant Court east of Oak Grove Road and south of Crest Road. Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, the troopers discovered that a 3-year-old toddler had been riding her tricycle in the cul-de-sac in front of her house when an individual driving a SUV backed out of a neighboring driveway and tragically struck and killed the toddler. The driver of the SUV, after impacting the child, immediately left the scene.

Troopers were able to obtain statements from witnesses who described the driver and the SUV he was driving. They immediately broadcast a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert. A Henderson County sheriffs deputy spotted and stopped Santos-Pinzon shortly after the BOLO was issued heading south on U.S. 25 near the South Carolina line and handed him over to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Santos-Pinzon was found to be displaying signs of appreciable impairment with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech, unsteadiness on his feet and glassy eyes, the D.A. said. Santos-Pinzon admitted previously drinking alcoholic beverages. He was transported to the county intake center where he was administered a standard breathalyzer test. Santos-Pinzon blew a .10 on the breathalyzer test, above the legal limit to drive in North Carolina of .08. The defendant was arrested for felony death by vehicle, felony hit-and-run causing death and driving while impaired.

Santos-Pinzon was determined to be a citizen of Mexico living here illegally. He remained in the custody at the Henderson County jail until receiving his prison sentence on Friday. Santos-Pinzon has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer on him and will presumably be repatriated to his country of origin upon completion of his North Carolina sentence, Murray said in a news release.
Kanuga offers Mother's Day buffet

Kanuga invites the community to celebrate Mother's Day with a special brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 14.

Featuring selections from Kanuga's new chef, Bruno Martin, the brunch buffet includes herb-crusted prime rib, salmon with lemon dill aioli, roasted Brussel sprouts with balsamic vinaigrette, charcuterie, salad bar and more, topped off with blueberry crepes and chocolate chip cheesecake.

Mimosas and Bloody Marys will also be available. Guests can enjoy the grounds and trails, as Kanuga's 21 miles of hiking trails will be open, as well as Daisy's Lake Trail, which is an easy walk encircling Kanuga Lake. The waterfront will also be open for swimming and boating, with canoes and kayaks available, weather permitting.

The buffet is $39 for adults, $15 for children 3-12, and free to children under 3.

To make reservations contact Kanuga at 828-692-9136.
ABOUT 150 boats took part in a flotilla on the River Thames on Monday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

Despite the unpredictable weather, spectators gathered along the banks to watch the spectacle and wave Union flags as a variety of vessels travelled upstream from Hambleden Lock to Marsh Lock and back again.

Many of the vessels were decorated in Union flags, crowns and depictions of the royal family.

As they went under Henley Bridge, the people on board waved at those watching from above who waved back and took photographs.

The flotilla included rowing boats, large and small motor boats, skiffs, launches, dragonboats, canoes and paddleboards.

It was led by a tug carrying organiser Lady McAlpine, of Fawley Hill, and inventor and TV presenter Edd China, which was accompanied by a giant swan blaring anthems including Queens We Are the Champions.

Lady McAlpine, who co-chairs the Thames Traditional Boat Festival, said: I had great fun. I felt very silly leading the flotilla and my hair was everywhere.

We suggested that it would be lovely if people just got together and floated up the river. We are going to award some prizes which will be handed out at the Trad later this year.

Geoff Probert, of the Henley Whalers, and his crew of 11 rowed in Molly, a replica whale boat. He said the flotilla was great fun, adding: The weather could have been a bit better of course. The strong stream and headwind made it a bit harder to row at points.

I was surprised by how many boats there were, I really had no idea that many had entered. There was such a great crowd outside Phyllis Court and in Mill Meadows. It was really great being a part of it all.

Hobbs of Henleys replica paddle steamer The New Orleans also took part. Passengers including visitors, residents and former Hobbs staff Raymond Gardiner and Gill Chater, who worked for the company for a combined total of 90 years.

Captain Pete West said: Ive never done anything like this before. Shame the sun isnt out but thats part of being British, isnt it?

Passenger Brian Pursglove, from Lancashire, said: We love Henley. Its a beautiful place. We wanted to be a part of the flotilla, get dressed up and feel a part of it, feel a part of Henley. Lyndsay Campbell, also from Lancashire, said: Ive never felt so British.

Lorenzo Clarke, six, from Hambleden, said: Im happy about the coronation, it was the best day. It makes me feel so British.

A register of all the boats that took part will be sent to the King. This will include the name and type of each boat and who was aboard.

Lady McAlpine said: With all the names and details, we will be able to build a lovely register. It will be there for posterity.
Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023.

Since HHS Secretary Xavier Becerras February 9, 2023, letter to Governors announcing the planned end of the COVID-19 PHE, the Department has been working closely with partnersincluding Governors; state, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies; industry; and advocatesto ensure an orderly transition out of the COVID-19 PHE.

Today, HHS is releasing a Fact Sheet with an update on current flexibilities enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declaration and how they will be impacted by the end of the COVID-19 PHE on May 11.

What has been accomplished:

Due to the Biden-Harris Administrations whole-of-government approach to combatting COVID-19, we are now in a better place in our response than at any point of the pandemic and well-positioned to transition out of the emergency phase and end the COVID-19 PHE. Over the last two years, the Biden-Harris Administration has effectively implemented the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history, with over 270 million people receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Administration has also made lifesaving treatments widely available, with more than 15 million courses administered. And through COVIDTests.gov, the Administration has distributed more than 750 million free COVID-19 tests shipped directly to more than 80 million households. The Administration has also administered more than 50 million diagnostic tests in-person at pharmacy and community-based sites. As a result of these and other efforts, COVID-19 is no longer the disruptive force it once was. Since January 2021, COVID-19 deaths have declined by 95% and hospitalizations are down nearly 91%.

As we approach the end of the COVID-19 PHE:

We have successfully marshalled a whole-of-government response to make historic investments in vaccines, tests, and treatments that are broadly available to help us combat COVID-19.

Our health care system and public health resources throughout the country are now better able to respond to any potential surge of COVID-19 cases without significantly affecting an individuals ability to access resources or care.

Our public health experts have issued guidance that allows individuals to understand mitigation measures, such as masking and testing to protect themselves and those around them.

We have the tools to detect and respond to the potential emergence of a variant of high consequence as we continue to monitor the evolving state of COVID-19 and the emergence of virus variants.

Still, we know so many people continue to be affected by COVID-19, particularly seniors, people who are immunocompromised, and people with disabilities. That is why our response to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remains a public health priority. To ensure an orderly transition, we have been working for months so that we can continue to meet the needs of those affected by COVID-19.

Even beyond the end of the COVID-19 PHE, we will continue to work to protect Americans from the virus and its worst impacts by supporting access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests, including for people without health insurance. We will continue to advance research into new, innovative vaccines and treatments through an investment of $5 billion in Project NextGen, a dedicated program to accelerate and streamline the rapid development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments, including investments in research, development, and manufacturing capacity and advancing critical science. And we are continuing to invest in efforts to better understand and address Long COVID and to help mitigate the impacts.

What will not be affected by the end of the COVID-19 PHE:

The Administrations continued response to COVID-19 is not fully dependent on the emergency declaration for the COVID-19 PHE, and there are significant flexibilities and actions that will not be affected when we transition from the current phase of our response on May 11.

Access to COVID-19 vaccinations and certain treatments, such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio, will generally not be affected. To help keep communities safe from COVID-19, HHS remains committed to maximizing continued access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

At the end of the COVID-19 PHE on May 11, Americans will continue to be able to access COVID-19 vaccines at no cost, just as they have during the COVID-19 PHE, due to the requirements of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Agreement. people will also continue to be able to access COVID-19 treatments just as they have during the COVID-19 PHE.

Once the federal government is no longer purchasing or distributing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, payment, coverage, and access may change. In order to prepare for that transition, partners across the U.S. Government (USG) are planning for and have been developing plans to ensure a smooth transition for the provision of COVID-19 vaccines and certain treatments as part of the traditional health care market, which will occur in the coming months.

When that transition to the traditional health care market occurs, to protect families, the Administration has facilitated access to COVID-19 vaccines with no out-of-pocket costs for nearly all individuals and will continue to ensure that effective COVID-19 treatments, such as Paxlovid, are widely accessible.

The Department announced the HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments (Bridge Program) on April 18, to maintain broad access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments for uninsured Americans after the transition to the traditional health care market. For those with most types of private insurance, COVID-19 vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are a preventive health service and will be fully covered without a co-pay when provided by an in-network provider. Currently, COVID-19 vaccinations are covered under Medicare Part B without cost sharing, and this will continue. Medicare Advantage plans must also cover COVID-19 vaccinations in-network without cost sharing, and this will continue. Medicaid will continue to cover COVID-19 vaccinations without a co-pay or cost sharing through September 30, 2024 and will generally cover ACIP-recommended vaccines for most beneficiaries thereafter.

After the transition to the traditional health care market, out-of-pocket expenses for certain treatments, such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio, may change, depending on an individuals health care coverage, similar to costs that one may experience for other covered drugs. Medicaid programs will continue to cover COVID-19 treatments without cost sharing through September 30, 2024. After that, coverage and cost sharing may vary by state.

For more information about the Bridge Program, visit Fact Sheet: HHS Announces HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments to Maintain Access to COVID-19 Care for the Uninsured. For more information about access to COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments, visit CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

The Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs) Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 products (including tests, vaccines, and treatments) will not be affected. FDAs ability to authorize various products, including tests, treatments, or vaccines for emergency use will not be affected by the end of the COVID-19 PHE. To learn more, visit FDAs FAQs: What happens to EUAs when a public health emergency ends?

Major telehealth flexibilities will not be affected. The vast majority of current Medicare telehealth flexibilities that people with Medicareparticularly those in rural areas and others who struggle to find access to carehave come to rely upon throughout the COVID-19 PHE, will remain in place through December 2024. Additionally, states already have significant flexibility with respect to covering and paying for Medicaid services delivered via telehealth. This flexibility was available prior to the COVID-19 PHE and will continue to be available after the COVID-19 PHE ends. To learn more, visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

Our whole-of-government response to Long COVID will not change. The Department has and will continue to coordinate a whole-of-government response to the longer-term effects of COVID-19, including Long COVID and associated conditions. On April 5, HHS released this Fact Sheet outlining the progress made in responding to Long COVID and actions the Department is taking to address the needs of the growing population with Long COVID and associated conditions.

What will be affected by the end of the COVID-19 PHE:

Many COVID-19 PHE flexibilities and policies have already been made permanent or otherwise extended for some time, with others expiring after May 11.

Certain Medicare and Medicaid waivers and broad flexibilities for health care providers are no longer necessary and will end. During the COVID-19 PHE, CMS used a combination of emergency authority waivers, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance to ensure and expand access to care and to give health care providers the flexibilities needed to help keep people safe. States, hospitals, nursing homes, and others are currently operating under hundreds of these waivers that affect care delivery and payment and that are integrated into patient care and provider systems. Many of these waivers and flexibilities were necessary to expand facility capacity for the health care system and to allow the health care system to weather the heightened strain created by COVID-19; given the current state of COVID-19, this excess capacity is no longer necessary.

For Medicaid, some additional COVID-19 PHE waivers and flexibilities will end on May 11, while others will remain in place for six months following the end of the COVID-19 PHE. But many of the Medicaid waivers and flexibilities, including those that support home and community-based services, are available for states to continue beyond the COVID-19 PHE, if they choose to do so. For example, states have used COVID-19 PHE-related flexibilities to increase the number of individuals served under a waiver, expand provider qualifications, and other flexibilities. Many of these options may be extended beyond the COVID-19 PHE. To learn more, visit CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Coverage for COVID-19 testing will change, but USG is maintaining a strong stockpile and distribution channels so that tests remain accessible at no cost in certain community locations, and the USG will continue to distribute tests through COVIDtests.gov through the end of May. People with Traditional Medicare can continue to receive COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests with no cost-sharing when the lab tests are ordered by a physician or certain other health care providers, such as physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses. People enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans can continue to receive COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests when the test is covered by Medicare, but their cost-sharing may change when the COVID-19 PHE ends. Additionally, the program that allowed Medicare coverage and payment for over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests will end when the COVID-19 PHE ends on May 11; Medicare Advantage plans may continue to cover the tests, and beneficiaries should check with their plan for details.

State Medicaid programs must provide coverage without cost sharing for COVID-19 testing until the last day of the first calendar quarter that begins one year after the last day of the COVID-19 PHE. That means with the COVID-19 PHE ending on May 11, 2023, this mandatory coverage will end on September 30, 2024, after which coverage may vary by state.

The requirement for private insurance companies to cover COVID-19 tests without cost sharing, both for OTC and laboratory tests, will end at the expiration of the PHE. However, coverage may continue if plans choose to do so. The Administration is encouraging private insurers to continue to provide such coverage going forward. For more information visit Coverage for COVID-19 Tests, Frequently Asked Questions: CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, FAQs About Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Implementation Part 58.

Additionally, the USG may continue to distribute free COVID-19 tests from the Strategic National Stockpile through states and other community partners. Pending resource availability, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program will continue to focus on no-cost testing for uninsured individuals and areas of high social vulnerability through pharmacies and community-based sites. For more information, visit CDCs ICATT website.

Certain COVID-19 data reporting and surveillance will change. CDC COVID-19 data surveillance has been a cornerstone of our response, and during the PHE, HHS had the authority to require lab test reporting for COVID-19. At the end of the COVID-19 PHE, HHS will no longer have this express authority to require this data from labs, which will affect the reporting of negative test results and impact the ability to calculate percent positivity for COVID-19 tests in some jurisdictions. Hospital data reporting will continue as required by the CMS conditions of participation through April 30, 2024, but reporting will be reduced from the current daily reporting to weekly.

Despite these changes, CDC will continue to report valuable data to understand COVID-19 trends and to inform individual and community public health actions to protect those at highest risk of severe COVID-19. In fact, CDC will still have access to more data than is currently collected for other respiratory illnesses to inform public health action at all levels, with hospital data, which is available at the county level, becoming a primary data source to indicate severe COVID-19 in a community. To learn more, visit this CDC resource: End of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration.

In March, FDA announced a transition plan for certain COVID-19-related guidance documents related to topics such as medical devices, clinical practice and supply chains, including which policies will end or be temporarily extended. To learn more, please visit FDAs COVID-19-Related Guidance Documents for Industry, FDA Staff, and Other Stakeholders.

FDAs ability to detect shortages of critical devices related to COVID-19 will be more limited. While FDA will still maintain its authority to detect and address other potential medical product shortages, it is seeking congressional authorization to extend the requirement for device manufacturers to notify FDA of interruptions and discontinuances of critical devices outside of a PHE which will strengthen the ability of FDA to help prevent or mitigate device shortages.

Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act liability protections will be amended. On April 14, 2023, HHS Secretary Becerra sent a letter and Fact Sheet to the nations governors announcing his intention to amend the PREP Act declaration to extend certain important protections that will continue to facilitate access to convenient and timely COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests for individuals. The Secretary intends to amend the PREP Act declaration for the COVID-19 countermeasures to extend the protections referenced in that fact sheet as well as others and publish the amendment in the Federal Register as required by the PREP Act.
Astrology has always been an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. It is widely accepted as a form of divination and used by people across the country to seek guidance on various aspects of their lives. Mumbai, being the financial capital of India, is no exception. People in Mumbai often rely on astrologers to provide them with insights and advice on various matters.

As the demand for astrology has increased in Mumbai, the number of astrologers has also risen significantly. We have compiled a list of the top 10 best astrologers in Mumbai based on their expertise, experience, availability to clients, accuracy in predictions, customer feedback, and overall reputation. This is the latest updated list for the year 2023.

This surge in the number of astrologers has made it challenging for people to choose the right one. With so many options available, finding a reliable and authentic astrologer can be daunting. That's why we have compiled a list of the top 10 astrologers in Mumbai, updated for the year 2023.

Let's proceed with the list of the Top 10 Best Astrologers in Mumbai, and starting with Dr. Kartick Chakraborty who holds the top position for the last 9+ Years in India's ranking Verified Trusted Celebrity Astrologer.

(1):- ASTROLOGER DR.KARTICK CHAKRABORTY

The 1st Selected List Of The Top 10 Best Astrologers In Mumbai, India Dr.Kartick Chakraborty.

Astrologer Dr.Kartick Chakraborty Is One Of The Top Best Astrologer In Mumbai Maharashtra. Dr. Kartick Chakraborty is a highly respected Celebrity astrologer based in Mumbai India. With over a decade of experience in the field of comprehensive astrology And Tantra Vidya, he has successfully provided precise and effective astrological remedies to a diverse range of clients from India and other countries like Malaysia, Italy, Canada, Singapore, Dubai ( UAE) , Australia, USA, and the UK ( London).

Dr. Kartick Chakraborty is a highly respected and experienced astrologer in Mumbai who has been providing accurate predictions and effective solutions to his clients for over ten years. He has established a remarkable track record and has built a loyal customer base not only from India but also from other countries like Italy, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore, Australia, USA, and the UK. As a Best love Astrologer In Mumbai & relationship specialist, Dr. Kartick Chakraborty has helped countless couples overcome their relationship problems And Astrological Guidance. He offers practical and effective solutions to help couples strengthen their bond and resolve conflicts. Dr.Kartick Chakraborty is also a Astrologer specialist, which is a form of Indian astrology used to control or influence someone's mind. He uses his expertise to help individuals solve complex problems related He offers a wide range of astrological consultancy services, including career counseling, palmistry, numerology, vastu shastra, love relationship specialist, vashikaran specialist, black magic, and kamakhya tantra specialist. His services cater to both trivial and significant concerns, with affordable consultancy packages and premium quality services for VIP and VVIP clients.

Dr. Kartick Chakraborty's solutions are tailored to one's specific situation and can help them find a suitable partner, overcome personal problems, or improve their career, business, education, legal issues, love life, Vaastu, and conjugate issues. He deeply understands the human psyche and can help individuals overcome their fears, doubts, and insecurities. Working with one of the best Astrologers in Mumbai - Dr. Kartick Chakraborty has many advantages. He provides fast and effective solutions using powerful sanskrit mantras and remedies to help individuals achieve their goals quickly and easily. Dr. Kartick Chakraborty's work has been featured in several international magazines and he has a proven track record of success, with a high accuracy rate of 99% attributed to his expertise in palm reading and knowledge of Thumb Chakra, Finger Chakra, and Palm chakra reading.

Dr. Chakraborty is a renowned expert in Vastu Shastra, the Indian science of architecture. By analyzing the layout and design of a building, he can provide valuable guidance on how to optimize the flow of positive energy. His extensive expertise in Vedic Astrology, Numerology, palmistry, Tantra Vidya, Kali Tantra, Mahakal Tantra, and Vastu Shastra sets him apart from other astrologers in Mumbai.

Dr. Kartick Chakraborty's extensive knowledge and experience in various branches of astrology, combined with his exceptional skills, make him the Top 10 Best astrologer in Mumbai.that you can trust. If you're looking for an astrologer that provides accurate predictions and effective solutions, Dr. Chakraborty is an excellent option. Contact him today to book a consultation and get valuable insights into your life's path.

Consultations with Celebrity Astrologer Dr.Kartick Chakraborty are available online so that clients can receive his services from the comfort of their homes. Online consultations can be arranged via phone, video call, or Skype.

Contact Dr. Kartick Chakraborty - Top and Best Astrologers in Mumbai

VIP BOOKING/ WHATSAPP:-

VIP Number On :- +91 9577319932

WEBSITE:- https://astrologeringuwahati.com/

EMAIL ID :- Kartickchakraborty111@gmail.com

Instagram ID:- https://www.instagram.com/kartick__chakraborty/

Facebook Page ID:- https://www.facebook.com/Astrologerkartickchakraborty

License No : DKC/NJK/827959/2017/AS

:- Reference Link :-

Awards received by Dr.Kartick Chakraborty - Best Astrologers in Mumbai

Dr.Kartick Chakraborty Awards:-

Gold Medalist Award Winner Dr.Kartick Chakraborty (2014)

Global Choice Award Winner Dr. Kartick Chakraborty (2015)

Diamond Crown Award Winner Dr. Kartick Chakraborty (2016)

International Education Award Winner. (2019)

Assam Gourav Award Winner Dr. Kartick Chakraborty (2021)

India's Best Trusted Tantrik Astrologer ( 2022)

Bharat Bhushan Award Winner ( Govt. Of India) (2023)

Book Of World Record Holder Dr. Kartick Chakraborty(2023)

Best Astrologer Of The Year (2023)

Dr.Kartick Chakraborty has more than 10 Lakh satisfied clients all over the world (approx. 1Million+ satisfied clients), He has millions of satisfied clients in more than 195 countries of the world.

Services :- Astrological Counselling ,Love Problem Specialist, Marriage Life Problem, Husbend- Wife Problem Soluation, Love Back Specialist, Love Relationship Specialist, Girlfriend- Boyfriend Problem Specialist, family Disputes Etc.Etc.

Chamber's & Branches :-

Kamakhya Temple || Mumbai || Delhi,NCR || Pune || Ahmedabad || Hydrabad || Bangalore || Surat || Kolkata || Siliguri || Noida || Bhubeneswar || Indore || Jaipur || Dibrugarh || Silchar || Chennai || Singapore || Malaysia || South Africa || Dubai || Australia || New Zealand || USA || London || Nepal || Bhutan ||

(2):- SAI SARDHA JYOTISH

Astrology by Dr. Sai Sardha Jyotish is an astrologer based in the city of Mumbai that can offer you a range of skilled and expert services that you can choose for any guidance and counseling that you need in your life. At many times in our lives, we need a guiding hand that can help us take the right path in life that can be beneficial and fruitful for us. If you are on the lookout for a professionally trained astrologer who is well-versed in a range of Hindu scriptures and teachings and can ensure that you lead a good life, then your search can end here.

Astrology by Dr Sai Sardha Jyotish is a renowned and popular name that has secured name and has been published in a range of leading newspapers and magazines. He will make sure that all of your issues and problems are catered to in the best possible manner and you will get a proper solution that would be beneficial for you. The most popular services that he offers include one-time consultations as well as a consultation report comprising of a detailed analysis and solution that can be delivered to you instantly. With his vast knowledge and experience, Dr. Sai Sardha Jyotish is a leading authority in the field of astrology and spiritual development. Whether you're seeking guidance on your career, love life, finances, or personal growth, he can help you navigate life's challenges and find your true path. Contact Astrology by Dr. Sai Sardha Jyotish today to schedule your consultation and take the first step toward a brighter future.

(3):- Vaibhav JANI - SHASTRIJI

Vaibhav Jani - Shastriji is a celebrated astrologer and Vaidik ritualistic Brahmin who has been recognized by many renowned personalities. He was awarded a Gold Medal on 22nd September 2006 at Shree Somnath Mahadev Temple (Jyotirling in Gujarat) for his exceptional work in astrology.

With his vast experience and expertise in astrology and Vaidik rituals, Vaibhav Jani - Shastriji has become a celebrity astrologer who has worked with many big names, such as Mukesh Ambani, Asitkumar Modi, Ekdant Group, Satellite Group, and many more businessmen, film stars, ministers, and NRIs all over the world. Vaibhav Jani - Shastriji has done Masters in Sanskrit and has ten years of experience in Gurukul and Rishi Parampara. He is a seventh-generation astrologer and Vaidik ritualistic Brahmin from the Jani family who has been doing astrology and pujas with proper knowledge and experience.

Whether you are facing issues in your personal or professional life, Vaibhav Jani - Shastriji can provide you with accurate solutions and guidance through his vast knowledge of astrology and Vaidik rituals. He is available for consultations both in-person and online and can help you lead a happy and prosperous life.

(4):- PANDIT ANUJ TIWARI

Pandit Anuj Tiwari is an astrologer based in the city of Mumbai who has years of experience on the field of astrology, Numerology, Vastu Shastra and its aligning fields. Astrology as a field of study can offer you insight about your life and personality unlike any other teaching and can guide you to take a better path in life so that you can take decisions which would be fruitful for you and benefit you in the long run. It helps a person to have a more profound and deeper connection with one's soul so that it can guide you better in the ways of life. Specializing in Vedic Astrology, Vaastu, and Marriage Relationships, he offers accurate predictions and remedial measures to his clients. Whether you need guidance on your personal relationships or seek remedies for challenges in your life, Anuj Tiwari's expertise can provide you with valuable insights and solutions.

(5):- SOHAM VASTU

Soham Vastu is committed to providing accurate and to-the-point results, helping you to resolve your problems and attain a smooth and peaceful relationship with your partner. With extensive knowledge in the field of astrology, he is also available to travel outstations to offer consultations at your convenience. Soham Vastu is committed to providing accurate and to-the-point results, helping you to resolve your problems and attain a smooth and peaceful relationship with your partner. With extensive knowledge in the field of astrology, he is also available to travel to outstations to offer consultations at your convenience. By following the solutions given by Soham Vastu, you can expect to see a positive change in your daily routine. He is available for consultation both on-call and in-person, providing you with the flexibility and convenience you need. Soham Vastu is a knowledgeable and experienced astrologer who offers a wide range of services to help you address your life-related issues and problems. With his commitment to accuracy and effective solutions, you can trust him to guide you toward a more peaceful and fulfilling life.

(6):- SANJAY ARORA

Sanjay Arora is an astrological service located in Mumbai that offers result-oriented answers for every one of the clients who require help. He will enable you to determine all your wedding and related issues, be it date settling, day settling, confusions with the partner that you have picked, and so forth. He will help you comprehend what you ought to do keep up the upbeat living is his point. Contact him if you want to have a solution to all your problems and you want to shine as well.

He provides the consultation report immediately after the entire consultation and you can choose them for all your edding easily without any hindrance. After the discussion, he can make all your worries go away and provide one of a kind facilities for an added benefit. He puts his best efforts to solve all your doubts and questions with full detailing. He also offers you a lot of astrology related solutions and services that help you solve all your problems.

(7):- RAMAPADA ACHARJEE

Ramapada Acharjee is based in the city of Mumbai and has a name in being a well-learned and trained astrologer who has helped a lot of clients. He has been doing soothsaying from a young age and has now sufficiently increased involvement and conveys extraordinary services to each customer that comes to him. From settling your wedding date to helping you pick the suitable partner, Ramapada Acharjee will dependably manage various events for you and help you through everything. Ramapada Acharjee is available both on-call and in-person and will deliver his report instantly after consultation. There is no chance that you will leave in doubts from his doorsteps.

(8):- Dr. SUNDEEP KOCHAR

Dr. Sundeep Kochar specializes in love and relationships, marriage, health, business, legal matters, career, and more. Her personalized approach to astrology involves preparing horoscopes and providing in-depth analyses to help clients navigate life's toughest challenges. With her analytical approach to horoscope preparation and interpretation, Dr. Sundeep Kochar offers personalized advice to clients seeking guidance in navigating life's challenges. Whether you're struggling with love and relationships, health, career, or legal matters, she provides accurate predictions and solutions tailored to your unique circumstances.

(9):- Astrologer Vinod Shastri Jyotishcharya

Astrologer Vinod Shastri Jyotishcharya is an astrological consultant based in the city of dreams, Mumbai who offers a one-stop solution for all your queries related to today and future. He is a well-known name in the Vaastu, Astrology and Palmistry. If you are seeing for counselling with an astrologer who has a higher perception of life and provides you with the right direction, then Astrologer Vinod Shastri Jyotishcharya is the right choice for you. You should not worry about positively as that is taken care of by him.

Astrologer Vinod Shastri Jyotishcharya provides answers to all your problems related to your individual life. He will ensure to give you the best advice on your wedded life and family relations. He checks your planetary positions and lamps to provide you with the right knowledge and therefore you can totally rely on him for descending all sorts of problems with peace and harmony. He gives you report immediately without any delay and the knowledge is absolutely correct.

(10):- Vaibhav Joshi, Versova

Vaibhav Joshi is based in the city of Mumbai and has a name in being a well-learned and trained astrologer who has helped a lot of clients. He has been doing soothsaying from a young age and has now sufficiently increased involvement and conveys extraordinary services to each customer that comes to him. From settling your wedding date to helping you pick the suitable partner, Vaibhav Joshi will dependably manage various events for you and help you through everything.

Vaibhav Joshi not only participates in wedding-related events but can also help you in resolving many other issues related to many other events as well, you can reach him for you career advice, education problems, family issues, office problems, etc. Vaibhav Joshi is available both on-call and in-person and will deliver his report instantly after consultation. There is no chance that you will leave in doubts from his doorsteps.

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.
As the people of Karnataka cast their votes on Wednesday for the assembly elections, the Congress party exuded confidence in itself by using the hashtag "Congress Winning 150" along with their posts on social media. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge after casting his vote for Karnataka Assembly elections at a polling station in Kalaburagi on Wednesday.(PTI)

Namaskara. Today is your day! Ensure that the state of Karnataka wins today. Choose Progress. #CongressWinning150, the party posted from its official Twitter handle, sharing pictures of the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and his family after they had casted their votes in Kalaburagi's Basava Nagar.

The people of Karnataka are fed up and devastated, so they want the Congress party to come to the government. We will fulfil our promise of five guarantees in the first cabinet itself. The Congress party will win the election with a huge majority, the Congress President said.

ALSO READ | Karnataka Election: Commute via bus, cabs to be affected today in light of polling

"I've been voting at that polling booth for the last 55 years. Seeing the enthusiasm of the people, I feel that my party will come to power and we will win with the majority. Poor people live there and my principle is to give my vote to the poor, that is why I and my wife go there every time to give our vote," he added.

The Congress party also shared pictures of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah showing off their inked fingers after casting their votes.
Senior BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa said that the nationalists from all the religions are with them in this assembly polls. He also said that the BJP will be winning the mandate with at least 140 seats. BJP leader KS Eshwarappa.

Speaking with the reporters, KS Eshwarappa said, In Karnataka, nationalist Muslims, nationalist Christians and all Hindutvawadis are voting for the BJP. I am confident that the BJP will win the mandate with at least 140 seats on May 13. KS Eshwarappa who has been a key Lingayat leader from Shimoga has retired from the electoral politics along with former CM BS Yediyurappa. He also served in various key positions of the government, including the deputy chief minister post.

However, Eshwarappas son KE Kantesh was denied a ticket by the BJP high command to contest in the assembly polls. The party instead fielded Channabasappa from Shimoga assembly constituency.

The polling for Karnataka assembly elections started on Wednesday morning in the state and voters are already standing in a line to use their democratic right. Top leaders like Siddaramaiah, Basavaraj Bommai, DK Shivakumar and Yediyurappa were among the early voters in Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too urged the young voters of Karnataka to show up and exercise their franchise. He tweeted, Urging the people of Karnataka, particularly young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy.

The results of Karnataka assembly polls will be declared on May 13.
As many as 36 boarding students of National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) at PGIMER have been grounded for disobeying orders to attend the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Mann Ki Baat programme on April 30. A staff member at the hostel, requesting anonymity, said orders were issued from the PGIMER directors office to send nursing students to attend the programme in LT1 theatre at 10.30 am on April 30. (HT File Photo)

The students  28 from third year and eight from first year  have been barred from stepping outside the hostel for a week.

A staff member at the hostel, requesting anonymity, said orders were issued from the PGIMER directors office to send nursing students to attend the programme in LT1 theatre at 10.30 am on April 30. But 36 girl students remained absent.

Subsequently, the warden filed a complaint on May 3, stating that the message was conveyed by her and the hostel coordinator that it was compulsory for first- and third-year students to attend the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat.

The warden added that during the preceding night and morning rounds, she repeatedly asked the students to attend the programme, but they didnt pay heed.

Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, the deputy director administration at PGIMER, said they had sought a response from the principal.

When contacted, NINE principal Dr Sukhpal Kaur said, I am accountable for all these students and it is necessary to reprimand them if they fail to comply. These types of lectures are conducted regularly.

Accusing the Modi government of misusing its power to impose the Prime Ministers programme on the public, Manoj Lubana, state president of the Chandigarh Youth Congress, said the government action was dictatorial and forced.

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Haryana chief ministers flying squad and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials on Wednesday arrested the director of a NOIDA-based firm, Heartland Pharmacy (OPC) Private Ltd, Kanishk Rajkumar for allegedly selling spurious intravenous injections. Police officials said Rajkumar, who was arrested from Sector 62, NOIDA, was remanded to police custody for two days by a Gurugram court. The FDA officials had on April 21 arrested a Delhi resident for allegedly selling spurious drugs to a Panipat resident admitted to a Gurugram hospital. (Representational image)

Officials said that a foreign national, Ali has also been detained in a Mumbai hotel and is being brought to Gurugram by police and FDA officials.

The FDA officials had on April 21 arrested a Delhi resident for allegedly selling spurious drugs to a Panipat resident admitted to a Gurugram hospital.

State drugs controller Manmohan Taneja had said that a Panipat resident Rohit Kansal had given a complaint that vials of Defitelio infusion concentrate used intravenously were supplied by a Delhi resident Sandeep Bhui, which were spurious. Kansal said 10 vials were supplied for his brother, a cancer patient getting treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram, for 2.5 lakh.

Subsequently, Gurugram drugs control officer Amandeep Chauhan, assisted by police officials, arrested Bhui. Investigations by the drugs control officer revealed that Bhui was neither able to produce the sale invoice of the product nor a valid retail sale drug license as required under Section 80 (c) of the Act.

An email was sent by the Gurugram drugs control officer to Italy-based Gentium SRL, the manufacturer of Difitelio infusion concentrate to verify the credentials of vials. In its response, the head of quality, Gentium SRL, Manuela Camisa, wrote that Defitelio (batch number 19G19A) reported by the Haryana FDA is not an authentic batch and should not be used. The same batch was identified in UAE in November 2022 and was offered in March 2023 in Kyrgyzstan. This was notified to WHO and a rapid medical alert was issued on their website, Camisa wrote.

The state drugs controller said that it thus became evident that the product fell under Section 17-B (E) of the Act  a spurious drug purported to be a product of a manufacturer but which is actually not. Bhui on being interrogated told the police and FDA that the injections were supplied to him by one MR Ansari of Delhi, the police said. Ansari, who surrendered before FDA Gurugram on April 28, told officials that he procured the injections from NOIDA-based Heartland Pharmacy (OPC) Pvt Ltd. Ansari, the police said, admitted to having supplied 40 such injections on four occasions.
{Instant loan app racket} During police probe, money laundering to the tune of over  400 crore through mule accounts of various shell companies, bogus political parties and trusts had come to fore. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a money laundering probe into the instant loan app racket unearthed by the Chandigarh Polices cyber crime branch in September last year with the arrest of 34 people, including a Chinese national.

According to sources, ED summoned the chargesheet of the case around 15 days ago and it has been submitted by police.

During police probe, money laundering to the tune of over 400 crore through mule accounts of various shell companies, bogus political parties and trusts had come to fore.

We had written to ED last October, informing them about the money laundering angle. They wrote to us 15 days back, seeking documents, including the case chargesheet, said a senior police officer stated.

Apart from arresting kingpin Wan Chengua in September 2022, UT police, last week, had also arrested a Delhi resident Bharat Kumar for helping another Chinese kingpin, Stark, escape through Nepal in 2022.

ED may take both Wan Chengua and Bharat on production warrant to investigate the case. We are also looking for another Chinese suspect Zhouyunfei, a handler of Chengua. Other than that, we have zeroed in on two more suspects Troy and Peter, a senior police official said.

Copy of Starks Nepal passport recovered

Following Kumars arrest from Karol Bagh, Delhi, police also recovered a copy of Starks fake Nepalese passport from a hotel in Gurgaon where he stayed with Kumar. The passport was under the fake identity Tamang Tashi.

Stark stayed in India for over six months and paid Kumar monthly to fix his meetings with the co-accused, as the latter had incurred losses in his business of mobile accessories in Karol Bagh. The Chinese accused promised him a share in profits from the loan app racket, said a police official.

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Polling is underway for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection on Wednesday. The seat, which fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary due to a cardiac arrest during his partys Bharat Jodo Yatra in January, is witnessing a four-cornered electoral battle. Voters waiting in queue at a polling station to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha byelection in Jalandhar on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

The AAP, which is the ruling party in the state, the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal are vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

Also read: Intimidating voters: Complaint against Kejriwal sent to ECI for action:Punjab CEO

Voting began at 8am amid tight security arrangements and is set to continue till 6 pm, officials said.

According to the Election Commissions voter turnout app, 17.07% polling was recorded till 11am in the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.

Prominent among those who cast their ballot in the morning included Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur, AAP nominee Sushil Rinku, Congress MLA Pargat Singh and AAP MP Balbir Singh Seechewal.

Minor clash between AAP, Congress activists

A minor clash between AAP and Congress workers was reported from Rupewal village in Shahkot, prompting senior civil and police officials to reach the spot. The Congress supporters claimed that AAP MLA from Baba Bakala Dalbir Singh Tong was intimidating voters.

They alleged that it is a violation of the model code as all outsiders, who are not registered voters in Jalandhar, were mandated to leave the constituency after campaigning ended on Monday. The MLA was taken to the Shahkot police station.

19 candidates in the fray

There are 16,21,800 eligible voters, including 8,44,904 males, 7,76,855 females, and 41 third genders.

Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray. The AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku who quit the Congress to join the Punjabs ruling party while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Santokh Chaudhary.

The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Vidhan Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal who had also joined the BJP.

The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from the Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, an ENT surgeon. The SAD candidate is backed by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Gurjant Singh.

There are 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them have been identified as critical. A dedicated women-only polling station has been set up in each of the nine assembly constituencies, which are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat, officials said.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

Stakes high for all parties in battle

The win is important for the AAP which had faced a drubbing in the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll, just three months after it came to power in Punjab in March 2022 with a thumping majority.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll is also being seen as a test of the performance of the Bhagwant Mann-led government which has been harping on providing free electricity, jobs to youth, regularising services of contractual employees, action against corruption and opening of mohalla clinics among others.

The Congress, meanwhile, is looking to defend its citadel with its prestige at stake. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat is considered to be a traditional stronghold of the Congress and the party has remained undefeated here since 1999.

The stakes are also high for the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal, which tasted humiliating defeats in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections. The two parties were allies in Punjab till the SAD broke ties with the BJP in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

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Leaders of two mainstream regional parties of Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday raised questions on Pakistan democracy after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who heads Pakistans Tahreek-e-Insaf party. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah (HT file photo)

Former chief minister and NC president Farooq Abdullah said instability in the neighbourhood is bad for the region and entire sub-continent.

It is not for us to tell Pakistan how to manage its democracy and its politics, but we hope that cooler heads prevail, the rule of law is established and democratic institutions are strengthened, he said.

Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar that Pakistan has a history of assassinations and said unstable Pakistan is dangerous for India. First Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated. There is a constant history of assassinations. PM Zulfikar Ali Bhatto was hanged. His daughter Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated. Unstable Pakistan is dangerous for us, he said adding that peaceful Pakistan is very important for the entire region.

Peoples Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said, In Pakistan, democracy lies in tatters. Perhaps the only silver lining is an independent judiciary and a fierce media holding the establishment accountable like the worlds largest democracies.

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari when asked about the situation in Pakistan said he wont speak on Pakistan. I am only concerned about my own country, he said.
Minister of state of health and family welfare Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar emphasised the need to expand and strengthen research at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) during her visit to the institute on Wednesday. Minister of state of health and family welfare Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar during her visit to PGIMER on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

Dr Pawar had a discussion with faculty and staff at the institute where she shared her vision for the advancement of healthcare services in India.

She suggested that the research conducted at PGIMER should be published in reputable international journals to showcase the impactful work being done in India to the world.

Her discussions were followed by a media interaction, where she highlighted the importance of research and innovation in healthcare, and the role of institutes like PGIMER in achieving this goal.

The minister also chaired a meeting with the departmental heads wherein a detailed presentation regarding the institute was made.

Dr Pawar expressed hope that the new and upcoming satellite centres will help ease the burden on the premier medical institute, which caters to over 10 lakh patients in the outpatient departments, and about one lakh patients in various emergency and inpatient departments annually.

The establishment of satellite centres will increase the accessibility of healthcareservices to the citizens of the region and also reduce the workload on PGIMER. We will continue to work towards achieving this goal, said Dr Pawar.

After PGIMER gained global recognition during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union government is giving more attention to the institutes research.

The minister was welcomed by PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal, deputy director administration Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, academic dean Naresh Panda, medical superintendent Vipin Koushal and financial adviser Kumar Abhay.
Apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir, the highest apple producing state or union territory (UT) of the country, have given mixed reactions to the imposition of restrictions by the Centre on free import of apples with cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) price less than or equal to 50 per kg. Apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir, the highest apple producing state or union territory (UT) of the country, have given mixed reactions to the imposition of restrictions by the Centre on free import of apples with cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) price less than or equal to  50 per kg. (AFP file photo)

While some have hailed the move, others said the step will make little impact and wanted an increase in 50/kg minimum import price (MIP) bracket for the restrictions or a minimum support price (MSP) for the home-grown apples.

Apple farmers of the UT along with growers from other parts of the country, including Himachal, have been up in arms against cheap apples from foreign nations, particularly countries such as Iran and Turkey, owing to the effect these had on rates and sales of apples produced within the country.

Bashir Ahmad Bashir, chairman of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-dealers union, said the ban on free import of apples below or equal to 50 CIF was a good step.

This is a welcome move. Iran and Turkey apples had made our lives difficult. Our demand and market would suffer as we were not even able to recover our production costs earlier, he said.

Iran apples would enter the country via Dubai particularly through coastal areas such as Mumbai and Gujarat at cheaper rates than ours, he said.

Some fruit growers in Kashmir said the fresh move would make a negligible impact owing to higher rates of high quality apples.

Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of fruit association of apple town Sopore, said apples imported from outside are mostly above 50 and thus the move wont benefit them much. An apple grower of south Kashmirs Shopian district also said the new rules wont help the apple growers of the country much as the import quality of apples is high and rates of majority of them are above 50.

On Monday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a notification stating that import of apples is now prohibited wherever the CIF import price is less than or equal to 50 per kg. The import of apples will remain free if the price is above 50 per kg (under WTO pact) and below that, an import duty of 50% will be levied. However, these minimum import price (MIP) conditions shall not be applicable for imports from Bhutan.

The move had come after apple farmers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir had protested in Delhi in April over no import duty on imported apples and end of market intervention scheme by the Centre. They had demanded imposition of 100% import duty on apples, mandatory universal carton for packaging and removal of GST on all commodities related to apple production.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, responded that under the WTO pact, a maximum of 50% duty can be levied on apples.

Kashmir is Indias largest apple grower fetching a revenue of over 8,000 to 10,000 crore to the UT and contributing around eight to 10% of its gross domestic product. The UT produces around 20 lakh metric tons of apples per year. Around seven lakh farming families (approximately 35 lakh people) are directly or indirectly associated with the horticulture sector.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday attached properties of accused persons linked with Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen militant groups in Shopian, Kupwara and Pulwama districts. The NIA (National Investigation Agency) attaches properties of three accused, involved in terror cases at Shopian, Lethpora and Kupwara, on Wednesday. (ANI)

The officials said during security crackdown against banned Pakistan-based terrorist organisations, attaching properties of accused has been intensified.

An NIA spokesman said the agency has stepped up its vigil against terrorist outfits, their affiliates, agents and overground workers (OGWs) by conducting raids on properties of terror suspects and accused across locations, and has been moving swiftly to take action in such cases.

The NIA attached immovable properties of three accused in two different cases of terror activities involving members/cadres of proscribed terrorist organisations such as the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), among others, said the spokesman.

In the first case, the NIA attached immovable properties of two accused  Doulat Ali Mugal and Ishaq Pala  in Herman Shopian tehsil in Kashmir under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Ishaq Pala, currently lodged in Agra Central Jail, was a terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr terrorist organisation, Doulat Ali Mugal was an overground worker of the proscribed HM and is currently out on bail. The former, while in Srinagar Central Jail, had conspired with his co-accused, including Riyaz Naikoo and Doulat Ali Mugal, and assisted Danish Ghulam Lone and Suhail Ahmad Bhat to cross the border from Kupwara Sector to join terror ranks and wage a war against the state.

The properties attached on orders of the NIA special court include land measuring 5.5 marla and 3.5 marla, including one double storey house of Doulat Ali Mugal in Manigah village in Kupwara, and immovable property in the form of two rooms under the ownership of Ishaq Pala in Allora village of Herman tehsil in Shopian.

The spokesman said the NIA had launched investigations into the case in February 2018, and had busted a HM module of OGWs/terrorists.

The NIA said in the second case, the agency attached immovable property of accused Fayaz Ahmad Magray, an overground worker of proscribed terrorist outfit JeM and currently lodged in Jhajjar distrcit jail in Haryana. The property consisted of six shops constructed over land measuring 5.5 marlas in Lethpora, Pulwama, belonging to the accused. Fayaz was chargesheeted on August 1, 2018 for conspiring, along with local/Pakistani terrorists of JeM, to execute a fidayeen attack on CRPF group centre Lethpora, Pulwama. He carried out a recce of the CRPF centre, and provided logistic support to JeM terrorists before and after the attack.
Five days after Punjab State Human Rights Commission sought a report from the UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) over alleged police inaction against a womans stalked stalking complaint, police arrested the accused. Earlier on May 2, the accused had allegedly barged into the house of the womans relatives, where she had shifted to, and abused her. (Getty Images)

In her fresh complaint submitted with police, the woman alleged that the 24-year-old accused, identified as Honey, whom she met through social media, again misbehaved with her after reaching her house on Wednesday evening.

Earlier on May 2, the accused had allegedly barged into the house of the womans relatives, where she had shifted to, and abused her. Police said the accused, who is a drug addict, had at the time slit his wrist with a blade, following which he was taken into preventive police custody and was released.

On Wednesday, he had to be taken to the hospital after being taken into custody as he was bleeding through his stitches. He has been booked under Section 354 D (stalking) of the IPC at the Sector 31 police station.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer said a fresh FIR was registered, as the complainant had withdrawn her previous complaints.

Mentioning the report published in an English daily on Friday, the commission, comprising chairperson justice Sant Parkash and member Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, had directed the SSP to submit a report before the next date of hearing.
London All four were sentenced last month at Woolwich Crown Court in south London, according to the Kent Police. (Representational Photo)

Three Indian-origin members of a criminal gang who were found guilty of smuggling drugs into the UK from Canada have been sentenced to nearly 15-year imprisonment by a UK court.

Kuran Gill, 32, Jag Singh, 32, and Govind Bahia, 30, were members of an organised crime group and were caught along with accomplice Gregory Blacklock, 32, when UK Border Force officers discovered two pallet loads or large boxes of cannabis within a shipment of computer casing at Heathrow Airport in February.

All four were sentenced last month at Woolwich Crown Court in south London, according to the Kent Police.

The cracking of the EncroChat mobile phone platform has led to countless criminals being caught red-handed and brought to justice, said Investigating officer detective constable Steve Brown, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Organised gangs across Europe thought they could openly discuss their criminal activity, oblivious to the fact the system was not as secure as they thought and that every message they sent was bringing them a step closer to prison. Crime does not pay and I am satisfied that those involved in this particular conspiracy are now behind bars where they belong, he said.

The drugs had been flown across from Canada and were due to be delivered to a business address in Dartford, Kent, south-east England. Instead, they were seized as part of an investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Detectives were able to link the shipment to members of a criminal network who had been arranging the importation of cannabis over the illegally encrypted EncroChat mobile phone platform, which international law enforcement agencies cracked in the spring of 2020.

Kuran Gill was found to have organised the importation and onward distribution of the cannabis and also facilitated the sale of a kilogram of cocaine.

Officers seized around 105,000 cash from his home address at Gravesend in Kent following his arrest in April 2021. Gill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a Class B controlled drug, conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property, and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Londoner Jag Singh was also found to have been involved in organising the importation and distribution of cannabis.

The police said he used the chat handle of Real Crocodile to exchange multiple messages with Gill in which they openly discussed routes into the country, ways in which the drugs could be concealed and how much it would cost.

Singh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a Class B drug and was jailed for four years and nine months.

Bahia was found to have assisted Gill with advice and direction on the type and quantity of cannabis to purchase. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a Class B drug and was jailed for three years.

Details of their conviction and sentences were revealed by the Kent Police last week.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday approved a draft policy that will make it mandatory for app-based cab services such as Uber and Ola and delivery businesses to switch to all-electric fleets in seven years, legalise the operation of bike-taxis and outline rules for bike rental services in the national capital, said officials aware of the matter. will make it mandatory for app-based cab services such as Uber and Ola and delivery businesses to switch to all-electric fleets in seven years, legalise the operation of bike-taxis and outline rules for bike rental services in the national capital. (PTI)

The new rules, in the works since 2017, will put an end to the present regulatory vacuum for such services and tech firms that operate them. These companies are currently not required to follow specific rules that conventional cab services are need to abide by.

Kejriwal, in a statement, said the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme 2023 scheme will also help create employment opportunities for residents of Delhi.

By transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) and promoting electric bike taxis, the government will be able to reduce pollution levels in Delhi and create new opportunities for employment and economic growth, he said.

The draft been sent to lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena for approval, after which it will be put up for public comment, said the officials. The draft will be returned to the LG for a final approval after public comments are incorporated.

The policy lends a specific focus on the use of and shift towards electric vehicles, with incentives for firms that make the transition faster than others.

Its the first time in India that a state has set targets to the aggregator to electrify their fleets and regulate such service providers, to ensure passenger safety and reduce pollution. So, on-boarding any EV once the policy kicks in will incur no license fee, said transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

The draft policy has been prepared under Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 2023, which will be binding on ride-hailing companies, door-to-door delivery firms, e-commerce companies and other aggregators. The new protocols, a person aware of the rules said, will make it mandatory for these companies to register and obtain a license to operate.

All services, except bike-taxis, will get up to five years to phase out fossil fuel-based vehicles and switch to EVs. Bike-taxis will, however, once legalised can only be electric-powered, the policy mandates.

However, officials involved in drafting the policy said this statute may hit a roadblock with service providers. We are waiting for the draft to be released for public opinion, after which changes may be made if required, said an official not authorised to speak to the media.

According to the policy, the fares for on-demand services will be controlled and monitored by the transport department, indicating that surge prices, currently uncontrolled, may be regulated.

It will also be mandatory for aggregators to install a panic button and integration with 112 (Delhi Police) for emergencies. The scheme also includes a mechanism to ensure timely consumer grievance redressal by service providers, enforcement of vehicle fitness, pollution control, and validity of permits.

As a new business opportunity, the scheme ensures that all bike-taxis and two-wheeler renting services in the city shall only be via electric two-wheelers. These provisions are in line with the Delhi EV Policy 2020, a statement from the Delhi government said.

These mandates only apply to an incremental percentage of new on-boarded vehicles over the next four years to prevent major disruptions for businesses, said officials. For instance, 5% of all new cars purchased need to be electric in the first six months of the scheme kicking in. Four years from its notification, however, all new commercial two-wheelers and three-wheelers will need to be EVs. Similarly, after five years, all new commercial four-wheelers need to be EVs.

Cab drivers, however, said that there is hardly any safety net specified by the government for drivers and the policy only favours the aggregators, giving them a legal framework to operate as they like.

The cab aggregators take around 20% commission and 5% tax. So, from the entire fare, 25% goes to the aggregator, which is a huge loss for drivers who are still using gas or other fuels. The government has only legalised the exploitation by framing this new scheme, said Kamaljeet Gill, Sarvodaya Driver Association of Delhi.

Additionally, bike-taxi riders said that such policies have driven them out of work in the Capital and they had to look for work in cities outside of Delhi.

We make a minimal amount during the day and many of the bike-taxis are run by people who have bought second-hand vehicles. This new policy will only mean that we will have to spend extra from our pockets and get a new vehicle to be able to work in Delhi. Because of such policies, many of us are working only in Noida and Gurugram, said Hemant Singh, a bike-taxi rider registered with two aggregators.

Based on the polluters pay principle, the scheme will make the license fee for a conventional vehicle significantly higher than an electric vehicle. This will make the per-vehicle license fee for a conventional vehicle significantly higher than an EV. Secondly, all license fees and penalties under the scheme shall also be credited to the State EV Fund, which in turn supports all EV promotional activity.

HT reached out to cab aggregators Ola and Uber for comments on the move by the Delhi government, but no response was available.

Earlier in February, the Delhi government had asked bike-taxis to be off the city roads. The government said that a challan of 5,000 will be imposed the first time and 10,000 for the second time if found operating within Delhi.

Experts said that making all bike-taxis electric will provide a framework to aggregators that only EVs will eventually operate in Delhi.

The daily run of commercial vehicles like cabs or bike taxis is about 4-5 times more than private vehicles. So, their emissions are also much higher. Various studies have also shown that commercial two and three-wheelers contribute highly to pollution levels in Delhi. It is, therefore, essential to electrify commercial vehicles. In the two-wheeler segment, there are various EV models already available, and the Delhi government subsidy is also high. However, a phasing out time is required for four-wheelers where enough options are not available yet, said Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council of Clean Transport (ICCT).
NEW DELHI: A Delhi courts sharp observations on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) allegations against two accused in the Delhi excise policy case last week cannot be cited by the other co-accused to seek relief in any proceedings, the Delhi high court ordered on Wednesday on a petition by ED. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members stage a protest to demand release of Manish Sisodia, who is in custody in the now-scrapped excise policy (ANI File Photo)

The federal agency has also asked the high court to cancel the bail granted to the two accused, Gautam Malhotra and Rajesh Joshi, by Delhi special judge MK Nagpal, on Saturday. A single bench of justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma also issued notice to the two accused and asked them to file their reply. Additional solicitor general SV Raju, who appeared for ED, also asked the high court to bar the accused from using the observations and findings by the special judge in any proceedings.

Punjab-based liquor businessman Gautam Malhotra and Rajesh Joshi, the owner of Chariot Production Media Pvt Ltd, were arrested by ED in February this year. ED claimed that Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, was part of a cartel formed by liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. Joshi, on the other hand, was alleged to be a close associate of another co-accused Vijay Nair, and was alleged to have helped launder money by creating fake invoices channelised illegal kickbacks through expenditures borne by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in connection with the 2022 Goa assembly elections through his media agency.

Special judge MK Nagpal, who granted the two bail on furnishing a bail bond of 2 lakh each, observed that there was not enough material to show that the case against them was genuine and questioned EDs claims about payment of kickbacks and its use in the AAPs election campaign in Goa without producing any evidence.

In his orders on their bail, judge MK Nagpal said the prosecutions case against Gautam Malhotra was based on oral and documentary evidence that cannot be prima facie considered to be a genuine case. On the charges against Joshi, the judge said it was of the prima facie view that the evidence against Joshi was not sufficient to make it believe that the case against him was genuine or that he was going to be held guilty of the offence of money laundering.

The judges assessment of the ED case against the two accused was immediately cited by top AAP leaders including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who insist that its party leaders including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia have been framed by federal agencies at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Delhi education minister Atishi on Sunday cited the special judges 85-page bail order which she said, established that the ED and CBI dont have any proof that there was a scam. The judge only says one thing again and again in the order, that no evidence has been provided by ED in the case, she said, adding that this was the case despite the two agencies deploying over 500 officers to investigate the case for six months.

On Monday, Kejriwal said in a post on Twitter: Now even Ccurt has said that there is no material evidence of any kickback or money laundering. We have been saying right from beginning that entire liquor scam is bogus and meant only to malign AAP.

In response, the BJP stressed that the same judge, on an earlier date, rejected the bail application of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and observed that he was prima facie the architect of the criminal conspiracy. They should stop giving certificates of honesty to themselves, Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.

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The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is planning to develop a series of women-only parks across the city with an aim to provide safe public spaces for them, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. Women and children at a Pink Park near Ranjit Singh Flyover, Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The pink model parks, one of each will be developed in the 250 municipal wards of the civic body, will feature selfie points and graffiti, CCTV cameras, toilets, open gym equipment and additional security measures, along with dedicated children play areas, officials said.

A senior official from the horticulture department said that the matter was taken up during a review meeting of the sector last month, where deputy mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal suggested that such parks must be developed.

While Delhi has more than 17,000 parks, almost 90% of them are managed by the horticulture wing of MCD.

There are more than 15,000 parks under the civic body with the number of parks in each ward varying from a few dozen to over a hundred. One such model pink park needs to be developed in each ward. We have experienced that open gym equipment and other facilities have been developed in various parks but women feel hesitant to access them and such parks can provide safe spaces for women. The parks will also be open children less than 10 years of age, the deputy mayor had said.

According to Iqbal, the first pilot pink park was opened in March last year on Mata Sundari road near Ramlila ground at a cost of around 25 lakh. While male security guards were deployed at the park, an all-women staff was responsible for its maintenance. It was not immediately known if the upcoming women-only parks will also work on a similar basis as the plan is in a nascent stage, according to officials.

The concept of developing exclusive spaces for women in the city, such as parks, dates back to the 19th century. Parda Bagh, located on the Netaji Subhash Marg in Daryaganj area, was the first zanana (women-only) park of the city. The Bagh is right opposite where Subhash park exists now. It was a women only space. Parda Baghs entry was guarded by two tall robust Pathan women and children above the age of nine years were not allowed to enter it. It was an open space where women could freely stroll and move around without worrying about other people, Sohail Hashmi, author and documentary filmmaker, said .

Hashmi said that the space was also used by the women who were active in freedom struggle to hold meetings. In 2019, the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) had decided to revive the Zanana park, as a part of the Jama Masjid precinct redevelopment plan, but the project was never implemented.

Sudha Sinha, former president of Federation of CGHS Dwarka, said that she is regular walker in parks and the overall idea of developing women-only parks seems a progressive step as it will be a more secure space. Such parks will only be useful a neighbourhood parks and if people have to travel from a longer distance they would be usually accompanied by family members. It seems a good concept but only for the people living right next to such facilities, she added.
The Delhi Universitys Hindu College has suspended 15 students for financial fraud during the colleges annual cultural fest, Mecca23, and 27 others for protesting, students alleged on Wednesday. The college hosted its annual fest on April 27 and 28. Officials said that notices were issued to around 40 students, out of which two students received notices for both counts. However, we only know of 30 students who received the notice, said a student, requesting anonymity. (HT Archive)

The notices signed by the principal, as seen by HT, were dated May 4 but the students alleged that they only received them on May 8.

The college hosted its annual fest on April 27 and 28. Officials said that notices were issued to around 40 students, out of which two students received notices for both counts. However, we only know of 30 students who received the notice, said a student, requesting anonymity.

Anju Srivastava, principal of Hindu College, did not respond to queries regarding the matter.

Around 27 students were given notice for gross misconduct and extremely inappropriate behaviour during the protest while 15 students were served notice for financial fraud or cheating during the fest. The students who received the notice have been suspended for two months.

On April 20, we protested because they wanted to reduce the number of days for the fest. We protested as the principal refused to speak to us. Students made a chain around her so that she would talk to us. However, they called the police after which the students apologised. The matter was resolved and Mecca was conducted, said another student.

The students alleged that neither did the college initiate an inquiry nor ask for an explanation before taking such actions. Protest is our democratic right but without an inquiry, they imposed a 10,000 penalty, said a third student.

As per the two notices seen by HT, students will have to pay the fine by May 12, failing which they will not be allowed to appear for the semester examination.

The notice issued to the students for protesting said that the gross misconduct and extremely inappropriate behaviour has brought acute embarrassment and humiliation to the college. You were a part of the mob that clung to the gate(s)... when the principal managed to exit, you again blocked the movement of the car... you shouted humiliating slogans, the notice said.

The notice served to students for financial fraud said that many vendors protested in front of the principals office on April 27 and 28, alleging financial fraud by the student organisers. The vendors complained they were being charged exorbitantly for putting up stalls and heavy loss was incurred by them, according to the notice.

Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest on Wednesday evening and asked the college to withdraw the notices. The Hindu College administration should immediately withdraw the decision to suspend the students and impose the penalty, said ABVP Delhi state minister Harsh Attri.

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In a first for the country, drones transported blood bags in Delhi on Wednesday, as per news agency ANI. Sharing visuals of the historic delivery, ANI wrote, In a first in India, validation of blood bags delivered by drones compared to the conventional method of transportation was done today. According to the iCMR director-general, the experiment found that the temperature of the blood products was maintained and there was also no damage during transportation. (ANI)

Named 'i-DRONE', it was first used during the Covid19 pandemic by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the distribution of vaccines to remote areas. Today, we are transporting blood and blood-related products, which are supposed to be kept at a low temperature. After the experiment, we found that not only can we maintain the temperature, but there was also no damage to the products transported. We sent another sample through an ambulance and if there are no differences in the samples sent using the two modes, then this drone will be used all over India, said Dr Rajiv Bahl, director general of the apex medical research institute told ANI.

Blood components are required to be transported under appropriate temperature conditions, security and hygiene. Validated blood transport boxes with thermal insulation inserts are used for safe delivery.

However, it is not the first time that drones have been deployed for medical purposes in India. In 2022, a Delhi-based diagnostics company started a pilot project to collect blood samples from hospitals using drones and deliver them to a lab to cut down on turnaround time and provide faster test results. Officials said a four-day trial will take place in and around Gurugram to test the efficacy of the system.

Skye Air Mobility conducted the first trial wherein a drone collected samples from a private hospital near Huda Metro station and flew them to SRL Labs in Sector 1 4 in Gurugram.

Officials said the samples were first collected by a technician, and then packed in a temperature-controlled storage box attached to the drone. The drone was then sent to a predetermined laboratory, taking almost one-third of the time required by a technician to collect the sample and reach the lab by road.

Last year, the ICMR released a guidance document for use of drones in healthcare related to items such as measles, mumps and Covid-19 vaccines with storage temperature between 2C and 8C, tablets and capsules, syrups in bottles, gloves, syringes, blood bags, diagnostic biological tissues, urine, blood, sputum, saliva or frozen specimens.

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Gurugram: A city-based financial firm and its owner were booked on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding at least 25 people to the tune of 50 lakh after alluring them with advertisements of easy loan to purchase cars, police said on Wednesday. Police said several victims had sought money from relatives, friends or money lenders to deposit the down payment to get a cab. (Image for representation)

Police said that the total number of victims may be over 600 across the Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as investigation proceeds. Police said between 2017 and 2019, the firm allegedly duped them by asking them to deposit down payment before the owner wrapped up the business based in Udyog Vihar Phase-1.

They said several victims had sought money from relatives, friends or money lenders to deposit the down payment to get a cab and were financially ruined.

Police said no incorporation or registration details of the firm were available yet. Explaining the modus operandi, a police official said that the firm ran a mobile advertising camp in Phase-I stating that those paying a 97,000 downpayment would easily avail a car loan.

The firm used to keep a demo car at the camp to allure the victims which included taxi drivers, he said.

Investigators said the firm used to promise disbursal of loans within two to three days and ensure vehicle delivery within a fortnight with help of car dealers.

Besides, it also promised cab drivers a deal with multinational companies (MNC) and hotels across Delhi-NCR wherein they would earn 3,000-4,000 per day for cab services.

On complaint of 25 victims, an FIR against the firm, its owner and other unidentified suspects was registered under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Udyog Vihar police station on Tuesday night, said police.

Sanjay Kumar, one of the 25 victims and a cab owner from Delhis Mayur Vihar, alleged that he was duped of 97,000 that he deposited at the firms office in mid-2018 after spotting the advertisement camp.

After initial promise of loan disbursal and vehicle delivery, they kept delaying everything. I was fed up and demanded a refund. However, the firm said 10,000 cancellation fees will be charged for which I agreed but even then, they never repaid me, he said.

Kumar said that most of the victims were cheated of 1 lakh to 2.5 lakh in name of downpayment.

They used to tell my colleagues of improper documentation and credit issues for less loan disbursal and thus took more down payment. They kept bouncers at the entrance to control anyone who tried to create ruckus, he said.

The victim alleged that the firm owner had handed him and others cheques but all of them got dishonoured. We 20-25 people have been cheated of at least 50 lakh, he alleged.

Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (Udyog Vihar), said at least 12 to 15 victims had approached them and submitted complaints against the firm.

After an inquiry, the FIR was registered against the firm. Right now, we dont know if the company exists or not but earlier it used to function from Udyog Vihar and shut its office in 2020, he said.

ACP Kumar said that notices were sent on the emails and phone numbers of the firm owner and officials to appear before police for investigation but all remained unanswered till now.

The victims have money receipts against payments and other documents including dishonoured cheques which prima facie established that they were cheated, he added.

Kumar also said that the exact count of victims was not known completely but police will get official advertisements published in media appealing all the victims to join the investigations.

How the firm functioned

Opened an office in Udyog Vihar Phase-I and started advertising for easy car loan and quick delivery in 2017. Distributed pamphlets across Delhi-NCR advertising their loan scheme

Word soon spread regarding the firms 97,000 downpayment offer which was much lower than others

Promised applicants to get them tied with MNCs and hotels across NCR for earning up to 1.2 lakh per month

Took a booking amount of 1000 and used to inform the applicants next day about their loan approval for immediate downpayment

Kept bouncers at the office entrance to handle irate victims
Gurugram: Two weeks after Nuh police conducted raids across villages of the district, officers have unearthed 28,000 cybercrime fraud cases across the country to the tune of 100 crore, said police. Police said that during analysis of records, it was found that suspects have so far defrauded around 28,000 people from across the country, to the tune of more than  100 crore. (Image for representation)

Police said they conducted investigation based on SIM cards retrieved during the raids in Nuh last month. They coordinated with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) of the union home ministry and requested information on fake bank accounts, SIMs, mobile phones etc. used by the suspects.

Varun Singla, superintendent of police, Nuh, said that during analysis of records, it was found that suspects have so far defrauded around 28,000 people from across the country, to the tune of more than 100 crore. Already 1,346 FIRs have been registered against these suspects across the country. Their details are being sent to senior police authorities of the states concerned, Singla said.

He added that the number of cases were identified after coordination with the states and respective districts. The location of the callers was traced to Nuh. We had already written to police teams of other states seeking locations of the mobile numbers used in fraud cases. Accordingly, they were traced to Nuh and cases were registered. The suspects had presence in several states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Mizoram and West Bengal. Hundreds of SIM cards have been recovered that were disposed of in the villages, he said.

On April 28, raids were conducted across 14 villages of Nuh district with 102 teams of 5,000 policemen detaining 125 persons. Out of these, 66 suspects were arrested. All were produced in the court and taken on remand, he said.

Police said that during questioning, the suspects revealed that they used to cheat people using fake SIMs, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and other identity cards. They used to deposit money in private bank accounts opened online or through forged ID cards to avoid arrest.

Singla said that after the arrest Haryana director general of police (DGP) PK Agrawal had deployed a team of 40 cyber experts from across Haryana to question the suspects and know their modus operandi. They also revealed how they used to procure SIM cards in bulk using forged IDs, he said.

Police said the mobile phones and SIM cards seized during the raid were also examined and relevant details were also sought from telephone and internet service providers, banks, payment systems and social media companies among others.

The investigation also revealed information about 219 bank accounts and 140 UPI accounts used for the frauds. These bank accounts were activated online and by defrauding people on the pretext of providing jobs. Police said the suspects would take their credentials and get an online verification done.

Singla said that across the country, the suspects targetted most number of people from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Telangana, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Apart from this, 347 SIM cards activated from circles of telecom companies in Haryana, West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, the Northeast, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have also been unearthed. During the investigation, police linked the source of fake SIMs and bank accounts to Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

Singla said that in 16 cases registered in Nuh district, 250 wanted suspects have been identified who were close aides of those already arrested. Of these, 20 are from Rajasthan, 19 from Uttar Pradesh and 211 from Haryana. The suspects are all aged between 18 and 35 years, he said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth over Rs.5,500 crore in Rajasthans Nathdwara while also dedicating three national highway projects to the nation, including the 114 km long six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, the 110 km long widening and strengthening of the Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur section of NH-25, and a two-lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E. PM Modi arrived in Rajasthan on Wednesday morning and offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple (Twitter Photo)

PM Modi arrived in Rajasthan on Wednesday morning and offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara town of Rajsamand district.

The prime minister while addressing a programme Nathdwara, said governments in the past worked for short-term political gains and neglected development for which the country has paid a heavy price.

Also Read: Congress tried to use Hakki Bikki tribe for Karnataka assembly polls, PM Modi in Rajasthan

Modi said his government is investing heavily and has speeded up rail, road, highways, airports and other infrastructure projects.

The programme was attended by state chief minister Ashok Gehlot, governor Kalraj Mishra, assembly speaker Dr CP Joshi, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president CP Joshi and other BJP MPs.

The PM said that the Centre was focused on the development of Rajasthan as he believes in the mantra of development of the country through the development of states.

Under the BJP government, the economy has gained momentum. But some who have a vikrit (corrupted) ideology, who are filled with negativity, cannot appreciate anything good that is done. Their only agenda is to oppose development because they cannot think beyond vote bank politics, Modi said.

Those who weigh everything with votes can never bring policies for the development of the country, he added.

Modi said basic development and modern infrastructure are required for long-term development but the country had to pay a heavy price for infrastructure not being made earlier.

He added that the central government is investing in infrastructure development and has allocated Rs10 lakh crore in this years budget for such works. The direct benefit of infrastructure development goes region where such works are done it brings development and employment it benefits the people, the traders, the labourers, Modi said.

The PM said Rajasthan is the bearer of Indias valour, heritage and culture. When Rajasthan develops, it will drive development in the country. So our government is giving priority to modern infrastructure in Rajasthan, he said.

Meanwhile, during chief minister Gehlots speech, Modi came to his rescue as the latter was unable to speak due to continuous Modi Modi chants.

Also Read: In PM Modis presence, Gehlots respect for Opposition swipe: I think you will also move in this direction

In his address, Gehlot urged the Centre to examine the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) project and take it forward so that water scarcity in 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan could be addressed.

He also urged the PM to bring a Right to Health and Social Security Act to relieve the poor.

Gehlot also said the BJP and the Congress leaders were sitting together in the function and that was the strength of democracy. We have no enmity. We have an ideological fight. Everyone has the freedom to put forth their views, he said.

He said the government must respect the opposition because in a democracy, without the opposition, the government is nothing.
A Muzaffarnagar district court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced two men to 20 years in prison for gang raping a Muslim woman during the 2013 communal riots, marking the end of an arduous trial that spanned nearly a decade and saw six other cases of rape collapse. The two accused were convicted under IPC sections 376(2)(g) (punishment for committing rape during communal or sectarian violence), 376D (gangrape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation). (Pic for representation)

Also read: Sikh widow accuses Delhi man of rape, conversion bid; FIR lodged

Additional district sessions judge A K Singh also imposed a fine of 15,000 each on the two men, Mahesh Vir and Sikandar, who were convicted under sections 376(2)(g) (punishment for committing rape during communal or sectarian violence), 376D (gangrape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, the survivors lawyer Rizwan said.

Accused Mahesh Vir and Sikandar are being sentenced to 20 years in prison under section 376D of the Indian Penal Code and a fine of 10,000 (each) is also imposed on them, said the court

On September 8, 2013, a day after clashes first broke out ( on September 7) between Jat and Muslim communities in western Uttar Pradesh, the Muslim woman was gang-raped by three men after putting a knife to the throat of her minor son and threatening her with dire consequences in the Phugana area.

A special investigation team probing the communal violence filed a charge sheet against three people -- Kuldeep, Maheshvir and Sikander -- in the court. Kuldeep died during the trail of the case.

Seven witnesses, including the victim, were examined in the court during the course of the trial. It was only intervention of the Supreme Court in May 2014 that a case of gang rape was registered against the accused on a petition filed by seven women through senior advocate Vrinda Grover and Advoate Kamini Jaiswal.

Time spent by the accused persons in jail will be adjusted in the prison term awarded to them as per law, observed the court.

Sixty-four people were killed in one of the worst-ever communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts on September 8, 2013. The clashes broke out after a girl was harassed in Kawal village of Charthawal area of Muzaffarnagar. More than 50,000 people were displaced due to the violence that followed.

The charge sheet was filed in January 24, 2014, the soon after the trial began.

But the proceedings were repeatedly delayed. During this time, the other six cases of rape connected to the Muzaffarnagar rape collapsed one after the other as witnesses turned hostile and victims were browbeaten into compromise.

In May 2014, she approached the Supreme Court, seeking to expedite the trial.

Social activist and advocate Akram Akhtar was among those who provided legal support to the survivors family. Akhtar said the woman was 26 when she was gang raped. I visited the family often and witnessed their hardships, it was not easy for them to fight a battle for 10 years, he said, adding that the womans husband, a tailor, is the sole bread earner of the family.

Also read: Days after rape at Delhi hospital, woman dies of her injuries

Victims husband, meanwhile, said they have both received threats, and offers from money to take back the case. We passed through a lot of hardships in the past 10 years during our battle for justice, he said, adding that they had to leave their village and move from Laakh to Kandhla town of the district
MUMBAI: A four-year-old girl was severely injured after she fell off the balcony of the sixth floor of a high-rise in Andheri East on Tuesday as the housing society had removed protective glass panels from the balcony for renovation. Mumbai, India - May 10, 2023: A general view of Hillcrest Apartment, JVLR, Andheri (East), in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The MIDC police have booked five people, including the builder, contractor and the building secretary for negligence. The incident happened when the girls grandfather was discussing the safety issues with the building committee. The girl is undergoing treatment at Holy Spirit Hospital.

According to the complaint filed by the girls father, Kumar Saurabh Prasad, the contractor who had taken up the work did not put any cover or mesh after taking down the glass panel in Hillcrest Apartments on Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. He also alleged that despite asking the society authorities to inform the families in advance about the renovation schedule, they were told about the works just an hour or so before undertaking the work.

Prasad and his wife Divya Jain were both at work on Tuesday when their daughter was at home with Divyas parents. At around 5pm after work, I saw missed calls from the building chairman. When I called him back, I was told that the renovation work will start right away and they need my permission to remove the glass panel in our balcony, Prasad said.

He said that the residents of the building were informed about the renovation a month ago and he had told the building committee that he would like to be informed in advance when the work would be undertaken at his flat. Instead, the work started right after the phone call on Tuesday afternoon. After 45 minutes, he received a text from his wife asking him to come to the hospital.

On reaching the hospital, my father-in-law told me that he had gone downstairs to talk to the guards about the absence of safety precautions on the balcony. He told me the contractor had put some tapes on a couple of balconies but had left other balconies with no safety panels, Prasad said. The panels were to be put in the next day.

Prasad later approached the MIDC police to report the incident. Satish Gaikwad, Senior inspector, said that they have booked the builder, contractor, supervisor, one labourer and the chairman of the building committee for negligent act. The statements of all the accused are being recorded and further investigation is underway, he said.
Mumbai: Amid reports of friction among the ruling allies, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), state health minister Tanaji Sawant who is from the Shinde faction  expressed his displeasure recently in a cabinet meeting  saying that their proposals and schemes are not being accepted and often being put on the backburner. Mumbai, India - June 17, 2019: Newly sworn minister Tanaji Sawant (R) during the monsoon session at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Monday, June 17, 2019. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

He had said it would be difficult for them to take things forward if the situation continues. He was supported by other ministers from Shindes party. Shinde intervened to play a balancing act and calm the ministers down by directing officials to bring all the proposals.

It was the first time the ministers from Shindes party have opened up against the government functioning in the last nine months.

On May 3, the state cabinet cleared five decisions. One of them was about setting up a mental health hospital at Jaysingpur in Kolhapur moved by the public health department. It was also approved by the cabinet but soon after that, the health minister outburst over delay in bringing up their proposals for approvals.

Many of our proposals are not being brought to cabinet. They are not getting approvals. How would we perform like this? This is not done, Samant is said to have told the cabinet meeting.

He was supported by other ministers such as Abdul Sattar (agriculture minister), Gulabrao Patil (water supply and sanitation) among others. All those who were upset were from Shinde led Shiv Sena, said another minister wishing not to be named.

The ministers were unhappy at not getting a free hand and the delays in their approvals, which led to the frustration visible clearly in the meeting, he added.

The chief minister was quick to respond to the situation and asked the officials to bring all the proposals. Sawant did not respond to calls and text messages.

The health department has witnessed three secretaries since this government took over. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), it was headed by Dr Pradeep Vyas. He was allegedly transferred over some differences with Sawant and Sanjay Khandhare was appointed as the health secretary. However, differences emerged between Khandhare and the ministers staff, it is said.

Tukaram Mundhe was also removed as the state health commissioner after complaints from the health minister and was kept without posting for months.

There is already unease in the Shinde led party as many of the MLAs are said to be unhappy for not being made ministers in the coalition government. This is despite the government not functioning with full strength.

The Shinde-Fadnavis government was formed back in June 2022. For 41 days, it was only a two member-cabinet comprising the chief minister and deputy chief minister. On August 9, the cabinet was expanded by inducting 18 ministers and since then a 20-member cabinet has been functioning in the state.

The strength of Maharashtra ministerial council is 42.

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MUMBAI: In its detailed order granting bail to IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri, the special court for cases under the SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has said that the four-word suicide note recovered by special investigation team (SIT) of the Mumbai police was not enough to conclude that Khatri abetted suicide of his batchmate Darshan Solanki, 18. HT Image

Except the one incident of showing the paper cutter to the deceased, there is nothing on record to show that the applicant/accused instigated the deceased Darshan to commit suicide, said special judge Anand Kanade in the detailed order, which was made available on Wednesday.

Mere allegations in the suicide note that the applicant is responsible for his death would not be sufficient to come to the conclusion that the applicant has committed the offence of abetment, the court said.

Khatri was arrested on April 9, after the probe revealed that Solanki had made an adverse comment on his religion and angry Khatri had allegedly threatened to kill him by pointing a paper cutter. The chemical engineering student thereafter died by suicide on February 12.

On February 16, when a Powai police team went to Solankis residence in Ahmedabad, his parents and other family members claimed that Solanki was a victim of caste-based discrimination prevailing at IIT-Bombay.

In view of the allegations, on February 24, the state government set up a three-member SIT headed by Lakhmi Gautam, joint commissioner of police, crime branch. The SIT on March 3 found a purported suicide note in Solankis room. It said, Arman has killed me. Solanki, according to the police, had written the words on the backside of one of his question papers.

The court said, There was nothing on record to show that Khatri was harassing the deceased on the ground of caste discrimination.

The court order said that to attract section 306 of the Indian Penal Code there should be an act or illegal omission showing that a person has instigated, provoked, incited or encouraged someone to die by suicide.

Mental element plays significant role in criminal law. How a person will react to a situation is unpredictable. Sensitivity differs from person to person, so does the reaction. Every suicide has a cause, but all the causes cannot be labelled as abetment, the court said.

The court added, The harassment or torture should be of such a degree that it really left no option and drove the person to commit suicide. An individual may have suicidal traits or may be very emotional or may be very egoist or be jealous or vindictive.

Such emotions may overpower the individual leading him to take the drastic step to kill himself or herself. Unless the mens rea (ill intention) is brought on record, prima facie it cannot be said that it is an abetment.

The court also took note of the probe done by the SIT, which has recorded statements of two batchmates, including the roommate of the deceased, and two eyewitnesses to the incident wherein Khatri allegedly threatened Solanki with the paper cutter.
MUMBAI: Over 20 jewellers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Gujarat were allegedly duped by two men, who pretended to be doctors or their wives and targeted shops adjacent or opposite to hospitals. Duo pretend to be wives of doctors, dupe over 20 jewellers

The accused have been identified as Manish Ambekar, 43, a Nalasopara resident and Anwar Ali Kadir Shaikh, 26, of Karjat.

Abhijeet Lande, investigating officer and PSI, said on Sunday at 7.30pm, Chetan Rajkumar Jain, the owner of Ram Jewellers in Bhayandar East, received a call on his mobile phone from a woman, who claimed to be the wife of a doctor working at Sai Ashirwad Hospital and expressed her desire to buy two gold bangles weighing around four tolas.

The woman asked Jain to send his employee to the hospital to take measurements of her hands. The caller also informed him that she had 4 lakh in 2,000 denomination and she wanted change for 2 lakh in 500 currency notes.

Jain told the police that he sent his employee to the hospital with cash and a design catalogue. As soon as Jains employee reached the stairs of the hospital, a man intercepted him saying that he was sent by the doctors wife to receive him. The man took the bag containing cash from the jewellers employee and told him to go upstairs to take the measurement while he counted the cash on the machine, Vijay Pawar, senior police inspector, Navghar police station, said.

When Jains employee went to the first floor and enquired about the doctors cabin, he was informed that no such doctor worked in the hospital. The employee then ran down to look for the man whom he had given the cash to, however, the fraud had fled from the spot. The employee informed about the incident to Jain, who approached the police.

The police then circulated CCTV footage of the fraud among their informers. Based on their inputs, we tracked Ambekar and arrested him on Wednesday, Pawar said. The police searched Amberkars residence and found the cash and later tracked down his accomplice.

The duo confessed that they have cheated several jewellers in Bhandup, Thane, Vapi and other places. Their modus operandi was to locate a jewellery store near a hospital and then get the phone numbers from the signboard of the shop and the doctors name from the list of doctors on the display board of the hospital and make the calls, Pawar said.

The police said Ambekar, the mastermind of the racket, is a school dropout and unemployed. A court on Wednesday remanded the duo in police custody.
Mumbai: The special National Investigative Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday declared another prosecution witness hostile in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. The Bhopal resident was a key witness based on whose statement BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur was implicated in the case. The witness had in his statement to Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) claimed that he was asked by Kalsangra to meet him at Ujjain where he was scheduled to meet Thakur. The witness claimed that he reached Ujjain early in the morning on October 8, 2008, and went to Thakurs place. (Getty Images)

The witness was allegedly connected to Thakur and accused Ramji Kalsangra, who is still absconding.

According to the prosecution, the witness was present in the room where Thakur allegedly strategized with Kalsangra on how to evade the police investigation after the bike used in the blast was found to be owned by Thakur.

The witness had in his statement to Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) claimed that he was asked by Kalsangra to meet him at Ujjain where he was scheduled to meet Thakur. The witness claimed that he reached Ujjain early in the morning on October 8, 2008, and went to Thakurs place.

The witness had claimed in his statement that in the meeting, Thakur discussed how to respond to the investigators when questioned regarding the bike. Thakur had decided that she would reply saying she did not remember whom she had sold the bike to and allegedly claimed that she was ready to be put under arrest, claimed the witness.

Kalsangra allegedly told Thakur to reveal his name as he was the one who planted the bomb.

The witness in the statement further claimed that after the meeting, Thakur left for Surat. The statement further states that after the meeting on October 12, 2008, Kalsangra had allegedly called the witness asking about Thakur. However, after that, the witness in his statement claimed that he had not heard of Kalsangra ever.

The witness had, however, subsequently filed a complaint with a magistrate court in Indore on November 26, 2008, stating that he was illegally detained by Maharashtra ATS and was forced to record a statement before the magistrate court and thus retracted from his statement.

The NIA had also questioned him when subsequently it took over the case. The NIA in its final report had raised suspicion that he may retract his statement.

On Wednesday, when he was called to depose in the case as a prosecution witness, he reiterated his claim that ATS had forced him to record a statement. The witness told the court he was detained illegally for almost a week and he along with three others were mercilessly assaulted. He also claimed that he was forced to sign statement papers and was not aware of what was written in them.
MUMBAI: Three women allegedly duped a jeweller of 7.5 lakh by swapping gold jewellery with fake ones in Bandra last week. HT Image

The jeweller approached the police on Tuesday after finding out about the fake jewellery.

According to the complaint, the three women had gone to the shop at Waterfield Road on May 3, and claimed that they wanted to exchange their old jewellery with new.

When their jewellery was checked before the sale, it was found to be made of real gold.

However, when the shop owner gave the ornaments sold by the women to a worker on Monday, they were found to be fake. The shop owner checked CCTV footage and found out that the women swapped the real jewellery for fake by distracting the attendant at the store. We have booked the trio for cheating and searching for them, a police official said.
Mumbai: A Constitution bench ruling on Thursday that will have far-reaching implications for Maharashtras politics. The five-judge bench in the Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on a bunch of petitions pertaining to last years split in the Shiv Sena between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions, and the then-governor Bhagat Singh Koshyaris decision to invite Shinde to form the government along with the Bharatiya Janata Party after Thackeray chose to resign. Shiv Sena party leader Eknath Shinde gestures after taking oath as Chief Minister of Maharashtra state in Mumbai on June 30, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (AFP)

Issues before the Supreme Court:

Among a spate of issues, one of the key decisions that apex court is expected to make is on the validity of then Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyaris mandate to Thackeray for facing a floor-test. This sparked the political upheaval in the state with Thackeray resigning and Shinde taking over as CM on the very next day. Connected to this crucial issue will be Koshyaris invitation to Shinde to form the government even as disqualification proceedings against him and the MLAs of his faction under the anti-defection law were pending before the then deputy speaker.

In case the five-judge bench rules that Koshyaris decisions were unconstitutional, it will then also have to give its ruling on the validity of the Shinde-Fadnavis government, besides answering what it called, during one of the hearings, a legal conundrum surrounding the political fate of Thackeray who chose to resign instead of facing the floor test.

The top court will answer to Thackerays vehement plea that all the disqualification petitions  ones pending against the Shinde camp as well as those pending against the Thackeray faction  should be adjudicated directly by the Supreme Court to ward off political considerations and prejudices.

Another crucial issue will be whether Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekars decision to recognise the Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena was legally right. If, on the other hand, the court acknowledges last Junes events as a split in the Shiv Sena, it may also opine on whether the Shinde faction violated provisions of the anti-defection law by not merging with any other party on the floor of the assembly. The apex court will then also have to decide on the disqualification proceedings initiated by the-then deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal against 16 Shinde faction MLAs.

It may be recalled that in June of 2022, when Shinde and his men rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray leading to the fall of the MVA government, Zirwal, a leader from the National Congress Party, was the deputy speaker and in charge of the proceedings as the post of the speaker had fallen vacant after Congresss Nana Patole stepped down. However, after Udddhav Thackerays resignation as CM in June 2022, the BJP-Shinde combine chose BJP leader Rahul Narwekar as the Speaker.

We look at the three scenarios that are possible, and what their implications might be:

If the judgment goes in Shindes favour

This would signal a major political victory for the chief minister, making him a serious and long-term player in national politics, and of course for the BJP which backed the split in the Shiv Sena. The apex courts stamp of approval would also help the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance counter Shiv Sena (UBT)s attempts to elicit sympathy from the traditional Shiv Sena voter, and boost their chances in the Mumbai municipal polls. A pro-Shinde verdict may also lead to another round of defections from the Thackeray faction. Shinde can also continue as chief minister and might even become the face of the ruling alliance in the 2024 elections. Such a verdict would signal a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray. With his petition challenging the Election Commissions decision to hand over the party name and symbol to Shinde still pending, an adverse SC judgment will make things close to impossible for him.

If the judgment goes against Shinde

The constitution bench verdict against Shinde would necessarily entail an adverse view against the Governors decisions to ask Thackeray to prove majority of the floor of the House without their ostensible constitutional grounds to do so. In turn, it may also vitiate Koshyaris invitation to Shinde to form the government in the state with support of BJP. If the court finds constitutional infirmities in the Governors decision, it may result in the fall of the incumbent state government.

But a more complex question would arise with this course of action as Thackeray resigned without facing the floor test and therefore, declaring Koshyaris decision bad in law cannot automatically reinstate him as CM. In such a scenario, the constitution bench may have to chart a constitutionally and legally permissible path where both Shinde and Thackeray could be put on a level playing field to face the disqualification proceedings as well as prove their strength in the assembly following a procedure laid down by the court.

Such a judgment would deal a severe blow to Shinde, for this would mark not just loss of political capital but also weaken him in the battle for the heart and soul of the Shiv Sena.

Conversely, a verdict against Shinde will mark a big victory for Thackeray and he could effect a counter split in the Shinde faction. He may then also cite the verdict in the Supreme Court to get back his party name and symbol from Shinde. For Fadnavis, on the one hand, such a verdict could lead to fall of the government but then again, it could pave the way for his return as chief minister.

If SC leaves the disqualification decision to the Speaker

One of the core issues in the Sena Vs Sena battle is whether the rebel MLAs led by Shinde incurred disqualification after they split, making them electorally incapable of holding their positions. Even if the court leaves that call to the speaker, it will be seen as a victory for the Shinde-led government, at least in terms of perception. It will help the state government survive until the end of its tenure next year. Though the Constitution bench is expected to speak on the role of the former Maharashtra governor BS Koshyari in dislodging the Thackeray government, it would not directly affect the fate of the government. It is the prerogative of the speaker to decide on disqualification of members, and the SC is expected to leave the decision to the speaker, said Anant Kalse, former principal secretary of the state legislature. Effectively, what it would mean is that Eknath Shinde can continue as Maharashtra CM.

At the same time, there may be a twist in the tale and the Constitution Bench may lay down a set of new norms to guide the assembly Speakers with a timeline to decide disqualification petitions, paving the way for more political churnings in Maharashtra.
PRAYAGRAJ After carrying out raids at multiple locations in Prayagraj a few weeks ago, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is planning to attach properties and assets belonging to Atiq Ahmed and his associates in the money laundering case lodged against the slain mafioso-turned-politician. Raids have revealed that Atiq made investments worth several hundred crores in various projects through his partners. (HT File)

The properties to be attached are in Prayagraj, Lucknow, and other cities of the state. A few weeks ago, ED officials raided homes and commercial establishments of many real-estate developers and big traders who were Atiqs partners (or Atiq had made investments in their projects). ED also seized documents and records from the houses of Atiqs accountant and lawyer in Prayagraj.

Raids have revealed that Atiq made investments worth several hundred crores in various projects through his partners. While ED is still scanning the seized documents and records, police also carried out raids at several places. Cops recovered several documents, including those of properties from Atiqs partially demolished office and his in-laws house in Chakia.

Officials said that a diary recovered in one of the raids revealed that Atiqs benami properties are not just in Uttar Pradesh but in other states as well. He purchased the properties in the name of his associates. ED officials are also investigating these properties.

According to ED officials, Atiqs properties worth around 100 crore have been identified so far. To this end, the assistance of revenue department is being taken to identify these properties. Subsequently, the properties will be seized under the Money Laundering Act lodged against Atiq, added officials.

During investigation, ED officials have found that a majority of benami properties were purchased between 2012 and 2017. Forged documents were also prepared for purchasing these properties. Some of these properties have been identified in Prayagraj, Lucknow, and Noida. Officials said properties in Prayagraj are worth 50 crore while those in Noida and Lucknow cost over 50 crore. The identified properties are registered in the name of Atiqs close associates and partners.
Mumbai: The primary work on the proposed 15-hectare Kanjurmarg depot meant for Metro 6 (from Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli) has begun. On Tuesday night, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made it clear that the land allocated by the Maharashtra government at Kanjurmarg was important for the project. After environmental activists and citizens objected to the Metro 3 depot being constructed inside Aarey forest, the former Uddhav Thackeray-led government shifted it to Kanjurmarg and decided to have an integrated depot for Metro 3 and Metro 6. But the BJP central governments intervention, bringing up an ownership dispute, stalled the plan. Later, the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra shifted the Metro 3 depot back to Aarey. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has begun the initial work of surveying and identifying the borders of the 15-hectare plot of land. An MMRDA official said that it would be gradually barricaded.

Recently, the office of the Salt Commissioner had claimed that the Kanjurmarg land proposed for Metro-6 belonged to it. However, sources in MMRDA said that the plot fell within the ambit of the state government and that there was no legal objection to it at this point of time. The state government had directed Mumbais suburban collector to hand over the plot for the depot construction.

When asked about the land issues, Shinde said, The land at Kanjurmarg is important for the Metro 6 project and there are no issues with it. Our government will ensure that public money is not wasted due to delays.

The elevated Metro Line 6 is over 65 percent complete.

After environmental activists and citizens objected to the Metro 3 depot being constructed inside Aarey forest, the former Uddhav Thackeray-led government shifted it to Kanjurmarg and decided to have an integrated depot for Metro 3 and Metro 6. But the BJP central governments intervention, bringing up an ownership dispute, stalled the plan. Later, the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra shifted the Metro 3 depot back to Aarey.

However, the Metro 6 depot remained under dispute, with the Salt Commissioner objecting to the plan of acquiring 102 hectares of the Kanjurmarg land. The state government finally reached a decision and handed over a smaller plot of 15 hectares.
Expressing its anguish over rising death of elephants due to electrocution, the Orissa high court has directed four power distribution companies in Odisha to prepare a time-bound plan to survey all villages that have seen movement, attacks, or crop destruction by wild animals, as well as those which have seen the deaths of such animals due to electrocution. 18 elephants and 20 persons have died in man-elephant conflicts over the past two months of which four died of electrocution. (Representative file image)

Taking a strong exception to the deaths of 18 elephants and 20 persons in man-elephant conflicts over the past two months of which four died of electrocution, a two judge bench of chief justice S Muralidhar and justice G Satapathy said enough steps have not been taken to prevent deaths of elephants due to electrocution in Odisha.

Also Read: Power fencing to avoid human-elephant conflict in West Bengal town

This is despite the Comprehensive Action Plan being made available to the distribution companies for nearly two months now. It is absolutely essential for the power distribution companies to immediately identify all such instances of illegal hooking of electricity transmission lines to power such electric fences illegally put up in the villages and discontinue the practice forthwith, observed the division bench.

The bench asked the chief executive officers of four power distribution companies to convene a meeting within a week, and to create a time-bound plan for completing the survey of all villages in their respective zones which have seen wild animal movement, attacks or crop destruction, or where such animals have been electrocuted.

The comprehensive action plan entails taking a series of steps, including barricading open transformers, fixing interposing poles on both high tension and low tension lines, converting low tension bare conductors to aerial bundled cable, changing vacuum circuit breakers, maintaining primary substations, sensitising and periodically checking feeders, and fitting spikes in electric poles.

The HC said the matter can be taken up at the meeting of the CEOs of four electricity distribution companies scheduled to be held within a week.

In a separate order, the HC stayed the order by NGT (National Green Tribunal) on April 6 asking the state government to notify 14 elephant corridors.

On April 6, the NGT had granted one month time to the state for notifying the elephant corridors and warned that the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Head of Forest Force (PCCF) (wildlife) would be liable under section 26 of the National Green Tribunal Act.

The division bench noted that the court has in fact passed a series of orders in a pending PIL on the same issue of notification of an elephant corridor in Odisha.

Parallel proceedings both in the NGT and this Court on the same issue is not desirable, said the court, while listing the states petition for hearing along with the pending PIL.
LUCKNOW More than 1.17 lakh civil police personnel and home guards, along with 111 companies of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) and central armed police forces (CAPF), will be deployed in the 38 poll-bound districts across Uttar Pradesh to ensure that the second phase of civic elections are held smoothly on May 11 (Thursday). Narcotics substances worth  39.2 crore have been seized ahead of the polls. (HT Photo)

Civil police personnel will be deployed to conduct free and fair polling without any interruption while armed police, including the PAC and Central Para Military Force (CPMF), will be majorly deployed at sensitive centres and booths to make sure that the law-and-order situation is maintained during the polling exercise, said U.P. Police Special Director General (SDG), law and order, Prashant Kumar.

The senior cop said that the first phase of polling will be held for seven municipal corporations, 95 municipal councils, and 268 nagar panchayats of 38 different districts, including three police commissionerates. In all, there are 6,380 polling centres and 19,584 polling booths in the second phase, he added. Notably, municipal corporations are for civic and urban development of big cities while municipal councils are for the civic and urban development in smaller cities. Similarly, nagar panchayats or town council are meant for undertaking development works in rural areas.

The Special DG added that 12,103 police inspectors and sub-inspectors, 7,935 under trainee sub-inspectors, 57,201 head constables and constables, and 40,525 home guards have been deployed to ensure free and fair elections in the second phase of polling. Besides, over 76 companies of PAC and 35 companies of CPMF have been deployed to counter any trouble or violence and ensure law and order during the polling hours.

He further said that at least, 12,154 check posts and barriers have been made at international, inter-state, and inter districts borders to check corrupt practices during the civic bodies elections. At least 1,103 people were arrested for being involved in drugs peddling, he added. Narcotics substances worth 39.2 crore have been seized from their possession. As many as 11,825 people were arrested after recovery of over 3,44,292 litres of illegal country-made liquor and English liquor from their possession while 819 illegal liquor manufacturing units were unearthed after the arrest of 766 accused in this connection.

Kumar also pointed out that nearly 51 factory-made illicit weapons, 3,338 illegal country-made firearms, 5,147 cartridges as well as 3484.7 kilograms of explosive materials were seized and 104 illegal firearms manufacturing unit was unearthed after the arrest of 187 people in this connection. He added that 16 of the accused were arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) and another 1,128 accused under the Gangsters Act. Meanwhile, 944 others have been booked under the Gangsters Act.

Additionally, 8,122 accused have been booked under the Goonda Act and 2,238 others were asked directed to remain outside the borders of the district concerned to avert any trouble during polling, the official added. As a precautionary measure, 17,649 people against whom non-bailable warrant were issued from courts, 7,225 wanted criminals, and 304 criminals having rewards on their head were arrested across the state in a run-up to the civil polls.
KANPUR A 36-year-old police constable was killed by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Orai Jalaun late on Tuesday night. SP Jalaun Iraj Raja confirmed the death of constable Bhed Jeet Singh. The constable was killed with a sharp-edged weapon. The cop had intercepted the bike-borne men during patrolling, he added. Four police teams have been formed to identify the criminals. (HT Photo)

An eye-witness, who works as a guard at a dhaba (food joint) on the National Highway, said that the constable was patrolling on foot when he noticed a few motorcycle riders who appeared suspicious. As the constable threw a flashlight at them to see their faces clearly, the riders abused the constable and sped in rage. Subsequently, the constable went after them on his motorcycle. He was unarmed.

Later, the cops body was found one kilometre away from his national highway post. According to forensic experts, the cop wrestled with the two accused before they killed him with a sharp weapon.

Police teams are now securing the CCTV footage to collect clues, said Raja. Meanwhile, eight police teams have been formed to identify the criminals. Special Task Force, Kanpur unit, is also looking into the case. ADG Kanpur zone Alok Singh, who is monitoring the operations in Jalaun, said, We have got some important leads. The criminals involved in murder will be arrested soon.

The constable was earlier in the Army. He joined the UP Police after taking voluntary retirement in 2019. He had been serving in Jalaun for the last three years. The criminals, according to officials, are locals and could be parts of gangs involved in theft and robberies in the factory area.

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Five persons were arrested by the Patna police on Wednesday for their involvement in the murder of 72-year-old septuagenarian, officials said. The old woman was found murdered while her grandson was injured inside their home in Patnas Paigambarpur village. (Representative file image)

The old woman was found murdered while her grandson was injured inside their home in Patnas Paigambarpur village.

The deceased, a widow, was found murdered while her grandson lying in a pool of blood on the ground floor of the house in the last week of April.

A SIT was constituted to investigate the case.

Also Read: Gujarat court awards death sentence to man for rape, murder of 6-year-old niece

Police said Jaymantis minor granddaughter, who along with her father had planned the murder of her brother, grandmother and hired four persons to execute the killings.

During the investigations, it was found that the deceased and her grandson used to look after the financial aspects of the home. The minor wanted to take control of the finances from his grandmother and brother. So, she hired killers for killing his brother. But the woman raised an alarm on hearing her grandsons cries for help. The accused then overpowered her and strangulate to death before fleeing, said the police official.

According to the official, the minor, two contract killers and middlemen have been arrested in the case.

It was a well-planned conspiracy. There was no forced entry and no sign of robbery. So, police suspected the hand of an insider in the crime. The minor has confessed to her crime, added the official.

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The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have registered a case against five individuals of a family for allegedly harassing and forcing a woman to do 150 sit-ups, said police officials. The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have registered a case against five individuals of a family for allegedly harassing and forcing a woman to do 150 sit-ups, said police. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

Accused have been identified as Javed Mubarak Mulla, Mubarak Mulla, Mohsin Mubarak Mulla, and two other women all residents of Adarsh Nagar, Dehu Road area.

According to Dehu Road police, the victim was assaulted by her husband and in-laws from December 2021 over petty issues. The woman was subjected to physical and mental abuse. Her husband and in-laws allegedly threatened her into silence, and even made her do 150 sit-ups.

The woman alleged that accused Javed and his family tried to kill her by choking her. In her complaint, she further alleged that, accused Mubarak forced her to do 150 sit-ups last week.

The victim subsequently filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws. The police have registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 498 (a) (cruelty by husband and in-laws), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused are absconding, and the police are actively searching for them. Further investigation is underway, said officials.
The Kerala Story was released on May 5 amid criticism of its trailer. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film featuring Adah Sharma, has been facing opposition in several states. On May 8, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee banned the screening of The Kerala Story in the state. Amid the buzz around The Kerala Story, Anurag Kashyap shared cryptic tweets seemingly talking about the ban. Also read: Mamata Banerjee announces ban on The Kerala Story in West Bengal, film producer reacts Anurag Kashyap slammed ban on films in his latest tweets after screening of The Kerala Story was banned in West bengal.

Anurag tweeted it is 'just wrong' to ban a film, even if it is 'propaganda'. Earlier, veteran actor Shabana Azmi had also slammed the ban on The Kerala Story. Mamata Banerjee had recently directed the state chief secretary to ensure the film is removed from all screens in West Bengal. She had said the decision was taken to maintain peace in Bengal and prevent violence.

Here's what Anurag Kashyap tweeted after The Kerala Story was banned in West Bengal.

Seemingly reacting to the ban of The Kerala Story ban in West Bengal, Anurag Kashyap tweeted on Wednesday, "You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong," he tweeted as he shared a quote by French writer and philosopher Voltaire. It read, I do not agree with what you have to say, but Ill defend to the death your right to say it."

Further explaining his stance on how to 'fight propaganda', Anurag said 'the right way' to make a point is not banning a film. The filmmaker asked people to watch Afwaah instead. Anurag said that the new film, written and directed by Sudhir Mishra, 'talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest.

He tweeted, "You want to fight propaganda. Then go in numbers and see the film that talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest. Its running in cinemas and is called Afwaah. Go make your voice stronger. Go make a point. Thats the right way to fight."

Ever since the trailer for The Kerala Story came out last month, it was criticised for claiming that 32,000 girls from Kerala went missing and joined the terrorist group, ISIS. The film's makers had recently tweaked the trailer on YouTube from being the story of 32,000 women to that of 3 women. The trailer originally suggested that the film is based on the stories of more than 32,000 Kerala women, who had allegedly been radicalised by fundamentalists.

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After the West Bengal government decided to ban The Kerala Story in the state, actor and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member Vani Tripathi reacted to it. In a new interview, Vani said that it is for people to decide and take a call on a film. She also called the move 'undemocratic'. (Also Read | Producers Guild of India raises strong objection on state-enforced ban on The Kerala Story, says it is distressed) The official poster of The Kerala Story which released on May 5.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee recently ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the film in the state to avoid "any incident of hatred and violence". Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group ISIS.

Speaking with News18, Vani said, You are taking away the democratic right of the audience, which will decide the fate of the film. You cannot decide it, I cannot decide it, even a producer cant decide (the fate of the film). It will be the people who will decide if the movie talks to them, whether it creates a bridge between then and what filmmakers are saying."

She added, "Every film does not need to be a tearjerker, there are films which are dark. But again, at the end of the day, we can only certify a film and that is the only plethora of democratic certification in this country. If that is also getting hampered, then bhagwaan hi malik hai (God alone can save it)."

Recently, the Producers Guild of India condemned the ban on The Kerala Story. Multiplexes across Tamil Nadu also cancelled screenings of the film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response.

The Producers Guild of India statement shared on Twitter read, "The Producers Guild of India is distressed by, and would like to record its strong objection to, state-enforced bans on The Kerala Story. As emphasized by us on several occasions in the past, film releases are regulated by CBFC and any film that complies with this statutory requirement should face no further hurdles in having the paying public decide on its fate."

It also added, "Of course, the audience can choose to watch or ignore any film but that is a choice that should be theirs to make, not one that is imposed on them by any party other than CBFC. We call upon all the relevant authorities to urgently address this all-too-frequent phenomenon of films being denied their right to unfettered, nation-wide exhibition despite having duly complied with regulatory requirements."

The film, which released on May 5, has kicked up a political storm. The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma and has been produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah's Sunshine Pictures.

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Veteran actor Neena Gupta, who often shares videos of herself speaking in Hindi, posted a new one as she slammed those who criticise her. She said she has been mocked for speaking in her mother tongue, and called 'Hindi-medium'. Neena took to Instagram Reels on Wednesday to share a video of herself sitting in front of picturesque mountain view as she schooled people for using terms like 'Hindi-medium' and 'TV actor' for her. Also read: Neena Gupta is envious of Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatts Met Gala and Deepika's Oscar appearances Neena Gupta schooled those, who mock her for speaking in Hindi.

She said in the video, Mujhe ek baat kehni hai jo mujhe yaad ayi aur main bade din se kehna chah rahi thi... hamare desh mein na kuch terms hoti hai, jaise 'Arrey yeh toh TV actor hai'. Ek term hota hai 'yeh toh Hindi-medium hai', aur ek term hoti hai 'Arrey haath se kha rahi hai, chee! Churi-kaate se nahi kha rahi hai' (I have been wanting to say something for a few days. In India, we hear some terms like 'TV actor' or 'Hindi-medium'. Sometimes people also mock you for eating with your hands instead of using knife and fork).

Neena continued, "Toh mere ko bohut bar boltein hain 'Hindi-medium hai' kyunki main achi Hindi bolti hoon, kyunki yeh meri matra bhasha hai. Toh main yeh kehna chaah rahi hoon ki isme hume kabhi sharam nahi karni chahiye (Many people call me 'Hindi-medium' because I speak well in Hindi as it is my mother tongue. I want to say, we should not be ashamed of speaking in Hindi)."

The veteran actor added she was proud of herself, and happy with how she spoke, dressed or ate food. "I am proud to be 'Hindi-medium'. I am proud to eat and dress up the way I want to. And I am proud to be called a TV actor. Hum kayin baar gussa ho jate hai ki hume 'Hindi-medium' kaha, ya apne aap ko neecha samajhne lag jate hai. Nahi samajhna (Sometimes we get angry or look down upon ourselves, when people mock us for speaking in Hindi. Don't do that to yourself). I am proud to be what I am, if I feel from inside that I am doing the right thing. Am I right?"

Reacting to her video, a fan commented, Yes absolutely. I dont understand these stars, who want their children to act in Hindi films but always speak to them in English at home. Why would they do that? You live in India, you want them to act in Hindi films, why would you not teach them the language?" One more said, Spanish talk in their language, Italians in Italian, French in French. Then why cant Indians talk in Hindi?

Neena often speaks her mind in her social media posts and in interviews. In a recent interview, she had opened up about feeling 'envy' after seeing Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt at Met Gala 2023, as well as Deepika Padukone at Oscars 2023. Neena had said in a recent interview with News18 that she wished she was a young actor today. "I wish we also had the same kind of exposure. I think about it every passing minute. I feel envious every second (smiles). I wonder what if I was a young actor in this day and age! I could have achieved so much more. Having said that, I know that you cant have everything that you wish for. I definitely do feel thankful for all the work thats coming my way even at this age. But yes, I feel very, very jealous when I look at them wearing gowns and walking [on the global stage]," Neena said.

Neena was last seen in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. Neena's upcoming films include Vishal Bhardwajs web series Charlie Chopra and The Mystery Of Solang Valley, R Balki's short in Lust Stories 2, Anurag Basus Metro In Dino, romantic comedy Pachhattar Ka Chhora, Baa, Ishq-E-Nadaan and Sabun with Jackie Shroff.

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Actor Priyanka Chopra has revealed for the first time the mean and racist comments she faced, when she was studying at a school in US during her teenage years. In a new podcast, she revealed how a group of mean girls accused her of going out with a boy they liked and bullied her with racial slurs. (Also read: Priyanka Chopra moved to Hollywood as she had 'beef with people' in Bollywood) Priyanka Chopra spent a few years in the US where she also attended school.

Speaking to Alex Cooper on her podcast Call Her Daddy, Priyanka talked about the bullying. When Alex asked Priyanka what was she specifically bullied about, Priyanka said, It's always about a boy. She said the group of girls thought she spent a weekend with a boy when in reality, she wasn't even allowed to stay out of home after school.

These girls just started taking me on. What they started saying instead of b*tch stay away from my man, they started using racial slurs. Like, I smell curry, Ooh I smell curry walking down the hallway, I dont think she had the time to shower'. Nasty, racial things. Then it became just bullying, pushing against lockers, writing something nasty in the bathroom stalls. Things like mean girl stuff that high school is made of, Priyanka said.

Priyanka added that she doesn't know why it happened and only knew that it made her feel less than. It made me feel smaller, inferior, made me feel like dim my shine, curl my toes. And I am not that girl. My parents raised me with confidence, having my shine and being okay with it, she said. Priyanka then decided to pack her bags and go, just like her dad had taught her all the times they moved due to his army doctor job. I was like fu** you America, I am going back to India and Im glad that I did as it kick started my whole career, she said.

After coming to India, Priyanka participated in Miss India and Miss World pageants. She became Miss World 2000 and even started working in films. In 2015, she moved to America to work in his first TV series, Quantico. She married Nick Jonas in 2018 and was last seen in Prime Video series Citadel and romantic comedy Love Again.

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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma stepped out to have dinner with the rest of his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Mumbai on Tuesday. The couple later came out of the restaurant to pose for pictures in front of the photographers, when one of them called Anushka 'sir' by mistake. Virat jokingly responded that he should be called 'ma'am' then. The couple smiled at the joke before heading back inside. (Also read: Virat Kohli poses with Anushka Sharma in cute pic; fans ask him 'itne Gambhir kyu ho') Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma had gone out to dinner in Mumbai on Wednesday.

A paparazzo account captured the interaction online. Virat was wearing a printed shirt with black pants and white sneakers, while Anushka wore a white striped vest with white pants and black heels. In the video, the couple steps outside after their dinner to pose for the paparazzi. One of the photographers mistakenly called Anushka 'sir' as he was trying to get their attention to look at the cameras. Virat then jokes and says, "Virat ma'am bhi bol de (Why don't you say Virat ma'am too!)" The photographer then apologises. The couple took the gaffe in good humour and stepped back inside the restaurant.

The paparazzo's mistake had most of the fans in splits on the Instagram post. Most of the fans couldn't get over Virat's joke as well. One fan wrote, "(laughing face with tears emoji) virat mam." Another wrote, "Anushka sir (laughing face with tears emoji) virat mam bhi bolde @virat.kohli." Another called them their 'favourite couple' and yet another fan shared, "These 2 (fire and heart eyes emojis)."

Virat's team RCB lost a close match to the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. Anushka has been present for all of his matches, watching from the stands. The couple got married in Italy in 2017 in a private ceremony for close friends and family. They had been dating for a few years. Their daughter Vamika Kohli was born in January 2021.

Anushka has been on a bit of break from acting these last few years. She was last seen in the film Zero (2018) along with Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif. In 2020, she produced the web series Paatal Lok and the film Bulbbul. The actor made a cameo appearance for the song Ghodey Pe Sawaar in the Netflix film Qala (2022) produced by her brother Karnesh Ssharma.

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Actor Sonam Kapoor wore a floor-length gown co-designed by Anamika Khanna and Emilia Wickstead for King Charles III's coronation concert on May 7. Photos and videos of the actor from the concert were all over social media, with a section saying her dress 'looks like a bedsheet'. Now, a fashion blogger has explained in detail the 'unique history' of the chintz print fabric on Sonam's coronation gown, and the actor thanked him for 'getting the whole point' of her look. Also read: Sonam Kapoor dons white, greets audience with 'namaste' at King Charles III's coronation concert Sonam Kapoor had shared photos of her look for King Charles III's coronation concert.

On Tuesday, a fashion blogger named Aamir Ali Shah took to Instagram to talk about how lots of Indian and Pakistani brands use the chintz print today without having an iota of knowledge about this fabric's unique history. He also had a message for those, who questioned 'what's extraordinary' about Sonam's coronation outfit as he schooled them about the print that he said was widely 'used for bed sheets, curtains and upholstery' in the Indian subcontinent.

Sharing a picture of Sonam's outfit with a vintage garment with chintz print, Aamir wrote on Instagram, "Read a comment below this photo of Sonam Kapoor saying what's extraordinary in this. It looks like a bedsheet. Well the thing is these 'chintz' prints now commonly used for bed sheets, curtains and upholstery originated as cheent along the Coromandel coast of India. (Cheent in hindi meaning spotted). Once highly prized the world over, chintz helped revolutionise fashion and design globally."

He went on to write about the fabric's history, Before Europe came to claim these prints, cheent a plain weave glazed cotton fabric was printed, or painted in vivid colours and was traded across seas for decades. Europeans lapped up 'indiene' design to make their homes lush with vibrant madder and indigo colors depicting exotic flora and fauna, which was a necessity given the weather outside was often grey and cloudy. Until 17th century trade in these Indian printed cottons flourished then European fabric manufacturers protested and even rioted against the tawdry, bespotted cottons made by Heathens and Pagans. Colonial enterprises banned cotton from India, leading to imitation chintz being produced in Netherlands, Britain and France. It was only then that the motifs and designs were slowly made to depict European birds and plants.

Further speaking about the significance of Sonam's designer gown and how her wearing it for the coronation was 'a full circle moment', Aamir wrote, "Some scholars believe that chintz began to be used for garments when maids were given old or damaged household textiles, which they would fashion into dresses. Lots of lawn brands use these prints today in Pakistan, many not having an iota of knowledge about this fabric's unique history Now with Sonam Kapoor wearing it, 'it is indeed a full circle moment' quoting Deepthi Sasidharan (@lampglow) and Susan Thomas (@afsarnama) here from across the border. A fabric which became dispossessed from the natives, is here being reclaimed and recontextualized."

Reacting to his long post, Sonam wrote in the comments section, "Thank you for getting the whole point of this. Anamika designed the print." As per a recent Vogue India report, while Sonam's gown was designed by Emilia Wickstead, Anamika Khanna contributed the calico-inspired print to finish the whole picture. The report added that the Indian designer took inspiration from the 17th and 18th-century calico prints, which were a commodity commonly traded between India and the UK in the yesteryears.

After her long break from acting, Sonam Kapoor is all ready to make a comeback with Shome Makhijas Blind. This will be her first film since she gave birth to her son Vayu Kapoor Ahuja in August last year.

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Robert De Niro, the iconic Hollywood actor, has become a father for the seventh time at the age of 79, according to an exclusive interview with ET Canada. FILE - Robert De Niro attends the world premiere of "Amsterdam" at Alice Tully Hall on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in New York. De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven. A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press but said no other details or statement were expected. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

During the interview, De Niro discussed parenthood while promoting his upcoming film, 'About My Father'.

The 79-year-old shared his thoughts on parenting, stating that although he doesn't like having to discipline his children, sometimes it's necessary.

"There's no way around it with kids. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you can't," he explained.

When asked about his six children, The Golden Globe winner corrected the interviewer, revealing that he actually has seven children.

"I just had a baby," he said, without providing any further details about the new addition to his family or the identity of the mother. Although, his current girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, revealed her baby bump on their out for dinner last month.

De Niro's girlfriend Tiffany Chen revealed her baby bump. (Image Credit: Backgrid)

De Niro's representative later confirmed the news of his seventh child.

The Academy Award-winning actor is already a father to six children. He shares daughter Drena, 51, and son Raphael, 46, with his first wife, Diahnne Abbott. In 1995, he welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27, with his former girlfriend, model, and actress Toukie Smith. De Niro also has a son Elliot, 24, and a daughter Helen Grace, 11, with his ex-wife, Grace Hightower.

The Oscar Winner is also a proud grandfather and encourages his children to pursue their dreams.

"If you want to be an actor or you want to do this or that, that's fine as long as you're happy. Just don't sell yourself short," he expressed his thoughts in a 2020 interview with People. "It's important for them to find their own lane," the actor added.

The Irishman' star is known for his memorable performances in films such as 'The Godfather: Part II,' 'Raging Bull,' and 'Taxi Driver,' among many others. He has won two Academy Awards and has been nominated for seven others throughout his career.

The news of De Niro's seventh child comes as a surprise to many, given his age.

However, the actor has shown no signs of slowing down, continuing to work on new projects and promote his films.

ALSO READ| | Yellowstone actor Luke Grimes reveals what to expect in remaining episodes as the drama series nears its end

As the Taxi Driver actor unfolds this new chapter of his life as a father of seven, it's clear that he values family and encourages his children to pursue their passions. However, he doesnt consider himself a cool dad.

'About My Father, is set to hit theaters later this year.
After years of waiting, fans all over the world are excited as Beyonce's "Renaissance World Tour" finally begins today in Stockholm, Sweden. Beyonce, known as Queen Bey to her fans, has been preparing for this moment for months, and the BeyHive has been eagerly anticipating the tour since it was announced. After years of waiting, fans all over the world are excited as Beyonce's "Renaissance World Tour" finally begins today in Stockholm, Sweden.(Instagram/beyonce)

Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour kicks off today: Get ready to bow down, BeyHive!

As always, fans have taken to social media to express their emotions and excitement about seeing Beyonce perform live. Her Renaissance World Tour is based on her seventh studio album and marks her ninth time hitting the road for a string of concerts.

Some lucky fans have been able to get their hands on an advance copy of Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour book, which includes artwork corresponding to each track on the album. Fans have shared some of the images on social media, showcasing Beyonce looking divine in the new photos from the book. The retro-futurism vibe has been widely appreciated by fans.

Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour set to break records, surpass Taylor Swift's Eras tour: Are you ready for the queen?

According to Forbes, the Renaissance World Tour could potentially gross a staggering $2.4 billion in revenue, surpassing Taylor Swift's "Eras" Tour by approximately $500 million. This high revenue potential can be attributed to several factors, including Beyonce's long hiatus from touring.

Previous tours by Beyonce have also been highly successful, such as the "On the Run Tour" with Jay-Z in 2014, the "Formation" World Tour in 2016, and the "On the Run II" Tour with Jay-Z in 2018, all of which grossed millions of dollars in revenue.

The Renaissance World Tour is expected to be the most profitable tour of Beyonce's career, with shows in London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and her hometown of Houston, before wrapping up on Sept. 27 at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans.

Are you excited to see Queen Bey perform in her "Renaissance" World Tour? Share your thoughts with us at @htTweets!
Among the actors who have shared about their experiences of working overtime while shooting for daily soaps, the latest one is Charu Asopa. Narrating her story, she recounts, When I joined the industry 10 years back, I was 24. And back then, I was shooting for the show Mahadev. I remember how our schedule would sometimes go on for two days straight, without any break. There were days when I would be so exhausted that it would lead to a meltdown. I would even sleep on the set when extremely tired. Kyuki agar humaara ek bhi scene hota tha, aur wo bhi agar raat ko shoot karna hai, tab bhi hume subh 8 baje se set par bulaa liya jaata tha. Charu Asopa xtalks about the stress of working in a daily soap

However now, Asopa points out that things have changed now. You arent called until and unless everything for your shot is set up. Things have become much sorted now.

And that makes her wonder if people nowadays have become emotionally and mentally weaker. She elaborates, I have not seen actors today shooting for two or three days straight. Ab toh zyada se zyada ek ya do hours hi extend karte hain. But now when I look back, I think I never heard of any such incidents where people committed suicide because of work pressure. Then what stress are these 20-21 year old dealing with that they end up taking their own lives because of the pressure. This is very heart breaking and shocking.

To those complaining about the working beyond the fixed hours, Asopa says, Koi bhi majboori mein kaam nahi karrha hai. They are working because they want to do it. During the initial phase of my career, if I would sit at home even for a day, it would irk me. Thoughts like I have to pay my rent, I have to meet my expenses would not let me relax. I had to work.

And agar extra kaam horha hai, so its good for me. Because I have come to Mumbai to work and not to have fun, she ends.
IMPHAL: An Assam Rifles constable was injured in a gunfight with unidentified gunmen in the Utonglok area 30km northeast of Imphal on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter. The incident took place at about 11am and the firefight lasted about 20 minutes. Manipur security advisor Kuldiep Singh (ANI FILE PHOTO)

Manipurs security advisor Kuldiep Singh said a constable sustained bullet injury in the gunfight. He was evacuated by helicopter for treatment, Singh added.

Singh, who retired in September last year as chief of the Central Police Reserve Force, said they have started inspecting the camps of Kuki militants who are in Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with the state and central governments.

We have also started an exercise of inspection of SoO camps and that is going on with the help of Assam Rifles and local police, the retired police officer said. The Centre and the Manipur government signed tripartite agreements with two umbrella groups of Kuki militants, United Peoples Front and Kuki National Organisation in 2008.

Asked about instances of weapons snatched from security personnel in the recent violence, Singh said the recovery of arms and ammunition has increased substantially. So far, 284 arms and 6,700 ammunition have been recovered, he said.

He said people who were stranded were being escorted from Imphal to Churachandpur and nearby districts. He added that 288 FIR cases have been registered in connection with the recent violence in the state.

Singh acknowledged that the police were yet to trace the two men from Khumbong village in Imphal West district, Atom Samarendra and Y Kirankumar, who had gone missing on May 6.
Bengaluru BJP MP Tejasvi Surya welcomed Congress leaders and workers offering their prayers to cooking gas cylinders as the 242 assembly constituencies vote today as he said, "At least they are worshipping something". "Suddenly, the Congress party has started praying to everything -- whether it is visiting Bajrang Bali temples last week or seeing God in gas cylinders. The Hindu philosophy sees God in everything. We really welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least," Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya said on Wednesday. Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday performed aarti in front of a gas cylinder.

'Bewakoofi ka udaharan': Nirmala Sitharaman on Bajrang Dal row

A day ahead of the crucial election, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday worshipped a cooking gas, performed aarti in front of it and urged the voters to do the same before going to cast their votes. "Kannadigas! Before you go to cast your vote, don't forget to perform this ritual. Watch the video," the Congress tweeted with the video which has Narendra Modi's old speech as the voiceover. "When you go to vote, pray to the gas cylinder before," Narendra Modi said.

Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Follow LIVE updates

"See Mr Modiji said this the last time. Now I am appealing the same. Brothers and sisters, from 445 the price has gone to 1200. Please cast your vote as per our Prime Minister's request. Put a garland on gas cylinders," Shivakumar said.

The cylinder became the latest flashpoint as the Congress attempted to mock PM Modi in what they called 'cylinder election' as Congress supporters on Wednesday started worshipping cylinders at many places with the voting on.

The Congress in its manifesto promised to ban Bajrang Dal if voted to power which triggered a row as the BJP accused the Congress of insulting Lord Hanuman. The Congress in a counter-attack accused BJP of equating Bajrang Dal with Bajrang Bali.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to attack the Congress party during his visit to Rajasthans Mount Abu and alleged that the opposition party tried to use Karnatakas Hakki Pikki tribe members who were stuck in Sudan, for its political benefits. He also said that the Congress party made all attempts to use the issue for Karnataka polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi(PTI)

Speaking at an event in Mout Abu, PM Modi said, The forefathers of Karnatakas Hakki Bikki tribe members stood alongside Maharana Pratap, and a few members of that community are now settled in African countries by doing small businesses. However, when they were stuck in crisis-hit Sudan, the Congress tried to use them for Karnataka elections. The party wished harm for those people and tried politicizing the issue, which needed a silent and sharp intervention.

He further slammed the Congress and said that he would go to any extent to save Indians who are in danger. I think the Congress still fails to identify who Narendra Modi is. Let me tell you all, I am ready to go to any extent to save Indians who are in trouble outside the country, added PM Modi. The Twitter attacks between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on evacuating the members of Hakki Pikki tribe made headlines a few days ago. When Siddaramaiah tweeted and requested the union minister to intervene and bring the Indians in Sudan back, Jaishankar tweeted, Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; dont do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian Nationals and PIOs in Sudan.

In a response to the union minister, Siddaramaiah tweeted, Since you are the External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar, I have appealed you for help. If you are busy getting appalled please point us to the person who can help us bring our people back. PM Modi also met the the people of Hakki Pikki tribe who were evacuated, when he was in Karnataka for election campaign.
The voting for bypolls for the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in Punjab and assembly constituencies of Chhanbey and Suar in Uttar Pradesh, Jharsuguda in Odisha, and Sohiong in Meghalaya began on Wednesday amid tight security. The counting of votes will be conducted on May 13. Bypolls 2023: The counting of votes will be conducted on May 13.(HT_PRINT)

1. Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency:

A four-cornered electoral contest is in the offing with with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) vying to outdo each other in the high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll.

A total of 16,21,800 voters will seal the fate of 19 candidates (15 male and four female) in the fray. The authorities have set up 1,972 polling stations across the nine assembly segments under the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.

The Jalandhar parliamentary constituency fell vacant after Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary died following a cardiac arrest while taking part in the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 14 this year.

The AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku who quit the Congress to join the Punjab's ruling party while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Santokh Chaudhary.The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the saffron wing while, The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is a doctor.

The bypoll is being seen as a test of the one-year performance of the Bhagwant Mann government which has been harping on freebies, jobs, corruption, opening mohalla clinics, among others.

2. Suar assembly constituency, Rampur, UP

The bypolls in UP are likely to witness another contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the Samajwadi Party (SP), the main opposition. A tough contest is expected in Rampurs Suar assembly seat where Samajwadi party (SP)leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Khan have campaigned for the party while BJP despite leaving the seat for its ally Apna Dal (S) has actively campaigned.

The Suar seat, held by Abdullah Azam Khan, was declared vacant after a Moradabad court sentenced the MP to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case. In the 2022 UP elections, Abdullah Khan had defeated Apna Dal (Sonelal)'s Haidar Ali Khan by a margin of over 61,000 votes. There are over three lakh registered voters in Suar.

The SP has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the seat and Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress have not fielded the candidates on the seat. A total of six candidates are in the fray for this seat.

3. Chhanbey assembly constituency, Mirzapur, UP

In Chhanbey, a 'bahu vs beti narrative has taken shape where the wife of the former MP and daughter of former lawmaker are in the electoral contest.

The bypoll was caused due to death of sitting Apna Dal (S) MP Rahul Kol. The party has fielded Kol's wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol, daughter of former lawmaker Bhai Lal Kol is contesting as the SP candidate. A total of eight candidates are in the fray for this seat.

There are approximately 3.65 lakh eligible voters in Chhanbey.

4. Jharsuguda assembly constituency, Odisha

The bypoll to the Jharsuguda assembly constituency gained a significance as it is the last election before the Lok Sabha polls next year. Heavyweight campaigners from major political parties including Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Congress and BJP took part in the electioneering.

The by-election was necessitated following the murder of sitting MLA and the then Health Minister of the state Naba Kishore Das on January 29 this year.

A total of nine candidates are in the fray, though the contest is mainly between the BJD, BJP and Congress. BJD has fielded Das's daughter Deepali Das, while BJP has nominated Tankadhar Tripathy. Congress has fielded Tarun Pandey, the son of late MLA Biren Pandey.

A total of 2,21,070 people are eligible to exercise their franchise in 253 booths. There are 1,10,320 male electors, 1,10,687 women and 63 of the third gender.

5. Sohiong assembly constituency, Meghalaya

The bypoll to the Sohiong assembly constituency in Meghalaya was necessitated following the death of United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate HDR Lyngdoh ahead of the assembly elections scheduled on February 27 this year. Polling to Sohiong was then postponed due to Lyngdoh's death.

A total of six candidates, Synshar Lyngdoh Thabah of the UDP, Samlin Malngiang of the National People's Party (NPP), S Osborne Kharjana of the Congress, Sandondor Ryntathiang of the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), Sereph E Kharbuki of the BJP, and Stodingstar Thabah of the TMC, are in the fray.

The polling which began at 7am will take place till 4 pm in 3,328 polling booths, of which 1,100 have been identified as sensitive and 28 as critical.

(with inputs from agencies)
Idiotic: Devendra Fadnavis rebuts Oppn on Eknath Shindes future after SC verdict The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is stable and the opposition claim that Shinde will have to step down as chief minister after the Supreme Court verdict on the Shiv Senas split was idiotic, deputy chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. Read more Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Union minister says will probe WhatsApp spying claims, Meta India responds

WhatsApp has been engulfed in controversy after a user shared screenshots on Tuesday claiming the messaging service was using microphone in the background, raising serious privacy concerns. As a result, the government said that it will investigate the accusation. Mark Zuckerberg's company has now responded to the issue. Read more

Kangana Ranaut reacts to doing films like Rascals and Double Dhamaal: 'I deserved better'

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5 harmful effects of alcohol consumption on your gut health

Excessive consumption of alcohol has been linked to a range of short-term and chronic health issues from heart disease, stroke, liver disease to cancer. Alcohol over a period of time can weaken immune system, cause memory issues and brain disorders. Read more

This fascinating key puzzle has boggled people. Can you solve it?

Are you someone who enjoys solving puzzles? While you might have seen brain teasers, sudoku, word puzzles, and more, we have something new for you today. A post going viral on social media and leaving people boggled is a video of a key puzzle. Read more

Watch: 'Don't have time for grudges' - Virat Kohli shares strong video after Naveen-ul-Haq's cryptic Instagram stories

India's star batter Virat Kohli has been in the midst of controversies over the past few weeks in the 2023 Indian Premier League. Last month, the eagled-eyed fans noticed a no-handshake between Kohli and former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, that created a furore on social media. While the two did meet warmly on RCB's return leg to Delhi Capitals last week, Kohli's ugly spat with Gautam Gambhir after RCB's game against Lucknow Super Giants -- that took place on May 1 -- continues to draw opinions on Twitter. Read more

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NEW DELHI: The European Union (EU) perceives India as a key partner for trade and maritime security initiatives in the Indo-Pacific and plans to enhance joint patrols and exercises in the northwest Indian Ocean, senior EU and Swedish officials said on Wednesday. The relationship with India is one of the European Unions broadest, deepest and most-forward looking. (Twitter/EU_in_India)

Relations between the 27-member European bloc and India have witnessed a significant improvement in the last few years and cooperation in security too has improved through concrete steps taken by the armed forces of India and EU states, a senior EU official said during a briefing on the upcoming EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum to be hosted by Sweden on May 13.

The relationship with India is one of the EUs broadest, deepest and most-forward looking, the Swedish official said. Both EU and Swedish officials spoke on background about the forum, which will be attended by external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

In addition to Mission Atalanta, which plays a key role in the EUs naval diplomacy for the Indo-Pacific, EU states intend to have more maritime security cooperation with India. This will include exchanges of information and joint exercises between the navies of India and EU states as part of a wider and coordinated European maritime presence in the northwest Indian Ocean, the EU official said.

These measures will help secure sea lanes of communication, fight organised crime and other threats, and ensure secure and resilient supply and value chains, the officials said.

The officials listed the situation in the northwest Indian Ocean, the nuclear threat from North Korea, maritime and cyber security issues and foreign information manipulation as major challenges in the evolving security situation in the Indo-Pacific. The EU is keen to build partnerships with key players such as India to face these challenges, they said.

Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom and EU foreign affairs and security policy chief Josep Borrell will co-chair the EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Stockholm, which is expected to be joined by 60 foreign ministers of the two regions.

There will be three parallel roundtable sessions devoted to sustainable and inclusive prosperity, green opportunities and global challenges in cooperation, and the evolving security landscape of the Indo-Pacific. The discussions will focus on sustainable and inclusive development, digital divides, digital economy, and secure global supply chains that work in both directions.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which the officials described as the worst security crisis in Europe in decades, is expected to figure in the discussions. However, the forum will retain its focus on the Indo-Pacific region as it is a regional theatre with inter-connected threats.

Asked about China not being invited to the forum, the EU official said: China has never engaged with any partners in the framework of the Indo-Pacific concept, which it criticises. That, however, doesnt mean the EU wont engage with China.

All cooperation and engagement in the Indo-Pacific will be based on openness and inclusiveness to ensure the same rules for everyone, the officials said.

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Karnataka election: Will Congress ally with JDS after polls? DK Shivakumar responds There will be no post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular), Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar told reporters Wednesday morning amid voting for the 2023 Assembly election. Ruling out a post-poll dealread more. Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar addressing a public meeting ahead of the state assembly elections, at Kunigal, in Tumakuru. (DK Shivakumar Twitter)

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Charges under Section 307 I. P. C. (attempt to commit murder) and Section 3 of the Explosives Substance Act were framed against Bhagat Singh and B. K. Dutt, accused in the Assembly Bomb Case by Mr. F. B. Pool, Additional District Magistrate, today. The accused were committed to the sessions. The accused refused to make any statements at this stage and said they would make their statements later on if they thought it necessary. HT This Day: May 11, 1929 -- Charges framed in assembly bomb case

More Prosecution Witnesses

Eight more prosecution witnesses were examined.

The Public Prosecutor declared that Government was not going to produce the pistol or the loaded magazine alleged to have been recovered from Bhagat Singh.

Defence Arguments

Mr. Asaf Ali spoke for about half an hour before the court framed charges. He argued that the prosecution evidence was conflicting and that they had failed to prove any attempt to kill any person. Section 307 I. P. C. could not be applied at all. Nobody had even received serious injuries. The Bombs had proved to be more crackers.

The purpose of the accused at the most was a demonstration in the Assembly and not to kill any person. One Bomb fell in the passage and the other on a vacant bench when most of the members had left the Assembly.

Why travel to Explosives Act

HE pointed out to the court that it would be illegal to frame both charges against the accused (307 I. P. C. attempt to murder and Section 3 of the Explosives Act.)

Red Letter Read out

HE read out the Red letter and said the whole incident was meant  to make the deaf hear  as was said in the beginning of the leaflet. He said it was not malicious.  It was the act of idealists, you may call them impatient or misguided.

Delhi

The red turbans with lathies and a host of C. I. D. men were again witnessed all around the District Jail, when Bomb case again came up for hearing before Mr. F. B. Pool, Additional District Magistrate to day. R. B. Suraj Norain Public Prosecutor appeared for the crown, while Mr. Asaf Ali, Bar-at-Law, conducted the defence.

Long Live Revolution 

The accused were brought in at 10-20 a.m. Long live the Revolution  again shouted Bhagat Singh and Down, Down with British Imperialism roared Dutt in a very loud voice,  All right  observed the court as the accused who bore handcuffs on both hands took their seats.

The prosecution evidence was then resumed.

An Honorary Magistrates Evidence

Sardar Sahib Sobha Singh contractor and Honorary Magistrate of New Delhi was the first witness of the day who said that he was present in the visitors gallery on the 8th April. He went there when the division bell rang on the Trade Disputes Bill. Some friends of his were seated near the Ladies gallery and be looked towards them when the President announced the result of voting.

Like a Cigarette Case 

Soon after that he noted a man standing in the gallery behind his friend throw something like a cigarette case in the Assembly Chamber. He merely saw the band of the thrower, soon after he heard the explosion below. He looked towards the spot and noticed smoke coming out and members started to leave their seats.

In the galleries also people began to leave their seats. The first noise was not very loud and be did not realize what had happened, He did not find his friends in their seats. Be then saw another man, who stood by the first man, throw something. Behind him were two police constables. He told them why dont you go and catch the two men? He too followed them. He later heard some revolver shots, soon after he saw the police constable bringing the accused. He identified the two accused saying that Sardar Bhagat Singh threw the the first bomb while Mr. Dutt threw other. Witnesses had attended the identification parades and identified Dutt at New Delhi police station and Bhagat Singh at the Kotwali.

A Nominated Member

He was then submitted to a searching cross examination by Mr. Asaf Ali. He said he was a Government Contractor and did most of the work for the Government,

Q -And therefore you are a nominate I member of the Delhi Municipality.

A- No, I am nominated because of being a Sikh.

He further stated that he stood about 200 (two hundred) feet from the accused. He was a usual visitor to the Assembly. The skylights opposite to him were open and were closed on his back in order to avoid sunlight which came from his back. There were over 400 visitors. All the seats were occupied and people stood in 3 rows. S. B. Jawahar Singh, M.L.A. a friend of his was sitting below. He saw the accused standing on the floor above the seats near a pillar. He did not see any of them standing on the chairs.

Q.- Did you see the faces of the bomb throwers .

A.- When I saw bombs being thrown, I noticed one of them wore a soft hat, a khaki short and a khaki shirt. The other was bare headed, wore a khaki shirt and shorts. I could not see their faces clearly at the time, but saw them clearly after their arrest.

He gave the description of the accused to the police and gave a brief statement. His police statement was read out to him.

Q  In your statement you did not mention the hat. You mentioned a cap

A- Yes

It is not a Correct Statement

When the statement was read out to him he said This is not a correct statement as they took it down in shorthand.

Q -Was the statement read out to you and you said it is correct?

A.-The last part of the statement was not read out.

Q.-Did you read the news with regard to the Bomb Case in the newspapers and about the soft cap?

A. -Yes I have read them 

Q.-You saw their photographs a few days after in the newspapers?

A -Yes.

Q -Your police statement says that you saw two European and two Indian policemen arresting accused.

Witness replied he did not tell the police that he saw accused being actually arrested by two Europeans and two Indians.

On the bomb exploding hardly 10 or 15 persons were left behind in the galleries at the time the accused were brought under arrest.

He did not see where the first bomb fell. The explosion seemed to be at the place from where the smoke came from. It fell in the passage. The official benches were not full, some were entirely vacant. The second explosion took place on an empty bench. The official box (visitors) was full of officials. The first bomb fell 25 ft. from the official gallery. Pt. Malaviya was standing at 10 at 12 feet from the first place of the explosion. Non-official benches commenced from there and were sufficiently occupied. The atmosphere was very tense in the Chamber and galleries and the Presidents ruling on the Public Safety Bill was the chief point of interest.

All eyes on the President

All the persons were looking up. The President after having said Order, order said Now, I will give my ruling. All attention was concentrated on him and him alone. The attention was diverted when the explosion actually took place.

Simon Recalled

Sir John Simon was present in the Presidents gallery that day.

I Wrested Pistol

Sergeant H. D. Terry of the Delhi Police now posted at Simla was the next witness, who said he was on duty in the Assembly on the day of the incident.

At about 12 30 to 1 pm., he saw the explosion of a bomb hear Sir George Schuster. Mr. Johnson, Traffic inspector told him to see that no visitor went out of gallery. Just then the second bomb exploded and two pistol shots were fired in quick succession. People began to ran out. Some people shouted: There they are. He ran towards the two accused and saw them standing midway between central door and the ladies gallery and were shouting Down with Imperialism and We have done it.

Strong Objection

Mr. Asaf Ali strongly objected to the words We have done it. As they were not allowed under the Evidence Act, to be recorded. The court cut off the words objected to. One of the accused appeared to be in a more excited condition than the other and held a pistol. He rushed towards them, snatched the pistol and arrested them both. He met Mr. Johnson both of whom searched them and found some newspapers, pamphlets etc. A fully charged magazine was recovered from Bhagat Singh. He then received instructions to take the accused to Mr Collins (Superintendent, Assembly) room. When he found the accused, they were standing by themselves. Witness next described what clothes the accused had on at the time of arrests.

He identified the accused in court as the persons whom he arrested in the Assembly.

He testified to the recovery list of the pistol signed by him. He remembered having recovered two red pamphlets, but did not know from whom. He also noticed red pamphlets thrown in the Assembly. The pistol was not proved in the court.

Searching Cross-examination

Cross examined by Mr. Asaf Ali, witness said he was on duty near the ladies gallery. The ladies did not come out after the first explosion. There was a hustle. Mr. Johnson was with him till then but went out soon. On the second explosion there was a rush at the door. He did not leave the ladies gallery until the ladies had gone out. He later added: All had not gone out. 

He did not know how many policemen were on duty that day.

The Heroic Deed

He did not see anybody between the ladies gallery and the accused. He did not see anybody in the gallery when he was going to arrest the accused. He was the first to arrest them. He did not see any other policeman or a visitor while passing through the corridor, and while arresting the accused. Mr. Johnson arrived after 4 or 5 seconds.

Q -Nobody saw your heroic deed of wresting the pistol from Bhagat Singh which you claim to have done.

A.-I did not see anybody.

You did not wrest it

Q-I suggest it to you that you did not wrest the pistol from Bhagat Singhs hand.

A.-I did wrest it from Bhagat Singhs hand.

Q-You picked is up from a seat.

A.-No. I did not pick it up from a seat.

Bhagat Sing had no hat on his head then.

At the time of the search no search list was made. It was made latter in Mr. Collins room. When he wrested the pistol from Bhagat Singh, it was not pointed towards him. Bhagat Singh was playing with the pistol. Neither of the accused made any attempts at resistance.

Q.-Who picked up the hat, if it was not on Bhagat Singhs head.

A.-I dont know.

Q.-Did you allow the accused to search you before you searched them.

A.- We did not allow the accused to search us.

Q.-Did you not pick up red pamphlet lying in the Chamber?

A.- No after the first bomb was thrown quite a number of people were present. He could not name any one.

R. B. Suraj Narain, Public Prosecutor announced at this stage that the Government was not willing to prove the pistol and the magazine.

Mr. Asaf Ali: Then strike out all the evidence with regard to the pistol, because it is not to be produced in the case.

Mr. Johnsons Evidence

Mr. C. Johnson, Traffic Inspector, was the next witness. He stated that he was a witness to the first explosion. He had thought somebody had committed a crime in the Chamber down below. He ran down. But at the exit door, he heard the second explosion and heard two pistol shots. This gave him an idea that the crime was committed upstairs in the gallery. He issued orders for closing the exit doors. After making other police precautions he went back to Sergeant Tarry. Mrs. Gupta told him that the crime was committed in the middle of the visitors gallery.

Mr. Asaf Ali objected to the mentioning of a third person. Mrs. Gupta, as it was against the Evidence Act. Witness then said he came to know that the crime was committed in the middle of the visitors gallery. He went to that direction and met Sergeant Tarry, who had arrested the two accused. Sergeant Tarry had a pistol in his hand. He searched the accused and took out a loaded magazine from Bhagat Singhs pocket and two red leaflets etc. from Mr. Dutt. He next testified the search list which included a copy of one Hindustan Times. He was then cross-examined by Mr. Asaf Ali.

Wore a Hat

He said there were no outsiders present, when the recovery list were made. They did not allow the accused to search them before they searched the accused Bhagat Singh was wearing hat, when he was brought under arrest by Sergeant Tarry.

Sardar Chet Singh

Sardar Chet Singh, Sub-Inspector in charge New Delhi police station said that the Assembly was in his jurisdiction. He was in the New Delhi Court when he got a telephone message 1 p. m. that bombs had exploded in the Assembly. He ran to the Assembly. But the gates were closed.

When he got into the Assembly Chamber, he found a number of fragments of metal. The things were collected, were put in an envelope and sealed. The next day, the hall was thoroughly searched and some broken pieces of furniture were also sealed.

All these things were put by him in a big box and sealed, When Mr. Robson, Inspector of Explosives, came to Delhi, witness showed the contents to him and sealed the box. He next related the tale of the journey to Calcutta for chemical inspection, etc.

No Non-officials Present

Cross-examined by Mr. Asaf Ali witness said that some outsiders were also present, when the recovery list were made by him. They were Mr. Wilson and Sardar Bahadur Singh both Government servants. They signed the lists. There was no non-officials present then. All his doings were entered in the police register. Some of the recovered things were unclaimed. They included a felt cap.

Identification Parades

Sardar Abdul Samad, Magistrate, 1st class, who carried out the identification parades of the accused next made his statement. He said that the first parade was held on April 3, at the New Delhi police station, where Dutt was in custody. All the witnesses were kept in a closed room. Thirteen more persons were mixed in the parade. The accused was asked to change his clothes and take his seat with the 13 outsiders. He then named the witnesses who had identified Dutt. He then related the identification proceedings at the Kotwali where Bhagat Singh was identified.

He was cross-examined by Mr Asaf Ali.

Who Brought Them

Q.-How did you manage to get people who formed the parade at the New Delhi Police Station?

A.  They were there before my arrival. He could not say what happened before that.

Further cross-examined, he said B. K. Dutt changed his clothes but Bhagat Singh did not.

In the parade of Bhagat Singh, some people were sent for from Chandni Chauk to match Bhagat Singh.

He said he had mentioned all witnesses who identified the accused, no one else identified the accused.

Mr. Safdar Ali, Sub Inspector, New Delhi, was a formal witness who testified to the search list etc. Sub-Inspector Hans Raj stated that be made the first report about the bomb incident at the New Delhi Police station.

Cross-examined by Mr Asaf Ali, he said, when he went to the Police Station the accused had been arrested. Mohammed Amen, Head Constable, stated that he wrote the report made by Sub-Inspector Hans Raj.

Prosecution Closed

Jamil Ahmad was then examined with regard to the plan of the Assembly.

The prosecution case was then declared closed by Mr. Suraj Narain, Public Prosecutor.

No statements

The accused were then asked to make their statements. Bhagat Singh stood and replied to the court questions. He said he was a jat.

Q.- Profession?

A.-None

Q.-Residence.

A.-Lahore

Q.-Mohalla?

A.  We are always moving from one place to another

Feel no Necessity

Q - Were you present in the Assembly on 8th April?

A-As far as this case is concerned, I feel no necessity to make statement at this stage, If I feel it necessary I will make a statement later on

Why Long live Revolution

Q.-Court: When you arrive yesterday and today in the court you shouted Long live Revolution what did you mean by it

Mr. Asaf Ali objected to question and the court agreed with Mr. Asaf Ali, Mr. Suraj Narain also said that the question may not be asked

Dutt says no

B. K. Dutt also made no statement saying that he would make a statement later if he thought it necessary. He told the court that he belonged to Burdwan and his father name was Ghosh Behari. He gave his age as 20 years.

The court then proceed to hear argument before framing the charge.
The human reference genome has just got an upgrade: it is now a pangenome to represent more diversity between various individuals and populations. PREMIUM HT Image

The reference genome is an open-access resource that is key to the study of genetics and genomics, a better understanding of the cause of various diseases, and their treatment. But it has had its limitations: the data so far came from just 20 individuals, and 70% of it from just one man of predominantly African-European background.

The new pangenome reference includes the genome sequences of 47 individuals. Its still a work in progress, with researchers aiming to extend that to 350 individuals by the middle of 2024.

The upgrade from scientists on the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, funded by the US National Human Genome Research Institute and involving researchers from American and European institutions, has been described in a set of six papers published in Nature, Genome Research, Nature Biotechnology, and Nature Methods.

The existing reference

A genome is the complete set of DNA instructions that helps an organism function, and the sequences in them differ only slightly between one individual and another of the same species. In humans, on average, more than 99% of the genome is identical between any two individuals. The remaining 0.2% to 1% that is different, is what makes every person unique, and these differences can also provide insights about their health.

The first draft of the human genome, published in 2003, has been upgraded a number of the times over the years as researchers corrected errors and technology advanced. Last year, a milestone was reached when the last 8% was sequenced, resulting in a nearly complete genome.

The reference genome, however, has remained imperfect despite these advances, especially in terms of 0.2% to 1% of DNA, a critical region that represents diversity.

Today, virtually all genomic analyses compare genome sequencing data to one reference genome. The big limitation being that it is just one sequence chosen quite arbitrarily. That does not properly reflect human diversity and entails problems analysing parts of a genome that is not very close to the reference sequence, Professor Tobias Marschall of Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, said in an email. He is part of the Steering Committee of the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium and one of the senior authors on the paper in Nature.

It was to address this problem that the consortium was launched in 2019. Its objective has been to help migrate common genomic analysis and develop a pangenome, so that diverse populations are better represented.

The reference pangenome is a paradigm shift in proposing to use a collection of diverse sequences as a basis for comparison, Marschall said.

Whats new

The 47 people whose genomic sequences have been assembled come from around the world. In the reference pangenome so developed, 99% of each sequence is rendered with high accuracy, and these sequences revealed nearly 120 million DNA base pairs that were previously unseen.

This complex genomic collection represents significantly more accurate human genetic diversity than has ever been captured before. With a greater breadth and depth of genetic data at their disposal, and greater quality of genome assemblies, researchers can refine their understanding of the link between genes and disease traits, and accelerate clinical research, Erich D Jarvis, one of the primary investigators, said in a statement released by the Rockefeller University.

The analysis of 47 individuals resulted in 94 distinct genome sequences (two for each set of chromosomes) besides the sex chromosome Y in males. Computational analysis of these sequences, in turn, revealed the 120 million DNA base pairs that were previously unseen (or in a different location in the previous reference). Of these, about 90 million derive from what are called structural variations.

Structural variations refer to differences that arise between DNA of individuals when chunks of their chromosomes are moved, deleted, or duplicated. Structural variants are understood to play a major role in human health, as well as in population-specific diversity.

The pangenome also fills in gaps that were due to duplicated genes. The Rockefeller University cites the example of MHC, a cluster of genes that code proteins that, in turn, help the immune system recognise antigens, such as those from SARS-CoV-2. Using the older sequencing methods, it was impossible to study MHC diversity, Jarvis said in the university statement.
India and Canada may sign an interim free trade deal by this year, the precursor to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), officials said after commerce minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng reviewed the progress of ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries a day before the CEOs roundtable, held in Toronto on Tuesday. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal meets Canadian Minister for International Trade Mary Ng, in Ottawa. (Piyush Goyal Twitter)

Also read: India nudges Russia to address trade imbalance due to discounted oil

India and Canada are negotiating a two-step FTA  first an interim deal covering goods, services, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, and dispute settlement by this year; followed by the India-Canada CEPA to cover other bilateral issues of strategic importance, the officials added, requesting anonymity.

According to the officials, the interim negotiation with Canada  also called the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) -- is progressing fast and the two countries may sign a deal in the second half of this year. EPTA may also cover areas such as small and medium enterprises and it will eventually take shape of a comprehensive FTA, they added. The seventh round of negotiations for EPTA was held in Ottawa last month.

In a tweet after the CEOs roundtable, Goyal said India and Canada are Partners in Growth! Addressed the CEOs Roundtable in Toronto & invited Captains of Industry to invest in Indias resilient growth story, he added.

Ng, who is Canadas international trade minister, tweeted: Today, @PiyushGoyal and I hosted a roundtable with Canadian and Indian businesses to hear first-hand how we can make it easier for these companies to work together and to help them succeed.

The success of the Canada- India relationship is rooted within the close collaboration and hard work of Indian and Canadian businesses, she added. The roundtable was jointly organised by the Business Council of Canada (BCC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

On May 8, the at the sixth India- Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) in Ottawa, the two ministers recognised the opportunity to deepen bilateral ties and economic partnership. MDTI is an effective forum as the India-Canada FTA negotiations gained pace during its fifth meeting held in New Delhi in March last year.

During the sixth MDTI in Ottawa, the Canadian minister expressed her support for India as G20 Chair and the priorities pursued by India in the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group, a commerce ministry statement said on Wednesday. Ng is expected to participate in the upcoming G-20 Trade and Investment Ministerial in August 2023.

India-Canada bilateral trade in goods reached about US$8.20 billion in 2022, registering about 25% growth compared to 2021. The ministers also underlined the contribution of the services sector in furthering the bilateral relationship and noted the significant potential for increasing bilateral services trade which stood at about US $6.60 billion in 2022, the ministrys statement added.

Goyal and Ng emphasised enhancing cooperation in sectors such as clean technologies for infrastructure development, critical minerals, electric vehicles and batteries, renewable energy, hydrogen, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Also read: India to be among worlds three defining countries: British high commissioner

FICCI president Subhrakant Panda expressed confidence in stronger business-to-business ties between the two countries that would lift the trajectory of bilateral trade. BCC president and CEO Goldy Hyder said he was cautiously optimistic about EPTA. I would be extremely surprised if an agreement was not signed in 2023. Hyder added that Goyals visit is indicative of a will and a desire to get this done.

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NEW DELHI: Indias economy can grow and become stronger only if the focus is shifted to deep manufacturing capabilities and businesses stop looking for a China fix, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said India mustnt let other businesses enjoy advantages in our country at the expense of our own (Twitter/DrSJaishankar)

Jaishankar made the remarks at an event to launch the book Made In India by the countrys G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant. They also come in the backdrop of the dragging military standoff with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low while trade has continued to boom.

I think we need to stop looking for a China fix, that Indian growth cannot be built on Chinese efficiency, that ultimately if we are really to sustain and take the economy to a different level, we have to create the kind of domestic vendor change that a serious manufacturing economy will do, Jaishankar told a gathering that included ambassadors and leading businesspeople.

Such a change wont happen overnight, though the government has made building a deep manufacturing supply chain a priority. In this context, he referred to the governments production-linked incentives (PLI) initiative that is aimed at energising the economy and motivating businesses to believe it is possible to manufacture in India.

In addition to Make in India, businesses have to think in India and devise their own solutions. Opening up the economy and globalisation should not lead to deindustrialising the country, Jaishankar said.

We should not allow a level playing field in this country for others who subsidise efforts, thats not a level playing field, that is economic suicide...Every country must support its manufacturers [and] businesses. We mustnt let other businesses enjoy advantages in our country at the expense of our own, he said.

Despite the standoff on the LAC, data issued by Chinas customs department in January showed bilateral trade in 2022 was worth $135.98 billion, up by 8.4% over $125 billion in 2021. Chinas exports to India rose to $118.5 billion while Chinas imports from India fell from $28.1 billion to $17.48 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 37.9%.

While addressing the gathering, Kant said his book looks at the history of the past 75 years, from the point where India accounted for 24% of global GDP when it was colonised by the British to its share of global GDP falling to about 5% by the time it gained independence.

The private sector has to be the wealth creator. No country in the world has grown on the back of the public sector...The government has to be a facilitator, a catalyst, and has to work on education, health and nutrition and bring in the right policy framework, he said.

So this book is about how the private sector must flourish in India and how the government must retreat in a vast range of areas, he added. My belief is that India needs to fire on all cylinders, not merely in services, but also manufacturing, agricultural productivity and urbanisation for it to grow on a large scale over a long period of time.

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A blue notice has been issued by the Interpol and Look Out Circulars (LOCs) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against several people in the United States, Greece and Philippines in connection with the Indian agencys probe into an alleged nexus of gangsters and Khalistani outfits operating from foreign soil, according to people familiar with the development. A blue notice has been issued by the Interpol and Look Out Circulars (LOCs) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). (AP)

The blue notice was issued against US based Harjot Singh last month on the basis of a request by NIA, the people said. Such a notice is issued to collect additional information about a persons identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.

Besides this, LOCs were issued by NIA against Satnam Singh, alias, Satta, currently hiding in Greece, and Amrik Singh and Mandeep Singh  both reportedly operating from the Philippines  last month, the people cited above added.

A Delhi court had also issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against the four people on April 24.

The blue notice will assist in tracing the suspect while the LOCs will ensure that the accused persons are caught at Indian airports or ports if they try to sneak in, an NIA officer said, seeking anonymity.

The officer said that Satnam Singh is a member of Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang while others are linked to Khalistani terrorist activities being carried out from foreign soil.

The case pertains to an alleged nexus of Khalistani outfits, including the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and several north India based gangsters and their role in terror attacks, smuggling of arms and drugs from Pakistan using drones, targeted hits and extortions from industrialists, businessmen and professionals.

Besides a blue notice and LOCs against the above four suspects, NIA has declared a reward of 10 lakh on Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a KLF terrorist who had escaped during the 2017 Nabha jail break.

Earlier, in the same case, a reward of 15 lakh was announced for Canada based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa, who reportedly supervises smuggling of arms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from Pakistan. Landa is known to work with BKI and was the key conspirator behind the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali on May 9 last year.

Over two dozen gangsters-turned-Khalistanis wanted by NIA and other Indian agencies  Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, who has already been designated as an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Gurpinder Singh, Satveer Singh, Charnjeet Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Gagandeep Singh  besides Goldy Brar, are hiding in Canada.

Gangsters including Gaurav Patyal, Sachin Thapan and Jagjeet Singh are hiding in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, respectively.

In a statement in January this year, NIA said the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across border through a widespread inter-state network of gun runners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers and suppliers and explosive traffickers.

The federal agency has registered three cases against these terror-gangster-drug smuggler networks and arrested 19 leaders and members of various organised criminal gangs, two arms suppliers and one big financier connected with the network under UAPA.

Overall, close to 300 gangsters and mid-level criminals have been arrested by NIA and Delhi Police as part of a larger crackdown since August last year.
Ex-Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa declared himself '100 per cent confident' Wednesday night that the Bharatiya Janata Party would retain power in the southern state despite multiple exit polls handing bitter rivals the Congress a narrow advantage. "Even now I am 100 per cent confident we are going to form the government with absolute majority. There is no question of hung assembly or coalition government..." he told news agency ANI. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa (Credit: ANI)

Yediyurappa predicted 115-117 seats for his party to just about take them over the finish line; the majority mark in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly is 113 seats. The veteran leader did, however, leave himself and the BJP some wiggle room, insisting the party's high command 'will take the final call'.

LATEST UPDATES | 2023 Karnataka election exit poll suggests hung Assembly

The 'final call' reference was to a possible post-poll deal with the Janata Dal Secular, which is almost certainly out of the running to win this election - its best prediction is 33 seats - but could play the role of a 'kingmaker'.

"We are going to get 115-117 seats so question of joining with JDS right now does not arise," Yediyurappa said.

Yediyurappa's comment comes hours after Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar categorically ruled out any post-poll deal with the JDS.

The two were allies and formed the government after the 2018 election but that joy was short-lived because several MLAs jumped ship to the BJP the following yea, triggering the Cong-JDS administration's fall.

"There are no chances of alliance with JDS. We will form the government on our own," Shivakumar said before exit polls predicted a tight fight with the BJP.

READ | Will Cong ally with 'kingmaker' JDS after polls? DK Shivakumar says

What do exit polls say?

Karnataka is set for a hung Assembly - with a slight advantage (maybe) for the Congress in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, multiple exit polls reported Wednesday night after the close of polling across the state.

These predictions also suggest former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy's JDS could hold the key for either the BJP or the Congress forming the government.

READ | No clear winner? Exit polls predict tight Congress-BJP race in K'taka

Warning: Exit polls often get it wrong

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Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and his educator wife Sudha Murty were among the early voters in the Karnataka assembly elections on Wednesday. Speaking to the media while casting their ballots at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, the couple urged youngsters to exercise the right to vote. Narayana Murthy said it is the elders' responsibility to motivate young people to vote, while his wife Sudha Murty asserted that voting gives people the power to talk. (File)

Appealing to voters to learn from them, Sudha said, Please look at us. We are oldies but we get up at 6 o'clock, come here and voteVoting is a sacred part of democracy."

Voting gives people the power to talk, the 72-year-old Padma Bhushan winner added, exhorting the young voters.

Follow LIVE updates of Karnataka assembly elections here

Echoing his wifes statement, the IT veteran shared that despite arriving in India from abroad on Wednesday morning, he made it to the polling booth on time to cast his vote. Holding elders responsible for inspiring the youth to vote, he said, It is the responsibility of the elders to sit down with youngsters and advise them why voting is important. That's what my parents did." The 76-year-old reminisced about how his parents ensured that he exercised the franchise.

He also asserted that people who dont vote do not have the right to criticise.

First, we vote and then we can say this is good, this is not good but if we don't do that then we don't have the right to criticise, he said.

The couple also revealed their mutual expectations from the elections for better education opportunities for the posterity. Narayana Murthy expressed his wish to see Bengaluru developed as one of the best cities in the world for his grandchildren to pursue their careers and 'add value to society'.

Co-founder of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani also cast his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru's Koramangala. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, also came to vote at the Jayanagar centre.

Voting across Karnataka began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm. The results will be declared on May 13. As many as 5.3 crore general voters, of which 11,71,558 are young and 12,15,920 are 80 senior citizens, are set to cast their votes in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations.

(With inputs from PTI)

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There will be no post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular), Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar told reporters Wednesday morning amid voting for the 2023 Assembly election. Ruling out a post-poll deal - the Cong, JDS teamed up to win the 2018 election but their government crashed after rebel MLAs broke off to join the Bharatiya Janata Party - Shivakumar said: "There are no chances of alliance with JDS. We will form the government on our own". Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar addressing a public meeting ahead of the state Assembly elections, at Kunigal, in Tumakuru on Saturday. (ANI)

The confident claim echoed ex-chief minister Siddaramaiah's prediction of 130 to 150 seats for the Congress and those by multiple surveys that hand the party a narrow victory. In 2018 the JDS won 37 seats, the Congress 78 and the BJP 104; the Congress and the JDS combined to keep the BJP out of power.

LIVE UPDATES | 2023 Karnataka Assembly election

The Congress' apparently firm 'no' will not worry the Kannada party; last month party chief and ex-prime minister HD Deve Gowda was similarly dismissive.

The statement by the opposition party's top leader also came hours before exit poll data was released, with most suggesting neither the Congress nor the BJP will win enough seats to stake claim to the government on their own merit.

This means the JDS could (potentially) play the 'kingmaker' role.

READ | No clear winner? Exit polls predict tight Cong-BJP race

A number of exit polls suggest a hung Assembly in the state; none of Republic-P-Marq, ABP-CVoter and TV9-Bharatvarsh-Polstrat give either the BJP or the Congress the majority mark of 113 seats. Asianet Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat gives the BJP a possible edge with 94-117 seats but then Zee News-Matrize believes the Congress could have a slender advantage with 103-118 seats.

READ | Karnataka 2023 Assembly election exit poll Live Updates

Warning: Exit polls often get it wrong

Cong' attack strategy for Karnataka election

"The issue is price rise, corruption, good governance and development..." Shivakumar said. "I am appealing to everyone... please vote by looking at our gas cylinders. I have advised all my leaders to put a garland on it (the cylinder)."

On Tuesday Shivakumar's 'cylinder puja' made headlines as the Congress leader flagged the rising price of the essential domestic good. "Kannadigas! Before you go to cast your vote, don't forget to perform this ritual. Watch the video," the party tweeted; the voiceover for the video had an old speech by prime minister Narendra Modi that said 'pray to the gas cylinder (before) you go to vote'.

The price of LPG, or liquified petroleum gas, cylinders - a staple in most Indian households - has become a major flashpoint in this election and the 'cylinder puja' video was soon viral; it triggered a dig in response from Tejasvi Surya, who is the BJP's Lok Sabha MP from the Bengaluru (South) constituency.

READ | 'At least they are worshipping': Tejasvi's dig at Cong's 'cylinder puja'

Also a major focus of the Congress' attack on the ruling BJP is its '40% sarkar' jibe, which claims ministers and officials from chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's government demand a 40 per cent 'commission' from contractors.

Last week the Congress' Karnataka boss spoke to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview and criticised the BJP for its attacks on his party - over its promise to ban the right-wing group Bajrang Dal if it wins the election.

Shivakumar accused the BJP of harping on this issue because it had no achievements to show votes during its four years in power.

READ | Congress 'poll promises financially viable: DK Shivakumar to HT

Shivakumar is contesting from his stronghold of Kanakapura - a seat he was won seven times. In videos shared earlier today he was seen driving an autorickshaw surrounded by dozens of supporters and his wife Usha.

Karnataka votes in a single phase today with results due May 13.

Karnataka is the first major poll of 2023, with Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh voting later this year. Also voting are Telangana - where chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and his Bharat Rashtra Samithi must retain power before aspiring to a national role - and BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

With input from agencies

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The polling for the 224-member Karnataka assembly began on Wednesday morning with an overall turnout of 8.26% across the state at 9:55am amid reports of delays in balloting in some places. A polling booth in Chikmagalur. (PTI)

In a tweet, Congress lawmaker Priyank Kharge alleged polling was stopped at booth number 178 in Chamnur village as the presiding officer was prompting and influencing people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Chitradurga, BJP and Congress workers clashed near a polling booth.

Voting was delayed due to Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunction at booth number 30 in the Yadgir constituency.

Residents of Elligye Hundi in Mysurus Chamundeshwari constituency threatened to boycott the election in protest against a lack of development, prompting poll officials to placate them.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman voted at the Bharath Education Society polling booth in Bengalurus Jayanagar and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon

As many as 52 million voters are eligible to vote for 2,430 candidates contesting the elections. The campaigning for the polls ended on Monday with the BJP hoping to retain power in the only southern state in the face of stiff competition from a resurgent Congress. The counting of votes will be held on May 13.

Over the past 38 years, no political party has returned to power in Karnataka. The BJP came to power in 2019 after a section of Congress and JD(S) legislators switched sides and triggered the fall of chief minister HD Kumaraswamys government.

The campaign ahead of the 2023 polls centered around issues of corruption, unemployment, price rise, tweak in the states reservation framework, etc. The Congress targeted the BJP-led government over alleged corruption.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged voters to come and vote on May 10 for a bright future and prompted the Congress to approach the Election Commission of India over violation of the model code of conduct.

In a memorandum to the poll watchdog, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala termed Modis appeal as a brazen, deliberate and calculated violation of the model code of conduct as well as the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
Karnataka on Wednesday recorded a provisional voter turnout of 72.68%, beating the voting percentage from five years ago as polling for the assembly elections remained peaceful across the state barring isolated incidents, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said. Voters outside a polling booth at Mahadevpura constituency in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (ANI)

Voting began at 7am and ended at 6 pm, with 72.68% of the 52 million eligible voters exercising their franchise. The number was slightly higher than the final turnout figure of 72.36% in the 2018 assembly polls, and is likely to rise further once the final voting percentages are confirmed.

Polling across 224 constituencies sealed the fate of 2,430 candidates from the three major political parties  the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular)  and independents. The counting of votes will be held on May 13.

Largely peaceful voting in all 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka, and no repoll indicated in any of the 58,545 polling stations, ECI said in a statement.

Melukote in the Old Mysuru region recorded the highest provisional turnout of 90.93%, while CV Raman Nagar in Bengaluru saw the lowest polling at 47.43%, the ECIs official turnout app said at 11.30pm.

Violence was reported from some areas, including at a village in Vijayapura district, where residents attacked a poll party, and in Ballari district, where a local Congress leader sustained head injuries during a clash between workers of his party and those from the ruling BJP, officials said.

In Vijayapura district, an ECI convoy was transporting a dozen reserve electronic voting machines (EVMs), meant for replacement if needed, in a car when the incident took place.

As the team was moving from Vijayapura to Bisanal and Donuru villages, the convoy was blocked by people in Masabinal village. As they were not satisfied with the explanations given by our staff, they manhandled the staff and destroyed equipment. Around 12 each of EVMs and VVPATs were damaged in the attack, said Vijayapur deputy commissioner Vijaya Mahantesh Dyamannavar, who is also the district election officer.

Around 20 people were detained in connection with the case, he added.

At Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari rural constituency, local Congress leader Umesh Gowda sustained head injuries after being hit with a stone during a clash reportedly between BJP and Congress workers, officials said. Gowda recently switched to the Congress from the ruling party.

After polling, all three major parties sounded confident of reaching the halfway mark.

State Congress president DK Shivakumar, who was seen riding an auto-rickshaw with party workers in his home constituency on Wednesday afternoon, said there will be no post-poll alliance with the JD(S). There are no chances of alliance with JD(S). We will form the government on our own, he said.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the people of Karnataka will rally behind the BJPs development agenda. People of my constituency have showered me with so much love that I am sure I will be winning from here with a record margin, and so will the BJP, Bommai told reporters in Shiggaon. Our ground report says we will win with absolute majority. Let us wait till May 13.

Karnataka has not voted an incumbent back to power in three decades, a jinx that the ruling BJP is aiming to break.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged people in Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for "good governance, development and prosperity in the state". Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses during a public meeting ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections, at Hunagunda in Bagalkot district on Sunday. (Amit Shah Twitter)

"On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights," Shah said in a tweet.

Voting is currently underway for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

Follow Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 LIVE updates here

According to the Election Commission of India, the voting for Karnataka assembly elections will take place from 7 am to 6 pm tomorrow. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations.

BJP national President JP Nadda also tweeted, "I appeal to the voters of Karnataka to participate in the festival of democracy in large numbers. This election is crucial in deciding the future of Karnataka. I request everyone to bring to power a government that will provide continuity to the progress of the state and is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people."

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote tomorrow in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80 senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.

The polling parties are being provided with all the materials including EVM and VVPAT machines at the mustering centres in all the 224 Assembly Constituencies. They will be transported to respective polling stations with route officers shortly along with security personnel.

84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty on poll day across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts.

The high-voltage campaign for assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.
On Thursday, Karnataka polled to elect a new government, and stakes were high for the BJP and higher for the Congress with 2,615 candidates in the fray for 224 assembly constituencies. Polling took place across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary ones, and a total of 42,48,028 new voters had registered to vote for the elections.

As many as 5.3 crore voters were eligible to cast their vote across 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said. Among them, 11,71,558 were young voters and 12,15,920 were senior citizens (aged 80 and above).

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MUMBAI: The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is stable and the opposition claim that Shinde will have to step down as chief minister after the Supreme Court verdict on the Shiv Senas split was idiotic, deputy chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde with deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis offered prayers at Ram Lalla Temple in Ayodhya on Sunday (Eknath Shinde Twitter/ANI)

Shinde has declined to comment, saying that he will only speak after the constitution bench of the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on Thursday.

Fadnavis, however, responded to the buzz around the verdict.

The government is stable. Shinde will not resign. He will continue as chief minister and we will contest the next elections under his leadership, Fadnavis told reporters, an attempt to brush aside the persistent rumours that Shinde will have to make space for BJP leaders.

Back in June last year, Fadnavis was widely expected to take oath as chief minister but was nudged to step aside by the BJP leadership to make space for four-time legislator Eknath Shinde.

It was argued that this would allow Shinde to stake his claim on the mantle of the Shiv Sena, dent Uddhav Thackerays ability to hold on to his bastion in Mumbai in the civic polls, and rob him of his biggest argument against the rebellion: that the BJP would never make a Sainik the CM.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut claimed the Supreme Court verdict will show whether the judiciary is independent or under pressure.

The judgement will show whether there is democracy in the country, whether it is running as per the Constitution and whether the judiciary is independent or under pressure. We are awaiting justice, Raut told reporters.

One can say it will also indicate what is the future of the country, he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said he believes in the Constitution. Lets wait for 24 hours, he said.

Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the verdict will show how effective the anti-defection law is. Chavan said he expected the Supreme Court to clarify the role of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution which seeks to prevent defections.

Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Shirsat said they decided to back Eknath Shinde only after taking into account the legal position. We rebelled (against Thackeray) only after examining legal aspects. The verdict will be within the framework of the Constitution, Shirsat said.
Life in the northeastern state of Manipur continued to limp back to normal as curfew was relaxed in 11 districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Jiribam, for six hours from 5 am, as no fresh incident of violence was reported, officials said on Wednesday. Meitei refugees arrive to board a paramilitary truck at a transit point after being evacuated from the violence that hit Churachandpur, near Imphal in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.(AFP)

At least 60 people have been killed and over 30,000 people have been rendered homeless, of whom 26,000 have been evacuated to safer places outside their districts, while 4,000 remained in relief camps closer to their homes, Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan Singh said.

A total of 128 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles continued flag marches in the affected areas and undertook round-the-clock aerial surveillance using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"The Indian Army along with Assam Rifles have significantly re-engineered the security architecture and numerous resources have been infused in Manipur especially in the backdrop of prevailing security situation in which normalcy has now commenced to show visible manifestation and people are now returning to their homes and reunification of stranded people with their loved ones has commenced," a statement issued by the Defence PRO on Wednesday said.

"The Indian Army is leaving no stones unturned to undertake surveillance of areas not only in hinterland but also along the India-Myanmar Border. Round-the-clock surveillance through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with specific tasking, employment of MI 17 and Cheetah helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army and numerous foot patrols and flag marches to restore confidence of locals on ground are being resorted to," it said.

Violent clashes broke out in the northeastern state after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the 10 hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The clashes were preceded by tension over eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

The army also urged people not to fall for "malicious attempts to disturb harmony through manipulated interpretation or misrepresentation of facts" as "inimical elements may once again attempt to spread malicious unverified content".

"As Manipur slowly rises up to the peace and tranquil atmosphere amongst all communities hitherto fore, inimical elements may once again attempt to spread malicious unverified content. Indian Army and Assam Rifles remain committed to restoring complete normalcy at the earliest and would request all to disregard any malicious attempt to disturb harmony in the region through manipulated interpretation or misrepresentation of facts," the statement added.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh had on Monday said that 60 people were killed, 231 injured and 1,700 houses including religious places burnt in the ethnic violence that rocked the northeastern state for the past few days.
President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, the White House announced on Wednesday. PM Modi, Joe Biden interact during the G20 Summit in Bali.(Twitter/PMO)

"The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the US and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement while announcing the visit.

Prime Minister Modi's visit will strengthen two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific, she said, amid China's aggressive behaviour in the strategic region.

The visit will also elevate the bilateral strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy, and space, she said.

"The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security," she added.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US comes ahead of the G20 summit being hosted by India in September.

He visited Washington in September 2021 at the invitation of President Biden for a bilateral meeting and also attended the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit.

Modi will join Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at a summit of the Quad leaders in Sydney on May 24 that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine conflict and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific.

Before travelling to Australia, Modi is likely to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies which is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21.

President Biden will attend the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima as well as the Quad summit in Sydney.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi met President Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November last year. The two leaders also met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Germany in June, 2022 and before that in May on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its crackdown on terror outfits and their affiliates in Jammu and Kashmir by attaching the properties of three accused linked with banned Pakistan-based terrorist organizations. The NIA conducted raids on properties of terror suspects and accused across locations to take swift action in such cases. NIA (National Investigation Agency) attaches properties of three accused, involved in terror cases at Shopian, Lethpora and Kupwara, on Wednesday. (ANI)

In two different cases of terror activities, the NIA attached the immovable properties of three accused linked with proscribed terrorist organizations like Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) on Wednesday. The first case involved the attachment of the immovable properties of Doulat Ali Mugal and Ishaq Pala in Herman Shopian tehsil in Kashmir under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Ishaq Pala, a terrorist linked to Hizbul Mujahideen/Al-Badr, is currently lodged in Central Jail Agra. Doulat Ali Mugal was an overground worker of proscribed HM and is currently out on bail.

The duo conspired to join terror ranks and wage a war against India. Accused Doulat Ali Mugal provided logistic support to the terrorists while crossing the Line of Control. The properties attached include a double-storey house of Doulat Ali Mugal in village Manigah Kupwara and immovable property in the form of two rooms under the ownership of accused Ishaq Pala at village Allora in Shopian.

The second case involved the attachment of the immovable property of Fayaz Ahmad Magray, an Overground Worker (OGW) of the proscribed terrorist outfit JeM, currently lodged in District Jail Jhajjar, Haryana. The property consisted of six shops in Lethpora, Pulwama.

Fayaz Ahmad Magray was chargesheeted on August 1, 2018, for conspiring with local as well as Pakistan-based terrorists of JeM to execute a fidayeen attack on CRPF Group Centre Lethpora, Pulwama. He carried out a recce of the CRPF centre and provided logistic support to JeM terrorists before and after the attack.

The NIA launched investigations in February 2018 into the criminal conspiracy to commit acts of terror and violence in Kashmir, leading to the busting of a module of Overground Workers of JeM. Nissar Ahmad Tantray, Syed Hilal Andrabi, and Irshad Ahmad Reshi were arrested in the case and subsequently charged by the NIA.

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Indias eighth Prime Minister Chandrasekhars tenure lasted just 233 days, but in a new YouTube channel, his speeches in Parliament, albeit those he delivered after his stint as PM, have grabbed more eyeballs than those of some of his predecessors. Thus far, 943 videos have been published in the month that the channel has been live.(File)

Also read: Constant disruptions in Parliament have been a challenge for 19 years

To be sure, the numbers are still in the hundreds, but the online archive is still in its infancy and not too many people are aware of it.

The channel, Parliament of India Audio Visual Archive, has published, for the first time, important speeches of Prime Ministers, Presidents, senior politicians, and visiting heads of state in Parliament, on YouTube. Historic moments from Indias Parliamentary historytaped in old video cassettes and gathering dust in store roomshave been digitized and released on You Tube for everyone to see.

Thus far, 943 videos have been published in the month that the channel has been live. More videos will be released in coming days as a part of the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birlas initiative to open Parliaments rich resources to the public. The videos are also priceless archival material, useful for researchers and academics.

The Speaker wanted all available parliamentary speeches of Presidents, Prime Ministers and foreign dignitaries published online. He also asked us to put important debates in the public domain, said a senior Lok Sabha official who asked not to be named.

Video clips of speeches in the current Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are easily available, but older recordings are nearly impossible to find. Doordarshan started live telecasts of Parliament proceedings in 1992. That was the partial telecast of important events such as the presentation of the general budget. Two years later, DD started full telecast before the Lok Sabha TV was launched during the 14th Lok Sabha, a second Lok Sabha official said on condition of anonymity,

There are no audio-visual recordings of parliamentary proceedings before 1992, the second person added. Chandrasekhar was PM between November 1990 and June 1991, but remained a member of Parliament till his death in 2007.

The digitization and publishing of recordings will continue for many more months. So far, all speeches of Chandrasekhar available on tape , 183 speeches of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 12 speeches of his predecessor Narsimha Rao and all Lok Sabha speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been uploaded. Among other senior politicians, 280 speeches of the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, the former defence minister and UP CM, are also available in the channel. Theres even a video of a very young Yogi Adityanath taking oath in 1998.

As the technology has become outdated, a need was felt to digitize all such records. The project was started in February . In the initial phase, digitization of video recordings of Lok Sabha proceedings has been started. Digitization of video recordings of Rajya Sabha proceedings is proposed to be taken up in the second phase, said a third Lok Sabha official who asked not to be identified.

Speeches by US President Barak Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin to a joint sitting of both Houses are available in the channel. Upcoming uploads include video records of special sessions on GST, 50th Year of independence, celebration of Constitution Day, discussion on Nuclear Tests in Pokharan and all speeches of PM Modi in Rajya Sabha., the third official added.

Also read: As Karnataka votes, PM Modi attacks Congress in Rajasthan; had to face dirty politics

Among the uploads are debates featuring Inder Kumar Gujral, PV Narasimha Rao, George Fernandez, Sushma Swaraj, KR Narayanan, Pranab Mukherjee, Manmohan Singh and others.

A fourth official said that the digitization process is being done internally and hasnt involved any substantial cost. The Lok Sabha secretariat is also tracking analytics, although with just a months data at hand, it would be premature to draw any inferences.

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The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has received replies from seven states on the same-sex marriage issue. While the Congress-led Rajasthan has opposed the idea, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Sikkim said they will need more time to examine this. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Sikkim said they will need more time to examine this.(Pic for representation)

The hearing on a batch of petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage is continuing on the ninth day before the top court bench.

On April 19, the Centre had informed the court that it has written to the chief secretaries of states, informing them that the same-sex marriage case is being heard by the Supreme Court. The move to inform the states is despite the Supreme Court having already made it clear on April 18 that it would not venture into the realm of personal laws of various religions. The court had decided to restrict itself to examining whether the ambit of the Special Marriage Act could be widened to accommodate same-sex marriages.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it has to be alive to the fact that the concept of marriage has evolved and must accept the basic proposition that marriage itself is entitled to constitutional protection as it is not just a matter of statutory recognition.

Earlier on Wednesday, the apex court said Indian laws permit an individual to adopt a child irrespective of marital status while asserting that the law recognises there may be situations apart from an ideal family having its own biological children.

In its submission to the apex court, which is hearing pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) argued that the concept of gender may be fluid but not mother and motherhood.

Highlighting the legal position in different statutes that the welfare of a child is paramount, the NCPCR told a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that it has been held in several judgments that the adoption of a child is not a fundamental right.

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New Delhi Three of the 20 Cheetahs reintroduced from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park have died but thats well within the expected mortality range following a challenging intercontinental reintroduction, Vincent van der Merwe, manager of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project in South Africa said, with the number being almost half the founder population in the first year after reintroduction. What is soon going to become a challenge though is Cheetahs escaping the Kuno National Parks boundary, Merwe observed. South African experts who are involved with the Cheetah reintroduction project in India have recommended preparing alternative homes for Cheetahs at the earliest. Edited excerpts from an interview: PREMIUM Vincent van der Merwe, manager of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project in South Africa.

There have been three Cheetah deaths since the reintroduction project started last year. Is this within the expected range of mortality after a reintroduction?This is well within the expected mortality range. We typically lose half of the founder population in the first year post release, so yes its an extremely complex process to reintroduce Cheetahs in an unfamiliar system. What we are observing is nothing out of the ordinary. We have coordinated 33 cheetah reintroductions in the past, (including) 32 in Africa and this is what we would typically observe.

What do you think of the Kuno National Park habitat for the Cheetah? You have asked for alternate sites also.The Kuno habitat is perfectly suitable for the Cheetah. But were a little worried about the prey numbers. When you drive into Kuno, you do not see a massive amount of game. They are slightly below what we typically see in Africa and the leopard density is exceptionally high. But fortunately, we havent lost any Cheetah to leopards or to snaring. So those, the two of our biggest concerns, have pretty much been alleviated. The problem with Kuno is that its not fenced and we know that most of the animals will escape the boundaries of the restricted area.

We know that two Cheetahs had strayed out recently.The best way is to adopt an adaptive management approach. We will observe what they do. If they move to a zone with a high potential for conflict, we have to intervene. That implies darting and bringing the Cheetah back. If they move into a corridor, into a neighbouring protected area, then that shouldnt be a problem but if they stay there indefinitely and there are no breeding options for them then they have no conservation value. So, then the recommended action will be to bring in a male or a female for breeding potential or capture that animal and bring it back. We know from the previous reintroductions that Cheetahs roam for around six months post release and then they settle into a fixed home range.

What is your recommendation on dealing with Cheetahs that escape the Kuno boundary?I think we will learn from hard lessons at Kuno. There are going to be a lot of hard challenges. Most of the animals released will escape the boundaries of Kuno, and I think we will have to make a very quick plan for repeat escapers that simply refuse to stay within the confines of Kuno. We will have to find fenced protected areas for them. Mukundara Hills for example is fenced and ready and stocked with game but Nauradehi and Gandhisagar are yet to be fenced and stocked with game. It will be interesting to see how Indian authorities will handle the situation. Important thing is we shouldnt have all our eggs in one basket. Its good to have many different sites so you spread the risk.

Are you recommending fenced reserves for Cheetahs? In India the policy is to have open, non-fenced protected areas.We just know from our experience in Africa that fencing prevents escapes and human-wildlife conflict. In the long term, we would love to see Cheetahs in unfenced systems in India one day. We fully understand the approach the Indian government has adopted and it works very well for them. They managed to double their tiger numbers without fences. It is possible to do the coexistence approach without fences but during the initial phase of the project the Cheetahs are being released into a totally unfamiliar environment. The communication networks that used to be there that the Cheetah used to use to communicate with each other 70 years ago are gone. Basically, these Cheetahs that are straying are not finding any evidence of other Cheetahs, they are simply walking looking for evidence. What we would advocate is to put a small population inside fenced reserves, increase the numbers and then take the bigger risks in unfenced systems.

How do you think the prey base can also be improved in new, alternative sites for big cats?In the long term, we view India as a country of great potential for Cheetah conservation. The human population is increasing but is also expected to taper off. This is exciting for us. What needs to be developed is the potential for mass capture particularly Nigai, chinkara etc. which are coexisting with farmers and which are problematic for farmers. If they can be relocated to protected areas, it will be helpful.
Santiniketan, the town in West Bengals Birbhum district where Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore spent much of his life, has been recommended for inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage List by an international advisory body, Union minister for culture and tourism G Kishan Reddy has said. Santiniketan in West Bengals Birbhum district.

Great news for India on the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Santiniketan, West Bengal has been recommended for inscription to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, the advisory body to Unesco World Heritage Centre, Reddy tweeted on Tuesday night.

This furthers the vision of Honble PM Shri @narendramodi to showcase our rich cultural heritage to the world. This will formally be announced in the World Heritage Committee meeting to be held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September, 2023, he added.

Tagores 162nd birth anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday. Union home minister Amit Shah had visited his ancestral house  Jorasanko Thakurbari  in north Kolkata and also took part in a series of programmes to mark his birth anniversary.

The France-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is an international non-governmental organisation that comprises professionals, experts, representatives from local authorities, companies and heritage organisations and is dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of the architectural and landscape heritage around the world.

Santiniketan, popularly known today as a university town, a hundred miles to the north of Kolkata, was originally an ashram built by Debendranath Tagore, where anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could come and spend time meditating on the one Supreme God, according to a description of the place on the official website of the Unesco World Heritage Centre. It later became the Nobel laureates home and base for activity, it said.

Debendranath, who was father of the Poet, Rabindranath, was also known as Maharshi (which means one who is both saint and sage), was a leading figure of the Indian Renaissance, the website said.

Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan, which is Bengals only central university, was set up by Tagore in 1921. The Prime Minister is the chancellor of the varsity.

It was in 2010 that the Centre had first tried to get the World Heritage tag for Santiniketan. (DO WE KNOW WHY IT FAILED?) It mounted its campaign again in 2021 and a fresh dossier was prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India with the help of Visva Bharati authorities and submitted to Unesco.

While speaking at a program organised to celebrate Tagores birth anniversary in Kolkata, Shah had said that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was inspired by the model of education the Nobel laureate had introduced at Santiniketan.

Tagore had amalgamated ancient Indian learning systems with modern learning techniques. He gave maximum stress to learning in ones mother tongue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greatly inspired by this and incorporated them in the NEP, he said.

ANY POLITICAL REAX?
Responding to filmmaker Onir, who described as betrayal, the Congress-led Rajasthan government's position on same-sex marriages, party leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said many individuals do support Onir, but state governments are free to take their own positions. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. ((Anshuman Poyrekar/HT File Photo))

Personally, many of us individuals support you @iamOnir. State governments take their own positions. As far as I am aware an official party stand on the issue has not yet been announced, tweeted Tharoor.

Tweeting back to the Thiruvananthapuram MP, Onir, who is openly gay, expressed his disappointment that the country's principal opposition party had failed to stand by the queer community on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Does our vote mean nothing since the party does not care about us being treated as equal, he asked.

The 54-year-old, real name Anirban Dhar, further said some members of the RSS and BJP, too, support rights of the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex) community.

For the record, the Union government, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has submitted in the Supreme Court its opposition to same-sex unions, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological mentor, has backed the government's stance.

What is the issue?

On April 18, the Supreme Court began day-to-day hearings on a list of petitions seeking that same-sex marriages be legalised. A day later, the Centre informed the bench it had written to state governments, seeking their comments and views on the issue. Accordingly, on Wednesday, the Centre told the court it had received replies from six states; while Rajasthan opposed the idea, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Manipur, Sikkim, and Uttar Pradesh each asked for more time.

In September 2018, the apex court had struck down the Indian Penal Code's (IPC) Section 377, thus decriminalising homosexuality.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved orders on a petition filed by sacked Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who objected to a judge hearing his plea to produce additional evidence in a 1990 custodial death case in which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Sanjiv Bhatt. (File Photo)

A bench of justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar reserved orders on the application filed by Bhatt seeking recusal of one of the judges, justice Shah. Bhatt argued that the same judge had indicted him for delaying the trial in the same case while he was a judge at the Gujarat high court (prior to his elevation as a Supreme Court judge).

Senior advocate Devadutt Kamat and Aljo Joseph representing Bhatt said, Judicial propriety demands that the court may not hear the matter. We are not saying that my Lord (justice Shah) is biased but there is a perception in the mind of a person who has been castigated by the judge to have an apprehension of bias. Kamat produced the copy of those orders passed by justice Shah while presiding in the high court where an opinion was expressed against Bhat that he was delaying the trial.

The application was opposed by the Gujarat government represented by senior advocate Maninder Singh, who said that the recusal was an afterthought and should not be entertained as similar matters arising from the same trial were heard before a bench headed by justice Shah. You cannot seek recusal on ground of selective bias. It has to be argued at the first instance. Selective prayer for recusal will amount to contempt of court. The state was supported by the complainant who had lodged the complaint against Bhatt.

The custody death case against Bhatt dates back to the year 1990 when he was the additional superintendent of police at Jamnagar. Police had detained many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protesting against the arrest of party leader LK Advani after his Rath Yatra was stopped in Bihar due to communal violence. One of those detained, Prabhudas Vaishnani, died in a hospital soon after his release. His brother alleged that Vaishnani was tortured by policemen in jail that led to his death.

On June 20, 2019, a sessions court in Jamnagar convicted Bhatt and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He then approached the high court for suspension of the sentence but the same got rejected in September 2019.
A Supreme Court constitution bench will on Thursday deliver two separate verdicts that will decide the fate of Eknath Shinde, who took over as the chief minister of Maharashtra last year following a rebellion led by him that ousted Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena, and rule on a power tussle between the Centre and the Delhi government over the control of bureaucrats in the national capital. HT Image

Both cases carry significant political implications, and the apex court will seek to provide justiciable answers to the issues before it in what will hold crucial precedent.

The five-judge bench is headed by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, and also comprises justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha. According to the list of business published on the court website, both judgments are unanimous and they will be delivered by the CJI on behalf of the bench.

In the Maharashtra case, the legal battle in the Supreme Court commenced on June 27 last year when the court restrained the then deputy speaker of the Maharashtra assembly  a Thackeray loyalist -- from disqualifying a group of rebel Shiv Sena legislators led by Shinde. Two days later, it refused to stay the governors direction to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance to face the floor test, and within hours, Thackeray resigned.

Thackerays resignation and Shindes dramatic take over as CM within 24 hours triggered a spate of petitions by the formers faction. They challenged the election of the new Speaker, new whip of Shinde-led Shiv Sena, disqualification proceedings initiated against his own MLAs, and the validity of the floor test that witnessed Shinde sailing by with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In August 2022, the Supreme Court referred the adjudication of legal issues arising out of the split in Shiv Sena to a constitution bench of five judges, noting that the matter raises important issues involving the contours of disqualification proceedings and the powers of the Governor and the Speaker in their respective spheres. A three-judge bench had at that time held that the spectrum of legal questions emanating from the tussle between the factions belonging to Shinde and Thackeray requires to be dealt with by a larger bench for an authoritative pronouncement.

In its order of reference, the three-judge bench also doubted the correctness of a 2016 judgment by another five-judge bench in the Nebam Rabia (Arunachal Pradesh disqualification) case in holding that the Speaker cannot initiate disqualification proceedings when his own removal is sought.

The Delhi case involves the continuation of a dispute that two smaller benches failed to resolve  who controls the Capitals bureaucrat, the lieutenant governor or the elected government?

In May 2022, when it referred the matter to a five-judge bench, the court clarified that the bench shall adjudicate the limited issue relating to services in Delhi and that no other substantial issue on interpretation of Article 239AA shall be adjudicated afresh. Article 239AA delineates the legislative and executive powers of the Delhi government while clarifying that three subjects, namely land, police and public order, shall remain under the exclusive domain of the Centre in the capital.

The Centre had pleaded for a fresh adjudication by a Constitution bench to set the boundaries of the the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi in so far as it relates to transfer and appoint bureaucrats in the capital since, it contended, a Constitution bench judgment in July 2018 that held that delineated the powers between the two power centres did not specifically hold that the Delhi government could make laws on all subjects other than land, police, and public order.

The AAP government vehemently countered this submission, arguing the 2018 verdict by the constitution bench is unequivocal in demarcating the powers of the Delhi government and that the submissions by the Centre are aimed at eroding the federal structure.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear the Delhi governments petition seeking the appointment of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson which has been vacant since January. The Delhi government earlier petitioned the Supreme Court in connection with the stalled appointment of DERC chairman (HT File Photo)

Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the case for urgent listing on Wednesday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud agreed to hear the case on Tuesday.

The court issued notice on the petition in April and sought a response from the central government and the Lieutenant Governors office.

Singhvi told the court that the Delhi government sent a proposal to the LG for the appointment of a retired Madhya Pradesh high court judge as DERC chairperson before the post fell vacant. But no decision has been forthcoming, Singhvi said, requesting that the LGs office be asked to submit their response before Tuesday.

The bench, also comprising justice PS Narasimha said: If by Tuesday they do not file their response, we will ask them what is the problem.

The Delhi government recommended the appointment of justice Rajeev Kumar Shrivastava (retd).

The LG hasnt signed off on the proposal because Raj Niwas has sought legal advice if it needs to consult the Delhi high court chief justice.

The Delhi government said that under the Electricity Act, prior consultation with the chief justice of the parent high court was required and that the Aam Aadmi Party government consulted the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh high court. The government also pointed that when former Allahabad high courts justice Shabihul Hasnain was appointed in 2021, the government consulted the then chief justice of the Allahabad high court and not the Delhi high court.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on Friday a petition filed by the producers of The Kerala Story movie challenging the ban on the films screening in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu resulting in huge losses. West Bengal is the only state to impose a ban on the film that released on Friday. (Twitter | Adah Sharma)

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud posted the matter for hearing on May 12 after the matter was mentioned for urgent listing on Wednesday.

The bench, also including justice PS Narasimha, initially offered to have the matter heard on Monday along with another petition which has challenged the Kerala high court order of May 5 refusing stay on the release of the film.

Also Read: Opposing parties stand with terror organisations: Smriti Irani on The Kerala Story

Senior advocate Harish Salve who represented the film producers  Sunshine Pictures Private Limited and Vipul Amrutlal Shah, told the Court, We are losing money every day, and now another state has also decided to impose a ban.

Taking note, the bench agreed to list the matter this week.

West Bengal is the only state to impose a ban on the film that released on Friday.

In Tamil Nadu, the theatre and multiplex owners have issued orders to ban the screening in cinema halls following an alert issued by the state government on possible incidents of violence.

The ban in West Bengal issued under Section 6(1) of the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation) Act on May 8 said that the screening of the film is likely to cause breach of peace and to avoid incidents of hatred and violence, the ban is being imposed.

The petition filed through advocate Yugandhara Pawar Jha said, State cannot cite purported considerations of law and order in banning the exhibition of a film that has been duly certified for public exhibition in accordance with applicable law. Any such ban would constitute an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India to engage in free speech.

Moreover, it argued that the film has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The petition prayed to the Court to direct West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to pay remedial compensation for the grave and irreparable financial loss on account of the fragmented release of the film.

The producers said that such a ban will give impetus for pirated DVDs of the movie aimed to dent the revenue from the film.

Besides, the producers have sought to be compensated for filing this petition claiming that even prior to the films release, they have been dragged to Kerala and Madras high courts, each of which has refused to stay the movies release.

The Kerala HC had on Friday watched the movies trailer and refused stay saying, We find that trailer (of the movie) does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. Even the movie makers had put out a disclaimer to the effect that the movie is fictionalised and presents a dramatised version of events.

Against this order, an appeal by journalist Qurban Ali was mentioned before the top court on Tuesday which agreed to consider the same next week.
Online streaming of proceedings has taken the Supreme Court to the hearts and homes of common citizens of the country, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said on Tuesday as he announced the latest initiative of the top court to make live-streaming contents available simultaneously in regional languages too. At present, transcripts of the constitution bench hearings are prepared only in English. Visuals from proceedings of the Supreme Court streaming online. (HT Photo)

Presiding over the constitution bench on the same-sex marriage case, the CJI said that the top court administration is working on a module so that transcripts of the hearings can be prepared simultaneously in various regional languages to help people from all parts of the country understand the proceedings without language barriers.

The statement by the CJI came after senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government in the matter, mentioned that live-streaming the same-sex marriage proceedings have brought about a churning in society and people in different corners of the country are talking about the issue.

Agreeing with Dwivedi, CJI Chandrachud said, Live-streaming of court proceedings has really taken our courts to the homes and hearts of the common citizens. And thats how it should be because thats part of the process.

To this, Dwivedi alluded to the difficulties faced by those who do not understand English, which is the official language of conducting proceedings in the Supreme Court. All debates happen in English in the Supreme Court and people living in villages or small towns cannot not understand and follow the same. Language problem in India is complex, he lamented.

The CJI was, however, quick to respond. You will be surprised (to know) that we are working even on that Mr Dwivedi. Even that is not lost to the Supreme Court on the administrative side. We are working on it...we are trying to use technology to ensure that live-streaming content can be simultaneously made available in other languages too, he said.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal weighed in to point out that technology now allows not only the transcripts to be made available in several languages, but the proceedings can also be heard simultaneously in different languages. Justice Hima Kohli called it the beauty of technology.

The Supreme Court began streaming its constitution bench proceedings online since September 2022, as the highest judiciary in the country pushed for public access and transparency.

By a judgment in September 2018, the Supreme Court had declared live telecast of court proceedings part of the right to access justice under Article 21 of the Constitution, stating that it is necessary for the judiciary to move apace with technology in order to promote a greater degree of confidence in the judicial process. Subsequently, Supreme Courts e-Committee, headed by CJI Chandrachud, came out with model guidelines to regulate live-streaming of court proceedings in India.

In February, the top court introduced live transcription of court proceedings for the first time in the country, employing artificial intelligence and high-tech tools. Announcing the measure, the CJI on February 21 said that live-transcription will help create resources and be a great record for the top court to have.

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Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday filed a defamation suit against state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai in a Chennai court for making corruption allegations against him and his cabinet colleagues. Tamil Nadu CM files defamation suit against state BJP chief

Addressing a press conference dubbed as DMK Files on April 14, Annamalai made corruption allegations against ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders, including Stalin, and their families.

The defamation petition, filed by city public prosecutor G Devarajan, said the accusations were made without any basis and evidence. It added that the chief ministers efforts to ensure social justice has brought fame from across the country, adding that the state BJP chief has resorted to political ill-will.

The excellent rule he has delivered for the past two years has earned him a very high reputation among the people of Tamil Nadu and across the country. The love and affection showered by the people of Tamil Nadu is not digestible by the opposition parties, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, of which the accused is the state president, the petition, seen by HT, said.

The petition sought Annamalai to be prosecuted for defamation under Section 199 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), justifying that such a defamation offence against a chief minister is against the state of Tamil Nadu since it relates to discharge of public functions. The state therefore is rightly interested in pursuing prosecution, the petition said.

CrPC Section 199(2) mandates that a sessions court may take cognizance of a defamation offence committed against a public servant, including ministers, in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public functions upon a complaint in writing made by the public prosecutor.

The plea added that the statements made were not in good faith, but made only with a malice to defame the chief minister for the personal political gain of accused Annamalai, and against the interest of public good.

During the press conference, which was streamed live from the BJP headquarters in Chennai on social media platforms, Annamalai alleged that Stalin had received 200 crore as election fund in 2011 from an American company, Alstom, after favouring them a tender for a Metro Rail project that year. The state BJP chief also accused senior DMK leaders, including Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Udhayanidhi Stalin, TR Baalu, KN Nehru, K Ponmudy and Kalanidhi Maran, of owning assets worth 1.34 lakh crore.

Soon after the press conference, the ruling DMK sent Annamalai a legal notice demanding a public apology and sought damages to the tune of 500 crore. Subsequently, each of the DMK leaders named by Annamalai has sent him legal notices.

The petition, however, said: The Government of Tamil Nadu and the Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu are open to any fact-based criticisms with an intention to doing public good, the allegations which are per se defamatory and made only with an intention to harm the reputation of the Honble Chief Minister against good faith and without any public good.

State BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said the party expected the governments move.

We expected this. We will face them in court and the DMK will face consequences too. The court will decide on the proof of DMK Files, said Thirupathy. They think they can threaten Annamalai, but they are afraid because just two days ago Stalin said he will ignore negative comments against him but now hes filed a case.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday filed a defamation suit against state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai in a Chennai court for making corruption allegations against him and his cabinet colleagues. Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday filed a defamation suit against state BJP president K Annamalai in a Chennai court for making corruption allegations against him and his cabinet colleagues. (CMOTamilNadu Twitter)

Addressing a press conference dubbed as DMK Files on April 14, Annamalai made corruption allegations against ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders, including Stalin, and their families.

The defamation petition, filed by city public prosecutor G Devarajan, said the accusations were made without any basis and evidence. It added that the chief ministers efforts to ensure social justice has brought fame from across the country, adding that the state BJP chief has resorted to political ill-will.

The excellent rule he has delivered for the past two years has earned him a very high reputation among the people of Tamil Nadu and across the country. The love and affection showered by the people of Tamil Nadu is not digestible by the opposition parties, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, of which the accused is the state president, the petition, seen by HT, said.

The petition sought Annamalai to be prosecuted for defamation under Section 199 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), justifying that such a defamation offence against a chief minister is against the state of Tamil Nadu since it relates to discharge of public functions. The state therefore is rightly interested in pursuing prosecution, the petition said.

CrPC Section 199(2) mandates that a sessions court may take cognizance of a defamation offence committed against a public servant, including ministers, in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public functions upon a complaint in writing made by the public prosecutor.

The plea added that the statements made were not in good faith, but made only with a malice to defame the chief minister for the personal political gain of accused Annamalai, and against the interest of public good.

During the press conference, which was streamed live from the BJP headquarters in Chennai on social media platforms, Annamalai alleged that Stalin had received 200 crore as election fund in 2011 from an American company, Alstom, after favouring them a tender for a Metro Rail project that year. The state BJP chief also accused senior DMK leaders, including Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Udhayanidhi Stalin, TR Baalu, KN Nehru, K Ponmudy and Kalanidhi Maran, of owning assets worth 1.34 lakh crore.

Soon after the press conference, the ruling DMK sent Annamalai a legal notice demanding a public apology and sought damages to the tune of 500 crore. Subsequently, each of the DMK leaders named by Annamalai has sent him legal notices.

The petition, however, said: The Government of Tamil Nadu and the Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu are open to any fact-based criticisms with an intention to doing public good, the allegations which are per se defamatory and made only with an intention to harm the reputation of the Honble Chief Minister against good faith and without any public good.

State BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said the party expected the governments move.

We expected this. We will face them in court and the DMK will face consequences too. The court will decide on the proof of DMK Files, said Thirupathy. They think they can threaten Annamalai, but they are afraid because just two days ago Stalin said he will ignore negative comments against him but now hes filed a case.

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Of the seven states that replied to the Union governments letter of last month seeking their views on the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, three  Rajasthan, Assam and Andhra Pradesh -- have opposed the idea of ratification of such unions, citing the legislatures prerogative to make laws and public opinion across religious faiths. The others have sought more time (which means it is three against and four undecided, and not three against, four for). The bench is expected to conclude the hearing in the matter on Thursday and reserve its verdict. (Representational image)

Also read: Shashi Tharoor responds to filmmaker's betrayal charge as Congress-led Rajasthan opposes same-sex unions

To be sure, the three states are ruled by three different parties: Rajasthan has a Congress government; Assam has a dispensation led by Bharatiya Janata Party; and Andhra Pradesh has YSR Congress at the helm.

As a constitution bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud heard the arguments in the same-sex marriage case on the ninth day, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, informed the court about the replies received from the seven states, which included Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Sikkim apart from the three states mentioned above. HT has reviewed these replies.

While the other four states sought some more time to formulate their views in view of sensitivity of the matter, Rajasthan cited public opinion which it said is against legally recognising same-sex marriages even though there is nothing wrong with two homosexual persons choosing to live together. According to the Ashok Gehlot-led government, had there been favourable public opinion on the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, Parliament or a state legislature would have moved to frame a law in this regard. The Congress government added that it sought views of all district collectors in the state, and they have informed it that the public opinion is against the legal recognition of such unions.

Similarly, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government informed the Union government that it consulted the heads of various religions in the state after receiving the Centres letter dated April 18, all of whom opposed the idea of same-sex marriages being granted legal recognition. The state government put on record views received from religious heads of Hindus, Muslims and Christians to conclude: After considering the above views, I am to inform that the state of Andhra Pradesh is against the same-sex marriage and/or persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community, stated their letter.

The Assam government, in its reply, began by pointing out that the predominant views across different sections of society remain that marriage is a union between heterosexuals. Further, it would be prudent to maintain that legislation is the prerogative of legislature, at Centre and in states, and the Courts may like to view the matter in accordance with core principles of our democratic structure. The Legislature reflects the collective wisdom of the nation and its citizens, and it solely possesses the power to enact a law governing human relationships, stated the letter sent to the Centre by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government. It added that the state would like to oppose the petitions demanding legal recognition of same-sex marriages and would therefore, need more time to convey its views to the top court.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Mehta cited the missives from the states even as the S-G urged the bench to refrain from issuing any declaration -- either of acceptance of any right for same-sex couples or acceptance of the very relationship. The bench also comprised justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha.

According to S-G, any declaration by the apex court will be a law declared under Article 141 of the Constitution of India and would, thus, be binding upon the entire country though the consequences of such declaration remain unknown and unintended. He pointed out that if a declaration is made by the bench but a priest refuses to solemnise a same-sex marriage, he could be dragged to a court for contempt. Suppose a visa officer refuses to give a visa since the term used in regulation is wife. There can be many such instances. I ask myself will this court want to be flooded with contempt applications? he asked.

Responding to him, the bench said that the contours of the declaration will be the key. It added that while the usual practice is to issue a writ of mandamus (directive to perform legal duties), there can very well be a declaration on the status of affairs as they are.

Mehta, on his part, said that the fallout of a declaration will be incapable of being foreseen or controlled by the court and therefore, the bench may not use its discretion to declare any right.

Also read: Bhumi Pednekar backs same-sex marriage in India, says she's 'an ally of the community'

The S-Gs note submitted before the bench further stated: The Government of India is of the firm view that such a non-heterosexual union has no legal recognition under any nomenclature though it is not prohibited. Mere permissibility to co-exist and stay together or absence of embargo, cannot be the ground for claiming right of any nature de hors legislative recognition.

Senior counsel Maninder Singh, ANS Nadkarni, Manisha Lavkumar and advocates Priya Aristotle, J Sai Deepak and MR Shamshad also argued briefly, opposing the petitions. Rajya Sabha MP and advocate Sambit Patra also argued against the legal recognition of same-sex marriages through a judicial adjudication as the BJP leader appeared for an organisation.

The bench is expected to conclude the hearing in the matter on Thursday and reserve its verdict.

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A six-year-old male tiger was found dead in the Sajjangarh Biological Park in Rajasthans Udaipur on Wednesday, a day after it was relocated from states Ranthambore tiger reserve, people familiar with the matter said. Chikku was relocated to Sajjangarh Biological Park.

Senior forest officials said the cause of the death of the tiger T-104, named Chikku, will be ascertained after the autopsy report. However, some officials, requesting anonymity, said prima facie overdose of tranquilizer could be a probable reason.

The tiger, which was declared man-eater and threat to human life after it killed three people in 2019, was kept in an enclosure at the Beed Naka area of Ranthambore since early 2020 before being shifted to Udaipur on Tuesday after nod from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, officials said.

District forest officer (DFO) Udaipur Ajay Chittora said the tiger was kept under observation after it was shifted to the biological park on Tuesday. Initially, the tiger had the food and behaved normally. But its health deteriorated late in the night and was found dead in the morning, Chittora said. The reason of the tigers death is yet to ascertained. The cause of death will be known after getting the post-mortem [examination] report.

Forest officials aware of the matter said the tiger was tranquilised around 6.30pm on Tuesday after which it was shifted to the park. Blocks of ice were kept inside its cage, keeping in view the summer heat, they added.

It could be possible that the tiger died of overdose of the drug used for tranquilising, said an official, declining to be named.

Chikku was one of the most photographed male tigers of the Ranthambore National Park, where it had been living since its birth to tigress T-41 and tiger T-74, six years ago.
Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart, Mary Ng, hosted a CEOs roundtable in Toronto on Tuesday a day after they co-chaired the sixth Canada-India ministerial dialogue on trade and investment and discussed an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA). The two countries are expected to sign EPTA this year. Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart, Mary Ng. (Twitter)

EPTA is an interim step towards the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Indian and Canadian officials held a seventh round of negotiations for EPTA in Ottawa last month.

Partners in Growth!...Addressed the CEOs Roundtable in Toronto & invited Captains of Industry to invest in Indias resilient growth story, Goyal tweeted.

Ng, who is Canadas international trade minister, said they hosted the roundtable with Canadian and Indian businesses to hear first-hand how they can make it easier for these companies to work together and to help them succeed. The success of the Canada-India relationship is rooted within the close collaboration and hard work of Indian and Canadian businesses.

The Business Council of Canada (BCC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) organised the roundtable.

The two apex chambers also announced a new partnership to connect business leaders from both countries, promote bilateral economic ties, and enhance cooperation as partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two organisations called on the Indian and Canadian governments to continue to work on EPTA with the goal of successfully concluding negotiations by the end of the year.

FICCI president Subhrakant Panda said that he was confident that their partnership will not only bolster business-to-business ties between the two countries but also lift the trajectory of bilateral trade.

BCC president and CEO Goldy Hyder said he was cautiously optimistic about EPTA. I would be extremely surprised if an agreement was not signed in 2023.

Hyder added that Goyals visit is indicative of a will and a desire to get this done. He said Goyal and Ng were driving the process.

We are at an inflection point and in the geopolitical environment in which we find ourselves, democracies like India and Canada need to demonstrate the capacity to make progress on something like this because capital requires confidence, Hyder said.

Hyder said negotiators could omit roadblocks from EPTA. Do not let perfect be the enemy of the good. If there are things that you are just not able to resolve, set them aside for the next round, he said.

Goyal and Ng were separately due to attend the Canadian-India Business Council (C-IBC)s reception on Wednesday.

C-IBC president and CEO Victor Thomas said the success of an EPTA is inextricably linked to Goyal and his visit to Canada gives hope that an agreement is still possible. This is important as it moves us ever closer to the ultimate goal of a comprehensive agreement that would tremendously benefit both countries.

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At the invitation of United States (US) president Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official state visit to Washington DC on June 22, the White House announced on Wednesday. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will also host Modi for a state dinner during the visit. The PM is likely to lead International Yoga Day celebrations a day earlier, on June 21, at the United Nations in New York. (PTI)

In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together. The visit will strengthen our two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space.

Modis state visit is seen in Washington DC as symbol of the deepening India-US strategic partnership, amid shared anxieties about Chinas actions in Asia and beyond. It is also an unequivocal signal by the Biden administration that it is committed to working with the Modi-led government, despite criticism from parts of the US political and media ecosystems about Indias perceived democratic backsliding. The visit is expected to significantly focus on the newer areas of cooperation between the two countries, particularly emerging technologies, supply chain diversification and the knowledge partnership.

Jean-Pierre added that the two leaders would also discuss ways to expand educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, and confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security.

The PM is likely to lead International Yoga Day celebrations a day earlier, on June 21, at the United Nations in New York, an event that will see substantial participation of the international community. He will also meet top business leaders during his visit and engage with leaders across the American political spectrum.

While Modi has visited Washington several times during his tenure, this is the first time he has been invited for a state visit, and only the third time in diplomatic history that a US President has invited an Indian leader for a state visit. The other two invitees were President S Radhakrishnan in 1963 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009. All other visits by Indian leaders have either been official or working visits, according to a list put out by the State Department.

This is also just the third state visit Biden is hosting in his tenure. His previous guests have included the French president in December last year and the South Korean president in April this year.

Modis visit comes amid a hectic diplomatic calendar for both countries. The PM and Biden are expected to engage with each other several other times this year  during the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, their simultaneous visit to Papua New Guinea, and the Quad leaders level summit in Australia later this month and then during Bidens visit for the G20 summit to New Delhi in September, which may be combined with a bilateral visit. With both India and the US heading to elections in 2024, the foreign policy machineries in Delhi and DC are keen to build on the momentum of the relationship this year.

Modis visit also comes in the backdrop of the consolidation of bilateral strategic ties. With the national security advisers of both countries in charge, India and the US unveiled the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET), an ambitious roadmap that laid out a pathway for cooperation, among other domains, in semiconductor manufacturing; defence innovation, co-production and co-development; artificial intelligence, quantum and space; and higher education and research in the sciences. The White House also promised to expeditiously review an application from General Electric to jointly produce jet engines that could power jet aircraft operated and produced indigenously by India. The US administration also promised to work with the US Congress to reduce export barriers to India where applicable.

It is expected that ICET will serve as an important framework in determining the deliverables for the visit. India will be keenly watching if the US does give a green signal to GE; this will mark a significant deepening of defence cooperation and an acknowledgment of the Indian emphasis on domestic manufacturing. Diplomats of both countries have been closely engaged with each other in the past few months on other areas where progress can be made, including a possible defence innovation bridge as a way to encourage start-ups, capital support for high-tech cooperation, specific fellowships in science, tech, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines and possible methods to ease US immigration norms for Indian talent in these areas. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Indias minister for electronics and information technology, is currently in California engaging with major semiconductor companies to explore possible collaborations.

In the economic and commercial domain, India and the US held a bilateral commercial dialogue and CEO forum in March. Despite not having a free trade agreement, bilateral trade in goods and services was over $192 billion in 2022, a record . US cabinet officials, including treasury secretary Janet Yellen and commerce secretary Gina Raimondo, have spoken of Indias role in diversifying supply chains. The commerce department and ministry of external affairs have also launched the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue to address export controls, explore ways of enhancing high technology commerce, and facilitate technology transfer between the two countries. For its part, Indian foreign direct investment in the US has crossed $40 billion, according to a recent report by the Confederation of Indian Industry. India is also a part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which will have its next ministerial meeting in Detroit later this month. These trade and investment issues are expected to be figure prominently during Modis visit.

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Inside an Assam Rifles relief camp two kilometres from the border town of Moreh, N Pulindro Singh sits on the floor wistfully. He talks of loss  the loss of his home burnt down in the ethnic violence that swept through Manipur in three destruction-filled days last week; the loss of peace in a town that once took pride in its diversity; and, in what is fast emerging as a problem for the security agencies, the disappearance of family members who may have crossed into Myanmar. There were at least 300 people who fled to Myanmar when our houses were burnt down on May 3. M Thoiba Singh, my cousin, was one of them. Since then, we are waiting for them to return, but there is no word, the 65-year-old Meitei man said. PREMIUM A girl evacuated by the Indian army during the ethnic riots in Manipur state embraces with her mother (2R) after reuniting at a temporary shelter at the Leimakhong Army Cantonment.(AFP)

Also read: Manipur violence: Imphal opens gingerly, traders stare at a long road to recovery

On Wednesday, Moreh, once a bustling transit centre of trade with a population of 10,000 people, resembled a ghost town. Shops lay ransacked, houses were burnt and damaged, and the only people on the streets left were columns of soldiers to prevent a recurrence of violence. Among the few buildings that stood untouched  perhaps a memory of the syncretism that existed even a week ago  were a handful of churches, mosques, a gurdwara, and a temple set up by the Tamil community. Bengalis, Tamils, Sikhs, Odiyas, Meiteis and the Kuki tribals are among the communities that lived in Moreh for decades. Everything changed overnight, Singh added.

Manipur saw violent clashes that began a week ago in Churachandpur but spread quickly across the state, pitting the Meiteis who form 53% of the state population, and the tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts, against each other. The immediate trigger for the violence was a proposal to accord Meiteis scheduled tribe status, but the clashes quickly snowballed into riots that displaced thousands of people, and forced the Centre to fly in additional forces. Chief minister N Biren Singh pegged the death toll at 60, and said that 231 people were injured, at least 1,700 homes burnt, and 35,000 people displaced.

The violence has left Moreh scarred. As many as 3,000 Meiteis were evacuated and brought to the relief camp beginning May 3, and many have since been shifted to other camps. The local Tamil community provided lots of the relief material, said colonel Raza, commanding officer of the Assam Rifles unit stationed in Moreh.

But officials admit there is a new task emerging  tracking down missing relatives, many of whom are still hiding in jungles or have fled through the porous border to Myanmar.

The rescued people in the camps approached the forces saying that many fled to the jungles. Some also informed that people known to them fled to Myanmar. Based on their initial probe, Manipur Police also confirmed that some may have gone through the porous border, said a Manipur government official, who did not want to be identified.

Security personnel have now roped in church leaders, tribal chiefs and other community leaders to contact missing families and convince them either to return to their villages or to paramilitary camps.

We have reports of many people missing primarily from rural parts of Moreh and Kangkpokpi. Some people rescued from the jungles have said that they left their homes after hearing rumours about a mob on a rampage burning homes and killing children. It is possible that many who are missing may have fled to Myanmar with the help of a nexus of insurgents and cross border smugglers, the official quoted above said.

Kuldiep Singh, a former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief who is now the state governments security adviser, said Assam Rifles met their Myanmar counterparts recently on the issue.

We do not have an official complaint, but there are unconfirmed reports that a few people of Moreh, a border town, have fled to Myanmar. The Assam Rifles have held a meeting with their counterparts. But the situation has normalised, there are no major incidents of violence now, and they will return soon, Kuldiep Singh said.

Senior officials also said that once there is a complete return to normalcy, Manipur Police will conduct a thorough probe to investigate the possible role of insurgent groups behind the violence. Police suspect that key players behind the instigation of violence may also be among those that fled to Myanmar, a Manipur Police officer said, requesting anonymity.

Kuldiep Singh said that the state was well on the path back to a sense of calm, and that the police recovered at least 284 stolen weapons. We have registered more than 200 FIRs and will probe the people behind the violence, Singh added.

A second state police officer, supervising the logistics in camps across the state, said many people were escorted back to their villages or districts where peace had returned. Some have been taken to places where they said they felt safe, and some have been dropped to airports. The respective district administrations are taking care of new entrants to their areas, the second officer added.

For three days now, the authorities have relaxed curfew restrictions for three hours in the morning. Officials say banks may also open in many parts of the state by Thursday afternoon. But there are still stark reminders of the long, tenuous road to peace.

On Tuesday, a team of CRPF officials in Gwaltabi village in Imphal East had to be pressed into service to rescue villagers, and prevent a mob from burning their houses. It is also only on Wednesday that security personnel were able to completely sanitise and secure National Highway 37 to ensure the unencumbered movement of trucks filled with essential commodities.

Also read: Curfew eased in 11 districts as Manipur stares at recovery; 60 dead, 30,000 displaced

Back at the Assam Rifles camp in Moreh too, there are signs that the wounds are still raw.

A young Meitei man, who refused to be identified, turned his ire at the 2018 Free Movement Regime, an international agreement signed between India and Myanmar that allows citizens of both countries to cross into 16 kilometres of their respective territories to facilitate trade along the 1,643-kilometre border. We are the indigenous people of Manipur, while there are other people who are immigrants from Myanmar. We want the free movement of citizens to stop. This is risking our lives, he said.
Hours before the election in Karnataka began on Wednesday, the Congress raised an alarm that buses from Goa were spotted in northern Karnataka. Sharing a video of a bus, the Congress asked whether illicit money is being transported, or whether the objective is bogus voting in the state. Congress's Randeep Singh Surjewala suspected a 'resort' link even before the voting began and asked whether Goa minister Visvajeet Rane booked six rooms at Whistling Woods Jungle Resort at Dandeli. Congress says buses from Goa have been spotted in Karnataka the night before voting.

Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Follow LIVE updates

"Where is Karnataka Police? Will ECI act?" Surjewala tweeted hinting at an early entry of the resort politics this time.

Karnataka saw a high-octane campaigning ahead of the do-or-die battle in Karnataka with the opinion polls heavily tilting in favour of the Congress. BJP and Congress leaders engaged in a bitter war of words with the Election Commission issuing a notice to the offenders which include Congress's Sonia Gandhi -- for her 'sovereignty' comment.

Congress's manifesto promising a ban on the Bajrang Dal, if voted to power, was another flashpoint as PM Modi urged Karnataka voters to invoke Bajrang Bali while voting.

In a last-minute fight, the Congress on Tuesday approached the Election Commission after PM Modi made a fresh appeal to voters after the campaigning ended. In a memorandum to the poll watchdog, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala termed the speech brazen, deliberate and calculated violation of the model code of conduct as well as the provisions of the Representation of the People Act by Modi and other leaders of the BJP

The polling for the 224-seat Assembly began at 7am. The key constituencies are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur. Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah is contesting from Varuna which is also his sitting seat with a winning streak starting from 2008.

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Jewelry belonging to Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten  whose husband founded his fortune under the Nazi regime  is being auctioned on Wednesday despite criticism from several Jewish groups. Christie's auction house plans to sell 700 pieces before the end of the year. The entire collection is estimated to be worth $150 million (136.64 million). Some 152 jewels have been on the website for online sale since last week, and 96 pieces are being auctioned in person in Geneva on Wednesday, followed by another 154 on Friday. The collection includes rare pieces including those by Bulgari, Harry Winston, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels (Denis Balibouse/REUTERS)

The remaining 300 jewels are expected to be sold online in November 2023.

The collection includes rare pieces by 20th-century designers, including Bulgari, Harry Winston, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Their owner, Heidi Horten, died last year at 81 with a Forbes-estimated fortune of nearly $2.9 billion.

The jewelry sale is likely to surpass previous records set by Christie's  from the collection of actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2011 and the "Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence" collection in 2019, both of which exceeded $100 million.

A stained past

Heidi Horten's husband, Helmut Horten, earned his wealth, at least partially, by exploiting Jewish business in Nazi Germany. In 1936, after Adolf Hitler grabbed power in Germany, Horten took over a company in the western city of Duisburg after its Jewish owners fled. He later took over several other department stores and properties owned by Jews before the war.

"He laid the foundations of his wealth during the Third Reich by acquiring companies on the cheap at fire-sale prices from Jewish business owners under duress," author of Nazi Billionaires  The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties, David de Jong, told The New York Times.

Separately, his wife hired a historian through the Helmut Horten Foundation to investigate the source of his fortune and found Horten had been a member of the Nazi party before being expelled for unexplained reasons.

Calls to stop auctions

Several Jewish groups have demanded that the auction be put on hold.

"This is a moral issue. This auction is doubly indecent," Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), said in a statement on Tuesday. "Not only are the funds used to acquire these jewels partly from the aryanization of Jewish property carried out by Nazi Germany, but, in addition, this sale is to fund a foundation whose mission is to ensure the posterity of the family name of a former Nazi!"

Aryanization refers to the Nazi practice of seizing businesses owned by Jews and transferring them to non-Jews to destroy their economic standing.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization, said in a statement that the auction house "must suspend this sale until full research of link to Nazi era acquisitions are completed."

Echoing their statements, the American Jewish Committee criticized Christie's decision to give an unspecified amount of the sale toward Holocaust research and education organizations.

"Instead, the auction should be put on hold until a serious effort is made to determine what portion of this wealth came from Nazi victims," it said.

Christie's meanwhile defended its position.

"The foundation and Christie's know that all of the proceeds are going towards charities, the charities are child protection and welfare, medical research and access to the arts," Rahul Kadakia, Christie's international head of jewelry, told the AFP news agency.

"Christie's separately is making a significant donation towards Holocaust research and education," he said. "We believe that in the end, proceeds of the sale is going to do good and this is the reason we decided to take on the project."

Christie's)
Actor Kriti Sanon attended the trailer launch event for her, Prabhas, and Saif Ali Khan's upcoming film, Adipurush, yesterday. Kriti chose a bespoke double-draped saree for the occasion, custom-made by master couturiers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. The star's white, gold and red-hued saree took inspiration from the purity of Sita (Kriti plays Sita in Adipurush) and boasts of intricate work done with tamba [copper] and 24-carat gold. Keep scrolling to read all the details that created Kriti's elegant traditional look. Kriti Sanon wore a double-drape, custom-designed Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla saree for Adipurush trailer launch. (Instagram)

All about Kriti Sanon's custom Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla saree

On Tuesday, the official Instagram page of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla shared pictures of Kriti Sanon dressed in their custom-designed white and gold saree, which she wore to the Adipurush trailer launch event. They shared all the intricate design details of the six yards and wowed netizens. According to their post, Kriti's double-drape vintage Kerala cotton saree features a 24-carat gold Khadi block print, and her blouse came decked in tamba [copper] tikki flowers and emeralds. Read more details about the ensemble below.

According to Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, they used pure fabrics for Kriti's saree because it had to depict the 'purity of Sita'. They wrote, "It is about revival, it's about Sita, it's about being classic. The look was all about using pure fabrics because it's about the purity of Sita. Kriti embodied it to perfection!"

They added, Kriti Sanon is a vision in a double-drape saree featuring a mix of off-white khadi saree with a zardozi border and a vintage Kerala cotton saree with 24-carat gold Khadi block print. The combination of the two sarees with red highlights on the border and the intricate detailing of the mustard Farisha resham blouse with tamba tikki flowers and emeralds.

Meanwhile, Kriti draped the cotton saree traditionally, letting the pallu fall from the shoulder in a floor-grazing style. She placed a pleated matching saree on the other shoulder and paired the double-drape six yards with a mustard Farisha resham blouse.

Lastly, Kriti accessorised the beauteous outfit with earrings, ornate gold bangles, and statement rings. A centre-parted white-rose gajra-adorned low bun, minimal makeup, and a dainty bindi gave the finishing touch.
Drowsy driving is as deadly as drunk driving if not more and both can result in road accidents and fatalities due to slow reaction time and lack of alertness on the part of the person behind the wheel. While so far there was no way to determine if a driver was fatigued or sleep-deprived at the time of accident, a new blood test could pave the way for taking legal action against drowsy drivers, reports The Guardian, adding that the test could be available within two years. (Also read: Reasons people fall asleep while driving and what can be done about it) People who are sleep deprived could be suffering from a sleep disorder and may have microsleep episodes due to fatigue. T(Freepik)

There has to be a system to check whether someone has had enough sleep, because they could be putting other peoples lives at risk, Prof Steven Lockley, a sleep expert at Harvard medical school, told The Guardian.

People who are sleep deprived could be suffering from a sleep disorder and may have microsleep episodes due to fatigue. This could lead to deadly road accidents. Microsleeps can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. While one doesn't completely fall asleep during microsleep, it is enough to lose focus as the brain drifts away for a few seconds.

According to a study, people may have a steep cognitive decline after 18 hours of staying up, which is like having alcohol in the system. Recent research proves that driving with less than 5 hours of sleep could be as dangerous as driving with excessive alcohol in your system.

Dr Murarji Ghadge, ENT Consultant Surgeon and Sleep Specialist earlier told HT Digital that many people who are sleep deprived mistakenly think that they can work well on a few hours of sleep every night for an extended period of time. The expert added that even a partial lack of sleep could have a negative impact on both physical and mental performance, including driving.

"Insufficient sleep or nighttime driving might make you drowsy, which increases your risk of being in a car accident. Drowsiness was predicted to be a factor in 13% of severe injury crashes and 21% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in recent studies," said Dr Ghadge.

The test to measure the number of hours a driver has slept could soon become a reality thanks to a team of researchers led by Clare Anderson, a professor at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University, Australia, that is currently working on it. The team has identified five biomarkers in the blood that can tell if a person has been awake for 24 hours or more with 99 percent accuracy, as per The Guardian report.

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When India took over the presidency of the G20 in 2022, it vowed to raise the voice of the Global South and foster South-South cooperation. In the coming years, two countries from the Global South with a similar priority will succeed India in the presidency: Brazil and South Africa. This points to the winds of change already blowing across the international order. PREMIUM As the world grapples with several challenges, the G20 must set the ball rolling for coordination again  this time among countries of the Global South. (REUTERS)

First, at a time when the availability of development capital to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is falling short, Global South-led banks are becoming the largest sources of finance in some regions, dwarfing traditional multilateral lenders. According to some estimates, South-led and South-oriented banks amount to more than $1 trillion in financing projects. South-led banks are also strengthening mechanisms to meet liquidity needs. During Covid-19, three South-led development banks were able to put together an equal amount to what the World Bank was pumping in.

Second, India and Brazils response to the Ukraine war showed a new way. While the two condemned the violation of international law by Russia, they stopped short of using provocative means, such as unilateral sanctions or participating in western efforts to isolate Russia. Despite strong pressures from the West, Brazil and India refused to sell weapons to fuel the conflict and were able to maintain an independent position.

While some may argue that these are early indications and must be viewed with caution, others see this as a sign of hope. Countries of the Global South do not want to lead alone but promote a more participatory approach, bringing the voices of other developing countries to global forums. For instance, Brazil has invited Paraguay and Uruguay to participate in the G20 during its presidency in 2024, while India has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria and Oman as guest countries during its term. Coincidentally, the incoming G20 troika will also match the membership of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA). By gathering three big democratic developing countries from three different continents, IBSA shows great potential for coordinated action among countries that share similar values and have the credentials to increase their say in global affairs. After 11 years of the Indian IBSA presidency, Brazil is ready to take over. Also, the Conference of the Parties, the most important annual climate conference, may next be chaired by Brazil and then South Africa.

The South-South cooperation has informed Indias international relations from the pre-Independence era, fuelled initially by anti-colonialism but later growing more apolitical. Over the last four years, Brazil refrained from its role as a leader of the Global South, but now, it is ready to fight for the reform of the multilateral systems, placing the interests of developing countries above others, and strengthening collaboration within the Global South.

It is important to acknowledge that voices from the South still tend to struggle to be heard on the global stage. It is well known that the UN Security Council no longer mirrors the global reality, with no permanent members such as India or from Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean. Amid what seems like a never-ending wait for reform at the UN and other global forums, such as the G20, CoP or IBSA, are proving to be alternative spaces for the Global South. If there is one thing that came out from G20s response to the great recession of 2008-09, it is that it showed the value of persuading the worlds biggest economies to coordinate their fiscal and monetary policies. As the world grapples with several challenges, the G20 must set the ball rolling for coordination again  this time among countries of the Global South.

Candice Vianna is a Brazilian diplomat, and adviser to the secretary-general, ministry of foreign affairs of Brazil. Neha Bansal is policy specialist-G20 India, and a UN consultant The views expressed are personal
Google CEO Sundar Pichai opened the highly anticipated Google I/O event on Wednesday in front of a limited live audience at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The tech giant's boss made major announcements focused on artificial intelligence. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc., during the Google I/O Developers Conference in Mountain View, California, US, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Bloomberg)

Top points from Google CEO Sundar Pichai's address

1. Gmail will include a "Help me write" tool which can compose replies for users by pulling pertinent information from the message. Users can select options like "Elaborate" or "Recreate" to refine the message and make it more compelling.

2. At Google I/O event, Pichai introduced Immersive View for Maps routes. When a user wants to take a route, Maps will offer various options, and users can click on Immersive View for a photorealistic view of the route. Real-time weather updates, air quality index is coming soon to Google Maps.

3. Later this year, Google Photos will have a Magic Editor that uses semantic engineering and generative AI to enhance images.

4. Pichai launched PaLM 2, the latest version of Google's language model, which supports over 100 languages and allows for collaboration. Google announced over 25 products using PaLM 2 today.

5. Bard can now perform coding and debugging in more than 20 programming languages. Google has removed the waitlist for Bard and is opening up access to over 180 countries and territories in English.

6. Google Search is also getting an AI update. It will show more integrated search results with more details, with enhanced safety systems and diverse range of content.

What is Google I/O?

Google I/O is an annual developer conference hosted by the tech giant. It introduces the company's most recent products, software, upgrades, and other advancements. Google I/O stands for Input/Output, and the motto is "Innovation in the Open."
A video of an elderly woman is winning hearts online because of her sweet way of interaction with a salesperson. Captured in a perfume shop in France, the video shows how she asks the salesman about his family and well-being. Chances are, the video will leave you grinning from ear to ear. The image shows the dadi who interacted with a French man in Punjabi.(Instagram/@drusamayt)

Instagram user Dr Usama Ahmed shared the video that shows him and his grandma on a trip to France. While visiting the country, they visit a shop in Paris to buy perfume for the elderly woman. Shopping in Paris with Amma, reads the caption posted along with the video.

Take a look at the clip to watch the wholesome interaction:

The video was posted a day ago. Since being shared, it has accumulated close to 1.9 lakh views and the numbers are increasing. Till now, it has received more than 20,000 likes. People posted various comments while reacting to the video.

Heres how Instagram users reacted:

Amma is love I truly wish I am like her when I grow old. I also wish that my kids and grandkids treat me the same way you treat Amma. Duas for your family, posted an Instagram user. Amma is just the cutest. She wins hearts everywhere she goes, commented another. Who is cutting onions, posted a third. Amma is literally my daily dose of serotonin. She fills everyone with so much love and happiness, she is truly an angel, expressed a fourth. Why am I crying, wrote a fifth.
Twitter engineer, Foad Dabiri, has sparked concerns over the use of the instant messaging app WhatsApp. Dabiri recently shared a screenshot on Twitter and claimed that his WhatsApp app constantly used the microphone while he was asleep, raising questions about user privacy on the platform. The tweet soon attracted the attention of millions, including that of Elon Musk. Must not only found it weird but also said that WhatsApp cannot be trusted. However, the company has refuted the claims stating that it is a bug on Android and that they have asked Google to investigate and remediate. WhatsApp has reacted to Twitter CEO Elon Musks comment. ((File/AP))

WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6AM (and thats just a part of the timeline!) Whats going on? Dabiri tweeted along with a screenshot. This tweet went viral and earned numerous responses, including one from Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

Take a look at Elon Musks tweet below:

WhatsApp later tweeted, Over the last 24 hours weve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp. The company added, We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate.

They even reiterated that the platform gives users complete control over their microphone settings. Users have full control over their mic settings. Once granted permission, WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video - and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them, WhatsApp tweeted.

Since being shared on May 9, Elon Musks tweet has garnered over 56.6 million views, and the numbers are still increasing. The share has also prompted people to post their thoughts in the comments.

Heres how people reacted to the tweet:

Its incredible how many people dont realize that WhatsApp is owned by Meta/Facebook, posted a Twitter user. To this, Elon Musk replied, Yeah. Or that WhatsApp founders left Meta/Facebook in disgust, started #deletefacebook campaign & made major contributions to building signal. What they learned about Facebook & changes to WhatsApp obviously disturbed them greatly. Another added, Maybe they just want to improve the quality of snoring idk. Twitter encrypted dms has entered the chat, wrote a third.

A fourth joined, I have denied WhatsApp accessing the microphone in my phone settings, but it still found a way to penetrate the access button in the background. Even if I deny the access, it keeps on collecting the background data. Quite weird! What is happening? I have been saying this for the past three years, but people dont listen until Elon says it, commented a fifth.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogans magic is not working. With less than three weeks until the elections, Turkeys populist leader has made up little ground against Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of the main opposition alliance, in the presidential race. (Parliament will also be up for grabs.) Most polls give Mr Kilicdaroglu an edge in the first round on May 14th and see him winning a run-off two weeks later. Mr Erdogan is trying to regain popularity by dipping into the public purse. But he is also looking for help abroad, balancing, as he has done over the past decade, between NATO allies, Russia and other autocracies, all while flexing his muscles at home. PREMIUM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president.(Bloomberg)

In the past couple of months, his government has waved through Finlands accession to NATO, which it had been blocking since last summer; banned companies from shipping sanctioned goods through Turkey to Russia; and courted Western investors whom it once spurned. But Mr Erdogan has also assured his supporters that Turkey no longer cares what Western countries think of its foreign policy, and accused the West of backing his rivals. Their hostile stance toward Erdogan is a hostile stance toward my nation, he said on April 13th. My nation will foil this plot.

Turkeys relations with the EU and America are arguably at their worst in decades. Flashpoints include the countrys purchase of an S-400 air defence system from Russia, armed offensives against American-backed Kurdish insurgents in Syria, accusations of American support for a coup against Mr Erdogan in 2016 and spats over maritime borders with Cyprus and Greece. Tensions would certainly subside under an opposition government. But analysts, diplomats and opposition figures dismiss the idea that Mr Erdogans ouster would mean a foreign-policy overhaul.

A new Turkish government committed to fixing the economy, releasing some political prisoners and dismantling Mr Erdogans autocracy would enjoy plenty of goodwill in the West. This could pay immediate dividends, such as reviving long-stalled talks on upgrading Turkeys customs union with the EU. A change in tone from Mr Erdogans Ankara First approach would also go down well with NATO allies. The opposition promises a foreign policy run by seasoned diplomats, and suggests it would drop Mr Erdogans objection to letting Sweden into NATO.

But with regard to Turkeys relations with Russia, its attitude to Kurdish insurgents in Syria, and other sources of friction, big changes are unlikely. A Kilicdaroglu government would be unlikely to join sanctions against Russia or play a more active role in Ukraine, preferring to position itself as a mediator. There is a sense in Turkey, shared by the ruling AK party and the opposition, that America will not remain in the region forever, says Nigar Goksel of the Crisis Group, a think-tank. That weakens the appetite for confrontation with Russia. They do not want to stick out their necks, says Ms Goksel, because that would risk having to face Russia alone.

One irritant might go away: the S-400 air-defence system that Mr Erdogan procured from Russia, triggering American sanctions. Sending the system to another country (perhaps Ukraine, as some American officials have reportedly suggested) is not on the table. But a new government could put it in storage and throw away the key, say opposition politicians. It could also reject a proposal, favoured by Mr Erdogan, for Russia to build Turkey a second nuclear plant besides one that is already under construction.

A new government may have to rely on the countrys main Kurdish party in parliament. But it would be in no hurry to make peace with Kurdish insurgents in northern Syria or to withdraw troops from the region. It would probably stop removing elected Kurdish mayors from power, as Mr Erdogan has done since 2017, and allow the release of imprisoned Kurdish politicians such as Selahattin Demirtas, a former presidential contender. But it would continue to battle the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an armed Kurdish group in Turkey, and its Syrian franchise the YPG, says Oytun Orhan, an analyst. Mr Kilicdaroglu and company would seek to restore relations with Bashar al-Assad, something Mr Erdogan, who backed the Syrian dictators overthrow for the past decade, has also begun to explore. But that alone would not turn Turkeys Syria policy on its head.

The swathes of land Turkey wrested from the YPG in armed offensives in Syria are important bargaining chips with Mr Assads regime. A new government would not give them up easily, says Mr Orhan. Like Mr Erdogan, the opposition plans to lean on Mr Assad to take back many of the 3.6m Syrian refugees now in Turkey and to police Kurdish insurgents. Once we have that kind of an understanding, there may be a time we can consider withdrawing troops from Syria, says a senior opposition lawmaker. But this will not happen overnight. For the West, a government headed by Mr Kilicdaroglu would be a much easier partner to deal with. But well-wishers in Brussels or Washington should curb their enthusiasm.

 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 fresh wave of COVID-19 is spreading through China as people return from public holiday travel, reaching trading floors and raising concern of an impact to trading volume - albeit likely not as pronounced as previous pandemic-induced disruption. Traders and banking sources reported, they or colleagues had contracted the coronavirus recently, or had heard of peers testing positive.(Representational)

More than half a dozen traders and banking sources told Reuters this week that they or colleagues had contracted the coronavirus recently, or had heard of peers testing positive.

Also Read: Ludhiana district logs five Covid cases

"I think about 10% of people around me have caught it again," said a trader at a foreign bank.

COVID-19 swept through trading floors in capital Beijing and the financial hub of Shanghai in December just as China was reopening its economy after three years of stringent containment measures, with illness and absence thinning trading volume and forcing regulators to reschedule meetings.

Traders said they expected less impact this time.

"There's no longer quarantine of cases and close contacts, so the second wave should just slow down trading efficiency," said a second trader at a foreign bank.

The trader said they had been designated as having close contact with a COVID-19 sufferer and had chosen to work remotely from home as some colleagues had tested positive for the virus.

"Impact from COVID shocks should become smaller and smaller. From reopening experiences in other parts of the world, such a trend is similar," said Tommy Xie, head of Greater China research at OCBC Bank.

In China's interbank market, average daily U.S. dollar/yuan trading volume has slowed only slightly. Daily trading volume was $35.9 billion on Monday, the lowest since April 18 and compared with last month's average of $38.9 billion.

Also Read: Panchkula logs second Covid death in a week

While the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 as no longer a global health emergency, China's health authority this week said case numbers had risen as travel spiked during the five-day Labor Day break through May 3. Still, the number of severe cases in hospitals did not increase significantly.

Virus transmission naturally increases as crowds gather or due to higher mobility during public holidays, so infection in some areas may rebound slightly, said Liu Qing, an official at the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control.

"However, chances of regional large-scale outbreaks are not high, and there will be no obvious impact on medical treatment and social operations in the short term," Liu said.

A third person at a foreign bank said they recently tested positive and rested at home for a week, though their employer did not have any specific protocols.

Also Read: India reports 2,109 new Covid cases; active infections dip to 21,406

However, at least two lenders - including a major state-owned bank - conducted rapid antigen tests after employees reported feeling unwell, people familiar with the matter said.

"Sooner or later the second wave will arrive. I will take extra care of myself for now," said a fourth trader, who works at a Chinese lender.
Heavy gunfire echoed around Khartoum again on Friday and there was no sign of any letup in fighting as civilians trapped in the Sudanese capital said their plight was being ignored by both the army and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The sudden collapse into warfare has killed hundreds, triggered a humanitarian disaster, sent an exodus of refugees to neighbouring states.(Twitter/ UNHCR United Kingdom)

"It's been four days without electricity and our situation is difficult... We are the victims of a war that we aren't a part of. No one cares about the citizen," said Othman Hassan, 48, a resident of the southern outskirts of Khartoum.

Also Read: Heavy fighting in Sudan, children caught in conflict: UN

Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, the two sides appeared to be battling for control of territory in the capital ahead of proposed talks, though the leaders of both factions have shown little public willingness to negotiate after more than two weeks of fighting.

The sudden collapse into warfare has killed hundreds, triggered a humanitarian disaster, sent an exodus of refugees to neighbouring states and risks dragging in outside powers, further destabilising an already restive region.

Across swathes of Khartoum, factories, banks and shops have been looted or damaged, power and water supplies have been failing and residents have reported steep price rises and shortages of basic goods.

"Sudan's warring armies are showing reckless disregard for civilian lives by using inaccurate weapons in populated urban areas," said Human Rights Watch Sudan researcher Mohamed Osman, in a report by the group documenting damage to hospitals and water treatment plants caused by fighting.

Also Read: 40 return to Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad from war-torn Sudan

The Sudanese Doctors Union said one of the country's main maternity hospitals, Aldayat in the adjoining city of Omdurman, had been looted and occupied by forces on Thursday.

In total, it says 17 hospitals had been damaged by fighting and 20 forcibly evacuated since the start of the violence. Sixty of the 88 hospitals in Khartoum are out of service, it said, with many of the rest only offering partial service.

The fighting stems from tensions between two rival factions, the army and RSF, which had shared power after a coup in 2021, derailing an internationally-backed plan to usher in democracy and civilian rule after a 2019 popular uprising that unseated Islamist strongman Omar al-Bashir.

The United Nations, meanwhile, pressed the warring factions to guarantee safe passage of aid after six trucks were looted.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said he hoped to have face-to-face meetings with both sides to secure guarantees from them for aid convoys.

Also Read: Operation Kaveri: Herculean task of evacuating Indians from El Fashir achieved

The World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that $13 million to $14 million worth of food destined to people in need in Sudan had been plundered so far.

About 100,000 people have fled Sudan with little food or water to neighbouring countries, the United Nations says.
Former US President Donald Trump slammed a New York jury that ruled he was liable for sexual abuse and defamation against a former magazine writer . Jean Carroll. Insisting that he continues to be a subject of a witch hunt, Donald Trump called the verdict a disgrace. Former US President Donald Trump. (AP)

"This verdict is a disgrace -- a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time," the former US president, using all capital letters, posted on his Truth Social media platform.

"I have absolutely no idea who this woman is," he added in reference to E. Jean Carroll. The jury ordered Donald Trump to pay $5 million in damages to the former columnist. E. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of raping her in the dressing room of a Fifth Avenue department store in the 1990s and then defaming her by calling her a liar. He was found liable for sexual abuse rather than rape, the jury noted.

This marks the first verdict against Donald Trump personally in a string of legal cases that threaten his 2024 presidential campaign. Though, Donald Trump is not at the risk of imprisonment as the case is civil rather than criminal.

Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine has also hosted a daily talk show. In 2019, she alleged that Donald Trump raped her more than two decades earlier in a sixth-floor dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue. The former president says he has never assaulted anyone.

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Despite probable bumps in the road ahead, caused by faltering economies and component shortages , more than 13m plug-in fully electric or hybrid passenger cars are likely to be sold this year, according to BloombergNEF. This will take the number of EVs on the worlds roads from 27m to more than 40m. But that is still only around 3% of the planets vehicle fleet. With another 97% to go, mass electrification of transport means there will be a huge demand for batteries and the materials they are made from. PREMIUM With another 97% to go, mass electrification of transport means there will be a huge demand for batteries and the materials they are made from. (Shutterstock)

Carmakers already fret about spiralling prices and limited supplies of lithium, the crucial ingredient of the lithium-ion batteries at the heart of this revolution. They also worry about cobalt and other ingredients used to make cathodes, the positive electrodes inside those batteries (though recent discoveries of new reserves have dampened those concerns as they relate to cobalt in particular). It does, though, take two to tango. For every cathode, a battery needs an anode, a negative electrode. Anodes are made from graphite, and a supply-shock for that material is brewing.

Graphite is a form of carbon in which the atoms are arranged in sheets. Among other things, it is the stuff used as the lead in pencilshardly the highest of tech applications. As such, anodes have been seen as a bit boring compared with cathodes, with a plentiful supply of raw material from which they can be made. But, driven by growing EV sales, demand for graphite is set to triple from 1.2m tonnes in 2022 to more than 4m tonnes a year by 2030, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a firm of analysts in London. At the moment, supply is growing at only about two-thirds that rate. So there may not be enough graphite to go round, especially as this material has other big users, such as the steel industry.

Graphite used in batteries comes in two forms, both of which have pros and cons. One is natural, dug from the groundthough the mines that produce the best grades are few and far between. The other is synthetic, coming from the roasting of so-called needle coke, a by-product created in some coal-processing and petrochemical plants. This roasting is an energy-intensive process that results in high levels of emissions. At the moment, most graphite for anodes is made in this way, but carmakers worried about their green credentials are expected, increasingly, to seek out the cleaner, mineral variety, says Andrew Miller of Benchmark.

Digging deeper

Whatever its provenance, graphite has to be purified to a level of 99.95% or betterfor the slightest impurity interferes with the flow into and out of it of lithium ions. When a battery is being charged, these ions are created at the cathode by stripping electrons from lithium atoms. The electrons are sent towards the anode through an external circuit, and the ions likewise dispatched in that direction via an electrolyte inside the battery. When they reach the anode, these ions are united with electrons supplied by the external circuit and lithium atoms are thus re-formed. Those are then squirrelled away in the graphites atomic layers until such time as the battery is called on to supply power. The process then reverses, but with the electrons in the external circuit powering a device, such as an EVs electric motor.

So far, graphite remains the best material available for anodes. But purifying it is a messy business. Conventionally, highly corrosive chemicals, such as hydrofluoric acid, are used to dissolve impurities. Most of this processing is done in China. Carmakers have been nervous enough about that countrys grip on some 60% of the worlds lithium. But, when it comes to graphite, China commands more than 90% of the supply chain.

All of these things have led a number of companies to start seeking to diversify their supplies by opening graphite mines and processing plants elsewhere, particularly in America and Europe. As those operations are often in places that impose tough environmental restrictions on industry, cleaner methods are needed. Though firms are wary about divulging trade secrets, the approaches they are devising should help clean up the industry.

Black gold

One of Europes first battery-anode plants, in Lulea, northern Sweden, has already begun supplying carmakers with production samples. This factory, owned by Talga, a firm in Perth, Australia, is fed by a graphite mine the company has developed near Vittangi, 300km yet farther north. The Vittangi mine produces some of the worlds highest-grade graphite, meaning less waste material is generated. The environmental impact can therefore be kept small, says Mark Thompson, Talgas boss.

The Lulea plant uses a process called low-temperature alkali-roasting to release impurities from graphites crystal structure. These are then washed away with acids milder than hydrofluoric. Mr Thompson says this produces less waste than conventional approaches. For bonus green points, the factory is powered by Swedens extensive supply of renewable hydroelectricity. The firm points to an independent analysis which finds the combination produces 96% less greenhouse-gas emissions than making synthetic graphite. Nevertheless, Talga is working on proprietary processes to make production greener still.

As is usual in the industry, once graphite is purified it is turned into tiny spheres that form a fine black powder, before being shipped to battery-makers. Their shape allows these particles to be packed efficiently into an anode, increasing contact between them, and thus overall conductivity. Anode-making itself is done by turning the graphite into a slurry and then coating it onto strips of copper film.

Talga hopes its Swedish operation will produce more than 100,000 tonnes of anode graphite a year. Depending on the size and performance-characteristics of an EV, its battery pack could contain some 70-90kg of graphite. The companys annual output could therefore be used to power more than 1m new vehicles.

On the other side of the world, Anthony Huston, founder of Graphite One, a firm in Vancouver, Canada, is trying something similar. His firm is carrying out exploratory mining at the appropriately named Graphite Creek, near Nome, in western Alaska (samples from which are shown in the picture on the previous page). This is estimated to contain more than 8m tonnes of the stuff, the largest deposit in the United Statesa country which has, since the 1950s, imported all its graphite.

The idea, says Mr Huston, is to ship the graphite south to a processing plant that would be built at a yet-to-be determined site in Washington state. Here it would be purified and processed, also using renewable power. Graphite One is working with Sunrise New Energy, a Chinese anode-materials company in Zibo, Shandong province, on a purification system that would gently heat the graphite in the presence of recyclable cleaning gases.

Nico Cuevas, boss of a firm called Urbix, is looking at an altogether different way to process graphite. Urbix has built a demonstration plant at its base in Mesa, Arizona. This is understood to use heat and mechanical means to excite graphite flakes in such a way that the layers of carbon within open up, allowing impurities to be washed away with less-harmful chemicals.

The Urbix method is a low-energy process clean enough to be carried out on a site zoned for light industrial use, says Mr Cuevas. The firm will use graphite from potential sources within North America, and has signed a joint development deal with SK On, a South Korean battery giant. SK On already has two battery gigafactories in America, and has formed a joint venture with Ford to build three more.

Researchers are developing anodes that use other materials. Silicon and lithium-metal anodes are theoretically more efficient at storing energy, but both come with problems. Silicon, in particular, swells and contracts with charging and discharging, which could damage a battery. However, small doses of such material can be blended into graphite to boost its performance. Urbix says its process allows such substances to be incorporated within the core of its graphite spheres.

Another possibility is to use a different type of carbon. Stora Enso, a Finnish forest-products company, reckons it can make anode material from lignin. This is a natural polymer that gives wood its stiffness, but it is treated as a waste product when wood is processed into paper. Normally, it is burnt to generate heat. Stora Enso plans to refine it into a carbon powder.

Stora Enso will not go into details about how they do this, other than to say their process involves several heat and mechanical treatments which take place at lower temperatures than those conventionally employed to produce synthetic graphite. Northvolt, a Swedish battery-maker, is looking at using the firms material.

Alternatives to graphite will, no doubt, continue to progress. But with such huge investment going into gigafactoriesalmost $300bn over the past four years, according to Benchmark, and most of that based on a familiarity with the existing materialgraphite looks like holding its own for some time to come. With new, low-impact mines and cleaner processes, the dark side of the electric car should soon become a bit greener.

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 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Pakistans former premier Imran Khan made the dramatic claim that he could be injected with poison while in custody when he appeared before a judge in Islamabad on Wednesday, even as the powerful army warned there would be a severe retaliation to any further attacks by his supporters, describing May 9 as a black chapter in the countrys history. A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan throws a stone towards police officers after they set fire to a pile of tires during clashes, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP)

While appearing before a judge in connection with the so-called Al-Qadir Trust case, in which the former premier has been accused of laundering funds for a real estate tycoon, Khan complained about the conditions in which he was arrested and suggested there could be a threat to his life.

Khan told the judge that law enforcement officials could give me an injection that causes a person to die slowly, according to Geo News channel.

They inject you and the person dies slowly, Khan was quoted as saying in a report on the website of Dawn newspaper.

During the hearing, Khan sought medical treatment by his personal physician, Faisal Sultan, and said he wanted to avoid the fate of a key witness in a 16 billion money laundering case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his family.

Malik Maqsood Ahmad or Maqsood chaprasi died in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of cardiac arrest in June 2022, according to a death certificate issued by Emirati authorities. However, Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expressed doubts about the nature of his death and sought an independent investigation into the matter.

In a separate development, the Pakistan Army issued a strongly worded statement in Urdu that denounced the protests by PTI supporters following Khans arrest. It said attacks were organised on army assets and installations and anti-army slogans were raised.

There will be a severe retaliation to any further attacks on the army, law enforcement agencies, military and state installations by the group that wants to push Pakistan into a civil war and has repeatedly attacked them, the statement warned.

On the one hand, these evil elements vigorously stir up public sentiments to fulfill their limited and selfish goals and on the other hand, they do not get tired of highlighting the importance of the army for the country while putting dust in the eyes of the people, the statement said.

What the eternal enemy of the country could not do for 75 years, this group wearing a political cloak has done in the lust for power, it said. No one can be allowed to incite people and take the law into their hands.

May 9 will be remembered as a black chapter in history due to the protestors targeting army property and installations after the arrest of Khan, it said.

The army said it has shown extreme patience, tolerance and restraint, without caring for its reputation. The armys mature response thwarted this conspiracy. We are well aware that behind this are the orders and directives of some evil leadership of the party. There was and is complete pre-planning.

The facilitators, planners and political activists involved in these operations have been identified and strict action will be taken against them as per the law and all these evil elements will now be responsible for the consequences, the statement added.

Khans dramatic arrest on Tuesday deepened the political turmoil and sparked violent protests across Pakistan. Khans party has claimed that at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and PTI supporters.

Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan. He is the only Pakistani prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

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The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a courts authorization. The German government presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for transgender people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules. (AP)

Under the planned self-determination law, adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities.

We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people, Germanys minister for families, Lisa Paus, said.

This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades, she added.

The existing transsexual law, which took effect in 1981, currently requires individuals to obtain assessments from two experts  such as physicians  whose training and experience make them sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism and then a court decision to change the gender on official documents.

Over the years, Germanys top court has struck down other provisions that required transgender people to get divorced and sterilized, and to undergo gender-transition surgery.

"Transgender people have been affected by discrimination and undignified treatment for far too long  we will finally put this condition behind us, said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who presented the proposal together with the family minister.

The new government proposal declares that for children under the age of 14, legal guardians have to submit the declaration of change, while teenagers aged 14 and older should be able to submit the declaration of change themselves  but it should include the support of their custodians.

Germany's government isn't the only one trying to make gender changes easier in Europe.

Spain passed a law earlier this year that allows people over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

Minors between 12-13 years old need a judges authorization to change, while those between 14 and 16 must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

On Tuesday, Spains Constitutional Court said it will consider a legal challenge lodged by the far-right Vox party against the new law.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf said last month he will challenge the British government over its decision to block a law that makes it easier for people to change their gender on official documents.

The passage of Scotland's bill in December was hailed by transgender rights activists but vetoed by the British government, which argued it could undermine U.K.-wide equality legislation that guarantees women and girls access to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

The bill would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It would also speed up legal recognition of the change from two years to three months for adults and to six months for people aged 16 and 17.
The plan to arrest former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was changed in the last minute, Dawn reported claiming that Rangers arrested former prime minister Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) even though the task had earlier been given to the capital police. Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday and was denied bail by the high court.

Following Imran Khan's arrest, protests erupted in Pakistan. The report quoted officials as saying that earlier the quarters concerned had tasked the police with arresting Imran during his appearance in the high court in connection with separate cases.

Then a plan was made according to which Imran Khan was to be arrested at the main entrance. However, the police were later told to take him into custody from inside the court building, the officers told Dawn.

The senior command agreed with the directions, but the supervisory officers, who were assigned the task of the arrest, opposed saying the police would pay the cost if the arrest was made from inside the premises, the report claimed.

The report also described the way in which Imran Khan was arrested claiming that,  personnel entered the room and arrested Mr Khan, took him towards an SUV and bundled him inside. A number of personnel also embarked on the vehicle and some stood on the footers along the doors.

Officers told Dawn that some leaders of Imran Khan's party managed to leave the court premises to avoid arrest, but a few, including Fawad Chaudhry, remained there and went inside a courtroom to avoid arrest.

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Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested in Pakistan's Punjab, the country's most populous province, since protests erupted after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, police said Wednesday. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, clash with police during a protest against the arrest of their leader in Peshawar on May 10, 2023.(AFP)

"Police teams arrested 945 law breakers and miscreants from across the province," officials said in a statement to media, adding 130 officers and officials were injured in the violence that broke out after Khan's arrest on Tuesday.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned civilian deaths in Gaza as "unacceptable" and appealed for it to "stop immediately" and for all parties to exercise maximum restraint, Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday. An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza.(REUTERS)

"Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the proportional use of force and taking all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations," Haq said.
For decades, Italy has worked to recover ancient Roman-era statues, Etruscan vases and other treasures that were looted from its soil and sold to museums around the world. Now, the country is coming to terms with the fact that it, too, has stolen items in its museum collections: the relics of a brutal colonial empire in North Africa that it hasn't fully reckoned with. Artifacts are being returned to their countries of origin by museums and governments in Europe and the Americas.(Representational)

Also Read: INTACH seeks heritage status for oldest railway station of Odisha at Paralakhemund

For over a year, a team of museum directors, university researchers and scholars has been conducting a census of the collections in the 498 Italian state museums to get a handle on what exactly they contain. The aim is to provide government authorities with preliminary data of the weapons, artifacts, and ritual objects Italian museums may hold, to respond to requests for restitution that have only increased amid a general reckoning over the legacies of European colonial empires and the related racial justice movements.

The survey comes as museums and governments across Europe and the Americas have undergone a sea change in giving back cultural artifacts to countries and communities of origin. These museums reason they can no longer hold the objects in good conscience if they were acquired as a result of historical violence, colonial occupation, looting or war.

Even the Vatican has gotten onto the restitution bandwagon, recently returning to Greece the three fragments of the Parthenon Marbles that it had held for two centuries. For starters, there's the Seventh Commandment: If you steal something, you have to give it back, Pope Francis explained.

The Italian audit, begun under the previous government, is continuing under Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has its roots in the neo-fascist successor party of dictator Benito Mussoli. Mussolini's Fascist regime is most closely associated with Italy's North African colonies, which covered Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia as well as a protectorate in Albania. The empire began in the late 19th century, but Mussolini tried to expand it, only to be forced to relinquish it after World War II, with Italy's final administration of Somalia ending in 1960.

Even though we had a more ephemeral colonial history than Britain, Germany, France or Belgium, the problem obviously cannot be underestimated by us, the Culture Ministry official in charge of museums, Massimo Osanna, told a recent conference on restitution. We must rethink the collections, rethink the institutions and rethink the transparency of the narrative, as well as case-by-case restitutions.

Also Read: What's ailing Indian arts?

Osanna has tasked a group of museum directors and academics, headed by Christian Greco, director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, with the audit. The committee has enlisted a dozen graduate students who are helping curators go through their storerooms and archives to understand what's there.

In an interview, Greco acknowledged the issue of restitution and Italy's colonial past remains sensitive. He said he had expected resistance when his team sent out a questionnaire asking museums if they held objects that may have been acquired in ways that would be considered unethical today.

I was expecting people to be afraid, but actually the contrary is happening, people are very excited that this is happening, he said, adding that 30 museums with substantial collections had already responded. The aim is to produce a report to the Culture Ministry by mid-year, and to then organize an international symposium in the second half of the year to discuss the findings.

Objects just don't necessarily tell us about the past, they tell a lot about us, Greco said. When I look at objects of ancient Egypt, do they tell me something about ancient Egyptian civilizations, or do they tell me much more about Eurocentrism?"

It seems appropriate that Italy's experiment in coming to terms with its colonial past, including the recent restitution conference, is based at the Museum of Civilizations, located in one of the huge travertine blocks of Fascist architecture in Mussolini's utopian neighborhood of EUR, in southern Rome.

The museum itself is something of a marvel, rebranded in 2016 as a compendium of 2 million objects from a half-dozen old collections: the Colonial Museum, Museum of Oriental Art, Museum of Medieval Art, the Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum and Museum of Traditional Popular Arts.

The most problematic among them is the 12,000-piece collection from the Colonial Museum, which Mussolini himself inaugurated in 1923. Initially made up of war loot sent home by Italian military officers in North Africa, the museum wasn't aimed at teaching Italians about African cultures, but rather to show folks back home the greatness of Italy's military conquests abroad, and how they were helping provide raw materials for Italian industry.

It was propaganda, purely a propaganda museum that had the purpose of creating a colonial consciousness in the visitor, said curator Rosa Anna Di Lella.

The museum storerooms overflow with imposing busts of mustachioed Italian military heroes; specimens of Libyan cotton, Eritrean sunflower seeds, Somalian beans; and plaster facial masks made on live subjects, relics of the anthropological studies of racial typologies that are today so controversial they aren't exhibited.

It is here that Museum of Civilizations director Andrea Viliani is embarking on a radical rethink of the museum, its problematic collections and the narrative of Italy's colonial-era past, starting with a preliminary exhibition opening in June.

Also Read: Climate activists pour charcoal in Rome's famous fountain, say 'future as black'

Alongside a section on restitution, the exhibit will include two giant wall murals that Italian troops stole from the Ethiopian parliament. Also on display: a painting of the Battle of Adwa, the decisive 1896 battle in the First Italo-Ethiopian War that (temporarily) halted the Kingdom of Italy's advance in North Africa.

Most Italian-made renditions of the battle depict the Italian martyrs who lost. The work going on display was painted by an Ethiopian artist and celebrates the Ethiopian victory in what came to epitomize pan-African independence at a time when European empires were carving up the continent.

Villiani said the time had come for ethnographic museums like his to tell histories in a different way, giving voice to peoples whose stories haven't been told. Italy, he said, is a bit behind other European countries, but has a unique role to play, given it has been both perpetrator and victim of looting.

We are at the beginning, a beginning that is still made up precisely ... of testing the ground and finding the language," he said. It's a journey that will need more chapters, and we can't know how it will end.

For Italy, the question of restitution is not entirely unfamiliar: It has spearheaded legal frameworks to bring home thousands of antiquities stolen in recent decades from its soil by unscrupulous tombaroli, or tomb robbers. It has won back so much loot that it recently inaugurated the Museum of Salvaged Art, where returned items spend time in Rome before being shipped back to the regions from where they were stolen.

And Italy over the years has given back plenty of Holocaust-era and other stolen loot  four returned objects were unveiled in Egypt just this week. It has also undertaken two high-profile restitutions from its colonial past: In 2005, Italy returned to Ethiopia the massive, 160-ton Axum Obelisk, which Mussolini ordered sent to Rome in 1937 after his troops overran Ethiopia. And in 2008, then-Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi handed over to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi the Venus of Cyrene, an ancient Roman statue taken in 1913 by Italian troops.

The statue reportedly disappeared in the chaos that engulfed Libya following the 2011 fall of Gadhafi, providing fodder to restitution critics who maintain that humanity is better served when its artifacts are safe in European museums, visible to millions, even if deprived of their cultural context.

Dan Hicks, the Oxford archaeologist who has spearheaded the restitution movement of the Benin Bronzes and other cultural artifacts, says that retain and explain argument is bunk and that Italy is right to be joining other European museums in handing back its loot.

Also Read: Rare T. Rex skeleton expected to fetch $5.6- $8.9 million at Zurich auction

Hicks, who spoke alongside Osanna at the restitution conference, has argued that anthropological museums today must now become the public spaces to debate problematic collections, while permitting also case-by-case restitutions. He says cultural audiences today no longer tolerate unethically sourced museum exhibits.

We don't want to walk around the museums constantly having to think, 'OK, this is interesting, but is there someone, somewhere asking for it back? he said.
Prince Harry's Spare ghostwriter, JR Moehringer revealed some of the biggest bombshells to come out of the writing process. These included 2am phone calls, emotional revelations and heated debates with the Duke of Sussex. JR Moehringer also recalled a meeting with the royal inner circle, his "weird" encounter with Prince Harry and kind gestures from Meghan Markle as he claimed that he was stalked and harassed after his name was leaked ahead of the book's release date. Britain's Prince Harry. (AP)

JR Moehringer said that when he was on a 2am Zoom call with Prince Harry once, both of them got into a heated row as they were reviewing the Duke's latest edits.

My head was pounding, my jaw was clenched, and I was starting to raise my voice. And yet some part of me was still able to step outside the situation and think, this is so weird. Im shouting at Prince Harry. Then, as Harry started going back at me, as his cheeks flushed and his eyes narrowed, a more pressing thought occurred, whoa, it could all end right here, JR Moehringer said.

JR Moehringer said there were tears in Harry's eyes after the book was released. Prince Harry thanked his publishing team and editor during which the ghostwriter said, He mentioned my advice, to 'trust the book,' and said he was glad that he did, because it felt incredible to have the truth out there, to feelhis voice caught'free'.

"There were tears in his eyes. Mine, too," he said.

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As King Charles III was crowned in the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey as he ascended the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, the countrys longest-serving monarch. Previously, reports expressed concern over King Charles' health claiming that his fingers appeared excessively red and swollen. The photos prompted speculation from various members of the medical community, who suggested the swelling could be caused due to a condition called oedema, as per The Mirror. King Charles Health: Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London.(AP)

Oedema is characterised by swelling in the arms, hands, ankles, feet, and/or, legs which is usually caused by a fluid retention in these areas. King Charles' swollen hands were first talked about in a letter by his mother to her former music teacher.

According to The Mirror, Queen Elizabeth 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 fathers. It will be interesting to see what they become. I still find it hard to believe I have a baby of my own!

King Charles also referred to them himself, once in a letter to a friend. I cant tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine," he wrote.

In 2021, when Charles and Camilla travelled to South London to celebrate the re-opening of non-essential stores, the swelling of hands was discussed again.

In 2018, Prince William made a reference to them during a speech on the occasion of Charless birthday as well.

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A man who burst into an orphanage in Poland killed a teenage girl and injured nine people in a knife attack, police in the central city of Lodz said. Four of the injured who sustained injuries were treated on the spot.(Representative image/iStockphoto)

Also Read: After Texas shooting, a resigned White House throws its hands up in frustration

Police have detained the assailant in Tuesday night's incident, and are investigating the reasons for the attack, spokewoman Aneta Sobieraj told public television.

"Unfortunately, as a result of this incident, a 16-year-old girl, a ward of the orphanage, died on the spot, and five people were hospitalised," she added.

Also Read: 15 killed, 25 injured as bus falls off bridge in MP's Khargone

Four of the injured were treated on the spot, she said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is enroute from London to riot hit Pakistan after the arrest of PTI Chief Imran Niazi on charges of corruption in Al Qadir Trust case. While Sharif has called for a Cabinet meeting at 6 pm today, it is still not clear when Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir returns to Rawalpindi from Oman. PTI supporters attack Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi after arrest of their party chief Imran Niazi on Tuesday.

While Imran Niazi will be produced before the court anytime soon, the former PM faces indictment in the Toshakhana case today amidst on-going protests by PTI supporters. The PTI party leadership is also expected to meet the Chief Election Commission later in the day.

While PTI supporters vented their fury post Imran Niazi arrest on public property, their main target was once venerable Pakistan Army Institutions all over the country with no retaliation from the latter. The Pakistan diaspora also protested the arrest of Niazi by holding demonstrations from Toronto to Atlanta besides in various cities of the UK.

With their main leader Niazi facing serious corruption charges and other PTI leaders under watch, the Pakistan public anger may dissipate today unless the apex court of Pakistan provides relief to the incarcerated mercurial leader. But in the meantime, the protestors by taking on the high and mighty Pakistan Army have seriously hit at the credibility of Rawalpindi GHQ with total confusion within the military and political leadership.

Pakistan today faces a triple whammy from a weakened military, discredited politicians, and a spiraling down economy with the west looking the other way since Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar advocated strategic ties with iron brother China over the US in a leaked memo to Shehbaz Sharif. With Niazi targeting US in the past for ousting his government, neither America nor legacy ally UK is willing to intervene in the current chaos. Honey and milk ally China is likely to play both sides after investment of billions of US dollars into Pakistan's economy and infrastructure.

The problems of Pakistan are not limited to the political flux in the Islamic Republic but also its dwindling economy with the possibility of the country going into loan default if it does not get IMF support before June. The countrys foreign exchange reserves are at a rock bottom with skyrocketing food prices and rising energy costs. To add to this is the threat from terror groups in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Baluchistan to the ruling Punjab with Rawalpindis own child, the Taliban, adding to the pressure on the Durand Line.

Pakistans situation is expected to take a deep dive before any expected recovery unless the Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir shows his leadership in maintaining law and order and rising resentment against him within the Rawalpindi GHQ. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif needs to put his head down and deliver on Pakistan rather than making frequent visits to London to seek advice from his exiled brother Nawaz or to the Middle East to beg for economic support. Pakistan today is not very different from Sri Lanka in 2022, except the enemy of the public in Islamic Republic is the Army and not the political leadership as was in Colombo last year.

(EOM)

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the ongoing violence and riots prompted across the nation by supporters of former PM Imran Khan following his arrest on corruption charges a day before. In his first address to the nation since the unrest, Sharif acknowledged the tumultuous nature of Pakistan's political history and added that revengeful acts in politics never rendered good results for the nation. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.(REUTERS)

Sharif also slammed Khan for the ongoing unrest in the nation and raked up the issue of the alleged corrupt practices carried out by Khan during his tenure as the prime minister.

Sharif said during Khans rule, the latter's ministers used to air details of cases against political opponents, in which even the family members were not spared by the authorities. Not only political opponents but family and relatives were not forgiven too, Sharif said.

He termed damaging public property an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country. He also said the miscreants must stop their anti-state activities at once and warned of consequences. The protection of the state and ideology of Pakistan is more preciousnobody will be allowed to conspire against it, the Islamic Republics premier warned.

Sharif defended Khans arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case and said the National Accountability Bureau or NAB is conducting the investigation on the basis of the evidence. He slammed the PTI chairman for committing an unforgivable crime by unleashing the mayhem in the state caused after his arrest.

Khans arrest on Tuesday from Islamabad high court led to violent clashes across the country, leaving at least six people dead. The ex-Pakistan PMs supporters were reported to be violently attacking public property and military installations, including setting the Peshawar radio station on fire and storming the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, ousted last year as the PM, faces charges in multiple graft cases. Following the violent demonstration, the Pakistan army was deployed in some provinces including Islamabad to maintain law and order. As per the cops, nearly 1,000 people have been arrested so far.

In the wake of increased clashes, the Pakistan Cabinet this evening also mulled imposing Article 232 in the nation, which allows the president to declare a state of emergency.

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Ex-Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi - a close aide of ex-prime minister Imran Khan - has been arrested in Islamabad, Pakistani broadcaster Geo TV reported Wednesday evening. News of Qureshi's arrest came hours after Imran Khan - whose arrest Tuesday sparked violent clashes and riots in that country - was remanded to the custody of a Pakistani anti-corruption agency for eight days in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. In initial reports Geo TV said Qureshi's arrest was part of the anti-corruption agency's 'crack down' on the leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party led by Imran Khan, 70. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi(REUTERS File Photo)

Apart from Qureshi, authorities also detained Asad Umar, the PTI's secretary-general. Both are in a police station in the federal capital. Reports say cops are trying to arrest senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry as well. PTI leaders are being rounded up to maintain law and order, sources told the Pak broadcaster.

READ | Imran Khan sent to 8-day custody of Pakistan's anti-corruption body

"The court has approved eight days of physical remand of Imran Khan," a lawyer for the ex-PM told news agency AFP on the phone after an Islamabad court's closed-door hearing.

Shortly before that another court indicted him in the 'Toshakhana' corruption case - a separate matter that sees him accused of illegally selling state gifts received during his time as PM (2018-22) and stored in a national treasury.

Set up in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department that stores precious gifts given to Pak heads of state, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials.

Khan was sent to the custody of the National Accountability Bureau in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which he is accused of looting 50 billion Pakistani rupees.

READ | Pakistan's Imran Khan arrested: What is Al-Qadir Trust case?

The NAB sought custody of Khan for 14 days and the court initially reserved its verdict, only to announce a U-turn and send the ex-PM to the agency.

Khan was arrested Tuesday and that was followed by massive protests across Pakistan, with his followers storming police stations and clashing with security forces. At least four deaths have been reported so far amid the fighting.

The Army has been deployed in Pakistan and nearly 1,000 people have been arrested in the province of Punjab, Pak's most populous, police told news agency AFP. "Police teams arrested 945 law breakers and miscreants..." officials said, adding 130 officials had been injured in the violence.

With input from agencies

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Prince Harry attended the coronation ceremony of his father King Charles alone without his wife Meghan Markle and was seen mouthing I am fed up when he was seated in the third row away from his family, a lip reader claimed. "I'm tired of the way they treat me," Prince Harry told Jack Brooksbank, his cousin Princess Eugenie's husband, the expert told the Daily Star, suggesting that Prince Harry replied to an unknown question from Jack which was referring to Meghan, saying, "No, she's at ..." Prince Harry was seen at his father King Charles III's coronation in the UK.

While tilting his head, Jack allegedly then asked: "And is she?"

Nodding to confirm, Prince Harry added: It's not ideal.

"If it makes [you] feel any better even I can do it," Jack told Harry, adding, "It's not quite the life, is it?"

I haven't had time for that, not if it's over, Prince Harry said.

Parts of the conversation were hard to decipher due to various guests walking in front of the pair, the lip reader claimed. It was also reported that Prince Harry rushed back to the US to celebrate his son Archie's fourth birthday.

Jack and Eugenie are some of the only royal family members who have continued to meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, The Mirror reported, after the Sussexes moved to California as they stepped down from royal duties in 2020. Eugenie- Prince Andrew's second eldest daughter was the first royal visitor to see the Sussexes when they moved to California, the report claimed. Prince Harry also recalled attending a Halloween party with his cousin in his book Spare.

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Red crosses have mysteriously appeared on some streets in Moscow, Newsweek reported citing Ukrainian media. The markings on roads in Moscow sparked theories that they could be targets for drone or missile attacks. Russia-Ukraine War: The existence of the crosses could not be independently verified.

"In Moscow, people are going crazy because of the red crosses that have appeared around the city," Ukrainian journalist Andrey Tsaplienko wrote suggesting the crosses may have been an attempt to troll Russians.

Reports of the crosses came mostly from Ukrainian journalists and social media. Although the existence of the crosses could not be independently verified.

"May 9 is a sacred date for Russians and Kremlin criminal Vladimir Putin," Online.UA, a Russian-language Ukrainian media outlet, reported noting how parades in cities across Russia had been canceled due to security concerns.

"Photos of red marks near the Ministry of Defense building," it added, probably, such marks indicate places for strikes by missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).

"Marks for missiles or UAVs allegedly appeared on the streets of Moscow," news outlet Trukha reported. "They are clearly in a festive mood before May 9," it added.

Earlier it was reported that Ukrainian buildings and roads had been marked with crosses and circles to demarcate targets for Russian forces. This comes as Vladimir Putin addressed the Victory Day, with only a single tank on display and no fly past.

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Without naming Imran Khan, his ex-wife Reham Khan said she has no personal vendetta against anyone and her only concern has been the safety of Pakistanis. The comment comes hours after former Pakistan PM Imran Khan was arrested dramatically in a corruption case. "Individuals have been used by external forces to cripple the economy & create anarchy throughout our chequered history. We need to change our course," Reham Khan wrote. "It is not a moment to rejoice but a moment to reflect. Those who celebrated in 2018 are mourning today," Reham wrote while Pakistan sees violent protests by Imran Khan supporters. Imran Khan's ex-wife Reham Khan did not take any name in her comment after Imran Khan's arrest on Tuesday.

70-year-old Imran Khan spent the night in custody as he was not granted a bail by the court which called the arrest 'legal'. On Wednesday, he was scheduled to be presented before the accountability court. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said it "will do its best to keep Imran Khan under custody for at least four to five days". We will seek the maximum physical remand of 14 days from the court," a NAB source was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Imran Khan was detained at NAB's Rawalpindi regional headquarters in a "comfortable atmostphere", reports said. Despite allegations from his party workers that he was wounded in the process of the sudden arrest, NAB said Imran Khan will not be treated harshly and will be only questioned regarding his alleged involvement in the case.

The case pertains to Al-Qadir Trust which is co-owned by Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Reham Khan has been a much-discussed name in Pakistan politics as she spilled many secrets about Imran Khan after their 10-month marriage (2005) fell apart. The Pakistani-British television journalist in 2022 announced her marriage to model and actor Mirza Bilal Baig.

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In the recent coronation of King Charles III, Prince Harry attended the ceremony without his wife, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. Harry's body language at the ceremony and his hurried exit from London led to speculations about the deep rot in his ties with his father King Charles and other members of the royal family. Prince Harry (AP)

In an interaction with Us Weekly, True Royalty TV editor-in-chief Nick Bullen weighed in on where the relationship between the royal family and Harry-Meghan is headed after the recent coronation ceremony.

ALSO READ| Laundering, lies and Covid fraud: Republican Party's George Santos indicted

The event was the beginning of the end of the Sussexs interaction with the royal family, he said.

It felt like Harry and Meghan were just sort of a sidebar to all of this, Bullen added and noted that the ceremony was absolutely history [and signified] the future.

Notably, during his presence at the ceremony, Harry sat in the third row at Westminster Abbey, two rows behind his brother Prince William. He didn't interact with either King Charles or Prince William.

Highlighting the evident rift between Prince Harry and the royal family, Bullen said: It felt like the family had sort of put a line in the ground and [said], Right, we are moving forward.

The royal expert also talked about the possibility of Prince Harry and Meghan's possible visit to the royal family in near future.

There seems to be no reason for him to come back to London anytime soon, said Bullen.

Talking about the Duchess of Sussex, the royal expert said that Meghan is showing no interest in coming back.

Meanwhile, Meghan is said to have not attended the coronation as the date coincided with her son Archie's 4th birthday and she chose to stay back and celebrate it. Interestingly, after attending the coronation, Harry also flew back to USA the same day as he didn't want to miss out on his son's birthday celebration.

Prince Harry-Meghan's relationship with the royal family took a turn for the worse when the couple deserted their royal life in London and moved to California, USA. In January 2023, Prince Harry got his memoir "Spare" published which contained sensational revelations about the royal family including King Charles and Prince William. In "Spare", Harry also talked about his differences with King Charles and Prince William. The bombshell memoir accentuated the strained ties and brought it to public glare.
Prince Harry's Spare ghostwriter, JR Moehringer said that during an emotional moment between the pair on Zoom, the Duke of Sussex claimed that he was belittled by all the people in his life. As the author shared shocking claims about the writing process of Spare, JR Moehringer said that he and Prince Harry were engaged in several 2am phone calls during that time which were full of emotional revelations by Prince Harry and heated debates as well. Prince Harry leaves alone after The King and Queen Consort depart Westminster Abbey, in London, United Kingdom.(Reuters)

JR Moehringer recounted a meeting with the royal inner circle, his "weird" encounter with Prince Harry and kind gestures from Meghan Markle while claiming that he was stalked and harassed after his name was leaked ahead of the book's release.

Sharing another such emotional moment with Prince Harry, JR Moehringer said that during a Zoom meeting "Harry calmly explained that, all his life, people had belittled his intellectual capabilities."

I told him, everything you just said is about you. You want the world to know that you did a good job, that you were smart. Its a story carved from your life, a particular series of events chosen because they have the greatest resonance for the widest range of people, and at this point in the story those people dont need to know anything more than that your captors said a cruel thing about your mum, he added.

This comes as Prince Harry attended King Charles' coronation last week after speculation that he would choose not to. His wife Meghan Markle gave the ceremony a miss.

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Ghostwriter of Prince Harry's memoir- JR Moehringer- who visited the couple's home a number of times during the writing of Spare, recalled Meghan Markle's sweet gesture to him after he revealed that he was missing his family. Meghan Markle would visit him in the guest house and bring "trays of food and sweets", he said, adding that she also gifted his children some toys while he was away from his family. Meghan Markle at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

The ghostwriter also said that as he rigorously fact-checked Prince Harry's book before it was released, he was shocked when one anecdote came up for discussion. In the memoir, Prince Harry said that he always looked forward to the yearly sales at TK Maxx, the discount clothing chain. Although, the store hit back on Twitter claiming it "never has sales, just great savings all the time!"

The monarchists at TK Maxx corporate, who rushed out a statement declaring that TK Maxx never has sales, just great savings all the time! Oh, snap! Gotcha, Prince George Santos! Except that people around the world immediately posted screenshots of TK Maxx touting sales on its official Twitter account, JR Moehringer said.

The ghostwriter also hinted that the store's attempt to discredit Prince Harry may be due to its long-standing links to King Charles and The Prince's Trust. The ghostwriter also said that following the publication, the response had been that of a frenzied mob and that he and his family had been targeted by the paparazzi.

The British press now converted the book into their native tongue, that jabberwocky of bonkers hot takes and classist snark. Facts were wrenched out of context, complex emotions were reduced to cartoonish idiocy, innocent passages were hyped into outrages  and there were so many falsehoods," he said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has no goals or strategy for Ukraine, former Russian commander Igor Girkin said. Slamming the Russian leader for lacking goals or a strategy, Igor Girkin said as per Newsweek, The goals of the war are not defined, the understanding that 'this war - until the complete victory of one of the parties' - also did not arise among the inhabitants of the Planet of Pink Pony. Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin.(Reuters)

While announcing the special military operation in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin had said that the aim is to liberate the separatist Donbas region and rid the Ukrainian government of Nazis. But Igor Girkin claimed that there can be "no strategy" for the war if Vladmir Putin is unclear on its goals.

If there is no strategy, there is no conscious work on its implementation. And the enemy initially has such a strategy and he implements it with all his might, Igor Girkin said.

Russia will soon "be beaten" since its military did not succeed in beating the enemy during the winter-spring campaign at all, he added.

The comments comes as the fighting for control of Bakhmut continues, with the Wagner Group appearing to reverse course on plans to leave the city, only to change later. Bakhmut has seen some of the most intense fightin in Ukraine. Kyiv has reportedly planned to launch a counteroffensive in the coming months to reclaim more occupied territory.

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Former President Donald Trump has been found liable for battery and defamation in a civil lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, a writer, and journalist who alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll also accused Trump of defaming her when he denied the assault and suggested she was lying to promote her book. FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Convention in Indianapolis, on April 14, 2023.(AP)

Although the jury did not find that Trump raped Carroll, they awarded her $5 million for battery and defamation. The verdict has sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) adding his voice to the condemnation of Trump.

In an interview with CNN, Sen. Romney stated that Trump was not fit for the presidency and hoped that the American people would reach the same conclusion. He cited the verdict as evidence of Trump's unsuitability for the highest office in the land.

Trump did not attend the trial, and he does not face any jail time as a result of the civil verdict. However, the ruling has raised questions about Trump's legal and political future. The verdict will not affect his ability to run for president, as it is a civil case.

Trump is also facing criminal exposure in an unrelated case brought against him by Manhattan prosecutors for hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. However, a successful criminal prosecution is unlikely to prevent him from running for office again.

Despite the legal technicalities, the verdict has dealt a blow to Trump's reputation and has prompted renewed scrutiny of his conduct towards women. Carroll hailed the verdict as a victory for herself and other victims of abuse, while Trump's attorneys expressed disappointment and vowed to appeal.

The trial also highlighted the continued political polarization in the United States, with Trump's supporters and opponents fiercely divided over the verdict. Some conservative commentators dismissed the ruling as a politically motivated attack on Trump, while others called for him to be held accountable for his actions.
Chennai : While the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court of India is hearing a number of petitions seeking marriage equality  and the government has to come back with administrative reforms that it is willing to make to enable same-sex and queer couples to access benefits and rights otherwise denied to them  a similar fight is in its nascent stage in neighbouring Sri Lanka. PREMIUM The motivation for the petitioners seeking decriminalisation stemmed from the will as well as fear that if they do not start their legal battle now, the LGBTQIA+ community in Sri Lanka can never move forward. (Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the five-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud called the argument that the right to marry isnt a constitutional right, far fetched. The same day, across the Palk Strait, Sri Lanka speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in the Sri Lankan parliament that the countrys Supreme Court in Colombo had held that decriminalising homosexuality was not inconsistent with the Constitution.

Consequently, the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, presented before the Parliament by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Premanath C. Dolawatte on April 4 can be passed with a simple majority  and will not require either a two-thirds majority or a peoples referendum, as sought by the petitioners who challenged this bill in court on April 17.

The Sri Lanka Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions to decide whether it was constitutional to change section 365 and section 365A of the island nations penal code that would lead to decriminalising homosexuality. It further held that such changes, when brought about by the legislature, would affirm the constitutional rights of sections of Sri Lankan society.

Section 365 (carnal intercourse against the order of nature) in Sri Lanka is the equivalent of Indias section 377 (unnatural offences under the Indian Penal Code). Section 365 (A) in Sri Lanka pertains to offences under Gross Indecency.

The motivation for the petitioners seeking decriminalisation stemmed from the will as well as fear that if they do not start their legal battle now, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community in Sri Lanka can never move forward. We have been forced to defend ourselves, says one of the petitioners in this case, Pasan Jayasinghe, a 34-year-old PhD scholar and queer activist based in Colombo. And so many countries like India are showing us that this is a gateway to a larger social reform. That the state cannot simply call us a criminal and take us to jail.

For petitioners like Pasan and 45-year-old transgender man Thenu Ranketh who is the director of Colombo-based NGO Venasa Transgender Network, this case is at once a culmination of their efforts and a starting point towards a larger discourse on the LGBGTQIA+ community.

And it is not just their peers but mental health professionals, lawyers, former undersecretary general of the United Nations, Radhika Coomaraswamy and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Savithri Gunasekara who are part of more than a dozen intervening petitioners in the case.

I thought in my lifetime it was impossible to speak about LGBT rights in public because of Sri Lankas culture, said Thenu. But, look where we are now. We have allies who have filed cases. They are supporting us in public. We are raising visibility. This case has helped us to make so many connections. Thenu spoke to this correspondent in Sinhalese with the help of an English translator.

Opposition to homosexuality

The arguments presented before the Sri Lankan court against Dolawattes progressive bill followed a similar line as those presented before the Indian apex court by the Union of India: that recognition of same-sex desire, and rights and entitlements, threatened the very fabric of heterosexual society.

Ironically, Dolawattes own political party, the Sri Lankas Peoples Front known as Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP members Jehan Hameed, Shenali Waduge and Athula De Silva) opposed the bill in the court on the grounds that it will expose children to child abuse, increase cases of HIV/ AIDS, it is against Buddhism and that it is inconsistent with (Articles 120 and 121) of the constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Exposure to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] programmes in schools could impact the free decision-making power of children and give rise to transgender children, the opposing petitioners held.

The court [can only] determine whether the Bill is consistent with the Constitution or not, said petitioner Radika Gunaratne, a human rights lawyer and trainer on gender equity and social inclusivity. In Sri Lanka only the Parliament can decide on decriminalisation, she added.

However, the legal battle has opened up the space for queer Sri Lankans to voice their protest against their criminalisation  a battle that the Indian queer community has fought in the courts since the 1990s, when a Delhi-based non governmental organisation AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA) filed the first petition in the Delhi high court challenging Section 377. Though the petition never went anywhere, it was another petition filed in 2001 by another organisation, Naz Foundation (India) Trust, that eventually led to the reading down of the criminal section in the Indian Penal Code to not apply to consenting same sex desiring adults. The high court verdict was challenged and overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. And it was only in 2018, when a clutch of petitioners including Navtej Johar, moved the Supreme Court seeking decriminalisation. On September 6, 2018, a constitution bench of the top court read down the act.

In Sri Lanka, the intervening petitioners have argued in the top court that Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code are misused by State authorities, and particularly the Sri Lanka Police to mistreat LGBTQI+ community. This mistreatment extends to the infliction of physical and sexual violence, detention without cause, and subjection to forced anal and vaginal examinations, the petition states. The phrase any act of gross indecency in section 365A has been used extensively against the homosexual community, the petitions say adding that even those seen merely holding hands have been arrested.

There are several cases of police torture against individuals of the community, said Gunarate. And because of the criminalisation, they go through double victimisation. In cases of intimate partner violence (within the queer community) which Gunaratne has handled, she said she cannot get a redressal from the system because the police will prosecute the perpetrator and the victims of domestic violence under these sections.

Way ahead

With the Sri Lanka top court paving the way for the bill to be heard in the Parliament, the occasion is being met with cheer over the top courts recognition that the LGBT communities have been denied a constitutional right.

This fight for equal rights in Sri Lanka has a specific significance given its place in the world as a debt-ridden island with poor standards of human rights during its bloody civil war. The complaints of barbaric violations by the Sri Lankan army during its 30-years of civil war before defeating the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, continues to be a matter of concern among the international community.

And in recent years Sri Lanka has reeled under multiple crises. The Easter Sunday terror attacks in April 2019 which killed more than 250 civilians was followed by three changes of governments in Sri Lanka. The island's debt worsened during the Covid pandemic in 2020. For much of last year, there was a shortage of food, medicines, fuel, electricity, and jobs. Suffering their worst economic crisis, Sri Lankas went on mass protests from April to August last year forcing the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the island-nation for seven weeks.

Like any other emergency situation and crisis, it affected the minorities the most including the LGBTQIA+ community. Some of the trans people are on the brink of starvation, said Thenu. Almost no one has returned to normalcy or stability. So, the struggle due to lack of access to basic rights such as health, education and jobs is also a part of an emerging discourse due to the case. Which is why I think that this is the states responsibility and it should not just be a private members Bill, says Gunaratne. "But, this is an important start."

The petitioners cited legislations across the world including Navtej Johar versus the Union of India (2018).

The judgements and arguments first in the Delhi high court and later in Supreme Court on 377 has served as an inspiration to the case in Sri Lanka, says queer feminist and advocate, Ponni Arasu who as part of the Alternative Law Firm, (among the coalition of Voices Against 377, one of the intervenors in the Delhi high court hearings), was at the helm in drafting the arguments at the time.

Arasu pointed to similarities in how Sri Lanka is countering the argument that decriminalisation is against Sinhalese-Buddhist culture with how they opposed the opinion that section 377 helped uphold Indian culture. This is why our arguments are publicly available so it can be used by anyone, said Arasu. And a major influence outside the court, is that the case in India has opened up resources in South Asia (as opposed to Western publishers) which can be accessed by the Queer community in Sri Lanka.

Several countries including the UK, USA, South Africa, have decriminalised consensual homosexual relationships. The Lankan petitioners have also taken the example of another troubled neighbour, Pakistan who in 2018 enacted the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act which is considered one of the most progressive laws in the world.

So notwithstanding what happens in the Parliament, the community and their allies believe it's a flashpoint. Its a movement where we have to catch up with the changing times. There is no coming back from this, said Sarala Emmanuel, a human rights activist. Because of whats happening in India and the access to social media, Tamil pop culture, the younger generation is coming out to fight for an equal life.

Arasu said that this case is an opportunity for the queer community in Sri Lanka to have the tough conversations on class and ethnicity and move from an institution-based approach. Post-war, spaces working on LGBT rights became more institutionalised but activists in Sri Lanka have said that this has not resulted in more access to helplines and shelters when queer folks have faced violence and are out of homes, said Arasu. In India, through the process of the legal battle against 377 we became more confident individuals and we eventually came together as a community. I hope that happens to the Sri Lankan queer community too.
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear on a CNN town hall event tonight at 8:00 PM ET, where he will face adversarial questioning from the network he once called "fake news." Trump's appearance comes a day after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll, and he is likely to be pressed on that verdict and previous charges from Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg regarding payments to a porn actress. The town hall promises to be a dramatic event that will likely draw a large audience. Donald Trump: Former US president Donald Trump holds a rally in Youngstown.(Reuters)

It remains to be seen whether Trump will continue his attacks on CNN or adopt a more conciliatory tone. Before Tuesday's verdict, the ex-president posted a statement in which he claimed that CNN was "rightfully desperate" to increase its ratings by featuring him.

They made me a deal I couldnt refuse!!! Trump wrote on Truth Social. Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Lets see what happens? Wednesday Night at 8:00!!!

There is speculation that CNN is seeking to reposition itself closer to the center under its current CEO and chairman Chris Licht, while Trump has the incentive to reach beyond his base and broaden his appeal.

One of the main issues to watch will be what Trump has to say about the E. Jean Carroll verdict. Trump has been quick to dismiss the charges as a "witch hunt" and "bogus case" targeting him. However, he may choose to repeat previous attacks on Carroll's character, which could repel female voters and expose him to accusations of defamation. CNN will likely have to push back against any such allegations from Trump, or risk being seen as complicit in his behavior.

Also Read | Senator Romney deems Trump unfit for presidency after E. Jean Carroll lawsuit verdict

Finally, it remains to be seen whether Trump's main target will be President Biden or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump has recently been attacking DeSantis with increasing frequency, calling him "DeSanctimonious" and declaring him "a total flameout" who is "dropping like a rock in the Polls." Trump will want to keep the heat on DeSantis, hoping to snuff out his rival's candidacy early.

Trump's appearance on CNN promises to be explosive and controversial, with the potential to shape the political landscape in the coming weeks and months.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday called on governments to allow civilians fleeing Sudan into their territory and not to send them back to the conflict-torn country. Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR's Director of International Protection, at a briefing in Geneva.(Twitter)

Also Read: We failed to stop Sudan war as clashes break truce: UN chief

"We're advising governments not to return people to Sudan because of the conflict that's going on there," Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR's Director of International Protection, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.

"This applies to Sudanese nationals, to foreign nationals, including refugees who are being hosted in Sudan, stateless persons, as well as those who do not have a passport or any other form of identification," Tan said.

The conflict in Sudan has forced about 100,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries, according to the UN, and has hindered aid deliveries in a country where about one-third of people already relied on humanitarian assistance.

Also Read: Heavy fighting in Sudan, children caught in conflict: UN

Tan said there was no indication that civilians from Sudan were not being allowed to enter neighbouring countries, even though there was a build-up of people at the border with Egypt.

"There are likely to be high levels of international protection needs amongst those who are fleeing," Tan said of civilians fleeing Sudan.
The United States is encouraging the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan as an observer at its annual meeting in Geneva from May 21 to 30, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Antony, Blinken. (Getty Images via AFP)

Also Read: US erroneous words and deeds to blame for state of ties: Chinese FM

China, which considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces, began blocking its participation in the WHO's annual assembly from 2017, in a diplomatic campaign to isolate the island, which rejects the Chinese sovereignty claims.

"Inviting Taiwan as an observer would exemplify the WHOs commitment to an inclusive, 'health for all' approach to international health cooperation," Blinken said in a statement.

Also Read: US plans to provide $500 million worth arms aid to Taiwan: Report

The U.S. support for participation is in line with Washington's one-China policy, he added.

In a statement, Taiwan's foreign ministry thanked the United States for its strong support for participation, adding that the island's exclusion would be "completely beyond reason" and harm global health co-operation.
An American woman who wrote a children's book on coping with grief after her husband's death last year has been accused of poisoning him with a lethal dose of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid drug primarily used as an analgesic. Kouri Richins, 33, was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, US broadcaster NBC News reported. Kouri Richins with her late husband Eric.(New York Post)

Eric Richins died near Salt Lake City in Utah on March 4 last year. Police responded after his wife called '911' to report she found him unresponsive in their bedroom, according to a probable cause statement.

A court document said that before her husband's death, the suspect had asked an acquaintance for something strong - 'some of the Michael Jackson stuff' - the outlet reported. The acquaintance got dozens of fentanyl pills for her, the document showed.

The accused later published a book 'Are You With Me?' to 'create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one', according to a description on Amazon. It said the book will help reassure children that although their loved one 'is not present, their presence always exist and they walk through life with you as if they were here'.

Richins dedicated the book to 'my amazing husband and a wonderful father'. It has been removed from Amazon.

"It took us all by shock. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we experienced last year, hoping that it can kind of help other kids deal with this and find happiness some way or another," she had told KTVX.
The United States has opened a new embassy in Tonga, the State Department said on Tuesday, part of efforts to step up the U.S. diplomatic presence in the Pacific region to counter China. US President Joe Biden poses with leaders from the US- Pacific Island Country Summit. (Reuters)

Read here: White House announces Bidens Papua New Guinea visit

The United States "officially opened the US Embassy in Nuku'alofa on May 9, 2023," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"This opening symbolizes the renewal of our relationship and underlines the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, to the people of Tonga, and to our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.

Miller said the embassy would allow Washington to deploy additional diplomatic personnel and resources, including the potential appointment of a resident ambassador to Tonga, with which the United States has had diplomatic relations since 1972.

Washington reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands this year after a 30-year absence, the top US diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, said last week, and said Washington was continuing to engage with Vanuatu and Kiribati about opening proposed new embassies in those countries.

Despite the diplomatic push, the Solomon Islands announced in March it had awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara.

The United States and regional allies Australia and New Zealand have had concerns that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year.

Washington has also been working to renew agreements with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia under which it retains responsibility for the islands' defense and gains exclusive access to huge swaths of the Pacific.

Read here: US-Mexico border will be chaotic for a while amid troops deployment: Joe Biden

The embassy announcement came after the White House said on Tuesday that President Joe Biden will become the first U.S. sitting president to visit Papua New Guinea this month following the G7 summit in Japan, underscoring his administration's investment in the Pacific region to counter China.
In July 2023, Mama Shelter will be launching their latest hotel in Dijon, the capital city of the historical Burgundy region in eastern France.

HOTEL & AMENITIES

Guests can head to the ground floor 202-seat restaurant to enjoy tasty, local cuisine such as charcoal grilled meats, signature cocktails, and classic Mama Dishes, as well as the Toile de Jouy-inspired decor. Guests can enjoy Mama's signature restaurant which opens onto two outdoor areas: the veranda terrace and the planted patio.

Another highlight of the 120-room property is Mama Shelter's CineMama, the hotel's very own private 28-seat cinema where guests can hold private screenings or video conferences, as well as two karaoke bars, four meeting rooms and a petanque court.

Available exclusively on property, Mama Shelter has created its own mustard in collaboration with Edmond Fallot, a family-run, independent company created in 1840. The Edmond Fallot house only uses seeds grown in the region and the traditional stone ground to preserve all their gustatory qualities. Guests can purchase the mustard to spice up their dishes, with a mix of flavours from Mama and Burgundy.

LOCATION

Dijon is surrounded by rolling countryside where the most famous vineyards in the world, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Cote de Beaune, and more, rub shoulders with mustard fields and blackcurrant orchards, from which the famous Kir of the eponymous canon is made. Dijon, 1 hour 34 minutes by TGV from Paris and 1 hour 59 minutes from Lyon, has plenty to offer visitors and locals alike, including remarkable architecture, with the highlight being the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, the oldest part of which dates from the 14th century.

Having been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Dijon is the International City of Gastronomy and Wine due to its unique culinary traditions and the "climates" of the Burgundy vineyards. From exceptional vintage wines to small dishes, everything is a pretext for rejoicing and sharing.

DESIGN

Mama Shelter, on rue du Maret, next to Saint-Benigne Cathedral and Jardin Darcy, is located in the former health insurance offices, a brutalist building from the 1960s, listed as a historic French building.

The property's black and white carpeting is designed by Lila Mercier, representing Burgundian vineyards, and the patterns and colours on the caning on the headboards represent the glazed roofs found in buildings around Dijon.

Playing with the existing structure and honouring its history, while respecting the rules of the French building code, was quite the exercise. "When you find yourself with a forest of concrete posts supporting the impressive structure, you rack your brains." Like an alchemist transforming lead into gold, the architect has transformed each pillar in the lobby and restaurant into works of art, decorated with frescoes by Beniloys, and golden ceramics by Arnold du Bazar d'Alger, a graphic artist, all of which compliment the cut-out silkscreens by Atelier Bingo. In the restaurant, attention is also drawn to the floor by two symmetrical carpets by Laureline Galliot where jacks clash, a reference to the archaeological digs that took place during the construction.

ABOUT DIJON

Dijon is the capital city of the historical Burgundy region in eastern France, one of the country's principal wine-making areas. Known for its traditional mustard, vineyard tours, autumn gastronomic fair and building styles ranging from Gothic to art deco. The distinguished 1787 Musee des Beaux-Arts, housed in the vast Palace of the Dukes, holds a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, crafts, and antiquities.

The city has retained varied architectural styles from many of the main periods of the past millennium, including Capetian, Gothic, and Renaissance and holds an International and Gastronomic Fair every Autumn with over 500 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors annually.

Dijon is a green city with an important tertiary sector, as well as a regional economic centre, a traditional food-processing centre (Dijon creme de cassis and kir, gingerbread, Lanvin chocolate) and a renowned pharmaceutical sector.

Hotel website
Ben Thomas joins Cycas this month as Chief Operating Officer (UK & Ireland) supporting hotels & serviced apartments in key locations across the UK, including the opening of the forthcoming Residence Inn Manchester - Piccadilly and Four Points by Sheraton Edinburgh. Formerly Chief Commercial Officer at Pentahotels, Ben brings over twenty years of operational, commercial and project management experience across the UK, Europe and Asia.

This appointment underpis a period of rapid growth for the hotel management company, with expansion into both the luxury segment [Bankside Hotel, Autograph Collection] in 2022 and resort and spa hotel sector [Grandhotel Bad Pyrmont] earlier this year. Currently, the hospitality specialist now operates hotels across 12 European countries.
Auberge Resorts Collection, the world's leading brand of one-of-a-kind, luxury hotels, resorts and residences, today announces that Robert Whitfield will join the company in July 2023 as Area Vice President. Bringing more than three decades of experience in luxury hospitality to his new role, Whitfield will oversee development, operations, sales and marketing, finance, and culture for the brand's West Coast properties. His scope will include Bishop's Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection (Santa Fe, N.M.), Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection and The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection (Park City, UT), Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection (Aspen, CO), Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection (Telluride, CO), Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection (Hawaii), Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection and Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection (Napa Valley, CA) and The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection (Los Olivos, CA).

Over the last decade, Whitfield held a regional role with the Dorchester Collection in England, and was also Regional Vice President with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in the Americas. His strong senior leadership has resulted in the success of multiple properties, hotel openings, re-brands and renovations, as well as the development and recruitment of outstanding talent. His past experience will lend itself well to this new role, in which he will develop, deploy and oversee strategy and operations with openings, transitions and existing Auberge Resorts Collection properties.

Having previously lived and worked in Northern California, Whitfield looks forward to returning to Marin County and reconnecting to the region through his passions of running, mountain biking, cooking and wine.
The 2023 AHLA ForWard Conference in Chicago brought together over 600 women in the hospitality industry who were excited to learn from, encourage, and support each other. The conference's mood was incredibly upbeat, with participants buoyed by the sense of community and shared experiences. Here's a brief summary of some of the most inspiring moments of the conference from hertelier correspondents Lan Elliott of DEI Advisors and Gloria Kennett of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.

Packed house at AHLA ForWard with over 600 attendees! Photo by hertelier.com

Balancing Career Ambitions and Life Priorities

The conference kicked off with a powerful visual representation of the challenges faced by women who juggle multiple priorities. Anna Blue, President of the AHLA Foundation, asked a young college student from Howard University, Skyy Saxon, about her big career ambition. Skyy shared that she wanted to become a hotel owner. Anna gave her a gold balloon to represent her career ambition and told her to keep it up in the air. Anna then asked Skyy about her other priorities, such as taking care of her family, doing her day job, and spending time with friends. For each priority, Anna added a purple balloon to the gold balloon, symbolizing how women try to juggle many things. The balloons kept getting added until the gold balloon fell, reminding women to never drop their career ambition. The visual representation was a powerful reminder that women need support and community to keep all the balls in the air.

Top takeaway: Equity for women and what it means when we say we empower women. When we use the word empower it implies a lack of power in the first place, that power is given to women, or that we dont inherently have it. In a way, it also puts ownership on women to do the work to achieve equity versus enacting changes in the workplace structure to ensure women have it from the start.

Read the full article at hertelier.com
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), producers of Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), has announced the seven exceptional startups participating in Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) Toronto held on June 28, 2023 at HITEC Toronto.

As the premier hospitality technology pitch competition for nearly a decade, Entrepreneur 20X is a unique opportunity for startups to gain visibility and credibility in the industry and network with fellow solution providers and influential industry professionals. Participants will have four minutes each to present their innovative products or services to a panel of judges with backgrounds in entrepreneurship and a live audience of HITEC attendees. Each pitch will be followed by another four minutes for Q&A between the judges and presenters.

The winning startup will receive a grand prize of $5,000 as the Judges Choice Award selection while the Peoples Choice Award winner will also be recognized as voted on by their peers in real time during the presentation and deliberation periods. All startups will receive exposure to potential investors, customers, and partners in the hospitality technology industry through their participation in the competition.

Beyond the stage, E20X participants receive a complimentary space to exhibit alongside over 300 of their peers in the HITEC Toronto exhibit hall at the E20X Pavilion. Pitchers will also have access to a team of industry mentors before the competition to inspire and educate the startups by lending them the insights, expertise and guidance they need to succeed for both the competition and their fledgling companies.

E20X is yet another way that HFTP delivers on our goal of supporting the next generation of hospitality technology professionals. I am excited to see the latest group of startups to take the HITEC stage by storm. Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP

The participating 2023 E20X Toronto startups are:

HFTP is also set to hold an E20X competition at HITEC Dubai 2023 on May 23 at the Dubai World Trade Center, co-located with The Hotel Show Dubai. Applications to participate in E20X Dubai 2023 close May 12.

HITEC is the worlds largest and longest-running hospitality technology conference. It attracts thousands of attendees and hundreds of industry solution providers and brings together the brightest minds and hottest technologies from across the globe to one place. Attendees gain access to essential education, top hospitality industry experts and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. HITEC Toronto will be held June 26-29, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario CAN. Learn more at www.hitec.org.

For more information regarding E20X, email [email protected].

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with offices in the EU and Middle East. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues, and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP produces international events throughout the year, including the world's largest hospitality technology tradeshow and conference brand: HITEC. In addition, it oversees the hospitality-specific Pineapplesearch.com and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org. For the latest news, visit the HFTP News page at news.hftp.org and the HFTP Connect blog at blog.hftp.org.

Kaylee Sciacca

Marketing and Communications Coordinator

+1 (737) 400-4418

HFTP
IDeaS, a SAS company, the worlds leading provider of hospitality revenue management software and services, announced today the winners of the Fabian Specht Future Revenue Innovator Scholarship. The scholarships have been awarded to two international EHL students pursuing a hospitality management education, JeongHoo Lee and Alexandre Martin.

In addition to their studies, both students are working towards career development. Lee, is a Gold Student Ambassador, a marketing and recruitment student assistant in APAC for EHL, and a trainee consultant at KPMG.

Martin is currently a part-time consultant at junior enterprise EHL, carrying out business plans, market research, and feasibility studies for external companies, both within and outside the hospitality industry.

IDeaS committed 18,000 to be awarded annually beginning with the 2022-23 academic year. EHL is the world-leading hospitality management university according to QS Rankings, with campuses in Switzerland and Singapore. The scholarships are awarded to students seeking EHLs Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management. Two additional scholarships are available. EHL is currently searching for qualified students who have studies that will start this September.

I would like to thank IDEAS and EHL for granting me this honor, but above all, I respect and admire the vision of Fabian Specht Future Revenue Manager Scholarship for not only providing aid for students but also fostering the industry by helping future hospitality leaders grow. I will not take this scholarship for granted and continue to strive and thrive to become a successful hotelier. JeongHoo Lee

Thanks to this amazing scholarship, I have been able to take advantage of the variety of services offered by EHL, such as experiencing the different F&B outlets, as well as properly settling into my new shared apartment on campus by completing the kitchen and bedroom equipment. In addition, this grant relieves the pressure of my student loan and will allow me to look for a job upon graduation that meets my professional expectations, rather than just financial requirements. Alexandre Martin

As we continue the legacy of Fabian, we are thrilled to assist in the educational needs of students looking to thrive in the hospitality field. All of us at IDeaS congratulate these two deserving students, and I am certain Fabian would be proud to know that his legacy lives on. Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, president, founder, and chief scientist, IDeaS

About the scholarship

The scholarship was created in memory of EMEA-area vice president of IDeaS Fabian Specht who passed away unexpectedly in December 2019. A passionate and visionary industry leader, Specht was a returning lecturer at EHL, seeking to educate and inspire the next generation of hospitality revenue leaders. The Fabian Specht Future Revenue Innovator Scholarship honors Spechts memory and legacy of lifelong service to the hospitality industry.

Visit ideas.com/about/scholarship for more details on its scholarship programs.

About IDeaS

IDeaS, a SAS company, is the world's leading provider of revenue management software and services. With more than 30 years of expertise, IDeaS delivers revenue science to more than 22,000 clients in 152 countries. Combining industry knowledge with innovative data-analytics technology, IDeaS creates sophisticated yet simple ways to empower revenue leaders with precise, automated decisions they can trust. Results delivered. Revenue transformed. Discover greater profitability at ideas.com.

Kim Dearborn

+1 909 455 4316

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New and Expanded Partnerships With Mastercard and SoFi

New Tech Features With Travel OS, Guest Experience Score and Optimized Distribution

New Air Member Only Deals for One Key Loyalty Program

SEATTLE  Following a strong quarter for Expedia Group's B2B segment where it delivered 55% in revenue growth compared to 2022, the Company announced new partnerships and tech features aimed at expanding its already vast partner network. Expedia Group's White Label Template and API solutions power travel for more than 400 million loyalty members of some of the biggest financial services companies, airlines and hoteliers worldwide. The announcements came as hundreds of leading travel players met at Expedia Group's EXPLORE 23: Connect conference, held for the first time at its Seattle campus.

Our growth in B2B is largely due to the pace at which our tech has been adopted by businesses of all sizes who want to either break into travel or expand their current travel offerings. The demand for this business continues to be strong as evidenced by our new partnerships with Mastercard, SoFi, and some of our biggest hotel partners. The work we've done in building a widespread B2B network that provides travel to millions around the world through leading names in banking, travel and more, will grow as we continue to establish our tech as the primary operating system for the travel industry. Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and CEO, Expedia Group

Expedia Group's exciting new and expanded partnerships include:

Mastercard: "Travel with Rewards"

Expedia Group's template technology and Mastercard's digital redemption capability will now power a complete loyalty points redemption program for participating issuers that allows cardholders to redeem credit card loyalty points for travel bookings. Cardholders will access Expedia's high-quality global supply, including more than 700,000 properties, 500 airlines, 100+ car rental companies and thousands of activities around the world.

SoFi: "SoFi Travel"

Expedia Group's template technology powers SoFi Travel, which will soon allow SoFi members to book flights, hotels, cars, packages, activities and vacation rentals through SoFi. In addition to quality supply and customer service, the collaboration enables SoFi to benefit from Expedia Group's vast amount of data and technology, and to take advantage of new features and functionality updates that are integrated automatically.

Over the last decade, our B2B segment has grown phenomenally as we power online and offline travel programs. We combine the technology assets that power our own travel brands, with our deep B2B expertise, all backed by the strength of our artificial intelligence and machine learning, so our solutions get smarter every day. We enable businesses of all sizes to succeed in the world of travel, and in an industry that is nearly $2 trillion, there is plenty of room to grow. Ariane Gorin, President Expedia for Business, Expedia Group.

Confirming its commitment to help more companies succeed in the world of travel, Expedia Group announced the following news at EXPLORE today:

Travel OS: Building on Expedia Group's ambition to externalize its tech in the form of microservices to help any kind of travel company use its tech to enhance their business, the Company shared exciting developments in the form of its travel operating system: Travel OS. Today, the Company announced that its first microservice offered through Travel OS, its fraud capability, has now reached commercial status and its best-in-class service tech and revenue management API are now in beta-testing with partners.

Building on Expedia Group's ambition to externalize its tech in the form of microservices to help any kind of travel company use its tech to enhance their business, the Company shared exciting developments in the form of its travel operating system: Travel OS. Today, the Company announced that its first microservice offered through Travel OS, its fraud capability, has now reached commercial status and its best-in-class service tech and revenue management API are now in beta-testing with partners. Guest Experience Score : After a year of success working with hotel partners to create a guest experience score that shows which hotels give great traveler experience, Expedia Group announced today that this score will be made available to travelers in the second half of 2023. Hotel partners can view their Guest Experience Score by logging into Expedia Group Partner Central.

After a year of success working with hotel partners to create a guest experience score that shows which hotels give great traveler experience, Expedia Group announced today that this score will be made available to travelers in the second half of 2023. Hotel partners can view their Guest Experience Score by logging into Expedia Group Partner Central. Optimized Distribution: In two years, Expedia Group has tripled the number of participating chains using Optimized Distribution, an innovative product that provides hotel partners with greater control of their wholesale businesses. Today the Company announced that new rate-management capabilities will be released later this year, allowing for more flexibility for a wider array of partners to leverage.

In two years, Expedia Group has tripled the number of participating chains using Optimized Distribution, an innovative product that provides hotel partners with greater control of their wholesale businesses. Today the Company announced that new rate-management capabilities will be released later this year, allowing for more flexibility for a wider array of partners to leverage. One Key - Member Only Deals for flights: In addition to the Member Only Deals for hotels, cruises and activity partners, One Key will now extend these offerings to air partners, helping them increase visibility to One Key members. Member Only Deals for flights will first be available in the U.S. for One Key members. One Key, Expedia Group's first ever fully unified loyalty program, will launch on July 6, 2023, in the United States, and additional markets will follow in 2024.

In addition to the Member Only Deals for hotels, cruises and activity partners, One Key will now extend these offerings to air partners, helping them increase visibility to One Key members. Member Only Deals for flights will first be available in the U.S. for One Key members. One Key, Expedia Group's first ever fully unified loyalty program, will launch on July 6, 2023, in the United States, and additional markets will follow in 2024. Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP): TAAP powers more than 35,000 travel agencies across more than 30 countries with its booking platform built specifically for their unique needs. Expedia Group continues to invest in TAAP and has launched several new capabilities including, enhanced payment options giving travel advisors more flexibility and improved servicing with Live Agent chat to help travel advisors get answers to their questions faster. The Company is seeing strong usage with 32% of all agent interactions in the U.S. in Q1 2023 serviced through Live Agent chat. A reimagined booking experience which will make it easier for travel advisors to serve their clients will be rolled out in the U.S. this year with the global launch to follow later in 2023.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group's product and technical strategy and offerings; Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem. The Expedia Group family of brands includes the following: Expedia, Hotels.com, Expedia Partner Solutions, Vrbo, trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif, ebookers, CheapTickets, Expedia Group Media Solutions, CarRentals.com and Expedia Cruises.
Each quarter, we analyze and share insights from our first-party data to show how traveler search and booking behavior is evolving, giving partners insight to inform their strategy. Our Q4 2022 data showed promising signals pointing to increased traveler optimism and resilience. As we look at data from the first quarter of this year we see that traveler enthusiasm is growing, a positive start for travel in 2023.

Based on Expedia Groups first-party data from Q1 2023, travelers are planning further out and are looking forward to mid-year getaways, with many looking to make up for lost travel opportunities.

Search volumes increase globally

Q1 2023 search data shows that traveler intent continues to grow stronger. Globally, traveler searches across Expedia Group sites increased 25% quarter over quarter (QoQ), and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) searches grew by 30%.

Asia Pacific (APAC) is an area weve been closely monitoring due to the long-awaited easing of travel restrictions in various countries throughout the region. In Q1, we saw a notable 65% year-over-year (YoY) increase in searches from the region. After pandemic restrictions were lifted in China on January 8, we saw a 10% week-over-week (WoW) increase in global international search demand for China, led by searches from APAC (15% WoW increase) and EMEA (10% WoW increase).

 Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions

Travelers continue to plan further out

As weve seen in recent quarters, search windows continued to lengthen in Q1 as travelers plan for trips further out. The 180+ day search window increased by 30% QoQ, driven by 75% growth in both APAC and Latin America (LATAM).

Globally, the 91- to 180-day search window saw the strongest growth in Q1 with a 60% increase QoQ, led by EMEA and North America (NORAM), with 90% and 45% QoQ increases, respectively.

Cities and beach getaways remain popular

Similar to previous quarters, major cities and beach destinations made the global top 10 list of booked destinations in Q1, with New York City, Las Vegas, and London holding on to the top spots. Looking across the regions, cities such as Osaka, London, Paris, and Taipei moved up the rankings for APAC travelers, while newcomer Honolulu joined the list. For EMEA travelers, Tokyo and Berlin joined the rankings, and Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome moved up on the list. Paris, Madrid, and Playa del Carmen moved up the top 10 list for LATAM travelers, and Punta Cana and Paris were newcomers on the list for NORAM travelers.

 Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions

Following recent quarterly trends, domestic travel continued to drive the vacation rental category in Q1, though travelers ventured to new inter-regional destinations by the water. New warm weather hot spots appeared on the list for travelers from NORAM, while several beach towns in Australia joined the top 10 list for APAC travelers.

Travelers look forward to mid-year getaways

In our last report, we shared that travelers were eagerly anticipating mid-year 2023, with Q4 2022 searches for travel from June to September up nearly 70% YoY. This trend continued into Q1 2023, with a 50% YoY increase in search demand for mid-year travel.

Many travelers are looking to relax by the water in the coming months, but that doesnt always mean at the beach. Our Q1 data shows that Expedias pool filter is the top amenities search filter in EMEA and the second most used filter in NORAM, APAC, and LATAM. With accommodations featuring pool and waterpark amenities high in demand for sun-seekers, hotel and vacation rental partners should highlight these features to attract travelers and capture this demand.

Consumers eager to make up for lost travel opportunities

Findings from our March 2023 consumer survey with Wakefield Research show that 72% of travelers are planning to travel for leisure more this year to make up for prior years, and 81% plan to spend more or keep their budgets the same for a single trip compared to last year.

Our research also revealed that travel reward members are particularly enthusiastic about taking more trips this year, with 95% planning to travel for leisure in the next 12 months. And when it comes to joining these rewards programs, 77% of consumers are interested in travel rewards that they can apply to any individual element of their trip, such as their flight or hotel, regardless of brand. Expedia Groups new One Key loyalty program launching in July offers travel brands the opportunity to attract these high-value travelers, who will now have the flexibility to earn and use points across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo bookings.

These findings are just a sample of the insights from this quarter, based on more than 70 petabytes of Expedia Group traveler intent and demand data, as well as our latest custom research. To learn more, download the Q2 Traveler Insights.

About Expedia Group Media Solutions

Expedia Group Media Solutions is a global travel advertising platform that connects marketers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the Expedia Group brands. With our exclusive access to more than 70 petabytes of Expedia Group traveler search and booking data, we offer advertisers actionable insights, sophisticated targeting, and full-funnel results reporting. Our suite of solutions includes display, sponsored listings, audience extension, co-op campaigns, and custom creative campaigns  all designed to deliver on the objectives of our advertising partners and add value for travel shoppers on our branded sites globally. With a consultative approach and more than 20 years of travel and media experience, we help our advertising partners inspire, engage, and convert travelers for meaningful results. For more information, visit www.advertising.expedia.com.

 2022 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50

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Yesterday we issued our first quarter 2023 financial results. You can read the details here.

We had another record-setting Q1, with more than 120 million nights and experiences booked and accelerating supply growth around the world. We also saw 20% year-over-year revenue growth and Free Cash Flow for the quarter was $1.6 billion. And with over 50 new features and upgrades released last week, our service has never been better. Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky

Overview of Q1 results

We had a strong start to 2023. In Q1, Nights and Experiences Booked hit a record high with over 120 million. Revenue of $1.8 billion grew 20 percent year-over-year (24% ex-FX). Net income was $117 million  our first profitable Q1 on a GAAP basis. Adjusted EBITDA was $262 million while Free Cash Flow was $1.6 billion, growing 32 percent year-over-year. We are now twice the size as we were before the pandemic on both a GBV and revenue basis  and with considerably higher profitability and cash flow.

Looking ahead, we remain focused on our three strategic priorities:

Make hosting mainstream. Traveling on Airbnb is mainstream. We want hosting to be just as popular. To achieve this, we are raising awareness around hosting, making it easier to get started, and providing even better tools for Hosts. We have seen great results from our efforts. In every quarter over the last two years since we went public, weve seen acceleration in the year-over-year growth of our total active listings (excluding China). In Q1, total active listings grew 18% compared to the same prior year period, up from 16% in Q4 2022.

Traveling on Airbnb is mainstream. We want hosting to be just as popular. To achieve this, we are raising awareness around hosting, making it easier to get started, and providing even better tools for Hosts. We have seen great results from our efforts. In every quarter over the last two years since we went public, weve seen acceleration in the year-over-year growth of our total active listings (excluding China). In Q1, total active listings grew 18% compared to the same prior year period, up from 16% in Q4 2022. Perfect the core service. We want people to love our service, and that means obsessing over every detail. Millions of people have given us feedback on how to improve Airbnb. Recently, weve received a lot of input about rising prices. In todays economic environment, its more important than ever to provide affordable stays for guests. Weve listened. Last week, we introduced over 50 new features and upgrades as part of our 2023 Summer Releaseincluding Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb, improved pricing tools, transparent checkout instructions, and more.

We want people to love our service, and that means obsessing over every detail. Millions of people have given us feedback on how to improve Airbnb. Recently, weve received a lot of input about rising prices. In todays economic environment, its more important than ever to provide affordable stays for guests. Weve listened. Last week, we introduced over 50 new features and upgrades as part of our 2023 Summer Releaseincluding Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb, improved pricing tools, transparent checkout instructions, and more. Expand beyond the core. We have some big ideas for where to take Airbnb next. This year, were building the foundation for new products and services that we plan to launch in 2024 and beyond. At the same time, while Airbnb is in over 220 countries and regions, were still underpenetrated in many markets. As a result, weve increased our focus and investments in less mature international markets and are seeing great results. Due to these efforts, Brazil and Germany have become two of our fastest growing markets and were excited to expand the playbook around the world.

Q1 2023 financial results

Here is a snapshot of our Q1 2023 results:

Q1 revenue of $1.8 billion was our highest first quarter ever. Revenue grew 20% year-over-year (24% ex-FX) driven by solid growth in Nights and Experiences Booked and stable Average Daily Rates (ADR).

Revenue grew 20% year-over-year (24% ex-FX) driven by solid growth in Nights and Experiences Booked and stable Average Daily Rates (ADR). Q1 net income of $117 million was our first profitable Q1. Net income was $117 million in Q1 2023 compared to a net loss of $19 million in Q1 2022. This increase was primarily due to our revenue growth, expense discipline and interest income. In Q1 2023, we delivered a net income margin of positive 6%, up from negative 1% in Q1 2022.

Net income was $117 million in Q1 2023 compared to a net loss of $19 million in Q1 2022. This increase was primarily due to our revenue growth, expense discipline and interest income. In Q1 2023, we delivered a net income margin of positive 6%, up from negative 1% in Q1 2022. Q1 Adjusted EBITDA of $262 million was a record first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2023 increased 14% compared to $229 million in Q1 2022. This improvement in Adjusted EBITDA demonstrates the continued strength of our business and discipline in managing our cost structure. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14% for Q1 2023, relatively stable from 15% in Q1 2022 1 .

Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2023 increased 14% compared to $229 million in Q1 2022. This improvement in Adjusted EBITDA demonstrates the continued strength of our business and discipline in managing our cost structure. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14% for Q1 2023, relatively stable from 15% in Q1 2022 . Q1 Free Cash Flow of $1.6 billion was our highest ever. Q1 2023 net cash provided by operating activities was $1.6 billion, up from $1.2 billion in Q1 2022. The increase in cash flow was driven by revenue and bookings growth as well as net margin expansion. Our TTM FCF was $3.8 billion, representing a FCF margin of 44%2.Our TTM Free Cash Flow generation enabled us to repurchase $2 billion of our common stock over the same time period. In total, our share repurchases since the start of our buyback program in August 2022 have helped to reduce our fully diluted share count from 706 million in Q1 2022 to 697 million at the end of Q1 2023. Were announcing today that our Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase authorization of up to $2.5 billion of our Class A common stock.

Business highlights

Our strong quarter was driven by a number of positive business trends:

More guests are traveling on Airbnb than ever before. Nights and Experiences Booked grew 19% in Q1 2023 compared to a year ago. Even with continued macroeconomic uncertainties, we have seen our highest number of active bookers, demonstrating both loyalty from our returning guests and a growing base of first-time bookers. Our current backlog of nights is approximately 25% stronger than a year ago.

Nights and Experiences Booked grew 19% in Q1 2023 compared to a year ago. Even with continued macroeconomic uncertainties, we have seen our highest number of active bookers, demonstrating both loyalty from our returning guests and a growing base of first-time bookers. Our current backlog of nights is approximately 25% stronger than a year ago. Guests are traveling overseas and returning to cities. Cross-border nights booked grew by 36% in Q1 2023 compared to a year ago. We were particularly encouraged by the continued recovery of Asia Pacific as nights booked in Q1 2023 increased over 40% year-over-year. We saw international travel from other regions to Asia Pacific increase 160% during the quarter compared to Q1 2022. Cross-border nights booked to North America also increased on a sequential basis, with 34% year-over-year growth in Q1 2023 relative to 31% a quarter ago. In addition to the strong cross-border growth, we saw more guests return to cities. High-density urban nights booked increased by 20% in Q1 2023 compared to the same prior year period.

Cross-border nights booked grew by 36% in Q1 2023 compared to a year ago. We were particularly encouraged by the continued recovery of Asia Pacific as nights booked in Q1 2023 increased over 40% year-over-year. We saw international travel from other regions to Asia Pacific increase 160% during the quarter compared to Q1 2022. Cross-border nights booked to North America also increased on a sequential basis, with 34% year-over-year growth in Q1 2023 relative to 31% a quarter ago. In addition to the strong cross-border growth, we saw more guests return to cities. High-density urban nights booked increased by 20% in Q1 2023 compared to the same prior year period. Guests are continuing to use Airbnb for longer stays. Nights from long-term stays (28 nights or longer) were 18% of total gross nights booked in Q1 2023. Over the past three years, weve seen new use cases emerge as guests across all regions and age groups use Airbnb for long-term stays.

Nights from long-term stays (28 nights or longer) were 18% of total gross nights booked in Q1 2023. Over the past three years, weve seen new use cases emerge as guests across all regions and age groups use Airbnb for long-term stays. Supply growth continued to accelerate. We grew supply 18% compared to Q1 20223. We observed double-digit supply growth across all regions and market types, with the fastest growth in North America and Latin America. Urban and non-urban supply also grew 18% year-over-year.

1. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures is provided at the end of this letter.

2. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures is provided at the end of this letter.

3. In July 2022, all mainland China listings were taken down based on our decision to close the domestic business in China and instead focus on the outbound China business. As such, for comparative purposes, references to supply and supply growth exclude listings in China from prior periods.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

Airbnb Press

Airbnb Press Office

Airbnb
The International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) will present the 24th Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Stavros Andreadis and Dr. Andreas Andreadis, who have worked tirelessly to expand and develop their Sani & Ikos resorts in Greece and across the Mediterranean.

The Andreadis family founded Sani Resort in 1970, with Stavros and Andreas taking over the management at a young age. Stavros, as President, together with his brother Andreas, as CEO, have shaped Sani to become the leading luxury family resort in Greece.

In 2015, Stavros and Andreas partnered with Mathieu Guillemin and additional shareholders to create, own, and manage the combined Sani/Ikos Group. Since 2016 they have grown the business fivefold.

From the outset of his career, Stavros Andreadis has played an active role in various collective entities of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector, serving as the President of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises for eight consecutive years (20012008) and, consequently, being declared as an Honorary President of the Association. In 2013, Ernst & Young pronounced him Greek Pioneer Entrepreneur of the Year. Since 2022, Stavros holds the position of Honorary President of the Sani/Ikos Group.

Dr. Andreas Andreadis, currently the CEO and Co-Managing Partner of the Sani/Ikos Group, has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Hotel Federation, and from 2011-2017 he was President of the Board of Directors of SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation), the institutional social partner of the Greek government in the tourism sector. In parallel, he initiated the creation of Marketing Greece S.A., and INSETE (SETE Institute), two non-profit organizations dedicated to the official promotion of the Greek travel industry in cooperation with public and private institutions. Dr. Andreadis also served on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Greece from 2013 - 2016.

On receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Stavros and Andreas Andreadis said: We are honoured to receive the IHIF Lifetime Achievement Award alongside illustrious hospitality leaders and innovators. The Sani/Ikos story is the result of a lifetime of commitment, teamwork and passion for hospitality. With the creation of Sani Resort 50 years ago, followed by the pioneering concept of Ikos Resorts, our family business has grown into various prime destinations across the Mediterranean, welcoming guests to indulgent experiences and exemplary service from the heart. This venture, with the support of our Co-CEO and Co-Managing Partner, Mathieu Guillemin, has marked record-breaking performance, and lead to a partnership in 2022 with GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund and one of the largest investors globally. We are proud to show, through continued growth, that the resort sector is one of the most innovative hospitality segments, as well as an attractive opportunity for hospitality investors.

The prestigious award, which sees those who have gone above and beyond to create legacies within the hospitality industry, will be presented at the annual IHIF in Berlin on May 16. Previous winners of the award include David Kong, former CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Sol Kerzner, founder and former Chairman of Kerzner International Holdings Limited, Bill Marriott, Chairman Emeritus at Marriott International and Isadore Sharp, Founder and Chairman Four Seasons.

Alexi Khajavi, Group President, Questex Travel and Hospitality, said: The IHIF Lifetime Achievement Award recognises individuals whose careers have made a lasting impact on the hospitality sector and what Andreas and Stavros have achieved is quite incredible. Creating and growing a brand what is seen across the industry as having standard bearing attention to detail, Sani & Ikos resorts are a credit to all of the hard work put in by Andreas and Stavros. Congratulations.

Under the headline theme, Fortune Favours the Bold, the popular industry-leading event returns following what was a terrific event in 2022, attended by 2,400 forward-thinking hospitality professionals, including investors, owners and developers.

Follow IHIF 2023 on Twitter @IHIF_News and LinkedIn and use #IHIF2023 to stay up to date with the latest news.

About Questex

Questex Hospitality Group, a division of Questex LLC, represents a senior audience of $650 billion in hotel assets, reaching one in two hotel owners and operators across the globe. With a portfolio of both media and live events, including Hospitality Investor, Annual Hotel Conference (AHC), International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF), and Resort & Residential Hospitality Forum (R&R), Questex Hospitality Group brings together leaders in hospitality investment, development and operations to make the deals that shape recovery and growth in the sector.
Rendering of the Rua Al Madinah Project

Accor plans to open three properties in the upcoming project by Rua Al Madinah Holding Company in Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project includes a 142-key Fairmont hotel and 120 Fairmont branded residences, in addition to a 466-key Swissotel and a 328-key Novotel.

The Group is collaborating with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). The company undertakes holistic development projects that feature modern urban planning to elevate the experience for visitors from around the world and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Madinah. Rua Al Madinah project is aimed at transforming the city into a modern Islamic and cultural destination.

Rua Al Madinah Project's master plan covers over 1.5 million square meters of space with direct views of Al Masjid al Nabawi, known as the Prophet's Mosque, and will include 47,000 hotel rooms, with the master plan constituting 63% of open spaces and 37% of built area. The project has been designed according to the highest international standards and offers many integrated transportation solutions, including nine bus stops for visitors and underground parking.

Duncan O'Rourke, CEO Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia-Pacific for Premium, Midscale & Economy brands at Accor mentioned: "We are very proud to sign the first Swissotel property and strengthen our Novotel offering in the Holy city of Madinah. Through these signings our primary goal is to support the diverse offering at the master development of Rua Al Madinah, while continuing a long-term relationship with PIF and accordingly Rua Al Madinah Holding Company."

Since the announcement of the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030, Accor has played a key role in the development of tourism, through its several and diverse existing and upcoming projects in key locations across the Kingdom. The Group has been present in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years and has contributed to the development of the Holy destination of Makkah, counting over 9,000 rooms with direct access to the Haram.

"We are glad to announce the fourth Fairmont property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," says Mark Willis, CEO Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "We are truly proud to further strengthen our collaboration with PIF, not only confirming our proven management expertise but also establishing the trust to elevate the luxury hospitality landscape in the religious markets of Makkah and Madinah and across the Kingdom overall".

"We are delighted to forge a new cooperation with Accor and welcome the collaboration to open three properties in the Rua Al Madinah project in Madinah," noted Eng. Ahmed Al Juhani, CEO of Rua Al Madinah Holding Company. "The addition of Accor's renowned hospitality brands will further enhance the project's appeal and complement our vision of transforming Madinah into a modern Islamic and cultural destination that offers unparalleled experiences to guests from around the globe. This cooperation will also support our efforts to raise the capacity for receiving more visitors to the Prophet's Mosque in line with the Vision 2030 objective of hosting 30 million visitors by 2030."

With its exceptional living spaces and high-end design, inspired by the traditional Madinah architecture, Fairmont Rua Al Madinah will immerse guests into an unparalleled experience of luxury. The property will feature 142 spacious rooms and suites, overlooking the Prophet's Mosque, a variety of dining venues, an exclusive guest lounge, kids club, fitness centre and spa. In addition, the property will also include 120 branded residences, featuring their own luxury offerings, such as a residents' lobby, lounge, kids club and fitness centre, which will offer guests the comfort of home merged with the services of a hotel, marking it the first branded residence project of its kind in Madinah.

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Novotel Rua Al Madinah will offer guests a direct connection to the Prophet's Mosque through a pedestrian pathway, enhancing accessibility. The property will offer 328 hotel rooms featuring a modern and comfortable design, along with an all-day dining restaurant and a social hub with a food bar and grab & go concept.

Swissotel Rua Al Madinah will boast 466 rooms, suites and apartments, with a direct view over the Prophet's Mosque. The hotel will offer an array of premium products and venues, including an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, an exclusive guest lounge and a lobby lounge cafe.

The Rua Al Madinah Project is ideally located in the heart of Madinah, making it accessible by air and train, from anywhere in the world. The Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah is one of the two key airports to access the two Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. The government has also launched the railway project, the Haramain High Speed Railway, between Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah.

The project aims to contribute to realizing the Vision 2030 objective of attracting 30 million Umrah pilgrims every year to the Kingdom by 2030. It will be implemented to the highest international standards.

Accor currently operates 42 properties (16,334 keys) in Saudi Arabia, with a pipeline of 35 properties (7,362 keys) in development.
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How Houston airports compare for flight delays and cancellations

See which local airlines are the most reliable in terms of delays and cancellations, according to historical flight data.
BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP)  BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP)  Azenta, Inc. (AZTA) on Tuesday reported a fiscal second-quarter loss of $4.9 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.

On a per-share basis, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company said it had a loss of 7 cents. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 6 cents per share.
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The first two phases of a $1 million effort to improve over five miles of West Lake Houston Parkway are nearly complete, Harris County officials confirmed this week.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey announced the parkway was selected for repairs as part of his Road to Greatness program. Each year, a corridor in need of repairs is selected as the focus of the maintenance program. Money for the program comes from the annual maintenance budget.

Work planned for West Lake Houston Parkway involves repairing concrete, inlets, ramps, sidewalks, curbs, guardrails, road striping and replacing signs. The project also includes adding trees to medians, as trees act as natural barriers to prevent cars from crossing medians into oncoming traffic.

MORE ABOUT AREA ROADWORK: Expansion of Northpark Drive in Kingwood to begin soon

The work is being performed in three phases. The first phase is from Stillwater Retreat to Madera Run. Phase two is from Madera Run to FM 1960. The final phase is from FM 1960 to the Lake Houston Bridge.

Phase one is very close to being complete. We're in the last stages of that one and that's going to be tree planting. Phase two is also very close to being complete, said Jennifer Almonte, the precincts road and bridge superintendent.

Almonte said the work remaining for phase two includes some tree planting, a couple of sidewalk ramps, more concrete repairs, and signage.

Phase three is expected to start in the fall and be completed by the end of the year.

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Road to Greatness program origins

West Lake Houston Parkway is a relatively new corridor for the commissioner following the Harris County Commissioners Courts approval of redrawn precinct boundaries in 2021. As much as 80 percent of his precincts current territory previously fell in other precincts.

The Road to Greatness program came out of what I call old Precinct 3. We focused on those corridors with safety concerns where the roads were too narrow, had pavement conditions, it could be any number of things, Ramsey said, including traffic lights, stop signs, sidewalks, and more.

The programs purpose was to minimize disruptions to the traveling public by tackling multiple efforts along a corridor simultaneously, Ramsey explained.

His new precinct stretches from Spring Branch, Cypress, Tomball and Spring to Humble, Atascocita and Kingwood, including 6,700 miles of roads to maintain.

I've got more unincorporated areas than any other precinct. Our responsibilities increased four to five-fold, the commissioner said.

Faced with a set of new road issues, Ramsey said his staff spent the last year reassessing the needs and priorities. He said they combined what previous leaders and staff were considering, talked to constituents and with some modifications, now have a list they will work from over the next few years.

CELEBRATE STUDENTS: Do you know an outstanding Houston-area student? Nominate them for Student of the Year

Projects in the pipeline

Almonte said they are already considering additional corridors for the 2024 season.

Theres several areas were looking at in Crosby, not associated with 2100, she said.

She said they had their eyes on Cypress in the future with a project on Eldridge between FM 529 and U.S. 290.

The process of conducting roadwork

Ramsey said the precinct has a large contingent of experienced engineers, and touted 16 work crews led by Almonte.

We have four road camps spread across the precinct and four work crews in each, the commissioner said. Occasionally, Almonte may pull some crews from other camps to do the intensive work on the main corridor project to get things done more quickly.

We dont go out and hire or contract more, we just focus the efforts, Almonte said.

For some of the heavy lift projects like concrete and striping work, they will use on-call contractors. She said having on-call contractors doesnt require the precinct to rebid every small project, which would slow down the process.

Its a very efficient process and the contracts can go for two or three-year periods with a lot of flexibility to respond, Ramsey said.

How service requests are handled

Currently, the precinct has more than 1,400 service requests pending in the system.

That sounds like a lot, but all 1,400 people have been called, theyve been told when were going to fix it, and well get it done, he said.

Almonte said they use a rapid assistance crew that responds to emergency requests, mostly safety issues. More than half of those are completed within a month. Emergency calls, like a missing stop sign, or large debris in the road, are handled immediately or within 24 hours, Ramsey said.

The longer, more planned out type requests include drainage, large concrete repair, and ditching, Almonte said.

Service requests may be submitted through the precincts website, www.pct3.com.
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Pearland City Council on Monday appointed longtime staffer Trent Epperson as city manager and later in the same meeting reprimanded one of its members for unauthorized release of information that influenced the only other finalist for the position to withdraw their candidacy.

After an executive session, Mayor Kevin Cole said on April 23, Councilman Alex Kamkar sent emails to two members of the Pearland Police Officers Association with a confidential packet on the then-five semifinalists for the job.

Kamkar abstained when the other six council members voted for his reprimand. While criticizing the council's action as a "witch hunt," he said, "I waived the attorney-client privilege without prior permission. I apologize for that."

Emails that Cole said Kamkar had sent were displayed on a screen at the meeting. Both messages included attachments of a packet listing information on the semifinalists.

One email contained a message from Kamkar stating, "Please see the packet. I know its short notice. Please advise of any land mines regarding police." Three hours later, an email was sent to another member of the association from Kamkar with the words, "did not come from me."

PEARLAND INSIDER: Stay updated on important news and stories to know around Pearland

City Attorney Darrin Coker said the city's ethics ordinance contains a provision that prohibits disclosure of confidential information.

The messages were not sent through city emails or the city's servers, Cole said.

City of Pearland

City of Pearland

What council had to say

The names of applicants aren't released by the city until they become finalists because it could be detrimental to their existing positions, Cole said. Finalists are notified 24 hours before their names being released to the public, he said.

The candidate later chosen, along with Epperson, as one of two finalists was contacted by the Texas Municipal Police Association because someone had contacted the group on behalf of the Pearland Police Officers Association to do a background check on that person, Cole said.

"It gave him great concern because we hadn't named our finalist yet, and he's in a position, 'Do I tell my council or not?'" said Cole.

Cole said that the next day he received a call from the consulting firm, Strategic Government Resources, stating that the candidate had withdrawn, leaving Epperson as the sole candidate.

"The way we're saying it, it's like we were left with Trent," Councilwoman Layni Cade said. "I don't want it to sounds like that. He was the best candidate in my eyes all along."

Epperson was appointed interim city manager in November after the city fired Clay Pearson following a $10 million budget shortfall. During his 17 years with the city, Epperson has served in roles including deputy city manager, assistant city manager and director of engineering and capital projects.

MORE ON PEARLAND: Pearland voters approve $181.4M bond package for drainage improvement, park expansions

"I don't know why anyone would release this information to unauthorized recipients except for self-interest," Councilman Joseph Koza said to Kamkar.

The ethics violations were broken at the state level, said Councilman Tony Carbone. Thats so frustrating. If we dont hold ourselves accountable, how can we hold others accountable?

"It feels very much like a witch hunt," said Kamkar, who defeated Jai Dagagett in the May 6 election to win a second term. "It's all right. I'm happy to be chased around."

"The idea that there is any confidentiality in this (selection) process is absolute nonsense," said Kamkar. "The process was slanted towards the internal candidate from the get-go. We never had one external candidate come into the city of Pearland to answer one question."

"This is not about the police officers involved," said Cole. "They didn't solicit this information. It was given to them. I don't want this to be a reflection of the police department or members of the PPOA. We support law enforcement and public safety."

"Pearland Police Officer Association did not do anything wrong," said Kamkar. "I will gladly take a reprimand. That doesn't bother me."

pooja.bhakta@chron.com
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As Houston weather heats up, a new shaved ice truck concept has opened in Tomball.

Kona Ice, a mobile shaved ice truck company, was started by chief executive officer Tony Lamb in 2007 in Kentucky, and now has 1,400 trucks nationwide.

Jacob and Gloria Wylie, owners of the new Tomball location, franchised their first Kona Ice truck last month with hopes making a better life for themselves Jacob said. The Conroe couple will run their business out of Tomball, serving the northwest Houston area.

NEW REPORT: Tomball ranks among 10 hottest communities in Houston area for home sales

The Wylies said they were first looking to purchase an ice cream truck online but after researching options, landed on Kona Ice and thought it looked like a good idea. Jacob was no stranger to running a business as he previously owned a construction company.

For the Wylies, Konas involvement in local communities was a major factor in their decision to open a franchise. According to the companys website, Kona has given back over $100 million since 2019 in local communities nationwide with its charity work.

The biggest part of it was to help the community and help other people. The givebacks and all of the charities and just helping our community is what drove us to getting in this business," Jacob said.

Jacob said they intend to be involved in the community with school givebacks and charity work.

They will also look to do pop-ups at sporting events, weddings and birthday parties, he added.

The couple chose Tomball in part because it was one of the only areas without a location, Gloria explained. She said they love Tomballs old town feel and described the area as beautiful.

PARKS AND REC: Tomball developing 10-year plan to improve city parks, aiming to bring more amenities and walkability

With the truck now open, people out and about in northwest Houston area may come across the blue tiki-top truck providing over 20 flavors, with 500 different combinations.

If you are in the Tomball or northwest Houston area you may run into this blue tiki top truck on your street providing over 20 flavors, with 500 different combinations. Some of Konas popular flavors are tigers blood, blue raspberry, and pickle flavor.

This is a family-owned business, Gloria said. (We) want to be a part of the community and want to get involved and we want to help. They can reach out to us, and we are here for anything, as much as we can help.
On Scene Media

Two people were killed early Wednesday when they were thrown from their moped during a hit-and-run that set off a chain reaction of crashes along Interstate 45 in southeast Houston, officials said.

Officers arrested the two people in connection with one of those secondary crashes, but were still working to identify the vehicle that first struck the moped as of early Wednesday, Sgt. David Rose, of the Houston Police Department, told On Scene reporters.
A woman was killed while sleeping Wednesday morning after being struck by a bullet that went through the bedroom wall of her Humble-area apartment, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Hours later, one of the woman's neighbors was arrested and charged with manslaughter over her death, Gonzalez said

Darius Lewis is accused of firing the shot that killed 28-year-old Bethany Mefford. Lewis told authorities that he opened fire on people trying to steal his catalytic converters, according to court documents. He fired from across the apartment complex's parking lot. At least one of the bullets was believed to have pierced the wall of Mefford's apartment, killing her.

A magistrate on Thursday ordered that Lewis be held on $75,000 bail. He is expected to appear in court Friday.

"This person was not out and about, not doing anything that would put her in harm's way," Gonzalez said. "She was just sleeping like any of us would do. And we see what can happen when people just fire gunshots like that."

Deputies at about 6:15 a.m. arrived at an apartment in the 14000 block of Woodland Hills Drive to find Mefford dead from an apparent gunshot wound, Gonzalez said. The apartment complex is in northeast Harris County, and has a Humble mailing address.

Mefford was found dead in her bed by a family member, Gonzalez said.

Investigators early on believed her death might be linked to a report of gunshots at the same complex earlier that morning, he said.

At about 2:30 a.m., deputies were called about possible burglaries from motor vehicles in the complex's parking lot, Gonzalez said. Around the same time, there were also reports of gunshots in the area.

When deputies arrived, they stopped and arrested a man, a woman and a juvenile in connection to the burglaries, Gonzalez said. It was only hours later that Mefford's body was discovered.

Gonzalez said investigators believe someone "opened fire" on the burglary suspects earlier in the night, and during that shooting a bullet penetrated a wall and hit the Mefford. The sheriff's office believes that between six and 15 shots were fired, Gonzalez said.

The alleged burglars ran from the parking lot after being shot at and were stopped by deputies near the scene, according to the sheriff's office. The two adults who were arrested were charged with misdemeanor burglary of a vehicle. The man was also charged with interfering with the duties of a public servant, another misdemeanor, according to court records. Both were still in custody on Wednesday afternoon.

Lewis spoke to deputies during the initial burglary call and claimed to have only fired his gun into the ground to scare the car burglars, Gonzalez said. When deputies returned near sunrise he was detained and questioned again. Around 5:15 p.m., Gonzalez announced that Lewis had been arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Mefford was a mother of three young children - ages 8, 5 and 2 - her mother, Sherry Gray said Wednesday evening. She lived at the apartment with her boyfriend, Gray said.

"My daughter was the best mother I've ever known and my best friend," Gray said. "Now there's three babies that don't have a mother because somebody's car parts were more important than my child's life."

Charging documents related to Lewis' arrest weren't immediately available.
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Texas Southern University this week launched an official partnership with Rice University, becoming the latest HBCU to build ties to a member institution of the prestigious Association of American Universities.

The alliance makes Rice a go-to partner for Texas Southern, which is working to increase its research spending and rise in standing among historically Black colleges and universities. The Association of American Universities, whose members are known as the top research institutions in the country, has increasingly embraced such relationships in a nationwide effort to advance HBCUs after decades of not being adequately funded.

FACULTY: Texas Southern appoints Carl Goodman as new provost, senior VP of academic affairs

Rice received almost $182 million in research awards in 2021, whereas TSU is working to reach $50 million in research spending by 2025, according to the universities.

I knew this was the right university for Texas Southern to affiliate with, TSU President Lesia Crumpton-Young said. We knew that we would forge a national model that would transform lives, that would advance our institutions and that will become a national model  others will envy.

Rice and Texas Southern are building off a decades-long relationship that has seen both universities collaborate on various academic pursuits in Houston.

Faculty at Rice have previously contributed to TSU and University of Houstons Texas Trends Survey, a five-year project which charts changing public opinion across the state. TSU is also involved in a Rice project aimed at producing more doctoral students of color in science, technology, engineering and math fields, university officials said. And the HBCU is a member of the Southeastern Texas African and African American Studies Consortium at Rice, along with UH and Prairie View A&M University.

Our success as a university at Rice is tied to having strategic partnerships in the city of Houston, university President Reginald DesRoches said. This will be in my opinion, one of the most if not the most important partnership that we will have to strengthen the various initiatives we want to do.

PROGRAMS: Houston airports to build $5 million training facility for TSU aviation students

While specifics are still being discussed, Rice Provost Amy Dittmar said the most obvious benefits will come to faculty research, where Rice and TSU can create partnerships that leverage expertise within complementary fields.

Dittmar said she could see TSUs law school collaborating with Rices public policy and social sciences researchers, or TSUs pharmacists working with Rices bioengineers and chemists. Rices architecture school and Kinder Institute for Public Policy could also find natural collaborations with TSUs program for urban planning and environmental policy, she said.

Officials at both universities said they also see opportunities to expand past projects and collaborate on future study abroad programs.

There were just these natural things that just kept coming together, Dittmar said.

Crumpton-Young said TSU had been looking for a partner as other top research universities began to link up with HBCUs  such as Harvard University with Howard University, and North Carolina A&T with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

DesRoches said few of those partnerships benefit from such close proximity, as TSU and Rice are only minutes away.
As the urgency around the pandemic wanes nationwide, the Texas Medical Center on Tuesday published the final update of its COVID-19 dashboard, which three years ago became a key measure of the virus spread in Houston and the basis for hospital-wide COVID precautions in the area.

We have been reporting this for over 1,100 days, said Texas Medical Center CEO William Bill McKeon. This is actually a really important time that is closing in our citys history, on how well we have handled this together, collectively.

The change comes amid a lull in the virus and two days before the federal public health emergency will expire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services expect to begin reporting less detailed COVID data this week. The developments also follow the World Health Organizations announcement that while COVID remains an ongoing health threat, it no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

TEXAS DATA: Texas to stop reporting daily COVID numbers, will move to weekly report

Infectious disease experts and hospital leaders in Houston agree that the pandemic is no longer the crisis it once was. Recent waves of infections have been less severe, as most Americans carry some degree of protection from previous infections, vaccinations or both. Hospitals are more prepared to deal with COVID after three years of battling repeated waves, usually in the summer and winter months. And wastewater testing  a service for which Houston became a national leader  has emerged as a leading indicator of future virus trends.

Even so, experts say the remaining data will be important to gauge COVIDs unpredictable path.

Its still a pandemic, said Dr. Paul Klotman, president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine. I think Im cautiously optimistic because there have not been giant mutations in months and months. But I know to never get confident around the biology of viruses.

The average COVID positivity rate over the last week sunk to 3.3 percent, a drop from 11.8 percent in January, according to the latest Texas Medical Center data. Additionally, the viral load detected in the citys wastewater was below the baseline set in July 2020, with all but two of the citys wastewater treatment plants reporting either a decreasing or unchanging viral load compared to the previous week.

The data also showed that an average of 66 patients per day last week were admitted to Medical Center hospitals, down from a recent high of 182 in January. Hospitals saw an average of 197 patients over all of last week, compared to 813 in early January, with 41 of those patients admitted to intensive care units, the data shows.

The Medical Centers COVID data has undergone numerous changes over the last three years. The organization, comprising 21 hospitals in addition to academic and research institutions, began compiling the reports shortly after COVID arrived in the spring of 2020. The updates were relied upon so heavily that residents and policymakers were rattled in June 2020 when the Medical Center briefly stopped publishing. The center paused reporting the numbers to change the way it reported ICU capacity at a time when patients were flooding hospitals. The Medical Center also stopped reporting weekly data for two months last year, but McKeon described that as a necessary interruption to again update the way it tracked ICU space.

The numbers served as the focal point of daily 7 a.m. meetings among hospital CEOs, who used them to decide whether to postpone elective procedures, cut back on visitors or transfer patients from overloaded hospitals to others with more capacity. The information also was used to decide when to reopen schools in the region or gather with family.

At a time when there was so more disinformation around the world and how this information got politicized, I feel like Houston had a scientific base from the beginning and that we as CEOs moved in lockstep, McKeon said.

The process of collecting, analyzing and verifying data was labor-intensive, he said, requiring about 15 to 20 employees to distill the information into a total of 2,700 PowerPoints and Excel spreadsheets during the course of the pandemic.

COVIDS EFFECTS: A UTHealth study found the COVID-19 virus can alter the genome structure of our cells

McKeon noted that the dashboard could return, if needed. Houston hospitals will continue to track virus data internally. At Texas Childrens Hospital, where pediatric COVID hospitalizations have stayed in the single digits for two months, the virus is now tracked in the same way as two other common viruses in children: respiratory syncytial virus and the flu.

We are continuing to do around-the-clock surveillance and monitoring, said Dr. James Versalovic, chief pathologist at Texas Childrens. And all the lessons that we have learned in terms of data collection and analytics and reporting, these are valuable lessons that we will continue to leverage going forward.

Houston researchers, including those at Houston Methodist, will continue to track the progress of different variants in the Houston area. Additionally, the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council will keep reporting COVID hospitalizations in the region that surrounds Houston at least for a couple more months, said Dr. David Persse, Houstons public health authority, who also serves on SETRAC.

Its our intention of keeping it up, to see if theres going to be another wave, he said.

Infectious disease experts urge caution as the virus still has the potential to mutate and stress local health systems. XBB.1.5 is the latest strain to dominate cases in the U.S., but a new variant, XBB1.16, continues to make inroads. Only 17 percent of the U.S. population has received the bivalent booster, which was tailored to more recent strains of the virus, compared to the original vaccine.

The pandemic has been a journey for all of us, some more than others, said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases and epidemiology at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann. But I really want us to recognize that this wasnt just another fluke or a blip. Thousands of Houstonians died, and all of us know somebody who died from COVID. The emergency is over, but the virus is still around.
Uncredited/AP

BEIRUT (AP)  Saudi Arabia has invited Syrian President Bashar Assad to the upcoming Arab League summit in the oil-rich kingdom, the Syrian president's office said on Wednesday. The news comes as Damascus continues to slowly return to the Arab fold, following a 12-year-period of political isolation.

Assad received the invitation days after the Arab League restored Syria's membership into the organization during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday. Syria's membership was suspended for brutally cracking down on mass protests against Assad in 2011. Since then, the uprising turned into a vicious civil war that killed nearly a half million people and displaced half of the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.
In 2019, a 21-year-old man made the 10-hour drive from Allen, Texas, to a Walmart in El Paso. There he began firing a semiautomatic weapon in the parking lot, then entered the store and continued his rampage. Twenty-three people were killed. Why? In an online manifesto the shooter had decried a Hispanic invasion and warned of ethnic replacement.

Less than three years later, the violence is closer to home for Allen, a rapidly diversifying suburb of Dallas where recently eight people were shot and killed at an outlet mall. Again, the shooter, who was killed by a police officer already in the area, seems to have supported white nationalist ideologies. The investigation is ongoing. but early reporting suggests he had a troubling social media history replete with misogynistic and racist rhetoric. According to an unnamed official who spoke to the Associated Press, the shooter wore a patch on his chest that read "RWDS," an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad."

The governors response to this tragedy has been muted. He attended a vigil in Allen on Sunday but hasnt spoken to the public. Instead, he launched a new border security initiative that played into the very sorts of fears that helped motivate the El Paso shooter's violence and that seem to have influenced the shooting in Allen.

To be sure, Abbott addressed the shooting briefly, going on Fox News to repeat the party line after mass shootings: Its not the guns, its mental health.

We are working to address that anger and violence by going to its root cause, Abbott said, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it.

It's true that mental health funding will likely get a needed boost this legislative session, which may help Texas climb from its rock-bottom ranking for mental health care access. It's also true that we aren't likely to get the kinds of common-sense and widely supported gun reforms we've repeatedly called for session after session.

Either way, the governor seemed eager to move on.

By Monday, he was stationed in front of military aircraft at the Austin airport, announcing that he would send hundreds more Texas National Guard soldiers to the border ahead of the end of Title 42 this week. The Texas Tactical Border Force, as hes dubbed it, was busy loading Black Hawk helicopters and C-130s and preparing to repel large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally. It's a preview, perhaps, of the sort of power he'd wield under House Bill 20, which if passed would create a Border Protection Unit controlled by the governor, not DPS, and with the ability to deputize everyday citizens to go about arresting and detaining migrants.

The military theater plays well for Abbott. While the federal government has also dispatched forces in preparation for the likely increase in migrants at the border, Abbott has criticized them as merely doing "paperwork." His force would be armed and ready for conflict. Steeped in military rhetoric, Abbott's approach feeds the fear that too often leads to the very anger and violence he claims to want to address.

Some saw the move, just the latest in a series of efforts to capitalize on a strained border, as a pivot away from the state's latest mass shooting. The border is a tried and true rallying call for the governor  the same governor who just days ago was quick to claim that the five victims of a shooting in San Jacinto County were "illegal immigrants."

The border unit announcement isn't a distraction from this weekend's violence.

No, it's a doubling down.

If Abbott wants to address the "root" issues, he may have to consider that the call is coming from inside the house. The rise in domestic terrorism and white nationalism is not just a Texas problem  see, for instance, the 2018 attack on Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 people dead  but Texas leaders have a responsibility to denounce hatred in all its forms, especially when it comes to immigration.

Collin County, where Allen is located, is home to a rapidly diversifying population. Among the victims of the shooting were a 3-year-old boy, James Cho, and his parents, Cindy and Kyu; Daniela Mendoza, 11, and her little sister Sofia Mendoza, 8; Thatikonda Aishwarya Reddy, 26 and an engineer from Hyderabad, India; and Christian Lacour, who worked at the mall as a security guard.

The shooter was Hispanic. Some have wondered, how could he have been a neo-Nazi or affiliated with white supremacist ideologies?

Many Hispanic Americans also identify as white, of course  "Hispanic" is not a racial category  and some are even white nationalists. One of the most prominent leaders of the Proud Boys, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, is Hispanic. He and four others were found guilty of seditious conspiracy for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021. Scholars have long known that white supremacy and far-right extremism can adapt and that here in Texas in particular, white racial identity has been a fuzzy concept. Somewhere inside messy but interconnecting xenophobic, misogynistic, antisemitic and racist ideologies, a sort of "big tent" extremism is capable of accommodating people who are not the conventional image of a white supremacist.

We still don't know the details of the mall shooter's personal beliefs. An early FBI bulletin on his social media said the agency's review turned up "hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi materials and material espousing the supremacy of the white race," according to Rolling Stone.

Though the border is hundreds of miles away for Allen and for many Americans, its rhetorical power is ever-present in American life, the proverbial line holding back the so-called invasion.

Many reasonable Texans are concerned about safety along the border and want to see it managed in an orderly way that stops illegal crossings. But inflamed rhetoric and militarized displays risk contorting those worries until they become a combination of paranoia and hate that disfigures our society.

This state already bears the scars of hate-fueled violence.What we need now is a message of shared humanity, a message that unites and heals. Instead, Abbott gives us fear. He should know better.
Regarding "Feeling is believing: Inside the abbey for king's coronation," (May 6): After watching the British coronation, I am starting to appreciate the value of having a monarch. Of course, absolute power is dangerous, but a monarch who shares political power with elected officials is workable. A monarch can be a source of unity and provide a living image for common values. I would trust someone who has been raised from birth to identify with the country and understand their role more than most of these elected politicians who spent their lives grasping for power and raising money by making promises to supporters.

Sure, monarchs dont always work out well, but compared to our elected officials, they are starting to look pretty good. Which of our current or recent elected officials would you trust and respect more than Queen Elizabeth?

Dave Dyer, Houston

Compassionate policies

Regarding "Texas foster care needs money to keep kids safe. Lawmakers have billions. (Editorial)," (May 6): This editorial stirred up my frustrations with the lack of compassion from our top leaders. Both the governor and lieutenant governor are Christians and well-educated. How can they not know that Jesus, in his sheep and goat story (Matthew 25:31-46), made it clear that we are to address the needs of those who suffer with radical compassion and love?

Yet I see in my state that our leaders do just the opposite. To the underserved children in the foster care system, I could add those working poor who suffer prolonged illness for fear of medical bills because we will not expand Medicaid, and those unnamed human beings who will die in the future from gun violence because our leaders refuse to intelligently manage access to guns. Only a month ago, my wife and grandson were shopping for shoes in the outlet mall where a shooter killed eight human beings. Do we Texans care about our fellow Texans? I thought we did, but the results at the ballot box make me wonder.

John T. James, Houston

Regarding "How much longer will we tolerate this slaughter? (Opinion)," (May 9): Another day, another mass shooting in Texas. The most recent one was in Allen, in Collin County, home of our gun-loving attorney general. Gov. Abbott responded by calling it an "unspeakable tragedy" from the safety of the Governor's Mansion. Evidently when you call a mass shooting "unspeakable" that allows you to not speak further (or do anything) about the matter. Of course Sen. Ted Cruz has offered thoughts and prayers for the umpteenth time, apparently oblivious to the idea that his job is to legislate effective solutions to problems such as gun violence.

Collin County, along with other Texas counties, many of them rural, helped elect Sen. Cruz over four years ago and re-elect our do-nothing governor and AG six months ago despite horrific mass shootings in Uvalde, Sutherland Springs and elsewhere. Rural hospitals continue to close while these same leaders refuse to expand Medicaid and while innocent people, including children, die of mass shootings on what feels like a weekly basis.

Our spineless leaders won't even support harmless but effective low-hanging-fruit gun violence solutions such as raising the age to purchase weapons of war to age 21, universal background checks and Extreme Risk Protection Orders (also known as red flag laws).

The collective stupidity and inertia of our state leaders and their supporters is breathtaking and making us the laughingstock of other states and countries.

Governor, do your job  that's what Beto O'Rourke told him in Uvalde. The Texas Legislature is still in session. I remain hopeful but not optimistic.

David Hoyer, Houston

Better immigration policy

Regarding "Biden sending 1,500 troops for Mexico border migrant surge," (May 2): Consider trying something different, as nothing so far has worked very well. America has a serious problem with worker shortages overall. We need teachers, police, firefighters and more. We spend a fortune on border security. People seeking a better life want jobs. Consider setting up a border process to determine prospective job skills and start their introduction to English to facilitate inclusion into society. The money we spend can be put to better use, and at the same time meet the needs of parties on both sides of the border. Let us at least consider this as a way to put these travelers to work, paying taxes as a way to repay the country that took them in. The vast majority will be thankful and want to repay having been given the opportunity. All parties benefit. Worth a try?

Hopefully someone will take this idea and improve on it. At least it would be a start.

R.K. Entrekin, Houston
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A Uvalde activist who lost his nephew in last years mass shooting at Robb Elementary School was escorted out of the Texas Capitol late Tuesday for chanting too loudly outside the House chamber.

Brett Cross, the guardian of 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia, was staging a last-minute protest outside the chamber ahead of a 10 p.m. deadline to advance House Bill 2744, which would raise the age to purchase assault-style rifles from 18 to 21. He stood with about a dozen other gun safety advocates who yelled, 2744! Put this bill on the floor!

ON MONDAY: Bill to raise the age for AR-15 rifle purchases advances in Texas House

The chants could be heard inside the chamber, where House members were debating a controversial immigration bill. About 10 minutes before the cutoff, a state trooper approached Cross and the other protesters to warn them that he was retrieving a decibel meter.

If you hit a peak, youre out, the trooper said, threatening them with citations.

It is disorderly conduct for a Texan to make unreasonable noise in a public place, defined as a decibel level of 85 or higher, according to the Texas Penal Code. Thats roughly equivalent to the volume of city traffic, a hair dryer or a blender.

Officers rarely enforce that policy in the Capitol, where hundreds of people gather every day to demonstrate during the legislative session.

When the trooper returned about 15 minutes later, he told Cross hed twice hit the decibel limit. The officer later said he was only trying to warn Cross that hed passed the threshold, but he decided to remove him after he cursed.

Cross said he told the trooper he didnt give a (expletive) if he was being too loud. Four troopers walked Cross out of the building, and he continued chanting as he headed toward the exit. He was not issued a citation.

They can try to kick us out and push us out and hold us down and stop us, but they cant, because were not stopping, and were not backing down, Cross said in an interview after.

BACKGROUND: Uvalde shooting may spur action in Texas Legislature  with one big exception

Cross and other Uvalde families have traveled to Austin nearly every week for the past five months in a push to raise the age to purchase AR-15-style rifles from 18 to 21. They say the law could have prevented a teenage gunman from killing 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022.

The Uvalde shooter had purchased his AR-15-style rifle and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition just days after his 18th birthday.

Before the late-night protest, Cross had spent all day Tuesday lobbying House members to advance the measure. Gloria and Javier Cazares, who lost their 9-year-old daughter Jackie, joined him for many of the meetings, as did Jackies aunt and uncle, Julissa and Manuel Rizo.

The effort came after lawmakers unexpectedly passed House Bill 2744 through the House Select Committee on Community Safety on Monday, the last possible day to do so. Lawmakers advanced the legislation by a vote of 8-5, with Republican Reps. Sam Harless of Spring and Justin Holland of Rockwall joining all six Democrats on the committee to move it forward.

Dozens of Uvalde relatives had gathered in the Capitol on Monday to pressure lawmakers to act, holding an emotional press conference just days after another mass shooting, in Allen, left eight people dead. Three weeks earlier, theyd waited 13 hours to deliver tearful testimony on HB 2744.

The legislation has faced stiff opposition from gun rights advocates, who say it would infringe on Second Amendment rights. The Texas State Rifle Association sent out a last-minute plea to members on Tuesday asking them to call their representatives and urge them to oppose the bill.

At age 18, citizens are eligible to vote, be drafted, serve in the military, serve on a jury, enter into contracts, sue and be sued, get married and own property, the email read. Restricting their right to purchase and own firearms based on age is unconstitutional and will not reduce crime.

RELATED: Uvalde families blast Texas GOP after two more mass shootings with AR-15-style rifles

The bills passage through committee was largely a symbolic victory for the Uvalde families, who knew it faced an uphill battle afterward. House Speaker Dade Phelan has said the measure doesnt have the votes to pass on the floor, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the conservative head of the Senate, has not allowed his chamber to consider similar legislation.

Still, the families were hoping to get the bill up for a vote on the House floor, if only to know every representatives stance on the policy change. To do so, the measure needed to advance Tuesday night through the calendars committee, where members set the agenda for the full chamber.

But Rep. Dustin Burrows, the Lubbock Republican who chairs that committee, did not bring it up for a vote. His office declined comment.

Uvalde families didnt fail. Texas politicians did, tweeted Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter, Lexi Rubio. We were up against a brick wall, but the dent we left is notable. Well be back.

She singled out Burrows, Phelan and Rep. Ryan Guillen, the Rio Grande City Republican who chairs the community safety committee. HB 2744 failed to advance in part because Guillen declined to take it up for a vote until Monday.

Representatives for Phelan and Guillen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Texans see you, and they wont forget, Mata-Rubio said. Its my personal mission to travel to your districts and share Lexis story and the disrespect shown to Uvalde families.
A bill raising the age from 18 to 21 for AR-15 rifle purchases died in the Texas House late Tuesday night, after a surprising committee vote on Monday indicated the measure could be moving forward.

Families of Uvalde victims held a demonstration outside the House chamber through the 10 p.m. deadline, when the time to add the bill to the calendar for a House floor vote expired. State troopers removed one family member from the Capitol for chanting too loudly.

Democrats were quick to react on Twitter, with Beto O'Rourke, the former Democratic nominee for governor, responding to the family member's removal from the Capitol: "Hes doing more to stop kids from being killed than anyone who works there. Keep it up."

The day before, the House Select Committee on Community Safety had voted to advance the measure, with Republican Reps. Sam Harless of Spring and Justin Holland of Rockwall joining the committee's six Democrats. The room erupted in cheers after the vote, as the Uvalde families, sitting at the front, broke out in tears.

On Tuesday, 28 House members sent a letter to members of the calendars committee asking for the bill  HB 2744, authored by Uvalde state Rep. Tracy King  to come up for a vote on the House floor.

Matthew Busch/For The San Antonio Express-News

MORE AT THE CAPITOL: Bill to raise the age for AR-15 rifle purchases advances in Texas House

Republican defends pushing bill forward, others attack

Another Republican in the House, Rep. Frederick Frazier of McKinney, told the Dallas station WFAA on Tuesday that while he wants Texans to be armed, he would consider supporting a measure like HB 2744.

"We have to sit down and have these conversations," Frazier said.

Republicans who expressed support for the measure drew swift criticism, with the Texas State Rifle Association mobilizing its members and former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch in a tweet accusing supporters of "disarming and making vulnerable an entire section of young adults, many of whom live on their own."

Holland, one of the two Republicans who voted for the bill, put out a statement Monday defending his decision.

"After listening to many hours of testimony over this session, I became convinced that this small change to the law might serve as a significant roadblock to a young person (not old enough to buy tobacco or alcohol) acquiring a specific type of semi-automatic rifle intent upon using it in a destructive and illegal manner."

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker retweeted Holland's statement along with one word: "Leadership."

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted after fatally shooting two men with an assault style rifle when he was 17, joined with the advocacy group Texas Gun Rights Tuesday to announce they would file a lawsuit to block the bill if the Legislature passed it.

Democrats blast Republicans for bill's death

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents the Uvalde area, in a statement Wednesday blamed Republican state leadership for failing to bring the bill to a vote.

"How dare Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, Dade Phelan, Dustin Burrows and Ryan Guillen make these families live through this torture day after day," Gutierrez said. "They lack any sort of fortitude to stand up and do something to keep our kids from being killed."

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a Houston Democrat, shared in a tweet on Monday a video of emotional families of shooting victims reacting as the bill passed in committee.

Hours before the Tuesday deadline to advance the bill to the House floor, Johnson, who voted for the measure in committee, appeared to see the writing on the wall that the bill would not be moving forward.

"I'm sickened that HB 2744 will not be brought to a full House vote," Johnson said in a tweet. "For once, the legislature seemed to listen to its constituents & do the right thing after getting this bill out of committee."

Additional reporting by Cayla Harris.
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WASHINGTON  The White House is bracing for what President Joe Biden expects to be a "chaotic" end to a public health order used to turn away migrants millions of times since the COVID-19 pandemic began, even as officials say they have spent years preparing a border management strategy to replace Title 42 when it lifts Thursday night.

The last major piece of the plan was finalized on Wednesday as the Democratic administration rolled out a new rule barring asylum seekers who do not apply at ports of entry, or who have not already been denied asylum in another country.

That change, aimed at reducing illegal border crossings, is a major shift from longstanding asylum rules, and a throwback to a similar policy pushed by former President Donald Trump. It also represents Biden's approach to the border in a nutshell: Expanded legal pathways to enter the country, coupled with harsher consequences  in this case a five-year ban on entry  for those who do not follow them.

RELATED: Texas Democrats gut GOP-backed citizen border patrol bill with late-night tactic

Officials say the full strategy, which is controversial among Democrats, will take time to gel. Border patrol facilities and community shelters are already strained along the border, where potentially hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers are expected to try to cross in the coming weeks.

"We're doing all we can," Biden said this week. "It's going to be chaotic for a while."

Border patrol has logged as many as 9,000 crossings daily in recent days, and officials have said they expect that to rise to 10,000 or more a day.

In downtown El Paso, Sacred Heart Church has become a nexus for the thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived in recent weeks, with many sleeping on sidewalks under makeshift tents made from tarps and Red Cross blankets. Volunteers handed pizza to the hundreds of people gathered there Tuesday night, some of whom walked the streets without shoes.

EXPLAINER: The end of Title 42 will impact Houston more than many cities. Here's how and what to expect.

Jorge Benites, a 35-year-old man from Venezuela, said he had made a treacherous journey through the Darien Gap in Central America and faced intimidation from cartels and police as he traveled through Mexico.

Dont judge us immigrants as bad, dont think we come here to do harm, Benites said in Spanish. We only come for opportunity in this one life we have to make progress for our children, our parents.

The administration is surging resources to screen migrants, including some 1,500 active-duty troops, 1,400 Department of Homeland Security personnel and 1,000 processing coordinators. With the Title 42 rollback looming, long lines have formed at border patrol facilities in El Paso, and Customs and Border Protection officials have handed out flyers encouraging migrants to turn themselves in to "be placed in the correct immigration proceedings."

The federal government has sent more than $330 million in emergency management funding to communities for shelters and other services, including $38 million heading to San Antonio.

LATEST: Gov. Greg Abbott makes public show of sending more troops to border

Officials are also working to increase the frequency of deportation flights, dozens of which have been used to remove migrants each week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday. The administration has also launched digital advertising campaigns in Central and South America and in the Caribbean to communicate that those who unlawfully cross the U.S. border will be presumed ineligible for asylum, subject to expedited removal and barred from reentry for at least five years.

Mayorkas said the next few weeks stand to be "very difficult," and that the anticipated rise in crossings will place "an incredible strain on our personnel, our facilities and our communities with whom we partner closely."

"Our plan will deliver results, but it will take time for those results to be fully realized," he said.

BACKGROUND: Biden is sending 1,500 troops to border as COVID-era restrictions on immigrants are lifted

'It's going to get ugly'

The Texas National Guard, meanwhile, said Monday that it activated 545 service members at locations around Texas to reinforce the border mission in anticipation of the end of Title 42.

Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted a video Wednesday showing Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers physically blocking migrants  including several young children  from entering the U.S. near Brownsville. The video showed troops with razor wire at the top of an embankment and a line of migrants wading in the river.

"Great work by Texas National Guard and Texas DPS," tweeted Abbott, who has sparred publicly with the administration over its immigration policies. "Biden sent 1,500 troops to the border to do paperwork. Texas deployed trained soldiers and troopers to take real action and respond to this crisis."

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican who represents a vast swath of the border from San Antonio to El Paso, said that every border sector in his district is already overwhelmed. He said he has spoken with local officials in both big cities and smaller communities along the border who say they are already over capacity.

And many more migrants are on their way. Gonzales said the president of Guatemala told him last week that 80,000 were passing through the country on the way to the U.S.

"Its already at a breaking point," Gonzales said. "You give it five days, its going to get ugly."

Experts say time and space will be among the biggest struggles once Title 42 lifts.

The order, which was put in place by Trump at the beginning of the pandemic, allowed border patrol to turn away most migrants quickly, sending them back to Mexico in a matter of hours.

The standard removal proceedings that were in place before Title 42 and will be back in place after it lifts can take days, which can lead to cramped border patrol facilities and long backlogs. Those turned away under the standard proceedings, however, face harsher consequences, including a five- to 10-year bar from entering the country and potential jail time for those who cross the border illegally multiple times.

"Title 42 allows the U.S. to quickly expel people back to Mexico, and that is why it was efficient," said Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, a policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "Even though border patrol has increased its capacity, it is still not likely to be enough for the flows were seeing today and likely to see increase.

"When the numbers pile up, when border patrol takes longer to process migrants, thats going to delay the system as a whole and youll likely see more migrants at some point be able to come into the U.S.," he said.

The Biden administration has already begun to release some migrants from overcrowded facilities without setting court dates, NBC News reported Wednesday. Mayorkas said that is only a "fraction" of those who have been apprehended, and that Customs and Border Protection screens and vets every individual in custody.

He blamed Congress for refusing to provide more funding or act to reform the immigration system.

"We are taking this approach within the constraints of a broken immigration system that Congress has not fixed for more than two decades and without the resources we need  personnel, facilities, transportation and others  that we have requested of Congress and that we were not given," he said.

Sam Gonzalez Kelly contributed reporting from El Paso.

ben.wermund@houstonchronicle.com
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Leah King and Wayne Gelinas detailed plans last week to reopen the Miss Adams Diner, a neighbor of their 57 Park St. boba tea and gift shop.

Wigwam Owners Reopening Miss Adams Diner, See Future in Adams

ADAMS, Mass.  Leah King and Wayne Gelinas, owners of 57 Park Street, plan to acquire and reopen the Miss Adams Diner this summer.

The couple, also owners of the Wigwam in North Adams, talked about their plans during a presentation last week to the Board of Selectmen about their interest in the community in which Gelinas grew up.

King said they were heartbroken when the historic dining car closed at the end of March and was put on the market. Owner Peter Oleskiewicz had reopened the diner in December 2021 but said the business hadn't been "sustainable" because of the drop off in customers during the week.

"When we found out that it was closed it was devastating because we had created so much foot traffic," King said. "There were people waiting for a seat at the diner who would come in and buy things. We opened at 8 o'clock because of overflow from the diner."

She said it was never on their radar to run a diner "but we're going to make it work. we just don't want to take a risk of another vacant building especially right next to 57 Park Street."

The couple opened the boba tea and gift shop in March after purchasing the building.

King said 57 Park has already sold nearly 3,000 beverages in its first month, being open only Saturday-Monday, and more than 1,000 baked goods. It's also created six jobs.

"That may not be a big deal for a business in New York City, or in a big town, it definitely exceeded our expectations," she said.

There's no name yet for the diner (which has had a few names over the years) but the concept will be "Miss Adams Plus," said King.

Initial menu items include breakfast, bakery items, bread bowls for chowder and chili, sandwiches, vegan/vegetarian items, her mother's pickled cabbage, and Taipei night market/street food.

She envisions it being open seven days a week from May to December and then Friday to Sunday during the winter.

"We want to bring people to Adams, starting with Park Street," King said. "Park Street is not very inspiring right now."

She said there are lot of empty spaces on Park and that they were drawn to Adams in part by the investment being made in the Adams Theater. The couple are looking to create complementary businesses to those already existing and partner with them to revitalize the downtown, and promote local artists and endeavors.

This month, they will be opening a service window and outdoor seating at 57 Park and launching online ordering. Music events will run every Saturday from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend.

This fall, they're planning a new endeavor  "Bubbles and Bites"  a wine tasting room with small plates catered by the diner. They will also continue their partnerships with local private chefs, Firehouse Cafe and Shire Cottage Bakery.

They're also planning three short-term rentals sleeping from two to four people in 57 Park and an art gallery. "Our plan is to attract tourists and provide them with meals and beverage with those options while sending them to other restaurants on Park Street," she said. King roughly estimated that the rentals would generate more than $55,000 a a month in rooms and meals and, between "Park Street Cribs" and the Wigwam, upwards of $111,500 in Adams alone before taxes. Wigwam cabins are already booked out for the year and they don't open until this weekend, said King.

She said they often guide visitors to area attractions and plan to add Park Street to their recommendations. King thought it important to "grow the pie" by collaborating locally in co-marketing tactics and with the regional tourist office, state agencies and colleges. Adams could be promoted as a food destination, she said.

Long term, the couple is hoping that younger people will step up to take over the businesses they've built so they can retire.

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he appreciated King's honesty and willingness, saying the investment in Adams has been somewhat haphazard, with some being successful  particularly Yina Moore at the Adams Theater  and others not so much. "Thanks so much for showing your interest in town," he said. "We really appreciate it." Selectman Howard Rosenberg thought there was a lot of value in the document she put together on getting traffic on Park Street and the ideas for marketing. "The support we have been receiving [from the town] has been incredible," said King, joking that the Police Department is addicted to her boba tea.

In other business:

 The board reorganized, voting in Christine Hoyt as chair on a nomination by Richard Blanchard. No other nominations were made but Joseph Nowak voted against, saying he felt "slighted" in not being chair after a dozen years on the board while Hoyt has been both chair and vice chair.

"I just think it should be spread out a little bit so other people can have the chance to have the chairman and I think I have the ability to be so," he said.

John Duval, the most recent chair, was not in attendance.

 Northern Berkshire Events Committee Chair Jay Meczywor spoke about the committee's goals and mission. It creates events for young professionals, fundraises for local endeavors and sponsors community activities. It recently partnered with the Adams Beautification Committee on a town cleanup.
The Adams Fire District holds its annual meeting on Tuesday evening.

Adams Fire District May Expand to Entire Town



Voters approved all 19 articles within a half-hour with little to no discussion. Updated (5-11-2023 at 9 a.m.) with clarifications from the Prudential Committee Chairman Thomas Satko Satko said the vote taken Tuesday only ratified the special legislation needed to expand the district. That legislation has already been filed. He said district membership voting to expand the district was only an early step in the process that will certainly include input from members of the public potentially coming into the district. "We want to do this the right way, and we want townspeople to be part of this decision," he said. Satko said the district council is working with town council to organize a community meeting to discuss the matter that will be followed by a townwide vote. He did not have an exact timeline for when these meetings would occur and noted many details still needed to be worked out. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ADAMS, Mass. The Fire District membership voted to increase the district's size to the town's limits at the annual meeting bringing a new fire protection and street lighting charge to new members.

The Fire District flew through 19 articles in about a half-hour Tuesday and voted, without question, to expand the district so that all those receiving fire protection outside of the district's current overlay would now have to pay a fee.

"We've been asked by the members of the district. They would like to see those outside the district pay for fire protection," Prudential Committee Chairman Thomas Satko said after the meeting about Article 17. "So we're doing what our members of the district asked us to do."

Currently, the district is focused in the downtown area of Adams, and there are about 168 houses outside of the district. Although firefighters still respond to fires outside of the district, these residents do not pay any fees to the district.

Now, all property owners will be charged a semi-annual fee that, at this moment in time, is 91 cents per $1,000 valuation. The district also runs the Water Department but properties not on the water lines will not be charged for water.

The town is completely separate from the fire district, and Town Administrator Jay Green said the expansion can be done unilaterally from the town.

"There are specific provisions in Massachusetts General Law for a Fire District to expand," Green said. "It is the responsibility of the Adams Fire District to ensure that they are complying with any legal requirements and to communicate to the community the reasons why the Fire District wishes to expand so a healthy and informative conversation can take place in the proper venues."

Green added that without a fire district, fire protection services would fall to the town.

"Generally speaking, there are no ramifications to the operation of local town government. However, I think it is important for perspective and discussion that if there was no Fire District, local town government would be responsible for structural fire protection, and those costs would be covered by real estate tax as part of the town budget rather than a separate tax," Green said. "Therefore, it is worth asking the question, what is the value to the community in having a separate Fire District?"

The entire meeting passed with few questions or opposition with only one single no vote from the dozens of district members who attended the meeting held in the fire station.

Article 6 represented the proposed operating budget and asked members to appropriate $596,905.90 from district taxes.

Article 8 authorized the district to raise and appropriate $1,570,659.63 from rates for the Enterprise Fund and to pay loans maturing during the upcoming fiscal year

Article 5 set the salaries of district employees totaling $24,750.92.

Article 7 will allocate $5,000 from district taxes for the Adams support fee.

Article 9 allowed the district to place $40,000 of surplus revenue into the reserve fund and Article 10 drew $15,500 from the surplus revenue to purchase fire safety equipment. This amount will be fully reimbursed by the state.

Article 11 raises $100,000 from rates for the radio read meter replacement and Article 12 raises $10,000 from rates for the Cheshire PILOT Invoice.

Satko clarified that Cheshire is billing the district for the land it uses in Cheshire. This includes the well fields and land on West Road and Orchard Street.

Article 13 will appropriate from available funds $16,000 for an engineering review of the Greylock Glen and Article 14 will allow the district to pull $50,000 from the surplus account to go toward the Lead Service Line Inventory. This money will be reimbursed by the state.

Article 15 pulls $50,000 from stabilization to put toward a down payment on a new fire engine.

The same day, the Fire district held its election in which 72 voters cast ballots.

Richard Kleiner will return to the Prudential Committee with 55 votes and John Pansecchi will remain chief engineer with 56 votes.

David Lennon was voted in as first assistant engineer with 69 votes, Edward Capeless as second assistant engineer with 69 votes, Mark Therrien as third assistant engineer with 65 votes, and Dylan Grimes as fourth assistant engineer with 67 votes.
GCash, the countrys leading e-wallet, team up with the United States International Agency for Development (USAID) Fish Right Program and Silliman University to plant half a million mangrove trees in Negros Oriental, in line with its goal to fight climate change and support biodiversity.

Dr. Nida Calumpong, Profesor Emeritus of Silliman University and CJ Alegre, Head of Sustainability of GCash plant a seedling to celebrate the launch of the Half a Million Trees in South Negros project.

This project will plant half a million trees across 78 hectares of mangrove and beach forests, covering 19 barangays in five towns namely Zamboanguita, Siaton, Sta. Catalina, Bayawan, and Basay. In five years time, this project expects to sequester 117,000 tons of carbon.

GCash, USAID, and Silliman University formally launched the partnership through a ceremonial signing and a mangrove planting activity on May 5 in Lutoban, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. Around 200 participants joined the launch, including the core representatives from GCash, USAID, and Silliman University. Local and provincial government unit representatives and various groups such as fisherfolk associations, womens groups, Silliman Universitys student organization (STEWaRDS), representatives from national government agencies like Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the non-profit organization Voice of the Free Foundation (VFF) were also present at the event.

This newly launched alliance will also support local communities, particularly people's organizations and womens groups, through the provision of skills training on conservation and management of selected mangrove forests and through cash for work assistance. This also leverages USAIDs decades-long experience in marine biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and fisheries management.

We at GCash are committed to support the reforestation of South Negros though GForest, in partnership with Silliman University. We continuously work with various credible international and local partners who are following a science-based approach,  said CJ Alegre, GCash Head of Sustainability. Together with the people of Negros, and the milions of users of GCash, all of us can plant the seeds for a better tomorrow.

Dr. Hilconida Calumpong of Silliman University reiterated the importance of mangrove ecosystems to climate resilience and food security. Mangroves are important ecosystems that support climate change mitigation by storing large amounts of carbon, and climate change adaptation, by protecting coastlines from typhoons, said Dr. Calumpong. Healthy mangrove systems are also closely tied to livelihoods, serving as nurseries for fish stocks. Degradation of mangroves areas, therefore, has a negative impact on both the climate resilience and food security of coastal communities.

This alliance aims to restore the mangrove forests of the local conservation areas of our partner LGUs and to contribute to the protection of our communities, said Mr. Nygiel Armada, USAID Fish Right Program Chief of Party. As we hand over the initiatives that have been started under the Program to our partners, we are starting a new chapter in our journey of sustainability in South Negros. Planting half a million trees is a good way to start this new chapter. We are very grateful to have facilitated the establishment of this collaboration between one of our consortium partners, the Silliman University, and GCash, he added.

GCash introduced GForest in 2019 to address climate change by enjoining Filipinos to contribute to reforestation efforts through their digital transactions. For every transaction done in the GCash app, users will earn green energy which they can save up, and eventually use to plant a digital tree. GCash and its partner communities will then plant all these as actual trees.

At present, GCash has 12.9 million green heroes who are contributing to fight climate change through this user-friendly, digital feature. To date, 2.2 million trees have been planted nationwide.

Silliman University, as a consortium partner of the USAID Fish Right Program, aims to support ecosystem-based adaptation. This collaboration recognizes the importance of mangrove ecosystems in climate change mitigation & adaptation and in supporting the livelihood of coastal communities as it serves as nursery grounds for many fish, crab, and shellfish species.
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Emilio Estevez has spoken about the words his father, Martin Sheen, gave him when he thought about changing his name.

Sheen was born Ramon Estevez, however, due to prejudices in the industry, he changed his professional name to Martin Sheen in 1958 in a bid to land more acting roles.

When he began auditioning as an actor, Estevez said he, too, used the name Sheen as he thought it would help open doors in Hollywood.

However, he recalled that, at the time, his father said: Dont make the same mistake that I did.

Estevez said that in 1967, his grandfather Francisco (who was born in Spain) went to see Sheen on Broadway in Frank D Gilroys Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Subject Was Roses.

Upon seeing his sons new, English name on the marquee, Estevez said Sheen saw his father shake his head in disappointment.

He never got over that, Estevez said. So, when it was time for me to start making those moves and doing auditions he said, Man, if I had one thing to do over, I never would have changed my name.

Martin Sheen (left) and son Emilio Estevez (Getty Images/NBC)

Sheen was credited as Ramon Estevez on screen for the first time as an executive producer on Estevezs 2011 film The Way, which is soon to be re-released in cinemas across the US.

The film follows Sheen's character walking the Camino de Santiago following the death of his estranged adult son.

Sheen previously revealed his regrets over his name change in an interview last year.

Sometimes you get persuaded when you dont have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later, he explained.

The only influence I had on Emilio was to keep his name, the West Wing star added. When he started out, his agent was advising him to change his name to Sheen and he wouldnt do it. And I thank God he didnt.

However, Martins second son Charlie, who is famous for his role in Two and a Half Men, took on the Sheen stage name. His real name is Carlos Estevez.
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Scarlett Johansson has said she was left hopeless after losing the lead role in an Oscar-winning film.

The actor, who was a child star in the 1990s, is known for films including Lost in Translation, The Prestige, and Under the Skin, and is one of Hollywoods most bankable stars, thanks to her role as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

However, things have not always been plain sailing for the actor, who has revealed that she lost out on the chance to star in Gravity. She said that this particular turn of events left her questioning her place in the film industry.

I got turned down for two roles  the first was Iron Man 2 and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarons Gravity, she told Variety, adding: I had wanted that role so much.

She described losing the latter role as sort of the straw that broke the camels back, stating: I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, Am I doing the right job?

The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling. I think I was offered every Marilyn Monroe script ever. I was like, Is this the end of the road creatively?

Sandra Bullock was ultimately cast in 2013 film Gravity alongside George Clooney. Johansson found herself cast in Iron Man 2 after Emily Blunt dropped out due to a contractual obligation with Fox.

Speaking of her role as Romanoff, who was introduced in the Iron Man sequel, Johansson said: That movie wasnt going to move the needle forward in terms of how my character was written, but there was potential for what it could be  a potential for growth in subsequent films.

Scarlett Johansson (Getty Images)

Johansson will next be seen in Wes Andersons Asteroid City, which will be released on 26 June.

Last week, the film successfully overturned its R-rating, having been originally given a restricted age certificate for brief graphic nudity, smoking and suggestive material.

Elsewhere in the new interview, Johansson recalled an emotional visit to Jeremy Renner after her Marvel co-stars near-death experience.
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Australia returned the remains of four Indigenous people to Japan from where they were taken for research purposes before 1940.

On 8 May, the remains of four Ainu Indigenous people  that were kept in the National Museum of Australia in Canberra and the Museums Victoria in Melbourne  were returned to Japan.

Japanese government representatives and others, including a representative of an Ainu group, travelled to Australia and received the remains.

Ainu were Indigenous people from the Hokkaido, Sakhalin and Kuril islands, who had their own language and distinctive culture before they were forced to assimilate, according to local reports. Anthropologists said society had not been accepting of the Ainu, while some Indigenous communities maintain they have still not been accepted.

The Japanese government has been trying to get the remains of Ainu people from other countries too, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported. But this is the first time the remains of the Ainu have been returned to the country.

Local media reported remains of people from the community had been dug up for research purposes in the past and were sometimes taken without permission.

Records show the remains of one were excavated in the southern part of Sakhalin island, north of Hokkaido, during the first half of the 20th century, when it was under Japanese control.

Sakhalin is currently a Russian island.

The Japanese and Australian governments had agreed for the remains of the four Indigenous Ainu people held in Australian museums to be returned to Japan earlier in March, reported the Mainichi Shimbun.

We are humbled and honoured to be able to return these remains to Japan. Our commitment to the return of individuals to communities is at the heart of our continuing efforts to reform our relationships to First Nations People everywhere, said Mathew Trinca, director of the National Museum of Australia.

Museums Victoria is committed to the repatriation of First Peoples Ancestral Remains and Cultural Material, and we are honoured to be supporting the return of these Ancestors to resting places in Japan, said Museums Victoria CEO and director Lynley Crosswell.

The four sets of remains had reached Australia from Japan between 1911 and 1936.

In a statement, the Australian government said it supports the repatriation of Australian Indigenous ancestral remains to their communities of origin through the Indigenous Repatriation Program to help promote healing and reconciliation.

A survey conducted by the Japan government, the findings of which were announced in April 2019, revealed 1,574 sets of Ainu remains and 346 boxes of unidentifiable Ainu remains disinterred in Hokkaido and other areas were being kept by 12 universities in Japan.

Of these, 1,323 sets of remains and 287 boxes were transferred to a memorial facility at the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park located in Shiraoi, Hokkaido by October 2020.

Meanwhile, members of the Ainu Association of Hokkaido and the Enciw Bereaved Families Association, a group of descendants of the Ainu people who lived on Sakhalin said this was a progressive step.

Mamoru Tazawa, the 67-year-old chairman of the Enciw bereaved families association, told local media that we have finally moved a step forward. But our existence has still not been accepted.

Historical records suggest that a professor of anatomy, Yoshikiyo Koganei at the University of Tokyo, as well as another professor, had donated three remains to Australian researchers prior to 1940.

Remains of one person that Museums Victoria had kept were excavated near the mouth of the Poronay river in the southern part of Sakhalin in 1936.

Hokkaido University will temporarily keep the remains found in the southern part of Sakhalin, while the remains of the other three Ainu people are being kept at the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park in Shiraoi, Hokkaido.
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The former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan can be held for eight days, a court ruled on Wednesday, a day after the popular opposition leader was dragged from a courtroom and arrested on corruption charges.

Mr Khans arrest on Tuesday set off violent clashes involving his supporters and police in several cities, including Islamabad, that left at least six people dead.

Following a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif denounced the attacks on public property and military installations, and he approved the deployment of troops in the capital of Islamabad, in the countrys most populous province of Punjab, and in the volatile northwest, according to a government statement.

In the latest unrest, thousands of protesters stormed a radio station and offices of the state-run agency in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Following the PMs declaration, military forces were mobilised and more than 1,000 protesters arrested during unrest across the country.

The Radio Pakistan building burns in Peshawar (EPA)

Mr Khan, 70, the former all-rounder and captain of the Pakistan cricket team, was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year but remains the countrys most popular opposition figure.

He says the cases against him  which include corruption and terrorism charges  are a politically motivated plot by his successor, Mr Sharif.

His supporters clashed with police in several cities, including Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore. Dawn reported that mobile internet services were restricted nationwide for several hours while Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook continued to be blocked.

Schools, colleges and other higher educational institutions were also closed across Pakistan on Wednesday.

As protests raged, the tribunal turned Mr Khan over to the custody of Pakistans anti-corruption body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), for eight days for further questioning, government adviser Ataullah Tarar said.

It follows a ruling by the countrys Election Commission that he illegally sold state gifts between 2018 and 2022. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The corruption case is one of more than 100 registered against Mr Khan after he left office. In most, he faces being barred from holding public office if convicted.

He was at Islamabad High Court on a separate matter on Tuesday when paramilitary officers stormed the building, smashing windows to gain access in dramatic scenes captured on video.

Mr Khan's legal team has challenged the arrest in an Islamabad court and is considering doing the same at the country's Supreme Court.

Imran Khan recovering from an assassination attempt last year (AP)

His supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital, but did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief General Asim Munir.

Other demonstrators tried to reach the prime minister's residence in Lahore, but were driven off by baton-wielding police. Others attacked vehicles carrying troops and hit armed soldiers with sticks.

Police officers were deployed in force across the country, and placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Mr Khan was being held and where he appeared before a judge at the temporary court placed there for security reasons, according to the government.

Amnesty International said it was alarmed by reports of authorities blocking access to internet networks and social media. It urged authorities to show restraint, saying clashes between law enforcement and Mr Khans supporters risk human rights violations.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
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Pakistans former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by an anti-graft agency on corruption charges. Government officials alleged that Khan and his wife received land worth millions of dollars as a bribe from a real estate tycoon through a charitable trust.

Khan and his aides have denied any wrongdoing. The developer has denied the charges in the past but he could not be contacted on Wednesday and his companys marketing manager did not respond to a request for fresh comment.

Below are some facts about the trust and the land acquisition.

What is Al-Qadir Trust?

Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organization set up by Bushra Watto, Khans third wife, and Khan in 2018 when he was still in office.

While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.

The couple are the sole trustees, according to law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

What does the trust do?

The trust runs a university outside Islamabad devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings, a project inspired by the former first lady, who is also commonly known as Bushra Bibi and has a reputation as a spiritual healer.

Khan has publicly described her as his spiritual leader and said she helped guide him towards a spiritual path.

What is the corruption case?

Interior minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistans richest and most powerful businessmen.

The anti-graft agency that arrested Khan had summoned Hussain late last year to submit answers on the land donated to the trust.

The trust has nearly 60 acres of land worth seven billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad close to Khans hilltop home, the minister said.

The 60-acre parcel in Punjab states Jhelum district is the official site of the university but very little has been built there.

Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also raised questions about donations given for operations of the under-construction institution.

The trust received 180 million rupee ($635,144.67) for operational expenses, but records showed only 8.52 million rupees on the books, she said in a statement issued late on Tuesday night.

How was the bribe alleged to have worked?

The government said the scheme originated with 190 million pounds repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 by Britain after Hussain forfeited cash and assets to settle a British probe into whether they were proceeds of crime.

It says instead of putting it in Pakistans treasury, Khans government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.

The interior minister alleged Hussain gave the land in Jhelum and Islamabad to Al-Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.

Reuters
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The UK, US, and Canada have issued travel advisories to their citizens in Pakistan following former prime minister Imran Khans dramatic arrest.

On Tuesday Mr Khan was dragged from a court in Islamabad in a development that subsequently saw his supporters clashing with the police across the country.

The 71-year-old opposition leader was appearing in court on multiple graft charges brought by the Islamabad police when dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau backed by paramilitary troops stormed the courtroom, breaking windows, after Khans guards refused to open the door.

The arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief deepened the political turmoil in the country.

Violent demonstrations followed in which at least one person was killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, and dozens were wounded in various parts of the country.

Following the large scale demonstrations, the US embassy issued a travel advisory to its citizens, reported ARY news.

The US embassy is monitoring earlier reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad and also sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned elsewhere throughout Pakistan, the advisory said.

It added that all consular appointments have been cancelled for Wednesday and asked US citizens to exercise heightened vigilance and avoid locations with large crowds, review personal security plans, carry identification and follow requests from law enforcement.

A similar advisory was issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

It asked British citizens to avoid all political demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events and be prepared to change plans as necessary.

Public demonstrations are common in Pakistan. You should keep track of the local news. Protests can occur with little warning and while most remain peaceful, they can turn violent and escalate quickly, the advisory said.

Canadas embassy asked its citizens and diplomatic staff to also exercise a high degree of caution in Pakistan citing unpredictable security situations, a threat of terrorism, civil unrest, sectarian violence, and kidnapping.

Mobile internet and major social media platforms have been shut down across the country, reported Dawn.

PTI member Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that while protests would continue across the country, he called upon supporters to remain peaceful.

Peaceful protest is your constitutional right, keep it going. But dont take the law into your own hands, he said while speaking to the media outside the Police Lines Guest House in Islamabad.

Mr Khan is expected in court later Wednesday for a hearing on keeping him in custody for up to 14 days.
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The UN has accused the Taliban of detaining, harassing, and imposing severe restrictions on their movements of some Afghan women working with the agency in the country.

The accusations, in a statement released on Tuesday, come amid a continuing stalemate between the UN and the Taliban after the hardline Islamist regime banned women from working with the agency early March, bringing humanitarian work in Afghanistan to a halt.

This is the most recent in a series of discriminatory  and unlawful  measures implemented by the de facto authorities with the goal of severely restricting women and girlss participation in most areas of public and daily life in Afghanistan, the UN said in a report on the human rights situation on the Taliban-administered country.

The measures will have disastrous effects on Afghanistans prospects for prosperity, stability and peace, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in its report.

UNAMA is concerned by increasing restrictions on civic space across Afghanistan, said Fiona Frazer, the agencys human rights chief.

Taliban leaders have continued to crack down on dissenting voices this year, in particular those who speak out on issues related to the rights of women and girls, the report said.

The UN report cited the arrest of four women on 26 March, who were released a day later. The women were arrested in Kabul for participating in a protest demanding access to education and work.

The UN also condemned the arrest of Afghan educator and girlss education activist Matiullah Wesa.

It cited the arrest of womens rights activist Parisa Mobariz and her brother in February in the northern Takhar province as well.

The UN also pointed out that a number of other civil society activists who were released without charge after being arrested for extended periods of arbitrary detention by Afghanistans General Directorate of Intelligence.

The agency had released a separate report on Monday condemning the Taliban for carrying out public executions, lashings and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan in 2021, asking for such practices to be stopped immediately.

In the past six months alone, Taliban leaders have publicly flogged 274 men, 58 women and two boys in Afghanistan, the report said.

Additionally, China has urged the Taliban to reform its radical policies which exclude women from education and public life and adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism.

Beijing is hoping the interim government will take solid steps in the right direction, make practical efforts to gain the understanding and trust of the international community, and create favourable conditions for Afghanistan to further develop good neighbourliness with its neighbours and integrate into the international community, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

The officials remarks come as Pakistan earlier hosted a mini, trilateral summit including China and Afghanistan that sought to promote trade and lower border tensions amid a surge of terror attacks inside the host country.
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The climate crisis has led to an increase in the number of farmers in India dying by suicide, new research has found.

Suicides in agricultural communities has been a long-standing issue in the country since the 1970s as farmers face increasing debt crisis.

Farmers account for 15 per cent of the total number of suicides in India, according to national records.

More than 10,000 farmers and agricultural workers died by suicide in 2020, the latest year that data is available.

The study, published on Wednesday, focused on five states with particularly high suicide rates - Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.

The researchers compared rainfall patterns in the years, 2014-15 and 2020-21.

It found that in case of a 5 per cent deficit in average rainfall, 810 farmers died by suicide in a year.

But based on statistical modelling, the researchers predict that if there was a 25 per cent deficit in rainfall, then the number of farmers dying by suicide in a year would increase to 1,188 individuals.

Climate change is making agriculture an extremely risky, potentially dangerous and loss-making endeavour for farmers, and its increasing their risk of suicide, said Ritu Bharadwaj, a principal researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), which conducted the research.

With their incomes heavily dependent on climate, farmers are on the front line of this crisis.

Indian workers carry the last bit of water from a small pond on the outskirts of Chennai during Tamil Nadus worst drought in 2019 (AFP/Getty)

Indias farming sector has been deeply impacted by more frequent and widespread droughts in recent years. The increasing frequency of heatwaves, a direct result of the climate crisis, is making matters worse.

Farmers are vulnerable due to several factors such as reliance on cash crops like cotton, high rates of drug and alcohol addiction, and limited literacy levels which means they can be unaware of social protection schemes.

The unavailability of affordable loans is also exacerbating the distress. Farmers take loans to invest in their crops during the harvesting season, but the lack of access to affordable credit, or awareness of government schemes, pushes them to unofficial sources to obtain money.

If their crops are destroyed due to drought or other climate-related issues, farmers often fall into a debt trap.

A devastating, record-breaking heatwave which struck the country in 2022 left the agricultural sector in heavy distress after it decimated key crops including wheat, destroyed, leading to the South Asian nation imposing an export ban.

This year India had its hottest February on record and more heatwaves are expected in the coming weeks with concerns rising over the crops destroyed again by unseasonal heat and rains.

The United Nations estimates that the climate crisis has reduced Indias GDP between two to five per cent in the past 20 years.

Farmers in Karnataka protest over the inadequate distribution of compensation to the farming community victims of flood and drought (AFP/Getty)

The impact of climate change on Indian farmers is expected to worsen as the planet gets warmer. UNs top scientific body, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has identified India as the country most at risk of reduced crop production due to climate crisis.

Urgent preventative action for climate-related suicides in rural India must be taken, said Professor Bharadwaj.

The researchers suggested several ways to address the issue.

One solution is for governments to implement social protection schemes, such as public works programs, that can offer a safety net in the form of cash or food, build assets for long-term resilience, and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Climate change is making agriculture an extremely risky, potentially dangerous and loss-making endeavour for farmers, and its increasing their risk of suicide Ritu Bharadwaj, a principal researcher for IIED.

The central Indian government, along with state governments, have passed several laws in the past to prevent farmers from debt distress, including credit facilities, crop insurance and loan waivers. But the effectiveness and reach of these policies to those in need remains under question.

The IIED research has shown that when farmers had access to wage employment through Indias Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) social protection program, suicide rates were low.

The research found that when employment from the social protection scheme increased, the number of farmers dying by suicide drastically dropped, showing a threefold increase resulting in a 75 per cent decrease in suicides per year.

The study stresses the need for a better support system for farmers to manage their production and market risks due to the climate crisis.

It also emphasises the need to make insurance accessible, that can absorb shocks and spread risks, along with mental health treatment needs to become more widely available.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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The first death from New Zealands severe flooding was reported as authorities found the body of a teen who went missing in a flooded cave during a school trip.

The high school student went inside a cave at the Abbey Caves in Whangarei for a visit on Tuesday when heavy rain lashed Auckland yet again this year.

The teen was accompanied by a group of 15 students and two adults who were on an outdoor education class, but the others managed to make it out safely.

The body of the student was recovered on Tuesday after rescue efforts throughout the day.

The school trip raised concerns as forecasters had warned of heavy rain approaching, yet officials chose to proceed.

Whangarei Boys' High School principal Karen Gilbert-Smith shared her deep sadness and shock on Facebook, as she called the incident hugely upsetting for all those involved.

In time we will seek to understand how this situation occurred, but for now I ask that we stay united as a WBHS community and provide support where required, the principal wrote.

Police superintendent Tony Hill said the polices focus was to support those affected, and they were trying to understand how the situation occurred.

We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have, police superintendent Hill said in a statement.

At the moment, polices focus is on supporting those affected.

Auckland declared a state of emergency due to heavy rainfall and flooding, leading to emergency services responding to more than 200 calls on Tuesday.

Many calls were for floodwaters entering buildings, landslides, falling trees and trapped cars. Furthermore, several train and bus services were cancelled, and people were urged to avoid unnecessary travel.

This year, back-to-back severe weather has wreaked havoc on the North Island of New Zealand.

In January, floodwaters hit Auckland, killing four people. In February, Cyclone Gabrielle caused the death of 11 people.

Prime minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region. He said he was yet to find out all the details on what had happened to the student.

I do want to express my deep concern there and my absolute support for the school community, Mr Hipkins said.
Brexit is the elephant in the room of British politics, Sir Ed Davey told the Liberal Democrat spring conference in York two months ago. He said that neither the Conservatives nor Labour wanted to talk about the costs of leaving the EU.

He said it was an elephant that the Lib Dems always point to, even though other parties darent even whisper its name. Yet when Ed Balls, the former shadow chancellor moonlighting as a presenter of Good Morning Britain, asked him about it, Sir Ed proved reluctant to say its name out loud.

Balls asked him if he would push Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, to reverse Brexit as part of a deal in the event of a hung parliament. The Lib Dem leader said that, at the moment, rejoining the EU is not the issue; the issue is rebuilding trust with our European friends and neighbours.
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Exasperated Anne Hathaway fans are defending the Devil Wears Prada star after she was accused of being rude in a resurfaced interview.

The clip shows the US actor declining to discuss a conversation she had with Vogues editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and laughing at the idea that she would ever share details with a journalist.

However, fans of the Princess Diaries star have jumped to her defence and dismissed the complaints on social media.

The interview in question took place last October at ELLE magazines Women in Hollywood event, after Hathaway wore an outfit that resembled her character Andy in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.

The actor wore a black turtleneck with a brown crocodile skirt and jacket to the Michael Kors show at New York Fashion Week, complete with bangs. She sat next to Wintour during the show in September.

Asked whether she and Wintour had ever spoken about the movie  in which Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly, a character modelled after Wintour  Hathaway confirmed they had.

However, when the reporter pushed for information about what the legendary Vogue editor has shared, Hathaway replied: Why would I tell you? before laughing loudly.

The interviewer said: Because Im a fan and I need to know.

No, but you werent there, Hathaway said, shaking her head slightly.

The interviewer said they respected Hathaways decision not to divulge her and Wintours interaction, and the actor thanked her.

A clip of the interview, which stops just before the interviewer said: I respect that has resurfaced on social media with some viewers branding Hathaway as rude.

On TikTok, some people commented that Hathaway was being passive aggressive or was displaying mean girl vibes.

But her fans took to Twitter to defend the Love and Other Drugs star, who also wowed them with her appearance at the Met Gala last week, and said she was well within her right not to share a private conversation.

Its a personal moment she didnt want to share?? one person wrote. Maybe if she was consistently doing it to certain people I would say micro/passive aggressive but its not even all that.

(Getty Images for Michael Kors)

Another said: She just didnt want to share personal stuff and made a joke about this and even laughed at herself and the way she said, but you werent there sounds really sweet to me, why would anyone be offended by this?

A third added: If Anna Wintour told me a secret I wouldnt even tell it to my own cat.

Speaking about the viral moment she recreated one of her characters looks, Hathaway told Today that she hadnt done so on purpose.

(Getty Images for Michael Kors)

It was kind of nuts, wasnt it, she told host Savannah Guthrie. It was by accident. I was supposed to wear something else. The shoes didnt fit, this was the other outfit that came.

And then my hairstylist, who was so lovely and I had never worked with him before, just said, Oh I know what to do. And he threw my hair up in a ponytail.

Hathaway said at that moment she realised who she resembled.

I looked in the mirror and I thought, Oh thats funny, I wonder if anybody will notice.
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Heather Brooke Armstrong, the pioneering mommy blogger who gained popularity with her website Dooce, has died aged 47.

Her boyfriend, Pete Ashdown, confirmed to The Associated Press that she died by suicide Tuesday night but no cause of death was revealed. He said she was sober for 18 months but had recently relapsed.

A post on her Instagram account appeared to confirm her passing on 9 May. Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B Armstrong aka dooce aka love of my life. July 19, 1975 - May 9, 2023, the caption read. It takes an ocean not to break. Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else.

Armstrong  who lived in Salt Lake City, Utah  rose to internet fame in the early 2000s with her popular blog, Dooce.com. The mother of two was soon hailed as the queen of mommy bloggers for writing candidly about parenthood and her struggles with alcoholism and depression.

She founded her blog in 2001, after being fired from her job as a web designer and graphic artist for writing about her company and co-workers. Armstrong, who was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, soon amassed a cult following for her witty and unapologetic depiction of depression and why she left the Mormon church.

By 2009, Dooce.com had reached 8.5 million monthly readers. In 2011, she made between $30,000 to $50,000 per month from web advertisements, according to a New York Times profile on Armstrong titled, Queen of Mommy Bloggers.

That same year, she became the only blogger on Forbes list of the Most Influential Women in Media at number 26. She went on to author many books, including Dear Daughter and It Sucked and then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown and a Much Needed Margarita.

Despite her growing fame, Armstrong remained open about her struggles with mental health and her relationship. In 2012, she and her husband Jon Armstrong announced they were divorcing. The couple share two children: Leta Elise, born 2004, and Marlo Iris, born 2009.

In a 2019 interview withVox, Armstrong detailed the lengths she went in order to treat her depression. She had enrolled herself in a clinical trial at the University of Utahs Neuropsychiatric Institute, where she was put in a chemically induced coma for 15 minutes at a time for 10 sessions. The experience was the subject of her 2019 book, titled, The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live.

She was also open about her battle with sobriety. Her final blog entry, dated 6 April 2023, read: On October 8th, 2021 I celebrated six months of sobriety by myself on the floor next to my bed feeling as if I were a wounded animal who wanted to be left alone to die.

There was no one in my life who could possibly comprehend how symbolic a victory it was for me, albeit it one fraught with tears and sobbing so violent that at one point I thought my body would split in two. The grief submerged me in tidal waves of pain. For a few hours I found it hard to breathe.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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Prince Harrys ghostwriter has opened up about the process of writing the Duke of Sussexs memoir Spare, and the comfort both Harry and his wife Meghan Markle provided during the project.

Author JR Moehringer opened up about the conversations and work that went into writing the dukes best-selling, tell-all memoir in an essay published by The New Yorker on 8 May.

In the piece, Moehringer recalled visiting the couple at their home in Montecito, California, and how the Sussexes treated both him and his family.

Moehringer said that when he visited the duke and duchess in California with his wife and children, his daughter Gracies heart was won over by Harrys love of Moana.

As the pandemic waned, I was finally able to travel to Montecito. I went once with my wife and children. (Harry won the heart of my daughter, Gracie, with his vast Moana scholarship; his favourite scene, he told her, is when Heihei, the silly chicken, finds himself lost at sea), the author wrote.

Moehringer also recalled two other trips to Harry and Meghans house during which he stayed in the couples guest house. He claimed that Meghan and the duke and duchess now-four-year-old son Prince Archie would visit him during their afternoon walks.

The author said Meghan, knowing that he was homesick during the trips, would also bring him food and desserts.

Harry put me up in his guesthouse, where Meghan and Archie would visit me on their afternoon walks, he wrote. Meghan, knowing I was missing my family, was forever bringing trays of food and sweets.

The novelist said that the duchess also sent a gift of toys to his children.

Moehringer also wrote how, after Spare was published on 10 January 2023, a friend of Prince Harrys hosted a book party to celebrate the memoirs success, to which Moehringer and his wife were invited.

The author said he was initially hesitant about attending the party due to the criticism that the memoirs contents received since the release of the book. He also claimed that in the days before the party, he and his wife had been stalked and followed by paparazzi.

Moehringer said he ultimately called up his friend Prince Harry, who he knew would understand.

It was like telling Taylor Swift about a bad breakup, he wrote of the dukes response. Harry was all heart. He asked if my family was okay, asked for physical descriptions of the people harassing us, promised to make some calls, see if anything could be done. We both knew nothing could be done, but still.

The novelist said he and his wife ultimately attended the book party, during which Harry thanked him for all his help.

The duke recently returned to the UK where he reunited publicly with members of his family for the first time since the release of Spare for the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Notably, Harrys visit was brief; he arrived a day before the coronation ceremony and then returned to California shortly after the crowning concluded.
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On 9 April 2023, King Charles III and his wife, the Queen Consort Camilla, celebrated 18 years of marriage.

The pair were married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall in 2005, following divorces on both sides, to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Andrew Parker Bowles, respectively.

But Diana was not the first woman in Charless life, as the popular Netflix series The Crown has demonstrated, dramatising the new monarchs dating history in the lead up to his first marriage.

While Camilla and Diana are considered to be the most significant love interests of the prince, Charles was not short of admirers during his youth, as season four of The Crown makes clear.

Between meeting his first girlfriend while studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1967 and marrying Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the future king was romantically-linked to a number of women.

At the urging of his uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who served as a father figure for him, Charles did not hold back during his twenties and reportedly dated more than 20 women in the space of a decade.

According to Netflix documentary The Royal House of Windsor, Mountbatten wrote a letter to Charles in 1974, encouraging him to sow his wild oats.

In a case like yours, the man should sow his wild oats and have as many affairs as he can before settling down, he wrote. But for a wife, he should choose a suitable, attractive and sweet-charactered girl before she met anyone she might fall for.

The 1970s were a trying time for the prince as, under pressure from the royal family and public opinion, he attempted to find a wife deemed suitable.

Model Jane Priest stole a kiss from Prince Charles during his 1979 visit to Perth, Australia (Rex)

During his first ever TV interview with the BBC that same year, Charles opened up about the importance of choosing the right partner, stating: This is obviously very difficult because youve got to remember that when you marry, in my position, youre going to marry somebody who, perhaps one day is going to become queen.

Youve got to choose somebody very carefully, I think, who can fulfil this particular role, because people like you, perhaps, would expect quite a lot from somebody like that, and its got to be somebody pretty special.

In his search for that special someone, biographer Christopher Wilson said the prince had a string of arm candy adding that, while he fell deeply in love with a handful of partners during his younger years, many were women he would take out simply because it made him look good.

So, who were the women that did not quite make the cut? From sprigs of aristocracy to actors and Princess Dianas older sister, here we take a look at some of Charless many girlfriends over the years.

Lucia Santa Cruz

Prince Charles Pictured With Lucia Santa Cruz Leaving The Fortune Theatre Drury Lane in 1970 (Rex)

Lucia Santa Cruz, who is the daughter of the former Chilean ambassador to London, is said to have had a brief but passionate romance with Charles some 40 years ago when he was studying at Cambridge.

Shortly after joining Trinity in 1967, Charles met Lucia, who was five years his elder, at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend.

According to biographer Sally Bedell Smith, Charles cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson, who was also a friend of Lucias, commented: She was the first real love of his life.

Ironically, it was Charless first love who introduced him to the great love of his life. In his authorised biography, author Jonathan Dimbleby says Lucia told Charles she had just the girl for the young prince and subsequently arranged for the royal to meet Camilla Shand  later Parker Bowles.

Lucia has remained close to Charles and Camilla. In 2009, when the then-Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall embarked on an official tour of South America, they visited her in Lima. Then, in 2011, she was invited to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges wedding.

Camilla Shand

Prince Charles Talking to Camilla Parker Bowles at a Polo Match in 1975 (Rex)

Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles's relationship has made headlines from the very beginning.

According to the biography Charles and Camila: Portrait of a Love Affair by Gyles Brandreth, the two reportedly first met in 1971. While it is widely believed that Charles and Camilla met at a polo match in 1972, Brandreth wrote that they were actually introduced by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz.

The two quickly started dating but broke up before Charles left to serve in the Royal Navy. When he returned eight months later, Camilla was engaged to her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Andrew Parker Bowles, whom she went on to marry in 1973.

In 1981, Charles married Diana Spencer but, he began an affair with Camilla five years later. In 1994, Charles admitted to committing adultery during his marriage in an interview with Dimbleby. When asked if he tried to be faithful and honourable to Diana, Charles initially replied: Yes, absolutely, but when prompted further by Dimbleby, he added: Yes until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.

(Getty)

In December 1993, prime minister John Major announced that Charles and Diana had officially separated and two years later, so did Camilla and Andrew.

Following the death of Diana in 1997, Charles and Camilla rekindled their relationship but were not photographed together until 1999.

It was not until 2003 that the couple moved in together at Clarence House residence, before announcing their engagement in February 2005. Charles proposed with an art deco-style ring that features a five-carat emerald cut diamond in the centre and three diamond baguettes on each side. The ring belonged to his grandmother, the Queen Mother.

On 9 April 2005, Charles and Camilla got married in a civil ceremony. Prince William served as the best man and Camilla's son Tom was a witness. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip did not attend the ceremony but did make an appearance at the Service of Prayer and Dedication at St Georges Chapel.

Lady Jane Wellesley

Prince Charles and Lady Jane Wellesley at the Royal Tournament, held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, in 1972 (Getty)

Daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington, Lady Jane Wellesley reportedly had a courtship with the young Prince of Wales in her early twenties and was considered by many to be a prime candidate for marriage.

The couple were together between 1973 and 1974 and when they eventually parted ways, the blame was placed on intense media scrutiny.

When asked on one occasion if there was to be an engagement announcement, Jane said: Do you honestly believe I want to be queen?

Davina Sheffield

Prince Charles pictured with his girlfriend Davina Sheffield in 1979 (Rex)

The granddaughter of 1st Lord McGowan and a cousin of Samantha Cameron, Davina Sheffield was romantically linked to Prince Charles in 1976.

In her 2005 book The Firm, author Penny Junor delved into the romance, which she said was killed stone dead after an ex-boyfriend of Davinas spoke to the press.

In 1976, the prince fell for another girl, Davina Sheffield, who could have been the soulmate he was searching for, Junor wrote.

She seemed ideal in so many ways, and they appeared to be very much in love but she already had a boyfriend when Charles met her, an Old Harrovian and powerboat racer named James Beard.

He was subsequently conned into talking about his relationship with Davina by what turned out to be a Sunday tabloid reporter and the story of their affair, complete with photographs of their love nest, made headline news.

The admission meant that Davina was no longer considered a suitable wife, as royal brides were at that time expected to still be virginal by the time they walked down the aisle. This was exactly the same obstacle that had prevented Charles from settling down with Camilla a few years before.

Lady Sarah Spencer

Prince Charles and Lady Sarah Spencer (Rex)

Daughter of 8th Earl Spencer and elder sister to Princess Diana, Lady Sarah Spencer briefly dated Prince Charles in 1977. But, after she spoke about their relationship in the press, the two split.

While it sounds strange that her own sister started seeing Charles after they broke up, Sarah took pride in the fact that she set the two of them up.

I introduced them, she once said. Im Cupid.

Lady Amanda Knatchbull

Lord Mountbatten and his granddaughter, Amanda Knatchbull in 1978 (Rex)

After his relationship with Sarah Spencer came to an end, Charles resumed his search for a suitable bride and, in 1980, proposed to Lady Amanda Knatchbull, the granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten.

Writing in his 2007 biography Charles: The Man Who Will Be King, Howard Hodgson explained how Amanda had become fond of the Prince of Wales.

She was equally impressed with his energy, enthusiasm, sense of fun, kindness and modest self-deprecation, he wrote.

She was indeed a very sensible and loving girl, who genuinely did share all the same interests as the heir to the throne.

Amanda turned Charless proposal down, citing the glare of the royal spotlight.

Anna Wallace

Anna Wallace, former girlfriend of Prince Charles (Rex)

Having passed his self-ordained deadline of the age of 30 to get married, Charles remained undeterred and proposed to Anna Wallace, the daughter of a Scottish landowner, later that same year.

In the book The Duchess of Cornwall: Camillas Story and Secrets, author Jessica Jayne claimed that Anna broke off their relationship during the Queen Mothers 80th birthday party because Charles had ignored her all evening.

However, in her 2017 book The Duchess, Junor stated that the two actually parted ways due to the princes relationship with Camilla.

Charles had taken her to two successive balls and then danced with Camilla for most of both evenings, Junor wrote. Anna dumped him with the words: No one treats me like that  not even you.

The couple had only just broken up when Charles met Diana in the summer of 1980.

Lady Diana Spencer

Prince Charles and Diana at Caernarvon Castle in 1981 (Getty)

Diana and Prince Charles initially met through her older sister, Sarah, in 1977, when she was just 16 years old and he was 28.

Recalling their first meeting, Charles said in an interview conducted in 1981 that he could remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was, describing her as great fun, and bouncy and full of life.

The two next met in 1980, a year after the assassination of Lord Mountbatten and, in a private tape released in the documentary Diana: In Her Own Words, Diana can be heard saying that she sympathised with how lonely Charles must have been feeling at the time.

It soon became apparent that Charles was considering Lady Diana Spencer as his bride when she was invited to spend some time with the royal family at Balmoral in November 1980 and in February 1981, the couple announced their engagement.

During a television interview to share the news, an interviewer behind the camera asked the couple: Are you in love? While Diana immediately replied with a giggle, Of course, Charles added: Whatever in love means.

After six months, they were married in a lavish ceremony at St Pauls Cathedral, described by many as the wedding of the century. The couple went on to have two children  William and Harry  however, their relationship was not meant to be.

In 1986, Charles began an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, according to Dimbleby, while Diana also admitted to being unfaithful in the marriage with James Hewitt  a former household cavalry officer in the British Army.

Six years later, then-prime minister John Major announced that Charles and Diana were separating and their divorce was finalised in 1996.

Just one year later, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul.

You can read more about the story of Charles and Dianas first meeting here.
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The Duke of Sussexs ghostwriter JR Moehringer has revealed the behind-the-scenes making of Harrys memoir Spare.

To write the autobiography, Moehringer says he and Harry spoke around the clock about the book on Zoom, on the phone, via text, and eventually, in person at Harrys home in Montecito, California.

In the controversial book, which was released in January, Harry was critical of his family and made several claims about how his brother William treated him, alleging that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him. He also revealed very personal details, such as the account of losing his virginity, his frostbitten penis and the number of soldiers he killed while on military tour in Afghanistan.

The Duke of Sussexs autobiography became the UKs fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 copies across hardback, ebook and audio formats on its first day of publication, its publishers said in the week of its release.

In an article written for The New Yorker, Moehringer, who also ghostwrote the memoir of Nike founder Phil Knight, has discussed how the making of the memoir was not a smooth journey. He recalled some teary-eyed moments with the duke, and also a row about a story about Diana, and what it was like staying in Harry and his wife Meghans Los Angeles home.

Here are the biggest revelations made by Moehringer:

Late-night row over Princess Diana story left Harry with flushed cheeks and narrowed eyes

The ghostwriter alleges that he and Harry found themselves in a disagreement over a passage discussing the dukes late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Spare became the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever in its first week of release (PA Wire)

During the summer of 2022, Moehringer said that he and Harry and been reviewing edits over a Zoom call at 2am when they reached a passage discussing Diana.

In the excerpt in question, Harry is subjected to terrorism training by military personnel posing as insurgents.

Moehringer advised Harry not to include the story in the memoir, and they subsequently disagreed on the matter, leading them to apparently shout at each other.

At last, Harrys captors throw him against a wall, choke him, and scream insults into his face, culminating in a vile dig at Princess Diana, Moehringer wrote.

And yet some part of me was still able to step outside the situation and think, This is so weird. Im shouting at Prince Harry. Then, as Harry started going back at me, as his cheeks flushed and his eyes narrowed, a more pressing thought occurred: Whoa, it could all end right here.

Finally, Moehringer said, Harry exhaled and calmly explained that he wanted to include the line because, after years of having his intellect belittled, this would show how he had still had his wits about him, even after being kicked and punched and deprived of sleep and food.

Regardless, Moehringer insisted that it was unnecessary to include the line, writing in the New Yorker: Strange as it may seem, memoir is not about you. Its not even the story of your life.

He said that Harry took this decision in good humour but added, with a mischievous grin, that he really [enjoyed] getting you worked up like that.

The Independent has contacted representatives of the Duke of Sussex for comment.

Moehringer and his family were stalked by members of the press

Spare became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK of all time when it was published in January 2023.

Moehringer said that following the publication, the response had been that of a frenzied mob and that he and his family had been targeted by the paparazzi.

The British press now converted the book into their native tongue, that jabberwocky of bonkers hot takes and classist snark, he said.

Facts were wrenched out of context, complex emotions were reduced to cartoonish idiocy, innocent passages were hyped into outrages  and there were so many falsehoods.

He recalled how while taking his son to preschool, he had been stalked by a paparazzo, who had stood in the middle of a road to take a picture.

In the first-person piece, the novelist said that the experience had helped him understand Harry better after his name was leaked ahead of Spares publication.

JR Moehringer also ghostwrote the memoir of Nike founder Phil Knight (Getty Images)

Harry and Meghan looked after Moehringer when he was homesick

Moehringer visited Harry and Meghans home in Montecito, California, on several occasions while he was working on the book.

He wrote that when he visited the duke and duchess with his wife and children, his daughter Gracies heart was won over by Harrys love of Moana.

As the pandemic waned, I was finally able to travel to Montecito. I went once with my wife and children. (Harry won the heart of my daughter, Gracie, with his vast Moana scholarship; his favourite scene, he told her, is when Heihei, the silly chicken, finds himself lost at sea), the author wrote.

Moehringer also recalled two other trips to Harry and Meghans house during which he stayed in the couples guest house. He claimed that Meghan and the duke and duchesss now-four-year-old son Prince Archie would visit him during their afternoon walks.

Moehringer really likes Prince Harry

I just liked the dude, Moehringer writes about the first time he spoke with Harry in 2020. I called him dude right away; it made him chuckle. I found his story, as he outlined it in broad strokes, relatable and infuriating.

He continued: The way hed been treated, by both strangers and intimates, was grotesque. In retrospect, though, I think I selfishly welcomed the idea of being able to speak with someone, an expert, about that never-ending feeling of wishing you could call your mom.

Moehringer and Prince Harry shared a tearful moment

After what had been a long and emotional journey working together, the pair celebrated the books release by raising a glass before a teary-eyed Harry thanked his publishing team and editor.

He mentioned my advice, to trust the book, and said he was glad that he did, because it felt incredible to have the truth out there.

"There were tears in his eyes. Mine, too, wrote Moehringer.

Harry seemed overjoyed after the book was finally released

Moehringer recalled attending a party for the launch of Harrys book, and when he arrived, he was worried that Harry was not happy.

He appeared, marching toward us, looking flushed, Moehringer wrote. Uh-oh, I thought, before registering that it was a good flush. His smile was wide as he embraced us both.

He was overjoyed by many things. The numbers, naturally. Guinness World Records had just certified his memoir as the fastest-selling nonfiction book in the history of the world.
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A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff's agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information in multiple cases and of threatening one victim with deportation.

Detective Demetrious Campbell, 48, was arrested Tuesday on nine counts of official misconduct and one count of extortion, the Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release. He was suspended without pay and remained in the Broward County Jail on Wednesday morning.

Sex offenses are such heinous crimes to recover from because of the emotional and sometimes physical scars endured by victims that last for many years, Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. Failure to fully investigate such serious crimes is reprehensible and downright disgraceful.

The investigation began when a victim called the agency's sex crimes unit to ask about her case, the new release said, and Campbell told his supervisor the victim was uncooperative.

The sergeant reopened that case, and also reviewed Campbell's files. He found eight cases this year and 25 in 2022 that were classified as unfounded, which means all leads were exhausted, evidence was reviewed and the investigator determined no crime occurred.

Further investigation found 41 of the 99 sex crime and abuse cases Campbell investigated between October 2021 and March were classified as unfounded.

Nine women have given sworn statements, including one who said Campbell threatened to have her deported. An investigation is continuing.

A lawyer who could speak on Campbell's behalf was not listed on jail records.

However, Matt Cowart, president of the local chapter of the International Union of Police Associations, told the Miami Herald they're aware of the charges.

As with anyone accused of a crime, Campbell will have the opportunity to defend himself as the case progresses through the judicial system, he said.
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Prosecutors are seeking at least 25 years in prison for a U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, saying his history of racist and provocative texts and social media posts expose a threat of violence likely to resurface.

Daniel Perry, 36, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. He was convicted of murder in April for killing Garrett Foster during the downtown Austin protest in July 2020.

On Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some shockingly racist images. They had been excluded from Perry's trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by District Judge Clifford Brown.

Prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez urged Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years. The sentencing range for the murder conviction is five years to life in prison.

This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat, Gonzalez said. Hes going to do it again.

Perry said he acted in self-defense. His lawyers asked the judge to consider his more than a decadelong military career and hand down a sentence of no more than 10 years.

Perry is assigned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, but has been classified as in civilian confinement and is pending separation from the military, Army spokesman Bryce Dubee said.

Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed 28-year-old Foster, an Air Force veteran. Foster, who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle as he participated in the demonstration against police killings and racial injustice, following the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Among Perry's statements introduced Tuesday, he wrote on Facebook a month before the shooting: It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. A few days later as protests erupted, Perry sent a text message to an acquaintance: I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.

Perry attorney Douglas O'Connell argued that the texts and posts were presented by prosecutors out of context, and that Perry has a right to free speech.

Some of those social media posts are frankly repugnant, O'Connell said, while classifying others as dark humor."

Forensic psychologist Greg Hupp testified that he believed Perry has post-traumatic stress disorder from his deployment to Afghanistan and being bullied as a child. Perry's mother, Rachel Perry, testified that he was ostracized as a child because of a speech impediment.

Perry's conviction prompted outrage from prominent conservatives, and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will sign a pardon once a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles  stacked with Abbott appointees  hits his desk

The board is reviewing Perry's case on the governor's orders, but it is unclear when it will reach a decision.

Perry was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protesters.

Perry said he was trying to get past the crowd and fired his pistol when Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.
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Germanys foreign minister described China on Wednesday as increasingly becoming a systemic rival on the world stage, and urged Beijing to call out Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.

With Chinas top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on China to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.

But Baerbock and Colonna also said it was time for Europe to decrease its economic and strategic dependency on China.

Baerbock said Germany wants to work in partnership with China everywhere its possible but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues.

One needs to recognize that we are competitors and, sadly, increasingly also systemic rivals, she said.

Baerbock said Europe's stance toward China should be not decoupling, but de-risking, because its about our security and freedom, too.

The German government is currently adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line.

Colonna urged China to use its relationship with Russia to convince the Kremlin that Russia is in an impasse  and to return to reason. The French minister also warned China against delivering weapons to Russia, saying that would push things into a totally new configuration.

Baerbock urged Beijing to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor in the war, noting that Moscow could end the conflict by withdrawing its troops. If Ukraine stops defending itself, on the other hand, then Ukraine will cease to exist and with it, the charter of the United Nations, she said.

After meeting with Baerbock in Berlin on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Qin is scheduled to meet with Colonna in Paris on Wednesday.

The visit comes amid diplomatic tensions around proposed new EU trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the blocs sanctions against Russia. The proposal sparked a warning from China that it would retaliate if targeted by such new EU sanctions against Russia.
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Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses are set to be trained via apprenticeships in a major expansion of plans to help fix the NHS workforce crisis.

Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, urged school-leavers to earn while they learn rather than undertake a traditional university degree, as part of a radical new plan set to be unveiled by the government in the coming days.

It is understood that around one in 10 doctors and a third of nurses could qualify using this route  a fivefold increase on the 200 medical apprenticeships originally planned under NHS schemes.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) expressed fears that NHS employers would not be able to deliver the high standard of training afforded to medical students at university. And experts raised concerns that the health service would be unable to provide enough experienced doctors and nurses to deliver on-the-job training.

The Independent understands that the expansion of apprenticeship schemes forms a key part of the governments NHS workforce plan, which is expected to be published imminently.

It comes against the backdrop of a continuing strike by junior doctors over pay and conditions, and as Rishi Sunak refused to repeat the 2019 Conservative pledge to provide 6,000 more GPs by 2024. The Royal College of Nursing has also announced plans to ballot its members on whether to take further strike action later this year.

Speaking to pupils at the Durham Johnston Comprehensive School in Durham on Friday, Ms Pritchard said: The NHS is looking to expand apprenticeship schemes over the coming years, offering a different route into the NHS, where students can earn while they learn instead of going through the university route.

This radical new approach could see tens of thousands of school-leavers becoming doctors and nurses, or [working in] other key healthcare roles after being trained on the job, over the next 25 years.

Ms Pritchard said young people could apply for a medical degree apprenticeship from next year, but the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education said the governments Education and Skills Funding Agency has yet to agree a start date.

According to the institute, the training would last for five years, after which students would apply to the General Medical Council to do their foundation training.

The NHS education and training body, Health Education England (HEE), has said that pay rates for apprentices would be set by individual employers, but that under current rules they would have to be between 7.49 and 10.42 per hour.

According to HEE, as of last year the NHS had enrolled 6,000 trainees onto nursing degree apprenticeships since 2017.

Alison Leary, professor of healthcare and workforce at South Bank University, told The Independent: Any kind of expansion in trainees or people coming into the workforce requires retention of the existing workforce to teach them.

In response to the plans, Dr Latifa Patel, workforce lead for the BMA, said there are huge questions over how medical apprenticeships would solve the workforce crisis and whether they would offer the same standard of training currently provided to medical students.

Dr Patel said: We have little evidence on whether the apprentice model will work at scale, and whether employers will want to take the investment risk with no guarantee of a return.

And apprenticeships may also slow our training capacity in the short term, given the supervision requirements: the medical training pipeline is already stretched to its limits, with lecture halls at capacity, limited numbers of clinical placements, and falling numbers of medical academic staff. Where are the extra resources going to come from?

The BMA is calling for a dramatic increase in traditional medical school places, which are currently capped at 9,500.

Danny Mortimer, the chief executive of NHS Employers, said there is a real appetite in the NHS to use apprenticeship schemes more, but that the apprenticeship levy scheme would have to be reformed in order to support the extra costs faced by healthcare employers.

Employers would receive 27,000 per apprentice, according to HEE guidance, but would need to cover any additional costs themselves.

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury will make a rare intervention to condemn Suella Bravermans Illegal Migration Bill as it faces its first test in the House of Lords.

Justin Welby is set to speak out against the legislation aimed at detaining and swiftly removing those who arrive in small boats, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

The intervention would mark Rev Welbys second major rebuke of government policy on asylum seekers  having warned last year against harmful rhetoric that treats small boat arrivals invaders.

Ahead of the legislation returning to the Lords, the home secretary warned peers not to stand in the way of the will of the British people by blocking the Rishi Sunak governments migration policies.

Writing in The Times, Ms Braverman and justice secretary Alex Chalk urged peers to remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way, and back the bill.

But in a rare parliamentary move, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick has proposed a so-called fatal motion to the proposed legislation  aimed at stopping it in its tracks at its first Lords hurdle.

His amendment argues the draft legislation would see Britain fail to meet its international law commitments by allowing ministers to ignore the directions of judges and undermine the UKs tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees.

However, the blocking bid looks destined to fail without the backing of Labour  who warned it could backfire and deny the peers the chance to amend the bill.

A Labour source said: Were not supporting the motion. If successful, which they never are, the government could just Parliament Act the Bill in the next Kings Speech and peers would lose the opportunity to make any amendments.

They added: It is therefore an irresponsible way to deal with legislation that has already gone through the elected House.

Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop the boats (WPA Rota)

The unelected chamber will sit earlier from 11am to consider the bill at second reading after it passed the Commons, with almost 90 speakers including the Archbishop of Canterbury listed.

Two Green party peers will be among those supporting the Lib Dems fatal motion, with Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb saying: This bill is illegal because it breaks international law and should be opposed for that reason alone. It is also immoral and plain nasty.

Lady Jones said it was hugely disappointing that Labour are failing to oppose this legislation outright, but unsurprising given their recent track record of caving in on voter ID and the Public Order Bill.

And the former head of the British Army Sir Richard Dannatt has also attacked the plan to send migrants who arrived on small boats to Rwanda.

Lord Dannatt told The Independent that Rwanda has a dark history, still living under the shadow of genocide and is not the kind of country to which people fleeing conflicts should be sent.

Lord Dannatt criticised the Rwanda policy (PA Archive)

The attempted asylum clampdown has been prompted by Mr Sunaks pledge to stop the boats bringing migrants across the English Channel.

The bill includes provisions that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers.

Critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law. And former Tory leaders Theresa May and Iain Duncan Smith have warned the bill threatens modern slavery protections.

A group of 174 human rights groups and charities have signed an open letter calling for the government to ditch the bill  saying it was effectively a ban on asylum.

The Bibby Stockholm barge, which will house asylum seekers, arrived on Tuesday (PA)

More than 6,000 migrants have been detected crossing the channel so far in 2023. The government plans to use disused military camps and a giant barge off the coast of Dorset as accommodation centres.

The Bibby Stockholm barge  set to be docked in Portland, Dorset and house 500 asylum seekers  arrived in the UK on Tuesday. Some on social media compared it to a prison hulk, while the Greens migrant spokesperson Benali Hamdache said it was cruel, insensible and immoral.

It comes as the plan to clear the asylum backlog by fast-tracking applications from five war-torn countries is in a complete mess, a government source told The Times.

Only 10 percent of the forms offered to asylum seekers from countries including Afghanistan and Syria are said to have been filled properly which mean a lengthier process of interviews have had to take place.

Recommended Huge barge set to house 500 asylum seekers arrives in the UK

Meanwhile, it was alledged Boris Johnson confronted King Charles III over the plan to send some failed asylum seekers to Rwanda  squaring up to him for branding the plan appalling.

Guto Harri, No 10s director of communications under the former PM, claimed Mr Johnson told him he went in quite hard on the then-Prince of Wales in a remarkable meeting over royal interference in politics.
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Buildings and memorials with Ukrainian heritage in the north of England are being recognised by the listings system in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest as a way of celebrating the resilience and resourcefulness of the communities.

A Ukrainian community memorial in Bradford and two Ukrainian churches in Salford and Oldham have been granted Grade II listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), on Historic Englands advice.

A further three churches, in Manchester and Bradford, and a community centre in Huddersfield which are all already listed will have their stories updated on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) to reflect the significance of their Ukrainian history.

The Rev Dr Taras Khomych  a Ukrainian Catholic Priest, senior lecturer in theology at Liverpool Hope University and chair of the Liverpool branch of the Association of Ukrainians of Great Britain, said: Highlighting the stories of Ukrainian communities in the north of England is a wonderful way of supporting our heritage at a time when, once again, it is under threat in Ukraine.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: It feels right to celebrate Ukrainian heritage in the north of England as the nation gets ready to host Eurovision, on behalf of Ukraine.

These places were established as safe spaces, over decades, by people who wanted to keep Ukraine in their hearts and their heritage alive.

They show the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukrainian communities and their dedication to protecting their language, beliefs and way of life.

Historic England said Ukrainians began to settle in Manchester in the late 19th century and around 35,000 arrived following the Second World War as part of a scheme to address labour shortages by providing jobs in industry and agriculture.

More Ukrainians migrated to England following the collapse of the Soviet Union and, most recently, to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Historic England said these communities have often shared or adapted existing buildings.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mary Mother of God, Salford, was the first church owned by Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain.

It opened in the late 19th century as the Sunday school for the nearby congregational church and was bought by the Ukrainian community in 1954, when it was converted by adding traditional features including an iconostasis  a brightly-coloured, highly ornate screen of icons.

At the front of the church, a black granite plaque has an inscription, in Ukrainian and English, which reads: In memory of seven million victims of Moscow made famine in Ukraine 1932-1933.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul and All Saints, in Oldham, started life as an Anglican church in 1889 and was adopted in 1987.

Historic England said it is a fantastic blend of English and Ukrainian religious traditions.

The Ukrainian Community Memorial, in North Bierley municipal cemetery, Bradford, celebrates 1,000 years of Christianity in Ukraine and pays tribute to those who have lost their lives in war.

The churches which have had their list entries amended to include their Ukrainian history are the Roman Catholic Church of St Chad, Cheetham Hill, Manchester; St Mary Protectress, Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church, Bradford; and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of The Most Holy Trinity & Our Lady of Pochaiv, Manningham, Bradford.

Edgerton Hill Ukrainian Community Centre in Huddersfield is also having its listing upgraded.

The Georgian villa has been at the heart of the Ukrainian community in Huddersfield since the mid-1960s and is now providing support for the new wave of refugees fleeing war in Ukraine.

John Kybaluk, 58, who is chair of the committee of volunteers that run the centre, said: The club was started by people who had to leave Ukraine because of war.

Now its gone full circle and were helping refugees who have escaped the fighting.

Were like an embassy. People turn up and ask us for help and advice.
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Two teenagers who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old Afghan refugee in the mistaken belief he was a member of a rival gang have been jailed for life.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, stabbed Rishmeet Singh 15 times after chasing him through a park in Southall, west London, on the evening of November 24 2021.

Two years before, college student and aspiring police officer Rishmeet sought asylum in the UK with his mother and grandmother, after his father was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman, from Hillingdon, west London, were found guilty of murder following an Old Bailey trial in March.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Judge Sarah Munro KC locked up the defendants for life.

Suleiman was handed a minimum term of 21 years and Balakrishnan at least 24 years.

Balakrishnan was also detained at his majestys pleasure for a minimum concurrent term of four years for a second offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had admitted attacking a fellow inmate at a young offenders institute while on remand, leaving the victim with severe brain damage.

Judge Munro said: This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager following a violent stabbing on the streets of London.

This case is the more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim.

He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence.

It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him.

Rishmeets mother Gulinder broke down in tears as she spoke outside court with the help of a translator.

She told reporters: I just want to say I do not know what my child has done that they killed him in this way.

My son has got proper justice. I do not want these people to come out. I want them to stay inside.

Previously, the court had heard how Rishmeet had spent the evening before his death with friends in the park.

Meanwhile Balakrishnan and Suleiman, then aged 17, set out on bicycles armed with two blades, a terrifying three-foot long machete and a Rambo knife bought online days before.

They both wore Covid masks and put their hoods up to hide their identities.

The court was told they had deliberately set out for a glide or gang attack on enemy gang territory.

As Rishmeet headed for home he saw the two males running towards him and ran back towards his friends warning them to run, run.

He tripped and fell in Raleigh Road, where he was fatally stabbed by the defendants in an attack lasting 27 seconds.

Police and medics were alerted by a member of the public and Rishmeet died at the scene.

The attackers were captured on CCTV fleeing and were identified by their clothes.

Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time Detective Inspector Laura Semple

Following the arrest of Balakrishnan police recovered a notebook containing rap lyrics glorifying the murder.

A picture of his blood-stained knife posted on social media after the murder was found on his mobile phone.

The court heard Balakrishnan had a previous conviction for possessing a Rambo knife, for which he was given a referral order in February 2021.

The court heard that Rishmeet was not in a gang and the defendants had mistakenly thought he was part of a rival gang.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple, of Scotland Yard, said: Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him.

He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman.

Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.

There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman left the flat that day with the intention of ending someones life. Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Rishmeets mother Gulinder said: Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him. No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Rishmeet was taken from us.

He has been raised with so much love and now hes gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy.

I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.

Rishmeet was attending college completing a public service course and his ambition was to become a police officer, all he wanted to do was to help people.

Rishmeet was well loved by all that knew him, he was a faithful boy and was very caring in his nature.

His brutal and untimely death has taken away my lifeline as Rishmeet was also my registered carer.

I will never recover from this evil act. I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son. Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me. They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again.

Mitigating for Suleiman, Hossein Zahir KC told the court: In reality, there is the agonising fact of the youth of all those involved.

There is the appalling death of Rishmeet Singh and there is the extraordinary youth of the defendants in the dock.

Mr Singh has lost his life and there are two young people whose lives are wholly destroyed.
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The Met Police has been forced to apologise after potentially key documents in Britains most investigated homicide were found in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard.

Officials said paperwork relevant to murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan was found in a locked cabinet that had not been used for a number of years at its headquarters in London.

Mr Morgan was killed with an axe in a south London pub car park on 10 March 1987. Despite an inquest and five previous inquiries his killer has never been brought to justice.

The documents in question were found in January and an assessment started in February.

A total of 95 pages of material should have been disclosed to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel (DMIP), the Met said. The DMIP was set up to look into the case and published its final report in June 2021 after the Home Office tried to delay it.

A further 71 pages were identified that would have been provided to His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as part of their subsequent inspection.

Barbara Gray, Met assistant commissioner, said: We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the Panel.

The Met said its assessment found there were no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

The DMIPs daming final report published in 2021 accused the Met of institutional corruption over their failure to bring Mr Morgans killer to justice.

The panel concluded that the forces first objective was to protect itself against allegations that corrupt officers were involved in the unsolved murder.

Private investigator Daniel Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, in March 1987 (Family handout/PA) (PA Media)

Its report said that severe failings in the initial investigation, where the crime scene was not searched, interviews were not properly carried out and suspects were forewarned of their arrests, meant potential evidence had been irretrievably lost.

The panels chairwoman, Baroness Nuala OLoan, said Scotland Yard had not acknowledged or confronted its failings and showed a lack of candour.

Daniel John Morgan, the son of an army officer, was born in Singapore on 3 November 1949.

He and his siblings were raised in Monmouthshire in South Wales and Mr Morgan attended agricultural college in Usk as a teenager before spending time in Denmark, gaining practical experience in farming.

He subsequently changed career to work as a salesman and travel guide, finally settling in Norwood, London, in his late 20s, married with a wife and two children.

In January 1977, Mr Morgan decided to put his exceptional memory for details to use by going to work as a private detective, three years later setting up his own agency, DJM Investigations.

In 1981, the business was renamed Southern Investigations and opened its first office in Thornton Heath, Greater London.

On the night of his death, Morgan had a drink with his partner, Jonathan Rees, at the Golden Lion before heading to his BMW to return home.

He was found dead shortly after, slumped beside the car with an axe wound in the back of his head.

One of Mr Morgans partners in the detective business, the partners two brothers and two Met Police officers were arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Morgan but no one has even been convicted of the killing.
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A damning independent report into the unsolved 1987 murder of British private detective Daniel Morgan has finally been published - following an intervention by the Home Office to delay it - in which the Metropolitan Police are accused of institutional corruption over their failure to bring Morgans killer to justice.

The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel concluded that the forces first objective was to protect itself against allegations that corrupt officers were involved in the murder.

The report said that severe failings in the initial investigation, where the crime scene was not searched, interviews were not properly carried out and suspects were forewarned of their arrests, meant potential evidence had been irretrievably lost.

The panels chairwoman, Baroness Nuala OLoan, said Scotland Yard had not acknowledged or confronted its failings and showed a lack of candour.

They were not honest in their dealings with Mr Morgans family or the public, she said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The family and the public are owed an apology.

Baroness OLoan called for a statutory duty of candour to be created for all law enforcement agencies.

We believe that concealing or denying failings for the sake of an organisations public image is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit, and constitutes a form of institutional corruption, she added.

Responding, Morgans relatives called for action on the sickness of police corruption, after decades of being lied to, fobbed off, bullied, degraded and let down.

Home secretary Priti Patel meanwhile condemned the handling of the murder as one of the most devastating episodes in the history of the Met.

The report had previously been due to release its findings on 17 May, only for the government to intervene saying it wanted to review the document to ensure it complied with human rights considerations and did not compromise national security.

The panel was established by then-home secretary Theresa May in 2013 to address unanswered questions relating to the murder, including the police handling of the case, the role corruption might have played in protecting Morgans killer and the links between private eyes, police and tabloid journalists connected to the case.

The hold up was described last month as a kick in the teeth by the dead mans family.

In a statement, Morgans relatives attacked Ms Mays successor, Ms Patel, describing her intervention as unnecessary and inconsistent with the panels independence.

It is an outrage which betrays her ignorance - and the ignorance of those advising her - with regard to her powers in law and the panels terms of reference, they said.

It also reveals a disturbing disregard for the public interest in safeguarding the independence of the panel and its report.

The family continued to pile the pressure on Ms Patel in the interim, with Daniel Morgan Jr writing in The Guardian recently that the delay was intensifying the grief of his late fathers relatives and urged her to stand aside.

His uncle, Alastair Morgan, the deceaseds brother, likewise branded the delay nonsense.

An agreement was eventually reached that a small Home Office team would read the report in advance and last week it was confirmed that the full, unredacted version would at last be made available.

Despite an inquest and five police inquiries into the 38-year-olds murder in the cark park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, South East London, on 10 March 1987, no one has been brought to justice over the father-of-twos death, with the Met Police admitting that corruption had hampered the original murder investigation.

Daniel John Morgan was born in Singapore on 3 November 1949, the son of an army officer.

He and his siblings were raised in Monmouthshire in South Wales and Morgan attended agricultural college in Usk as a teenager before spending time in Denmark, gaining practical experience in farming.

He subsequently changed career to work as a salesman and travel guide, finally settling in Norwood, London, in his late 20s, married with a wife and two children.

In January 1977, Morgan decided to put his exceptional memory for details to use by going to work as a private detective, three years later setting up his own agency, DJM Investigations.

In 1981, the business was renamed Southern Investigations and opened its first office in Thornton Heath, Greater London.

On the night of his death, Morgan had a drink with his partner, Jonathan Rees, at the Golden Lion before heading to his BMW to return home.

He was found dead shortly after, slumped beside the car with an axe wound in the back of his head.

Notes he had been seen writing earlier had been stolen from the torn trouser pockets of his freshly dry-cleaned suit and a Rolex wrist watch taken from his person but his wallet and the cash it contained was left untouched.

Catford police station assigned detective sergeant Sid Fillery to work on the case, unaware that Fillery had previously moonlighted at Southern Investigations off the books.

Rees, his brothers-in-law Glenn and Garry Vian, Fillery and two Met officers were arrested on suspicion of murder in April 1987 but all were eventually released without charge.

At an inquest into the killing a year later, Rees was alleged to have told Southerns accountant, Kevin Lennon, that friends of his within the ranks of the local constabulary were going to murder Morgan so that Fillery could replace him as Reess business partner.

My mates at Catford nick are going to arrange it, Lennon claimed Rees had told him. Those police officers are friends of mine and will either murder Danny themselves or will arrange it.

Fillery would subsequently retire from the force on medical grounds and did indeed eventually succeed Morgan at Southern. He faced accusations of evidence and witness tampering at the inquest, at which Rees denied murdering Morgan.

That summer, police constable Alan Taffy Holmes, an acquaintance of Morgans with whom the deceased is alleged to have collaborated on exposing police corruption, was found dead in mysterious circumstances.

Between 1988 and 2006, five inquiries were conducted into Morgans murder, with Rees and an associate, Paul Goodridge, accused in February 1989 and the latters girlfriend, Jean Wisden, charged with perverting the course of justice, before all of the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in May for want of evidence.

Goodridge went on to sue Hampshire Constabulary over the charge.

Rees was though found guilty of planting cocaine on an innocent woman to discredit her during a child custody battle in 2000 and sentenced to seven years in prison, after which he would continue to find work on the payroll of The News of the World under the editorship of Andy Coulson.

Investigators bugged the offices of Southern Investigations and the home of Glenn Vian as part of the inquiries into one of the worst-kept secrets in South East London, as it would be labelled by detective superintendent David Cook, before Rees, the Vian brothers and builder James Cook were arrested in April 2008 on suspicion of murder. Fillery was also arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Their trial at the Old Bailey finally collapsed in March 2011 following the dismissal of three supergrass witnesses and was abandoned by Sir Keir Starmer, then-director of public prosecutions.

Ms May reopened the matter on 10 May 2013 by announcing a new independent inquiry, the findings of which are at last about to see the light of day after being held up by the intervention of Ms Patel.

Meanwhile, Rees, Fillery, James Cook and the Vian brothers launched a 4 million lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police for malicious prosecution in October 2014.

Fillery was awarded 25,000 in interim damages by the High Court in April 2017 with Rees and the Vians losing their case before appealing and eventually winning damages of 414,000 in 2019.

Interest in the killing of Daniel Morgan remains intense 24 years on, with Peter Jukess 10-part podcast Untold examining it in May 2016 and Channel 4s documentary series Murder in the Car Park following last June.
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Tributes have been paid to a caring mother-of-two shot dead during a siege at her home.

Hayley Burke, 36, died in hospital after she was shot while police engaged in a stand-off with a man in Dartford, Kent at the weekend.

Armed police and a trained negotiator were scrambled to a terraced house in Priory Road at 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon following reports of a disturbance.

The woman was taken to a London hospital suffering from shots from a handgun and died on Monday evening.

Hayley Burke, 36, died in hospital on Tuesday (Facebook)

Announcing Ms Burkes death on Tuesday, the force said the case is now being treated as murder. The suspect, a 29-year-old man, remains in hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds.

Flowers and messages for Ms Burke have since been laid at the scene of the incident, while a friend paid tribute to her.

Hayley was the loudest friend in the group and never failed to have everyone laughing, the unnamed friend said.

Hayley loved her children with every inch of her heart. Everything she did was for her boys - they were her life.

Hayley would do anything for anybody but wasnt afraid to tell you if you took the mick.

She was so brutally honest - it was one of her best character traits. If you wanted an honest opinion you would always ask Hayley.

She had so much love and life to give, said a friend (Facebook)

The friend said Ms Burke left behind two children, adding: Her space in our lives will never be filled. She didnt deserve any of this. She had so much love and life to give.

Other residents in Priory Road described hearing gunshots after being told to stay in their homes.

Witnesses said after a stand-off which lasted about an hour pandemonium broke out and said the woman had been held hostage by a man at the back of the property.

Officers went to the house with a trained negotiator following reports of a disturbance (PA)

One woman, who wished not to be named, said it was chilling.

Another, who lived across the road, said: I didnt see what was happening but I heard a lot of gunshots.

A murder investigation is now being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting reference 46/80922/23, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously online or on 0800 5551111.
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Unlawful information gathering by journalists employed by the Mirrors publisher was habitual and widespread amid a flood of illegality, the High Court has heard on the first day of a phone hacking trial involving the Duke of Sussex.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Claims brought by four individuals are being heard in a trial as representative cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher  including voicemail interception, securing information through deception and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.

As well as Harry, Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman are expected to give evidence during the seven-week trial.

MGN  publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People  is contesting the cases and has said there is no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception in any of these four claims.

At the start of the trial on Wednesday, barrister David Sherborne, for the four people in the trial, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Mr Sherborne told a hearing in London: It was a flood of illegality. But worse still, this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives.

Addressing Harrys case, the barrister said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

The barrister said that in 1995, the royal family had become big news for the tabloid newspapers with interest continuing throughout the now-King Charles divorce from his then-wife Diana, Princess of Wales, and her untimely death in 1997.

Mr Sherborne told the hearing before Mr Justice Fancourt: We all remember the images of him walking behind his mothers coffin.

From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information.

Prince or not, the blatantly unlawful and illegal methods used by the defendants was quite frankly appalling.

No one should be subjected to that.

MGNs barrister Andrew Green KC, in written submissions, said the publisher denied that 28 out of the 33 articles in Harrys claim involved phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.

Instead, he said that stories came from a variety of other sources  including other members of the royal family.

Mr Green continued: Many came from information disclosed by or on behalf of royal households or members of the royal family; from information and photographs sold to the newspaper by freelance journalists and news agencies, photographers and photography agencies; others from confidential sources, including sources with extensive royal contacts, prior reports in the public domain and, in one case, from an on-the-record interview given by the Duke of Sussex himself.

The barrister added that it was not admitted that five of the 33 articles contained unlawful information gathering.

He also said it was denied that 29 of the articles contained information Harry could be awarded damages for.

The barrister continued: These denials are for various reasons, including the nature of the information in the articles, relating to matters such as conduct in public, including criminal conduct, and/or matters which were obvious or trivial; that the information had been disclosed by a royal household or the Duke of Sussex himself.

Mr Green said that there was a public interest in the information contained in some of the articles, including the royal familys response to Harry dressing up as a Nazi at a fancy dress party and the debate about whether he should serve on the front line in Afghanistan.

He continued: Such articles do not therefore warrant any award of damages.

Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully An MGN spokesman

Discussing the other four articles, the barrister said that it was denied they were sourced through unlawful information gathering, but did contain private information.

Mr Green also said in written submissions that the publisher unreservedly apologises to the duke for one instance of unlawful information gathering and that it accepts he was entitled to appropriate compensation.

The barrister said that it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about his activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

The barrister said that there was a People article published in February 2004 giving the recollection of a woman Harry spent time with at the club.

Mr Green added: The Duke of Sussex notably does not claim in relation to this article, so it is not alleged that this instruction led to the publication of his private information.

The fee paid, 75, suggests little work was involved, he continued.

In a document provided to the court by lawyers for Harry and the three other people in the trial, they allege that between 1995 and 2011, MGN titles spent nearly 11 million on private investigators.

In 2005, MGN allegedly spent 1.3 million on private investigator services at its titles.

However Mr Green, in written submissions, said that in a previous document, the claimants alleges that 9.7 million was spent on PIs between 1996 and 2011, a 15-year period.

He continued: MGN denies both that 9.7 million was spent on PIs during that period, and that it was engaged in an aggressive cost- cutting exercise; but in any event the total annual turnover for the Trinity Mirror Group exceeded 1 billion at that time, such that the sum was insignificant in relative terms.

Harrys lawyers also claimed in court documents that there were 267 payment records linked to alleged private investigators which relate to the duke and people around him.

This includes seven records relating to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, between May 1996 and September 1999, six relating to his father the King between May 2000 and October 2002 and eight relating to his brother the Prince of Wales between August 1997 and September 2004.

At the start of the case, an MGN spokesperson said: Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully.
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A trial in one of the Duke of Sussexs legal battles is set to begin at the High Court in London.

Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

The trial  expected to last up to seven weeks  is due to restart today, with the duke set to appear as a witness in June.

Here we look at the legal cases the duke has been involved in over the last few years:

Privacy claim against Splash News and Picture Agency

In May 2019, Harry accepted substantial damages and an apology from a news agency which took pictures of his home in the Cotswolds from a helicopter.

Harry settled privacy and data protection claims against Splash News and Picture Agency over photographs of and into the living area and dining area of the home and directly into the bedroom.

The court heard Splash agreed to pay damages and legal costs.

Legal action against the Home Office

The duke is bringing legal action against the Home Office over the security arrangements for himself and his family when they are in the UK.

He is challenging the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec)  which falls under the remit of the Home Office  over his security, after being told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting.

The dukes legal team argue that the security arrangements set out in a letter from Ravec, and their application when he visited the UK in June 2021, were invalid due to procedural unfairness because he was not given an opportunity to make informed representations beforehand.

There will be a full High Court hearing to review the dukes claim on a date to be set.

Libel claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL)

The duke is bringing a libel claim against ANL  the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail On Sunday  over an article about his case against the Home Office.

The story was published online and in the newspaper in February 2022 under the headline: Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret then  just minutes after the story broke  his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.

Justin Rushbrooke KC, for Harry, said the Mail On Sunday article purported to reveal, in sensational terms that information from court documents filed by the duke contradicted public statements he had previously made about his willingness to pay for police protection for himself and his family whilst in the UK.

ANL is contesting the claim, arguing the article expressed an honest opinion and did not cause serious harm to his reputation.

At a preliminary hearing in March, the High Court heard the dukes bid to strike out ANLs honest opinion defence or grant judgment in his favour on it.

A judgment is expected later this year.

Alleged unlawful information gathering at News Group Newspapers (NGN)

Harry is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, over alleged unlawful information gathering.

The duke alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for the papers.

At a hearing in April, the publisher asked a judge to throw out his claim, arguing it was brought too late, along with a similar claim brought by Hugh Grant.

However, Harrys lawyers said it is an attempt to go behind an alleged secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012.

NGN denies that such an agreement was in place.

A judgment is expected later this year.

Alleged unlawful information gathering at Associated Newspapers Limited

Harry is one of seven people, also including David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Sir Simon Hughes, bringing legal action against ANL over denied allegations it carried out or commissioned unlawful information gathering.

The allegations include hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, blagging private records and accessing and recording private phone conversations.

ANL, which firmly denies the allegations, asked a judge to rule in its favour without a trial, arguing the legal challenges against it were brought far too late.

A judgment is expected later this year.

Alleged unlawful information gathering at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN)

A small number of representative claimants were previously selected as test cases for the trial starting on Wednesday, including the duke.

The court previously heard that Harrys case is that 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010 included information that was allegedly obtained through unlawful means, including phone hacking.

The other claimants selected for trial are former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman and actor Michael Turner.

MGN is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.
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A TikTok star arrested for drinking in her car while live streaming to fans racially abused a police officer - telling him to learn English.

Influencer Priya Sahi  known as Queen Bee  was in a car park when she was spotted by police.

The 29-year-old was found inebriated in an Audi outside an Asda  resulting in her arrest for being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle.

Priya Sahi live streamed her own arrest (TikTok)

After being removed from the car and handcuffed, TikTok Live remained broadcasting to her 100,000-plus followers.

She could be heard shouting to the officers: Ive got no keys in my ignition, no keys in my ignition. Im allowed to park up and drink. Im not driving, so what are you arresting me for? on 25 October last year.

An officer then proceeded to point out numerous bottles of alcohol in the vehicle to his colleague PC Marcin Kozak.

Sahi, of Swindon, Wiltshire, told officers I want my TikTok running before the stream ended.

She then repeatedly told PC Kozak, who originally joined Wiltshire Police in 2018 as the forces first Polish community support officer, that she didnt understand him.

Sahi outside Swindon Magistrates Court (Daniel Jae Webb/SWNS)

In custody, she went on to state: Learn English you European whatever you are.

As a result, she was further arrested for a public order offence.

At Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday, Sahi pleaded guilty to a racially-aggravated Section 4A Public Order Act charge.

Prosecutor Keith Ballinger said the defendant has a previous conviction for racially-aggravated assault dating back to 2015.

In a victim statement, PC Kozak said that following Sahis continuous jibes about this nationality and accent he did not even feel human at this point.

He added: Im a serving officer and Polish national. It took hard work and courage to become a police officer, I had to prove I speak good enough English and pass tests; I work to exactly the same criteria as my British colleagues.

Almost every day Im subject to some sort of derogatory comment.

The influencers solicitor said she was embarassed by incident (Daniel Jae Webb/SWNS)

The court heard how Sahi was convicted of failing to provide a specimen of breath in relation to this incident.

She appeared in court the following day, after being remanded in custody overnight.

In a completely separate incident, she was arrested on suspicion of drink driving  but again failed to provide. She later admitted the charge.

As a result, Sahi is currently serving two concurrent driving disqualifications and has accrued hundreds of pounds worth of fines.

Defence solicitor Sandeep Kaushal said his client offers an apology to PC Kozak.

He said that she feels embarrassed by what she said and hopes her apology can be passed on.

He told the bench that Sahi was going through a traumatic time and was in a frustrated state explaining her thoughts live on TikTok as police officers surrounded her car.

When they arrested her she spiralled completely out of control, Mr Kaushal added.

He said she is a single mother to her three-year-old son and is medicated for post-natal depression and anxiety.

Due to her limited means, the magistrates imposed a fine of 80. She must also pay 85 costs and a 32 surcharge.

SWNS
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The wife of a man murdered by the Taliban has said she has lost everything after her schoolboy son was brutally stabbed to death by gangsters while playing in a London park in a case of tragic mistaken identity.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, stabbed Rishmeet Singh 15 times after chasing him through a park in Southall, west London, on the evening of November 24 2021.

The pair, jailed for life, mistakenly thought he was a member of a rival gang.

Two years before, college student and aspiring police officer Rishmeet sought asylum in the UK with his mother and grandmother, after his father was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Rishmeets mother Gulinder said: Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him. No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Rishmeet was taken from us.

He has been raised with so much love and now hes gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy.

I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.

Rishmeet was attending college completing a public service course and his ambition was to become a police officer, all he wanted to do was to help people.

Rishmeet was well loved by all that knew him, he was a faithful boy and was very caring in his nature.

His brutal and untimely death has taken away my lifeline as Rishmeet was also my registered carer.

I will never recover from this evil act. I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son. Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me. They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again.

Vanushan Balakrishnan (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

Balakrishnan and Suleiman, from Hillingdon, west London, were found guilty of murder following an Old Bailey trial in March.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Judge Sarah Munro KC locked up the defendants for life.

Suleiman was handed a minimum term of 21 years and Balakrishnan at least 24 years.

Balakrishnan was also detained at his majestys pleasure for a minimum concurrent term of four years for a second offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had admitted attacking a fellow inmate at a young offenders institute while on remand, leaving the victim with severe brain damage.

Judge Munro said: This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager following a violent stabbing on the streets of London.

This case is the more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim.

He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence.

It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him.

Previously, the court had heard how Rishmeet had spent the evening before his death with friends in the park.

Meanwhile Balakrishnan and Suleiman, then aged 17, set out on bicycles armed with two blades, a terrifying three-foot long machete and a Rambo knife bought online days before.

They both wore Covid masks and put their hoods up to hide their identities.

(Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

The court was told they had deliberately set out for a glide or gang attack on enemy gang territory.

As Rishmeet headed for home he saw the two males running towards him and ran back towards his friends warning them to run, run.

He tripped and fell in Raleigh Road, where he was fatally stabbed by the defendants in an attack lasting 27 seconds.

Police and medics were alerted by a member of the public and Rishmeet died at the scene.

The attackers were captured on CCTV fleeing and were identified by their clothes.

Following the arrest of Balakrishnan police recovered a notebook containing rap lyrics glorifying the murder.

A picture of his blood-stained knife posted on social media after the murder was found on his mobile phone.

The court heard Balakrishnan had a previous conviction for possessing a Rambo knife, for which he was given a referral order in February 2021.

The court heard that Rishmeet was not in a gang and the defendants had mistakenly thought he was part of a rival gang.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple, of Scotland Yard, said: Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him.

He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman.

Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.

There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman left the flat that day with the intention of ending someones life. Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Mitigating for Suleiman, Hossein Zahir KC told the court: In reality, there is the agonising fact of the youth of all those involved.

There is the appalling death of Rishmeet Singh and there is the extraordinary youth of the defendants in the dock.

Mr Singh has lost his life and there are two young people whose lives are wholly destroyed.
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The so-called Somerset Gimp known to torment West Country villagers in a latex suit has been arrested again.

More than six months on from his last sighting, the notorious figure struck on Sunday evening by jumping in front of the vehicle of a woman. He then dropped to the floor and began crawling and writhing on the ground.

At around 11.15pm on Monday night, Lucy Anne was driving home alone from Weston down the backroads, heading for Brean, when she came across a man fully-clad in black latex.

Posting to Facebook, Ms Anne said she first mistook the figure, who also wore a mask with white crosses over the eyes, for a badger.

I have honestly never been so frightened in my entire life and drove away so fast. It was such a strange experience that I honestly thought I had hallucinated, she said.

Ms Anne sped home, leaving the man lying in the middle of the road, where she phoned Avon and Somerset Police.

Three minutes later, officers found the man near the road and arrested him on suspicion of causing a public nuisance, police have since confirmed.

A police spokesman said: A man is currently in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance following an incident in Bleadon overnight.

A man dressed in a gimp suit has terrorised several villages in Somerset (Avon and Somerset Police)

A member of the public called us at 12.07am to report a man wearing latex had jumped out in front of her vehicle on Accommodation Road.

Officers arrived at the scene three minutes after the call was received and located and detained a man aged in his 30s nearby.

The man has previously been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance in relation to incidents in the Cleeve, Claverham and Yatton areas in October last year.

He remains under investigation for these incidents.

Inspector Graeme Hall, of the neighbourhood policing team, said: We understand this latest incident may cause the community some concern.

We took this mornings report extremely seriously and had officers on the scene within minutes which ultimately led to the arrest being made.

To reassure the community, we will be carrying out extra patrols in the Bleadon area and anyone concerned about this, or any other incident, is encouraged to speak to an officer.

Anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the Bleadon area overnight or has CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage which could help our inquiry is asked to phone 101 and provide the call handler with the reference 5223107134.
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A transgender woman has been sent to a male prison, for committing a rape shortly after being released from jail for previous offences.

Lexi-Rose Crawford, 24, was jailed for nine years for one count of rape and one of assault by penetration relating to an incident in April 2019. Crawford committed the offences shortly after being released from a four-year prison sentence for two counts of sexual activity with a child, which took place in 2017.

Bristol Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Crawford had contacted the victim on Facebook and gone to her home to play video games. She sexually assaulted the woman, who repeatedly asked to her stop, before raping her.

It is thought that Crawford began identifying as a woman before the 2019 rape after she had been released for the earlier sex offences on a different victim.

Crawford denied the offences, saying she had blacked out during the incident, but was convicted by a unanimous jury following a trial.

Judge Michael Longman sentenced Crawford to nine years in prison for the rape and six years and six months for the assault by penetration, which will run concurrently.

It is understood that Crawford has been sent to a male prison following her sentence, in line with a Government policy which came into force in February 2023.

The guidance states that transgender women offenders will not be housed in womens prisons if they have male genitalia or have committed sexual offences.

Sentencing Crawford, the judge said Crawfords convictions were particularly serious given her history of offending, and the rape having occurred in the victims home.

Whether you remember raping them or not, it is clear that you ignored their wishes and protests and carried on regardless against their will, the judge told Crawford.

The judge directed that there should be a restraining order, preventing Crawford from contacting the victim, and the defendant must sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Crawford denied the offences, saying she had blacked out during the incident (PA)

Prosecuting, Gregory Gordon told the court: The defendant, Lexi-Rose Crawford, now identifies as female and she contacted the victim on Facebook to go to her address.

When the defendant arrived at the victims address, she brought along a PlayStation. She sat on the sofa and moved to kiss the victim, who said no and stop.

The defendant carried on setting up the PlayStation then sat on the floor next to her before pulling the victim down and pulling down her clothes and was not listening to the victims protests to stop.

She began to sexually touch the victim, who pulled the defendants hand away. The victim was saying stop, I dont want this.

Mr Gordon told the court that Crawford then raped the victim with her penis.

He added: She was told repeatedly to stop but she wouldnt listen.

In a victim personal statement, the woman described how she suffered from flashbacks and nightmares and had been forced to move house due to the attack happening in her own home.

My trust in males was low prior to this incident, her statement said. After the incident, my trust in males diminished even more. My trust in people generally has been affected.

She said she had suffered from anxiety and had experienced suicidal thoughts since the attack.

Representing Crawford, Charley Pattison said her client had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder, autism and gender dysphoria.

Lexi-Rose says she feels she blacked out during these events, she doesnt have a recollection of it, Ms Pattison said.

She gets very upset thinking about it. She was only 20 at the time. This happened on licence but since 2019 she has not been in any trouble. She is extremely sad and upset.

Ms Pattison said the case had taken four years to come to a conclusion, with Crawford experiencing suicidal thoughts and self-harming as a coping mechanism.

This is not someone who was arrested, interviewed and had the support of a loving family to get her through the years that would pass, she said.

Crawford was told she will serve two thirds of her sentence before being released on licence.
Government experts have based the UKs badger cull on a confused and flawed interpretation of the science, a damning report sent to MPs has concluded.

Calling for an immediate rethink of the policy, the study claims officials adopted an ineffective and misguided approach to tackling tuberculosis in dairy cows, leading to a policy that is a self-perpetuating failure.

But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has hit back, saying the report authors are not independent, and claiming that they themselves are not applying the science correctly.
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A convicted criminal involved in drug dealing has confessed to killing a British teenager whose body was found badly beaten in a forest in Thailand, local police have said.

Woramet Ben Taota was beaten to death after he went missing from his home in Lampang, northern Thailand on Saturday.

On Tuesday Bens father was taken to the scene of the death where he confronted the accused. Local media report Mr Graham yelled at the killer: Take his mask off, I want to see his face, youre a coward. Youre a coward. F**king at me you b***ard.

Mr Graham then shouted: Scum, look at me in the eye, look at me in the eye, you b***ard.

The 16-year-old, a dual national known to his family as Ben, was found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district on Sunday morning, having sustained blunt force trauma injuries to his face and head.

Investigators arrested Chaiwat Boonkarin, 44, after finding Bens body. Boonkarin, known to the victim for a long time, was released from prison eight months ago.

He confessed to killing the victim after a drug deal went wrong and has been charged with murder, Thai media reports.

Officers investigating the killing discovered that Bens phone and money were missing from his shoulder bag when he was found, suggesting he had been robbed.

Local media reported that Ben was found by a rubbish collector who was working in the area at the time. Officers later found other belongings, including a smartphone charger and his ID card and bank card.

Detectives believe he may have been killed elsewhere and dumped at the spot where he was found, slumped against a tree.

Police searched for Bens girlfriend, Yam, also 16, thought to have been one of the last people to see him alive.

She was found safe and has been ruled out as a person of interest in the case by police.

Police are also seeking a girl, Suraphltchaya Khamsa, 16, who officers believe was also romantically linked to the British teenager.

The superintendent of the Mae Tha Police said Woramet was found with blood stains all over his face.

The face and head were found to have been beaten with a hard object until swelling and bruising was caused and there was also a deep wound in his face. The body has been taken to hospital for an autopsy, Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla said.

Police said Ben had said goodbye to his mother on Saturday evening and said he was going to work with friends.

Pictures on the victims social media show him riding motorcycles and competing in competitions. It is understood he was a keen motocross rider.

Bens grandmother Lilian Graham said her grandson was born following a long-distance romance between her son Steve and the boys mother, who is known as Ooy Taota.

She told MailOnline: Steve met Bens mum Ooy when he was in Thailand on holiday with friends. She became pregnant and Steve went back many times.

I went out to visit them as well. I really love it out there. But they lived too far apart and sadly their relationship didnt work out. But Steve and me really loved Ben. He was really special. A real character.
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A 40-year-old man has died and his wife left seriously ill after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a holiday home in Spain, according to reports.

Jaime Carsi and Mary Somerville, from Edinburgh, were discovered by the emergency services at a house in rural Mallorca on Saturday.

Their friends raised the alarm with local police after the couple failed to show up to a planned boat trip, according to local newspaper Ultima Hora.

They were found lying in each others arms at the property near Cala Mesquida in the islands northeast, the outlet claimed, citing sources close to the investigation.

While Mr Carsi was pronounced dead, Ms Somerville  a 39-year-old yoga and meditation teacher  was rushed to hospital in Manaco in a serious condition.

Mr Carsi has since been described as a magnificent soul, with friends calling the couple a "match made in heaven".

An autopsy on Monday determined that Mr Carsi had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, chiming with the findings of a forensic doctor who previously visited the scene, according to local reports.

Initial investigations reportedly suggest the gas leak occurred due to a fault with a refrigerator and took place during the night as the couple slept, with all the windows in the house closed.

The Independent has approached the Foreign Office for further information.

Jaime Carsi was described as such a pure soul and full of compassion (Jaime Carsi)

Mr Carsi, who worked as an analyst for a Scottish investment management firm, had studied at university in Madrid and is reported to have moved to Britain as a child before relocating from London to Edinburgh several years ago.

A friend of the couple, Patti Montella, described them as a match made in heaven.

Jaime Carsi came into my life and took up residence in my heart, so many years ago, in London. His smile and spirit are pure love, she wrote on social media.

And when he married our precious Edinburgh girl, sweet Mary, it was a match made in heaven.

Paying tribute to Mr Carsi, the Edinburgh Interfaith Association described the former trustee as a dear friend, adding: Jamie was such a pure soul. He was a very warm and friendly person, full of compassion.

He had a way of connecting with people and you always felt better about yourself after talking with Jaime.

They added: Our thoughts and prayers are with Mary and all his friends and loved ones. Gone too soon but definitely you will never be forgotten my friend. I can only think that heaven needed another angel.
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Having subscriptions to Netflix and Spotify might help aspiring homeowners get on the property ladder thanks to a new mortgage concept.

Leeds Building Society has connected to Experians free Experian Boost service and the practice will help the potential borrower by showing lenders that their ability to pay for the subscriptions can prove, in a small way, their financial track record.

The move comes as Skipton Building Society, another Yorkshire bank, has announced it has launched a mortgage that does not require a deposit.

For the Leeds plan, mortgage meetings will consider factors of the applicants history such as the previous 12 months of regular debit payments which can include council tax but also Netflix and Spotify. This can connect witch the Leedss lending systems.

Richard Fearon, chief executive at Leeds Building Society, said: This will particularly help younger borrowers, first-time buyers and anyone on lower incomes who face the toughest challenge to prove their ability to repay.

Often through no fault of their own, these groups can struggle to build a good credit score because they need to spend most of their earnings on rent and other regular payments.

Aside from a credit score, there are other factors considered by lenders when assessing an individuals mortgage application, such as their income, employment status, and overall financial stability.

Banks are needing to find new ways to attract new interest to buying property with housing at its least affordable point since 1875 amid a UK housing crisis.

Skipton said its scheme was also aimed at renters and would help those it said are trapped in a position of not being able to buy.

The building society is introducing the Track Record Mortgage on a five-year fixed rate at 5.49 per cent and a maximum mortgage term of 35 years. It is only open to first time buyers.

Charlotte Harrison of Skipton said: We recognise theres a clear gap in the market for people who have a strong history of making rental payments over a period of time so can evidence affordability of a mortgage  but there is currently no solution for them to buy a property due to lack of savings or access to family wealth.

It is time for a re-think on these massive barriers to home ownership, and were proud to take the lead on bringing to the market, solutions for such a massive social problem.
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Piers Morgan has said he is not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from the Duke of Sussex amid allegations of phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday. The tabloid publisher unreservedly apologised to the prince for an instance of unlawful information gathering at the start of the hearing.

Follow all the latest updates here

Journalist and broadcaster Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, was later asked by an ITV reporter if he would also apologise to the royal over the claims.

The 58-year-old said: All I am going to say is I am not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry, somebody who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the royal familys privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.

So I suggest he gets out of court and apologises to his family for the disgraceful invasion of privacy that hes been purporting.

I think Prince Harry should be apologising for his disgraceful invasion of privacy of the royal family and others by the way, he added.

This afternoon Morgan tweeted a screenshot from a recent South Park episode that mocked the royal couple for going on a world wide privacy tour.

In 2021, Morgan made headlines after leaving Good Morning Britain following an on-air clash with weather presenter Alex Beresford over the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Morgan said he did not believe Meghans claims from the headline-making special, with his comments sparking more than 50,000 complaints  the most in Ofcoms history.

The watchdog later ruled Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Morgans comments.

Prince Harry is taking legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (AP)

At the start of the trial, barrister David Sherborne said the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Mr Sherborne told a hearing in London: It was a flood of illegality. But worse still, this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives.

Addressing Harrys case, the barrister said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

MGNs barrister Andrew Green KC, in written submissions, said the publisher denied that 28 out of the 33 articles in Harrys claim involved phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.

Instead, he said that stories came from a variety of other sources  including other members of the royal family. The barrister added that it was not admitted that five of the 33 articles contained unlawful information gathering.
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The publisher of the Daily Mirror newspaper has apologised unreservedly to Prince Harry for unlawfully gathering information about him, the High Court has been told.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

The court has been told the systemic use of private investigators by journalists to unlawfully obtain private information was authorised by senior editors including Piers Morgan.

Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) said in court documents that the Duke of Sussex was entitled to appropriate compensation after accepting it carried out one instance of unlawfully gathering information.

The statement forms part of the publishers defence to claims brought by Harry and other individuals over alleged unlawful information gathering at MGN titles - which also include Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

As well as Prince Harry, Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner and comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman are all expected to give evidence during the six to seven-week trial.

Andrew Green KC, representing the publisher, said voicemail interception was denied in the cases being examined in the trial, including that of the duke. The barrister also said some of the challenges it faces have been brought beyond a legal time limit.

Mr Green added: There is some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of unlawful information gathering in respect of each of the claimants, save for Mr Turner whose claim is entirely denied, and MGN has made pleaded admissions in respect thereof.

MGN unreservedly apologises for all such instances of unlawful information gathering, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated.

The barrister said that it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about the dukes activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

Mr Green said there was a reference to a payment record for 75 in February 2004.

He continued: It is admitted that this represented an instruction to engage in unlawful information gathering, and MGN unreservedly apologises and accepts that the Duke of Sussex is entitled to appropriate compensation for it.

MGN does not know what information this related to, although it clearly had some connection with his conduct at the nightclub.

The barrister said that there was a People article published in February 2004 giving the recollection of a woman Harry spent time with at the club.

Mr Green added: The Duke of Sussex notably does not claim in relation to this article, so it is not alleged that this instruction led to the publication of his private information. The fee paid, 75, suggests little work was involved.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex departs the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla (Getty Images)

Chelsy Davy, the former girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex, decided that a royal life was not for her as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists at MGN.

In court documents, David Sherborne, representing Harry in his damages claim against the publisher, said these activities, including the alleged unauthorised accessing of his voicemails, caused the duke "huge distress" and created "a huge amount of paranoia in my relationships".

Referencing Harrys witness statement in the case, Mr Sherborne said: "He became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age. It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and made him fear for his and her safety.

"Ultimately, MGNs activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that a royal life was not for her, which was incredibly upsetting for the Duke of Sussex at the time. They also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily, and led to huge bouts of depression and paranoia."

Mr Green said voicemail interception was denied in all four cases and that there was no evidence or no sufficient evidence.

Harry (left) and Chelsy Davy (right) (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive)

At the start of the hearing in London, barrister David Sherborne, for the duke and other people bringing claims, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Addressing Harrys case, Mr Sherborne said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

The barrister said that in 1995, the royal family had become big news for the tabloid newspapers with interest continuing throughout the now-King Charles divorce from his then-wife Diana, Princess of Wales, and her untimely death in 1997.

Mr Sherborne told the court: We all remember the images of him walking behind his mothers coffin.

From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information.

An MGN spokesman said: Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully.

MGN is now part of a very different company. We are committed to acting with integrity and our objective in this trial is to allow both the business and our journalists to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

The case potentially puts Harry on a collision course with Piers Morgan, the TV presenter and former editor of the News of the World and The Mirror.

Mr Morgan, now presenter of the Piers Morgan Uncensored show on Talk TV, has always denied any direct knowledge of phone-hacking during his time as a tabloid newspaper editor. (Shutterstock)

In a separate case against the publishers of the now defunct News of the World, Harry claimed in court documents submitted to the High Court last month that Mr Morgan knew about, encouraged and concealed illegal targeting of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was editor of the paper.

News Group Newspapers denies the allegations.

Mr Morgan, now presenter of the Piers Morgan Uncensored show on Talk TV, has always denied any direct knowledge of phone-hacking during his time as a tabloid newspaper editor.

The presenter was forced to resign as presenter of Good Morning Britain in March 2021 after telling viewers that he didnt believe a word of what the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey in an interview about her time with the royal family. He has often criticised the couple on social media and in newspaper columns.

The case against MGN is just one of several Prince Harry is involved in. He has also brought legal action against other newspaper publishers, a news and picture agency and the Home Office.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
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The former head of the British army has slammed the governments small boats bill as vicious and said it will diminish Britains standing in the world.

General Sir Richard Dannatt used the case of an Afghan pilot who arrived in the UK on a small boat to illustrate the failings of the bills blanket approach to turning migrants away.

He told the BBCs World at One that the governments Illegal Migration Bill, which would detain and deport anyone who arrived in the UK in this way, was morally offensive.

The former army chief said: The viciousness, and I use that word quite advisedly, of this bill offends many peoples moral position. It runs the risk of offending Britains standing in the world, as a country that upholds international law.

Lord Dannatt said the governments Illegal Migration Bill was morally offensive (Getty Images)

He argued that the government should treat refugees differently to economic migrants, adding: Take for example the Afghan pilot - who came to this country, not through the official system but on a small boat. He now runs the risk of being deported to Rwanda.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick admitted that the blanket ban on anyone arriving by small boats would throw up morally complex choices but said he wouldnt comment on individual cases, adding: Its only by applying a tough but fair approach like this that we can get a grip on the system.

Lord Dannatt said the pilot was exactly the sort of person who would have been welcomed into the country if there had been a legal and safe route for him to get here.

The airman, whose story was first highlighted in The Independent, fled Afghanistan in fear of Taliban reprisals and has now been threatened with removal from the UK to Rwanda.

The air force lieutenant, who served alongside British forces, said that he had to come to the UK via a small boat because there were no viable safe routes.

When challenged on the pilots case on the World at One, Mr Jenrick said the war hero did have a choice to come to the UK via a legal route. Mr Jenrick referenced the Ministry of Defences Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, which resettles those who worked directly for the British armed forces or who contributed to a specific British effort in Afghanistan.

Robert Jenrick said no one who came to the UK on a small boat would be allowed to live in the UK (PA)

He also referenced the Home Offices Afghanistan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) scheme, the governments general scheme for at-risk Afghans to come to the UK. This scheme has so far resettled just 22 people since the initial evacuation.

Charities and MPs have criticised both schemes, saying that the ineffectiveness of these routes is pushing up small boat crossings.

Mr Jenrick vowed: If you come across illegally on a small boat you will not find a route to life in the UK; youll either be returned home if your home country is a safe place, such as Albania, or youll be returned to a safe third-country, such as Rwanda.

He continued: One of the limiting factors, on helping people like that pilot, is the fact that their places are being taken by predominantly young men who are in a place of safety in France, who are skipping the queue, breaking into our country, in breach of our laws.

He said that by stopping the small boat crossings we will have the ability to do even more to help people, such as the case that Lord Dannatt raises.

His comments come after the Archbishop of Canterbury slammed the Illegal Migration Bill as morally unacceptable.

Speaking in the Lords on Wednesday, Justin Welby urged the government to reconsider much of the bill which, he said, fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility and our political and international interests.
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Investment in Eurovision has been really well spent because it has provided an opportunity for the UK to showcase itself to the world, the minister for the song contest has said.

The Government pledged 10 million in funding to this years competition, which is being held in Liverpool on behalf of last years winners Ukraine.

Funding from the city council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority was also provided to stage the event.

Eurovision Minister Stuart Andrew said: I absolutely think any investment weve made in this has been really well spent because its an opportunity for us to showcase to, on the show itself, 160 million people around the world what Liverpool, what the wider region, what the whole of the UK has to offer.

That is a massive audience and were making sure that we continue to show that we are a great country when it comes to organising huge events like this.

The feedback weve been getting so far is lots of people going home to their countries at the end of this week very, very happy indeed.

Everybody that I've spoken to from many different countries has said they're huge Eurovision fans, been to many contests and they are citing this as one of the best Stuart Andrew

He said the welcome received by Eurovision fans was a great credit to the work done by people in the city.

He added: Liverpool has got a great reputation of being a party city and what theyve done is just welcomed everybody here so warmly.

Everybody that Ive spoken to from many different countries has said theyre huge Eurovision fans, been to many contests and they are citing this as one of the best.

Mr Andrew, whose Eurovision remit is part of his role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, said it was disappointing that strikes by rail workers could affect train services to and from the city at the weekend.

Asked if the Government should have taken action to resolve the strikes, he said: Actually, I think its really disappointing that the unions have targeted this event.

We have to remember that there are a lot of displaced Ukrainians who are coming here to enjoy this and to see their country performing, their cultural heritage, and theyve made that really difficult.

Theres offers on the table, they need to get on with accepting that I think.

Mr Andrew said he and his partner usually held Eurovision parties at home so it was great to be celebrating the contest live.

Seeing it live and how extraordinary it is, is just truly wonderful to see, he said.

The politician said the Ukrainian feel to the contest made it an even more special Eurovision Song Contest.

He added: I think its incredibly important to show to our friends in Ukraine that whilst they cant host this, we are happy to stand side by side with them and make sure it isnt just the UK hosting this, this is a joint venture between our two nations.

Seeing some of the extraordinary cultural elements from Ukraine here is very moving.

He said he was backing United Kingdom entrant Mae Muller to win.

I think that we have shown last year that we are within play and I hope that we can continue that success, he said.

There are clearly other favourites amongst the Eurovision fans.

The reception Norway, Finland and Sweden got last night was great to see.

The Eurovision Song Contest is unpredictable so who knows, its anyones game really.
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An LGBTQ choir who sang across Liverpool on Monday to celebrate Eurovision and share the joy of their music received a huge amount of support, according to their director.

Proud Marys, an LGBTQ choir from Cheshire, sang a medley of quirky and cheesy versions of songs by Abba, Lady Gaga, Liverpools own soul group The Real Thing and songs from the musical Dear Evan Hansen.

The choirs 40 members received cheers from huge crowds at the Pier Head, the Museum of Liverpool and Church Street.

Matt Baker, the 52-year-old choir director of Proud Marys, told the PA news agency: When we were at Church Street the rain was torrential, but we were given waterproof ponchos and sang in the belting rain.

And despite that, we were amazed by how many people with umbrellas stood and cheered us on, then when the rain calmed down we attracted a huge crowd.

So, we were really thrilled that even in the terrible British weather we experienced we had such a huge amount of support.

The choir, which formed in 2018 for isolated and older LGBTQ people, even received a huge amount of applause as they made their way out of James Street station singing Abba arrangements.

That gives you an idea of the huge appetite that there is and appreciation that we were clearly an LGBTQ choir travelling on the Merseyrail and everybody was cheering us on, Mr Baker said.

That feeling was multiplied tenfold when we came out onto James Street in Liverpool.

Mr Baker, who was recognised in the late Queens Birthday Honours list in 2021, added theres a real appetite for everything musical and diverse in Liverpool.

It was also Mr Bakers other choir A Handbag Of Harmonies who encouraged Proud Marys to sing in Liverpool after they performed Eurovision medleys in care homes on Saturday.

He said: [A Handbag Of Harmonies] had such an enormous and warm welcome in Liverpool because of the real appetite for everything musical and diverse in that city.

The members of the choir told their friends [Proud Marys] you really need to go to Liverpool to share the joy of your music.

Mr Baker went on to say that Proud Marys Ukrainian friends blessed their trip to Liverpool and he praised how incredibly inclusive the city is in hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine.

He added: The tides are turning and people, through singing, are starting to understand that there are so many different communities out there and singing has got a great power to reach out to people and change peoples perception.
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The Metropolitan Police has apologised to the family of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan after documents relevant to the inquiry into his death were discovered in a locked cabinet in New Scotland Yard that had not been used for a number of years.

A total of 95 pages of material should have been disclosed to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which was set up to look into the case and published its final report in June 2021, the force said.

A further 71 pages were identified that would have been provided to His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as part of its subsequent inspection.

Daniel Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987, and a string of unsuccessful investigations into his death have been mired with claims of corruption.

We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is Barbara Gray, assistant commissioner

An independent panel set up to look into the case published a scathing report in June last year in which it accused the Met of a form of institutional corruption for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray apologised on behalf of the force to Mr Morgans family.

We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is, she said.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the panel.

The Met said its assessment found there are no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

However, the Police Inspectorate has agreed to review the documents and the Mets assessment of them.

In the circumstances, we consider we are entitled to ask whether the information has come to light only because, as we understand it, the media had already got hold of the story Family statement

The Met added that it remains in discussions with the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

In a statement, Mr Morgans family said they were not surprised by the new.

We, the family of Daniel Morgan, are not surprised by this latest revelation concerning the Met and its handling of this whole sorry saga over the 36 years since Daniels murder in March 1987, the statement said.

The family said there has been no explanation for why it took the Met four months to tell them about the documents.

We were informed last night  by way of a letter from Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray  that these documents had been stored in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard following a handover between senior officers in 2014 and accessed only when the Met forced entry into this secure storage in January 2023, the statement said.

No explanation has been forthcoming as to why it took the Met over four months to inform us of this development. In the circumstances, we consider we are entitled to ask whether the information has come to light only because, as we understand it, the media had already got hold of the story.

What we see here is precisely the kind of conduct that was identified as institutional corruption in the Panels June 2021 report; it appears that the Mets first objective remains to protect itself, concealing its failings for the sake of its public image and reputational benefit.
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Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses will be able to train on the job under plans to tackle NHS workforce shortages.

It is expected that the much-anticipated NHS workforce plan will see the number of medics trained via the apprenticeship route ramped up significantly.

Up to one in 10 doctors and a third of nurses could be trained this way in coming years, the PA news agency understands.

It comes as the head of the NHS encouraged school-leavers to earn while they learn through NHS apprenticeship schemes.

This radical new approach could see tens of thousands of school-leavers becoming doctors and nurses, or other key healthcare roles, after being trained on the job over the next 25 years Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, told pupils at her former school that tens of thousands of doctors and nurses would be able to train as apprentices in the coming years.

The expansion of NHS apprenticeship schemes will offer an alternative to a traditional university degree and may entice people into a medical career later in life, she said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised that the NHSs long-term workforce plan will be published shortly.

Ms Pritchard said that the plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put the NHS on a sustainable footing as she highlighted the 124,000 vacancies across the workforce.

Speaking to pupils at the Durham Johnston Comprehensive School on Friday, Ms Pritchard said: As someone who has spent just over a quarter of a century working in the NHS, I have first-hand experience of how rewarding a health service career truly can be.

With over 350 different roles available, from nursing to biomedical specialist through to peer support worker, there is a potential profession for everyone.

One thing is clear, the NHS is nothing without its staff. That is why with more than 124,000 vacancies across the workforce, we know we need to increase training places in universities so more of our brightest and best can train to become doctors or nurses.

But university isnt right for every school-leaver and some young people want to start earning straight away, while others may decide on a career in health care later in life.

So the NHS is looking to expand apprenticeship schemes over the coming years, offering a different route into the NHS where students can earn while they learn, instead of going through the university route.

We want to significantly expand the number of specialist GPs working so the long-term NHS workforce plan will set out our ambitions and how were going to deliver that, but theyre already record numbers, we want to go further Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

This radical new approach could see tens of thousands of school-leavers becoming doctors and nurses, or other key healthcare roles, after being trained on the job over the next 25 years.

But this move isnt just something that will benefit school leavers of the future. Young people finishing their A-levels this summer can apply for the first ever medical degree apprenticeship next year.

There are already hundreds of other apprenticeship schemes offering a route into the NHS, from pharmacist assistants, ambulance practitioners, through to HR schemes.

I would urge anyone who is leaving school this year and thinking about what comes next to consider joining the NHS, it has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me in every role Ive done.

The upcoming workforce plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put the NHS on a sustainable footing.

Well be setting out what the NHS needs over the coming years for its workforce to thrive, so that there is an NHS career choice that works for everyone now and in the future.

She was speaking as she toured her old school and met current pupils.

The tour was arranged as part of the NHSs 75th anniversary celebrations, marked on July 5 this year.

The NHSs doctor apprenticeship scheme is due to start in September this year, where medics in training will be able to earn a wage while they study.

The concept was first introduced as an alternative route into medicine, outside the standard undergraduate or graduate university programmes.

The apprenticeship route must be limited and not come at the expense of university-based nursing graduates Professor Nicola Ranger, Royal College of Nursing

Commenting, Dr Latifa Patel, workforce lead for the British Medical Association, said: Innovative approaches to education and training are welcome but there are huge question marks over how far medical apprenticeships can solve this crisis.

We dont know if medical schools and employing organisations are going to be able to produce medical degree programmes to meet individual apprenticeship needs while also meeting the same high standards of training experienced by traditional medical students.

We have little evidence on whether the apprentice model will work at scale, and whether employers will want to take the investment risk with no guarantee of a return.

Ultimately the solution the NHS needs is still the same: A dramatic increase in traditional medical school places, postgraduate training pathways, and essential medical academic staff, all fully resourced and without delay.

Professor Nicola Ranger, chief nurse at the Royal College of Nursing, added: When the formal workforce plan comes this summer, we expect to see a funded expansion of nursings place in university, anything else will risk jeopardising the position of registered nursing as a graduate profession.

All the research shows that patient outcomes greatly improve when in the care of the right number of degree-educated nurses. The apprenticeship route must be limited and not come at the expense of university-based nursing graduates.

A Universities UK spokesperson added: It is imperative that we train more doctors and nurses, and universities stand ready to help fill these gaps.

Additional routes into these professions, including degree apprenticeships, have been championed by universities for some years now, and will be part of the solution to the current health and care workforce crisis.

Of course, prospective students will vote with their feet  any new scheme must respond to student demand  just as universities will need to be reassured that these routes will be properly funded and streamlined.

Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of MillionPlus, which represents modern universities in the UK, said: While modern universities are keen to help address shortages in the NHS workforce, establishment and recruitment to a nursing apprenticeship is not necessarily the simplest option for increasing recruitment numbers into the profession.

Meanwhile Mr Sunak indicated that the long-term workforce plan would also include an expansion of specialist GPs.

Speaking during a visit to a GP surgery in Hampshire on Tuesday, Mr Sunak said: We want to significantly expand the number of specialist GPs working so the long-term NHS workforce plan will set out our ambitions and how were going to deliver that, but theyre already record numbers, we want to go further.

But Mr Sunak refused to repeat the 2019 Conservative pledge for 6,000 more GPs by 2024.

Earlier on Tuesday, health minister Neil OBrien told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: (Former health secretary) Sajid Javid said several years ago we were not going to be able to hit that 6,000 target because of everything that has gone on and now overall, there are about 37,000 extra doctors working in the NHS, a lot more doctors and a lot more nurses too, about 52,000 extra nurses.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked Rishi Sunaks planned crackdown on migrants arriving by small boats during a debate in the House of Lords.

Justin Welby said the Illegal Migration Bill represented a dramatic departure from Britains obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention to allow arrivals to make asylum claims.

I urge the government to reconsider much of the bill  which fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility and our political and international interests, said the Church of Englands most senior bishop.

The archbishop said home secretary Suella Bravermans bill fails utterly to deal with the long-term challenge of people trafficking, undermines international cooperation and damages the UKs global repuation.

We need a bill to stop the boats. We need a bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers  the tragedy is that without much change this is not that bill, he told the Lords on Wednesday.

Mr Welby added: It is isolationist, it is morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the [refugee] crisis alone.

The international protections for refugees are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary, the archbishop also told parliament.

He said: Even if this bill succeeded in temporarily stopping the boats  and I dont think it will  it wont stop conflict or climate migration.

Calling on the government to put new safe and legal routes for refugees in place, he warned: We cannot wait for the years before that happens.

The archbishop also followed Labour in criticising the lack of new government measures to tackle evil people-smuggling gangs  arguing that the bill failed to engage with criminal traffickers directly and offensively.

Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman are under pressure over stop the boats pledge (The Independent)

Responding the Mr Welbys criticism, Mr Sunaks official spokesperson insisted that the plan to detain and deport Channel migrants was the compassionate and fair thing to do. The No 10 spokesperson also said Mr Sunak believed there is nothing compassionate about allowing people to die in the English Channel.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has accused Mr Welby of being wrong on both counts when asked about his comments calling the bill morally unacceptable and politically impractical.

Mr Jenrick told the BBCs World At One theres nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue.

Earlier, Ms Braverman warned peers not to stand in the way of the will of the British people by blocking the plan to swiftly remove small boat migrants either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

As the controversial legislation returned to the Lords on Wednesday, a group of 174 campaign groups and charities signed an open letter calling for the government to ditch the bill  saying it was effectively a ban on asylum.

The bill would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent deportation. Critics argue the reforms will break international law, and former Tory leaders Theresa May and Iain Duncan Smith have warned it also threatens Britains existing modern slavery protections.

Lib Dem peer Lord Paddick proposed a so-called fatal motion at stopping it in its tracks but it was dismissed by Labour  who warned it could backfire and deny the peers the chance to amend the bill.

Lord Paddick argued the legislation was a low point in the history of this government, while Labour frontbencher Lord Coaker said the Tories were playing fast and loose with our place in the world and our respect for international law.

Labours Lord Dubs  a child refugee who fled the Nazis before the Second World War  said failing to uphold the international laws would mean notorious abusers of human rights will simply say, Well, if the United Kingdom doesnt do it, why should we?

Speaking for the government, Home Office minister Lord Murray faced jeers and shouts of shame in the Lords as he argued it was a compassionate response to the small boats problem.

Former Tory leader Lord Howard backed the bill, arguing that the ECHR ruling which halted the first planned flight to Rwanda last year was contrary to all the rules of natural justice.

The Bibby Stockholm barge arrived in the UK this week (PA)

Meanwhile, the Bibby Stockholm barge arrived in the UK on Tuesday. It is set to be docked in Portland, Dorset, and house 500 asylum seekers. Some on social media compared it to a prison hulk, while the Green party called the offshore plan cruel, insensible and immoral.

Portland Town Council leader Jim Draper told Sky News on Wednesday that he had been told by the government that migrants would be free to come and go in the coastal town. But he warned that the mechanics were unclear and no funding had been provided.

Mr Draper said: Theyre talking about a bus that will take 30 people at a time on an hourly service going in and out, so its not going to allow many in and out.

It comes as the plan to clear the asylum backlog by fast-tracking applications from five wartorn countries is in a complete mess, a government source told The Times.

Only 10 per cent of the forms offered to asylum seekers from countries including Afghanistan and Syria are said to have been filled-in properly which mean a lengthier process of interviews have had to take place.
The government has announced a major climbdown over its Brexit plans to remove EU laws from British statute books by the end of the year.

The EU Retained Law Bill currently going through parliament was due to automatically delete any European legislation at the end of 2023  unless it was explicitly chosen to be saved.

But ministers on Wednesday quietly confirmed that they were gutting the bills sunset clause and that the mass deletion would not go ahead as planned.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey refused to say whether he want the UK to rejoin the EU in a feisty TV clash with Ed Balls over Brexit.

The former Labour minister and Good Morning Britain host pointed out that the Lib Dem website states they stand for ultimately rejoining the EU.

Mr Balls challenged Mr Davey to say whether he would push Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to reverse Brexit as part of any coalition deal in the event of a hung parliament.
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A former Conservative cabinet minister has criticised the government's "ideological" approach to signing Brexit trade deals.

George Eustice, who served as environment secretary under Boris Johnson, said ministers and officials gave too much away in trade talks without getting much in return.

The Tory MP made the comments during a candid interview about his time in government, conducted by the Institute for Government think-tank.

Mr Eustice, who left government when Liz Truss took over as prime minister, last year branded the trade deal with Australia  largely negotiated by Ms Truss  as a failure.

But speaking to the IfG this year he said there was "a wider problem within the government and within the Conservative Party in general".

"While there was quite a bit of sensitivity for agricultural interests, there was a stronger feeling about the ideological benefits of free trade," he said.

Mr Eustice said he had argued "that we should be seeking a reciprocal trade deal" where "yes, we would give away access, but we would be granted something in return".

Instead, he said, he would "endlessly" come up against "what could best be described as a rather ideological stance, which just held that we should just liberalise".

"Treasury officials were quite strongly of the view that tariffs were protectionist  that we should just scrap them all," he said.

After Britain left the EU customs union it lost access to the European Union's trade deals with other countries, but became able to sign its own agreements.

But farmers and trade campaigners have criticised the government's approach to signing and negotiating these deals.

The deals signed by the UK tend to allow overseas farmers to export products to the UK produced at lower cost and to different welfare standards without paying tariffs  which British farmers say will drive them out of business.

The government's own analyses of the deals says their overall economic benefits tend to be extremely small  and that in some cases the will shrink domestic UK industries like farming.

However more recently government ministers like Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch have argued that the government's own calculations do not capture all the benefits of the deals.

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Mr Eustice said that there were discussions in government about the best approach to negotiations but that he and Michael Gove  who he said shared his view  were "outnumbered" by other ministers like Liz Truss.

"He felt very much that taking back control meant standing up for yourself on the world stage. And we were sadly outnumbered," the former environment secretary said.

The ex environment secretary said that while he had a good relationship with Ms Truss when they worked together at Defra, but that "from the moment she was a frontrunner, I pretty much assumed it would be the end for me".

"Wed had such disagreements over the Australia trade agreement that I knew there was no prospect at all that she would want me to stay there," he added.

Mr Eustice, who is still a Tory MP, said in January he would not stand again at the next general election.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked Rishi Sunaks planned crackdown on migrants arriving by small boats during a debate in the House of Lords.

Justin Welby said the Illegal Migration Bill represented a dramatic departure from Britains obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention to allow arrivals to make asylum claims.

I urge the government to reconsider much of the bill  which fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility and our political and international interests, said the Church of Englands most senior bishop.
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A planned visit to Taiwan by Liz Truss risks causing mortal wounds to China-UK relations and would alienate the two countries, a Chinese government official has warned.

And the trip next week will make it more likely that China will exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan sooner rather than later, according to Victor Goa.

Ms Truss, Britains shortest-serving prime minister, is due to deliver a speech on democracy during her visit to the island and to meet Taiwanese government officials.

Soldiers hoist the flag of Taiwan in Taipei (EPA)

China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory, and Chinese president Xi Jinping has vowed to bring it under Beijings control.

The UK, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan, nor have formal diplomatic relations with it, so Ms Trusss visit could create a headache for ministers.

Chinese Communist Party media spokesperson Victor Goa told Tonight with Andrew Marr on LBC that Ms Trusss trip would make it more likely that China will exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan sooner rather than later.

He said her illicit visit could lead the situation towards going over the point of no return.

Mr Goa said: Her proposed visit to Taiwan in her official capacity will only achieve one goal: that is to further alienate relations between China and Britain, hurting the fundamental interest of the British people.

He warned Ms Truss should pay attention to [how] she conducts herself, because she does not want to inflict mortal wounds to China UK relations.

Former prime minister Liz Truss is set to visit Taiwan (PA Archive)

The trip comes at a delicate time, as Chinas relationship with Britain is under strain. Soon after taking over from Ms Truss as PM, Rishi Sunak declared the golden era of relations with China over, calling for robust pragmatism towards competitors.

The former foreign secretary has previously said western democracies should toughen their stance on Beijing.

In February she called for ties with Taiwan to be boosted to combat threats from China, urging countries to send a message to Beijing that military aggression towards Taiwan would be a strategic mistake.

She said the West should be doing all we can to make sure Taiwan has the support it needs to defend itself.

In a statement before her visit, she said: Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy. Im looking forward to showing solidarity with the Taiwanese people in person in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from the regime in Beijing.
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Watch as Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clash in the first PMQs since the Tories suffered heavy losses in last weeks local elections.

Labour gained an impressive 643 councillors across England and took control of 22 more authorities as a result of Thursdays vote, while the Conservatives lost 957 seats and 48 councils.

In the wake of the news, Sir Keir will be keen to heap more pressure on the government and could look to hammer home the suggestion that Labour is the party best equipped to guide Britain forward after the next general election.

Im confident that we can form a government with a majority, he told ITV News of next years vote, after the local elections result.

And thats because of the numbers and the places that we have been winning.

We havent won in Medway since 1998, Dover, since 1995. Places like Swindon, Plymouth, Stoke, Middlesbrough, these are all the battlegrounds going into the next general election, so Im confident.

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Rishi Sunak was asked how he could look his daughter in the eye if he allows a major North Sea oilfield to be developed.

The prime minister, who has previously said his daughter is the climate change champion in his house, was challenged by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday.
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The number of people being made homeless by landlords issuing no-fault eviction notices surged last year while the government drags its feet on banning the practice, new official figures show.

The plan to abolish so-called Section 21 evictions was first announced over four years ago by prime minister Theresa May  but ministers have yet to even publish legislation for MPs to vote on.

Now new figures published by the government on Wednesday show 24,060 households were threatened with homelessness in England as a result of a Section 21 notice in 2022  50 per cent higher than in 2021.

In total 290,330 households faced homelessness in 2022, up 6 per cent compared to the year before.

Under the no-fault eviction notices a landlord can ask a tenant to leave with just two months' notice and without having to give any reason for doing so.

The government says its upcoming Renters Reform Bill will scrap the sweeping powers, but it is yet to materialise.

As a tenant, you have no right to say anything. Im being kicked out of my home of 15 years for complaining after getting nowhere trying to get problems in the property fixed, said Anna, 44, who was served a Section 21 notice by her letting agent in March 2022 after complaining about disrepair in her privately rented home.

Anna has lived in the Manchester property with her adult daughter for 15 years, works part-time, and is struggling to find elsewhere to rent.

Ive always paid my rent on time. Ive tried to make this place a home, not just a house we rent. But now were going to end up on the streets just because we asked for a broken shower that left us with no hot water for a week to be repaired.

Every time I call to enquire about a new place letting agents ask whether you claim benefits or have a guarantor. And every time I just have the door slammed in my face. If we cant rent somewhere else, then it leaves us with no other option but the streets. Im worried, cant sleep and dont feel I can cry anymore.

Landlords have all the power, and this isnt right. There are plenty of people in a similar situation to me and the government isnt doing enough to help us.

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said renters could not wait any longer and urged the government to keep its promise on banning the eviction power.

For too long struggling private tenants have been trapped in an insecure and unstable private rented sector with the constant worry of being one no-fault eviction notice away from homelessness, she said.

Every day our frontline services hear from desperate families who are facing the very real prospect of homelessness after an eviction. The cost of living crisis coupled with paying through the nose for insecurity and disrepair in the private rented sector where competition for rentals is fierce means that there are little to no options for tenants who are forced out of their homes.

Ministers last year published a white paper with an outline of their plans, which were criticised by campaigners for containing too many loopholes.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 / 50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 May 2023 Salisbury cathedral staff make final checks to artist Cornelia Parkers Magna Carta, a 13-metre-long embroidery installation depicting the Magna Carta Wikipedia pages, installed in the cathedral for the To Be Free exhibition, at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2023 A dog joins members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) on the picket line outside HMRC in East Kilbride during a strike in the long-running civil service dispute over pay, jobs and conditions PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2023 Two trains carrying 170 Eurovision song contest superfans arrive into Liverpool Lime Street train station PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2023 Britains Prince Louis eats toasted marshmallows as they take part in the Big Help Out, during a visit to the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, England, AP UK news in pictures 6 May 2023 King Charles III and Queen Camilla can be seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony ahead of the flypast during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla Getty UK news in pictures 5 May 2023 Britain's King Charles III leaves after speaking to well-wishers on The Mall near to Buckingham Palace in central London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 May 2023 A night time rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2023 Teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) at a rally in Westminster, London, as they stage walkouts across England in an ongoing dispute over pay PA UK news in pictures 1 May 2023 Former US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the tarmac after disembarking "Trump Force One" at Aberdeen airport on the north-east coast of Scotland AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 April 2023 Handout photo issued by the Big Partnership of walkers at the start of The Kiltwalk 2023 from Glasgow Green. PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2023 Englands flanker Marlie Packer celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the Womens Six Nations Grand Slam at the end of the Six Nations international womens rugby union match between England and France at Twickenham in south-west London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 28 April 2023 Lucy Williams, from Aberfan, holds her son Daniel Williams, one, as he takes the handbag of the Princess of Wales, during her visit with her husband the Prince of Wales, to the Aberfan memorial garden, to pay their respects to those who lost their lives during the Aberfan disaster on October 21st 1966 PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2023 Teachers on the picket line outside Bristol Cathedral School, College Square, Bristol, as they take strike action in a dispute over pay PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2023 Protesters wait for the arrival of King Charles III and the Queen Consort for their visit to Liverpool Central Library PA UK news in pictures 25 April 2023 Wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph in central London, in commemoration for Anzac Day PA UK news in pictures 24 April 2023 Waves crash over Tynemouth pier on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 23 April 2023 People cross the finish line at the 2023 London Marathon Getty UK news in pictures 22 April 2023 A Wrexham fan in a Deadpool costume ahead of the Vanarama National League match at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2023 A demonstrator wears a costume as people protest during the Extinction Rebellion's 'The Big One' event, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 20 April 2023 The funeral cortege of Paul OGrady travels through the village of Aldington, Kent ahead of his funeral at St Rumwolds Church PA UK news in pictures 19 April 2023 Georgia Harrison, who was a victim of revenge porn, at a demonstration organised by Refuge outside the Houses of Parliament, calling for a violence against women and girls code of practice to be added to the Online safety bill PA UK news in pictures 18 April 2023 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Tree Orchard at Alnwick Gardens in Alnwick, Northumberland Reuters UK news in pictures 17 April 2023 A pelican sits in St Jamess Park, London PA UK news in pictures 16 April 2023 People take part in the Nagar Kirtan procession through the city centre in Southampton, during Vaisakhi celebrations to mark the birth of the Khalsa and to celebrate the spring harvest and the solar new year PA UK news in pictures 15 April 2023 Former Chelsea players and fans show the Samaritans' 24-hour helpline number 116 123 on the back of their shirts during the launch of the TalkMoreThanFootball campaign from Three, during halftime of Chelsea v Brighton at Stamford Bridge, London PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2023 Protesters outside York Magistrates Court, where Patrick Thelwell is charged with threatening behaviour after eggs were thrown at King Charles III during his visit to York in November PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2023 British milliner Justin Smith, from J. Smith Esquire, with a crown he has created using 319 Scrabble tiles to mark Scrabble's 75th anniversary and King Charles III's coronation PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2023 US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on business development at Ulster University in Belfast AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 11 April 2023 People take part in a rally in Trafalgar Square in London, in support of striking NHS junior doctors, as the British Medical Association holds a 96-hour walkout in a dispute over pay PA UK news in pictures 10 April 2023 Masked people attack a police vehicle with petrol bombs in Derrys Creggan area on on 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement Getty UK news in pictures 9 April 2023 People taking part in the annual procession in Glasgow as part of the Sikh Vaisakhi celebration to celebrate the Birth of the Sikh Nation PA UK news in pictures 8 April 2023 Visitors dressed in costumes during the Star Wars Celebration at the ExCel London in east London PA UK news in pictures 7 April 2023 Lorries queue to enter the Port of Dover in Dover, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 April 2023 Seating being erected on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, central London, ahead of King Charles IIIs Coronation. PA UK news in pictures 5 April 2023 Police officers stand guard outside the home of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon in Glasgow, Scotland Getty UK news in pictures 4 April 2023 Workers protest outside Google London HQ over the treatment of staff facing redundancies PA UK news in pictures 3 April 2023 Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union on the picket line outside the Passport Office in east London, as more than 1,000 members of the PCS working in passport offices in England, Scotland and Wales begin a five week strike as part of the civil service dispute PA UK news in pictures 2 April 2023 Coaches wait to enter the Port of Dover in Kent after extra sailings were run overnight to try and clear the backlog which has left passengers stuck in Easter traffic for hours PA UK news in pictures 1 April 2023 Waves crash against the lighthouse in Seaham Harbour, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 31 March 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Darlington Council leader Jonathan Dulston, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Darlington MP Peter Gibson in Firth Moor during a visit to Darlington, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 30 March 2023 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner travel by train to the launch of the Labour Party's campaign for the May local elections in Swindon PA UK news in pictures 29 March 2023 Newborn Grevys zebra Lola, who was born during the early hours of March 17 to 12-year-old mum, Akuna, at West Midland Safari Park, Bewdley, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 28 March 2023 Drag Queen Dross poses during a media event launching the Eurovision EuroFestival programme, in Liverpool EPA UK news in pictures 27 March 2023 The new leader of the Scottish National Party and former Health Secretary Humza Yousaf speaks after he is announced at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland EPA UK news in pictures 26 March 2023 Caoimhe Dempsey throws her welly to the shore as Cambridge University board their boat prior to The Gemini Boat Race 2023 Getty UK news in pictures 24 March 2023 Brian Cox opens the London Stock Exchange to celebrate Succession Season 4, which premieres on streaming service NOW and Sky PA UK news in pictures 23 March 2023 The Milky Way core rises at 3am over Bamburgh Lighthouse in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 22 March 2023 Emergency teams attend the scene after a ship tipped over at the Leith dry dock in Edinburgh, Scotland Tomafc83 UK news in pictures 21 March 2023 Sir David Attenborough plants a tree, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, for The Queen's Green Canopy in Richmond Park with school children from across London PA UK news in pictures 20 March 2023 The Superlambanana sculpture outside the Avril Robarts Library of Liverpool John Moores University painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, ahead of the city hosting the Eurovision Song Contest PA

Under those plans, landlords could use an exemption intended to allow them to personally move back into a property, but then re-let it just three months later. Unaffordable in-tenancy rent rises would also be permitted that could effectively force families to leave.

A spokesperson for the governments communities department said: Over 600,000 households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018 but we know there is more to be done to help families at risk of losing their homes.

We are giving councils 1bn through the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years, to help them prevent and tackle homelessness targeted in areas where it is needed most.

This is on top of 26bn cost of living support this year  helping those most in need. Local authorities have a duty to ensure no family is without a roof over their head and temporary accommodation plays an important role in this.

Our forthcoming renters reforms will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector, reducing the risk of tenants becoming homeless.
Suella Braverman has been rebuked by the UKs official statistics watchdog for suggesting that 100 million asylum seekers could come to the UK.

The home secretary was accused of inflammatory language after she claimed the law-abiding patriotic majority were fed up with waves of illegal migrants breaching our border.

Unveiling her small boats bill in March, Ms Braverman also told the Commons: There are 100 million people around the world who could qualify for protection under our current laws. Lets be clear  they are coming here.
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Tony Blairs most senior No 10 aide warned that George Bush and his f***ing lunatics in the White House would lead Britain into trouble after he won the presidential election, according to a new book.

The claim is made in the new diaries of former Labour MP Chris Mullin, who was a foreign office minister in Blairs government during the 2003 Iraq war.

Mullin says Mr Blairs Downing St chief of staff Jonathan Powell said after meeting Mr Bushs team, shortly after the 2000 US election: Theyre f***ing lunatics. Who knows what theyll get us into?

EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS MULLIN DIARIES Chris Mullin, who was a Labour MP for more than 20 years and a minister under Tony Blair, has won plaudits for the first three instalments of his political diaries, described as wickedly indiscreet and a treat to be savoured. The Independent is exclusively serialising the fourth volume here.

The allegation is among a series of revelations in Mullins latest memoirs, Didnt You Use to Be Chris Mullin?, which are being serialised exclusively in The Independent.

Waspish Mullin says Jeremy Corbyn was hopelessly unsuited to the realities of power, derides stupid Labour leader Ed Miliband, and says London mayor Sadiq Khan has no charisma. He accuses Diane Abbott of talking nonsense.

He savages former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown for approving plans for Margaret Thatchers funeral in 2013. It was a huge Tory festival at public expense, says Mullin, describing it as yet another of his many misjudgements.

By contrast, left-winger Mullin says he has changed his mind about former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major, who he says is a much more substantial figure than he was ever given credit for.

Jonathan Powell was top adviser to Tony Blair (Getty)

Mullin claims Labour-supporting filmmaker David Puttnam told him about Mr Powells comment regarding Mr Bushs White House team in 2010.

He says Lord Puttnam, ennobled by Blair, told him that Mr Powell had expressed alarm when speaking to him over breakfast in Londons Claridges Hotel in December 2000 about a meeting he had had with Mr Bushs team after they won the election the previous month.

According to David, almost Jonathans first words were: Theyre f***ing lunatics. Who knows what theyll get us into?

In 2003, Mr Blair joined Mr Bush in declaring war on Iraq, in what was seen by most experts as one of the biggest foreign policy disasters in modern British history.

Chris Mullin was Labour MP for Sunderland South until 2010 (PA)

Mr Blair and Mr Powell have always denied that Britain joined the conflict solely because of pressure from the US.

Mullin portrays Mr Blair as increasingly jet-lagged and haunted by the spectre of Iraq as he travels the world making millions from unsavoury autocrats.

He adds: What is the point of all this frenetic activity? There is something tragic about it.

The first extract of Mullins new book charts the rise of Mr Corbyn, as well as the emergence of Sir Keir Starmer.

It also reveals details of Mullins family life with his Vietnamese-born wife Ngoc and their two daughters. He says he wept when the bedraggled, skeletal family cat Bruce was put down by a vet.

He denounces Tory attempts to portray Mr Khan as a Muslim extremist, but goes on: Despite a great backstory, he [Khan] is entirely lacking in charisma and does not appear to stand for very much.

Nor do Mullins own constituents in the Sunderland South seat he represented until 2010 escape his sharp quill. Remainer Mullin condemns the shameful way they backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.

But he does not spare his own blushes, revealing how he repeatedly wrote in his diary that the UK would not vote in favour of Brexit.
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Ministers have faced suggestions from the DUP that the UK Government has been gaslighting the people of Northern Ireland over funding.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) warned the Barnett squeeze is getting greater, while DUP colleague Gavin Robinson described systemic underfunding of the Northern Ireland budget, as the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill cleared the Commons.

Outlining the legislation, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker told MPs the Bill would ensure a continuation of the current governance arrangements in Northern Ireland should there be no executive when they expire on June 5.

He said: We recognise that this Bill is an interim arrangement, it clarifies the powers the civil servants need to maintain public services in the absence of an executive.

We are very clear that finances in Northern Ireland are not sustainable but we're also clear that it is for an executive to act on it Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker

We do recognise that there are some difficult decisions that will be needed, that civil servants will be uncomfortable to take and its possible they will feel unable to take them.

This is of course why we need the executive back and I am aware were very much sounding like a stuck record, but this is what were seeking to do  to get the executive back.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since last year when the DUP withdrew in protest over the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Mr Baker, on direct rule, said: I am absolutely clear this Bill does not give us any powers to implement measures.

He later told MPs: We are very clear that finances in Northern Ireland are not sustainable but were also clear that it is for an executive to act on it.

The Government, through this Bill, will in the absence of an executive ensure that time is not lost now to start the thinking and the work on this, so we will be commissioning advice from the Northern Ireland civil service on the options for budget sustainability in Northern Ireland.

Mr Robinson said the Barnett formula needs to be assessed on need and outlined policy areas where he has concerns over future funding

The MP for Belfast East said: If the executive was up tomorrow, the fundamental damage being caused by the budget and the fundamental choices that have to be made will be there, the resource wont.

Getting back into Stormont is not going to grow the purse, its not going to change the financial situation and its not going to make it any easier Sammy Wilson, DUP

The Barnett formula is the mechanism which aims to give each devolved administration the same funding for devolved services as the equivalent UK Government spending.

Mr Robinson added that the politics of all of this has been about gaslighting the people in Northern Ireland psychologically questioning our understanding of how finances work, telling us that were overfunded when we know were structurally underfunded.

Standing in this chamber and saying oh but Northern Ireland gets 121% of what people in England get, when you know that thats less than what Northern Ireland needs. Thats gaslighting.

His comments were echoed by Mr Wilson who said: Getting back into Stormont is not going to grow the purse, its not going to change the financial situation and its not going to make it any easier.

The extremely challenging (situation) and the difficulties for long-term sustainability will still be there.

He added: We should not be selling the lie to people in Northern Ireland that get back into government and suddenly all the problems that youre facing in health, education, communities, policing and everything else will disappear.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: What this legislation and what the budget is doing is imposing huge cuts actually on the most vulnerable in our society.

It is disingenuous to say that the presence of an executive would have been irrelevant to this years Northern Ireland budget allocation, Alliance MP Stephen Farry added.

The North Down MP added: Without an executive, theres not a process for managing the pressures as efficiently and effectively as possible and that matters much more in the context of a crisis than it does when we are in a situation of a surplus.

Tory chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Simon Hoare said the Treasury continually providing new money with no concomitant reform from Belfast doesnt serve any particular purpose.

He told the Commons: Local politicians in Northern Ireland either deliver new streams of money through revenue and or expenditure savings and Treasury will provide new money, but just to continually provide new money with no concomitant reform from Belfast doesnt serve any particular purpose and arguably raises too many questions in the minds of English voters as to why they are not getting a greater share of the public purse.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle cautioned the current situation cannot continue forever.

He said: The Secretary of State has been clear that we are not moving into direct rule. What we have instead is limited interventions from Westminster that keep public services functioning with limited scrutiny, the situation cannot continue forever.
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News from the US that former president Donald Trump has been found guilty of sexually abusing a woman leads many of Wednesdays papers.

Trump is a sex abuser, Metro declares, with The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror also reporting Mr Trump was found to have sexually abused but not raped the advice columnist in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.

Is this (the) end of Trumps new bid to be president? the Daily Mail ponders.

Elsewhere, the i says the Archbishop of Canterbury is poised to make a major intervention by criticising the Governments highly contentious laws to stop the small boat Channel crossings.

The Daily Express writes that there are 7,000 needless diabetes deaths every year amid the catastrophic obesity crisis.

The compensation bill for those affected by the NHS blood contamination scandal could reach 10 billion, the Financial Times reports.

The Times says Britain is set to blacklist Russias Wagner mercenary group as a terrorist organisation.

And the Daily Star writes that Russia has tried to spark a real life Star Wars by claiming the Americans never landed on the Moon.
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One of the survivors of the Brownville bus stop crash that left eight people dead has urged president Joe Biden for help in bringing his family to the US.

In a video message from his hospital bed, 27-year-old Gabriel Gallardo, a migrant from Venezuela, said: I came to offer my kids a better future and just got here yesterday  I arrived and now I dont have a leg.

Mr Gallardo, who had to have a partial amputation of his leg after being injured in the incident, added: My dream is gone.

Im hoping that my mom, Nancy, my wife, Andreina, and my kids, Gabriel and Angel, can come.

Im hoping youll give us consideration after everything that we suffered yesterday, he addressed the president in the video.

The video was provided to Noticias Telemundo and NBC News.

Mr Gallardo said his wife and two children in Colombia are devastated.

Mr Gallardos wife, Yuleissi Andreina Quintero, told local media: My sons and I need to be with my husband  as well as his mother. We left Venezuela with a future and a dream for his children. That dream has been turned upside down. Please President Biden, we ask for your help please.

Mr Gallardos mother, Nancy Xiomara Garcia Contreras, who is also in Colombia, said in a video: Please help us to get there so that he can see his children, so that his wife can be there to help support him ... I dont have a passport, I dont have any way to get there.

I dont even have the words to express how Im feeling, Mr Gallardo said. So much pain, so much suffering I went through to get here. God, I feel so bad, I feel so bad for it all.

Eight people were killed and 10 others injured after a driver in Brownsville, Texas, ploughed his SUV into a group of pedestrians waiting for a bus.

Many of the individuals hit by the SUV were migrants who had just left a nearby migrant centre, according to the Brownsville police. Mr Gallardo was one of 10 people injured in the crash.

On Monday, Brownsville Police chief Felix Sauceda held a press conference, during which he revealed the driver had been identified as George Alvarez, 34. He was charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Mr Alvarez allegedly attempted to flee the scene of the incident after he struck the victims and rolled his jeep.

Bystanders reportedly stopped Mr Alvarez and kept him detained until police arrived. He was then taken into police custody and then to an area hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained in the wreck.

Police said Mr Alvarez was being very uncooperative with them during their initial investigation. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the crash was intentional.

The Venezuelan government has called for an investigation to determine if the crash was deliberate and motivated by hate or xenophobia after it emerged that several of the victims were from Venezuela.
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The remains of a tech founder who went missing 18 months ago have been found by the California police.

Beau Mann, 39, who was the co-founder of a health app called Sober Grid, went missing in 2021 after boarding an Uber from a convenience store in Studio City, Los Angeles, not far from Sober Grids office.

His last contact was a cryptic message he sent that just said 911 while inside an Uber before being dropped off in Santa Monica, after which he vanished. Jill Calhoun of the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News in May last year that police received Manns 911 text, but he did not respond to attempts to reach him.

Police of Santa Monica Boulevard said on Monday on Facebook that they recovered his remains from the 2900 block in the area, 18 months after his disappearance.

The body was identified as Manns on 6 May based on dental records, according to a statement from his family.

The Santa Monica Police Department said "human remains were found in the courtyard of an abandoned property in the 2900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard" and identified Mann.

The cause of death is yet to be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, police said.

Mann co-founded Sober Grid in 2015, an online space designed to help those struggling with addiction. The app received funding from both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Mann's fiance, Jason Abate told NBC last year that Mann was born in Texas and moved to California around 2019.

Mann reportedly had substance abuse issues in his youth and wanted to create a means for people to help each other and stay sober.

Mr Abate expressed his grief on Facebook, saying: Beau, how can you be gone, how do all of these memories exist so vividly and youre gone? I still have your toothbrush where you left it, and every single room in this house has your beautiful spirit attached to it.

Beau was a beautiful soul who spent the better part of his life helping others, Sober Grid said in a statement.

We miss his infectious smile and positive attitude every day. We know his spirit will live on through his company and passion, Sober Grid, as it continues to help those struggling with the grip of addiction.
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In his first official remarks on the death of Jordan Neely more than one week after he was fatally choked on a New York City subway train car, Mayor Eric Adams did not mention how the homeless New Yorker died or discuss the events surrounding his death.

He stressed, however, that Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.

One of our own is dead  a Black man, Black like me. A man named Jordan, the name I gave my son, the mayor said in remarks on 10 May. A New Yorker who struggled with tragedy, trauma and mental illness, a man whose last words were crying for help.

On 1 May, a man identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny wrapped his arm around the neck of the homeless former street performer for several minutes. The citys medical examiner determined the cause of death was homicide. No charges have been filed, and the Manhattan district attorneys office and police are investigating.

Neely was complaining of hunger and thirst when he boarded the F train in Manhattan, according to witnesses, moments before Mr Penny and others pinned him to the ground.

Neelys death has devastated his family and shocked his fellow New Yorkers, said Mr Adams, adding that one thing we can control is how our city responds to that tragedy.

Mr Adams outlined his administrations response to people experiencing homelessness and mental health distress, including legislation proposed to lawmakers in Albany, the creation of outreach teams, and a controversial policy that allows authorities to involuntarily hospitalise people who are considered too mentally ill to care for themselves.

Neely  who was experiencing a mental health crisis in the days leading up to his death  was known among social work teams involved in outreach to New Yorks homeless community. He had numerous interactions with law enforcement and health responders over the years.

When he walked into a subway car on 1 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.

The widely shared video footage shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car for several minutes. Mr Vazquez said that Neely was yelling that 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 grabbed him from behind in a headlock. Others grabbed at his arms.

New York City Police Department officers attempted CPR upon arrival on the F train at the Broadway-Lafayette platform, according to an incident report reviewed by The Independent. Neely was pronounced dead at Lenox Health Greenwich Village hospital.

A statement from attorneys for Mr Penny on 5 May said Mr Penny was involved in a tragic incident ... which ended in the death of Jordan Neely.

Mr Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness, the statement added. 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. Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.

Attorneys for Neelys family said the statement from Mr Pennys legal team was neither an apology nor an expression of regret but character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordans life.

Within the week after his death, New York City Police Department officers have arrested at least 24 people  including a photojournalist, targeted by a high-ranking police official  at protests and vigils demanding an arrest.

The mayor said he will convene a summit next week with mental health providers who work with the city to develop an action plan. He also will meet with faith leaders who are on the front lines of this issue and we need their help and support, he said.

There are more Jordans out there, Mr Adams said. People who are loved, people who are in need of treatment and compassion. Jordan Neelys life mattered. He was suffering from severe mental illness. But that was not the cause of his death. His death was a tragedy that should never have happened.

Mr Adams notably did not discuss the way in which Neely died. In the aftermath of Neelys death, the mayor said 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.

In an interview on CNN on 3 May, after the citys medical examiner formally declared Neelys death a homicide, Mr Adams, a former police officer, 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.

His initial remarks and apparent refusal to condemn what his critics have characterised as an act of vigilantism have drawn widespread criticism, including from members of Neelys family and other elected officials such as US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In an interview with New York magazines The Cut published on 9 May, she excoriated city and state officials who have refused to condemn the actions of the other subway passengers, after the mayor rebuked the congresswoman for her own statements addressing his death.

I would like everyone to pretend that was their son, Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the magazine. I would like anyone to look at that video, see their son, and see if they would say the same thing.

In the interview, she addresses the failure of public policies to support people experiencing homelessness and their mental health, compounded by rapidly growing costs of living in a city with some of the highest housing costs globally, and pointed to the hypocrisy of officials demanding better public safety while refusing to acknowledge that a person literally killed another human being on the subway.

I think in order to stand up for Jordan Neely, wed have to admit that public decisions made by leaders have been failing, she said. Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders. He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.

Attorneys representing the Neely family have urged the mayor to call them.

The family wants you to know that Jordan matters, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote in a statement. You seem to think others are more important than him.

In his remarks on 10 May, Mr Adams said his heart goes out to Jordans family who is suffering great pain from the uncertainty of the circumstances of his death.

Too many Black and brown families bear the brunt of a system long overdue for reform, he added. Our work starts with acknowledging that we must reverse the effects of decades of disinvestment in housing, healthcare and social services.
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An attorney representing the family of one of the teens killed in the murder-suicide in Henryetta has made shocking revelations.

The Oklahoma State of Bureau Investigations confirmed last week that convicted rapist Jesse McFadden shot dead his wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13 before turning the gun on himself. McFadden also killed Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15, who were at the home visiting Tiffany for the weekend.

Following the gruesome discoveries on 1 May at McFaddens property, reports emerged that he was facing fresh soliciting and child porn charges after he was caught exchanging lewd images with a 16-year-old in 2016 while serving time in jail for the rape of another minor. McFadden had an early release in 2020, despite the severity of his previous crime and pending charges.

Over the weekend, dive teams with the OSBI were spotted using sonar devices at one of the ponds neighbouring the scene of the heinous crime, KJRH reported. The second processing came after KFOR revealed that authorities left behind a trove of stomach-churning evidence at McFaddens property after releasing the scene. While touring the residence, a crew of reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia that have since been seized by Okmulgee Police.

Cameron Spradling, an attorney representing the Webster family, has now divulged that 32 different cell phones and individuals used McFaddens house of horrors as their location address. The findings have been handed to the OSBI, Mr Spradling.

The mishandling of McFaddens sex crimes and confusion regarding leadership in the murder-suicide investigation have caused outrage in the community. 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.

In a statement to The Oklahoman after the deviant findings at McFaddens residence, Mr Spradling said: The family of Ivy Webster were shocked to discover that computers and cell phones had not been seized by law enforcement when they viewed the inside of this house of horrors. No words can express this familys fear that the sexual assault of their baby girl has been placed on the dark web. We demand that law enforcement seize all electronic devices and hunt down all sexual predators who have witnessed the suffering of Ivy Webster.

A neighbour of McFadden also told KJRH last week that six months ago, they saw somebody digging the pond where police excavation teams were seen this past weekend. When confronted, the individual reportedly said they meant to expand the pond, despite there being no apparent reason to do so.

A family of the victims also found a ledger at the crime scene with a list of unknown names and ages  the last final names being those of the six victims shot dead by McFadden last week before he turned the gun on himself, according to the network.

Brittany Brewer, 15, and Ivy Webster, 14 (Brewer family / Webster family via Facebook)

The Independent reached out to the OSBI for comment on the possibility that McFadden may have been the individual digging the pond last year, and whether the agency is investigating other potential crimes at the property. The agency declined to address the questions.

McFadden, who was on the state sex offender registry, was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape in 2003. After his early 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.

McFaddens rape victim Krystle Strong and cellmate James Fleming told The Independent last week that they separately contacted several law enforcement agencies in a fruitless attempt to stop his release and warn authorities that he was a danger to the community.

A spokesperson with Henryetta Police Department said 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, which did not answer The Independents request for comment.

This undated photo provided by Janette Mayo shows from left, Tiffany Guess, Michael Mayo and Rylee Elizabeth Allen

Due to his home address. Henryetta Police Department would have no records kept of his registration, Henryetta Police said in a statement.

Several departments in the District 25 task force were initially put in charge of the investigation, according to KFOR reporter Erin Christy. Ms Christy said that she was deferred to the OSBI by the Okmulgee County Sheriffs Office after Sheriff Eddy Rice declined to clarify the confusion surrounding which agency had the eadership of the case.

Ultimately, someone needs to say well go through this or that. What did you miss? And if you have people outside your jurisdiction, it doesnt work well, Former Tulsa Police Department homicide detective Dave Walker told KFOR. You gotta be in charge of everything or youre not in charge of anything.
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Eric Richins was worried that his wife might kill him for the money and told his family, one of the oldest and largest in Summit County, Utah, that if anything happened to him, she would be to blame.

His wife wrote a childrens book about grieving after his passing to help their three boys grieve. She has now been charged with his murder.

Kouri Richins, 33, was arrested Monday for the March 2022 murder of her husband Eric Richins. She is accused of having poisoned her husband with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, Utah  a small town in the mountains close to Park City, according to the Associated Press.

Prosecutors argue that Ms Richins made a late-night call to the authorities in March last year to say that her husband was cold to the touch.

Ms Richins told police that she made her husband a mixed drink using vodka to supposedly celebrate a recent sale of a home before she left to help one of their three children to sleep in their bedroom.

Five times the lethal amount of fentanyl found in husbands system

She claimed that when she returned, she found him unresponsive and called the emergency services.

A medical examiner found that Eric Richins had five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system.

Ms Richins has been charged with murder in addition to allegedly possessing GHB. Its a narcolepsy drug often used recreationally, such as at dance clubs, the AP notes.

The charges are based on the officers accounts of their interactions with Ms Richins as well as the account of an unnamed acquaintance who said they sold the fentanyl to Ms Richins.

Kouri Richins appeared on Good Things Utah to speak about her book Are You With Me?' (Screenshot / ABC4)

Are You With Me?

The charges come two months after Ms Richins appeared on local TV to speak about her picture book Are You With Me?  which she authored to help children after losing someone close to them.

Ms Richins appeared on a segment called Good Things Utah, saying that the death of her husband was unexpected and describing how it adversely affected her and her three children  all boys.

She said that grieving for children was about making sure that their spirit is always alive in your home.

Its, you know, explaining to my kid just because hes not present here with us physically, doesnt mean his presence isnt here with us, she told the local TV station.

A police search warrant states that Mr Richins died on 4 March 2022.

Kouri Richins is accused of murdering her husband Eric in March 2022 (Facebook)

He warned them that if anything happened to him, she was to blame

The Richins family is notable in Summit County, according to KPCW. The Richins Building in Kimball Junction was named after one member of the family  Sheldon Richins.

Members of Mr Richinss family said not long after his death that they suspected his wife of having killed him. Warrants state that he warned them that if anything happened to him, she was to blame.

One of Mr Richinss sisters claimed that he called her a few years ago when he was in Greece on vacation. He claimed that one of the drinks his wife had given him had made him very ill. The sister claimed that Ms Richins had made an attempt to take her brothers life.

This photo provided by KPCW.org shows Kouri Richins at the KPCW studio in Park City, Utah, April 12, 2023 (AP)

Changed life insurance beneficiary

A warrant also states that Ms Richins was caught changing her husbands life insurance policy to make herself the only beneficiary.

On Valentines Day last year, less than a month before his death, Mr Richins had an allergic reaction after having dinner with his wife. He broke out in hives, was unable to breathe, and passed out after using taking Benadryl and using his sons EpiPen.

According to court filings, Ms Richins had bought fentanyl pills for $900 a few days before the dinner. She asked for another $900 not long before Mr Richinss death.

Friend reveals what Utah man said before dying as wife is facing murder charges

Kill him for the money

Before he died, Mr Richins changed the beneficiary of his will and his power of attorney from his wife to his sister. A warrant states that he thought his wife might kill him for the money.

Warrants also state that Mr Richins was planning on divorcing his wife, but that proceedings had yet to start at the time of his death.

Ms Richins published the book on 7 March of this year, telling KPCW a few weeks later that its designed to offer comfort and solace to young minds.

Last month, she told KPCW that the book was inspired by her own kids questions.

You know, Is dad with us? she said. Because theyre going through the sadness of knowing that hes not here, presently.

The Independent has reached out to Ms Richinss attorney for comment.

Erics world revolved around his family

An obituary for Mr Richins reads: Erics world revolved around his family, his love for hunting, the family cattle ranch, and his insane drive as a successful entrepreneur.

Being born into the Richins Legacy shaped Erics formative years and resulted in a lifetime of hard work, dedication, and fierce loyalty. Being the eldest was a dubious task, but he was up for the challenge and led and loved his sisters fiercely, the tribute said.
 Close Lori Vallow trial: Cult mom convicted of murders of children and Chad Daybells wife

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Doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of her two children and conspiracy to murder her husband Chad Daybells late wife.

The jury of seven men and five women reached a verdict at around 11.45am on Friday after nearly seven hours of deliberations at the Ada County Courthouse, Boise, Idaho.

Vallow, 49, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and Tammy Daybell, 49.

Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019.

Over six weeks, prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims, motivated by greed and their doomsday cult beliefs.

Following the verdict, the Maricopa County Attorneys Office announced that they have submitted a request to extradite Vallow to Arizona, where she is facing charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of her previous husband Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, who was married to her niece.
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The father of a child killed in the Uvalde mass shooting was kicked out of the Texas State Capitol for protesting after a gun reform proposal was left off the agenda.

Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah was among 19 students killed along with two teachers at the Robb Elementary School massacre last year, was escorted out of the House chambers on Tuesday night following the Republican-led legislatures refusal to put HB2744 on the calendar. The bill, which proposed to raise the age requirement to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 in the state, had been advanced earlier this week after two Republicans joined Democrats in its favour in a shocking move.

The bills deadline to be heard before this legislature session wraps up is on Thursday. However, a mandatory 36-hour scheduling window was missed when legislators failed to add it to the agenda by 10pm on Tuesday, according to The Texas Tribune.

As he chanted 2-7-4-4! just minutes before the cutoff, Mr Cross was asked to leave by a state trooper who claimed he was being too loud and the limit was 85 decibels. Mr Cross was the only person to have been removed from the chambers, the Houston Chronicle reported.

On his way out, Mr Cross continued chanting in unison with other parents of the Uvalde victims who supported the bill and pleaded for gun reforms following the 24 May 2022 shooting in their hometown. Earlier this weekend, some of the parents camped outside the House chamber and chanted at lawmakers as they entered.

Apparently a voice yelling to send a bill to the floor that protects children is too much. They are used to not hearing pain, heartache and despair, as they have been so accustomed to our childrens screams being removed, Mr Cross said in a statement on Wednesday, addressing his removal from the chambers. The issue is, while Uziyah's voice may have been eternally muted, mine will not. DPS and the State of Texas will go out of their way to villainize those who go against their good ol' boy system and disrupt the status quo. They have not had a person, or group go against them with this much hope and internal fight that they are scared.

Former State Representative and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke also tweeted: Hes doing more to stop kids from being killed than anyone who works there. Keep it up.

The short-lived momentum of HS2477 on Monday followed a weekend of horrors in the Lone Star State after a gunman opened fire at an outlet mall in the Dallas suburb of Allen. Eight people were killed before a police officer, who was at the scene responding to an unrelated call, managed to take down shooter Mauricio Garcia, 33.

Even if passed, the measure was unlikely to become law. Gov Abbott has previously waved off the idea of allowing only people 21 or older to purchase guns like those used in many of the countrys worst mass shootings, including Texas. But the bill even clearing a committee vote was unusual, according to the Associated Press.

Texas has some of the most lax gun laws in the country. Most adults are allowed to carry a handgun in a holster both openly and concealed, without a permit. Private firearm dealers in the Lone Star State are not required to conduct background checks before selling, despite three-fourths of Texas supporting such measures, according to Texas Gun Sense.
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The mother of a six-year-old boy who allegedly shot his teacher in her classroom has broken her silence to say she takes responsibility for the youngsters actions.

First-grade teacher Abby Zwerner was shot and wounded by the boy at Richneck Elementary on 6 January and has sued the Newport News School District for $40m.

Following an investigation police announced that no charges would be brought against the boy, but his mother, Deja Taylor, has been charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanour recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child.

Deja Taylor, the mother of a six-year-old boy who allegedly shot his teacher in her classroom has broken her silence to say she takes responsibility for the youngsters actions. She appeared along with boys legal guardian Calvin Taylor and lawyer James Ellenson (ABC News)

Investigators say that her son allegedly took a handgun from their home, put it in his backpack and took it into school where he is accused of shooting Ms Zwerner.

She suffered critical injuries in the incident but is expected to make a full recovery.

Now Ms Taylor, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, says that her sons alleged actions can be explained by the fact he suffers from ADHD.

I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he cant take responsibility, Ms Taylor, who is set to face trial on 15 August, told ABC News in her first interview.

And she apologised to the teacher for what she has had to go through.

"I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for his self."



The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher breaks her silence to @LinseyDavis. https://t.co/0D5udKp2VK pic.twitter.com/bMxdsinCh8  Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2023

I just truly would like to apologise that ... she (Zwerner) did get hurt. We were actually kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. And she is really a bright person, she said.

In her lawsuit, Ms Zwerners lawyers have said that the school ignored multiple warnings about the boys behaviour and characterised him as having a history of random violence.

His mother told the news outlet that her son was a great kid but that his health condition made him very energetic.

Hes off the wall. Doesnt sit still, ever, she said.

She went on to say that her son actually really liked the teacher he shot and that during the week of the shocking incident he felt like he was being ignored.

Newport News teacher Abigail Zwerner

And she said that prior to the incident, he slammed a phone hard on the ground when Ms Zwerner told him to sit down as he asked her a question.

You know, most children, when they are trying to talk to you, and if you easily just brush them off, or you ask them to sit down, or youre dealing with something else and you ask them to go and sit down, at 6 (years old) you in your mind would believe that Somebodys not listening to me and you have a tantrum, Ms Taylor explained.

He threw his arms up. He said, Fine. And when he threw his arms up, he knocked her phone out of her hand on accident, she said.

The boy was suspended after that incident and the shooting took place the day that he returned to the classroom, according to the teachers lawsuit.

Newport News Public Schools told ABC News it could not comment on issues surrounding a students educational record.

Ms Taylors family claims that a member was not present on the day of the shooting as the school had told them they no longer needed to be present in the classroom.

School Shooting Newport News (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Her grandfather, Calvin Taylor, who has legal custody of the boy, told the outlet that the youngsters behaviour had changed (in a positive way) in the classroom, before the shooting.

He was more attentive, he tried to follow along, he tried to do the coursework, Mr Taylor said. But in all fairness to the other kids in the class, sometimes it was just too much for him.

Mr Ellenson said that the gun had been legally purchased and that nobody knows how the boy had got hold of it as it had been locked away.

The youngster remains in the custody of Mr Taylor and is back in school and receiving therapy.

January 6 was a terrible day for a lotta people, he added. A terrible day for the teacher, a terrible day for the kids that was in that classroom, a terrible day for my great-grandson, and a terrible day for the community and my other family members and friends.
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Jurors in E Jean Carrolls civil battery and defamation case against former US president Donald Trump in New York took just three hours of deliberations before returning their verdict.

The nine-person panel was given the case on Tuesday and did not waste any time in bringing the case to a swift and damaging end for the 2024 Republican presidential hopeful.

The jury in the civil case returned a verdict that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but not raping her, and awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages, which includes the defamation claim.

In the courtroom, the clerk read the verdict: As to battery, did Ms Carroll prove that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll? The jury answered No.

The jury also found Mr Trump liable for wonton disregard, for which Ms Carroll was awarded $20,000, according to Inner City Press.

(EPA, Getty)

Mr Trump was also found liable for defamation as the jury found that he made false statements about Ms Carroll.

The jury found that Mr Trump acted with actual malice and that Ms Carroll had been injured, for which she was awarded $1m. For repairing her reputation, Ms Carroll was awarded $1.7m.

As the case was a civil one and not criminal, Mr Trump was not found guilty but rather liable by the jury.

Ms Carroll, a former magazine columnist, spent three days on the witness stand in a Manhattan federal courtroom alleging that Mr Trump raped her in the dressing rooms of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in spring 1996, and then defamed her in a social media post last October.

For his part, Mr Trump has denied her allegations, insisting the incident she describes never happened.

E. Jean Carroll, center, walks out of Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. (AP)

Lawyers for both sides presented more than four hours of closing arguments on Monday, with Ms Carrolls attorney Roberta Kaplan insisting her clients testimony was credible, it was consistent and it was powerful and arguing that every single aspect of what she said is backed up or corroborated by other evidence.

Ms Kaplan and her colleagues argued that the testimony of two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault, coupled with his notorious remarks from the Access Hollywood tape of 2005, indicate a repeated pattern of behaviour towards women consistent with Ms Carrolls account.

But Joe Tacopina, a lawyer representing Mr Trump, sought to rubbish that narrative and argued that Ms Carroll being unable to give a precise date on which the alleged attack occurred suggested she was not a trustworthy witness, also making much of her decision not to report it to the police at the time.

She has abused this system by bringing a false claim for, amongst other things, money, status, political reasons, he said.

And in doing so, she has minimised real rape victims, you know, rape victims down by the water and around the world, to use someones words. She is exploiting their pain and suffering and is capitalising on their stories and we cant let her profit to the tune of millions of dollars for her abuse of this process and her efforts to deceive you.

Both sides also disputed the meaning of Mr Trumps decision not to give evidence in person, the Republican having provided only a pre-recorded deposition in which he again denied the accusations against him.

Ms Carrolls attorney Michael Ferrara argued his absence was indicative of guilt, but Mr Tacopina declared: How do you prove a negative? Challenging the story is our defence. There are no witnesses for us to call. Theres no witness for us to call because he was not there, it didnt happen.

Then on 9 May, following instruction from Judge Lewis A Kaplan, the six men and three women in the jury box began weighing up everything they heard before delivering a verdict hours later.

Ms Carroll filed her lawsuit last November under the New York State Adult Survivors Act, a state bill that enabled sexual assault allegations whose statues of limitation have long since expired to be revisited.

Her suit was a civil one, meaning the jury needed to decide whether Ms Carrolls legal team succeeded in proving that Mr Trump did commit battery against their client by the preponderance of the evidence, a lower standard for certainty than the beyond reasonable doubt threshold employed in criminal trials, the highest in law.

Donald Trump and E Jean Carroll (Getty/Reuters)

The defamation question, meanwhile, hinged on whether the jury believed, again by the preponderance of the evidence, that Mr Trump knew that his denial of the accusation against him was false when he made it.

They also had to consider whether Ms Carrolls team presented clear and convincing evidence that the property moguls statement of denial was false and that he made it in a spirit of malice, meaning there is little room left for doubt based on the information presented.

When it reached its conclusions, the jury needed to be unanimous, but could reach different verdicts on the battery and defamation claims, which were treated as two separate concerns.

After finding against Mr Trump on both battery and defamation, the jury recommended that Ms Carroll receive both punitive damages to punish him, as well as actual damages to cover the losses she experienced as a result of his alleged conduct.

Ms Carrolls team did not put a round number on the compensation it hoped to receive should she win - but the final number came out to $5m.

Ms Kaplan said on Monday: For E Jean Carroll this lawsuit is not about the money. Its about getting her good name back.

What is the price for decades of living alone without companionship, for having no one to cook dinner with, no one to walk your dog with, no one to watch TV with, and for feeling for decades like you are dirty and unworthy. Im not going to put a number on that for you.

The ruling: What is the definition of sexual abuse?

Ms Carrolls lawsuit against Mr Trump was two-pronged, alleging both battery and defamation.

For battery, Judge Lewis A Kaplan presented jurors with three forms under which Trump could be found liable: rape, sexual abuse and forcible touching.

The jury did not find Mr Trump liable for rape under Judge Kaplans definition of sexual intercourse by force, including penetration.

Jurors did find him liable for sexual abuse, defined as touching sexual or intimate parts by force.
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In the aftermath of a jury finding that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll, Fox News replayed a clip of the former president confusing Ms Carroll for his ex-wife at a pre-trial deposition.

Given that Mr Trump said at a different point during the deposition that Ms Carroll wouldnt be my type in any way, shape, or form, the fact that he confused her for a person he married raised eyebrows.

Thats Marla, Mr Trump said, looking at a picture of Ms Carroll. Yeah. Thats my wife.

Mr Trump was then informed that he was not looking at a picture of his ex-wife Marla Maples, but of Ms Carroll instead.

The jury in the civil case pursued by Ms Carroll reportedly heard the tape of Mr Trumps misidentification  as did Fox Newss audience in the aftermath of the jurys finding that the former president was liable for sexually abusing and defaming Ms Carroll.

The last person you would want to confuse her with would be someone you married, former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy said when asked about the impact Mr Trumps statement might have had on jurors.

Mr Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll $5m for sexually abusing her a dressing room nearly three decades ago at a Manhattan department store.

The jury did not find that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll, as she has claimed, but the finding is nevertheless remarkable in that it comes against an ex-president who may yet serve as president again.

Ms Carroll is just one of a number of women who have made assault claims against Mr Trump.

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back, Ms Carroll said in a statement following the verdict reported by The New York Times. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.
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Donald Trump hit out at accuser E Jean Carroll after the jury in a civil trial found he sexually abused the writer.

In a string of 10 messages posted in a rant to the platform Truth Social on Tuesday, the most bizarre of the former presidents complaints was that the jury had not been told the name of Ms Carrolls cat, Vagina T. Fireballl.

The partisan Judge & Jury on the just concluded Witch Hunt Trial should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for allowing such a travesty of Justice to take place. The Dress, which played such a big roll early on as a threatening bluff, but which ended up being totally exculpatory, was not allowed into the trial as evidence. Nor was her cats name, Vagina, the racist name she called her Black husband, Ape, getting caught in a lie on the political operative paying for this Hoax, & much more! he wrote, also referencing an argument Ms Carroll wrote about in one of her books, in which she said she called her husband an ape.

As well as ranting about what the jury was not told, Mr Trump added: I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

A photo of Mr Trump meeting Ms Carroll was shown during the trial.

The former president made a number of posts on the topic, both protesting his innocence and questioning the testimony of Ms Carroll, 79, who sued the former president for allegedly raping her in a dressing room at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996, and then destroying her reputation when he claimed she was lying.

He added in the rant, which also featured video clips: This Clinton appointed Judge, Lewis Kaplan, hated President Donald J. Trump more than is humanly possible. He is a terrible person, completely biased, and should have RECUSED himself when asked to do so. He quickly refused! This case should never have been allowed to be tried in this completely partisan venue, perhaps the worst for me in the Nation! The whole Rigged Hoax is yet another TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE, a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt of all time!!!

The jury didnt find Mr Trump liable for raping Ms Carroll.

In the courtroom, the clerk read the verdict: As to battery, did Ms Carroll prove that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll? The jury answered No.

But the jury did find that Mr Trump more likely than not sexually abused Ms Carroll, and awarded her $2m.

This image released by Kaplan Hecker & Fink and presented as evidence during former President Donald Trump's deposition shows E. Jean Carroll, second from left, and her then-husband John Johnson, center, meeting Trump, at left, and his wife Ivanka at an event in the 1980's. (Kaplan Hecker & Fink via AP)

The jury also found Mr Trump liable for wonton disregard, for which Ms Carroll was awarded $20,000, according to Inner City Press.

Mr Trump was also found liable for defamation as the jury found that he made false statements about Ms Carroll.

The jury found that Mr Trump acted with actual malice and that Ms Carroll had been injured, for which she was awarded $1m. For repairing her reputation, Ms Carroll was awarded $1.7m. In total, Ms Carrol was awarded $5m.

Judge Lewis Kaplan told the jury, which has remained anonymous, that theyre allowed to speak about their experience and to publically identify themselves as having been a part of the jury. But he also shared his advice, telling them not to go public.

Not now, and not for a long time, he said, according to Law & Crime.

I suggest you not identify yourselves, he told the jury just before they left the courtroom, according to Inner City Press.

Judge Kaplan also directed the jury not to identify other members of the group.

As the verdict was read out, Ms Carroll sat emotionless in the front row beside her attorneys Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley.

She nodded her head as Judge Lewis Kaplan thanked the jury for paying close attention to the evidence, even when it wasnt riveting.

After the jury was led out, she hugged Ms Kaplan and Ms Crowley. Defence attorney Joe Tacopina approached and shook her hand and said, Congratulations and good luck.

As she left the court, Ms Carroll was heard saying Were very happy.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina confirmed plans to appeal the liable verdict, saying that the Access Hollywood tape shouldnt have been included in the trial. He added that Mr Trump cant get a fair trial in New York.

In a statement, the Trump 2024 campaign said: The Democratic Partys never-ending witch-hunt of President Trump hit a new low today. In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nations justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage.

Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States, the campaign team added. The continued abuse of our great Constitution for political ends is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. Our nation is in serious trouble when claims lacking any evidence or proof or eyewitnesses can invade our courts to score political points. Sadly, for the enemies of American freedom and democracy, President Trump will never stop fighting for the American people, no matter what the radical Democrats dream up next. This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.

Meanwhile, Geraldo Rivera said on Fox News: It is so parochial and partisan to suggest that a finding of sexual battery is nothing. This is not nothing.

Attorney and legal scholar John Turley added: Any other candidate faced with this type of verdict would likely never be seen again.

Republican Senator John Cornyn told CBS News: I dont think [Mr Trump] can get elected.

GOP Senator John Thune of South Dakota said: It has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama.

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, said in a statement that over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt of the rule of law can backfire. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behaviour of Donald Trump.

The jury heard graphic testimony from Ms Carroll and two other women Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff who accused Mr Trump of sexual assault.

Mr Trumps grab em by the p**** comments in the Access Hollywood tape amounted to a confession, Ms Carrolls attorney Roberta Kaplan told jurors in closing statements on Monday.

Ms Carroll was exactly Mr Trumps type and had sexually assaulted her in the exact way that he had been caught describing his treatment of women on the infamous recording, Ms Kaplan added.

In a real sense, Donald Trump is a witness against himself, she said.

Ms Carroll, a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist, first revealed details of the sexual assault in a book excerpt that ran in New York magazine in June 2019.

Over three days of testimony, Ms Carroll told the jury that she and Mr Trump had engaged in playful banter after a chance encounter at Bergdorf Goodman one evening in the mid-1990s.

But after taking an escalator up to a deserted 6th floor to look for lingerie, Mr Trump led her to a dressing room, pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her, she said.

It was extremely painful, Ms Carroll told the jury. He put his hand inside me and curled his finger. As I sit here today, I can still feel it.

Ms Carroll added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attackers despite the statute of limitations.

She told how the traumatic experience had left her incapable of forming romantic relationships.

The writer said she would be inundated with a wave of slime on social media every time Mr Trump commented or posted about her allegations.

As the case was tried in civil court, the jury had to find that Ms Carrolls attorneys had proved Trump was liable for battery and defamation by a preponderous of evidence.

Leslie Lebowitz, a clinical psychologist, testified that Ms Carroll suffered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and had a panic attack after being shown an episode of the Trump-hosted reality show The Apprentice.

Ms Carroll slept with a loaded gun at her cabin in upstate New York after receiving death threats from Mr Trumps supporters, Ms Lebowitz testified.

Mr Trump did not testify in the case, but the jury was played his deposition where he confused his second wife Marla Maples for Ms Carroll.
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Tucker Carlson is bringing a new version of his influential political commentary programme to Twitter, the right-wing pundit announced in a video on Tuesday, following the anchors high-profile split with Fox News last month.

In a video posted on his Twitter page, Carlson said the social network was the last major media distribution channel that allowed free speech, while appearing to allude to his recent exit at Fox.

The best you can hope for in the news business at this point is the freedom to tell the fullest truth that you can, he said in his announcement video. There are always limits. And you know that if you bump up against those limits often enough, you will be fired for it. Its not a guess  its guaranteed.

The former Fox News anchor used the announcement to lash out at other media outlets, calling them purveyors of thinly disguised propaganda.

The news you consume is a lie, a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind, he added.

The move means Carlson will forgo at least $25m from Fox Corp related to a non-compete clause in his previous contract, Puck News reports.

The Independent has contacted Fox News and Twitter for comment.

Elon Musk took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to deny that his social media platform had any official agreement with Carlson.

On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said. And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes, he tweeted.

I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators.

And he added: I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform.

On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said.



And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.



I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023

The conservative network has not explained in detail why it parted ways last month with Mr Carlson, the most-watched cable news figure in the country.

The announcement, however, came as Carlson featured prominently in several high-profile scandals for the network, including a massive defamation lawsuit that revealed private messages of top Fox talent like Carlson criticising Donald Trump and his election conspiracies, only to later broadcast both on air.

Evidence uncovered in the suit also allegedly showed Carlson making highly racist statements, which reportedly perturbed Fox News executives on the eve of a potential trial.

The Dominion Voting Systems suit was later settled for a bruising $787.5m, one of the largest media defamation settlements in US history.

Separately, a former Fox News producer on Carlsons show is suing the nework, accusing the anchor and his senior staff of making her life a living hell through a toxic work environment, and attempting to coerce her testimony in the Dominion suit.

The same day as he announced his new show, Carlson also accused his former employer of fraud and breach of contract.

The commentator reportedly sent an aggressive letter to senior Fox News leaders on Tuesday accusing the outlet of breaching his contract by allegedly leaking his private communications as part of an adverse employment action against him, and by settling with Dominion in a way that harmed Carlsons reputation and future business prospects, Axiosreports.

Fox News told the outlet Mr Carlsons allegations about the settlement were categorically false.

The move from Carlson, whose show on Fox was called the most racist show in the history of cable news by The New York Times for its embrace of white nationalist ideology, seems to confirm fears from Twitter critics, who warned that Elon Musks acquisition of the social network would unleash right-wing actors and conspiracy theorists.
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A 23-year-old British man has pleaded guilty to hacking into more than 100 Twitter accounts, including those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk, in one of the biggest hacks in social media history.

Joseph James OConnor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty in New York on Tuesday to his role in the July 2020 hacking, in addition to cyberstalking and multiple other schemes.

OConnor was extradited from Spain on April 26 to face charges which carry a total maximum sentence of more than 70 years in prison.

According to the US Department of Justice, OConnor was charged alongside compatriot Mason Sheppard of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli.

Sheppard, who US authorities previously said is also known as Chaewon, was 19 years old when the crimes took place in July 2020. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.

On Tuesday, assistant attorney general Kenneth A Polite Jr of the Justice Departments Criminal Division described OConnors criminal activities as flagrant and malicious and said his conduct impacted multiple peoples lives.

The attorney added: He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm.

Like many criminal actors, OConnor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States.

But this (guilty) plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.

The US justice department said OConnor had participated in the exploitation of social media accounts, as well as online extortion and cyberstalking.

The hackers used social engineering tricks to get access to the Twitter accounts and send out tweets asking followers to send bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.

The 23-year-old also pleaded guilty to other hacking crimes including gaining access to a high-profile TikTok account.

The US justice department said he had also used technology to stalk a minor.

OConnor will be sentenced on June 23.
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An Alabama state lawmaker who ran for office on medical freedom has introduced legislation that would allow law enforcement agencies to prosecute abortion patients on charges of murder and assault.

The bill from Republican state Rep Ernie Yarbrough and several other GOP lawmakers would repeal a provision in state law that exempts abortion patients from prosecution and inserts a so-called personhood clause that would redefine person to the moment an embryo is fertilised, giving a zygote the same rights as the person carrying it.

Prosecutions for abortion  regardless of the viability of the pregnancy  would be treated the same as prosecutions of homicide or assault of a person born alive, according to the bill, throwing into question whether the state could criminalise miscarriages or other adverse pregancy outcomes.

The lives of preborn individuals must be protected with the same criminal and civil laws protecting the lives of born individuals, the bill states.

The proposal joins a largely failed, far-right abortion abolition campaign among anti-abortion legislators and activists across the US emboldened by the US Supreme Courts decision in 2022 to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care.

Alabama is among more than a dozen states, mostly in the US South, where abortion is now effectively illegal or access is severely constrained.

The measure from Rep Yarbrough and four other state lawmakers would also give district attorneys and the state attorney general concurrent authority to prosecute abortion cases if other law enforcement agencies refuse. Dozens of officials from across the US signed a statement last year pledging to refuse to prosecute anti-abortion laws.

Earlier this year, Alabamas attorney general Steve Marshall said authorities could prosecute people who use abortion drugs under a chemical endangerment of a child statute initially designed to protect children from meth lab fumes.

Rep Yarbroughs measure also states that a pregnant person can be prosecuted if they intentionally or recklessly placed themselves in a situation in which it was probable that they would be subject to duress.

The bill adds a clause that medical providers would not be prosecuted if an abortion is required to save the life of the pregnant patient, provided that all other reasonable alternatives to the medical care or treatment have been exhausted.

Robin Marty, the operations manager for West Alabama Womens Center, said the clause guarantees no medical provider will ever perform any service that might save a pregnant persons life out of fear of jail.

The all reasonable alternatives clause is going to scare them away, she wrote on Twitter.

The Independent has requested comment from Rep Yarbrough.

A similar bill to prosecute abortion patients was introduced by a Republican state lawmaker in Louisiana last year, but the measure was withdrawn and effectively dead after debate.

The Alabama legislation was filed on 9 May, roughly one year after Politico published a leak draft of the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned Roe v Wade and constitutional protections for abortion access that were in place for roughly half a century.

Following the courts official decision in the case in June, anti-abortion state lawmakers proposed and enacted a wave of restrictions that have invited dozens of legal battles across the country.

Since the high courts ruling, Alabama law prohibits all abortions at any stage of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest, except to save the life of the patient.

Democratic state lawmakers have filed legislation to repeal the states anti-abortion law and a decades-old, pre-Roe statute that makes it a crime for anyone to induce an abortion or a miscarriage.

Republican Tommy Tuberville, one of the states two GOP members of the US Senate, has also launched a blockade against confirming nominees to serve at the US Department of Defense to protest federal policies that allow service members to access abortion care.
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President Joe Biden's nominee to head the National Archives was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate after a months-long partisan battle over the agencys role in the investigation into sensitive documents seized at Donald Trumps Florida home.

Colleen Shogan, a political scientist, was confirmed as archivist of the United States in a 52-45 vote, gaining some bipartisan support after a nearly yearlong delay.

With a long career spanning work at institutions such as the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress and the White House Historical Association, Shogan has sought to assure senators she will not bring a partisan mindset to the job.

Shogan also stressed to Congress that she has not been briefed on the details or directly involved in the ongoing criminal investigations into Trump's handling of presidential records and more recently that of President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence.

But her nomination faced hostility from Senate Republicans, who have sought to portray her as a political actor for the left. During her confirmation hearing, they grilled Sogan about her past tweets and a recent whistleblower letter alleging that she created an abusive work environment at one of her former posts.

We are living through the political weaponization of the National Archives, the political weaponization of the Department of Justice, the political weaponization of the FBI, said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, during her first confirmation hearing.

The classified documents investigation, which began last summer with the FBI search of Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, has thrust the traditionally staid and low-profile National Archives into the public arena. It was the National Archives that set the probe in motion with a referral to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings.

Biden nominated Shogan just days before the FBI search after the last archivist, David Ferriero, announced his retirement last April. In explaining his decision to step away, Ferriero cited fears about the nations political trajectory after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Shogans roots in official Washington run deep. She began her career as a congressional aide for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, then worked her way up to a position with the Congressional Research Service, a scholarly operation that churns out nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff. Shogan also worked for a time at the Library of Congress.

Until her confirmation, Shogan was an executive at the White House Historical Association, where she worked under both the Trump and Biden administrations.

As the archivist, she will now take the helm of an agency that  despite the current political tumult  mostly works as a custodian of American history. The agency works to preserve the nations records, including treasured documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and maintains a sprawling collection that spans 13 billion pages of text and 10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of millions of photographs, films and other records.

Beyond its work in Washington, the agency oversees 13 presidential libraries and 14 regional archives across the country. But despite the ever-growing volume of government documents since the Archives founding in 1934, the agencys budget has remained stagnant over the years.

Despite majority Republican opposition, Shogan was able to gain the support of three GOP senators, including her friend, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who introduced her during her first confirmation hearing. Capito has described Shogan as having the knowledge, experience, energy and depth of dedication to serve in this role.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins  notable centrists  also voted for Shogan.
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Former president Donald Trump has now been found to be both a sexual abuser and a defendant in a criminal case  at a time when he is eyeing a third run for the White House.

On 9 May, a Manhattan federal jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

Across two weeks, jurors heard harrowing testimony from Ms Carroll as well as two other women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault.

While the jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Ms Carroll, the panel did not find that she had proven that he raped her and so he was not found liable for rape.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time following the verdict but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

The verdict marks the latest legal trouble for the former president  coming just over a month after he became the first current or former US president to ever be arrested and charged with a crime.

On Thursday 30 March, a grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush payments leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In that case, he stands accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about him.

At a hearing in New York City on Tuesday 4 April, Mr Trump pled not guilty to all charges.

Throughout February and March, the long-running probe had entered a new phase and Mr Braggs office contacted the presidents lawyers to offer an opportunity for voluntary testimony, a sign that meant an indictment or multiple indictments were likely in the works.

Mr Trump himself predicted on 18 March that he would be arrested the following week on Tuesday 21 March, which did not come to pass.

Trump at the NRA convention in April 2023 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Now that Mr Trump has actually been arrested and charged, it marks the first time an investigation into his inner circle (of which there have been several, with the most famous leading to multiple indictments for figures connected to the 2016 campaign) has actually drawn blood from the former president himself.

The Justice Departments protocol against charging a sitting president appeared to cool any ability of the agency to do so while he was in office, but the presidents loss in 2020 opened the door to prosecution over the 2016 Stormy Daniels matter as well as an investigation into the January 6 attack and Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the election.

That second investigation continues, with the distinct possibility of potential charges for both Mr Trump and members of his legal team.

Can Trump still run for president?

Now that Mr Trump has been found to be a sexual abuser by a court and he is under criminal indictment, it raises a key question about the future: What happens to the 2024 race and Donald Trumps ability to participate in it?

The short answer is, not much.

The E Jean Carroll case was a civil trial meaning that Mr Trump faces no jail time or criminal conviction.

And when it comes to the criminal indictment, there are no restrictions in the US Constitution preventing anyone indicted or convicted of a crime, or even currently serving prison time, from running for or winning the presidency. Even if he were tried and convicted in one of the so-called quick trials he has repeatedly cheered Chinas government for operating in the cases of drug offences, Mr Trump could still run the entirety of his presidential campaign from a prison cell.

What is far less clear is what would happen were he to win in that scenario. Just as there are no restrictions in the Constitution for a person to run while under indictment, theres no explanation for what should occur in the event that they win. Theres nothing in the document that would automatically grant Mr Trump a reprieve from prison time, save for the likelihood that any charges brought by federal authorities, were they still being litigated at the point when Mr Trump assumed the presidency for a second time, would be dropped due to the Department of Justices refusal to prosecute a sitting president.

State-level charges like the ones being filed by Mr Bragg are far trickier, and fall outside of Mr Trumps pardon power were they to conclude in a conviction.

Were conviction on state charges to occur alongside a Trump election victory, it would likely lead to a massive legal fight to determine whether there was a way for the former president to worm his way out of serving time. If Mr Trump was unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment or removal via the 25th Amendment, which allows the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to perform their duties. There are many duties and trappings of the presidency that would simply be impossible to be operated or performed from a prison cell, the viewing of classified materials just to name one.

Any potential conviction of Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility. But the conversations he has started with his bid for the presidency despite facing one indictment and multiple criminal investigations have already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much realer place than many experts ever thought it would see.

This story was updated on Wednesday 10 May 2023 to reflect new developments
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George Santos described criminal charges against him as a witch hunt in a defiant press conference following his arrest on Wednesday.

The New York congressman spoke outside a federal courthouse after being arraigned on charges of fraud, theft of public funds and money laundering.

Its a witch hunt, he told a crowd of reporters. Im gonna fight my battle, Im gonna deliver, Im gonna fight the witch hunt, Im gonna take care of clearing my name, he said, adding that he was planning to run for re-election.

The 34-year-old congressman for New Yorks 3rd District, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am after turning himself in to authorities.

In the 13-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House when he became a candidate, first by overstating his income from one job and failing to disclose income from another, and second by lying about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr Santos fraudulently used donations to his political campaign for his own benefit, spending thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

The indictment alleges that Mr Santos fraud began before his successful run for Congress, accusing him of running an unemployment insurance fraud scheme in which he applied for government assistance in New York while still employed by a Florida-based investment firm.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

Mr Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment, which lasted for around 15 minutes. His lawyer said that the congressman surrendered his passport to the court.

Mr Santos could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Mr Santos was elected to represent New Yorks 3rd Congressional District in November 2022, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman by a margin of 54 per cent to 46 per cent. Soon after that victory, it emerged that Mr Santos had lied about much of his personal history and work experience .

A New York Times investigation found that he had lied about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, lied about the college he attended, fabricated an animal charity, that the company from which he had earned a salary of $750,000 and dividends of $1m did not have any online presence, lied about saying he lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, and that he faced criminal charges in Brazil for alleged cheque fraud.

The revelations set off a firestorm in his district. A local pressure group started by local citizens was formed with the aim of forcing Mr Santos from office. Concerned Citizens of NY03 held regular protests outside his campaign office and called on Republican leaders to expel him from Congress.

Many local Republicans had already called for Mr Santos to resign, but their colleagues in the House of Representatives have been more reluctant.

Republican House speaker leader Kevin McCarthy  the person with the power to call the vote  refused to do so, instead leaving his fate to the House Ethics Committee.

Reacting to news that charges were imminent on Tuesday, Mr McCarthy signalled that Mr Santos would be allowed to continue serving in Congress.

Ill look at the charges, he told reporters. If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial.

Since Mr Santos was sworn into office in January, revelations about his past have continued to emerge. The most recent report found that Mr Santos was charged with writing bad checks to purchase puppies from Amish farmers in 2017. That case was dismissed after Mr Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Mr Santos, 34, has apologised for what he described as resume embellishment, but has refused to resign.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Santoss office and his legal team.
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New York Representative George Santos has been arrested and charged with 13 criminal counts, including money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and making false statements to Congress.

In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, federal prosecutors outlined three main fraudulent schemes that Mr Santos orchestrated to enrich himself.

One of the schemes included misleading supporters and donors into giving him money which Mr Santos allegedly used for personal expenses like purchasing designer clothing and credit card payments.

Another alleges Mr Santos attempted to receive unemployment benefits through New York State.

The final one alleges that Mr Santos lied about his personal finances when disclosing them to the House of Representatives during his campaign.

Mr Santos surrendered to authorities at federal court on Long Island Wednesday morning.

Here is a breakdown of the charges Santos is facing from each scheme.

Fraud Scheme: Five counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering

According to the unsealed indictment, between September and October 2022, Mr Santos allegedly knowingly and intentionally devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money by means of one or more materially false and fraudulent pretenses, presentation and promises.

Federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying to donors and supporters by portraying a Florida LLC company, which Mr Santos served as the manager of through another company, as a fund for his campaign for the House of Representatives.

The indictment alleges that Mr Santos told donors and supporters that the Florida LLC was a Section 501(c)(4) social welfare organisation, or an independent expenditure committee, when it was neither.

Three of the wire fraud counts allege that Mr Santos falsely told two unnamed donors that funding would be used to support his candidacy for the House by purchasing television advertisements.

However, Mr Santos allegedly used the money received for personal expenses, including to make cash withdrawals, personal purchases of luxury designer clothing, credit card payments, a car payment, payments on personal debts, and one or more bank transfers to Devolder Santos personal associates.

The three counts of money laundering allege that Mr Santos electronically transferred $24,000 - $25,000 of the money donors sent to the Florida company to his personal bank accounts

Unemployment benefits scheme: One count of theft of public money and two counts of wire fraud

Federal prosecutors claim Mr Santos did knowingly and intentionally devise a scheme to artifice to defraud the NYS DOL, (New York State Department of Labor) and to obtain money from the NYS DOL by means or one or more materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.

These charges are related to Mr Santos alleged scheme to falsely apply and claim $24,744 in unemployment benefits from New York in 2020.

Mr Santos allegedly applied for unemployed claiming he was eligible for benefits through the CARES Act when really he was the regional director at an investment firm based in Florida earning an annual salary of $120,000.

False statements to House of Reps: two counts of making false statements

The indictment claims Mr Santos knowingly and willfully made false statements on his personal financial disclosure reports to the Clerk of the House which was delivered to the House Committee on Ethics.

In one count, federal prosecutors allege Mr Santos overstated the amount of money he made from a single source in May 2020 as $55,000 when he actually earned $27,555 from one company and $25,403 in income from an investment firm.

The other count alleges Mr Santos falsely reported the amount of money he made from 2021 until the filing date in September 2022.

Mr Santos claimed on his personal financial report he earned $750,000 from the Devolder Organization LLC, had unearned dividends from the company of $1m to $5m, owned a checking account with $100,000 to $250,000 and owned a savings account with $1m to $5m.

The indictment does not provide detail as to what the actual amounts were but says the reported amounts were untruthful.

It also says Mr Santos failed to report the $28,107 he made from an investment firm nor the unemployment insurance benefits he received from New York.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Santoss office and his legal team for comment.
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Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against George Santos, the Republican congressman whose campaign was littered with falsehoods about his past.

The Justice Department unsealed a 13-count federal indictment on Wednesday (10 May) charging Mr Santos with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Mr Santos surrendered to authorities at a federal court on Long Island and was arrested shortly after 9am. He slipped past dozens of reporters to enter via a backdoor of the building.

In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House when he became a candidate. The first count alleges that he overstated his income from one job and failed to disclose income from another. The second alleges that he lied about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr Santos fraudulently used donations to his political campaign for his own benefit, spending thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

Mr Santos is also accused of an unemployment insurance fraud scheme before his successful congressional campaign in which he applied for government assistance in New York while still employed by a Florida-based investment firm.

The charges represent a rapid rise and fall for a man his own constituents decried as an imposter.

Mr Santos was elected to represent New Yorks 3rd Congressional District in November 2022, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman by a margin of 54 per cent to 46 per cent. Soon after that victory, it emerged that Mr Santos had lied about much of his personal history and work experience .

A New York Times investigation found that he had lied about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, lied about the college he attended, fabricated an animal charity, that the company from which he had earned a salary of $750,000 and dividends of $1m did not have any online presence, lied about saying he lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, and that he faced criminal charges in Brazil for cheque fraud.

A local pressure group started by local citizens was formed with the aim of forcing Mr Santos from office. They held regular protests outside his campaign office and called on Republican leaders to expel him from Congress.

Republican House majority leader Kevin McCarthy refused to hold a vote to expel Mr Santos, but the GOP leader said he would likely face a probe by the House Ethics Committee.

Following the news of criminal charges on Tuesday, Mr McCarthy told CNN: Ill look at the charges.

Since Mr Santos was sworn into office in January, revelations about his past have continued to emerge. The most recent report found that Mr Santos was charged with writing bad checks to purchase puppies from Amish farmers in 2017.

Mr Santos, 34, has apologised for what he described as resume embellishment, but has refused to resign.

The Independent contacted New Yorks Eastern District for comment.
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Congressman George Santos long list of lies appear to have finally caught up with him.

The 34-year-old Republican was arrested on Wednesday and charged with 13 federal counts, including money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements to the House of Representatives.

He surrendered to federal law enforcement and was taken to the Eastern District of New York federal courthouse in Central Islip, on Long Island, where he pleaded not guilty in a brief court appearance.

In 2022, Mr Santos was elected as the Republican Partys first openly gay, non-incumbent member of Congress, and touted himself as a living embodiment of the American dream.

But he has since been exposed as a serial fabricator, and now an accused criminal.

Heres what we know about George Anthony Devolder Santos.

A first generation American

Given his prodigious propensity for telling fibs, basic details of Mr Santos personal history, such as his real name, marital status, and precisely where he was born merit a healthy dose of skepticism.

According to his congressional website , Mr Santos is a first generation American born in Jackson Heights, Queens, in July 1988. His parents were both Brazilian immigrants  Fatima Devolder, who worked as a housekeeper, and Gercino Antonio dos Santos Jr, a house painter. He has a younger sister, Tiffany Lee Devolder Santos.

Former co-workers who worked with Mr Santos at Dish Network in College Point in 2011 and 2012 told Patch that he used to tell them he was born in Brazil. Then, he was known as Anthony Devolder or George Devolder.

His true birthplace is significant because the Constitution requires members of Congress to have been US citizens for seven years before election . Mr Santos has claimed in interviews that he is a dual citizen of Brazil and the United States.

George Santos has faced a wave of scandal since his election to Congress in November (Associated Press)

Mr Santos attended the Mamie Fay School primary school in Astoria and Woodside Intermediate School 125 in Sunnyside, Queens, former classmates have said .

Tiffany Bogosian told the Washington Post that even at a young age, Mr Santos would fabricate parts of his biography. She put this down to his impoverished background, and said he had still been learning English while at junior high and was bullied during his time there.

From 2008 to 2011, Mr Santos lived in Brazil where his mother was living at the time.

In 2008, Mr Santos was accused by Brazilian authorities of using a stolen checkbook and fake name at a clothing shop outside Rio de Janeiro.

Citing court documents, the New York Times reported that Mr Santos told police in 2010 that he and his mother had stolen a checkbook from a man that she used to work for, and used it to make $1,300 in illegal purchases of clothes and shoes.

He reportedly admitted the illicit activity in a post on a Brazilian social media site in 2011, saying I know I screwed up, but I want to pay, the Times reported.

George Santos pleads not guilty to 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft

The criminal case ground to a halt in 2011 after Mr Santos could not be located by Brazilian authorities, as he had returned to the US.

He later denied that he was a criminal in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world in an interview with the New York Post.

In March, Mr Santos admitted the crime and agreed to pay the victim back as part of a non-prosecution agreement with Brazilian prosecutors, CNN reported.

On the campaign trail, Mr Santos repeatedly claimed that he is of Jewish descent and that his grandparents were European Jews who fled Hitler.

Jewish cultural groups and online sleuths later unearthed records showing his grandparents were born in Brazil.

Mr Santos would later tellthe New York Post that he had said he was Jew-ish.

Sue me

While living in Brazil, Mr Santos also reportedly performed as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache as a young man.

In January, Brazilian drag artist Eula Rochard posted photos to social media herself with a person wearing a red dress, bright red lipstick and dangling chandelier earrings who she identified as Mr Santos.

Journalist Joao Fragah also said he had interviewed Mr Santos in costume.

A Politico investigation later found that a user on Wikipedia named Anthony Devolder claimed to have participated in drag shows in Brazil as a teenager.

George Santos angrily denied he had been a drag queen in Brazil, before saying I was young and I had fun at a festival (AP)

Mr Santos issued a furious denial of the claims on social media, at a time when his Republican Party was vilifying and seeking to ban drag queens from performing in some states.

The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or performed as a drag Queen is categorically false, he wrote on Twitter .

The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results.

In statements to media the next day, Mr Santos appeared to admit he had, in fact, dressed in drag.

I was young and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life, he said.

He moved back to New York in 2011, working as a bilingual customer services representative at a call centre for Dish Network, a satellite TV firm, in Queens, where he would have earned about $15 an hour.

Former colleagues told the Times that he was an ambitious man with fine tastes, and used to boast about owning property in Brazil, Nantucket and New York. In reality, he was sharing a small rented apartment with his mother and sister in Queens.

He claimed to his friends to be a business school graduate of NYU. In separate interviews, he said he had graduated from Baruch College in 2010, where he was a star volleyball player. All of which was later proven to be false when both denied having any record of Mr Santos attending.

He further boated on an archived version of his 2020 congressional website, that he attended the elite private school Horace Mann in New York, but failed to graduate due to financial diffuculties.

Mr Santos would later claim in a campaign biography that it was around this time that he began rising through the ranks at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs as part of a successful career on Wall Street, where he claimed to have managed more than $80m. Neither bank had any record of him being employed there.

In February, the non-profit Reclaim the Records obtained court records showing he married a Brazilian woman in 2012. His former wife, who has not been identified, filed for divorce in 2019.

He has since said he is married to a Brazilian man, who he identified by the first name of Matt. He reportedly told Brazilian publication Piaui in November 2020 that his husbands name is Matheus Gerard.

Some time in 2016, he moved to Florida where he worked for HotelsPro, a global hospitality marketplace and changed his drivers licence to a Florida address.

Early political career

Mr Santos murky and ever-changing biography makes it difficult to parse fact from fiction during his early forays into politics.

In 2018, he began volunteering for the campaign of Republican Vickie Paladino, who was running for state Senate. He reportedly boasted of his ties to Wall Street donors who could contribute, but did little actual work.

The next year, he reportedly made his first attempt to get elected to Congress, but failed to secure enough signatures to get on the Queens County Republican Committee.

He joined United for Trump, a small New York group of Republican supporters of the then-president, and launched a first bid for Congress in November 2019.

That month he launched his campaign for the United States House of Representatives in New Yorks 3rd Congressional District in 2020 against Democratic incumbent Thomas Suozzi.

No other candidates put their names forward. When pressed by reporters why he lived out of the district, he claimed to reside at an address that turned out to be his treasurers.

George Santos long history of lying may have finally caught up with him (REUTERS)

He lost the general election by about 46,000 votes, but still exceeded Republican expectations for the strongly Democratic district. He refused to concede the election, echoing Donald Trumps false claims of voter fraud.

Mr Santos spoke at the Stop the Steal rally at the ellipse in Washington DC on the day of the Capitol riots on January 6, claiming his election had been stolen. A roommate would later claim that Mr Santos had worn his stolen $520 Burberry scarf to the rally.

In 2020, while running for Congress, he began working at Florida investment firm Harbor City Capital, which was later accused in a civil lawsuit by the Security and Exchange Commission of running a $17m Ponzi scheme.

The SEC banned the firm from doing business in Alabama, and alleged it was out to deceive Alabamians and profit off unsuspecting investors by using dazzling marketing tactics to sell unregistered bonds.

He has publicly denied any involvement in the alleged fraud.

Mr Santos also set up the Devolder Organization, which he was the sole owner of and claimed he managed $80m in assets for the capital introduction consulting firm.

Mr Santos hosted the Talking GOP public-access radio show from January to May 2020.

He would schmooze guests, who were mostly figures from the Queens Republican Party.

On Talking GOP, he said that he was Catholic, and that his maternal grandfather had converted from Judaism to Catholicism before the Holocaust. I believe we are all Jewish, at the end  because Jesus Christ is Jewish.

Hes most likely just a fabulist

Soon after his 2020 election defeat, Mr Santos began raising money for the next congressional race.

New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who is now the third-ranking Republican in the House, was an early supporter, and endorsed him in 2021.

In late 2021, a vulnerability study commissioned with Mr Santos approval found alarming revelations, and many of his staffers resigned, according to the Times.

Among other things, it found he had falsely claimed to have been endorsed by Mr Trump, along with many of the lies about his job history and personal wealth that have since been revealed.

Congressional leaders learned of his deceptions by 2022. According to the Times, Dan Conston, the leader of the Kevin McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund, tried to circulate the reports findings to prominent donors.

Mr Santos was then the beneficiary of two pieces of luck, that paved the way for his election to Congress in 2022. Thomas Suozzi, the 3rd Districts incumbent lawmaker, announced he would not seek re-election.

Then during redistricting, a new congressional district map gerrymandered to favour Democrats was thrown out by the New York Supreme Court and replaced with a new map that added a swathe of Republican areas.

Mr Santos again ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, and faced Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the general election, the first House race between two openly gay candidates.

Rep. George Santos is followed by members of the media as he walks in the US Capitol on April 26, 2023 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

An opposition research file on Mr Santos produced by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee found that elements of his biography had been fabricated and required further research, a Times investigation found.

Mr Zimmerman later said he didnt have sufficient resources for this, and focussed his attention on voter outreach.

The North Shore Leader, a weekly news publication based in the affluent Long Island neighbourhood in the 3rd District, was the only media organisation to report on discrepancies in Mr Santos financial disclosure forms.

In September 2022, it reported that Mr Santos net wealth had risen from essentially zero, and with an annual salary of $55,000 in 2020, to $11m in assets just two years later.

The news site endorsed Mr Zimmerman, stating that his opponent is so bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy that we cannot ... hes most likely just a fabulist  a fake.

Mr Santos went on to take the district that November by eight points.

Santos lies revealed post-election

A bombshell New York Times report on 19 December revealed to a broader audience for the first time many of Mr Santos fabrications and lies about his employment and education history.

A flood of further embellishments soon followed, including the 9/11 -related death of his mother, claims he had been a producer on the failed Broadway production of Spider-Man, how he had cheated associates out of clothes and cash, and had stolen $3,000 that had been raised to save a disabled veterans pet dog .

A pressure group formed by citizens in his 3rd Congressional District began holding protests outside his campaign office to try to force his expulsion from Congress.

In an interview with Semafor attempting to explain his newfound wealth, he claimed to have made his money by taking a cut from matching sellers of luxury goods like planes and yachts with potential buyers.

As Mr Santos pile of scandals grew, he threw himself behind Kevin McCarthys campaign for Speaker of the House.

Mr McCarthy welcomed the support given his razor-thin majority, and refused to take action on any of the mounting ethical scandals, even as a growing number of New York Republicans called for him to be removed from Congress.

At the State of the Union in February, Mr Santos had an altercation with Mitt Romney after the Utah Senator told him he didnt belong in Congress and should be embarrassed.

Tell that to the 142,000 who voted for me, Mr Santos reportedly replied.

Following the speech, Mr Romney called the New York Republican a sick puppy.

In March, the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into whether Mr Santos had engaged in unlawful activity.

At the time, Mr McCarthy said he would remain a member in good standing in the GOP caucus until a full investigation is complete.

Credit card scams and unpaid rent

Revelations about Mr Santos alleged grifts and schemes continued to emerge.

In February, it was reported that New York City housing court records showed that Tiffany Lee Devolder Santos owed $39,050 in back rent to the landlord.

Mr Santos had reportedly failed to pay rent in the Queens apartment he shared with his sister before being elected to Congress in a state of disrepair.

The next month, a Brazilian man who was deported from the US after being convicted of credit card skimming fraud reportedly told federal authorities that Mr Santos was the mastermind of the scheme.

I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos / Anthony Devolder, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha wrote in a declaration obtained by Politico and sent to the FBI, the US Secret Service office in New York, and the US Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of New York, by Trelhas attorney Mark Demetropoulos.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos had taught him how to skim card information and clone cards in Seattle in 2017.

He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines, Trelha wrote in his statement.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos visited him in jail in Seattle after his arrest and threatened him not to reveal his part in the scheme to authorities.

Responding to the allegations at the time, Mr Santos told reporters that he was innocent.

In January, Mr Santos also claimed to have been the victim of a mugging and assassination attempt in New York.

Political positions

Mr Santos has claimed in interviews that he was exactly the kind of candidate that could grow the Republican Partys reach with younger voters.

He aligned himself strongly with Donald Trump and the Maga wing of the Republican caucus, attending the former presidents indictment on criminal charges in New York last month.

Other than platitudes about wanting to be a voice for every community in the district, Mr Santos does not set out any ideological vision on his campaign website or in statements.

In February, he was spotted wearing an AR-15 lapel in Congress after a spate of recent mass shootings.

He described abortion as barbaric in a 2022 speech to the Whitestone Republican Club.

He introduced several pieces of legislation in early 2023; including bills to raise the cap on state and local tax deduction and cut federal funding to countries that persecute LGBTQ people.

Mr Santos raised eyebrows in April, when he introduced the Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgment Act, which would ban the government from mandating certain vaccines.

The acronym, MINAJ, was thought to relate to Nicki Minajs comments in 2021 that her cousins friend had become impotent and suffered swollen testicles after taking the Covid-19 vaccine.

Arrest and indictment

Late afternoon on Tuesday 9 May, CNN revealed that Mr Santos had been criminally charged by prosecutors in New Yorks Eastern District.

Mr Santos is accused of defrauding donors by spending thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

Mr Santos allegedly lied on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House by overstating his income from and failing to disclose income from another, while also lying about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization.

Mr Santos fraudulently used campaign donations to buy thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments, the indictment claimed.

He also stands accused of insurance fraud for applying for Covid employment benefits in New York while still employed in Florida.

He was released on $500,000 bail, and had to surrender his passport, the Associated Press reported.

Following Donald Trumps playbook, Mr Santos called the charges a witch hunt and said he intended to run again for Congress outside court.

Some Republicans have called for Mr Santos to leave Congress immediately. Mr McCarthy has said he will look at the charges.
 Close George Santos pleads not guilty to 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft

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George Santos, the New York Republican congressman who rose to prominence for a string of exaggerations, lies, and irregularities related to his personal background and campaign finances, has pleaded not guilty after being hit with a series of federal charges.

He told the press after exiting a Long Island courthouse on Wednesday that the probe amounted to a witch hunt and that he is planning to run for re-election.

Mr Santos surrendered to the authorities and was taken into custody earlier in the day before being released on a $500,000 bond ahead of his next court appearance on 30 June.

He has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

In the 13-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House when he became a candidate, first by overstating his income from one job and failing to disclose income from another, and second by lying about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr Santos fraudulently used donations to his political campaign for his own benefit, spending thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

The indictment alleges that Mr Santos fraud began before his successful run for Congress, accusing him of running an unemployment insurance fraud scheme in which he applied for government assistance in New York while still employed by a Florida-based investment firm.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

Utah GOP Senator Mitt Romney led the calls for him to go, saying: He has demonstrated by his untruthfulness that he should not be in the United States Congress  perhaps should not even be on the public streets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has now said he will not back Mr Santoss proposed re-election bid.
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Late last month, as Washingtons political and media elite gathered at the Hilton hotel for the White House Correspondents Dinner, Joe Biden, 80, couldnt gloss over a fact thats increasingly colouring his political future: Hes just an exceptionally old person to be president.

In fact, hes the oldest person to ever hold the White House.

I believe in the First Amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it, the president began in his remarks, before good-naturedly taking The New York Times to task for stories about his age.

You call me old? I call it being seasoned, he said. You say Im ancient? I say Im wise. You say Im over the hill? Don Lemon would say thats a man in his prime.

The reference was a telling one. Mr Lemon, who was ousted from CNN last month, caused a minor media scandal when he commented about women of a certain age being past their prime. This remark was itself a reaction to former South Carolina governor and current presidential contender Nikki Haley calling, somewhat scandalously, for mental competency tests for politicians over age 75.

Generational conflict is nothing new in American politics, but age has played an especially prominent role in Washington in recent months, impacting everything from leadership battles in Congress to the future of the presidency, raising questions about fairness, gender, and the vitality Americas very institutions themselves, which have scarcely ever been filled with more senior citizens.

Mr Biden may have been in a laughing mood at the Correspondents Dinner, but that may have just been him putting on a smiling face for the cameras.

His pollsters are surely worried about recent data, such as a March poll finding 68 per cent of registered voters thought he was too old for another term, or an April poll finding that 70 per cent of adults said Mr Biden shouldnt run again, with the roughly same percentage saying age was a factor in that decision. The age-related worries are just the tip of the iceberg though. Overall, theres a marked lack of enthusiasm for Mr Biden, with 57 per cent of respondents in a recent poll suggesting the Democrats should nominate someone else in 2024. If these doubts were vanquished, and Mr Biden did win again, he would be 86 by the end of his second term.

Joe Biden at the White House Correspondents Dinner (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

If Mr Biden was re-elected, it would further cement the dominance baby boomers have exerted over national politics in recent decades, according to Kevin Munger, assistant professor of political science and social data analytics at Pennsylvania State University, author of Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture.

Weve had 28 years of boomer presidency in a row, he said. That streak was only ended by Joe Biden, who is technically too old to be a boomer by two years. That is unprecedented for a single generation.

Age was a political accelerant during the Donald Trump presidency, too.

Prior to Mr Biden, the billionaire, at age 70, was the oldest person ever to become president. Throughout his presidency, Mr Trumps mental fitness and cognitive health was a political flashpoint, with the former president bragging about his results on mental competency tests, psychologists openly opining about the presidents mental acuity, and former advisers gossiping to the political press that Mr Trumps mental decline was so serious cabinet officials considered invoking the 25th Amendment and removing him from office.

Of course, Mr Trump, the insult-comic-in-chief, found a way to turn this speculation against his rival, dubbing Joe Biden Sleepy Joe throughout the 2020 campaign season.

Its not just the White House, though, where age has been a concern.

The current US Congress is one of the oldest in US history (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The present Congress contains the second-oldest Senate and third-oldest House in US history. Generationally, the US population fits roughly into four, equal-sized blocks of about 20 to 25 per cent: ages 0 to 18, 19 to 34, 35 to 54, and 55-plus. The composition of Congress, meanwhile, is drastically tipped toward the elder part of that range, with the median House member aged 57.9 and the median senator aged 65.3.

Beyond just being another way the US government doesnt mirror the wider diversity of the US population, age within Congress can become a political weapon, used by both parties as part of their machinations.

In March, Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, the oldest US Senator, who has been dogged in her later years with accusations of declining mental faculties, was hospitalised with shingles, and has had to miss large swathes of in-person work in the upper chamber as she recovers.

The following month, she asked to temporarily be replaced on the key Senate Judiciary Committee, which handles the appointment of federal judges, one of the few remaining ways the Democrats can exert lasting influence in a divided Congress.

Dianne Feinsteins health, and overall fitness for office, has become a major debate in the Senate (Getty/iStock/AP/Reuters)

However, Republicans, knowing that the full Senate must approve committee assignments, have added a major, likely unacceptable demand for the Democrats: theyve asked that Senator Feinstein must resign the Senate entirely before they consider a replacement.

In a sign of just how scrambled the politics of age are on the Hill, members of both parties have argued such treatment is unfair, but that hasnt stopped the GOP from changing its tune.

Sen Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, called the demands very anti-woman and very anti-ageing in an interview with The Independent, while Sen Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, argued, The Republicans are saying no, for no reason, other than trying to block the court from going forward in its investigation of the Supreme Court and pass more judges, which is the right of the majority to do.

The issue has divided the Democratic Party as well.

In April, rising star California congressman Ro Khanna forcibly called for Sen Feinstein to resign.

We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty, he said. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfil her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.

Age has also been a clear undercurrent in House leadership battles, where former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a point to highlight the comparative youth of the new slate of Democratic leadership, following at times barbed exchanges between her and younger, more progressive parts of the party like representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus, she said in November when she stepped aside. Now we must move boldly into the future, grounded by the principles that have propelled us this far, and open to fresh possibilities for the future.

All told, according to Professor Munger, the age of Americas most senior politicians  Sen Chuck Schumer is 71, Sen Mitch McConnell is 81  often means that issues that matter to other generations dont get top billing, leading both to disaffection and to bigger-picture existential issues, like a lack of serious climate legislation or the impending funding crisis of social security.

Its been clear that because of the size of the boomer generation, at a certain point we were either going to have to raise taxes on the workforce or cut the benefits, he said. We didnt do either of those things. Sometime in the 2030s, its going to run out. Theyre not going to cut benefits to boomers. Instead, younger generations are going to have to fully fund this obvious 30-year shortfall.

In the case of social security in particular, many of the leaders deciding on the issue are current recipients, while those younger generations who will likely pay more or get less in the future arent represented in office. A similar problem arises with climate change: the leaders holding up urgent action on the climate likely will not be alive to see the very worst impacts of their inaction.

The issues that matter to younger generations dont get on the agenda at all, Prof Munger added.

Instituting a parliamentary system, he said, instead of our current winner-take-all model might lead to more representational and ideological diversity, but like major climate or benefit reform, overhauling the US election system doesnt seem to be a consensus priority at the moment.

And those younger generations in turn dont participate as much as they fully could at the national level.

In the 2022 midterms, only 23 per cent of eligible young Americans cast a ballot, up from 2014s woeful 13 per cent, but still well below the participation rate of older generations. The same held true in 2020, the highest turnout election of the 21st century: 76 per cent of those aged between 65 and 74 voted, while only 51.4 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 did.

Young people in the US often dont see key issues for them like climate change make it to the national agenda (Rex Features)

Some of this demographic dominance is unavoidable, argues Philip Bump, Washington Post columnist and author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America. The boomers, born in the abundant post-war years between 1946 and 1964, were until very recently the largest generation in US history. During their lifetimes, America cemented its place as a global economic superpower, the voting age was lowered to 18, and the federal government poured millions into creating a new middle class. Its no surprise then, Mr Bump says, that this generation has a strong hold on power.

The baby boomers make up a disproportionate share of elected officials, especially at the federal level, simply by virtue of scale, he told The Independent.

Combine that with the built-in political advantages of incumbency and wealth, and you have a recipe for a political system tilted towards older people.

Senators are not usually just elected out of the blue, he added.

Some argue that critcising elected leaders, and the system at large, over age concerns is ageist, and often sexist as well, given the extra scrutiny paid to leaders such as former Speaker Pelosi or Senator Feinstein.

However, according to Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, an organisation that encourages young people to run for office, this is largely missing the point. Any one elected leader can be an effective and competent advocate regardless of age, she told The Independent, but we must acknowledge that the system at large needs to allow more young people in.

This isnt about any one person. This is about a collective problem of Congress not being reflective of the American people, she said. We know that in business, and in other governments, things work better when theyre made up of diverse perspectives. All of us would be better served if there were more voices at the table.

According to Penn States Professor Munger, debates about age in politics arent new. During Ronald Reagans second term, similar conversations about mental fitness and age circulated around the Beltway and the country at large. And, despite the apparent controversy of someone like Nikki Haley calling for age limits, the US already has such policies in other arenas, like age requirements for generals or pilots, or mandatory retirement ages in certain other professions.

What makes these conversations often intractable, though, is that theyre not really ever just a conversation about age or reform, he argues. Both parties are always considering the partisan stakes.

Theres no way to have that debate except through the lens of immediate political reference, he said.

Finding some resolution to the generation wars will be urgent, however. Theres a higher per cent of Americans older than 65 than there has ever been in US history, so questions about age, competence and representation arent going away any time soon. Neither are big-picture problems like the climate crisis, where urgent action is needed now to prevent impacts that will play out in both a matter of seasons and centuries.

Ms Litman, of Run for Something, is encouraged by recent research her organisation did, which found that more than 130,000 young people around the country wanted to run for office. To her, it showed that for all the inaccessibility of the US political system, younger generations have the same urge to serve as those who came before them.

We often hear, young people dont vote. They dont want to engage, she said. Thats not true. You have to ask. You have to open the door to them. When you do, they are ready and eager to run right through it.
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Responding to a series of intelligence breaches over the last year, senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require the National Archives to screen documents leaving the White House for classified material.

Classified material was found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence. And a 21-year-old Air National Guard member is accused of leaking hundreds of Pentagon assessments in an online chatroom.

Under two bills unveiled Wednesday, anytime a president seeks to classify a mix of official and unofficial papers as personal records, the archivist would first have to conduct a security review to ensure nothing is classified. In the cases of Biden, Trump, and Pence, classified material was found commingled with personal records.

The notion that there was no checking process by the archivist so that that becomes a formal step rather than a nice to do, I think, is terribly important, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The legislation would require all 18 agencies in the U.S. intelligence community to develop an insider threat program and monitor user activity on all classified networks for possible signs of a breach. The person accused of leaking Pentagon assessments is alleged to have printed out some of the documents and folded them to smuggle them out of authorized areas.

Also included are several requirements to push U.S. intelligence to declassify more information and restrict how secrets are widely shared. They include an effective tax on agencies based on how many records they generate and boosting funding for the U.S. Public Interest Declassification Board, a group of experts that advises the White House on classification issues.

We have such a mass of classified information and we arent putting enough resources against managing documents, against determining whats classified and not classified, said Ezra Cohen, a former chairman of the board and current member. Underfunding leads to lax control.

Long a priority of many on the intelligence committee, overhauling declassification was raised by some senators who spoke Wednesday as a long-term way to limit breaches and protect the most important U.S. secrets.

An estimated 4 million people hold security clearances. And many U.S. officials have long acknowledged spy agencies classify too much information and declassify too little, using outdated systems and far too few people to review what can be released.

It's an expensive system that we have. It's outdated," said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. "We're a better country than what the system allows us to be.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., noted that Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, wrote in a January 2022 letter that deficiencies in the current classification system undermine our national security, as well as critical democratic objectives."

My view is the protection of sources and methods and declassification reform go hand in hand, Wyden said. Thats because its a lot easier to protect important secrets when youre not acting like everything is a secret.

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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Kevin McCarthy has managed to dodge questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump  all the while claiming he would not avoid the question.

On Tuesday, the House Majority Leader was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures, after Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse and Mr Santos was indicted on federal charges.

Are you going to continue to stand by George Santos now that hes been indicted on federal charges? And do you stand by President Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse? the reporter asked.

Mr McCarthy responded by saying: Im not going to avoid your question.

He then proceeded to do just that as he skirted around the subjects without giving a definitive answer.

But as you know, Ive been at the White House. I havent seen the indictment, he said.

But as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees.

He pointed to the examples of Senator Bob Menendez and Rep Jeff Fortenberry.

Mr Menendez was previously indicted on charges but found not guilty and is now serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr Fortenberry meanwhile was found guilty of charges last year and so Mr McCarthy asked him to resign from the House.

In America, well just follow the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, they have the right to vote. But they have to go to trial, said Mr McCarthy.

If Mr Santos is found guilty, however, he might have to resign, he said.

That is my policies and principles on this, he said.

When pressed about his stance Mr Trump, Mr McCarthy then claimed he had been in meetings so was unaware of what was going on.

Kevin McCarthy was asked by a reporter to comment on the two prominent GOP figures (Getty Images)

I  I dont know. Ive been in meetings, he said.

His comments came after a Manhattan federal jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasnt my type.

Across two weeks, jurors heard harrowing testimony from Ms Carroll as well as two other women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault.

In its verdict on Tuesday, the jury found that Mr Trump sexually abused Ms Carroll but did not find that she had proven that he raped her and so he was not found liable for rape.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time following the verdict but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Hours after the verdict was handed down, news broke that embattled New York congressman Mr Santos had been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to multiple reports.

The exact nature of the charges arent yet public and remain under seal.

But they come following reports that Mr Santos was under investigation from the Justice Department over his campaign finances.

The New York congressman is expected to appear in federal court in New Yorks eastern district as soon as Wednesday on the charges.

When reached for comment about the news on Tuesday, Mr Santos claimed he was unaware of the charges.

This is news to me, he told The Associated Press. Youre the first to call me about this.

Derek Myers, a former aide for the congressman, later tweeted that he had been working as a confidential informant and human asset for the FBI while working in his office.

Mr Santos has fallen under scrutiny ever since he was first exposed for making a series of lies on his resume.

Since then, his list of apparent falsehoods has continued to grow and he is now the focus of criminal and ethics investigations.
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Fox News paid $787m to settle a recent lawsuit on its reporting after the 2020 election to avoid a divisive trial and lengthy appeals process, its parent company's chief executive said on Tuesday.

Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp, also noted that a Delaware judge severely limited Fox's defenses against Dominion Voting Systems, which said the network defamed it by airing bogus charges of election fraud that it knew was untrue.

Fox Corp announced Tuesday that it had lost $50m the previous three months, which it attributed to the lawsuit settlement. Mr Murdoch, who answered questions from financial analysts, was speaking in public for the first time since the case ended and Fox fired its most popular anchor, Tucker Carlson.

Mr Murdoch said viewers, and investors, should expect no change in direction from Fox News.

We made the business decision to resolve this dispute and avoid the acrimony of a divisive trial and multi-year appeal process, a decision clearly in the best interests of the company and its shareholders, he said.

Fox still believes it was properly exercising its First Amendment rights to report on newsworthy fraud allegations made by former President Donald Trump, even though that defense was shot down in a pre-trial court ruling in the Dominion case, Mr Murdoch said.

That's important, since Mr Murdoch said Fox intends to use the same defence against a similar lawsuit by another elections technology company, Smartmatic. That case is not expected to go to trial until at least 2025, he said.

Despite being asked directly about Carlson's exit, Mr Murdoch didn't mention the former prime-time host's name and referred to his reign obliquely. Fox has not explained why it cut ties with Carlson.

There's no change in programming strategy at Fox News, he said. It's obviously a successful strategy. As always, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup and that's what we continue to do.

Although hurt by the Carlson exit, Fox News remains the leading cable news network.

Fox has lost viewers following Carlson's firing. Last week's substitute host, Lawrence Jones, reached between 1.28 million and 1.7 million last week in a time slot where Carlson usually drew around 3 million, the Nielsen company said.

Yet Fox has gained more than 40 new advertisers in that hour, the network said, confirming a report in Variety. Advertisers like Gillette, Scott's Miracle Gro and Secret deodorant that had considered Carlson's show a toxic environment have signed on.
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Michael Fanone, one of the police officers assaulted during the Capitol riot, has slammed CNN for hosting a town hall event featuring Donald Trump  the man he says "tried to get me killed."

The retired DC Metropolitan Police officer and now regular CNN contributor penned an essay in Rolling Stone explaining the "sucker punch" he felt when the network announced that the former president would be included in a special town hall event, comparing it to a rehabilitation party.

Though he recognises that Mr Trump is the likely Republican frontrunner ahead of the 2024 election and admits that he is far from the only politician who has lied to the American public, Mr Fanone still believes the former president is uniquely unworthy of a national platform.

"Ill tell you why this is different," Mr Fanone writes. "Those lies convinced thousands of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, violently attacking uniformed police officers and terrorizing members of Congress and their staff. I witnessed this assault firsthand as an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, who like hundreds of MPD officers, responded to the U.S. Capitol Police Departments calls for assistance after their officers were overrun by Trumps mob. As a result of my efforts that day I was severely beaten, struck numerous times with a taser, and suffered a heart attack as well as a traumatic brain injury. One police officer died, and several others took their own lives in the wake of that barbaric day."

He argues that putting Mr Trump "like a normal candidate who didnt get people killed in the process of trying to end the democracy hes attempting to once again run," would only serve to normalize his actions today and for future candidates.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav defended CNN  which Warner owns  and its decision to host the townhall after its announcement spurred public backlash.

The US has a divided government. We need to hear both voices, Zaslav told CNBCs Squawk Box. 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.

He said he was happy Mr Trump  the front-runner  was going to appear on the network.

Fanone and others  including the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot  have argued that Mr Trump is directly responsible for the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Mr Trump has denied being at fault for his loyalists beating police officers and breaking the building.

Even convicted rioters  including the former head of the Proud Boys, who was recently convicted on seditious conspiracy charges  blamed Mr Trump for the violence on 6 January.

Though Mr Trump is doing little to assist the incarcerated rioters now, he has assured his supporters he will help them  if he gets elected.

"Since his announcement that he was seeking the presidency for a third time, he has offered to pardon his insurrectionist supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, calling them 'Patriots' and 'Great Americans,'" Mr Fanone wrote. "He has even incorporated recordings of the Star Spangled Banner and Justice for All as sung by the J6 Prison Choir, a group of inmates imprisoned for their roles in the violent insurrection, into his rallies  giving these violent criminals a place of prominence in his campaign."

Biden Capitol Riot (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Mr Fanone then shifted attention to CNN, expressing some scepticism of the ethos coming from the company's new C-suite occupants.

"In the past, CNN has recognized the dangers of allowing election deniers a public platform and would not allow them on-air. Under new 'leadership,' that policy has been discarded as evidenced by CNNs decision to allow the chief election denier, former President Donald J. Trump, a prominent time slot in its evening lineup," Mr Fanone wrote.

The retired officer is likely referencing internal shakeups at CNN under the reigns of its new CEO, Chris Licht, who replaced Jeff Zucker. Mr Zucker sat at the network's helm during Mr Trump's presidency, when the commander-in-chief named CNN as his primary antagonist and journalists "enemies of the people."

Mr Fanone continued, saying the quiet part about the media business  keyword "business"  out loud.

"Ive heard the networks attempts to justify this clear reversal. The Hes the frontrunner in the Republican primary argument. Somehow the networks ethical responsibility changed from preventing election deniers a platform regardless of the topic, to giving those same individuals a huge platform to disseminate their lies. I dont believe for one second that this is about journalistic integrity," he wrote. "Its about ratings and money."
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It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and were keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow  both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New Yorks third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

For months now, home state Republicans and Democrats alike called for his resignation from Congress while major conservative groups vowed not to work with him.

Still, he found a niche for himself among the GOPs far-right Maga caucus, among fellows like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.

On Wednesday 11 January, New York Republicans called on Mr Santos to resign, saying that he disgraced the House of Representatives. Mr Santos, meanwhile, held firm, telling reporters that he will not step down.

Then, on 31 January, Mr Santos announced he was stepping down from his committee assignments following a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

On 2 March, the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating Mr Santos.

But, things really took a turn on 9 May, when Mr Santos was arrested and hit with 13 federal charges from the Justice Department.

The embattled congressman was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

He was arrested after surrendering to authorities at a federal court on Long Island the following morning (10 May).

So, with scrutiny continuing to mount on Mr Santos, lets dive in to every fabrication, fiction, lie, mistruth, and embellishment that he has admitted to telling or been caught spreading by journalists and others (so far):

He went to college

Our first one, and one of the primary batch of lies uncovered by The New York Times and other news outlets, is Mr Santoss claim that he obtained degrees from NYU and Baruch College, another New York City-based school.

As it turns out, not only did he not graduate from either school, officials at both said there was no record of him attending under any alias. Mr Santos has now admitted this, chalking it up to the effort to make his resume more impressive.

He went to prep school

Mr Santos claimed in a campaign biography during his failed 2020 bid for Congress (in the same district) that he had briefly attended a prestigious prep school in New York.

He began Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, however, did not graduate from Horace Mann due to financial difficulties for his family, read the biography.

As you might expect, Horace Mann officials said there was no record of him ever attending. Mr Santos has not responded to discovery of this apparent fabrication.

He worked at banks

Another from the initial dispatch: Mr Santos did not, as it turns out, work at either Citigroup or Goldman Sachs. He has now admitted that this too was a fiction: Instead, he claims to have worked for the two banks through a third company, though he has provided no evidence to back that claim up.

What we do know is that an investment firm he founded in May of 2021 came into sudden wealth, bringing in millions of dollars to the degreeless Mr Santos, whose employment history remains murky. He has yet to explain how this firm he founded (and shut down in 2022 after failing to file paperwork) operated or made its millions in such a short period  or how he made his connections in the industry at all.

He ran a charity

The political newcomer claimed not only to be an ex-banker but also a lover of animals: Mr Santos previously claimed to have founded a charity group called Friends of Pets United, taking credit for supposedly saving thousands of dogs and cats. But no IRS records of the group could be found, and Mr Santos himself even backed away from the claim that he founded the group, later telling reporters that he only campaigned for the group and tried to find foster homes for some animals.

Its clear that the charity existed in some form  what is far less clear is whether it was done by the books, what Mr Santoss real role was, and even whether it actually helped animals at all. An Amish dog breeder recently identified Mr Santos as the man who purchased two puppies from him with a bad check; the reason for the purchase was unclear, but at the time the group was supposedly rehoming puppies and dogs.

Hes Jewish, and his grandparents fled the Holocaust

Its becoming almost impossible to count every time Mr Santos has been accused of telling various audiences that he is Jewish. The Republican Jewish Coalition says that he represented himself to them as Jewish, and he has made public comments to that effect in interviews. Then there was the position paper uncovered by Axios in which he simply refers to himself as an American Jew, removing all doubt as to what he said.

Nevertheless, in a recent interview with Fox News he insisted that he had not lied, and in fact only referred to himself as Jew-ish  an explanation that sounded like it was ripped straight from a Weekend Update joke.

Not only has he come clean about actually being Catholic, genealogists contacted by The Forward said that there was no evidence to prove his other past claims on the issue; namely, that his grandparents on his mothers side escaped the Holocaust. They were born in Brazil.

He knew victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting

Among many other claims, Mr Santos told WNYC last year that he personally had lost four of his employees at the tragedy at Pulse nightclub in 2016.

It was later determined by news reports that no one on the list of those killed in the mass shooting were identifiable as being employees of any business owned by Mr Santos.

The congressman then changed his story to say that well, actually, they hadnt been officially hired yet  the four unnamed persons were supposedly all new employees.

Theres no evidence of that, either.

He owns real estate

During the 2020 campaign, Mr Santos told voters that he owned more than a dozen rental properties across the state of New York. Turns out, thats not true: He told City & State New York that he actually does not own any properties at all. Some may be owned by his family, but he only at the most had use of them.

His mother died twice

This one easily takes the crown for most bizarre lie told so far. In one tweet uncovered Wednesday by reporters, Mr Santos claimed that his mother had died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.

Then he sent another tweet, five months later. In that message, his mother had a new time of death: 23 December, 2016.

While Mr Santos has not admitted to this fib or addressed it publicly, it is reasonably safe to say that his mother did not come back from the dead.

Some have pointed out that it is possible Mr Santos could have been referring to his mother contracting cancer or another disease resulting from the fallout from the towers destruction. However, a review of her employment history found no signs of her ever working or living anywhere near Ground Zero. A review of her immigration history would further reveal she was not even in the country when the attack occurred.

His apartment was robbed

In a sworn statement in housing court in 2016, Mr Santos claimed he was mugged on his way to pay hundreds of dollars in back rent to his Queens landlord during an eviction case. The New York City Police Department has no record of any such attack.

A report from New York outlet Gothamist revealed that Mr Santos wrote that he was mugged on his way to deliver a rent cheque to Queens Housing Court on 15 January 2016 in an effort to resolve his case.

The Republican wrote that he was unable to provide a police report and was told to return to police several days later to pick one up, according to an affidavit that was filled out under oath.

Mr Santos was set to pay $2,250 in back rent for his Queens apartment.

A spokesperson for NYPD told the outlet there was nothing on file related to Mr Santoss claims.

He goes by George Santos

This one doesnt count as a lie, but its still worth mentioning in this long list of fibs.

Mr Santos as recently as 2019 was introducing himself publicly and privately as Anthony Devolder, which appears to be his middle name  George Anthony Santos  as well as his mothers maiden name, Devolder.

He even hated that his friends would sometimes refer to him as George, according to The Washington Post, and insisted on being called Anthony by his friends and others.

His whole family called him Anthony. He wanted to be called Anthony. He would use the name Anthony Devolder, said that former acquaintance, described as an ex-friend and coworker.

He may have performed as a drag queen in Brazil

Mr Santos has most recently been accused of having performed as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache in Brazil more than a decade ago.

The allegation came from Brazilian drag professional Eula Rochard, 58, who reportedly recognised him on TV following his elevation to the House of Representatives, excitedly told her friends and then reacted to their disbelief by digging out an old photograph she insists shows the pair of them together in costume, posting it on Instagram.

Hes changed a lot, but he was always a liar, Ms Rochard told Reuters. He was always such a dreamer.

Mr Santos first emphatically denied her story on Twitter, writing: The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or performed as a drag Queen is categorically false. The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results. I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.

But, as youd expect, that wasnt the whole story. A Politico investigation found that a user on Wikipedia named Anthony Devolder (one of Mr Santoss aliases) claimed to have participated in drag shows in Brazil as a teenager.

Mr Santos later changed his tuned to claim that he had dressed in drag at just one festival, quipping, Sue me.

He may have been the mastermind of a credit card skimming scam

A man convicted of a credit card skimming fraud and deported to Brazil reportedly told federal authorities that Mr Santos was the mastermind of the scheme.

I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos / Anthony Devolder, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha wrote in a declaration obtained by Politico. The outlet reported that the letter was sent by express mail and email to the FBI, the US Secret Service office in New York, and the US Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of New York, by Trelhas attorney Mark Demetropoulos.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos directed the scheme in Seattle in 2017 wherein they would clone cards and siphon money from the linked accounts.

Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines, Trelha wrote in his statement.

Trelha claimed Mr Santos visited him in jail in Seattle after his arrest and threatened him not to reveal his part in the scheme to authorities.

We used a computer to be able to download the information on the pieces, Trelha wrote in his declaration. We also used an external hard drive to save the filming, because the skimmer took the information from the card, and the camera took the password.

It didnt work out so well, because I was arrested, he wrote.

Responding to the allegations on Capitol Hill on Friday, Mr Santos told reporters that he was innocent.

He added that he never did anything of criminal activity, and I have no mastermind event.

I cooperated with Secret Service, FBI, everybody that asked for my help. Got information for them. Got everybody arrested and deported, Mr Santos said, according to CNN.

He rejected that he and Trelha were roommates and said he only met him a couple of times in my life.

A recording obtained by the network shows that Mr Santos appeared in court in 2017 at the bail hearing of Trelha, calling him a family friend. At that same hearing, Mr Santos falsely told the judge he worked at Goldman Sachs.

Alex Woodward, Abe Asher, and Gustaf Kilander contributed to this report
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Many Republicans displayed a relentless loyalty to former president Donald Trump following the jury verdict determining Mr Trump is liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E Jean Carroll.

As Ms Carroll stepped out of the Manhattan courthouse, beaming, on Tuesday, Mr Trump and his allies quickly issued statements defending the former president.

Mr Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, where he claimed he had absolutely no idea who this woman is and said he planned to appeal the verdict.

Meanwhile, plenty of Republicans claimed the civil suit was just the most recent attack from Democrats and anti-Trump opponents.

Former vice president Mike Pence defended Mr Trump in an interview with NBC News, saying, In my four and a half years serving alongside the president, I never heard or witnessed behaviour of that nature.

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told radio host Hugh Hewitt that she didnt want to get into that when asked about the verdict.

We gotta leave the baggage and negativity behind, she said.

On Fox News, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) called the case a legal circus and claimed it would not have an impact on the American public.

Mr Hagerty added, I think weve seen President Trump under attack since before he became president, this has been going on for years.

When Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was pressed about the jurys decision and whether or not he still supports Mr Trump, he brushed it off, claiming he did not know about the details because he had been in a meeting.

Few Republicans supported the jurys decision and used the verdict to criticse Mr Trump.

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) said he hopes the jury of American people reach the same conclusion about Donald Trump.

Republican presidential nominee candidate and former Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson said the verdict was unbecoming of someone who wants to be president, in an interview with Fox News.

I dont think we should undermine what the jury determined, thats undermining the rule of law that is important in society, Mr Hutchinson said.
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Decades after she was allegedly raped by a New York real estate mogul who would go on to be the 45th President of the United States, E Jean Carroll has had her day in court.

Ms Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist for Elle magazine, was the plaintiff in a pair of civil lawsuits against former president Donald Trump.

One of those lawsuits was presented in a New York City federal courtroom under the supervision of US District Judge Lewis Kaplan. The proceedings began on 25 April, with closing arguments beginning on 8 May. On 9 May, the jury in the civil case returned a verdict that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but not raping her, and awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages, which includes a defamation claim.

The jurors in the trial remained anonymous on Judge Kaplans orders due to the risk of threats, intimidation or outright violence against anyone seen as an enemy by Mr Trump and his supporters.

Ms Carroll claimed during her testimony that Mr Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.

The magazine columnist spoke out about the allegations for the first time in 2019 when Mr Trump was president.

After he denied the allegations and accused her of lying in a bid to bolster sales of her forthcoming book, she filed a defamation lawsuit against him in November 2019. That suit stalled in the courts for years and is yet to make it to trial.

Then, last year, New York lawmakers passed the states Adult Survivors Act, giving sexual abuse victims a one-year window to sue attackers for assaults that took place years ago.

That law paved the way for Ms Carroll to file a second lawsuit against the former president in November accusing him of both raping her and then defaming her years later by denying the assault took place.

That second lawsuit  seeking damages and a retraction of his denial  has now played out in a New York court.

What Carroll said about the alleged dressing room rape

The allegations against Mr Trump were first laid out in an excerpt from her book What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, that ran in New York magazine in June 2019.

In the book excerpt, she said she was shopping at a Bergdorf-Goodman in New York when Mr Trump approached her and struck up a conversation. He asked her for help picking out a gift for a woman.

She then alleged that he took her to the lingerie section of the store and asked her to try on an item for him in a dressing room before pinning her up against a wall and sexually assaulting her for three minutes.

At the time, Ms Carroll said the emergence of the #MeToo movement in late 2017 motivated her to tell her story publicly.

Mr Trump addressed the allegations days later when pressed on them by reporters at the White House.

He claimed he had never met her and denied raping her by telling the White House press corps that Ms Carrol was not [his] type.

He also accused her of lying to boost sales of her memoir.

She is trying to sell a new book  that should indicate her motivation, the then-president said, adding that her book should be sold in the fiction section.

Ms Carroll pushed back on his claims, sharing a photo of herself and Mr Trump together with his then-wife Ivana Trump and her then-husband John Johnson at an NBC party in 1987 to show they had met.

In her 2019 defamation suit against Mr Trump, she alleged his denials had caused her to suffer reputational, emotional, and professional harm and said she was suing to obtain redress for those injuries and to demonstrate that even a man as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the rule of law.

Ms Carroll took the stand on 26 April, testifying that she and Mr Trump were shopping around the department store at the time when he asked her to try on a piece of lingerie that he was looking to purchase  a blue bodysuit.

He was having a good time, and so was I, Ms Carroll said, adding that the two were harmlessly flirting with one another.

As the two reached the dressing room, Ms Carroll said Mr Trump shut the door and shoved me up against the wall.

I was confused. I laughed, Ms Carroll said.

She said she pushed Mr Trump back but he thurst her into the wall again.

From there, Ms Carroll described how Mr Trump pulled down her tights and inserted his fingers into her vagina.

It was extremely painful, Ms Carroll recalled emotionally. It was a horrible feeling. He put his hand inside me and curled his finger. As I sit here today, I can still feel it.

When asked if she screamed for help or told Mr Trump to stop, Ms Carroll said, Im not a screamer. Im a fighter.

Ms Carroll alleges Mr Trump then inserted his penis and began to rape her.

I wonder why I walked in there, to get in that situation... Im proud to say I got out of there, Ms Carroll.

After the assault, Ms Carroll said she left the department store quickly and called her friend, Lisa Birnbach. Later on, Ms Carroll would tell Carol Martin, an anchorwoman at ABC, about the assault, but did not confide in many others.

Ms Carroll said she felt very stupid for going into the dressing room. She described how the alleged rape left her unable to ever have a romantic life again.

Later on, Ms Carroll elaborated on her inability to form and maintain romantic relationships saying that because she was allegedly raped by Mr Trump after flirting with him, it hindered her ability to engage with men.

Justice Department involvement delayed the defamation suit

Although a Clinton-era Supreme Court case, Jones v Clinton, allows presidents to be sued for conduct that occurred before the start of their time in the White House, Mr Trumps legal team asked the Department of Justice to aid in his defence of the 2019 case.

The department filed papers seeking to shield him from liability on the grounds that he was acting in an official capacity as president when he made the allegedly defamatory statements about Ms Carroll. But Judge Kaplan rejected those arguments and said the suit could proceed. An attempt by Mr Trump to appeal that decision failed in September 2021 as well.

His legal team took up another approach in February of last year when they moved to countersue Ms Carroll.

Judge Kaplan blocked that bid in a scathing decision on 11 March 2022, in which he slammed Mr Trumps continuing attempts to delay the case as futile and in bad faith.

The defendants litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less, Judge Kaplan wrote. Granting leave to amend without considering the futility of the proposed amendment needlessly would make a regrettable situation worse by opening new avenues for significant further delay.

Letting Mr Trump countersue would make a regrettable situation worse, the judge added.

Carroll sued Trump for alleged rape

Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year suspension of statutes of limitations for rape and other civil claims arising from allegations of sexual misconduct.

The law allows sexual assault survivors to sue their attackers regardless of when the alleged assault may have taken place.

In November 2022, shortly after the bill signing, Ms Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Mr Trump for rape.

The new case accused him of battery  and also added a new defamation claim based on recent posts in which he called her a con job.

Judge Kaplan rejected Trumps last-minute delay bid

After Mr Trumps lawyers made an 11th-hour attempt to once again postpone the long-delayed civil trial on the grounds that publicity surrounding his recent indictment necessitated a cooling-off period to ensure an impartial jury, Judge Kaplan said the one-month delay Mr Trumps attorneys had asked for would have no impact on the potential jury pool in the case, which was tried in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

There is no reason to assume that a sufficient number of fair and impartial jurors cannot be found on April 25, 2023 or that it would be materially easier to find such jurors on May 23, 2023, he said.

Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll walks into Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in New York (AP)

Did Trump attend?

Mr Trump missed the deadline to testify in the civil rape trial brought against him by writer E Jean Carroll.

The deadline passed without Mr Trumps lawyers filing a motion to inform the court of any change in plans  despite the former president saying that he was cutting his trip to Scotland and Ireland short to go to New York to confront Ms Carroll.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan had warned Mr Trump that once the deadline passed, he would no longer have the opportunity to testify in the case.

That ship will be irrevocably sailed, he said.

Judge Kaplan issued a deadline giving Mr Trump an extension to appear and testify in court.

This came after Mr Trump told reporters in Ireland that he would probably shorten his trip and return to the US to attend the trial.

Im going to go back, and Im going to confront this, Mr Trump said, adding at the time that this woman is a disgrace and it shouldnt be allowed to happen in our country, according to The Daily Beast.

He also attacked Ms Carroll, calling her fake and saying that Judge Kaplan was extremely hostile.

I have to leave early. I dont have to but I choose to, Mr Trump said, according to the New York Daily News. I was falsely accused by this woman. I have no idea who she is. Its ridiculous.

He doesnt like me very much, Mr Trump added of Judge Kaplan. Its a disgrace but we have to do it. Its a part of life.

Judge Kaplan mentioned Mr Trumps comments in Ireland when saying that the jury needed the opportunity to hear from him personally.

In the interests of justice, the judge said he would allow the case to be reopened for a short period of time to give Mr Trump an opportunity to testify.

If he has second thoughts, Ill at least consider it, the judge said as he announced the deadline.

But, despite Mr Trumps comments, his lawyer Joe Tacopina said that he wouldnt be attending the trial.

Jury returned verdict after three hours of deliberation

On 9 May the jury in the civil case returned a verdict that Mr Trump was liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but not raping her, and awarded the writer a total of $5m in damages, which includes the defamation claim.

In the courtroom, the clerk read the verdict: As to battery, did Ms Carroll prove that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll? The jury answered No.

The jury also found Mr Trump liable for wonton disregard, for which Ms Carroll was awarded $20,000, according to Inner City Press.

Mr Trump was also found liable for defamation as the jury found that he made false statements about Ms Carroll.

The jury found that Mr Trump acted with actual malice and that Ms Carroll had been injured, for which she was awarded $1m. For repairing her reputation, Ms Carroll was awarded $1.7m.

Ariana Baio and Gustaf Kilander contributed to this report
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Police in Sydney have arrested a high-profile jewellery store owner for allegedly planning a robbery at his own shop and making a false insurance claim.

Michel Germani, 65, founder and CEO of Germani Jewellery, was arrested on Monday.

He has been charged with aggravated robbery and depriving a person of liberty, attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, publishing false or misleading material to obtain property, and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

Authorities said the incident took place on 19 January when two men allegedly demanded access to his shops safe and threatened Mr Germani and a female member of his staff at his store in central Sydney.

Authorities said Mr Germani organised the robbery to defraud his insurance provider.

Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi told reporters on Tuesday that investigators thought something didnt seem right about this particular robbery and took a closer look at Mr Germani and his associates.

The outlet reported that court documents showed Mr Germani made a false statement following the robbery with intent to obtain an insurance claim worth more than $2.8m.

Police said that two other men aged 37 and 57 were arrested and charged in connection with the case last month, reported BBC.

More arrests are also expected in the case.

The jewellers website said it had extensive experience in creating distinctive, cosmopolitan, unique and exquisite jewellery.

It also stated that it has been awarded the prestigious Diamond De Beers Awards, designed and manufactured fine jewellery for the Saudi Royal Family, Queen Noor of Jordan, the Duke & Duchess Of Wellington, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana and other well known international dignitaries around the world; thus gaining him international recognition.

The store claimed to house a huge range of quality coloured gemstones and loose diamonds which are bought from Belgium, Switzerland and Far East.

The brand became a household name when it sponsored the television show Sale of the Century from 1988 to 2001.
The public has been urged to help police in Europe trace the identities of 22 women and girls they think have been murdered in three countries.

The womens bodies were found in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands between 1976 and 2019 and now police from all three countries have joined forces for Operation Identify Me via Interpol to find out who the women are.

The hunt was prompted by the unsolved murder of a woman in Amsterdam who had been shot in the head and chest. She was discovered in a wheelie bin in a river in the Dutch capital in 1999.
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Tributes have been paid to Arman Soldin, a journalist working for international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) killed in a rocket attack near Bakhmut in Ukraine.

The 32-year-old video co-ordinator was with a team of its journalists travelling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets near Chasiv Yar on Tuesday.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war's longest battle.

His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine, AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said.

Mr Soldin was born in Sarajevo during the Yugoslav conflict and evacuated to France where he became a citizen.

Arman Soldin in Ukraine in November 2022. He was killed near Bakhmut on Tuesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on February 24 2022 and had travelled regularly to the front lines in recent months.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Arman Soldin working in Ukraine in March. He was killed by a Grad rocket on Tuesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

RSF director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Mr Soldin's death a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information.

Arman was the kind of guy who saved hurt hedgehogs in war zones, AFP's Moscow and Kyiv Deputy News Editor Jonathan Brown tweeted. He was an incredible and vibrant personality and a great journalist.

We miss him. We are mourning him. Rest in peace.

Downing Street paid tribute to Mr Soldin as a talented and courageous journalist whose death is devastating for all those who knew him.

Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Arman's work was vital to that, a spokesperson for prime minister Rishi Sunak said. Any death in this needless invasion is tragic and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost loved ones during this conflict.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
After Russia attacked Ukraine with its latest barrage of cruise missiles, Vladimir Putin made an angry speech to mark Victory Day in Moscow, hitting out at Western countries for starting what he claims is a real war against Russia.

However, in a sign of the toll his invasion of Ukraine has taken on Russias forces, the annual military parade across Red Square was pared back, as Moscow throws manpower and weaponry at the frontlines following an underwhelming winter campaign and an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Today, civilisation is once again at a decisive turning point, Mr Putin said as he again sought to defend his invasion of Ukraine by painting Russia as having been cornered by Western global elites. A real war has been unleashed against our motherland, he said.
 Close Zelensky welcomed with military honours as he visits Germany

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Two of Russias military commanders were killed in eastern Ukraine as Kyivs forces renewed efforts to break through Russian defences in the embattled city of Bakhmut.

In a daily briefing on Sunday, the Russian ministry of defence said that Commander Vyacheslav Makarov of the 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade and Deputy Commander Yevgeny Brovko from a separate unit were killed trying to repel Ukrainian attacks.

It said that Makarov had been leading troops from the front line, and that Brovko died heroically, suffering multiple shrapnel wounds. The defence ministry rarely announces the deaths of military command in its daily briefings.

It also said Ukrainian forces waged attacks in the north and south of Bakhmut over the past 24 hours, but that they had not broken through Russian defences. All attacks by units of Ukraines armed forces have been repelled, it said.

Moscow acknowledged on Friday that its forces had fallen back north of Bakhmut amid a surge of Ukrainian attacks, but Kyiv has played down suggestions a huge, long-planned counteroffensive has officially begun.
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A woman who had booked a flight to Florida accidentally ended up 900 miles away in Jamaica without her passport after boarding the wrong plane.

Beverly Ellis-Hebard is no stranger to her intended route between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Jacksonville Florida. She regularly travels back and forth between her homes in the two cities, flying once every six weeks, she told ABC 7.

She doesnt bring her passport as its not required to travel internally in the US.

On 6 November, she arrived at the gate for her Frontier Airlines flight to Jacksonville International Airport and saw that it read PHL to JAX. Ms Ellis-Hebard, who was recovering from back surgery and unable to move as fast as usual, asked staff if she had time to use the toilet before boarding.

She was told that she had about 20 minutes, but on returning she found the flight was almost boarded and the gate about to close.

As Ms Ellis-Hebard went to board, a staff member at the gate questioned the size of her bag, so she put it in the baggage sizer.

I put it in and when I went to take it out my arm right here got all scrapped up. I was bleeding, she said.

She added that the gate agent then rushed her to board.

She said come on, come on. Give me your boarding pass. I would say I took about 10 steps, and she said are you Beverly Ellis-Hebard?. I said you just had my boarding pass. You just checked me in. Yes. She said All right, go. Go.

After the rush to board the plane, crew tending to her scrape told her shed be able to relax once they landed  in Jamaica.

She recalled laughing when told this: I said, I would love to be going there but I have a beach where I live. She said, look at me, this plane is going to Jamaica. And I knew by the look on her face she wasnt joking.

Ms Ellis-Hebard was told there had been a last-minute gate change, and realised it took place while she was in the bathroom. She said she was told: Youre entering a different country without a passport. Thats bad.

Jamaican authorities allowed Ms Ellis-Hebard to remain in the air bridge, and the crew stayed with her until the next flight to Philadelphia took off several hours later.

She said: "It should never have happened because I did not have a passport. The woman at the gate did not do her job.

A spokesperson for Frontier Airlines told The Independent: We sincerely regret that the customer was able to board the wrong flight and have extended our apologies. We have provided her with a refund and compensation as well as addressed the matter with airport personnel.
E Jean Carroll said she feels fantastic the morning after a jury found Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in her lawsuit against him.

The writer and magazine journalist added that yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life as she spoke to Good Morning America on Wednesday 10 May alongside her attorney Roberta Kaplan.

I feel fantastic, Ms Carroll said at the beginning of her interview, before describing her four-year legal battle.

It was this 5ft 3in wily female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable.

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George Santos has been arrested after surrendering himself to authorities at a Long Island federal court on Wednesday morning.

The congressman for New Yorks third district, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am.

The indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday, alleges a series of fraudulent schemes resulting in seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

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A furious mother who was shouting at protesters during Just Stop Oils slow march demonstration in central London was told to think about the plight of dolphins by a passer-by.

The unnamed woman confronted the activists and told them her son was missing out because their actions were stopping him from getting to school.

Youre parents! Come on guys. Move and let the bus go! We got kids on the bus. F**** sake, she said.

However, a passer-by appeared to side with the protesters, telling the woman to think about all the dolphins that are dying.

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Long before his arrest on Wednesday for fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds, George Santos was a pariah in the Long Island congressional district he was elected to represent.

He was the subject of almost daily protests and press conferences organised by local residents. The Nassau County Republican Party disowned him, and so too did six local Republican members of Congress. He was rarely seen out in public, or at his district office  even when Congress is on break.

His only safe space, it seems, was Washington DC.

His was a story of electoral politics turned on its head. A member of Congress should, in theory, have more to fear from the snakepit of the Capitol than the people who elected them. The reason why Santos didnt tell us something about the state of the Republican Party today.

Lets start with an uncontestable truth: George Santos is an imposter. That is true by any measure of the word. He lied about his own personal history, his experience and his wealth. That is without even mentioning the as-yet unproven allegations about his campaign spending, which has now resulted in charges from federal prosecutors.

Much of what is known about Santos today was not public knowledge when voters cast their ballots for him. The same can be said for many of the local Republicans who backed him and fundraised for him  although, given that it is their job to vet candidates running for their own party, they cannot escape blame.

But once the most egregious of Santoss lies became public, most local Republicans joined in calls for his resignation.

George Santos campaign last year was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication, Nassau County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo said at a news conference earlier this year .

He deceived the voters of the 3rd Congressional District, he deceived members of the Nassau County Republican committee, elected officials, his colleagues, candidates, his opponents and even some of the media, Cairo said. Hes disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople.

Compare that to response from the GOP House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, the only man in the party with the power to take action to expel Mr Santos by holding a vote in the House (and whipping his members to secure a two-thirds majority).

What are the charges against him? Is there a charge against him? he responded when questioned by reporters on Capitol Hill. You know, in America today, youre innocent till proven guilty.

The voters are the power, the voters made the decision and he has the right to serve here. If there is something that rises to the occasion that he did something wrong then well deal with that at that time, Mr McCarthy added.

Even after charges were filed, Mr McCarthy stood firm.

If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial, he said on Tuesday in response to reports that charges were imminent.

What is the reason for the clear divide between the Republicans of New York and the national leadership? In short, naked political necessity.

McCarthy benefits from the same basic facts about Santos as everyone else; he can be under no illusions about the con, or the character behind it. But after a years-long effort, McCarthy ascended to the speakers chair as a weakened leader.

Not only had he been forced to bend the knee to former president Donald Trump after publicly criticising him for encouraging the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, his party also emerged from the midterms with a majority of just four seats in the House. This caused him to endure a protracted fight with the right-wing of his party for the leadership.

After that brutal fight, McCarthy was faced with a choice: He could listen to the Republicans who live and work in the district Santos now represents and remove the imposter from the United States Congress  weakening himself further in the process  or he could ignore the problem entirely.

In choosing the latter, McCarthy reaffirmed the lengths to which he is willing to go to maintain his tenuous grip on his party. It tells us something about the state of the Republican Party, and perhaps Congress, that a conman can be allowed to sit in the most powerful legislative body in the world, to cast his vote on matters of life and death and war, in the interests of serving one party. It also reveals a weakness at the heart of the electoral system, that there is no mechanism to remove someone from office who has admitted to lying their way to that seat.

If were looking for some lesson in the Santos affair, perhaps this is the best we can hope for  a brief ray of sunlight shone into a dark corner of a dusty backroom. And for revealing this corruption in Congress, we might credit Santos for performing his first and only act of public service.
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Parts of the UK have been hit by hailstorms and thunder as the country continued to experience uncertain weather, with the threat of more to come.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for most of the UK as Basingstoke experienced a deluge of hail, while large parts of the country were lashed by heavy rains and thunderstorms.

Heavy rain also brought flooding to some areas, with Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service receiving calls from people stuck in water.

A flood warning remained in place for several northern and western regions on Wednesday.

Photos and videos posted by residents on social media showed large hailstones falling from the sky.

Ive never seen hail that size, wrote a resident named Sam Middleton-Bray.

Other residents posted videos of lightning and thunder.

The rain cleared overnight in several parts. However, the Met Office forecasted Wednesday to be a mixture of sunny spells and showers for most parts of the country, with some areas expected to again get battered by heavy showers and potentially accompanied by hail and thunder.

On Wednesday, weve got low pressure approaching the north-west of Scotland, which is going to introduce some more wet weather, particularly in the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland for a time, Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said.

Widespread showers are possible on Thursday and some of the showers again could be quite heavy in nature for a time. Generally, a drier day for many on Friday, albeit largely quite cloudy for many.

The outlook for Thursday to Saturday also suggested a widely rainy day on Thursday, with some heavy, thundery downpours in places.

Showers are expected to become more restricted to southern areas on Friday, with most places largely dry on Saturday.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir warned that showers over the next few days could be heavy with the risk of thunder and hail persisting through Wednesday and Thursday.

The chance of some heavy showers in the south. Elsewhere mostly dry, the cloud coming and going, but some brighter skies coming through, settling for Saturday.
Former Irish Nationwide Building Society head Michael Fingleton has failed to convince the Court of Appeal that a trial over alleged mismanagement of the collapsed lender should be dismissed or permanently suspended due to severe ill health and the passage of time.

The three-judge court cleared the way on Wednesday for Mr Fingleton (85) to defend the long-awaited action brought against him by the special liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), which took control of Irish Nationwide in 2011 after it failed.

This is despite the fact Mr Fingleton lacked mental capacity to manage his affairs and the appeal proceedings were reconstituted so they could be conducted by his wife and son, as his attorneys.

The court said Mr Fingleton did not discharge the very high burden he faced in the application and did not show there is either a real or serious risk of an unfair trial or unjust result.

He also did not establish there is a clear, patent injustice in asking him to defend the proceedings, said Ms Justice Caroline Costello, Mr Justice Robert Haughton and Mr Justice Donald Binchy in a co-authored judgment.

The IBRC sued Mr Fingleton in 2012 for alleged negligent mismanagement of the building society. It was initially claiming for damages of 6 billion the sum lost by the building society after the 2008 property crash.

During the appeal hearing in December, counsel for the liquidators of IBRC, which went into liquidation in 2013, confirmed they would be limiting their claim to damages arising from five series of loans, the judge said.

The appropriate value of the claim was now for about 290 million, relating to certain loans issued in Ireland and England from 2006 to 2009, the court was told.

This very significant change leaves a case alleging negligence and/or breach of a director's duty to exercise due skill, care and diligence in authorising and advancing these specified loans over the three-year period, the judges said. It no longer spans Mr Fingletons tenure leading Irish Nationwide from 1971 to 2009, during which he was managing director and then chief executive.

It follows then, that no prejudice can arise from Mr Fingletons inability to address these issues, as they are no longer being pursue, the court said.

Mr Fingletons son had further pleaded prejudice would occur in meeting this narrower claim.

The judges noted Mr Fingletons son has been assisting his father with the trial case since 2013. He did not claim in court that prejudice would arise as a result of a potential loss of documents or witnesses due to the passage of time.

Much of the evidence to be presented in defence at the trial will not depend on Mr Fingletons personal evidence even if he were well and in a position to give evidence on his one behalf, the court ruled.

This is apparent from the nature of his pleaded defence and the now limited nature of the claim being pursued, it said.

Many of the facts can be independently established without the need for evidence from Mr Fingleton, the judges added.

The IBRC accepted there is a significant litigation disadvantage to Mr Fingleton as a result of his inability to give legal instructions and assist in preparing his defence, but this in and of itself is not determinative, the judges said.

The former INBS chief executive appealed against the High Courts May 2021 rejection of his bid to halt the trial.

The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal.
Bauer Media has appointed Simon Myciunka as CEO of its Bauer Media Audio UK, moving from his current role running the radio groups Irish arm.

He is due to take up the new role in July. In Dublin, group operations director Chris Doyle will take over responsibility for the day-to-day running of the countrys biggest private-sector radio group until a successor is found.

Bauer bought Denis OBriens Communicorp Media, which includes Newstalk, TodayFM, 98FM, Spin 1038 and Spin Southwest, in the summer of 2021. It has since added Red FM in Cork. The group also includes OTB Sports, the aggregated listening platform GoLoud for radio, podcasts and music and the digital audio advertising exchange audioXi.

Mr Myciunka joined the then Communicorp in 2017 as commercial director and took over as CEO in 2020, replacing Adrian Serle two years before the sale to Bauer.

His appointment to replace Dee Ford as head of the UK business follows a competitive process.

As well as Ireland and the UK, Bauer Media Audio has operations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Slovakia and Portugal.
He took his sons from their mother and put them in an orphanage: the 1950s domestic spat that pitted Protestants and Catholics against the State
The young Dubliner had been living there with her mum Audrey, stepdad Dave Mahon and her since-deceased brother Dean

Missing Amy Fitzpatricks worried aunt Christine Kenny is not ruling out the possibility that human bones discovered next to a suitcase near the place the teenager went missing may those be of her long-lost niece.

Amy (15) mysteriously went missing from Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola in Spain, on New Years Day 2008.

The young Dubliner had been living there with her mum Audrey, stepdad Dave Mahon and her since-deceased brother Dean.

Spanish police revealed that in recent days human remains had been found next to a suitcase in the hills near where Amy went missing.

Achieve: The family of Amy Fitzpatrick appeal to Tanaiste Micheal Martin to press Spanish authorities

The body was found in the hills near Mijas and they reckon the body has been there over a decade, Christine says. They found a skull and other body parts.

They reckon, though, from the bone structure that its of a woman aged between 25 and 30, or thereabouts. But it takes ages for that type of thing to be dealt with.

There is a possibility that it could be Amy, though, as there was a satchel bag found with the remains, and Amy used have a similar type bag.

Amy's aunt Christine Kenny and Amy's dad Christopher Fitzpatrick. Pic Val Sheehan

Christine had led the campaign on behalf of Amys paternal side of the family to seek answers about what happened the teenager, and she recently met Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin to try to press Spanish authorities to put more resources into the search.

I wish this was finished with and the child was found and someone came forward with the information, thats what we need now because it has taken its toll, she says.

The Indo Daily Unsolved: The 15-year search for missing Dublin teenager Amy Fitzpatrick

My main concern is that Amy is found, one way or another. If she is found deceased, that she is given a decent burial and she is laid to rest with Dean in the family plot, so her father Christopher  who bought the grave  and the family can pay their respects.

The people who are responsible for her going missing should also be brought to justice. I want the case upgraded to one of murder.

Christine adds that a woman who sent her new important information recently is vital to solving the puzzling case.

This lady has never been given her name, but she has been giving information over the years, she reveals.

This information has eventually found its way to me through sources. I havent got around to all the bits and pieces. There is about 21 pages in it and its ongoing.

She seems to be on the ball all the time, the woman. I dont want this person to stop giving the information to the police, and the Guardia Civil as well.

Christine says the woman insists the people involved in Amys disappearance were well known to her.

She reckons she knows who is responsible for Amys disappearance, she confirms.

Christine is still liaising with authorities here.

We havent been notified yet by the Department of Foreign Affairs about these latest developments, she adds.

They get in touch with me on a regular basis since I met with Micheal Martin. If theres updates theyll tell me.

Theres various things they need to know about and they got in touch with the relevant bodies in Spain.

Amy spent New Years Eve in 2007 with her friends Ashley and Debbie Rose near her Spanish home.

She was never seen again after leaving the Rose house around 10pm on New Years night to walk the few minutes back to her home.
A garda is to face a criminal prosecution over his driving in relation to an incident in which three men were killed in a collision on the N7 in Dublin two years ago.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that a garda involved in the pursuit of the three males, who were members of a Tallaght-based criminal gang that specialised in burglaries, is to be charged with a driving offence.

The three victims  Dean Maguire (29), Karl Freeman (26) and Graham Taylor (31)  were killed instantly when their BMW vehicle burst into flames following a head-on crash with a truck between Citywest and Baldonnell on July 7, 2021, while they were driving on the wrong side of the carriageway.

The coroner, Clare Keane, was informed that the DPP had taken the decision to initiate the prosecution based on a file submitted by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), which investigated the circumstances of the fatal crash.

A designated officer with Gsoc, Sean Campbell, applied for an adjournment of the inquest into the deaths of the three men based on the new development in the case.

Mr Campbell said the garda facing the prosecution was still not aware of the precise offence with which he would be charged and consequently he did not wish to say anything further on the matter. The Gsoc official said he had only become aware of the DPPs decision on Tuesday evening.

Mr Campbell said he was not in a position to provide any more details about the prosecution until he had received documents from the DPP relating to the summons to be served on the garda.

However, solicitor for Mr Taylors family, James MacGuill, complained that minimal information about the pending prosecution was being provided to the hearing.

It is scandalous treatment by Gsoc of bereaved families who already have been waiting two years for answers, said Mr MacGuill.

He claimed Gsoc should be required to provide a legal justification why the mens relatives should have another two weeks of legal uncertainty imposed on them.

Mr MacGuill also called on Dr Keane to use her authority to get Mr Campbell to provide such information.

Solicitor for Mr Maguires family, Michael Finucane, claimed there would be no prejudice to the garda by just informing the relatives of the victims about the charge which he would be facing.

Mr Finucane said he could see no basis why they could not be given such information after hearing from Mr Campbell that the gardas solicitor had been told in a roundabout way about the pending prosecution.

Asked to clarify what that meant, Mr Campbell replied that the offence related to his driving on the night.

Mr MacGuill said he would be astonished if the garda or his solicitor had not asked what exact charge he would be facing.

He claimed there was nothing under legislation to prevent the coroner and his clients from being told the nature of the offence as Mr Campbell was only stating a preference not to release such information.

Mr MacGuill said it was likely that the garda would face a charge of either reckless endangerment or dangerous driving causing death.

What possible reason is there not to be told today? he asked.

However, Mr Campbell said he was aware of the specific charge but did not wish to answer further questions about it at this stage.

The Gsoc official said he would be happy to answer any questions once the summons had been served on the garda and he was aware of the offence.

Following repeated questions by legal representatives of the families of the deceased, Mr Campbell said he had informed the gardas solicitor about the prosecution. He explained that the solicitor would have seen all Gsocs information on the case and would have known what was coming.

Mr Campbell said he believed it was only fair that the garda should be formally notified first about the offence and would not release such information in advance of that.

In response, Mr Finucane claimed no justifiable reasons had been provided by the Gsoc official for not revealing the specific offence.

Its not good enough. That is really causing great difficulties for all the families, he added.

Asked by the coroner when he would be in a position to specify the nature of the charge, Mr Campbell said Gsocs file had been with the DPP since last December and he expected he would be able to outline the exact offence to the coroner and the mens families in about two weeks.

Mr Freemans father, Jason Freeman, addressed the court to express concern that the families would read about the charge in the newspapers unless the coroner compelled Mr Campbell to disclose the offence.

Addressing a large group of the deceaseds relatives who attended the hearing, Dr Keane acknowledged that the issue was very upsetting for them.

Following a brief adjournment, the coroner said she would grant Gsocs application for an adjournment in the case on the basis criminal proceedings are being considered.

Dr Keane set a further hearing in the case for May 23.
Joe is described as approximately 5 foot 11 inches in height, of strong build, clean shaven with short grey hair and blue eyes.

When last seen leaving his home on Wednesday morning, Joe was wearing a black puffer jacket and dark coloured trousers

Joe Scally who is missing from Raheny, Dublin 5

Gardai have renewed their appeal for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of an 81-year-old man who is missing from Co Dublin.

Joe Scally is missing from the Tonlegee Road area of Raheny, Dublin 5, since the morning of Wednesday, May 3.

Mr Scally is described as approximately 5 foot 11 inches in height, of strong build, clean shaven with short grey hair and blue eyes.

Joe was last seen leaving his home on Wednesday morning wearing a black puffer jacket and dark coloured trousers. Joe also wears a hearing aid.

Gardai have a reported sighting of Joe on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 3, walking in the direction of Howth Summit.

Any persons who may have seen Joe or have 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.
The plans for new Airbnb units in the Liberties Dublin, were rejected. Photo: Stock image   Getty Images

A planning application for Airbnb apartments in Dublins city centre has been rejected due to an overconcentration of tourism accommodation and its impact on housing stock.

The application to convert an unused Victorian-era office building at 76 Thomas Street into four short-stay apartments was lodged by Urban Capital Limited.

The south inner-city accommodation would provide four one-bed apartment units, one on each floor. The four-storey Victorian building, with a decorated stone shop front, is a protected structure built in 1868 and was formerly used as a warehouse and subsequently offices, which are currently vacant.

The proposal sought to make minor alterations to change the vacant property from commercial to short-stay accommodation. However, Dublin City Council has rejected the application on the basis there is already too much tourist accommodation in the Liberties.

The proposed short-stay residential use would exacerbate the existing overconcentration of visitor accommodation along Thomas Street and the wider Liberties area, said the managers report.

The proposed development would also be contrary to the Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028, which says: There is a general presumption against the provision of dedicated short-term tourist rental accommodation in the city due to the impact on the availability of housing stock.

According to the planning officer, short-stay lets would undermine the vision of the City Development Plan and fail to sustain the vitality of the inner city.

According to the report, The planning authority considers that the proposed building has the potential to provide residential accommodation which in form and design, would be typical for inner urban occupation and generous in internal habitable space.

However, it said: The applicant has failed to demonstrate any exceptional circumstances that would allow the planning authority to set aside the general presumption against short-term tourism development.
FINE Gael TDs and senators have called for an increase in what have been described as embarrassing legal aid fees paid to barristers and solicitors.

A private parliamentary party meeting today heard strong criticism of Fine Gaels failure to reverse austerity-era cuts to free legal aid scheme fees following recent protests by barristers.

Senator Barry Ward, a practising barrister, told the meeting that it was embarrassing and damaging to Fine Gael that it had failed to reverse cuts imposed between 2008 and 2011 in the years since then which had left some barristers earning as little as 25 per case.

Mr Wards comments were supported by former justice minister Charlie Flanagan, a solicitor, who said that young women were being forced out of the profession and young solicitors were leaving the legal aid scheme.

Others at the meeting who were said to have been supportive of Mr Wards comments, included junior minister Josepha Madigan, a family lawyer, and Cork North-Central TD Colm Burke, who is also a solicitor.

Senator Martin Conway, Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell and Kildare North TD Bernard Durkan were also said to have been supportive of Mr Wards comments.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the meeting that he would raise the legal aid fees issue with Justice Minister Simon Harris and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe.

Earlier the meeting heard Mr Varadkar say that the clear message from Government to the retail sector at a meeting of the Retail Forum today is that prices must come down as the input costs decrease.

Mr Varadkar also told the meeting there will be a surplus in public finances this year but that figures for future years were projections. The Taoiseach also pledged a good welfare and pensions package in this years Budget.

He said he was working with colleagues to fix issues with Zoned Land Tax that were raised by several participants at the meeting, including people refused de-zoning of land, developers that have planning permission but it is on appeal or in the courts, and cases where land zoned for residential development cannot be developed in the short to medium term.

The meeting also heard Fine Gael has begun selecting candidates for next years local elections. Mr Varadkar said 80pc of the partys more than 200 councillors would run again and the party is aiming to hold gains made in 2019 and make further ones.

Backlogs in the Passport Office were also raised by former ministers Michael Ring and David Stanton.
Former leader of the Progressive Democrats raises queries on the Incitement to Violence or Hatred Bill 2022, which passed through Dail Eireann and is now for consideration by the Seanad

FORMER Attorney General Michael McDowell has written to Justice Minister Simon Harris raising queries about the inclusion of transgender as a gender in new hate speech laws.

He is asking: Is transgender a gender for the purposes of Irish law?

The ex-leader of the Progressive Democrats is raising queries on the Incitement to Violence or Hatred Bill 2022, which has passed through Dail Eireann and is now for consideration by the Seanad.

Senator McDowell, a former Justice Minister, noted from the wording of the Bill that gender means the gender of a person, or the gender which a person expresses as the persons preferred gender.

The draft legislation also defines gender as that sex with which the person identifies, and includes transgender and a gender other than those of male and female.

His intervention came as Senator Ronan Mullen criticised the Minister for Justice for allegedly smuggling a radical new definition of gender into an already controversial hate speech law.

Senator McDowell, a senior counsel, said the Gender Recognition Act 2015 already provided that if the preferred gender is the male gender, the persons sex becomes that of a man; and if the female gender, the persons sex becomes that of a woman. A certificate would issue to this effect.

On that basis, he said, he had great difficulty in understanding what is intended by the term transgender and the phrase a gender other than those of male and female.

Since one of the purposes of the Bill was to expand protections against hate speech or acts, it seems to me to be important that the Seanad should understand the meaning of the phrases, he said.

He said he had written to the minister to obtain absolute clarity as to what it was intended those terms should mean. He had to ask the questions: Is transgender a gender for the purposes of Irish law? and Can you specify what is meant, in addition to transgender, by any gender other than those of male and female?

Mr McDowell said he was bearing in mind the binary nature of gender recognition certificates as evidenced by the 2015 Act. I await hearing from you as a matter of urgency, he told Justice Minister Simon Harris.

Separately, Senator Mullen commented: Given the many controversial aspects of the Bill, it seems like the Government is smuggling a new definition of gender in the hope that it wont get the scrutiny it needs.

The danger is that concerned citizens, including parents and teachers of school-going children, may feel intimidated about expressing concern about radical new definitions of gender being pushed by the State and activist groups. The Government never consulted with the public about this, he said.

Senator Mullen said the Governments new definition of "gender is one at odds with all previous definitions and with no basis in reality.

On Twitter, he added: Since the foundation of the State, our legislation has always defined gender as binary, while referencing gender identity as something different.

This new definition, he said, conflates gender with gender identity. This is not an accidental mistake in draughtsmanship, he claimed.

The time-honoured, scientific binary definition of male and female will be replaced by a definition which recognises at least 105 genders that are currently internet-listed by gender engaged organisations, Senator Mullen said.

Comment has been sought from the Minister for Justice and his spokespersons.
Radio presenter Gareth OCallaghan will return to the airwaves this weekend after recovering from a serious car crash.

The Classic Hits FM DJ confirmed that he will make his return to radio on Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

Mr OCallaghan had been recovering at Cork University Hospital (CUH) since the collision.

He suffered a broken back, ruptured lung and other injuries as a result of the crash.

Gareth reassured fans that he is recovering and looking forward to being back on air.

The father-of-three was involved in a collision in Cork along with his wife Paula, and daughter Emma in March.

Some great news to share with you this afternoon. At long last, I will be back on air on Saturday morning at 10am on Ireland's Classic Hits so I really hope you can join me, he said in a post online.

Recovery is slow, but I know being back on the radio show will help to move things along. Music is like good medicine.

Ten weeks on, and at last the Spring seems to be slowly throwing on a summer stretch.

Plenty of sunshine (I hope) and good music on the cards this coming Saturday morning. It will be fantastic being back on air at last.

Mr OCallaghan posted on social media on March 17, five days after the incident, to let the public know what had happened.

Thankfully Paula and Emma, who managed to get free from the wreckage, are recovering at home from bad bruising and shock, he said.

We were in heavy, slow-moving traffic on Horgan's Quay at 2.45pm when a car smashed directly into the back of ours, destroying it in seconds.

We are deeply grateful to teams from Cork City Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and the Gardai for taking great care of us. Also, our thanks to those who left their own cars in order to help us ahead of the arrival of the emergency services.

Mr OCallaghan is living with multiple system atrophy - a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, identifiable by symptoms affecting parts of the nervous system that control involuntary action.

In 2021, the broadcaster and writer opened up about the condition. He told Ireland AM on Virgin Media One that the illness progressed until you are literally incapable of doing anything.

CEO of Classic Hits Radio Kevin Branigan said: Were delighted to be welcoming Gareth OCallaghan back to his weekly Saturday show on Irelands Classic Hits Radio this week.

It hasnt been the same without him and Ive no doubt our listeners will be delighted at his return too.
The individual faced possible sanctions over a comment he made comparing the culture of the airport to the Defence Forces

The whistleblower at the centre of security screening claims at Dublin Airport was threatened with disciplinary procedures over a comment he made comparing the culture of the airport to that of the Defence Forces.

DAA, which operates Dublin Airport, told the whistleblower that he may be required to attend a disciplinary meeting as part of formal disciplinary procedures.

Emails to him from DAA, seen by the Irish Independent, state that a post he made on the internal network, Yammer, may be a breach of the companys code of conduct and that an investigation would be carried out.

The post read: truly dreadful report published today regarding the degrading behaviour of irish army officers. thankfully we dont have that culture or any of those traits in the DAA.

He inserted an eye-roll emoji after the comment.

The whistleblower told senior figures at DAA, via email on April 14, that he intended to leave the organisation but he maintains that he did not submit an official resignation.

Emails from senior DAA figures suggest the operator understood his April 14 email to be his resignation.

The individual has tendered his resignation, which has been accepted, a DAA spokesperson said. [He] has attended and concluded his exit interview with our CEO, who thanked him for his service and will leave the business this Friday, May 12.

DAA does not comment on the reasons for individual resignations or departures from Dublin Airport.

The investigation into the whistleblowers post on Yammer has now been halted, which means he will not face disciplinary action.

In an email to senior management, a Siptu representative said apparent attempts to harass him out of the job is nothing short of outrageous and certainly vindicates his view that he has been targeted by management.

The Seanad was told yesterday that the whistleblower faces involuntary termination of his employment.

Independent senator Tom Clonan appealed to DAAs CEO, Kenny Jacobs, to not proceed with the termination of employment.

He told the Seanad the whistleblower is a very senior and very experienced member of staff with decades of experience with security and matters of passenger safety.

He has raised issues relating to systemic failures in the training of the recruited staff, Mr Clonan said.

Im also very alarmed to note that the person who made the protected disclosure faces involuntary termination of his employment on Friday.

I would appeal to the CEO on the board of the DAA not to proceed with this termination of his employment.

It will bring about the perception of corporate reprisal or retaliation on a person of conscience, on a whistleblower.

Mr Clonan called on the Oireachtas transport committee to summon DAA executives before it to answer questions, after they had previously refused to do so, saying they were preparing for the summer season.

The disclosure, handed to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan in the Dail last year, is currently with the Irish Aviation Authority.

The minister was warned that security screening at the airport is not fit for purpose.

Claims in the disclosure alleged that screening at the airport is in a critical situation, leaving possible gaps for explosive devices to slip through and end up on flights.
Eight in 10 employees aged under 35 agreed that they would be more likely to stay in a job if offered mental health and wellbeing initiatives. Stock image   Getty Images

Up to six in 10 employees in medium-to-large companies in Ireland report feeling depressed or down, according to a new survey.

The research looked at the wellbeing of more than 500 employees in medium and large organisations to determine the state of their mental health in a post-pandemic world, and how well supported they felt.

SilverCloud, the digital mental health platform, carried out the research in partnership with Opinions.ie.

It found that work was reported to have a negative impact on the mental health of three in 10 employees over the previous six months.

Younger workers wanted and expected more from their employers.

Around 73pc of employees aged under 35 agree they experience symptoms of poor mental health more frequently than they used to compared with 50pc aged over 35.

Eight in 10 employees aged under 35 agreed that they would be more likely to apply for or stay in a job if offered mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

Read more Stroke victims in Ireland feel abandoned due to lack of mental health supports

Nine in 10 believed that employers have a responsibility to protect the mental health of their staff. And almost eight in 10 feel that their employer is responsible for promoting positive mental health in the workplace.

Within companies that currently offer a digital mental health or wellbeing solution, seven in 10 employees claimed to have availed of it when provided. Nine in 10 said the solution was beneficial to their general wellbeing and mental health.

Dr Dan Duffy, digital health scientist at SilverCloud, said: It is evident from our research that different demographics experience mental health issues in various ways in the workplace and sometimes have different expectations of their employers as regards mental health supports.

However, all employees across the age spectrum do expect a significant level of support and that expectation continues to increase as new generations enter the workforce.

Investing in the wellbeing of employees is in turn an investment in the wellbeing of the business and contributes to the successful future proofing of the business.
Company expects around 850 electric cars to be sold here when it launches next January

Peugeot is anticipating around 1,700 Irish buyers will purchase its latest 2008 crossover when it goes on sale here from next January.

And it is expecting half of those  thats 850 or so  to buy the latest electric version.

Thats a sizeable chunk of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) coming on the market from one marque in one model segment.

It goes to show just how quickly sales of electric cars is expected to change in volume and velocity  on the back of current rising popularity. EV sales outstripped diesel last month, for example.

The remainder of the projected 1,700 buyers will most likely buy a 1.2-litre 3cyl petrol model, according to the Irish distributors.

The French brands car has been given a decent facelift. It has the sort of front that gets you noticed while the interior has been revised too.

But the main advance, from a battery electric vehicle (BEV) perspective, is that it gets a brand new 100pc electric powertrain. They claim it can cover up to 406km on a single charge.

The batterys capacity is now 52.5 kWh (up from 50 kWh) and it can be charged to 80pc in just 30 minutes using a fast charger.

Using a 7kW wallbox charger, a full charge takes 7.5 hours. The range increase, to 406km, is 61km better than the 345km in the previous model.

Range, of course, depends on a variety of factors such as temperature, driving style and speed, but around the 370km/400km mark for a car of this size and calibre is a reasonable target.

The redesigned cars electric motor is capable of producing more power  115 kW (156 hp, and 260 Nm of torque). That should mean theres a nice bit of zip to it with official figures claiming a 0-100 kmh of 8.5 seconds.

In addition to the electric powertrain, the new 2008 has two 1.2-litre 3cyl petrols.

The PureTech 100 is paired with a 6spd manual gearbox, while the more powerful PureTech 130 comes with either an 8spd auto gearbox or a 6spd manual transmission.

There will be a hybrid at some stage next year too.

The new 48v hybrid powertrain comprises a new-generation 136 bhp 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine, and a new 6spd dual-clutch electrified gearbox that includes an electric motor.

For all the changes, the car keeps the same exterior dimension. So it is 4.30m long, 1.987m wide (including mirrors) and 1.55m high. And the boot volume is unchanged at 434 litres (under the parcel shelf).

The most notable changes are focused on the redesign of the front end, as already mentioned, as well as new front and rear light signatures.

Equipment and spec are also improved to keep with the pace of change in cars generally but with electric vehicles in particular.

There is an updated i-Cockpit with new design for the digital instrument cluster and a 10in central touchscreen for all models.

Safety items include adaptive cruise control with stop/go function, extended traffic sign recognition and display, active lane departure warning with lane correction, HD parking aid cameras and enhanced traction with Grip Control.

They will have initial stock in October, but these will be primarily for dealer demos, etc.

The main volume will come onstream from January.
Bianca Jagger: Shame on America if it allows Trump to stand for office. It will be a stain on the White House

At last, a court has shown that there are consequences for sexual assault perpetrated by the most powerful, says the activist Bianca Jagger

Donald Trump   Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Bianca Jagger UK Independent Wed 10 May 2023 at 15:35
Tom McCaughren: The AK-47 in my hands was the same type of gun used by the IRA to kill Det Gda Jerry McCabe
The Minister for Education, Norma Foley, with Mallows three secondary schools during her visit to the town.

THE Minister for Education, Norma Foley, will be in Mallow on Thursday where she will cut the ribbon officially opening the completed extension at Davis College.

During her visit to the North Cork town Minister Foley will also take the opportunity to visit The Patrician Academy, where she will be given an overview of refurbishment works at the school following the fire that devastated a large section of its campus back in 2016.

The Ministers itinerary will also see her visiting St Marys Secondary School.

Mallow-based Cork East Labour TD Sean Sherlock said Minister Foleys visit was a welcome sign of the ongoing progress being made across the post-primary infrastructure within Mallow.

I am delighted that Minister Foley will be visiting the three schools. It is a very positive day for Mallow and sends out a clear signal that we are moving forward and that things are happening in terms of post-primary education in the town, said Deputy Sherlock.

The Department of Education has further signalled it is Minister Foleys intention to return to Mallow sometime after the start of the next school year to visit primary schools in the town.

Deputy Sherlock said that ahead of that, he was hoping to use Thursdays visit to speak to the Minister about certain issues, key among them being the increasing demand for places at local primary schools as the population of Mallow increases.

There is a huge demand for primary places in local schools that does need to be addressed, said Deputy Sherlock.
Campaigners are calling for new legislation to allow Dublin City Council to take back control of waste collection services.

Bin campaigners will take to Leinster House today to protest over the privatisation of bins in Dublin which has become the wild west of waste collection, according to a local councillor.

A group of political parties and trade unions are calling for new legislation to allow Dublin City Council to take back control of waste collection services more than 10 years after private companies took over the market.

Bin collection was controlled by Dublin City Council until 2012. A court case taken by private bin companies resulted in local authorities exiting the market after the council amended the waste management plan.

Dublin City Council currently has little control over the issuing of bin collection licences, and there are now 11 different waste management companies operating in the city.

However, concerns have previously been raised over the reliability, cost and quality of the service if the local authority was to take over again.

Todays protest outside the Dail calling for bin collection to be brought back under public ownership is organised by Sinn Fein, Forsa and SIPTU.

Councillor Daithi Doolan said Dublin has become the wild west of waste collection in Europe.

Ultimately taking the bin service back into public ownership will require the Government introducing legislation to allow Dublin City Council take back the service, said cllr Doolan.

We will be asking TDs from all political parties and Senators to support introducing this legislation as soon as possible.

The recent report by the Institute of Public Administration highlighted that Dublin is the wild west of waste collection services in Europe. The bin companies no longer serve the interest of householders or the environment. This cannot be allowed to continue. The public deserves better than this, said cllr Doolan.

Across Europe the momentum is behind taking local services back under the control of local authorities. Today is an opportunity to become part of that change and to take the bin service back into public ownership.

This will be a benefit to householders struggling with the cost of living crisis and will also benefit tackling climate change, he added.
The river Dodder this morning, May 9th, 2023.

The river Dodder is now clean after Monday nights thunderstorm caused a manhole to blow.

A local said that there was poo and toilet roll everywhere.

Cllr Brian Lawlor has shared the good news that the discharge from the foul line into River Dodder at Firhouse has ceased.

The Firhouse  Bohernabreena representative told Independent.ie: There were huge piles of water last night you wouldnt believe it.

It was due to the volume of rainfall last night; the system couldnt take it. Coming down off the hill at Ballycullen and Firhouse, a manhole cover came off with the excess water. There was a huge amount of water that washed into the Weir.

It lasted from about 7.00pm until 9.00pm Monday night.

River Dodder clean after thunderstorm causes manhole to blow sewage everywhere

Most of the water wouldve been rainwater, but it was mixed with the wastewater.

Theyre clearing it up, a new path got washed away. Irish Inland Fisheries were there this morning, they did all the tests. The oxygen levels were in range, so there were no dead fish.

According to Irish Inland Fisheries this morning, dissolved oxygen and conductivity readings are all normal at locations above and directly below discharge point.

Conductivity readings were taken at several locations downstream of discharge point and all within acceptable range.

No fish mortalities recorded at the same monitoring locations.

SDCC is arranging clean up and sanitation of the area surrounding the discharge location.

Inland Fisheries Ireland will continue to monitor the river Dodder.
The Piece of Mind survey found 78pc of young people struggled with their mental health   Anna Gowthorpe

Young people in Ireland need help at primary level, it has been claimed after a survey found over two-thirds admitted problems with their mental health.

The findings of A Piece of My Mind  Childrens Mental Health Survey by the Ombudsman for Childrens Office, published last week, highlights the mental health difficulties faced by 12-17 years olds.

Of the 2,166 young people were surveyed, 78pc admitted their mental health is not good.

Dublin TD Mark Ward, Sinn Feins spokesperson on Mental Health, is now calling on the Government to act urgently in the area of child and youth mental health.

78pc of young people in that survey said their mental health is not good and sometimes theyre feeling low, stressed and anxious. Its concerning. Its over three quarters, he said.

Early intervention is key. CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is there for mental health difficulties that young people have, but if they get the help that they need at primary level, theyre less likely to need these services.

There needs to be more investment into Jigsaw and even the likes of youth groups, their workers should be able to provide mental health support if they were given the proper resources and training.

I have regularly highlighted the increasing waiting list for CAMHS, with record highs of over 4,400 waiting for a first-time appointment, and of these 682 waiting more than a year.

What was alarming from this report was that 60pc of young people who attended CAMHS in the last year, had difficulty accessing the service.

42pc said that CAMHS did not help with their mental health issues. Where are these children supposed to go? he added.

Sinn Fein TD Mark Ward has called for urgent action on the issue by government

The top five causes of mental health difficulties for children were pressure in school (74pc), body image (65pc), friendships or relationships (61pc), social media pressure (48pc) and bullying (47pc).

More girls than boys struggled with their mental health (55pc compared with 44pc), while of the 6pc of non-binary children or those who identified as other, almost all (94pc) said they had some sort of mental health difficulties.

Meanwhile, Mr Ward, a TD for the Dublin Mid-West constituency, said he is also seeing an increase in mental health issues due to the housing crisis.

There is a connection between housing and mental health. I find this in my community, he said.

When a parent is stressed, the child could be suffering from anxiety and stress because of the concern of where theyre going to stay in a couple of weeks time, a couple of months time.

Even though the parents are doing their best to shield their children from that stress, its still being passed onto them.

This is a recent phenomenon where young people are experiencing stress because of insecure tenancy of where theyre living at the moment, he added.

Six in ten children who attended CAMHS in the past year had difficulty accessing the service, with nearly half of them (42pc) saying the service they finally received didnt help with their mental health issues.

Mental health issues mostly occur in young people between the ages of 12 and 25. At the moment, the CAMHS service only caters until the age of 18, Mr Ward said.

The government has said theyre looking to extend CAMHS to 25, but they havent done that.

This report is another indictment of the response by the Government to address this crisis in young peoples mental health.

Early intervention is key in preventing the development of chronic, long-term mental ill-health and can reduce the increased need for CAMHS by young people. This needs to be resourced.

The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, said: Childrens mental health and the state of CAMHS are a major concern for the OCO.

In our report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child last year, mental health emerged as the key issue, so we wanted to drill down deeper into it.

We must remember that for children to have to turn to CAMHS in the first place they have to be really struggling with their mental health.

So, 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, they feel that the standard of those services falls short.

The children surveyed emphasised the need to have proper mental support available to them in school.

The picture painted by children in this report, particularly around mental health services, is very worrying.

With almost 12,000 children on waiting lists for primary care psychology services and 4,270 of those waiting for more than a year, it is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently, he added.
THREE men and a boy in his late teens have been sent forward for trial charged with the murder of a man at Rath cemetery in Tralee in October 2022.

Thomas Tom Dooley (43) from Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, died after he was attacked by a group of men at Rath Cemetery in Tralee on October 5, 2022 shortly after he; his wife and four of his seven children had attended the funeral of a close family friend.

His wife Siobhan also suffered serious injuries in the course of the attack.

Mr Dooley was treated at the scene in the graveyard by paramedics before being rushed by ambulance the short distance to University Hospital Kerry where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Four people  three men and a male juvenile  have since been charged with the murder of Mr Dooley, including his brother Patrick Dooley (35) with an address at Arbutus Grove, Killarney.

Two other men, Mr Dooleys cousin Thomas Dooley (42) and that mans son, Thomas Dooley Jnr (20), both of Bay 10, Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork have also been charged with the murder.

Thomas Dooley Jnr is also charged with assault causing serious harm to Siobhan Dooley.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons is also charged with Tom Dooleys murder and with the with production of an article likely to intimidate, or capable of causing serious injury, while committing or appearing to commit serious harm to Siobhan Dooley on the same date.

The four appeared before Judge David Waters at Tralee District Court on Wednesday morning where they were sent forward for trial at the Central Criminal Court and remanded in continuing custody.
Staff held a celebration retirement dinner at the Ashe Hotel in Tralee to celebrate Anne OCallaghans illustrious 25-year career in school

Staff from CBS The Green past and present join Anne OCallaghan at a function to mark her retirement as Principal of CBS The Green in The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Mark O'Sullivan.

Former Principal of CBS The Green Anne OCallaghan was the guest of honour at the Ashe Hotel in Tralee last Friday night as staff, both past and present, gathered to celebrate her recent retirement.

Anne officially bid farewell to the school just over four months ago back in December but it was testament to how highly thought of the 25-year veteran of the school is that so many of her former colleagues - over 50 in total - came out to send her off in style.

At the dinner, old stories were swapped and tributes were in full flow for Anne with new and current principal Robert Flaherty using his speech on the night to give his former boss a glowing tribute. Before she was a teacher, Anne attended Presentation Secondary School in Tralee and was an avid traveller, venturing to New York for a year in the mid 1980s before heading to Sweden where she spent two years teaching in Stockholm after which it was off to London.

It was in 1996 that she returned home to Kerry and was working with St John of God in Tralee before she made a return to the classroom in 1997 when she took up a subbing role in The Green. From here on, the rest is history as she was offered a full-time position a year later and in 2011, her star rose even further when she was named as Deputy Principal. It was in September 2012 that she was given the top job which came at an exciting time for the school when the major new extension was just completed.

Married to a Castleisland man, Michael, who is also retired, Anne is currently enjoying the trappings of retirement.
Rehearsing Big Iron (on his hip) from the upcoming concert in Ballisodare are from left: Caragh Hogan, Amber McDonald, Jack Fox, Leah McGlinchey, Trevor Horan, Isabelle Meehan, T.J. Fox, Hazel Parkes, Greg Kelly.

Looking for something to do in Sligo this week? Well The Sligo Champion has got you covered. Heres our guide to the ten best things to do this week in Sligo.

TRAD@LUNCH

Kicking off the Trad@lunch 2023 series the Hawks Well is delighted to welcome back young curators flute teacher for many years, Michael Hurley this Wednesday 10th May at 1.10pm. This great musician from Leeds, is a long time South Sligo resident and will treat you to a lunchtime of exceptional music in the company of daughter Deirdre Hurley on flute and John Blake on guitar.

BALLISODARE CONCERT

The members of the local Foroige Club in Ballisodare are busy rehearsing for an upcoming concert at 8pm on the 11th May at St. Brigids Church Corhownagh Ballisodare to celebrate their end of season with the Lost & Found Music Club. This is a free concert. The music club has been in existence since 2013 and has grown in strength over the years. The teenagers in the club perform a mix of pop, soul, rap, folk, country and rock songs.

YES AND YES

Hawks Well Theatre is delighted to welcome back leading Irish choreographer Liz Roche and her company to create a brand-new dance piece, YES and YES on Friday 12th May, to mark 100 years since the first publication of James Joyces Ulysses, one of the most important works of modern literature.

CHILDRENS ART HOUR

The Models first ever Childrens Art Hour launches on Wednesday 10 May. These art sessions for children 8  12 years will take place in the Earth Gallery. The sessions will explore themes in the exhibition using colour, pigments and natural materials. A special artists studio for kids will be available to work from. A great experience every Wednesday after school from 3.30pm for one hour. Limited spaces available. Admission only 2 per child, booking available on our website, spaces are limited.

TOM OLLDENDORFF

Guitarist Tom Ollendorff is fast becoming one of the most exciting young guitarists to emerge on the UK and international jazz scenes, and now hes headed for the Hawks Well on Sunday 14th May, 8pm. Tom is known for his highly distinctive sound which blends virtuosic guitar playing with sophisticated harmonic and melodic ideas, whilst always keeping room for nuance and sensitivity.

ELVIS TRIBUTE ACT

Former Sligo Rovers player Marcus Hallows will perform a one off Elvis tribute show this Friday, May 12th at Lola Montez as a fundraiser for Sligo Roves. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the League Cup victory against Shelbourne, the squad of 1998 will be in attendance. Tickets are 15 and can be purchased via eventbrite.ie

WALK FOR HOPE

A Walk for Hope will take place in Geevagh on Sunday, May 14th to raise funds for North West STOP. The event begins at 4.30am and is organised by Geevagh GAA Club in conjunction with Lidl and LGFA. Entry is 10.

VINTAGE TRACTOR RUN

A vintage tractor run will take place on Sunday, May 14th in Easkey in aid of Easkey Foroige Club. Registration takes place at Easkey GAA pitch at 11am and costs 20. The tractor run will start at midday and there will be a family fun day afterwards.

THE TAKEOVER

Transition Year students are taking over the Hawks Well Theatre on Tuesday, May 16th. You will be welcomed with a fantastic and dazzling array of theatre, music and poetry, performed by talented young Sligo people from both Summerhill College and the Mercy College. It is entirely a show of their own interests, their own choices and their own making.

MUGD

Sligos newest band MUGd will play their debut gig at Fureys, Bridge Street, this Friday, May 12th. MUGD play rock, blues and punk. Admission is free.
Lady Bird (2017) BBC3, 10p.m.

Although Lady Bird isnt strictly autobiographical, writer-director Greta Gerwig draws on fond memories of her Californian hometown for a beautifully observed study of mother-daughter relationships and youthful exuberance in turn of the 21st-century Sacramento.

This exquisite coming-of-age comedy drama is a near perfect confluence of direction, writing and performance, which elicits tears and laughter in generous equal measure. Gerwig has a sharp ear for the ebb and flow of pithy conversations between friends and family and her script is infused with unabashed warmth for the well-drawn characters.

Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf are delightful as the spunky title character and her hard-working mother, who generate friction every time they are in bickering proximity.

THURSDAY

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) BBC4, 9p.m.

Banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover in Forties America and receives two consecutive life sentences. Winding up in the oppressive Shawshank Prison, he encounters peril every step of the way from both his fellow inmates and the brutal guards. However, after making a few friends, including Red (Morgan Freeman), he comes to adapt to life behind bars and over time starts to change the penitentiary for the better.

One of the most acclaimed dramas of all time, the story is both tragic and uplifting. Spanning a period of nearly two decades, the movie charts the change in culture over time, and the way in which it can stand still for those who are cut off from the world.

FRIDAY

Carrie (1976) Channel 4, 12.10a.m.

A shy teenager (Sissy Spacek, in a touching performance) who has been brought up in isolation by her religious mother (a deliciously deranged Piper Laurie) develops strange telekinetic powers. She tries to keep them under control until the taunting of her classmates and some cruel practical jokes tip her over the edge  and she unleashes Hell at the school prom.

Wrongly dismissed by some movie-goers as just another horror film, this is a far cry from todays current outpouring of gruesome slasher flicks. Its carefully crafted, beautifully paced, and builds towards a climax that is devastating in its power. Brian De Palmas direction is assured, and the tone is creepy and claustrophobic rather than terrifying.

SATURDAY

Total Recall (1990) ITV, 10.40p.m.

Doug Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker in 2084 who dreams of going to Mars. Rather than make the journey, he turns to a company that specialises in implanting fake holiday memories, only to discover that his mind has already been tampered with and that he may have been there for real. To find his true identity, he sets off on a trip to the red planet and does battle with its evil governor.

Paul Verhoevens gory thriller was billed as one of the first great sci-fi films of the 1990s, and it certainly lived up to that promise with eye-popping special effects and an attention-grabbing role for Sharon Stone. Loosely based on Philip K Dicks short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, Total Recall is fast, furious and far more memorable than the 2012 remake.

SUNDAY

The Mauritanian (2021) BBC2, 10p.m.

In November 2001, the head of Mauritanias intelligence service spirits away Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) from a wedding for questioning about his cousin and brother-in-law Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, whose ties to al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden are red flags for the Americans.

Three years later, German newspaper Der Spiegel publishes an article claiming Mohamedou is being held at Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being one of the organisers of the September 11 attacks. French lawyer Emmanuel Coste (Denis Menochet) brings the case to the attention of no-nonsense criminal defence lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster).

Based on Mohamedou Ould Slahis harrowing memoir written during detention on Cuban soil, The Mauritanian is a slow-burning drama, enlivened by the performances, particularly Fosters rabble rouser.

MONDAY

Jojo Rabbit (2019) Film4, 9p.m.

Taika Waititi directs, writes and stars in an offbeat comedy drama adapted from the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunen, which recounts one episode of suffering and redemption during the Second World War through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy.

The diminutive hero is Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who lives in Germany with his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson). The youngster is an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth and even has Adolf Hitler (Waititi) as an imaginary friend.

So, hes shocked when he discovers a Jewish girl called Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in a crawl space adjoining the bedroom of his late sister. The boy intends to notify the authorities, but Elsa points out that Jojos mother would be executed for harbouring a Jew, so he is compelled to hold his tongue.

TUESDAY

Moonlight (2016) BBC2, 11.15p.m.

Twelve-year-old Chiron (Alex Hibbert) is one of the smallest boys in his year and an obvious target for bullies. Any beatings pale next to the pain inflicted by his mother Paula (Naomie Harris), who is a slave to her drug habit.

Her neglect drives Chiron into the arms of Paulas dealer, Juan (Mahershala Ali), and his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae), who try to provide a stable home environment as the lad contends with growing pains. Chiron grows into an awkward 16-year-old (now played by Ashton Sanders) and recognises his attraction to best friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome). Many years later, Chiron (now played by Trevante Rhodes) and Kevin (now played by Andre Holland) are reunited.

Writer-director Barry Jenkins Oscar-winning drama is an extraordinary film of naked emotion, broken dreams and deep longing.
Given the military debacle continuing in Ukraine the annual show of strength on 'Victory' Day in Moscow' looks ludicrous.   AP

this week marks the 78th anniversary of Russia and the Allies victory over Nazi Germany in May of 1945.
Aidan was bitten by a fully vaccinated regular little pet

A woman whose partner is in intensive care after being rushed to hospital with septic shock just three days after a dog bite, has been overwhelmed by the support they have received.

The Losach family - childhood sweethearts Jeannie, who is originally from Bray, Aidan and their two young children  were hit by tragedy when, on March 8, Aidan, a healthy and fit young man who was in the middle of building the family home, was rushed to hospital with septic shock and was admitted to ICU.

Two weeks later, Aidan (38) had a bleed to the brain. He was rushed to Beaumount Hospital for emergency, life-saving surgery and subsequently spent two weeks in an induced coma.

Since coming out of the coma, his progress has been really slow. Aidan has not been able to regain full consciousness or physical movement.

The medical professionals cannot be certain what his recovery pathway will look like, psychically or cognitively and it has been putting an enormous strain on the rest of the family. They have been told he will be in hospital or rehabilitation for at least six months or up to a year, but the uncertainty is causing untold distress.

Jeannie, who is pregnant with their third child, has been travelling to the hospital from her home in south Wicklow visiting Aidan for over the past two months and is struggling to come to terms with her partners situation. She is also trying to raise awareness of just how serious sepsis is, after the speed with which it struck down her partner.

When Aidan began to get sick in the first place, she said, we thought it was a really bad virus. He was vomiting and had really bad shivers and then less than 12 hours later he was in a state of septic shock with multiple organ failure. So its very important that we raise awareness of the symptoms of sepsis.

The cause of the infection was from a dog bite, Jeannie said, but added that while sepsis is perceived as rare, Aidan is currently one of four cases of sepsis in the community at the moment that she had been informed of.

It can happen from a multitude of different things, its like an adverse reaction of the immune system to a bacteria, an infection, so I could have been bitten by the same dog and would not have reacted in the same way, she said.

The dog in question was not a stray, nor was it a dangerous breed. It was a fully vaccinated regular little pet that was known to the family.

Im always confused about how best to use the word irony, Jeannie said, but he [Aidan] was bitten by a dog in Thailand years ago, and that was a scary, rogue dog and it didnt have the same outcome. This was so random, which is why we want to get the message out there that people need to be aware of the symptoms. There were no signs of infection in the hand, it was very superficial.

What I really want to get across is that, if we had left this any longer, Aidan might not have made it at all. But there was something telling me I needed to get him somewhere, even though in my head I was still thinking I was overreacting.

Aidan is currently making some small progress every day, and Jeannie added that while it is too early to tell, we are hopeful. But the tragedy was a serious blow to the familys dreams of building their home.

Over the last two years Aidan has been working on the house to the stage of roof and windows being fitted, laying the blocks solely by himself. The week before Aidan got critically ill, they were at the final stages of mortgage approval. Their family's life-long dream to build their own home was about to be fulfilled. Since this life threatening incident, Aidan cannot finish the house build and Jeannie cannot get mortgage approval on her own.

Aidan was the builder, Jeannie said, he was pretty much single-handedly building the house. He did all the brickwork himself and had a bit of help from friends along the way, and some help with the roof and windows but he laid 5,000 bricks himself during lockdown. But its still literally a shell, its just the bricks, the windows and the roof.

Jeannie, who works for the charity Marys Meals, a global movement which helps community-run school feeding programmes in some of the worlds poorest areas, said she has been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of people, and thankful to the friends and family for organising the fundraising page, which has so far raised over 36,000.

The family initially approached DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland to help with their house building project, but the applications had closed.

So with the help of friends, they started a Gofundme page. It is hoped the money raised will give Jeannie and her family the security needed for their future family home, and that they will have a place to support Aidan's recovery from brain injury.

While the family are so grateful for the financial support they are receiving, any tradesmen who are willing to volunteer some time for the house build can also reach out by email and devote any time they have. The family will develop a timeline of works to be completed around volunteers available.

To donate to Jeannie and Aidans fundraising page, go to: gofund.me/7643435b

If you would like to volunteer your time as a tradesman please email: Aidanandjeanniesbuild@gmail.com
DUNLAVIN Parents Group have organised a celebration of World Cultural Diversity Day taking place in the Imaal Hall on Sunday May 21.

Very aptly titled Dunlavin Welcomes, everyone is invited along to honour this day and celebrate the diversity now so evident in the Dunlavin community.

The event promises to be both exciting and meaningful and aims to celebrate the richness of cultures. Dunlavin now has children attending the primary school from over 25 different parts of the world and their presence can only strengthen the community as new friendships are formed and new cultures explored.

On the day, prepare to be entertained by captivating displays and exhibitions that will showcase the traditions, art and cuisines from all corners of the globe. There will also be an exhibition of childrens art work, a capoeira demonstration, Irish dancing, drumming and much more.

If anyone attending would like to bring along a small sample of their favourite food, it would add to the interest and excitement.

Please contact dunlavinonline@gmail.com if you would like to get involved or have any questions.

Dunlavin Welcomes takes place from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Sunday, May 21.
Minister Joe O'Brien with Louise Rooney and Rev. Jack Kincaid of the Wicklow Welcomes, Laurie Whelehan and Liz Dunne of the Wicklow Partnership.

MINISTER of State Joe OBrien met with representatives from a number of community initiatives during his recent visit to Wicklow town.

The Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development with responsibility for Community Development and Charities met each of the groups in the Centre for Education and Resourcing Travellers (CEART), including volunteers and staff representing Wicklow PPN, County Wicklow Volunteer Centre, Wicklow Welcomes, County Wicklow Partnership and Wicklow County Council.

He was provided with a quick tour of CEART, home to Wicklow Travellers Group and the Shuttleknit social enterprise, before taking some time to have tea and chat with the groups about their work in facilitating community action and volunteering, as well as supporting some of the more vulnerable members in our society.

Helen Howes, Wicklow PPN Resource Worker said: We were delighted when we received word that the Minister wanted to stop in Wicklow Town on his journey through the county and meet some of the passionate and dedicated community activists within our community groups and services. He was genuinely interested and supportive of our efforts in promoting citizen engagement and inclusion in the county.

Leah Kinsella, manager of Wicklow Volunteer Centre said: It is wonderful to see a Minister take such an interest in volunteering and especially in how volunteering can help people new to Ireland to integrate into their communities.

The Minister continued his journey with a final stop at the Direct Provision Centre in the Grand Hotel before returning to Leinster House.

Speaking about his visit to Wicklow, Minister OBrien said: This was a wonderful opportunity to hear about some of the many projects across the county that are supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Social Protection, as well as broader Government.

It was also an opportunity for me to engage with local representatives, community groups, staff and volunteers to hear first-hand about the challenges and issues that are arising. This immense work that is ongoing across the county cannot be underestimated and we will continue to engage to ensure projects are supported to continue their vital work.
A pipe is leaking sewage beside where Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters berths his vessel

A faulty storm water pipe is pumping sewage into the river at the South Quay in Wicklow town and impacting on a boat chartering business which berths its vessel right beside the pipe.

Kit Dunne has been operating Wicklow Boat Charters from the South Quay for the past 14 years and has flagged the faulty pipe with harbour officials and Wicklow County Council in the past, to no avail.

The pipe which is leaking sewage into the harbour.

Kit said: It appears to be raw sewage mixed with surface water. The storm drain is only meant for surface water but sewage is getting into it and is being pumped into the river.

The smells are completely disgusting and you can get them on dry days as well. Im trying to run a business here but life isnt made easy with the foul odours. It doesnt give a good impression of Wicklow or the harbour to any visitors. At the end of the day I dont want stinking sewage in the river right beside my boat.

The issue came to a head four years ago when the berthing position for Kits boat was moved to accommodate a temporary berth at South Quay for the Wicklow RNLI relief lifeboat, which pushed Kits berth right beside the pipe leaking sewage.

At times there is a constant smell coming from the pipe. I was in the boat last week and there was a horrible stench for the whole three hours. We had some stormy weather last week as well and within 20 minutes of the rain starting, you could see the sewage pumping out of the pipe. It was like something you would see in a third world country. My boat is hemmed in right beside the pipe and there is nowhere else I can go, added Kit.

Wicklow Boat Charters attracts hundreds of anglers to Wicklow Harbour each year but Kit has genuine concerns over the planned expansion of his business while the pipe is still leaking sewage into the river.

The pipe is around two foot in diameter and it has a flat lid on it. Its a big cast iron pipe and you can see the sewage coming right out of it, sometimes with bits of toilet paper as well. Im investing in a new vessel at a cost of 300,000 and I dont see how I can develop my business if my new boat is right beside a stinking sewer.

Its an issue I have raised time and time again but nothing has been done. There are other issues I have flagged with the Harbour Office and Wicklow County Council, including security, water, lighting and electricity issues, but the most pressing issue is the sewage coming from the pipe. Its becoming more and more difficult to operate a business when you have to contend with sewage going into the water and the foul and disgusting smells.

Cllr Mary Kavanagh has discussed the issues with Kit and she is also chasing up the matter with the relevant officials. Last Tuesday a No Swimming Notice was put in place at Wicklow Harbour due to storm water overflow into the harbour. The swimming ban was lifted on Thursday following further testing of the water.

Cllr Kavanagh said: I have been onto everybody about this problem, including Wicklow County Council, Wicklow Municipal District, the Harbour Master ad Irish Water. Sewage shouldnt be mixing with surface water and coming out of a overflow storm drain. I dont know yet what is causing it but it is totally unsatisfactory to have sewage going into the harbour. The smells are appalling and you can only imagine the damage that is being caused to marine and sea life.

Wicklow Swimming Club use the harbour for their swims and they have to be constantly on the alert and having to cancel races at the last minute because of high-levels of e-coli in the water. Its a completely unacceptable level of sewage going into the water. Councillors have a clinic with Irish Water this week and I will be raising the matter with them, as ultimately it is their responsibility to ensure something like this doesnt happen.

Cllr Kavanagh also raised the matter at Mondays meeting of Wicklow County Council and Chief Executive Emer OGorman said she would make sure the problem was properly investigated.
THREE males were arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning for the attempted theft of a number of vehicles in Rathnew.

Wicklow Garda Station received call from a concerned member of the public who witnessed what they believed was a number of youths attempting to interfere with their car parked outside.

Gardai were sent to the scene and intercepted three vehicles in Wicklow town. The three suspects were detained at Wicklow Garda Station and have all since been released, pending a referral to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme. None of the youths are from the Wicklow area.

The three cars they were driving were also seized as it was suspected they were stolen from somewhere outside of County Wicklow. Said vehicles were imported from outside of the European market and Gardai would like to remind the public of the security vulnerabilities associated with such vehicles.

Earlier this year, statistics from An Garda Siochana showed a growth in car theft and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle offences. This is driven by the theft of second-hand imported cars from outside Europe, and may be due to the lack of security features in the most commonly stolen imported vehicles.

For instance, many second-hand car imports do not have a fully fitted car alarm system or are without a fitted immobiliser. This makes them vulnerable to hot-wiring. If the model has a keyless ignition it has proven possible to pick up a signal from the key fob from within the house where it is parked.

Buyers should check the security features of their vehicles and make decisions relating to augmenting security For cars without an immobiliser, an additional steering wheel lock or chain should be considered.
Philip Glenister: New policeman role is total opposite to Life On Mars character (Zak Hussein/PA)   Zak Hussein

Philip Glenister says his new role as a policeman in upcoming BBC drama Steeltown Murders is totally the opposite to his well-known character Gene Hunt from Life On Mars.

The British actor, who starred in the 2006 show alongside John Simm, said he felt a sense of responsibility when portraying real-life DCI Paul Bethell in the new series.

Steeltown Murders is a four-part drama series based on the real life Llandarcy murders.

Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, it centres on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area of south Wales.

The mystery was solved almost 30 years later using pioneering DNA evidence  the first of its kind.

The British actor plays real-life DCI Paul Bethell in new BBC drama series Steeltown Murders (Ian West/PA)   Ian West

Glenister has acted in roles from both time periods, with Life On Mars being set in 1973 and Clocking Off, which is set in the early noughties.

Speaking about his role in Steeltown Murders, he said: I think its a responsibility and its a privilege.

Its interesting because I havent played a policeman since Gene Hunt in (2008s) Ashes to Ashes.

I am so aligned with that role, so its really  not to use the word exciting, but  I wanted to play another policeman and this was totally the opposite to Gene Hunt in many respects.

Paul Bethell is a real person and Gene Hunt is fictional.

The real Paul Bethell has been closely involved in the project and has been on set while filming took place.

Glenister said Mr Bethell had been so laid back and he had been able to ask him questions to prepare for the role, but had not wanted to be bogged down by perfecting his mannerisms.

I am not so much interested in that, rather his thoughts on how he worked on the case, he said.

He continued: I think the overall feeling is that its a responsibility to serve the story because there are obviously family members.

We have to serve the story and them above all and respect them. I think respect is the word.

When its based on something that is real and so traumatic because it involves three teenage girls, and having daughters myself, it hits you.

Its unimaginable what the families have gone through. I havent sort of looked at it as a thriller, to me, its more a drama-documentary that we are making.

Actors John Simm (right) and Philip Glenister, who play Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt, arrive at the special screening of the final episode of Life On Mars (PA)   Joel Ryan

You want it to be entertaining, educational and informative, all the things you want in a good drama. So, hopefully we have done it justice.

Steeltown Murders also stars Scott Arthur, as a younger Paul Bethell, Steffan Rhodri, Sion Alun Davies, Nia Roberts, Elinor Crawley and Sita Anwar.

It was written by Ed Whitmore and directed by Marc Evans.

Evans said he hoped the main takeaway from the series would be a better understanding of the story and that it would shed light on the brave and diligent work of the police officers involved.

But equally, speaking as a Welsh filmmaker I always like to think that people come and visit us through these dramas and that theyll get a slice of who we are as a culture, as an area, he said.

Its where Im from and its an extra motivation for me making stuff which is from here.

I think its nice on a very basic level seeing our world out there on the big screen both in terms of network and internationally.

Steeltown Murders begins at 9pm on Monday May 15 on BBC One, with all episodes then available on BBC iPlayer.
Police officers at the scene in Priory Road, Dartford, Kent, a woman has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being held hostage at her home, witnesses have said. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. Joseph Draper/PA Wire   PA
A 17-year-old boy has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years for stabbing a 14-year-old boy to death in Croydon in 2021. Jermaine Cools was fatally stabbed with a machete in Croydon, south London, on November 18 2021. The unarmed child was the youngest fatality involving knife crime in the capital that year.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza kill at least 10 civilians  including several children  and three Palestinian militants

The attacks set the stage for what is likely to be a new round of heavy fighting

A boy reacts during the funeral of senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Tareq Izzeldeen, who was killed in an Israeli strike along with two of his children, in Gaza City yesterday. Photo: Reuters   REUTERS

Fares Akram Wed 10 May 2023 at 03:30






The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel.

Palestinian militants have fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, in a first response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes that have killed 19 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.
Daniel Perry enters the 147th District Courtroom at the Travis County Justice Centre for his sentencing (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP/PA)   Mikala Compton

A US Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in a Texas prison on Wednesday for killing a man at a protest against police brutality in 2020, setting the stage for Governor Greg Abbott to make good on a pledge to grant a pardon.
Images by IBNS

Kolkata: Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata has awarded honorary Doctor of Literature degree to industry doyen Ratan Tata and a host of renowned personalities from diverse walks of life at its inaugural convocation in Kolkata.

The honorary D.Litt. has also been conferred upon UstadAmjad Ali Khan, the sarod maestro.

Established in 2017, Sister Nivedita University, a multi-disciplinary university, had Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose, HonableGovernor, West Bengal as the Chief Guest at the convocation ceremony at the BiswaBangla Convention Centre.

Receiving the honorary Doctor of Literature degree at the convocation ceremony were

 Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus Tata Sons & Tata Group

 Chandra Sekhar Ghosh, MD & CEO, Bandhan Bank

 Manishankar Mukherjee, Writer, Novelist & Researcher

 SanghamitraBandopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute

 Martin Kampchen, Eminent Author, Translator, Journalist & Social Worker

 Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Eminent Sarod Player

Addressing students, faculty and guests, Bose said, Sister Nivedita University has carved out a niche for itself as an institution in the pursuit of excellence that upholds the noble traditions and values, represented by the saintly Sister Nivedita. This temple of learning represents worship of knowledge which enriches, ennobles and enlightens society. Rooted in the tradition, culture and milieu of Bharat, the Sister Nivedita University has dedicated itself to the dissemination of dharma through education. On the occasion of the first convocation of the University, I wish its founding fathers, the teachers, the students and all those who form the vibrant team Gods best to turn this institution into a mascot of the best that India stands for.

Welcoming guests to the inaugural convocation, Shri, Satyam Roychowdhury, Chancellor, Sister Nivedita University, said, Education has seen far reaching changes in the last few years. As new technology, methods of pedagogy and approaches to learning bring in paradigm shifting changes, educationists and educational institutions need to evolve into crucibles for future preparedness. Sister Nivedita University is driven by this same focus and inquisitiveness to understand and define the future. As we mark this auspicious day, we are inspired by the presence, amongst us, of some of the most well-known achievers of modern India. I urge the students of the University to take inspiration from them as they continue their academic journey.

DhrubajyotiChattopadhyay, Vice- Chancellor, Sister Nivedita University handed over the degrees to the recipients thereafter.
UNI

Bengaluru: Voting for Karnataka election began from 7 am on Wednesday to vote for electing a new 224-member assembly.

In a three-way contest in the state, the ruling BJP aims to break a 38-year jinx in the southern state, which has never voted an incumbent party to power since 1985.

The Congress is hoping to return to power by making 40 per cent sarkara charges against the ruling party, while the JDS could look to play a king-makers role on May 13.

Making an appeal to the voters, Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged them to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state.

To give a push for the BJP in the hustings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 19 public meetings and held six roadshows. Union Home Minister Amit Shah held 16 public rallies and 14 roadshows, and BJP National President JP Nadda held 10 public meetings and 16 roadshows.

"On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights," Shah tweeted.

Among the the first of the BJP leaders who cast her vote was Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and his family members including his son and BJP candidate BY Vijayendra in Jayanagar polling station in Bengaluru and Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga district.

Both BJP and Congress parties have fielded some of their top leaders in major constituencies as Varuna (BJP's V Sommana vs Congress' Siddaramaiah), Hubballi-Dharwad Central (BJP's Mahesh Tenginkai vs Jagadish Shettar), Channapatna (JDS' HD Kumaraswamy), Shhigaon (CM Basavaraj Bommai), Kanakapura (BJP's R Ashok vs Congress' DK Shivakumar), and Athani (BJP's Mahesh Kumatahalli vs Congress' Laxman Savadi) among others.

The BJP is gambling on fielding 70-odd new faces in its 224 candidates list, which led some of the heavyweight leaders to quit the party and either join Congress or the JDS.

The high-octane campaign for assembly elections ended on Monday.

(With UNI inputs)
New Delhi/UNI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on May 12, Friday, the plea filed by the makers of the movie, The Kerala Story, challenging the decision of the West Bengal government to ban the screening of the movie in the State.

Senior lawyer and former Solicitor General (SG) of India, Harish Salve, appearing for the film producer's, said that this is the petition challenging the ban by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on the movie.

"We are losing money everyday and now another state says they will do the same. Please consider the hearing," Salve told the Supreme Court.

After hearing the mentining by Salve, the bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, said, we will list it on Friday, and asked him to serve copies on the State of WB.

The makers of the movie, The Kerala Story, had moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging the decision of the West Bengal government to ban screening of the movie in the State.

The West Bengal government had, on May 8, ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial film in the State to avoid any incident of hatred and violence.

The plea also challenged the ban imposed on the movie by the State of Tamil Nadu by issuing an alert anticipating protests in connection with the release of the film due to which theatres in the State withdrew the film.

Pertinently, the plea challenged the Constitutional validity of Section 6(1) of the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1954 under which the West Bengal government issued the order banning the film.

The Kerala Story is a Hindi film about a group of women from Kerala who join ISIS. The film was released on May 5.

The West Bengal order stated that the public exhibition of the film is likely to cause breach of peace and that an order under Section 6(1) of the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1954 prohibiting the exhibition of the film in the State was required to be passed to avoid any incident of hatred and violence in order to maintain peace and law and order situation in the State.

"Any such ban, it has been repeatedly held, would constitute an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India to engage in free speech.

"The stifling of the right to free speech of the Petitioner, that too on a mere apprehension of unsubstantiated considerations of law and order cannot withstand scrutiny under the Constitutional scheme," said the petition.

The plea, therefore, also sought directions to the States to provide police protection to theatre owners and the audience for public exhibition of the film.

The Kerala High Court had, on May 5, refused to stay the release of the film. A bench of Justices N Nagaresh and Sophy Thomas, after watching the teaser and the trailer of the movie, determined that it did not contain anything against Islam or Muslims as a whole but was about the terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Appeal against the same is pending before the top court and will be heard on May 15, Monday.
Kolkata/IBNS: A major fire broke out at a commercial building in Kolkata's Dalhousie area on Wednesday morning, reports said.

According to reports, the fire was first noticed on the rooftop canteen of the building located near Raj Bhavan in central Kolkata at around 10:30 am.

As many as 10 fire tenders rushed to the scene and firemen are currently continuing firefighting operations.

No casualty has been reported so far.

After visiting the area, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said all were evacuated from the building and none was trapped inside.
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inspected the site of the massive fire break-out at Saraf House near Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

After monitoring the situation, she assured of all possible assistance and support and prayed for the safety of one and all.

Panic gripped the office area in downtown Kolkata this noon as a devastating fire erupted at Saraf House near Raj Bhawan.

Governor C V Ananda Bose seeing the plumes of smoke billowing out of the affected building came out of Raj Bhawan and personally oversaw the situation.

In all ten fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze.

Fire Brigade Minister Sujit Bose and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal also rushed to the spot to personally inspect the situation. Local Congress Councillor Santosh Pathak was also on the spot.

Everyone has been evacuated to safer areas.

The affected building houses several offices, including that of a nationalised bank.

(Images by Avishek Mitra/Text: UNI)
Ritabhari Chakraborty | Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

After Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, actor Ritabhari Chakraborty teamed up with filmmaker Aritra Mukherjee for Bengali film Fatafati, which deals with the issue of body shaming which women face in daily lives. In an interaction with IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh, Ritabhari, who is credited to a considerable number of films across languages over the years, speaks candidly on the issue, her personal struggles, growth and more...

Excerpts

Q. Does working for films like Naked, Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti or Fatafati become more personal considering their issues?

A. I think every film which I do is somewhere personal to me. As an actor and an artiste, being observant is one of the most important keys of who we are. The trolling issue which was shown in Naked was something which I had faced in my life.

The challenges which women face shown in Naked or Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti or Fatafati somewhere are relatable but not congruent because Phullora (Phullora Bhaduri, Ritabhari's character in Fatafati), who is body shamed since early years, cant have the same confidence which I have in real life. To be honest, I have been raised very independently by my mother. But it is also true that every womans life story somewhere meets at a point.

Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. How was your mental makeup while you underwent the physical transformations for the character?

A. I had gained weight by five to six kilos due to surgery. Moreover, I had to put on another 19 kilos for the film. I was looking at it as a project. I was sure that the issue of the film must be talked about. Until the time the film was announced, I couldnt break silence on it so people went at length to discuss my weight gain, give a condescending look at and judge me. My weight suddenly became everyones concern, which was kind of funny and surprising (laughs). I appreciate genuine concerns though. I became more sure of doing this film after I received the condescending remarks for gaining weight.

Q. Do you think celebrities feel the extra pressure of being in shape?

A. We are in the visual medium so keeping groomed and presentable is a part of our business. Now the definition of grooming and presentation can vary from person to person. My point is there is no need to define a certain definition of look as beauty. Every individual is different and beautiful in their own way.

Q. Phulloras gradual growth and transformation somewhat makes the character relatable as well. Isn't it?

A. It is impossible for a woman like Phullora, who has been body shamed since childhood, to be super confident. We have to realise that certain scripts or stories are bigger than the actor or the person so the subject of the film is more important than Ritabharis transformation. I hope the subject at least triggers a conversation or a debate or a discussion.

Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. We often tend to misjudge body shaming as a humour in daily lives as well.

A. We have to realise the difference between humour and an insult. I should make it clear that concern for someones health is not an insult or body shaming. But it turns out to be an insult when it degrades someone. Mocking someone is an absolute insult.

Q. You have huge followers on social media. How do you view the platform?

A. Everything has its pros and cons. Social media gives us power to send a message across but also increased yellow journalism. Every other day, I find one or the other fake stories about me online. I am tired of it now. A filter is needed at some point on social media. At this point, I feel social media is a huge power.

Q. You have talked about your surgery and recovery openly. How much has the phase impacted you both personally and professionally?

A. A lot, a lot. I felt like a different person not just due to the physical transformation but the relationship with myself has changed a lot. I have realised that it is impossible to make everyone happy. Now I just ensure I don't hurt anyone. I feel like a more independent person for being bare with my personality. Though I was always outspoken, I feel like losing all my filters in recent times (laughs).

Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. Is Ritabhari Chakraborty going through the best phase of her life?

A. Yes (smiles). Since I grew up without a father, my mother Satarupa Sanyal played the roles of both my parents strongly and beautifully. But during my therapy sessions, it was found that the male absence in my life had created a void and a bit of insecurity in me. Giving all due credits to mothers, it cant be denied that fathers play a role in a childs life. It is a biological need. Whenever I tried to analyse the reason for my heartbreaks and breakups, I realised that looking for a father figure in people is not healthy.

Despite being raised so independently by my mother, I craved for a certain shelter and bonding which lead to a certain expectation. So when I hit rock bottom with all kinds of upsets both physically and mentally, I realised the importance of self love. I have been hard on myself in the past. But now my relationship with myself has changed. It has come to a certain peace. Its beautiful to date oneself. Most importantly, I am happier than ever.

(Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
Tourism Australias largest annual travel trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2023 (ATE23) was held at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from Apr 30 to May 4 with over 2,300 delegates.

This year ATE has returned to its traditional format for the first time since 2019, with four days of appointments.

The tourism travel show has taken place in a condensed hybrid format over the past two years.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said the first full ATE in years is an important milestone for the Australian tourism industry as it continues to rebuild off the back of the most challenging few years in its history.

International travellers are returning to our shores but the competition for the global tourism dollar is now greater than ever before which is why business-to-business events, such as ATE, are so important, Harrison said.

ATE brings together tourism businesses, tourism wholesalers and retailers from around the world for four days of appointments as well as networking events, while our international buyers get the chance to experience our world class tourism offerings first hand.

The delegates visit from more than 30 countries and we know once they have seen what Australia has to offer for themselves they will be well placed to tell travellers why Australia is the best place in the world for their next holiday.

Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia OCallaghan said the whole state was ready to welcome ATE delegates in what is another important step forward in our international recovery.

Destination Gold Coast Interim CEO Karen Bolinger said the Gold Coast has transformed in recent years into one of the nation's most vibrant destinations.

"We want the Gold Coast to be one of the most desirable destinations across the world and ATE gives us an extraordinary opportunity to position ourselves as Asia-Pacifics most dynamic and innovative holiday and business events destination," Bolinger said.

"ATE will be our time to really shine and showcase to the world a rejuvenated Gold Coast as delegates experience first-hand every flavour of our city that we enjoy every single day.

"The Gold Coast boasts golden beaches which are home to the worlds first floating underwater reef, unspoiled waterfalls and hiking trails through World Heritage listed rainforest and cool urban coastal precincts, all within a 45-minute radius."

The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) will return to Melbourne/Naarm next year for the first time since 2015, with Australias largest annual tourism trade event to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from Sunday, May 19 to May 23, 2024.

The Indian contingent to this event was notable. It included 36 tour operators from different parts of the country plus media.
Image:  WFP/Jacques David

The number of internally displaced (IDPs) in Sudan has more than doubled in just the last week, since armed clashes erupted between rival militaries in multiple cities across Sudan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, IOMs spokesperson Paul Dillon said that according to IOMs Displacement Tracking Matrix, more than 700,000 people were now internally displaced by the fighting, which began on 15 April.

The number of IDPs increased in many areas, including the capital, where clashes were continuing, he said: Last Tuesday, the figure stood at 340,000. And, of course, prior to the fighting, an estimated 3.7 million people were internally displaced in Sudan.

Fleeing in many directions

Responding to a question about where internally displaced persons were heading, Mr. Dillon said the data was currently preliminary and being analysed. They were moving into multiple states, including White Nile and Khartoum.

Decisions to move were influenced by many different factors, including whether there was conflict in any given area. However, it was difficult for the people to find money, with cash distribution stalled, and the banking system, in effect, shut down.

Fuel is also difficult to come by and expensive, according to IOM.

Tweet URL

Deliveries thwarted

The IOM has stocks of non-food items in six warehouses around the country, said the IOM spokesperson. But to date, we have been unable to deliver to those in need.

The fighting must end and humanitarians must be allowed to resume their work, providing assistance to those most in need before the situation spirals further out of control.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned looting at the main compound of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Khartoum over the weekend. This was the latest targeting of humanitarian facilities since the start of the crisis, now into its fourth week. Most, if not all UN agencies and humanitarian partners, have been impacted by large-scale looting.

Information vacuum

At this point, we don't have any information, we aren't even able to confirm the extent of the looting in the Khartoum office, but reiterate that the food, the vehicles, the fuel, the assets that have been looted from WFP, go towards the response for the people in Sudan. And this directly hurts the people of Sudan, said Isheeta Sumra, WFPs Communications Officer speaking from the agency's headquarters in Rome.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) also reported attacks and looting of healthcare facilities in Sudan.

Since 15 April, WHO has verified 28 attacks on health, leading to eight deaths and 18 injuries. More reports are under verification, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.

These attacks include looting, obstruction of access to healthcare, violent attacks using weapons and the forced occupation of facilities. Unfortunately, the looting is affecting healthcare facilities. And this is something that severely undermines the possibility of Sudanese people to seek healthcare.

At the same briefing, the WHO said 604 people had been killed and more than 5,000 injured since the violence erupted in mid-April between the rival armed factions, although the UN has repeatedly said the figures are likely to be an underestimate.
Arman Soldin Twitter page

A French journalist was killed while reporting for the war in conflict-hit Ukraine, media reports said on Wednesday.

Arman Soldin, who worked for AFP news agency, died on Tuesday after being hit by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut, reports BBC.

A team of journalists came under attack at about 16:30 (13:30 GMT) while with a group of Ukrainian soldiers, the British media reported.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron paid tributes to the journalist.

"An Agence France-Presse journalist, one of our compatriots, Arman Soldin, was killed in Ukraine. With courage, from the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us. We share the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues," the President tweeted.

AFP News Agency also condoled the death of the journalist and wrote: " We are devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine today. "

"All of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones," the news agency further wrote.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted: " Arman Soldin, an @AFP journalist, was killed in a russian missile attack on Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and coworkers. He dedicated his life to informing the world about the truth. His legacy, as well as his cause, will live on."
Pixabay

Warsaw: A knife attack at an orphanage in central Poland has left one teenage girl dead and nine injured, local media reported Wednesday.

The tragic incident took place in the village of Tomislawice after 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) at night. Five of the injured were sent to hospital, and the rest received medical treatment at the scene, the Polish Press Agency quoted local police and the prosecutor's office as saying.

The 19-year-old perpetrator had been detained by the police, it said.

The police were working at the scene under the supervision of the prosecutor to determine the perpetrator's motives and the course of the incident, it added.

(With UNI inputs)
Image Credit: Pixabay

Warsaw: A kindergarten teacher was killed and nine people were injured in a knife attack at a daycare center in central Poland, Polish media reported on Wednesday.

A 19-year-old man attacked the facility with a knife in the Polish village of Tomislawice, killing his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend, Poland's PAP news agency reported, adding that unrequited love might be the motive for the crime.

Five people were hospitalized with knife wounds, with four others receiving on-site assistance, PAP added.

The attacker was arrested by the police at his home an hour after committing the crime.

As many as 13 people were present in the daycare facility when the attack took place, according to the Polish news agency.

(UNI/Sputnik inputs)
Image Credit: UNI

Beijing: China supports a thorough, fair and unbiased investigation into the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, a year after the reporter was killed.

Last December, the Al Jazeera broadcaster said that it had submitted a formal request to the International Criminal Court to investigate Abu Akleh's murder. According to evidence collected by the broadcaster's lawyers, there were no clashes in the area where the journalist was located, except for a shooting by the Israeli military directed specifically at Abu Akleh.

"China supports a thorough, transparent, fair and unbiased investigation, hoping that this case will be justly considered in accordance with the law," the diplomat said when asked to comment on Beijing's position on Abu Akleh's death.

Wang also stated that Beijing is concerned over a recent escalation between Israel and Palestine, urging the two sides to show restraint.

The 51-year-old Palestinian-American journalist was shot in the head on May 11, 2022, during an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Reporters on the scene said they were targeted by Israeli snipers when the group was alone in the streets of the Palestinian city of Jenin and were clearly identifiable as being members of the press.

Earlier in the week, the Israel Defense Forces conducted strikes on the Gaza Strip against Islamist movement Islamic Jihad targets in the area, killing 13 people. The movement vowed to respond, saying that Israel would "pay a price for its crime."

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)
Travel - State Dept Twitter page

The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have issued travel advisories to its citizens from visiting Pakistan where unrest was reported following the arrest of former PM Imran Khan.

In its advisory posted on the website, the Canadian government wrote: " Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories)."

Pakistan: The U.S. Embassy is monitoring reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad related to the arrest of Imran Khan. Be aware of sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned throughout Pakistan. See: https://t.co/gdjuEUTqAA pic.twitter.com/ajrVeRt8UR  Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) May 9, 2023

The US government said in a statement: "The U.S. Embassy is monitoring earlier reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad and also sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned elsewhere throughout Pakistan. Because of potential traffic disruptions and restrictions, U.S. Embassy Islamabad has canceled all consular appointments for tomorrow, May 10, 2023."

Advising citizens, the government said: "Exercise heightened vigilance and avoid locations with large crowds.Review your personal security plans."

The UK government said in a statement, "Before you travel, check the Entry requirements section for Pakistans current entry restrictions and requirements. These may change with little warning. Monitor this advice for the latest updates and stay in contact with your travel provider."

"If you plan to pass through another country to return to the UK, check the travel advice for the country youre transiting," read the statement.

Violent protests broke out on Tuesday evening across Pakistan, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Karachi among other places, after former PM Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), triggering a new political conflict in the country.

The protests have been unleashed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cadres, who resorted to stone pelting on houses, offices, and vehicles, burning banners and tires, and blocking roads. In Faisalabad, a mob pelted stones on Rana Sanaullahs house.

PTI workers also broke into Pakistan's General Headquarters and Corps Commander's Lahore house over Khan's arrest.
wallpaper cave

The Chinese police have detained a man for allegedly using ChatGPT to create fake news and spread it online.

Local media reports said it is the first criminal case related to AI chatbot.

According to a statement from police in the northwest province of Gansu, the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate a bogus report about a train crash, which he then posted online for profit. The article received about 15,000 views, the police said in Sundays statement as quoted by CNN.

ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it.

Gansu authorities said the suspect, surnamed Hong, was questioned in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province on May 5, reports CNN.

Hong used modern technology to fabricate false information, spreading it on the internet, which was widely disseminated, the Gansu police said in the statement.
Image: Imran Khan Facebook page

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Wednesday granted eight-day remand of former PM Imran Khan, who was arrested in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), media reports said.

Separately, a sessions court also indicted the PTI chief in the Toshakhana case. Both the hearings were held at the Islamabad Police Lines, which was given the status of a court venue as a one-time dispensation late on Tuesday night, amid tight security, reports Dawn News.

During the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case, the corruption watchdog requested the court to grant 14-day remand of Imran. Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearing, the newspaper reported.

The PTI chairmans lawyer, Khawaja Harris, opposed the request and said that the case did not fall within the bureaus ambit. He further said that NAB had not shared the inquiry report either.

Pakistan witnessing violent protests:

Khan was arrested on Tuesday, triggering violent protests in different parts of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Army has been called in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Balochistan amid violence in the regions.

So far, violence has claimed four lives in Peshawar, media reports said.Police have arrested hundreds of supporters of ousted prime minister Imran Khan for violence, reports Geo News.

Four bullet-riddled bodies were received by the emergency room doctors, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital (LHR) told Geo News, while as many as 27 others were under treatment for traumatic injuries related to agitation.

Internet service suspension:

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday said that internet services across the country will remain suspended for an indefinite period amid ongoing violence.
Pixabay

A U.K. citizen pleaded guilty today in New York to his role in cyberstalking and multiple schemes that involve computer hacking, including the July 2020 hack of Twitter.

Joseph James OConnor, aka PlugwalkJoe, 23, was extradited from Spain on April 26.

OConnors criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple peoples lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Like many criminal actors, OConnor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States. But this plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.

OConnor has left an impressive trail of destruction in the wake of his wave of criminality, said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate.

OConnor used his sophisticated technological abilities for malicious purposes  conducting a complex SIM swap attack to steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, hacking Twitter, conducting computer intrusions to take over social media accounts, and even cyberstalking two victims, including a minor victim, said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. OConnors guilty plea today is a testament to the importance of law enforcement cooperation, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping to bring to justice those who victimize others through cyber-attacks.

Todays guilty plea is confirmation that the FBIs strategy to counter cyber crime is working. Its also indicative of what can be accomplished when we work closely with our partners to bring these perpetrators to justice and make the cyber ecosystem more secure, said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBIs Cyber Division. O'Connor's extradition is as a warning to all dangerous cyber criminals that the FBI will work tirelessly to find them and hold them accountable wherever in the world they may try to hide.
Washington: The Justice Department today announced the completion of a court-authorized operation, code-named MEDUSA, to disrupt a global peer-to-peer network of computers compromised by sophisticated malware, called Snake, that the U.S. Government attributes to a unit within Center 16 of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB).

For nearly 20 years, this unit, referred to in court documents as Turla, has used versions of the Snake malware to steal sensitive documents from hundreds of computer systems in at least 50 countries, which have belonged to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member governments, journalists, and other targets of interest to the Russian Federation. After stealing these documents, Turla exfiltrated them through a covert network of unwitting Snake-compromised computers in the United States and around the world.

Operation MEDUSA disabled Turlas Snake malware on compromised computers through the use of an FBI-created tool named PERSEUS, which issued commands that caused the Snake malware to overwrite its own vital components.

Within the United States, the operation was executed by the FBI pursuant to a search warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak for the Eastern District of New York, which authorized remote access to the compromised computers.

This morning, the court unsealed redacted versions of the affidavit submitted in support of the application for the search warrant, and of the search warrant issued by the court.

For victims outside the United States, the FBI is engaging with local authorities to provide both notice of Snake infections within those authorities countries and remediation guidance.

The Justice Department, together with our international partners, has dismantled a global network of malware-infected computers that the Russian government has used for nearly two decades to conduct cyber-espionage, including against our NATO allies, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. We will continue to strengthen our collective defenses against the Russian regimes destabilizing efforts to undermine the security of the United States and our allies.

Through a high-tech operation that turned Russian malware against itself, U.S. law enforcement has neutralized one of Russias most sophisticated cyber-espionage tools, used for two decades to advance Russias authoritarian objectives, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. By combining this action with the release of the information victims need to protect themselves, the Justice Department continues to put victims at the center of our cybercrime work and take the fight to malicious cyber actors.

For 20 years, the FSB has relied on the Snake malware to conduct cyberespionage against the United States and our allies  that ends today, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division. The Justice Department will use every weapon in our arsenal to combat Russias malicious cyber activity, including neutralizing malware through high-tech operations, making innovative use of legal authorities, and working with international allies and private sector partners to amplify our collective impact.

Russia used sophisticated malware to steal sensitive information from our allies, laundering it through a network of infected computers in the United States in a cynical attempt to conceal their crimes. Meeting the challenge of cyberespionage requires creativity and a willingness to use all lawful means to protect our nation and our allies, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. The court-authorized remote search and remediation announced today demonstrates my office and our partners commitment to using all of the tools at our disposal to protect the American people.

Todays announcement demonstrates the FBIs willingness and ability to pair our authorities and technical capabilities with those of our global partners to disrupt malicious cyber actors, said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBIs Cyber Division. When it comes to combating Russias attempts to target the United States and our allies using complex cyber tools, we will not waver in our work to dismantle those efforts. When it comes to any nation state engaged in cyber intrusions which put our national security at risk, the FBI will leverage all tools available to impose cost on those actors and to protect the American people.

As detailed in court documents, the U.S. Government has been investigating Snake and Snake-related malware tools for nearly 20 years. The U.S. government has monitored FSB officers assigned to Turla conducting daily operations using Snake from a known FSB facility in Ryazan, Russia.

Although Snake has been the subject to several cybersecurity industry reports throughout its existence, Turla has applied numerous upgrades and revisions, and selectively deployed it, all to ensure that Snake remains Turlas most sophisticated long-term cyberespionage malware implant. Unless disrupted, the Snake implant persists on a compromised computers system indefinitely, typically undetected by the machines owner or authorized users.

The FBI has observed Snake persist on particular computers despite a victims efforts to remediate the compromise.

Snake provides its Turla operators the ability to remotely deploy selected malware tools to extend Snakes functionality to identify and steal sensitive information and documents stored on a particular machine. Most importantly, the worldwide collection of Snake-compromised computers acts as a covert peer-to-peer network, which utilizes customized communication protocols designed to hamper detection, monitoring, and collection efforts by Western and other signals intelligence services.

Turla uses the Snake network to route data exfiltrated from target systems through numerous relay nodes scattered around the world back to Turla operators in Russia.

For example, the FBI, its partners in the U.S. Intelligence Community, together with allied foreign governments, have monitored the FSBs use of the Snake network to exfiltrate data from sensitive computer systems, including those operated by NATO member governments, by routing the transmission of these stolen data through unwitting Snake-compromised computers in the United States.

As described in court documents, through analysis of the Snake malware and the Snake network, the FBI developed the capability to decrypt and decode Snake communications.

With information gleaned from monitoring the Snake network and analyzing Snake malware, the FBI developed a tool named PERSEUS which establishes communication sessions with the Snake malware implant on a particular computer, and issues commands that causes the Snake implant to disable itself without affecting the host computer or legitimate applications on the computer.

Today, to empower network defenders worldwide, the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the U.S. Cyber Command Cyber National Mission Force, and six other intelligence and cybersecurity agencies from each of the Five Eyes member nations issued a joint cybersecurity advisory (the Joint Advisory) with detailed technical information about the Snake malware that will allow cybersecurity professionals to detect and remediate Snake malware infections on their networks. The FBI and U.S. Department of State are also providing additional information to local authorities in countries where computers that have been targeted by the Snake malware have been located.

Although Operation MEDUSA disabled the Snake malware on compromised computers, victims should take additional steps to protect themselves from further harm.

The operation to disable Snake did not patch any vulnerabilities or search for or remove any additional malware or hacking tools that hacking groups may have placed on victim.

The Department of Justice strongly encourages network defenders to review the Joint Advisory for further guidance on detection and patching.

Moreover, as noted in court documents, Turla frequently deploys a keylogger with Snake that Turla can use to steal account authentication credentials, such as usernames and passwords, from legitimate users.

Victims should be aware that Turla could use these stolen credentials to fraudulently re-access compromised computers and other accounts.

The FBI has provided notice of the court-authorized operation to all owners or operators of the computers remotely accessed pursuant to the search warrant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian C. Richardson for the Eastern District of New York is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

The efforts to disrupt the Snake malware network were led by the FBI New York Field Office, FBIs Cyber Division, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York, and the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

The Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section provided valuable assistance. Those efforts would not have been successful without the partnership of numerous private-sector entities, including those victims who allowed the FBI to monitor Snake communications on their systems.
Representational image by NationalCancer Institute on Unsplash

Ottawa/IBNS: Canadian health authorities have been urged by doctors and breast cancer survivors to follow the example of the US task force and lower the recommended age for regular screening mammograms to 40.

The US Preventive Services Task Force's draft recommendation, released Tuesday, said "new and more inclusive science" calls for screening mammograms every two years for women between the ages of 40 and 74.

According to previous recommendations, average-risk patients were screened beginning at age 50.

The current screening guidelines from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care daing back to 2018 cite concerns about overdiagnosis when patients are screened at a younger age, leading to unnecessary treatment of cancer that wouldn't have caused illness.

For women aged 40 to 49, the task force recommends against mammograms unless they're at an increased risk of breast cancer.

"The balance of benefits and harms is less favourable for women of this age than for older women," the task force says on its website.

Task force co-chair Dr. Guylene Theriault said patients need to be aware of the risks of earlier screening, which can also include false positives.

"You need to be informed of the pros and cons and then decide for yourself with your values, your preferences, where you are in your life, if screening is something worth it, or is something that you're going to forgo," Theriault was reported saying.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Care's guidelines are reviewed every five years and are set to be evaluated again this year.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, one in every eight Canadian women are expected to develop breast cancer and one in 33 will die from it.

An estimated 83 percent cases of breast cancer occur in people over the age of 50.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Dr. Lillian McGregor Park/credit: Twitter @cityoftoronto

Toronto/IBNS: The new 6,400 square metre park, Dr. Lillian McGregor Park in downtown Toronto, was officially opened by the City of Toronto, a news release has said.

The park is named for Dr. Lillian McGregor of White Fish River First Nation, a celebrated and respected member of the Indigenous community,

Councillor Chris Moise (Toronto Centre) joined by members of the McGregor family, Elder Sylvia Maracle and others had helped Dr. Lillian McGregor Park to become a reality to honour indigenous culture, community health and spirituality.

I am proud that this homage to Dr. McGregor...also thankful to the Bay Cloverhill Community Association and my predecessor Kristyn Wong-Tam for their hard work on the creation of this park, said Chris Moise.

A dedicated nurse and community leader widely recognized for promoting Indigenous culture and education, Dr. McGregor (1924-2012) was the first Indigenous woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto while also the first Elder-in-Residence.

Dr. McGregor was also awarded with the City of Toronto Civic Award, the National Aboriginal Achievement Lifetime Award and the Order of Ontario.

Featuring a central gathering space for community events or performances, the new park, located in the heart of the city with seating and art, is also a childrens playground and presents a flexible open lawn.

Recognizing regional Indigenous histories and cultures, Kenneth Lavallee's public art honours themes important to Dr. McGregor, including health, spirituality and language.

We are certain that our mother would be honoured and humbled by this tremendous recognition...Thank you, Chi-Miigwetch, to everyone who helped make Dr. Lillian McGregor Park possible, Family of Dr. Lillian McGregor said.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has rejected a bill that would have permitted Native students to don tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies. SB 429 aimed to prevent schools from prohibiting students from donning their cultural regalia during graduation events and other school activities.

Schools should have the authority to determine their own codes for dress according to Stitts message following the veto. In other words, if schools want to allow their students to wear tribal regalia at graduation, good on them; but if schools prefer for their students to wear only traditional cap and gown, the Legislature shouldnt stand in their way, the veto message reads.

Stitt insists that his veto of the popular bill will not prevent Native students from wearing their regalia at graduation ceremonies.

It just leaves that up to the local district, Stitt said. Thats all it said. Were not going to allow and force districts to not be in control of their own cap and gown or whatever they are going to require their students to wear, but certainly, they can do that. Im not even sure if they asked. Most superintendents probably allow people to wear tribal regalia. Were just not going to make a one-size-fits-all and were not going to force every school district to do it.

Native Nations in Oklahoma have responded, voicing their displeasure with the unexpected veto for a bill that is popular.

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said, This bill, which would have allowed all Native American students in Oklahoma to wear tribal regalia at school ceremonies, is not controversial. It allows the students to honor their native culture and traditions. In fact, only one member of the Legislature voted against it. Batton continued, This is a popular, common-sense measure with no costs for the state or schools. We hope the House and the Senate will quickly override the veto to provide more freedom for Oklahoma students who want to honor their heritage.

With this legislation, Governor Stitt had an opportunity to support religious freedom and families honoring their kids high school accomplishments. Instead, hes chosen more division and insults to his Native American constituents. To be clear, Oklahoma law protects the right of Native American students to wear tribal regalia and other culturally significant items during graduation ceremonies. This bill would have simply made those rights more clear, so public school administrators do not mistakenly violate them. Thats why the legislature approved this bill, along with other bills supported by tribes, with nearly unanimous, bipartisan votes. I strongly urge the Legislature to override the Governors irresponsible vetoes of this and other important legislation, said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

David Hill, principal chief of Muscogee Nation had a message regarding the veto, Its unfortunate that once again we are addressing an issue with Indigenous students wearing tribal regalia to honor their academic achievement and accomplishments at graduation. When students choose to express the culture and heritage of their respective Nations to signify this moment in their lives, it is not to demand special favor to wear whatever they please, it is to honor their identity. We must continue to communicate the unique aspect of this honor, and that allowing this expression is in no manner a gateway to introduce chaos and irreverence into formal ceremonies. The overwhelming support of this bill among legislators should be a clear message that more and more people are understanding the message. Laws are made to protect these rights. Its time that once and for all, we do the right thing by these students and respect their family choices. Were disappointed that the Governor is standing in the way of that with his veto.
While West Bengal has banned The Kerala Story and there's a raging debate going on in the country with political leaders suggesting that the makers should be hanged in public for making the film, the Vipul Shah production is all set to be released in 37 countries and BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have declared it tax-free.

Anurag Kashyap is against the ban on The Kerala Story

Kashyap said that even if it's propaganda or a counter-propaganda, banning isn't the right thing to do.

You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong. pic.twitter.com/DxNFJC1N4w  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) May 9, 2023

In another tweet, he added, "You want to fight propaganda. Then go in numbers and see the film that talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest. Its running in cinemas and is called Afwaah. Go make your voice stronger. Go make a point. Thats the right way to fight."

He was talking about Sudhir Mishra's recently released film Afwaah.

AFP and Twitter

"The question isn't whether propaganda has a right to exist or not, it's whether or not propaganda should be allowed to so flagrantly perpetuate misinformation and false statistics just before elections."

Shouldn't one's right to spread info also be based on facts - especially when one is making statements that the story is based on true events.



And also, what are the sanctions on people who are found peddling lies via films as they are not promoting this as a fictional story!  Souvik Roy Chowdhury (@souvikrc) May 10, 2023

"Don't see why all these defences are coming for a propaganda film that is getting the explicit economic support of the government (through funding & tax cuts). It is already one of the biggest hits of the year. Do we need access to a film that restates the BJP's Islamophobia?"

Propaganda or not, everyone has a story to tell and shouldn't be banned but the truth comes out when the government, PM, Ministers promote it without being paid.  Pankaj Jain (@pj77in) May 9, 2023

"Absolutely agree! Everyone has the right to make and express their own opinions through art, even if it may not be popular or widely accepted. Banning it only limits the freedom of expression and the opportunity for open discussion and growth."

Propaganda or not, everyone has a story to tell and shouldn't be banned but the truth comes out when the government, PM, Ministers promote it without being paid.  Pankaj Jain (@pj77in) May 9, 2023

Vipul Shah meanwhile has said that he will take legal action against the ban on his film in West Bengal. " If that is what she has done, we will take legal action. Whatever is possible under the provisions of law, we will fight," he was quoted as saying by ANI.



What's your take on this? Let us know in the comments section below.
On the weekend, a mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in Texas resulted in the loss of eight lives and injuries to several others. However, there were two families among the victims who lost everything.



Cindy and Kyu Cho were visiting the Allen Premium Outlets in Dallas with their two kids to exchange a birthday present that didnt fit their older son William. William had celebrated his sixth birthday just a few days back.

And in the blink of an eye, their lives turned upside down. While Cindy, Kyu, and James were fatally shot, William was wounded and still remains hospitalized.

Facebook

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the shooting claimed the lives of Kyu Song Cho, 37, his wife Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son James.



Kyu Song Cho 37 years old

Cindy Cho 35 years old

and their son James 3 years old were senselessly killed at the #allenoutletmall shooting.



Their son William, 6 years old was released from the ICU. Its unclear who will care for him. #Texas pic.twitter.com/xx7Z60eeZr  Chloe (@Chloe_DXM) May 9, 2023

Even though police shot and killed the shooter, unimaginable losses were already incurred.

Say their names



Cho Kyu Song, 37

Kang Shin Young, 35

James, 3



William, 6, sole survivor of this family, he celebrated his 6th birthday just 4 days before shooting, he was injured but released from ICU.



William is an orphan now, he lost both his parents & 3 y/o baby brother.

 pic.twitter.com/iqcVm3sfb6   (@Lady_Star_Gem) May 8, 2023

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family. The incident has left a 6-year-old boy as the sole survivor of his family.

Facebook

"An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love, and celebration, unfortunately, was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left eight victims dead," the page stated. "

Facebook

"Cindy, Kyu, and three-year-old James were among those victims that tragically lost their lives, and the family is in deep mourning ... William is the [family's] only surviving member of this horrific event."



The Cho family were Americans, not Korean nationals, according to the Houston consul for South Korea, Young-Hwan Kim, who has been in contact with the family.

Two young sisters, Daniela Mendoza, and Sofia Mendoza, also lost their lives in the attack, leaving their mother, Ilda Mendoza, in critical condition.

Twitter

The Wylie Independent School District has expressed condolences for losing the two students, describing them as "rays of sunshine." A member of the Mendoza family declined to comment.



Agencies

Aishwarya Thatikonda, a 26-year-old project engineer at Dallas contracting firm Perfect General Contractors, was among those killed in the shooting.

Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27.



She was out shopping for her birthday outfit.



Her body will be flown back to India for services. #Allen pic.twitter.com/GQw7DCC7h7  KRUPALI (@krupali) May 9, 2023

She was also a representative from the Telugu Association of North America, which is now supporting her family.

Yesterday in Dallas, a mass shooting happened. Nine people got killed, including a 5-year-old, and many others were injured. Our Telugu girl named Aishwarya Thatikonda, who went missing yesterday, was found unrecognisable with bullets on her face today.  Vamsi (@TelugiteVamsi) May 8, 2023

On the night of the shooting, Thatikonda had a work meeting scheduled at one of the firm's projects, but she never showed up.

Twitter

Her boss, Srinivas Chaluvadi, received a call from the company architect alerting him of her absence, and he became increasingly panicked as hours passed without any word.

Eventually, Chaluvadi learned that Thatikonda had been killed.

Her face was mutilated, making identification difficult. Chaluvadi and Thatikonda were from the same town in India and had grown close since she began working at the firm in 2020.

Chaluvadi considered her a second daughter and was planning to organize a family dinner to celebrate her upcoming 27th birthday.

Thatikonda earned her master's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2020. The Telugu Association of North America announced that her family would have her remains sent to India.

This thread will be dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas.



My deepest condolences to their families



Christian LaCour, 20



He grew up in Farmsville, TX and worked security at the mall. His family described him as a beautiful soul. pic.twitter.com/J9Ezs4VlE0  Natasha  (@ndelriego) May 8, 2023

The recent tragic incident is the second deadliest mass shooting in the country this year.

Allen, Texas: First responder took a little girls pulse before realizing she had no face.

Time for responsible gun laws.  Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 7, 2023

This senseless act of violence took the lives of many individuals and almost an entire family without discrimination.

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


In a clever cost-cutting endeavor, a resilient single father has ingeniously transformed his home into a luminous sanctuary using only a single lightbulb that he carries from room to room.

Meet Martin Bongiorno, a resident of Bateman's Bay in New South Wales, whose life took an unexpected turn after a workplace accident left him reliant on compensation payments.

To tackle ever-mounting living expenses, he has become a master of frugality , implementing various ingenious measures that have captured the attention of cost-conscious individuals everywhere.

Unsplash

Determined to regain control of his finances, Martin adopted a rigorous approach to his expenses.

But when Martin was confronted with the overwhelming task of paying a $2,000 (1,071) electricity bill, he found himself in a difficult situation. Nonetheless, he remained determined and set out on a mission to discover creative methods to reduce his expenses and save money.



(Also read: Redditors Whip Out The Best Financial Hacks To Save Money & The Internet Thinks It's Genius Advice)

Unsplash

Talking to ABC, Martin said, "I have one lamp positioned in the middle of the room, and if I need to move from one room to the next, I just take out the light bulb and move it to the next room."



Martin's resourcefulness knows no bounds.

Unsplash

He has made several sacrifices to keep his daily expenses in check, including forsaking cooked meals and quitting long hot showers. He made a strict rule to use only one lightbulb after dark outside.

Unsplash

His intense dedication to saving money has led to remarkable outcomes.

Martin now allocates a mere AUD$15 (8.03) daily towards sustenance while limiting his energy expenditure to AUD$20 (10) daily.

These efforts have become crucial since his rent was recently increased by $40 (21) weekly.

Nevertheless, the constant burden of financial worry and the meticulous calculations required for every expenditure has affected Martin's well-being, leaving him drained and weary.

Yet, his resilience and determination remain steadfast as he seeks new ways to navigate the challenging landscape of monetary constraints.

He added, "You're constantly in this sort of survival mode. It's exhausting because you realize this is not a temporary thing."

The Australian government has introduced a means-tested program to help over five million families with their energy bills to lessen household financial strain.

Unsplash

As part of this initiative, eligible households will receive a one-time payment of AUD$500 (267), while select businesses will also benefit from this support.



Like several other nations, Australia grapples with a cost of living crisis, with recent warnings indicating potential steep increases of up to 31 percent. However, it's worth noting that property prices in some areas of the country are remarkably affordable, to the extent that individuals owning a London flat could consider purchasing their private island.

One such island, Poole Island, situated in the Whitsundays off the coast of Queensland, has been listed for AUD$995,000 (530,000) following the collapse of a previous deal.

Spanning approximately 20 hectares, the island boasts two distinct properties: an antique structure from the late 19th century and a more contemporary dwelling built in the 1980s.

Among its unique features is a handcrafted rock swimming pool, which provides breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding sea from an elevated vantage point.

A private slipway offers direct access to the beach, while a shed serves as storage for machinery.

Additionally, the island has a 215-meter runway, catering to small aircraft and helicopters traveling to and from Airlie Beach or Bowen on the mainland.

Richard Vanhoff, a representative of Private Islands Online Australia, revealed that a potential buyer lost communication, resulting in the collapse of the island's purchase agreement.

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


Filmmaker Indrasis Acharya's upcoming film Niharika (In The Mist) just got invited for screening at 31st International Film Festival - Love is Folly -- organised by Festival and Congress Centre Varna in Bulgaria. Held between August 25 and September 3 this year, it will be screened at the festival's Asian Panorama section.

The movie is a gripping saga of a woman who finally empowered herself after passing through a dark and abusive childhood while searching for her gender identity through her voyage to adulthood. It also shows how she embraced a house in a no man's land to finally get a secure shelter. "It's a story about a different melancholic living far from a paced city life," says Indrasis, adding, "The story is of belief in love without any inhibition and boundary of a modern woman with the help of natural beauty around her and the house she lives in. We intend to showcase a different character of love that becomes stoic in terms of living a new life with the house and the place thats so utterly different from the modern world. The film also raises pertinent questions on womanhood and identity crisis in the current human context."

Indrasis Acharya

The film will see actor Anuradha Mukherjee in the lead, supported by an able cast comprising Shilajit Mazumdar, Anindya Sengupta, Rohini Chatterjee, Mallika Mazumdar, Priyanka Guha, Rajeswari Paul, Sashi Guha, Juin Bagchi, Amit Chakraborty, Indira Mukherjee, Moloy Rakhhit, Prabal Mukherjee and Srabani Roy.
Kolkata witnessed an electrifying pool-side event as team Abar Bibaho Obhijaan launched their second song Mon Bajare from the movie's soundtrack. Sung by the talented Nakash Aziz, the song has been composed by music director Jeet Gannguli, with lyrics penned by Prasen.

The launch event was a grand affair with the objective of creating the ambiance of the vibrant nightlife of Thailand right in the heart of Kolkata, hosted by Taj City Centre, New Town. The pool party extravaganza was organised to amplify the film's essence and create a buzz among the audience.

Priyanka Sarkar

The song Mon Bajare is not just any ordinary tune; the video embodies the exuberant and dynamic party culture of Thailand. With its lively tempo and upbeat vocals, every aspect of the video oozes with excitement and enthusiasm. The song's catchy lyrics invite everyone to join in the festivities and revel in the lively atmosphere of Thailand's party scene. The video captures the essence of the country's party mood, where the streets come alive with music, dancing, and laughter. Filmed in a funky pub in Thailand, the video showcases the leads' fun and quirky personalities. With its peppy tunes and infectious energy, the song acts as the perfect catalyst to uplift the party theme and set the tone for an unforgettable celebration.

Anirban Bhattacharya

The event was graced by the star cast of the movie, including Anirban Bhattacharya, Rudranil Ghosh, Sohini Sarkar, Priyanka Sarkar and Saurav Das, who is the newest addition to the franchise. The team was ecstatic to unveil the song and share their excitement about the film.

Speaking at the launch event, Anirban said, "The song is an absolute mood, and it's going to be the next big thing in the music scene. I'm thrilled and can't wait for the audience to experience the magic of Mon Bajare. With its catchy beats and foot-tapping rhythm, Mon Bajare is sure to become the next party anthem for the summer season.

Saurav Das

Priyanka Sarkar, one of the lead actresses of the film, expressed her excitement about Mon Bajare. She said, "It's an exceptional mix of music and lyrics and the song effectively captures the vibrancy of Thailand's nightlife and incorporates it with the energy of Kolkata. I cannot wait for the audience to listen to the song and share their experience.

The song is now available on all major music streaming platforms and SVF Socials Youtube Channel.

Sohini Sarkar

Abar Bibaho Obhijaan is the perfect comedy caper that follows the escapades of three couples who are eager to get away from their loving partners for a brief period. The men craft a story and embark on a journey out of the city, which leads to a hilarious and suspenseful adventure in Thailand. The movie is poised to be an entertaining and enjoyable experience for audiences. Anupam, Rajat, and Gansha return with renewed energy after a four-year hiatus, and this time, they promise to deliver even more comical mishaps. With this film, viewers can anticipate a side-splitting comedy that is sure to leave them in stitches.

Abar Bibaho Obhijaan is releasing on June 25 at your nearest theatres.
A 19-year-old student of the Federal University of Otuoke (FUO), Bayelsa State, identified as Job Alawari-Kei, has died after an alleged overdose of an illicit drugs.

The 300-level student of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, reportedly collapsed and died after consuming the drugs known locally as Colo.

READ ALSO: 10 Patients In Bauchi Isolation Centre Overdose On Vitamin C

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the incident said that the corpse has been deposited at the hospital for autopsy, adding that investigation is ongoing.

On 3rd May 2023 at about 2200 hours, one Job Alawari Kei m 19 years, a student of the Petroleum and Gas Engineering Department of Federal University Otuoke, slumped after intake of illicit substances, the PPRO said.

He was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. The corpse has been deposited at the Hospital for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has justified its endorsement of Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom, as the senate president of the 10th National Assembly.

Felix Morka, APC publicity secretary, in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, said the Party zoned the 10th assembly leadership positions to reduce the scope of contention among aspirants.

Recall that on Monday, the APC nominated Akpabio, who is from the south-south, as senate president while Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano north, was recommended as deputy senate president.

Abbas Tajudeen was nominated as the speaker of the House of Representatives and Benjamin Kalu was recommended for the deputy speaker position.

Commenting on the development, Morka said the APC is only offering suggestions on the leadership structure of the 10th national assembly.

According to him, the greater majority of the aspirants were consulted before the Party disclosed its position.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Told Me To Step Down For Akpabio, Id Rather Be In Senate To Rest  Umahi

The party is only offering ideas and suggestions, he said.

Sometimes, when people aspire, they are blindsided by their aspirants and dont quite see the full national interest. The party is in a position to see the national interest.

We consulted a greater majority of the party men and women, who are aspiring. We are simply offering recommendations because, at the end of the day, votes are to be taken on the floor of the senate and house of representatives.

I am from the south-south and I dont see why the south-south is ineligible for consideration. After all, no senate president has come from that region since 1999  in this dispensation.

We havent had that. Other regions have had some representations. For instance, five of them held that position from the south-east.

That does not mean that the south-east is ineligible or unfit to produce the senate president, every region of this country can.

But there is something else that we are concerned about; its called national interest, equity, inclusion, and a sense of ownership, Morka added.
Hoodlums reportedly to be members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), have shot a bank security guard on Tuesday, At Nkwo Market in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was gathered that the hoodlums came out in large numbers on a motorbike, started shooting sporadically in an attempt to rob a bank and to enforce a sit-at-home order announced by a faction of IPOB.

The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement on Wednesday, said the hoodlums attempted to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movement going on in Ihiala until a joint operative of police and other security forces responded swiftly and thwarted their move.

Ikenga said, Following the improved operational and strategic positioning of men of the command, the joint security forces comprising of the Police and Military at about 12:30 pm on Tuesday dispersed illegal sit-at-home enforcers from the proscribed IPOB group and Eastern Security Network ESN in Nkwo market, Ihiala.

READ MORE: IPOB: NLC Tasks Soludo To Provide Vehicles, Security For Anambra Workers On Mondays

The outlawed group members armed with guns and other dangerous weapons came out in their numbers on a motorbike and started shooting sporadically, in an attempt to rob a bank and to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movement going on in Ihiala.

The joint operatives responded swiftly which made the armed men abandon their plans and took to their heels. Unfortunately, due to the indiscriminate shootings by the armed group, a stray bullet hit the chief security officer of the bank on the leg and he has been taken to the hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. No life was lost.

Meanwhile, calm has returned in the area as Police with other security forces have intensified patrols, and improved security dominance and surveillance in the state.

He added that the feat was achieved through the improved operational and strategic positioning of both human and viable assets of the command as directed by the Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng.

In the event of any request for security service, members of the public are advised to call the Command Control Room Number or the Public Relations Officer PRO,. The npf rescue me app is also available for free download on both Android and Apple IOS, for Android and iPhone users respectively, he added.
Just few weeks to the handling over ceremony to the incoming administration, President Muhammadu Buhari has been invited to address the incoming and returning governors as part of activities lined up for the induction programme.

It was gathered that President Buhari would be the special guest of honour at the third induction ceremony for the governors put together by the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, slated to commence from Monday, May 15 to May 19.

He would give the keynote address to the gathering of governors, including those that are already out of office.

According to a statement released by the NGF Director of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Barkindo, disclosed that those invited to the NGF induction were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, the Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, and President William Ruto of Kenya.

According to Barkindo, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Director General of the World trade Organization, WTO; Amina Jane Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, and Dr Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank, AfDB, are expected to deliver papers during the event.

READ MORE: Sign Peace Corps Bill Before Bowing Out  Group Tells Buhari

Also, the current Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams and two former American Governors, Terry McAuliffe of the State of Virginia and OMalley Martin Joseph of Maryland are also billed to grace the occasion.

The statement read in part, The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, is hosting its 3rd Governors induction from Monday May 15 to May 19th, 2023.

The induction program for incoming and returning governors is the NGFs flagship program where the incoming governors are supported with special tools to usher them into office in a seamless manner and to assist them move away from campaigns to governance.

Traditionally, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigeria Armed Forces is invited to give the keynote address to the gathering of governors including those that are already out of office.

The occasion accords the governors an opportunity to share experiences and compare notes to further strengthen service delivery to the Nigerian people at the sub-national level.

This year, 2023, the program is holding at the Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, with President Muhammadu Buhari as the Special Guest of Honor. It commences at 8 in the morning.
The Action Peoples Party (APP) has applied to withdraw its petition challenging the victory of president -elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the 2023 General Elections.

The party, at the resumed proceedings before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, announced its decision to terminate further hearing on its petition marked: CA/PEPC/02/23.

According to the Counsel to the party, Mr. Obed Agu, told a five-member panel of the court that was set to hear the matter, that the withdrawal notice, which was filed on May 9, was predicated on Paragraph 29(1)(2) and (3) of the Schedule for Election Petitions.

My Lords, we are seeking an order of this court for leave to withdraw this petition filed on March 19.

READ MORE: Security Beefed Up As Presidential Election Tribunal Holds Pre-Hearing

As well as an order striking out or dismissing the petition, same having been withdrawn, Agu stated.

On his part, the President-elect, Tinubu, through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipenkun, SAN, said he was not opposed to APPs application to withdraw the petition.

We want to commend them, with the hope that more will still come. My Lords, we are not asking for cost, Olanipenkun, SAN, added.

Similarly, lead counsel for the APC, Prince Lateef Fagemi, SAN, who did not also oppose the application, urged those whose petitions against the outcome of the presidential election are still pending before the court to emulate the APP.

He said: We commend the petitioners for doing the right thing. Let those who have not done so, do so immediately.

The flight is moving. We want to let them know that we commend them and we are not asking for cost, Fagbemi, SAN, added.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, equally did not oppose the application.

INECs lawyer, Mr. A. B. Mahmood, SAN, said the application was served on him on Tuesday.

After it had listened to all the parties, the Justice Haruna Tsammani led panel dismissed the petition.

Having listened to all the parties, we are satisfied that there is no collusion. The petition having been withdrawn, it is hereby dismissed, the court held.

The APP had among other things, alleged that results of the presidential election was manipulated to favour Tinubu in 11 states of the federation.

It alleged that the President-elect corruptly induced electoral officers to falsify results at local government and state collation centres in Rivers and 10 other states.

Following the dismissal, the court rose and will reconvene at 2pm for the Labour Partys suit.
The Edo State Police Command has arrested a Navy officer, Ibrahim Adamu, 25, and an officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Abdullahi Abdulwahab, 26, over alleged armed robbery and car snatching.

The state command spokesperson, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, while parading the suspects on Tuesday, said they were arrested in military uniforms in Ekpoma by a crack team of the command, based on credible information.

He said the suspects attacked the driver of an unregistered C300 Mercedes Benz car in Sapele, Delta State, snatched the car from him and also forced him to transfer a sum of N400,000 to their account.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Fake Cop, Other For Robbery In Ekiti

He said the suspects were to take the car to Abuja and sell it when they were arrested by the police in Ekpoma, Edo state.

He added, The suspects have made statements and claimed to be personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Correctional Service respectively.

Nwabuzor said the vehicle and military uniform were also recovered from the suspects.

Speaking with journalists, Ibrahim Adamu, who was recruited into the Nigeria Navy in 2019, said he was arrested for stealing a Mercedes Benz C300 car in Delta state.

I was recruited into the Navy in 2019. I worked in Lokoja, Kogi state before I was posted to Warri, Delta state. It was when I went on a course in Sapele that I made the plan to steal a vehicle.

After my course, Abdulwahab came to visit me and my plans, assuring him that we would make money and he agreed to join me. We chatted about a tricycle from Warri to Sapele for the operation.

We saw a vehicle without a number plate in Sapele, we asked him to stop but he refused. We pursued him to a village where he finally stopped. And I told him, we are taking him to our office for driving an unregistered vehicle and he pleaded that we should settle the matter there but we refused.

I took over the steering from him and started driving but when we got to Oghara Road, he offered us money to settle the matter and I told him to pay N500,000 but he paid N400,000 to a Point of Sale account which I gave him and was later transferred to me. We were driving to Abuja to sell the car when the police arrested us.

On his part, Abdulwahab, a correctional service officer in Kaduna State, said Adamu invited him to Warri for the job, but said this was his first time of being involved in a robbery.
President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the Supreme Court victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke, noting that he recognizes it, as he called on citizens and residents of Osun State to support the governor to succeed.

According to a statement made available on Tuesday by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, President Buhari recognised Tuesdays verdict of the Supreme Court on the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun State, as well the important role of the judiciary in deepening rule of law and democracy.

With the final decision by the Court, the President reminds the political class and their supporters that the main task at hand is to make the people feel the impact of good governance, where a prosperous, peaceful and stable Osun is guaranteed, the statement partly read.

He, therefore, urges all citizens and residents of the State, particularly her notable sons and daughters, to give the government of Senator Ademola Adeleke all the support it needs to ensure that programmes, policies, plans and aspirations fashioned to make individuals and businesses flourish succeed.

READ MORE: Supreme Court Affirms Adelekes Victory As Osun Governor

Elections should be seen as the path to an end, which is the progress of the people in a peaceful environment, rather than unending bickering. This is the time for inclusion and harmony in the State at the end of litigation, the President was quoted to have said.

Recall that INFORMATION NIGERIA had earlier reported that the Supreme Court set aside the appeal by Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the election of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Osun State Governor.

The apex court, in its judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, also upheld the Appeal Courts judgment which upheld the election of Adeleke as the state governor.

The apex court held that the appellant failed to adduce enough evidence to prove his allegation of over voting in the July 16, 2022 governorship poll.
Former Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola has conceded defeat and congratulated his successor, Ademola Adeleke over the Supreme Court verdict that confirmed his election victory.

Recall that INFORMATION NIGERIA earlier reported that Oyetola had challenged Adeleke before the Election Petition Tribunal after the July 16 governorship election alleging that the election was marred with irregularities, asking the court to return him as the duly elected governor.

The tribunal had upheld the argument of Oyetola, ruling that Adeleke did not win the lawful majority votes and declared Oyetola as the winner. However, the Court of Appeal reversed the lower courts decision affirming the victory of Adeleke as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Also, the Supreme Court further affirmed the victory of Adeleke as duly elected Governor of the State.

According to the former governor in a statement signed by him, and made available to media by his spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, said although the verdict of the Apex Court was against the wish of his partys members and supporters, he accepted it in the interest of peace and development of the State.

READ MORE: Supreme Court Affirms Adelekes Victory As Osun Governor

The former governor urged members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, his supporters, and those who voted for him during the July 16 2022 governorship election, to accept the judgment as the will of God and move on.

We strongly believe we presented a good case before the Supreme Court but the Court thought otherwise and has given its verdict. While the outcome is against our wish and that of our party members and supporters, we are all bound to accept it as law-abiding citizens.

To our members and supporters across the State, I urge you all to accept the verdict of the Court and move on. The present situation is a win-win for us. Its both a loss and victory rolled into one. While we lost Osun technically, we gained Nigeria, he said.

I remain committed to the growth and development of Osun. I will therefore continue to work with well-meaning citizens of Osun, associations and institutions to facilitate the development to our dear State. Similarly, I urge all citizens of Osun to continue to exhibit the Omoluabi ethos and uphold the dreams of our forebears for the State, irrespective of party affiliations.

To the Osun Governor, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your victory at the Supreme Court. While I pray for your tenure to be prosperous for our people and the State, I urge you to focus on the delivery of good governance.

Politics aside, the time has come to let you know that the interest of the masses must be most paramount without any restriction or discrimination whether based on political persuasion, creed, or religion. Whatever personal differences we have must give way to the advancement of our great State.

The security of the Osun people must be guaranteed regardless of their religious and political affiliations. I pray for peace and progress in your tenure, Oyetola added.
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum will on Thursday honour past, present, and newly elected governors under the party, including members of the G5 led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

Recall that G5 declined to support the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar.

According to the Director General of PDP Governors Forum, C.I Maduabum, in a statement made available in Abuja, yesterday, other former and outgoing governors were also to be honoured for their contributions to the party in particular and the nation in general.

Maduabum said: The PDP Governors Forum under the leadership of Aminu Tambuwal, is organising Welcome/Reception of PDP governors-elect and send forth of past PDP-GF Chairmen scheduled for May 11, 2023, in Abuja.

The governors-elect being received into the Forum are: Umo Bassey Eno  Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah -Enugu State, Agbu Kefas  Taraba State, Siminalayi Fubara -Rivers State, Sheriff Oborevwori -Delta State, Dauda Lawa-Zamfara State and Caleb Mutfwang-Plateau State.

We are also welcoming three re-elected governors, namely, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.

The Forum wishes to use the opportunity to formally send forth past Chairmen of the Forum, namely: Segun Mimiko, Ayodele Fayose, Ibrahim Dankwambo and Seriake Dickson.

READ MORE: Shameless Sore Losers, PDP, LP Lost Presidential Election Woefully  Lai Muhammed

All outgoing PDP Governors: Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State (Chairman); Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State (Vice Chairman); Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; and Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State, will also be honoured during the ceremony for all their services to the Forum.

This event will feature a discussion on Good Governance at the Sub-National level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes, which will lay out the challenges facing governance at the sub-national level and possible solutions and is to be presented by Dr. Muda Yusuf, a renowned economist, as Guest Speaker.

It is expected to be a star-studded event as invitations have been extended to the Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum and members of the PDP National Working Committee, 2003 PDP Presidential Candidate and Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Namadi Sambo, Former Vice President.
A 23-year-old student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Akure, Ondo State (names withheld), has narrated to an Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court how she was allegedly raped by the founder of her church, Oluwafeyiropo Daniels of I Reign Christian Family Church.

The victim, who is a former assistant pastor of the churchs branch in Akungba, told the court presided over by Justice Ramon Oshodi on Tuesday that her first encounter with the bishop was on May 28, 2018, when he visted Akure for a programme.

The witness, who was led by the Lagos State prosecution counsel, Babajide Boye, testified that subsequently, she became a member of the church and when her pastor, Toyosi Bamishe, needed to hand over to Pastor Boluwatife Oladejo, she was made the assistant pastor.

According to her, the bishop summoned her to the Lagos church to be punished for her inability to attend a ministers conference that clashed with her brothers wedding and her failure to meet the deadline set for her to transcribe about six audio teachings of the bishop.

The student narrated further that on June 21, 2020, the defendant directed her to come to the sitting room for her to present the churchs report and then he showed her the plans he had for the church in the next five to 10 years.

She told the court that she was listening to a television programme when he entered the sitting room and ordered her to take off her clothes, adding that the bishop told her he wanted to have sex with her as proof of her loyalty.

When she told him she cannot have sex with him because he was not her husband, she alleged the bishop resorted to raping her.

Her words, He pinned me against a three-seater couch and raped me. He was bigger than me and I was bleeding from my private part.

I was begging him but he didnt listen. I told him I was bleeding, he said he knew and that I should shut up.

When he was done, he ordered me to go and wash up immediately. He collected my phone and cleaned the blood before I came out. He said I should not tell anybody and that the day I tell anyone, I will run mad.

She also told the court that the bishop did not allow her to go out of the house after the first alleged rape.

He threatened that I would run mad if I should tell anyone; so, I was in the guest room till the following day.

READ ALSO: Pastor Feyi, Who Prophesied Against Tinubus Victory Remanded In Prison Over Rape Allegations

On June 22, I sent a message to Pastor Boluwatishe and informed him that I had been raped, the alleged victim testified.

He sent the gateman anytime I needed anything. It was at this time that it was dawn on me that this man is a rapist.

For my safety, I was acting stupid and acted as if I did not tell anyone.

I was in the room when he came again and said he wanted to have sex but I refused.

She added, On June 23, I was planning how to leave and when I came out of the room, he was tying a red towel and he said I should even be happy that he raped me, that he told me he wanted to have sex with me and I rejected him.

He said people would have been happy that he had sex with them. He took off my clothes and raped me again. He told me that I would die if I tell anyone.

I bled the second time and he ordered me again to go and take my bath and ordered me back into the room. I immediately sent a message to Pastor Oladejo that the bishop had raped me again.

She explained that the defendant took her to a Lekki-based hospital where she met a doctor who was also a member of the Lekki Church.

The victim said before they got to the hospital, the defendant warned her in the car that she should tell the doctor that she was raped by her boyfriend.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a computer printout of chats between her and the defendant was admitted in evidence.

NAN also reports that Oluwafeyiropo was also alleged to have had sexual intercourse with one other person and sexually assaulted another, aged 19 years, by forcefully sucking her breasts.

According to the Lagos government prosecuting the case, the alleged offences contravened Sections 260(2) and 263 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The judge, Oshodi however adjourned the case until May 24 for cross-examination of the witness and continuation of trial.
The President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke over his victory at the Supreme Court, urging him to quickly unite the state and settle down to work for the progress of the state.

According to Tinubu in a statement made available on Tuesday, by his spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, in Lagos, said with the Supreme Court verdict on the Osun Gubernatorial tussle, all must respect the judgment.

Recall that Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had gone to court to challenge the victory of Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but while the Tribunal sacked Adeleke, the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court affirmed the senator as the authentic winner of the July 16, 2022 poll.

Tinubu said, I congratulate Mr. Ademola Adeleke over his declaration by the Supreme Court as the winner of Osun Governorship election.

The apex court in the land has spoken and all of us must obey its verdict. It is the right thing to do for democracy and rule of law to continue to thrive in the land.

I must also commend the immediate-past governor of the state, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for exercising his democratic rights as the constitution allows him to do.

Governor Oyetola discharged himself creditably in office. He lost the office but did not lose his integrity and reputation as the governor who brought efficiency, transparency and accountability to the business of governance.

READ MORE: Osun Guber: Supreme Court Judgement Will Strengthen Democracy  Adeleke

Now that the matter of the July 16, 2022 Osun State Governorship Election has been brought to a close, I urge Governor Adeleke to immediately settle down to work and continue from where the former governor left it. He should now move to unite the state.

I also urge all the people of Osun to work for peace and progress in the state.
At its annual I/O conference Wednesday, Google said that it would be releasing a new generative AI engine, akin to OpenAIs ChatGPT, for users of its cloud platform.

Dubbed Duet AI for Google Cloud, the new engine is designed to help developers code, and also offers assistance to administrators, cloud operators, data engineers, and security professionals in their daily tasks, via various features across the companys cloud services.

The new generative engine, which is powered by Google foundation models including Codey  also unveiled Wednesday  can provide code recommendations, generate blocks of code, identify errors in code and suggest fixes for developers and data engineers, the company said.

Duet AI will be integrated into Google Cloud services and tools such as Cloud Workstations, Google Cloud Console, Cloud Shell Editor, Cloud Code integrated development environment (IDE) extensions for VSCode and JetBrains.

The engine, just like Codey, is trained on multiple languages such as Python, Java, Go and Typescript.

In April, Google had showcased similar capabilities with its generative AI-based chatbot Bard AI.

However, Bard AI should not be confused with Duet AI, according to Forrester analyst Rowan Curran.

Bard is a separate application from Duet. I look at Bard as more of a technology demo than a true product. It is not something that is intended to be an actual work productivity interface. In contrast, Duet is specifically designed to help professionals achieve business outcomes, Curran said.

Duet AI to boost cloud adoption

Generative AI features, such as Duet AI, will ensure increasing adoption of cloud technology, according to Chirag Dekate, vice president and analyst at Gartner.

Lack of cloud engineering skillsets continue to inhibit enterprise adoption of cloud and more importantly value creation from the cloud. Duet AI leverages generative AI to address this challenge head on, Dekate said.

Using Duet AI, enterprises should expect faster value creation in Google Cloud and significant improvement in productivity of their cloud teams, including reducing cost, and improving agility in value delivery, Dekate added.

Googles move to release Duet AI comes at a time when the market is already flooded with code completion and generation offerings from rival hyperscalers such as AWS Amazon CodeWhisperer, Microsofts GitHub Copilot and IBMs watsonx.ai for Ansible.

While the rival offerings are targeted toward developers, Duet AI for Google Cloud extends to all Google Cloud users propositioning better value generation for enterprises, Dekate said.

Some Duet features are available now for a limited set of users, and the company said it will be expanding access "very soon." Companies can sign up for the Trusted Tester Prorgram to request access.

Duet AIs chat assistance capabilities, according to Omdias chief analyst Bradley Shimmin, will include any Google Cloud user working with declarative or programmatic tasks.

For example, a data scientist may use Duet AI to work on a tricky piece of code for data imputation, a full-stack software developer could use it to instantiate a new project environment, or a business user could use it to figure out why a Google Sheets calculation isn't returning an expected value, Shimmin said.

Some Duet AI features are avaiable now for a limited set of users, and Google said it would be expanding access to the capabilities "soon." Companies can request access by signing up for the Trusted Tester Program.
The Inquirers restaurant critic Craig LaBan recently returned from Mexico to answer Philadelphians most pressing questions about his culinary excursion, plus how Mexican chefs and restauranteurs in Philly wear their hometown inspiration on their sleeves.

San Mateo Ozolco, a town in the Mexican state of Puebla from which many of Philadelphias Mexican community originate, supplies the ingenuity for many of the citys best restaurants  including James Beard Award nominees like chef Dionicio Jimenezs Cantina La Martina (whom LaBan traveled to Mexico with).

To dive in and spill his stories about their journey in Mexico through Michoacan, Jalisco, Puebla, and Oaxaca, LaBan logged into Reddit for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) forum discussion in the r/PhiladelphiaEats subreddit where any Redditor is able to ask him questions of the trip.

From explaining the Puebla-Philly connection to some of the best Mexican bites in Philadelphia  here are the highlights, answered by Craig.  Henry Savage

What was your favorite bite? And can we get that in Philadelphia? Is the food we get here modified for Philadelphia tastes? If so, how?

I ate SO many wonderful things in Mexico, from street food to fancy tasting menus, that I published an entire story listing my top 21 favorite things. But I keep coming back to the pure freshness of masa in Mexico, where colorful heirloom corns are nixtamalized and ground fresh on volcanic stones, then toasted fresh on comals fired with wood. We have a lot of fresh masa happening now in Philly, and Im thinking primarily of the new Masa Cooperativa connected to South Philly Barbacoa. But nixtamalizing your own corn is actually really tricky. Theres a fine art to getting it right, and many folks (elsewhere) get it wrong. The texture isnt right. But this is clearly a growing trend as chefs get the hang of techniques and sources for corn  some of them in PA  our fresh tortillas can only get better. As our masa quality rises, our Mexican food quality will rise with it. Also looking forward to more people making tortillas on traditional clay surfaces, as opposed to metal planchas, and maybe even comals fueled by live fires.

Where is the best place to get mezcal drinks in the city?

There are a lot of venues now showcasing great mezcals. Obviously, Tequilas has been the leader in educating us all on agave spirits  but they are unfortunately down by fire for the next six months at least. David Suros philosophy is not to have the most mezcals, but to have the best. So I definitely subscribe to that quality over quantity motto.

Some other bars that have worthwhile selections include Condesa, La Llorona, Cantina La Martina (whose collection has grown a lot), and now even places that you dont think of as particularly Mexican, like Martha and Grace & Proper. I even saw a small but quality list of mezcals on the spirits section of the wine list at Vetri.

Im sure Im forgetting several. But I love that mezcal is now thought of as simply one of the worlds greatest spirits. And if you want a top-notch drinks list, having a strong selection of quality mezcals is every bit as important as the latest cask-strength rye or single-malt Scotch.

One of my fave dishes in the city was Eggs Albinal at Veracruzana. They closed. I am mad. Where can I find a substitute?

I dont know that dish from Veracruzana, but I did have some scrambled eggs covered in silky, chocolatey mole Poblano at El Chingon last week and they were off-the-charts good. Another great place for Mexican breakfasts is Cafe y Chocolate, where I adore their huevos Motulenos, a towering rendition of huevos Rancheros, the scrambled eggs with chorizo. Im also a fan of the chilaquiles at Casa Mexico.

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Any trends or ingredients you saw that you think have crossover appeal?

I was really intrigued by the wave of young chefs in Mexico now looking to honor pre-Hispanic traditions by updating them for contemporary audiences. Lots of heirloom corn cooked on wood-fired comals and presented in myriad ways  rough-skinned tostada raspadas, tetelas triangle turnovers stuffed with various ingredients. Fresh huitlacoche everywhere. And dishes with chapulines (grasshoppers) mashed into complex salsas paired with seafood. Youd think that bugs wouldnt fly in Philly, but Cantina La Martina in Kensington can go through 60 pounds of chicatanas (ie ants) in just a few months.

When do you think well start seeing a proliferation of good Mexican food in the city outside of South Philly?

Outside South Philly? Oh, that is already definitely happening, as entrepreneurs like Dionicio Jimenez see South Philly as nearly fully saturated. Thats definitely one reason why he chose to open Cantina La Martina in Kensington.

But there are many other examples. Look at Nemi in Port Richmond, or El Mezcal Cantina in Point Breeze. Also, dont forget the vibrant pockets of Mexican food centered around agriculture communities in Hammonton, NJ, and, as noted, Kennett Square and Avondale, where there are still several great Mexican venues (like the parking lot at Deannas supermarket.)

Camden is also a hotbed of great Mexican cuisine. A few years ago, I wrote about the proliferation of great restaurants serving genuine Mexican cuisine at the Jersey Shore, because there is a strong community there of Oaxaquenos from Cape May north to LBI.

Im interested to hear what immigrants from Puebla are bringing to the Mexican food scene in Philly in terms of flavors, techniques, aesthetics, etc.

In terms of flavors that are specific to Puebla: the complex brown mole Poblano (of course!), but also weekend tamales with champurrado (the hot chocolatey atole beverage), stuffed chiles en nogada, cemitas sandwiches (you must try the fresh-baked rolls over at Carlos Aparicios El Chingon!) and also tacos al pastor. Im writing something right now about trompo culture in Philly  that is the vertical spit al pastor and Arabes spins on. It descends from the Middle Eastern migration to Mexico over 100 years ago, and though it has evolved significantly, it specifically originated from Puebla.

Are there certain items you think people tend to under-order on restaurant menus? Any particular good examples of those items in Philly?

I cant say for sure which menu items are being under-ordered, but in terms of the subject at hand  our vibrant Mexican scene  Id encourage diners to veer away from the taco basics to explore dishes where the craft of fresh masa is on display.

Try the huaraches and sopes to see whats up with the chefs skill. Im obsessed with fried and stuffed gorditas at Tamalex (definitely with chicharrone inside). During winter time, people should definitely explore the Mexican soup tradition more  the ultimate hangover cure in menudo, but also hearty pozole, which is a hominy meal in itself. Im also more and more excited about the growth of Mexican sandwiches in this town. In particular at El Chingon, which is exploring the Puebla tradition of cemitas  the sesame-dusted round rolls filled with shredded quesillo (aka Oaxacan cheese), papalo herbs and a variety of meat choices (Milanese de pollo is classic)  and building some of Phillys next greatest sandwich traditions along the way. The lengua torta at Taqueria La Prima, btw, is already a 2 a.m. Philly classic.

Looking for more? Read the full Reddit AMA thread here.
Envision Physician Services plans to lay off 162 workers in Conshohocken this summer. Read more

Envision Physician Services, a national medical group based in Nashville, told Pennsylvania regulators this week that this summer it plans to lay off 162 administrative workers in Conshohocken.

Envision employs physicians who work in hospitals and other sites owned by other companies. Details on how many people Envision has in the Philadelphia region were not immediately available. The company said hundreds of Envision employees will remain in the Conshohocken office after the job cuts.

The announcement comes as the companys parent, Envision Healthcare, is preparing for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Private-equity firm KKR took Envision private in a $5.5 billion buyout in 2018, but Envision struggled under a huge debt load and high labor costs.

The May 8 notice to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry attributed the layoffs to a transaction with a joint venture partner that closed in April. No further details were included in the notice. A company spokesperson did not identify the joint venture.

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The layoffs in Conshohocken are scheduled to happen in two stages: 37 in July and 125 in September. Workers learned the bad news in February, the notice said.

Doctors who work in hospitals for Envisions customers are not being laid off. Instead, jobs listed on the layoff list are administrative, including people who work on medical records and deal with insurers.

The company appreciates its employees for their many contributions supporting Envision clinicians in providing high-quality patient care, the notice said.

Envisions presence in the Philadelphia area dates back to at least 2006, when a predecessor firm bought Clinical Staffing Solutions, which at the time provided hospitalist and specialty-unit coverage at 25 programs in 14 hospitals or outpatient facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A young woman with big smile looks towards Shakira Blackwell, a Planner with Office of Emergency Management, as she gets off bus that brought her to Philadelphia before boarding another to be processed. A group of immigrants arrived by bus in Philadelphia where they were met by Office of Emergency Management, and other organizations on JFK Blvd just west of 30th Street Station early Wednesday morning May 10, 2023. Read more

A bus carrying immigrants who crossed the border into Texas arrived in Philadelphia early Wednesday. It was sent by Gov. Greg Abbott as part of his ongoing effort to target Northern sanctuary cities.

It was the first bus to land here in four months, coming as local officials readied for more arrivals amid a potential surge of people at the Southern border.

The bus rolled onto a street near 30th Street Station shortly before 6:30 a.m., carrying 31 passengers including seven children.

A smaller-than-usual welcoming party of immigration advocates and city employees prepared to hand out light jackets and juice boxes as people disembarked in chilly weather.

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Hi, my friend, good morning, said one rider to the advocates, wanting to practice his English. Five arrivals were set to go to the airport, with Chicago as their final destination.

Whats next is uncertain, in Philadelphia and on the border  but officials worry that the Thursday end of Title 42, a Trump-era pandemic policy that let the government quickly turn away certain migrants, will generate a crush of arrivals and worsen a humanitarian crisis.

President Joe Biden took office promising to create a more humane immigration system, but in fact has continued some Trump policies, including Title 42, a World War II health law that allows the government to expel people in the name of stopping communicable diseases.

Now that policy is ending, to be replaced by other federal barriers to entry.

The bus trip to Philadelphia was not smooth, according to people who arrived on Wednesday. Some children developed stomach problems from the prepackaged military meals that were provided to them.

All those sent to Philadelphia have legal permission to be in the country, and most or all are seeking asylum, a protection that can be provided to people who could be harmed in their homelands.

Nicole Gomez, 20, originally from Venezuela, said there were miscommunications over where passengers were being sent. She and four other women signed up to be bused to Chicago, but when they climbed aboard the bus in Del Rio, Texas, it was headed to Philadelphia.

Still, she said, she was happy to be in the United States, making her way to Philadelphia International Airport with four other women.

The economic situation [in Venezuela] forced us to come, and its a shame because its a beautiful country, she said. But Im ready to seek the necessary paperwork and begin working.

Another woman, Isamar Granadillo, 33, said she wanted to get an education in this country.

The 26 other migrants headed to a city-run welcome center to arrange pickups and travel to New York and other nearby cities  and to grab a bite of hot food for the first time since Monday afternoon, when the bus departed. Advocates said all those who arrived on Wednesday would be moving on to other places.

Blanca Pacheco, codirector of New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, said organizers here remain ready to help people like Granadillo and Gomez.

She was critical of President Joe Biden, who promised a more humane immigration system and a pathway to citizenship for newcomers. At the least, she said, the administration should have created an arrival protocol at the border to help asylum-seekers.

The welcome system in Philadelphia has worked, she said, and the federal government should likewise set up a similar, ordered procedure.

They should support the asylum seekers, and then make work permits available for them as soon as possible, she said.

Before Wednesday, the most recent bus from Texas arrived in Philadelphia on Jan. 7.

That winter arrival was the 19th in a string of unscheduled, unannounced buses that began landing shortly before Thanksgiving, carrying nearly a thousand immigrants to this city.

On Wednesday advocates estimated that about 11 migrants remained at the city welcome center in North Philadelphia. About 50 people have chosen to make their homes in Philadelphia, city officials said.

Abbott called the buses an effort to relieve overwhelmed border towns, while Mayor Jim Kenney and others said it was a cheap political trick that hurt innocent people. Abbotts office did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Philadelphia has been targeted among so-called sanctuary cities, including Chicago, New York, and Washington, as Abbott sent more than 16,000 migrants in 2022. Mayors in Washington and New York declared states of emergency due to the influx of people.

This month more buses rolled into New York, and Republican leaders of two suburban counties declared states of emergency there, to try to stop the citys Democratic mayor from housing hundreds of migrants in their communities.

Immigrant advocates in Philadelphia have been preparing for fresh arrivals, with the pandemic-related immigration restrictions of Title 42 scheduled to expire on Thursday. Local leaders said Wednesday that theyre certain more buses will be coming to Philadelphia, and likely sooner than later, though the precise timing is unknown.

The Trump administration used Title 42 it to override asylum, a legal means to stay in the United States for those facing persecution in their homelands. The administration sent people who entered the southern border back to their home country or, more often, to Mexico.

The Biden administration continued the policy and defended it in court  and later opposed it in legal proceedings. Now the Centers for Disease Control says the COVID-19 pandemic no longer justifies the use of Title 42.

It might provoke a rush of new arrivals toward such states as Texas, followed by the sending of more buses to Philadelphia from Del Rio, a border town located about 150 miles west of San Antonio.

The first bus on Nov. 16 brought about 30 migrants to a side street near the train station, and established what has since become the routine procedure: passengers were quickly checked for medical emergencies, then offered blankets, coats, and drinks. Some were picked up by family members, while others boarded a waiting bus to be transferred to the welcome center, where government workers and immigrant-assistance groups provided food, temporary housing, legal services, and logistical support.

During roughly seven weeks, 838 immigrants arrived here, according to city officials.

The Biden administration has announced that as Title 42 expires, new rules will take effect, including one that presumes people who did not seek protection in other countries on their way here are ineligible for asylum.

Thats a dramatic reinterpretation of immigration law, which says people can seek protection no matter how they got here. Its unclear how potential court challenges to that rule could affect its implementation.

Winter arrivals interviewed by The Inquirer said their two-day bus journey started with an offer of a free trip to Chicago, New York, or Philadelphia, made over a loudspeaker at a Texas border facility. Many had come to the United States from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Cuba.

The citys Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Office of Emergency Management had spent months preparing, coordinating with community organizations including Juntos, HIAS Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, and Nationalities Service Center.
Migrants line-up between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Tuesday. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday end of the Title 42 policy. Read more

The border policy that allowed the United States to quickly expel migrants is about to expire.

Title 42  an emergency order that was enacted under former President Donald Trump with the justification of curbing the spread of COVID-19  is being lifted at 11:59 p.m. Philadelphia time on Thursday. The contentious rule has allowed U.S. authorities to remove nearly three million migrants since it was implemented in March 2020.

As the expiration date looms, theres been an increase in asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Homeland Security, shelter operators, immigrant advocates, and local politicians say they are anticipating the influx to put a strain on resources.

 READ MORE: Philly receives first bus of immigrants from Texas in four months, readies for more arrivals

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The policys end marks a major change regarding how the United States will process migrants. Still, experts warn, it doesnt mean the process will suddenly become easy for those seeking asylum.

President Joe Bidens administration is expected to roll out a plan that it says will humanely manage the border.

Heres what you need to know.

What is Title 42?

Title 42 is a health law that dates to World War II and allows the government to expel people to help stop the spread of communicable diseases. The policy overrides the countrys immigration laws that let people ask for asylum after entering the country illegally.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was revving up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a public health order with initiatives to help stop the spread of the disease. The order let authorities quickly expel migrants as they arrived on U.S. land.

Through an agreement between the United States and Mexico, migrants from Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and Central America can be expelled to Mexico. Migrants from other areas, including Haiti, are expelled to their native country unless they have documentation to live in Mexico. The Mexican government has agreed to continue accepting migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua when theyre expelled from the United States.

Under the Trump administration, unaccompanied migrant children were also subject to expulsion, a major point of contention. The Biden administration later exempted children from the practice.

Why is it called Title 42?

As noted by CNN, the policy got its name from the statute number in the Code of Federal Regulations that allowed the CDC director to issue it.

The 42nd statute in the U.S. code says the existence of quarantinable communicable diseases allows the director the right to prohibit people from foreign countries from entering the United States.

What is happening at the border now?

With border restrictions about to change, tens of thousands of people are waiting in Mexico to flee violence, poverty, and political instability, NPR reported.

Theres going to be chaos initially, said Priscilla Orta, an immigration attorney with Lawyers For Good Government in Brownsville, Texas. But hopefully within the next week or two, there will become a rhythm.

Border towns are already observing an increase in migrants. Some mayors elsewhere say they are overburdened by migrants already being bused from Texas, CNN reported.

A bus carrying immigrants who crossed the border into Texas arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday, as part of Gov. Greg Abbotts effort to target Northern sanctuary cities. It was the first bus to arrive locally in four months.

 READ MORE: Philly receives first bus of immigrants from Texas in four months, readies for more arrivals

To prepare for the expected surge, the Pentagon is dispatching extra active-duty troops to the border to help Department of Homeland Security agents, according to CNN.

But migrants crossing illegally will face a new set of policies.

What will happen next?

The Biden administration campaigned on promises to change the immigration system into something more humane and comprehensive but has continued some of Trumps policies  including Title 42, until now.

This week, the White House said a version of asylum restrictions that were proposed earlier this year would be enacted.

Under the finalized policy, migrants will need to either first apply for protection in a third country or apply for admission through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection mobile app. Officials said people who dont follow the newly outlined steps would be removed quickly. Its unclear how long the turnaround time for applicants appointments or acceptance could take.

A White House official said on a call with reporters Tuesday evening that CBP was adding interview rooms and phone lines to expedite the process and was ready to deploy as many as 1,000 asylum officers to handle interviews.

A finalized version of the new policy is expected to be published Thursday. So far, the proposed policy has been met with criticism across the aisle. ABC reports it is likely to be challenged in court.
When actors play characters  especially historical ones  for a long time, after the first nine months or so, you go down into the rabbit hole of your characters life, said playwright Paul Oakley Stovall. Stovall played George Washington in the Hamilton touring company, including during its 2019 stop here.

On his rabbit hole voyage, Stovall encountered the writings of a Black poet greatly admired by Washington and ended up collaborating on a play about her  Written by Phillis, a world premiere being staged at Quintessence Theatre Groups Sedgwick Theater in Mount Airy.

Phillis Wheatley was a formerly enslaved woman who garnered worldwide praise for her poetry during Washingtons time.

Written by Phillis is a cooperative effort with Stovall and Marilyn Campbell-Lowe as co-playwrights and Cheryl Lynn Bruce as the director, but Wheatleys role as collaborator cannot be left out. The words from her poems and letters form the basis for much of the dialogue in the play that moves from the colonial era and catches up to the present time.

She was the most celebrated African woman in the world, Bruce said.

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While little is known about her early life, scholars believe she was born in Gambia around 1753, arriving in Boston at age 7 aboard a ship named Phillis, hence the name given to her by John and Susanna Wheatley. They bought her to serve Susanna Wheatley.

Phillis Wheatley was taught to read and write, and her talent with language soon became evident. Susanna Wheatley and a friend, the Countess of Huntingdon, arranged for her to travel to London and, in 1773, had her poems published in a book, which received positive reviews.

The cover reads Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley, Negro Servant to Mr. John Wheatley of Boston, in New England.

Last week, a first edition of her book was auctioned for $38,175.

During the 60s and the 70s, [Wheatley] was criticized by some Black activists because she did not forcefully write against slavery, Bruce said.

What would you have done had you been kidnapped at the age of 7 and then shown such kindness after a 16-week journey in the hull of a ship? Stovall asked. I dont judge Phillis in any way. You have to sit back and say nothing, or if you are saying something, There but for the grace of God go I.

Despite the basis of their relationship, Bruce said, it was clear that Susanna Wheatley and Phillis Wheatley had a genuine love for each other  an important part of the play.

In 1770, Phillis Wheatley penned An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of That Celebrated Divine  George Whitefield.

Whitefield, a popular preacher and a friend of Benjamin Franklins, campaigned against mistreating enslaved people. But that did not stop him from having enslaved people working on his plantation or from advocating for the use of slavery. With all the wealth he accumulated as a plantation owner and slaveholder, Whitefield financed orphanages.

In Philadelphia, Whitefield sold Franklin a building that was a predecessor school to the University of Pennsylvania. For years, a statue of Whitefield held a place of honor on Penns campus until it was removed in 2020. In the play, an actor playing a graduate student addresses that part of the story.

The Rosenbach Museum (2008-2010 Delancey Place, Phila.) has original copies of Phillis Wheatleys work available for public viewing, and the Museum of the American Revolutions collection (101 S. 3rd St., Phila.) includes one of her letters, written in 1774, that repudiates slavery and defends human equality.

Written by Phillis, Quintessence Theatre Co. in collaboration with the New Classic Collective in Chicago, May 10-June 4 at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave., Phila. 215-978-4450 or quintessencetheatre.org

Check with the theater for COVID-19 protocols.
Shreya Datta, 37, of Old City, lost $450,000 in a cryptocurrency investment scam known as pig butchering. Read more

He appeared to her on the app like a breath of fresh air.

A wine trader from France, hed moved to West Philadelphia just a few years ago, he said. He had a killer smile and an even better body  he clearly spent a lot of time at the gym. His name was Ancel Mali. And shortly after they moved the conversation to WhatsApp, he deleted his Hinge profile. He said he wanted to focus on her.

So refreshing, Shreya Datta thought.

It was January and for months, Datta, a 37-year-old director at a multinational tech company in the Philly suburbs, had been on the apps. Every guy she met was talking to several women. She liked that Mali was so sure about her.

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Later, she would see that as a red flag  along with so many others. She would wonder how she could have been so fooled. Its like my psychology was hacked, shed say.

By then, she had lost $450,000.

Datta was a victim of a scam known as pig butchering, a loose translation of the Chinese name for the scheme, which is thought to have originated there. Con artists posing as someone else develop a relationship with victims and eventually convince them to invest more and more money in a fake cryptocurrency investment platform.

The relationship might begin on a dating app, as Dattas did, or on LinkedIn, or as a WhatsApp message seemingly meant for someone else. As the relationship progresses, the scammer mentions making huge sums of money trading cryptocurrency, and eventually encourages the victim to try it, walking the target through each step on a fake investment app.

The con is a long and sophisticated one, with the scammer engaging in a months-long courtship to build trust and sometimes allowing the mark to initially withdraw profits from the app. But after investing heavily, the victim will no longer be able to pull out the money. The app will ask for payment of what the swindlers call a tax  one last bid to get the victim to pay before realizing the scam.

Cryptocurrency investment fraud is the fastest growing kind of investment fraud, according to the FBIs Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3), with victims reporting losses of $2.57 billion last year, nearly tripling from 2021. Last year, more than 800 people in Pennsylvania reported being victimized by cryptocurrency scams, losing a total of nearly $55 million, the IC3 reported.

I guess Im a pig, Datta said with a laugh in an interview last month, a few weeks after she realized she had been scammed. Datta, an Old City resident whod moved to the States from India for her masters degree in 2008, was struggling to recover. She was making arrangements to move into a cheaper apartment and sell her car, while also fighting off intense shame and self-loathing.

But she was also still able to make light of the situation, relishing in a seafood pastry from Paris Baguette and joking that she wanted to stress-eat everything in the Chinatown cafe.

She was trying to focus on the ways in which she was fortunate: She still had a high-paying job, her family was able to bail her out of debt, she would eventually dig herself out of this mess.

Sometimes Im like, Its just money, she said. Some days Im like, I should just cry.

As soon as she and Mali moved to WhatsApp, they started chatting morning and night.

That first week, he shared his dream of achieving wealth freedom.

So that I dont have to work all my life, and I can have more time to accompany my lover to travel around the world, leaving footprints of our love in every corner of the world, he wrote.

He added that one of his hobbies was monitoring the crypto market.

Datta, who describes herself as a romantic with terrible luck, was just getting over a divorce and finally felt open to dating again. The more she spoke to Mali, the more she grew taken by the prospect of retiring early and traveling the world with a handsome, French, wine-trading gym buff.

Finally, she thought, something nice is happening. She noticed his written English was a bit off but chalked it up to it not being his first language.

They made plans to meet when she returned from a family visit to Pune, India. In the meantime, he convinced her to give crypto trading a shot. He would teach her his ways. He texted, You can use the money you earn to treat me to dinner.

She downloaded what appeared to be SoFis crypto trading app through a link he sent her  it had two-factor authentication and customer service, which she would come to regularly communicate with. She converted $1,000 of her savings into cryptocurrency on Coinbase, a crypto exchange, and from there, sent it to the trading app.

Datta and Mali sent screenshots back and forth, with Mali showing her exactly what to do. She watched as within minutes her $1,000 turned into $1,250. And she had no problem withdrawing the whole balance from the app.

In late January, Mali said he couldnt meet because he had a business trip to San Francisco. By then, she had turned a $6,000 investment into $9,000. Between messages about crypto, they talked about the vegan meals she was cooking, sent selfies and flirty emojis, and cooed over photos she sent from the cat shelter where she volunteered.

He often checked on her (Have you eaten yet darling?) and when she thanked him for helping her invest, he responded, I said I would protect you. It was exactly the kind of care Datta dreamed of.

Malis time in California dragged on. He said his uncle was sick with terminal cancer; he had to care for him. They video chatted twice very briefly  Mali said he was shy, the camera didnt linger on his face  and he showed her his dog. Datta thought she heard his French accent.

To make real money, he told her, theyd need to increase their investment. He lent her $150,000 and urged her to invest more of her money, to sell her stocks and take out personal loans. She listened. He grew irate when she struggled to tap into her 401(k) account, facing questions at work about why she wanted to do so.

Cant you control your own money? he said.

Please talk to me nicely, she wrote back.

On Valentines Day, he sent her a bouquet from Bee Flowers, a shop in Port Richmond. The next day, she successfully liquidated her 401(k).

I was in a trance, she said. I felt like I had met my person.

By the end of March, Dattas $450,000 investment in the fake app had more than doubled. But when she went to withdraw it, she received a message that she had to first pay a 10% personal tax.

With a sinking feeling, she called her brother, a lawyer in London.

The photos Mali had sent her, her brother discovered with the help of a private investigator, were not of a French wine trader but of a German fitness influencer who knew his way around a mirror selfie. Datta began to see everything in a painful new light: Malis never-ending trip to San Francisco, all his excuses about not being able to meet up, and the strange references to China, such as that time he said she should be a Chinese wife.

Pig-butchering scams are run by criminal syndicates out of centers in Cambodia and staffed by thousands who are lured to another country by the promise of a legitimate job, according to reports last year in Vice News and the South China Morning Post. These workers  who are enslaved and abused  are given sophisticated scripts tailored to different kinds of victims and forced to use them on targets such as Datta.

A volunteer with the Chinese-Cambodia Charity Team, which rescues people forced into scam labor, estimated to Vice that it had saved 50 people from centers in Cambodia over several months in 2021 and 2022, and most of them were from mainland China.

The first week of April, Datta filed reports with the police and the FBI. She hasnt received substantive updates from either, including any word on whether she stands a chance of recovering any of her money. A few days later, Coinbase froze her account, writing in an email: We are concerned you may have sent cryptocurrency to a fraudulent investment platform. Coinbase did not respond to a reporters request for comment.

Last month, the Department of Justice announced it had recovered $112 million worth of virtual currency linked to pig-butchering scams.

Since her fantasy shattered, Datta has started psychotherapy and joined a support group for victims of cyber romance scams.

Shes reflected on why she was the perfect victim.

As a single woman approaching middle age in a culture that privileges coupledom, I felt like I had a hole in my soul from not having a man in my life. And as an immigrant without deep roots and relationships in the city, she was used to doing everything on her own.

She made a six-figure salary but never paid much attention to her money; investing with Mali made her feel that she was taking empowered action. And her standards for men were low, making her fall for all Malis seemingly caring attention.

In the aftermath of the scam, shes had to deal with the judgment of others who scoff, Id never fall for that. Still, she wants to combat the shame shes felt and hopes that sharing her story will prevent others from falling for the same con.

My goal is to not hide, she said.
Two mayoral candidates say that if they were elected, they would seek to enact a 10-year property tax abatement for projects that reserve at least 30% of their units for affordable housing.

Both former Council member Cherelle L. Parker and grocer Jeff Brown said they would pursue such a plan.

We have an immediate and pressing need that the city is not set up to deliver on its own, said Aren Platt, Parkers campaign spokesperson. We need to come up with a way that private industry, which cant operate at a loss, is incentivized.

 READ MORE: Councilmember Cherelle Parker held a tight rein on development. What would she do as mayor?

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Currently, Philadelphia offers a tax abatement on all new construction, but it is much less generous now than it was two years ago. The current policy phases out over 10 years, reducing the size of the abatement annually until in the last year only 10% of property taxes are exempted.

But a new state law allows for property tax abatements specifically for those who make at least a third of the units available to those who make 60% of area median income or less. ).

The state law requires that local governments pass their own enabling legislation if they want to take advantage of it. Council President Darrell L. Clarke did just that at the end of last year, but in keeping with his vision of hyperlocal control, he designed his proposal narrowly, not for the entire city.

Clarkes bill would allow such tax incentives only on a narrow strip around North Broad Street. It would be left up to district Council members to decide whether they wanted to opt in any part of their territory.

In a written response to an Inquirer questionnaire sent to all the candidates in April, Parker said she would move beyond the narrow scope currently being considered.

I am looking to implement HB581 [the state law] citywide to allow for 10-year tax abatement for building new if at least 30% of the housing built is affordable, said Parker.

 READ MORE: Darrell Clarkes nearly 25 years on City Council shaped how Philly was built

Most other candidates talked about the existing abatement and the debates around it in response to the questionnaire, but Brown also talked up the 30% affordability requirement in exchange for a full decade property tax break.

I would consider a citywide 10-year property tax abatement for developers who include affordable housing in their projects, wrote Brown. If we are going to give developers a tax abatement, it must be because they are giving back to our communities.

How the candidates proposal fits with the current policy landscape

Parker specifically noted that her proposal would implement a citywide version of the affordable abatement program, something called for by all of the concerned interest groups  from market rate developers to community development corporations.

We really, really urge you to pass the affordable abatement across the city, said Carrie Rathmann, director of strategic partnerships for Habitat for Humanity, at a City Council hearing on Clarkes more limited proposal in late February.

But the hearing also highlighted the political challenges to any attempt to bring back a 10-year abatement. Some neighborhood activists were uncomfortable with Clarkes narrow version of the affordable abatement, arguing that it would merely contribute to gentrification.

The 10-year tax abatement is really what developers want, said Tiffany Green, a longtime community activist from Point Breeze. This seems like a back-door way of reintroducing the 10-year tax abatement to the scene.

The original 10-year property tax abatement, which applied to all new construction, became a political lightning rod as redevelopment heated up, especially in the neighborhoods around Center City.

As large and more expensive new homes went up in working class areas that hadnt seen new development in generations, older residents were outraged that their new, wealthier neighbors were barely paying any property taxes  even as their own monthly costs increased as property assessments soared.

A 2019 compromise halved the value of the 10-year property tax abatement for new construction, but memories of that older policy debate loom large and make even the word abatement toxic in some circles.

At the February hearing, those sentiments were evident from the numerous neighborhood activists who testified against Clarkes bill. Green said that 30% affordability requirements werent enough.

Do you know what 70% market rate does? 70% market rate increases the housing price, 70% increases the whole area and makes it expensive, said Green. So the little 30% actually gets swallowed up.

At the hearing, Council members Mark Squilla and Kenyatta Johnson amended Clarkes legislation to opt their whole districts into the new affordable abatement. But the pushback from Green and other foes seemed to give some Council members cold feet and theres been no movement on the legislation in over two months.

Clarkes spokesperson said conversations are continuing.

Affordable housing by the private sector?

Parker placed her citywide affordable abatement proposal in the context of her hopes to use vacant city-owned land to build more affordable housing in a mixed-income setting, combining the abatement with proceeds from the construction tax passed in 2020 to subsidize construction. (She also promised to expand the scope of the Basic Systems Repair program, which provides grants for home renovations to low-income property owners.)

Platt said the program could be used both for home ownership units and rentals.

She recognizes that at least some affordable housing will be built by private developers, and you need to find financial incentives for that, said Platt. This is something we can do to get homes built as quickly as possible and create homeowners.
Shreya Datta, 37, of Old City, Pa., poses for a portrait at the Race Street Pier in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Datta was scammed for about $450,000 from a guy she dated for 3-months on hinge. Read more

The sun returns today with a high of 80. Enjoy the clear skies.

Want to know something about Philly? Were relaunching Curious Philly, where no question is too big or small for our reporters to research and share what they learn.

Its been more than a decade since dating apps transformed the world of online dating and all the joys and pitfalls that come with it.

Todays lead story is different. Its more of a cautionary tale for those looking for love. Shreya Datta, a 37-year-old director at multinational tech company in the Philly suburbs, shared her story.

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If you see this  in todays newsletter, that means were highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

 Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Shreya Datta was on Hinge for months after recently getting over a divorce.

Thats when she swiped on someone whom she thought was a wine trader from France whod recently moved to West Philly.

She thought she met her dream guy, but, over time, he turned into a nightmare. By the time Datta realized what was happening, she was conned out of $450,000.

Datta was a victim of pig butchering.

Its a term used when con artists pose as someone else to develop relationships with victims to convince them to invest large sums of money in a fake cryptocurrency platform.

Note: Cryptocurrency investment fraud is the fastest growing kind of investment fraud, according to the FBIs Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3). Victims reported $2.57 billion in losses last year, nearly tripling from 2021.

Keep reading to learn the complete story of the long and sophisticated scam.

Mayoral candidate and grocer Jeff Brown is the founder of Uplift Solutions, a nonprofit that provides jobs for formerly incarcerated people.

Between 2016 and 2020, when Brown chaired the nonprofits board, Uplift paid more than $1.5 million to Browns supermarkets to lease office space, buy food, or reimburse the corporations donations to other community groups.

The company did not respond to a question asking why the nonprofit was reimbursing the companys charitable donations to community groups. Brown, who left the board in 2021, declined an interview for this story.

Notable quote: Theres a difference between whether its legal and whether its ethical. And nonprofits have to be held to a higher ethical standard, Laura Otten, a nonprofit consultant, said. It makes zero sense to raise money for a nonprofit to give to a for- profit to be philanthropic.

Continue reading to learn more about the close relationship between Brown and Uplift.

What you should know today

 Trivia time 

Jerry Blavats Jersey Shore nightclub, Memories in Margate, is up for sale.

When did it open?

A) 1972

B) 1975

C) 1969

D) 1980

Think you know? Find out.

What were...

Watching: Main Line Billionaire Jeffrey Yass and Philly developers are spending big money to influence City Council races.

Reading: A day in the life of the Phillies head team physician.

 Unscramble the anagram 

Hint: Devils Pool

IKONICSWASH

Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if youd like. Cheers to Christine Taylor, who correctly guessed Tuesdays answer: LOVE Park. Email us if you know the answer.

Photo of the day

That has been your Wednesday morning news debrief. Im off to go on my morning run. Thanks for waking up with The Inquirer.
Some 15 years ago, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama came to Philadelphia to address the issue of race in the United States. Against the backdrop of the National Constitution Center, Obama urged us as a nation to tackle the issue of race that has continued to divide us for generations.

At the time, Michael Nutter was mayor, and he took Obamas charge in calling for more conversations about race that could help us become a better city.

Shortly thereafter, a small group of clergy from various faith traditions, of which I was a part, decided to take up that challenge.

In 2008, we gathered for breakfast one weekday morning to start having a dialogue around how our individual lives have informed our own understanding of race. That small gathering led to the formation of the New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity, which we call NewCORE. For more than a decade, we have invited individuals  from the highest pinnacles of power to regular folks from the street  to share their stories about race. The goal of the project is to boost understanding and compassion, to build bridges where there was once conflict and division.

Now, as we enter the home stretch of the mayors race, and with so many candidates vying for the top prize, the leaders of NewCORE made a simple but timely gesture. On April 13, we invited all the candidates to meet with us individually via Zoom for a 15-minute conversation on how theyve come to understand race, and how that perspective might shape how they would govern if elected mayor. We would record the conversation, place it on our website, and share it on social media. We assured the candidates that this would be a safe space for them to share their thoughts on this sometimes volatile topic.

 READ MORE: Simply admitting more Black students wont fix Temples diversity problems | Opinion

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Four of us committed to conducting the conversations: the Rev. Dr. Malcolm T. Byrd, NewCOREs president, the Rev. Dr. Marsha Brown-Woodard, NewCOREs vice president, and board members the Rev. David W. Brown of First United Methodist Church of Media and Adam Kessler, former director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

What happened next was surprising and frustrating.

Only two of the candidates took us up on our invitation. One apologized that they couldnt find time to get this conversation on their calendar. The rest of the candidates didnt respond at all.

Were all fairly mature persons of faith, and we understand the crushing demands on candidates seeking public office. But the lukewarm response to this got us wondering: How important is race to those seeking to take Philadelphia into its next chapter?

It could be argued that we talk about race all the time, so why do we need a separate conversation to understand how race informs what we do? Or that weve had several debates and forums in which race plays a part in everything from policy platforms to promises of reform. Or it could be that were so close to Election Day that there simply wasnt room for one more conversation that may or may not make a difference in how voters will select their next mayor.

These are all valid explanations. But in the end, we believe theres no good excuse for not talking about race.

No problem can be fixed until it is faced.

So here we are. On May 16, we will cast our ballots for one of the candidates who will serve as the 100th mayor of Philadelphia. That person will be responsible for a city that is among one of the most diverse in the country  with the majority identifying as Black, brown, and people of color.

With that in mind, were making both an offer and a request. The offer is that NewCORE is extending an open invitation to any of the remaining candidates to have that conversation with us. From now and through Election Day, were ready, eager, and able to sit down virtually, allowing you to share your perspective.

The request is that, if youre elected, youll commit to having an annual mayors conversation on race that will enable a citywide dialogue, with the hopes of building more bridges to healing in a city fractured by our differences.

We know these conversations can be uncomfortable. We know they can be awkward. We know they can sometimes feel confrontational. But we also understand that no problem can be fixed until it is faced. And for us, conversation is the first step to fixing the problem that  left unspoken  will continue to hold us back when we need to push ourselves ever forward.

The Rev. Steven Lawrence is board chairman of New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity (NewCORE).
E. Jean Carroll leaves federal court in New York on Monday. A jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. Read more

Its not every day a former president of the United States is found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Then again, America has never experienced a former president like the norm-busting, twice impeached, criminally indicated, serial lying, race-baiting, tax dodging, insurrectionist starting Donald J. Trump.

It only took a federal jury in Manhattan three hours to unanimously find that Trump sexually abused and defamed magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. The jury of six men and three women awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.

The historic civil verdict is also a significant victory for the #MeToo movement and the more than two dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The defamation finding is also a small victory for the truth. A corrective to the sea of daily lies Trump told during his tumultuous one term as president, and that he continues to spread.

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 READ MORE: Justice for all  even Donald Trump | Editorial

Right on cue, Trump took to social media to spout his usual all-caps defense. This time, it is the verdict thats the GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

Its a tired line in a country that is tired of Trumps act  at least most of the country that doesnt watch Fox News and still believes in truth, justice, and American democracy. Sadly, Trump still has many supporters in the Republican Party and remains the front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2024.

Many Trump voters knew in 2016 they were electing someone who has little respect for women. Before going to the polls, the country had seen him call women nasty, horseface, and dog. Trump boasted about how he could grab women by their genitals.

Indeed, Trump doubled down on his demeaning and disgusting disregard for women during his deposition in the run-up to the Carroll trial. When Carrolls attorney asked Trump about his comments about grabbing women captured on the infamous Access Hollywood tape, the former president didnt deny it. He didnt flinch.

Well, historically, thats true with stars, Trump said. If you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true. He then added, Unfortunately or fortunately.

Trumps casual response while under oath underscores his belief that he is above the law. For years, he has escaped accountability for many of his misdeeds. But the law may be finally, albeit slowly, catching up to him.

The Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud last year. In April, Trump was indicted by the Manhattan district attorney on 34 counts relating to falsifying records to pay off an adult film star. This summer, a district attorney in Georgia is expected to announce if Trump will be indicted there for his role in attempting to interfere in the 2020 election results.

 READ MORE: The old fight against Trump begins anew | Editorial

Meanwhile, a special counsel continues to pursue two federal criminal investigations involving Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents that were removed when he left the White House.

Trumps current presidential campaign can also be viewed as his best legal defense strategy. If reelected, he will likely do whatever it takes to pervert justice and evade the law. Trump is already on record calling for the termination of the Constitution. He has long criticized and attacked the Justice Department, the FBI, and the courts, and will surely take a sledgehammer to those institutions if reelected.

As such, American democracy remains in peril and will be tested if more criminal indictments emerge. Still, with an unwavering  if small  base of supporters and Republican lawmakers willing to defend him, no matter the charge or the evidence, the courts remain the one place where the truth can win out.

For now, E. Jean Carrolls legal win is a victory for all women who have been sexually assaulted, including those by the former president. It is a good day for justice that shows no one is above the law.
Tim has had great success at Chubb, most recently leading the substantial growth and consistently improving margins in our P&C division, Ortega said.During his tenure at Chubb, Tim has also led our international financial lines business as well as professional lines in North America. He has been a trusted partner and has played a key role in promoting and nurturing talent around the world. We congratulate Tim for a remarkable global insurance career and wish him all the best in this new stage of his life.
Sarah Gardiner-Smith, principal and director of 2023 Fast Brokerage and Starter Smith & Lane Insurance (Smith & Lane), added: Be prepared for the first couple of years to be tough financially. The safety of your weekly salary is no longer there, and you need to have a stockpile to get you through the tough times. You want to maximise your chance of succeeding, and the less financial stress you have, the better position you will be in to push forward.
For many in the insurance field, technological developments may present a new calibre of vulnerabilities to be concerned of. However, a more risk-based approach to cyber security that is rooted in a maturity-based model will allow the industry to keep up with the pace of modern life without sacrificing its hard-earned vigilance.
It's clear organisations understand the gravity and impact of cyber incidents, but we also see a range of roadblocks from a lack of preparation, misalignment between IT and security teams and over-reliance on insufficient backup and recovery solutions, said Steven Stone, head of Rubrik Zero Labs. In the current era of cybersecurity, the best outcome is ensuring cyber resilience. Incidents are inevitable, so it's critical to reduce the risk before a response is needed, and  at all costs  protect the crown jewel: the data.
The biggest challenge [for brokers] is the data. They rely heavily on external data, whether that's from an insurer, reinsurer, or an MGA to the point that they're very much at the mercy of that external party and how they choose to share information, Williams told Insurance Business.
Gradient AIs technology is revolutionary and on the leading edge of the industry, said Dave Kesler, vice president of underwriting for Western Skies. It has enabled us to innovate and deliver new insurance solutions to the market. With Gradient AI, we can combine our strengths from our traditional business with SAILs predictive analytics to reach new markets that were previously unattainable. This has been a game-changer for Western Skies.
This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are always a hot topic in insurance. From small agencies hoping to get acquired, large agencies hoping to get larger, or carriers looking to expand into new geographies or lines of business, there are a multitude of reasons companies consider mergers and acquisitions.

Since its such a common occurrence within the insurance industry, its no surprise that weve written about insurance mergers and acquisitions before. Interested in reading about why you should prioritize compliance in the business acquisition process? Done. Or wondering how you can avoid getting stuck with a lemon in an insurance acquisition? Done. How about an argument for why your tech stack matters before you even consider selling your insurance agency? Done!

But if youre just looking for some basics  namely what is all this talk of M&A in the insurance industry about anyway  then youve come to the right place. In this blog well cover the foundations like:

What are mergers and acquisitions?

How are mergers and acquisitions different from one another?

Why are there so many mergers and acquisitions in insurance?

Why do some insurance agencies acquire others?

Why would you want your insurance agency to be acquired?

Before you read on, remember that were experts in producer license compliance management but were not your attorney or accountant. Before considering any insurance M&A activity for yourself, make sure you get expert advice from a trusted professional. For simplifying and automating your agencys, carriers, or MGAs compliance, see how AgentSync can help.

What does M&A mean in insurance?

The term M&A stands for mergers and acquisitions: the process by which multiple separate business entities become one. The phrase mergers and acquisitions can encompass a few different specific actions, each with different meanings and implications.

What is an insurance merger?

An insurance merger is when two separate companies form into one new company. For example, insurance carrier A and insurance carrier B decide theyd be in a better position together forming a new company: insurance carrier C.

What is an insurance acquisition?

An insurance acquisition is when one company acquires one or more other companies, thus bringing the acquired company under the umbrella of the acquiring company. The acquiring company, also called a parent company, doesnt have to buy 100 percent of the company it wants to acquire. Generally, a company only needs to acquire more than 50 percent of another business to gain control.

How do mergers and acquisitions differ?

Quite simply, a merger usually refers to a merger of equals in which two companies mutually agree that its a smart business move to combine into one, newly formed company. An acquisition usually refers to a larger company purchasing all or part of a smaller company and becoming its new owner or parent company. Acquisitions can be voluntary or involuntary (sometimes known as a takeover or hostile takeover if the company being acquired isnt mutually willing).

How common is M&A within insurance?

Mergers and acquisitions happen frequently within the insurance industry, encompassing insurance agencies, carriers, MGAs/MGUs, and insurance technology companies (insurtechs).

Over the last 20 years, insurance M&A deal values (how much each deal is worth) and deal volume (the number of deals conducted) have grown and remained high: anywhere from just under $40 billion across about 80 deals in 2003 to a record high of $57.5 billion across 869 deals in 2021. We should note that the exact number of deals and deal volume vary by sources but everyone agrees 2021 was a record year.

As the economy slowed in 2022, insurance industry mergers and acquisitions also cooled off. However, the industry remained resilient compared to M&A activity in other sectors of the economy  with agency and brokerage activity fueling insurance M&A at a far greater rate than insurance carriers.

Why do insurance carriers participate in M&A activity?

The biggest reason an insurance carrier will undergo mergers and acquisitions is to increase market share. They can accomplish this by merging with or acquiring an insurance carrier with a footprint in a whole new geographic region, new lines of business, or both. Sometimes insurance carriers will look to acquire others in an attempt to swallow up a company they see as valuable competition, which theyd rather have under their own roof than to compete against.

Insurance companies also see opportunities to reduce operating costs and overhead through M&A.

Why do insurance agencies participate in M&A activity?

In many cases, insurance agency owners see acquisition as the best exit strategy when theyre ready to retire. If an insurance agent has built a successful agency with a large and valuable book of business over the course of their career, selling the agency to a larger agency can be an attractive proposition. From the other side, larger agencies often want to expand their reach into new states and new lines of business, and the easiest way to do this is often to acquire an existing insurance agency that brings the desired qualities into the mix.

Why are mergers and acquisitions attractive compared to organic growth?

Organic growth may be the gold standard of a healthy business but mergers and acquisitions can help a company grow and hit the ground running quickly without having to staff up, train, or implement new technology. In a best case scenario, the acquiring company can start to see a nearly-immediate return on their investment with an already profitable company now under its umbrella.

What are some down sides to insurance mergers and acquisitions?

Sometimes M&A creates redundancies, both in people and systems. Spending time and money to sort out how the newly-created business entity will function when combining two previously independent companies, or how one company will absorb the operations of another, can be a downside of mergers and acquisitions.

Having the right insurance technology in place can lead to more successful mergers and acquisitions

This might not seem obvious but when undergoing a merger or acquisition, insurtech matters. For companies looking to be acquired, already using modern insurance infrastructure means potential buyers have a clear view of what theyll be getting from operational, financial, and compliance perspectives. With AgentSync, for example, an insurance agency looking to be acquired can provide potential buyers with a full, real-time, accurate view of the compliance status of every producer working under that agency.

For companies looking to buy or merge, having the right tech stack will mean spending much less time moving data over by hand. Equipped with the right systems in place already means integrations and automation can help take the load off human employees whod rather be doing more important work throughout the merger and acquisition process.

Whether youre considering M&A at your organization or not, check out AgentSyncs suite of solutions to modernize your insurance business.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions
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A limousine company operator on trial for a crash that killed 20 people in upstate New York was portrayed by a prosecutor Monday as directly responsible for the deaths, while a defense lawyer argued he was simply in the dark about mechanical problems likely to blame for the wreck.

Nauman Hussain, operator of Prestige Limousine, is charged with criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the 2018 crash in Schoharie, a village west of Albany.

During opening statements Monday, special prosecutor Frederick Rench said Hussain intentionally failed to follow regulations for maintaining the 2001 Ford Excursion stretch SUV, which was loaded with friends on an outing when it spun out of control on a hill and crashed into a parked car, trees and an embankment.

Hussain did not have the authority to operate his limo business, which was placed out of service multiple times before the tragedy, Rench said. The vehicles aging brakes, he said, had not been replaced.

Nauman Hussain never followed any regulations, Rench said, pointing to Hussain who was looking down at a table in front of him. Nauman Hussain was completely aware of the unjustifiable risk that he alone had created and that he alone consciously disregarded.

Defense lawyer Lee Kindlon told the jury Hussain was not to blame.

Hussain, then in his 20s, was inexperienced in running a business and relied on professionals to make sure things were done properly, Kindlon said.

He blamed the problems with the vehicle on the shop Hussain used for repair work, Mavis Discount Tires.

The accident was caused by the fraud and failure of Mavis to fix the breaks, and the incompetence of the state of New York to uncover their misconduct, Kindlon told the jury. Finding a scapegoat condemning the least powerful person involved and declaring victory is not justice.

Lawyers for Mavis Discount Tires, which is not on trial but is being sued by the families of the victims, have denied that the repair shop is at fault.

The group that rented the limo were en route to a brewery Oct. 6, 2018, for birthday celebrations when the limos brakes failed to stop the SUV on a downhill stretch of road in Schoharie. The vehicle blew through an intersection and crashed outside a small country store. The group, which consisted of friends and family ranging in age from 24 to 34, were killed in the crash, as well as the driver and two bystanders.

The trial, which is expected to last as long as six weeks, comes after a judge rejected a plea deal last fall that would have spared Hussain prison time.

Maysoon Khan 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 Maysoon Khan on Twitter.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Photo: Postcrash passenger side view of the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine (not in the crash final rest position). Source: NTSB

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New York
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New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced that Insurance Commissioner Christopher Nicolopoulos will not be seeking reappointment upon the conclusion of his term.

Nicolopoulos began serving a five-year term in February 2020.

Sununu said a search for a new Insurance commissioner will begin immediately.

Prior to joining the insurance department, Nicolopoulos served as the president and CEO of the New Hampshire Association of Insurance Agents for five years. He was also an associate at Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios law firm, and government affairs director at the New Hampshire Association of Realtors.

Nicolopoulos succeeded John Elias, who resigned as insurance chief in December 2021 to take a job with Acadia Insurance, a regional carrier based in Westbrook.

Sununu thanked Nicolopoulous for his service to the state, noting that he played a critical role in standing up New Hampshires first-of-its-kind voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave Program, and has worked diligently to ensure the best premiums possible for policyholders.
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Guyanas environmental regulator on Tuesday appealed a court decision that last week declared that the agency and Exxon Mobil unit breached oil-spill insurance obligations for the companys first offshore project in the country.

Guyanas High Court Justice Sandil Kissoon said in his ruling that Exxon engaged in a disingenuous attempt to dilute its obligations under its environmental permit for Liza One project by not fully meeting oil-spill insurance requirements. It gave the company until June 10 to furnish Guyanese authorities with a liability agreement from an insurance company.

According to the court, Guyanas Environment Protect Agency (EPA) allowed Exxon to continue the project even though the company did not provide the necessary insurance guarantees. The government last week rejected the court decision and said it would appeal.

In his filing, the EPAs Executive Director, Kemraj Parsram, said it is true that a permit issued by his office in May last year requires a parent guarantee from Exxon to cover costs not satisfied by its subsidiary for an oil spill. He added that he did not agree with the courts interpretation that the permit calls for this guarantee to be unlimited.

Liza One, the project that inaugurated Guyanas oil production in 2019, has an environmental permit requiring 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.

Exxon last week said it was disappointing that the court failed to appreciate and acknowledge the financial capabilities of Exxon Mobil Guyana and its co-venturers to meet their obligations, and said the insurance was already in place.

Local Stabroek News reported Transparency Institute of Guyana, an anti-corruption organization had questioned the agencys appeal.

The question is why a government would want to appeal such a decision. Would that not be a pyrrhic battle? Would not a government lose more support from the people than it gains even if it won the argument? the group said, according to the paper.

The optics seem that there is a regulator that appears more interested in protecting the company that it is supposed to be regulating than the people of Guyana, Frederick Collins, current head of Transparency Institute of Guyana, told Reuters.

Guyanese campaigners and environmentalists have previously challenged the government permitting process, saying that oil production fuels climate change and would damage the countrys coral reefs and mangroves.

Photo: The logo for ExxonMobil appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Topics Pollution
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The European Parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of rules that would force companies selling oil and gas in Europe to cut their methane emissions, setting itself up for tough negotiations with EU countries seeking weaker limits on the potent greenhouse gas.

Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change, after carbon dioxide. In the short term, it is more potent than CO2, but methane emissions leave the atmosphere more quickly  so rapid methane cuts can accelerate efforts to slow climate change.

The European Union will this year negotiate a law to cut methane emissions. In a vote on Tuesday, the EU Parliament said it would back rules requiring oil and gas companies in Europe to check their above-ground infrastructure every two-to-four months, and fix methane leaks they discover.

Lawmakers also backed rules, originally proposed by the European Commission, to largely ban companies from venting and flaring methane  intentionally releasing or burning it.

Routine venting and flaring of methane is irresponsible and fuels the global climate crisis, Jutta Paulus, Parliaments lead lawmaker on the rules, said.

The Parliament said the rules should also cover imported fossil fuels from 2026, by requiring importers of oil, gas and coal into Europe to prove that their foreign suppliers comply.

That goes further than the Commissions original proposal, which did not target fuel imports.

The 27-country EU imports more than 80% of its gas. Most methane emissions associated with that consumption occur abroad.

Satellite footage and infrared cameras have shown emissions of methane gushing out of fossil fuel companies infrastructure, inside Europe and in countries from which it imports gas.

Related: Methane-Tracking Satellites Catch Polluters

An attempt by some center-right EU lawmakers to weaken the law, by making leak checks less frequent, failed to win majority support on Tuesday.

But the attempt reflected the view of some EU countries seeking weaker rules and concerns about the difficulty of implementing the rules are likely to resurface in upcoming negotiations between Parliament and EU countries on the final law.

Topics Legislation Europe
Steve White, the longest-serving chief executive officer in the 47-year history of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), has announced he is stepping down in the fall.

White on May 10 told the audience at the annual BIBA Conference that he informed the board he is retiring after over 19 years at the association  10 years as its CEO.

I will do so with a heavy heart, he said. But also, huge pride at what we have built at BIBA. And huge excitement and confidence for its future.

On his LinkedIn profile page, White posted an excerpt of his speech: At the BIBA Conference in Manchester this morning, I told the audience in my address that I read with interest something the U.S. writer Toni Morrison said. She wrote that all art is knowing when to stop. Well, I like to think of BIBA as our collective work of art. And, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to stop.

In a statement, BIBA said White has strengthened the association both in terms of financial position, governance structure and making BIBA the go to place for brokers, politicians, media and the regulator on insurance broker issues.

The BIBA board and its members are very grateful to Steve for steering the business steadily and successfully through what has latterly been choppy waters, said Jonathan Evans, BIB chair. The board thanks him for the sterling job he has undertaken so enthusiastically over the last 10 years. He will leave the business in rude health later this year. In the meantime the board has formed a sub-committee to determine the process in selecting our new chief executive.
European Union states were holding a first discussion on Wednesday on proposed new sanctions over Russias war in Ukraine that would target Chinese and Iranian firms and allow export curbs on third countries for busting trade restrictions.

Talks among the EU envoys were set to be heated, according to one diplomat, with Russia hawks upset the plan does not go far enough but others wary of damaging their international ties.

Widely differing perspectives mean a quick deal is not expected, several diplomats said.

The EUs chief executive unveiled the plan on a symbolic trip to Kyiv on Tuesday  a counterbalance to annual celebrations in Moscow of the World War Two victory over Nazi Germany that President Vladimir Putin likens to his invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions would focus on cracking down on the circumvention of Russia trade curbs already in place, and were designed in very close coordination with Group of Seven nations.

If we see that goods are going from the European Union to third countries and then end up in Russia, we could propose to the member states to sanction those goods export. This tool will be a last resort and it will be used cautiously, she said.

She added the EU would stop transit via Russia of more of its exports, including advanced tech products and aircraft parts.

Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal  drafted by von der Leyens Commission  said it also included blacklisting tens of new companies, including from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The new sanctions would highlight that oil tankers are not allowed to offload in high seas or arrive in ports with their GPS trackers off, an attempt to push back against flouting G7 restrictions on trading Russian oil, according to the sources.

Part of the push relates to growing concern, particularly in Spain, over the risk of spills as the ghost fleet moving Russian, Iranian and Venezuela oil grows.

New EU measures will unfortunately do little to address the problem which is old, uninsured vessels performing STS (ship-to-ship transfers) outside the EU, Andrea Olivi, head of wet freight at commodities trader Trafigura, said. Olivi pointed to a fire last week on a tanker with no known insurance in waters off Malaysia as an example.

The EU should put pressure on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to introduce more stringent safety and insurance measures on older vessels.

NO SWIFT DEAL SEEN

All 27 EU countries must agree for new sanctions to take effect in what would be the blocs 11th round of such measures since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

It would mark the first time the bloc had targeted China over accusations of Beijings role in the war, something Chinas foreign ministry warned the EU against.

A diplomatic source from an EU country hawkish on Russia was frustrated the Commissions proposal did not include stopping Russian diamond imports or nuclear energy cooperation.

The person said trade lost under the proposal was estimated to be worth up to 500 million euros ($550 million) compared to what von der Leyen said amounted to 11 billion euros in the previous round.

At the opposite end of the debate, a diplomatic source from a country critical of the sanctions said the proposal to target third countries was bound to trigger a fraught discussion.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

Topics Europe Russia
TRENTON, Mo. (AP)  Severe storms tore the roofs off several buildings in northern Missouri and pelted the region with softball-sized hail.

Grundy County Emergency Manager Glen Briggs told KSHB television that several buildings in Trenton, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Kansas City, sustained serious wind damage when the storm moved through this past weekend. Hail nearly 4-inches (10 centimeters) in diameter was also reported in the area, according to the National Weather Service.

No injuries were reported. Weather service experts planned to visit the area Sunday to determine if a tornado caused the damage.

Most of the roof of the Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Trenton was damaged. Pastor Steve Martin said people used tarps to cover the big gaping holes in the sanctuary.

Briggs said at least five other structures on the west side of Trenton sustained major roof damage, and several windows were blown out of buildings downtown.

Large hail and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Harrison and Daviess counties. In one case, hail penetrated the roof of a steel building in Daviess County.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Windstorm Missouri
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Insurtech funding increased nearly 38% from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023, from about $1 billion to about $1.4 billion, according to a new analysis released by Gallagher Re.

The U.S. leads France and the UK as the nation funding the most insurtechs. India and Germany round out the top five countries.

The definition of insurtech is important, according to Dr. Andrew Johnston, global head of insurtech and the author of Gallagher Res Q1 2023 Global InsurTech Report. Because the overall use of the term tends to be vague and overarching, the numbers captured will vary.

Currently 57% of global insurtechs  defined as technologically enabled, and those that offer technology as product and/or service to the re/insurance industry, such as software as a service (SaaS)  fit the technologically enabled business type. The remaining 43% of companies offering technology as a product or a service are less likely to test the boundaries of insurtech.

Within the insurtech funding cycle, four unique phases were identified: early-stage incubation, early-stage acceleration, mid-stage expansion and late-stage growth.

This initial report, a collaboration between Gallagher Re, Gallagher and CB Insights, focuses on Q1 and examines early-stage incubation funding, the funding activity captured during Angel, Convertible Note, Pre-seed, Seed and Seed venture capital (VC) deals.

The majority of insurtech investments from re/insurers occurred during the early stage for the sixth consecutive quarter.

Early-stage, also known as pre-seed, seed or angel investing, typically attracts investors who view themselves in a similar light. At this stage, investors are funding an idea and the founding members, since the product or service is unlikely to have been developed yet. Company valuations can fluctuate wildly at this stage and typical initial investors are the founders themselves.

The report found that 37.7% of all insurtech deals (as individual deal counts, not funding amount) were in the early-stage incubation category, a figure consistent with long-term insurtech data.

MassMutual Ventures led corporate venture activity among re/insurers in Q1 2023 with six investments. Five other re/insurers made multiple investments in Q1: Avanta Ventures (5), MS&AD Ventures (4), Munich Re Ventures (4), American Family Ventures (2), AXA Venture Partners (2) and State Farm Ventures (2).

Notable partnerships identified in the report from Q1 2023 between re/insurers and insurtechs include: AXA XL and Document Crunch, Nationwide and Waffle, NEXT Insurance and LegalZoom, Progressive and Zendrive, Tokio Marine Kiln and LOADSURE.

Series C investments netted 20% of deals from re/insurers  the largest percentage since Q1 2019.

A source of much speculation was the unexpected dip in insurtech investing, after what appeared to be a steady rise over the course of several years. Careful examination led to a more realistic conclusion  2021s mega round funding skewed the numbers. Rather than look at 2022 as a significant loss, Gallagher Re suggests that 2022 figures are indicative of the overall course of isurtech funding over time.

In 2021, 62% of funding came from mega-rounds, while only 41% of 2022s funding came from mega-rounds. In 2021, there were two noticeable periods of mega-round activity, according to the report; Q2 and Q4 (when combined totaled more investment than the entirety of 2022).

Going a step further, Gallagher Re removed the mega-round figures from 2021 overall insurtech funding and found it was a stable year, similar to preceding years.

The detailed report states while insurtech investment numbers look huge, a handful of standalone deals can, and do, have an enormous impact on the overall totals.

Taking into consideration all deals from 2012 to present, 51% of all capital invested into insurtech came from mega-rounds. This, Johnston stated, suggests that a large amount of money invested in a handful of startups can greatly influence final numbers.

Additional analysis of both the mean and median averages provide a clearer picture. Early-stage funding reveals less deviation mainly because it is where the most volume is. Once funding moves to the mid and late stages, where check sizes rise, deviations in the average funding becomes more pronounced.

According to Johnston, the key distinctions between funding rounds have to do with the valuation of the business, as well as its maturity level and growth prospects. This impacts the type of investor involved and the reasons behind the need for capital.

Combining all deals together from 2012 to year-end 2022, across each investment life cycle, the report highlighted the mean averages as follows; early-stage incubation $2 million, early-stage acceleration $12 million, mid-stage expansion $38 million and late-stage growth $110 million. Viewing all investment life cycles, the mean average insurtech investment round size is $22 million from 2012 to the end of 2022.

Though mega-round funding has been a significant funding source for insurtechs historically, the typically nine-figure fundraisers contributed to just 12.9% of total Q1 2023 insurtech funding, the lowest contribution rate since Q1 2020.

For many insurtechs, SVB was the go-to bank, the reports author noted, indicating its demise could create more difficulty locating funding sources. Gallagher Re expects a significant reduction in the IPOs that might have been brought by insurtechs, unwilling to take on debt. In addition, strong M&A is expected.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions USA InsurTech Tech A.J. Gallagher
HOUSTON (AP)  Crews have finally extinguished a fire at a Houston-area petrochemical plant that had been burning on and off for days, according to Shell, which operates the plant.

Fire fighters first responded to the blaze at the Deer Park facility on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, Shell said the fire had been extinguished. But a few hours later, Shell announced the fire had reignited.

The fire was finally extinguished on Sunday night, Shell spokeswoman Natasha Qamar said Monday. The reignited fire was contained in a controlled area.

Air monitoring is ongoing and has not detected any harmful levels of chemicals affecting neighboring communities. There is no danger to the nearby community, Shell said.

The city of Deer Park did not issue a shelter-in-place order for residents during the fire.

The fire had started at plants olefins unit, which makes plastics and rubber. The unit was undergoing routine maintenance at the time of the fire.

Nine workers who were sent to a hospital were released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

Shell said Sunday that the large amount of water being used to extinguish the blaze had exceeded the plants wastewater storage capacity and was being released into the Houston Ship Channel.

A floating barrier or boom was being used to prevent any chemical products from the plant from running off with the wastewater and contaminating the channel, Qamar said.

After some rain on Sunday, a light sheen was seen outside the boom but it has been cleaned up, Shell said.

Our teams are working around the clock to verify the environmental and safety precautions of the actions taken thus far, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the countys top elected official, said in a statement Sunday night.

Local environmental groups were not reassured by Shells statements that the community was not in danger.

History has shown that these early statements are for the benefit of industry public relations and not public health, said Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of Air Alliance Houston.

Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the large 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.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Facing new pressure over gun violence in Texas after two more mass shootings, Republicans on Monday unexpectedly allowed a bill that would raise the purchase age for semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 to advance out of a House committee  even though the proposal has almost no chance of becoming law.

The surprise move revealed faint momentum for gun control advocates after a weekend mass shooting at an outdoor mall near Dallas, but at the same time underscored how Texas Republicans are so resistant to gun restrictions that even clearing a small legislative hurdle caused supporters to celebrate.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in an 8-5 vote on the House Select Committee on Community Safety to advance the bill, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has previously spoken against. It is unclear when or if the proposal would get a full vote in the Texas House with just a few weeks left to pass any new laws.

It doesnt have the support of the Legislature, said Republican state Rep. Ryan Guillen, who chairs the committee and voted against the measure.

Abbott has shown no appetite for revisiting gun restrictions after two mass shootings in the span of a week. The first took place in Cleveland, northeast of Houston, where a man killed five of his neighbors with an AR-style rifle after they confronted him about shooting rounds in his yard.

The bill that advanced Monday had languished for weeks prior to Saturdays shooting that left eight people dead at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling outdoor shopping center.

Before the vote, protesters chants of Do Something! echoed through the hallways of the Capitol in the countrys largest red state. Protesters eventually camped outside the House chamber and chanted at lawmakers as they entered.

They included several relatives of victims of a mass shooting a year ago at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Some of them stood holding photos of their slain children, and some wept following the vote.

One of the Republicans who voted in favor of the bill was state Rep. Sam Harless, who through his office declined to be interviewed. It is not his intention to capitalize with media coverage on the misery and suffering of those who have lost loved ones in these tragedies for simply voting his heart, his conscience, and his district, Ron Hickman, Harless chief of staff, said in an email.

The push to raise the purchasing age has been led for months in the Capitol by relatives of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed in Uvalde when an 18-year-old gunman with an AR-style rifle opened fire in a fourth-grade classroom.

Mack Segovia, whose stepdaughter, Eliahna, was killed at Robb Elementary, attended Mondays rally wearing a shirt with a photo of the girl in her softball uniform.

It happened again. And its going to happen again and again and again, Segovia said. It happened this weekend in a mall. Youre not safe anywhere.  Its going to strike again, we just dont know where.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas Gun Liability
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With the Florida legislative changes passed in December  prohibiting assignments of benefits and one-way attorney fees  there is now an opportunity to change the dynamic in Florida and create a more stable market.

Historically, the main tools to promote stability were rates and coverage, but they did not change the result in recent years. It is unrealistic to think that homeowner rates and reinsurance rates would decrease unless carriers begin posting better results.

The intent, hope and expectation of the December legislation, Senate Bill 2A, is that carriers will eventually begin to see improvement in their books of business. The 2023 regular legislative session that finished last week included a number of other bills related to insurance, but none will have an immediate impact on consumers or reinsurance rates.

So, its time for the stakeholders in Florida to rebuild the Florida market. And that will take a concerted effort.

Understanding the inter-relationships of stakeholders could provide a starting point. The key players are policyholders, carriers, reinsurers, investors, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the Legislature and Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Developing a framework requires us to set goals for what we want to achieve. Specific goals could include:

Reducing rates for homeowners

Reducing rates for homeowners Reducing loss severity

Reducing reinsurance costs

Increasing reinsurance capacity

Bringing financial stability to the market and strengthening the financial condition of all carriers

Attracting new capital to the market

Returning Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to the market of last resort.

How can we achieve these goals? For starters, policyholders and carriers should work together to have repairs done quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively. Reinsurers should work with carriers, perhaps through the reinsurance brokers, to improve risk, improve exposure management, and encourage claims management that helps reduce loss severity.

In fact, reinsurers should go so far as to require carriers to demonstrate processes and procedures that are designed to reduce loss severity.

Carriers should also continue to develop products that are responsive to the needs of policyholders.

Citizens should consider re-instituting the bonus program or other incentive to increase the use of its depopulation program.

Investors hold one of the keys: They should take a long-term view of the Florida market and deploy capital in opportunities that can help propel the market forward.

The state should re-institute the Insurance Capital Build-up Incentive Program it had deployed after the 2004/2005 hurricane seasons. It should be targeted to new companies and provide up to $25 million in surplus notes in a one-to-one match.

The good news is that we have already started seeing a decrease in litigation as a result of the recent legislation. We also are seeing some significant stakeholders starting to express more optimistic views of the market.

New companies with fresh capital, fresh capacity and a forward-looking mindset could serve as the foundation for the rebuild. There is an opportunity and a need to address the Florida homeowner issues in a comprehensive way.

The market is showing signs that it is ready for that to happen.

Philadelphia-based John Hines is a former insurance executive and is now a partner with HCH Advisors, seasoned insurance industry veterans who have worked with startup insurers and have advised on business turnarounds. He has worked in the Florida market for multiple clients over the last 13 years.

Topics Trends Florida Market
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ECM Solutions, known as the largest privately owned independent agency in the Carolinas, has agreed to merge with IMA Financial Group, a major North American insurance brokerage.

ECM, which has 80 associates and offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Greenville, South Carolina, will now operate as an IMA company, the companies said in a news release. Jeff Haney is ECM president.

IMA specializes in risk management, insurance, wholesale brokerage and wealth management. The company said it is an employee-owned company, which gives ECM associates the opportunity to invest in the brokerage, which has seen rapid growth in the last three years.
Vancouver, British Columbia - May 10, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) (OTCQB: FDCFF) (the "Company" or "Forum") and Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTCQB: TRCTF) (FSE: Z1K) ("Traction") are pleased to announce they have commenced an airborne magnetic, electromagnetic (EM) and radiometric survey on Forum's 100%-owned Grease River Project, located along the north rim of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. The helicopter-borne survey will be conducted using a New Resolution Geophysics specially designed Xcite Time Domain Electromagnetic System. The 1,290 line-km survey will be conducted at a 100 metre line spacing over the entire Grease River claims totaling 10,528 hectares along the Grease River Shear Zone (Figure 1).

Traction entered into an option agreement with Forum whereby Traction is entitled to acquire a 51% interest in the Property by paying an aggregate of $250,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,625,000 common shares and funding an aggregate of $3 million in exploration expenditures on the Property by December 31, 2025. Forum is the Operator during this First Option Period. Traction has the further option to earn up to 100% interest in the project by making $1.7 million in cash payments, 5.5 million share payments and $6 million in exploration up until December 31, 2028. Forum would retain a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty and $8 million in milestone payments (see News Release dated February 7, 2023).

The Grease River Project

The Grease River Project is located within the north-central margin of the Athabasca Basin near the community of Fond du Lac. The Grease River Project consists of two separate claim blocks situated along the NE-trending Grease River Shear zone, a major intracontinental shear zone greater than 400 km long. The nearby Fond du Lac uranium deposit was previously discovered within the shear zone by Amok Ltd. ("Amok") and Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. ("Eldorado") in the 1970s and a historical resource estimate was included which was not prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), of one million pounds uranium at an average grade of 0.25% U3O8*. While the Company believes the historical estimate to be relevant and reliable, given the extensive exploration work completed by Amok / Eldorado, experienced mineral resource companies, and the quality of the historical work completed, a qualified person has not completed sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral. As such, the historical estimate should not be relied upon. The Company further notes that the Grease River Project claims are located along trend of the deposit to the southwest and northeast. Limited exploration has been conducted in the Grease River Project area.

*Homeniuk, L A, Clark, R. J., and Bonnar, R., Eldorado Nuclear Limited, CIM Bulletin May,1982. "Fond-du-Lac uranium deposit"

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Rebecca Hunter, Ph.D, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Forum Energy Metals

Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) (OTCQB: FDCFF) is a diversified energy metal company with uranium, copper, nickel, and cobalt projects in Saskatchewan, Canada's Number One Rated mining province for exploration and development, a strategic uranium land position in Nunavut and a strategic cobalt land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt.

For further information: https://www.forumenergymetals.com/

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTCQB: TRCTF) (FSE: Z1K) is in the business of mineral exploration and the development of discovery prospects in Canada, including its three uranium projects in the world-renowned Athabasca Region.

We invite you to find out more about our exploration-stage activities across Canada's Western region at www.tractionuranium.com.

Figure 1. Location of the Grease River Project in northern Saskatchewan nearby the community of Fond-du-Lac. The southern claim block is in Athabasca Basin sandstone cover (yellow) and the northern block is in basement rocks (shown with background magnetics). Dashed line is the Grease River Shear Zone.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard J. Mazur, P.Geo.

President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information contact:

Rick Mazur, P.Geo., President & CEO

mazur@forumenergymetals.com

Tel: 604-630-1585

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Vancouver, British Columbia - May 10, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC Pink: EQTRF), ("Altamira" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing exploration programme for copper and gold at the Santa Helena project in Mato Grosso State, Northern Brazil.

Highlights:

The first of four defined copper-in-soil anomalies to be surveyed with ground magnetics at Santa Helena reveals a major regional fault trend and arcuate magnetic features, consistent with hydrothermal alteration associated with a porphyry intrusive-type setting.

The 600 x 200m core of the copper-in-soil geochemical anomaly has a coherent zone in excess of 300ppm Cu and a peak value of 448ppm Cu, against a background of ~40ppm Cu. The anomaly has dimensions and a style that are consistent with a porphyry geochemical footprint. Stockwork quartz veining was exposed in a single trench excavated to date within the soil anomaly.

Previous scout drilling for gold targets 600m to the south-west of the copper anomaly showed deep weathering effects to a vertical depth of 50m, potentially leaching base metals.

The copper-in-soil features have associated NE/SW trending gold vein occurrences on their periphery. Scout drilling of these gold vein systems has identified porphyry style alteration and stockwork veining in intrusive wall-rocks to these structures. Both molybdenite and chalcopyrite have been identified in these veins.

CEO Mike Bennett commented; "The recently completed ground magnetic survey at Santa Helena has strengthened our belief that this target has strong potential for porphyry-related copper mineralization. The prospect forms part of a regionally zoned copper and gold intrusive system and will be our first test of the copper potential in the Santa Helena area. We now have coincident geochemistry and a major structure, plus evidence of porphyry-style alteration and porphyritic intrusives in close proximity to this target, from our prior drilling. This is one of four copper-in-soil anomalies that we are testing with ground geophysics to define scout drilling targets and we look forward to drill testing these anomalies in the near future."

SANTA HELENA PROJECT

The Santa Helena project is located immediately adjacent to the paved BR-163 federal highway in the state of Mato Grosso and 60km SW of the Jaca porphyry copper deposit which was recently discovered by Anglo American plc (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Location of the Santa Helena, Apiacas and Cajueiro projects.

There is no history of copper production in the Santa Helena area and previous artisanal mining activity has focused on high-grade gold, hosted in vein structures.

The regional geology (Figure 2) indicates a genetic link between the Teles-Pires intrusives and the Colider Formation volcanics, which is supported by regional scale geochemistry and geochronology with both units ranging in age from 1806-1757Ma. The Colider Fm consists of lavas and pyroclastic flows with inferred volcanic dome structures. The Teles Pires intrusives consist of alkali-feldspar granites and syenogranites and are interpreted to be the main host to porphyry-style intrusions in the Santa Helena area.

Younger (ca.1400Ma) sedimentary cover of conglomerates and arenites formerly overlay this basement. This cover, which is now reflected as remnant outliers, may have aided the preservation of porphyry alteration zones within the basement.

In a similar manner to the Jaca porphyry district (60km NE), anomalous copper occurrences have associated peripheral gold occurrences. Mapping, soil and rock chip sampling by Altamira has previously identified both extensions to the known vein gold targets in small scale gold workings, plus significant copper, molybdenum and gold anomalies in soils related to areas of porphyry-style alteration in a zone which extends 7km E-W by 4 km N-S, indicating the presence of a very large hydrothermal system. Pervasive "red rock" alteration of the host intrusive rocks is found in many of the holes drilled to date.

Figure 2: Structural interpretation of the setting of the Santa Helena porphyry target in relation to the Jaca porphyry project 60km to the NE.

Figure 3: Regional magnetics showing interpreted major NE/SW structural discontinuity extending over 60km.

Figure 4: Detail of soil sample results for copper, showing the clear north-east regional trend. White rectangle shows the area detailed in Figure 5. Prior drill holes for gold are focussed on existing artisanal gold workings and gold-in-soil anomalies which are peripheral to the copper-in soil anomalies.

Regional airborne magnetics data shows major structures including a significant NE-SW structure passing through the area of current interest (Figure 3). The same trend is evident from the alignment of copper and gold soil anomalies (Figures 4).

A ground magnetic survey has been conducted over this north-eastern copper-in-soil anomaly using survey lines oriented north-south, separated by 50m and with readings every second at walking pace. The data was quality controlled and analysed by consultant geophysicist Mat Cooper of Core Geophysics Western Australia (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Ground magnetics Analytic Signal with copper-in-soil shown as contoured data from 100 x 50m sampling on north-south lines.

A trench excavated in the western end of the main soil anomaly (Figure 6) showed vein and stockwork structures in saprolite and returned 41m @ 397ppm Cu. Leaching in the surficial environment is common and values in soils or trenches may be significantly depleted in base metals.

Figure 6: Trench within the western sector of the main soil anomaly. Image A indicates the depth of weathering. Image B illustrates relict stockwork veining in saprolite, marked by dark oxide minerals in the wall of the trench.

Prior drilling around the artisanal gold working (garimpo) to the south-west of the magnetic and copper-in-soil anomaly has shown at least three different generations of veining in drill core (Figure 7), indicating an alteration system that was reactivated in different temperature regimes, currently interpreted as reflecting the distal part of a cooling hydrothermal system associated with a local (porphyry) intrusion. See Press Release dated April 12, 2023 for drill results.

Figure 7: Selected core photos from drillholes DDSTH002,010,012 and 014 drilled to test gold vein and stockwork targets. The samples show syenogranite intrusive with chlorite-secondary biotite, sericite-muscovite and potassium felspar/hematite ("red-rock") alteration, cut by polyphase veining and brecciation with quartz, calcite, epidote, hematite, magnetite, chlorite (+/- secondary biotite), potassium feldspar and pyrite/chalcopyrite.

The coherent copper-in-soil anomaly over a porphyry-scale footprint area, combined with the new magnetic data, signalling the presence of both sub-cropping arcuate inferred magnetic-destructive alteration and a major regional fault, provide strong indicators for a porphyry style target for the copper anomaly. Previous drilling for gold, within a radius of 600m of the copper target, provides further concrete support for a porphyry-style setting via intercepts of altered, polyphase veined and brecciated intrusives hosting pyrite and chalcopyrite.

Altamira is in the process of completing ground magnetic surveys over the other three defined copper-in-soil anomalies and plans to accelerate the definition of drill targets for scout diamond drilling.

Qualified Person

Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M AusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Altamira Gold Corp.

The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold projects within western central Brazil. The Company holds 6 projects comprising approximately 190,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project has NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP.

"Michael Bennett"

Michael Bennett

President & CEO

Tel: 604.676.5660

Toll-Free:1-833-606-6271

info@altamiragold.com

www.altamiragold.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements.

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Vancouver, British Columbia - May 10, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (OTCQB: PVGDF) (the "Company" or "Provenance") is pleased to announce that its initial drilling and exploration program at its Eldorado gold project in Malheur County, Eastern Oregon will commence today.

Two hundred and forty-two historical drill holes have outlined an open-ended major shallow gold system. Within this large volume of mineralization are extensive high-grade breccia zones that are believed to be associated with volcanic pipes. Results within these breccia zones were historically assayed to be multi-gram per ton. An example is hole # 136 with 158 meters of 2.08 g/t gold (0.06 opt Au) that includes 49.9 meters of 5 g/t gold (0.146 opt Au). Additionally, historical metallurgy work suggested this mineralization is amenable to gold extraction in both its oxide and sulfide states, even if using only gravity and floatation recovery methods.

This initial drilling program has a twofold purpose.

First, it is designed to begin confirmation of the historic drilling that outlined the open-ended gold system.

Second, the program is designed to infill and step out the historic mineralization. Provenance's analysis of the historic data showed that the mineralization extends beyond and below the historic drilling, and that large gaps exist within the historic drilling that the Company believes are similarly strongly mineralized. The historic drill holes averaged less than one hundred meters in depth, yet the limited deeper holes showed the mineralization extends below 250 meters in depth. Additionally, Provenance's cross-sections through the mineralization demonstrate it extends beyond the sections in all directions.

"I am excited to see this much-awaited drill program begin, and I will be on site personally to help start the program because its' successful completion is critical to our plans moving forward. We believe this is a major catalyst for Provenance that will finally begin to give our Company the recognition we believe it should have," stated Company CEO, Rauno Perttu.

Qualified Person

Steven Craig, CPG, Project Manager for the Company, and a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this news release.

About Provenance Gold Corp.

Provenance Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company with a focus on gold and silver mineralization within North America. The Company currently holds interests in three properties, two in Nevada, and one in eastern Oregon, USA. For further information, please visit the Company's website at https://provenancegold.com or contact Rob Clark at rclark@provenancegold.com.

On behalf of the Board,

Provenance Gold Corp.

Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer

Safe Harbor Statement: Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

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May 10, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire)

Richard Mills, Publisher/ Editor, Ahead of the Herd:

Brad, Max Resource's copper-silver property in Colombia is absolutely massive and as we've discussed before that's both a blessing and a curse. But being split into three areas: AM in the north, Conejo in the middle and URU on the southern end at least makes it easier for investors to focus on the different areas and hopefully today we can give them a better understanding of how MAX is going about using the treasury to effectively explore this regional size project.

Brad Aelicks, geologist and Pyfera Growth Capital Principal: The major areas are AM in the north, Conejo is in the central part of the basin and URU is at the southern part of the basin, but each one of these regional districts also has many sub-districts in it so as an example AM has Herradura and Sierra, Conejo is fairly confined to Conejo there's a couple of other little subsets in there but most of the action is at Conejo Main, and then URU is a massive set of concessions and that includes everything from Cueva East to Cueva, Portrero Grande, Molino, Orozul URU South target 1, URU South target 2 and numerous other ones that we have already had a chance to visit and start to work up targets and then there's numerous other ones that we haven't even had a field crew back to start to work up those targets.

The exploration team now is using a whole basket of tools to advance the various prospects further. I use the word prospects because that's exactly what they are. The whole first phase of exploration was prospecting through this enormous belt that you made reference to, the 90-kilometer long Cesar Basin that has evidence of a sedimentary copper system, which is a red bed reducing environment. These are known around the world to be very prolific when you get into one that has the maturity level that we think the Cesar Basin has had. It also has a whole host of other structural, fluid-flow areas that are represented by different formats and styles of copper-silver mineral deposition.

Where the team is at right now is they're following up on some 6,600 samples that were taken during the prospecting days, which were used by the company to acquire the concessions. Now the task is conducting a series of follow-ups on this enormous amount of samples.

In the latest press release that the company issued, it stated that through a filtration in the database there are over 1,100 samples that were in excess of 1% copper, and that those 1,100 samples, averaged 3.5% copper and 36 grams per tonne silver. So we literally have 1,125 samples that are now being followed up so as to develop these prospects into drill targets.

Now, these aren't randomly scattered across 90 kilometers, they form in clusters, in places where there's a nice area of mineralization. But there are dozens of those types of areas that need to be followed up before we can advance them to a drilling stage.

RM: That was a lot great information on a broad-brush stroke scale, let's turn to the specifics on the exploration plan.

BA: Each one of these clustered areas is being plotted on the compilation map and now each of those prospects has a plan to be worked up as a particular area. These are not just individual outcrops, there are multi-square-kilometer districts that will be worked from the exploration stage.

A team goes in and will do everything from silt sampling in each of the drainages that is representing that particular area, revisiting the existing outcrops that we know had significant mineralization, trenching those outcrops to extend to see how large the occurrence is, and mapping it in context of classifying this as either being into the sedimentary bed sequences that would fit the red bed model, or into a structural environment which may be feeders. These feeders could potentially occur either above the sedimentary sequence or below the sedimentary sequence in the underlying volcanics and volcaniclastic rocks. And then there are other areas that could also fall into potential porphyry models, because they're seeing high barite occurrence, high-temperature alteration and so each one of these is being mapped and classified as to target type.

RM: So, silt sampling, trenching and mapping, all intensive boots on the ground stuff and at the same time, do it while they are there, I'm assuming other surveys are being conducted?

BA: Oh yeah, the company has purchased its own ground magnetometer survey equipment, so the team, in conjunction with the mapping and re-sampling of these areas also runs a precursor magnetometer survey over top of those occurrences that registers the magnetic strength and gives us some background information.

At some of the targets, including up at AM, we've also started to do a wider variety of surveys from a geophysical perspective and the first one that's been completed to date is a magneto telluric or MT survey that looks at the resonance of the rocks from a resistivity perspective, it has deep penetration capabilities and you can map the contact, of the different rock units, so we can see how thick the sedimentary sequence is and we can map the underlying contact with volcanic rocks.

That helps to determine what the thickness of this sedimentary target would look like for us in a particular region. So these are the baseline surveys that we have done, and continue to do. As these targets get worked up we'll be moving to regional geophysical and some airborne surveys that may include regional magnetics and radiometric surveys on the particular clusters that start to shape up into much more defined targets.

RM: How many target areas is Max working now or planning to work?

BA: Approximately a dozen but that work is ongoing.

RM: We said earlier that over 1,100 filtered samples averaged 3.5% copper and 36 grams per tonne silver. Can we get into that filter process, what exactly you used to define a priority area?

BA: Absolutely, the filter applied on the database is basically looking for high concentrations of silver in conjunction with high concentrations of copper.

The reason we're applying that filter is that you can get high concentrations of copper without silver in these models, but you're more subject in those type of samples to have supergene enrichment or enrichment from secondary mobilization of the copper mineralization because the silver does not mobilize as easily. By applying the high-grade silver filter in conjunction with the high-grade copper we expect that most of the clusters that will fall out from that data will be primary occurrences, not secondary, and so it will be a quicker route to develop the prospect.

Every part of this system that we've seen that is primary mineralization contains both chalcocite and various copper minerals which would include malachite and some other silica-based or micaceous copper minerals. The silver appears to be primary in most cases but the silver and the copper come together in virtually all parts of the model, so it doesn't matter whether it's a sedimentary sequence or whether it happens to be coming in the volcanics, if it's primary mineralization, which means it's part of the main mineralizing event, then we see very good ratios of silver to copper.

There are other areas that we don't really have a good handle on yet that just appear to be secondary copper mineralization that is coming from somewhere else. It could be just leached from up the hill or it could be re-mobilize during a metamorphic event and squeezed into new areas, or it's supergene enrichment, that is, a system that is degrading or just being eroded and the copper is being precipitated out and redeposited over top of something else that's already there whether it was previously mineralized or not previously mineralized. So those ones we've decided will have a lower priority but all form parts of the whole system, whether you're in the red bed sequences or you're in the structurally-controlled parts of the deposit, we have seen good silver and copper ratios in all parts of the depositional model.

It doesn't mean the areas that are only high-grade copper may not lead us to something as significant or more significant than a copper/ silver area, but those copper only areas are areas we've decided will be a secondary priority.

RM: Your building a ranking system based on primary occurrence.

BA: Correct, we move all initial targets into a ranking system that will start to move them up the channel towards drill targets.

And then there'll be multiple exploration crews, the one who's doing regional advancement work on individual sample clusters will carry on down the priority list, and the other advanced targets will move to a different crew that will start the diamond drilling and guys that are logging core and running drill programs.

RM: We received drill results from two holes in the AM where we hit multiple layers of Kupfershiefer-style mineralization.

BA: That was an area we chose to do a magnetotelluric survey over, this survey maps resistivity within various rock. What we were looking for was the thicknesses of sedimentary sequence(s) and where do we find the contact with the volcanics? Also is that contact close enough to surface that we can explore both parts of model with a drill?

From the magnetotelluric survey results our geologists interpreted multiple parallel horizons that appeared to be multiple stratigraphic sedimentary beds so we decided to test that theory.

Max has now proved there are multiple parallel mineralized beds and in fact that we can see the sedimentary sequence and the contact with the volcanic sequence that lies below the sediments. Those were very useful holes for us and it gives us a precedent, if we decide to do much broader MT surveys then we have the data to specifically be able to correlate the response to the MT survey with the mapped sequence on surface as well as the confirmed dip and extent of those rock units that we now have as drill logs.

And so it's a very good confirmation technique that you can build your model for how effective will MT be in this particular circumstance where you have a sedimentary sequence overlying volcanics. The drill holes both intersected multiple copper mineralized beds as we had hoped.

In fact we saw some other things in there as well which included copper mineralization in fracturing that was running perpendicular to the beds, so we didn't hit a home run on those couple of holes but we got exactly what we had hoped to achieve from a geological and technical perspective, supporting the MT survey and building the database around that.

RM: We also drilled URU-C and URU-CE?

BA: From my perspective the drilling there was on a really obvious target. We had multiple trenched samples that were right on surface of primary copper mineralization that was 16 to 19 meters wide and was running anywhere from 4-8% copper with wonderful kickers of silver. What I'm referencing now is Cueva, or URU-C, so that was the first and primary target and so we did get a huge surprise there, a structure that was interpreted to be going up the hill as a steep- standing structure now looks like it's multiple structures that are parallel and are modestly dipping to the east.

Those intercepts were confirmed with multiple holes that had high-grade mineralization and then what led to the model is also a number of holes that didn't intercept the mineralization where it was supposed to be and led to a re-interpretation of what is the sequence there that has led to these glorious-looking outcrops with super high-grade copper in them.

We're starting to get a better handle on what Cueva looks like, there's still a lot to be done there to figure it out in its entirety, and we're expanding research in that area because there's additional copper showings to the west of us that are right in the same vicinity and are probably part of the same system and so there's a bunch of work going there.

RM: And 750 meters to the east we have the URU-CE or Cueva East occurrence.

BA: Yes, we put holes 9 and 10 over there into that occurrence, and although it looks different it still is a very significant finding for us, I think the average there was around 30m of 0.34-.35% copper, all oxide there was very little primary mineralizing there with the chalcocite, so the next exercise for that area will be to do the metallurgical study because it looks like a real obvious heap leach target that would be very low cost  you can get away with lower-grade material when you have a leaching environment.

So we're quite encouraged by what was found at URU-CE, because of the width of the mineralization showing a pretty powerful part of the system over 30m continuous intercepts in both those holes, we just need to work that prospect up now to make sure that there's economic potential through the oxide copper type model before we start to go to the next level of exploration on it.

RM: Is there anything else you want to add about the properties or the exploration results?

BA: Rick the only other thing I would say is it's very interesting to see the amount of copper and silver that is coming from so many depositional models.

Even though we see this entire basin as one large mineralizing event, the number of different types of places where you're seeing the copper actually precipitated out in a depositional event is very, very encouraging. We're seeing it in the mafic volcanics, intermediate volcanics, felsic volcanics, and it can be in the structural controls within the volcanics.

We're seeing it in breccias that are lying at or near the sedimentary sequence with the underlying volcanics, and then we have the entire upper part of the model with the red bed sequences which is more towards the Kupferschiefer model, whereas the stuff I was just talking about is more towards the Central African Copper Belt where you have these strong structural controls in the sub-basin that have acted as conduits to allow the pregnant solutions of copper and silver to be mobilized throughout the basin before they're sort of squeezed up and into the reducing environment that would've originally been the sea bed which is where these red bed sedimentary occurrences are derived from.

So it's really neat to see all of these different styles of mineralization, now we have to put the puzzle together and follow these things back to the major structural controls or low parts in the basin that had more detrital (carbonaceous) material within the sedimentary sequences to coax out additional copper and silver.

It's a very big project, it's a little daunting at times when you're embedded in the middle of the exploration team, to get their feedback and really understand the magnitude of the task at hand, even just following up the number of clusters of samples that we have, but then each one of these has to be categorized as to what role did this area play in the fluid flow, and the depositional model overall, and then to use those to vector into areas that we fully expect are going to deliver us large concentrations of copper-silver in the depositional model.

RM: I remember talking to a senior VP Exploration for a major mining company, and he said that most juniors don't do things right, they don't understand that the majors want to see firstly scalability of a project and secondly they want drill targets, a lot of them and all properly worked up.

I've always kind of followed that, I look at what Max is doing here, I can see that the way we're working it up, we're going to have a large number of well-qualified drill targets here, that's kind of walking right into the majors' ballpark isn't it?

BA: Yeah it is, in my opinion it's the only way to approach something of this magnitude. Because there's so many targets if you just went out and said we're going to start drilling these things and we had 12 or 15 Cuevas, you're going run through $20-30 million in drilling without knowing where are your best targets? When you have this size of a potential play I think the number one thing that has to be done is to get that raw level of data collected on as many of these areas as we can, so that we can comfortably prioritize where's the drill going to start when we start drilling again?

Once we have that isolated then we can get crews ahead on the next one and the next one, making sure they're in line and ready to drill as we move through the process of testing this giant basin. And that is what the majors do, they're patient, they tend to do this level of work along the way.

You can't go blow your brains out drilling every prospect because there's so many of them, and surface prospecting is not over, there's still an enormous area left to cover. When your well on your way to covering everything that has worked its way to surface then you have to figure out how to evaluate the sub-surface and which ones of these things have the highest likelihood of being of serious economic potential?

So that is the process, I still am extremely intrigued by what Max is doing in the Cesar Basin, it is an unfortunate market right now that is barely surviving on drill results only, I don't think it takes away from the potential that Max has here, but there's another step of exploration that needs to happen before we can get that big drill campaign re-ignited.

RM: Thank you Brad, as always extremely informative.

BA: Thank you Rick, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

Richard (Rick) Mills

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On the morning of October 19, a storm swept across the Irish Sea. Intense rains battered the country with flash flooding, and just over 100 miles south of the Irish east coast, a bolt of lightning struck one of the seven turbines at the Arklow Bank wind farm, setting it ablaze.

Onlookers watched as dark smoke billowed from the towering turbine and bright red flames licked its still-swirling blades. Then it went offline. In one fell swoop, a seventh of Irelands offshore wind generation was knocked out of production.

For decades, Ireland has had big plans to exploit the incredible natural advantage afforded by its position on the edge of Europe. While it is one of the of the smallest members the EU, it has a maritime area seven times the size of its landmass, giving it unique access to the powerful Atlantic winds that rap the Irish coast.

The energy that you can capture from wind farms off the west coast of Ireland is significantly more than the energy you can potentially capture elsewhere in Europe, said Barry Kilcline, Ireland head of offshore at SSE Renewables, which has entered a bid to build a second, larger wind farm in the Arklow area.

But that has not happened. When Arklow Bank went live 19 years ago it was intended to be a template for future wind farms. Yet no new farms have been built in Ireland since it was completed, and the countrys electricity grid is long overdue for an upgrade.

There are many reasons as to why the sector failed to take off  the main focus was long on onshore wind farms, with Energy Minister Eamon Ryan observing that in 2004 onshore wind cost half if not a third of the price of offshore. Moreover, for years rather than create any substantial policy around offshore development, Ireland let the UK subsidise offshore wind to bring down the cost.

Now, Irelands government is embarking on an ambitious effort to build up the countrys offshore resources, with the ruling coalition having made climate a top priority and Russias invasion of Ukraine driving up energy prices. By 2050, the country is aiming to have at least 37 gigawatts of installed capacity  nearly as much offshore wind as France plans to have by that year (40 GW) for a population a tenth of the size. That would enable it to secure its energy independence, meet climate goals and, as Mr Kilcline put it, make Ireland the Saudi Arabia of offshore wind for Europe.

If it continues to wait, the stakes are high. The country would blow a hole in its climate targets, jeopardize its tilt toward energy independence, squander a valuable potential revenue stream and watch while thousands of jobs are created elsewhere.

Ireland launched its first offshore wind auction in April, soliciting bids from seven major energy industry players to build new state-subsidized wind farms mostly along the eastern coast. The process will be completed in early May and the companies responsible for the successful proposals will be notified by Irelands energy planning authority in mid-June.

The completion of a wave of new wind farms would be a significant step towards Ireland meeting its goal of getting 80% of its power from renewables and halving its greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. The seven gigawatts of energy that Ireland plans to capture by 2030 through the initial batch of wind farms is expected to power 4.7 million homes per year  more than twice the countrys 2.1 million  and represents less than a tenth of what experts say could be the total amount it will eventually generate.

These prospects have caught the eye of many of the biggest players in the green energy sector.

Leading Norwegian and French renewable energy developers Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables have teamed up for a proposed farm off the eastern coast. Sydney-based Macquarie Group, through its dedicated offshore wind company Corio Generation, also has plans to develop in Irish waters, as do Dublin-based Mainstream Renewable Power and SSE Renewables, among others. rsted, the Danish multinational power company, has registered several Irish companies linked to possible wind farms.

There is massive opportunity in Ireland, said TJ Hunter, rsted Ireland and UK Senior Director.

For now, plans remain fragile, if intact. Developing a robust green sector relies on a delicate ballet of generating investor confidence and financial incentives while maintaining a consistent regulatory framework. Although Ireland has recently passed and proposed further planning laws and established a new national agency to regulate its waters, it is still struggling to get that mix right.

The countrys planning system remains in chaos, with projects facing inordinately long timelines for decisions to be issued. Critics have questioned whether the state agency responsible for assessing novel offshore projects has the expertise to do so. The grid also needs significant capacity upgrades, as it is, according to Mr Hunter, only marginally fit for purpose. The recent departures of two high-profile private-sector partners has further dampened optimism around offshore. Norwegian state-owned multinational Equinor pulled out of a wind farm project off the southwest coast of Ireland in late 2021 and Shell followed last year. While neither explained their decision, both were regarded as having grown tired with the slow pace of progress.

Then, in March, the Department of Energy announced that going forward the state, rather than developers, would choose the location of future wind farms, creating confusion about whether existing projects would be allowed to proceed.

To developers and potential investors, this news landed like a bomb. The move was a radical change, according to industry group Wind Energy Ireland, that would undermine efforts to achieve Irelands offshore targets. Mr Kilcline, the SSE Renewables Ireland head of offshore, said the U-turn had put Ireland at a significant disadvantage by sowing doubt about the policy framework in which companies were operating.

Weve done various environmental surveys, weve done site investigations, weve spent several million euros, Mr Kilcline said of one project, the Setanta Wind Park off Irelands northeast coast. And now, were in a position where we dont know whether that project is going to progress or not. Angela Larkin, Ireland project lead at Ocean Winds, which is currently developing two Irish offshore projects, echoed this sentiment. Its really important that they accelerate the publishing of those [locations], she said.

For Ireland to pull ahead, said Mr Hunter, policy, planning and grid development capacity had to be aligned.

We just need to stitch them together, I cant overemphasize that point, he said. There needs to be coherence in these; they need to work together to move in the right direction so that one doesnt trip up the other and they need to give investors confidence and certainty. Speaking last month at a wind energy summit in the Belgian city of Ostend, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described going all in on offshore as a huge economic opportunity that would pay for itself  albeit after billions of initial investment is committed. A recent analysis by Scottish consultancy firm Biggar Economics found that in the Atlantic region alone, the offshore wind sector could support between 2,000 and 5,300 jobs and generate between 170m and 400m in gross value added within the next 14 years.

Polls suggest that these views are broadly shared. An industry-commissioned survey published in February found that 79% of people supported offshore wind energy in Ireland, and less than a third felt that the country was doing enough to capitalize on the sectors potential.

- Bloomberg
The Port of Cork is to release the City Quays and Tivoli Docks for urban regeneration and compact living by 2050, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Chief Executive of the Port of Cork Company, Eoin McGettigan, said a masterplan for the port which is due to be published by the end of this month will detail steps as to how the port will change by 2050.

Mr McGettigan said the plan details the migration of port activities to the lower harbour closer to deep water facilities while also identifying the part Cork Harbour can play in supporting Irelands energy needs. We intend to be out of the city centre of Cork and operating in the lower harbour and we also plan to have net zero emissions by 2050, he said.

The port is working with Cork City Council to vacate the city quays over an agreed period.

Once the port has moved, Mr McGettigan said one of the city quays in the centre of Cork and another in Tivoli will be left behind.

He said:

Both of those are very suitable for compact living and urban regeneration and that is our plan and weve worked with the planning agencies.

However, he added that the move to free the quays is contingent on the completion of the M28 dual carriageway to Ringaskiddy as well as offshore wind energy facilities. There are a number of milestones, how do you take a port thats been in the city centre, and its been there for over 200 years, and move it down to the lower harbour? he said.

He said two additional berths in Ringaskiddy, which the port has planning permission for, will need to be accelerated to facilitate the countrys plans to develop fixed-bottom offshore wind energy (ORE). Once ORE construction phase is over, the port will repurpose the berths to support its exit from the City Quays and Tivoli.

Mr McGettigan said as the closest port to continental Europe, Cork has benefitted from Brexit.

We had very little trade with the UK so Brexit actually presented an opportunity because product that was coming into the State via the UK, some of that now has started to come directly into Cork, he said.

Shannon

Shannon Foynes Port Company Chief Executive, Pat Keating, said time is of the essence when it comes to offshore wind energy, and despite having the best resource, Ireland is four to five years behind when compared internationally. Mr Keating said the policy framework must be correct noting that An Bord Pleanala must be resourced properly.

Some of the big international companies like Shell or Equinor who have looked at Ireland, absolutely the resource sells itself but then when they engage with the system, theres a level of frustration, he said.

Dublin

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company, Barry OConnell, said the movement of Dublin Port in order to use the space for housing would require a cut and paste of linked facilities such as the Port Tunnel and the M50.

Based on a detailed assessment on the prospect of moving the port to another site on the east coast, Mr OConnell said a project of that scale would be a mega project that would likely take between 20 to 30 years assuming that a suitable location could be found.

Mr OConnell noted that Transport Minister Eamon Ryan mentioned three sites on Dublin Port that would be suitable for housing. The Minister mentioned three parcels of land in particular, we have offered one of those pieces of land already to the Land Development Agency.

Mr OConnell said the site went to local council for a vote for rezoning which was overturned as it was deemed unfit for housing rezoning due to its proximity to the port tunnel. He said the other two pieces of land are being used, one as a car compound and the other as refrigerated storage.
Dairy farmer and teacher Ellen Vaughan has been named as Teagasc/FBD Student of the Year for 2022.

The Meath native was honoured at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, for completing the Level 6 Distance Green Cert at Teagasc, Navan, County Meath  when she wasnt working full-time as a home economics and Irish teacher and also working part-time on her familys dairy farm.

Ms Vaughan said she completed the Level 6 course to become more confident in the everyday running of the farm and look at the science behind farming. She said she hopes to be able to cut back on teaching and spend more time helping her father with the farm in future  as well as continue to bring agriculture into her classroom.

Announced as the winner of the Student of the Year title, and a 1,500 prize, Ms Vaughan was noted for her exceptional attention to detail during the course, and her deep knowledge of both the husbandry and technical aspects of farming.

Its a lovely recognition, thank you very much to Teagasc for all of the support and the continued support any question you have theres always someone there to pick up the phone so, thank you to Teagasc, said Ms Vaughan.

The awards were presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue. Other winners on the night included Laura Lynch from Kildare in the Drystock Category, and Amanda Draper from Cork in the Other Land-Based Enterprises category.

Dr Anne Marie Butler, head of education at Teagasc, congratulated the finalists and thanked education colleagues for their commitment and dedication. She said that in 2022, almost 4,500 students successfully completed training with Teagasc and were awarded a QQI certificate.

Speaking at the awards, Michael Berkery, chairman of FBD Trust, said that they are delighted to continue sponsoring the Teagasc / FBD Student of the Year awards this year.

On behalf of the team at FBD, I would like to congratulate the finalists on their achievements and wish them all the very best in their future farming careers, he said.

Other finalists were Tim Crowley, Owain Buttimer, and Paul Dineen from Cork; Jathan McMahon from Clare; Gearoid Kennedy from Kilkenny; Hanna Sheerin from Wicklow; Fred Dolan from Roscommon; Michael Mulry from Galway; Niall Gillespie from Mayo; Ryan McGovern from Cavan; Gavin McGarrigle and Neil Furey from Donegal; Meghan England from Australia; and Prabhjit Singh from India.

Teagasc chairman Liam Herlihy congratulated the winners and all the finalists, saying that they and their families can be proud of their achievements, which were acknowledged and recognised in the awards.

I wish them well in their careers. I would also like to thank FBD Insurance for their continued support for these awards and other Teagasc initiatives, he said.
Revenue at Tirlan rose to 3bn last year, with the company releasing its annual report for its first year in operation following its split from former parent company, Glanbia plc.

Delivering 44.6m in pre-tax profits, the business sold more than 423,000 tonnes of dairy products and ingredients across 100 markets, with more than 2bn being paid to 5,000 Irish farmers amid record prices for milk and grain.

Record farmgate prices also saw an average of 63 cpl paid for milk, with green feed barley reaching 310 per tonne. However, the company noted that higher prices were mirrored by a sharp rise in costs, with price hikes exhibited across the energy, fertiliser and feed sectors.

Last year also saw a 168m spin-out of shares to more than 11,000 Tirlan Co-Op members, with a dividend of more than 6.5m being paid following its establishment as a fully farmer-owned business.

Speaking on last year's results, Tirlan chairman, John Murphy said he was "very pleased" with the co-op's "remarkable year," having delivered record milk and grain prices throughout 2022.

"We returned strong financial results whilst navigating a steady path through unprecedented volatility and sharp inflation. We are hugely ambitious for the future of our Co-op. As always, we will face challenges, but we are determined to work hard to continue to deliver for the benefit of our Members and all our stakeholders.

The business recently marked a year since it completed the transaction acquiring 40% of Glanbia Ireland from Glanbia plc, making it the largest acquisition by an indigenous Irish company in 2022.

Since the acquisition, the company has reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of more than 166m, with revenue exceeding 3bn.

The business' ingredients division delivered 2.1bn in revenue after capitalising on global highs across dairy markets, recording sales of 423,000 tonnes of dairy products and ingredient solutions.

Tirlan's agribusiness also reported a strong year, developing sales of 644m, with more than 491,000 tonnes of feed sold across the co-op's 52-branch network.

The co-op's domestic and international consumer division, which includes brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden, Wexford, Premier and Truly Grass Fed delivered 365m turnover in what they described as a "challenging market place," following a significant restructuring in 2022.
Auto Da Fes only studio album - Tatitum, released in 1985 - was both blessed and cursed by featuring the slew of classic singles that had brought them to public notice over the previous three years. November November. Bad Experience. Man of Mine. All Is Yellow Hot Hot Hot. All had been mainstream radio hits, helping to establish the band as one of the hardest-working live outfits in the country.

Auto Da Fe were formed in 1980 around the personal and professional partnership of Gay Woods and Trevor Knight. Both had considerable form as musicians: Woods was a founder member of the folk-rock outfit Steeleye Span, and had toured with Dr Strangely Strange and the Woods Band, while Knight had performed with jazz-rock outfits such as Naima and Metropolis. The classic Auto Da Fe line-up of the early 1980s was completed by Mark Megaray on bass and Robbie Brennan on drums.

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy was an early champion. Phil discovered us when we were recording at Windmill Lane in Dublin, says Knight. He happened to be in there as well, working on his solo stuff. He poked his nose in and said, that doesnt sound terribly different from what Im doing myself. He offered to produce November November, and then his plugger picked up on it and got it released in the UK. We had a big success with that, in terms of airplay. Only Culture Club were getting played more than we were with that single in 1982.

Lynott went on to produce Auto Da Fes next three singles, duetting with Woods on Man of Mine and appearing in the video for the single, as well as playing live with them on several occasions. Midge Ure was another collaborator.

Those were great times, says Martin Kelly, who often toured with the band. Gay used to introduce me as the Cosmic Dancer, and Id perform in all these outfits at their shows. The Dublin scene was tiny, and I knew Gay from her folk days. It was fantastic to see her transform into this punk princess. Auto Da Fe were like the Irish Eurythmics. Their shows were very theatrical, and the singles were just brilliant. They represented Ireland on a show called Europe A-Go Go, which was huge at the time.

'A TWIN-HEADED MONSTER'

By 1985, Auto Da Fe were signed to a record deal with Stoic, a UK company. Stoic assigned a budget of about 40,000 to their debut album, big money for an indie label in that era, and asked who theyd like to produce.

We wanted Kate Bush, says Knight. She hadnt had a hit in a long time, and we thought she might be interested. That would surely have been a remarkable pairing, but Bushs career suddenly experienced an uplift with the release of her single Running Up That Hill and the album The Hounds of Love.

So we settled for Gil Norton, whod just produced Echo and the Bunnymens Ocean Rain, one of my favourite albums at the time. The band were booked to record for two weeks at Amazon Studios in Liverpool, a major facility that Knight reckons probably cost 1,000 a day. It was a bit like Windmill Lane. There were two or three studios, and wed pass acts like Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Dead Or Alive and China Crisis on their way in and out.

The band were unhappy at Stoics insistence that they re-record all their singles for the album, rather than concentrate on their new material, particularly as they had already released a compilation called Five Singles and One Smoked Cod the previous year. They also discovered that Gil Norton had brought his production partner, Ronnie Stone, on board. So in a way we ended up with a twin-headed monster producing the sessions, which was not what wed planned either.

Auto da Fe, with Gay Woods and Trevor Knight

BILL GRAHAM-APPROVED

One of the tracks Auto Da Fe re-recorded for the album was their cover of Somethings Gotten Hold Of My Heart, the Roger Greenaway/Roger Cook number made famous by Gene Pitney in 1967. Phil had produced a version for us, but he was not in a good way at the time. So when we had the chance to do a more uptempo version on the album, I was happy with that.

Released as a single, Somethings Gotten Hold Of My Heart got plenty of airplay but did not burn up the charts like Marc Almonds version, a duet with Pitney, would do in 1988.

The name Auto Da Fe settled on for their album, Tatitum, was a play on that of the French filmmaker Jacques Tati, their favourite director of the time, reimagined as a drum roll. The launch party was at a venue called the Cafe de Paris on Stephens Green in Dublin.

That was a brilliant evening, says Kelly. Everyone was there, even Gays mother. After the launch, we went on to the Bailey. And then myself and Bill Graham, the Hot Press journalist, stayed over at Gay and Trevors house. We stayed up talking half the night.

Tatitum got positive reviews, particularly in the Irish media. I think Hot Press gave us the cover the month it was released, says Knight. But we were never happy with the album. The production let us down; it sounded like generic 1980s electronica, which was not what we were about at all. And a lot of our fans wondered why we had mucked around with these songs that had already been classic singles.

Kelly agrees. The album was badly produced, he says. None of it compared with how good the band were live. That happened a lot of bands at the time; the studio production just didnt capture the energy of their live gigs. When Tatitum failed to take off in the UK, Auto Da Fe took a break. Gay and myself had a daughter in 1986, says Knight, and we put the band to sleep for a while.

Auto da Fe on the bill at the Reading Rock Festival in 1983.

MOMENT OF GLORY

They revived the outfit on a number of occasions, but they never did regain the traction of the early 1980s. The last time Knight and Woods performed together as Auto Da Fe was at a tribute to the late Robbie Brennan at the Olympia in Dublin in September 2016. Today, Woods has health issues, and it is unlikely that they will ever perform live again.

In 2020, the band released a compilation of 32 studio recordings, called When the Curtain Goes Bang, and Knight is currently mixing a double album of live material, which they hope to release this year.

Gay and I must have written somewhere between 120 and 150 songs, he says, but we never got to record that many of them in the studio. The live recordings are of varying quality, but the vibe is good.

Knight may not hold too high an opinion of Tatitum, but he remains in awe of his songwriting partner: Gay has a fantastic voice, he says, and when you read her lyrics now you realise just how remarkable it was that she could put them in pop songs. As for Auto Da Fe, you know, we had our moment, our four or five years of glory.
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With stores in Cork, Limerick and Dublin, you can drop in your phone without an appointment and get your battery repaired in 30 mins, or a new screen in an hour. Battery replacements from 20, screen repairs from 30. See pairmobile.ie

Beautiful and sustainable refills from HAAN

Haan produce beautiful and eco-conscious personal care products

Eco-conscious Spanish personal care brand HAAN has recently launched in Ireland, with some of the most beautiful refill products on the market. Their range of personal care products includes hand santiser, hand soap, hand cream, body wash, body lotion, roll-on deodorant and toothpaste, with refill versions available for all.

Using their own hand cream as an example, the brand say each refill pouch offers 84.5% plastic savings compared to repurchasing the original bottle, and it takes 89% less water and energy to produce. Buying the refill is also 33% cheaper than buying three of the bottles. What's not to love? Available in a number of Irish outlets including Mulligans Pharmacy, see mulliganspharmacy.com

Eco kidswear sale from Cork-based BabyBoo

Caticorn organic cotton loungewear set from babyboo.ie

Cork based BabyBoo.ie are discontinuing their 5+ years apparel ranges with huge savings to be made in an online-only warehouse sale. A wide range of loungewear and summer robes available for kids 5+years which are being discontinued are available in the sale, along with some bibs and blanket designs. Gorgeous bits we found in the same included a Caticorn Organic Cotton Loungewear set for 14 (originally 35) and the Oatmeal GAA fan organic cotton CozyBoo robe for 12.50 (was 25).

All of the ranges stocked are made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton which is kind to little ones skin and kind to the planet. The brand also support the circular economy with a Facebook group where people can swap, pass on and resell their BabyBoo items. See babyboo.ie.
Campmates Carol Vorderman and Myleene Klass have spoken about getting rid of their bathroom scales and the importance of body positivity on Im A Celebrity South Africa.

Countdown star Vorderman, 62, who returned to the all-star ITV reality series after first appearing in 2016, said she has not known her weight this century having thrown away her scales 24 years ago.

She said: I only go on dress size. I threw mine out in 1999.

Myleene Klass (ITV/PA)

Former HearSay singer Klass, 45, who first appeared in the jungle in 2006, said she threw out her scales the second I had daughters.

She said: No way, Im not going to have them ruled by numbers. Those numbers.

People ask me my weight all the time and I dont know it. Why would you let your children measure themselves, their value, their contribution by numbers on a scale?

I was like, no, get rid, I dont want it in the house.

Vorderman responded: Good for you.

Klass added: Body positivity is so important. I want my girls to be empowered by what their abilities are and what they have to say for themselves and how they think.

I want that to be celebrated, not skin and glands and fat. We all have it.

Im A CelebritySouth Africa continues on Wednesday at 9pm on Virgin Media One.
The number of visitors flying to Ireland from the USA this summer is expected to reach 96% of pre-covid figures, according to Tourism Ireland.

The Irish tourism marketing body says that demand among Americans for holidays in Ireland this year is high, with the strong performance of the US dollar working in our favour.

The most recent figures for American visitors are from 2019, as data collection by the CSO at ports and airports was suspended due to covid.

A spokesperson for Tourism Ireland said: The United States is the second-largest source market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, we welcomed 1.7m American visitors. The United States is our most important market in terms of revenue, responsible for 27% of all tourist revenue. Revenue generated by American visitors in 2019 was 1.6bn.

And, just like US President Joe Biden, many are crossing the Atlantic to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors.

Genealogy tourism is huge in the States, and its massive for Ireland, said Denise OLeary, programme co-ordinator with Ireland Reaching Out. "Theyre coming in their thousands to research their roots."

Established in Galway 14 years ago, Ireland Reaching Out is a non-profit organisation that seeks to connect members of the Irish diaspora with the home parishes of their ancestors.

Its meet-and-greet programme features a nationwide network of 220 volunteers, who help people with Irish heritage to trace their roots. In some cases they take them to visit their ancestors homes, or even meet distant cousins.

Bruce Springsteen was captured on video singing 'My Hometown' in The Burrow pub in Rathangan, Co Kildare, where his ancestral home is. Video: Twitter

The year before covid we welcomed 600 visitors, said Ms OLeary. "During covid we stopped completely, so we're just building it back up. Last year we welcomed 100 visitors. This year we're hoping to double that again.

It's all volunteers, there's no money changing hands. This is all done on the back of local volunteers wanting to say: Your ancestors lived here, you're part of this community. Theres nothing like meeting a local person. It's so important to them."

She recalls a recent visitor who was driven to Liscarroll, Co Cork, by a volunteer to see the home of his great-great-grandfather.

It was hugely powerful," said Ms O'Leary. "The man was really emotional. Hes the first generation to come back. He grew up listening to Irish stories all his life, but none of his family had ever been back to Ireland.

"Theyre looking to experience the locality, to sit down with a local person and hear the history of the town. They're looking for the social context of the place that their ancestors lived in, to get a feel for it.

Their Irishness is of huge importance to them. But it's not recognised. So meeting with a local, and a local seeing them as a local, that is hugely powerful for them.

Kieran Jordan, a volunteer based in Fermoy, became involved in the programme following his retirement.

He said:

People are very pleased to be able to walk in the same place their ancestors were. I met with a woman last week, and she was in tears. We went out to Inch where her father was from, and it really meant a lot to her.

Mr Jordan feels that his visitors Irish heritage is significant in that its somewhere for them to connect with.

Some people are aware that they have ancestors from places like Germany and Sweden also, but they seem to have more of a connection with their Irishness than with other countries.

MaryBeth Brennan Madonia from Ohio travelled to Ireland last July to find out more about her great-grandfather, Patrick J Gray, who was born in Co Laois in 1882.

She met with volunteer Paddy Lacey, who took her to see the homestead, church, school, and village where Patrick grew up before emigrating to the USA at 17.

I was shocked at the amount of work he (Paddy) must have done," she said. "He drove us in his car and took us everywhere. All along the road he'd point something out and tell us the history of it. To have a volunteer like that, who is so knowledgeable. And that wasnt even his area, he came from far away to help us and spent the whole day.

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle visited his ancestral homeland the village of Moneygall, Co Offaly, during his trip to Ireland in 2011. Picture: Maxwells Dublin

Ms Brennan Madonia was amazed to see the ruins of the cottage where her great-grandfather had lived.

She says her Irish heritage has always been a big part of her life.

Ive come to appreciate it more as I've gotten older  who I am, where I'm from, what that means.

"That was my second time going to Ireland. I absolutely love it there and there's this very strange feeling when I'm there that I don't have when I go anywhere else.

"It's hard to explain. I feel like a part of me belongs there. Going there feels a little bit like going home.
A man has been arrested following an un-notified parade in Derry last month.

Dissident republicans held a parade on April 10 to mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising.
A Fianna Fail Senator has called for Ukrainian to be added as a Leaving Certificate subject.

Senator Malcolm Byrne will make a proposal in the Seanad on Wednesday afternoon - saying that introducing the subject would benefit everyeone.

Around 14,900 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in schools across Ireland since the outbreak of war in the country - 9,650 in primary schools and a further 5,281 in post-primary education

Senator Byrne, who is the Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, said: "Including Ukrainian as a Leaving Certificate subject would not only benefit our new and growing Ukrainian community in Ireland but foster multicultural understanding between our two countries.

This initiative promises numerous benefits for students, society, and bilateral relations between Ireland and Ukraine.

Currently, there are sixteen options for languages on the Leaving Cert curriculum, including Japanese, Mandarin-Chinese, Polish and Ancient Greek.

Furthermore, there is another option for 'other language' - languages which do not appear as part of the normal school curriculum, but students may opt to be examined in them, if they meet certain conditions.

Senator Byrne continued: "As a passionate advocate for cultural diversity and education, I strongly urge the inclusion of Ukrainian as a Leaving Certificate subject.

"I think it is appropriate that we offer students the chance to complete Ukrainian as a Leaving Certificate subject.

"It also offers an opportunity to all students in Irish schools to take Ukrainian as a subject.

Hopefully, in the near future, there will be a massive rebuild of Ukraine. Irish students with a grasp of the language will be at a massive advantage in using their skills and experience to play a part in that.

Senator Byrne added that the addition of Ukrainian into the curriculum would be an "act of empowerment" for the Ukrainian community in Ireland, saying that it celebrated their heritage and language.

He concluded: "By embracing Ukrainian, we provide the Ukrainian community with the opportunity to share their rich culture with the broader Irish society, promoting inclusivity and cultural appreciation."
Representative bodies for serving Defence Forces personnel have made a joint complaint under the European Social Charter against the Government for its failure to pay proper overtime to their members.

Some personnel are getting paid just 60, before tax, for working 16 hours' overtime, prompting a complaint by PDForra, which represents ordinary members, and Raco, which represents officers.

PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said the Government must provide military personnel with appropriate overtime payments as they lag far behind what their counterparts in other sectors of the public service get.

Presently, our association's prohibited from seeking increases to payments associated with working additional hours. Currently, rates of duty payments vary depending upon the nature of the duty undertaken. Weve consistently highlighted the negative impact of current rates on morale across the organisation, Mr Guinan said.

He said while the Department of Defence has consistently pointed to improved rates of basic pay, it had failed to address the adequacy of allowance rates when overtime is calculated.

Its becoming far too frequent that our association is having to highlight the issue of allowances that would normally be considered overtime by workers outside of the Defence Forces through the press.

"The lack of an appropriate allowance system, coupled with the failure to implement the Working Time Direct in a fair manner, has had consequences: namely the dysfunctional turnover rates and inability to recruit personnel in sufficient numbers, he said.

Trade union affiliation

Meanwhile, the PDForra conference in Killarney heard PDForras successful battle for trade union affiliation, granted last year, had led other European military representative associations to seek the same right.

Military representative associations in Portugal and Spain have followed in PDForras footsteps by making an official complaint under the European Social Charter that their members' human rights were being denied as both countries were refusing to allow similar affiliations.

It is understood Italian military representatives are about to lodge a similar complaint.

PDForra had a long struggle to gain affiliation to the umbrella union body Ictu. It lodged a complaint under the European Social Charter in 2014.
An urgent increase in a navy allowance is needed to help retain people amid the ongoing personnel crisis in the service, while highly skilled technicians across the Defence Forces are not getting the wages to match their skillsets.

PDForra delegates, representing 6,500 enlisted members in the Defence Forces, passed a motion calling on the government to address the current rates of navy pay, an allowance that hasnt been subject to an upward review since its introduction in 1975.

The naval service has a widely publicised problem regarding retention and recruitment. Failures to remunerate personnel appropriately is at the core of the problems we're having, PDForra president Mark Keane said.

He said this isn't the first time in its history the navy has suffered from recruitment and retention difficulties as, in 1975, the special allowance was introduced to attract people into the force.

It was designed to compensate personnel for the vagaries that go along with membership of the naval service. These disadvantages included the fact that there's only one base in the country and membership of the navy brings with it unique challenges, Mr Keane said.

At the time of its introduction, the allowance represented 20% of basic pay. Mr Keane said over time the premium has reduced significantly to a point where it's now a cursory sum. In 1975, the payment represented 8.15% of basic pay. By 1989, it represented 4.53% of basic pay.

In 2019, when PDForra made its submission to the Public Service Pay Commission, the rate represented 3.73% of the basic pay of an Able Seaman. Mr Keane said with improvements in basic pay that PDForra has secured over the past number of years, the percentage relativity of the allowance to basic pay has dropped even further.

If we truly wish to keep the ship afloat, allowances that incentivise service in the navy must be improved upon, he added.

Technicians' pay

Meanwhile, PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said current rates of pay for many cohorts of technicians are simply not enough and an urgent review is required to retain these highly skilled staff.

The current technician scale was initiated following the Report of the Gleeson Commission in 1990. While the rates have increased over time in accordance with general pay movements, the underlying technical skills and marketability of these is not reflected in the current rates, Mr Guinan said.

"The Department of Defence were hamstrung by public sector pay policy while undertaking the latest review of technician pay, which allowed for certain technicians skills and marketability to be recognised through increasing their grading. This gave certain grades higher pay, but those at the top of the scale were not provided with an increase."

He said the failure to provide an increase at the top of the scale for personnel who were there already resulted in multiple problems, including personnel not assuming higher responsibilities, not taking up courses for increased grading and departing to civilian employment.

In a workspace becoming increasingly technical, the loss of highly skilled and experienced staff will result in mistakes being made and work not being completed or undertaken," Mr Guinan said. He said failure to provide increases will result in more and more gaps in capability and further outsourcing "at considerable cost to the Exchequer".
A soldier accused of attacking his girlfriend at a Cathal Brugha army barracks in Dublin has been released on bail but warned not to contact his partner.

Defence Forces member Darragh Baldrick, 23, based at the barracks in Rathmines, in the citys southside, was arrested on Tuesday.

Mr Baldrick was taken to the local Garda station to be charged and held pending his appearance before Judge Brendan OReilly at Dublin District Court on Wednesday.

He is accused of assault causing harm contrary to section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Garda Brendan OCallaghan told Judge OReilly the accused was arrested at the barracks on Tuesday morning. He said Mr Baldrick, yet to indicate a plea, was handed a true copy of the charge and made no reply after caution.

There was no objection to bail with conditions. Solicitor Evan Moore said the terms had been already canvassed with his client, and there is agreement.

The defence solicitor confirmed his client was a member of the Irish Defence Forces, the alleged victim was his partner, and they did not have children.

The judge imposed the terms read out by Garda OCallaghan and told Mr Baldrick to stay away from the womans home and have no direct or indirect contact with her, including by social media.

Garda OCallaghan said directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) need to be obtained, and he sought an eight-week adjournment.

The solicitor consented, adding, I have no issue with that. He also confirmed his client had no trips abroad planned.

Judge OCallaghan granted legal aid and remanded Mr Baldrick on bail in his bond of 100 to appear again on July 5 for the DPPs directions to be outlined.

The defence asked the judge to consider imposing reporting restrictions in the matter because the alleged injured party was Mr Baldricks partner, and to save her from being identified. However, he added, I am in the courts hands.

Refusing the application, the judge noted the nature of the charge but remarked: That would be stretching it.

The solicitor said the restrictions were sought out of sensitivity. However, court Garda Sergeant Derek Spain told the judge: I dont see any basis for it, Judge, and the request was denied.
The Coombe Hospital has offered heartfelt and unreserved apologies for failings in care to the parents of a baby girl who died a day after her birth.

Baby Ruby Holland died at the Dublin hospital almost seven years ago.

A letter of apology from the master of The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital was read out at the High Court as Rubys parents, Ciara and Glenn Holland from Tallaght, Dublin, settled a nervous shock action over her death.

Their counsel Patrick Treacy SC, instructed by Cian OCarroll solicitor, told the court it was extremely important for the Hollands to get to the root of the tragedy.

A review of the case by the hospital, he said, acknowledged their pain and suffering but not any deficiencies in their daughters care and this had significantly exacerbated the couples trauma and suffering.

He said he could not overstate the importance to the Hollands that the tragic loss of Ruby was acknowledged and the hospital had recently also admitted causation as well as liability in the case.

In the letter, Professor Michael OConnell offered on behalf of the hospital heartfelt and unreserved apologies for failings in care on the day of Rubys birth on July 21, 2016.

The letter said: In particular, I sincerely regret that the maternal blood pressure was not adequately monitored between 4.15am and 4.46am that day.

Referring to the hospital s Adverse Incident Review of the events surrounding Rubys birth, Prof OConnell said it was not their intention to add to the Hollands distress in any way.

I was very sorry to learn that you were unhappy with the process and I sincerely regret that this is the case. I would like to reiterate my apologies for the distress suffered in respect of the tragic outcome and offer my deepest condolences to you and your family, the letter concluded.

Nervous shock

Ciara and Glenn Holland of Aylesbury Tallaght, Dublin, had sued The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital for nervous shock. It was claimed there was alleged negligence and breach of duty in the treatment of care afforded to Mrs Holland and her daughter in the course of her delivery and in her neonatal care in the initial minutes of her life and that Ruby was caused to suffer severe and profound injuries which led to her death the following day on July 22, 2016.

It was further claimed there was a failure to appreciate the deterioration in the babys condition prior to her delivery which, it was claimed, was attributable to a combination of maternal hypotension and a small placental abruption.

Following birth, it was claimed there was a delay in intubation and a failure to provide effective ventilation to the baby during at least three of the first four minutes of her life.

There was, it was alleged, a failure to appreciate that the mother's blood pressure had fallen markedly in the aftermath of the administration of the epidural top-up.

There was, it was claimed, a failure to proceed with the expeditious delivery of the baby at a time that would have averted the onset or severity of her hypoxia-related injuries.

Ruby was delivered at 5.17am by forceps delivery and she was later transferred to the neonatal unit, where active cooling treatment took place.

Senior counsel Patrick Treacy told the court that case had been settled and it was before the court for the division of the statutory mental distress payment.

He said an expert on their side would say would say the quality of foetal and maternal monitoring was substandard.

Approving the division of the solatium, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said there were very tragic facts and circumstances to the case and he offered his deepest sympathy to the Holland family.
When The Late Late Show was conceived by producer Tom McGrath back in 1962, it was based on a Canadian talk show prototype with some cosy chat, intermixed with music  nothing too cerebral or too challenging.

A young 26-year-old host Gay Byrne changed all that and in time, the show tethered on being denounced on a weekly basis from the pulpit, to being heralded as a ventilator and commentator on public morals and mores. It never strayed far from the headlines.

Now in pursuit of a new presenter, the show, which turns 61 in July, has changed little from those halcyon days when everyone was shocked by everything, and Byrne dismantled sacred taboos with consummate regularity. Now outrage has become outre, and Ireland has become less censorious and more considered.

Where does that leave the Late Late and how can its format be reinvigorated to appeal to a broader base?

RTE has no desire to abandon its lucrative prime time advertising position. it is ultimately about commercial success and capitalizing on much-needed revenue. Nonetheless, bosses at RTE have to change their mindset: Tubridy has done a very good job of keeping the ship afloat, in particular during the pandemic. His resignation obviously caught them off guard and there appears to be no succession planning.

Advertisers are understandably nervous. The mood is not good.

It has not helped that the top female presenters, as scarce as lifeboats on the Titanic, have jumped ship before it even set sail on its new voyage. All three women, Miriam O Callaghan, Clare Byrne and Sarah McInerney have resolutely removed themselves from being pitted against each other in any public battle over Tubridys heir(ess).

Clare Byrne and Sarah McInerney have resolutely removed themselves from the running for The Late Late Show, but rumour has it that Patrick Kielty might get the gig.

Tommy Tiernan was being mooted as a contender but then the Late Late could be in danger of becoming The Tommy Tiernan Show  and weve had seven years of that already. Put simply, the next iteration of the Late Late needs to embrace a newer, younger audience as well as bringing with it those remaining loyal to the show  a herculean task!

When Byrne retired in 1999 as host, much of his audience retired with him, many of whom had grown old with the show. Tubs had added a modicum of youthfulness as he turns 50. Should RTE embrace youth or experience? A safe pair of hands like those of the versatile Brendan O Connor or Patrick Kielty, who, rumour has it, might just get the daunting role.

Unfortunately, RTE has nurtured little in the way of new talent and with our top female presenters firmly out of the running, who you gonna call?

The only immediate female star who comes to mind with popular appeal, is the vibrant redhead Angela Scanlon. Her dual career on both RTE and BBC, as well as her pedigree as a major Instagram influencer with an impressive 258K followers, might induce that elusive 25 to 45-year-old TV audience back to Friday viewing.

However, the news is grim. Viewership figures for the show (apart from the Toy Show, which brought in 1.7 million viewers) plummeted to 400,000 in 2022.

In truth, we no longer need the Late Late to disclosure and excavate our silent scandals; all our Troys have been burnt. Moreover, we no longer need the Late Late to introduce us to celebrities; they are all oversharing on Instagram and Twitter.

With her 258,000 Instagram followers, is Angela Scanlon the one to bring back a younger audience to RTE's Friday night flagship show?

The Late Late has survived because it is a uniquely Irish phenomenon which celebrates and elevates our indigenous culture. How can this aspect of the show be effectively harnessed while simultaneously entertaining and embracing new audiences?

Ultimately, it's decision time for RTE and I have a number of suggestions: first up, they will have to be very clear where their current target audience lies; then the sheer duration of the show will need to be addressed. In a world of soundbites, life is too short to sit through two hours of anything! At least those in studio get their one for everyone in the audience.

Thus, a shorter, pacier show  with more personal story telling and less endless book selling. Not only is a fresh presenter required but also a fresh production team. Talk to Graham Nortons crew  they keep it consistently entertaining within its 50-minute slot, and celebrities are scrambling to be part of the show.

The Late Late was always a hybrid, moving chameleon-like from light to dark, and in those early years, it was live and dangerous, and no one knew what was coming next. Perhaps because it is live, fear of litigation has kept its content staid.

Heres a suggestion: pre-record the show. The Graham Norton Show is recorded in front of a live audience on a Thursday and goes out on a Friday. Who knew? That way, any potentially litigious material can be removed, but for Gods sake give it a new lease of life.

Read More Why are so many female presenters ruling themselves out of Late Late Show gig?

In brief, its back to the three Rs! Record the show; reboot and revisualize its content and its production team; reduce the show to a maximum of 80 minutes. The Late Late was the ultimate disrupter back in 1962  bold and brash, feeding into the zeitgeist. It was unmissable.

RTE must announce a new Late Late presenter very soon. If not, there will be nothing for everyone in the audience as advertisers sail away and seek another show with a host who can assume the mantle of The Great Window Opener.
WITH a successful business start-up  Badly Made Books  nurtured here, No 1 Friar Street, Cork is ready to turn over a new page.

The adaptable business space has profile onto three streets in the heart of Cork Citys inner south suburbs, near the long-awaited Events Centre (see separate update online this week with STAMP creativity festival taking place there) Douglas Streets Nano Nagle Place and Cork Centre for Architectural Education, with Good Day Cafe also on the green lung campus, and is now back up to let.

Sean OSullivan of Badly Made Books, Friar Street, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Number 1 has been the base of a start-up company, founder illustrator and designer Sean OSullivans Badly Made Books which has blossomed over the last four years: the business has expanded and they have relocated to a larger space in Deanrock Industrial Estate, says letting agent John Barry of Frank V Murphy & Co.

Nano Nagle Place.

A five-minute walk into the historic South Parish from the South Gate Bridge or from the South Mall, its set at the junction of Friar Street with Evergreen Street, Industry Place, and Abbey Street, within a walk of the MTU College of Art, UCC, and Cork Centre for Architectural Education.

Mr Barry is now seeking new tenants for the adaptable and funky ground-floor space of 57 sq m, quoting a rent of 15,000 pa. Do the books.

DETAILS: Frank V Murphy & Co, 021 4274204
The late pop superstar Prince is being honoured in Minnesota as the state renames a seven-mile stretch of highway that runs past his Paisley Park home and recording studio after him.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz used purple ink on Tuesday to sign the Bill dedicating the road formerly known as Minnesota Highway 5.

Now the path through in the Minneapolis suburbs of Chanhassen and Eden Prairie will be called the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway.

Purple road signs will soon go up along the highway declaring the new name, paid for by Princes friends and fans.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to the press before signing the Bill renaming a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 as Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway, at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP/PA)

The governor described Prince as a global icon and creative genius.

Mr Waltz and other politicians toured the rooms at Paisley Park which showcase sleek guitars and a purple piano from the artists career.

After the tour, the governor said this was the coolest Bill signing he has ever done.

Like so many Minnesotans, Im just proud that Prince called Minnesota home, Mr Walz said, adding that the highway dedication is just a small recognition of the singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist.

Mr Waltz said Prince is part of the states shared cultural identity, that really does transcend generations.

Paisley Park, where Prince lived and recorded, draws visitors from around the world to suburban Chanhassen. It is also where Prince died on April 21, 2016, of an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 57.

The 65,000-square-foot complex is now a museum run by his estate as well as an event venue and recoding studio.

Prince broke through in the late 1970s and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. His music  which includes hits such as Purple Rain, Lets Go Crazy, When Doves Cry and 1999  has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Sharon Nelson, Princes sister, speaks to the press before Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the Bill (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP/PA)

Princes cousin, Charles Smith, called the highway dedication a beautiful thing.

The symbolic gestures official status makes it different from other tributes, Mr Smith said. The governor signed it and put his dot on it. Its heavy. Its real powerful.

The Minnesota Senate approved the legislation 55-5 on Thursday and sent it to the governors desk. The Bill passed the House unanimously last month on the seventh anniversary of Princes death.

A replica sign stands outside the Minnesota Senate chambers after the Senate voted to honour Prince (Steve Karnowski/AP/PA)

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan showed her long-time appreciation for Prince by wearing purple pants and matching earrings with a photo of the singer from his Purple Rain performance at the Super Bowl.

He encouraged everybody to be themselves, to love each other, to be supportive and to have fun, right? Ms Flanagan said. He was an icon.

Ms Flanagan said she hopes people will drive on the seven-mile stretch, turn on their favorite Prince song and remember the musician as they pass his home.
Police in Europe were launching an international appeal for help to identify 22 women whose bodies were found in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands over a period of 43 years.

Most of the women met violent deaths  some were dismembered, while some showed signs of abuse or starvation  with the most recent body discovered in 2019.

The womens unknown identities is frustrating detectives hunts for their killers.

We are looking for names 



The names of 22 women, victims of murder.



They are someone's friend, sister, cousin, daughter or mother. And they matter.



Details: https://t.co/PrrSg3ahrg pic.twitter.com/vNXXcFAGu0  INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) May 10, 2023

Police on Wednesday launched Operation Identify Me  an international appeal with Interpol  seeking the publics help putting names to the women.

Such a breakthrough would, at a minimum, mean police no longer have to identify the victims by their distinguishing features or apparel  the woman with the flower tattoo, the woman with the artificial nails  or locations where their remains were discovered.

The oldest of the cold cases dates back to 1976. Her body was found along the A12 highway in the Netherlands. She is believed to have been between 13 and 20-years-old when she died.

Interpol, the international police liaison organisation based in Lyon, France, distributed black-and-white facial reconstructions of some of the victims.

Most of the 22 victims died violently, and some were also abused or starved before they died

In a statement that quoted Dutch, German and Belgian police, Interpol said some of the women were believed to have come from Eastern Europe and that their bodies were possibly left in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to confound investigations.

Most of the 22 victims died violently, and some were also abused or starved before they died, Dutch police said.

Police hope that learning their names might also provide evidence about possible offenders. It might also allow them to establish whether any of the cases were linked.

In similar investigations, establishing the victims identity ultimately has led to the arrest of a suspect, Anja Allendorf, from the German police, said.

It's horrendous to go all these years without having any news, not knowing what's happened. And however dreadful it may be to get that confirmation that their loved one has died, it is part of an important process in order to grieve and to move forward

Interpol is making details about each case public on its website at interpol.int/IM.

As well as facial reconstructions of some of the women, it also includes images of jewellery and other items found with their remains, and contact forms for people who may have any information about the cases.

Susan Hitchin, who co-ordinates Interpols DNA unit, said identifying the women could help bring closure to their family members.

Read More A summary of Interpol's cases to identify 22 dead women

Its horrendous to go all these years without having any news, not knowing whats happened. And however dreadful it may be to get that confirmation that their loved one has died, it is part of an important process in order to grieve and to move forward, she said.

Hopefully a member of the public will able to bring some new elements that the police can use that will ultimately provide the identity to these victims and ideally help lead to the perpetrator, if there is one.
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan can be held for questioning for eight days, a court has ruled, a day after the countrys popular opposition leader was dragged from a courtroom and arrested.

His detention set off clashes between his supporters and police on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead. On Wednesday, angry protesters stormed and set fire to a building housing Radio Pakistan in the city of Peshawar.

The 70-year-old politician, who lost power last year but remains the countrys most popular opposition figure, is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan.

Supporters of Imran Khan damage a car inside the compound of Radio Pakistan in Peshawar (Muhammad Sajjad/AP)

His dramatic arrest on Tuesday deepened the political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations. Two people were killed initially, one on Tuesday in the southwestern city of Quetta and another in the northwestern city of Peshawar overnight. Two more people died in clashes with police in Peshawar on Wednesday.

In eastern Punjab province, where authorities said 157 police officers were injured in clashes with Mr Khans supporters, the local government asked the army to step in and restore order.

Pakistans GEO television broadcast footage showing Mr Khan appearing before a judge at a temporary court inside a police compound on Wednesday. The former premier was seen seated in a chair, holding documents.

Smoke erupts from burning objects set on fire by angry supporters of Mr Khan (Muhammad Sajjad/AP)

Earlier, the National Accountability Bureau requested the 14-day detention of Mr Khan, but the tribunal said authorities could keep him in custody for eight days.

Meanwhile, Mr Khans legal team were challenging his arrest before the Islamabad High Court, seeking his release.

Also in Peshawar, Mr Khans supporters raided the building housing Radio Pakistan, damaging equipment and setting fire to it, police official Naeem Khan said. Some of the employees were trapped inside and police were trying to restore order, he added.

Mr Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party had called for demonstrators to remain peaceful, hours after mobs  angered over the dramatic arrest  set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.

Shipping containers were used to block a road leading to police headquarters, where Mr Khan was being held (Anjum Naveed/AP)

Mr Khan had been appearing in court when he was arrested on Tuesday on multiple charges brought by Islamabad police.

As he appeared in court, dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau backed by paramilitary troops stormed the courtroom, breaking windows after Mr Khans guards refused to open the door.

Mr Khans supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital, Islamabad, but did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief General Asim Munir.

Other demonstrators tried to reach the prime ministers residence in Lahore, but were driven off by baton-wielding police. Others attacked vehicles carrying troops and hit armed soldiers with sticks.

Riot officers took up positions around police headquarters (Anjum Naveed/AP)

A police statement on Wednesday said officers in eastern Punjab province had arrested 945 of Mr Khans supporters since Tuesday  including Asad Umar, a senior leader from Mr Khans party. Dozens of Khan supporters had also been detained in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and elsewhere.

Officers deployed in force across the country, and placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Mr Khan was being held and where he appeared before a judge at the temporary court placed there for security reasons, according to the government.

In March, police stormed Mr Khans Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him in a corruption case related to hiding income from the sale of official gifts.

Later on Wednesday, Mr Khan appeared in a different courtroom at the high security court and was indicted in the ongoing graft case, pleading not guilty, local media said.
Palestinian militants have fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, in a first response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes that have killed 19 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as the Tel Aviv area, on the Mediterranean Sea, 50 miles away.

Residents had been braced for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early on Tuesday.

Israeli TV stations showed air defence systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover during one attack.

Israeli security forces take cover during an air-raid siren (Tsafrir Abayov/AP)

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week.

The parade, meant to celebrate Israels capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old Citys Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinian residents.

As air-raid sirens continued to wail, Israeli media said at least 100 rockets had been fired.

Israeli rescuers said two people had been hurt running for shelter, and local officials said an empty home in the southern town of Sderot had been struck.

Throughout the day, Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second consecutive day, killing at least three Palestinians.

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City (Fatima Shbair/AP)

Tuesdays strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate, while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.

The Israeli military said its attacks were focused on Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

The army said one airstrike targeted militants traveling to a rocket launcher site in southern Gaza Strip.

Medics said the strike killed one man and seriously wounded another. Later on Wednesday, another airstrike killed a Palestinian in northern Gaza and two Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the targets were militants.

It also remained unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late on Tuesday were militants or civilians. Israel has claimed the men were preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.

The Israeli military had instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools remained closed for a second day as a precaution against rocket attacks.

Palestinians mourn for Mohammed Abu Taima, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike (Fatima Shbair/AP)

Israel said the airstrikes were a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel said it was trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and confine the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation, Rear Admiral Danny Hagari, the Israeli militarys chief spokesman, said.

Israel is not interested in war.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. The northern West Bank city of Jenin and surrounding areas have been the frequent target of such raids as it has emerged as a hub of Palestinian militant activity.

Israel said the raids in the West Bank were meant to dismantle militant networks and prevent future attacks.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state.
US congressman George Santos, infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, has been arrested on federal criminal charges ahead of an expected court appearance.

Lawyer Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Mr Peace said.

New York congressman Santos was expected to make an initial court appearance at a federal courthouse on Long Island later on Wednesday, at which time the charges against him would be unsealed.

Mr Santos was elected to Congress last autumn after a campaign built partly on falsehoods.

He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, he did not work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, did not go to college and had struggled financially before his run for public office.

Questions about the Republican politicians finances also surfaced.

In regulatory filings, Mr Santos said he had loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000 (683,092), but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Mr Santos had reported making 750,000 US dollars a year plus dividends from a family company, the Devolder Organisation.

He later described that business as a broker for sales of luxury items including yachts and aircraft.

The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Mr Santos stopped working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

Many of Mr Santoss fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed.

Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York, said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was more circumspect, saying: I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty. Mr Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen cheques to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they had reopened the case.

In 2017, Mr Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders.

This case was dismissed after Mr Santos claimed his chequebook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have been looking separately into complaints about Mr Santoss work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets.

One New Jersey veteran accused Mr Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 (2,732) he had raised to help his pet dog get surgery it needed.
A tabloid publisher has unreservedly apologised to Britain's Prince Harry for an instance of unlawful information gathering, the High Court in London has been told.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Claims brought by four individuals, one of whom is Harry, are being heard in a trial as representative cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher.

MGN, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.

At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said voicemail interception was denied in the trial cases, including Harrys.

However Mr Green also said the publisher unreservedly apologises to Harry for one instance of unlawful information gathering and that it accepts he was entitled to appropriate compensation.

The barrister said that it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about his activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

Otherwise, the specified allegations are denied, or in a few cases not admitted, he added.

Mr Green said there was a reference to a payment record for 75 in February 2004.

He continued: It is admitted that this represented an instruction to engage in unlawful information gathering, and MGN unreservedly apologises and accepts that the Duke of Sussex is entitled to appropriate compensation for it.

MGN does not know what information this related to, although it clearly had some connection with his conduct at the nightclub.

The barrister said that there was a People article published in February 2004 giving the recollection of a woman Harry spent time with at the club.

Mr Green added: The Duke of Sussex notably does not claim in relation to this article, so it is not alleged that this instruction led to the publication of his private information.

The fee paid, 75, suggests little work was involved.

As well as Harry, Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman are all expected to give evidence during the six to seven-week trial.

Mr Green said voicemail interception was denied in all four cases and that there was no evidence or no sufficient evidence.

The barrister continued: There is some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of unlawful information gathering in respect of each of the claimants, save for Mr Turner whose claim is entirely denied, and MGN has made pleaded admissions in respect thereof.

MGN unreservedly apologises for all such instances of unlawful information gathering, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated.

Michael Le Vell arrives at the Rolls Buildings in central London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

At the start of the hearing in London, barrister David Sherborne, for Harry and other people bringing claims, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so.

Addressing Harrys case, Mr Sherborne said his claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities.

The barrister said that in 1995, the royal family had become big news for the tabloid newspapers with interest continuing throughout the now-British King Charles divorce from his then-wife Diana and her untimely death in 1997.

Mr Sherborne told the court: We all remember the images of him walking behind his mothers coffin.

From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information.

An MGN spokesman said: Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully.

MGN is now part of a very different company.

We are committed to acting with integrity and our objective in this trial is to allow both the business and our journalists to move forward from events that took place many years ago.
Transgender minors in the US state of Missouri will no longer will have access to puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery under legislation passed by the Republican-led legislature on Wednesday.

The ban also affects some adults  Medicaid health care will not cover any gender-affirming care in the state  and surgery will no longer be available to prisoners.

Missouri politicians also sent the Republican governor legislation to ban transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams from kindergarten through to college, both at public and private schools.

Governor Mike Parson is expected to sign the legislation. He had threatened to keep members working beyond the normal end of their session if they did not approve the ban, which would take effect on August 28 and expire in August 2027. The ban includes exceptions for minors already getting such treatments.

When you have kids being surgically and or chemically altered for life for no good reason, yes, its time for the government to get involved, Republican Brad Hudson told colleagues.

Some democrats wept during the debate.

To deny these children care is to deny them their very existence, Democrat Joe Adams said.

Missouris ban comes amid a national push by conservatives to put restrictions on transgender and nonbinary people that has become, alongside abortion, a major theme running through legislative sessions across the country in 2023.

At least 16 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and several states are still considering Bills this year to restrict or ban care, creating uncertainty for many families.

Florida and Texas have banned or restricted the care via regulations or administrative orders, and a Bill to restrict care is on Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantiss desk.

Read More US congressman George Santos arrested on federal criminal charges

Missouris legislative leaders vowed to stop minors from accessing puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries.

And Missouris Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, took up the charge after Mr Parson appointed him to fill the vacant position in January.

In response, the Kansas City Council was considering a resolution on Wednesday to make Missouris largest city a sanctuary for people seeking such medical care.

Mr Bailey, now campaigning to keep the job in 2024, launched an investigation in February into St Louis Washington University Transgender Centre following a former staffers complaints that doctors were prescribing hormones too quickly and without enough mental health wraparound services.

An internal Washington University review found no malpractice.

Mr Bailey has since expanded his investigation to any clinic offering pediatric gender-affirming care in Missouri, and demanded records from a St Louis Planned Parenthood where doctors provide such healthcare.

In April, Mr Bailey took the step of imposing restrictions on adults as well as children under Missouris consumer-protection law. A judge temporarily blocked the limits from taking effect as she considers a legal challenge.

Under Mr Baileys rules, before gender-affirming medical treatments can be provided by physicians, people would have to document that they experienced an intense pattern of gender dysphoria for at least three years and undergo at least 15 hourly sessions with a therapist for at least 18 months.

Screening for autism and social media addiction would be required, and a treatment provider would have to declare that any mental health issues are resolved.

Some patients could maintain their prescriptions as long as they promptly receive the required assessments.
Nicaragua has passed a law to close the countrys Red Cross, in a crackdown that has seen the government shut down religious orders, charities and civic groups.

The legislature voted to close the Nicaraguan Red Cross, accusing it of attacks on peace and stability during anti-government demonstrations in 2018. The local Red Cross says it just helped treat injured protesters during the demonstrations.

The legislature, which is dominated by President Daniel Ortegas Sandinista party, ordered the countrys Health Department to create a new Nicaragua Red Cross.

The current Red Cross, founded in 1958, is largely funded by domestic donations. The new law also will confiscate Red Cross properties in Nicaragua and turn them over to the government.

Rights groups estimate that during the governments crackdown on the 2018 protests, 355 people were killed and as many as 2,000 were injured.

A political billboard in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, promoting Daniel Ortega as the peoples president (Alamy/PA)

The crackdown since then has jailed or exiled almost all the countrys organised opposition and has outlawed or closed down more than 3,000 civic groups and non-governmental organisations.

Many of those groups provided healthcare or social services in an impoverished country where governmental services cannot cover the needs of the people.

Mr Ortegas government has shut civic groups ranging from an equestrian centre to the 94-year-old Nicaraguan Academy of Letters.

Mr Ortega has accused the civic groups and opposition activists of working with foreign interests in an attempt to topple his government.

In April, the Vatican closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the countrys government proposed suspending diplomatic relations.

Two congregations of nuns, including from the Missionaries of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa, were expelled from Nicaragua last year.

Prominent Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison last month after he refused to board an airplane that flew 222 dissidents and priests to exile in the United States. He also was stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship.
Burma Chinese Foreign Ministers Visit Reignites Anti-China Protests in Myanmar

Letpadaung protesters burn the Chinese flag during a protest this week against Beijings support for the junta. / Letpadaung General Strike Committee

Anti-China protests have broken out across Myanmar following last weeks meetings between Beijings foreign minister Qin Gang and Myanmars military dictators.

China stepped up its engagement with Myanmars regime with the visit by the most senior Chinese representative to Naypyitaw since the 2021 coup. Qin met junta boss Min Aung Hlaing and former dictator Than Shwe.

Following the visit, activists, students union members and general strike committees across the country launched an online campaign, sharing the message, Hey China: stop killing Myanmars people by supporting fascist criminals, in Chinese and English.

Protests were staged in Yangon and Yinmabin, Salingyi and Letpadaung in Sagaing Region, where the Chinese flag was burned.

Following the February 2021 coup, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar faced daily protests in which hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded that their neighbor stop supporting the military.

China said the takeover was an internal affair not requiring foreign intervention and failed to denounce deadly crackdowns on protesters, despite widespread international condemnation. At the time there were calls for a boycott of Chinese products and threats to China-backed projects and pipelines. In the following months, there were a few attacks on Chinas pipelines in Mandalay Region.

Letpadaung General Strike Committee in Salingyi, which is home to the Chinese-run copper mines, stated that the Chinese meetings fueled anti-China anger.

We strongly say that our people do not want any country or government to cooperate with the regime, the committee announced.

Yangon activists warned China that public anger would grow if it continued to work with the junta.

On Tuesday, a flash mob in the city called on China to respect the will of the people and to respect Myanmars sovereignty, instead of protecting dictators Min Aung Hlaing and Than Shwe.

Prominent activist Dr Tayzar San wrote that the neighbors would have to coexist after the fall of the dictatorship and there were many good examples of friendly, close bilateral relations over centuries.

Positive relations cannot be built with a terrorist regime, the activist said.

If the Chinese government continues to support the fascist military like this, China will enter the list of Myanmars common enemies. We have a serious message and both countries will face the consequences, Dr Tayzar San added.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government also criticized Qins visit saying the terrorist junta offers no stability with its brutal killings, arbitrary arrests and arson attacks.

It said public consent was the only way to achieve long-term stability in Myanmar.
Burma HRW: Myanmar Junta Used Enhanced Bomb on Sagaing Village

The aftermath of the regime's airstrike at Pazi Gyi village. / CJ

Myanmars junta used a thermobaric or vacuum bomb in its devastating airstrike on Pazi Gyi village in Sagaing Region on April 11, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Approximately 160 people, including children and pregnant women, were killed at the Kantbalu Township event to open a civilian administrative office. Bodies were ripped apart by the blast and some were burned alive.

HRW said on Tuesday that 59 photos of the victims and a video of the site provided evidence a thermobaric bomb was used.

Vacuum bombs are more powerful than conventional high-explosive munitions and use two separate charges. The first scatters fuel as a cloud and the second detonates it, sucking away oxygen and forming a fireball.

Thermobaric munitions are not banned in warfare but their use against civilians is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and constitutes a war crime.

A survivor told The Irrawaddy: We could not identify victims as heads were blown off the bodies. Children were killed and their limbs were blown off. Pieces of flesh were all over the place.

I heard no screams after the people were hit because all the people were dead once the bomb exploded, he added.

HRW said the bomb used on Pazi Gyi had caused indiscriminate and disproportionate civilian casualties  and was an apparent war crime.

The New York-based right group called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt an arms embargo on Myanmar, refer the junta to the International Criminal Court and impose sanctions on the militarys sprawling business empire.

The Myanmar juntas abusive military operations depend on its ability to purchase weapons and materiel, it said.

Asean and the UN Security Council both need to reconsider their toothless approaches to Myanmars junta and take stronger measures, HRW added.
Burma Myanmar Regime Warplane Bombs School of 300 Students in Sagaing

Bawdi School after the junta airstrike. / CJ

A regime warplane bombed a Ye-U township school of 300 students in the resistance stronghold of Sagaing on Tuesday, the latest junta attack on schools after an assault that killed seven children last year.

The jet fighter conducted three rounds of attack, dropping six bombs on Bawdi School in Htan Taw village at around 2 pm on Tuesday, according to a local resistance member.

Four bombs exploded next to the school compound and two more exploded nearby, he said.

The bomb blasts damaged the school gate and library, according to a local resistance member from Peoples Defense Comrade. Just an hour and a half earlier, the school gate was crowded with children. Carnage was only averted because classes were dismissed at 12.30 pm. As it was, no civilian casualties were reported.

Bawdi School is run by volunteer teachers who provide education for 300 students from nearby villages.

The junta bombing campaign threatens the anti-regime National Unity Government (NUG)s school system in Sagaing, said a volunteer who has been teaching at Bawdi School for the past six months.

The NUG has set up its own administration and schools in Sagaing. The junta has branded the NUG a terrorist organization.

Regime bombing raids on schools impact the ability to maintain the education system not only in our township but also in other townships in the resistance stronghold.

Our school has shut down at the moment and we need to take a break before classes resume, he said.

Parents are also reluctant to send their kids to classes for fear that the junta might bomb the school again, he added.

There are no reports of fighting either near the village or in Ye-U township and this was the first bombing conducted here by a junta warplane, according to local resistance forces.

The junta normally seeks to justify its attacks on schools and hospitals by accusing them of harboring local resistance fighters. In most cases, the accusations turned out to be false.

The volunteer teacher from Bawdi school said: There are no resistance forces in our school or our village. We are all volunteers helping to fulfill the education needs of rural students.

Increasingly frequent junta attacks on civilian targets have included bombing raids on schools, hospitals and displacement camps in resistance strongholds. Junta infantry also blew up a high school in Chan Thar village in the west of Ye-U township on May 4, according to local sources.

Last September, at least 12 people including seven children were massacred in a regime air and ground assault on a school of 200 students in Let Yet Kone village, about seven miles from Htan Taw village.
Burma Myanmar Resistance Couple Killed in Mon State Airstrikes

Khin Thandar Swe (left) and Tun Lin Aung

A resistance couple were killed on Sunday in two Myanmar junta airstrikes on a Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) camp in Mon State.

The bombing killed three resistance fighters and injured four others in Ye and Thanbyuzayat, the southernmost Mon townships, according to the Albino Tiger Column.

Tun Lin Aung, 34, and Khin Thandar Swe, 19, who were a couple, were killed, according to the group.

Khin Thandar Swe was a student from Myeik District in Tanintharyi Region who joined the revolution at 17.

She was trained by a peoples defense force and the KNLA and joined the Albino Tigers, which is part of KNLA Brigade 6.

Tun Lin Aung worked in transport and social media management for a Yangon cosmetics company before joining the revolution in 2021.

The other victim was Zwe Man Linn, 25, who joined the Albino Tigers in 2021. Last May he suffered leg injuries in fighting near Myohaung village where at least 17 junta soldiers were killed, according to the Albino Tigers.

In March, another resistance couple in their 20s were killed by junta troops ahead of their wedding day after being seized in Magwe Region on a tipoff.
Burma Myanmar Resistance Raids Pro-Junta Militia Base in Sagaing

Resistance fighters from Kyauk Lone Gyi PDF seen after an operation in Kani Township, Sagaing Region in late March. / KLG PDF

Sagaing resistance groups killed at least six regime forces including pro-junta militia during their raid on a military base in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region early Tuesday.

Seven Peoples Defense Force groups (PDFs) from Kani, Depayin and Shwebo townships launched a coordinated attack on the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia base in Zee Phyu Kone village at 4 am, the leader of Kyauk Lone Gyi PDF from Kani told the Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

Around 70 regime soldiers, police and militia members are stationed at the base, he said.

The regime and militia forces controlled the village despite widespread local opposition to military rule, he added.

Resistance groups conducted the raid after villagers requested help to defend themselves against the junta occupation.

During a two-hour firefight, resistance members managed to occupy three out of four bunkers at the regime base. Junta troops including seven captains fled the raid, abandoning their base and the militia members, said the official of Kyauk Lone Gyi PDF, which took part in the assault.

We saw around 17 bodies of regime troops and Pyu Saw Htee militia at the base, he added.

Video shot by the PDF groups shows resistance fighters occupying the junta base after the battle. It also shows at least six regime soldiers and pro-regime militia members lying dead.

Four resistance fighters suffered minor injuries in the raid, according to the PDF group.

Resistance groups also seized ammunition, military equipment and weapons along with documents.

Resistance forces retreated from the junta base at around 6 am after being alerted that 150 regime forces and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee from three pro-regime villages nearby were heading to Zee Phyu Kone village on three trucks.

On April 4, a police officer and a pro-junta militia member were killed and another injured just outside Zee Phyu Kone village in a land-mine ambush conducted by local resistance groups.

Regime forces and militia members have occupied Zee Phyu Kone and nearby Hna Ma Sar Yit village since February last year after raiding and torching the villagers homes. The raids killed around 23 people, including senior citizens and 15 resistance members, according to resistance groups and media reports.

Regime forces and Pyu Saw Htee militia occupying the villages are also facing frequent attacks and drone strikes by local resistance groups.
Burma Myanmars Civilian Govt Vows Action After NLD Official Accused of Child Rape

A public awareness campaign against child rape in Myanmar in February 2018. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars parallel National Unity Government (NUG) says it will cooperate with Thai authorities to arrest a National League for Democracy (NLD) member accused of raping a Myanmar child in Thailands Mae Sot.

We are working to open a case and issue an arrest warrant for the suspect, NUG spokesman Nay Phone Latt told The Irrawaddy.

The suspect has been identified as U Aung Min, secretary of the executive committee of the NLD chapter in Yangons Twante Township. He is accused of raping the five-year-old daughter of a striking education officer who took refuge in Mae Sot after fleeing Myanmar for fear of junta reprisals.

Family members of the victim filed a complaint with the NUG against U Aung Min on May 2. The suspect remains at large.

Family members accuse him of sexually abusing the girl, citing her accounts. The accused, the family of the alleged victim and other families lived together in a rented compound in Mae Sot after fleeing Myanmar.

The alleged victim was examined by a striking nurse on May 1. The nurse said she found evidence of molestation and penetration. The mother asked for a sexual assault forensic examination at a Mae Sot hospital the following day but had not yet obtained the result when the complaint was filed with the NUG.

The NUG will cooperate with local police and law enforcement in line with international procedures to arrest and interrogate the suspect, said U Nay Phone Latt.

We will inform Thai authorities about it. We dont know yet how Thai authorities will respond, he said.

The NUGs Women, Youth and Children Affairs Ministry has relocated the victim and her mother and is providing counseling, according to the NUG.

NLD central executive committee member U Kyaw Htwe said: I support taking legal action against him if he really committed [this crime]. The party will also take harsh disciplinary action against him. But if he is innocent, justice must be served for him too.

The NUG said its court will also punish the suspect if he is found guilty, without providing details of what punishment would be imposed for the sexual abuse of a child.

Political activists say the NUGs judicial system is not yet properly functional, and has been unable to handle the majority of previous allegations of crimes committed by resistance forces. Only when the NUG acts promptly and solves less complicated crimes like rape, will its justice system win the trust of Myanmar people, said activists.

A political activist said: People have filed complaints with the NUG. But many complaints including [rights] violations by armed [resistance] groups have not yet been dealt with. Whenever a crime happens, the NUG will issue statements vowing punitive action. But I havent seen the NUG administer a fitting punishment in any case so far.

The 2021 coup and violent junta crackdown triggered the civil disobedience movement that has seen a mass exodus of civil servants, politicians and political activists to neighboring countries. The majority have sought refuge in Thailand.
War Against the Junta Dozens of Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Three Days of Clashes With Resistance

Resistance fighters of Tawgyi Mway Bwe PDF during a drill in Mandalay Region / Tawgyi Mway Bwe PDF

At least 24 Myanmar junta troops as well as three resistance fighters were killed in the last three days as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) stepped up attacks on regime targets across the country.

In one case, three resistance fighters including a couple were killed by junta air strikes on a resistance camp in Mon State.

The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs.

Some military casualty figures could not be independently verified.

Regime troops bombed, ambushed in Sagaing

Combined resistance forces engage in a clash with regime forces in Salingyi Township on Monday. / NRG

At least 13 junta troops were killed in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region on Monday when five PDF groups ambushed a military detachment of 150 troops at a port on the Chindwin River, said the PDF group National Revolutionary Guards.

First, the PDF groups used land mines to ambush regime troops who were preparing to board a ferry, killing three soldiers.

After being ambushed, the angry soldiers burned down a bazaar nearby, also torching several motorbikes belonging to civilians.

The PDF fighters attacked the regime forces again with heavy explosives and firearms from close range while they were at the port. Citing military informants, the PDF groups said another 10 soldiers were killed in the second attack.

During the clash, a resistance defender passed out from exhaustion while another suffered minor injuries, the resistance group said.

Resistance groups conduct repeated attacks on regime forces in Sagaing

Many regime forces are thought to have been killed and injured in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Monday when combined PDF groups repeatedly attacked regime forces, said the PDF group Black Wolf Army, which coordinated the attacks.

First, the PDF groups used three land mines to ambush regime forces traveling on 15 motorbikes near a village in Kyauk Myaung town at 12 p.m.

Thirty minutes later, the PDF groups clashed with a military column of 40 troops leaving the town of Shwebo.

That afternoon, the resistance groups conducted another ambush, targeting two military trucks from military Infantry Battalion 12 with land mines as they were traveling on the Shwebo-Kyauk Myaung highway.

There were no resistance casualties in the incidents, said Black Wolf Army.

Military column ambushed in Tanintharyi

Many regime forces are believed to have been killed and injured in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region on Tuesday when Dawei Collective Column used land mines to ambush a military detachment returning from the Thai border, the resistance group said.

Two of several villagers who had been taken as human shields by the regime forces were also injured in the land mine blasts. The resistance groups apologized for harming the civilians.

The groups urged residents to avoid regime forces.

Military convoy ambushed in Kayah

Resistance forces ambush a military convoy of reinforcements in Loikaw Township on Sunday evening. / KNDF Pekon Zone

Many regime forces are believed to have been killed or injured in Loikaw Township, Kayah State on Sunday when the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) coordinated with Pekon PDF to ambush a military convoy of 17 vehicles on the Mobye-Loikaw highway, the resistance groups told the media.

The convoy was transporting junta reinforcements to Kayah States capital Loikaw from Pekon Township in southern Shan State.

Three resistance fighters killed in junta air strikes in Mon

Three resistance fighters including a couple were killed in Ye Township, Mon State on Sunday when the junta conducted air strikes on the resistance camp of Albino Tiger Company 1, said the resistance group.

At 11 p.m. on Sunday night, a junta fighter jet dropped two 500-lb bombs on the PDF camp. The following afternoon, an Mi-35 helicopter gunship continued the attack on the resistance camp.

Miliary headquarters attacked in Karen

PDF fighters fire mortar rounds at a military battalion in Kawkareik Township on Monday. / Justice Soldier PDF

At least three regime forces including a lieutenant colonel and a captain were reportedly killed in Kawkareik Township, Karen State on Monday when three PDF groups jointly attacked the base of military Infantry Battalion 97, according to resistance groups.

The attack was in response to the junta air strikes on a camp of the Albino Tiger Column in Ye Township, Mon State on Sunday, which killed three resistance fighters, said the resistance group Justice Solider PDF, which is Squadron 5 of the Albino Tiger Column.

Military vehicles hit by mines in Mandalay

Vehicles carrying regime forces face blasts in Madaya Township on Monday / Tawgyi Mway Bwe PDF

The resistance group Tawgyi Mway Bwe said it used land mines to attack vehicles carrying army officers in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region on Monday.

Details of the damage and military casualties were unknown.

Eight junta forces killed in drone strikes in Mandalay, Magwe

Recent drone strikes conducted by Myingyan District Drone Strike team against regime targets / MDDST

At least eight regime forces were killed in Mandalay and Magwe regions on Sunday and Tuesday when combined PDF groups conducted drone strikes on police stations and junta-run township administration offices, said Myingyan District Drone Strike Team, which joined the attacks.

The group said it coordinated with two PDF groups from Magwe and Sagaing regions to conduct drone strikes on the police station in Tilin town in Magwe Region on Tuesday morning. Police casualties were unknown.

On Sunday, the PDF groups conducted drone strikes on regime forces stationed at the office of the Tilin Township General Administration Department, killing three soldiers and injuring four others.

The drone unit also claimed to have killed five policemen when its drones dropped bombs on a police station in Ngazun town in Mandalay Region on Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 (10:25 am) - Score 936

The eighth contract to be awarded under the UK Governments 5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme  worth 24 million  has today been awarded to network builder Freedom Fibre, which will upgrade connectivity for around 12,000 hard-to-reach homes and businesses across rural parts of Shropshire (England).

The provider, which is supported by UK ISP partner TalkTalk, already has lots of experience with rolling out Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband infrastructure and are aiming to cover over 2 million UK premises (Coverage Map)  mostly focusing upon connecting towns and villages across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Shropshire and North Wales. But this will be their first state aid funded contract under Project Gigabit.

NOTE: Around 75% of UK premises can already access a gigabit network (c. 45%+ via just Around 75% of UK premises can already access a gigabit network (c. 45%+ via just FTTP ).

By comparison, Project Gigabit aims to extend 1Gbps capable (download) networks to reach at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025, before hopefully achieving nationwide coverage (c. 99%) by around 2030 (here). Commercial investment is expected to deliver around 80% of this, which leaves the governments scheme to focus on tackling the final 20% (mostly rural and some sub-urban areas), where the private sector alone often fails. The project is technology neutral, so it can be delivered via either full fibre FTTP, Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) or fixed wireless access (e.g. 5G)  but FTTP is favoured.

The project uses a number of different approaches to tackle this challenge (e.g. vouches and investment in dark fibre builds), but the largest part of the scheme involves a gap-funded subsidy approach  the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy (GIS). This is where smaller local or larger regional contracts are awarded to network operators and ISPs who can help to build their gigabit-capable infrastructure across the final 20%.

The Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, which manages Project Gigabit, has already awarded a string of initial contracts to various ISPs (see bottom of article for a summary) and the eighth one  North Shropshire (Lot 25.02)  has today gone to Freedom Fibre. The 3-year deal is funded by 24m of public investment and aims to cover 12,000 rural homes and businesses (completion estimated by around mid-2026).

However, construction of the new network wont physically start until February 2024 (allowing several months of engineering surveys etc.), but it will then be rolled out to communities around North Shropshire including Cockshutt, Hinstock, High Ercall, Bomere Heath, Hadnall, Cheswardine and Clive. The first properties could then start to go live from October 2024.

Sir John Whittingdale, Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, said: Thanks to 24 million in government support, thousands of rural homes and businesses across North Shropshire will benefit from Freedom Fibres lightning-fast, reliable broadband. Delivering the Prime Ministers priority to grow the economy, Project Gigabit is equipping regions like North Shropshire with state-of-the-art connectivity infrastructure and preparing them for the digital age, ushering in a new wave of opportunity and economic growth.

Neil McArthur, Freedom Fibre CEO, said: We are delighted to be selected to deliver the latest full fibre broadband technology as part of the North Shropshire Gigabit project. Freedom Fibre is already delivering these services to rural homes and businesses across North West Shropshire and is pleased to be expanding our services to 12,038 homes and businesses in North Shropshire. The project forms part of the governments initiative to ensure a UK-wide rollout of full fibre to replace ageing copper networks. Investing 24m in the latest fibre technology, the project will end over 100 years of copper-based services and enable the delivery of high-speed full fibre to the UK. Freedom Fibre is a network builder and will be working with several internet service providers and the local authorities over the next few years. Wherever possible we will be using existing underground ducts and overhead poles to minimise disruption.

Freedom Fibre added that they also plan to invest thousands of pounds in a broad range of socio-economic and environmental projects across North Shropshire, including running its Freedom Fund (i.e. offering funding for good and green community-led projects within its build areas).

The announcement also noted that the operators full fibre network, which is being backed by an investment of 84m from Equitix and a 16m Santander debt facility, now covers approximately 95,000 premises passed (up from 40,000 at their last update in Nov 2022) and they have a goal to expand to over 150,000 properties through 2023.

Areas including Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk are said to be next in line for Project Gigabit contract awards by summer 2023, which seems to forget that we were also expecting a contract for Mid West Shropshire (Lot 25.01) to be awarded around the same time as todays one.
Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 (7:51 am) - Score 4,128

Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has published their latest Q1 2023 results, which saw broadband customers grow to total 5,682,600 (up by 28.8k vs 22.7k in Q4 2022) and 5G mobile expand its coverage to 2,100 towns and cities. The operator also added 107,800 premises to their new full fibre (FTTP) network (primarily for nexfibre).

Sadly, the latest quarterly results did not contain any major new developments, such as updates on VMO2s recently proposed 3bn acquisition of CityFibre (here) or the reports that they plan to sell off all or part of their stake in the UKs largest mobile tower network, which could fetch around 750m or half its stake (here). But we did learn that theyre on course to migrate Virgin Mobile customers to O2 plans by the end of 2023 (here).

On network build, we should point out that VMO2 has replaced their old Homes Passed figure for network coverage with Homes Serviceable, which essentially means that this figure will now combine their coverage for both Virgin Medias fixed line network and those over partner networks where they have a service agreement (e.g. nexfibre).

Virgin Media largely completed their own broadband focused Project Lightning network expansion at the end of 2022. But since then the vast majority of new XGS-PON powered Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband build has come under nexfibre, which is a new joint venture company setup by Telefonica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners (here).

NOTE: VMO2s own gigabit-capable broadband network  a mix of FTTP (RFoG and XGS-PON) and Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC)  covers 16.274 million UK Homes Serviceable when combined with Nexfibre (or c.16.1m for just VMO2).

Just to recap. The aim of nexfibre is to expand full fibre to reach up to 7 million additional UK homes  staring with 5 million by 2026 (i.e. those homes not currently served by VMO2). In theory, this could push the combined VMO2 and nexfibre footprint to around 80% of UK premises by 2028 (up to 23 million premises), which is roughly comparable with Openreachs rival FTTP target (25m by Dec 2026).

However, unlike VMO2s currently closed network, nexfibres infrastructure will be open to wholesale access by other broadband ISPs to harness (Virgin is the first and  currently only  anchor tenant on this new network). The physical nexfibre build technically started in Q4 2022, but most of the new build this quarter is primarily for nexfibre (we dont get a clear split between networks, but VMO2 should only account for a small slice).

Nexfibre Rollout Since 2023

Q1 2023 = 107,800 Premises

Q4 2022 = 24,000 Premises NOTE: A small portion of the above premises (homes serviceable) figure will include some infill build for VMO2,

In addition, VMO2 said the upgrade of their existing Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network  accounting for c.14.3m premises  to FTTP (XGS-PON) also remains on-track (aka  Project Mustang). We recently covered all of this in more detail and revealed that VMO2 plan to start putting customers live on their upgraded XGS-PON infrastructure by the end of 2023 (here)  theyve already done almost 1 million VMO2 premises.

As for Mobile, the operator has now reached 50% outdoor 5G population coverage in more than 2,100 towns and cities, and they claim to be on-track to deliver 5G services to over 50% of the outdoor UK population in 2023.

Quarterly UK Customer (Connection) Figures  Q1 2023

5,682,600 Fixed Broadband  (up from 5,653,800 in Q4 2022)

44,946,900 Mobile inc. Wholesale  (up from 44,650,000)

On the financial front, VMO2 reported total transaction adjusted revenue of 2,602.6m in Q1 2023, which is down from 2,731.8m last quarter.

Lutz Schuler, CEO of Virgin Media O2, said: In the first quarter we delivered a solid performance as we laid the groundwork for further progress through the remainder of the year. As the largest gigabit network in the country our speed leadership continues, with customers taking broadband that is five times faster than the UK average. We continue to invest in the upgrade and expansion of our footprint and we are on-target to cover 80% of the country with full fibre. When coupled with bringing 5G services to more areas and reaching half of the UK this year, we are playing a big role in future-proofing the UKs digital infrastructure. Our integration activity and the delivery of run-rate synergies is progressing at pace, with the migration of Virgin Mobile customers to O2 plans. We expect further run-rate synergies throughout the year including Mobile backhaul integration using our own fixed network. With strong foundations in place and as commercial momentum builds, supported by price increases, we remain on track to meet our 2023 guidance.

Finally, the average download speed across their fixed broadband base increased by 36% year-on-year to 315 Mbps.

UPDATE 11th May 2023

VMO2 has confirmed that construction revenues for Nexfibre are expected to be around 550 to 650 per home, which is similar to their Project Lightning build cost under Virgin Media. But we think this should actually be considered an improvement, since Nexfibre will be going into areas not previously reached by VMO2 and that tends to attract a higher cost.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
When Martin Scorsese premieres his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20th, it will return Scorsese to a festival where he remains a part of its fabled history
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
After Nearly a Decade, Diplomatic Relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria are Restored.

The resumption of diplomatic ties between Syria and Saudi Arabia, after more than a decade, has been confirmed by both countries.

Saudi Arabia had withdrawn its representatives during Syrias civil war and had long supported the Syrian opposition.

However, recently, after Iran, a close ally of Syria, and Saudi Arabia resumed their ties, a flurry of diplomatic activity has taken place.

Three weeks ago, Assad met in Damascus with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the first such visit since the war began in 2011.

Assad hopes normalisation with wealthy Gulf states can bring economic relief and money for reconstruction.

While the front lines have mostly quieted, large parts of the countrys north remain outside government control, and no political solution has yet been reached to the conflict.

The Arab League welcomed back Syrias government on Sunday. The decision was the beginning not the end of the issue, said Ahmed Aboul Gheit, head of the 22-member Arab League.

The United States and Britain said they still opposed relations with Assad but would work with Arab states that are re-establishing relations.
Investigation Launched by Tunisia Following Fatal Shooting in Close Proximity to Synagogue

The Tunisian authorities are currently investigating a shooting incident that occurred during a Jewish pilgrimage at Africas oldest synagogue, which led to five deaths and caused widespread panic.

The security forces have placed a tight cordon around the site on Djerba island as officials try to determine if the shootings were a random killing spree or an anti-Semitic terrorist attack.

The perpetrator of the shootings, a police officer, first killed a colleague and took his ammunition before going to the Ghriba synagogue and opening fire.

He killed two visitors and injured two more, with six police officers being also shot, two of whom later succumbed to their injuries.

The assailant was eventually shot dead by security forces. The former Tunisian Tourism Minister, Rene Trabelsi, who was at the synagogue during the shootings, named the visitors killed and condemned the attack.

Tunisia has not experienced a deadly attack on foreigners since 2015, and this was the first attack on the Ghriba pilgrimage since the suicide truck bombing that killed 21 people in 2002.

The Tunisian interior ministry said that investigations into the motive for the attack were ongoing, and refrained from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

France and the US have condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the Tunisian people.

Organisers said that over 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this years pilgrimage, which only resumed in 2022 after being suspended for two years due to the pandemic.

The pilgrimage is an essential part of Jewish tradition in Tunisia and is at the heart of the dwindling Jewish community.

Tunisia has recently experienced a significant economic downturn, which was exacerbated by the pandemic and the aftereffects of terrorist attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015.

However, authorities claim to have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.
Russias Wagner Group to be Blacklisted as Terrorists by UK, According to The Times Live Updates

Britain is reportedly planning to officially designate Russian mercenary group Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, in order to place more pressure on Russia.

This decision would lead to financial sanctions and other penalties. Follow for live updates. All times are in Paris time (GMT+2).

11:15am: Russian forces are planning to evacuate over 3,000 workers from the town that serves the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, leading to a catastrophic lack of personnel, Ukraines state-owned Energoatom company said on Wednesday.

Last week, the head of the U.N.s nuclear power watchdog, Rafael Grossi, stated that the situation around the Russian-held nuclear station had become potentially dangerous after officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.

The Moscow-installed governor of the region has since suspended operations at the plant, according to Russias TASS state news agency.

11:15am: Russia proposed a roadmap to normalize relations between Syria and Turkey at the first meeting between their foreign ministers since the start of the Syrian civil war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that The best result of our discussion today would be an agreement to instruct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Syrian-Turkish normalization for the next ministerial meeting, and that this proposal could then be presented to the leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.

11:05am: The governor of Russias Voronezh region reported that two drones tried to attack a military facility in the region but failed. One drone went off course and crashed, while the second was destroyed by gunfire.

11:03am: Arman Soldin, the Ukraine video coordinator for AFP, was killed on Tuesday by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.

12:00am: Britain is close to formally designating Wagner group as a terrorist organization after building a legal case for two months.

This would make it a criminal offense to belong to the group, attend its meetings, encourage support for it, or carry its logo in public. Furthermore, this decision would impose financial sanctions and affect Wagners ability to raise money if any funds went through British financial institutions.

Key developments from Tuesday, May 9: A French journalist based in Ukraine for AFP was killed near the city of Bakhmut.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of unleashing a real war on Russia in his speech at the annual May 9 Victory Day parade. Ukrainian officials stated that Russian forces fired a dozen cruise missiles at the capital overnight.

Read yesterdays live blog to see how the days events unfolded. France Medias Monde graphic studio ( Jowhar with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Shooting near Tunisias Ghriba synagogue results in four deaths and multiple injuries.

Two worshippers and two members of the security services were fatally shot on Tuesday during an annual Jewish pilgrimage to a renowned Tunisian synagogue by a police officer, according to the interior ministry.

The attack took place at the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba and resulted in injuries to four visitors and five security officers before the assailant was killed.

While the Tunisian foreign ministry identified the two worshippers killed, their names were not provided.

The attacker had first killed a colleague, seizing his ammunition before proceeding to the synagogue.

The pilgrimage draws in hundreds of people annually, with more than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participating in this years event.

The motive for the attack is still under investigation, and the interior ministry refrained from referring to it as a terrorist attack.

In 2002, the synagogue was targeted in a suicide truck bombing which caused the death of 21 people. The recent shooting caused panic among the pilgrims.
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By Khalid Al Bostanji, Australian National University | 

(The Conversation)  As Turkish voters head to polls for the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, the biggest question is whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogans two-decade-long grip on power can be challenged.

Turkeys main opposition parties have made a range of promises that include boosting the economy, democratising the political system, separating religion from state affairs and improving the countrys ties with the West.

However, it is increasingly clear there are significant differences in the positions of each party in the opposition coalition. Serious questions remain as to how much change one can expect to see, even if Erdogan is defeated.

Many Turkish citizens would like to see new policies to lift Turkey out of one of the most severe economic crises it has experienced in the last two decades. But the political issues are even more complex. Any issues related to the political system, secularism and foreign relations have become more polarised as Erdogan has consolidated his power in recent years.

A divided opposition

Turkeys largest opposition party is the Republican Peoples Party (the Turkish acronym for which is CHP). Formed by the founder of Turkeys secular republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, this party remains loyal to the ideology of Turkish nationalism and is considered to be in the centre-left of politics.

CHP has aligned itself with other nationalist and conservative forces in a coalition called the Nation Alliance, whose combined shares of the vote might be enough to defeat Erdogans Justice and Development Party (also known as the AK Party).

Article continues after bonus IC video

Euronews: Turkeys President Erdogan shows supporters he is ready for a fight

While there is widespread scepticism about polling in Turkey, the most recent surveys have showed that CHPs position is relatively strong in the presidential race. In the parliamentary elections, however, Erdogans conservative policies seem to be serving the AK Party well.

This is a problem for the opposition, which has not done enough to counter the conservative politics of the ruling alliance.

The leader of the opposition is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, whom the Nation Alliance has nominated as its presidential candidate. This is despite Kilicdaroglus relatively low credibility with the public, as compared to other CHP figures.

Kilicdaroglu has pledged to deport the large number of refugees who have sought shelter in Turkey since 2011 when the war began in Syria. The opposition has argued this is a primary reason why Turkey is suffering economically, despite the widely acknowledged role of Erdogans disastrous monetary policy.

However, other nationalist and left-leaning forces with significant public support have decided to stay outside the Nation Alliance.

On the nationalist side, the opposition candidate for the 2018 presidential elections (Muharrem Ince) is running on behalf of his new Homeland Party. Ultra-nationalists are also being represented by the Ancestral Alliance coalition, led by Sinan Ogan.

Parties on the left, on the other hand, have only been able to run in the parliamentary elections. Potential candidates from Turkeys large Kurdish minority have faced particular difficulty in nominating themselves for the presidential race. Many of them have been imprisoned on charges of being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. Their only option is to back Kilicdaroglu, which some have done.

Erdogan is, of course, the AK Partys candidate for president. The party has been in power since 2002 when it won a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections for the first time. Erdogan became prime minister in 2003, and then won the presidential election in 2014 before being reelected in 2018. If he is elected, this would be his final term.

The AK Party is a conservative party with Islamist origins, currently in a coalition with the far-right Nationalist Movement that has become fragmented and unpopular. Despite this unpopular coalition, Erdogan himself has managed to maintain somewhat favourable ratings with the public.

No checks on the president

One of the biggest pledges the Nation Alliance has made is to return Turkeys presidential political system back to a parliamentary system. Since Erdogan pushed through a referendum in 2017 to abolish the prime ministers office, the president has been able to exercise an unprecedented level of power.

Many observers blame the referendum for removing crucial checks on presidential power.

In addition, the opposition has also assured voters it will mend fences with Europe after ties deteriorated sharply under Erdogans rule. It would try to unfreeze Turkeys European Union accession talks, which have been stalled since 2018 due to the countrys democratic backsliding. Turkeys economic and political partnerships with Russia have also been an issue for the EU.

Perhaps more importantly, in terms of foreign policy, the opposition is promising to foster better relations with countries in the Middle East. These ties have frayed because of Turkeys aggressive foreign policy and incidents like the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which caused a rift between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The opposition is also pledging to expedite the countrys rapprochement with Israel, the Gulf states, Egypt and Syria.

Erdogan has yet to fully normalise relations with these states, as they are still wary of Turkeys regional influence under the AK Partys rule. Erdogan has positioned Turkey as a middle power with strategic influence in the Middle East and the wider region, particularly after the Arab Spring. This influence is unlikely to fade soon, regardless of the elections.

So, will a change in Turkish leadership transform Turkey and the region?

The answer is not simple. But its likely much will stay the same. Many key institutions in Turkey like the parliament, judicial system and press have lost their independence during the Erdogan era.

Erodgans party has become very influential in both domestic and foreign policy, which means his footprint will not disappear immediately, even if he is not re-elected. Rather, Erdogan will have a lasting social, economic and political legacy for both Turkey and its neighbours.

Khalid Al Bostanji, PhD candidate, Australian National University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
( Middle East Monitor)  Israel has killed at least 13 Palestinians in its latest air strikes against the besieged Gaza Strip, including civilians, four women and four children, local medical sources have confirmed. The air strikes were carried out simultaneously in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the centre of Gaza city at about 2:30 am today.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 20 people were wounded in the air strikes, including three children and seven women. Some of the wounded are in a serious condition.

Local sources pointed out that the air strike in Gaza City targeted a residential building, killing dentist Jamal Khaswan, the Director of Al-Wafa Hospital, and his family, as well as Tareq Izzidine, an Islamic Jihad official, and his family. Another strike in the city targeted the house of Khalil Al-Bahtini, an Islamic Jihad operative, killing him along with two family members.

See also: Democracy Now! Israel Kills 13, Including Women & Children, in Airstrikes Targeting Militant Leaders in Gaza

The attack in Rafah targeted the house of Jihad Ghannam, also an Islamic Jihad official, and one member of his family. There were no casualties reported after several other bombings in Khan Younis.

The Israeli occupation forces said that forty aircraft took part in the operation code-named the Arrow and Shield. The operation was apparently planned last Tuesday and its time and targets were confirmed on Friday.

The Palestinian factions mourned the martyrs and pledged a fierce response. Israel said that any rocket fire from Gaza will lead to a wide-scale operation that might last for days. It closed schools in settlements near Gaza, asked settlers to evacuate, closed the crossings into the Gaza Strip and asked hospitals to move vital services to fortified rooms.

Extreme far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir congratulated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the attacks in Gaza. His party also announced that it will return to voting with the right-wing coalition government in the parliament, the Knesset.

Opposition politicians Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz also announced their full support for any military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Middle East Monitor
Iowa Capital Dispatch )  Jennifer Adkins first pregnancy was near-perfect.

She sailed through her appointments and screenings with no complications, ticking every box and making lists of all the right questions to ask her medical professionals. By the time her unmedicated labor was over and the nurses placed her newborn son on her chest, Adkins felt like a superhero.

So when she discovered she was pregnant again the day after Valentines Day, she was ready for another home run. The baby would be due on Halloween, and she and her husband affectionately referred to it as Baby Spooky. Maybe theyd find out the sex beforehand, maybe it would be a surprise. They hadnt decided yet.

On April 21, Adkins saw her doctor for a routine screening by ultrasound to measure the collection of fluid behind the fetus neck. And even without a medical degree, she could tell by the picture on the ultrasound that something was wrong.

Sitting in the genetic counselors office that afternoon, Adkins learned her 12-week-old developing fetus likely had Turner syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality that ends in miscarriage in 99% of cases. Turners occurs when one of two X-chromosomes for a female is deleted, often from all cells. The few babies that do survive still have deletions in some cells that cause significant heart defects, fertility issues, kidney abnormalities and a range of other disabilities.

The normal measurement is less than 3 millimeters, according to Dr. Maria Palmquist, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Palmquist said Adkins fluid measured at 11.7 millimeters, with additional fluid accumulating under the skin and around the body of the fetus, known as edema. The combination of increased fluid and skin edema is a condition known as hydrops fetalis, a severe form of swelling that is often fatal.

The doctor said basically, lightning struck this pregnancy, theres nothing you can do, Adkins said. This just happens in 1% of all pregnancies.

Following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to regulate abortion access, 14 states have enacted near-total or total abortion bans, while others continue to pass abortion ban laws that become tied up in state and federal court. The patchwork laws create reproductive health care deserts that can force pregnant people to travel as far as an eight-hour drive or a flight across the country.

That can bring great financial and often emotional costs, even if the termination of the pregnancy would prevent severe or potentially fatal health effects.

There are no abortion bans yet that criminalize the pregnant person. Instead, criminal penalties are focused on medical providers or others who help someone obtain an abortion. The charges in most states are felonies, with punishment ranging between two years and life in prison, and physicians face suspension or revocation of their medical licenses.

Because Adkins lives in a state with an abortion ban, she faced one of two options: Either continue carrying the pregnancy knowing it would almost certainly end in miscarriage or stillbirth and jeopardize her own health in the process  or make a trip out of state for termination.

Do we try? But for what purpose?

Idaho has a near-total ban on abortions that applies to any stage of pregnancy, with exceptions for cases of rape and incest with an accompanying police report during the first trimester or to save a patients life. Health care providers who violate the statute put their medical licenses at risk and face between two and five years in prison, along with civil penalties of $20,000 against individual providers if family members decide to sue.

Since Roe fell, residents in states with bans like Texas have to travel much farther to obtain an abortion. The Texas Observer reported the average number of miles a resident must travel increased from 44 miles to 497 miles. Texans often go to New Mexico, where some abortion providers fled and opened new clinics. Washington abortion providers have reported seeing patients from seven states around the country within one day.

In the Southeast, where nearly every state has a highly restrictive ban, states such as Louisiana and Mississippi are hours away from the nearest abortion clinic. For many, the closest state is Florida, and the outcome of a Florida Supreme Court case over a law banning abortion at 15 weeks could determine whether a six-week ban signed in April by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis will go into effect. If it does, the distance to access abortion for many residents in that region of the country will become much greater.

A study released in April conducted by international reproductive health care journal Contraception found that women who were forced to travel for abortion care described it as emotionally burdensome, saying it caused distress, anxiety and shame.

Because they had to travel, they were compelled to disclose their abortion to others and obtain care in an unfamiliar place and away from usual networks of support, which engendered emotional costs, the study said. Additionally, travel induced feelings of shame and exclusion because it stemmed from a law-based denial of in-state abortion care, which some experienced as marking them as deviant or abnormal.



Photo by Devon Divine on Unsplash

Adkins said seeking care in another state made her feel like a criminal and a medical refugee of sorts, and she worried about what others would think of her for terminating her pregnancy. Another physician she saw for a separate issue wanted to keep the pregnancy out of her record, entirely as a precaution.

They make this out to be like people that seek abortions are horrible, horrible people, and murderers, and all this stuff, and Im like, that could not be further from the truth. This is a baby that we love with all of our heart and soul. And because we are loving parents, we are choosing this route, not only to be loving parents to that baby, but also to our living son, because I have to think about whats in my best interest so that I can still be here and be healthy enough to take care of my son who needs me, Adkins said.

Idaho physicians have also stopped making referrals for patients in situations similar to Adkins in the wake of a legal opinion sent by Attorney General Raul Labrador at the end of March. Until there is a decision in a lawsuit over the opinion, physicians and Planned Parenthood facilities in Idaho have said they will not make any referrals for abortion-related care outside of the state.

Adkins said if she wasnt as informed about the states laws, she wouldnt have understood what doctors were saying about her options.

They said that I was welcome to leave the state on my own accord and seek health care outside of the state, Adkins said. It was a very odd experience because we were talking basically in code.  I understood the nuance, and I understood what they were implying, but it was a very surreal experience.

A brief filed in the lawsuit on behalf of a health system in Idaho detailed a scenario nearly identical to Adkins on the same day she was diagnosed at a different facility. Like the case outlined in the brief, Adkins would be at risk for developing a condition called mirror syndrome, which causes the pregnant person to experience similar symptoms to that of the fetus. Dr. Palmquist told States Newsroom that it can lead to preeclampsia, a life-threatening state of high blood pressure in pregnant people that can cause seizures and organ damage.

Knowing all of this, Adkins decided it was in the best interests of her family, including the nearly 2-year-old son she already had and the daughter she would never get to hold, to terminate the pregnancy.

She hoped to miscarry within the following week so they wouldnt have to make the emotional three-day trip. So she scheduled another ultrasound, but there was still a heartbeat. She was desperate to fix it  desperate to stop being a walking coffin for a dying dream.

Its hard knowing that my body and the fetus are trying so hard to hang on, Adkins said. And we had to make a really hard decision. Do we try? But for what purpose? Theres no sense in bringing a child into this world thats not going to survive anyway or have severe complications. And its not fair to any of us.

Maternal-fetal medicine doctors continue fleeing to other states

Idaho legislators made minor changes to the states abortion law toward the end of the legislative session in March to clarify that certain instances where the fetus has already died or ectopic or molar pregnancies would not fall under Idahos abortion ban, declining to proceed with an earlier iteration of the bill that included a clause exempting medical professionals from criminal liability. In that version, providers had to determine if an abortion was necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to treat a physical condition of the woman that, if left untreated, would be life-threatening.

Dr. John Werdel, an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Lukes in Boise, said he wasnt sure if Adkins situation would have qualified under the health language in the original bill. She likely would have had to wait until the health effects were more severe, he said.

Many reproductive care physicians in states where abortions are banned have left to practice in other states in recent months, including one maternal-fetal medicine doctor in Tennessee who moved to Colorado in January after starting what she described as a dream job in Tennessee in August.

Idahos abortion laws caused Palmquist, one of three maternal-fetal medicine physicians at Saint Alphonsus, to take a job at Desert Perinatal in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is one of several specialists in the state to leave over the new laws since January. She was packing her belongings on Thursday, hoping the laws change soon and allow her to return.

Since June, its just become so complicated to take care of pregnancy complications. Things before that were so straightforward now make us take an extra four to six hours and multiple meetings, Palmquist said. Making sure were protected by EMTALA, making sure this is an emergency medical condition. Does the hospital administration agree, does legal counsel agree? All of that.

A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found from a survey of more than 2,000 current and future physicians on social media that 82% preferred to work or train in states with preserved abortion access. More than 76% of respondents said they wouldnt even apply to states with legal consequences for providing abortion care.

At least monthly, we are faced with caring for moms with significant complications, and theres no chance of a viable outcome. But with Idahos restrictions, theres a lot of anxiety about essentially practicing the standard of care, Palmquist said. A year ago, it wouldve been just so straightforward, and now theres all this caution and hesitancy.

The mounting costs

Adkins and her husband left their son with grandparents to make the trip to Oregon on a Thursday for her appointment the following morning. The Northwest Abortion Access Fund and Cascade Abortion Support Collective helped pay for a hotel room, a rental car and the surgical procedure, which was $850 by itself without insurance. Friends and family sent her Venmo donations for other expenses.

I just started calling organizations because I was like, I dont know what to do. And they said, Were here to help you. And it was so relieving but also absolutely heartbreaking to hear multiple times from multiple people, You are not the only one. We get stories like yours all the time, every day, Adkins said. Every day.

The Planned Parenthood clinic was supportive and professional, she said, and they honored her request to be deeply sedated for the procedure. When she told them why she needed to terminate the pregnancy, they offered to take ultrasound photos beforehand.

Everybody was like, Oh my god, Im so sorry you had to come all this way for this, Adkins said. And theyre right. I shouldnt have had to leave my son and travel hundreds of miles to do this.

Since the procedure was performed in another state and at a Planned Parenthood clinic, Adkins had to ask the doctor to collect the remains of the fetus, the pregnancy tissue and the placenta and package them properly to be sent to a genetic testing clinic. She was also faced with rushing the package of remains to FedEx herself that same day.

While she doesnt regret the decision, Adkins said it was a painful experience that could have been much easier if she had been able to access care in her own state.

I deserve better, and so does everybody else, she said. We cant stop things from happening in pregnancy. Thats why we have modern medicine, to help guide us and protect the things we do have control over. So if we cant stop those horrible things from happening  why make it even worse by making the worst experience someone has to go through  learning that they will not give birth to a happy, healthy baby  why do we make that even worse by saying, We dont value your life enough to try to save it or prevent something bad from happening to you in the meantime?
(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise stated)

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the Company or Torex) (TSX: TXG) reports the Companys financial and operational results for the three months ended March 31, 2023. Senior management of Torex will host a conference call tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM (ET) to discuss the quarterly results.

Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO of Torex, stated:

The consistent operational and cost performance that investors have come to expect of Torex continued in the first quarter of 2023, placing the Company in an excellent position to deliver on full year operational guidance for a fifth year in a row. During the quarter, the team produced 122,918 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost1 of $1,079 per ounce, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin1 of 42%. Our solid production and disciplined cost management, combined with the higher gold price, resulted in adjusted EBITDA1 of $132.7 million and net cash generation from operating activities of $47.0 million. Per usual course of business for first quarters, cash flow was impacted by tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million.

Development of the Media Luna Project is tracking to schedule and budget, with the project approximately 24% complete at quarter end. Through the end of March, approximately 34% of project expenditures had been committed, including 22% incurred. As disclosed previously, the Guajes Tunnel has advanced more than four kilometres with breakthrough on track for early Q1 2024, if not before. During the quarter, the contract was finalized for the hybrid battery electric and diesel underground mining fleet, with fabrication dates established and first deliveries anticipated later this year. The level of spending on Media Luna is expected to increase through the remainder of 2023 as surface construction and underground development activities continue to gain momentum.

In terms of the forward look, production during Q2 and Q3 will be closer to the bottom end of the quarterly run-rate implied by full year guidance. Our mine plan for the next two quarters sees the conclusion of mining in the Guajes pit, a heavy focus on waste stripping in the El Limon pit and draw down of stockpiled material. Given the mine plan, total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs during Q2 and Q3 are expected to be above the upper end of the annual guided range for those quarters only. Production and costs are expected to return to usual levels in Q4, with higher processed grades and the increased level of ore production. Notwithstanding these planned quarter on quarter movements, we are well on track to achieve annual guidance.

2023 is an important year for Torex and we are off to an excellent start. With $564 million of available liquidity at quarter-end, strong cash flow from ELG, and continued momentum on production and cost management, we are well-positioned to fund the remaining $683 million of capital on the Media Luna Project while delivering on our commitments and generating solid value for shareholders.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Strong safety performance continues: Exited the quarter with no fatalities and a lost-time injury frequency (LTIF) rate of 0.53 per million hours worked on a rolling 12-month basis. There were three lost-time injuries in the quarter at the Media Luna Project, with three contractors suffering hand-related injuries.

Exited the quarter with no fatalities and a lost-time injury frequency (LTIF) rate of 0.53 per million hours worked on a rolling 12-month basis. There were three lost-time injuries in the quarter at the Media Luna Project, with three contractors suffering hand-related injuries. Gold production: Delivered gold production of 122,918 ounces (oz) for the quarter driven by a record milling rate of 13,073 tonnes per day (tpd) and a record mining rate at ELG Underground of 1,738 tpd. This represents a strong start to the year and puts the Company on track to meet annual production guidance of 440,000 to 470,000 ounces.

Delivered gold production of 122,918 ounces (oz) for the quarter driven by a record milling rate of 13,073 tonnes per day (tpd) and a record mining rate at ELG Underground of 1,738 tpd. This represents a strong start to the year and puts the Company on track to meet annual production guidance of 440,000 to 470,000 ounces. Gold sold: Sold 118,455 oz of gold at an average realized gold price 1 of $1,899 per oz, contributing to revenue of $228.8 million.

Sold 118,455 oz of gold at an average realized gold price of $1,899 per oz, contributing to revenue of $228.8 million. Total cash costs 1 and all-in sustaining costs 1 : Total cash costs of $709 per oz sold and all-in sustaining costs of $1,079 per oz sold. All-in sustaining costs margin 1 of $820 per oz sold, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin 1 of 42%. Cost of sales was $137.4 million or $1,160 per oz sold in the quarter, benefitting from the record milling throughput, partially offset by the appreciation of the Mexican peso. Given the strong cost performance during the quarter, the Company is on track to achieve full year total cash costs guidance of $740 to $780 per oz and all-in sustaining costs guidance of $1,080 to $1,130 per ounce.

Total cash costs of $709 per oz sold and all-in sustaining costs of $1,079 per oz sold. All-in sustaining costs margin of $820 per oz sold, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin of 42%. Cost of sales was $137.4 million or $1,160 per oz sold in the quarter, benefitting from the record milling throughput, partially offset by the appreciation of the Mexican peso. Given the strong cost performance during the quarter, the Company is on track to achieve full year total cash costs guidance of $740 to $780 per oz and all-in sustaining costs guidance of $1,080 to $1,130 per ounce. Net income and adjusted net earnings 1 : Reported net income of $68.2 million or earnings of $0.79 per share on both a basic and diluted basis. Adjusted net earnings of $50.3 million or $0.59 per share on a basic and $0.58 per share on a diluted basis. Net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project.

Reported net income of $68.2 million or earnings of $0.79 per share on both a basic and diluted basis. Adjusted net earnings of $50.3 million or $0.59 per share on a basic and $0.58 per share on a diluted basis. Net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project. EBITDA 1 and adjusted EBITDA 1 : Generated EBITDA of $102.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of $132.7 million.

Generated EBITDA of $102.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of $132.7 million. Cash flow generation: Net cash generated from operating activities totalled $47.0 million and $61.9 million before changes in non-cash operating working capital, including income tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million, primarily related to fiscal 2022. Negative free cash flow 1 of $54.0 million net of cash outlays for capital expenditures, lease payments and interest.

Net cash generated from operating activities totalled $47.0 million and $61.9 million before changes in non-cash operating working capital, including income tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million, primarily related to fiscal 2022. Negative free cash flow of $54.0 million net of cash outlays for capital expenditures, lease payments and interest. Strong financial liquidity: The quarter closed with net cash 1 of $318.4 million, including $321.9 million in cash and $3.5 million of lease obligations, no borrowings on the credit facilities of $250.0 million and letters of credit outstanding of $7.9 million, providing $564.0 million in available liquidity.

The quarter closed with net cash of $318.4 million, including $321.9 million in cash and $3.5 million of lease obligations, no borrowings on the credit facilities of $250.0 million and letters of credit outstanding of $7.9 million, providing $564.0 million in available liquidity. Media Luna Project: Media Luna Project expenditures totalled $66.4 million during the quarter, with a remaining project spend of $683.4 million. Expenditures during this period were primarily focused on continued development of the Guajes Tunnel and South Portals, with development of the Guajes Tunnel reaching 3,870 metres and South Portal Lower reaching 1,725 metres by end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2023, physical progress on the Project was approximately 24%, with detailed engineering, procurement activities underground development, and surface construction advancing. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had commitments in place for $298.9 million of project expenditures (approximately 34% of total budgeted expenditures). The pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025. The project continues to track to overall schedule and budget.

Media Luna Project expenditures totalled $66.4 million during the quarter, with a remaining project spend of $683.4 million. Expenditures during this period were primarily focused on continued development of the Guajes Tunnel and South Portals, with development of the Guajes Tunnel reaching 3,870 metres and South Portal Lower reaching 1,725 metres by end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2023, physical progress on the Project was approximately 24%, with detailed engineering, procurement activities underground development, and surface construction advancing. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had commitments in place for $298.9 million of project expenditures (approximately 34% of total budgeted expenditures). The pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025. The project continues to track to overall schedule and budget. Year-end Mineral Reserves & Resources2: Drilling success in the ELG Open Pits and ELG Underground resulted in more than 60% of Proven & Probable gold reserves processed in 2022 being replaced. Drilling both north and south of the Balsas River was successful in increasing gold equivalent Measured & Indicated resources by 1,078 koz prior to depletion (+16%) or 567 koz after depletion (+8%). Measured & Indicated resource growth was driven by ELG Underground, Media Luna, and EPO, where an inaugural gold equivalent Indicated resource of 671 koz was declared.





These measures are Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures or Non-GAAP ratios (collectively, Non-GAAP Measures). For a detailed reconciliation of each Non-GAAP Measure to its most directly comparable IFRS financial measure see Tables 2 to 10 of this press release. For additional information on these Non-GAAP Measures, please refer to the Companys managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three months ended March 31, 2023, dated May 9, 2023. The MD&A, and the Companys unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2023, are available on Torexs website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com). Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for Morelos Complex can be found in Tables 11 and 12 of this press release. Gold equivalent values account for underlying metal prices and metallurgical recoveries used in reserve and resource estimates. For additional information on the Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for Morelos Complex, please see the Companys annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, or the Companys news release titled Torex Gold Reports Year-end 2022 Reserves & Resources issued on March 28, 2023, both available on Torexs website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com).

Table 1: Operating & Financial Highlights

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Operating Results Lost-time injury frequency1 /million hours 0.53 0.28 0.12 Total recordable injury frequency1 /million hours 1.87 1.58 1.69 Gold produced oz 122,918 116,196 112,446 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Total cash costs2 $/oz 709 711 748 Total cash costs margin2 $/oz 1,190 1,073 1,128 All-in sustaining costs2 $/oz 1,079 1,034 1,034 All-in sustaining costs margin2 $/oz 820 750 841 Average realized gold price2 $/oz 1,899 1,784 1,876 Financial Results Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Cost of sales $ 137.4 146.6 132.2 Earnings from mine operations $ 91.4 69.9 75.5 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Per share - Basic $/share 0.79 0.40 0.47 Per share - Diluted $/share 0.79 0.40 0.46 Adjusted net earnings2 $ 50.3 38.3 37.2 Per share - Basic2 $/share 0.59 0.45 0.43 Per share - Diluted2 $/share 0.58 0.44 0.43 EBITDA2 $ 102.5 96.0 103.1 Adjusted EBITDA2 $ 132.7 122.9 110.7 Cost of sales $/oz 1,160 1,202 1,224 Net cash generated from operating activities $ 47.0 132.1 46.7 Net cash generated from operating activities before changes in non-cash operating working capital $ 61.9 110.8 60.8 Free cash flow2 $ (54.0 ) 40.5 (19.7 ) Cash and cash equivalents $ 321.9 376.0 237.0 Net cash2 $ 318.4 372.1 233.4

On a 12-month rolling basis, per million hours worked. Total cash costs, total cash costs margin, all-in sustaining costs, all-in sustaining costs margin, average realized gold price, adjusted net earnings, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow and net cash are non-GAAP financial measures with no standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures for further information and a detailed reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measures in the Companys MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2023, dated May 9, 2023, available on Torex Golds website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com).

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS

The Company will host a conference call tomorrow at 9:00 AM (ET) in which senior management will discuss the first quarter operating and financial results. Please dial in or access the webcast approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call:

Toronto local or International: 1-416-915-3239

Toll-Free (North America): 1-800-319-4610

A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Companys website at https://torexgold.com/investors/upcoming-events/. The webcast will be archived on the Companys website.

Table 2: Reconciliation of Total Cash Costs and All-in Sustaining Costs to Cost of Sales

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Total cash costs per oz sold Production costs and royalties $ 88.4 91.0 85.8 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Total cash costs $ 84.0 86.7 80.8 Total cash costs per oz sold $/oz 709 711 748 All-in sustaining costs per oz sold Total cash costs $ 84.0 86.7 80.8 General and administrative costs1 $ 6.6 5.7 7.8 Reclamation and remediation costs $ 1.4 1.4 1.4 Sustaining capital expenditure $ 35.8 32.3 21.7 Total all-in sustaining costs $ 127.8 126.1 111.7 Total all-in sustaining costs per oz sold $/oz 1,079 1,034 1,034

This amount excludes a loss of $3.6 million, loss of $2.5 million and loss of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively, in relation to the remeasurement of share-based payments. This amount also excludes corporate depreciation and amortization expenses totalling $0.1 million, nil and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively, recorded within general and administrative costs. Included in general and administrative costs is share-based compensation expense in the amount of $1.9 million or $16/oz for the three months ended March 31, 2023, $0.8 million or $7/oz for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $1.8 million or $16/oz for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This amount excludes other expenses totalling $0.6 million, nil and nil for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively.





Table 3: Reconciliation of Sustaining and Non-Sustaining Costs to Capital Expenditures

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Sustaining $ 14.6 14.8 5.6 Capitalized Stripping $ 21.2 17.5 16.1 Non-sustaining $ 0.7 6.6 5.3 Total ELG $ 36.5 38.9 27.0 Media Luna Project $ 66.4 62.6 20.8 Media Luna Infill Drilling/Other $ 3.1 4.1 3.9 Working Capital Changes & Other $ (6.3 ) (14.8 ) 13.5 Capital expenditures1 $ 99.7 90.8 65.3

The amount of cash expended on additions to property, plant and equipment in the period as reported in the condensed consolidated interim statements of cash flows.





Table 4: Reconciliation of Average Realized Price and Total Cash Costs Margin Per Ounce of Gold Sold to Revenue

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Add: Realized gain on gold contracts $ 0.5 5.3 - Total proceeds $ 224.9 217.5 202.7 Total average realized gold price $/oz 1,899 1,784 1,876 Less: Total cash costs $/oz 709 711 748 Total cash costs margin $/oz 1,190 1,073 1,128 Total cash costs margin % 63 60 60

Table 5: Reconciliation of All-in Sustaining Costs Margin to Revenue

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Add: Realized gain on gold contracts $ 0.5 5.3 - Less: All-in sustaining costs $ (127.8 ) (126.1 ) (111.7 ) All-in sustaining costs margin $ 97.1 91.4 91.0 Total all-in sustaining costs margin $/oz 820 750 841 Total all-in sustaining costs margin % 42 42 44

Table 6: Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Earnings to Net Income

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Basic weighted average shares outstanding shares 85,869,276 85,843,808 85,797,699 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding shares 86,398,732 86,166,019 86,091,564 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Adjustments: Unrealized foreign exchange gain $ (0.5 ) (0.9 ) (1.0 ) Change in unrealized gains and losses on derivative contracts $ 27.1 25.3 8.2 Remeasurement of share-based payments $ 3.6 2.5 0.4 Derecognition of provisions for uncertain tax provisions $ (15.2 ) - - Tax effect of above adjustments $ (9.0 ) (8.1 ) (2.3 ) Tax effect of currency translation on tax base $ (23.9 ) (15.1 ) (8.1 ) Adjusted net earnings $ 50.3 38.3 37.2 Per share - Basic $/share 0.59 0.45 0.43 Per share - Diluted $/share 0.58 0.44 0.43

Table 7: Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Finance (income) costs, net $ (3.0 ) (4.5 ) 0.4 Depreciation and amortization1 $ 49.1 55.6 46.4 Current income tax expense $ 16.8 50.7 24.6 Deferred income tax recovery $ (28.6 ) (40.4 ) (8.3 ) EBITDA $ 102.5 96.0 103.1 Adjustments: Change in unrealized gains and losses on derivative contracts $ 27.1 25.3 8.2 Unrealized foreign exchange gain $ (0.5 ) (0.9 ) (1.0 ) Remeasurement of share-based payments $ 3.6 2.5 0.4 Adjusted EBITDA $ 132.7 122.9 110.7

Includes depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales, general and administrative and exploration and evaluation expenses.





Table 8: Free Cash Flow

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Net cash generated from operating activities $ 47.0 132.1 46.7 Less: Additions to property, plant and equipment1 $ (99.7 ) (90.8 ) (65.3 ) Lease payments $ (0.8 ) (0.9 ) (0.6 ) Interest paid $ (0.5 ) 0.1 (0.5 ) Free cash flow $ (54.0 ) 40.5 (19.7 )

The amount of cash expended on additions to property, plant and equipment in the year as reported on the condensed consolidated interim statements of cash flows.





Table 9: Net Cash

Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Cash and cash equivalents $ 321.9 376.0 237.0 Less: Lease obligations $ (3.5 ) (3.9 ) (3.6 ) Net cash $ 318.4 372.1 233.4

Table 10: Unit Cost Measures

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold (oz) 118,455 121,913 108,012 Tonnes mined - open pit (kt) 9,354 9,505 10,019 Tonnes mined - underground (kt) 156 155 114 Tonnes processed (kt) 1,177 1,141 1,134 Total cash costs: Total cash costs ($) 84.0 86.7 80.8 Total cash costs per oz sold ($) 709 711 748 Breakdown of production costs $ $/t $ $/t $ $/t Mining - open pit 28.4 3.03 28.6 3.01 25.7 2.57 Mining - underground 12.6 80.42 10.9 70.19 9.8 86.14 Processing 39.7 33.72 38.2 33.43 37.2 32.77 Site support 12.1 10.25 13.2 11.54 11.0 9.66 Mexican profit sharing (PTU) 5.5 4.64 3.9 3.43 8.1 7.16 Capitalized stripping (21.2 ) (17.5 ) (16.1 ) Inventory movement 3.5 6.2 2.7 Other 0.9 0.8 1.2 Production costs 81.5 84.3 79.6

Table 11: Mineral Reserves for the Morelos Complex

Tonnes Au Ag Cu Au Ag Cu AuEq AuEq (kt) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (koz) (koz) (Mlb) (gpt) (koz) Media Luna Underground Proven - - - - - - - - - Probable 23,017 2.81 25.6 0.88 2,077 18,944 444 4.54 3,360 Proven & Probable 23,017 2.81 25.6 0.88 2,077 18,944 444 4.54 3,360 ELG Open Pit Proven 2,821 4.65 5.5 0.15 421 495 9 4.73 429 Probable 5,582 2.46 3.9 0.15 442 699 18 2.54 456 Proven & Probable 8,403 3.20 4.4 0.15 863 1,195 27 3.27 885 ELG Underground Proven 829 6.22 7.7 0.28 166 204 5 6.60 176 Probable 1,734 5.64 7.1 0.24 314 393 9 5.96 332 Proven & Probable 2,563 5.83 7.3 0.25 480 598 14 6.17 508 Surface Stockpiles Proven 4,655 1.26 3.1 0.07 188 470 7 1.30 195 Probable - - - - - - - - - Proven & Probable 4,655 1.26 3.1 0.07 188 470 7 1.30 195 Total Morelos Complex Proven 8,306 2.90 4.4 0.12 776 1,170 22 2.99 800 Probable 30,332 2.91 20.5 0.70 2,833 20,037 471 4.25 4,148 Proven & Probable 38,638 2.91 17.1 0.58 3,609 21,206 493 3.98 4,947

Notes to accompany Mineral Reserve table:

1. Mineral Reserves were developed in accordance with CIM (2014) guidelines.

2. Rounding may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade, and contained metal content. Surface Stockpile Mineral Reserves are estimated using production and survey data and apply the same gold equivalent (AuEq) formula as ELG Open Pits.

3. AuEq of Total Reserves is established from combined contributions of the various deposits.

4. The qualified person for the Mineral Reserve estimate is Johannes (Gertjan) Bekkers, P. Eng., VP of Mines Technical Services.

5. The qualified person is not aware of mining, metallurgical, infrastructure, permitting, or other factors that materially affect the Mineral Reserve estimates.

Notes to accompany the Media Luna Underground Mineral Reserves:

6. Mineral Reserves are based on Media Luna Indicated Mineral Resources with an effective date of October 31, 2021.

7. Media Luna Underground Mineral Reserves are reported above a diluted ore cut-off grade of 2.2 g/t AuEq.

8. Media Luna Underground cut-off grades and mining shapes are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz gold (Au), $17/oz silver (Ag) and $3.25/lb copper (Cu) and metal recoveries of 85% Au, 79% Ag, and 91% Cu.

9. Mineral Reserves within designed mine shapes assume long-hole open stoping, supplemented with mechanized cut-and-fill mining and includes estimates for dilution and mining losses.

10. Media Luna Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0112) + Cu (%) * (1.6946), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.



Notes to accompany the ELG Open Pit Mineral Reserves:

11. Mineral Reserves are founded on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, with an effective date of December 31, 2022, for ELG Open Pits (including El Limon, El Limon Sur and Guajes deposits).

12. ELG Open Pit Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 1.2 g/t Au.

13. ELG Low Grade Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 0.88 g/t Au.

14. It is planned that ELG Low Grade Mineral Reserves within the designed pits will be stockpiled during pit operation and processed during pit closure.

15. Mineral Reserves within the designed pits include assumed estimates for dilution and ore losses.

16. Cut-off grades and designed pits are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz Au and metal recovery of 89% Au.

17. Mineral Reserves are reported using a Au price of US$1,400/oz, Ag price of US$17/oz, and Cu price of US$3.25/lb.

18. Average metallurgical recoveries of 89% for Au, 30% for Ag, and 23% for Cu.

19. ELG Open Pit (including surface stockpiles) AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0041) + Cu (%) * (0.4114), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.



Notes to accompany the ELG Underground Mineral Reserves:

20. Mineral Reserves are founded on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, with an effective date of December 31, 2022, for ELG Underground (including Sub-Sill, ELD, Sub-Sill South and El Limon Sur Deep deposits).

21. Mineral Reserves were developed in accordance with CIM guidelines.

22. El Limon Underground Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ ore cut-off grade of 3.2 g/t AuEq and an in-situ incremental cut-off grade of 1.05 g/t Au.

23. Cut-off grades and mining shapes are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz Au and metal recovery of 90% Au.

24. Mineral Reserves within designed mine shapes assume mechanized cut and fill mining method and include estimates for dilution and mining losses.

25. Mineral Reserves are reported using a Au price of US$1,400/oz, Ag price of US$17/oz, and Cu price of US$3.25/lb.

26. Average metallurgical recoveries of 90% for Au, 62% for Ag, and 63% for Cu, accounting for the planned copper concentrator.

27. ELG Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0083) + Cu (%) * (1.1202), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

Table 12: Mineral Resources for the Morelos Complex

Tonnes Au Ag Cu Au Ag Cu AuEq AuEq (kt) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (koz) (koz) (Mlb) (gpt) (koz) Media Luna Underground Measured 1,823 5.29 42.0 1.38 310 2,460 55 8.06 473 Indicated 25,567 3.02 30.1 1.05 2,486 24,708 589 5.11 4,196 Measured & Indicated 27,390 3.17 30.9 1.07 2,796 27,168 645 5.30 4,669 Inferred 7,322 2.54 23.0 0.88 598 5,422 143 4.27 1,006 ELG Open Pit Measured 3,161 4.67 5.7 0.16 475 576 11 4.76 484 Indicated 8,143 2.35 4.1 0.15 615 1,073 26 2.42 635 Measured & Indicated 11,304 3.00 4.5 0.15 1,090 1,650 37 3.08 1,119 Inferred 1,385 1.92 2.2 0.06 85 100 2 1.95 87 ELG Underground Measured 1,741 5.94 8.0 0.34 332 450 13 6.58 369 Indicated 3,274 5.54 8.1 0.28 583 854 20 6.08 640 Measured & Indicated 5,016 5.68 8.1 0.30 916 1,304 33 6.26 1,009 Inferred 1,480 5.45 10.2 0.30 259 485 10 6.05 288 EPO Underground Measured - - - - - - - - - Indicated 4,050 2.37 34.8 1.48 308 4,528 132 5.16 671 Measured & Indicated 4,050 2.37 34.8 1.48 308 4,528 132 5.16 671 Inferred 5,634 1.79 31.3 1.17 324 5,668 145 4.04 732 Total Morelos Complex Measured 6,725 5.17 16.1 0.54 1,117 3,486 80 6.13 1,325 Indicated 41,035 3.03 23.6 0.85 3,992 31,164 767 4.66 6,143 Measured & Indicated 47,760 3.33 22.6 0.80 5,110 34,650 847 4.86 7,468 Inferred 15,821 2.49 23.0 0.86 1,267 11,675 299 4.15 2,112

Notes to accompany the Mineral Resource Table:

1. CIM (2014) definitions were followed for Mineral Resources.

2. Mineral Resources are depleted above a mining surface or to the as-mined solids as of December 31, 2022.

3. Mineral Resources are reported using a gold (Au) price of US$1,550/oz, silver (Ag) price of US$20/oz, and copper (Cu) price of US$3.50/lb.

4. Gold equivalent (AuEq) of Total Mineral Resources is established from combined contributions of the various deposits.

5. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves.

6. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

7. Numbers may not add due to rounding.

8. The estimate was prepared by Ms. Carolina Milla, P.Eng. (Alberta), Principal, Mineral Resources



Notes to accompany Media Luna Underground Mineral Resources:

9. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.

10. Mineral Resources are reported above a 2.0 g/t AuEq cut-off grade.

11. Metallurgical recoveries at Media Luna average 85% for Au, 79% for Ag, and 91% for Cu.

12. Media Luna Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0119) + (Cu (%) * 1.6483). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

13. The assumed mining method is from underground methods, using a combination of long hole stoping and cut and fill.



Notes to accompany the ELG Open Pit Mineral Resources:

14. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.

15. Average metallurgical recoveries are 89% for Au, 30% for Ag and 23% for Cu.

16. ELG Open Pit AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0043) + (Cu (%) * 0.4001). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

17. Mineral Resources are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 0.78 g/t Au.

18. Mineral Resources are reported inside an optimized pit shell. Underground Mineral Reserves at ELD within the El Limon shell have been excluded from the open pit Mineral Resources.



Notes to accompany ELG Underground Mineral Resources:

19. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.

20. Average metallurgical recoveries are 90% for Au, 86% for Ag and 93% for Cu, accounting for the planned copper concentrator.

21. ELG Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0123) + (Cu (%) * 1.600). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

22. Mineral Resources are reported above a cut-off grade of 3.0 g/t AuEq.

23. The assumed mining method is underground cut and fill.



Notes to accompany EPO Underground Mineral Resources:

24. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.

25. Mineral Resources are reported above a 2.0 g/t AuEq cut-off grade.

26. Metallurgical recoveries at EPO average 85% for Au, 75% for Ag, and 89% for Cu.

27. EPO Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0114) + Cu % * (1.6212). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

28. The assumed mining method is from underground methods using a long hole stoping.

ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.

Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. The Companys principal asset is the Morelos Complex, which includes the El Limon Guajes (ELG) Mine Complex, the Media Luna Project, a processing plant and related infrastructure. Commercial production from the Morelos Complex commenced on April 1, 2016 and an updated Technical Report for the Morelos Complex was released in March 2022. Torexs key strategic objectives are to optimize and extend production from the ELG Mine Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC. Jody Kuzenko Dan Rollins President and CEO Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Direct: (647) 725-9982 Direct: (647) 260-1503 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release pertaining to Mineral Reserves has been reviewed and approved by Johannes (Gertjan) Bekkers, P.Eng., Vice President, Mine Technical Services of Torex Gold Resources Inc. and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release pertaining to Mineral Resources has been reviewed and approved by Carolina Milla, P.Eng., Principal, Mineral Resources of Torex Gold Resources Inc. and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

CAUTIONARY NOTES

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, statements that: the Company is placed in an excellent position to deliver on full year operational guidance; development of the Media Luna Project is tracking to schedule and budget; the Guajes Tunnel breakthrough on track for early Q1 2024, if not before; the level of spending on Media Luna is expected to increase through the remainder of 2023; production during Q2 and Q3 will be closer to the bottom end of the quarterly run-rate implied by full year guidance; the mine plan for the next two quarters sees the conclusion of mining in the Guajes pit, a heavy focus on waste stripping in the El Limon pit and draw down of stockpiled material; total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs during Q2 and Q3 are expected to be above the upper end of the annual guided range for those quarters only; production and costs are expected to return to usual levels in Q4, with higher processed grades and the increased level of ore production; net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project; the pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025; the Company on track to meet annual production guidance and full year total cash costs guidance and all-in sustaining costs guidance; and the Companys key strategic objectives are to optimize and extend production from the ELG Mine Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property. Generally, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects, or does not expect, is expected, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will, may, could, would, might, or on track, or well positioned to occur. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties identified in the technical report (the Technical Report) released on March 31, 2022, entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Feasibility Study, which has an effective date of March 16, 2022, and the Companys annual information form and managements discussion and analysis or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the assumptions discussed in the Technical Report and such other reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
BRISBANE, Australia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allkem and Livent announce definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals valuing the combined company at US$10.6 billion (A$15.7 billion)1

Key Highlights

Creates a leading global lithium chemicals producer, with pro-forma CY22 combined revenue of approximately US$1.9 billion 2 and adjusted EBITDA of approximately US$1.2 billion

and adjusted EBITDA of approximately US$1.2 billion Immediately enhances business-critical scale and global capabilities from closing, strengthening the ability to serve customers with a more resilient supply chain

Vertically integrated business model allows enhanced operational flexibility and potential for greater value capture across the value chain

Geographically adjacent, high quality, low-cost asset portfolio in Argentina and Canada creates opportunities to both accelerate and de-risk the development of a strong pipeline of attractive growth projects expected to deliver production capacity of approximately 250ktpa LCE by CY27E 3

Significant expected run-rate operating synergies of approximately US$125 million per annum (pre-tax) and one-time capital savings of approximately US$200 million, driven mainly by asset proximity and co-development in Argentina and Canada. Additional synergies expected beyond CY27E

Strong combined balance sheet and cash flow generation provide financial flexibility to deliver accelerated growth plans

Enhanced value proposition for shareholders, customers, employees, and local communities, with an unwavering commitment to sustainability and responsible growth

Allkem (ASX:AKE) and Livent (NYSE:LTHM) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement (Transaction Agreement) to combine the two companies to create a leading global lithium chemicals producer (NewCo), (the Transaction). The Transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2023, and upon closing of the all-stock merger of equals, Allkem shareholders will own approximately 56% and Livent shareholders will own approximately 44% of NewCo4.

Allkem and Livent, two global lithium chemicals companies, will combine their highly complementary range of assets, growth projects, and operating skills across extraction and processing under a vertically integrated business model with the scale and expertise to meet the rapidly growing demand for lithium chemical products. The combined company will have a significant footprint of low-cost assets diversified across key geographies, products, and customers. Given the proximity of certain assets in Argentina and Canada, significant cost synergies and capex savings, in addition to other anticipated commercial synergies, are expected to be realized from the opportunity to co-develop and de-risk future expansion projects and operations.

Livent is a global leader in lithium processing technologies with nearly eight decades of experience producing a diverse range of lithium chemicals for energy storage and other specialty applications. Allkem brings complementary expertise in conventional brine-based lithium extraction, hard rock mining, and lithium processing. With Livents technical and commercial capabilities and its deep customer relationships, and Allkems large and diverse resource base and significant growth pipeline, NewCo will be well-positioned to capitalize on the expected growth in lithium demand from electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage solutions.

Livents President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Graves, said: I am excited for what lies ahead as Livent and Allkem combine forces to help power the transition to EVs, cleaner energy and a more sustainable future. We look forward to playing an even bigger role in the acceleration of decarbonization policies by providing the lithium needed to enable this critical global energy shift. As a combined company, we will have the enhanced scale, product range, geographic coverage, and execution capabilities to meet our customers rapidly growing demand for lithium chemicals. This transaction will capitalize on our highly complementary business models and our collective strengths, including our best-in-class technologies, assets, and people, to be a leading force in our industry driving growth in EV and energy storage applications. Together we can accelerate our growth plans and deliver more lithium, more reliably, and more quickly, than either of us can do alone. Jointly, we are committed to growing responsibly and supporting the communities where we operate, and we look forward to executing on our shared long-term vision.

Allkems Chief Executive Officer, Martin Perez de Solay, said: The combination of Allkem and Livent is transformational with compelling strategic logic and marks a significant milestone in our efforts to grow the company. We are bringing together two highly complementary businesses to create a leading global lithium chemicals company, building on Allkems demonstrated track record of integration. The vertically integrated NewCo will improve delivery of high-quality, value-added products to our diverse customer base and unlock material synergies. The combination brings together teams with strong expertise in project development, product innovation, and marketing, and sets us up for a faster and de-risked delivery of the next phase of our growth. I believe Allkem shareholders will realize significant benefits from the Transaction as the business transforms into a truly global player with listings in the US and Australia. We will maintain our joint commitment to safety, quality, and productivity and through increased scale we can also improve outcomes for our employees, customers, partners, and the communities in which we operate.

Strategic Benefits of the Combination

Creates a leading global lithium chemicals producer with enhanced business-critical scale and greater capacity to meet growing customer demand Large, high quality, low-cost asset footprint with one of the worlds largest lithium deposit bases Multiple lithium chemical manufacturing facilities able to deliver a broad range of lithium performance chemicals globally Increased economies of scale and resources through NewCos geographically adjacent asset portfolios in Argentina and North America Leading Americas-based lithium platform with ability to serve growing regional demand amid customer focus on assured security of supply and more localized supply chains Positioned to be a leading battery-grade lithium supplier Large and growing global customer base across EV and energy storage value chains, with strong customer relationships from both companies

Highly complementary and vertically integrated business model Enables vertical integration across the lithium value chain with the broadest product offering Highly scalable across both resource and production assets; expected to immediately enhance operational flexibility and reliability, resulting in lower cost and greater value capture Complementary expertise in brine and hydroxide processing with proven ability to produce high-quality products that are sought after by leading battery manufacturers and EV OEMs Expansion of R&D capabilities to develop innovative and sustainable products and processes

Greater capacity and execution expertise to accelerate growth Allows delivery of growth commitment faster and de-risks path to approximately 250ktpa LCE by CY27E 5 Significant pipeline of advanced growth projects to create value for all stakeholders Complementary expertise in hard rock mining, conventional and DLE-based processes, and lithium carbonate and hydroxide production

Creating a global leader to capture the decarbonization opportunity through EV and battery storage solutions Sector-leading ESG policies with a shared commitment to grow responsibly and pursue best practices across environmental stewardship, sustainability, community development, and corporate governance Participation in industry efforts to advance transparency, safety, responsible operations, rigorous supply chains, and community engagement and development



Significant Financial Benefits

The combination is expected to create substantial value for the shareholders of both companies through:

Value creation from the synergistic combination and close proximity of assets, with additional synergies expected beyond CY27E Estimated run-rate operating cost synergies of approximately US$125 million (pre-tax) per annum from SG&A, asset optimization, and logistics and procurement savings. A significant portion of the synergies are expected to be realized through removing duplicate costs, improvement of procurement, site management, transport, and logistics functions at Sal de Vida, Hombre Muerto, and Quebec, and through closer integration of operations. The majority of the annual run-rate pre-tax operating cost synergies are expected to be realized within three years Further synergies are expected to be realized from the sharing of technological expertise, improved flexibility in product flows, plant optimization, and enhanced marketing efficiencies In addition to operating synergies, NewCo is expected to realize approximately US$200 million in one-time capital expenditure savings, driven by the consolidation of shared infrastructure, streamlining construction and procurement, and leveraging complementary engineering work at Hombre Muerto and Sal de Vida, as well as at a co-located spodumene to hydroxide facility processing materials from the Quebec spodumene resources.

Transaction metrics Exchange ratio determined based on each Companys estimated relative contribution to risk-adjusted net asset value (NAV) (pre-synergies) Transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to both Livents and Allkems shareholders on a NAV per share basis, reflecting the material synergies expected to be realized from the Transaction (net of costs to achieve) The transaction results in Allkem shareholders owning approximately 56% of NewCo compared to 53% implied by the volume weighted average share prices over a one-month period. 6

Stronger financial profile positions the combined entity to deliver growth Strong balance sheet with combined liquidity of US$1.4 billion and limited indebtedness 7 Positive cash flow generation provides the financial strength needed to accelerate the growth strategy

Greater liquidity for investors and more diversified shareholder base Greater liquidity for investors through a primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and a foreign exempt listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) via CHESS Depository Interests (CDIs) Seeking US index inclusion on implied combined market capitalization and pro-rata CDI inclusion in the S&P / ASX 200 index



Tax-free all-stock transaction

Share for share exchange transaction expected to be a tax-free transaction for shareholders

Transaction Structure

NewCo will have a primary listing on the NYSE and maintain a foreign exempt listing on the ASX (via the issue of CDIs to Allkem shareholders). Under the terms of the Transaction, existing Allkem shareholders will receive one NewCo ASX listed CDI (or be able to elect to receive one NewCo NYSE listed share instead of a CDI) for each Allkem ordinary share held, except for shareholders in certain ineligible jurisdictions, who will receive cash proceeds from the sale of the NewCo CDIs in lieu of such CDIs after closing. Under the Merger, Livent shareholders will receive 2.406 NewCo NYSE listed shares of common stock for each Livent share held. Following the Transaction, Allkem and Livent shareholders are expected to own approximately 56% and 44% of the combined company, respectively.

Governance and Leadership

The Transaction Agreement and the Transaction have been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of

each company, and in the case of Allkem, subject to the Independent Expert concluding, and continuing to conclude, that the Scheme is in the best interest of Allkem shareholders.

The combined company will benefit from proven and experienced business leaders at both the Board and executive levels, along with diverse, high-performing teams at NewCos operating sites.

NewCo is to be incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey, with corporate headquarters to be in North America, with the exact location and company name to be announced at a later date, and corporate residency to be in Ireland.

Upon completion of the Transaction, Peter Coleman will become the Chairman of NewCo, Paul Graves will become the CEO of NewCo, and Gilberto Antoniazzi will become the CFO of NewCo. The NewCo Board will have 14 members, consisting of 7 directors designated by Allkem and 7 directors designated by Livent. The commercial, operational, and capital deployment teams will be comprised of representatives from both companies. Allkem CEO, Martin Perez de Solay, will provide consulting services to NewCo to help facilitate a smooth integration process post transaction close.

Closing Conditions, Other Key Terms and Timing

Closing of the Transaction is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals, approval by both Livent and Allkem shareholders, the Independent Expert concluding that the Scheme is in the best interest of Allkem shareholders and not changing, withdrawing, or qualifying that conclusion, tax opinion delivery, and Australian tax class ruling confirmation, and Australian Court approval.

Allkem and Livent shareholders do not need to take any action at this time. An explanatory statement and notice of meeting containing important information about the Scheme (Scheme Booklet) will be dispatched to Allkem Shareholders and released on ASX in due course, likely in the second half of calendar year 2023. A proxy statement/prospectus containing important information about the Merger will be dispatched to Livent Shareholders and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in due course. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to closing, the Transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2023.

The Transaction Agreement includes reciprocal exclusivity arrangements (including notification obligations) in favour of both parties, a matching right regime in favour of both parties and termination fees in favour of both parties. The exclusivity arrangements are subject to customary exceptions that enable the directors of Allkem and Livent to comply with their respective fiduciary and / or statutory duties.

The full terms of the Transaction, including the closing conditions, are set out in the Transaction Agreement, a copy of which is attached to this announcement.

Advisors

Gordon Dyal & Co., LLC. is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Allens are acting as legal counsel to Livent.

UBS Securities Australia Limited and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as financial advisors and King & Wood Mallesons and Sidley Austin LLP are acting as legal counsel to Allkem.

Analyst and Investor Briefing

Livent and Allkem will each host a conference call for their respective analysts and investors in the U.S. and Australia. Management from both companies will participate.

The Livent hosted joint conference call will be held at 8:00 AM Eastern time to discuss the transaction. Participants can access the call via webcast at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/784082116. The live webcast and related presentation materials can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of the website ir.livent.com and will be archived for a period of 12 months.

The Allkem hosted joint conference call will be held at 9:30 AM AEST on May 11th to discuss the transaction. Participants can access the call via webcast at https://registrations.events/direct/OCP60313. The live webcast and related presentation materials can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of the website allkem.co/investors and will be archived.

For more information on this announcement, please refer to the transaction website: www.globallithiumleader.com.

Livent Contacts

Investors:

Daniel Rosen +1 215 299 6208

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Media:

Juan Carlos Cruz +1 215 299 6725

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Teneo

Andrea Calise +1 917 826 3804

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Spencer Smith +1 646 531 8079

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Allkem Contacts

Investors:

Andrew Barber +61 418 783 701

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Community Affairs:

Karen Vizental +54 9 114 414 4702

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Media:

GRACosway

Ben Wilson +61 407 966 083

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Max Hewett +61 432 332 215

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About Livent

For nearly eight decades, Livent has partnered with its customers to safely and sustainably use lithium to power the world. Livent is one of only a small number of companies with the capability, reputation, and know-how to produce high-quality finished lithium compounds that are helping meet the growing demand for lithium. The Company has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, powering demand for green energy, modern mobility, the mobile economy, and specialized innovations, including light alloys and lubricants. Livent has a combined workforce of approximately 1,350 full-time, part-time, temporary, and contract employees and operates manufacturing sites in the United States, England, China, and Argentina. For more information, visit livent.com

About Allkem

Allkem is a specialty lithium chemicals company with a global portfolio of diverse and high-quality lithium chemicals. Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the companys unique portfolio includes lithium brine operations in Argentina, a hard rock lithium operation in Australia, a hard rock development project in Quebec, and a lithium hydroxide conversion facility in Japan. Development is underway across the globe to increase international scale and product flexibility to meet significant projected demand growth that is underpinned by a global transition to a net zero carbon future. Allkems pillars of success are built on safety, sustainability, cost leadership, and product quality, through relations with our people, partners, customers, and communities. For more information, visit www.allkem.co.

Important Information and Legal Disclaimer:

Important Notices

This announcement is a joint announcement by Allkem Limited ACN 112 589 910 (Allkem) (authorised for release by Mr. Martin Perez de Solay, CEO and Managing Director of Allkem) and Livent Corporation (Livent).

This announcement has been prepared in relation to the proposed combination of Allkem and Livent under a newly created holding company, incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey (NewCo), effected through (1) the acquisition of shares of Allkem by NewCo by way of scheme of arrangement under Part 5.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Scheme); and (2) the merger of Livent and a newly incorporated entity that will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of NewCo (US Merger Sub) (the Merger, and the Scheme and the Merger together, the Transaction). Under the Scheme, NewCo would acquire 100% of the fully paid ordinary shares in Allkem in exchange for the issue to Allkem shareholders of new fully paid ordinary shares in NewCo or CHESS Depositary Interests in respect of fully paid ordinary shares in NewCo. Under the Merger, Livent would merge into US Merger Sub with Livent shares being converted into the right to receive new fully paid ordinary shares in NewCo.

The Transaction is subject to the terms and conditions described in the Transaction Agreement entered into among Allkem, Livent, and NewCo on or about the date of this announcement (the Transaction Agreement). A copy of the Transaction Agreement is attached to this announcement and is available on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)s website (at www.asx.com.au), on the website maintained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) (at www.sec.gov), and on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) website of the Canadian Securities Administrators (at www.sedar.com).

Allkem and Livent have jointly prepared this announcement based on information available to them as at the date of this announcement. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information, opinions and conclusions contained in this announcement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, none of Allkem or Livent, their respective directors, employees, agents or advisers, or any other person, accepts any liability, including, without limitation, any liability arising from fault or negligence on the part of any of them or any other person, for any loss arising from the use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with it.

Summary information only; not an offer

This announcement and the information contained in it is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be and shall not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval, or an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, or an invitation or recommendation to subscribe for, acquire or buy securities of Allkem, Livent or NewCo, or any other financial products or securities, in any place or jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities 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 in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.

The announcement contains summary information only, and further detailed information about Allkem, Livent, NewCo and the Transaction will be provided in the explanatory statement and notice of meeting to be dispatched to Allkem shareholders in relation to the Scheme and in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be dispatched to Livent stockholders and filed with the SEC in relation to the Merger.

Limitation on information in relation to Livent and its operations

All information in this announcement in relation to Livent and its operations  including in relation to or otherwise derived from historical production, historical costs and cash flows and other financial information, or production or development plans, or infrastructure or production capacity or capability, or any forward-looking statements relating to or extrapolated from any of that information  has been sourced from Livent.

Allkem has conducted due diligence in relation to the Transaction, but has not been, and is not, in a position to independently verify such information and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information relating to Livent or its operations.

Limitation on information in relation to Allkem and its operations

All information in this announcement in relation to Allkem and its operations  including in relation to or otherwise derived from historical production, historical costs and cash flows and other financial information, production or development plans, or infrastructure or production capacity or capability, or any forward-looking statements relating to or extrapolated from any of that information  has been sourced from Allkem.

Livent has conducted due diligence in relation to the Transaction, but has not been, and is not, in a position to independently verify such information and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information relating to Allkem or its operations.

Financial data

All references to "$" or "US$" or "USD" are to American dollars, being the lawful currency of the United States of America. All references to A$ or "AUD" are to Australian dollars, being the lawful currency of Australia, unless stated otherwise. Any references to  or RMB" are to Chinese yuan, being the lawful currency of China, unless stated otherwise.

Any combined financial information included in this announcement is for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to be in compliance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X of the rules and regulations of the SEC. Rather, such information is a simple summation of Livents financial results under US GAAP and Allkems financial results under IFRS; such results may not be comparable and pro forma information under Article 11 may be materially different. Investors should be aware that financial data in this announcement includes "non-IFRS financial information" under ASIC Regulatory Guide 230 "Disclosing non-IFRS financial information" published by ASIC and also non-GAAP financial measures within the meaning of Regulation G under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Allkem and Livent believe the non-IFRS financial information and non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to users in measuring the financial performance and conditions of Allkem, Livent and NewCo post-closing of the Transaction (together, the Merged Group). The non-IFRS and non-GAAP financial information does not have a standardised meaning prescribed by Australian Accounting Standards or US GAAP, respectively, and, therefore, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other entities, nor should they be construed as an alternative to other financial measures determined in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards or US GAAP. Investors are cautioned, therefore, not to place undue reliance on any non-IFRS financial information and ratios or non-GAAP financial measures included in this announcement.

Livent evaluates operating performance using certain non-GAAP measures such as EBITDA, which is defined as net income plus interest expense, net, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization; and Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as EBITDA adjusted for restructuring and other charges, separation-related costs, COVID-19 related costs and other losses/(gains). Livents management believes the use of these non-GAAP measures allows management and investors to compare more easily the financial performance of its underlying business from period to period. The non-GAAP information provided may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies because of differing methods used by other companies in calculating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. These measures should not be considered as a substitute for net income or other measures of performance or liquidity reported in accordance with US GAAP. A reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income is included in this announcement.

Reconciliations of Livents forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable measures prepared in accordance with GAAP are not being provided because Livent is unable to provide these reconciliations without unreasonable effort due to the uncertainty and inherent difficulty of predicting the occurrence, financial impact, and the periods in which the relevant adjustments would be recognized.

Non-IFRS information, including underlying earnings, has not been audited but have been extracted from Allkems periodic financial statements.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements, including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by terms such as may, will, appears, should, expects, plans, anticipates, could, intends, target, projects, contemplates, believes, estimates, predicts, potential, or continue, or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. However, the absence of these words or similar terms does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on information and estimates available to Allkem or Livent at the time of this announcement and are not guarantees of future performance.

Examples of forward-looking statements in this announcement (made at the date of this announcement unless otherwise indicated) include, among others, statements regarding the future performance of the Merged Group, the perceived and potential synergies and other benefits of the Transaction, and expectations around the financial impact of the Transaction on the Merged Groups financials. In addition, this announcement contains statements concerning the intentions, beliefs and expectations, plans, strategies and objectives of the directors and management of Allkem and Livent for Allkem, Livent and the Merged Group, the anticipated timing for and outcome and effects of the Transaction (including expected benefits to shareholders of Allkem and Livent), anticipated production, production capacity or construction or development commencement dates, costs or production outputs, capital expenditure and future demand for lithium, expectations for the ongoing development and growth potential of the Merged Group and the future operation of Allkem, Livent and the Merged Group.

Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and actual events and results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors (many of which are outside the control of Allkem, Livent and the Merged Group), some of which are described from time to time in Livents filings with the SEC and Allkems filings with the ASX, including Livents Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K and Allkems Annual Report for the financial year ended 30 June 2022 (Appendix 4E), Half-Year Report for the half year ended 31 December 2022 (Appendix 4D), and March Activities Report for the quarter ended 31 March 2023, and future filings and reports by either Allkem or Livent.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement and may include statements regarding the expected timing and structure of the proposed transaction; the ability of the parties to complete the proposed transaction considering the various closing conditions; the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, such as improved operations, enhanced revenues and cash flow, synergies, growth potential, market profile, business plans, expanded portfolio and financial strength; the competitive ability and position of NewCo following completion of the proposed transaction; and anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in Livents, Anacondas and, following the completion of the proposed transaction, NewCos business.

In addition, other factors related to the Transaction between Allkem and Livent that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements and that could cause actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied include, but are not limited to: the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the Transaction, including, without limitation, the receipt of shareholder and regulatory approvals on the terms desired or anticipated; unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the Transaction, including, without limitation, difficulties that result in the failure to realize expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings from the Transaction within the expected time period (if at all); potential difficulties in Allkem's and Livent's ability to retain employees as a result of the announcement and pendency of the Transaction; risks relating to the value of NewCo's shares to be issued in the Transaction; disruptions of Allkems and Livent's current plans, operations and relationships with customers caused by the announcement and pendency of the Transaction; legal proceedings that may be instituted against Allkem and Livent following announcement of the Transaction; funding requirements; lithium and other commodity prices; exploration, development and operating risks (including unexpected capital or operating costs); production risks; regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulations and associated liability, changes in regulatory restrictions or regulatory policy and potential title disputes) and risks associated with general economic conditions.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements are detailed in the filings with the SEC, including Livents annual report on Form 10-K, periodic quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, periodic current reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed with the SEC.

There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be implemented or that plans of the directors and management of Allkem and Livent for the Merged Group will proceed as currently expected or will ultimately be successful. Investors are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, including in respect of the financial or operating outlook for Allkem, Livent or the Merged Group (including the realisation of any expected synergies).

Except as required by applicable law or the ASX Listing Rules, Allkem and Livent assume no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any duty to, provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Nothing in this announcement will, under any circumstances (including by reason of this announcement remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other presentation or publication with respect to Allkem, Livent or the Merged Group, or the subject matter of this announcement), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of Allkem or Livent since the date of this announcement. The distribution of this announcement may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this announcement must inform himself or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Allkem / Nemaska Minerals and Production Capacity

Allkem has reported mineral resources under Australian standards, but neither Allkem nor Nemaska Lithium Inc. has reported any mineral resources in a manner compliant with SEC Regulation S-K Rule 1300. We expect that such entities will report S-K 1300-compliant resources in the registration statement for this transaction, but we can provide no assurances as to the level of such resources at this time. Accordingly, any production capacity and targets disclosed for future years represent estimates of capacity but there can be no assurances that the combined company will be able to achieve such production capacity. Livent is not treating such information as an estimate of Allkem or Nemaska mineral resources or reserves.

Production Targets

This announcement includes production targets of the Merged Group (or other forward-looking statements of that nature) (see pages 1 and 3 in particular, referred to as the Key Production Target in this Disclaimer). The information in this announcement that relates to the Key Production Target is derived from the ASX release entitled Allkem and Livent to Create a Leading Global Integrated Lithium Chemicals Producer dated May 10, 2023, which is available to view on https://www.allkem.co, www.asx.com.au, www.sedar.com (Investor Presentation). Allkem confirms that all material assumptions underpinning the Key Production Target in the Investor Presentation and required by ASX Listing Rule 5.16 continue to apply and have not materially changed.

Note on synergies

Please also refer to the individual Investor Presentations of Allkem and Livent released to ASX, furnished to the SEC and otherwise published, as applicable, simultaneously with this announcement for further information about the basis and assumptions underlying any statements about synergies that could be expected to be delivered and achieved by the Merged Group as a result of the Transaction.

No offer or solicitation

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be and shall not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval, or an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any securities, or an invitation or recommendation to subscribe for, acquire or buy securities of Allkem, Livent or NewCo, or any other financial products or securities, in any place or jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities 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 in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.

Additional information and where to find it

NewCo and Livent plan to file relevant materials with the SEC in connection with the Transaction, including a registration statement on Form S-4 that will contain a proxy statement/prospectus and other documents. NewCo and Livent will prepare and file the proxy statement/prospectus with the SEC, Livent will mail the proxy statement/prospectus to its stockholders and Livent and Allkem will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. This communication is not a substitute for any registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus or other documents that may be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.

INVESTORS SHOULD READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND SUCH OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND SUCH DOCUMENTS, BEFORE THEY MAKE ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NEWCO, LIVENT, ALLKEM, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. The Form S-4, the proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments or supplements thereto and all other documents filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction will be available when filed free of charge on the SECs web site at www.sec.gov. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Livent will be made available free of charge on Livent's investor relations website (at https://ir.livent.com/overview/default.aspx).

This presentation should be read in conjunction with Allkems other periodic and continuous public disclosures. Allkems announcements are lodged with ASX and are available on ASXs website (at www.asx.com.au) and Allkems website (at www.allkem.co).

Further information about the Transaction (including key risks for Allkem shareholders) will be provided by Allkem to Allkem shareholders and released to ASX in due course, in the form of an explanatory statement (as that term is defined in section 412 of the Corporations Act) and notice of meeting (the Scheme Booklet). The Scheme Booklet will also include or be accompanied by an independent expert's report that will opine on whether the Scheme is in the best interest of Allkem shareholders.

Further information about the Transaction (including key risks for Livent stockholders) will be provided by Livent to Livent stockholders and filed with the SEC in due course, in the form of a proxy statement/prospectus.

Participants in the Solicitation

Livent, Allkem, NewCo and certain of their respective directors and executive officers and other members of their respective management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their direct or indirect interests in the Transaction, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials when it is filed with the SEC. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Livent is contained in Livents proxy statement for its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2023, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023, subsequent statements of beneficial ownership on file with the SEC and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. Information about Allkems directors and executive officers is set forth in Allkems latest annual report dated 25 August 2022, as updated from time to time via announcements made by Allkem on the Australian Securities Exchange. Additional information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Livent security holders in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials when they are filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation

CY2022 EBITDA Reconciliation ($MM) Livent Allkem CY2022 Net Income 273.5 543.9 Add back: Income tax expense 61.9 219.7 Interest expense, net -- (7.8) Depreciation and amortization 27.7 63.6 CY2022 EBITDA 363.1 819.5 Add back: Argentina remeasurement losses 6.7 -- Restructuring and other charges 7.5 -- Separation-related costs 0.7 -- COVID-19 related costs 2.4 -- Loss on debt extinguishment 0.1 -- Other loss 9.9 -- Foreign currency loss / (gain) -- 36.8 Share of loss of associate, net of tax -- 6.1 Impairment / write-downs -- 0.2 Subtract: Blue Chip Swap gain (22.2) -- Argentina interest income (1.5) -- Gains from financial instruments -- (47.2) CY2022 Adjusted EBITDA 366.7 815.5 CY2022 Combined Adjusted EBITDA 1,182.2i

i Combined CY2022A financials prepared on different accounting basis for Allkem and Livent. Combined metrics reflect the simple summation of the reported financial metric for Allkem and Livent and are not adjusted to be on the same accounting basis and do not reflect any Article 11 pro forma adjustments. Pro forma results could differ materially. Allkem metrics exclude divested Borax assets (divestiture was completed in December 2022). For combined adjusted EBITDA, metric is the sum of Livents adjusted EBITDA and Allkems reported EBITDAIX. EBITDAIX is defined as segment earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment, gains from financial instruments, foreign currency (losses)/gains, business combination acquisition costs, non-cash business combination adjustments, and share of associate losses. Please see the Financial Data section from the Important Information and Legal Disclaimer for further information.
New Discovery

1.47% Cu, 13.1 g/t Ag, 0.28 g/t Au, 5.71 g/t Palladium, 20.76 g/t Platinum over 7.75m in Hole PN-23-031A, including 3.90% Cu, 25 g/t Ag, 0.52g/t Au, 19.97g/t Palladium, 90.60g/t Platinum over 1.75m.

1 Oz/Tonne Combined Platinum and Palladium over 7.75 Metres

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Power Nickel Inc. (the "Company" or "Power Nickel") (TSXV:PNPN) (OTCQB:PNPNF) (Frankfurt:IVVI) is pleased to announce the discovery of a new high-grade Cu-PGE mineralized zone approximately 5km northeast of the main Nisk deposit. The target area was never previously drilled and was identified as "Wildcat." It is characterized by a strong magnetic anomaly from an ultramafic unit previously mapped in the surface outcrop. Ultramafic rocks consistent with the main Nisk deposit were intersected in hole PN-23-031A, but the high-grade mineralization is hosted in amphibolite and tonalite, which lie on top of the ultramafic sequence.

Hole PN-23-031A (Figure 1) intersected multiple chalcopyrite stringers and veinlets almost continuously in the first sixty (60) metres of the drill hole. The thickness and density of these stringers increased from 60.50 to 68.25 m down the hole. The main mineralization is characterized by a high density of chalcopyrite veinlets with local massive chalcopyrite (Figure 2). The veins are greatly enriched in platinum and palladium with significant accessory gold and silver (Table 1). The samples are rich in platinum, and palladium will be re-analyzed to include the complete Platinum Group Elements (PGE), such as osmium, iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium.

Figure 1 - Cross-section of DDH PN-23-031A

Figure 2 - Stringers and massive chalcopyrite in DDH PN-23-031A

Table 1: Significant results from the wildcat zone.

Hole ID UTM E1 UTM N1 Length (m) Azimuth () Dip () From (m) To (m) Interval Length2 (m) Au (g/t) Ag g/t) Cu (%) Pd (g/t) Pt (g/t) PN-23-031A 464338 5731510 210 163 -60 31.50 32.50 1.00 0.34 10.0 1.10 0.02 NSR PN-23-031A 464338 5731510 210 163 -60 60.50 68.25 7.75 0.28 13.1 1.47 5.71 20.76 Including 464338 5731510 210 163 -60 64.35 66.10 1.75 0.52 25.0 3.90 19.97 90.60

UTM NAD83, Zone 18N. True widths are estimated to be 70% of the Interval Length.

The Wildcat area represents an entirely new target to explore and is wide open laterally along strike and at depth (Figure 3). This new discovery is very significant with high-grade platinum and palladium associated with copper. It is probable that the high-grade platinum and palladium originated in the underlying ultramafic unit and remobilized to the tonalite unit where the mineralization occurs. As the mineralization is remobilized, there is potential for discovery in a broader target area in the vicinity of the ultramafic source rocks. Follow-up drilling will consider all other lithological units in addition to identifying the source mineralization in the ultramafic unit.

Figure 3 - Location of the Wildcat Target relative to the main Nisk deposit.

"Wow, what a hole! Hats off to the team for identifying the outcrop and selling me on testing it. We did not go too deep, only 200 metres, as we will be conducting the Ambient Noise Tomography (see January 31. 2022 news release1) over this area, looking for similar signatures that we have on our main Nisk mineralized zone. It is entirely possible that the massive sulfides containing the nickel sequence are below this unit deeper in the Ultramafic. It's not unheard of for nickel deposits to have a lot of high-grade PGM's but this hole is special. Obviously, we will be following this sector up in our next round of drilling. This certainly has the potential to contribute greatly to the project's economics," commented Power Nickel CEO Terry Lynch.

"This was a great surprise following up on continued good news from the exploration program. Recently we conducted an Airborne EM survey over our mapped 5.5 Kilometre Ultramafic section, and preliminary data review identified several encouraging signals that will require follow-up exploration and eventually drilling in our fully funded Q3/Q4 2023 campaigns that will commence sometime around late July" Lynch advised.

About the Nisk Project

The Nisk Project is located in the southern portion of the Eeyo Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec, the site of a number of mining projects improving infrastructure (Figure 4).

Figure 4 - Location of the Nisk Project with respect to the current infrastructure available in the area.

Power Nickel completed the acquisition of its option to acquire up to 80% of the Nisk Project from Critical Elements Lithium Corp. (CRE: TSXV). The Nisk Project comprises a large land position (20 kilometres of strike length) with numerous high-grade Nickel intercepts. Figure 5 below illustrates highlights from previously released assays from the current drill program.

Figure 5 - Long section highlighting mineralized intercepts of the Main Nisk Deposit.

The existing resource estimates at the Nisk project are of historic nature, and the Company's geology team has not completed sufficient work to confirm a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource. Therefore, caution is appropriate since these historic estimates cannot and should not be relied on. For merely informational purposes, see Table 2.

Table 2: Historical Resource Estimate figures for respective confidence categories at the NISK-1 deposit, After RSW Inc 2009: Resource Estimate for the NISK-1 Deposit, Lac Levac Property, Nemiscau, Quebec.

The information regarding the NISK-1 deposit was derived from the technical report titled "Resource Estimate for the NISK-1 Deposit, Lac Levac Property, Nemiscau, Quebec" dated December 2009. The key assumptions, parameters and methods used to prepare the mineral resource estimates described above are set out in the technical report.

Power Nickel expects to take the results from the historical drilling programs, its initial program in late 2021, the current drill program, and a new metallurgical study and prepare a new 43-101, which we would expect to deliver in Q3 2023.

Power Nickel posts its drilling information and azimuths on www.PowerNickel.com to enable independent modeling of the ore body.

QAQC and SAMPLING

GeoVector Management Inc is the Consulting Company retained to oversee the drilling program, which includes core logging and sampling of the drill core.

All samples were submitted to and analyzed at ALS Global ("ALS"), an independent commercial laboratory located in Val-d'Or, Quebec, for both the sample preparation and assaying. ALS is a commercial laboratory independent of Power Nickel with no interest in the Nisk Project. ALS is an ISO 9001 and 17025 certified and accredited laboratory. Samples submitted through ALS are run through standard preparation methods and analyzed using ME-ICP61a (33 element Suite; 0.4g sample; Intermediate Level Four Acid Digestion) and PGM-ICP27 (Pt, Pd, and Au; 30g fire assay and ICP-AES Finish) methods. ALS also undertakes its own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration.

GeoVector's QAQC program includes the regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results.

The results presented in the current Press Release are complete. QAQC and data validation was performed on these holes, and no material errors were observed.

Qualified Person

Eric Hebert, Geo, Ph.D. from GeoVector Management Inc and consultant to Power Nickel, is the independent qualified person who has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

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 kilometres of strike length) with numerous high-grade intercepts. Power Nickel is focused on expanding the historical high-grade nickel-copper PGE mineralization 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.2

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 that 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 on Power Nickel Inc., please contact:

Mr. Terry Lynch, CEO

647-448-8044

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For further information, readers are encouraged to contact:

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 and costs of future activities on the Company's properties; 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.

1 https://powernickel.com/power_nickel_announces_partnership_with_fleet_space_technologies/
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / PJX Resources Inc. ("PJX") is pleased to announce that results from Vancouver Petrographics' ("VanPetro") thin section and polished section analyses of rock samples from the Estella Basin support porphyry copper-gold deposit type potential on the Dewdney Trail Property. Deposit potential is also supported by large (5 km diameter) ring features in airborne magnetic data that may define the margins of collapsed plutons at depth. Porphyry copper-gold deposits often occur above and along pluton margins.

Porphyritic intrusions (alkalic porphyries, felsitic rhyolite, trachylatite), breccias, meta-sediments, carbonates, plus quartz-filled veins comprise the various Estella Basin samples that were analyzed by VanPetro laboratory. Typical porphyry deposit alteration assemblages (Ca-Mg-Fe-carbonates, pyrite, epidote, sericite, chlorite) as well as disseminated and vein copper minerals were identified and are similar to those that characterize alkalic porphyry copper-gold deposits.

The Estella Basin target area, with gold-copper-silver mineralization related to alkalic intrusions, is one of a number of target areas on PJX Resources 116 km Dewdney Trail Property in the Sullivan Mining District.

John Keating, President of PJX commented: "It has taken 10 years to consolidate the mineral rights to the Dewdney Trail Property and the historical Estella mine. Geological and geophysical data combined with copper and gold mineralization in soils and porphyry intrusions at surface all support the potential to discover porphyry type deposits on the Dewdney Trail Property. There are multiple drill ready targets that we plan to test for the first time this year."

Factors supporting porphyry deposit potential include:

Differentiated intrusions with porphyritic rock types ranging from syenite to granodiorite in composition.

Hydrothermal breccias.

Copper sulphide and pyrite mineralization in veins and disseminated in the fine-grained groundmass of various porphyry phases (see photo A).

Clustering of multiple and varied intrusions.

An exposure level that indicates only the top of some intrusions are exposed. This supports the potential for additional mineralization at depth.

Airborne geophysical Magnetic and EM signatures of the intrusions that are similar to known porphyry copper-gold deposits elsewhere in the world. These include large ring features (5 km across) that may represent the margins of multiple plutonic phases (magmatic centers) at depth that could generate porphyry and intrusion related deposits (see figures 1 and 2).

Large coincident soil geochemical anomalies of gold, copper, arsenic, molybdenum and other metallic elements associated with mineralized intrusions and geophysical targets (see figures 3 to 6).

Photo A - Rock grab sample MS22-57.

VanPetro's assessment indicates that this is a micro-fractured porphyritic quartz-bearing syenite dominated by fine to very coarse, subhedral to euhedral K-feldspar phenocrysts (in places, replaced by calcite), intergrown with accessory plagioclase phenocrysts and quartz, floating within a groundmass that is dominated by K-feldspar, intergrown with plagioclase, quartz, muscovite flakes, plus minor apatite and scattered calcite spar. Pyrite, chalcopyrite (copper sulphide) blebs and hematite are scattered in the groundmass. Discontinuous veinlets, crosscutting phenocrysts and groundmass are filled with calcite and quartz. A separate grab sample of this phase of porphyry with quartz veins analyzed 6.9 g/t gold, 447 g/t silver, 1.1% copper.

Figure 1 - Airborne magnetic map.

Estella Basin's First target to test is the syenite/alkalic intrusion associated with gold, copper and silver mineralization discovered last year. Intrusion appears as a magnetic high (red colour).

Additional targets are the Donut shaped magnetic anomaly and a syenite/alkalic porphyry with limited access at the base of a cliff. Porphyry copper-gold deposits are known to have a magnetic high and/or a donut shaped magnetic signature.

Two large ring features in the magnetic data (approximately 5 km across) outline what may be the outer margins of multiple collapsed plutons at depth that could generate porphyry copper-gold type deposits.

The possible plutons (magmatic centres) are aligned along a major north trending overturned anticline fold axis that would provide loci for plutons.

Note how the syenite/alkalic porphyry intrusions and donut shaped magnetic anomaly occur along the ring features. Porphyry copper-gold deposits are known to occur along the margin of plutons.

Figure 2 - Airborne Mobile MT - EM map.

Mapping suggests that the more conductive areas (pink to red colours) are related to sedimentary rocks containing iron sulphide, carbonaceous material, and possible massive sulphide mineralization.

The more conductive areas appear to disappear in the centre where a large area of lower conductivity (diffuse red) may represent a pluton at depth.

The lower conductivity area may have been created when the pluton absorbed the conductive iron sulfides and carbonaceous material that are often required to form copper-gold porphyry type deposits.

The ring feature, about 5 km across, represents the outer margin of the possible pluton.

Alkalic/syenite porphyry intrusions and the donut shaped magnetic anomaly occur along the ring feature.

Figure 3 - Gold in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 4 - Copper in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 5 - Arsenic in soil geochem on geology map.

Figure 6 - Molybdenum in soil geochem on geology map.

Figures 3 to 6 display gold, copper, arsenic, and molybdenum in soils on the Dewdney Trail property geology map. Note how anomalous concentrations of gold, copper, arsenic and molybdenum occur in proximity to porphyry intrusions, and the large donut shaped magnetic anomaly that may represent a potential copper-gold porphyry type deposit at depth.

Qualified Persons

The foregoing geological disclosure has been reviewed and approved by John Keating P.Geo. (qualified persons for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Keating is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of PJX.

About PJX Resources Inc.

PJX is a mineral exploration company focused on building shareholder value and community opportunity through the exploration and development of mineral resources with a focus on gold, silver and base metals (zinc, lead, copper, nickel). PJX's properties are located in the historical Sullivan Mine District and Vulcan Gold Belt near Cranbrook and Kimberley, British Columbia.

Please refer to our web site http://www.pjxresources.com for additional information.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Linda Brennan, Chief Financial Officer

(416) 799-9205

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release has been prepared as at the date noted above. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expected", "may", "will" or similar terms.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by PJX Resources Inc. as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by law, PJX Resources Inc. expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in PJX Resources Inc.'s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Cautionary Note to US Investors

This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which PJX Resources Inc. has no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. 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.

This press release uses the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource is economically or legally mineable.

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.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Metallic Minerals Corp. (TSX.V:MMG) (OTCQB:MMNGF) ("Metallic Minerals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a strategic equity investment by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newcrest Mining Limited ("Newcrest") in the form of a non-brokered private placement, with the goal of advancing the Company's La Plata copper-silver-gold-platinum group element alkalic porphyry project in Colorado, USA.

Pursuant to the private placement, Newcrest will complete a financing of $6.34 million, consisting of 15,838,593 units of Metallic Minerals at a price of $0.40 per unit, with each unit comprising one common share and 0.75 of a common share purchase warrant. This represents a 13% premium to the 20-day volume weighted average price of Metallic Minerals' shares on the TSX-V on May 9, 2023. Each full warrant shall entitle Newcrest to purchase one common share at an exercise price of $0.55, providing $6.5 million in additional funding, if exercised. The warrants shall be exercisable for three years from the date of issue and contain a customary acceleration provision, which shall be effective if the common shares trade for a period of 20 consecutive trading days at or above $0.825 on the TSX-V.

Following closing of the investment, Newcrest will hold 9.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Metallic Minerals on a non-diluted basis and, including the warrants, 15.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis.

Metallic Minerals CEO and Chairman, Greg Johnson, stated, "As an industry leader with extensive expertise in precious metals rich, alkalic porphyry systems, Newcrest was quick to recognize the geologic significance of the drill results from our 2022 campaign at La Plata. We are very pleased to welcome them as a new major shareholder. Newcrest's investment is a strong endorsement of the technical merits and potential of the project and a vote of confidence in our experienced team. This funding will enable us to fast-track our planned expansion drilling to follow-up the success from 2022. This year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in our company's history, with an updated resource estimate in progress at La Plata and an inaugural resource at our Keno Silver project also underway."

Metallic Minerals President, Scott Petsel, stated, "This is a transformational period for Metallic Minerals and the La Plata project. Newcrest brings key, relevant exploration and operational experience and success in deposits of very similar character to that of La Plata, particularly their Red Chris and Cadia-Ridgeway operations. Our technical team has developed a follow-up drill program for La Plata that we expect can rapidly begin to define the extent of the high-grade mineralization, which remains completely open to expansion from the discovery drilling in 2022. Hole 22-04 intersected 816 meters of continuous porphyry mineralization and ended in spectacular copper and precious minerals grades. We are eager to discover the extent to which that high-grade mineralization continues laterally and to depth and anticipate this new drilling will have a positive impact on the overall grade and value of the deposit. Our team is very much looking forward to working with Newcrest to advance these common exploration and development goals."

Fraser MacCorquodale, Newcrest's GM Exploration, stated, "We are excited to become a cornerstone investor in Metallic Minerals and to be able to contribute towards this promising copper and precious metal project in the United States. We look forward to collaborating with the experienced management team at Metallic Minerals to leverage our combined skills."

In connection with the private placement, Metallic Minerals and Newcrest have entered into an investor rights agreement, pursuant to which Newcrest will be entitled to certain customary rights including participation in future equity issuances and a right to maintain its pro-rata position in the Company. Newcrest and the Company have also agreed to certain customary standstill and transfer restrictions.

In addition, a technical committee will be formed with representatives from Metallic and Newcrest, providing access to Newcrest's substantial technical expertise in similar alkalic porphyry systems and underground bulk-tonnage, block-cave mining operations. Newcrest shall also have a right to appoint a director to Metallic Minerals' board, upon exercise of the private placement warrants, if they hold at least 13% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company.

Live Webinar

Metallic Minerals will be hosting a live webinar with guest, Byron King, on Thursday, May 11 at 10am PT | 1pm ET to discuss the outlook for battery and precious metals and the importance of exploration to be able to deliver the necessary critical minerals for the decade ahead, along with an overview on exploration plans for Metallic Minerals in 2023. To register, click here.

Net proceeds of the private placement are intended to be used for exploration and development activities at the Company's La Plata project, future exploration and development activities, working capital and general and administrative expenses.

The private placement is expected to close, subject to customary conditions, upon acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. The common shares issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities laws. No commissions or finder fees are payable in connection with the private placement.

This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States of America. The common shares of Metallic Minerals Corp. have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.

About Newcrest Mining

Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX, TSX, PNGX: NCM) is one of the world's largest gold mining companies with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia and operating mines in Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea. Newcrest is a technical industry leader, with particular expertise in exploration, deep underground block caving and metallurgical processing. Newcrest is committed to creating a work environment where everyone can go home safe and healthy every day, and where everyone actively contributes to this outcome; operating and developing mines in line with strong environmental, social and governance practices; developing a diverse workforce; and developing and maintaining strong relationships with communities and governments.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a leading exploration and development stage company focused on copper, silver, gold and other critical minerals in the La Plata mining district in Colorado, and silver and gold in the high-grade Keno Hill and Klondike districts of the Yukon. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to making exploration discoveries, growing resources, and advancing projects toward development.

At the Company's La Plata project in southwestern Colorado the 2022 inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate identified a significant porphyry copper-silver resource containing 889 Mlbs copper and 15 Moz of silver. Results from 2022 expansion drilling intercepted the longest and highest-grade interval ever encountered at La Plata and one of the top intersections for any North American copper project in the past several years. An updated NI 43-101 resource estimate for the La Plata project incorporating these results is expected in Q2 2023.

In Canada's Yukon Territory, Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic high-grade Keno Hill silver district, directly adjacent to Hecla Mining's operations, with more than 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past production and current M&I resources. Hecla Mining Company, the largest primary silver producer in the USA and third largest in the world, completed the acquisition of Alexco Resources and their Keno Hill operations in September 2022. Hecla is targeting to start production at the Keno Hill operations by Q3 2023. Metallic is anticipating the announcement of inaugural mineral resource estimate at Keno Silver in the second half of 2023.

Metallic Minerals is also one of the largest holders of alluvial gold claims in the Yukon and is building a production royalty business by partnering with experienced mining operators, including Parker Schnabel of Little Flake Mining from the hit television show Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel.

All of the districts in which Metallic Minerals operates have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits in the region, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise. The Metallic Minerals team has been recognized for its environmental stewardship practices and is committed to responsible and sustainable resource development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Website: www.mmgsilver.com Phone: 604-629-7800

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Toll Free: 1-888-570-4420

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, statements about expected results of operations, royalties, cash flows, financial position and future dividends as well as financial position, prospects, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, unsuccessful operations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration, development of mines and mining operations is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integra Resources Corp. (Integra or the Company) (TSXV: ITR; NYSE American: ITRG) is pleased to provide an update on work programs and upcoming catalysts at its flagship assets located in the Great Basin, USA, as well a corporate update with respect to the proposed share consolidation. Integra is focused on achieving several key milestones in 2023, including an updated mineral resource estimate and the submission of the Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) at the DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho, as well as an updated mineral resource estimate and Preliminary Economic Study (PEA) at the Wildcat & Mountain View Projects, located in western Nevada.

The Company is pleased to host a corporate update webinar on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 8:00am PST/11:00am EST. The webinar will feature a presentation from Integras President, CEO and Director, Jason Kosec, as well as a live Q&A session. A recording of the webinar will be available on Integras corporate website. To register for the webinar, please use the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L5osfCkPQ66qZw9ZsB-O8w

Project Update:

DeLamar Project

Integra recently completed a highly successful stockpile drilling program at DeLamar in April 2023. The program consisted of 321 holes, totalling 12,588 meters (m). Results from 9,089 m, representing 247 drill holes, have yet to be released. The Company will continue to release results from the stockpile drilling program as they are received from the lab. Highlights from the drilling program include (refer to March 2023 press releases, gold equivalent (AuEq) = g/t gold (Au) + g/t silver (Ag)  77.7): 76 m of 0.74 g/t AuEq (0.62 g/t Au and 9.54 g/t Ag) 111 m of 0.59 AuEq (0.27 g/t Au and 24.60 g/t Ag) 50 m of 0.67 g/t AuEq (0.34 g/t Au and 25.29 g/t Ag)

Integra intends to release an updated mineral resource estimate for DeLamar in Q2 2023, incorporating results from the stockpile drilling program as well as additional drilling that was completed after the cut-off date for the previous mineral resource estimate.

The Company expects to submit the MPO for DeLamar to the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Q4 2023. The submission of the MPO represents a significant milestone in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process. Additional commentary on Integras permitting efforts and achievements at DeLamar is provided below.

Wildcat & Mountain View Projects

The Wildcat & Mountain View Projects, located in western Nevada, were acquired by Integra as part of the recently completed merger with Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("Millennial").

The Company is currently preparing an updated mineral resource estimate to incorporate Millennials 2021-2022 drill program of 1,250 m at Wildcat and 7,200 m at Mountain View. Given the positive resource conversion results seen by the Company to date, it is expected that there will be significant conversion of resources from the Inferred category to the Indicated category in the upcoming resource estimate.

Highlights from the 2021-2022 drilling program at Wildcat & Mountain View include (refer to 2022 Millennial press releases): Wildcat: 39.2 m of 1.26 g/t oxide Au, 41.4 m of 0.93 g/t oxide Au, and 120.2 m of 0.39 g/t oxide Au Mountain View: 185.5 m of 1.48 g/t oxide Au, 128.3 m of 1.73 g/t oxide Au, and 232.5 m of 0.91 g/t oxide Au

Material from drilling at Wildcat and Mountain View was used for metallurgical testing, including 22 column leach tests and 186 bottle roll variability tests performed at McClelland Laboratories of Reno, Nevada. All metallurgical test work is now complete and results have met or exceeded the Companys expectations.

Final mining and engineering studies are underway to support the combined maiden PEA for Wildcat & Mountain View, expected to be released in late Q2 2023.

Integra intends to initiate a resource expansion drill program at Wildcat in H2 2023 to test potential extensions of the oxide resource and demonstrate growth potential in previously un-explored areas surrounding the proposed main pit.

An Exploration Plan of Operations (EPO) was submitted to the BLM for both Wildcat and Mountain View in late 2022 and early 2023 respectively. The Company is working closely with the BLM to obtain the authorizations for expanded exploration programs in the future. The EPO will allow for significantly increased flexibility (400 acres of surface disturbance vs. 5 acres of surface disturbance permitted under the current Notice of Operations) for future exploration, geotechnical and metallurgical drilling to support resource growth and future economic studies at Wildcat and Mountain View.



President, CEO & Director, Jason Kosec, stated, following the transformational merger with Millennial Precious Metals, Integra now controls one of the largest precious metal resource endowments in the Western USA. Our vision is to become the next mid-tier producer in the Great Basin and 2023 will be pivotal in achieving that goal. In addition to the maiden PEA for Wildcat and Mountain View and three updated resource estimates, the Company plans to submit the Mine Plan of Operations for DeLamar. The team continues to work aggressively to unlock the full potential of these projects and continue to de-risk them through advanced metallurgy, engineering, geological and environmental baseline studies, in addition to conducting exploration focused on oxide growth.

Executive Chairman, George Salamis, added, Integra is committed to pursuing responsible mining development in the United States and this is reflected in our approach to de-risking and developing our key projects in Idaho and Nevada. Extensive baseline work has been underway at DeLamar for over three years, studying everything from wildlife and vegetation to air and water quality and soils. The permitting team has done an excellent job and we look forward to applying the same level of dedication to the environmental baseline, stakeholder engagement, and project development work underway at Wildcat and Mountain View.

DeLamar Permitting Update

Integra is currently in its third and potential final year of baseline study data collection for the upcoming NEPA process subsequent to the submittal to the BLM as part of the MPO in Q4 2023. To date, Integra has established 38 surface water monitoring locations and 34 historic and new groundwater wells have been sampled quarterly since 2021, resulting in over 8 quarters of site-specific data. Baseline studies have been initiated for Wetlands, Seeps and Springs, Aquatic Resources, Air Quality, Wildlife, Vegetation, Soils, Cultural Resources, and Geochemistry in addition to Surface Water and Groundwater. To date, no federally listed threatened or endangered species have been identified in the proposed project area.

Integra has also entered into a cost recovery agreement with the BLM and initiated Agency and Tribal coordination to provide input on baseline studies to identify potential issues and alternatives in advance of the NEPA. In addition, Integra has worked with the BLM to select a third-party consultant to assist the BLM in the process of baseline plans of study review and approval, baseline data collection, and subsequent baseline technical report review in an effort to reduce the need for baseline data gap analysis and the risk of new issues or concerns arising during the scoping process.

Share Consolidation

Subject to the receipt of approval from the TSXV and NYSE American, Integra intends to consolidate its common shares (Integra Shares) on the basis of one post-consolidation Integra Share for every 2.5 pre-consolidation Integra Shares (the Consolidation). The Consolidation is currently expected to be implemented on or about May 22, 2023.

As a result of the Consolidation, Integra Shares issuable pursuant to Integras convertible securities will be proportionally adjusted on the same basis. No fractional share of Integra will be issued, and any fractional interest in Integra shares resulting from the Consolidation will be rounded to the nearest whole Integra share.

A letter of transmittal will be mailed to registered shareholders once the Consolidation has taken effect, which will contain instructions on how registered shareholders can exchange their share certificates or direct registration system advices (DRS Advices), evidencing their pre-Consolidation Integra Shares for new share certificates or DRS Advices representing the number of post-Consolidation Integra Shares to which they are entitled.

DeLamar Project Overview

The past producing DeLamar Project, which includes the adjacent DeLamar and Florida Mountain gold and silver deposits, is located in Owyhee County in southwest Idaho. Since acquiring the Project in 2017, the Company has demonstrated significant resource growth and conversion while providing robust economic studies in its maiden preliminary economic assessment and Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). An independent technical report for the PFS on the DeLamar Project has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 and is available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

Wildcat Project Overview

Wildcat is located within the Farrell mining district in Nevada, 56km north of the town of Lovelock within Pershing County. The property can be accessed by year-round roads from Lovelock via State Route 399 and Seven Troughs Road. The 17,612-acre land package consists of 916 unpatented claims and 4 patented claims. The claims are located on publicly-owned lands administered by the BLM. The mineralization at Wildcat consists of a gold-dominated, low sulphidation, epithermal vein system with oxidized, disseminated sulphide mineralization hosted in volcanic and intrusive rocks. The Inferred mineral resource estimate at Wildcat contains 776,000 ounces of Au (oxide) (60.8 million tonnes at 0.40 g/t Au; effective date of November 18, 2020). A technical report for the Wildcat Project is available on the Millennial Precious Metals Corp. issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Mountain View Project Overview

Mountain View is located within the Deep Hole mining district in Nevada, 24km north of the town of Gerlach within Washoe County. The project area is covered by a 5,476-acre land package consisting of 282 unpatented claims, located on publicly-owned lands administered by the BLM. Gold-dominated mineralization at Mountain View consists of low sulphidation epithermal veins and disseminated oxide and sulphide mineralization hosted in Cenozoic volcanic rocks. Mountain View has an Inferred mineral resource estimate containing 427,000 ounces of Au (oxide) (23.2 million tonnes at 0.57 g/t Au; effective date of November 15, 2020). A technical report for the Mountain View Project is available on the Millennial Precious Metals Corp. issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

About Integra Resources Corp.

Integra Resources Corp is one of the largest precious metals exploration and development companies in the Great Basin of the Western USA. Integra is currently focused on advancing its three flagship oxide heap leach projects: the past producing DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho and the Wildcat and Mountain View Projects located in western Nevada. The Company also holds a portfolio of highly prospective early-stage exploration projects in Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. Integras long-term vision is to become a leading USA focused mid-tier gold and silver producer.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Raphael Dutaut, Ph.D (P.Geo), Integras Vice President, Exploration and Tim Arnold (PE, SME), Integras Chief Operating Officer. Both individuals are Qualified Persons (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43- 101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS



Jason Kosec

President, CEO and Director

CONTACT INFORMATION



Corporate Inquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Company website: www.integraresources.com

Office phone: 1 (604) 416-0576

Forward Looking and Other Cautionary Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and applicable United States securities laws (referred to herein as forwardlooking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forwardlooking statements which includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: the potential benefits to be derived from the recently completed merger with Millennial, including, but not limited to, the goals, synergies, strategies, opportunities, profile, mineral resources and potential production, project timelines, prospective shareholding, integration and comparables to other transactions; the Consolidation; the future financial or operating performance of the Company and the Companys mineral properties and project portfolio; Integras intended use of the net proceeds from the sale of subscription receipts; the results from work performed to date; the estimation of mineral resources and reserves; the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates; the development, operational and economic results of technical reports on mineral properties referenced herein; magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; the anticipated advancement of the Company mineral properties and project portfolios; exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits; underground exploration potential; costs and timing of future exploration; the completion and timing of future development studies; estimates of metallurgical recovery rates; exploration prospects of mineral properties; requirements for additional capital; the future price of metals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; the timing and possible outcome of pending regulatory matters; the realization of the expected economics of mineral properties; future growth potential of mineral properties; and future development plans.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as may, will, could, would, anticipate, believe, expect, intend, potential, estimate, budget, scheduled, plans, planned, forecasts, goals and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such information is provided. Assumptions and factors include: the integration of the Companies, and realization of benefits therefrom; the Companies ability to complete its planned exploration programs; the Consolidation; the absence of adverse conditions at mineral properties; no unforeseen operational delays; no material delays in obtaining necessary permits; the price of gold remaining at levels that render mineral properties economic; the Companies ability to continue raising necessary capital to finance operations; and the ability to realize on the mineral resource and reserve estimates. Forwardlooking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: integration risks; general business, economic and competitive uncertainties; the actual results of current and future exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; meeting various expected cost estimates; benefits of certain technology usage; changes in project parameters and/or economic assessments as plans continue to be refined; future prices of metals; possible variations of mineral grade or recovery rates; the risk that actual costs may exceed estimated costs; geological, mining and exploration technical problems; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); title to properties; the impact of COVID-19 on the timing of exploration and development work and managements ability to anticipate and manage the foregoing factors and risks. Although the Companies have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are advised to study and consider risk factors disclosed in Integras annual report on Form 20-F dated March 17, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and Millennials managements discussion and analysis dated April 28, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

There can be no assurance that forwardlooking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are presented for the purposes of assisting investors in understanding the Companys plans, objectives and goals, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. This news release also contains or references certain market, industry and peer group data, which is based upon information from independent industry publications, market research, analyst reports, surveys, continuous disclosure filings and other publicly available sources. Although the Company believes these sources to be generally reliable, such information is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other inherent limitations and uncertainties. The Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release and accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of such data is not guaranteed.

Cautionary Note for U.S. Investors Concerning Mineral Resources and Reserves

NI 43-101 is a rule of the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Technical disclosure contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Classification System. These standards differ from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and resource information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by domestic United States companies subject to the SEC's reporting and disclosure requirements.

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.
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Orford Mining Corporation (TSXV: ORM) (Orford) is pleased to report that it continues to receive thick mineralized gold intervals from its 2023 Drill program on the Joutel Eagle Property in Northern Quebec. Hole 23-JE-017 intersected multiple thick gold zones such as 1.4 g/t gold over 9.9 metres including 5.0 g/t over 2.3 metres, 1.4 g/t over 17.6 metres including 5.0 g/t over 2.5 metres and 0.80 g/t over 21.3 metres (Table 1, Figure 1).

David Christie, President and CEO of Orford, commented, "The continued strong results from the 2023 drill campaign on our Joutel Eagle property continue to indicate the tremendous potential value in the South Gold Zone. The multiple thick intersections in hole 23-JE-017 improves the continuity of gold grade and thickness across the South Gold zone. We will review the results received from the 2023 drill program and will start to plan a follow up drill program."

Table 1: Highlight of Joutel Eagle Drill hole assays received to date. All drilling intervals are downhole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Composited intervals above 0.5g/t Au are reported based on a cut-off of 0.2g/t with maximum internal dilution of 2m.

Hole number From To Interval (m) Au g/t 23-JE-009 56.73 57.05 0.3 1.2 23-JE-017 58.1 58.6 0.5 1.5 23-JE-017 78.1 83.5 5.4 0.5 including 82.8 83.5 0.7 1.3 23-JE-017 99.4 102.4 3.0 2.8 including 100.0 101.3 1.3 5.3 23-JE-017 116.84 120.58 3.7 1.4 including 119.4 119.7 0.3 13.4 23-JE-017 124.72 134.58 9.9 1.4 including 127.3 129.7 2.3 5.0 including 129.2 129.7 0.5 20.7 23-JE-017 141.32 158.87 17.6 1.4 including 151.0 153.5 2.5 5.0 23-JE-017 163.24 184.5 21.3 0.8

The Joutel Eagle Property is located along the fertile Casa-Berardi Structural Zone and historical Eagle-Telbel Mine Trend in the Abitibi Greenstone belt. A total of 14 holes and 2,535 metres (Table 3) have been drilled in 2023. This drilling program has tested a 400 metre strike lenght of the South Gold Zone (Figure 1) Orford's drilling results received to date both in the 20221 and preliminary 20231,2,3,4 drilling results have shown that the South Gold Zone hosts higher grade gold over wider intersections than had been reported historically.

Figure 1: Map of the Joutel Eagle South Gold Zone Showing New Results and Completed Drilling. All drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Information on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of the potential on Orford's Joutel Eagle Property1,2,3,4

1 Orford Mining News Release dated June 7, 2022. 2 Orford Mining News Release dated March 30, 2023 3 Orford Mining News Release dated April 20, 2023 4 Orford Mining News Release dated April 20, 2023

Table 2: Status of Assay Results Received from the 2023 Joutel Eagle Drilling Program (SGZ=South Gold Zone)

Hole Number Assay Reported

(%) Area 23-JE-004 100 SGZ 23-JE-005 100 SGZ 23-JE-006 100 North Horizon 23-JE-007 100 North Horizon 23-JE-008 91.2 SGZ 23-JE-009 88 SGZ 23-JE-010 91.3 SGZ 23-JE-011 0 SGZ 23-JE-012 0 SGZ 23-JE-013 0 SGZ 23-JE-014 12.8 SGZ 23-JE-015 54.5 SGZ 23-JE-016 0 SGZ 23-JE-017 100 SGZ

Table 3: Joutel Eagle: South Gold Zone Drill Hole Coordinates (UTM NAD83 Zone 17)

Hole ID X Y Length (m) Azimuth Dip 23-JE-004 684302 5490470 195 30 60 23-JE-005 684216 5490520 159 30 60 23-JE-006 684258 5490757 163 30 50 23-JE-007 684207 5490640 252 30 50 23-JE-008 684172 5490545 192 30 55 23-JE-009 684129 5490570 159 30 60 23-JE-010 684073 5490571 156 30 60 23-JE-011 684029 5490597 155 30 60 23-JE-012 684345 5490445 219 30 60 23-JE-013 684389 5490420 189 30 60 23-JE-014 684303 5490462 156 30 50 23-JE-015 684324 5490458 159 30 60 23-JE-016 684159 5490522 162 30 55 23-JE-017 684303 5490462 219 58 57 2535 Total m

Assays

Sample shipments were sealed and shipped to AGAT Laboratories, Val-d'Or, Quebec. All gold assays reported were obtained by standard fire assay on 50 gram nominal weight with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish or by gravimetric finish in the case of overlimit and on request (methods 202551 and 202564) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario. All samples were also analyzed for multi-elements, including copper and silver, using a four-acid method with an ICP-OES finish (method 201070) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario.

Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") and interpretation of results are performed by qualified persons employing a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are inserted at a minimum of 10% for QA/QC purposes in addition to those inserted by the lab. A subset of samples has not yet been sent for a verification assay at another lab. AGAT Laboratories are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and found to comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

About the Joutel Eagle Property

The property is situated just to the northwest of Agnico Eagle's past producing Eagle-Telbel operation which produced in excess of 1.1 Moz of gold4 from 1974 to 1993. The Joutel Eagle property covers 11 km of the Casa Berardi structural zone south splay (CBSZ) which is associated with several gold deposits and, together with our McClure East property, gives Orford over 17 km coverage on the prolific CBSZ). The Joutel Eagle Property sits to the north of Orford's 100% owned Joutel South Property and to the west of Orford's 100% owned McClure East property. Information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties. On November 30, 2021 Orford announced that it had entered an option to acquire 100% of the 50 square kilometer Joutel Eagle Project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX) (OTCQX International: GLBXF) (Frankfurt: G1MM).

4 Systeme d'information geominiere of Quebec "SIGEOM", Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. April 20, 2020 DV93-01

About Orford Mining Corporation

Orford Mining is a gold and critical mineral explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec. Orford's principal assets are the Qiqavik, West Raglan and lithium exploration projects comprising a land package totaling over 111,000 hectares in the Cape Smith Belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik Project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km. The West Raglan Project hosts a number of high-grade Raglan-style nickel/copper/platinum group metal discoveries along a 55 km mineralized trend. In early 2023 Orford acquired large claim blocks targeting Lithium in the Nunavik Region. These lithium claim blocks have been carefully selected as having promising lithium potential after an exhaustive compilation of available data. Orford also has four property positions in the Joutel region of the Abitibi District of Northern Quebec, which hosts historical deposits such as the Eagle/Telbel, Joutel Copper, Poirier Copper, and Vezza deposits. Orford continually seeks new gold exploration opportunities in North America. Orford's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ORM. This information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties.

Qualified Person

The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Alger St- Jean P.Geo., Chief Geoscientist of Orford, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. The historical assays referred to in this release and shown in this figure were obtained from historical work reports filed with the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and has not been independently verified by a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43- 101.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Orford and potential of one or more of the Qiqavik, and West Raglan, properties.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Orford to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Orford's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although Orford has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Orford 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 applicable securities laws.

The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

www.orfordmining.com
VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a further increase to its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Non-Brokered Private Placement") from $10-million to $11.25-million. The Non-Brokered Private Placement was originally announced on May 1, 2023, and initially upsized on May 3, 2023. The Non-Brokered Private Placement is fully allocated and is expected to close on May 18, 2023. The Company is also continuing with its previously announced brokered financing for gross proceeds of up to $5-million (the "LIFE Offering" and together with the Non-Brokered Private Placement, the "Offering"). If the LIFE Offering is completed for the maximum gross proceeds of $5-million, the aggregate gross proceeds from the Offering are expected to be $16.25-million.

Highlights:

Nevada King has increased the Non-Brokered Private Placement primarily due to significant demand from existing shareholders and intends to raise gross proceeds of $11.25-million (previously announced to be $10-million ) through the issuance of 25,000,000 common shares (the " Common Shares ") of the Company priced at $0.45 per Common Share.

has increased the Non-Brokered Private Placement primarily due to significant demand from existing shareholders and intends to raise gross proceeds of (previously announced to be ) through the issuance of 25,000,000 common shares (the " ") of the Company priced at per Common Share. There are no changes to the Company's agreement with Canaccord Genuity Corp. on behalf of a syndicate of agents (collectively, the " Agents ") in connection with a previously announced LIFE Offering of up to 11,111,111 Common Shares at a price of $0.45 per Common Share to raise additional gross proceeds of up to $5-million .

") in connection with a previously announced LIFE Offering of up to 11,111,111 Common Shares at a price of per Common Share to raise additional gross proceeds of up to . Company Founder & Chief Executive Officer Collin Kettell is subscribing for $2-million of the Non-Brokered Private Placement. The Majority of the $11.25-million is being taken up by existing shareholders of the Company.

is subscribing for of the Non-Brokered Private Placement. The Majority of the is being taken up by existing shareholders of the Company. Upon completion of the Offering, and assuming the completion of the LIFE Offering, Nevada King will have working capital in excess of $21.25-million to support advancement and drilling at the Atlanta Gold Mine Project, Nevada.

The net proceeds of the Offering are intended to be used to advance Nevada King's development and exploration stage assets and for other general corporate purposes.

The issuance of the Common Shares under the Offering remains subject to customary conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, inclusive of the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V").

The Common Shares to be issued under the Non-Brokered Private Placement are expected to be offered by way of applicable prospectus exemptions in accordance with National Instrument 45-106  Prospectus Exemptions to "accredited investors". The Common Shares issued pursuant to the Non-Brokered Private Placement will be subject to the statutory hold period of four months from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

For further information regarding the LIFE Offering, please see the Company's news releases dated May 1, 2023, and May 3, 2023.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any securities in the United States. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to available exemptions therefrom.

Related Party Participation in the Offering

Certain insiders of the Company, including Collin Kettell (CEO and Director), expect to participate in the Non-Brokered Private Placement. The participation by insiders in the Offering constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from the 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, as neither the fair market value of the Common Shares purchased by insiders, nor the consideration for the Common Shares paid by such insiders, will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company expects that the closings of the Offering will occur within 21 days of this announcement and that it will not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closings. The Company deems this circumstance reasonable in order to complete the Offering in an expeditious manner. The Offering has been unanimously approved by the Company's board of directors. Further information regarding the interest in the Offering of every related party and the effect that the Offering will have on their percentage of securities of the Company will be provided once finalized.

About Nevada King Gold Corp.

Nevada King is the third largest mineral claim holder in the State of Nevada, behind Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) and Kinross Gold. Starting in 2016 the Company has staked large project areas hosting significant historical exploration work along the Battle Mountain trend located close to current or former producing gold mines. These project areas were initially targeted based on their potential for hosting multi-million ounce gold deposits and were subsequently staked following a detailed geological evaluation. District-scale projects in Nevada King's portfolio include (1) the 100% owned Atlanta Mine, located 100km southeast of Ely, (2) the Lewis and Horse Mountain-Mill Creek projects, both located between Nevada Gold Mines' large Phoenix and Pipeline mines, and (3) the Iron Point project, located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada. The Company is well funded with cash of approximately $7.25 million as of April 2023.

The Atlanta Mine is a historical gold-silver producer with a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant pit-constrained resource of 460,000 oz Au in the measured and indicated category (11.0M tonnes at 1.3 g/t) plus an inferred resource of 142,000 oz Au (5.3M tonnes at 0.83 g/t). See the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources titled "Atlanta Property, Lincoln County, NV" with an effective date of October 6, 2020, and a report date of December 22, 2020, as prepared by Gustavson Associates and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Calvin R. Herron, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

NI 43-101 Mineral Resources at the Atlanta Mine

Resource Category Tonnes (000's) Au Grade (ppm) Contained Au Oz (000's) Ag Grade (ppm) Contained Ag Oz (000's) Measured 4,130 1.51 200 14.0 1,860 Indicated 6,910 1.17 260 10.6 2,360 Measured+Indicated 11,000 1.30 460 11.9 4,220 Inferred 5,310 0.83 142 7.3 1,240

Please see the Company's website at www.nevadaking.ca.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or" should" occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the closing of the Offering, TSX-V approval of the Offering, the use of proceeds with respect to the Offering, and the results of the mineral resource estimate on the project are forward-looking statements. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Nevada King, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Nevada King does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - May 10, 2023 - New Target Mining Corp. (TSXV:NEW) (the Company or New Target), is pleased to announce that Mr. Adrian Lamoureux has been appointed as a director of the Company, effectively immediately.

Todd Hanas, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Target, comments regarding the appointment of Mr. Lamoureux to the board of directors:

Mr. Lamoureux is currently Chief Executive Officer, President and Director at Vital Battery Metals Inc., Founder of Patriot Battery Metals Inc. and former Chief Executive Officer, as well as an extended tenure on the board of directors and as Vice President - Corporate Development.

As Founder of Patriot Battery Metals Inc., Mr. Lamoureux was instrumental in its growth, development, and sustained success throughout his leadership. Mr. Lamoureux worked in the venture capital markets for close to twenty years (including nine years with Patriot Battery Metals), specializing in the design and implementation of market strategies and corporate development. He has particular expertise in the mineral exploration and development sector. During his time working in the venture capital markets, Mr. Lamoureux has financed a number of successful private and public companies.

I was privileged to work along side Mr. Lamoureux as a director of Patriot Battery Metals from 2019 through 2022 and thrilled for him to be joining New Target and developing a close working relationship with the team and continuing our focus towards near term successes and relentless watershed moments.

The Company also announces the resignation of director Mike Petrina. The Company thanks Mr. Petrina for his valued contribution to the board of directors over his tenure with the Company.

About New Target Mining Corp.: New Target Mining Corp. is a new mineral exploration company, focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest and title to the Scarlett Property located in the New Westminster Mining Division, Mission, British Columbia.

TODD HANAS, PRESIDENT & CEO

New Target Mining Corp.

M: +1 778.994.8072

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.newtargetmining.com

TSX-V:NEW

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 Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forwardlooking information or statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements relating to the expected outcomes and benefits of the appointment of Mr. Lamoureux as a director, the Companys projects, the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the anticipated costs and expenditures, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Companys views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates, the potential for unexpected costs and expenses and those other risks filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather and climate conditions, failure to maintain or obtain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of personnel, materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters), risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions, decrease in the price of gold, copper and other metals, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Companys ability to operate, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law.




VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: ARK) (Arras or the Company) is pleased to provide a summary of the analysis completed from the Companys 2022 regional exploration field program.

Highlights of the Analytical Results from 2022 Exploration Field Program:

Over 16,000 soil samples were collected during the Arras summer field program and analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescent (pXRF) analyzer. The samples were taken from the Beskauga, Ekidos, Stepnoe, Elemes, Nogurbek, and Akkuduk license areas.

The pXRF results confirmed the presence of widespread mineralization in the targeted areas that were identified through Arras 2022 work program and historic Soviet-era geological reports.

The results show three potential copper porphyry targets, along with an epithermal gold and a very promising nickel target which will be followed up in 2023.

In addition to identifying geochemical anomalies, the pXRF analysis of the soils has also been instrumental in mapping out the geology and alteration of our licenses where outcrop is scarce.

It is important to note that due to the limitations of the pXRF technology, the results of the soil program can only be considered indicative of mineralization.

Tim Barry, CEO of Arras, commenting on the results from the 2022 regional field programs, stated, We are pleased to announce the summary results of our extensive 2022 soil sample program. The results have confirmed the presence of mineralization in areas that we initially identified as promising through Arras' geophysical surveys and by reviewing historical Soviet-era reports. Furthermore, the pXRF analysis has revealed additional areas of interest that we will prioritize for follow-up during this year's field program. We look forward to following up the prospects identified in 2023.

The Company is finalizing logistical planning for the 2023 field program which is now underway, and includes the three additional licenses that were secured earlier this year (Bozshakol South, Aimandai & Besshoky). Arras also continues to drill at the Beskauga license and is currently testing new target areas outside of the Beskauga main deposit identified from the Arras geophysical and KGK drilling program in 2021/2022.

Figure 1. Arras Minerals License Package in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan

Qualified Person

The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tim Barry, a Chartered Professional Geologist MAusIMM CP(Geo), and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim Barry"

Tim Barry, MAusIMM (CP(Geo))

Chief Executive Officer and Director

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

+1 604 687 5800

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Further information can be found on the Companys website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals

About Arras Minerals Corp.

Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group). The Companys shares are listed on the TSX-V under the trading symbol ARK.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources

This press release uses the terms measured resources, indicated resources, and inferred resources which are defined in, and required to be disclosed by, NI 43-101. The Company advises U.S. investors that these terms are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of measured, indicated and inferred resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that measured and indicated mineral resources will be converted into reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that estimates of inferred mineral resources exist, are economically minable, or will be upgraded into measured or indicated mineral resources. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies.

Disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, the information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies that are not subject NI 43-101.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding plans and expectations of the exploration program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras management. Words such as expects, anticipates, targets, goals, projects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, continues, may, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond managements control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption Risk Factors in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR on March 30, 2023 and in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 24, 2023 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.
HIGHLIGHTS

The drill-ready Project is located approximately 10 km west of the currently producing Copper Mountain Mine, which hosts a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 702 Mt of 0.24% Copper.

Upon earning-in under the option, Collective will hold a majority interest in the second largest land package in the area, consisting of 29 mineral tenures totaling approximately 28,560 ha (70,570 acres) in a well-documented and prolific copper-gold porphyry belt.

Neighbouring peer Kodiak Copper Corp.s MPD property recently received a $10.5 million investment by Teck Resources Ltd.

Copper Mountain was recently acquired by Hudbay Minerals Inc., for CDN $439 million creating the 3 rd largest Copper producer in Canada.

The predominant feature of interest on the Project is a large, prominent, high intensity magnetic anomaly comparable to the magnetic anomaly spatially associated with the Copper Mountain Mine and associated intrusive complex.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COLLECTIVE METALS INC. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) (the Company or Collective), is pleased to announce it has signed an option agreement dated May 9, 2023 to acquire 70% of the Princeton Project (the Acquisition), a copper-gold project located in south-central BC covering 70,570 acres (the Project) from Tulmeen Resources Corporation (Tulmeen). The Project is approximately 10 km west of Copper Mountain Corporations (Copper Mountain) currently producing Copper Mountain Mine, which hosts a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 702 Mt of 0.24% Copper. The Project hosts potential for identification of one (or more) copper gold alkalic porphyry occurrences similar in age and deposit type to the Copper Mountain Mine.

The Project is easily accessible by road and is located immediately west of Highway 3 south of Princeton, BC, in a well-established mining district with excellent infrastructure, a local workforce and support services. British Columbia is known as a low-risk jurisdiction with high standards for environmental stewardship and community engagement.

Figure 1 - Collective Metals Princeton Project Regional Location

Christopher Huggins, Chief Executive Officer of Collective, commented, The Acquisition is a major milestone for Collective and gives the Company a drill ready, highly prospective copper project in a world-renowned region. The Company hopes to move quickly to drill high priority targets that have been previously identified from the extensive analysis done on the Project. We believe the Project holds many similarities to the nearby Copper Mountain Mine and has the potential to be developed into a world-class copper gold project.

Project Overview

The predominant feature of interest on the Project is a large, prominent, high intensity magnetic anomaly comparable to the magnetic anomaly spatially associated with the Copper Mountain Mine and associated intrusive complex. The previously identified Trojan and Nev MINFILE occurrences, together with the geophysically identified Condor Corridor, are located on the northwest margin of the high intensity magnetic anomaly. The Whipsaw Property and the Goldrop MINFILE occurrences, immediately adjacent to the Project and held by competitors, are located on the western and northern margins of the high intensity magnetic anomaly, respectively. Therefore, the high intensity magnetic anomaly will provide the dominant focus for exploration and evaluation of the Project.

The most advanced areas on the Project are as follows:

The Trojan - Condor Corridor, which is the highest priority drill target on the Project at this time, located on the northwest fringe of the high intensity magnetic anomaly along Whipsaw Creek.

Magnetite occurrences in the Fifteen Mile, and relatively extensive iron carbonate  silica  pyrite alteration identified in Fourteen Mile Creek drainages, spatially associated with the northwest margin of the high intensity magnetic anomaly.

The Lamont Ridge and Wilmac target areas, which are also spatially associated with smaller high intensity magnetic anomalies slightly farther to the northwest of the large, high intensity magnetic anomaly.

Based on previous work, the Project has documented potential for precious metals (gold and silver), platinum group elements (predominantly platinum and palladium), base metals (copper, molybdenum, lead and zinc), a variety of industrial minerals, including, but not limited to bentonite, clay, gypsum, pyrophyllite and zeolites) and gemstones (agate). With respect to precious and base metals, there is documented potential for a variety of deposit types defined by BC Deposit Models including, but not limited to Cu  Mo  Au Porphyry (L04), Subvolcanic Cu-Ag-Au (As-Sb) (L01), Cu Skarn (K01), Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn (G06) and Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au (I05).

Project Geology

The Project area is underlain by Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Nicola Group volcanic and subordinate sedimentary rocks, overlain on the eastern portion of the property by the Eocene age Princeton Group, a cover sequence that has preserved the underlying Nicola Group from erosion. The Nicola Group was subsequently intruded by Late Triassic  Early Jurassic age diorite intrusions, some of which have been correlated to the Copper Mountain Suite (associated with the Copper Mountain Mine) or the Tulameen Mafic  Ultramafic Complex to the west. Diorite intrusions represent the high priority targets for subsequent exploration and evaluation of the Project area as they are interpreted to potential hosts for porphyry-style alteration and, more importantly, mineralization in the region. Interpreted porphyry-style alteration was identified by previous operators from surface rock samples and sub-surface core samples. The limited drill program carried out on the Project in 2015 also identified weak copper mineralization, as chalcopyrite, also interpreted to indicate the presence of an alkalic copper-gold porphyry.

The Eocene Princeton Group is associated with a distinctly different style of mineralization which includes documented potential for industrial minerals and gemstones (agate). A secondary priority for 2023 is to evaluate volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) potential, specifically with respect to the Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn deposit model. A potential VMS exhalate horizon was tentatively identified in work completed by the BC Geological Survey Branch.

Figure 2 - Princeton Project Magnetic Anomaly Map

Terms of the Option Agreement

Collective has secured an option on the Project from Tulmeen to earn a seventy percent (70%) interest in the Project through a combination of cash payments, common share issuances and incurrence of exploration expenditures, as follows:

(a) paying Tulmeen an aggregate of $500,000 in cash as follows:

(i) $50,000 on or before the date that is ten (10) calendar days after May 9, 2023 (the Effective Date); (ii) $25,000 on or before: (A) the date that Collective consummates an equity investor financing providing not less than $200,000 in gross cash proceeds to Collective; or (B) December 1, 2023, whichever is earlier; (iii) $100,000 on or before the date that is one (1) calendar year after the Effective Date; (iv) $162,500 on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (v) $162,500 on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date;

(b) issuing to Tulmeen an aggregate of 7,000,000 common shares (Shares) as follows:

(i) 1,000,000 Shares on or before the date that is ten (10) calendar days after the Effective Date; (ii) 1,500,000 Shares on or before the date that is one (1) calendar year after the Effective Date; (iii) 2,000,000 Shares on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (iv) 2,500,000 Shares on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date; and

(c) incurring a minimum of $1,400,000 in exploration expenditures on the Project as follows:

(i) $300,000 on or before the date that is sixteen (16) months after the Effective Date, $85,000 of which must be incurred before June 30, 2023; (ii) $300,000 on or before the date that is two (2) calendar years after the Effective Date; (iii) $300,000 on or before the date that is three (3) calendar years after the Effective Date; and (iv) $500,000 on or before the date that is four (4) calendar years after the Effective Date.

Marketing Campaign

The Company announces an agreement with Hillside Consulting & Media Inc. (Hillside) (Address: 474 Main St, Penticton BC, Canada) (Phone: 250-485-3615; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) for marketing services of up to 3 months, commencing May 9, 2023.

Hillside will utilize their online programs to generate a greater following, increase investor awareness and attract potential new investors through various online platforms and methods of engagement for total consideration of CDN$200,000. The activities will occur by email, online publications, social media and other PPC advertising techniques (the Services). As of the date hereof, to the Companys knowledge, Hillside (including its directors and officers) does not own any securities of the Company and has an arms length relationship with the Company. The Company will not issue any securities to Hillside as compensation for its marketing services.

Options Issuance

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 2,475,000 incentive stock options (Options) under the Companys stock option plan, each with an exercise price of CDN$0.15, to officers, directors and consultants of the Company. Each option, upon payment of the exercise price, entitles the holder thereof to receive one Share of the Company. The Options, and any Shares issued upon the exercise of, will be subject to a hold period of four months in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Correction Notice of Press Release dated March 24, 2023 - Announcing Closing of Non-Brokered Private Placement of Units (the Prior Release)

The second paragraph of the Prior Release is corrected to read as follows. For clarity, the Companys right to accelerate the expiry date of the warrants described therein will apply from closing of the Offering (defined in the Prior Release), instead of starting four-months and one day from closing (as previously indicated in the Prior Release):

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one whole common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.20 on or before March 23, 2025 (the Expiry Day). The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause such that, if the price at which the Shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange is greater than $0.30 for 10 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the Warrant expiry date by giving notice to the holder of the Warrants. In such case, the Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the date which is the earlier of: (i) the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company; and (ii) the Expiry Day.

Qualified Person

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Rick Walker, P. Geo., who is acting as the Companys Qualified Person for the Princeton Property project, in accordance with regulations under NI 43-101.

About Collective Metals

Collective Metals Inc. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) is a resource exploration company specialized in precious metals exploration in North America. The Companys flagship property is the Princeton Project, located in south-central British Columbia, Canada, approximately 10 km west of the currently producing Copper Mountain Mine. The Princeton Project consists of 29 mineral tenures totaling approximately 28,560 ha (70,570 acres) in a well documented and prolific copper-gold porphyry belt and is easily accessible by road, located immediately west of Highway 3.

The Companys Landings Lake Lithium Project, which is located in northwestern Ontario where numerous lithium deposits have been delineated to host significant reserves of Li2O. The Landings Lake Lithium Project is located 53 km east of Ear Falls, Ontario and covers 3,146 hectares.

Collective Metals is also advancing the Uptown Gold Project 4 km outside of Yellowknife, adjacent to several high grade past producing mines. The Uptown Gold Property is a high-grade Archean lode gold prospect adjoining the Giant Mine in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The property consists of 4 claims covering over 2,000 hectares and borders the west side of the Giant Mine leases.

Social Media



On Behalf of Collective Metals Inc.

Christopher Huggins

Chief Executive Officer

T: 604-968-4844

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, including with respect to future plans, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. 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, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, and dependence on key personnel. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements respecting: completion of the Acquisition; the Companys anticipated work program at the Project; and provision of the Services by Hillside. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, the continued availability of capital and financing, litigation, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) (OTCQB: PEXZF) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with AuRico Metals Inc. ("AuRico"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) (NYSE: CGAU) ("Centerra"), to acquire a 100% interest in the Kliyul and Redton copper-gold porphyry projects (the "Projects") by issuing 16,996,099 common shares to AuRico (the "Agreement"). The Projects are located in the prolific Quesnel Trough in northcentral British Columbia (see Figure 1).

This Agreement replaces a previous agreement with AuRico whereby the Company had the right to acquire up to a 75% interest in the Projects by spending $7.0M on exploration, issuing 3,500,000 common shares, and making cash payments totaling $160,000 by December 31, 2025 (see news release dated January 17, 2020). The Agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

"Owning one of B.C.'s newest and most exciting discoveries outright is great news for Pacific Ridge and its shareholders," said Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge. "Over the last three years we have materially increased the size of the Kliyul mineralized body to the point where we believe that there is excellent potential to outline a sizeable copper-gold porphyry deposit. Lastly, I would like to welcome AuRico as our newest and largest shareholder. I truly believe that today's news is an important milestone that will help to create and unlock future value for the Company and its shareholders."

Figure 1: Location of Kliyul and Redton

2023 Kliyul Copper-Gold Porphyry Project Exploration Plans

Pacific Ridge has budgeted approximately $4.6M for a 7,000 m diamond drill program at the Kliyul copper-gold project ("Kliyul") this year. In addition to further expansion drilling at the Kliyul Main Zone ("KMZ"), Pacific Ridge plans to drill test several other interpreted porphyry centres that occur along a 6-km long mineralized trend (see Figure 2). The Company will mobilize in mid-June and drilling is expected to commence by the end of June/beginning of July.

Figure 2: Kliyul Target Areas

About Kliyul

Over 60 km2 in size, Kliyul is located 65 km southeast of the Centerra Kemess Project and close to existing infrastructure (Figure 1). Kliyul comprises nine porphyry copper-gold target areas along two main trends: the 1.5 km-long east-northeast Valley Fault Trend, which includes its five fault-defined target areas (Kliyul West, KMZ, Kliyul North, East Wedge, and Kliyul East); and the 6-km-long northwest-trending Divide Lake Fault Trend which includes Ginger, Parish Hill, Bap Ridge, and M-39 target areas (see Figure 2).

Since 2020, Pacific Ridge has spent over $7.5M advancing Kliyul, including 8,557 m of drilling in 15 holes as well as geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys. Based on the exploration results to date, the Company believes that there is excellent potential to define a significant porphyry copper-gold system. Drilling at KMZ to date has defined a mineralized body measuring approximately 600 m by 350 m, and to a depth of 600 m; and geophysical data, including recent magnetic and IP surveys, suggest that this body can be expanded significantly (see Figure 3). Highlights from Pacific Ridge's drilling are shown in Table 1.

Figure 3: Kliyul West, KMZ, and Kliyul North with MVI (magnetic vector inversion) Induced Magnetics

Drilling confirms that the MVI Induced data closely correlates with mineralization. Anomalous MVI is ~ 38-hectare in size; current KMZ mineralized footprint is only 5.5 hectares, or 14.5% of the total footprint.

Table 1 - Kliyul Drill Highlights - 2021 and 2022

Hole From(m) To(m) Width(m) Cu(%) Au(g/t) Ag(g/t) CuEq(%)* AuEq(g/t)** KLI-21-036 12.0 449.0 437.0 0.22 0.60 1.62 0.68 0.93 Includes 12.0 65.0 53.0 0.22 0.83 1.52 0.84 1.15 And 12.0 33.0 21.0 0.34 1.30 2.48 1.31 1.80 And 47.0 65.0 18.0 0.22 0.89 1.24 0.88 1.21 Includes 143.3 435.0 291.7 0.28 0.74 2.04 0.84 1.15 And 294.0 435.0 141.0 0.36 1.11 2.76 1.19 1.64 KLI21-037 12.3 579.0 566.7 0.20 0.44 1.39 0.53 0.73 Includes 12.3 329.0 316.7 0.30 0.70 2.17 0.83 1.14 And 62.0 73.0 11.0 0.42 1.22 4.48 1.35 1.85 And 90.0 122.0 32.0 0.52 0.88 2.48 1.18 1.62 And 146.0 161.0 15.0 0.39 1.19 2.86 1.29 1.77 Includes 238.8 288.1 49.4 0.66 1.50 4.83 1.79 2.46 And 243.9 268.0 24.1 1.09 2.21 7.92 2.77 3.80 KLI21-038 9.0 516.0 507.0 0.15 0.39 1.51 0.45 0.62 Includes 9.0 351.0 342.0 0.17 0.50 2.00 0.56 0.77 And 9.0 43.0 34.0 0.27 0.72 2.84 0.82 1.13 And 9.0 63.0 54.0 0.21 0.56 2.27 0.64 0.88 And 108.0 136.0 28.0 0.21 0.60 9.01 0.72 0.99 And 153.1 186.0 32.9 0.24 0.78 1.68 0.82 1.12 And 226.0 351.0 125.0 0.23 0.69 1.57 0.74 1.02 And 261.0 349.0 88.0 0.26 0.84 1.82 0.89 1.22 KLI-22-039 9.3 252.0 242.7 0.15 0.17 1.05 0.29 0.39 Includes 22.0 43.4 21.4 0.38 0.48 3.96 0.76 1.04 And 192.0 229.0 37.0 0.20 0.27 0.67 0.40 0.55 KLI-22-040 23.0 550.8 527.8 0.19 0.30 1.35 0.42 0.58 Includes 89.0 355.5 266.5 0.23 0.48 1.94 0.60 0.82 And 170.0 268.0 98.0 0.33 0.90 3.42 1.01 1.39 And 210.0 253.0 43.0 0.50 1.11 2.72 1.33 1.83 And 306.6 340.0 33.4 0.09 0.56 0.77 0.50 0.69 KLI-22-041 12.0 600.0 588.0 0.12 0.39 0.90 0.41 0.56 Includes 106.0 442.0 336.0 0.15 0.62 1.04 0.61 0.84 And 164.0 442.0 278.0 0.14 0.72 0.95 0.67 0.92 And 164.0 200.0 36.0 0.30 0.70 1.61 0.82 1.13 And 280.0 323.0 43.0 0.09 1.59 1.34 1.26 1.73 And 337.0 398.0 61.0 0.25 1.15 1.12 1.09 1.50 And 420.0 442.0 22.0 0.10 0.63 1.01 0.56 0.77 KLI-22-042 9.0 702.0 693.0 0.11 0.20 0.81 0.26 0.36 Includes 136.0 474.4 338.4 0.12 0.30 0.98 0.35 0.48 And 136.0 306.0 170.0 0.18 0.35 1.34 0.44 0.61 And 438.0 474.4 36.4 0.14 0.62 0.99 0.60 0.82 KLI-22-043 9.0 516.0 507.0 0.17 0.19 0.82 0.32 0.44 Includes 147.0 261.0 114.0 0.28 0.36 1.52 0.55 0.76 And 165.0 229.0 64.0 0.31 0.47 1.82 0.67 0.92 Includes 463.0 501.0 38.0 0.45 0.26 0.83 0.65 0.89 KLI-22-044 11.6 651.0 639.4 0.11 0.23 0.84 0.29 0.39 Includes 81.5 432.2 350.7 0.13 0.32 0.98 0.38 0.52 And 134.0 352.0 218.0 0.15 0.37 1.15 0.43 0.59 And 136.0 194.0 58.0 0.25 0.38 1.73 0.54 0.74 And 237.3 336.7 99.4 0.13 0.47 1.01 0.48 0.66 KLI-22-045 112.0 184.0 72.0 0.21 0.59 1.96 0.66 0.91 Includes 141.0 184.0 43.0 0.17 0.57 2.39 0.61 0.83 And 330.0 367.0 37.0 0.15 0.34 0.89 0.40 0.55 KLI-22-046 273.0 442.0 169.0 0.20 0.46 1.65 0.55 0.75 Includes 313.0 336.2 23.2 0.15 0.49 1.36 0.51 0.71 And 371.0 430.0 59.0 0.24 0.87 2.29 0.89 1.22 KLI-22-047 332.0 385.0 53.0 0.10 0.11 0.72 0.18 0.25 KLI-22-048a 352.0 362.0 10.0 0.01 0.59 1.81 0.46 0.63 KLI-22-049 144.0 484.0 340.0 0.15 0.20 0.80 0.30 0.41 Includes 250.0 316.0 66.0 0.23 0.24 0.90 0.41 0.57 And 456.0 484.0 28.0 0.27 0.44 2.87 0.61 0.84 KLI-22-050 58.0 584.0 526.0 0.20 0.43 1.03 0.52 0.71 Includes 115.0 443.0 328.0 0.25 0.57 1.25 0.67 0.92 And 254.0 308.0 54.0 0.40 1.03 2.42 1.17 1.60 And 354.0 443.0 89.0 0.28 1.05 1.20 1.06 1.45 And 514.0 562.0 48.0 0.19 0.41 1.15 0.49 0.68 *CuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151) + (Ag(g/t) x $Ag X 0.032151)) / ($Cu x 22.0462) **AuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151)) + (Ag(g/t) x $Ag X 0.032151)) / ($Au x 0.032151) Commodity prices: $Cu = US$3.50/lb, $Au = US$1,750/oz., and Ag = US$20.00/oz. Factors: 22.0462 = Cu% to lbs per tonne, 0.032151 = Au g/t to troy oz per tonne, and 0.032151 = Ag g/t to troy oz per tonne. Recovery is assumed to be 100% - there has been no metallurgical testing on Kliyul mineralization

About the Redton Copper-Gold Porphyry Project

Approximately 35 sq-km in size, the Redton copper-gold porphyry project ("Redton") is adjacent to NorthWest Copper Corp's Kwanika deposit (Figure 4), which hosts 223.6 million tonnes grading 0.27% copper, 0.25 g/t gold and 0.87 g/t silver containing 1.32 billion pounds of Cu, 1.83 million ounces of Au and 6.27 million ounces of Ag in the Measured and Indicated category1. In 2022, Pacific Ridge identified a surface geochemical target of similar size and orientation as the Kwanika Central Zone footprint, located 4.5 km east of the Kwanika following an interpreted arc-transverse lineament.

Figure 4: Redton Target Areas

About Pacific Ridge

Our goal is to become British Columbia's leading copper-gold exploration company. Pacific Ridge's flagship project is the Kliyul copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel Trough, approximately 65 km southeast of Centerra Gold Inc's Kemess Project. In addition to Kliyul, the Company's project portfolio includes the RDP copper-gold project (optioned to Antofagasta Minerals S.A.), the Chuchi copper-gold project, the Onjo copper-gold project, and the Redton copper-gold project, all located in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge would like to acknowledge that its B.C. projects are located in the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Gitxsan Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Nak'azdli Whut'en, Takla Nation, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Blaine Monaghan"

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Corporate Contact:

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-4951

www.pacificridgeexploration.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-ridge-exploration-ltd-pex-

https://twitter.com/PacRidge_PEX

Investor Contact:

G2 Consultants Corp.

Telephone: +1 778-678-9050

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1Bird, S., Nowak, M., Meintjes, T., 2019. NI 43-101 Technical report for the Kwanika project resource estimate update 2019. Near Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada: Prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Services for Kwanika Copper Corp., Serengeti Resources Inc., and Posco International Corp.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., Executive Chairman of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, which address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include the planned 7,000 m drill program at Kliyul budgeted at $4.6M and the potential for the KMZ mineralized body to continue growing. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
(All dollar amounts in USD unless otherwise stated).

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) (Orezone or Company) reported its operational and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The consolidated financial statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis are available at www.orezone.com and on the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company will host a conference call and webcast on May 10, 2023 commencing at 8:00am PDT to discuss the Companys first quarter results. Additional details are provided at the end of this press release.

Patrick Downey, President and CEO, commented Earnings from mine operations exceeded $39 million in Bombores first full quarter of commercial production and have provided a strong start to the Companys net earnings and free cash flow for 2023. Gold production of 41,301 oz was helped by excellent performance of the process plant with mill throughput at 13% above design and recoveries at a steady 92.2%. Our operational efficiency and stringent cost management assisted in offsetting cost pressures from a stronger local currency and high in-country diesel prices. With robust gold prices, AISC margin was $966 per oz sold or an impressive 51%.

Our safety record continues to be exemplary with no lost time injuries for the quarter from 928,000 hours worked and an LTIFR of zero since 2021 when construction of the Phase I Oxide plant commenced.

On the growth front, work on our grid power connection is advancing at a steady rate with the awards of all major installation contracts and order placements for schedule-critical equipment. Significant savings from current on-site power generation will be realized once the connection is energized, expected in Q4-2023. Lastly, work on the Bombore Phase II Expansion study update remains on track for completion by the end of this third quarter.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Operational

Produced 41,301 gold oz

Sold 43,139 gold oz at an average realized price of $1,892 per oz

AISC of $926 per gold oz sold

Zero lost-time injuries with 928,000 personnel hours worked

Financial

Revenue of $81.7 million

Earnings from mine operations of $39.7 million

Net income and net income per share (basic) attributable to Orezone shareholders of $22.6 million and $0.07, respectively

Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share (basic) attributable to Orezone shareholders of $24.6 million and $0.07, respectively

Cash flow from operations before changes in non-cash working capital of $41.1 million ($38.9 million after changes in non-cash working capital)

Free cash flow of $31.5 million

Cash of $45.2 million at March 31, 2023

Corporate

Rob Henderson appointed as VP Technical Services and Kevin MacKenzie appointed as VP Corporate Development and Investor Relations on January 5, 2023

Non-brokered private placement of 13.0 million common shares at C$1.27 per share arranged with a large, well-established, global institutional fund manager and closed on March 8, 2023, resulting in net proceeds of $11.6 million

 Non-IFRS measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section below for additional details.

PRODUCTION AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY

(All mine site figures are on a 100% basis) Q1-2023 Q4-2022 Operating Performance Gold production oz 41,301 22,258 Gold sales oz 43,139 24,676 Average realized gold price $/oz 1,892 1,760 Cash costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 799 973 All-in sustaining costs (AISC) per gold ounce sold $/oz 926 1,075 Financial Performance Revenue $000s 81,712 43,431 Earnings from mine operations $000s 39,670 16,660 Net income attributable to shareholders of Orezone $000s 22,560 3,763 Net income per common share attributable to shareholders of

Orezone:

Basic

Diluted $

$



0.07

0.06



0.01

0.01 Adjusted EBITDA $000s 42,645 15,725 Adjusted earnings attributable to shareholders of Orezone $000s 24,574 9,903 Adjusted earnings per share attributable to shareholders of

Orezone $ 0.07 0.03 Cash and Cash Flow Data Operating cash flow before changes in working capital $000s 41,137 15,400 Operating cash flow $000s 38,926 23,235 Free cash flow $000s 31,498 8,942 Cash $000s 45,172 9,158

 Non-IFRS measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section below for additional information.

BOMBORE GOLD MINE (100% BASIS)  OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

Q1-2023 Q4-2022 Safety Lost-time injuries frequency rate (LTIFR) per 1M hours 0.00 0.00 Personnel-hours worked 000s hours 928 958 Mining Physicals Ore tonnes mined tonnes 2,205,056 1,526,949 Waste tonnes mined tonnes 2,382,135 3,087,950 Total tonnes mined tonnes 4,587,191 4,614,899 Strip ratio waste:ore 1.1 2.0 Processing Physicals Ore tonnes milled tonnes 1,445,693 806,875 Head grade milled Au g/t 0.96 0.93 Recovery rate % 92.2 91.9 Gold produced oz 41,301 22,258 Unit Cash Cost Mining cost per tonne $/tonne 2.91 2.57 Mining cost per ore tonne processed $/tonne 6.51 6.58 Processing cost $/tonne 9.21 12.47 Site general and admin (G&A) cost $/tonne 3.23 4.87 Cash cost per ore tonne processed $/tonne 18.96 23.92 Cash Costs and AISC Details Mining cost (net of stockpile movements) $000s 9,417 5,306 Processing cost $000s 13,322 10,062 Site general and admin cost $000s 4,667 3,928 Refining and transport cost $000s 148 92 Government royalty cost $000s 4,912 2,608 Gold inventory movements $000s 2,019 2,010 Cash costs on a sales basis $000s 34,485 24,006 Sustaining capital $000s 3,530 1,550 Sustaining leases $000s 187 - Corporate general and admin cost $000s 1,731 959 All-In Sustaining Costs on a sales basis $000s 39,933 26,515 Gold sold oz 43,139 24,676 Cash costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 799 973 All-In Sustaining Costs per gold ounce sold $/oz 926 1,075

 The Bombore Mine entered into commercial production on December 1, 2022. Unit cash costs during pre-commercial production are not representative of cost performance expected under steady-state operations. Cost figures presented for Q4-2022 include a blend of costs before and during commercial production.

 The Bombore Mine did not process any significant quantity of ore for the month of October 2022 due to insufficient power as the power plant underwent repairs. As a result, departmental costs for processing and site general and admin have been excluded from the cash cost and AISC figures presented for Q4-2022. These costs have been capitalized as commissioning costs.

 Non-IFRS measure. See Non-IFRS Measures section below for additional details.

Commissioning of the process plant with ore commenced in late August 2022, resulting in the pouring of first gold on September 10, 2022 but commissioning was interrupted in late September 2022 when one of the two working permanent gensets experienced a major failure. As a consequence, mill operations were stopped in October 2022 and only recommenced in November 2022 when replacement rental gensets were mobilized, installed, and put into service. With full and reliable power, the process plant quickly ramped-up daily mill tonnages which led to Bombore declaring commercial production on December 1, 2022.

Bombore Production Results

Gold production in Q1-2023 was 41,301 oz, an increase of 86% from the 22,258 oz produced in Q4-2022. The higher gold production is attributable to a 79% jump in plant throughput combined with slight increases in ore grades and plant recoveries. The process plant performed exceptionally well in Q1-2023 with throughput averaging 16,063 tonnes per day which exceeded nameplate by approximately 13% while process recoveries were consistent with design levels. Favourable ore characteristics and high levels of plant availability and utilization led to a strong quarterly performance. Scheduled maintenance was conducted during the quarter with major mill shutdowns for mill re-line and scheduled change-outs of wear parts planned for in later quarters of the year.

Bombore Operating Costs

AISC per gold ounce sold in Q1-2023 was $926, a decrease of 14% from the AISC per gold ounce sold of $1,075 in Q4-2022. The lower AISC was driven mainly by improved performance in unit costs and a 3% increase in ore grades milled. Cash cost per ore tonne processed covering mining, processing and site G&A declined by 21% or $4.96 from $23.92 in Q4-2022 to $18.96 in Q1-2023 as a result of the higher mill throughput and the corresponding decrease in fixed unit costs. In addition, processing costs benefitted from the optimized consumption of major reagents through enhancements in operator controls and a better understanding of field operating conditions. However, cost of power generation remains elevated and above budget due to persistently high in-country diesel prices set by the Burkina Faso government. The Company had expected a moderation in diesel prices starting in 2023 to reflect falling global oil prices in H2-2022 but decreases in diesel prices have not yet materialized. This high diesel cost also had a negative effect on unit mining costs.

Bombore Growth Capital Projects

Grid Power Connection

The project to connect Bombore to Burkina Fasos national grid is progressing well and remains on schedule for completion before the end of the 2023 year. The Company has engaged ECG Engineering Pty Ltd. (ECG) to manage the design, construction, and commissioning of the new high voltage transmission line and dedicated substations, and will work closely with SONABEL, Burkina Fasos state-owned electricity company, to ensure timely deliverables and adherence to schedule. ECG is a specialized engineering firm that has successfully delivered on similar projects in West Africa, including Burkina Faso.

To-date, all long lead equipment orders have been placed and all major contracts have been awarded. Land compensation for the transmission line corridor has commenced under the direction of SONABEL and work to clear this ground corridor will follow shortly upon the mobilization of contractor equipment and personnel. Drawings and designs for the powerline and substations have been submitted to SONABEL and are pending their final review and approval.

RAP Phases II and III

RAP Phases II and III involve the construction of four new resettlement villages (MV3, MV2, BV2, and BV1). The Company has sequenced MV3 as the first village to construct in order to gain access to mining areas that are currently contemplated in the 2024 mine plan. MV3 is the largest of the resettlement villages and requires the new erection of over 1,200 private homes and public structures.

The start of construction for the MV3 village encountered a slight delay in the first two months of 2023 as communities conducted sacred ceremonies for the new resettlement grounds. Earthwork for MV3 is now complete and contractors have commenced the mobilization of personnel, materials, and equipment to site.

RAP compensation for displaced households is organized to begin in Q2-2023.

2023 Feasibility Study Update for the Phase II Expansion (2023 FS)

The 2019 feasibility study (2019 FS) contemplated the construction of a 2.2M tonnes per annum (tpa) hard rock facility which would commence production in the third year of oxide operations. Based on the mineral reserves outlined in this 2019 FS, the overall plant capacity was to remain at a nominal 5.2Mtpa, comprising of 3.0Mtpa of oxides and 2.2Mtpa of hard rock, resulting in an average gold production profile of 134,000 oz per year for the first ten years of commercial operations.

Subsequent to the 2019 FS, over 100,000 metres of drilling have been completed leading to the discovery of the near surface P17NE deposit and extensions of other known higher grade hard rock zones with the main Bombore deposit. Results of drilling undertaken in 2022 are expected to successfully convert Inferred resources of higher grade hard rock material into the Measured and Indicated categories. The updated resource modelling is progressing and a new resource, reserve, and mine plan are targeted for completion in Q3-2023.

Metallurgical test work is also nearing completion which confirms more rapid leach kinetics and a resultant significant decrease in required leach time from the 42 hours shown in the 2019 FS to the estimated 24 hours to be used in plant design for the 2023 FS. The Company expects the new hard rock expansion will be sized as a 4.4Mtpa standalone circuit to operate independently to the existing 5.7Mtpa oxide circuit, a notable increase to the 5.2Mtpa combined circuit in the 2019 FS. The Company has chosen to expand the circuit size as it believes recent drilling successes have demonstrated that the Bombore mine is capable of supporting a larger annual operation. The Bombore deposit remains open to further extensions and potential new discoveries from future drilling.

For the 2023 FS, the Company has engaged the same consultants (Lycopodium and Knight Piesold) that completed the development and construction of the current Phase I operations to ensure continuity and consistency. Flowsheet development is complete, and equipment and capital costs are well advanced. Of note is that the carbon-in-leach and elution circuits will be copies of those in current operations.

The Company has held early discussions with its senior lender, Coris Bank, about their participation in this future Phase II Expansion. Coris Bank has indicated they are supportive of this expansion and look forward to furthering discussions as the Company draws closer to completing its 2023 FS.

NON-IFRS MEASURES

The Company has included certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that is not defined under IFRS, including cash costs, AISC, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted earnings, adjusted earnings per share, and free cash flow. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company uses such measures to provide additional information and they should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For a complete description of how the Company calculates such measures and reconciliation of certain measures to IFRS terms, refer to Non-IFRS Measures in the Managements Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2023 which is incorporated by reference herein.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

Orezone will host a conference call and audio webcast to discuss first quarter 2023 results on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 8:00am PDT (11:00am EDT).

Webcast

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Time: 8:00 am Pacific Time (11:00 am Eastern time)

Please register for the webcast here: Orezone Q1-2023 Conference Call and Webcast

Conference Call

Toll-free in U.S. and Canada: 1-800- 715-9871

International callers: +646-307-1963

Event ID: 8574266

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Pascal Marquis, Geo., Senior Vice President of Exploration, Mr. Rob Henderson, P. Eng, Vice President of Technical Services, and Mr. Patrick Downey, P.Eng. President and CEO, all of whom are Qualified Persons as defined under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Orezone Gold Corporation

Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a Canadian mining company operating the open pit Bombore Gold Mine in Burkina Faso.

Orezone is focusing on mining and processing the Phase I near surface free-dig oxides at a planned annual throughput of 5.7 million tonnes. The Company believes that Bombore has a significant underlying sulphide resource to support a substantially larger Phase II expansion. The Company has recently completed a resource definition drill program, and plans to issue an updated mineral resource, reserve and life of mine plan, as part of this Phase II expansion. It is expected that the pending study will be completed in Q3-2023 to be followed by a production decision.

Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets and M&A.

The technical report for the 2019 Feasibility Study on the Bombore Project entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report (Amended) Feasibility Study of the Bombore Gold Project is available on SEDAR under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

Patrick Downey

President and Chief Executive Officer

Vanessa Pickering

Manager, Investor Relations

Tel: 1 778 945 8977 / Toll Free: 1 888 673 0663

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / www.orezone.com

For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945-8977 or visit the Companys website at www.orezone.com.

The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that constitutes forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian Securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws (together, forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate, potential, possible and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may, will, could, or should occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Bombore Growth Capital Projects and the 2023 Feasibility Study Update for the Phase II Expansion.

All forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, terrorist or other violent attacks, the failure of parties to contracts to honour contractual commitments, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, accidents and equipment breakdowns, political risk, unanticipated changes in key management personnel, the spread of diseases, epidemics and pandemics diseases, market or business conditions, the failure of exploration programs, including drilling programs, to deliver anticipated results and the failure of ongoing and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, and other factors described in the Company's most recent annual information form and managements discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR on www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to 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 price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors 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 are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.
All five diamond holes of the current Trundle project program have confirmed an extensive multiple system gold-copper complex Four adjacent mineralised system targets drilled with shallow higher grade and board gold-copper mineralised zones Assay results received for four of the five holes are to hand, with a technical workshop planned for the end of May to review final results and plan follow-up activities A 3.2km gold-copper mineralised strike remains open to the north and south, confirmed up to 900m wide (open) and a vertical depth of greater than 800m

Maiden Kincora drilling program has commenced at the Condobolin project while Trundle results are finalised and workshop completed Drilling at the Condobolin project tests new geological concepts at existing high grade and shallow gold-base metal targets at the Meritilga, Phoenix and Tilga prospects



MELBOURNE, Australia, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - John Holliday, Technical Committee chair, and Peter Leaman, VP of Exploration, commented:

"The results of this program further illustrate the very extensive scale (3.2km and open) of the mineralised zone at the southern portion of the Trundle license. The zone has demonstrated higher grade potential, including most recent assay results of up to 2.24% copper and 1.75g/t gold.

The most northern three holes intersected significant zones of mineralisation and alteration from near surface in a composite intrusive system, including the strongest and longest interval of potassic (biotite) alteration to date at the project within the North-East Gold Zone.

To the south, an extensive mineralised magnetite skarn has been discovered by Kincora along a 900m NWSE trending strike from over 800m vertical depth in the Southern Extension Zone to only 240m at the adjacent Botfield prospect. This is a very significant mineralising skarn system, with the porphyry intrusive source rocks and pathways to the skarn open for further exploration.

Alteration zones and grades encountered in all holes of this program are suggestive of being in a proximal porphyry setting and continue to strongly support our exploration concept that Trundle has the potential for a series or cluster of porphyry-related ore deposits.

Following receipt of pending assays a detailed workshop is scheduled to design more drill targets at Trundle, as drilling continues at the Condobolin project and as we work through a large number of gold-copper discovery opportunities across a pipeline of 5 projects."

Highlights of new results from Trundle

Botfield prospect - assay results for hole TRDD037 (western hole) with a high-grade vein and mineralised skarn from 112m and 330m vertical , respectively: 2.9m @ 0.95% copper and 0.62g/t gold within coarse banded chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite veins (from 129- 132m ), including 0.9m @ 2.24% copper and 1.75g/t gold (from 131m ). 31m of anomalous gold and copper within a banded magnetite-pyroxene-feldspar skarn with pyrite and chalcopyrite, and a later massive magnetite-pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn (from 393- 424m ).

- assay results for hole TRDD037 (western hole) with a from , respectively: Botfield prospect - visual interpretation of hole TRDD039 1 (eastern hole) with a high-grade vein and mineralised skarn from 80m and 240m vertical , respectively: Strong hydrothermal hematite-silica alteration overprinting early feldspar altered volcaniclastic conglomerate and coarse banded chalcopyrite-pyrite veins (from 92- 94m ). Semi-massive to massive magnetite skarn, including early garnet veins overprinted by retrograde magnetite (massive) cut by a carbonate-chalcopyrite vein at 288.6m (from 284.5- 322.40m ).

- visual interpretation of hole TRDD039 (eastern hole) with a from , respectively: North-East Gold Zone prospect - assay results for hole TRDD038 with the strongest and longest interval of potassic alteration with sulphides to date at Trundle (from 220.5m to end of hole) within multiple intrusions and the adjacent wall-rocks: 135.5m @ 0.23g/t gold, 0.02% copper and 10ppm molybdenum from 220.5m hole remains open (end of hole 357.3m ) pending upcoming workshop noting: 3m @ 0.53 g/t gold and 0.03% copper from 243m 2m @ 0.73g/t gold and 0.11% copper from 354m 20m @ 0.20g/t gold, 0.02% copper and 48.9ppm molybdenum from 326m

- assay results for hole TRDD038 with the (from to end of hole) within multiple intrusions and the adjacent wall-rocks: Drilling commenced at the high grade Meritilga prospect with promising initial visual results 1

1 In relation to the disclosure of visual results and estimates, the Company cautions that visual results and estimates should not be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis, which are required to determine the widths and grade of the mineralisation reported in preliminary geological logging. The Company will update the market when laboratory analytical results become available, expected in the next month for the Trundle project and June for the Condobolin project.

Figure 1: Kincora's drilling at the Trundle project is has confirmed an extensive multiple system porphyry complex across 4 adjacent system targets and 3.2km mineralised strike. Neighbouring explorer drilling has also tested the western and southern extensions of existing known mineralised systems and potential common targets.

Drilling update

Kincora Copper Limited (ASX: KCC) (TSXV: KCC) (Kincora or the Company) is pleased to provide an exploration update from drilling activities in the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) in NSW, Australia, as the ongoing program seeks to test a total of 13 gold-copper discovery opportunities across a pipeline of 5 projects.

Kincora has completed five diamond drill holes at four adjacent but separate mineral system targets at its flagship Trundle project, located in a brownfield setting within the Northparkes Igneous Complex of the Macquarie Arc. All holes have intersected zones of gold-copper mineralisation at shallow depths with broader lower grade intervals and localised higher grades.

Assay results returned for four holes, and detailed geological logging of all holes1, are suggestive of an interpreted proximal setting to the targeted porphyry intrusions. This setting, coupled with the coincident magnetic response, across a long strike, and open both to the north and south, strongly supports the Company's concept that the southern portion of the Trundle project has the potential for a series or cluster of high-grade and gold endowed porphyry copper and skarn deposits.

Kincora's drilling has confirmed a 3.2km mineralised strike, from shallow depths, up to 900m wide (open) and vertical depth of greater than 800m.

The observed alteration and mineralisation at each prospect drilled during this program are interpreted to be analogous to a proximal setting in comparison to the deposits at Northparkes and Cadia mines.

A workshop, led by the Company's technical committee, is scheduled for the end of the month to undertake an analysis and review, pending results, to assist and plan follow-up exploration activities and drilling at the Trundle project.

In the interim, a maiden Kincora drilling program has commenced at the Condobolin project, located within the Cobar Superbasin and serviced from the Company's Trundle regional base. This program will test three near surface, high-grade gold-base metal targets within a 2km radius.

Trundle project

Kincora's current phase of drilling at the Trundle project commenced in January2 and has drilled 5 diamond holes for 1,972m testing four adjacent mineral systems.

Gold-copper mineralisation at shallow depths have been intersected in all five holes drilled in the current program with assay results for drilling at the Dunn's North and Dunn's South prospects previously reported3 with higher grade results including:

Dunn's North (TRDD035): 12.5m @ 2.77g/t gold from 77.5m , with 2m @ 14.2g/t gold

North (TRDD035): @ 2.77g/t gold from , with @ 14.2g/t gold Dunn's South prospect (TRDD036): 31m @ 0.49g/t gold, 0.25% copper and 55ppm molybdenum from 65.9m , including: 8.6m @ 1.21g/t gold, 0.26% copper and 90ppm molybdenum from 65.9m , with 1m @ 6.88g/t gold, 0.30% copper & 46ppm molybdenum 4.5m @ 0.50g/t gold, 0.79% copper and 180ppm molybdenum from 92.4m , with 0.5m @ 1.72g/t gold, 2.54% copper and 721ppm molybdenum

South prospect (TRDD036): @ 0.49g/t gold, 0.25% copper and 55ppm molybdenum from , including:

Assay results are now to hand for Kincora's first hole at the Botfield prospect and a step out hole at the North-East Gold Zone, with visual reports for a follow up second hole at Botfield.

Figure 2: Extensive mineralised magnetite skarn system coming toward surface

Causative mineralising porphyry source and pathway yet to be confirmed for the Southern Extension Zone (SEZ)-Botfield magnetite skarn

Botfield prospect

Kincora has completed two holes at the Botfield prospect that have for the first time drill tested a large magnetic high complex coincident with shallow anomalous copper-gold results and an Induced Polarisation (IP) chargeability high anomaly.

Kincora's first and most western hole TRDD037 at Botfield was drilled on the margin of this coincident magnetic and IP chargeability anomaly, with follow up hole TRDD039 a step out 260 to the east and into the geophysical anomalies core, seeking to test if the Botfield prospect was a large untested skarn and/or porphyry complex associated with the adjacent Southern Extension Zone (SEZ) discovery.

Holes TRDD037 and TRDD039 indicate that the Botfield prospect is located in an uplifted block, in the order of over 500m, to the immediately adjacent SEZ prospect across an interpreted significant N-S fault zone, with high grade, coarse banded vein hosted mineralisation intersected as close as 80m vertical depth and board magnetite skarn horizons from 240m vertical depth  see Figure 2.

Massive to semi-massive and banded magnetite skarn with associated pyrite and chalcopyrite has been discovered over a NW-SE strike length of over 900m from the most western hole at the SEZ (TRDD031) through to and including the most eastern hole at Botfield (TRDD039). This magnetite skarn is an extensive mineralising system, with mineralising porphyry intrusive source rocks and pathway to the skarn yet to be confirmed and open for further exploration.

Assay results for hole TRDD037 (western of the holes at the Botfield prospect):

2.9m @ 0.62g/t gold, 0.95% copper, within coarse banded chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite veins (from 129- 132m ), including 0.9m @ 1.75g/t gold, 2.24% copper (from 131m )

@ 0.62g/t gold, 0.95% copper, within coarse banded chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite veins (from 129- ), including @ 1.75g/t gold, 2.24% copper (from ) 31m @ 0.16g/t gold, 0.08% copper, within massive magnetite-pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn (>80% magnetite, from 393- 424m downhole, 330m vertical)

@ 0.16g/t gold, 0.08% copper, within massive magnetite-pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn (>80% magnetite, from 393- downhole, vertical) 18m @ 0.20g/t gold, 0.10% copper, within banded magnetite-pyroxene-feldspar skarn with pyrite and chalcopyrite (<30% magnetite from 402- 420m )

Visual interpretation of hole TRDD0391 (eastern of the holes at Botfield):

Strong hydrothermal hematite-silica alteration overprinting early feldspar altered volcaniclastic conglomerate and coarse banded chalcopyrite-pyrite vein (from 92- 94m , interpreted to be similar to 129- 132m in hole TRDD037)

, interpreted to be similar to 129- in hole TRDD037) Almost a 40m interval of semi-massive to massive magnetite skarn from 284.5m to 322.40m , including early garnet veins overprinted by retrograde magnetite (massive) cut by a carbonate-chalcopyrite vein at 288.6m

See Table 1 for further details of assay results for hole TRDD037 and Photo 1 for photo's of aforementioned core from TRDD039.

Photo 1: Examples of key mineralised zones from hole TRDD039 Assay results pending

(a) Coarse chalcopyrite-pyrite banded carbonate vein (similar to TRDD037 @ 131m) - insert @ 92.9m

(b) Semi-massive skarn, pyroxene-feldspar-garnet altered basaltic andesite - insert @ 288.6m of semi-massive magnetite skarn with massive chalcopyrite vein

CAUTIONARY NOTE:

Photos are of selected intervals which are not representative of the mineralization hosted on the whole property or the Trundle Park prospect, which the Botfield target area is hosted, but are of the alteration and lithology's intersected in the mineralized zones within these sections of diamond drill hole TRDD039.

There is insufficient drilling data to date to demonstrate continuity of mineralized domains and determine the relationship between mineralization widths and intercept lengths, true widths are not known.

In relation to the disclosure of visual results and estimates, the Company cautions that visual results and estimates should not be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis, which are required to determine the widths and grade of the mineralisation.

Furthermore, the Company cautions that given the style and nature of mineralisation encountered visual estimates must be used with a high degree of caution with third party and specialist thin sections and petrography required to provide a high degree of confidence for visual estimates.

Visual Kincora estimates for Photo 1 (a) are 0.7% chalcopyrite, 0.2% pyrite (0.9% total sulphides) for the interval from 92m to 94m down hole, based on detailed internal geological logging.

Visual Kincora estimates for Photo 1 (b) are 2% chalcopyrite, 5% pyrite (7% total sulphides) for the interval from 288m to 290m down hole, based on detailed internal geological logging.

Assay results for the intervals presented in Photo 1 are anticipated to be at hand and reported next month.

North-East Gold Zone prospect

Hole TRDD038 was a 170m step out from previous shallow intrusive hosted gold mineralisation. Geological logging indicates the strongest and longest interval of potassic alteration (secondary biotite) with sulphides to date at Trundle (mainly pyrite with trace chalcopyrite) hosted with both diorite and monzodiorite intrusions and also into the adjacent volcaniclastic wall-rocks. This presence of secondary biotite and pyrite with traces of chalcopyrite is indicative of a proximal setting to the mineralising system.

A broad interval was returned of 135.5m @ 0.23g/t gold, 0.02% copper and 10ppm molybdenum from 220.5m, in a sequence of volcaniclastic sandstone and andesite with monzodiorite intrusions  see Table 2 for further details. The hole remains open (end of hole 357.3m) pending the upcoming technical workshop and noting:

3m @ 0.53 g/t gold and 0.03% copper from 243- 246m within monzodiorite

@ 0.53 g/t gold and 0.03% copper from 243- within monzodiorite 2m @ 0.73g/t gold and 0.11% copper from 354- 356m within altered volcaniclastic sandstone, and;

@ 0.73g/t gold and 0.11% copper from 354- within altered volcaniclastic sandstone, and; 20m @ 0.20g/t gold, 0.02% copper and 48.9ppm molybdenum from 326- 346m within altered volcaniclastic sandstone.

Condobolin project

Kincora has recently consolidated the ground around the historic Condobolin gold-base metal mining district. This immediate district was previously the focus of 25 informal open pit operations, with mining impacted by the water table and exploration by the weathering profile. Limited modern exploration has taken place despite significant new discoveries in the Cobar Superbasin.

Following detailed technical reviews Kincora's commenced program is seeking to test new geological concepts for the controls of mineralisation at three existing high-grade gold-base metal targets; the Meritilga; Phoenix; and, Tilga prospects  see Figure 3.

The three prospects are located within a 2km radius with the designed program seeking to test the concept of a potential hub and spoke development scenario.

Hole CDDH001 has commenced at the Meritilga prospect where previous limited prior drilling sought to test mapped NE trending quartz veins, breccia zones with quartz-sulphide matrix, historic workings, soil geochemistry, IP chargeability and resistivity anomalies.

The best gold grades compiled from historic information included:

5m @ 7.9g/t gold, 22g/t silver and 14ppm molybdenum (from 99m )

@ 7.9g/t gold, 22g/t silver and 14ppm molybdenum (from ) 10m @ 5.8 g/t gold, 27 g/t silver and 0.1% copper (from 80m )

@ 5.8 g/t gold, 27 g/t silver and 0.1% copper (from ) 28m @ 0.76 g/t gold and 4g/t silver (from 26m )

In Kincora's view, the mapped NE trending breccia zones and veins with quartz only, as identified from drilling by previous explorers, have proven to not be associated with the main mineralizing event. These quartz veins are syn-tectonic quartz veins with a similar orientation to regional foliation. Observations from previous drill cores has noted gold closely associated with sulphides (mainly pyrite and arsenopyrite) and quartz along breccia zones.

Kincora's new geological concept at the Meritilga prospect is that numerous very significant previous mineralisation intervals appear to be structurally controlled and inline with prominent regional NW trending lineaments defined by magnetics. These NW trends are also evident in soil and rock chip sampling geochemistry and have not been adequately drill tested. The ongoing program is seeking to test this new concept.

Hole CDDH001 is ongoing with promising initial visual results1  see Photo 2.

Photo 2: Examples of initial early mineralisation zone from ongoing drilling of the first hole at the Condobolin project, hole CDDH001 at the Meritilga prospect

Assay results pending

(a) Banded epithermal-like quartz veining with pyrite-arsenopyrite at 63.7m

(b) Quartz-pyrite-arsenopyrite filling a breccia from 78.3 to 81m

CAUTIONARY NOTE:

Photos are of selected intervals which are not representative of the mineralization hosted on the whole property or the Meritilga prospect, but are of the alteration and lithology's intersected in the mineralized zones within these sections of diamond drill hole CDDH001.

There is insufficient drilling data to date to demonstrate continuity of mineralized domains and determine the relationship between mineralization widths and intercept lengths, true widths are not known.

In relation to the disclosure of visual results and estimates, the Company cautions that visual results and estimates should not be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis, which are required to determine the widths and grade of the mineralisation.

Furthermore, the Company cautions that given the style and nature of mineralisation encountered visual estimates must be used with a high degree of caution with third party and specialist thin sections and petrography required to provide a high degree of confidence for visual estimates.

Visual Kincora estimates for Photo 2 (a) are 4% arsenopyrite, 3% pyrite (7% total sulphides) for the interval from 63m to 64m down hole, based on detailed internal geological logging.

Visual Kincora estimates for Photo 2 (b) are 5% arsenopyrite and 4% pyrite (9% total sulphides) from 78m to 79m, 3% arsenopyrite and 2% pyrite (5% total sulphides) from 79m to 80m, and 4% arsenopyrite and 2% pyrite (6% total sulphides) from 80m to 81m down hole, based on detailed internal geological logging.

Assay results for the intervals presented in Photo 2 are anticipated to be at hand and reported in June 2023.

Figure 3: Maiden Kincora drilling program commenced at the Condobolin project. Kincora has consolidated the historic open pit, high grade Condobolin mining district which has had a lack of systematic modern exploration. Near surface targets for drilling testing the concept of a hub and spoke development scenario.

Table 1: Trundle project  Diamond hole collar information of current drill program2 & Table 2: Botfield prospect - hole TRDD037 (western of the two Botfield holes)

For diamond and air-core drilling collar information of previous Kincora holes please refer to the July 17, 2022 press release: "Highest grade assays to date from Trundle's Southern Extension Zone discovery"

Porphyry gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and/or 0.05% respectively. Internal dilution is below cut off. Internal dilution is below cut off.

Abbreviations: ab = albite, act = actinolite, alt = alteration, cal-calcite, ch = chlorite, cp = chalcopyrite, ep = epidote, hm = hematite, mt = magnetite, qtz = quartz, py = pyrite

Table 3: North-East Gold Zone prospect - hole TRDD038

Significant interval summary table

Porphyry gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and/or 0.05% respectively. Internal dilution is below cut off. Internal dilution is below cut off.

AuEq: $1800/oz Au, 3.55/lb Cu & 42,000/t Mo (100% recoveries).

Abbreviations: ab = albite, act = actinolite, alt = alteration, cal-calcite, ch = chlorite, cp = chalcopyrite, ep = epidote, hm = hematite, mt = magnetite, qtz = quartz, py = pyrite

References:

1 In relation to the disclosure of visual results and estimates, the Company cautions that visual results and estimates should not be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis, which are required to determine the widths and grade of the mineralisation reported in preliminary geological logging. Furthermore, the Company cautions that given the style and nature of mineralisation encountered visual estimates must be used with a high degree of caution with third party and specialist thin sections and petrography required to provide a high degree of confidence for visual estimates. The Company will update the market when laboratory analytical results become available, expected in the next month for the Trundle project and June for the Condobolin project. 2 January 19th, 2023 press release: "Kincora commences new phase of drilling at the brownfield Trundle project" 3 March 21st, 2023 press release "Drilling at Trundle intersects shallow mineralisation"

Kincora Copper Limited  NSW drilling program

Following extensive technical reviews, the Company's ongoing drilling program in NSW will seek to drill test 13 new copper-gold discovery opportunities across 5 projects.

Trundle project background

The Trundle project is located in the Junee-Narromine volcanic belt of the Macquarie Arc, less than 30km from the mill at the Northparkes mines in a brownfield setting within the westerly rift separated part of the Northparkes Igneous Complex ("NIC"). The NIC hosts a mineral endowment of approximately 24Moz AuEq (at 0.6% Cu and 0.2g/t Au) and is Australia's second largest porphyry mine comprising of 22 intrusive porphyry discoveries, 9 of which with positive economics.

The Trundle project includes one single license covering 167km2 and was secured by Kincora in the March 2020 agreement with RareX Limited ("REE" on the ASX). Kincora is the operator, holds a 65% interest in the Trundle Project and is the sole funder until a positive scoping study is delivered at which time a fund or dilute joint venture will be formed.

For further information on the Trundle and Northparkes Projects please refer to Kincora's website: https://kincoracopper.com/the-trundle-project/

Condobolin project background

The Condobolin project is located in the south-eastern section of the Cobar Superbasin, situated north of the Condobolin township.

The Condobolin project includes two licenses covering 207.4km2 (EL7748 covering 43.2 km2 and EL9340 164.2 km2). EL7748 was secured by Kincora in the March 2020 agreement with RareX Limited ("REE" on the ASX) and EL9340 was pegged by Kincora in 2022, consolidating the historic high grade Condobolin mining district. This immediate district was previously the focus of 25 informal open pit operations, with mining impacted by the water table and exploration by the weathering profile.

Kincora is the operator, holding 100% of EL9340 and a 65% interest in EL7748, and regarding the latter, is the sole funder until a positive scoping study is delivered at which time a fund or dilute joint venture will be formed.

This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Kincora Copper Limited (ARBN 645 457 763)

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Kincora 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 Kincora 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. Kincora 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 Kincora 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 is subject to change after that date. Kincora does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under 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) or the Australian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Drilling, Assaying, Logging and QA/QC Procedures

Sampling and QA/QC procedures are carried out by Kincora Copper Limited, and its contractors, using the Company's protocols as per industry best practise.

All samples have been assayed at ALS Minerals Laboratories, delivered to Orange, NSW, Australia. In addition to internal checks by ALS, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks for 5% of all assayed samples.

Diamond drilling was undertaken by DrillIt Consulting Pty Ltd, from Parkes, under the supervision of our field geologists. All drill core was logged to best industry standard by well-trained geologists and Kincora's drill core sampling protocol consisted a collection of samples over all of the logged core.

Sample interval selection was based on geological controls or mineralization or metre intervals, and/or guidance from the Technical Committee provided subsequent to daily drill and logging reports. Sample intervals are cut by the Company and delivered by the Company direct to ALS.

All reported assay results are performed by ALS and widths reported are drill core lengths. There is insufficient drilling data to date to demonstrate continuity of mineralised domains and determine the relationship between mineralization widths and intercept lengths.

True widths are not known at this stage.

Significant mineralised intervals for drilling at the Trundle project are reported based upon two different cut off grade criteria:

Interpreted near surface skarn gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.20g/t and 0.10% respectively; and,

Porphyry intrusion system gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and 0.05% respectively.

Significant mineralised intervals are reported with dilution on the basis of:

Internal dilution is below the aforementioned respective cut off's; and,

Dilutions related with core loss as flagged by a "*".

The following assay techniques have been adopted for drilling at the Trundle project:

Gold: Au-AA24 (Fire assay), reported, unless above detection limit where the interval is re-assayed using fire assay method with atomic-absorption finish (Au-AA26 method of ALS). The technique allows accurately determine the gold grade above 0.01 g/t and suitable for high  grade samples where grade exceeds 10 g/t.

Multiple elements: ME-ICP61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES analysis for 33 elements) and ME-MS61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES & ICP-MS analysis for 48 elements), the latter report for holes TRDD001, TRDD035, TRDD036 and TRDD038 and also the former reported for holes TRDD002-TRDD034, TRDD037 and TRDD039.

Copper oxides and selected intervals with native copper: ME-ICP44 (Aqua regia digestion with ICP-AES analysis) has been assayed, but not reported.

Assay results >10g/t gold and/or 1% copper are re-assayed.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and was reviewed, verified and compiled by Kincora's geological staff under the supervision of Paul Cromie (BSc Hons. M.Sc. Economic Geology, PhD, member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Society of Economic Geologists), Exploration Manager Australia, who is the Qualified Persons for the purpose of NI 43-101.

JORC Competent Person Statement

Information in this report that relates to Exploration Results, Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves has been reviewed and approved by Paul Cromie, a Qualified Person under the definition established by JORC and have sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'.

Paul Cromie (BSc Hons. M.Sc. Economic Geology, PhD, member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Society of Economic Geologists), is Exploration Manager Australia for the Company.

Paul Cromie consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The review and verification process for the information disclosed herein for the Trundle, Fairholme and Nyngan projects have included the receipt of all material exploration data, results and sampling procedures of previous operators and review of such information by Kincora's geological staff using standard verification procedures.

JORC TABLE 1

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections).

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g., cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc.). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.

In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g., 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases, more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g., submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information Kincora Copper Limited is the operator of the Trundle and Condobolin Projects, with drilling using diamond coring and Air coring methods by DrillIt Consulting Pty Ltd, from which sub-samples were taken over 2 m intervals and pulverised to produce suitable aliquots for fire assay and ICP-MS.

Diamond drilling was used to obtain orientated samples from the ground, which was then structurally, geotechnically and geologically logged.

Sample interval selection was based on geological controls and mineralization.

Sampling was completed to industry standards with 14 core for PQ and HQ diameter diamond core and 12 core for NQ diameter diamond core sent to the lab for each sample interval.

Samples were assayed via the following methods:

- Gold: Au-AA24 (Fire assay) unless above detection limit where the interval is re-assayed using fire assay method with atomic-absorption finish (Au-AA26 method of ALS). The technique allows to accurately determine the gold grade above 0.01 g/t and suitable for high  grade samples where grade exceeds 10 g/t.

- Multiple elements: ME-ICP61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES analysis for 33 elements) and ME-MS61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES & ICP-MS analysis for 48 elements)

- Copper oxides and selected intervals with native copper: ME-ICP44 (Aqua regia digestion with ICP-AES analysis) has been assayed, but not reported

- Assay results >10g/t gold and/or 1% copper are re-assayed

Historic sampling on other projects included soils, rock chips and drilling (aircore, RAB, RC and diamond core). Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g., core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g., core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc.). Drilling by Kincora at Trundle and Condobolin has used diamond core drilling with PQ, HQ and NQ diameter core depending on drilling depth and some shallow depth Air core drilling.

All Kincora core was oriented using a Reflex ACE electronic tool.

Historic drilling on Kincora projects used a variety of methods including aircore, rotary air blast, reverse circulation, and diamond core. Methods are clearly stated in the body of the previous reports with any historic exploration results. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. Drill Core recovery was logged.

Diamond drill core recoveries are contained in the body of the announcement.

Core recoveries were recorded by measuring the total length of recovered core expressed as a proportion of the drilled run length.

Core recoveries for most of Kincora's drilling at Trundle have averaged over 96.9%, with two holes averaging 85.0%

Poor recovery zones are generally associated with later fault zones and the upper oxidised parts of drill holes.

There is no relationship between core recoveries and grades.

The first hole at the Condobolin project is ongoing without a reliable or representative core recovery estimate yet available. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc.) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. All Kincora holes are geologically logged for their entire length including lithology, alteration, mineralisation (sulphides and oxides), veining and structure.

Logging is mostly qualitative in nature, with some visual estimation of mineral proportions that is semi-quantitative. Measurements are taken on structures where core is orientated.

All core and Air core chips are photographed.

Historic drilling was logged with logging mostly recorded on paper in reports lodged with the NSW Department of Mines. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc. and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Once all geological information was extracted from the drill core, the sample intervals were cut with an Almonte automatic core saw, bagged and delivered to the laboratory.

This is an appropriate sampling technique for this style of mineralization and is the industry standard for sampling of diamond drill core.

PQ and HQ sub-samples were quarter core and NQ half core.

Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the disseminated, generally fine-grained nature of mineralisation being sampled.

Duplicate sampling on some native copper bearing intervals in TRDD001 was undertaken to determine if quarter core samples were representative, with results indicating that sampling precision was acceptable.

Follow up high grade gold assay results received for a 2-meter interval in TRDD032, with re-assays for three samples where undertaken from reject samples (the coarse part of samples) seeking to confirm the original high-grade interval (12.6g/t gold) and also to test if quarter core samples were representative. Duplicated values for the two adjacent samples were in-line with both gold (via Au-AA26 and Au-AA26D, duplicate, techniques) and base metals higher than the original results for the high-grade sample.

No other duplicate samples were taken. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g., standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e., lack of bias) and precision have been established. Gold was determined by fire assay and a suite of other elements including Cu and Mo by 4-acid digest with ICP-AES finish at ALS laboratories in Orange and Brisbane. Over-grade Cu (>1%) was diluted and re-assayed by AAS.

Techniques are considered total for all elements. Native copper mineralisation in TRDD001 was re-assayed to check for any effects of incomplete digestion and no issues were found.

For holes up to TRDD007 every 20th sample was either a commercially supplied pulp standard or pulp blank. After TRDD007 coarse blanks were utilised.

Results for blanks and standards are checked upon receipt of assay certificates. All standards have reported within certified limits of accuracy and precision.

Historic assays on other projects were mostly gold by fire assay and other elements by ICP. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. Significant intercepts were calculated by Kincora's geological staff.

No twinned holes have been completed.

The intercepts have not been verified by independent personal.

Logging data is captured digitally on electronic logging tablets and sampling data is captured on paper logs and transcribed to an electronic format into a relational database maintained at Kincora's Mongolian office. Transcribed data is verified by the logging geologist.

Assay data is received from the laboratory in electronic format and uploaded to the master database.

No adjustments to assay data have been made.

Outstanding assays are outlined in the body of the announcement. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. Collar positions are set up using a hand-held GPS and later picked up with a DGPS to less than 10cm horizontal and vertical accuracy.

Drillholes are surveyed downhole every 30m using an electronic multi-shot magnetic instrument.

Due to the presence of magnetite in some alteration zones, azimuth readings are occasionally unreliable and magnetic intensity data from the survey tool is used to identify these readings and flag them as such in the database.

Grid system used is the Map Grid of Australia Zone 55, GDA 94 datum.

Topography in the area of Trundle and Condobolin is near-flat and drill collar elevations provide adequate control Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Whether sample compositing has been applied. Kincora drilling at Trundle and Condobolin is at an early stage, with drill holes stepping out from previous mineralisation intercepts at various distances.

Data spacing at this stage is insufficient to establish the continuity required for a Mineral Resource estimate.

No sample compositing was applied to Kincora drilling.

Historic drilling on Trundle, Condobolin and other projects was completed at various drill hole spacings and no other projects have spaced sufficient to establish a mineral resource. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. The orientation of Kincora drilling at Trundle has changed as new information on the orientation of mineralisation and structures has become available.

The angled drill holes were directed as best possible across the known lithological and interpreted mineralised structures.

There does not appear to be a sampling bias introduced by hole orientation in that drilling not parallel to mineralised structures. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. Kincora staff or their contractors oversaw all stages of drill core sampling. Bagged samples were placed inside polyweave sacks that were zip-tied, stored in a locked container and then transported to the laboratory by Kincora field personnel. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. Mining Associates has completed an review of sampling techniques and procedures dated January 31st, 2021, as outlined in the Independent Technical Report included in the ASX listing prospectus, which is available at: https://www.kincoracopper.com/investors/asx-prospectus

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)
Choi Ji Woo melted fans' hearts after showing her childhood photos on social media. It turns out, the top star has always been able to strike a good pose for the camera, even at a young age!

Choi Ji Woo Instagram Features Baby Pics in Honor of Her Parents

Known for her roles in the hit K-drama "Stairway to Heaven," the 47-year-old icon took a trip down memory lane and posted adorable throwback photos of herself and her family.

On Choi Ji Woo's Instagram, the actress shared a glimpse of her childhood by sharing baby photos that only showed how she always had the same lovable smile.

One of the pictures shows baby Ji Woo battling the cold weather with her puffy outfit, while the other is a photo of her in a high chair.

In the last photo, the top star took the opportunity to honor her parents along with a lovely caption that reads, "Dad and Mom, I love you."

The post is a few days ahead of Mother's Day.

In the comments section, fans can't help but gush over Choi Ji Woo's baby photos. Followers also mentioned that the actress looked "pretty even when she was a baby."

The South Korean star is also a mom of one and often posts a few photos of her daughter on social media.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Korean Actresses Who Gave Birth at 40: Son Ye Jin, Choi Ji Woo, More

At the age of 45, Choi Ji Woo gave birth to her first child in May 2021 with her non-celebrity husband, who is nine years her junior.

From happy marriage, the actress is also getting active on screen after she confirmed to star in an upcoming project.

Choi Ji Woo Returns to Small Screen With New K-Drama 'Double Spy'

After joining the cast of "Shooting Stars" in 2022, Choi Ji Woo will make her K-drama comeback with the upcoming action comedy series "Double Spy." She will headline the series along with renowned actor Kim Myung Min of "Law School."

In the forthcoming K-drama, Choi Ji Woo will play Kim Myung Min's ex-lover, who joined special forces to prevent their kids from getting married.

Interestingly, they will transform into NIS agents who will return to service due to family concerns.

Viewers will surely witness a round of explosive on-screen chemistry as the lead stars depict interesting characters.

Prior to her upcoming K-drama, Choi Ji Woo appeared in various cameo roles. She played a legendary top star in "Shooting Stars" and had a special appearance in "Crash Landing on You" episodes 13 and 15, where she got to appear as herself.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
This Korean host and comedian made headlines as she is rumored to give birth in the United States to give her child dual citizenship. Can you guess who this celebrity is?

'Radio Star' Host Ahn Young Mi's Pregnancy Sparks Controversy

Based on a news cited by Sports Chosun on May 9, comedian and TV personality Ahn Young Mi is expected to give birth to her first child this coming July. However, she became a hot topic on various online portals after it was revealed that she would be flying to the United States, where her husband lives, to give birth.

Others claimed that the celebrity plans on giving birth overseas to provide dual citizenship for her child and obtain an exemption for her child from military obligations. Ahn Young Mi personally addressed the issue after responding to a comment on her Instagram.

Ahn Young Mi Claps Back to People Accusing Her of Promoting 'Birth Tourism'

Some people speculate that Ahn Young Mi is taking part in birth tourism, which is the practice of traveling to another country to give birth to obtain citizenship for the child.

Someone commented on Ahn Young Mi's Instagram saying, "Even if you have money and influence in Korea, there are obligations you need to fulfill. If you don't want to give birth in Korea without your husband, then you should live in the U.S., why are you just going there and returning? That is birth tourism. That isn't something a public figure should do.

Ahn Young Mi bravely responded that it was too early to worry about her child's military obligations, "Rather than make speculations about the future, how about blessing the child in my stomach?"

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The female celebrity confidently answered another commenter who said that if Ahn Young Mi's husband was in Vietnam or the Philippines, would she still give birth in that country?

The "Radio Star" host said, "Yes, I would have gone to where my husband is, whether he was in the Philippines or Vietnam. How can I go through pregnancy and take care of the baby alone? I have to be with my husband, who I love."

Where To Watch Ahn Young Mi

Ahn Young Mi is a TV personality in Korea and is married to her husband since 2020.

Some of the famous shows she appeared in are "Radio Star," "Gamsung Camping," "Sister Shoots," "Chart Sisters," and "Filthy Village."

Apart from those, Ahn Young Mi also participated in some K-dramas such as "Yumi's Cells," "Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter," "Kill Me, Heal Me," "I Can Hear Your Voice," and "Reply 1997."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kim Woo Bin Furious After Newbie Model Reveals Unfair Treatment at Work

What can you say about the news? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
Kim So Yeon shares a remarkable instance in her life where she was saved by Girl's Generation's Taeyeon.

The award winning actress recalled a time when the K-pop star didn't hesitate to extend a helping hand and save her from a stressful situation.

During her appearance on tvN's "Amazing Saturday," the 42-year-old actress spoke about her interaction with the Girl's Generation member.

Kim So Yeon Shared the Time When She Received a Lucky Charm from Girl's Generation's Taeyeon

Kim So Yeon recalled being on the same show with Taeyeon and having no choice but to ask her a huge favor.

According to the actress, the incident happened 13 years ago when she had to perform a dance number in one of the shows.

"I had to dance during the show, but I was wearing a short skirt," she said, as quoted by SBS Star.

At the time, she didn't have inner pants and was worried about having a wardrobe malfunction, so she asked Taeyeon if she had extra clothes.

"I ran to Taeyeon to ask if she had a spare pair of inner pants. Being of the Girls' Generation, I thought to myself, 'She must have one with her!'" she said, recalling how the conversation went.

Thankfully, the K-pop star had a spare and lent it to Kim So Yeon, recalling how she was thankful to her at the time.

She got the clothing cleaned and tried to return it to the Girl's Generation member, but she told her that she could have it and take it as a gift from her.

Kim So Yeon says that she "felt honored to receive a gift" from Taeyeon and revealed that she has been "wearing them on important days."

The award-winning actress aslo shared that it feels like it's her lucky charm, adding, "I feel like they have good energy. Because... Whenever I wear them, they seem to give me good energy."

Kim So Yeon Clears Marriage Rumors With Husband Lee Sang Woo

Apart from her recent appearance in tvN's "Amazing Saturday," Kim So Yeon also guested in "Yoo Quiz on the Block," where the actress gained the attention of fans after sharing her relationship with Lee Sang Woo.

READ MORE: Kim So Yeon Reveals Truth Behind Emotional Speech After Winning Daesang at 2021 SBS Drama Awards

At the show, she mentioned how she gets cold easily, but her husband would stop her from using the heater.

The story sparked dissatisfaction from viewers, with some even thinking that Kim So Yeon is in an "unhappy marriage," while others pointed out that Lee Sang Woo gaslights his wife.

However, Kim So Yeon took to social media and defended her husband from the allegations.

She mentioned that the actor doesn't let her turn on the heater for her health and to boost her immune system.

"(My husband) is the one who cares most about my health and worries for me," she added.

Besides her happy marriage, Kim So Yeon returns to the small screen with an interesting K-drama staring Kim Bum and Lee Dong Wook for "Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Is Kim So Yeon Being Gaslighted by Husband Lee Sang Woo? Actress Reveals Truth Behind Her Marriage

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Uhm Jung Hwa's smash hit medical drama "Doctor Cha" is now in its second half of broadcast and every viewer is loving it!

Unfortunately, not all reviews are great as the work is receiving huge backlash from a minority group due to misinformation. Keep on reading!

'Doctor Cha' Receives Criticisms For Blatant Misinformation

JTBC's "Doctor Cha," headlined by Uhm Jung Hwa, is receiving mixed reactions ahead of the release of its second half of broadcast!

On May 6, the medical drama premiered its seventh episode which focused on a Crohn's disease patient. It's a chronic inflammation that occurs in the digestive system including the mouth to the anus.

In the episode, the patient's family members complained about the disease being hereditary, which caused the patient to attempt to take his own life.

The broadcast received a nationwide rating of 13%, a significantly high score that beats other weekend dramas.

However, the series also received flak from patients who suffer from Crohn's disease. The families of the patients poured their anger on their posts, demanding an apology from the production unit of "Doctor Cha."

One viewer posted, "Crohn's disease is not hereditary. This is clearly misinformation. The production team should issue a proper apology immediately."

The group also shared that many patients who suffer from the disease are now scared to go to school after watching the episode.

If the drama producers don't apologize, they will write a petition to cancel the drama's broadcast. As of now, JTBC hasn't released any statement to address the issue.

Episode 8 was subsequently released on May 7, which received the drama's highest rating yet.

'Doctor Cha' Sets Historical Record For JTBC

The latest episode of "Doctor Cha" earned an incredibly high score of 16.2% as it closed its first half of run.

But besides that, it also made history in JTBC by achieving the fifth highest rating of any series in the broadcast network following "The World of the Married," "Reborn Rich," "SKY Castle" and "Itaewon Class."

With that said, expectations for "Doctor Cha" are through the roof. Viewers are looking forward to seeing what's next for Uhm Jung Hwa's character who changed her life from being a homemaker into a reputable resident surgeon.

On the other hand, "Doctor Cha" airs every Saturday and Sunday on JTBC at 10:30 p.m. KST on JTBC. It's also available on Netflix with English subtitles.

ICYMI, watch the teaser here:

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
"Snowdrop" stars Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo's social media activity stirs buzz, prompting the public to revive dating rumors.

The duo were among the celebrities who got invited to Dior's event that took place at the Platz 2 building in Seongsu District in Seoul.

2PM's Lee Junho, Korean supermodel Yoon Young Bae, "Under the Queen's Umbrella" star Moon Sang Min, and more were also spotted at the event.

As celebrities shared the event on social media, fans couldn't help but notice Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo shared an almost the same post.

Are Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo Dating?

Despite the setback ahead of the "Snowdrop" premiere, the JTBC series is among the most talked about series in 2022.

Following the successful season finale, dating rumors involving lead stars Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK's Jisoo circulated.

At the time, netizens believed that the "Snowdrop" stars had been doing "Lovestagram," or couples sharing similar photos on their social media, and in Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK's Jisoo's case, it dates back to 2020.

In one instance, the actor attended the "BORN PINK" concert of the K-pop group, where he posted a photo of him holding a lightstick.

Interestingly, fans noticed that he was wearing a hoodie similar to Jisoo's, raising suspicion about their hush-hush relationship.

Although the duo never spoke about it, the dating rumors just died down not until the recently held Dior event.

On Twitter, fans also noticed that the duo wore the same color palette and attended the event wearing a black and white ensemble.

However, it seemed like Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK's Jisoo were in the same place, mainly because of the event.

The K-pop star is among Dior's fashion and beauty global brand ambassadors and has been with the brand since 2019.

As for the actor, he has been teaming up with the brand and gracing Dior's various events.

Jung Hae In Reprises His Role in "D.P. 2'

After "Snowdrop," Jung Hae In headlined the webtoon-based K-Drama "Connect" together with Go Kyung Pyo, "Kingdom" star Kim Hye Joon, and award-winning actor Kim Roe Ha.

Interestingly, one of Jung Hae In's future projects is reprising his role in Netflix's "D.P."

To recall, he played the role of private soldier Ahn Jun Ho, who teamed up with corporal Han Ho Yul, played by Goo Kyo Hwan, to catch the deserters or military personnel who leave the armed forces without permission and have no intention of returning.

In the upcoming sequel, Goo Kyo Hwan, Son Seok Koo, and Kim Sung Jung will make a comeback, along with new characters played by Jin Ji Hee and Kim Ji Hyun.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Han So Hee received a special gift from Hallyu star Song Hye Kyo while filming her upcoming K-drama "Gyeongseong Creature Season 2."

Here's what happened.

Han So Hee Flaunts Sisterly Friendship With Song Hye Kyo

The South Korean beauties sparked excitement as they teased fans with their social media interactions.

Ahead of Han So Hee's new drama with Park Seo Joon, "The Glory" star and newly-hailed Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Best Actress sent the junior actress a surprise gift on the set of her new series.

On social media, the 28-year-old actress posted a series of photos of her in front of the coffee truck, which included banners that read, "I always support actress Han So Hee," and, "Enjoy your meal with the actors and staff of Gyeongseong Creature."

With this, Han So Hee captioned the Instagram post and wrote, "SIS!!" showing her sister love as she expressed her gratitude for sending over coffee truck on her filming location.

Interestingly, Song Hye Kyo responded with a comment, "Cheer up and shoot," making netizens gush over their friendship.

This is not the first time that the two South Korean visuals became a hot topic online. Following the announcement regarding Han So Hee and Song Hye Kyo's new drama, the duo left comments on each other's posts, leaving fans excited for their team-up.

Han So Hee & Song Hye Kyo's New Drama

Back in 2022, Han So Hee and Song Hye Kyo were selected to headline the upcoming mystery-thriller K-drama "The Price of Confession."

Playing the roles of Ahn Yoon Su (Song Hye Kyo) and Mo Eun (Han So Hee), the two women get caught up in a chaotic incident after witnessing a murder case.

Due to the powerhouse cast lineup of the upcoming series, viewers are looking forward to seeing how the two will dominate the ratings.

On the other hand, Han So Hee is currently filming the second season of her series with Park Seo Joon. "Gyeongseong Creature," which will air sometime in 2023, got the green light to continue the show for its sequel.

"As Season 1 of Gyeongseong Creature has yet to premiere, a confirmation of Season 2 proves an immense amount of confidence in the production, further raising anticipation for the upcoming thriller," drama officials explained, as noted by a media outlet.

Set to premiere on Netflix, Park Seo Joon takes on the role of Jang Tae Sang, a wealthy local whose point of view on life changes when he meets Yoon Chae Ok, played by Han So Hee.

Penned by "Dr. Romantic" writer Kang Eun Kyung "Gyeongseong Creature" cast also includes Claudia Kim, Kim Hae Sook, Jo Han Chul, and "Squid Game" star Wi Ha Joon.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Built in 1962, the Kelowna Community Theatre has served the community well for the past 60 years, but the Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre say its time to dream big.
Kennesaw State graduate bound for Ecuador with Peace Corps

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 10, 2023

Graduating Kennesaw State senior Savannah Tuschl comes by her curiosity about cultures honestly.

My mom was a flight attendant for 37 years, so growing up shed always bring me souvenirs from all the countries she visited. I just thought it was incredible, Tuschl, a modern language and culture major, said. I knew from a young age that whatever I did, Id want to travel.

Tuschl, named the Department of World Languages and Cultures' Outstanding Student, will graduate summa cum laude this month and four days later heads to work in Ecuador for 27 months with the Peace Corps in the area of youth and family development. The Smyrna, Ga. native said shed spent the final two years of college preparing for her travels, and a study abroad trip helped her make up her mind on the country where shed want to work.

Tuschls childhood curiosity about other cultures never slowed down. She threw herself into her Spanish classes in high school and discovered a love not only of the language, but the music, dance and history of Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America.

I decided I really want to understand this. I think it opens your mind so much more to understand a different culture, she said, noting shed become fluent in Spanish over the years. When I started college, I was undecided on what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to keep learning this language I loved and see the world. And I think thats what led me to the Peace Corps.

Savannah Tuschl

During her summer 2022 study abroad, Tuschl said she was able to immerse herself in the Latin American culture shed loved for so long in a way that she couldnt in a traditional classroom. In Ecuador, she visited the Andes mountains, the Amazon river basin, the coast and discovered each region had its own unique culture, from bustling cities to indigenous communities.

It changed my life, she said. And I fell in love with the country.

While balancing her studies through college, Tuschl tutored second graders in Spanish and mentored fellow students in whatever way she could, according to her professors. She participated in Engaged Owl Leaders, Latin dance clubs and community cleanup and service projects. Tuschl has also been recognized by the Georgia Aquarium for her many hours of volunteer service, logging over 100 hours in the first two months and helping to educate elementary school students on water conservation and marine life through the aquariums outreach office.

Whatever she does, its going to help others. You can see it with her classmates. She always wanted to work with others, especially those who were having a hard time, said Robert Simon, coordinator of KSUs Portuguese program and professor of Spanish and Portuguese. She just excelled. Im very proud of what shes done and the path shes taken.

 By Thomas Hartwell

Photos by Matt Yung

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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.
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has singled out fuel truck drivers as the key culprits engaging in fuel adulteration as they transport the products to their destination.

The field supervisor in charge of the fuel marking and quality monitoring programme at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Peter Kitimbo, says this act is mainly being carried out around places such as Naluwerere, Bugiri, and Busitema in Bugiri district when the fuel is in transit from Mombasa.

Fuel adulteration is the mixing of fuel such as petrol and diesel with foreign components, especially kerosene in a bid to increase its quantity.

The drivers branch off somewhere, they take off the good product and add in a bad product, Kitimbo said.

He asked the oil marketing companies to always cross-check the fuel in transit.

He, however, says the quality of fuel compliance now stands at 99% in the country. He made the remarks during a fuel marking sensitization campaign organized by the Ministry of Energy and UNBS in Kampala.

He says the eastern region tops in the number of cases where fuel is adulterated.
President Museveni has revealed that the deceased State Minister for Labour Col (rtd) Charles Engola had nothing to do with the cause of his death.

Addressing mourners at the funeral service of the minister in Kampala, Museveni noted that Engola was only a sacrificial lamb of problems that are not his.

The president said he had been briefed by the Chief of Defense forces that the guard battalion at Bombo barracks always sends food to all escorts.

This diverts from earlier reports suggesting that Private Wilson Sabiti who killed Engola was struggling financially and could not afford a days meal.

Museveni however maintains that the welfare of any bodyguard is not a responsibility of the principal but rather of the unit which deploys them.

These bodyguards should not be the responsibility of the one who they are guarding to feed them, it should be the unit which sent them to send them food, Museveni said.
Deceased State Minister for Labour Charles Engola was hit with 28 bullets. The revelation has been made by businessman Sam Engola on Wednesday at the ongoing funeral service of the deceased minister at Kololo ceremonial grounds in Kampala.

Engola was shot and killed by his bodyguard Private Wilson Sabiiti on May 2, 2023, before killing himself at his home in Kyanja, a Kampala suburb.

Addressing mourners at Kololo, Sam Engola decried the manner in which the fierce commander who was key in the LRA was killed.

Engola described the late minister as a kind and caring man who was patriotic and always took care of the vulnerable.

When I saw the body of my brother, he had 28 bullets on him. This man shot my bother I dont even know what everywhere on him was wounds or bullets, Sam Engola told mourners on Wednesday.

The funeral service has been graced by President Yoweri Museveni and the first lady, Janet Museveni.
By Alex Ashaba | Monitor

Members of army private Wilson Sabiitis family in Mubali Village, Kijura Town Council in Kabarole District, have asked that his body be released to them for burial.

The family said the government should also tell them if there is anything they should do in order to have his body released.

Pte Sabiiti on Tuesday morning last week shot and killed the junior Labour minister, Col (rtd) Charles Okelllo Engola, at his home in Kyanja, Kampala, before taking his own life.

Since then, the family said they have not heard from the government regarding his body, which is reportedly being held by the army. Read more
Leaders of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) are seeking a meeting with health minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng over discrepancies in their salary structure.

Their letter dated May 10, 2023, comes hours after the Ministry of Public service revealed that government has never received any communique about an ongoing strike by Special Grade Medical Officers (MOSG) over salary enhancement.

Dr. Herbert Luswata, the UMA Secretary General says the impromptu meeting with the minister seeks to discuss possible ways through which parliament can approve a supplementary budget to cater for the correction of alarming salary discrepancies for the disgruntled health specialists.

Dr. Luswata says their concern is that currently, the difference in pay between a medical officer with a Bachelor in Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery degree only and that of a specialist doctor with a Masters degree plus additional subspecialist training is only 12.2%.

He adds that the difference in salary between the specialist and a consultant is a whopping 102% and yet the two categories of specialist doctors have similar minimum qualifications with the only difference being the number of years in service.

UMA argues that this discrepancy is extremely unfair, and demoralizing to specialists as it disregards their set of qualifications.

As U.M.A we propose that the salary of a specialist (Associate Consultant) should be fair to match their set of qualifications and job descriptions and should be only one million less than the salary for a consultant not more; just as this consideration was made in salary allocationsfor the consultant and senior consultant categories, which we feel was reasonably and fairly applied according to the current public service salary structures, the letter reads in part.

Medical Officers Special Grade officers went on strike this week after government failed to respond to their demands for salary increments.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the HSE acted fairly and reasonably when it suspended and recommended that consultant gynaecologist Professor Ray O'Sullivan be dismissed from his former job at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny.



Late last year Professor O'Sullivan settled his lengthy legal battle with the HSE over his suspension from his position on foot of complaints made against him in 2019.

It had been alleged that he carried out unauthorised and unapproved actions and procedures on five female patients in September 2018.

Prof O'Sullivan had denied any wrongdoing, and following a mediation the consultant settled his action against the HSE on confidential terms and has resumed practising medicine.

However, the HSE sought to have one discrete issue that arose out of the litigation, concerning the fairness of its decision to suspend Prof O'Sullivan and recommend to a Ministerial committee that he be dismissed, determined by the Supreme Court.

In a 4 to 1 decision the Supreme Court overturned an earlier Court of Appeal finding of March 2022 that Prof O'Sullivan was entitled to an order quashing the HSE's decision to place him on administrative leave in August 2019, and that he be allowed to return to work.

The High Court had previously ruled that Professor O'Sullivan was not entitled to orders quashing the decision to suspend him.

The Supreme Court deemed that the HSE's appeal against the CoA's finding regarding his suspension raised an issue of public importance regarding challenges to an employer's power to suspend an employee deemed to pose an immediate and serious risk to health safety and welfare of patients and staff.



The Court also considered what procedures are necessitated before an employee can be suspended from their job.

Giving the majority decision Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said that there was significant evidence available to allow the HSE place Professor O'Sullivan on administrative leave.



This evidence included allegations that there was an absence of consent from the patients who were the subject of the study, the lack of ethical approval for the procedure and the use of non-hospital equipment in the course of the procedure, the judge said.

Ms Justice Dunne also found that the HSE's decision of January 2020, after several reports into the procedures allegedly carried out by the consultant were carried out, to recommend Prof O Sullivan's dismissal was not unreasonable, irrational, or arbitrary.

In a concurring judgement the Chief Justice Mr Justice Donal O'Donnell held that the HSE was entitled to rely on several expert reports it had received regarding the allegations against Prof O'Sullivan, that recommended the Professor be placed on administrative leave.

The Chief justice said that the HSE had a 'bona fida' view that the behaviour of Professor O'Sullivan gave rise to an immediate and serious risk to the health, welfare and safety of patients or staff and that he should have been suspended.

That view was not irrational, the Chief Justice concluded.

Mr Justice Peter Charleton and Ms Justice Marie Baker concurred with the majority decision.

In a dissenting judgement Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe held that the HSE was not entitled to require Professor O'Sullivan to take administrative leave.

The Judge said that the HSE had failed to take into account certain relevant matters when forming the view that Prof O'Sullivan posed a risk to patient safety.

These failures included the fact that a report concerning the allegations did not identify any ongoing risk to patients.

Mr Justice Woulfe also found that the HSE came to a conclusion regarding Prof O'Sullivan that was so unreasonable, that no reasonable decision maker could ever have come to.

The decision, the judge said, was made in circumstances where it did not appear to anyone in the HSE that there might be an immediate and serious risk to patients between September 2018 and August 2019.

It was the judge concluded bizarre and irrational having regard as to how matters had developed during that particular time frame.

In his action against the HSE Prof O'Sullivan had argued that the investigation against him was flawed because he has been an "outspoken advocate for patient's rights and in particular pregnant women" and has made public remarks critical of St Lukes' management.



He had also claimed that proper reasons were not given by the HSE regarding its recommendation that he be dismissed.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is currently preparing a policy regarding park and share facilities and will be prioritising facilities where there is parking already taking place and on safety grounds.

This means it may cover areas such as the M9 motorway exit/entrance at Danesfort, where people already park and share to commute. It will be up to the road authority to prepare a feasibility and options report for TII to consider for funding.

It follows a notice of motion from Cllr Tomas Breathnach, which sought the development of a strategy to reduce the number of vehicles on inter-urban routes through car-pooling and the provision of safe secure and appropriate parking areas close to interchanges on national primary routes.

At Aprils meeting of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Breathnach said he had raised the concept with TII at a meeting with them in previous years.

He thanked his council colleagues for their support for his motion, and said he was encouraged by the response received. The TII recently fully funded, through the Road Safety Section, a park and share facility in County Louth (see picture above).

Council director of services Tim Butler responded to the motion, saying that Transport Infrastructure Ireland are examining a number of junctions on the motorway network where parking is considered a significant issue.

They are currently preparing a policy regarding park and share facilities and will be prioritising where is parking already taking place, on assessed need and on safety grounds. The council had been given to understand that one of the junctions to be examined will be Junction 9 at Danesfort, off the M9.
Early education experts Kilmacow Montessori School have been accredited as Best in Class Montessori by the All-Ireland Business Foundation (AIBF) for the third year in a row.

The company, based in Dangan, Kilmacow, has been praised by the autonomous accreditation bodys adjudication panel for its sustained commitment in the areas of trust, performance, and customer centricity.

It has also been included in The AIBF Register of Irish Business Excellence (TRIBE) as part of the honour.

Kilmacow Montessori School consists of two buildings with a large outdoor play area, which is particularly important for the childrens creative play.

The original school is home to the senior class and the recent addition of a second classroom is home to the junior class starting their first year of Montessori.

Kilmacow Montessori has a rural aspect backing onto green fields with unspoilt views of the Comeragh Mountains.

The school is fortunate to have such a beautiful natural environment as it allows their students education to extend far beyond the limits of the classroom walls.

Helen, Leeann and the team had the pleasure of hosting a visit from Elaine Carroll, the CEO of AIBF, Brian Cody, former Kilkenny hurling manager, player and retired school principal and local councillor Tomas Breathnach.

During the visit, the school was presented with the accreditation, followed by a tour of the Montessori, gaining an understanding of the school's operations.
A Bulmers 'Secret Orchard' gig will take place in Paris Texas in Kilkenny this Saturday, May 12.

The event will give music fans a glimpse of what to expect at Bulmers Secret Orchard Clonmel, which will take place this year on September 9.

The gigs will be headlined by Pastiche (Kilkenny), Tebi Rex (Cork), with performances / DJ sets from Shobsy and Molumby (Kilkenny), and Salamay and Izzy Showbizzy (Cork). Bulmers are also set to announce their headline acts for their Waterford gig this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. Fans can register now to attend all gigs for free at secretorchard.bulmers.ie, and tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.



Bulmers Secret Orchard Clonmel

For one weekend only in September, the stunning surrounds of the orchard at Bulmers Clonmel will transform into an exclusive, magical experience, complete with performances from Irelands brightest talent, tasty food and Bulmers.



At Clonmel, guests will be brought on a private tour of the Bulmers Orchard, where Bulmers grows its 17 varieties of apples. At Bulmers Secret Orchard Clonmel, attendees can expect exclusive performances from some of Irelands hottest up and coming musical talents along with other secret surprises.

Expect delicious food throughout the event, paired with a crisp and refreshing pint of Bulmers. Once the festivities end, some lucky attendees will enjoy luxury glamping amongst the trees and stars with four-person bell tents available for the night.



To be in with a chance to win tickets to Bulmers Secret Orchard Clonmel, simply visit secretorchard.bulmers.ie.

Special packs of Bulmers will be available in select retailers nationwide from May and will all have QR codes that people can scan to win. There will also be QR codes on pints in pubs and bars across Ireland, which when scanned, bring people to the website to enter.

All winners will receive four tickets to The Secret Orchard at Bulmers Clonmel, which includes luxury glamping in a four-person bell tent. Entries close on August 31 ahead of the event on Saturday September 9.



For more information on Bulmers Secret Orchard visit www.secretorchard.bulmers.ie or Bulmers Ireland on Facebook and Instagram.
The long-awaited official reopening of the Sessions House in Thomastown is to take place next week.

After years of works, delayed by the Covid pandemic, the renovated historic building is set to become a centre of crafts excellence.

Minister Heather Humphreys, who is the Minister for Rural and Community Development, will officially cut the ribbon to open the building.

Councillors in the Callan Thomastown municipal district have welcomed the success of the project.

Cllr Deirdre Cullen said it will be a great day in Thomastown. This has been a long time coming. I cant wait to see it. She added: This is great for Thomastown, great for the area and positive for all of the community.

The Sessions House is set to become the home of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) which has agreed to lease the building from Kilkenny County Council for a period of 25 years at a rent of 1 per week, for use as an educational facility.

In partnership with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) the DCCI is creating two new Thomastown-based degree courses for students - Ceramics Skills and Design, in the old bank building, and Jewellery and Goldsmithing Skills and Design which will be located in the Sessions House.

The courses are set to put the town on the map in the creative industries.

In 2019 Kilkenny County Council were successful in securing funding for the refurbishment of the iconic Sessions House building, formerly Thomastown Courthouse, on Logan Street, from the Rural Regeneration & Development Fund.



Minister Humphreys will perform the official opening on Friday, May 17.
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(Kitco News) - Senior gold producer B2Gold (TSX: BTO) (NYSE: BTG) today reported total gold production of 266,856 ounces in Q1 2023, up 27% from Q1 2022 (209,365 ounces) and exceeding expectations to start 2023.

The company said its Fekola mine produced 165,864 ounces of gold in the quarter, benefitting from a favorable mine phasing sequence to start 2023, adding that all B2Gold operations are on track to meet or exceed annual production guidance ranges.

B2Gold noted that Q1 2023 total consolidated cash operating costs of $600 per gold ounce produced were well below the annual guidance range of between $670 and $730 per ounce. Total consolidated all-in sustaining costs of $1,060 per gold ounce sold were also well below the annual guidance range of between $1,195 and $1,255 per ounce.

Importantly, B2Gold reported Q1 2023 net income of $102 million (Q1 2022: net income of $91 million), net income attributable to the shareholders of the company of $86 million ($0.08 per share), and adjusted net income attributable to the shareholders of the company of $106 million ($0.10 per share).

Cash flow provided by operating activities before working capital adjustments was $223 million ($0.21 per share) in the first quarter of 2023. At March 31, 2023, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $674 million and working capital (defined as current assets less current liabilities) of $804 million.

The company said that based on a strong operational and financial first quarter of 2023, it is on track to meet its annual total gold production forecast of between 1,000,000 and 1,080,000 ounces with total consolidated cash operating costs for the year of between $670 and $730 per ounce and total consolidated all-in sustaining costs of between $1,195 and $1,255 per ounce.

B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines and numerous exploration and development projects in various countries including Canada, Mali, Colombia, Finland and Uzbekistan.
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(Kitco News) - Major gold producer Kinross Gold (TSX: K) (NYSE: KGC) announced on Tuesday that the company produced 466,022 Au eq. oz. in Q1 2023 from continuing operations, up 23% compared with 378,421 Au eq. oz. in Q1 2022.

The company explained that the increase in production was primarily attributable to the ramp up of production at La Coipa and higher production at Paracatu, Round Mountain and Fort Knox.

Production cost of sales from continuing operations per Au eq. oz. sold was $987 for the quarter, compared with $972 in Q1 2022, primarily due to higher costs at the companys Nevada operations, largely offset by increased production.

Kinross added that during the first quarter, revenue from continuing operations increased to $929.3 million, up 33% compared with $700.9 million during Q1 2022, primarily due to an increase in gold equivalent ounces sold and an increase in average realized gold price.

The company also reported net earnings from continuing operations of $90.2 million, or $0.07 per share for Q1 2023, compared with reported net earnings of $81.3 million, or $0.06 per share, for Q1 2022.

The increase in reported net earnings was mainly due to the increase in margins, Kinross said.

According to a news release, as part of its continuing quarterly dividend program, the company declared a dividend of $0.03 per common share payable on June 15, 2023, to shareholders of record as of June 1, 2023.

Our portfolio of operations is well positioned and on track to deliver our annual production and cost guidance, the company noted.

Kinross is a Canadian-based global senior gold mining company with operations and projects in the United States, Brazil, Mauritania, Chile and Canada.
By Lewis Jackson, Siyi Liu and Melanie Burton

SYDNEY, May 10 (Reuters) - Buyers in China, the world's top copper importer, are eyeing a resumption of trade with Australia as ties between the two countries improve ahead of an expected visit by Trade Minister Don Farrell to Beijing. China is gradually easing a raft of unofficial restrictions and tariffs placed on Australian imports including coal, copper ore and concentrate and barley in 2020 at the height of a diplomatic spat over trade, security and the origins of COVID-19.

Farrell said last week he would travel to Beijing "very soon" for trade talks with his counterpart after a virtual meeting in February. An unofficial ban on Australian coal imports lifted in January. Copper ore and concentrate imports are likely to resume if the talks go well, according to an official surnamed Wang at a Chinese copper smelter, who said smelters want extra supply from Australia. The official declined to provide a full name due to the sensitivity of the issue. Australian copper accounted for just 5% of Chinese imports in 2019 but is an important source of supply in what is expected to become a tight global market.

The world's top refined metal producer has lifted copper production to a record high this year, propelling demand for the raw material imports it heavily relies on. "Some buyers were heard to have applied to customs to import Australian copper," according to a Chinese analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the issue. Chinese customs could not be reached for comment. Australian trade data shows exporters already shipped A$60.5 million ($41.04 million) worth of copper ore and concentrate to China in January, though the cargoes do not appear in Chinese customs data. It was the first month of exports since December 2020.

In the weeks after China lifted the unofficial ban on coal, traders initially sent small shipments to test whether customs would clear coal cargoes. "Any step towards resolving the trade impediments is welcome," Farrell said on Wednesday.



Chinese customs data showed 10kg (22.05 lb) of copper ore and concentrate in the first quarter of this year, roughly the same as 2022. An analyst and second smelter official speculated the copper shipment's high gold content may have allowed importers to classify the cargo as precious metal. Should restrictions end, the trade should return to former levels in time, according to Nick Pickens, research director global mining at Wood Mackenzie.

China imported just over one million tonnes of copper ore and concentrate from Australia in 2019, according to customs data. The centre-left Labor government's push to remove all trade blocks notched another win last month when both countries agreed to resolve within three months a World Trade Organization dispute over Chinese barley tariffs. Australian trade data showed A$78,000 worth of barley exports to China in January, the first since November 2020. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)

Copper comeback? Australian copper returns to China (Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney, Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Siyi Liu in Beijing; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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(Kitco News) - Grayscale Investments, the worlds largest digital currency asset manager, remains dedicated to launching a spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the U.S. and has opted to take a different approach than simply filing an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with the formation of Grayscale Funds Trust.

The asset manager announced the trust on Tuesday, registering the new arm as a Delaware statutory trust structure that will allow Grayscale to independently manage its 1940 Act products as the firm continues to build out its ETF franchise.

Todays filing demonstrates our continued commitment to offering investors innovative ways to access the digital economy and transformative technologies using a familiar, trusted, regulated investment vehicle: the ETF, said David LaValle, head of ETFs at Grayscale Global.

To go along with the creation of Grayscale Funds Trust, the firm also filed a registration statement on Form N-1A with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Grayscale Ethereum Futures ETF, Grayscale Global Bitcoin Composite ETF, and Grayscale Privacy ETF, each a series of Grayscale Funds Trust.

According to the registration statement, the fund will not invest in digital assets directly but may offer indirect exposure to digital assets by virtue of its investments in companies and exchange-traded vehicles that use one or more digital assets as part of their business activities or that hold digital assets as investments.

Grayscale added that the fund will not invest in initial coin offerings (ICOs) and highlighted that because the Fund will not invest directly in any digital assets, it may not track price movements of any digital assets.

The fund will strive to invest at least 80% of its net assets in the securities that comprise the Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of the Index, Grayscale said.

Securities included in the Index will generally consist of exchange-traded products (ETP), notes and other pooled investment vehicles that hold or are backed by physical Bitcoin and meet certain asset and liquidity thresholds, and Bitcoin mining companies that generate a significant portion of their revenue from Bitcoin mining activities or mining related hardware, software, services, and or projects.

Bitcoin ETPs will need to meet minimum assets under management and liquidity factors to be included in the Index. Bitcoin mining companies will be selected based on their level of mining activity and the revenue generated from those activities, in addition to certain market capitalization and liquidity thresholds.

The Index will be reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis, effective on the last trading day of March, June, September and December. Grayscale Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor previously formed by Grayscale, will serve as an investment advisor to the ETFs issued by the new trust.

The creation of Grayscale Funds Trust reflects our dedication to scaling Grayscales business responsibly, said Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein. We are putting the necessary foundations in place so Grayscale can continue creating and managing regulated, future-forward products.

This new fund from Grayscale comes as the firm explores different approaches to getting a spot Bitcoin ETF approved in the U.S., a move the SEC has thus far been reluctant to make. To date, the regulator has rejected more than a dozen spot Bitcoin ETFs, including those filed by SkyBridge, Grayscale, WisdomTree and ARK 21Shares.

Grayscale is also motivated to launch spot ETFs, in part, due to the struggles of its cryptocurrency trust products, which have traded at negative premiums ranging from -25% to -62% for certain trusts over the past year.

This latest launch by Grayscale also shows that firms remain committed to bringing a spot BTC ETF to market. On Tuesday, Cboe Global Markets announced that it filed a proposal with the SEC to list and trade shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, a spot bitcoin ETF by Cathie Wood's Ark Invest and crypto investment product firm 21Shares, on the Cboe BZX exchange. This is the third time that the Cboe has filed for the approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF with the SEC.
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(Kitco News) - A report criticizing mining in B.C. did not resonate with Rob McLeod, the CEO of Blackwolf Copper & Gold.

On Friday, McLeod spoke to Kitco at Deutsche Goldmesse.

Last week the Fraser Institute released its annual ranking of mining regions. Attractiveness is based upon government policies that encourage or discourage exploration and investment, including permit times.

Nevada was the top mining jurisdiction. At the same time, the Fraser Institute said British Columbia performed poorly on the survey due to investor concerns over disputed land claims and protected areas.

McLeod disagreed with the findings.

"I see the opposite," said McLeod. "The regulations for permitting, both exploration and all

the way up to development projects in British Columbia, is excellent. It's timely, and there's a clear set of rules for consultation with First Nation communities. [It's] one of the hottest places in the planet right now, and it has been for the past half-decade."

Blackwolf Copper & Gold (TSX-V: BWCG) is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, B.C., focused on base and precious metal projects located in southeast Alaska.

Blackwolfs main asset is its 100% interest in the advanced exploration stage Niblack Copper, Gold, Silver, Zinc Project located on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska.

Coverage of Deutsche Goldmesse 2023 sponsored by Defiance Silver.
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(Kitco News) - Russia's Polymetal, a senior global gold and silver producer, announced on Tuesday that its Q1 2023 gold equivalent (GE) production was 345 koz, down 5% y-o-y and in line with plan.

The company said increases in production at Nezhda and Albazino (Kutyn) were offset by grade-driven production slump at Dukat as well as the build-up of concentrate inventory at Kyzyl and Varvara.

Polymetal added that revenue for the quarter was up by 19% y-o-y to US$733 million as sales channels stabilized, with reduction in stockpiles taking full advantage of higher gold prices.

According to a news release, net debt was broadly flat during the quarter as the release of inventory was offset by traditional seasonal payments for winter road deliveries, fuel supplies, and annual bonuses.

The company said it now expects POX-2 start-up in H2 2024 (previously Q2 2024), adding that Urals flotation and Prognoz (ore mining) are on track to launch in Q2 2023.

Polymetal reiterates its 2023 production guidance of 1.7 Moz of GE, and also maintains the full-year cost guidance of US$ 950-1,000/GE oz for TCC and US$ 1,300-1,400/GE oz for AISC.

Q1 saw continued metal inventory release and positive revenue dynamics. Management is optimistic that the unwinding of saleable inventory will be substantially completed by the end of Q2 2023. Quarterly production was in line with our plan and we confirm our full-year guidance of 1.7 Moz of GE", said Vitaly Nesis, Group CEO of Polymetal.

Importantly, Polymetal announced today its intention to re-domicile to the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC") in Kazakhstan, which is subject to shareholder approval.

Today, the board is asking for the approval of the shareholders to re-domicile the company from Jersey to the AIFC in Kazakhstan," the company said in a statement. We believe this is a necessary and critical first step to preserve Polymetal's business continuity and restore shareholder value in the current environment."

Polymetal explained that the designation of Jersey as an unfriendly jurisdiction" under Russian law places a significant restriction on the ability of the company to carry out customary corporate activity with its Russian operations and, moreover, places a significant risk on the continued existence of the group in its current form.

The board is of the view that all the proposed resolutions in connection with the re-domiciliation are in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders, and encourage shareholders to vote in favour. If they are passed, it will allow the company to remove the burden of a number of significant restrictions and open the way for further value-generating corporate actions," said Vitaly Nesis, commenting on the proposed re-domiciliation.

Polymetal International is a senior global gold and silver producer with assets in Russia and Kazakhstan.
Education is in genuine crisis in New Zealand and the statistics are now widely known. Jan Tinetti, the latest Minister of Education, is currently flapping around trying to say that she did not manipulate attendance data releases to coincide with a policy announcement.

The data remains appalling in any case and, it is clear that schools have lost the room in terms of credibility with students/families across all deciles.

As I wrote in the NZ Herald earlier this week: A very significant amount of faith has been lost in the system. The term 4 2022 full attendance statistics did creep above 50 per cent across all deciles but only because students on study leave all get marked present whether they were previously attending or not. These statistics are, of course, accentuated for low-decile students (30 per cent), Maori (38 per cent) and Pasifika (34 per cent) students.

It is striking that Asian students  stereotypically seen as diligent  fully attended at only 58 per cent. As one Asian student from a very expensive private school said to me, With all of the disruptions in the last three years we went searching and found superior teachers online and worked out that we can actually do better academically by grouping together and working on our own.

The trend around the world is for parents/students to withdraw from the system and seek better alternatives.

Concerns have been twofold  both the quality of the education provided and the content being taught.

I see some merit in this pivot and helped provide an opportunity for some through assisting with starting Mt Hobson Academy Connected (though not now involved)  an online school with significant social interaction. While the ministry of education is coy about numbers here, Stanford research in the US shows 1.2 million children have left the public school system.

The PPTA and Ministry of Education have been in negotiations since May 2022 on a new collective contract. This week teachers/schools have started rolling strikes. The impact of these are huge  and completely unjustified.

Here is an example. I co-founded a school called South Auckland Middle School. It was a Partnership School and is now a Designated Character (State) School. They serve 180 students/families in Manurewa South Auckland. They are on strike tomorrow  the second time this year. They are imposing on parents or putting the children on the street in South Auckland. Add to that Teacher Only Days, days lost through the storms, and a range of illnesses for students. SAMS people  I am ashamed.

There is a cost of living crisis and teachers are trying to sound tremendously hard done by. They know very little of the needs of a family truly struggling. Grand-parents looking after a number of children. Parents in prison and/or absent. Long term benefit dependance. The influence of gangs. Fruit and vegetable prices up 20% in a year. Etc.

The Ministry have offered (among other things)

a new teacher starting on this step will start on $63,187  an increase of 12.9%. Teachers who start on the first step without a specialist qualification will start on $58,505 in December 2024, an increase of 13.92% on today's starting rate.

New teachers who started in 2022 on the third step of the scale will be receiving $73,307 in 2025, including annual salary progression. This is an increase of $17,359, or 31% to their base pay over three years.

moving the top of the teacher scale from the current $90,000 to $94,000 backdated to 1 December 2022, then $96,820 at the end of this year, and $100,000 at the end of 2024  an overall 11.11% increase.

approximately 66% of secondary teachers are on the top step of the scale and the average remuneration, including allowances and units, is around $93a,000 ($92,713), so with this offer, a large proportion of the workforce would to be earning $100,000 or more by the end of next year.

With massive issues with attendance, teacher quality, and results  some teachers have tried to say that every day matters  re attendance. But young people see teachers taking a day off to line their pockets. The strikes and, all of the whining and moaning about conditions and the nature of students will create an even greater aversion to teaching as a career. Schools like South Auckland Middle School  and all others striking  are both harming the future prospects of children and bringing the sector into disrepute. Parents and students will increasing disengage and the home-schooling, private and integrated sector is already exploding.

Teachers have 12 weeks holiday a year (and enough of the nonsense of working right through them). They are giving families with 3  4 weeks leave a year (and much lower incomes) a choice between taking a day's leave, paying a babysitter, or letting their kids run wild.

Another plan of action is needed. Here is a clue, given NZ's education results and international standing, DO A BETTER JOB!

alwyn.poole@gmail.com

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Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 82F. Winds W at less than 5 mph, becoming NNE and increasing to 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 83F. N winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Rain. Low 51F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
The Columbia Police Chiefs Vehicle Stops Committee plans to find a way to make reporting officer conduct more known and accessible after a video of an officer punching a man in the face while trying to restrain him in downtown Columbia surfaced over the weekend.
CNN's Rosa Flores, Gloria Pazmino and Norma Galeana reported from El Paso, Texas, while Nouran Salahieh reported and wrote in Los Angeles. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, Steve Contorno, Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.
A Manhattan federal jury found that Donald Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in the spring of 1996 and is liable for defamation.
RingCentral (NYSE:RNG  Get Rating) updated its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $3.19-$3.25 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $3.08. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.19 billion-$2.21 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.19 billion. RingCentral also updated its Q2 2023 guidance to $0.74-$0.76 EPS.

RingCentral Stock Performance

Shares of RingCentral stock traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.50. 2,940,105 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,966,759. The company has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a PE ratio of -2.87 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $29.77 and a 200-day moving average of $34.35. RingCentral has a 12 month low of $25.32 and a 12 month high of $75.91.

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RingCentral (NYSE:RNG  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The software maker reported ($0.32) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by ($0.13). RingCentral had a negative return on equity of 765.97% and a negative net margin of 44.22%. The company had revenue of $524.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $528.41 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that RingCentral will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Insider Buying and Selling at RingCentral

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on RNG. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of RingCentral from $71.00 to $52.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of RingCentral from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of RingCentral from $40.00 to $55.00 in a report on Friday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on RingCentral from $50.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on RingCentral from $75.00 to $62.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $59.48.

In other news, CAO Vaibhav Agarwal sold 2,614 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.36, for a total transaction of $102,887.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 99,065 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,899,198.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other RingCentral news, CFO Sonalee Elizabeth Parekh sold 4,944 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total transaction of $182,433.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,760,284.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Vaibhav Agarwal sold 2,614 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.36, for a total transaction of $102,887.04. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 99,065 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,198.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,305 shares of company stock worth $458,254 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.49% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of RingCentral

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RNG. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in RingCentral by 51.5% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 886 shares of the software makers stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of RingCentral by 39.8% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,705 shares of the software makers stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of RingCentral by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 12,999 shares of the software makers stock valued at $1,524,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of RingCentral by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 61,232 shares of the software makers stock worth $7,177,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of RingCentral by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,945 shares of the software makers stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.09% of the companys stock.

RingCentral Company Profile

(Get Rating)

RingCentral, Inc engages in the provision of global enterprise cloud communications and collaboration solutions. The firms solutions provide a single user identity across multiple locations and devices, including smartphones, tablets, PCs and desk phones, and allows for communication across multiple modes, including high-definition voice, video, SMS, messaging and collaboration, conferencing, online meetings and fax.

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Green Dot (NYSE:GDOT  Get Rating) was downgraded by Needham & Company LLC from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on GDOT. StockNews.com started coverage on Green Dot in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Green Dot from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Green Dot from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $23.43.

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Green Dot Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GDOT opened at $17.22 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Green Dot has a 52-week low of $14.96 and a 52-week high of $30.29. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $16.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.61. The company has a market capitalization of $890.62 million, a P/E ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.07.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Green Dot ( NYSE:GDOT Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.24. Green Dot had a return on equity of 13.13% and a net margin of 4.20%. The business had revenue of $336.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.44 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Green Dot will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Green Dot during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $502,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Green Dot by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,277 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584 shares during the period. Ziegler Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Green Dot by 42.5% during the 1st quarter. Ziegler Capital Management LLC now owns 52,490 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 15,648 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Green Dot during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $496,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in Green Dot by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 41,958 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $721,000 after acquiring an additional 10,504 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.42% of the companys stock.

Green Dot Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Green Dot Corp. is a financial technology and registered bank holding company. It engages in providing modern banking and money movement products that are accessible for all. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Services, Business to Business (B2B) Services, Money Movement Services, and Corporate and Other.

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Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio (NYSE:NXP  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Wednesday, May 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.0485 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th.

Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio stock opened at $14.58 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.34 and a 200-day moving average of $14.08. Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio has a 1-year low of $12.86 and a 1-year high of $14.94.

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Institutional Trading of Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 206,593 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 69,274 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 97,370 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 8,792 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 78,633 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 6,256 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $908,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 57,036 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 10,141 shares during the last quarter.

Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Company Profile

Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of United States. The fund invests in the investment-grade municipal securities rated Baa and BBB or better.

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Rite Aid Co. (NYSE:RAD  Get Rating)  Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2024 EPS estimates for Rite Aid in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 3rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Lohia now expects that the company will post earnings of ($1.56) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.23). The consensus estimate for Rite Aids current full-year earnings is ($4.81) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Rite Aids Q2 2024 earnings at ($1.47) EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at ($0.90) EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at ($0.95) EPS, FY2024 earnings at ($4.87) EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at ($1.21) EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at ($1.12) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($1.09) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($1.11) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($4.53) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($1.80) EPS.

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A number of other analysts also recently commented on RAD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Rite Aid from $3.00 to $1.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Rite Aid from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st.

Rite Aid Stock Up 1.0 %

RAD stock opened at $1.99 on Monday. Rite Aid has a 52-week low of $1.81 and a 52-week high of $11.61. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $2.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.64. The firm has a market cap of $112.30 million, a P/E ratio of -0.15 and a beta of 1.11.

Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The company reported ($1.24) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.77) by ($0.47). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.70 billion. Rite Aid had a negative net margin of 3.11% and a negative return on equity of 260.98%. Rite Aids quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.63) earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rite Aid

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prelude Capital Management LLC increased its position in Rite Aid by 9.6% during the second quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 17,522 shares of the companys stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. Quantamental Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Rite Aid by 21.4% during the 1st quarter. Quantamental Technologies LLC now owns 13,641 shares of the companys stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Rite Aid by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 77,482 shares of the companys stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 2,952 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Rite Aid by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 233,140 shares of the companys stock worth $1,153,000 after acquiring an additional 3,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Rite Aid during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.76% of the companys stock.

About Rite Aid

(Get Rating)

Rite Aid Corp. engages in the ownership and management of retail drug stores. It operates through following segments: Retail Pharmacy and Pharmacy Services. The Retail Pharmacy segment includes branded and generic prescription drugs, health and beauty aids, personal care products, and walk-in retail clinics.

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Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP  Get Rating) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $110.00 to $104.00 in a research report issued on Monday, The Fly reports. Royal Bank of Canadas price target suggests a potential upside of 46.11% from the stocks previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on TRGP. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Targa Resources from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. StockNews.com started coverage on Targa Resources in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn restated a buy rating on shares of Targa Resources in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Targa Resources from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Capital One Financial reissued an overweight rating on shares of Targa Resources in a report on Thursday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $99.82.

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Targa Resources Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:TRGP opened at $71.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.66. Targa Resources has a 1 year low of $55.56 and a 1 year high of $80.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44 and a beta of 2.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.04.

Institutional Trading of Targa Resources

Targa Resources ( NYSE:TRGP Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The pipeline company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.38 billion. Targa Resources had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 5.43%. Equities analysts forecast that Targa Resources will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC bought a new position in shares of Targa Resources during the first quarter worth about $250,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Targa Resources by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,741 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Targa Resources by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 186,471 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $14,072,000 after acquiring an additional 19,372 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Targa Resources during the 1st quarter worth approximately $249,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Targa Resources by 91.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,429 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.29% of the companys stock.

About Targa Resources

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Targa Resources Corp. provides midstream natural gas and natural gas liquids services. It also provides gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil, and storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. It operates through the following business segments: Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Transportation.

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Shares of VTEX (NYSE:VTEX  Get Rating) have been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.30.

VTEX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $5.00 target price on shares of VTEX in a report on Friday, March 3rd. DA Davidson began coverage on VTEX in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $5.00 price target for the company.

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VTEX Price Performance

NYSE VTEX opened at $3.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 4.63 and a current ratio of 4.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $680.36 million, a P/E ratio of -13.33 and a beta of 0.99. The businesss fifty day moving average is $3.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.88. VTEX has a 1 year low of $2.66 and a 1 year high of $5.48.

Institutional Trading of VTEX

VTEX Company Profile

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VTEX. Riverwood Capital Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in VTEX by 37.0% during the third quarter. Riverwood Capital Management Ltd. now owns 1,850,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,845,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its holdings in VTEX by 74.9% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 706,731 shares of the companys stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 302,702 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in VTEX by 110.7% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 91,068 shares of the companys stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 47,841 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in VTEX by 180.5% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 285,561 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,054,000 after buying an additional 183,763 shares during the period. Finally, Truxt Investmentos Ltda. bought a new position in VTEX during the third quarter worth about $8,396,000. 38.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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VTEX provides software-as-a-service digital commerce platform for enterprise brands and retailers. Its platform enables customers to execute their commerce strategy, including building online stores, integrating, and managing orders across channels, and creating marketplaces to sell products from third-party vendors.

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An Angola man suffered a head injury and road rash following a motorcycle accident that was reported at 7 p.m. Tuesday near Garrett. The DeKalb County Sheriffs Office said speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.
Texas mall victims include several members from two families

The eight people killed in a shooting at a mall near Dallas over the weekend represent a multicultural cross-section of the area's increasingly diverse suburbs
In view of the rising humanitarian needs due to the raging conflict in Sudan, the EU launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge transporting critical supplies to our humanitarian partners in Port Sudan. The 30 tonnes of essential items, including water, sanitation and hygiene as well as shelter equipment were transported from the warehouses of the United Nations in Dubai to Port Sudan. Upon arrival, they were handed over to UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

The Humanitarian Air Bridge is organised in the framework of the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, a tool designed to fill gaps in the humanitarian response to natural hazards and human-induced disasters.

The EU has already allocated 200,000 for the immediate relief and first aid assistance to populations injured or exposed to high risk in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas affected by the ongoing violence. It supports the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in the provision of first aid, evacuation services, and psychosocial support. This funding is on top of the 73 million already allocated to Sudan in 2023 in humanitarian assistance. In addition, 200,000 were allocated to the Egyptian Red Crescent, for the provision of support to refugees arriving in Egypt from Sudan.

Background

Violent armed clashes broke out in Sudan on 15 April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. This development comes following a prolonged political gridlock after the 2021 military coup. Prior to the outbreak of violence, the political, security and economic instability, combined with a poor harvest, led to the worst humanitarian crisis in a decade. The EU had stepped up its humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable.

According to the latest reports by the country's Ministry of Health, as of 5 May, at least 550 people have been killed  including 18 health and humanitarian workers  and more than 5,000 injured. The actual toll is expected to be much higher.

The EU has strongly urged all parties for a full compliance with international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians and humanitarian space. Safety and security of aid workers, premises and assets must be guaranteed so that they can provide emergency assistance to those affected.

For more information:

EU Humanitarian Aid to Sudan

European Humanitarian Response Capacity
Hong Kong: HK resident returns safely

One more Hong Kong resident who had sought help from the Immigration Department safely returned to the city, the Security Bureau said today.

The assistance seeker in relation to employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries returned to Hong Kong from Myanmar via the Mainland today.

The return was secured with the aid of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the relevant public security authority and the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the bureau's dedicated task force and the Hong Kong SAR Governments Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Guangdong.

So far, 22 assistance seekers have returned to Hong Kong under the task force's co-ordination.

The bureau urged citizens to contact the Immigration Department as soon as possible if they know or have received information of victims in need of help.

They may call the department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit 24-hour hotline at (852) 1868, phone the 1868 hotline by network data via the department's mobile app, send messages to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline or submit an Online Assistance Request Form.

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
??? PCM propone proyecto de ley para que las Fuerzas Armadas apoyen a la Policia Nacional en el resguardo de fronteras



?? Se trata de una decision soberana del Estado peruano, en la linea de las acciones que se estan tomando en materia migratoria.



https://t.co/N1KE5XhOKN
??Fiscal de la Nacion, Patricia Benavides, se reunio con Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, relator especial sobre derecho a la libertad de reunion pacifica y de asociacion, a quien detallo las actuaciones fiscales que se realizan en los casos con victimas durante las protestas sociales. pic.twitter.com/392yhZOzkQ
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Canada's Minister of International Trade, Export, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng and other officials during an interaction (Photo/FICCI)

Toronto [Canada], May 10 (ANI): The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Business Council of Canada (BCC) on Wednesday announced a new partnership to connect business leaders from both countries, promote bilateral economic ties, and enhance cooperation as partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

"India's bilateral relationship with Canada holds great potential, especially in areas like energy, science, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure development," said FICCI President Subhrakant Panda.

Also Read | Pixel 7a Launching on May 10, Expected High-End Features at Affordable Pricing; Checkout All Known Details.

"I am confident that our partnership will not only bolster business-to-business ties between the two countries but also lift the trajectory of bilateral trade," he added.

The two organisations used the occasion to call on both governments to continue to work on an Early Progress Trade Agreement with the goal of successfully concluding negotiations by the end of the year. In addition, they announced that a Canadian delegation of chief executive officers (CEOs) will travel to New Delhi for meetings with Indian business leaders.

Also Read | Matrimonial Fraud Case: Bengaluru Woman Duped of Cash, Gold Worth Over Rs 18 Lakh in Delhi, Probe Underway.

"At a time of global volatility, it is crucial for democracies to work together to create jobs, secure supply chains and drive economic growth that sustains our quality of life and benefits all people," said BCC President and CEO Goldy Hyder. "A trade agreement would not only send the right signal to businesses in both countries to increase trade and investment, but it would mark an important milestone in Canada's recently released Indo-Pacific Strategy."

On the concluding day at the CEOs Roundtable organised by FICCI and BCC in Toronto, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Canada's Minister of International Trade, Export, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng; FICCI President Subhrakant Panda; and Secretary General Shailesh Pathak and BCC President and CEO Goldy Hyder interacted with the Indian and Canadian Business Leaders.

The total bilateral trade between India and Canada amounted to USD 6.8 billion for FY2021-22. Canada exported USD 3.1 billion worth of products to India and imported USD 3.7 billion worth of products from India. In addition, Canadian portfolio and institutional investment into India is currently valued at Canadian dollar 70 billion (USD 51.7 billion). (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tied up with busy schedules, several celebrities didn't forget to cast their votes. From Rishab Shetty to Prakash Raj, others snapped at the Karnataka Assembly Elections. Kantara fame Rishab Shetty came in his traditional attire to cast a vote. Sharing the picture of himself on Instagram, the actor wrote, "We are proud to be a citizen of a democratic nation. Similarly, voting is not only our right, but also our responsibility. I have voted for a better future of our Karnataka." Prakash Raj cast his vote and shared his views, "We've to vote against communal politics. We need Karnataka to be beautiful," Prakash Raj said after casting his vote. He was snapped at St Joseph's School in Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru. Kannada actor Ganesh arrived with his wife to cast their votes at a polling booth in RR Nagar, Bengaluru. All smiles as actor Amulya with her husband cast their votes at a polling booth. As responsible citizens, Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind and his wife cast for Karnataka Assembly elections. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Rishab Shetty Casts Vote, Shares Pics From Udupi Polling Booth.

Kichcha Sudeepa was spotted at the polling booth and interacted with the media. Voting is currently underway for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats. A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections. Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur. A voter turnout of 37.25 per cent has been recorded in Karnataka assembly polls till 1 pm onWednesday with Udupi district seeing the highest polling at 47.79 per cent.Voting began on Wednesday morning in 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka. The electors will decide the electoral fate of 2,615 candidates. Kantara 2: Rishab Shetty Begins Writing for the Prequel to His Blockbuster Kannada Film (View Post).

The southern state had recorded 20.99 per cent voter turnout till 11 am. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Central recorded 29.41 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm while it was 29.90 per cent in BBMP (North). BBMP (South) saw a voting percentage of 30.68 per cent, Bagalkot 40.87 per cent, Bangalore Rural 40.16 per cent, Bangalore Urban 31.54 per cent, Belgaum 37.48 and Bellary 39.74 per cent till 1 pm. Dakshina Kannada recorded 44.17 per cent voter turnout, Bijapur 36.55 per cent, Davanagere 38.64 per cent, Uttara Kannada 42.43 per cent and Tumkur 40.60 per cent.The assembly elections are crucial for BJP and Congress with JD-S also keen to improve its performance.Several key leaders including Union Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, State Minister K Sudhakar, and Congress state President DK Shivakumar were among early voters.
Kolkata, May 10: The results of Class 10 state board examinations in West Bengal will be announced on May 19, Education Minister Bratya Basu said on Wednesday. The exams, called Madhyamik Pariksha in the state, were held between February 23 and March 4 .

Taking to Twitter, Basu said, "19th May, 2023, Friday, 10 am, the Results of Madhyamik Pariksha 2023 shall be declared by WBBSE." The results will be available on a slew of websites and mobile applications such as www.indiaresults.com and mobile app 'Madhyamik Results 2023' from 12 noon on that day, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education said in a notification. West Bengal Madhyamik Result 2023 Date: Class 10 Board Examination Results Will Be Declared on May 19, Says Education Minister Bratya Basu.

School authorities will get marksheets and certificates of their students from various camp offices of the board from 12 noon of May 19, it said. According to the board, a total of 6,98,628 candidates appeared for the Class 10 state board exams this year. ICSE Result 2023 Date: CISCE Likely to Declare Class 10th, 12th Result by Next Week At cisce.org; Know Steps to Check Score.

The number of candidates appearing for the state board examinations this year dropped by 36.41 per cent. Last year, 10,98,775 candidates appeared for the tests.

WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly said the sharp decline might be a result of the online classes held during the pandemic. Many students might have felt that their preparation was inadequate because of online classes and so they did not appear for the exams, he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tumakuru (Karnataka) [India], May 10 (ANI): Siddalinga Swami of the influential Lingayat Siddaganga mutt on Wednesday cast his vote in the Karnataka Assembly polls at a polling booth in Tumakuru.

The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will play a major factor in the elections. Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population and Vokkaligas 11 per cent.

Also Read | UP Assembly By-Elections 2023: Voting Underway on Suar and Chhanbey Vidhan Sabha Seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections began at 7 am amid tight security on Wednesday and will continue till 6 pm.

All three major political parties in the state -- BJP, Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS)-- have put in efforts to woo voters, making promises and levelling accusations at each other to secure a majority in the state's 224-seat Assembly.

Also Read | Jalandhar Lok Sabha By-Election 2023: Voting Begins for High-Stakes Parliamentary Bypoll in Punjab.

The voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. The fate of the candidates will be known on May 13, the day of the counting of votes. Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations.

According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.

84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty today across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts.

The high-voltage campaign for the assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.

Some of the key constituencies in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.

Both BJP and Congress are fielding some of their top guns in the major constituencies. The BJP has also taken a chance by contesting 50 new faces in its 224 candidates list. This move by BJP to deny tickets to several senior leaders ultimately led to them quitting the party and joining Congress or JD(S).

The counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10 (ANI): The Sessions Court for Greater Bombay on Wednesday granted bail to the accused student Arman Iqbal Khatri involved in the IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki suicide case.

While granting the bail to accused student Armaan Khatri, the local court remarked that there is no evidence of abetment to suicide against the accused in the case.

Also Read | Manipur Violence: Over 1,100 People From Nagaland Evacuated Under 'Kohima Calling' Operation.

The court in its ten-page order has observed that no evidence of caste discrimination and harassment was found against the accused in the Darshan Solanki suicide case to show that the applicant/accused was harassing the deceased on the basis of caste discrimination.

In the suicide note, apart from the name of the applicant/accused, there is no reference to any act or event under which the applicant is alleged to have willfully omitted or knowingly aided or abetted the deceased to commit suicide, the court in its order mentioned.

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There is nothing on record to show that the applicant/accused had abetted the deceased Darshan to commit suicide, except for one incident of the accused showing the paper cutter to the dead Darshan, the court observed.

Darshan Solanki allegedly committed suicide at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building located on the campus on February 12 this year, a day after his semester exams ended.

In the aftermath of the incident, Solanki's family alleged foul play in his death and claimed that he faced discrimination at the IIT Bombay for belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community.

Following complaints from the members of the family a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai Crime Branch police probing the suicide of an 18-year-old IIT-Bombay student, arrested a student of the same institute in connection to the case.

A case was also registered under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Solanki was originally from Ahmedabad and was pursuing B Tech at IIT Bombay.

Darshan's father, Ramesh Solanki, further requested the authorities to take action against the police.

Following demands for a detailed probe by his parents, on February 28, the case was transferred to the city crime branch SIT.

During the SIT inquiry, many students of IIT Bombay told the police that there was a dispute between Darshan Solanki and Armaan a few days before the suicide.

When the police inquired about the reason, the students told them that Darshan Solanki had commented about Muslim society, following which Armaan threatened him.

Earlier on April 7, the SIT received a report from a handwriting expert which said the purported suicide note found in the deceased's hostel room was written by him.

"There used to be an argument between accused Armaan and Darshan, after which accused Armaan threatened him by showing a knife," officials said.

Powai police then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and an investigation was started in this matter. (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 10 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an application seeking the recusal of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud from hearing the pleas relating to legal validation for same-sex marriages.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by the CJI was hearing the arguments for the ninth day on these pleas.

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Anson Thomas, who appeared virtually, referred to his letters sent to the CJI on March 13 and April 17 and said Justice Chandrachud should recuse himself in this particular matter.

"Thank you Mr. Thomas, application rejected," said the CJI, who was heading the bench which also comprised justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha.

Also Read | Manipur Violence: Over 1,100 People From Nagaland Evacuated Under 'Kohima Calling' Operation.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the court during the hearing, objected to the submissions made seeking recusal of the CJI.

"I have an objection to this (seeking recusal of CJI), leave it at that my lords...," Mehta said, adding, "I object, since he has made these submissions."

The hearing in the matter is underway.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Patna, May 10 (PTI) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has deactivated more than 2.25 lakh mobile phone numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand in the month of April as majority of the SIM cards were allegedly procured through forged documents.

The Telecom Service Providers have also blacklisted 517 Point of Sales (PoS) who have been prima facie found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards.

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According to a statement issued by the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) here, "In the month of April 2023 itself, more than 2.25 lakh mobile numbers have been deactivated in both states. The majority of the SIM cards were procured through illegal/unethical means.

"Besides, 517 PoS have been blacklisted as they were found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards. The Telecom Service Providers are further initiating legal proceedings against the fraudulent PoS as well as subscribers".

Also Read | Kerala Shocker: Woman House Surgeon Stabbed to Death With Surgical Blade by Patient in Kottarakara.

Jharkhand also comes under the jurisdiction of DoT's LSA (Bihar).

As per the latest reports received, FIRs in several districts of Bihar as well as in Jharkhand have been lodged by the Telecom Service Providers, said the statement.

"The DoT, Patna Office is also in touch with the state police and has shared the intelligence devised out of artificial intelligence and facial recognition powered solution for telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) analysis. The state police has also assured that suitable action will be initiated against SIM fraudsters (PoS/Subscribers)", it said.

Approximately seven crore SIM subscribers' facial data of Bihar and Jharkhand has been analysed and actionable intelligence has been compiled, it added.

"Further, DoT (Bihar) and Telecom Service Providers and state police have agreed to work in cohesion to nab the SIM fraudsters. With the increasing reliance on technology, cyber fraud has become a significant concern. SIM cards have also become a new identity of almost every individual of this country. However, as it is said nothing comes without its drawbacks, and the widespread use of SIM cards has led to some unintended consequences. The cyber-world is witnessing new types of offenders and victims on a daily basis", said the statement.

It said, "The Department of Telecommunications (New Delhi) taking the lead and to curb cyber menace has carried out facial analysis of more than 87 crore SIM subscribers across India. The analysis has been carried out using ASTR in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. The result of analysis has been shared with Department of Telecommunication field units to ensure action against SIM fraudsters with the help of Telecom Service Providers and state police".

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament Gevorg Papoyan from the ruling Civil Contract faction disagrees with opinions claiming that the reopening of the land border with Turkey would only be beneficial for Turkey itself. If that were the case, Papoyan argues, then Turkey would open the border very swiftly because it was Turkey who closed it back in the 1990s in order to economically pressure Armenia.

Theres a lot of debate in our public life whether or not the opening of the Armenian-Turkish land border would be beneficial for Armenia. If it were not beneficial for Armenia, Turkey would open the border in five seconds, because its not Armenia who closed the Armenia-Turkey border, it was closed by Turkey, because thats how it is economically pressuring Armenia. Theyve never concealed this, they are supporting Azerbaijan by doing so. This shows that the narrative claiming that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will have some apocalyptic consequences for Armenia is simply ridiculous and untrue, Papoyan said at a press conference on May 10.

The opening of the border will lead to economic development, new jobs, development of businesses, increase in tax revenues and significant improvement of the social condition of people, the MP said.

Turkey has been keeping the border with Armenia closed for many years in order to support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. And they havent concealed this. This is their assessment. And today, I think they realize that this is beneficial for us, and they are trying to perhaps put forward some demands, find some pretexts. The normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations without preconditions is an agenda item for us, we are not deviating from this, this is a primary clause of the Armenian foreign policy, he said.

Armenia and Turkey had earlier agreed to open the land border for citizens of third countries by summer 2023. Papoyan said that Turkey hasnt officially cancelled this agreement. The MP commented on the issue in the context of the latest developments regarding the Nemesis monument.
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 10 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday in a joint operation with security forces arrested two terror associates linked with proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Shopian.

The police recovered incriminating materials, IED, arms and ammunition from their possession.

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The arrested terror associates have been identified as Shahid Ahmad Lone son of Ab Rashid Lone resident of Chotipora Shopian and Waseem Ahmad Ganie son of Ab Hamid Ganie resident of Borihalan Shopian.

"During the course of the investigation of case FIR No. 65/2023 of PS Shopian, Police in a joint operation with Army (44 RR), CRPF (14 Bn) on Tuesday arrested two more terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT", the police said.

Also Read | Same-Sex Marriage: Arguments That Supreme Court Should Rule on Gay Marriages As Parliament is Not Likely to Do Anything Will Be 'Dangerous Proposition', Says Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind.

According to the police, incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 1 pistol, 1 pistol magazine, 4 pistol rounds, 1 silencer, 1 IED, 1 remote control, 2 batteries, and 1 empty magazine of an AK 47 rifle were recovered on their disclosure.

Pertinently, on May 02, police along with security forces arrested a terrorist associate of the proscribed terror outfit LeT, identified as Tanveer Ahmad Wani son of Bashir Ahmad Wani resident of Daramdora Shopian. Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 01 AK series rifle, 01 magazine and 10 rounds were recovered from his possession and a case FIR No. 65/2023 was registered in PS Shopian. Further investigation is going on. (ANI)

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Srinagar, May 10 (PTI) Security forces on Wednesday arrested two militant associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir and recovered arms and ammunition, including an IED, from their possession, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation following inputs that two suspected individuals were present near the Saidpora Bypass area in Sopore in the north Kashmir district, a police spokesman said.

Also Read | Tigers Seen Roaming in Uttarakhand Village; Authorities Intensify Patrols, Set Up Cameras for Vigilance.

During the operation, two individuals trying to run away in an attempt to break the cordon were apprehended, he said.

They were identified as Kaiser Manzoor Mir, a resident of Behl Mohalla Saidpora, and Muzaffar Majeed Mir, a resident of Shalpora, Brat Kalan, the spokesman said.

Also Read | Modi Government on Same-Sex Marriage: 'May Not Be Correct Course of Action', Says Centre on Supreme Court's Hint at Declaration on Gay Marriages.

During questioning, both arrested persons confessed that they were working as associates for local active terrorist Bilal Ahmad Mir of Brath Kalan, Sopore, who is linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT, he said.

Incriminating material, arms and ammunition, including 15 pistol rounds, 25 AK-47 rounds, an IED and two hand grenades, were recovered from their possession, the spokesman said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is in progress, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jalandhar, May 10: Polling began on Wednesday morning for the high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll where a four-cornered electoral battle is in the offing with the AAP, Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

Amid tight security arrangements, voting for the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency began at 8 am and will continue till 6 pm, said officials. There are a total 16,21,800 eligible voters, including 8,44,904 males, 7,76,855 females, and 41 transgenders in the constituency. Jalandhar By-Election 2023: Siddhu Moosewala's Father Balkaur Singh Announces to Campaign Against AAP in Upcoming Bypolls.

Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. There are 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them have been identified as critical, officials said.

A dedicated women-only polling station has been set up in all nine assembly constituencies, which are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha (reserved) seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary. He suffered a cardiac arrest during the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jalandhar's Phillaur in January this year.

The AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku who quit the Congress to join the Punjab's ruling party while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Santokh Chaudhary. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 Polling Today: Voting Begins in 224 Vidhan Sabha Seats Amid Tight Security, High Stakes for BJP and Congress.

The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Vidhan Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal who had also joined the BJP.

The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is a doctor. The SAD candidate is backed by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Gurjant Singh. Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party is hoping to mark its presence in the Lok Sabha by registering a victory in the bypoll.

The win is important for the AAP which had faced drubbing in the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll, just three months after it came to power in March 2022 with a thumping majority of 92 seats in the 117 assembly segments in Punjab.

The bypoll is also being seen as a test of the one-year performance of the Bhagwant Mann-led government which has been harping on providing free electricity, jobs to youth, regularising services of contractual employees, action against corruption and opening of mohalla clinics among others.

The Congress, meanwhile, is looking to defend its citadel with its prestige at stake. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat is considered to be a traditional stronghold of the Congress which has remained undefeated from here since 1999.

The stakes are also high for the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal which saw humiliating defeats during the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls. Both parties were once allies in Punjab. The SAD broke ties with the BJP in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws. During campaigning, the ruling AAP sought votes for the "development work" done in the last year.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal told people that they voted for the Congress for the last 60 years and asked them to give his party a chance for the next 11 months.

"If you do not like the work done by our candidate, then do not vote for the AAP in the 2024 general elections," he said. The opposition Congress, BJP, and SAD targeted the AAP government over various issues, including alleged deteriorating law and order, corruption, and failure to fulfil its poll promises, especially giving Rs 1,000 per month to women.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), May 10 (ANI): In an attempt to give momentum to the developmental works in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government has announced the first installment of approximately Rs 7.5 billion for the 'Legislature Area Development Fund', informed a government statement.

The fund will be released to all the 499 members of both the houses of the State Legislature, including the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, to carry out development activities in their respective areas. The government has already issued an order, sanctioning the amount.

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"The Yogi government has been tirelessly engaged in carrying out developmental works in every district and village of the state ever since it took over the reins of the state for the first time in 2017. The government also accords top priority to making funds available to the concerned authorities and departments for the same on time," the statement added.

Notably, a total provision of Rs 25.20 billion has been made under the Legislature Area Development Fund. In this sequence, a total amount of six billion one crore fifty lakh rupees has been approved by the state government as the first installment for 401 out of 403 members (2 vacancies) of the Legislative Assembly under the current budget arrangement.

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"At the same time, a provision of one billion forty-seven crore rupees has been made for spending on development works in the constituencies of 98 out of 100 members of the Legislative Council (two vacant seats). In this way, a total of Rs 7 billion 48 crores 50 lakh has been sanctioned for a total of 499 (401+98) members of both Houses of the Legislature. The amount of GST is also included in this amount," it further stated.

Out of the total amount released, each member will get Rs 1.5 crore for development works. The members of the Legislature will be able to spend this amount only on the development of their respective areas.

At the same time, funds will not be released from the treasury for the constituencies where the posts of members of the Legislature are vacant. It has been clearly stated in the order that in places where the code of conduct is applicable, action should be ensured only by following the rules. (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 10 (PTI) The government on Wednesday said green hydrogen bunkering and refuelling facilities shall be established at all major ports by 2035 to reduce the country's carbon footprint.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways(MoPSW) in its green port guidelines, HaritSagar' further said that ports shall make an action plan for creation of infrastructure at select ports for storage, bunkering and refuelling of green hydrogen within the targeted timelines.

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Bunkering operation is a procedure for transferring oil, sludge or cargo to and from a ship.

"Green Ammonia bunkers and refuelling facilities shall be established at all Major Ports by 2035," the guidelines said.

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Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday launched green port guidelines, HaritSagar', as part of efforts to meet the larger vision of achieving zero carbon emission goal.

"Ports shall make efforts to retrofit Port Crafts (including Tugs, Pilot Boats, Mooring Boats, Survey Boats etc.) with available technology for propulsion on cleaner and greener fuel viz., Green Ammonia, Green Hydrogen (through Fuel Cell), Green Methanol etc in phased manner," MoPSW said.

India has 12 major ports -- Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (V O Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

The MoPSW also stressed that all ports shall make efforts to achieve the target of renewable energy as envisaged in Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 / Blue Economy 2047 documents.

"Share of renewable energy at Ports should exceed 60 per cent by the Year 2030 and 90 per cent by year 2047," the ministry noted.

India, as a part of its commitment in COP 26 towards Climate Action, has pledged to reduce the emission intensity per unit GDP by 45 per cent by the year 2030, from the 2005 level and achieve about 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by the year 2030.

MoPSW also emphasised that ports shall ensure that the green and sustainability aspects are suitably incorporated in the DPR (Detailed Project Report) while formulating PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects.

"All truck operators who use the green fuel i.e. CNG/LNG/Hydrogen and its derivative or electric fleet may be identified and incentivized.," the ministry said, adding that ports shall establish at least one LNG bunkering station by the year 2030 and adequate number of EV charging stations in port campus or nearby area by the year 2025.

MoPSW said ports should target retro-fitment / conversion of diesel-powered equipment/cranes / forklift / pay loader / vehicles etc. to electrically powered in a phased manner by making suitable plans.

The country's maritime sector plays a crucial role in overall trade and growth with 95 per cent share in trade volume and 65 per cent share in trade value.

Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030, the roadmap prepared by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways for the maritime sector in the country, aims to strengthen the maritime sector through concerted interventions.PTI BKS BKS

(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 10 (PTI) As US network gear maker Cisco on Wednesday announced plans for manufacturing products like routers and switches in India, its chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins said the country has made remarkable progress on digital infrastructure, and termed India as the number one growth opportunity over next decade.

The manufacturing operations -- which come amidst India's aggressive push to position itself as a global manufacturing hub supported by enabling schemes -- will take off through Cisco's contract manufacturers and it is eyeing USD 1 billion worth of combined exports and domestic market production from here.

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On the global macroeconomic uncertainties, US banking crisis, and geopolitical shocks, the Cisco top boss exuded confidence that the "strategic value of tech and digitisation is not going to slow down" and will in fact "continue moving forward" as it is the key to every country's success.

In an interview with PTI, Robbins talked about his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the company's manufacturing plans, and praised the breakneck pace of digitisation and 5G rollouts here, skill capabilities, the start up ecosystem, and its strengthening physical infrastructure.

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The Cisco CEO also met Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani during his India visit, and had a "good conversation".

"The energy here is incredible. During the pandemic, while it was a stressful time, India made tons of progress on digitisation. The ambition of India is very clear and the momentum I felt here in the last few days is incredible. I met the PM, and several ministers and talked about many topics, among them about our commitment to manufacturing here in India, which we are announcing...," said Robbins, who is in Delhi as part of his multi-city tour to India.

The Cisco top honcho - who was last here in 2019 - said not just digital but physical infrastructure is also stronger, and The government's initiatives are clearly driving the change.

"I have to say, coming here 27 years ago was one of the smartest things we have ever done, and I have never been more excited about the momentum here. The infrastructure, physical infrastructure feels different, you see it getting better. The digital infrastructure has clearly has significant investments.

"I think when you talk to Government leaders, the consistency around the single mission what they believe they can achieve for India is clear and we are excited to be a small part of it," he said.

Robbins described India as the "number one growth opportunity over the next decade".

"The population here, the commitment to technology, technology-savviness of leadership, the tech capabilities of a large portion of the population, the commitment to capacity building and skilling....

"I met PM Modi yesterday, and the range of topics and depth of knowledge he has on tech and the vision he has set for this country, is astounding," Robbins said.

With manufacturing taking off, the company hopes to have its first products off the line in about 12 months.

"We are starting with two of our highest volume products, one of our switches and one of our routers, that are widely used in India. We are going to be using this and are viewing this as a global export hub as well," Robbins said underscoring the company's razor-sharp focus on building a full manufacturing node something it is "really excited about it".

The Made in India Cisco products will be exported to the region, and also to Europe. The manufacturing will take place in Chennai, and the company will expand the product line over a period of time.

"Soon, over the next few years, we will have a broad array of products that will be built here and I think it is just beginning for India. It is clear to me that this is going to be a major manufacturing hub. I told PM that we will probably be one of his best recruiting engines for the supply chain ecosystem. Because it is good for us when our suppliers actually create a presence here as well," he said.

India is a key investment area for the company, and the company will continue to invest here, Robbins asserted.

Robbins further said his discussion with the PM ranged from manufacturing to skills, and Cisco's programs, and from AI to 5G, and sustainability.

5G is a big bet for Cisco and Robbins observed that India had demonstrated the fastest 5G rollout anywhere in the world.

"I think it is important because as you are thinking about creating opportunity for everyone in this country, high-speed connectivity is the first step. The great news is 5G gives us the opportunity to get high-speed connectivity virtually everywhere," he said.

The Cisco CEO said that the speed at which India created the digital public infrastructure was incredibly impressive.

"I think a lot of countries around the world have done it, but probably not at the scale and speed that it was done here. I do think it is a great capability to export and help other countries and that is something that would be helpful for Indian economy as well," he said.

On the new regulations taking shape including the proposed digital personal data protection Bill, the proposed Digital India Act and the telecom Bill, Robbins said the company supports legislation that helps maintain the privacy of individual information.

"What we have seen the Government here do is really shift the regulatory environment to encourage investment and that has been a big driver for FDI. I see this shift not only around privacy which is really important, but also the shift towards encouraging investment here which is good," he said.

On global tech layoffs and whether there is more pain in the offing, the Cisco CEO said it is difficult to predict what is going to happen across the industry given the macro headwinds, but was quick to point out that India is a key market for the company.

To a question on whether the company's plans to rightsize certain businesses will have any ramifications on India operations, Robbins said, "None, it will be the same that it would be anywhere. Ours was not a cost-related issue, ours was related to need to rightsize our business and invest in another business, so we just needed different skillset quickly, and it turns out that the numbers that we ended up impacting were much lower than what we initially thought".

"It is hard to say what is going to happen across the industry because there is so much uncertainty at the macro level right now about what is going to happen in the economy, but there is nothing unique to India other than it being a key investment area for us as we go forward," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Capital markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday allowed stock exchanges to extend direct market access facility to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) for participation in Exchange Traded Commodity Derivatives (ETCDs).

The new provision would come into force with immediate effect, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.

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Direct Market Access (DMA) facilitates the clients of a broker to directly access the exchange trading system through the broker's infrastructure to place orders without manual intervention by the broker.

Also, DMA provides certain advantages to brokers such as direct control over orders, faster execution of orders, reduced risk of errors associated with manual order entry, maintaining confidentiality, lower impact costs for large orders and implementing better hedging and arbitrage strategies.

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"Based on representations received for enabling DMA facility to FPIs in ETCDs and deliberations by Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee (CDAC) of Sebi, it has been decided to allow stock exchanges to extend DMA facility to FPIs for participation in ETCDs," the regulator said.

This permission is subject to certain conditions that require brokers to follow procedure for application for DMA, operational specifications, client authorisation, and broker-client agreement, risk management, among others.

In September 2022, Sebi allowed FPIs to participate in the ETCDs in order to increase depth and liquidity in the market. To begin with, the regulator permitted FPIs to participate in cash settled non-agricultural commodity derivative contracts and indices comprising such non-agricultural commodities.

The regulator had already allowed institutional investors such as Category III Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Portfolio Management Services and Mutual Funds to participate in the ETCD market.

In a separate circular with Sebi, all debenture trustee registered in FINNET 1.0 system of Financial Intelligence Unit - India (FIU-India) will have to mandatorily enrolled in FINNET 2.0 module.

FINNET 2.0 module is aimed at providing quality financial intelligence for safeguarding the financial system from the abuses of money laundering, terrorism financing, and other economic offenses.

"Those reporting entities who have not yet registered themselves with FIU-India are required to be registered in FINNET 2.0 system/ module of FIU-India immediately in light of the FATF mutual evaluation," the circular noted.

FIU-India, in its letter last month, addressed to designated directors and principal officers of debenture trustees, specified guidelines, including red flag indicators for detecting suspicious transactions by the Debenture Trustees under Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic are shedding triple the ice than 30 years ago due to global heating. This polar meltdown could double sea level rise.Greenland is a huge region in the Arctic, and the world's biggest island, that is usually frozen. But as temperatures in the far north rise faster than most other places, its massive ice sheets are melting into a warming ocean.

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One recent study showed that Greenland is the warmest it's been for 1000 years. The resulting Arctic meltdown was responsible for 40% of the world's rising seas in 2019.

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Scientists are concerned that Greenland's Petermann glacier is breaking up. Sitting on the edge of the ocean, its retreat will expose massive ice sheets behind it to warming ocean water. Researchers who have been studying the glacier said that projected sea level rise could double as a result.

Rapid retreat of the planet's largest ice sheet will be scary for low-lying islands and coastal areas that are vulnerable to sea level rise. But in Greenland itself, the Indigenous Inuit people are literally living on thin ice, which means a loss of habitat for local wildlife like seals, bears and walruses.

In the southern polar region, Antarctica, sea ice was increasing in size by about 1% per decade since the 1970s. But last year, it was at its lowest ever recorded level.

There are fears that the Thwaites glacier, which is the size of Florida and the biggest chunk of ice on the planet, is starting to crack up due to warming Antarctic waters.

But the southern polar region is so isolated that scientists are still trying to figure out how bad it could get.

Why is the Arctic melting so fast?

During the forty-odd years between 1979 and 2021, the Arctic warmed four times more than the rest of the globe, say scientists.So it's unsurprising that two-thirds of global ice melt is happening in Greenland, researchers have now confirmed.

It's so bad that most of the epic Greenland Ice Sheet is expected to melt if the world heats up by 1.6C more than when industrialization began around 250 years ago  right now we at around 1.2C. Once that happens, sea levels could rise by seven meters.

It is believed that the Arctic is warming faster than the Antarctic because there is a lot more surrounding liquid water in the region during summer and autumn when sea ice declines. This water absorbs sunlight  as opposed to ice, which reflects it  and the ocean warms as a result.

Since the Arctic is an ocean and consists mostly of sea ice, it has also been affected more by rising ocean temperatures than the Antarctic, which consists mostly of ice-covered land.

In addition, the ocean currents in the Southern Ocean tend to bring up deep cold water that keeps the Antarctic region relatively cool.

Still, ice melt in the Antarctic is up around 65% from the 1990s.

Mountain glaciers are also disappearing

Polar glaciers aren't the only victim of global heating caused largely by burning fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases.

The world's mountain glaciers, which number roughly 200,000, are melting much faster than they can accumulate these days. Problem is, though they only cover less than 0.5% of the Earth's landmass, these "water towers" provide fresh water to about a quarter of the world's population.

Glaciers also feed the rivers that irrigate the crops which hundreds of millions of people across Asia, South America and Europe depend on for their survival. So without them, many people will suffer from both thirst and hunger.

Scientists say that water tower retreat has put almost 2 billion people at risk of water scarcity.

South American cities like Santiago in Chile have seen much of their drinking water supply literally dry up as glaciers in the nearby Andes retreat.

Meanwhile, the European Alps that supply so much fresh water across the region have shrunk by about half since 1900 and will be almost ice free by century's end if nothing more is done to curb warming.

Dark ice melting faster than clean ice

Glaciers covered in rock and dirt tend to melt faster than cleaner ice because the dark matter absorbs more energy from the sun.

These stones and rocks can heat up as high as 40C in high elevations, say researchers.

When the ice melts as a result, broader glacial meltdown can be the result.

But an emerging problem in the western Greenland ice sheet is the unexplained arrival of a purple algae that is darkening the ice surface and absorbing more sunlight.

These algae blooms turn purple to shield themselves from UV radiation but then turn a sooty black, which intensifies the heating.

Edited by: Sarah Steffen

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2023 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI): Delhi Police on Tuesday took a jibe at Pakistani actress Sehar Shinwari after she inquired about the online link of Delhi Police for justice as protests erupted in her country following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday.

Sehar Shinwari tweeted, "Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police? I have to file a complaint against Indian PM & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claims) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will provide me justice."

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In response, Delhi Police said that they still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. They further inquired about how she wrote a tweet as the internet has been shut down in Pakistan.

Delhi Police tweeted, "We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country!"

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Protests erupted in Pakistan after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was arrested by Rangers personnel from Islamabad High Court (IHC) -- acting on National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant. The Pakistan government has suspended social media and internet services across the country, The Nation reported.

PTI workers protested in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, Geo News reported. Demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery in Karachi. They pelted stones at police vehicles and tore down street lights. There were reports that police fired teargas shells at the protesters.

Police also fired teargas shells at protesters on Rawalpindi's Murree Road. PTI supporters chanted slogans "Release Imran Khan," and "Shut down Pakistan," in the streets of Lahore, Faizabad, Bannu, and Peshawar. "People of Lahore moving from Liberty towards Lahore Cantt," tweeted PTI's handle.

Imran Khan was arrested as part of NAB's investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case ahead of his appearance before the Islamabad High Court to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him. Rangers personnel driving a black Toyota Hilux Vigo took Imran Khan away to NAB Rawalpindi, Geo News reported.

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders is facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion -- 190 million pounds at the time -- sent by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Labuan Bajo (Indonesia), May 10 (AP) Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

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The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

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The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organised crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings.

The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmar's Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimised. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labour abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home," Mahfud 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)
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Since the installation of the illegal checkpoint on the Goris-Stepanakert highway near the Hakari Bridge on April 23, Azerbaijan has been artificially obstructing the normal operation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nagorno-Karabakh, by which the Azerbaijani side not only violates the provisions of the international humanitarian law, but also the agreement reached during the blockade on the transfer to Armenia of the persons in extremely serious health condition, ARMENPRESS reports, Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page.

Thus, Azerbaijan directly ignores the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of December 21, 2022, obliging it to take all necessary and sufficient measures to ensure the movement of seriously ill persons in need of medical treatment in Armenia through the Lachin corridor.

During this time, the ICRC transported patients only twice: on April 28 (13 patients) and on April 29 (16 patients). Since April 29, with the mediation of the ICRC, the transfer of patients to medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia has completely stopped. According to the information received by the Human Rights Defender's Office, the Azerbaijani side has put forward additional conditions, demanding to check the ICRC cars transporting patients, as well as the passports of the ICRC employees and patients, thus, violating the agreements reached earlier. According to the information received from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Artsakh, 30 patients in extremely serious condition are waiting for urgent transfer.

Azerbaijan deliberately prevents the supply of essential medicines to Artsakh through the ICRC, as a result of which serious problems arise in medical institutions of Artsakh.

The Azerbaijani side, pursuing the goal of total isolation of Artsakh, is undertaking deliberate actions, aimed at hindering the activities of even humanitarian organisations in Artsakh, putting forward additional artificial demands.

Azerbaijan is not ready to take a constructive position even on the matters of humanitarian nature, does not miss the opportunity to intimidate the peaceful population and deepen their physical and psychological suffering caused by the blockade, deliberately deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Azerbaijan's behavior directly contradicts the international law and the principles of humanism, which should be clearly condemned by international organisations and the human rights community.

We expect practical intervention by international structures in the settlement of this urgent humanitarian issue, Stepanyan wrote.
Lahore/Peshawar, May 10 (PTI) Violent clashes between Imran Khan's supporters and security forces have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 injured across Pakistan as the army was deployed in the country's capital Islamabad, as well as in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on Wednesday to maintain law and order.

At least 14 government buildings/installations were set on fire by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party supporters in Punjab province following the dramatic arrest of Khan in a corruption case on Tuesday, police said.

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The law enforcement agencies have arrested 1,150 PTI supporters including women in Punjab alone so far. Two top leaders - PTI Secretary General Asad Umar, former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi - were also arrested on Wednesday.

The situation in Lahore and several other cities of Punjab remained tense on Wednesday in the wake of the arrest of the PTI chief.

Also Read | Imran Khan Sent to Eight-Day Remand Amid Violent Protests Across Pakistan; Court Indicts Ex-PM in Another Graft Case.

As the police failed to control the law-and-order situation in the province, the Punjab government called for the deployment of the Pakistan Army.

As many as 10 companies of the army have been requested to be deployed in the province of 120 million to control the situation. The federal government has approved deployment of the Army in Punjab.

"The protesters have set on fire 14 government installations/buildings and 21 police vehicles in Punjab. Over 130 officials and officers of the security agencies have been wounded. Police arrested 1,150 miscreants during their clashes with the security agencies and causing damage to the state property," the Punjab police said in a statement.

The police said those who set the government installations on fire are being identified through video footage and strict action will be taken against them.

Immediately after the interior ministry authorised the deployment of the army in Islamabad, the capital police said that Pakistan Army troops were reaching several locations in Islamabad.

It tweeted that the Rangers and armed forces were at the scene to maintain public order.

All those who are spreading incitement are requested to stop, it said and requested women and children to refrain from travelling.

According to the Khan's party, one person has been killed each in Lahore, Faisalabad and Burewala cities of Punjab. It said over 150 protesters have been injured in Punjab alone.

Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, remained virtually cut off from the rest of the country because of protest demonstrations of the PTI workers on all its main roads.

On Tuesday, the protesters had set ablaze the Corps Commander's house in Lahore after ransacking it. They also pelted stones at the Governor's House and attacked the ruling PML-N headquarters in Lahore, torching the vehicles parked over there.

In footage circulating on different social media platforms, Khan's supporters were seen carrying clubs and party flags as they arrived at the Corps Commander's house in the Cantonment area. They broke the main gate of the Corps Commander's house. Video footage circulating on social media showed Khan's supporters breaking window panes, TVs and furniture of the house and also setting trees and furniture on fire.

In another video, protesters were seen pelting stones and bottles at an army convoy on the Mall Road, Lahore.

In Peshawar, at least four persons were killed and 27 others injured in clashes between protestors and police, a spokesperson of Lady Reading Hospital confirmed.

Protestors also set fire to the building of state-run Radio Pakistan, causing severe damage to the studios, auditorium and other facilities, Director General Radio Pakistan Peshawar Tahir Hassan told the media.

The office of Associated Press of Pakistan located in the building was ransacked and damaged.

In Islamabad, the protestors clashed with police and the Srinagar Highway linking the national capital with its international airport remained blocked for several hours.

IG Islamabad Akbar Nasir Khan told the media that at least five police personnel were injured.

"We are trying our best to maintain peace and disperse the miscreants, he said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad also called in the army as violence spread.

In Sindh, the government imposed Section 144 to control the situation.

Police informed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah that around 270 people were arrested in the province.

Special Assistance to PM Atta Tarar told the media that no one was allowed to damage the state property. "Now action will be taken. The miscreants are being identified through CCTV cameras. Everyone will be arrested, he said.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry asked his supporters to remain peaceful, saying that efforts were underway to portray the party as a violent party. "I want to tell our workers to keep the protests peaceful and defeat the conspiracy to bring the army and public face to face, he tweeted.

"This country is ours and so is the army, Fawad said.

Khan was taken into custody by the paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the premises of the Islamabad High Court where he came to attend a corruption case hearing.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, May 10 (AP) Responding to a series of intelligence breaches over the last year, senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require the National Archives to screen documents leaving the White House for classified material.

Classified material was found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence. And a 21-year-old Air National Guard member is accused of leaking hundreds of Pentagon assessments in an online chatroom.

Also Read | Imran Khan Arrest: Pakistan Army Pre-Planned Former PM's Arrest, Says Report.

Under two bills unveiled on Wednesday, anytime a president seeks to classify a mix of official and unofficial papers as personal records, the archivist would first have to conduct a security review to ensure nothing is classified. In the cases of Biden, Trump, and Pence, classified material was found commingled with personal records.

The notion that there was no checking process by the archivist so that that becomes a formal step rather than a nice to do,' I think, is terribly important, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Also Read | Malaysia Horror: Diving Instructor Molests Chinese Tourist, Forcibly Kisses Her Underwater While Diving in Waters off Semporna in Sabah; Accused Arrested.

The legislation would require all 18 agencies in the US intelligence community to develop an insider threat program and monitor user activity on all classified networks for possible signs of a breach. The person accused of leaking Pentagon assessments is alleged to have printed out some of the documents and folded them to smuggle them out of authorized areas.

Also included are several requirements to push US intelligence to declassify more information and restrict how secrets are widely shared. They include an effective tax on agencies based on how many records they generate and boosting funding for the US Public Interest Declassification Board, a group of experts that advises the White House on classification issues.

We have such a mass of classified information and we aren't putting enough resources against managing documents, against determining what's classified and not classified, said Ezra Cohen, a former chairman of the board and current member. Underfunding leads to lax control.

Long a priority of many on the intelligence committee, overhauling declassification was raised by some senators who spoke Wednesday as a long-term way to limit breaches and protect the most important US secrets.

An estimated 4 million people hold security clearances. And many US officials have long acknowledged spy agencies classify too much information and declassify too little, using outdated systems and far too few people to review what can be released.

It's an expensive system that we have. It's outdated," said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. "We're a better country than what the system allows us to be.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., noted that Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence, wrote in a January 2022 letter that deficiencies in the current classification system undermine our national security, as well as critical democratic objectives."

My view is the protection of sources and methods and declassification reform go hand in hand, Wyden said. That's because it's a lot easier to protect important secrets when you're not acting like everything is a secret.

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Wellington, May 10 (AP) New Zealand police said they have found the body of a high school student in a cave after a school group got into trouble when floodwaters hit.

A group of 15 students and two adults had set out Tuesday morning on a trip to the Abbey Caves in Whangarei as part of an outdoor education class, authorities said. The others made it out safely.

Also Read | Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Meets Google CEO Sundar Pichai in US, Discusses Make in India Programme.

The death has raised questions about why school officials chose to go ahead with the trip even after forecasters had warned that heavy rain was approaching.

The district council website cautions people to check weather forecast as caves can be prone to flash flooding. The site says the cave system features dramatic limestone outcrops, sink holes and three significant caves.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: US To Provide Ukraine USD 1.2 Billion in Long-Term Security Aid.

"We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have," Police Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement. "At the moment, police's focus is on supporting those affected."

Hill said the body was recovered late Tuesday.

Whangarei Boys' High School Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith wrote on Facebook that the event was "hugely upsetting" for all those involved.

"In time we will seek to understand how this situation occurred, but for now I ask that we stay united as a WBHS community and provide support where required," the principal wrote.

Further south, the heavy rainfall and flooding Tuesday prompted authorities in Auckland to declare a state of emergency. The declaration remained in place Wednesday morning as the weather eased.

Fire and emergency crews said they responded to more than 200 calls on Tuesday, most of them in Auckland. Many were for floodwaters entering buildings, but they had also responded to landslides, falling trees and trapped cars. Some train and bus services were cancelled, and authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Severe weather has plagued the North Island this year. In January, four people were killed when floodwaters hit Auckland. In February, 11 people died when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region.

He said Tuesday he'd yet to find out all the details on what had happened to the student.

"I do want to express my deep concern there and my absolute support for the school community," Hipkins 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)
Cairo, May 10 (AP) Tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people in southern Sudan, the country's doctor union said Wednesday.

The fighting raises fears that the ongoing war between the country's rival top generals, currently centred on the capital, could set off more violence in far-flung provinces.

Also Read | Scientific Marvel: First Babies Born in Country Using DNA From Three People in Britain.

It remained unclear whether the tribal clashes were related to the brutal fighting which ignited mid-April across the country as a result of a power struggle between the military's head Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or the RSF.

The tribal violence in the south erupted on Monday between the Hausa and Nuba tribes in the city of Kosti, the capital of the White Nile province bordering South Sudan, according to Sudanese local media reports.

Also Read | India To Participate in European Union's Second Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Sweden, China Not Among Invitees.

Deadly tribal violence is not uncommon in Sudan's south and west, where disputes dating back to the country's split from South Sudan remain unresolved.

The country's wider conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The violence has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province.

Last month armed fighters, many in RSF uniforms, rampaged through the city of Genena in West Darfur killing at least 100 people, according to the doctors' group, the Sudanese Doctor's Syndicate, which mainly tracks civilian fatalities.

The UN's migration agency said that 700,000 people have now been displaced by the violence, in updated figures released Tuesday, more than double the tally from a week prior. Before the fighting started, 3.7 million people were already displaced internally, mainly in western Darfur, according to the agency's figures.

A series of ceasefires has failed to stop the fighting and prompted foreign governments to speed up the evacuation of their citizens from the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Sudan's warring parties are holding talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, but have made little progress as of Monday regarding a more sustained humanitarian truce, a UN official in Sudan told The Associated Press.

The talks, the first since the fighting erupted, are a part of a Saudi-US initiative meant to stop the fighting.

The UN official added that the gap between the two sides' positions remains wide, due to deep mistrust. He called for more pressure on the two generals, especially from their regional backers. The military has traditionally been backed by Egypt's government, and the RSF has enjoyed support from the United Arab Emirates.

They should give concessions to reach a compromise, he said.

The military has demanded that the RSF withdraw from Khartoum's neighbourhoods and its hospitals, power and oil facilities to one central base outside the city, according to two senior military officials with direct knowledge of the talks.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary group is saying that it should retain control of all of the bases it had held prior to the conflict, including at key locations inside the capital, such as the Khartoum Airport, according to two RSF officials involved in the preparations for the talks.

They said the RSF is also looking to ensure its ranks are still paid out of the national budget and that its wounded soldiers can receive adequate medical treatment.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk the media because of the ongoing negotiations.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry had said the talks aim to achieve an effective short-term cease-fire to facilitate humanitarian assistance, and agree on a timetable for further negotiations to reach a permanent cease-fire.

The kingdom has played a major role in evacuating fleeing the conflict to safety from Port Sudan, a city on the country's Red Sea coast, to Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, the UN said its humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths had proposed a declaration of commitments to representatives of the rival Sudanese forces to guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid.

We're going to proceed with humanitarian operations, whether there's a ceasefire or not as we do in conflict situations all around the world," said the UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. "But in order to make sure that safe passage is guaranteed, we want the parties to adhere to a declaration of commitments." (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day international tourism exposition in Delhi on May 18 during which a host of cultural activities will be organised, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Wednesday. PM Narendra Modi To Inaugurate Three Medical Colleges, AIIMS in Assam.

The event will be held from May 18-20 and will also commemorate the International Museum Day that falls on May 18. It will be held at Pragati Maidan as part of the second phase of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Reddy said. PM Narendra Modi To Inaugurate One Earth One Health Advantage Healthcare India 2023 at Pragati Maidan in Delhi.

Modi will inaugurate the International Museum Expo on May 18, he added.
The woman identified as Vijay Laxmi, who works as a cabin crew member in an airline, said that when she came to meet the accused in Delhi, he fled away with her gold jewellery worth Rs 18 lakhs, Rs 15,000 cash and even withdrew Rs 58,000 from her ATM cards.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged people in Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Taking to twitter he wrote, On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 Polling Today: PM Narendra Modi Urges People, Especially Young and First Time Voters, to Vote in Large Numbers.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023:

On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 10, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
New Delhi, May 10: The highly speculated Pixel 7a will have its world premiere on May 10 at the Google I/O 2023. The phone will be launching in India on May 11 and will go on sale soon after.

The Pixel 7a is the successor to the Pixel 6a with several improvements and is expected to be more premium this time around. The new Pixel 7a is said to be coming with some major features that are akin to the high-end Pixel 7 smartphone as per the reports. Lets take a look at the details. Poco F5 With 64MP Cameras, Android 13 OS Launched in India - Check Price, Specs, Features, and Other Key Details Here.

Pixel 7a  Expected Major Premium Features

The Pixel 7a is tipped to be coming with some high-end features borrowed from the high-end Pixel 7, and this is quite possible, as the Pixel 7a is supposed to offer a premium experience without the premium price tag, which is the aim of the Pixel a series phones. So, heres a look at what all high-end features the Pixel 7a could come with. WhatsApp Pay in Singapore: After India, Meta-Owned App Launches Feature To Pay Businesses Within Chat in Island Country.

As per the reports, the new Pixel 7a will get powered by Googles in-house Tensor G2 SoC that powers the Pixel 7 series from last year. Hence, offering great performance.

The about to launch Pixel 7a will be featuring a 90Hz OLED display that is an upgrade from its predecessor, and also seen on the premium Pixel 7 model.

According to the reports, the Pixel 7a will be featuring a dual rear camera system. It will also come with a new attractive light blue colour option, as already revealed by Googles teaser image.

Google has already revealed the design of the Pixel 7a phone, which is very similar to the flagship Pixel 7 smartphone. Google is known to be sticking to similar design language for its flagship as well as its more affordable devices as a signature style.

Pixel 7a - India Launch Date, Availability & Expected Price

Googles Pixel 7a will be released in India on May 11 as announced by the company and it will go on sale via Flipkart. As per the latest leaks, the Pixel 7a will be priced under Rs 46,000 in the Indian market.

The official price and all specs and features details will of course be revealed only during its launch tonight at the Google I/O 2023 event. So stay tuned!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2023 12:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Warsaw, May 10: A knife attack at an orphanage in Poland has left one teenage girl dead and nine others injured, local media reported on Wednesday.

The incident took place in the village of Tomislawice at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, reports Xinhua news agency. Germany Knife Attack: Two Killed, Five Injured in Assault Inside Kiel-Hamburg Train, Suspect Arrested.

Five of the injured were hospitalised, while the rest received medical treatment at the scene, the Polish Press Agency quoted local police and the prosecutor's office as saying. The 19-year-old perpetrator had been detained by the police, it said. Brussels Knife Attack Video: Man Shouts Allahu Akbar, Stabs Commuter at Train Station in Gare Du Midi; Disturbing CCTV Footage Goes Viral.

The police were working at the scene under the supervision of the prosecutor to determine the perpetrator's motives and the course of the crime, the Polish Press Agency added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2023 04:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
On 9 May, Brazilian users of the messaging app Telegram were sent a mass message detailing the tech firms criticisms of the governments proposed online regulation bill (commonly known as the fake news bill).

Analysis:

This latest effort from a tech company to sway public opinion against the governments legislative agenda comes amid rising tensions between big tech and the Brazilian authorities. International companies which manage large online platforms, such as the search engine Google, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), and Telegram, have vocally opposed the bill presented to congress by allies of Brazils centre-left governing coalition. The battle over the fake news bill, which had been due for a vote in the lower house last week, could intensify up to the day of the postponed vote.

The tech giants will find support among right-wing parties, which enjoy a strong presence in both houses of congress and have preached the importance of free speech. Some centrist and left-wing parties, on the other hand, have backed the governments efforts to clamp down on online misinformation and hate speech.

Telegrams mass message claimed that the fake news bill would kill the modern internet and that it would create a system of permanent vigilance, similar to countries with antidemocratic regimes, referring to the bills obligation of tech companies to provide regular content moderation reports and notify Brazilian authorities of possible harmful content that may incite violence or criminal activity.

This is not the first clash between Telegram and the authorities; the app had been suspended in Brazil from 26-29 April because of the companys failure to comply with a court order to submit user data to the federal police (PF), who have been investigating neo-Nazi and other extremist groups suspected of inciting attacks on schools. PF investigators believed that Telegram was one of the groups main communication platforms.

Looking Ahead: The Sao Paulo office of the federal public prosecutor (MPF) has demanded information from Telegram regarding the mass message, including questions about the companys policy on sending mass communications, which are not technical updates, to all users, even users who have not joined the Telegram Notifications channel. The MPF has given Telegram a deadline of 10 days to provide the information.
In the Kaghartsi community of the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh, a club for young readers, "We are Artsakh; We are" has been opened.

May 10, 2023, 11:19 A club for young readers opened in Kaghartsi

STEPANAKERT, MAY 10, ARTSAKHPRESS: Anna Arsenyan, the author of the idea, the English teacher of the community school, told "Artsakhpress".

The opening of the club "We are Artsakh; We are is very important and of great significance for the community and my students. Being in a blockade, when there is a problem of movement and your actions are very limited, the opening of the club has become a bright, hopeful beacon for all of us.

The students are very excited because together we managed to create a positive, bright corner where we will be able to gather and spend interesting and meaningful time. We organized a book collection and fundraising. We spent the raised money to repair the club. Many willing and kind people responded to our initiative," said A. Arsenyan.
A federal jury has found former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and awarded plaintiff E. Jean Carroll a total of $5 million in the battery and defamation suit against him.

The former Elle Magazine columnist accused the former president of sexually assaulting her in the dressing room of a high-class department store in Manhattan between 1995 and 1996. She sued him for defamation for denying the assault never happened, as well as for his constant insults publicly.

According to CNN, the jury awarded Carroll around $2 million in damages for her civil battery claim and almost $3 million for successfully proving her defamation claim against the ex-POTUS, who now adds this legal defeat to a recent string of legal setbacks that directly or indirectly involve him. This includes the Manhattan DA's Stormy Daniels hush money case, the Georgia election tampering case, the classified documents case, the January 6 case, and the now-concluded Trump Organization tax evasion case, which his company lost.

While the verdict was read, Carroll was seen smiling in the courtroom while holding one of her attorneys' hands. She was reportedly feeling a "sense of relief" after the verdict was passed.

Donald Trump Reacts to Losing Another Case

Following the verdict, the former president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to vent and wrote that the jury's verdict was a "total disgrace" and said it was a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time."

CNN noted that he continued to say that he does not know E. Jean Carroll, despite the two being photographed together numerous times throughout the 1990s and 1980s.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Rape Trial: Final Arguments Presented Before Jury

Meanwhile, former President Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, also reacted to the verdict and called it "bogus."

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina says that this was a "strange verdict," and that he and his fellow Trump attorneys would "obviously" be appealing the verdict. He also added that his client "cannot get a fair trial in New York City" and blamed the jury pool for losing the case.

Despite losing this civil case, it cannot impede Trump's run for president, as noted in the Constitution. He is still the Republican frontrunner, ahead of rival Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

E. Jean Carroll Described in Detail How Donald Trump Raped Her

According to the BBC, one of the most pivotal moments of the trial was when accuser E. Jean Carroll finally took to the stand and described in front of the jury how Trump assaulted her.

She stated that she bumped into Trump inside the Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store while shopping. She said that she and the real estate mogul exchanged banter before Trump asked her to come with him into a dressing room. After he closed the door, he held her against the wall and raped her.

This was followed by an intense cross-examination by Joe Tacopina, who pointed out why she did not scream for help. However, Carroll told him, "I'm not a screamer," before adding that some women come forward about getting sexually assaulted whether or not they will be asked about why they did not scream. She also stated that he was a member of the "silent generation," saying women her age were taught to keep quiet.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Georgia Election Probe: 8 Fake Trump Electors Accept Immunity Deals

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Trump's reaction to verdict could expose him to additional liability, legal analyst says - WCVB Channel 5 Boston
The Department of Public Safety revealed that the alleged Texas mall shooting suspect, Mauricio Garcia ,had no criminal record and had legally acquired all eight firearms he reportedly wielded on a fateful day, according to DPS Regional Director Hank Sibley. Garcia killed eight people in Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon.

The firearms, comprising three found on Garcia's person and five others in his vehicle, are presently undergoing forensic tests to ascertain any links to prior crimes, according to Fox News.

Meanwhile, Martha Constant, an employee of Target Master Gun Store in Garland, disclosed that Garcia tried to purchase three firearms in 2021. However, due to delays in the supply chain, the weapons never arrived.

"He tried to get a Beretta 92FS, a SIG 226, and a Kalashnikov rifle," she recalled. "And all three of them got refunded in February of this year."

READ NEXT: Texas Mall Shooting

Texas Shooting Suspect's Motive Might Be Driven by Extremist Ideologies

Disturbing details have emerged about the alleged shooter's possible extremist leanings, per CNN.

While the attacker's motivation is yet to be determined, investigators are exploring the possibility that he was fueled by extremist ideologies.

Online, the shooter had a troubling preoccupation with Nazism, firearms, and previous mass shootings. Moreover, a source familiar with the probe revealed that upon inspecting Garcia's body, authorities came across an emblem that they suspect may be affiliated with extremist groups.

Further investigation has reportedly led detectives to a photograph posted on the Russian social media platform, Odnoklassniki, which investigators believe features the shooter's insignia.

Weeks ahead of the Texas Mall shooting, the alleged suspect shared a photo of the mall alongside writings endorsing Nazi ideology and even shared a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the mall's busiest hours.

The shooter's online presence also featured antisemitic rants, gun imagery, and a person, allegedly Garcia, with an enormous swastika tattoo on his chest.

The seriousness of these findings has led a law enforcement official to urge further investigation, citing a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the shooter's history.

The Texas Mall Shooting

The Texas mall shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets began at approximately 3:36 p.m., and a witness named Steven Spainhouer said that the victims had horrific injuries and had to be loaded into police cars because ambulances could not transport them to trauma centers fast enough.

Spainhouer said he was not sure if he had saved any lives, but he did confirm that three of the victims he had tried to save had passed away.

There were three Korean-Americans who were verified to be among the dead.

Chu Kyu Song, 37, and his wife, Kang Shin Young, 35, were shot and died, along with one of their children.

A six-year-old kid, according to a GoFundMe site for the family, was released from the intensive care unit and is the lone survivor of the incident.

At least seven other people were injured before an Allen police officer who had responded to an unrelated incident shot and killed Garcia.

In addition to the Chos, Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, two sisters, were also killed. Both had attended Wylie Independent School District elementary schools.

Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, and a security guard called Christian LaCour were among the victims of the gruesome Texas mall shooting.

READ MORE: Gunman Opened Fire Outside House Party

This is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Texas mall shooting: Law enforcement gives update - From LiveNOW from FOX
In another case of a property owner shooting innocent people, a Louisiana man was arrested for shooting a girl playing hide and seek on his property.

According to NBC News, the girl was 14 years old, and she was just playing hide and seek. After she went into the property of David Van Doyle, 58, she was shot and wounded in the back of her head.

Investigators found that the girl was playing with other neighbors, who were all minors as well, in the vicinity of Van Doyle's property in Starks, Louisiana, near the Texas-Louisiana border. Some of the other kids were also hiding on Van Doyle's property, say detectives.

Louisiana Man Opened Fire on Kids Without Knowing Who They Were

This is the latest incident in the United States where armed property owners injure or kill people who have wandered into their property by mistake. One of the most infamous incidents involved Ralph Yarl, an African-American teen who was shot in the head after he mistakenly went to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings. He survived getting shot in the head but is still recovering.

Van Doyle has now been arrested on one count of aggravated battery, as well as four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of illegal discharge of a firearm. He remained in custody inside the Calcasieu Correctional Center as of Tuesday.

READ NEXT: Texas Cheerleaders Shooting Suspect Arrested

Much like Yarl, the girl survived being shot in the head. She was immediately rushed to a hospital, though her injuries were found to be not life-threatening, according to Boston 25 News.

After he was arrested, Louisiana man David Van Dyle told detectives that he saw shadows outside his house. This made him go back inside to get his firearm. When he went back outside, he told detectives that he "observed people running away from his property" before opening fire without checking who those people possibly were.

The Associated Press reported that Van Doyle's bond was set at $300,000. A jail staffer also told the outlet that he has also been assigned a public defender to work on his case. Investigations into the case are still ongoing.

Mistaken Property Shootings on the Rise in the United States, Including Louisiana Hide and Seek Shooting

Similar shootings have been happening all over the United States, with gun owners often shooting first and asking questions later. This often leads to deadly consequences for their victims. These attacks have started a brand-new debate about gun safety and gun control, as well as stand-your-ground laws.

While the Louisiana teen and Ralph Yarl survived their encounters, Kaylin Gillis, a 20-year-old woman who was just looking for a friend's house in upstate New York, was not so lucky.

She drove into the wrong driveway by accident when she was struck by gunfire. The homeowner allegedly fired two shots into her vehicle, and much like the case of Yarl and the teenage girl, the homeowner fired first before confirming what they were shooting at.

READ MORE: Texas Man Indicted Over Plot to Kill California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Lousiana man arrested for allegedly shooting a child. - KTSM 9 NEWS
Embattled New York Republican Representative George Santos' lies have finally caught up to him as he has now been charged by the Department of Justice.

So far, what those charges are exactly is still unclear, as sources with knowledge of the matter told CNN that the charges were filed under seal, with a federal court in New York's eastern district having jurisdiction over the case.

The embattled Republican, who recently returned to the state he represents to show solidarity with former President Donald Trump in his historic arraignment before getting chased off by protesters, will be returning to New York on Wednesday. He is expected to appear in court to face these charges.

The FBI, as well as the Department of Justice's public integrity prosecutors, have been examining the New York congressman's claims and allegations of false statements, as well as his campaign finance filings and potential campaign finance violations.

The charges against Santos will be unsealed once he appears in court.

George Santos Claims He Did Not Know About the Charges

Following news of the congressman being charged, the Associated Press tried to reach Santos for a comment. He told the outlet, "This is news to me." He claimed in a phone interview that this was the first time he was called about the matter.

Santos, who admitted to lying about his Jewish ancestry, his past as a drag queen in Brazil, his college degree, his Wall Street background, and many other fabrications, has been facing calls for resignation, not just from constituents and Democrats, but fellow Republicans as well. This was clear when Republican Senator Mitt Romney was seen confronting Santos on camera on the House floor.

READ NEXT: George Santos Accused of Sexually Harassing Aide

Santos has since resisted these calls to resign amid all the lies he has been saying. The embattled New York congressman even announced recently that he was running for re-election despite all the controversies hounding him.

Aside from the Department of Justice and FBI investigation, Santos is also facing another inquiry from the bipartisan Congressional Ethics Committee.

George Santos Charges Renew Calls For His Resignation

With the charges against Santos being announced by the DOJ, many have reiterated their calls for George Santos to leave Congress, according to CBS News.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, stated that while the details of the charges are still not clear, "either Rep. Santos must resign or House Republican leadership, under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, must summon the courage to join House Democrats in expelling him." He added that Santos is a "deep rot of corruption at the core of Congress."

Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has stated that he did not place Santos on any committee though he admitted that he has not seen the indictment yet. The California Republican pointed to the rule that if a person has been indicted, they should not serve on any Congressional committees.

McCarthy also admitted that he told Santos he needed to resign when asked what would happen should the embattled Republican be found guilty. "I told him he needed to resign and that is my policies and principles on this," McCarthy said.

READ MORE: George Santos Stole Money From a Veteran's Dying Service Dog

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Rep. George Santos charged by Justice Department in federal probe - CNN
Warner Bros. has announced that the long-awaited "Beetlejuice 2," featuring Jenna Ortega, is set to hit theaters next year.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. said the long-in-the-works "Beetlejuice" sequel is returning to movie theaters on September 6, 2024. "Beetlejuice 2" will see the return of Michael Keaton as the titular poltergeist, alongside Winona Ryder reprising her role as Lydia Deetz.

While the plot remains shrouded in mystery, it has been revealed that Justin Theroux and Jenna Ortega, known for her role as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy horror series "Wednesday," will join the cast. Ortega will play the child of Ryder's character.

Production is set to commence on May 10 in London under Plan B Productions, led by none other than Brad Pitt. The script was penned by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who worked with Tim Burton on "Wednesday."

READ NEXT: 5 Jenna Ortega Movies You Probably Didn't Know

Tim Burton Has Been Planning 'Beetlejuice 2' Since 1990

According to MovieWeb, efforts to bring a sequel to the beloved Tim Burton comedy "Beetlejuice" have been ongoing since the film's 1988 release.

One of Burton's earliest sequel ideas was for a movie called "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" in 1990. The proposed sequel would have taken the titular character and his friends to the sunny shores of Hawaii, but the idea ultimately fell through.

Over the years, rumors and reports have surfaced about the status of "Beetlejuice 2," but it has yet to see the light of day. In 2011, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to pen the script, bringing the sequel one step closer to reality.

However, that version of the screenplay never made it to production, and Grahame-Smith has since revealed that he was not able to write the exact script that Burton and the production team were looking for.

"The reason that it's so hard to get going is because so many people love it and because there are 10 million ways to get that sequel wrong and four ways to get it right," he noted.

Jenna Ortega in 'Beetlejuice 2'

Jenna Ortega has made a name for herself as a spooky starlet. Horror fans will surely recognize her from her performances in several horror films, such as "Scream 5" and "Scream 6," as well as her standout portrayal of Wednesday Addams, according to Us Weekly.

Ortega has gushed about her experience working with Tim Burton.

"It's been quite an insane experience," she recalled in a January 2022 interview. "I've been lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with an iconic director who just so happens to be one of the sweetest directors I've worked with, and also the most detail-oriented."

"Beetlejuice" is a timeless classic that tells the story of a recently deceased married couple, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who are frustrated by a new family moving into their home.

Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones play the parents of the family, with Winona Ryder playing their daughter. Seeking help to scare off the new occupants, the couple enlists the mischievous and cunning Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, a character that has since become a cultural icon.

The film's success, grossing $74.7 million worldwide, led to a Broadway musical adaptation that garnered Tony Award nominations. After a successful four-year run, the show was halted by the pandemic, and it concluded its Broadway performances in January.

READ MORE: MTV Awards 2023

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Jenna Ortega Is Reportedly Joining Beetlejuice 2! - From E! New
A Utah woman, who is a mother of three and a children's book author, was arrested on Monday in connection with her husband's fentanyl overdose death.

According to Fox News, prosecutors alleged that Kouri Richins, 33, poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, 39, with the deadly synthetic opioid last year at their Kamas home in Utah while their three young sons were sleeping.

Kouri's recent Facebook post, featuring a May 4 video with family photos, read: "Life is just so damn hard without you here! The cards I have been dealt just seems like a game that can't be played."

On March 3, 2022, Kouri called 911 to report that Eric was "cold to the touch." A warrant revealed that Kouri told police then that she gave that night her husband of nine years a cocktail in bed to celebrate a sale of a house related to her business.

When Kouri returned after checking their sleeping children, she found Eric unresponsive. Eric's blood tested positive for toxic levels of illicit fentanyl.

According to the medical examiner, Eric had five times the lethal dosage of the illegal opioid, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The Utah woman also faces charges of possessing GHB, known as the "date rape drug."

READ NEXT: Utah Man Shot 12 Times by Police

Utah Woman Kouri Richins Wrote a Children's Book About Grief Following Husband's Death

"Are You With Me?" by Kouri Richins can be purchased on Amazon. The book's summary stated, "Wherever you go, whoever you become, their love remains with you."

The book, which guides children through the difficult experience of losing a loved one, came out last March, a year after Eric died. Kouri even promoted it on television, Heavy reported.

The Utah woman had also formerly worked for her real estate firm, although the company's website is no longer available. She started her housekeeping service in 2010, calling it "Kouri Darden Housekeeping Services."

According to her profile on the professional networking site LinkedIn, she has worked as a hospital administrative assistant and as a trainer for "Enhanced Patient Services and Specialty Clinics" at Park City Medical Center.

The page also said she holds a master's degree in Human Resources from Utah State University and a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from Weber State University. Online records reveal that the couple owned several houses.

What Led to Utah Woman's Arrest?

The murder charge against Kouri Richins was built upon the testimony of law enforcement officers who interacted with her on the night of the incident, ABC 7 reported.

It was also based on an "unnamed acquaintance" claiming to have sold her the fentanyl. The acquaintance came forward and told detectives that they sold the Utah woman fentanyl twice and the opioid hydrocodone once weeks before her husband died.

The warrant alleged that Kouri deleted text messages on her phone the night of her husband's death before handing it over to the police investigators. The charging documents also claimed that the Utah woman may have tried to poison her husband on Valentine's Day or nearly a month before his death.

"Shortly after their dinner, Eric became very ill. Eric believed that he had been poisoned. Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him," detectives wrote, referring to the Valentine's Day incident.

An obituary for Eric Richins describes him as a dedicated family man who was an "avid outdoorsman and dedicated hunter" that enjoyed helping his family's cattle ranch and growing his masonry business.

READ MORE: Texas Mall Shooting

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Children's Book Author Accused of Killing Husband - From Inside Edition
Commentary

By Franco Terrazzano

and Jay Goldberg

More than $4 million per job. Thats how much Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed taxpayers to spending in his sweetheart deal with a German auto giant.

Flanked by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Trudeau announced in St. Thomas, Ont. that taxpayers are set to give Volkswagen up to $13 billion in exchange for a $7-billion electric car battery plant.

The plant is costing taxpayers $13 billion and is set to employ 3,000 workers. Divide the total cost by the number of workers and you get $4.3 million per job.

Not to be left out, Ford also committed Ontario taxpayers to chipping in half a billion.

Step back for a moment and think about the larger implications of this agreement. What does it say about the competitiveness of the Canadian economy that the government felt it had to put this much money on the table just to attract a plant and 3,000 jobs?

Federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne can talk about seizing generational opportunities. But theres no downplaying the fact it took $13 billion to get Volkswagen to come here.

And what happens if Toyota is looking to build a new plant and wants its own multi-billion-dollar handout? What about Honda? Ferrari?

Its quite possible that the government set a dangerous precedent that will result in every automaker demanding billions of dollars from taxpayers before agreeing to come to Canada.

Think of what else could have been done with $13 billion.

Canada could have built more than a dozen new hospitals, or hired 16,000 new nurses for a decade or paid off the entire debt of Prince Edward Island five times over.

Keep in mind that Volkswagens profits were over $33 billion last year. Thats a huge amount of money. Volkswagens profits are bigger than the individual provincial budgets of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.

Corporate welfare has real consequences. For every dollar politicians hand over to wealthy corporations, thats one dollar less that can fund programs, lower tax bills, or reduce government debt.

A key consequence of corporate welfare is that its addictive. Remember good old Bombardier? A one-time corporate giveaway has turned into decades of government handouts. Corporate welfare is easy to start, but the dependency is difficult to end.

Even worse, the money the feds are handing over to Volkswagen is borrowed.

The Trudeau government is running a $40-billion deficit with no plan to ever balance the budget. Its already spending nearly $44 billion on debt interest charges this year alone.

Then theres the whole idea of trying to outbid the Americans. The feds are telling taxpayers that the government had to make the deal because the Biden administrations subsidies effectively put a similar American offer on the table.

But the U.S. economy is 10 times the size of Canadas, and the Americans have much more money to work with. Surely outbidding our neighbours to the south isnt a sensible long-term strategy.

Instead of raising carbon taxes, payroll taxes and alcohol taxes and then giving a bag of cash to a hand-picked business, Trudeau should cut taxes across the board and cut out corporate welfare.

Finally, where is the political opposition? New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh loves to bash grocery store CEOs, so why hasnt he grabbed the pitchfork after Volkswagen raided the public purse? If the Conservatives want to be the party of fiscal responsibility, why arent they up in arms over this corporate welfare?

Volkswagens sweetheart deal is bad news for taxpayers. Trudeau is taking money out of the pockets of struggling taxpayers and stashing it into the bank account of a profitable multinational corporation. Politicians of all stripes should oppose this kind of corporate giveaway.

Franco Terrazzano is the Federal Director and Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
More than 50 small business owners have found a new space to show off their wares at the Lehigh Valley Mall.

Unique Boutique, formerly known as Small Business Gallery, recently moved into space that previously housed Williams Sonoma at the Whitehall Township malls Lifestyle Center. The boutique officially grand opened this past Saturday and Sunday. It temporarily relocated from its existing space, launched in November 2021, on the interior malls lower level, said owner Jennifer Smith.

Victorias Secret meanwhile has temporarily taken over the Small Business Gallery space, near Macys. The retailer is undergoing major renovation work at its existing space, Smith said.
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is no longer requiring guests to make a reservation for date-based tickets and is reinstating dining plans for hotel guests.

These are just some of the changes Disney World is making starting in 2024, according to a press release from Disney Parks.
Taylor Swift is 19 shows into the Eras Tour, and she is no where near stopping.

While some Swifties were able to secure tickets through the first Ticketmaster presale months ago, many have still been left scouring the secondary market websites.

Some of the tickets on these secondary sites are on sale for $5,000 for the pit and around $2,000 for the upper balconies.

With this being a ridiculous price for most fans to commit to, many are even waiting until the day of each show to purchase tickets, with the hope that tickets would drop in price.

As Taylor Swift is hitting three major cities this month  Philadelphia, Foxborough and East Rutherford  Swifities know All Too Well that these are stadium shows they cannot miss.

Here are the cheapest tickets available before fees at the time of publication for the stadiums Swift is hitting this May on the Eras Tour.

Philadelphias Lincoln Financial Field

Cheapest Tickets: $1,240 on StubHub | $1,077 on Vivid Seats | $1,929 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Lower Level Tickets: $1,282 on StubHub | $1,429 on Vivid Seats | $1,032 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Floor Tickets: $2,138 on StubHub | $2,389 on Vivid Seats | $3,952 on Mega Seats

Foxboroughs Gillette Stadium

Cheapest Tickets: $1,026 on StubHub | $1,229 on Vivid Seats | $1,838 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Lower Level Tickets: $1,425 on StubHub | $1,488 on Vivid Seats | $2,120 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Floor Tickets: $2,223 on StubHub | $1,945 on Vivid Seats | $2,498 on Mega Seats

East Rutherfords MetLife Stadium

Cheapest Tickets: $1,282 on StubHub | $1,278 on Vivid Seats | $1,893 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Lower Level Tickets: $1,803 on StubHub | $1,651 on Vivid Seats | $2,928 on Mega Seats

Cheapest Floor Tickets: $1,496 on StubHub | $2,904 on Vivid Seats | $3,794 on Mega Seats

More upcoming MetLife Stadium tours

Taylor Swift is not the only artist heading to MetLife Stadium this year.

Here is a list of upcoming tours that you wont want to miss.

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Laois is one of two counties being reviewed by an Indian-based alternative energy company to locate a solar panel factory.

Eirsun Limited says it is beginning a process that will allow homes, farms and businesses to become energy independent.

The company says is will outline its product and services at a launc on Friday, May 13 in Co Westmeath. In an advance notice of the event it outlined its plans to make solar panels.

"We seek to build a manufacturing plant for solar panels in the midlands. Sites have been looked at so far in Portlaoise and Mullingar," it said.

Eirsun also said it will be the first member of the "Indian Chamber of Commerce" in Ireland which is being set up by the Ireland India Council, which has been in existence for 21 years.

The company says its product range includes solar PV panels, inverters, energy storage systems, EV chargers etc. for residential, commercial and agricultural solar applications.

Prashant Shukla co-founded Eirsun in 2023 and is Chairman at Ireland India Council.

He describes Eirsun as a company that is involved in the fabrication, manufacturing and distribution of solar PV panels and research and innovation of eco-friendly products and services.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has reported that solar is positioned to become one of the most important energy technologies in meeting global sustainable energy and climate commitments.

It says Irish organisations can position themselves to capture a significant share of the domestic solar PV market as it grows.
Charles and the rest of the working royals, after the coronation on 6 May. (Hugo Burnand/Royal Household 2023)

An official portrait has been released by Buckingham Palace of the senior, working members of the Royal Family to mark King Charles's coronation.

It shows the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Anne and her husband Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh  physically supporting 86-year-old Princess Alexandra  standing alongside the newly crowned King and Queen.

In short, it displays the long-touted 'slimmed-down monarchy' that both Charles is understood to be keen on, and many European royal families have also worked towards.

Louis and Charlotte with their parents during the coronation service. (Getty Images)

However, something about the issue caught the attention of many social media users: the average age of those pictured.

One royal correspondent, Charlie Proctor, wrote that it was "worrying" that "seven of the 11 working royals in this photo are aged 70+".

Of the four who are not, the Prince and Princess of Wales are in their forties and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are in their late fifties.

All the other working royals are significantly older and despite their best efforts are unlikely to have the energy to undertake engagements that someone in their middle age would.

Since Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew stepped back, the pool of royal adults of general working age has been cut down by a third and, of the first 10 in the line of succession, only four are over 18.

Images: Getty Images and Misan Harriman instagram

To complicate matters further for King Charles and his slimmed down monarchy, the Waleses do not appear to want to increase their workload. As The Telegraph has reported, William and Kate "are fiercely protective of their family time, driving their children to school every day and minimising the amount of time they spend apart from them".

It is perhaps unsurprising, given Kate's long-term work in early years development and her  relatively  normal upbringing that she and her husband are said to be hands-on parents.

Story continues

The appearance of the Wales children over the weekend  and Prince Louis, in particular, taking part in his first official royal engagement on 8 May  displayed the issue at the other end of the age spectrum: they are too young to often make public appearances or to be expected to shoulder the burden of representing the Royal Family as national symbols with any regularity.

Louis, aged five, yawns during the coronation, and had to take a short break from the lengthy service. (Getty Images)

Their "fiercely protective" parents are unlikely to want their young children to carry that weight either.

Even before Prince Harry's memoir Spare was released and explored in detail the personal cost to his childhood and adolescence growing up in a public role, both he and his brother had remarked upon the difficulty of having to put on a "game face" and work in the aftermath of their mothers death in 1997, comforting mourners and taking part in their mother's funeral procession.

In 2017, Harry said of walking behind his mother's coffin when he was 12 that no "child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances".

William said the same year that he initially found it confusing why the public were grieving, saying in a documentary: "You didn't even know her, why and how are you so upset?"

Charles, William and Harry inspecting tributes left to Diana after her death in 1997. (Getty Images)

While Diana's death may be an extreme example, that both of the brothers know the pressure of the public eye personally from their own childhoods makes it more likely their protective instincts will be well set when it comes to their own children.

Charles then faces a conundrum, with the majority of working royals both too old to practically be expected to do an extensive schedule of engagements and to engage and bring back into the fold the younger generation of the public, many of whom are either ambivalent or actively hostile towards the monarchy.

Omid Scobie  Yahoo UKs royal executive editor  suggested in November that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie would be well poised to take on some engagements on behalf of their uncle the King  although he reported that there had been pushback from the palace on this suggestion.

Louis - a fan favourite - undertook his first royal engagement on 8 May aged only five. (Getty Images)

Equally, Lady Louise Windsor, 19, could  as Proctor suggested  pick up some of the slack. This wouldn't be for some time, however, as she is currently studying at the University of St. Andrews.

Charles cannot magic younger major royals out of thin air, nor can he make the Prince and Princess of Wales less dedicated to their family.

This may mean that he has no choice but to widen the net of working royals to include some part-timers like Beatrice and Eugenie or even the well-liked Zara and Mike Tindall  who, although they don't have titles, do have a well-established public brand.

If the King doesn't, in the course of time the monarchy won't just be slim, it will become increasingly emaciated.

Watch: Charles and Camilla's friends 'aghast' the King hasn't put arms around Harry and William
At Embrace FARMs Encircle Conference in Tullamore, attendees heard that more data is needed on the causes and impacts of death and injury on farms in order to provide adequate support to Irish farm families.

The Laois based organisation, which this year marks 10 years since it was founded, has recently expanded its support to families affected by all types of sudden death or trauma on farm, including suicide.

The event was officially opened by Minister of State at the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, who said: Fatal and life-changing incidents can have devastating impacts on farm families. Embrace FARM provides such an important service to the farming community supporting families impacted by all types of serious and sudden traumas.

The idea behind European Innovation Partnerships is that they enable farmers and experts to collaborate on innovative approaches to address farm safety, health and wellbeing challenges on Irish farms. The Encircle project has utilised and built on Embrace FARMs existing knowledge and experience and that of its project partners to provide a range of invaluable support and information to those affected.

In reviewing the impact of the Encircle Programme which Embrace FARM launched last year, Norma Rohan co-founder of Embrace FARM said, In one year almost 20% of our supports are now directed to sudden deaths other than farm accidents such as sudden medical event or suicide, which shows the demand for these kind of services.

"The challenge however is that there is limited data available to accurately capture this as both the HSA and Teagasc figures only account for farm accidents. We have all heard anecdotal stories of farmers dying by suicide in our communities, yet the statistics do not reflect that.

"There is work to be done here and we would advocate for a review of more accurate recording of sudden death and injury by occupation farmer both fulltime and part-time.

The interactive event, hosted by former RTE Broadcaster Ciaran Mullooly, featured a number of panel discussions and encouraged participation and conversation from agri-business on the continued services needed by farm families while highlighting how the agri sector can work to ensure that every family is supported.

Closing the event, Brian Rohan, co-founder of Embrace FARM said, Suicide in small areas of rural Ireland is a huge issue. As is the impact of people dying prematurely ahead of their years due to sudden ill health or other off-farm incidents.

"We must and we need to support our farm family businesses when sudden crises hits. Farming businesses are the backbone of rural Ireland and are a major contributor to the Irish economy.

"With the many opportunities and challenges that comes with agriculture today in times of sudden death and loss, to support one another is crucial to keep the wheels turning and the grassroots ethos of our sector intact.
Children in Laois and elsewhere are being encouraged to learn the EU anthem under a special initiative.

While Ireland's national anthem Amhran na bhFiann is no on the school curriculum, under the Ar nAmhran or Our Anthem project children have been having lessons of the EU anthem Ode to Joy.

In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" theme as its anthem. In 1985, it was adopted by EU leaders as the official anthem of the European Union.

As part of the EU50 programme celebrating Irelands membership of the European Union over the last 50 years, a partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Education and the Royal Irish Academy of Music invites schools at all levels, and all children and young people engaging in music performance education, to learn, rehearse and perform our EU Anthem, Beethovens Ode to Joy.

The Ar nAmhran/Our AnthemEU50 culminate in live performances of the Anthem in schools on the eve of and on Europe Day, 8-9 May 2023.

Laois Offaly TD Sean Fleming is Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs. He visited local primary schools in Laois to celebrate Europe Day.

"I would like to acknowledge the significant milestone that Ireland has reached after 50 years of being a Member of the European Union (EU).

"This week, I celebrated Europe Day with local schools in Laois. Many schools in Laois took part in the Blue Star Programme, which taught students about European cultures and the EU through creative projects and activities.

"I visited Holy Family Senior School in Portlaoise and Scoil Fionntain Naofa in Shanahoe to mark Europe Day on Tuesday 9th May," he said.

He also spoke about some of the projects. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"Students made fantastic projects, painted European Union member states flags and with their parents made a variety of foods from other European countries. The schools also took part in Ar nAmhran, Our Anthem, which is a special new initiative that encourages schools to learn the EU anthem  Ode to Joy. I also was delighted to present an EU flag to both schools.

"Ireland joined the European Union (then known as the European Economic Community) on the January 1 1973. Since then, Ireland has been transformed for the better, from being one of the poorest countries in Northern Europe, to now being one of the strongest economies in the world," he said.

A project pack of sheet music, recordings and other supporting materials were made available from the dedicated Ar nAmhran/Our Anthem page on Royal Irish Academy website, where schools could register their interest in participating. A flag was also distributed to each participating school and schools are encouraged to raise or display the EU flag when the anthem is performed.

While schools in Laois have been incentivised to learn the national anthem, there is no such scheme for Ireland's own anthem.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said previously that Amhran na bhFiann should be taught in schools and that pupils should learn the words of the national anthem.

Speaking at the launch of the Ode to Joy project in March the Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD said he hopes schools are inspired to take part in marking the 50th milestone and students "take active ownership of Ode to Joy as their European anthem

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said the project gives students the opportunity to bring their language skills, creativity, musicianship and active citizenship together, as they interpret the music and words of Ode to Joy and consider the opportunities that the EU has brought to Irish society, including to education.

She looked forward to hearing the inspiring strains of this anthem brought to life in schools and communities, in English, French, German and Ukrainian, and through a wide range of styles and musical performances.

Versions for singing in Irish, English and Ukrainian as well as the original German are also available.
Mountrath CS Transition Year students have had a busy few weeks between jetting off to Barcelona, the Sci-fes science fair in Dublin, and the glamorous Junk Couture grand finale in the 3 Arena, while one student has won a trip to the European Parliament for her astute political analysis.

Full story below photos.

In all 66 students and five teachers embarked on a thrilling five-day tour of Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday April 26. The TYs students had a jam-packed itinerary of activities to make the most of their trip.

One highlight was the visit to the science museum and aquarium, where the students got to see fascinating exhibits and learn about different aspects of science.

They also had the opportunity to take in a magic show, which left them spellbound and wondering how the illusions were performed.

Another highlight was the visit to Montserrat, a mountain range near Barcelona that is famous for its spectacular views and stunning scenery.

The students took a cable car up the mountain and were awed by the breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape.

They spent an entire day at Port Aventura theme park enjoying thrilling rides, and even managed to squeeze in bowling and swimming.

Many of the students said it was one of the best weeks of their lives. The trip was not only fun and exciting, but also educational and informative, giving the students a chance to learn about science, history, and culture in a fun and engaging way.

The students returned home with memories that will last a lifetime and a renewed sense of curiosity and adventure.

The school was full of pride for a talented and politically aware student who has won a trip to the European Parliament.

Transition Year student Olivia Parlon, won an annual essay competition held by MEP Sean Kelly, earning a three-day trip to the European Parliament in Brussels.

Her essay focused on the impact that the EU has had on Ireland, and her thoughtful and insightful analysis impressed the judges.

The competition is open to students across Ireland, and aims to encourage young people to engage with politics and learn more about the role of the European Union in shaping policy and governance.

This year's topic was particularly relevant given the ongoing discussions around Brexit and the future of the EU.

Olivia will now have the opportunity to visit the European Parliament in Brussels and learn more about how the institution works and the role that MEPs play in shaping policy and legislation.

The school principal is Katherine O'Brien.

We at Mountrath CS are incredibly proud of Olivia and her achievement, and we know that she will make the most of this amazing opportunity, she said.

SciFest 2023 took place on Wednesday, May 3 in TU Dublin and Mountrath CS was not to be found wanting with double wins.

A group of fifteen Transition year students and two second years students set off to take part.

Mountrath CS are delighted with the huge work put in by all our students and we congratulate Sarah Phelan and Doireann O'Connor who won the Agricultural Science Award sponsored by Dawn Meats for their project on Aquaculture and Nadine Lawlor, Edel Meade and Anna Ryan who won the Boston Scientific Award for their project on endometriosis, the principal said.

Last and not least this May was the Junk Couture Final 2023, held in the glamorous 3Arena in Dublin.

The school has sent huge congratulations to Sarah Phelan, Cameron Doyle and Leah Rice who were selected to exhibit their design On Brave Wings She Flies in the Junk Couture Grand Finale.

Two buses of supporters along with their teachers headed for Dublin last Thursday to cheer on the team as they took to the stage.

The three students had created the dress from milk filterage socks, wire, loofahs and a corset.

Well done to these TY students for such an amazing achievement, the school said.
Minister Eamon Ryan attended a townhall style meeting on May 4 in Sligo, hosted by the Green Party's local constituency group, where he took the time to engage in lively and robust discussions both inside and outside the venue where he met members of Treasure Leitrim.



Moderated by Niall Delaney, journalist and morning presenter Ocean FM, the discussion covered many topics, including public transport, renewable energy, prospecting licenses, and government policy on LNG.



Blaithin Gallagher, chair of the Northwest Greens, asked the Minister to keep the North-West top of mind.



In most public discussions by government representatives, there seems to be a line drawn across the country from Dublin to Galway and places below such as Waterford, Cork and Limerick are frequently mentioned. There is a high risk we will be forgotten about when we are not talked about. We need to keep Sligo and the North-West on the agenda and we need your help.



When asked about what he believes are the main achievements of the Green Party in government, Minister Ryan pointed to Minister Roderic O'Gorman's legislation guaranteeing adoptees right to know the identity of their birth parents and Minister Catherine Martin's scheme to pilot Basic Income among Artists  the first such scheme in the world.



In his own area of transport, he spoke about the roll-out of new or enhanced rural bus services every week, which has seen a 115% increase in passenger numbers and the fare reduction of 20% off an adult ticket and 50% off the young adult card.

He referred specifically to the Pathfinder Project being piloted in Leitrim which brings local transport and local hackneys together to bring people to their homes  or up the last green mile.

Energy Policy

Love Leitrim Spokesperson Eddie Mitchell asked the Minister to clarify his position on the importation of fracked gas, in the form of LNG. The Minister reaffirmed his, the Green Party's and the Government's opposition to the importation of fracked gas, acknowledging the role of campaigners in the region in this important climate issue.



The Minister explained that the government's plan to switch to renewables will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while giving the North-West, with some of the best wind speeds in Europe, the opportunity to benefit economically from the transition.



Local Green Party Energy spokesperson and former Chair of Love Leitrim, Johnny Gogan, put it to the Minister, that the development of this indigenous energy resource presented an opportunity for the state to develop this resource on behalf of the Irish people, similar to Norways approach to their fossil fuel resources.

Mining

The issue of prospecting licenses generated a heated discussion, and the Minister acknowledged the concerns expressed by some of the attendees but stressed that prospecting is not mining and that the chances of prospecting becoming mining was very slim.

He assured everyone that, with the new climate laws in place, any mining license would be subject to rigorous environmental protection regulations. He said that he would provide clarification on banning the use of cyanide and the right of access to lands by mining companies.



The Minister also added that mining is an environmental and social justice issue: Almost everyone in the country now carries a mobile phone, and these cannot exist without the use of mined material. If we put a blanket ban on mining in our country, are we then saying it is ok for us to benefit from the material mined in countries without environmental protection, countries which are much poorer than us, which may use child labour and which often wont the same strong labour or environmental laws in place?"

Farming

The minister restated the Green Party's commitment to promoting small and medium-sized family farms. He spoke of the many changes that have happened since taking office in relation to Forestry and Agriculture that will also improve farming incomes.



By building our Origin Green brand we can ensure a premium for the Irish farmer internationally while making farming increasingly sustainable.
Police fire tear gas canisters during a protest against the arrest of Imran Khan in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 9, 2023. ASIF HASSAN / AFP

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday, May 9, a development that could plunge the country into chaos. The 70-year-old enjoys immense popularity and is challenging the legitimacy of the government which had forced him out of power last year after a vote of no confidence in Parliament.

The coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been trying to neutralize Khan for almost a year. More than a hundred legal proceedings were launched against him. In March, police had already tried to arrest Khan in Lahore but his supporters were able to stand in their way. He was only able to move around with a bulletproof vest and under close protection.

According to the interior ministry, Khan is being held at the National Accountability Bureau, an anti-corruption agency in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. He was expected to appear before a special court in a police building on Wednesday.

Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan's party, spoke of the arrest as a "kidnapping" and called for national protests. "Pakistans brave people must come out and defend their country," the PTI said on Twitter, minutes after the police operation. The call was heard as thousands of supporters protested throughout the country, targeting military buildings.

In Lahore, Khan's hometown, the residence of the army chief was ransacked. In Rawalpindi, protestors also stormed the headquarters of the army which they suspect of being behind the arrest of their leader. Roads were blocked in Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar. Authorities resorted to section 144 of the code of criminal procedure, which bans public gatherings.

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Brutalized

The arrest took place in the Islamabad High Court on orders of the anti-corruption agency. Khan was to appear there on corruption charges. While he was in the biometric recognition room, rangers and paramilitary personnel broke windows and doors and entered the premises. The former prime minister was brutalized, forcibly dragged outside and thrown into an armored car. His lawyer was injured.

Khan knew the danger was coming. He recorded a video message before his arrest in which he said: "My Pakistanis, by the time these words reach you I would have been detained under an illegitimate case. One thing that should become clear for all of you from this is that fundamental rights in Pakistan, the rights given to us by our constitution and democracy, have been buried."

Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn wrote in an opinion piece "any hopes of a negotiated breakthrough in the ongoing political stalemate can be put to rest." Lawyer and political analyst Abdul Moiz Jaferii said Khan's arrest would "only make him more popular."

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Georgian Communists with portraits of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin hold a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Tbilisi on May 9, 2023. VANO SHLAMOV / AFP

President Vladimir Putin has lifted a flight ban and visa regime with Georgia, against which Russia fought a brief war in 2008, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, May 10. According to a decree released on Wednesday, Putin has introduced a 90-day visa-free regime for Georgian citizens from May 15.

Another decree resumed air travel between Russia and Georgia. In response to anti-Moscow rallies in Georgia, Russia had in 2019 banned air travel with the country. The two nations share a complicated history and Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's former president who is now in jail, is seen as one of Moscow's top enemies.

In 2008, after years of tensions and Saakashvili's efforts to forge closer ties with the West, Moscow fought a brief but bloody war with Georgia. However, the current Georgian authorities have in recent years been accused by the opposition of forming close ties with the Kremlin.

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Georgia's ruling party insists it is committed to Georgia's EU and NATO membership bid, enshrined in the constitution and supported  according to opinion polls  by 80% of the population.

Georgia's pro-EU president immediately slammed Moscow's decision. "Another Russian provocation!" the country's figurehead president, Salome Zourabichvili, said on Twitter. "Resuming direct flights and lifting (the) visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory!"

The Kremlin's decrees on Georgia come as Moscow's offensive in Ukraine stretches into its second year.

Le Monde with AFP
English-speaking separatists in Cameroon admitted on Tuesday, May 9, that they had shot dead a journalist by mistake when targeting an army commander in the restive Northwest region.

Anye Nde Nsoh, who worked for The Advocate weekly newspaper, died in a bar in the regional capital Bamenda on Sunday, Mezam department prefect Simon Emile Mooh said in a statement.

"A group of armed terrorists (...) cowardly and coldly murdered" the 26-year-old, Mooh said.

The national authorities use the term terrorist for the separatists fighting for independence.

"He was shot in a bar. We do not know if he was the target or just a collateral victim," The Advocate's publisher Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

But Capo Daniel, a leader of the "Ambazonians," who have proclaimed local independence, said the separatists did kill the journalist by mistake.

"The target was a commanding officer" of the army "who frequented the bar," Capo Daniel said, admitting "an error over his identity."

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"It was a case of mistaken identity," he said in a video posted on his Facebook page, adding "The target was a commanding [army] officer (...) who visits that particular bar."

"The operation was carried out by Ambazonian forces."

An army officer who asked not to be named told AFP that Capo Daniel calls himself the "commander" of the group's Dark Forces, and is one of the senior separatist leaders living in exile.

Cameroon's primarily English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions have been gripped by conflict since separatists declared independence in 2017 after decades of grievances over perceived discrimination by the francophone majority.

President Paul Biya, who has ruled the central African nation with an iron fist for 40 years, has resisted calls for wider autonomy and responded with a crackdown.

The conflict in the former French colony has claimed more than 6,000 lives and forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group think tank.

Eighty percent of Cameroon's population of 24 million are French speaking. The large anglophone minority is a legacy of the colonial era.

Le Monde with AFP
The Assemblee Nationale in Paris, France, on April 11, 2023. SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS

The French Parliament adopted a resolution on Tuesday, May 10, calling on the European Union to formally label Russian mercenary force Wagner a "terrorist group."

The resolution, which is non-binding and symbolic, passed with unanimous support across the political spectrum. Its author, ruling party MP Benjamin Haddad, has said he hopes it will encourage the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organizations.

"Wherever they work, Wagner members spread instability and violence," he told Parliament on Tuesday. "They kill and torture. They massacre and pillage. They intimidate and manipulate with almost total impunity." He said they were not simple mercenaries driven by an "appetite for money" but they "follow a broad strategy, from Mali to Ukraine, of supporting the aggressive policies of President [Vladimir] Putin's regime toward our democracies."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the French Parliament and urged other countries to follow suit. "Every manifestation of terrorism must be destroyed, and every terrorist must be convicted," he added.

Freezing assets

Being listed as a terrorist group means EU members could freeze assets of the Wagner group and its members, while European companies and citizens are barred from dealing with the organization.

But Wagner and its businessman leader Yevgeny Prigozhin have already been repeatedly sanctioned by the European Union, in February for human rights abuses in Africa and in April for participating in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Prigozhin had his assets in the European Union frozen in 2020 and was placed on a visa blacklist over the deployment of Wagner fighters to war-torn Libya, a decision he unsuccessfully appealed.

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French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna conceded to lawmakers on Tuesday that legally the EU terrorist label would not have any "direct supplemental effect" on the group. But "we should not underestimate the symbolic importance of such a designation, nor the dissuasive effect that it could have on states tempted to turn" to Wagner, she said.

Prigozhin is a close ally of Putin, and his recruits have been fighting for months to capture the battle-scarred city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Paris has blamed the group for running anti-French propaganda operations in West Africa, particularly Mali.

The EU's terrorist list, which is approved by leaders of the bloc's member states at their regular meetings, currently includes 13 people and 21 groups or entities including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. The parliaments of Lithuania and Estonia have also labeled Wagner a "terrorist organization."

Le Monde with AFP
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. speaks to reporters outside his office at the Capitol Building in Washington, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, after meeting about the debt limit with President Joe Biden at the White House. ANDREW HARNIK / AP

A high-stakes meeting between President Joe Biden and key Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday, May 9, yielded no breakthrough on the impasse over the US debt limit, but the group decided to reconvene later this week.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, met with Biden at the White House in the latest round of a power struggle threatening massive consequences for the world's largest economy. The Republicans were also joined by the top two congressional Democrats: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. McCarthy said after the talks that he "didn't see any new movement," although the four and Biden will meet again on Friday.

The lifting of the so-called debt ceiling  a limit on government borrowing to pay for bills already incurred  is often routine. But budget-minded Republicans, who won control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, have vowed to only raise the limit from its current $31.4 trillion maximum if spending curbs are enacted.

After the meeting, Jeffries said that "extreme" Republicans "have indicated that they are willing to take us down the path of default." "That is reckless, irresponsible, and extreme," he said.

A similar impasse in 2011 resulted in the United States losing the coveted AAA debt rating. Time is critical. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that unless Congress acts in the coming weeks, "financial and economic chaos would ensue." Yellen has also had conversations with CEOs to discuss the dangers of brinkmanship, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP.

Running out of time

While McConnell told reporters after the meeting that "the United States is not going to default," he stressed that "we are running out of time."

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre argued before the Oval Office talks that it is the Republican lawmakers' constitutional duty to act. "The exit ramp for them is to do their job," she said, referring to raising the debt ceiling without condition.

But McCarthy maintained Tuesday that House Republicans were doing their jobs by passing a plan that raises the borrowing limit, while instituting major government spending cuts. He instead accused Biden of holding the country "hostage."

Biden has repeatedly called for a "clean" lifting of the US borrowing limit, arguing that the deficit spending has already been approved by Congress and is therefore not up for debate. Meanwhile, Democrats have referred to the plan passed by House Republicans as the "Default on America Act."

The Senate is bracing for a clash too, as 43 Republicans in the Democratic-controlled chamber signed a letter over the weekend, pledging to impose legislative hurdles to any attempt to raise the debt ceiling "without substantive spending and budget reforms."

It remains unclear when the government will run out of funds, but the Treasury has warned it could happen as early as June 1. In addition to triggering Wall Street turmoil, failure to address the debt limit impasse may also impact Biden politically as he forges ahead into a re-election campaign.

Uncertainties ahead

Should the United States be unable to meet all its obligations, the Treasury would likely prioritize debt and interest payments, analysts said. That could mean delays in doling out funds to politically sensitive groups, such as Social Security beneficiaries or Medicare providers. Financial markets would also be rattled by the uncertainty.

In a recent report, Moody's Analytics projected that the most likely date the Treasury Department will exhaust its accounting measures is June 8, signaling "precious little time" for Democrats and Republicans to reach agreement.

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This date means Treasury payments will likely be disrupted for a few days "until a mid-June surge of tax payments materializes" and helps with revenue flows. But financial markets are sure to react negatively, with the consequent selloff in equity markets likely to "catalyze subsequent action on Capitol Hill."

"We think lawmakers will try to negotiate a compromise bill first if they are still at a stalemate when the debt limit is at risk of being breached, which seems likely," said Nancy Vanden Houten of Oxford Economics on Tuesday. In an earlier interview with AFP, she added that "risks are certainly elevated compared to prior debt limit standoffs."

Le Monde with AFP
GEDDES  Scott Seeland, a driver for a company that transports Medicaid patients between Rochester and Oneida, is concerned about how a Thruway toll increase will affect his work.

The turnout at a public hearing suggests he is one of the few in central New York worried about the proposed toll hike.

Seeland was one of five speakers at the hearing held at the state fairgrounds on Tuesday. Thruway officials, including interim executive director Frank Hoare, attended the three-hour event.

The Thruway Authority is proposing a 5% toll increase for E-ZPass users beginning in 2024, followed by another 5% hike in 2027. There would be a 75% differential for out-of-state E-ZPass and tolls by mail users, meaning these drivers would pay a 75% higher toll than in-state E-ZPass users.

At the public hearing, the Thruway Authority provided examples of how the increase would affect common or frequent trips. The current toll to drive from Albany (exit 24) to Syracuse (exit 34A) is $5.75. With a 5% hike next year, the toll would be $6.03. It will rise to $6.34 when the second 5% increase is implemented.

Drivers who travel from Geneva (exit 42) to Rochester (exit 45) now pay a $1.07 toll. It would rise to $1.12 in 2024 and $1.17 in 2027.

Tolls are the Thruway Authority's main source of revenue. But Seeland had questions about the agency's financial decisions, from the implementation of cashless tolling to the ongoing service area improvement project. The latter is being paid for with private funds, not state toll dollars.

"You're telling me that you need to raise tolls, but you're tearing down perfectly good (rest stops)," Seeland said.

Hoare explained that the toll hike is necessary because of increased expenses to maintain the Thruway. The authority is not included in the state budget, he noted, and the last toll increase was in 2010.

Another factor is the impact that COVID-19 had on the Thruway Authority. During the pandemic, the agency lost $136 million at a time when there were fewer people traveling and using the highway.

"We think that the proposed increase is very modest," Hoare said.

One of the other speakers at the public hearing was Matt Jones, an aide to Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter, who represents a portion of the Syracuse area. Hunter was in Albany for legislative session and could not attend the hearing, so Jones read a statement from the assemblywoman.

Hunter acknowledged the need for an increase, but disagrees with "the disproportionately large burden that will be shouldered by the unbanked." Her concern is with the increased rate for tolls by mail users. For E-ZPass accounts, tolls are deducted from the user's checking account. Tolls by mail are sent to the vehicle's owner and they must return their payment.

The Thruway Authority will hold two more public hearings in Albany and Rockland counties over the next two weeks. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 5.

The hearings are part of the Thruway Authority's process for implementing the toll hike plan. The authority's board will vote later this year on whether to proceed with the increases.
A FEMALE motorist has pleaded guilty to two charges in relation to a road traffic collision that left a senior Limerick garda - Inspector Niall Flood - with life-changing injuries.

Niamh McDonnell, aged 29, of Gortskagh, Castlemahon was arraigned before Limerick Circuit Court this Monday.

Ms McDonell pleaded guilty when two charges - dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and drink driving - were put to her by the court registrar. The offences occurred at Clonmore, Dromcollogher on June 30, 2022.

Brian McInerney SC, who represented Ms McDonnell during the short procedural matter, said it would take a little bit of time at sentencing. The barrister also asked for a report from the Probation Service on his client.

Prosecuting barrister, Lily Buckley, instructed by Kerry State Solicitor Diane Reidy with the assistance of Limerick city State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, said the case involves life-changing injuries.

It is going to take some time to put together medical evidence. It is ongoing and he is under a multidisciplinary team, said Ms Buckley, who asked for a court date for mention in July. Ms Buckley said they will indicate then if the State is in a position to take a sentencing date before the end of term.

Judge Tom ODonnell adjourned the case to July 3, for mention. Ms McDonnell was remanded on continuing bail.
YOUNG Macie Farrell Quinlivan perfectly summed up the emotions of all in attendance in Sarsfield Barracks as the Tanaiste and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD, reviewed the 122nd Infantry Battalion, which will shortly deploy to Lebanon.

"Im going to miss my Daddy when he goes on the aeroplane," said the young daughter of Private Sean Quinlivan. The St Mary's Park man is one of 85 soldiers within the battalion deploying on their first overseas peacekeeping mission.

Also, in the Limerick barracks with family and friends before his deployment, was Commandant Liam Halpin from Woodview Park in the city, who while looking forward to the stint abroad said, "this will be the first rotation that I have travelled over with having a little girl, Jessie, so it is going to be quite difficult."

The Irish and Limerick peacekeepers are hoping to conduct their tour "in a safe manner, and support the communities there and the people of Lebanon," agreed Lieutenant Martin Cuddihy of Castletroy.

The 122nd Infantry Battalion will deploy to the UNIFIL area of operations with 338 Irish personnel.

The Tanaiste and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD, travelled to Limerick last Thursday to review the battalion, ahead of their deployment as part of the United Nations' Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"Peacekeeping is the most important international action for good that any nation can participate in and you personify our nations commitment to that noble cause.

"You, the men and women of the 122nd Infantry Battalion, are leaving to write a new chapter in the history of the Defence Forces participation in Lebanon."

Noting that their deployment coincides with the return of the 121st Battalion, of which the late Private Sean Rooney was such a valuable member, the Tanaiste added, "as well as being a very honourable task, peacekeeping is, unfortunately, also a dangerous one."

"This fact became a tragic reality last December when eight personnel from the 121st Battalion were involved in an incident resulting in the death of Private Sean Rooney and injuries being sustained by three other members of the Defence Forces."
THE SON of a stroke victim is "upset and saddened" by what he deems as the "disturbing" volume of people on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick.

On April 5, 79-year-old John McMahon, suffered a stroke in his room at St Pauls Nursing Home, Dooradoyle.

He was rushed to UHL, to receive the necessary medical attention to aid in his recovery, but his journey to rehabilitation has been hindered by a "dysfunctional healthcare system" according to his son Derek, who lives in the United States.

Derek, who was visiting his daughter who lives in Cork, returned to Limerick on April 7, to see his father following his medical emergency.

This week, Derek spoke to the Limerick Leader about the experiences which, he says, left him "traumatised," and his father with what he feels are "probably permanent" symptoms.

Soon to be 80-years, John was witnessed by his son on a trolley along a corridor which was "full of patients."

He recalled: "when I turned down the corridor the first day and saw what I saw, it actually stopped me in my tracks.

"The trolleys were placed toe-to-head with no space in between, and on both sides of the corridor with approximately three feet of space along the centre," he added.

As his father is a diabetic, Derek immediately informed a nurse of his condition.

To his shock, he said he was informed that the hospital was having difficulty providing him with insulin, a critical drug for his disease.

"I ended up leaving and returning to St Paul's nursing home to obtain his insulin," Derek stated.

"When I arrived back, the nurse was very appreciative and administered the insulin to my Dad right away," he added.

As for what he witnessed in the department, Derek commented: "When I was there, I couldn't figure out how they were going to get any of the patients to the toilet because the trolleys were packed on both sides of the corridor."

What he understood as a solution to this inability to move freely to use the facilities, Derek said, "I quickly discovered that the majority of the patients were wearing diapers."

As for his father in particular, who, according to Derek, has been "professionally confirmed to have suffered a significant stroke," Derek stated, "he was placed on a trolley for five days." "When it comes to strokes, speed is everything," he expressed.

Coming from his experiences in the US, he stated: "I'm upset and saddened to think that's all the elderly in Ireland have to rely on for healthcare."

A UL Hospitals Group statement delivered by a ULHG spokesperson said: "we are unable to comment on individual cases due to our ethical and legal obligations to protect the privacy of our patients and our staff.

"We are sorry that any admitted patient faces long wait times for a bed.

"We are concerned when anyone is dissatisfied with the care they have received in our hospitals. UL Hospitals Group has an official complaints process, and patients, or their loved ones, are encouraged to engage with that process so the issues can be properly resolved.

"Staff are available to assist patients through the complaints process. Complaints can be made via email to yoursay@hse.ie."

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, the latest figures in UHL released this Tuesday revealed 85 patients were on trolleys, 36 in the ED, and 49 in wards elsewhere in Limerick. Nationally, 513 patients are waiting in EDs, while 139 are in wards elsewhere.
FOUR Limerick schools will be looking forward to the Big Ideas Showcase where a number of awards will be up for grabs.

The Big Idea is an education programme which teaches students to think creatively.

The projects conducted by the schools demonstrate how the students used critical thinking and mental agility to create solutions for five major Irish social issues, with mental health and climate change the most pressing issues on their minds this year, along with hidden poverty, displaced people and diversity and inclusion.

The four Limerick schools taking part are Desmond College, Newcastle West, Colaiste Iosaef Community College, Kilmallock John the Baptist Community School, Hospital and Colaiste Na Trocaire, Rathkeale.

Industry is crying out for critical thinking, problem-solving, mental agility, and empathetic solutions, Kim Mackenzie-Doyle, founder of The Big Idea said.

The 14-week programme wraps up the 2023 term this week in an award showcase, with learners aged 15 to 19 years from 22 counties, from Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied, Youthreach centres and schools in Northern Ireland, submitting hundreds of creative solutions to some of Irelands biggest social issues.

We need to think differently. The Big Idea is more than just an educational programme, its a movement to democratise creative thinking, Ms Mackenzie-Doyle said.

Our young people have a tough future ahead of them, inheriting some of the biggest problems our world has ever faced. We want to empower the next generation to take on big challenges because we know one Big Idea can change our world.

There will be many problems ahead of us which we will have no reference for. We must educate with a growth mindset thats open to failure and challenge ourselves to prepare the next generation with the most in-demand skills in the world, creative thinking skills, she mentioned.

The programme wraps on The Big Idea website on Friday, May 12 at 11am, where all of the big ideas will be celebrated andan exhibition of projects will be launched.
Pokebundles Ireland are relaunching their Pokemon card stall in Wickham Way Market (top of Thomas Street) on Saturday, 13th May with some amazing offers and giveaways on the day, including the chance to win an amazing Charizard card.

It's been a very busy year for us so far, reflects owner Tony Gammell. We started selling little bundles of Pokemon cards, but we have grown to be one of the top stockists of sealed product, individual cards, Japanese cards and accessories in the country. Its the perfect time to relaunch our stall in Limerick to show how we have grown to become one of the top destinations for Pokemon fans in Ireland.

Having been invited onto a number of radio stations to chat Pokemon, including The Ray Foley show on Today FM, Tony says that their collection of individual cards has been a revelation for the parents of Pokemon fans.

We have folders filled with best cards for sale. This means collectors can come along and buy exactly the cards they want instead of opening packs in the hope they randomly get them. For moms and dads in particular, this is of great relief because it saves a lot of money! We also have a loyalty card which rewards customers with free cards and even more savings!

Pokebundles also provide a free collection appraisal service.

We are experts in Pokemon, so if someone brings in their collection, we can give them advice on the value. This is always important because parents and kids sometimes do not know what cards are valuable.

And its not just the kiddies who pop in to get their Pokemon cards!

We have a very large adult customer base who grab a coffee, pop in for a chat, pick a few nice cards and get their weekend off to a great start.

Pokebundles Ireland can be found every Saturday at Wickham Way Limerick from 10 am  3 pm, online at www.pokebundles.ie and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PokebundlesIreland), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pokebundles_ireland) and Tiktok (https://www.tiktok.com/@pokebundles_ireland).

You can also catch them as they tour the country on their events page (https://pokebundles.ie/pages/visit-our-market-stall).

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Lincoln University of Missouri will celebrate commencement for the Class of 2023 on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Divided by schools, all commencement ceremonies will take place in the Robert and Charlene Mitchell Auditorium in Richardson Fine Arts Center (710 E. Dunklin St.) on Lincolns campus in Jefferson City, Missouri. Attendance at the ceremonies is limited; each graduate will receive eight tickets to share with friends and family.

Commencement events start at 9 a.m. with a ceremony for the following departments: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Department of Humanities and Communication, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Liberal Studies and the Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics. Senator Brian Williams will be the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. Williams has represented the 14th Senatorial District in St. Louis County since 2018 and currently serves as the assistant minority floor leader. He is the first Black male to serve on the Missouri Senate in two decades.

The commencement for graduates of the School of Business, the School of Education and the School of Nursing will begin at 1 p.m., and the School of Nursing pinning ceremony will occur at 3 p.m. Missouris 48th Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe will speak at the 1 p.m. ceremony. Prior to this position, Kehoe represented the Sixth Senatorial District, where he served as both Assistant Majority Leader and Majority Leader.

Doors to Richardson Fine Arts Center will open one hour before the start of each ceremony. Parking for graduates will be available at Jason Gym. Public parking will be available at Eliff Hall (709 E. Dunklin), or behind Richardson Auditorium. A campus map and directions are available at lincolnu.edu. For those who wish to join their graduate on campus but do not have a ticket, overflow viewing will be available in Scruggs University Center Ballroom, 819 Chestnut St, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Livestreaming will be available via https://www.lincolnu.edu/live-stream.html.

Lincoln graduates may pick up tickets during graduation rehearsal on Friday, May 12 at 9 a.m. Immediately following the rehearsal, a Senior Brunch hosted by President Dr. John B. Moseley and First Lady Dr. Crystal Moseley will be in Dorothy E. Steward Art Gallery on the second floor of the Richardson Fine Arts Center. The brunch is invite only.
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With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

Li Auto forecasts up to 196.1% YoY surge in Q2 2023 revenue

Chinese NEV startup Li Auto said its total revenues are expected to be between RMB24.22 billion (US$3.53 billion) and RMB25.86 billion (US$3.77 billion) in the second quarter of 2023, which should surge 177.4% to 196.1% year on year.

Li L9; photo credit: Li Auto

Changan Automobile sees Apr. sales leap 57.23% YoY

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. ("Changan Automobile") said today its Jan.-Apr. 2023 sales rise 2.94% year on year to 789,788 units, 181,980 units (+57.23% YoY) of which were sold last month.

Lifan Technology's Apr. sales edge up 2.32% YoY

Chinese automaker Lifan Technology sold 3,087 vehicles in Apr. 2023, representing a 2.32% slight year-on-year growth, according to the companys press release.

China to implement China VI b vehicle emission standards nationwide from July 1, 2023

Starting from July 1, 2023, China will implement an upgraded version of vehicle emission standards, the China VI b, nationwide, according to a document released on the website of Chinas Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

BYD's Yangwang U8 included in MIITs catalogue

The Yangwang U8, the first production model under BYD's nascent luxury auto brand Yangwang, has been included into a catalogue issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") with some key parameters unveiled at the same time.

SERES Auto sells 2,953 vehicles in Apr. 2023

In the fourth month of 2023, SERES Group, Huawei's automaking partner, saw its monthly sales volume reach 14,731 vehicles in total, down 26.49% year over year.

Dongfeng Motor Group sees Apr. 2023 sales jump 29.73% YoY

In April 2023, Dongfeng Motor Group Company Limited (Dongfeng Motor Group) saw its monthly sales volume came in at 142,496 vehicles, indicating a jump of 29.73% from the earlier year, but facing a 25.91% drop from the previous month.

BYD Seal Champion edition hits market, starting at 189,800 yuan

On May 10, the BYD Seal all-electric fastback sedans Champion edition officially hit the market with its five trim levels priced between 189,800 yuan and 279,800 yuan.

DiDi Autonomous Driving, GAC AION to launch first L4 unmanned NEV in 2025

DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese online ride-hailing giant DiDi, and GAC AION, the new energy vehicle-dedicated unit of GAC Group, recently signed an agreement to deepen cooperation and announced the launch of the "AIDI Plan," a project to develop and mass-produce autonomous new energy vehicles, and the plan to build a joint venture.

Shanghai Jiading District opens expressways for autonomous driving vehicle road tests

Shanghai on May 9 granted the Shanghai Intelligent Connected Vehicle Highway Road Testing Notification to two companies, Toyota Technical Research and Service (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and AutoX's Shanghai division, allowing the two entities to perform road tests with their autonomous vehicles under highway scenarios in Shanghai's Jiading District.

Nissan Motor's Apr. China sales grow 12.6% MoM

Despite the price fluctuations in the Chinese automotive market, Nissan Motor's China sales still reached 61,313 units in April, representing a month-on-month growth of 12.6%, but reflecting a 1.5% notch down year-on-year.

JD.com, ZF Aftermarket team up in automobile aftermarket area

On May 9, 2023, the automobile sales unit of JD.com (called "JD" for short) and ZF Aftermarket officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement, under which, over the next three years, the two parties will jointly implement the "JD-ZF Plan", engaging in in-depth co-construction in multiple areas such as product, user, channel, and service network.

CBIRC approves BYDs acquisition of 100% stake in insurance company 1 AN .COM

On May 9th, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission ("CBIRC") released on its official website a reply regarding the change of shareholders of 1 AN .COM, a Chinese property insurance company.
Despite the rising popularity of hair extensions, hairpieces, wigs, and wiglets, theres little you can do to hide hair loss issues. Toupes quickly become almost unbearable to wear in the summer heat, and even the best wig will become damaged and lose its appeal the moment you get it wet.

If you want to overcome balding and hair loss, theres only one thing you can do  go in for a quality hair transplantation.

While it seems like an extreme measure, its the only thing that can permanently resolve your problems. And fortunately, its not nearly as expensive as you may think if you know where to go.

You can receive the best hair transplant in Turkey at an affordable price by visiting one of the reputable transplant clinics in Istanbul.

The rise in demand for hair transplants in Turkey

For most people, Turkey seems like a very distant place to go for hair transplant operations. However, considering that it has some of the most advanced hair restoration facilities and some of the most experienced surgeons, it should come as no surprise that the country welcomes millions of international medical tourists annually.

Turkish hair transplants are in high demand, partly because theyre so affordable and partly because they deliver exceptional results. Within a few months, most patients cant even notice a single sign of their surgery in the recipient or the donor area. All thats noticeable is healthy new hair growth.

What Sapphire Hair Clinic has to offer

Although there are countless reputable transplant clinics in Turkey, you must choose your clinic carefully. Not every facility will have the most advanced tools and equipment to guarantee a high-quality hair transplant, and not every surgeon will have the experience to ensure flawless results.

For instance, even a single hair follicle transplanted at the wrong angle could affect your whole appearance.

Youll need to choose clinics offering quality hair transplant services and surgeons delivering perfectly natural-looking results.

Sapphire Hair Clinic is among the top hair transplant clinics in Turkey that boast fantastic services and flawless results.

Established by Dr. Okan Morkoc, its part of the larger Medical Park Hospital Group that boasts 29 hospitals across seven cities. While it offers various services, including plastic surgery and dental aesthetics, Sapphire Hair Clinic is best known for its advanced approach to hair transplantation procedures.

It has state-of-the-art equipment, comfortable rooms, and, most importantly, experienced surgeons and medical staff devoted to ensuring patient comfort and well-being.

The hair transplant team is led by Dr. Gulkz Erdal and Dr. Esin Egilmez, two well-respected surgeons held in high regard in international medical communities.

Dr. Erdal has extensive medical experience across different fields. She first started out as a physician at Gaziantep Karkams Tent City Hospital, then worked as an emergency physician at Mersin State Hospital. She worked in oncology, then decided to specialize in medical aesthetics and hair transplantation.

Dr. Egilmez obtained her doctorate at Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital and quickly developed an interest in hair restoration and developing advanced hair transplantation techniques. Shes been an associate member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) since 2017 and is the co-founder of the Turkey Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

Together, Dr. Gulkz Erdal and Dr. Esin Egilmez have performed hundreds of hair transplant surgeries, ensuring the utmost satisfaction of every patient.

Bringing hair transplant prices down with comprehensive packages

While most international patients traveling to Turkey for hair transplant surgery expect to spend an arm and a leg for the treatment, thats far from the truth.

Compared to the hair transplant prices in the US, for instance, the cost of surgery in Turkey can be as much as 90% cheaper.

Such a significant price difference is the result of lower costs of living. With more affordable housing, utilities, education, transportation, food, and more, clinics in Turkey can offer the most sophisticated hair transplant method at the most affordable price.

So, a surgery that could cost you over $20,000 in the US can cost as little as $2000 in Turkey.

Clinics such as the Sapphire Hair Clinic also offer convenient hair transplant packages that include the costs of:

 Surgery and all the necessary pre-and post-op medication;

 Local anesthesia;

 3-day accommodation at a 5-star hotel in Istanbul;

 Transportation between the airport, hotel, and clinic.

With the hair transplant package, everything will be covered for you except for your airfare. So, all youll have to do is book your plane tickets and start your journey.

Quality treatments for long-lasting results

Sapphire Hair Clinic specializes in DHI and FUE methods for hair transplantation. The FUE techniques (Follicular Unit Extraction) are the best option for patients who have balding over a larger area on their head. In comparison, the DHI techniques (Direct Hair Implantation) are best for those who need more volume in a smaller area.

The treatments are somewhat similar, both starting by extracting hair follicles from the donor area. With the FUE approach, the surgeons need to make incisions in the recipient area before inserting individual hair follicles one by one. With the DHI approach, they load the follicles into a specialized Choi pen that inserts them into the recipient area.

The surgeries are minimally invasive, with virtually no scarring. It will take about six months for the transplanted hair to start growing, while the full results will become noticeable after 12 to 18 months. You can examine the before and after images directly on Sapphire Hair Clinics website to learn what you can expect from the results.

Final thoughts

With affordable prices and high-quality treatments, Sapphire Hair Clinic is one of the best facilities in Turkey for hair transplants. It boasts excellent success rates  youll notice new hair growth in just a few months.

Contact the clinic for a free consultation and forget about your hair loss issues once and for all.

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.
Three Adani group companies, including Adani Green Energy Ltd, have lost their endorsement from the worlds leading arbiter of corporate green goals, a blow to the industrial conglomerates attempt to reposition itself as a leader of Indias energy transition.

Adani Green, Adani Transmission Ltd and Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd were removed in late April from the list of companies taking action" published by the Science Based Targets initiative. The UN-backed group helps companies establish concrete plans to reduce emissions consistent with the Paris Agreements target on limiting global warming.

The SBTi carried out an internal assessment based on publicly available and submitted information and concluded that the involved companies are not in conformity" with the initiatives standards and policy requirements, an SBTi spokesperson said by email. Sustainability-minded investors commonly look for SBTis stamp of approval, and stocks bearing the Adani name appeared in more than 500 ESG funds in early February. That same month, a filing revealed the Adani group was using stock from Green companies as collateral to help finance its controversial Carmichael coal mine.

Watchdog groups say ESG investors may have inadvertently channelled funds into fossil fuels through their Adani Green investments, and losing SBTis validation is another setback. The group lost billions of dollars in market value earlier this year following a short-sellers accusations of corporate fraud built on a constellation of shell companies and related-party transactions.

The Adani group said it had asked the SBTi to justify the exclusion and was optimistic" the SBTi would review and reverse its decision." None of these companies is involved in the exploration, extraction, mining and/or production of oil, natural gas, coal or other fossil fuels," a spokesperson for the conglomerate said. All three are publicly listed independent companies" and have been working on preparing their low carbon transition plans" after committing to SBTi.

The group is trying to raise about $800 million for new green energy projects, part of billionaire Gautam Adanis push to transform his conglomerate into the worlds largest producer of renewable energy.

Adani Green Energy reported surging fourth-quarter profits last week, one sign the group is recovering from the damage done by the short-sellers attack.

SBTi has removed at least 16 other companies from its list, according to its website following an update to the organizations fossil fuel policy, which excludes companies with any direct involvement in exploration, extraction, mining and/or production of oil, natural gas, coal or other fossil fuels." Adani group companies Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd have SBTi validated near-term targets and remain on the list.
Larsen & Toubro Ltd has named S.N. Subrahmanyan as its chairman, effective 1 October, succeeding A.M. Naik, a legendary manager who has worked at the engineering conglomerate since 1965 and has led it, first as CEO and then as chairman, since 1999.

Subrahmanyan, 63, a civil engineer, played a crucial role in L&Ts acquisition of Mindtree Ltd in the countrys first and largest hostile takeover.

Subrahmanyan, known as SNS, rose through the ranks after joining L&Ts engineering construction and contracts (ECC) division in 1984 as an engineer. He was spotted and mentored by Naik and was appointed CEO and managing director of L&T on 1 July 2017.

L&T, on Wednesday, also announced a 21% increase in net profit at 10,471 crore for FY23. In a statement, the company said Naik would continue to serve the group as its chairman emeritus.

On 8 February, Mint first reported that Naik would step down as L&Ts chairman in October. Although everyone in L&T knew about the leadership transition, its timing was a secret due to Naiks tight grip on the companys board and management.

L&T has been my life," Naik said, while announcing his decision to step down as the conglomerates non-executive chairman. Naik is revered within L&T for having saved the company from attempted takeovers from late Dhirubhai Ambani-led Reliance Industries and the Aditya Birla Group. Having divested the cement business for a profit, Naik engineered the perfect deal by ensuring that L&Ts Employee Trust would control close to a 14% stake in the company. Naik will continue as the chairman of the trust, continuing to wield some influence in the company.

The growth trajectory that the company has charted in the last two to three decades is exemplary. I am sure that Subrahmanyan will continue to foster the high growth and entrepreneurial culture at L&T. In him, L&T has a highly capable, passionate and empathetic leader," Naik said.

Naik said the emphasis L&T laid on IT and technology services had a significant positive impact on the profitability of the organization.

In fact, IT and technology business became a key part of L&Ts mainstay after the company consummated the acquisition of Mindtree in 2019, led by Subrahmanyan.

I mentored him for 8-10 years. I sent him abroad to gain experience. Hes very good. And he does a fantastic job," Naik said in an interview in February.

On 27 June 2019, under Subrahmanyans command, L&T gained control of Bangalore-based IT and outsourcing firm Mindtree by raising L&Ts stake to 60% in the latter through an open offer, despite strong resistance from Mindtrees founder promotersN. Krishnakumar, N.S. Parthasarathy, Subroto Bagchi and Rostow Ravanan.

To his credit, Subrahmanyan astutely drove the exhaustive Mindtree takeover process, which, to date, is often termed one of the toughest M&A deals ever by many investment bankers.

The deal entailed the purchase of a 20.4% stake in Mindtree first from late coffee baron V.G. Siddhartha (founder of Cafe Coffee Day), a subsequent purchase of shares from the market, and finally, an open offer that marked the culmination of a tough year-long effort by the Mumbai-based conglomerate to gain control of Mindtree through a 11,000 crore hostile bid.

I would humbly like to take up this responsibility and take the legacy of trust, customer focus, timely delivery, quality, people centricity, and professionalism forward," Subrahmanyan said while being promoted as the groups chairman and managing director.

Post the acquisition of Mindtree, in November 2022, under Subrahmanyan, L&T Infotech was merged with Mindtree to create the countrys fifth-largest IT firm by market capitalization. As the vice-chairman of the merged entity, Subrahmanyan grew the conglomerates IT business significantly over the past four years, and as of date, LTIMindtree Ltd commands a market capitalization of 1.36 trillion.

Perhaps, we are the only company which has succeeded in creating from scratch the fifth largest IT company in India," Naik told Mint in February.

His (Subrahmanyans) ability to develop innovative solutions in the construction and infrastructure space has seen him rise rapidly up the leadership rungs of the company," said L&T in a statement on Subrahmanyan.
New Delhi: Indias top 30 high streets, or market locations, account for an estimated $2 billion in potential consumption in the current financial year, according to a report by real estate consulting firm Knight Frank India in association with Phygital Retail Convention 2023, released on Wednesday.

This represents 19% of the potential consumption of $11 billion projected for operational shopping mall stock in FY 2023-24. Bengaluru has emerged as a city with the best high street shopping experience with four of its markets topping the list of Indias top ten high street locations.

Globally, cities are identified by their high streets, often one of the main attractions of the city, and the brands on these streets - a barometer of the citys worth on a global platform. But as we evolve, customer experience is the key and due to their traditional nature, high streets often fail to provide amenities like those of shopping centres. However, as cities in India are modernising, we see many high streets in the country reviving as facilities like access, parking, store visibility etc. have improved," said Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director at Knight Frank India.

The real estate consulting firm estimates that the average per square metre revenues of high streets will surpass those of malls in FY 202324. While high streets currently account for only 6% of the total gross leasable area compared to shopping mall stock, they offer better efficiency due to lower maintenance costs. Shopping mall efficiency can range between 50% and 60%, depending on the grade, according to the report.

Knight Franks study ranked Bengalurus MG Road as the top high street in India, followed by Somajiguda in Hyderabad, Linking Road in Mumbai, and South Extension in Delhi. The research covered 30 high streets across the countrys top eight markets, which collectively have 13.2 million sq ft of high street stock spread across 4,875 retail stores. The firm assessed these markets based on convenience factors such as access, parking facilities, and a diverse assortment of retailers.

The layout and master planning of the high street define the visibility. Inward looking markets like Khan Market (Delhi) and DLF Galleria (Gurugram) scored very low, whereas markets aligned along the access road like MG Road (Bengaluru), Somajiguda (Hyderabd), Linking Road (Mumbai), Anna Nagar, Park Street and Camac Street (Kolkata) scored high. Ahmedabad and Pune do not house any of the top 10 high streets," it said.

Ahmedabads SG Highway has the highest spending quotient amongst the 30 high streets surveyed.

Contrary to common perception, the top high streets are not the ones demanding the highest rent. High average ticket price retail categories such as electronics, accessories and home and lifestyle that have a lower presence in micro markets like Connaught Place, Lower Parel, Khan Market, Colaba Causeway make the spending quotient low in these seemingly lucrative markets for retail brands," the report said.

NCR, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad are the top three markets with a high concentration, with NCR contributing 24% of Indias total occupied modern retail arena - the highest across the top eight markets

The average monthly rents at high streets vary across the top eight cities. Despite real estate rent corrections across all asset classes, the post pandemic bounce-back led to numerous transactions being closed at rents higher than previously witnessed. Some of the high streets captured in the survey are the countrys most expensive retail hubs. New Delhis Khan Market, Gurugrams DLF Galleria, and Mumbais Linking Road and Turner Road are three high streets in the country where retailers have to shell out hefty rents to maintain brand presence," the report added.
UPL Ltds margin performance for the quarter ending March (Q4FY23) was a drag on overall earnings. Consolidated Ebitda margin fell by nearly 490 basis points year-on-year (y-o-y) to 16.4%, coming in much lower than expectations. A couple of factors are responsible for the margin pressure.

Firstly, product prices were weak. As covid related restrictions lifted in China, there was a significant ramp-up in supplies of agrochemicals from the country, weighing on post-patent product prices. Also, delayed planting in certain regions such as the US meant weak product prices. Secondly, an unfavourable regional mix of the company (with a higher contribution from Latin America, a low-margin region) impacted the companys margins.

View Full Image Graphic: Mint

Overall, this meant UPLs revenue growth was muted at 4% y-o-y in Q4 with 1% volume growth while price dipped 3%. However, margin woes have meant that Ebitda fell at sharper rate of 19%.

Weak Q4 results and subdued outlook for the first half of this financial year (FY24) has led to analysts trimming their earnings estimates for this year and the next. JM Financial Institutional Securities maintains that UPLs margin challenges could subside over the next 1-2 quarters as Chinese supplies are liquidated. Due to expected margin recovery towards the end of H1FY24 and likely strong volume growth in H2FY24, we foresee UPL registering 8% sales and 11% Ebitda growth in FY24," said a report by the brokerage on 9 May.

Meanwhile, since UPL announced its results on Monday, its shares have declined by about 3%. To be sure, analysts point out that the companys consistent efforts towards deleveraging is positive. Net debt fell to 16,902 crore in FY23 from 18,906 crore in FY22. According to the company, net debt to Ebitda ratio stood at 1.53 times. Amid the looming near-term industry headwinds, investors are likely to monitor debt repayments in future.

While UPLs volume growth and margin are likely to recover in the second half, FY24 can still be volatile as there is a lot of uncertainty with respect to Chinas behaviour in terms of inventory supplies and the price movements in the market," said Rohan Gupta, director, Nuvama Institutional Equities. Also, whether the company continues its debt reduction is another monitorable. He believes the stock can be re-rated if there is visibility on these fronts. In the past year, the UPL stock has declined by about 11%.
In order to promote institutional participation in Exchange Traded Commodity Derivatives (ETCDs), market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Wednesday allowed stock exchanges to extend direct market access to registered Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) with immediate effect.

Direct Market Access (DMA) facilitates the clients of a broker to directly access the exchange trading system through the broker's infrastructure to place orders without manual intervention by the broker.

Also, DMA provides certain advantages to brokers such as direct control over orders, faster execution of orders, reduced risk of errors associated with manual order entry, maintaining confidentiality, lower impact costs for large orders and implementing better hedging and arbitrage strategies.

"Based on representations received for enabling DMA facility to FPIs in ETCDs and deliberations by Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee (CDAC) of Sebi, it has been decided to allow stock exchanges to extend DMA facility to FPIs for participation in ETCDs," the market regulator said.

This permission is subject to certain conditions that require brokers to follow procedure for application for DMA, operational specifications, client authorisation, and broker-client agreement, risk management, among others.

The provisions of circular issued on September 29, 2022 allowing FPIs to participate in ETCDs shall remain applicable", the Sebi added.

In September 2022, Sebi allowed FPIs to participate in the ETCDs in order to increase depth and liquidity in the market. To begin with, the regulator permitted FPIs to participate in cash settled non-agricultural commodity derivative contracts and indices comprising such non-agricultural commodities.

The regulator had already allowed institutional investors such as Category III Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Portfolio Management Services and Mutual Funds to participate in the ETCD market.

Know your inner investor Do you have the nerves of steel or do you get insomniac over your investments? Lets define your investment approach. Take the test
Until last year, venture capital (VC) had been riding high . With interest rates close to zero and little yield to be found elsewhere, large companies, hedge funds and sovereign-wealth investors began ploughing cash into startups, sending valuations upwards. In 2021 alone the amount of money flowing to startups doubled to nearly $640bn. Then soaring inflation and surging interest rates brought the market crashing down. Last year the investments made in startups worldwide sank by a third. Between the final quarter of 2021 and the same period in 2022, the valuations of private startups tumbled by 56%.

The downturn inevitably draws comparisons to the dotcom crash of 2000-01, when deep winter set in and VC investments froze. Luckily for both founders and their backers, conditions are not so frosty today. Startups balance-sheets are stronger than they were 20 years ago; valuations are not quite so detached from revenues. In America alone, venture capitalists have about $300bn in dry powder. Nonetheless, the industry that is emerging from the tech slump and into an era of dearer money looks different from the one that went into it. In many respects, VC is returning to the ways of decades past.

One change is a focus on small, profitable firms. This is a habit venture investing sometimes forgot in the boom years, when rapid growth and the hope of big profits tomorrow were prized over profits today. Many backers who were in search of a quick return piled into older, late-stage" startups, which would probably go public soon and seemed assured of heady valuations.

Today, however, stockmarkets are volatile, making it hard for venture investors to gauge the value of late-stage startups. As interest rates have risen, lossmakers have fallen out of favour: according to an index compiled by Goldman Sachs, the stock prices of unprofitable tech companies have fallen by two-thirds since November 2021. VCs, too, are telling their portfolio firms to tighten their belts and generate cash. Increasingly their new bets are on younger firms, and those which are cutting costs sharply and likely to turn a profit sooner.

A second shift is a renewed emphasis on strategic firms. In an echo of VCs earliest days, when investors often backed semiconductor-makers that vied to win huge public contracts, many today are eyeing up firms in areas that stand to gain from governments new fondness for industrial policy. Administrations in both America and Europe, for instance, plan to spend hundreds of billions of dollars supporting chip firms and clean tech.

Venture capitalists, understandably, know how to spot an opportunity. Andreessen Horowitz, a stalwart of Silicon Valley investing, has launched an American Dynamism" fund that partly invests in firms which tap support from Uncle Sam. Other venture investors, including Temasek, a Singaporean sovereign-wealth fund, say they increasingly expect their investments to align with states strategic aims.

A final shift in VCs approach is an emphasis on better governance. In the boom years too much venture money chased too few good investments. The mismatch gave founders the upper hand in negotiations, helping them keep oversight relatively light. After the spectacular blow up last year of FTX, a venture-backed crypto exchange, it became clear that none of FTXs big venture- and sovereign-fund investors had taken seats on the startups board, leaving Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder, and his colleagues entirely to their own devices.

Now venture finance is harder to come by. Tiger Global and other funds that were previously hands-off have started to retreat. Other investors say they intend to take up their board seats. That reduces the power of founders to dictate terms and should improve governance. A lack of venture dollars may also encourage startups to go public sooner, as might trustbusters greater scrutiny of big tech acquisitions. The knowledge that they might soon face scrutiny in the public markets could also discipline founders.

Planting the seed

This new sobriety will not last for ever. Venture capitalists are, by nature, excitable: look at the buzz over generative artificial intelligence. Some hedge funds have left venture investing after previous downturns only to return when valuations adjusted. In time the cycle will surely turn once more, sending VC investments to dizzying heights. For the moment, though, the old ways are backand that marks a welcome change.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
This year, Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 14, 2023. Although the date changes year-to-year, Mother's Day is always held on the second Sunday of May. Mother's Day is celebrated on different dates worldwide. The exact date may vary depending on the country.

History

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mothers Day is the early Christian festival known as Mothering Sunday."

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their mother church"the main church in the vicinity of their homefor a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mothers Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

The origins of Mother's Day can be traced back to the early 20th century when Anna Jarvis, an American social activist, advocated for a day to honour mothers and their contributions to society. Anna Jarvis's campaign gained traction, and in 1914, Mother's Day was officially recognised as a national holiday in the United States by President Woodrow Wilson.

Durga-puja, honouring the goddess Durga, continues to be an important festival in India.

Significance of Mother's Day

The purpose of Mother's Day is to express love, appreciation, and gratitude towards mothers and mother figures for their unconditional love, support, and sacrifices.

Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries worldwide, typically involving the gifting of flowers, cards, and heartfelt gestures to show gratitude and affection towards mothers. It is a day to celebrate and honour the significant role that mothers play in shaping families and society as a whole.
JALANDHAR : A voter turnout of over 50% was recorded till 5 pm on Wednesday in the bypoll to Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat which is witnessing a four-cornered electoral battle.

Voting began at 8 am amid tight security and continued till 6 pm, officials said, adding that voters still in queue would be allowed to exercise their franchise.

The seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary due to a cardiac arrest during his party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in January. The AAP, which is the ruling party in the state, the Congress, BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal are vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

Opposition party leaders accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of violating the model code of conduct by deploying outsiders at several booths, a charge denied by the ruling party.

According to the Election Commission's voter turnout application, 50.27% polling was recorded till 5 pm.

Till 9 am, the polling percentage was 5.21 and it rose to 41 till 3 pm.

Counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat had registered 63.04% polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

After the polling began Wednesday morning, voters, especially elders and women, could be seen standing in queues at many polling stations in the constituency to cast their votes.

A few incidents of scuffle and altercations were reported between the AAP and opposition party members at some booths in Phillaur, Shahkot and other areas.

AAP MLA from Baba Bakala assembly segment in Amritsar, Dalbir Singh Tong was arrested for violating the model code of conduct and was later released on bail, said Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C.

The action came after Congress MLA from Shahkot, Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia alleged that Tong, being an outsider, was moving in Shahkot which is part of the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.

Sherowalia along with his supporters even blocked the vehicle of the AAP MLA and later called police. The AAP MLA was then taken to the Shahkot police station.

The opposition party leaders said as per the instructions of the Election Commission, outsiders were mandated to leave the constituency after the poll campaign period was over.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring accused the AAP leaders of flouting the ECI guidelines to allegedly intimidate voters.

Warring, in a statement, said the Congress has filed a complaint against Baba Bakala MLA Dalbir Singh Tong, Amritsar (West) MLA Jasbir Singh Sandhu, Ludhiana (East) MLA Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola, Ludhiana (West) MLA Gurpreet Gogi, Jaitu MLA Amolak Singh and Amritsar (Central) MLA Ajay Gupta for allegedly being present in the Jalandhar constituency despite ECI guidelines.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma too wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner, alleging several AAP MLAs and leaders were present in the constituency.

Sharma accused the AAP government of misusing the official machinery.

Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, through her election agent, wrote a letter to the CEC, alleging AAP leaders and workers came from outside the constituency for campaigning and were present in almost every village and ward.

Akali leader Pawan Kumar Tinu alleged that some AAP workers from Attari in Amritsar were deployed at one of the booths in Adampur.

A total of 16,21,800 eligible voters will decide the fate of 19 candidates, including four women.

The AAP fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku, who quit the Congress, while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, wife of Santokh Chaudhary.

The BJP fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Akali Dal to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Vidhan Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, who had also joined the BJP.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fielded its two-time MLA from the Banga seat, Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, a doctor. The SAD candidate is backed by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Gurjant Singh.

There were 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them were identified as critical.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Shanghai on May 9 granted the Shanghai Intelligent Connected Vehicle Highway Road Testing Notification to two companies, Toyota Technical Research and Service (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and AutoX's Shanghai division, allowing the two entities to perform road tests with their autonomous vehicles under highway scenarios in Shanghai's Jiading District.

AutoX's autonomous vehicles in Shanghai; photo credit: AutoX

In November last year, Shanghai opened a 21.5-kilometer section of the G1503 Ring Expressway in Jiading District and a 19.5-kilometer section of the G2 Beijing-Shanghai Expressway as the testbeds for intelligent connected vehicles on high-speed roads. With the issuance of the "Notification of Testing," the testing scenario for intelligent connected vehicles on high-speed roads in Jiading District will be officially activated.

Up to now, the Shanghai Intelligent Connected Vehicle Public Data Center has given access to 29 companies and received real-time data from 624 intelligent connected vehicles involved in road testing and demonstration applications, as well as real-time data from roadside infrastructure. This dynamic collection of data on people, vehicles, roads, and the environment effectively serves government supervision and industry innovation.

In addition, the district of Jiading opened up its entire road network for intelligent connected vehicle tests, with a total distance of approximately 1,117 kilometers and around 9,100 testing scenarios. About 230 kilometers of roads have been transformed into smart roads, providing effective support for companies engaged in the innovation and testing validation of autonomous driving technologies.
The White House on Wednesday said US President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit on 22 June.

Modi's visit will strengthen two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific region and will elevate the bilateral strategic technology partnership, said the White House.

The visit will strengthen our two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the US and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together," she also said.

President Biden has been eager to strengthen ties with India amid China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security," Jean-Pierre said.

During a February visit to the US by India's national security adviser Ajit Doval, the United States and India launched a partnership to deepen ties on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Modi's visit to the US comes ahead of the G20 summit being hosted by India in September.

Modi last visited Washington in September 2021 at the invitation of Biden for a bilateral meeting.

The prime minister will join Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at a summit of the Quad leaders in Sydney on 24 May that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine war and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

President Barack Obama invited Modi to the White House in 2014, after he became prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the redevelopment of Udaipur railway station today. PM Modi will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over 5500 crores in Rajasthan on Wednesday.

As per a statement by Prime Minister's Office(PMO), PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Udaipur railway station in a bid to provide enhanced amenities for the public. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for road construction projects for upgradation to two-lane in Rajsamand and Udaipur.

PM Modi will also dedicate three national highway projects to the nation today. The projects include 114 km long six lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, 110 km long widening and strengthening to 4 lanes with paved shoulders of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur section of NH-25 and 47 km long two lane with paved shoulders section of NH 58E.

A statement by PMO on the occasion of PM Modi's visit to Rajasthan read, "Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over 5500 crores. The focus of these projects will be on bolstering infrastructure and connectivity in the region. The projects of the road and railway sector will also facilitate the movement of goods and services, thereby boosting trade and commerce and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in the region,"

PM Modi will also visit the Shantivan complex of Brahma Kumaris in Abu Road on Wednesday. During his visit, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of a Super Speciality Charitable Global Hospital, second phase of Shivmani Old Age Home and the extension of Nursing College.

A statement by Prime Minister's Office on visit to Brahma Kumaris read, A special focus of the Prime Minister has been on giving impetus to spiritual rejuvenation across the country. Continuing with the endeavour, Prime Minister will visit the Shantivan complex of Brahma Kumaris."
Homegrown auto components manufacturer Uno Minda Ltd has initiated arbitration against its joint venture partner, Westport Fuel Systems, alleging violations of their exclusivity agreement over the past three years. At the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Westport is being sued by the Indian company for damages worth 250 crore.

Uno Minda has claimed that Westport breached the agreement by supplying CNG (compressed natural gas) components directly to other clients, and bypassing the joint venture, that resulted in lost business opportunities, according to a regulatory filing.

A person in the know said despite the company filing the arbitration case in January, it remains optimistic of an amicable resolution. The JV will be protected and there has been no disruption in supplies to Unos customers."

Westports alternate fuel systems (AFS) joint venture with the Indian company, Minda Westport Technologies, impacts about 2.5% of Uno Mindas net profit or loss.

However, its original equipment manufacture (OEM) clients such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto bet heavily on alternative fuel systems, which makes the Indian passenger and commercial vehicle market a big opportunity in the AFS space.

Uno started the 50-50 joint venture with Westport in September 2009. The JV focuses on the manufacturing of components and systems manufactured by Westport for the use of alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquified natural gas and liquified petroleum gas, and hydrogen fuels for automotive or industrial applications.

According to a legal notice seen by Mint, the jurisdiction of the agreement covers India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

According to Unos filing, the pact required the transfer of competing products and businesses of both parties to the JV structure.

Uno claims this did not happen over the last decade, as Westport Fuel has been lackadaisical in transferring units to the JV.

Specifically, it said, the parties had signed an asset transfer agreement for Westports arm Rohan BRC Gas Equipment in September 2020. This agreement required it to transfer all assets, licences and certifications to the JV company.

RBRCs intentional failure to merge the competing business with JVC after multiple extensions of timeline demonstrates the ill-intent of the respondent (Westport Fuel Systems) not to honour the terms of the joint venture agreement or asset transfer agreement," the filing said.

Uno Minda says in the filing that the delay is intentional", disingenuous and devious" and is with the sole intent of engaging in competing business within the JV territory" and called it a violation of the exclusivity terms of the agreement.

The company also said that Westport had supplied components to several clients without involving Uno Minda, which also breaches exclusivity.

Uno Minda declined to comment. Westport Fuel Systems, which supplies fuel delivery components for affordable alternative low-carbon fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen, did not immediately respond to Mints email seeking a response.

Uno Minda reported consolidated net sales of 8,313 crore for FY2021-22, on a net profit of 412.6 crore. For 3QFY23, it reported consolidated net sales of 2,915.4 crore on a net profit of 173.9 crore.

Uno Minda shares ended Wednesday at 546.5 apiece.
Permanent staff hiring declined at the sharpest pace in over two years in April, according to a report from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published Wednesday. At the same time, companies registered the quickest jump in billings from temporary staff since September.

Job vacancies are still increasing, but growth is losing steam. Businesses across the UK have pressed pause on hiring to cope with rising costs and a subdued economic outlook.

This data shows how uncertain many employers are feeling right now," said Neil Carberry, chief executive at REC. The good news is they still need to hire, as growing vacancies show. But firms are hedging their bets."

Starting wages rose further in April as employers compensate new workers for higher living costs, the survey of 400 recruitment consultancies showed. Its also a reflection of firms struggling to attract skilled candidates, particularly for permanent positions.

Accountancy

Engineering and accounting had the highest demand for permanent roles, while nursing and care and hospitality topped the rankings for temporary vacancies. Retail was the only sector to record lower demand for both short-term and permanent jobs.

However, there were signs of more people entering the candidate pool. Labor supply grew for a second straight month after steadily declining over the last two years. Most of the extra job-seekers are looking for permanent roles, following redundancies and hiring freezes. Some are also looking to switch jobs in search of better pay amid the cost-of-living crisis. London saw the highest rise in permanent job candidates.

For businesses looking to hire there are some green shoots in candidate availability," said Claire Warnes, skills and productivity partner at KPMG UK. But skills shortages still dominate the market with no signs of progress."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan told an accountability court here on Wednesday that he feared for his life and was afraid that he will meet the same fate as Maqsood Chaprasi, a key witness in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's money laundering case who died last year.

Khan, 70, appeared before the accountability court at the Police Lines Headquarters in H-11/1 Islamabad on Wednesday, a day after he was dragged from the Islamabad High Court and arrested, sparking widespread clashes between his supporters and police.

"I have not been to the washroom in 24 hours," the former prime minister said during the hearing.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief requested the court that his personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan be granted access to him, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

"I am afraid I will meet the same fate as 'Maqsood Chaprasi'," Khan said in reference to a key witness in Prime Minister Sharif's money laundering case who died due to a cardiac arrest last year, it said.

The PTI had termed the witness' death "mysterious".

"They give [you] an injection, and [you] slowly die," Khan said.

During Wednesday's hearing, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested a 14-day physical remand of the PTI chief. The anti-corruption court, however, sent Khan on an eight-day physical remand to NAB.

Accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case at the New Police Guest House, where the NAB presented reasons behind the former prime minister's arrest.

Last night, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) termed Imran Khan's arrest legal in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Khan's dramatic arrest on Tuesday deepened the political turmoil and sparked violent protests across Pakistan. Khan's party has claimed that at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and PTI supporters.

Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.

He is the only Pakistani prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
I start with my favourite quote: Everything that never happened before happens all the time." An example was the collapse in the US of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). It was on account of a liability-side risk concentration curveball and not any of the triggers that had caused bank failures in the past.

The best analogy for the SVB collapse was the mandated implosion of the illegal Supertech towers closer home. It happened in a flash and in plain sight for everyone to watch. One can even argue that the actions and events leading to its downfall were all in the public domain and their implications staring glaringly at all stakeholders. Clearly, SVBs mark-to-market losses (even with assets in the held-to-maturity book) were being disclosed to its board and regulators. Somehow, stakeholders seem to have assumed these were notional and not something that could bring down the bank. No liquidity-coverage mandate and stress-test metric would have flashed red, and it was business as usual until the deposit-withdrawal tornado hit.

While the primary focus has been on SVBs mark-to-market losses on its investment portfolio as the basic cause of its collapse, the depression that drew in the tornado was the concentration of risk on the liability side. Its homogenous profile of depositors and reliance on big-ticket deposits from a single industry (and region) was a risk that was not factored into any stress test. It is time to look at persons acting in concert even on the liability side. Large venture capital funds (VCs) with material investments in multiple startups have a disproportionate say in their operations. With VC instructions flying to their portfolio companies, it was akin to people acting in concert (a never-before event). Social media had its own role in the tornado moving from Level F0 to F5 within hours, leaving crisis-management teams at the bank and the regulator little time to react.

All this said, Indian banks are an oasis of stability and the SVB crisis seems more like another nail-biting Netflix thriller to watch from afar than anything else.

However, are there any lessons for regulatory prescriptions in India? What could we tweak to make Indian banks more robust and agile?

One important question for all global regulators is whether we need to categorize a few large banks as Systemically Important Banks (SIBs). If the regulator stands ready to back-stop every bank, large or small, in the system, then why do we need to have SIBs and impose an additional burden on them?

While regulators have prescribed numerous metrics for liability concentration and liquidity, the SVB episode has brought to the fore a very important one: the ratio of uninsured deposits to total deposits. In the case of SVB, this ratio was more than 90%, implying an excessive reliance on large deposits.

In India, banks categorize retail and bulk deposits (each with their own definition) and disclose the profile of such deposits. The lesson from SVB is that this categorization serves no purpose. What matters is the proportion of deposits that are insured, whether in current, savings or term deposit accounts. Given that only bank deposits of 5 lakh and below are insured in India, Indian banks must be mandated to disclose the percentage of their deposits below 5 lakh per customer in the deposit rate card published on their websites. Could the regulator have a graded insurance premium such that banks with higher-than-average uninsured deposits pay a higher deposit insurance premium compared to banks with an appropriate level of granular insured deposits?

Here is another pertinent question: If a deposit is insured and cash reserve ratio (CRR) is maintained on it, what is the need to maintain statutory reserves (statutory liquidity ratio or SLR) on insured deposits? If the regulator believes that removing it is too drastic a step right away, can we have differential reserve prescriptions between insured and uninsured deposits? For example, mandate SLR of 10% on insured deposits and 23% on uninsured deposits, resulting in a blended SLR maintenance close to the currently mandated SLR. Taking into account the systemic data available with it, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could adjust these ratios appropriately. This would incentivize banks to focus on granular deposits to lower their grossed-up cost of deposits.

Could the regulator start defining persons acting in concert on the deposit side? For example, excessive reliance on deposits from departments and entities of a single state government or multiple entities within a corporate group or bulk deposits from entities in a single industry. Data on correlation of deposit behaviour among such clusters can be studied and concentration metrics introduced to track the proportion of such deposits.

Finally, coming to deposit-taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). Every insolvency resolution of such large NBFCs has protected depositors with deposits of 5 lakh and below, and is now seen as the expected norm in any resolution plan. Since deposit-taking NBFCs maintain reserves on public deposits and RBI has almost eliminated all regulatory arbitrage between banks and NBFCs, why not go the whole hog? Let such NBFCs pay an insurance premium and get their deposits insured, like banks do, and let RBI regulate and supervise such NBFCs like banks, a journey already on the last lap.

While the SVB tornado has not created even faint ripples in India, there are things we could do to further fortify our banking system. Lets not waste someone elses crisis. Lets get the ball rolling right away.

Srinivasan Varadarajan is non-executive chairman of Union Bank of India
Two competing agendas are currently vying to shape the United States domestic and foreign economic policies. One agenda is clearly inward-looking, focusing on the creation of an inclusive, resilient, prosperous and sustainable American economy. The other focuses on geopolitics and on maintaining US primacy over China. The future of the world economy depends on the outcome of this conflict and whether these opposing priorities can coexist.

US President Joe Bidens administration represents a radical departure from previous Democratic administrations, pursuing ambitious industrial policies to revive domestic manufacturing and facilitate the green transition. It has also adopted a tougher stance on China than any previous administration, including former President Donald Trumps, treating the Chinese regime as an adversary and imposing export and investment controls on critical technologies. Until recently, however, the Biden administration did not articulate a coherent vision that combines these various elements and reassures other countries, including China, that its economic strategy is not centred on confrontation, unilateralism and protectionism. But recent remarks by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan indicate that the administration is now taking steps to address this issue, potentially signalling the emergence of a new Washington Consensus.

The administrations approach to the world economy reflects a broader intellectual shift. Senior US policymakers now believe that the post-1990 model of globalization, which prioritized free trade and free markets over national security, climate change and the economic security of the middle class, has undermined the socioeconomic foundations of healthy democracies.

In his remarks, Sullivan laid out the five pillars of the administrations international economic agenda, which he called a foreign policy for the middle class." The first pillar is a modern American industrial strategy" that aims to catalyse private investment in sectors deemed critical to US prosperity and security. The second involves working with other developed democracies and developing countries to ensure that US allies adopt similar policies to improve capacity, resilience and inclusiveness." Third, the US will move away from traditional trade deals that focus on market access and embrace new international economic partnerships" that address global challenges such as climate change, digital security, job creation and corporate tax competition. The US will seek to generate trillions of dollars in investments in emerging economies and provide aid to those facing debt distress.

While each of these areas presents unique challenges, some are particularly contentious, because other countries view some policies, such as the administrations Buy American requirements, as protectionist. But Sullivans fifth pillar, which focuses on protecting our foundational technologies," could have the greatest impact on the future of the global economy.

The Biden administrations sweeping export controls, designed to prevent China from accessing advanced semiconductors, are the most explicit manifestation of this pillar. And the administration is reportedly planning additional restrictions on US investments in Chinese tech firms, particularly in strategically important sectors like microchips.

Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, have accused the US of imposing a technological blockade" on the country. Financial Times columnist Edward Luce concurs: by isolating Chinas tech sector, the US is engaging in a full-blown economic war." But Sullivan offered a different perspective. Likening the policy to a small yard and a high fence," he described the administrations measures as carefully tailored restrictions" motivated by national-security concerns and aimed at a narrow slice" of advanced technologies.

Yellens speech, delivered at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in late April, anticipated Sullivans message a week later. Export controls, she argued, are meant to address national-security concerns and will remain narrowly scoped and targeted." The US, she emphasized, is not trying to undermine Chinas economic growth and technological modernization.

The clarifications offered by Sullivan and Yellen indicate that the administration understands the risks of imposing overly broad trade and investment restrictions in the name of national security. Such measures will hurt the global economy and likely backfire by provoking China to retaliate.

A stable global order rests on norms and practices that recognize every countrys right to protect its national interests. It also requires rules of the road to ensure that the defence of these interests is well-calibrated and does not harm other countries. Achieving this can be challenging, but it is not impossible. When governments pursue national-security objectives through unilateral policies that negatively affect other countries, policymakers should clearly articulate their goals, maintain open lines of communication, and propose narrowly targeted remedies intended to mitigate the adverse effects of those policies. Policies should not be pursued with the express purpose of punishing the other side or weakening it, and a failure to reach an acceptable compromise in one area should not become a pretext for retaliation in an unrelated domain. As Stephen Walt and I have argued, such self-imposed limits on acceptable policies could help prevent escalation and even elicit grudging acceptance from the other side.

Yellen and Sullivans recent statements suggest that the Biden administrations foreign economic policies will align with these principles. But some important questions remain unanswered. For example, were US export controls on advanced chips well-calibrated, or did they go too far in sabotaging Chinese technological capacity without sufficiently benefiting US national security? And, given that the restrictions are being expanded to other critical sectors, such as AI and nuclear fusion, can we still describe them as targeting only a narrow slice" of technology? Moreover, it is unclear whether the straightforward" national-security concerns cited by Sullivan and Yellen are genuine or merely a pretext for unilateral action. Is the US ready to accept a multipolar world order in which China has the power to shape regional and global rule-making? Or is the administration committed to US primacy, as Bidens strategy seems to suggest?

Actions speak louder than words and will reveal the answers to these questions. But Yellen and Sullivans remarks offer some reassurance to those who believe that the US can address legitimate national-security concerns without undermining the global economy. 2023/project syndicate

Dani Rodrik is a professor of international political economy at Harvard Kennedy School, and the author of Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy.
Due to operational reasons, Go First flights are cancelled until 19th May, according to the airline.

We regret to inform that due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till 19th May 2023 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations," Go First said in a statement.

As per the airline, a full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly.

Go First acknowledges that the flight cancellations might have disrupted the travel plans of its passengers and the airline is committed to providing all the assistance it can. The company has filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations, as its passengers are aware. The airline will be able to resume bookings shortly and thanks its passengers for their patience.

Kindly contact our Customer Care Centre on 1800 2100 999 or write to us at feedback@flygofirst.com to let us know how we can help you," Go First added.

An Indian tribunal on Wednesday granted bankruptcy protection to Go Airlines (India) Ltd, a move that will help the country's fourth-largest carrier attempt to revive itself but complicate foreign lessors' efforts to repossess their planes.

The low-cost carrier, recently rebranded as Go First, has said its financial crisis was sparked by what it called "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines that grounded about half its 54 Airbus A320neos. The U.S. engine maker, part of Raytheon Technologies, has said the claims are without evidence.

Also Read: Go First faces DGCA permit action

The National Company Law Tribunal said an interim resolution professional will takeover management of the airline with immediate effect and ordered a moratorium on Go First's assets and leases.

Go First's Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Khona, who was present as the order was read, told reporters the decision was "historic".

This is the first time an Indian airline has voluntarily sought bankruptcy protection to renegotiate contracts and debt.

The move could, however, complicate repossession efforts by lessors, which have in recent days filed requests with India's aviation regulator for the return of about 40 Go First planes after rental payments were missed.

(With agency inputs)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The Yangwang U8, the first production model under BYD's nascent luxury auto brand Yangwang, has been included into a catalogue issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") with some key parameters unveiled at the same time.

Photo credit: MIIT

According to the MIITs information, the Yangwang U8 measures 5,319mm long, 2,050mm wide, and 1,930mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,050mm. It is positioned as a mid-to-large-size SUV with a curb weight of 3,460kg and a maximum towing weight of 2,500kg, which is higher than many large-sized SUVs.

Photo credit: MIIT

The off-roader SUV is equipped with four electric motors, which are good for 200-240kW and 320-420 Nm per motor. It also carries a plug-in hybrid electric system containing a poweful 2.0T internal combustion engine.

The Yangwang U8 offers two options for interior seating layout: seven seats or five seats. It comes with two tire specifications, namely, 275/60 R20 and 275/50 R22. Such facilities or features as a small skylight, a rear spoiler, side steps, and wheel styles can be chosen based on buyers demands.

The U8 went on presale on April 18 with two variants  Premium Edition and Off-road Master Edition. It features a presale price of 1,098,000 yuan.

The U8 new energy off-roader rides on BYDs two major proprietary technologies, the e4 Platform and the NEV-dedicated DiSus-P intelligent hydraulic pressure vehicle body control system. The U8 churns out a maximum power of 1,100 HP and can zip from 0-100km/h in 3.6s. Installed with BYDs Blade battery, the model features a CLTC-rated range of 1,000km.
Courtesy of Koontz Corporation

A local developer is taking on a project that will build a 188-acre warehouse and distribution center to Southside San Antonio, joining a growing industrial hub anchored by the nearby Toyota plant. San Antonio-based Koontz Corp. will lead construction on the Frontera Logistics Supersite on Somerset Road and St. Clare, according to a press release from the company.

Plans call for 2.8 million square-feet of manufacturing and warehouse space across eight buildings on 188 acres of land. The plans were announced after Koontz closed on the acreage this month for an undisclosed amount. Koontz does not have a construction timeline laid out yet, according to the news release.
MTV News, once home to the hippest anchor desk of Generation X, will shut down after 36 years, according to multiple reports.

Its parent company, Paramount Global, told staffers Tuesday that layoffs would affect 25 percent of employees at Showtime, MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, according to a memo cited by the Hollywood Reporter. The cuts will greatly affect MTV News, which will shutter completely.

Paramount and MTV did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Although it hasn't been a major news organization in decades, MTV News joins many other outlets that have faced severe reductions or shutdowns in recent months, including CNN, BuzzFeed News and Vice Media.

The music channel launched its news operation in the late 1980s and for a time found popularity with Generation X and older millennials tired of traditional anchors. "We know the latest, hippest music to put something with. That's our strength," Dave Sirulnick, the news operation's then-27-year-old director, told the New York Times during the 1992 presidential race.

Two years later, the Hollywood Reporter wrote, President Bill Clinton appeared on MTV's "Enough Is Enough," hosted by former Rolling Stone writer Kurt Loder, in an attempt to reach younger audiences.

The channel brought news and analysis to the music generation for years afterward, reporting on Kurt Cobain's suicide and the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.

"In [its] prime, MTV News was one of the most influential programs in existence," podcaster Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins tweeted after news of the layoffs broke Tuesday.

But the years took their toll. After three decades of helping oversee MTV's news and documentary operation, Variety reported, Sirulnick left the company amid a wave of cost-cutting several years ago.

Staffers with MTV News took to Twitter on Tuesday to mourn the organization's final blow.

"This is a very sad day for a lot of friends and colleagues. Many great people lost their jobs," tweeted Josh Horowitz, who has been the face of MTV's movie coverage.
Some directors can be recognized within the first minute of their film: Such is the case with Cristian Mungiu, whose rigor, intense focus and painterly sense of composition can be immediately discerned in the opening shot of "R.M.N." A quiet, still image of an empty Romanian village washed in wintry hues of blue and gray, the scene is classic Mungiu, exemplifying his gifts for plunging viewers into an environment, then suffusing that environment with understated but undeniable tension.

The village in question is a tightknit community in Transylvania, best known as the home of Dracula. But most of the monsters in "R.M.N." are unseen, and the most vampiric force abroad in the land is that of global capitalism at its most pitilessly rational.

As the movie opens, a butcher named Matthias (Marin Grigore) is working at a German slaughterhouse, where he head-butts a manager after being called a "lazy Gypsy." Matthias heads back to his hometown in Romania, where environmental concerns have closed the local mine, forcing most of his peers to seek employment elsewhere. He's greeted with chilly indifference by his wife, Ana (Macrina Barladeanu), who has been concerned about the couple's 8-year-old son, Rudi (Mark Edward Blenyesi), who saw something in the woods that frightened him so much he stopped speaking. Meanwhile, Matthias's former lover Csilla (Judith State), who manages a bakery, is trying to find enough workers to qualify for a badly needed grant from the European Union.

No villagers have answered Csilla's ads, so she hires two laborers from Sri Lanka, a move that will eventually send the village into a tailspin of xenophobia, ethnic chauvinism and selective historical amnesia: The title of "R.M.N." refers to "nuclear magnetic resonance," or what Americans would call an MRI; in the film, Matthias's father undergoes the procedure to diagnose a brain disorder, but Mungiu clearly intends for the surrounding story to be a microscopic investigation of the pathologies infecting his countrymen - not to mention the rest of the world. In a series of carefully observed and often beautifully staged and choreographed encounters, Mungiu delves into the daily rituals that define his characters both as individuals and as a collective. We see Csilla, at night, shedding her practical persona to drink wine in her attractively appointed cottage while practicing the cello. And Mungiu draws particularly rich portraits of communal life in the village, whether it's at a lively Christmas pageant featuring adorably costumed children or an atavistic parade of grown-ups dressed as the bears that lurk at the outer edges of their town.

As in Jafar Panahi's "No Bears" earlier this year, ursine metaphors are rife in "R.M.N.," which features a subplot involving a French researcher who has come to Transylvania to do a wildlife census. He stands in for the E.U.'s earnest brand of liberalism that comes in for a drubbing in "R.M.N.'s" most powerful scene, a raucous town hall that Mungiu films in a bravura continuous shot reminiscent of a similarly riveting dinner-table confrontation in his 2007 masterpiece "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."

That film was a raw, naturalistic portrait of a young woman trying to terminate a pregnancy in post-Soviet Romania; here, the political context is far different and, arguably, much more complex as the ethnic Hungarians, Romanians and Roma citizens of "R.M.N.'s" small village argue about who rightfully belongs there and why. Male anxiety and aggression form a jittery ostinato to the proceedings, as Matthias tries to train Rudi in masculinist skills like fishing, fending and fighting. The trick, he tells his son, is to stop feeling pity. "Those who feel pity die first," he says. "I want you to die last."

So much fear and misplaced anger are at play in Matthias's increasingly hysterical behavior that "R.M.N." might as well be an X-ray of contemporary America. But his brutishness and attraction to violence also raise the question of why someone as sensitive as Csilla would be attracted to him. What's more, Mungiu's delicately disciplined realism fails him in "R.M.N.'s" final moments, when the story collapses into a muddle of a sudden and unexplained apology and a clumsy exercise in literalism.

Up to that point, however, "R.M.N." is as gripping and scrupulously humane as Mungiu's admirers have come to expect from an artist of supreme discipline and dramatic skill. It's one thing to be a master of mise-en-scene; it's all the more impressive when that talent for detail - pictorial and behavioral - results in an illumination of the world that's both ruthless and surpassingly compassionate.

- - -

Three stars. Unrated. Contains profanity, nudity, smoking, disturbing images and adult themes. In English, Romanian, Hungarian, German, French and Sinhala with subtitles. 125 minutes.

Rating guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars okay, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
A dentist licensed in the Mexican State of Nuevo Leon would come from Monterrey to Laredo to perform procedures over the weekend, according to an arrest affidavit.

Esthela Guzman-Hernandez, 48, was served with an arrest warrant on May 4 charging her with dentistry act violation.

According to the National Registry of Professionals in Mexico, Guzman-Hernandez holds a dental surgeon license from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. However, she does not have a license to practice in Texas.

The case unfolded when a Laredo police officer responded to an incident report at about 3:48 p.m. March 12 in the 2100 block of East Saunders Street. There, a 60-year-old woman stated that she had a dental procedure in the 1500 block of East Lyon Street.

She identified the dentist as Guzman-Hernandez and her sister. The woman stated that the sister performed a root canal on the wrong molar while Guzman-Hernandez performed another root canal leaving her with severe pain and damage, according to court documents.

The woman stated that Guzman-Hernandez and the sister claimed to be dentists in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and that they do not have medical paperwork to practice medicine in the United States. Both were working out of an apartment located in the 1500 block of East Lyon Street with poor hygiene conditions, states the affidavit.

Further investigation revealed that Guzman-Hernandez arrived at the apartment on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and operated as a dentist until 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Sundays. She would then return to Monterrey, authorities said.

The complainant stated that she does not have insurance. A friend referred her to Guzman-Hernandez. The woman stated that she originally did not go for a root canal. The sister performed a cleaning on her teeth and prepped her for the root canal.

Guzman-Hernandez and her sister then performed the root canal on the complainant. She stated she was under so much anesthesia that she was unable to talk and could not tell them to stop, according to court documents.

Afterwards, the complainant told them they did the procedure on the wrong tooth and that she was in pain. Guzman-Hernandez and her sister apologized and gave her a follow-up appointment to fix the damaged tooth. She claimed that Guzman-Hernandez told her that the root canal was not done well due to not having the proper tools, according to the affidavit.

She was told she needed to return soon so they could work on it further. The complainant stated she was in a lot of pain. She was charged $350 for the root canal procedure, authorities said.

On March 16, the complainant provided photos and one video from inside the apartment where she had the procedure done. The video showed what appeared to be a white compressor with wires attached to it, a small white cabinet, what appears to be an orthodontic dental chair with a light attached to it, two smaller chairs and other equipment on top of shelves.

When authorities reached out to Guzman-Hernandez, she stated she would try to meet with them on March 27.

Meanwhile, the investigator met with the complainant a second time on March 28 at LPD headquarters. She further explained that after the bad procedure done on her, Guzman-Hernandez referred her to Rodeo Dental on 910 Guadalupe St. to get X-rays done and bring them back to her for her next follow up.

Rodeo Dental was unable to release the X-rays unless she was seen by a dentist. The complainant gave them the name of Guzman-Hernandez. They took her to another room and released the X-rays to her, states the affidavit.

She then went to Laredo Dental Care on 6801 McPherson Road, Suite 225, where she was asked where she had gotten the procedures done because her teeth were in very bad shape, according to court documents.

A doctor told the complainant that he was unable to treat her and referred her to Endodontic Associates of Laredo on 6999 McPherson Road, Suite 215. The doctor continued to ask where she had gotten the procedures, and the complainant explained the story. She was urged to report the incident to law enforcement, police said.

The complainant was hesitant to report the incident to law enforcement because she was afraid. The complainant and her husband went to the apartment to confront Guzman-Hernandez about the issue. The complainant told Guzman-Hernandez that all she wanted was for Guzman-Hernandez to pay for the cost of the specialist visit since it was Guzman-Hernandezs fault she was in this situation, states the affidavit.

Guzman-Hernandez refused to pay. She further told the complainant that the police would not do anything to her because the complaint went to Guzman-Hernandez willingly, the affidavit states.
Courtesy/Webb County Sheriff's Office

A Nixon High School student told another student he was lucky she did not have someone shoot up his house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Osiris Danali Morales, 17, was served with an arrest warrant on May 4 charging her with harassment. She was later released on bond that same day.
The Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas has honored County Court at Law II Judge Victor Villarreal by selecting him to receive its Judge of the Year award.

The judge was recognized for his commendable commitment and also the fact that he has made exceptional contributions to the Hispanic community.

In a letter sent to Villarreal signed by Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas Chair Novert Morales, it said that he was "selected to receive the award because of your outstanding accomplishments to serve as an excellent example to the Hispanic community."

Cited among the reasons for him receiving the honor was his adherence to the rule of law, his work as the former chair of the Hispanic Issues Section, his continued push for educating children about the judicial branch and the establishment of the first LawTeria event.

Grateful to the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas for selecting me to receive the Judge of the Year Award, Villarreal said. What an honor to join the judges who have previously been awarded.

Courtesy / Facebook

Local officials like Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina and City of Laredo Mayor Victor Trevino applauded the recognition given to Villarreal and said it was well deserved for an individual who is so active in the community.

I was delighted but not surprised to hear that Judge Victor Villarreal was selected to receive the Judge of the Year Award from the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas, Tijerina said. Since Day 1, Judge Villarreal and his staff have worked diligently to improve the court system in Webb County. His vision has never faltered him, and that is why he is receiving this well-deserved award. On behalf of myself and all of Webb County, congratulations my friend. Job well done.

The mayor added that the judge has always been someone of integrity, and he has highlighted the Hispanic community through his work both locally and throughout the state.

The recognition and award is well-deserved, the mayor said. I have known Judge Villareal for many years and find him to be a person of integrity and a role model for Hispanics and our community at large.

Another official who commended the judge for his recognition was Webb County Treasurer Raul L. Reyes. He said it was something that the entire county can be proud of.

As a member of the Webb County family and a citizen of Webb County, the news of Judge Victor Villarreal's selection for Judge of Year is exciting and brings a great sense of pride and joy to everyone in Webb County, Reyes said. This award is a testament to his dedication and devotion to the court and the fulfillment of his constitutional duties. On behalf of my staff and I, we congratulate Judge Villarreal on this well-deserved recognition and thank him for his continued service.

Villarreal has also served as the president of the statewide organization Texas Latinx Judges, which has over 200 members and works in spreading education about what gets done in the judicial chamber of government. Prior to being president in 2021, he told LMT about the importance of such an organization to exist in the state of Texas, as it was long overdue to have Hispanic representation at all levels in the state.

The importance of Texas Latinx Judges is that it provides a foundation for either persons of Mexican-American, Hispanic or who have a Latinx background, Villarreal said. We are really filling in a long overdue void that has existed forever. It is surprising that something like this has not been created before, so we want to provide an organization that welcomes and receives people of the similar background and encourages others to run so that persons on the bench look like the people who go before the bench.
A GoFundMe has raised more than $1.3 million for a 6-year-old boy who lost his entire family in the Texas mall shooting on Saturday.

The young boy is the sole survivor of his family of four who were visiting the North Dallas mall when the mass shooting occurred.

The gunman killed eight people and wounded seven others in the Allen Premium Outlets, which is about 25 miles north of Dallas. He was killed by a police officer nearby who happened to be at the outlet that day. The gunman was armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, according to officials.

Among the victims were Cho Kyu Song, 37, Kang Shin Young, 35, and their 3-year-old son James, according to a GoFundMe page. William Cho, the 6-year-old boy who lost his family, was released from ICU, the GoFundMe page stated. Young-Hwan Kim, the Houston consul for South Korea, told NBC News that the family members were not Korean nationals but Americans.

"An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love and celebration, unfortunately, was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left 8 victims dead," the page stated. "Cindy, Kyu, and three-year-old James were among those victims that tragically lost their lives and the family is in deep mourning ... William is the only surviving member of this horrific event."

The GoFundMe page has been created to help William and his loved ones. The page has raised more than $1.3 million as of 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP)  The Bolivian general who captured Argentine-Cuban guerrilla leader Ernesto Che Guevara has been buried, and the ceremony was shunned by Bolivias leftist national government in a gesture that has angered his relatives.

Retired Gen. Gary Prado Salmon, a hero to some compatriots and a pariah to others, died Saturday at 84 from renal complications.

He had been declared a national hero in 1967, but also was accused in 2009 of involvement in a coup attempt against then-President Evo Morales. The Bolivian Army did not bury Pardo with any honors for Sunday's ceremony, though he did receive tributes from city and regional officials.

No authority from President Luis Arce's government issued any statement on Prados death, nor did any military officials. No active members of the military participated in the wake nor funeral and there were no active duty officers flanking Prados coffin, as is the norm for deceased members of the service  all of which has upset Prados family.

My husband will not be honored. The commanders violate the rules to please the government, Maria del Carmen Morales, Prados widow, told the local El Deber newspaper.

Prados son, Gary Prado Arauz, said a request by the Union of Retired Military Personnel that honors be rendered had been denied. Its a shame, he told journalists at his father's wake.

The government of Luis Arce, like his predecessor (Morales), sympathizes with Che Guevara, so they wont honor Gary Prado. Thats why theyve chosen silence, said Paul Coca, a political science professor at the Franz Tamayo University. The Armed Forces, for their part, wont do anything that could bother or disturb the government.

In addition, Prado was an activist in the Revolutionary Left Movement of former president Jaime Paz, who is a declared political enemy of the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party of Arce and Morales, Coca said.

Prado did receive tributes from local authorities in Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the county where he lived. The government of the Santa Cruz region laid Prado in state and friends and family members as well as retired military officers celebrated a Mass in the citys cathedral before he was buried.

Prado was a captain on October 8, 1967 when he commanded the patrol that captured the legendary guerrilla fighter in the Bolivian jungle.

In his book How I Captured Che and in subsequent interviews, Prado stated he was not responsible for Guevaras execution, which was ordered by higher-ranking officers. I had nothing to do with it. I was looking for the other guerrilla fighters. When I returned to the camp, they had already executed him, he said.

Later in life, Prado was Bolivia's ambassador to Great Britain in the early 1990s and to Mexico in 2000-2002. It was during his posting in Mexico that Mexican writer and filmmaker Alberto Hijar threw a glass of wine in his face, shouting, To the health of Che, murderer.

The government substantially distanced itself from Prado during the tenure of Morales, a leftist president in office from 2006 to 2019, who is a recognized admirer of the Cuban revolution and a friend of late Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Prado served 11 years of home detention after he was accused of alleged terrorism as part of a supposed coup plot against Morales in 2009. Morales is the current leader of the MAS.

While Prado was in the opposition, he was admired by supporters for his backing of the leaders of Santa Cruz, the countrys economic engine that has long been at odds with politicians in La Paz.

Former center-right President Carlos Mesa, who was in office 2003-2005, sent a message of condolence. I am deeply saddened by the death of General Gary Prado, an honorable military man and a good person. A protagonist of a historic and fundamental event in our history, the capture of Ernesto Che Guevara, he tweeted.

Guevaras guerrillas fought in the Bolivian jungle for nine months between 1966 and 1967.

Guevara, an Argentine who later became a Cuban citizen, was buried alongside other guerrilla fighters in Valle Grande, near where he was captured. The whereabouts of his remains were kept secret until they were recovered and moved to Santa Clara, Cuba in 1997.
LOS ANGELESFor the second consecutive year, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico have hosted the LALExpo Latam Tour, achieving high attendance in each country and positive feedback from the attendees, organizers said.

During the workshops, presented by Latin America Adult Business Expo, or LALExpo last month, participants attended a wide range of conferences and activities at the three locations.

We would like to extend a very special thank you to each one of them for being part of this experience and for joining our commitment to professionalize the industry, the organization said in a statement.

In Buenos Aires, 294 participants attended, while in Sao Paulo and Mexico City, there were 182 and 248 people attending, respectively.

More and more members of the industry are choosing to be part of LALexpo because they are interested in educating, networking, and expanding their knowledge in the industry, which demonstrates the great importance of this type of event in the world, organizers said. From now on, we will start working hard to make our third edition of the LALexpo Latam Tour a success again.

Meanwhile, LALExpo is scheduled to return in 2024 in Colombia. More details will be announced at a later time.

For more information, visit LALExpo.com.
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

A state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the truce efforts appeared to falter as fighting intensified late Wednesday, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military said it targeted the commander of Islamic Jihads rocket squad in an airstrike on a building in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said Ali Ghali was hiding in an apartment and that two additional militants from the group were killed alongside him in the airstrike at a Qatari-built residential complex in Khan Younis. Ghali instructed and took part in rocket attacks against Israel in recent months. There was no comment from the militant group.

In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. But he cautioned: "This round is not over.

We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You can't hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you, he said, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.

Throughout the day, rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern and central Israel, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

Late Wednesday, Egypt's Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said it had brokered a cease-fire. Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy, they said Israel would evaluate the situation based on actions on the ground, not declarations.

Islamic Jihad said it would continue firing rockets. Mohamad al-Hindi, an official with the group, said a sticking point in the talks was that the Palestinians wanted an Israeli commitment to stop targeted killing operations, such as the ones that killed three top Islamic Jihad commanders early Tuesday.

As rockets streaked through the sky, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as Davids Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

Israeli officials said over 400 rockets had been fired as of Wednesday evening. Most, they said, were intercepted or fell in open areas, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said about one-quarter had been misfired and fallen inside Gaza. Israeli rescuers said three people were hurt running for shelter, and four homes in southern Israel were damaged by rocket strikes.

The army said that schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms.

Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least five Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted dozens of rocket launchers, arms warehouses and other targets across the enclave. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said four of the dead were militants.

A 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Layan Mdoukh was killed in a blast at her home in Gaza City in unclear circumstances on Wednesday.

The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday that set off the exchange of fire killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war.

In a statement, an umbrella organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed Avenging the Free  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israel's killing of the three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians.

The resistance is ready for all options," the factions said. If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it."

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group enters the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible because they operate in heavily populated residential areas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

Islamic Jihad later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.

___

Ben Zion reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Officials from Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff expressed gratitude last week for assistance from state agencies in responding to issues of flooding and fire in recent years.

With the region facing repeated flooding impacts in the wake of several wildfires near Flagstaff, local officials said the level of response would not have been possible had it not been for the support and funding provided by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) and the Department Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA).

I think it's really important that what we talk about today is, you know, government gets it right. Maybe not all the time, but government gets it right and they got it right this time, said Wes Dison, county director of Emergency Management. We cannot do it by ourselves; we just can't, that's not the way it works anymore. The disasters are too frequent, they're too large or too impactful. We need these widespread partnerships with DEMA and with the DFFM, and with other state and federal partners.

Support from the state agencies included $5 million to help reimburse Coconino County for efforts to respond to post-fire flooding throughout the summer of 2022. The county spent $9 million throughout that effort.

The agencies also provided $10.8 million to support long-term flood mitigation efforts. Much of that funding was approved after the passage of House Bill 2001 two years ago. That money has been used by the county and city to purchase heavy equipment needed to clear drainages and streets, for sandbags and for engineering studies.

Money has also been used to fund the construction of new flood infrastructure, such as the three detention basins near the Schultz Y that were constructed after the Pipeline Fire last summer.

Dison, Coconino County Chairperson Patrice Horstman and Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett stood just a few yards from the three basins, flanked by pieces of heavy equipment such as pumping trucks and front-end loaders, as they thanked state officials at an event on Friday.

I'm very happy when I look at here and see the work that's actually been accomplished on the ground, said DFFM Director Tom Torres. "This is what success looks like when we're talking about investments of significant amounts of dollars -- whether those are local dollars, state dollars, federal dollars, this is what success looks like."

Dison said local officials and staff on the ground were able to develop a great relationship and process to get funding and reimbursements from state agencies in a timely and efficient manner.

[We] had some of those reimbursements back the same week. That is unheard of in government, Dison said. We would just like to collectively thank DFFM and DEMA for what they did here. This will better enable us to prepare to respond to whatever we're going to face this year and for coming years.

State officials said their agencies were in part able to assist local partners, such as Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff, because they had been given such wide latitude in the guidance from the governors office in how to help.
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A Coconino County Sheriffs Deputy used his patrol vehicle as a physical barrier to stop a driver who was behaving erratically Friday. The resulting crash sent the female driver to Flagstaff Medical Center with minor injuries.

After 2:30 p.m. on Friday, CCSO was dispatched to Kachina Village after a caller reported that a woman had lit her vehicle on fire and was behaving strangely. Because of the potential vehicle fire, a crew from Highlands Fire Department also responded.

According to a press release from CCSO, a deputy found the woman in her vehicle, which matched the callers description. He approached the driver on foot. She seemed agitated, according to CCSOs press release, and threw her vehicle in reverse.

While backing out of the Family Dollar parking lot, where the deputy approached her, the vehicle knocked the officer off his feet. When the driver put the car in gear, they nearly ran over the officer, according to CCSO.

Deputies pursued the erratic driver as she drove north onto Kachina Trail. Ultimately, in order to stop her, the deputy used his patrol vehicle as a kind of blockade. Shortly after the female suspect hit the deputys vehicle, she was transported to the hospital for minor injuries. The deputy was examined for injuries as well.

Deputies are trained to determine the threat to public safety in making this split-second decision, CCSO spokesperson Jon Paxton said. [It was] the suspects clear recklessness that resulted in our deputy having to make this tough decision.

The patrol vehicle sustained damage to the right front and push guard. Paxton said maintenance crews are determining the cost of repairs.

$5,000 in damage to a vehicle is nothing compared to causing serious physical injury or death to an officer or member of the public, he said. Deputies are aware of the cost these vehicles have and that they are paid for by tax dollars. Each incident where damage occurs is reviewed and investigated by a safety panel made up of different County departments to insure there is no negligence involved by the operator.

The incident remains under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, to avoid conflicts of interest.
Tributes have been paid this week following the passing of true gentleman and Edgeworthstown GAA legend Johnny Lynn.

The much admired and deeply respected 96-year-old died last Thursday evening, prompting a flood of warm messages and outpourings of support online.

A diehard champion of all things Mostrim GAA, Johnny, like many of his peers of that generation, spent much of his formative years living and working across the Irish Sea.

In a poignant tribute on its own Facebook page last week, Mostrim GAA said it had lost one of its most endearing of figureheads.

Johnny was a great character who always had a warm welcome for everyone he met, read the post.

Johnny ran the very popular local pub the Sportsman Inn for many years which was a great social spot thanks to the warm welcome from Johnny.

Those testimonies were ones which garnered a huge reaction online with a number describing the Edgeworthstown GAA stalwart as a fantastic character and gentleman.

Former RTE Midlands Correspondent Ciaran Mullolly echoed those views, saying Johnny's legacy would ultimately stand the test of time.

We soldiered in Pearse Park and dozens of other parks down the years in support of the blue and gold with Jackie Devine and others, he wrote.

Johnny was a legend - and will never be forgotten.

Having returned to his native town by 1973, Johnny took over the helm of The Sportsmans Inn, a venue which would go on to become one of the countys most popular social hubs.

The establishment is one which is now spearheaded by Johnnys nephew, Gerry who likewise paid his own moving tribute on social media this week.

Aptly carrying the title, The Man The Myth The Legend, Gerry said his presence in and around his native town was a void that would never be replaced.

Mr Johnny Lynn sadly passed away peacefully last night 4/05/2023, he wrote.

He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

At the age of 96 he had the best life and made so many memories with great stories for all to remember.

The late Johnny Lynn was laid to rest in Aughafin cemetery following funeral mass St. Mary's Church, Edgeworthstown last Saturday.

He is survived by predeceased by his partner Florrie Wright and his brothers Michael, Billy and Paddy, sister Josie and will be sadly missed by his sisters Eileen and Kitty, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, relatives, neighbours and wide circle of friends.
A homeless man told a court last week he was sorry for stealing another man's mobile phone while he slept on a Bus Eireann bus travelling from Mullingar to Longford.

Forty-three-year-old Stephen King, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty at last week's sitting of Longford District Court to the theft of a mobile phone, valued at 500 at Main Street, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford on March 11, 2020.

Sgt Mark Mahon, court presenter on behalf of the prosecution, told how gardai were alerted to the incident at around 1pm on the day in question.

He said the accused had been sitting in a seat beside his alleged victim when the theft occurred.

CCTV footage, he added, also showed Mr King taking the phone, before the accused was later arrested and taken to Mullingar garda station for questioning.

John Quinn, defending, said Mr King had come to court with 130 by way of an offer of some recompense to his victim and was currently receiving the support of national homeless and housing charity, the Fr Peter McVerry Trust.

A support worker from the Dublin based organisation sat beside the accused throughout last Tuesday's hearing.

Mr King, himself, attempted to address the court while mitigation was being offered up, saying: I was homeless at the time. It was wrong. It was so stupid and I am sorry.

As he continued to speak, Judge John Brennan warned Mr King he was at risk of interrupting the affairs of court if he continued to conduct himself in such a fashion.

As order was restored, Sgt Mahon said Mr King had 19 previous convictions, four of which were for theft.

Mr Quinn said his while he had hoped for a better offer of compensation to be handed in, Mr King was man of very limited means.

In outlining Mr King's progress with the Fr McVerry Trust, Mr Quinn said the accused was doing reasonably good, something which caused Mr King to interrupt: I am doing really, really good.

Upon reading a victim impact statement, Judge Brennan described the episode as a nasty enough incident.

He referred to Mr King's positive physical demeanour in court and how the incident dated back more than three years.

He consequently sentenced him to six months in prison, suspending that term for a period of 12 months.
A judge has returned over 7,000 seized after the State failed to provide sufficient proof that suspected cocaine and cannabis seized during a garda raid almost 12 months ago were illegal drugs.

Judge John Brennan affirmed the order at a sitting of Athlone District Court last Friday on foot of an application by Joe Doyle, Darren Doyle and Joe Mears of Richmond Court, Longford.

The latter is to be sentenced at a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court next week after pleading guilty last year to the possession of drugs for the purposes of sale and supply at Danestown, Balrath, Navan, Co Meath in September 2017.

Mr Mears also has two previous convictions, one for violent disorder and the other for possession of a firearm.

Joe Doyle, the court heard, had passed away since the matter was first listed, while Darren Doyle is not before the courts.

Approximately 7,300 in cash was seized by gardai, along with a number of ziplock bags containing green herb and suspected cocaine.

The court had heard previously of concerns over the validity of a search warrant used during the planned operation when it emerged how one of the garda officers entered a property for which there was no warrant.

The court has previously heard that a search was carried out by gardai in numbers 1 to 5, Richmond Court, Longford, on foot of a warrant with the State accepting that Gardai did not have a warrant to search number 7, where the alleged drugs were found.

Sgt Eoin Fox said he entered the dwelling after noticing a young male suddenly make off, resulting in an ensuing chase.

Judge John Brennan said while he could not foresee any breach in the Constitution as gardai were dealing with a "fluid situation", the case had been adjourned on a number of occasions to allow for a forensic analysis to be carried out on the alleged drugs that were seized.

Niall Flynn BL, instructed by Baxter Mimnagh Solicitors for the applicants, argued the State was fully aware of the ramifications if there were any further delays.

"This case has been marked peremptory against the state four times, this time with a capital P," he said, stating also how notification of chief garda witness in the case would be unable to attend owing to sickness.

"We (defence) were only informed yesterday evening. We received a sheet of paper stating he was unfit for work but it was sparse on information and did not state when he presented to a doctor and what his complaint was.

"Further there were 5 or 6 other garda involved in this search, some gave evidence previously, and none of them turned up to court today."

Inspector Dave Jordan replied, saying the garda concerned had been suffering from a bout of food poisoning, a claim Mr Flynn expressed his surprise at in it being absent from the doctors certificate.

Judge Brennan consequently found in favour of the application applicants and ordered the return of the monies to both parties.
A consultant surgeon has brought a High Court challenge against the HSE's decisions to place him on what he claims on enforced sick-leave and its refusal to allow him to return to work.

The action has been brought by Dr Pawan Rajpal, who is a constant general and Colorectal Surgeon who has been employed at Cavan General Hospital for almost 25 years.

He also works at Monaghan General Hospital, and Connolly Hospital in Dublin.

The court heard that in August 2022 Dr Rajpal was informed that he was the subject of a complaint from another staff member, and that he faced being suspended.

Dr Rajpal strongly denies any wrongdoing, and says that the allegations relate to an alleged encounter outside of working hours and away from HSE property.

Man who threatened to sterilise Longford senator's children to undergo psychiatric assessment A man who threatened the home and children of a Fine Gael senator is to undergo psychiatric assessment, a court has heard.

He claims that no formal decision was ever taken by the HSE to suspend him, and that he has not been properly informed by the HSE of the full details of the allegation against him.



Arising out of the allegation against him he took sick leave for a two-week period, due to work-related stress.

In mid September he obtained a certificate from his GP stating that he was ready to return to work.

However, he claims that the HSE has failed to allow him to return to his duties.



He claims that the HSE has unlawfully and in breach of his contract of employment has insisted that he cannot return to work unless he is reviewed by an occupational health therapist of the HSE's choice.

He claims that this falls outside a stipulated process for referrals to occupational health professionals which expressly says that an employee does not have to undergo any form of assessment and can refuse to attend.

He also claims that no proper procedures that would allow the HSE restrict his ability to work have been followed.

The HSE's position, he claims, amounts to placing him on enforced sick leave and is in effect a suspension, and is in breach of his contractual rights.

Dr Rajpal claims that prior to these incidents he had voiced his opposition to what he claims are the HSE's attempts to bring about changes that would downgrade facilities at Cavan Hospital.



He further claims that being out of work has damaged his reputation, and his ability to earn a living.

Since September he has been working at other hospitals.

He claims that the HSE's actions, and alleged failures to provide him with adequate reasons for its decision, are in breach of the rules of natural justice, and a failure to comply with fair procedures.

Represented by Patrick McCann SC, with David Lennon Bl, Dr Rajpal has brought judicial review proceedings against the HSE where he seeks various orders and declarations from the court including a order terminating his sick leave and that he be immediately reinstated to his role.

He also seeks various declarations including that the refusal to allow him to return to work is in breach of his contractual entitlements, and that any decision to suspend him be terminated.

He further seeks an award of damages against the HSE.

The matter came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan, who on an ex-parte basis, granted Dr Rajpal permission to bring his challenge against the HSE.

The judge made the matter returnable to a date next month.
A mobster who directed a 20-strong member gang thanked gardai for arresting him and had felt suicidal over his drug-debts, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Sligo native Barry Young (38) pleaded guilty in March to directing the activities of the gang, which had an international character but operated in the Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and Galway areas where it was involved in drug-dealing, intimidation and money laundering.

The court heard that drug seizures linked to the gang totalled over 628,000, while Young himself had 40,000 in ready cash despite his only stated income being social welfare payments. Young also dispatched enforcers that he described as "head-the-balls" and "Dirty Harrys" to collect on drug debts, today's sentencing hearing was told.

At the three-judge court today, Detective Garda Inspector Ray Mulderrig told Fiona Murphy SC, for the State, that Young was arrested by detectives from Sligo at Dublin Airport on January 11 of this year on his way to Spain in a bid to escape his life of crime and drug-debts.

Det Insp Mulderrig told Ms Murphy that gardai seized Young's phone and discovered thousands of messages, images, videos and calls relating to Young's criminal activities in running the Sligo-based gang.

Det Insp Mulderrig said Young had 81 previous convictions at the time of his arrest and had been twice sentenced for drug-dealing, with the last conviction for that offence coming in 2006 when he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Ms Murphy said that gardai examined the phone which was found to contain thousands of "local, national and international" interactions used for directing the criminal gang in relation to the sale and supply of drugs through Young's "known associates".

The barrister said the phone revealed a group of "at least" 20 members who operated in a "controlled, hierarchical command structure with directed sub-cells who then directed their own subordinates through a chain of command directed by Barry Young who was ultimately informed of the results".

Ms Murphy said phone activity revealed messages about drug-seizures, drug-debt enforcement, intimidation, cash lodgements and movements, and the collection and distribution of drugs.

The court heard the investigation revealed a high level of communication regarding drug-debt enforcement and the names and addresses of debtors. Det Insp Mulderrig said that while violence and threats were used, violence was the option "least preferred by Barry Young".

The detective said that investigations of five phones associated with Young led to the arrest of 16 people, six of whom are before the courts, with three of those facing charges of organised crime involvement and money laundering directly attributed to the gang.

Det Insp Mulderrig said four of Young's accounts were frozen which had a cumulative balance of over 40K, despite Young's only stated source of income being social welfare payments.

The detective said that in October 2019, a seizure of 2kg of cannabis from a UK associate of Young's took place in Ballina, Co Mayo.

The associate was sentenced to three years' imprisonment on foot of the seizure. Ms Murphy said this caused Young to embark on a path of "panic, fear, agitation and anger" in a "damage-limitation" exercise.

The two kilos of cannabis were valued by gardai at 40K and Det Insp Mulderrig said that mobile evidence revealed that Young made two calls to the associate two days before the seizure and had sent messages to another associate to deliver "two Spanish", referring to the cannabis.

Another associate of Young's caught with 100K of cannabis and 18K in cash in January 2020 had a phone number attributed to Young in his phone saved under "Boss".

A third associate, who was caught with 328K worth of cannabis and had a "huge" drug-debt of his own, was used as a courier for cash and drug deliveries in Sligo, Leitrim and Dublin, said Ms Murphy.

After Young's January 2022 arrest in Dublin Airport, searches in the Sligo area found 36,360 in cash, 145,250 worth of cannabis, 11K worth of cocaine and 4,500 worth of valium and diazepam linked to the gang.



Phone data also revealed that drug-debt enforcement involved Young sending individuals to private homes to commit criminal damage and demand money in Sligo and Galway. Young described the debt collectors in messages as "head-the-balls", "Dirty Harrys", "Russian fellas", "mental" and "crazy" dispatched to "fix" debts owed.



A search of Young's home by Sligo gardai saw the seizure of banking and vehicle documents, along with business papers for a vehicle recovery business called 'BY Recovery', though garda investigations found that no facility or yard for the business existed.

Det Insp Mulderrig said Young was moving money through the business' account to a Spanish account held in Young's name in February and April 2019. The transfers totalling 35K were made ahead of his planned departure from Ireland.

Det Insp Mulderrig agreed with Michael Bowman SC, for Young, that his client had been "cordial, mannerly and pleasant" in his interactions with gardai.

Mr Bowman said his client came from a decent, working class family in Sligo and that Young developed a "significant drug difficulty" that led to his drug-debt issues.



Mr Bowman said Young had been under "enormous pressure" to pay his debts and had been looking for "a way out of the life he made for himself", adding that Young was preparing to move out of Ireland when arrested.

Det Insp Mulderrig agreed with Mr Bowman that there had been a legitimate threat to Young's life due to his debts and that his client's mental health had suffered as a result.

Mr Bowman said Young had become depressed and suffered anxiety over his debts and his situation that led him to go to counselling where he admitted he had sought to "end it all".

The barrister said the "enormous" pressure on his client to pay monies back to those above him caused Young to "seek a way out and he sought to take his own life".

Mr Bowman said Young did not display any "over-trappings of wealth" associated with criminal activity and said his client rented a "nondescript" residence without "fancy clothes, jewellery or foreign holidays".

The barrister said Young had engaged in counselling and drug and alcohol addiction services before his arrest as far back as 2018 due to the "parasitic nature of the drug trade".



Mr Bowman said his client described the day of his arrest as a "happy day" and that Young had thanked gardai for catching him because "every day he was trying to find peace with what he has done".



Mr Bowman said Young had been a "big fish in a small pond" but was answerable to "layers upon layers" of individuals operating above him.



Father-of-two Young, with a previous address at Geldof Drive, Cranmore, Co Sligo, pleaded guilty at the non-jury court that he, between October 4, 2019 and January 15, 2022, both dates inclusive, directed the activities of a criminal organisation both within and outside the State, contrary to Section 71 A of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006, as inserted by Section 5 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act, 2009.



Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned sentencing to July 31 for the offence which carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: May 10 2023

FACTS is a 501(C)(3) Organization Dedicated to Providing Financial Assistance for the Care of Animals in Animal Cruelty Investigations and Cases.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office, along with the Suffolk County Police Department, and the Suffolk County Sherriffs Office, has partnered with the Fund for Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk, Inc. (FACTS), a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization, for the utilization of their animal cruelty crime victims fund.

Prosecuting an animal cruelty case is unlike any other crime, in that the evidence of the crime consists of a living, breathing animal that needs to be cared for while the case or investigation is pending, said District Attorney Tierney. Abused or neglected animals require a significant amount of resources including veterinary care, shelter, transportation, medication, and food. We have partnered with FACTS so that the money needed for the care and recovery of abused and neglected animals can be funded by donations, alleviating the burden on Suffolk County taxpayers.

FACTS is proud to partner with the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office, Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriffs Office by providing costs of care that benefit animal cruelty victims, said Joyce Glass and Barbara Dennihy, co-founders of FACTS. This funding allows animal victims to receive necessary care while recovering and cases are pending. FACTS meets an identified need during the investigation and prosecution of cases, focusing on victims without a voice. Donations to FACTS allow us to speak for animal victims by providing the care and treatment they deserve.

Animal cruelty cases are particularly disturbing as the victim is defenseless and voiceless, said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. This new partnership ensures that injured or neglected animals receive the necessary care they deserve while the case moves through the court process. This is a win-win for animal rights as well as Suffolk County taxpayers.

Often times, when our Deputy Sheriffs are reporting to a domestic violence situation or similar crime, they find animals that are also victims of cruelty or abandonment, said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. This partnership with FACTS will allow us to immediately get these animals the proper treatment and housing they deserve without worrying about where the funding for their care is coming from.

Financial assistance from FACTS will help treat and care for animals that are victims of criminal animal cruelty investigations that are being prosecuted by District Attorney Tierneys Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team.

To kick off FACTS fundraising, Kristie Johnson, president of Foos Fire, Inc., a local Suffolk County fire sprinkler business, and Kristies husband, Christopher Johnson, presented FACTS with a $10,000 check.

If you would like to donate to FACTS, please visit www.FACTSSAVES.org , and click on the Donate Now button.

You can also donate to FACTS on Venmo, to username @factssaves.

Donations can be mailed to:
Suffolk Police Announce Three Arrested for Selling Vape Products to Minors

Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: May 10 2023

During the investigation, three businesses were found to be selling e-nicotine products to minors.

Suffolk County Police on Tuesday, May 9 arrested three people for selling vape products to persons under 21 during compliance checks at businesses in the Second Precinct.

In response to numerous community complaints, Second Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of vape products during which five businesses were checked for compliance with the law.

During the investigation, three businesses were found to be selling e-nicotine products to minors. The following people were arrested and charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child:

John OBrien, 20, of Huntington, an employee of Huntington Village Vapes, located at 4 Elm St., Huntington.

Jorge Valles, 20, of Huntington, an employee of Its Lit Smoke Shop, located at 341 New York Ave., Huntington.

Patel Pahilkumar, 34, of Queens Village, an employee of E Smoke and Cigar, located at 312 Main St., Huntington.

All three were released on Field Appearance Tickets and are scheduled to appear at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date.
Two in Custody After Alleged Involvement in Fatal Freeport Heroin Overdose

Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: May 10 2023

After an extensive investigation detectives arrested Nyshaun Murray, 28, and Brandon Swopes, 33.

The Major Case Bureau reports the arrests of two Hempstead men at 9:35 pm on Monday, May 08, 2023 in Hicksville.

Narcotics / Vice detectives were notified of a fatal heroin overdose in Freeport on the night of March 24, 2023. After an extensive investigation detectives arrested Nyshaun Murray, 28 of 358 Washington Street Apt 3 and Brandon Swopes, 33 of 100 Terrace Avenue Apt 145.

The defendants are directly linked to this fatal overdose which contained Fentanyl.

Brandon Swopes is charged with two counts Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3RD Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, and Resisting Arrest.

Nyshaun Murray is charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree. Both defendants were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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10th May 2023

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London South East were joined by Brad George, CEO at Orosur Mining (OMI), the London-listed South American metals explorer with projects in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.

 In March we heard that Phase 2 of Anza was well underway, with $2M received from Newmont/Agnico; neverthless the process of creating a JV company would still take several months to complete.

 Then on 4th May OMI told investors that Newmont/Agnico had 'effectively placed Anza on care and maintenance.'

Brad confirmed today that despite paying $2M and continuing to set up the JV company as legally required, in direct talks with Angnico/Newmont they had been told that Anza was less of a priority.

Why? Both Newmont and Agnico have been involved M&A acquisitions and are considerably bigger than when the signed the JV, with much bigger projects a necessity. And that a new left wing Government in Colombia may make life harder for the supermajors, whilst still supporting junior miners.

On Wednesday 10.5.2023 Brad George joined us from London to add some clarity to the announcement. His language is very nuanced, so we think it is best you listen to this interview for yourself.

We are hosting an Orosur Webinar with Brad George CEO and Louis Castro, Chairman live on Monday at 6 pm. Please register here.
10th May 2023

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Hello and welcome to an Extended Q&A interview with George Lucan, Chairman at Angus Energy (ANGS) and Richard Herbert, the newly appointed CEO, released on Wednesday 10 May 2023.

Angus Energy is a producer of gas at Saltfleetby and has ambitions to become a player in the aggregation, production and storage of gas.

George and Richard join London South East for an extensive operational update in which they answer around 20 questions from retail investors, with some prompting around the edges from Donald Leggatt.
A jury in Manhattan on Tuesday found former US president Donald Trump sexually abused a writer in a 1996 attack in a dressing room of a department store but rejected her claim that Trump raped her.

After a little under three hours of deliberation, the jury of six men and three women in the civil case found it more likely than not that Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, across from the Trump Tower building, and that she was injured as a result.

Jurors also found that Trump defamed Carroll in comments he made denying her allegations, which she first made publicly in 2019. In a posted a statement on his Truth Social website in October 2022, Trump called her case "a complete con job" and "a Hoax and a lie".

Trump was ordered to pay her $5 million in damages.

"I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back," Carroll said in a statement. "Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."

It marked the first time that Trump, 76, who has faced years of allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with women, has had to answer such a claim at trial.

Trump has insisted he never sexually assaulted Carroll or even knew her.

The jury heard from Carroll, who formerly was a longtime Elle magazine columnist and at one time a writer for Saturday Night Live, over three days, two other women who accused Trump of sexually attacking them and two friends whom Carroll confided in about the alleged attack.

Trump didn't appear or testify in court during the three-week civil trial. He was under no obligation to do either. Instead, recordings of his deposition in the case were played in court.

Trump wrote on his social media platform after the verdict was announced: "I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE  A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!"

Carroll, 79, smiled as the verdict from the jury was announced. She left the courthouse and walked past microphones and reporters who had gathered outside. Accompanied by her lawyer Roberta Kaplan, she entered a car and left the area.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina congratulated and hugged Kaplan and shook Carroll's hand.

Carroll testified that she had a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store. She said it was a lighthearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying on a piece of lingerie before Trump became violent inside a dressing room.

Tacopina told the jury in closing arguments Monday that Carroll's account was too farfetched to be believed. He said she made it up to fuel sales of a 2019 memoir in which she first publicly revealed her claims and to disparage Trump for political reasons.

Carroll's attorney Kaplan cited excerpts from Trump's October deposition and his comments on a 2005 Access Hollywood video in which he said celebrities can grab women between the legs without asking.

Kaplan said much of what Trump said in his deposition and in public statements "actually supports our side of the case".

Trump's lawyer argued that his client was never even in the Bergdorf Goodman dressing room where Carroll said he attacked that evening. Carroll and the witnesses she called to corroborate her account had simply made up the story, Tacopina argued, and so had the two witnesses at the trial who said under oath that they, too, had been sexually attacked by Trump.

Kaplan compared the way her client had appeared during the trial  a "courageous" woman who answered questions "calmly and patiently" to Trump's comments in a videotaped deposition shown to the jury.

In it, Trump had said he couldn't have raped Carroll because she was not his "type".
Chuck Thompson, 85, was honored for both his 50th year of service to the Manchester Fire Department, as well as the department's Firefighter of the Year, at the annual banquet Saturday evening. Pictured from left to right: Bill Beideman, 2nd assistant chief; Chuck Thompson, Firefighter of the Year; Jamie Greene, 1st assistant chief; Chris Towslee, chief.
Niamey, Niger  More than 13,000 women and children have fled islands on the Niger River in western Niger following atrocities carried out by jihadists, state radio said on Tuesday.

The exodus notably follows an attack on Saturday night in which four people in the district of Dessa were killed and a fifth wounded, the Voix du Sahel (Voice of the Sahel) said.

Women and children fleeing the remote islands have sought safety in Ayorou, a town 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Nigerien capital Niamey, it said.

The station blamed atrocities (by) armed bandits, a term typically used for suspected jihadists.

But local sources said there had been a surge in ethnic violence in the area that had been fuelled by jihadists.

Inhabitants said that in late April, clashes broke out between riverside farmers from the Djerma community and nomadic Fulani herders, leaving several dead. The two groups usually live peacefully side by side.

A local journalist said jihadists were the cause of the violence, inflaming tensions by killing villagers, stealing cattle and demanding a tax from inhabitants.

An elected official in Ayorou said that before the clashes, armed men on motorbikes gave an ultimatum to the farmers, telling them to leave their homes.

The area lies in the western region of Tillaberi, which is grappling with a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighboring Mali in 2015.

Niger is also struggling in the southeast with jihadist insurgents from Nigeria.

The impoverished Sahel state is supported by a number of western countries, including France and the United States, which both have military bases there.

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BRETHREN  Amanda Mobley's students at Brethren Middle/High School will have their work on display at the Michigan Legacy Art Park at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville.

Patricia Innis, education director at the art park, invited Mobley and her students to contribute to "Michigan Blue," this year's collaborative artwork, which will be on display at the park into the winter.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents while learning about art pieces that require collaboration and exposing a new group of students and their families to the art park at Crystal Mountain, which many people in the area are surprisingly unaware of," Mobley said.

Mobley said kids and adults from all over the state were invited to paint or draw blue things found or associated with Michigan on 3 to 6-inch wooden tree rounds, which the art park supplied.

Krissy Schneider, an eighth grader, painted a landscape of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

"I chose to show the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes," Schneider said. "I did this topic because our area is known for the sand dunes and Lake Michigan."

Subject matter might include water, lakes, streams, clouds, flowers, cars or even emotional experiences, according to the art park's website.

"The project is meant to have everyone explore the color blue and look at artworks in different ways and to explore the variety of ways that different artists visualize the same prompt," Mobley said.

Courtesy photo/Amanda Mobley

Mobley's middle school introduction to art students, as well as high schoolers in graphic design and art history participated in the project.

"I chose (to paint) a sunset because people really like watching the sunset over the lake in the summer," said Danalynn Englert, eighth grader.

All of the individual rounds will be combined to create one large piece of art that reflects the shape of waves, according to Mobley. The rounds will be tied to a large section of fishnet and attached to trees on the art parks accessibility trail.

"The idea is that the artwork will be suggestive of a stream with ripples flowing into a pond," she said.

The "Michigan Blue" artwork was installed the first week of May and will be added to over the course of the summer as more rounds are created.

Anyone wishing to participate in the project can email Innes at patricia@michlegacyartpark.org.

There will be opportunities throughout the spring and summer for the public to create rounds. People can create rounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 13 at the Dennos Museum Center's Spring Market Day in Traverse City, and on Saturday mornings from June 30 to Aug. 12 at the art park.

Michigan Legacy Art Park is nonprofit organization located on a 30-acre preserve of wooded hills in Benzie County. The land is leased from Crystal Mountain for $1 per year. Because of this sustainable model, the art park uses its resources efficiently and garners the support of individuals, foundations and corporations to provide mission-driven activities.

Visit michlegacyartpark.org for more information.
Legislators have introduced at least two bills related to Nebraskas Crime Victims Reparations program during the ongoing legislative session.

Omaha Sen. Wendy DeBoer, a Democrat, introduced a bill (LB757) based on findings in a survey of 18 programs that help victims across the state. Her office conducted the survey with the Womens Fund of Omaha.

The bill, which has Republican and Democrat co-sponsors, aims to help the program help more people: It lengthens the deadline for reporting the crime to police from three to five days, extends the filing deadline for minors and lets the CVR committee consider applications that miss the deadline for good cause.

An anecdote DeBoer shared: A minors claim for compensation following her rape was denied because her dad filed it a day late.

Would passage of LB757 cause a sudden uptick in the numbers Nebraska reports to the federal government, which pale in comparison to most surrounding states? Probably not, DeBoer said, but the people it would add to those numbers  like that minor  are among those who need help the most.

The bill received a priority designation from Speaker John Arch, a Republican from La Vista, who has 25 such designations to dole out per session. The Judiciary Committee approved it unanimously, sending it to the full Legislature for consideration.

Another bill, from Omaha Sen. John Fredrickson, a Democrat, would ban medical providers from referring victims of sexual assault, domestic assault, trafficking or child abuse to collections.

The bill (LB315) also prohibits distributing information that could affect their credit score.

Victims are routinely billed for medical costs because they dont have insurance, they havent used it or it didnt cover certain services, said Katie Welsh, legal director at the Womens Center for Advancement, at the bills public hearing.

Victims are in these situations through no fault of their own, but are bearing the brunt of the consequences, she said. When the bill goes unpaid, it gets sent to a collection agency, in some cases years after the original incident, which leads to more phone calls and letters ordering the victim to pay up.

Melanie Kirk, legal director at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, said at the hearing that survivors medical bills are still being sent to collections even while medical providers wait for reimbursement from the Crime Victims Reparations program.

That process takes time and sometimes hospitals and their billing staff move a little bit more quickly, she said.

Fredrickson has now proposed LB315 as an amendment to DeBoers LB757, which he said was done in agreement with Arch and DeBoer.

DeBoer said she intends to continue bringing legislation on the issue.

We're gonna keep bringing bills until we get it right, she said.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
SPRINGFIELD  Because there were waitlists to get into the universal preschool programs at eight schools in Springfield, the district carved out money in its recently adopted budget to add 17 classrooms at those schools.

We used that data to expand where there was a larger demand, said Patrick Roach the chief financial and operations officer for Springfield Public Schools.

The Springfield School Committee prioritized expanding the program during last Thursdays meeting. According to Roach, the district allotted $19 million on preschool staffing in its adopted $588 million 2024 fiscal year operating budget.

Superintendent of Schools Daniel J. Warwick said classrooms will go in neighborhood schools that had waitlists so that students can stay close to home.

At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, full-day preschool classes were added to every neighborhood school and three center schools. Although Springfield and Boston Public Schools are the only two districts in the state that currently offer free universal preschool, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Springfield was first to roll out the offering.

The classes were open to the citys approximately 2,000 preschoolers between the ages of 3-4.

I have heard from families and parents saying how much this means and has helped them out. This has allowed the parents to continue to go out in our workforce and provide for their families, Sarno said in an emailed statement.

At neighborhood schools, preschoolers leave at 2:30 p.m., but at the three center schools  Balliet Preschool, Margaret C. Ells Elementary School and Early Childhood Center  limited busing was available last year extending the day to 3:30 p.m. The three center schools enroll special education students city wide.

Transportation for preschoolers from the center schools in the coming school year will cost the city approximately $36-38 million, which will be supported through state Chapter 90 transportation funding paid out from the citys budget, Sarno said.

We did a pilot and did not have enough seating, Roach said of the transportation to and from the center schools.

With the data, Roach said, the district is working through bussing details to eventually bus all students at center schools who need transportation.

While most parents of preschoolers prefer to drive their students to school, a survey conducted at the three center schools revealed about 75% of respondents prefer dismissal at 3:30 p.m.

The district is also expanding on the vocational offering at the preschool located in the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, that enrolled students from Dorman Elementary School, Roach said.

Additionally, the district is in the beginning stages of partnering with community organizations to enroll students from birth until 3-year-old in private preschools for full day, wraparound and after school service offerings, Roach said.
Families looking for some great eats when vacationing on Cape Cod or the Islands this summer will be happy -- or sad -- to know that there are (only) a handful of spots that caught Yelps eye for its Top 100 New England Restaurants.

Yelp compiled data from nearly 6 years, up until the summer of 2022, and released its full list later on that year. Of the 100 spots, four were on the Cape and one was on Marthas Vineyard. For those disappointed in the low number of spots that made it, you might be equally angered to learn that only one Massachusetts spot was in the Top 10.

The lists top spot was an authentic Chinese food restaurant in Rhode Island followed by an Italian Restaurant in New Haven. Rounding out the Top 3 was a breakfast joint in Vermont.

Heres Where the Cape and Islands Landed on Yelps Top 100 of New England List:

8. Branches Grill and Cafe, Chatham, Massachusetts

39. The Pawnee House, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

44. Ann & Frans Kitchen, West Yarmouth, Massachusetts

84. The Barking Claw, Falmouth, Massachusetts

95. Island Cafe & GrIll, Hyannis, Massachusetts

The review only went into detail for the Top 20 restaurants. Check out their feedback on Branches in Chatham:

Visitors to this quiet seaside town, on the elbow of Cape Cod, are often surprised to learn that its home to a fantastic Jamaican restaurant. Chef-owner Ian Burt opened Branches Grill and Cafe in 2018 to bring an authentic taste of his homeland to Chatham, where hes lived since 1996. His flavorful cuisine is marked by bold jerk-spiced chicken, pork, or shrimp; vibrant seafood dishes; and authentic oxtail or curried goatwhich adults wash down with a fruity rum punch. The rich beef and pumpkin soup, available year-round, is an understated stunner of an appetizer.

With reggae on the speakers and leafy potted palm trees in the brightly painted dining room, fans say this family-owned operation feels like an island oasiseven if the nearest islands have names like Nantucket.

Cuisine: American (Traditional), Caribbean

What its known for: Jerk plates with beans, rice, and fried plantains are a big draw, but dont overlook the beef and pumpkin soup.

Yelpers say: Great service and delicious flavorscant beat this hidden gem in Chatham. The escovitch [fried red snapper with bell peppers and vinegar] is to die for, and all the jerk options are great too. Adam M.

Yelp detailed how they got the list: This is a list of the top 100 places to eat in New England, according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the restaurants category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2017, and July 27, 2022. This list looked at businesses in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of July 27, 2022.
An ultrasound image of Jennifer Adkins 12-week-old fetus that was diagnosed with Turner syndrome and hydrops fetalis, two defects that are often fatal to the fetus and dangerous for the pregnant person to carry. Adkins, who lives in Idaho, had to seek an abortion in Oregon because, like 13 other states across the country, Idaho has a near-total ban on abortions, without exceptions provided to preserve the health of the pregnant person. (Courtesy of Jennifer Adkins)

Jennifer Adkins first pregnancy was near-perfect.

She sailed through her appointments and screenings with no complications, ticking every box and making lists of all the right questions to ask her medical professionals. By the time her unmedicated labor was over and the nurses placed her newborn son on her chest, Adkins felt like a superhero.

So when she discovered she was pregnant again the day after Valentines Day, she was ready for another home run. The baby would be due on Halloween, and she and her husband affectionately referred to it as Baby Spooky. Maybe theyd find out the sex beforehand, maybe it would be a surprise. They hadnt decided yet.

On April 21, Adkins saw her doctor for a routine screening by ultrasound to measure the collection of fluid behind the fetus neck. And even without a medical degree, she could tell by the picture on the ultrasound that something was wrong. Sitting in the genetic counselors office that afternoon, Adkins learned that her 12-week-old developing fetus likely had Turner syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality that ends in miscarriage in 99% of cases. Turners occurs when one of two X-chromosomes for a female is deleted, often from all cells. The few babies that do survive still have deletions in some cells that cause significant heart defects, fertility issues, kidney abnormalities and a range of other disabilities.

The normal measurement is less than 3 millimeters, according to Dr. Maria Palmquist, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Palmquist said Adkins fluid measured at 11.7 millimeters, with additional fluid accumulating under the skin and around the body of the fetus, known as edema. The combination of increased fluid and skin edema is a condition known as hydrops fetalis, a severe form of swelling that is often fatal.

The doctor said basically, lightning struck this pregnancy, theres nothing you can do, Adkins said. This just happens in 1% of all pregnancies.

Following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to regulate abortion access, 14 states have enacted near-total or total abortion bans, while others continue to pass abortion ban laws that become tied up in state and federal courts. The patchwork laws create reproductive health care deserts, sometimes as much as an eight-hour drive or a flight across the country, forcing pregnant people to travel at great financial and often emotional costs, even if the termination of the pregnancy would prevent devastating health effects.

There are no abortion bans yet that criminalize the pregnant person. Instead, criminal penalties are focused on medical providers or others who help someone obtain an abortion. The charges in most states are felonies, with punishment ranging between two years and life in prison, and physicians face suspension or revocation of their medical licenses.

Because Adkins lives in a state with an abortion ban, she faced one of two options: Either continue carrying the pregnancy knowing it would almost certainly end in miscarriage or stillbirth and jeopardize her own health in the process  or make a trip out of state for termination.

Do we try? But for what purpose?

Idaho has a near-total ban on abortions that applies to any stage of pregnancy, with exceptions for cases of rape and incest with an accompanying police report during the first trimester or to save a patients life. Health care providers who violate the statute put their medical licenses at risk and face between two and five years in prison, along with civil penalties of $20,000 against individual providers if family members decide to sue.

Since Roe fell, residents in states with bans like Texas have to travel much farther to obtain an abortion. The Texas Observer reported the average number of miles a resident must travel increased from 44 miles to 497 miles. Texans often go to New Mexico, where some abortion providers fled and opened new clinics. Washington abortion providers have reported seeing patients from seven states around the country within one day.

In the Southeast, where nearly every state has a highly restrictive ban, states such as Louisiana and Mississippi are hours away from the nearest abortion clinic. For many, the closest state is Florida, and the outcome of a Florida Supreme Court case over a law banning abortion at 15 weeks could determine whether a six-week ban signed in April by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis will go into effect. If it does, the distance to access abortion for many residents in that region of the country will become much greater.

A study released in April conducted by international reproductive health care journal Contraception found that women who were forced to travel for abortion care described it as emotionally burdensome, saying it caused distress, anxiety and shame.

Because they had to travel, they were compelled to disclose their abortion to others and obtain care in an unfamiliar place and away from usual networks of support, which engendered emotional costs, the study said. Additionally, travel induced feelings of shame and exclusion because it stemmed from a law-based denial of in-state abortion care, which some experienced as marking them as deviant or abnormal.

Its hard knowing that my body and the fetus are trying so hard to hang on. And we had to make a really hard decision. Do we try? But for what purpose?  Don't forget to add author

Adkins said seeking care in another state made her feel like a criminal and a medical refugee of sorts, and she worried about what others would think of her for terminating. Another physician she saw for a separate issue wanted to keep the pregnancy out of her record entirely as a precaution.

They make this out to be like people that seek abortions are horrible, horrible people, and murderers, and all this stuff, and Im like, that could not be further from the truth. This is a baby that we love with all of our heart and soul. And because we are loving parents, we are choosing this route, not only to be loving parents to that baby, but also to our living son, because I have to think about whats in my best interest so that I can still be here and be healthy enough to take care of my son who needs me, Adkins said.

Idaho physicians have also stopped making referrals for patients in situations similar to Adkins in the wake of a legal opinion sent by Attorney General Raul Labrador at the end of March. Until there is a decision in a lawsuit over the opinion, physicians and Planned Parenthood facilities in Idaho have said they will not make any referrals for abortion-related care outside of the state.

Adkins said if she wasnt as informed about the states laws, she wouldnt have understood what doctors were saying about her options.

They said that I was welcome to leave the state on my own accord and seek health care outside of the state, Adkins said. It was a very odd experience because we were talking basically in code.  I understood the nuance, and I understood what they were implying, but it was a very surreal experience.

A brief filed in the lawsuit on behalf of a health system in Idaho detailed a scenario nearly identical to Adkins on the same day she was diagnosed at a different facility. Like the case outlined in the brief, Adkins would be at risk for developing a condition called mirror syndrome, which causes the pregnant person to experience similar symptoms to that of the fetus. Dr. Palmquist told States Newsroom that it can lead to preeclampsia, a life-threatening state of high blood pressure in pregnant people that can cause seizures and organ damage.

Knowing all of this, Adkins decided it was in the best interests of her family, including the nearly 2-year-old son she already had and the daughter she would never get to hold, to terminate the pregnancy.

She hoped to miscarry within the following week so they wouldnt have to make the emotional three-day trip. So she scheduled another ultrasound, but there was still a heartbeat. She was desperate to fix it  desperate to stop being a walking coffin for a dying dream.

Its hard knowing that my body and the fetus are trying so hard to hang on, Adkins said. And we had to make a really hard decision. Do we try? But for what purpose? Theres no sense in bringing a child into this world thats not going to survive anyway or have severe complications. And its not fair to any of us.

Maternal-fetal medicine doctors continue fleeing

Idaho legislators made minor changes to the states abortion law toward the end of the legislative session in March to clarify that certain instances where the fetus has already died or ectopic or molar pregnancies would not fall under Idahos abortion ban, declining to proceed with an earlier iteration of the bill that included a clause exempting medical professionals from criminal liability. In that version, providers had to determine if an abortion was necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to treat a physical condition of the woman that, if left untreated, would be life-threatening.

Dr. John Werdel, an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Lukes in Boise, said he wasnt sure if Adkins situation would have qualified under the health language in the original bill. She likely would have had to wait until the health effects were more severe, he said.

Many reproductive care physicians in states where abortions are banned have left to practice in other states in recent months, including one maternal-fetal medicine doctor in Tennessee who moved to Colorado in January after starting what she described as a dream job in Tennessee in August.

Idahos abortion laws caused Palmquist, one of three maternal-fetal medicine physicians at Saint Alphonsus, to take a job at Desert Perinatal in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is one of several specialists in the state to leave over the new laws since January. She was packing her belongings on Thursday, hoping the laws change soon and allow her to return.

Since June, its just become so complicated to take care of pregnancy complications. Things before that were so straightforward now make us take an extra four to six hours and multiple meetings, Palmquist said. Making sure were protected by EMTALA, making sure this is an emergency medical condition. Does the hospital administration agree, does legal counsel agree? All of that.

A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found from a survey of more than 2,000 current and future physicians on social media that 82% preferred to work or train in states with preserved abortion access. More than 76% of respondents said they wouldnt even apply to states with legal consequences for providing abortion care.

At least monthly, we are faced with caring for moms with significant complications, and theres no chance of a viable outcome. But with Idahos restrictions, theres a lot of anxiety about essentially practicing the standard of care, Palmquist said. A year ago, it wouldve been just so straightforward, and now theres all this caution and hesitancy.

The mounting costs

Adkins and her husband left their son with grandparents to make the trip to Oregon on a Thursday for her appointment the following morning. The Northwest Abortion Access Fund and Cascade Abortion Support Collective helped pay for a hotel room, a rental car and the surgical procedure, which was $850 by itself without insurance. Friends and family sent her Venmo donations for other expenses.

I just started calling organizations because I was like, I dont know what to do. And they said, Were here to help you. And it was so relieving but also absolutely heartbreaking to hear multiple times from multiple people, You are not the only one. We get stories like yours all the time, every day, Adkins said. Every day.

The Planned Parenthood clinic was supportive and professional, she said, and they honored her request to be deeply sedated for the procedure. When she told them why she needed to terminate the pregnancy, they offered to take ultrasound photos beforehand.

Everybody was like, Oh my God, Im so sorry you had to come all this way for this, Adkins said. And theyre right. I shouldnt have had to leave my son and travel hundreds of miles to do this.

Since the procedure was performed in another state and at a Planned Parenthood clinic, Adkins had to ask the doctor to collect the remains of the fetus, the pregnancy tissue and the placenta and package them properly to be sent to a genetic testing clinic. She was also faced with rushing the package of remains to FedEx herself that same day.

While she doesnt regret the decision, Adkins said it was a painful experience that could have been much easier if she had been able to access care in her own state.

I deserve better, and so does everybody else, she said. We cant stop things from happening in pregnancy. Thats why we have modern medicine, to help guide us and protect the things we do have control over. So if we cant stop those horrible things from happening  why make it even worse by making the worst experience someone has to go through  learning that they will not give birth to a happy, healthy baby  why do we make that even worse by saying, We dont value your life enough to try to save it or prevent something bad from happening to you in the meantime?
A 14-year-old was seriously burned in an explosion outside their home in Stoneham, according to the Stoneham Fire and Police Departments.

The 911 caller had reported an explosion on Pine Street in Stoneham around 8:32 p.m., officials said. Police said they found the 14-year-old boy with serious burns. They also found a burned yellow fuel container nearby.

The boy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment.

WCVB reported Stoneham Fire Department Fire Chief Matthew Grafton said it happened in the backyard of the home.

The incident is still under investigation by the Stoneham Police and Fire Department, officials said.
A 65-year-old North Dartmouth man was charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Tuesday in connection with the stabbing death of his girlfriend in Chelsea, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office said.

Angel T. Alvarez was ordered to be held without bail in Chelsea District Court after he was charged with killing Margarita Morehead, 59, at her Lafayette Street apartment, Haydens office said.

Read more: Texas mall shooting victim Kyu Cho was a UMass Amherst grad

At around 9:56 a.m. on Monday, Chelsea police responded to a call at Moreheads apartment and found her unresponsive, in a pool of blood, Haydens office said. With multiple stab wounds in her body, Morehead was pronounced dead at Cambridge Health Alliance in Everett.

A witness told investigators that Moreheads boyfriend drove a red car with a mismatched hood, which police later confirmed. Investigators then found his car, unoccupied at the intersection of Addison and Eden streets in Chelsea. Brown stains on the interior and exterior of the car appeared to be blood, Haydens office said.

Alvarez requested medical attention later that night and said he wanted to turn himself in to Chelsea police, the district attorneys office said. He provided his location in Everett, where Massachusetts State Police and Chelsea police found and arrested him.

Speaking with investigators in an audio-video recorded interview at the Chelsea Police Department, Haydens office claim Alvarez admitted to stabbing Morehead after she attempted to end the relationship.

Instead of dealing with the reality of an ended relationship with restraint and dignity, this man chose a shocking act of violence that ended Margarita Moreheads life and ushered in eternal grief for her family, friends and relatives, Hayden said in a statement. They will receive all the support they need from our office as this case moves forward.

Alvarez is due back in court on June 12 for a probable cause hearing.

If you are a victim of domestic or dating violence, you are not alone.
After a 9-year-old Black child with special needs was handcuffed and removed from his classroom by Walpole police officers during a mental health episode, a legal group representing the childs family is demanding answers.

The child, who is a third grader at Walpole Public Schools, has an individualized education plan based on ADHD, PTSD and delayed intelligence, according to the Lawyers for Civil Rights.

However, the group claims on Jan. 12, the school district ignored the clear instructions set by his IEP when he became dysregulated in class. Instead of providing him with proper reinforcement, his teachers called a school resources officer. The officer later contacted two other officers from the Walpole Police Department, who then forcibly handcuffed the child, restrained his limbs and transported him to the hospital where he was held in adult protective custody. The boy wasnt able to speak to his mother until he was discharged, the Lawyers for Civil Rights said.

The Walpole School District did not immediately respond to MassLives request for comment.

In an email statement, Richard M. Kelleher, the Walpole Chief of Police, confirmed that his officers did show up at the school district in January, to assist staff with a student. Chief Kelleher clarified that no one was arrested during the incident and declined to further comment to protect the privacy of the boy.

For Erika Richmond, an attorney for LCR, this incident represents the adultification of Black children, a type of racial bias where Black children are perceived as older than they truly are. This bias can often lead adults to see Black children as more responsible for their actions at an age when white children are still assumed to be innocent, according to Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, a researcher who authored a study on the adultification of Black boys.

The staff at the Walpole Public Schools often described the child as big for his age and stronger than he looks, according to Richmond.

I firmly believe that had he been a white child he would have been treated with compassion and understanding, Richmond said. Because its with a Black child suffering an incident of dysregulation and a mental health crisis, he is treated like he is more responsible for his actions when at the end of the day, he was just a nine-year-old boy.

School districts that employ school resource officers in their buildings are required to adopt the states memorandum of understanding, a legal document that outlines the powers of RSOs. According to the memorandum, school resources officers shall not use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues, including non-violent disruptive behavior.

However, if the incident is a school safety concern, school staff can contact an RSOs to immediately de-escalate the situation, the memorandum states.

Last week, the Lawyers for Civil Rights sent the school district and the local police department a letter demanding  among several things  that they add a provision to their memorandum of understanding that outlines the districts seclusion and restraint program and a description of the disciplinary action taken prior to contacting law enforcement.

The legal group is also requesting a meeting with the school district and police department, Richmond said. But, as of Wednesday, the legal group has yet to hear back from both parties.

We hope to get more answers about what happened and to discuss our proposed solutions in greater detail, Richmond said. In the off chance that both the school district and the police department do not meet with them, the Lawyers for Civil Rights will be pursuing other legal options, Richmond said.
The former president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a kickback scheme during his time heading the union.

Dana Pullman, 61, who was president of SPAM from 2012 until his resignation in September 2018, will also pay approximately $60,000 in restitution, attorneys fees and special assessments. Anne Lynch, 72 a lobbyist who worked with him in the scheme, will serve 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release and will pay restitution and a fine of $25,000.

Pullman and Lynch were arrested and charged in August 2019 and indicted by a federal grand jury the following month. They were convicted in November 2022 of racketeering conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service following a 20-day jury trial. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return and Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.

Pullman is a Worcester resident and served as a Massachusetts State Police trooper from 1987 to 2018. Lynchs lobbying firm, Lynch Associates, represented SPAM during that time in exchange for monthly retainer payments.

Prosecutors say that during those six years, the two used Pullmans position to defraud members of the union, the state and vendors seeking to do business with MSP. Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a 2014 multi-million dollar settlement agreement between SPAM and the state, according to prosecutors.

The settlement paid to the union on behalf of troopers who were allegedly not properly compensated for working scheduled days off. SPAM filed a grievance on behalf of troopers in 2005, which resulted in the settlement nine years later.

In addition, Lynch paid Pullman to direct two vendors, Taser and Mark43, to use her firms services while they sought to do business with MSP, prosecutors said. Neither vendor successfully secured bids with MSP.

The two hid the payments from Lynch and her lobbying firm to Pullman in a scheme that was designed to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income to the IRS. Pullman and Lynch also attempted to obstruct the grand jurys investigation of the fraud by manipulating subpoenaed records and lying to investigators, officials said.

In addition, Pullman was convicted of using a debit card tied to a SPAM bank account to pay for thousands of dollars worth of meals, travel, flowers and other gifts for a woman with whom he was having an affair.

With great power comes great responsibility: Pullman was sworn to uphold the law, to protect the Commonwealth and to represent his constituent SPAM members, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. But instead of using his power responsibly for the benefit of those who trusted him, Pullman used his power to break the law and feed his greed.

Judge Douglas Woodcock said during the hearing that the sentence would serve as a deterrent for others working in public service in the state.

There is a culture in Massachusetts ... of engaging in corruption of various kinds by those who are engaged in public service, those who are involved in union activity, those who are involved in just general commercial activity, he said. The assumption is that it goes without consequence, and frequently, it does. Not here.

While Pullman did not speak in court Wednesday, Lynch did give a statement, showing emotion as she said that she never meant to break the law.

Ive learned my lesson. Im never leaving my house again, she said. Its taken everything from me. Years of seeing my grandchildren, gone, and thats obviously very personal. I want you to know that Im not a dishonest person, because thats important to me.

In letters of support filed by defense attorneys for Pullman, the former SPAM president was described as a hardworking, kind man who was dedicated both to his family and to the members of the union he led. Multiple friends, family members and former colleagues wrote about his charitable efforts with SPAM, including through the unions Benevolent Fund.

Dana has always been a strong, kind, thoughtful and helpful person, Pullmans sister, Janet Pullman Harrington, wrote in a letter. Nothing you ask of him is ever too much, even when he is exhausted. No call goes unanswered. His response is always, Ill be there, and he is.

Pullmans attorneys requested that he be sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release, with the first 12 months in home confinement, in part because of his own health issues and those of his wife and one of his sons.

Lynch, too, was described in letters from supporters filed with the court as a kind, loyal and charitable member of the community.

Anne comes before this court as a humbled and remorseful (redacted) woman, her attorneys wrote. She comes before this court determined to make amends, to pay her debt to society and to be a better person and role model for her grandchildren in the future.

Lynchs defense team requested a sentence of probation, community service or home confinement so she could continue to care for her partner, who is dealing with health issues that were redacted in their memo.

Prosecutors recommended 63 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release for Pullman, along with more than $750,000 in restitution to SPAM, the state, the IRS, Taser and Mark43 and a fine of $1,100. For Lynch, they requested the same sentence, $577,000 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.

Woodcock rejected both defense teams requests to allow Pullman and Lynch to serve their sentences at home, saying that their medical issues could be accommodated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

However, he sided with defense attorneys who had argued for a lower restitution amount than prosecutors recommended, saying that Lynch Associates did provide services to SPAM and the two vendors, and that the loss to the union and vendors was limited to the kickbacks, not the full amount they paid to the lobbying firm.

Attorneys for Pullman and Lynch have indicated that they will appeal the sentence, and Woodcock said they would be allowed to remain free during the appeal process.

Pullman and his attorneys declined to comment following the hearing.

In a press release, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said that trust in law enforcement was imperative for both public health and safety.

Members of law enforcement have a duty to protect and serve  placing the needs of the community and others first. Mr. Pullman and Ms. Lynchs actions violate these very obligations. The racketeering organization that these two individuals ran deprived hard working union members of honest services and defrauded vendors seeking to do business with the Massachusetts State Police. For six years, Mr. Pullman and Ms. Lynch used the State Police Association of Massachusetts as a criminal enterprise for their own personal financial benefit, Rollins said. Mr. Pullman was elected to represent the members of his union and put their interests above everything else. He violated that trust when he and Ms. Lynch chose to pursue their own greedy and unlawful financial gain.
A 28-year-old Harvard PhD student will file a lawsuit against the MBTA just over a week after a utility box fell on her at Harvard Station, according to a statement the Regan Communications Group of Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys on May 10.

On Monday, May 1, a utility box fell from a column at the station, according to the MBTA. Video shows the box falling from a standing column at the station and a supporting bracket striking the passenger.

The 28-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for her injuries, and a statement from her attorney said these included a detached clavicle, or a dislocated shoulder. The statement said her injuries will require ongoing and long-term medical treatment.

The MBTA had stated that Monday evening that a utility box became dislodged. On May 2, the organization said corrosion had ate away at support straps, causing the utility box to fall, CBS reported. Boston 25 News reported the box weighed about 200 pounds.

The statement also read, The injuries also impacted her rigorous academic schedule during a crucial time for students.

Read more: MBTA video shows the moment Harvard station utility box fell on passenger

CBS News Boston reported that new MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng came to the station on May 1 to assess the damage, and passengers told the news outlet at the station they were frustrated with the aging facility.

Read more: MBTA video shows the moment Harvard station utility box fell on passenger

In March, a ceiling panel fell at the facility, nearly hitting a woman as she got off of a Red Line train, according to WCVB.

The womans attorneys communications group statement read, Just Sunday, Gov. Maura Healey recognized that the Commonwealths train stations are in a state of disrepair and now are undergoing immediate inspection following associated injuries over the past several years, citing the Red Line incident from March.

The Harvard students attorney, Thomas Flaws, included his own message in the statement.

We are troubled by the ongoing issues at Harvard station and throughout the overall MBTA transit operation, said Flaws.

With reasonable attention and maintenance, this incident would have been prevented. We intend to find out exactly what is causing dangerous objects to repeatedly detach or fall from the ceiling at the Harvard station, Flaws said.

We want to ensure no rider utilizing public transportation is ever injured in this manner again, Flaws added.

The MBTA did not immediately respond to MassLive for comment.
HOLYOKE  Holyoke Ward 2 City Councilor Wilmer E. Puello-Mota is expected to hear a Rhode Island plea offer.

Hes scheduled to reappear in Kent County Superior Court in Warwick, Rhode Island June 12 for a disposition and another routine proceeding called a Frye hearing meant to ensure hes receiving effective legal counsel.

Rhode Island Attorney Generals Office spokesman Brian Hodge said Puello-Mota will be made aware of the states offer and there will be a plea or a hearing thatll move the case on to the trail calendar.

Puello-Mota said that words will be said in court on that date. He declined to answer more questions when reached by phone Wednesday. He referred a reporter to his attorney, John M. Cicilline, in Rhode Island. Cicilline didnt return calls left Wednesday morning.

Puello-Mota is still a councilor in Holyoke, an elected position paying $10,000 a year. But he has not pulled papers to run for reelection, according to city clerk Brenna Murphy McGee.

Puello-Mota was elected to his seat in November 2021 after running unopposed. He had made an unsuccessful run for Council two years before.

Prosecutors in Rhode Island charged Puello-Mota, 27, with possession of child pornography in January 2021 after police in Warwick, discovered sexually explicit images of an underage girl on his phone. The charges grew out of an investigation where police in the Ocean State were investigating a stolen firearm.

Puello-Mota said a girl who he promised to pay $1,000 to hang out with him let a group of men into a hotel room who stole his wallet, keys, $1,000 and a safe that contained a 9 mm Beretta handgun and two, 10-round magazines. In the course of the investigation, Rhode Island police said they discovered explicit video of the girl on the trash folder on Puello-Motas phone.

The girl was 17.

She said she met Puello-Mota online and he became her sugar daddy who would send her money through Venmo and she would send him explicit videos in return.

According to court documents, Puello-Mota told law enforcement that he though the girl was 22, only learning later she was 17.

A year ago, Rhode Island prosecutors issued a warrant that accused Puello-Mota of forgery, counterfeiting and obstruction of the judicial system. Puello-Mota, a technical sergeant with the Massachusetts Air National Guards 104th Fighter Wing, allegedly told his one of his commanders that the charges in Rhode Island were not real and forged a memo that said he was being considered for deployment with the guard should the case against him in Rhode Island resolve favorably.

To further the ruse, Rhode Island prosecutors say Puello-Mota had someone pose as Maj. Samuel Bath, commander of the 104th Security Forces Squadron, during a 12-minute call with Special Assistant Attorney General Arthur DeFelice. DeFelice said he learned that who he spoke to wasnt Barth after he sent a follow-up email.

Puello-Mota has since been separated from the Air National Guard, said a unit spokesman this week.

Massachusetts State Police arrested Puello-Mota at the Air Guards 104th Fighter Wing base at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in May 2022.

Following the May arrest, Puello-Mota spent 90 days incarcerated in Rhode Island through the middle of August.

When he returned to Holyoke, he was told he had been expelled from the council and the Ward 2 seat declared vacant.

In September 2022, Puello-Mota won a Massachusetts court battle to retain his seat  and his salary  after his fellow councilors tried to oust him while charges were still just pending. In this ruling Hampden Superior Court Michael K. Callan said the city has no legal basis to kick Wilmer Puello-Mota off the City Council while he is awaiting trial. The city can only act once hes convicted or pleads guilty.

The Holyoke City Charter, and state law states that a city office holders lose their jobs upon conviction, which would include pleading guilty.

The conviction of the incumbent of any such office of a crime punishable by imprisonment shall operate to create a vacancy in the office held by him, the city charter states.

Last year, the city took the position that Puello-Motas admission to violating his pre-trial release and the 90 days he served in Rhode Island counted as a conviction punishable by imprisonment. The city also contends that its a conviction perishable by imprisonment but that the official doesnt need to actually be sentenced to incarceration to be removed. Only that its a possibility.

In November, Rhode Island prosecutors accused Puello-Mota of violating his bail on pending possession of child pornography charges when he attended a Halloween party sponsored by the Hampden County Sheriffs Office at Holyokes William G. Morgan School and handed out candy to children. The court ordered Buiello-Mota not to have contact with juveniles except for his daughter, prosecutors said.

He admitted to violating his bail conditions but faced no penalty despite Rhode Island prosecutors asking for 60 days in jail.
A Duxbury mother accused of strangling her three young children to death with exercise bands before attempting suicide has been ordered to stay committed at a Massachusetts hospital as she undergoes extensive mental health care, WCVB reported from a Wednesday court hearing.

Lindsay Clancy  who faces charges of murder, strangulation and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the killings of her three children  was ordered to remain committed at Tewksbury State Hospital for the next six months as doctors provide her with extensive mental health treatment.

Clancys attorneys and state prosecutors agreed to the six-month commitment after Clancy waived her right to appear in Plymouth County District Court Wednesday, according to the station.

She is scheduled to next appear in court on July 25, according to court documents.

Clancy has been charged in the January killings of her three children: 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and son Callan, who was less than a year old. Prosecutors say after she strangled her three children with an exercise band she jumped out of a second-story window of her Duxbury home, attempting suicide.

During a February arraignment, during which Clancy appeared remotely from a hospital, Clancys attorney, Kevin Reddington, said it would be inhumane for his client to be jailed with her injuries. Reddington said Clancy is paraplegic and suffered severe spinal fractures after her jump.

Reddington added at the time that Clancys mental state was so bad that the hospital had her under 24/7 monitoring. Reddington previously said Clancy was suffering from postpartum depression or psychosis, and was clearly overmedicated.

Prosecutors said in February that Clancy asked her husband to pick up some items at CVS and get takeout for the family from a restaurant while at the same time mapping out his route on Apple Maps.

She planned these murders, gave herself the time and privacy needed to commit the murders, and then she strangled each child in the place where they should have felt the safest, at home with their mom, said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague at a court proceeding in February. She did so with deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty.

At the February court proceeding, Judge John Canavan ruled she can remain at her Boston-area hospital, from where she appeared in court virtually as she lay in a bed with a brace around her neck and wearing a facemask. Canavan rejected a request from Sprague that Lindsay Clancy transfer to state-run Shattuck Hospital and be ordered held without bail.

Clancy was later transferred to Tewksbury State Hospital earlier this year.
The Los Angeles County coroners office identified the remains of Sober Grid app founder and Massachusetts native Beau Mann one month after they were discovered in an abandoned property in Santa Monica, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The coroners office confirmed it was Mann on Saturday, according to a statement from the Santa Monica Police Department. Mann was last seen on Nov. 30, 2021, and was reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department on Dec. 4, 2021. A cause of death has not been determined.

Read more: Springfield kindergarten teacher Patricia Cable died in Palmer crash

On Monday, Sober Grid announced on its Facebook page that Manns remains had been found. The company said he was found about a mile from where he was dropped off by an Uber nearly a year and a half ago.

Beau went missing on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Nov. 30, 2021, after getting in an Uber outside of a 7/11, not far from Sober Grids Los Angeles office, the post said. He texted 911 while inside the Uber. He was dropped off in Santa Monica. Despite exhaustive efforts to find him, Beau was never heard from again.

When he was younger, Mann experienced drug addiction before he turned his focus to helping others, Sober Grid said. He created Sober Grid in 2015, a digital app to house a 24/7, online, worldwide community for people in recovery.

We hope you will take a moment to think about Beau today, the post concluded. His bright smile and endless energy and compassion will be missed. While he is no longer with us, we know Beaus spirit will live on in Sober Grids mission to help those in need.

Santa Monica Police Lt. Erika Aklufi told the Times that Manns death was being investigated as a possible homicide and that after texting 911, Mann didnt respond to police attempts to follow up. Aklufi added that it was a gibberish text maybe and then he didnt respond.

Aklufi said investigators plan to speak with Manns Uber driver, who is not currently a suspect, in an effort to look at pretty much any option at this point to make sure its thorough, she told the Times.

The Santa Monica Police Department asks that anyone with information about the incident contact SMPD Detective Ismael Tavera at 310-458-2256, ismael.tavera@santamonica.gov, or the watch commander at 310-458-8427.

The announcement of Manns death comes one month after Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in San Francisco, NBC Bay Area reported in April. The news comes just as a Google software engineer jumped from the 14th floor of the companys New York City headquarters, according to Business Insider.
While Haywood Earl was a psychiatric patient at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, he developed a cancerous lesion on the left side of his nose that wasnt diagnosed for at least a year and a half. According to a report from the Disability Law Center, the hospitals negligence to properly treat the 60-year-old Black man contributed to his, painful, untimely death.

[Earls] death is a tragic example of what can happen when a health care system fails to be attentive and accommodate the medical needs of a vulnerable individual  an example made worse by the fact that he was institutionalized at LSH to protect him from harm based on to the severity of his mental health disability, Barbara LItalien, the executive director of the Disability Law Center, said in a statement.

Earl grew up in Bostons South End neighborhood after his family had moved from Birmingham, Alabama, the report said. Later in life, he attended Emerson College to study photography but could not graduate due to mental health problems. Around the age of 22, Harris suffered from a psychotic break that resulted in his first involuntary psychiatric commitment.

He was first transported to the old Shattuck Hospital and then was later sent to Bridgewater State Hospital due to a health insurance issue, the report said. Harris was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, before being transferred between different hospitals throughout the years. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with a chronic catatonic state.

Earl was involuntarily admitted to LSU in February 2017, the report said. That same year in May, Earl visited a dermatologist Dr. Shahla Asvadi to evaluate a lesion on the left side of his nose. After the appointment, Dr. Asvadi determined, without performing a biopsy, that the lesion was most consistent with basal cell carcinoma  a type of skin cancer. The physician then recommended that Earl use a topical cream called Aldara for six weeks before returning for a follow-up appointment in a few months.

During the meeting, the report said that Earl appeared sleepy and provided unclear answers to the physician. Furthermore, Earls legal guardian wasnt informed of his diagnosis and recommended treatment until two weeks after his initial consultation. The report said that Beverly Goodridge, Earls legal guardian, and sister, did not voice disagreement.

Earl returned to Dr. Asvadi in August 2017 with a flattened lesion and another follow-up appointment, the report said.

Read More: Springfield entrepreneur Whitney Dodds looks to eradicate the stigma of mental health treatment in communities of color

Again, [Earl] presented as sleepy and nonresponsive to questions, but there is no indication LSH contacted his legal guardian, the report said.

When Earl returned to his follow-up appointment in January 2018, Dr. Asvadi recommend him for further surgery as, the lesion, now nodular and bleeding occasionally, had not changed, the report said. Again Earl was not responding to questions and records show that Goodridge was not involved or informed of his treatment plan.

However, it wasnt until February 2019 that Earl received his first biopsy at Boston Medical Center, the report said. In the time between his January 2018 appointment and his first surgery, Earls lesion had grown 20 millimeters by 10 millimeters.

During his biopsy, physicians had determined Earls condition was more likely a squamous cell carcinoma than a basal cell carcinoma, the report said.

Earl had a consultation with BMCs Ear Nose and Throat in May 2019. During the consultation, doctors ordered a full oncological workup with imaging of his lesion, the report said. The workup provided a pathological diagnosis of Earls condition.

BMC physicians removed part of the left side of Earls nose in August 2019, the report said. Because the tumor on his face had grown so much in size, the doctors had to perform a more aggressive surgery than planned. The surgery left a wound on Earls face that could not be completely closed, the report said.

The cancer continued to spread throughout Earls body, specifically his lymph nodes, eye, neck and sinuses, the report said. Despite several treatments Earl was under, he later died in August 2020, in pain and suffering increased secretions draining from his mouth.

It is my conclusion that Mr. [Harris] illness would have had a high chance for survival at initial presentation if treated promptly, despite any challenges associated with his mental health condition, Jennifer Stein, a physician cited in the report, said.

Since the release of the report, officials have stated that theyve made improvements to hold hospitals like Lemuel Shattuck Hospital accountable.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is committed to the health and safety of every patient at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital (LSH) and ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Health said in an email to MassLive. Following the tragic death of this patient, DPH has made significant improvements at LSH and the other three public health hospitals since 2020. DPH created a systemwide approach that prioritizes high-quality care and patient safety by restructuring the four public health hospitals, including at LSH. At LSH we have also strengthened oversight and accountability and bolstered the internal communications process to improve clinical decision-making.
WORCESTER  A second detention hearing for accused military leaker Jack Teixeira has been canceled in U.S. District Court.

The cancellation follows a hotly anticipated hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy, who heard arguments over Teixeiras potential pretrial release on April 27.

A new date has not been set.

Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, is a U.S. Air National Guardsman who got into hot water after allegedly sharing top-secret documents about the war in Ukraine on Discord, a website popular among video gamer platforms that he accessed while employed at the Otis Air National Guard Base.

Beyond that, federal investigators allegedly unearthed online evidence that appeared to show Teixeira had a fascination with mass shootings and global violence.

Teixeira was arrested and charged in April under the Espionage Act and faces up to 25 years in prison, with the potential for a death penalty charge.

Among other alleged threats he made online, he said this in a social media post, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini: If I had my way Id kill a f--- ton of people.

Prosecutors have argued to keep Teixeira behind bars pending trial, saying he is too dangerous to be released. Defense attorneys countered Teixeiras alleged transgressions are a product of immaturity.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Editor's note: Valley Credit Union and The Billings Gazette are featuring 16 seniors throughout the 2022-2023 school year. We want to help students who are not typically eligible for scholarships and financial aid awarded to those attending a 4-year program. At the end of the year, Valley will award one $5,000 grant to a deserving student.

To be considered for the grant, students must show a clear career path for their future after high school in the form of an industry certification, technical associates degree, City College, trade school or apprenticeship. Students are nominated by a teacher, counselor, or principal from their high school.

Sadie Tillotson

Cowboy State Virtual Academy

What are your plans after high school?

Currently, I am enrolled in the Biological Studies department at Dartmouth College and plan on attending in the fall. While I had hoped to take a gap year to pursue canine behavior immediately after high school, I am waiting until the following year. This summer, I will intern at Moto Dog Training and gain further experience in handling and training aggressive dogs.

While attending Dartmouth and interning at Moto Dogs, I plan on continuing to save up for my canine handling certifications. When certification tuition has been met, I plan to take a gap year for this endeavor. An education in biological and behavioral sciences paired with a canine handling certification will provide a substantial foundation for a career in the dog training industry. I am eager to seek higher education and am equally enthusiastic in pursuing career development in canine behavior.

What is your favorite class in school and why?

I have primarily worked through Bio 2 and Geographic Information Systems this semester. I find biology fascinating but am still drawn toward the ecology side of things. I like the holistic view of wilderness better than fixating on just a single organism. After all, no single organism can exist without the influences of another.

Additionally, Research Questions in Biology has been an exceptional class. Each student is allowed to pursue a personal research project as well as participate in the class research. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to extract DNA, practice lab and field skills, and gain experience in canine scent discrimination.

Who inspires you and why?

My ecology professor and mentor, Eric Atkinson, has inspired me and the entire biology department. He approaches each lecture enthusiastically, no matter the subject or level of interest. He brings to life complex biological processes while engaging students and conveying crucial information. Most importantly, Professor Atkinson leads by example and encourages students to interact with their daunting yet fascinating educations. As I grow as a professional, I aim to carry Professor Atkinson's kind-heartedness, zeal for life, and passion for learning.

What are some things you enjoy outside of school?

Canine behavior is my passion! I fell in love with dog training at 15, when I adopted Yuki, a 6-month-old German shepherd. She was a failed drug dog prospect, and I had minimal training experience. Two years later, she's well on her way to being a well-mannered dog. We've worked through basic obedience, reactivity, scent detection, and specialized medical training to achieve this.

Since adopting Yuki, I've volunteered at our local animal shelter, participated in college-level conservation dog olfactory research with Working Dogs for Conservation in Missoula, and begun training our family's and neighbors' dogs. I've dedicated hours a day to reading books on theory, listening to professionals speak, practicing the hands-on elements of training and, in the last four months, a local Schutzhund enthusiast began mentoring me. These experiences have sparked in me a desire to become a professional. Eventually, I'd like to help people access necessary medical canines or work through overwhelming (canine) behavioral issues.

Another pastime of mine is welding and forging. For me, coaxing a burning puddle of metal across a plate or watching your filler rod glow as it weeps new life into your weld is mesmerizing. I've made everything from functional welds to daggers to small sculptures; welding has become an unexpected outlet for my creativity.

What would make you feel successful in your career/work after school?

If awarded this scholarship, please know that I would use it well. It would be a life-changing opportunity that I will not take for granted. With certification, I could be the change for many people and dogs.

Every Year:

- 3.1 Millon dogs are surrendered to shelters (ASPCA 2023).

- 390,000 are euthanized (ASPCA 2023).

- Behavioral challenges are the leading cause of surrender and euthanasia (Castro et al. 2021).

- 92% of euthanasia-listed dogs can be rehabbed with adequate training (Auerbach 2016).

However, many shelters and families don't have the resources to acquire professional help. Even more limited is the number of people with the skills, time, and drive to work with dangerous behaviors. But there's nothing more gratifying than watching everything click as a dog realizes what we're asking for, seeing an owner's relief when their dog doesn't violently react to a trigger, or helping build a team's confidence. Competent trainers help spare families the heart wrench of surrendering or euthanizing a beloved family pet. This scholarship would help me help them.

If you win the $5,000 grant, how will you use the money to help you reach your goals?

Dog training is my passion; however, the cost of Ivan Balabanov's year-long certification course of $10,000 is out of my financial reach. Ivan Balabanov is two-time World Champion, 14-time national competition winner, and top breeder in the U.S. of Belgian Malinois. He is considered to be the best in the world by many.

Through his training program, Training Without Conflict, Ivan has mentored and certified 43 dog trainers, all of whom have seen great success in their respective businesses. This experience would complement my college education well and assist me in establishing a career working with these amazing animals.

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

I see myself living out of town with a few acres I can train dogs on. I'll have helped many families find harmony with their dogs. Furthermore, I would like to train and donate a few service dogs annually. Affordable service dogs for disabled civilians are desperately needed. I have experienced the difference a service dog can make and would like to be able to share that with others. Lastly, I hope to be an active member of a supportive, kind, and close-knit community.

Do you have a personal motto or inspirational saying that motivates you that you would like to share?

Cease being intimidated by the argument that a right action is impossible because it does not yield maximum profits, or that a wrong action is to be condoned because it pays.

 Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television.

 Aldo Leopold

Any other information about yourself that you would like to share?

I was admitted to Dartmouth through Quest Bridge, a scholarship program for low-income, high achieving students. I am grateful for this opportunity as the tuition and application fees for such a school would have been unattainable. I plan to make the most of this opportunity and look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your consideration.
WESTFIELD  Westfield High School Band Director Patrick Kennedy and Choral Director Korey Bruno are riding high this week on the successes of their programs at separate music festivals over the weekend, and neither could resist bragging about their students a little bit.

Bruno said the choirs left early Thursday morning bound for Williamsburg, Virginia, for their annual spring competition with 21 students and seven adults, including Ken Stomski of Kens Den on WSKB radio and Westfield Community Television, who documented the trip with video and still photos.
Conditions at a PCI Synthesis chemical plant in Newburyport were considered by fire, hazmat and building officials to be safe enough for work to resume less than a week after an explosion flung a vat 30 feet away from the building and resulted in the death of a worker.

On Thursday, firefighters responded to an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way. Firefighters said 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.

Read more: Newburyport plans demolition of exploded part of chemical plant that killed worker

One worker, Jack OKeefe, 62, of Methuen, was unaccounted for several hours before his body was found Thursday evening, officials said. His cause of death is pending investigation.

Demolition of the part of the plant that exploded will begin on Wednesday, Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III said on Tuesday. He also said in a statement that a hired contractor resumed clean-up work under the supervision of local, state, and federal authorities at the Seqens site on Opportunity Way.

There are two large vats of chemicals that need to be drained, and several more barrels that need to be removed, Bradburys statement said. The two chemicals in the larger storage containers cannot come into contact with one another, so the process continues at a careful, methodical pace.

PCI Synthesis is owned by Seqens, a multinational company based in France. The company opened a state-of-the-art, 1,500-square-meter R&D center in Devens on Jan. 31, according to a company statement. Investing in the Devens facility significantly strengthens the companys U.S. operations which also includes contract development and manufacturing facilities in nearby Newburyport...

Its goal was to serve as the flagship for Seqens global R&D network  consisting of 10 R&D centers across Europe and North America and 300-plus scientists leveraging best-in-class technologies to support pharmaceutical customers from preclinical phases through to commercialization.

The company said its thoughts and prayers are with our friend and colleague and his family during this difficult time following the explosion and OKeefes death, according to a statement to the Boston Globe.

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 the statement said, according to the Globe.

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 in 2020 that cascaded through the building, the Globe reported.

Speaking with WCVB, OKeefes sister Gail Nicosia said he was the life of the party and always smiled. OKeefe was the only worker in the production area, she said.

This has taken a toll on me because I was so close with him, she told the station. He worked, loved his kids, went out a few times here and there and he was just an amazing person.

Now, you have another massive explosion, Nicosia said. This is bad. Arent you going to fix something?
The body of a Plymouth man was recovered from a New Hampshire lake Wednesday morning a day after his wife reported him missing from a fishing trip, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials.

Authorities found the body of Allan Schuh of Plymouth in Bow Lake in Stafford, New Hampshire at around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Officials said Schuhs wife reported him missing Tuesday afternoon after he didnt return home from his fishing trip. Fish and game officers searched for Schuh later that evening and spotted his boat and lifejacket.

Officers found Schuhs body submerged under 8 feet of water  15 feet offshore  the following morning.

Read more: Dana Pullman sentenced to prison in state police union kickback case

An investigation revealed that Schuh was not wearing a life jacket, officials said. New Hampshire Fish and Game are still investigating Schuhs drowning.
SPRINGFIELD  The Indian Orchard Citizens Council said it is one of the local organizations that plan to utilize the former Oak Street fire station as a community center.

City Councilor Zaida Govan, who is also the president of the citizens council, said once the renovation project is completed, computer classes, after-school programs, services for youth and older adults and office space will be offered in the building.

Were hoping that the community will come forward and give us some ideas of some other activities they might want, Govan said. Were going to be listening to the community to see what they want to see in there.

The announcement was made on the citizens councils Facebook page.

Grow Indian Orchard  which includes the citizens council, Wellspring Cooperative, Community Survival Center, Greater New Life Community Center, Orchard Covenant Church and the Indian Orchard Branch of the Springfield Library  will manage the building, and the city will own it.

I feel that this community effort is really going to be a gem in Indian Orchard, Govan said of the proposed community center.

Since 1897, the 7,344-square-foot fire station has sat on the corner at Oak and Berkshire streets. It has not been in use for over a decade.

According to a April 2014 report on Springfield fire stations, the property has been used for storage for several years.

Additionally, the report states that the Massachusetts Historical Commission classified the building as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The city has attempted to sell the property multiple times, The Republican previously reported.

A billing assessment determined the redevelopment of the property will cost between $4 and $5 million and take approximately 18 to 24 months to complete, according to Brian Connors, the deputy director for Springfields Economic Development Office.

To date, over $1.5 million of the funds the city received through the American Rescue Plan Act have gone towards the project, along with a $250,000 Community Preservation Act grant.

Residents of the neighborhood, such as Sandy Diaz, believe a community center would be beneficial.

It could make a positive impact on the community, Diaz said. Theres not really a lot here, so I feel like if they do offer something like that, it can be a potential success.
Giveaway App is pleased to announce its participation in the Africas biggest tech show, GITEX Africa 2023 at Marrakech, Morocco.

As a significant part of the digital revolution, Giveaway App (https://GiveawayApp.io/) believes in the interconnected power of business, innovation, and technology. The company has recently launched its Fintech app for Payment solutions.

With this all and a lot more, Giveaway App (https://GiveawayApp.io/) is feeling honored to join in big tech players appearing at GITEX AFRICA (https://www.GITEXAfrica.com/) One Africa Digital Summit in coming weeks.

GITEX is one of the most significant community events that bring the leading brands, next-gen innovators, global startups, investors, and founders under one roof. GITEX AFRICA (https://www.GITEXAfrica.com/), the continents largest all-inclusive tech event, will connect tech titans, governments, SMEs, start-ups, coders, investors and academia, to accelerate, collaborate and explore new ventures.

A curation of emerging technologies from fintech, e-commerce, cloud, IoT, AI, telecom to cybersecurity will be heavily featured during the three-day annual pan-African forum in Marrakech, Morocco.

Unleashing the limitless possibilities of the globes youngest continent, the event will shape the vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and tech-driven digital economy.

GITEX AFRICA (https://www.GITEXAfrica.com/) will amplify the continents digital aspirations and achievements powered by tech savvy youth, corporates and ambitious governments.

Abraham Otitibe, CEO of Giveaway App (https://GiveawayApp.io/), said We strive for financial inclusion for everyone.

Taking part in the global technology platform ecosystem is something we eagerly anticipate, he expressed further on the topic.

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Twice in April, Wyoming angler Patrick Edwards set two new state fishing records.

On April 2 the Riverton man broke the state record for longnose sucker when he caught a 3-pound, 15.6-ounce fish. The old record was set in 2022 by Christopher Bobo of Casper at 2 pounds, 11.3 ounces. It marked the third consecutive year the longnose sucker record was broken.

Then on April 17, Edwards broke his own state record for white sucker with a 6-pound, 8.45-ounce fish. His old record from March 2020 was 5 pounds, 6.45 ounces.

Living in Wyoming my whole life and being an avid angler, I never thought I would have one state record  let alone two, Edwards said.

Both record fish were caught along the same stretch of the Wind River. Edwards said he used a pickerel rig, which consists of a slip sinker, hook, another section of line and another hook. Each hook was baited with a piece of worm.

Edwards didnt know right away his longnose sucker was a record because he wasnt sure what he caught. He knew it wasnt a white sucker. He took pictures of the fish and sent them to some people he knew. They confirmed it was a longnose sucker  and a big one.

Edwards went to the Wyoming Game and Fish Departments website and looked up the state record for longnose sucker, and knew his fish was bigger. That was confirmed after it was weighed on a registered scale at a post office in Riverton.

The white sucker record may also tie a world record. According to the International Game Fish Association, the world record white sucker of 6.8 pounds was caught out of the Rainy River in Minnesota in 1984. Edwards said his fish is still being considered by the IGFA for its record books.

The only world-record fish Wyoming boasts is the golden trout when C.S. Reed of Omaha, Nebraska, landed an 11-pound, 4-ounce fish from Cook Lake in Sublette County in 1948.

Catching a state-record fish of any species is quite an accomplishment, but to break two state records is incredible, said Alan Osterland, Game and Fish chief of fisheries.

Rules for submitting a state-record fish and lists of the current Wyoming fish records can be found online.
As the chief executive of our great state, Governor Greg Gianforte is responsible for supporting Montanas economy and standing up for our small businesses. Many of the strategies to achieve these goals are no-brainers. Others are genuinely nuanced decisions. One such decision is now on his desk  a ban on TikTok for all Montanans. As a small business owner, I know more than most the significant harms that would befall our state and its people should this ban become law. To effectively safeguard Montanas economy, jobs, and businesses, Governor Gianforte MUST VETO the TikTok ban legislation.

On April 14, the Montana state Legislature passed SB 419. The bill unilaterally restricts any app stores from offering TikTok to Montana users. Our elected officials have not only failed to prove TikTok is a threat to Montanans digital safety, but the bill theyve authored overlooks the harm a blanket TikTok ban would incur on our state's small businesses, jobs, and the overall economy.

TikTok has been a game-changer for countless Montana small business owners like me. As a licenced REALTOR, I often use TikTok for my business to help increase sales, expand customer base, and conduct outreach for market trends through TikTok, I have reached an audience that I may never have been able to get otherwise, many of whom have become my most loyal clients. When the pandemic impacted my business, TikTok gave me a new avenue to connect with people. Post-pandemic, TikTok has continued to help both new and existing Montana businesses succeed.

TikTok remains especially crucial to reach rural areas of our state, where traditional marketing is expensive to set up and not always as effective. The long-term implications of this ban are devastating. Without this direct line of communication with customers, sales will likely slump. Small businesses like mine cannot afford this kind of decrease in revenue and subsequent strain on operations, and its possible wed be forced to lay off employees as a result.

Concern over this ban should not be limited to just small business owners. As Montanans, we should all be concerned with the government infringing on our personal freedoms. Banning TikTok for every user in our state is a big government move that violates our First Amendment rights. Limiting our free speech will contradict the very values that make us Montanans  and Americans.

If the goal is to protect Montanans data security, our legislature should instead consider laws meaningfully addressing how companies handle data. Banning a single social media platform while allowing other Big Tech companies to operate without oversight is simply not a solution.

Governor Gianforte has a crucial decision to make. He can stand up for Montana's small businesses, workers, and our freedom by vetoing the TikTok ban. I urge him to take it from me, a real Montanan and small business owner  a ban will hurt Montana. We cannot let this legislation override the livelihood of our small businesses and economy.
State lawmakers passed "historic" legislation during the 2023 session, but much of the progress was overshadowed by extensive debate on culture war issues including books bans and gender identity, Gov. Doug Burgum believes.

The amount of time that ... spent on some of that stuff, youd think it was the only thing happening in our state, he said. I talk to real people, creating real jobs, building real companies and hiring people, and some of the things the Legislature is focused on is not what the citizens are focused on.

Burgum during a Tuesday meeting with the Tribune Editorial Board noted that he had laid out his top concerns -- among them workforce development, income tax reform, child care assistance and state worker pension reform -- in his budget address last December and in his State of the State address in January. But action focused on those issues all showed up in the last 48 hours of the four-month session, he said.

Its a missed opportunity, Burgum said. When you spend all the time, all the press, all the messaging around (culture war issues), then people miss out.

"Some of these culture wars, there were 22 bills just on one topic," he said, adding that the issues are "not an epidemic" in North Dakota.

Burgum cites numerous successes resulting from the session that ended in late April, including more than half a billion dollars in tax relief; large investments in child care, education, workforce and infrastructure; reductions in red tape; state worker pension reform; support for law enforcement and the military; money for a new women's prison in Mandan, and a strengthening of the state's animal agriculture industry.

The Legislature also passed culture war bills revising the states near total ban on abortion; targeted sexual content in public libraries, with some lawmakers advocating for making librarians subject to criminal charges; and showed an elevated interest in gender identity issues, a trend nationwide in conservative statehouses.

Burgum signed the abortion bill as well as legislation to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender minors and to restrict transgender females participation in sports. The governor in March vetoed a bill that would have placed constraints on the treatment of transgender K-12 students, but in May he signed another bill that incorporated some of the elements from the first bill.

Burgum signed a bill to remove or relocate explicit sexual material from public libraries childrens collections, and vetoed a more wide-ranging book ban bill that included potential criminal penalties for librarians.

Burgum drew criticism for some of the bills he signed. He said with a Republican supermajority in the Legislature increasing the odds of veto override votes, he had to "pick his spots" on vetoes.

We try to think about it not through a political lens, the governor said. We try to think about it through a policy lens, and a policy in terms of whats the right thing for all of North Dakota.

He also said, "In today's world -- I think we got quite accustomed during COVID -- that whatever decision we made there was going to be some group that was not happy."

Burgum acknowledged that not everyone views culture war topics in a negative light.

"The majority of North Dakotans are wondering why the Legislature spent that much time on some of these topics, and there's another set of people that these are super-important topics to them, even if they don't currently exist in North Dakota," he said. "I think that's the times that we're living in."

Socially conservative legislators said the bills were necessary to protect the unborn and children, to uphold biological truths and the integrity of women's sports, to protect female students in bathrooms, and to deal with issues that are being debated nationally.

Critics of some of the laws said they illegally discriminate, are unnecessary, reduce freedoms and are harmful to already vulnerable transgender youth.

Burgum future

Burgum drew attention during the session with a March trip to Iowa, home of an early caucus that's considered a critical part of the presidential nominating process. The trip included a meet-and-greet event with him, fueling speculation about a presidential bid.

Burgum said the 48-hour weekend trip included about a dozen events and was an opportunity to gather ideas including on the topic of value-added agriculture.

He did not specifically address a potential White House bid when asked by the Editorial Board, but he did not rule one out, either. He said any decisions about his political future are likely a month away. His second four-year term as governor ends next year.

We havent made any decisions about 2024, Burgum said. Weve been focused on doing the job that were in right now which is for the citizens of North Dakota.

He went on to say, "I'm pretty energized about the work we're doing, and I feel like we got historic wins that we achieved. But I also feel like we've got a set of, right now anyway, we're also focusing on what were the missed opportunities and where did we come up short."

Last bills

Burgum on Tuesday signed the last of the bills from the session. He had 15 business days to do so after the Legislature adjourned on April 30.

There were 932 bills introduced during the session; 590 made it to the governor's desk, and he signed 583 of them into law. He vetoed seven bills, and made three line-item vetoes in Senate Bill 2015, the budget for the Office of Management and Budget, which he otherwise approved.

That bill is generally the final piece of legislation passed by lawmakers before they leave the Capitol. It's sometimes referred to as a Christmas tree bill since ideas and spending that didnt fit elsewhere can be affixed to the bill like ornaments. But they're also subject to Burgum's red pen.

Burgum rejected lawmakers late push to use more Legacy Fund earnings for the 2023-25 state budget. He also vetoed a restriction on the spending authority of the Capital Grounds Planning Commission, and nixed a retroactive date for a property tax exemption for buildings and land belonging to certain nonprofit public charities.
In February 1793, in Chisholm v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court, fully mindful of the evolving political and legal tensions surrounding the nature of the nation-state relationship, rendered its first important decision on the scope of state authority.

Chisholm, a citizen of South Carolina, sued the state of Georgia for failure to pay him for goods delivered to the state. In short, Chisholm was trying to collect a debt. But the great cause in this suit, as Justice James Iredell characterized it, presented the critical issue of whether a state could be sued in federal court by citizens of another state. Georgia invoked sovereign immunity and denied the premise that the court had jurisdiction to hear the case.

Edmund Randolph, the attorney general of the United States and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, argued the case on behalf of Chisholm. It was common at that point in our history for the attorney general to represent private clients to compensate for the low salary of the office. Randolph argued that the court had jurisdiction to hear the case by virtue of Article III of the Constitution, which extended the judicial power to cases and controversies between a State and citizens of another State.

More than one Antifederalist had noticed the phrase in Article III and suspected that it might be used to subvert state sovereignty. Did that clause, in fact, mean that a citizen of one state could sue another state in federal court? The language certainly suggested it, but some of the Constitutions defenders sought to soothe the fear and denied that states might be hauled into federal court under this provision, for the sovereign is not subject to suit.

Randolph was in a good position to know the meaning of the clause.

In the Convention, he was a key member of the Committee of Detail, which drafted most of Article III. He was joined on the committee by James Wilson who, appointed to the original Supreme Court by President George Washington, wrote the major opinion in Chisholm.

Justice Wilson, second in importance to James Madison as an architect of the Constitution and nicknamed the professor because of his deep learning and knowledge of our legal system, appealed to nationalist principles in upholding the courts jurisdiction to hear the case.

Wilson began with the principle that the people of the United States form a nation, making ridiculous the haughty notions of state independence, state sovereignty and state supremacy. He wrote: As to the purposes of the Union, therefore, Georgia is not a sovereign state. Wilsons opinion in Chisholm remains a powerful justification of both the courts decision and the United States as nation and not merely a league of sovereign states.

Wilsons repudiation of the claim of state immunity was grounded in language as strong as that later used by Justice John Marshall. Sovereignty, he stated, is not to be found in the states, but in the people. The Constitution was created by the People of the United States, who did not surrender any sovereign power to the states.

A state, he wrote, is a body of free persons united together for their common benefit. Wilson declared that if a free individual is amenable to the courts, the same should be true of the state. If a dishonest state willfully refuses to perform a contract, should it be permitted to insult justice by being permitted to declare, I am a sovereign state?

Justice Wilson concluded that that the American people had established a nation for national purposes. They never intended to exempt states from national jurisdiction. Instead, they expressly provided in Article III, in clear language and with precise accuracy that the judicial power extends to controversies between a state and citizens of another state.

Chisholms victory the ability to sue a state to recover a debt -- was a victory for many citizens at the time since states had been playing fast and loose in fiscal matters for years. But the doctrine placed states in jeopardy since, if enforced, it might expose them to harassment by a swarm of creditors.

The Supreme Court had very clearly acknowledged that they were being asked to make their first great question about the nature of the union, and had directly stated, as Justice Wilson declared, for purposes of the Union, Georgia is not a sovereign state. The answer certainly was correct, if the union was to have meaning, but 1793 probably was too soon to state it so boldly.

A storm of controversy, formed by all sides, engulfed the court, and its decision. A constitutional amendment  the 11th Amendment  denying that states were suable in federal courts was proposed and ratified in 1798.

The courts ruling in Chisholm opened a window into the dilemma that the judiciary faces when it renders an opinion which, while firmly grounded in the text of the Constitution and the aims of its drafters, faces enormous resistance across the nation. It may be said that the court fulfilled its duty to say what the law is, leaving to the citizenry the opportunity to exercise its right to amend the Constitution to reflect new and changing circumstances.
This column mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

I recently saw someone comment on social media that the current bias against transgender people is a modern iteration of the Jewish question. The comment stuck with me.

The Jewish question refers to the extensive, prolonged, and painful debate in Europe regarding the status of Jews. This debate began in the 18th century and culminated in the 20th-century Holocaust, also referred to by Nazis as the Final Solution to the Jewish Question.

Ive attended Holocaust remembrance events in our state where community leaders say, never again. The thing is, were not supposed to apply those words narrowly. Never again should mean we wont tolerate severe marginalization, persecution, scapegoating, dehumanization, and genocide of any group of people. And yet, our state legislature marginalizes, persecutes, scapegoats, and dehumanizes transgender North Dakotans and their families.

The cruelty of the anti-LGBTQ+ (and particularly anti-trans) legislation seen from the chambers of our states recent 2023 legislative session was horrendous. Further, the cynical fear-mongering around LGBTQ+ topics displayed by too many legislators was shameful.

The legislative assaults on transgender youth and their families during our legislative session were especially appalling. The fact that hormone-regulating medications for trans youth were made illegal has some families planning to leave the state to seek a home where trans people have liberty to exist. Of course, many of North Dakotas trans youth wont be able to relocate. These youth are in danger of experiencing not only escalating bullying and hate crimes, but also serious mental health crises.

In analyzing the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System surveys of North Dakotans, suicide prevention advocate Faye Seidler reports that 74.7% of transgender North Dakotan middle school students had seriously considered suicide at some point. Additionally, 53.2% of transgender North Dakotan high school students had seriously considered suicide in the 12 months prior to the survey. Now that our trans youth have no access to hormone-regulating health care, we can be certain that these rates  and attempted and completed suicide rates  will go up. And even though some anti-trans legislation didnt succeed, the ugliness of the debates surrounding such bills were devastating. Our trans youth are already in a state of emergency, and the emergency is reaching catastrophe.

A particularly baffling aspect of the extensive anti-trans legislation brought forth by our representatives and senators is how misaligned it is with the small government ethos claimed by so many North Dakotans. Criminalizing doctors providing professional health care and driving young families out of the state are as big government as it gets.

Some readers are surely feeling the gut-punch of our legislature's latest assaults on human rights; I know I am. We must acknowledge that severe harms to social groups encroach gradually; things will likely get worse. Hungarian Holocaust survivor Renee Firestone has shared the following: Things didnt happen at once. Things happened very slowly. So each time a new law came out, or a restriction, we said, Well, just another thing; itll blow over. It didnt blow over.

To get started supporting trans youth and other LGBTQ+ North Dakotans, I recommend following Faye Seidlers work through fb.com/FayeSeidler or FayeSeidlerConsulting.com. And if youre a parent to a struggling kid who identifies as LGBTQ+, its understandable if youre not sure whats best. Please seek a qualified therapist who can help your kid be safe.
by Barbara Lippert , May 8, 2023



Photograph by David Russell/HBO

This weeks episode opens with Tom warbling Rasmussen! Its election eve and guess what Father Sexmas has brought you? Hot polling!

(Rasmussen is the real-world right-wing polling company that this weekend showed Trump ahead of Biden.)

Good husband Tom has brought Shiv breakfast in her home office. He got the tray from the caterer, part of a crew that has descended on their apartment for the Tailgate Party, an ATV pre-Presidential election-night fixture that Logan had always hosted in his townhouse.

Now the party has moved to Shiv and Toms apartment, a gorgeous, if somewhat generic, modern downtown triplex with several terraces.

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When last we checked on Mr. and Mrs. Bitey, they were reuniting.

And from the looks of their latest post-hot-sex texts, it feels so good.

Which makes the prezzie that Tom offers along with brekkie a head-scratcher.

As she opens the Cartier-like box, Shivs perhaps expecting a watch.

Instead, she finds a glass paperweight with a scorpion inside.

Huh? Passive aggressive, Tom? It suggests that fable about the scorpion promising the frog not to bite him if hell carry him across the river. Half-way, the scorpion indeed stings the frog, and as the frog dies, the scorpion explains It is my nature.

As a marriage metaphor, its heavy-handed. Tom claims its a joke. I love you, honey, but you kill me, and I kill you.

But it does explain the nature of what becomes of their cocktail bash, a.k.a The Night of 1,000 Stingers.

This shindig is ostensibly about gathering the top political kingmakers in a room to be nonpartisan and convivial as they crown the next President.

But betrayal is the Roy nature. The center does not hold. And these are desperate, mostly despicable, people, forced to drink terrible wine.

By the end, ironically, Willa and Connor are the only couple left standing. And their mutual support is fun and endearing in an otherwise devastating, pitch-dark episode.

From the beginning, Connor busts out some comic lines. At the sibs early-morning meeting, he says he wants Logans funeral to be a tight-90. When talk turns to polling, he says In Alaska, Im exploding.

But at the party, a manic Roman tries to strong-arm Connor into dropping out and sending his once laughable Conhead army to the now-down-in-the-polls proto-Nazi Jared Mencken, in return for an ambassadorship.

The first offer is Mogadishu, but Connor thinks its too car-bomby.

Earlier, a mob-bossy Kendall had met with his ex-wife Rava and heard that their daughter Sophie no longer wants to go to school. Shes had a racially tinged experience on the street and her classmates have started an anti-ATN thing.

Rava just wants Ken to call his daughter. But knowing hes a shitty parent, Kendall gets grandiose, screaming Six continents! Im breaking my back and its all for them! To make the world safe!

Hes bonkers, but I like that the writers are showing some real-world consequences from Fox News-style propaganda.

Lets get back to co-host Pinky, who is still playing the dangerous role of double agent. She orders Mattson to attend. (He didnt want to be part of an AOL-era...putrid stuffed mushrooms thing.) But after a post-Living+ bump, the Waystar stock is back in a trough, and she knows the boys plan to go regulatory to try to kill the deal. She wants Mattson to mix with the important folks wholl be there.

In one of the best-written moments, Kendall has just welcomed the guests, made a moderately charming speech, and asked for a moment of silence in memory of his dad. Thats when the Swedes burst in.

Mattson is not good; he really seems Musked up. For starters, hes wearing a hideous gold fur bomber jacket, like an out-of-work oligarch. Hes out of his element and acting like a jerk-off coder from Gothenburg.

To her family, Shiv feigns that shes shocked by Mattsons arrival, but agrees to baby-sit him. He later tells her something insightful: He thought these people would be sophisticated, but theyre only interested in gossip and money.

And what with the vaping and imbibing, he and his sidekick Oskar start publicly humiliating Ebba, the harassed head of comms to whom Mattson had previously sent his blood. Mattson tells Greg (who proudly fired one hundred ATV people in a single bound) to fire Ebba. They all scream Ebba! -- like Marlon Brando screaming Stella!-- as she retreats to a terrace.

The dumpster brothers have heard what happened and had earlier gotten some oppo on the blood situation, so they simulate humanity and go out to soothe her. Ebba ends up delivering the goods, saying that Mattson is not even a real coder -- he just got stuff in a box and sold it -- and also spills that his numbers in India are inflated.

Shiv calls him out, and Mattson admits that hed need two Indias to make those numbers true. So this is why hes so hot on the deal -- hes buying cover and time so he can conceal this subscription numbers scandal.

But lets get to the ticking time bomb of the ep, the unconscious uncoupling of Shiv and Tom. Even before the party started, Tom had complained that he was tired. But with his sandpaper eyes, he managed to see that Shiv, while dancing with Mattson all night, was betraying him. Id already labeled their domestic cruelty an act out of Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and thats exactly what Jesse Armstrong, writer and showrunner, called it in a post-show video.

This balcony scene, a reverse Romeo and Juliet, was almost six minutes of an exquisitely acted gut-punch. Both Shiv and Tom seem to realize that this time, theyve backed the wrong horse in work and love, so whats left? Each said terrible things about the other, and sadly, both were right. Tom really went for the solar plexus when he said that Shiv was cruel and would not make a good mother.

If I may digress for a minute: I understand shes in denial, but Shivs pregnancy storyline bothers me, especially in this political climate. There was even a fakeout of Shiv falling down stairs. Plus, the idea that Tom would not know shes almost 20 weeks pregnant amid all their recent intimacy is ridiculous.

Still, he said things like you refused to have my baby.

So what started out as a passive-aggressive joke on his part has become the terrible truth. They are both scorpions, thinking theyre frogs.

Naturally, in the end, with the India info, Kendall sees an opening for himself. He pulls Karl into a room to discuss going reverse Viking: Waystar buying GoJo. When Karl asks about his siblings, Ken says, One head, one crown.

One head, one crown, one big nervous breakdown.

See you at the funeral.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 9, 2023

Attorneys for former president Donald Trump are pressing an appellate court to revive his lawsuit accusing Twitter of violating the First Amendment by banning him after the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

In papers filed late last week, Trump's lawyers argue that recent revelations about Twitter's content moderation efforts support the inference that the company served as a censorship proxy for the government.

The new papers rely heavily on the so-called Twitter Files -- formerly confidential material about editorial moves that occurred before CEO Elon Musk took over last year. Musk made that material available to freelance journalists who reported on some of those editorial decisions, including the brief suppression of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop.

Trump's lawyers argue to the appellate court that the Twitter Files support the claim that Twitter entered into a covert collaboration with the government to censor disfavored viewpoints and silence speakers who departed from the party narrative.

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The former president's papers mark the latest development in a legal battle dating to July of 2021, when Trump and other conservatives sued Twitter allegedly violating the First Amendment by blocking him from their platforms. (Twitter subsequently reinstated Trump, but he has yet to resume using the platform.)

U.S. District Court Judge James Donato in the Northern District of California threw out the lawsuit against Twitter in May, ruling that the First Amendment prohibits the government -- but not private companies like Twitter -- from engaging in censorship.

Trump then appealed that ruling to the 9th Circuit, arguing that Twitter was effectively acting as an arm of the government when it banned him from the platform.

Powerful Democratic legislators threatened to use their official authority to impose Draconian legal consequences against defendants and other social media companies if they did not censor disfavored speakers and speech, Trump's lawyers argued to the appellate court in their initial round of papers.

Trump's counsel pointed to several examples of elected officials either calling for Trump to be banned from social media, or calling for changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act -- the law that protects platforms from liability over users' speech. For instance, Trump's lawyers point to a statement made by Vice President Kamala Harris in October of 2019 (when she was still a Senator), calling for Trump's Twitter account to be suspended, and to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California)'s warning that tech companies' legal protections could be in jeopardy, unless they acted with more responsibility.

Twitter countered that Trump's appeal should be rejected for several reasons, including that his lawsuit is moot because his account was reinstated.

The company also urged the 9th Circuit to reject claims that the ban was due to pressure by the government.

Mere attempts by public officials to persuade private actors cannot amount to coercion, Twitter argued. Individual legislators, however powerful, cannot single-handedly amend or repeal Section 230 or any other law.

But Trump's lawyers argue in their new filing that the Twitter Files point to an unlawful government-Twitter partnership.

Motivated by fear of losing its Section 230 immunity and under pressure from federal officials and law enforcement, Twitter entered into a covert collaboration with the government to censor disfavored viewpoints and silence speakers who departed from the party narrative, Trump's lawyers contend.

Trump was also banned by Facebook and YouTube after January 6, and sued those companies as well. Those matters are currently stayed, pending an appellate ruling in the lawsuit against Twitter.

The 9th Circuit is expected to hear arguments later this year in San Francisco.
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, May 10, 2023

MyersBizNet, publisher of The Myers Report and MediaVillage.com, this morning announced it is converting MediaVillage to a nonprofit (501[C][3]) foundation and will focus the digital publishing platform on being a free resource for content aimed at the "next-generation" of talent for the ad-supported media industry.

"We've always been purpose-led," Founder Jack Myers stated in an announcement published in one of MediaVillage's newsletters this morning, adding: "Since our inception as The Myers Report in the 1980s, we've invested in professional development resources to prepare our industry for technological and generational change. As a non-profit, our investment in the next generation of leaders is more clearly defined."

Last month, Media Village announced the launch of a new self-publishing platform aimed at giving a voice to "new thought leaders" in the ad industry.

The site already boasts hosting more than 80 educational sites hosted by media companies, agencies, and trade associations.


by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, May 10, 2023

Havas Group, part of Vivendi, posted a 4.4% net revenue gain in the first quarter to 588 million euros (about $646 million), while organic net revenue growth (which excludes currency and M&A impact) slowed to 1.9%.

Like other ad holding companies, Havas cited last years COVID-rebounding double-digit growth in the first quarter to explain its slower growth this year.

The Groups North America region posted a 0.3% organic decline due to project delays that the firm said were expected to get going in the second half of 2023.

advertisement advertisement Growth in Asia-Pacific was 4% while Latin America gained 27.3%.

The Group added two acquisitions in the quarter, including HRZN, a German agency specializing in social media and content, and Noise Digital, a media performance and data analytics agency based in Vancouver.

Havas also entered a strategic partnership in the US with Trinity Life Sciences in which Havas Health & You took a minority stake in Trinity.

Account wins for the first four months of the year include Santander in Brazil, BMW in China and the Danone creative global win.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, May 10, 2023

Google kicked off its I/O developer conference Wednesday with a slew of announcements related to artificial intelligence (AI).

"We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," said Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's and Googles CEO, at the start of the conference.

At the Google I/O developer conference, the company announced a new integrated search-results page, with an AI snapshot to provide the important details.

The new generative AI capabilities that make search and shopping smarter and simpler on Bard integrate ranking and safety systems that Google developers have fine-tuned for decades, the company said.

Search is supercharged -- meaning that users will never need to restart a search to get additional answers. In this presentation the company did not discuss advertising or how brands will generate revenue from change, as it focused on how developers will use generative AI.

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Under the snapshot of search information, users will have the ability to ask more questions in a conversational mode. Not just for commercial search, but enterprise search.

Its not only an enabler, but a big product shift, Pichai said.

Google also launched PaLM 2, its newest large language model (LLM). It will power Googles updated Bard chat tool, the companys competitor to OpenAIs ChatGPT.

PaLM 2 will function as the foundation model for most of the new AI features the company is announcing today. PaLM 2 is available to developers through Googles PaLM API, Firebase and on Colab.

Integration of its Bard AI into Maps, Gmail and Search are some of the announcements made today. Bard is now available in 180 countries and territories. English. Japanese and Korean are available today.

The announcement of a partnership with Adobe integrates AI image generation into Bard. Users can describe an image to Bard. Firefly then takes the input to create an image in the Google Bard platform.

Creators will have the ability to edit generated images in Bard through Adobe Express.

A partnership with Salesforce was also announced.

Google Maps will get an Immersive View for Routes feature in select cities. The feature brings all of the information that a user may need into one place like details about traffic simulations, bike lanes, complex intersections, parking and more.

Immersive View for Routes will begin to roll out for Android and iOS in the coming months in 15 cities, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo and Venice.
This is part 2 of a series. The first part is 1974 .

Progress is sometimes hard to see, especially when you have been part of it or otherwise lived through it. Often, it is easier to see if you compare modern educational material, and the problems discussed with older material. And then look for the research papers and sources that fueled the change.

In Linux (and Unix in general), this is easy.

The original Unix filesystem was doing well, but also had a large number of obvious problems. BSD Unix undertook an effort to fix them, and this is documented in the book The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System  by Leffler, McKusick et. al.

A more concise, but also more academic discussion can be found in the classic 1984 paper A Fast File System for UNIX , which lists Marshall McKusick, Bill Joy (then at Sun), Samuel Leffler (then at LucasFilm) and Robert Fabry as authors. The paper promises a reimplementation of the Unix filesystem for higher throughput, better allocation and better locality of reference.

It is 1984. The computers targeted by 4.3BSD are desktop and cabinet workstations. These are machines with 32-bit data registers and 32-bit address registers.

External data and address bus sizes vary: Earlier 68k CPUs had smaller sized buses, but in 1984 the Motorola 68020 debuted. It was the first 68k to offer buses with the full width of 32 bits, at a budget of ca. 200k transistors on the die. Later the 68030 integrated the MMU, previously a separate chip, and the 68040 also integrated the FPU, again previously a separate chip.

Early Sun workstations, the Sun-3 series, feature these CPUs. But Sun took the designs from the experimental Berkeley RISC systems and released the Sun-4 series in 1986 with SPARC architecture RISC chips. SPARC architecture is not without compromises, but was very viable and saw continuous development until after the purchase of Sun by Oracle, which then killed both the SPARC, and later also the Itanium CPU architecture.

Curt Schimmel discusses the tradeoffs made by SPARC in the MMU, register and memory access design, and why they made sense. See UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures .

In between, in 1985, the MIPS architecture debuted, which is another series of RISC CPU architectures. It also starts out as a fully 32-bit type of system, and found use in SGI workstations.

HP had another RISC-type of CPU, the PA-RISC, an outgrowth of their Spectrum research programme, coming to market in 1986 (and later replaced by Intels failed Itanium).

Systems pioneer DEC themselves had the VAX, a 32-bit cabinet computer with a CISC CPU, and that since 1977 already. They would not go RISC until 1992, but then fully 64-bit with the Alpha AXP (DEC Alpha) architecture. While interesting, this did not last long: with the sale to Compaq in 1998, the CPU was discontinued, and the IP was sold to Intel in 2001.

In general, workstation type systems in 1984 had main memory in the low two-digit MB range, and ran at clock speeds of two-digit MHz system clocks.

The 32-bit VAX systems were being used for typical 1980s workstation work, which include things such as image processing or VLSI chip design. On these systems, the original Unix filesystem showed structural problems in keeping up with file size, I/O speed, and simple number of files. Also, the tiny 512-byte I/O size slowed disk subsystem performance considerably.

The paper mentions the strict segregation of filesystem metadata at the front of the file system from the actual data in the back part of the filesystem.

A 150 MB traditional UNIX file system consists of 4 megabytes of inodes followed by 146 megabytes of data. This organization segregates the inode information from the data; thus accessing a file normally incurs a long seek from the files inode to its data. Files in a single directory are not typically allocated consecutive slots in the 4 megabytes of inodes, causing many non-consecutive blocks of inodes to be accessed when executing operations on the inodes of several files in a directory.

This defines one major goal for BSD FFS: Better filesystem layout, bringing metadata and data closer together, storing files in a single directory closer together, and preventing fragmentation of a file into small fragments that can be loaded only inefficiently.

Fragmentation: Initially, four files are being created, each using 2 blocks. Then the files B and D are being deleted. The free space is then being reclaimed by the three-block-sized file E, which is stored in non-adjacent blocks. This causes small disk seeks, and slow I/O.

Another goal stated is to increase disk block size. Larger disk blocks benefit throughput in two ways:

Larger disk blocks provide larger units of I/O, so more data is transferred in a single I/O operation.

Larger disk blocks also allow the filesystem to store more file pointers in an indirect block, greatly reducing the number of indirect block accesses. This is primarily a problem if indirect blocks are not cached in a file system buffer cache.

The paper quotes the throughput of an already marginally optimized, traditional Unix filesystem at around 4% of the theoretical maximum, which is abysmally bad. This is mainly attributed to fragmentation, non-contiguous storage of adjacent blocks in a file. Defragmentation, already suggested in 1976, was discarded as a non-viable idea. The authors instead aim for a solution that places files sensibly in the first place.

The BSD FFS understands the physical layout of a harddisk, with cylinders, heads and sectors (CHS). It divides the disk into cylinder groups, adjacent tracks of all disk heads.

As the disk rotates, various disk heads reach inside the platter stack like a comb. Each head marks a track on the disk, which is subdivided into physical disk blocks by the controller hardware. Together, all tracks marked by all heads form a cylinder. A cylinder group is a set of consecutive cylinders. (Image: OSTEP , page 3)

Each cylinder group becomes a mini-version of a traditional Unix filesystem, with a copy of the superblock, its own local inode area, and local inode and block usage bitmaps. The usage of bitmaps is also novel, as they replace the free lists used in the traditional filesystem. As the filesystem has information about the CHS layout, it also makes sure that the superblock is not always placed on the same platter for each copy, trying to make the filesystem better redundant against harddisk failure.

Excursion: Raid and other Efforts at Berkeley The RAID paper was published only several years later, but according to Katz was developed also in Berkeley, during the same time frame, 1983/1984. Katz also mentions that during that time Stonebraker was around, working on Ingres (a Postgres predecessor), and refers to his demands for low-commit latency as driving the attempts on improving disk bandwidth with FFS and, later, RAID. Serious work on the RAID taxonomy we know today did not begin before 1987, though. The RAID paper was used by many startups and storage companies as the foundation of their development, among them NetApp, and EMC (via Data Generals Clariion Disk Array)

BSD FFS not only understood CHS geometry of disks, but also processor speed and disk rotational speed. This allowed it to configure and record in the superblock an interleave factor to optimize disk I/O throughput.

The harddisk rotates continuously, but the CPU needs time to set up the next transfer. During this time the head may have moved already past the next block start boundary, and now the system would need to wait one full rotation to be able to write. Using an appropriate interleave factor, blocks of adjacent numbers are not stored adjacently on disk, but instead other blocks are interleaved in-between. This gives the CPU enough time to think and set up the next block transfer.

The faster the CPU, the lower the interleave factor required.

All of these optimizations became irrelevant relatively quickly the moment harddrives were sold with integrated controllers, started to lie about their CHS geometry and ultimately as linear block addresses (LBA) took over. But for ten to 15 years, this provided a nice performance advantage.

Internally, FFS uses logical blocks of at least 4 KB size. Anything with at least 4 KB block size can create files of 4 GB size with at most two levels of indirection.

Large blocks make for faster I/O, but they also come with storage overhead, as files grow in sizes of blocks. Since logical blocks in FFS are made up from multiple physical blocks, FFS introduces the concept of fragments to expose the smaller internal physical blocks. Through tail packing, the ends of multiple files can be stored together in the same logical block, using only as many physical blocks as necessary.

Additional logic was necessary to prevent a slowly growing file from going through phases of fragment-by-fragment growth and constant re-layouting. To overcome this, space is being pre-allocated to full logical blocks, and tail packing only happens on file close when the preallocation is canceled.

BSD FFS introduces a number of layout policies that control the placement of new directories, new files and the handling of large files. Global policies are mostly concerned with choosing a well-suited cylinder group to place data in, while local policies then handle the placement inside a cylinder group.

The new filesystem layout has cylinder groups. Each has their own inode table, and free space bitmaps for inodes and blocks. The filesystem aims to prevent fragmentation.

This is of course impossible in certain circumstances: If, for example, a cylinder group is 512 MB in size, and a file larger than 512 MB is to be written, it will use up one inode in that cylinder group, but all available free blocks are gone. If a second file is to be placed into this cylinder group, the inode can be used, but the data blocks for that file need to be placed somewhere else  which is undesirable.

It would be better to force a long seek, a switch from one cylinder group to the next, for large files. The filesystem would profit from forcing such a long seek every megabyte of filesize or so. This would use up free blocks from one cylinder group to the next, evenly, while at the same time leaving some number of free blocks for other files in each cylinder group.

This would, of course, fragment a file, on purpose, but also make sure the fragments are sufficiently large to allow large file I/O. Fragmentation (non-adjacent placement of blocks in a file) is only really a performance problem if the fragments are too small to be read efficiently.

Files in the same directory are often used together. It is useful to place all files in the same directory together in the same cylinder group.

Of course, when this is done, it is also necessary to put different directories into different cylinder groups, to ensure even use of the filesystem space available. That means a shell script such as

#! /usr/bin/bash for i in $( seq -w 1 10 ) do touch file $i mkdir dir $i done

will create ten files named fileXX , which will all be placed in the same cylinder group as the current directory.

It will also create ten subdirectories of the current directory named dirXX . Each of them will be placed in a different cylinder group, if possible. FFS will choose the cylinder group that has a greater than average number of free inodes, and the smallest number of directories already in it.

The actual choice of the inode in a cylinder group is next available, so pretty simple. But that is not a problem, because the whole cylinder group inode table fits into 8-16 blocks.

For placement of data blocks, a lot of effort is invested into finding rotationally optimal block, given the needed interleave factor for this machine.

BSD FFS requires some free space to be available in the filesystem at all times. Many of its algorithms degenerate to the performance of the traditional file system if the filesystem fills up more than 90%.

BSD FFS also removes several limits that came with the traditional filesystem.

For example, Inode numbers are now 32-bit numbers . This increases the number of files possible per filesystem from 64 K to 4 G.

The size of an inode has doubled: It is now forced to be 128 bytes in size (with 20 unused bytes) Also, disk block addresses are now 4 bytes. At 4 KB block size, this is sufficient to account for 4 G blocks, or a maximum of 16 TB filesystem size.

File length is recorded in a quad , allowing for more than 4 G individual filesize.

Inodes now contain 12 direct blocks, and three types of indirect blocks. At 4 KB block size, this is good for 1024 block addresses per indirect block, resulting in 12 + 1024 + 1024^2 + 1024^3 = 1074791436 blocks per file, or a maximum filesize just north of 4 TB.

Unix User-ID and Group-ID are still limited to a short, limiting the number of users and groups per system to 64 K.

Space has been preallocated for 8-byte timestamps, even if the time types in the inode are still limited to 4 bytes.

The traditional filesystem has directory slots of a fixed 16-byte length, with 2 bytes for the inode number and 14 bytes for the filename.

BSD FFS defined a more complex directory entry structure . A single entry contains a 4-byte inode number, a 2-byte record length and a 2-byte name length, and then the actual filename. Filenames are limited to 255 bytes for each pathname component, and directory entries are rounded up in length to the next 4-byte boundary.

Directories are still essentially a linked list, and searching for names in large directories is slow.

Searching for free space in directories is now more complicated: To create a new directory entry, we now need to search through the directory from the start, trying to find a gap in the current structure that is large enough for the name we are being asked to create. If none is found, the new name is appended at the end, growing the directory in size.

Free space in directories is never reclaimed through compaction, only eventually re-used if a new name happens to fit.

The traditional filesystem allowed a file to have multiple names, using the link() system call and the hardlink mechanism. Hardlinks are limited in number (a short , so 64 K names).

They can be lost accidentally, for example, by saving a hardlinked file with certain editors. If the editor does write a file as filename.new , then unlinks the old filename and moves the new file into place, the hardlinked nature of the file will be modified.

Hardlinks also reference the original inode of the file multiple times, so they cannot span filesystem boundaries.

BSD introduces a new filetype ( l , symlink), and places a replacement filename in the linked file, which determines the link target location. It can be an absolute or relative name (relative to the location of the symlink file).

This creates a soft or symbolic link. Trying to access a symlink will kick of a reinterpretation of the filename in namei() using the replacement filename, resulting in the attempted open() system call being deflected to the link target location.

Since the deflection happens in namei() , which can traverse filesystem boundaries, the new link type is not subject to the single filesystem limitation. It is also not counting towards any link count limits.

BSD introduces the rename() system call, which previously needed to be implemented as a library function using calls to unlink() and link() . Since this uses more than one system call, the operation is not atomic: It is subject to partial execution, and it is subject to malicious interferences, because it is a multistep process.

BSD also introduces the idea of filesystem usage quotas: These are soft and hard limits on the number of files and the amount of disk space that a user or a group can use.

In order to implement them in a useful way, the behavior of the filesystem had to be modified:

It is now a privileged operation to change the owner of a file away from oneself. Without that, it is possible to create a directory that is only accessible for oneself, and then gift all files in it to another user. The files would then count against that users quota.

Similarly, it is now no longer possible to change the group membership of files to just any group. Instead, only groups from the users group set can be used.

And finally, new directories and files inherit their group from their parent directory, not from a users primary group. That way, project directories would contain files counting against a projects quota, not a users primary group quota.

Advisory file locking is already introduced in 4.2BSD. For this, the new flock() syscall has been implemented.

Locks can be shared (read locks) or exclusive (write locks).

They always apply to the entire file, and not to byte ranges.

No deadlock detection is attempted.

They are tied to a file descriptor. So when a process dies, its file-handles are automatically closed, which also automatically releases all locks held. This is very robust, until dup() and fork() are coming into play.

Posix later tried to improve on this, introducing a second, completely different system of locks, using fcntl() . This is flawed in different ways, but can do byte-ranges, and it implements some rudimentary deadlock detection.

Kernels that implement both systems such as Linux now have two different, incompatible file locking implementations that do not know of each other.

This article discusses all of this some more, and has example programs.

The authors note the following advantages in their paper:

ls and ls -l are fast, because the inodes of the files in a single directory are within the same cylinder group. Hence, reading and listing a directory is very low on seeks, and on seek distance (except for subdirectories, which are guaranteed to be far away). They measure a 8x speedup for directories without subdirectories.

and are fast, because the inodes of the files in a single directory are within the same cylinder group. Hence, reading and listing a directory is very low on seeks, and on seek distance (except for subdirectories, which are guaranteed to be far away). They measure a 8x speedup for directories without subdirectories. Utilization of the theoretical maximal bandwidth increased from 3% in the traditional filesystem to 22% or even 47%, depending on the controller hardware used. The authors are very proud of the results because they have been achieved on an actual production system with real user production data being layouted, and not on a synthetic benchmark layout. Throughput is stable over the lifetime of the filesystem, as its file population changes.

This solves the main drivers for the improvements: Better throughput and a stable layout that does not degrade performance over time.

Additionally, a number of quality-of-life enhancements have been made, enabling more comfortable working in groups, and unlocking new functionality.

While Linux contains no BSD code, the ext2 filesystem is pretty much an implementation-blind rewrite of the BSD FFS for Linux, recreating the features as described in the literature without using any BSD code.

Both BSD FFS and Linux ext2 are still non-logging filesystems that require a filesystem check after a crash. They also cannot deal well with directories with many entries, and deal only slightly better with deep directory hierarchies. Additional changes are required to enable truly large filesystems in order to keep up with increasing storage sizes.

Also, other limitations of more hidden nature still apply: Several places in the filesystem code are guarded by locks that make scaling certain operations hard on systems with high concurrency.

It would take another ten years, until 1994, for SGIs XFS to tackle these things.
by Colin Kirkland , May 10, 2023

Meta has announced that it is testing a new way to pay creators on Reels, giving them a cut of its ad revenue for the first time -- a move that more closely resembles YouTubes payout structure.

Meta began testing Ads on Facebook Reels last year and is now inviting thousands more creators and advertisers to join its updated tests -- including creators who participated in the companys Reels Play bonus program on Facebook, part of Metas $1 billion creator fund, which paused in March of this year.

In the coming weeks, Meta says it will begin testing a similar program on Instagram, but more evolved -- including a payout model that pays creators based on the performance of their public Reels, not the earning of ads on them.

advertisement advertisement

The performance-based program will pay creators a share of ad revenue based on a Reels total plays, not other variables outside of creators control, such as the amount of ads that have already been shown to their followers, or the relevancy of those ads.

Metas ad revenue grew to $43.2 billion in 2022, showing a $1 billion increase from the previous year.

By splitting ad revenue, the company is incentivizing creators and advertisers to focus purely on the content that is resonating with their audiences while allowing advertisers more ad inventory to reach larger audiences and providing users a more consistent and relevant viewing experience.

The new program follows the same kind of approach as YouTube in paying creators from a pool of Reels ad revenue, as opposed to monetizing based on the specific campaigns displayed.

In order to earn from Ads on Reels, Meta says that creators must complete an onboarding process, adding that all creators onboarding to the test will automatically be added to the new payout model.
More than 8 months after the release of the first look and teaser of Adipurush received immense criticism and led to the films release getting pushed by 6 months, the highly anticipated trailer has finally been dropped online.

The Adipurush trailer was first screened for fans on the big screen in Hyderabad on May 8. Soon after that, the film started trending on social media with many praising it and expressing their excitement for the Prabhas starrer.

 T-Series

Thats not all, the trailer was even leaked online and a lot of fans realised that Saif Ali Khan who is playing the character of Raavan in the film is barely there in it while his presence was all over the teaser.



Having said that, there is not much of a difference seen in the VFX of the film, which still looks questionable although the overall trailer leaves a good impression.

Check it out below:

Reacting to the trailer, one fan wrote, After Watching #Adipurush Trailer I think 100Cr Net(All Languages) on First Day is Possible for #Adipurush. LifeTime Depends on WOM Far Far Better than Teaser.

 T-Series

Another fan reacted, Much Better Than Teaser Trailer Is Looking Promising.



A third user commented, bgm is good , but prabhas is not suitable for lord ram.

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Check out some of the responses below:



Much Better Than Teaser Trailer Is Looking Promising 

        1  (@vinayakdewda) May 9, 2023

After Watching #Adipurush Trailer

I think 100Cr Net(All Languages) on First Day is Possible for #Adipurush.



LifeTime Depends on WOM



Far Far Better than Teaser



 pic.twitter.com/UHr7fxj5zo  Vaibhav D (@Vaibhav04563161) May 9, 2023

bgm is good , but prabhas is not suitable for lord ram  Tanish Singh (@TanishSingh0508) May 9, 2023

A failed opportunity. Might still earn 200cr but it was a great opportunity to turn around Indian cinema forever. Shame that @omraut failed at it after all the monetary backing he got.  Tweeter (@PopeyeLegend) May 9, 2023

Below Expectations

Only prabhas is good   . (@AamirsABD) May 9, 2023

2.5 ghante mein puri ramayan dikha denge screenplay kaafi fast paced lag raha hai  HUPI (@bhupender445) May 9, 2023

Adipurush is filmmaker Om Rauts second directorial after the 2020 blockbuster Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior starring Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan.

 T-Series

The adaptation of Ramayana is slated for June 16, 2023, release.


Vade, a leading cybersecurity company, has been focusing on expanding its presence in the US market. In a recent in-person meeting with Michael Posey, Channel Sales Engineer at Vade, he shared the companys recent achievements and future plans. Vade added a new distributor in Q2 and has been on a massive hiring spree for the US market, fueled by the $30 million funding they received last year. Vade continues to produce SIEM tools and XDR solutions and competes with Avanan, now owned by Check Point.

Michael Posey, Channel Sales Engineer at Vade

The company has a global presence with multiple offices, including San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, Paris, Lille in France, and Tokyo. Despite being better known in Europe and Japan, Vade is still a relatively new name in the US market. Posey explained that the company processes 1.4 billion mailboxes and has been around for a long time, but its name is not yet widely known in the US.

Regarding the growing threat landscape, Posey said, There is a lot of talk about AI  it can be used to make more sophisticated messages for non-English speakers. He continued, This plays in with how we filter. Its AI vs AI. Vade was one of the first to use AI to filter mail, utilizing machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to go beyond simple bad IPs and fingerprints.

Posey emphasized the importance of understanding the reasons why messages are sent and their call to action. He used the example of a message sent by Thunderbird, asking whether it was formatted correctly for that platform.

Posey mentioned Vades differentiators, including multitenant response, threat remediation across clients, phishing training tools, message scanning and remediation, and user education. He stated, The user is always the biggest risk and asset.

For MSPs, Posey said, The value proposition is having a complex filtering solution that is simple to set up and manage. There is no degree needed. Vades filters are part of an alliance, where people who create the filters and rules work together with the AI and the filters themselves. Feedback is used to adjust filters as needed, with the goal of providing a better mailbox for everyone.

In the past year, Vade has made key hires, including Brian Fravel as VP of Marketing, Mike Pate as Vice President of Sales for the Americas, and new board member Rene Bonvanie, formerly with Palo Alto Networks. Posey concluded, We started with AI in 2012-2013; We have been doing it a long time, and others are playing catch-up.

Aside from his role as CEO of TMC and chairman of ITEXPO, Rich Tehrani is CEO of RT Advisors and a Registered Representative with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC (Four Points) (Member FINRA/SIPC). RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.

RT-Advisors continues its mission of assisting tech companies in M&A and capital raising using our unique tech media background and relationships to aid companies to optimally position themselves. In addition, as of late we have been increasingly assisting fast-growing tech companies in obtaining non-dilutive capital. Please let us know if we can be of assistance. The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.
Thats what a good owner does, inspect the merchandise.

Slimeball sex trafficker Valentino (Neil Delama, Emmanuelle: A World of Desire) has a major problem on his hands. His most admirable and royal sheik of the ordained state of Berenia is coming to LA and needs some quality merchandise ready to go. Unfortunately, his newest batch of ladies includes the sister of LA cop Darleen (Margo Romero, Feast) who is out for justice with her street-smart partner Mac (James Adam Tucker, Death House). Holding up their investigation with red tape is the constantly drunk Captain Jameson (Joe Estevez, The Roller Blade Seven). Now breathing down Valentinos neck is boss man Delambre (Don Stroud, The Amityville Horror) whose admiration for his employees operation is only matched by his obsession with testing the merchandise. Can the cops bust the sex slave operation before it's too late?

Part sleazy kink-fest and part grimy cop procedural, The Flesh Merchant reaches for higher ambitions showing the dehumanizing and humiliating lengths to which sex traffickers will go to prepare their merchandise for sale. Director Tristano begins the film as a cautionary tale with busty dive bar waitress Jennifer (Elizabeth Chambers, A Horse Called Jester) telling her uptight cop sister that shed do anything for the so-called movie producers who frequent the bar. Naturally, shes abducted by Vanentinos goons along with her roommate Karen (Twila Wolfe, Champagne and Bullets) and whisked away to the basement processing center of Valentinos operation. From here the film shows no mercy in displaying Valentinos raw power of sexual dominance and intimidation.

Scenes between the goons and ladies feature full-on slaps, hair grabs, and groping, It's all real without stunt actresses taking the hits. For a seasoned exploitation actress Michele Bauer, it's another day on set, but the other actresses are new to the fray. Margo Romero gets pulled up a flight of stairs by her hair. You can see the pain on her face as Delama commits to the scene. I wouldnt call The Flesh Merchant a rougie per se, but it's damn close.

The practical effects in the film are few but very effective. Blood appliances look fantastic with bullet hits looking passable. No squib effects are used but blood drips and wounds are impressive given the films SOV pedigree. As the bodies hit the floor look out for an exciting moment when an unsuspecting character gets an axe through the chest!

Maintaining a police procedural backbone, the film uses plenty of naked flesh and kink to move the proceedings along. Even though Darleen and Mac are going through the investigative motions these scenes never have a sense of urgency to them. Tristano saves the tension for the frightened girls about to learn BDSM techniques from a lingerie-clad instructor named Kitty Genovese (Michelle Bauer, Nightmare Sisters).

Performances are verge on camp but are spot-on in delivering the exhaustive dialogue exchanges with the proper amount of commitment. Bauer, Delama, and Estevez know the assignment and are clearly having fun with their respective characters. The supporting cast includes a surprising mix of independent directors and writers including Jay Woefel, Adam Rifkin, and C. Courtney Joyner.

Tristano hints at more story behind the Valentino/Delambre relationship which could have been useful in developing the narrative beyond their intense love affair with nabbing waitresses and topless hikers. At every turn, The Flesh Merchant delivers exactly what you want from a sleazy thriller and nothing more. But dont worry, youll satisfy that late-night VHS nostalgia easily once this scummy thriller gets rolling.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

The Flesh Merchant arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Culture Shock Releasing. The Region A B-50 disc is housed in a transparent keepcase with reversible artwork. Loading the disc presents the Culture Shock Releasing logo before landing on the Main Menu screen with scenes from the film playing behind typical navigation options.
From his first appearance catching a crashing car in midair in National Comics, Superman has been a sensation captivating readers young and old for generations. From film and television to radio plays, Superman has excited fans on virtually every medium ever printed, shot, recorded, photographed, or uploaded. Before he'd make his grand cinematic outing in the late 1940s, his first genuine cinematic appearance was thanks to Max Fleishers 17-episode run of theatrical shorts that ran from 1941 to 1943.

Blu-ray Appearance



Featurette Appearance



Max initially partnered with his brother Dave to produce the episodes for Paramount Pictures who held the rights at the time. As their relationship quickly soured and the pair parted ways, their company was restructured into Famous Studios half way into the run. Any production drama behind the scenes wasnt felt in the final product. Through all of the episodes an impeccable unparalleled attention to detail was maintained producting captivating visuals for each adventure. Without these shorts we wouldnt have the classic boasts of Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman might not have taken flight, nor would we likely have the Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series, at the very least not as we know it.

Carrying on their work from radio, the cartoons were voiced by Bud Collyer as Superman/Clark Kent with Joan Alexander reprising her turn as impetious ace reporter Lois Lane. The stories may be simple enough and many of Supermans most famous villains handt arrived in comics yet, but theyre fun adventures. Theyre also interesting historic footnotes as the U.S. entered World War II, the Japanese and Germans became Supermans primary antagonists. By the end of the war, chapter stories were taking center stage in theaters and Superman would leap onto live action with Kirk Alyn in 1948s Superman in glorious black and white. While that live action series is fun, its nothing as beautiful as the Fleishcer animation and the live action effects couldnt produce the same sense of wonder and excitement. As good as Alyn was in the role, its was also hard to take him seriously in his Super Sweater.

It may have been a relatively short run at almost two and a half hours total, Max Fleishers Superman remains one of the best cinematic adventures. It wasnt a cheap production and it wasnt hastily put together to capitalize on a fad. David and Max and their intrepid team of animators took incredible care and time with every single cel of animation. Every frame are works of art done at a time when comic books were simply dismissed as kids stuff.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Well into the public domain, Warner Bros. owns the original film elements to give fans the newly restored Max Fleischers Superman 1941-1943 theatrical shorts. All seventeen shorts are pressed on a BD-50 disc (but barely uses half of the disc space). The disc is housed in an eco-friendly case with the Fleisher Studios / Famous Studios episode listings on the inside artwork. The disc loads to a static image main menu with standard navigation options.
BIG RAPIDS  Artworks will bring its 2023 Gala to Ferris State University's main campus Friday, Oct. 13, at the David L. Eisler Center, 805 Campus Drive.

Artworks, a nonprofit in Big Rapids, supports over 160 independent artists, authors, singers and performers. The annual gala honors the organization's founders, sponsors, civic leaders and art lovers, while celebrating its dedication to the humanities and arts.

This year's gala will have the theme "Artworks: A Community Tradition.

Tickets cost $70 each and go on sale in August and can be bought at The Painted Turtle Gift Shop within Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave.

Following a walking dinner, a silent auction and a brief presentation, the Gala 2023 will conclude with a raffle drawing and live auction. Visitors are urged to wear attire from the 1920s or black and white.

Artworks is delighted to partner with Ferris State University this year as a program partner and location destination, Artworks executive director Ric Underhile said. (FSU) President (Bill) Pink and university faculty and staff have been wonderfully generous with ideas and solutions. We know that Gala 2023 will be a show-stopping event and fundraiser.

Pink is particularly eager to bring this signature event to the university.

It is partnerships like this, between Ferris State University and Artworks, that strengthen communities, Pink said. This is special because we are privileged to bring passionate people together on our campus around a shared love of arts and humanities.

Underhile observes a joint dedication of Artworks and Ferris to further the humanities and arts in Big Rapids. In his opinion, the annual gala being held on campus is a significant step in that direction.
A Huron County jury found a former resident of the Huron County Medical Care Facility guilty on Tuesday afternoon of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for inappropriately touching a female resident who was mentally incapacitated.

The jury deliberated less than an hour to convict Bruce Bradley Ginther, 67, of groping the 67-year-old woman in a hallway of the facility on Oct. 22, 2021.

Fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct is a high-court misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to $500.

Ginther, who currently resides in a Detroit-area nursing facility, will also be required to register with the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

The Huron Daily Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

The one-day trial featured testimony from the victim's younger sister, Huron County Sheriff's Department Detective Daryl Ford, care facility employees as well as the head of the Huron County Public Guardian's office

During Tuesday's testimony, the victim's sister told Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Wallace her sister had the mental capacity of a 2- to 3-year-old child.

The prosecution also showed body cam video of Ford interviewing Ginther in his room at the care facility, During the interview, Ginther admitted to touching the woman, telling the detective "I did something stupid and I regret it."

Defense attorney Andrew Lockard argued that Ginther's medical condition  Parkinson's Disease  played a role in the incident and the contact was unintentional and occurred when the victim attempted to hug his client, who was sitting in a wheelchair in a hallway at the facility.

Ginther took the stand as the defense's only witness and testified that the woman, who resided in the room next to his, was his friend and the contact happened when she tried to hug him and he put up his hands to push her away from him.

Huron County 52nd Circuit Court Judge Gerald M. Prill scheduled sentencing for Monday, June 26 at 9 a.m. Ginther remains free on bond.
George Santos, the serial fabricator who lied his way into winning a seat in Congress, has been charged with breaking federal laws, according to CNN. He will appear in federal court in New York's eastern district as early as tomorrow. The charges are under seal but are likely related to campaign finance violations.

From CNN:

During his brief time in office, Santos has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, violating federal conflict of interest laws, stealing cash meant for an Iraq War veteran's dying dog, masterminding a credit card fraud scheme and lying about where he went to school and worked.

Titular House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN, "I'll look at the charges." It's likely he'll do nothing beyond looking though because he needs Santos' vote and he doesn't want his boss Marjorie Taylor Greene getting upset with him.
CANYON, Texas  The West Texas A&M University Department of Communication celebrated 22 outstanding students during the departments end-of-year ceremony.

Faculty and students shared stories about students work and achievements during the April 25 ceremony, held in the Legends Room inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WTs Canyon campus.

The annual event also recognized graduating seniors and masters degree students from the department.

Dr. Carolyn Baum, assistant professor of communication studies and director of the Attebury Honors Program, helped coordinate the event along with her Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society students.

Our students work diligently all year to grow their knowledge of the field and prepare for their future goals, so its important to take time to celebrate their growth and dedication, Baum said.

Brooke Richards from Manistee is among students recently honored.

Richards, a junior public relations, advertising and applied communications major was honored as the Bateman Team Outstanding Connection.

The annual event also recognized graduating seniors and masters degree students from the department.
Need some help? The Pioneer publishes a list of community resources every Wednesday. 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 Mondays.

Manna Pantry of Big Rapids: 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday in the annex of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 315B S. State St., Big Rapids. Volunteers needed, 12:30-4:15 p.m. Monday-Friday or half shifts. Call Bonnie Clark, 231-408-2940, if interested.

Project Starburst: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday in the basement of the United Church of Big Rapids, 120 S. State St., Big Rapids. Volunteers needed, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call Diane Long, 231-796-5342, if interested.

Lord's Table Food Pantry: Open 1-5 p.m. Wednesdays at Faith Community Church, 610 Green St., Big Rapids. Volunteers needed. Everyone is welcome, all Veterans and those in need. Contact 231-796-8389 to set up an appointment outside normal hours.

Reed City Food Pantry: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 831 S. Chestnut St., Reed City. For questions or emergency food needs, call 231-215-6996.

Barryton Area Mobile Food Pantry: 2 p.m. the second Saturday of each month, rain or shine, at the Fork Township Community Center parking lot, 3265 20 Mile Road, Barryton. Registration to receive food begins at noon. For more information, visit bamfp.org.

Angels of Action: 200 S. Stewart, Big Rapids. Provides children and their families access to food, essential needs and community resources. Call 231-629-8140 or email info@angelsofaction.org for assistance.

Our Brother's Keeper: 405 S. 3rd Ave., Big Rapids. Provides temporary emergency housing for those homeless and looking for safety or a place to stay as they transition into more permanent housing. Call 231-629-8160 for assistance.

Mid Michigan Community Action: 14330 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. Provides help with food, housing, early childhood education, home energy savings, energy assistance, homebuyer assistance and more. Multiple locations. Call 231-660-0271 for the Big Rapids location and 231-791-7078 for the Reed City location.

HEALTH, INTERVENTION AND RECOVERY

Mecosta County Health Department: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 14485 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. 231-592-0130.

Community Mental Health for Central Michigan: 500 South 3rd Avenue, Big Rapids. 231-796-5825.

Family Health Care: 730 Water Tower Road Big Rapids. A nonprofit medical group that provides affordable and accessible medical, dental and behavioral health care to the underserved population regardless of ability to pay, insurance, etc. Call 231-527-7150 or visit familyhealthcare.org.

Hope House Free Medical Clinic: 405 S 3rd Ave, Big Rapids. Provides limited medical care to adults who lack insurance. For more information, call 231-598-9500 or visit hopehouseclinic.org.

Central Michigan Recovery Education Network: A network of organizations that provide education, prevention, recovery and treatment for those affected by substance use disorder. Call 1-800-662-4357 or visit www.cmren.org for more information.

WISE (Women's Information Services): Provides crisis intervention and support services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Call the 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-374-WISE.

SUPPORT GROUPS

TOPS 9189 (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly): 8:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the United Church of Big Rapids dinning hall, 120 South State St. The public is invited to join TOPS 9189 weight loss support group. Weigh-in is 8:30-9:15 a.m., followed by a meeting at 9:30-10:30 a.m. First visit is free.

Men Overcoming Loss, Grieving Dads: (virtual and in-person) 6-7 p.m. first Wednesday of each month, at Hospice of Michigan, 400 Perry Ave., Big Rapids. This support group is designed for dads who are dealing with the death of a son or daughter. RSVP with David Keller at 231-527-0913, dkeller@hom.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: To find a group, call the hotline at 1-800-367-6788 or visit area34district9.org.
Michigan lawmakers are considering allowing political candidates to use campaign donations to cover child care costs.

State Rep. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids, introduced House Bill 4413 on April 13 to ensure parents are not disadvantaged when running for office. HB 4413 would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to allow certain caregiving expenses for candidates and elected officials with kids or other dependents who require care, including seniors and family members with disabilities, to qualify as expenditures and incidental expenses.

The bill would not cost the state any money, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis. And the caregivers receiving candidates money would still have to pay typical taxes on that income.

Tuesday, May 9, was the first hearing for the bill, and lawmakers heard testimony but did not take a vote, bill records showed.

Hood testified in support of the bill along with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Running for office presents unique challenges when youre the parent of a small child, Benson said in a Tuesday press release. And while I loved bringing my son with me to campaign events last year, it also takes a toll. Access to childcare is necessary to ensure parents are able to both take care of our kids and run for office.

In Michigan, nine lawmakers are also mothers of young children. The state ranks twenty-third out of 50 states for the number of moms serving as lawmakers, according to Benson's office.

The following people are also supportive of the legislation but did not speak Tuesday: Dave Hodgkins, representing the Michigan Municipal League; Merissa Kovach, representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan; Olivia Luckett, representing the Michigan Democratic Party; and Jamie Lyons-Eddy, representing the Voters Not Politicians.

But opponents like Cynthia Richardson of the group Pure Integrity for Michigan Elections argued the bill is a slippery slope.

Campaign contributions need to go toward expenses related to campaigning, not everyday personal responsibilities one needs to manage while they run for office, Richardson said Tuesday. What is to prevent candidates and elected officials from further expanding campaign finance laws to allow them to supplement their income, housing, transportation, private schooling, cosmetic surgery, etc.? I could go on all morning.

Many who are elected register to run again not long after they start in office, which means the elected official will have long-term covered childcare, she continued. The citizens of Michigan who work and pay taxes do not have this luxury, so why should candidates and elected officials be so privileged as to tap into their campaign funds for this expense? There is a lot that is not being considered with HB4413, and this will only lead to opening the floodgates of special treatment for those providing a civic duty on behalf of its citizens.

The House Elections Committee is expected to vote on HB 4413 in the coming weeks, according to Benson's office.
The Midland Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved 15 grants totaling more than $350,000 in the first three months of 2023, including six Midland Area Youth Action Council grants.

The foundation's first-quarter grants ranged from $10,000 to $80,000, each focusing on one of four significant areas of community improvement: (1) building livelihood, (2) developing talent, (3) caring for people and (4) enriching the community.

Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation, stated, "Positive change comes as we partner with community organizations. Our grantmaking is approached with great care and diligence, recognizing that the projects and organizations we support bring about long-term transformation for Midland County."

First-quarter grants for 2023 included:

Mid Michigan Community Action Agency - $40,000

This grant supports the Special Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Midland County, which provides families with an opportunity to attend Nutrition Education courses, along with resources and supplies for preparing healthy meals using WIC-approved ingredients.

Our Lady Grace Parish of Sanford - $40,000

The parking lot of Our Lady of Grace (Saint Anne site) requires repavement. Three fire departments use the parking lot for emergency helicopter staging and firefighter training.

Midland's Open Door - $50,000 ($40,000 quarterly grant and $10,000 Youth Action Council Grant)

In December, Midland's Open Door signed a purchase agreement for the property at 1610 W. Carpenter St. to become the new women's and children's shelter.

The Arc of Midland - $10,000 (Youth Action Council Grant)

This Youth Action Council Grant is to support the iCan Bike program. iCan Bike programs are for people with disabilities, ages 8 and up.

Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum - $9,000 (Youth Action Council Grant)

The Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum will utilize support for its newest exhibit: Mid Michigan Mechanics!

Midland Young Life - $10,000 (Youth Action Council Grant)

Midland Young Life requested this grant in response to the Legacy Center's 2021 Youth Study, which revealed a declining number of assets in Midland's youth, leading to poor mental health and increased risk-taking behaviors.

Shelterhouse - $10,000 (Youth Action Council Grant)

This grant supports Shelterhouse's Children's Counseling Program, which provides mental health services to children impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault, including primary and secondary victims.

Girls on the Run  Underground Railroad - $10,000 (Youth Action Council Grant)

Girls on the Run inspires girls in third through eighth grades to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun curriculum that creatively weaves in running, walking and physical activity for girls of all levels and abilities.

Helping Hands Dental Center - $80,000

Helping Hands Dental Center serves economically and physically challenged community members who rely on Medicaid for dental insurance.

Mid Michigan Community Fire Board (St. Louis Area Fire Dept.) - $15,000

The St. Louis Area Fire Department applied for this grant to help support the purchase of a new rescue truck that is essential for transporting medical first response tools, extrication tools, gas meters, gas analyzers, water rescue tools and lifting airbags.

Disability Network of Mid-Michigan - $20,000 (quarterly grant)

Disability Network of Mid-Michigan will serve as fiduciary for processing payments for purchasing, acquiring and installing equipment that provides access to restroom usage by various users at prominent recreation venues.

Coleman Community Schools - $24,000

This grant allows the entire student body access to move furniture for extensive group activities in maker spaces and to promote the learning of every student, including those at-risk, those in need of alternative/flexible seating and those who are gifted and talented for specialized study spaces.

Jerome Township Fire Department - $24,235

This project will purchase three positive-pressure ventilation fans and one pulse carbon monoxide oximeter.

Affordable Housing Alliance - $15,000

This project facilitates an inspection of each unit's furnace and air conditioner by a certified company, cleaning, and any maintenance needed.

Competitive grants are offered quarterly. Grants are open to all 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, nonprofit educational organizations (schools, colleges, etc.), and government entities in Midland County. To inquire about donating, establishing a fund, or applying for a grant, contact the Community Foundation at 989-839-9661 or info@midlandfoundation.org.
LANSING  Sign-ups for the annual National and Michigan Wheat Yield contest is currently underway in Michigan.

The Michigan Wheat program reminds growers to sign up for the Michigan and National yield contest by next week, according to a news release.

Many growers are saying this could be a good year of growing in Michigan, the release states.

We know that most growers dont like being in the spotlight, Michigan Wheat Program executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom said. However, to improve everyones knowledge level, it is important to highlight the high-quality, high-yielding crop grown here. One of the best ways to do that is through the yield contests.

Michigan growers can participate in both the state and national yield competitions by filling out one application online. The deadline to register for the contest is May 15.

To enter either the Michigan or National contest visit yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.org/ to review the rules, regulations, link to create an application account and see winners from previous contests.

Not only are others watching to see the annual size of our crop, but also what gains are being made in quality and yield as they plan for processing and their buying needs, Pollok-Newsom said. We are lucky to have so many processors and end users in our region, but we also need to make sure they know what a strong crop wheat is in our state.

There is a fee of $100 per entry. However, many industry partners offering free entry vouchers. Also, through a partnership of the Michigan Wheat Program and National Association of Wheat Growers, since all Michigan growers pay into the check-off program, all Michigan growers are members of NAWG.

National winners are determined by the percent of their local county average wheat yield and broken down by marketing class. Top national winners receive a trip to the Commodity Classic. Michigan follows the national rules and procedures for entering, collecting data and reporting yields.

However, in Michigan, winners are determined based on bushel/acre yield, not percent of county yield.

Michigan winners will be selected in the categories of irrigated and dryland wheat, in both red and white wheat. Michigan winners are announced at the Michigan Wheat Programs Annual Meeting held each winter and receive free registration to Michigans Great Lakes Crop Summit held in January.
Kay Nietfeld/AP

BERLIN (AP)  German lawmakers considered Wednesday whether to create the country's first citizen assembly to advise parliament on the issue of food and nutrition.

Germany's three governing parties back the idea of appointing consultative bodies made up of members of the public selected through a lottery system who would discuss specific topics and provide nonbinding feedback to legislators. But opposition parties have rejected the idea, warning that such citizen assemblies risk undermining the primacy of parliament in Germany's political system.
BERLIN (AP)  The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a courts authorization.

Under the planned self-determination law, adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities.

We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people, Germanys minister for families, Lisa Paus, said.

This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades, she added.

The existing transsexual law, which took effect in 1981, currently requires individuals to obtain assessments from two experts  such as physicians  whose training and experience make them sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism and then a court decision to change the gender on official documents.

Over the years, Germanys top court has struck down other provisions that required transgender people to get divorced and sterilized, and to undergo gender-transition surgery.

"Transgender people have been affected by discrimination and undignified treatment for far too long  we will finally put this condition behind us, said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who presented the proposal together with the family minister.

The new government proposal declares that for children under the age of 14, legal guardians have to submit the declaration of change, while teenagers aged 14 and older should be able to submit the declaration of change themselves  but it should include the support of their custodians.

Germany's government isn't the only one trying to make gender changes easier in Europe.

Spain passed a law earlier this year that allows people over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

Minors between 12-13 years old need a judges authorization to change, while those between 14 and 16 must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

On Tuesday, Spains Constitutional Court said it will consider a legal challenge lodged by the far-right Vox party against the new law.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf said last month he will challenge the British government over its decision to block a law that makes it easier for people to change their gender on official documents.

The passage of Scotland's bill in December was hailed by transgender rights activists but vetoed by the British government, which argued it could undermine U.K.-wide equality legislation that guarantees women and girls access to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

The bill would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It would also speed up legal recognition of the change from two years to three months for adults and to six months for people aged 16 and 17.
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MOSCOW (AP)  Syria and Turkey agreed Wednesday to set up a roadmap to improve strained ties, following talks alongside Russia and Iran in Moscow.

The agreement comes a week after Syria and Arab governments meeting in Jordan agreed to establish a roadmap of their own to resolve Syria's lengthy civil war and bolster ties. Syria has been returning to the Arab fold and slowly restoring ties with its neighbors.

The Arab League also readmitted Syria's membership after a 12-year suspension in the onset of the conflict on Sunday, before Saudi Arabia delivered a formal invitation earlier Wednesday to President Bashar Assad to attend the upcoming summit in Jeddah.

Throughout the 12-year conflict, Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in the country's northwest seeking to remove Assad from power. The Syrian government has frequently denounced Ankaras hold over parts of a northwest enclave previously seized by Assads opponents. Turkey captured the territory through several military incursions since 2016 against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

Russia on the other hand intervened militarily in Syria starting in September 2015, and alongside Iran played a pivotal role in keeping Assad in power and to reclaim much of the country back. Moscow has maintained a military presence in the Mideast country even as the bulk of its forces are busy fighting in Ukraine.

Moscow has spent years trying to help Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuild ties with Turkey and other countries that were fractured in the war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of Syrias prewar population of 23 million.

Russias foreign minister on Wednesday hosted his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that marked the highest-level contact between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.

Talks to establish a plan to improve relations between Turkey and Syria would be done in coordination with ongoing communication between the four countries' defense ministries.

The ministers noted the positive and constructive atmosphere of the exchange of views and agreed to continue high-level contacts and technical talks in the quadripartite format in the coming period, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry after the talks read.

The statement added that they called for more international aid to Syria, not only to help the country's struggling population but also in the interests of voluntary, safe, and dignified" refugee returns and post-war reconstruction.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and increasing anti-refugee sentiment. He is seeking reelection on Sunday, when Turkey holds both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Syrian state media quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying during Wednesday's meeting that Syria and Turkey share goals and common interests. He said that despite all the negatives over the past years," Damascus saw the talks as an opportunity "for both governments to cooperate with the help and support of our friends Russia and Iran.

Yet Mekdad added that the Syrian governments main goal was to end all illegal military presences in the country, including that of Turkish forces.

We will continue to demand and insist on the subject of withdrawal, he was quoted as saying.

Following a deadly earthquake in February that killed tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey, regional normalization with Damascus began to accelerate. In April, Moscow hosted the defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that it said focused on practical steps to strengthen security in the Syrian Arab Republic and to normalize Syrian-Turkish relations.

___

Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed.
Marianne Williamson, who is running for President again, is wildly popular with young folks on TikTok. The Intercept explains her popularity among the under-30 crowd:

THE KIDS MAY or may not be alright, but one thing is clear: They are super into Marianne Williamson. If engagement on TikTok is any indication, a Democratic presidential primary held today among people under 50 would result in a landslide for the bestselling author now making her second bid for the nomination. Williamson has only posted 65 videos on TikTok, yet has drawn more than 11 million views, according to a TikTok data counter. But there are also endless Marianne stan (Maristanne?) accounts  @marianne2024winner and @marianne4prez among them  that post her speeches and rack up massive numbers. A scroll through the popular account @realdemocrat20 turns up multiple Williamson videos, all generating eye-popping numbers for her treatises on universal health care, corruption, gun rights, or abortion, including nearly a million views for whatever this is. A recent poll found Williamson hovering above 20 percent with voters under 30  far higher than she reached in the crowded 2020 field  suggesting the buzz on TikTok is translating into real support or that real support is producing the buzz on TikTok. "I am obsessed with it," said Jessica Burbank, a leftist political TikTok star who posts as @kaburbank, of the Marianne mania.

The Guardian explains that her progressive stances, including her condemnation of wealth inequality and championing of universal healthcare, explain her appeal:

It's certainly easy to make fun of Williamson but, while she's said a lot of questionable things, it's wrong to dismiss the author as a joke. When she's not talking about the "power of the mind" Williamson has a lot to say about institutional inequality, the need for universal healthcare, the problems with capitalism, the importance of cancelling student debt, and the complacency of the Democratic establishment. And guess what? An awful lot of young people are listening. Williamson's very left-leaning videos draw millions of views on TikTok and her speeches often go viral.

But if you scratch beneath the surface, or dive more deeply into the spiritual beliefs that have guided her career for decades, her ideologies look less progressive and much more disturbing. These kinds of deep dives are, thankfully, what the folks at the Conspirituality Podcast do best, and if you're at all interested in learning more about Williamson and her guiding scripture, A Course in Miracles, I highly recommend two recent episodes of Conspirituality Pod. Episode 148, Marianne Williamson and Asshole Jesus provides an overview of A Course in Miracles and its main tenets, which are completely contradictory to progressive politics. The episode also describes allegations by former campaign staff that Williamson was emotionally and verbally abusive to thema far cry from the kind of love she constantly talks about. The podcast's website describes the episode:

Is Marianne Williamson's promotion of A Course in Miracles any more relevant to her political persona than Biden's Catholicism? If it demonstrably informs her every instinct and communication (as we expect it would given she sermonizes out of it every day), then yes, it is. If it leads her to suggest that meditation can help contain nuclear waste, divert hurricanes, heal the "scam" of clinical depression, or "boost the immune system" against COVID19, then yes, it is. Is it sexist to highlight Williamson's reported history of interpersonal abusiveness, when male politicians get away with far worse? There is definitely a double standard to resist. But when a candidate builds a political persona on being a love-and-light way-shower, it's important to evaluate what that actually looks like ground-level. It's also important to consider whether immature behavior might be a plausible outcome of following the Jesus of A Course in Miracles, who is a huge asshole. Finally: if Williamson is the only candidate out there talking about reparations and M4A, is it reactionary to dismiss her on religious or behavioral grounds? Not if you're actually interested in a functional progressive politics, free from magical thinking and charismatic bafflement.

And just this week, the podcast dropped a follow-up episode, Marianne Williamson's Spiritual Therapy Schtick, which they describe:

Marianne Williamson? Inexperienced? Not at all. In fact, she does have a ton of experience in New Age, on-stage pseudotherapy, where she solves the problems of the troubled with memorized lines from A Course in Miracles. She's been doing these sessions at workshops and retreats for decades, and the schtick is always the same: if only the person would change their minds about their problem, the world would be healed. While this may fly on the workshop circuit, if you listen carefully you'll hear that she gives the same answer on the stump. It comes through most clearly when she's pressed on questions of strategy. She will instantly pivot to talking about the spirit and the soul. The effect is a disarming oscillation between the political and the personal. Are we talking about defeating fascists? No, no, that's too worldly! We're talking about opening our hearts. And if that feels good during a politically tense exchange, it's because she changed the subject. To see how this sleight-of-hand works, Matthew examines two classic Williamson encounters to show that the answers she gives on the stump aren't much different from the answers she gives on her New Age retreats.

One of the videos they deconstruct in that episode is called "Being Rejected for Your Spiritual Beliefs" and features Williamson using the New Age blame-the-victim, pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps, "love is the ultimate reality" philosophy of A Course in Miracles in a kind of pseudo-therapeutic encounter.

But how can a dumb New Age book be so potentially destructive? In a terrific post on Facebook, Conspirituality Podcast's Matthew Remski sums up the book's philosophy like this:

WHAT DOES A COURSE IN MIRACLES SAY? (I was in a cult based on this book. Here's a distillation of 1200 mind-numbing pages. So you don't have to read it now. You're welcome. I'll be talking about this and other New Age publishing phenoms on the Monday Bonus episode.) God is perfectly everything and everywhere, and nothing else is real. If you don't feel lovingly at one with all things at all times, it's your own damn fault. You're sleepwalking through your life, having a nightmare about unreal, non-God-type events like getting sick and dying. Your body doesn't really exist, and while you think it does under the spell of your insane ego, you're pathetically denying your union with God, who doesn't even recognize your body, because He didn't make it. He only makes eternal things, don't you know. You're even more of a denier of God if you feel pain or are sick, because sickness is stupid and God is not stupid. How could you be sick unless you wanted to be sick? Get it? Not only that, if you try to make yourself healthy instead of just calling on Jesus' name, you're doubling down on your ignorant and selfish belief that your body is real. In the Course, Jesus says that your beliefs make your world, buddy, so you should really get some better beliefs, because the world isn't so nice, is it? You seem to have created murder and wars with all your twisted little victimized desires, you sicko. Yes: every human suffering, from loneliness to racism to poverty to terror and all of the existential ambivalence in between, is the result of your beliefs and conscious choices. So they're not real! And you're in luck  you can instantly reverse them all by surrendering your heart to the Holy Spirit! In the magical moment you do this, you are participating in the miraculous truth that you're not in this world, you've never been born, time doesn't exist, no one really dies, and none of this is really happening. WOW I BET YOU FEEL BETTER NOW  MR

But, you might ask, surely Marianne Williamson doesn't still follow ACIM? She absolutely does. She leads a daily ACIM discussion, called Mornings with Marianne, that you can purchase on her website, "Williamson Learning Center," for 65 dollars a year for the teachings only, or $95/year for teachings "plus bonuses." You can also buy other workshops and courses taught by Williamson, like this "Spiritual Makeover with Marianne Williamson," on sale at Commune, a New Age site that platforms spiritual influencers, COVID minimizers, and wellness grifters. If you want that Williamson-branded, spiritual makeover, it'll cost you $199, but you'll get four "in-depth workshop sessions with Williamson"a total of 22 videos "offering you spiritual guidance, encouragement, and wisdom for a balanced, blessed life." Here's the course description:

Love has the same relationship to fear that light has to darkness. You turn on the light, the darkness is gone. You turn on the love, the fear is gone. In this workshop, Marianne offers "spiritual basics"  foundational wisdom on how the universe operates and how you can leave behind a fear-based mentality. In This Workshop You Will Learn: How to see what is real  and what is illusion  in any situation Why over-identification with your problems doesn't help and why you can never be permanently wounded How to apply the teachings in A Course in Miracles to your own life Why prayer is the medium of miracles How to align your daily actions with a thought system based on love

I'll leave you these thoughts that Matthew Remski recently posted about why we should all be very skeptical that someone who follows, preaches, and sells workshops based on ACIM could be a champion for progressive values. He first asks, "Can Marianne Williamson maintain cred as a progressive while promoting New Age Jesus? Can she hammer out policy while preaching out of A Course In Miraclesthe most anti-political, pseudospiritual text on the planet? I doubt it, but heymiracles happen!" He goes on:
ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Dozens of zoo animals in Sudan's capital  including an elderly crocodile, parrots and giant lizards  are feared dead after street battles between the country's rival forces made the location unreachable.

At least 100 animals, all kept inside enclosures, will have gone more than three weeks without food or water, said Sara Abdalla, the head zoologist at the zoo, which is part of the Sudan Natural History Museum.

Millions of people in Sudan have endured shortages of food, water and medicines after the conflict halted the most basic services. But as the sounds of explosions ring across the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, Abdalla has been wracked with worry over her animal charges, particularly those that are increasingly rare to find in their natural habitats in Sudan.

I feel a great deal of misery and sadness, as well as helplessness, she said in a telephone interview from Khartoum. I have assumed that we lost the birds and mammals.

The zoo is home to species including an African grey parrot, a vervet monkey, giant lizards known as Nile monitors, a desert tortoise, a horned viper snake and a Nubian spitting cobra. Prior to the fighting, these were all fed twice a day. But the last time they received their meals and for some, medications, was on April 14, the day before fighting broke out, according to Abdalla.

The conflict, which capped months of tensions between Sudans rival generals, pits the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who is the head of the ruling sovereign council, against the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The RSF is commanded by Burhans deputy on the council, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Abdalla said neither has heeded appeals to allow access to the zoo.

The conflict has turned much of Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman into a battlefield, with both sides using heavy weapons, including artillery and airstrikes, inside urban areas. The urban combat has badly damaged infrastructure and properties and poses great risk to civilians trying to move in the city streets.

Residents fleeing the capital have described seeing bodies littering sidewalks and central squares, particularly in areas not far from the museum. Roughly 500 civilians have been killed in the fighting so far, according to Sudan's doctors' syndicate, though the true number of dead is believed to be higher.

The zoo, which is housed inside the University of Khartoum, is one of the oldest in Sudan. The facility was established about a century ago as part of Gordon Memorial College, an educational institution built in the early 1900s when Sudan was a part of the British empire. It was annexed to the University of Khartoum two years after Sudan won independence in 1956.

Its current location is close to the militarys headquarters, where fighting has been heavy, preventing access to the museum.

Abdalla, who teaches zoology at the University of Khartoum, began working at the museum in 2006, and was appointed director of the facility in 2020. It was a job she had dreamed of since she visited the museum as a child. Now, trapped at her home in southern Khartoum with her husband and their two children  9-year-old Yara, and 4-year-old Mohamed  she worries about the animals that have already survived years of unrest, economic collapse and pandemic lockdowns.

Neither the military nor the RSF responded to requests for comment on the plight of the animals and their caretakers.

Unless someone released the animals early on when the clashes started, I dont see how any would or could have survived for over two weeks with no care, said Kamal M. Ibrahim, a biology professor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in an email. He is familiar with the museum and its work, having graduated from the University of Khartoum and spending a sabbatical there.

The museum documents the wildlife of Sudan and its neighbor South Sudan. The facility serves both scientists and the general public. It also contains hundreds of valuable preserved animal specimens, some of which are now extinct, according to Abdalla.

Both Ibrahim and Abdalla are particularly worried about a Nile crocodile, raised from an egg at the facility since 1971. Abdalla said the crocodile was on a regimen of medicine and vitamins due advanced age. The crocodiles are increasingly rare to find in the Blue and White Nile rivers that cut their way through the country.

It could have fared better if released from its enclosure, Ibrahim said.
HARTFORD  The state House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to limit or eliminate edible THC-infused products found on the shelves of vape shops, gas stations and convenience stores around the state.

The bill passed by an overwhelming 148-1 vote, including support from many Republicans who still oppose the recreational cannabis environment, but realize that products such as the synthetic Delta-8 widely available in unlicensed locations, may be contributing to youth drug use. The products have also caused confusion among regulators, such as the state Department of Consumer Protection, which does not have the jurisdiction beyond licensed medical and adult-use marijuana businesses.

Synthetic THC products would be prohibited while products that are legal under federal law would be strictly limited in dosage and size.

"I want to be very clear here, the people selling these things are not criminals," said Rep. Mike D'Agostino, D-Hamden, who as co-chairman of the legislative General Law Committee introduced the legislation for debate, stressing that CBD, a chemical associated with cannabis and hemp that does not have psycho-active properties, is not the problem.

"They're actually legal right now. We're actually closing that loophole and yes it's going to take product off the shelves of some of these CBD stores," D'Agostino said. "I would hope their marketplace will adjust, just as our marketplace has adjusted, and that they will package within the limits that we allow, those THC-infused CBD products and continue to sell their CBD products."

Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, whose complaints about sales of THC-product sales in his hometown was an impetus for the legislation, reminded lawmakers of the limits of the debate. "We weren't trying to reverse a fight that's already been lost," he said. "We're just trying to repair some damage that was done with the passage of the bill. We're severely limiting children's access to synthetic cannabis that's sold in gas stations and in vape stores and stores maybe where it shouldn't be."

The legislation, which next heads to the Senate, would train local police in identifying the products, which range from candy-like gummies to potato chips and cereals, to remove them from the market. There will be mandatory labels warning of the potential health affects of cannabis consumption. "This bill has so many good things in it," Rutigliano said. "The number of accidental poisonings in the United States amongst young people is at epidemic proportions."

It's part of what lawmakers believe will be an annual review of the 2021 law creating an adult-use retail-cannabis market. "This is a continually evolving regulatory scheme," D'Agostino said. "Sometimes the marketplace adapts faster than we can, but we respond. We're also getting out in front of other issues like those synthetic cannabinoids."

Current law bans cannabis producers from packaging products that look like candies or other products that could appeal to childern.

Other parts of the bill include an expansion of certain Census tracts for inclusion in the areas eligible for participation in the cannabis social-equity program, where people in neighborhoods adversely affected in the failed war on drugs will be eligible for new careers in the legal cannabis market.

During a morning news conference with Speaker of the House Matt Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D'Agostino produced a pair of high-THC products that are being sold outside the state's legal cannabis market. "You can currently buy products that have THC levels higher than what you can buy in our dispensaries, and that is something we have to correct," he said. "The problem is we have an issue with the federal law conflicting with our state laws. Federal law allows CBD products, hemp-based products, to be sold with what's called a 3-percent dry weight basis for THC. The problem with that is that it's a door you can drive a truck through."

He opened a container of gummies that were not individually packaged. "One of these, has almost double the milligrams of THC you can buy in our regulated stories," he said, adding that some products look like candy and chips. "The problem is there are no regulations on the milligram units."

He noted that the adult-use cannabis rules limit doses to 5 milligrams serving limit and a 100 milligram packaging limit.
WASHINGTON -- About 550 U.S. active-duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border as the U.S. prepares for the end of immigration restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Those restrictions are set to expire Thursday, leading to concerns about whether that will result in an increase in migrants trying to enter the U.S. starting Friday.

The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are "not there in any way to be interacting with migrants," said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

"They needed assistance performing some of those back shop type requirements so that they can focus on the law enforcement aspect of this," Ryder said.

At least some of the active duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go.

More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May. The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces, because they can be moved much more quickly to the border than National Guard or Reserve troops.

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Biden administration has said that it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to the country's immigration system.

"We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we're using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation.

Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority. Ryder said the active duty troops will be doing an entirely separate mission.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some locations across the border are already seeing an influx of migrants, often spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the Title 42 changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

Agents in the Border Patrol's relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four or five day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief.

It's unclear what's driving the increase other than anticipation that pandemic restrictions are about to end, Bovino said in an interview.

"We see these surges whenever there's a major event or a news story," he said. "We don't have a crystal ball, so I can't say there's going to be a massive surge on Friday."

Top nationalities crossing illegally in the El Centro sector are from Peru, Colombia and Senegal, Bovino said. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

Also Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and President Joe Biden spoke by telephone. Since Mexico shares a roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border with the United States, it's key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border. The Mexican president said the two spoke for over an hour.

"We reaffirmed the commitment to continue working together on issues like migration with a humanistic perspective, drug and weapons trafficking, and above all, cooperation on the welfare of the poorest people on our continent," he said.

Associated Press reporters Elliot Spagat in Imperial, California, and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
A bipartisan group of senators is pushing to overhaul how the U.S. handles classified information, an effort spurred partly by the recent alleged leaks of top secret Pentagon documents on an internet forum by an Air National Guardsman.

The package of bills unveiled Wednesday by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and other senators from both parties takes aim at overclassification, which senators say impedes the ability to protect truly sensitive information, and insider threats exemplified by the criminal charges against the Massachusetts airman, who had a clearance and access.

"We've got a byzantine, bizarre, bureaucratic system that has not kept up with the times," Warner said at a news conference unveiling the proposal. "Consequently, we continue to vastly overclassify huge amounts of information, while at the same time not fully protecting our nation's most important secrets."

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"We've, as a matter of fact, so overclassified that our military has said that that level of overclassification leads to a hindrance of working smoothly with our allies around the world," he said.

Senators have been working on the proposal for months, first driven by the discovery of classified documents in the homes and private offices of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence.

But the effort grew more urgent after the revelation that a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman allegedly printed out reams of classified documents and posted them online, divulging secret U.S. assessments about the war in Ukraine and actions of American allies and adversaries alike.

Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, who worked in an IT job and held a top secret security clearance, has been arrested and charged with violations of the Espionage Act over allegations that he spent months posting classified information to a social media platform called Discord.

Teixeira is next scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon for his detention hearing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Documents that prosecutors filed in support of their motion to keep him detained for the duration of his trial allege he has a history of making violent, racist threats, including an incident that resulted in his suspension from high school -- raising questions about whether red flags came up during vetting processes to enlist and obtain a security clearance.

Defense officials have launched a series of reviews and investigations in the wake of Teixeira's arrest, including a 45-day review ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of how the Pentagon handles classified information. Austin ordered the review in mid-April, meaning the 45-day deadline is nearing.

The Senate proposal, which is composed of two separate bills, would mandate "minimum standards" for insider threat programs across the federal government "so that trusted insiders cannot walk undetected out of government buildings with our most closely guarded secrets," according to a summary of the proposal.

The minimum standards would include appointing senior officials at every government agency with access to classified information to oversee an insider threat program, monitoring user activity on classified networks, building an analytical program to assess the information gleaned from monitoring user activity, and providing annual insider threat training, according to the bill text.

"We've seen the failure of those insider threat programs with the recent incident of Airman Teixeira," Warner said. "There are ways that you can make sure you monitor how many copies are being made. There are ways to better make sure people are not walking off with documents. There are ways to make sure that even if you see a document you only see a header, but not the content."

The proposal also takes steps to curb the number of people with security clearances by directing federal agencies to study the necessity of the number and types of security clearances, according to the summary. More than 4 million people have some form of security clearance right now, senators said.

Too many people having security clearances is another consequence of overclassification, the senators at the news conference said.

"When 4 million people have a right to have access to something, it seems like it's hardly a secret," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

The bulk of the proposal deals with overclassification. Provisions meant to cut down on the amount of information that's classified would require agencies to consider whether the risk from disclosure outweighs the public's right to know, set a 25-year period for classification that could be extended only by an agency head or the president, and create financial incentives that effectively tax agencies based on the number of classified records they create and use the proceeds to invest in declassification technologies.

In addition to Warner and Cornyn, the effort is being backed by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan.

The senators said they are in talks about how to move the legislation forward and expressed confidence the proposal will be more than a "messaging bill" even as they acknowledged the administration will likely push back on some of the provisions.

In addition to plugging holes to prevent future leaks, senators argued classification reforms are necessary because overclassification allows conspiracy theories to flourish.

"It's why so many Americans think that the CIA may be actually hiding the whereabouts of Bigfoot or that the moon landing was faked or that 9/11 was somehow backed by the U.S. government," Warner said. "Americans have to have confidence that when their government has a piece of information that is classified that there's a good reason behind it."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: 2 Air Guard Leaders in Accused Pentagon Leaker's Massachusetts Unit Suspended
Delaying Senate confirmation of generals and admirals awaiting promotions right now will ripple down into future rounds of promotions, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned in a recent letter to Congress.

The letter escalates warnings Austin and Democrats have been delivering in recent months admonishing Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for placing a hold on senior officer promotions over his objections to the Pentagon covering travel and leave for troops seeking abortions. As of now, 196 promotions are caught in Tuberville's hold.

In the latest missive, Austin argued that, because general and flag officer numbers are "tightly controlled" by law and because one group of officers can be promoted only with the retirement of another group, future promotions could be delayed by a year to two years because of the current standoff.

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"Long-term holds have a corrosive and cascading effect: They prevent our rising officers and their families from being able to predict promotion and rotation windows, which can increase the pressure to leave the military in favor of greater stability," Austin wrote in the letter, which was dated Friday. "The more normal promotion processes are jolted, the more we risk the loss of the diverse warfighting and technical expertise that America needs to confront its 21st century security challenges."

Austin has previously warned that Tuberville's hold hurts military families by preventing them from preparing for moves and leaves key military positions in doubt at a time of global instability, arguments he echoed and elaborated on in the letter.

His latest warning came in response to a letter Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent him last month asking for a "full accounting" of the effects of Tuberville's holds. Senate Democrats have been gradually ratcheting up pressure on Tuberville as the standoff nears its fourth month.

Tuberville announced in February he was placing a hold on Senate confirmations of all promotions to one-star general and admiral and above after the Pentagon unveiled a policy to pay for travel and leave for troops getting abortions or fertility treatments.

A hold does not prevent the Senate from confirming nominees, but it requires the chamber to take individual roll call votes on each nominee rather than confirming them in a batch by voice vote as it usually does for military officers. The nearly 200 nominations on hold would take months to approve with roll call votes.

Tuberville's office did not respond to a request for comment from Military.com on Austin's letter, but he has previously rejected arguments that his hold hurts the military or national security.

"I will respond to the senator's letter right now: My hold has no effect on readiness. None," Tuberville said during a faceoff with Warren on the Senate floor last month, referencing the letter she sent Austin.

But in Austin's response to Warren's letter, he wrote that Tuberville's actions "pose a clear threat to U.S. military readiness."

"The ripple effects of this unprecedented and unnecessary hold are increasingly troubling," Austin wrote. "Ultimately, the breakdown of the normal flow of leadership across the department's carefully cultivated promotion and transition system will breed uncertainty and confusion across the U.S. military."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: 'We Can Think of Few Things as Irresponsible': 7 Former Defense Secretaries Blast Hold on Military Promotions
A commander accused of toxic leadership, triggering a monthlong investigation. Senior officers accused of sexual assault, alcohol abuse, keeping soldiers away from home to the point of breaking military rules, and racism.

The Army's 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade is facing potentially systemic problems with its leadership, a Military.com investigation has found.

"There is a lot of infighting here  not a lot of trust and certainly the least cohesive place I've been," one senior 5th SFAB officer told Military.com.

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The brigade's commander, Col. Jonathan Chung, was suspended from his position as the head of 5th SFAB, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, a month ago following accusations of counterproductive leadership. He'd been in command since July 2021.

The subsequent investigation confirmed those accusations and recommended that Chung be relieved of command, while outlining broader issues in the brigade, according to internal Army documents reviewed by Military.com.

"To an outside observer, [5th SFAB] consistently meets mission requirements and delivers results -- a point of pride expressed by multiple members of the unit," Brig. Gen. Michael Simmering, the investigating officer, said in his findings. "Internally, a significant portion of interviewed team members expressed a consistent fear of the commander, and many had a physical, visceral reaction when asked to speak about the overall command climate."

Simmering currently serves as the deputy commanding general of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The 5th SFAB is struggling with internal turmoil and generational strife, with some senior leaders in the organization concerned the Army did a poor job vetting soldiers in its haste to build a new organization that was supposed to be elite, stacking the ranks with poor performers with disciplinary baggage. Meanwhile, those top-heavy ranks, filled with mid level officers and noncommissioned officers, see their senior leaders as poor communicators, abrasive and unprofessional.

The organization, created in 2019, is supposed to be the tip of the spear, building relationships and training troops for allied powers in the Pacific amid increasing tensions with China.

Yet the all-volunteer brigade has lost more than 116 troops in the past two years, a staggering drop for a unit that's meant to only have about 800 soldiers, according to internal data. Soldiers interviewed blamed a combination of retention issues, service members getting in trouble and kicked out, and the Army doing a poor job pitching soldiers across the service about what SFABs do.

Military.com reviewed more than 30 official statements, given to investigators mostly from field-grade officers and command sergeants major, about Chung's conduct that detail growing pains and problems the brigade has faced since being stood up. The publication also interviewed two dozen soldiers who have worked with Chung over the past decade. Most were granted anonymity to avoid retaliation.

Also, Military.com reviewed dozens of internal Army emails, text messages, audio recordings and videos, as well as a 2021 5th SFAB command climate survey and internal data suggesting the brigade has a history of disciplinary issues and struggles with being perceived as a serious organization by U.S. partners. None of the content reviewed by Military.com was redacted.

The documents taken as a whole not only outline issues with Chung's leadership, but also reveal broader issues throughout the brigade. They also suggest a generational gap, wherein younger troops took particular exception to Chung's style.

The 5th SFAB did not make a senior leader available for an on-the-record interview ahead of this story's publication.

Chung did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

None of the soldiers interviewed by Army investigators or Military.com accused Chung of violating any laws, and there is no evidence he targeted troops based on race or gender.

"Bottom line, he's a direct leader, very involved," Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Nagy of 2nd Battalion, 5th SFAB, told Military.com. "A lot of people probably aren't used to that."

SFABs were stood up by the Army between 2017 and 2020, with each brigade being regionally aligned with a different part of the world. The units are tasked with building relationships with U.S. partners, helping to build training programs, and developing connections between those units and the American military in case of war. The 5th SFAB's area of responsibility is the Pacific, where it works with partner nations such as Thailand, Mongolia and Indonesia.

Army investigators found that the 5th SFAB has a "divisive, generally poor command climate" that can be best described as "a divided organization with low morale created predominantly by the organizational leadership style of [Chung]."

"He would constantly belittle the staff, sometimes comparing us to children, and frequently telling us how screwed up we are," one Army officer told Military.com. "We might work 10 or 12 hours on something, only to be pulled into his office  sometimes for hours just for us to hear how terrible we are at our jobs."

The officer's account is consistent with those of most soldiers interviewed by Military.com and statements given to Army investigators. Soldiers painted a picture of Chung as a frenzied micromanager and would routinely scold troops for up to hours at a time over minor errors.

He also had nicknames for multiple officers he would use in front of others, according to the Army's investigation, calling one officer "Merit Based" and another "Rex," in reference to the dinosaur from "Toy Story." However, in his statement to investigators, Chung either denied he had nicknames for his subordinates or characterized them as one-off gags, according to the final report. On at least two occasions, field-grade officers sought behavioral health services they say were a direct result of their treatment from Chung. At one point, there was a personal Wi-Fi hot spot in the brigade named "5th SFAB = depression."

But the issues with 5th SFAB's leadership goes beyond Chung and the investigation into his leadership, with multiple disciplinary actions taken against senior leaders and numerous ongoing investigations and troubling behavior from the rank and file.

The investigation also dug up issues with the brigade's violations of temporary duty policy, or TDY, a mechanism for deploying soldiers on missions for 180 days or less. The investigation found systemic issues in which soldiers were returned home at the 179-day mark only to redeploy days later. Commanders can extend that time away from home through proper channels, though the investigation found those mechanisms weren't employed.

The investigation recommended that Col. Lucas Braxton, the deputy commander of 5th SFAB, face administrative action, which could range from a scolding to separation from the Army. The investigation concluded he orchestrated at least 23 violations, effectively denying soldiers the opportunity to rest and spend time with their families between missions.

"I'm not recommending anything  yet. Just want to get down to clarity [sic] on what options are on the table and what risk is being assumed. I'm prepared to argue either way," Braxton said in an email reviewed by Military.com in which he was asking subordinate commanders about effectively extending their deployments in violation of Army rules.

Braxton did not return a request for comment from Military.com.

However, 5th SFAB, a brigade of just under 700 troops, is overburdened by the Army with constant rotations abroad across multiple countries in the Pacific, according to troops who spoke to Military.com.

In a 2021 command climate survey for the brigade, in which soldiers can submit anonymous comments, respondents painted a bleak picture of the morale and behavior of 5th SFAB troops.

In one comment, a soldier said a staff sergeant "routinely" referred to his soldiers as "b---h" and "p---y," which "resulted in fights and yelling matches."

"Additionally, a member of the team carried a Confederate battle flag to Malaysia and has said the N-word on multiple occasions," the soldier added, though it was unclear to whom they were referring.

The brigade isn't alone in facing leadership issues, according to internal slides for a 5th SFAB two-day briefing reviewed by Military.com. They extend across the base where the brigade is headquartered, which includes 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Ranger Battalion, and the 1st Special Forces Group.

More than 90% of complaints involved equal opportunity, a category that includes bullying, using disparaging terms and sexist behavior involving senior leader misconduct. Half the time, the complaints were confirmed, with leaders removed from their positions. The slide does not specify a timeframe, nor provide overall complaint totals.

The base saw 26 informal sexual assault or harassment complaints and 44 formal complaints during fiscal 2022, the briefing detailed. There were also 11 letters of concern, two letters of reprimand and 40 Article 15 proceedings exclusively at 5th SFAB since June 2021.

A 5th SFAB spokesperson said the data was from an early document draft and was inaccurate, but did not provide the finalized version for context.

Col. Meghann Sullivan, commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 5th SFAB, is facing allegations of sexually assaulting at least two subordinate men and harassing several others, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.

One source said she forcefully kissed one man and groped another in separate incidents that allegedly involved alcohol abuse. At least one of those incidents was allegedly witnessed by Chung, though it's unclear whether Sullivan faced disciplinary action. Sullivan was suspended this week, a spokesperson with the brigade confirmed to Military.com.

She did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

"Part of the problem is the previous command teams faced quickly standing up a new organization and putting bodies in slots," Command Sgt. Maj. Shelby Reed of 6th Battalion, 5th SFAB, told Military.com. "In doing so, I think we hired a lot of individuals that weren't mature enough to be here and weren't ready for the challenges.

"We had a lot of disciplinary issues," Reed added.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment
"Come Out Fighting" was the unit motto of the Black Panthers, the 761st Tank Battalion, the U.S. Army's first all-Black tanker unit in combat. Like many of the new all-Black units fielded during World War II, there were those in the U.S. military who doubted how well Black soldiers could fare.

These fears were, of course, completely unfounded. Like the Tuskegee Airmen before them, the Black Panthers were not only acceptable in combat, they were formidable. The new movie "Come Out Fighting" is set against the backdrop of this storied unit.

When the 761st Tank Battalion arrived in Normandy in October 1944, they were greeted with a motivational speech from Gen. George S. Patton.

"Men, you're the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army," Patton said. "I would never have asked for you if you weren't good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don't care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sonsofbitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you.

"Most of all your race is looking forward to your success," he continued. "Don't let them down and damn you, don't let me down. They say it is patriotic to die for your country. Well, let's see how many patriots we can make out of those German sonsofbitches."

The 761st wouldn't see combat until the next month, near the Belgian town of Morville-les-Vic. Once they started fighting, however, they wouldn't stop until the war was over, fighting for more than 183 days. They fought at the Battle of the Bulge, helped relieve Bastogne and assisted in the penetration of Germany's Siegfried Line.

By the time World War II was over, the 761st had pushed all the way into Austria, liberated the Gunskirchen concentration camp and met the Ukrainian soldiers of the Soviet Red Army. Sometimes called "Patton's Panthers," they were one of the most effective tank units in the Army.

Men of the 761st Tank Battalion, also known as the 'Black Panthers.' (U.S. Army)

President Jimmy Carter presented the Black Panthers with the Presidential Unit Citation in 1978. Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers, a platoon sergeant with the 761st, posthumously received the Medal of Honor in 1997 for his actions near Guebling, France, in 1944.

"Come Out Fighting" isn't just about this storied battalion, although the racism they experienced plays a part in the movie. It's the story of an unofficial rescue mission behind enemy lines. When Lt. Frank Ross (Kellan Lutz, "Extraction"), an Army Air Forces fighter pilot, is shot down by the new Nazi jet fighter, the Me-262, he encounters a German ambush on a Black Panther patrol as he makes his way home.

During the attack, the patrol's commander, Lt. Robert A. Hayes (Hiram A. Murray, "The Terminal List"), is cut off from the rest of his unit, but encounters the downed pilot. The men of the 761st put together an unofficial rescue mission while Lt. Ross and Lt. Hayes try to survive long enough to be rescued.

The movie also stars Michael Jai White ("The Dark Knight"), Tyrese Gibson ("The Fast and Furious") and Dolph Lundgren ("Rocky IV"). Catch "Come Out Fighting" in theaters and On Demand Friday, May 19, 2023.

-- 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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Jay Stephens has an impressive resume when it comes to cartoons, having worked on a variety of delightful genre pastiches such as The Secret Saturdays, Tutenstein, and the JetCat segments from the Nickelodeon classic KaBlam!, as well as the comic book series Welcome to Oddville!

But his newest work, DWELLINGS  just announced from Oni Press, with the first issue due in August  takes this aesthetic in a new direction, combining Saturday Morning Cartoon-esque art and vibes with the gruesome atmosphere of Lynchian horror. It's an unsettling genre mashup, but having read the first two issues, I can tell you: it's an absolute delight. Probably the most fun I've had while flinching squeamishly on the edge of my seat in quite some time (yes really).

Here's the official blurb for DWELLINGS:

Combining small-town horror vibes that recall David Lynch with a cartooning style that recalls Harvey Comics and Saturday morning cartoons, DWELLINGS offers a reading experience like nothing else on the stands today. Each of the series' three oversized, prestige format issues will be 72 blood curdling pages long and will include two complete tales. The series welcomes readers to Elwich, an oasis of American perfection, where the schools overflow with cheery-eyed children, lovingly adorned homes line the historic boulevards and only the crows can see the deep, festering rot that lurks beneath the pristine surface. Murder. Demonology. Possession. Obsession. Elwich has them all on offerand behind every dwelling awaits a horrifying new story to be told.

And Stephens' own backstory on how this weird world came about:

As a young collector in the days before the internet, before our town even dreamt of a comic shop, I remember walking the train tracks on weekends, hunting back issues at garage sales and flea markets, picking up whatever I could find Though considered uncool, I was magnetically attracted to the irresistibly adorable Harvey comics Casper, Spooky, Wendy and Hot Stuff in particular and always kept an eye out for that one issue where they finally revealed who murdered Casper the friendly Ghost. If the definition of nostalgia is to 'return home in pain,' DWELLINGS is the most nostalgic work I've ever produced. And my re-imagining of that darker Harvey Comics backstory has festered and intertwined with my personal fears into something truly frightening.

Casper the Friendly Ghost with more gruesome murder is honestly a pretty good description of the atmosphere here. Take a look for yourself:

Over email, Oni Press President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson described the book as "a nightmarish combination of pathological violence, nerve-fraying intensity, and day-glo suburban charm." He continued:

It's a sincere pleasure to welcome Jay Stephens back to Oni with one of the scariest, funniest, most twisted comics series of the decade. Like SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN force fed through a woodchipper with a stack of old Harvey Comics and a half-empty bottle of absinthe, DWELLINGS is a nightmarish combination of pathological violence, nerve-fraying intensity, and day-glo suburban charm  all from the pen of a master cartoonist who has been building toward this series for the better part of two decades. Even if you've read tens of thousands of comics, I can guarantee this: You have never seen anything like DWELLINGS before..and aren't like to again anytime soon.

Dwellings launches in August, with the first oversized, 72-page anthology issues out on August 9, and three other oversized issues to follow bimonthly. Oni will be releasing a few different exclusive variant covers by artists including Joe Palmer, Brian Level, and Jenna Cha, as well as this one by Jay Stephens himself:

which will also be available as an awesomely bloody variant:

You can get your Saturday Morning Horror on starting in August.
The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Wes Parsons to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Hes been assigned to the clubs Florida Complex League affiliate but will presumably head to Triple-A once he gets into game shape.

Parsons, 30, was an undrafted free agent who nonetheless worked his way up to the major leagues a few years ago. He tossed 39 2/3 innings over the 2018 and 2019 seasons for Atlanta and Colorado. He posted an ERA of 5.67 in that time along with a 16.1% strikeout rate, 17.8% walk rate and 45.6% ground ball rate. He was in the Rockies player pool during the 2020 season but didnt get called up to the majors.

The righty went to Korea in 2021, signing with the NC Dinos of the KBO League and having some good results over there. He worked out of their rotation in 2021, tossing 133 innings over 24 starts with a 3.72 ERA. He struck out 148 of the 577 batters he faced, a 26.4% rate, though the 63 walks still amount to a high rate of 10.9%. He re-signed with the Dinos for 2022 but was only able to make eight starts with a 3.56 ERA. He was released in August while dealing with a back injury so the club could replace him with Matt Dermody, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. KBO teams only have three roster spots for foreign players and needed to remove the injured Parsons to get Dermody aboard.

Parsons will now return to North America by entering the farm system of the Blue Jays. Its unclear if they are interested in him as a starter or reliever, but he will give them some non-roster depth either way. The clubs rotation is fairly stable at the moment, with Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi all healthy and depth starter Mitch White currently rehabbing in the minors. The relief corps has had a couple of recent injuries with Zach Pop and Adam Cimber on the injured list. Thomas Hatch and Trent Thornton are depth options on the 40-man roster, though White is out of options and will need a roster spot when his rehab is up, which could lead to the recently-recalled Jay Jackson getting optioned back to Buffalo in the near future.
MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - Theyre Chicagoans who fell in love with each other later in life and also discovered a mutual love for Mackinac Island. Still living in Chicago, they now plan to immerse themselves in the island community by offering aerial tours.

Denny and Stacy Fitch, owners of Delta Fox, honeymooned on the island just a couple of years ago and around the same time, started their Chicago aerial tour business. Fast-forward to today and they now will show visitors breathtaking views of Mackinac Island most people dont get to see.

We will be up there every weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, flying to and from Chicago and staying on the island, Denny Fitch told MLive. Stacy and I just adore the island. Ive been going there for a very long time. It truly is a special place. We honeymooned there and that was when she first fell in love with it, too.

Fitch has flying in his blood. He grew up in an aviation family with his father being a United Airlines pilot. He says his family would fly to Mackinac Island regularly. Denny says he loves giving people the experience of flying in a small plane and seeing some iconic landmarks up close from the air.

I grew up learning to fly around Chicago and its iconic lakefront, past Navy Pier and the Sears Tower. It was amazing. You couldnt believe you were that close. We modeled our business after this. Were a people business that just happens to fly airplanes. I want you to love flying as much as I love flying.

The Fitches will begin offering Mackinac Island tours this month. You can book here. They are $199 per person for up to five passengers in their Piper Saratoga. Sunset aerial tours will also be offered once per evening for a little bit more. The tour will not only take you around the island, but youll see other nearby landmarks as well.

You see the tip of the U.P., St. Ignace and Bois Blanc Island. Youll see The Straits and the Bridge and well double circumnavigate the island, itself, so we can see British Landing, Arch Rock and Mission Point twice. Youll see the downtown and the harbor area. Well also go by the bridge twice and even see some lighthouses. The plane covers a lot of ground and sees a lot of things.

Fitch says while he encourages visitors to Mackinac to also take advantage of helicopter tours of the island, he says flying in the plane gives you a little bit more bang for your buck.

We can see more than a helicopter can strictly based on speed. Helicopters are maybe 80 to 100mph and theyre more expensive to operate. We go about 130mph and youre not blowing around in the wind. Its climate-controlled and enclosed.

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ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions officially will not be going to Germany this season, or anywhere else abroad for that matter, extending their drought to eight years without an international game. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers (2013) and Dallas Cowboys (2014) have gone longer without one.

Detroit had a really good chance to be sent abroad this year, when it was due to play in Kansas City while the Chiefs were due to play a game in Germany. The Lions also have a good presence in Germany, due in part to the rise of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who speaks the language because of his German mother. Media from that country is often in Allen Park and at Lions games.

In the end, the Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins in a Week 9 game in Frankfurt instead, and Detroit is officially headed back to Kansas City for the first time since a 45-17 loss against the Chiefs in 2003. Detroit is 1-5 all-time there.

Detroit still has not participated in a game abroad since playing in London in back-to-back seasons nearly a decade ago, winning a 23-22 thriller against Atlanta in 2014 before getting waxed by Kansas City in 2015, which proved to be the final game of the Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand era, and propelled the Lions into the Quinntricia abyss.

The Lions schedule will be released on Thursday night.

International series:

Week 4: Falcons vs. Jaguars in London

Week 5: Jaguars vs. Bills at Tottenham

Week 6: Ravens vs Titans at Tottenham

Week 9: Dolphins vs. Chiefs in Frankfurt

Week 10: Colts vs. Patriots in Frankfurt
Gemma Correll creates very funny and very appealing comics, so of course huge multi-national companies would like very much to steal them. Last week, she wrote on Twitter that global intimate care brand Libresse, aka @YoAmoNosotras, took one of her comics and made its own versions to promote themselves.

Libresse is part of @essity  according to wikipedia, their net sales in 2019 amounted to EUR 12.2 billion. They can afford to pay artists but instead chose to steal my artwork.  Gemma Correll (@gemmacorrell) May 3, 2023

Libresse is a brand of the Swedish company Essity, operating under a number of names in local markets. Essity has a very convenient page for contacting them with any message you wish.

Here is the very good original comic, reprinted here with the permission of Gemma.

Libresse: PAY GEMMA!

Gemma Correll's website is here. I recommend that you visit!
ONTONEGON COUNTY, MI  The Michigan State Police led a massive ground, air and water search this week for an 8-year-old boy who went missing in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, but, in the end, it was a senior student from the childs school who found him, WLUC reports.

Nante Niemi, 8, of Hurley, Wis., went missing Saturday afternoon after he got lost on his way back to his familys campsite, police said. He had been collecting firewood with a group. He was found Monday afternoon after spending more than 48 hours, including two nights, alone in the wilderness amid wintry conditions. After his rescue, Niemi told police that he ate clean snow to stay hydrated and covered himself in leaves and branches for warmth.

RELATED: Boy, 8, lost in Michigans Porcupine Mountains ate snow, covered himself with leaves

Niemi was found around 1:30 p.m. Monday by a volunteer search party from the Hurley School District, the TV station reports. The first one to spot him was Eli Talsma, a senior in Niemis school district who volunteers with the elementary students.

It was the biggest sigh of relief and all the thoughts of what couldve happened and where he is just went away, Talsma told WLUC. When I saw him walking over that little hill, it was just the best feeling ever.

RELATED: Boy, 8, missing in Porcupine Mountains found safe after 48 hours

Hurley School District Elementary Principal Steve Lombardo told the TV station that Talsma is a leader and can be found daily in the helping in the elementary lunchroom and at recess.

They all know him, he said.

Niemi was found about two miles from his familys campsite.

RELATED: Police release identity of Wisconsin boy, 8, missing in Porcupine Mountains

RELATED: Search underway for boy, 8, missing in Porcupine Mountains

They offered to carry him out today, but he told the guys who found him that he wanted to walk, police said Monday.

Niemi is in good health and has been reunited with his family, police said.

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WAYNE COUNTY, MI -- A former federal agent is heading to prison.

Kevin Taylor, 49, of Riley was sentenced to 5 to 15 years imprisonment and sex offender registration, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.
DETROIT  One man died, and two others were hospitalized after a shooting at a Detroit gas station over a $4 purchase being declined, officials said.

Gregory Kelly, 37, of Detroit, was fatally shot around 3 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at a gas station in the 12800 block of West McNichols, the Wayne County Prosecutors Office said in a news release. Samuel Anthony McCray, 27, of Detroit, is charged with first-degree murder and other crimes related to the incident.

A 60-year-old man and 37-year-old man were also injured in the shooting, the release said.

It is alleged that, shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, the defendant attempted to make a purchase inside the gas station. When the purchase of under $4 was declined, he allegedly attempted to leave without paying. The store clerk then locked the store with the defendant and victims inside.

The defendant then allegedly began to argue with the clerk. He allegedly produced and fired a handgun, fatally wounding Kelly and non-fatally wounding the other two victims. After the shooting, the clerk unlocked the door, and the suspect fled the scene.

Detroit police officers were dispatched to the reported shooting at 3:09 a.m. Upon arrival, they found the victims inside the store suffering from gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced Kelly dead at the scene. The other two victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

An investigation by the Detroit Police Department led to McCrays arrest Sunday. This incident remains under investigation.

McCray was arraigned Wednesday in 36th District Court on charges of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and three counts each of felony firearm and felon in possession of a firearm. He was denied bond and remanded to jail.

Hes due back in court on Tuesday, May 23, before Judge Kenneth King.
ROSEVILLE, MI -- A 32-year-old New Haven woman will be sentenced soon after she pleaded no contest Monday to charges against her after her 1-year-old daughter ingested heroin last summer.

According to WDIV-Detroit, Anita Vasquez entered the no contest plea -- which is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such at sentencing -- to charges of possession of a controlled substance less than 25 grams, third-degree child abuse, and fourth-degree child abuse.

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido brought charges against Vasquez in connection with the July 23, 2022 incident where the infant ate heroin that she found inside Vasquezs purse. After ingesting the substance, the child began having a medical episode and Vasquez flagged down a Roseville police officer.

An investigation revealed the child had ingester heroin and charges were eventually brought against Vasquez. The infant survived the ordeal according to officials.

Vasquez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22.

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UPDATE: This story has been corrected. Alex Gabriel Travis is 35, not 25 as previously reported.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- Police have identified the man who was killed by a truck while riding his bike in Washtenaw County earlier this week.

Alex Gabriel Travis, a 35-year-old man from South Lyon, was killed around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 8, when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office. Travis is from South Lyon, but his girlfriend lives in the area, police said.

Travis was riding his bike eastbound on 8 Mile Road near Dixboro in Salem Township when he was hit by a truck going the same direction.

The driver was a 28-year-old man.

Travis was killed at the scene, police said. The driver was questioned and released pending investigation.

The incident is still under investigation. No other information is available at this time.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.

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WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - Scio Township has hired a new manager after a year of turnover and temporary officials at the position helming internal government operations.

On Tuesday, May 9, Scio leaders voted to bring on Joyce Parker, a veteran municipal official with experience in cities five times Scios size, as well as state government.

The action comes almost a year to the day since the township west of Ann Arbor last had a permanent manager or administrator, following the resignation of David Rowley, who quit five months into his tenure citing disagreement with elected officials over township finances, government and oversight.

I do think I may be a good fit, and would like to have an opportunity to serve, Parker told Scio leaders on Tuesday, noting for 15 of the 20 years shes called Washtenaw County home she lived in the township.

The Scio board voted to approve an employment contract with Parker beginning June 5 and providing a 90-day engagement period where she would be hired as a contractor before transitioning to a township employee.

The agreement provides for an annual salary of $165,000.

Township Trustee Mark Brazeau, who helped negotiate the contract, acknowledged the pay is on the higher side.

Its appropriate given Parkers depth of experience and the little bit of psycho township we all know exists, he said, referencing the conflict that has at times riven the township government.

Scio board members quizzed Parker about how she might manage those tensions, or competing direction from elected leaders.

I dont know if we would actually reach a point where theres always harmony because that may not be realistic, but I think to me the goal should be one of placing the township first, she said.

In an interview with MLive/The Ann Arbor News, Parker emphasized taking a consensus approach and bringing information to the entire board.

I would hope as we move forward, we can really develop a good team and work well together, she said.

Parker said her first manager position was with a township in Saginaw County. Shes since held city manager jobs in Saginaw, Inkster and Elgin, Illinois, as well as positions in Flint and as a deputy state treasurer with the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Since 2002, Parker has been president and CEO of The Municipal Group, a government consulting firm, according to her resume.

In 2020, Parker was a finalist for Ann Arbor city administrator, but dropped out, telling officials based on her observations of the process she didnt think they would be willing to hire an outside candidate, especially a Black woman, MLive/The Ann Arbor News reported.

On Tuesday, Scio officials praised her qualifications and experience and outlined how they hope to work with the new manager.

The commitment I made to Joyce was we as the board determine the what and why were doing. She determines the how and when. Were not going to sit there and micromanage someone with her experience, Brazeau said.

The manager is in charge of day-to-day township operations, assists in preparing the townships annual budget and manages projects and personnel.

The board voted 6-1 to approve Parkers employment agreement, subject to a background check. Clerk Jessica Flintoft was the sole no vote.

I know you are a true public servant, Flintoft said, adding Parker was the most qualified candidate the board has seen.

Flintofts opposition had nothing to do with that, and rather her view that the township manager job description illegally gives the manger duties that by law belong with the clerk.

Flintoft has taken to court to assert those claims, and a lawsuit she filed against the rest of the township board is currently on appeal.

Parker will take over for Marc Thompson, a contractor now serving as manager. He in turn took over for James Merte, brought on following Rowleys departure.

That string of administrators and managers will make Parker the fourth person to take on the top role in just over a year.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Grand Rapids Public Schools has implemented a districtwide backpack ban after a gun was confiscated from a young student, marking it as the fourth time such an incident has occurred this school year.

The ban goes into effect immediately, Superintendent Leadriane Roby announced Wednesday, May 10, at a press conference.

This is a repeated occurrence that we have to get a hold of, she told reporters.

RELATED: Grand Rapids 3rd grader brings loaded handgun to school

The major announcement came hours after a loaded gun was confiscated Wednesday from the backpack of a third grade student at Stocking Elementary School.

Roby stood side-by-side with other Grand Rapids school and city leaders, pleading with parents to keep their weapons secured.

This is a crisis in our community, Larry Johnson, GRPS chief of staff and executive director of public safety, said. "  We have adverted at least two tragedies in the last two weeks.

After two gun incidents, Flint Public Schools also decided on April 25 to ban backpacks until the end of the school year.

Related: Backpacks banned at Flint schools for rest of academic year due to safety concerns

The district has not yet made a decision on whether to keep the ban in place for the 2023-24 school year, Johnson said.

School leaders became aware of Wednesdays weapon at Stocking Elementary after a student reported to staff that another student may have been in possession of a gun.

Heres children, 7- and 8-year-olds, taking an interest when they see theres something dangerous in this backpack that could kill people in this room, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said. I think its important that the parents  in this town take just as great of an interest.

It was just a week ago when leaders made similar pleas after a similar gun-related incident. School officials confiscated an unloaded gun from the backpack of a 7-year-old student at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School on May 3.

The district has scheduled a school safety meeting for Saturday, May 20, to address the topic of guns in schools. Parents and community members are invited to come and speak with school leaders and share suggestions on how to enhance school safety.

In March, the district temporarily put in metal detectors at the request of parents at Burton Elementary and Middle School, located 2133 Buchanan Ave. SW, after two separate incidents involving students bringing a weapon to school.

On Jan. 18, a 13-year-old Burton student was arrested after bringing a loaded handgun to school. Three months before that, on Oct. 25, another student was found carrying an unloaded handgun and ammo at the school.

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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  A special Michigan State Police taskforce said theres been an uptick in cocaine and methamphetamine pills in West Michigan.

Based on the taskforces annual report for 2022, one of its largest drug busts in the region involved the seizure of more than 40 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $2 million.

Lt. Andrew Foster, MSP section commander, spoke to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners at its Tuesday, May 9, meeting about the 2022 activity of the West Michigan Enforcement Team (WEMET).

WEMET covers Ottawa and Muskegon counties, specializing in drug enforcement via a group of law enforcement partners in West Michigan.

We had a huge increase in cocaine this past year in Holland Township, Foster told commissioners Tuesday. We also had a huge increase in the seizure of meth pills in Muskegon County. We also had large seizures of fentanyl and crystal meth remains pretty high.

For the two counties, WEMET seized 6,939 grams (15.29 pounds) of crystal meth, over 16,000 meth pills, 42,674 prescription pills, 8,672.6 grams (19 pounds) of fentanyl and a little over 1,000 grams of heroin last year. Some of those prescription pills included Methadone, Morphine, Xanax, Adderall, Codeine and Percocet.

The largest seizure of 2022 for the taskforce came out of a Holland Township case last summer, where nearly 19 kilos (42 pounds) of cocaine were seized from one individual. The street value of that much cocaine, Foster said, is $2 million. Along with the cocaine, police found two handguns and $62,000 at the crime scene.

The man, Jason Duenas, stashed most of the cocaine in bricks stored in and around a laundry room. Duenas pleaded guilty to being in possession of more than five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute and was sentenced Monday, May 8, to 12.5 years in federal prison.

Related: Holland man enters plea after police say he stashed 42 pounds of cocaine in home

Another notable WEMET case last year resulted in the seizure of tens of thousands of prescription pain pills being mailed into Ottawa County from overseas.

An individual in Spring Lake was ordering prescription pills from India, Foster said. Detectives were able to intercept those packages. In total, there were over 50,000 pills shipped over a few months that we were able to intercept.

In Muskegon, a man making and selling fake Adderall pills was sentenced last summer to 23 years in prison. According to Foster, WEMET seized 13,000 pills from the man and road patrol deputies seized another 15,000 pills that contained meth.

They found two pill presses, Foster said. They were making the pills in Muskegon and it was filtering into Ottawa and Kent.

Related: Man sentenced to prison for 15K fake Adderall pills containing methamphetamine

Foster said with the availability of cheap meth made in Mexico, fewer people in Michigan are manufacturing their own meth. The same is true for crystal meth and cocaine.

As far as individuals making meth, thats lessened countywide, he said. The availability is so much cheaper to have it trafficked in than making it here.

In total, WEMET responded to 337 complaints last year, with 130 investigations in Ottawa County and 177 in Muskegon County. Of those incidents, 94 were in Muskegon, 48 were in Holland, 40 were in Muskegon Heights and 23 were in Holland Township.

WEMET made 238 arrests last year and seized 71 firearms. Twenty of those guns were rifles and 51 were handguns.

Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter.

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ROCKFORD, MI -- A rash of overnight vehicle break-ins in Rockford has prompted police to once again warn people to lock vehicles and remove all valuables.

Rockford Public Safety officers said at least 15 vehicles were broken into and two others were stolen, all in about 30 minutes time.

Police said the break-ins happened in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 9 in the area of Wolverine Boulevard and East Division Avenue.

Officers said they recovered a stolen vehicle during the investigation. It had been stolen out of Allegan and was used to commit the Rockford crimes, police said.

Our officers are doing extra patrols throughout the neighborhoods to try and prevent these things from occurring, but these criminals can be extremely quick. To put it in perspective, all the above happened in less than 30 mins in two different areas, Rockford police wrote in a Facebook post.

Police also asked residents to report any suspicious activity immediately.

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JACKSON COUNTY, MI  Sample beer and pet some pups at an annual Jackson County Animal Shelter event.

The animal shelter is hosting its second annual Bark & Brew from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Jackson County Fairgrounds/Keeley Park, 200 W. Ganson St. The event raises money for the shelters emergency medical fund.

We just never know, and to what extent, were going to have to help an animal thats brought to us, Jackson County Animal Shelter Marketing and Events Manager Amy Kinder said.

The dog-friendly event allows participants to enjoy two of the shelters favorite things -- dogs and Michigan beer, she said.

Animal shelter staff has ordered a variety of Michigan beers and ciders for people to sample at the event, including offerings from Upper Hand Brewing, New Holland Brewing, Lansing Brewing and Founders, Kinder said.

People are encouraged to bring their dogs to the event, she said. The dogs can be entered in one of the events contests, including best dressed, talent show and A Face Only a Mother Could Love.

Food trucks, including Baby Bear Burger and Tiki Sams will be in attendance. The event will also feature live music by Kevin Nichols, vendors and a silent auction.

Tickets are on sale now and include five drink samples. The first 125 people who purchase tickets receive a free sampling glass. Advance tickets are $25, while tickets at the door are $35. Tickets can be purchased online on Eventbrite.

More information can be found on Jackson County Animal Shelters website.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter.

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If you're a social theory and philosophy nerd who also loves puppets, have I got a YouTube channel for you"Theoretical Puppets." The folks who run the channel describe it like this:

Every month we release a new video and invite you to share our passion for puppets, social science and philosophy! Have fun!

This isn't just surface level analysis or a joke, thoughwhoever plays the puppets clearly has a deep knowledge of the work of the various puppet philosophers featured in their videos. The channel is heavy on French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Michel Foucault, so they're clearly two of their favorites (and I'm just speculating here, but most likely the philosophers they studied in whatever humanities or social science graduate degree they probably hold). They've also made videos highlighting the work of Hannah Arendt, Bruno Latour, Sigmund Freud, Salvador Dali, Walter Benjamin, and more.

Here are some exampleshere's a link to "Michel Foucault from A to Z," which actually ends at "T". For each letter, a puppet Foucault discusses one of his conceptsfrom Archaeology to Time. And here's one from early in the pandemic that features puppet Deleuze discussing COVID-19, rhizomes, stay at home orders, tracing apps, and more. Finally, here's their latest video, "Gilles Deleuze on Assemblage Theory, Partial Objects, and the Symbioses of the Unconscious":

Deleuze is confronted with and comments on "Assemblage Theory" as developed by Manuel Delanda, Bruno Latour (ANT), and Jane Bennett. He is somewhat irritated by the theory's claim concerning distributed agency. To go from "agencement" to "agency" seems like play with words. Contrary to current readings, he recalls that already in "Anti-Oedipus" he used the term "assemblage." He then goes on to explain the connection of this term to the machinic theory of the unconscious, before being exposed to the fact that his puppet theater might also be an assemblage in its own right.

Like I said, these videos aren't really for beginners, as they assume some knowledge of the ideas of these philosophers as a base. They are great ways to learn more, however, and somehow listening to puppets discussing philosophy makes it all way more engaging. For more, go check out their YouTube or their Twitter.
PORTAGE, MI -- Owners of Crossroads Mall have filed a lawsuit seeking at least $2 million from the Metro bus authority, claiming buses have caused potholes and damage to private roads maintained by the mall.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday, May 9 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and named Kalamazoo County, the City of Portage and the Kalamazoo County Transportation Authority as defendants.

The authority operates the Metro bus service in the greater Kalamazoo area.

According to the lawsuit, the weight of the Metro buses has caused damage to the roads and created giant potholes/sinkholes in areas.

The presence of these giant potholes/sinkholes poses a significant risk to vehicular traffic on the property, making driving hazardous, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit comes after mall management publicly broached the idea in January of seeking payment from Metro for wear and tear on the Ring Road around the mall.

At that time, mall managers said businesses on outparcels along the Ring Road already pay a fee for road maintenance.

Metro Executive Director Sean McBride, also in January, said he did not support having the transit authority pay a fee.

Were in the position of connecting peoples transportation needs, for connecting people to work, to essential services, to education, and were not in the business to pay for that access, he said in January.

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 -- Its not uncommon to find someone with a health issue in a neighborhood directly west of industrial properties in Kalamazoo.

There are residents with allergies, sinus issues, headaches and asthma.

A new state investigation confirms fears many in the neighborhood have: Levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air could be causing lasting health problems.

Neighboring plants on Kalamazoos Northside -- the Kalamazoo wastewater treatment plant and the Graphic Packaging International paper mill -- are to blame for the toxic and stinky gas.

The state report, released Monday, May 8, has been in progress for nearly three years.

The report says the environmental odors can cause adverse health effects including nausea, headache, insomnia, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. People with asthma and other respiratory conditions may be more sensitive to environmental odors.

The nasal irritation can last even after the person is no longer breathing the gas, the report said. It can cause issues for people with asthma, and the report recommends people go inside if the odor is strong and they have concerns.

They expect us to stop living our life?

Residents, many frustrated after years of waiting for answers, want the issue fixed. The state report, which told people to stay inside if the odor is strong, rubbed some the wrong way.

So they expect us to stop living our life? Deann Winfield told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette after reading the state report findings. I have places I have to go every day, for me and my son.

Her son suffers from severe asthma and uses a machine to help him breathe.

Winfield questioned the recommendations, which advised people to use their medication and close their windows.

These people are really crazy and really trying to kill us Black people off, Winfield said. Kalamazoos Northside neighborhood is a predominately Black area.

Deann Winfield protests about air pollution in town on Thursday, Sep. 8, 2022, outside Kalamazoo City Hall. Throughout the protest, Winfield kept yelling, "I can't breath."Gracie Smith | gsmith@mlive.com

It smells like a dead skunk, resident Patricia Whitmore said. Or like urine or cow manure, all the time.

The offensive smell is a telltale sign of hydrogen sulfide. The Environmental Protection Agency says hydrogen sulfide levels above 1.4 parts per billion can cause health problems with long-term exposure.

At a sensor at Gull Road and Riverview Drive, hydrogen sulfide levels averaged 19 parts per billion in 2020, and about 14 parts per billion in 2021. The monthly average hasnt dropped below 4.6 parts per billion since it went live in September 2019.

City of Kalamazoo data on hydrogen sulfide levels found in the air. Data from September 2019 to March 2022 is 1-minute data averaged by month. Data from April 2022 to September 2022 is 15-minute sample data averaged by month.

Whitmores son has sinus issues, and she wonders if its because of the pollution. Her property is about a block from Graphic Packaging.

Her eyes water and her nose runs, she said.

Im sniffling a lot, and I dont know if its from that, she said prior to seeing the report, which says the levels can lead to persistent nasal irritation.

Former resident Brandi Crawford, who filed a lawsuit against Graphic Packaging, is relieved to see the report. But she doesnt feel like theres been justice.

Im horrified for the community, Crawford told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette on May 8.

She wants officials to provide mobile medical attention and relocation support for residents.

Brandi Crawford-Johnson, a resident of Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood, poses for a portrait across from Graphics Packaging International paper mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Crawford-Johnson is upset about the pervasive foul odors in her majority Black neighborhood, which state officials attribute to the paper mill. The company has been cited for odors numerous times by the state in recent years and is undertaking an odor study this summer. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

For too long, corporations like Graphic Packaging have been getting millions of dollars in economic incentives from the state of Michigan and the city of Kalamazoo and have experienced zero accountability for the harmful impacts we residents have experienced, Crawford said. This is a public health emergency.

Crawford is a member of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

Related: Tax breaks worth $21M approved for major Graphic Packaging expansion in Kalamazoo

Graphic Packaging released its live toxic gas sensor data last week after the state mandated it do so.

In a statement, the company said it appreciates the work that went into the study, and it is focused on reviewing conclusions and recommendations.

While we review the study, Graphic Packagings priority will always be the health and safety of our employees and the community. We have about 750 employees who work in our Kalamazoo facilities every day, and we take their health, along with the communitys health, seriously, the company said, adding its committed to complying with environmental regulations.

The company said it has invested more than $8 million in recent years to reduce nuisance odors from the plant.

Resident Mario Williams said they need to do more. He has lived in the area near the properties for 17 years. His allergies have gotten progressively worse in that time.

Im taking Flonase, stuff like that, but nothing seems to work, Williams said. I take allergy medications every day, but it seems to get worse and worse.

At night, he said he hears hissing and looks over to see a plume rising in the air from the Graphic Packaging factory.

Who knows what that is? Williams said.

Graphic Packaging International in Kalamazoo on Oct. 6, the day the state announced an escalated enforcement action against the facility.

Williams wants some kind of filtration system to be built to address the chemicals going into the air. More technology should have been installed to correct the issues when GPIs $600 million expansion was completed last year, he said.

I dont believe Graphic Packaging is being held accountable, Williams said. They built this bigger plant for bigger production, and nothings being done.

Kalamazoo resident David Benac, a member of the Environmental Concerns Committee, has smelled the odor on the west side of town since the expansion, even though he lives miles away.

He sees a disconnect between the findings and the recommendations in the state report.

There was a clear finding of a health hazard, Benac said, but the report recommends people stay indoors. Staying inside does not align with healthy living, he said.

David Benac, center, speaks with EGLE Kalamazoo Air Quality Division Supervisor Rex Lane, right, at a Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee meeting on Oct. 19, 2022. Benac and others are concerned about the odorous gas.

For community members with existing respiratory problems or sensitivity to odors, the report states. (The state health department) recommends staying indoors and avoiding outdoor exercise or physical exertion when an environmental odor is present.

The report looks like it was written and then edited to minimize the findings, said Benac, whos also a Western Michigan University history professor who teaches a course called Pollution and Protest.

The city of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County released a joint statement, when asked to comment.

Kalamazoo remains steadfast in efforts to address the presence of gases and their odors in air readings throughout the city, Kalamazoo Public Services Director James J. Baker said.

Jim Rutherford, Kalamazoo Countys health Officer, said officials are grateful people reported their concerns and trusted county leaders to escalate them. Resident concerns led to the states investigation.

Resident Tony Bell has smelled a bad odor for decades, but he is used to it.

That could be due to olfactory fatigue, a condition that results in a gradual loss of sensitivity to an odor after continuous exposure, as noted in the report.

He and others are asking what comes next.

So what, Bell asked. Is the state going to do anything about it?

According to the report, state and local agencies will continue in a similar manner as they have been.

(The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services), (the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) and the city of Kalamazoo will work together to continue to use available authorities to continue to reduce hydrogen sulfide concentrations originating from identified sources, MDHHS said in a statement to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.

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MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  Police identified Angelo Keon Raglin-Davis of Muskegon as the victim of a shooting early Wednesday, May 10, inside a Muskegon Heights bar.

The shooting happened around 12:55 a.m. at the Hideout Bar, 100 E. Broadway Ave.

Muskegon Heights police responded to a report of a shooting and found the victim. Police and emergency-medical workers provided treatment at the scene but the victim died on the way to Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital.

Muskegon Heights police detectives, assisted by the Muskegon County Violent Crimes Task Force, are investigating. Police asked anyone who witnessed the killing to contact Muskegon Heights police at 231-733-8900 or Silent Observer at Call 231-722-7463.

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MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Its orange barrel season, and that means many local streets and roads will be under construction throughout Muskegon County and Grand Haven.

From chip and seal work to major reconstruction, road crews are already busy getting ready.

Major road projects include bridge replacement on Seaway Drive in Norton Shores as well as reconstruction of a section of Sherman Boulevard in the city of Muskegon.

Many of the projects, including ones in Muskegon and Muskegon Heights, are funded through the states initiative to replace lead water mains and service lines. Communities, including North Muskegon, are taking the opportunity to refresh streets as they dig up water pipes.

The cities of Grand Haven and Norton Shores will be refreshing several local streets through milling the top layer of pavement and then resurfacing.

Several roads in Muskegon and Fruitport townships will receive overlay and chip and seal treatment by the Muskegon County Road Commission.

Glenside Boulevard leading into Roosevelt Park is getting a major overhaul, including new railroad and pedestrian crossings, sidewalks and such amenities as benches and new streetlights.

Follows is a list of road projects, some of which dont begin until the fall. In several instances, work timeframes remain uncertain. Flexibility in start dates were given to contractors with the intention of getting better pricing, said Muskegon County Road Commission Managing Director Ken Hulka.

Muskegon

Terrace Street

The southbound lanes will be removed between Webster and Apple avenues and the northbound lanes reconstructed in the second phase of a project to narrow the downtown street to two lanes.

The removed section will be replaced with grass. Parallel parking will be provided on both sides of Terrace.

Work has begun and is expected to continue through May.

Sanford Street

The road will be rebuilt and narrowed between Apple and Laketon avenues, with on-street parking removed in some sections. Sidewalk on the west side will be replaced and sidewalk on the east side will be removed in preparation for a future nonmotorized path. New trees also will be planted.

Construction began in March and will continue until November.

The project will be conducted in three phases to minimize the impact on Muskegon High School. The first phase between Apple and Strong avenues will be completed by June 9.

The second phase, from June 9 to Aug. 22, will involve the section of Sanford between Strong and Southern avenues.

The third and final phase is planned for July 21 through Oct. 30 and will stretch from Southern to Laketon.

Peck Street will be used as a detour.

The work will include replacement of all sanitary sewer and some water main and all homes in the area will get new water service lines.

Merrill Avenue

Road and sanitary sewer will replaced between Peck and Jefferson streets.

Work has begun and should be completed by June 9.

Houston Avenue

The road and water mains will be replaced between Third and Ninth streets.

Work has begun and should be completed by July 4.

The project will add parking on both sides of the street and replace service lines to homes in the area. Some sidewalks will be replaced and trees will be planted.

The detour uses Muskegon and Monroe avenues.

West Sherman Boulevard

The five-lane road will be rebuilt with new concrete pavement, one lane of which will be reinforced with processed scrap tires, between Barclay Street and Seaway Drive.

Some sidewalks will be replaced and new trees planted.

The project is expected to begin in July and be completed around Oct. 1

One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction. However, Henry Street will be closed at the intersection with Sherman for about the final three weeks. Traffic will be detoured on Summit Avenue, Seaway and Hackley Avenue.

Roosevelt Park

Glenside Boulevard

Glenside will be reconstructed from Broadway Avenue to Sherman Boulevard.

New sidewalk will be installed, the railroad crossing will be reconstructed and a traffic-calming island will be installed.

Work is to begin the week of July 10 with completion by Oct. 1.

The detour will use Roosevelt Road, Norton Avenue and McCracken Street.

Norton Shores

Seaway Drive

The northbound Seaway Drive bridge over Black Creek will be reconstructed, impacting traffic between Shettler Road and Hoyt Street.

Traffic traveling from Grand Haven Road to northbound Seaway will be detoured to the I-96/U.S. 31 interchange or motorists can take Hile Road to the Airline Highway ramp onto Business U.S. 31.

The Getty Street intersection will be closed, with traffic directed along Airline Highway.

Work has begun with lane closures on both northbound and southbound Seaway. Completion is expected by November.

Forest Park Road

Forest Park between Lake Point and Henry Street will be reconstructed. The project includes work on the water main and storm and sanitary sewer.

Vulcan Street

Vulcan between Sherman Boulevard and Broadway Avenue will be reconstructed. Project will include work on the water main.

North Brookside Drive

North Brookside between Henry Street and the cul-de-sac will be milled and resurfaced.

South Brookside Drive

South Brookside between Henry Street and the cul-de-sac will be milled and resurfaced.

Leif Street

Leif between Lawnell Avenue and Lincoln will be milled and resurfaced.

Lawnell Avenue

Lawnell between Lincoln and McCracken streets will be milled and resurfaced.

Wendover Boulevard and Quainton Road

Wendover and Quainton will be milled and resurfaced between both intersections with Wellesley Drive.

Wendover Boulevard

Wendover between Wellesley and Highgate Road will be milled and resurfaced.

Brookridge Drive

Brookridge between Henry Street and Churchill Drive will be milled and resurfaced.

Sternberg Road

Sternberg between Grand Haven Road and Harvey Street will be milled and resurfaced.

Sheffield Street

Sheffield from Summit Avenue to south of West Lincoln Avenue will undergo sewer and lift station work that will involve some street construction.

Fairfield Street

Fairfield from Summit Avenue to south of West Lincoln Avenue will undergo sewer and lift station work that will involve some street construction.

Sandybrook Court

Sandybrook from Airport Road to the dead end will receive a new water main requiring road work.

Muskegon Heights

8th Street and Rotterdam Avenue

Eighth Street will be reconstructed and new water main placed between Oakwood and Summit streets. Water service lines to homes will be replaced.

Similar work will be completed on Rotterdam between 8th and 9th streets.

The work which has begun is expected to last until the end of May.

Updates will be available by clicking here.

7th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

Seventh Street will be reconstructed and water main placed between Oakwood and Summit streets. Water service lines to homes will be replaced.

Similar work will be completed on Amsterdam between Highland and 6th streets.

Work is scheduled to begin July 24 and continue until early November.

Updates will be available by clicking here.

Leahy Street and Hume Avenue

Leahy will be reconstructed and new water mains placed between Barney Avenue and East Sherman Boulevard. Water service lines to homes will be replaced.

The same work will be done on Hume between Baker Street and Leahy.

Work recently began with completion by early November.

Updates will be available by clicking here.

North Muskegon

Ruddiman Drive

Ruddiman will be resurfaced from Whitehall Road to Mitzi Street starting in late summer.

Ruddiman will be one lane at the Bear Lake bridge for bridge repairs in September. Signals placed on both sides of the bridge will regulate traffic.

Garber Road

Garber will be resurfaced and water service lines replaced between Moulton Avenue and Lake Drive. Work to be done in August.

Lake Drive

Lake Drive will be resurfaced and water service lines replaced between Garber and Lawrence Avenue. Work to be done in August.

Lawrence Avenue

Lawrence will be resurfaced and water service lines replaced between Oakmere Place and Lake Drive. Work to be done in August.

Casenelli and McConnell avenues

Water main loop and water service lines replaced along with street resurfacing between Prescott Street and Bear Lake Road. Work to be done in June.

Montague

Walsh Road

Walsh will receive new overlay pavement between the Montague city limits and Fruitvale Road. Work is expected around June 20.

Whitehall

South Mears Avenue

About  mile of road between East Gibbs Street and Zellar Road will be reconstructed and water main will be replaced.

The project is expected to begin in early August and last about three months.

Traffic will be detoured on Division and Lake streets.

Whitehall/Fruitland Township

White Lake Drive

White Lake Drive culvert between Warner Street/Simonelli Road and Zellar Road will be replaced. Work will begin this spring.

Blue Lake and Dalton townships

East White Lake Drive

East White Lake Drive will be reconstructed between Russell and Blue Lake roads. Cost is $990,000. Construction will begin in early June.

Casnovia Township

Trent Road

The Trent Road bridge over Crockery Creek will be replaced at a cost of $1.15 million. Work has already started.

Cedar Creek Township

Sweeter Road

The Sweeter Road culvert over Little Cedar Creek between Maple Island and Holton Duck Lake roads will be replaced at a cost of $438,000. Work begins Thursday, May 11, and will last about a month.

Dalton Township

Riley Thompson Road

Riley Thompson will be reconstructed between Russell and Holton roads, which is nearly 3  miles. The cost is $673,000. Work will begin in early June.

Fruitport Township

Airline Road

Airline from Hile Road to the U.S. 31 overpass will be reconstructed. Cost is $621,000. Work will begin in the fall.

Shettler Road

Shettler from the U.S. 31 overpass to Sheridan Road will be reconstructed. Cost is $649,000. Work will begin in the fall.

Moorland Township

Ravenna Road

Ravenna from Apple Avenue to Bailey Road will be milled and resurfaced. Cost is $1.23 million. Work will begin in the fall.

Ravenna Township

Blackmer Road

The Blackmer Road bridge over Rio Grande Creek will be replaced. Cost is $965,000. Work has already started.

Grand Haven

Several streets will be milled and resurfaced. Work began May 1 and will last into the week of May 15.

Through traffic will be maintained, but parking will not be allowed.

The parking lot at Third and Franklin also will be resurfaced.

The following streets will be resurfaced:

Waverly Avenue  Between Sheldon Road and Cutler Street and between Beacon Boulevard and Ferry Street.

Washington Avenue  Between Beacon and Ferry.

North 2nd Street  Between Columbus Avenue and Jackson Street.

Elliott Avenue  Between 2nd and Beacon.

6th Street  Between Madison Street and Clinton Avenue.

Windrift Drive  Between Harbor Drive and the dead end.

Memory Lane  Between Harbor and Prospect Street.

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BAY CITY, MI  Midland Streets former VNO Wine Warehouse and New Age Restaurant has a new name, concept and a New Orleans-inspired menu.

Chris LaRocque, who purchased the business from Greg and Peggy Kimbrue last year, lived in New Orleans for nearly a decade and wanted to create a restaurant that embodied the communitys spirit.

I fell in love with the New Orleans culture, and it wasnt even about the food, said LaRoque, who went to the Louisiana city on vacation and decided to stay. It was about the celebration of life. New Orleans, thats all it is: a celebration of life, and everyone comes together.

The restaurants name, Coven, reflects that sense of community and togetherness.

This place can be a gathering where we come together, he said.

LaRocque said the response to his new menu, which debuted this month, has been overwhelmingly positive, and he credits chef Steve Spiridigliozzi for making his vision a reality. Spiridigliozzi was most recently a part-owner of Artisan Urban Bistro in Old Town Saginaw and has also worked at Saginaws historic Montague Inn and the Bay City Country Club.

Covens menu features braised short ribs, blackened salmon, Bourbon Street chicken and shrimp, a Voodoo Burger and other New Orleans-inspired dishes.

In the future, LaRocque plans to redecorate the restaurant to give it an upscale, elegant, modern gothic feel. And starting this month, customers can enjoy live jazz music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coven is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. For more information, find Coven on Facebook.

Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.

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WEST BRANCH, MI  A West Branch teen is facing several felonies after allegedly firing a gun at a prom afterparty.

About 3 a.m. on Sunday, May 7, Michigan State Police troopers responded to a gunfire complaint at a residence on North Rhodes Road in Iosco Countys Grant Township. Troopers determined the house had been hosting a large afterparty for those who attended the Tawas High School prom, during which a fight erupted between attendees.

An 18-year-old present, Corgin M. Dittenber, pulled a handgun and pointed it at other partygoers, struck one 17-year-old male teen with the gun, and fired at least one round, according to Iosco County Prosecutor James A. Bacarella.

Troopers recovered one spent shell casing at the scene, Bacarella said. A video recorded during the afterparty that was posted on social media also recorded one gunshot.

Police did not recover the gun Dittenber allegedly used. As for how Dittenber had access to the gun, he told police someone had given it to him, the prosecutor said.

Dittenber is not a student of Tawas High School, nor was the house his residence, Bacarella added.

Dittenber on Mondy, May 8, was arraigned in Iosco County District Court on two counts of felonious assault and single counts of discharging a firearm in a building, reckless use of a firearm, and felony firearm. The most serious count is discharging a firearm in a building, being a 10-year felony, while a felony firearm conviction mandates a flat two-year prison term consecutive to any related stint.

The arraigning judge freed Dittenber on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. Dittenbers case is scheduled for a probable cause conference on May 16.

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SAGINAW, MI  Investigators from out of the area have launched a probe into the recent death of an inmate within the Saginaw County Jail.

A sergeant making his rounds about 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 5, found 61-year-old Patricia R. Baggett unresponsive in the jails common area, said Sheriff William L. Federspiel. Though they attempted to render medical aid, Baggett could not be saved was pronounced deceased at the jail.

She had apparently hanged herself, Federspiel said.

Federspiel reached out to the Michigan Sheriffs Association and requested a mission team conduct the investigation into Baggetts death. A mission team consists of two investigators from sheriffs offices that are at least two counties away from the county where the precipitating incident occurred.

This is done to ensure an objective, unbiased investigation. The two detectives in this case are from Lapeer and Livingston counties, Federspiel said.

Patricia R. Baggett

We want an independent investigation by trained mission investigators and theyre here today to start their investigation, Federspiel said on Tuesday afternoon. Weve turned everything over to them, including video recordings, medical records, any audio or phone calls (Baggett) may have made while she was here, and her case file.

He added detectives from other sheriffs offices conduct probes into inmates deaths rather than local city or state police because those departments do not have their own jails.

Sheriffs offices have jails, so we understand the policies in jails and how they differ from whats out on the street, Federspiel said. Weve provided our people (to mission teams) before too and Id do it again in a heartbeat. Its gives a sheriff a great sense of the truth as to what happened and how things occurred.

He added he is optimistic an autopsy will be completed Wednesday, which will establish the cause and manner of Baggetts death. Baggett was not on suicide watch prior to her death, the sheriff said.

Deputies arrested Baggett the evening of Monday, May 1, and lodged her in the jail on a charge of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police. She was later arraigned on that charge plus a count of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.17 or higher, dubbed the states super drunk law.

Baggett was free on bond at the time of her most recent arrest, having been arrested Aug. 2 on a drunken driving charge, which she was arraigned on two months later.

Baggett left her cell shortly after 7 a.m. on Friday as officers shift change was underway, Federspiel said. He added inmates are allowed to leave their cells starting at 5 a.m., with staff serving breakfast from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Shift change is at 6:45 a.m., making for what Federspiel called a hectic time.

On the floor Baggett was housed, two corrections officers were coming off shift and two were coming on about the time she died. The jail housed 395 inmates that morning, the sheriff added.

Its always a tragedy when somebody dies, the sheriff said. We do everything possible to prevent those kinds of things. When people want to harm themselves or us, sometimes were unable to prevent that, no matter how hard we try.

Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.

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LANSING, MI  State Rep. Rachel Hood says she was lucky. While running for reelection last year, she had the resources and personal connections so that caring for her ill parents and supporting her two school-aged children did not interfere with her campaign.

But for other candidates or people even thinking of running, she said, their parenting or caregiving duties may put them at a disadvantage. Thats why she introduced House Bill 4413, which would allow campaign donations to cover those expenses when someone is running for office.

This bill will help level the playing field for caregivers: people who are proven leaders, people who are proven to go above and beyond on behalf of others, Hood, D-Grand Rapids, told the House elections committee Tuesday.

These are the people we need here in these seats.

Hood introduced the bill last year but it never left committee under Republican control of the legislature. Democrats now control both chambers after sweeping wins in the midterms.

Twenty-six states already allow campaign contributions to cover care expenses, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis, either by law or ruling. No states laws expressly prohibit it either, although a campaign finance ruling currently prevents it in Iowa.

It is also legal for federal candidates to use campaign donations for care expenses, per Federal Election Commission rulings in 2018 and 2019. HB 4413 essentially extends this to the state level to relieve a burden for candidates and encourage better representation.

In Michigan, only nine lawmakers are also mothers of young children under the age of 18, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who has a young son and won reelection last year, testified Tuesday. We rank 23rd out of 50 for number of moms who are serving as lawmakers.

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But Republicans have some reservations. Shelbyville Rep. Rachelle Smit, a mother of three boys, said she understands parents challenges, but she worries that approving campaign funds for child care could lead to more things qualifying.

Hood noted her bill really focuses very specifically on a certain need, and she said any ideas taking it farther can be debated in the future.

Candidates would not be allowed to use campaign funds to cover private school tuition, medical expenses, tutoring services or payments to a relative unless that relative is a professional caregiver and is charged their normal rate.

HB 4413 will not cost the state any money, according to the House Fiscal Agencys analysis. Additionally, the caregivers receiving candidates money would still have to pay normal taxes on that income.

But Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay, argued the bill is carving out a class of individuals, because candidates and politicians could cover child care tax-free while regular people still have to use their normal taxed income.

Are we saying that were more important than those individuals? he said. Because if I give greater than $600 to my auto mechanic and say, Hey, use this to pay for your childcare, I have to send him a 1099. He has to pay tax on that money.

Hood replied that DeBoyers concern would need to be addressed in a wider reform of campaign finance laws.

Until then, she said, this bill is a proven way of increasing access to the privilege and the ability to serve the people of  in this case  our state.

Tuesday was the first hearing for HB 4413, and lawmakers did not take a vote.

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Michigan lawmakers are working on bipartisan legislation that would encourage the state to contract with Michigan businesses when considering bids for goods and services.

Introduced this month, the bills dubbed Buy Michigan by lawmakers, aim to give Michigan businesses a chance to counter lower bids from out-of-state companies in the states procurement process.

SB 317 sponsor Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, said in a press release the bills are designed to help strengthen the states economy and increase job opportunities for Michigan residents.

We can give Michigan businesses this second chance to win state contracts while maintaining fair market competitiveness, McDonald Rivet. With this proposal, we can utilize our tax dollars better by keeping more of them in-state.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, which is in charge of state contracting, is not required to select an in-state supplier who offers the better and lowest bid under current state law.

Under the bill, if the lowest bidder on a state contract is not a Michigan business, all Michigan businesses have a seven-day window to resubmit their bids to match or beat the out-of-state bidder.

If only one Michigan business resubmits a bid that matches or beats the out-of-state business, the state must enter into the contract with that Michigan business. If two or more Michigan businesses resubmit bids, the state must enter into the contract with the Michigan business that submitted the lowest responsive and responsible best value bid, the bill states.

The state contracts about $16 billion for goods and services each year, according to McDonald Rivet.

This proposal would ensure the best price for the same or higher quality goods and services while prioritizing Michigan-based businesses and jobs, she added.

A company is considered a Michigan business under the bill if it meets at least one of the following criteria: is headquartered in the state, employs mostly Michigan residents or, if the contract is for goods, those goods are manufactured in the state.

SB 316 sponsor Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, said in a statement the legislation builds on the legislatures previous work to promote business growth in the state.

This is another great step forward and encourages a partnership between Michigans private and public sectors to keep more money moving through Michigans economy, Damoose said.

The pair of bills have been referred to the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee for further consideration. Similar legislation was introduced in prior terms but failed to make it out of committee.

If passed by both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, it is expected to go into effect beginning Oct. 1.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is on another swing through Europe, this time visiting Austria and Latvia, the Governors office announced Wednesday.

Whitmer met with executives and toured AVL List, a corporation headquartered in Graz, Austria Wednesday. AVL is a mobility research and development corporation with North American headquarters in Plymouth.

In a statement, Whitmer made the intent behind her trip plain.

I know we can work together to increase their presence in Plymouth, Michigan, she said. We have the workforce, businesses and mobility ecosystem to lead the future of advanced manufacturing, and I look forward to winning more transformational, job-creating projects for every region of Michigan.

Afterward, Whitmer is expected to travel to Latvia, where her office said she will meet with Latvian president Egils Levits and thank Michigan National Guard troops for their service as they conduct multinational exercise with Latvian troops.

The Michigan national guard has worked with Latvia for nearly 30 years to conduct multilateral training, both in Michigan and Latvia. The U.S. state and Baltic nation have a longstanding relationship  former Gov. Rick Snyder also traveled to Latvia in 2018 when the country named a main roadway at a major military base Michigan Ave.

The relationship has taken on a more urgent tenor since Russias invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Latvia, which won independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and is a member of NATO, shares a border with Russia.

Dave Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University, said if not unique, its rare that a state-level official would go overseas to visit troops.

Whitmer has repeatedly emphasized she has no interest in seeking the presidency in 2024, though she hasnt closed the door on seeking the office after her second term as governor ends in 2026. Demonstrating foreign relations experience, Dulio noted, can give candidates a leg up.

I think leaders that are emerging on the national stage, want to have evidence that they can point to of their international or and or foreign policy experience, Dulio said. Youve seen President (Joe) Biden ... he would always talk about how he has these relationships built over the years, that he knows these world leaders. Well, if Gov. Whitmer is meeting with anybody in Latvia from their side, shes starting to do that.

Latvian leaders have also visited Michigan in the recent past. In September 2021, Latvian President Egils Levits met Whitmer at her office in a meeting that wasnt made public to Michigan media.

An announcement from the Latvian government about the trip said the family of the Governor of Michigan has ties with Latvia and that Whitmer showed genuine interest in going to Latvia.

Less than a year later in July 2022, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, the highest elected official in the country, visited Michigan as part of a U.S. trip, according to a release from the Michigan National Guard. It characterized the military partnership between the two countries as tight.

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Whitmer last visited Europe in January, on another trade mission to Switzerland and Norway. Her office said the trip was key in securing an investment from Norwegian company Nel Hydrogen on a new factory in Michigan.

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I remember reading Anastazia Schmid's essay, "Crafting the Perfect Woman: How Gynecology, Obstetrics, and American Prisons Operate to Construct and Control Women," published in "Abolition: A Journal of Insurgent Politics," and being in awe of the feat of conducting such in-depth research and prescient historical analysis while incarcerated. The essay was re-published in the book Abolishing Carceral Society.

Smidt was part of an educational project at Indiana Women's Prison that transformed into the Indiana Women's History Project.

The research of this collective of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, and the university professors they learned and researched with, has now been published as Who Would Believe a Prisoner: Indiana Women's Carceral Institutions, 1948-1920 by the New Press.

"What if prisoners were to write the history of their own prison? What might that tell themand all of usabout the roots of the system that incarcerates so many millions of Americans?

In this groundbreaking and revelatory volume, a group of incarcerated women at the Indiana Women's Prison have assembled a chronicle of what was originally known as the Indiana Reformatory Institute for Women and Girls, founded in 1873 as the first totally separate prison for women in the United States. In an effort that has already made the national news, and which was awarded the Indiana History Outstanding Project for 2016 by the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana Women's Prison History Project worked under conditions of sometimes-extreme duress, excavating documents, navigating draconian limitations on what information incarcerated scholars could see or access, and grappling with the unprecedented challenges stemming from co-authors living on either side of the prison walls."

Founder and emeritus director of the Indiana Women's Prison higher education program, Kelsey Kauffman, penned the preface explaining the context of the project. Michelle Daniel Jones, a former prisoner at the institution released in 2017, now a doctoral student in American Studies at New York University, explains the approach to the research in the introductory chapter.

The book is organized into three sections: 1) Indiana's First Prisons, Homes, and Reformatories for Women; 2) Sex Sexuality, and Control Over Women's Bodies; and 3) Indiana's House of the Good Shepard.

As explained by Candace Norwood at The 19 th , "The researchers inside the prison had no access to the internet and had to request copies of historic records to be brought in by professors and outside volunteers. That required photocopying hundreds of pages that could be brought through prison security, as well as keeping track of all the notes of the nearly 30 scholars who contributed. 'This book was an enormous pain in the ass put together, because the authors were being kept in a cage,' said Elizabeth Nelson, a co-editor for the book and an assistant professor of medical humanities and health studies at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis."

The Indiana Women's Prison History Project members include Michelle Daniel Jones (editor), Anastazia Schmid, Kimberly Baldwin, Lara Campbell, Nicole Hayes, Rheann Kelly, Christina Kovats, Natalie Menley, Molly Whitted, and Michelle Williams.

Check out this interview from The 19th with Jones and Nelson about the entire project. "The title of the book comes from the story of Eva Green, who was incarcerated in the Indiana State Prison in Jeffersonville. She was sexually assaulted and contracted syphilis from a hospital steward in the prison. She stood up for herself and took it to court when she could. She even got women to come from the prison to testify on her behalf. The warden of the prison was the lawyer for the steward in the court hearing. So here Eva was, sitting with these sores on her body from syphilis, and at one point the warden says, "You can't believe that woman. I've caught her in a thousand lies." And that was the end of it; the steward walked away."

Though now studying for her Ph.D. at Rutgers, the Ph.D. program in History at Harvard University admitted Jones in 2017. The New York Times reported, "She was also among 18 selected from more than 300 applicants to Harvard University's history program. But in a rare override of a department's authority to choose its graduate students, Harvard's top brass overturned Ms. Jones's admission after some professors raised concerns that she played down her crime in the application process. Elizabeth Hinton, one of the Harvard historians who backed Ms. Jones, called her 'one of the strongest candidates in the country last year, period.' The case 'throws into relief,' she added, the question of 'how much do we really believe in the possibility of human redemption?'
Mark D. Latunski was mentally ill for nearly a decade before killing 25-year-old Kevin Bacon and eating a portion of his body on Dec. 24, 2019.

Hed previously been medicated, forced to receive treatment in psychiatric hospitals, and arrested at least three times. Also, two men in separate incidents called 911, claiming Latunski held them captive in his basement.

Latunskis ex-wife and former employer both urged him to get help.

Related: The hairstylist, the chemist and a descent into cannibalism

His mental illness was not a secret to anyone close to him, nor the courts, multiple doctors or police, yet no one was able to sufficiently intervene before his psychosis led to murder.

Latunski is one among tens of thousands of Michiganders who have struggled within Michigans flawed mental health system that faces a shortage of beds, resources for long-term care, as well as training for law enforcement who encounter the mentally ill.

Why is it we have so many thousands of people with mental health conditions who probably need in-patient services, maybe in a state hospital or an acute hospital setting? said Marianne Huff, a therapist and president of the Mental Health Association in Michigan. Why are they in jails or prisons?

This problem gets talked about, and talked about, and talked about and there are solutions, but its tough.

Related: Cannibal killing reveals flaws in mental health safety net

Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Matthew J. Stewart sentenced Mark David Latunski to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 for convictions of first-degree murder and 11 months in prison for disinterment and mutilation of a dead body. Latunski, of Bennington Township, was convicted in September when he pleaded guilty to open murder and disinterment and mutilation of a dead body in connection with Bacons death. (Jake May | MLive.com)Submitted by Pamela and Karl Bac

We couldnt force him to get help

In the 1700s, the mentally ill roamed the countryside.

People gave up on them. They didnt know how to help or didnt have the time.

Three centuries later, society has much better public funding, understanding, medication, therapy and hospitals  and yet many of the same challenges exist. Instead of the countryside, untreated mentally ill often remain isolated and paranoid on the streets, or in their own homes, roaming the internet.

The U.S. approach to treating mental illness began to shift with President John F. Kennedy, whose compassion for the mentally ill arose out of personal experience with his own sister, Rosemary Kennedy. She received a lobotomy in her early 20s that left her incapacitated and institutionalized until her death.

Kennedy in 1963 called on Congress to replace what he called the cold mercy of custodial isolation with open warmth of community concern and capability.

Funding shifted from institutions and long-term in-patient care to community health departments focused heavily on out-patient prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

But, that system isnt without its flaws.

For nearly a decade, untreated mental illness tormented Latunski, and those closest to him. It chased him down a well-worn, frustrating path that played a significant role in transforming Latunski, 54, of Bennington Township in Shiawassee County, from a clean-cut, gentle father and successful chemist to a paranoid, wild-haired cannibal.

He spent months researching and discussing cannibalism online, arranging sexual trysts and building what prosecutors described as a custom killing room.

Latunski rejected doctors diagnoses, refused medication, spent time in jail and psychiatric wards, was fired from his job, nearly lost his home and pushed away family and friends.

When the people around him, who loved him, knew he wasnt doing OK, we couldnt force him to get help, said Emily Latunski, 47, of Morrice, Latunskis wife from 2001 to 2013. And I understand that people have rights, but at some point, theres got to be a way to get people the help they need, even if they dont want it.

Huff with the Mental Health Association in Michigan said its common for patients to resist treatment.

When you have a person saying, I dont need treatment, its usually the family that ends up being the ones to petition the person for (court-ordered treatment), and that doesnt exactly always help the relationship, she said. It can become very, very nasty and there comes a point when the family sort of gets tired of it.

Police tape surrounds the entrance to the Mark D. Latunski residence on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 in Bennington Township. (Jake May | MLive.com)Submitted by Pamela and Karl Bac

Four police encounters, no action taken

Police had four separate encounters with Latunski in the five months leading up to Bacons death. Despite a history of mental illness, he was never forced to seek a psychiatric evaluation, which would have required court intervention.

On July 19 and Dec. 10 of 2019, police arrested and jailed Latunski related to unpaid child support. Booking records indicated he didnt appear to be suffering from any psychiatric issues either time; he denied having prior psychiatric diagnoses.

A man on Oct. 10, 2019, called 911, claiming he was drugged and chained up in the basement of a home, later determined to be Latunskis. He cut a leather ankle restraint and escaped with a butcher knife in hand at 2:30 a.m.

The man flagged down police, who were looking for the 911 caller. They didnt attempt to identify his captor, citing the victims reluctance to cooperate and lack of information, according to the police report.

On Oct. 15, a woman reported that a man, later identified as Latunski, had about five days earlier parked his vehicle in her driveway. Latunski was searching a nearby ditch and something was off about him, the woman told police. Police didnt take further action but told the witness to call 911 if the man returned or she felt threatened, according to the report.

A second man escaped Latunskis home on Dec. 10.

Im trying to get away from some creepy guy, the caller told 911. He had me tied up in his basement.

Police questioned him, but he told police he didnt want to pursue charges, according to the police report.

Police questioned Latunski and connected him to the previous escape in October. They did not arrest him, search his house or request a mental health evaluation.

State Police Sgt. James Moore, the lead detective in the Bacon homicide, said there was no evidence Latunski committed a crime during either of the reported escapes. Both men said they intended to have consensual sex, and both refused to pursue charges.

MLive asked Shiawassee County Prosecutor Scott Koerner if police missed an opportunity to intervene during those escape calls. Youd have to ask that to law enforcement, he said.

Police often run into the same roadblocks as families while trying to get treatment for citizens, said Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police Director Robert Stevenson.

Unfortunately, the majority of the time that the police (encounter) somebody with some type of mental illness, there is not a lot that they can do, he said. It can be extremely frustrating, because the person is obviously mentally ill, but not mentally ill to the point that theyre demonstrating that theyre a danger to themselves or somebody else.

And thats where theres a hole in the system.

Stevenson said an increase in crisis intervention teams that partner mental health professionals and police in the field are improving access to treatment.

Mark David Latunski, 52, has pleaded guilty in the December 2019 murder and partial dismemberment of Swartz Creek resident Kevin Bacon. (Jake May | MLive.com)

Not nearly enough beds

Police are able to file a petition with the court if they feel someone is in need of psychiatric help and may pose danger to themselves or others.

Michigans process for forced psychiatric committal isnt easy to navigate, and when it is granted by a judge, rarely results in an extensive in-patient stay.

Predominantly, treatment is handled outpatient through counseling and medication, due to a lack of psychiatric-designated beds, inadequate public funding and private health insurance limitations, Huff said.

About $5.3 billion of Michigans current $24.3 billion medical services and behavioral health budget is pegged for behavioral health, which includes both substance abuse and psychiatric care.

Michigan has five state-run hospitals with approximately 700 beds, in addition to nearly 2,300 beds offered by 60 private hospitals. According to a 2021 report compiled by the Certificate of Need Commission, the average in-patient stay was 9.5 days.

A 2022-published Michigan Health Endowment Fund report estimated 640,000 Michigan residents suffered from untreated mental illness in 2019, the year for which data was reviewed.

We have many thousands of individuals with mental health conditions who need to probably be getting in-patient services, Huff said. We still dont have enough in-patient psychiatric beds for people. We have people that are being incarcerated or committing crimes while theyre in the throes of significant psychiatric symptoms.

Latunski was court-ordered to receive in-patient treatment at least twice, for 11 days in May 2012 and 16 days in September 2013, in addition to five days of voluntary in-patient treatment in 2010, according to a court competency report reviewed by MLive.

The problem was: Latunski wouldnt stay on his medication when released and soon slipped back into his delusions, believing people were watching and trying to poison him.

There are a lot of people with schizophrenia, who, when theyre on medication, they can function fine, Huff said. They can have families, they can do things. Theres a term, anosognosia, which is a lack of awareness, when they clearly have mental illness but they dont understand or perceive their illness.

And so, sometimes people will go off their medications, thinking theyre fine.

It becomes a choice

Until the early 1950s, the lobotomy, a surgical procedure that involved severing of part of the brain, was used to subdue mentally ill patients exhibiting chronic mania or psychosis. Antipsychotic medications, like chlorpromazine -- better known by the brand name Thorazine -- replaced the lobotomy in subsequent years, but caused tremors and dulled the patients personality.

Modern-day medications used to treat mental illness are significantly better but remain imprecise, dont always work and are accompanied by serious side effects, including severe weight gain, diabetes, liver or kidney damage and bladder problems, Huff said.

People will complain that the medications do dampen their emotions, make them tired, feel less like they want to engage with other people and things like that, she said. People with severe mental illnesses, they really do need access to these medications, but the medications also come with some pretty significant side effects that people arent always sure they want to deal with.

It becomes a choice between: do I live as long, or do I take the medication and maybe die sooner?

Living on the edge

Michigan law allows anyone to petition for court-ordered, inpatient treatment. If granted, someone may be taken to a psychiatric hospital against their will for up to 72 hours.

During that time, they are evaluated and medical staff determine if ongoing inpatient care is needed. The patient may then request a court hearing to contest the recommendation, which Latunski did both times he was kept beyond the 72-hour hold. In those cases, the judge sided with the medical recommendations and he was hospitalized longer.

However, a severely mentally ill person doesnt always fit the criteria for a person requiring treatment, under law. To be committed, the person must have been observed by the petitioner within the last 14 days threatening violence or self harm. Otherwise, they must be unable to attend to their own basic needs -- food, clothing or shelter -- and be at risk of suffering serious harm because of it.

There are people living on the edge of that borderland between functioning and succumbing to these significant symptoms of a mental health condition, Huff said. It sounds like that was one of the issues that was going on with Mr. Latunski. He was sort of in that borderland functioning for a very long time, and then something pushed him over the line.

Latunski, for most of his illness, didnt threaten violence or suicide. While his delusional thoughts were rampant, he still had a good job as a well-paid chemist, a nice house, he ate and wore clothes. There was nothing in the law that could compel him to get treatment.

Thats where the civil rights aspect comes into this, Huff said. We cant just take people and drop them off at the hospital and say, theyre causing problems, put them in, and they go in.

While violent outcomes, such as the killing of Bacon, are rare, they arent nonexistent. The criminal justice-mental illness overlap is significant, and police are often among the first with an opportunity to intervene.

A 2019 MLive investigation revealed 30% of police killings over the prior two decades involved suspects who suffered from mental illness or who were amid a mental-health crisis. Nearly 40% of civilians killed by police suffered from mental illness.

A 2015 Council of State Governments Justice Center report found nearly 1 in 5 jail inmates nationwide suffered from serious mental illness.

The criminal justice system is slowly changing to address the impact of mental illness on crime. Police departments are incorporating more social and mental health workers, and specialized courts have been developed to deal with crimes committed by defendants with a history of mental illness.

Related: A cop killers unchecked mental illness and the lives it destroyed

But theres a long way to go, said Detroit attorney Sanford Schulman, whos defended numerous mentally ill clients, including Marquise Cromer, who killed a Detroit police officer in 2016 at age 21 after a mental illness history that tracked back to a bipolar disorder diagnoses when he was 4.

It starts long before Cromer or this cannibal are sitting in that chair next to me, he said. Once theyre there, its not the story thats reported in the news. Its a whole story that started much earlier.

And I always wonder: who had signs, who knew, and what could we have done differently.

MLives Michigan Crime Stories: The Christmas Eve Cannibal podcast further explores the killing of Kevin Bacon in a four-part series available on most popular podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Please listen and subscribe. Spotify links are available below:

Read more stories about the killing of Kevin Bacon here.

The secretive, sexual subculture of cannibalism at center of Michigan murder

Cannibal killing reveals flaws in mental health safety net

The hairstylist, the chemist and a descent into cannibalism
NORTHPORT, MI  A barge best known for repeatedly sinking in Grand Traverse Bay was apparently teetering again in Lake Michigan waters, worrying onlookers about risks of it sinking again or more pollution escaping from what they see as a derelict vessel.

Michigan state and federal authorities are monitoring the situation, which is that the barge is floating normally again after listing to the side on May 6, 2023. Onlookers were worried the barge would sink for the third time in two and a half years.

And now that the barge is upright again, regulators said there is little they can do to force its departure since the vessel is no longer resting on Great Lakes bottomlands.

Jim Farese has been looking at the barge for 22 months smack in the middle of his view of the otherwise picturesque Lake Michigan.

This past weekend the barge was partly underwater again, he said.

Farese said he took a photograph on Saturday of the listing barge  listing is a nautical term for when a vessel takes on water and tilts to one side  and shared it with his next-door neighbor, Bill Lanzit, who in turn posted the image on an up-north based social media page.

The barges owner was here the next morning and pumped it out again and got it floating, Farese said. It must have some kind of a leak in the actual barge. Because you could see that there was a bilge pump that was pumping water out, I assume of the hole.

Lanzit said he and his wife, Amy, periodically check their up-north cottage security cameras from their Ohio home to make sure the lake is still there. They have been able to see the crane sitting atop the barge for months on end.

The neighbors have tried to get state authorities to act and make the barge owner relocate the vessel. The barge is owned by Donald Balcom of Balcom Marine Contracting.

He dropped it literally 15 feet from my dock, Lanzit said.

This was the second time Balcoms barge sank to the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay. The first time was in November 2020 when it sank and spilled petrochemicals into Lake Michigan just offshore of Elmwood Township, closer to Traverse City.

The barge was re-floated in May 2021 and moved to a boat ramp owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa in Peshawbestown. It stayed there for about a week before being floated to a job near Northport but by July 2021, the barge was anchored offshore near a gated resort community in Leelanau County. When water levels dropped in January 2022, it struck bottom again.

That means the barge has remained in the same spot for nearly two years, whether anchored or resting on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Farese and Lanzit said a local excavating company was on site in late April to help dig the barge out and pull it into deeper waters, but it hasnt moved since. Officials at Traverse City-based Team Elmers have not yet responded to a request for comment.

4 1 / 4 Sunken barge floats again in Grand Traverse Bay

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources in November 2022 sent Balcom notice that state officials considered the barge abandoned and warned they may seize it. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter in September last year that said the federal government considers the barge an abandoned navigational hazard and the agency was prepared to issue a permit for any salvage operation willing to remove it.

Lanzit said state officials told him there was no money to pay for the work from public coffers.

Jeff Johnston, spokesperson for the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, said the agencys hands are tied for the moment. Thats because the barge is floating again and not touching Great Lakes bottomlands.

While EGLE understands the frustration of nearby residents and others concerned about the barges presence, the departments regulatory authority does not extend to vessels afloat or at anchor, Johnston said in an email.

He said state inspectors visited the scene on May 8, 2023, and found the barge afloat and no longer listing in Lake Michigan.

EGLE saw no signs of contamination, such as an oil sheen, in the waters around the barge, Johnston said.

U.S. Coast Guard inspectors in December 2022 found more than 40 gallons of gasoline and diesel onboard the barge among three dewatering pumps, several five-gallon fuel cans, and about 25 gallons inside the cranes fuel tank. Balcom agreed to remove the portable fuel containers and dewatering pumps, previously said Lt. Tyler Carlsgaard, the Coast Guards top inspections officer for the Sault Ste. Marie sector.

10 1 / 10 Sunken barge in Grand Traverse Bay

Carlsgaard said Coast Guard inspectors determined fuel in the cranes tank didnt pose a substantial threat of discharge because it was secured above the deck and remained structurally intact.

Balcom this week told MLive there is no pollution coming from the barge. He also said the barge never accidentally sank.

It did not sink. We had it sitting on bottom. The water came up. I moved the barge Sunday, had it floating Sunday, he said on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. No, it did not sink again. I sunk it purposely, so it doesnt move.

Balcom said he is awaiting necessary permits to move the barge, take it out of the water, and have it repaired. He declined to say where he intends to take the barge because should that information be revealed to the public, people would get all excited and then theyll start objecting to that.

Carlsgaard confirmed this week that the U.S. Coast Guard continues to monitor the situation.

State authorities confirmed the case remains under review by Michigan Attorney General officials for possible violations of state Great Lakes bottomland laws.

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Two Michigan cities are leading the pack for Millennial homeownership in the U.S.

Millennials recently crossed a threshold; the majority of the generation, 51.5%, owns homes.

Grand Rapids is the No. 1 city in the U.S. with 63% of Millennials as homeowners. Close behind is Detroit at No. 7 with a rate of about 55%, according to Apartment Lists 2023 Millennial Homeownership Report.

Sitting in Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, a group of Millennial coworkers shared a range of arrangements: homeownership, renting and living with parents.

Rachel Greiner, 30, who works in marketing at Experience Grand Rapids, boomeranged back to Grand Rapids with her husband after the couple lived in metro Detroit, her hometown, before they were married.

The pair bought a home in Grand Rapids Eastown neighborhood in December 2016, when mortgage rates were in the 4.30% range for a 30-year loan.

Although mortgage rates have ticked down from the peak in November, they still remain high at 6.39% for 30-year mortgage.

Millennials, born from 1981 to 1996, have had a slow, steep climb into homeownership as they weathered both the 2008 housing market crash and the 2020 housing competition. The oldest Millennials are now in their early 40s and the youngest in their late 20s.

Lauren Callahan, 35, has been searching for a multi-unit home for the past year. Callahan, who works as a convention services manager, wants to take advantage of West Michigans growing vacation rental market and own a unit she can offer as a short-term rental in addition to a home for herself and her mother.

But Callahan is still fighting against a competitive market.

Before we can make an appointment [to view] its already sold with cash, above offer, she said.

Her coworker, Kahlisha Mosley, 33, said the bidding war is whats keeping her out of the housing market for now. She said shes grateful to have family to stay with rent-free while she builds a financial base.

Im just thankful to have parents and grandparents who want to see me succeed and care about my credit, she said. They dont want me to make the wrong financial decision.

Younger generations say they are delaying degrees, marriage and starting a family due to the state of the economy, according to a national Bankrate survey. The No. 1 answer for delayed milestones is homebuying. Millennials have lagged behind older peers in making the transition from renter to homeowner.

By age 30, 42% of Millennials owned their homes, compared to 48% of Gen Xers, 51% of baby boomers, and nearly 60% of the Silent Generation. That gap persists through their 30s and into their early 40s, according to Apartment Lists analysis.

Affordability is consistently the top answer for why Millennials havent entered the market yet.

Detroits housing market has stayed hot throughout the pandemic to today.

Sales in the city of Detroit bounced back and then some after the pandemic shutdown. There was a five-year high of 548 sales in March 2023 compared to 424 homes sold in March 2019, according to Redfin.

Sale prices in the city hit a record high last July at $96,000. The median sale price came down to $73,000 in March but still was much higher than 2019s $40,000.

Grand Rapids hit its five-year high for sales in October 2020 with 445 homes sold in one month. The market is now closely mirroring pre-pandemic sales. In March 2019, 241 homes, just slightly above March 2023s 219 homes, sold, according to Redfin data.

Prices, however, look dramatically different. In March 2019, homes in Grand Rapids sold for $164,000 while March 2023s median sale price was $250,500.

For the other half of Millennials who have not found their dream home, or even a starter home, many feel they will be stuck renting for the foreseeable future.

Attitudes toward homeownership have declined among the generation according to the Apartment List Renter Survey, which has been running continuously since 2018, collecting data on Millennials plans and perceptions of homeownership.

Over time, Millennial renters have become more likely to say they will rent forever, almost doubling from from 13% in 2010 to 24% in 2022. The largest jump in forever renters came between 2019 and 2020, again pointing to the pandemics impact on Millennials financial heath, according to Apartment List.

The median rental price for Michigan is $1,349, a 7.54% increase from last year, according to Rent.com. One-bedroom apartments in Detroit rent out for $1,495. Median price in Grand Rapids is $1,188, according to May data from Rent.com.

More on MLive:

I got Millennial money. Younger generation lacks Boomers homebuying power

1 in 4 Millennials say theyre forever renters, giving up on homeownership

Homes, degrees and weddings: Younger generations delay costly life milestones

This is not their grandparents America: Gen Z sees homeownership as unlikely
There is an axiom that says that the one who cuts the path would never know it is getting crooked behind him/her. Hence, it is the public's duty to mention to the organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) when things dont go on well, and also proffer ideas and solutions. They should not take it amiss when people criticise them, and begin to see such individuals as archenemies of the award scheme.

I watched the live telecast of this year's edition of the VGMA (Vodafone Ghana Music Awards) on TV last Saturday and I would like to point out some aspects of the live TV broadcast which were somewhat appalling. For the young and uninitiated, they may not concur with my opinion but that is okay.

From where I sat last Saturday (in front of my TV of course! LOL.), the camera movements and angles seemed quite uncoordinated. Although the visuals, coupled with the picture quality, looked very top-flight on TV, the same cannot be said for the TV camera operation.

The crew in charge of switching from camera to camera in the production control room (PCR) didn't help matters either. Whenever it was necessary that they switch to the audience cameras for TV viewers to see audiences reaction, for instance, they rarely switched to those cameras, much to my chagrin! That is not all, the sound on TV was terrible at certain times of the show (or was it my ears?? LOL.). And the least said about the lighting in the auditorium the better.

We are in an era (a digital era, to be precise) where people are very exposed to high quality television productions coming from other parts of the world and so when local productions turn out to be below par, they noticed it immediately.

I ain't in anyway trying to compare our well-beloved VGMA to the Grammys, BET Awards, Oscars, MTV Video Music Awards or any of such awards. Nope! Those award shows are light-years ahead of ours and thus too high to compare with.

But at least, we can learn from our fellow Africans in Nigeria and Mzansi (South Africa) who are doing incredibly well when it comes to live TV production. South Africa is actually a foundational cradle of the TV production industry on our continent, which is why Steve Harvey and his team (from America) had to fly Ghanaians all the way there (South Africa) just to shoot the African version of Family Feud TV game show.

To say that South Africans don't joke at all when it comes to live broadcasting for TV and over the Internet will be stating the obvious. The annual South African Music Awards (SAMA), which is always a delight to watch, is a good case in point, and also not forgetting the defunct Channel O Music Video Awards which received rave reviews.

One of the reasons why Africa and the rest of the world fell in love with the Kora All Africa Music Awards (or Kora Awards for short) was the excellent manner by which the crew from Clive Morris Productions (CMP) handled the live telecast of the award ceremony, and I am talking about all the Kora editions held in South Africa between 1995 and 2006.

CMP (based in South Africa) being Africa's foremost TV productions company, I think it would be apt for the VGMA organisers to engage them, so as to assist the local production crew here in producing the award event for live TV.

It is no gainsaying that the number of people who watch the VGMA outside the auditorium (be it via linear TV or the Internet/social media) far exceeds the number of folks at the venue. For this reason, the organisers ought to channel more resources into the live transmission of the award show, and also ensure that it is above par.

But if the organising team do not currently have the wherewithal to bring on board experts from elsewhere, they should just record the whole event and later air it on TV and the Internet, in lieu of telecasting it live which often turns out to be under par. I have been watching this award show on TV since its inception and so I am not just ranting and raving.

In spite of all these, I savoured every moment watching all the razzmatazz on TV. My best dressed personalities on the night were Adwoa Noella, Anita Akua Akuffo and Francis Doku (all from TV3 Ghana Network/Media General).

It is high time our fellow Ghanaians and fellow Africans understood the importance of donning our traditional apparels on this kind of occasions, instead of prancing around on the red carpet in western attires, looking like "Met Gala" wannabees (no disrespect, chale!).

On the musical performances, it is worth mentioning that our Ghanaian musicians have improved tremendously, vis-a-vis live band performance. They all showed showmanship on stage and deserve a pat on the back for those riveting performances last Saturday. Gone are the days when our local music acts would show up on stage holding a "dead" microphone to mime to their songs, as if they fear electrocution from "live" microphone. Those days are far gone, right?

If not for those technical glitches and hitches, Medikal's entry would have gone down in the annals of the VGMA as the best (so far). The idea was great, but unfortunately, it was not delivered with military precision. Besides the microphone going "on" and "off", AJ Akuoku-Sarpong was just rushing through her words, bungling everything in the process.

But given the situation, tis quite understandable. Suffice it to say that the pressure on "AJ" that night was getting "worser"!

By: Eugene Selorm Owusu
On the night of the 24th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), the Ghanaian music industry was treated to a sighting of the ever-gorgeous Shegah.

A veteran in the industry, Shegah attended the event looking ravishing and glamorous much to the delight of her fans and onlookers.

Her stunning outfit was one of the most talked-about at the event and it was difficult not to notice the pop of color and sparkle she added to the already star-studded night.

Shegah has come a long way in her music career as evidenced in her significant contributions to the Ghanaian music industry. Known for her unique yet captivating sound and stagecraft, she has been an inspiration to many young talents in Ghana and beyond. Her unparalleled passion for music has earned her respect and admiration among her peers.

The Vodafone Ghana Music Awards is an event where musicians and music enthusiasts come together to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the artists who have contributed to the music industry in a particular year. Shegah's attendance at the event was therefore a testament to her commitment to the growth and development of the Ghanaian music industry. As a musician who has been in the industry for over a decade, she has undoubtedly made her mark and continues to inspire those who aspire to follow her footsteps.

On that night, Shegah arrived at the venue adorned in a radiant yellow dress which complimented her complexion perfectly. Her well-coiffed curls, subtle makeup, and stunning jewelry completed her look. It is no surprise that she stands out at the event as her poise and confidence exude the aura of a fashion icon.

Overall, Shegah's attendance at the VGMAs24 is an inspiration to upcoming musicians and a reminder of the immense contributions she has made to the Ghanaian music industry. Her ability to maintain relevance and relevance in an industry where newer and younger talents are emerging every day is admirable.

As a mature musician, she has set the pace for the younger generation to see that music is a career that is not limited by age, and her expression of excellence demonstrates that she is keen on leaving a lasting legacy in the industry.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has declared Russia's "show of force" in Moscow would not intimidate the European Union, which he says should reform to become a larger "geopolitical" bloc as the continent marks Europe Day.

Speaking to lawmakers in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this Tuesday, Sholz stressed that the EU should aim to strengthen its military and technological sovereignty  including pooling its defence procurement efforts  as well a forging new trade deals and setting aside long-running disputes over migration from outside the bloc.

However, the Chancellor added that the EU should stay "steadfast in [its] support for Ukraine, as long as it is necessary."

According to the Scholz, efforts to rebuild Ukraine  an aspiring EU member  will need political and financial capital over the long term, adding that a prosperous and democratic Ukraine would be the strongest counterpoint to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "imperialist, revisionist and illegal policies on our continent.

Standing strong against the Kremlin

He went on to urge Europe to stand strong against the Kremlin's war on Ukraine: "In Moscow, 2,200 kilometres northeast from here, Putin is parading his soldiers, tanks and rockets. Let us not be intimidated by such a show of force."

His speech was delivered on a day auspicious for both Europe and Russia as 9 May is the anniversary of the proposal that gave birth to the EU.

In Russia, the 9 May Victory Day parade marks the Soviet defeat of the Nazis in World War II.

Referring to how Germany's Nazi-era "imperialistic megalomania" gave way to the EU and its ambition for collective peace and prosperity, Scholz said: "None of us wants to be back at the time in Europe when the law of the strongest applied."

That, he said, "is why the message of 9 May is not what is coming out from Moscow today.

Entering a 'multi-polar' age

Meanwhile, Sholz said rivalry and competition with China has increased lately, but warned against efforts to decouple the bloc from its major trading partner  the United States  instead calling for a wise de-risking that would minimize the harm to European economies if tensions with Beijing flare.

And referring to a new world order of economic influence, the Chancellor highlighted that with the rise of heavyweight economies in Africa, Asia and South America, "the world of the 21st century will be multi-polar".

Those nostalgic for "great power status fantasies... are stuck in the past".

To bolster the EU's prospects as it navigates a changing world, Scholz argued that the bloc should make good on its promises to let Western Balkan neighbours join.

But that shone a light on the need of some serious housekeeping within the EU, notably how to streamline decision-making on defence and tax matters and do away with the veto power individual member states currently wield.

Also high on the agenda, is to ensure that all member states abide by EU democratic principles and rule of law, as many MEPs have been vociferous in their criticism of perceived democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland.
Bessfa Rural Bank Ltd in the Garu Tempane District of the Upper East Region has donated items to Gbewaa College of Education to help reroof the college which was entirely ripped off by a rainstorm last month.

The items include 140 bags of cement and 5 packets of roofing sheets totalling GHS20,000.

Presenting the items to the Principal of the College, the Bessfa Rural Bank Head of Finance, Edwin Adiigi said the donation forms part of the corporate social responsibilities of the company.

He noted that they saw it necessary to support institutions that are affected by a disaster.

Mr Edwin indicated that the bank will continue to support the school in any way possible to fix the situation.

Receiving the items on behalf of the College, the Principal Dr Halidu Musah, thanked the management of Bessfa Rural Bank for the gesture and timely intervention.

Dr Haruna called on other organisations to kindly come to their aid to put the college back in shape.

Dr Halidu Musah, however, said the Ghc6.2million estimated cost of rehabilitation of the college is above the financial strength of the school hence the appeal to the general public to support.

The heavy rainstorm affected the lady's dormitory, Library, Auditorium, Classrooms and Banglows among others.

After an assessment of the damaged facilities, the estimated cost of rehabilitating the college is Gh6.2 million.
The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng has assured chiefs and people of Effutu of his commitment to ensure the removal of unauthorized cattle ranchers who have settled close to the reserved forest for deer hunting.

This year's Aboakyer festival which was on the theme, "Your Participation makes a Difference for Development' attracted visitors from home and abroad.

According to the Minister, the presence of cattle ranchers and the failure of authorized agencies to act leaves much to be desired.

Mr. Asamoah Boateng was responding to a concern raised by the Paramount Chief of Effutu Traditional Council, at this year's Aboakyer Durbar of chiefs and people.

"Where are the government institutions tasked with these responsibilities, we need to preserve the culture of our ancestors for the youth, who currently don't know anything about Ghana's culture, 'it is because they are being influenced by foreign culture, due to their addiction to social media," he stressed.

He maintained that the reason behind the forefathers forbidden fishing and farming on Tuesdays, was to allow for regeneration adding that government decision to observe a close season in the fishing industry was met with strong opposition, describing it as unfortunate.

"You vote for a government with a mandate to rule, take decisions in the interest of the country, but, how can the country progress if you speak against any decision of government. Statistics available indicate that this exercise yielded good results," he added.

He appealed to Ghanaians to stop always criticizing government policies and programs.

The Chieftaincy Minister hinted that consultations are ongoing to consider a review of the Chieftaincy Act, to help give back some powers to the Traditional Authorities, to help address the decline in Ghanaian cultural values.

He said, " it is time local government becomes the center of development and not Central Government." He stressed that governance is a shared responsibility.

The Paramount Chief for Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII, earlier hinted that it has been a difficult fight for the traditional council to preserve the integrity of the ramssier site reserved for religious activities, such as the hunting of the sacrificial animal for the Aboakyir festival.

This is as a result of some encroachers who have taken over some potions of the land with their cattles.

According to him the strength of Winneba depends on the unity and love amongst it's people.

He also appealed for a better and more spacious market with modern facilities since the current one has over lived it's usefulness.

"Due to the increasing number of traders, some of them are forced to sell on the streets, contaminating the foods, risking their lives and that of others," he noted.

The Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Marygold Assan, acknowledged the importance of festivals to a country's local economy, adding that visitors will buy food, book for accommodation and transport which in all help in putting monies in the pocket of people.

She expressed her appreciation to the various Asafo company for a successful and peaceful celebration.

The Tuafo Asafo No.1 company in the white attire made the first catch.
10.05.2023 LISTEN

The Bono Regional Women's Organizer and a professional midwife, Hajia Fatima Bintu Abubakar, has admonished prospective and nursing training trainees to reflect on the decisions they make, referring them to the decisions they made in the 2016 general elections by voting for the New Patriotic Party on the promise of of restoring the trainee allowance.

The professional midwife made this comment in a solidarity statement to the rotational nurses who are demanding government to pay their nine months arrears.

''Today, rotational nurses are on the street to demonstrate against the Nana Addo led government's failure to pay rotational nurses allowances. These same nurses who voted for Akufu in 2016 are the same people cought in the web in 2023',' she stated.

Hajia Fatima Abubakar, who insisted that things would have been better for nursing trainees under the NDC government advised them to be careful in the decisions. ''It is therefore important to note, that, the decision we take today is the result of tomorrow and that tomorrow always determines our future and that of the unborn generation,'' she added.

Kindly read the full statement below:

Nursing is a noble and critical profession which is held in high esteem.

Nations across the globe are investing billions of their currencies into their health sectors by providing quality education for their citizens.

Here in Ghana, successive governments have invested hugely by providing infrustructure and given incentives such as allowances to students as a means to attracting the youth to go into the health sector.

This has been continued by successive governments and it has yielded fruitful result for the benefit of everyone living in Ghana.

In 2016, former president, John Daramani Mahama suggested that as part of our collective efforts to expand the health sector, his government will not be given students allowances but student loans so that money would be available for infrustructure. This, among other things made the people especially, student nurses voted JDM out of office in the 2016 general election.

The then opposition leader of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu reiterated to continue payment of student allowances just because he wanted power without looking into the negative effects of his action.

Today, rotational nurses are on the street to demonstrate against the Nana Addo led government's failure to pay rotational nurses allowances.

These same nurses who voted for Akufu in 2016 are the same people cought in the web in 2023.

They have forgotten that the very ball they threw on the wall has bounced back to them.

It is therefore important to note, that, the decision we take today is the result of tomorrow and that tomorrow always determines our future and that of the unborn generation.

Even though, we sympathize with the rotational nurses but we also think that things will have been better if they had not voted Akufu Addo and his NPP into office.

By Hajia Fatima Bintu Abubakar

Bono regional Women Organizer
Members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Ghana Mineworkers Union (GMWU) on Tuesday, May 9 marched to the premises of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd.

They are demanding the management of Sunon Asogli to reinstate all three workers of the company wronly dismissed after they were elected union leaders.

Addressing union members before the demonstration, GMWU General Secretary, Abdul-Moomin Gbana stressed that there is no way the Chinese-owned company will be allowed to exploit and mistreat Ghanaian workers.

We all know why we are here today. We are being exploited by a Chinese employer called Sunon Asogli. Our rights as workers are being abused by a Chinese employer called Sunon Asogli. Are we going to sit down for this to happen? Will we sit down for this to happen? Shall we sit down for this to happen? he stated.

Abdul-Moomin Gbana continued, They dismissed three of our union leaders for absolutely no reason. They said because they joined a union and they chose to be elected as union leaders they have to dismiss them. Those of us here, are we not union members? Are we not employees of employers? Do we not come from different companies?

Why must Sunon Asogli be different? We will not sit down for this to happen to us. Our three union leaders must be reinstated. They must bring back our three union leaders.

On his part, TUC Secretary-General Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah argued that no amount of investment made by Sunon Asogli warrants the bad treatment it meted out to the three sacked employees and other workers of the company.

He assured that the TUC will continue to fight alongside GMWU until the sacked workers are reinstated.

We workers in Ghana are not against any investor coming to Ghana but Sunon Asoglis 750 million dollars investment cannot buy our rights. So today, we are demonstrating to the whole world that unions in this country will exercise their rights.

We will not allow our three colleagues to be dismissed. Our demand is very simple and we have made it very clear to the employer that our three colleagues must be reinstated. We will fight and fight and fight until they are reinstated, Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah shared.

At its emergency meeting held on Monday, May 8, at the TUC Conference Hall, Accra, Ghana Mineworkers Union resolved that if after todays demonstration, the dismissed workers are not reinstated by Sunon Asogli, several other extreme measures will be taken until their demands are met by the Chinese owned company.
Australian scientists are vaccinating wild koalas against chlamydia, which causes causes blindness, infertility, and death, in a first-of-its-kind large-scale field trial. The goal is to protect the marsupials, which have been deemed "endangered" by the Australian federal government in eastern regions of New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. Koala populations have faced steep declines due to disease, habitat loss, and road collisions, and could potentially become extinct by 2050.

NPR:

"It's killing koalas because they become so sick they can't climb trees to get food, or escape predators, and females can become infertile," said Samuel Phillips, a microbiologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast who helped to develop the vaccine.

The scientists' initial goal is to catch, vaccinate and monitor around half of the koala population in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales  that means vaccinating around 50 animals.
Barring any last-minute hitches, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), will go to the polls to elect its presidential and parliamentary candidates to represent the party at the various constituencies across Ghana on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

One of the key constituencies which have attracted huge attention ahead of Saturdays Parliamentary primaries is the Adentan constituency.

Young vibrant engineer Linda Awuni will be facing off with one of Ghanas astute lawyers and former Gender Minister, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, and incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu Ramadan.

The Adentan constituency is nicknamed One Term Constituency due to the frequent changes of its representative at Ghanas lawmaking chamber since it was halved from the Ashiaman constituency in the year 2004.

The 2004 parliamentary election was won by the late Kwadwo Opare-Hammond of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stock.

He represented the good people Adenta constituency of the Greater Accra Region in the 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

The late Opare-Hammond was retained by his party during their primaries to represent the NPP during the 2008 parliamentary elections but lost the ultimate to the NDCs Kojo Adu Asare who served in the 5th Parliament.

The NDC during its parliamentary primaries in 2011 replaced the incumbent Mr. Adu Asare with Mr. Emmanuel Ashie Moore.

Mr. Ashie Moore who is the current Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the biggest opposition party in Ghana went all the way to retain the seat for the NDC against a well formidable NPP candidate who is in the person Madam Frances Awurabena Asiam.

Mr. Ashie Moore like his predecessors also managed to serve for only one term under the 6thParliament Ashie Moore. He subsequently lost the partys parliamentary primaries to Mr. Adamu Ramadan.

Mr. Adamu Ramadan who became the 2016 NDC parliamentary Candidate lost the elections to the New Patriotic Partys former Director of Communications, Mr. Yaw Buabeng Asamoah.

The Adentan NDCs King and queen makers for the first time retained their 2016 NDC parliamentary Candidate Mr. Adamu Ramadan to battle it out once again with the then-incumbent NPP MP, Mr. Buabeng Asamoah during the 2020 parliamentary elections.

The NDCs Adamu Ramadan snatched the seat from Mr. Buaben Asamoah in 2020 having lost to him in 2016. Thus making the immediate past NPP Director of Communications also a one-term MP, He served in the 7thParliament and was the 4th MP the constituency had produced.

The question running through the minds of many political watchers is will the incumbent MP (Adamu Ramadan) be the third time luckier to get the sole ticket of the party this time around looking at the personalities he is contending with.

The presence of the youthful Linda Assibi Awuni who seems to appeal to the youth and the coming back of a more experienced and formidable Nana Oye Bampoe who lost to Mr. Ramadan in previous contests has made the race keener than expected.

All three candidates are optimistic about winning the sole ticket to represent the Adentan NDC in the upcoming 2024 presidential and parliament elections.

Anxiety and apprehension are very high among supporters of both aspirants as the over 2774 delegates are ready to cast their votes come Saturday, 13, May 2023 elect the partys sole presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The big question is who is more likely to win the Adentan primary on Saturday. It's only time that can tell.

On this note, I call for calm to rain before, during, and after the elections in Adentan and all the remaining 274 constituencies across Ghana so that Ghanaians and for that matter, the Adentan constituents can live in peace and harmony.

#May the best candidates win.

By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
09.05.2023 LISTEN

A Koforidua High Court has dismissed an application for an interlocutory injunction filed by the former Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the new regional executives of the party.

The NDCs former Eastern Regional Chairman, John Owusu Amankrah prayed the court to injunct the regional executives from holding themselves up as regional executives.

He also asked the court to annul the regional elections held on December 19, 2022.

The application essentially was seeking to stop the executives and the party from undertaking any activity in the region until the court decided the case.

Popularly called Jowak, the former regional chairman indicated that he was the only one who has the power under the NDC Constitution to organise the conference that got the new officers elected.

He argued that, per the NDC constitution, the partys Functionary Executive Council (FEC) or the General Secretary did not have the power to organise the conference.

The presiding Judge, Justice William Osei Kufour after considering submissions by lawyers from both sides and carefully examining documents submitted, dismissed the application indicating that the reliefs lacked merit based on Article 18 (2) of the partys constitution.

The Eastern Regional First Vice Chairman of the party, Ransford Owusu Boakye, and the Deputy Regional Treasurer Obibini Lartey described the judgment as a relief to the partys executives.

Former Attorney General of Ghana Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong who represented the national body of the NDC advised both parties to put the ruling behind them and work together to secure victory in the 2024 general elections.

-citinewsroom
Former president John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the 2024 campaign of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be championed by the partys branch executives.

He says the decision is to allow for expanded grassroots participation, fair and equitable distribution of resources as well as whip up the interests of key stakeholders during the campaign period.

Mr. Mahama who is seeking to be elected as flagbearer of the NDC for the 2024 general elections disclosed this at Tumu in the Sissala East municipality when he interacted with delegates of the party as part of his two-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region.

2024 is going to be a different election. Our branch executives are going to lead our campaign. We will give all the resources you need including bicycles, motorbikes, flyers and all that you will need to move from door to door to ensure that we get the required number of votes to win the elections, he said.

He added that the party will come out with a reward system for branches that will amass new members onto their fold.

The former president also took a swipe at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for leading the country into economic crisis.

He said Ghana is fast becoming a laughing stock in the international community due to the government's inability to finance its debts.

This government has borrowed and borrowed to the neglect of all the warnings we gave. The president failed to listen because the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is his cousin and his bank benefits directly anytime he borrows. These days when I travel outside, people keep asking me what has become of our economy, simply because we have borrowed so much to the point that we can no longer pay, Mr. Mahama lashed out at the government.

He called on the rank and file of the party in the area to remain united after their primaries as that will be the surest way to win the next general elections.
Senegal's opposition coalition said Tuesday that it would stage rallies over a threat to bar one of its leaders, Ousmane Sonko, from presidential elections after he was convicted in a defamation case.

Sonko was handed Monday a six-month suspended term that could jeopardise his bid for the 2024 elections.

His possible elimination would significantly alter the contest, and could also lead to violence from his supporters.

Sonko claims the judiciary is being used to sideline him from the vote.

"The people have to mobilise to support Ousmane Sonko in this fight," Khalifa Sall, one of the coalition chiefs, told a press conference on Tuesday.

He joined other heads of the Yewwi Askan Wi alliance in urging followers to turn out in force for an already-scheduled rally on Friday, and for another protest a week later, on May 19.

Senegal is traditionally a beacon of stability in troubled West Africa, but in recent years has been buffeted by turbulence that has at times turned deadly.

Sonko, 48, came third in the 2019 election against incumbent Macky Sall, and intends to stand again next year.

But his candidacy has been clouded by Monday's conviction, which saw an appeal court increase a sentence of two months suspended, handed down in March, for defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niangtou.

The court also ordered Sonko to pay 200 million CFA francs (around $330,000) in damages to the minister.

Sonko is also facing trial later this month for alleged rape and death threats over a complaint filed by an employee at a beauty salon where he went for a massage.

He says he is the victim of a government plot to scupper his candidacy.

The government has denied the accusation, with spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana saying Tuesday that "everyone is answerable before the law, whether an opponent, or in power, or a government minister".

He also said he saw no reason for banning the opposition protests, "as long as there is no risk of disturbing the peace".

Doubts over president's plans

In 2021, the rape charge against Sonko helped trigger riots that left at least 12 people dead.

The presidential party accuses him of seeking to paralyse the country and of drumming up anger on the streets in a bid to escape justice.

His appointments with the justice system are often sources of tension and near-paralysis of traffic in the capital Dakar, as he usually travels to court with a procession of sympathisers.

Political tensions have also been stoked by Sall's refusal to rule out running for a third term as president, a move his opponents say would be unconstitutional.

Khalifa Sall -- the former mayor of Dakar, who is not related to the head of state -- and former minister Karim Wade, the son of an ex-president, have also seen their political careers truncated by legal cases.

Both are prominent opponents of the current president.

Dethie Fall, another Yewwi Askan Wi figure, called for a march on May 19 against a "campaign to liquidate Ousmane Sonko".

He said that not to act "would be to let democracy be transformed into a monarchy and dictatorship by President Macky Sall, who has only one idea in mind, the third mandate".

The news of Sonko's conviction caused sporadic unrest on Monday in Dakar and elsewhere.

However, opposition calls for demonstrations have had a limited response in recent months.

Authorities have banned numerous rallies and deployed significant police resources.
Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko called on Tuesday for his supporters to take to the streets following a recent court ruling that threatens his candidacy in upcoming presidential elections.

Sonko had received a two-month suspended sentence and a hefty fine in March for defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, with a Dakar appeals court on Monday upholding the fine and increasing the suspended term to six months, potentially making him ineligible for the vote.

He claims the judiciary is being used to sideline him, and his possible elimination would significantly alter the contest -- and could lead to violence from his supporters.

"What happened yesterday was a theatre play in which the roles were assigned," the firebrand politician said in a video address Tuesday evening.

"It in no way calls into question our plans."

Sonko reiterated a call he has often made for civil disobedience and "resistance".

"I am now more than ever a candidate" for the February 2024 presidential election, he added.

"Only God can prevent my candidacy... No human being can prevent it."

'Only one opponent'

Sonko asked his supporters to "stay on your feet and mobilise" -- and in particular to come out in large numbers on Friday.

"We have only one opponent, that of Senegal, (current President) Macky Sall," he said.

His address followed calls earlier on Tuesday by other leaders of his Yewwi Askan Wi coalition for protests on Friday and again on May 19.

"The people have to mobilise to support Ousmane Sonko in this fight," Khalifa Sall, one of the coalition chiefs, told a press conference.

Senegal is traditionally a beacon of stability in troubled West Africa, but in recent years has been buffeted by turbulence that has at times turned deadly.

Senegal is traditionally a beacon of stability in troubled West Africa. By Jonathan WALTER (AFP)

Sonko, 48, came third in the 2019 election against Sall, but his candidacy this time around has been clouded by Monday's unfavourable appeal decision.

Sonko is also facing trial later this month for alleged rape and death threats over a complaint filed by an employee at a beauty salon where he went for a massage.

He says he is the victim of a government plot to scupper his candidacy.

The government has denied the accusation, with spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana saying Tuesday that "everyone is answerable before the law, whether an opponent, or in power, or a government minister".

The spokesman also said he saw no reason to ban the opposition protests, "as long as there is no risk of disturbing the peace".

Doubts over president's plans

In 2021, the rape charge against Sonko helped trigger riots that left at least 12 people dead.

The presidential party accuses him of seeking to paralyse the country and of drumming up anger on the streets in a bid to escape justice.

His appointments with the justice system are often sources of tension and near-paralysis of traffic in the capital Dakar, as he usually travels to court with a procession of sympathisers.

Former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall has also seen his political career truncated by legal troubles. By JOHN WESSELS (AFP)

Political tensions have also been stoked by Sall's refusal to rule out running for a third term as president, a move his opponents say would be unconstitutional.

Khalifa Sall -- the former mayor of Dakar, who is not related to the head of state -- and former minister Karim Wade, the son of an ex-president, have also seen their political careers truncated by legal cases.

Both are prominent opponents of the current president.

Dethie Fall, another Yewwi Askan Wi figure, called for a march on May 19 against a "campaign to liquidate Ousmane Sonko".

He said that not to act "would be to let democracy be transformed into a monarchy and dictatorship by President Macky Sall, who has only one idea in mind, the third mandate".

The decision against Sonko on Monday caused sporadic unrest in Dakar and elsewhere.

However, opposition calls for demonstrations have had a limited response in recent months.

Authorities, meanwhile, have banned numerous rallies and deployed significant police resources.
The Branch Executives and Ward Coordinators of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Manhyia South constituency of the Ashanti Region have issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the National Executive Committee to lift the suspension on the upcoming primaries in the area.

This follows the exemption of Manhyia South, Fomena and Adansi Asokwa constituencies from participating in the upcoming NDC primaries.

The Manhyia South constituency was exempted from the primaries because some persons had raised issues regarding the credibility of the election.

The aggrieved Manhyia South party members have thus threatened to place an injunction on the primaries slated for May 13, in the region over the matter.

A member of the group, Yaw Appiah addressing the media cautioned, We would like to use this medium to address salient issues concerning our delegates list and the entire constituency of which some national and individuals sought to use the court process to deny their rightful place and voluntarily choose their flagbearer and subsequently impose Rita Antwi as the parliamentary on delegates.

We the leaders of all the branches will like to inform the national executive committee and the functional executive committee to speak up and caution individuals and call for the removal of the suspension of branch executives that bars these delegates from partaking in the May 13 primaries, within 48 hours before we advise ourselves legally. We would like to seek an injunction to halt the elections in the Ashanti region.

In a related development, a flagbearer aspirant of NDC, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor has filed an interlocutory injunction against the party's upcoming presidential and parliamentary primaries.

The party will head to the polls on Saturday, May 13, to elect a flagbearer and Members of Parliament ahead of the 2024 elections.

But the suit sighted by citinewsroom.com may bar the party and the Electoral Commission from holding the primaries pending the production of a complete photo album register.

The former Finance Minister also wants the party to deliver the complete register to him at least five weeks ahead of the election.

citinewsroom
A video journalist for the French news agency AFP, Arman Soldin, was on Tuesday killed by rocket fire in eastern Ukraine, his colleagues have said.

The 32-year-old died in a Grad rocket strike near Chassiv Iar, a town near Bakhmout that is targeted daily by Russian forces. He was with four colleagues who are all unharmed.

The team was with Ukrainian soldiers when they were taken under the salvo of rockets around 4.30pm local time.

AFP journalists travel regularly to this area to report on clashes in the region, the epicentre of fighting in Ukraine for several months.

'Reminder of dangers'

"His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists on a daily basis when covering the conflict in Ukraine," said the agency's CEO, Fabrice Fries.

Phil Chetwynd, AFP news director, hailed the memory of a "brave, creative and tenacious" journalist.

"Arman's brilliant work summed up everything that makes us proud of AFP journalism in Ukraine," he said.

Recruited in Rome in 2015 as an intern before joining the London office the same year, Soldin was born in Sarajevo and has French nationality.

He is at least the 11th reporter, fixer or driver of journalists to have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
Former food and agriculture minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has said farmers comprise his largest constituency and believes they would vote for him to be the next flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party.

Dr Afriyie Akoto told journalists in Accra that his achievements as minister has endeared him to farmers from whom he hopes to reap a reward of support for his aspiration to become president.

"Most of these farmers I met in Upper East, Upper West, Savanna regions are also delegates and party constituencies executives", he noted.

He added: "The one million farmers are the ones who will bear witness to me".

"Just go to any farmer and ask about the impact I have had on their lives when I was minister of food and agriculture", he challenged his interlocutors, asserting: "They will confess to you, they will tell you they will vote for me to win".

The former Kwadaso MP resigned from office as minister early this year to run for the presidency.

He is in the flag bearer race with former trades minister Alan Kyerematen, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, former energy minister Boakye Agyarko, Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, former Attorney General Joe Ghartey and Mr Francis Addai Nimo.

The others are former general secretary Kwabena Agyapong and former minister Kofi Konadu Apraku.

The presidential and parliamentary primaries have been set for 4 November 2023.

The party, however, says it would organise a special congress on 26 August 2023 to whittle down the number to five if more that limit file to run.

The nomination period for the presidential primaries is from 26 May to 24 June 2023.

Classfmonline.com
The French parliament has adopted a resolution calling on the European Union to formally label the Russian mercenary force Wagner a "terrorist group".

The resolution , which is non-binding and symbolic, passed with unanimous support across the political spectrum.

It highlights the Wagner group's many abuses against the civilian population of Ukraine, some of which could be qualified as war crimes.

'P olitical message'

Clearly there is a political message that is being sent, lawmaker Benjamin Haddad, of the ruling Renaissance group who introduced the legislation, told RFI.

We are not just faced with mercenaries who are only going after money. This is a terrorist organisation that assassinates and commits massacres of civilians to advance a political gain: to enforce Russia's aggression against democracies on all continents  of course today in Ukraine, but also in Africa and the Middle East.

The text quotes German intelligence that found that Wagner took part in summary executions, mutilations and acts of torture committed on civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Besides Ukraine, the resolution accuses Wagner of abuses in Syria and several African countries, including Mali and the Central African Republic.

Wagner group as terrorists?

Putting Wagner on the EU's terrorist list would make it easier legally, and financially, to fight the group.

If you are on the list of terrorist groups, it makes it totally impossible to work with you, whether it's companies or banks, explained Haddad, giving the example of a charter flight company that might be hired to transport Wagner troops to somewhere in Africa.

Haddad sees France as taking the lead, because it has been the target of Wagner misinformation and propaganda campaigns in Central African Republic and Mali.

The EU last month added Wagner to its sanctions list of individuals and entities, for  actively participating in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine .

In March, Ukraine thanked the Lithuanian parliament for adopting a resolution designating Wagner as a terrorist organisation.
National Security Minister , Albert Kan-Dapaah has raised contentions in a Supreme Court ruling ordering the Auditor General to surcharge anyone who is found culpable of misappropriating public funds.

In a unanimous ruling in June 2017, a seven-member panel of the Apex court noted that the Auditor General must act on its annual report and take steps to retrieve any public fund found to have been misappropriated.

Pressure group, Occupy Ghana had sued the Attorney General as well as the Auditor General accusing them of refusing to surcharge persons who are said to have misappropriated monies belonging to the state amounting more than GHS40 billion.

But addressing the opening session of the African Organisation of English speaking

Supreme Audit Institutions, AFROSAI-E, in Accra, National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah argued that the decision of the Supreme Court is subject to urgent review since the Auditor General remains accountable to the legislative house.

Any attempt to distance the Auditor General from parliament is fundamentally wrong and dangerous. It's always been the case that the report of the auditor general be deemed to be conclusive until it is ratified by the legislature. The auditor general can disallow and report to parliament as per article 107 which stipulates that the auditor general reports to parliament. Indeed, the auditor general can also prescribe a surcharge but must await ratification from parliament before implementing any such surcharge.

Additionally, Mr. Kan Dapaah described the precedence as absurd and fundamentally wrong.

In the real world it will be absurd for an auditor to start implementing his report when his findings and recommendations have not been communicated to the who employed him to undertake the audit. It is fundamentally wrong.

On the issue of whether the mandate of the Auditor-General ends at submission of recommendations of the report to Parliament, this is what the Supreme Court had to say in their ruling on June 14, 2017:

the Auditor-General's powers of surcharge and disallowance are constitutional and therefore have to be on a higher pedestal and given pride of place. When we consider the combined effect of Regulations 34, 35, and 57 respectively of the Audit Service Regulations, 2011 C I. 70, which deals with Audit observations and reporting, consequences of not responding to an audit observation and issue of management letters after completion of an audit assignment respectively, it becomes very clear that these roles and functions are different in scope and magnitude from the Auditor-General's report envisaged and stipulated in articles 187 (2) (5) respectively of the constitution.

Whilst management letters are issued by Branch and sectorial heads within two weeks of an audit assignment, containing their findings, recommendations and conclusions of their assignment to the management of the entity and copied to the officials and the organisations, that of the Auditor-General is wider in scope as it is submitted to Parliament and has far reaching effects and consequences as is stipulated in articles 187 (7) (b) of the Constitution.

Audit observations per Regulation 34 (1) of C. I. 70 on the other hand are formal audit observations issued at an audit location in the course of the audit. In this respect, the audit team is enjoined under Regulation 34 (2) (a) & (b) of C. I. 70 to take steps to discuss with the audited organization the findings and recommendations arising from the audit and also obtain written responses from the audited organization.

Thus, these activities occur at a lower level and earlier stage of the process which culminated in the Auditor-General's report submitted to Parliament. It is thus therefore quite clear that Audit observations, and Management letters are different in context, scope and magnitude from the Auditor-Generals' report as stipulated in article 187 referred to supra.

From the above discussions, it is quite apparent that the Auditor-General has an obligation to ensure that his powers of disallowance and surcharge duly exercised by him under article 187 (7) (b) of the Constitution are complied with by the public entity or officials directly affected by the exercise of his powers of surcharge and disallowance.

3news.com
Kouri Richins penned a children's book about grief after her husband's unexpected death last year. Prosecutors now think she murdered him, poisoning Eric Richins with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, Utah.

Prosecutors allege that Richins called authorities in the middle of the night in March 2022 to report that her husband, Eric Richins, was "cold to the touch." The mother of three told officers that she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink to celebrate him selling a home and then went to soothe one of their children to sleep in their bedroom. She later returned and upon finding her husband unresponsive, called 911.

"Officers' interactions with Richins that night" led to the charges, according to the Associated Press. The ghoulish tome has swiftly been removed from online stores, but here's the blurb:
The police have picked up a man who has been posing as a military officer with a fake service name WOII Samuel Owusu Dartey in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region.

The suspect, who according to victims always had a pistol and handcuff on him, is said to have been tormenting unsuspecting residents, sometimes even in military uniform.

What blew the lid off was through an encounter with one Clifford Pablo Yakah, a private surveyor at Ntankoful in the Sekondi Takoradi metropolis.

The military imposter had been hired by a family to use his position to intimidate the surveyor who was working for a family head on a land issue.

I'm a private surveyor working on some documents for a family. I was there one day when the family introduced the suspect to me that he was a military officer (WOII Samuel Owusu Dartey) and also works with the Intelligence Unit of the National Security. They said he will be working with me on the land document, the victim indicated.

He adds that the suspect started tormenting him to release the land documents to him or face his anger.

He came to my house one early morning dressed in military uniform with a pistol and handcuff asking me to dress up and follow him. I obeyed and followed him to the Lands Commission but I was suspicious of his behavior so I called my in-law who is in the military. He was trailed and later arrested. Checks indicate he is not a military officer so he is currently at the Kwesimintsim Police Station assisting investigations, he added.

The victim was speaking in an interview with Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson , the host of Connect FMs Omanbapa morning show.

A pistol, military uniform, and a list containing names of people he had reportedly extorted money from to be recruited in the military were retrieved from him after a search.

Sources indicate an identification parade will be arranged for other victims to identify him.

Meanwhile, many victims are popping up day after day since his arrest to share their ordeal in his hands.

3news.com
10.05.2023 LISTEN

The Wassa East District Assemblys Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) has suspended five preachers at Wassa Ekutuase from using the Information Centers in the vicinity to propagate what the committee describes not in consonant with the word of God.

The suspended preachers are Kwesi Mbra who owns and operate Information Center by the name Nyonkopa ye, Kwame Baafi of Rabbi Church, Kwame Asante (Church of Christ), Pastor James (Arise Church) and Sofo Abbey (Arise Church).

Announcing the three month suspension at the 1st Ordinary General Assembly Meeting at Daboase in the Western Region, the Presiding Member of the Assembly Nana Samuel Essel-Bediako who also doubles as the Chairman of PRCC said the committee decided to apply the sanction following a petition filed against the preachers by Chiefs and elders of Wassa Ekutuase. The preachers are said to be engaging in religious extremism as well as attacking other religious groups who does not hold same beliefs by the use of insulting language, casting of innuendos and aspersions against other preachers.

According to him, the affected preachers engage in this unhealthy conduct using the Information Centers as their medium of communication, adding that their actions have thrown the community into a state of religious chaos.

Hon. Essel-Bediako indicated that similar unguarded utterances led to the killings of millions of people in Rwanda, hence the committees decision to suspend them to serve as a deterrent to others who may harbour intentions of doing same.

He seized the opportunity to admonish operators of Community Information Centers (CICs) in the District to police individuals who use their facility as a medium to communicate to the public, explaining that they will be held liable for any offensive and unguarded utterances that violates the Assemblys guidelines for the use of CICs.

Touching on the use of CICs to sell all sorts of drugs and medications, the Presiding Member advised the operators not to be too much interested in the money they make from the medicine merchants but rather be more concerned with public health and harm these unapproved drugs can cause to human life.

Hon. Essel-Bediako urged Assembly Members to assist in educating the operators to do the right thing since their facility can either harm or help the district in achieving its development goals.
The conflict in Bawku is decades old conflict which predates Ghana's independence. It has brought devastating effects to the people of Bawku and Ghana at large. This conflict has led to the destructions of properties and loss of precious lives. We continue to lose innocent lives as a result of the conflict. Workers in the various institutions within the Bawku municipality are deserting their jobs for their lives bringing government businesses to a halt. It cannot continue this way. Something drastic has to be done and done well to bring a lasting peace to the previously vibrant and viable economic community.

We have seen many approaches in resolving the conflict but we are still where we are. Many well meaning Ghanaians and security experts have downplayed the military deployment to the area. They are of the view that, that approach cannot completely resolve the conflict but can only manage it. People have called for seize fire and dialogue, involvement of the national house of chiefs, mediation by eminent chiefs and many other conflict resolution strategies.

A lot of issues have come out with regards to the recent Bawku conflict. These issues, I believe, have brought out many historical angles and perspectives pertaining to the conflict of which well meaning Ghanaians can make deductions or better still form their own opinions on the issues raised.

During the 73rd birthday celebration of His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in United Kingdom on 6th May, 2023, Mr. President, H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo made an appeal to the respected King of the Asante Kingdom to help resolve the Bawku conflict just like the Dagbon conflict. This is a right call that must come with satisfactorily and fairly created conditions and environment by government.

Let's cast our minds back and compare the current management of the Bawku issue with other related conflicts in the past by previous governments. How did successive governments deal with the unfortunate happening in Dagbon? Do we need similar approach in this issue? It is clear that we do not need any second opinion anywhere to conclude that the approach used in resolving the Dagbon conflict can be employed in the Bawku issue, however, it must come with impartial, transparent and decisive leadership.

First of all, when that incident happened, the then Northern Regional Minister who was a Dagomba immediately resigned and former president J. A. Kufuor appointed a neutral arbiter to replace him. Subsequent Presidents did not change the status quo in appointing respective northern regional ministers. Until the resolution of the Dagbon issue, no Dagomba was appointed as a regional minister for the region.

Similarly, in the case of the Bawku issue, the regional minister must be a neutral person who does not belong to either of the feuding factions. So, if Mr. President is serious in resolving the conflict in Bawku, first of all, he must appoint a neutral arbiter as the regional minister for the Upper East Region immediately. The head of the regional security council cannot be a tribesman of one of the feuding factions and still act as neutral arbiter. In effect, the current Upper East Regional Minister, who is a Kusasi by tribe, must be relieved off his post with immediate effect if Mr President genuinely needs peace restored in Bawku.

Another issue that hinders conflict resolution is mistrust and one of the issues that brings about mistrust and must be emphasized is government interference. The central government should be seen as a neutral arbiter without taking sides and for that matter government should take steps to gain the trust of both feuding factions. I sincerely believe that, Mr President, if you are determined to end the conflict before your tenure expires you can do it just like the way you facilitated the resolution of the Dagbon conflict.

The government on many occasions have called for the silencing of the guns in Bawku. The call for silencing of the guns is in the right direction but it must come with serious commitment and dedication from government. All government actors and stakeholders must be seen working to genuinely end the conflict but not acting contrary to that. Crime must be impartially treated as crime and without associating such culprit(s) with any factions. If the government mean to fight the Bawku conflict, the banditry will stop.

In conclusion, Mr. President, all your appointees who have made contemptuous statements with regards to the Bawku issue and the Upper East Regional Minister should be reassigned or sacked. They should not be given any role that will be directly or indirectly linked to the resolution process of the conflict at hand. I sincerely entreat the feuding factions to give peace a chance. Peace is a good commodity that we must all embrace irrespective of our differences.

I Stand for Peace in Bawku.

Thank you

Alhaji Salifu Hadara

A Citizen of Ghana

North East Region

[email protected]
Members of the National Executive Committee of the United Cadres Front of Ghana, a wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have expressed shock at the actions of Dr Kwabena Duffour and his campaign team to derail the forthcoming NDC primaries, especially that of the flagbearer race by securing a court injunction on it.

According to the group, "we are asking all delegates for the 13th May 2023 NDC Presidential and Parliamentary primaries to call off the bluff of Dr Kwabena Duffour, and vote massively for H.E. John Dramani Mahama to become the flagbearer of the NDC."

The United Cadres Front, by tradition, has often remained neutral as a movement, in internal political contests but says it is gravely upset by the action of Dr Kwabena Duffour hence the call for delegates to vote massively for former president Mahama.

The call for delegates to call the bluff of Dr Kwabena Duffour was contained in a statement dated May 9, 2023 and signed by Comrade Omrade Cadre Shine Gaveh, the National Chairman.

''Unfortunately, certain personalities who claim to be cadres and leading members of Dr Kwabena Duffour's Campaign Team, have shown gross anti-cadre sentiments, which can destroy the very foundations which we all sweated to build," the statement stressed.

The statement said the reports of them mobilising cadres to support Dr Kwabena Duffour's campaign have often been resisted in the regions and constituencies.

By this statement, "we are calling on all cadres, across the length and breadth of the country, to mobilize and organise, as never before, to whip up enthusiasm in the delegates to vote massively for John Dramani Mahama, come 13th May 2023."

"We however entreat the Functional Executive Committee as well as the Election Directorate and Legal Team of the NDC to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the elections come off as scheduled," the statement concluded.

Dr Duffuor wants the May 13th primaries suspended for what he described as discrepancies in the voter album.

-Classfmonline.com
The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has inaugurated the audit committee for health sector institutions under the Ghana Health Service.

The audit committee constitutes 250 nominees.

The execution of their mandate which will fall in line with the Public Financial Management ACT, 2016 (Act 921) will cover 77 health facilities in the region.

Mr. Hayford Dowuona Hammond, Head of Operations-Internal Audit Agency represented the Director-General of Internal Audit Agency Dr. Eric Oduro Osae and also officiated their swearing-in which was held on Tuesday 9th May 2023.

Speaking on behalf of the latter at the occasion, he stated that majority of the over GHs 1,080,913,824 irregularities identified in the 2021 Auditor Generals report are on Health Institutions. The 2021 Auditor-Generals report indicated that MOH institutions are among the 17 out of the 32 whose financial statements were qualified. Also, 52 out of the 212 pages Audit report were on health Sector Institutions.

The foregoing according to him suggests that internal control systems in the health sector are weak hence the inauguration.

He added that similarly, in 2021 Auditor-Generals report on Public Corporations and other statutory institutions, irregularities in four Health Institutions amounted to GHs 22,704,173.45."

The audit committee he said will address the above since it is aimed at improving internal control structures in public institutions to enhance value for money.

Mr. Dowuona also noted that the audit committee is a high-level corporate governance committee which contributes to the effectiveness of public accountability and the appropriate use of public resources.

The Ashanti regional Director for Health Service Dr. Emmanuel K. Tinkorang in his welcome address said the inauguration was a culmination of the enormous collective effort of government backed by the Public Financial Management Act, Act 921 of 2016 which seeks to regulate financial management of the public sector, within the microeconomic and fiscal framework, defining the responsibilities of persons entrusted with the management and control of public funds, assets, liabilities and resources.

He underlined that with the demand for public goods and services on the rise and with limited resources to meet these needs, managers of public institutions must use cost-effective ways to manage the resources made available to them. Auditing acts as a catalyst for enhancing and protecting organizational values," he stressed.

He therefore urged members of the audit committee to live above reproach and continue to be very professional in providing advice, promoting business ethics, monitoring compliance with relevant laws and evaluating policies to improve the governance practices within the various health institutions.

Dr. Tinkorang also admonished them to acquaint themselves with all the key strategic documents and internal policies of Ghana Health Service.
Prof. Ransford Gyampo

10.05.2023 LISTEN

Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ransford Gyampo fears that Kwabena Duffuor Jnrs political future may be destroyed by his father.

Kwabena Duffuor Jnr who is following the political footsteps of his father is contesting in the parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Sekyere Afram Plains Constituency.

As confirmed by his father Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, he has his full blessing.

However, in the wake of the injunction filed by Dr. Kwabena Duffuor to stop the upcoming presidential primaries of the NDC, Prof. Gyampo is concerned that it may spell doom for the young Duffuors political career.

In a post on Facebook, Prof. Gyampo urged Kwabena Duffuor Jnr to boldly have a conversation with his father to secure his political future.

Kwabena Duffuor Jnr must boldly and swiftly tell Kwabena Duffuor not to be pushed or sponsored to destroy Kwabena Duffuor Jnrs political future in the NDC via such unnecessary mischief. A good father must seek a better future for his son, Prof. Ransford Gyampo said.

Dr. Kwabena Gyampo, a former Governor of the Bank of Ghana has gone to court to bar the NDC and the Electoral Commission from holding the primaries pending the compilation of a complete photo album register.

The primaries which is set for May 13 is now in limbo.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the former Agriculture Minister is banking his hopes on farmers to help him clinch the governing New Patriotic Partys (NPP) flagbearership for the 2024 elections.

Speaking in a recent interview, Dr. Akoto said the about one million farmers in the NPP constitute a major chunk of the party's delegates who will vote at the primaries.

To him, they will recognize his achievements during his time as Agric Minister and reward him.

"Most of these farmers I met in Upper East, Upper West, Savannah regions are also delegates and party constituencies executives, he said.

He added: "The one million farmers are the ones who will bear witness to me. Just go to any farmer and ask about the impact I have had on their lives when I was Minister for Food and Agriculture. And they will confess to you, they will tell you. They will vote for me to win.

Dr. Akoto served as Minister of Food and Agriculture from 2017 during which he implemented policies like Planting for Food and Jobs as well as programs to boost the agricultural sector. He resigned last year to chase his presidential ambitions.

He is facing stiff competition from Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen, Kennedy Agyapong, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, and other party stalwarts for the NPP flagbearership ahead of the party's primaries scheduled for November 4, 2023.
10.05.2023 LISTEN

Professor Richard Tia found rest from his battle with cancer on November 30, 2022. While Im sad that his time with us has closed after less than 45 years, I can only give thanks for bearing witness to a most excellent life.

Professor Tia walked into my life from a crowded lab of lovely faces keen to glean whatever they could from the odd fellow I must have seemed. It may have been my first lesson as a physics teacher at Nalerigu Secondary School, aka NaSS. I had just finished Peace Corps training and had traveled earlier that week in an overnight bus trip from Accra to the northeast corner of Ghana.

NaSS had no lights, back then, or running water. But the school was blessed with a new science blockthree labs: biology, chemistry, and physics. Each lab had a full collection of modern lab equipment. There were even five computers, but the generator that came with the lab frequently ran dry of fuel.

Although the facilities were first-rate by any high schools standard in the US, there was never enough to suit the needs of all the students. There was always at least one student on each lab stool. Yet more students sat on a ledge by a bank of louvered windows running the length of the classroom. But other than my voice, the only sound in the room was the scratch of lead on paper.

Tired of lecturing and hoping to involve some of the students, I put a challenging problem on the board. I told the class I expected a student to post a solution.

After some time, I asked for a volunteer. A thin young man raised his hand, so I invited him to the front of the lab while I moved to the side and leaned against the wall. I can still hear the clicks of chalk on the board sounding over the wind gently howling across the lab as he laid out his solution, one step at a time, without even a hint of a flaw in his logic. After his conclusion, he looked into my eyes as I felt the calm brilliance of Professor Tias mind for the first time. I said, Perfect.

Of course, I was telling him something he already knew, and he had known for most of his life. He was Richard, then, and I guess he will always be Richard, to me, even though he achieved a rank far higher than mine in science. Richard went on to study at Ghanas premiere science and technology university where he eventually earned a PhD in quantum chemistry. He then became one the youngest professors in the history of Kwame Nkrumahs University of Science and Technology, aka KNUST.

Ive always laughed at the notion that I taught Professor Tia a single thing he did not already learn while reading a book by candle light in some corner of a study room at NaSS. My life intersected with Richards in a way that made both of us more than we would have been if we had never met. Our relationship was a model of mutualism.

I dont have a world class scientific mind. I was not even a trained high school physics teacher. I was a disillusioned and over-educated engineering student with two degrees and no clue what to do with either. I ended up at NaSS because I could teach physics, and I was willing to go so far beyond home to inspire young people to see the stars, and to convince them the stars were within reach. But Professor Tia already knew the stars were within his grasp.

Professor Tias life was shorter than we hoped. But he did more with the time he had than most of us might do with 90 years of life. He did more than any reasonable person might expect with what he was given, materially. Although he was born and raised in challenging

conditions, he was a genius who could have easily taken his skills to a more luxurious place. He almost certainly would have grown wealthy in a place like Silicon Valley or Wall Street or some other high stakes research agency.

Richard and I shared many private chats. I often reminded him that his talents could earn him great wealth in a distant country. I told him his proximity to me, and others like me, people from distant places trying to save their own soul, eager to off-load their spoils to him, could afford him leverage. I told him it was fine if he chose that path, but I also told him of a greater calling. I told him of the rewards of self-reliance, and the gratification that would await him if he chose to

remain in Ghana and serve as a beacon to call forward others like him.

I exchanged letters with Professor Tia many times over the years since I left Ghana, and it always seemed he would eventually choose to move abroad and continue his march of academic excellence in greater wealth and comfort. But that letter never came. Instead, he chose to advance his career at KNUST and inspire those who needed it most.

Certainly, we must wonder what Professor Tia might have done if he lived to be 100. I know that he expressed his political views in several opinion pieces in Ghanaian publications. If Professor Tia had risen to be Ghanas President, I wouldnt have been surprised.

Its correct we grieve such a sudden loss. Professor Tia can no longer research lofty hypotheses or deliver lessons to eager young minds or share his uplifting political commentary. But the fire of his example still burns, and that fire will grow only brighter if we chose to tend it. My last word for Professor Tia is the same as the first word I said to Richard: Perfect.



Maestro

A padlock clinks on bars, the key on a ring with many keys dangling from the keyhole.

Professor TiaRichard:

his chalk clicks on the blackboard

stronger than the wind howling through the open door.
Tunisian authorities were Wednesday investigating a shooting spree by a police officer that claimed five lives and sparked mass panic during a Jewish pilgrimage at Africa's oldest synagogue.

Security forces threw a tight cordon around the site on Djerba island as officials probed whether Tuesday's shootings were a random killing spree or an anti-Semitic terrorist attack.

The police officer first killed a colleague and took his ammunition, then went to the Ghriba synagogue and opened fire, sparking terror on the final day of the annual pilgrimage.

A Tunisian police officer shot dead four people at Africa's oldest synagogue in an attack Tuesday that sparked panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage. By YASSINE MAHJOUB (AFP)

Wearing his uniform and a bulletproof vest, he shot dead two visitors and injured two more. In the ensuing gun battle, he also wounded six police officers, two of whom later died, hospital sources said.

The assailant was then shot dead himself, the interior ministry said, without identifying him.

"Without the rapid intervention of the security forces, there would have been wider carnage" because hundreds of people were at the site, said Rene Trabelsi, a former tourism minister, speaking on Mosaique FM radio.

Map of Tunisia locating the island of Djerba where several people were shot dead at a synagogue in an attack carried out by a police officer. By Sylvie HUSSON (AFP)

Trabelsi, who was at the synagogue during the shootings, named the visitors killed as Tunisian Aviel Haddad, 30, and his France-based cousin, dual national Benjamin Haddad, 42.

The killing spree was Tunisia's first deadly attack on foreigners since 2015, and the first to target the Ghriba pilgrimage since a suicide truck bombing killed 21 people in 2002.

'Cowardly aggression'

Tunisian police cordon off the area around the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba after a deadly gun attack mars the annual pilgrimage to Africa's oldest synagogue. By YASSINE MAHJOUB (AFP)

"Investigations are continuing in order to shed light on the motives for this cowardly aggression," the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

France "condemns this heinous act in the strongest terms," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller earlier said: "The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world.

Tunisian police deploy around the Ghriba synagogue during a shootout with a colleague who opened fire on them. By Yassine MAHJOUB (AFP)

"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces."

According to organisers, more than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's event.

The annual pilgrimage only resumed in 2022 after two years of pandemic-related suspension.

Dwindling Jewish community

Jewish worshippers pack the Ghriba synagogue for the annual pilgrimage. By YASSINE MAHJOUB (AFP)

Coming between Passover and Shavuot, the pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live -- mainly on Djerba -- compared with around 100,000 before independence in 1956.

Pilgrims travel from Europe, the United States and Israel to take part, although their numbers have dropped since the deadly bombing in 2002.

Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia has finally rebounded from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the aftereffects of a pair of attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015 that killed dozens of foreign holidaymakers.

Tunisia suffered a sharp rise in Islamist militancy after the Arab Spring ousted longtime despot Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, but authorities say they have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia endures a severe financial crisis that has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office sweeping powers and neutered parliament.
Nigerian actress and Big Brother Naija season 7 winner, Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna has sparked controversy with her recent tweet calling for the dismissal of public hospital workers, particularly nurses.

The actress claimed that the workers in public hospitals contribute to majority of deaths at the hospitals.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, May 9, Phyna stated that she has seen for herself what she is talking about and can defend her claims when challenged.

She wrote, "I doubt it's all general hospitals, but I hereby say some nurses in general hospitals need to be flogged and sacked. 80% of deaths in general hospitals are caused by the workers. On top this very thing I fit swear for anybody wey come for me"

The actress further revealed that she had witnessed things that require urgent attention, and she is concerned that Nigerians are dying due to negligence of most healthcare workers.

She said, "My mouth nor fit talk wetin my eye see today, like there are some things that need so much attention. But no na wetin suppose be cruise Nigerians wan die put from good radians to bad rubbish."
The man charged after a confrontation with Black Lives Matter demonstrators on Hertel Avenue in the summer of 2020 wanted to get released from custody as the cases involving hate crime and bail jumping charges proceed.

Michael J. Cremen's defense attorney on Wednesday told the judge that Cremen promised to remain in the city if granted bail, and offered to wear an ankle monitor and be supervised by the Erie County Probation Department.

But Cremen  who skipped many previous court appearances, had been wanted on two warrants and was picked up in Arkansas  saw his bid for bail fail.

"There is no way I'm going to release him and take another chance on him," State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller said. "I took one chance and he blew it big time."

Cremen, 50, formerly of Franklinville, is accused of wielding a knife and repeatedly using a racial slur and profanity toward a crowd marching down Hertel on Aug. 28, 2020. Captured on video and shared widely on social media, Cremen's was one of the high-profile incidents to emerge in the region during nationwide racial justice protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

He was initially charged in Buffalo City Court, where he didn't show up for his first three scheduled appearances. One of his reasons was his objection to wearing a face mask, as required in court at that time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. An Erie County grand jury subsequently indicted him.

An arrest warrant was issued in February 2022 after he missed another court appearance. He was indicted on a bail jumping charge in May 2022. Cremen has been in custody since U.S. Marshals apprehended him in Baxter County, Ark., in mid-November of last year.

Emily Trott, Cremen's defense attorney, told the judge her client's six months of incarceration  which she described as "unpleasant" for him  has "brought everything to light" for him about what's at stake.

Trott told the judge Cremen didn't "click" with his first defense attorney. Trott is the fifth attorney to represent him since being indicted.

"In order for a client to have trust in the system, they have to have trust in the lawyer," she said. Trott also believes Cremen didn't realize how important it was to have an attorney, she said.

During a court appearance in late December, in written submissions he made to the judge, as well as in phone calls and messages he previously had with a Buffalo News reporter, Cremen said he was represented by an attorney whose name translates from Hebrew as Jesus the Messiah.

Trott also told the judge her client has been harassed by phone and in person, none of which was addressed on the record by his prior attorneys.

Assistant Erie County District Attorney Justin Wallens, who argued Cremen should remain remanded, told Boller that Cremen demonstrated better than any defendant he's seen "that he's not coming to court."

Cremen has "sort of a persecution complex" and doesn't like to follow orders, Wallens said. At one point, Cremen sent the court a 28-page fax Wallens described as "rambling," which mentioned persecution and holocausts.

Cremen initially would not waive extradition from Arkansas, he said, but Cremen eventually did and was brought back to Buffalo on Dec. 27.

Cremen is "going to continue the exact same path" he's traveled so far in the case, Wallens said.

Boller noted that at Cremen's July 2, 2021, court appearance, prosecutors wanted bail to be set. But they also said at the time that the judge could not set bail because of changes to state bail laws, so Boller released him on his own recognizance.

"What thanks did I get for that?" Boller said. "Then he refused to come to court."

After the attorneys made their arguments and as the judge was outlining his thoughts, Cremen looked back at family assembled in the courtroom. He shook his head.

The bail hearing ended moments after the judge rejected the motion.

Parties are due back in court June 15.
French prosecutors said Wednesday that they want to try the ex-wife of the "Ogre of the Ardennes" serial killer Michel Fourniret for complicity in three kidnappings and two murders.

Fourniret's death two years ago has left Monique Olivier, 74, as the only suspect in the 2003 kidnapping of Estelle Mouzin and the kidnappings, rapes and murders of Marie-Angele Domece in 1988 and British woman Joanna Parrish in 1990.

French cold cases

If judges agree to the trial, it will be the first to result from the work of a new French "cold cases" unit, DiANE, which was launched in December 2020.

Fourniret died aged 79 in 2021 before the Mouzin, Domece and Parrish cases could be heard.

Olivier is already serving a life sentence without possibility of parole for complicity in four murders and a gang rape committed by Fourniret.

She has also received a 20-year term for complicity in a fifth, financially-motivated murder by her former husband.

Buried gold

Olivier first contacted Fourniret while he was serving time in prison for sexually assaulting a dozen young women, agreeing a bizarre pact that she would find him virgins to rape if he would kill her then-husband, which he never did.

They lived together after he was released in 1987, buying a chateau with stolen gold dug up from a graveyeard. They had a son.

But in 2004 she accused him of the murders of nine young women and teenagers, of which he admitted to eight. He was sentenced to life in jail in 2008 and the pair divorced in 2010.

Olivier had undermined Fourniret's alibi for the day of Mouzin's 2003 disappearance in evidence to investigators, prompting him to admit to her kidnapping.

She confessed in 2021 to her own role in holding Mouzin prisoner, and said she had accompanied Fourniret when he went to bury the body near a wood in the Ardennes.

The bodies of Mouzin and Domece have never been found despite several search efforts.

The case of Fourniret and his wife were the topic of a 2023 Netflix documentary series "Monique Olivier - accessory to evil."

(Agencies)
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has said Former President John Agyekum Kufuor was a listening president who sacrificed his life for Ghana.

In a toast to Mr Kufuor at his alma mater Exeter College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom (UK), where the former Ghanaian leader was honoured, the Asante monarch said: The little that I knew about him at that time and this time is that he was a listening president.

He added: He listened to advice.

The Asantehene indicated that This is a man who didnt have money and even his party executives gave up on him to be the president and yet, destiny had it that he was going to be president and he became the president.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also recounted that on the day Mr Kufuor had a motor accident while on his way to the Castle, the seat of the presidency at the time, he still went to work and performed his duties until 4pm before heading back home.

This is a man who sacrificed his life for Ghana, Otumfuo noted.
Patrick Brown was released from a Louisiana prison on Monday, nearly 30 years after being wrongly convicted of raping his six-year-old stepdaughter.

Brown, now 49, was sentenced to life without parole in 1994 for the sexual assault.

However, his accuser revealed in 2002, three years after that Brown was not her attacker and appealed for his case to be reviewed.

Her pleas were ignored for years until recently when the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office asked a court to vacate Brown's conviction.

On Monday, Judge Calvin Johnson presided over a hearing and ordered Brown's release. He had already served 29 years of his unjust sentence.

"It is incredibly disheartening to know that this woman was dismissed and ignored, no matter how inconvenient her truth when all she wanted was the real offender to be held responsible," District Attorney Jason Williams said in a statement.

The accuser, now 35, did not testify at Brown's original trial. She has insisted for nearly two decades that Brown was wrongly convicted, but her calls for justice fell on deaf ears until Williams took office this year.

"When someone is wrongfully convicted, not only is it an injustice for the person who has years of their life stolen, but it is an injustice for the victim and the people of New Orleans because the real perpetrator is left to harm others," Williams said.
Aspiring Presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Kojo Bonsu has called on the election committee of the party to postpone the presidential primaries which is slated for May 13, 2023.

According to him, barely five days to the elections his team is yet to get the album that will be used for the elections, a move he described as unacceptable.

He was speaking with Prince Ade (DOK Cash), host of the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's afternoon Political show Dwabrem on Monday, May 8, 2023.

"The issue is that why have we paid a whopping 5billion old cedis to contest in an election and some few individuals are trying to skew the entire process in a particular?" he quizzed.

Mr Kojo Bonsu says he wants anomalies with the voter register addressed with immediate effect or the party should postpone the election for at least two weeks.

He has called for an urgent round table discussion to address all anomalies associated with the organization of the May 13 presidential and parliamentary primaries of the party.

"Some persons are engaging in obvious underhand activities and my team will not sit down for any individual to shortchange us in these elections," he emphasised.
The introduction of the Planting for Export and Rural Development Program (PERD) by the government in 2019 has so far yielded positive results for the people of Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

The Akrofuom District Assembly through its Chief Executive Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode and Member of Parliament Hon Alex Blankson have overseen the distribution of more than 50,000 seedlings to farmers in the district.

The success story of the program according to the DCE has led to an unprecedented number of youth showing interest in planting coconut seedlings which is the crop chosen by the district under the program.

He explained "many of the youth who hitherto had lost interest in farming over time with most of them finding solace in illegal mining. But the potential profitability of coconut farming, which can yield fruit in as little as 36 months and can be cultivated year-round - has caused them to reconsider their decision. As a result, many young people are now recognizing the value of this crop, which has led to increased participation in this year's seedling distribution."

The DCE made this revelation when he collaborated with the MP to once again distribute 10,000 free coconut seedlings to some farmers in the district. This comes on the heels of a similar donation last year.

According to Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, the Assembly has done some calculations and figured out that one acre of land can accommodate around 70 coconut seedlings. In order to ensure that everyone in the district has an opportunity to benefit from this initiative, they have decided that the maximum number of seedlings to be given away is 140 per person. With the 10,000 seedlings, they have available, they'll be able to cover approximately 144 acres of land in the district.

"Our goal is to encourage communities that rely primarily on mining to recognize the profitability and advantages of farming. By doing so, we hope to create a shift towards agriculture-friendly economies that can provide new job opportunities and promote sustainable growth," he stated.

Coconut as raw material for coconut processing factory

Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode explained that their goal is not only to distribute coconut seedlings to farmers but also to utilize them as raw materials for a future coconut processing factory in the district.

He added that given the high cost of acquiring coconut seedlings in the country, which can cost at least GHS20 per seedling, the Assembly has decided to distribute the seedlings free of charge to farmers.

He said Extension Officers have been deployed to monitor the seedlings planted by farmers and provide support to those encountering difficulties in their farming activities.

"With the benefits already being seen by those who began planting the seedlings at the start of the programme, we are now planning on ways to cultivate coconuts on a large scale in the district and create sales channels for farmers. I would advise those who have received the distributed seedlings to take proper care of their crops to ensure that they mature within the specified time period. It is important to grow the seedlings within 24 hours for a healthy transplant and faster plant growth rate," Dr. Woode added.

In an interview with Honourable Alex Blankson, Member of Parliament for the Akrofuom constituency, it was revealed that the MP's office and DCE's office have been collaborating to make farming more profitable in the district.

The MP said for the past three years, they have been distributing coconut seedlings to the community, and those who have acquired the seedlings have been able to grow them and they are in healthy condition. This development he opined, has motivated them to continue distributing the seedlings every year.

Hon. Blankson revealed that the ultimate goal of the seedling distribution is to increase the production of coconuts in the district, which will enable the establishment of a coconut processing factory. This would provide an opportunity to create jobs and support the local economy through the processing of coconut raw materials.

"Initially, the youth were skeptical about the relevance of the program but after witnessing the benefits that those who planted coconut trees gained, more young people participated this year. The plan is to distribute seedlings to encourage continued youth participation and sustaince of the program in subsequent years," he added.

Hon Alex Blankson also mentioned that they have planned to plant some of the seedlings on lands damaged by illegal mining activities. The aim is to reclaim the destroyed lands and restore them for productive use. He believes that by highlighting the profitability of coconut farming, those involved in mining will be willing to collaborate with them to plant coconut trees on previously mined lands. This approach will help not only regain the damaged land but also contribute to the district's coconut production.

Hon Daniel Badu Avonyo, an Assembly Member for Nkoransa electoral area expressed his delight in receiving free coconut seedlings. He received a total of 70 coconut seedlings and emphasized that it is important not to politicize every good thing that is brought forth by the ruling government, regardless of their political party. It is essential to support and appreciate the positive initiatives that benefit the people.
The Church of England's most senior cleric, Justin Welby, on Wednesday renewed his attacks on the UK government's contentious plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, branding the policy "morally unacceptable".

Speaking in his role as a lawmaker in the House of Lords, parliament's upper chamber which is scrutinising the proposals, Welby urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government to U-turn.

If passed, the draft law would outlaw asylum claims by all arrivals via the Channel and other "illegal" routes, and transfer them to "safe" third countries, such as Rwanda.

It was proposed in response to years of growing numbers of dangerous cross-Channel journeys from northern France in small boats.

But it has prompted heavy criticism from international organisations, refugee advocates and UK opposition parties.

"It risks great damage to the UK's interests and reputation at home and abroad, let alone the interests of those in need of protection, or the nations who together face this challenge," Welby told other peers during a debate.

"I urge the government to reconsider much of the bill, which fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility, and our political and international interests," he added.

Welby spoke just days after overseeing King Charles III's coronation in his role as Anglican leader but has previously slammed the plans, accusing ministers of "harmful rhetoric" and "cruelty" in their asylum policies.

'Robust measures'

Sunak has vowed to "stop the boats" used by tens of thousands of migrants each year to make the treacherous trip to Britain's shores from northern Europe.

More than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK last year by crossing the Channel on small boats. By Ben Stansall (AFP)

More than 45,000 arrived last year, continuing a trend that took off in 2018.

His government, which has been languishing in the polls and lost heavily in local elections in England last week, has been under domestic pressure to curb the crossings.

Sunak's predecessor Boris Johnson agreed the deal with Rwanda last year to relocate people arriving in the UK illegally to the central African country, but it has been mired in legal battles and is yet to receive any.

The Council of Europe and several United Nations bodies have condemned the plans, arguing they are "incompatible" with Britain's international obligations.

London, which must abide by the European Convention on Human Rights overseen by the ECHR, insists its new law does comply with global refugee laws.

Writing in The Times newspaper Wednesday, hardline interior minister Suella Braverman defended the "robust measures" and suggested the public is on side.

"We urge the House of Lords to look at the Illegal Migration Bill carefully, remember it is designed to meet the will of the British people in a humane and fair way and back the bill," she wrote, in a joint article with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.
10.05.2023 LISTEN

The Dr. Kwabena Duffuor campaign team has said if the main opposition National Democratic Congress, as a party, is scheming its internal polls in favour of one aspirant, then the party would have no moral right to call out the Electoral Commission in the 2024 polls over similar grievances.

If the NDC, as a political organisation, can do this to ourselves in our intra-party elections, what do we expect from the Electoral Commission (EC) in the run-up to the 2024 elections? Mr James Agbey, head of the Duffuor Campaign teams security detail, has said.

In a statement condemning what he described as connivance between the partys Functional Executive Committee and former President John Mahamas campaign team to rig the 13 May 2023 presidential primaries, Mr Agbey wondered: Can the NDC accuse the EC of electoral malfeasance and corruptible conduct when the party is trapped in the same scheme in its own backyard all in an attempt to give Mahama an undue advantage over other candidates?

What is the point of intra-party politics and leadership if they can't even publicly correct the record when they are wrong? he asked.

Mr Agbey described the processes leading up to the primaries as a charade and choreographed shenanigan being masterminded by a selfish and parochial faction within the partys national executives who are supporting and conniving with the Mahama camp to hijack and rig the entire election in his favour.

In fact, I do take issue with the manner the Mahama camp is conniving with the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the NDC to disenfranchise a good number of delegates and to rig the processes leading up to the forthcoming 13th May presidential primaries for Mahama.

He said: The whole charade regarding the non-availability of a complete photo album for the elections is completely against the party's rules of engagement.

Mr Agbey added: Indeed, it is extremely dubious, criminal and illegal for the processes leading to the entire election to be hijacked by Mahama.

According to him, this display of utter greed by Mahama to win at all cost, reeked of poor judgement and a complete lack of respect for the responsibility he holds as a leader.

In my eyes, this is just the first shot in a series of campaigns to destabilise the NDC by the Mahama faction for their selfish and parochial agenda, he noted.

Dr Duffuor has filed processes at the court for an injunction on the presidential primaries scheduled for 13 May 2013.

According to him, data from only 220 out of the 275 constituencies have been verified.

He also said an exceptional list of 74,799 has been created which cannot be verified because of scanty information.

For no credible reason, he noted, among others that 3,910 eligible voters at the 220 constituencies have been disenfranchised.

Read the full statement issued by Dr Kwabena Duffuors campaign teams head of security:

For Immediate Release

Wednesday 10th May 2023

We're ready to use legitimate force to deal with Mahama if need be.

I, James Agbey, head of Security Detail of Duffuor 2024 campaign wishes to state unequivocally that the NDC belongs to all of us and we won't sit down for Mahama to take us on a jolly ride.

In fact, I do take issue with the manner the Mahama camp is conniving with the Functional Executive Committee(FEC) of the NDC to disenfranchise a good number of delegates, and to rig the processess leading up to the forthcoming 13th May presidential primaries for Mahama.

The whole charade regarding the non-availability of complete photo album for the elections is completely against the party's rules of engagement.

Indeed, it is extremely dubious, criminal and illegal for the processes leading to the entire election to be hijacked by Mahama.

This display of utter greed by Mahama to win at all costs reeked of poor judgement and a complete lack of respect for the responsibility he holds as a leader.

In my eyes, this is just the first shot in a series of campaigns to destabilise the NDC by the Mahama faction for their selfish and parochial agenda.

As one of those who served the party in the Greater Accra Region as Director of Security operations in 2020, and currently in charge of Dr Duffuor's Security detail, this development made me very upset. It is upsetting to see the NDC swimming in the gutters to please one man at the expense of our collective good.

As a matter of fact, Mahamas resolute insistence to not follow the rules of engagement regarding this election shows a fundamental disdain for the concept of accountability. If the NDC, as a political organisation, can do this to ourselves in our intra-party elections, what do we expect from the Electoral Commission (EC) in the run-up to the 2024 elections?

Can the NDC accuse the EC of electoral malfeasance and corruptible conduct when the party is trapped in the same scheme in its own backyard all in an attempt to give Mahama an undue advantage over other candidates?

What is the point of intra-party politics and leadership if they can't even publicly correct the record when they are wrong?

This obviously is more likely strong evidence that Mahama and his supporters continue to muddy the waters or to put it more plainly deflect attention from their failures and misdemeanours.

Allowing them to continue with this charade and the choreographed shenanigan is utterly abhorrent.

At this juncture, let me sound a note of caution to all concerned, and warn that we're ready to use legitimate force and every means under the sun to get Mahama out of the way and restore dignity and respect to the NDC.

This election is totally different from the 2018 one, where Prof Joshua Alabi and Goosie Tanoh allowed Mahama to have his way.

We are on a rescue mission to rescue the party from the claws of Mahama.

Those of us on the Duffuor team are ready for Mahama and his diabolics. We are ready to bring an end to this opportunistic appropriation.

I just wish the people who know better would sit up. But perhaps that cannot happen until we send out strong signals to them that we are ever ready to beat them to their own game.

We can't continue to suffer characters like the former President who's hoping to stay relevant by being a perpetual flag bearer.

Signed:

James Agbey -

NDC Operative and Head of Dr Duffuor's Security detail

Source: ClassFMonline.com
10.05.2023 LISTEN

The annual Dipo Rites of the Ga-Adangbe people in Dodowa is facing a major setback due to a lack of virgins nowadays.

The Dipo rites, which is a puberty rite of passage for girls, require them to be virgins before going through the process.

However, with the scarcity of virgins in the community, the mothers have decided to allow ladies or women who have had sexual intercourse but haven't aborted a baby to go through the process.

This development has raised concerns among the Ga-Adangbe people as it is unacceptable for non-virgins to participate in the Dipo rites.

Mrs Lydia Amihere, a TV producer at Obonu FM expressed her worries about the situation, asking, "What are we doing? What are we going to do about it? Are we imposing death on our children - especially the girl child, regarding our tradition?"

The Dipo rites, according to her, is a tradition that teaches girls how to treat their husbands, cater for themselves, and even how to handle menstruation, especially for those who have not experienced it before going through the process.

She noted that the girls are also taught about the ethics of the Ga-Adangbe and Ga culture. The duration of the process varies, depending on the clan or traditional area. Some take seven days, while others take two weeks.

The girls are also taught about sex and how to go about it with a man, but only after marriage.

Mrs. Amihere revealed that she performed her Dipo rites when she was about 16 years old.

According to her, the scariest aspect is that during the Dipo rites, the girls sit on a traditional stone, and if anyone has had sexual intercourse before, she gets stuck on the stone until libation is poured before she can be set free.

Mrs. Amihere recounted an incident where a woman was stuck on the stone until some elders came to perform libation before she could get up.

About Dipo Rites

The Dipo rite is a puberty rite performed by a few Dangme Groups namely the Shai and the Krobo. It is a rite that transitions a female from Childhood into Womanhood. In both the Shai and Krobo communities going through the Dipo rite is a prerequisite for becoming a woman who is capable of fully participating in the community, being a wife and having a family. In Ancient times those who did not do it or got pregnant before the Dipo rite was done were considered outcasts, some banished from the community.

During the performance of the Dipo rites the Woman is spiritually cleansed in the case of the Krobo the God Nana Kloweki is the main God called upon. The initiates would be aged between 10-14 and the rite traditionally could take up to three years of which the girls had to remain on the Krobo mountain.
10.05.2023 LISTEN

A total of 106 candidates have been cleared to contest the NDC parliamentary primaries at various constituencies in the Ashanti region.

The party finished the vetting of all the parliamentary aspirants in the region on Tuesday 09, ahead of the conduct of the elections on May 13, 2023.

The vetting of candidates for the Fomena constituency was put on hold following a directive from the national office of the party.

Out of the total number of candidates cleared, seven are going unopposed.

They are Samuel Aboagye- Obuasi East, Joseph Azumah  Akrofouom, Samuel Prempeh Jnr  Bekwai and Kwasi Amankwaa  Kumawu.

The rest are Shamudeen Mohammed Kamil  Old Tafo, Hamzah Swallah  Manhyia North and Ebenezer Ekow Aidoo  Asante Akim Central.

Fifteen females are among the candidates contesting the elections in the region.

The Ejura Sekyeredumase constituency has the highest number of five candidates contesting the elections.

Dr Frank Amoakohene, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC told the Ghana News Agency that no aspirant was disqualified during the process.

He said the party was satisfied with the outcome of the vetting process and the quality of people who submitted themselves to contest the primaries in the various constituencies.

The atmosphere for the campaigns in the region had been relatively calm, except for the Asawase constituency where the supporters of the two main contenders, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the incumbent, and Mubarick Masawudu, have been trading derogatory utterances in their campaigns.

GNA
Research shows that the world is undoubtedly warming. And, as the global average temperature keeps rising, heatwaves are increasing in their frequency, duration and intensity for most of the world's regions.

But that doesn't mean cold weather will disappear entirely. While annual extreme cold events are becoming less frequent and less intense , as you'd expect in a warming world, researchers suggest the climate systems that drive anomalously cold weather will continue to cause cold snaps globally into the 21st century . As we become more accustomed to a warmer world, we become less accustomed to these cold events, and therefore more vulnerable.

Being exposed to cold temperatures can increase the risk of hypothermia, frostbite, and other cold-related illnesses like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. That's especially true for people who are homeless, live in poorly insulated homes, or who cannot warm their homes using heaters, hot water bottles and electric blankets.

As we're writing this article, South Africa is heading into winter. The first cold fronts have already reached the country's south-western regions of Cape Town and surrounds, and the interior has started to experience cooler weather. Rolling blackouts known as loadshedding exacerbate the situation; loadshedding is often worst during the winter months due to the heightened pressure on the electrical grid as people try to heat their homes and keep lights on during the longer hours of darkness.

As researchers who have been exploring extreme temperature events and thermal comfort in South Africa, we have some advice about how to keep yourself as warm as possible during the winter months.

Our research

South Africa is often marketed to tourists as a  sunny  holiday destination. The country experiences warm summers and frequent clear skies , providing an ideal destination for beach vacations.

Read more: Does sunny South Africa really have an ideal climate for tourism?

But its winters can be bitterly cold, particularly in the mountainous regions of the Drakensberg-Maloti and the Cape Fold Mountains, and in towns such as Sutherland in the Northern Cape province.

O ur research has explored trends in extreme climate events over the past six decades.

Using data from indices developed by expert teams from the World Meteorological Organisation, we have identified extreme cold events across South Africa's nine provinces. Our research confirms that these events are occurring less often and for shorter periods than in previous decades. The duration of extreme cold events is decreasing at a rate of 1 day per decade; the number of these events is decreasing by 0.2 events per decade.

Provincial trends

However, for some locations in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West provinces, these average trends do not hold true. Cold waves in these locations are increasing in duration.

An analysis of the Universal Thermal Climate Index outputs for Southern Africa over the period 1979 to 2021 confirms that large areas of the South African interior still experience slight cold stress from June to August, while the high-lying mountainous regions experience moderate cold stress in the middle of each year.

There have been several newsworthy extreme cold events in recent years that have seen low temperatures and snowfall affecting various regions of the country. One, in March 2016, was unseasonal (South Africa's winter months are June to August)  southern regions of the Western Cape experienced temperatures below -6C, which is unusual for that time of the year.

In June and July 2019, Gauteng and the Western Cape experienced several cold fronts that led to consecutive cold days and nights and resulted in one reported casualty due to hypothermia in Dobsonville, Soweto and one in Sea Point, Cape Town .

In July 2021, a severe cold snap, caused by a succession of cold fronts making landfall over South Africa, resulted in record-breaking temperatures and snowfall across many parts of the country, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

These events are a reminder of how dangerous extreme cold can be. Here's how you can mitigate its effects.

Some tips

First, it's important to know your risks:

Infants (younger than 1 year) lose body heat more easily than adults.

Adults over 65 are more susceptible to extremely cold temperatures due to their slow metabolisms and levels of physical activity.

People who spend longer periods outdoors, including homeless individuals, sportspeople and outdoor workers, are at increased risk for cold-related health problems.

However, everyone should take precautions to prevent cold exposure and minimise the risk of cold stress. These include the following tips:

Limit your time outdoors, where possible.

Dress warmly (thermal clothing, jerseys and closed shoes) and cover up exposed skin to reduce the risk of hypothermia.

Close windows and even use thicker curtains in the winter evenings to keep in the heat.

Identify and close gaps in doorways and window frames that could be letting in the cold.

Insulate homes and buildings to reduce the need for heating and retain any heat generated between loadshedding.

Intensify your physical activity.

Invest in some extra and thicker blankets.

Stay informed about the latest loadshedding schedules to ensure you can cook warm meals while the power is on.

Stay informed and monitor the local media about the latest weather updates and warnings.

Policy shifts

In addition to these individual measures, broader policy solutions can help mitigate the impact of loadshedding during extreme cold weather. These include increasing investment in renewable energy, improving the electricity grid's efficiency, and implementing targeted measures to support vulnerable populations and communities during loadshedding periods such as by providing shelters and soup kitchens.

While the push for these policies continues, make sure you dress in layers and stay indoors as much as you can this winter.

Adriaan Van Der Walt receives funding from the National Research Foundation, South Africa

Jennifer Fitchett receives funding from GENUS: the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Palaeosciences and the National Research Foundation.

Sarah Roffe receives funding from the National Research Foundation, South Africa.

By Adriaan Van Der Walt, Senior Lecturer of Physical Geography and GIS, University of the Free State And

Jennifer Fitchett, Associate Professor of Physical Geography, University of the Witwatersrand And

Sarah Roffe, Researcher, Agricultural Research Council
One of the region's top court administrators has received an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal in the case in which he was ticketed for loitering at the University at Buffalo's Alumni Arena in March, according to a state Office of Court Administration spokesman.

The adjournment for Andrew B. Isenberg, district executive for the Eighth Judicial District, expires Thursday, after which the case in Amherst Town Court will be dismissed and sealed, the spokesman said.

"All charges have been unconditionally dismissed against Mr. Isenberg. And he has not admitted any wrongdoing nor pled guilty to any offense," his attorney, Sunil Bakshi, said in a statement Thursday morning.

State court executive for 8th Judicial District on leave following arrest at UB A top court administrator with the 8th Judicial District is on a leave of absence after he was arrested earlier this month on a violation for allegedly loitering at the University at Buffalo's Alumni Arena.

Isenberg was arrested March 4 at the Alumni Arena fitness center on one count of loitering on school grounds, according to police reports and UB officials. He was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Isenberg, an Amherst resident, was not a member of the gym, the university said.

Isenberg remained out on a voluntary leave of absence from his job as of Thursday, according to the state courts spokesman. Asked whether Isenberg would now return to work, Bakshi said he couldn't comment because he didn't know.

The district executive is the top nonjudicial officer overseeing court operations in eight counties in Western New York.
Fighting raged in the Sudanese capital and a city to the south Wednesday, residents said, pushing more people to undertake dangerous journeys to safety across the country's borders.

Those unable to escape grapple with shortages of food and other essentials, surviving only thanks to Sudanese charity networks among friends and neighbours, as talks to secure the safe delivery of aid yield no noticeable progress.

"We were woken by explosions and heavy artillery fire," one resident of Khartoum's sister city of Omdurman told AFP as smoke drifted over the capital.

During the night, two huge blasts were heard across greater Khartoum, residents of multiple districts said, in the fourth week of battles between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

More than 750 people have been killed in the fighting which has wounded more than 5,000, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

A Red Cross volunteer helps refugees from Sudan who crossed into Ethiopia at Metema. By Amanuel Sileshi (AFP)

In El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital, about 350 kilometres (190 miles) southwest of Khartoum, residents on Wednesday also reported fighting and explosions.

More than 700,000 people are now internally displaced by battles that began on April 15, and another 150,000 have fled the country, UN agencies said this week.

An average of 1,000 are registered every day by the International Organization for Migration at the dusty, sun-scorched Ethiopian border town of Metema.

Checkpoints

Every person interviewed by AFP in Metema spoke of the terror leading up to their departure -- days spent holed up at home in a city gripped by gunfire and bombings, followed by a 550-kilometre journey haunted by fear of armed robbery en route.

Aid is loaded into a military plane bound for Port Sudan at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. By Mohamad Ali Harissi (AFP)

Ethiopian waiter Mohamed Ali, who moved to Khartoum seven years ago, said he left everything behind to flee.

"At each checkpoint, (armed men) searched us... and took whatever they found, including our money and any belongings we had," he told AFP.

The United States and Saudi Arabia said the army and RSF would hold "pre-negotiation talks" in the Saudi city of Jeddah from last Saturday, but there has been no announcement of progress there.

Martin Griffiths, the top UN aid official, has left Jeddah after he "proposed a declaration of commitments for the two parties to guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian relief," a UN spokesman in New York said on Tuesday.

Several aid workers have been killed in the fighting and humanitarian facilities ransacked.

Cindy McCain, World Food Programme executive director, said nearly 25 percent of the agency's food has been looted.

But aid continues to flow into Sudan. Two Saudi Arabian aircraft loaded with humanitarian material landed in Port Sudan on Tuesday, an AFP journalist said.

On Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, a military plane prepared another delivery of aid for Port Sudan.

"It's clear that because of the needs on the ground, we're going to proceed with humanitarian operations whether there's a ceasefire or not," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Tuesday.

"But in order to make sure that safe passage is guaranteed, we want the parties to adhere to a declaration of commitments."
Tunisia's small Jewish community was in shock and mourning Wednesday after a bloody shooting rampage in which a police officer killed five people outside Africa's oldest synagogue.

The shooting Tuesday sparked mass panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage at the historic Ghriba synagogue on the resort island of Djerba, which was quickly locked down by security forces.

"I never believed that I would experience such terror," recounted one survivor, Raoudha Seibi.

The attack was "a real nightmare", said a tearful Seibi, a member of the Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities. "I am still in shock."

Tunisian soldiers secure the area near the Ghriba synagogue following the shooting rampage. By FETHI BELAID (AFP)

Authorities were investigating the motive of the killer, who was shot dead after killing three police officers and two visitors, a French-Tunisian and an Israeli-Tunisian man.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up the fight "against anti-Semitic hatred", and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the bloodshed proves "evil and hatred are still there".

The Ghriba pilgrimage was previously targeted in a 2002 suicide truck bombing that killed 21 people.

The gunman, wearing his police uniform and a bulletproof vest, started the attack by killing a fellow officer and taking his gun and ammunition at the island's port, said officials.

A Tunisian police officer shot dead four people at Africa's oldest synagogue in an attack Tuesday that sparked panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage. By YASSINE MAHJOUB (AFP)

He then went to the Ghriba synagogue site and opened fire outside, sparking terror on the final day of the annual pilgrimage.

The two victims were named as Tunisian-Israeli dual national Aviel Haddad, 30, and his cousin, Benjamin Haddad, 42, who held both Tunisian and French nationalities.

In the ensuing gun battle, he also wounded six police officers, two of whom later died, hospital sources said.

"Around 8:00 pm we heard the sound of gunfire," recounted another eyewitness, an elderly Israeli man who gave his name as Elyahu. "The police closed all the doors and we couldn't get out. We couldn't do anything for more than three hours.

"Some were praying, some were crying."

'Cowardly attack'

Investigations are continuing on the motive behind the "cowardly attack", the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

Map of Tunisia locating the island of Djerba. By Sylvie HUSSON (AFP)

The shooting was Tunisia's first deadly attack on foreigners since 2015, when Islamist gunmen in Tunis and Sousse killed dozens of foreign holidaymakers.

More than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's event, said organisers. The annual pilgrimage only resumed in 2022 after two years of pandemic-related suspension.

The United States "deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces."

Jewish worshippers pack the Ghriba synagogue for the annual pilgrimage. By YASSINE MAHJOUB (AFP)

Coming between Passover and Shavuot, the pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live -- mainly on Djerba -- compared with around 100,000 before independence in 1956.

Pilgrims travel to the site from Europe, the United States and Israel, although their numbers have dropped since the deadly bombing in 2002.

Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia has finally rebounded from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the 2015 attacks.

Tunisia suffered a sharp rise in Islamist militancy after the Arab Spring mass protests ousted longtime despot Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

But authorities say they have made significant progress in the fight against terrorism in recent years.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia endures a severe financial crisis.

The downturn has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office sweeping powers and neutered parliament.
This Friday, the three presidential aspirants of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are expected to crown their campaign activities in their respective home regions after months of rigorous engagements with delegates across the country.

With barely four days left for the elections on Saturday, May 13, 2023, final messages to delegates could play a part in swaying undecided voters in an election that has been projected to produce limited surprises.

Former President John Dramani Mahama, who was the flag bearer of the NDC in 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections, is being challenged by Mr Kojo Bonsu, a former Mayor of Kumasi, and Dr Kwabena Duffuor, a former Minister of Finance.

Mr Mahama, who has been described as the NDC's presumptive leader ahead of the elections, is expected to conclude his campaign activities in the Upper West and Savannah regions this week.

The former President is expected to vote in Bole (his hometown) on Saturday before returning to Accra.

Although analysts have projected an easy win for Mr Mahama in Saturday's contest, sources close to him indicate that the former President would not take chances and would continue to make a case for delegates to vote for him.

In the last presidential primaries in 2019, Mr Mahama garnered 213,487 votes representing 95.23 per cent of the total valid votes cast.

Six persons who challenged Mr Mahama in that election jointly secured about 4 per cent of the total votes cast.

Though Dr Duffuor and Mr Bonsu are contesting the presidential slot for the first time, they are expected to neutralise Mr Mahama's popularity and acceptance in the Party  and the final round of campaigning this week would be crucial for them.

The Ghana News Agency has gathered that Dr Duffuor commenced his tour in the Ashanti Region last Sunday and would finalise his activities in the region on Friday.

Mr Antonio Edem Asinyo, Spokesperson for Dr Duffuor's Campaign, said the team had thus far toured all regions except Upper East, Upper West, and the Western North regions.

He said Dr Duffuor would visit the Western North Region on Wednesday and return to the Ashanti Region to conclude the campaign.

Mr Asinyo said the team was not perturbed by Mr Mahama's endorsement by some Party executives and former appointees.

He said Dr Duffuor's message of empowering the grassroots to become economically viable and a strong force had been well received by the delegates and was confident that he would clinch the presidential slot on Saturday.

A lot of the Party members especially the cadres genuinely feel neglected. Not much has been done in terms of infrastructure, research.

We have a weak Party. The commitment is to together build a strong Party that is sustainable and financially sound, Mr Asinyo said.

Mr Bonsu, who has been described as the dark horse in the race, has taken his Reboot Tour Campaign tour to the Ashanti Region where he is expected to cast his vote on Saturday.

Being a son of the Ashanti Region, his ability to galvanise substantial number of votes in the region would make a case for him about his influence in the region and offer him as a springboard for the NDC to achieve its electoral targets in the Ashanti Region.

Mr Bismark Tetteh Djem, personal assistant to Mr Bonsu, said Mr Bonsu had been well received by the Party delegates across the country and was confident about clinching victory on Saturday.

He (Mr Bonsu) is extremely confident that the level of integrity and hard work that he has accorded himself, and the endearing message to the delegates, God willing we are sure that victory would prevail, he said.

The NDC is expected to hold its presidential and parliamentary primaries on Saturday, May 13, 2023, to elect a flag bearer and parliamentary candidates for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The Party has so far won four out of the eight general elections since 1992.

The governments of 1993-1996, and 1997-2000 (under Jerry John Rawlings), 2009-2012 (under Prof. John Evans Atta Mills) and 2012-2016 (under John Dramani Mahama) were formed.

The NDC currently has 136 seats in Parliament out of 273.

GNA
The Head of Dr. Kwabena Duffuor's Security detail, James Agbey has issued a warning ahead of the flagbearer elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on May 13.

In a press release, he accused the camp of former President John Dramani Mahama of conniving with the Functional Executive Committee(FEC) of the party to disenfranchise a good number of delegates to further the course of John Dramani Mahama.

I, James Agbey, head of Security Detail of Duffuor 2024 campaign wishes to state unequivocally that the NDC belongs to all of us and we won't sit down for Mahama to take us on a jolly ride.

In fact, I do take issue with the manner the Mahama camp is conniving with the Functional Executive Committee(FEC) of the NDC to disenfranchise a good number of delegates, and to rig the processes leading up to the forthcoming 13th May presidential primaries for Mahama, the leading member of the camp of Dr. Kwabena Duffuor said in his release.

According to him, the camp of Dr. Kwabena Duffuor is ready to use legitimate force to deal with Mahama if need be.

At this juncture, let me sound a note of caution to all concerned, and warn that we're ready to use legitimate force and every means under the sun to get Mahama out of the way and restore dignity and respect to the NDC.

This election is totally different from the 2018 one, where Prof Joshua Alabi and Goosie Tanoh allowed Mahama to have his way, James Agbey said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor is already in court to injunct the NDC presidential primaries on May 13.

Read the full release from James Agbey below:

We're ready to use legitimate force to deal with Mahama if need be.

I, James Agbey, head of Security Detail of Duffuor 2024 campaign wishes to state unequivocally that the NDC belongs to all of us and we won't sit down for Mahama to take us on a jolly ride.

In fact, I do take issue with the manner the Mahama camp is conniving with the Functional Executive Committee(FEC) of the NDC to disenfranchise a good number of delegates, and to rig the processess leading up to the forthcoming 13th May presidential primaries for Mahama.

The whole charade regarding the non-availability of complete photo album for the elections is completely against the party's rules of engagement.

Indeed, it is extremely dubious, criminal and illegal for the processes leading to the entire election to be hijacked by Mahama.

This display of utter greed by Mahama to win at all costs reeked of poor judgement and a complete lack of respect for the responsibility he holds as a leader.

In my eyes, this is just the first shot in a series of campaigns to destabilise the NDC by the Mahama faction for their selfish and parochial agenda.

As one of those who served the party in the Greater Accra Region as Director of Security operations in 2020, and currently in charge of Dr Duffuor's Security detail, this development made me very upset. It is upsetting to see the NDC swimming in the gutters to please one man at the expense of our collective good.

As a matter of fact, Mahamas resolute insistence to not follow the rules of engagement regarding this election shows a fundamental disdain for the concept of accountability. If the NDC, as a political organisation, can do this to ourselves in our intra-party elections, what do we expect from the Electoral Commission (EC) in the run-up to the 2024 elections?

Can the NDC accuse the EC of electoral malfeasance and corruptible conduct when the party is trapped in the same scheme in its own backyard all in an attempt to give Mahama an undue advantage over other candidates?

What is the point of intra-party politics and leadership if they can't even publicly correct the record when they are wrong?

This obviously is more likely strong evidence that Mahama and his supporters continue to muddy the waters or to put it more plainly deflect attention from their failures and misdemeanours.

Allowing them to continue with this charade and the choreographed shenanigan is utterly abhorrent.

At this juncture, let me sound a note of caution to all concerned, and warn that we're ready to use legitimate force and every means under the sun to get Mahama out of the way and restore dignity and respect to the NDC.

This election is totally different from the 2018 one, where Prof Joshua Alabi and Goosie Tanoh allowed Mahama to have his way.

We are on a rescue mission to rescue the party from the claws of Mahama.

Those of us on the Duffuor team are ready for Mahama and his diabolics. We are ready to bring an end to this opportunistic appropriation.

I just wish the people who know better would sit up. But perhaps that cannot happen until we send out strong signals to them that we are ever ready to beat them to their own game.

We can't continue to suffer characters like the former President who's hoping to stay relevant by being a perpetual flag bearer.

Signed:

James Agbey -

NDC Operative and Head of Dr Duffuor's Security detail
Member of Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta region Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and a deputy minister of state under both John Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama administrations expressed his gratitude to US partners for helping to establish the John Evans Atta Mills Surgical Block in his constituency.

In a post on his social media handle, he thanked his partners Denise Sears, Chief Executive Officer and President of SOS International for successfully putting up the facility.

Mr Ablakwa has been making revelations about corruption in the National Cathedral project. He has hinted at disclosing more about what appears to be an expose on the National Cathedral following his recent trip to the United States over the contentious project.

The MP, who has been critical of the government for what he sees as a lack of transparency in the project, says he will uncover more sickening rot in the coming days.

In his recent revelation, he wondered why none of the prominent ministers of the gospel who serve as trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana featured in the articles of incorporation and list of trustees as submitted to US authorities.

Mr. Ablakwa claims his investigations revealed that the names of governors and authorized persons as contained in the two-year report for Domestic & Foreign Filing Entity are Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, Eric Okyere Darko and Dr. Vernon Darko.
An Egyptian archaeologist on Wednesday released a documentary on the life of Cleopatra, the same day Netflix began streaming a controversial production depicting the ancient queen as black.

For weeks, pundits and officials in Egypt have reacted angrily to streaming platform Netflix's decision to cast British actress Adele James in the lead role of its production "Queen Cleopatra" -- insisting the ruler had lighter skin.

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass's 90-minute documentary "Cleopatra", released on director Curtis Ryan Woodside's YouTube channel, describes itself as telling the "true" story of the Ptolemaic dynasty's last ruler.

"Was Cleopatra black? First of all, I have nothing against black people at all, but I am stating the facts -- look at the Macedonian queens, none of them were black", Hawass, a former antiquities minister, says in the documentary.

In April, Egypt's antiquities ministry weighed in on the debate, insisting the historical Cleopatra had "white skin and Hellenistic characteristics".

Netflix promoted its documentary-drama "Queen Cleopatra", produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, as featuring "reenactments and expert interviews".

Cleopatra was the last sovereign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was of Greek origin and ruled Egypt between 332 and 30 BC.

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, pictured in July 2022, says none of the Macedonian queens were black. By Khaled DESOUKI (AFP/File)

While legend holds the queen, born around 69 BC, was a great beauty, her appearance and the colour of her skin are largely open to interpretation.

Following the release of a trailer for the Netflix production, an online petition accusing the streaming service of rewriting history had garnered more than 40,000 signatures by late April.

In a country where some were already calling for Netflix to be banned for content deemed offensive to Egypt or "its family values", legislator Saboura al-Sayyed last month repeated her call for parliament to block the platform.

Commentators in Egypt often decry campaigns among mostly African-American groups claiming the black origins of pharaonic civilisation.

In 2009, a BBC documentary claimed that Cleopatra had African blood, an assertion that passed without incident.
There were once again two popes at the Vatican Wednesday, at least briefly, when Pope Francis welcomed Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to his weekly audience.

Francis, the 86-year-old head of the global Catholic Church, embraced the Egyptian patriarch in St Peter's Square before the pair took to the stage, where they both addressed the rain-soaked crowds.

Tawadros is on a four-day visit to mark 50 years since the historic meeting between pope Paul VI and patriarch Shenouda III in May 1973.

"My friend and brother Tawadros, thank you for accepting my invitation," Francis said, according to a despatch of Vatican News, the Holy See's media outlet.

"I sincerely thank you for your commitment to the growing friendship between the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches."

It is the third time the two men have met, after the patriarch visited Rome in 2013, and the 2017 trip by Francis to Egypt.

Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and make up at least 10 million of Muslim-majority Egypt's population of around 100 million.

Copts were targeted in a series of sectarian attacks after the military in 2013 deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Such attacks focused largely on remote villages in southern Egypt.

Francis has sought to build ties with other churches and other faiths since becoming pope in 2013, following the resignation of his predecessor Benedict XVI.

Benedict, who took the title emeritus pope, lived in the Vatican until his death on December 31, 2022.

(Wires)
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the heads of Germany's 16 states are considering tighter border controls and new deportation rules as they hold crunch talks to address soaring migration.

In the first four months of 2023, some 101,981 asylum applications were filed in Germany, an increase of 78 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

Almost 218,000 applications were filed in Germany last year, the highest number since 2015-16, with the largest number of newcomers hailing from war-torn Syria and Afghanistan, followed by Turkey and Iraq.

In addition, more than a million people arrived from Ukraine.

Regional leaders have long been demanding more help and money to cope with the new arrivals, with many being forced to build temporary shelters.

To help ease the pressure on local authorities, the government is considering tightening border controls, according to a draft agreement seen by the French press agency AFP.

"Depending on the situation, the government will... extend the existing border security concept with Austria to other borders in Germany," it said.

Germany's border with Austria alone currently applies fixed border controls apply to everyone passing through. Germany also borders Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.

Strain on facilities

Germany will apply the restructions under the The Schengen Borders Code (SBC,) which provides EU member states with "the capability of temporarily reintroducing border control at the internal borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security."

Currently, according to the website of the European Commision, 13 of the 26 Schengen countries already have temporarily reintroduced border controls.

In December last year, Germany, together with Denmark, Norway, Austria and Sweden already imposed stricter measures for a period of five months, which ends on 11 May.

Germany cites "strain on national refugee reception facilities, need to increase security of critical infrastructures" as a reason, but given the latest deal, these last measures seem to have fallen short of stemming the flow.

The draft agreement also says that "to return persons who are obliged to leave the country to their countries of origin, it is necessary to improve cooperation with numerous countries of origin".

The pro-business FDP party, part of Germany's coalition government alongside Scholz's SPD and the Greens, has called for the list of "safe" countries of origin to be expanded.

The document also says the government supports strengthening controls at the EU's external borders, including the possibility of permanent border controls with other EU countries.

According to the Bild daily, a more recent version of the paper also includes proposals to speed up asylum applications and the deportation of offenders.

The recent influx of asylum seekers has coincided with a rise in support for the far-right AfD party, especially in eastern Germany.

The anti-migrant party is currently polling at around 15 percent, compared with 10.3 percent in the last general election in 2021.

(Wires)
Angry traders at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi have called out the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, accusing him of neglecting the Asanteman.

They have accused him of refusing to complete the Kejetia Market redevelopment project.

The traders held a demonstration some weeks ago to demand the completion of the $298 million Kejetia Redevelopment Project, which began in 2015 aimed at modernizing and expanding the market, providing better facilities for traders and shoppers alike.

According to the aggrieved traders, the delayed completion has negatively affected their business.

If they dont come back to the site, well show this government that we are very serious. We are giving them just two months - if they dont come and continue the work, we will go and make sales in darkness, said a trader who registered her worry to the media.

They said if the contractors do not return to the site within the next two months, they will boycott the 2024 election and take industrial action.

If they dont come back to the site, this government has taken us for granted but we leave everything to God.well boycott the 2024 election. Id rather sleep at home, said a trader.

They further accused the Members of Parliament in the region of doing less to ensure the completion of the market and called on the government to get the contractors back to site to complete the project as soon as possible.

A trader also claimed that the market left in its current state is a clear sign of President Akufo-Addo neglecting Asanteman.

We are telling Nana Addo that his refusal to continue this project means he is neglecting Asanteman, because this is what we also do for a living, said the trader.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Combined Kumasi Central Market Traders Union, Emelia Kwofie and Joseph Owusu said they are waiting for the government to get the contractors on site in the next two months to avert an industrial action.

We are still expecting the completion of the project by the stipulated date. They gave us a time when they are going to complete the project. Our only worry is that, with the break in the construction, the government will be able to meet it. Otherwise, as traders, well have to advise ourselves, said Emelia Kwoffie.

Joseph Owusu also said, We doubt they can fix it before June. And if they dont, we will take action.
The previous months have seen the rise in popularity among the general public of several deep learning models, such as Large Language Models (LLMs), whose most well-known avatar is the chatbot developed by Open AI, ChatGPT.

The surprising effectiveness of these new models, as well as the exponential increase in academic publications in recent years proposing increasingly relevant models, have led several actors in the industry to question the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and the Pandoras box that AGI  artificial general intelligence  would be.

More than 1000 tech leaders, including SpaceX founder Elon Musk, as well as researchers, have signed an open letter calling for a moratorium on the development of more powerful artificial intelligence. Other prominent actors in the field of AI, like Yan Lecun, Turing Prize winner in 2018 and director of the Meta AI lab, have a more positive and inclusive opinion of AI. Yan Lecun asserts that AI amplifies human intelligence as the machine amplifies strength.

The massive adoption by the general public raises new philosophical and ethical questions. Will AI surpass human intelligence? How can consciousness be defined? Could humans be replaced by machines?

At the initiative of associate professor Yusef Casewit, the University of Chicago invited the moroccan sufi master Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al Karkari, founder of the Karkariya sufi order, whose books had previously been discussed in earlier seminars, to attend a conference at the university in order to explore how Sufism could help answer the new questions raised by AI and how can AI challenge the hegemony of humans. The other guest, Saad Ansari, a Yale University alumnus and director at Jasper AI, shared his technical knowledge in the field of AI.

During the seminar, the sufi master, Mohamed Faouzi al Karkari, when asked what are the differences between human intellect and artificial intelligence?, placed humans at the center of the cosmos by asserting that, from an Islamic perspective, humans would remain the earthly epicenter as Gods vicegerent, regardless of whatever technological progress occurs.

He continued by stating that, in Sufism, knowledge is primarily gained through knowledge of ones self, and this intrinsic knowledge of the self is gained through spiritual and sensory experience. He quoted at the beginning of the conference the Quranic verse in which Moses is addressed thus: I have fashioned thee for Myself. Thus, according to Sufism, humans have been fashioned by the divine in the most perfect form.

He continued by saying artificial intelligence feeds on what human intellect has produced and thus, regardless of its evolution, it remains dependent on humanity.

It was argued that AI, like any other vector of information, be it from books or technology, remains a limited expression of the experiences lived by its author/creator. In Sufism, since humans are the microcosm of the macrocosm, a creation resulting from human intellect constitutes a limited part of this microcosm and therefore cannot trouble humans.

Similarly, from the perspective of Sufism, consciousness is defined as self-knowledge, which is subordinate to the spiritual experiences of the individual. An artificial intelligence, whose characteristic is the emission of information based on a cluster of information, cannot experience emotions and be conscious of itself. Thus, Sufism offers an interesting perspective on these issues by emphasizing the importance of ethics and consciousness in the primacy of humans.

The future challenges posed by AI are numerous. The conclusion of the conference was to continue promoting a responsible and ethical use of this technology. However, ultimately, it is crucial to recognize that AI is only a tool, and its use entirely depends on those who develop and use it.

Shaykh Mohammed Faouzi al-Karkari a prominent Moroccan Sufi master, humanitarian activist, and reviver of the North African Sufi tradition his prolific writings, which have been translated into multiple European languages, emphasize the centrality of mystical experience in the search for direct knowledge of self and God.

The most recent English translation of his work, The Sufi Path of Light, explores the role of luminous vision within the broader Islamic tradition, through an active social media presence and international humanitarian projects, the Shaykhs efforts span an internationally diverse, multicultural, and multilingual network of spiritual seekers.

Evans Attah Akangla
About 200 residents showed up Tuesday in the cafeteria at Waterfront Elementary School to get updated on the latest plans for the conversion of LaSalle Park into Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.

After some visual representations of a new pedestrian bridge and interactive recreation spaces that have been designed as part of the $110 million project, Jana Eisenberg, who lives in the city's Elmwood Village neighborhood, remarked on plans to improve the park's accessibility.

Centennial Park construction to start in mid-June Construction crews will begin mobilizing on-site for the conversion of LaSalle Park into the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park within the next 60 days, with a goal of starting actual work by late June.

"What I'm seeing is, it looks like they're trying really hard to be inclusive and to allow people to see what their plans are. I like that," said Eisenberg, who attended with a friend and her friend's young son.

"For my young friend over there," she said, referring to the boy, "I'm just hoping there's plenty of playgrounds and fun spaces to run and maybe a treehouse. We were fantasizing."

Tuesday's event was the first community meeting held by the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy, a nonprofit formed in 2021 to operate and maintain the park in partnership with the City of Buffalo once construction is complete in 2025.

Here's what's coming to Buffalo's waterfront at $110 million remake of Centennial Park A groundbreaking ceremony at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park on Buffalo's waterfront heralded big things to come. The former LaSalle Park will be transformed in phases over the next several years at an estimated cost of $110 million in public and private dollars.

"The purpose of today is to share how we got here," said Katie Campos, executive director of the conservancy.

The design of the park has been a community driven process since 2018 through Imagine LaSalle, which was run by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute and brought together 1,200 stakeholders and partners who created the vision for Ralph Wilson Park, Campos added.

"They had a focus group of about 20 people who really got their hands dirty designing the park," she said. "They went to Cincinnati, New York City and Chicago to gain inspiration."

The focus group also selected the landscape architect for the project, Michael Van Valkenburgh & Associates, and worked with them over a period of about four years on the design of the park. Campos said that among the main pillars of the park are plans for improved community access, mobility, an improved shoreline, and active and passive recreation.

"This park will continue to be a City of Buffalo Park. It will continue to be free," Campos said.

Work beginning on Centennial Park as BUDC gets $24.5 million from Wilson Foundation grant Contractors have begun clearing the land for the project's first phase, which includes a new pedestrian bridge from the park to the adjacent neighborhood over the Niagara Thruway.

Among the new features will be a bridge connecting Fourth Street to what is designed to be a welcoming spot or front door to the park, featuring a playground, new landscaping and trees.

Mayor Byron W. Brown. who also attended the community meeting, noted that the city and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Park Conservancy last week signed an agreement formalizing the public-private partnership for the management of the park.

"The city will still do the day-to-day maintenance, grass cutting, all the work of maintaining the park, but it'll be a partnership that will bring a additional resources into the park that will work closely with the community on programming for the park," Brown said.

Andrew Raab, deputy commissioner of Parks and Recreation, said environmental sustainability is also set to be a big part of the project, including the addition of a great lawn. Currently flat, the park will boast a new sledding hill for winter recreation.

"This park is not going to be flat," Raab said. "You're not going to be able to stand at one end and look down toward the other end of the park."

Terrance Ferguson, an Allentown resident, expressed excitement about the changes.

"I take my dog there daily," he said. "We don't go in the dog park. We just walk around the park, and I always thought it could be improved so much with the location being on the water and the skyline behind the park with City Hall and everything. It's such a great location."
"Child labor perpetuates poverty and to break the cycle, adults must remain in decent work while children remain in school and focus on their education to prepare for their future."

This was disclosed by the Deputy General Secretary for the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) Andrews Addo Quye Tagoe, during a days national advocacy workshop captioned Lo Norway organized for members of the Trade Union Congress of Ghana in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

The lead resource person for the workshop, Addo Quaye Tagoe said Trade Unions are special social organizations that thrive and work on partnerships. Their partnerships include things they can do to address the interest of the working population. He stated that, if one is a partner in that regard, then the fellow is a social partner.

Mr. Tagoe indicated that TUCs work on child labor or forced labor is informed by the fact that children must grow, live, have access to education and become good citizens in the future. He added that, when children start working early, they go into the working world and start competing with parents when they are supposed to be in school receiving training and preparing towards taking up from their parents in the future.

He added that, when that happens, it undermines the rights of the adult working population, and childrens childhood is also undermined. As a Trade Union he noted that these issues are being looked into as to how they can be streamlined since it affects the general development of the well-being of the masses and for that matter, the future of the country at large.

The Deputy Secretary General (DSG) of the Trades Union Congress of TUC) Joshua Ansah, explained how labor is always at the forefront of the fight against indecent work and child labor. He described decent work as devoid of child labor, child trafficking and modern slavery and all the things that negate the positiveness of decent work.

The DSG indicated that the advocacy workshop among others aims at eliminating child trafficking, modern slavery, and child labor among others to ensure that the four pillars of decent work are encouraged, in order to promote a decent working environment. Mr. Ansah stated that, if care is not taken, the country will suffer in the international export market. He said some Ghanaian products such as tilapia and gold are already on the red list over issues of the use of child labor in the production process.
10.05.2023 LISTEN

According to a report from Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders, an aviation industry body based in Switzerland, air transport is at the heart of global economic growth. Therefore, it is a crucial driver of development. The report adds, "the aviation industry supports USD 3.5 trillion or 4.1 per cent of the world's gross domestic product. If aviation were a country, it would rank 17th in size by GDP."

Countries that are alive to these facts are now going all-out to ensure a robust aviation industry. Take, for instance, Saudi Arabia. An article from Business Insiders states, "Saudi has announced a new airline to bring in tourists as it tries to attract 100 million visitors to the kingdom by 2030." Furthermore, the article mentions that the new airline will cover 100 destinations and have its hub at Riyadh's King Salman International Airport, which is being reimagined as a mega airport with upgraded facilities and infrastructure.

Recent reports from India show that Air India that was privatized just over a year ago and is now owned by Tata Group has ordered the highest order of aircraft. According to media reports, Air India ordered 470 planes worth between $80-100 billion, the largest bulk order for aircraft, the second highest was by American Airlines for 460 planes in 2011. The deal has the potential to not only uplift Air India to the number one position in the domestic aviation sector but also spur jobs in India, USA and Europe. According to the Tata group chairman manufacturing of some of the aircraft parts could be done in India, giving boost to domestic manufacturing, and creating employment opportunities too.

Closer home, Rwanda is constructing what may be one of Africa's largest international airports. According to Julius Ngenga, CEO of ATLH, the holding company formed by the Government of Rwanda to manage aviation-related activities, "The objective is to make the country an African hub connecting businesses, people and countries. The airport is designed in phase one for 8.2 million passengers per year and 14.2 million in phase two." The project is a USD 2 billion project touted as a game changer for aviation on the continent. Rwanda also intends to leverage intra-Africa trade to boost cargo traffic in and out of the country.

What the above projects have in common is the potential for economic transformation and forex consolidation for their home markets.

Kenya Airways (KQ) is one of Africa's leading airlines. We fly to 42 destinations globally, 35 of them within Africa and code share partnerships that allows us to expand our network to over 100 destinations globally. KQ employs close to 4,000 people directly and thousands more indirectly. Anecdotal evidence reveals that KQ contributes close to 5% of Kenya's GDP. Last year, the airline won four awards at the World Travel Awards. Africa's Leading Airline 2022 and Africa's Leading Airline Brand, Business Class, and Inflight Magazine (Msafiri) 2022. Kenya Airways Cargo won the highly acclaimed African Cargo Airline of the Year at the STAT Trade Times Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa, this year. These recognitions and accolades from our customers and industry peers show that they have confidence in the business of KQ and their experiences with the products and services offered.

For several years now, Kenya Airways has not been on very sound financial footing. This has primarily been informed by some of its legacy issues that mainly include loans and fleet costs, amongst other burdens not in the airline's control. Therefore, whilst any business concern needs to turn a profit with dividends to owners, it is also worth noting that KQ delivers substantive value to its stakeholders.

We have been working on several areas to support the recovery and turnaround of KQ towards profitability. This process is a journey as aviation is a high-cost, low margin business that can be drastically impacted by changes within the operating environment like a pandemic, forex, and fuel volatility.

Some of the actions we are undertaking include debt restructuring that includes the restructuring of the government-guaranteed debt, reducing high costs of operations by 10% by 2024, lease cost reduction that has so far achieved a 22% reduction on leases, operational excellence to improve our reliability and on-time arrivals and departures, diversification and improvement on our customer and employee experiences. All these working together will drive us towards recovery.

In conclusion, 56% of the passengers carried on KQ are tourists. This number can be enhanced with far-reaching effects when considering tourism, a big forex consolidator. Cut flowers and fresh produce are maintained by dedicated freighters and in the bellies of passenger planes to markets in the West. Yet the potential for more of this cargo business is almost limitless. KQ is serving only a section of mama mbogas and local fishermen. This could be enhanced multiple times with benefits to the economy as money is put in the hands of farmers. KQ is at the heart of the economic transformation of Kenya and the continent. The past two years have been a difficult period in the history of aviation. We are now on a path to recovery to continue connecting Africa to the world and the world to Africa to drive sustainable development across the African continent.

Julius Thairu is the Chief Commercial & Customer Officer at Kenya Airways.
The two persons arrested for attacking a radio presenter in Tamale last week have been put before court today, Wednesday, May 10.

The accused persons, Iddrisu Hardi alias Pagaaza and Mumuni Osman stormed Dagbon Radio early this month and assaulted presenter Abubakari Sadiq on Live Radio.

Appearing before the Tamale District Court today, the prosecutor charged Iddrisu Hardi alias Pagaaza and his accomplice, Mumuni Osman, with conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, unlawful entry, and threat of death.

The two accused persons pleaded guilty to all four counts of charges and were convicted on their own plea, and subsequently sentenced to a fine of Three Thousand, Six Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH3, 600.00).

In the event of default, they were to serve a custodial sentence of 18 months imprisonment in hard labour.

Following the convictions, the two duly paid their fines to the Court.
Almanack Investment Partners LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF (NYSEARCA:RYE  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 22,441 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,631,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. owned approximately 0.28% of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,624 shares of the companys stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,466 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,564 shares of the companys stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 7,032 shares of the companys stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,962 shares of the companys stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period.

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Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSEARCA RYE traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $65.33. The company had a trading volume of 14,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,085. The stock has a market cap of $497.16 million, a PE ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.06. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF has a 1-year low of $55.85 and a 1-year high of $82.02.

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF Company Profile

The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF (RYE) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy Plus index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of US energy companies in the S&P 500. RYE was launched on Nov 1, 2006 and is managed by Invesco.

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Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI  Get Rating) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,756 shares of the business services providers stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLCs holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in S&P Global by 39.5% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,727,874 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,529,100,000 after buying an additional 1,056,097 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 1.0% in the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,605,597 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $795,619,000 after acquiring an additional 25,398 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 1.3% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,333,284 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $712,468,000 after acquiring an additional 29,631 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in S&P Global by 11,089.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,230,227 shares of the business services providers stock worth $914,794,000 after purchasing an additional 2,210,296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,801,772 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $739,051,000 after purchasing an additional 594,474 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.27% of the companys stock.

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S&P Global Stock Up 0.0 %

SPGI opened at $355.27 on Wednesday. S&P Global Inc. has a 52 week low of $279.32 and a 52 week high of $395.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.77. The company has a market capitalization of $114.40 billion, a PE ratio of 41.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.12.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

S&P Global ( NYSE:SPGI Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The business services provider reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.06 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 10.06% and a net margin of 23.50%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. Analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 12.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. S&P Globals payout ratio is currently 42.35%.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In related news, EVP Steven J. Kemps sold 820 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.81, for a total value of $297,504.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,148 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $779,315.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 7,500 shares of the companys 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 160,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,977,384.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven J. Kemps sold 820 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.81, for a total transaction of $297,504.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,148 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $779,315.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,269 shares of company stock worth $6,587,360 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SPGI shares. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $398.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $434.00 price objective on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an overweight rating and a $415.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on S&P Global from $388.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $395.71.

S&P Global Profile

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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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Galiano Gold (TSE:GAU  Get Rating) had its price objective raised by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank from C$0.90 to C$1.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. Berenberg Banks price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.53% from the stocks current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a buy rating and issued a C$2.10 target price on shares of Galiano Gold in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Galiano Gold from C$1.00 to C$1.20 in a report on Wednesday, April 12th.

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Galiano Gold Stock Performance

GAU traded down C$0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting C$0.93. The stock had a trading volume of 6,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,198. The companys fifty day simple moving average is C$0.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.77. Galiano Gold has a 1 year low of C$0.48 and a 1 year high of C$0.99. The stock has a market cap of C$209.19 million, a PE ratio of 3.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 15.77, a current ratio of 10.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Galiano Gold Company Profile

Galiano Gold Inc engages in the exploration, development, and production of gold properties. The company's primary asset is the Asanko Gold Mine located in Ghana, West Africa. The company was formerly known as Asanko Gold Inc and changed its name to Galiano Gold Inc in May 2020. Galiano Gold Inc was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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British Smaller Companies VCT 2 plc (LON:BSC  Get Rating) declared a dividend on Monday, March 20th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 11th will be given a dividend of GBX 1.50 ($0.02) per share on Monday, June 26th. This represents a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

British Smaller Companies VCT 2 Stock Down 1.8 %

LON:BSC opened at GBX 55 ($0.69) on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of 125.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,866.67 and a beta of 0.01. British Smaller Companies VCT 2 has a 12-month low of GBX 53 ($0.67) and a 12-month high of GBX 58 ($0.73). The stocks 50 day moving average price is GBX 55.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 54.84.

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British Smaller Companies VCT 2 Company Profile

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British Smaller Companies VCT 2 plc is a venture capital trust specializing in emerging growth, growth capital, acquisition funding, and development funding. It is an evergreen fund. The fund invests in a range of securities which may include ordinary and preference shares and fixed income securities, such as corporate bonds and gilts in VCT qualifying and non-qualifying securities.

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Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE:BIP  Get Rating) (TSE:BIP.UN)  Equities researchers at National Bank Financial lifted their FY2024 earnings estimates for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 4th. National Bank Financial analyst P. Kenny now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $3.45 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $3.28. The consensus estimate for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners current full-year earnings is $3.01 per share.

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BIP has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. National Bankshares raised their price target on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $43.75.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Trading Up 0.4 %

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Dividend Announcement

Shares of BIP opened at $35.71 on Monday. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners has a twelve month low of $30.03 and a twelve month high of $43.62. The company has a market cap of $16.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 446.43 and a beta of 0.88. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $33.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.39.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.382 per share. This represents a $1.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 30th. Brookfield Infrastructure Partnerss payout ratio is 1,912.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BIP. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 305.4% in the 1st quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,792 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,350 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 136.4% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Power Corp of Canada bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in the 1st quarter valued at about $73,000. 57.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Brookfield Infrastructure Partners

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Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP operates as an infrastructure company, which engages in the management of diversified portfolio of infrastructure assets that will generate sustainable and growing distributions over the long-term for unit holders. It operates through the following segments: Utilities, Transport, Midstream, and Data.

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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC (NYSE:CCEP  Get Rating) declared a semi-annual dividend on Thursday, April 27th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.74 per share on Thursday, May 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Stock Performance

Shares of CCEP stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.00. 141,405 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,112,237. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $59.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.62. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a 12-month low of $41.80 and a 12-month high of $66.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCEP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to 65.00 ($71.43) in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $60.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $73.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $66.66.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

About Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 27.5% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 12,218 shares of the companys stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 2,638 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,173 shares of the companys stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 14,447,992 shares of the companys stock valued at $702,316,000 after acquiring an additional 685,745 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners during the 1st quarter valued at $10,809,000. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 4,954 shares of the companys stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. 28.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc engages in the distribution and sale of non-alcoholic ready to drink beverages. It operates through the following geographical segments: Iberia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. The company was founded on August 4, 2015 and is headquartered in Uxbridge, the United Kingdom.

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Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:KOF  Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $93.00.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KOF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola FEMSA from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Bank of America raised shares of Coca-Cola FEMSA from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the company from $137.00 to $157.00 in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut shares of Coca-Cola FEMSA from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola FEMSA from $77.00 to $91.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Coca-Cola FEMSA in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company.

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Coca-Cola FEMSA Stock Performance

Shares of KOF opened at $90.33 on Wednesday. The companys fifty day moving average is $80.68 and its 200-day moving average is $73.06. Coca-Cola FEMSA has a 12 month low of $51.96 and a 12 month high of $91.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Coca-Cola FEMSA Dividend Announcement

Coca-Cola FEMSA ( NYSE:KOF Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.63. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Coca-Cola FEMSA had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 15.88%. Analysts predict that Coca-Cola FEMSA will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a  dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.6048 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 1st. Coca-Cola FEMSAs dividend payout ratio is currently 29.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola FEMSA

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KOF. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Coca-Cola FEMSA by 57.0% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 424 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola FEMSA during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola FEMSA by 37.7% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 588 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Coca-Cola FEMSA by 415.8% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 784 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Coca-Cola FEMSA during the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. 1.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola FEMSA Company Profile

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Coca-Cola FEMSA SAB de CV engages in the business of producing franchise bottles of trademark beverages. It operates under the Mexico and Central America, and South America segments. The Mexico and Central America segment includes Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The South America segment focuses on Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

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Once ought to have been enough. But when two residents with dementia are allowed to wander off from an assisted living home, putting their precarious lives at obvious and elevated risk, government needs to demand answers  and changes.

That would be true under any circumstances, but when it involved Erie Countys most penalized such facility of recent years, the need to act is incontestable. Lives are plainly in danger.

The exact reason has yet to be determined, but in last months crisis at Brompton Heights assisted live home in Amherst, its easy to hear echoes of the one that occurred there in 2017. Then, Alice M. Klosko nearly froze to death after leaving the facility. She survived, despite being found semiconscious, bruised, frostbitten and suffering from hypothermia. She died in 2019, in a different facility.

An Attorney Generals investigation ended with the arrests of four workers and fines against the facility. Authorities said one of the workers slept for half of his shift, while the others ignored or muted two emergency alarms meant to warn them of Kloskos departure.

No such level of negligence has been reported in last weeks emergency, in which a 70-year-old man with Parkinsons disease and dementia went missing for more than a day. But the fact is that John Allen left the facility and when he was finally found, was in dangerous condition: lying in the mud  cold, dehydrated and covered in scratches and tick bites.

Brompton Heights says that a preliminary review by state regulators found that personnel acted appropriately throughout this situation, but the fact is that, despite wearing a bracelet that sounds an alarm when a resident tries to exit, Allen left and wasnt found for 30 hours. What is more, his daughter, Reba Allen said, neither the family nor police were notified for about two hours.

So, at least twice  perhaps for different reasons  alarms did not save residents with dementia. They walked out of Brompton Heights and were fortunate to have survived gruelling ordeals.

Adding to the concerns is Brompton Heights record with state regulators. The facility, owned by Buffalo-based Hamister Group LLC, is not one of the largest such facilities in Erie County and, in recent years, also one of the most penalized, with 36 violations issued by the Health Department from 2019 to 2022. Thats the highest number of violations among the countys 38 adult care facilities over that four-year period. Only four other facilities were fined more than the single $3,525 civil penalty incurred by Brompton Heights in that same time frame.

Managing facilities such as Brompton Heights can be difficult and challenging. But thats the business the owners are in here and, plainly, something needs to change.

  

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Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC  Get Rating) updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $2.30-2.50 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $2.41. The company issued revenue guidance of high end of +2-4% yr/yr or $2.21-2.26 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.23 billion. Edgewell Personal Care also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $2.30-$2.50 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on EPC. UBS Group began coverage on Edgewell Personal Care in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. They set a neutral rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. StockNews.com began coverage on Edgewell Personal Care in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Edgewell Personal Care currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $44.43.

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Edgewell Personal Care Trading Down 1.2 %

Edgewell Personal Care stock traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $44.93. 172,070 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 365,068. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $42.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.53. Edgewell Personal Care has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $46.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32 and a beta of 0.95.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

Edgewell Personal Care ( NYSE:EPC Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.21. Edgewell Personal Care had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 4.56%. The firm had revenue of $598.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $569.84 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Edgewell Personal Care will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Edgewell Personal Cares dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 30,227 shares of the companys stock worth $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 9,264 shares of the companys stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 52.8% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 1,183 shares of the companys stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 49,169 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,854,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,724 shares of the companys stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.46% of the companys stock.

Edgewell Personal Care Company Profile

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Edgewell Personal Care Company is a manufacturer and marketer of personal care products in the wet shave, sun and skin care, feminine care and infant care categories. As of September 30, 2016, the Company had a portfolio of over 25 brands. It manages its business in four segments: Wet Shave, Sun and Skin Care, Feminine Care and All Other.

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Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS  Get Rating) have received a consensus rating of Hold from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $245.75.

Several brokerages have commented on ESS. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Essex Property Trust in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. They issued an underweight rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Essex Property Trust from $260.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Mizuho upped their price target on Essex Property Trust from $235.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,261 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 1.2% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 88,915 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $30,718,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $475,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 1.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,614,782 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,667,195,000 after acquiring an additional 184,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,635 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $18,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares during the period. 91.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essex Property Trust Trading Down 1.1 %

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $216.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $213.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $217.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Essex Property Trust has a 12-month low of $195.03 and a 12-month high of $300.33.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This is an increase from Essex Property Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $2.20. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.27%. Essex Property Trusts dividend payout ratio is currently 122.55%.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

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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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Finning International Inc. (TSE:FTT  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, May 8th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Thursday, May 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share on Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 24th. This is a boost from Finning Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.24.

Finning International Price Performance

Finning International stock traded down C$0.15 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting C$35.72. 210,727 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 355,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 94.60, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is C$34.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$34.02. The company has a market capitalization of C$5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.71. Finning International has a 12-month low of C$23.46 and a 12-month high of C$39.48.

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Finning International (TSE:FTT  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 6th. The company reported C$0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$0.79 by C$0.10. The business had revenue of C$2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$2.28 billion. Finning International had a return on equity of 20.86% and a net margin of 5.42%. Analysts forecast that Finning International will post 3.2583333 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

About Finning International

FTT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Finning International from C$44.00 to C$45.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. CIBC lifted their target price on Finning International from C$43.00 to C$45.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Finning International from C$42.00 to C$43.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Finning International from C$38.00 to C$43.00 in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut Finning International from an outperform market weight rating to a sector perform market weight rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Finning International has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$43.29.

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Finning International Inc sells, services, and rents heavy equipment, and power and energy systems in Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and internationally. The company offers telehandlers, articulated trucks, asphalt pavers, backhoe loaders, cable assist vehicles, cable yarding systems, chip dozers, cold planers, compactors, dozers, drills, electric rope shovels, excavators, material handlers, motor graders, off-highway trucks, pipelayers, remixing transfer vehicle, road reclaimers, road wideners, skid steer and compact track loaders, tack distributors, track loaders, underground-hard rock, wheel loaders, wheel tractor-scrapers, and windrow elevators, as well as attachments.

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First National Bank of Omaha reduced its position in shares of EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO  Get Rating) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,042 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 739 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in EnPro Industries were worth $874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NPO. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of EnPro Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of EnPro Industries by 213.9% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company acquired a new position in shares of EnPro Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $163,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of EnPro Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in EnPro Industries by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,615 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.65% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other EnPro Industries news, CAO Steven R. Bower sold 2,400 shares of EnPro Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.78, for a total value of $263,472.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,440 shares in the company, valued at $377,643.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Eric A. Vaillancourt purchased 790 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $94.75 per share, for a total transaction of $74,852.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,120 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,285,370. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Steven R. Bower sold 2,400 shares of EnPro Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.78, for a total value of $263,472.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,440 shares of the companys stock, valued at $377,643.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EnPro Industries Price Performance

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NPO shares. TheStreet upgraded EnPro Industries from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of EnPro Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock.

NYSE:NPO opened at $95.41 on Wednesday. EnPro Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $76.14 and a one year high of $127.67. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.79 and a current ratio of 3.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.71.

EnPro Industries (NYSE:NPO  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $282.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $273.40 million. EnPro Industries had a net margin of 19.21% and a return on equity of 11.87%. EnPro Industriess revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that EnPro Industries, Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EnPro Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 30th. EnPro Industriess dividend payout ratio is presently 10.76%.

About EnPro Industries

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EnPro Industries, Inc engages in the design, development, manufacturing, and marketing of proprietary engineered industrial products. It operates through the Sealing Technologies and Advanced Surface Technologies segment. The Sealing Technologies segment designs, manufactures, and sells sealing products including metallic, non-metallic, and composite material gaskets.

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Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE  Get Rating) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,233 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 158 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ICE. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1,190.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,072,850 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $367,982,000 after buying an additional 3,757,258 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the 3rd quarter worth $152,011,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 59.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,275,418 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $564,869,000 after buying an additional 1,589,999 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 4,278,419 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $386,555,000 after buying an additional 1,517,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 3,801.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,320,464 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $119,304,000 after buying an additional 1,286,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.28% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $168.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $122.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. TheStreet raised shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 25th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Intercontinental Exchange has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $131.00.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ICE opened at $106.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $59.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $88.60 and a fifty-two week high of $113.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.04.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.01. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 5.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Intercontinental Exchanges dividend payout ratio is currently 65.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 81,827 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.02, for a total transaction of $8,511,644.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,104 shares of the companys stock, valued at $125,146,878.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.80, for a total transaction of $167,680.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,481 shares in the company, valued at $2,251,208.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 81,827 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.02, for a total transaction of $8,511,644.54. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,146,878.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

About Intercontinental Exchange

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Intercontinental Exchange, Inc engages in the provision of market infrastructure, data services and technology solutions. It operates through the following segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology. The Exchanges segment includes trading and listing revenue from the global futures network, the New York Stock Exchange and other registered securities exchanges.

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Hong Kong and China Gas (OTCMKTS:HOKCY  Get Rating) and Crescent Point Energy (NYSE:CPG  Get Rating) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Hong Kong and China Gas and Crescent Point Energys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Hong Kong and China Gas N/A N/A N/A Crescent Point Energy 34.47% 14.19% 9.43%

Dividends

Hong Kong and China Gas pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Crescent Point Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.29 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Crescent Point Energy pays out 14.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Hong Kong and China Gas 0 1 0 0 2.00 Crescent Point Energy 0 0 2 0 3.00

This is a summary of current recommendations for Hong Kong and China Gas and Crescent Point Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

Crescent Point Energy has a consensus price target of $14.75, indicating a potential upside of 111.02%. Given Crescent Point Energys stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Crescent Point Energy is more favorable than Hong Kong and China Gas.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

32.7% of Crescent Point Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Crescent Point Energy shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Hong Kong and China Gas has a beta of 0.37, indicating that its share price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crescent Point Energy has a beta of 2.22, indicating that its share price is 122% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Hong Kong and China Gas and Crescent Point Energys top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Hong Kong and China Gas $7.78 billion 2.22 $670.17 million N/A N/A Crescent Point Energy $3.99 billion 0.96 $1.14 billion $2.02 3.46

Crescent Point Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Hong Kong and China Gas.

Summary

Crescent Point Energy beats Hong Kong and China Gas on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hong Kong and China Gas

(Get Rating)

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and markets gas in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It is involved in the provision of liquefied natural gas, methanol, and coal and other chemicals; conversion and utilization of biomass; agricultural waste; and operation of natural gas refilling stations, piped city-gas projects, upstream and midstream developments, photovoltaic projects, water and wastewater treatment projects, energy exploration and utilization ventures, and aviation fuel facilities. The company supplies town gas to approximately 1.9 million customers. It also provides network connectivity, and data center and cloud computing services; and engages in the software development, solution implementation, and systems integration activities. In addition, the company offers consultancy and engineering contractor services, including utilities installation, infrastructure construction, and civil and building services engineering for public and private projects; and designs and manufactures gas meters and metering systems. Further, it is involved in water supply, and domestic sewage and industrial wastewater treatment serving 2.4 million customers. Additionally, the company manufactures polyethylene piping and fittings; and engages in the customers center, cafe, restaurant, retail sale, laundry, automatic meter reading system development, laboratory testing, payment gateway and related, project management, landfill gas project, financing, logistics, oil, research and development, property development, and securities investment activities. The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in North Point, Hong Kong.

About Crescent Point Energy

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Crescent Point Energy Corp. engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties. Its focus areas include: Viewfield Bakken, Flat Lake Torquay, and Shaunavon. The company was founded on April 20, 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:INO.UN  Get Rating) shares traded up 12.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as C$3.44 and last traded at C$3.43. 121,821 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 63% from the average session volume of 74,534 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$3.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, National Bankshares decreased their price objective on Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust from C$4.25 to C$3.75 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th.

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Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust Trading Up 14.1 %

The stock has a market cap of C$113.75 million, a P/E ratio of -3.17 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 85.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$3.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$4.01.

About Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust established pursuant to a declaration of trust under the laws of the Province of Ontario. The REIT has been created for the purpose of acquiring and owning office properties primarily located in France and Germany but also opportunistically in other European countries where assets meet the REIT's investment criteria.

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CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP  Get Rating) Director Barry T. Smitherman sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.51, for a total transaction of $152,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,075 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $642,998.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

CenterPoint Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of CNP traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $30.28. 3,529,511 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,680,629. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $33.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.88. The stocks 50-day moving average is $29.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.65.

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CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 9.97% and a net margin of 8.99%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CenterPoint Energy

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 18th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 17th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. CenterPoint Energys payout ratio is 60.32%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 68.2% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,638,179 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $234,036,000 after buying an additional 3,096,455 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,279,592 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,019,687,000 after acquiring an additional 3,035,409 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,736,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 22,564,998 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $676,724,000 after purchasing an additional 2,179,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,506,201 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,252,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502,900 shares during the period. 90.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CNP shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, March 6th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and increased their price target for the company from $31.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on CenterPoint Energy from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CenterPoint Energy presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.75.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

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CenterPoint Energy, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the business of power generation and distribution. It operates through the following segments: CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric, and CERC. The CenterPoint Energy segment consists of electric transmission and distribution services in the Texas gulf coast area in the ERCOT region and electric transmission and distribution services primarily to southwestern Indiana and includes power generation and wholesale power operations in the MISO region.

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iPath Series B Bloomberg Softs Subindex Total Return ETN (NYSEARCA:JJS  Get Rating)s share price traded down 0% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $72.70 and last traded at $73.23. 510 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 2,541 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.24.

iPath Series B Bloomberg Softs Subindex Total Return ETN Stock Down 0.0 %

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $68.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in iPath Series B Bloomberg Softs Subindex Total Return ETN stock. Flow Traders U.S. LLC raised its holdings in iPath Series B Bloomberg Softs Subindex Total Return ETN (NYSEARCA:JJS  Get Rating) by 8.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,269 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,422 shares during the period. Flow Traders U.S. LLC owned about 18.27% of iPath Series B Bloomberg Softs Subindex Total Return ETN worth $1,117,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Further Reading

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BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. increased its stake in shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:FXI  Get Rating) by 107.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,131,360 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 586,160 shares during the period. iShares China Large-Cap ETF accounts for approximately 4.8% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. owned approximately 0.59% of iShares China Large-Cap ETF worth $32,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FXI. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 4,736.8% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 4,000,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $103,440,000 after purchasing an additional 3,917,300 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new stake in iShares China Large-Cap ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $97,957,000. GMT Capital Corp acquired a new stake in iShares China Large-Cap ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $91,941,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 83.2% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 5,326,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $137,688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,418,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CI Investments Inc. raised its holdings in iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 335.0% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 2,465,589 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $63,760,000 after acquiring an additional 1,898,841 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares China Large-Cap ETF Trading Down 1.1 %

FXI stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $28.13. The companys stock had a trading volume of 12,329,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,339,969. The stock has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 0.44. iShares China Large-Cap ETF has a fifty-two week low of $20.87 and a fifty-two week high of $34.83. The companys 50 day moving average is $28.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.38.

iShares China Large-Cap ETF Company Profile

iShares China Large-Cap ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE China 25 Index (the Underlying Index). The Funds portfolio of sectors include Financials, Telecommunication, Oil & gas, Technology and Consumer goods.

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The Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Spring Derby is off to a great start as favorable weather finally arrived on the local scene. Walleye, perch and bass are all available in Lake Erie, and Niagara River action has been good above and below Niagara Falls for a mixed bag of species.

Lake Erie and tributaries

The smallmouth bass are moving up Cattaraugus Creek with lots of action at the Route 5 and 20 bridge, according to Shub Stevens with Catt. Creek Bait and Tackle in Irving. The catfishing has been slow with the cool temperatures, but cats are still biting on worms and cut bait. Perch are still being caught around 40-50 feet of water off the Catt. The walleye action is heating up overnight in the lake shallows around 5 to 15 feet of water. Many limits are being caught long-lining stickbaits. Rapala Scatter Raps are hot lures. Steve Brzuszkiewicz of Marilla wasnt ready to give up on the perch. He hit the Cradle Beach area and picked up a dozen right off before it slowed. He then decided to explore the Sturgeon Point area and concluded the previous Cradle Beach spot was the best. He came back and found his friend, Howie, was parked a thousand feet toward shore. He located a good-looking spot nearby and started putting fish in the boat. These were large prespawn and post-spawn females. He ended with 37 perch.

Bruce Kowalski with TAAR Outdoors in Lake View reports trophy-size smallmouth are abundant on Lake Erie with many fish in the 5-plus-pound range off the shoals near Buffalo. Tubes and soft plastics are working well. Walleye action has been hot off Hamburg and Lackawanna, trolling the night bite and pulling stick baits in water ranging from 6-14 feet. Perch are in good numbers off Evans Bar and Pinehurst, Kowalski said. Mark and Jake Romanack with Fishing 411 television fished big smallmouth at Buffalo using minnows on three-way rigs by the lighthouse and along the break walls.

Matt Wilson of Lewiston fished the Dash for Cash on Saturday and picked away at some average-size fish with a few more than 4 pounds. All these fish are in search of bait and areas are starting to show fish. That tells Wilson the spawn is coming. Fish were caught from 34 to 42 feet off Waneka. Seneca Shoal had fish, but you really had to work for them. Walleye, on the other hand, came out to play with Seneca Shoal holding the most fish he had seen in a while. They were catching walleye on drop-shot rigs and Binsky blade baits. Speaking of the Dash for Cash, Zach Saeva of Amherst reeled in a 7.11-pound smallie to take top lunker for the tournament as he and Capt. Justin Warriner of North Tonawanda won the 9 to 11 a.m. timeslot. Ian Cashdollar and Dave Marino took the 7 to 9 a.m. slot with a 6.38-pound bass and the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. slot with a 6.59-pound bass. Neil Delleeuw and Terry Monaghan won the 1 to 3 p.m. slot with a 6.90-pound smallmouth. Warriner said fishing is fantastic now. He said drop-shot rigs are big on calm days; on days that have a little wind, tubes and Ned rigs are key. He has had good success in 20-35 feet of water.

Niagara River

Aaron Woods of Ransomville was fishing at Lewiston Landing just after the sun went down and caught a king salmon  very unusual for this time of year. He was casting for walleyes with a 4-inch Zoom Fluke when the Chinook hit. Matt Wilson was on the lower river and caught fish from Artpark all the way to Fort Niagara. If you can get the right wind, you could have a magical day in front of the fort. Again, walleyes were caught on Ned rigs while bass fishing with his big fish (walleye) going 28 inches long. Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall, using Strike King jerkbaits in the upper and lower river, with Mark Copley of Strike King and Curt Hill of Power Pro to catch conservatively 50-60 smallmouth bass casting the shoreline. Dante Gramuglia with Flambeau Outdoors was casting for bass in Buffalo Harbor when he encountered a personal-best 12-pound walleye. He released it. George Smutko, 91, of Youngstown with son Kurt were drifting the lower Niagara River this week with Capt. Joe Marra of Niagara Rainbow Charters, targeting smallmouth bass and doing quite well. Their surprise catch was a nice steelhead that hit their offering. Kurt also caught a steelhead from shore casting for bass at his fathers house on the river with a swim bait.

Lake Ontario and tributaries

The Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby has four days remaining. Grand-prize leader for the $15,000 check is Mark Scott of West Virginia with a 24-pound, 10-ounce king he caught out of Wilson with Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters on Tuesday. Top lake trout is a 29-pound, 3-ounce fish reeled in by Andrew Kupferschmid of Kendall, while fishing out of Point Breeze. The leading walleye is an 11-pound Henderson Harbor fish caught by Steve Swan of Clayton. As of Tuesday, not a single 10-pound brown trout had been caught. Check out loc.org. Mark and Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 hit the Niagara Bar for some salmon and trout fishing, trolling 3.5 Mag Lip plugs off three-way rigs  one day at the green buoy; the next day at the dropoff next to the red buoy catching kings, Cohos and lakers on Silver Streak Mag Spoons off lead core line. The Yakima SpinFish cut plugs also were good when fished in combination with a 11-inch Pro Troll paddle off downriggers.

Chautauqua Lake

Fishing has been good since Friday for walleye and crappie, reports Mike Sperry with Chautauqua Reel Outdoors. Casting F9 and F11 Rapalas after dark for walleyes is working. This bite should continue for a couple of more weeks. Jigging along and in emerging weeds is working as well, too. Use -ounce and -ounce bucktail jigs. Blade baits such as Vibes and Steel Shads are picking up fish in the north and south basin. Crappies that havent spawned are moving back into bedding areas. Lots of black crappies are in 5 to 8 feet of water. Use a -ounce jig head with a twister tail, Bobby Garland trailer or Mini Mite tail. Minnows under a slip bobber will work also in the same areas. Water clarity has improved significantly in the last few days. Capt. Frank Schoenacker of Infinity Charters did some scouting for his upcoming trips this week. The walleyes were sluggish, and bites were light. Try using half-worms instead of whole ones. Weeds are coming along with the edge in 9 to 10 feet. Be patient. Some warm weather should make for a better bite.

Finger Lakes

Capt. John Gaulke with Finger Lakes Angling Zone reports Seneca Lake is producing some lake trout near Geneva with action being fair to good. Expect good fishing down to Sampson/Dresden. Salmon are scattered and action is spotty according to Gaulke.

Skaneateles Lake is producing good smallmouth bass, yellow perch, a few walleyes, rock bass, lake trout and occasional rainbows/salmon, Gaulke said. Fish 8 to 25 feet of water with jigs.

Cayuga Lake: Lake trout fishing is good lakewide from 10 feet out to 180 feet. Fish are very scattered but if you locate bait, you should find the trout. A few salmon and rainbows are also showing up. Perch are moving down the lake and can be found in shallow water down to Long Point and Sheldrake.
Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its position in Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE:KFS  Get Rating) (TSE:KFS) by 155.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 238,691 shares of the insurance providers stock after acquiring an additional 145,293 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLCs holdings in Kingsway Financial Services were worth $1,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Kingsway Financial Services by 48.1% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,949 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 6,801 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Kingsway Financial Services by 4.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 400,998 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $2,286,000 after acquiring an additional 18,183 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Kingsway Financial Services by 17.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 547,719 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 79,836 shares during the period. Finally, Stilwell Value LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kingsway Financial Services by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Stilwell Value LLC now owns 7,391,464 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $40,653,000 after purchasing an additional 172,494 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.99% of the companys stock.

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Kingsway Financial Services Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE KFS opened at $8.53 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.77 million, a PE ratio of 6.51 and a beta of -0.32. Kingsway Financial Services Inc. has a twelve month low of $5.15 and a twelve month high of $10.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.16.

Insider Activity at Kingsway Financial Services

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

In other Kingsway Financial Services news, Director Gregory Paul Hannon purchased 22,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.96 per share, for a total transaction of $197,120.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 29,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $264,320. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . In related news, Director Joseph Stilwell sold 65,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.03, for a total transaction of $586,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 659,454 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,954,869.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, Director Gregory Paul Hannon purchased 22,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.96 per share, for a total transaction of $197,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at $264,320. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . Insiders bought 24,156 shares of company stock worth $216,203 in the last three months. 60.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KFS shares. StockNews.com downgraded Kingsway Financial Services from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 13th. TheStreet cut shares of Kingsway Financial Services from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, March 31st.

Kingsway Financial Services Profile

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Kingsway Financial Services, Inc operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Extended Warranty and Leased Real Estate. The Extended Warranty segment provides after-market vehicle protection services distributed by credit unions.

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Shares of Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII  Get Rating) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $288.92 and last traded at $288.09, with a volume of 367847 shares. The stock had previously closed at $281.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Lennox International from $272.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Lennox International from $279.00 to $272.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Lennox International from $248.00 to $272.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Lennox International from $300.00 to $283.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Lennox International in a research report on Monday, March 27th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $261.58.

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Lennox International Stock Up 2.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $254.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $253.52.

Lennox International Announces Dividend

Lennox International ( NYSE:LII Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The construction company reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.41. Lennox International had a negative return on equity of 200.13% and a net margin of 10.76%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.36 earnings per share. Lennox Internationals revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Lennox International Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. Lennox Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 29.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lennox International

In other news, CAO Chris Kosel sold 300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.99, for a total value of $84,897.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,146 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $607,296.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lennox International news, Director Sherry Buck purchased 350 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $285.02 per share, with a total value of $99,757.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,388 shares of the companys stock, valued at $680,627.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chris Kosel sold 300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.99, for a total value of $84,897.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,146 shares of the companys stock, valued at $607,296.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennox International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lennox International by 38.5% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 385 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Lennox International during the 3rd quarter worth $104,000. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Lennox International by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 662 shares of the construction companys stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in Lennox International during the 3rd quarter worth $189,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec purchased a new position in Lennox International during the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. 68.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Lennox International

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Lennox International, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of products for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. It operates through the following business segments: Residential Heating & Cooling, Commercial Heating & Cooling, and Refrigeration. The Residential Heating & Cooling segment manufactures and markets furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, equipment, and accessories.

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the stock.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:NBY opened at $0.98 on Friday. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $0.94 and a 1 year high of $12.64. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.11 and a beta of 2.72.

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About NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc engages in the development and sales of scientifically-created and clinically-proven eyecare and skincare. Its products include Avenova, NeutroPhase, CelleRx, and DERMAdoctor. The company was founded on January 19, 2000 and is headquartered in Emeryville, CA.

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Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio (NYSE:NXC  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Wednesday, May 10th, investing.com reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.0435 per share on Thursday, June 1st. This represents a yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th.

Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Trading Down 0.5 %

Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $13.48. 1,594 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,258. Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio has a one year low of $12.40 and a one year high of $15.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.64.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 139,949 shares of the companys stock worth $2,008,000 after acquiring an additional 2,118 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 170,612 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,448,000 after buying an additional 6,623 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 287.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,400 shares of the companys stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 9,200 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 34,218 shares of the companys stock valued at $491,000 after buying an additional 4,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio during the 3rd quarter valued at $350,000. 11.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio

Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of California. The fund invests in the securities of companies that operate across diversified sectors.

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OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,750 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $959,000. iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF accounts for approximately 0.9% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltds investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 17,469.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,901,941 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,226,123,000 after acquiring an additional 4,874,041 shares during the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP raised its holdings in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 380.9% during the 1st quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 99,672 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,380,000 after buying an additional 78,947 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 77,940 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,884,000 after buying an additional 22,238 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,375,000. Finally, Luminus Management LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,003,000.

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iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF Trading Up 0.3 %

BATS:IGV traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $295.26. 530,649 shares of the company traded hands. The firms fifty day moving average is $292.42 and its 200-day moving average is $276.34. iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF has a 12-month low of $123.69 and a 12-month high of $183.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65 and a beta of 1.06.

iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF Profile

iShares North American Tech-Software ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P North American Technology-Software Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P North American Technology Software Index (the Underlying Index).

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IGV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV  Get Rating).

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Paragon 28, Inc. (NYSE:FNA  Get Rating) shares were down 6.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $17.26 and last traded at $17.37. Approximately 113,031 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 356,806 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on FNA. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Paragon 28 in a report on Thursday, April 20th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Paragon 28 in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Paragon 28 in a research note on Monday, April 10th. They set an overweight rating and a $23.00 price target on the stock.

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Paragon 28 Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.56 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.51 and a 200-day moving average of $18.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

Paragon 28 ( NYSE:FNA Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.42). The business had revenue of $51.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $50.49 million. Paragon 28 had a negative return on equity of 38.68% and a negative net margin of 34.96%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Paragon 28, Inc. will post -0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other Paragon 28 news, major shareholder B. Ag Bird sold 202,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.00, for a total value of $3,442,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,998,680 shares in the company, valued at $237,977,560. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Albert Dacosta sold 75,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.00, for a total transaction of $1,275,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 404,136 shares in the company, valued at $6,870,312. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder B. Ag Bird sold 202,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.00, for a total transaction of $3,442,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,998,680 shares in the company, valued at $237,977,560. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Paragon 28

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FNA. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Paragon 28 by 73.1% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,796 shares of the companys stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 1,603 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Paragon 28 by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,252 shares of the companys stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Paragon 28 in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Paragon 28 by 838.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,382 shares of the companys stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 5,702 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank acquired a new position in Paragon 28 in the 3rd quarter worth about $125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.92% of the companys stock.

Paragon 28 Company Profile

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Paragon 28, Inc designs, develops, distributes, and sells foot and ankle surgical systems in the United States and internationally. It offers plating systems, including gorilla plating systems, such as lisfranc, lapidus, lateral column, calcaneus slide, and naviculocuneiform (NC) fusion plating systems; baby gorilla plate-specific screws, navicular fracture plates, and 5th metatarsal hook plates; and silverback plating systems.

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Paramount Resources Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PRMRF  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Wednesday, May 10th, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.0917 per share on Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 4.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th.

Paramount Resources Trading Up 1.1 %

PRMRF stock traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.30. 24,231 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,637. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $22.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 2.89. Paramount Resources has a one year low of $16.21 and a one year high of $32.53.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on PRMRF. CIBC reduced their target price on Paramount Resources from C$40.00 to C$37.50 in a report on Friday, April 14th. National Bank Financial lifted their target price on Paramount Resources from C$37.50 to C$40.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Paramount Resources from C$32.00 to C$33.00 in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Paramount Resources from C$41.00 to C$40.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th.

Paramount Resources Company Profile

Paramount Resources Ltd. explores and develops both conventional and unconventional petroleum and natural gas resources. It operates through the following regions: Grande Prairie Region, Kaybob Region and Central Alberta and Other Region. The company was founded by Clayton H. Riddell on February 14, 1978 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 26th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be given a dividend of 0.41 per share by the biopharmaceutical company on Friday, June 9th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th.

Pfizer has raised its dividend payment by an average of 3.3% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 12 years. Pfizer has a dividend payout ratio of 46.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Pfizer to earn $3.40 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 48.2%.

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Pfizer Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE PFE traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $38.40. 2,369,024 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,349,996. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $40.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Pfizer has a fifty-two week low of $38.02 and a fifty-two week high of $54.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.23. Pfizer had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 31.25%. The company had revenue of $18.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $40.00 price objective on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, February 7th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Pfizer from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. UBS Group cut their price objective on Pfizer from $41.00 to $39.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $45.00 price objective on Pfizer in a report on Monday, February 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $48.20.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, major shareholder Pfizer Inc acquired 1,811,594 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $2.76 per share, with a total value of $4,999,999.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,952,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,428,245.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Pfizer Inc bought 1,811,594 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2.76 per share, with a total value of $4,999,999.44. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,952,263 shares in the company, valued at $16,428,245.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.58 per share, with a total value of $38,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $231,480. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 1,813,594 shares of company stock valued at $5,076,999. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $120,000. 67.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Company Profile

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Pfizer Inc is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. It engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of biopharmaceutical products worldwide. The firm works across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUJ  Get Rating) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 4,500 shares, a decline of 69.2% from the April 15th total of 14,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 109,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 10.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,415 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $620,000 after buying an additional 4,498 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 107,682 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,438,000 after purchasing an additional 7,756 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,975 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund in the 1st quarter worth $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.04% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Stock Performance

Shares of MUJ traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $11.26. 52,736 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 122,962. The firms 50 day moving average is $11.23 and its 200-day moving average is $11.36. BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund has a 52 week low of $10.62 and a 52 week high of $13.69.

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Dividend Announcement

About BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a $0.0375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.00%.

(Get Rating)

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc operates as a closed-end investment trust. Its investment objective is to provide shareholders with current income exempt from federal income tax and New Jersey personal income taxes. The company was founded on March 11, 1998 and is headquartered in Wilmington, DE.

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TransAlta Renewables Inc. (TSE:RNW  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Friday, May 12th, TickerTech reports. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.0783 per share on Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th.

TransAlta Renewables Price Performance

Shares of RNW traded down C$0.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching C$12.05. The stock had a trading volume of 191,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 573,256. The company has a market capitalization of C$3.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.76. TransAlta Renewables has a 12-month low of C$10.63 and a 12-month high of C$18.45. The companys 50-day moving average is C$12.24 and its 200 day moving average is C$12.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.77.

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TransAlta Renewables (TSE:RNW  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported C$0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.20 by C($0.05). The firm had revenue of C$154.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$139.60 million. On average, equities analysts predict that TransAlta Renewables will post 0.753818 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TransAlta Renewables Company Profile

A number of equities research analysts have commented on RNW shares. CSFB raised their price target on TransAlta Renewables from C$14.00 to C$14.50 in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Atb Cap Markets downgraded shares of TransAlta Renewables from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Sunday. CIBC decreased their price target on shares of TransAlta Renewables from C$13.50 to C$13.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of TransAlta Renewables from C$16.50 to C$15.50 in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, National Bankshares reduced their price target on TransAlta Renewables from C$13.25 to C$13.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$15.05.

(Get Rating)

TransAlta Renewables Inc develops, owns, and operates renewable power generation facilities. The company operates through Canadian Wind, Canadian Hydro, Canadian Gas, US Wind and Solar, US Gas, and Australian Gas segments. As of February 24, 2022, it owned and operated 26 wind facilities, 13 hydroelectric facilities, 8 natural gas generation facilities, 2 solar facilities, 1 natural gas pipeline, and 1 battery storage project comprising 2,968 megawatts of net 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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News / Local

by Staff reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa's engagement and re-engagement drive has broken a 23-year-old diplomatic stand-off between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, a development that bodes well for bilateral relations and investment inflows into the country.Following the imposition of illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium by Britain and her Western allies, the country was frozen out from London and other Western capitals, but that all changed when President Mnangagwa headed to the UK for the coronation of King Charles III last Friday.For the British, a country that had the prerogative to invite guests to the coronation of its King, that it invited President Mnangagwa to such an event was described as an icebreaker that bodes well for Zimbabwe's future vis a vis the historic, present and future aspects.Writing on Twitter, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe and the UK have entered exciting times, both business wise and diplomatically."During my trip to London, I had the fantastic opportunity to sit down with the UK Minister for Africa, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchel. Understanding what steps the UK thinks we must take and developing the relationship between the UK and Zimbabwe is an exciting opportunity for all of us," he said.President Mnangagwa has been steadfast in his quest to reposition Zimbabwe in the comity of nations, not as a junior partner to any country but an equal member of the global family  as espoused in his policy of "friend to all and enemy to none"."At the international and continental level, the Second Republic is deepening economic diplomacy to leap frog our present socio-economic development, modernisation and industrialisation of our beloved motherland. Guided by our overarching national interests, we are embracing those who want to move forward with us in support of the realisation of our own national development priorities."Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none. Events such as my attendance of the coronation of King Charles III, over the weekend, as well as the recent hosting of the Transform Africa Summit, coupled with the successful 63rd Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, are set to broaden our country's trade, investment and people to people exchanges," the President said at the burial of national hero Abraham Kabasa on Monday.And the invitation to the UK must be located within that prism as the country makes progress in engaging all nations, including those that still maintain illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.An invitation by the major protagonist in the asymmetrical sanctions war for the coronation ceremony will open huge opportunities for the country in its journey to become an upper-middle-class economy by 2030, and lift Zimbabweans to prosperity.In an interview in London, Zimbabwe's Ambassador to the UK, Retired Colonel Christian Katsande, said the invitation is "a testament of our strengthening relations with the UK"."We are delighted, we are excited to be here."Besides the coronation of King Charles III, President Mnangagwa also showed British investors that Zimbabwe is Open for Business as he had an opportunity to meet a lot of business leaders who showed increased investor interest in Zimbabwe.The investors were drawn from mining, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors and the meetings also included mobilisation of capital."Recently we had the Zimbabwe Capital Markets conference here in London and there were a lot of investors who attended and a lot of those were actually discussing with the counters that are listed on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange," said Ambassador Katsande.Because of the crystal clear policies of the Second Republic, several companies from the UK are expected in the country with representatives of Bergo Group, a company that operates worldwide and has an extensive network of buyers and sellers of gold, coltan, lithium, petroleum (and derivatives), diamonds and other metals through collaborations with national governments, co-operatives, businesses and investors, already on the ground for due diligence.Apart from opening Zimbabwe to global multinationals, the President is also making inroads on the re-engagement front and during his visit, he also met former British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, on whose watch the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe were imposed."It was an important engagement, because, you are aware the President has indicated that we will be friends to all and an enemy to none. I am walking with more than a spring, we owe this to the wise leadership of the President, the policy guidance, the Foreign Policy thrust of reaffirmation of engagement and re-engagement," said Ambassador Katsande.Now, analysts say good times beckon as investors from the UK are not only expressing a willingness to come to Zimbabwe, but have feet on the ground on Zimbabwean soil, exploring opportunities.Besides meeting British officials and businesses, President Mnangagwa also met with the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, amid strong signals that the country could be readmitted to the 56-member bloc of mainly former British colonies.Political analyst, Mr Gibson Nyikadzino, recently said President Mnangagwa has proved to be a reformist leader who is not stuck in the past."Zimbabwe's foreign policy thrust under President Mnangagwa has moved towards a common-purpose interaction from the belligerent, acrimonious, and turbulent policy shifts by the previous administration that bordered on diplomatic hostility. In that transition, Zimbabwe has been to Commonwealth (a British-led bloc) meetings and attended the US-Africa Summit meeting last December and the Commonwealth has indicated Zimbabwe is making strides to be considered for readmission."The new policy is ameliorating the decades-old Zim-Britain rivalry that has been known, thus the extension of the invitation. Zimbabwe is historically, politically and economically connected to some aspects of the British system. So, this transformation and relationship is a signal of what will ultimately become of Zimbabwe-Britain relations. It is a move towards an amicable friendship and restoration of relations," he said.Indeed, President Mnangagwa has proved to be catalystic to the transformation of Zimbabwe, not only in the country through socio and economic transformation but also in international relations.Political analyst, Mr Dereck Goto, said President Mnangagwa's presence in the UK marked a significant step towards the normalisation of relations between Zimbabwe and its former coloniser."The President's visit provided an opportune moment for both countries to continue re-engaging in pursuit of normalising relations. Furthermore, this invitation is a major success for the Second Republic's engagement, re-engagement, and re-affirmation drive, as it provided the President with another opportunity to meet with world leaders".
Twilio (NYSE:TWLO  Get Rating) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $83.00 to $56.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Twilio from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Twilio from $93.00 to $85.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Twilio from $45.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, February 13th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Twilio from $77.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Twilio from $58.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $83.78.

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Twilio Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:TWLO opened at $56.00 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.31. The company has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a PE ratio of -8.15 and a beta of 1.47. Twilio has a 52 week low of $41.00 and a 52 week high of $112.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 6.17 and a current ratio of 6.17.

Insider Transactions at Twilio

Twilio ( NYSE:TWLO Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The technology company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1 billion. Twilio had a negative return on equity of 7.63% and a negative net margin of 32.83%. Twilios revenue for the quarter was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($1.25) EPS. Analysts forecast that Twilio will post -2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, CFO Aidan Viggiano sold 6,226 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $396,969.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 213,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,617,669.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Twilio news, CEO Jeff Lawson bought 158,081 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.26 per share, with a total value of $10,000,204.06. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 226,397 shares in the company, valued at $14,321,874.22. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Aidan Viggiano sold 6,226 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $396,969.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 213,577 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,617,669.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,842 shares of company stock valued at $2,490,031. Company insiders own 4.96% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Twilio

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TWLO. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Twilio by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 692 shares of the technology companys stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of Twilio by 8.3% in the first quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,729 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Twilio by 419.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 213 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Twilio by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,533 shares of the technology companys stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Utah Retirement Systems boosted its position in Twilio by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 29,919 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,508,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.68% of the companys stock.

About Twilio

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Twilio, Inc engages in the development of communications software, cloud-based platform, and services. Its products include Twilio flex, messaging, programmable voice, programmable video, elastic SIP trunking, and IoT. The company was founded by John Wolthuis, Jeffery G. Lawson, and Evan Cooke in March 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA  Get Rating) by 18.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,640 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 382 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Reinsurance Group of America were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in RGA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,115,698 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $895,227,000 after purchasing an additional 88,957 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,411,086 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $263,917,000 after purchasing an additional 108,922 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,670,053 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $210,109,000 after purchasing an additional 116,382 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,518,615 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $191,056,000 after purchasing an additional 32,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 743,199 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $81,351,000 after purchasing an additional 102,277 shares during the last quarter. 96.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

RGA has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Reinsurance Group of America from $146.00 to $149.00 in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Reinsurance Group of America from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Reinsurance Group of America from $170.00 to $164.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Reinsurance Group of America in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. They issued an overweight rating and a $163.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised Reinsurance Group of America from a sell rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $158.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned 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 $155.80.

Reinsurance Group of America Price Performance

Reinsurance Group of America stock opened at $148.19 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.14. Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $109.06 and a 52 week high of $153.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $136.56 and a 200-day moving average of $141.15.

Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE:RGA  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.37 by $1.79. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.23 billion. Reinsurance Group of America had a return on equity of 23.94% and a net margin of 5.66%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated will post 16.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Reinsurance Group of America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Reinsurance Group of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 23.10%.

Reinsurance Group of America Company Profile

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Reinsurance Group of America, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Asia Pacific, and Corporate and Other.

Further Reading

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On the eve of polling in Karnataka, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday appealed to voters, especially first-timers, to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. Karnataka has more than 5.3 crore electors, including 11.71 lakh first-time voters, spread across 224 constituencies. Catch all the Live Updates of Karnataka Assembly Elections here He urged the young and urban voters to take inspiration from elderly voters like 103-year-old Mahadeva Mahalinga Mali and participate actively in the "festival of democracy, defeating the prevalent trend of urban apathy in the state". Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEC Kumar hailed Mali, a resident of Belagavi district, for casting his vote for the Karnataka assembly elections using the home voting facility last week. There are more than 5.3 crore registered electors in the state with almost equal numbers of men (2.66 crore) and women (2.63 crore). More than 5.71 lakh persons with disability, 12.15 lakh senior citizens aged 80 years and above and over 16,000 centenarian voters are registered as voters in Karnataka.

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The Shivamogga constituency will witness S N Channabasappa from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aynur Manjunath from the Janata Dal (Secular), and H C Yogesh from Indian National Congress (INC) going head to head in the upcoming Karnataka Elections, which will commence on May 10 with the results to be announced on May 13. The winning party requires 113 out of 224 seats to form the Government in Karnataka. Among the three contestants, representing three major political parties in the State, two are new faces -- while H C Yogesh and Channabasappa are sitting members of Shivamogga City Corporation, Ayanur Manjunath was an aspirant from Shivamogga representing the BJP, who then quit the party earlier on May 3 and joined JD(S) to become a candidate from the Assembly segment. The BJP waited until the last day to announce its candidate for Shivamogga constituency and eventually picked Channabasappa, who once went to jail for his hate speech against former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Two big retirements Two big leaders hailing from the Shivamogga district -- former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and former Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa -- have retired from electoral politics. However, despite retirement, Yediyurappa still holds a formidable influence in the district. The BJP has won six times since 1983, while the Congress has managed to win only twice. In 2018, Eshwarappa won the seat by defeating K B Prasanna Kumar of the INC with a margin of 46,107 votes. Voter turnout in 2013 for the seat was 64.77%. In the 2008 Assembly Elections, the BJP won this seat by a margin of 32,419 votes (29.45%), earning 53.58% of the total votes cast. Voter turnout for this seat in the 2018 election was 66.73%. From 1957 to 1978, Congress won the constituency five times. But in 1983, Congress suffered its first defeat in this district when the BJP raised the saffron flag in this district for the first time. The Congress went on to win the 1985 elections, but again a BJP candidate won the following election in 1989. Over the years, there has been a stiff battle between the two national parties. Shivamogga is one of the important constituencies this election, especially after the last years disturbance between two communities. 2022 Shivamogga Riots Tension prevailed in Shivamogga city on February 21, 2022, following the murder of 28-year-old Hindutva activist Harsha on February 20. February 21 saw shops being vandalised, houses pelted with stones, and several two-wheelers and luggage carriers being gutted as the funeral procession of Harsha turned violent. The processing, held despite prohibitory orders, was led by Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa and Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra. Making some significant changes in the norms for reservation in government jobs and education for backward classes and Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Karnataka, the Basavaraj Bommai government had on March 30, 2023, notified a decision taken by the cabinet to scrap the 4% backward classes quota for Muslims and to re-allot the Muslim OBC quota to the two most dominant communities in the state -- Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The state Congress had hit back at the decision saying, "May it be backward classes, minorities, Vokkaligas or Lingayats, they are not beggars." Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D K Shivakumar had also accused the government of having contempt for Dalits and minorities. Recently, on April 4, in a controversial statement ahead of May 10 assembly election in Karnataka, former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa said the BJP does not need a single vote from Muslims in Shivamogga constituency. "Let us interact with people of all castes and enquire about the benefits they enjoyed during the BJP rule. Every community has benefited. There are around 60,000 Muslims in the city. We dont want their votes. Of course, there are Muslims, who received our help individually whenever they were in need and who would vote for us. Nationalist Muslims will definitely vote for the BJP," he said. Population distribution in Shivamogga According to the data provided by provisional Census India statistics in 2011, Shivamogga assembly constituency had a population of 322,650 people that year, with 162,018 men and 160,632 females. Muslims make up 23.93% of the population, Christians 2.17%, and Hindus 72.76%. There were 256,373 voters in the Shimoga Vidhan Sabha seat in 2018. Economics of cultivation According to a report by News18, Shimoga district was formerly referred to as the Rice Bowl. However, cashew nut trees have begun to encroach on the paddy fields in recent years. There are roughly 1,250 nut trading mandis in this area. Shimogas economic zone has been established around Adike. Thus, the fluctuation of the Shimoga financial market affects the nut trade. According to experts, walnut is the backbone of the local economy.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to face a tough fight from Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Belagavi North assembly constituency, a stronghold of the party. In order to beat anti-incumbency, the ruling BJP dropped incumbent MLA Anil Benake and gave the ticket to Dr Ravi Patil, who will be facing Shivanand Mugalihal (JDS), Rajkumar Toppannavar (AAP), and Congress candidate Asif Sait. Ravi Patil is a doctor by profession and a Panchamasali Lingayat leader, while Benake is a Marathi. Soon after the list was released, Benake and his supporters had protested against the partys decision, but he calmed down later after senior leaders intervened to make sure he doesnt file a separate nomination. BJP had conducted surveys in the constituency and found that Benakes popularity had dipped, and that he could lose if nominated. Also, he had opposed Hindutva leaders who had called for a ban on Muslim traders in local fairs. Neither had he supported the call for excavation in a mosque in the old city area after Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil had alleged that the mosque was built on the debris of a Hanuman temple. However, political observers say it would not be easy for the BJP to get votes as other contenders have a strong footing in the area as well. As per the Karnataka Election Information Centre, Belagavi North has a total of 2,29,511 eligible voters, 1,14,236 of whom are male and 1,15,039 females. There are 75,000 Marathis in the constituency, while Muslims number 40,000, and Lingayats 25,000. The Marathi-speaking people of the constituency have asked their community members to boycott the BJP in the May 10 assembly elections. In the 2018 assembly election, Benake had defeated Congress leader Fairoz Nuruddin Saith, who was the sitting MLA for two terms since 2008, by a margin of 18,000 votes. He had polled 79,060 votes, while Saith had managed 61,793 votes.
With 224 assembly seats up for grabs, polling process in Karnataka has concluded, and political parties left no stone unturned in their efforts to woo voters. Voting for the Karnataka Election 2023 was held on May 10 and the counting of votes is set to begin at 8 am on May 13. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a second term on the basis of its development record, while the opposition Congress is pledging a corruption-free administration. Given the significant implications, the outcome of each constituency will play a pivotal role in determining the overall election result. Here is a rundown of the top candidates vying for victory in this high-stakes electoral contest: Basavaraj Bommai: The current chief minister and senior leader of the BJP, is running for re-election in the Shiggaon constituency against Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan. The 61-year-old Lingayat leader hails from North Karnataka and took office as the CM of Karnataka on July 27, 2021, following the resignation of BS Yediyurappa. Read: Party-hoppers prove that power is the only constant, ideologies can be traded overnight Bommai has previously represented Shiggaon thrice since 2008 and is the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister SR Bommai. He started his political career with the Janata Dal (United) before leaving the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2008. D K Shivakumar: He is the incumbent MLA from Kanakapura and the state Congress president. His opponent in the upcoming election is R Ashoka, the current revenue minister of the BJP. Kanakapura was once a stronghold of the JD(S). Shivakumar has been elected as a legislator seven times and has held significant ministerial positions in Congress-led state governments. During the JD(S)-Congress government, which collapsed in 2019, he served as the Minister of Irrigation. Moreover, Shivakumar is a skilled strategist and is known as the Congress trouble shooter in times of crisis. He is recognised for playing a vital role in the formation of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka after the 2018 elections. Siddaramaiah: The former chief minister, is contesting what may be his last election from the Varuna constituency, where his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah was elected in the previous assembly polls in 2018. He is facing off against V Somanna, the BJP's housing minister. Previously, Siddaramaiah had contested from the Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru district, where he had won as an MLA five times but had lost twice. He started his political career in 1983 by winning from Chamundeshwari on a Lok Dal party ticket and then joined the Janata Party, which merged with other parties to become the Janata Dal in 1988. After the Janata Dal split into two factions, he joined the Janata Dal (Secular), headed by Deve Gowda and became the president of the party's state unit. However, he was expelled from the party in 2005, when Deve Gowda's son HD Kumaraswamy was gaining prominence. Siddaramaiah then joined the Congress in 2006 with his supporters. Read more: How dynastic politics killed a promising regional party HD Kumaraswamy: The son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, is vying for the Channapatna seat in the assembly elections. The contest in this constituency is expected to be fierce, as he is up against BJP's CP Yogeshwara. The constituency has a total of 2,17,606 voters, with Muslims comprising 42.96 percent and Hindus comprising 55.66 percent of the voters. Kumaraswamy's political career began with his successful election to the Lok Sabha from Bangalore Rural in 1996. However, he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Lok Sabha seat from Kanakapura in 1998. In 2004, he contested for the Legislative Assembly from Ramnagar and won, becoming an MLA for the first time. He also served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 2006 to 2007, after forming an alliance with the BJP without his father's approval. In the 2018 assembly elections, he was the chief ministerial candidate for the JD(S) and formed a coalition government with the Congress party. BY Vijayendra: The son of former chief minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa, is contesting from Shikaripura, a constituency that has been represented by his father eight times in the Karnataka Assembly. Vijayendra, who is also the BJP's state vice-president, is contesting against Congress candidate Goni Malatesh and Janata Dal (S) candidate Sudhakar Shetty. In July 2020, Vijayendra was appointed as the BJP vice-president. He had earlier been named the BJP youth wing general secretary, but was denied a party ticket to contest from Varuna in Mysuru district at the last minute before the May 2018 Assembly polls. Vijayendra's role in securing BJP's victory in the K R Pet and Sira Assembly segments has earned him credit and increased his standing within the party.
Amid the fiery campaigning for electoral assembly elections in Karnataka, an intense battle is fought in the Channapatna constituency, which is currently represented by the former chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Kumaraswamy. Located in the Ramanagara district, Channapatna is a part of the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, which has been held by the Janata Dal (Secular) party for many terms in the recent past. Kumaraswamy is facing stiff competition in his home base from BJP leader CP Yogeshwara. Gangadhar S is an opponent for the seat, from the Congress Party. Population and Distribution of Voters Known as a land of toys, the constituency comprises 31 city wards and has about 2,30,327 voters, out of which 1.10 lakh hail from the Vokkaliga community. Of the rest, 29,000 voters are Muslims, 42,000 are from the Scheduled Castes, and 15,000 are from the Scheduled Tribes. Political History CP Yogeshwara of BJP is already an established leader having won Assembly polls five times  on an SP ticket in 2013, through BJP in 2011 bypoll, through Congress in 2008 and 2004, and independently in 1999. The Karnataka assembly elections in 2018 witnessed the defeat of BJPs Yogeshwara who garnered 66,465 votes, by Kumaraswamy who won with 87,995 votes. This came after Yogeshwara defeated Kumaraswamys wife in 2013 by a slender margin of over 700 votes, forcing Kumaraswamy to contest from Channapatna as well as Ramanagara seats in 2018. Kumaraswamy later gave up the Ramanagara seat, which his wife won in the bypoll. Latest Campaigns The BJP has been actively campaigning in Channapatna, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally on April 30. The PM took on the Congress and JD(S) for their dirty politics as well as talked about the rich traditions of the place. He appealed to the people by referring to the traditional wooden toys business and emphasised on the involvement of the locals in the same. He has a good connect with the local community there, having once voiced for the people of the constituency in a special episode of Mann ki Baat. On the other hand, on May 4, Kumaraswamy took a dig at the PM and other central BJP leaders for visiting the state only during election periods and not during natural disasters. He also questioned Congress and BJP over the irrigation issues, referring to the Krishna Tribunal verdict. On May 5, Kumaraswamy was also seen slamming the BJP for conducting a road show right before the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam and urging them to postpone it. The BJP agreed to shorten the length of the event. The Election Schedule The 224-member Karnataka Assembly elections will be held on May 10 and the counting of votes is scheduled on May 13. Political parties have been actively engaged in campaigns by conducting rallies and road shows, the latest being PM Modis address in the Bellari constituency. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated that about 9.17 lakh people are first-time voters in the election.
As Karnataka state assembly elections end on May 10, political parties have left no stone unturned to woo voters in all the 224 seats via rallies, elaborate roadshows, and promising manifestos. One of the most important constituencies in these elections is that of current Chief Minister (CM) Basavaraj Bommai  Shiggaon, in Haveri district. ALSO READ: Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Why Basavaraj Bommai is sitting pretty in Shiggaon constituency Shiggaon is a traditional stronghold of the ruling party Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Bommai has been the BJPs candidate from there since 2008 and has scored a hat-trick, winning three consecutive terms. On April 15, 2023, the Karnataka CM filed his nomination as the BJP's candidate from there for the fourth time. The 63-year-old MLA is the son of former Karnataka CM and Janata Party veteran, the late SR Bommai. Seeking to oust the BJP from the state, Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan against Bommai. Bommai had defeated Congress candidate Sayed Azeempeer Khadri in the 2018 elections, securing 83,868 votes against 74,603 of Khadri. The incumbent CM's victory margin was 5.5 percent. ALSO READ: Karnataka Elections: Its 'national versus local' as BJP and Congress play to their respective strengths The other candidate from Shiggaon is Sashidhar Channabasappa Yaligar of Janata Dal (Secular). The party, which is popular among the Vokkaliga community, has only been securing 1,000 to 3,000 votes in the constituency for the last three elections. High-profile constituency Shiggaon is a high-stakes constituency for both the BJP and the Congress. An agricultural area, the major issues faced by voters there include water scarcity, lack of infrastructure, and unemployment. Incidentally, with the Bommais, Shiggaon has produced the states second father-son pair of CMs, after HD Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy. Shiggaon is SR Bommais birthplace. Per available data, there are approximately 80,000 Veershaiva-Lingayat voters in Shiggaon-Savanur constituency. Of these, only 16,000 belong to Bommai's sub-sect. Apart from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat and around 60,000 Muslim voters , the rest of the electorate comprises 40,000 Dalits and 24,000 members of the Kuruba community. The constituency has 1,16,588 male voters, 1,09,480 female voters, and 11 sexual minorities. The constituency, which comes under Belagavi division, has the largest vote share in the 30-39 age group, and the least in the 18-19 age group. With a strong hold over the constituency, Bommai is eyeing his fourth win from here. However, with Pathan, this time the Congress is also looking to make a dent in the ruling party's bastion. Pathan is a local Congress leader, who is the President of Anjuman-e-Islam, Hubballi-Dharwad. Bommai's image has taken a beating since he became the CM in 2021, following the ignominious exit of senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa. Bommais inability to check mismanagement and corruption in the government  something he himself has been accused of  put a blot on his career. A tough win for BJP Karnataka has had a volatile polling history  in the last 38 years, no ruling party has been able to retain power for two consecutive terms, nor has any chief minister managed to hold on to his post for two consecutive terms. The BJP, which formed a government with BS Yediyurappa as Chief Minister in July 2019 by defeating the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition government through a series of defections, faced allegations of misgovernance, groupism, and corruption. Within two years of his term, the BJP replaced Yediyurappa with Bommai in July 2021 to control the situation. But it did not help. Keeping all factors in mind, both BJP and Congress have put forward their best candidates in Shiggaon, making it an interesting battle between two of India's largest political parties. The role of regional parties such as the Janata Dal (S) and the Bahujan Samaj Party also cannot be ignored, and they could play a decisive role in the upcoming elections. (Data compiled by indiavotes.com and Karnataka Elections Information System)
Indian companies that buy bad loans from banks have decided to approach policymakers to open up the sector to new players such as wealthy individuals and corporates, according to a sector body. The proposed changes would increase the types of entities who trade instruments called Security Receipts, which are backed by non-performing loans. Currently, the business is confined to banks and non-financial companies. The adjustment would boost liquidity and competition, Hari Hara Mishra, chief executive officer of the Association of Asset Reconstruction Companies in India, told Bloomberg in an interview last week. The group is set to propose the change to the Reserve Bank of India and government officials in coming days. If those proposals are approved, it may help enhance liquidity and attract offshore investors, said Mishra. A committee decided to approach the authorities with sweeping changes in Indias distressed- asset market. Indian Banks Association formed a working group, which met recently to discuss proposals paving the way for those companies known as asset reconscruction companies in India.

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Controversy surrounding the film Kerala Story is largely due to political divide rather than a fight about the film itself, former solicitor general of India and Kings Counsel Harish Salve told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview. Salve opined that the movie itself is being made a scapegoat to confrontations on political and ideological lines. Persons who have filed litigation against the film have asked the court to direct the filmmakers to play a disclaimer before the film stating that the film is a work of fiction, Salve said that the prayer for disclaimer is a side issue while the main issue is largely political. He said it's necessary to know that the censor board looked at it (the film) and certified the film, there is an appellate procedure to challenge the decision of the censor board. Nobody has challenged the decision of the censor board. Salve said that their legal contention in the case is that state governments who do not have the locus do not have the power to ban movies, taking it upon themselves to ban movies citing breakdown in law and order. He said When Deepa Mehtas Fire was threatened by Bal Thackeray in Mumbai, we moved a plea in the Supreme Court. And the Supreme Court said how dare you! If there is going to be a breakdown of law and order. It's your job as the government to prevent that breakdown. We can't say there'll be a breakdown, therefore I wont show it. Now, it's interesting that the same people who also lauded the Supreme Court order are now against the movie citing breakdown. Speaking of the claims of those against the film that Indian will burn if the film releases, Salve said Did India after Fire released? Did India burn after Aarakshan was released? Did India burn after Kashmir files was released? Okay, there's India burning also is a narrative. Don't we know that it burns when a group of people want it to burn? The "Kerala Story is about a group of women from the state who converted to Islam and joined ISIS. According to its makers, it reveals the events behind "approximately 32,000 women" allegedly going missing from Kerala. Appeals challenging the release of the film are to be heard by the Supreme Court on Friday (May 12). Many petitions challenging the release of the film were filed in the Supreme Court, Kerala High Court and Madras High Court. The SC had refused to entertain the petitions and asked the petitioners to approach the Kerala High Court. The Kerala High Court refused to stay the release of the film last week, the petitioners have challenged the order of Kerala High Court at the Supreme Court. In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Salve also speaks of governments stand in same sex marriage hearings in SC, Indias image among investors abroad and the controversy surrounding the collegium system of appointment of judges.
Ripplr, a tech distribution and logistics platform, has raised $40 million in its Series B round in a mix of debt and equity from new and existing Investors. While investors put $28 million in exchange for equity in the company, Ripplr raised $12 million in debt. Fireside Ventures led the current round, while investors such as Bikaji and Neo Foods along with existing backers like 3one4 Capital, Zephyr Peacock and Japan-based Sojitz Corporation, also participated in the round. Strides Ventures, Alteria Capital, Northern Arc Investments and Trifecta Capital were the debt investors in Ripplr. The Bengaluru-based startup said it will use the $40 million to strengthen its tech platform, expand its team size and reach newer locations in the country. The company did not comment on its valuation. Set up in 2019 by Abhishek Nehru and Santosh Dabke, Ripplr  which claims to be operationally profitable  is a plug-and-play integrated distribution network which offers distribution as a service (DaaS) to brands. It helps them in creating visibility and enhances their reach. The fresh funding comes at a time when investors are tightening their purse strings and backing players who demonstrate a path towards profitability. Ripplr had raised $12 million in December 2021 and had previously raised about $4 million from its investors, Tracxn data showed. With this round, we are aiming to increase our geographical footprint in India to solve the reach and visibility complications faced by all the FMCG Brands in offline distribution and supply chain, co-founders Nehru and Dabke said in a joint statement. This also comes at a time when online-only brands are setting up offline touchpoints as many have realized omnichannel, or a mix of online and offline, is the way to go forward, especially after the pandemic altered purchasing patterns of customers. There is an increasing focus on offline expansion that we see with D2C brands after they acquire a strong consumer franchiseRipplrs distribution platform operating at scale across the country will unlock the potential in the offline retail space, VS Kannan Sitaram, co-founder and partner, Fireside Ventures said.
Despite the Go First insolvency, the airline industry is upbeat on hiring in big numbers with a focus on niche skills. Currently, there are around 1,000-8,000 active white-collar job vacancies with aviation-specific roles, data from various staffing firms showed. The most sought-after roles include aviation engineers, customer engagement, and administrative staff, among others. Vistara, which operates 60 aircraft, is on course to take the number up to 70 aircraft by the end of 2024. The full-service carrier has been rapidly hiring and said it remains committed to attracting and retaining competent talent to support its expanding operations. At present, we have a workforce of over 5,000 employees and we look forward to further strengthening our team by accelerating our hiring processes for various roles including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, security, ground services and customer engagement amongst others, Deepa Chadha, SVP of HR and Corporate Affairs at Vistara, told Moneycontrol. Beyond the essential skills and expertise, such as technical proficiency, communication skills, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, Chadha said Vistara aims to hire creative thinkers and those who can thrive under pressure. Akasa plans With a team of over 2,500 employees, Akasa Air aims to expand its strength to over 3,000 employees by 2024 and is encouraging talent from various walks of life to apply for roles across verticals. On hiring, Akasa Air said it has received an exceptionally positive response from aviation professionals who have exhibited immense enthusiasm towards being part of the airlines growth trajectory. ALSO READ | Companies push employees to adopt sustainable travel, reduce carbon footprint While core technical skills are required for specific roles like pilots or engineers but mostly we look for talent with great service orientation first, as Service Excellence is one of our core culture ethos, said Ritu Sinha, Head of HR at Akasa Air. Job profiles in demand The hiring strategy of aviation companies depends on various factors, including the organisation's size, the specific roles they are looking to fill, and their overall recruitment and talent acquisition strategy, said Sekhar Garisa, CEO of job portal foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME) For example, retired professionals from the Indian Air Force and Navy are potential candidates in this sector. Also, companies look for candidates from schools and colleges that offer aviation programs. Concerning roles, profiles in Flight & Airport Operations and Airline Services are most in-demand with 32 percent and 28 percent of jobs posted in the aviation category, respectively, showed data shared by foundit with Moneycontrol. Some of the other most sought-after job profiles currently in aviation are aircraft maintenance engineers, aerospace engineers, flight engineers, pilots, flight attendants, ground staff, etc, as per staffing firm NLB Services, which expects each of these roles to have high demand over the year, ranging from 1,000 to 3,500 jobs. Hiring strategy Amid rising competition for top talent, Sachin Alug, CEO of NLB Services, said the aviation industry has come to rely heavily on technologies like automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to rope in professionals for new roles. ALSO READ | Manufacturing firms opt for tech intervention to safeguard workers' lives Skill-based assessments are gaining more focus from stakeholders so that both career and company roadmaps can be defined and aligned during recruitment, he said, adding that online training initiatives are being undertaken to boost competency. With soaring demand for both technical and non-technical roles in aviation, we anticipate 10.000 new jobs to open up in the country over the next two years, Alug said. Currently, the talent attraction strategy of aviation companies in India typically involves a mix of recruitment through job portals, campus placements, employee referrals, and social media, according to staffing firm Teamlease Services. Balasubramanian A, VP and Business Head at Teamlease Services said that many aviation companies also partner with aviation training institutes to recruit fresh talent. Over the years, this has emerged as one of the most preferred hiring channels as it helps create a cohort effect as well, he said.
With the apprehension of a slowdown in earnings deepening since three US banks came crashing down and the fear of a recession intensified, foreign investors began pulling out of top Indian IT companies. Foreign investors reduced its stake in Infosys, Indias second largest software services firm, to 43.08 percent from 44.57 percent in the sixth straight quarter of divestment, according to latest shareholding pattern. FII holding in the country's largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services, was down to 12.72 percent in the March quarter from 12.94 percent in the tenth consecutive quarter of sell-off. Other IT companies such as Tata Elxsi Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd, Zensar Technologies, LTIMindtree, Mastek, Mphasis, L&T Technology Services Ltd, Birlasoft, and Affle India Ltd, too recorded a steady decline in FII stakes over the previous quarter. While the pull-out from tech Mahindra continued for nine quarters in a row, Affle India suffered the bleeding for seven quarters. The divestment by foreign investors weighed heavy on the quarterly earnings of the country's top IT companies with TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech, and Tech Mahindra, reporting weak financials that fell short of market expectations. They also expressed a lack of confidence in the near-term outlook, leading to a significant decline in net additions for fiscal 2023. The slump could be attributed to the ongoing crisis in US regional and European banks, as well as an unfavorable macroeconomic environment. The sell-off has been worst in the March quarter with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) withdrawing around Rs 7,978 crore from the information technology sector, according to NSDL data. Wipro Ltd and HCL Technology, however, bucked the trend as they reported a spurt in foreign funds flow. After seven consecutive quarters of reducing their stake in Wipro, foreign investors returned to the company in the March quarter, raising their stake to 8.77 percent from 8.67 percent. For HCL Tech, the FII holding increased to 18.92 percent from 18.29 percent sequentially. Global brokerage house BofA recently predicted that the earnings growth could be at risk due to the global economic slowdown, particularly affecting the IT sector. As a result, it has stated that IT remains its top underweight, indicating a negative outlook for the sector. Brokerage house Citi has revised its preferred list and eliminated Infosys from it, following its negative outlook on the IT sector. Consequently, the firm's coverage has been downgraded to either sell or neutral in all areas. The brokerage house has marked IT services as underweight.
India's national pension scheme offers "exceedingly good" returns of 9-12%, compared to most benchmarks, a top official at the pension fund regulator said on Tuesday. The National Pension Scheme, adopted in 2004, has recently come under criticism for inadequate returns, leading to a few state governments reverting to an earlier pension plan considered fiscally unviable. Following this, the federal government set up a committee to review the country's pension system. "The equity scheme, since inception, has given an annual return of close to 12%," Deepak Mohanty, chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. Mohanty is a member of the review committee. The pension scheme in which central government employees are registered has returned 9.4% since inception while the one for state government employees has returned 9.2%, Mohanty said. "Compared with a market benchmark or the 10-year government bond, they've performed well," Mohanty added. States that have decided to move back to a so-called old pension scheme include Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The old pension scheme offered assured returns to pensioners without any contribution from the employees, which made it fiscally unsustainable for the government. In contrast, the new pension plan requires the employee and the employer, including the government, to make contributions during their working life in return for a pension after retirement. Economists warned that the return to a scheme with assured returns could hurt India's attempts to improve government finances and reduce debt. While declining to comment on the committee's deliberations, Mohanty said that the PFRDA's assessment suggests that with contributions made to the national pension scheme over 30 years, a government employee can receive a pension equivalent to 50% of the last drawn salary. While the debate over the need for assured pension returns has been sparked mostly by government employees, the PFRDA is debating introducing a voluntary assured return product for private sector employees. "If you bring in an implicit guarantee, it has a cost," Mohanty said. The introduction of such a product would also require pension funds to hold more capital, he said. "We've been discussing it and have made significant progress..but I cannot put a timeline."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch development projects costing over Rs 5,500 cr in Rajasthan on Wednesday, a statement said. A BJP spokesperson in Jaipur said that the prime minister will also address a public rally organised by the party at Abu Road in Sirohi district. The focus of the projects to be launched by the prime minister will be on bolstering infrastructure and connectivity in the region, the PMO said, adding road and railway works will facilitate the movement of goods and services, boosting trade and commerce and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in the region. Among the projects, Modi will lay the foundation stones for road construction projects for upgradation to two-lane in Rajsamand and Udaipur and for redevelopment of the Udaipur railway station. He will also lay the foundation stone for gauge conversion project and for setting up of a new line from Nathdwara to Nathdwara town in Rajsamand. Modi will inaugurate three national highway projects, including 114-km long six lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, 110-km long widening and strengthening to 4 lane with paved shoulder of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25, and 47 km long two lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E. The prime minister will also be visiting Shantivan complex of Brahma Kumaris, a religious organisation. The PMO noted that a special focus of the prime minister has been on giving impetus to spiritual rejuvenation across the country. He will lay the foundation stone of a super speciality charitable global hospital, second phase of Shivmani old age home and extension of nursing college. The hospital will be set up in Abu Road, spread across an area of 50 acres. It will offer world-class medical facilities and will prove especially beneficial for the poor and the tribal people in the region, it said.
Investors in US exchange-traded funds are once again starting to favor emerging-market stocks  as long as they dont include China. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF, which invests in stocks across the developing world, but not those in the worlds second-biggest economy, received inflows of $148 million last week. That was its fifth successive week of net deposits and the biggest in five months for the fund whose largest holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Reliance Industries Ltd. and Vale SA. Meanwhile, ETFs that exclusively buy Chinese shares continued to fail to get new inflows last week. Chinas patchy economic recovery as well as rising geopolitical tensions and regulatory risks have tempered investor enthusiasm for Chinese equities, even as cheaper valuations and improved growth prospects are luring some investors back to emerging markets. The MSCI China Index has trailed its counterpart for the rest of emerging markets since late January, with the ratio between the two gauges at its lowest level since early December. The challenges overshadowing the Chinese economy are immense and have serious implications for international capital flows as well as the domestic allocation of capital, where we see a growing risk of Japan-style economic stagnation, Ashish Chugh, a money manager at Loomis Sayles & Co. in Boston, said in an email interview Friday. The excessive property sector and local-government debt are a major overhang on long-term growth and solvency. The ex-China fund has rallied in six of the past seven weeks and has not witnessed a week of outflows since Oct. 7. Investors have poured $639 million into the $3.8 billion fund, buying it even during the emerging-market selloffs in February and April. The all-equity fund has allocated 21% of its resources to Taiwan, 20% to India, 17% to South Korea and 7.4% to Brazil. In contrast, the iShares MSCI China ETF has gone without a single day of inflows since Jan. 30, as the optimism from the start of the year around the countrys economic reopening from Covid curbs evaporates. Other funds, such as the Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF and the iShares China Large-Cap ETF, have also gone without fresh deposits over several weeks. Broader data on ETF flows backed the idea that emerging-market investors are avoiding China. According to Bloombergs calculations, developing-nation stock funds received new deposits of $223 million in the week through May 5, with the biggest flows going to Mexico, Taiwan, India and South Korea. China witnessed outflows across stocks and bonds. Emerging-Market ETFs End Winning Streak, Fall $28.3 Million The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.8% Tuesday, dragged lower by declines in mainly Chinese communication and consumer-discretionary companies. The Hang Seng China Enteprises Index and the Hang Seng Tech Index both slid more than 2%.
Go First airlines tweeted on May 10 that all its flights scheduled till May 19 have been cancelled. The airline cited operational reasons for the cancellation of flights. The airline also said that it will issue complete refunds for the money passengers have paid to book the flights. Also Read : India to decide on Go First bankruptcy, lessors seeking planes fear impact "We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can," Go First said in its tweet. The airline re-assured its flyers about the continuation of operations and resumption of flights. Also Read: Newsbreak confirmed: NCLT appoints Abhilash Lal as Go First's IRP "As you are aware, the company has filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations. We will be able to resume bookings shortly," Go First said. Go First has filed a bankruptcy plea, the bankruptcy plea ruling that will also have major implications for foreign lessors trying to repossess planes. The low-cost carrier, recently rebranded as Go First, has said its financial crisis was sparked by "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines that grounded about half its 54 Airbus A320neos. The US engine maker, part of Raytheon Technologies, has called the claims without evidence.

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On May 13, the day of counting votes in the Karnataka assembly election 2023, it should become clear which party or coalition will rule the state for the next five years. Regardless of whether it is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress that comes to power, legislators in the next assembly will have some real estate issues to resolve. The two main political parties have already promised an array of reforms to address issues faced by homebuyers and tenants in the state, especially Bengaluru, should they be elected to power. Both the BJP and the opposition Congress promised to amend the contentious Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972, to protect homebuyers' rights. The BJP has promised to create a Karnataka Residents' Welfare Consultative Committee to improve ease of living for homebuyers. The Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act will be reviewed by the committee, which will suggest further amendments. The Congress party pledged in its manifesto to streamline the process of transferring land titles to homebuyers. The Janata Dal (Secular) did not make any promises for the state's real estate sector. Bengaluru residents and experts told Moneycontrol that once the next government is in place, they expect policy changes for issues ranging from empowering the regulator to regularising unplanned development in the city. Streamlining Karnataka RERA In May 2017, the state notified the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority to protect homebuyers and regulate the sector in the state. About six years after its enactment, several inefficiencies continue to affect homebuyers who have invested in their dream homes. Among the issues is the struggle to get refunds from builders who fail to deliver apartments on time. What the regulator can do at this stage is issue a revenue recovery certificate (RRC) and ask the state revenue department to begin recovery proceedings against such builders in the form of compensation or a refund to homebuyers. However, a long wait invariably ensues. According to Sudhakar Laxman, who invested about Rs 80 lakh in a project in Bengaluru, after the RRC order was passed in 2021, the first notice from the district commissioners office went to the developer in 2022. After that, everything has been on hold. About 10 homebuyers are planning to move the Karnataka High Court to speed up the process to get our money back," Laxman told Moneycontrol on May 10. Of all the RCC orders passed in the state, money has been recovered for only 12 percent of them as of June last year, according to a document issued by the undersecretary of the regulator that Moneycontrol reviewed. Vittal BR, an advocate, said policymakers can amend the state RERA rules to give it additional powers and add a time limit to this process. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar have notified special powers for RERA to seize and auction assets in such cases, Akash Bantia, another advocate, said on May 9. At the policy level, our state government can notify a standard operating procedure to do the same. If this is done, the KRERA will have the power of civil procedure codes to summon people, call witnesses and even issue arrest warrants, he said. Advocates claimed this will speed up money recovery by at least 60 percent. Additionally, there is the issue of removing partial occupancy certificates from the state's RERA rules, in keeping with the central Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act of 2016. Currently, the Karnataka real estate regulator holds that homebuyers cannot claim compensation in delayed residential projects that have obtained partial occupancy certificates. Removal of partial occupancy certificates will offer more clarity to homebuyers, said Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, president of the Karnataka Home Buyers Forum. Standardisation of association registration In Karnataka, there are dual laws for registration of resident welfare associations, which lawyers said must be updated and harmonised. According to the RERA Act, after a development is completed, the builder must hand over the undivided share in the project to the resident welfare association (RWA) registered under the laws of their respective states. RWAs in the state have been registered under the Karnataka Cooperative Societies Act, 1959, and the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972, for which the state government has not notified the rules of competent authority. Bantia said a major policy change is required to standardise the bylaws and to notify KAOA 1972 for its competent authority. "Even the KSCA 1959 is largely outdated and there are several cases already at the Registrar of Societies to solve issues such as allowing online RWA polls. During the pandemic, the state government brought out SOPs for e-voting but for a limited time, and I believe this can be done today, he added. Rental frenzy Its not homebuyers alone who are seeking resolution from the to-be elected MLAs for their problems. Even tenants face issues, most notably, a sudden increase in rents and demands for exorbitant deposits. Nidhi Agarwal (name changed), a marketing professional who lives on Sarjapura Road in south-eastern Bengaluru, said on May 9 that her landlord suddenly increased the rent by 50 percent. Agarwal is still trying to negotiate with the landlord, she added. With reverse migration, or people returning to offices from other cities, and a severe mismatch in demand and supply of available homes to rent out, the situation has worsened. Even security deposits can touch Rs 1 lakh. Additionally, the academic and professional records of prospective tenants are being scrutinised. Tenants must have at least 90 percent marks in class 12 or a workable LinkedIn profile to clear landlord interviews to rent an apartment. Advocates said the state does not have policies to protect tenants or prevent arbitrary rental increases. Karnataka is yet to incorporate the Model Tenancy Act (MTA), which provides for regulation of tenancy terms and conditions and brings transparency between the parties. The act establishes a Rent Authority and Rent Court in every state and Union Territory to address grievances and solve disputes. However, land and urban development are state subjects and only Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Assam have revised tenancy laws in line with the new act. Amith Amarnath, an advocate, told Moneycontrol earlier that policymakers need to consider notifying this act to regulate the rental market in the state, especially Bengaluru. The Model Tenancy Act caps the rental deposit, hence protecting the tenants. This can stop sudden rental hikes, as seen in Bengaluru today, and the Rent Authority set up by the act will look into the disputes without burdening the civil courts," he said.
Loss-making budget airline Go Firsts move on May 2 to file for bankruptcy took the lessors of its aircraft off guard, and they are now caught between a rock and a hard place. If the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) accepts the airlines insolvency plea and request for a moratorium on its financial obligations, they will not be able to take back their aircraft from the airline even if they dont get paid. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) prohibits the recovery of any property by an owner or lessor where such property is occupied by or in the possession of the corporate debtor. This means that if Go First goes into insolvency, lessors of the airline cannot take back the flights. Since Go First went public with its insolvency plans, these lessors have made a dash to get the aircraft back by applying to the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to deregister some of its planes. This is a long-drawn process but even if they get access to the planes, the next challenge would be to get these planes to fly. Most of them are grounded because of faulty engines supplied by US-based Pratt & Whitney (P&W); the issue which is at the core of this crisis faced by Go First. ALSO READ: NCLT to hear two insolvency petitions filed against Go First on May 8 The lessors would rather get possession of the aircraft and then find a way to fly them than have them lie in some hangar in the possession of the airline. If the moratorium starts, the lessors cant get the planes back, and breaching the moratorium has criminal penalties, a lawyer advising one of the stakeholders told Moneycontrol. Thus far, aircraft leasing companies have sought to repossess and deregister 20 aircraft leased to Go First under the provisions of Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorization (IDERA). SMBC Aviation Capital, GY Aviation Lease, Banas Aviation Leasing Limited, Yamuna Aviation Leasing Limited, Narmada Aviation Leasing Limited, EOS Aviation, and Pembroke Aircraft Leasing, have approached the regulator to deregister 20 Airbus A320 Neo aircraft of the airline. Of the 20 aircraft, 15 were operating till May 2, after which the airline shut operations. Queries sent to lessors and Go First remained unanswered. ALSO READ: Wadias Go First manoeuvre should set the tone for IBC use Masterstroke by Promoters? The IBC states that for a company under insolvency, a moratorium will be placed on the recovery of any property by an owner or lessor where such property is occupied by or in the possession of the corporate debtor. Legal experts said the move by the promoters, the Wadia Group, is a well-planned move aimed at securing the airlines future as well as regaining control of it under Indias bankruptcy law. The lessors were taking control of the fleets. In order to save it, this is the only opportunity left with the promoters. If they dont initiate insolvency at this stage, the lessor may take away the aircraft because they have already applied for de-registering the aircraft, said Sandeep Bajaj, Managing Partner, PSL Advocates & Solicitors. Go First has a fleet of 54 Airbus 320 neos fitted with Raytheon-owned P&W engines, which the airline operates on a sale-and-leaseback model by working with around 11 international lessors. Out of its total fleet of 54 A320 neos, the airline was forced to ground around 26 planes due to engine issues. Go First had in November 2022 reached out to its lessors to discuss a moratorium on the lease rental payment for some of its grounded aircraft, citing non-payment of compensation from Pratt & Whitney for its grounded engines. While the airline sought compensation from Pratt & Whitney for faulty engines, with fewer operating aircraft its market share shrunk, leading to loss of revenue and delayed payments to vendors. Deja Vu The overhang of the Jet Airways experience is driving stakeholders to protect their interest. Majority of Jet Airways lessors moved swiftly and took re-possession of the planes ahead of its insolvency, which led to reduction in the troubled airlines asset value. While the Wadia group is keen to ensure its fleet is protected, the lessors seem to be desperately seeking to re-possess the planes. Unlike Jet Airways, the cash-strapped Go Firsts troubles stem from mounting debt owed to lenders and lessors even as half of its fleet lay grounded due to faulty engines. Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, exclusively told Moneycontrol that Go First was burning around Rs 200 crore every month since November which it could no longer afford, and had to resort to filing for insolvency. Tight Spot Lessors have few options. "Deregistering Go First aircraft is the first priority for lessors whose planes are ready to fly. If lessors are not able to de-register their airworthy planes they will lose out on revenue until the insolvency case resolves, which they will then look to recover from Go First," said Lokesh Sharma, a defence and aviation expert. He added that lessors may also file a claim with the insolvency court for any unpaid rent or damages incurred due to the insolvency of Go First. "However, the amount of the claim may be limited and there is no guarantee that the lessor will be able to recover their losses," Sharma said. A lawyer close to the development said that there is no recourse available to the lessors once the insolvency process starts. There are only two things lessors can claim. First, they need a proof of claim that states the amount owed, and second is the lease rental which will get aggregated as insolvency resolution process cost. This means that while they will be denied their property, they will be paid its rental for the next 9-12 months or so till the process ends. They will be paid before anybody else, even before lenders make any recovery, the lawyer said. But the long drawn insolvency process of Jet Airways is haunting the lessors. Failure on Take-off Industry players point out that even if the lessors get the planes, the lack of engines to fly them may remain a challenge. "It is in the interest of the lessors to let Go First go through insolvency and resolve the issues so that the aircraft can fly again. Getting a flight deregulated and taking it back is a long-drawn process. And how would they even fly the planes back without engines? P&W is not replacing the engines and if the lessors decide to change engines, they will have to spend a huge sum to make appropriate changes like replacing the pylon on the wings, said Mark D Martin, Chief Executive Officer of aviation consulting and aerosafety firm Martin Consulting. The Go First CEO has said that the airline needs at least 20 aircraft to be back in service and break-even on daily operations. The companys management believes that the airline would be able to return to full-scale operations by September 2023 if Pratt & Whitney provides the airline with the engines as per the arbitral award issued by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in favour of the airline. An aviation expert from JPMorgan said that given the supply chain issues P&W is currently facing, they are not expected to dedicate resources to supply new engines or repair faulty engines of Go First. "Go First's grounded fleet is unlikely to take to the skies anytime soon, even if they are deregistered by the DGCA on the request of lessors," he added. Experts pointed out that lessors whose planes are grounded will have it tough as they will have to spend significant amounts to repair faulty engines from a third-party source. "The history of the aircraft will reflect that the lessor used a third-party to repair the faulty engine, which might affect its resale value," Sharma said. Martin said, No airline had to shut because of faulty engines before. This is not a Go First vs lessors issue, and they (lessors) need to move carefully in this precarious situation. Globally, incidents have been reported in over 25 airlines and 700 engines due to faulty engines from P&W. Whatever transpires in NCLT will have global ramifications."
Morgan Stanley expressed difficulty in providing an exact estimation of the impact of the expected credit loss (ECL) guidelines, as the final guidelines are pending. However, their rough estimate suggests that the impact could range from 1 percent to 2.5 percent of loans. Additionally, they suggest that the potential impact on the net worth of these banks could range from 5 percent to 20 percent. "Banks have been doing pro forma calculations based on certain assumptions. Some banks have disclosed their potential impact at 4-5 percent of loans, which includes non-ECL-related capital requirements for Ind-AS as well (which is not in the pipeline as of now). On ECL provisioning deficit, it's tough to estimate the exact impact pending final guidelines", Morgan Stanley said in its recent report. The brokerage firm has adopted a more discerning approach towards state-run banks and downgraded Punjab National Bank (PNB) to an underweight rating from equal weight. It favors Bank of Baroda (BOB), Bank of India (BOI), and State Bank of India (SBI) due to their stronger balance sheets when compared to Canara Bank and PNB. In January 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) initiated the process of gathering feedback on the ECL-based loss provisioning model by issuing a discussion paper. This paper was aimed at collecting inputs from all stakeholders involved. It is anticipated that the final guidelines for the ECL model will be notified by the financial year 2023-2024, with the implementation scheduled to begin on April 1, 2025. The brokerage firm says BOI has weak asset quality but better capital and coverage, BOB stands out with good capital, coverage, and a superior asset quality track record. SBI, despite lower capital, showcases better coverage and asset quality, aided by a higher proportion of retail loans. PSU Banks were under pressure post this report. PNB fell 4 percent, Indian Bank lost 3.5 percent, Union Bank of India declined 2.6 percent, Central Bank of India fell 2.4 percent, Indian Overseas Bank down 2.2 percent, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Canara Bank lost 2 percent each while SBI and Bank of Baroda lost 1 percent each.
Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) Test For Management Admissions - ATMA Online https://career.webindia123.com/career/dates_and_events/entrance/manage/association-of-indian-management-schools-aims-test-for-management-admissions.htm Details of Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) Test For Management Admissions - ATMA Online 2023-3-9 2023-5-21 https://career.webindia123.com/career/images/exams.png India India Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) Test For Management Admissions - ATMA Online Management

ATMA Online - 28th May 2023

For PGDM/ MBA /MCA*ADMISSIONS 2023

Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) Test For Management Admissions - ATMA Online Category : Management Admissions 2023 Published : On March 9, 2023 By Webindia123 Editor

Important Dates

Date of Commencement of Registration 8th March 2023 Close of Payment gateway 20th May 2023 Date of closure of Registration 21st May 2023 Last date for reprint of filled-in application form 28th May 2023 Downloading of Admit Cards 25th May 2023 Online Test 28th May 2023 Results 01st June 2023

AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) is one of the six (ATMA, CAT, CMAT, GMAT, MAT and XAT) National Level Tests recognized by the AICTE/ MHRD, GoI for admissions to MBA/PGDM courses. The national level status of ATMA has been confirmed by the Supreme Court also.

The AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) is meant for admissions to the Post-graduate programmes in Management (e.g. PGDM, PGDBA, MBA, MCM, MCA also subject to regulations of local university) etc., offered by various Institutions / Universities. The procedure for registering for the Test and the Test Administration are also described below.

The Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS), established in 1988, is one of the largest networks of management institutions in the world, with over 740 members including IIMs, ISB, Xavier Institutes, Welingkar, MDI, S P Jain, ICFAI, NMIMS and other top Indian business schools. ATMA was launched in 2000 to meet the expressed desire of AIMS members for a high quality test, the scores of which would be used in the admission process as a reliable predictor of academic performance in post graduate management programmes. ATMA is a credible, comprehensive and single-window test for admissions to different post-graduate management programmes. The first Test was conducted on Sunday, 20th February, 2000, at several centres in India. Since then 43 tests have been conducted.

AIMA conducts ATMA (AIMS Test for Management Admissions) 3 times a year.

Eligibility:

Bachelor's degree in any discipline. Students appearing for their final year examinations are also eligible to apply

ATMA : How to Prepare

ATMA seeks to measure the aptitude of the student for higher management education. Such an aptitude in a person is typically shaped and developed over a long period of time and cannot be altered in a short time frame. Hence, preparation for ATMA cannot be similar to that of university examinations. However, familiarity with aptitude tests and speed can be improved with diligent and regular preparation. AIMS does not recommend any particular preparatory course or training for ATMA, though these may be effective in varying degrees. Working out the'Sample Tests' is likely to help the candidate.



Sample tests are available in the Website.

Test Administration

ATMA will be administered in the premises of colleges/institutes/schools or their computer labs, etc. The address of the Test Venue is given on the Admit Card, which is in two pages.

You are requested to submit the following documents to the invigilator at the time of the examination.

Admit card with two of your recent recognizable photographs affixed in the space provided.

Copy of your Registration Form

Photo Identification (In original) (Xerox or scanned copies not allowed)

Report to the Test Venue with your above documents, not later than half-an-hour before commencement of the Test. The second page of the admit card is meant for the candidate. The candidate is required to obtain invigilators signature on it, and retain the same for future use.

Take your assigned seat in the Test Lab. Change of computer is not permitted without the explicit permission of the Test Supervisor.

Instructions for Online Exam should be followed as directed in the E-Admit Card. Familiarity with use of computers and internet will be required.

Instructions regarding Test

Candidates are advised to read the instructions carefully before attempting the test.

There are 180 questions spread over 6 sections.

Total time allotted for the test is 180 minutes.

For each correct answer 1 mark will be given and for each incorrect answer 0.25 mark deducted from the score.

You will be redirected to next question automatically after attempting a question.

Click the 'Next' Button to skip a question and move on to next question.

You may revise an answer by selecting the question no. from the list.

Click the 'End Test' button to close the test at any point of time.

For any reason, if test gets disrupted, you may restart the test by logging in again. In such a case, you will not be able to change the answers attempted in the previous session for security reasons. However, you will be allowed full three hours without counting any time lost in any interruption.

Nature of the Test

The Test contains 180 Questions spread over six sections. Each section in the Online Test need not be attempted in the serial order. Total time of the Test is 3 hours. The questions cover Analytical Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal skills.

STRUCTURE OF ATMA

Section Question-Context related to No. Of Questions Allotted Time I Analytical Reasoning Skills 30 30 Min II Verbal Skills 30 30 Min III Quantitative Skills 30 30 Min IV Verbal Skills 30 30 Min V Analytical Reasoning Skills 30 30 Min VI Quantitative Skills 30 30 Min

(In the Actual Test the Same Sequence as Shown in the Table above may not be followed)

Each multiple-choice question is followed by four answers numbered 1,2,3 and 4. You have to choose the correct or best answer from these four choices and click the right answer in the On-line Test.

The questions in this Test are numbered serially starting at 1 and ending at 180. Start answering from the first question of each section and proceed sequentially.

Clear familiarity with the directions and questions is necessary. It is important to read the directions for each set of questions carefully.

In case you find a mistake in the framing of the question or the answered-choices given or both, you need not waste your time on them. You will be given credit for any such question.

Time should be allotted wisely within the limits given. On an average, there will be one minute available for each question and thirty minutes per each section.

ATMA has been designed as a standard, benchmark Test with high quality and academic rigour. ATMA scores are useful in determining a candidates relative position in the whole test population. A candidate is not expected to answer all questions within the specified time frame. You are advised to proceed through the Test at an even pace, skipping the more difficult questions, wherever necessary. You may return to the unanswered questions any time and click the right answer.

All the necessary instructions and guidelines will be given with the question paper for On-line Test.

Cancellation of the Test Results

A candidate's score will be cancelled by the office of ATMA, if any misconduct or unfair practice by the candidate is detected, by any of the several available means.

A candidate whose result is cancelled, will not receive her/his score and will be informed accordingly.

For list of institutes accepting ATMA please visit the institute website.

Contact Details Address : Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS)

Head Office: D No: 6-3-668/10/76, First Floor

Near Sri Kalyana Venkateshwara Temple

Durga Nagar Colony, Punjagutta, Hyderabad  500 082 Phone : 040-23417875/76 Fax : Mobile : - E-mail : Contact Website : www.atmaaims.com

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Comments and Discussions
Criticising the collegium system of appointment of judges in India, former solicitor general and Kings Counsel Harish Salve said, Nowhere in the world does judiciary appoint itself. I do not subscribe to the belief that if the judiciary is not left free to appoint judges, then the independence of the judiciary will be compromised. These are myths which need to be busted, he stated. Speaking exclusively with Moneycontrol, Salve noted that he has always had a sharp difference in opinion when it came to the collegium system. I was a votary to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), he said. According to Salve, the United Kingdom has the most independent judiciary and yet they have never had a problem with respect to the appointment of judges. Judges are not appointed by judges in the UK, they dont have a problem with this, he observed. On being asked for a solution to this, Salve said, Speaking for myself, what the government should do is come up with an amended NJAC Act addressing one or two issues raised in the judgment (striking the law down) which are of genuine concerns and bring another law. Then on that basis, the government should try getting the judgment reconsiderd. The collegium system is the way judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts are appointed and transferred. The CJI, with the four senior-most judges of the apex court, makes the recommendations and sends them to the government for consideration. The government, upon analysis, either takes the recommendations forward or sends them back to the collegium for reconsideration. The system evolved by means of Supreme Court judgments, not by an act of Parliament or a constitutional provision. The First Judges case (1981), Second Judges Case (1993), Third Judges Case (1998) and the NJAC case (2015) evolved the collegium system and upheld it as the law of the land. In 2014, the Union Government tried to replace the collegium with the NJAC. The Commission comprised three Supreme Court judges, the Union law minister, and two civil society experts. It further mandated that a person would not be recommended by the NJAC if any two of its members did not accept a recommendation. However, it was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015. The collegium system has been criticised as being non-transparent and opaque, as the reasons for recommending candidates for transfer or appointment are not made public.
MG Motor has announced a new five-year business roadmap aimed at expanding its operations and achieving sustainable growth in India. The British car brand plans to achieve this through localization and the latest technology as well as increasing Indian shareholding over the next 2-4 years. As part of this roadmap, MG Motor will focus on enhancing local sourcing and manufacturing across its operations by 2028. It plans to explore cell manufacturing and hydrogen fuel-cell technology through owned or third-party facilities. The auto company will also invest more than Rs. 5,000 crore and employ a total of 20,000 peopleboth direct and indirectby 2028. MG Motor plans to also establish a second manufacturing facility in Gujarat, significantly increasing the combined production output from the current 1,20,000 to 3,00,000 vehicles (including both plants' capacity). The company intends to launch 4-5 new cars, mostly electric vehicles, and achieve 65 to 75 percent of its sales from the EV portfolio by 2028. Also read: India to become export hub for Skoda Auto from next year, says co official To support the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, MG Motor will strengthen local manufacturing of EV components and establish a battery assembly unit in Gujarat. The company also plans to explore hydrogen fuel-cell technology to reduce its carbon footprint. The new roadmap underscores MG Motor's commitment to India's mission to become a major manufacturing hub. With this expansion, the company aims to have a meaningful impact on society by generating more employment opportunities, promoting local manufacturing, and supporting India's transition to clean energy. "We are excited to announce our new business roadmap that will help us indigenize our operations, enhance local manufacturing and sourcing, and achieve sustainable growth," said Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director at MG Motor India. "Our investments in advanced clean technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells and cell manufacturing, underscore our commitment to promoting clean energy and reducing our carbon footprint," he added. Also read: MG Motor India reports over two-fold rise in retail sales at 4,551 units in April This apart, MG Motor is also reportedly planning to dilute its majority shareholding and go for an initial public offering (IPO) by 2028. As per the sources, the company is exploring various options to achieve this goal, including raising capital through private equity and selling a portion of the stake to strategic investors. The move comes as MG Motor India aims to expand its business operations in India and is looking to tap into the growing demand for electric vehicles in the country.
The banking and commodity sectors weighed on Q4FY23 earnings in a big way, where banks had a positive impact while all-time high prices of global commodities impacted earning negatively, said Jyotivardhan Jaipuria, founder of Valentis Advisors in an interview to CNBCTV18. While Q4 earnings were 'slightly better than expectations', Jaipuria expects a 10 to 12 percent earnings growth in FY24, adding that the given number will be positive in a global context amid concerns related to economic recession. Talking about the pharma sector, he closely monitors some of the stocks in the US genomic space along with domestic pharma companies. Also Read: Canara Bank betting on retail & rural loan growth, says MD Raju Jaipuria believes investing in railway and defence stocks will be a 'good bet' in the upcoming three to five years. "The defense companies in India are going to get much, much bigger than what they are today and they will probably all be double of size with a lot of new listings," he said Also Read: FMCG shares may benefit from fall in commodity prices He is also of the view that a lot of sectors underperformed in 2022 on the back of surging commodity prices worldwide. And now that the commodity prices have come down, the margins will probably expand substantially.

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Bengalurus MG Road tops the list of high streets in India, followed by Somajiguda in Hyderabad. Linking Road (Mumbai), and South Extension (Delhi) are among the top 10 high streets in the country, according to Knight Frank Indias flagship annual retail report, Think India, Think Retail 2023  High Street Real Estate Outlook, in association with Phygital Retail Convention, 2023. With four of its markets making it to the top 10, Bengaluru was deemed to have the best high streets that provide a significantly better shopping experience, according to a survey conducted by global real estate consultancy Knight Frank across eight markets of India. The study also found that modern retail (malls) occupies only 6 percent (5.7 mn sq ft ) of the lease-able shopping area of 92.9 mn sq ft on high streets. In NCR, the lease-able area in high street shopping centres is 31.7 mn sq ft, of which modern trade occupies 1.4 mn sq ft. For Mumbai, the numbers are 16.1 mn sq ft and 0.7 mn sq ft, respectively. In Bengaluru, the lease-able shopping area on high streets is 15.2 mn sq ft, of which modern trade occupies 1 mn sq ft. Khan Market commands the highest average rent Some of the high streets captured in the survey are the countrys most expensive retail hubs. New Delhis Khan Market, Gurugrams DLF Galleria, and Mumbais Linking Road and Turner Road are four high streets where retailers have to shell out hefty rents to maintain brand presence. The average monthly rents to lease retail space on the high streets vary across the top eight cities. Khan Market commanded average rents of Rs 1,249 per sq ft per month, followed by Gurugrams DLF Galleria at Rs 997 per sq ft, and Mumbais Linking Road at Rs 670 per sq ft per month, the study said. This was cheaper than the monthly rent on the worlds most expensive high street, Paris Avenue des Champs-Elysees, that commands a monthly rental of Rs 19,215 per sq ft. Paris Rue Saint-Honore commands a rent of Rs 16,466 per sq ft per month, while New Yorks Fifth Avenue commands a rent of Rs 14,457 per sq ft per month. At number 7 in the global ranking, Singapores Orchard Street commands a rent of Rs 2,923 per sq ft per month, per the study showed. Top 10 high streets rate high on conveniences The top 10 high streets are those that are convenient in terms of access, parking facilities, and have a varied assortment of retailers. The layout and master planning of the high street defines its visibility. Inward-looking markets like Khan Market (Delhi) and DLF Galleria (Gurugram) scored very low, whereas markets aligned along the access road, like MG Road (Bengaluru), Somajiguda (Hyderabad), Linking Road (Mumbai), Anna Nagar (Chennai), Park Street and Camac Street (Kolkata) scored high. Ahmedabad and Pune do not house any of the top 10 high streets. The survey was conducted across 30 high streets across the top eight cities of India, based on parameters that determine the quality of experience high streets provide to customers. Ahmedabads SG Highway has the highest per capita spending among the 30 high streets surveyed. Retail is a highly competitive business and with the advent of malls, it is also closely related to the overall customer experience. Globally, cities are identified by their high streets, often one of the main attractions of the city, and the brands on these streets are a barometer of the citys worth on the global platform. But as we evolve, customer experience becomes key and due to their traditional nature, high streets often fail to provide amenities that shopping centres do, said Shishir Baijal, Chairman and Managing Director at Knight Frank India. However, as cities in India are modernising, we see many high streets in the country being revived as facilities like access, parking, store visibility, etc., have improved. Our estimates say that the average per square metre revenues of high streets will be significantly higher than those of malls in FY2324. Going forward, we expect high streets that provide a good retail experience to customers to see a revival, even as other retail formats continue to thrive, he added. Modern and traditional retail According to the findings, NCR, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad are the top three markets with a high concentration of traditional retail. While Ahmedabad and Kolkata are yet to witness the foray and expansion of many large national and foreign retailers on its key high streets, the preponderance of non-traditional retail in NCR stems from the fact that both traditional and modern retail outlets have co-existed and flourished for many years now.
Pune-based listed real estate developer Kolte-Patil Developers Limited on May 10 announced that it has signed two new residential development projects in Pune, with a total estimated saleable area of 1.9 million square feet and a topline potential of Rs 1,300 crore. The projects are located in Wagholi (Nagar Road), and NIBM Road (Kondhwa) in Pune. The move is part of efforts to strengthen Kolte-Patil Developers leadership in the high-potential micro-markets of Pune, the company said in a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The statement noted that Kolte-Patil had acquired around 5 acres of land at Wagholi (Nagar Road), a well-planned micro market of Pune, to develop a middle-income-group residential project. Wagholi has rapidly evolved as a preferred residential destination because of its proximity to major IT/ITES hubs and industrial zones, seamless connectivity to the other parts of Pune city and well-developed social infrastructure. The company also announced in the statement that it was forming a Joint Venture to develop a premium residential project at NIBM Road, Kondhwa. This micro-market provides a unique combination of scenic appeal, robust infrastructure, and easy connectivity, making it a popular location across customer segments. Having developed and delivered around 5 million sq. ft. across projects, Kolte-Patil has a strong foothold in this micro-market, the statement added. Also read: Kolte-Patil Developers plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore in Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru Pune has been our key market since inception and we remain optimistic about the city's potential, Rahul Talele, Group CEO, Kolte-Patil Developers Ltd, said in the statement. Robust urban infrastructure, high ranking on quality of life parameters, reasonable cost of living and growing per capita income backed by strong employment prospects across sectors, have contributed significantly to the growing residential real estate market of Pune. "We have structured these transactions with a low upfront investment. This aligns with our objective of driving growth across markets while maintaining low capital intensity, with a view of optimising return on capital, Talele added. The announcement comes around two weeks after the company signed two new society redevelopment projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with a total saleable area of 7.3 lakh square feet, and a topline potential of Rs 1,200 crore.
There are 1.6 crore citizens waiting to take over 41 lakh houses that are currently under construction in Maharashtra, at a total investment of Rs 14 lakh crore, Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) Chairman Ajoy Mehta said on May 9. He was speaking at a conference organised by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India  Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (CREDAI  MCHI), the apex body of real estate developers, to mark the sixth anniversary of the MahaRERA real estate regulatory body. Mehta said regulation in the real estate sector was very much needed and that the Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA) Act was introduced at a time when data showed the average delay in real estate projects was 27 months in Mumbai, around 47 months in Delhi, and 20 months  the lowest  in Pune. "This was the kind of delay in 2017 for which the government had the data in front of them. Homebuyers here were not sure whether they were going to get their homes, where their money had gone, what happens to their interests. The homebuyers EMIs had started, said Mehta. 66% of litigation over land and property According to Mehta, the data before the government at that time showed that 66 percent of the ongoing litigation in courts was related to land and property. "So, these disputes were there, and the government had to act," he said. 90% of states under RERA "Today I can say that 90 percent of the states in India have RERA, which regulates the real estate market. For the banks, we have the Reserve Bank of India (RBI); for equity markets, we have the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). And similarly, we have RERA for the real estate market. In the real estate space, there is promise of the future. Therefore, the thought process is that the government must regulate and monitor this space." Registering a project will not be simple anymore Addressing the developers, Mehta said the process of registration would not be simple anymore and that MahaRERA would scrutinise all proposals intensely. "We try to locate all of those things from where disputes are coming. We are now monitoring those things and that is making a few people very uncomfortable. But I am very comfortable, and unless I sort that out, disputes will not end, he said. Registration is not going to be simple anymore. It will not be like you submit a project in an envelope and we will stamp it. We are going to scrutinise, and scrutinise it intensely. It takes time and a lot of people are complaining that it is taking a lot of time, but that time will be required. I am not apologetic, I owe you an explanation, but not an apology. Developers need to train their staff and do the proper work for a registration." Quarterly progress reports According to Mehta, quarterly progress reports (QPR) will be monitored closely. "Take the example of January 2023: more than 700 projects were registered, but more than 500 developers have not filed QPRs three months after registration. These QPRs have to be filled every three months. We started issuing notices, and later people came running to us that we have not started work yet, he said. I would like to tell everyone that even if you have not started doing work, it does not mean you do not do the necessary compliance. You file and upload a report that we have done nil work. But compliance will be required and report filing will have to be done," said Mehta. Designated accounts to be monitored As per Section 4 (2) (D) of RERA Act, 2016, promoters are required to open a separate account in a scheduled bank exclusively for a project. Under the RERA regime, 70 percent of the amounts released from real estate project allottees (buyers) is to be deposited in a separate RERA designated no-lien, no-charge bank account to cover the cost of land and construction for the specific project. In this context, Mehta said, "Every project should have a separate designated account, and that has to be done. We are not going to allow non-compliance here. We have developers who are asking for time to fall in line and ensure a separate account for the project, and I am fine with it. Developers can take time, but they will have to do this compliance. We want to make a system where it is not RERA that will ask developers to do compliance, but it is the people, citizens and homebuyers that will compel developers to comply and do their business," he emphasised. Also read: MC Exclusive: RERA amendment on cards to empower homebuyers Trends in the sector Speaking to young developers at the conference, Mehta said, There have been instances when many people ask me where the real estate space is heading. What will happen in real estate in the future? Addressing the point, he said, "One trend that we find world over is that 45 to 60 percent is rental housing. You will be surprised to know that even in India, in Karnataka, 46 percent of the people have rental housing. Mumbai is only 20 percent, therefore rental housing is going to boom in a big way. It is coming. How do you regulate the rental market? What are the kinds of agreements that will come in the rental market? We, as a lawmaker, as a policymaker, will look at how rental markets are going to shape up," he added. "The younger generation is into experience. Things are changing, people do not want to be stuck. So, rental housing is coming. The uberisation of real estate is going to come, and we are looking at how we regulate that, he said. People are no longer just buying space and products anymore but are purchasing systems and services, he said. There is student accommodation, old-age homes, and young couples having homes. But they need services, and here people are not just looking at a house, but also at services. So, housing will now start aligning itself with services that we need, and services will become more predominant than the house itself."
Capital markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday levied fines totalling Rs 35 lakh on seven entities for indulging in non-genuine trades in the illiquid stock options segment on BSE. In seven separate orders, the regulator slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on Pawan Kumar Sarawagi HUF, Subh Laxmi Trading Co, STIC Tradecomm, Starlight Devcon, Devesh Commosale, Devinder Kumar and Kishorechandra Gulabbhai Desai. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) observed large-scale reversal of trades in the illiquid stock options segment of BSE, leading to the creation of artificial volumes on the bourse. It conducted an investigation into the trading activities of certain entities engaged in the segment on BSE from April 2014 to September 2015. According to Sebi, these seven entities were among those who indulged in the execution of reversal trades. The reversal trades are alleged to be non-genuine in nature as they are executed in the normal course of trading, which leads to a false or misleading appearance of trading in terms of generating artificial volumes, the markets watchdog said. The entities had flouted the provisions of PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices).

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In 1964, the 22-year-old AM Naik appeared for an interview at Larsen & Toubro Ltd. He was initially offered the role of an assistant engineer for a salary of Rs 760 per month. But after a final interview with Gunnar Hansen, who later rose to become the Deputy Managing Director, the offer was downgraded to Rs 670 a month for the role of a junior engineer. Hansen thinks you are overconfident, Naik was told. Naik accepted the role anyway. After 58 years with L&T, 25 of which he spent in top roles, the man who drove the conglomerates growth and made it a $23-billion multinational with a diversified portfolio, is finally hanging up his boots. AMN, as Naik is popularly known, will step down as the Non-Executive Chairman of the L&T group at the end of his tenure on September 30, 2023. The board of L&T has decided to confer the status of Chairman Emeritus on him. ALSO READ: L&Ts FY24 revenue growth seen at 12-15%, order intake growth at 10-12%: CFO L&T has been my life, Naik said in a statement announcing the change in leadership. I am immensely proud that I could play a significant part in its growth. The growth trajectory that the company has charted in the last two to three decades is exemplary. The emphasis we laid on IT and technology services has had a significant positive impact on the profitability of the organisation. Going forward also, I am sure that Mr Subrahmanyan will continue to foster the high growth and entrepreneurial culture at L&T. In him, L&T has a highly capable, passionate and empathetic leader, Naik said. Change of guard SN Subrahmanyan, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the company, will take over as Chairman and Managing Director with effect from October 1. Subrahmanyan, who was promoted to the role of CEO and MD in 2017, was selected after a rigorous process. Naik groomed him for the top job for three years before his elevation. I must humbly submit that all that we have been able to achieve has been with the utmost support of all L&Tites, and of course with the firm backing of Mr Naik. Mr Naik contributed significantly to building what we know today as L&T. I would humbly like to take up this responsibility and take the legacy of trust, customer focus, timely delivery, quality, people centricity, and professionalism forward, Subrahmanyan said. Big shoes to fill Soon after the company informed the bourses about the change in leadership, responding to a question by Moneycontrols reporter in a conference call, L&T Chief Financial Officer R Shankar Raman said, The company has been planning the succession for quite some time now. I think we have very big shoes to fill. L&Ts storied history is witness to how Naik faced, resisted, and succeeded in bitter takeover battles. L&T retained its ownership twice in the past when Grasim, and later the undivided Reliance Industries, made attempts to take over. Naik was instrumental in ring-fencing L&T against takeovers by setting up an employees welfare trust which owns stake in the company, along with institutional investors. Naik led L&Ts many diversifications, most notably in information technology, as also the initial public offerings of its subsidiaries. He also helped the company change gears by divesting non-core assets and becoming an asset-light leviathan. There were some brickbats too, about Naik not making way for a successor. For years, there was speculation about when Naik would pass on the baton to his successor. Every time a succession deadline would draw near, Naik would surprise everyone. In 2012, when he was scheduled to retire, L&T split the post of chairman and managing director, retaining Naik as Chairman while extending his tenure, and appointed K Venkataramanan as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. In 2015, when Venkataramanan was due to retire, instead of appointing someone to the job, L&T yet again split the position and appointed Subrahmanyan as the Deputy Managing Director and President. This move was seen to be aimed at making Subrahmanyans march to the MDs post (and then the Chairmans) longer, allowing Naik to continue. But that was then. Next wave While Naik faced many challenges during his tenure, Subrahmanyan, or SNS as he is widely called, steered L&T through the most unprecedented times during the Covid pandemic. Subrahmanyan battled the migration of workers from project sites on the one hand, and focused on value accretive growth on the other. As the pandemic accelerated the shift to digitisation, he triggered L&Ts next growth spurt by setting up and expanding new age digital and technology-led businesses. L&T has in the past designed strategic plans and executed them under the stewardship of Naik. It has now embarked on its most ambitious strategic 5-year plan thus far  Lakshya 26. This plan aims to double revenues and order inflow in five years, by 2025-26, targets exiting non-core operations, and expansion of the services business. L&T is aiming for a revenue of Rs 2.7 trillion by FY25-26 as against Rs 1.4 trillion in FY20-21. It is eyeing an order inflow of Rs 3.4 trillion crore by FY25-26, as against Rs 1.7 trillion crore in FY20-21. This will be Subrahmanyans biggest test. Mr Naik will be available to all of us for consultation, given his long history with the company you can't take L&T out of him, said Raman. In March 2015, when Naik completed 50 years at L&T, he spoke to employees, former executives, and members of different unions in the presence of former President APJ Abdul Kalam and the then Shiv Sena supremo, Uddhav Thackeray, and shared his ideas about L&Ts future. Naik stood right next to the C Block on L&Ts campus at Powai, Mumbai, where he started his career in 1965 as a junior engineer, and signed off after his speech by singing Jeena yahan, marna yahan, iske siva jaana kahan. (You live here, you die here. Where else can one go but here?) Disclosure: Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
Indias biggest conglomerate and largest airline are in talks to take Airbus SE planes from Go Airlines India Ltd. after the carrier filed for insolvency protection and was ordered to stop selling tickets. Tata Group and IndiGo are holding separate negotiations with Go Airs lessors, as well as discussing landing and parking slots with airport operators, including in New Delhi and Mumbai, according to people familiar with the matter. Go Airs lessors are seeking to repossess 36 aircraft, filings with Indias aviation regulator show. Several other parties have also expressed interest in the airport slots, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. New carrier Akasa Air is among them, one of the people said. The clamor for Go Airs assets may complicate its bid to restructure debt and restart operations. Indias aviation regulator told the carrier to stop selling tickets on Monday, reminiscent of when fugitive billionaire Vijay Mallyas Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. was ordered to do the same about a decade ago. It never flew again. A decision is due in two weeks on whether Go Air can keep its operating license. Go Airs biggest lessors include Sky High XCV Leasing Ltd., ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland Ltd. and SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd. Founded in 2005 by magnate Nusli Wadia, Go Air has said Pratt & Whitney engines on its A320neo aircraft deteriorated faster than expected and prematurely stopped working. The airline said it had to change more than 500 Pratt GTF engines between 2016 and February 2023, forcing planes out of service and leading to losses of 108 billion rupees ($1.3 billion). Pratt, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., has previously said the Go Air matter is being considered by law courts and that it continues to prioritize delivery schedules for customers. Supply disruptions and a faster-than-anticipated travel recovery from the pandemic have resulted in a shortage of new commercial jetliners, so Go Airs troubles present another avenue for the likes of Tata and IndiGo to expand their fleets. Tata took over formerly state-run Air India last year and is integrating its brands, including local ventures of Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Capital A Bhd.s AirAsia. The flag carrier placed a record order for 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing Co. in February, with deliveries due to start from the end of this year, but supply-chain snags could threaten that timeline. Budget operator IndiGo, managed by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., flew 7.3 million people domestically in March, cornering almost 60% of the Indian market. Given the difficulties in repossessing aircraft in India in the past, lessors would prefer to keep Go Airs idled planes in India, one of the people said. The airlines other lessors include GY Aviation Lease Co. and Pembroke Aircraft leasing Ltd. Representatives for Go Air and Air India didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for IndiGo said the company doesnt comment on speculation.
The civic body of Mumbai has set up a solar power generation plant atop Asia's largest sewage pumping station at Mahim Causeway, officials said on Tuesday. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a press release, said the 230 kw capacity solar power plant has been generating more than 30,000 units of power every month, bringing savings of Rs 2.40 lakh for the civic body. The plant, set up with Rs 1.5 crore cost, has a life of 25 years and the expense incurred on it will be recovered in the next 6 years, said the release. "The project will help curb more than 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 25 years. Its environmental impact is equal to planting 11,000 trees," the BMC stated. The Mahim Causeway-based solid waste pumping station, touted to be Asia's largest, was built in 2003. Sewage from the city, its western and eastern suburbs is pumped from the facility which has eight pumps.

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Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad invites applications for LL.M. course via AIAT 2023

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India] | Published : May 9, 2023



Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad (SLSH), a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University,) Pune (SIU), has announced the admission process for its one-year LL.M. programme for the academic year 2023-24. The programme offers specialization in Business and Corporate Law.Interested candidates can apply online by visiting the official website of SLSH or SIU till June 13, 2023. They have to pay an application fee of Rs. 1950/-, which can be paid through various modes such as debit card, credit card, net banking, etc. An additional fee of Rs. 1,000/- is also applicable per institute.The performance of the candidates in the All India Admission Test (AIAT) 2023 will be the basis for admission to the LL.M. programme. The AIAT will be conducted on June 25, 2023, in online home-based proctored test (HBT) mode. It will consist of a written test and a personal interaction round.A total of 100 multiple-choice questions covering topics such as Legal Reasoning, Legal Aptitude, Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence and International Law will be asked in the written test. The test duration will be 90 minutes, and there will be no negative marking. In addition, the candidates' communication skills, academic knowledge, and career goals will be assessed in the personal interaction round.A total of 100 multiple-choice questions covering topics such as Legal Reasoning, Legal Aptitude, Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence and International Law will be asked in the written test. The test duration will be 90 minutes, and there will be no negative marking. In addition, the candidates' communication skills, academic knowledge, and career goals will be assessed in the personal interaction round.On July 17 and July 24, 2023, for the first round and on July 28 and August 7, 2023, for the second round, the merit list of the selected candidates will be released. The candidates must confirm their admission by paying the requisite fee within the stipulated time.The LL.M. programme at SLSH aims to provide advanced and in-depth knowledge of the law and its various aspects. It also offers opportunities for research, internships, moot court competitions, seminars and workshops. The faculty members are well-qualified and experienced in their respective fields of law.- Interdisciplinary approach: The programme integrates law with other disciplines, such as management, economics, sociology, psychology etc., to provide a holistic understanding of legal issues and solutions.- Choice-based credit system: The programme allows the students to choose their courses according to their interests and preferences from a wide range of electives offered by specialization.- Research-oriented curriculum: The programme emphasizes developing research skills and analytical abilities among the students through various research projects, dissertations and publications.- Industry exposure: The programme facilitates industry interaction and exposure through guest lectures, workshops, seminars, internships and placements with reputed law firms, corporates, NGOs etc.The placement record of SLSH is also impressive, with many students getting placed in prestigious organizations such as Fox Mandal & Associates, Areness Law, JSW Ltd, Deloitte, Deccan Herald, Nishith Desai Associates, etc. In addition, some students have also pursued higher studies in reputed international universities or opted for litigation as a career option.SLSH is one of the best law colleges in Hyderabad, with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities. It is located in the Modallaguda village, Ranga Reddy district of Telangana, near Hyderabad, just 45 minutes from the International Airport.For more details about the LL.M. programme and the admission process, candidates can visit the official website of SLSH or SIU or contact them at +91-40-27217701/02/03/04 or info@slsh.edu.in.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday embarked on an official two-day visit to Niigata, Japan, to attend a G7 meeting. India is an invitee to G 7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting. "During her visit, FM Smt.@nsitharaman will also have multilateral and bilateral engagements with her counterparts, besides a roundtable meeting with business leaders and investors," a finance ministry tweet said. During her trip, she will address investors and business leaders in Tokyo. Besides, she will address a seminar on 'Economic Policy in Pursuit of Welfare' at the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting while two other sessionsTackling Immediate Challenges Facing Developing Countries and Strengthening International Cooperation for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. The G7 is a forum of leading industrialised nationsCanada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Representatives of the European Union are always present at the annual meeting of the heads of state and government of the G 7.

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Israel and India on Tuesday inked an agreement that will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing, a move expected to help deal with the rising cost of living and assist thousands of families waiting for nursing care. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who reached New Delhi on Tuesday morning for a three-day visit but announced cutting it short because of the security situation arising out of Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip, held talks with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar. The ministers discussed ways to strengthen Indo-Israel ties by "adding direct flights, continuing cooperation in agriculture and water management, and expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber defence", according to a Hebrew press statement from the Israeli foreign ministry. "The ministers also signed agreements to allow the arrival of 42,000 Indian workers in the fields of construction and nursing," it added. The addition of workers from India is expected to help deal with the rising cost of living in Israel and help thousands of families waiting for nursing care. According to the statement, 34,000 workers will be engaged in the construction field and another 8,000 for nursing needs. In reference to the proposed rail and port link, the Israeli foreign minister said that it would shorten the route between Asia and Europe and make Israel a commercial, technological and transportation hub in the changing trade routes in the Middle East. Emphasising the significant role India can play in expanding the scope of the landmark Abraham Accords, Cohen said that the strategic partnership with New Delhi strengthens Israel and also contributes to the stability in the Middle East. "India can play a significant role in expanding the Abraham Accords and promoting regional projects with countries, and countries that do not yet have relations with Israel," the press statement quoted Cohen as saying. The Abraham Accords of 2020 was the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 years and is the popular description for the normalisation of Israel's ties with the Islamic world. Officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India met earlier this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and discussed a rail and port network linking the Gulf states and India. It is believed that the same may be extended on the other side to include connectivity with Israel, local media reports earlier said. India and Israel have seen an intense last few months of engagement starting with the visit of Knesset's (Israeli parliament) Speaker Amir Ohana at the end of March followed by the visit of Minister of Economy Nir Barkat in April and now comes the visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister in quick succession. The visits are being seen as a build-up to the much-anticipated visit of Netanyahu towards the end of this year.
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If the Karnataka polls are a template, the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections next year will be a nightmare for the nations finances. The Karnataka election is a do-or-die one for the Congress, its last attempt to prove that Rahul Gandhis much-vaunted Bharat Jodo Yatra has had an impact beyond the optics. Unfortunately, as has happened in previous elections too, its strategy has been to dole out freebies en masse. It has promised every household free electricity of 200 units per month; Rs 2000 monthly to a woman in each family; Rs 3000 per month per graduate and Rs 1500 per month to each diploma holder for two years; 10 kgs of free rice per month for people below the poverty line and other such handouts. The Aam Aadmi Party has upped the ante by promising 300 units of free electricity per month, 80 percent job reservation for locals, an agricultural loan waiver and other goodies. These parties do not seem to bother that the cumulative losses of the electricity supply companies in the state stand at over Rs 14,000 crore, nor the fact that their cumulative liabilities stand at over Rs 20,000 crore. They have no compunction in setting the stage for a power crisis in the state, as long as they are elected to power. Indeed, one estimate put the cost of the freebies offered by the Congress and AAP at over 5 percent of the states GDP. But it doesnt end there. Other parties, even those that are in principle opposed to freebies, are forced to respond, to keep alive their poll prospects. And it is not just about freebies promised in the Karnataka election. Opposition parties use the same playbook for elections in every statea report said Arvind Kejriwal had promised free electricity, education and healthcare if voted to power in Madhya Pradesh. The upshot: a race to the bottom for state finances. And this is not some abstract financial concept---more freebies mean less spending on road building, on bringing tap water to households, on hiring more schoolteachers. All politicians know there is a price to be paid, but prefer to cynically manipulate voters. True, the Karnataka governments debt to Gross State Domestic Product ratio is well below the national average. The problem is that the Opposition will persist with freebies even in the most indebted states. As the RBI said in its report, State Finances: A risk analysis, The fiscal conditions among states in India are showing warning signs of building stress. The slowdown in own tax revenue, a high share of committed expenditure and rising subsidy burden have stretched state government finances exacerbated by COVID-19. The report added, New sources of risks have emerged  relaunch of the old pension scheme by some states; rising expenditure on non-merit freebies; expanding contingent liabilities; and the ballooning overdue of DISCOMs - warranting strategic corrective measures. The prime minister was the first to draw attention to the pernicious effects of this revdi culture last year. Even the Supreme Court weighed in on the matter, observing that there was no free lunch. A national debate on the subject seemed to get bogged down in the details, such as whether its all right to subsidise merit goods such as education and health, while ending non-merit subsidies, such as subsidies for power, loan waivers etc. The RBI study referred to above also said, As a corrective measure, the state governments must restrict their revenue expenses by cutting down expenditure on non-merit goods in the near term. A distinction was sought to be drawn between welfare measures and freebies. One suggestion was that every promise by a political party should also state its cost and how it would be financed. Its important not to muddy the waters. Instead of quibbling about which subsidies are merit or non-merit, the way forward would be to determine a cut-off point for the poverty level, and directly subsidise those individuals below it. And if economist Surjit Bhalla is right and extreme poverty in India had dropped to as low as 0.8 percent in 2019, then subsidies to the poor shouldnt be too costly. It is sometimes argued that policies that benefit the corporate sector, such as tariffs or lower taxes, are also subsidies. But such policies have strong externalities, since they benefit economic growth and generate revenues that take care of any extra government borrowing. Similarly, incentives via the PLI schemes or for the transition to green growth also have strong positive externalities. These are far removed from the freebies promised during elections. As a general rule, subsidies that assist in capital accumulation, whether financial capital or human capital, may be considered. Consumption subsidies need to be kept to the minimum. No nation has ever consumed its way to greatness. But the cost of subsidies should not be evaluated only in narrow economic terms. What kind of a democracy do we have if governments are elected on the strength of the freebies promised? Its easy to say that voters need to be educated and in some instances, such as the recent Gujarat elections, the electorate soundly rejected the Oppositions revdi populism. But theres always the danger, as George Bernard Shaw said, that A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. There is also another concern. If, for instance, the Congress is elected to power in Karnataka, it will be emboldened to promise freebies not only in the other state elections but also during the Lok Sabha election next year. That will not only force the BJP to follow suit but could also make its more extremist elements go further down a dangerous path of polarisation and whipping up sentiment against imagined internal and external enemies. Elections should be fought on substantive issues of policy, not on issues of caste or creed or narrow monetary gain. Just as gorging on revdis is bad for health---it leads to fatty liver, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and increases the chances of heart disease---political revdis too result in severe damage to the economic and political health of the nation. Its imperative, therefore, that we have measures that prevent political parties from making irresponsible promises. Parliament needs to lay down ground rules as to what promises political parties can make during elections. Our democracy will be the healthier for it, as will the economy.
Barely two days after his campaign blitzkrieg in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a day-long trip on May 10 to the Mewar region in south Rajasthan. After fighting fiercely to save the BJPs only bastion in southern India, Modi has quickly shifted focus to his next electoral battle. Modis fifth visit to Congress-ruled Rajasthan in the last eight months may be a short trip but is heavy on political symbolism. Arriving in Mewar a day after the birth anniversary of Rana Pratap, the Rajasthan icon of valour and nationalism, the trip is a great opportunity to strengthen the default political motifs of BJP wherein aggressive nationalism is served with Hindu symbols. Beginning his journey by offering prayers at Shrinathji temple of Nathdwara, the PMs temple-trip could further bolster BJPs rich-in-religion political appeal. Beyond the symbolism, however, are hard political concerns since BJP views the tribal belt of Mewar as critical for its comeback in the desert state. The PM's rally in Sirohi is the saffron partys tribal outreach in the region where a new outfit, the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), has created a special political space for itself after winning two seats in the 2018 elections. Tribal Votes Matter While 25 of Rajasthans 200 assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, they also exert a deep impact on electoral verdicts in a dozen other seats. As it fine-tunes strategies to consolidate the tribal vote-bank, the BJP faces a tough task as among the 33-odd tribal MLAs in the Rajasthan assembly, only nine are from the BJP while 17 belong to the Congress. To rectify its slipping hold in the tribal belt, the BJP has spared no effort in recent months. Last November, PM Modi visited Mangarh Dham in Banswara district near the Rajasthan-Gujarat border to woo tribals of Gujarat, MP and Rajasthan. A revered spot, Mangarh saw the martyrdom of 1,500 Bhil tribesmen at the hands of the British Army on November 17, 1913. Popularly called the Adivasi Jallianwala, the PMs rally there was an attempt to boost BJP fortunes in the region. In July 2022, the Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia had also taken out a two-day Tribal Gaurav Padyatra in Dungarpur and Banswara districts at the time of Draupadi Murmus elevation as President of India. While Poonia even witnessed Murmus swearing-in amongst hundreds of people in Dungarpur in an obvious attempt to woo tribals, Modis second trip in seven months lays bare the BJPs keenness to garner tribal votes. Rajasthan has a substantial 14 percent tribal population and the BJP hopes the PMs trip will enable a better rapport with the tribal society and ensure rich electoral benefits in state elections. But regaining its hold in Mewar isnt easy as the BJP has no tall leader left in the area after the RSS-backed Mewar strongman Gulab Chand Kataria was shifted to Assam as Governor. The BJP has carefully chosen a Lok Sabha MP from this region, CP Joshi, as its new state chief about a month back and the Modi rally gives him a chance to assert his leadership skills. Can Modi Magic Blunt Factionalism? For the BJP in Rajasthan, however, the biggest challenge is the severe infighting among its state leaders. Ever since it lost the 2018 elections, internal bickering and factionalism has been the bane of the state unit. The party has way too many leaders with bloated egos and chief ministerial aspirations  from former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ashwini Vaishnaw to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, to name just a few. Given the rift within, the BJP has failed to be a cohesive opposition and has lost most bypolls in the state over the past four years. To overcome factional feuds, the BJP strategy is to use PM Modis name and face to pull votes and not project anyone as its Chief Ministerial candidate. Though Rajasthan has consistently voted out governments every five years in the past three decades, CM Ashok Gehlot is making a strong bid to retain power through his social welfare schemes. PM Modis trip comes just a week after CM Gehlot spent his birthday in Mewar, an obvious reflection of this regions significance in the Rajasthan poll battle. Political circles are abuzz that Modi may use this trip to send subtle messages to voters in Karnataka where polling happens on the same day. As he begins his campaign offensive in Rajasthan, it seems PM Modi cant afford any complacency given the Lok Sabha challenge looming ahead. As Karnataka votes and the PM blows the poll bugle in Rajasthan, its clear that assembly battles in the winter could be a harbinger of things to come in the national elections next summer. Rajan Mahan is a senior journalist who headed NDTV and Star News in Rajasthan. He was also a Professor of Journalism at the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Indias electric vehicle push has suffered multiple setbacks due to lazy policymaking, inefficient implementation and the brazenness of vehicle manufacturers in wrongfully availing of subsidies. The situation has become farcical now, with the government scrambling to penalise manufacturers of electric two-wheelers (E2W) retrospectively and even in this, levying differential penalties on the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) based on either subsidy misappropriation or overpricing of products. And, the entire policy muddle has hurt the industry. Sales of E2W, in particular, have fallen and the overall EV sales target is nowhere near realisation. The story, full of twists and turns, started at the launch of the second edition of Faster Adoption of Electric Vehicles (FAME II), a purchase incentive scheme for EVs, in 2019. The goal of the scheme was simple: OEMs would pass on the subsidy (up to 35-40 percent of the vehicle cost in case of E2W) to the customer at the point of purchase and claim it from the government. But payment of subsidy was subject to mandatory localisation in E2W of up to 50 percent. The subsidy release by the government would also only happen once its own certified testing agencies had checked a random sample of products for compliance with all the conditions for availing subsidy by the OEMs. Allegations of Misappropriation Everything went well between 2019 and 2022. Then a flurry of anonymous emails, detailing subsidy misappropriation by a few E2W OEMs landed in the inboxes of key officials of top government officials. These particular OEMs had not, allegedly, complied with localisation norms but had availed of the subsidy nevertheless. If this was true, how did the governments own testing agencies fail to flag the issue for three years? As the OEMs cried themselves hoarse about the absence of a domestic ecosystem for sourcing parts for making their electric vehicles, the government stopped subsidy payments and subsequently launched a probe. In various representations to the government and assertions to the media, the E2W OEMs cited multiple conspiracy theories: the anonymous emails were sent by fossil fuel vehicle manufacturers who feared a dent in sales; the government mandated high localisation knowing well that there was hardly any ecosystem present locally given the lack economies of scale; and that only market leaders were targeted though all OEMs had misappropriated subsidies. As the government stopped subsidy payments pending the conclusion of the probe into the allegations, the OEMs continued to pay subsidies from their own pockets to keep up sales while demanding the resumption of the payments from the government. Now, nearly one year after the probe started, there is again an attempt to obfuscate the issue. The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), one of the official testing agencies, has cleared six E2W OEMs and said that no serious violations of localisation norms had been found. It also said that the government would soon start disbursement of subsidies, but refused to clarify the issues surrounding other OEMs and whether they were indeed indulging in subsidy misappropriation. Meanwhile, another bunch of E2W OEMs have begun offering a refund on some accessories (such as chargers) sold to customers bundled with the vehicles, since this also violated subsidy norms. But the subsidy misappropriation allegations against the third set of OEMs - market leaders accounting for the bulk of sales volume - are still to be decided. There are indications that these OEMs will be asked to pay back the subsidies they have already availed earlier. Sales Lag Target Amid all this back-and-forth between the government and industry, sales of E2W fell by about a fifth month-on-month in April due to price hikes by some OEMs and a shortage of working capital in the absence of subsidy disbursal by the government. Overall, while FAME II is in its penultimate year, only about half the target of 15.62 lakh EV sales has been achieved so far. Of the targeted electric vehicles, an overwhelming 10 lakh were to be E2W and the outlay for FAME II was Rs 10,000 crore. While drafting FAME II, policymakers should have assessed the depth and breadth of local supply chains before earmarking localisation levels. It was obvious that in the absence of local manufacturing of some critical components, vehicle makers would have no option but to import from China, a global supplier in the EV space. In any case, after the policy was launched, the governments testing procedure should have been more robust to detect any subsidy misappropriation. Now, as Indias EV sales lag target, there is an urgent need to relook at the need, quantum and quality of subsidies  should they be offered, should they stimulate demand or could they be focused on the supply side only? Subsidies eventually distort the market but is the Indian industry at a stage where it can survive without such a mechanism? As the government is equivocal about extending FAME II amid a push by different parliamentary committees for an extension of the scheme, perhaps the entire architecture of incentivisation needs a relook. Sindhu Bhattacharya is a journalist based in Delhi who writes on a range of topics in business and economy. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
The arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the subsequent violence on May 9, 2023, between his supporters and security forces that spread to different parts of the country has the potential of plunging Pakistan into a long bout of destruction and political instability. Such a situation could also worsen the countrys image further, especially when it is negotiating a financial bailout package of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Violence erupted on Tuesday in several cities of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta, following Khans arrest, who is also the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Khan was arrested by Pakistani Rangers from the Islamabad High Court when he had to make an appearance before a judge in connection with a land scam, known as the Qadir Trust corruption case. Provincial assembly elections will be delayed HKhans arrest and related developments are likely to push back the provincial assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) that were due on May 14. The fate of the provincial assembly elections was already in doubt as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had cited its inability to hold free and fair polls for want of adequate security personnel. Now, with his arrest and the ongoing violence in the country, there is very little chance of them being held as per schedule. The ECP had suggested that assembly and parliamentary elections should be held in October when the ongoing operations at the Sindh-Punjab border against the Taliban Pakistan terrorists will be over and an adequate number of security personnel are available. Corruption cases against Khan There are a number of corruption cases against Khan. If his involvement is established by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is investigating the cases, he could be disqualified from future elections and from holding any post within his party. His predecessor and Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leader Nawaz Sharif had faced the same fate when charges of corruption by the NAB had barred him from contesting elections and holding political posts. All attempts to arrest Khan earlier were thwarted by his supporters and they fought violently with the security forces and prevented them from acting against him. The Pakistan army had, so far, distanced itself from the operations against the former prime minister and had left it to the Pakistani police. Friction with the army Khans repeated allegations against the Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) -- the all-powerful spy network of the country and a wing of the Pakistani army  that it wants to assassinate him seems to have forced the army to act against him. A few days back, the Inter-Service Press Relations (ISPR) had categorically denied the charges made by the former prime minister and cautioned him not to sully the image of the Pakistani army. Pakistani political commentator Zahid Hussain had recently observed in his column that it is now Khans turn to face persecution the same way the previous opposition leaders faced during his tenure. Khan had won parliamentary elections in 2018 with the backing of the army and promised to fight corruption to build a new Pakistan where all sections will prosper. However, his growing differences with the Pakistan armys top echelons and attempts to take key decisions, ignoring the top generals concerns and interest led to his ouster in April 2022, after he lost a confidence vote in parliament. Khan has since directed his ire and frustration on the army and taken every opportunity in the past months to criticise the countrys military establishment. Economic crisis Khans stint as the countrys prime minister also witnessed the worst economic crisis in Pakistan. As his government began negotiations with the IMF for a $1.1 billion bailout package, the international lending body put stringent conditions on Pakistan that forced the government to remove subsidies on gas and energy, leading to a sharp rise in fuel prices and it also impacted the cost of food and other essential items. The Shahbaz Sharif-led coalition government, which replaced him, has been facing the brunt of the peoples anger and frustration because of the adverse economic situation. Khan most popular political figure Most observers acknowledge that Khan is currently the most popular political figure in Pakistan. He has become more popular due to his relentless attack against the government for its failure to check rising food and fuel prices. The PTI leader has also been equally critical of the army for interfering in political affairs and preventing popular leaders elected by the peoples mandate from functioning independently. Khan has convinced his supporters that he was removed from power by the army and his political opponents because he wanted to improve the condition of the poor. The Sharif government and its coalition partners are aware that if parliamentary elections are held now, they will lose because peoples frustration over the economic crisis will be directed against them. On the other hand, if general elections are held in October, it might give the ruling coalition time to improve the economy and their chances. However, if elections in the Punjab and KPK Assemblies are held earlier, it might give Khans PTI an emphatic victory and allow the party to ride on the wave of its electoral success in the parliamentary election in October. The best scenario for the ruling coalition of Sharif could, therefore, be to get Khan out of the race by disqualifying him. This could prove to be counter-productive and turn the former prime minister into a more popular figure. A lot will depend on an early release of Khan and his effective handling of the current crisis and efforts to stabilise Pakistan. But will the government in Islamabad manage to do this soon or not will remain a big question.
In a veiled attack on opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said some people are so full of negativity that they don't want to see anything good happen in the country and only like to create controversy. At a function in Rajasthan's Nathdwara town, Modi said those who measure everything with votes are unable to devise plans keeping the country in mind. "Because of this thinking, priority was not given to infrastructure development in the country," he said without naming anyone. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was present at the function besides other state leaders. Significantly, before Modi's address, Gehlot had drawn the prime minister's attention to pending projects, including Dungarpur-Ratlam via Banswara rail line, Karauli-Sarmathura rail line and national project status to Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. Gehlot also said that the opposition should be respected in democracy and that Prime Minister Modi "will also move in this direction". "If this is done, the ruling dispensation and the opposition will be able to serve the country with more vigour," he said. Addressing the programme after launching various infrastructure development projects in the state, Modi said, "Some people in the country have become victims of such a distorted ideology; they are so full of negativity that they do not want to see anything good happen in the country. They only like to create controversy". He said those filled with negativity neither have a vision nor capability to think beyond their selfish political motive. History is witness that for sustainable and rapid development, it is necessary to create modern infrastructure along with a basic system, the prime minister said. "If sufficient number of medical colleges had already been built, then there would have been no shortage of doctors. If every house would have started getting water earlier, then Jal Jeevan Mission would not have to be started," he said. He said Rajasthan has also suffered for not building infrastructure with foresight. "You know how difficult it was to come and go in this desert due to lack of connectivity. Be it farming or business activities, everything was difficult," he said. The prime minister also highlighted the achievement of his government. Calling today's society as aspirational, Modi said it is the responsibility of the government to meet the aspirations of the people who want more facilities. He said his government is giving maximum emphasis to modern infrastructure. "Modern infrastructure increases connectivity in cities and villages, increases convenience and improves people's lives as well as accelerates development. When we talk about the vision of a developed India in the coming 25 years, then this modern infrastructure is emerging as a new force at its core," he said. The prime minister said unprecedented investment is being made in all types of infrastructure in the country and work is progressing at a fast pace. Investment on infrastructure, he said, has a direct impact on development and employment opportunities are created and the benefits go to the people. During the programme, Modi laid foundation stones and inaugurated infrastructure development projects costing over Rs 5,500 crore. Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, BJP state president and Chittorgarh MP Chandra Prakash Joshi, Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, Banswara-Dungarpur MLA Kanakmal Katara, PWD minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Jatav were also present in the function. Earlier, Modi offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple in the town.
Police in China have arrested a man for misusing ChatGPT to spread fake news. The case is believed to be the first of its kind in China where a person has been arrested for misusing artificial intelligence. According to a report in The Independent, police in Gansu province arrested the man, surnamed Hong, for using ChatGPT to generate several fake news pieces about a fictional train crash. The accused then shared the fake news articles on social media, where they were widely circulated. The fake news articles claimed that nine people had been killed in the train crash on April 25. Hong used ChatGPT to create several versions of the same article with slight modifications to each. By the time the fake news came to the attention of authorities, the articles had received more than 15,000 views on Chinese search giant Baidu, according to CNBC. AI exploded into the public consciousness last year with ChatGPT, a bot capable of generating tracts of coherent text from short prompts. The wild popularity of the bot sparked a race between tech giants like Google and Microsoft to embed AI in everything from spreadsheets to search tools, and prompted investors to pour money into AI startups. But sceptics have pointed to the several ways in which AI can be misused, not the least of which is the dissemination of fake news. Earlier this month, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed "the godfather of AI", quit his job at Google to warn of the "profound risks to society and humanity" of the technology. (With inputs from AFP)

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More than two years after a complaint was brought against the 10 Republicans who attempted to hand Wisconsins Electoral College votes to President Donald Trump, a Dane County judge said Monday he plans to send the case back to the state elections commission for a second consideration.

Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington, who plans to issue a written ruling in the next week or so, said when he sends the matter back to the Wisconsin Elections Commission hell stipulate that GOP commissioner Robert Spindell Jr.  who was also one of the 10 fake electors to sign the documents  must recuse himself this time around.

In March 2022, Spindell and the rest of the bipartisan commission unanimously dismissed the complaint after determining the 10 Republicans had not violated state elections laws.

Attorneys for Spindell, the elections commission and liberal group Law Forward, which filed the initial complaint in February 2021, all largely agreed with Remingtons impending decision. Spindells attorney Mark Maciolek said his client has agreed to not participate in the complaints second consideration before the commission.

Ill tip my hand, Remington said in oral arguments Monday. Im going to issue a written decision. But  surprise, surprise  Im going to come to the conclusion, as all parties have, that the appropriate remedy is to vacate the decision of the (elections commission) and remand it back for further proceedings, which dont include commissioner Spindell.

The case stems from a Dec. 14, 2020, meeting at the Capitol where, following pressure from people in Trumps inner circle, the 10 Republicans signed official-looking documents purporting that Trump had won Wisconsin, despite recounts and court decisions affirming that President Joe Biden won the battleground state by almost 21,000 votes.

Wisconsin Law Forward filed a complaint in early 2021 with the elections commission on behalf of the Service Employees International Union alleging the Republican slate of electors violated Wisconsin law when they convened and then sent documents to federal and state officials falsely claiming to be the states rightful electors.

After the elections commission dismissed the complaint, Law Forward since filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of a handful of Democrats, including two official presidential electors, against the 10 Republicans, as well as Boston-area lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis, a former Republican-appointed Dane County judge who has represented Trump in Wisconsin.

That lawsuit, which is also before Remington, alleges the Republicans and their attorneys broke multiple laws, including counterfeiting public records, illegally interfering with official procedures, defrauding the public and engaging in conspiracy. Plaintiffs seek more than $2.4 million in damages, including $2,000 fines for the Republicans and their attorneys, and up to $200,000 in punitive damages for each plaintiff.

Nine of the 10 Republicans have sought to have the lawsuit broken up and brought before individual courts in their counties of residence.

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.
The arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case has resulted in widespread protests across the country, with his supporters taking to the streets to demand his release. While many protesters were peaceful, some resorted to violence and looting. In Lahore, some of Khan's supporters broke into the Corps Commander's house and stole items from the residence, including peacocks and frozen strawberries. In one viral video, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was seen holding a peacock and claiming that he took it because it was bought with "citizen's money". This PTI worker stole a peacock from the residence of Lahore corps commander. pic.twitter.com/03KWxgy12K  Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 9, 2023 Another video showed two men holding two white peacocks that they allegedly stole from the residence of the army's Corps Commander. Peacocks stolen by mob from inside residence of Pakistan Armys Corps Commander in Lahore, Pakistan. Arson, rioting and clashes continue at night. pic.twitter.com/YwyeQLMFLN  Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) May 9, 2023 Looters also took food and Coca Cola with one of them saying he would feed the dish to cats and dogs. Protestors also took away tomato ketchup, salad, yoghurt and live chickens. They told the woman making the video that they got the stuff from the kitchen. Pakistani to ekdam next level loot macha rahe hai pic.twitter.com/SlJ3wzkqvx  Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) May 10, 2023 Khan's supporters also vandalized the house of a commander with sticks. The protests led to the imposition of Section 144 across the country, which prohibits gatherings of more than four people in public places. Khan's arrest was related to the Al-Qadir Trust case, and he was taken into custody ahead of his appearance before the Islamabad High Court to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him. He is facing a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon that reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer. Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs 50 billion sent by Britain's National Crime Agency to the government. #EXCLUSIVE: #PTI protestors enjoying strawberries they looted from refrigerator of corps commander #Lahores house. pic.twitter.com/b89LP2Tocr  Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) May 9, 2023 The official Twitter handle of Khan's party shared a video showing scores of supporters marching on the streets demanding his release. The protests have not subsided, and there are concerns that they could escalate further. PTI workers protested in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, Geo News reported. Read: It has come down to street power versus Pakistan Armys grip over power The violence and looting by some of Khan's supporters have been widely condemned.
NR Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty are regulars at a polling booth in south Bengalurus Jayanagar, visiting the centre during every election to cast their votes. On Wednesday morning too, the Infosys co-founder and philanthropist-author wife were among the early voters who cast their ballot in the Karnataka assembly election. Sending a message to the younger generation on the importance of exercising their franchise, the Murthys urged cited their own example of how, if the elderly can visit polling stations, the youth too can certainly spare time to vote. Narayana Murthy, 76, said the onus is on the elders to urge young people to vote. He cited the time from his youth when his parents ensured that he cast his vote. On the voting day, they would ensure that we simply did not go away without voting. They took us with them to the voting booth, they had made sure we were registered, they made sure that we voted. So I would lay the blame entirely on the elders, Murthy told news agency ANI. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, also voted in Bengalurus Jayanagar. Many polling stations in Bengaluru saw brisk polling, with senior citizens leading from the front at some of them. "First, we vote and then we can say this is good, this is not good but if we don't do that then we don't have the right to criticise," Narayana Murthy said. Sudha Murty too had a similar message for young people. The 72-year-old philanthropist, who was recently conferred with the Padma Bhushan award, said, Please look at us. We are oldies but we get up at 6 o'clock, come here and vote. Please learn from us. Voting is a sacred part of democracy.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to the legendary poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary on May 9. In a unique gesture, Trinamool Congress MPs, MLAs, and office bearers also joined her in singing Tagore's songs, marking the first time that the party members had come together to celebrate the occasion. The TMC chief was seen singing a Rabindra Sangeet, (Prano bhoriye) with state minister Indranil Sen in a video shared by news agency ANI. The celebration took place at Trinamool Bhavan in Kolkata. Banerjee also took to Twitter to give her tribute to Tagore, saying that his great contribution to literature and art had shaped the rich cultural heritage of India and inspired many across the globe. "I pay my humble tribute to Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary. His great contribution to literature and art has shaped our rich cultural heritage and inspired many across the globe. May his teachings and philosophy continue to guide us all, Banerjee tweeted. Watch Banerjee sing with musicians on stage: #WATCH | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sings a song on the birth anniversary of #RabindranathTagore, in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/XLGXhoBCIj  ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2023 Apart from her tribute to the renowned poet, Banerjee also made a veiled attack on Union Minister Amit Shah, who had visited the state the day before and paid homage to Tagore. The Chief Minister stated that whenever someone tried to create divisions, she would invoke Tagore's words. Rabindranath Tagore's contributions to literature, music, and art are unparalleled. He was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems, Gitanjali. He is also known for writing the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Tagore's works continue to inspire people across the world, and his teachings on love, peace, and unity are as relevant today as they were during his lifetime.
A day after Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in Islamabad, an actor and social activist from the neighbouring country has blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) for creating chaos and terror in Pakistan. Sehar Shinwari even sought to file a complaint against them to the Delhi Police. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, "Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police? I have to file a complain against Indian Pm & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claims) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will provide me justice (sic)." In separate tweets, Shinwari added, "I am going to file FIR against Narendra Modi in police station because he is the main source behind terrorism in Pakistan... India is trying to escalate tensed political situation in Pakistan. I request UN to take immediate action against India." Responding to it, the Delhi Police wrote, "We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country!" We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country! https://t.co/lnUCf8tY59  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 9, 2023 Pakistan on Tuesday suspended social media and internet services across the country after former Prime Minister and Tehreek-e-Insaf party chairman Imran Khan's arrest. According to Pakistan's The Nation newspaper, internet services in major cities have been shut down, while mobile services have been suspended in most areas of Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. Global internet monitor NetBlocks also confirmed the disruption of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube on multiple internet providers in Pakistan on Tuesday after Khan's arrest. Read more: Imran Khans arrest: Pak plunges into further chaos
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and wife Sudha Murty reached a Bengaluru polling booth this morning to cast their votes in the Karnataka Assembly Election 2023. Speaking to the media after casting her vote, Sudha Murty shared a message for young voters. Please look at us. We are oldies but we get up at 6 o'clock, come here and vote. Please learn from us. Voting is a sacred part of democracy, said the 72-year-old philanthropist, who was recently conferred with the Padma Bhushan award. #WATCH | Jayanagar, Bengaluru | Sudha Murty gives a message to young voters after casting her vote; says, "Please look at us. We are oldies but we get up at 6 o'clock, come here and vote. Please learn from us. Voting is a sacred part of democracy..."#KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/B1ecZCH93M  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023 Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy agreed with his wifes statement. He said he had returned to India from a trip abroad this morning and reached the polling booth so he could vote in the Karnataka Election. It is the duty of every citizen to exercise this responsibility with a lot of care and deep thought. I am very grateful that I had this opportunity. I just came back this morning from abroad and I am very happy that I had this opportunity, said Murthy. Asked if he had a message for young voters in a city notorious for low voter turnout, the co-founder of Infosys said: Unless you exercise this responsibility diligently, with a lot of deep thought, I do not think we have the right to speak about progress or lack of it. First, we vote and then we can say this is good, this is not good but if we don't do that then we don't have the right to criticise, he added. "First, we vote and then we can say this is good, this is not good but if we don't do that then we don't have the right to criticise," says Infosys founder Narayana Murthy after casting his vote in Bengaluru#KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/BAuZXKUzVs  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023 Voting for the high stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday, in a state where the ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty voted at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, where Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, also voted. (With inputs from PTI)
Indian travellers are facing uncertainty and difficulties in their summer holiday plans due to the recent filing for insolvency and grounding of aircraft by Go First airline. Many fliers have already been hit by flight cancellations, while several others are scrambling to book on other airlines after getting cancellation messages from the cash-strapped carrier. Mayuri Shah, a Mumbai resident, had to shell out Rs 8,000 more for booking tickets on another flight for her family of three after receiving a cancellation message from Go First for her scheduled travel to Goa later this month. "My return flight to Mumbai from Goa was cancelled and I struggled to book three tickets and ended up paying a lot more. I have faced delays for my previous travel via Go First but I was looking for cheaper rates so went ahead with it. However, re-booking has cost me more," she said. Also read: Go First cancels all flights scheduled till May 19, assures full refunds It is a tough time for holiday goers who had booked entire flights, said Chirag Gupta, Founder & CEO, Deyor, a travel-technology platform. "Apart from flights, a holiday typically includes hotels as well, and hotels are always booked with fixed cancellation policies. Holiday goers are now scrambling to book alternative flights to their destinations, which naturally have gone a lot higher in price due to the current unfortunate situation involving Go First," he added. Go First, which had a 6.9 percent market share in Q1 2023, filed for insolvency resolution due to the grounding of its aircraft and cash crunch, leaving a vacuum of approximately 1 million airline seats on a monthly basis, noted Nandivardhan Jain, CEO of Noesis, a hospitality consulting and hotel investment advisory. This has increased airfares as demand moved to other airlines, he said. "The aviation industry expects record occupancy rates of over 95 percent this summer. However, expensive air tickets may cause passengers to opt for other modes of travel or modify their holiday plans," Jain added. Also read: NCLT order on insolvency to ensure Go First remains viable, says CEO Kaushik Khona Another traveller who booked a Go First flight to Goa from Mumbai is in a dilemma whether he should book tickets on another reliable airline or opt for bus travel. While the traveller has not yet received any cancellation message from the airline for his travel in August, the flier said that looking at the current situation he doesn't want to take any chances. High airfares This summer, air travel costs for Indian travellers are expected to be double that of the previous years, which is hurting people's overall travel budgets, Jain said. "The current demand and supply gap in the airline industry is expected to lead to a rise in airfares, which may discourage many from travelling. This trend could have a significant impact on the growth rate of the travel market and can lead to reduced demand for air travel. This could ultimately result in slower growth for the travel industry as a whole," he added. Prices have gone up for other airlines and holiday goers are now left with no option but to either cancel their plans or book more expensive alternatives, said Gupta. A typical Delhi-Leh flight which costs around Rs 5,000 is now Rs 8,000 or higher," he added. Also read: Lessors won't be able to repossess GoFirst aircraft if bankruptcy code kicks in Air Travel has become expensive by 15-20 percent after the Go First issue started, said Sanjay Dang, Managing Director of Le Travelworld, a travel agency. Travelling from Nagpur to Dehradun via Delhi, Neha Lal (name changed) had one of the worst experiences recently when her connecting Go First flight from Nagpur got delayed by four hours, making her miss the Delhi to Dehradun flight. "I had a four-day plan as it was a long weekend but the day I was leaving from Nagpur on April 27 the flight which was scheduled to depart at 11:55 AM got delayed to 14:50 PM and further got delayed to 15:40 PM. I tried booking another flight but there was no flight from other airlines for that route. My one entire day got wasted. The travel platform through which I had booked tickets told me they couldn't do much as it was an operational issue and that there were no other flights they could book for me. I had to reschedule my flight from Delhi to Dehradun which cost me Rs 2,000 extra." She added: "I had planned a getaway and had taken out time for myself but the trip had such a chaotic start. My four-day plan got squeezed to three days due to Go First's operational issue." Dang said some of the foreign travel routes including Bangkok are also getting affected due to the Go First flight suspension. In limbo However, Jain said that Go First was limited to operating flights to only seven international destinations, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Phuket, Male, Bangkok and Kuwait. "Due to extreme weather conditions in the Middle East, travel to these destinations is limited during the summer season. So the impact of Go First's exit on Indian travellers looking to travel to foreign destinations this summer is limited." Also read: Go First insolvency chronology The Go First issue is likely to have a short-term impact on travel demand in India, added Gupta. Dang too thinks that the impact of Go First's exit on overall travel may not be significant. "Go First was not really a go-to brand due to a high number of flight cancellations. So, as a company, we are not badly affected. However, fliers who have booked tickets are in a difficult situation. Until they (Go First) resume operations and things become regular, no one can be too sure of how the situation will pan out." The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), which has about 2,500 firms as members, in a representation to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that Rs 900 crore is stuck as they had made forward bookings due to high demand because of summer holidays. The group said Go First flights were booked to 90-93 percent capacity by their members for the holiday season.
A Utah woman who wrote a childrens book on grief after her husbands death has now been accused of murdering him. Kouri Richins, 33, was arrested earlier this week for allegedly poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl. The events leading to Eric Richinss death unfolded one night in March 2022, when Kouri Richins called emergency services to say she had found her husband cold to the touch. Police arrived at their Utah home at around 3.20 am, and found Eric lying on the foot of his bed. Kouri told police that she had made a vodka cocktail for her husband and served it to him in bed. She later left their bedroom to look after one of their children who was had a nightmare. The mother of three said that when she returned to their bedroom at around 3 am, she found Eric cold to the touch and called 911. According to KSL TV, the 33-year-old author told police that she had left her phone in her bedroom. However, phone records revealed her phone was active in her childs room and she had received messages during that time which were deleted. A medical examination later concluded that Eric Richins had died of a fentanyl overdose. Police found several messages between Kouri and an unnamed acquaintance after obtaining a search warrant for her computer and phone. The acquaintance had been charged in the past for drug possession. According to court documents, Kouri had texted the person several times to ask for drugs and had obtained fentanyl. Three days after she obtained fentanyl, the couple had a Valentines Day dinner after which Eric fell violently ill. He told a friend his wife was trying to poison him. Investigators say that these allegations of poisoning were repeated by Erics sisters, who recalled another instance where Eric fell ill during a holiday in Greece. It was only two weeks after the Valentines Day dinner that Kouri called 911 to say her husband was cold to the touch and unresponsive. He was found dead when police arrived at their home on March 4, 2022. Kouri has now been charged with first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, officials said
Donald Trump must pay $5 million in damages for sexually abusing magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her by branding her a liar, a jury decided on Tuesday. "Today, the world finally knows the truth," Carroll said in a statement. "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed." The former U.S. president, campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal, his lawyer Joseph Tacopina told reporters outside the Manhattan federal courthouse. Carroll, 79, testified during the civil trial that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then harmed her reputation by writing in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform that her claims were a "complete con job," "a hoax" and "a lie." Trump was absent throughout the trial which began on April 25. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the verdict a "disgrace" and said, "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is." Because it was a civil case, Trump faces no criminal consequences and, as such, there was never a threat of prison. The jury, required to reach a unanimous verdict, deliberated for just under three hours. Its six men and three women awarded Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages, but Trump will not have to pay so long as the case is on appeal. In April, Trump gave election regulators only the rough estimates of his wealth that are required in financial disclosures, listing over a dozen properties as worth "over $50 million" each. 'CORE PRO-TRUMP VOTERS ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE' President from 2017 to 2021, Trump is the front-runner in opinion polls for the Republican presidential nomination and has shown an uncanny ability to weather controversies that might sink other politicians. It seems unlikely in America's polarized political climate that the civil verdict will have an impact on Trump's core supporters, who view his legal woes as part of a concerted effort by opponents to undermine him. "The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just don't think are going to be moved by this type of thing," said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania. Any negative impact is likely to be small and limited to suburban women and moderate Republicans, Gerow said. Trump has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot. He has said Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and a registered Democrat, made up the allegations to try to increase sales of her 2019 memoir and to hurt him politically. His poll numbers improved after he was charged last month with falsifying business records over a hush money payment to a porn star before his victory in the 2016 presidential election. The first U.S. president past or present to be criminally charged, Trump has pleaded not guilty and said the charges are politically motivated. Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist, said it remained to be seen whether the verdict in Carroll's case would make Trump "unpalatable" to Republican voters beyond his base, prompting them to coalesce around another candidate. The trial featured testimony from former People magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff, who told jurors that Trump cornered her at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2005 and forcibly kissed her for a "few minutes." Another woman, Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump kissed her, groped her and put his hand up her skirt on a flight in 1979. Jurors also heard excerpts from a 2005 "Access Hollywood" video in which Trump says women let him "grab 'em by the pussy." "Historically, that's true, with stars ... if you look over the last million years," Trump said in an October 2022 video deposition played in court. He has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct. TRUMP MISTAKES CARROLL FOR EX-WIFE Carroll testified that she bumped into Trump at Bergdorf's and agreed to help him pick out a gift for another woman. The two looked at lingerie before he coaxed her into a dressing room, slammed her head into a wall, pulled down her tights and penetrated her, she testified. Carroll said she could not remember the precise date or year the alleged rape occurred. Jurors were tasked with deciding whether Trump raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched Carroll, and were separately asked if Trump defamed Carroll. The jurors found Trump sexually abused her but not that he raped her. Before the jurors began deliberating, Judge Lewis Kaplan defined rape for them as non-consensual "sexual intercourse" through "forcible compulsion." He described sexual abuse as non-consensual "sexual contact" through forcible compulsion. Jurors awarded Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages for her battery claim, and $2.7 million in compensatory and $280,000 in punitive damages for her defamation claim. Trump's legal team attacked the plausibility of Carroll's account including why she had never reported the matter to police or screamed during the alleged incident. Two of Carroll's friends said that she told them about the alleged rape at the time but swore them to secrecy because she feared that Trump would use his fame and wealth to retaliate if she came forward. Carroll told jurors she decided to break her silence in 2017 after rape allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted scores of women to come forward with accounts of sexual violence by powerful men. She went public with her account while Trump was president. She said Trump's public denials wrecked her career and instigated a campaign of vicious online harassment by his supporters. While Trump did not testify at the trial, a video clip from the October 2022 deposition showed him mistaking Carroll for one of his former wives in a black-and-white photo among several people at an event. "It's Marla," Trump said in the deposition, referring to his second wife Marla Maples. Previously Trump had said he could not have raped Carroll because she was "not my type."
Myanmar's shadow government welcomes efforts by ASEAN chair Indonesia to kickstart peace talks in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation but is deeply distrustful of the junta that took power in a 2021 coup, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holding a summit in Indonesia have called for an immediate end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar, pushing for urgent dialogue and aid delivery. "The biggest obstacle to peace talks is the military junta," said Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for Myanmar's shadow administration, known as the National Unity Government. Kyaw Zaw said the junta was trying to mislead the international community, pointing to its failure to implement a five-point peace "consensus" agreed by its top general with ASEAN months after the coup sparked widespread unrest. "The junta never keeps its promises," Kyaw Zaw added. A junta spokesperson did not answer telephone calls to seek comment. The 2021 coup, which ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, upended a decade of tentative democratic reform. It was followed by a bloody crackdown on protests, giving rise to an armed struggle. The military regime is under pressure as resistance fighters, alongside ethnic armed groups, continue to battle junta troops. In retaliation, the military has intensified attacks and air strikes, as it seeks to consolidate power ahead of a planned election. On Wednesday, a junta-controlled newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, carried a statement inviting resistance fighters to return to the "legal fold" and offering cash rewards to those who brought back weapons. For months, Indonesia has been quietly engaging key stakeholders in Myanmar's conflict, besides neighbours China, India and Thailand, in an effort to revive the peace process. Since late 2021, ASEAN has banned the junta from attending its high-level meetings.

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A Pakistani court on May 10 indicted Imran Khan in the Toshakhana corruption case, in fresh trouble for the former prime minister who was arrested by paramilitary Rangers a day earlier from the Islamabad High Court premises. Khan, 70, has been in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit. Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman was indicted in the Toshakhana case. Khan was present in the District and Sessions Court where judge Humayun Dilawar conducted the hearing. The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months.

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The worst of the pandemic has subsided, countries are accessible again and airlines expect decent profits now that business and leisure travel have returned. Why, then, are fares still so high?

For one, theres a lack of planes. Airlines idled large portions of their fleets because travel demand was so lackluster during the pandemic that they werent needed. Now they cant bring them back fast enough  it takes 100 working hours to ready the biggest jets for service after being parked away.

Another reason: consumers are willing to pay more for tickets after being denied the chance to travel, in some cases for as long as three years. A Booking.com survey of more than 25,000 adults planning to travel in the next 12-24 months found that many wanted to be more indulgent with their itineraries to make up for lost opportunities.

Even if some trips might be a bit more expensive than they were previously, many people still see value in spending on travel, said Marcos Guerrero, senior director of flights at the online travel company.

The bad news for consumers is that ticket prices are likely to stay elevated for several years, at least according to Michael OLeary, chief executive officer of Ryanair Holdings Plc, Europes biggest airline in terms of passengers carried.

Airlines were stung by nearly $200 billion in losses over COVID-19 and tens of millions of aviation jobs were cut. With a travel recovery now well underway, the industry is struggling to re-recruit sufficiently. Many well-trained former workers decided to switch careers entirely to take up more stable jobs.

The shortages have worsened delays at airport check-in desks, immigration counters and baggage carousels. Theyve also forced airlines to work harder to attract and retain staff, which has meant offering better salaries. That translates into higher airfares as carriers try to recoup the additional costs.

Fuel prices have cooled in the past year, but crude is still more than 50% expensive than in January 2019, posing a problem for airlines as fuel is their single-greatest cost. Many carriers, especially low-cost ones, dont hedge fuel, leaving them vulnerable to price spikes sparked by events such as Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Airlines contribute a little more than 2% of the worlds carbon emissions, but lag almost all other businesses in pledges for a cleaner future. Thats partly because the only feasible solution now  sustainable aviation fuel  costs as much as five times traditional jet fuel.

The industry is going to have to pay $2 trillion to become carbon neutral by 2050, according to the International Air Transport Association. Airlines will have to raise ticket prices to cope, making flying even more costly.

Meanwhile, some of the newest technologies being discussed  hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft  remain mostly in the research stages, and are set to be expensive if they come to fruition.

As many as 16,000 aircraft  about two-thirds of the worlds commercial fleet  was grounded at the height of the pandemic. Making them airworthy again is a huge task that involves scrutinizing every part to ensure they are safe. Many were kept in deserts in the U.S. and Australia where they are less susceptible to wear and tear, yet they still can suffer from issues such as damaged interiors and engines.

On top of that, aircraft manufacturers are falling behind, with labor shortages at subcontractors putting the brakes on production. Sanctions tied to Russia have also made it harder for Airbus SE, Boeing Co. and their suppliers to secure raw materials like titanium, pushing up prices of parts.

Getting hold of new engines is another headache. The likes of Spirit Airlines Inc. and Indias IndiGo have been forced to idle new aircraft as parts are in short supply and manufacturers are struggling to build new turbines. Some new-generation technology also needs more frequent maintenance, as parts like exotic metal alloys, coatings and composites wear out faster.

Capacity is a challenge, Ryanairs OLeary said at a Bloomberg conference this month. Over the medium term, the inability of Airbus and Boeing to deliver any meaningful increase in production means capacity is going to continue to be challenging for the next two, three, five years.

He expects fares to rise by double digits this summer, following jumps of as much as 15% last year.

China, the worlds second-biggest economy and source of almost $280 billion in annual tourism spending prior to the pandemic, is still rebuilding from the crisis. The government held on to virus containment measures such as citywide lockdowns way longer than anywhere else, and people arent overly eager to risk traveling again, even after the COVID Zero approach was abandoned.

A recent survey found that more than 30% Chinese travelers have ruled out overseas travel in 2023.

17 places around the world where you can visit the gates of hell 17 places that are actual gates of hell on Earth Darvaza Gas Crater Guimen Gate Lua-o-Milu Osorezan Cape Matapan Caves Seven Gates of Hell Hekla Volcano Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave St. Patricks Purgatory Stull Cemetery Hells Gate National Park Lactus Curtius Cave of the Sibyl Mictlan Houska Castle Gates of Guinee Plutos Gate
750,000.

Its a huge number, and its currently how many unfilled cybersecurity jobs there are, per a recent estimation from Google (News - Alert) (with data also provided by CyberSeek). With that many openings, youd imagine an industry-traversing giant like Google could further a surge of training opportunities in order to fill the right roles with the right people. (In addition to its support via its already-offered cloud and network engineering courses, for example.)

And so, Googles on the case.

Lets break this down:

Recently, Google announced the launch of its cybersecurity analyst training program; a new certificate for newer-generation professionals (under its existing Google Career Certificates initiative). As part of Grow with Google, as well, this Cybersecurity Certificate is a program custom-built by Google experts and is hosted by Coursera, online course provider that already partners with more than 275 companies and universities (e.g. IBM (News - Alert), AWS, Atlassian, ADP, Intel, DeepLearning.AI, the e-Learning Development Fund, Johns Hopkins University, Meta, Oracle, etcetera). Plus, as of this announcement, institutions like the University of Texas System and Purdue University (News - Alert) will actively offer Googles course, too.

Per a Google representative: Google remains committed to partnering with others to help build a robust cybersecurity workforce, expanding the pathways to join this critical field. The Google Cybersecurity Certificate provides job-seeking individuals with more extensive and affordable paths to careers in IT support, business intelligence, data analytics and beyond.

We know its imperative that the right people are in place to address an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape that affects everything from our emergency services to the economy, the representative continued. Were committed to a new workforce, one equipped with the expertise needed to promote resilience against cyber attacks and to build a safer world.

Though perhaps not the one-and-only answer to cyber problems, looking for a single Holy Grail of an option amidst todays shifting technologies would be a narrow-sighted reach. Expanding perspectives to whats out there is the goal; for people to learn how to combat cyber-enabled criminals and fraudsters (any adversaries to infrastructures most vital), especially given recent reports that claim cybercrime activities have cost the U.S. alone approximately $27.6 billion since 2018.

In this effort, Google also works to bridge significant opportunity gaps to bring strong diversity to the fore of cybersecurity; i.e. talent from Google.org grantees like NPower and Hiring our Heroes, as well as nonprofits like Cyversity, Raices Cyber and Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). Googles Career Certificate Employer Consortium, established several years back, aligns with organizations working to solve crucial skill gaps, too.

Thus far, it seems Googles Cybersecurity Certificate will prepare learners for entry-level jobs (no prior experience required) to protect the data and systems that keep our present stabilized and our future hopeful.

Edited by Greg Tavarez
An attorney representing Horseshoe Hospitality sent a letter Tuesday to County Judge Terry Johnson and Midland County that could be a precursor to legal action.

During the May 8 meeting of the Midland County Commissioners Court, Johnson was one of three votes to terminate the contract between the county and Horseshoe Hospitality Services. During the meeting, when Joe Kelley, owner and president of Horseshoe Hospitality, asked Johnson the reason for the termination, Johnson said I dont need one.

According to a letter sent from Hal Brockett Jr. of the law firm Brockett, McNeel & Pocsik, the county was not permitted to immediately terminate without cause.

The firm stated in the letter that county representatives have communicated directly with Horseshoe Hospitality Services employees to discuss the contract. The firm added that communication by the countys representatives to Horseshoe Hospitalitys employees pertaining to the contract constitutes improper interference with the Horseshoes business operations. The firm demanded the county cease all such communication.

The letter states that the immediate cancellation of the contract puts the livelihood of the Horseshoes 13 employees at risk and will possibly cause cancellations or postponements of upcoming events at the facility. The Horseshoe website shows the University of Texas Permian Basin will hold its spring commencement at the Horseshoe Pavilion this weekend.

If Horseshoe events were to be cancelled, according to the letter, it would tarnish the Horseshoes reputation and in turn damage the countys reputation. Additionally, the alcohol licenses issued by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are non-transferrable and if the contract is terminated, alcoholic beverages cannot be sold at the facility until the licenses are obtained again, the letter states.

The contract has less than 17 months left on its 60-month term. The letter states instead of going through stressful and expensive litigation, Kelley is willing to meet with Johnson and the county to try to find an amicable solution and honor the contract for its remaining approximate 17 months.
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LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organized crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings. The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmars Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimized. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labor abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home," Mahfud said.

___

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez, Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
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YPRES, Belgium (AP)  A World War I soldier finally found his resting place on Wednesday after he went missing at the height of the carnage in 1917 and his remains were found four years ago.

The brutality during the 1914-1918 war was such that hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed in Belgium's sector on the Western Front but some were never accounted for. They often went missing in muddy fields that were churned over by relentless bombing and fighting.

Pvt. Robert Kenneth Malcolm, a stretcher bearer with the U.K. Royal Army Medical Corps, was buried at the Bedford House Cemetery in Ypres, which is at the heart of Flanders Fields. The battle zone was the scene of some of the worst fighting between allied forces that were largely made up of French and British Commonwealth troops against a force built around German soldiers.

Of all the tens of thousands of soldiers that went missing, it left families with uncertainties for years. Even generations later, there could still be an emptiness.

It is overwhelming for us. Im glad hes had the dignity of a funeral now with all the marvelous support, said Jane Foster, whose great-great-uncle was Malcolm.

She said that such a burial was much more than about just herself.

We do feel its for everybody who has lost somebody and hasnt got a final resting place for them," Foster said.

Malcolms remains were uncovered in 2019 by Belgian authorities, and his boots were stamped with 1917.

His case was solved by the U.K. defense ministry's Defense War Detectives, which seeks to identify remains when they are found and name fallen soldiers from so-called unknown graves when decisive evidence emerges about their identity.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the DNA investigation and contributed to the long wait between the discovery and Wednesday's funeral.

Since Malcolm is no longer missing, his name will also be removed from the city's Menin Gate, the memorial in Ypres with the names of more than 54,000 soldiers, whose remains haven't been found, etched into it.
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TOKYO (AP)  Japanese police said a schoolboy was stabbed in the chest as he stepped out of his house to go to school Wednesday in a residential area of downtown Tokyo. A suspect was arrested at the scene.

The 13-year-old junior high school student was rushed to a hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening, the Tokyo metropolitan police said.
HARTINGTON  A man charged with killing four Laurel residents last summer and setting fire to their homes has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.

Jason Jones on Monday waived his right to appear in person for a May 22 arraignment and instead asked the court to enter written pleas of not guilty to four counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson.

Jones, 43, of Laurel, is charged in Cedar County District Court with the shooting deaths of Michele Ebeling, 53, in her home and Gene Twiford, 86, his wife, Janet Twiford, 85, and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55, in their home and setting both houses on fire.

District Judge Bryan Meismer had yet to enter Jones' pleas by mid morning Tuesday or set dates for a trial or other hearings.

Prosecutors in January filed notice they would seek the death penalty if Jones is found guilty of first-degree murder. His arraignment was delayed while his attorney challenged the constitutionality of Nebraska's death penalty statute. Meismer in March denied that challenge, clearing the way for the case to proceed to arraignment.

Authorities responded to a fire in the early morning hours of Aug. 4 at 209 Elm St., where they found Ebelings body with two gunshot wounds. A second fire at the Twiford home at 503 Elm St. was reported soon after, and responders found the bodies of the three family members, all with gunshot wounds.

Jones, who lived across the street from Ebeling, was arrested without incident at his home about 24 hours later and airlifted to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of serious burns. Hes being held without bond at the Nebraska Department of Corrections Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln, where he continues to receive medical treatment.

Investigators found empty .44-caliber shell casings near Ebelings body and a Ruger handgun registered to Jones, plus credit card receipts for gas and gas cans, in the Twiford home.

Jones wife, Carrie Jones, told investigators she had arrived home from work minutes before seeing her badly burned husband emerge from Ebelings home after the fire was spotted. She helped him into their home and put away his .44-caliber handgun, which he had been carrying.

Carrie Jones, 44, was arrested Dec. 16 and is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and being an accessory to a felony. She is accused of aiding and abetting the death of Gene Twiford, whom she told investigators had verbally harassed her for several years.

She is scheduled to be arraigned May 22 and remains in custody on a $1 million bond.

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)
Grace Keilbach, left, and Aria Keilbach, pose with Nellie Peach, far left, and dogs available for adoption at an adoption event Wednesday at The Shack in San Jose.
>>> 2023-05-07 electrical characteristics of telephone lines

Let's take a break from our boring topic of regional history to focus instead on an even more boring topic: implementation details of telephone lines.

The conventional "copper pair" analog telephone line is fading away. The FCC has begun to authorize abandonment of copper outside plant in major markets, and telcos are applying to perform such abandonment in more and more areas. The replacement is IP, part of the overall trend of "over the top" delivery, meaning that all communications utilities can be delivered by the use of IP as a common denominator.

This type of service is usually branded as "digital voice." Historically this seems to have come about to evade VoIP's bad reputation; in the early days of Vonage and the charmingly sketchy, back-of-magazine-ad Magic Jack, VoIP products often delivered subpar service. Today, I think "digital voice" has mostly just become part of price differentiation for carrier-offered VoIP, since independent VoIP services tend to cost considerably less. Still, there is some logic to differentiating digital voice and VoIP: because digital voice service is offered by the operator of the underlying IP network, it benefits from QoS measures that general internet traffic doesn't. On consumer internet connections, especially slower ones, digital voice is still likely to be more reliable than VoIP due to QoS policy.

Ultimately the move to digital voice is probably a good thing, as the abandonment of copper plant will kill off DSL in urban markets and make way for faster offerings---from telcos, usually PON. I'll take the opportunity to eulogize the conventional copper pair, though, by going in to a bit of detail about how it actually worked.

To start, a large disclaimer: the details of the telephone network have varied over time as technology and the industry evolved. Details often varied from manufacturer to manufacturer, and because Western Electric had a practical monopoly on the manufacturing of telephone instruments for many decades, it's pretty much the case that the "standards" for telephone lines in the US were "whatever Western Electric did," which varied over time. There were some independent organizations that promulgated telephone standards (such as the railroads which had their own extensive telephone plants), but they were almost always completely deferential to the Bell System. Independent telephone companies initially had to use different conventions than Bell because much of the Bell telephone system was under patent; after the expiration of these patents they mostly shifted to doing whatever Western Electric did to benefit from the ready availability of compatible equipment.

After divestiture, Western Electric's de facto standards-making power was vested to Bellcore, later Telcordia, today iconectiv, which after the end of AT&T monopoly was owned by defense contractor SAIC and is owned today by AT&T's erstwhile competitor Ericsson. iconectiv continues to promulgate some of the standards used in the telephone industry today, through contracts awarded by the FCC.

This is all to explain that the telephone system is actually surprisingly poorly standardized in the United States. You might expect some hefty ISO specification for analog telephone lines, but there isn't really one outside of equipment specifications published by manufacturers. Many international markets have much more detailed engineering specifications from independent bodies, but they're usually based directly on Western Electric's practices. To make things more confusing, it's not unusual for international telephone standards to either be based on older US practices that are now rare in the US, or to have standardized on "in practice" properties of the US system instead of nominal values, or to have mixed conventions from Western Electric with conventions from European telephone manufacturers like Ericsson. All of these standards end up being mostly the same, but with a dizzying number of slight differences.

Today, the FCC imposes requirements on telephone lines as part of its regulatory oversight of telcos. The FCC's requirements are basically to "keep doing whatever Western Electric did," and are often surprisingly loose. Phones are really very robust, and the basic design of the system is over 100 years old. Local loops are routinely in poor condition which throws things out of spec anyway, and then subscribers use all kinds of weird phones that are not always that well designed (the history of regulation of telephone instruments could fill its own post). It's actually fairly intentional that the electrical specifications in the system are all soft targets.

For the purpose of this article I am mostly going to describe the state of a fairly modern local loop, such as one connected to a 5ESS or DMS-100 digital switch. But I will definitely not describe either of these switches totally accurately. I'm trying to give the right general idea without getting too bogged down in the details like the last few paragraphs. I'll take the topic of electrical specifications (potential and current on telephone lines) as a chance to give some examples of the variation you see in practice.

First, let's talk about the very general architecture of an analog local loop.

Somewhere in town there is a telephone exchange, and somewhere in your house there is a telephone. The local loop is fundamentally two long copper wires that go directly from your phone to the exchange. This distance varies greatly. It's advantageous to keep it under a few miles (mostly for DSL), but in rural areas especially it can be far longer.

There's a little more detail to what goes on at the two ends of the line. In your house, you have one or more telephones that you use to make and receive calls. In the parlance of the industry, these are often referred to as "instruments" or "subscriber terminals" depending on the era and organization. Historically, instruments were considered part of the telephone system proper and were property of your telco. Today, you are allowed to purchase and use your own telephones. This comes with some downsides. Along with the phone being your property (and thus your problem), the telephone wiring inside of your home is your property (/problem).

The telephone wiring in your house runs from jack to jack. In the United States, all of the telephone jacks in a home are connected in parallel. This is one of the differences you will find if you look in other countries: because of exact details of the electrical design of the exchange and the phones, and where different components are placed, some countries such as the UK require slightly more complex household wiring than just putting all jacks in parallel. But in the US, that's all we do.

If you crack open a wall and look at your household telephone wiring, you will almost certainly find a surprising number of wires. Not two, but four. This, of course, corresponds with the four pins on a modular telephone jack. Your telephone only uses two wires (one pair), but dating back to the '60s it has been a widespread convention to wire homes for two separate telephone lines. It doesn't cost much more, but it gives the telco the opportunity to upsell you to a second line. This convention is reflected not only in the wiring but, as I mentioned, the connector.

The connector used for modern telephones is often called RJ-11, although that term is not exactly correct in a pedantic way that rarely matters. It's a little more correct, when speaking of the connector itself, to call it a 6P4C modular connector. 6P4C means six positions, four contacts---it could have six pins, but only four of the pins are actually populated. Two are for one phone line, two are for the other. If you actually have two phone lines fitted to your house, you will find that the single-line phones common in homes always use the same pair, so you'll either need an adapter cable or some jacks wired the other way around to use two lines. If you've ever lived in a house with two phone jacks right next to each other, it's likely that one of them is wired with the pairs reversed (or only has one pair at all) so that a standard single line phone can be used on the second line.

The phone wiring in your house joins your phones in parallel with a device formally called a Network Interface Device (NID), but often referred to as the demarc or demarcation point. This is because the NID is not just a technical object but an administrative concept: it is the border between your property and the telco's property. Inside of the NID there is usually a short phone cable (connected to your house wiring) plugged directly into a jack (connected to the telco's wiring). If your phone ever malfunctions, the telco will likely ask you to take it directly to the NID, unplug your household wiring, and plug your phone straight into the jack. If the problem goes away, it is somewhere in your household wiring, and therefore not the telephone company's problem. This is their preferred outcome, and you will be told to use your non-functioning phone to call an electrician.

The NID may be located in different places depending on the details of your house, when it was built, and when telephone service was installed. Most commonly it is somewhere outside of the house mounted on an exterior wall or skirting, often somewhere near the electrical service entry. There are plenty of exceptions, and especially in older houses the NID may be in the basement or crawl space. In some cases, mostly mobile and manufactured homes, the NID may actually be mounted to the telephone pole at the street or your property line, and the overhead or underground connection to your house is also your problem.

From the NID, the telephone line makes way to the exchange. In most cases today this will be as part of a telephone cable. A telephone cable is an assembly of many telephone pairs bundled into one sleeve, and they're either run along utility poles (lower than the electrical lines for isolation) or underground. Either way, your telephone line will be connected to the cable inside of a splice closure. For overhead wiring, splice closure are usually black plastic cylinders hung alongside the cable. For underground wiring, they're usually gray-green pedestals sticking out of the ground. Either one provides space for the many pairs in a cable to be spliced together, some to another cable but some to a drop line that runs to your house.

Most of the time, the cable does not run directly to the exchange. This is not exactly modern practice, but a common convention is to have two levels of "feeder" cables. The F1 cable is a very large cable that runs from the telephone exchange to a neighborhood. There, the F1 cable is spliced onto multiple smaller F2 cables that run along neighborhood streets.

The splice between F1 and F2 cables, and in general any splice between multiple cables, is usually done in a larger splice cabinet. Historically splice cabinets were sometimes mounted up utility poles, but this made them more difficult to safely work on so this arrangement is pretty much gone to history. Instead, modern splice cabinets are larger ground-level pedestals, usually a good 4-8 feet wide with large double doors.

There are several advantages to these splice points. First, they are obviously necessary for the original installation of the telephone infrastructure. Second, splice closure and cabinets are intentionally made for easy modification. This gives the telco a lot of flexibility in fixing problems. The world of local telephone loops is a dirty one, full of dirt and rain. Despite precautions, water has a way of working its way into telephone cables and can cause corrosion which makes pairs unreliable. When you complain, and the NID test shows the problem is on the telco side, they will likely just resplice your home telephone service onto a different pair back to the exchange. This swap from one pair to the other avoids the problem, which is a whole lot easier than fixing it. Actually fixing problems inside of telephone cables is a whole lot of work, and with subscriber numbers dwindling in cities there are usually lots of unused pairs so it's easy to swap them out.

In some areas, your local loop may not actually go directly to an exchange. It might go to something like a remote line concentrator, or a serving area cabinet, or a loop extender. These are all variations on the idea of putting some of the exchange-side equipment in a big curb cabinet, closer to your house. These arrangements are most common in suburban areas where local loop lengths are long and subscriber density is fairly high. I'll mostly ignore this, but know that some of the parts of the telephone switch may actually be in a curb cabinet in your case. These curb cabinets usually function as remote components of the switch and connect back by ISDN or fiber.

Once your telephone loop makes it from your phone, through your house wiring, down a drop cable, through an F2 cable, and then through an F1 cable, it arrives at the telephone exchange. There it often passes through an area called the cable vault, usually an underground space in or adjacent to the basement where cables enter the building, seeping water is drained, and pairs come out of the armored cable jacket. Everything before this point has been "outside plant," and is the realm of outside plant engineers. Now, we have entered the sanctum of the inside plant, and a different department of the company.

From the basement, pairs go to the main frame, basically a really big splice cabinet inside of the telephone exchange. The main frame allows exchange technicians to connect pairs to the switch as they please. If an outside plant technician has fixed your telephone problem by resplicing your house to a different pair, they will submit a ticket (originally a paper slip) to have the exchange technicians perform the same remapping on the main frame. Originally, if you stopped paying your bill, a ticket would be generated for an exchange technician to un-splice your phone line at the main frame. Today, both of these are often done digitally instead by leaving pairs connected to the switch's line cards and reconfiguring the line card mapping.

Which takes us to your local loop's next stop: the actual switch. The many local loops that a class-5 or exchange switch serves terminate (in the case of modern electronic switch) at what are called "line cards." The line card is responsible for managing all of the electrical aspects of a small set of local loops connected to it. Depending on the type of switch, the line card may perform ADC and DAC to convert your analog local loop to digital signaling for further handling by digital means. Or, it may connect your local loop to a device called a hybrid transformer that separates your call into two pairs (one for audio each direction) for further handling in analog form.

And that is your local loop. It's called a loop because the two wires, connected at one end by the switch and at the other end by your phone, allow current to flow all the way around. "Current loop" is the term in electrical engineering for this type of arrangement, and it's such a common means of conveying information by electrical signals that it's often only implied.

For there to be current through the loop, though, someone has to put some potential onto the line. Historically, phones were expected to provide power, but this practice had become obsolete by the end of WWII. In modern phone systems the loop power is provided by the switch. In the case of phones providing power, the phone contained a battery which was occasionally replaced by the telco. In the case of switch-provided power, AC-DC rectification was an imperfect art and there was a need for a backup capability in any case, and so the telephone switch would get its loop power from a very large battery. Because of this history, the normal potential on your phone line is known as battery power. People will sometimes shorten this to say that the switch "provides battery," especially in situations like test equipment or military field phones where it isn't always obvious which end battery power will come from. As another bit of telephone terminology, a telephone line with battery applied is sometimes called "wet," while one without battery applied is called "dry."

Battery power in the United States nominally comes from a series of lead-acid batteries producing a nominal 48v. In practice, there is some considerable variation. In older phone switches, a float charger was continually connected to the batteries and so held the battery voltage higher (around 52-54v) whenever the exchange had utility power available. Likely because of this, some countries such as Japan actually standardized 50v or 52v as the nominal off-hook potential. In newer equipment, battery voltage often comes not from batteries at all but from a regulated switch-mode power supply (that runs either off of external AC power or a battery bank of a potentially different voltage). It may therefore be exactly 48v, but some of these power supplies are actually regulated to 50v to match the typical behavior of older equipment. It really just depends on the device, and most telephones will function acceptably with well below 48v off-hook.

For historic reasons, telephone switches are mostly frame-positive. This means that battery voltage is often described as -48v. The difference doesn't really matter that much on the telephone end, but can be confusing if you are looking at documents that use different conventions. Owing to the 1/4" jacks originally used for telephone exchanges, the two wires in a telephone pair are called "tip" and "ring." Compared to ground, "tip" should be about 0v while "ring" should be about -48v. This "ring" is not to be confused with ringing power, to be discussed later. It's just the naming convention for the wires. Some phones, especially rotary types, will function fine with the polarity backwards. Most newer phones won't.

This talk of voltages, so far, has all been assuming that the phone is on hook. When a phone is on hook, the "hookswitch" disconnects the two sides of the local loop from each other, leaving an open circuit. The voltage across the phone thus settles at whatever voltage is applied by the switch. There are two conditions under which this voltage changes significantly.

First, when the phone is off-hook and you receive a call, the exchange needs some way to ring your phone. An age-old method of ringing phones is a magnetic solenoid (arranged so that its core will strike bells when it moves) with the line passing through it. The coil provides a very high resistance and so passes little current under normal off-hook conditions. When the switch wants your phone to ring, it applies a much higher voltage, and alternates it. In fact, this AC voltage is superimposed on the normal DC battery voltage, and is known as "ringing power" or "ringing voltage." Ringing voltage is AC at 20Hz by wide agreement (this works well for the simple mechanical solenoid ringers), but the potential has varied over time and by manufacturer. It also just tended to vary based on equipment condition, since it was originally produced by electromechanical means such as a motor-generator. 90v is fairly typical, but up to 110v AC is acceptable.

The fact that a telephone line can carry 110v AC is a surprise to many, and should discourage licking loose phone wiring, but from a fire safety perspective it's reassuring to know that the current of the ringing power is rather limited. The details of how it's limited, and to what level, depend on the telephone switch in use, but the current-limiting at the switch allows telephone lines to be handled as class 2 or power-limited for purposes of the electrical code.

The astute reader might notice an interesting problem here. Multiple telephones may be connected in parallel, but ringing voltage provides only limited power. If you have enough phones, will there not be enough ringing power?

Yes.

The implementation of this problem is sort of an odd thing. Federal standards created the concept of a "ringer equivalence number" or REN. When the REN was developed, the standard telephone instrument from Western Electric was the model 500, and other Western Electric phones for PSTN use were made to match the 500. So, a REN is defined as the impedance and resistance imposed by a single Western Electric model 500. Local loops are expected to provide enough ringing power for up to 5 REN. In practice, this is rarely a concern today. Few modern phones use the power-intensive electromechanical ringer of the 500, and if you look at the literature that came with a digital phone like a DECT cordless set you will likely find that it is specified as 0.1 REN. You can have a lot of modern phones before you run into problems.

Ringing current only applies when there is an incoming call and the phone is on hook. When you take the phone off hook, the hookswitch connects the two sides of your local loop together via the phone's "voice circuit." This prompts the switch to stop applying ringing current. Once the voice circuit is connected, the voltage across your phone drops considerably. Power is now flowing and so Ohm's law has taken control. Local loops are long and made of small-gauge wire; just the resistance of the telephone line itself is often over a thousand ohms.

Besides the wiring itself, there are two other notable components the loop current must pass through. First, there is some resistance imposed by the switch. The details of this resistance depend on the exact switch in use but the most common situation is that the phone line passes through a coil in a "line relay" assembly as long as your phone is off hook. This relay informs the switch logic of the state of your telephone line. The resistance imposed by the line relay varies by switch, and on many switches it's adjustable, at least in two or three steps. This allows an exchange technician to make an adjustment if your loop is very short or very long, to keep the loop current more in a normal range. 600 ohms is fairly typical for line relays.

The third important component is the voice circuit of your phone itself, which also varies by phone but is also typically around 200 ohms. Because the phone is in fact powered by the loop current, there is a certain requirement for enough power for the phone to operate. AT&T specified that the maximum local loop resistance should be 2400 ohm. At 2400 ohm and 48v battery power, the loop current will be 20mA. 20mA was about the lower bound at which the voice circuit in typical Western Electric models (such as the 500) performed acceptably. Modern electronic phones are often workable at lower currents (and thus higher loop resistance), but audio quality will become worse.

Too high of loop current can also be a problem. There isn't a widely accepted upper limit that I know of, but it was known by the '60s at least that high loop currents due to low resistance loops (usually found when the subscriber lived close to the telephone exchange) caused higher temperatures in the line relay which could result in early failure of the line card. This is one of the reasons line cards often provide an adjustment, so that short loops can have a higher line relay resistance to reduce the current. Modern line cards often monitor the current on a loop and raise a trouble ticket if it is abnormally low or high. Either one tends to indicate that there is a problem somewhere in the line. Modern line cards also provide better over current protection and will usually automatically disconnect battery power (and raise a trouble ticket) if the current goes significantly above normal. This is why you can't get greedy if you are trying to charge your laptop on Ma Bell's dollar. Older equipment may have just used a fuse, so at least newer systems have the forgiveness of auto-reset a few seconds after laptop-charging mistakes.

Under off-hook conditions, with loop current flowing, the voltage across your telephone will be much lower. 3-5v is pretty typical, but the value will vary with voice modulation as you use the phone and isn't very important.

It's important to emphasize that nothing in this system is very well regulated. Well, with modern equipment the battery voltage is often precisely regulated, but that's more a natural consequence of switch-mode power supplies than any aspect of the design of the telephone system. Battery voltage is 48v in the same sense that automotive electronics are 12 or 24v, in practice it's often higher. Loop current is limited but fairly loosely. The acceptable range is pretty wide in either case.

To put some more solid numbers on it, here are some specs taken from the manual for a PABX. They seem pretty typical, except the upper limit for off-hook voltage which seems unusually low. Many sources say 4-9v. Note the two different ringing voltage specifications, these are to accommodate two different national standards.

On-hook voltage: 40-50 V DC

Off-hook voltage: 4 to 6 V DC

Ringing: 90-100 V AC 20Hz or 60-90 V AC 25Hz.

Loop current: 25-40 mA (up to 80 mA in "unusual circumstances")

And for flavor, numbers I took from the spec sheet of a different business telephony product:

On-hook voltage: -54v to 40v DC

Off-hook voltage: -20v to -5v DC

Current: 23-35 mA

Note the different voltage convention, and that all the numbers are, well, similar, but different. That's just how it is!
CNMI Correctional Officers and Employees Week

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang have proclaimed the week of May 7-13, 2023 as CNMI Correctional Officers and Employees Week. Joining them at the proclamation ceremony were Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony C. Torres, Corrections personnel, other officials and members of the community. During the proclamation ceremony, Torres formally received his pin as commissioner of the Department of Corrections. Governor Palacios and Lt. Governor Apatang recognize the contributions that Corrections officers and employees have continuously made over the years, and highlighted their importance toward maintaining the peace and security of our islands. They call upon the citizens of the Commonwealth to pay special tribute to those who have served the CNMI through correctional professions by acknowledging their unwavering efforts in maintaining public safety, maintaining correctional environments effectively and efficiently, and for their utmost dedication toward performing their professional duties as correctional officers and employees.
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CHICAGO (AP)  Four teenagers have been charged in the fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer who was slain last weekend as she was heading home from work, authorities said Wednesday.

Nineteen-year-olds Joseph Brooks and Trevell Breeland, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, and a 16-year-old boy face charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery in Saturday's killing of Officer Areanah Preston, 24.

The Chicago Police Department said Preston was fatally shot about 1:40 a.m. Saturday during a robbery spree.

All four were also charged with armed robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft and other offenses in connection with incidents that occurred on Friday and Saturday, police said.

The four were ordered held without bail Wednesday by Judge David Kelly, who said prosecutors had provided a mountain of evidence that the suspects had engaged in a very violent crime spree.

After the bond hearing, Prestons mother, Dionne Mhoon, said she was heartbroken and "full of anger, rage, questions why.

It wasn't immediately known if they had lawyers who could comment for them.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a statement commending police for swiftly apprehending the suspects responsible for Preston's heinous murder.

Their diligent efforts have removed violent, repeat offenders from our streets, Lightfoot said.

Cook County prosecutors said Preston was off duty and on her way home after her shift early Saturday on the city's South Side when the suspects passed her in a sedan, circled back and approached her as she stood in front of her house.

Residential surveillance video shows three people getting out of the sedan and running toward Preston, who was still in uniform, before several muzzle flashes are visible on video and she falls to the ground, according to court documents. The attackers ran back to the sedan before one person returned to grab Preston's gun, court documents allege.

Interim Police Superintendent Eric Carter said Preston's death was a tragedy for the city.

Tyrone Pendarvis, the commander of the 5th District where Preston served, said the officer was a rising star whose death affected all who know her.

She will truly be missed, he said.

Preston worked for the department for just three years before her killing, according to department officials. Hers is considered a line-of-duty death, which entitles her family to financial assistance from the state, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Illinois State Police say any purchase of firearms or attachments the state deems as assault weapons from during the six-day injunction against Illinois gun ban will be illegal after Jan. 1.

In January this year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the ban on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities. Part of that includes a registry of already owned guns starting Oct. 1 with the deadline to register being Jan. 1, 2024.

When the Southern District of Illinois federal court issued a preliminary injunction against Illinois gun ban last month, gun stores were busy. Those sales ended six days later when late last week the appeals court put a stay on the injunction.

After the injunction was reversed while lawsuits continue, state police said firearms purchased during the injunction will be illegal because they were possessed after the Jan. 10 effective day of the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

Persons who possess a banned firearm or firearm attachment are required to endorse an affidavit by January 1, 2024, stating that any banned firearm or firearm attachments were possessed prior to the enactment of PICA (Jan. 10) pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(d), a public information officer with Illinois State Police said.

Penalties for possession of banned magazines is a petty offense with a $1,000 fine per infraction. Possession of prohibited firearms could be up to a Class 2 felony.

Thomas Maag was the first attorney to file a lawsuit challenging the law a week after it was enacted in January. He challenged the law on both Second Amendment and Fifth Amendment grounds protecting against self-incrimination. Arguments against the registry were put on hold when his case was consolidated with other plaintiffs groups in the Southern District.

I think that these statements from the Illinois State Police are exactly the kind of thing that shows the Fifth Amendment arguments need to be brought to a head sooner rather than later, Maag said. A registry puts those persons at risk of the state taking that exact information and using it against the owners of those firearms to try to obtain a criminal conviction for what have you, including but not limited to persons that may have acquired firearms during this six-day window.

Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said the ISP statement is yet another issue that the courts will have to address.

Because the way I read it and the way almost everyone else read it was that [Southern District of Illinois Judge Stephen McGlynn] said the injunction stopped all that, Pearson told WMAY. So I believe theres going to be another suit that deals with this.

McGlynns injunction was stayed by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Frank Easterbrook Thursday. Plaintiffs are to reply Tuesday to the stay Easterbrook issued in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

While the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act enacted several years ago could have state police looking to inspect gun store records, Pearson said theyll be ready to continue challenges in the courts.

I think that they are showing that the state wants to put the bootheels of power on all the necks of the gun owners in this state and I dont think theyre going to stand for it, Pearson said.

Other litigation against the ban continues in state and federal courts.

By Thursday, litigants from cases in the Southern and Northern district federal courts are to respond to an order from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to consider consolidation.

Separately Monday, the state and the city of Naperville responded in the U.S. Supreme Court to an emergency motion plaintiffs made for an injunction of the gun ban while that case proceeds through the federal appeals court.

In state-level court, the Illinois Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments May 16 in a challenge state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, brought out of Macon County. Arguments there include that the law violates equal protections by carving out police, retired police and others in the law enforcement and security sectors.

Separately, cases brought by attorney Thomas DeVore had a status hearing Friday in Effingham County. DeVore is seeking documents from legislative leaders and third-party associations about the passage of the law. A county judge has taken the motions to dismiss and quash subpoenas under advisement.

Both Caulkins case and Devores cases have thousands of named plaintiffs with temporary restraining orders against the state from enforcing the law. Its unclear how ISPs statement Friday to The Center Square impacts those plaintiffs with TROs in place. The agency didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The current Macon County judgment and any TROs entered in other actions are only applicable to the specific Plaintiffs and Defendants in those actions, ISP said in a frequently asked question section of the agencys website. More information will be forthcoming as additional rulings transpire through the state and federal courts and when the Illinois Supreme Court rules on the matter.
Kevin Eckhoff/Memorial Health

A customer service specialist who joined Jacksonville Memorial Hospital in 2021 has been named its Colleague of the Month for April.

Rob Schultz is part of the hospital's Information Systems team. His nomination cited a can-do attitude and attention to detail, particularly during several recent projects.
Reporter Ben Singson is introducing Journal-Courier readers to the region's booming craft beers market in a column that can be found here each week.

In spite of some early afternoon rain, wind and lightning, Jacksonville Main Street's Maifest craft brew festival just kept trucking on Saturday. The festival brought together several national, regional and local breweries to downtown Jacksonville. I've sampled beers from some of them in the past, while others are newcomers to this column. I braved the storm to head down to the square and give a handful of the offerings there a whirl.

Across the Pond from Slauterhouse Brewing Co.

Ben Singson/Journal-Courier

Across the Pond from Auburn-based Slauterhouse Breweing Co. is an English dark mild ale. Most of the beers I try for this column are pretty light fares, so this marked a nice change of pace. Across the Pond has an ABV of between 4% and 5%, depending on where you look online, with notes of chocolate and coffee in both smell and taste, much like Obed and Isaac's Upside Brown, which I tried a while ago. Across the Pond, however, distinguishes itself from Upside Brown by being less harsh and by lacking that tail whip of acidity, allowing the dark flavors to come to the fore. Between the two, I think I like this one more.

Tangerine Wheat from Hannibal Area Homebrewers Association

Ben Singson/Journal-Courier

The first beer from a home brewery featured in this column also is the second to be made outside of Illinois, after Reisch Charities' Gold Top. As you might have gathered, Hannibal Area Homebrewers Association is a semi-formal group of brewers from in and around Hannibal, Missouri. The group had a variety of beers, wines and spirits to try at its booth, including Tangerine Wheat. While I wasn't able to gather what type of beer it is or its ABV, its light, creamy flavor kept me satisfied. I couldn't quite detect the eponymous tangerine while I was sampling it but, if you're able to get your hands on this  I suppose by tracking down where these fine folks are going to be next  I'd give it a try.

Death and Taxes from Hand of Fate Brewing Co.

Ben Singson/Journal-Courier

It's been a minute since I've tried anything from this Petersburg brewery, but it's still maintaining a high bar of quality. Death and Taxes is a saison, like White Oak's Casual Jesus, but it's a tiny bit heftier at 5.6% ABV, with a sharp, grainy smell to boot. Per Hand of Fate's website, it's brewed with Huell Melon hops and Saisonstein yeast. Much like Casual Jesus, this also is a low-key, rustic brew that goes down smoothly, though Death and Taxes has a rougher flavor profile to it, with some bitterness and notes of what I can only describe as black pepper. Don't let that deter you, though; the roughness is a welcome addition and makes for a nice contrast against the general finesse of a saison. If you stumble on it at your local liquor store, I'd recommend giving it a shot.

Dragonfruit Mango from Destihl

Ben Singson/Journal-Courier

Rounding out things here is this sour ale hailing from Normal-based Destihl. Perhaps the most unique beer that I tried at Maifest, Dragonfruit Mango comes in at 5.5% ABV and is part of the brewery's Wild Sour series. (You may recall that Dill Pickle Sour also was part of that series.) It pours a clear fushcia, almost like a glass of grapefruit juice, with hints of fruit (as you might expect) in its scent, as well. Upon trying it, however, I was immediately struck in the face by how unrelentingly sour it was, making any other flavor ancillary. It reminded me more of a sparkling fruit juice or cider than a traditional beer. Despite this, I was able to detect hints of other fruit flavors  once I had moved past that initial wall of face-shriveling sourness. For that, I'm able to recommend it more easily than Dill Pickle Sour, though people who don't handle intense flavors well should maybe think twice.
Warnings of darkness, foul language and the possible use of lasers may proceed ones entrance into a simulation at Pennsylvania School Safety Institute, all in the name of providing more realistic training for an all-too-real threat.

The facility is designed to provide hands-on experience and training in emerging security threats in school buildings or anywhere else staff or students may be.

On Monday afternoon, the institute celebrated its grand opening at 400 Bent Creek Blvd., in Silver Spring Township with a ribbon-cutting.

While it exists as a separate entity from the Pennsylvania School Board Association, the two organizations share a building and the associations trust provided original funding for the institutes creation.

Public schools provide students with a safe environment that is conducive to continued learning and personal development, said Roberta Marcus, chair of the institutes board of advisers. Unfortunately, in recent years, the safety and security of these public buildings have been tested and even targeted.

The 5,000-square-food state-of-the-art facility uses a 360-degree augmented reality and a multiroom simulator to teach district personnel, law enforcement officials and security staff about security threats and de-escalation tactics.

Simulations offer a variety of scenarios, from someone trying to enter the building to an active shooter. Trainees can also interact with on-screen characters that can be programmed to calm down or become more agitated.

Ive recently experienced PennSSIs immersive scenarios, and I know that the lifelike and interactive nature of the simulations make them an excellent opportunity for our officers to practice what they might encounter as first responders, said Silver Spring Township Police Chief Christopher Raubenstine, a member of the institutes board of advisers.

Mechanicsburg Area School District Superintendent and board of advisers member Mark Leidy said the facility will allow administrators, resource officers and other school staff to prepare for what they could encounter.

We all wish we lived in a world where these kind of preparations were not necessary, but unfortunately, its not a matter of if these threats will occur because we all know these threats toward our children do happen, he said.

The state school board associations governing board president, David Schaap, said the whole board is excited for the positive impact the institute could have across Pennsylvania.

Its a distressing reality that security threats are on the rise in educational settings, and so its crucial that we take action to ensure district personnel security staff and law enforcement officials are as prepared as possible to navigate threats or attacks on their school buildings, he said.

Photos: Firefighter training in Silver Spring Township
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 A 13-year-old girl was arrested at 8:46 p.m. Monday on an aggravated battery charge after police said she battered someone at Walmart, 1941 W. Morton Ave.

 A 13-year-old girl was arrested at 8:46 p.m. Monday on a criminal trespassing charge after police said she was at a location in the 1900 block of West Morton Avenue from which she was prohibited.

ACCIDENTS

 Eli S. Pine, 18, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failing to yield after his vehicle and one being driven by Rodney O. Goetze, 54, of Jacksonville collided at 7:16 p.m. Monday at Pine Street and West Douglas Avenue.

 A 16-year-old boy was cited on a charge of failing to yield after his vehicle and one being driven by Sheryl A. Montero, 36, of Jacksonville collided at 2:12 p.m. Monday in the 1200 block of West Morton Avenue.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A cash app card was stolen from a vehicle in the 1000 block of East Morton Avenue, according to a report filed at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday.

 A surveillance camera was stolen about 11:30 p.m. Sunday from outside a residence in the 400 block of South Clay Avenue.

 Items were stolen between 12:30 and 8 a.m. Sunday from a vehicle in the 1000 block of East Morton Avenue.

OTHER REPORTS

 A man reported being assaulted by a woman at Community Park, 1201 S. Main St., at 8:23 p.m. Monday. Police are investigating.

 Police were called at 1:49 p.m. Monday to check on a man who had been lying on the ground in the 300 block of West State Street for more than an hour. The man told police he was fine.

Brown County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Dylan R. Rogers, 25, of Liberty was cited April 30 on a charge of improper use of an electronic communication device.

 Kari A. Terry, 50, of Mount Sterling was cited April 30 on a charge of improper use of an electronic communication device.

 Sierra B. Osmer, 37, of Virginia was cited April 30 on a charge of improper use of an electronic communication device.

ACCIDENTS

 Teresa R. Galloway, age unavailable, of Chapin was treated for serious injuries after her vehicle crossed the southbound lane of Illinois Route 99, left the road, and hit a tree at 6:02 a.m. May 1, according to a sheriff's department report. She was taken to a hospital by private vehicle, according to the report.

Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Barbara F. Henderson, 42, of Pleasant Hill was booked into Pike County Jail at 8:45 p.m. May 2 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

 Jared D. Kent, 37, of Des Moines, Iowa, was booked into Pike County Jail at 2:23 p.m. May 1 on a Morgan County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and on a Scott County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Amanda Jo McKeon, 48, of Chapin was booked into Pike County Jail at 2:03 a.m. May 3 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Shone C. Ward, 34, of Springfield was booked into Pike County Jail at 12:53 p.m. May 3 on a charge of violating federal regulations.

 Eddie D. Sims, 25, of Springfield was booked into Pike County Jail at 1:42 p.m. May 3 on a charge of violating federal regulations.

 Steven L. Keefer, 19, of Rockport was booked into Pike County Jail at 855 a.m. May on a charge of resisting a peace officer.

 Jonathan L. Well, 37, of Jacksonville was booked into Pike County Jail at 8:09 p.m. May 3 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, on a Morgan County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court and on a Scott County warrant accusing him of failing to pay or appear in court.
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ALLEN, Texas (AP)  It took four minutes for a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms to kill eight people and wound seven others at a Dallas-area shopping center before a police officer ended the rampage, likely saving untold lives.

The massacre Saturday sent hundreds of shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets scrambling for cover in shops, storerooms and closed hallways. Allen, a multicultural suburb of 105,000, is left as the latest U.S. community rent by an eruption of violence in a year that has seen an unprecedented pace of mass killings.

Those killed included three members of a Korean American family, two young sisters and an engineer from India. Authorities say they have yet to establish a motive for the shooting.

Authorities have acknowledged the authenticity of a social media account on which the gunman, who had no criminal record, displayed a fascination with white supremacy while offering what are, in retrospect, chilling hints of his research and planning.

Here's what to know about the shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets.

HOW DID THE SHOOTING UNFOLD?

The gunman stepped out of a silver sedan on Saturday afternoon and started shooting people, cars and glass storefronts in a rain of bullets from an AR-15 style rifle  one of eight legally purchased firearms authorities said he brought to the mall.

Witnesses recalled hearing dozens of shots as shoppers stampeded for shelter and store workers pulled people into backrooms and rolled down metal gates for protection.

We started running. Kids were getting trampled, said Maxwell Gum, a 16-year-old pretzel stand employee. My co-worker picked up a 4-year-old girl and gave her to her parents.

Outside the locked rooms, security guard Christian LaCour had just helped someone get to safety and was trying to evacuate others when he was fatally shot, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said at a news conference Tuesday.

An Allen police officer who happened to be nearby saved countless lives by killing the gunman within four minutes of the attack's start, authorities said.

Shoppers sheltered inside storerooms for an hour or more as police cleared the sprawling mall shop by shop. As they were allowed to leave, some walked past bloodied bodies on the ground.

Fontayne Payton, 35, who was at H&M when he heard gunshots, recalled seeing small corpses covered in white towels and praying that they weren't children. It broke me when I walked out to see that, he said.

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?

The neo-Nazis victims represented a cross-section of the increasingly diverse Dallas suburbs.

Sofia Mendoza, a second-grader at Cox Elementary School, and her big sister, fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza, were among them. Principal Krista Wilson called them the kindest, most thoughtful students in a letter to parents. Their aunt, Anabel Del Angel, said their mother was wounded.

The girls have left a void that nothing in the world could ever fill. Please pray for their mom, my sister, and her broken heart, Del Angel wrote in a fundraising post verified by GoFundMe.

Three members of a Korean American family were killed: Kyu Song Cho, 37, and Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son. Another son, 6, was wounded. Kyu Cho was a managing partner at the law firm Porter Legal Group. He was loved and respected, the firm said.

Members of the Cho family said in a statement Wednesday that the surviving son, William, was recovering well, and their focus is on making sure he leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family.

LaCour, the 20-year-old security guard, was known to stop by the mall's Tommy Hilfiger clothing store.

He was very young, very sweet, came in all the time to visit with us, said the stores assistant manager, Andria Gaither, who fled the gunshots Saturday.

Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26, was from India, the daughter of a judge in Hyderabad. She held a graduate degree in construction management and worked as a civil engineer at the Dallas-area firm Perfect General Contractors.

She came to the United States with a dream to make a career, build a family, own a home and live forever in Dallas, company founder Srinivas Chaluvadi said in an email.

Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, was also killed, authorities said. His brother, Gregory Smith Cumana, said that Cumana-Rivas, who was from Venezuela, had moved to the U.S. in search of the American dream," ABC News reported.

Hank Sibley, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said for now, it did not appear the gunman targeted people based on their race, age or sex.

To, me it looks like he targeted the location, rather than a specific group of people, Sibley said Tuesday.

WHO WAS THE SHOOTER?

Police said the gunman was Mauricio Garcia, who had lived in Dallas.

Garcia, 33, left a long trail of online posts describing his white supremacist and misogynistic views. He described mass shootings as sport, and posted photos showing his large Nazi tattoos and a favorite passage in the Hunger Games books marked with a swastika drawn in green highlighter.

He was Latino, and posted one cartoon image showing a Latino child at a fork in a road, with one direction labeled act black and the other, become a white supremacist.

I think Ill take my chances with the white supremacist, he wrote.

Other posts show Garcia had visited the mall weeks before he began shooting and researched when it was busiest  the same time and day as his attack.

An Army official told The Associated Press that Garcia failed to complete basic training and was kicked out for mental health reasons. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Neighbors of the family home where he lived until recently said they thought he worked as a security guard. Authorities confirmed Tuesday that Garcia had an expired license as a security guard but said it was unclear where he'd worked.

Garcia lived in a motel in the months before the shooting. He posted videos online where he described, in mind-numbing detail, the contents of his living quarters, from the posters on the wall to his shower curtain.

In one video, a rat scurries across the cluttered room.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.
WINCHESTER  After some doubts about whether the city's police chief was going to remain in place, Winchester Mayor Rex McIntire is breathing a little easier these days.

Steve Doolin, who has been on the job less than a year, had toyed with the idea of resigning because of frustration over staffing and the difficulty in hiring and keeping officers on the force.

"He's done an excellent job. We are very pleased with our chief and hope he continues to be our chief," McIntire said. "I think back in April, he was frustrated because we lost a couple of officers, and it is hard to keep a good group of police officers together. But he is still with us, and I hope that doesn't change."

The city has been trying to do things to keep Doolin in Winchester, including increasing efforts to recruit officers and considering changing the chief's compensation package so he is a salaried employee rather than an hourly employee, McIntire said.

The city has been in the market for both full- and part-time officers and it has been a struggle to find and retain qualified candidates, McIntire said.

"We just lost one officer who moved to be with his girlfriend who accepted another job," McIntire said. "I knew he wouldn't have a hard time finding a new job. He was a good, young officer who served us well."

Winchester still has good police coverage, McIntire said, noting its local force is supplemented by part-time officers and coverage assistance from Scott County Sheriff's Department.

"We have a beautiful community and effective law enforcement is a big part of that," McIntire said.

Doolin was hired as police chief in September after a search that included one candidate declining the city's offer. Doolin took over for Caleb Handy, who resigned in August to accept a position with Bluffs Police Department.

A graduate of Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville, Doolin has worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections and previously was a Scott County deputy.

The city continues to accept applications for full- and part-time officers.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia intends to relocate around 3,100 Ukrainian staff from Europes largest nuclear plant, Ukraines atomic energy company claimed Wednesday, warning of a potential catastrophic lack of qualified personnel at the Zaporizhzhia facility in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine.

Workers who signed employment contracts with various affiliates of Russias nuclear agency Rosatom following Moscows capture of the Zaporizhzhia plant early in the war are the bulk of those set to be taken to Russia along with their families, Energoatom said in a Telegram post.

Energoatom didn't specify whether the employees would be forcibly moved out of the plant. It also wasn't immediately possible to verify Energoatoms claims about Moscows plan.

Removing staff would exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue of staff shortages, Energoatom said.

In fighting Wednesday, Ukrainian forces advanced as much as two kilometers (around a mile) near Bakhmut, the city that has been the major focus of intense battles for about eight months, Ukrainian ground forces commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The claim couldn't immediately be confirmed but the head of the Russian private army Wagner, which has led the grinding assault on Bakhmut, said that his forces were considering pulling back because of insufficient ammunition.

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has previously complained that Russia wasn't adequately supplying his fighters and said on Telegram on Wednesday that I demand ammunition in order to save the lives of the fighters and put the squeeze on Bakhmut, of which there is only about 5% left occupied by the enemy.

An Energoatom representative reached by phone told The Associated Press that the Zaporizhzhia plant evacuation plan, which staff were aware of, covered roughly half of the plants 6,000 employees and was prompted by fears of a Ukraine counteroffensive in the area.

Some plant employees are already being relocated deeper into Russia-held territory and accommodated in the resort towns of Berdiansk and Kyrylivka on the Azov Sea coast, the person said on condition of anonymity because of safety fears.

Before the war, the plant employed around 11,000 people. About 500 Russian troops are stationed at the site, while at least 1,500 others are based in the nearby city of Enerhodar, the Ergoatom representative said.

The Russians have laid minefields around the plant and built defensive positions, the person said.

The Moscow-installed governor of the region ordered civilian evacuations from the area last Saturday, including Enerhodar. The full scope of the evacuation order wasn't clear.

Fighting near the plant has fueled fears of a potential catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl, in northern Ukraine, where a reactor exploded in 1986 and spewed deadly radiation, contaminating a vast area in the worlds worst nuclear disaster.

On Wednesday, the city of Nikopol that lies across the river from the plant came under attack from artillery and drones that damaged an industrial facility, Dnipropetrovsk region governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Zaporizhzhia is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world. While its six reactors have been shut down for months, it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

Kremlin-installed authorities in the Zaporizhzhia region are accelerating their push to relocate local residents, including families of workers at the plant, because of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive, Kyiv officials said.

Military analysts say Ukraine may focus the counteroffensive on the Zaporizhzhia region, trying to split Russian forces in two by pushing through to the Azov Sea coast in the south.

Relatives of Zaporizhzhia plant staff who agreed to relocate were taken to Russias southern Rostov region and placed in temporary camps, the Ukrainian General Staff said.

It added that plant employees are currently prohibited from leaving Enerhodar. It made no mention of the alleged Russian plan referred to by Energoatom.

Ukraine's National Resistance Center, which says it runs and coordinates Ukrainian partisan movements on territory occupied by Russian forces, says Russian-installed officials in Zaporizhzhia are shutting down schools, preparing buses and appointing officials to oversee the evacuation process.

They allege that the process is largely targeting children.

The International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him and Russias childrens ombudsperson of personal responsibility for the abductions of minors from Ukraine.

At the time, Ukraines human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets said that 16,226 Ukrainian children had been forcibly taken to Russia, citing data from Ukraines National Information Bureau.

After taking over at Zaporizhzhia, the Russians left the Ukrainian staff in place to keep the plant running but the exact number of workers currently at the plant isn't known. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, didn't immediately reply to an AP query about staffing levels.

However, the IAEA said soon after Russian troops overran the plant after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, that low staffing levels seriously compromised one of the fundamental factors in nuclear safety and security, which is that operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure.

The IAEA has deployed a handful of staff at Zaporizhzhia in an effort to ensure its safety.

Both sides continued their long-range drone attacks, meanwhile.

Ukraine targeted two Russian regions near the border, their governors claimed. One Ukrainian drone exploded overnight in a village in the Belgorod region, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Residential buildings, a library, and post office were damaged, he said, without mentioning casualties.

Also, the head of the neighboring Kursk region reported that a Ukrainian drone was shot down near the provincial capital, also called Kursk.

Russian forces continued launching exploding drones at Ukrainian territory, according to Kyiv officials. The Ukrainian General Staff said that air defenses shot down six Russian drones, including three Iranian-made ones, over the previous 24 hours.

The Institute for the Study of War said that Russian forces may be attempting to conduct an almost daily series of missile strikes in order to portray themselves as constraining potential upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive operations.

The Washington-based think tank added that the diminished effectiveness of the strikes is likely not significantly constraining Ukrainian actions.

The U.S. said Tuesday that it would provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further beef up its air defenses against Russian drones, rockets and surface-to-air missiles.

___

Yuras Karmanau reported from Tallinn, Estonia.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Among a long list of agenda items covered during its Tuesday meeting, the St. Francois County Commission heard a report from Auditor Louie Seiberlich who, along with two of his staff, attended the annual County Auditors Conference held April 26-28 in Camdenton.

At the conference, county auditors from across Missouri earned 20 hours of statute-mandated certification. Of the 24 counties represented at the three-day session, 13 (including St. Francois County) were Classification 1 counties, four were Classification 4, and two were Classification 2.

"A few years ago, this county started taking members of the auditor's office to get a better understanding of how important our job is," Seiberlich said. "Since then, other counties have followed to get the updates on revised rules and accounting procedures. Amber and Bridget attended with me and made contacts for future references, as this office continues to cross-train our team to fill all roles in the office."

According to Seiberlich, the conference highlighted a number of issues of importance to Missouri counties.

"Prior to our conference, me, Commissioner Kater and Treasurer Peterson participated in a Zoom meeting with the Missouri Association of Counties about the distribution of opioid settlement funds, with new settlements coming, and the importance of tracking the funds over the next 17 years," he said. "Eighty-five percent of these funds are restricted for anything drug-related, with 15% unrestricted for county government."

Seiberlich noted that final revised audit requirements for the use of ARPA funds will be released and that the U.S. Treasury will be conducting audits of schools and counties, as well as "anyone else" that has received them. He added that this is why his office insists on correct voting language and documentation.

During the conference, he said, the offices of Missouri's attorney general and state auditor presented "separate but lengthy" Sunshine Law updates.

Seiberlich said, "It is critical that any office getting a [Sunshine Law] request has to report it to Rhonda in the county clerk's office immediately, and then it is your responsibility to respond [to the request] immediately."

Listing other items discussed at the conference, Seiberlich said, "The attorney for Boone County spent two hours on bid-letting, purchasing, setting office budgets, requisitions and nepotism. Tyler Technologies introduced new software that we are going to investigate. The state auditor presented three cases of payroll, sick leave and benefits fraud, and we hear more about ransomware shutting down county governments, schools and hospitals. There was also an extended roundtable discussion focused on county ordinances to improve, clarify and clean up problem areas.

"From our lobbyist  it is critical that county officials, primarily the county commission, pay close attention to the financial impact of proposed bills running through Jefferson City during the legislative session. It is important to contact our legislators on the cost of passed bills to the county, and in turn, to the taxpayer. Examples from this [legislative] session would be sales tax exemptions and personal property reassessment bills."

According to Seiberlich, 42 bills regarding tax exemptions and personal property reassessment have been introduced in this legislative session alone.

Concluding his report, Seiberlich said, "We also received an 'association approved' checklist for county offices of their duties related to our duties, which will be forwarded to each [St. Francois County] office for review and then submitted to the county policy manual."

In other action by the county commission:

 Three cost proposals were approved for construction nearing completion at the county's new Law Enforcement Center. They include: 1) reducing the concrete apron at the maintenance bay for a savings of $3,157.80; 2) costs associated with treating unsuitable soils, as directed by Taylor Engineering at a cost of $15,592; and 3) the addition of a larger lift access gate in the center's chain link fence at a cost of $2,352.

 Two cost proposals were approved for construction nearing completion at the county's Juvenile Detention Center. They include: 1) crack and reseal the existing asphalt parking lot at a cost of $6,157; and 2) additional asphalt, striping and bumper blocks in the parking lot at a cost of $12,942.

 A request by the city of Farmington to annex county property in the 1100 block of South Jefferson Street was approved.

 Approval was given for the sheriff's department to place an ad in the Daily Journal requesting bids for four police interceptor SUVs.

 A trash service contract with Republic Trash Service was approved for the courthouse, courthouse annex, road and bridge department, Weber Road Facility and Juvenile Detention Center. Republic Trash Service, which had the previous contract with the county, was the only company to submit a bid.

 Three-year contracts renewing email licenses for St. Francois County government and the sheriff's department were approved.

 Because of a mistake made by the county, penalty and interest were waived on the 2020 tax bill of Suzi Kwon.

 The road and bridge department was given permission to bid various overlay projects.
ASEAN leaders condemn attack on aid convoy in Myanmar View Photo

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a two-day summit. Their host, President Joko Widodo, called for unity amid global economic headwinds and major-power rivalry thats lashing the region.

The 10-nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed, with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmars generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings. The time for isolation has served its purpose, said an internal ASEAN report obtained by The Associated Press.

Over the weekend, a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire in Myanmars eastern Shan state. A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged, but there were no injuries, state-run television MRTV reported.

Indonesia, which chairs ASEAN this year, had arranged for the aid delivery after a long-delayed assessment.

We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable, the ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement.

For the second year, Myanmars top general was not invited to the summit. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing led the army in seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, plunging the country into a civil strife and becoming ASEANs gravest crisis since its founding in 1967.

ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues.

During foreign ministers talks ahead of the summit, however, some suggested that the group reengage Myanmars military-led State Administration Council and bring Myanmar back to ASEAN foreign ministers meeting and summits, noting that the time for isolation has served its purpose, according to the ASEAN report. It did not identify the countries pushing for more leniency toward Myanmar despite international outrage against continuing military attacks in the country.

The suggestion for ASEAN to bring Myanmar back into its fold was noted, the report said, hinting it did not received full approval from all the ministers.

The ministerial talks stressed the Myanmar crisis should not affect ASEANs progress in building a regional community, said the report, which cited one observation that there would be no near-term solution to the Myanmar crisis.

There was also an observation that ASEAN might be experiencing a `Myanmar fatigue, which might distract ASEAN from larger goals of ASEAN community-building, the report said. Patience, flexibility and creativity are therefore required since there will be no quick fix to the crisis.

The report cited, without elaborating, concerns on rising transnational crimes, including human trafficking and illegal drug production originating from Myanmar. More alarmingly, it said, there was a call to all parties to stop the influx of arms and financial funding into Myanmar, which leads to an escalation of the conflict.

More than 3,450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to repression by the military government.

In April, a military airstrike killed more than 160 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule, according to witnesses cited by Human Rights Watch. The group on Tuesday described the attack in which the military dropped a devastating thermobaric or vacuum bomb as an apparent war crime.

Indonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military since assuming the rotating role as ASEANs leader. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country is taking a non-megaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and end violence, which are goals of a five-point peace plan the leaders negotiated with Myanmars military leader in 2021.

In a post-summit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders, they plan to renew a call for self-restraint in the disputed South China Sea, repeating language used in previous ASEAN statements.

Concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region, said a draft of the communique.

___

Associated Press journalists Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.

By JIM GOMEZ and EDNA TARIGAN

Associated Press
ASEAN leaders to agree to cooperate in fighting cyber scams View Photo

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organized crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings. The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmars Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimized. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labor abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home, Mahfud said.

___

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez, Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.

By EDNA TARIGAN

Associated Press
A Farmington man, William F. Howell, 23, is in the St. Francois County Jail on charges of possessing child porn.

The Missouri State Highway Patrols Division of Drug and Crime Control made arrest, which resulted from an investigation by members of the Division of Drug and Crime Controls Digital Forensics Investigative Unit and with assistance from the Farmington Police Department.

According to the Highway Patrol, on March 8, investigators executed a search warrant on Hilltop Street in Farmington, at Howells residence. As a result of their search, investigators seized electronic devices which were processed at the Missouri Digital Forensic Center and found to contain child pornography files.

The St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorneys Office formally charged Howell on May 2 with three counts of possession of child pornography. Howell is being held at the St. Francois County Jail with a bond of $100,000.

The Division of Drug and Crime Control encourages internet users to promptly report to the patrol or local law enforcement anyone who attempts to engage in unwanted, inappropriate, or sexualized communications with children.

The Digital Forensics Investigative Unit and Missouri Digital Forensic Center are partially funded through grants provided by the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Cyber Crime Grant (SCCG), and Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC).
Tributes pour in for AFP journalist killed in Ukraine View Photo

PARIS (AP)  Colleagues of Arman Soldin, the Agence France-Presse journalist slain in Ukraine, gathered solemnly at the press agencys Paris headquarters on Wednesday, a day after his death, to remember the 32-year old.

A widely broadcast photo of Soldin, pictured in protective gear and smiling broadly with a cat on his shoulder, has plucked at the heartstrings of the French nation.

Arman was so enthusiastic, so energetic, so alive that it seems unreal to be here and talk about it this morning, said Juliette Hollier-Larousse, the agencys deputy news director.

Soldin, who was working as the Ukraine video coordinator, was killed in a Grad rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. He was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire. The rest of the team escaped uninjured.

The Paris prosecutors office, which handles counterterrorism cases, said Wednesday evening that it was launching an inquiry into war crimes over the journalists death.

At the editorial meeting, AFP news director Phil Chetwynd said that the shock reverberated across the whole company, saying that Arman was someone who is loved by his colleagues.

To lose him in these circumstances is incredibly painful for all of us, Chetwynd said, even though we all know the risks.

Chetwynd said the logistical priority now was to return Soldins body to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, so we can safely take it out of the country and return it home to his family.

He added: Its just something we never, ever want to have to contact the family about. It goes to some of our worst fears and concerns. So really, all our thoughts are with his family today.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said in a Telegram update that Soldin was killed near Chasiv Yar, a western suburb of the embattled city of Bakhmut.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the wars longest battle.

I sympathize with the family and friends of the journalist and thank all who, risking their own lives, continue to tell the truth about our war, Kyrylenko said.

Tributes have come from far and wide for the Sarajevo-born journalist, who lived for many years in France. Denis Becirovic, a member of the Bosnian presidency, called him a journalist dedicated to his profession who since the beginning of Russian aggression on Ukraine bravely reported to the public about events from this country.

Becirovic also called Armans death a painful reminder to dangers posed to journalists and media workers in areas caught up in war.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna paid a brief but emotional tribute to Soldin while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

I remember him she said, pausing before continuing. I dont want to say things that are too personal, but he notably covered my last visit to Kyiv. I want to pay homage not only to his courage, but to the work that you do, which is indispensable for us to know the reality of the facts, for us to know the truth of what is happening in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Max Blain, spokesman for U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, paid tribute to Soldins work in Ukraine.

Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Armans work was vital to that. Any death in this needless invasion is tragic and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost loved ones during this conflict, he said.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Sievierodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Germany proposes rules to ease legal changes of gender View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a courts authorization.

Under the planned self-determination law, adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities.

We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people, Germanys minister for families, Lisa Paus, said.

This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades, she added.

The existing transsexual law, which took effect in 1981, currently requires individuals to obtain assessments from two experts  such as physicians  whose training and experience make them sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism and then a court decision to change the gender on official documents.

Over the years, Germanys top court has struck down other provisions that required transgender people to get divorced and sterilized, and to undergo gender-transition surgery.

Transgender people have been affected by discrimination and undignified treatment for far too long  we will finally put this condition behind us, said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who presented the proposal together with the family minister.

The new government proposal declares that for children under the age of 14, legal guardians have to submit the declaration of change, while teenagers aged 14 and older should be able to submit the declaration of change themselves  but it should include the support of their custodians.

Germanys government isnt the only one trying to make gender changes easier in Europe.

Spain passed a law earlier this year that allows people over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

Minors between 12-13 years old need a judges authorization to change, while those between 14 and 16 must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

On Tuesday, Spains Constitutional Court said it will consider a legal challenge lodged by the far-right Vox party against the new law.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf said last month he will challenge the British government over its decision to block a law that makes it easier for people to change their gender on official documents.

The passage of Scotlands bill in December was hailed by transgender rights activists but vetoed by the British government, which argued it could undermine U.K.-wide equality legislation that guarantees women and girls access to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

The bill would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It would also speed up legal recognition of the change from two years to three months for adults and to six months for people aged 16 and 17.

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

Associated Press
ROME (AP)  Italian police on Wednesday arrested 29 suspected smugglers as they smashed a transnational operation that for years brought migrants illegally into Italy by sea and then moved them overland into northern Europe, authorities said.

The nearly four-year-long investigation was spearheaded by prosecutors in Calabria, the toe of the Italian peninsula, where many of these migrants arrive from Turkey or Greece, often on well-outfitted sailboats that elude detection by police or military personnel.

In Calabria, Catanzaro Chief Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri described the investigation as groundbreaking in terms of understanding how a series of smuggling gangs work together, from point of origin to point of destination for the migrants, as well as in following the trail of the laundered revenues  profits off peoples misery and desperation.

For the first time we succeeded in demonstrating all the passages, all the steps, of the migrant, depending on the passengers origin and desired destination, Gratteri told reporters. For example, departing from Syria and going to Oslo (Norway), or wherever they wanted to go.

Depending on how much the migrants could pay  investigators said some paid as much as 15,000 euros ($16,500) apiece just for the sea leg of the voyage, although the going rate appeared to be 10,000 euros  the passengers on the land routes to northern Europe either took trucks, trains or taxis across Italys northern land borders. Transit points included Ventimiglia, an Italian city near its border with France and Trieste, in eastern Italy near Slovenia.

Police said colleagues in Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Britain and Morocco collaborated in the investigation that led to the arrests. The operation began at dawn Wednesday in Italy when some 200 officers fanned out in various cities, including other major points on the smugglers land routes, the cities of Milan and Turin.

From the moment the migrants set foot in southern Italy  either in Calabria or in Puglia, an adjacent region forming the heel of the peninsula  the smugglers looked after the travelers until they could be moved into northern Europe, according to written statements by the Italian police.

In effect, a real and true system of illegal welcome, organized both abroad and in various Italian cities, that included food and lodging in the various stops, was created, and to which the migrants entrusted themselves completely, Francesco Messina, a top Italian police official, said in a statement.

All that came at a price. After reaching Italy, migrants would be charged as much as 600 euros ($660) to reach northern cities like Milan, before the next stage taking them overland into countries north of Italian borders.

Elaborating at a news conference, Messina said that besides smuggler cells in Greece and in Turkey, the investigation found seven more operating in Italy.

Essentially, the passage of the migrant from one cell to another had a sort of geographic connotation, the police official said.

One of those cells, based in Trieste, also served as the money-processing hub, investigators said. The smugglers used complicit figureheads to transfer money weekly abroad, in sums low enough to avoid triggering suspicion.

Another key point in the operations was Thessaloniki, Greece, investigators said. From that gathering point, migrants were moved to Athens, then to Patras, where they waited until they could set sail in smugglers sailboats. Still, others directly set sail for Italys southern coastline from Izmir, a Turkish port, Italian police said.

The smugglers exploited a sea route plying the eastern Mediterranean and used sailboats  less likely to appear to be a migrant vessel than the frequently used overcrowded rubber dinghies or decrepit wooden fishing boats, according to the Italian authorities.

Those arrested risk being charged with aiding illegal immigration and money laundering in connection with about 30 sea voyages, police said. Many of the crew were from Ukraine or other former Soviet Union countries, while the ringleaders were mainly from Iraqi Kurdish areas, according to the Italian authorities.

Most of the passengers were of Asian or Middle Eastern origin, the police said.

It was an aging wooden boat, and not a sailboat, that capsized and splintered after smashing into a sandbank just off a Calabrian beach on Feb. 6, killing 92 migrants. Authorities said the smugglers aboard deliberately kept the boat for hours longer at sea, despite very high waves, in hopes of eluding detection by police ashore.

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Follow APs coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

By FRANCES DEMILIO

Associated Press
San Andreas, CA  Scott Ratterman, a Director with the Calaveras County Water District, was recently picked to be the President of the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association.

We reported earlier that TUD board member Barbara Balen is the Vice President.

In addition, Ratterman has now also been elected to the Executive Committee of the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority. The election was held during the JPIA Board of Directors meeting this week in Monterrey. Ratterman is the CCWD representative on the JPIA.

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association President Justin Caporusso says, Our congratulations go out to President Ratterman as he steps into this statewide leadership role. Statewide collaboration is one of our strategic priorities, and this role will help facilitate additional opportunities for MCWRA to provide outreach and education on the priorities of the Sierra Nevada watershed.

It is noted that the JPIA is a partnership of water agencies dedicated to avoiding the high cost of commercial insurance. Formed in 1979, JPIA is a risk-sharing pool for property, liability, workers compensation and employee benefits which allows for more rate stability, broader coverage, and expanded benefits and services than private insurance.

Ratterman earned his Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento, and immediately began working in the insurance industry. Ratterman retired from his insurance career in 2019 following 37 years in the industry.
BEIRUT (AP)  Saudi Arabia has invited Syrian President Bashar Assad to the upcoming Arab League summit in the oil-rich kingdom. The Syrian presidents office Wednesday did not specify whether he will attend the May 19 summit in Jeddah. It comes as Damascus slowly returns to the Arab fold, following a 12-year-period of political isolation. Days ago, the Arab League restored Syrias membership into the organization after it was suspended for brutally cracking down on mass protests against Assad in 2011. The Syrian popular uprising turned into a vicious civil war that killed nearly a half million people and displaced half of the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB

Associated Press
Students body found in cave after New Zealand hit by floods

Students body found in cave after New Zealand hit by floods View Photo

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand police said they have found the body of a high school student in a cave after a school group got into trouble when floodwaters hit.

A group of 15 students and two adults had set out Tuesday morning on a trip to the Abbey Caves in Whangarei as part of an outdoor education class, authorities said. The others made it out safely.

The death has raised questions about why school officials chose to go ahead with the trip even after forecasters had warned that heavy rain was approaching.

The district council website cautions people to check weather forecast as caves can be prone to flash flooding. The site says the cave system features dramatic limestone outcrops, sink holes and three significant caves.

We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have, Police Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement. At the moment, polices focus is on supporting those affected.

Hill said the body was recovered late Tuesday.

Whangarei Boys High School Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith wrote on Facebook that the event was hugely upsetting for all those involved.

In time we will seek to understand how this situation occurred, but for now I ask that we stay united as a WBHS community and provide support where required, the principal wrote.

Further south, the heavy rainfall and flooding Tuesday prompted authorities in Auckland to declare a state of emergency. The declaration remained in place Wednesday morning as the weather eased.

Fire and emergency crews said they responded to more than 200 calls on Tuesday, most of them in Auckland. Many were for floodwaters entering buildings, but they had also responded to landslides, falling trees and trapped cars. Some train and bus services were canceled, and authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Severe weather has plagued the North Island this year. In January, four people were killed when floodwaters hit Auckland. In February, 11 people died when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region.

He said Tuesday hed yet to find out all the details on what had happened to the student.

I do want to express my deep concern there and my absolute support for the school community, Hipkins said.

By NICK PERRY

Associated Press
GOP says Biden family financial records a smoking gun. White House calls it a political stunt View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing growing pressure to show progress in their investigations, House Republicans on Wednesday detailed what they say are concerning new findings about President Joe Bidens family and their finances.

The smoking gun, according to the GOP, is recently obtained financial records connected to the presidents son Hunter Biden, brother James Biden and a growing number of associates who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania. They suggest, without evidence, that the payments were part of a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves off the family name.

To help them get here, Congressional Republicans relied on more than 150 suspicious activity reports as a roadmap to follow what they call the Bidens complicated financial money trail.

The confidential reports, called SARs for short, are often routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the government. The filing of a SARs report is not evidence on its own of misconduct.

But Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee leading the probe, said Wednesday that other types of financial records obtained through congressional subpoenas and lawsuits have now become the focus of their investigation.

The White House dismissed the whole investigation as yet another political stunt.

Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called investigations with legitimacy, White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

Heres a deeper look at suspicious activity reports and how Republicans are using them as a roadmap to investigate the Biden family:

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WHAT IS A SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORT?

Financial institutions are required to file a suspicious activity report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) no later than 30 calendar days from when it detects a suspicious transaction that could have links to money laundering or terrorism financing.

First originated as a criminal referral form, suspicious activity reports were established through the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. In 1996, according to FinCEN, the form became the standard way to report suspicious activity in the financial system.

The rules around the reports were later amended under the U.S. Patriot Act. Today, banks and credit unions routinely submit SARs.

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WHAT TRIGGERS A SARS?

Industries that deal in large sums of money are required to file SARs to the government when they detect a transaction with possible links to money laundering, counterfeiting, fraud or illicit finance  this includes banks, casinos, loan companies and depository firms.

Signs of insider trading and individual transactions of $5,000 or more often trigger an institution to file a report, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation states that entities are encouraged to file nonetheless in appropriate situations involving these matters, based on the potential harm that such crimes can produce.

Large transactions involving foreign payers  like the kind that Hunter and James Biden are known to have engaged in through their work  are the kinds of transactions often flagged to federal authorities.

SARs can also be filed by individuals or entities outside the financial sector, including law enforcement, public safety workers, city or state officials, business owners, and even the general public.

Law enforcement agencies use the reports to uncover and prosecute illegal activity, as well as help identify and counteract fraudulent and criminal behavior before it becomes a larger issue.

In recent years, electronic SARs reporting has increased through FinCENs Bank Secrecy Act e-filing system. Nearly 42,000 reports were filed by the loan and financial services industry in 2021, according to data compiled by FinCEN, a huge jump from the more than 1,500 reports filed in 2015.

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HISTORY OF SARS AGAINST POLITICAL ACTORS

The filing of suspicious activity reports against elected officials is not uncommon. During the Trump administration, Deutsche Banks anti-money laundering division recommended filing suspicious activity reports on transactions conducted by Trump companies, including the Trump Foundation, and firms owned by his son-law Jared Kushner.

Michael Cohen, a one-time attorney for former President Donald Trump, had several suspicious activity reports filed against him, including one that recorded a $500,000 deposit from a company connected to a Russian oligarch who donated money to Trumps inauguration fund.

Most SARs are never made public. The records connected to Trump and Cohen were revealed through leaks to the media and as part of federal investigations.

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CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE REPORTING PROCESS

Suspicious activity reports are cloaked in secrecy to make them useful for law enforcement. The person suspected of triggering a SARs is not routinely informed about the pending report.

Any discussion or disclosure about SARs to outside groups such as news outlets would be considered an unauthorized disclosure and is punishable as a federal criminal offense.

In the case involving Cohen, Trumps former personal lawyer, an IRS employee was charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 with leaking banking records that had been flagged as suspicious activity.

The confidentiality rules have come up again as Comer conducts his probe into supposed suspicious activity reports by Biden family members. The Kentucky lawmaker and some committee members and staff were recently able to view some of the thousands of pages of the Biden familys financial records through subpoenas made to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January.

A handful of lawmakers immediately began talking on social media and cable news about what they had seen in the reports, asserting evidence of misconduct.

House Democrats have accused Comer and other Republicans on the committee of potentially violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

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WHAT ARE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING?

Republicans vowed after winning the House majority last year that they would use their subpoena power to investigate foreign entities that did business with the family during Bidens time as vice president and during the Trump administration, including a specific focus on his son Hunter.

This all comes as Hunter Bidens taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware reportedly making a charging decision in the next few months. And while Hunter Biden never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, his membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his fathers public service, including reported references in his emails to the big guy.

Joe Biden has said hes never spoken to his son about his foreign business. And there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way.

An attorney for Hunter Biden on Wednesday slammed years of Republicans investigations as chasing conspiracies.

Todays so-called revelations are retread, repackaged misstatements of perfectly proper meetings and business by private citizens, Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for the presidents son, said.

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WHAT EVIDENCE HAVE THEY GATHERED?

Up until now, Comer and Republicans have not publicly revealed evidence to substantiate their claims of wrongdoing by the Biden family. But Comer said their investigation into the Biden family is widening.

This is not just about the presidents son. This is about the entire Biden family, including the president of the United States, Comer said during an appearance Sunday on Fox News. So we believe there are a whole lot of accounts that the IRS and the DOJ dont know about because we dont believe they have done a whole lot of digging in this. And we have.

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Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

By FARNOUSH AMIRI

Associated Press
Harris 1st woman to deliver West Point commencement speech View Photo

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris will be the first woman to deliver a commencement speech at a West Point graduation ceremony, White House officials said.

Harris will deliver the keynote address on May 27 at the U.S. Military Academy for the Class of 2023.

We are honored to have the Vice President as our commencement speaker, Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland, the U.S. Military Academys 61st superintendent said in a statement. As an accomplished leader who has achieved significant milestones throughout her career, we look forward to her inspiring remarks to our cadets.

Historically, vice presidents have addressed the graduating class at one of the federal service academies on a rotating basis. This will be Harris first visit to West Point.

In 2022, she delivered the keynote address during the U.S. Coast Guard Academys commencement exercises in Connecticut. In 2021, she delivered a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.

President Joe Biden will deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Howard University this year.

Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Before allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis took over, Disney World's governing district, which at the time was controlled by Disney supporters, reached an agreement in February with the company to prohibit a long list of businesses from ever being operated on its property.

Forbidden establishments included tattoo parlors, liquor stores, adult entertainment, oil refineries and trailer parks. But they didn't include prisons, which the Florida governor recently mused could be built there, when talking in a trolling tone about his yearlong feud with the entertainment giant.

What should we do with this land? And so, you know, its like, OK, kids  I mean, people have said, you know, maybe have another  maybe create a state park. Maybe try to do more amusement parks. Someone even said, like, maybe you need another state prison, DeSantis said last month. Who knows? I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless.

The agreement, which the DeSantis allies say stripped them of power by giving Disney control of design and construction of the theme park resort, is at the center of dueling lawsuits between the DeSantis-appointed board and Disney, as well as a new law seeking to rescind the deal that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed last week.

Among the wide-ranging businesses prohibited by the agreement were establishments that sell X-rated items, gun stores or ranges, bowling alleys, hotels, lumberyards, massage parlors, head shops, nursing homes, marijuana dispensaries, doctors offices and anything taller than four stories.

The board of the governing district, made up of DeSantis allies since March, met Wednesday to approve a new district administrator, hire the previous administrator as a special adviser and authorize a new method for enforcing codes or rules that could be used to fine Disney for violations.

The new enforcement measure would let code officers issue citations for as much as $500 a day and appoint a magistrate to hear contested cases. It also would permit the placement of liens on property where violations exist and allow foreclosures on properties that have with unpaid liens.

The new administrator, Glenton Gilzean, previously served as president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League and will get a $400,000 salary in his new job. He said he was enthusiastic about efforts by the district to support affordable housing for Disney workers, many of whom struggle to make ends meet, and proposed a new study on the impact of the millions of tourists who visit Disney on the resources of surrounding communities.

My job is to make this district, and in turn, this entire region, a much better place, Gilzean said.

Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a tug-of-war for more than a year that has engulfed the GOP governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming weeks.

The fight began last year after Disney, beset by significant pressure both internally and externally, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call Dont Say Gay.

As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney Worlds self-governing district through legislation passed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors that would oversee municipal services for the sprawling theme parks and hotels. But before the new board came in, the company made agreements with members of the previous oversight board that stripped the new supervisors of their authority when it comes to design and construction.

Disney sued DeSantis and the five-member board two weeks ago, asking a federal judge to void the governors takeover of the theme park district, as well as the oversight boards actions, on the grounds that they were violations of companys free speech rights.

The board sued Disney last week in state court in an effort to maintain its control of construction and design at Disney World. It claimed the agreements between the company and previous board members reek of a backroom deal.

The creation of Disneys self-governing district by the Florida Legislature was instrumental in the companys decision in the 1960s to build near Orlando. The company had told the state at the time that it planned to build a futuristic city that would include a transit system and urban planning innovations, so the company needed autonomy in building and deciding how to use the land. The futuristic city never materialized and instead morphed into a second theme park that opened in 1982.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP
When Martin Scorsese premieres his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20th, it will return Scorsese to a festival where he remains a key part of its fabled history.

Scorsese premiered his masterpiece of urban alienation, Taxi Driver, in Cannes in 1976. Its debut was one of the most fevered in Cannes history, drawing boos and some walkouts for the violence in Scorsese's tale of the disillusioned New York cab driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). The playwright Tennessee Williams, then the jury president, condemned the film.

Films should not take a voluptuous pleasure in spilling blood and lingering on terrible cruelties as though one were at a Roman circus, Williams said.

Yet Taxi Driver nevertheless won Cannes' top honor, the Palme d'Or. Having heard of Williams' disapproval, Scorsese and company had already flown home, with dashed hopes of any big award.

I got a call from (publicist) Marion Billings around five in the morning saying, Youve won the Palme dOr, Scorsese later recalled to The Hollywood Reporter. We thought we might get screenplay or best actor for De Niro, so it was very surprising.

Taxi Driver wasn't Scorsese's first time in Cannes. Two years earlier, he had premiered his breakthrough feature, Mean Streets," in Directors Fortnight, a selection of films typically from up-and-coming directors that plays outside Cannes' main stage, the Palais des Festival.

Cannes was the international platform for Mean Streets, a film I didnt think would even get distributed, Scorsese said in a 2018 Cannes talk commemorating the film's debut.

My visit was almost the best time, in terms of anonymity. And trying very hard to change that!" he said. "I was able to go from table to table on the Croisette and meet actors, directors, and so many others. It was still a period of discovery, not just for new filmmakers but older, neglected filmmakers.

Between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver," Cannes played a pivotal role in announcing Scorsese's arrival as a major filmmaking talent. He has ever since maintained a close relationship with the festival, though it's become rarer for Scorsese to launch a film there.

Killers of the Flower Moon, his much-awaited adaptation of the David Grann bestseller, is his first new film to premiere in the Cannes official selection since After Hours in 1986. That film, a darkly comic nocturnal New York escapade, won Scorsese best director.

His latest, which Apple, in partnership with Paramount Pictures, will open in theaters Oct. 6, isn't playing in competition in Cannes. Festival Director Thierry Fremaux, in announcing this year's lineup, said he urged Scorsese to put it into competition for the Palme d'Or but was rebuffed.

Killers of the Flower Moon, with a 206-minute runtime, is about a series of murders of Native Americans in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI investigation that followed. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion and Tantoo Cardinal.

In between, Scorsese has often attended Cannes in other capacities. He was president of the jury in 1998 that chose Theo Angelopoulos' Eternity and a Day for the Palme. He also chaired the Cinefondation jury in 2002.

And Scorsese has regularly been connected with other films at Cannes, either as an executive producer (for, among others, Joanna Hogg's two-part The Souvenir ) or to unveil newly restored classics by the Film Foundation, the film preservation nonprofit he founded. This year, the Film Foundation, with the Walt Disney Co., will debut a stored Spellbound, Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 thriller.

Before a Cannes screening in 2009 of Film Foundation's screening of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1948 masterpiece The Red Shoes," Scorsese said restoration only matters if people see the work.

The more audiences see these films, the more they want to see other films like them, and then what happens is the audience changes which means the movies that are being made change, Scorsese said. There is an audience for special movies, and good movies, for a different way of looking at the world  and not just blockbusters.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
At its meeting held April 1 at the Farmington Public Library, members of the Sarah Barton Murphy Chapter, NSDAR recognized students from five different high schools for their participation in the 2022-2023 Good Citizen Award Scholarship contest.

Winners of the 2022-2023 DAR Good Citizen Scholarship contest were Zane Anthony West, Potosi; Grace Marie Willis, Central; Brandon Eugene Gruen, Arcadia Valley; Alyssa Freeman; Bismarck; and Avery Wisdom, West County.

Lisa LaComb, chairperson for the Good Citizen Award Scholarship Committee, reaches out to local high school counselors early in the school year for the name of a student to represent their high school.

As part of the contest, each student is required to list their high school and extracurricular activities; tell their future plans; share how they serve their community; and describe why the four qualities of a DAR Good Citizen  dependability, service, leadership and patriotism  are important in their life and relationships. They must also provide letters of recommendation from two close adult associates.

Each student is given a two-hour time limit in which to answer the focus question. This year's focus question was, How will the essential actions of a good citizen  dependability, service, leadership and patriotism  meet the challenges that America faces in this decade? Without having prior knowledge of the question, the students write their essay in 550 words or less.

Each student who took part in the contest received a certificate, a Good Citizen pin, and a financial reward.
Ma'Rico Holland II

Classes will be back in session Wednesday according to a district statement released to the "Plainview ISD community" Tuesday afternoon. Classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday after the district received threats to faculty and students last week.

To bolster security, PISD stated in the news release that they plan to work with a private, armed security firm alongside local law enforcement. The statement read that the school district has worked with Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Public Safety and mutually agreed to continue with classes with the heightened security.
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A juvenile male was taken into custody Wednesday morning for making terroristic threats to Plainview ISD via social media.

The Plainview ISD Police Department became aware of the threats on Tuesday, according to a news release from the City of Plainview Police Department. Plainview ISD PD immediately go to work with the city PD to investigate.

Detectives, with the assistance of the Floyd County Sheriffs Office, located the suspect, who resides in Floyd County. Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered hed made the threats via SnapChat.

According to a news release from the Floyd County Sheriff's Office, Lockney ISD Superintendent Jim Baum made Sheriff Paul Raissez aware of the threat against LISD at 6 a.m. The suspect was identified and taken into custody at 6:40 a.m. It was determined later that the individual's threats might be tied to those made to Plainview ISD.

The threats prompted a delayed start for Lockney ISD. Security was already bolstered for Plainview ISD, which returned to class Wednesday following a delayed start to the week prompted by similar threats across social media.

Both districts released statements in the morning noting their cooperation with area law enforcement and the continued safety measures and on each campus.

Plainview ISD has been working with law enforcement agencies throughout the night and they have determined the threat to not be liable, notes the statement from Plainview ISD. This was a general threat throughout the Southwestern United States and authorities will continue with their investigation to find the origin.

Lockney delayed until 10 a.m. That district released a statement at 9 a.m. noting that a person of interest had been taken into custody.

The suspect is facing a charge of terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony.

Other regional districts reported similar threats. One in a neighboring county - Olton ISD - tied the threat received there to the one made at Plainview ISD, though no law enforcement entities or the district confirmed it by end of day Wednesday.

Olton ISD communicated the report of its threat via the districts Facebook account.

Today, we received a report of a school shooting that was directed at Olton High School and Plainview High School, the Facebook post reads. The report came from someone that saw the threat on social media.

The district noted the activity of its guardian team and its local law enforcement working to keep its students safe.

It remains unclear if the threat Olton noted is officially tied to the one received by PISD and LISD.

The investigation into the threats continues. Those with information are encouraged to reach out to Criminal Investigations Commander Captain Manuel Balderas at (806)296-1182.

Its also noted that local law enforcement entities will maintain a continued presence at Plainview ISD for as long as they deem it necessary due to recent threats made online against the district.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan, the United States and South Korea are negotiating an agreement on sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches, as cooperation among the three nations becomes increasingly important amid growing nuclear and missile threats from the North, Japans chief government spokesperson said Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said there has been no agreement yet, but I understand that defense authorities are vigorously proceeding to set up an arrangement."

The security environment surrounding Japan and South Korea is becoming more severe and more complex, and coordination between the two countries as well as trilaterally with the United States has become increasingly important, Matsuno said.

Japan and South Korea are both key U.S. allies and their cooperation is key to Washingtons security strategy in the Indo-Pacific as tensions grow with China, North Korea and Russia.

Japan and South Korea have been separately linked to data from U.S. radar systems but not directly to each other due to difficult relations strained by disputes over history, most recently over South Korean court rulings in 2018 ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean workers for wartime abuses including forced labor. Leaders of the three countries agreed last November to speed up information sharing on North Korean ballistic missile launches.

Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported earlier Tuesday that Japan and South Korea are nearing agreement on connecting their radars via a U.S. system to share real-time North Korean missile warning information, which would help strengthen Japanese missile defense capabilities.

The Yomiuri said the three countries are expected to reach an agreement in early June on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense ministers conference being held in Singapore. Japanese and South Korean defense ministers will hold bilateral talks during the conference, the Yomiuri said.

Ties between Japan and South Korea have rapidly thawed in recent months, largely because of their shared sense of urgency over escalating regional security threats.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeols conservative government announced in March a domestically contentious plan to use local corporate funds to compensate Korean victims of forced labor without demanding contributions from Japan. Yoon then visited Tokyo and agreed with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to overcome their disputes over history to deal with more pressing concerns, prompting a resumption of defense, trade and other talks.

Kishida visited Seoul this week, where he avoided making a new, direct apology over Japans 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula but sympathized with Korean victims over their ordeals in an apparent effort to maintain the momentum for improving ties.

Kishida said he and Yoon will pay respects at a memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima during this month's summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, where Yoon has been invited as a guest. Tokyo will allow South Korean experts to inspect preparations at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant for the release of treated but still slightly radioactive wastewater, which many Koreans oppose, Kishida said.
PARIS (AP)  French international news agency Agence France-Presse says its Ukraine video coordinator was killed Tuesday during a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Arman Soldin, 32, was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets, the agency said. The rest of the AFP team was uninjured.

The late afternoon attack took place in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, a town near Bakhmut, the agency said. Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war's longest battle.

His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine," said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries.

Soldin was born in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia, and a French citizen, according to AFP. He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and had traveled regularly to the front lines in recent months.

AFP said it was devastated at Soldin's death and all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Severodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

RSF Director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Soldin's death a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a speech Tuesday night in Washington, expressed condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones.

Countless journalists are working to expose and report on the truth in extremely dangerous settings," Blinken said. Today, we were devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisian authorities opened an investigation Wednesday into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the country's security forces. The motive of the gunman, whom guards killed before he could enter the building on the island of Djerba, remained unclear.

The island's historic Ghriba synagogue, thought to be one of the worlds oldest Jewish temples, is a popular pilgrimage destination, but it was unknown if the assailant, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, specifically targeted Jews in Tuesday's attack.

The death toll from the attack rose to five Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalized in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisia's TAP news agency. Four other members of Tunisia's security forces remain hospitalized in Djerba, including one in critical condition.

The chair of the synagogue's committee, Perez Trabelsi, was in the house of worship during the attack and told The Associated Press of his terror when the sound of the cartridges broke out.

I was scared, as were most of the people gathered in the oukala, a large space adjacent to the synagogue. Everyone was panicked. Many took refuge in the rooms for fear of being hit by the shots that came from outside, he said.

The synagogue attracted more pilgrims this year  around 6,000 people from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and beyond  than it had for some time, Trabelsi said. He said he was saddened that the pilgrimage to the site that is revered in Judaism was spoiled by those who wish Tunisia harm.

Israeli and Tunisian authorities and family members identified the civilian victims as cousins: Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French. Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sorry to hear that two members of our people were killed in Djerba. On behalf of myself and the government of Israel, I send condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the murdered, he said in a statement.

The assailant, a guardsman affiliated with the naval center in the island's port town of Aghir, first killed a colleague with his service weapon before seizing ammunition and heading toward the Ghriba synagogue, the Tunisian Interior ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple. The guards fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said.

Jews have lived on Djerba, a picturesque island off the southern coast of Tunisia, since 500 B.C. The first Jewish arrivals were said to have brought a stone from the ancient temple of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians.

The stone is kept in a grotto at the synagogue. Women and children descend into the grotto to place eggs scrawled with wishful messages on them.

Djerbas Jewish population is one of North Africas biggest, although in recent years it declined to 1,500, down from 100,000 in the 1960s.

Most left following the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries, and the economic policies adopted by the government in the late 1960s also drove away many Jewish business owners.

Djerba, a dusty island of palm trees and olive groves, lures hundreds of thousands of tourists every year  mainly Germans and French  for its sandy beaches and rich history. The Ghriba synagogue itself, said to date to 586 B.C., once drew up to 2,000 visitors per day, Jewish leaders have said.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sadness at the attack. In a statement, the ministry paid tribute to the rapid intervention of the Tunisian security forces and stands by Tunisia to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of fanaticism.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli noted that unfortunately, the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site, according to his office.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with Tunis Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan, and told him that Israel stands alongside the community in this difficult hour. He said he instructed ministry officials to provide all needed aid. Israel and Tunisia dont have formal diplomatic relations.

The European Jewish Congress expressed its shock and outrage.

Terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue, Congress President Ariel Muzicant said in a statement.

Former Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM that he was at the Ghriba synagogue with family members during the attack. He described the place as almost empty because most visitors had already left the site.

The shooting was heavy and the attacker tried to enter the synagogue compound, he said. The counterterrorism officers, who were extremely professional, quickly blocked all exits. A carnage was thus avoided.

Aviel Haddads sister, Rona, told Israels Kan public radio that the entire family had immigrated to Israel from Tunisia, and that her brother, a jeweler, traveled to Djerba frequently.

She said that she and her family tried unsuccessfully for hours after the attack to contact him and later learned the news through family friends. She said the family intended to bury her brother in Israel.

The president of the Israelite Consistory of the southern French city of Marseille, Michel Cohen-Tenoudji, said Benjamin Haddad, a father of four, was a well-known, very active member of the local Jewish community.

He was running a kosher bakery in the city center and was known for offering Shabbat bread to people in need, Cohen-Tenoudji told French media. The family is devastated. On a personal level, I feel indignation, horror and sorrow.

In 2002, a truck bombing killed about 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, an attack in Tunisia at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed 38 people, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, along with attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards.

___ Thomas Adamson reported from Paris. Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, contributed to this story.
Tom Mahler, a remedial project manager for Environmental Protection Agency, gives a presentation on the findings from additional testing at the West Lake landfill. The EPA announced radiological contamination had been identified in more areas of the landfill than previously known. (Allison Kite/Missouri Independent)

BRIDGETON  Radioactive waste has migrated outside the boundaries of the West Lake landfill and contaminated soil and water on the edge of the St. Louis County site, federal environmental officials said Monday night.

And the contaminated area onsite is far larger than previously thought.

Yet still, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency couldnt assure the community when the site  contaminated 50 years ago  would be cleaned up.

I dont know that theyve botched another site the way they are this one, said Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, an organization that sprung up out of activism by local parents around the West Lake landfill.

Chapman said the agency has made progress. She said EPA officials at Monday nights meeting, which drew about 70 residents to a union hall in Bridgeton, were the most upfront she had seen. But she said there was no reason for the waste to sit as long as it has.

The EPA is charged with managing the cleanup of the West Lake landfill, which has held nuclear waste from the development of the atomic bomb for half a century.

St. Louis was pivotal to the development of nuclear weapons during World War II. Waste from uranium processing in downtown St. Louis  part of the Manhattan Project  contaminated Coldwater Creek, exposing generations of children who played in the creek and most recently forcing the shutdown of an area elementary school.

In 1973, the Cotter Corp., which obtained massive amounts of waste from the Manhattan Project, dumped it illegally at the West Lake Landfill, where it remains today. The site is part of the EPAs Superfund program.

Another part of the site is suffering an underground fire that residents fear could exacerbate the health concerns brought on by the nuclear waste.

As the beginning of the cleanup effort nears, EPA required additional sampling by the parties responsible for the site. And they found what local activists feared: The radiological contamination is far more widespread than they knew.

That means the parties responsible for the site  the U.S. Department of Energy, Cotter and the landfills owner, Republic Services  must have parts of the site excavated and place an even larger cover over what remains.

Since almost all of this (material) is in the subsurface and theres no way for anyone to come into contact with it, the risks remain the same today as what we estimated, said Tom Mahler, EPAs remedial project manager for the site.

Mahler said testing showed radiological contamination in a drainage ditch at the edge of the West Lake site.

The agency found some evidence of contamination nearby in 2016, but didnt test the surface water along the north edge of the site until more recently. Then, he said, it found radioactive waste.

Why didnt you get it in 2016? Chapman asked. Because it moved under your nose.

The investigation also found contamination throughout portions of the landfill far from the bulk of the waste mass.

Mahler said some of the contamination is 30 or 50 feet deep because regular trash was added on top of the radioactive waste for years after it was dumped. In other locations, radioactive waste was found near the surface of the landfill.

And still, more than 30 years after the EPA added the site to the National Priorities List, its not clear when it will get cleaned up.

Parties responsible for the site have to keep investigating and designing a cleanup strategy on a schedule established with the EPA. But theres no date certain for the cleanup.

 there is not a final end date because there are a lot of variables, said Chris Jump, EPAs lead remedial project manager.

Activists had braced for the news after EPA previewed the findings last month. They have said they pushed the EPA to do additional testing for years only to be ignored.

Karen Nickel, a co-founder of Just Moms STL, said it was hurtful to find out about the additional contamination.

Thats probably the most frustrating part  other than having an entire community year after year getting sick, our children getting sick  that nobody cared enough about us to do the obvious, Nickel said.
Frogs in Puerto Rico croak at a higher pitch due to global heating Guardian (resilc)

Fans pass out, throw up amid Taylor Swifts Nashville concert delay PageSix (resilc)

UFO Hunters Built an Open-Source AI System To Scan the Skies Vice

Cory Doctorow Explains Why Big Tech Is Making the Internet Terrible Jacobin (Kevin W)

First UK baby with DNA from three people born after new IVF procedure Guardian (Kevin W)

Major Psychologists Group Warns of Social Medias Potential Harm To Kids NPR. A little late now.

The Italian Job: Lucretius in the Renaissance Antigone (Anthony L)

From the Cynics self-sufficiency to an ecology of wanking aeon (Chuck L)

#COVID-19

Climate/Environment

China?

Turkey at a Crossroads: Erdogan Faces a Real Risk of Losing Election Der Spiegel (resilc)

New Not-So-Cold War

Syraqistan

Imperial Collapse Watch

Trump

Biden

Rerunning Bidens Blunderland CounterPunch. Resilc: A brain dead Reagan, mixed with a Feinstein/Ginsberg ego and inability to step aside.

GOP Clown Car

Our No Longer Free Press

AI

Saving Lives and Making a Killing New York Review of Books. KLG: Paywalled but key quote from the book that illustrates the evil that kills:

For financial investors, the beauty of the drugwas that even though the drug worked, it didnt work too well. Ibrutinib was not a magic bullet cure. The cancer was never fully cleared from the blood and rarely went away completely. Patients would need to take a pill once a day, every day, for a long timeyears. The analysts [at banks and hedge funds] took the relatively large number of CLL patients and multiplied it by the sky-high price that similar cancer drugs commanded in the market. Then they tried to estimate how long those patients would continue taking the drug. The analysts figured the drug could generate billions of dollars.

Debt Ceiling

Biden says hes considering 14th Amendment as debt ceiling option The Hill

The Bezzle

Guillotine Watch

Guillotine earrings, commemorating the execution of Louis XVI, circa 1793. Note the kings heads, dangling upside-down from the bottoms of the earrings. pic.twitter.com/AufVK7UZAk  Laocoon of Troy (@LaocoonofTroy) May 8, 2023

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. It is remarkable the degree to which the US has been able to hide its reliance on mercenaries and other contractors. Vanity Fair published a telling piece about Alan Grayson, who then before his Congressional runs, was a litigator specializing in Federal government contracting fraud. Hed filed qui tam suits documenting massive multi-level abuses by Halliburtons subsidiary KBR in the war in Iraq.only to find, in a complete reversal of norms, that the Department of Justice, instead of joining his suit, was quietly trying to sandbag it.

That example, as does the much more visible one of the Wagner Group, that private armies and other hired hands dont always play nicely and sometimes bite the hands that feed them.

By Andrea Mazzarino. Originally published at TomDispatch

The way mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army have been waging a significant part of Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine has been well covered in the American media, not least of all because his firm, the Wagner Group, draws most of its men from Russias prison system. Wagner offers freedom from Putins labor camps only to send those released convicts to the front lines of the conflict, often on brutal suicide missions.

At least the Russian president and his state-run media make no secret of his regimes alliance with Wagner. The American government, on the other hand, seldom acknowledges its own version of the privatization of war  the tens of thousands of private security contractors its used in its misguided war on terror, involving military and intelligence operations in a staggering 85 countries.

At least as far back as the Civil War through World Wars I and II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the first Gulf War, contractors, as we like to call them, have long been with us. Only recently, however, have they begun playing such a large role in our wars, with an estimated 10% to 20% of them directly involved in combat and intelligence operations.

Contractors have both committed horrific abuses and acted bravely under fire (because they have all too often been under fire). From torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to interrogations at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, from employees of the private security firm Blackwater indiscriminately firing on unarmed Iraqi civilians to contractors defending a U.S. base under attack in Afghanistan, they have been an essential part of the war on terror. And yes, they both killed Afghans and helped some who had worked as support contractors escape from Taliban rule.

The involvement of private companies has allowed Washington to continue to conduct its operations around the globe, even if many Americans think that our war on terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere has ended. I tried looking for any kind of a survey of how many of us realize that it continues in Iraq and elsewhere, but all I could find was pollster Nate Silvers analysis of lessons learned from that global conflict, as if it were part of our history. And unless respondents were caring for a combat-wounded veteran, they tended not to look unfavorably on sending our troops into battle in distant lands  so scratch that as a lesson learned from our forever wars.

None of this surprises me. American troops are no longer getting killed in significant numbers, nor are as many crowding the waitlists at backlogged Veterans Affairs hospitals as would be the case if those troops had been the only ones doing the fighting.

At points during this centurys war on terror, in fact, the U.S. used more civilian contractors in its ongoing wars than uniformed military personnel. In fact, as of 2019, according to Brown Universitys Costs of War Project, which I co-founded, there were 50% more contractors than troops in the U.S. Central Command region that includes Afghanistan, Iraq, and 18 other countries in the Middle East, as well as Central and South Asia. As recently as December 2022, the Pentagon had about 22,000 contractors deployed throughout that region, with nearly 8,000 concentrated in Iraq and Syria. To be sure, most of those workers were unarmed and providing food service, communications aid, and the like. Even more tellingly, roughly two thirds of them were citizens of other countries, particularly lower-income ones.

In 2020, retired Army Officer Danny Sjursen offered an interesting explanation for how the war on terror was then becoming ever more privatized: the Covid-19 pandemic had changed the Pentagons war-making strategy as the public began to question how much money and how many lives were being expended on war abroad rather than healthcare at home. As a result, Sjursen argued, the U.S. had begun deploying ever more contractors, remote drones, CIA paramilitaries, and (often abusive) local forces in that war on terror while U.S. troops were redeployed to Europe and the Pacific to contain a resurgent Russia and China. In other words, during the pandemic, Washington placed ever more dirty work in corporate and foreign hands.

(Not) Counting Contractors

Its been a challenge to write about private security contractors because our government does anything but a good job of counting them. Though the Defense Department keeps quarterly records of how many civilian contractors it employs and where, they exclude employees contracted with the Central Intelligence Agency or the State Department.

When Costs of War first tried to count contractor deaths by searching official government sources, we came up short. The spouse of a gravely wounded armed contractor directed me to her blog, where she had started to compile a list of just such deaths based on daily Google searches, even as she worked hard caring for her spouse and managing his disability paperwork. She and I eventually lost touch and it appears that she stopped compiling such numbers long ago. Still, we at the project took a page from her book, while adding reported war deaths among foreign nationals working for the Pentagon to our formula. Costs of War researchers then estimated that 8,000 contractors had been killed in our wars in the Middle East as of 2019, or about 1,000 more than the U.S. troops who died during the same period.

Social scientists Ori Swed and Thomas Crosbie have tried to extrapolate from reported contractor deaths in order to paint a picture of who they were while still alive. They believe that most of them were white veterans in their forties; many were former Special Forces operatives and a number of former officers with college degrees).

Limited Choices for Veterans

How do people of relative racial, economic, and gendered privilege end up in positions that, while well-paid, are even more precarious than being in the armed forces? As a therapist serving military families and as a military spouse, I would say that the path to security contracting reflects a deep cultural divide in our society between military and civilian life. Although veteran unemployment rates are marginally lower than those in the civilian population, many of them tend to seek out what they know best and that means military training, staffing, weapons production  and, for some, combat.

I recently spoke with one Marine infantry veteran who had completed four combat tours. He told me that, after leaving the service, he lacked a community that understood what he had been through. He sought to avoid social isolation by getting a government job. However, after applying for several in law enforcement agencies, he failed lie detector tests (owing to the common stress reactions of war-traumatized veterans). Having accidentally stumbled on a veteran-support nonprofit group, he ultimately found connections that led him to decide to return to school and retrain in a new profession. But, as he pointed out, many of my other friends from the Marines numbed their pain with drugs or by going back to war as security contractors.

Not everyone views contracting as a strategy of last resort. Still, I find it revealing of the limited sense of possibility such veterans experience that the top five companies employing them are large corporations servicing the Department of Defense through activities like information technology support, weapons production, or offers of personnel, both armed and not.

The Corporate Wounded

And keep in mind that such jobs are anything but easy. Many veterans find themselves facing yet more of the same  quick, successive combat deployments as contractors.

Anyone in this era of insurance mega-corporations who has ever had to battle for coverage is aware that doing so isnt easy. Private insurers can maximize their profits by holding onto premium payments as long as possible while denying covered services.

A federal law called the Defense Base Act (1941) (DBA) requires that corporations fund workers compensation claims for their employees laboring under U.S. contracts, regardless of their nationalities, with the taxpayer footing the bill. The program grew exponentially after the start of the war on terror, but insurance companies have not consistently met their obligations under the law. In 2008, a joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica found that insurers like Chicago-based CAN Financial Corps were earning up to 50% profits on some of their war-zone policies, while many employees of contractors lacked adequate care and compensation for their injuries.

Even after Congress called on the Pentagon and the Department of Labor to better enforce the DBA in 2011, some companies continued to operate with impunity visavis their own workers, sometimes even failing to purchase insurance for them or refusing to help them file claims as required by law. While insurance companies made tens of millions of dollars in profits during the second decade of the war on terror, between 2009 and 2021, the Department of Labor fined insurers of those contracting corporations a total of only $3,250 for failing to report DBA claims.

Privatizing Foreign Policy

At its core, the war on terror sought to create an image of the U.S. abroad as a beacon of democracy and the rule of law. Yet there is probably no better evidence of how poorly this worked in practice at home and abroad than the little noted (mis)use of security contractors. Without their ever truly being seen, they prolonged that global set of conflicts, inflicting damage on other societies and being damaged themselves in Americas name. Last month, the Costs of War Project reported that the U.S. is now using subcontractors Bancroft Global Development and Pacific Architects and Engineers to train the Somali National Army in its counterterrorism efforts. Meanwhile, the U.S. intervention there has only helped precipitate a further rise in terrorist attacks in the region.

The global presence created by such contractors also manifests itself in how we respond to threats to their lives. In March 2023, a self-destructing drone exploded at a U.S. maintenance facility on a coalition base in northeastern Syria, killing a contractor employed by the Pentagon and injuring another, while wounding five American soldiers. After that drone was found to be of Iranian origin, President Biden ordered an air strike on facilities in Syria used by Iranian-allied forces. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated, No group will strike our troops with impunity. While he later expressed condolences to the family of the contractor who was the only one killed in that attack, his statement could have more explicitly acknowledged that contractors are even more numerous than troops among the dead from our forever wars.

In late December 2019, a contractor working as an interpreter on a U.S. military base in Iraq was killed by rockets fired by an Iranian-backed militia. Shortly afterward, then-President Trump ordered an air strike that killed the commander of an elite Iranian military unit, sparking concern about a dangerous escalation with that country. Trump later tweeted, Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will.

I cant believe Im saying this, but Trumps tweet was more honest than Austins official statement: such contractors are now an essential part of Americas increasingly privatized wars and will continue to be so, in seemingly ever greater numbers. Even though retaliating for attacks on their lives has little to do with effective counterterrorism (as the Costs of War Project has long made clear), bearing witness to war casualties in all their grim diversity is the least the rest of us can do as American citizens. Because how can we know whether  and for whom  our shadowy, shape-shifting wars work if we continue to let our leaders wage an increasingly privatized version of them in ways meant to obscure our view of the carnage theyve caused?
Ernest Thompson will be stopping by New Dominion Bookshop to share the adventures of a father, a son  and an Oscar.

The Academy Award-winning author of the play On Golden Pond will read selections from his new novel, The Book of Maps, which came out in October. He also plans to bring along the iconic statuette that everyone asks him about. Generous with his stories and his time, Thompson has learned over the years that clutching his trophy tightly isnt nearly as much fun as watching peoples faces when he hands it to them.

I take my Oscar with me. I let people take pictures with it, and with me, Thompson said. People cant resist being curious about the award, and Thompson enjoys giving them a chance to dream the dream for the two minutes they get to hold it, he said warmly.

He said people usually are surprised to discover how heavy the statuette is. Because he shares moments of movie magic, its not as shiny as the ones handed out during the awards ceremony telecast. Its luster comes from a democratized dream thats burnished by eager hands and unexpected wish fulfillment.

My Oscar is so tarnished because Ive lent it out to charities, Thompson said. Literally thousands of people have touched it.

Thompson also has sentimental moments to share from his new book, which Global Collective Publishers released on Oct. 25. The Book of Maps is the tale of a two-week, 16-state road trip that takes a filmmaker father and his 10-year-old son to Mount Rushmore, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and some tough revelations that may alter their relationship.

There are moments of peril along the road from Los Angeles to New Hampshire  and plenty of humor. When a black bear stumbles onto the duos campsite, the kid is the hero, Thompson said. He has sprinkled Fritos around the place to keep the bear busy.

The book is ridiculously funny. I cant write without comedy, Thompson said. If you can make an audience laugh, you can take them anywhere.

The starting point for The Book of Maps was a road trip Thompson took with his own son in 2002. What the author did not realize until later was what a period piece it would turn out to be.

The horrors of 9/11 are still fresh; the pain of the pandemic isnt even on the radar. A trek across a wide-open America inspired by a 1930s travel guide that the dad picks up at a yard sale takes on a wistful time-capsule quality in a wounded and worldly 2023.

Its a chance to show the kid America as the dad knows it, Thompson said. There werent so many fights and riots. It seems almost innocent by comparison.

The father in the novel also has a secret that the boy needs to hear, and needs to hear from him: his parents are divorcing. As the trip wears on, procrastination keeps getting easier.

Thompson particularly enjoys fielding questions from readers whove already read the new novel.

Ive gotten such beautiful responses from people whove read the book, he said. As a storyteller, thats just delicious for me. I love it when we can have profound conversations.

But as an actor, Thompson also is pretty good at reading the room, and Im full of stories from my fifty years in the business, he said. Hes ready to stop and answer a question about what it was like to work with Katharine Hepburn because hes able to pick up on audience sentiments from smiles to sniffles.

Thats why he brings the Oscar whenever he can. He knows that readers join the story wherever they happen to be, and every road story is worth telling.

Like the one when Oscar showed up on an airport X-ray  and everything stopped. Including the luggage belt. Thompson said the security personnel almost couldnt believe what they were seeing when the statuettes unmistakable silhouette scrolled across the small screen.

Luckily, Thompson did not have to unpack. The security officer simply turned the trophy in place so she could read the inscription and be certain that Thompson was who he said he was.

Im proud of it, he said he told the officer about his statuette. Im not going to give it back.

New Dominions staff recommends arriving early for the best seating. Learn more online at ndbookshop.com or call (434) 295-2552.
Fifty trips around the sun is a lot for one band to make. But thats exactly what Los Lobos is celebrating with their current tour, which stops in Nashville Thursday night at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museums CMA Theater.

Teenage friends Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Louie Perez and Conrad Lozano formed the band in Los Angeles in 1973 and are still making music together. The members of Los Lobos, whose name is Spanish for The Wolves, have more than answered the question posed in the title of their 1984 breakout album, How Will the Wolf Survive? Speaking to the Scene recently from his home in Southern California, Perez ruminates on the key to a long run that includes 18 studio albums, three Grammys and one No. 1 hit.

We grew up as friends before we were ever a band together, Perez explains. And I think that has a lot to say about why weve been together for this long. You know, our parents knew each other. We were kids from the neighborhood. We went to the same high school. We were friends. So we were all family before we were a band together, and thats really how deep the roots are.

Perez met Hidalgo, who would become his songwriting partner, after transferring to Garfield High in East Los Angeles in 1970.

I was going to a parochial school at the time, and I ended up at Garfield because  well, Ill put it this way, they thought it might be a better idea if I went somewhere else, he says with a laugh. So I ended up in public school, and I was put into an art class, and lo and behold, there was Dave. We started chatting about music, and he had different tastes that most people wouldnt connect with young Chicano kids. He was listening to Fairport Convention, I was listening to Incredible String Band, and he said, Really, you like that? Yeah, its great. And then we just became really good friends.

Perez describes how he and Hidalgo soon stumbled into a fascination with the traditional Mexican music of their ancestors  not something immediately of interest to Mexican American kids at the time. For that he thanks Rosas and another friend, Francisco Frank Gonzalez, who Perez credits with reeling in the rest of the group.

When Frank and Cesar started messing around with this [traditional] stuff, they naturally just called us up because we were all friends, and we all hung out together. And then we needed a bass player and we all knew Conrad, who was playing with another local band.  We just got so totally smitten by it that we quit the bands we were playing in to do this full time.

Gonzalez, who died last year at 68, was a trained musician and the bands early leader. But he had a falling out with the other members in 1976 and left Los Lobos just before they were to make their first record Si Se Puede!, an album to honor Cesar Chavez and benefit the United Farm Workers.

If it wasnt for that project, this band could have remained in limbo, Perez says. And who knows if it would have survived. But we owed this to the United Farm Workers and to Chavez and to the producer that was putting it together.

So the four remaining members of Los Lobos decided to go forward, and not only survived but thrived with a sound that blends traditional Mexican music and instrumentation with rock, R&B and country. Working the L.A. club circuit, the band became friends with members of The Blasters, who helped them land a deal with Slash Records. Blasters sax man Steve Berlin signed on as co-producer for their EP ... And a Time to Dance, recorded in late 1982 and early 1983. Berlin recalls that The Blasters core duo, brothers Dave and Phil Alvin, were prone to fighting with each other at that time, so during the sessions for the EP, he made the easy decision to leave The Blasters and join Los Lobos.

When this all started, I didnt think Id be talking to anybody about looking back over 40 or 50 years, Berlin says. The main thing I would want to share with anybody is just how grateful we all are to be able to make our own way and make these records the way we want to, and not really have to compromise ever. Weve done stuff that people have asked us to do sometimes, but more often than not, its just us trying to do what we want to do.

Los Lobos place in the history of the L.A. club scene in the late 70s and early 80s led to the band being featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museums current exhibit Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock.

About the time California country-rock reached its commercial zenith in the late 1970s and early 80s with the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and other major-label acts, a new breed of roots-oriented rock n roll emerged from the L.A. club scene, says exhibit co-curator Michael Gray. We thought it was important to also look at that next generation of bands, including Los Lobos, The Blasters, Lone Justice, Rank and File and The Long Ryders.

On Thursday afternoon before the evenings show, Rosas, Hidalgo, Perez, Lozano and Berlin will participate in a panel discussion of their place in history that will be moderated by the exhibits co-curator Michael McCall.

You know, you do this for a living, you dont think that anything youre doing is museum-worthy, Berlin says of their inclusion in the exhibit. [Musicians celebrated in museums] are gods, you know  not the normal schmoes like the guys in my band. Then you kind of realize, Oh, wait a minute, I guess were getting there somehow, someway. So, yeah, it was nice. Its always gratifying to feel like something youve done is worthy of commemoration.
(Natural News) Anheuser-Buschs mistake in making ties with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney was not knowing, or at least not respecting, its market. The United States is making the same mistake on the geopolitical stage, pushing the trans and other woke agendas on a world either wholly uninterested, or actually disgusted, by what Uncle Sam is selling.

(Article by Selwyn Duke republished from TheNewAmerican.com)

And, quite predictably, America is bleeding world support the way Bud Light is customers, as our allies take their business elsewhere  such as to the Chinese.

Anheuser-Buschs response is to try to deftly walk back its support for the MUSS (Made-up Sexual Status, aka transgender) agenda. Our governments response is different: Its quadrupling down (it doubled down long ago).

This is all happening at a time, too, in which respect for the American military is cratering. And as history professor Victor Davis Hanson put it Thursday, Sanctimonious hectoring while appearing weak is a bad combination.

In his piece The New Ugly Americans, Hanson mentions that some would once lament the old supposed American cultural imperialism, which amounted to corporations such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola becoming prominent in foreign markets. But one may as well complain about Asian cars being common in the U.S. Love em or hate em, these businesses have captured foreign markets via economic democracy: Foreign people decided they liked what the corporations were selling.

But new cultural imperialism is imposed top down. Hanson paints a striking picture:

When exiting Afghanistan with our tail between our legs in 2021, we left billions in military equipment behind, which the Taliban could get rich selling. Also left, of course, was Bagram Airbases hundreds of millions worth of infrastructure. But we left some other things, too.

Upon our departure, an LGBT flag still flew above our new Kabul embassy, and a George Floyd mural was displayed on city streets. Wed also spent $787 million instituting gender studies programs at Kabul University. Its a good bet the latter didnt survive Taliban pedagogical review and that the sexual flag and Saint Floyd will get the Buddha statue treatment.

The LGBT flag was there, by the way, because in 2021 Joe Biden reversed a Trump policy banning the practice. Such a flag, along with Black Lives Matter banners, have also hung from our embassy in South Korea, Hanson points out.

In fact, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in March that LGBTQ+ rights are  a core part of our foreign policy, formally announcing, in essence, that America has become a sexual-devolutionary imperialist project.

Such partisan cultural activism is a diplomatic first, noted Hanson. He then continued:

The woke Left has now weaponized the countrys diplomatic missions abroad to advance highly partisan and controversial agendas that can offend their hosts, and do not represent the majority of American voters at home. American foreign policy toward other nations seems now to hinge on their positions on transgender people, LGBTQ promotion, abortion, climate change, and an array of woke issues from using multiple pronouns on passports to showcasing transgender ambassadors. The Biden Administration in January 2022 stopped the EastMed pipeline. That joint effort of our allies Cyprus, Greece, and Israel sought to bring much needed clean-burning Mediterranean natural gas to southern Europe. Apparently, our diplomats felt it violated our own New Green Deal orthodoxies. So we imperialists interfered to destroy a vital project of our closest allies. The White House manifesto called the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality offers a blueprint for how to massage nations abroad to accept our values that are increasingly at odds with much of the worlds. Do Americans really believe that embracing drag-queen shows at military bases, abortion to the moment of birth, transgender men competing in womens sports, and the promised effort to ban the internal combustion engine are effective ways to ensure good relations with the United States?

Note, too, that this is just the intensification of long-standing American policy that had only somewhat of a pause during Trumps administration. In 2011 already, for example, then-president Barack Obama used U.S. foreign aid as a cudgel to try to pressure African nations into embracing the homosexuality agenda. African officials described the effort as abhorrent and the agenda as anathema to most of their continent.

It wasnt always like this  and imposing values can be valid. There was a time when we made receipt of foreign aid contingent upon being pro-American (entirely rational). Earlier in history, the Portuguese, Dutch, and British outlawed sati (widow-burning) in India. The West also introduced Christianity to a once-savage world and eliminated cannibalism, human sacrifice, and, where it could, slavery.

Most people will ultimately accept the suppression of profound objective evil, too.

They also may recoil at its promotion.

And as American Thinker put it in March, a good portion of the world [now] sees America as an immoral hegemon. Why, our troops were even told to ignore the ritualized sexual abuse of boys in Afghanistan (bacha bazi), something whose elimination many Afghans wouldve have appreciated. That was what our government decided to be culturally sensitive about. But its congruent: That behavior was just close enough to the perverse agenda we were pushing.

The result of all this (and other factors) is a foreign policy train wreck. Increasingly, the world is de-dollarizing, with countries such as Russia, China, Brazil, and Kenya and Southeast Asian nations engaging in types of trade with alternative currencies. Allies such as France have joined Russia and Iran in moving toward China, while Beijing, more concerned with profits than cultural imperialism, happily makes inroads into Africa.

Eastern European lands such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic had perhaps hoped the bullying was over after centuries of aggression from enemies such as the Ottomans, Nazis, and Soviets. But now these nations, which could be our best allies, have woke Washington condemning them. And while Ugandas Parliament had in 2010 tabled a bill that included capital punishment for aggravated homosexuality  likely under pressure from the U.S.  it now has just made such a bill law.

Increasingly, the world doesnt care what the U.S. thinks, seeing us as weak, morally corrupt, bizarre, sex-switching aliens who are channeling Caligula. Unlike Anheuser-Busch, were not struggling to reverse course and repair our image, for our pseudo-elites are determined. Theyll die with their pink boots on  and take American power, prestige, and prosperity with them.

Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com
(Natural News) Archaeologists in Spain have unearthed statues believed to resemble people of the ancient Tartessos civilization.

Five stone busts from 2,600 years ago were discovered at Casas del Turunuelo, a historical monument in Guarena, southern Spain. The statues dating from the 5th century B.C. had faces that depicted people from the Tartessos, who lived in the southern Iberian Peninsula about 3,000 years ago. But the Tartessos inexplicably vanished  and what its people looked like has long been a matter of speculation. .

Researchers at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) noted that the busts are the first human depictions of the Tartessos people. Sebastian Celestino, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of Merida, concurred with this observation.

This breaks the paradigm that the Tartessian was an aniconic culture, that is one that had no figurative or anthropomorphic representation, Celestino told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Whether it was an artisan from elsewhere or someone born in the area who mastered the techniques, it seems clear that they were sculpted here. [It] says a lot about the level of sophistication of those who commissioned something like this.

A recent photo of two of the five busts showed figures resembling two female personalities. Both were pictured with large and elaborate earrings, showcasing the goldsmithing abilities of the Tartessians.

Esther Rodriguez, co-director of the site, told El Pais: These types of earrings have been found at other sites of the era and region. So, they are very well-documented, but now we finally know how they were worn. The chain was used to attach it to the ear.

The two busts reportedly depicted the two women as goddesses, while a third bust represented a warrior. Meanwhile, the other two busts that werent as well preserved as the earlier three could also represent some type of deity.

CSIC said the researchers are not ruling out that they are eminent figures in Tartessian society. It is possible that they were initially all part of the same wall-mounted structure and together described some sort of story or narrative.

Tartessos linked to lost ancient city of Atlantis

During the 9th century B.C., the intermingling of Phoenician colonizers and the local people in the southern Spanish area where Turunuelo is presently located gave birth to the Tartessian civilization. Tartessos flourished and became wealthy through the trade of metals. The civilizations huge wealth and prosperity stemmed from metalworking and the trade of tin, gold and copper.

Tartessos had also been associated to the legendary Atlantis  an ancient city that was supposedly devastated and sank under the Atlantic Ocean. How and why this occurred is still a mystery. Some cited Tartessos as the source of the myth of Atlantis, while others believe Tartessos was a contemporary trading partner of the lost ancient city. (Related: Prehistoric site described as real-life Atlantis  experts in a race against time to retrieve treasures before it disappears again.)

Its common belief that the story about Atlantis was made up 2,300 years ago by the Greek philosopher Plato, but some history fans continued with the notion that it really did exist.

Many believe the lost civilization was destroyed by the Bermuda Triangle. This area of the Atlantic Ocean, also called the Devils Triangle, became an urban myth after more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes vanished in the region. Another theory suggests it was devastated by a natural disaster like a flood, earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Follow Ancients.news for more stories about ancient civilizations.

Watch this video to know more about the lost legends of Atlantis, which is being linked to Tartessos.

This video is from the Eric Dubay channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Five legendary lost cities that have never been found.

Archaeologists discover possible ruins of Poseidon temple in Greece.

Discovery of massive ruins of ancient Roman city hit by a tsunami proves climate change isnt responsible for natural disasters.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

English.ElPais.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Californias burgeoning homeless population has converted a two-mile strip of road in the North Bay region of San Francisco into a massive vehicle homeless encampment.

The encampment, made up of two long lines of RVs, trucks and trailers stretching for nearly two miles, is located near U.S. Route 101 in northern Marin County. (Related: More people are rapidly leaving crime-ridden, high-cost cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago.)

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that there has always been a small homeless population encamped in their RVs and other vehicles alongside Binford Road on the outskirts of the small city of Novato in Marin, right next to Route 101.

But the number of people making the roads their own ballooned dramatically in recent years to around 135 vehicles now, fueled by acute housing insecurity and loss of income caused by the economic restrictions imposed during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

California authorities providing the homeless with taxpayer-funded services

State and local authorities are providing a variety of free and low-cost services to the dozens of campers along Binford Road. These services are paid for by $1 million in taxpayer funds  $500,000 from the state and $500,000 from Marin County  awarded to cities lining Binford Road and Route 101 and they are meant to address encampment issues.

The services include free groceries, helping campers clear their criminal records and housing case management services like applications for housing assistance or free state housing.

The homeless are also provided with a variety of free medical services, like blood tests, hepatitis testing, prescription refills, physical examinations and even access to sterile syringes for the drug addicts among the homeless population.

These services are provided at least once a month by organizations paid with taxpayer dollars to come out for a service fair.

Social service officials note that even with all of this support, the camp residents who are well enough to work full-time still cant afford the skyrocketing costs of living in Marin County, where census figures show the median household income to be about $131,000.

Gary Naja-Riese, director of homelessness in the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, noted that the county is working full-time to clear out the encampments by providing people with assisted housing. He added that the county is able to get an average of a dozen people into housing a month, primarily through landlord partnership programs at Marin Housing Authority.

Naja-Riese added that research has shown that nearly 80 percent of the people in Marin County who are homeless used to have residences in the area before becoming displaced.

These are our neighbors  who through a multitude of experiences have lost their housing, said Naja-Riese. Sometimes I think folks arent always aware of how local the issue really is.

Marin County locals not happy with homeless population being encouraged to stay

Homes in Novato cost a median price of $1.3 million, and Marin County calls itself the home of notable celebrities like George Lucas, Robin Williams and Tony Bennett. Other locals are concerned that the services being provided to these homeless people encourage them to continue encamping in the area.

I cant park on a city street. Why are they letting them do that? said Kathy, who has lived in Novato for over 40 years. It appears to us this is just the easy way out  and California is making it really easy for them and very hard on us, the people who live here.

Karen, a 78-year-old longtime resident of Novato, said she disagrees with the RV campers takeover of public property at no cost to them, as far as I know.

I dont want [Novato] to be another San Francisco, she said. We wont go to San Francisco anymore.

Read more about the rapidly deteriorating state of California at CaliforniaCollapse.news.

Watch this clip from The Bottom Line with Dagen & Duffy on Fox Business as hosts Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy discuss San Franciscos economic collapse due to rampant crime.

This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Blue city madness: 27 of the 30 most murderous cities are run by Democrats and 14 of those 30 cities have Soros-backed prosecutors  big chain stores fleeing these crime-ridden cities.

Dem senator introduces bill that will allow Californias worst criminals to be released after serving 20 years in prison.

Billionaire investor slams San Franciscos zombie zones, 20-year record high homelessness.

Federal judge wont let San Francisco clear homeless camps from sidewalks, serving up epic dish of karma.

POLL: San Francisco residents most likely to move to different city due to high crime rate and homelessness.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

SFChronicle.com

NYPost.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Do you agree that business owners with light skin should be punished in favor of business owners with dark skin? Candi CdeBaca, a Democrat Socialist city councilwoman from Denvers District 9 believes this is the right thing to do.

Speaking this week about her plans to help black and brown business owners get ahead of white business owners, CdeBaca suggested adding a special white tax throughout the city of Denver, the proceeds of which would be handed over to blacks and browns.

CdeBacas race-based tax scheme is making the rounds on social media for its blatantly anti-white prospects. CdeBaca, who appears to be Hispanic, claims that black and brown business owners throughout Denver need a leg up in the form of stealing from white business owners.

Capitalism was built on stolen land, stolen labor, and stolen resources, CdeBaca complained during the meeting, which you can watch below. You could be collecting those extra taxes from white-led businesses all over the city and redistributing them to black and brown-owned businesses.

Denver City Council member Candi CdeBaca, who is running for re-election, says white owned businesses should be taxed extra and redistributed to black owned businesses. pic.twitter.com/s9JhSdAmtj  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 5, 2023

(Related: Black Lives Matter [BLM] terrorists claim that destroying businesses and looting is a form of reparations that blacks deserve  is this where CdeBaca got her idea from?)

Anti-white racists like CdeBaca are infesting the new American government

CdeBaca is apparently unfamiliar with the United States Constitution, as many leftists are, and those pesky little provisions it contains that outlaw this type of race-based taxation. In defense of her plan, CdeBaca claims that the illegal tax would be voluntary, just like the federal income tax supposedly is, thus making it legal in her mind.

A spokesperson for Denvers Department of Finance quickly corrected CdeBacas embarrassing false claim, stating unequivocally that non-residentially assessed property owners within the BID are required to pay the additional taxes and fees  its not voluntary.

So not only is CdeBaca a liar, but she is also pushing an illegal race-based tax that by its very nature embodies a form of skin color-based communism, which makes sense for the area of Denver she represents.

Denvers 9th District is a hodgepodge of wealthy gentrifiers mixed in with minorities. It is one of those cool areas of town that leftists, oftentimes white themselves, love to take over while implementing their own special brand of anti-white leftism.

The represented neighborhoods include a portion of City Park, Clayton, Cole, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points, Globeville, Skyland, and Whittier, as well as North Park Hill and South Park Hill. District 9 used to, but no longer does, include Auraria, the Central Businesses District, City Park West, Union Station, and another portion of City Park.

Hilariously, CdeBacas office responded to criticisms against her anti-white policy by claiming that this is the third time CdeBaca has been targeted by a white nationalist mob, claiming that the above clip of CdeBaca revealing her anti-white scheme is part of a concerted playbook to harass, intimidate, and silence progressives and in particular, marginalized communities.

It turns out that there are major swaths of the country that are poor and marginalized and are majority white, including the Appalachian region of the country. How come they never get any representation by these white-hating progressives?

CdeBaca says she got her anti-white ideas from the San Francisco Legacy Business Program, which since 2015 has been redistributing money to underserved communities, though not specifically by taxing white-owned businesses.

The latest news about the lefts hatred for white people can be found at AntiWhite.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In Texas, it is a crime to perform genital or other bodily mutilations on children, as state law defines transgender affirmation procedures as child abuse. And it appears as though Dell Childrens Medical Center in Austin has broken the law in this regard.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced that his office has launched an investigation into Dell Childrens Medical Center, which unlawfully performed on minor children gender transitioning procedures that are both profoundly violative of a childrens body and prohibited in the Lone Star State.

I am launching an investigation into Dell Childrens Medical Center regarding gender transitioning of minors, Paxton tweeted about the matter. Gender transitioning minors is child abuse, and child abuse will not be tolerated.

In a separate press release, Paxton fired warning shots against the transgender lobby in Texas and elsewhere, stating that these child mutilators feel as though they are above the law and do not have to obey it.

It is now alarmingly common for fringe activists to use their positions in medicine and health care to force experimental, life-altering procedures onto children, Paxton said, making reference to woke doctors, surgeons, and other medical workers who embrace child mutilation as normal and well.

Across the country, there are doctors and health care professionals who appear willing to sacrifice the long-term health of American children, all in service to the increasingly dangerous fad of transgender extremism. 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.

(Related: Vanderbilts Pediatric Transgender Clinic in Nashville is bullying doctors and forcing them to genitally mutilate children or else face accusations of transphobia.)

If you support the transgender mutilation of children, youre probably a pedophile pervert

Akin to the Tide Pod challenge from a few years back, transgender mutilation is one of the latest trends being pushed on children via social media platforms like TikTok, which is Chinese-owned and one of the worst offenders.

All over TikTok, so-called influencers, some of them trans-identifying themselves, are brainwashing young children, many of them underage minors and even pre-pubescent children, into believing that if a boy likes the color pink, or if a girl likes to play sports, then this means they were born into the wrong bodies and must take gender-bender pharmaceuticals and have their private parts removed or altered in order to become their true selves.

Some of these influencers also claim to be health care workers, some of whom are actually actively grooming underage children via TikTok into seeking out artificial hormones and dangerous surgical procedures, which are then allegedly conducted illegally at corrupt institutions like Dell Childrens Medical Center.

Paxton served Dell Childrens Medical Center with a Request to Examine, or RTE, the purpose of which is to seek out information regarding reported misconduct. Clandestine video captured by Project Veritas depicts what appears to be illicit behavior taking place at the medical facility, which was then relayed to Paxtons office.

Veritas released a series focused on the practices of gender transition clinics in the U.S., Project Veritas tweeted. Medical professionals appear to say that they are giving kids as young as 8 years old, life-altering puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones for children as young as 14-years-old.

According to Dell Childrens Medical Center, they dont engage in these abusive practices. A statement from the facility added that it prohibits surgery and prescribing hormone therapy, including puberty blockers, for the treatment of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.

The latest news about the transgender mutilation of children can be found at Transhumanism.news.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) It never ceases to amaze us how liberals use one constitutionally guaranteed right to try to get another one banned.

Case in point: Here 4 the Kids, a gun control group comprised of mothers, is using its First Amendment right to speak and express itself freely to press Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to ban all guns in the state, in direct contravention of the Second Amendment.

The mothers are hoping a group of 25,000 will come together for a sit-in at the state Capitol on June 5 to demand all guns be banned, 9 News reported this week.

The groups website notes: We demand that Colorado Governor Jared Polis sign an executive order to ban guns and buy them back.

The groups website further makes this a race thing.

We are not an organization. This movement is an unexplored and unprecedented action, led by black and brown women with a team of white women working behind the scenes, to end gun violence in the United States, it says.

The Here 4 the Kids website has been criticized for making a false claim that guns are the number one killer of children in the United States, explained Awr Hawkins at Breitbart News.

The claim is based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that includes 18 and 19-year-olds as children, which allows the study to show firearm-related deaths of children ages 0-19 totaling 4,368 in 2020, compared to 4,036 motor vehicle deaths for the same age range. However, when adjusted for ages 0-17, the number of firearm-related deaths for children in 2020 is 2,281, while the number of motor vehicle deaths for the same age group is 2,503, he added.

Hawkins noted that at the same time, left-wing anti-gun crusader David Hogg posted this nonsense: Im literally part of the shooting club at my college and was in a skeet competition just a few weekends ago. That day I used well over 100 shells, then disassembled, cleaned and locked up the 12 gauge I used. Please save it. No one is coming for your guns.

Im literally part of the shooting club at my college and was in a skeet competition just a few weekends ago. That day I used well over 100 shells, then disassembled, cleaned and locked up the 12 gauge I used. Please save it. No one is coming for your guns. pic.twitter.com/BTv76crFlj  David Hogg ? (@davidhogg111) May 7, 2023

As an American, Hogg can own a gun and, under the confines of the law, do with it what he pleases. But as Second Amendment advocates have frequently reminded leftist anti-gunners, the Second Amendment was not written and adopted so that early Americans right to shoot at targets was protected. It was adopted as a means of preventing the central or state governments from becoming tyrannical.

The Amendment, which states that the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed, has been the subject of numerous legal challenges, political debates, and public controversies since its adoption in 1791. It was based on the English Bill of Rights of 1689, which declared that Protestants had the right to bear arms for their defense.

One of the most contentious issues surrounding the Second Amendment is its legal interpretation. Some scholars argue that the Amendment protects an individuals right to bear arms, while others claim that it only protects the right to bear arms as part of a well-regulated militia. This debate came to a head in the landmark Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm for self-defense.

It has also taken on significant cultural and symbolic importance in American society. For many Americans, the right to bear arms is a fundamental aspect of their identity and a symbol of their commitment to individual liberty and self-reliance.

But more than anything, it is a fundamental right that cannot be taken away by left-wing activists and mothers or by the stroke of a governors pen.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

9News.com
(Natural News) NIMBY  not in my back yard  is a concept that is alive and well in the suburbs of New York City, where residents are not at all happy about a plan approved by the mayor to ship illegal migrants to their neighborhoods.

With New York City struggling to cope with a continuing influx of migrants seeking asylum, Mayor Eric Adams on Friday announced a new strategy: The city would begin paying for shelter at two suburban locations outside the five boroughs, The New York Times reported this week. It took less than a day for the plan to hit a wall. Officials in one of the two counties strongly rejected the citys relocation efforts and declared a state of emergency to thwart the attempt.

The resistance is one of the initial obstacles to Mayor Adamss decompression approach, which is aimed at relieving the burden of accommodating the citys increasing number of asylum seekers. And it comes at a time when many more are expected to seek asylum in New York as a border policy that was implemented during the pandemic is set to expire soon, the Times report continued.

The plan consists of offering shelter, food, and medical services for up to four months to about 300 men in two hotels located in Rockland and Orange Counties, which are situated north of New York City.

Despite Adamss claim of consultation with the state and local officials, at least two officials expressed that they were taken aback by the plan and pledged to oppose it, the paper said.

It felt like they were trying to do a Friday night drop, Teresa Kenny, the town supervisor of Orangetown, who told the Times that she found out about the plan just hours before Adams announced the move. I feel like the mayor called me to check a box so he couldnt be criticized for not talking to us.

Rockland County executive Ed Day expressed surprise at Adamss plan and quickly took action to try to stop it. On Saturday, he issued a state of emergency order, which states that no municipality can transport or shelter migrants in Rockland without his permission.

Mind you, New York is filled with Democratic leaders who, for years, have claimed that the Big Apple is a sanctuary city for illegal aliens, they were welcome there, and that the city would not cooperate with federal immigration authorities to locate and deport any New York resident in the country illegally.

Until Republican governors began sending illegal immigrants to the blue cities by the busload.

Whatever we need to do to stop this, we will do, Day, a Republican, told the Times in an interview. He also warned that the county is ready to issue fines of up to $2,000 per violation per day to any hotel that accepts asylum seekers from the program.

Theyre basically dumping them into a county where were not prepared for them, he said.

It remains uncertain if the state of emergency declaration will impede New York City officials from arranging the transfer of migrants. New York City had already declared its own state of emergency in October 2021 to request federal resources to manage the increasing migrant population, The Times reported.

Stephen Acquario, the executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, said: We need leadership here, because this is an area of unfamiliar, uncharted waters, he said.

He added that the legal battle to prevent the transfer of migrants to Rockland is likely to be decided in court. He also pointed out that the county also has a law in place that prohibits hotel guests from staying for more than 30 days at a time, which could present another challenge.

Sources include:

NYTimes.com

Infowars.com
(Natural News) Record-breaking purchases of gold by central banks of different nations were observed during the first quarter of 2023.

The World Gold Council (WGC) disclosed this finding in its latest report, noting that demand for the metal from central banks worldwide reached 228 metric tons (MT). This was a 176 percent increase compared to the 82.7 MT from a year prior. This is all the more impressive, considering it follows the record-breaking pace of demand last year, the WGC said.

ZeroHedge reported that the gold purchases amounted to the strongest first quarter on record. It also noted that the central banks of several countries were among the buyers for that quarter.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which serves as the central bank for the Little Red Dot, took the No. 1 spot for its 69 MT of gold purchased this quarter. The purchase marked the first increase of its gold reserves since June 2021. The MAS now has a total of 222 MT in its gold reserves, 45 percent higher than at the end of 2022.

The Peoples Bank of China (PBoC), Mainland Chinas central bank, disclosed a 58 MT addition to its existing gold reserves. It has added 120 MT to its gold reserves since resuming reports of gold purchases in November 2022, for a grand total of 2,068 MT. (Related: MORE METAL: Chinas public gold holdings now over 2000 tons after another huge purchase in December.)

Chinas State Administration of Foreign Exchange also revealed in its April 2023 reserves data report that the countrys gold reserves rose to a record 66.76 million ounces (oz) at the end of April. Chinas reserves amounted to 66.5 million oz at the end of March.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) also saw its official reserves rise by 30 MT to a total of 572 MT, despite several sales. A sale in March, the first since November 2021, offset a combined purchase of 45 MT in January and February. The TCMB also sold 15 MT of gold into the local market following a temporary partial ban on gold bullion imports.

The Reserve Bank of India also purchased a modest seven MT in the first quarter to increase its gold reserves to 795 MT. The Czech National Bank purchased two MT, while the Central Bank of the Philippines bought one MT.

Several countries also sold the yellow metal to other nations

ZeroHedge also noted that gold sales for the first quarter of 2023 were much more modest by comparison.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) took the No. 1 spot for gold sales during the quarter, selling off 20 MT from its reserve. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan (ORMB) followed at No. 2 after it sold 15 MT of gold. According to the WGC, it is not uncommon for central banks that purchase gold from domestic sources  such as the NBK and the ORMB  to be frequent sellers of gold.

The National Bank of Cambodia sold 10 MT of gold from its reserves during this quarter. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the National Bank of Tajikistan each sold one MT from their gold reserves.

Aside from these, ZeroHedge also reported about the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) resuming its reporting of gold reserves. Its filing encompassed the period from the end of January 2022 to date.

According to the CBR report, Russias official gold reserves fell by six MT to 2,327 MT. However, this decline was but a drop in the bucket as the countrys current gold reserves are 28 MT higher than when it stopped reporting last year.

Meanwhile, the National Bank of Croatia reported a loss of two MT in its gold holdings in January. Croatia dropped the kuna, its national currency, and adopted the euro as a currency that month.

However, this gold was simply transferred to the European Central Bank  which is mandatory for all countries adopting the euro as currency. Thus, Zagrebs transfer of gold to Brussels does not represent a decline in the global gold reserves.

Watch this clip from the Flyover Conservatives podcast about gold purchases by central banks being at their highest level since the 1950s.

This video is from the Flyover Conservatives channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Central banks continue to stockpile gold as recession looms.

Central banks all over the world are buying gold at a furious pace.

Central banks continue their streak of accumulating more gold in 2023.

WGC report: Central banks extend gold buying streak in preparation for currency uncertainty.

Central banks continue adding gold to their net holdings as fears rise of a global currency collapse.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Brighteon.com
Jefferson High School students were evacuated Wednesday morning, May 10, after law enforcement agencies received what ended up being unfounded reports of a school shooting.

"Our caller, who did not identify themselves, reported they were hiding in the bathroom and then said the subject was shooting at them," according to a news release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office issued Wednesday afternoon.

Marion County Sheriff's deputies were joined by several other agencies in responding to the school just across the Linn County line.

An initial news release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office offered few details, saying only that deputies were investigating an "active threat."

"There are no confirmed reports of anyone injured and law enforcement is working closely with school officials," said the news release, issued at 9:59 a.m. Wednesday, May 10.

The call came in as a person with a gun in the school at 9:19 a.m., according to Sgt. Don Parise with the Marion County Sheriffs Office. Speaking at the scene, Parise said the caller reported shots were fired.

Alerts sent to parents via text message at 9:44 a.m. said Jefferson High was in lockdown status while nearby Jefferson Middle School was secure.

Jefferson schools had just run through lockdown drills the day before, according to parents.

The high school was evacuated under law enforcement escort. Meanwhile, anxious parents waited to hear if their kids were safe.

Its hard not hearing from your kids, said Itamar Jimenez, who has a freshman student at the high school and an 11-year-old at the middle school.

Authorities searched the high school twice, finding no evidence of shooting or injuries, according to Parise, who noted a similar threat was reported March 14. That call was determined to be a false report.

"Law enforcement was not able to locate anyone injured let alone shot and no evidence of an armed person or any shots which had been fired," the later news release said about Wednesday's incident.

By 10:40 a.m., officials could be heard calling an all-clear on their radios and thanking cooperating agencies, which included Oregon State Police, Linn County Sheriffs Office, Turner Police Department, Aumsville Police Department and Jefferson Fire District.

At around the same time in Eugene, police responded to a bomb threat at South Eugene High School. Following the threat by telephone, a second call claimed to be from a person in a school bathroom with a shotgun and handgun. No evidence of either were found by law enforcement.

That followed a similar threat made to the school a week prior.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

"There have been similar threats to other schools located in Washington and California with so far nothing verified," a news release from the Eugene Police Departments says.

The Jefferson incident is still under investigation, according to Marion County Sheriff's deputies. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeremy Schwab at jschwab@co.marion.or.us or 503-932-6294.

Reporter Cody Mann contributed to this article.
(Natural News) Researchers have raised concerns about the alarmingly high concentrations of bacterial DNA in the mRNA Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Dr. Kevin McKernan, a leading expert in sequencing methods for DNA and RNA, first shined a light on this issue. Canadian physician and medical researcher Dr. Mark Trozzi expounded on McKernans findings in an interview with the New American.

He told the magazines senior editor Veronika Kyrylenko that any traces of bacterial plasmids, including that from the Escherichia coli bacteria, should have been filtered out in the final batches of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. However, Trozzi pointed out that this filtration wasnt done.

He emphasized that the contamination risks integrating bacterial plasmid DNA into E. coli bacteria entering the intestinal microbiome. This could result in ongoing spike protein production, triggering autoimmune reactions in the vaccinated and raising concerns about the potential shedding of the spike protein when breathing.

The highly persistent bacterial plasmids may explain why vaccinated individuals produce the spike protein for prolonged periods. The spike protein has been demonstrated to be a potent toxin associated with various conditions, including chronic inflammation, autoimmune-like responses and blood clotting. Additionally, the integration of bacterial DNA with human chromosomes can alter genetic information and potentially lead to malignant diseases.

Were at the crime scene and theres hope for accountability, Trozzi told Kyrylenko during his interview.

Spike protein reprograms immune system in a strange way

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein  particularly the one in Pfizers BNT162b2 vaccine  reprograms adaptive and innate immune responses as it penetrates the blood-brain barrier and cell nucleus, according to the Daily Expose. The spike protein even affects DNA replication, added the outlet.

The worst part of this is that COVID-19 infection usually goes away in a week, the Expose wrote. But spike production in [the vaccinated] continues for 60 days, exposing [them] to much more spike protein damage.

Moreover, new evidence suggests that the immune system response of vaccinated individuals may not be as broad and effective as previously thought.

Surveillance data from the U.K. Health Security Agency indicates that individuals vaccinated and subsequently infected with COVID-19 have lower levels of N antibodies produced against the viruss nucleocapsid protein. This lack of N antibodies may leave vaccinated individuals vulnerable to any mutations of the COVID-19 virus that occur in the future.

In contrast, unvaccinated individuals contracting COVID-19 and recovering from it can produce both S and N antibodies, which may provide better immunity to mutations.

Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) issued two warnings about the COVID-19 shot.

First, these vaccines mis-train the immune system to recognize only a small part of the virus [the spike protein]. Variants that differ, even slightly, in this protein can escape the narrow spectrum of antibodies created by the vaccines, AFLDS noted. Second, the vaccines create vaccine addicts, meaning persons become dependent upon regular booster shots because they have been vaccinated only against a tiny portion of a mutating virus.

Visit BadMedicine.news for more stories about the dirty COVID-19 vaccines.

Watch the Health Ranger Mike Adams and Dr. Peter McCullough explain how the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine bioweapons turn the body into a walking spike protein factory.

This video is from the Perfect Society channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

New study: mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can cause brain diseases.

Large Nordic study finds that mRNA covid vaccines increase risk of myocarditis.

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny: mRNA COVID vaccines increase hospitalization and death rates  Brighteon.TV.

Study finds 29% of teenagers develop heart problems following second dose of Pfizers mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Cancer hijacks your cells and turns your body against itself, just like mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

Expose-News.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed a special border force in preparation for the influx of illegal aliens at the southern border as the pandemic-era public health order Title 42 expires on Thursday, May 11. Title 42 allows federal border agents to rapidly expel illegal immigrants to Mexico and was first implemented in March 2020 at the start of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to mitigate the spread of the virus in crowded detention settings.

With the ending of Title 42 on Thursday, President [Joe] Biden is laying down the welcome mat to people across the entire world, said Abbott. The Texas National Guard is loading Blackhawk helicopters and C-130s and deploying specially trained soldiers for the Texas Tactical Border Force, who will be deployed to hotspots all along the border to help intercept and repel large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally.

He added that the tactical border force is set to boost Operation Lone Star efforts in securing the Texas border in the anticipated spike in illegal immigration. Border towns along the 3,100-kilometer (1,900-mile) frontier are readying for what could be several thousand people trying to cross into the U.S. every day.

The expiring public health order is to be replaced by what the Biden administration said to be legal pathways to an asylum for those qualified and who do it properly, and strict punishments for those trying to cross the border illegally.

As per Abbott, the National Guard team will focus on identifying crossing points and shutting them down. They will also have access to aircraft, boats, night vision equipment and riot gear as they are expecting an increase in the border arrivals as a result of pent-up demand and the perception among illegal crossers that they would be allowed to enter America. Many of them are from Mexico, Venezuela and Central America.

At a news conference, the governor said he would continue to bus illegal immigrants from the border to sanctuary cities such as Chicago and New York. However, Big Apple officials announced last week they would send the illegal immigrants to a small city in suburban Rockland County, drawing pushback from local officials, who declared a state of emergency.

Moreover, Abbott is working with state lawmakers to make it a felony to illegally enter Texas from Mexico or to be involved in so-called stash houses for migrants who have crossed the border illegally. Another measure would impose a 10-year minimum jail sentence for anyone convicted of smuggling people into Texas.

Thousands of migrants already at the border

According to recent reports, thousands of migrants are already at the southern border even before Title 42 ends. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser estimated that roughly 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants are waiting to cross the border. The mayor said migrants are flocking to the border under what he said is the false assumption that it will be easier to gain entry to the U.S. as soon as the public health order expires. (Related: El Paso mayor declares state of emergency as city braces for influx of illegal aliens once Title 42 expires.)

The El Paso Police Department has warned drivers to use extra caution due to groups of migrants running into traffic on highways and streets along the border and downtown. Electronic signs posted along the six-lane Cesar Chavez Border Highway remind drivers to watch out for unexpected pedestrians near the Rio Grande.

City officials said parts of Father Rahm Avenue will be shut down as some 1,800 migrants are taking refuge and sleeping on sidewalks of the historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church over the weekend. The streetcar service has been suspended until further notice.

The Department of Homeland Security also received approval from the Department of Defense to deploy 1,500 active duty military members to the border to assist with data entry, warehousing and monitoring efforts. However, those service members will not be permitted to assist in migrant processing.

Visit InvasionUSA.news for updates on the expected surge of illegal aliens at the end of Title 42.

Watch the video below where independent journalist Stew Peters says America will turn into a third-world country as thousands illegals cross the border.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

STAGING FOR THE INVASION: Migrants from around the world are FLYING to Americas southern border to enter illegally after Title 42 expires.

Mexico-based cartels gearing up to flood America with up to one million illegal aliens after Biden opens the border by dropping Title 42.

Supreme Court leaves Trump-era Title 42 in place, preventing full-blown border crisis while deciding whether states can enforce it.

Governors warn of total chaos from unprecedented wave of illegal immigrants if Title 42 is permanently lifted.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

News.Yahoo.com

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) One of the claims often parroted by LGBTs and their allies purports that gender dysphoric children who undergo life-altering surgeries and hormone treatments end up better off post-op with far fewer mental problems and improved health. Science, however, tells a much different story.

A conveniently overlooked study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that pretty much across the board, children with mental problems who tried to deal with them by cutting off body parts and taking gender-bender pharmaceuticals ended up needing more anti-psychotic drug prescriptions after the dirty deed was done.

Researchers looked at the Department of Defense (DoD) medical records of 3,754 trans-identified adolescents and 6,603 of their siblings who do not identify as transgender. All of the records came from military youth.

They found that there is no improvement in mental health after going trans  and, in fact, mental health appears to get far worse after a child goes trans because of slicing off body parts, wearing clothes of the opposite sex, and various other predominant accouterments of transgenderism do not provide the healing that the transgender industry claims they do.

Among 963 [transgender/gender diverse] youth using gender-affirming pharmaceuticals, mental healthcare did not significantly change and psychotropic medications increased following gender-affirming pharmaceutical initiation; older age was associated with decreased care and prescriptions, the study reads.

(Related: The president of the American College of Pediatricians has warned that trans affirming care is a form of medical quackery that has no basis in sound science.)

Trans-identifying youth are more likely than their non-trans siblings to suffer mental derangement

Despite getting everything they claimed they ever wanted, including new gender pronouns, perhaps a larger following on TikTok, and plenty of media attention, trans-identifying youth who complete their transition are still not happy  and their prescription records show it.

Compared to their non-trans siblings, trans-identifying youth are more likely to suffer a mental health diagnosis; are more likely to need mental health care services; and are more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications.

The most pronounced increases in mental healthcare were for adjustment, anxiety, mood, personality, psychotic disorders, and suicidal ideation / attempted suicide, the study further explains.

The most pronounced increased in psychotropic medication were in SNRIs, sleep medications, anti-psychotics and lithium.

Amazingly, and perhaps to save face among the transgender lobby, Dr. David Klein of the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, one of the studys co-authors, claims that he still believes pre-existing mental health issues can just melt away after a child gets a sex change.

Like other transgender proponents, Klein argues that the reason these trans-identifying children have so many mental health problems is because they feel like they are trapped in the wrong body. And the only way to solve it is for these children to undergo expensive, permanent, and ghastly surgical procedures that generate lots of revenue for transgender surgeons and others in the for-profit trans industry.

Klein is the same transgender proponent who co-authored another paper insisting that children as young as seven are fully capable of consenting to a sex change. Klein warns against taking a watchful waiting approach, instead arguing that parents need to sign their babies up for sex changes as soon as possible.

Some well-intentioned military-affiliated clinicians may not be aware that a watchful waiting approach has a different risk profile than a gender-affirmative approach (which allows for gender identity exploration), and that conversion therapy is unethical, harmful, and generally illegal, Klein says.

Patients may face gatekeeping and major delays in care, including protracted and pathologizing psychiatric evaluations that question patient motives.

Want to keep up with the latest news about the transgender perversion of the West? Visit Transhumanism.news.

Sources include:

ThePostMillennial.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) About 5,700 people have made the trains and platforms of the Los Angeles Metro Rail (Metro) their home. Alex Villanueva, former sheriff of Los Angeles County, noted that there were no homeless people living on the train platform before 2017  back when the sheriffs department had a contract with the Metro.

Villanueva doesnt expect the situation to get better soon, thanks to the Metro Ambassador Pilot Program launched in March by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). The program seeks to replace armed law enforcement with unarmed ambassadors.

According to Villanueva, this will only cause more crimes and anxiety among passengers.

The pilot program initially deployed almost 300 unarmed ambassadors on trains and buses, although an additional 48 armed ambassadors had been added in response to criticisms and the rise in assaults against riders and drivers.

Villanueva said the increase in crime aboard the Metro trains has made people more afraid of riding the transit system  a trend backed up by official data. The former sheriff continued: Women, in particular, are definitely afraid of going on the train.

Metro officials have acknowledged their challenges in addressing these issues. According to Metro spokesperson Patrick Chandler, the agency has implemented various measures, such as playing classical music in certain stations to discourage illicit activities and partnering with health services and housing departments to support the homeless.

Chandler said the Metro cannot isolate itself from the broader societal issues of drug use and crime. He added that the problems the Metro system faces reflect the challenges present in the community at large.

But Villanueva doesnt buy that excuse. The former sheriff called on the members of LACMTA board to resign en masse, bow their heads in shame and ask for forgiveness from the residents of LA County.

Commuters have abandoned large swaths of the Metro as crime rates soar

Villanueva, who lost the post to incumbent LA County Sheriff Robert Luna during the November 2022 elections, recounted what he saw after taking the systems Gold and Red lines in April.

Passengers were just smoking weed out in the open on the train in front of little kids with their parents all nervous right there, he told Epoch Times. The former sheriff also observed other passengers engaged in disruptive behavior, such as talking loudly to themselves or lighting up joints. These things, he said, create an unpleasant environment for commuters, including families with young children.

Villanueva also noted the presence of disoriented homeless individuals at the stations and bottles of alcohol on the railroad. Drug paraphernalia such as empty syringes were also distressingly common. He remarked: Look at all the debris from intravenous drug use. That is typical. (Related: Los Angeles faces an imminent bubonic plague outbreak due to rampant homelessness.)

Sadly, its what we expected, Villanueva continued. Its a degradation of the system. Its accelerating and getting bigger because its become a haven for transients, for people that want to use it as a shooting gallery.

Commuters have abandoned large swaths of the Metro train system as cases of suspected drug overdoses, robbery, rape and aggravated assault increased by 24 percent last year compared to the previous years.

Last April, there have been four stabbings on the Metro trains, leading to one fatality. Additionally, LACMTA reported 21 deaths on buses and trains this year, mostly suspected of drug overdoses. These incidents have left passengers fearful and have contributed to a decline in ridership, with a 41 percent decrease since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Villanueva ultimately called for increased police presence on the Metro system.

Learn more about the chaotic situation in LA and other California cities at Collapsifornia.com.

Watch former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson explaining why LA is now more dangerous than El Salvador.

More related stories:

Homelessness in LA-LA Land Los Angeles getting WORSE under Democrats who blame the GOP for ignoring the NEEDY.

AOC mindlessly denies crime is spiking around country via smash-and-grab robberies, even as wealthy LA residents are forced to hire private security.

Starbucks employees attacked in LA by homeless vagrants with metal chairs: barista.

Feeding LAs homeless industrial complex.

Over 50% of fires in Los Angeles this year were caused by the citys surging homeless population.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

LosAngelesTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Proposals targeting the largest sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure have repeatedly failed in recent legislative sessions despite growing awareness of the risks associated with forever chemicals.

PFAS is the umbrella term for approximately 15,000 chemicals used in producing countless consumer products across various industries. These chemicals resist water, stains and heat, leading to their vast application. Unfortunately, even low levels of exposure to PFAS have been linked to severe health conditions, including cancer, thyroid disease, kidney dysfunction, birth defects, autoimmune diseases and more.

But powerful corporations involved in producing and using these chemicals have derailed efforts to enact comprehensive consumer protections. As a result, the health and well-being of the public continue to be compromised, as industry interests have stifled regulatory actions.

While federal progress has faltered, a glimmer of hope has emerged from a patchwork of state laws enacted in recent years. Several states, primarily those under Democratic control, have taken matters into their own hands and passed legislation restricting the use of PFAS in various consumer goods. These state-level initiatives have forced many companies to phase out PFAS, as the chemicals become illegal in consumer products within some of the nations largest economies.

The Guardian outlined two such state-level measures to address PFAS. It reported that the state of Maine has banned all non-essential uses of forever chemicals, while the Vermont Senate unanimously approved a prohibition on PFAS in cosmetics, textiles and artificial turf. (Related: Maine becomes first state to enact broad ban of toxic PFAS forever chemicals.)

Companies face public pressure to ban PFAS use

The adoption of state laws, alongside the pressure exerted by advocacy groups and concerned consumers, have played an important role in urging companies to commit to phasing out forever chemicals. Outdoor equipment company REI is one such company that faced immense pressure to stop using PFAS in its products.

Toxic-Free Future (TFF) Director Mike Schade said more than 100 NGOs and 150,000 cooperative members signed a petition demanding the company eliminate PFAS. The petition called for REI to drop forever chemicals in its apparel 18 months ahead of a California ban. Schade himself spearheaded the effort through TFFs Mind the Store program.



The effort paid off as REI announced it will ban PFAS in all textile products and cookware from its suppliers. The initial restrictions will take place in the fall of 2024, and will extend to other products until the fall of 2026.

Several large companies have committed to eliminate PFAS from their products. Cosmetics firms Sephora and Revolution Beauty also followed suit. These actions followed the decision of chemical giant 3M to discontinue the production of PFAS.

If we get more companies to act, that builds more political support for action at the state level to regulate and restrict harmful chemicals like PFAS, Schade said. At the same time, more states acting will create more pressure on businesses to take action ahead of state policies.

Chemicals.news has more stories about PFAS in consumer products.

Watch this video about forever chemicals being detected in the water systems of nearly 2,800 U.S. cities.

This video is from The Sword & Shield channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Maine becomes first state to enact broad ban of toxic PFAS forever chemicals.

PFAs, chemicals commonly found in household and everyday items, found to interfere with metabolism and body weight.

FDA reports that PFAS, or forever chemicals, are NOT a health concern for customers, but other public health experts arent convinced.

Tampons, including organic brands, found to contain toxic PFAS (fluorine) chemicals.

Study: Forever chemicals in popular cooking products increase risk of liver cancer.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

ToxicFreeFuture.org 1

ToxicFreeFuture.org 2

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) During a shareholder meeting, the chairman of a corporate watchdog was removed and arrested after questioning Warren Buffetts support for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Daily Signal reported this week.

The nonprofit leader who was removed cited Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates travel and association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which was recently reported.

Pete Flaherty, the CEO and Chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center, was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing at the meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, despite his name being on the list of attendees for the meeting, the report said.

I apparently touched the third rail of billionaire politics when I mentioned Jeffrey Epsteins name, Flaherty told The Daily Signal on Monday. Ive been involved in shareholder activism for 19 years, and I have never before had my mic cut and I was never before arrested.

Epstein was a wealthy financier who was convicted of sex crimes involving minors. His legal troubles began in 2005 when he was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and served 13 months in a private wing of a county jail. In 2019, Epstein was arrested again and charged with sex trafficking of minors. He died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial.

The case against Epstein has been controversial due to his connections to powerful people, including politicians, business leaders, and celebrities. Many of these individuals have been accused of participating in Epsteins crimes or covering them up. Epsteins death has also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding it, with some speculating that he was murdered to prevent him from revealing damaging information about his associates.

Despite his death, the investigation into Epsteins crimes has continued, which led to the uncovering of Gates association with Epstein.

Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the worlds richest men, had multiple meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a Times investigation, these meetings began in 2011, after Epstein had served jail time for soliciting prostitution from a minor, and continued until 2014. Gates and his charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, also had employees who visited Epsteins mansion.

Gates has minimized his ties to Epstein, and his spokesperson has disputed the description of their relationship. However, Gates has acknowledged that he made a mistake in ever meeting with Epstein. In a recent interview with Australias ABC 7.30, Gates expressed regret for his meetings and dinners with Epstein.

Gates had previously denied having a business relationship or friendship with Epstein, but has since acknowledged that they had several dinners in an effort to raise funds for philanthropy. The Microsoft mogul has repeatedly said that his meetings with Epstein were a huge mistake and that they contributed to his divorce from ex-wife Melinda Gates.

We all know how much bill gates loves children, hes been with Epstein at berkshire hathaway annual meeting. pic.twitter.com/q6KgjSKrLX  Tykoo.eth (@0xTykoo) May 6, 2023

Proposal No. 8 at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting in Omaha was sponsored by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), and called for the separation of the roles of CEO and Chairman of the Board, which are currently both held by Buffett.

During the meeting, Flaherty argued that if the proposed change were implemented, Berkshire would be less identified with Buffetts personal political activities. Flaherty also specifically pointed to Buffetts support for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other factors to support his argument.

Under the meeting rules, shareholders have three minutes to speak for a resolution. A Berkshire Hathaway employee interrupted Flaherty shortly after 1 minute, and then someone cut his microphone, The Daily Signal reported.

This is an outrage, but it is to be expected as the rich and powerful continue to protect Epstein for reasons we can only speculate.

Sources include:

DailySignal.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Despite repeated claims by politicians and mainstream media outlets that Ukraine is winning its conflict with Russia, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes otherwise. He noted that Russia views the war as an existential threat to the continued existence of the state, hence why it cant afford to lose.

Kennedy pointed this out during the 127th episode of the All-In Podcast, wherein he extrapolated his firm anti-war position regarding Russias special military operation in Ukraine. (Related: RFK Jr. nails it, exposes all the lies Americans are being told about Russias war in Ukraine.)

The Russians cannot lose this war. We are being told they are losing, but they cannot afford to lose this war. This is existential for them, said Kennedy. This is the most violent conflict since World War II, probably anywhere in the world, and the casualties are enormous. Over 300,000 Ukrainian dead. The Russians are killing Ukrainians, depending on who you believe, at a ratio of five-to-one.

This is something that the United States government and Ukrainian government have worked hard to hide  the number of casualties, which has been catastrophic, he added.

Kennedy said it is in the interest of the governments of both Ukraine and the United States for the war to continue, as this is the only way to first exhaust the Russian Armed Forces and then bring about regime change in Moscow.

My understanding of the war is that Zelensky is pushing this war as hard as he can, but that the neocons [neoconservatives] in the White House want this war, said Kennedy. They want regime change with the Russians. They want to exhaust the Russian Army.

Biden never really tried diplomacy with Russia

In multiple interviews and statements, Kennedy has pointed out that his solution to the conflict in Ukraine is very simple: He would open negotiations with Russia.

Diplomacy has never really been tried, wrote Kennedy on a section of his campaigns website entitled peace.

We will offer to withdraw our troops and nuclear-capable missiles from Russias borders, he added, arguing that such a move would entice Russia to withdraw its own troops from at least some of the contested parts of Ukraine.

Following the withdrawal, United Nations peacekeepers will then be sent in to guarantee peace, especially for the Russian-speaking people in the eastern Donbas region.

The Russians have repeatedly offered to settle. If you look at the Minsk accords, which the Russians offered to settle for, they look like a really good deal today, said Kennedy. Lets be honest: Its a U.S. war against Russia, to essentially sacrifice the flower of Ukrainian youth in an abattoir of death and destruction for the geopolitical ambition of the neocons, oft-stated, of regime change for Vladimir Putin and exhausting the Russian military so that they cant fight anywhere else in the world.

The Minsk Agreement, initially agreed upon in 2014 with the mediation of Europe, and signed again in 2015 after Ukraine broke the tenets of the agreement, is the best settlement for this war, according to Kennedy.

Despite the people of the Donbas voting to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, Putin and his government at the time rejected their offer and argued for coming to an agreement with Kyiv wherein the two regions of the Donbas  Donetsk and Luhansk  would be turned into autonomous regions with special rights, similar to how a state in America operates.

I would settle this war, said Kennedy. Ukraine cannot fight without U.S. support.

Find more stories like this at RussiaReport.news.

Watch this clip from InfoWars featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussing how the neoconservatives in the U.S. government sowed the seeds of Americas current participation in Russias conflict in Ukraine when it supported a coup detat and installed a very anti-Russian government in Kyiv.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russian leaders call for RETALIATION following Ukraines attack against the Kremlin.

Military expert warns: Drone attack against the Kremlin could escalate Ukraine conflict to dangerous new levels.

Medvedev calls for physical elimination of Zelensky following failed assassination attempt on Putin.

Two drones shot down right above the Kremlin during an alleged Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin.

Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warns that the world is on the verge of a NUCLEAR WORLD WAR III.

Sources include:

RealClearPolitics.com

DailyMail.co.uk

ModernDiplomacy.eu

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Nobody likes fake president Joe Biden, including one in five Democrats who told Rasmussen Reports in a recent poll that they are more likely to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or even Donald Trump instead of Biden in the 2024 election.

Currently, Kennedy and Biden are just one percentage point away from one another among Democrat voters, with Kennedy just slightly trailing the Usurper-in-Chief, according to the official numbers. The really eye-opening thing, though, is the fact that 20 percent of Democrats  at least  are fed up with Biden and want him to go.

Were Kennedy to run with Trump as his vice president, or vice versa, a growing number of Democrats say they would support that ticket over another four years of Biden-Harris.

The primary question that Rasmussen asked of likely U.S. voters reads as follows:

If the candidates for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination were Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Marianne Williamson, which candidate would you vote for?

Respondents were split between Kennedy and Biden, with Kennedy receiving 35 percent and Biden, who is already polling at historic lows as of May 2023, receiving just 36 percent. Williamson, meanwhile, captured just six percent of the vote in the poll, which included voters from all political parties.

When broken down into party affiliation, Joe Biden remains the front-runner with 62 percent of Democratic support. Kennedy Jr., on the other hand, is supported by nearly one-in-five Democrats  19 percent, reported The National Pulses Jake Welch.

Yet, Kennedy Jr. would receive much wider bipartisan support, with 50 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of independent voters  four percent more than Biden.

(Related: Check out our earlier report about Kennedys announcement that he is running as a Democrat against Biden in 2024.)

In another question that focused on voters impression of both Kennedy and Williamson, the results were overwhelmingly positive for Kennedy. More than half of Democrat voters, 53 percent, said they have either a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of Kennedy, while 15 percent said they are uncertain.

Only 32 percent of Democrat voters have a very unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable impression of Biden. Far fewer Democrats support Williamson, who is trailing last at the current time.

If Donald Trump were to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and choose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his vice presidential running mate against President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who would you vote for? another Rasmussen question asked.

To this, the results were once again divided with both receiving a total of 44 percent. Most Republicans, 72 percent, say they would support a Trump-Kennedy ticket, which happens to be the exact same percentage of Democrats who indicated that they prefer a Biden-Harris ticket.

However, more Democrats  one in five  would consider voting for Trump and Kennedy over Biden and Harris, Welch added. There are fewer Republicans  just 12 percent  who say they would vote for Biden and Harris.

In the comments, one of our readers pointed out that none of this really matters if American elections continue to be fraudulent like they were in 2020 when Trump was robbed of a second term.

The biggest problem is the fact that cheating on at least the most recent elections, and probably since back before 2008 and including at least Bush Jr., has been rampant and out of control, this person wrote.

In spite of this defrauding of the American people, Trump actually won his first election because the leftist powers were so very arrogant and totally clueless and careless that they did not bother to cheat enough.

The latest news about Kennedys bid for the presidency in 2024 can be found at VoteDemocrat.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Australias Department of Health and Aged Care has announced that prescribing ivermectin for off-label uses will no longer be limited to specialists such as dermatologists, gastroenterologists and infectious disease specialists starting June 1.

The restriction was introduced in September 2021 because of government concerns about the use of ivermectin to treat the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) instead of vaccines and other treatments peddled by Big Pharma and approved by health agencies.

In Australia, ivermectin is only approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the treatment of river blindness, threadworms of the intestines and scabies.

In its final decision published on May 3, the TGA removed the restriction through its scheduling in the Poisons Standard because there is sufficient evidence that the safety risks to individuals and public health are low when prescribed by a general practitioner in the current health climate.

This considers the evidence and awareness of medical practitioners about the risks and benefits of ivermectin and the low potential for any shortages of ivermectin for its approved uses.

The final decision has been made according to the process required under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. It takes into account advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling (ACMS) and two rounds of public consultation.

However, the TGA still does not endorse off-label prescription of ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 despite evidence of its efficacy.

Physician: Ivermectin is as effective as monoclonal antibodies in treating COVID-19 infection

During the April 24 episode of Brighteon.TV program America Can We Talk? with Debbie Georgatos, board-certified ear, nose and throat physician Dr. Mary Talley Bowden said ivermectin is just as effective as monoclonal antibodies in treating COVID-19 infection.

Bowden said she started offering monoclonal antibodies to patients when they first came out and attested to the efficacy of this treatment as her patients managed to recover within 24 hours. She turned to ivermectin when procuring monoclonal antibodies became much more difficult as the government took over distribution.

Ivermectin might have taken a little bit longer, but that  in combination with other medications  worked very well. I havent counted in a while, but last time I counted I had 5,500 patients alive and well because of early treatment, Bowden said.

Sadly, the physician found herself shut down and kicked out of a doctors Facebook group after putting all the results on her website and posting them on social media. She was accused of underestimating the disease, reported NBC News. (Related: Houston Methodist Hospital suspends doctor who advocated use of ivermectin to treat COVID patients.)

In August last year, WND reported that a large study conducted in Brazil found that ivermectin is 92 percent effective at stopping mortality caused by COVID-19.

Endocrinologist Dr. Flavio A. Cadegiani tweeted that ivermectin has a dose-response effect when used as a prophylactic. Meaning, the more you used, the more protection you had.

Nearly all patients who took ivermectin regularly every 15 days for at least six to eight weeks survived COVID, while those who did not were much more likely to die after the disease ran its course.

Ivermectin is best known for its anti-parasitic properties, but it has also been found to have antiviral properties that can help prevent COVID-19. Studies have shown that ivermectin helps to lower the viral load by inhibiting replication.

According to a study published in the Antiviral Research Journal, a single dose of ivermectin can kill 99.8 percent of the virus within 48 hours. A meta-analysis in the American Journal of Therapeutics showed the drug reduced infection by an average of 86 percent when used preventively.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said cheap and effective drugs like ivermectin are being denied to the public while pharmaceutical companies make money from COVID-19 shots that are neither safe nor effective.

Studies and personal testimonies have repeatedly shown the effectiveness of ivermectin. The focus should always be on helping save lives rather than putting more money in the pockets of Big Pharma.

Visit IvermectinScience.com to know more about ivermectin.

Watch this video to learn the truth about ivermectin.

This video is from the Health Secret channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pandemic Health Alliance fights to allow hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin for early treatment of COVID.

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden: IVERMECTIN as effective as monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19  Brighteon.TV.

Three doctor sue FDA, HHS for interfering with ivermectin prescription for COVID.

Medical deep state continues to lie about ivermectin.

Media smear campaign against ivermectin timed to clear market for Pfizers new ivermectin-line clone drug, which will be hailed as a miracle.

Sources include:

TGA.gov.au

NBCnews.com

WND.com

ScienceDirect.com

Journals.LWW.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Renewable energy sources are being built across Wyoming at a rapid pace, with 13 wind farm projects in line in the city of Laramie alone. This is despite several studies showing the possible dangers of wind farms.

Anne Brande, executive director of the nonprofit Albany County Conservancy, told Cowboy State Daily that their group is concerned about the impacts. And no one is really taking a look at all this, she said.

As per the studies conducted for over two decades, wind turbines impact local meteorological conditions by raising temperatures at the surface level. While the effect is small, it could become a significant and sustained problem as more wind farms are built. (Related: Wind farms pose health risks to local residents, but governments around the world dont care.)

The researchers concluded that the impacts are different from the warming effect of carbon dioxide emissions from oil, gas and coal in that they only last while the wind turbines are in operation. Unfortunately, wind farms are being built across the Cowboy State at a rapid pace  thanks to federal subsidies.

In 2004, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that large-scale use of wind power can alter local and global climate by extracting kinetic energy and altering turbulent transport in the atmospheric boundary layer. According to the authors, large amounts of wind across the continent will produce a pronounced impact on climate, but reducing carbon dioxide emissions produce a net benefit to the climate.

Six years later, the University of Illinois Somnath Roy and a team of researchers found that wind farms affect temperatures and humidity near the surface. They warned that the explosive growth of future wind farms could impact agriculture.

More and more wind farms are being constructed on agricultural land that is sensitive to changes in the microclimate, they wrote. Roy was also involved in a 2013 study that found the same conclusion, as well as in a 2015 study that found wind farms raising nighttime temperatures.

A 2011 Purdue University case study found increased temperatures at the surface as a result of wind farms, as did a 2016 study in Scotland.

Meanwhile, a 2018 study published in Joule estimated that generating Americas electricity demand with wind power could warm surface temperatures by as much as 0.24 degrees Celsius, which is nearly one-fourth of the amount of warming the world has experienced since 1800.

Wind turbines may harm wildlife

Apart from the wind turbines adding to the causes of global warming, experts are also against building more of them as they may harm wildlife.

Mike Lockhart, a wildlife biologist specializing in eagles, is concerned that all the lined-up projects in Wyoming are being built within a major corridor for the gold eagles. Lockhart has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 30 years and is supportive of wind energy and concerned about climate change.

However, he said wind farms should be built elsewhere as the number of eagles killed by turbines in a major corridor is significant and likely underestimated. Lockhart said he was not familiar with the research on the impacts of wind projects on surface temperatures, nor was he aware of any research into how rising surface temperatures might impact eagles.

Meanwhile, Brande said the noise and industrialization from wind projects are going to spread across migration corridors used by pronghorn  a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. These will not only harm the states wildlife but could affect Wyomings tourism industry.

But these so-called green energy projects are able to proceed despite studies warning against their risks.

In a lawsuit seeking to stop the construction of a wind farm in Albany County, the Wyoming Supreme Court (SC) has ruled in favor of the wind farm. The courts decision paved the way for ConnectGen to move forward with its plans to construct more than 100 turbines on a 26,000-acre estate in southern Albany County. A company representative confirmed that construction could start as early as 2024.

Visit GreenDeal.news for more news related to green energy projects being pushed by governments around the world.

Watch the video below that talks about renewable energy being a scam that people fell for.

This video is from the gocephas channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Kansas and Colorado to regulate flashing turbine lights on wind farms after growing complaints from residents.

Wind turbine blades could account for more than 43 million tons of waste each year by 2050.

High wind hazard: Norway wind farm faces SHUTDOWN as parts of wind turbines fly off due to strong winds.

Sources include:

CowboyStateDaily.com

PNAS.org

WiseEnergy.org

ScienceDirect.com

ATMOS.Albany.edu

Docs.Lib.Purdue.edu

IOPScience.IOP.org

Cell.com

WyomingPublicMedia.org

Brighteon.com
A dolphin pod that was stranded on Florida's coast was rescued, tagged, and released the following day.

This week, members of the Cape Cod marine mammal rescue team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare and other volunteers had to stay alert due to dolphins swimming in the bay.

The dolphins stranded themselves at Provincetown, Wellfleet, or Barnstable for two days while swimming in shallow seas. According to IFAW, rescuers used kayaks, boats, and even mobile dolphin rescue trucks to lure the creatures into deeper waters or physically remove them from the ocean and transport them to safer locations.

Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins

On May 1, nine Atlantic white-sided dolphins were seen swimming in Wellfleet Harbor in the early afternoon. As if on cue, just after rescuers arrived to assist in guiding the animals to deeper waters, one of the animals became stranded in Duck Creek. Seven more became stuck before the afternoon was over. The ninth dolphin took off swimming by itself.

The North Atlantic Ocean's temperate waters are home to Atlantic white-sided dolphins. They can be found off the coasts of North Carolina and Maine in the United States. They are known by their recognizable yellowish-tan streak on their sides, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Dolphin Pod Stranded, Rescued, Released

The eight stranded dolphins, one female, and seven males, were all recovered, comprehensive health evaluations were done, treatment was given, and all were able to be released, claims the organization.

Six likely "sub-adults" or dolphin teenagers and two likely adults were in the group, according to the organization's assessment.

The dolphins were released back into the ocean via the Duck Harbor in Wellfleet because the rescue crew believed it to be the site with the safest conditions due to the strong winds.

One of the dolphins saved on May 1 reportedly went back to shallow waters the next day, becoming stranded in Provincetown and needing the team to use kayaks to herd it to a spot where they could assist it. This dolphin was once more examined and treated before being given a temporary satellite tag and being driven to Herring Cove.

Also Read: Rare Albino Dolphin Calf Seen Off-Coast Africa

Another dolphin that was saved on May 1 was spotted in Barnstable Harbor between the boat slips almost immediately. Once more, rescuers went into the water to help and had kayaks and boat support from Millway Marina.

A separate dolphin, possibly the young female, ninth of the group, from May 1 that swam away, brought rescuers back to Wellfleet, close to the Wellfleet Pier, at the same time. Kayaks were used to herd her as well, and she was carried out of the water for inspection.

The two remaining dolphins traveled to Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown together in our specially designed mobile dolphin rescue vehicle, according to the rescue team's report.

Three dolphins received transient satellite tags over the course of two days, and as of Wednesday night, all were said to be swimming securely offshore, Cape Cod Times reports.

Dolphins find the area to be very confusing. Cape Cod is a global hotspot for dolphin mass strandings, according to Brian Sharp, manager at the IFAW, who stated this via ABC News way back in 2017.

Related Article: Another Dead Dolphin Beached in New Jersey Coast, 24th Carcass Recorded in 5 Months
Flash floods are still a possibility in the South US, and rain has soaked 40 states.

As the jet stream shifts from west to east, a zonal flow pattern moves in and swiftly directs storms across the Lower 48.

Flash Flood, Warm Temps

According to FOX Weather analyst Britta Merwin, certain regions-like the middle Plains-need rain, while other areas may have received too much of it. Between 3 and 5 inches of rain are expected to fall, according to the FOX Forecast Center, across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, northeastern Wyoming, South Dakota, and southeastern Montana.

The weather will warm up south of the jet stream, much like it does in the summer.

The FOX Forecast Center predicted that this week's highs throughout a large portion of the central and southern US will range from the middle to upper 80s, which is roughly 10 to 20 degrees warmer than typical for this time of year.

Tuesday Scattered Showers and Storms

Most of the Plains, as well as portions of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, are forecast to experience scattered showers and storms.

The FOX Forecast Center predicts that southeast Texas, particularly the Houston metro region, where flash flooding is a major worry, would likely receive the highest rainfall.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, the top levels of the atmosphere's low-pressure system will inject enough instability to increase the possibility of severe weather across portions of eastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. According to Weather & Radar, isolated severe storms along the dry line might potentially occur in parts of West Texas, which stretches from Amarillo all the way south near Del Rio.

Every day, the rain will continue to have an impact on those areas, and flash floods from eastern Texas and Oklahoma into western Arkansas and Louisiana are likely.

The Houston metro area and southeastern Texas could once more experience the highest risk of flash flooding.

Thursday

Again, a sizable portion of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Southeast are predicted to experience showers and storms.

A more structured storm system, on the other hand, will move slowly across the northern Rockies along with the northern Plains while dropping a lot of rain.

The FOX Forecast Center predicts that this could cause 3 to 5 inches of rain to fall over locations that are not accustomed to receiving this much rain in such a short period of time.

Therefore, regions of eastern Wyoming, eastern Montana, the western Dakotas, and western Nebraska will provide the greatest risk of flash flooding.

From Wednesday evening until late Friday night, the National Weather Service has issued multiple Flood Watches for eastern Montana and portions of northeastern Wyoming.

Also Read: Extreme Wildfire in Canada Prompts State of Emergency, Evacuation for 29,000 People

Friday

On Friday and into the weekend, the last disturbance will settle across the Southwest and Mexico.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, there is a strong signal for potentially heavy rainfall of several inches on top of what has already fallen by that time. Deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will be driven north into the southern Plains.

Multiple bouts of moderate to locally heavy rainfall are more possible, which increases the risk of more flash flooding due to the increasingly saturated ground, FOX Weather reports.

Related Article: Severe Weather Lingers as Austin Expects Daily Rain for the Whole Week
The last female of the species, a Yangtze gigantic softshell turtle, was discovered dead on Vietnamese coastlines.

The Last Female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle

Vietnamese media reported that one of the last Yangtze gigantic softshell turtles was discovered dead on April 21 at ng Mo Lake in the nation's capital, Hanoi. According to numerous reports, this was the final female of the species, effectively bringing the beloved species to an end.

According to VnExpress, the dead turtle was about 5 feet and 1 inch long and weighed 205 pounds.

Now that this pig-nosed guy has passed away, there are just three remaining males left in existence, two of which are located in China and one in Hanoi's Xuan Khanh Lake.

Its cause of death has not yet been determined, according to Phung Huy Vinh, chairman of Son Tay Town's business division, who spoke to VnExpress.

The leader of the Asian Turtle Program for Indo-Myanmar Conservation later confirmed the death, explaining that the person was the last female.

What Could Have Been

It is the same person being monitored now, according to Tim McCormack, the Asian Turtle Program for Indo-Myanmar Conservation director.

It was a huge female who definitely has a great capability for reproduction, McCormack continued. She might have produced a hundred eggs per year or more.

Additionally, he stated that despite an artificial nesting beach being there at ng Mo Lake for about ten years, no nesting has occurred. So, one of the inquiries has been if this was a solitary species or if additional creatures are present in Ng Mo.

The world's last female Yangtze giant softshell turtle was claimed to have perished in 2019 following an unsuccessful effort at artificial fertilization in China. But it turned out that another female was residing in Vietnam, which gave people optimism for the animal's future.

Those hopes seem to have been crushed, at least for the time being. There's a chance that more members of the secretive species, both male and female, are still alive, but there's no way to know for sure.

Also Read: Seaweed Blob in Florida Cause Toxicity, Skin Irritation, Respiratory Issues

AKA Hoan Kiem Turtles

The largest species of freshwater turtle on Earth is the Yangtze gigantic softshell turtle, often referred to as the Hoan Kim turtle and the Swinhoe's softshell turtle. They were originally abundant throughout northern Vietnam and also southern China, but overhunting and habitat degradation caused them to perish. TIME lists increasing pollution levels and years of hunting for its meat and eggs as other dangers.

In Vietnam, the unique turtle has significant cultural importance. Although there is some disagreement, it is generally agreed that the mythological golden turtle god Kim Quy, who appears in several Vietnamese folklore, was inspired by the Yangtze enormous softshell turtles. This character is claimed to have frequently appeared throughout Vietnamese history to stave against invading foreign enemies.

The loss of the female turtle is undoubtedly felt across the nation given its close ties to Vietnam's past, IFL Science reports.

Related Article: World's Rarest Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Lays Clutch of 80 Eggs in Texas Beach
In the once-toxic Chicago River, the snapping turtle known as Chonkosaurus was discovered soaking up the sun atop some huge chains.

A video of a recent kayaking excursion down the Chicago River has gone viral, largely because of a huge turtle and some narrators who seem like superfans.

The Snapping Turtle Chonkosaurus

Joey Santore published the video over the weekend. Santore collaborates with Scorch on their YouTube Channel, and the video had them approaching a big turtle they named "Chonkosaurus."

In the video, Santore can be heard telling the beast that it looks good and expressing his appreciation for it.

Chicago River Snapper aka Chonkosaurus. Great to see this beast thriving here on what was once such a toxic river, but is slowly getting cleaned up & restored. Somebody planted a bunch of native plants up the river from here, too. I can only wonder this things been eating. pic.twitter.com/u6bhlpo4p5  Joey Santore (@JoeySantore) May 6, 2023

The journey, according to Santore and Scorch, was chosen as a way to "cleanse their spiritual palettes."

He asked Joe to go kayaking, according to Scorch. In addition to planning where they would start in the river, he proposed renting a boat.

On Twitter, the video had received over 400,000 views by Monday. "Chonkosaurus" was discovered close to the Division Street Bridge. In a tweet, Santore expressed his curiosity about what it had been consuming.

Santore praised the sight of the beast flourishing on the once-toxic river, which is now gradually being cleaned up and rehabilitated. Along the river, a lot of native plants were also planted.

Chelydra serpentina, a kind of common snapping turtle, is a huge freshwater turtle known for its combative nature when out of the water and for having a highly movable head and neck, as per Animalia data.

60 Pound Turtle

Santore claimed that he is still having trouble comprehending the enormity of the turtle.

He claimed that the female must easily weigh at least 60 pounds. When he initially saw it from 100 feet away, he assumed that it was some type of bag or satchel that someone had thrown upon the pylons because of how enormous it was.

The creature in question, a native snapping turtle that most likely traveled there organically from the river systems in northern Illinois, is what Scorch claimed they weren't expecting to see.

According to Scorch, the response to their Twitter video has been overwhelmingly positive since it is succeeding in igniting people's interest in and appreciation for nature. Scorch is happy to learn that achieving this objective won't need leaving the city.

The two said that "Chonkosaurus" film and other amusing videos are intended as such.

Scorch, however, claimed that it had an impact on them, as it has on everyone who has since had the pleasure of viewing it. He added that the turtle is a fantastic mascot for Chicago, WBBM NewsRadio reports.

Also Read: Seaweed Blob Sargassum Potential Problem for Nesting Sea Turtles in Florida

Chicago River

Since the late Mayor Richard J. Daley expressed his hope to see the day when there will be swimming and/or fishing in the river, there has been a running joke about swimming in the Chicago River for almost fifty years. Changes have since occurred.

The Chicago River has changed thanks to collective efforts. The good news is that advancements over the past few years have allowed the Chicago River's fecal coliform count to be decreased to safe levels over much of its length, WTTW reports.

Related Article: 75-Pound Endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle Carcass with Whole Ecosystem Beached in Oregon
The latest weather forecasts revealed that record-challenging heat unfolded in parts of Southeast Asia.

Heat-challenging records emerged in parts of Southeast Asia, causing intense heat to raise heat-related health concerns.

Challenging Heat in Southeast Asia

AccuWeather and CNN said record-challenging heat records were unleashed this weekend in Southeast Asia.

As the El Nino phenomenon is expected to unleash hotter temperatures, climate change plays a significant role in record-breaking heat.

Based on AccuWeather's report, Vietnam and Laos recorded soaring temperatures due to the impact of the hotter weather.

CNN and AccuWeather reported record-high temperatures:

In Laos, the report showed that the country reached 43.5 C, especially in the northern district of Tuong Duong.

In Vietnam, residents in the Hoi Xuan recorded high temperatures reaching 44.1 C. Hotter temperatures also unfolded in the country.

In Thailand, record-challenging heat also occurred in the country, especially in Bangkok.

In Cambodia, the report also added that the country recorded hotter May temperatures last weekend.

Furthermore, the reports explained that the challenging heat would be unleashed next week, adding that May records hotter and troublesome heat conditions.

Homeowners should prepare for the hotter temperatures in the coming days. Exposure to hotter temperatures could lead to health risks, especially those pre-existing health conditions, older adults, outdoor workers and children.

Staying safe during challenging heatwaves

The latest weather reports in Southeast Asia showed the emergence of challenging heatwaves, resulting in record-breaking heat.

The record-challenging heat can pose a severe or significant health concern. According to Red Cross, extreme heat can become deadly, resulting in sudden death due to heat stroke, heat fatigue and other heat-related health risk.

Also Read: Australia Weather Forecast: Cold Snap Unfolds With Chances of Snow, Challenging Winds This Week

As a result, Red Cross emphasized the importance of protecting oneself from the dangerous impact of heat risks, especially for families without access to cooling conditions.

Here are essential reminders for homeowners when heat waves or record-breaking heat unfold.

Keeping updated with the weather conditions, especially heat waves.

Staying updated with the latest weather reports can help homeowners anticipate the potential heat event.

It is best to avoid strenuous tasks and outdoor activities when there is a threat of record-breaking heat.

Stay hydrated at all times.

It is essential to stay hydrated during the emergence of heat waves.

According to Red Cross, drinking enough water for the body can help prevent heat-related risk, especially during a challenging heat event.

It is also advisable that homeowners should check the body temperatures of their family members. It is important to immediately bring them to a nearby hospital when they show signs of heat-related stress.

Prepare emergency kits

The extreme heat can result in power outages. It becomes more difficult for homeowners to deal with the weather. As a result, emergency winter kits can be helpful.

Prepare cooling conditions

Wearing comfortable clothes is helpful to ease the hotter temperatures. Air conditions are also helpful, or look for cooling places.

Related Article: Isolated Tornadoes, Large Hail to Strike Parts of Texas, South This Week, Forecast Warns

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Reports revealed that the sudden death of a 17-year-old Elephant in a zoo in Pakistan called for animal welfare actions after the young animal died with poor health conditions.

The young African elephant died in Karachi Zoo in Pakistan after experts tried to save it. Tireless efforts aimed to treat the elephant, but it showed poor health conditions.

Young elephant death

According to The Guardian and CNN reports, the young Noor Jehan was suffering from health conditions.

Reports showed that the African elephant could not stand or get up after falling into a pond.

In addition, the group Four Paws said that the elephant's condition declined as it could not get up.

Meanwhile, the Guardian added that the Four Paws explained that the zoo was not equipped for elephants, adding that the recommendation was to move the elephant to a better home.

Furthermore, the reports said that said elephant could have a lifespan of 60 to 70 years, raising concerns over the state of animals in captivity.

Due to the death of the young elephant, reports revealed the calls to investigate and shutdown the said zoo due to the animal's poor conditions.

Meanwhile, the group noted that the sad end of the elephant could show an essential lesson by doing better in the captive animals .

More facts about elephants

Elephants are amazing animals in the wild. While big in image, they also suffer from population decline.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), elephants have three different species:

Asian Elephants

African Savanna (Bush)

African Forest

With the size of elephants, WWF added that they are also considered the largest land animal, especially the African Savanna (Bush).

Looking closely at the elephants, they have an amazing trunk that plays a significant role in drinking and swimming. The report noted that elephants' trunks are powerful and helpful in eating and breathing.

Also Red: Hippos' Giant Teeth Become Target for Hunters and Poaching That Could Lead to Species' Population Decline

The report noted that elephants can weigh up to 6,000 kg, reaching potential full size at the ages of 35 to 40. They can look big, but elephants can compete and love to swim.

Meanwhile, Treehugger reported that elephants have extraordinary memory skills, from remembering their own kinds, encounters and places.

Elephants also show strong bonding and communication, especially when one of their kind are distressed.

In addition, the report explained that the said elephants could hear using vocalizations and foot stomping.

Although they are gigantic, WWF reported that African elephants are threatened, increasing the number of about 415,000 elephants today.

The report noted that elephants suffer from population decline due to industrial development, habitat changes and illegal hunting.

As a result, the protection and conservation of the elephant population are crucial to their survival. With the threat of captivity, their population could decline more without urgent or immediate actions.

Related Article: Endangered Rhinos Under Threat of Increasing Poaching in Nambia, South Africa: Conservation, Protection Efforts Needed

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland and discovered a previously unknown manner that the ice and ocean interact.

According to the glaciologists, these findings may indicate that climate community has significantly underestimated the amount of projected sea level rise brought on by thinning polar ice.

Researchers explained Greenland's rapid ice melting

The grounding line of the Petermann Glacier, where ice separates from the land and starts floating in the ocean, varies significantly over tidal cycles, causing warm seawater to infiltrate and melt ice at a faster rate, as per phys.org.

The old theory of grounding lines beneath ocean-reaching glaciers held that they did not move throughout tidal cycles or undergo ice melt.

However, lead author Enrico Ciraci, a UCI assistant specialist in Earth system science and NASA postdoctoral researcher, challenged this theory.

However, the latest study disproved that notion by demonstrating that warm ocean water occurs beneath the ice through pre-existing subglacial channels, the greatest rates of melt occurs at the grounding zone.

Warm water created a 670-foot-tall crater in the glacier's underside when the grounding line of Petermann Glacier receded approximately 4 kilometers, 212 miles between 2016 and 2022.

The PNAS research emphasized that over the past few decades, the Greenland ice sheet gradually loses billions of tons of ice into the ocean, with the majority of this loss being brought on by the warming of underlying ocean waters, a result of the planet's deteriorating climate.

The glacier front's ice melts rapidly in the presence of ocean water, eroding the glaciers' ability to travel over the surface of the land, and accelerating the ice's descent to the sea.

Also Read: Melting Glaciers May Give Birth to the Next Pandemic

Years when glaciers would melt

Your choice of glaciers will determine your answer.

For up to 20 million years, there have likely been glaciers covering parts of the Antarctic continent, as per USGS.

There are certain places where glaciers, including those in the valleys of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Transantarctic Mountains, may have existed as early as the Pleistocene.

In terms of Greenland, ice cores and related evidence indicate that during the most recent interglacial era, some 125,000 years ago, all of southern Greenland and the majority of northern Greenland were ice-free.

The climate back then was up to three to five degrees Fahrenheit warmer compared to interglacial we are currently experiencing.

Glaciers could reduce melting through building seafloor

Engineers searched for creative solutions to halt the sea level rises that are anticipated to occur from global warming, building walls on the ocean floor could be the next frontier in climate science, as per The Guardian.

Scientists think they can stop the disintegration of undersea glaciers as they slip into the deep by building barriers of rock and sand.

The structures would not only be intended to slow down glacier melting, but also to stop warmer water from penetrating to the glaciers' seafloor bases.

They estimated that a tiny underwater wall with more complicated designs would have a 70% chance of successfully preventing half the warm water from reaching the ice shelf while being more difficult to construct in the severe conditions on the sea floor in the south polar regions.

Related Article: Glaciers: Sign that Antarctica is Defrosting from the Bottom-up, Polar Scientist Warns
A study conducted by scientists at Peking University in China, the impact of climate change and the associated extreme weather events will have a considerable negative impact on world food production.

Climate change endanger world's food supply

The study estimated that by the year 2100, loss yield might reach up to 8.1%, and reductions brought on by extreme rainfall were found to be comparable to those brought on by extreme heat over the previous two decades, as per Phys.org.

For the purpose of identifying the mechanisms behind the effects of excessive rainfall, researchers developed a thorough set of conditional rainfall experiments.

In order to study the effects on three distinct growth phases-vegetative, reproductive, and ripening-four degrees of rainfall intensity and event frequency have been utilized in the studies.

The scientists were able to distinguish between biophysical and biochemical mechanisms acting on several growth phases under diverse variables of rain intensity, water volume, plant exposure, and nitrogen modification, using many controls.

Extreme rainfall directly harmed plant tissues. In other cases, heavy rains prevented the intake of nutrients by washing away or soaking soil.

There was also ample evidence that heavy rains during the reproductive phase was impeding successful pollination.

As the major consumer of California rice in Asia, China primarily imports rice from Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Burma, and Thailand.

In part to the rapidly changing environment, each of these places will have unique crop yield challenges,

Also Read: Rice Genetically Modified To Be More Salt Tolerant Could Be a Key To Reducing Food Shortages

2023 is the largest fall of rice production

More than 3.5 billion people around the world, especially in Asia-Pacific, which consume 90% of the world's rice, are being affected by rising rice prices as a result of declining output in countries like China, the U.S., and the European Union, as per CNBC.

In 2023, the global rice market is projected to see its greatest deficit in two decades, which will negatively affect major importers because rice is one of the most widely grown grains in the world.

According to a report published on April 4 by Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research, rice prices are predicted to hover around current highs until 2024.

The price of rice will only decrease to $14.50 per cwt in 2024 from an average of $17.30 per cwt through 2023. Cwt is a unit of measurement used for some goods, including rice.

Best rice planting during intensive rains

Submergence can affect rice crops at any stage of growth, either short-term (flash floods) or long-term (stagnant flooding), as per International Rice Reasearch Institute.

The chances of survival are extremely low when completely submerged during the crop's vegetative stage.

The rice plants spend so much energy attempting to escape floods that continue more than a few days that they end up unable to recuperate.

A single gene, the SUB1 gene, has been shown to provide resistance to submersion for up to 14 days in plants.

The SUB1A gene, obtained from an Indian rice variety, allowed researchers to pinpoint the genetic coding that governs submergence tolerance.

When a plant is immersed, the SUB1A gene turns on, causing it to become dormant and conserve energy until the floodwaters subside.

In India, Swarna Sub1, Bangladesh's Samba Mahsuri, and the Philippines' IR64-Sub1, flood-tolerant varieties were made available and are currently being planted.

Related Article: Rice Plant Immunity: Study Shows Pathogens No Longer Threat to Farmers
Weather reports showed that Portland and Seattle could likely experience hotter temperatures this week as record-challenging heat and warming trends unfold in parts of the United States.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that severe weather conditions could unleash thunderstorms, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes in parts of the Central High Plains this week.

The weather forecast warned of heavy rain and flash flooding in North-Central High Plains and Central Texas portions.

Furthermore, the NWS Weather Prediction Center reported that moderate risk of flooding in portions of Texas this Wednesday, with potential rain and severe thunderstorms.

In the Northeast, weather reports revealed that warmer conditions could continue, noting the dry and warm outlook in the region.

A rebound to warmer temperatures unfolded in the Northeast from unseasonably chilly weather.

The weather outlook showed that pleasant conditions could emerge in Columbus, Charleston, Pittsburgh, Washington, Virginia Beach, New York, Boston, Burlington and Portland.

The warming trend in the Northeast is expected to continue through Friday.

Weather in parts of the U.S.

In the Western United States, unseasonably cool unfolded as challenging heat emerged in the country.

According to AccuWeather's forecast, unseasonably cool weather conditions could continue in Portland, Medford, Boise, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

From Thursday to Sunday, a warming trend could be possible in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Portland and San Francisco.

Furthermore, hot temps could be likely this week, resulting in heat-related concerns.

Homeowners should keep updated with the hotter outlook.

According to NWS Portland, practicing heat safety during troublesome weather is essential, especially for outdoor workers with strenuous tasks.

Also Read: U.S. Weather Forecast: Part of Northeast to Expect Seasonable Warmer Outlook This Week

Meanwhile, AccuWeather reported that Portland and Seattle could likely notice a hotter temperature outlook this weekend, especially on Friday.

The weather forecast said that Portland, Oregon, could reach mid-80s F this Friday, which could become hotter this weekend.

Based on the weather outlook, the hotter temperatures or spring heatwaves could emerge on May 13 to May 17, causing daily record highs.

Due to the spring heat waves, the forecast said that it could result in increased fire risk, rapid snowmelt and reduced air quality.

However, the hotter weather outlook is expected to ease next week.

Homeowners should check or prepare their cooling equipment.

Weather news in other parts of the U.S.

Recently, the NWS Weather Prediction Center said heavy rain could likely be in the Midwest and Plains.

The forecast said that widespread showers and thunderstorms could be possible.

As a result, Readgov advised Americans to stay alert for potential thunderstorms.

The latest advisory showed to stay away from flooded areas.

Having multiple information for potentially isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts would help prepare for the severe weather.

Meanwhile, AccuWeather's latest forecast said that the Southwestern United States could likely experience a storm threat.

The weather report noted that dry and warm conditions could be possible. Based on the weather outlook, near-record heat could unfold in Seattle and Missoula.

Related Article: U.S. Weather Forecast: Dry, Warmer Conditions Likely in Washington, Pittsburgh, Parts of Northeast This Week

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Map showing the surface temperatures for the Iberian Peninsula on 26 April 2023 and 27 April 2023. Graphic: Meteociel.fr

MADRID, 8 May 2023 (AP)  Drought-stricken Spain says last month was the hottest and driest April since records began in 1961.

The State Meteorological Agency, known by the Spanish acronym AEMET, said Monday the average daily temperature in April was 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 Fahrenheit), that is 3 degrees Celsius above the average.

AEMET said average maximum temperatures during the month were up by 4.7 Celsius.

Rainfall was a fifth of what would normally be expected in the month, making it the driest April on record in Spain.

Last year was Spains hottest since record-keeping started in 1961, and also the countrys sixth driest.

9 May 2023: Spain is facing one of its worst droughts in recent history, which is becoming increasingly visible through drone footage. Last month was the driest April in five decades and the warmest on record since 1961, according to the state agency Aemet. This has caused reservoirs and wetlands across the country to be affected, with many looking much emptier than they did the same time last year. In northern Catalonia, the Rialb, Baells, and La Llosa del Cavall reservoirs are now below 25 percent of their capacity, with the Rialb reservoir particularly badly affected, showing cracked ground and only holding 5.69 percent of its capacity. Video: Guardian News

Three years of scant rainfall and high temperatures put the country officially into long-term drought earlier this year.

A flash study by a group of international scientists last week found that record-breaking April temperatures in Spain, Portugal, and northern Africa were made 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change and would have been almost impossible in the past.

The government has requested emergency funds from the European Union to support farmers and ranchers whose crops are being affected by the situation.

Spain records hottest and driest April on record

Disappearing lakes, dead crops and trucked-in water: Drought-stricken Spain is running dry

By Fred Pleitgen, Claudia Otto and Laura Paddison

2 May 2023

Catalonia, Spain (CNN)  Standing in his field of stunted, withered maize, Santi Caudevilla is very worried. If the weather does not change it will be zero. Nothing is going to be harvested, he said.

Caudevilla, who grows maize, sorghum and other crops in Gimenells in Catalonia, has been hit hard by the severe drought which has hammered this part of northeastern Spain.

Rainfall has been low for years. We are in a desert. This is a desert today, he said.

The lack of water is starting to feel like an existential crisis for farmers such as Caudevilla and he is worried about the future of his profession. Its becoming increasingly hard to make ends meet as crops shrivel through lack of water  or cannot be planted at all.

Droughts are a fact of life in this corner of Spain. They are typical of Catalonias Mediterranean climate, said Albert Ruhi, a freshwater ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who is originally from Catalonia.

Map showing the Combined Drought Indicator for the Iberian Peninsula during the second ten-day period in April 2023. CDI is based on SPI, soil moisture and fAPAR. April 2023 was Spains hottest and driest April on record. Graphic: EU Copernicus / European Drought Observatory

But a significant lack of rain and snow have made this one much, much drier, he told CNN.

This is the worst period that we have had for the last 100 years, Samuel Reyes, director of the Catalan Water Agency, told CNN.

The problem spreads beyond Catalonia.

Spain has been in a long-term drought since the end of 2022, said Ricardo Torrijo, a spokesperson for AEMET, the Spanish national weather service.

In March, the country only received 36% of the average monthly rainfall, making it the second driest March this century. The trend continued into April, which could end up being the driest on record, Torrijo told CNN.

Drought conditions have been exacerbated by searing temperatures that are more reminiscent of mid-July than spring.

Last Thursday, April records were smashed, with the city of Cordoba in southern Spain reaching 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

The combination of drought and heat have stoked fears for a repeat of last summer where the country saw blistering heat waves and wildfires that burned through 306,000 hectares (756,000 acres). Unusually early wildfires this spring have already burned more than 10,000 acres in the eastern region of Castellon.

These conditions point to a new reality for parts of Europe, which is warming twice as fast as the global average. While it will take time to pin down the exact role climate change is playing, scientists are clear that human-caused global heating is making droughts and heat waves more common and more extreme.

A plant is photographed on a cracked earth after the water level has dropped in the Sau reservoir, about 100 km (62 miles) north of Barcelona, Spain, on 18 April 2023. Drought-stricken Spain says last month was the hottest and driest April since records began in 1961. The State Meteorological Agency said Monday, 8 May 2023 the average daily temperature was 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 Fahrenheit). That is 3 degrees Celsius above the average. AEMET said average maximum temperatures during the month were up by 4.7 C. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo

An agricultural disaster

The cracked, desiccated earth at the Sau Reservoir reveals the heavy toll the lack of rainfall has taken on Catalonias water sources.

Located about 60 miles north of Barcelona, the reservoir is a key drinking water source for the region, but in late April it was only at 7% of capacity.

Its water levels are so low that a medieval village, flooded when the lake was created in the 1960s, has emerged, lending an eerie presence to the sun-baked lakebed.

Authorities have been forced to siphon out water from the reservoir in an attempt to protect water quality and have had to remove native fish to stop them asphyxiating.

Reservoir levels across Catalonia are hovering at around 25%, substantially lower than usual for this time of year.

These two images show shrinking water reservoirs in the Catalonia region of Spain on 21 Mar 2021 and 12 Apr 2023. Photo: Allison Nussbaum / NASA

The lack of water is having a catastrophic impact on farms across the region. There is no precedent, said Marti Costal, head of water at the Young Farmers and Ranchers of Catalonia (JARC).

The majority of wheat and barley harvests on rainfed land will be lost, and on irrigated land will be cut by half, Costal told CNN. If it does not rain in May it will be a disaster, he said.

Its a story which tracks across the countrys agricultural heartlands.

Drought affects 60% of Spains countryside, and has destroyed crops across 3.5 million hectares (8.6 million acres), according to the Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (COAG). Thats an area bigger than the state of Maryland.

Livestock farming is at risk as farmers need pasture to feed their animals. Without it, they are forced to buy food. Losses are also expected for orchards, vineyards, olive oil production and vegetable farming, Serge Zaka, an agrometeorologist, told CNN.

These agro-climatic conditions are leading to an agricultural disaster, he said.

Disappearing lakes, dead crops and trucked-in water: Drought-stricken Spain is running dry
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Thank you for all your help with our recruiting process during 2019. We have some great new staff at the Matthew Project as a result. God bless."We had a good response to our advert on Network Norwich for a Project Worker. We were able to short-list some very possible applicants and have now made an appointment of a lady whom we expect to fit well into our existing team and who brings to us some useful past experience.Thank you for your help, what a useful medium this is.""We see the Network Norfolk website as a good place to advertise the organisation and Im very pleased to say that the recent advert for an account assistant led to an appointment."
Dells storage product lineup is set to receive a wide range of updates, including devops integrations with the Ansible and Terraform tools, compliance with the latest US government security standards, zero trust readiness and more.

PowerStore, Dells flash-based storage array line, is receiving the lions share of the security updates, according to a Dell announcement on Wednesday. Dell said that PowerStore now boasts STIG hardening, meaning that it is compliant with the federal governments stanadards for its own networks. PowerStore also received secure and immutable snapshot technology, which should make for more reliable and harder-to-compromise recoveries. Multifactor authentication, streamlined file resiliency (which adds more mounted snapshots per system) and direct management of file permissions from within PowerStore are also being added.

PowerStore gets added backup options

The system also received native integration into Dells PowerProtect data management system, further bolstering an end-users backup and data protection options. The company said that the idea here is to offer more compression in backups and easier configuration options. Integration with open source frameworks Ansible and Terraform allow for devops workers to use the PowerStore system natively, which means they can design automated processes for storage provisioning without low-level coding, Dell said. (Ansible support was also added for Dells Unity XT hybrid storage offering.)

Further enhancements across the companys storage portfolio include native air gap support for the PowerMax mission-critical storage system, enhanced NVMe and TCP for the PowerFlex software-defined infrastructure platform and improved S3 object storage performance in ObjectScale. Finally, the companys ClouIdIQ AIOps software will receive VMware integration.

The enhancements to PowerStore, according to Gartner senior director analyst Jeff Vogel, are essentially fulfilling requirements for business-critical applications for mid-size enterprise customers.

As for PowerFlex, its an important, modern cloud-like architecture for software-defined, elastic and scalable hybrid infrastructure platform storage that can take advantage of the benefits of and end-end NVMe fabric-based infrastructure using TCP, he said. This new architecture bridges enterprise storage with standard Ethernet-based networking, lowering infrastructure costs and simplifying the environment.

A spokesperson for Dell said that the enhancements announced Wednesday are free to all existing customers, and that no other pricing changes are associated with the launch. New features in PowerMax, CloudIQ and Unity XT are available as of now. PowerStore and ObjectScale updates will be available as of June, while the new features in PowerFlex will go live in the third quarter of this year.
A smoke column rises from wildfire EWF031 near Lodgepole, Alberta, Canada 4 May 2023. Photo: Alberta Wildfire / REUTERS

By Nia Williams

5 May 2023

(Reuters)  A week of record hot weather in western Canada has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, as wildfires rage in parts of Alberta and rapid snow melt triggers flooding across interior British Columbia.

By Friday, more than 13,000 people were under evacuation orders in Alberta, as 78 fires burned. Among the worst-hit areas was the territory of the Little Red River Cree Nation, which comprises three communities in the north of the province, where the 1,458-hectare (3609-acre) Fox Lake fire consumed 20 homes and the police station.

The entire 7,000-strong population of Drayton Valley, 140 km (87 miles) west of the provincial capital Edmonton, was also ordered to evacuate late on Thursday night.

Pembina Pipeline Corp (PPL.TO), which operates oil-gathering pipelines in the region, said it has activated emergency response and incident management processes and is evaluating any current or anticipated operational impacts.

There were no reported impacts on oil and gas producers.

There have been 348 wildfires in Alberta this year and more than 25,000 hectares burned, said Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire.

This is significantly more wildfire activity for this time of year than we have seen any time in the recent past, Tucker told a press conference, adding fires were expected to intensify on Friday.

Its going to get hotter, its going to get windier and we are expecting some extreme wildfire behaviour. Firefighters are at the ready today for what could be an extremely challenging day, she said.

In British Columbia, rivers burst their banks, washing through homes and forcing highway closures in numerous communities across the provinces interior, including Cache Creek and Grand Forks.

Until last week western Canada had been enduring a cold spring but the rapid onset of unseasonably high temperatures, in places 10-15 C above the average for early May, is causing both fires and flooding. [more]

Thousands forced to evacuate as wildfires ravage western Canada
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The hiring activity among start-ups has witnessed growth in the past three months. While there has been a 6% decline in e-recruitment for white-collar compared to the same period last year, the market for new and emerging job roles has seen an upsurge, said talent platform foundit in its monthly foundit Insights Tracker(fIT).

The overall hiring demand among start-ups has seen a strong 19% growth in April 2023 compared to the previous year. Tracker states India housed over 19,000 start-ups before the pandemic, and this number has swarmed up to over 80,000 last year, which created over 250,000 job opportunities.

Over the past three months particularly, demand for talent among start-ups has seen impressive growth, the report said. The Tracker noted a 4% monthly dip, indicating cautious hiring sentiments among Indian recruiters. While BFSI (+3%), Travel & Tourism (+2%), and Import/Export (+13%) picked up on a month-on-month (MOM) basis, many sectors such as Logistics, Home appliances, and Oil and gas saw a steep fall.

Sekhar Garisa, CEO - foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME), a Quess company said the current global economic uncertainties have created a challenging environment for businesses, forcing them to navigate a rapidly changing environment. Although hiring has declined, there are still a plethora of job opportunities in emerging industries for job seekers. Remarkably, the Indian start-up ecosystem has taken a turn, exhibiting resilience in hiring intent despite the prevailing job market challenges, he said.

While we expect cautious hiring sentiments to persist, we remain optimistic about job opportunities for candidates, particularly as start-ups continue to propel the demand for talent and innovation, he added. With 33%, Bengaluru accounts for the highest share of start-up jobs while Delhi, Mumbai and Pune hosted notable demand trends, it said.

BENGALURU: The hiring activity among start-ups has witnessed growth in the past three months. While there has been a 6% decline in e-recruitment for white-collar compared to the same period last year, the market for new and emerging job roles has seen an upsurge, said talent platform foundit in its monthly foundit Insights Tracker(fIT). The overall hiring demand among start-ups has seen a strong 19% growth in April 2023 compared to the previous year. Tracker states India housed over 19,000 start-ups before the pandemic, and this number has swarmed up to over 80,000 last year, which created over 250,000 job opportunities. Over the past three months particularly, demand for talent among start-ups has seen impressive growth, the report said. The Tracker noted a 4% monthly dip, indicating cautious hiring sentiments among Indian recruiters. While BFSI (+3%), Travel & Tourism (+2%), and Import/Export (+13%) picked up on a month-on-month (MOM) basis, many sectors such as Logistics, Home appliances, and Oil and gas saw a steep fall.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sekhar Garisa, CEO - foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME), a Quess company said the current global economic uncertainties have created a challenging environment for businesses, forcing them to navigate a rapidly changing environment. Although hiring has declined, there are still a plethora of job opportunities in emerging industries for job seekers. Remarkably, the Indian start-up ecosystem has taken a turn, exhibiting resilience in hiring intent despite the prevailing job market challenges, he said. While we expect cautious hiring sentiments to persist, we remain optimistic about job opportunities for candidates, particularly as start-ups continue to propel the demand for talent and innovation, he added. With 33%, Bengaluru accounts for the highest share of start-up jobs while Delhi, Mumbai and Pune hosted notable demand trends, it said.
ENS Economic Bureau By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Delhi bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday admitted Go Airlines India ltds (Go First) plea for voluntary insolvency and for initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) proceedings.

NCLT has granted Go First protection under moratorium from recovery by lessors and lenders. The NCLT has appointed Abhilash Lal, backed by Alvarez and Marsel, as the interim resolution professional (IRP) to run the airline.

The tribunal directed the company's suspended board of directors to cooperate with Lal and to ensure there are no layoffs. The management was also asked to deposit 5 crores with the IRP to meet immediate expenses.

Go First CEO Kaushik Khona called NCLT's order a historic judgment in terms of pace of proceedings. He added that it will ensure that the airline remains viable as the airline still have 27 aircraft in operation.

The moratorium order of NCLT, according to Khona, will prevent lessors from taking back aircraft.

Go First has now announced that its flights will remained cancelled till May 19 due to operational reasons.

The low-cost carrier had filed for voluntary insolvency proceedings last week, blaming faulty Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its 54 Airbus A320neo planes.

The order is favourable for the Wadia family-promoted airline as aircraft lessors are seeking to take back their planes. According to the latest figures, various lessors have reached out to aviation regulator DGCA for the deregistration of 42 planes.

Go First owes financial creditors Rs 6,521 crore. The filing lists Central Bank of India Ltd, Bank of Baroda Ltd, IDBI Bank Ltd, Axis Bank Ltd and Deutsche Bank among Go First's financial creditors.

Go First claims that its promoters have infused Rs 3,200 crores in the last three years, Rs 2400 crores of which were injected in the last 24 months, and Rs 290 crores in April 2023 alone. This brings the total promoter investment in the airline since its inception to approximately Rs 6,500 crores.

The grounding of close to 50% of its A320neo fleet has led to Rs 10,800 crores in lost revenues and additional expenses for the airline, said the airline.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday admitted Go Airlines India ltds (Go First) plea for voluntary insolvency and for initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) proceedings. NCLT has granted Go First protection under moratorium from recovery by lessors and lenders. The NCLT has appointed Abhilash Lal, backed by Alvarez and Marsel, as the interim resolution professional (IRP) to run the airline. The tribunal directed the company's suspended board of directors to cooperate with Lal and to ensure there are no layoffs. The management was also asked to deposit 5 crores with the IRP to meet immediate expenses. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Go First CEO Kaushik Khona called NCLT's order a historic judgment in terms of pace of proceedings. He added that it will ensure that the airline remains viable as the airline still have 27 aircraft in operation. The moratorium order of NCLT, according to Khona, will prevent lessors from taking back aircraft. Go First has now announced that its flights will remained cancelled till May 19 due to operational reasons. The low-cost carrier had filed for voluntary insolvency proceedings last week, blaming faulty Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its 54 Airbus A320neo planes. The order is favourable for the Wadia family-promoted airline as aircraft lessors are seeking to take back their planes. According to the latest figures, various lessors have reached out to aviation regulator DGCA for the deregistration of 42 planes. Go First owes financial creditors Rs 6,521 crore. The filing lists Central Bank of India Ltd, Bank of Baroda Ltd, IDBI Bank Ltd, Axis Bank Ltd and Deutsche Bank among Go First's financial creditors. Go First claims that its promoters have infused Rs 3,200 crores in the last three years, Rs 2400 crores of which were injected in the last 24 months, and Rs 290 crores in April 2023 alone. This brings the total promoter investment in the airline since its inception to approximately Rs 6,500 crores. The grounding of close to 50% of its A320neo fleet has led to Rs 10,800 crores in lost revenues and additional expenses for the airline, said the airline.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The petroleum ministry on Tuesday clarified that it had not taken any decision on the recommendations of a government committee on diesel car ban in the cities with population of over 10 lakh by 2027.

The government said the suggestions of Energy Transition Advisory Committee (ETAC), formed under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, relate to multiple ministries and a range of stakeholders including states. Consultation with various stakeholders on the report is yet to be initiated. No decision has yet been taken on ETAC recommendations, tweeted the ministry. The report of the ETAC, headed by former petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor, also suggested blending of liquid petroleum gas with compressed biogas made from urban waste, use of methanol and ethanol as cooking fuel, and electric or solar-based cooking.

The panel recommended to phase out scooter, motorcycle and threewheelers with internal combustion engine by 2035 as India aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. The ministry said the committee has made wide ranging and forward-looking recommendations for shift to low-carbon energy and it has a futuristic outlook.

NEW DELHI: The petroleum ministry on Tuesday clarified that it had not taken any decision on the recommendations of a government committee on diesel car ban in the cities with population of over 10 lakh by 2027. The government said the suggestions of Energy Transition Advisory Committee (ETAC), formed under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, relate to multiple ministries and a range of stakeholders including states. Consultation with various stakeholders on the report is yet to be initiated. No decision has yet been taken on ETAC recommendations, tweeted the ministry. The report of the ETAC, headed by former petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor, also suggested blending of liquid petroleum gas with compressed biogas made from urban waste, use of methanol and ethanol as cooking fuel, and electric or solar-based cooking. The panel recommended to phase out scooter, motorcycle and threewheelers with internal combustion engine by 2035 as India aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. The ministry said the committee has made wide ranging and forward-looking recommendations for shift to low-carbon energy and it has a futuristic outlook.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); });
Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A staggering 88 per cent of employees working in the corporate sector in Delhi reported difficulties in striking a good work-life balance, higher than other major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, the latest survey released on Tuesday said.

Personal health and family obligations emerged as the top priorities that tend to be affected when employees cannot achieve a work-life balance, with 81% and 75% of respondents, respectively, reporting this issue.

The survey, Mental Health and Wellness Quotient @Workplace 2023, was conducted among 3,000 employees -from managerial to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) level - across ten sectors and eight Indian cities.

What was worrying was that nearly 80% of employees took approximately two weeks of leave from work in the past year due to poor mental health.

The survey, which was conducted in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, and Bengaluru, also found that 90% of them face work demands during leave, exacerbating work-life balance concerns.

Moreover, 94% of employees are expected to work on their leaves, and 67% are expected to work every time they are on leave, emphasising the need for employers to promote a healthier work culture.

Personal health (81%) and family obligations (75%) were the top priorities affected by poor work-life balance, said the survey, which MPower, an initiative by The Aditya Birla Education Trust, conducted.

Delhi also topped among other metropolises in corporate employees, reporting the highest diabetes rate among the respondents, with 38% citing this as a concern.

The survey indicates that over 48% of corporate employees are at risk of poor mental health, and this is more common among female employees, with 56% of female employees more prone to poor mental health risk.

Amongst those surveyed, over 50% strongly agreed that stress significantly impacts their work productivity.

The study focussed on ten specific sectors, including FMCG, Automobile, Durables, BPO, Banking, Education, IT, Healthcare, Hospitality, and E-commerce.

These sectors were selected based on the workforce they employ in the Indian corporate world and their diverse job profiles.

The sector which bears the maximum brunt of mental health risk was found to be E-commerce at 64%, followed by FMCG at 56%, automobile and healthcare at 55%, hospitality at 53%, BPO at 47%, banking at 41%, education at 39%, IT at 38%, and durables at 31%.

The age group between 35 to 45 - known for their productivity - is at a higher risk of suffering from these issues, as approximately 50% of these employees strongly agree that stress impacts their work productivity- and poses a challenge to the countrys overall economic growth due increased absenteeism and reduced productivity.

1 out of 2 corporate employees is at risk of poor mental health today and among the most vulnerable group are mid-level employees, with 56% of them reporting poor mental health, the study said.

Employees in higher positions, such as senior Associate Vice President/ Vice President, also exhibited elevated levels of mental health distress with 70% and 61%, respectively, falling in the at risk category.

Dr Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower and Aditya Birla Education Trust, said corporate burnout and mental health stress among employees had reached alarming levels in India.

We urge policy changes at both the government and corporate levels, focusing on mental health as a real challenge that requires attention. Employee well-being programs must be implemented to support those in need, and the destigmatisation of mental health is urgently required to ensure equitable support to all employees, she said.

A physically and mentally healthy workforce is crucial for a country like India, which relies on its youth for economic growth. Let's prioritise mental health and take the necessary steps to create a healthier, more productive workforce for the betterment of our nation, she added.

NEW DELHI: A staggering 88 per cent of employees working in the corporate sector in Delhi reported difficulties in striking a good work-life balance, higher than other major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, the latest survey released on Tuesday said. Personal health and family obligations emerged as the top priorities that tend to be affected when employees cannot achieve a work-life balance, with 81% and 75% of respondents, respectively, reporting this issue. The survey, Mental Health and Wellness Quotient @Workplace 2023, was conducted among 3,000 employees -from managerial to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) level - across ten sectors and eight Indian cities. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); What was worrying was that nearly 80% of employees took approximately two weeks of leave from work in the past year due to poor mental health. The survey, which was conducted in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, and Bengaluru, also found that 90% of them face work demands during leave, exacerbating work-life balance concerns. Moreover, 94% of employees are expected to work on their leaves, and 67% are expected to work every time they are on leave, emphasising the need for employers to promote a healthier work culture. Personal health (81%) and family obligations (75%) were the top priorities affected by poor work-life balance, said the survey, which MPower, an initiative by The Aditya Birla Education Trust, conducted. Delhi also topped among other metropolises in corporate employees, reporting the highest diabetes rate among the respondents, with 38% citing this as a concern. The survey indicates that over 48% of corporate employees are at risk of poor mental health, and this is more common among female employees, with 56% of female employees more prone to poor mental health risk. Amongst those surveyed, over 50% strongly agreed that stress significantly impacts their work productivity. The study focussed on ten specific sectors, including FMCG, Automobile, Durables, BPO, Banking, Education, IT, Healthcare, Hospitality, and E-commerce. These sectors were selected based on the workforce they employ in the Indian corporate world and their diverse job profiles. The sector which bears the maximum brunt of mental health risk was found to be E-commerce at 64%, followed by FMCG at 56%, automobile and healthcare at 55%, hospitality at 53%, BPO at 47%, banking at 41%, education at 39%, IT at 38%, and durables at 31%. The age group between 35 to 45 - known for their productivity - is at a higher risk of suffering from these issues, as approximately 50% of these employees strongly agree that stress impacts their work productivity- and poses a challenge to the countrys overall economic growth due increased absenteeism and reduced productivity. 1 out of 2 corporate employees is at risk of poor mental health today and among the most vulnerable group are mid-level employees, with 56% of them reporting poor mental health, the study said. Employees in higher positions, such as senior Associate Vice President/ Vice President, also exhibited elevated levels of mental health distress with 70% and 61%, respectively, falling in the at risk category. Dr Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower and Aditya Birla Education Trust, said corporate burnout and mental health stress among employees had reached alarming levels in India. We urge policy changes at both the government and corporate levels, focusing on mental health as a real challenge that requires attention. Employee well-being programs must be implemented to support those in need, and the destigmatisation of mental health is urgently required to ensure equitable support to all employees, she said. A physically and mentally healthy workforce is crucial for a country like India, which relies on its youth for economic growth. Let's prioritise mental health and take the necessary steps to create a healthier, more productive workforce for the betterment of our nation, she added.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Janata Dal (U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will arrive in Mumbai on Thursday morning as part of his Opposition unity efforts.

Nitish Kumar will meet and hold meetings with top Maharashtra leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over lunch at Matoshri in Bandra, before meeting Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar over tea at the latters Silver Oaks home in south Mumbai.

Nitish Kumar has taken the lead to unite all smaller and secular alliance parties against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As a part of it, he has been cementing ties and ironing out the differences with the Opposition.

Kapil Patil, MLC and general secretary of JD (U) said that their leader Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been receiving overwhelming support from the Opposition parties against the BJP.

He said in 1977, all non-Congress parties came together against the Congress to protest and anger against the emergency and to save democracy, In the same way, the Opposition needs to unite today against the BJP if they want to save the constitution.

The constitutional federal structure has been disturbed. The central government is ushering all power while weakening the respective state government and non-BJP-ruled states are deprived of the central government-allotted funds. Besides, the central agencies and institutions are to target the Opposition and remain in power. So, all smaller and bigger parties of the Opposition have to come together against the BJP in 2024. Otherwise, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be the last elections in India, Patil said.

He added Nitish Kumar has got huge and rich political and administrative experience and there are no stains in his political career.

Patil added that the Bihar CM is the man that can unite everyone and Congress will also be the main stakeholder.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar earlier extended support to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar saying if someone is taking an effort, then as an Opposition, they have to extend all possible support. We as NCP are with Nitish Kumar, Pawar added.

Interestingly, Bihar CM Eknath Shinde earlier met Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav.

MUMBAI: Janata Dal (U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will arrive in Mumbai on Thursday morning as part of his Opposition unity efforts. Nitish Kumar will meet and hold meetings with top Maharashtra leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over lunch at Matoshri in Bandra, before meeting Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar over tea at the latters Silver Oaks home in south Mumbai. Nitish Kumar has taken the lead to unite all smaller and secular alliance parties against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As a part of it, he has been cementing ties and ironing out the differences with the Opposition.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Kapil Patil, MLC and general secretary of JD (U) said that their leader Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been receiving overwhelming support from the Opposition parties against the BJP. He said in 1977, all non-Congress parties came together against the Congress to protest and anger against the emergency and to save democracy, In the same way, the Opposition needs to unite today against the BJP if they want to save the constitution. The constitutional federal structure has been disturbed. The central government is ushering all power while weakening the respective state government and non-BJP-ruled states are deprived of the central government-allotted funds. Besides, the central agencies and institutions are to target the Opposition and remain in power. So, all smaller and bigger parties of the Opposition have to come together against the BJP in 2024. Otherwise, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be the last elections in India, Patil said. He added Nitish Kumar has got huge and rich political and administrative experience and there are no stains in his political career. Patil added that the Bihar CM is the man that can unite everyone and Congress will also be the main stakeholder. NCP chief Sharad Pawar earlier extended support to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar saying if someone is taking an effort, then as an Opposition, they have to extend all possible support. We as NCP are with Nitish Kumar, Pawar added. Interestingly, Bihar CM Eknath Shinde earlier met Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India has issued notices to the Punjab government seeking a report on the arrest of a reporter and "preventing her from doing her journalistic duty".

TV journalist Bhawana Kishore and two others were arrested by Punjab Police on May 5 when their vehicle allegedly hit a woman, injuring her hand. She was released from jail in Ludhiana on May 7, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted her interim bail.

In the notices to the chief secretary, home secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab and other senior officers, Press Council of India chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai sought the report within two weeks.

The matter pertained to the curtailment of press freedom, which the Press Council of India has been mandated by law to preserve.

The PCI chairperson has expressed concern over the actions of the Punjab Police and has taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter as per the relevant provisions of the law, it said.

Kishore along with video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar and car driver Parminder Singh faced charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks towards the woman.

NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India has issued notices to the Punjab government seeking a report on the arrest of a reporter and "preventing her from doing her journalistic duty". TV journalist Bhawana Kishore and two others were arrested by Punjab Police on May 5 when their vehicle allegedly hit a woman, injuring her hand. She was released from jail in Ludhiana on May 7, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted her interim bail. In the notices to the chief secretary, home secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab and other senior officers, Press Council of India chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai sought the report within two weeks.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The matter pertained to the curtailment of press freedom, which the Press Council of India has been mandated by law to preserve. The PCI chairperson has expressed concern over the actions of the Punjab Police and has taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter as per the relevant provisions of the law, it said. Kishore along with video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar and car driver Parminder Singh faced charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks towards the woman.
Shruti Kakkar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court agreed to hear on May 12 pleas filed by makers of the controversial multilingual film 'The Kerala Story' challenging Mamata Banerjee Govts decision to ban the screening of the film. The plea has also sought protection from screening the film in Tamil Nadu alleging that the movie is also facing a shadow ban in the state.

Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha. Referring to the fact that the bench had listed the plea challenging Kerala HCs order of refusing to ban the movie on May 15, CJI initially proposed to also list this plea on May 15 but when Senior Advocate Harish Salve said that the makers were losing money every day, CJI agreed to hear the plea on May 12.

Filmmakers in the plea have said that State Government has no power to ban a movie that has been certified for public viewing by the Central Board of Film Certification and that State Government cannot cite law and order issues to stop the screening of the movie, which will result in the violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed to them.

Specifically with regards to Tamil Nadu, the plea says that exhibitors in the State withdrew the film after the informal messaging by the State authorities.

Any such ban, it has been repeatedly held, would constitute an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India to engage in free speech. The stifling of the right to free speech of the Petitioner, that too on a mere apprehension of unsubstantiated considerations of law and order cannot withstand scrutiny under the Constitutional scheme," the petition stated.

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court agreed to hear on May 12 pleas filed by makers of the controversial multilingual film 'The Kerala Story' challenging Mamata Banerjee Govts decision to ban the screening of the film. The plea has also sought protection from screening the film in Tamil Nadu alleging that the movie is also facing a shadow ban in the state. Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha. Referring to the fact that the bench had listed the plea challenging Kerala HCs order of refusing to ban the movie on May 15, CJI initially proposed to also list this plea on May 15 but when Senior Advocate Harish Salve said that the makers were losing money every day, CJI agreed to hear the plea on May 12. Filmmakers in the plea have said that State Government has no power to ban a movie that has been certified for public viewing by the Central Board of Film Certification and that State Government cannot cite law and order issues to stop the screening of the movie, which will result in the violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed to them. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Specifically with regards to Tamil Nadu, the plea says that exhibitors in the State withdrew the film after the informal messaging by the State authorities. Any such ban, it has been repeatedly held, would constitute an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India to engage in free speech. The stifling of the right to free speech of the Petitioner, that too on a mere apprehension of unsubstantiated considerations of law and order cannot withstand scrutiny under the Constitutional scheme," the petition stated.
By ENS & Agencies

BENGALURU: Polling for the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly elections is currently underway with, over 5.3 crore eligible voters expected to exercise their rights.

Voting for the 224-member Assembly began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Security has beefed up at sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas to ensure fair and peaceful polling.

A voter turnout of 8.26 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling, according to Election Commission data.

The highest percentage was in the coastal district of Udupi (13.28 per cent) and the lowest in Chamarajanagar district (5.75 per cent) till 9 am.

Designated photo spots have been set up in various polling stations where voters posed with their inked fingers upon casting their vote.

Karnataka is voting to elect a new government, with the incumbent BJP facing the challenge from the Congress. The Janata Dal (Secular) is the third main player in the contest.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy. Modi tweeted, "Urging the people of Karnataka, particularly young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy."

A large number of people are seen in polling stations across the state. Many people including celebrities are seen as early voters. There have also been technical glitches in Ballari and seizures in Chitradurga.

The weather forecast has predicted rains over many parts of Karnataka on Wednesday, with the Election Commission officials appealing to people to vote early.

It can be noted in 2018, the state Assembly polls recorded a voter turnout of 72.13 per cent, the highest in Karnataka since 1952. The election commission is hoping to break this previous record.

In the last 45 days, the state witnessed a hectic campaign from all the party leaders.

Political leaders, celebrities cast their votes

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was among the early voters and even offered Pooja at an Anjaneya temple in Shiggavi. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his wife and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy were among those to cast their votes in Bengaluru this morning.

WATCH |

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, cast her vote in Jayanagar. When asked about low voter turnout in most of the polls in Bengaluru, she said, "From the number I've seen, I see Bengaluru is coming to vote. I hope the number will increase further in the day."

#KarnatakaPollsWithTNIE | Finance Minister #NirmalaSitharaman casts her vote at Jayanagar.



Express photos | @gadekal2020. pic.twitter.com/j1SxfNWnJH

 The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 10, 2023

Some of the early voters include ministers Araga Jnanendra in Shivamogga's Theerthahalli and Byrathi Basavaraju in Bengaluru's KR Puram among others. This year, the election commission has introduced vote from home for senior citizens who are 80 years and above, however many senior citizens of that age were seen in the polling stations to cast their votes.

Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa along with his family members and sons BJP MP BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra  who is contesting from the Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga  cast their votes.

#KarnatakaPollsWithTNIE | Former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader #BSYediyurappa casts his vote along with his family.#KarnatakaElections @XpressBengaluru @santwana99 pic.twitter.com/Qoh3bpuL1s

 The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 10, 2023

Freebies seized, technical glitches delay polling

Meanwhile, cash and freebies were seized across a few areas on polling day owing to a violation of the model code of conduct. A joint raid was conducted by EC, IT, Police and Excise officials at the residence of Chitradurga Janatha Dal (Secular) Candidate Raghu Achar. Among the items seized included cash of Rs 58.83 lakh in cash, 239 litres of beer and 9 litres of other liquor.

Incidents of polling being delayed due to technical glitches were also reported. Over half an hour of the voting process stopped in Sanganakallu village in Ballari district after a technical error was found in EVMs. The voting resumed after officials sorted the issue.

(With inputs from PTI)

BENGALURU: Polling for the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly elections is currently underway with, over 5.3 crore eligible voters expected to exercise their rights. Voting for the 224-member Assembly began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Security has beefed up at sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas to ensure fair and peaceful polling. A voter turnout of 8.26 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling, according to Election Commission data.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The highest percentage was in the coastal district of Udupi (13.28 per cent) and the lowest in Chamarajanagar district (5.75 per cent) till 9 am. Designated photo spots have been set up in various polling stations where voters posed with their inked fingers upon casting their vote. Karnataka is voting to elect a new government, with the incumbent BJP facing the challenge from the Congress. The Janata Dal (Secular) is the third main player in the contest. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy. Modi tweeted, "Urging the people of Karnataka, particularly young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy." A large number of people are seen in polling stations across the state. Many people including celebrities are seen as early voters. There have also been technical glitches in Ballari and seizures in Chitradurga. The weather forecast has predicted rains over many parts of Karnataka on Wednesday, with the Election Commission officials appealing to people to vote early. It can be noted in 2018, the state Assembly polls recorded a voter turnout of 72.13 per cent, the highest in Karnataka since 1952. The election commission is hoping to break this previous record. In the last 45 days, the state witnessed a hectic campaign from all the party leaders. Political leaders, celebrities cast their votes Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was among the early voters and even offered Pooja at an Anjaneya temple in Shiggavi. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his wife and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy were among those to cast their votes in Bengaluru this morning. WATCH | Union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, cast her vote in Jayanagar. When asked about low voter turnout in most of the polls in Bengaluru, she said, "From the number I've seen, I see Bengaluru is coming to vote. I hope the number will increase further in the day." #KarnatakaPollsWithTNIE | Finance Minister #NirmalaSitharaman casts her vote at Jayanagar. Express photos | @gadekal2020. pic.twitter.com/j1SxfNWnJH  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 10, 2023 Some of the early voters include ministers Araga Jnanendra in Shivamogga's Theerthahalli and Byrathi Basavaraju in Bengaluru's KR Puram among others. This year, the election commission has introduced vote from home for senior citizens who are 80 years and above, however many senior citizens of that age were seen in the polling stations to cast their votes. Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa along with his family members and sons BJP MP BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra  who is contesting from the Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga  cast their votes. #KarnatakaPollsWithTNIE | Former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader #BSYediyurappa casts his vote along with his family.#KarnatakaElections @XpressBengaluru @santwana99 pic.twitter.com/Qoh3bpuL1s  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 10, 2023 Freebies seized, technical glitches delay polling Meanwhile, cash and freebies were seized across a few areas on polling day owing to a violation of the model code of conduct. A joint raid was conducted by EC, IT, Police and Excise officials at the residence of Chitradurga Janatha Dal (Secular) Candidate Raghu Achar. Among the items seized included cash of Rs 58.83 lakh in cash, 239 litres of beer and 9 litres of other liquor. Incidents of polling being delayed due to technical glitches were also reported. Over half an hour of the voting process stopped in Sanganakallu village in Ballari district after a technical error was found in EVMs. The voting resumed after officials sorted the issue. (With inputs from PTI)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers to build a progressive and a "40-per cent-commission-free" state.

Voting for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday in a state where the ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress is seeking a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "Karnataka's vote for 5 guarantees, for women's rights, for youth employment, for the upliftment of the poor. Come, vote in large numbers."

"Let's build a 40 per cent commission-free, progressive Karnataka together," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi using the hashtag 'Congress Winning150'.

He also shared a graphic featuring the Congress' five guarantees.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also campaigned extensively in Karnataka, urged the people of the state to vote for change.

"As the polling for the assembly elections begins, I urge all my sisters and brothers in Karnataka to go out there and vote for change," she said on Twitter.

"It's time to bring in a strong, development-oriented and capable government that works tirelessly to make your lives better," she tweeted and used the hashtag "Congress Winning 150" along with the tweet Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.

NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers to build a progressive and a "40-per cent-commission-free" state. Voting for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday in a state where the ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress is seeking a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "Karnataka's vote for 5 guarantees, for women's rights, for youth employment, for the upliftment of the poor. Come, vote in large numbers."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Let's build a 40 per cent commission-free, progressive Karnataka together," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi using the hashtag 'Congress Winning150'. He also shared a graphic featuring the Congress' five guarantees. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also campaigned extensively in Karnataka, urged the people of the state to vote for change. "As the polling for the assembly elections begins, I urge all my sisters and brothers in Karnataka to go out there and vote for change," she said on Twitter. "It's time to bring in a strong, development-oriented and capable government that works tirelessly to make your lives better," she tweeted and used the hashtag "Congress Winning 150" along with the tweet Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular). The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.
Telecom Egypt announced the landing of the 2Africa subsea cable in Port Said, a move that will enhance connectivity in Egypt and provide capacity for the operator to grow.

In a statement, CEO and managing director Mohamed Nasr said this is the final milestone in linking the worlds longest subsea cable to Egypt.

We aim to realise more of our potential as we work on new initiatives and roll out cutting-edge products that will take the ICT industry to the next level, he added.

This is the second and final 2Africa subsea cable to be connected to Egypt. Telecom Egypt added it completed 2Africa's terrestrial crossing in Egypt ahead of schedule in 2020. Meanwhile, it concluded the third marine path connecting the Ras Ghareb and Suez landing stations in October 2022.

The 2Africa cable was launched in May 2020 by a consortium of companies - Telecom Egypt, Meta, China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, Center3 (STC), Vodafone and WIOCC. Alcatel Submarine Networks was contracted to build the cable which starts from Southern Europe, across Africa and the Middle East and ends in the UK.

The cable system is expected to be completed in 2024 and will stretch 45,000km connecting 33 countries through 46 landings
Balhasan Ali and Dr Udaya Shankar Mishra By

Adversity-free childhood is perhaps the most desirable means of ensuring better human capital. But the presence of one billion child labourers worldwide with a disproportionate share in India is disheartening. While this alarming figure has led to a pronounced commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 8 with the target of eliminating all child labour by 2025, it remains far from getting realised in this decade. Although the practice has been trending downwards over the last three decades in India, the nation continues to have a count of 8 million child labourers.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) calls on nations to take effective measures to eliminate child labour because it is the most heinous form of child abuse and exploitation, as well as a major impediment to social justice and the right to a decent life. Despite the enactment of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act in 1986 and 2016 and Right to Education Act (2009), children in India continue to remain extremely vulnerable to human trafficking, illiteracy, poor physical and mental health, experiencing a failed childhood that compromises the future quality of human capital.

Home of child labour

Although India has been partially successful in arresting the growth of child labour, this evil persists to the tune of outnumbering the population of many nations. According to a report by the Kaillash Satyarthi Foundation and Census 2011 projections, India will have 7.8 million child labourers in 2023 comprising a male-female share of 57% and 43% respectively. Despite a higher decline in the annual child labour rate in 2001-11 (-2.01%) compared to 1991-2001 (-1.16%) and 1981-91 (-1.88%), India continues to have a significant count of child labour. While the postponement of the 2021 census serves as a handicap in obtaining an accurate count of child labourers, projections based on the 2011 census indicate a significant regional variation within the nation.

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Shrinking nationally but rising in several states

The encouraging rate of decline in the prevalence of child labour does not apply across the nation, with an increase in select states like Kerala (5.68%), Himachal Pradesh (1.62%), Uttarakhand (1.62%) and Uttar Pradesh (1.22%) between 2001 and 2011. On the contrary, states such as Telangana (-7.22%), Haryana (-6.6%), Karnataka (-6.47%), Andhra Pradesh (-6.41%), West Bengal (-4.34%), Jammu and Kashmir (-4.15%), Madhya Pradesh (-4.11%) and Rajasthan (-3.90%) registered a significant decline during the same period. In absolute terms, Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1.01 million) and Rajasthan (0.8 million) had the highest while Kerala (0.04 million) and Delhi (0.03 million) had the lowest in 2011. By 2025, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand will have the highest rates of child labour.

The estimated number of children working in 2025 will amount to 74.3 lakh, of which 60.2 lakh will be shared by seven states. As a result, if these states are given special focus in implementing measures to end the practice, the incidence of child labour in India could be minimised, if not eliminated. Districts such as Mahe, Lakshadweep, Lahaul & Spiti, Diu, Idukki, North & Middle Andaman, Lohit, Kollam and New Delhi witnessed the biggest rise in child labour while Lakhimpur, Krishna, Mahendragarh, Lalitpur, Doda, Nirmal, Kolhapur, Karauli, Nanded and Lucknow are the districts that saw the biggest fall. Districts with the highest concentrations of child labour, in terms of absolute numbers, include Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Kurukshetra, South Twenty Pargana, Patna, Idukki, Bangalore, Navsari and Alwar.

Poverty cycle and multidimensional deprivation

Child labour is an essential manifestation of poverty that traps children in a vicious cycle of poverty. While child labour frequently appears in low income households, it regenerates itself resulting in the widespread transmission of poverty across generations. Owing to impoverishment, a child enters the workforce leading to another generation being compromised on adequate skills, literacy, competence and overall well-being. It limits a child's well-being in terms of education, physical and mental health, social and economic opportunity, and deprivation on multiple facets in later life. It leads to multidimensional deprivation, marginalisation and exploitation with explicit violation of children's fundamental rights to equal opportunities, social justice and a decent life.

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Right to Education: A failure in implementation

The Right to Education Act (RTE) guarantees children between the ages of 6 and 14 the right to free and compulsory education under Article 21a of the Indian Constitution. The fundamental purpose of this act is to universalise child schooling, leaving no children out of school irrespective of the status of their household. However, the RTE Act does not fully prevail on the ground, resulting in the staggering number of child labourers. This is compounded by the failure to properly implement numerous schemes of free provisioning like clothing, food and learning aids, thus not only sustaining child labour but also violating their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. While we claim advances in educational attainment as a whole, a large number of children are denied basic education. The failure to curb child labour has in turn led to a failure in turning the demographic dividend into an opportunity.

Toothless Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act

In the platinum decade of Indias independence, this failure also reflects the dysfunctional child labour laws, focusing only on the "prohibition" and "regulation" of child labour rather than advancing the country's fundamental goals of eliminating it. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, is undoubtedly a later thought that came 15 years after the right to elementary education and six years after the RTE act. Compared to the 1986 Child Labour Act, the new Child Labour Act of 2016 expressly prohibits children from engaging in any form of labour that comes in conflict with their right to education. This legislation, however, is ambiguous in two ways. First, there is no stated minimum age below which children are not entitled to work, not even in exempted sectors. Second, there is no prohibition on employment in hazardous occupations or processes carried out as part of family work. Hence, the child labour law does have a serious conflict with the RTE Act, and the amendment appears to be one step forward with two steps back.

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Identification, intervention and implementation

A genuine inclination without a serious intervention sustains child labour in India. If a nation cannot guarantee a decent childhood for its children, it is a failed nation. With a count of 8 million children denied their fundamental right, India needs multi-sectoral intervention to address this concern. Such intervention needs a comprehensive identification of these vulnerable children as well as their parentage/household to resolve this menace on a war-footing. A perfect prescription lies in three I's -- identification, intervention and implementation. Vouching for a decent childhood for all children will ensure that the nation's future is in good hands.

(Balhasan Ali is Senior Research Fellow and Dr Udaya Shankar Mishra is Professor, International Institute for Population Sciences Deemed University, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Mumbai)

Adversity-free childhood is perhaps the most desirable means of ensuring better human capital. But the presence of one billion child labourers worldwide with a disproportionate share in India is disheartening. While this alarming figure has led to a pronounced commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 8 with the target of eliminating all child labour by 2025, it remains far from getting realised in this decade. Although the practice has been trending downwards over the last three decades in India, the nation continues to have a count of 8 million child labourers. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) calls on nations to take effective measures to eliminate child labour because it is the most heinous form of child abuse and exploitation, as well as a major impediment to social justice and the right to a decent life. Despite the enactment of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act in 1986 and 2016 and Right to Education Act (2009), children in India continue to remain extremely vulnerable to human trafficking, illiteracy, poor physical and mental health, experiencing a failed childhood that compromises the future quality of human capital. Home of child labourgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Although India has been partially successful in arresting the growth of child labour, this evil persists to the tune of outnumbering the population of many nations. According to a report by the Kaillash Satyarthi Foundation and Census 2011 projections, India will have 7.8 million child labourers in 2023 comprising a male-female share of 57% and 43% respectively. Despite a higher decline in the annual child labour rate in 2001-11 (-2.01%) compared to 1991-2001 (-1.16%) and 1981-91 (-1.88%), India continues to have a significant count of child labour. While the postponement of the 2021 census serves as a handicap in obtaining an accurate count of child labourers, projections based on the 2011 census indicate a significant regional variation within the nation. ALSO READ | Whose fight is it anyway? An attempt to understand Manipur unrest Shrinking nationally but rising in several states The encouraging rate of decline in the prevalence of child labour does not apply across the nation, with an increase in select states like Kerala (5.68%), Himachal Pradesh (1.62%), Uttarakhand (1.62%) and Uttar Pradesh (1.22%) between 2001 and 2011. On the contrary, states such as Telangana (-7.22%), Haryana (-6.6%), Karnataka (-6.47%), Andhra Pradesh (-6.41%), West Bengal (-4.34%), Jammu and Kashmir (-4.15%), Madhya Pradesh (-4.11%) and Rajasthan (-3.90%) registered a significant decline during the same period. In absolute terms, Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1.01 million) and Rajasthan (0.8 million) had the highest while Kerala (0.04 million) and Delhi (0.03 million) had the lowest in 2011. By 2025, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand will have the highest rates of child labour. The estimated number of children working in 2025 will amount to 74.3 lakh, of which 60.2 lakh will be shared by seven states. As a result, if these states are given special focus in implementing measures to end the practice, the incidence of child labour in India could be minimised, if not eliminated. Districts such as Mahe, Lakshadweep, Lahaul & Spiti, Diu, Idukki, North & Middle Andaman, Lohit, Kollam and New Delhi witnessed the biggest rise in child labour while Lakhimpur, Krishna, Mahendragarh, Lalitpur, Doda, Nirmal, Kolhapur, Karauli, Nanded and Lucknow are the districts that saw the biggest fall. Districts with the highest concentrations of child labour, in terms of absolute numbers, include Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Kurukshetra, South Twenty Pargana, Patna, Idukki, Bangalore, Navsari and Alwar. Poverty cycle and multidimensional deprivation Child labour is an essential manifestation of poverty that traps children in a vicious cycle of poverty. While child labour frequently appears in low income households, it regenerates itself resulting in the widespread transmission of poverty across generations. Owing to impoverishment, a child enters the workforce leading to another generation being compromised on adequate skills, literacy, competence and overall well-being. It limits a child's well-being in terms of education, physical and mental health, social and economic opportunity, and deprivation on multiple facets in later life. It leads to multidimensional deprivation, marginalisation and exploitation with explicit violation of children's fundamental rights to equal opportunities, social justice and a decent life. ALSO READ | It's all quiet on the mafia front in UP, but for how long will the lull last? Right to Education: A failure in implementation The Right to Education Act (RTE) guarantees children between the ages of 6 and 14 the right to free and compulsory education under Article 21a of the Indian Constitution. The fundamental purpose of this act is to universalise child schooling, leaving no children out of school irrespective of the status of their household. However, the RTE Act does not fully prevail on the ground, resulting in the staggering number of child labourers. This is compounded by the failure to properly implement numerous schemes of free provisioning like clothing, food and learning aids, thus not only sustaining child labour but also violating their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. While we claim advances in educational attainment as a whole, a large number of children are denied basic education. The failure to curb child labour has in turn led to a failure in turning the demographic dividend into an opportunity. Toothless Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act In the platinum decade of Indias independence, this failure also reflects the dysfunctional child labour laws, focusing only on the "prohibition" and "regulation" of child labour rather than advancing the country's fundamental goals of eliminating it. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, is undoubtedly a later thought that came 15 years after the right to elementary education and six years after the RTE act. Compared to the 1986 Child Labour Act, the new Child Labour Act of 2016 expressly prohibits children from engaging in any form of labour that comes in conflict with their right to education. This legislation, however, is ambiguous in two ways. First, there is no stated minimum age below which children are not entitled to work, not even in exempted sectors. Second, there is no prohibition on employment in hazardous occupations or processes carried out as part of family work. Hence, the child labour law does have a serious conflict with the RTE Act, and the amendment appears to be one step forward with two steps back. Web Scrawl | Read our series of web exclusives here Identification, intervention and implementation A genuine inclination without a serious intervention sustains child labour in India. If a nation cannot guarantee a decent childhood for its children, it is a failed nation. With a count of 8 million children denied their fundamental right, India needs multi-sectoral intervention to address this concern. Such intervention needs a comprehensive identification of these vulnerable children as well as their parentage/household to resolve this menace on a war-footing. A perfect prescription lies in three I's -- identification, intervention and implementation. Vouching for a decent childhood for all children will ensure that the nation's future is in good hands. (Balhasan Ali is Senior Research Fellow and Dr Udaya Shankar Mishra is Professor, International Institute for Population Sciences Deemed University, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Mumbai)
By Associated Press

TOKYO: A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Japan on Friday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said it was centered at a depth of about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles).

One person was reported dead and at least 13 were injured in Suzu city at the northern tip of Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, a city official said. He said six homes were damaged and rain could trigger mudslides, causing further damage.

He did not say how the person died, but the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that a person was found without vital signs after falling from a ladder. It said another person was injured when a cabinet fell on them, and two people were rescued from damaged buildings in the city.

A video broadcast by NHK public television showed a section of a hill that had crumbled and fallen on a house. It also broadcast a video taken by a reporter who was visiting his family in Ishikawa prefecture that showed a room shaking for nearly half a minute, with picture frames rattling on the walls. Japan is celebrating several national holidays this week.

Government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said there were reports of other damaged buildings but details were still being confirmed. There was no reported damage at two nuclear power plants in the area, he said.

East Japan Railway Co. said bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture were temporarily halted for safety checks but resumed normal operations, with some delays.

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.

TOKYO: A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Japan on Friday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others, but no tsunami warning was issued. The magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said it was centered at a depth of about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles). One person was reported dead and at least 13 were injured in Suzu city at the northern tip of Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, a city official said. He said six homes were damaged and rain could trigger mudslides, causing further damage.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He did not say how the person died, but the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that a person was found without vital signs after falling from a ladder. It said another person was injured when a cabinet fell on them, and two people were rescued from damaged buildings in the city. A video broadcast by NHK public television showed a section of a hill that had crumbled and fallen on a house. It also broadcast a video taken by a reporter who was visiting his family in Ishikawa prefecture that showed a room shaking for nearly half a minute, with picture frames rattling on the walls. Japan is celebrating several national holidays this week. Government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said there were reports of other damaged buildings but details were still being confirmed. There was no reported damage at two nuclear power plants in the area, he said. East Japan Railway Co. said bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture were temporarily halted for safety checks but resumed normal operations, with some delays. 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.
MTN and Orange Cameroon agreed to improve services by bringing forward their network upgrades for 2023 after subscribers disconnected from their networks in protest due to poor quality of service.

The operators met with the Cameroonian minister of Posts and Telecommunications and the minister of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, following staged protests where subscribers organised on social media to switch their devices to aeroplane mode simultaneously for hours.

Both operators have pledged in separate statements, to accelerate their 2023 network investment plans to bolster network quality and spread coverage. MTN also said it will publish a national progress report which will be updated when new mobile sites are deployed. Meanwhile, Orange will improve its complaints channel through response time.

MTN and Orange agreed to reimburse customers for unused data when their networks were down and will launch campaigns to inform subscribers how to avoid airtime losses and find the best deals.

MTN Cameroon CEO Mitwa Ngambi noted the operator faced challenges such as fluctuating availability of electricity and fibre, and that the operator will continue to seek solutions for these with the respective stakeholders.

Orange Cameroon CEO Patrik Benon said: "We wish to reiterate our commitment to go beyond our limits in order to enable each of you to better achieve your goals by means of the services we offer you".
PMs visit, BJPs grassroots work lift party prospects in N. Ktaka

Hubbali, May 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi camping in Karnataka and addressing a gathering in Haveri has uplifted the spirits of the party cadres in north Karnataka. Coupled with this the organisational machinery of the BJP is functioning tirelessly and has almost completed four rounds of door-to-door campaigning.

PM's visit, BJP's grassroots work lift party prospects in N. K'taka

In Hubbali, BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginkai, the party state general secretary and the blue-eyed boy of senior leader B.L. Santhosh, has been working hard to defeat the Congress candidate Jagadish Shettar whose exit from the BJP has become national news.While Shettar has the support of the local people and their goodwill, being a six-term MLA and a former chief minister, the Hubbali seat is a stronghold of the BJP and the RSS. The arrival of the Prime Minister in the adjacent district of Haveri where he dwelt on the development measures undertaken by his government and a 'double engine' government in the state seems to have struck a chord with the voters.M.R. Krishan Tulangi, a farmer in Hubbali while speaking to IANS said, "The Prime Minister has said that the government of India is purchasing urea at a cost of Rs 50 per kg and distributing it to farmers at Rs 5 per kg. This is a very important gesture on the part of the BJP government towards the farmers. This time I will vote for the BJP even though Jagadish Shettar is a good person and a winnable candidate."In Gadag also there is support for the BJP candidates and most of those whom this correspondent spoke to said that even though the Karnataka BJP is not up to the mark and corruption allegations are there, the Prime Minister was doing good work for the country. To support him they have to vote for the BJP.Basavaraj Pujar, a driver in Gadag told IANS, "The Prime Minister in his speech at Haveri said that our country is presently the fifth largest economy in the world and will soon become the third largest economy. This filled me with pride and I have decided to vote for the BJP."In Belagavi, however, the presence of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) which stands for the merger of the border districts of Karnataka with Maharashtra, is likely to play spoilsport to the prospects of the BJP in four seats.In addition to the Prime Minister's roadshow and public programmes, the presence of grassroot RSS cadres is helping the BJP conduct door to door surveys, which the Congress is lacking.Another factor is the presence of a large number of youths for campaigning for the BJP while the Congress has middle aged people in its campaign team.With only two days left for the elections and with the campaigning ended today, the BJP and the Congress are in an all out mode to garner the maximum votes.IANS09 May 2023

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China consolidates in the Gulf of Thailand with another deep-water port in Cambodia

New Delhi, May 9: With Cambodia as the spur, Beijing is consolidating its hold in the Gulf of Thailand, which can become the gateway for Chinese ships to enter the Indian Ocean.

China consolidates in the Gulf of Thailand with another deep-water port in Cambodia

China's state-run Xinhua news agency is reporting that the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) last week secured a contract from a Cambodian firm to construct a multi-purpose seaport in southwestern Cambodia's Kampot province.The Kampot deep water port is in southern Cambodia on the edge eastern edge of the Gulf of Thailand.The contract was signed between CHEC-Cambodia office's managing director Lan Qiuli and Meas Thom, president of Kampot Logistics and Port Company. The Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol was present on the occasion.The 600-hectare Kampot Logistics and Port project began in May last year, with the Shanghai Construction Group and the China Road and Bridge Corporation also being the contractors.Chanthol, the Cambodian minister said the 15-year project has an estimated cost 1.5 billion US dollars, and the construction has been divided into three phases.The first phase from 2022 to 2025 is expected to cost 200 million dollars, he said.The 15-meter deepwater Kampot port will be able to accommodate vessels weighing up to 100,000 tons and capable of handling 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025 and up to 600,000 TEUs in 2030, Xinhua reported"This mega-project includes a container terminal, a special economic zone, a free trade area, a logistics hub, an oil refinery, and a terminal for tourist vessels, among others," he said.The Cambodian minister was quoted as saying that the port in Kampot province will be the third largest port after the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in the coastal city of Sihanoukville and the freshwater Phnom Penh Autonomous Port in capital Phnom Penh.By building the port, China would be bolstering its profile in the Gulf of Thailand, which is separated from the Indian Ocean by a section of the Malay peninsula in the west and the Indo-China penIn fact, the Chinese are upgrading and modernizing the infrastructure at the port of Ream in Cambodia. It includes a new command centre, meeting and dining halls, as well as medical outposts. A drydock, slipway, and two new piers will also be constructed. China will also undertake dredging to prepare the port for hosting larger vessels, presumably naval warships.In the past the Chinese have also shown interest in the Kra canal which, if constructed can link the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea.The Thai Canal (previously known as the Kra Canal) refers to a proposed 135-km canal across southern Thailand that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea.China has long envisaged constructing the 135-kilometer canal across the Kra Isthmus. Keen to avoid the Malacca strait, which the Americans dominate, China hopes to channel some of its shipping through the Canal. Besides, by channelling energy tankers through the Kra canal, the Chinese hope to reduce transit costs by nearly 80 per cent.(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)--indianarrativeIANS09 May 2023

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BJP demands resignation of Kerala Tourism Minister over boat tragedy

Thiruvananthapuram, May 9: The Kerala BJP has demanded the resignation of state Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas for serious lapses resulting in Tanur boat tragedy on Sunday that claimed 22 lives.

BJP demands resignation of Kerala Tourism Minister over boat tragedy

State BJP president K. Surendran said that "no proper action was taken after the Thekkady tragedy" that took place in 2009 when 45 people, mostly tourists from other states, drowned at a popular destination at Thekkady. Surendran claimed the Tanur tragedy could have been avoided if proper action would have been taken on the basis of the Thekkady tragedy report."Riyas has to quit taking moral responsibility. If proper action was taken, 22 lives could have been saved. The only thing in Kerala that happens are rhetorics and advertisements... there are no effective guidelines for operations of houseboats... No one has any clue of how many houseboats are there in Kerala or are there any effective monitoring being done," the BJP leader added."There is no system in place to prevent such tragedies as no one is interested in safety and security. We demand a proper probe and subsequent action based on the probe," said Surendran.The ill-fated vessel, named Atlantic, was a modified fishing boat and the required safety protocols were not followed. Recently, its license was cancelled.Besides children who did not require tickets, there were 40 people on the boat. At least 22 people died in the tragedy, while those rescued are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.One person is missing and the authorities are trying to trace the missing.IANS09 May 2023

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Jyothi Penumatsa receives Best Preschool Education Leader of the Year 2023 Award from Government of Telangana

Hyderabad, May 9: Jyothi Penumatsa, the director of Preschool, has been recognized as the Best Preschool Educationalist of the Year 2023 by the Government of Telangana and Vande Bharath Trust. The award was presented to her by Jagan Patimeedi, the chairman of Telangana State Technology Services, Dr Ramesh Eppallapalli (Chairman - Vandhe Bhrat Trust), Dr Ramesh Martha (Liason Officer, NIMS) at a grand event held on 28th April 2023 at the Address Convention in Narsingi.

Jyothi Penumatsa receives Best Preschool Education Leader of the Year 2023 Award from Government of Telangana

Jyothi Penumatsa's tireless efforts in providing quality education to children in Telangana and her innovative teaching methods have made her a beloved figure in the education sector. She has been instrumental in providing an exemplary learning environment to young children through her leadership at . Her child-centred approach to teaching and emphasis on holistic development has garnered widespread appreciation from parents and educators alike.The Vande Bharath Bheeshma Puraskar 2023 is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of education, and it was awarded to Jyothi Penumatsa in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of preschool education. Speaking on the occasion, Jagan Patimeedi praised Jyothi Penumatsa for her visionary leadership and commitment towards the education of young children. He acknowledged the significant role played by preschool education in preparing children for formal schooling and emphasized the need for such institutions to be run by highly competent professionals.Jyothi Penumatsa's passion and dedication to make a difference has kept her motivated and has enabled her to bag many accolades over the years. Her vision is to celebrate the childhood of every child while providing exceptional education in every aspect and further become contributing citizens of the country. She has been an inspiration to many educators and has shown that hard work and dedication can make all the difference in the world of education.In accepting the award, Jyothi Penumatsa expressed her gratitude to the Government of Telangana and Vande Bharath Trust for recognizing her contributions towards the field of preschool education. She dedicated the award to her team at , whose dedication and hard work made this achievement possible. She also emphasized the importance of early childhood education and the need for more qualified educators to enter the field.Willow Woods Preschool, under the leadership of Jyothi Penumatsa, has been providing an exceptional learning environment to young children. The preschool believes in creating a nurturing environment that fosters a love for learning, intellectual curiosity, and a deep sense of social responsibility. It is known for its child-centered approach to teaching, and its emphasis on holistic development has led to the success of many of its students in their academic and personal lives.Jyothi Penumatsa's achievement is not only a testament to her hard work and dedication but also to the importance of early childhood education. The foundation provided in preschool sets the stage for a child's future success, and it is essential that educators like Jyothi Penumatsa continue to pave the way for high-quality preschool education. Her leadership and innovation in preschool education will continue to inspire future generations of educationalists for years to come.In conclusion, Jyothi Penumatsa's recognition as the Best Preschool Educationalist of the Year 2023 is well-deserved and a testament to her outstanding contributions to the field of education. Her dedication to providing quality education to young children has made her a beloved figure in the education sector, and her leadership at Willow Woods Preschool has set an example for other educators to follow.This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)ANI09 May 2023

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NSA Ajit Doval meets counterparts from US, UAE in Saudi Arabia

New Delhi, May 8: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on May 7 met his counterparts from the US as well well as the UAE and also the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

NSA Ajit Doval meets counterparts from US, UAE in Saudi Arabia

The meeting was held "to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world," according to a statement issued by the White House.The statement further said that US NSA Jake Sullivan also held bilateral meetings with the crown prince, Doval and the UAE's NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deliberate on "bilateral and regional matters"."During the meeting, they (Saudi Arabia) discussed means to strengthen relations and ties between the three countries (India, UAE and the US) in a way that enhances growth and stability in the region," state-run Saudi Press Agency was quoted as saying.IANS09 May 2023

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FADA red flags sales of 2-wheelers by unauthorised multi-brand outlets

New Delhi, May 9: The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), along with the Delhi and Mumbai State Transport Department, has expressed concerns over the illegal practices of unauthorised multi-brand outlets (MBOs) selling two-wheelers.

FADA red flags sales of 2-wheelers by unauthorised multi-brand outlets

FADA has reported that these MBOs are acquiring unregistered vehicles in bulk from dealers and reselling them to customers at discounted rates, higher than the prices offered by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) through authorized dealers, without any commitment to after-sales service.This has not only impacted the legitimate dealerships but has also shaken customers' confidence in the brand and dealer partners, according to a statement released by FADA on Tuesday.It said these MBOs indulge in evasion of goods and services tax (GST), income tax, issuance of fake/ undervalued insurance policies, delivery of vehicles without registration/ High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) and helmets, resulting in revenue loss on various fronts.FADA has reached out to Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Vinod Aggarwal, SIAM President, and the transport commissioners of Mumbai and Delhi, urging them to take stringent action against these MBOs and ensure their compliance with industry standards and regulations.The chief minister of Maharashtra and transport commissioners of Mumbai and Delhi have initiated action against this illegal practice, FADA said, adding that the Delhi transport department was also taking stringent action against the outlets operating such illegal trade practices. The authorities had already issued notice on Trade Certificate cancellation to such business units.Kailash Gahlot, Transport and Environment Minister, Delhi, said, "Delhi government will not tolerate any such illegal activity or corruption. We are committed to take action against any such instance".Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary and Transport Commissioner, Transport Department of NCT Delhi, said, "FADA has been working closely with the dealer fraternity and the government to maintain a healthy and lawful business environment in the region. A legal notice has been issued to all the involved parties, and their respective trade certificates have been put under the scanner."ANI09 May 2023

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The Philippines telecoms market is one that constantly hits the headlines and this heat stems from the historic duopoly of Globe Telecom and PLDTs Smart Communications in the archipelagic nation.

In 2021, the World Bank estimated the Philippines population at around 113 million. According to the latest figures following the recent round of SIM registration numbers, Globe has 86 million subscribers and Smart serves around 65 million.

This presents a mammoth task for any newcomers to the market. Dito Telecommunity challenged the duopoly when it began commercial operations in 2021 and had amassed 12 million subscribers by the end of 2022.

This landscape presents a massive challenge for a fourth challenger, however this has not deterred Now Corporations mobile unit Now Telecom from entering the red-hot melee of the Philippines mobile market.

Currently, the companys business is in enterprise, providing companies with broadband and fibre connections. The company was founded 32 years ago and under many guises, has proven to have a pedigree in connectivity.

Now Telecom gained its mobile telecoms licence in September 2020 to become the fourth mobile network operator in the Philippines.

In an interview with Developing Telecoms, Now Corporation chairman Mel Velarde (pictured) was nothing but bullish about Now Telecoms chances to challenge the duopoly in the next five years and even surpass Globe and Smart with its strengths, but cautioned that this can only be done only with the right government support.

We have a new president now that intends to build a level playing field as the past administrations always had their favourites (operators). President Ferdinand Marcos Jr doesn't have a telecoms crony and that is his current commitment.

We want to be able to compete with Globe, Smart and Ditto on a level playing field. We want our frequencies to be protected, we want the regulatory agencies to act on our permits, so we can import more equipment, build and expand our network. If that is done efficiently, then we'll be in a very competitive position against the incumbents, but if a level playing field is non-existent, there's no way we can compete, said Velarde.

Corporate tyrannies

If the right conditions are provided by Marcos government, Velarde believes Now Telecom can surpass the incumbent in terms of speed and quality of service within five years of a full commercial launch, which will eventually translate into market leadership.

Past administrations in the Philippines have been protecting the duopoly and their favourite telcos. They were not just hamstringing us; they were not open to competition. Can you imagine for the past 40 years; you only have two major players who possess 80% of all radio frequencies? If a level playing field is applied, we'll be number one in five years, said Velarde.

There's no reason we wont be number one. But if the government kills our chances then the same thing will happen again. The same duopoly who have become corporate tyrannies - will continue monopolising the industry.

With vendor partner Nokia, Now Telecom built five pilot base stations in Metro Manila as the starting base for the operators plan to build a nationwide full standalone 5G network. The initiative was facilitated by grants from the US Trade and Development Agency, with the US government giving Now Telecom US$3.65 million in total.

The source of the funding is not a coincidence, as Now Telecom has signed up to the US governments Clean Network initiative which seeks to prevent operators from buying equipment from companies that are deemed a threat to national security.

Western governments, led by the US, have long accused Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE of providing a possible backdoor to national telecoms infrastructure through their infrastructure equipment, providing the Chinese government opportunities for espionage - an accusation Huawei and ZTE have long denied.

Velarde said using Western vendors will be a key differentiator that will work in Nows favour in B2B, as consumers become more concerned about their data and the Philippines undergoes rapid digital evolution.

Were building our network with a proposition that we're only using trusted vendors and trusted equipment, especially to entities that have very sensitive corporate data, and especially those in the critical infrastructure that handles public services such as hospitals, healthcare, ports, utilities, those verticals require very secure clean network performance, said Velarde.

Velarde admitted that initially, the appeal of a more secure network will be more attractive to businesses that are looking to tap into 5G use cases such as automation in factories, but believes its strategy of buying from trusted vendors will pay off in the long run.

India will be key

A proper consumer push will not be seen for at least a few years as 5G devices are not yet affordable or widespread enough in the Philippines, said Velarde. He tipped India to be the beacon for developing markets to copy in the years to come.

We're looking at our Indian counterparts who are looking to produce a US$30 5G smartphone. Once that is achieved, thats the opening for us to go get that device and bring it here.

Because cost is the barrier to 5G here in the Philippines. I think our counterparts in India will be very successful and when that happens that will benefit the Philippines as well, said Velarde.

Velarde said 5G will be the key to its competitiveness when it launches consumer mobile products. He pointed out how the operator found success in being the first to supply enterprise clients with fixed-wireless access (FWA) otherwise known as 5G broadband, equipping them with download speeds up to 2Gbps. FWA he predicts, will be the money maker for the operator in the archipelagic nation, as this has been proven by Verizon in the US.

The Philippines market is definitely one to keep an eye on; its operators are maturing as its citizens become rapidly more digital and share the insatiable hunger for data we see here in the West. Whether Now Telecoms strategy will be a success, only time will tell - hopefully the real winners from another combatant in the Philippines mobile space will be the people.
Assam govt inks MoUs expecting investments worth Rs 8,200 crore

Guwahati, May 9: Assam Government on Tuesday signed the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 10 leading companies expecting investments worth Rs 8200 crores in the state.

Assam govt inks MoUs expecting investments worth Rs 8,200 crore

Speaking on the occasion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Today, we have signed MoUs with various organisations, which will bring investment worth Rs 8,200 cr to Assam's economy."The CM said that this investment will create 6100 jobs in the state."Our flourishing economy takes yet another stride on the eve of State Govt's 2 anniversary. These efforts will bring investment worth Rs 8,200 cr and create 6,100 jobs. Many more in the pipeline. Thank you all for reposing faith in Assam's growth story", CM Sarma said.According to an official statement of the Assam CMO, the investment will cover sectors ranging from Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), cement, glass and Electric Vehicles (EVs)."The companies that signed MoUs are - PepsiCo India, Varun Beverages, Calcom Cement India, Star Cement NE Ltd, Century Float Glass Ltd, Taj Cement Manufacturing Pvt. Limited, Star Cement India Limited, DS Group and Centre for Perishable Cargo (Adani Groups)", the statement read.The event was organised as part of the 2-year anniversary celebrations of the CM Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government in Assam.Earlier on Monday CM Sarma said that his government has decided to celebrate the second anniversary of the current state government from May 9-11.Addressing a press conference held at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday the Assam Chief Minister said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Assam on May 26 to attend an event to distribute jobs appointment letters and lay the foundation stone of the National Forensic Science University."ANI09 May 2023

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Entrepreneurship blooms in J-K post abrogation of Article 370

Srinagar, May 9: In the summer of 2019, the Indian government abrogated Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status. This move was met with mixed reactions from the locals, with some feeling hopeful about the potential economic and social benefits, while others remained sceptical of the government's intentions.

Entrepreneurship blooms in J-K post abrogation of Article 370

For local entrepreneurs, the abrogation of Article 370 brought about several changes. With the removal of the special autonomous status, it became easier for businesses to operate in the region, as they were no longer subject to some of the regulations that had previously hindered their growth.The government also introduced thousands of new initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and job creation in the area, which provided local entrepreneurs with more opportunities to succeed.Sheik Asif is a multi-talented entrepreneur who is the CEO and founder of Thames Infotech. With a strong determination and persistent attitude, he has excelled in various fields such as web designing, graphic designing, digital marketing, and influencing.He has received several accolades throughout his career, including the Best Website Specialist Award in 2017 and 2018 from Three Best Rated United Kingdom, Top Web Designer by Good Firms in 2019, Top Digital Marketer 2021 by Indian Glory Award, and the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2022, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.Asif's passion for innovation and his exceptional skills have earned him a prominent place in the industry.Similarly, Rayees Ahmad and his wife Nida Rehman started their venture, Tiffin Aaw, with the goal of providing healthy, home-cooked meals to their customers.The idea for this unique service came to Ahmed in November 2019, just 90 days after the repeal of Article 370 in the Valley. Despite the challenges they faced due to the political turmoil, the couple persevered and launched their dream project.Today, Tiffin Aaw is a popular food delivery service in the Valley, known for its delicious and nutritious meals. Rayees Ahmad's determination and passion for entrepreneurship have turned his dream into a successful reality, serving the community with wholesome and satisfying food.Huzaifa Bazaz, a youthful entrepreneur and MBA, claims a web-based store by the name "Style Hub by Huzaifa Bazaz", and her web-based adventure isn't simply a business yet rather a feeling for her. She began her business 6 years back when she was chasing after her BBAIqra Ahmad, who hails from the Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar, began Tulpalav to present Kashmir's best winds around and plans. Iqra Ahmad began Tulpalav, the principal web-based dress store in the Valley, to feature customary Kashmiri design with a cutting-edge curve.Also, Muheet Mehraj's startup Kashmir Box, which sells Kashmiri handiwork on the web, has developed from a straightforward internet business firm to a boss of Kashmiri entrepreneurship, one that distinguishes itself as a social effect organisation.Similarly, social workers in the region saw a change in the way their work was perceived. With the government's renewed focus on development in the region, social work was increasingly seen as a vital component of this effort. Several new programs were launched to improve healthcare, education, and other essential services, which provided social workers with more resources to help their communities.On the other hand, the dairy sector in the Bandipora district of northern Kashmir is flourishing, with a growing number of emerging units, startups, and government-sponsored schemes. This has created ample opportunities for young people to venture into the sector, leading to a rise in the number of entrants.The Integrated Dairy Development Scheme has been a significant contributor to this growth, with around 50 beneficiaries in the district. The administration is actively encouraging educated youth to take advantage of these schemes to become financially independent and providing support to facilitate their entry into the sector.Perhaps most significantly, the absence of internet shutdowns since the abrogation of Article 370 has had a profound impact on the region. In the past, frequent shutdowns had made it difficult for businesses to operate and for students to access education online.However, with the internet now consistently available, many local entrepreneurs have been able to expand their businesses online, while students have been able to continue their studies uninterrupted.Finally, the fact that schools have not been closed due to hartal calls is a significant change that has been observed in the region. In the past, frequent shutdowns and protests had often led to the closure of schools, which had a detrimental effect on the education of the students.However, with the situation improving and the government providing more security and support, schools have been able to continue functioning normally, without any major disruptions.Overall, while there have been some challenges and scepticism surrounding the abrogation of Article 370, there have also been several positive changes that have been observed in Jammu and Kashmir.Local entrepreneurs, social workers, and students have all benefited from the increased focus on development in the region, and there is a growing sense of optimism about the future.ANI10 May 2023

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Sri Lankan Women players reach career high rankings in ODI format

Colombo, May 9: A couple of Sri Lankan women players have recieved a boost in the latest ICC Women's ODI rankings.

Sri Lankan Women players reach career high rankings in ODI format

Sri Lanka recently hosted Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series in Colombo and it was the home side that came away victorious despite some intervention from the weather throughout the series.While there was no result achieved in the opening match and the second game was completely abandoned, Sri Lanka cruised to a comfortable 58-run victory in the third and final game of the series to clinch a 1-0 result.Chamari Athapaththu was in the limelight with both bat as well as the ball in the series decider. The Sri Lankan skipper contributed a quickfire 64 at the top of the order to help her side post 186/5.With the ball, she picked up a valuable wicket in reply as Bangladesh were bundled out for just 128.Athapaththu maintained her spot in seventh on the latest ODI rankings for batters, while also rising to career-high ratings on the list for bowlers (up six places to 58th) and all-rounders (up three places to equal 13th) as a result.The veteran wasn't the only Sri Lanka player to achieve career-best ratings after the series, with youngster Kavisha Dilhari (up seven places to 56th on the list for batters) and experienced duo Inoka Ranaweera (up two places to 16th on the list for bowlers) and Oshadi Ranasinghe (up seven spots to 44th on the list for bowlers) also hitting new marks.Ranasinghe's five-wicket haul was a major reason behind Sri Lanka's victory, while left-hander Harshitha Samarawickrama rocketed up nine places to 36th overall on the ODI batter rankings after making a strong contribution of 45* from 48 deliveries after coming into bat at No.3.ANI10 May 2023

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A lot more needs to be done to utilise full potential of RERA legislation: Housing and Urban Affairs Minister

New Delhi, May 9: While complimenting the distance traversed in the implementation of Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act and its success stories, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep S Puri stated that a lot more needs to be done to utilise the full potential of this path-breaking legislation.

A lot more needs to be done to utilise full potential of RERA legislation: Housing and Urban Affairs Minister

The minister was addressing the fourth meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC) constituted under RERA which comes in the ambit of the chairmanship of the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.Various issues related to the implementation of RERA, issue of non-compliance of orders passed by regulatory authorities, concerns related to safety of construction workers, issue of legacy stalled projects, issue of dilution of provisions of RERA and awareness campaign for RERA were deliberated in detail, according to a statement from the ministry of housing and urban affairs.The Council noted that in compliance with the decision taken in its third meeting, a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, with the objective to examine and recommend ways to complete the legacy stalled projects and to handover the homes to the homebuyers in a time-bound manner.The Council, according to the statement, noted that two meetings of this Committee have already been convened on April 24, 2023, and May 8, 2023. It hoped that under the dynamic leadership of Amitabh Kant, the Committee will be able to suggest pragmatic measures to resolve the issues related to legacy stalled projects finally resulting in handover of dwelling units to homebuyers.Moreover, the issue of non-compliance of orders passed by real estate regulatory authorities was also discussed. In this regard, the Council deliberated on best practices of certain states regarding the execution of orders passed by real estate regulatory authority which have worked successfully.Keeping in view the importance of speedy and effective execution of orders passed by the real estate regulatory authorities, it was decided that the ministry of housing and urban affairs will compile the best practices in this regard and circulate the same to all the states/Union Territories and other stakeholders for consideration, the ministry said in the statement.Furthermore, the issue of dilution of provisions of RERA was also deliberated. The Council observed that the matter is sub-judice and further necessary action will be taken by the ministry of housing and urban affairs as per the directions of the Supreme Court.Further, in order to generate more awareness amongst all the stakeholders, the Council advised that conclave and awareness programme may be organised in collaboration with National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations (CREDAI), Forum for People's Collective Efforts (FPCE).It was also decided that the possibility of involving All India Forum of Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (AIFORERA) in organising workshops and awareness campaigns may also be explored.The representatives of the associations of homebuyers and developers, officers from the Central and state governments, chairpersons and senior functionaries of the Real Estate Regulatory Authorities and Appellate Tribunals of various States/Union Territories also attended the meeting.The enactment of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) marked the beginning of a new era in real estate sector as a step towards reforming the sector, encouraging greater transparency, citizen-centricity, accountability, and financial discipline, thus empowering the home buyers, according to the statement. The ministry said it was committed to protect the rights and interest of homebuyers.ANI10 May 2023

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Rajkummar Rao to co-host IIFA Rocks 2023 in Abu Dhabi

Mumbai, May 9: Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao will be seen co-hosting the upcoming IIFA Rocks 2023 in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Rajkummar Rao to co-host IIFA Rocks 2023 in Abu Dhabi

The two-day event will begin on May 26 and on May 27 will have the main IIFA Award event.IIFA Rocks highlights the music and fashion of Indian cinema.The event will have some of the best actors coming together and performing on top Bollywood numbers for a fun-filled event.On the work front, Rao will be next seen in 'Stree 2'. He will also be seen with Jahnvi Kapoor in 'Mr iamp; Mrs Mahi' which is directed by Sharan Sharma.IANS10 May 2023

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I feel very, very blessed, Kriti Sanon expresses gratitude on playing Janaki in Adipurush

Mumbai, May 9: The epic saga 'Adipurush' has been making it to the headlines since its announcement. As the makers revealed the trailer of the movie, actor Kriti Sanon expressed her gratitude as she got to play the role of Janaki alongside actor Prabhas.

I feel very, very blessed, Kriti Sanon expresses gratitude on playing Janaki in 'Adipurush'

At the trailer launch of the movie on Tuesday, Kriti narrated how happy she felt about getting an opportunity that not many performers get. She said, "I am very emotional today, I had goosebumps while watching the trailer because this is not just a movie but much more than that. What we experienced while making this film was special."Sanon also thanked her director Om Raut for getting the chance. "I want to thank Om for believing in me as Janaki. You had faith in me that I could play that role because there are very few actors who get such a role in their lifetime. I feel very, very blessed."To describe how special, the character of Sita is for her, she added, "I have poured my heart and soul into Janaki. I had complete faith in the role but while shooting for the movie I started learning more and more about this character. She is very pure, has a kind soul, a loving heart and a strong mind. In my poster as well you will see, there is pain, but there is no fear in it. It was a huge emotion for me. We are mere humans, forgive us if we have faltered."The trailer was first screened exclusively for fans of Prabhas in Hyderabad, followed by a grand launch event in Mumbai on Tuesday that was graced by the presence of the star cast, director, and producer. The trailer was released in 70 countries worldwide, turning it into a truly global celebration.The trailer depicted an epic struggle between the forces of good and evil, with Prabhas rising overall with his commanding screen presence.Unlike the teaser, the new video doesn't disclose much of Lankesh, who appears in disguise midway through the movie and then appears briefly at the conclusion.The teaser of 'Adipurush' was released on October 2 at the Bank of Sarayu in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh among fans and mediapersons.The film made with a huge budget of Rs 500 crores is expected to be nothing less than a visual spectacle. However, netizens were not happy with the teaser and it was trolled on the internet for its VFX.Helmed by Om Raut, 'Adipurush' is a mythological drama based on the epic Ramayana. The film stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Sunny Singh as Lakshman. In the film, Saif Ali Khan will be seen essaying the role of Ravan.Recently, the makers also announced that 'Adipurush' will be screened at Tribeca Festival in New York on June 13.Apart from Adipurush, the actress will also feature in 'Ganapath', 'The Crew', and Untitled next with Shahid Kapoor.ANI10 May 2023

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New AI model by IBM-NASA to help track Earths climate change

New Delhi, May 10: Tech major IBM has partnered with US space agency NASA to design a new geospatial foundation model to track climate change on Earth, the company announced in a blog post.

New AI model by IBM-NASA to help track Earth's climate change

The new geospatial foundation model, which is part of IBM's Space Act Agreement with NASA, converts the space agency's satellite observations into customised maps of natural disasters and other environmental changes.The first-ever foundation model for analysing geospatial data will help to estimate climate-related risks to crops, buildings, and other infrastructure, valuing and monitoring forests for carbon-offset programmes, and also to developing predictive models to help enterprises create strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change."The model could speed up geospatial analysis by three to four times, and can help reduce the amount of data cleaning and labelling required in training a traditional deep-learning model," Sriram Raghavan, VP, IBM Research AI and Christina Shim, Head of Strategy and Sustainability, IBM Sustainability Software, wrote in the blog post."We see how this technology can be applicable to businesses as they look for easier and faster ways to analyse and draw insights from climate data," they added.Instead of training a foundation model on words, the IBM experts taught the AI model to understand satellite images. They pre-trained NASA's Harmonised Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS-2) data.The HLS data provides consistent surface reflectance data from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) aboard the joint NASA/USGS Landsat 8 satellite and the Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) aboard the European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites.The combined measurement helps enable global observations of the land every two to three days at 30 metre spatial resolution.They then fed the model hand-labelled examples to teach it to recognise things like the extent of historic floods and fire burn scars, as well as changes in land-use and forest biomass.Using the model is designed to be simple as users only need to select a region, a mapping task, and a set of dates.When a user types the name of a place into the search bar and selects the date, the model highlights in pink how far the flood waters extended.Users can overlay other datasets to see where crops or buildings were inundated. These visualisations can help with future planning during similar disaster scenarios they provide information that could help mitigate flood impacts, inform insurance and risk management decisions, plan infrastructure, respond to disasters, and protect the environment.The model, part of IBM's watsonx.ai geospatial offering, is planned to be available in preview to IBM clients through (EIS) IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite during the second half of this year.IANS10 May 2023

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Tagore, Ray, winged eyeliner... Shweta Basu Prasad meets Sharmila Tagore

New York, May 10: They met abroad, but their roots bind them to Bengal! Actor Shweta Basu Prasad met Sharmila Tagore in Manhattan, New York. The elated actor shared a few snaps with the diva on her social media platform. She has also added brief notes about her conversations with the 'Aradhana' actor.

Tagore, Ray, winged eyeliner... Shweta Basu Prasad meets Sharmila Tagore

Sharing a happy frame, Shweta captioned it, "With Devi, in Mahanagar.Sharmila ji and I during PR activities for @nyindianfilmfest for our respective films Gulmohar and Retake." Sharmila was looking vibrant in her trademark chiffon saree, while Shweta opted for a velvet dress. The two actually twinned which Sharmila also pointed out.In her Instagram story, Shweta added two more frames. In one she wrote, "I had to tell her so much. Talk about Tagore, Ray and winged eyeliners. All she said was, "we are both wearing the same colour". Me "Yes we are twinning. Also, I love you."In another frame, Shweta recollected the fond memory of receiving an award from Sharmila. She wrote, "Sharmilaji was the member of jury for Screen awards in 2006. She had presented the Screen award to me in 'best' actor (female) in a supporting role' category. She remembered."Shweta is best remembered for her award-winning performance in 'Makdee' as a child artist. Recently, the actor garnered praise for portraying the role of Binod Das's wife in the Amazon Prime Original show 'Jubilee.' She has also featured in series such as 'Criminal Justice', 'India Lockdown'.Written and directed by Shweta, the short film 'Retake' tells the tale of a 60-year-old artist who questions his life decisions and artistic endeavours after meeting his former lover and buddy at the funeral of his mentor. The film stars Anupam Kher, Zarina Wahab, and Danish Husain.Meanwhile, Sharmila returned to the screen with 'Gulmohar' after a long time. Helmed by Rahul Chittella, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran and Suraj Sharma are also a part of this movie. The movie got released on the OTT platform Disney Plus Hotstar in March.ANI10 May 2023

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CaratLane crosses 2000 cr. in revenue, delivering another profitable year

Mumbai, May 10: CaratLane, India's largest digitally native omni-channel jewellery brand ended the year on a high crossing Rs 2000 cr. in revenue for the first time. While the category saw a huge slowdown in customer sentiment towards the end of the quarter, CaratLane delivered a revenue (NSV) of Rs 571.24 crores for the year 2022-2023 (56.7 per cent growth over Q4 FY22) and EBIT at 6.9 per cent. The brand searches have grown over 60 per cent in the year - signalling a growing consideration for the brand across all key markets.

CaratLane crosses 2000 cr. in revenue, delivering another profitable year

Avnish Anand, COO and Co-Founder of CaratLane said, "Our business is built on making jewellery accessible to customers at a pin code level, and this year our focus has been on ensuring the smooth transition of our customers from online browsing to retail stores or other channels. Apart from this we also want to solve all jewellery-related needs for our customers, and in the last year we have launched new services like ear piercing, while expanding our old gold exchange, jewellery engraving and jewellery cleaning services. In the last few months over 1000 children have got their first piece of jewellery from CaratLane, through ear piercing. Our goal is to have jewellery designs that are relevant across all life stages of our customers, starting with their first ear piercing to everyday wear designs as well as jewellery for occasions like their engagement, wedding gifts and all milestone anniversaries and birthdays. Focusing on the customer life cycle and helping them discover the right designs at the right time is a big lever for our repeat business. And now with over 227 stores in 88 cities across the country and an aggressive plan for the coming year, we are excited to reach our next 1 Mn customers."Commenting on the results, Mithun Sacheti, Managing Director CaratLane said, "Over the past few years, we have experienced consistent growth despite certain unfavourable macro conditions. In FY23, we achieved an impressive growth rate of 73 per cent, delivering a 3-year CAGR of 52 per cent. This year, we have reached several milestones, but the most significant for us has been crossing the 1 Mn customer mark. As a gifting brand, we have established our position in the market and remain committed to enhancing the consumer experience by helping them express their emotions to their loved ones. Additionally, we have expanded our retail footprint to new cities like Mathura, Kangra, and Ajmer while continuing to cater to our global customers. We aspire to be the destination for everyday wear diamond jewellery for women across the globe."For the International business, Q4 has seen an increase in efficiency as well as conversions, while the business grew at 60 per cent YoY. The focus is on acquiring new customers, with the lifetime base for the US markets crossing 20,000. The Silver business Shaya closed Q4 Rs 8.4 Cr with 50 per cent growth over the previous year.(The above financial highlights are based on consolidated financial results)This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI10 May 2023

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Sonu Sood welcomes action director Lee Whittaker to team Fateh

Mumbai, May 10: Actor Sonu Sood who is gearing up for his upcoming film 'Fateh' on Wednesday welcomed award-winning director Lee Whittaker to the team.

Sonu Sood welcomes action director Lee Whittaker to team 'Fateh'

Taking to Instagram, Sonu dropped pictures with Lee Whittaker while holding guns in their hands and struck an intense pose.Sharing the pictures, he wrote, "Welcome on board my brother @lee_whittaker. Thank you for making the action in FATEH look A W E S O M E. The man behind the Action of "Jurassic Park 3", "Fast and Furious 5" ," X-men" and now "FATEH"."Helmed by Vaibhav Mishra, 'Fateh' is a cybercrime. Sonu and Jacqueline have participated in various workshops, and are expected to be coached by ethical hackers on the sets while filming as well.Excited about the shoot, Sonu said, "The film is rooted in reality, and inspired by real-life incidents that I saw happen to people even during the lockdown."Talking about starting the first shooting schedule for the film, Jacqueline shared, "Ever since the first reading of the script, I had decided that I want to be a part of this. Now, as we start shooting for Fateh, I am excited for us to bring forth a story that people will really enjoy."Sharing details about the movie, Sonu added, "I have been quite blessed so far, I have had opportunities to have played roles in various languages. Being around films and having worked on all these projects, I have picked up a couple of things here and there. This is the first time I'll be working on the story too".Opening up about his inaugural stint as a scriptwriter, Sonu said, "I have always liked getting involved in my movies but this was the first time I had been officially involved in the writing process. It was quite exciting. The project is progressing at a good pace. We are currently recceing the locations but it's mostly going to be shot all over Mumbai."The film also features Shivjyoti Rajput and Vijay Raaz in prominent roles. Some of the best names from Hollywood including the director of photography, research team, and action choreographers have been roped in for this film, which is scheduled for a release later this year.ANI10 May 2023

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Senegals regulator ARTP (LAutorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes) has confirmed plans to launch national mobile roaming this month, ahead of 5G licence allocation by end-July.

ARTP director general Abdou Karim Sall named 17th May as the date by which national roaming would be implemented between the countrys main players Orange, Free and Expresso Telecom. The move comes following calls from Senegals President Macky Sall for the country to achieve nationwide mobile coverage as soon as possible.

TeleGeography reports that ARTP has set 31st May 2023 as the provisional date for the launch of a competitive bidding process for 5G licence allocation, with Sall anticipating the process to be concluded by the end of July.

As part of this, operators existing 4G licences will be extended, although Sall noted that the ARTP would carry out a review of each operators network to ensure that they are meeting the coverage and quality of service obligations stipulated by their licences. The last such check was in April, and after the ARTP found them to be below par, the operators pledged extra investment in exchange for reduced penalties. The operators have until 31st December 2023 to bring their networks in line with the requirements.
Controversial coronavirus research to resume in US with stricter rules

Washington, May 9: The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reinstated a grant to New York City-based nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance to resume controversial research on bat coronaviruses, albeit with stricter restrictions, according to a report by the journal Nature.

Controversial coronavirus research to resume in US with stricter rules

EcoHealth Alliance had, in 2020, lost the funding to study how coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 jump from bats to humans for its collaborations with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China.The Donald Trump administration in April 2020, hinted that the SARS-CoV-2, which caused Covid-19 pandemic, originated in the infamous WIV laboratory.However, the new 4-year, $2.9 million award comes with an extensive list of restrictions.The rules forbid EcoHealth from "performing any in-country research in China, including with the WIV, or collecting any new samples from vertebrates -- such as bats", the report said.The NIH will also scrutinise EcoHealth's "finances and accounting practices", as a federal watchdog report in January, claimed finding that the non-profit had misreported about $90,000 in expenses."In addition, EcoHealth will be forbidden from performing any work that is deemed by the NIH's parent organisation, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to have the potential to enhance the virulence or transmission of a virus," the report said.According to experts, such research is essential for developing vaccines and therapeutics against emerging pathogens and to avert the next pandemic."I don't know if any other single grantee from NIH has been subjected to this level of oversight," Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance was quoted as saying.Daszak added that he is "positive and optimistic" about the grant restart despite all the restrictions.The organisation has nearly 300 partial or complete genomes of SARS-related coronaviruses from samples collected prior to the funding halt, which will be a key priority to analyse using the newly released grant funds, he said.According to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, it is a pleasant surprise to see the grant renewed. She however, worries about "terrible precedent" that the NIH has set by "arbitrarily" terminating an award based on "unfounded rumours" regarding the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the report said.Rasmussen said she hopes that these restrictions will not apply to other scientists doing similar work.IANS10 May 2023

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Ananya Panday, Tara Sutaria celebrates 4 years of Student of the Year 2

Mumbai, May 10: As 'Student of the Year 2' completed four years of release, actors Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria turned nostalgic and shared clips from the movie.

Ananya Panday, Tara Sutaria celebrates 4 years of 'Student of the Year 2'

Taking to Instagram, on Wednesday, Ananya shared several stories of her fan's reactions on this occasion.Most of the stories showcased the collage of Ananya's different looks. At the same time, other stories depict a scene from the film and her receiving an award for the same.Sharing the story, she wrote, "No amount of t of thanking will ever be enough for the love you guys have given me.. I'm eternally grateful. I promise to work even harder and be the best possible version just for YOU".She shared another video in which she captioned ], "It feels like so much has changed and at the same time nothing has changed at all. Still, that girl who is just excited that she gets to be in movies and is eager to challenge herself and make everyone happy".On the other hand, Tara Sutaria took to her Instagram and dropped videos from the movie in her story.Along with the video, she wrote, "Awww we were babies!!!!! The loveliest foray into the movies and still the sweetest memories. Love you and thank you always, my Dharma and SOTY family!"The video featured a trio- Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday's dance from the movie.The romantic action comedy film revolves around college romance and bullies, where some have to face heartbreaks. At the same time, other students try to win the college's coveted Student of the Year trophy.A standalone sequel titled 'Student of the Year 2' is helmed by Punit Malhotra and was released in May 2019.The movie marks the debuts of both Panday and Sutaria in bollywood.ANI10 May 2023

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High near 75F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy with occasional showers for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mostly cloudy...isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 85F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 64F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
While the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have passed, the effects of post-COVID conditions on public health remain. A new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators has found that the risk of long COVID and its symptoms present very differently across diverse populations and suggests that further investigation is needed to accurately define the disease and improve diagnosis and treatment.

The study, published April 7 in Nature Communications, analyzed electronic health records as part of the National Institutes of Health's Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative to better understand the persistence of symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, also known as long COVID, among broad, diverse populations. Led by Dr. Rainu Kaushal, chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief of population health sciences at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the research provides an overview of potential symptoms after acute COVID-19 and how the risk of these conditions may vary among different populations in the United States.

Long COVID is a new disease that is very complicated and quite difficult to characterize. It affects multiple organs and presents a severe burden to society, making it urgent that we define this disease and determine how well that definition applies among different populations. This paper provides the basis for furthering research on long COVID." Dr. Chengxi Zang, an instructor in population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and lead author on the paper

The team studied electronic health records from two clinical research networks that are part of the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet). One dataset, from the INSIGHT Clinical Research Network-;which Dr. Kaushal leads-;included data from 11 million New York-based patients, while the other came from the OneFlorida+ network, which included 16.8 million patients from Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The team identified a broad list of diagnoses that occurred more frequently in patients who had recently had COVID compared with non-infected individuals. The researchers also found more types of symptoms and higher risk of long COVID in New York City than Florida. Specific conditions found across the New York City and Florida populations included dementia, hair loss, sores in the stomach and small intestine, blood clots in the lung, chest pain, abnormal heartbeat and fatigue.

"Our approach, which uses machine learning with electronic health records, provides a data-driven way to define long COVID and determine how generalizable our definition of the disease is," Dr. Zang said. Comparing records across diverse populations in regions that experienced the COVID-19 pandemic differently highlighted how variable long COVID is for patients and emphasized the need for further investigation to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Some of the differences between the results from the two populations might be explained by the fact that New York City had a more diverse patient population, endured one of the first waves of the pandemic and faced the lack of personal protective equipment such as masks, compared with Florida, Dr. Zang said.

The new study is related to previous work by Dr. Kaushal, who is also senior associate dean for clinical research and the Nanette Laitman Distinguished Professor of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, and colleagues, that categorized different subtypes of long COVID.

"In this new research, we examined a broad list of potential long COVID conditions one by one," said Dr. Fei Wang, associate professor of population health sciences and co-senior author of the study. "These findings can help us better recognize the broad involvement of multiple organ systems in long COVID, and design appropriate plans for patient management and treatment development."
Cambodias Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, has announced government plans for a submarine cable connection from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in 2024.

It will replace an earlier version  much earlier; it was connected more than a decade ago.

The funding for the new submarine cable will involve a loan from the Chinese government. In ten years time, the minister suggested during his announcement, the sale of internet services will repay the entirety of the loan. The project is to be implemented for 30 years, so in addition to repaying the loan, we will make a profit, he added.

In addition to connecting the submarine cable, he said that the telecommunications ministry is working to install up to 1,000 internet expansion antenna masts in several of Phnom Penhs districts. It will also dismantle internet booster and repeater devices, which the ministry considers disruptive to internet speed.

As you might expect, Cambodian demand for internet services increased dramatically following the Covid-19 pandemic and yet the country has been dependent on infrastructure that was connected up to 15 years ago. Making Cambodias internet services faster and cheaper is certain to be popular, therefore.

According to figures cited by the Phnom Penh Post, as of February, Cambodia had more than 17 million registered SIM cards (a little more than the population, estimated at 16,891,245) and more than 310,000 fixed internet users.

The country has 38 internet service providers, and five onshore and submarine fibre optic infrastructure operators. There are an estimated 640 kilometres of submarine fibre optic cable in Cambodian waters.
New research has discovered that some patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) carry the same rare genetic defects that cause other neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers from the Macquarie University MND Research Centre and The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have identified the defects in the genomes of some people with non-inherited, or sporadic, MND and FTD.

MND results in the death of the neurons, or motor nerves, connecting the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. These are the cells that control our ability to move, breathe and swallow. The disease is progressive and eventually fatal.

FTD also causes the death of neurons in part of the brain, resulting in a range of progressive symptoms such as memory loss, unusual behavior, personality changes and communication problems. It is the same form of dementia with which actor Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed, and unlike older-onset dementia, it tends to affect people under 65.

The majority of cases in both diseases  about 90 per cent in the case of MND and 60-70 per cent in FTD  are sporadic, with the rest occurring in families.

These gene defects, known as short tandem repeat expansions, are the cause of more than 20 neurodegenerative diseases including spinocerebellar ataxias and myotonic dystrophy. This Australian study has been the most comprehensive assessment of these gene defects in MND and FTD patients worldwide.

Macquarie University Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Lyndal Henden says the findings were a surprise.

We found almost 18 per cent of sporadic MND and FTD patients carried a DNA repeat expansion thought to be involved in other degenerative diseases. Finding this genetic connection between MND and FTD offers a fresh opportunity to uncover common risk factors for neuron death, and it will have implications for understanding both diseases." Dr Lyndal Henden, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Macquarie University

Macquarie University Associate Professor Kelly Williams directed the study, and says the team suspected there could be some overlap with other diseases, but not to such an extent.

"This suggests shared risk factors among these diseases, shared mechanisms that cause nerves to die  and perhaps shared therapeutic strategies in the future," she says.

"While the causes of sporadic MND and FTD remain unknown, this is an important step in a long-term effort to identify the risk factors for developing one of these diseases."

Work can now begin to understand how these shared repeat expansions contribute to neuron death.

The study, published in the latest edition of the journal Science Advances, is the culmination of 10 years of research that could not have been possible without the cooperation of patients with MND and FTD, who have donated biological samples for DNA at both Macquarie University and the University of Sydney.
Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Hungary's University of Szeged, a new study in mice and rats found that restoring certain signals in a brain region that processes smells countered depression.

Published online May 9 in the journal Neuron, the study results revolve around nerve cells, also called neurons, which "fire"emit electrical signalsto transmit information. Researchers in recent years discovered that effective communication between brain regions requires groups of neurons to synchronize their activity patterns in oscillations of joint silence followed by joint activity. One such rhythm, called gamma, repeats 30 times or more in a second and is an important timing pattern for the encoding of complex information, potentially including emotions.

Although the causes of depression remain poorly understood, it is reflected in gamma oscillation changes, according to past studies, as an electrophysiological marker of the disease in brain regions that manage the sense of smell, which have also been tied to emotions. These regions include the olfactory bulb adjacent to the nasal cavity, which is thought to be a source and conductor of gamma oscillations throughout the brain.

To test this theory, the current study authors shut down the function of the olfactory bulb in study rodents using genetic and cell signaling techniques, observed a related increase of depression-like behaviors in the subjects, and then reversed these behaviors using a device that boosted gamma signals of the brain at their natural pace.

Our experiments revealed a mechanistic link between deficient gamma activity and behavioral decline in mice and rat models of depression, with the signal changes in the olfactory and connected limbic systems similar to those seen in depressed patients. This work demonstrates the power of gamma enhancement as a potential approach for countering depression and anxiety in cases where available medications are not effective." Antal Berenyi, MD, PhD, corresponding study author, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Health

Major depressive disorder is a common, severe psychiatric illness often resistant to drug therapy, the researchers say. The prevalence of the condition has dramatically increased since the start of the pandemic, with more than 53 million new cases estimated.

Gamma waves linked to emotions

Disease-causing changes in the timing and strength of gamma signals, potentially caused by infections, trauma, or drugs, from the olfactory bulb to other brain regions of the limbic system, such as the piriform cortex and hippocampus, may alter emotions. However, the research team is not sure why. In one theory, depression arises not within the olfactory bulb but in changes to its outgoing gamma patterns to other brain targets.

Removal of the bulb represents an older animal model for the study of major depression, but the process causes structural damage that may cloud researchers' view of disease mechanisms. To avoid this damage, the current research team designed a reversible method, starting with a single engineered strand of DNA encapsulated in a harmless virus. When injected into neurons in the olfactory bulbs of rodents, the DNA caused the cells to build certain protein receptors on their surfaces.

This let the researchers inject the rodents with a drug that spread system-wide but only shut down the neurons in the bulb that had been engineered to have the designed drug-sensitive receptors. This way the investigators could selectively and reversibly switch off the communication between the bulb partner brain regions. These tests revealed that chronic suppression of olfactory bulb signals, including gamma, not only induced depressive behaviors during the intervention, but for days afterward.

To show the effect of the loss of gamma oscillation in the olfactory bulb, the team used several standard rodent tests of depression, including measures of the anxiety that is one of its main symptoms. The field recognizes that animal models of human psychiatric conditions will be limited, and so uses a battery of tests to measure depressed behaviors that have proven useful over time.

Specifically, the tests looked at how long animals would spend in an open space, a measure of anxiety; whether they stopped swimming earlier when submerged, a measure of despair; whether they stopped drinking sugar water, a sign of taking less pleasure in things; and whether they refused to enter a maze, a sign they were avoiding stressful situations.

The researchers next used a custom-made device that recorded the natural gamma oscillations from the olfactory bulb, and sent those paced signals back into the rodents' brains as closed-loop electrical stimulation. The device was able to suppress gamma in healthy animals or amplify it. Suppression of gamma oscillations in the olfactory lobe induced behaviors resembling depression in humans. In addition, feeding an amplified olfactory bulb signal back into the brains of depressed rats restored normal gamma function in the limbic system, and reduced the depressive behaviors by 40 percent, almost back to normal.

"No one yet knows how the firing patterns of gamma waves are converted into emotions," said senior study author Gyorgy Buzsaki, MD, PhD, the Biggs Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology and a faculty member of the Neuroscience Institute. "Moving forward, we will be working to better understand this link in the bulb, and in the regions it connects to, as behavior changes."

Along with Dr. Berenyi and Dr. Buzsaki, the study was led by Orrin Devinsky, MD, professor in the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Dr. Berenyi is also principal investigator of the Momentum Oscillatory Neuronal Networks Research Group in the Department of Physiology at the University of Szeged in Hungary, along with first study authors Qun Li and Yuichi Takeuchi, and authors Jiale Wang, Levente Gellert, Livia Barcsai, Lizeth Pedraza, Anett Nagy, Gabor Kozak, Gyongyi Horvath, Gabriella Kekesi, and Magor Lorincz. Study authors Shinya Nakai and Masahiro Ohsawa are with the Department of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, at Nagoya City University in Japan. Takeuchi is also a member of the faculty in the Department of Physiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan. Additional study authors were Shigeki Kato and Kazuto Kobayashi, members of the Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, at Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine in Japan.

Funding for the study was provided through grants from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Momentum II program; the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary; the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary; the Ministry of Human Capacities, Hungary; the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund; the Hungarian Brain Research Program; the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. Additional support came from the Kanae Foundation for the Promotion of Medical Science, the Life Science Foundation of Japan, the Takeda Science Foundation, the Japanese Neural Network Society, and the Janos Bolyai Fellowship.
Vitamin D intake could reduce cancer mortality in the population by twelve percent - provided the vitamin is taken daily. This was the result of an evaluation of 14 studies of the highest quality conducted at the German Cancer Research Center with a total of almost 105,000 participants.

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread worldwide and is particularly common among cancer patients. Averaged over the year, the vitamin D blood levels of about 15 percent of German adults are below the threshold for a pronounced vitamin D deficiency. In contrast, in a study of colorectal cancer patients, researchers diagnosed vitamin D3 deficiency in 59 percent of participants, which was also associated with unfavorable prognosis.

Potential effects of vitamin D supplementation and the development or prognosis of cancer have already been investigated in numerous studies. "Based on current studies, vitamin D3 supplementation probably does not protect against developing cancer, but it could reduce the likelihood of dying from cancer. However, previous studies on cancer mortality have yielded very different results, and we were interested in the reasons for this," said Ben Schottker, an epidemiologist at the German Cancer Research Center. "By re-evaluating all previous studies on the topic, we wanted to help produce robust results on this issue, which is so relevant to population health.

To investigate the effectiveness of vitamin D3 on cancer mortality in the population and on the survival of cancer patients, Ben Schottker and colleagues conducted a systematic literature search that identified 14 studies with a total of nearly 105,000 participants. The researchers considered only studies of the highest quality whose participants had been randomly assigned to the vitamin D3 arm or the placebo arm.

When all 14 studies were pooled, no statistically significant results emerged. However, when the studies were divided according to whether vitamin D3 was taken daily in a low dose or in higher doses administered at longer intervals, a large difference was seen. In the four studies with the infrequent hogher doses, there was no effect on cancer mortality. In contrast, in the summary of the ten studies with daily dosing, the researchers determined a statistically significant twelve percent reduction in cancer mortality.

"We observed this twelve percent reduction in cancer mortality after untargeted vitamin D3 administration to individuals with and without vitamin D deficiency. We can therefore assume that the effect is significantly higher for those people who are actually vitamin D deficient," says Ben Schottker. He explains the better efficacy of daily doses of vitamin D3 by the more regular bioavailability of the active agent, the hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which is only produced by reactions of vitamin D in the body and can presumably inhibit tumor growth.

A more detailed analysis of the studies with daily intake further revealed that people aged 70 and older benefited most from vitamin D3 therapy. In addition, the effect was most evident when vitamin D intake was started before the cancer diagnosis.

This work underlines the great potential of vitamin D3 administration in the prevention of cancer deaths. Regular intake at low doses is associated with almost negligible risk and very low cost." Hermann Brenner, epidemiologist and prevention expert at DKFZ

The current work was supported by German Cancer Aid.
SHENZHEN, China, 10 May 2023  MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (MGI), a company committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science, today shared that a total of nearly 60,000 samples have been sequenced among 21 institutes and over 10 participating nations throughout Europe, as part of the Million Microbiome of Humans Project (MMHP) that was officially launched in 2019.

Image Credit: MGI

The project was launched as a joint effort by the Karolinska Institute of Sweden, Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases in China, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Technical University of Denmark, MetaGenoPolis at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) in France, and the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center. Relying on MGI's core DNBSEQ technology, MMHP aims to sequence and analyze microbial DNA from a million human samples to construct a microbiome map of the human body and build the world's largest human microbiome database.

Countless studies have highlighted the importance of the microbiome in human health and disease. Yet, our knowledge of the composition of the microbiome in different parts of the body across countries, ages, sexes, and in relation to human health and disease remains limited, said Duncan Yu, President of MGI. Through MMHP, we are pushing forward microbial metagenomic research while empowering researchers within the microbiology community with access to MGIs innovative sequencing technology. Despite a brief interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are delighted to see such a monumental milestone merely four years into the project.

The rise of microbial metagenomic sequencing

Since the first description of human microbiome was published in 2010, the field of human microbiome has moved fast from sampling hundreds of individuals to thousands. Advances in genome sequencing has enabled researchers to better characterize the composition of the microbiome through identification of unculturable microbes. It has also allowed them the opportunity to study how the microbiome influences the development of some cancers and drug responses.

Metagenomics, coupled with high-throughput sequencing technologies, have revolutionized microbial ecology. Today, metagenomic sequencing has become both a powerful and popular tool for identifying and classifying complex microbial communities. It facilitates accelerated discovery of new markers that translate to virulence or antibiotic resistance, as well as de novo discovery and characterization of novel species and assembly of new genomes. Besides human microbiome, it is highly applicable in agricultural microbiome studies, environmental microbiome studies, pathogen surveillance and identification, and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance genes.

Indeed, the global metagenomic sequencing market was estimated to be worth USD 1.86 billion in revenue in 2022 and is poised to reach USD 4.33 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 18.4% during the forecast period. In particular, Europe and Africa account for approximately 29.7% market share from the globe, ranking second after North America at 45.6%. Thanks to continuous technological innovations in high-throughput sequencing platforms, the metagenomic sequencing market within Europe and Africa is projected to grow from USD 551.7 million in 2022 to 1.29 billion by 2027, presenting huge market opportunities and providing local institutions with the impetus to invest and get involved.



Image Credit: MGI

An optimized workflow with MGIs cutting-edge technology

Equipped with MGIs innovative lab systems, the MMHP Consortium guarantees high-throughput processes, extreme precision, and high quality data output. The dedicated, one-stop workflow begins with sample transfer on MGISTP-7000* high-throughput automated sample transfer processing system. It then goes through nucleic acid extraction and library preparation on MGISP-960 high-throughput automated sample preparation system, a flexible and fully automated workstation capable of processing 96 samples per run. MGISP-960s fully automatic operation design allows DNA extraction of 50,000 samples per year and library preparation of 25,000 samples per year. MGISP-Smart 8, the professional automated pipetting robot, equipped with an independent 8 pipetting channel can be used for the pooling, normalization and DNB making. Lastly, DNBSEQ-T7* ultra-high throughput sequencer and DNBSEQ-G400* versatile benchtop sequencer enables an efficient, productive, and streamlined sequencing experience.

"We are very focused on data quality, cost and time. After contrasting DNBSEQ technology by MGI with other sequencing technologies, we are convinced that MGIs products have met high industry standards and provide a very good user experience, commented Professor Lars Engstrand, Research Director of Center for Microbial Translational Research (CMTR) at Karolinska Institutet. MGI's platforms have enabled our team to upgrade our original microbiological research from 16SrRNA gene amplicon sequencing to shotgun metagenomic sequencing. I look forward to introducing more equipment and super-large projects as human microbiome emerges as a crucial diagnostic and treatment method in precision medicine.

The next chapter in microbiomics

Microbiomics will be part of precision medicine in the future, and data from the microbiome biobank that will result from MMHP will be leveraged for therapeutic R&D, said Professor Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich of University College London, UK. With 21 public and private institutions and 10+ countries currently involved in MMHP, we are actively looking for more research groups to take part in this landmark international microbiological research partnership and help generate the worlds biggest free-access human microbiome database.

Since the inception of MMHP, MGI has played an important role in providing the program with state-of-the-art research platforms and technologies. Now entering its second phase towards sequencing and analyzing a final total of one million samples, the project welcomes further exchange and participation from relevant organizations to jointly promote research and applications of cutting-edge translational medicine in the field of microbiome. Those interested can fill the application form on www.mgi-tech.eu/mmhp.

About MGI

MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (MGI), headquartered in Shenzhen, is committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science through intelligent innovation. Based on its proprietary technology, MGI focuses on research & development, production and sales of sequencing instruments, reagents, and related products to support life science research, agriculture, precision medicine and healthcare. MGI is a leading producer of clinical high-throughput gene sequencers*, and its multi-omics platforms include genetic sequencing*, medical imaging, and laboratory automation. MGI's mission is to develop and promote advanced life science tools for future healthcare. For more information, please visit the MGI website or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube.

*Unless otherwise informed, StandardMPS and CoolMPS sequencing reagents, and sequencers for use with such reagents are not available in Germany, Spain, UK, Sweden, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Hong Kong (CoolMPS is available in Hong Kong).

*For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures (except as specifically noted).
Several studies have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily targets the respiratory tract and later affects multiple organs. Mechanistically, the spike protein of the virus binds to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of the host to establish infection.

Since the ACE2 receptor is prominently expressed in several cell types in the testes, scientists ponder whether the virus impairs the semen quality of the SARS-CoV-2 infected persons, particularly among the infertile.

Background

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), individuals who are not able to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse can be classified as infertile. Infertile individuals undergo significant familial and social pressure that lowers their self-esteem. No scientific evidence is available regarding the sexual transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or its impact on infertile couples. There is a possibility that SARS-CoV-2 infection could impact infertile couples by affecting the quality of gametes.

About the study

A recent PLoS ONE study considered the aforementioned gap in research and investigated how SARS-CoV-2 infection affected the semen quality of infertile men in Tunisia.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted all 24 governorates of Tunisia. The current study was conducted in the Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Reproductive Biology of Monastir. Male patients who were recommended for sperm analysis during the first and second pandemic waves in Tunisia were considered in this study. All the recruited participants had a spermogram conducted before the pandemic period.

Two-time points, i.e., T1 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and T2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic), were considered in this study. Participants under antivirals, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and antioxidants, between the two compared spermograms, were excluded from the cohort. In addition, participants with a history of urogenital surgery during the study period were excluded. Semen samples were obtained from the participants after 3-5 days of sexual abstinence. Both macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the semen were carried out.

Study findings

A total of 90 patients with a mean age of 38 years were recruited in this study. Most participants lived in urban areas, whose ages ranged between 30 and 39 years. Notably, this study found an impairment in sperm quality during the pandemic. Two of the key sperm parameters, i.e., sperm mortality and morphology, were found to be altered during the study period.

Around 48% of the participants were involved with a profession that could potentially compromise fertility. In addition, more than half of the study cohort consumed tobacco and were obese. Male infertility factors were identified in around 66% of the participants. Alterations in many semen parameters were found even during pre-pandemic sample analysis. These findings were consistent with previous studies that revealed sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were associated with male reproductive health.

Around 78% of the participants showed altered sperm morphology and 89% exhibited changed Multiple Abnormalities Index (MAI), i.e., the numbers were much below the WHO threshold. The two main modified male reproductive factors during the COVID-19 pandemic were sperm motility and morphology. The decline in these factors was explained via two hypotheses, which were (a) patients were infected by the virus while performing the second spermogram; and (b) the COVID-19 pandemic increased the stress factors which affected the spermatogenesis course.

Previous studies showed that viral infections, such as Human Herpes Virus (HHV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Zika, and Ebola, influence sperm count, semen volume, motility, and morphology. More research is required to uncover the full impact of SARS-CoV-2 on semen parameters. Mechanistically, COVID-19 can impact male reproductive health by two pathways, (a) viral invasion into the reproductive cells; and (b) induction of inflammatory response in the reproductive tract due to COVID-19.

A high level of ACE2 mRNA was found in patients in their thirties, while the lowest was found in sixty-year-old males. This finding indicates that younger patients are at higher risk of testicular damage than older age groups. SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a cytokine storm associated with dysregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cytokine storm has been associated with higher production of alpha tumor necrosis factor (TNF-) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-7, IL-8 by macrophages, leukocytes, and T cells. These proapoptotic factors were also found during the inflammatory process in the testis.

Conclusions

The authors claim this to be the first Tunisian study to evaluate semen quality variations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity, tobacco consumption, and professional exposure to a reprotoxic environment were found to have an adverse impact on semen quality. A significant reduction in sperm motility and abnormal spermatozoa were observed among infertile Tunisian patients during the pandemic, even without biological proof of SARS-COV-2 infection.
Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people each year globally, with most of these being children. According to a report by the WHO, almost half of the worlds population was at risk of malaria in 2021, including infants, children under five years old, patients with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women.

Disruptions caused by COVID have resulted in an additional 13 million malaria cases and 63,000 more deaths over the two peak years of the pandemic. Approximately 247 million people were infected by malaria in 2021, with about 619,000 fatalities.

Approximately 95% of global malaria cases and about 96% of fatalities occur on the continent of Africa, with four countries accounting for nearly half of all malaria deaths globally, namely Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), Tanzania (4.1%), and Niger (3.9%).

A disease that is difficult to prevent and cure

Although malaria is curable, it is hard to prevent and treat the disease as a result of the high adaptability of the vector and parasites involved. Plasmodium, the malarial parasite, includes several species that cause the disease, with each having a highly complicated life cycle.

The deadliest of these species is Plasmodium falciparum, while Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent. The mosquito vector Anopheles also has around 30 to 40 species under its name that can transmit the disease, each having different ecological and behavioral characteristics.

Worldwide, scientists have been working on the genomics of parasites and vectors to discover ways to fight the disease.

Alternative preventive methods include particular types of chemotherapies that involve giving a full treatment course to vulnerable populations. However, this only suppresses the stages of malaria to prevent serious organ failure.

All these treatments have one key weakness: the disease can return.

Image Credit: B Medical Systems

Promising vaccines

Drugs can prevent malaria with varying rates of efficiency. Numerous factors contribute to this, such as the overuse of antimalarial drugs, incomplete or inadequate treatment of active infections, and, most significantly, the high level of metabolic and genetic adaptability of the parasites.

As a result, the best route to fight malaria would be the use of a vaccine that can achieve improved prevention and lessen the mortality of the disease.

Under development since the 1960s, malaria vaccines have encountered many obstacles: the malarial parasites generate highly complex antigens, making vaccine development very challenging. However, the introduction of mRNA technology and genome sequencing has enabled significant development.

Today, there are two vaccines for malaria. One of these is RTS,S, (MosquirixTM), which was approved a year ago by the WHO and is currently being utilized in pilot programs across high-risk areas.

The vaccine was first produced in 1987, but because of insufficient knowledge about the protein structures and the lack of available technological capabilities, the vaccine was only endorsed by the WHO for broad use in children in October 2021.

The vaccine is produced as a two-vial formulation: one of the vials contains the lyophilized antigen (RTS, S) which is required to be reconstituted with the second vial, which contains the Adjuvant System (AS01) in liquid form.

The lyophilized antigen is thermostable, while the liquid portion is temperature-sensitive and can become hydrolyzed, i.e., broken down via a chemical reaction with water.

As a result, MosquirixTM must be stored at a temperature between 2 C and 8 C. Failure of this could damage the antigen and/or adjuvant and decrease the vaccines safety or efficacy.

The second available vaccine is R21, or Matrix MTM, which is comprised of fusion proteins and the Matrix MTM adjuvant, which stimulates the recipients immune response to the vaccine.

However, this vaccine has not yet been approved by the WHO but has demonstrated an efficacy of approximately 77% in over 12 months of trials in Burkina Faso, a country where more than 4 million people died as a result of malaria in 2019.

The benefits of this vaccine compared to MosquirixTM include higher efficacy and a lower antigen dose required.

R21 is also a two-vial vaccine, composed of the R21 protein, which is extremely temperature sensitive and is required to be stored at -80 C, and the Matrix MTM adjuvant, which, in addition to needing to be stored at temperatures between 2 C and 8 C, is also photosensitive.

A key challenge facing the proper use of these vaccines is the inaccuracies in the logistics presently employed around them.

As various parts of the vaccines are extremely temperature-sensitive, they must be transported and reliably stored at low temperatures. This means that having the required cold chain to maintain these vaccines at their optimal conditions is critical.

Extremely critical packaging, transport, and distribution conditions

Long-term storage and delivery of vaccines are vital, especially as governments seek to vaccinate rural and remote communities. This requires cold chain infrastructure investments, workforce training, and, very importantly, last mile coordination Luc Provost, CEO, B Medical Systems.

He continues: It is challenging for pharmaceutical companies to create thermostable vaccines since biological molecules in aqueous solutions are inherently unstable.

However, this creates a severe issue for areas with high ambient temperatures where maintaining a protective cold chain is challenging because of a lack of infrastructure. The lack of proper cold chain systems can lead to a reduction in the potency and therefore efficacy of the vaccines,

Cold chain disruptions may be caused by several factors, including sudden blackouts triggered by an unreliable electricity infrastructure, the use of outdated or inadequately managed refrigerators and freezers, or poor compliance with cold chain procedures.

As a result, it is imperative to employ medical cold chain solutions whose parameters and effectiveness have the ability to be tracked and controlled, in addition to systems that have the ability to operate successfully in regions with unreliable power supplies for prolonged periods while retaining the necessary temperatures.

Provost highlights: Temperature variations inside the freezers or transport boxes need to be monitored to prevent any risk as temperature variations could lead to the denaturation and spoilage of all biological products stored inside. That simply cannot happen. Ruining a stock of vaccines will not only cost a lot of money, but it could ultimately lead to deaths.

He concludes: In tropical countries, the difference in temperatures between the inside and the outside of a freezer can reach 120C. It is therefore crucial to use cold chain solutions specifically designed for such extremes, and to equip them with the needed optional accessories such as independent power supplies, localization systems, and alarms.

References

Global Malaria Programme (2021). World malaria report 2021. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240040496

About B Medical Systems S.a r.l

B Medical Systems S.a r.l (formely Dometic/Electrolux) is a global manufacturer and distributor of medical cold chain solutions. Based in Hosingen, Luxembourg, the company was founded in 1979, when WHO approached the Swedish manufacturing giant Electrolux to provide a solution to safely store and transport vaccines around the world. Across the 3 major business portfolios of Medical Refrigeration, Blood Management Solutions, and Vaccine Cold Chain, the company currently offers 100+ models. B Medical Systems major products include Laboratory Refrigerators, Laboratory Freezers, Pharmacy Refrigerators, Ultra-Low Freezers, Plasma Freezers, Contact Shock Freezers, Vaccine Refrigerators (Ice-Lined Refrigerators and Solar Direct Drive Refrigerators), and Transport Boxes. All products have integrated 24/7 temperature monitoring capabilities that further ensure that these products offer the highest level of safety and reliability.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
A new railway line is being laid in Madhya Pradesh that will likely be operational in 2024. The line is already under construction and will reduce the travel duration from this state to Rajasthan while also helping reduce passenger ticket pricing. The Bhopal-Ramganjmandi rail line will pass through the state capital Bhopal, Rajgarh via Shyampur, Doraha, Biaora, Narsinghgarh, Kurawar, Mubarakganj, Nishatpura.

Currently, people travelling between the two states would rather take a bus and reach their destination in about 3 to 3.5 hours/ However, the new railway line, once operational, will reduce the travel time to 1.5 hours. Moreover, the line will pass through Rajgarh, Bhojpur, Ghatoli, Iklera, Juna Kheda, Jhaprapatan, and Khilchipur and eventually end at Ramganjmandi. Since all these stations are in Rajasthan, the people of the state will experience more convenience and benefit a lot from this railway line.

DRM Saurabh Bandopadhyay said that if the people of Rajgarh want to travel to Bhopal, the current expenditure is about Rs 180-190 per person. Moreover, people travelling from Biaora to Bhopal spend around Rs 150. After the commencement of the railway line, the fare per person will almost be halved.

All in all the benefits of the railway line will be as follows:

It will save time to travel from MP to Rajasthan.

People who travel between the two states every day will be able to conveniently travel.

Local products will get a boost as there will be means to transport them from smaller towns and villages to cities.

Rajgarh will be directly connected to Bhopal.

The youth of Rajgarh will be able to study better as travelling will become easier.

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The land acquisition is almost done and the excavation work to lay down the track has started at the MP border. Rajgarh station is being renovated and the survey work for the line in the forests of Narsinghgarh has been resumed. Excavation work has also started around Kuravar-Shyampur. Land matters in Sehore are facing issues but are being worked on.

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Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic is all set to launch its next crewed flight to the edge of space by the end of May, and then its first commercial flight in June, the company has announced.

Unity 25 marks the companys fifth spaceflight and the companys first flight in nearly two years.

Also Read: US Allows More Flights by Chinese Airlines, Increased to 12 Round Trips Per Week

#VirginGalactic is returning to space in late May," the company said on Twitter.

The Unity 25 will be the companys final assessment of the full spaceflight system and astronaut experience," before its first commercial flight Galactic 01 scheduled in late June".

However, the space tourism company did not provide a specific date. The company has reportedly sold about 800 tickets total, including 600 at prices ranging from $200,000 to $250,000 and 200 more at $450,000, which is the current ticket price.

The Unity 25 will carry two pilots and four Virgin Galactic employees  Beth Moses, Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, and Christopher Huie  to the edge of space.

The new launch will involve the use of two of the companys vehicles: the VSS Unity  for the crew and the VMS Eve  the mothership which carries Unity into space.

After reaching around 50,000 feet of altitude, Eve drops Unity before the spaceplane blasts its way to suborbital space, allowing passengers to experience a few moments of weightlessness.

The last Virgin Galactic spaceflight took place in July 2021 and had Virgin CEO Richard Branson, along with three other employees, on board.

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In the last two years, the space tourism company lost money and its sister satellite launching company Virgin Orbit went bankrupt in April.

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IT services company Vinsys on Wednesday said it is exploring acquisition opportunities in overseas markets, including the US and the UK, to expand its global reach and also announced plans to launch its maiden public issue.

Pune-based Vinsys offers customised courses for sectors such as BFSI, telecom, and government departments, where training for IT and processes is essential. It has a team of over 800 professionals certified by major tech companies and institutions. The company clocked a revenue of Rs 157.30 crore and a net profit of Rs 16.02 crore during the last fiscal year, Vinsys said in a statement.

Currently, Vinsys operates in the UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Kenya, the UK, and the US. As part of the expansion plan, the company said it is actively seeking inorganic growth opportunities to expand its reach in new markets, including the US and the UK, while continuing to consolidate its position in the Middle East.

The company also plans to open a new corporate office and training centre in Saudi Arabia before the end of second quarter of 2023-24, it said in a statement.

Vinsys is also working towards an Initial Public Offering (IPO) that it aims to complete within the current calendar year.

The company said it has appointed merchant bankers and legal firms for the purpose of fundraising.

We entered into a nascent industry, enabling us to offer clients customised modules as needed. In time, the company has ramped up its operations and invested in world-class training rooms and facilities with the sustained support of its clients, including global IT majors in Pune," Vikrant Patil, Founder and CEO of Vinsys, said.

Further, he said, Vinsys is confident to execute M&A transactions and integrate new firms.

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In addition to tapping inorganic growth opportunities, Vinsys is also looking to grow organically. Towards this, the company has already recruited business development teams in the US and is looking to do the same in Europe," Patil added.

With ongoing global uncertainty, the company said it sees an opportunity to scale its operations.
Tata Motors share price touched a new 52-week high on Wednesday. Shares of the Rekha Jhunjhunwala-backed company opened at Rs 508 apiece, up 0.9 per cent higher than the previous of Rs 503.65 apiece on NSE. Shares of the company touched an intraday high of Rs 512.90 and low of Rs 505.20.

Tata Group passenger cars & utility vehicles company is scheduled to announce Q4 results on Friday, May 12.

Thus far in the calendar year 2023 (CY23), Tata Motors have outperformed the market by surging 32 per cent, as compared to 1 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

What to Expect Ahead of Q4 Results?

Analysts are anticipating a strong performance with significant revenue growth and profitability.

The company has reported better-than-expected sales volume growth in its Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), commercial vehicle (CV), and passenger vehicle (PV) segments and thanks to price hikes implemented in Q3FY23, the company is anticipated to report strong revenue growth in Q4FY23.

We are expecting a strong recovery in the companys consolidated financials as supply-side issues are relaxing (for JLR) and commodity headwinds are easing (for PV and CV). It could improve the margin profile of the company and enhance its FCF generation in the coming years. We have an FY26 price target of 715 per share, which represents an upside potential of 41% from the current market price (CMP)," said Vinit Bolinjkar, Head of Research, Ventura Securities.

Abhishek Gaoshinde, Deputy Vice President Research at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas said, Tata Motors is witnessing an improvement in all business verticals  JLR, CVs, and PVs. The company is witnessing robust demand in JLR and is expected to deliver better operational efficiencies, aided by aggressive launches and market positioning. We expect sequential improvement in operating performance in JLR as well as standalone business in Q4FY23E. While JLRs free cash flow is expected to improve sharply in Q4FY23E, the domestic PV and CV business continue to maintain traction in volumes. Along with an improvement in operating performance a value unlocking in Tata Technologies would help Tata Motors in reducing net automotive debt in medium term. Currently we have Buy rating on the stock with target price of Rs 516."

Tata Motors Weighs Dividend

Further, the company will also be declaring dividend to shareholders for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2023. If a dividend is declared, it would be the automobile giants first dividend announcement since FY16. In 2016, the business had declared a dividend of Re 0.20 per equity share.

As part of May 12 board meeting, Tata Motors said it will also consider declaring a dividend. If the company approves and announces a dividend then it will be the first dividend since FY16. We think that if an FY23 dividend is announced it is likely to be small," said global brokerage Morgan Stanley in its report.

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Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here
Petrol, and Diesel Prices on May 10: The price of petrol and diesel was constant on Tuesday, 9 May across New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Petrol rates and diesel rates have been steady over the last eleven months. However, individual cities see fluctuations in their prices every day.

The last country-wide change in fuel rates was on 21 May last year, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slashed excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and Rs 6 per litre on diesel. Since the cut of excise duty by the central government in May 2022, some states have also reduced VAT prices on fuels, while some have imposed cess on petrol and diesel.

Today, petrol is being sold 28 paise cheaper and diesel 27 paise cheaper in Uttar Pradesh. Petrol has come down by 46 paise and diesel by 43 paise in West Bengal. In Bihar too, there is a drop of 49 paise in the price of petrol. Petrol-diesel prices have also fallen in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. At the same time, petrol has become costlier by 68 paise and diesel by 60 paise in Himachal. Apart from this, there is a jump in the price of petrol and diesel in Jharkhand and Karnataka as well.

At present, petrol in Delhi is being sold at Rs 96.72 a litre 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 litre in Chennai.

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 10, 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 96.47 Rs 89.66 Mumbai Rs 106.31 Rs 94.27 New Delhi Rs 96.72 Rs 89.62 Noida Rs 96.66 Rs 89.82

Crude Oil Price Today

Even today, a slight decline is being seen in the price of crude oil in the international market. WTI crude is trading down 0.27 percent at $ 73.51 per barrel. At the same time, Brent crude is down by 0.26 per cent and is selling at $77.24.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.

Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here
The Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) will announce the results for its classes 10 and 12 today, on May 10. Once the results are out, students will be able to check them online on the boards official website, cgbse.nic.in. and through SMS. Over 6 lakh students appeared for the Chhattisgarh Board examination 2023.

Chhattisgarh Board 10th Result LIVE

Chhattisgarh Board 12th Result LIVE

CGBSE 10TH, 12TH RESULT: WEBSITES TO CHECK RESULTS

Once the result is out, here is a list of websites where students can check their results. Other than that students can also check their results with News18. Lastly, students can SMS CG12 Roll Number to 56263 to get their results on SMS.

 cgbse.nic.in

 cg.nic.in

 results.cg.nic.in

Students must score a minimum of 33 percent marks in each subject to be declared passed in board examinations conducted by CGBSE. After accessing the result, students need to thoroughly cross-check their marks, if their name and school name is spelled correctly as well as their roll number. Report to the school authorities in case of any discrepancy.

After downloading the marksheet, it is the responsibility of the students to ensure it is error-free. Students need to ensure there is no error and in case there is, they need to get it corrected by the officials at the earliest -

 Name of the Student

 Roll Number

 Spellings

 Total Marks

 Subject-wise total of theory and practical marks

 Grades Associated

 Personal Details including parents name, date of birth

 Name and Code of School

 Pass/Fail Status

Over 8 lakh students took the CG Board class 10, and class 12 exams in 2022. As many as 74.23 per cent of students passed 10th. This was higher than the pass percentage obtained in 2020 and 2019. In class 12, as many as 79.30 per cent of students passed the exams, higher than in 2020 and 2019.

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Last year, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel announced that this years board examination toppers will be given a free helicopter ride by the state government. After getting cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2021, the board exams were conducted in offline mode between March 2 and March 30 in 2022.

Read all the Latest Education News here
The state education minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy has released Telangana SSC or class 10th results 2023 today, May 10. The Telangana Board SSC results is available to the students online at bse.telangana.gov.in, and bseresults.telangana.gov.in.

This year the pass percentage is 86.60 per cent. Out of the 4,91,000 students who appeared for SSC exams, 4,19,000 have passed. Those who scored 35 per cent in each subject and 35 per cent overall passed the exam. For the students who could not clear the examination, the Advanced Supplementary Exams 2023 will take place from June 14, 2023 to June 22, 2023. The detailed date sheet for the TS SSC Supplementary exams will be released later.

The Telangana board has also announced that it would provide special classes for students who had failed the SSC exams. During these special classes, snacks also will be provided to students along with mid-day meals. The last date to submit the supplementary examination fee is May 26.

TS SSC 2023 exam was held from April 3 to 13 in which around 5 lakh students appeared. Moving on to the gender-wise results, girls have performed better than boys as 88.53 per cent of girls have passed the exams as compared to 84.68 per cent of boys who took the exam and cleared it. As many as 2793 schools recorded a 100 per cent pass percentage this year. On the other hand 25 schools in the state recorded zero per cent result.

This year, the best-performing district was Vikarabad with 59.46 per cent of students from the district passing the exam. The overall pass percentage recorded last year was 90 per cent 4,53,201 out of the 5,03,570 students who enrolled to take the Telangana 10th exams succeeded in passing it.

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To get an A grade, candidates need to score 750 marks or above. Those who score between 600 to 749 are assigned grade B. Students who get between 500 to 599 are given grade C and those scoring between 350 to 499 get grade D.

Read all the Latest Education News here
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will start the online application process for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) June Session 2023 from May 10. Candidates can apply for the UGC NET 2023 exam by visiting the official websites at ugcnet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in. The information regarding the submission of online application forms was shared by UGC chief M Jagadesh Kumar on Twitter.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct UGC  NET June 2023 for Junior Research Fellowship and eligibility for Assistant Professor in 83 subjects in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) May 9, 2023

Submission of Online Application Form will begin from 10 May 2023 and end on 31 May 2023 (upto 05:00 P.M). Dates of Examination from 13 June 2023 to 22 June 2023. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) May 9, 2023

To apply for the UGC NET June 2023 exam, candidates will have time till May 31 up to 5 pm. According to the official announcement made by the UGC Chief, the National Eligibility Test 2023 will be conducted from June 13 to June 22. The exam conducting body will hold the UGC NET June Session 2023 for Junior Research Fellowship and eligibility test for Assistant Professor in a total of 83 subjects in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. Once the registration link is activated, candidates can follow the simple steps below while applying.

UGC NET June Session 2023: Steps How to Register

Step 1: Visit NTAs UGC NET official website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in

Step 2: Look for and click on the UGC NET June Session 2023 registration link that is available on the homepage

Step 3: On the new window, fill up the application form, upload all the necessary documents and pay the examination fee.

Step 4: Once the above process is done, click on submit to complete the application process.

Step 5: Download and keep a printout of the application form.

UGC NET exam is being conducted by the NTA with effect from December 2018 onwards. The National Eligibility Test is held twice every year (first is June and second in December). The exam determines the eligibility of aspiring candidates for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor in universities and colleges across India.

NTA conducted the UGC NET 2022 December Session from February 21 to March 16. The result for the December Session was declared recently.

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Read all the Latest Education News here
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) is scheduled to announce the state Madhyamik or Class 10 2023 results on May 19. The time for the declaration of the results will be announced shortly. Students who took the madhyamik exam can view the results on the WBBSE websites, wbbse.wb.gov.in and wbresults.nic.in after they have been released.

The WB Madhyamik exam was held in a single shift from February 23 to March 4. The West Bengal board exams were held at several locations throughout the state. The exam was three hours long for all subjects and students were given 15 minutes to go through the question paper. The West Bengal class 10 board examination is worth 800 marks in total and students must score at least 34 per cent which is 272 marks to pass.

WBBSE President Ramanuj Ganguly had earlier stated that about 6,98,628 students were expected to sit for West Bengal Class 10 exams. Ganguly further stated that the examination halls would be monitored by CCTV to ensure that no misconduct takes place during the exams. Police officers were also stationed outside the exam centres.

This years Madhyamik history exam paper sparked debate on social media due to a question referencing Mahatma Gandhi. Examinees were requested to write an explanatory essay on one of three options related to the Father of the Nation question. The primary question was whether Mahatma Gandhi always disassociated himself from Indias labour movement. The three rationales given to students for this separation were  Mahatma Gandhi always represented the mill owners lobby, Mahatma Gandhi wanted to avoid a clash between labour and capital, and Mahatma Gandhi was concerned about the movements consequences for the law and order situation.

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The WB Madhyamik results of 2022 were released on June 3. The overall pass rate for class 10 was 86.60 per cent based on the statistics from the previous years results. Furthermore, as compared to girls, boys performed better. A total of 88.59 per cent of boys passed the exam, while 85 per cent of girls passed with qualifying grades.

Read all the Latest Education News here
Read more

href="https://www.news18.com/elections/karnataka-election-2023-live-news-updates-voting-result-percent-bjp-cong-jds-pm-modi-bommai-shivakumar-siddaramaiah-livenews-7768501.html" target="_blank">Karnataka elections.

The voting process began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm, with strict security measures in place. The ballots will be counted on May 13. A significant number of 2,615 candidates actively participated in the electoral race.

The BJP aims to make a significant impact on the political landscape of the region by securing victory once again. On the other hand, the Congress party is determined to stage a comeback with renewed vigor. Unfortunately, the election campaign in Karnataka has witnessed a decline in constructive public discussions, with the Bajrang Dal issue becoming a contentious topic of heated debates.

On the eve of voting for the 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, leaders and candidates from various political parties sought divine blessings and good fortune by visiting temples. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to deliver a video message, appealing to the people of Karnataka for their support in the mission to elevate the state to the top position in the country.

However, the Congress party promptly filed a petition with the Election Commission, alleging that the prime ministers appeals to Karnataka voters violated the model code of conduct. They emphasized the commissions response to this situation, highlighting its crucial test of capability and willingness to enforce electoral laws.

In his message, Prime Minister Modi expressed heartfelt gratitude for the unprecedented affection he has received from the state in recent days. He highlighted that this overwhelming support has further strengthened his determination to propel Karnataka to the forefront in all sectors and make it the leading state in the nation.

Will BJP Break 36-Year-Old Jinx?

The BJP, driven by the popularity of Prime Minister Modi, aims to break a 38-year-old pattern where Karnataka has never reelected the incumbent party since 1985. Conversely, the Congress party seeks a morale-boosting victory to carve out space and gather momentum as the primary opposition party leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

With a well-organized election machinery, the BJP enters the electoral battle well-prepared and ready to face the challenges. Prime Minister Modi spearheaded a high-impact campaign characterized by its swiftness and forcefulness.

What Happened in the 2018 Election?

During the 2018 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest single party, securing victory in 104 seats. The Congress party won 80 seats, while the JD(S) secured 37 seats. Additionally, one seat each was won by an independent candidate, the BSP, and the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party.

With no party holding a clear majority, the Congress and JD(S) attempted to form an alliance. However, BJP leader B S Yediyurappa staked a claim and formed the government. Unfortunately, the government had to resign just three days before the trust vote as it failed to gather enough support.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance came together to establish a new government, with H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister. However, after 14 months, the government faced instability as 17 legislators, including independents, resigned from the ruling coalition and defected to the BJP. This led to the collapse of the government, followed by the BJP returning to power. In the subsequent by-elections held in 2019, the ruling party displayed dominance by winning 12 out of 15 seats.

In the outgoing Assembly, the BJP holds 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress with 69, JD(S) with 29, BSP with one, two independents, one Speaker, and six vacant seats.
Most exit polls have put the Congress in the lead in Karnataka. But, the final deciding factor on result day on May 13 could be whether the Congress rode home on the momentum it built till April 26, or did the BJP manage to pull the election back in its favour in the last fortnight before polling on Wednesday.

LIVE | Karnataka Exit Poll 2023: Pollsters Predict Photo Finish With BJP, Cong in Tight Race; JD(S) Set to Play Kingmaker

The Karnataka assembly elections were clearly split into two phases, one dominated by the Congress and the other by the BJP. The first phase was before April 26 when the Congress clearly had an edge based on its strong local campaign  it focussed on the 40% commission charge against the BJP government and the five guarantees offered to the public. The Congress had spent two months till April going door-to-door with its guarantee card, which promised cash doles to women and the unemployed, 200 units of free power, 10 kg rice per family and free bus rides for women.

LIVE | Karnataka Election 2023: On Exit Polls, Bommai Says BJP Will Win With Full Majority, No Talks With JD(S)

The other phase was in the last fortnight where three own goals by the Congress gave BJP a platform to once again be in the running while Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the narrative with his mega road shows in Bengaluru. The first own goal was on April 27 when Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge called the prime minister a poisonous snake. The second was on May 2 when the Congress released its manifesto and promised to ban the Bajrang Dal. The third was on May 7 when the partys official Twitter handle attributed the sovereignty remark to senior leader Sonia Gandhi, which she actually never said during a speech at an election rally.

ALSO READ | Karnataka Exit Polls Predict Hung House With Edge to Congress; JD(S) May be Kingmaker Again

Local versus national

Clearly, the Congress wanted to keep the campaign local to avoid a direct confrontation with Prime Minister Modi and the BJP, which wanted the narrative to be national via the double engine development pitch. It did succeed till their campaign peaked till April 26. But in the last 14 days, the BJP cashed in on the missteps by the Congress and the PM brought the party back in contention with the saffron camp feeling it had peaked at the right time.

A pointer to this was Kharges instant regret over his poisonous snake comments on April 27 with the party realising that such personal attacks on Modi eventually backfire. The inexplicable decision to include a Bajrang Dal ban promise in the Congress manifesto on May 2 made Hanuman the theme for the BJP campaign in the last week. Modis road shows on May 6 and 7 in Bengaluru and the BJPs attacks on the purported sovereignty remark by Sonia Gandhi further enthused the partys rank and file.

Did these so-called setbacks for the Congress in the last two weeks cost them dearly in the final picture, as the BJP believes, or had the voter already made up its mind well in advance? This may well decide the polls.

The North Karnataka regions

An X-factor in the election could be the key Kalyan Karnataka region, popularly known as the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, and the Kittur Karnataka region, popularly known as the Mumbai-Karnataka region. Together, these northern Karnataka regions have 90 seats and some exit polls have predicted that the Congress could win big in these regions. The AXIS poll, for example, has predicted that the Congress could win 60 out of the 90 seats.

ALSO READ | Ktaka Exit Polls: JD(S) Touted to Play Kingmaker; With Hung House Prediction, Will Cong, BJP Swallow Their Pride Again?

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The Congress is banking on Kharge, who hails from the Kalyan Karnataka region and camped in Kalaburagi for a whirlwind campaign. Kharge had lost his Lok Sabha seat in this region for the first time in 2019. His Dalit (SC) credentials and his presence in Gulbarga could have worked for the Congress.

The Mumbai-Karnataka region, which has 50 seats, has been the stronghold of the BJP but senior Lingayat leaders like Jagadish Shettar from Hubli moved to the Congress. But the BJP feels it will retain its stronghold.
Bypolls LIVE Updates: The bypolls for one Lok Sabha seat in Punjab, and four Assembly seats in UP, Odisha and Meghalaya took place on Wednesday. Polling was held in Punjabs Jalandhar Lok Sabha Seat, the Assembly seats of Swar and Chhanbey in Uttar Pradesh, Jharsuguda in Odisha, and Sohiong in Meghalaya. The polling process for the four Assembly seats began at 7 am today, while the voting in Jalandhar started at 8 am. The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Jalandhar seat fell vacant in January 2023 after the sitting Congress MP, Santoskh Singh Choudhary, 76, died of cardiac arrest while taking part Read More
The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, hit the theatres last week amid several controversies. Apart from Adah Sharma, the three other central female characters in The Kerala Story are Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani. Sonia, who played the antagonist in the film, has been receiving compliments for her performance. Recently, in an interview, the actress spilled the beans on why she accepted to play a negative role in the film.

Sonia revealed that she decided to portray the prime villain in The Kerala Story as the characters of the lead and the antagonist were the most important in the film. She further mentioned that although many actresses auditioned to play the role of Asifa, it was she who bagged the character. It made her not want to miss the opportunity.

Sonia expressed her gratitude toward everyone for their love and support. She credited her late mother Shanti as well as her father Ramesh Balani for her success. I feel very happy when people tell me that they like my acting, she said.

Sonia, who graduated from St Johns College with a B.Com degree, said that she was fond of acting even as a kid. As a child, I used to imitate my school teachers. I loved dancing, and acting in school, disclosed the 32-year-old. After completing her graduation, Sonia took up acting classes in Mumbai.

Earlier, a felicitation ceremony was arranged for Sonia, honouring her spectacular acting where the actresss brother and father heaped praises on her. While Sonias brother Raavinder Balani was all praises for her sister, calling her performance pretty well her father urged movie-goers to watch the film on the silver screen.

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The Kerala Story revolves around how three Hindu girls were brainwashed into converting to Islam and were forcefully sent on terror missions conducted by a terrorist group - ISIS. The film premiered on the big screens on May 5.

Read all the Latest Bollywood News and Regional Cinema News here
The Supreme Courts Constitution Bench will issue its judgement in the Maharashtra political row on Thursday, Live Law has reported.

The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on a batch of cross-petitions filed by factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and CM Shinde pertaining to the Maharashtra political crisis after hearing arguments advanced on behalf of both sides.

Mumbai | I have got the information that the Supreme Court will pronounce its order tomorrow on the disqualification of 16 MLAs. Everything will be clear tomorrow, I am one of the 16 MLAs too: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay ShirsatThe Constitution Bench of SC is likely to deliver the pic.twitter.com/0pYQqo29wA  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction has sought disqualification of MLAs of the Shinde camp who split Shiv Sena last June and formed a government with BJP.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Tuesday had said he expects a favourable Supreme Court verdict on the political row in the state.

Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, the Shinde junior claimed two-thirds of MLAs of (undivided) Shiv Sena are with CM Shinde.

Amid the development, lets look at the nuances of the case:

What Could Happen?

Two possibilities are being debated for the decision. The first possibility is that the MLAs are not disqualified. Instead, the Supreme Court remands the case to the Speaker of the state legislative assembly. This will aid the Shinde-Fadnavis administration in maintaining the status quo.

The second possibility is that the Court will disqualify the 16 MLAs, including Shinde. Shinde will have to resign immediately in such a case. As a result, the entire process of forming a new government with a new CM is set in motion.

When Shinde requested a trust vote on the floor of the state legislative assembly in July, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition received the backing of 164 MLAs out of a total of 288.

The ruling alliance quickly passed the halfway point of 145. A BJP leader told the Indian Express that even if the MLAs were disqualified, it would be smooth sailing for the saffron party.

Fadnavis Comments Incite Curiosity

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis remarked to party workers in Kolhapur two days ago that he would be back soon. Mi punha yein (I will return)," he had said. The leader had the catchphrase before the 2019 Assembly elections, which had captured the publics attention.

It had implied at the time that Fadnavis was confident of regaining power as Chief Minister. Although he was eventually obliged to accept the position of deputy CM, his recent remark has many people wondering what it could mean.

There are also questions related to the NCPs internal turmoil, with political grapevine abuzz with rumours of Ajit Pawar vying for power.

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had reacted to the NCP crisis, assuring that it would not affect the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), three-party alliance comprising even the Congress.

I dont think it will have any impact on the MVA Even from my side we shall not do anything that could create cracks in the alliance," Thackeray had said interacting briefly with the mediapersons.

Maharashtra Political Row

The Maharashtra political crisis is being heard by a five-judge Constitution bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha.

The court had previously deferred the order until all parties had ended their arguments.

The Uddhav Thackeray camp had said the illegal act of the Maharashtra Governor is a prior pending sub judice challenge before the trust vote. Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who appeared on behalf of the Uddhav Thackeray camp, stated that political parties had precedence in the relationship between the legislature and political parties.

Sibal said the Constitution does not acknowledge any faction, whether majority or minority. Sibal also contended that the opposition occurred outside the House, not inside.

CJI Chandrachud had asked him whether the Governor may look at the number of members who have said they want to withdraw their support. CJI observed that there was a group that did not want to support the then-government and may risk disqualification, which might have an impact on the Houses strength.

Kapil Sibal responded that this used to happen when the Constitutions tenth schedule did not exist. He stated that the Governor cannot call a trust vote based on a group because trust votes are based on alliances. He stated that some members abruptly decided to withdraw their support.During the hearing, the Supreme Court stated that a merger was not an option for the Shinde camp since a merger would result in the loss of their political identity.

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The Supreme Courts Constitution bench had stated that it would determine later whether to send the Maharashtra political crisis cases to a larger seven-judge bench for review of a 2016 Nabam Rebia judgement on Assembly Speakers authority to deal with disqualification petitions.

Various senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi for the Uddhav side and Harish Salve, NK Kaul, and Mahesh Jethmalani for the Shinde camp, testified and made arguments during the nearly nine-day hearing.
A female cheetah from South Africa, named Daksha, died in Madhya Pradeshs Kuno National Park on Tuesday, following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt, the Union environment ministry said.

This marks the third cheetah death in the park within a month and a half. One of the Namibian cheetahs, Sasha, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and another cheetah, Uday, from South Africa, died on April 13. The sudden deaths have conservationists and wildlife experts questioning the carrying capacity of the Kuno National Park and the decision to keep the cheetahs in fenced enclosures.

The ministry said in a statement Daksha was found fatally injured by the monitoring team at 10:45 am on Tuesday. Although veterinarians gave her treatment, she died at 12 noon.

The wounds found on Daksha seemed to have been caused by a violent interaction with the male during the courtship/mating attempt. In such a situation, the chances of intervention by the monitoring team are almost non-existent and practically impossible, it said.

Lets understand the nuances of this development:

Losses Expected

On Dakshas death, the government said such violent behaviours by male coalition cheetahs towards the females during mating are common.

The cheetah project was reviewed by a team of experts, including from South Africa, on April 30.

A Madhya Pradesh forest department official told PTI that Daksha was released in enclosure number one, and two male cheetahs, Vayu and Agni, were released from boma 7 (enclosure) for mating. However, it appears that the male cheetahs turned violent during the process, which is a normal thing," he said.

After Udays death, Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which also assisted in the transfer of the animals, told CNN that re-establishing a population is extremely difficult.

Losses are to be expected, and they will occur for unexpected reasons," he stated, adding that, we are looking at populations which individuals are a part of and we all care about these individuals, but we also have to think of the big picture.

However, others have expressed their ire at the deaths. Wildlife biologist and conservation scientist Ravi Chellam said all the three deaths have occurred in captivity. Of the four animals, which have been released so far, one has been captured twice and is now kept captive. If we are not ready to release them, why did we bring them?" People who have been closely involved in conceptualising this project, drafting the action plan and even implementing it are now saying Kuno is not good enough and there are space constraints. Didnt we know this earlier? You should have made sure you had the ground prepared for at least 50 cheetahs before you import your first cheetah because one extra day in captivity is too long," he said.

What Have Experts Decided Now?

The experts have decided to release five more cheetahs into the wild before the onset of the monsoon and keep the rest in their fenced acclimatization camps until the monsoon rains get over. They have also decided to open certain internal gates of the fenced enclosures to give more space to cheetahs and allow interactions between specific males and females."

According to the cheetah reintroduction plan, Kuno holds the potential to sustain up to 21 cheetahs based on its existing prey base. With restoration, protection and management, the number can go up to 40 individuals.

On Monday, the ministry said the decision to release the cheetahs into their second home will be taken based on a review after the monsoon season. It said the exact carrying capacity of KNP cannot be determined until the cheetahs have properly established their home ranges.

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With inputs from PTI

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The Dangote Refinery Chemi Tech Company has been accused of keeping at least 150 workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand captive, CNN-News has learnt.

The workers, via video messages to CNN-News-18, have requested the Indian government to get them released from confinement and let them return to their homeland.

The Dangote Refinery is owned by Aliko Dangote and will be inaugurated before the end of 2023 in Lekki, Nigeria. When in full operation, it is expected to have the capacity to process about 6,50,000 barrels per day of crude oil, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world. The investment is over $19 billion.

The labourers were taken from India through Vadodaras Chemie-Tech company and have been working there since 2019 to construct oil tanks of the refinery. So far, the Indian workers have constructed 155 oil tanks for the project. The company promised to give 1,400-2,000 Dirham as wages to these labourers but the monthly salary has not been paid for the past nine months. The labourers have alleged that they are ill-treated and confined in the campus of the refinery. They also said their passports had been seized and they were not allowed to move out.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Bhesh Narayan Singh of Gopalganj said: We were brought to Nigeria by Chemie-Tech Company in Vadodara in 2021. Some of us were brought 2-3 years back. Our salary has not been paid for the past nine months and we cant send money to our family in Bihar. There are at least 150 of us from different states of India. We are just given rice and pulses to eat for survival.

Another worker, Mohammed Gufran from Muzaffarpur, said: I request Modi-ji, Yogi-ji and foreign minister Jaishankar-ji to help us. We are stuck here for the past four years and not paid for almost a year. How will our family survive back home? These people have stopped giving us food, they have closed the canteen and they force us to shut our rooms and sit outside. Two months back some Indian workers were brutally beaten at 2am. They threaten to kill us if we speak about money. They threaten to send us to jail. These people dont even give us medicines  two people have died because doctors didnt attend to them.

A worker from Uttar Pradeshs Kushinagar, Kalilal Gupta, said his child had been removed from school since he was unable to pay the fees. I request Modi-ji and the external affairs minister to take us out of here. We 150 people plead Indian government to take us back. We are destroyed, our family has come on the streets and this company only gives false promises.

Neelratan from Hooghly, West Bengal, said: DGM of the company threatens to kidnap us if we raise our voice. My family back home has registered a complaint in Hooghly police station but no relief has been provided yet. I appeal to Modi-ji and Mamata-di to take us back home from this hell.

Adding to their woes, several passports of the workers have expired in these four years.

These people have seized our passports. My passport expired on May 2, how will I return to India now? Here we have finished our work four months back but we havent been paid for the last nine months. They are not allowing us to work at other places also so that we can earn a living. Instead, the DGM and project managers misled the embassy by promising they will pay us. The managers lied to the embassy officials that we were staying back by our own will, said Mohd Yasin of Basti, Uttar Pradesh.

CNN-News18 has accessed the list of the trapped labourers with their contact numbers.

The lists include labourers from Siwan, Gopalganj, Begusarai, Madhubani, Motihari districts of Bihar and workers of Palamu and Garhwa districts of Jharkhand. Labourers from Deoria, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Pratapgarh, Ballia, Basti, Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh and some from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal are also trapped.

Kin of the trapped workers met the Member of Parliament and District Magistrate of Gopalganj and requested them to bring back the stranded people from Nigeria.

Saalu Kumari from Gopalganj, Bihar, whose father is stranded in Nigeria refinery, told News18: My father went to Nigeria in 2020. He used to get the salary but for past nine months he is unable to send us money. I appeal to the government to bring my father back and also get his hard earned money. I have tried to approach the embassy through e-mails but no response has come yet.

CNN-News18 spoke to the project manager of Dangote Oil Refinery to get his side of the story. Jeevak Chauhan said he and the HR department were in continuous touch with the labourers.

We are in contact with the embassy as well as the labourers and we are trying to bring a solution to this as soon as possible. Money will be directly paid by Dangote and it is in the process.

When asked about the delay in payment, Chauhan said because of the strike of the local labourers, work stopped intermittently and then the firm faced financial issues. Since I have joined here recently, I am making all efforts with the HR to get them paid. However, project manager denied the allegation of seizing the passport and said that the passports are submitted to the Human Resource department according to the companys policy.

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The stranded workers, however, called the promises of payment fake and expressed their desperation to return to their homeland.

Read all the Latest India News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
A Right To Information (RTI) query has shown that the BMC has reinstated nearly 116 officials, who were facing corruption charges, on the pretext of Covid-19 duty.

The RTI filed by young activist Jeetendra Ghadge showed that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has put these officials back on duty despite being suspended for serious offences.

Most of these officials were primarily caught red-handed for accepting bribes.

The BMC has brought back 53 officials of the solid waste management department, 23 from the city engineers department, 6 each from the water, security and fire departments, 17 from the health department, and 6 from three hospitals.

In the RTI application, Ghadge had also asked the BMC to share the names and designations of these officials, but it refused citing the RTI Rules 2005, 8(1)(j), which says that the disclosure of information has no relationship to any public activity or interest.

When Ghadge asked of the reinstatement order copy of the officials who were facing inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), cases or were suspended due to corruption charges, the RTI authority denied having any such orders in the concerned office.

Ghadge said, It is serious concern that these officials continue to work in the name of Covid duty even though the pandemic and related duties have ended. At a time when there are numerous allegations of corruption against the BMC officials, it is unfortunate to see the BMC trying to protect and provide them with a backdoor entry.

He alleged that the main reason why the BMC has allowed suspended officials is because they are already being paid half the salary. Instead of paying half the salary to the suspended officials, the BMC should not pay during the suspension period and employ new officials. We appeal to the BMC to prioritise the employment of honest and qualified candidates rather than protecting corrupt officials, he added.

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News18 reached out to BMC administrator IS Chahal for his comment, who said, There is system via which we review the suspension cases. Even one of the Govt Resolution (GR) says that suspended officials can be reinstated. While reinstating these officials we had made clear that they will not get any sensitive assignment or post. After suspension, they do get salary and no work is assigned to them. By reinstating (them), we are making them work so that they wont get a free salary.

Read all the Latest India News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday decided to intervene in the murder of a 22-year-old woman doctor by an accused, while she was doing his medical check-up at a hospital. House surgeon Vandana Das was stabbed to death at a taluk hospital in the Kottarakkara area of Kollam earlier today, allegedly by a man who was brought there by police after being involved in a fight with his family members.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath expressed shock at this incident and decided to hold a special sitting today at 1.45 pm.

According to an officer of Kottarakkara police in the district, while a wound on the leg of the man  identified as Sandeep  was being dressed by doctor Vandana Das, he suddenly got provoked and attacked everyone standing there using a scissor and scalpel.

The incident occurred during the early hours of Wednesday morning and Das succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.

The brunt of the attack was borne by the young doctor while the police personnel who accompanied the man were also injured. The doctor was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but could not be saved.

According to a report by Manorama Online, the accused, S Sandeep (42), is a teacher at Nedumbana UP School. He was taken into custody by police after he was involved in a brawl with his neighbours. As he was injured during the fight, police brought him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a 24-hour-statewide strike today in view of Dr Vandanas killing. IMA said the intensive care units and emergency wings will be exempted from the strike, which will continue till 8 am on Thursday, according to a report by mathrubhumi.com.

Doctors Protest Over The Incident

Medical professionals came out on the streets in Kottarakkara in protest against the incident. Similar protests were seen at some other hospitals in the state as well. Both the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) doctors protested across the state against the incident.

In a statement issued by its president Dr T N Suresh, the union of government medical professionals said all services except emergency treatment will be suspended today in Kollam district.

It sought exemplary punishment for those responsible for the incident and demanded that stringent measures be put in place to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

KGMOA also urged the government to strengthen security in hospitals, ensure due precautions are taken when bringing accused in custody for medical examination and urgently implement a triage system.

Reacting to the incident, an IMA official said it was an unfortunate and sad incident and doctors across Kerala will be protesting against the same.

Such incidents should not happen. We (doctors) cannot continue working in such circumstances. It is unacceptable that our lives are in danger when we are trying to save lives. We had in the past too indicated our objections to such attacks on medical professionals. We are angry and sad over the incident," he said.

The IMA official said the doctor was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was at the taluk hospital as part of her training.

Several attempts were made to resuscitate her, but her life could not be saved, the IMA official said

CM Condoles The Doctors Death

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and CM Pinarayi Vijayan also reached KIMS hospital where the body of Dr. Vandana Das is kept.

CM Vijayan condoled the death of the doctor and said the incident was shocking and extremely painful". He said a thorough investigation will be conducted in the matter.

Assaulting health workers in the line of duty is unacceptable. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. The government will take strong action against attacks on doctors and health workers," Vijayan said in a statement.

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission, based on media reports of the incident, on its own initiated a case and sought a report within seven days from the District Police Chief of Kollam.

Political Row In Kerala Over Doctors Murder

The incident kicked off a political row over Health Minister Veena Georges statement before the media that the victim was a house surgeon and therefore, inexperienced and got scared when the attack occurred.

Criticising her statement, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran questioned what the minister meant by the doctor being inexperienced.

Does she mean the doctor was inexperienced to counter or defend against an attack by a man addicted to drugs and alcohol? The statement is a joke," he told reporters.

Condoling the death of the doctor, Sudhakaran said it was sad and unfortunate that something like this happened.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan said the doctors murder has shaken the entire Kerala society.

He contended that it was a dangerous situation that hospitals are not safe places and alleged that the doctor was killed due to negligence of the police".

Education Minister V Sivankutty also condoled the death and said it was a shocking incident. He said the government will take all necessary steps under the law including departmental action against the accused, who is a school teacher.

The state government came under fire from the Congress and the BJP with both parties alleging that it has done little to ensure safety of healthcare workers at their workplaces.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, while expressing shock and concern over the tragic incident, contended it was a shame that doctors and healthcare workers were not safe in Kerala.

He alleged that the apathy and callousness" of the Pinarayi Vijayan government and its misgovernance" was tarnishing the image of the state and bringing disrepute to it.

Shocked to learn about the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das and attack on hospital staff in Kottarakkara. Atrocious that dreaded criminals are cut loose, endangering the lives of life savers. Deeply concerned about the safety of doctors and healthcare workers in Kerala.

Shame that doctors and healthcare workers are not safe in Kerala, which is a renowned global destination for medical tourism and has a rich legacy of various streams of medicine and healthcare. The apathy and callousness of @pinarayivijayan and the misgovernance of @CPIMKerala is tarnishing that image and bringing disrepute to the State. Its a disgrace that @pinarayivijayan government cant keep our doctors safe," he tweeted.

Speaking along similar lines, Satheesan alleged it was deplorable that the state government has done little to ensure safety of healthcare workers.

He said there were widespread problems in the health department and in each case only inquiries were announced and beyond that nothing else happened.

The Congress leader attacked George too by saying that the minister had ordered the most number of investigations in the states history".

The Case

Giving details of what transpired in the hospital, an officer of Kottarakkara police station said the man had called the emergency helpline to save him from his family members following a fight with them.

When police arrived at the scene, they found him injured and took him to the taluk hospital for medical examination and treatment.

He had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. He was alone with the doctor as we are not allowed into the room when a patients wound is being dressed.

Suddenly, there was a commotion and the doctor ran out screaming for help followed by the man who was carrying a scissor and a scalpel and was shouting I will kill you," the officer said and added it was not yet known why he got so violent and targeted the doctor.

When the officers at the scene tried to stop him, he attacked them too. Besides the doctor, four others were injured by the man who also vandalised some areas of the hospital, the officer said.

He was later subdued with much difficulty and taken into custody," the officer said. While after the attack, a case under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code for attempted murder was lodged, the officer stated that in view of the doctors death, murder charges are likely to be imposed on the accused.

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(With inputs from agencies)

Read all the Latest India News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Delhi Universitys Hindu College has suspended 25 students for staging protests last month over a cultural fest and 15 more for alleged fraud during the Mecca23, students alleged on Wednesday.

At least two more students were served notices for both, their alleged involvement in protest as well as financial fraud, multiple students have confirmed.

Anju Srivastava, the college principal, did not respond to calls from PTI seeking a response.

We were told by the college official that 42 students have been served notice. But we are in contact with at least 30 students. The notices for both kinds of offences mention suspension, fine and the student will be barred from taking any post," said a student who has been served notice for holding a protest.

The college hosted its annual fest named Mecca on April 27 and 28.

Around 25 students have been given notice for gross misconduct and extremely inappropriate behaviour" during the protest. In addition to that 15 students have been served notice regarding financial fraud or cheating" during the two-day event.

Sanjay Godra (18) who is a second-year student claimed that he has been served both notices.

I was not part of the organising committee. I was only protesting against the administration over the MEECA23. I have no idea why I have been served both the notices," he said.

Students have alleged that there was no disciplinary committee involved, adding that no investigation was carried out before taking action.

They have imposed a Rs 10,000 penalty on us. Tell me how will students pay? This is a black law. The college did not conduct any kind of investigation," Godra alleged.

Besides facing suspension, students will have to pay the fine of Rs 10,000 by May 12, the notices accessed by PTI stated.

Around 100 students gathered to protest on the campus after the administration allegedly asked them to cut short the three-day cultural fest to one on April 21. Some of the students followed the principal to her car when she was trying to leave for an event.

We have been told that only those students who followed the principal have been served notices. But I was not there. Moreover, several students who were not even part of the protest have been served notices," said another student.

Those served notices for protests, allegedly blocked the principals way when she was going to attend a meeting at the university, their notices mentioned.

You were a part of the mob that clung to the college gate(s) to prevent it from opening. With great difficulty, when the Principal managed to exit from a residents gate and wanted to sit in the car, you again blocked the movement of the ear by standing or lying in its way. When the Principal chose to walk down to reach the meeting venue in time, you shouted humiliating slogans," the notice read.

The strongly-worded notice asserted the gross misconduct and extremely inappropriate" behaviour has brought acute embarrassment and humiliation to the college, in general, and to the Principal".

It claimed that the college property has been damaged by your activity. The other notice that has been served for financial fraud mentions that a large group of stall vendors took out a protest in front of the Principals office, alleging financial fraud or cheating done on them by the student organisers of the two-day event".

The agitating group of vendors demanded a refund of their investment and threatened the college with stalling the mega Programme of Star Night if the authorities did not do the refund," the notice mentioned.

After much persuasion, you have now refunded some of the amounts, however, your activities of omission and commission cannot be condoned," it added.

Meanwhile, RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has requested the college to withdraw these notices.

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The ABVP delegation has given a memorandum to the Hindu principal demanding that the decision to suspend and impose a monetary penalty on the students involved in the democratic protest be withdrawn," ABVP said.

Democratic protest and proper demand by students is not a crime, the student organisation added.
Former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader, BS Yediyurappa, exuded confidence in his partys victory, urging people to cast their votes early. He declared that the majority of voters would support the BJP, with the party poised to win 130-135 seats. Yediyurappas assertion showcased the partys determination to secure a substantial mandate. The election campaign took an intense turn when the Bajrang Dal-Bajrang Bali row became a topic of contention. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the Congress for invoking the name of Lord Hanuman during the elections, referring to it as an example of stupidity". Sitharaman emphasized the BJPs longstanding devotion to Hanuman and denounced the politicization of religious sentiments.

As Karnataka votes today, the state brims with political fervor as leaders from Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engage in a heated war of words and make bold predictions about the elections outcome.

#WATCH | On Bajrang Dal-Bajrang Bali row during #KarnatakaElections, FM Sitharaman says, "We always read Hanuman Chalisa and offer prayers to Bajrang Bali, but they (Congress) do this during the electionThey mentioned that in their manifesto, this is an example of stupidity." pic.twitter.com/J4Wxf4xSua ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai also expressing confidence in his partys prospects, Bommai predicted a resounding victory, assuring the people of Karnataka that the BJP would secure a comfortable majority. He highlighted the importance of positive development and pledged to lead the state on a path of progress.

#WATCH | I've voted and done my duty towards democracy. It's a privilege to vote in my constituency. I will win by a record margin. People of Karnataka will vote for positive development and BJP will get a comfortable majority," says Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai pic.twitter.com/4rumkWTJ7i ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Amidst the political battles, both parties affirmed their commitment to the Hindu identity and Hindutva ideology. The Lingayat community, an influential group in Karnataka, was seen as a strong support base for the BJP.

BJPs Tejasvi Surya said that Karnataka, which is the land of Bajrang Bali will give answer to all the questions on May 13. We welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least."

#WATCH | "Karnataka which is the land of Bajrang Bali will answer all these things on 13th May. We welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least," says BJP MP Tejasvi Surya pic.twitter.com/2xL9H1pKWJ ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

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With the stage set for the election results on May 13, the outcome would determine the course of governance and ideology for the state, as the battle between the Congress and BJP continued to captivate the nation.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Read more

several prominent politicians, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, among others, will be decided during the day-long exercise.

Violent incidents were reported from at least three locations during polling. In Masabinal village, enraged villagers destroyed several electronic voting machines and VVPAT machines and also damaged the vehicles of polling officers after rumours spread that the officials were changing the EVMs and VVPATs. In the Padmanabhanagar constituency in Bengaluru, some youths armed with sticks attacked their political opponents in a polling booth at Papaiah Garden, causing injuries to a few women standing in the queue to vote. In Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari district, there was a physical altercation between workers of the Congress and the BJP.

The ruling BJP aims to create history by becoming the first incumbent party to win re-election in 38 years, while the Congress seeks to gain power and establish itself as the leading opposition player ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls. The role of the JD (S) is also crucial as it could either become a kingmaker or emerge as the ruling party in case of a hung assembly, as it has done in the past.

Karnataka Elections: Exit Poll Results Timings, Where to Watch

After the voting for the Karnataka Assembly election ends at 6 PM, various agencies such as CVoter, Lokniti-CSDS, Axis My India, and Todays Chanakya will release their exit poll predictions. The final results will be announced by the Election Commission of India on May 13.

Several news channels, such as CNN-News18 and News18 news website will be airing the exit poll results.

In the Karnataka Assembly, a minimum of 113 seats is required to form a government. Of the total seats, 36 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST). In the previous Karnataka Assembly elections held in 2018, with 222 constituencies, the voter turnout was 72.13 percent. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the most seats (104) followed by the Indian National Congress (INC).

However, no party got a clear majority, and the BJPs attempt to form a government was short-lived, with the government being dissolved three days ahead of a trust vote. The Congress-JD(S) alliance then formed the government, but it fell apart in 14 months due to the defection of 17 legislators, and the BJP returned to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Total Voters

According to the election commission, 2,615 candidates are contesting in the state Assembly elections held across 58,545 polling stations. The state has a total of 5,31,33,054 eligible voters, of which 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 are female, and 4,927 belong to the others category. Out of the candidates, 2,430 are male, 184 are female, and one is from the third gender.

Poll officials have stated that extensive security measures have been implemented throughout the state to ensure the smooth conduct of elections. Forces from neighbouring states have been deployed as well. As many as 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in 650 companies are on duty for law and order and security on the day of the polls. To strengthen security, Critical Polling Stations are being monitored through measures such as Micro Observers, Webcasting, and CCTVs.

(With inputs from PTI)
Karnataka Election 2023 News: From chief minister Basvaraj Bommai visiting Anjaneya Temple with his son and daughter to spotting Bengaluru civic body commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, top BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and B S Yediyurappa at polling booths  its an action-packed morning in Karnataka as the state votes amid tight security.

The voting which began at 7 am will go on till 6 in the evening, following which pollsters like Axis My India, CVoter, Lokniti-CSDS, and Todays Chanakya will release their exit poll results.

News18.com will publish the exit poll results, while its television news channel, CNN News18, will broadcast the predictions. Counting of polled votes will be taken up on May 13.

CLICK TO SEE PICS | Celebrities, Politicians Queue Up to Cast Votes

Top Contenders

Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (Secular). The electoral fate of top guns  Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy among others will be sealed during the day-long exercise.

CM Bommai (Shiggaon), Leader of Opposition and former CM Siddaramaiah (Varuna), JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy (Channapatna), Shivakumar (Kanakapura) are the among the top candidates in the fray.

Besides Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central) is the other former chief minister who is contesting this election. Shettar had recently joined the Congress, quitting BJP.

In the outgoing Assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, JD(S)  29, BSP one, two Independents, Speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignation to join other parties ahead of polls).

Number of Voters in Karnataka

 A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

 Among the voters, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 others", while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.

 A total of 75,603 Ballot Units (BU), 70,300 Control Units (CU) and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) are slated to be used during the voting.

ALSO READ | Karnataka Elections: Ola, Uber Cab Facilities For Elderly, Specially Abled On Voting Day

Voters Watching Out for Rahu Kaal

As voters left for their respective polling stations, many have been watching out for auspicious time, especially some of the candidates. Many are likely to skip the rahu kaal time today, which will fall between 12.23 pm and 1.59 pm.

There is a belief that starting an auspicious work during Rahu period will not go well. For this reason, there may be less number of voters for nearly half an hour.

Besides rahu kaal, gulika kal which fall between 10.48 am and 12.23 pm, yamaganda kal between 7.38 am and 9.13 am. The sunrise will take place at 6.03 am and sunset at 6.44 pm.

ALSO READ | Good Work Cant Fail: Filing Nomination At Rahu Kalam, Congs Satish Jarkiholi Breaks Superstition

Who Will Win Karnataka Elections?

While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx  Karnataka has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985  and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

Also what needs to be seen is, whether the JD (S) will emerge as a kingmaker" or a king" by holding the key for government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

A government with full majority" seemed to be the war cry of the leaders of all the political parties during campaigning that ended on Monday, as they stressed on getting a clear mandate to form a strong and stable government, unlike what happened after the 2018 polls.

Recalling 2018 Karnataka Election Results

In the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress at 80, JD(S) 37. There was one independent member, while BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.

With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of BJP staked claim and formed the government. However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition, and defected to BJP facilitating the party coming back to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

Security Arrangements for Karnataka Elections

According to poll officials, elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state for the smooth conduct of elections and forces have been deployed from neighbouring states as well.

On the eve of polling day, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar appealed to over 5.3 crore electors, especially 11.71 lakh first-time electors, in the state to participate enthusiastically in the elections.

As many as 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces ) police in 650 CoYs (companies) are on law & order and security duty on poll day across the state.

Critical Polling Stations are covered by one or more of the measures like Micro Observers, Webcasting and CCTVs to keep a watch on the polling process as force multipliers. The voter turnout in the 2018 polls was 72.36 per cent.

ALSO READ | Karnataka Elections: Heres How You Download E-Voter ID And Make Corrections

Places Shut in Wake of Karnataka Polls

In a bid to check apathy among voters, the Election Commission has come up with the idea of holding the poll in the middle of the week to prevent people planning an outing by clubbing the poll-day holiday with the weekend break.

One such popular tourist destination that has barred visitors from entering its premises on May 10 is Bengalurus Bannerghatta Biological Park. According to an official notice issued on the website of Bannerghatta Biological Park, the tiger, lion, bear, and butterfly parks will remain shut on May 10, along with the safari park and the zoo located within the perimeter of the Park.

ALSO READ | Ahead Of Voting, Section 144 In All Mysore Constituencies; Know Whats Prohibited

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation has announced that a special discount of 50 per cent will be available for citizens and tourists wishing to stay at the Mayura Hotel in Bangalore. After the voting, the masses will be eligible for the special offer.

As per the managing director of Mayura Hotel, voters who have successfully cast their votes on May 10 can make online bookings through the website - www.kstdc.co. From there, they can use a voucher code, that is VOTE2023.

Voting for Elderly Karnataka Residents

According to the Election Commission of India, a new voting arrangement has been made for the elderly and specially-abled people in the state. Karnataka houses 5.71 lakh people with disabilities and 12,15,763 elderly people above 80 who will all be able to cast their votes from home.

ALSO READ | We Are Oldies But: Sudha and Narayana Murthys Message If Youre Planning to Skip Ktaka Voting

Shira constituency has the most elderly residents who are over 80 years old and are eligible to vote from home out of the 224 assembly constituencies in the state. As many as 2,480 older individuals have been given access to this facility.

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Director of the controversial The Kerala Story, Sudipto Sen said the first four days after the film released, there was no violence or a law and order situation in any state or city, including Kolkata, before the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government banned it.

In an exclusive interaction with News18, Sen said there were 15 petitions filed against the film while the films team had filed a redressal petition before the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will be hearing it. The Kerala Story has triggered a controversy over its content as it depicts the radicalisation of women from Kerala by ISIS. West Bengal banned the movie citing threat to communal harmony.

The movie has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It is a statutory film certification body in the ministry of information and broadcasting of the Government of India. Once a film gets clearance from the CBFC, it cannot be banned, Sen told News18.

He added: The letter issued to us and the ban order by Mamata Banerjees government are illegal in nature. Some political parties moved courts seeking a ban on its release, but these pleas were entertained. Out of a total 15 petitions against the movie, 11 were filed before the Kerala High Court alone. We have not violated any rule. If there is a law and order problem, it is the responsibility of the state to handle it. If they cannot do that, it is their responsibility and not the films fault.

Genesis of The Kerala Story

Sen is a Bengali from a Leftist family, who met two senior RSS functionaries in Delhi eight years ago in 2015. During this period of 2015 to 2016, Kerala was witnessing arrests in connection with ISIS. Hence, Sen met RSS members who told him about the radicalisation in Kerala.

A senior RSS functionary told News 18 that Sen visited Aarsha Vidya Samajan, an RSS-backed NGO in Kerala, which rescued some of the women who converted to Islam and got them to return to their own religion. Sen interviewed these women, who narrated their stories to him. Based on their accounts, he began his research and went through NIA files, court judgements and speeches of politicians.

After rigorous research, he decided to make the movie and it was then that he approached Vipul Shah for production. We felt that the stories of such instances in Kerala need to be told. People should see and judge. There is no made up story, the movie is based on accounts of the victims and their narration, the RSS member said, adding that Aarsha Vidya Samajan still had at least 40 women who were reconverted to Sanatan and were running the organisation.

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Sens 2018 documentary, In Name of Love, also triggered controversy. The documentary was about conversions and was screened at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Crew members and our people who supported the documentary were brutally assaulted at the university campus. But he (Sen) is brave enough to continue with the work, said the RSS functionary.

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ENTERPRISE  Coffee County District Judge Josh Wilson late Monday denied bond for Ethan Stuckey who is charged with killing his father on Good Friday.

Stuckey has been held in Coffee County Jail on no bond since being extradited from Colorado where he had been in Colorado Springs Jail since his April 8 arrest by members of the Colorado Springs Fugitive Task Force Police Department and the Alabama Fugitive Task Force in connection with the shooting death of his father Russell Stuckey, 42, who was found shot to death in the home in the 300 block of Daleville Avenue in Enterprise.

Factors considered, Wilson wrote in his ruling, included the nature and circumstances of the offense charged; the weight of the evidence against the defendant; and the history and characteristics of the defendant, including, but not limited to the defendants character, physical and mental condition, family ties, employment, financial resources, length of residence in the community, community ties, past conduct, history relating to drug or alcohol abuse, criminal history, and record concerning appearance at court proceedings, and whether, at the time of the current offense, the defendant was on probation, parole, or on other release pending trial, sentencing, appeal, or completion of sentence for an offense.

Also considered is the nature and seriousness of the danger to any person, or the community, if the defendant is released, Wilson said.

During the bond hearing in the Coffee County Courthouse here Monday afternoon, Enterprise Police Lt. Mark Anderson testified that the elder Stuckey was found at about 6 p.m. April 7, by the Enterprise Fire Department in response to a call about a gas leak at the home.

Anderson said that a co-worker of the younger Stuckey had reported to the police the smell of a gas leak when he went to the Daleville Avenue residence to check on his co-worker that he had not been able to contact for several days. Responding firefighters called police when they discovered the elder Stuckey dead from seven gunshots to the back and side in the home, Anderson said.

All four of the burners on the gas stove were open and emitting gas. Marijuana was found burning in a smoking pipe near the gas burners, Anderson said, adding that an electrician called to the house discovered that the electrical wiring under the house was cut.

Pings off of Ethan Stuckeys cell phone revealed that he was in Kansas at noon and Colorado Springs by about 9:45 p.m. that same day, Anderson said. Russell Stuckeys cellphone had been found in the median of the roadway near Mayberry subdivision in New Brockton at about 7 a.m. the same morning.

Enterprise Police Officer Amber Darbro and EPD Detective Will Ezell had been sent to Colorado Springs to collect evidence from the car Ethan Stuckey had been driving. They found Russell Stuckeys wallet, the weapon that had been used to kill Russell Stuckey, an AK47, and a bulletproof vest.

Darbro told the court that Ethan Stuckey told Colorado Springs law officers that he had seen his father dead on the floor of the Daleville Avenue home before he left town. Darbro said that he later told his mother during a phone call, recorded by police, from the Colorado Springs Jail that he had killed his father in self-defense.

Twelfth Judicial Circuit District Attorney James Tarbox told the court that Ethan Stuckey was out on bond for a 2021 charge of shooting at a police officer in Conecuh County when this most recent shooting death occurred.

The court considered the nature and circumstances of the offense charged and the weight of evidence against the defendant in arriving at the conclusion that a deadly weapon, a handgun, was used in the commission of the offense and that victim was the defendants father, Wilson said. Multiple shell casings were recovered from the scene of the crime and those casings were of the same caliber as a gun recovered from the person of the defendant when he was apprehended by authorities in the state of Colorado.

Further evidence of drug activity was located at the scene of the crime and evidence that the defendant withdrew a large sum of money before leaving for Colorado. Evidence further indicated that when the defendant was apprehended in Colorado he was in possession of multiple firearms, an extensive cache of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and other items of contraband, said Wilson. Through recorded phone calls during the defendants incarceration in Colorado he admitted to the killing, asserting however that it was in the nature of self-defense.

This admission was after the defendant had previously advised law enforcement that someone named JD had shot and killed his father. The nature and circumstances of the offense charged and the weight of evidence against the Defendant having been considered by the court, the court is satisfied that probable cause exists to believe the crime was committed and that the defendant is a flight risk and presents a serious risk to the public at large. The court is of the opinion that bail in this case is due to be denied as there are no conditions of release that the court is satisfied will reasonably ensure the defendants appearance in court and protect the safety of the community or any person.

Wilson also noted that Stuckey was on pretrial release on an unrelated charge at the time of the commission of most recent offense and that he left the state shortly after the alleged crime was committed.
Power outages were reported in parts of Mumbai including Khar, Santacruz and Bandra on Wednesday night.

Officials said that a technical snag in the power distribution system is behind the power outage and it will take some more time to fix it, Hindustan Times reported.

We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers in pockets of Santacruz and Khar West. The interruption due to cable faults was restored to a majority of customers within 30 minutes by tireless efforts our power Warriors. Due care was taken to ensure no interruption is faced by critical establishments, an Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd spokesperson said.

Adani Electricity Mumbais Twitter handle said there is a high-tension breakdown in areas without power.

Residents hit by the power outage took to social media to express their outrage. Some of them complained that the electricity department is responding to their queries.

We are facing power interruption since 3 hrs in Santacruz West, Mumbai. No one at the 247 customer care is replying on call or via message. Pathetic customer service harassing customers at this hour of the day, a Twitter user said.

@Adani_Elec_Mum @AdaniOnline @gautam_adani We are facing power interruption since 3 hrs in Santacruz West, Mumbai. No one at the 247 customer care is replying on call or via message. Pathetic customer service harassing customers at this hour of the day. CA Nirali Gangar (@GangarNirali) May 10, 2023

Another user said there was no electricity for three hours near Hasnabad Lane, Santacruz.

Entire area near hasnabad lane santacruz west mumbai is down for past 3 hours now, no update and no communication on outag, he tweeted.

@Adani_Elec_Mum entire area near hasnabad lane santacruz west mumbai is down for past 3 hours now, no update and no communication on outage Anand chawla (@anandchawla) May 10, 2023

We are getting boiled in this heat as there has been electricity cut in our area in Santa Cruz West. I called the supposed to be helpline nos & have to wait for 35 mins before I could speak to the customer care," another user wrote on Twitter.

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@Adani_Elec_MumWe are getting boiled in this heat as there has been electricity cut in our area in Santa Cruz West. I called the supposed to be helpline nos & have to wait for 35 mins before I could speak to the customer care Sandip Guha (@Sandip_Guha_DVI) May 10, 2023

A user said that there were several power cuts on Wednesday in K West ward Juhu Koliwada.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched multiple development projects worth more than Rs 5,500 crore in Rajasthan on Wednesday. He also addressed a public rally organised by the party at Abu Road in Sirohi district. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot was also in attendance.

After landing in Rajasthans Nathdwara, PM Modi stopped at the Shrinathji temple and offered prayers before launching the multi-crore projects.

According to the Prime Ministers Office, the focus of the projects will be on bolstering infrastructure and connectivity in the region. The PMO added that the road and railway works will facilitate the movement of goods and services, boosting trade and commerce and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in the region.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shortly address a public meeting in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.He will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of infrastructure projects worth over Rs 5,500 crores here. pic.twitter.com/5sGApuDa3s  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Details to Projects to be Launched by PM Modi

 PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for road construction projects for upgradation to two-lane in Rajsamand and Udaipur and for redevelopment of the Udaipur railway station.

 He also laid the foundation stone for gauge conversion project and for setting up of a new line from Nathdwara to Nathdwara town in Rajsamand.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan. He will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of infrastructure projects worth over Rs 5,500 crores here. pic.twitter.com/qcOPIee64M  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

 Modi inaugurated three national highway projects, including 114-km long six lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, 110-km long widening and strengthening to 4 lane with paved shoulder of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25, and 47 km long two lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E.

Features of the Redeveloped Udaipur Railway Station

The redeveloped station is likely to have a revamped food court and waiting lounge. It may also have a childrens playing zone and a facility that will promote the local products of the city.

A city centre-like place will be created for the citizens, with the station being connected with all modes of transport like autos, taxis and bus stand. The station is expected to be constructed using green building technology. Special care will be taken for the facilities for the disabled.

PM Modi Will Also Visit Shantivan Complex

The prime minister will also be visiting Shantivan complex of Brahma Kumaris, a religious organisation. The PMO noted that a special focus of the prime minister has been on giving impetus to spiritual rejuvenation across the country.

He will lay the foundation stone of a super speciality charitable global hospital, second phase of Shivmani old age home and extension of nursing college. The hospital will be set up in Abu Road, spread across an area of 50 acres. It will offer world-class medical facilities and will prove especially beneficial for the poor and the tribal people in the region, it said.

Preps by BJP for PM Modis Visit

The Rajasthan BJP on Tuesday carried out a cleanliness campaign at Abu Road town in Sirori district where PM Narendra Modi will address a public rally.

Ahead of the visit, BJP office-bearers and workers led by state president C P Joshi picked up brooms and cleaned the bus stand to give the message of cleanliness.

Joshi said the Swachh Bharat Mission launched by Modi on October 2, 2014 has become a peoples movement, adding that it has now become the nature of people to pick up brooms to clean streets and create a healthy environment around them.

A Chai Pe Charcha event was also organised at the Abu Road railway station where the BJP leader talked about the prime ministers visit. He also interacted with coolies, taxi drivers, local vendors and shopkeepers, and invited them for the rally.

Rajasthan will go to polls later this year.

Other Projects Launched by PM Modi in Rajasthan

In April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Rajasthans first Vande Bharat Express. PM Modi had said that the Vande Bharat Express will immensely benefit Rajasthans tourism industry.

During the launch via video-conferencing, the prime minister also took a jibe at Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. I thank Gehlot Ji, who took out time for developmental work and attended the railway programme, despite the political tensions he is going through," Modi had said.

VIDEO | I thank Gehlot Ji, who took out time for developmental work and attended the railway programme, despite the political tensions he is going through," says PM Modi after flagging off Rajasthans first Vande Bharat Express pic.twitter.com/zOxWIEeOlu Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 12, 2023

ALSO READ | Gehlot ji, Aapke Dono Haath Mein Laddoo: PM Modi Laughs During Rajasthan Vande Bharat Launch | Details

PM Modis remark came a day after Congress leader and state minister Sachin Pilot sat on a one-day hunger strike against the Gehlot government to press for inaction against corruption".

Hours after the prime ministers address, Ashok Gehlot called his comments unfortunate". He said PM Modis speech was given keeping in mind the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

It was in the form of the BJPs election agenda. I believe that such comments of yours will not be acceptable to the people of the state and the countrymen," said Gehlot.

Gehlot also accused the prime minister of trying to reduce the importance of the Railways" by abolishing the separate railway budget.

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Santiniketan, the place where Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, has been recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List by an international advisory body, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said.

India has been striving for long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in West Bengals Birbhum district.

Great news for India on the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Santiniketan in West Bengal has been recommended for inscription to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, the advisory body to UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Reddy said in a late-night tweet on Tuesday.

This furthers the vision of PM Narendra Modi to showcase our rich cultural heritage to the world. This will formally be announced in the World Heritage Committee meeting to be held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September 2023, the minister said in his tweet.

The France-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is an international non-governmental organisation that comprises professionals, experts, representatives from local authorities, companies and heritage organisations, and is dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of architectural and landscape heritage around the world.

At a media interaction in Delhi on Wednesday, Reddy spoke about ICOMOSs recommendation, and said when ICOMOS makes its recommendation, it becomes almost certain" that the World Heritage Committee will accept it, so India, in September is likely to have another reason to rejoice.

The development has been hailed as a proud moment" by the authorities of the university.

To our knowledge, Visva-Bharati is the first living university in India which will be bestowed with the honour, its spokesperson Mahua Bandyopadhyay told PTI on Wednesday.

She said a top Archeological Survey of India official informed the university on Tuesday about the recommendation by ICOSMOS for the inscription of Visva-Bharati in the World Heritage List.

This news coming on the birth anniversary of Gurudev (Rabindra Nath Tagore) should be a proud moment for Bengal and the country. Gurudevs 162nd birth anniversary fell on May 9, the 25th day of the Hindu month of Baisakh which has earned a special importance among Bengalis across the world.

Varsitys Vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty said, It is a great news and a matter of pride for everyone  every stakeholder of Visva Bharati, in fact every citizen of the land. Visva-Bharati, which means communion of the world with India, was built by Tagore, the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize, in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in 1921.

Before Independence, it was regarded as a college. In 1951 it was declared an institute of national importance by an act of Parliament and given the status of a central university. The president of India is the Paridarsaka (visitor) of the University, the prime minister is the Acharya (chancellor) and the governor of West Bengal is the Pradhana (rector) of the university.

Santiniketan, over 160 km from Kolkata, was originally an ashram built by Tagores father Debendranath Tagore, where anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could come to meditate, according to a description of the place on the official website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Debendranath Tagore, was also known as Maharshi, meaning one who is both a saint and sage, was a leading figure of the Indian Renaissance, it says.

Among the structures built by the Maharshi was the Santiniketan Griha and the beautiful stained glass Mandir (Upasana Griha), or temple where worship is non-denominational. Both structures built in the second half of the 19th century are important in their association with the founding of Santiniketan and the universal spirit associated with the revival and reinterpretation of religious ideals in Bengal and India, the website says.

Visva Bharati has degree courses in humanities, social science, science, fine arts, music, performing arts, education, agricultural science and rural reconstruction.

India has a total of 40 sites which enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage tag. These include 32 cultural sites such as Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Harappan-era site in Dholavira, Elephanta Caves, Red Fort complex in Delhi, and Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

The 52 sites in the Tentative List also include Temples at Bishnupur, West Bengal (added to the list in 1998); Mattanchery Palace in Kerala (added in 1998); Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat (added in 2006), according to the UNESCO website.

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The UNESCO website describes a tentative list as an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination".
At the age of 79, legendary Hollywood actor Robert De Niro announced the birth to his seventh child, according to an exclusive interview with ET Canada. De Niro spoke on fatherhood during the interview while promoting his next movie, About My Father." The 79-year-old expressed his views on parenting and said that, although he dislikes having to correct his children, it is occasionally essential.

His first wife, Diahnne Abbott, is the mother of his son Raphael, 46, and daughter Drena, 51. Along with his former partner, model and actress Toukie Smith, he welcomed twin boys Julian and Aaron, now 27 years old, in 1995. With his ex-wife Grace Hightower, De Niro also shares a daughter Helen Grace, 11, and a son Elliot, 24.

The news of De Niros seventh child comes as a surprise to many, given his age. However, people are becoming parents at ever-increasing ages, a trend that can have implications for the health of the pregnancy, the babies and the women who birth them.

What the research has to say about having kids later in life

Its important to remember that men do have biological clocks, and their fertility levels start to decline beyond age 50. A new study from London found that if the father is over 50 years old, there is a 33 percent decreased chance of a live birth. According to the studys authors, the idea that male fertility lasts for ever" has been reinforced by stories about famous people having children far into their 60s. In their study, they make the case that men shouldnt put off becoming fathers for too long, noting that paternal age over 50 significantly affects the chance of achieving a live birth following assisted reproductive technology." Men should not put off becoming fathers, according to a public health message. Despite this, a another study from London that was released in 2017 claims that having children later in life has benefits. Boys with older fathers tend to be geekier, which means they exhibit more intelligence and are less self-conscious, according to research from Kings College London. The conclusion was particularly relevant to guys studying STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The researchers findings could have a socioeconomic explanation, such as older dads having greater socioeconomic position, which allows their boys to grow up in a more enriched environment with better schooling. If youre worried that older people wont be physically able to keep up with kids, scientists suggest that advances in biological ageing are actually enabling adults to do more than senior people in previous generations. Age brings wisdom and maturity, as well as chances for dads to provide for their kids in significant ways they would not have been able to early on. Although the risks for unusual genetic abnormalities or social development delays may be greater, these opportunities exist despite the hazards. Older males may also have more life experience, wisdom, and emotional maturity, which may help them parent better, communicate better, and form stronger emotional relationships with their kids. These connections are essential for developing a psychologically robust youngster who will ultimately be prepared for a successful life full of vibrant relationships.

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Regarding De Niro, it shouldnt come as a surprise to anyone that he is a new father and is filming another movie as he gets older. In a 2015 interview with Marvin Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, De Niro stated that despite being in his early 70s, he didnt consider himself to be old and that he had no plans to stop acting.

Shanken also inquired about the one thing on his bucket list that he hasnt yet accomplished. His response demonstrates how much he cherishes his greatest role in lifethat of father. He gave Shanken a firm knock on the table and said, I want to live as long as I can for my kids."
Nepals tourism industry is recovering faster in the post-Covid era, with 3,26,528 tourist arrivals by air from January to April this year, of which around 28 per cent were Indians. Tourist arrivals in the country have increased a lot in the recent period, which is very positive and encouraging, said Nandini Lahe-Thapa, senior director of PR and Publicity, at Nepal Tourism Board.

The tourism board estimated that around 1.2 million tourist arrivals, an equivalent to the arrivals the Himalayan nation achieved in 2020, were expected this year. We are no longer concentrating on the traditional destinations such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Lumbini, she pointed out.

Five-star properties are coming up in eastern and western Nepal as well. New hotels are being constructed, lots of tourism-related activities are coming up, and new cable cars are being operated," Thapa said. Nepal witnessed in total 98,773 tourist arrivals by air in the month of April, of which 31,437 were Indians, according to the data released by the Nepal Tourism Board.

Last year (2022), a total of 61,589 tourists visited Nepal by air. The tourist arrival in April this year grew by 60 per cent compared to the previous year.

The number of Indian tourist arrivals grew by 39.9 per cent to 31,437 in April this year compared to last Aprils arrival. In April last year, only 22,476 Indian tourists visited Nepal by air. The total number of tourist arrivals to Nepal by air in the first four months of 2023 from January to April was 326,528, of which 92,185 were Indians, which comes to around 28 per cent.

Here are 5 places you must visit in Nepal:

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Kathmandu: The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu is a vibrant and historic city with numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, and Boudhanath Stupa. Explore the narrow streets of the old town and experience the citys bustling markets. Pokhara: Situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, Pokhara is known for its breathtaking views of the Annapurna mountain range and serene lakes. Its a popular destination for adventure activities like trekking, paragliding, and boating on Phewa Lake. Lumbini: Considered the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumbini holds immense religious and historical significance. Explore the sacred Maya Devi Temple, the Ashoka Pillar, and various monasteries in this pilgrimage site. Nagarkot: Located just outside Kathmandu, Nagarkot offers panoramic views of the Himalayan range, including Mount Everest. Its a popular spot for sunrise and sunset views, and you can enjoy hiking and mountain biking in the surrounding hills. Annapurna Circuit: If youre up for a challenging trekking adventure, the Annapurna Circuit is one of the most popular trekking routes in the world. It takes you through diverse landscapes, charming villages, and offers incredible mountain vistas.

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Kerala, known as Gods Own Country," is a popular tourist destination in India. With its diverse landscapes, cultural heritage, and wellness offerings, Kerala attracts travelers from around the world. Located in the southwestern part of India, along the Malabar Coast. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and shares boundaries with Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the north.

Keralas unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and warm hospitality make it a captivating destination for travelers seeking a memorable and enriching experience.

Here are 7 places in Kerala you must visit:

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Alleppey (Alappuzha): Famous for its backwaters, Alleppey is a must-visit destination in Kerala. Cruise along the tranquil backwaters on a traditional houseboat, explore the scenic villages, and experience the unique ecosystem of Keralas backwater region. Munnar: Nestled in the Western Ghats, Munnar is a hill station renowned for its tea plantations, mist-covered hills, and lush greenery. Visit the tea estates, enjoy panoramic views from Echo Point and Top Station, and explore the Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. Wayanad: A picturesque hill district, Wayanad is blessed with lush forests, waterfalls, and wildlife. Explore the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, visit the ancient Edakkal Caves, and enjoy trekking in the scenic landscapes. Kovalam: Kovalam is a famous beach destination in Kerala with its crescent-shaped beaches, palm-fringed shores, and lighthouses. Relax on the sandy beaches, indulge in water sports, and experience rejuvenating Ayurvedic massages. Varkala: Varkala is a coastal town known for its stunning cliffside views and pristine beaches. Explore the Papanasam Beach, visit the Janardanaswamy Temple, and take a dip in the mineral-rich waters of the Varkala beach. Athirappilly Falls: Located near Thrissur, Athirappilly Falls is a majestic waterfall cascading down amidst lush greenery. It is one of the largest waterfalls in Kerala and offers a breathtaking sight for nature lovers. Bekal: Bekal is famous for its 17th-century Bekal Fort, which is located on the shoreline of the Arabian Sea. Explore the fort, enjoy the panoramic views, and relax on the beautiful Bekal Beach.

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Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed their first daughter Raha last year in November. The couple is completely enjoying this phase to the fullest. Well, they are not in favour of revealing her face in public but always share her little details. In a conversation with Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Alia revealed a cute habit of Raha and called it the best thing of her life.

Talking to the magazine, the Rocky Aur Rani Ke Prem Kahani actress said, My daughter started touching my face. I think thats the best thing thats happened to me this past week. Because now when Im feeding her, she just takes a minute, looks up at me and starts touching my face. Its like a romantic moment between the two of us. And its literally the best thing thats ever happened to me in my life.

Recently, Alias video while getting ready for Met Gala 2023 was shared, and in that she was heard talking about her daughter. So this is the longest Ive been away from my daughter, Raha. And, shes almost six months now and Ive only been away from her for like 24 hours before this, like for one day. And now its almost going to be like, four days." The actor then shared how she makes sure to stay in touch with her. And, I get a couple of seconds to video call her as soon as I wake up, she said.

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Alia even shared a picture of Ranbir taking care of Raha and captioned it as I think have become the best photographer since the 6th of November. My world.

On the work front, Alia has a lot of interesting projects lined up. She will also be making her Hollywood debut Heart of Stone featuring Gal Gadot. Apart from this, the actress will be next seen in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani alongside Ranveer Singh. She also has Jee Le Zaraa with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra. Reports are coming in that the shooting will start soon.
Amid the controversies surrounding The Kerala Story, the makers of the film met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday. In a video shared on social media by the news agency ANI, film director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah can be seen meeting CM Yogi. They can also be seen accompanied by The Kerala Storys lead actress Adah Sharma.

After meeting Yogi Adityanath, Vipul told ANI, Uttar Pradesh government and Yogi ji have taken this step and boosted our morale a lot strenthened our thinking. He has sent a very powerful message to the people due to audiences are watching this film in large numbers. So we are very thankful to the CM that it happened."

Director Sudipto also added, We came to thank the Honorable Chief Minister to declare the film tax-free and giving a chance to the citizen of Uttar Pradesh to watch this film."

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath meets the makers of the film 'The Kerala Story' in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/pEkOJY1EIe ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Yogi Adityanaths meeting with the makers of The Kerala Story comes a day after the film was declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh. As reported by Hindustan Times, the Chief Minister is also expected to watch the film in a special screening with the rest of his cabinet members at the Lok Bhawan on May 12.

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Released on May 5, The Kerala Story revolves around the stories of Hindu women from Kerala who were converted to Islam and trafficked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Earlier today, the films lead actress Adah Sharma shared that the film is now all set to release in around 37 other countries. Thank you to all the crores of you who are going to watch our film, thank you for making it trend, thank you for loving my performance. This weekend the 12th #TheKeralaStory releases internationally in 37 countries (or more) (red heart emojis) #adahsharma," she wrote.
Samuel P Huntington in his classic work The Clash of Civilizations had hit the nail on the head when he made this trenchant observation: World politics is entering a new phase, in which the great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of international conflict will be cultural. Civilizations  the highest cultural groupings of people  are differentiated from each other by religion, history, language, and tradition. These divisions are deep and increasing in importance. From Yugoslavia to the Middle East to Central Asia, the fault lines of civilizations are the battle lines of the future.

The phenomenon of love jihad needs to be seen as representing a facet of the clash of civilizations. Over one thousand million Hindus if converted can become a global changemaker to either of the two foreign religions that have pitched camp in India for the past few centuries. No stone has been left unturned in this lawless game of conversion.

Killing a belief could be worse than killing a human being. When you kill a human, you take their life, but when you take their faith, they are left without hope, without meaning, observes Nimish Dayalu in Cavemans Secret Sauce: Finding Answers to the Worlds Oldest Questions. Hence, the strategy to ridicule Hindu beliefs, traditions, culture and heritage.

In this process, which has been a continuous one for centuries, the range of tactics has stretched from internecine wars, abductions, mass rapes, to luring with money, food, education, medical treatment and even marriages. The last mentioned is currently creating a cyclone in a tea cup, all across India and also globally, as a film The Kerala Story has opened a can of worms.

Religiously illiterate Hindu girls become soft targets for fundamentalist snipers, out to convert, marry, transport them to terror hot spots, and abandon them for use by foreign terrorists sexually.

Statistics of missing women across India are alarming. In Odisha, there has been a 73% rise in missing minor girls in 2022. Over 40,000 women went missing in Gujarat over the course of five years, as per official statistics.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 7,105 women went missing in 2016, 7,712 in 2017, 9,246 in 2018, and 9,268 in 2019. In 2020, 8,290 women were reported to have gone missing. The total number adds up to 41,621.

West Bengal, had the highest number of missing women from 2016-2020, with 1,43,102 cases reported. In Tamil Nadu, the number of missing women during the same period was 53,780. Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of over 20 crore people, had 25,535 missing women reported during the same period.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2018 report shows that Karnataka was among the top 10 states in India with the maximum number of missing women cases. Similar reports are emerging from Andhra Pradesh, where in 2019 the official records revealed that 2,100 women are missing.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, National Crime Records Bureaus Report on Missing Women and Children in India does not maintain any statistics about women who have gone missing, who were trapped in conversion rackets, subjugated by using deadly narcotics, sexually abused, transported to West Asian countries, for use as sex slaves.

Obviously, the Ministry of Home Affairs has to do a lot of homework, investigation and effective prosecution to bring the offenders to book. The problem is that our legal tools like the Indian Penal Code and Indian Evidence Act are woefully inadequate and totally outdated to tackle emerging new dimensions in traditional crimes.

Hence abductors, transporters, rapists, converters, drug-traffickers, all go scot-free.

Weaponising fake love-marriages, narcotics consumption, Arabic food, language and culture, for bringing about demographic, cultural and religious changes, appear apparently innocuous, but are fraught with dangerous and far-reaching consequences.

This is happening on a global scale but the additional problem facing India is the massive Hindu millions who are utterly ignorant about their religion and heritage. Temples are taken-over by state governments, and their administrations packed with atheists, those professing foreign faiths and looters.

Religious education for Hindus is denied, while full encouragement being given to other faiths to freely propagate and market their faiths. In fact, conversions from Hinduism itself is encouraged by giving reservation and other benefits to fresh converts in many southern states.

There is a deliberate hidden agenda and policy to encourage religious conversions and bring about electoral changes. It was never imagined by the makers of the Constitution that a day would come, when even the religious illiteracy of the Hindu masses could be made malleable and moulded to cause political changes.

Unless the government imposes tight restrictions on religious conversions, like in West Asian countries, as also in many South Asian countries, the internal security situation in India will deteriorate badly, and may also become an international menace.

The judiciary itself is helpless as there are a lot of undefined and loose terms like secularism, minority, law and order floating around creating havoc in every sphere. Secularism needs to be replaced by respect for every religion, minority needs to be replaced by second, third, and fourth largest majority and strict conditions need to be imposed with special monitoring for all Special Marriages Act cases.

Stern message needs to be sent out that law and order is not for politicians to decide, claiming it as a state subject, national security is not negotiable under any circumstances.

Every citizen and politician should remember that democracy and secularism are flourishing only because of the magnanimity of the Hindus, the day that equation changes, family rule, multi-parties, languages and diverse cultures will all be crushed and trampled.

The central government and every state government is, therefore, duty-bound to protect each and every faith, and citizens need to be protected from predators and purveyors of foreign faiths, hunting for fresh prey, luring them with marriage contracts and euphoric drugs.

The author is IRS (Rtd), Ph.D. (Narcotics), Former Director General, National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN). The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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The opposition to film The Kerala Story is yet another attempt to ignore the elephant in the room. And the name of this elephant is Islamic radicalisation in India. So the larger debate shouldnt be about the film or conversions in Kerala only. These are only offshoots of a larger and now deep-rooted malaise  Islamic radicalisation in India.

But first about Kerala. It is a well-known fact that there is a conversion industry in Kerala and the Islamists there have promoted it. The forced conversions and Islamic radicalisation are nothing new to Kerala. The outcome of ignoring this radicalisation could be disastrous. One needs to learn from the past otherwise one is condemned to repeat it. Hence, one must revisit what happened in 1921 during Malabar riots in Kerala.

Kunjahammed Haji, a radical Islamist, led the Malabar riots that resulted in a Hindu genocide in Kerala. There was a massacre of thousands of Hindus, forcible conversions, rape of Hindu women and children and destruction of Hindu properties and places of worship.

The violence began at Tirurangadi in Keralas south Malabar on 20 August 1921, and lasted for over four months. More than a lakh Hindus were displaced. The extent of carnage can be gauged from the fact that martial law was imposed in six out of 10 taluks in the then Malabar district.

The official British records show 2,266 killed, 1,615 wounded, 5,688 captured, while 38,256 surrendered during military engagements. Thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted. Some of them embraced Hindu faith again due to efforts of organisations like Arya Samaj but the shocking story of thousands of hapless Hindus remains untold. Marxist historians ensured that these riots were narrated as merely peasant uprisings in our school and college textbooks. Though, nothing could be farther than truth.

C Gopalan Nair, who was deputy collector of this region when these riots broke, later wrote in his book, The Moplah Rebellion, 1921, Murders, dacoities, forced conversions and outrages on Hindu women became order of the day.

Dr BR Ambedkar has also provided a detailed account on the rebellion in his book, Pakistan or The Partition of India (Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Writings and Speeches, Volume 8, P.163).

Beginning with the year 1920 there occurred in that year in Malabar what is known as the Mopla Rebellion. It was the result of the agitation carried out by two Muslim organisations, the Khuddam-i-Kaba (servants of the Mecca Shrine) and the Central Khilafat Committee, wrote Ambedkar.

He further added, Agitators actually preached the doctrine that India under the British Government was Dar-ul-Harab and that the Muslims must fight against it and if they could not, they must carry out the alternative principle of Hijrat. The Moplas were suddenly carried off their feet by this agitation. The outbreak was essentially a rebellion against the British government. The aim was to establish the kingdom of Islam by overthrowing the British government.

The Hindus were visited by a dire fate at the hands of the Moplas. Massacres, forcible conversions, desecration of temples, foul outrages upon women, such as ripping open pregnant women, pillage, arson and destruction in short, all the accompaniments of brutal and unrestrained barbarism, were perpetrated freely by the Moplas upon the Hindus until such time as troops could be hurried to the task of restoring order through a difficult and extensive tract of the country, said Ambedkar

This was not a Hindu-Moslem riot. This was just a Bartholomew. The number of Hindus who were killed, wounded or converted, is not known. But the number must have been enormous.

Annie Besant, Theosophist and one of the most respected public figures in Indias Independence movement, had presided over the first Reform Conference in Malabar in the spring of 1921. She also wrote in detail about how Islamic radicalisation ripped apart the social fabric.

Besant wrote in The Future of Indian Politics published in 1922, The fourfold programme was begun formally on August 1, 1920; Swaraj was to be attained in a year, and on August 1, 1921, the first step was taken in the Malabar Rebellion; the Musalmans (Moplas) of that district after three weeks of preparing weapons, rose over a definite area in revolt, believing, as they had been told, that British Rule had ceased, and they were free.

They established the Khilafat Raj, crowned a King, murdered and plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatise. Somewhere about a lakh people were driven from their homes with nothing but the clothes they had on, stripped of everything.

The Muslims from the Malabar region are also known as Mappila. According to an Observer Research Foundation(ORF) research paper (The Islamic State in Indias Kerala: A primer), Kerala is broadly divided into three regions: the northern part, the central part, and the southern part. The districts that have seen the most number of IS recruits are all in Northern Kerala, which is home to most of the Keralite Muslims. Moreover, these cities in the northern regions are also major contributors of migrants to the Gulf nations. For instance, a 2007 study noted that almost 50 percent of Keralites who have gone to the Gulf countries for work were from the Mappila Muslim community of Northern Kerala. This number is responsible for large amounts of remittances that have driven up the wealth levels of Northern Keralites, in turn allowing them more resources to make the journey to West Asia upon their radicalisation.

Further, the increasing number of people travelling to the Gulf nations for work has also led to the construction of two international airports in North Kerala  the Kannur international airport and the Calicut international airport. The ease of travel accorded to economic migrants is what radicalised individuals from northern Kerala took advantage of while travelling to places like Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Qatar among others (which served as transit points to IS strongholds in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan).

Organisations like Popular Front of India (that has been banned now) have strong network in Kerala. The Islamic radicals have strong institutional structures in Kerala and they play a major role in the radicalisation of the youth.

Kerala is facing an onslaught of Islamic radicalisation and conversions of Hindu women to Islam is just tip of the iceberg. The real Kerala Story is much bigger and more worrisome.

The writer, an author and columnist has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal.

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A man has been charged with capital murder after the body of a pregnant teen who went missing last week was discovered in Houston County Wednesday morning.

According to a release from the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 10, the body of Anastasia Gilley, 19, was found in an area near Headland.

Gilley was reported missing by family members after she was last seen at her home on Wednesday, May 3. Information gathered through interviews and other investigative techniques led law enforcement to a variety of locations throughout Houston and Jackson counties.

The suspect, Marquis Devan McCloud, 33, was arrested earlier in the week in connection with Gilleys disappearance and is charged with one count of capital murder during first-degree kidnapping. Officials said McCloud has been very uncooperative throughout the entire investigation.

McCloud has an extensive criminal record that includes charges such as rape and armed robbery.

This large, multi-state investigation is ongoing between the Jackson County Sheriffs Office and the Houston County Sheriffs Office. More information will be released as the investigation continues to move forward.
Hina Khan has always been a trendsetter in the industry. Her remarkable fashion sense was also reflected in her appearances at Cannes, where she made heads turn with her stunning ensembles. Her fashion statements were a perfect blend of elegance, grace, and sophistication. Hinas fashion choices at Cannes were not just about making a style statement, she made sure that with every appearance, she would leave a lasting impression on everyone.
The MK Stain-led Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday filed a defamation case against the state BJP president K Annamalai for levelling corruption allegations against the ruling DMK, dubbed as DMK files".

The defamation suit was moved by Public prosecutor G Devarajan on behalf of the Chief Minister.

As per the complaint, Annamalai made defamatory statements at a press meeting held on April 14, 2023. The videos of the press meet were uploaded and circulated on various social media platforms. This was intended to harm the reputation of Chief Minister Stalin and the impact of his conduct in the discharge of his public functions.

The complainant prayed to the court to issue the process and proceed against Annamalai and punish him for the offenses under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and pass such an order.

Speaking to NDTV, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the best step" is to punish Annamalai. What Rahul Gandhi said was nothing, but he has been disqualified. When they can do that, there is ever reason to file a suit against Annamalai," he was quoted as saying.

However, the BJP has said that Annamalai will fight the case.

About DMK Files Controversy

This development came almost a month after Annamalai alleged that kickbacks of Rs 200 crore" had been channelled by a multinational company through two shell firms to Chief Minister MK Stalin for DMKs 2011 election fund". He had said that he would lodge a complaint with the CBI, seeking a probe.

The ruling DMK had dismissed the allegation as laughable, baseless and unfounded" and said legal action would be initiated against Annamalai.

Annamalai, referring to the DMK rule between 2006 and 2011, alleged that payments were received by the party as kickbacks from a company that won a bid related to the execution of Chennai Metro Rail Phase I project.

Annamalai, while releasing a nearly 15-minute video clip DMK Files (Part-I)" showcasing what he claimed were assets of ruling party personalities and its valuation, had said that three other parts of the expose" would also be released later which would include details about other political parties as well.

The video clip, which makes corruption allegations against the DMK, is also perceived as making an oblique reference to the AIADMK vis-a-vis graft. Tamil Nadus main opposition AIADMK is an ally of the BJP. The purported video features DMK ministers, leaders and others related to ruling party leaders.

DMK Organising Secretary RS Bharathi had told reporters that those featured in the video clip would take legal action against Annamalai individually, apart from the DMK itself moving court. He had set a 15-day deadline for Annamalai to produce documentary evidence related to claims.

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(with inputs from PTI and IANS)

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Bihar Chief Minister, and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav will meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray during their Mumbai visit on Thursday, a JD (U) MLC said.

The duo will visit Thackerays residence and later meet Pawar at his home.

The Janata Dal (United) supreme leader has been meeting Opposition leaders to strengthen the bloc against BJP ahead of the 2024 polls. He met his Odisha couterpart Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday in Bhubaneswar.

Kumar and Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader Yadav will have lunch at Matoshree, the private residence of Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Bandra, said JD (U) MLC Kapil Patil.

They will meet Pawar at his south Mumbai residence Silver Oak in the evening, he added.

Kumar had caught the national imagination with his pitch for a united opposition which, he believes, can take on and defeat the BJP in next years Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(U) supreme leader, who had stunned the BJP last year when he snapped ties and stripped it of power, is coming to Mumbai at a time when the western state is witnessing political turbulence.

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Pawar on Monday said he and Kumar will meet when the latter visits Mumbai on May 11.

Our outlook is that an alternative (to the BJP government) is needed in the country. Those who wish to contribute to it, be it Nitish or Mamata (West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress leader), in my view we all need to work together for the same, the NCP chief had said.
In what could decide the fate of Maharashtra politics, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court will on Thursday pronounce its order over the petitions concerning the situation which unfolded after Eknath Shindes rebellion against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

A Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, with its judgment on Thursday, will decide some important questions of law which would also set the law straight for such intra-party disputes in the future and the use and application of the anti-defection law.

ALSO READ | Bow & Arrow to Whip: Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde in Attack Mode | Sena Vs Sena Court Battle

After the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. Thackeray later tied up with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form the MVA government in the state. Thackerays government collapsed in June last year after a revolt against the Sena leadership by Shinde and 39 other legislators. On June 30, Shinde became the Maharashtra Chief Minister with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

The bench also comprising Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha will decide whether the notice for removal of a Speaker restricts him from continuing with disqualification proceedings under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, as held by this Court in Nebam Rebia judgment.

With regards to the powers of the Election Commission, the top court will also rule on what is the scope of the powers of the Election Commission of India with respect to the determination of a split within a party.

Some other questions that the court will decide on are as follows:

Can a Court hold that a member is deemed" to be disqualified, by virtue of his/her actions, absent a decision by the Speaker?

What is the status of proceedings in the House during the pendency of disqualification petitions against the members?

If the decision of a Speaker that a member has incurred disqualification under the 10th Schedule relates back to the date of the action complained of, what is the status of proceedings that took place during the pendency of a disqualification petition?

What is the impact of the removal of Paragraph 3 of the 10th Schedule?

What is the scope of the power of the Speaker to determine the Whip and the leader of the house legislature party? What is the interplay of the same with respect to the provisions of the 10th Schedule?

Are intra-party decisions amenable to judicial review? What is the scope of the same?

What is the extent of discretion and power of the Governor to invite a person to form the Government, and whether the same is amenable to judicial review?

#BreakingNews | Sanjay Raut: EC has not given such decision for any party which they had given for #ShivSena. Was Election commissioner appointed or was brought in the haste just to deliver such order?| @mayuganapatye@mihirz @anjalipandey06 @anany_b pic.twitter.com/pd2HaPelta News18 (@CNNnews18) February 21, 2023

THE HEARING

During the course of the hearing, the Governor of Maharashtra told the Apex Court that the 10th Schedule is not a weapon to stifle dissent, it is to control unprincipled defection.

The 10th Schedule is to not a weapon to stifle bona fide legitimate dissent but it is to control unprincipled defection. Unbridled power takes away the confidence of MLAs and they cannot effectively exercise their freedom of conscience, said Mehta in the court.

Opposing the submissions made by the solicitor general, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav Thackeray camp, said, The SG (solicitor general) cannot argue in his own individual capacity. He has to say that he is speaking for the governor.

He added: Either he says we have a fundamental right to buy off people.

Sibal also argued before the court that the politics of defections does not have to be decided in the house. You have to go back to the political party. Here, there is no split in the party. There is a split in the house. Eknath Shinde was one the 16 and he has become the chief minister, the senior lawyer said.

HOW CAN WE REINSTATE A CM WHO DID NOT EVEN FACE FLOOR TEST: COURT ASKS UDDHAV CAMP

While the court was considering the submissions of both the sides, Justice M R Shah questioned the Uddhav camp, How can the Court reinstate the Chief Minister who didnt face the floor test?

Responding the query, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, Your lordships arent reinstating anyone. Your lordships are restoring status quo ante."

ALSO READ | The Maha Picture | Name, Symbol Battle Won, But Sena-Pati Shinde Still has a War Ahead

Look at the intellectual conundrum. Its not that youve been ousted from power as a result of the trust vote which was wrongly summoned by the Governor. You chose not to face it," said CJI Chandrachud.

After I filed the petition, after I made it sub judice, and after I said its completely unknown to law and dont allow it to go on," said Singhvi.

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The CJI then responded, Youre frankly accepting the fact that you resigned because of the Trust Vote was going to go against you.


The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple is reportedly set to launch its new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models in 2024, with display sizes of around 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively. These new sizes would be the largest ever for the iPhone, as the device continues to get bigger.

The information comes from analyst Ross Young, who has a track record of accurately predicting display-related details for upcoming Apple products. Speaking with MacRumors, industry analyst Young suggests that Apple will up the size of the Pro-series iPhones next year, with the devices increasing from the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

As per the report, he will reveal the actual sizes to two decimal places during his speech at the Display Week conference in Los Angeles on May 23. Young did not indicate if the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will also have larger displays.

By comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are equipped with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively, and these sizes are not expected to change with the iPhone 15 Pro models launching later this year.

In the past, Young has provided accurate information related to display features of upcoming Apple products. He correctly predicted the inclusion of ProMotion in the iPhone 13 Pro and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the sixth-generation iPad minis larger 8.3-inch display and other details.

Meanwhile, Apple supplier Cirrus Logic recently reportedly confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro, which is set to launch in September 2023 as part of the latest iPhone 15 series, will no longer feature solid-state buttons as initially rumored.

In a letter to shareholders, the company stated that a new product that was scheduled to launch this fall is no longer expected to come to market as planned. This product is widely believed to be the solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro, MacRumors reported.

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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously reported that iPhone 15 Pro models would have been equipped with two additional Taptic Engines that provided haptic feedback when the solid-state buttons were pressed.

Read all the Latest Tech News here
Google on Wednesday said it is opening Bard, a rival to Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, to 180 countries as it expands use of artificial intelligence across its platform.

Executives at an annual Google developers conference in Silicon Valley said that generative AI will also be used to supercharge the tech giants leading search engine.

We have been applying AI for a while, with generative AI we are taking the next step," Google chief executive Sundar Pichai told thousands of developers gathered for the event.

We are reimagining all our core products, including search," he said.

 Its official Waitlist is off *right now* and Bard is LIVE in over 180 countries and territories, with more coming soon. Cant wait to see which new region tries it most and helps us build together.https://t.co/FycdN2l1HQ#GoogleIO  Jack Krawczyk (@JackK) May 10, 2023

Google is racing to catch up with rival Microsoft, which has rushed to integrate ChatGPT-like powers in a wide array of its products, including the Bing search engine.

Microsofts dash into AI came despite fears about the technologys potential threat to society, including its impact on the spread of disinformation and whether it could make whole categories of jobs obsolete.

Cathy Edwards of Google Search said the new experience would be akin to search that is supercharged" by a conversational bot.

Other Google executives laid out how generative AI is being woven into Gmail, photo editing, online work tools and more.

The companys AI efforts would be carried out in a bold and responsible" way, senior product director Jack Krawczyk said during a briefing.

Googles expansion meant it removed a waitlist for Bard, letting users around the world engage with it in English after months of testing it out in the US and Britain.

Bard will be modified to support 40 languages in coming months, according to Krawczyk.

Were excited to get Bard into more peoples hands," Krawczyk said.

Were pretty fired up about where Bard is going."

Google also announced browser extensions" that will imbue apps and services such as Gmail and Maps with AI features.

Bard technology will enable features such as filling in text to help draft emails and suggesting ideas for artwork by scrutinizing a picture of available supplies.

Google is also letting partners build such extensions, including one from Adobe that will let users generate images, Krawczyk said.

The tech titan also unveiled new Pixel devices including a $1,799 foldable smartphone with a bendable screen that is the size of a tablet computer when opened.

Youre getting the best of both worlds," Google senior vice president of devices Rick Osterloh said of the Fold.

Its a powerful smartphone when its convenient and an immersive tablet when you need one."

Google also added a new tablet and a lower-priced version of its flagship smartphone to the Pixel lineup.

- Risky tech? -

Googles announcements came a week after rival Microsoft expanded public access to its generative artificial intelligence programs, which are powered by models made by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

The AI-enhanced features of the companys Bing search engine and Edge internet browser became open for anyone.

The services have been enhanced with the ability to work with images as well as text, and Microsoft intends to add video to the mix.

Despite the rollouts by two of the worlds biggest companies, risks from AI include its potential uses for disinformation, with voice clones, deep-fake videos and convincing written messages.

A range of experts in March urged a pause in the development of powerful AI systems to allow time to make sure they are safe.

Their open letter, signed by more than 1,000 people, including billionaire Elon Musk and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, was prompted by generative AI technology from Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI.

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A prominent computer scientist often dubbed the godfather of artificial intelligence" recently quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of the technology.

Geoffrey Hinton, who created some of the technology underlying AI systems, maintained that the existential threat from AI is serious and close."
Alphabet Incs Google on Wednesday demonstrated an updated core search product that embeds more AI in its answers as the company looks to banish doubts that it is losing ground to Microsoft Corps OpenAI-powered Bing search.

Google already has a Bard chatbot that competes with ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI that has generated huge excitement among users with its humanlike responses.

SO WHEN DO YOU GOOGLE AND WHEN DO YOU BARD?

The company says that traditional Google search should still be used for finding and seeking information, such as locating something to purchase.

Bard is a chatbot with a persona that can hold humanlike conversations, and is intended to be used for creative collaboration, for instance, to generate software code or write a caption for a photo.

WHAT ARE THE UPDATES TO GOOGLE SEARCH?

With the enhanced search termed the Search Generative Experience, Googles home page still looks and acts like its familiar search bar.

The difference is in the answers: if the new Google detects that generative AI can be used to answer a query, the top of the results page will show the AI-generated response. The traditional links to the Web will remain below.

For example, a search for weather San Francisco" will as usual point a user to an eight-day forecast, while a query asking what outfit to wear in the California city prompts a lengthy response generated by AI, according to a demonstration for Reuters earlier this week.

You should bring layers, including a short-sleeved shirt and a light sweater or jacket for the day, the result stated, including links to websites where it gleaned such advice.

Users will also be able to enter a brand-new conversational mode, which similar to Bard and ChatGPT remembers the users prior questions so users can ask follow-ups more easily.

However, the company points out that conversational mode is not designed to be a chatbot with a personality; it is intended only to help hone search results. For example, its responses will never contain the I phrase, unlike Bard and ChatGPT.

CAN I TRY THE NEW GOOGLE SEARCH NOW?

Not yet. U.S. consumers will gain access to the Search Generative Experience in the coming weeks via a wait list, a trial phase during which Google will monitor the quality, speed and cost of search results, the company said.

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CAN I TRY BARD NOW?

The company said on Wednesday that Bard is now available with no wait list in 180 countries and territories, and plans to expand its support to 40 languages.
Following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, violent protests have erupted in Pakistan, flaring up unrest among civilians. As visuals of protestors surfaced on social media, the government blocked internet services across Pakistan on Tuesday. Amidst this, actress Sehar Shinwari blamed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the unrest in the neighbouring country. Mentioning Delhi Police in a tweet, Sehar said that she wanted to file a complaint against Indian PM and the countrys intelligence agency RAW. Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police? I have to file a complaint against Indian PM & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claim) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will provide me justice, Sehar tweeted.

Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police ? I have to file a complain against Indian Pm & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claims) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will Sehar Shinwari (@SeharShinwari) May 9, 2023

Delhi Police was quick to respond to the Pakistani actress with a question. We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country, they wrote.

We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan.But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country! https://t.co/lnUCf8tY59  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 9, 2023

In a subsequent online outburst, Sehar Shinwari also requested the United Nations intervention in the case. The actress blamed India for trying to escalate the tension in her home country and urged the UN to take immediate action.

India is trying to escalate tensed political situation in Pakistan. I request @UN to take immediate action against India. Sehar Shinwari (@SeharShinwari) May 9, 2023

In another tweet, Sehar said that she was going to file an FIR against PM Narendra Modi.

I am going to file FIR against @narendramodi in police station because he is the main source behind terrorism in Pakistan. Sehar Shinwari (@SeharShinwari) May 9, 2023

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khans arrest by the anti-corruption agency came just a day after the military rebuked him for constantly accusing a senior officer of planning his assassination with the help of the armed forces chief, as per Reuters. Paramilitary squad, who were reportedly dressed in full riot-control gear, escorted Imran Khan in a black van from the Islamabad High Court. Besides internet services, Pakistani authorities have also imposed a ban on social gatherings as protests have erupted in multiple cities. It is suggested that the violence has claimed the life of one leaving 12 people injured including six police officers.

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Previously, protestors broke into Pakistani army commanders residences in Lahore. A violent mob of Imran Khans supporters set Radio Pakistans building on fire in Peshawar.

Read all the Latest News here
In a heart-wrenching incident, a young girl tragically lost her life due to a grave misunderstanding by her older brother. The incident occurred in Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, where the 12-year-old girl, living with her brother and his wife, experienced her first menstruation, commonly known as menarche. Regrettably, her brother, a 30-year-old security guard, mistakenly believed that the presence of blood was evidence of her involvement in a sexual relationship.

The chain of events began when the young girl had her first menstrual cycle just a few days prior, and her brother noticed bloodstains on her clothes. He misinterpreted the situation and believed that the bloodstains were a sign that his sister had engaged in illicit sexual activity. When questioned about the stains, the girl was unable to respond due to her lack of knowledge about menstruation, according to a report by TOI. This misconception led to the brother subjecting the girl to physical abuse and torture. Reports suggest that the accused even used tongs to inflict severe burns on various parts of the victims body.

The minor endured relentless kicking and punching for a prolonged period of three days, resulting in her deteriorating health. She was eventually taken to Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Following this, hospital staff informed the authorities who took custody of the girls body and sent it for postmortem examination.

The police have registered a case against the accused brother under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and subsequently took him into custody. As per Madhukar Kahd, the senior inspector of Ulhasnagar police station, He accused her of having an affair with someone." The officer further revealed that there were visible signs of torture on the girls face, neck, and back.

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Ever since the incident unfolded, there has been an outpouring of outrage and condemnation from all corners of society, demanding justice for the young victim.

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A diving instructor in Malaysia has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a Chinese tourist while they were diving underwater. The alleged incident caused widespread outrage after a photograph of the purported victim being kissed by the accused was posted on Facebook. The unsettling episode is said to have taken place on May 5th at around 1 pm in the waters of Semporna in the state of Sabah, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. The 24-year-old tourist reportedly lodged an official complaint before returning to her home country.

According to Assistant Superintendent Arif Abdul Razak, the 27-year-old diving instructor was arrested two days after the 24-year-old Chinese tourist filed a complaint accusing him of molesting her while underwater. The alleged harassment persisted even after the diving session had ended, with the instructor continuing to contact the woman via WeChat once back on shore, as reported by Yahoo News. The man reportedly asked for her hotel address and proposed a night out together.

The incident soon went viral on social media. A post on Facebook shows a photo of the diving instructor kissing the woman, an image of the police statement, and screenshots of their online conversation.

Authorities detained the dive instructor reportedly under section 354 for unlawfully using criminal force to violate a womans modesty. The Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister of Sabah, Christina Liew, has issued an official statement condemning the incident. Incidents like this greatly affect the image of tourism in the Semporna district in particular, and Sabah in general, even more so as the tourism industry is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, she said on Monday.

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Christina Liew called upon travel agents to step up to provide safe and quality services to tourists ensuring that a regrettable incident like this never happens in the future. I call on all travel agents in this state to play a role in providing quality service. They must be responsible to ensure incidents like this will not happen again, she continued. The dive instructor is to remain under custody till May 11.

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The Australian government has announced a comprehensive program to support households and small businesses affected by rising energy prices. The program is comprised of several initiatives, each aimed at addressing a specific aspect of the issue.

In the May 2023 Budget, the Australian government announced a surprise surplus, marking a significant turn-around from the $36.9 billion deficit announced in the previous years mini-Budget and the $78 billion forecast by the previous government.

Energy price relief

At the core of the support program is the Energy Price Relief Plan, which aims to shield households and small businesses from the worst effects of rising energy prices. The plan is expected to be a significant relief for many Australians who are struggling to manage their energy costs.

The government is also establishing the Energy Bill Relief Fund in partnership with the states and territories. This program will provide up to $3 billion in electricity bill relief to eligible small businesses and households, empowering them to manage their energy costs, improve their operations, and enhance their competitiveness in the market.

Energy Incentive

In addition, the government is introducing the Small Business Energy Incentive, which is a bonus tax deduction aimed at assisting small- and medium-sized businesses in reducing their energy bills, upgrading their facilities, and saving energy. The government hopes this will help up to 3.8 million businesses.

Instant asset write-off

The government is also temporarily increasing the instant asset write-off asset threshold to $20,000 for businesses with a turnover of up to $10 million for one year. This measure is expected to stimulate growth by facilitating the acquisition of new assets by small businesses.

Simplified tax reporting

Moreover, the budget also includes measures to simplify tax reporting and reduce the time spent on tax-related tasks for small businesses. These measures include extending businesses time to amend tax returns, trialling an independent review process for small businesses in dispute with the ATO, and expanding access to tax advice through the tax clinic program.

Protection against cyber threats

To safeguard small businesses against cyber threats, the budget introduced a $23.4 million initiative. This initiative aims to help small businesses train in-house cyber wardens and build their capacity to protect themselves against the growing number of cyber threats they face.

Changes to the PBS

As part of the budget measures, the government will decrease the maximum co-payment under the PBS from $42.50 to $30 per script, which will save around 3.6 million Australians more than $190 million in out-of-pocket costs each year.

Medicare and an increase in job seeker

The Labor Partys first full-year budget includes a $5.7 billion investment in Medicare and an increase in job seeker and commonwealth rent assistance for all ages. The government is also committing $286 million over five years to support the arts and pledging $10 billion for cost-of-living relief.

Boost SME access to lucrative contracts

To increase small businesses participation in government contracts, Australia aims to address opaque application processes favouring larger competitors. The governments Buy Australia Plan seeks to level the playing field and boost SME access to these lucrative opportunities. With an allocation of $18.1 million over four years from 2023-24, the plan aims to help small businesses compete for tenders, enhance the AusTender system, and raise SME awareness of federal government contracts.

Financial aid for young carers

Additionally, the Australian government has announced a significant increase in financial aid for young carers who take on additional responsibilities to care for their loved ones while pursuing their education. Carers Australia will receive an additional $10 million in funding to bolster the Young Carer Bursary Program, which provides financial support to young carers between the ages of 12-25. This initiative aims to ease the burden of part-time or full-time work while studying.

The increased funding will increase the bursary amount from $3000 to $3768 and offer around 1600 bursaries each year from 2023 to 2025. However, Australians with a superannuation balance above $3 million will have their concessional rate doubled from 2025, which means they will be taxed at a rate of 30 per cent instead of 15 per cent on their contributions.

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Around 1,000 people have been arrested in Pakistans Punjab, the countrys most populous province, since protests erupted after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, police said on Wednesday.

Police teams arrested 945 lawbreakers and miscreants from across the province," officials said in a statement to the media, adding 130 officers and officials were injured in the violence that broke out after Khans arrest on Tuesday.

Imran Khan Arrest LIVE Updates: Ex-PM Presented Before Court; Roads Leading to Nawaz Sharifs Residence Sealed; 1,000 Held So far

The caretaker government of Punjab has requested the Pakistan army to maintain the law and order situation in the province.

Earlier on Wednesday, Imran Khan appeared in a special court at the capitals police headquarters Wednesday to answer graft charges. Local reports said prosecutors had asked for Khan to be remanded in custody for 14 days.

Protesters blocked some routes leading to Islamabad around lunchtime Wednesday but there was a huge security presence across the capital, particularly outside the so-called police lines where the special court convened.

Meanwhile, a heavy police force has been deployed in Islamabad and the routes leading to former PM Nawaz Sharifs Lahore residence have also been blocked.

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Khans party has claimed that at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and PTI supporters.

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An attack near a synagogue in Tunisia killed two security officers and two visitors on Tuesday the government said amid an annual pilgrimage to the island of Djerba that draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel.

The attack was staged by a guard at a naval installation on Djerba who used his weapon to shoot a colleague and seize his ammunition before heading towards the synagogue, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The attacker fired indiscriminately at security units located near the synagogue, killing the two visitors and another security officer, as well as injuring five security officers and four visitors. Security forces then shot him dead, the Interior Ministry said.

The Tunisian foreign ministry said one of the visitors killed was French and one was Tunisian.

Video posted on social media that Reuters was not immediately able to verify showed frightened looking people standing in a courtyard as a gunshot rang out. Residents of the island said they had heard an exchange of fire.

Authorities did not identify a motive for the attack but Islamist militants have previously targeted the pilgrimage in Djerba and have staged other attacks in the country.

Tunisias last significant attack was a blast targeting police outside the U.S. embassy in 2020 that killed one officer. Two suicide blasts targeted police outside the French embassy in 2019, also killing one officer.

Islamist militants killed scores of tourists in two separate attacks at a beach resort and a Tunis museum in 2015.

The annual pilgrimage to Africas oldest synagogue regularly draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel to Djerba, a holiday destination off the coast of southern Tunisia, 500 km (300 miles) from the capital Tunis.

The pilgrimage has had tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.

Mainly Muslim Tunisia is home to one of North Africas largest Jewish communities. Though they now number fewer than 1,800 people, Jews have lived in Tunisia since Roman times.

U.S. ambassador Joey Hood visited the synagogue on Monday along with the U.S. envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, according to U.S. embassy post on Twitter.

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Republicans charged Wednesday that President Joe Bidens family has earned more than $10 million from shady business deals crafted while he was vice president.

With Biden ramping up his bid for a second term as president in the 2024 election, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee alleged that the family took in $1 million tied to a business deal with a Romanian tycoon when the then vice-president oversaw relations with the country in 2014-2015.

The deal was allegedly done by Rob Walker, a business partner of Bidens son Hunter.

In a detailed report, committee Republicans said Walker began receiving money from Romanian tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu shortly after Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House in September 2015.

A Cyprus company allegedly owned by Popoviciu, Bladon Enterprises, paid a private company owned by Walker over $3 million from November 2015 to May 2017.

The Republicans alleged that after the transfers came in from Bladon, Walkers company paid more than $1 million into accounts controlled by Hunter Biden, his sister-in-law Hallie Biden, and James Gilliar, another business partner of Hunter.

They said the pattern matches that of an already well-reported business deal Hunter Biden and Walker had with an energy company in China.

After receiving money from that company in 2017, the committee said Walker distributed more than $1 million to Gilliar and the Bidens.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said the Romanian funds were part of more than $10 million that Hunter Biden, his family and business associates had received from deals with foreigners in China, Ukraine, and elsewhere while Joe Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017.

Hunter Biden and his associates courted business in countries that correlated directly with Joe Bidens work as vice president. This is also not normal. It is not ethical," Comer said in a press conference.

The Republicans showed no evidence that Joe Biden directly benefitted from or even knew of the business deals and money transfers.

But they said he must have been aware of all of the companies set up by Hunter and his associates to conduct the business.

Nobody in this room can logically sit here and say that the president of the United States had no idea that these companies were being formed while he was vice president of the United States," said Republican Representative Byron Reynolds.

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Biden has repeatedly denied impropriety with regard to his sons deals, and defended Hunters business practices.

My son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him," he said last week.
A Pakistani court on Wednesday indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana corruption case, in fresh trouble for the former prime minister who was arrested by paramilitary Rangers a day earlier from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises.

Khan was present in the District and Sessions Court where Judge Dilawar Humayun conducted the hearing.

ALSO READ | Violent Protests Over Imran Arrest Keep Pak on the Boil: Will Govt Impose Emergency? Exclusive

Khans lawyers requested to transfer the case to another judge, which was rejected.

We pleaded for adjournment of the indictment, but Sessions Judge Dilawar Humayun rejected it. The court wanted to file an indictment, but we have come out and are boycotting the proceedings, said Khans lawyer, according to local sources.

Khan boycotted the indictment proceedings in the case, asking his lawyers not to proceed in any case which will be heard under the Chief Justice (CJ) of Islamabad High Court (IHC), said local sources.

SC REJECTED PTI APPLICATION

The Supreme Court Registrars Office returned Khans application with objection, said sources. Khan could have filed an intra-court appeal against the High Courts decision and objection. However, he did not refer to the relevant forum and objection.

Documents attached to Khans application were not complete. The power of attorney attached with the application was also not signed, said sources.

People of Lahore coming out still in huge numbers. Moving from Liberty Towards Lahore cantt for protest! #ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/PlEzitHDR8 PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023

THE CASE

Khan, 70, has been in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.

ALSO READ | Imran Khan Evades Arrest: What is Toshakhana Case Against Him, and the Dirty Harry He Fears?

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

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The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months.

With PTI Inputs
From Islamabad to London, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for protests denouncing the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. A report by CNN-News18 said that PTI supporters stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the corps commanders residence in Lahore.

The party has demanded a nationwide shutdown and said they are ready to bring the government machinery to a grinding halt in order to assure former prime minister Imran Khans safety.

Imran Khan Arrest LIVE | Click here to catch all the latest updates

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has stated that they are fighting to release Imran Khan from what he calls an illegal abduction." He also urged the party members, workers, and the people of Pakistan to join them in peaceful protests against this unconstitutional behaviour. Qureshi accused the authorities of using chemical water and firing indiscriminately at PTI workers and alleged that his offices in Multan were raided, and his staff was beaten up.

The former foreign minister of Pakistan said that the arrest was connected with the London visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, hinting that his elder brother, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML (N)) chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif played a role in his successors arrest on Tuesday.

Imran Khan was arrested for taking bribes worth PKR 5 billion and land worth hundreds of kanals from a real estate firm for legalising to whitewash at least PKR 50 billion.

The former foreign minister was quick to deny allegations of reports of violence amid street protests by the PTI and said the government invited public wrath. The people of Pakistan across the country took to the street to protest the arrest of Imran Khan. They are peaceful and only want their beloved leaders safety. The people are protesting on their own, Qureshi said.

He referred to Imran Khans final video released on social media before his arrest, where he says he is mentally prepared for his arrest, and said that the Shehbazs London visit had a role to play.

Shehbaz Sharif visited London to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

PTI supporters in London gathered outside Avenfield House, the Park Lane home of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, and chanted anti-Nawaz slogans on Tuesday evening. A large number of PTI supporters had assembled on Dunraven Street, which leads to the gated apartment block where Sharif and his family live.

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(with inputs from the Dawn)

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the deadly protests by the supporters of former premier Imran Khan after his arrest in a corruption case and warned to deal with demonstrators with an iron fist.

The prime minister made a brief address to the nation after the country was rocked by deadly violence during the last two days which saw attacks on military installations and state properties.

Attack on public property is an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country, the prime minister said, adding that those taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with an iron fist.
After the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday in a corruption case, his PTI supporters stormed the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and Corps Commanders residence in Lahore.

Khans supporters torched Gujranwala cantonment entrance. In Lahore, PTI workers gathered at Liberty Chowk and marched towards cantonment areas to protest outside Jinnah House, according to Pakistan daily Dawn.

The demonstrators burnt tyres and chanted slogans of anti-coalition government. Wives and family members of Army officers have posted pictures of violence on social media.

The mob also damaged the PML-Ns Model Town office, and set PM Shehbaz Sharifs private residence on fire.

Video footage shows that some PTI workers suffered bullet injuries in Lahore and Faisalabad during their clashes with the security agencies.

At least four PTI workers were killed so far in different parts of the country on the firing of the law enforcement agencies. One each has been killed in Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, and Swat," senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari said.

She said over a dozen have also been injured. However, the deaths could not be verified independently.

The Punjab government also requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to suspend Internet and mobile services in the areas of the province where violent protests took place.

Similarly, the Balochistan government also imposed Section 144 in Quetta and at other places to control political events and protests.

According to sources, a meeting of corps commanders will take place this evening to review the protests and work out a strategy to pacify the situation. The Army HQ in Pakistan has advised all officers to remain extremely vigilant. They asked them to avoid unnecessary movement for now.

Khan, 70, who travelled from Lahore to Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khans security staff.

His arrest comes a day after the countrys army accused him of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.

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(With PTI inputs)

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As soon as the news of Imran Khans arrest spread on Tuesday, his supporters took to the streets in Lahore and Islamabad and vandalised properties.

Supporters of Imrans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party also clashed with the police, with his supporters armed with batons targeting the installations of security institutions, including the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army.

Imran Khan Arrest LIVE Updates: PTI Calls for Protests in Karachi, Islamabad; Internet Suspended; US Embassy Issues Restrictions

Some protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and laying siege to the armys general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Local media reported two deaths in those clashes.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, a protestor can be seen holding a peacock in his arms saying he took the bird because it was bought with citizens money.

This PTI worker stole a peacock from the residence of Lahore corps commander. pic.twitter.com/03KWxgy12K Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 9, 2023

Another video shows two people carrying white peacocks allegedly stolen from the residence of the armys Corps Commander in Lahore.

Other videos show protestors barging into a house of a commander and vandalising the house carrying sticks and pelting stones.

Peacocks stolen by a mob from the residence of Pakistan Armys Corps Commander in Lahore. You heard that right.  pic.twitter.com/eyxi5iKgG9  Suraj Balakrishnan (@SurajBala) May 9, 2023

Imran Khans supporters gathered in front of the army headquarters and pelted stones at it before entering the premises and vandalising it. This was for the first time that the Army headquarters was assaulted.

Imran was taken into custody in a clumsy fashion by the paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by barging into a room of the Islamabad High Court where he came to attend a corruption case hearing.

Khan has faced dozens of charges since being ousted in April  tactic analysts say successive Pakistan governments have used to silence their opponents.

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Imran Khan will appear Wednesday in a special court at the capitals police headquarters to answer graft charges, a day after his shock arrest prompted violent nationwide protests.

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The US border with Mexico will be chaotic for a while," President Joe Biden acknowledged Tuesday, days before the lifting of pandemic-era rules that have made claiming asylum at the frontier all but impossible.

Tens of thousands of people are massing at border crossing points awaiting the expiration of so-called Title 42 overnight Thursday into Friday.

Thousands have already entered the United States, squeezing through the holes that pockmark the division between the worlds wealthiest country and its poorer neighbor, and a spike in asylum claims is expected.

The Texan cities of El Paso, Brownsville and Laredo have declared a state of emergency as they struggle to cope with hundreds of people  most from Latin America, some from China, Russia and Turkey  who are already there.

Asked if the United States was ready for a surge in crossings, Biden told reporters: It remains to be seen. Its going to be chaotic for a while."

The Title 42 rules were put in place in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Donald Trump was president, ostensibly to prevent people with the virus from entering the country.

In practice, it has been little more than a crude tool to swiftly expel those trying to migrate.

From Friday, migrants will once again be able to lodge asylum claims and have their cases dealt with through the legal system, a process that can take years.

Bidens opponents in the Republican Party have hammered the veteran Democrat over his border policy, which they say amounts to throwing open the doors, with dire forecasts that more than a million people could arrive in the next three months, overwhelming an already-stretched system.

Biden has ordered 1,500 active duty troops to the frontier, where they are expected to assist border patrol agents with the processing of applicants.

With a presidential election 18 months away and immigration a regular fault line in the countrys fractious politics, Biden is hoping new rules  and the influx of troops  will help staunch that flow.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday lashed out at the president, accusing him of laying down the welcome mat."

The Republican said he was sending members of the Texas National Guard to hotspots all along the border to help intercept and repel large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally."

Some of those troops were visible Tuesday at the border in El Paso, across from Mexicos Ciudad Juarez.

Left behind

Hundreds of migrants who had already crossed into the United States  many of them Venezuelans  were queueing in El Paso to hand themselves in to border patrol agents.

Those fleeing the dysfunctional South American country previously had a carve-out from the Title 42 rules, and were still able to claim asylum.

They fear that once the measure lapses, they will be stuck in Mexico, unable to reverse the difficult journey back to a hostile homeland, and living without money at the mercy of human traffickers.

I waited for four months trying to lodge my request, but I was ignored," said Gleidys Losada.

All the people I knew were crossing through the gaps. I was left behind, and I decided I couldnt wait any longer."

Lopez has spent the last four nights outside Sacred Heart Church in downtown El Paso, which has become a gathering point for thousands of migrants.

They huddle there, dependent on charity and hoping to somehow be able to scrabble together enough money to get them to cities across the United States, where they may have friends or family waiting for them.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held an hour-long call with Biden on Tuesday, during which they discussed immigration and the need for economic development of Latin America.

We reaffirmed our commitment to continue working together on issues such as migration with a human dimension, drug and arms trafficking and, above all, cooperation for the well-being of the poorest peoples of our continent," Lopez Obrador tweeted afterward.

Several migrants told AFP that no upcoming border policy change will dissuade them from trying to make a new home in the United States.

They can throw Title 42 and all these rules at us, but migration is not going to end. We are going to keep coming because we are hungry," said Eibor Tovar, a 34-year-old Venezuelan.

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When you are hungry, when you are repressed by a dictatorship, you do whatever it takes to seek a better life."

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Former prime minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was remanded to eight days National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case by an accountability court on Wednesday.

Imran Khan Arrest LIVE | Catch All the Latest Updates HERE

It should be noted that the former prime minister was also indicted by a sessions court in the Toshakhana case on the same day. Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initially requested a 14-day remand of Imran Khan during the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case presided over by Judge Mohammad Bashir.

However, the PTI chairmans lawyer, Khawaja Harris, opposed the request stating that the case did not fall within the bureaus ambit.

He claimed that NAB did not share the inquiry report.

Harris called for the hearing to be held in an open court and argued that everyone has the right to a fair trial.

He also said that a building had been constructed on the land belonging to Al-Qadir Trust, where people received free education.

The NABs legal counsel informed the court that Imran Khan was shown the warrant during his arrest. He also assured Imran Khans legal team that necessary documentation will be given to them.

The NAB prosecutor argued that it was a graft case probed by the UK National Crime Agency and the money received was supposed to be transferred to the government of Pakistan but instead of the government, the funds were transferred to Bahria Town.

Imran Khan contradicted NABs version and told the court that he was shown the arrest warrant when he was taken to the bureaus office and not at the time of his arrest.

Meanwhile, additional and district sessions judge Humayun Dilawar presided over the hearing for the Toshakhana case. Imran Khan was indicted in the case for deliberately withholding information regarding gifts he received from the Toshakhana, which is a depository for presents given to government officials by foreign dignitaries.

Imran Khans arrest has led widespread protests - both violent and non-violent - across Pakistan. All major cities in Pakistan, including capital Islamabad, reported clashes between law enforcement officials and PTI cadres.

The security situation in Peshawar is concerning as four people have died. The protests turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police and set fire to several buildings, including the Radio Pakistan building.

The arrests of high profile leaders like Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PTI general secretary Asad Umar has led to further unrest.

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Army has been deployed in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

(with inputs from Dawn and GeoNews)
An extensive survey of payroll employees has revealed that corporate Australia faces higher risk of employee payment errors.

In FY2022, the Fair Work Ombudsman retrieved over $530 billion in unpaid wages and entitlements for nearly 400,000 employees, with big corporate employers being liable for over half of these payments. This amount is thrice the sum recovered in FY2021 and over four times that of FY2020.

Over the past few years, numerous cases of industrial-scale staff underpayment, including the recent Commonwealth Bank scandal where thousands of employees were underpaid by over $16 million, have garnered significant media attention.

A recent survey of payroll employees indicates that one in four individuals working in payroll for large companies is considering resigning. Payroll employees in large companies are experiencing the highest rate of burnout, with 46 per cent reporting burnout compared to 28 per cent in small companies (under 50 employees) and 35 per cent in medium-sized companies (51-500 employees).

Moreover, large companies have the highest proportion of payroll staff whose workload has increased since the pandemic, with 57 per cent reporting an increase, compared to 43 per cent in small companies and 50 per cent in medium-sized companies.

The survey revealed that, among those experiencing burnout, 49 per cent cited lack of leadership, 40 per cent cited lack of resources, 39 per cent cited lack of investment in payroll, and 36 per cent cited unrealistic deadlines and expectations.

Tracy Angwin, CEO of the Australian Payroll Association, commented that in their audits, they have observed inefficient utilization of payroll staff and technology. Payroll professionals are performing manual tasks that could be automated, leading to higher costs and increased risk of errors. Overpayments are also regularly identified in their audits.

Perhaps the most alarming thing we see is the trend of senior management not understanding the payroll structure required to ensure a well-governed, compliant and efficient payroll. The number of senior company executives quietly admitting to us that they have no idea what is going on in their companys payroll function is astounding. With the increasing wage theft laws coming in and liabilities on executives and company directors, employers cannot just hope that their payroll people get it right, and without any oversight. We find errors in 100 per cent of our payroll audits.

Many payroll teams are overworked because they use poor processes and technology and just dont have the skills and technical knowledge they need. They rely on technology that often hasnt been checked in years, and this technology reliance is the main cause of most of the underpayments published in the news over the past few years. There is very little time, if any, spent checking that the payroll is compliant. How many times do we hear CEOs blame the system?

Given the current battle for payroll talent, resolving this situation is challenging. However, Tracy believes that investing in the payroll team to improve retention and engaging external specialists to perform regular payroll function reviews to identify inefficiencies is the most effective approach.

Tracy warns that an increase in underpayments and non-compliance with employee entitlements is almost certain without action. Companies are now under greater scrutiny for fulfilling their obligations regarding employee payments, and a lack of compliance can result in significant fines and reputational damage. Organisations must have access to specialist support through their payroll departments to avoid a potential payroll crisis.

As the developer of Australias first recognized payroll qualifications, including the Certificate IV in Payroll Administration and Diploma of Payroll Management, and the founder of the registered training organization, Australian Payroll Institute, Tracy believes that her organization is uniquely positioned to address the lack of knowledge and training in the business sector, company by company.

Tracy says: We review end-to-end payroll operations to ensure compliance and optimise a companys processes, efficiency, governance and controls.

It also offers a payroll compliance audit to ensure employment obligations are met, awards and enterprise bargaining agreements are correctly interpreted, and leave calculations are in accordance with relevant state and territory legislation.

The full report can be downloaded here: https://austpayroll.ac-page.com/2023-payroll-survey-download.

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The Pakistan interior ministry approved the Punjab provincial governments request to deploy troops to maintain order following clashes between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cadres and law enforcement officials.

Neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province also called in troops to maintain law and order, following the footsteps of the Punjab provincial government. It should be noted that both provincial governments are currently caretaker governments as their assemblies were dissolved by the PTI which was ruling these provinces.

Police in Pakistans Punjab province have reported the arrest of around 1,000 individuals following the outbreak of protests in the aftermath of the detention of former prime minister Imran Khan. In a statement to the media, officials said that 130 officers and officials had been injured during the violence, while 945 lawbreakers and miscreants" had been detained from across the province.

People familiar with the developments said that the interior ministry authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops for maintaining law and order situations in aid of civil power and added that the deployment was made under Article 245 of the Pakistan Constitution and Section 4 (3) (ii) of the nations Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

They also said that Sindh could witness similar troop deployment.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that both the provinces are under martial law due to the deployment of the army. The deployment of the army has been authorised in Pakistans two most populous provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which make up 75% of the countrys population. With this move, both provinces are effectively under martial law, Chaudhry said.

The roads leading to the Lahore residence of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif have been sealed off with containers, according to recent reports.

The move was made by the authorities in response to growing unrest in the country following the arrest of opposition leader Imran Khan on corruption charges.

The use of containers to seal off roads has become a common tactic in Pakistan during periods of political instability and unrest. The heavy containers are typically placed at strategic locations to prevent access to key areas and control the movement of people and vehicles.

The Sharif family owns a lavish estate near Lahore named Jati Umra, which is named after their ancestral town of Jati Umra in Tarn Taran Sahib, located in the Indian state of Punjab.

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The containers have been deployed to stop the unrest from spilling into the township.

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Russia on Wednesday restored visa-free travel for citizens of Georgia and lifted a ban on direct flights between the two countries imposed in 2019, according to a decree published on a Russian government website.

The move represents a sharp warming in relations between Moscow and Tbilisi, which have been among the most strained in the former Soviet Union but have improved in recent years.

Russia allows citizens of most former Soviet republics visa-free access but imposed a visa regime on Georgians in 2000, citing the risk of terrorism in the North Caucasus region. Moscow banned direct flights to Georgia in 2019, after anti-Russian protests.

Georgia allows Russians visa-free access and full work rights for up to a year, which has made the country one of the main destinations for Russians who have left their country since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Moscow and Tbilisi have had no formal diplomatic relations since 2008 when they fought a brief war over South Ossetia, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia.

Georgian society remains strongly anti-Russian, with hundreds of thousands of Georgians living as internal refugees after fleeing South Ossetia and another Russian-backed secessionist region, Abkhazia.

However, the Georgian government has avoided taking an overtly anti-Russian stance since the start of what Moscow calls its special military operation" in Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022.

Tbilisi declined to impose sanctions on Moscow even though Georgian public opinion is pro-Ukrainian and the large influx of Russian anti-war emigres has created some strains within Georgia.

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Tbilisis stance has strained relations with the European Union, even as it earned praise from its old foe Russia, which referred to Georgias position on the war as balanced" and had repeatedly offered to restore direct flights.

In March, amid large protests, Georgias government abandoned efforts to pass a draft law regulating so-called foreign agents". Critics said the bill was modelled on a Russian law they say was used to undermine civil society there, and that it is symbolic of an authoritarian shift in Georgia.
Syrias President Bashar al-Assad cemented his return to the Arab fold Tuesday when leading Sunni power Saudi Arabia, which long supported Syrias opposition, said its diplomats would resume work in the country.

The restoration of diplomatic ties, later confirmed by Damascus, came more than a decade after Riyadh withdrew its representatives during Syrias civil war, and two days after the Arab League bloc ended Syrias years-long suspension.

The kingdom has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria," Riyadhs foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, saying it would seek to develop joint Arab action".

Syrias SANA news agency also said the Syrian Arab Republic has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia," quoting a foreign ministry source.

Saudi Arabia will host the pan-Arab blocs next summit on May 19.

Assad had been politically isolated in the region since Syrias war began, but a flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway in past weeks after a decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties shifted the political landscape.

Three weeks ago Assad met in Damascus with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the first such visit since the war broke out in 2011.

At that time, Assad and Prince Faisal discussed steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement that contributes to Syrias return to the Arab fold," the Saudi foreign ministry said.

Saudi Arabia severed ties with Assads government in 2012 and Riyadh had long openly championed Assads ouster, backing Syrian rebels in earlier stages of the war.

Assad hopes normalisation with wealthy Gulf states can bring economic relief and money for reconstruction, as broader international funding remains elusive without a United Nations-backed political settlement to the conflict.

- No political solution -

On Sunday the Arab League welcomed back Syrias government.

The body had suspended Damascus in November 2011 over its crackdown on peaceful protests, which had begun earlier that year and spiralled into a war that drew in foreign powers, has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the countrys infrastructure and industry.

While the front lines have mostly quieted, large parts of the countrys north remain outside government control, and no political solution has yet been reached to the conflict.

Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday emphasised their keenness to launch a leading Arab role in efforts to resolve" the Syria crisis.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, head of the 22-member Arab League, said the decision brings the Arab side into communication with the Syrian government for the first time in years".

Syrias return to the bloc is the beginning not the end of the issue", he added, noting it was up to individual countries to decide whether to resume ties with Damascus.

The Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition alliance, said Sundays decision meant abandoning" Syrians and leaving them without official Arab support".

The United States and Britain said they still opposed relations with Assad but would work with Arab states that are re-establishing relations.

And our position is clear: We are not going to be in the business of normalising relations with Assad and with that regime," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington.

But Blinken said the United States shared the goals of Arab partners in Syria, including on providing humanitarian assistance and combatting the Islamic State extremist group.

So I think the Arab perspective, as articulated through the Arab League, is they believe that they can pursue these objectives through more direct engagement," Blinken said.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking alongside Blinken, said London was very uncomfortable" with the Arab League decision.

We cannot just wish away the actions of the Assad regime over the last few years; the brutality against Syrian people cannot just be ignored. And the UK certainly wont brush that under the carpet," Cleverly said.

But we do recognise that there is a huge amount of pressure on countries in the region," he said.

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The United States maintains hundreds of soldiers in Syria as part of a coalition against the Islamic State group. Turkish and Iranian-linked forces are also in the country.

Read all the Latest News here
A British man pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in schemes to hack the Twitter accounts of celebrities like Barack Obama and Elon Musk and stealing $794,000 in cryptocurrency.

Joseph James OConnor, 23, entered his guilty plea in a New York court after being extradited from Spain on April 26.

He was arrested nearly two years ago in Spain for the July 2020 hack of over 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Obama and Musk.

He and others in his hacking group hijacked the accounts and asked the owners followers to send them bitcoin, promising to double their money.

In 2019 the group also used a technique known as sim card swaps to break their way into social media accounts of two media stars, not named in court filings but named in press reports as TikTok star Addison Rae and actress Bella Thorne.

The group threatened to release their private images and other information.

In addition, they used the same technique to steal $794,000 of virtual currency from a New York cryptocurrency company.

OConnor, who went by the online name of PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of computer intrusion, extortion, stalking, wire fraud and money laundering.

The most serious of the charges brings up to 20 years in prison.

In July 2021, Florida teenager Graham Ivan Clark, the alleged mastermind of the hacking group, was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison under a plea agreement.

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Clark, only 17 when he was charged, was sentenced to the maximum allowed under Floridas Youthful Offender Act.

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In the wake of the ongoing violent protests against Imran Khans arrest, the US Embassy in Islamabad has announced cancelling all consular appointments on Wednesday.

The US Embassy said it is cancelling all consular appointments because of potential traffic disruptions and restrictions amid nationwide protests across Pakistan.

Imran Khan Arrest LIVE Updates: PTI Calls for Protests in Karachi, Islamabad; Internet Suspended; US Embassy Issues Restrictions

The US. Embassy is monitoring earlier reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad and also sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned elsewhere throughout Pakistan. Because of potential traffic disruptions and restrictions, US Embassy Islamabad has canceled all consular appointments for tomorrow, May 10, 2023, a statement of the US Embassy in Pakistan said.

Washington called for people to remain vigilant and avoid locations with large crowds. It also cautioned people to be aware of their surroundings and check local media for updates.

Protests erupted across Pakistan on Tuesday after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested during a court appearance in the capital for one of dozens of cases pending since he was ousted last year.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States wants to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution.

Meanwhile, Canada issued travel advice asking its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in Pakistan due to the unpredictable security situation.

There is a threat of terrorism, civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping, a statement of Canadian government said.

Canada also appealed to people to avoid all areas within 50 km of the border with Afghanistan and within 10 km of the borders with China, India and Iran.

Avoid non-essential travel to the city of Karachi, due to violence and the risk of terrorism, the statement added.

Protesters, mostly supporters of Imran Khan, took out their wrath on the military, storming the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and laying siege to a gate of the armys general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse Khan supporters in Karachi and Lahore, while protesters blocked roads in the capital Islamabad, Peshawar, and other cities.

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(With Inputs from Shailendra Wangu)

Read all the Latest News here
The US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States for an official state visit on June 22. The announcement was made by the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday.

The state visit will also feature a state dinner. The White House said that the visit will reaffirm the strong partnership and warm relationship between the United States and India.

In the press release, the White House said that the visit will further bolster the shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific. During the visit, measures to strengthen the strategic technology partnership in defence, clean energy, and space will also be taken.

The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security, the press release said.

The state visit will come a month after both leaders meet in Sydney for the QUAD Summit. In 2023, the Quad Leaders Summit will be held in Sydney, where the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese will host the leaders of India, Japan, and the United States, Narendra Modi, Kishida Fumio and Joe Biden, respectively.

Joe Biden and PM Modi will also meet in Japans Hiroshima as PM Modi will undertake a visit to Japan for the G7 meeting.

Prime Minister Modi will undertake a visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. The visit will kick off with the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, where PM Modi will represent India from May 20 to 21.

Both leaders are also expected to meet once more in September when India holds the G20 Leadership Summit as its current chair.

The relationship between India and the United States has grown significantly in recent years.

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Both countries are eager to deepen their strategic partnership, with cooperation on defence, trade, energy and technology sectors.

The US has expressed support for Indias role in the Indo-Pacific region as it wants to contain Chinese aggression in the region.
Vietnam third top chip exporter to the US

Workers at an Intel factory in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of IPV

Vietnam accounted for 10% of semiconductor chip exports to the U.S. in the 12 months ending this February, ranking third after Malaysia and Taiwan.

The Vietnam chip industrys revenue from the U.S. market rose by 74.9% during the period, from $321.7 million in February 2022 to $562.5 million this February, according to a report by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Vietnam is also among the countries with the highest growth rate of chip exports to the U.S., alongside Thailand, India and Cambodia.

Cambodian chip exports to the U.S. grew in value 7-fold over the period, from $20.8 million to $166.3 million, while Indian revenues from the market grew 34-fold to $152 million in February.

In February, semiconductor chip export orders to the U.S. reached $4.86 billion, up 17% year-on-year. Among those, chips made in Asia accounted for 83%.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. is diversifying its electronics supply chain by reducing the share of chip imports from Malaysia, a longtime powerhouse in chip packaging, alongside moving its iPhone production chain out of China.

At a government meeting in April, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment the tasks of improving the National Innovation Center, and developing a chip production program.

Experts believe Vietnam has the potential to be a global center of chip production if it can utilize its advantages and implement effective strategies, policies, and incentives for the sector.

Intels Asia Pacific and Japan General Manager Steve Long told VnExpress last year: "Vietnam has the capacity to establish the necessary infrastructure and policies to support cutting-edge chip manufacturing."
An investor looks at stock prices on a smartphone at a brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Most property stocks ended in the green Wednesday, some even hit the ceiling, helping VN-Index closed 0.43% higher at 1,058.26 points and reached the highest since April 13.

NVL of property developer Novaland Group and PDR of Phat Dat Real Estate Development closed 2.7% and 2.2% higher, respectively, and both were among the biggest contributors to VN-Indexs gain this session.

Many other property stocks closed 1-4% higher, except for VIC of private conglomerate Vingroup and AGG of An Gia Real Estate Investment and Development, which stood unchanged.

Brokerage Dong A said in a recent note that investors can consider buying property stocks as there have been positive news on untying knots in project development.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) increased by 19.49% to VND11.16 trillion ($475.50 million).

The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 18 tickers gain.

GVR of Vietnam Rubber Group led with a 4.3% increase, followed by MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World, up 2.8%.

NVL of property developer Novaland Group and STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank both rose 2.3%.

Eight blue chips fell, with GAS of state-owned Petrovietnam Gas posting the biggest decline at 1%.

Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND27.16 billion, mainly selling CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank and VPB of private lender VPBank.

The HNX-Index at the Hanoi Stock Exchange, where mid and small caps list, was up 0.92% while the UPCoM-Index at the Unlisted Public Companies Market was up by 0.64%.
PFAS are chemicals used in products such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and according to a report cited by the Guardian , some soft contact lenses. Scott Belcher, a researcher at North Carolina State University, tells the paper that after tests of 18 known contact lens brands revealed organic fluorine, a PFAS marker, "You could consider [them] almost pure PFAS." Given that PFAS are persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the body, that's bad news. The Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a branch of the CDC, lists effects discovered from animal studies, including liver damage, immune system problems, andin newbornsbirth defects, delayed development, and even deaths.

According to the Guardian, Mamavation, and Environmental Health News tested contact lenses sold by Acuvue, Alcon, and Coopervision in an EPA-certified lab. A search for organic fluorine produced results ranging from 105 to 20,700 parts per million, suggesting that the lenses contain PFAS called fluoropolymers. Such soft plastic material is ideal for disposable, soft contacts because they've got what eyes need, according to Belcher, which is the capacity "to get oxygen" but not allow "bacteria to grow like crazy."

A 2020 study by Chinese researchers did connect high environmental PFAS exposure to some eye diseases, especially in elderly subjects. Unfortunately, as the Guardian points out, health impacts from eyes exposed directly to these chemicals are unknown, for the most partno one has studied the absorption of PFAS from lenses. Still, once the substances enter the environment, they can break down into different, potentially dangerous forms. Belcher tells the Guardian the best bet for protection is to talk with an eye doctor about other options. (Read more contact lenses stories.)
Lawmakers in Florida have proposed legislation that could change the fabric of the state's infrastructure, reports NPR. The controversial proposal aims to use radioactive material, specifically a waste substance produced by the fertilizer industry called phosphogypsum, as a component in pavement on the state's roads. Bill advocates argue in part that phosphogypsum is not actually considered "solid waste," which would make its use against EPA rules, and that the rules do permit research use. The AP reports that the substance has raised real concerns among environmental groups, who warn that phosphogypsum, which produces radium-226 as it decays, could pollute local waterways that absorb runoff from storms.

Critics worried about the billwhich has been passed by the legislature but not yet signed by Gov. Ron DeSantissigned a letter of concern by the Center for Biological Diversity. It said that "radioactive phosphogypsum in roads is not a solution to the fertilizer industry's toxic waste problem," and "Florida should not be a test subject in the industry's reckless experiment." Florida Insider quoted Center attorney Ragan Whitlock, who called this a "dangerous plan to pave Floridas roads with toxic phosphate mining waste," and said it "is an egregious handout to an industry that has a lengthy history of damaging the environment and putting public health at risk." The EPA told NPR that it still needs to review the bill and the agency conducts those on a "case-by-case basis." The bill is awaiting DeSantis's signature, but even if he doesn't sign, NPR reports it will automatically go into effect. (Read more Florida stories.)
The solar panel farm of AMI AC Renewables in Khanh Hoa Province in central Vietnam. Photo by AMI AC Renewables

An energy storage project costing nearly $3 million will be built in Khanh Hoa Province as part of a new joint venture.

Funded by the U.S. Mission Vietnam, the project aims to demonstrate how it can reduce power losses and help Vietnam integrate more renewable energy into the nation's power system.

AMI AC Renewables, a joint venture between AMI Renewables of Vietnam and AC Energy of the Philippines, signed an MOU with American corporation Honeywell in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday to integrate a Honeywell Battery Energy Storage System into a 50-megawatt peak solar farm in Khanh Hoa, according to a U.S. Consulate General statement.

The power plant will be the first in Vietnam to deploy the Battery Energy Storage System.

Nguyen Nam Thang, CEO of AMIAC Renewables, said at the signing ceremony there was a determination to put the project into operation before the third quarter of 2024.

He said the project would be able to demonstrate its practical benefits such as stabilizing the power grid, storing curtailed electricity, and becoming a pilot project for organizations to study.

He added that he hoped this could lead to new policies, regulations, and pricing mechanisms for the new auxiliary services to enhance efficiency, grid infrastructure safety, and bring major socioeconomic benefits.

U.S. Consul General Susan Burns, who witnessed the signing of the agreement, said: "We hope that the experience and data this pilot project yields can inform the development of a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for energy storage, pave the way for its wider adoption, and spur additional private sector investment in this innovative technology."

According to the U.S. Mission, the project is part of its commitment to the Just Energy Transition Partnership with Vietnam.

Vietnam signed the partnership with several international partners last year to support the nation's clean energy transition and deliver net-zero emissions by 2050.
Satellite data has revealed "mind-boggling" methane emissions from Turkmenistan's two main fossil fuel fields, which caused more global heating in 2022 than all of the carbon emissions in the UK. Data produced by geo-analytics company Kayrros at the request of the Guardian shows Turkmenistan's western fossil fuel field on the Caspian coast emitted more than 2.9 million tons of methane last year, while the eastern field leaked almost 2 million tons. Together, that's equal to 403 million tons of the less potent carbon dioxide, or more than the annual emissions of the UK, which ranks as the 17th worst emitter in the world, per Popular Science. And that's not the whole picture.

Satellites aren't yet able to measure methane emissions over water, meaning the total does not include those from Turkmenistan's offshore installations, per the Guardian. The outlet previously identified Turkmenistan as the worst country in the world for "super emitting" fossil fuel leaks, responsible for 70 of the largest 100 events in 2022. According to new data, Turkmenistan has had 840 super-emitting events since 2019, or "the most from any nation." Unwanted methane is often burned in a process known as flaring, which converts it to CO225% less potent at trapping heat than methane. But flaring is easy to detect and "has been increasingly frowned upon in recent years," leading some producers to release of invisible methane gas into the atmosphere, per the Guardian.

This "venting" process, which recent developments in satellite technology are helping to uncover, could be behind Turkmenistan's super-emitting leaks, experts say. Another suspect is the country's aging Soviet-era equipment. Either way, super-emitting events can easily be stopped, Kayrros President Antoine Rostand tells the Guardian. Fixing leaky valves or pipes, or even relighting flares is "very simple to do" and "the cost is completely marginal," he says. However, sources say Turkmenistan's leaders "never cared" about leaks given the country's large gas supply. It is the second-largest supplier of gas to China after Australia and reportedly plans to more than double its exports to the country. It's also working on building a pipeline to Europe. (Read more methane stories.)
A man in Australia who tried to learn more about his late father's background discovered that he had covered up a huge secret for 43 years. The US Marshal Service says the man known to his family as John Vincent Damon was actually William Leslie Arnold, who killed his parents in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1958 and escaped from prison nine years later, the Washington Post reports. Arnold was 16 years old when he shot his mother and father in an argument over the family car and buried them in the backyard, reports the Omaha World-Herald. Four months after his escape in 1967, he married a divorced mother of four in Chicago. He began working as a salesman and the family moved to Cincinnati, then Miami as he became a successful businessman.

Investigators say Arnold divorced his wife and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, where he remarried and had a son and daughter. In the early 1990s, however, he abruptly cut contact with his stepchildren and had a "distinctive" mole removed, the World-Herald reports. With his new family, he moved to New Zealand in 1992 and then to Australia in 1997. He died in Australia in 2010 at age 67, his dark secret still intact. In the US, the case remained cold until 2020, when Omaha-based deputy US Marshal Matt Westover took it on and obtained a DNA sample from Arnold's brother. Westover then waited to see if DNA from a previously unknown relative would appear on a genealogy website. He got a hit in August last year, when Arnold's son tried to learn more about the father who had told him he was an orphan from Chicago.

Westover says the son, who was 19 when his father died, took the news hard. "Their family didnt know any of this stuff, and so its hard not to feel bad for them," Westover tells the New York Times. Before his escape, Arnold was considered a model prisoner at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. In Australia, he lived a "great life and apparently changed his ways," Westover says. "He was a great father to them," he says of Arnold's family. In March, Westover visited Australia to wrap up he case. He spent time with Arnold's family and visited the fugitive's grave. He says he's glad Arnold died years agobecause otherwise, he would have had to arrest him and take him away from his family when he was in his 80s.

Arnold's son tells the World-Herald that he has come to terms with his father's past and the family believes he truly regretted his crime. "He was a good father who committed his entire life to my sister and I, and I pretty much owe him everything," he says. He has had Zoom conversations with Arnold's three surviving stepchildren. While in high school and in a prison band, Arnold was a renowned saxophone player. His son says he started playing saxophone himself as a teenager, but in a sign of how much Arnold concealed his past, his father never once picked up the instrument. (Read more fugitive stories.)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is returning to Washington after a long absence that led to increasingly strong calls for her resignation in recent weeks. At 89, the California Democrat is the oldest senator. She was hospitalized with shingles in February and has been absent for more than two months. Her office said Tuesday that she was on her way back to DC and could return to the Capitol as soon as Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. "I'm glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

"After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, its clear shes back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California," Schumer said. Feinstein's return will bring the Democrats back to a full majority in the Senate, the New York Times reports. With her absent from the Senate Judiciary Committee, it was difficult for Democrats to move forward with judicial nominations. Last month, she asked to be temporarily replaced on the committee, but the request got a hard no from Republicans. Feinstein has decided not to run for a seventh term in 2024, but she is likely to face more questions about her ability to serve if her health problems persist, reports the AP. (Read more Dianne Feinstein stories.)
After a jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, the writer smiled and hugged supporters in a Manhattan federal courtroom. She later issued a statement: "I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed." The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in a decision the former president slammed as a "disgrace." More:

"Tangible consequences." While the jury did not find Trump liable for rape in the civil trial, this is the first time he has faced "tangible consequences" in a series of sexual misconduct allegations going back to the 1970s, writes Ryan Bort at Rolling Stone. Trump has always denied wrongdoing, often claiming that the allegations were politically motivated, Bort notes.

Trump lawyer gets hostile reception . New York magazine reports that Trump attorney Joe Tacopina was heckled by Carroll supporter when he spoke to the press, with one shouting, "Trump is a rapist." Tacopina announced plans to appeal saying Trump is "firm in his belief, as many people are, that he cannot get a fair trial in New York City based on the jury pool."

. New York magazine reports that Trump attorney Joe Tacopina was heckled by Carroll supporter when he spoke to the press, with one shouting, "Trump is a rapist." Tacopina announced plans to appeal saying Trump is "firm in his belief, as many people are, that he cannot get a fair trial in New York City based on the jury pool." Trump blasts verdict, judge, jury . In multiple all-caps posts on his Truth Social network, Trump slammed the "VERY UNFAIR" trial and the "TRUMP HATING, CLINTON APPOINTED" judge. The jury, he said, was "FROM AN ANTI-TRUMP AREA WHICH IS PROBABLY THE WORST PLACE IN THE U.S. FOR ME TO GET A FAIR 'TRIAL.'"

. In multiple all-caps posts on his Truth Social network, Trump slammed the "VERY UNFAIR" trial and the "TRUMP HATING, CLINTON APPOINTED" judge. The jury, he said, was "FROM AN ANTI-TRUMP AREA WHICH IS PROBABLY THE WORST PLACE IN THE U.S. FOR ME TO GET A FAIR 'TRIAL.'" Two GOP senators speak out . Two Republican senators spoke out on the risk the verdict poses to Trump's White House bid, the BBC reports. "It has a cumulative effect," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama." Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said: "I don't think he can get elected. You can't win a general election with just your base."

. Two Republican senators spoke out on the risk the verdict poses to Trump's White House bid, the BBC reports. "It has a cumulative effect," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama." Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said: "I don't think he can get elected. You can't win a general election with just your base." A reminder for voters. The Washington Post editorial board calls the verdict a "stark moment of accountability" for Trump. The former president has not just been credibly accused of sexual abuse but found liable for it by a jury of his peers," the board writes. "That and the behavior he showcased at trial should remind voters of what they rejected in 2020." In a deposition played in court, Trump said Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a store changing room in 1996, wasn't his "type," and neither was another witness who accused him of sexual assault. During the deposition, he told Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan, "You wouldn't be a choice of mine, either, to be honest."

(Read more E. Jean Carroll stories.)
President Biden predicted Tuesday that the US-Mexico border would be chaotic for a while" when pandemic-related restrictions end, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weigh whether or when to cross. The restrictions allowed US officials to use Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020. They are ending later this week and the US is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor, and pass background checks. Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly, the AP reports. But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "It's going to be chaotic for a while.

Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Migrants are already arriving. Agents in the US Border Patrols relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four- or five-day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries. The Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to the country's immigration system.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border, but they will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are not there in any way to be interacting with migrants, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up US Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities. At least some of the active-duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go. More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines, and airmen will follow by the end of May.

(Read more US-Mexico border stories.)
French international news agency Agence France-Presse says its Ukraine video coordinator was killed Tuesday during a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the AP reports. Arman Soldin, 32, was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire from Grad rockets, the agency said. The rest of the AFP team was uninjured. The late afternoon attack took place in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, a town near Bakhmut. Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war's longest battle.

His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine," said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries. Soldin was born in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia, and was a French citizen, according to AFP. He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and had traveled regularly to the front lines in recent months. AFP said it was devastated at Soldin's death and all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Severodonetsk in the east. At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists. RSF Director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Soldin's death a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a speech Tuesday night in Washington, expressed condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones.

(Read more Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
Disturbing allegations from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, where a man is accused of hiding a camera in a public bathroom and filming more than 150 people who used it. That number includes dozens of children who traveled aboard the Harmony of the Seas, one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, the Washington Post reports. Authorities say Jeremy Froias boarded the ship April 29, and the next day hid the WiFi camera in part of the wall above a door that had been removed so repairs could be done. Authorities say he can be seen on footage from the camera re-entering the bathroom to adjust the angle the next day, May 1, and later that day a fellow passenger noticed the lens and reported it to crew. Authorities say Froias pointed the camera at the toilet and connected it to his phone via WiFi, CNN reports.

Hours of video were found on a memory card inside the camera when security officers removed it, according to an arrest affidavit, including videos of at least 40 minors, some as young as 4 or 5. "Individuals are seen coming into the bathroom to either use the toilet or to change into or out of swimsuits, the affidavit says. Froiass camera captured these individuals in various stages of undress, including capturing videos of their naked genitals, buttocks, and female breasts. He was removed from the ship and arrested on federal charges of video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material.

He had a bail hearing Monday in Puerto Rico and was released to his wife as a third-party custodian on $25,000 bond; he is barred from using the internet or having unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, including his own two kids, and had to surrender his passport. After his arrest, the Florida city of Kissimmee, where he was hired in 2004 and for which he was working as a cybersecurity officer, fired him. (Read more Royal Caribbean stories.)
The gunman who killed eight people and wounded seven others in a shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, had targeted the shopping center and was carrying three firearms on him when he was killed by a police officer, authorities said Tuesday. He had another five guns in his car. Authorities said he held "neo-Nazi ideation," but that he did not target anyone specifically during the massacre: "He just shot people," a Texas Department of Public Safety official said, per CBS News. Prior to the shooting, however, he had posted on social media about "the noble war," a reference to a race war white supremacists believe is coming, and had specifically spewed racist rhetoric targeting Asians, the Washington Post reports. He disparaged other racial minorities, women, and Jews as well.

In 2008, when the shooter was 18, he entered basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, but Army officials expelled him within three months, before he had made it to rifle training, NBC News reports. Officials were concerned about his mental health, including his ability to cope with stressful changes, and said he had an adjustment disorder. As NBC explains, such disorders are common among active duty members of the military and involve significant emotional distress. The shooter had no known criminal history and, authorities said, was "not on the radar of police at all" prior to the massacre. His posts, including ones appearing to monitor the mall during busy times, were made on a Russian social media site, but did not have any "likes" or shares from other users.

As for the eight guns, they were purchased legally, and DPS officials ended Tuesday's news conference moments after an exchange between an official and reporters over the question of how such mass shootings can be prevented, given the guns in this case were purchased legally by someone who had been expelled from the military over mental health concerns. "Even if he couldnt have purchased these firearms legally, he probably could have obtained them illegally or used some other vehicleliterally, a vehicleto perpetrate something similar," said an official before ending the conference. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott abruptly cut off a livestream of an unrelated Monday news conference after someone asked about the shooting. (Read more Texas mass shooting stories.)
A UK man arrested in Spain two summers ago and accused of hacking into the Twitter accounts of some big namesincluding the current owner of the platform himselfhas pleaded guilty to the plot, which also involved the theft of a hefty amount of crypto. On Tuesday, the US Justice Department announced that 23-year-old Joseph James O'Connor copped to cyberstalking and computer hacking schemes in a New York court, after being extradited from Spain last month, reports Reuters. The more than 130 notable Twitter accounts that O'Connor is said to have hacked into in July 2020 were those of Elon Musk (before he became Twitter's CEO), then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Apple, Uber, and Barack Obama, per the Guardian.

O'Connor, who went by the online handle "PlugwalkJoe," and fellow hackers gained unauthorized access to Twitter's administrative tools, in a scheme the BBC says "showed how fragile Twitter's security was at the time"they basically just called a few Twitter workers and tricked them into sharing login info. The hackers then used the accounts they hacked into to press followers to send them bitcoin, with promises of doubling their money. O'Connor is also accused of targeting the Snapchat and TikTok accounts of two other public figures in 2019 and 2020; those accounts are believed to have belonged to actor Bella Thorne and social media personality Addison Rae, respectively, per the Verge.

O'Connor was also accused of using a SIM-swap scheme to steal $794,000 worth of crypto from a company in New York City in 2019, and of stalking and threatening a minor in June and July 2020. "O'Connor has left an impressive trail of destruction in the wake of his wave of criminality," US Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey says in a statement. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite adds, "O'Connor's criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple people's lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm."

In addition to forfeiting the $794,000 and agreeing to pay restitution to his scam victims, the Liverpool native could see up to 77 years behind bars if convicted of the charges against him, which include computer intrusion, extortion, cyberstalking, wire fraud, and money laundering. He's set to be sentenced on June 23. Three others were also charged in the scam, including a Florida teen who pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to three years in a prison for young adults. (Read more hack stories.)
Mere mortals have done no shortage of tongue-wagging and fretting over ChatGPT: The "godfather" of AI is done with it, Elon Musk is going to reinvent it, and now China has apparently given us our first arrest over it. As Quartz reports, China arrested a man in Gansu province, identified only by the surname of Hong, for the offense of using ChatGPT to generate a story about a fake train crash involving fatalities and subsequently publishing it online.

The problem (other than the obvious why?): ChatGPT is illegal in Chinawhich tends to keep an eye on its people's internet habitsand has been since Jan. 10, per Reuters. The story, uploaded to Chinese social media on April 25, garnered a relatively meager total of 15,000 hits before authorities cracked down. Per Quartz, Hong faces a charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," which could land him five years in prison if convicted. (Read more ChatGPT stories.)
Ho Van Nghia, Nguyen Duy Phuong and Nguyen Van Do stand before the Da Nang People's Court, May 8, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Trang Chi

Three Vietnamese have been sentenced to prison for selling bank accounts to a Malaysian conman.

The Da Nang Peoples Court sentenced 27-year-old Ho Van Nghia to 17 years in prison on Monday, while 33-year-old Nguyen Duy Phuong got 16 years and Nguyen Van Do, 22, got 13 years.

All three were convicted of "appropriation of property using a computer network, telecommunications network, or electronic device."

In September 2019, a person named Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen asked Nghia to open bank accounts so those accounts could be sold for VND2.5 million ($106.54) each. Tuyen then introduced Nghia to a Malaysian named Jackson Liew.

Liew rented an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City for Nghia and Tuyen to stay in.

In January 2022, Tuyen was arrested by Quang Nam Province police and jailed for property appropriation.

Nghia said he knew opening bank accounts and selling them to Liew meant serving a group of fraudsters masquerading as authorities to scare people into giving them money, but he went on with it and worked for Liew anyway.

Nghia then contacted Phuong to request the opening of more bank accounts. Authorities said Phuong knew Nghia would use the bank accounts for illegal purposes, but he still opened four accounts and hired others to open even more. Do, a relative of Phuong, opened 10 accounts and gave them all to Phuong.

Besides opening bank accounts, Nghia also used the accounts himself to invest in cryptocurrency and send funds to Liew's digital wallet.

Authorities said four people in Da Nang, Can Tho and Vinh Long had been tricked and defrauded of a total of VND5.1 billion by Liews group.

Da Nang police have sent documents to Malaysia requesting cooperation in disciplining Liew, but so far there has been no response.

Authorities said Liews group asked its victims to install apps that were replicas of the logo of the Ministry of Public Security. The victims were then ordered to enter their personal information into the apps. The conmen would then take control of victims phones, sending their money to bank accounts  or they would order the victims to send the money themselves.
Every year since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has put out a list of America's "11 Most Endangered Historic Places." The hope is to generate attentionand maybe a little cash to prevent their loss. Camp Naco in Brisbee, Arizona, made the 2022 list, and has garnered $8 million in grants since and is on the way to restoration. "The most endangered historic places list looks like America," Katherine Malone-France, the group's chief preservation officer, tells NPR. "It tells our layered and interconnected stories. Each site on it, of course, is a powerful place in its own right. But I think there are also common themes, like creativity and entrepreneurship, perseverance, cultural exchange." She admits the list is "very hard to narrow." In no particular order:

Seattle's Chinatown-International District: One of the West Coast's oldest Asian-American communities is grappling with a proposed light-rail station and gentrification. The Evergreen Plantation on the West Bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, La.: It's "the last undeveloped 11 miles along the Mississippi River, south of Baton Rouge," Malone-France says, but that's threatened by a proposed 275-foot grain elevator. Philadelphia's Chinatown: The NBA's 76ers want to build a billion-dollar arena in the southern end. The home and studio of artist LV Hull in Kosciusko, Miss.: The building has sat vacant since the artist's death in 2008. Little Santo Domingo, Miami, Fla. Corner structure, dating to the 1920s, houses many small businesses, and there are fears overdevelopment in Miami could strip the area of its Dominican cultural identity. Holy Aid and Comfort Spiritual Church (aka Perseverance Benevolent and Mutual Aid Society Hall), New Orleans, La.: The home of early iconic jazz performances, which dates to 1880, has been battered by vandalism and hurricanes and is on the brink of collapse. Charleston's Historic Neighborhoods, Charleston, South Carolina: The state's Ports Authority wants to put in a big development within its boundaries. Henry O. Tanner House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Black painter's rowhouse was built in 1871 in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood and is in danger of collapsing. Century and Consumers Buildings, Chicago, Ill.: Built in 1915 and 1913, respectively, in Chicago's early push toward skyscrapers, both are vacant and face demolition. Osterman Gas Station, Peach Springs, Ariz.: The Route 66 icon saw traffic dive with the advent of Interstate 40 in 1979, and the building is in rough shape. Pierce Chapel African Cemetery, Midland, Ga. Dating to 1828, it's one of the oldest slave cemeteries in Harris County, Ga., but has seen its gravesites disrupted due to utility work in the vicinity.

Much more on the group's list here . (Read more historic site stories.)
It's not every day that meteorites come crashing through the roof, but that appears to have been the case at a residence in Hopewell Township, NJ. An oblong object measuring about 4 inches by 6 inches tore into the home around 1pm Monday, reports Space.com. CBS Philadelphia interviewed resident Suzy Kop about the incident: It "came through here, hit the floor here because that's completely damaged, it ricocheted up to this part of the ceiling and then finally rested on the floor there."

Kop says no one was home when it happened and when she found what she thought was a rock it was warm to the touch. Once EMS arrived to assess what happened, they scanned the residents to make sure there was no exposure to radiation. In a brief news release, Hopewell Township police said the department had "contacted several other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object." The same release went on to say that the meteorite "may be related to a current Meteor shower called the Eta Aquariids," and that they were still investigating.

Franklin Institute chief astronomer Derick Pitts told CBS that the meteorite could be up to 5 billion years old, a relic from the formation of the solar system. "It's been running around in space all that time," he said, "and now it's come to Earth and fell in their laps. For it to actually strike a house, for people to be able to pick up, that's really unusual and has happened very few times in history." While Pitts is correct such strikes are rare, they aren't unprecedented: A 2015 article in Wired recounted a somewhat destructive meteorite smashing through the roof of a home in Uruguay in September of that year, as well as a bizarre 1954 Alabama incident in which a woman was hit by a meteorite that punched a hole in her roof. (Read about her experience here.)
Poland has infuriated Russia by renaming the city of Kaliningrad and the surrounding Russian exclave in official documents. A Polish government body said Kaliningrad should be known as Krolewiec, its name when it was under Polish rule before 1657, the BBC reports. The city was known as KoenigsbergKrolewiec in Polishfor centuries when it was part of East Prussia, but it was renamed after Soviet politician Mikhail Kalinin when it became part of the Soviet Union after World War II. In 1940, Kalinin signed a command to execute more than 20,000 Polish prisoners of war.

The Polish committee on the standardization of political names outside the country said the Kaliningrad name had an "emotional and negative" connection for Poles. "The current Russian name of this city is an artificial baptism unrelated to either the city or the region," the committee said, per Reuters. The committee said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had sparked an effort to take a fresh look at "imposed names."

Russia denounced the move as a "hostile act" that "bordered on madness." "We know that throughout history, Poland has slipped from time to time into this madness of hatred towards Russians," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. The exclave, which is around the size of Connecticut, is part of Russia but was left isolated by the fall of the Soviet Union. (Poland has installed razor wire along its border with the exclave and is installing a state-of-the-art electronic barrier; the exclave is between Poland and Lithuania.)
Rep. George Santos appeared in court Wednesday to face charges that could send the freshman member of Congress to a different kind of federal institution for up to 20 years. The Republican pleaded not guilty to all 13 counts against him connected to three alleged schemes, with the charges including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to Congress, the AP reports. The New York Times reports that Santos, who was taken into custody Wednesday morning, was freed on $500,000 bond secured by three people whose identities were not disclosed. The Times reports that Santos entered the Long Island federal courtroom with "lips pursed and a scowl."

Santos, 34, surrendered his passport and was told he could travel between Long Island, New York City, and Washington, DC, but would have to provide advance notice of travel elsewhere, the Guardian reports. "I always tell people, dont assume that its OK," Judge Anne Y. Shields told Santos. "Ask first." His attorney, Joseph Murray, said Santos is planning to go back to work and is "definitely running for re-election." The AP reports that Santos only spoke a few words during the 15-minute hearing. His next court date is June 30. (Read more George Santos stories.)
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A diving instructor in Malaysia has been detained on suspicion of kissing a Chinese woman, underwater, without her consent while they were diving off Mataking Island.

The tourist lodged an official complaint to Malaysian police, accusing the 27-year-old instructor of molesting her in waters off Semporna in Sabah state on May 5, Police Chief Assistant Superintendent Arif Abdul Razak said Monday, as reported by Strait Times.

The incident went viral after photos of the tourist and the diver surfaced on Facebook.

In two photos, the diver is seen removing his regulator from his mouth and kissing the tourist on the cheek.

The victim lodged a complaint with the Semporna police before flying back to China, police said

The diver is being investigated "for using criminal force to outrage the modesty of the woman."

Christina Liew, tourism, culture and environment minister of Sabah, said that the incident dented the image of Malaysia's tourism industry just as it was beginning to recover from the pandemic.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, highlighted the strength of Bahrain-South Korea relations, and the importance of furthering cooperation and coordination to benefit both countries and achieve common goals.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister were speaking as he received yesterday the outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Bahrain, HE Hae Kwan Chung, at Gudaibiya Palace, to mark the end of the Ambassadors service in the Kingdom.

HRH Prince Salman commended the Ambassadors efforts in strengthening bilateral cooperation between Bahrain and South Korea across all sectors. His Royal Highness extended his wishes to HE the Ambassador in his future endeavours.

HE Hae Kwan Chung expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to meet with His Royal Highness and noted HRH the Deputy Kings commitment to advancing bilateral relations. The Ambassador wished the Kingdom continued progress and prosperity.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, HE Hamad bin Faisal Al Malki, also attended the meeting.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Indias Honorable Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited the Kingdom of Bahrain on 4-5 May.

During the visit, he held discussions with Finance Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Labour Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan and Social Development Minister Osama Bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor.

Muraleedharan also met Undersecretary for Political Affairs of Bahrains Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. He interacted with H.E. Abdulnabi Salman, Dy Speaker, Council of Representatives (Lower House) and other parliamentarians during a reception by Indian community and friends of India in Bahrain.

Muraleedharan and Bahrains Ministers expressed happiness at the continued progress in bilateral relations in recent years. There has been regular exchange of Ministerial level visits. Bilateral trade has shown robust growth and expected to reach $2 billion mark in fiscal year 2022-2023.

Muraleedharan thanked the Bahraini leadership for taking excellent care of Indian community including Indian workers and professionals. Both sides agreed to discuss further avenues of cooperation including in the fields of technology and skills, as well as regional and international issues of common interest.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain will host the annual Toastmasters Annual Sector 20 Conference "DTAC 2023", under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa HM the King's Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs.

The conference starts tomorrow until May 13 with the participation of 127 clubs for both Arabic and English speakers.

HH Shaikh Nasser affirmed that the conference comes in line with the Kingdom's interest in preparing and refining young leaders and enabling them in various fields to contribute in the Kingdom's development process, conceding with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the support His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

HH Shaikh Nasser pointed out the importance of continuing to enhance the youth's role in leadership, speeches and letting them highlight their linguistic talents, wishing all participants success in the conference.

The conference joins Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt and Iraq under the slogan (Enthusiasm, Experience, Excellence).

The conference is considered a gain for ambitious youth and it coincides with many conferences supported by HH Shaikh Nasser, aimed at youth participation in various sectors.

The conference's organizing committee has completed all the administrative and organizational preparations for its launch, with more than 2,000 participants from Bahrain and Arab countries.

The committee was keen to achieve cooperation with various entities in the Kingdom to make the conference a success and highlight it uniquely in all aspects.

The first place winner in the international speech category will represent the sector in the Toastmasters International 2023 Convention, to be held in the Bahamas in August this year.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Supreme Court of Singapore (SCS) are exploring a collaboration framework to support Bahrain in establishing Bahrain International Commercial Court (BICC), an international commercial court for the resolution of transnational commercial disputes.

BICC will be based principally on the model of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), a joint SJC-SCS statement announced.

Chief Justice Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa, Vice President of the SJC and President of the Court of Cassation and Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Memorandum of Guidance (MoG) as to the Enforcement of Money Judgments.

Chief Justice Menon was in Bahrain on a two-day visit, May 8-9, where he met His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chief Justice Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa, Vice President of the SJC and President of the Court of Cassation, and Nawaf bin Mohamed Al-Moawda, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

The MoU and MoG are the first to be signed between the SJC and the SCS, further strengthening the ties between the respective judiciaries and countries.

The MoU enhances cooperation between the respective judiciaries to promote the efficient administration of justice.

It affirms both parties commitment to exchange experiences and develops the institutional and judicial capacity to ensure the effective resolution of cross-border commercial disputes, including alternative dispute resolution, the SJC-SCS statement said.

The MoU also aims to strengthen collaboration in judicial training by facilitating mutual visits. The MoG seeks to establish guiding principles for the procedures and requirements to enforce money judgments issued by the Courts of each country in the Courts of the other, the statement added.

The collaboration was initiated by a visit led by Chief Justice Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa where he met Chief Justice Menon in Singapore in October 2022, with the intent to better understand Singapores experience in building an international dispute resolution hub.

To facilitate the BICC establishment, working groups in the respective courts, led by Justice Philip Jeyaretnam, President of the SICC, and Chief Justice Khaled bin Ali, were established.

Chief Justice Khaled bin Ali affirmed that this unprecedented collaboration between Bahrain and Singapore to support the establishment of the BICC reflects the Bahrain judiciarys excellent relationship with the Singapore judiciary and advances a common aspiration of both judiciaries to develop and promote efficient dispute resolution mechanisms for transnational disputes.

"Through collaboration with the Singaporean judiciary, it is hoped that the BICC will work alongside the SICC to provide a global approach that maintains parties autonomy in its core, and to provide impartial and effective justice that meets the expectations of the international business community. The BICC-SICC collaboration aims to provide a complete ecosystem for regional and international dispute resolution together with arbitration and mediation," he added.

Chief Justice Menon said: "It was a great honour for me and my entire delegation to receive the warm and gracious hospitality extended to us by our hosts in Bahrain, in particular His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Chief Justice Shaikh Khaled bin Ali."

He added that during his visit to Bahrain, the two judiciaries marked the start of a significant project to enter into a collaboration to support the establishment of the BICC, entered into important instruments that significantly enhance bilateral judicial cooperation, and engaged in an insightful and topical Roundtable discussion of new and emerging trends in international commercial disputes.

These substantial achievements have laid a firm foundation for future collaboration between the Singapore and Bahrain judiciaries, he said.

On the second day of his visit, Chief Justice Menon delivered a lecture entitled "The Transnational System of Commercial Justice and the Place of International Commercial Courts". In his lecture, Chief Justice Menon addressed the rise, role and features of the transnational system of commercial justice (TSCJ), explained the central place of international commercial courts (ICCs) within the TSCJ, and how ICCs can transform their jurisdictions into key nodes of dispute resolution in the TSCJ.

BICCs establishment is a component of Bahrains ambition to build an international commercial dispute resolution hub with a state-of-the-art infrastructure that can capitalise on the regions strong economic growth.

BICC builds on the effective dispute resolution mechanisms already present in Bahrain, particularly, the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution and the latest amendments to adjudicate commercial disputes in English.

Bahrain recently appointed Court of Cassation (Supreme Court of Bahrain) judges that are internationally renowned in commercial dispute resolution. The judges will also sit on applications for the recognition and annulment of high-value arbitral awards and ancillary proceedings related to arbitration.

As a forum for the resolution of international commercial disputes, the SICC has established a reputation as a leading and trusted neutral forum for efficient and effective international commercial dispute resolution. In the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy International Dispute Resolution Survey 2022, which surveyed in-house counsel, dispute resolution lawyers, corporate lawyers and corporate executives from 25 countries, the SICC has been voted the most used international commercial court globally.

The SICC bench is comprised of a diverse panel of eminent international and local Judges from civil law and common law traditions, experienced in adjudicating specialist commercial disputes. Described as "arbitration in litigation", the SICC combines the best practices of international arbitration with the substantive principles of international commercial law, to offer procedures compatible with, and responsive to, the fast-changing needs and realities of international commerce.
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DANBURY  The Sherman man convicted in the March 2019 death of his husband will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to 35 years in prison and 10 years special parole.

James Maharg, 69, learned his fate Wednesday at state Superior Court in Danbury after being found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence

I think given his age, his physical frailty and his lack of a prior criminal record, 35 years is excessive, his attorney, Vicki Hutchinson, said Wednesday afternoon.

The sentence of 35 years imprisonment and 10 years special parole was for the murder charge. Maharg also got five years incarceration on the evidence-tampering charge, but the sentences will run concurrently.

The charges against Maharg stem from the March 2019 death of his husband, Thomas Conley, whose cold, naked body was found at the bottom of a staircase inside the couples Church Road home in Sherman.

The state medical examiner determined that 63-year-old Conley bled to death after sustaining four lacerations to the head, and ruled his death a homicide.

Maharg, who did not testify during his trial but spoke at his sentencing, claimed no responsibility for what happened to Conley.

I am innocent. I was not the cause of Toms tragic death, he said, describing his relationship with Conley as a fairytale and their June 2016 wedding the best day of his life.

To find real love is the most precious gift in the whole entire world. Tom was my precious gift, he said. He was my life, my family, my soul, my hero, my very best friend, my husband who I cherished.

Conleys sister, Colleen Corbett, said in a written statement read aloud in court that shes relieved that justice will be served and believes Mahargs conviction and sentencing will give her some bit of solace that Tom has received the justice he deserves.

According to authorities, Conleys death was the culmination of months of escalating trouble for the couple, who had been together for at least 30 years and married for three.

During Mahargs trial, Senior Assistant States Attorney Deborah Mabbett said the once-wealthy couple had become broke.

According to the warrant for Mahargs arrest  as well as the testimony of witnesses during trial  the couple had been drinking several bottles of tequila a day as a way of dealing with their failing retail supply business and the fact that they were losing their 20-acre farmhouse to the bank.

Mabbett also mentioned a history of domestic violence in the relationship, referencing testimony by a New Milford Hospital nurse, who said Conley told her his husband had kicked him in the ribs.

Family is 'broken to this day'

Conleys sister said in a written statement that the shock and profound sadness she felt upon learning of her brothers death has left her feeling broken to this day.

The long process of getting this tragedy brought to justice has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally, leaving me unable to attend the court proceedings, Corbett wrote in her statement, which victim services advocate Kristine Kellas read aloud in court Wednesday.

Conleys niece shared a statement virtually during Mahargs sentencing, saying she and her family were devastated and confused when they learned what happened to Conley and expected Maharg to take accountability for what he had done.

What we received instead was delusion  varying versions of the story where James was never to blame, she said. Hes been playing the victim from the very beginning.

Conleys niece said her uncle wasnt perfect, but he didnt deserve to be murdered by the person he loved and trusted.

James has taken so much from so many people, including himself. There was no one on earth who loved James more than Tom, she said. He could have saved Uncle Tom. Instead, he let him bleed out and has never taken responsibility for what hes done or shown any remorse. Not once has he said sorry.

Maharg  who has been held at the Cheshire Correctional Institution on a $2 million bond since his March 2019 arrest  waived his right to testify in his trial, during which Hutchinson argued that the evidence presented by the state failed to prove that her client killed Conley, calling it inconclusive at best.

Though a murder weapon was never identified, the prosecution claimed the state had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Maharg caused the wounds to Conleys scalp, which resulted in massive bleeding and his death.

The three-judge panel  consisting of Judges Robin Pavia, Tracy Lee Dayton and Maximino Medina Jr.  agreed with the prosecution, saying the state had proven beyond a reasonable doubt the essential elements of the crimes of murder and tampering with evidence.

Mahargs sentencing was originally scheduled for January but was postponed after his attorney filed a motion for a new trial. Hutchinson told Hearst Connecticut Media the court issued a written decision, denying the motion on March 27.

With Maharg planning to appeal the judgment in his case, Hutchinson filed a motion requesting the court to set an appellate bond for him, along with the option of a 10-percent cash option. The three-judge panel granted the first motion, imposing an appellate bond of $2 million, but denied the request for the 10-percent option.
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LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a two-day summit. Their host, President Joko Widodo, called for unity amid global economic headwinds and major-power rivalry that's lashing the region.

The 10-nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed, with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmar's generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings. The time for isolation has served its purpose, said an internal ASEAN report obtained by The Associated Press.

Over the weekend, a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire in Myanmars eastern Shan state. A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged, but there were no injuries, state-run television MRTV reported.

Indonesia, which chairs ASEAN this year, had arranged for the aid delivery after a long-delayed assessment.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable, the ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement.

For the second year, Myanmar's top general was not invited to the summit. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing led the army in seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, plunging the country into a civil strife and becoming ASEANs gravest crisis since its founding in 1967.

ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues."

During foreign ministers' talks ahead of the summit, however, some suggested that the group reengage Myanmar's military-led State Administration Council and bring Myanmar back to ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and summits, noting that the time for isolation has served its purpose, according to the ASEAN report. It did not identify the countries pushing for more leniency toward Myanmar despite international outrage against continuing military attacks in the country.

The suggestion for ASEAN to bring Myanmar back into its fold was noted, the report said, hinting it did not received full approval from all the ministers.

The ministerial talks stressed the Myanmar crisis should not affect ASEAN's progress in building a regional community, said the report, which cited one observation that there would be no near-term solution to the Myanmar crisis.

There was also an observation that ASEAN might be experiencing a `Myanmar fatigue,' which might distract ASEAN from larger goals of ASEAN community-building, the report said. Patience, flexibility and creativity are therefore required since there will be no quick fix to the crisis.

The report cited, without elaborating, concerns on rising transnational crimes, including human trafficking and illegal drug production originating from Myanmar. More alarmingly, it said, there was "a call to all parties to stop the influx of arms and financial funding into Myanmar, which leads to an escalation of the conflict."

More than 3,450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to repression by the military government.

In April, a military airstrike killed more than 160 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule, according to witnesses cited by Human Rights Watch. The group on Tuesday described the attack in which the military dropped a devastating thermobaric or vacuum bomb as an apparent war crime.

Indonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military since assuming the rotating role as ASEANs leader. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country is taking a non-megaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and end violence, which are goals of a five-point peace plan the leaders negotiated with Myanmar's military leader in 2021.

In a post-summit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders, they plan to renew a call for self-restraint in the disputed South China Sea, repeating language used in previous ASEAN statements.

Concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region, said a draft of the communique.

___

Associated Press journalists Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
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PARIS (AP)  Germanys foreign minister described China on Wednesday as increasingly becoming a systemic rival on the world stage, and urged Beijing to call out Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.

With Chinas top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on China to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.

But Baerbock and Colonna also said it was time for Europe to decrease its economic and strategic dependency on China.

Baerbock said Germany wants to work in partnership with China everywhere its possible but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues.

One needs to recognize that we are competitors and, sadly, increasingly also systemic rivals, she said.

Baerbock said Europe's stance toward China should be not decoupling, but de-risking, because its about our security and freedom, too.

The German government is currently adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line.

Colonna urged China to use its relationship with Russia to convince the Kremlin that Russia is in an impasse  and to return to reason. The French minister also warned China against delivering weapons to Russia, saying that would push things into a totally new configuration.

Baerbock urged Beijing to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor in the war, noting that Moscow could end the conflict by withdrawing its troops. If Ukraine stops defending itself, on the other hand, then Ukraine will cease to exist and with it, the charter of the United Nations, she said.

After meeting with Baerbock in Berlin on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Qin is scheduled to meet with Colonna in Paris on Wednesday.

The visit comes amid diplomatic tensions around proposed new EU trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the blocs sanctions against Russia. The proposal sparked a warning from China that it would retaliate if targeted by such new EU sanctions against Russia.
Two Filipino beauty queens are set to join the judging panel of the 2023 Miss and Mister Fitness Supermodel World held in Vietnam.

The 2017 Miss Earth Karen Ibasco and 2022 Miss Global Shane Tormes will visit the country, and join a jury including Huynh Ngoc Minh, vice president of Southeast Asian Fitness Federation; designer Tuyet Le; 2018 Miss Tourism World Ambassador Phan Thi Mo; the 2012 Miss Ocean Vietnam Dang Thu Thao; and 2018 Man of The World winner Cao Xuan Tai.

The 2022 Miss Global Shane Tormes. Photo by Miss and Mister Fitness Supermodel World

Tormes, 31, made her name when she won the 2022 Miss Global pageant in Bali, Indonesia. The Filipino beauty impressed people with her beautiful figure and friendly smile. She is currently working in the music and fashion industry in the Philippines.

Ibasco, 32, represented the Philippines at the 2017 Miss Earth pageant, winning the title. She works at St. Lukes Medical Center in Manila.

The 2017 Miss Earth Karen Ibasco. Photo by Miss and Mister Fitness Supermodel World

This years Miss and Mister Fitness Supermodel World pageant will be held in the beach town of Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province from May 12-22.

Contestants from all over the world are coming to Vietnam in what is the first time that the country will host the global pageant.

The preliminary round was held online between January and March.
Helion Energy will provide Microsoft (MSFT.O) with electricity from nuclear fusion in about five years. It is the first purchase power agreement for commercial nuclear fusion energy.

Announcing Helions first customer: Microsoft. We expect to start producing electricity in the worlds first fusion power plant by 2028, dramatically shortening the timeline for commercially viable fusion energy. Read more: https://t.co/KLBWrcjU4o  Helion (@Helion_Energy) May 10, 2023

This is a huge announcement for us and there is *so much* work ahead!https://t.co/L1CHoB2euo  Scott Krisiloff (@Skrisiloff) May 10, 2023

Wow! I am incredibly proud to announce that weve secured our first customer: Microsoft! pic.twitter.com/mX67VPq4Mj  David Kirtley (@dekirtley) May 10, 2023

.@Microsoft has agreed to purchase electricity from @helion_energys first fusion power plant. We expect this first-of-its-kind power facility to come online in 2028 with support from @ConstellationEG as our power marketer. pic.twitter.com/ZbXGNeLeYY  David Kirtley (@dekirtley) May 10, 2023

More than 100 capacitors are on the racks and connected to the coils on the Polaris Formation Test! Once switches are installed, our team will start experimenting with and optimizing FRC plasmas to better inform the final formation section builds for Polaris. pic.twitter.com/oftAGaoD0B  Helion (@Helion_Energy) May 4, 2023

Helion Energy (based in Washington State near Microsofts head office) agreed to provide Microsoft with at least 50 megawatts of electricity from its planned first fusion power plant, starting in 2028. Fifty megawatts is enough electricity to power a data center or factory, said David Kirtley, Helions CEO.

Founded in 2013, Helion has launched a multi-billion-dollar effort to produce electricity from fusion, the nuclear reaction that powers the sun and stars.

Helion Energy has received over $570 million in funding and commitments for another $1.7 billion to develop commercial nuclear fusion.

Helion has performed thousands of tests with their sixth prototype called Trenta. In 2021, Trenta reached 100 million degrees C, the temperature they could run a commercial reactor. Magnetic compression fields exceeded 10 T, ion temperatures surpassed 8 keV, and electron temperatures exceeded 1 keV. They reported ion densities up to 3  10^22 ions/m3 and confinement times of up to 0.5 ms.

Before its final operations, we gave exclusive access to @TheBrianMcManus to share Trenta with the world for the first time. Learn more: https://t.co/9qNqc3ZCrF  Helion (@Helion_Energy) December 15, 2022

7th prototype Polaris

Helions seventh-generation prototype, Project Polaris was in development in 2021, with completion expected in 2024. The device was expected to increase the pulse rate from one pulse every 10 minutes to one pulse per second for short periods. This prototype is the first of its kind to be able to heat fusion plasma up to temperatures greater than 100 million degrees C. Polaris is 25% larger than Trenta to ensure that ions do not damage the vessel walls.

Helions plan with Polaris is to try demonstrate net electricity from fusion. They plan to demonstrate helium-3 production through deuterium-deuterium fusion.

The plan with Polaris is to pulse at a higher repetition rate during continuous operations.

Big shipment in this week  Polaris capacitor storage containers are arriving in Everett! As we build Polaris, these panels will be assembled into boxes and filled with high-voltage pulsed capacitors used to control the fusion process in our machine. pic.twitter.com/FUDQliqQZs  Helion (@Helion_Energy) February 24, 2023

Interior Ursa update: Foundation work for Polaris is ongoing. Support structure is in place and a concrete pour is happening next week. pic.twitter.com/R4FA2zyfdG  Helion (@Helion_Energy) February 3, 2023

Divertors are being installed on the ends of our Polaris FRC formation test this week. Once all divertor magnets and the two quartz tubes are installed, the system will be fit together, pulled to vacuum, and we can start forming FRC plasmas! pic.twitter.com/nNh1iHCSMy  Helion (@Helion_Energy) February 15, 2023

8th prototype Antares

As of January 2022, an eighth prototype, Antares, is in the design stage.

New crane installed inside Antares. Polaris crane install happening this week! pic.twitter.com/CPHLAOowRn  Helion (@Helion_Energy) April 4, 2022

Helium-3 is an ultra-rare isotope of helium that is difficult to find on Earth used in quantum computing and critical medical imaging. Helion produces helium-3 by fusing deuterium in its plasma accelerator utilizing a patented high-efficiency closed-fuel cycle. Scientists have even discussed going to the Moon to mine helium-3 where it can be found in much higher abundance. Helions new process means we can produce helium-3 on Earth.

Helions cost of electricity production is projected to be $0.01 per kWh without assuming any economies of scale from mass production, carbon credits, or government incentives.

Nextbigfuture has interviewed Helion executives a few years ago and has reported on Helion plans before. Helion and all other nuclear fusion companies have missed target dates in the past. The only fusion companies that have not missed target dates are those that are too new.

All current nuclear fusion projects are less capable than the first EBR-1 fission reactor from 1951. However, technological and scientific breakthroughs can happen. Breakthroughs often do not happen. Nuclear fusion projects might succeed or might not. Many normal large projects fail. Multi-billion dollar skyscrapers and building projects that fail not because of difficult science. Big companies and big projects can fail and they can be late and miss deadlines. The SLS rocket is an example of a project going massively over budget and behind schedule.

December 2022 Update on Helion Energy Science

Helion Fusion CEO, David Kirtley, presented an update on the work as of December, 2022.

They are working on their seventh-generation prototype system and they have had over 10,000 shots with the sixth-generation system. They create and form plasmas and accelerate two plasmas to merge at supersonic speeds. They do not inject beams and operate in pulse mode. they do not hold the plasma for long times like the tokamak approaches.

The VC-funded seventh prototype should generate electricity. They have $500 million in funding and commitments of another $2 billion if the seventh prototype achieves its technical goals.

6th system is working at about 10 kEV (10 thousand electron volts). Over 10,000 shots.

7th system will work at 20 kEV. Want to have it operating by the end of 2023.

8th or 9th systems to get to the ideal operating levels of 100 kEV.

It is taking about 2-4 years to make and start operating each new prototype.

They have computational models of their science work and computationally modeled the scaling of the system.

Nextbigfuture has monitored all nuclear fusion programs and advanced nuclear fission systems. Helion Fusion is one of the programs that is the most promising based upon my comprehensive analysis.

The Operation of Helion Fusion Summarized

Scaling and Science Foundation
WOODBRIDGE  Amity Regional School District No. 5 voters approved the schools' $54.55 million proposed budget by more than 400 votes in a referendum last week.

The 2023-24 approved budget represents a 2.25 percent increase, or about $1.2 million, over current spending. The vote was 1,246 in favor of the recommended budget and 808 against. All three of the district's member towns  Woodbridge, Orange and Bethany  voted in favor.

Amity Board of Education Chair Paul Davis said that school officials were pleased with the unanimous support following last year's budget proposal requiring three referendums before finally getting approved.

"We were very pleased with the strong level of support for passage of the Amity District budget in all three of our communities," Davis said in a statement. "The 2.25 percent budget increase is significantly lower than most other school districts in the state.

"It is a budget which will permit us to continue the district's high level of academic excellence and is a tribute to the hard work by Superintendent (Jennifer) Byars, Finance Director (Terry) Lumas and her staff, and the leadership of the Amity Finance Committee," Davis added.

The biggest drivers of the 2.25 increase are contracted salaries (+ $912,094), medical benefits (+ $493,998), and utilities (+ $108,508), including instructional technology resources for student learning. Special education costs are expected to decrease by more than 10 percent over the current year, primarily due to Amity's recent effort to implement programs to support students with emotional and intellectual challenges. These students traditionally have been sent to out-of-district facilities, incurring costs for tuition, transportation and related expenses.

The 2023-24 budget also includes the reduction of an English teacher and a visual arts teacher at Amity Regional High School. However, it also supports the addition of a Chinese language teacher at the high school, a grant-funded, districtwide in-school suspension tutor and a math interventionist that will assist Amity Middle School students amid declining math scores.

Amity's member towns respectively allocate a certain amount of money to the district based on student enrollment. Orange, which had more than 1,000 students attending Amity as of Oct. 1, 2022, will pay $25.1 million, the highest of any town. Woodbridge, with 700 Amity students, will pay $17.97 million and Bethany (363 students) will contribute $9.32 million.
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NEW HAVEN  A new retail cannabis store could be in the works the city's Hill neighborhood.

Florida-based Trulieve Holdings Inc. is looking for a home in New Haven, submitting an application to the City Plan Commission seeking a permit to operate as a cannabis retailer.

The proposed store would be located at 254 Kimberly Ave., current site of a Dairy Queen, just off Ella T. Grasso Boulevard and Interstate 95. According to the application, the existing ice cream store would be demolished upon the city's approval. The new building would be about 2,500 square feet.

The store would have nine full-time and 10 part-time employees, according to the application, and would be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trulieve is based in Tallahassee and currently operates 185 cannabis retailers nationwide including one in Bristol. The company didnt respond to a request for comment Wednesday about why it chose New Haven.

The property owner, listed as 254 Kimberly Avenue LLC., also didnt respond to an email request for comment.

The parcel at the proposed site, which sits in an inclusionary zone, is in one of the cannabis-allowed locations according to the citys zoning map.

The application noted that the proposed cannabis retailer would generate less traffic than the existing Dairy Queen. The applicant also said having a cannabis retailer nearby "will not have any detrimental effects on surrounding property values" while pointing to findings of studies that found residential real estate values going up when located near a newly opened cannabis outlet.

New Havens first recreational cannabis retailer opened earlier in January at Affinity Dispensary, formerly known as Affinity Health and Wellness, along with other sellers in the state as it became legalized.

Another possible retail cannabis store could be at the former site of Long Wharf Theatre on Sargent Drive. Insa Inc., a Massachusetts-based cannabis company, has signed a 10-year lease with the property owner and currently is navigating some zoning hurdles.
Bjoern Wylezich / TNS

MERIDEN  A local man was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

Bimael Acevedo-Roman, 29, coordinated the shipment of packages containing kilogram quantities of cocaine from U.S. post offices in Puerto Rico to various addresses in Meriden, New Britain and Bristol. He and others then picked up the packages and delivered them to his home in Meriden, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said in a news release.
New London Police / Contributed Photo

NEW LONDON  A local man who shot and killed a man more than five years ago was sentenced Tuesday, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.

In state Superior Court in New London, a judge ordered Jamir Johnson, 23, to serve 33 years in prison, suspended after 17 years served, and five years of probation, the DCJ said.
During the recent historic visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to Washington, the iron-clad alliance between the United States and the Philippines was not only confirmed, it was strengthened and expanded.

As President Joe Biden said as he met President Marcos in the Oval Office, This relationship has to continue to evolve  Together, were tackling climate change; were accelerating our countries transition to clean energy, and were standing up for our shared democratic values and workers rights and the rule of law.

President Biden also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including in the South China Sea, and to the modernization of the Philippine military.

Expanding economic cooperation was also a key topic of discussion between the two leaders. After the meeting, new initiatives were announced that include a U.S. Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines to enhance American companies investment in the Philippines innovation economy, its clean energy transition and critical minerals sector, and its food security.

The United States also intends to support a 5G rollout in the Philippines by establishing an Open Ran Interoperability lab in Manila to provide training opportunities for current and aspiring 5G professionals. Additional economic initiatives include a new partnership between USAID and the Philippines to scale up infrastructure development in the Philippines. The two countries also intend to expand air connectivity and modernize their bilateral aviation relationship, which will strengthen economic and people-to-people ties.

At a press briefing after President Marcos visit, U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink noted that the U.S. Philippines alliance continues to contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region, as it has for 75 years.

When asked what kind of message President Marcos visit sent to the PRC and other countries, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink was clear: that the United States of America is committed to peace and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific, and we are particularly committed to our closest treaty allies, including the Philippines.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Misleading claims about the neo-Nazi gunman responsible for Saturday's mass shooting at a Dallas-area shopping center are reverberating across Twitter, in large part because of Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Musk has questioned whether the man identified by authorities as the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, really had an account on a Russian social media platform, and Musk suggested that revelations about the shooter's background could be a psyop, or psychological operation, in which the public is misled about the real details of the shooting.

Garcia proclaimed his white supremacist views on social media and sported Nazi tattoos. Authorities and independent researchers have confirmed his interest in far-right extremism and white supremacism. When police killed Garcia, he was wearing a patch that read RWDS, an acronym that stands for  Right Wing Death Squad.

We do know he had neo-Nazi ideation, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Hank Sibley said a news conference on Tuesday. He had patches. He had tattoos.

Musk also cast doubt on a Netherlands-based research group known as Bellingcat that released information about Garcia's online history when he tweeted that it specializes in psychological operations. He offered no evidence to support his claim, but the attack led to a barrage of harassment directed at Bellingcat from Musk's online fans.

This is either the weirdest story ever or a very bad psyop! Musk wrote in a tweet viewed more than 3 million times. Musk also responded to revelations about the gunman's ideology, with posts suggesting he didn't believe them. Very strange, Musk wrote in one instance. This gets weirder by the moment, in other.

Garcia's online history leaves little doubt that he harbored deeply negative views of Jewish people, people of color and women, according to an analysis of his posts conducted by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, an Alabama-based nonprofit that tracks extremist groups online.

Going back 10 years, the posts and diary entries show that Garcia held deep-seated white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs, as well as misogynistic and incel views, and a proclivity for violence, the organization concluded in its report.  Incel  refers to involuntarily celibate, a term used by a largely online movement of men who blame women for their lack of sexual and romantic opportunities.

Musk has laid off much of the staff at Twitter dedicated to ferreting out misinformation and toxic content and has since emerged as a source of misinformation himself. A new Twitter feature called community notes was created to allow users to add context or fact check claims themselves. But no community notes were attached to Musk's own Tweets about the gunman as of Wednesday.

Twitter did not answer questions seeking comment about Musk's misleading tweets, and instead responded in its now regular fashion, with an automated email containing only the excrement emoji.

Musk wasn't the only prominent user spreading false claims about the shooter on Twitter.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shrugged off Garcia's self-professed racist views, noting that he was Latino. Only dumb white people would believe that a Mexican gang member is killing people for white supremacy.

Greene's Tweet ignores the fact that white supremacist groups have long tried to recruit Latinos; some such groups have created Spanish-language versions of their websites. And Enrique Tarrio, a Cuban American, is the former leader of the Proud Boys, one of the nation's most influential far-right groups.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  As Republican-drafted legislation that prohibits school employees from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom mounts, Louisiana lawmakers advanced their own Dont Say Gay bill Tuesday.

This legislative session season, conservatives across the country have filed bills taking aim at nearly every facet of transgender existence, from health care to athletics to bathroom access. The culture war is not lost in Louisiana, where LGBTQ+ advocates argue at least four bills would have irreversible and harmful impacts on young LGBTQ+ people.

The latest measure, which passed in the House 67-28 and advanced to the GOP-dominated Senate, is legislation that would broadly ban K-12 public school staff from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in school and during extracurricular activities in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula developed or approved by the public school governing authority. Additionally, the bill would require teachers to use a students name and pronouns that align with their sex assigned at birth.

Proponents of the bill say that it will protect children and allow parents to decide how and when to broach the subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity. Those opposing it argued that the bill is a targeted attack on the LGBTQ+ community and could harm an already vulnerable group.

We cannot keep telling our children they do not matter, and that is what were saying with legislation like this, state Rep. Candace Newell, a New Orleans Democrat, said during floor debate Tuesday. Just because a person is different does not mean that we should discriminate against them.

Louisianas bill is similar to legislation that Florida passed last year, which critics have dubbed the Dont Say Gay law. The legislation signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year barred instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. The states policy has since been expanded to include all grades unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take.

As of March, at least 30 proposals similar to Floridas law were filed in 16 states. So far, at least three other states  Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky  have enacted similar Dont Say Gay laws.

Republican state Rep. Dodie Horton, who authored Louisianas legislation, said the bill has nothing to do with someones personal lifestyle, but rather was created to protect all children and allow parents to broach the subjects how they see fit.

No one should talk to our children about sensitive subjects without consent of their parents, Horton said.

Those against the bill said it would do the opposite of protecting students and teachers, calling it a mean-spirited attack on the LGBTQ+ community. Opponents fear that the legislation could send already vulnerable members of the community spiraling further into depression and anxiety by taking away a safe space for them in school. Additionally, they say it would have a negative effect on teachers who fear being penalized for mentioning anything related to homosexuality.

Every educator knows that having strong relationships with students is critical to building a community of trust in the classroom, Dave Cash, the United Teachers of New Orleans union president, told The Advocate. Imagine not being able to share stories from your own family experiences to connect with those you teach. These bills would have a deeply chilling effect on schools, students, and educators alike."

Additionally, for a student to be called a name or use pronouns that differ from their sex assigned at birth, they must receive parental permission. However, a teacher can reject the parents choice if its contrary to the educators religious or moral convictions. A similar bill passed the state House Monday.

The pronoun legislation in Louisiana is among a wave of interchangeable bills being considered in statehouses across the nation, which would formally allow or require schools to deadname transgender students or could out them to their parents without consent. Deadnaming refers to using the name a transgender person used prior to transitioning.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  A special adviser to Brazils presidency on international affairs met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday following comments by his Brazilian counterpart that have drawn rebukes from Kyiv, the U.S. and Europe.

Adviser Celso Amorim, who is a former foreign minister, told Brazilian newspaper O Globo after the meeting that Zelenskyy understood that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is working for peace.

Newspaper Folha de S.Paulo quoted Amorim as saying his dialogue with Ukrainian officials was positive and built confidence, and that it helped to explain Brazils objectives for peace.

Brazil's foreign ministry referred questions about Amorim's meetings from The Associated Press to the presidency, which didn't immediately comment.

Lula has called for a ceasefire and proposed a club of nations including Brazil to mediate peace. At the same time, he has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine, made comments ascribing some blame to Ukraine for Russia's invasion and said the U.S. and Europe are stimulating the fighting. His remarks have been criticized all those parties, as well as raised questions about Brazil's impartiality in any eventual peace talks.

Last month, Amorim took a discreet trip to Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin. And Lula later welcomed Putin's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to capital Brasilia, with the visiting official expressing gratitude to Brazil for its excellent understanding of this situations genesis.

Following the meeting, the spokesperson for the White Houses National Security Council, John Kirby, blasted Brazils approach to the war and for having met Putin and Lavrov in person, while only speaking to Ukrainian officials by phone.

Critics have argued that Brazils position aims to avoid confronting Russia, which is a key supplier of fertilizer for its soybean plantations.

Amorim on Wednesday also met with Ukraines deputy foreign affairs minister Andrij Melnyk, who posted a photo of the two of them to Twitter.

Brazil can play an important role to stop Russian aggression & reach a lasting & just peace, Melnyk wrote.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed protester at a Black Lives Matter march in Texas was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday, after prosecutors used his social media history and text messages to portray him as a racist who may commit violence again.

Daniel Perry's sentence now pushes the case toward a potentially thorny decision for Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he wants to issue a swift pardon.

Abbott requested the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to send him a pardon recommendation for Perry shortly after he was convicted in April of killing Garrett Foster at the Austin march in July 2020.

Abbott lauded Texas' tough Stand Your Ground self-defense laws and said Perry was railroaded by a liberal prosecutor. Since then, Perry's trail of texts and online posts, including shockingly racist images, have been made public and the governor has stayed silent on the matter.

Abbotts office did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the sentence or whether he still intends to issue a pardon. Perry, 36, could have received up to life in prison.

Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said Abbott moved too soon on the call for a pardon.

Abbott clearly boxed himself into a corner, when he appeared to respond to criticism from conservative former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who demanded the governor act, Jones said.

I suspect if Gov. Abbott had known all that he knows now, he would not have jumped the gun on pledging to pardon him, Jones said.

The Pardons and Parole board, which is appointed by Abbott, has already started reviewing Perrys case. State law requires the board to recommend a pardon before the governor can act.

The case has been embroiled in politics as it came amid widespread demonstrations against police killings and racial injustice, following the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Perrys attorneys on Wednesday called the case a political prosecution and the release of the texts and social media posts character assassination.

Attorney Clinton Broden said the defense team would pursue both a pardon and a standard appeal in the court system.

Those who claim that Governor Abbotts expressed intent is based on politics simply choose to ignore the fact that it was only the political machinations of a rogue district attorney which led to Sgt. Perrys prosecution, he said.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said it was Abbott who decided to insert politics in this case. Garza said hes been assured by the parole board that he and Fosters family will be given a chance to address the board in Perrys case.

In a statement, the board confirmed the investigation is ongoing and declined further comment.

The entire history of the board, the board has been a careful steward of the power of clemency in this state, Garza said. Our criminal justice system is not perfect, but in this case it worked exactly as it should. The Travis County District Attorneys office is not done fighting for Garrett and the integrity of that process here.

In a brief statement before sentencing, state District Judge Clifford Brown said Perry received a fair trial. The jurys verdict deserves our honor and it deserves to be respected, Brown said, without mentioning the potential pardon.

Jones predicted the board will let Perry's legal appeals happen first, and that it would be years, if ever, before the board makes a recommendation in the case.

The majority (of conservatives) will want to put it in the rearview mirror, Jones said. Conservatives have far better causes and individuals to support, far better than Daniel Perry.

Perry, who is white, was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He was working as a ride-share driver and had just dropped off a customer when he turned onto a street filled with protesters. Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle.

Perry said he acted in self defense, claiming that he was trying to drive past the crowd and fired his pistol when Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.

Army spokesman Bryce Dubee has said Perry is classified as in civilian confinement pending separation from the military.

Among Perrys statements introduced Tuesday, he wrote on Facebook a month before the shooting: It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. A few days later as protests erupted, Perry sent a text message to an acquaintance: I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.

Foster was with his girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, who is Black and uses a wheelchair, when Perry gunned him down. Mitchell and several members of Foster's family were in the courtroom for sentencing Wednesday.

Fosters mother, Sheila Foster, was allowed to address Perry after he was sentenced and still in the courtroom.

After three long years were finally getting justice for Garrett, she said. Mr. Perry, I pray to God that one day he will get rid of all this hate that is in your heart.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Republican governor on Wednesday officially opened the application process to replace St. Louis' embattled prosecutor, Kim Gardner, who resigned last week amid crushing pressure from Republicans who have called her negligent.

Gov. Mike Parson said hes looking for a member of the St. Louis community with strong managerial experience, a commitment to the rule of law and a record of fair and just application of state and local law.

We truly want the best person for the job who can restore law and order to our great City of St. Louis, Parson said in a statement. The prosecutor we appoint has a real opportunity to make meaningful and lasting change that strengthens public safety.

Parson has only weeks to name a successor to Gardner, who is the city's first Black circuit attorney. Her last day is June 1.

Republicans have been calling for Gardner to resign for months. They argue 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 has said efforts to push her out of office are politically motivated.

State Senate leaders have said she reached a breaking point when she learned that her departure likely would mean the death of pending legislation to allow a special appointed prosecutor to take over most of her duties.

Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, who sponsored that legislation, said he will not push for its passage this year now that Gardner is stepping down. Luetkemeyer and Senate Republican leaders have said a separate bill to restore state control of the St. Louis Police Department faces significant hurdles to becoming law in the final days of the session.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey also took legal steps to remove Gardner from office in February. A hearing on whether Gardner should be removed had been scheduled for September.

Gardner has faced intense public scrutiny for years, especially from Republican elected officials.

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.

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 freed.
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HARTFORD  Pointing to an emerging understanding that young peoples brains continue developing well into their 20s, the state Senate on Tuesday voted to expand parole eligibility for crimes committed before an offenders 21st birthday.

Senate lawmakers voted mostly along party lines, 23-13, in favor of the legislation after Democrats unveiled a last-minute amendment lowering the proposed cut-off for expanded parole eligibility from 25 to 21. The bill now goes to the House for further consideration.

Currently, state law guarantees parole eligibility for offenders under the age of 18, in line with a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have ruled automatic life sentences for minors unconstitutional.

What this bill would allow for is someone who is young when they committed a crime to have the opportunity to have parole, said state Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, who serves as co-chair of the Judiciary Committee where the bill was written.

It would encompass many, many, many crimes, including murder, he added.

Republicans sought unsuccessfully to narrow the scope of the bill with an amendment Tuesday, arguing that 18, 19 and 20-year-olds convicted of violent crimes such as rape and murder should be treated similarly to other adults.

What is the right age? asked state Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield. For me, 25 certainly wasnt. For me, 21 gets a little better, but it is not enough unless we differentiate the severity of some of those crimes.

In Connecticut, criminals who are sentenced to between 10 and 50 years in prison for crimes committed when they were juveniles are eligible for parole after serving 60 percent of their sentence or 12 years, whichever is greater. If they are serving a sentence of more than 50 years, they are eligible for parole after 30 years.

Adults, meanwhile, must generally serve half their original sentence for nonviolent offenses and at least 85 percent of the sentence for violent crimes, according to the Board of Pardon and Paroles.

Raising the age of expanded parole eligibility drew support earlier this year from judicial reform advocates, as well as a number of prisoners who wrote to lawmakers pleading for leniency over their convictions.

I have been incarcerated for 5 years and I already am a completely different person than the kid who committed a crime at 20 years old, wrote Mateus Nascimento-Dacosta, who was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for stabbing his girlfriend, Alyssa Guerrero, to death in her Meriden apartment.

This bill will give me a chance, a real second chance at life. A second chance comes with the opportunity to redeem myself and give back to society, the same society I have taken so much from, he added.

The bill has also drawn opposition from victims' advocates and Connecticuts top prosecutor, Chief States Attorney Patrick Griffin. The Judicial Branch, while not taking a formal stance on the legislation, wrote to lawmakers to raise concerns about proper victim notification once prisoners become eligible for parole should the bill take effect.

The nearly two-hour debate over the bill on Tuesday came about one month after Gov. Ned Lamont chose to replace the chairman of the Parole Board, Charlton Giles, after a bi-partisan coalition of lawmakers raised concerns over the boards increase in commutations.

One Democrat, state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-Waterbury, broke with the party and joined all of the Senate Republicans in opposition to the bill.
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GUILFORD  While a necessary $3.5 million town project threatens a rare 19th century house that is a link to the towns hidden Black history, officials and local historians aim to work together to preserve it.

Plans are to replace the failing dam and culverts at Lake Quonnipaug in North Guilford and realign the confusing intersection of Route 77, Hoop Hole Road and Lake Drive which traverses around an odd triangle lot where the historic home sits.

The road work would put the Ham Primus house right in the path of the new roadway, according to Town Engineer Janice Plaziak, who noted, The road has to go right through the middle of the building. The town purchased the land and building for $225,771 in July 2022.

The circa 1816 house at 3431 Durham Road was owned by Black freeman Ham Primus, whose family is important to Black history in the state, local historians say.

Historians and town officials are looking to either move the house to another spot on the original lot or relocate it off site. However, one historian wants the house to stay put.

Preservationists want to save the original portion of the house, a one story and half center chimney cape, which is cloaked in 20th century renovation materials, Town Historian Joel Helander said in a report to the town. The dwelling was added onto in the early 1900s and remodeled in the 1970s, he noted.

Luckily, restoration contractors discovered that the wood frame in the original part of the house was in remarkable shape, Helander said.

Its important to save the original house, according to Tracy Tomaselli of the Guilford Preservation Alliance, because of the very few number of properties that were ever owned by African Americans  especially prior to the Civil War  that tie into African American heritage, Tomaselli explained.

Dennis Culliton, who co-founded the Witness Stones project, which remembers slave people in the state, fully agrees.

First of all its a unicorn, one of a kind in Guilford, Culliton said. A home that is preserved  not well  but preserved since the time of slavery, over 200 years.

The Primus home anecdotally was called the Slave House, Culliton noted, based on the mistaken presumption that Primus was enslaved while living there.

He said that the name was a misnomer because Primus was not a slave in Guilford. He may have been born enslaved as probably his father was enslaved in Branford.

Near the Ham Primus home and still standing is the Deacon Simeon Chittenden house where Shem, an enslaved African American lived.

Shem was enslaved by Simeon Chittenden, a leader in the North Guilford Congregational Church, and his wife Submit; Shem was later buried next to the deacon at the Old North Guilford Cemetery. Another family of Black free persons, Dinah and Peter Gardner, were also neighbors of Primus, but their house is long gone.

According to Helander, in 1790, there were several North Guilford families who owned slaves. By 1810 there were no enslaved people in Guilford, he maintained.

But the Ham Primus story is singular. Primus married into, what I would consider a kind of a royal family, a family of African Americans who were very, very important in American history, Culliton said.

Who was Ham Primus and his family?

Primus was either born free in 1787 to slaves in Branford or became free at age 21, according to Tomaselli. So it's an evolving story of black heritage.

Primus had a seamans certificate in 1810 at age 23 which was proof of American citizenship, Tomaselli noted.

She said that it is difficult to document who was enslaved in the 19th century as records were incomplete. Because when we see records where they're only snapshots in time, she said. It's kind of tricky with this stuff.

Culliton agreed. It's a hidden history because we don't talk about African Americans, he said about their part in American history and only now, are we beginning to talk about it.

Helander noted that it was also difficult to ascertain property ownership of free Black people as land transfers were often made from slave owners and white persons to freed former slaves, sometimes in the form of gifts.

Finding out about the homestead and Ham Primus required some sleuthing.

With funding from Guilford Preservation Alliance, Helander commissioned a structural exam by antique home restorer Jonathan Wuerth; a dendrochronology timber analysis to determine the houses age by Daniel W.H. Miles of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory; and help from Michael Cuba of Transom Historic Preservation Consulting. Helander also spent several months doing title searches and looking up any and all related documents he could find.

The Primus family managed to integrate into the ruggedly rural North Guilford Society, Helander said in his report. Ham and his wife Temperance were members of the St. Johns Episcopal Church in North Guilford where several of the baptisms and deaths of some of their children were recorded from 1817-1824.



Primuss notable connections start with his father-in-law, Gad Asher, who has a very important, interesting story, Tomaselli said. He was enslaved by a man who lived in East Guilford (now Madison).

His owner promised him freedom if he would serve for him during the American Revolution, she recounted. Gad Asher served, but then his owner did not give him his freedom. Instead, Gad Asher then had to buy his own freedom.

At that point, Gad Asher had been blinded in the war and had to pay 40 pounds for his freedom, according to Helander.

The Primus house, shows us that the story from a family in general  meaning generation one  the parents and in-laws going from slavery to Ham, Tomaselli said, to a free man who was then able to own property and then his children becoming even more prominent in Hartford.

Culliton noted that Gad Ashers story was preserved in writing by his grandson, another prominent African American, Jeremiah Asher, who was a preacher, a Presbyterian minister and who was the first African American chaplain to die in service of his country in the American Civil War.

In addition to his distinguished relatives by marriage, Ham Primus had notable offspring.

His son Holdridge Primus became a very important free Black who lived in in Hartford, helping to found the Talcott Street Congregational Church and was also considered one of the elite African Americans in Hartford, Culliton said.

From that line, Holdriges daughter, Rebecca Primus founded a school of the Freedmans Bureau in Maryland, after the Civil War, according to Culliton. Not only was she a pioneer African American she was also a pioneer of women, he said.

What happens if house is moved?

If the house end up being moved off of the foundation to the southern part of that triangular space, it loses it loses its significance, Tomaselli said.

If it has to be moved entirely off of that triangle, then it loses, basically, complete historical significance, she said. It would no longer be eligible for the [Connecticut] Freedom Trail recognition. The Freedom Trail is now considering the application for it. She said the Guilford Preservation Alliance hopes the house is not moved from its foundation.

Tomaselli pointed to the fate of a historic house owned by a freed enslaved person, Ebenezer Freeman, at 50 North St. that was demolished in 1999. While a new house was built as a replica in its place, that house no longer truly exists, Tomaselli said, noting it now has no historical value.

As far as the Ham Primus house, town officials, she said are open to communication. I'm not sure if they are willing to spend any funding on it. I think they're totally agreeable to someone else coming in and doing all of that.

We are working with local, state historic groups, First Selectman Matt Hoey said in a text message. We intend to move forward with the dam project. The roadway realignment is also important but obviously the subject of concern because of the apparent need to relocate or remove the house
The abduction and forcible deportation of children in armed conflict areas are global problems. These brutal abuses occur in all regions of the world, including Nigeria, Yemen, Colombia, and Ukraine.

Ambassador Robert Wood, U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, spoke at a recent UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on the issue.

The impact of these actions is devastating and long-lasting, he said. It deprives children of their childhood, education, and healthy social development.

Measures must be taken, said Ambassador Wood, that would help ensure the safe release and return of abducted children, including legal frameworks that prioritize the protection of children and accountability measures for those who abduct or forcibly remove children.

Ambassador Wood pointed out that these human rights violations against children are perpetrated by non-state actors and state actors alike. We need to recognize the role of state actorsand hold them to account for their actions, he said.

Russias abduction of Ukrainian children during its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine stands out as a horrible example of a state actors abuse. Russias forces have unlawfully deported thousands of Ukraines children from Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, Ambassador Wood noted. Recent reports document the Russian governments efforts to sever communication between these children and their relatives in Ukraine, prevent the childrens return to Ukraine, and re-educate them. In doing so, the Russian Federation is attempting to rob Ukraine of its future.

Ambassador Wood noted that Russia has refused to provide access and information about the number or whereabouts of abducted Ukrainian children to the government of Ukraine. These abuses against Ukraines children are the result of decisions made and actions taken at all levels of Russias government, he declared. Relocated children should be identified to the Government of Ukraine to support family reunification efforts.

Ambassador Wood said it is crucial that the international community take concrete action to address the terrible human rights violation of abducted and forcibly deported children throughout the world, including through support to affected communities, promotion of access to education, and strengthening of relevant accountability mechanisms.

We must act urgently and collectively to end the abduction and deportation of children during armed conflicts, declared Ambassador Wood. We owe it to these children to promote their protection, ensure their safety and well-being, and prevent them from being subjected to brutal treatment.
A Niagara Falls woman has won $200,000 on Instant Plinko.

Forty-six-year-old Diana Horne, who described herself as an occasional lottery player, purchased a $5 Instant Plinko ticket when she stopped for gas, then tucked the ticket in her purse.

She played her ticket the following day and discovered she had won a chip.

She brought her ticket to the store to check it, and it landed on Plinko.

I didnt know I won big at first, she recalled in an OLG news release. I felt like I was floating on air for the rest of the day.

Horne then travelled to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming prize centre in Toronto to drop her chip on the gigantic Plinko board.

I took a moment before I dropped the chip to acknowledge my grandmother, who would have been so proud of me in that moment, she said.

Her chip landed on $200,000.

Horne plans to purchase a camper for her family and host a barbecue with friends and colleagues. She also plans to use her winnings to give her daughter the summer of camping shes always wanted.

My daughter is also getting married this fall, said Horne. I want to surprise her and make her day even more special.

The winning ticket was purchased at Big Bee Convenience Store on Lundys Lane in Niagara Falls.

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Federal lawmakers grilled Canadas biggest pension fund managers about their continued investments in China this week amid spiking diplomatic tensions between the two countries and ongoing concern about human rights abuse in Xinjiang.

Representatives from five Canadian pension managers, including Canada Pension Plan Investments, appeared Monday evening before a hearing of the special parliamentary committee on the CanadaPeoples Republic of China Relationship.

The hearing came just hours after Ottawa ordered a Chinese consular official accused of gathering intelligence on Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family to leave the country. By Tuesday China had responded in kind expelling a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai.

The pension executives said they have invested in China  which is a significant source of growth and makes up about a fifth of the worlds economy by GDP  for the long-term financial benefit of their pensioners.

They generally acknowledged this proposition has become increasingly difficult to balance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk as well as concerns about national security, but said they have systems in place to evaluate investments.

All five said they continue to hold investments in China, though an executive from the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan reiterated that funds recent decision to pause direct, private equity investments in the country. An executive from British Columbia Investment Management added that his fund has made a similar decision.

But even so-called passive investments in index funds, a common tool used by Canadas big pension managers, can lead to stakes that might trouble Canadian pensioners, such as companies on a U.S. trade restriction list or those tied to the forced labour of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang region.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis questioned the BCI executive about that funds stake in Hikvision, a company with alleged ties to facial recognition technology used in the surveillance of the Uyghur minority. (Hikvision has denied these claims.)

Daniel Garant, an executive vice-president at BCI, did not directly answer when asked about whether BCI still holds an investment in the company (in a 2021 disclosure, it was listed as a $57-million stake).

He said that the pension invests in broad index funds and does not directly choose the underlying companies in those funds but added that BCI has been actively working with index fund managers to improve what they put in it.

I wonder if you think that the people you invest on behalf of  teachers, university employees, municipal employees in B.C.  think its acceptable that you are defending investments in a company thats complicit in genocide on the basis that well, you need to diversify your portfolio? Genuis responded.

What I would say is were not very happy with some of the components of the index and were doing something about it, Garant said.

U.K.-based human rights organization Hong Kong Watch has previously linked other Canadian pension managers investments in index funds to stakes in companies tied to human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

MPs also asked the pension executives, which included representatives from the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, for their thoughts on the prospect of new laws that could bar the funds from investing in companies tied to practices such as forced labour or environmental degradation.

Michel Leduc, senior managing director and global head of public and corporate affairs at CPP, said legislation would be a blunt tool that could have the unintended consequences of restricting the pensions ability to invest broadly around the world.

He instead called for strong, transparent disclosure (of investments) by all companies in a standardized way.

The funds that appeared at the hearing control a combined total of almost $1.6 trillion: $500 billion for CPP; $402 billion for the Caisse; $247 billion for Ontario Teachers; $230 billion for PSP; and $215 billion for BCI.

Four of the pension managers disclosed the proportion of their holdings in China. Teachers said China represents 2.3 per cent of its holdings, while the figures were 2 per cent for the Caisse and 3 per cent for PSP.

Out of the Canadian pensions at the hearing, CPP is by far the largest investor in China, with 9.8 per cent of its investments there. Leduc did not suggest the fund is considering changing that, but said it seeks to avoid investments in companies involved in wrongdoings, especially violations of human rights.

He said CPP uses several tools to carefully evaluate every major investment it makes and added, We recognize that any investment in China needs to be handled with care, sophistication and an acute understanding of the current political and geopolitical environment.

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TORONTO - Tim Hortons says the coffee and doughnut chain has signed a deal to open locations in South Korea starting later this year.

The company says it has signed a master franchise agreement with BKR Co. Ltd.

Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.

BKR is the company that operates Burger King, which is also owned by Tim Hortons parent company Restaurant Brands International Inc., in South Korea.

Tim Hortons has about 5,600 restaurants across 15 countries.

In addition to Tim Hortons and Burger King, Restaurant Brands other banners include Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Firehouse Subs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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On a recent weekday afternoon, the main street in Norwich Township was bustling with people chatting at the local cafe, eating at the deli or browsing through shops.

But residents say all that changes on Sundays, when the community in southwestern Ontario largely closes for the Christian day of rest, clinging to a practice generally abandoned across the province since the early 1990s when the government scrapped Sunday closures.

For locals, the Sunday quiet  and a recent controversial decision to ban Pride flags on municipal property  point to the outsized influence in Norwich of one church, the Netherlands Reformed Congregation.

Theres a big influence here from a certain religious group, said James Forrest, a professor at the University of Waterloo who has lived in Norwich Township for over 18 years with his family.

I know people that have tried to open businesses and be open on a Sunday and theyve been visited by the minister saying, if you stay open on Sunday  youll be out of business.

The Netherlands Reformed Congregation, established in Norwich in 1949, sits in a well-tended building with a traditional spire, nestled in the township of 11,000 people thats surrounded by farmland.

Norwich captured attention last month when the local council voted 3-2 in favour of a motion to prohibit Pride flags on municipal property. Only the flags of the federal, provincial and municipal governments are now allowed.

The move came after the township saw several cases of vandalism last year involving Pride flags and banners in support of the LGBTQ community.

Coun. John Scholten, who introduced the motion, said he wanted to change the flag policy to maintain the unity of the community. Neither he nor Mayor Jim Palmer, who voted in favour of the motion, responded to requests for comment.

Colleen Bator was one of several residents who said she believed the Netherlands Reformed Congregations beliefs may have influenced the council vote.

That particular church is embedded in all facets of decision-making of the town, Bator said in an interview.

Church leaders did not respond to multiple interview requests from The Canadian Press.

The church website makes clear its opposition to LGBTQ rights, saying on its beliefs page that any form of sexual immorality (including but not limited to homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.

Tara King, another Norwich resident, said there is a big divide in the town between the churchs members and others.

They will go to businesses in Norwich and tell you to your face, we will not do business with you if youre open on Sunday, she said.

Oxford County Pride, an advocacy group, said it has taken the Pride flag ban to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Just having that as a motion going into a municipal meeting is a violation of human rights, so we put in an initial complaint because of that, said Tami Murray, the groups president.

We will be following up with a secondary complaint given that they have followed through with the motion, she added.

Coun. Alisha Stubbs, who voted against the motion, voiced hope that the Pride flag controversy could mobilize residents who support inclusion.

I think were going to see the community coming together to advocate for belonging and advocate for things that make sense and things that can really help support marginalized communities, she said in an interview.

Coun. Shawn Gear, the other dissenter in the Pride flag vote, told The Canadian Press in an email that he is not interested in getting involved in any type of article that is going to address any divisional issues.

Norwichs conservative religious character dates back to the early 19th Century, when the township was settled by Peter Lossing  a Quaker from New York state who arrived in 1810, said Matthew Lloyd, a curatorial assistant with the Norwich and District Museum.

The Netherlands Reformed Congregation began strengthening its presence in the town following the Second World War and held services in Dutch for a time, Lloyd added.

They were being placed all over Ontario, he said of NRC adherents.

Lloyd said one factor that appeared to deepen division in the town was the closure of the local public high school.

Norwich still hosts the Rehoboth Christian School, a private Kindergarten to Grade 12 institution that serves several local Dutch Reformed churches, according to its website.

But, since the local high school was shuttered more than a decade ago, public high school students have been bused to the nearby communities of Delhi or Woodstock.

(The students) just dont have the opportunity to mingle, Lloyd said. You dont have to get along from a young age because youre not in school together.

For Norwich resident Jennifer St Pierre, the Pride flag ban has forced her to question whether she can continue living in the township.

Part of me has to decide whether or not its worth it for me staying here or not, said St Pierre, who moved to Norwich from Montreal in September.

This doesnt give me a good impression to renew my lease next year, because I am part of this community. I am part of the LGBT+ community.

Forrest, of the University of Waterloo, said Norwich needs to modernize its outlook or risk further public criticism.

I think the township needs to get into this century, he said. Id love to be optimistic, but its a very large group here that doesnt want to be in this century.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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Behind the front lines of the war, Russian forces are trying to ensure that the territory they have captured can never be integrated into Ukraine again, according to European intelligence officials.

In more than a year since the invasion, Moscow has entrenched its control of large parts of southern and eastern Ukraine by engineering cultural and demographic shifts through violence, economic coercion and the replacement of local populations, the officials said, asking not to be named discussing confidential material.

The goal of those alleged war crimes appears to be to eliminate the Ukrainian identity in the areas Russia has occupied, the European officials said. As a result of those abuses, Kyiv will need more than just success on the battlefield to re-establish control, they said. The Russian actions, they added, suggest little interest in negotiating over the occupied areas on the part of President Vladimir Putin, who vowed to secure victory at a military parade in Moscow on Tuesday.

Russian forces are engaged in filtration operations, torture and extrajudicial killings, Michael Carpenter, the U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said by email. Healing the wounds of war will not be easy.

Kremlin officials have denied that Russian forces have perpetrated any human rights abuses in Ukraine while Putin himself has argued that there is no such thing as a Ukrainian national identity. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president for alleged war crimes.

The European assessment underlines how high the stakes are for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he prepares for a counteroffensive that could be his last chance to break the Kremlins grip on large tracts of his country.

French President Emmanuel Macron is already trying to lay the groundwork for potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and other European officials are starting to accept that the moment for talks may be approaching. Any appearance of support for Russian control in occupied areas will increase Putins leverage in any negotiations.

As part of his plans to cement Russian authority over parts of Ukraine, Putin staged referendums in September in four regions which were partly controlled by his forces. The ballots were declared illegal by the United Nations and Russia has failed to establish full control over any the regions and its troops were pushed out of the southern city of Kherson in the fall.

The Russian strategy involves the systematic repression, torture and murder of Ukrainian officials, and the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, the officials said. The Russians have also conscripted Ukrainian men and forced them to fight their own people.

The effort to manufacture a culturally Russian population loyal to the Kremlin borrows tactics that were previously deployed in the eastern Donbas region and the Crimean peninsula after they were captured in 2014.

In those areas, the Kremlin has relocated many Russians while pro-Ukrainians have been jailed or forced to leave, and the indigenous Tatar population in Crimea has faced restrictions on the use of their language and their political institutions have been banned.

In schools across the captured regions, those children who remain are taught a Kremlin-authorized version of history which eliminates their countrys distinct identity. Thats in line with the argument Putin made before the invasion that Ukraine is not a real country.

Putin says that the four Ukrainian regions are now part of Russia after their illegal annexations and that the local populations are loyal to Moscow. He has argued that the occupied territories are historically Russian lands and that Kremlin policies are aimed at undoing years of Ukraines efforts to instil its pseudo-values. Before the invasion, he argued that Ukraine was an artificial country created in the Soviet era, an interpretation that historians have rejected as unfounded. On Tuesday, he accused Russias enemies of seeking to tear his country apart.

Lyudmyla Huseynova was jailed by Russian forces in 2019 after bringing Ukrainian books to a school for orphans in her hometown of Novoazovsk on Ukraines southern coast near the pre-2014 border with Russia. She says she was accused of espionage because of pro-Ukrainian posts on social media.

I was imprisoned just for my thoughts, Huseynova, 61, said in a phone interview. They undressed me, they touched me, they threatened to rape me  a woman who looks like their grandmother.

She said that younger women who she was in jail with were raped by the Russian guards. Huseynova said that the Russians tried to force her to vote in favour of Russian control during the illegal referendums before she was released as part of a prisoner swap late last year.

After months of training and arming Ukrainian forces with modern and heavy weaponry, allies are on alert for Ukraines upcoming counteroffensive, expected in the coming weeks. But some of Kyivs backers are growing skeptical the Ukrainian military will be able to make a decisive breakthrough this year because Russias defences have had time to dig in. Officials also stress that Ukrainian forces have repeatedly surpassed expectations, including last year when it recaptured large swathes of occupied land.

Publicly, Ukraines allies have said negotiations should only happen on its terms, and have vowed to continue supporting the country with military aid. But some European intelligence officials are concerned that strains could emerge between Kyivs allies.

Macron isnt alone in thinking talks should at least be considered. Asked about his efforts, Italys chief of defence Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said at an Atlantic Council event in April that anything which is changing this bad equilibrium we have over there is welcome and needs to be considered, no matter who is proposing it  anything is welcome.

While attention during the war has often focused on the military dynamics, Russias activity behind the front-line is as just significant for the long-term future of Ukraine, the European officials said.

Its actions in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia have been well documented, culminating in the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against Putin and Russias commissioner for childrens rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia has kidnapped almost 20,000 minors since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Zelenskyy said last month.

However, European officials are starting to articulate fears about how difficult it may be for Ukraine to govern the occupied regions  if it can reclaim them  after months of Russian abuses designed to engineer support for the Kremlin.

The focus on indoctrinating Ukrainian children with Russian propaganda demonstrates the Kremlins long-term plans for the territories, the officials said.

In Kherson region, Russia has established at least 20 detention and torture sites where Ukrainian local government officials and protesters were sent, the European officials said. These torture sites have direct financial links to the Kremlin, according to a team of international lawyers investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Ukrainians involved in administrative roles or civic society have been murdered, arrested or deported.

Huseynova says a friend of hers, Vasyl Kovalenko, a businessman, was killed for removing flags of so-called separatist Donetsk Peoples Republic from public spaces. Many, many people were arrested and are still in prisons just for having pro-Ukrainian views, she said.

Last year, the OSCE documented direct targeting of civilians by Russian forces, attacks on medical facilities, rape, torture, summary executions, looting, and forced deportation of civilians to Russia, including children.

Moscow has also offered financial inducements to Russians to move to the regions, replacing deported Ukrainians. Those Ukrainians still living in the territories are being pressured to accept Russian passports, with residents in the occupied parts of Kherson region warned that anyone who doesnt accept one by June will be deported and have their property seized.

Declining to accept a Russian passport can see Ukrainians in the occupied territories denied access to basic public services. But of those who do accept, some are being forcibly enlisted in the Russian army.

Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab reported in February that Russia is operating a large scale, systematic network of camps that has held at least 6,000 children from Ukraine within Russia-occupied Crimea and across mainland Russia during the past year. The camps appear to be trying to indoctrinate Ukrainian children into the Russian governments idea of national culture and history, the authors said.

Lets call it what it is, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said in a tweet last week. Russias forcible deportation of innocent Ukrainian children is a systematic attempt to erase Ukraines future.

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Vermonts Republican governor signed abortion and gender affirming shield bills into law Wednesday that are the first in the country to explicitly include protecting access to a medication widely used in abortions even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdraws its approval of the pill, mifepristone.

The bills protect providers from discipline for providing legally protected reproductive and gender affirming health care services.

Today, we reaffirm once again that Vermont stands on the side of privacy, personal autonomy and reproductive liberty, and that providers are free to practice without fear, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement.

In the identical bills passed by the House and Senate, reproductive health care services includes medication that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for termination of a pregnancy as of January 1, 2023, regardless of the medications current FDA approval status. Planned Parenthood believes other states shield laws will cover the issue but that Vermonts law makes it explicit, according to Lucy Leriche, of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court preserved womens access to the drug, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. The justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of mifepristone, which are appealing a Texas lower court ruling that would roll back FDA approval of mifepristone. The next step in the case is arguments before the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on May 17.

Unfortunately, we cant say how these legal protections will actually play out based on what happens in the Fifth Circuit Court, and likely appeals to that decision no matter what happens, said Isabel Guarnieri, of the Guttmacher Institute, which describes itself as a research and policy organization that advances sexual and reproductive health and rights, by email. All we know is that theres going to be a ton of chaos and confusion.

Greer Donley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law who is an expert in abortion law, said states cannot allow medications the federal government prohibits. But that does not mean the federal government would enforce its ban if states go their own way.

___

Rathke reported from Marshfield, Vermont.

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TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  A Tunisian naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians Tuesday as he tried to reach a synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said. The attacker was slain by security guards, and 10 people were injured.

The motive for the attack was under investigation. It came as Tunisia, once a prized tourist destination and birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings, has fallen into political and economic crisis.

Djerba, a picturesque island off the southern coast of Tunisia, is home to the North African countrys main Jewish community.

The civilians killed were French and Tunisian, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said. It was not immediately clear if they were pilgrims attending ceremonies at the 2,500-year-old Ghriba temple, one of Africas oldest synagogues.

Those injured include six security agents and four civilians, the Interior Ministry said. It did not specify how they were injured or whether they were all shot by the attacker, who was not publicly identified.

The assailant, a guard affiliated with the National Guard naval center in the port town of Aghir on Djerba, first killed a colleague with his service weapon and then seized ammunition and headed toward the Ghriba synagogue, the ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple, who fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said. The synagogue was locked down and those inside and outside were kept secure while authorities investigate the motives for the attack, the ministry said.

Ghayda Thabet, a member of the Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities, was at the Ghriba synagogue and appealed for help on Facebook. They are shooting with live ammunition. Help us, she pleaded in a post.

Videos circulating online showed panic-stricken visitors running while gunshots rang out.

It occurred during an annual pilgrimage that attracts thousands of visitors from around the world to Djerba.

In 2002, a truck bombing killed some 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, Tunisia saw an attack on the Mediterranean resort of Sousse that killed 38, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed that attack, along with attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards.

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LONDON (AP)  The head of the Church of England on Wednesday condemned a British government bill that would dramatically curb migrants ability to seek asylum in the U.K., calling the policy isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made a rare intervention in Parliament to oppose the legislation. He told the House of Lords, Parliaments unelected upper chamber, that the governments proposal was a short-term fix that risked causing great damage to the U.K.s reputation.

The legislation bars asylum claims by anyone who reaches the U.K. by unauthorized means, and compels officials to detain and then deport refugees and migrants to their home country or a safe third country, such as Rwanda. Once deported, they would be banned from ever re-entering the U.K.

Britains Conservative government says the measure would deter tens of thousands of people from trying to cross the English Channel in small boats each year in hopes of reaching the U.K. But critics, including the United Nations refugee agency, have described the legislation as unethical and unworkable, and some allege it would violate international law.

The bill passed the House of Commons last month. It was on a second reading Wednesday in the House of Lords, where it faces strong opposition. The Lords can amend the legislation but not block it.

Welby, who is also the spiritual head of Anglican churches worldwide and presided over King Charles III's coronation on Saturday, said international protections for refugees were not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary.

He added that it was wrong for the U.K. to leave the responsibility of accommodating refugees up to other countries, often much poorer ones.

Of course we cannot take everyone and nor should we, but this bill has no sense at all of the long-term and the global nature of the challenge that the world faces, Welby said. This nation should lead internationally, not stand apart.

Britains government has urged the House of Lords to back the bill, which it says is designed to meet the will of the British people.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop the boats carrying asylum-seekers across the English Channel and made that one of the key focuses of his time in office. His government has argued that the bill will clamp down on criminals who exploit desperate asylum-seekers and prevent migrants from dying during dangerous voyages from northern France in small dinghies.

There is nothing compassionate about allowing vulnerable people to perish in the Channel, Sunaks spokesman, Max Blain, said. The government will robustly defend its migration bill, he added.

While Britain takes in fewer migrants than other European countries such as Germany and Italy, the number of people crossing the busy waterway in search of better lives in the U.K. has increased significantly in recent years.

More than 45,000 people, including many fleeing countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Syria, arrived in Britain in small boats last year, up from 8,500 in 2020.

The government has housed many of those awaiting asylum decisions in hotels, which officials say costs taxpayers millions of pounds (dollars) a day. Authorities have said they plan to place new arrivals in disused military camps and a barge docked on the southern English coast.

Welby has been outspoken about his opposition to the Conservative governments efforts to curb migration. Last year, he warned against official rhetoric that portrayed migrants as invaders. He also called a government plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda the opposite of the nature of God.

___

Follow APs coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union is getting closer to ratifying a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence.

Lawmakers gathered in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday approved by a large majority the EUs endorsement of the Istanbul Convention.

The human rights treaty of the Council of Europe states that men and women have equal rights, and obliges state authorities to take steps to prevent gender-based violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

The EU signed the treaty six years ago but it has yet to be ratified by the bloc as a whole because of the opposition of six member countries  Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

I want to send my strongest call to those six remaining member states in the EU, to also individually ratify the Istanbul Convention, said Arba Kokalari, a Swedish EU lawmaker from the Committee on Womens Rights and Gender Equality. Its time for you to stand on the right side of history and to support womens right to a life free from violence.

Asked for an opinion by the EU Parliament, the EU Court of Justice said in 2021 that the Council  which represents EU member countries governments  could ratify the Istanbul Convention without unanimity.

According to the EU, one in three women in the EU  some 62 million women  has experienced physical or sexual violence, and more than half of women (55%) in the region have been sexually harassed at least once since the age of 15.

Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention in 2021, prompting condemnation from womens rights groups and Western countries. The landmark convention was signed in Istanbul in 2011.

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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) welcomes new funding to deliver the Industrial Transformation Stream of the Australian Government's Powering the Regions Fund announced today (May 9) ahead of the 2023-24 Federal Budget.

As part of the $1.9 billion Powering the Regions Fund package, the Australian Government announced the $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream to support industrial facilities across Australia to reduce their emissions in line with Australia's 2030 targets and support the transition to net zero by 2050.

The program, to be administered by ARENA, will be open to a range of existing industrial facilities in regional areas to support for industrial facilities to reduce emissions and meet Australia's emission reduction targets.

This program will build on ARENA's previous work and existing funding programs to support innovation to drive industry to reduce their emissions, including the Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program which is currently open to support feasibility and engineering studies.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller welcomed the new funding to support industrial decarbonisation.

"As Australia and the world looks to transition to net zero by 2050, we need to support industry to rapidly decarbonise.

"While the journey to transition our electricity system to renewable energy is well underway, the pathway to net zero is just beginning in many other hard to abate sectors. There is much to do, and no time to waste," Mr Miller said.

"The $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream will directly support industrial facilities in regional communities throughout Australia to reduce emissions and reduce energy costs by switching away from fossil fuels.

"In doing so, this funding will support new jobs and upskilling, and commercialisation of a wide range of energy efficiency, electrification, renewable energy, storage and flexible demand technologies needed to achieve our climate targets and set our industries up for success in a net zero world," Mr Miller said.

In more than ten years, ARENA has supported over 650 projects with over $2 billion in funding working across the electricity sector as well as hard to abate sectors such as mining, metals refining and transport.

"As the agency at the forefront of Australia's energy transition for over a decade, this budget program will build upon our existing work and track record helping Australian businesses to reduce their emissions.

"We look forward to working with industry and with government to deliver this important program," he said.

Further information will be available on ARENA's website.

Interested parties can register their interest for further updates and to be involved in future consultation.

ARENA media contact:

media@arena.gov.au
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouris Republican governor on Wednesday officially opened the application process to replace St. Louis embattled prosecutor, Kim Gardner, who resigned last week amid crushing pressure from Republicans who have called her negligent.

Gov. Mike Parson said hes looking for a member of the St. Louis community with strong managerial experience, a commitment to the rule of law and a record of fair and just application of state and local law.

We truly want the best person for the job who can restore law and order to our great City of St. Louis, Parson said in a statement. The prosecutor we appoint has a real opportunity to make meaningful and lasting change that strengthens public safety.

Parson has only weeks to name a successor to Gardner, who is the citys first Black circuit attorney. Her last day is June 1.

Republicans have been calling for Gardner to resign for months. They argue 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 has said efforts to push her out of office are politically motivated.

State Senate leaders have said she reached a breaking point when she learned that her departure likely would mean the death of pending legislation to allow a special appointed prosecutor to take over most of her duties.

Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, who sponsored that legislation, said he will not push for its passage this year now that Gardner is stepping down.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey also took legal steps to remove Gardner from office in February. A hearing on whether Gardner should be removed had been scheduled for September.

Gardner has faced intense public scrutiny for years, especially from Republican elected officials.

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.

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 freed.

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP)  The Biden administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through. It marks a fundamental shift in immigration policy as the U.S. readies for the end of a key pandemic restriction.

Asylum seekers have been showing up at the border in huge numbers in anticipation of this weeks end of the use of a restriction known as Title 42. That rule has allowed the government to quickly expel migrants to Mexico. U.S. officials warned of difficult days ahead as the program tied to the COVID-19 pandemic expires this week.

The rule announced Wednesday is part of new measures meant to crack down on illegal border crossings while creating new legal pathways. Families who cross the border will face curfews and monitoring; the head of household will wear an ankle bracelet as their cases are heard within 30 days.

But theres also a plan to open 100 regional migration hubs across the Western Hemisphere and granting humanitarian parole to 30,000 people a month to enter the country from four countries. U.S. officials have detailed steps theyve taken, including increasing deportation flights, as they prepare for what many are expecting to be a substantial increase in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Our plan will deliver results, but it will take time for those results to be fully realized, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned.

Many migrants, spurred by concerns that it may soon become harder to stay in the U.S., were trying to cross before Title 42 expires and the new rule takes effect at the end of the day Thursday.

Under Title 42, border officials have quickly returned people  and they did so 2.8 million times since March 2020. But after the restrictions expire Thursday, migrants caught crossing illegally will not be allowed to return for five years. They can face criminal prosecution if they do.

At the Rio Grande in Matamoros on Wednesday, migrants arrived steadily. Many stripped down before descending the steep riverbank grasping plastic bags filled with clothes. They slowly waded into the river as more migrants arrived, some crossing themselves before following the line across the flowing border. One family swaddled a tiny baby inside an open suitcase. A man held it atop his head while another waded beside him as a precaution. Other children rode on shoulders. On the U.S. side they scrambled up the bank, pausing to put on dry clothing, before carefully picking their way through the rows of concertina wire.

In Ciudad Juarez, migrants arrived this week in small groups by train or bus, leaving daily to surrender to the U.S. authorities.

Fran Tovar, a 30-year-old electrician from Venezuela who left two children behind to try to reach the U.S., was expelled from the U.S. on his first attempt. He was trying again 24 hours later, with the goal of crossing before Title 42s use expires.

There is fear and anguish, Tovar said Wednesday, adding that he has spent three months in Juarez trying to get an appointment through an app the U.S. has encouraged migrants to use to present themselves at a border entry point and seek admission.

Roughly 10,000 people were apprehended by Border Patrol on Tuesday, among the largest apprehensions in a single day, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. More than 27,000 people were in custody. Custody numbers vary as migrants are released or deported, but in March 8,600 people were in Border Patrol custody.

Miguel Meza, the head of migrant programs for Catholic Relief Services, which has 26 migrant shelters across Mexico, estimated that about 55,000 migrants were in the border cities across from the U.S. on Wednesday. The shelter space is saturated, he said, and migrants were spilling into areas around them.

The measure announced Wednesday is a key part of the U.S. strategy to address border crossings that rose to all-time highs even with Title 42 in effect. While stopping short of a total ban, it imposes severe limitations on asylum for those crossing illegally who didnt first seek a legal pathway. It includes room for exceptions and does not apply to children traveling alone. It was first announced in February.

A federal appeals court prevented similar but stricter measures pursued by then-President Donald Trump in 2019 from taking effect.

Human rights groups said they plan to sue quickly.

This rule will subject people to grave harm, said American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Katrina Eiland.

She said it would result in migrants stranded in northern Mexico. She said the rule was predicated on the idea migrants can get protection in another country or get an appointment online to seek asylum in the U.S. She said there are serious problems with both those options.

U.S. officials also said they planned to open regional hubs around the hemisphere, where migrants could apply to go to the U.S., Canada or Spain. Two hubs were previously announced in Guatemala and Colombia. Its unclear where the other locations would be. The administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing border plans that were not yet public.

Most of the people going to the U.S.-Mexico border are fleeing persecution or poverty in their home countries. Migrants and groups who work with them noted the swirl of rumors and disinformation from smugglers that makes it hard for migrants to understand what to do.

In Matamoros, Carmen Josefina Characo Lopez said she arrived over a month ago and had been trying to use the U.S. governments app to schedule an appointment to seek asylum.

People who just arrive start hearing the stories of others who have been here longer and they start getting alarmed. Oh, youve been here for four months. Well, I just got here and Im going to cross. And thats where the dilemma is, she said.

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Long reported from Washington and Lee from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Washington; Gerardo Carrillo in Reynosa, Mexico; and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

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EDMONTON - Albertas decision to cancel funding for an elite wildfire-fighting crew in 2019 came despite pleas to keep the Rapattack program from at least three municipalities, including one that has since been evacuated during this springs blazes.

Rapattack is a pivotal program in the fight against wildfire and without them communities will be losing a valuable resource, wrote Jim Hailes, then mayor of Fox Creek, to Devin Dreeshen, then the United Conservative forestry minister.

Fox Creeks 1,700 residents are expected to be out of their homes until at least Wednesday.

Rapattack firefighters are rappelled from helicopters to douse wildfires while they still only covered a few hectares. They could extinguish small fires before they merge and clear landing spaces for other helicopters to bring in crews and gear.

There were once 63 such firefighters stationed around the province before the government cancelled the program in 2019, saving $1.4 million.

Before it did, at least three communities wrote the government in its support.

Without these crews and the abilities of the Rapattack program, I fear we will one day lose houses or our community, wrote Scott Sheldrake, who directed fire response for the west-central community of Nordegg at the time.

I have worked directly with these crews and can tell you the effectiveness of them.

Sheldrake recalled a case in which a car went off the road, caught fire and ignited nearby tree crowns. It took him and his crew an hour to reach the site.

I was very relieved to hear a wildland crew with a helicopter was on its way and was finishing extinguishing the crown fire as we arrived, he wrote.

Also at the time, council of the southern community of Crowsnest Pass passed a motion in favour of the Rapattack program.

Our municipality has first-hand knowledge of the benefits of this program, Mayor Blair Painter wrote in a letter to Dreeshen. We believe the program is a very valuable asset in early response and prevention of wildfires growing out of control.

On Monday, former Rapattack members, as well as current firefighters, said the programs cancellation deprived Alberta of a powerful weapon it could have used against this springs fires.

Those fires now number nearly 100. Almost 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and several energy companies have been forced to shut down.

Heather Sweet, provincial New Democrat forestry critic, said Rapattack was vital to preventing the spread of wildfires.

It was a mistake to cut them, she said Tuesday in an email. It was a short-sighted move by the UCP that will put communities at risk and cost our province more in the long term.

Asked about the cut, Premier Danielle Smith said the provinces firefighting capacity will be examined.

Having a 10-times-worse fire event than weve ever seen is going to have to make us analyze what we need for baseline support, she said. Ive already raised this with the civil service.

Smith said Albertas regular firefighting capacity cant be expected to be able to deal with fires at what she called this springs extraordinary level.

However, the governments own documents suggest that extraordinary is becoming less so.

While the years 2020-22 were relatively quiet in Alberta, the provinces wildfire agency called 2019 one of the worst on record with an extraordinary spring.

Alberta Wildfire called 2016s fire that scorched Fort McMurray the worst wildfire experience in recent Canadian history.

It said the previous year was extraordinary in terms of wildfire conditions, number of fires, number of hectares burned and expenditures.

The agencys 2016 report contained a warning.

More intense wildfires are inevitable and are becoming increasingly more likely.

Scientists suggest climate change is lengthening the fire season and drying out the forest, increasing both the likelihood of wildfires and their intensity.

Sheldrake, reached Tuesday in Nordegg, said his opinion of the Rapattack cuts hasnt changed.

I was dumbfounded they would get rid of an invaluable service, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president of Nigeria and Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, are expected to attend a programme organised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors forum.

Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto and chairman of the forum is the host of the event slated to hold at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Thursday.

According to C.I.D Maduabum, the director-general of the forum, Muda Yusuf, a renowned economist, would speak on the theme Good governance at the sub-national level: issues, perspectives, expectations and outcomes at the event.

The programme will serve as an opportunity for PDP leaders, stakeholders and members to come together, since after the general election, the director-general said.





Outgoing governors, governor-elect including Seyi Makinde, Umo Bassey Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Ndubusi Mbah of Enugu State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau are expected to attend the programme.

Members of the PDPs national working committee (NWC), national executive committee (NEC), and board of trustees (BoT) are also to grace the programme.

Both Atiku and Wike would be publicly seen together at the event for the first time since the February 25 election.





Since Atiku won the partys presidential primaries on May 28 2022, Wike, championing the presidency must come to the south, alongside four other governors had opposed his presidential campaign.

Atiku came second in the election behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the election on March 1.

In the election, Tinubu polled 231,591 votes in Rivers as against Atiku who scored 88,468  the first time since the fourth republic started in 1999 that PDP was unable to get 25 percent of votes in the state.
The Action Peoples Party (APP) has withdrawn its petition challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election.

At the pre-hearing session on Monday, Obed Agu, APPs lawyer, said instead of proceeding to the main hearing, parties can choose to settle disputes amicably.

He said the respondents  Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC)  should concede to the claims of the petitioner considering the weight of claims against them.

The court then adjourned the case for further pre-hearing.

At the resumed court session on Wednesday, Agu moved an application to withdraw the petition.

Abubakar Mahmoud, counsel to INEC; Wole Olanipekun, counsel to Tinubu; and Lateef Fagbemi, counsel to APC, did not oppose the application nor did they ask for cost.

Consequently, the petition was dismissed.

The Action Alliance (AA) had withdrawn its petition against Tinubu and the APC on Monday.

With the dismissal of two petitions, the court is left to determine three other petitions by Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the PDP; Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).




The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned the hearing on the petitions filed by the Labour Party, LP, to Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

Kenneth Okonkwo, one of the spokespersons for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, made the disclosure on Wednesday, following the second sitting of the court.

Okonkwo, who also appeared in court as one of the legal representatives of the Labour Party, LP, said the court adjourned after a brief hearing of petitions.

He wrote: After a brief hearing of the matter, the court adjourned to Wednesday, 17 May 2023, for a continuation of hearingI will keep you posted. We believe in God for a positive outcome with your supplications to God.

The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel had its inaugural sitting on Monday and a continuation of the pre-hearing trial on Wednesday.




Sale Mamman, former minister of power, has been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with an alleged N22 billion fraud.

TheCable reports that Mamman, who was a minister under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday and is being detained at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja.

The arrest is connected to investigations into alleged corruption in the execution of some power projects.

Mamman is accused of conspiring with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert N22 billion and share among themselves.

The investigations uncovered properties in Nigeria and overseas allegedly linked to the suspects, while millions of naira and dollars have reportedly been recovered.

President Muhammadu Buhari on September 1, 2021, sacked Mamman and Sabo Nanono, the minister of agriculture and rural development, in what was called a cabinet restructuring.

In 2020, while still serving, Mamman alleged that there was a cabal in his ministry denying Nigerians electricity.

He was reacting to the criticism which trailed his suspension of some top officials in the ministry.

Mamman had suspended Damilola Ogunbiyi, former managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), and Marilyn Amobi, managing director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), pending an investigation into allegations levelled against them.

However, some critics accused him of ethnic bias.








Barring any last-minute change, the United Kingdom Court of Appeal will hear the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.





The court is scheduled to hear Kanus extraordinary rendition appeal on June 22, 2023.





The court had initially ruled that the ground for appeal raised important issues.





Kanus special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, disclosed the scheduled date for the ruling in a chat with newsmen.





According to Ejimakor: In an initial order, the court ruled that the grounds of appeal raise important issues. The appeal will be heard on June 22, 2023. Kudos to Kanus family and my colleagues, the Bindmans.





The IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya in June 2022 over his agitation for Biafra and arraigned in court to continue his trial.





Despite the courts discharging and acquitting him, the Nigerian government has refused to release Kanu.




Days after a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu was jailed in the United Kingdom, UK, the Federal Government of Nigeria has kept sealed lips.

It also maintained the same stance all through the time the trial lasted.

A public affairs commentator, Chuks Ibegbu, who was not comfortable with the scenario, said Ekweremadus case had exposed the Federal Governments alleged double standard.

Ibegbu said the Federal Governments silence was an indication that once a personality from a section of the country has issues, such a person is left to their fate.

It could be recalled that a London court had sentenced Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta to prison for organ harvesting.

But, while Ekweremadus conviction has continued to draw sympathy from Nigerians, the Federal Government has been silent.

Keen watchers say the Federal Governments window to use diplomacy to resolve Ekweremadus case was lost when it failed to reach out to its UK counterpart within 24 hours after he was arrested for organ harvesting.

Allowing the case to go to court might indicate that the Nigerian Government was interested in Ekweremadu being convicted in the UK, a source indicated.

Also, while Ekweremadu was facing trial in the UK, the Nigerian Government, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had moved for the confiscation of some of his properties in Nigeria, Dubai, and UK.

The EFCC had told an Abuja Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2022 that the properties were suspicious proceeds of crime.

Ibegbu said: My take is that nobody is above the law, and the judicial system in London has convicted Ekweremadu, but the fact that he was a deputy Senate President and a high-ranking personality in Nigeria was enough reason for the Federal Government to intervene in the matter.

I expected the Federal Government to have intervened in the matter and probably appealed for a reduced sentence or transferred the case down to Nigeria from London. Its part of the inconsistency and double standard of the Federal Government on issues concerning some parts of the country.

It might have been borne out of the double dealings that once you are from the favoured part of the country, the Government takes your matter seriously, or else you are left to your fate. Like I said again, nobody is above the law; if you commit a crime, you should face the music.

In the past eight years, the Federal Government has been known for favouritism. Once somebody not from the favourite place falls into problems, he or she is left to their fate.

This does not mean we are encouraging crime, but with Ekweremadus status, we expected the Federal Government to be proactive and intervene and send a legal team to London, irrespective of the severity of his action; hes an official of the Federal Government.

Ekweremadus conviction is the conviction of Nigeria. A high-ranking Nigerian was being tried in London and the Federal Government did not deem it fit to send a representative.

Be that as it may, the attitude of Nigerian big men is condemnable; they treat the ordinary Nigerian like toilet paper; otherwise, Ekweremadu wont have meddled himself in all these kinds of things, but that is the reflection of the way Nigerian big men treat ordinary people.
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says after he leaves office, hell only visit the state if it becomes necessary.

Speaking at a policy conversation and book launch in Abuja on Tuesday, el-Rufai said he would not return as the minister of the federal capital territory even if offered.

The event, with the theme How Nigeria can build a post-oil economic future, was organised by the Carnegie Africa Program in partnership with Agora Policy.

But the governor did not say if he would be part of the new government or retire into a private life, though he said he would not accept the job the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

El-Rufai was the FCT minister under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, during which he undertook radical policies including demolition of illegal structures in Abuja.

I have done my job, Im done, I dont look back. In fact when I left FCT, the only time I visited FCT was in 2016 when my secondary school classmate was appointed the minister and he said he wanted to see me, so I went there, el-Rufai said.

Once I leave a job, I dont look back. If I leave Kaduna in 19 days, I will only visit if it becomes necessary.

So, I dont think about the FCT. Ive done my bit. I dont comment on the performance of those that came after me.

Even if offered, Im not coming to Abuja. As I say, I never repeat class and there are many young people I know that I can recommend that would do even better job than I did as minister of FCT.

Im too old for this. Im too old for demolition, get a young man with blood in his veins or a young woman.

The Kaduna governor called on workers in the private sector to pass through the public sector to contribute in turning the country around.

If you are in the private sector and you have met your basic financial needs, you have your own house, come through the public service and contribute so that you turn around the country, otherwise whatever you have in the private sector can be destroyed by a consistently bad government. It is only a matter of time, he said.

If good people that have an independent mind and a voice can stand up and say we must do the right thing and nobody can intimidate him are not in government, please dont complain that things are not working well.

And do not complain when you wake up one morning, all your money has been wiped out or a government says take your money to the bank, we are doing currency redesign and they keep it and say we are not giving you, dont complain because that is what you get when you allow scumbags to be in government.
Despite flooding around the Gold Bar Mine in Nevada the Gold Bar team kept costs down and prioritized placing ore on the leach pad, McEwen Mining Inc. said in announcing an adjusted net loss of $6.4 million, or 14 cents per share, for the first quarter of this year.

McEwen had to suspend mining on March 20 at Gold Bar, which is about 25 miles west of the town of Eureka, because flooded roads prevented access to the mine. The mine itself didnt flood.

Chief Operating Officer William Shaver said in the May 9 earnings call that the flooding of access roads interrupted production for three days in the quarter, but with the help of our own people and contractors we were able to mitigate the impact of these unusual events.

The site manager, Todd Sylvester, told the Elko Daily Free Press on March 20 that Gold Bar had a helicopter taking people in and out of the mine the prior weekend and after that used a boat to get people across the flooded area.

In the first-quarter earnings report, McEwen Mining stated that Gold Bar continued to ramp-up mining from the Gold Bar South deposit and placed 15,000 contained ounces on the leach pad in the quarter ending March 31.

The Toronto-based company also said that production is steadily increasing at Gold Bar, where mining resumed at Pick Pit in April. The mining at Pick will continue to add gold inventory to the heap leach pad, contributing to the increase in production for the remainder of this year, according to Shafer.

He said mining moved to Gold Bar South during the heavy snowfall and spring rains because the Pick open pit is at a higher elevation. The weather also diluted leaching, and Gold Bar South ore leaches at a slower rate than Pick ore.

Gold Bar produced 6,500 ounces of gold equivalent ounces in the first quarter, compared with 6,300 ounces in the first quarter of 2022, while the all-in sustaining costs were $1,725 per ounce in the 2023 quarter, compared with $2,633 per gold equivalent ounce in the 2022 quarter.

McEwen Mining expects Gold Bar to produce 42,000 to 48,000 gold equivalent ounces this year at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,680 per ounce, according to the May 8 earnings results.

The company, which also posted production of 12,700 gold equivalent ounces at the Fox Complex in Canada, up from 7,700 ounces in the 2022 quarter, and gold production of 6,700 ounces and silver production of 381,200 ounces at the San Jose Mine in Argentina for McEwens 49% share, compared with 6,450 gold ounces and 335,500 silver ounces in the 2022 quarter.

Consolidated production companywide in the first quarter was 25,900 gold ounces and 381,200 silver ounces, and McEwen Minings guidance for this year is 123,000 to 139,000 gold ounces and 2.3 million to 2.6 million silver ounces. Gold equivalent ounces are expected to be 150,000 to 170,000 ounces.

The adjusted loss for McEwen Mining in the first quarter of $6.4 million compared with an adjusted loss of $13.1 million, or 28 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2022, and the company stated that the adjusted figures exclude McEwens 52% ownership of McEwen Copper and its 49% ownership of the San Jose Mine in Argentina.

The consolidated net loss for the company was $43.1 million, or 91 cents per share, in the first quarter, compared with a net loss of $20.7 million, or 45 cents per share, in the 2022 quarter, and the company said the largest contributor to the net loss in 2023 was the $31.9 million spent on exploration at the Los Azules Project in Argentina.

Rob McEwen, chairman and chief owner, said in the earnings report that the company completed a series of large financial transactions involving shares of its McEwen Copper subsidiary, which has increased the market value attributable to our copper business to $550 million (for 100%) from $257 million at the conclusion of the prior financing round in August 2022.

He said that McEwen Mining shareholders are benefitting from the value accretion since they own 52% of McEwen Copper.

Weve got our mojo back, Rod McEwen said in the earnings calls, reporting that the share price has increased 200%, benefitted by the investments in the copper project and improved gold and silver prices.

McEwens share price was $8.42 on May 9, while the 52-week low was $2.81 per share.

Additionally, McEwen Mining reported spending $5.9 million on exploration at the Fox Complex and Gold Bar operations. The Gold Bar drilling in the quarter focused on defining the boundaries of the oxide resources at the Pick deposit and testing the Benmark target, and the company reported drilling at the Cabin South target was expected to begin soon.

The company also said Kennecott Exploration Co., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, planned to begin drilling at McEwens Elder Creek exploration project in Nevada in May. Kennecott has the option to earn a 60% interest in Elder Creek with an $18 million investment over a maximum of seven years.

Our 100% owned precious metals mines generated a gross profit this quarter, although McEwen Copper expenses obscure our improved performance on a net basis, said Rob McEwen. We continue to invest in exploration as the most cost-effective means to extend the life of our operations with positive results.

The gross profit was $4.4 million in the first quarter.
A federal jury in New York, USA, has found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing Jean Carroll, an advice columnist.

Carroll had alleged that Trump raped her at in Manhattan in 1996.

The jury, which reached a decision on Tuesday in a civil trial, said Trump was not guilty of rape, but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The jury, comprising six men and three women, awarded Carroll a sum of at least $2 million.

Trump did not testify during the trial, but he was deposed on camera in October.

However, Joe Tacopina, Trumps lawyer, told the jury in closing arguments Monday that Carrolls story is too far-fetched to be believed.

He claimed that she made it up to fuel sales of her 2019 memoir, and that she wanted to disparage Trump for political reasons.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has warned that the Supreme Court ruling on Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State can become a two-edged sword.

Keyamo said those celebrating Adelekes victory should study the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court that affects the tenability of results retrieved from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, to prove overvoting.

He noted that the judgment might affect the pending Presidential Election Petitions.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court affirmed Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as Osun State governor.

Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, who delivered the judgement, ruled that the former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, who challenged the victory of Adeleke, based all his allegations against the election on unfounded hearsay.

However, Keyamo cautioned those celebrating Adelekes victory at the Supreme Court.

Tweeting, Keyamo wrote: They have not even stopped for a minute in their euphoria to reflect on the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court today as it affects the tenability of results obtained by BVAS to prove overvoting and how it affects their pending Presidential Election Petitions that will go before the same Supreme Court in a few months time.

The Supreme Court has set a precedent today that can be a two-edged sword and when I reflected on it, I just chuckled. Awaiting the final decision of the Presidential Election cases.




A former acting national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hilliard Etta, has revealed why Senator Orji Uzor Kalu cannot become the President of the Senate.





Etta, while fielding questions on Arise Televisions Morning Show program on Wednesday, claimed that Kalu didnt contribute much to the partys success in the 2023 general elections.





He claimed that the APC would only reward those who are loyal and have worked hard for the success of the party.





You know, in the past eight years, and I keep saying this, we have had a party that doesnt reward hard work and doesnt reward loyalty. I think the President-elect and the new leadership are beginning on a new slate, a fresh slate where people will be rewarded for their hard work and their loyalty.





We havent discussed this, and I dont want us to go into personality. I want to tell you this: Orji Uzor Kalu is eminently qualified to be the President of the Senate. But even from outside of the party game, I do know that Orji Uzor Kalu didnt contribute much to the success of the party in this election, he said.





The former chairman also dismissed the notion that the South East is marginalized by the APC.





He justified the exclusion of South East from the Senate Presidency, saying it had occupied the position many times since 1999.





Youre aware that from 1999 South East has had about four past Senate President; Its not as if it is a perpetual thing. I have told you that before the party takes a decision, it would have brought a lot of variables to bear.





And talking about the South East, I dont think the South East has been marginalized by the party. The party hasnt finished its allocation of offices, Etta said.
Musa Saidu, a chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), says the south-east should not seek the position of senate president because the geopolitical zone did not vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking with NAN on Tuesday, Saidu said the geopolitical zone gave the majority of its votes to the Labour Party (LP).

The south-east caucus in the senate had asked Bola Tinubu, president-elect, to ensure that a lawmaker from the zone becomes the senate president.

However, the party chose Godswill Akpabio, a former minister, for the position of senate president.

I want to say without fear of contradiction that the south-east has no justification to start asking for the senate presidency of the 10th national assembly because it is not part of those who voted for the APC, the ACF chieftain said.

The south-east cant be in contention for the senate presidency because its people didnt vote for the APC. You are talking about fairness and justice, when you didnt even vote for the APC during the 2023 general election.

Other zones voted massively for the party and the president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, while you decided to give your votes entirely to the Labour Party.

How can you come out to say that the president-elect should zone the senate presidency to the south-east, when you didnt vote for him?

Supposing he didnt win the election, would he be in the position to zone the senate presidency?

Saidu said the senate presidency is not for free, adding that you have to work for it.

I think that the zoning of the senate presidency to south-south is not entirely a bad idea because the zone performed better in terms of voting for the APC in the last election, he said.
A Jersey City man has been arrested in the hit-and-run that killed a 23-year-old motorcyclist Friday night in North Bergen, Hudson County Esther Suarez said.

Julian Palacios, 30, is charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision resulting in death, a second-degree offense; and obstruction, a fourth-degree offense. He was arrested Tuesday in Long Branch by members of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and is in custody at a local medical facility, Suarez said.

When cleared, he will be transported to Hudson County jail, pending his first court appearance.
A Union City man who tried darting across Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen early Monday morning was struck and killed, authorities said, the townships fourth roadway fatality in the past month.

The crash occurred at 12:14 a.m. in the area of 74th Street, North Bergen Capt. David Dowd said. Police officers responded to the area of 74th Street and found the victim, 43-year-old Manuel Diaz-Marquez, unresponsive in the right southbound lane of Tonnelle Avenue.
Albio Sires is back.

The former West New York mayor and his slate of candidates easily swept into office in West New York on Tuesday against a ticket by incumbent Commission member Cosmo Cirillo.

The 72-year-old Sires, who gave up his congressional seat to Rob Menendez, was elected mayor, returning to the lead the town he led between 1996 and 2005.

Sires and his running mates  Victor Barrera, Marcos Arroyo and former school board members Adam Parkinson and Marielka Diaz  had a more than 2-to-1 vote margin, according to the latest numbers on the Hudson County Clerks website.

Sires was running with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization that backed Cirillo four years ago when he ran on outgoing Mayor Gabe Rodriguezs ticket. Rodriguez gave up the mayors seat to run for state assembly in the 33rd District.

Turnout for the two municipal elections in North Hudson  the other was in West New York  was just under 30%.
While it may be becoming a staple in New York, the Venezuelan Art Fair is expanding its horizons as comes to New Jersey for its latest edition beginning Saturday, May 13, 2023, with an opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. at the William Musto Cultural Center Union City Museum.

The show will include paintings, photography, abstract works, mixed media. There will be eight participating artists including Leandro Comrie, Reinaldo P. Giraldi, Alfonzo Prieto, Alexandra Alvarez, Yuri Uzcategui, Carolina Fernandez, Numa Delgado, and Ruth Alvarado, who will be presenting their latest works.

The Venezuelan Art Fair was born in 2021 by Jersey City artist Alexandra Alvarez as a way to support Venezuelan artists in the New York City area and open up new opportunities for them. Alvarez has lived in Jersey City since 2015.

This months show is meant to serve as a preview for the Venezuelan Art Fairs upcoming annual show in June in New York City. Visitors on Saturday will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the artists while also learning about Venezuelan culture. Appetizers will be provided by Union Citys Coromoto Restaurant.

The free show will run until Saturday, June 3. The William Musto Cultural Center Union City Museum is located at 420 15th St., Union City.
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.
Barack Obama will join the chorus of praise for Newark and Mayor Ras J. Baraka on Wednesday when the nations 44th president recognizes the citys success in reducing violence with an $800,000 grant to continue that work.

The My Brothers Keeper Alliance, created by then-President Obama in 2014 and now run by the Obama Foundation, will recognize Newark as a model community to serve as an example for communities nationwide.

Obama founded the My Brothers Keeper Alliance, or MBK, as a partnership of the White House, the U.S. Department of Education and the private sector following the 2012 fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, a stand-your-ground state where his killer was eventually charged with manslaughter but acquitted by a jury.

In 2014, in the wake of Trayvon Martins death, I challenged every community in the country to implement strategies to help boys and young men of color, Obama said in a statement. Thanks to the tireless efforts of MBK communities, cities like Newark have changed the odds  creating opportunities for our young people to achieve their full potential. The MBK Model Communities initiative represents the next phase of the MBK Alliances work to help communities take on their biggest challenges  and I look forward to continuing this work alongside them for years to come.

More than 200 cities nationwide have chapters of the alliance, including Newark, which Baraka formed in 2014, his first year in office.

Safety from violence is one of six milestones alliance communities strive to achieve. The others are readiness to learn when entering school, cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally; reading at grade level by third grade; high school graduation; earning a college degree or completing vocational training; and landing a job.

I am incredibly proud that Newark has been named an MBK Model Community, Baraka said. It is invigorating and uplifting to see the spread of this holistic collaboration to treat the national epidemic of violence as a public health crisis. That same spirit of collaboration has brought hope and healing to our city in the most tangible, measurable ways through the launch of the City of Newarks Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.

Newark is eager to share our success in reducing violence with other communities, Baraka added, and we look forward to learning from other communities who have achieved other key milestones.

My Brothers Keeper Newark Executive Director Mark Comesanas will be part of the citys delegation attending the Chicago MBK gathering, which will encourage networking and sharing ideas and methods for achieving all six milestones. Other attendees include Robert Clark, CEO of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, which will lead the model communities initiative. The mayor singled out Newark-based Prudential Financial as a supporter of the local MBK program since its outset.

The Baraka administration has used a combination of data-driven policing and community-based anti-violence programs to treat violent hot spots as if they were virus outbreaks. Baraka and others credited the approach with contributing to a 6% decline in violent crime in 2022. For example, the citys 50 homicides last year marked a 60-year low, while the number of shooting victims was down 30%, the citys public safety director, Fritz Frage, said this week.

Baraka and his staff have been praised by fellow Democrats and others as leaders in areas ranging from crime reduction to infrastructure improvement. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Newark in February 2022 to highlight the citys lead service line replacement program as a national model.

Appearing with Baraka on Monday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., praised the citys approach to crime, led by the police and the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, as a model for other cities.

Adren Wilson, the alliances national executive director, said Newark was one of four model cities being recognized this year during a 1 p.m. ceremony at Chicagos Venue Space Six 10 along with Yonkers, New York; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska.

The My Brothers Keeper Alliance is proud to recognize Newark as an MBK Model Community, demonstrating their commitment to Milestone Six: All Youth Should Remain Safe from Violent Crime, Wilson said in a statement. The MBK Alliance has identified four communities that exemplify the tangible impact that can be achieved when implementing evidence-based practices.

Obama left the Oval Office after two terms in January 2017, while Baraka, now in his third term, was first sworn in as mayor in July 2014, so their tenures overlapped by less than two years. But Baraka said he met Obama several times, typically when the president would arrive in the region at Newark Liberty International Airport. So, the citys fourth Black mayor said, he considers himself and the nations first Black president friends.

He also said he was humbled to be recognized by the ex-president.

It means a lot to me personally, Baraka said. I think to the city, as well. Were excited and humbled at the same time. We look at President Obama, I know I do, as a very, very important figure, not just as the president but historically for Black and brown people in this country. So its just a high honor for me and for the city to receive this recognition.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, at the podium, discussed Newark's falling crime rate for 2022 in Newark late in December.He was joined by State Attorney General Matthew Platkin, far left.Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com

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ELKO  An Elko man is headed to prison for a fifth time after being sentenced for stealing guns from a home in an incident that led to a SWAT standoff last summer.

Cody L. Huff, 31, pleaded no contest to one count of burglary of a residence and one count of grand larceny and was sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison by District Judge Al Kacin. He was also ordered to pay $24,576 restitution to the victim.

Police had been informed two days prior to the arrest that two safes containing firearms and cash had been stolen from a southside home. Security cameras inside and outside the home recorded an SUV backing into the driveway and a man kicking in the front door of the residence, then quickly removing the safes.

The suspect was wearing a mask but he was identified as Huff by the distinct tattoo on a visible portion of his face, according to police.

Huff also pleaded no contest to three counts of attempted grand larceny of a motor vehicle in a separate case. He was sentenced to 19 to 48 months in prison plus two years in jail, to be served consecutively with the previous sentence.

In a third judgment handed down on Tuesday, Huff was sentenced to a concurrent 15 to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance.

Nevada Department of Corrections records indicate that Huff has been imprisoned four prior times.

He was charged with attempted murder in November 2014 after being accused of shooting a man inside the front door of his home near an elementary school. According to court testimony he pointed a gun at the mans head but the man pushed his arm away just as the trigger was fired. The bullet lodged in his neck and shoulder area.

Huff was arrested the following day after a high-speed chase. He pleaded guilty in July 2015 to two lesser counts of battery with a deadly weapon and ex-felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced by District Judge Nancy Porter to up to 13 years in prison with parole eligibility after three years.

According to Nevada Department of Corrections records, Huff was released on mandatory parole in November 2021.

He was also sentenced in April 2011 on two counts of attempted battery by a prisoner, and in September 2012 for attempted theft.

Huff was also arrested three times in 2010, according to Elko Daily Free Press files  in February for drug possession; in March for felony embezzlement; and in June for burglary, grand larceny and possession of stolen goods.
It is clear from Tom Morans recent column, The debate on sex ed doesnt have to be crazy and mean, that he doesnt understand the principles of academic freedom and librarianship.

After parents at Roxbury High School tried to ban a book about sex education, Moran wrote, The board decided to keep the book, but placed it behind the desk and required parental permission to check it out. King Solomon couldnt have done better.

While Moran may think this is a great compromise, the American Library Association and every professional organization of librarians has long rejected the practice of holding controversial books behind circulation desks and requiring parental permission to check them out.

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What Moran is advocating for is actually a de facto form of censorship in which books are placed out of reach from children who are then forced to go through extra bureaucratic hurdles to read them. As someone who holds a masters in library science from Rutgers University, my professors made it very clear that we should never engage in this type of restriction.

While Moran may think he is being diplomatic and that its worth considering both sides of the argument in this current culture war, the fact is that we cannot meet parents halfway when they are attempting to censor and ban books. As red-state legislatures across the country are trying to criminalize librarians who order certain titles, especially those with LGBT themes, its disappointing to see Moran take such a weak stance on censorship.

There is simply no moral equivalence between the parents who are slandering a librarian as a pedophile and that librarian rightfully suing them in response, but Moran frames his entire story as if both sides have gone crazy. Only one side has lost its mind and its not the librarians.

Karl Schwartz, Newark

Return migrant buses to Texas with new passengers

One way to slow down or even stop Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from sending busloads of migrants to New York City is to send the buses back to Texas and Abbott  filled with incarcerated felons from Rikers Island.

Since the city eventually wants to close Rikers, what better way to reduce the population than to ship them elsewhere? New York could use the money saved on housing the felons to provide for the upkeep of the newly arrived migrants.

John F. Hessel, Monroe Township

Its why they call it acting

Veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss has caused quite a stir by criticizing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars, for its implementation of new guidelines regarding diversity.

Dreyfuss noted that it would now be improper for Laurence Olivier to portray Othello, a role for which the actor received acclaim, because Olivier wore blackface.

Is the Academy now saying Robert DeNiro should not have portrayed a Jewish wiseguy (Sam Rothstein) like he did in Casino.? Or, how about Harvey Keitel? Can he play an Italian mobster? You bet. The Irishman, Mean Streets. That guy is great.

I fully understand the criticism of a white actor playing a black character by using blackface, but is the Academy saying Henry Winkler should not have been the Fonz?

Give us all a break. It is called acting.

Larry Monaco, Caldwell

Ill take Civility for $2,000

While watching Jeopardy! Masters, a primetime version of the TV game show featuring past big winners, I noticed something very interesting.

Although the contestants are in competition for a $500,000 grand prize, they remain very civil and friendly toward each other. The jokes and comments among them demonstrates their competitive spirit, but never are cruel or degrading.

It made me think how intelligent people perform in rivalry. Wouldnt it be nice if political competitors acted as intelligently?

Paul Fernandez, Union

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Its a challenge to pad a resume brimming with noxious achievements, especially one which includes provoking a coup, extorting Ukraine, an indictment for a hush money scheme, another likely indictment for election tampering, deadly mismanagement of the COVID response, and two impeachment trials.

But now Donald Trump is a certified sex offender, which should present an opportunity for his supporters to re-examine their devotion to the Republican partys top candidate for 2024, after a jury found that he sexually assaulted and injured a woman and then maliciously lied about it.

Anybody?

Well allow that moment of deafening silence to pass, because Trumps enablers and apologists  most of them invertebrate and terrified  have concluded that he will pay no political price for his assault of E. Jean Carroll, and that its senseless to condemn a man whose reputation for predation has been infamous since the Access Hollywood tape aired in 2016.

Gov. Chris Christie was a laudable exception yesterday, and while some may say that hes just another candidate for the 24 nomination, there is nothing wrong with repeating the uncomfortable truths that many prominent Republicans will ignore: Trumps chilling bluster about the impunity of sexual aggression on the Access Hollywood recording is something he still believes  he repeated it during the deposition, which helped a panel of six men and three women conclude that Carroll should be rewarded $5 million in damages for Trumps battery and defamation.

One woman after another, the stories just continue to pile up. I think we all know hes not unlucky, that he engaged in this kind of conduct, Christie told Brian Kilmeade. I was there with him when the Access Hollywood tape came out, and let me tell you something: He was embarrassed. He was embarrassed that hes tried to change the whole history now, but he was embarrassed then. This kind of conduct is unacceptable for somebody that we call a leader, and wanting to take leadership again.

Kilmeade, devoted Trump fanboy, compared the disgraced presidents behavior with that of Bill Clinton, and openly wished for the electorate to forgive and forget. The Fox host also tried to give credence to Trumps defense that Carrolls claim was a hoax and a complete con job.

But his guest wasnt having it: If you dont want to believe what Jean Carroll says, thats anybodys right, Christie replied. But a jury agreed with it unanimously. Put her aside, use his own words in the Access Hollywood tape: He has said this is something hes entitled to do.

You say, Well, that was that 17-18 years ago -- hes a changed man. Well, in his deposition, they asked him if he believes that what he said in the Access Hollywood tape -- about the way you could treat women if you were a star -- was true. And he said, Yes, its true, and its been a true for 1,000 years. So this is a guy who believes this. Why do we keep making excuses? And why dont we listen to his own words?

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Indeed, during his deposition  Trump did not attend the civil trial  he noted the practice of groping women is prevalent today, unfortunately or fortunately. As Carrolls attorney asked, Who would say the word fortunately to describe the act of sexual assault?

This casual acceptance of violence was also condemned by Asa Hutchinson, also a 24 candidate: The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump, the former Arkansas Governor said.

Other high-profile Republicans, however, responded with faux outrage. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called the jury a joke, and said the whole case is a joke. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that when it comes to Trump, The New York legal system is off the rails. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), an unhinged MAGA loyalist said that the verdict makes me want to vote for him twice. Theyre going to do anything they can to keep him from winning.

And so it goes. Such reactions reinforce the fact that is no degree of reprehensible behavior that most Republicans will not excuse. Even Christie chose to stick around after Access Hollywood, though his condemnation of it as completely indefensible four days after its airing is often cited as the fatal fracture in his relationship with Trump.

It was also a lesson that most Trump devotees have studied and memorized. So they will cling to a candidate who is a sexual predator, and even test-drive campaign slogans such as sexual assault is not rape. If there is a bottom, were not there yet.

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Sombreros. Stick-on mustaches. And salt-rimmed margaritas. If that doesnt say Cinco de Mayo, I dont know what does. But of course, thats only in America.

In Mexico, the celebration of the holiday commemorating the storied Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which an outnumbered Mexican army defeated the French, looks a lot different. I was surprised to learn that in many cities, theres no celebration at all.

I spoke with Puebla natives living in New Jersey about their memories celebrating Cinco de Mayo in their homeland and their accounts were mixed: some lived too far from the historic area of town to attend the fiestas and others look forward to the day with excitement.

Jersey City resident Sandra Tlatelpa told me when she was growing up in Puebla, Cinco de Mayo was one of her favorite local holidays. She said the streets came alive with large crowds and schoolchildren. And when she spoke of the colorful dresses folkloric dancers wore and the scrumptious, traditional foods street vendors sold, her voice filled with emotion.

And in New Jersey? Um..wellnow, thats a different story. Most celebrations center heavily around drinking -- Cinco de Drinko, anyone? And I came to find thats by design, which I explain in this weeks column.

She said finding events that memorialize the day with parades or reenactments like the ones back home has been nearly impossible. And Sandra and the many other Mexicans I spoke to, told me their lives in the U.S. are a lot more hectic and carving out time to celebrate can be tough. Many rather hold on to their memories of what Cinco de Mayo is like in Puebla and choose to celebrate at home with their families.

Still, they all said they love to see how Americans celebrate the holiday with so much joy. As Mexicans it makes them beam with pride, knowing so many people care about and enjoy Mexican culture.

Leo Cervantes, a Highlands councilman and owner of Chilangos, a Mexican restaurant with three locations in New Jersey, told me he doesnt even mind the teaching moments that have become part of his Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

If people walk into my restaurant and they say, Happy Cinco, Happy Mexican Independence Day! . well, theres an opportunity to say, Thank you but thats not what were celebrating today, he said. And then teach them something about our history, about our culture, that they didnt know.

Its a great feeling being able to teach people what Cinco de Mayo is really all about.

Here are some other compelling issues we wrote about in this weeks Opinion section:

A female state trooper assigned to guard the home of Gov. Phil Murphy has filed a troubling lawsuit that claims First Lady Tammy Murphy rejected a request for her to pump breast milk in the familys carriage house during her breaks, and that she was promptly kicked off the executive detail by State Police.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Did State Police  and NJs First Lady  refuse to accommodate a breastfeeding cop? | Editorial: Given that the First Lady has made maternal and infant health one of her key issues, we want to hear more. Given that the First Lady has made maternal and infant health one of her key issues, we want to hear more.

Justice Clarence Thomas has managed to demolish the Courts shrinking credibility with a torrent of ethical lapses and decades of deceit. If he wants to salvage any respect in the eyes of history, or to repair what damage he can, he should resign.AP

Clarence Thomas needs to resign | Editorial: The Court has a credibility crisis, and corrupt behavior is its primary cause. The Court has a credibility crisis, and corrupt behavior is its primary cause.

Most people dont know who George Norcross is. In a just and verdant world, you wouldnt have to. Norcross is the longtime Democratic party boss in South Jersey. Hes the most powerful man in state politics who nobody voted for. His day job is in insurance but on nights and weekends, he likes to wield an iron fist over South Jersey politics.

The nine lives of George Norcross | Sheneman: Its good to be the king. Its good to be the king.

I became pregnant with my first daughter when I was only a sophomore in high school. I was filled with shame and embarrassment. I knew better and feared what my parents  especially my mom, who worked at our church and had raised me in a devout Christian household  would think.

Against abortion, a devout Christian turned to a local center | Opinion: Today, she works with women in the same situation at the very same center in Southern New Jersey Today, she works with women in the same situation at the very same center in Southern New Jersey

A corporation has so much faith in the audience that misses Carlsons regular appearances on Fox News that it is willing to pay through the nose for him.

Sure, pay Tucker Carlson $100M. And while were at it, lets stop censoring ourselves | Opinion: Hes the king of all things non-PC. This is why they love him, cant stop watching him, and now cheer him on as he tells Rupert Murdoch where to go. Hes the king of all things non-PC. This is why they love him, cant stop watching him, and now cheer him on as he tells Rupert Murdoch where to go.
Viktoriya Usachenok wanted to talk about what had happened after complaining that she had been subjected to pervasive sexual harassment in her job with the state of New Jersey.

But ordered to sign a confidentiality form, she was told she could be fired if she disclosed any aspect of the subsequent investigation to anyone. That led to a lawsuit against New Jersey alleging that she had been victimized twice  not only by what she claimed was a toxic workplace, but by what was essentially a gag order.

An appeals court disagreed. But on Tuesday, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed to hear the matter, granting certification to the state worker, a Treasury Department procurement specialist.
UPDATE: State officials said the overpass clearance is 14 feet 10 inches, not 14 feet 5 inches as originally stated.

For the second time in three months, a truck has struck an Interstate 295 overpass in Salem County.

A tractor trailer hauling two oversized backhoes was traveling northbound on the interstate when it struck the Hawks Bridge Road/Route 140 overpass in Carneys Point shortly before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to New Jersey State Police.
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Amid full-throated opposition from executive branch officials last week to a bill seeking to eliminate the Governors Office of Economic Development (GOED) boards power to issue tax abatements worth more than $500,000, Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) called the measure absolutely unworkable.

During a Thursday Assembly Revenue Committee hearing on the bill, Neal acknowledged the $500,000 was arbitrary and said she brought forward SB394 not to hamper the agencys economic development efforts, but to force an examination of the power delegated to the GOED board and have a conversation about the Legislatures potential role in the tax abatement process.

She added that she did not believe the current language of the bill should be the form that exits this building, and asked to work with the committee on changes to the bill, such as increasing the proposed $500,000 threshold, which she described as super low.

Im not here to completely neutralize GOED and to make it an ineffective agency that no longer has a particular tool, Neal said. I wanted to use the bill as a vehicle to have this conversation about what is now the appropriate balance of power  I dont want to be sitting in the seat where I find out about the abatement, and I have no say in it.

Neal has been a vocal critic of large-scale tax abatements given to major companies and her push to change the tax abatement process comes after the GOED board in March approved a set of abatements for Tesla totaling $330 million.

Under the existing structure, which was established with the creation of GOED in 2011 under then-Gov. Brian Sandoval, companies can apply for tax abatements after meeting numerous requirements based on capital investment, workforce makeup, employee pay and more, and the GOED board is then responsible for approving the abatements  with no legislative oversight. Gov. Joe Lombardo has publicly supported that process, alongside Republican lawmakers who have argued the process allows GOED to more quickly advance economic diversification goals.

On Thursday, the bill faced a sharp rebuke from business groups and economic development leaders in Nevada, including GOED Director Tom Burns, who said that just having this hearing has devastating and dire consequences, signaling to the entire business community locally, nationally, internationally, that the legislative body does not support businesses moving here.

As it happened in California, Nevada businesses will continue to be refugees to other states, including Texas, Utah and Arizona, he said, emphasizing that the tax abatements are incentives needed to attract businesses to the state.

Madeline Burak, Lombardos legislative director, testified in opposition to the bill, describing it as the antithesis of making businesses feel welcome.

Burns said that since 2012, GOED has issued $2.4 billion in tax incentives for 266 companies, which have generated $5.8 billion in new tax revenue.

SB394 passed out of the Senate on a 14-7 vote, with Sen. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) joining Democrats in support of the measure, as he argued the incentives were unnecessary for large businesses capable of moving into the state without tax breaks.
The Louisiana House Tuesday passed their version of the Dont Say Gay bill, which would make it illegal for teachers to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity in Louisiana K-12 public schools.

The bill passed 67-28 on a largely party-line vote with a handful of Republicans voting against it and Democrats voting for it.

House Bill 466 by Rep. Dodie Horton, a Haughton Republican, would ban school employees and presenters from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula or during extracurricular activities. Additionally, it would ban school employees and presenters from discussing his personal sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill also forces school employees to use only pronouns that align with the student's sex on their birth certificate unless a parent provides written permission to call them by other pronouns.

Several Democrats spoke against the bill on the House floor in a discussion that lasted for about an hour, including Rep. Candace Newell of New Orleans who called the bill mean and discriminatory.

Sometimes children have a deeper relationship with their teachers than they do with most family members, Newell said. We are taking away another safe space from children by limiting the opportunity to go and talk to a trusted adult about how they feel.

Like in House Bill 81 by Rep. Raymond Crews, a Bossier City Republican, a school employee could then still choose to ignore a parents written request to use different pronouns for their child on the basis of religious or moral convictions.

The House passed an amendment by Rep. Barry Ivey, a Baton Rouge Republican, adding that a school employee shall use either a student's name, or a derivative thereof, that is listed on his birth certificate or another name authorized by the student's parent."

That could conflict with Crews bill, which the House passed 62-32 Monday, which allows school employees to opt out of calling a student by a name other than whats on their birth certificate or pronouns that align with the students sex on their birth certificate, even if parents give their approval.

In an attempt to account for some nicknames, Crews bill allows school employees to call students a derivative of their birth name without permission from their parents. But what exactly would constitute a derivative is unclear.

If passed, both bills would mean that unless a trans student has supportive parents and school employees, they would have to call them by names with which they no longer identify at school. Some trans people describe feeling anxiety, discomfort and even fear when being called by their old names, often referred to as dead names.

In both committee and on the House floor, Crews said his bill was to make sure a student wasnt going by a different name or pronouns without their parents knowledge. But he failed to acknowledge that a trans student may not feel comfortable or safe coming out to their parents.

In a national 2021 survey by The Trevor Project of about 35,000 LGBTQ people ages 13-24, 49% reported nobody who lived with them respecting their pronouns.

The House approved an amendment by Rep. Tanner Magee, a Houma Republican, allowing parents to request to switch their child to a new teacher if the teacher refuses to use the name or pronouns the parents ask them to use.

Several lawmakers spoke out against the bill Monday, including several Democrats, Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Barbara Freiberg and Gretna independent Rep. Joseph Marino.

This is a cultural war bill designed to impose one groups values upon the rest, Marino said. Its designed to divide us, and I hate these bills.

Both bills would need to get through the Senate and be signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, before they become law.

Louisiana lawmakers move closer to banning gender-affirming health care for youth If signed into law, nobody under 18 in Louisiana would be able to receive gender-affirming health care.
A Louisiana House committee Wednesday shot down two bills that would have added exceptions for rape and incest to the states strict abortion ban.

Rep. Delisha Boyd, a New Orleans Democrat who authored one of the proposals, told the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee she was the result of rape. She said her mother was 15 when she had her and that the man who raped her mother was in his late 20s.

My mother never recovered from that, Boyd said. She was dead before she was 28 years old because no one took time to take care of the child that had been violated by a predator. Both Boyd and Chairman Joe Marino, a Gretna independent, teared up during her testimony.

But Republicans easily defeated both measures on a party line vote, with Marino joining the four Democrats in support of the bills.

Boyds wasnt the emotionally impactful testimony the committee heard Wednesday. Lawmakers also heard from Katie Hunter-Lowrey of the Louisiana Survivors for Reform Coalition, who said she is a survivor of rape by someone she was dating and suffers from PTSD from that experience.

If you are forcing rape and incest survivors in Louisiana to carry forced pregnancy, you are not supporting victims, she said.

Andrea Dube, who works on Democratic political campaigns, said she was raped as a teenager and felt belittled and dismissed when she reported it to the police.

Its not lost on me that in order to fight for our right to privacy, women must reveal the most intimate details of their most traumatic experiences, she told the committee.

Some people who said they were the result of rape or incest also testified in opposition to the bill, and some members of the committee saw the testimonies as evidence that women and girls should be forced to carry their rapists child because the child could grow up to be a successful adult.

Boyd said Rep. Tony Bacala, a Prairieville Republican, asked her following the testimony if she was glad that you're here.

Boyd replied she was but that none of my childhood traumas nor my adult successes  gives me the right to decide for another family what to do in their household.

This bill does not mandate abortion, she added. It just gives the option. That child, that woman that experiences that may still decide to go through with the pregnancy, and I support that person.

The committee then rejected 5-9 a similar bill by Rep. Cedric Glover, a Shreveport Democrat.

The committee also ultimately postponed voting on two other bills that would have clarified language surrounding doctors ability to treat miscarriages and lessened penalties for providers.

Louisiana House passes 'Don't Say Gay' bill, now heads to Senate The Louisiana House Tuesday passed their version of the Dont Say Gay bill, which would make it illegal for teachers to discuss sexual orien
Abortion rights protesters hold signs and try to drown out Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, as he speaks to media members outside outside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse in Baton Rouge, after a hearing there on Monday, July 18, 2022. District Judge Don Johnson Johnson heard arguments regarding the state's 'trigger law' Monday to determine whether the clinics could continue to stay open temporarily or be shut down again, deciding in favor of extending the temporary restraining order one day, and requesting more information be presented to him before another hearing Tuesday morning. Court watchers agree the law will ultimately be either upheld or struck down by the state Supreme Court.
I've seen firsthand what delays can do to the cost of housing, said Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui. (Photo: Richard Bednarski)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Juaregui told lawmakers Monday her measure requiring local governments to track housing developments and expedite the application and zoning processes will bring more homes online in Nevada. And with an increased supply and inventory, whether thats affordable housing units, market rate units, apartment units or homes for people to buy, the more supply we have, the more that helps with affordability of homes.

Assembly Bill 213, known as the Housing Modernization Act, allows local governments to offer developer incentives, such as increased density or multi-story development, in the interest of augmenting affordable housing stock and taking advantage of infill opportunities.

This is something that local governments have leeway to do, attorney Josh Hicks, representing the Nevada Home Builders Association, told lawmakers. So different local governments might have different financial incentives, and they might be fee waivers or things like that.

The Nevada Contractors Association, which represents 150,000 contractors, voiced support, as did the Nevada Association of Realtors.

CEOs of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the Builders Association of Northern Nevada testified in support of the measure, which seeks to expand inventory by reducing the costs of administrative delays.

Ive seen firsthand what delays can do to the cost of housing, said Juaregui, who is a sales executive with a real estate title insurance firm.

Joanna Jacob of Clark County testified against the measure, which the county said would require ten additional planners to meet the bills three-day timeline for reviewing applications. The biennial cost to the county is estimated at about $2.5 million.

Jacob testified the county already has strict timelines to get applications to the planning commission or Board of County Commissioners.

That timeline is very robust, she said, adding a three-day timeline was proposed at a time when we had 100 planners working in Clark County. During COVID, we got down to nine planners.  Today we have 18 planners doing that work.

Jacob added the county has had a senior planner application open under continuous recruitment for more than 700 days.

Washoe County also opposed the measure, but was unable to estimate the measures costs to the government. Washoe County also used the opportunity to advertise its job openings for planners. The cities of Las Vegas and Reno also made note of their shortage of planners while testifying in neutral.

Market demands?

Nevada has 485,850 renter households, according to Christine Hess of the Nevada Housing Coalition, and more than half (52.3%) pay more than a third of their income for rent, a threshold that renders housing unaffordable.

Nevada Hand, the states largest non-profit housing developer, testified in support of the measure, as did a number of progressive and community organizations.

We are supporting all of the bills on housing this session, Annette Magnus, executive director of Battle Born Progress, told the Current. I appreciate the bill has language about infill.

AB 213 defines affordable housing as that which a household earning up to 120% of area median income can qualify to rent. Market rate housing is defined as housing for a household with gross monthly income exceeding that which would allow it to qualify for affordable housing.

Area median household income, according to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, was $81,734 in the Las Vegas area in 2022, and $96,526 in the Reno area.

A household with earnings of $80,000 should pay no more than a third ($26,666) in annual rent.

While demand for housing has pushed prices upwards at all levels, Nevada has a critical shortage of low-income housing, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Nevada has 95 rental units available for households earning 100% of AMI. But for extremely low-income households  those earning 30% or less of AMI  Nevada has 17 units available per 100 renter households.

The state lacks about 84,000 rental homes for extremely low-income renters, those earning about $26,500 for a household of four.

Almost all of the apartment units constructed in Reno (94%) and Henderson (93%) during the last decade are categorized as luxury units, according to an analysis of data compiled by the market research firm Yardi Matrix, a finding that stands in stark contrast to Nevadas ranking as the state with the fewest low-income units per low-income households.

Juaregui did not respond to questions about why her legislation lacks a low-income housing component, given the greater demand for less-expensive rental units.

The bill also:

Requires cities and counties to report annually to the state on the status of housing projects and post the information on their websites.

Requires cities and counties to publish on their websites a list of applications to build residential housing

Requires local governments to maintain an inventory of housing conditions and needs for families and individuals, regardless of income level, and an inventory of subsidized housing

Requires cities and counties to report the present and future needs for affordable housing as well as any impediments to its development.

The Senate Government Affairs Committee took no action on the measure.
China-made vehicles are gaining popularity overseas, with the value of the country's auto exports in the first four months more than doubling year-on-year, said the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.

Some 204.5 billion yuan ($29.52 billion) worth of vehicles were shipped from Chinese ports between January and April, up 120.3 percent from the same period last year. The General Administration of Customs did not release vehicle export volume over the period.

In the first quarter, automakers exported 994,000 vehicles, up 70.6 percent year-on-year, with Belgium, Mexico and Saudi Arabia top destinations, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

China's vehicle exports have been on the rise for years, with shipments reaching 3.11 million units last year to overtake Germany as the world's No 2 vehicle exporter, behind only Japan, said the General Administration of Customs.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said prospects for China's exports are bright, especially for its new energy vehicles, thanks to the nation's leading position in the segment.

The CPCA said 300,000 passenger vehicles, including knock-down kits, were exported in April from China, up 227 percent year-on-year, of which NEVs accounted for roughly 30 percent.

Total passenger car exports totaled 1.08 million units from January to April, up 115 percent year-on-year.

Great Wall Motors, China's largest SUV and pickup truck maker, saw its overseas sales reach 21,814 units in April, up 182.09 percent year-on-year, accounting for 23.43 percent of its total deliveries for the month.

The Hebei province-based automaker said it inked cooperation deals with dealerships from dozens of countries at the Shanghai auto show held in April, which further expanded its global reach.

In April, Great Wall Motors launched new energy models in the Philippines and Brazil. The company said it will enter other markets including Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam later this year.

SAIC Motor exported 89,643 vehicles in April, bringing the total for the first four months to 346,696 units  up 64.99 percent from the January-April 2022 period.

SAIC, China's largest vehicle maker and exporter by sales, expects its total exports to hit 1.2 million units this year, up from 1.02 million units in 2022, with Europe, the Middle East and Mexico among its major markets.

Zhao Aimin, vice-president of SAIC International, said one important factor behind SAIC's success in overseas markets is the offer of competitive products based on an understanding of local customer needs.

Zhao gave the example of the company's MG4 EV electric hatchback, launched in 2022, which is its first model developed with global markets in mind.

It has won top ratings in new car quality programs across different regions, including the extremely strict European New Car Assessment Program.

Oliver Blume, CEO of Germany's Volkswagen Group, said there is opportunity for Chinese brands to be successful "not only in China but also worldwide in the future".

"It's still a long way to go but some Chinese automotive brands already have very competitive products," said Blume at the Shanghai auto show in April.
At the MoU signing ceremony (Photo: TDO)

On May 8, in Can Tho City, an online signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of agriculture and tourism took place between Can Tho City People's Committee and Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

Can Tho City and Nasushiobara City started laying the foundation for cooperation in January 2020. Up to now, the relationship between the two localities has been continuously strengthened with many friendly activities. Over this time, senior leaders of the two localities have visited and worked directly together, thereby determining that Nasushiobara City and Can Tho City have great potential for cooperation, especially in agriculture and tourism.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Tran Viet Truong, Deputy Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee and Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, affirmed that the signing of cooperation between Can Tho and Nasushiobara is expected to bring practical results for the people and businesses of the two cities, contributing to the building of good relations and friendship between Vietnam and Japan.

He suggested that in the coming time, the two cities should continue to promote the exchange of delegations; and create conditions for businesses of the two sides to promote effective cooperation in the fields of agriculture and tourism, creating a premise for moving forward trade and investment cooperation.

He added that, in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, Can Tho will organize a program of cultural and trade exchange between Vietnam and Japan and a meeting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan in June 2023. He expressed his hope that Mr. Watanabe Michitaro and the delegation of Nasushiobara city businesses and entrepreneurs would attend the above important events, opening the way for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two cities, while contributing to further tightening the cooperation relationship between Can Tho and Nasushiobara.

On behalf of the leaders of Can Tho City, he also sent his best wishes to Mr. Watanabe Michitaro on being re-elected for the second term in the mayoral election on April 16, and believed that with his experience and enthusiasm, Nasushiobara City will become more and more prosperous.

Mr. Watanabe Michitaro, Mayor of Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Province, thanked the leaders of Can Tho City for the enthusiastic support in promoting cooperation between the two cities. On the basis of the cooperation memorandum signed this time, he said he hoped that specific cooperation works between the two cities would go smoothly in the near future.

In addition to the fields mentioned in the signed agreement, he added he wished in the future the two sides would continue to research to jointly develop other potential and strong industries of the two localities./.
Cooperation agreement signing ceremony (Photo: HNMO)

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Hoang, HANSIBA Chairman, said that industrial products, electronics, automobiles and medical components manufactured in Vietnam have been exported to the world market with a value of up to hundreds of billions of dollars. To capture this huge market share, Vietnamese supporting industry enterprises wish to cooperate with international enterprises, including enterprises in Suzhou City.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang, the two sides can cooperate in many specific areas such as bringing technology lines and cooperating with Vietnamese enterprises for production; bringing raw components imported from Vietnam to produce finished products and sell them to other markets.

Mr. Pan DongMing, Acting President of the Association for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises in Suzhou City, said that Suzhou enterprises want to learn more about opportunities to cooperate with Vietnamese enterprises in developing the processing and manufacturing industry.

Under the cooperation agreement, HANSIBA will promote activities to support HANSIBA and Suzhou City Small and Medium Enterprises Trade Promotion Association member enterprises to cooperate in production and business, getting deeply involved in the global production chain; focus on connecting trade, markets, cooperation in new generation production technology with prioritizing the use of renewable energy and minimizing environmental pollution; cooperating in production, supporting production, recruiting and training high-tech staff and qualified engineers to global standards. Of which, the N&G Group Vietnam will create the highest support conditions in terms of land fund and factories that meet sustainable development standards./.
PM Pham Minh Chinh (left) and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen at their meeting in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 9. (Photo: VNA)

Congratulating Cambodia on the successful opening ceremony of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed his belief that the country will also successfully hold the 7th National Assembly election this July to help promote its stature in the region and the world.

PM Hun Sen affirmed that Cambodia always treasures the neighbourliness, friendship, and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam. He also thanked Vietnam for supporting and sending a leader to attend the SEA Games opening ceremony, adding he is happy that a large number of Vietnamese have come to watch the 32nd SEA Games events.

The two PMs voiced their delight at the thriving cooperation between their countries as seen in frequent meetings between leaders and fruitful cooperation mechanisms, especially the high-level conference between the two ruling parties last February, the 20th meeting of the Vietnam - Cambodia Joint Committee, and the 12th cooperation and development conference between the countries border provinces.

They agreed to effectively implement the signed agreements and step up the two economies connectivity in order to help each other develop an independent and self-reliant economy with extensive, substantive, and effective integration into the world, particularly amid the narrowing global market.

They concurred in providing more favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Cambodian enterprises to boost investment and business partnerships, especially in cross-border trade, economic development in border areas, and education - training.

Both sides also agreed to coordinate closely and effectively to help build a united, independent, self-resilient and prosperous ASEAN Community.

At the meeting, PM Pham Minh Chinh invited his counterpart to re-visit Vietnam in the near future./.
A new strip mall in Merrillville will bring Crumbl Cookies, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and American Mattress to town.

Developers plan to break ground on the new Mississippi Crossings strip mall Friday. The 7,500-square-foot retail space will be newly constructed at 1600 E. 79th Ave., by the Lowe's home improvement store across from Merrillville Plaza in the Southlake Mall trade area.

We are thrilled to welcome this new commercial development on 79th Avenue, Merrillville Town Manager Patrick Reardon said. This project is a testament to the hard work and vision of our economic development team, our local businesses, and our community partners.

The land was long vacant.

Crown Point-based Latitude Commercial Real Estate started marketing it after a new owner acquired it two years ago.

We were able to get some good traction on it, co-founder and Senior Vice President Brett McDermott said. We wanted to get the town involved from day one, so it was a team effort to get us to the finish line."

It will feature the latest Crumbl Cookies to come to Northwest Indiana. The fast-growing Utah-based chain known for its creative variety and Instagrammable boxes already opened in Dyer and Valparaiso. It will occupy the middle of the building next to American Mattress, a mattress retailing chain that also has locations in Schererville, Valparaiso, Portage and Michigan City.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe will occupy the left side of the building, where it will have a drive-thru. It serves healthy fare like smoothies, freshly squeezed juices and bowls.

This will be the first Tropical Smoothie in the area, so were excited to bring them out here, McDermott said.

Region Contractors will do the construction, which is expected to be finished their year. The tenants will still however need to build out the interior of their spaces so may not open until next year.

We expect to have the project complete before year-end, said Nick Georgiou, an owner of Region Contractors. Merrillville is very organized from the various towns we work in. We know whats expected, what the process is."

The project won approval from the city's plan commission.

"The experience went favorably, very cooperative, he said.
An attempt by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to restrict the TikTok online video-sharing application appears to have suffered a fatal blow after a Fort Wayne-based judge recently denied Rokita's request for a preliminary injunction.

In his 35-page ruling, Allen Superior Judge Craig Bobay not only concluded there was no basis for Rokita to sue TikTok in Indiana. But, even if there was, the company's alleged misdeeds are not actionable under the state's Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.

"The state has not shown a reasonable likelihood of success on the merits at trial. Thus, the state of Indiana is not entitled to a preliminary injunction against defendants," Bobay said.

Rokita, a Republican, sued TikTok in December, claiming the business model of the social media company inappropriately entices children to use the app by falsely suggesting its content is safe and appropriate for 13- to 17-year-olds, even though sexual content, profanity and drug references are easily accessible by that age group on TikTok.

The state's case, however, hinged on whether TikTok misrepresented its services to Apple, and earned a "12+" age rating in the App Store instead of "17+," by choosing "infrequent/mild" to describe the prevalence of profanity/crude humor, mature/suggestive themes, alcohol, tobacco or drug use or references, and sexual content/nudity on the app.

Court records show the only other permitted responses to the Apple questionnaire items were "none" or "frequent/intense."

Bobay said regardless of whether the descriptions and subsequent App Store rating are accurate, the allegedly deceptive conduct by TikTok, a Washington corporation, was directed to Apple, a California corporation, and the mere fact TikTok has users in Indiana does not establish a sufficient basis for a lawsuit against TikTok in Indiana.

Moreover, Bobay was unpersuaded by the state's claim that the ability to search TikTok for specific drug or sexual content means such content is prevalent on TikTok, especially since testimony showed most teens find videos to watch through the automatically suggested "For You" feed, instead of by searching.

"Between January 1, 2021, and January 8, 2023, more than 8 billion videos were uploaded in the United States, and that there were more than 21 trillion views of these videos. The most favorable view of the state's evidence is that only 2.6% of the 8 billion videos uploaded during this two year period violated TikTok's Community Guidelines," Bobay said.

That's not to say Bobay necessarily is a TikTok fan.

In his ruling, he said it's "self-evident that the impact of certain aspects of social media, including the TikTok app, are not always consistent with our national best interests. A fair question exists as to whether the TikTok app is good for Hoosiers and other Americans."

At the same time, Bobay said issuing an injunction  an "extraordinary remedy"  preventing TikTok from operating in Indiana, and damaging its reputation and business across the country, clearly would run afoul of the First Amendment and other free speech protections, and thereby disserve the public interest.

Regarding the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, Bobay said a free download, such as the TikTok app, does not count as a "consumer transaction" subject to the statute's anti-fraud protections, and there's no basis for Rokita to seek to enforce the law against TikTok.

Rokita is entitled to request review of Bobay's decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals. Otherwise, Bobay has scheduled a June 6 initial hearing for the underlying case, if Rokita chooses to continue pursuing it.

A second Indiana lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company may be sharing without notice sensitive data and personal information about Indiana consumers with the Chinese government, still is pending at the federal court for the Northern District of Indiana.

In the meantime, Rokita is urging all Hoosiers and Indiana-based companies to "patriotically delete" the TikTok video-sharing application from every one of their smartphones and other mobile devices.

"China has said they want to be the dominant force in the world. This kind of technology is part of that strategy. We need patriots who will fight back against the dangers imposed by this app and others that are no doubt on the way," Rokita said.

Records show that while Indiana's TikTok lawsuits were filed by the attorney general, they're actually being pursued by attorneys from Cooper & Kirk PLLC, a Washington-based law firm working for the state on a contingency basis with the potential to earn a multimillion-dollar payout based on any recovery from TikTok.

Gallery: Indiana historical markers in the Region First Physician Great Sauk (Sac) Trail St. John's Lutheran Church Tolleston Dutch in the Calumet Region St. John Township School, District #2 The Lincoln Highway/The Ideal Section The Lincoln Highway/The Ideal Section Froebel School - side 1 Froebel School Stewart Settlement House Stewart Settlement House Origin of Dr. MLK Day Law Origin of Dr. MLK Day Law Bailly Homestead Iron Brigade Willow Creek Confrontation Ogden ski jump.jpg Teale 1.jpg Teale 2.jpg Steel 1.jpg Steel 2.jpg Civil War camps.jpg Old lighthouse.jpg Railroad.jpg Camp Anderson.jpg Boundary line 1.jpg Boundary line 2.jpg LaPorte courthouse 1.jpg LaPorte courthouse 2.jpg Carnegie 1.jpg Carnegie 2.jpg Rumely Co 1.jpg Rumely Co 2.jpg Lincoln train 1.jpg Lincoln train 2.jpg LaPorte university 1.jpg Laporte university 2.jpg Gary Roosevelt 1 Gary Roosevelt 2
The Beatles legend Ringo Starr will play Four Winds New Buffalo this fall just across the state line.

The drummer-turned-solo artist from Liverpool, England will tour with his All Starr Band this fall. Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band will play a show at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago's Loop on Oct. 5 and at Four Winds New Buffalo at 11111 Wilson Road on April 6.

Well, I love to play. I love an audience, Ringo told Pollstar, which just did a cover story on his spring tour. This is a known fact. I love the audience, they love me. We have fun on tour. That's what it's all about. I don't do this to be miserable. I have a lot of joy. I get a lot of joy and I just love doing it and I'll be doing a lot of peace and love in your city soon, May, June, look me up.

The lineup this year includes Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette.

The tour will stop in Ontario, Tuscon, Albuquerque, Kansas City, St. Louis, Nashville, Clearwater, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Charleston, Columbus, Little Rock and Thackerville, Oklahoma.

A prolific live performer, Starr also toured last spring and fall. He released the new album EP3 last fall and the music video "Everyone and Everything." He also created 500 life-sized "Peace and Love" sculptures of his iconic hand symbols, which were sold by Julien's Auctions to benefit the Lotus Foundation.

The musical legend, who was the lead vocalist for the classic Beatles hits "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends," also has been knighted.

For more information, visit RingoStarr.com.
VALPARAISO  The Porter County Health Department is on a roll  literally  with its new mobile health clinic.

The ribbon cutting for the new vehicle was Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Maria Stamp, the countys health officer, said the large scissors didnt work as well as an oversized scalpel would have.

The $215,000 vehicle was ordered about a year ago and pressed into service for the first time in February, soon after it arrived. Health department nurses administered COVID-19 and human papillomavirus vaccines to students at the universitys request, Director of Nursing Connie Rudd said.

It worked really well, she said.

Its next scheduled stop is Living Hope Community Church in Valparaiso, for a May 26 homeless outreach service event. Health Department officials are eager for additional bookings.

Sam Burgett, social worker with the Porter County Sheriffs Department, is the Valparaiso Health Departments former social worker.

I had no idea all the services our Health Department does for all of us, she said. They go above and beyond to serve our community.

The Health Department is participating on the new Homelessness Outreach Services Team with a variety of other organizations. The team will provide services to the team where they are, she said.

Pam Pontones, deputy commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health, said Porter Countys mobile clinic is one of just a handful in the state. Getting access of public health services to people where they are is so vitally important, she said.

I really commend you for your vision and your passion for public health and bringing that to the folks herein Porter County, Pontones said.

The vehicle includes an exam table for administering vaccinations, blood draws and other procedures. For events like health fairs, supplies can be transported in it even if the patients are treated elsewhere.

Everybody is really supportive and excited, Stamp said.

The gasoline-powered vehicle is stored at the Porter County Fairgrounds when not in use. The Fair Board installed an outlet so the backup generator is fully charged when its put into use.

Porter County Board of Health President Linda Bloxum, a family practice physician in South Haven, said the mobile health clinic will be useful in bringing care to patients for whom transportation is an issue. Some of her patients dont see her regularly because they lack adequate transportation, she said.

As many of you know, we have two locations, Health Department Administrator Sheila Paul said. We have our Valparaiso location here at the government administration building, we have our Portage location off of Willowcreek Road, and now we have our third location that can go all over the community.

Access to care is a top concern for health and wellness in Porter County and in the Region, Stamp said.

Childhood lead testing, helping those ready to quit tobacco and vaping and helping others manage chronic diseases are services that will be offered. Immunizations, STD testing, Narcan training to prevent opioid overdose deaths and food safety education also will be offered, she said.

The Valparaiso lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows donated the $4,400 wrap, or signage, on the vehicle. County Council member Greg Simms convinced his fellow lodge members to donate the money.

It took two days to apply the wrap but months to get the design just right, Paul said. We knew we wanted to use public health colors, blue and yellow. We wanted it to be eye-catching but not overpowering.

The signage includes how to contact the department and some of the services offered.

I am really looking forward to seeing this rig drive around town and educate people and just doing wonderful things, Simms said.
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CROWN POINT  Three members of a Chicago family were charged on Tuesday in connection with a Gary shooting over so-called gang beef, according to court records.

Tresean Pouncy, 23, and Terreice Pouncy, 20, were charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery. Terrion Pouncy, 25, was charged with assisting a criminal.

The probable cause affidavit did not specify the familial relationship of the men.

Charging documents allege that on May 2, Tresean Pouncy and Terreice Pouncy shot a man and his girlfriend, who was eight months pregnant, while Terrion Pouncy drove the getaway car.

The documents show that the couple left their house near Eighth Avenue and Kentucky Street in Gary around 3 p.m. to go to a nearby gas station. While they were walking, the man noticed a gray Jeep driving slowly beside them, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The Jeep pulled in front of the couple and two men, later identified as Tresean Pouncy and Terriece Pouncy, exited the car. the affidavit stated. The two were allegedly carrying guns and began shooting at the man and his girlfriend.

The man was struck in the left arm and the buttocks and his girlfriend was shot six or seven times, charging documents stated.

The man told police he saw his girlfriend fall to the ground and began running back toward his house while Terriece Pouncy chased him, according to the charges.

The man also told officers that he saw his girlfriend lying face down and originally thought she was dead, according to the probable cause affidavit. The woman had to have an emergency C-section and remains in critical condition, the affidavit stated.

Officers wrote in the affidavit that the man told them that this shooting was gang beef thats been going on via Facebook on private messenger. The man also told police that he knew the family because they were high school classmates in Chicago.

He added that Terrion Pouncy, the purported driver of the Jeep, has a history with his sister, and she had received a text from him on the day of the shooting wherein he said that hed be pulling up around 2:30 p.m., charging documents stated.

Tresean Pouncy, Terreice Pouncy and Terrion Pouncy all remain at large and warrants are out for their arrests.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail Nidia Trinidad-Reyes Timothy Snow James Reid Kayla Ruiz Joseph Sheridan Anthony Lardydell Marcus Lucio Karolina Mallett Brent Ladwig Heather Grzelak Cortney Kelley Tyray Gary Wayne Gralewski Jr. Donnell Brooks Jr. Latasha Buchanan Jason Cohen Tina Criswell Johnnie Blair Diamond Tillotson Spates Dallas Vondersaar John Petrassi Christian Reed Curt Schwab Dion Neal Tyion Grayson Daryl Jones Latajonae Larry Christopher Lobody Lisa Ellis Raul Barajas Michael Caine Joseph Dunkerley Laquan Afolayan Susan Unruh Christopher Townsell Joshua Tillger Elliott Torres Jason Sivak Bruce Evans Christopher Fils Larcel Lockhart Arthur Erb Jr. Anthony Campero Devon Cross Deja Dowdy Damon Edwards Christian Tindell-Hall Donald Williams Bailey Windom James Taylor Russell Starnes Casey Ramos Jr. Jesse Sanchez Samantha Shaffer Brian Potter Adam McCormick Frankie Munoz Terry Perkins Ian Pilkins Emanuel Ivy Karlon Jackson Leonard Johnson Javier Martinez Jeffrey Davis Auop Elmatari Samantha Cardenas Ray Dampier Gerardo Avila
Sa Pa Stone Church (Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)

Away from famous beaches, big cities and world heritage sites, Sa Pa is a quiet mountain town located in Lao Cai province, northwest of Vietnam.

According to Conde Nast Traveler, Sa Pa is a destination that possesses majestic mountain scenery, immense terraced fields, spectacular waterfalls and winding trails. A series of beautiful destinations around the town are waiting for tourists to visit such as Ham Rong Mountain, Fansipan Peak, Muong Hoa Valley, Seo My Ty Lake, O Quy Ho Pass, Silver Waterfall and Love Waterfall.

Besides enjoying the beautiful nature, visitors can take the time to explore attractive places not to be missed when coming to Sa Pa, such as checking in at Sa Pa Stone Church, shopping at Sa Pa market, learning about local life in traditional villages, or simply taking a walk to see the town.

Each region, each locality in Vietnam has its own cuisine and Sa Pa is no exception. Bearing the characteristics of a highland town in the Northwest, Sa Pa is famous for traditional dishes with buffalo meat, pork, black chicken, salmon, grilled dishes, colorful sticky rice and apple wine.

In 2023, Sa Pa is expected to welcome 3.5 million visitors, accounting for nearly 60% of visitors to Lao Cai province.

In order to affirm the Sa Pa - Lao Cai tourism brand, and to build sustainable development for Sa Pa national tourist area with international stature, in 2023, Lao Cai province will organize the 120th anniversary of Sa Pa tourism with over 20 attractive events and many meaningful activities disseminating the 65th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Lao Cai./.
CROWN POINT A Hammond man was charged with murder on Friday for allegedly firing at a passing vehicle on 165th Street and killing the man inside of it, according to court records.

Trinidad I. Cervantes, 19, was charged with murder for fatally shooting 26-year-old Rajesh Bhagwandeen on Wednesday, the probable cause affidavit stated.

Charging documents allege that a man in a white box truck, whom police later identified as Cervantes, shot at Bhagwandeens BMW while Bhagwandeen was driving westbound on 165th Street near Calumet Avenue.

An eyewitness who was driving westbound on 165th Street told officers that she saw the BMW driving erratically and then saw the driver of the white box truck fire several shots at the BMW on the 800 block of 165th Street, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The box truck then swerved across the westbound lanes of traffic towards the oncoming lanes, drove around vehicles stopped on the east side of the stoplight, and proceeded through the intersection to continue northbound onto Calumet Avenue, the affidavit stated.

The box truck was registered to Cervantess girlfriends father, according to charging documents.

Police spoke to the trucks owner who told officers that he lent the vehicle to Cervantes so he could complete work on a house in Cedar Lake, charges stated.

Cervantes allegedly told the man that he shot at the BMW because he thought the driver of the vehicle was pulling a gun out, charging documents stated.

The man called Cervantes while he was talking to police, and officers heard Cervantes say Did you tell them that it was me?, Im going to get a lawyer, Im going to tell them it was self-defense, and Im in Chicago, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott originally characterized the shooting as an execution or planned hit during an interview on WJOB Thursday morning.

McDermott posted on Facebook on Tuesday that his earlier characterization of the shooting was inaccurate. He wrote in a Facebook post that he explained the details of the shooting as they were originally described to him, unaware that the investigation had proceeded past the initial theory.

So the statement I made on WJOB was incorrect, leading many to conclude that Rajesh was somehow to blame for this violent act, McDermott wrote in a Facebook post.

He wasnt at fault at all. I wanted to clarify the remarks that I made in an effort to clear any misconceptions about Rajesh Bhagwandeens murder," the post stated. "What actually happened was a vicious and cowardly act, done in a rage during a period of heavy traffic on 165th.

Cervantes is in custody in the Cook County Jail and extradition proceedings to move him to the Lake County Jail began on Tuesday, according to court records.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail Nidia Trinidad-Reyes Timothy Snow James Reid Kayla Ruiz Joseph Sheridan Anthony Lardydell Marcus Lucio Karolina Mallett Brent Ladwig Heather Grzelak Cortney Kelley Tyray Gary Wayne Gralewski Jr. Donnell Brooks Jr. Latasha Buchanan Jason Cohen Tina Criswell Johnnie Blair Diamond Tillotson Spates Dallas Vondersaar John Petrassi Christian Reed Curt Schwab Dion Neal Tyion Grayson Daryl Jones Latajonae Larry Christopher Lobody Lisa Ellis Raul Barajas Michael Caine Joseph Dunkerley Laquan Afolayan Susan Unruh Christopher Townsell Joshua Tillger Elliott Torres Jason Sivak Bruce Evans Christopher Fils Larcel Lockhart Arthur Erb Jr. Anthony Campero Devon Cross Deja Dowdy Damon Edwards Christian Tindell-Hall Donald Williams Bailey Windom James Taylor Russell Starnes Casey Ramos Jr. Jesse Sanchez Samantha Shaffer Brian Potter Adam McCormick Frankie Munoz Terry Perkins Ian Pilkins Emanuel Ivy Karlon Jackson Leonard Johnson Javier Martinez Jeffrey Davis Auop Elmatari Samantha Cardenas Ray Dampier Gerardo Avila
CROWN POINT A jury found an East Chicago man guilty of murdering a woman over $10 on Friday.

Kevin S. Varner, 51, was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and firearm enhancement, according to court records.

Charging documents allege that on Feb. 12, Varner fatally shot 21-year-old Danielle Brown at her friends house on the 1000 block of Durbin Street in Gary while his nephew Steven Nash kept lookout.

Charges allege that Varner shot Brown because she shorted him $10 for marijuana.

Nash entered a plea deal on April 13, which stipulated that hed plead guilty to assisting a criminal in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors. Nash testified during Varners trial on May 2 that he originally lied to police because he was scared of catching other charges.

Though all defendants have a right to a court-appointed attorney, Varner opted to represent himself during his murder trial.

During trial, Varner continually attempted to find inconsistencies in witnesses testimonies, but much of his line of questioning was either irrelevant or redundant.

Varner admitted in his opening statements that he killed Brown, but he said it was self-defense.

Prosecutors filed a motion ahead of trial to prevent Varner from bringing up Browns criminal history, particularly in reference to an alleged stabbing in East Chicago. The states motion references that Brown laughed at a person she allegedly just stabbed in East Chicago, Indiana, in September of 2022.

Myrna Maldonado, a spokesperson from the prosecutors office, previously told The Times that parts of the states motion were granted, but she could not specify which information was granted.

Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before they returned with the guilty verdict.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail Nidia Trinidad-Reyes Timothy Snow James Reid Kayla Ruiz Joseph Sheridan Anthony Lardydell Marcus Lucio Karolina Mallett Brent Ladwig Heather Grzelak Cortney Kelley Tyray Gary Wayne Gralewski Jr. Donnell Brooks Jr. Latasha Buchanan Jason Cohen Tina Criswell Johnnie Blair Diamond Tillotson Spates Dallas Vondersaar John Petrassi Christian Reed Curt Schwab Dion Neal Tyion Grayson Daryl Jones Latajonae Larry Christopher Lobody Lisa Ellis Raul Barajas Michael Caine Joseph Dunkerley Laquan Afolayan Susan Unruh Christopher Townsell Joshua Tillger Elliott Torres Jason Sivak Bruce Evans Christopher Fils Larcel Lockhart Arthur Erb Jr. Anthony Campero Devon Cross Deja Dowdy Damon Edwards Christian Tindell-Hall Donald Williams Bailey Windom James Taylor Russell Starnes Casey Ramos Jr. Jesse Sanchez Samantha Shaffer Brian Potter Adam McCormick Frankie Munoz Terry Perkins Ian Pilkins Emanuel Ivy Karlon Jackson Leonard Johnson Javier Martinez Jeffrey Davis Auop Elmatari Samantha Cardenas Ray Dampier Gerardo Avila
VALPARAISO  A 41-year-old Porter County man was arrested and faces six felony counts after allegedly destroying a local wetland area and continuing to dump gravel and asphalt, despite repeated warnings to stop, charging documents read.

Matthew Hub, of Union Township, is accused of going even further and destroying wetlands on another person's property and damaging electrical lines leading to a business sign on that site, officials say.

Hub is charged with six felony counts of crimes pertaining to state regulated wetlands and misdemeanor criminal mischief, records show.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management said after receiving an anonymous complaint, it investigated on Nov. 24, 2021 the property in question at 4980 W. U.S. 20 in Pine Township.

"It was determined that approximately 2.5 acres of forested wetlands had been cleared and filled in with gravel and asphalt by Matthew Hub, M&M Maintenance," a charging document reads.

A violation letter was reportedly sent to Hub on Dec. 17, 2021.

The Porter County Department of Development & Storm Water Management conducted its own inspection of the property on Dec. 9, 2021 and came away with the same findings, a court document says.

"Matthew Hub was on site and admitted to clearing the land," according to the charges. "He was served with a stop order which he ignored."

The destruction of the wetland and dumping was confirmed yet again Dec. 15, 2021 by an engineering firm hired by Hub and Hub again admitted to the act, officials said.

"Matthew Hub was instructed to stop the work immediately, which he did not," charges say.

Criminal investigators with the IDEM found Jan. 12, 2022 that, "Additional land fill was added to the property. No permits were obtained."

IDEM retuned to the site July 19, 2022.

ID made on Region man found dead of hypothermia, coroner says The deceased was identified Monday by a DNA comparison with the help of Indiana State Police.

"It was determined that additional recontouring and asphalt had been added to the property," a court document says. "Mr. Hub continued to ignore the stop order and continued to destroy the wetland."

The owner of Furniture Werks, at 4980 W. U.S. 20, reportedly told IDEM investigators on April 19 that Hub had removed about 10,000 square feet of wetlands on his property without his consent between November 2021 and January 2022.

The owner further accused Hub of damaging electrical lines during November 2021 leading to his business sign at the northwest corner of his property, charges say. The damage resulted in $3,000 in repairs, officials said.

The criminal case is pending before Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into the Porter County Jail Dawn Tucker Karen Snyder Anthony Maxberry Flavio Quintanilla Jeremy Riley Brayden Joseph Stephen Kearney Jason Hammer Crystal Robinson Rebecca Masse Nicholas Kleihege Marteus Holbrook Brandon Welshan Mitchell Rospierski Kevin Shufford II Tumen Tysrendorzhiev Georgina Houston Leona Riley Sandra Dombrowski Wardell Brown Timothy Burton Kaylee Schoenenberger Jennifer Bish Tucker Morse Dustin Mathews Aiden McAlvey William Milan Joshua Heaviland Sierra Kindy Joseph Bauer Giovani Phan Karen Hanchar Jordan Lewis Andres Cadena Sean Webster Abigail Ziembicki Julia Shannon Paul Hudak Jr. Zachary Davenport
Help them feel secure. This is important for kids of all ages: Tell them that theyre safe, that youre always there for them, and that the authorities are investigating. Provide emotional support by saying, Its OK to feel sad  or to not even know how youre feeling.

Look out for signs of anxiety, generalized worry or traumatic stress. When bad things happen, kids can develop a fear that it will happen to them, their family or their school. Allow your kid to express all of their concerns, even if they dont seem directly related or even realistic. Validate their feelings, talk about ways they can calm themselves in times of intense stress (including calming thoughts, breathing exercises and activities), and make it clear that youre always available to talk things through. Your kid may benefit from a meditation app, but if their anxiety or sensitivity increases, you may want to talk to your pediatrician.

Model behavior. The truth is, no one really knows what to do in these situations. But if you want your tweens and teens to think more deeply about news and other information, you may need to start that process by demonstrating it for them. Youre showing them how to think about things, instead of what to think  which is essential for kids ability to view information critically. Try, I always wonder why these things happen, What drives a person to do this?, What happens to the families, teachers and other people who are affected?, I wonder if this will have an impact on gun laws, and Is there anything we can do?

Filter news, or watch together. Tweens and teens get a lot of information from online sources like YouTube, which, as youre well aware, is hit or miss. Point them toward quality, age-appropriate news sources such as Xyza: News for Kids or the New York Times The Learning Network, which handle mature news in youth-friendly terms. If youre going to watch the news on television, do it together, and turn it off if it gets too graphic.

Compare different news sources. News coverage can vary by publication, and information about one story can vary wildly. Consider looking at how a youth-oriented source like Snapchat covers a school shooting versus, say, the Washington Post. Make sure kids know how to vet news sources by checking the URL, the reporter, and the site or app sponsors. Check out AllSides, which compares news across partisan lines.

Get involved. Since youth activism is well documented on social media and other outlets, tweens and teens can see how their actions make a real difference in the world. Explore ways kids can get involved in making changes about issues they believe in by checking out sites like DoSomething, Never Again, and March for Our Lives.
WHITING  Fifty-two years after the first Earth Day in America, groups of students, merchants and municipal departments did their part to beautify their community.

Some planted, some swept, others picked up trash.

Along Schrage Avenue near the BP Refinery, members of the Student Conservation Association worked with community and business volunteers to plant fir trees and native plugs. Sam Vergara, Chicago program manager for SCA, explained that the plantings have been an ongoing program with BP and the city since 2019.

The plantings help with stormwater retention and removing pollutants from the air.

Over the four lots targeted for planting, Vergara said, about 600 plugs of native grasses and 50 conifer trees would be planted.

Were focusing on building our next generation of conservation leaders, said Leo Sawyers, SCA community program manager for Northwest Indiana.

He cited the biodiversity of plant and tree species in the Region: This restoration just helps beautify the area and clean away pollutants, while engaging the community. This project helps restore the area.

Kelly Runzel, also with SCA, cited the importance of using native plants to create an ecoshield and help with air quality.

For Amanda Rodda, a volunteer from BP, this is something really positive. Im happy we can come together and plant and promote these native plants.

The Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce and United Citizens Association sponsored the cleanup that drew students from public and parochial schools, Calumet College of St. Joseph, Unilever, Hammond Port Authority, Hammond Police, and Hammond and Whiting public works departments.

Tom Markovich, general chairman for the Earth Day project, said groups worked Friday and Saturday on different parts of the city. Volunteers hit seven sites.

Were trying to make people aware of litter and what they can do to get involved and clean up our community, Markovich said, pointing to volunteers sweeping along 119th Street near St. John the Baptist School.

A small group of people can make a big difference, he said.

Markovich is a member of the chambers Litter Awareness and Reduction Committee. The group was created, he explained, when then-Mayor Joseph Stahura was looking for community ideas. Markovich suggested the litter issue, and Stahura was interested.

LARC took a few years to get started, Markovich said. He also noted the support of the United Citizens Association, which provided funding for brooms, trash bags and other cleaning supplies for the two days.

Earth Day originated in 1970 as a day of education about environmental issues: 20 million people took to the streets to protest environmental issues that were being ignored. These included oil spills, polluted rivers and air pollution.

The holiday has become a global celebration.

Along Indianapolis Boulevard, Calumet College students were bagging trash. CCSJ Communications Director Linda Gajewski said some student-athletes, campus ministers and honors-learning students participated.

Working beside the college students was Carolyn Sarvanidis, owner of Region Signs.

Its amazing, the trash thats here. Lots of masks and plastic bottles, the business owner said. Its good to see the people out here. Most of the residents have done a good job keeping their property clean. Most of this trash came from cars.

Back at the plantings along Schrage Avenue, Tamera Lienhart, BP director of state and local affairs, said Im really excited about this.

Lienhart said BP has been working for several years with the U.S. Forestry Service, SCA and Mayor Steve Spebar on conservation projects. She noted that Whiting has one of the lowest urban tree canopies in the area.

BPs first plantings came last year along Schrage, on the other side of Indianapolis Boulevard.

The oil refinery has done similar projects in Hammond and East Chicago. We always want to benefit the community," Lienhart said. "Were working with the mayor to identify high-profile areas.

Councilman Shawn Turpin, D-at large, had shovel in hand: This is great. We hope to continue these partnerships.

Whiting Parks and other groups are sponsoring a Whihala Beach cleanup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The public is welcome to assist, the councilman said, noting that last years beach cleanup produced 1,100 pounds of trash.

Also wielding a shovel was Drew Hart of the U.S. Forestry Services CommuniTree program. Breaking ground for the planting of Canaan fir trees, Hart said the coniferous trees can grow to 60 feet in height.

CommuniTree is an effort to promote tree planting, as well as the care for and maintenance of trees. Since 2016, Hart said, the program has planted 10,000 trees around Lake County.

The program tries to plant a variety of fir trees. Even through the resin on their needles, these trees can catch particulate matter, he explained: Besides being a home for various wildlife, these trees are great for picking up pollutants.
For minority populations, who have disproportionate levels of medically manageable diseases, mistrust of the health-care industry as a whole has been linked to higher mortality rates.

April is National Minority Health Month, which aims to raise awareness about the health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minority groups and to encourage action through health education and early detection and control of disease complications.

Understanding some of the reasons for the mistrust is key to addressing them.

The issue is referred to as the Tuskegee Effect, a distrust of health-care in the African American community linked to the U.S. government's secret 40-year study of hundreds of adult Black men in Alabama left untreated for syphilis from 1932 to 1972, despite the availability of treatment.

A 2016 study in the National Bureau of Economic Research found the Tuskegee Effect was strongest among adult Black males, who were less likely than their white counterparts to be examined by doctors and subsequently suffered higher mortality rates. Another study published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2021 found that Black and Hispanic participants were 73% and 49% more likely, respectively, than their white counterparts to report mistrust in health professionals.

At the same time, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black adults are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40% more likely to have high blood pressure and are less likely to have those conditions under control.

The Indiana State Department of Health reports Black men have the highest mortality rate of any demographic in Indiana.

Franciscan Health will participate in the 11th Annual Indiana Black Barbershop Health Initiative with the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males. On April 22, Franciscan Health Michigan City will provide free blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index screenings at two Michigan City barbershops.

The events, which are free and open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sharpers Image inside Meijer at 5150 Franklin St. and Platinum Designs at 1801 Franklin St.

Culturally competent health care for diverse populations requires sensitivity to spirituality as a component of the individuals cultural identity as well. Franciscan Health Michigan Citys Fan Out Diabetes program is a faith-based initiative that pairs LaPorte County church congregations with the health-care system to bring free education, screenings, insurance enrollment assistance and more to the church after Sunday services.

The two-day diabetes education, prevention and detection mini-workshop will take place at Advancing Christs Kingdom Ministries at 1407 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, at 2 p.m. July 9 and 12:30 p.m. July 30. Participants are asked to attend both sessions.

Partnering health-care providers with cultural institutions that have the trust of minority populations, such as Black-owned barbershops and minority-led houses of worship, is one way to help improve health outcomes. We are thankful for the opportunities to help us reach our ultimate goal of a healthier community.

Nila Williams is the Community Health Improvement Coordinator for Franciscan Health Michigan City and Franciscan Health Beacon La Porte. The opinions are the writers.
The nurses entered my life at the absolute worst time.

It wasnt when I felt sharp, intellectually. Nor when I looked presentable, physically. Or when I welcomed casual conversation about subjects Im interested in. Instead, I looked like a sad clothes hamper. My mind was scattered. My emotions were on life support. I was only half there.

Hospital nurses and aides likely experience this every day from strangers they get to know and then never see again for the rest of their lives.

Some of the nurses I recently met were named Chris, Patty, Dallas, Jenn, Taylor, Kathy, Gail and Marie. There were far too many others to mention in this column. I never learned their last names. I never needed to.

All that mattered was how they cared for my mother, whose health was slipping through her frail hands like sand in an hourglass.

Time after time these nurses impressed me, educated me and reassured me. I dont know how they do what they do every hour, every day, every year. They obviously have a passion for their job and a sense of duty for their career.

Every time they walked into my mothers room, I took notes. Not only for my seven-part column series on my familys journey (read it at NWI.com), but also for todays column about National Nurses Week. Its recognized between May 6 and May 12, the birth date of perhaps the most famous nurse in history, Florence Nightingale.

Over the past several months, Ive interacted with dozens of nurses in different medical facilities, from emergency rooms to hospital rooms to chemotherapy clinics to a hospice center. Ive never before chatted with so many nurses of different specialties over a concentrated period of time.

I learned a lot about their jobs. I learned more about their personalities. The chatty ones. The quiet ones. The ones who shared intimate snippets of their personal lives with me.

Theres something sacred about a hospital room. Its part confessional, part bar stool, part therapist couch. Especially in the quiet of night with only the sounds of beeping machines serenading a patient and loved ones.

In my mothers case, she was nothing like she was when she was healthy. On many days, she wasnt able to communicate at all with any of the nurses. Still, most of them continued to talk to her as if she understood their every word.

OK, Miss Nancy, now Im going to roll you on your side   they would tell her.

This gesture really touched me. Many of the nurses respected my moms dignity even in the less dignified situations of personal medical care.

For most patients and their families, nurses are the first and last point of contact with the medical community. They answer the majority of questions. They perform most of the tedious tasks. They clean up whatever mess is left for them, whether its from a doctors arrogance or a patients ignorance.

Beginning 20 years ago, National School Nurse Day has been celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week.

I remember visiting the nurses office too many times when I was in middle school. Whether it was for a playground scrape, an upset stomach or a pretend sickness to get out of class, the school nurse was always there for students. Her tiny office attracted a motley crew of ailing children, each one sitting in a chair against the wall and staring at each other.

What are you in for? wed ask each other as if we were in prison.

Nonetheless, the school nurses office felt like the Free Parking space in a Monopoly game. I would rather stare blankly at a smelly, greasy-haired, pimple-faced twerp with a thermometer in his mouth than learn about geometry in math class. Heck, I still would.

One of the themes for this years National Nurses Week is Nurses Make a Difference: Anytime, Anywhere, Always. Throughout my interactions with nurses, I was able to push a call button to request their attention. They didnt always arrive quickly, but they always arrived.

My family had all kinds of requests, everything from ice chips and blankets to changing IV bags and bed sheets. There is no way I could ever perform the duties of a nurse. I dont have the patience, passion or tolerance. I cant even nurse a drink after dinner, let alone a sick patient.

Nurses have my respect, even the ones who were as friendly to me as a bad cold. I didnt care. As long as they showed up and performed their duties. If they happened to have a sparkling personality or gentle bedside touch, even better.

On one of my mothers last days in a hospital, I sent myself a text for this column: I dont know how nurses do it."

Looking back on all my encounters with these unheralded heroes of the healthcare community, I still feel the same way. But thank you for doing it.
Jump to: Todays Theme | Tricky Clues

WEDNESDAY PUZZLE  In Richard Linklaters film Waking Life, a rotoscoped Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke discuss the idea of collective memory. As evidence for the theory, Hawke cites a study wherein participants were made to solve a day-old crossword after the answers had already been widely published. He explains that the participants found it easier to solve than a newer crossword, in theory because the answers were already out there.

Im not sure how much stock to put in that study, but I do on occasion find that a clues answer will occur to me with mysteriously little effort. Is that merely evidence of a fluency in crosswordese, I wonder? Or is there something cosmic at play?

These are questions I invite you to consider as you solve todays puzzle, constructed by Victor Barocas. Fans of astrology and astronomy may find themselves especially at ease, for reasons Ill explain in the theme section below  though if you do find todays puzzle too challenging, you can always blame it on Mercurys being in retrograde.

Todays Theme

Big-city dwellers may experience pangs of envy when they encounter todays themed clues, as the constellations mentioned are likely to be invisible in light-polluted night skies. (For us New York City residents, the Big Dipper is about as good as it gets.) With a little imagination and wit, however, you can still appreciate how Mr. Barocas connects the dots.
It was like a tale of two birth control pills.

At a hearing Tuesday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration should authorize the countrys first over-the-counter birth control pill, a panel of independent medical experts advising the agency was left to reckon with two contradictory analyses of the medication called Opill.

On Wednesday, the panel will take a nonbinding vote on whether the risks of an over-the-counter pill would outweigh its benefits. The F.D.A. is expected to make a final decision this summer.

During the eight-hour session on Tuesday, the manufacturer of the pill, HRA Pharma, which is owned by Perrigo, and representatives of many medical organizations and reproductive health specialists said that data strongly supported approval. They said that Opill, approved as a prescription drug 50 years ago, was safe, effective and easy for women of all ages to use appropriately  and that over-the-counter availability was sorely needed to lower the countrys high rate of unintended pregnancies.

In contrast, F.D.A. scientists questioned the reliability of company data that was intended to show that consumers would take the pill at roughly the same time every day and comply with directions to abstain from sex or temporarily use other birth control if they missed a dose. The agency seemed especially concerned about whether women with breast cancer or unexplained vaginal bleeding would correctly choose not to take Opill and whether adolescents and people with limited literacy would use it accurately.
Outside of the courthouse in Lower Manhattan, Donald J. Trumps lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said the trial had been unfair in several ways and his client intended to appeal the verdict.

Mr. Tacopina said Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who oversaw the case in federal court, had displayed a bias toward Ms. Carroll in several decisions. He called the court highly prejudicial.

For starters, Mr. Tacopina said, the judge allowed E. Jean Carrolls lawyers to play for the jury the Access Hollywood tape in which Mr. Trump boasted about how his status as a celebrity gave him the ability to kiss and grab womens genitalia without asking.

There were things that happened in this case that were beyond the pale, Mr. Tacopina said. He added: In New York you cant get a fair trial.
This aerial photo taken on May 9, 2023 shows the container terminal at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade grew at a faster pace in the first four months of the year amid uncertain external demand, trade risks and other challenges.

China's total imports and exports expanded 5.8 percent year on year to 13.32 trillion yuan (about 1.92 trillion U.S. dollars) in the period, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Tuesday. The growth rate accelerated by 1 percentage point from the pace recorded in the first quarter.

Exports grew 10.6 percent year on year while imports rose 0.02 percent in the first four months, it added.

From January to April, the growth rate of China's trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union stood at 13.9 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, the data showed.

China's trade with Belt and Road countries jumped by 16 percent year on year to 4.61 trillion yuan in the period.

In particular, the country's trade with five Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- surged 37.4 percent, partly making up for the weak demand in traditional markets.

Private enterprises saw a fast growth rate as imports and exports increased by 15.8 percent to 7.05 trillion yuan in the first four months, accounting for more than half of the country's total.

In terms of types of goods, exports of mechanical and electrical products expanded by 10.5 percent to account for 57.9 percent of the total exports.

Driven by robust exports of new energy vehicles, automobile exports soared 120.3 percent year on year during the period.

A monthly customs survey showed that the proportion of enterprises with growing export orders had increased for four consecutive months.

In April alone, foreign trade increased 8.9 percent year on year, according to the GAC. 

This aerial photo taken on May 9, 2023 shows the container terminal at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua)

(230509) -- YANTAI, May 9, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This aerial photo shows cars to be loaded for export at Yantai Port, east China's Shangdong Province, May 9, 2023. (Photo by Tang Ke/Xinhua)

This aerial photo shows cars to be loaded for export at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 9, 2023. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
The accusation at the heart of the trial that just ended in Manhattan federal court sounds like a classic criminal case  an alleged sexual assault in the dressing room of a luxury department store.

But the jury of nine New Yorkers were not asked to decide if former president Donald J. Trump was guilty of raping the writer E. Jean Carroll as she testified he did in the mid 1990s. No criminal charges were ever brought.

Instead, Ms. Carroll sued Mr. Trump for battery and defamation.

That means the jury was asked to determine Mr. Trumps liability  whether Mr. Trump is legally responsible for harming Ms. Carroll in ways that meet New York States definition of battery.

The jurors began their deliberations just before noon on Tuesday. Their verdicts must be unanimous.

To have Mr. Trump found liable for battery, Ms. Carroll must clear a lower bar than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard of a criminal trial. Instead, jurors must find that the preponderance of the evidence supports Ms. Carrolls claim to have been raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched by Mr. Trump, meaning the jury believes the accusation is more likely true than untrue. The jury must also decide how much to award Ms. Carroll in damages if they side with her.
It was unclear, to the end, which way the jury would go in the E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump trial. Would members believe the 79-year-old woman alleging rape by the former president and current presidential candidate? Or would they believe the accused, who never appeared in court and never called a single witness  and whose lawyers held that the trial was a sham cooked up by a vengeful woman to take down a powerful man?

Ultimately they found Mr. Trump liable in the civil suit  both for sexual assault and for defaming Ms. Carroll  and awarded Ms. Carroll $5 million in damages. Its hard not to think that what they saw, not just what they heard, played a part.

As she sat there in Manhattan federal court every day, Ms. Carroll presented the very opposite of the wack job Mr. Trump had described in his video deposition. She did not look mentally sick. She did not look like the money- and fame-grubber Mr. Trumps lawyers described. She was an almost perfectly calibrated study in neutrality, calm and composure, both in the way she spoke during her testimony and in the way her appearance spoke for her.

It was almost as if she were offering an answer to a question she might once have been asked as Elle magazines advice columnist, E. Jean: I am about to testify in a rape trial. I am a private citizen, and the accused is a man who once sat in the Oval Office. What should I wear to help amplify my voice and make people take it seriously?
California is set to pay $24 million after reaching a settlement with the family of Edward Bronstein, who died in police custody three years ago after repeatedly yelling, I cant breathe, while an officer knelt on his back, lawyers said on Tuesday.

California Highway Patrol officers pulled over Mr. Bronstein, who was 38, on March 31, 2020, believing that he was driving under the influence of a drug, and they then tried to draw his blood. When he asked why they needed a sample, they threw him face down on a mat, video footage showed. After being pinned for several minutes, he appeared to lose consciousness and was pronounced dead by paramedics later that morning.

There was justice in the civil case  now we want justice with the criminal case, said Luis Carillo, one of five lawyers helping represent Mr. Bronsteins family. We want them to pay in jail for taking a human life. These officers had no reverence for human life. They killed an innocent man.

In March, seven highway patrol officers and one nurse linked to the case were charged in Los Angeles County with involuntary manslaughter. They have pleaded not guilty.
AUSTIN, Texas  Four C-130 military transport planes towered over the tarmac at Austins international airport, idling with the doors open as the sun rose over a news conference called by the Texas governor, Greg Abbott.

As Mr. Abbott began speaking on Monday from a lectern emblazoned with the words Securing the Border, about 200 soldiers from the National Guard hustled onto the planes.

They will be deployed to hot spots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally, the governor said, barely audible over the roar of the engines. Then he turned to watch the planes take off.

For two years, Texas has engaged in a multibillion-dollar attempt to arrest and deter migrants who cross into the state from Mexico, deploying helicopters and drones, National Guard troops patrolling the border in camouflage and state troopers racing down highways in black-and-white SUVs. The state has bused thousands of migrants to East Coast cities like New York and lined the reedy banks of the Rio Grande with concertina wire.
Until Tuesday, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra hadnt been to Carnegie Hall since 1968.

Its chief conductor at the time was Jorma Panula, who was at the podium for that visit. Now, 55 years later, the group is led by one of his former students: Susanna Malkki.

Her tenure in Helsinki, where she has been the chief conductor since 2016, ends this season. And the classical music world is watching to see what comes next. A maestro at the height of her powers, she was until recently the principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, so an obvious possible successor to Gustavo Dudamel when he leaves to lead the New York Philharmonic in three years.

In Los Angeles, Malkkis repertoire has been varied: a lot of well-shepherded contemporary music, but also insightfully transparent interpretations of the classics. Her work in Helsinki has been similar, though you wouldnt know it from her Carnegie program, a thoroughly Finnish evening of works by Sibelius, that countrys most treasured composer, and Kaija Saariaho, its finest living one.

Sibelius  at whose namesake school Malkki studied with Panula  was represented not just by two planned works, but also by two encores: Valse Triste and, after Malkki asked the audience to indulge a bit of patriotism, Finlandia.
Sam Gross, whose cartoons wrenched gags from frogs legs, fairy tales, cats, aliens and cave men, drawing belly laughs whether they graced the pages of The New Yorker or eviscerated notions of taste in National Lampoon, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 89.

The cause was complications of heart failure, said Pat Giles, a co-executor of his estate.

Mr. Gross was prolific; even near the end of his life, Mr. Giles said, he drew up to 17 ideas for cartoons a week, and his lifetime total was more than 33,800 rough and completed cartoons. In addition to The New Yorker and National Lampoon, he sold his work to Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, greeting card companies and mildly pornographic mens magazines. His adaptability, he said, was a key to his longevity.

I was never part of any scene except my scene, Mr. Gross said in a 2011 interview with The Comics Journal. Which is one reason I survived.

As a New Yorker cartoonist, Mr. Gross was widely ranked among giants like Charles Addams and Saul Steinberg, as well as more contemporary stars like Roz Chast. Bob Mankoff, The New Yorkers former cartoon editor, who worked with Mr. Gross for many decades, said in a phone interview that he was in the pantheon, adding, No one has ever done funnier cartoons than Sam Gross.
Donald Trumps legal problems are growing deeper.

Yesterday, a jury found the former president liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of the magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, ordering him to pay her $5 million. The case was a civil trial, which means that Trump is not subject to prison time. But the verdict indicates that jurors believed Carrolls claim that Trump assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

Carroll also accused Trump of raping her. The jury ruled against Carroll on that count, finding insufficient evidence to support her allegation.

Todays newsletter will walk through the details of the case, the reactions to the verdict and the potential political consequences.

The case

At the heart of the lawsuit was Carrolls account of her encounter with Trump, which she described in detail during the trial. She said that she saw him outside the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan nearly three decades ago, and that he had asked her to help find a gift for a female friend. The two bantered while walking through the store, and he asked her to try on a gray-blue bodysuit from the lingerie section. She declined and told him to put it on instead. Trump then motioned her into a dressing room, where he threw her against the wall, used his weight to pin her down and raped her, according to Carroll.
Pakistans protesters defy the military

A second day of demonstrations in major cities across Pakistan yesterday deepened the turmoil and prompted the army to deploy units in at least two provinces. Many officials fear that extended protests over the arrest of Imran Khan, the former prime minister, could bring the country to a standstill.

Civilians seemed to cross a line in defying the army in Pakistan, where protesters rarely rise up against the military.

Protesters pushed through the gates of the national army headquarters, a mob set fire to a senior military officials residence and demonstrators looted a paramilitary school.

At least five people have been killed during the two days of protest, local news media reported, and more than 1,000 have been arrested in Punjab Province alone, but the crackdown has had little effect.
The second clue was not about possible compromise  it was the opposite. The president acknowledged that he is considering what would effectively be a constitutional challenge to the very existence of the debt limit. It is a unilateral path that Mr. Biden conceded could face legal hurdles. But his comments suggested that if Congress could not find a deal to raise the debt limit on terms acceptable to Mr. Biden  and before the nation runs out of cash to pay its bills  the president might be prepared to try to avoid default on his own.

I am considering the 14th Amendment, Mr. Biden said, referring to a clause in the Constitution that stipulates that the validity of the public debt issued by the U.S. government shall not be questioned. Some constitutional scholars contend that clause requires the government to continue issuing new debt to pay bondholders, effectively overriding the nations statutory borrowing limit, which is controlled by Congress.

Still, Mr. Biden noted, the problem is it would have to be litigated.

Neither route is anything close to a safe bet to avoid what economists on Wall Street and in the White House say would be a job-obliterating financial crisis and recession in the event of a prolonged default. The Treasury Department has estimated that it could exhaust its ability to pay all of its bills on time  including payments to Americas lenders  as soon as June 1 if the debt limit is not raised.

Together, though, those options could form the basis for Mr. Biden telling reporters that Im absolutely certain the default threat could be defused in time.

Republicans have forced debt-limit showdowns before, under Mr. Biden and former President Barack Obama. But current and former administration officials, business lobbyists in Washington and even progressive economists say this standoff is different  and could carry significantly higher risks of tipping the nation into default.
The investment firm controlled by the billionaire activist investor Carl C. Icahn has fielded questions from federal prosecutors about its management and operations, according to a securities filing made on Wednesday.

On May 3, federal prosecutors in Manhattan requested documents from Mr. Icahn and his firm just one day after his publicly traded company, Icahn Enterprises, became a target of Hindenburg Research, the short-seller firm that has made its name in recent years by taking on the Indian tycoon Gautam Adani and the Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

News of the inquiry was the latest setback for Mr. Icahn, who is best known for targeting publicly traded companies and their chief executives and pressuring management to make changes.

Short sellers profit when stock prices fall, and shares of Icahn Enterprises have fallen nearly 40 percent since Hindenburg Research released a report last week, accusing the company of running Ponzi-like economic structures. On Wednesday, the stock fell about 15 percent on news of the federal inquiry.
This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A tourist rings the bell at the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 27, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This photo taken on March 15, 2023 shows the Small Wild Goose Pagoda amid blooming flowers in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

A tourist poses for photos with the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 18, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 19, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 1, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 18, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 19, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 19, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This photo taken on May 1, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows the night view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 18, 2023.

Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Follow for live updates on the Trump CNN town hall meeting.

Should a leading presidential contender be given the opportunity to speak to voters on live television?

What if that contender is former President Donald J. Trump?

Mr. Trump is set to appear on CNN on Wednesday night for a town hall in New Hampshire  his first live appearance on a major TV news network (besides those controlled by Rupert Murdoch) since 2020  and a torrid media debate is swirling.

Joy Reid, an anchor on rival MSNBC, derided the event as a pretty open attempt by CNN to push itself to the right and make itself attractive and show its belly to MAGA. Her colleague Chris Hayes called the town hall very hard to defend. Critics asked why CNN would provide a live platform to someone who defended rioters at the United States Capitol and still insists the 2020 election was rigged.

Those objections intensified on Tuesday after Mr. Trump was found liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of the writer E. Jean Carroll. Is @CNN still going to do a town hall with the sexual predator twice impeached insurrectionist? Alexander S. Vindman, the Army colonel who was a witness in Mr. Trumps first impeachment trial, wrote on Twitter.
Fox News was hit on Wednesday with another defamation lawsuit, this one from a woman who said the network promoted lies about her that generated serious threats to her safety and harmed her career prospects.

The suit was filed on behalf of Nina Jankowicz, the former executive director of a short-lived Department of Homeland Security division assigned with coordinating efforts to monitor and address disinformation threats to national security. Right-wing pundits and politicians falsely portrayed her group as part of an Orwellian bid to control the speech and thought of ordinary Americans.

Ms. Jankowicz, a prominent specialist in Russian disinformation and online harassment, became the primary subject of their attacks. In 300 mentions over eight months on Fox last year, she was repeatedly demeaned and defamed in highly personal language, the lawsuit asserts. Hosts including Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo and Sean Hannity said her job was to silence anyone who criticizes the Biden administration and possibly even, as Mr. Carlson warned, get men with guns to tell you to shut up.

The unit Ms. Jankowicz briefly headed, called the Disinformation Governance Board, had no such powers, or any direct authority to affect speech. The department created it to help unify and oversee existing efforts by its various divisions to monitor and defend against disinformation from foreign agents seeking to influence elections; cartels promoting human smuggling operations; and those seeking to undermine the governments public health and safety efforts.
Across China, many local governments are on the brink of insolvency. Some cities have reduced pay for civil servants. Cuts to municipal health insurance have triggered street protests.

Central government bailouts are a possibility to rescue cities from their deep budget problems, but China hasnt turned to a source of revenue that would be an obvious option in other countries: property taxes.

In China, where the government owns the land, localities almost never tax homeowners to support services like schools. Cities rely instead on selling long-term leases to real estate developers. Revenue from these land sales has plunged in the past year.

Last month, after a decade-long effort that involved 100,000 workers, Chinas central government said it had finally figured out who even owns 790 million apartments and other properties. That knowledge means officials in Beijing could start a nationwide property tax system. But they are not expected to do so quickly. The obstacles range from the technical (it would be complicated) to the economic (it would hurt homeowners at a delicate time for the housing market) to the political (it would expose government officials who own many homes).
Despite the continuing rise in opioid overdose deaths, one of the most effective treatments for opioid addiction is still drastically underprescribed in the United States, especially for Black patients, according to a large new study.

From 2016 through 2019, scarcely more than 20 percent of patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder filled prescriptions for buprenorphine, the medication considered the gold standard in opioid addiction treatment, despite repeated visits to health care providers, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Within six months following a high-risk event like an overdose, white patients filled buprenorphine prescriptions up to 80 percent more often than Black patients, and up to 25 percent more often than Latino patients, the study found. Rates of use for methadone, another effective treatment, were generally even lower.

It was disheartening to see that buprenorphine or methadone treatments were so low, even among patients who just left the hospital with an overdose or other addiction-related issue, said Dr. Michael L. Barnett, the lead author, who teaches health policy and management at Harvard. And not only that, but people of color received lifesaving treatment at a fraction of the rate that white patients did.

Access to medical care, a reason often used to explain racial disparities in treatment, was not necessarily at work here, said Dr. Barnett, an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Noting that all the patients regardless of race encountered doctors roughly once a month, he said, There are two mechanisms left that could explain disparities this large. One is where people of color get their health care, which we know is highly segregated, and another is racial differences in patient trust and demand for buprenorphine.
Five years ago, a small group of cancer scientists meeting at a restaurant in a deconsecrated church hospital in Mainz, Germany, drew up an audacious plan: They would test their novel cancer vaccine against one of the most virulent forms of the disease, a cancer notorious for roaring back even in patients whose tumors had been removed.

The vaccine might not stop those relapses, some of the scientists figured. But patients were desperate. And the speed with which the disease, pancreatic cancer, often recurred could work to the scientists advantage: For better or worse, they would find out soon whether the vaccine helped.

On Wednesday, the scientists reported results that defied the long odds. The vaccine provoked an immune response in half of the patients treated, and those people showed no relapse of their cancer during the course of the study, a finding that outside experts described as extremely promising.

The study, published in Nature, was a landmark in the yearslong movement to make cancer vaccines tailored to the tumors of individual patients.
Contrary to popular belief, thought-provoking cinema can also be popular, Philippe Bober, one of the producers on Triangle of Sadness, wrote in an email.

We want to make uncompromising auteur films but also to embrace the audience, Mr. Bober continued. He has worked with Mr. Ostlund since 2005.

The bad news for producers, Mr. Bober added, referring to himself and the films other Oscar-nominated producer, Erik Hemmendorff, is that if you want to make good films, you have to support your directors radicalism when they are experimenting with form and content for a long period of time before you make money.

The critical and popular acclaim for Triangle of Sadness seems a vindication of Mr. Bobers faith in Mr. Ostlund.

The humor, often acid-laced, that makes the Swedish directors films so entertaining is often deeply discomfiting  and sometimes downright squirmworthy. This has proved divisive, with some viewers regarding his work as manipulative or downright cruel (Triangle of Sadness includes an audaciously long vomiting scene), and others hailing him as an uncommonly perceptive social commentator.

I think all my approaches in my films are looking at human behavior, creating dilemmas, Mr. Ostlund said, in order to try to tell something about us human beings. He added that he tried to create scenes where I believe that, yeah, this is an accurate and a true picture of our behavior without pointing fingers.
A Brooklyn house fire that killed a woman, her daughter and another child on Tuesday was fueled by the ingredients of a homemade vaping product that the childrens father concocted in their apartment and intended to sell, the police said on Wednesday.

The flames, which tore through the three-story home in the East New York section of Brooklyn at about 2 a.m., also grievously injured one of the mans other children. Chief James Essig of the Police Department said that child was severely likely to die.

The fires cause remains under investigation, but investigators found a substance used to make vaping products, said Chief Essig. He did not identify the accelerant but said the childrens father had been using it to make items to sell.

Whether the accelerant was deliberately used or recklessly used is still under investigation, Chief Essig said. It catches fire somehow. Is that criminal? Thats still to be determined.
Jordan Neelys life mattered, he said during an address at City Hall that was closed to the news media. He was suffering from severe mental illness, but that was not the cause of his death. His death was a tragedy that never should have happened.

Mr. Adams did not mention Mr. Penny or the circumstances of Mr. Neelys death during his speech.

The mayors remarks come as the Manhattan district attorneys office weighs whether to charge Mr. Penny for choking Mr. Neely to death on a northbound F train last Monday, a killing that set off protests around the city and led to angry exchanges between city leaders. The confrontations also come during contentious discussions about the citys budget, after the mayor proposed cuts to schools, libraries and social services.

Many left-leaning activists and leaders, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called the killing a murder and said the mayor should have expressed more sympathy for Mr. Neely, who was homeless at the time of his death. Mr. Adams has avoided giving a direct answer to the question of what New Yorkers should do if they encounter a mentally ill person on the subway, and has not spoken about Mr. Pennys actions.

Last week, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez called the mayors mention of mental health services when discussing Mr. Neely especially rich coming from an administration that is trying to cut the very services that could have helped him.

Even as the mayor has pushed for cuts to city agencies, the Adams administration has made a number of moves to increase services and responses to people with severe mental illness. On Wednesday, Mr. Adams called on state lawmakers to pass legislation he has proposed that would allow authorities to intervene with people who are experiencing mental illness and unable to meet their basic needs.
The bulk of the charges relate to what prosecutors said was a 2022 scheme in which Mr. Santos solicited at least $50,000 in donations from political donors for a fake super PAC and then pocketed the money for personal expenses, including luxury goods and designer clothing.

As part of that arrangement, prosecutors accused Mr. Santos of committing five counts of wire fraud when the candidate and an unnamed political consultant he directed told potential donors in emails and text messages that their contributions would exclusively support the Republican campaign and pay for TV ads. Prosecutors did not identify the limited liability company, but said that it was not legally a super PAC. Two donors ultimately transferred $25,000 to the company, and Mr. Santos then transferred the funds to his personal bank accounts to help pay off debts and purchase goods for himself, they said. The pattern laid out by prosecutors appeared to closely match one reported by The New York Times in January. The Times reported than Mr. Santos registered a company, RedStone Strategies, in November 2021, the same date noted in the indictment, and told donors it was an independent expenditure group, or super PAC.

Mr. Santos was also charged with three counts of money laundering in connection to the donor solicitation scheme.

Prosecutors charged the congressman with two more counts of wire fraud and one count of stealing public money in connection with what they said was another scheme to obtain unemployment benefits from New York beginning in June 2020. Mr. Santos was earning $120,000 a year through his employment at a Florida-based investment company, but prosecutors said he repeatedly told the state he had been unemployed since March 2020. He collected more than $24,000 in benefits.
Since the day he set foot in Washington, Representative George Santos of New York has been shunned by some of his fellow Republicans and protected by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has consistently defended his right to serve in Congress despite the fictional persona he created and the geyser of falsehoods he told to win election.

His wide-ranging indictment on Wednesday, in which Mr. Santos was charged with wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds and lying to Congress in federal disclosure forms, did nothing to change that dynamic. Some rank-and-file Republican lawmakers intensified their calls for his resignation, but Mr. McCarthy and other House G.O.P. leaders, operating with a slim and fractious majority, said Mr. Santos should be allowed to continue to serve in Congress.

If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, Mr. McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday before the charges were unsealed. They have a right to vote, but they have to go to trial. It was in line with the position Mr. McCarthy has taken since January, when the speaker made no move to penalize or marginalize Mr. Santos, even in the face of mounting allegations of misconduct and lies by him.

Mr. McCarthy allowed Mr. Santos, who is in his first term, to be placed on two congressional committees. When he temporarily stepped aside from them weeks after his appointments, Mr. McCarthy said it had been Mr. Santoss choice  though the speaker called it the appropriate decision for now, until he could clear everything up.
MSC Katie is ready to depart from Dalian Container Terminal in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Xiang)

DALIAN, May 8 (Xinhua) -- MSC Katie departed from Dalian Container Terminal on Monday, bound for the west coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This trip marked the launch of the first direct container shipping route linking the northeastern harbor city of Dalian with the area.

The newly opened shipping route boasts 11 large container ships with a capacity of 14,000 standard containers each, linking Dalian with several major European ports, including Gioia Tauro, La Spezia and Genoa in Italy, and Fos and Barcelona in France and Spain, respectively.

Winding along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the shipping route also passes through Middle Eastern countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The launch of the shipping channel greatly benefits trade between the region and European countries. This will effectively drive growth in their competitive industries, such as machinery and electrical equipment, automobiles and auto parts, chemicals, minerals, instruments and meters, as well as grain and frozen food, said Li Xiaoguang, general manager of Dalian Container Terminal Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Liaoning Port Group.

"So far, Dalian Port operates 105 container shipping routes, including 92 foreign trade routes, which cover more than 300 ports in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide," Li told Xinhua. 

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Ms. Hochul has not attracted similar criticism, in part because she has mostly not publicly engaged on the migrant issue. Last year, as migrants strained the citys shelter system, Ms. Hochul often seemed hesitant to plunge the state apparatus into a crisis that was also a political minefield.

As she ran for election, Ms. Hochul appeared to deflect questions on the campaign trail about plans to potentially house migrants upstate. In January, she omitted any mention of the migrant crisis from her State of the State address; she later unveiled a budget proposal that included $1 billion in state funds to address it. She, like Mr. Adams, repeatedly called on the federal government to step up, while her aides sought to quietly assist Mr. Adams behind the scenes.

Christine Quinn, the former City Council speaker and chief executive of WIN, a network of shelters for women and children that has housed more than 270 migrant families, including 700 children, said the state needs to coordinate what is a complicated process.

Folks are getting off the bus in Port Authority, which is in one of the five boroughs, but Port Authority is also in the state of New York, Ms. Quinn said. If were going to answer this crisis, we need to do it with all hands on deck.

At the same time, state officials have grown frustrated with elements of the mayors response  particularly his desire to move migrants into hostile counties and his reluctance to collect more comprehensive immigration information from asylum seekers, which they argue makes it harder to target services to them.
If the owners of one of the largest undeveloped sites in Manhattan get their way, they could soon be building one of New Yorks first Vegas-style casinos  on a craggy, waterlogged field next to the United Nations.

But first, a gesture of good will: Soloviev Group, the developer, is commissioning the artist Bruce Munro to install a sprawling light installation on the 6.7-acre site that will be free to the public and open for at least a year, starting in late September, the firm said.

The art piece, Field of Light, an arrangement of 17,000 flowerlike fiber optic stems, will be staked, mounted and lit up in a kaleidoscope of colors on a vacant stretch of First Avenue between East 38th and 41st Streets.

The Soloviev Foundation, a charitable arm of the development firm, will cover the $1.5 million cost of installing and maintaining the display, said Michael Hershman, the chief executive of Soloviev Group. Its a gift to New York, he said.
So what exactly do we know?

Cleopatras father, Ptolemy XII, was a member of the family that conquered Egypt over 200 years earlier. He was routinely referred to as an illegitimate child. His mother is unknown, as is the identity of Cleopatras mother, though several clues suggest she may have been Egyptian, including Plutarchs claim that Cleopatra was likely the first Ptolemaic ruler to speak that language.

When the Roman poet Propertius famously called Cleopatra a whore queen (meretrix regina), he laced his misogynist tirade with allusions to Egypt, such as the noxious city of Alexandria and the yapping Egyptian god Anubis. The intersection of Cleopatras race and gender resulted in a form of oppression that cast her heritage and sexuality as particularly dangerous. Regardless of her lineage or appearance, its clear that Cleopatras actions were not perceived as the typical behavior of a Greek or Roman woman.

Throughout her reign, Cleopatra was also careful not to depict herself as a wife or consort but rather as Isis, the great Egyptian goddess who raised her son alone, without her slain husband, Osiris. Cleopatra was a pragmatist, doing what it took to survive, aligning herself first with Caesar, then with Mark Antony, before fleeing Actium when the tides turned. Finally, when it became clear to her that Octavian would let her live only in order to march her through Rome as a war captive, she took her own life by poison.

Dr. Haley argues that Cleopatras experience was part of a history of oppression of Black women. Reclaiming Cleopatra as Black and choosing to portray her now as a Black woman highlights this history  and is consistent with contemporary Egyptians or Greeks identifying with Cleopatra on the grounds of their own shared culture. Unlike racial assignments based on physical characteristics, which seek to distill people into rigid and recognizable categories, shared cultural claims can easily coexist.

To recognize Cleopatra as culturally Black is not to pretend that skin color is meaningless now  in the manner of recent figures like Rachel Dolezal and Jessica Krug, who claimed a cultural identity that was not theirs. In our society, race and racism are deeply entwined with skin color and other inherited physical traits. We cannot understand modern forms of oppression without understanding how phenotypical difference contributes to them, and we cannot legitimately claim a racial history without having lived it.

Cleopatra lived it. And its that experience, not her physical attributes, that should determine how we imagine her life.
Putnam and Campbell call the counterculture of the 1960s the shock, which involved young people questioning nearly every aspect of American institutions and the rise of the gay rights, womens liberation, antiwar and civil rights movements. Virtually every major theme in the sixties controversies would divide Americans for the rest of the century, setting the fuse for the so-called culture wars, they note.

The aftershock was the backlash in the 1970s and 80s against what were thought of as countercultural values. With the election of President Ronald Reagan and the emergence of the conservative Christian organization Moral Majority, the political fault lines, in terms of religious observance, became more visible among older baby boomers. In The Nones, Burge cites the work of Michele Margolis, who analyzed data tracking high schoolers who graduated in 1965 through the next 30 years of their lives:

What she found was that when this cohort was in their 20s, Democrats and Republicans displayed no significant difference in their church attendance. But when those study subjects moved into their 30s, a clear partisan difference emerged  Republicans were still attending church at high rates, while Democrats reported a significant drop in religious attendance. As these subjects were surveyed into the earlier 2000s, the pew gap only widened. The connection between political conservatism and religiosity has kept many Republicans in the pews, while its pushed scores of Democrats away from religion entirely.

While moderate and liberal boomers did move away from religion as they got older, the percentage of American nones really began to increase in the late 1990s. With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War, it became easier to come out as having no religion, said Petra Klug, the author of Anti-Atheist Nation: Religion and Secularism in the United States. Religion became less tightly connected to nationalism, so it was no longer seen as treasonous if you wouldnt show up on Sunday at church. (Though, judging from the number of respondents to my query who wanted to remain anonymous because they were afraid to offend their neighbors, atheism is still anathema in parts of our country.)

Putnam and Campbell call what happened in the 1990s and 2000s the second aftershock, which they describe as youth disaffection from religion. Millennials and young Gen X-ers who categorize themselves as nones were, they found, disproportionately raised in nonreligious backgrounds, and some of them are, perhaps not surprisingly, the children of boomers who are nones. But others were raised with religion, and what distinguishes them isnt a particular demographic characteristic (nones are fairly well distributed across the socioeconomic, gender and racial spectrums) but their liberal beliefs about issues like sexual orientation, marijuana legalization and school prayer.

There are other factors that have potentially contributed to the rise of the nones: Burge believes the internet and the accessibility of information about religion could play a role; Putnam is less convinced about the internets impact, and he and I got into a spirited and good-natured debate about it. It may be too soon to tell exactly how the pandemic, with its specific politically polarizing concerns and proliferation of Zoom worship services, affected believers, or whether the proportion of nones was just continuing on its natural upward swing.

And theres a lot of academic discussion about whether secularization theory  the idea that when a country becomes more educated and prosperous, it becomes less religious  applies to the United States, where the vast majority of Christians still believe in God even if they dont call themselves, say, Episcopalian. (Putting non-Christians aside for the moment, since we make up a small enough percentage of the population that its harder to make broader sociological observations about us.)
Its important to note that this was a civil case, not a criminal trial. The burden of proof in civil cases is lower. The jury was charged with determining whether Carroll proved her claims with a preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words, it had to decide whether Carrolls claims were more likely true than false.

But the case was not a simple matter of he said, she said. Carroll provided her own testimony, of course. But she also presented evidence that she had told others about the assault at the time, as well as evidence from other women that Trump had assaulted them and touched them without their consent.

Trump declined to testify at the trial, but the jury did see his videotaped deposition, during which he denied Carrolls claims but also doubled down on his assertions in the infamous Access Hollywood video. I just start kissing them, he said on the tape. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. He added: Grab em by the [genitals]. You can do anything.

In the deposition, Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, asked Trump specifically about that quote. Well, historically, thats true with stars, he responded. When she pressed him, he doubled down: Well, thats what  if you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true, Trump said. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.

I spent decades litigating cases, including a number of sexual harassment cases, and as I watched the evidence accumulate, I reached a tipping point  I would have been surprised by any verdict other than the one we received Tuesday. Juries can always surprise you, of course, but what made the verdict truly notable wasnt the outcome. It was the identity of the defendant. In an important moment for the rule of law, a jury heard evidence against a former president and reached exactly the conclusion that it likely would have reached for anyone else.
Hunker down, America. Here we go again.

The presidential election is still a year and a half away. But on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump will elbow his way back into the campaign mainstream. At a town hall event in New Hampshire hosted by CNN, the former president will field questions from audience members and the network anchor Kaitlan Collins.

The whole spectacle sounds downright chilling. The event will be live, leaving Mr. Trump more or less free to inject his lies straight into viewers veins. He will be coming off the E. Jean Carroll verdict, upping his odds of saying something awful about women or witch hunts and how everyone is always out to get him. And even if he dials down the crazy, his re-emergence on a major prime-time platform raises vexing questions. After everything this antidemocratic, violence-encouraging carnival barker has put America through, are we really going to treat him like a normal candidate this time? How can CNN and other media outlets justify giving him a megaphone from which to dominate and degrade the political landscape? Have we learned nothing from the past eight years?

Short answer: We have in fact learned much about Mr. Trump and the threat he poses to American democracy. But trying to shut him out of the public discussion or campaign process would bring its own dangers. Not only would it play into the politics of victimhood that he peddles with such infuriating effectiveness. It risks further undermining public faith in the democratic process  making the system look too weak to deal with one aspiring autocrat  and even the process itself. As with so much about the MAGA king, there are no easy fixes.
The 2007 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain was traced to a faulty drainage pipe at a research facility. In 2015 the Department of Defense discovered that a germ-warfare program in Utah had mistakenly mailed almost 200 samples of live anthrax over 12 years. In 2018 a burst pipe released as many as 3,000 gallons of wastewater from labs working with Ebola and anthrax at Fort Detrick in Maryland onto a grassy area a few feet from an open storm drain.

Lab accidents happen, and they arent especially rare. A 2014 USA Today investigation by Alison Young, whose book Pandoras Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World At Risk is a shocking accounting of the problem, identified more than a thousand accidents reported to federal regulators from 2008 to 2012. Some were not especially dangerous. But if youve read accounts of them at any point over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic as debate continued over its origins, chances are theyve shaken you a bit. Many of the touchstone examples have been tied to quotidian causes  sloppy procedures and lax oversight. But lately debate has focused on the dangerousness of the experiments themselves, in part because knowing what is risky suggests what extra precautions might be taken and in part because it raises a more bracing fundamental question: What kind of work is worth this risk?

In January the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity issued a series of draft recommendations for tightening regulation and oversight. The proposed framework would expand the list of pathogens that would require rigorous review and close some loopholes that allowed some researchers to avoid that oversight. But for the moment, the recommendations sit in a kind of regulatory limbo, awaiting a green light from the White House and implementation at the National Institutes of Health.

For those who believe it is likely that a lab leak was responsible for this pandemic and the deaths of probably 20 million people, the need for greater scrutiny and regulation appears intuitive and urgent. And many of those who see the Covid pandemic as merely the sort of pathogenic disaster that lab accidents might cause agree that greater safety is needed.
More than 20 years after scientists first released a draft sequence of the human genome, the book of life has been given a long-overdue rewrite.

A more accurate and inclusive edition of our genetic code was published on Wednesday, marking a major step toward a deeper understanding of human biology and personalized medicine for people from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Unlike the previous reference  which was largely based on the DNA of one mixed-race man from Buffalo, with inputs from a few dozen other individuals, mostly of European descent  the new pangenome incorporates near-complete genetic sequences from 47 men and women of diverse origins, including African Americans, Caribbean Islanders, East Asians, West Africans and South Americans.

The revamped genome map represents a crucial tool for scientists and clinicians hoping to identify genetic variations associated with disease. It also promises to deliver treatments that can benefit all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity or ancestry, researchers said.
Ms. Morales said that most of her clients who request custom designs are the children of immigrants or have immigrated to the United States themselves. Many, she added, owe their journeys to their families, and they want to honor that.

Like Ms. Morales, Emiah Youman began customizing graduation caps when she was in college. Ms. Youman, who started selling them through her business, Custom Couture by Emiah, in 2019, now also offers premade styles (starting at $50), as well as hand-painted designs (starting at $210).

Ms. Youman, who lives in Washington, said she has received about 100 orders this year. Her custom designs can take up to three months to complete, in part because she is running her business while attending law school at Howard University. Its just me doing everything, she said. But, she added, to get videos and pictures of the families with the caps, its just really special.

Marc Goldberg said he saw the potential for a cap-decorating business back in the late 90s, when his mother couldnt locate him among the throng of black-capped students at his college graduation. I thought, Theres got to be a way that you can stand out in the crowd, said Mr. Goldberg, who lives in Midland Park, N.J. Years later, in 2012, he started Tassel Toppers, which lets customers design mortarboards online.
Youve also mentioned that bell hooks was a big inspiration on this album. When did you first encounter her work?

I was so enthusiastic on the last Knife tour, 10 years ago, that I gave [hookss 1999 book] All About Love to all the band and the crew to read. Its been with me for a long time. And I still think its great. Its so strange when everybody has some kind of relationship with love, but there are so few people who have a definition of what it is they mean when they say they are in love. What does it mean to say, I love you? I think its really important to share a definition with the people you want to have close relationships with. What do I need to feel loved? And what do you need to feel loved? And I think she writes about that really well.

Ive found your music to be so referential to other texts in a way that is rare. It seems like books are an important part of your musical world. Is it difficult to incorporate that in a way that doesnt feel too academic?

When we did the last Knife album [Shaking the Habitual], it was pretty academic, I would say. Even though I have never studied at the university, we read a lot and we had a lot of literature lists and stuff like that. And I think after that, both me and Olof talked about how were not so into that kind of process anymore, that starts through the head and then into the body. I am more interested in things that go into the body directly. But I think Ive been as inspired by film and images because I normally have a clear feeling of a song when I start. Its more of a feeling or an emotion. And then I know the colors of it and what kind of setting it should take place in.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang talks to a family member of John Rabe while visiting an exhibition on Rabe at the Confucius Institute in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. Qin visited the Confucius Institute here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited the Confucius Institute in Berlin on Tuesday, encouraging closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Germany.

Qin said that as the first Confucius Institute in Germany, the Confucius Institute in Berlin has not only helped promote the Chinese language and culture, but also spread the seeds of friendship since its establishment 17 years ago.

He encouraged the students to enhance mutual understanding through learning. He also encouraged the faculty to overcome difficulties and tackle challenges for a better institute, and to contribute more to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Germany.

Qin also visited an exhibition on John Rabe at the institute, and met with Rabe's family.

Rabe, a German businessman, together with dozens of foreigners, risked lives to set up an international safety zone in the city of Nanjing in 1937, and helped protect Chinese citizens during the Nanjing Massacre.

Qin said that Rabe saved more than 250,000 Chinese lives during the Nanjing Massacre and won the sincere respect and friendship of the Chinese people. "We should take history as a mirror, cherish and safeguard peace, and never let the tragedy of history repeat itself," he said.

Editor: WJH
When the San Francisco start-up OpenAI released ChatGPT late last year, the A.I. chatbot looked like the first significant threat in decades to Google. One day, tech insiders thought, it could make Googles internet search engine look old and stodgy.

Google executives vowed a fast response to protect the companys $162 billion franchise and said that artificial intelligence would be woven throughout its products, from the search engine to email.

On Wednesday, at its annual conference in Mountain View, Calif., the company demonstrated some of what it has been working on. Google said its search engine will begin incorporating responses generated by A.I. at the top of query results pages and allow users to ask follow-up questions.

It was a notable step toward Googles embrace of A.I., which many experts believe could remake the tech industry. Google was a pioneer in the technology, but had been reluctant to do too much with it because A.I. comes with risks, like spreading false information.
Since Clarks early childhood in Dallas, singing has been her love. Her B.A. from Yale is in music. But around the time she was starring on Broadway in Sister Act (2011) as Mother Superior, she experienced what she called a big vocal shift. She could no longer simply open her mouth and know that whatever sound she commanded would come out.

She followed up that show with two more Broadway musicals, Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella (2013) and Gigi (2015). She was Tony-nominated for all three. Yet she felt shadowed by uncertainty about endurance. Around 2018, she set aside a solo show shed been making about the impact of music on her life, worried that she might run out of voice onstage.

I had to fall in love again with myself and figure out how to love myself as I was changing, she said. What does it feel like to own an instrument that is also a muscle, but also your livelihood, but is also somewhat of your identity? Having to work through all of that was, is, its own very personal and emotional journey.

By her own account, Clark has always been a perfectionist, habitually hard on herself. But its not that she cant hit the high notes anymore, even if only one song in the pop-style Kimberly Akimbo asks her to. Talking about the requirements of Tesoris music, Clark fired up a piano app on her phone and demonstrated, by singing, how her voice starts to bloom at a D.

Thats as high as the whole score goes, she said. That one little note.

Kimberly is, after all, a teenager. Lyric soprano would not be her usual sound.
The poet W.H. Auden is expecting a rent boy, not a journalist. So when he opens the door to his home in Oxford, England, to let the much younger man in, it takes a while to clear up the confusion. Once the visitor has explained that he is not there to take off his pants, he commences an interview.

Are you writing? he asks the poet.

Am I dead? Auden ripostes. I work. I have the habit of art.

Such a smooth, substantial-sounding phrase  a bulwark against others intrusive questions and Audens own self-doubt. Still, he is telling the truth.

In Alan Bennetts delectably smart, gently moving, sex-spiked comedy The Habit of Art, the year is 1972 and Auden is nearing the end of his life. Suspecting that God has rescinded his genius, he keeps writing anyway.

I have to work, or else who am I? he says.

All this, by the way, is part of the play within the play in the excellent production that the Brits Off Broadway festival has brought to 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan. The Habit of Art is partially about an imagined meeting between Auden and his old friend, the composer Benjamin Britten. But Bennett frames it with a band of theater people finding their way through a script that tells this story  or, as he wrote in his diary in 2009, the year The Habit of Art made its premiere: a group of differently fractured people coming together to present something whole.
The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship, one of the biggest in the world, with its multiple-deck water slides, zip line and surf simulators, is a favorite among families. But the discovery of a hidden camera in a public bathroom during a recent sailing has many passengers questioning their enthusiasm after the F.B.I. said that minors who appear to be as young as 4 or 5 years old had fallen victim to video voyeurism onboard.

According to an F.B.I. affidavit in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrant, on April 30, a day after the Royal Caribbean ship departed from Miami for a seven-night eastern Caribbean cruise, a man identified as Jeremy Froias allegedly hid a Wi-Fi camera in a top deck bathroom, pointing its lens toward the toilet. The bathroom was located close to one of the ships surf simulators and many passengers used it to change into their swimsuits.

A day later, the camera was spotted by a passenger who reported it to the ships security staff. They found hours worth of footage showing more than 150 people, including what appear to be at least 40 minors  some of whom were at least partly naked, the charging document said.

The ship stopped in Puerto Rico, where the F.B.I. arrested Mr. Froias and charged him with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material.
A road trip along the length of our state, from the sun-baked beaches of San Diego to the lush redwood forests of Humboldt County, or any segment in between, would not be complete without the perfect playlist.

Essential for the drive is a set of songs that reflect the kaleidoscopic scenery that whizzes by, as traffic-packed urban sprawl gives way to expansive farmland and snow-capped peaks in the distance. This ideal soundtrack is what weve been striving to curate in this newsletter over the past several months, an all-things-California playlist based largely on your recommendations.

Today, Ive added about 20 tracks to the California Soundtrack. Among the most requested this round were Telegraph Ave by Childish Gambino (2013), Pacific Coast Highway by Burt Bacharach (1969) and Why I Came to California by Leon Ware (1982).

You can peruse the full list here (the latest additions are in bold) or listen here.

As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress. Email your own song recommendation and a few lines about why you think it deserves inclusion to CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city where you live.
President Biden will welcome Indias prime minister to the White House for a state visit and lavish dinner next month, offering a highly valued diplomatic perk to a critical economic ally but also to a leader who has demonstrated authoritarian tendencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with Mr. Biden on June 22, according to a White House statement on Wednesday. It will be the presidents third state dinner, after hosting the leaders of France and South Korea. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said the visit would celebrate the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.

For Mr. Biden, the visit is an opportunity to draw India even closer on economic and security cooperation, especially when it comes to countering Chinas growing influence over the global marketplace.

Rick Rossow, a senior adviser and the India chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was in the interest of the United States to continue working with India, which is one of Americas biggest trading partners and is an ally on security in the region.
President Biden sought to drive a wedge among Republicans in their escalating dispute over spending and debt on Wednesday, effectively reaching out to moderates in hopes of convincing them to break away from Speaker Kevin McCarthy rather than risk triggering a national default that could throw the economy into a tailspin.

Appearing in a competitive suburb with a vulnerable House Republican in his sights, Mr. Biden accused Mr. McCarthy of pursuing a radical strategy at the behest of the extreme wing of his party loyal to former President Donald J. Trump, putting the country in economic jeopardy in a way that he said reasonable Republicans of his own era in the Senate would not have done.

Theyve taken control of the House, Mr. Biden said of this wing to a friendly audience at SUNY Westchester Community College in New Yorks Hudson Valley. They have a speaker who has his job because he yielded to the, quote, MAGA element of the party, he added.

Those hard-right Republicans, Mr. Biden said, are literally, not figuratively, holding the economy hostage by threatening to default on our nations debt, debt weve already incurred, weve already incurred over the last couple hundred years, unless we give into their threats and demands.
On Thursday, three years and 100 days after the Trump administration declared the coronavirus a public health emergency, the Biden administration will allow the emergency declaration to expire, ushering in a new era when the government will treat Covid-19 like any other respiratory ailment.

If the coronavirus pandemic was a war, the United States is about to officially enter peacetime.

But interviews with senior federal and state health officials  including the secretary of health and human services and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration  make clear that while the United States has greatly improved its capacity to fight Covid-19, it is not fully prepared for a radically different future variant or a new pandemic.

State health officials, tasked with tracking the coronavirus, are burned out, their departments understaffed. President Bidens coronavirus response team will soon disband. The White House has yet to fulfill Congresss directive to set up a new pandemic preparedness office, and key officials, including Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the coronavirus response coordinator, and Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are stepping down or intend to do so.

Dr. Jha and other federal health officials have spent months laying the groundwork for the end of the public health emergency, and the Biden administration has set up programs to keep vaccines free for the uninsured and to support medical research into new vaccines and therapies. But the officials say they are operating on a tight budget; Congress has refused to give the administration any new money for the pandemic response.
But the end of the policy is exposing deep divisions that have for years hampered congressional efforts to rework the countrys outdated immigration laws. Those laws are now in the spotlight as Republican leaders attempt to pass a stringent border enforcement bill through the House that has pitted members of the G.O.P. against one another.

Mr. Mayorkas said the administration was sending more asylum officers to process claims as well as thousands of personnel from the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. President Biden said on Wednesday that he was considering sending additional troops to the border, adding to the 1,500 announced last week.

Mr. Mayorkas has repeated the warning he delivered Wednesday for the past two years. But migrants are likely to continue attempting to cross into the United States, given that officials have been releasing them from Border Patrols custody to stay in the country temporarily until they face an immigration court hearing.

It is unclear how many more illegal crossings there will be once Title 42 lifts. In El Paso on Wednesday, the Border Patrol chief, Raul L. Ortiz, said he did not expect the number to reach 17,000 or 18,000 a day.

The increases that weve seen in the last five to six days  I think were really the surge, Mr. Ortiz told a group of reporters. I think that what we see now is a continued effort by some to message incorrectly that once Title 42 goes away, its going to be a free-for-all along the border.
President Bidens tenure has coincided with a global rise in migration, and the pressure has been felt acutely at the United States southern border. Officials caught migrants crossing the border without authorization more than five million times from February 2021 to March this year, according to the most recent data available  the highest number of arrests in decades.

Officials are bracing for a bigger surge after the Biden administration lifts an emergency health rule, known as Title 42, that has been used millions of times to swiftly expel migrants.

Some 660,000 migrants were waiting in Mexico earlier this month, most likely poised to cross into the United States in the coming days and weeks, according to a Homeland Security intelligence analysis obtained by The New York Times. And migrants are still making their way north through Central America.

On Tuesday, border officials apprehended more than 11,000 migrants who had crossed illegally, according to internal data, an increase over the 7,000 to 8,000 crossings a day last week.
This photo taken on May 1, 2023 shows a Francois' leaf monkey in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A Francois' leaf monkey is seen with a cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 1, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A Francois' leaf monkey is seen with a cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, April 30, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

This photo taken on April 30, 2023 shows a Francois' leaf monkey cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

This photo taken on April 30, 2023 shows a Francois' leaf monkey cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Francois' leaf monkeys and a cub are seen in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 1, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A Francois' leaf monkey is seen with a cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, April 30, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Francois' leaf monkeys and a cub are seen in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 1, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A Francois' leaf monkey is seen with a cub in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 1, 2023.

Francois' leaf monkeys, also known as Francois' langurs, is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is under top national-level protection. It is also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.

Thanks to a series of ecological restoration and protection measures, the number of Francois' langurs in the Mayanghe National Nature Reserve has been increasing in recent years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Editor: ZAD
When Alvin L. Bragg secured the indictment of former President Donald J. Trump, it galvanized Trump supporters. Allies of his Republican rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, mark that indictment as the moment that Mr. Trump sped away from his nearest opponent in the polls.

Nobody around Mr. Trump is making a prediction publicly or privately that there will be a similar effect after a jury on Tuesday in the lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The price that Mr. Trump was ordered by the jury to pay his accuser, Ms. Carroll, was $5 million, in a verdict he has promised to appeal. But whether he pays any political price at all is unclear. Mr. Trump was said to be furious about the verdict, and questioning the various decisions that were made by his team in the defense. Far from letting up on Ms. Carroll, his team plans to aggressively attack her claims and tether her to Democrats.

There is no world in which the result of that civil trial was a positive development for the project he is most focused on: the presidential campaign for which he remains the Republican front-runner.
Since the end of his presidency, Mr. Trump has largely been relegated to appearing on right-wing networks and podcasts. He has taken reporters aboard his plane now that hes a candidate, but his team recognizes that he needs to start venturing beyond the fringe to gain access to a broader audience, particularly as a contrast to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who avoids the mainstream media. And CNN was willing to provide him that opportunity, several advisers said. The town hall will be Mr. Trumps first appearance on CNN since the 2016 campaign.

You cant just stay on certain channels all the time, said a person close to Mr. Trump who was not authorized to speak publicly about the town hall planning. Youve got to start venturing out. And thats a clear contrast to what other candidates may or may not do.

The town hall has been months in the making.

Earlier this year, Mr. Trumps team had wanted to participate in a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, a popular pro-Trump anchor. But Mr. Hannity ultimately did an interview with Mr. Trump instead, and the town hall never materialized. Through a Fox News press officer, Mr. Hannity denied there was any obstacle to a Fox town hall, insisting Mr. Trump preferred to do an interview on this occasion and said he would do a town hall as his campaign progressed.

Several weeks after Mr. Trump declared his candidacy in November, CNN was in touch with the former presidents team about a possible interview, as the network has held with other presidential candidates, said two people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity to describe the talks. As the conversations about a Fox News town hall fizzled, the Trump team began negotiating with CNN in earnest.
HOUSTON  Across Harris County, an emerging Democratic stronghold in reliably red Texas, roadside signs posted last November urged harried drivers to vote Republican. A celebrity furniture salesman, beloved by many Houstonians, cut ads with the Republican candidate for the top county administrators post.

The 2022 races for local judges and county leaders were among the hardest fought and most expensive yet seen in the sprawling county of 4.8 million, which includes Houston, as Republicans looked to capitalize on crime concerns to make headway in the states largest urban area.

But they fell short.

Now, the county is in the cross hairs of the Republican-dominated state Legislature, which is trying to exert more control over voting there. Lawmakers are pushing dozens of new election bills, including limits on polling places, felony penalties for illegal voting and a mechanism for the state to order new elections when voting problems occur in Texas counties with more than 2.7 million people, a category that includes only Harris County.

At the same time, more than a dozen election challenges have been filed by losing Republican candidates in the county who have argued that significant problems at a limited number of polling places on Election Day, including insufficient supplies of ballot paper, were enough to change the outcomes of races. While local leaders acknowledge issues, evidence has not been presented that they affected the results.
Food and Drug Administration advisers concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks of making a hormonal contraceptive pill  sold under the brand name Opill and produced by the French company HRA Pharma  available without a prescription.

If the F.D.A. follows the nonbinding recommendation of its advisers  and there is a chance the agency might not  Opill would become the first and only birth control pill to be available over the counter since oral contraceptives were introduced in the U.S. in 1960. A final decision is expected by early August.

After a two-day meeting, the 17 members of the F.D.A. committee voted unanimously that it would be safe to make Opill available without a prescription, a move that is also overwhelmingly supported by medical associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association. A 2022 survey found that 77 percent of more than 5,000 female participants favored the idea of getting the birth control pill over the counter, with many saying it would be more convenient and efficient to get it without a prescription.

Progestin-only pills have been widely used in the United States since the first one was approved in 1973. Like other oral contraceptives, they require a prescription from a health care provider or, in some states, a pharmacist.
The Sudanese army launched a concerted push into central Khartoum on Wednesday, using ground troops backed by armored vehicles to push into areas that have been largely controlled by the R.S.F. since the war started, said two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified because of its sensitivity.

The armys drive appeared to be an effort to gain ground before any potential cease-fire deal is signed, both people said. An agreement remained out of reach as of late Wednesday, but appeared to be getting closer, they said.

Four years ago, Khartoum was at the heart of a popular uprising that promised to usher in democracy after decades of dictatorship in the northeast African nation of 45 million people. But in the last month, the city, which sits at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile, has become the center of a violent power struggle between Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military, and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The clashes have spread to several towns and regions, and have raged in Bahri and Omdurman, Khartoums adjoining cities across the Nile. At least 600 people have been killed and over 5,000 others injured, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The conflict has displaced over 700,000 people, according to the United Nations, and 160,000 others have fled to bordering nations many of them encumbered with their own economic and political crises.

Residents of Khartoum say they have stayed behind either because they are sick, caring for aging relatives, or lack passports or money for transportation. Others, like Ms. Abdin, opted to stay after hearing of people being attacked and robbed on the road, and spending long days at border crossings.
David Miranda, a child of the Rio de Janeiro slums who became a leading voice for gay rights in Brazils Congress and who played a supporting role in the leak of classified documents by Edward J. Snowden, died on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro. He was 37.

His husband, the American journalist Glenn Greenwald, said Mr. Miranda died in the intensive care unit of a hospital after a nine-month struggle with an abdominal infection.

It was Mr. Mirandas role in the Snowden leak that led to his political career.

In 2013, Mr. Snowden, a former contractor with the National Security Agency, handed a trove of highly classified documents about American surveillance programs to Mr. Greenwald and several other journalists, infuriating American officials and setting off an international debate over mass surveillance and privacy.

Mr. Miranda helped lead an effort to obtain asylum in Brazil for Mr. Snowden, who had flown to Hong Kong from Hawaii and was wanted on criminal charges by the United States. The campaign attracted the support of a number of Brazilian celebrities, and the foreign relations and defense committee of the Brazilian Senate recommended granting asylum.
Mexico has let tens of thousands of people cross its territory on their way to the American border since early April, government data shows, a major uptick before the expiration of a U.S. immigration measure that has kept most migrants from being able to claim asylum in the United States.

The increase comes as local aid groups and migrants say that over the last several weeks people heading north have been crossing more easily into Mexico from Guatemala, the main route to the United States, with Mexican security forces abandoning some of their outposts on the countrys southern border.

The jump in people allowed to cross Mexico, coupled with the reduced security footprint, has likely contributed to the soaring numbers of migrants gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border as the Biden administration prepares on Thursday night to lift a pandemic-era restriction called Title 42 that has allowed the United States to quickly expel those trying to cross the border illegally.

Mexicos Foreign Ministry and National Institute of Migration did not respond for requests for comment about any changes to the governments immigration policy.
City officials in the northern German port of Kiel were flattered this year when the Chinese port of Qingdao  about 40 times its size  proposed partnering up as a sister city. They rushed to embrace the offer.

The two cities had a history of cooperation dating to when the Germans helped their Chinese counterparts develop a sailing venue for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Both have substantial commercial ports, sprawling boardwalks and public beaches. It seemed a good match.

Almost too good, in fact, for security experts, who noted other, less innocent similarities.

Kiel, home to about 250,000, hosts much of Germanys Baltic naval fleet, Germanys equivalent of the Navy SEALs, military research facilities and big shipbuilders making, among other things, six brand-new, state-of-the-art submarines.

Qingdao, a city of more than nine million, is home to Chinas North Sea fleet, a marine research academy and Chinas main submariners school, which specializes in submarine hunting.
The threat of the mountain above the tiny Swiss village of Brienz has loomed for centuries.

But state geologists and engineers warned on Tuesday that parts of the mountain were dangerously close to collapse. And the roughly 85 people who live in Brienz and in the path of a possible landslide or mountain collapse were told to evacuate by Friday night.

Geological engineers starting monitoring the situation on the mountain closely in 2017. In recent weeks, they have seen movement accelerate in the more than 70 million cubic feet of dirt and rocks that make up the parts of the mountain that could fall.

Its clearly a difficult situation, but we are prepared and trained for this, Peter Beyer, the governor of the region, told affected villagers in a hastily organized community event on Tuesday night. Even if we hoped that what we were training for would never come to pass.

Although scientists say the mountain could come down any moment, they cannot fully predict what is going to happen, Stefan Schneider, one of the engineers in charge of efforts to monitor the rock slide, told the community on Tuesday night.
TBILISI, Georgia  President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday ordered the restoration of direct flights from Russia to the mountainous former Soviet republic of Georgia starting May 15 and abolished visa requirements for Georgian nationals, in the latest sign of continued rapprochement between the two nations.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decisions announced Wednesday were made in line with the principled approach to gradually improving conditions for communication and contacts between the citizens of Russia and Georgia.

Mr. Putins decisions highlighted the highly complex relationship between Russia and Georgia, where many members of civil society, pro-Western opposition activists and lawmakers see the Kremlin as the main threat to the countrys stability and security. The countrys ruling party, however, tacitly supports closer ties with Moscow.

In 2008, Georgia fought a painful five-day war with Russia that resulted in Moscows military taking control of the two secessionist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, or about one-fifth of Georgias territory. Since then, Russia and Georgia have had no formal diplomatic relations.
Since March of this year, PepsiCo Ukraine has resumed the production of juices under the Sandora and Sadochok brands at its production facilities in the city of Vyshneve, Kyiv region, and also launched the production of drinks in Mykolaiv region, Head of Corporate Communications Department Alina Matkivska has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Within six months, we have been transferring four production lines to the production complex in Vyshneve and are gradually restoring the assortment of the portfolio that the company had before the suspension of production in Ukraine," she said.

According to the head of the corporate communications department, 100% Sandora orange juice produced in Ukraine is again available to Ukrainian consumers. Also the production of juices, which in the pre-war period were in the top 10 and were leaders in the Ukrainian market, resumed, Matkivska said. She said that this refers, in particular, to juices produced under the Sandora brand  cherry, tomato, multi-vitamin, pomegranate, and under the Sadochok brand  apple-grapes, multi-vitamin, multi-fruit, and tomato.

She added that the production of other juices from the product line, such as, for example, Sicilian orange or lemon, is gradually being restored.

According to the company representative, Pepsio Ukraine has also resumed the production of drinks at the production complex in Mykolaiv region.

"Gradually, we are moving towards expanding the range, according to the one that was before the suspension of production in Ukraine," Matkivska said, without specifying what kind of drinks are now produced in Mykolaiv region.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian troops have broken through Russian positions outside the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut and forced Russian units back from a key position near a canal, military commanders on both sides said, in the first gains since March for Kyivs forces in the brutal fight for the city.

The advance was not large  roughly three square miles, southwest of the city, in an area of fields, ravines and thickets of trees  but it was acknowledged on Tuesday by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner militia whose forces have been at the forefront of Russias fight for Bakhmut, and it was described on Wednesday by multiple Ukrainian military officials. Russias Defense Ministry did not comment on the reports.

Ukraines forces had not won any ground in the fight for Bakhmut since pushing Russian forces off a key access road two months ago, and it is far from clear that they can hold the terrain they captured this week or that it was a turning point.

But the 11-month battle for Bakhmut has taken on a symbolic significance that goes far beyond the citys immediate strategic value and has come at devastating human cost for both sides. Both countries have invested resources and sacrificed soldiers in a high-stakes effort to wear each other down, with Russian forces slowly gaining control of most of the city and its surroundings.
Images of the celebrations were beamed around the world, and some Ukrainians allowed themselves to believe that Kherson might be a symbol of something bigger, maybe even the beginning of the end of their horror.

But the Russians didnt go far. They pulled back just to the other side of the river and now blast across the water, sometimes less than a mile away, with tanks, artillery, mortars and rockets. Ukrainians say that Russians are also using warplanes to bomb villages around Kherson. When the Ukrainians shoot back from their artillery positions within the city, that just draws even heavier Russian fire.

More ordinary people are getting killed here than anywhere else except perhaps along the front line in the eastern Donbas region, according to daily reports from the Ukrainian military. Officials in the Kherson region said that since liberation, at least 236 civilians have lost their lives. The city itself has been shelled more than 2,000 times.

Last week, a team of de-miners, guys who had stuck together through some very dangerous situations, was working in a windswept field on the outskirts of town. A Russian drone spotted them. It dropped a grenade. The grenade ignited a pile of mines. Local officials said six men were killed, in an instant. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the total number of dead was nine.
On this much, at least, everyone can agree: Cleopatra was a formidable queen of ancient Egypt, the last of the Macedonian Greek dynasty founded by Alexander the Great, who went on to even greater posthumous fame as a seductress, immortalized by Shakespeare and Hollywood.

Beyond that, many of the details are fuzzy  which is how one of the worlds dominant streaming services ended up in an imbroglio with modern-day Egypt recently, called out by online commenters and even the Egyptian government for casting a Black actress to play Cleopatra in the Netflix docudrama series African Queens, which airs on Wednesday.

Soon after the shows trailer appeared last month, Netflix was forced to disable comments as they turned into a hostile, and occasionally racist, pile on. Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities, the government agency in charge of heritage, declared the show a falsification of Egyptian history. A popular television host accused Netflix of trying to take over our Egyptian culture. An Egyptian lawyer filed a complaint demanding that the streaming service be shut down in the country.

For the shows makers, the four episodes about Cleopatra were a chance to celebrate one of historys most famous women as an African ruler, one they portray as Black. But for many Egyptians and historians, that portrayal is at best a misreading, and at worst a negation, of Egyptian history.
Mohammad Al Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad official, said in a statement that Israeli noncompliance with that demand was hindering a cease-fire agreement, but he added, The efforts are still going on.

But at about 2 a.m. on Thursday, around the same hour as the targeted killings on Tuesday, local Palestinians reported that Israel had killed another Islamic Jihad military leader with a precise strike that destroyed an apartment on the top floor of a building in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Initial reports said that the militants brother was also killed in the strike. In a statement, the Israeli military said it had killed an Islamic Jihad commander and two other militants.

On Tuesday evening, Israel struck a car in Khan Yunis that it said had been carrying members of an Islamic Jihad squad on their way to a launchpad with an anti-tank guided missile, resulting in two fatalities.

After Israels initial assault on Tuesday, at least eight more Palestinians were killed in subsequent Israeli strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small, armed faction involved in the rocket fire, claimed four of the dead as its members. The Israeli military identified two others as operatives of Islamic Jihads anti-tank missile squad. Gazas Health Ministry said at least 64 Palestinians had been injured in all.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Israeli side.

The Israeli military said its strikes on Wednesday were mainly defensive ones aimed at thwarting imminent attacks by Islamic Jihad. Later, as the rocket fire from Gaza continued, Israel broadened its targets in Gaza to include what it described as compounds used to manufacture and store weapons, and one used by the Islamic Jihads naval forces. It also struck several houses after warning inhabitants to leave, according to local Palestinian news reports.
A naval guardsman opened fire near an ancient synagogue on the island of Djerba off Tunisias Mediterranean coast that has previously been the target of Islamist militants, killing two visitors and two guards, and wounding 10 other people during an annual Jewish pilgrimage to the synagogue, the countrys interior ministry said Wednesday. Another security officer was also killed by the gunman before he reached the synagogue.

The guardsman, who was stationed at a naval installation on the island, first killed his fellow guard and pocketed his ammunition late Tuesday before heading toward El Ghriba synagogue in Djerbas ancient Jewish neighborhood, roughly half an hours drive away, the ministry said in a statement. Then he shot indiscriminately near the synagogue until officers guarding the pilgrimage shot and killed him.

The authorities gave no motive for the shooting, in which a 42-year-old French national who the authorities described as French-Tunisian, and a 30-year-old Tunisian were killed, according to the foreign ministry. But the synagogue, where a celebration for the annual Lag bOmer festival was held Tuesday night, has previously come under attack by Islamist militants, who have also targeted other Tunisian tourist sites.

Tunisia is also in political and economic crisis. President Kais Saied has steered the democracy Tunisians had built over the last decade back toward autocracy while the economy craters, pushing a growing number of Tunisians into desperation.
The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his lifes work. The North Atlantic storm was a behemoth  50,000 feet tall and 260 miles wide. Wind circled the eye wall at 143 miles per hour; waves the size of nine-story apartment buildings tumbled through a confused sea. Puerto Rico lay 500 miles to the southwest; Bermuda was 800 miles straight ahead. Eighty miles northwest, the 23-foot boat that Jenkins had designed and built over the last decade struggled to stay upright. Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 was a research boat. Its blaze-orange torpedo-shaped hull had a deep keel and a rigid carbon-fiber sail engineered to withstand hurricane-force wind and waves. Probes, antennae and a suite of meteorological and oceanographic instruments jutted from the deck and the hull, all powered by wind, water and sun and capable of measuring the extraordinary forces of the open ocean. As the name suggests, SD 1045 was unmanned, allowing the boat to operate in some of the most remote and inhospitable corners of the planet for up to 12 months at a time without being serviced.

Throughout history, most sea captains have tried to steer their vessels out of extreme weather, but the whole purpose of SD 1045 was to steer into it. The goal was not just to get into the hurricane but to get to the strongest quarter, Jenkins said as we watched a video of the storm, shot from SD 1045s masthead camera. The big engineering challenge was to create enough sailing power to get in front of the storm, but not so much power that the storm destroys the boat.

Jenkins and a crew of pilots in Saildrones cavernous mission-control room, set in a 1930s Navy hangar on the shores of San Francisco Bay, had been using a satellite link for months to maneuver SD 1045 and four sister ships into North Atlantic hurricanes. The boats were frequently caught in doldrums and set back by powerful ocean currents skirting the East Coast of the United States. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. With a few weeks left in the 2021 hurricane season, SD 1045 appeared to be the last opportunity to get a Saildrone inside a major hurricane, where it would try to harvest data that could help scientists develop a more sophisticated understanding of why such storms intensity has spiked over the last half-century.

As climate change has accelerated, warmer atmospheric and ocean temperatures have increased the likelihood of a hurricane developing into a Category 3 storm or higher by 8 percent per decade. While the total number of tropical cyclones  including typhoons and cyclones  around the world has dropped over the last century, in the North Atlantic more Category 4 and 5 hurricanes made landfall in the United States from 2017 to 2021 than from 1963 to 2016. Globally, the number of major hurricanes, including a new breed of ultraintense Category 5 storms with winds of at least 190 m.p.h., could increase by 20 percent over the next 60 to 80 years. Once-established storm tracks are simultaneously changing as hurricanes last longer and penetrate deeper over land. According to a 2021 study by Yale University researchers, warmer waters will soon draw extreme storms north as well, threatening to inundate densely populated cities like Washington, D.C.; New York; Providence, R.I.; and Boston.

Storm surges now ride on an elevated sea level, flooding coastlines with walls of water more than 25 feet high (Hurricane Katrina, 2005). Because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, storms can now dump more than 60 inches of rain on a single region (Hurricane Harvey, 2017). Hurricanes over the United States have also slowed more than 15 percent since 1947, contributing to a 25 percent increase in local rainfall. One example of how the compounding forces of climate change, like sea-level rise, and more intense storms are overwhelming coastlines, according to Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: If Superstorm Sandy had occurred in 1912 instead of 2012, it may not have flooded Lower Manhattan.

Humanity has not flinched in the face of this gathering threat, but has rather charged blindly into it, migrating to coastlines at a record pace, enacting deficient building codes and resiliency plans, pumping ever more carbon into the atmosphere and even slowing mitigation efforts by questioning the veracity of climate change.

Humans didnt always settle in a manner so disconnected from the planet: Overlay storm tracks from the last two centuries on a map of the world, and youll notice how, throughout history, most major cities were built outside their reach. As that reach and intensity grows farther and faster than any time in the last three million years, another reality becomes painfully evident: Civilization cant relocate as it once could, leaving millions of people smack in the cross hairs of severe storms with little to no resiliency, warning or even plan.

At risk on the U.S. mainland are 60 million coastal residents from Texas to Maine. Along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, you will find a dozen major seaside cities, thousands of coastal towns, half of the nations oil-refining business and major infrastructure like highways, airports, freight-rail lines and much of the shipping industry, which is already backed up globally with supply-chain issues as it transports, by tonnage, 90 percent of all trade across the ocean. A recent N.P.R. analysis of National Hurricane Center data revealed that 720,000 residents of Miami, Washington and New York are in danger of being flooded by rising sea levels and storm surge. In the last four decades alone, hurricanes cost the United States more than $1.1 trillion and nearly 7,000 lives. By the end of the century, they could set the United States back over $100 billion annually.

Jenkins knows firsthand the ferocity of maritime storms. His windswept hair and tanned crows feet are more befitting a sea captain than a San Francisco tech entrepreneur. He grew up building boats in Southampton, England, then sailed yachts around Europe and the Mediterranean as a delivery captain. He prefers two-dimensional landscapes to the hustle of the city. After studying mechanical engineering at Imperial College London, he spent a decade car-camping in salt flats and dry lake beds around the world, trying to best the obscure (yet highly competitive) land-speed record for a wind-powered vehicle. When he finally broke it  and almost himself, while steering the land yacht at 126 m.p.h. across the Mojave Desert  he pivoted his design to ocean sailing and a new mission: building the first unmanned boat to sail around the world.

Jenkins found an unlikely partner in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sprawling parent organization of all U.S. weather agencies. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. This has, for obvious reasons, been nearly impossible to obtain. Several generations of automated buoys, subsurface sea gliders and dropsondes  launched from turboprop Hurricane Hunter aircraft in the middle of a storm  have been employed to measure the planetary boundary between sea and sky, where a hurricane gets its power. But most of the devices offer only a snapshot of conditions. Jenkinss contribution to the endeavor is a Swiss Army knife of oceanic observation that can maneuver into a storm and measure air, surface and subsea data in real time, without the cost of fuel, provisions or human lives.

Jenkins walked me around the Saildrone factory floor that morning, speaking quickly, often without pausing for minutes or even an hour at a time. He plays the role of engineer, chief executive, inventor, climatologist, oceanographer, naval architect and captain on any given day  a corporeal C.P.U. of the company. He touched on everything from hydrodynamics to hurricane structure to electrical engineering and bathymetry  ocean mapping  as we wandered among four neat rows of gleaming Saildrone hulls. Gunmetal-gray steel racks and wheeled carts held appendages and instruments, all fabricated in-house and ruggedized by Saildrone and NOAA. The company is based in Alameda Point, a hub of the techno-utopianism that has swept through the Bay Area. (Jenkins occasionally commutes by motorboat from his home in Alameda.) Just down the block, researchers are developing a safer nuclear reactor. A few doors away is the former factory of Makani, a project founded by a consortium of kite-surfing inventors who added wind turbines to giant kites to create energy, a la Ben Franklin.

A half-dozen workers meandered between boats as Jenkins took me to the boardroom to watch the video of SD 1045. Wind gusts hit 120 m.p.h. in what would become one of the longest-lasting North Atlantic hurricanes on record. Hurricane Sam had recently reorganized and ratcheted up from Category 3 to the upper range of Category 4. Sea spray and rain turned the air into a foggy emulsion; breaking waves slammed the boat with the force of a tractor-trailer. Two hours later, on the edge of the eye wall, the scene on Jenkinss screen became otherworldly, with 143-m.p.h. gusts and 89-foot waves.

Few vessels could withstand the vectors moving through the North Atlantic that day. (In 2015, Hurricane Joaquins monster waves severed the top two decks of the steel freighter El Faros superstructure, sending the 790-foot ship to the bottom of the ocean along with all 33 crew members.) But SD 1045 persevered, its gauges recording multiple knockdowns, 360-degree capsizes and a 30-m.p.h. sleigh ride down the back of a giant wave.

As the pilot managed to maneuver the ship closer to the storms eye  a Dantesque arena of minitornadoes, falling sheets of ice, hot tower thunderheads and torrential wind and rain bands  Jenkins and a dozen NOAA scientists across the country turned to a never-before-seen stream of data broadcast from the heart of the hurricane: air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, water temperature, salinity, sea-surface temperature and wave height. Watching it was like watching transmissions from a Mars rover  columns of numbers and decimal points broadcast from an alien world gradually sketching a detailed picture of the cyclone. If this level of data could consistently be harvested from hurricanes at sea, Jenkins and his colleagues realized, it could very well change our understanding of one of the most damaging, costly and deadly forms of natural disaster in the world.

The ocean is a terrestrial outer space  Earths last true wilderness, which remains surprisingly unexplored by humankind.

It stretches for 139 million square miles and is on average more than 10,000 feet deep. Anyone who has spent time on or near it knows that watching the sea is like watching a fire: It is always transforming, moving, reordering as it mixes and flows. It is no more a thing than deep space is a thing  more conceptual than it is representational. It is physis, as the ancient Greeks wrote, translated as nature, creation or growth.

The quest to study the sea and its storms predates Aristotle, who hypothesized that Earths oceans were frigid at the poles and too hot to inhabit near the Equator. Half a century before Christopher Columbuss first voyage across the Atlantic, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal dispatched a series of expeditions along the coast of Africa in what was in part one of the first Western maritime data-harvesting missions in history. (Keep in mind that sea monsters were considered a navigational hazard by many at the time.) His captains returned with observations detailing sea temperature, zoological discoveries and curious and persistent winds and currents, the volta do mar, that allowed them to sail with the breeze behind them in a giant circle from Portugal down to the Canary Islands, up to the Azores and home. Over the next 400 years, these and other trade winds and the currents they pushed would carry human civilization around the world, along with a breed of superstorm unknown to Westerners.

The seed of Hurricane Sam took shape over the African Sahel 11 days before SD 1045 encountered it. Its here that the hot, dry Sahara meets cooler savannas to the south, creating an easterly wind called the African Easterly Jet. Instability in the jet frequently forms low-pressure areas that move west toward the Atlantic. With enough moisture, convection and atmospheric turmoil, these tropical waves can form a cluster of powerful thunderstorms. Around 60 tropical waves pass through the region every year, ultimately forming most major Atlantic hurricanes. One such wave moved off the African coast on Sept. 19, 2021. Three days later, southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, it was hooked, jarred, twisted or, as some cultures believe, touched by the hand of a god, initiating enough convective banding features and low-level circulation to be upgraded to a tropical depression. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. Warm water and low vertical wind shear helped induce a period of rapid intensification, and Sam was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds of 75 m.p.h. A second rapid intensification event saw wind speeds jump by 50 m.p.h. in a 24-hour period. Sam strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, with peak winds reaching 155 m.p.h., just below the threshold of a Category 5 storm. Sam moved northwest and weakened for several days because of southwesterly wind shear. It strengthened again over warmer water 500 miles northeast of Puerto Rico  where it met SD 1045. Sam passed within 200 miles of Bermuda as its outer circulation expanded, brushing the island with tropical-storm-force winds. It lost power as it moved northeast over colder water. The systems cloud pattern eventually became asymmetric, and Sam was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. More than a week after it formed, Hurricane Sam became one of the longest-lasting Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Only satellite images can give a true sense of the symmetry and stunning size of a mature tropical cyclone: a vortex of wind and moisture up to a thousand miles in diameter that bends with the curvature of the planet. A single storm can blot out the coastline between Maine and Florida and generate more than 200 times the energy that the worlds power plants create in a single day. (Or the power of 240 10-megaton nuclear bombs detonated every 20 minutes; take your pick.) Over millions of years, these storms have carved coastlines and ocean basins. They have wiped out entire ecosystems and redistributed others across oceans. They can even transport their own avian community of shearwaters, frigatebirds, petrels and songbirds that may fly above or become trapped in the relatively calm eye of the storm for many miles, only to be unceremoniously dumped on the shores of a distant place.

The Gulf Coast, with its warm, shallow water and troublesome Loop Current, has seen more than three dozen major hurricanes since 1851. But it is Florida that holds the distinction of being the most hurricane-prone state in the country. More than 100 tropical cyclones have made landfall there in the same time span, making locals who experienced some of those storms wonder if the current influx of newcomers to the Sunshine State will pack up and leave after their first hurricane season.

Greg Foltz of NOAAs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (A.O.M.L.) lives on relatively high ground among the neat, terra-cotta-capped bungalows of Coral Gables. He met me at a concrete picnic pavilion on Miamis Virginia Key, a hundred yards from the Bauhausian A.O.M.L. campus. Foltz is a willowy 46 years old, soft-spoken, with a salty nerdiness that perhaps only an oceanographer can achieve. He grew up with the thrum of noreasters, squalls and the occasional hurricane outside Boston before joining NOAA in 2010. He is now lead principal investigator of the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) Northeast Extension and its array of red-and-white research buoys, outfitted for oceanographic observation and hurricane forecasting.

One of Foltzs duties is finding new tech to expand and improve the observation system. After colleagues at his former lab, NOAAs Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (P.M.E.L.) in Seattle, told him about Saildrones, he set up a meeting to discuss building a drone that could record the inner workings of a hurricane. Jenkins had been collaborating with NOAA for four years, fine-tuning instruments and redesigning the hull and sail plan. Foltz wrote a grant and secured SD 1045 and four other drones for the 2021 hurricane season. The morning of Sept. 30, he watched from a makeshift home office as SD 1045 sailed into Hurricane Sam.

Amid a flurry of congratulatory text messages that morning, Foltz homed in on an anomaly in the drones data stream. Sam had undergone rapid intensification, during which a storms maximum winds increase 35 m.p.h. or more in 24 hours. The phenomenon, which is difficult to forecast and often occurs just before landfall, has become a priority for U.S. weather agencies, as it often leaves coastal residents expecting a mild storm only to be walloped by a Category 3 or 4 hurricane. Rapid intensification used to spin up once a century, but studies show that in the future, it could occur more frequently  especially in waters bordering the East Coast. In 2020 alone, 10 Atlantic hurricanes underwent rapid intensification. The next year, Hurricane Idas winds jumped to 150 m.p.h. from 85 just before making landfall in New Orleans and Alabama, ominously on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The readings Foltz noticed indicated that surface temperatures beneath Sam were higher than normal. Typically, evaporation and ocean mixing beneath a hurricane cools surface water near the eye. But SD 1045 indicated that the surface was not cooling. It was warming up, creating a storm with no bridle.

The readings were so off that Foltz assumed a gauge had broken. He checked SD 1045s wind-speed figures against a nearby research buoy and saw similar numbers. He also noticed low salinity in the water and confirmed those readings with satellite data. Weeks later, after poring over the data, Foltz and his colleagues concluded that a pool of fresh water  which is less dense than salt water and floats on top of it  had likely blocked upwelling currents from cooling the surface.

The discovery provided further evidence in an area that had confounded meteorologists for decades. Two months after Hurricane Sam veered northeast and sputtered out southeast of Greenland, NOAA sent out a news release titled Measuring Salt in the Ocean May Be Key to Predicting Hurricane Intensity. The release outlined how the outflow of the Amazon, Orinoco and Mississippi Rivers could potentially obstruct upwelling and ocean mixing beneath storms. Further study the next spring illustrated how increased rainfall in todays supersaturated storms could also dump enough freshwater to reduce upwelling and ocean cooling, making intensification more likely.

Foltz took a summary of his findings to the National Hurricane Center. Now theyre starting to appreciate that salinity can affect hurricane intensity, he says.

A month after SD 1045 safely sailed back to port, a disturbance in the Pacific Ocean developed into a tropical depression. The storm was named Rai, and two days later it became a Category 1 typhoon. As the storm bore down on the volcanic ridgelines and montane rainforests hemming the Philippines, rapid intensification took it from the equivalent of a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane to a supertyphoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 160 m.p.h.

In 48 hours, Rai decimated thousands of villages, killed more than 400 people, drove seven million from their homes and inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage  including postponing a mass coronavirus vaccination effort. Rai was not the first storm to hit the Philippines in 2021. Fourteen other gales overran the islands earlier that year, sometimes just weeks apart. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

With their billions in damages and clever National Hurricane Center tweets  Kate Still a Poorly Organized Depression  Atlantic hurricanes represent just 16 percent of all annual tropical cyclones. Hurricane basins in the Pacific that border Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Japan and the Philippines get 60 percent of the storms, while 24 percent roam the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. Called typhoons when they originate in the Northwest Pacific and cyclones in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the storms are identical in all but name to hurricanes. They are also growing stronger as the ocean warms beneath them.

It should be well known by now that developing nations least responsible for creating the climate crises are suffering disproportionally from its geophysical fallout.

Nowhere is this incongruity more evident than in weather- and climate-related natural disasters  which increased fivefold globally from 1970 to 2019, with 91 percent of associated deaths occurring in the developing world. The proportion of Category 4 and 5 typhoons making landfall in East and Southeast Asia appears to have increased, with storms lasting longer, penetrating farther inland and causing vastly more damage. A 2016 study found that the average intensity of all typhoons in the region had grown by 12 to 15 percent from 1977 to 2014. Typhoon Koppu in 2015 dumped 35 inches of rain on the Philippines, and Cyclone Freddy in February became the longest, most powerful tropical cyclone in any ocean basin in history after destroying large swaths of Madagascar and Mozambique. There is no longer respite from typhoon season in the western North Pacific, either. Storm season now essentially lasts all year.

Damage and loss of life on the low-lying, densely populated coastlines of Asia and Africa  typically with little to no resiliency or early-warning systems  is beyond compare. Some of the most infamous storms in history made landfall there: the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which pushed a 33-foot-tall storm surge across the Ganges Delta in what is now Bangladesh, with an estimated death toll as high as 500,000; Typhoon Nina in 1975 and a resulting dam failure, which took more than 150,000 lives in Chinas Henan Province; and Myanmars Cyclone Nargis in 2008, with more than 100,000 dead or missing after a 13-foot storm surge swept across the Irrawaddy Delta.

Lack of data and accurate forecasting is largely to blame for the high casualty rate. Much of the region still uses weather balloons to gauge atmospheric conditions, and a lack of reliable electricity makes automated weather stations and data transmission difficult. About one-third of the worlds population has no access to extreme-weather early-warning systems  including a stunning 60 percent of people in Africa. A 2019 report by the Global Commission on Adaptation addressed the shortfall, outlining how an $800 million investment in forecasting could avoid up to $16 billion in weather-related damage. The United Nations took up the challenge in 2021 at its climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow. The next year it promised technology within five years that will deliver storm warnings to every region on the planet.

One presentation at COP26 addressed the scarcity of ocean-data collection vital to understanding tropical cyclones and climate change in general  not just in the developing world but everywhere. More than 80 percent of the ocean has yet to be mapped in high definition, and hardly any of it is being empirically monitored and measured regularly. Oceanographers often point out that appropriations for NASAs deep-space exploration outpaces ocean exploration by more than 150 to 1  to the point that scientists know more about the surface of Mars than they do about our own seas, which play an outsize role in the climate crisis and are far more important to the survival of our species. Forecasters and climate modelers, who rely heavily on ocean data, may have to use estimated numbers in their calculations, opening the door to potential large-scale errors in the planets carbon budget and all-important global-warming estimates.

The presenter, the NOAA oceanographer Adrienne Sutton, argued that this black hole of data is hampering our understanding of how the ocean is changing and how those changes affect food webs, carbon sequestration, weather and storms. To date, the worlds oceans have taken in around 90 percent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases and more than 30 percent of carbon dioxide emitted by human activity. This role as buffer, which has most likely saved humanity from certain and swift extinction, has come with consequences, including sea-level rise, ocean acidification, coral die-offs, shifting global circulation currents and a rise in intense tropical cyclones.

The focus of Suttons presentation was the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica and is one of the least-studied bodies of water on Earth. It has historically absorbed about 40 percent of the human-produced CO2 in the ocean. In early 2019, Saildrone launched SD 1020, outfitted with a CO2 sensor from Suttons team, and made what is believed to be the first unmanned circumnavigation of Antarctica. The drone completed the 13,670-mile journey in 196 days, enduring 50-foot waves, 80-m.p.h. winds, freezing temperatures and even a collision with an iceberg. Over the following few months, more than 4,700 CO2 measurements confirmed what scientists suspected  parts of the Southern Ocean were not absorbing CO2 year-round. They were outgassing it in the winter.

During the winter, the Southern Ocean was a carbon source  which threw the entire carbon budget into disarray, Richard Jenkins says. Where is that 30 percent of carbon emissions going? No one has an answer for that, which is a phenomenally poor understanding of our planetary systems. Our goal is to get enough data to get the models to reduce the margin of error so that everyone can agree on our trajectory.

As another hurricane season approaches, much of the U.S. coast remains unprepared. Flood insurance for millions of Americans living near the ocean is still optional. Some federal disaster loans to rebuild after a storm are contingent on credit; consumer-protection laws do not rein in corrupt contractors who flock to disaster areas; and many state governments lack the funds and staffing necessary to manage recovery.

Eighteen years after Hurricane Katrina rolled over the clapboard shacks and corner stores of New Orleanss Lower Ninth Ward, the population is still around 30 percent of what it was in 2000  with only a handful of businesses to serve residents. Communities in the nine states that experienced Hurricane Idas torrential wind and rain in 2021 are still rebuilding, and parts of Long Island, Staten Island and New Jersey are still recovering from Superstorm Sandy 11 years later  all while New York City repeatedly delayed and rewrote its plans to fortify and protect Lower Manhattan from another direct hit.

On the streets of Fort Myers, Fla., where Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, killed more than 150 people and caused an estimated $112.9 billion in damages in September, many residents remain displaced, and even more are still waiting on insurance checks. Full recovery could take up to a decade, disaster experts say, assuming another storm does not hit before then.

What worries tropical-cyclone modelers like Hiro Murakami, a project scientist at NOAAs Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., are regions with little to no experience with major storms being drawn into tropical-cyclone territory. Warming water off the coast of Europe over the last 20 years has opened the door to storms like ex-Hurricane Ophelia in 2017, which grazed Ireland with gusts up to 119 m.p.h. The next year, Hurricane Helene followed a rare path, traveling north from Africa, instead of west, eventually affecting the United Kingdom. Other regions being drawn into cyclone territory include Indias west coast, eastern Japan, Hawaii and the sprawling agrarian-industrial coastline that wraps around northeastern China.

Storms are even hitting the Middle East with more power, Murakami says, like Cyclone Shaheen in 2021. The storm took a remarkable path from the Bay of Bengal across India and the Arabian Sea and made landfall in Oman as a severe cyclone, the first one there in recorded history. They have no experience with it, Murakami says. No dikes. No defenses.

Another concern is the overall rise of extreme weather. Just look at 2022: Extreme rainstorms flooded the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro; low rainfall in Iraq resulted in a huge dust storm that shut down most of the country; heat waves in India and Pakistan brought temperatures topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit in some places, followed by exceptionally rainy monsoon seasons; and freak tornadoes tore through New Orleans. The opening months of 2023 had a parade of atmospheric rivers  made wetter and more intense by climate change  dump more than 30 trillion gallons of water on California.

Gore-Tex-clad meteorologists clinging to seaside piers have popularized a vibrant vocabulary for our new meteorological reality: bombogenesis, polar vortex, vapor storm, wave overtopping, sting jets, megadroughts. It is a dangerous game relating all weather disasters to climate change, but when one considers the complex and interrelated nature of climate and weather systems on Earth, theres no denying that they must be linked to some degree. Adding an estimated 0.7 watts of heat to every square meter of land and water on the planet is influencing pretty much everything in the ocean and sky, even the poofy thunderheads that glide over your backyard on a summer afternoon.

Such are the perils of disturbing the equilibrium that Earth has maintained for millions of years, Murakami says. With average atmospheric CO2 content topping 417 parts per million for the first time in more than four million years, he points out another often overlooked and underreported fact: If we stopped burning fossil fuels today, additional warming would begin to flatten within a few years, as would the escalation of tropical-cyclone intensity.

If we can successfully constrain emissions in the middle of the 21st century, and CO2 emissions decrease afterward, hurricane activity will also go back to present-day, he says. Cyclone activity largely follows the path of CO2 levels.

Colorado State University released its annual hurricane outlook in April, anticipating 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes in 2023. Foltz and Saildrone were already preparing a new fleet of drones. The plan was to match them with aerial drones launched from Hurricane Hunter aircraft and subsea gliders so researchers could analyze the architecture of a storm from hundreds of feet beneath the oceans surface to thousands of feet above it.

Foltz will watch their progress from his office in NOAAs A.O.M.L. lab. It will most likely take each drone a month to navigate into position and then a few weeks to coordinate with the gliders and aerial drones. Then Foltz, Jenkins and a crew of NOAA scientists across the nation will wait patiently  watching the skies, monitoring the Atlantics ever-warming temperature and waiting for a line of thunderheads to be hooked and whirled into a perfect storm.
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment on Wednesday charging Representative George Santos of New York with 13 counts, including counts of money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and making false statements to Congress.

The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, said the charges stem from fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations intended to enrich Mr. Santos and mislead donors as he sought a seat in Congress. Mr. Santos pleaded not guilty in court and has been released from custody on bond; his travel will be restricted.

Since Mr. Santos, a Republican, was elected to Congress last year to represent parts of Long Island and Queens, revelations have emerged that he misled, exaggerated or lied to voters about nearly every aspect of his life.

7 counts Wire fraud Related to a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme and an unemployment insurance fraud scheme. 3 counts Money laundering Related to the fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme. 2 counts Making false statements to the House of Representatives Related to materially false statements on personal financial disclosure reports. 1 count Theft of public funds Related to the unemployment insurance fraud scheme. The George Santos Indictment, Annotated  20 pages A list of charges against George Santos.

The New York Times annotated the indictment.

Download the original PDF.
By Edward L. Glaeser and Carlo Ratti

Photographs by Gus Powell

Mr. Glaeser is the chair of the economics department at Harvard and an author of Survival of the City. Mr. Ratti is the director of the Senseable City Lab at M.I.T. and an author of The City of Tomorrow.

New York is undergoing a metamorphosis from a city dedicated to productivity to one built around pleasure. Many office buildings still feel eerily empty, with occupancy around 50 percent of prepandemic levels, harming landlords and the local economy. But 56 million people visited New York last year, making Fifth Avenue in December feel as crowded as Ipanema Beach during Carnival.

The economic future of the city that never sleeps depends on embracing this shift from vocation to recreation and ensuring that New Yorkers with a wide range of talents want to spend their nights downtown, even if they are spending their days on Zoom. We are witnessing the dawn of a new kind of urban area: the Playground City.

New York Citys vacant office space could fill 26.6 Empire State Buildings Empire State Building 2,800,118 square feet

of office space 74,582,671 square feet of office space

Source: JLL Replay

In downtowns from Chicago to Los Angeles, the physical layout of the 20th-century city is clashing with the new economy. Since the 1920s, single-use zoning has divided our cities into separate neighborhoods for home, work and play. Work-from-home and Netflix have made these distinctions irrelevant, but our partitioned urban fabric has yet to catch up.

To create a city vibrant enough to compete with the convenience of the internet, we need to end the era of single-use zoning and create mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods that bring libraries, offices, movie theaters, grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants and bars closer together. We must reconfigure the city into an experience worth leaving the house for. Streets once filled by commuting crowds can be reinvigorated by those who really want to be there.

Office vacancies continue to climb Q1 2023 Start of pandemic Percentage of all office space that is vacant 20 percent Chicago 15 Los Angeles 10 New York City 5 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2023 Office vacancies continue to climb Percentage of all office space that is vacant Start of pandemic 20 percent Chicago 15 Los Angeles 10 New York City 5 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2023 Source: JLL

This would not be New Yorks first metamorphosis. Although the city seems set in stone, its soul is essentially protean. In its 400-year history, Dutch fur traders, Russian garment entrepreneurs, Mohawk ironworkers and African American jazz musicians sought their fortunes in its busy streets  and each left a mark on its character.

First, the citys deep harbor and access to the Hudson made it Americas dominant port. Industries like sugar refining and book publishing clustered around the wharves because they depended on water-borne imports, such as the pirated English novels that fueled New Yorks early publishing industry.

Then came the railroads. The Rutgers economist Jason Barr has debunked the urban myth that New York has two skyscraper-strewn business districts, Wall Street and Midtown, because of the placement of bedrock. In fact, New York has these two districts because development concentrates near trade.

The older district, Wall Street, was tethered to the ancient port. The newer one, Midtown, grew up around the rail stations. The citys manufacturing might sprang from its location at the nexus of rail and sail. The age of the railway was even more important to Chicago, with its gigantic Union Stock Yards, built by a consortium of nine railroad companies to facilitate the flow of Western beef into Eastern bellies.

But for over a century, the transportation-related advantages of older cities like New York and Chicago have been waning. Container ships and the proliferation of highways meant that by the 1960s, New York was no longer an efficient place to mass-produce clothing  or almost anything else. The growth of Los Angeles, in contrast, has been fueled by its Mediterranean climate and Californias natural beauty.

Los Angeles vacant office space could fill 30.7 U.S. Bank Towers U.S. Bank Tower 1,432,539 square feet

of office space 44,046,970 square feet of office space

Source: JLL Replay

The collapse of manufacturing sent New York into an existential crisis in the 1970s and intensified middle-class flight to the suburbs. (One bright spot, and a lesson for the future: Abandoned industrial lofts provided inexpensive living space for thousands, many of whom ignored the zoning codes that made their homes illegal.) New York emerged from this slump by reinventing itself around knowledge industries like financial services. Globalization delivers huge returns to smart investors, and we get smart by being around other smart people.

The sheer size, density and connectivity that New York accrued in previous eras became its saving grace. The 1987 movie Wall Street is a fable about how the fictional Bud Fox learned unscrupulous shortcuts to wealth through face-to-face contact with an older mentor. By 2008, 44 percent of Manhattans total payroll went to people working in finance and insurance.

Manhattans economy depends on high-income workers in finance and technology Payrolls by industry in Houston Payrolls by industry in Manhattan 100% 100% 80 80 60 60 Professional and technical services 40 40 20 Finance and insurance 20 Professional and technical services Finance and insurance 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Manhattans economy depends on high-income workers in finance and technology Payrolls by industry in Manhattan Payrolls by industry in Houston 100% 100% 80 80 60 60 Professional and technical services 40 40 20 Finance and insurance 20 Professional and technical services Finance and insurance 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Manhattans economy depends on high-income workers in finance and technology Payrolls by industry in Houston Manhattan 100% 80 60 Professional and technical services 40 Finance and insurance 20 Professional and technical services Finance and insurance 00 10 20 00 10 20 Note: Houston payrolls also include all the suburbs in Harris County. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Finance differs from older industries because nothing intrinsic kept financial firms in New York, meaning the city could retain its dominant industry only by improving its quality of life. That helped lead voters to elect management-oriented mayors, including Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, who focused on the citys core services, especially policing. As crime levels fell, the citys intrinsic edge in providing fun re-emerged. In the 2000s, New Yorks image was captured more by the frivolity of Sex and the City than the grittiness of Taxi Driver.

But unlike in earlier eras of urban success, this time New York did not produce enough housing to keep up with demand. The cost of living skyrocketed. By 2008, one of us was comparing New York wistfully with Houston, which remained affordable for ordinary Americans because it built aggressively. Manhattan became dependent on its elite earners  a large share of the tax base came from a tiny proportion of the population  who were also the only group who could afford to live in its increasingly expensive neighborhoods.

In 1980 the futurist Alvin Toffler argued that information technology would make urban offices largely obsolete, with workers using residential electronic cottages instead. For 40 years, he was wrong. Then, in an instant, it seemed that he was right. The office tower, like the port and the train station before it, had its relevance challenged by a competing technology: Zoom. In the early days of the Covid pandemic, remote work was expected to last only for a few weeks or months, but now it seems clear that some mix of in-person and fully remote work is here to stay. The office has its advantages, but many people are willing to give them up for the convenience and flexibility of working mostly from home.

This sudden shift was a body blow to New York. Many offices remain empty, and the city lost more than 300,000 inhabitants from 2020 to 2021. No other American city experienced such a large numerical decline. Over the same period, Houston lost only 12,000 people, although the global commercial real estate services company JLL reports that Houstons office vacancy rates are now even higher than New Yorks.

Houstons vacant office space could fill 29.7 JPMorgan Chase Towers JPMorgan Chase Tower 1,656,529 square feet

of office space 49,168,674 square feet of office space

Source: JLL Replay

Yet even as we do not make a full return to the office, the social and economic need for us to come together in cities has not gone away. Our research at M.I.T. shows that when we replace in-person interactions with Zoom rooms, our social lives become narrow and homogenous. Parallel research at Microsoft found that firmwide remote work caused the collaboration network of workers to become more static and siloed, with fewer bridges between disparate parts.

We may have a few close friends online, but we cannot sustain a network of weak ties  the casual acquaintances we run into in the halls or on the bus. We are exposed to less diversity of background and thought, and ideas flow less freely. More permanent remote work could stunt innovation and economic growth as it shrinks our social fabric. If the office is not returning to its central position in our lives, then humanity, as a social species, must find new opportunities for mixing in physical space.

Fortunately, the data shows that these alternatives are already emerging. Although most measures and narratives describe a city struggling to recover its prepandemic mojo, there is a visible bifurcation between office and city life. Kastle Systems Back to Work Barometer shows that unique card swipes in some of New Yorks fanciest offices remain at less than 50 percent of prepandemic levels. But track the same ZIP codes with mobile phone data from Safegraph, which records individual visits to the area rather than office occupancy, and the picture is more encouraging. There is still some decline, but it is not nearly as steep. Repeat this analysis in cities across the nation, and you find the same result. Offices may be empty, yet streets are astir.

Chicagos vacant office space could fill 15.8 Willis Towers Willis Tower 3,781,045 square feet

of office space 59,863,725 square feet of office space

Source: JLL Replay

Much of this revival comes from the release of pent-up demand for tourism: Visits to New York rose 71 percent from 2021 to 2022. New Yorks hotel occupancy topped 90 percent in December  leading the nation. More can be done to persuade city residents to leave their immediate neighborhoods. If people do not need to go downtown for wages, they must instead desire to go there. A place to live and play rather than work: This is the dream of the Playground City.

This idea is hardly new. Across the world, variables that indicate places of pleasure have predicted urban success since the 1970s. Street-level infrastructure  restaurants, parks, theaters and public squares  has long served as a networked urban parlor. In 17th- and 18th-century London, coffeehouses brought together artists, politicians and scholars such as Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke and Samuel Johnson. Essentially, coffeehouses were shared living rooms that enabled chance interaction. Johnson deserves credit for best articulating the idea of the Playground City: When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

The Playground City differs from the industrial or the office city because it is focused on the jobs of everyday life. It differs from the Georgian London enjoyed by Johnson and Beau Brummell because it offers joys to be relished by the many, not just the elite few. In a Playground City, mixed-use neighborhoods that tie life, labor and leisure together generate what the New York urbanist Jane Jacobs calls the sidewalk ballet, a productive and playful dynamic in which a diversity of different users come and go at all hours.

The transformation toward the Playground City will not happen on its own. New York will need to recognize that the office market, especially its lower end, is likely to face years of vacancies and that the citys future depends on being able to attract and empower new residents  the creative class and everyone else  who might be tempted to settle down in other cities that are more affordable and convenient. To address low commercial occupancy rates and struggling businesses, Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul convened the New New York Panel, which released its report in December. We contributed to the conversations that culminated in the report and would like to elaborate on six crucial lines of action.

1.Learn from big data, experimentation and randomized-control trials

There are many tools for potentially reviving urban centers  investing in culture, reducing the regulation of recreation, spurring residential development, improving public transit  but we dont know what will work where. These initiatives need to be refined through experimentation, data collection, analysis and adjustment.

2.Jettison regulations that hinder urban innovation

The most obvious obstacle is single-use zoning, which has separated where people live from where people work since the 1920s. Our research shows New York neighborhoods without zoning monoculture are more walkable and that zoning reforms must be carried out carefully to avoid increasing socioeconomic segregation. We need flexible zoning to integrate the city, spread the power of play across every neighborhood and allow offices to be converted into residences.

3.Reinvent the building core

Even without red tape, remaking a city from the empty but brittle shells of 20th-century office towers will not be easy. Modern office towers have deep floor plans meant to maximize square footage, but units in residential buildings need windows and their natural ventilation and daylight. To achieve conversion at scale, we must therefore look past the architecture of the traditional apartment. Deep-core office buildings could be converted into new kinds of spaces optimized for co-living and co-working. Bedrooms, with windows, could line the perimeter while common areas for cooking, laundry, work, exercise and socializing could fill the middle. Such arrangements could also help meet one of the social challenges of our time: loneliness.

4.Animate the street

For the Playground City to draw people away from the instant gratification of the Internet, governments must support a dynamic and scene-specific life at ground level. During the pandemic, municipal governments armed with nothing but yellow paint remade the streets and brought about a revolution in pedestrianization and outdoor dining.

The urban playground should be constantly rearranged: Streets could be cleared for weekends, annual festivals and temporary exhibitions; food bazaars and pop-up shops could multiply. Movie theaters struggle to compete with boundless streaming catalogs available on cheap 4K televisions. More outdoor screenings on summer nights could tip the balance back toward collective experience. These easy interventions are especially useful for garnering public support. To draw people into the Playground City, we need to show, not tell.

5.Level the playing field between e-commerce and neighborhood businesses

E-commerce enables convenient shopping, but it also destroys brick-and-mortar businesses, especially the small businesses that support local economies and give streets their distinctiveness. The multiplication of small, rapid deliveries causes congestion and increases emissions. E-commerce companies avoid paying real estate taxes in the areas they serve and sometimes state and local sales taxes as well, although there has been progress in recent years. To sustain a vibrant street life, municipalities should fairly tax e-commerce for the congestion it creates and lower their retail sales taxes, making local shops more competitive.

6.Engage citizens

Governments should empower citizens to participate directly in making the Playground City. The generation that grew up on social media has developed a fierce, collective yearning to come together in the real world, shown beautifully in the playful Facebook group New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens. We should harness this energy. The office was a factory where human beings were inputs, packed into cubicles to maximize their economic output. The Playground City sees people as both a means and an end, and it should involve them in the process of its creation.

Citizen engagement must include support for populations at risk of being marginalized by the transition. A healthy city makes space for the rich and poor alike. It generates positive interactions among people of all income levels by providing accessible, beautiful and free or low-cost public and private spaces, including plentiful and affordable housing.

New York needs to attract the rich and talented, but the poem beneath the Statue of Liberty reminds us that the citys greatness comes just as much from being the landing site for your tired, your poor, your huddled masses that it is now pricing out. One way to balance these two governmental imperatives  to help the poor and generate tax revenue from the affluent  is to view the city as a for-profit real estate development company wholly owned by a nonprofit poverty-alleviation entity. The for-profit company focuses on keeping the city attractive to the rich, and the revenue it generates gets plowed into schools and support for the poor.

Cities thrived before the office was invented and can still triumph after the office has gone. Unfettered by cubicles and 9-to-5 jobs, we could achieve, more comprehensively and more joyfully than before, the citys primordial aim: bringing people and ideas together. We need this integrative urban power now more than ever as social fragmentation, political polarization and economic inequality pull us apart. As we face the climate crisis, the allure of activity-rich neighborhoods could promote sustainable lifestyles. As we fight segregation in all its forms, dense cities can bridge our divisions. As we struggle with loneliness, an irresistibly vital street life could drag a generation of people off their phones and back toward one another.
The National Democratic Alliance of Armenia's Jirayr Sefilian with John Bolton.

The Livingston Group inked a two-month contract on May 4 with the National Democratic Alliance of Armenia, which aims to reduce Russian influence in Armenia and bolster its ties to the West.

Though a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization with Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Armenia voted for the UN resolution condemning Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Ties with the CSTO have become frayed after the organization failed to provide military support for Armenia in its long-running battle with Azerbaijan over a disputed border area.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have turned to France and the European Union to try to hammer out a peace treaty.

The firm of former Louisiana Republican Congressman and Speaker-designate Bob Livingston provides PR, lobbying, perception management services to the Alliance in order to raise its visibility in Washington.

TLG is to maintain contact with Members of Congress, Biden administration officials and think tank staffers.

Allen Martin, TLGs managing partner; and Elias Gerasoulis, consultant, handle the Alliances business.
Andy Tannen

Is anyone tired of the daily drumbeat of media coverage about ChatGPT and generative AI (685 million Google Search results as of this writing)? Just after the product launch late last year, Bill Gates declared this technology to be potentially more important than the creation of the Internet and smart phones. PR firms are, appropriately, racing to use the technology and burnish their AI credentials in this rapidly changing new world.

Generative AI may change the world, but what about saving it? For that, we will have to depend on unexciting electric utilities, described for decades in the investment world as widow and orphan stocks (meaning their shares offer slow, predictable growth with dividends and little risk).

In March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its sobering sixth report that found at our current rate of carbon emissions, the planet could surpass the critical 1.5 degree Celsius temperature increase above pre-industrial levels by 2035, triggering more floods, heat waves and droughts, as well as causing more crop failures and wildfires. It was largely a one-day story. Who is going to save us from this potential catastrophe? Electric utilities.

We know all about electric cars (EVs); soon everyone will be plugging their cars, SUVs and small trucks into the utility grid. EVs represent only ten percent of cars sold in the U.S. so far, so their growth will require vastly more electricity from utilities. And what about buildings, which generate about eight percent of carbon emissions? Buildings, including homes, are turning to electricity to replace fossil fuels for heating and cooking. New York just banned all new buildings, starting in 2026, from being powered by fossil fuels, the first state to do so. Electric air taxis are coming soon (probably 2025) to transport people across and between cities. The electrification of everything is underway.

Utilities are rushing to transition from burning coal and natural gas to using renewable energy, but they cant plug in every solar or wind farm immediately. Traditional utility grids were built to be powered by fossil fuels which provide steady power output. Renewable energy sources provide fluctuating powerwhich in some cases, causes grid destabilization and can lead to supply interruptions if not managed properly.

So heres the surprise: The electric utility industry is innovating in multiple ways. New, smaller companies are providing advanced software and cloud services to help utilities better manage the power flow from renewable energy sources, which are expected to become the leading source of the worlds electricity by 2025.

Utility innovation is happening across borders. Quebec, for example, produces a huge amount of clean hydropower. Industry attempts were made in the 2010-2014 period to import some of that excess electricity to New England, but the plan for building massive transmission towers and lines was vetoed by New Hampshire residents, who understandably did not want to see their landscape tarnished. Late last year, a similar project started construction to bring Quebec hydropower to New York City but it will use underwater (Lake Champlain) and underground cables to bring the power south. Thats innovation.

Sure, its cool to promote AI chatbots that will change everything. But if you want to help save the planet, promote electric utilities. Saving the world is as important as changing it.

***

Andy Tannen is president of Tannen Corporate Communications, a corporate reputation consultancy. Previously, he worked in corporate communications at Publicis Groupe's MSL for 28 years, with clients such as IBM, United Technologies, Roche, Honeywell, BP and many other companies. He does not represent the utility industry or work with any utilities.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) calls on WayForPay (FC WayForPay LLC), which in 2022 occupied about 2% of the Ukrainian market of payment services in terms of transaction volume, to focus on preparing documents for obtaining a new license and promptly resuming the limited May 1 customer service instead of unfounded criticism of the regulator.

"Unfortunately, we are witnessing the irresponsible behavior of the company's management, which is trying, through unfounded statements, to accuse the regulator of the impossibility of obtaining a license that directly depends on the timeliness and quality of the submitted package of documents," the NBU press service said in a letter provided to Interfax-Ukraine.

The National Bank said WayForPay, like other non-banking institutions wishing to work in the payment market of Ukraine, must go through a procedure defined by law  to properly prepare a package of documents, including taking into account the comments provided by the regulator.

The NBU said that from May 1, 2023, according to the law On payment services put into effect on August 1, 2022, only non-banking institutions that have received new licenses and have been included in the Payment infrastructure register are entitled to provide financial payment services.

"The law defines the date (May 1, 2023), after which the license becomes invalid, and the NBU does not have the authority to extend its validity and the operation of the market participant until the comments are removed and a new license is obtained. The operation without a license is illegal," the NBU press service said.

The National Bank said some 22 companies  participants in the payment market with a total share in terms of transaction volume of over 80%, which had previous NBU licenses to transfer funds in national currency without opening accounts, were able to obtain licenses on time, and the European Business Association (EBA) and the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs expressed their public support for these actions.

In this regard, the NBU urges WayForPay, if possible, to explain in its public communications the reasons that led to the inability to provide the regulator with a complete and well-formed package of documents. "After all, this is the fourth time the company has received significant comments on it, some of them repeatedly," the regulator said.

As stated in the commentary, the applicant's inability to confirm the property status, the presence of violations on financial monitoring and unfulfilled enforcement measures, the inconsistency of the applicant and the submitted package of documents with the requirements of the law and acts of the NBU is the basis for making a decision to refuse to issue a license and include it in the register.

"We note that a decision on WayForPay has not yet been made due to the fact that all the packages of documents previously provided by the company were incomplete and did not meet the requirements of the National Bank's regulatory legal acts," the regulator said.

According to the bank, the company submitted the latest documents to the National Bank late  during the period from April 26 to May 5, 2023 inclusive, however, on May 5, the NBU sent a corresponding letter to WayForPay with comments on these documents. They concerned the conditions and procedure for the provision of financial payment services, issues of internal audit and consumer protection, the financial and property condition of the participants, which the company has to remove.
Over 60 Offaly groups joined the National Spring Clean 2023 campaign with the most exciting results achieved yet

Communities in County Offaly came together to make a difference for our environment, by removing sevwn tonnes of litter from various locations across the county

The National Spring Clean is Irelands official anti-litter campaign and over the past 24 years, the initiative has been highlighted the collective responsibility we share in tackling and preventing our national litter problem.

National Spring Clean is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in partnership with Local Authorities and supported by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Mars Wrigley Ireland.

Throughout the month of April, the National Spring Clean encouraged communities from across Ireland to tackle the problem of litter in local areas and to see the benefits of a litter-free environment.

This year over 60 Offaly groups registered to carry out clean-ups throughout the county making Spring Clean 23 one of Irelands largest anti-litter campaign to date.

Approximately 1,300 volunteers joined Spring Clean 23 in County Offaly removing an estimated seven tonnes of litter. Furthermore, National Spring Clean has been a starting point for a large number of groups to organise regular clean-up events all year long!

In County Offaly, clean-ups took place in various locations, including Tullamore, Kinnitty, Birr and many more.

Among them, Tullamore Canoe Club and Tullamore Tidy Towns Association joined forces to organise a special National Spring Clean event this year. These two groups hosted river-side clean-up and canoe activities, to encourage more volunteers to come out and do their bit.

Moreover, volunteers from Boora Community Group took part in the National Spring Clean campaign on April 22nd, to celebrate Earth Day, and removed a considerable amount of rubbish despite the rain.

Kilcormac Development Association had a very busy week the last week of April, carrying out several clean-ups as part of the National Spring Clean. We were blessed with great weather and great attendance from the Kilcormac community and also our new Ukrainian Friends who recently moved to Kilcormac. We gathered a spectacular amount of waste which was collected the next day after cleanup. Looking forward to next year! said Hanna Delattre from the group.

National Spring Clean 2023 has been an amazing opportunity for communities in Offaly and nationwide to come together and do their bit for their local environment, contribute to creating a more sustainable community, be with like-minded people and make a difference.

This year, the aim for National Spring Clean was also to raised awareness about how the adoption of a circular economy model, will reduce our litter, and climate impact, meaning that as we transition to a more circular economy, well see less waste, less litter, and lower emissions, and thus, cleaner planet.

The principles of a circular economy have always been central to the ethos of National Spring Clean for the past 24 years. This year, some 35% of all waste collected was recycled, thanks to recyclable waste bags provided to groups and individuals who register, while the removal of litter from our natural environment has helped tackle biodiversity loss.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, said of the initiative: An Taisces National Spring Clean continues to showcase the dedication of volunteers all over the country. The commitment of volunteers in continuing to organise local clean-ups each year is a testament to the spirit in Irish communities and I would urge as many people as possible to get involved in the campaign. My Department will continue to support the campaign and An Taisce, whose role in organising this successful campaign each year, deserves to be acknowledged. I look forward to the many events that will be held all over the country in the coming months.

National Spring Clean, manager, Emlyn Cullen, added: This was one of our biggest years ever with regards people taking part. We cant thank the volunteers enough for giving up their time and energy to make Ireland a cleaner, greener country this April. Huge credit also goes to the Local Authorities who work hard during the month to collect the full bags after events. Also Id like to thank our funders, the Dept. of Environment, Climate and Communications and sponsors, Mars Wrigley Ireland.

Even though April has come to an end, there are plenty of campaigns and activities that The National Spring Clean run and endorse that you can get involved in. A few of these include:

 When you are out for a walk, visiting a park or a beach, do a quick #2MinuteStreetClean or a #2MinuteBeachClean

 Avoid single-use plastic when possible, by choosing more sustainable alternatives, such as reusable bottles and coffee cups, cotton bags, metal straws, etc

 Dont litter and if a bin is overflowing, keep your waste until you find a waste to dispose of it properly

 If you cant reduce or reuse, recycle; know where and how to recycle all types of waste.

 Recent statistics show that, in Ireland, discarded cigarette butts make up for 60% of litter on the streets. Always bin your butt!

 Make sure to bin your chewing gum when youre done to avoid a 150 gum littering fine and keep our streets clean!
Hong Kong: CE starts Chongqing visit

Chief Executive John Lee today visited the Chongqing International Finance Square (IFS) to learn more about Hong Kong enterprises development in Chongqing, as he arrived in the city for a three-day trip with his delegation.

Opened in 2017, the Chongqing IFS is a development project with investment from Hong Kong enterprises and is the largest integrated development project in the financial centre of the Liangjiang New Area.

Noting that Hong Kong is Chongqings largest source of external investment with diversified business portfolios of more than 3,400 Hong Kong investment projects, Mr Lee said he was pleased to learn that Hong Kong enterprises are actively unleashing their creativity to support Chongqings development as an international consumption centre.

In the evening, Mr Lee met and exchanged views with Hong Kong people and representatives of Hong Kong enterprises in Chongqing.

The Chief Executive thanked Hong Kong enterprises for their active participation in Chongqings development, which has paved the way for co-operation between the two places.

With the establishment of a Hong Kong-Chongqing co-operation mechanism, Mr Lee expressed hope that Hong Kong enterprises and youths could fully leverage the new opportunities brought by the co-operation between the two cities to promote economic, trade and cultural exchanges, tell the good stories of Hong Kong, and open a new chapter for business and talent exchanges between the two places.

This story has been published on: 2023-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine has added to the Diia app the opportunity to apply for funds for the repair of housing damaged as a result of the war, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov has said.

"At the first stage of the Restoration service, people whose houses need cosmetic repairs will receive help. For example, your housing is livable, but you need to replace windows, doors, repair the roof, etc.," Fedorov said in his Telegram channel.

In turn, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said that since February 24, 2022, almost 18,500 multi-storey residential buildings and more than 142, households have been destroyed or damaged.

According to him, participants in the hostilities, mobilized, families of fallen soldiers, people with disabilities of the first and second groups and large families have priority in obtaining funds for restoration. The maximum amount for the restoration of one facility is UAH 200,000.

"The immediate plans include the launch of a compensation mechanism for destroyed housing, provided for by law No. 2923. We expect that by the end of this year, thousands of Ukrainians will be able to purchase new housing," Kubrakov said.

In addition, he said work is also underway on a mechanism for reimbursing people for the cost of repairs by using Russian reparations, because citizens who have already renovated their housing cannot yet qualify for government assistance.

"We urge you to keep checks, photographs, testimonies of neighbors or publications in the media regarding your damaged housing in order to claim part of Russia's reparations in the future," Kubrakov said.

In order to receive assistance, it is needed to report damaged property in Diia application, open a specialized eRecovery account in one of the banks participating in the program (A-Bank, monobank, PrivatBank, PUMB and Sens Bank), fill out an application for assistance in Diia to check and send it for processing, the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The possibility of opening the corresponding accounts and cards was already announced on Wednesday, in particular, by monobank, PrivatBank and Sens Bank. PrivatBank said it would add 15% cashback on all expenses on this card (but not more than UAH 1,500 per person and only in the first three months), monobank some 5% (but with a withdrawal limit of UAH 500 per month), FUIB some 2% and a bonus of UAH 500 upon receipt of funds to the card, A-Bank some 10% for the first UAH 5,000 and 2% for all subsequent expenses in Epicenter.

According to the ministry, after filing an application in Diia, local authorities will send a commission of representatives of law enforcement agencies to inspect the damaged property, record the destruction and determine the amount of compensation. After that, confirmations and funds will be sent to the eRecovery card.

Funds can be used to purchase building materials: windows, doors, roofing, as well as to pay for construction work, as well as for the services of contractors who have the appropriate codes for work, and their sellers have applied for participation in the program through the Diia portal.

According to PrivatBank, the list of stores will appear on the eRecovery website https://erecovery.diia.gov.ua/.

In addition, they must be used within 12 months from the date of receipt.

The service was developed by the Minister for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure along with the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of the USAID/UK aid project "Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services/TAPAS" and the World Bank.

It is clarified that an issue about eRecovery can be asked by contacting the government hotline 1545, as well as the Diia support team.
OPINION: Japan-South Korea bonhomie a boon for India

Feature

lekhaka-Jagdish N Singh

The growing warmth between Japan and South Korea is a good sign for India, who could use this to create a coalition of democracies in Asian region. This would help the three nations achieve their common objectives of fostering "a free, open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific" and foiling the aggressive designs of any authoritarian forces in the region.

National interests are dynamic and hence, in international diplomacy, no nation is a permanent friend or foe. It is their convergence or divergence that keeps determining the substance of relationship between any two States. Relations between Japan and South Korea are no exception.

Observers say relations between Japan and South Korea have improved a lot in the recent months. During their summit in Seoul the other day, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke about their shared values, human rights, rule of law and a free and open Indo-Pacific. They discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues such as North Korea's ongoing nuclear-missile programme.

OPINION: New Delhis foreign policy is fiercely independent

Prime Minister Kishida agreed to allow South Korean experts to inspect the planned release of water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant (South Korea has been concerned about its possible environmental effects). Prime Minister Kishida invited President Yoon to the Group of Seven (G7) summit set for later this month in Japan and for trilateral talks with the United States.

Today, Seoul and Tokyo are increasingly on the same page about strengthening supply chain security, resisting economic coercion and deterring unilateral uses of force in Asia. Japan and South Korea are said to be planning to link their radars, via a US system. This would provide Tokyo with real-time data to improve its capabilities to detect any missiles that North Korea may fire off against it. This would see the radar and command-and-control systems of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and US forces in Japan connected to the South Korean military and American forces, via the Hawaii-based US Indo-Pacific Command.

Historical disputes that have long soured ties between the two East Asian nations are diminishing now. In March this year, during South Korean President Yoon's trip to Tokyo, he and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes. During his recent visit to Seoul, first by a Japanese leader in 12 years, Prime Minister Kishida stopped short of offering a new official apology for wrongs committed under the 1910-1945 occupation. He said, "My heart hurts when I think of the many people who endured terrible suffering and grief under the difficult circumstances of the time."

On his part, South Korean President Yoon said unresolved historical issues should not mean that no forward steps could be taken to deepen ties. Yoon said, in his opening remarks at the meeting, "Cooperation and coordination between South Korea and Japan are essential not only for the common interests of the two countries, but also for world peace and prosperity."

The new Japan-South Korea bonhomie stands in sharp contrast with the pattern of the two States' past behaviour. Under Yoon and Kishida's predecessors, relations between South Korea and Japan plunged to their lowest in decades. Koreans accused Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labour, among other abuses. After South Korean courts ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation in the forced labour cases in 2018, Japan restricted exports of high-tech material to South Korea and Seoul threatened to pull out of a military intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo.

Recently, Yoon has proposed that South Korean businesses - not the Japanese companies as ordered by a court - compensate victims of wartime labour. Yoon today doesn't believe Japan needs to "kneel" any more over what happened in the past.

OPINION: Indo-Japan ties: Attaining greater heights

Interestingly, relations between Japan and South Korea seem to be changing at the people-to-people level as well. During Kishida's visit to Seoul, there were no widespread protests. Korean and Japanese flags flew side by side. And their national anthems played together.

The observers say the growing bonhomie between the two reasonably developed democracies in East Asia is boon for India, the world's largest democracy with ancient roots. India has had very warm ties with both Japan and South Korea. India could use this to bring Japan and South Korea still closer to each other and, together with them, create a coalition of democracies in the Asian region.

Such a coalition of democracies is sure to help India, Japan and South Korea achieve their common objectives of fostering "a free, open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific" and foiling the aggressive designs of any authoritarian forces in the region. This would also help them reform the leading international institutions, including UN Security Council, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation, and create an architecture for better global governance.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
As Pakistan descends further into chaos, experts see no hope

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Pakistan has descended in chaos following the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan.

The protests are huge in nature and the army and the political leadership are in disarray. The attack by Imran's supporters on the army headquarters was quite telling. No political leader in recent times has managed to change the all-powerful army in Pakistan.

Imran Khan was arrested on serious corruption charges. His protesters are however taking on the high and mighty Pakistan army. This has very badly hit the credibility of the army. Moreover these protests have created a major confusion in the minds of the army and political leadership.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on his way to Pakistan from London. He has called for a cabinet meeting at 6 pm. However it remains unclear whether the Pakistan Army General Asim Munir would return immediately from Oman.

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Imran is not the only problem that Pakistan is facing. The economy is in a mess. The West is also looking the other way thanks to the country's proximity with China.

The US too does not want to deal with Pakistan. It may be recalled that the US had not taken kindly the allegation made by Imran Khan that it was Washington that had played a role in toppling his government.

Further the foreign exchange of Pakistan is at rock bottom. There food prices are skyrocketing and energy costs are fast rising. The threat from terror groups in Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are also increasing. Then there is the problem along the Durand Line, which is being raised by the Taliban.

An expert on Pakistan affairs tells OneIndia that he does not see any improvement in Pakistan in the near future. The manner in which things are on at the moment, Pakistan is going to take very long before it can sort of its mess. " For now there is no hope really," the expert also said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 14:11 [IST]
PM Modi to campaign in about 20 places in poll-bound Karnataka

Bommai junks pre-polls surveys giving Cong an edge; says BJP will come to power with comfortable majority

Congress is an illusion says CM Basavaraj Bommai

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power with a full majority. Karnataka is voting today and the results would be out on May 13.

The Chief Minister said, "I have been travelling across Karnataka and covered over 150 constituencies. There will be purna bahumat ki sarkar (government with the full majority) this time. We are certain of winning the Karnataka election."

On the claim of the anti-incumbency factor that has been raised by the Congress, the CM said that the grand old party is in an illusion.

"In 2018, the anti-incumbency was the highest, but they (Congress) were still defeated. There is no anti-incumbency. If they feel, let them be in the illusion," Bommai also said.

On being asked about the CM face of the BJP, Bommai said that the party legislature will take a call on that. He also said that the CM would definitely be from the BJP.

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He also spoke about how his government had handled COVID-19 and the way in which the vaccination drive was run. We brought a lot of welfare measures, he also said.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies were of great help to the party.

"I am happy with the election campaign. We started with Booth Abhiyan and later Jan Sakalp. Prime Minister rallies helped us a lot," Bommai added.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 9:24 [IST]
The Elections Are Over: What Is At Stake For All Political Parties In Karnataka

How BJP reacts to Karnataka Exit Poll Projections?

India

oi-Prakash KL

As most pollsters predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka in the 2023 assembly polls, the ruling BJP downplayed the survey reports and said that it will retain the power in the state.

Talking to reporters, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "Exit polls are exit polls, it can't be 100 per cent correct. We are going to get a complete majority and form the government. I think we should wait till 13th May."

The former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and the Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa reiterated that the BJP will get the majority this time.

"Even now I am 100% confident that we are going to form the government with an absolute majority. There is no question of a hung assembly or a coalition government, but the national leadership will take the final call. We are going to get 115-117 seats so the question of joining with JD(S) right now does not arise. Let us wait and see," he said.

The polling for 224-member Karnataka Assembly was held on Wednesday. The voting has been largely peaceful and the voting turning was registered close to 66 per cent till 5 pm.

Pollster BJP Congress JDS Others ABP News-C Voter 83-95 100-112 21-29 2-6 India Today- Axis My India 62-80 122-140 20-25 0-3 News 24-Today's Chanakya 92 120 12 0 News Nation-CGS 114 86 21 3 Republic TV-P MARQ 85-100 94-108 24-32 2-6 Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat 94-117 91-106 14-24 0-2 Times Now-ETG 85 113 23 3 TV 9 Bharatvarsh- Polstrat 88-98 99-109 21-26 0-4 Zee News-Matrize 79-94 103-118 25-33 2-5

BJP leader CN Ashwath Narayan said that people are looking for a double-engine government and voters will reject "the reverse gear Congress party which is trying to ban Bajrang Dal."

"Congress party does not stand for the issues that are close to the heart of the people," Narayan said.

Congress MLA Priyank Kharge too expressed confidence on forming the next government. "The Congress government is going to be in power, we are very close to forming the government. I am sure once the counting is done on 13th May, we will form the government."
Were the exit polls in 2018 accurate: Here is what was predicted

India Today-Axis My India exit predicts better Congress show in Hyderabad-Karnataka

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The India-Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted a good showing for the Congress in the Central Karnataka region. There are 23 seats up for grabs in this region.

According to the exit poll, the BJP is likely to win 10 seats in this region. For the Congress the poll has predicted 12 seats and in the case of the JD(S) it would be one.

In terms of vote share the BJP is expected to get 35 per cent of the vote share in this region. For the Congress it is likely to be 41 per cent and the JD(S) would end up with a vote share of 17 per cent, the exit poll has predicted.

The opinion polls had however predicted a big win for the BJP in the Central Karnataka region. Many opinion polls had said that the party will end up winning 13 of the 23 seats.

Zee News-Matrize Exit Poll Gives Congress An Edge Over BJP

Almost all exit polls have predicted a close fight between the BJP and Congress. Most of the exit polls suggest that Karnataka which has 224 seats will end up with a hung mandate.

With the manner in which the pollsters are predicting the elections, it appears that the JD(S) could end up playing kingmaker again. Congress chief D K Shivakumar however ruled out any post-poll coalition in Karnataka. He expressed confidence that the party win the elections on its own. Former chief minister, Siddaramaiah had earlier predicted that the party would win the elections on its own. He said that the party would end up with 130 seats.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 19:52 [IST]
Sunil Kunugolu, The Poll Strategist Who Shaped the Congress Campaign In Karnataka

Karnataka sees 52.18% voter turn out till 3 pm, small dip from last assembly polls

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Karnataka reported 52.18 percent voter turnout at 3 pm on Wednesday, following a month-long, fiercely contested election. The numbers at 3 pm presented showed an increase in voter turnout compared to the last election. In 2018, at 3 pm, only 56 per cent of voter turnout was reported.

Voting is currently underway in around 60,000 polling stations across the state.

Photo Credit:

Polling began at 7am for the state's single-phase assembly election on Wednesday.

According to the Election Commission of India (EC), the Kampli region in the state topped the chart in the first four hours with a voter turnout of nearly 50 per cent.

At many polling stations in Bengaluru, a decent number of voters, particularly senior citizens and first-time voters, enthusiastically stood in queues in the early hours of polling.

As per EC records, BBMP Central consists of Chamarajpet (39.77 per cent), Chickpet (42.49 per cent), Gandhi Nagar (41.70 per cent), Rajaji Nagar (42.93 per cent), Rajareshwari Nagar (40.50 per cent), Shanti Nagar (37.48 per cent) and Shivaji Nagar (40.29 per cent).

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BBMP North consists of CV Raman Nagar (32.10 per cent), Hebbal (42.20 per cent), KR Pura (41.04 per cent) Mahalakshmi layout (45.02 per cent), Malleswaram (43.67 per cent), Pulakeshi Nagar (40.42 per cent) and Sarvagnananagar (43.21 per cent).

BBMP South includes BTM Layout (38.67 per cent), Basavangudi (44.01 per cent), Bommanahalli (38.15 per cent), Govindarajanagar (41.05 per cent), Jayanagar (44.75 per cent), Padmanabhanagar (41.39%), Vijayanagar (37.21%)

Bengaluru Urban comprises Anekal (42.48 per cent), Bengaluru South (37.10 per cent), Byatarayanapura (41.45%), Dasarahalli (39.53 per cent), Mahadevapura (40.15 per cent), Yelahanka (46.10 per cent), Yeshwanthpura (47.80 per cent).

There are 224 constituencies in Karnataka and the polling will be conducted in a single phase. The EC has already declared a holiday and a huge voter turnout is expected in this assembly election.

During the 2018 Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 104 seats, making them the largest party but still falling short of the majority mark of 111. Following the election, BS Yediyurappa of the BJP became the chief minister but resigned before a trust vote on May 23.

Subsequently, a coalition government led by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, with the support of the Congress, governed the state for 14 months. However, in July 2019, the government collapsed after several MLAs from the coalition parties defected to the BJP. Yediyurappa then took oath as the chief minister once again but resigned on July 26, 2021. The current chief minister of Karnataka is Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, who assumed office on July 28, 2021.
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Nirmala Sitharamans bewakoof remark on Congress decision to ban Bajrang Dal

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the promise to ban the Bajrang Dal in the Congress manifesto is an example of stupidity.

While casting her vote in Karnataka she said, " we always respect Bajrang Bali and read Hanuman Chalisa. But for the Congress, it is an election issue. Karnataka is the birthplace of Hanuman ji. And they wrote it in the manifesto. Bewakoofi ki udaharan."

She cast her vote at the Bharath Education Society polling booth in Jayanagar, Bengaluru.

Meanwhile Congress leader, D K Shivakumar offered prayers to a gas cylinder in an attempt to remind the voters of gas prices.

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"Karnataka which is the land of Bajrang Bali will answer all these things on 13th May.

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Suddenly, the Congress party has started praying to everything -- whether it is visiting Bajrang Bali temples last week or seeing God in gas cylinders. The Hindu philosophy sees God in everything. We really welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least," Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya said.
No chance says Shivakumar on being asked about alliance in Karnataka

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

There have been a couple of opinion polls which have spoken about a hung-verdict in Karnataka.

While in 2018, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, it was still a hung house. The JD(S) and Congress went on to form the government, but the same collapsed as many MLAs rebelled and joined the BJP. Eventually the BJP formed the government.

However will it be a repeat this year with the JD(S) likely to play kingmaker.

Karnataka Congress chief, D K Shivakumar has said that there will be no alliance with the JD(S). "There is no chance of an alliance with the JD(S). We will form the government on our own," Shivakumar said.

This statement comes in the wake of former chief minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah claiming that the Congress will form the government on its own. He has said that the party would win 130 to 150 seats.

Karnataka sees 52.18% voter turn out till 3 pm, small dip from last assembly polls

In 2018, the Congress won, 78, JD(S) 37 and NJP, 104.

Similarly the JD(S) too had said that it would form a government with the Congress. JD(S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda was similarly dismissive when asked if there was a chance of his party aligning with the Congress.

The Congress this time has based its campaign largely on the corruption of the BJP government. However in the last leg of the campaign, the party received negative press when party boss, Mallikarjun Kharge made personal remarks against the Prime Minister. His son too was not far-behind in making comments against the PM. Lastly the party in its manifesto had promised to ban the Bajrang Dal and PFI if voted to power.
A Ploy To Beat Anti-Incumbency That Did Not Work For The BJP In Karnataka

No more Kar Natak this time: Thoughts from a polling booth

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Voting is underway in Karnataka and so far there have been no untoward incidents reported in any of the booths.

Early this morning voters made their way to the booths in large numbers. The scorching summer heat did not deter the voters from reaching the polling booths. This correspondent visited a couple of booths to find out how the voter enthusiasm was. People said that they were ready to stand in queue for any number of time just to cast their vote.

The booth management in general looked good with all polling officials and agents being very supportive. There was a lot of support when it came to the senior citizens. One Ashok Gera, an 80 year old was in fact quite impressive in his approach. When the people asked him to go ahead in the queue, he refused to do so and said, "I can wait and need no special attention."

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The booths in general were well-managed and women and men stood in separate queues. There was no confusion that was noticed.

Unlike the previous elections, no party representative was allowed near the booths or anywhere in the vicinity. There was no last minute pitch that was made by the parties unlike the previous elections.

The cops and the Border Security Personnel who are on duty guarding the election booths looked very helpful and were guiding those voters who were finding it hard to get their slips.

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If one were to compare the earlier elections, this time the women voters were higher in number. Each one of them were seen waiting patiently for their turn to cast the ballot.

What was interesting to see this time was the camaraderie between the voters. None asked each other about who they would vote for. However there was one loud voice among all who said, 'vote anyone, but do not press that button in favour of NOTA.' Voters were seen helping each other with their slips and also discussing in general about how to use the application to download the slip among others.

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One point of discussion that was quite common was that about how tight the elections are this time. People spoke about how resort politics may make its return in Karnataka. While speaking about resort politics, people did have a hearty laugh, but at no point in time did anyone wish for it. Overall people wanted a clear mandate and no drama this time. No more 'Kar Natak' said one voter to this correspondent.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 9:42 [IST]
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on European students to put pressure on societies to unite in support of Ukraine.

"It is very important that you put pressure on your societies, stay united in helping and supporting Ukraine, and condemn Russia's aggression. And put pressure on your political leaders who should help Ukraine," he said on Monday, speaking online to students from the university alliance EUniWell.

"Sanctions against Russia should be powerful, weapons should be transferred without delay, help for Ukraine in its defense in the information space should be total," Zelenskyy emphasized and added that Russia is waging a war not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe.

The President emphasized that the war must end with the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territories and not turn into a frozen conflict in Europe. "We want to push Russian troops out of our territory. We do not want any further continuation of the war. We just want to be free and remind that we are not in President Putin's puppet theater. We are a self-sufficient state," Zelenskyy said.

He also noted that after the war is over, Ukraine, a future full-fledged EU member, will need to rebuild, as many cities and communities have been destroyed by hostilities. "All this will require help: in work, in development, in contribution to the renovation of Ukraine. Therefore, we invite energetic people, students with their ideas and knowledge to Ukraine to restore our country," the President said.

Zelenskyy paid special attention to courage in his speech. "Europe is exactly like that now - brave. It makes decisions, supports the defense of freedom, and puts pressure on the aggressor. What makes this happen? The bravery of leaders. And the bravery of ordinary people who are followed by leaders," he explained.

The EUniWell Alliance unites 11 European universities (total number of students is 337,000): Linnaeus University (Sweden), University of Nantes (France), Semmelweis University (Hungary), University of Birmingham (UK), University of Cologne (Germany), University of Florence (Italy), University of Konstanz (Germany), University of Murcia (Spain), University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine), National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations INALCO (France). The event was broadcast to all 11 EUniWell universities.
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's plea to Ratan Tata amid protest on Jantar Mantar

India

oi-Deepika S

Wrestling superstar Vinesh Phogat, who is among the wrestlers leading the protest against the WFI chief at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday requested businessman and philanthropist Ratan Tata to check whether the funds that he has donated to the federation reached athletes or not.

"I request Ratan Tata to check whether the funds that he donates to the wrestling federation reach the athletes or not," Vinesh Phogat was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Slamming Brij Bhushan, Sakshi Malik challenged the WFI chief to undergo a lie detector Narco Test if he is confident of his innocence, news agency PTI reported.

"I challenge the WFI president to take a Narco Test. We are also willing to take the test. Let the truth come out in the open, who is the culprit and who is not," Malik told reporters.

"We want all competitions to take place under the ad hoc panel of IOA. If WFI chief is involved in any way, we will oppose it," said another Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia.

The wrestlers are on a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding action against the WFI chief over allegations of sexual harassment against him. Farmers in large numbers have gathered at the protest venue to express their solidarity with the protesting wrestlers.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 17:57 [IST]
Events in Pakistan show public has said enough is enough to the army

It Is A Black Chapter Says Pakistan Army As Country Descends Into Chaos

Imran Khan arrest: Army headquarters attacked, PTI calls for countrywide shutdown in Pak

International

oi-Prakash KL

A day after storming the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander's residence in Lahore, the supporters of Imran Khan have called for a countrywide shutdown.

The former Pakistan Prime Minister was at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khan's security staff.

He was arrested in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. As the news of his arrest by the Rangers spread, massive protests broke out in several cities across Pakistan. Protesters at several places turned violent and burned police vehicles and damaged public property.

On the other hand, his party announced a countrywide strike on Wednesday to protest against the government. They also appealed to the nation to come out onto the streets against the "rising fascism" telling supporters that a "make or break moment" has approached, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Imran Khan arrested: Protests break out in Pakistan, internet service suspended

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The court later ruled that the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief was legal but the way it was carried out was illegal and decided to proceed against the Islamabad police chief and interior secretary.

Imran Khan is likely to remain in the custody of the country's anti-graft agency for "four to five days" and is expected to be presented before an accountability court.

Meanwhile, his party is set to challenge the Islamabad High Court's verdict of terming Imran Khan's as "legal" in the Supreme Court, according to a report in ARY News.

On the other hand, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar has been arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court.

With inputs from PTI.
As Pakistan descends further into chaos, experts see no hope

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Pakistan descends into chaos as ex-PM Imran Khan is indicted in Toshakhana case

International

oi-Prakash KL

A day after his arrest, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was indicted in the Toshakhana case on Wednesday.

The Toshkhana case refers to Imran Khan buying gifts, including expensive Graff wristwatch which he had received as the premier at a discounted price. He had purchased this from the state depository called Toshkhana.

However, an accountability court has sent Imran Khan on 8-day physical remand to the National Accountability Bureau in the Al-Qadir Trust case, reports Pakistan media. The NAB's plea has sought 14-day remand of the PTI chairman.

It has to be noted that the hearings of both cases were held at the Islamabad Police Lines.

On the other hand, the authorities in Pakistan have arrested over 1,000 for violence which broke out on Tuesday evening following the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

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"Police teams arrested 945 law breakers and miscreants from across the province," AFP quoted officials as saying.

The officials have claimed that adding 130 officers and officials were injured in the violence.

Protesters at several places turned violent and burned police vehicles and damaged public property. For the first time, Khan's supporters smashed the main gate of the army's sprawling headquarters in Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. The protesters chanted slogans against the establishment, according to a report in PTI.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army will be deployed in Pakistan's Punjab to maintain law and order after Imran Khan's arrest yesterday.

"The exact numbers of troops/assets, date and area of deployment will be worked out by the provincial government in consultation with the MO Dte, GHQ," Dawan cited a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.
US President Biden to meet PM Modi in Papua New Guinea later this month

PM Modi to visit US on June 22, Joe Biden to host state dinner

International

oi-Deepika S

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner on 22 June 2023.

"The visit offers a valuable opportunity for the two countries to further deepen their comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.

Announcing the visit, the MEA, however, did not mention the duration of the trip.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an official state visit to the United States of America, which will include a state dinner on June 22 following an invitation from President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden," the MEA said in a statement.

It said the visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the US as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors.

"The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defence, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections," it said.

The MEA said Modi and Biden will also explore ways to strengthen India-US collaboration in pluri-lateral and multilateral fora, including in the G20.

"They would reflect on their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement," it said.

It will be Modi's first state visit to the US after Biden became President. The prime minister visited Washington in September 2021 to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit. Modi had a bilateral meeting with Biden during that visit.

"The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together. The visit will strengthen our two countries' shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space," read a statement released by the White House.

"The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security," the statement added.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 22:09 [IST]
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More Turkish people living abroad have reportedly cast their vote compared to the last election in 2018. But the vote has reflected polarization in the diapsora over their support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Czech President Petr Pavel said he supported the creation of a tribunal for the crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"The investigation of these crimes is important, so I unequivocally support the creation of a tribunal. This is a key step towards not only peace, but above all justice," he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy again raised the issue of creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Russian Aggression against Ukraine at the Core Group online summit on Tuesday.
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Maple Hope Foundation (Canada) in response to requests from the Ministry of Defense donated 30 MOVES SLC portable life support systems to Ukraine.

According to a press release from the foundation, the systems were provided to the foundation as a donation from the government of Canada.

The portable system weighing 18 kg was specially designed to provide emergency medical care in combat conditions to the wounded in need of emergency medical care and transportation to medical institutions. The equipment is used by emergency medical services, the troops, medical teams and disaster response services and has been purchased by the armed forces of the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel and several other countries.

"MOVES SLC systems have been used by medical personnel in Ukraine since May 2022, but throughout Ukraine there is only one system provided by Thornhill after the full-scale invasion. Thanks to the systems, frontline medics receive the best means to provide medical care to the wounded," the fund said.

The device weighs 18 kg and is worn like a shoulder bag. The device combines an oxygen concentrator, a ventilation system that conserves oxygen, and full vital signs monitoring. The portable system is battery operated and does not require oxygen cylinders.

MOVES SLC systems will be deployed at strategic locations of the Ministry of Defense, including an evacuation train, as well as stabilization and mobility centers.

The Maple Hope Foundation, founded by Ukrainian public figures in Vancouver in 2014, provides regular assistance in military, humanitarian and social areas. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the fund has provided assistance totaling CAD 8.7 million.
New York Rep. George Santos faces criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation over his string of political lies.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to criticise the government's Illegal Migration Bill as the controversial legislation is debated in the House of Lords today.
White House talks over raising the nation's borrowing limits failed to reach a breakthrough on Tuesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says after meeting with President Joe Biden and other Democrats that he "didn't see any new movement." (May 9)


Here's the latest for Wednesday, May 10th: U.S. Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to charges; Official warns of tough times ahead as Title 42 expires tomorrow; Palestinian militants fire rockets at Israel; Trump returns to CNN tonight for town hall in New Hampshire.


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Britain will blacklist the Russian Wagner group as terrorists to increase pressure on Russia, the mercenaries will receive the same status as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, the Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The group played a central role in President Putin's invasion of Ukraine and is leading efforts to capture the eastern town of Bakhmut, which has become the center of the war for both sides.

According to the Times, the decision was made after two months of work on the legal rationale for the move. It is emphasized that the listing is inevitable and is being implemented within a few weeks, a source in the British government told the newspaper.

Belonging to a PMC, attending its meetings, wearing symbols and any support will be considered a criminal offense in Britain, and mercenaries will be on the same list as militants of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda groups, the Times notes.

In addition, financial sanctions will be imposed on the group, which will limit the ability of Wagner PMC to raise money through British banks.
MANAMA, 8 May 2023 - Tourism Malaysia is spearheading a tourism sales mission to Bahrain and Kuwait to capitalize on the continuing growth of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries outbound sector from 7 th to 9 th May 2023. The delegation led by Mr Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of International Promotion Division (Asia/Africa), Tourism Malaysia, will visit Manama and Kuwait City to promote Malaysia as a top-of-the-mind tourist destination region. The objectives of the sales mission are 
Delta may be looking to get out of the daily, nonstop flights between Portland and Tokyo that it fought for in 2019.

The airline is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for a waiver that would allow it to operate some of its permitted daily nonstop flights to Tokyos Haneda Airport from other cities for at least three years. It said in a filing with the agency that demand has not rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It did not identify Portland International Airport as a location that would lose flights, but there are few signs the PDX route remains a priority for Delta.

Delta for years offered daily service between Portland and Narita International Airport, an outlying Tokyo-area hub for international flights. It was set to switch to daily flights to the more centrally located Haneda airport, saving travelers a long trip into the city, when the pandemic grounded the route.

Delta has since resumed most of the Haneda routes paused during the pandemic, but those from Portland and Honolulu have remained on hiatus under a waiver previously granted to Delta and other airlines.

The airline also identified Portland and Honolulu as the two airports at which demand for Haneda flights is furthest from recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

A spokesperson for the company said was scheduled to resume Portland-Haneda service this winter but declined say whether it was committed to resuming service if its petition for more flexibility were granted, or if the service would be offered daily.

United Airlines on Monday accused Delta of manipulating the price of flights in Portland, charging more than $10,000 for the round-trip flights scheduled to begin in November, to bolster its case for a waiver or steer away customers. The flight calendar on Deltas website listed the cheapest main cabin tickets at $10,667. Layover flights are readily available from various airlines, including Delta, for less than $2,000.

A screen capture from the Delta Airlines website shows the booking price for flights from Portland to Haneda is listed at $10,667 each day.

This is not pricing to remain competitive, United argued in a filing to oppose Deltas petition for a waiver. This is pricing to limit an influx of bookings and suggestive of a forthcoming service reduction.

Tokyo has two major airports, Narita and Haneda, and it has historically operated most international flights through the more remote Narita. In 2019, Haneda opened 12 more daily slots to flights to and from the United States.

The slots are assigned the by the FAA through a competitive process. The assignments are conditional, and it would need permission from the FAA to reassign the routes.

Its petition seeks a blanket waiver for all U.S. airlines that operate Haneda routes  Delta, United, American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines  that would allow them to reassign up to two to other airports. It characterized the proposal as a three-year test that would improve competition among airlines.

United opposed the petition, saying that if Delta isnt going to operate its allotted flights, it should give them up. (United wants to take over Deltas slots in Houston and Guam but said nothing about Portland.)

American has supported Deltas proposal.

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-- Elliot Njus; enjus@oregonian.com
A Clackamas County deputy has been fired after prosecutors accused him of sexually abusing an underage girl in Marion County and later charged him with misconduct involving an inmate at the jail in a separate case.

A warrant filed against Deputy Cenobio Jauregui this month charges him with one count of first-degree official misconduct for allegedly telling an inmate to masturbate and then watching from outside her cell, court records show.
A man was arrested Monday in the April shooting of 28-year-old April Newcomb-Cripe in Portlands Reed neighborhood.

Adam Jamal Burns, 29, was arrested by U.S. Marshals Service agents in Vancouver on suspicion of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, Portland police said in a statement Tuesday.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the parking lot of the Wimbledon Square apartments in Southeast Portland on April 15 at 11:25 p.m. They found Newcomb-Cripe dead when they arrived.

A resident whose apartment overlooks the crime scene told The Oregonian/OregonLive he heard five to eight gunshots, and another tenant yelling he killed her, he killed her!

Officers told the man that she had been shot multiple times. The man told The Oregonian/OregonLive that it was obviously personal.

By the next day, a mound of red camellia petals had been placed in the spot where Newcomb-Cripe died.

She was a mother to two children, and family and friends described her as a beautiful soul.

Newcomb-Cripes death marked the 23rd homicide of the year.

Burns will remain in Washington until he can be extradited, police said.

 Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
Police found a man dead in a shooting in the Hazelwood neighborhood Tuesday night, the Portland Police Bureau said.

Officers responding to a call arrived at the scene near East Burnside Street and Northeast 122nd Avenue shortly after 8 p.m. The man was already dead, police said.
A federal judge Tuesday sentenced 37-year-old Anthony Brant Jr. to six years in prison for his second federal drug-trafficking conviction, qualifying him as an armed career criminal after investigators seized a stolen 9mm pistol from his home that police traced to two Portland shootings.

Brant, described as a leading member of the Portland street gang M.O.B., dealt cocaine, arranged to buy guns via text and social media messages and concealed his drug proceeds by using cash to buy cars titled in others names, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Sax.

Though he was arrested and indicted for being a felon with a gun, he pleaded guilty to a subsequent three-count criminal information charging him with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and two counts of money laundering.

The six-year sentence resulted from extensive negotiations and a major weakness in the governments case -- the seizure of only one gram of cocaine from Brant, according to Sax and Brants defense lawyer Lisa Ludwig.

Its the governments hope that Brants designation as a armed career offender will be the end of his drug-trafficking crimes, Sax said.

It means hes absolutely out of the business unless he wants to spend the rest of his life in prison, Ludwig told U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut.

Brant was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine in 2014 and sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. He was released from prison at the end of April 2018.

In the fall of 2020, Brant convinced a different federal judge to reduce his supervised release from four years to two. He told U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones then that he hadnt touched any form of weapon since he had gotten out of prison and he maintained he had a stable job doing pressure-washing for a company named Under Pressure, though prosecutors later said the business had been dissolved for more than six years.

Brant also gave the address of the U.S. Probation Office in Portland as his home address, concealing that he was living in Happy Valley under an alias, according to court records.

In 2021, investigators seized guns from his Happy Valley home. They found a loaded .40-caliber ghost gun with a Polymer 80 frame inside a bag tucked under a dresser in the main bedroom, according to a federal affidavit.

A loaded 9mm pistol found in another bedroom had been reported stolen and ballistic analysis showed it was used in separate shootings in Portland, one in June 2020 and another in December 2020, prosecutors said.

Brant wasnt charged in either of the shootings because no evidence existed that he had the gun when the shootings occurred, but he faced federal indictment for being a felon with a gun, according to Sax. No one was injured in either shooting.

Investigators also discovered a distinct black Versace shirt with a red-and-gold scarf-like collar in the home. It was identical to one worn by a gunman in a January 2020 shooting in Portland based on surveillance video of the suspect firing and leaving in a red Durango, the records said.

Seven days after that shooting, Brant texted someone about painting a Durango smoke grey. Need it done asap, he wrote, according to court records. Brant wasnt charged in that shooting, which appeared to be a shootout with others and it was unclear who shot first or if he was firing back in self-defense, according to the prosecutor.

FBI agents also recovered text messages that showed Brants online shopping for guns. In one July 26, 2020, message, he wrote, I need some thangs.Some hand thangs, and when an associate responded, Serial number or no, Brant texted back, Dnt matter, according to prosecutors.

In other text messages, Brant used coded language to inquire about buying special switches, a component to modify a gun to operate in full automatic mode as a mini-machine gun, and 200-round drum magazines of ammunition, police and prosecutors said.

Brant previously shot a man and was convicted of unlawful use of a weapon in 2008 and felon in possession of a gun in 2013.

In his most recent plea agreement, he admitted he had possessed with intent to distribute 400 grams of cocaine and used the drug proceeds to buy two cars: a Dodge Durango for $17,651 and a 2015 Mercedes S550 sedan for $47,500.

I accept responsibility for my actions. Im not perfect. I made mistakes, Brant told Immergut. He also apologized to his family.

The judge urged him to break away from his gang ties, namely for the sake of his children.

Brant said he will use his time in custody to seek rehabilitation just to change my life and try to see things from a different point of view.'

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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A teenager arrested Monday is suspected of pulling the trigger in seven drive-by shootings on both sides of the Columbia River in the span of four months, Vancouver police say.

Vancouver officers arrested the 17-year-old boy at a home on Northeast Tanglewood Drive in the citys Marrion neighborhood, police said in a statement. A Clark County Juvenile Court clerk identified the teen as Xaviar A. Vaughan.

Police said they also recovered a white van allegedly used by the teen in the shootings. It had been parked across town on West 31st Street in the Fruit Valley area.

Vancouver police spokesperson Kim Kapp said Vaughan is linked to four shootings in Vancouver, two in Portland and one in unincorporated Clark County between December and March. Kapp said multiple houses and vehicles were struck during the shootings, but no one was injured. She said she didnt know the exact location of the drive-bys.

Police said they recovered a handgun, 9mm bullet casings and a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle linked to several of the shootings, as well as items stolen during a car break-in. Another teen was detained during the investigation but not arrested, Kapp said.

The 17-year-old is being held in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on charges of drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a gun, police said.

The van was seen driving away from an April 4 shooting near Washington Elementary School in Vancouver, police said in a statement, and also spotted during the recent car break-in.

 Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane

Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
The Oregonian/OregonLive won eight National Headliner awards, including five first place awards, the competition announced Wednesday.

The news organizations first place winners are:

Business reporter Mike Rogoway took home two first place finishes, in public service and in business news coverage, business commentary and/or business columns by an individual or team. The category was newspapers not in a top 20 media market.

The public service entry was Rogoways coverage of Googles deal with The Dalles for public water to cool its expanding data centers.

The judges said: This city cut a water rights deal with Google at the expense of its own citizens and then went to court to avoid releasing the details publicly. The parties eventually settled and The Oregonians reporting on the consequences of the deal is outstanding. This series will no doubt lead to policy changes. But equally important are the questions it raises about the relationship between governments and companies they hope to attract /keep, especially with regard to transparency.

Rogoway also took first for his series, Data Center Next Door, which examined the consequences of the expansion of data centers in Oregon.

In The Data Center Next Store, reporter Mike Rogoway and The Oregonian look at what happens when the worlds biggest and richest companies come to rural Oregon to build their data centers, the judges wrote. Rogoway used his expert technology industry knowledge and 15 years of reporting on data centers in rural Oregon to connect the dots and provide a holistic view of the economic, political and environmental impact of these centers. The Oregonian delivered an important service for its readers toward understanding an important business trend that shows no sign of slowing.

In the category of feature photography, Mark Graves took first place for his photograph, Holi Dance.

The judges called it A perfect moment of celebration that was well composed, showed jubilation, and filled with color.

The Safest Place, a four-part series examining up close the effects of gun violence on one Portland area high school, took first in the category digital presentation of a single news topic. Designer Mark Friesen, reporter Noelle Crombie, videographer Samantha Swindler, photographer Beth Nakamura and video editor Dave Killen contributed to the December 2022 project.

The Safest Place gives students a chance to tell the story of gun violence in their own words, judges wrote. The presentation features include video, photo and text that are easy to follow and together they take readers into the school and into the lives of those directly and indirectly affected by incredible pain and loss.

For news series in newspapers not in top 20 media market, Publishing Prejudice won first place. In the project, reporter Rob Davis investigated the news organizations own racist past and its lingering legacy.

The judges said, The Oregonian took the bold move of investigating its own ugly past with its Publishing Prejudice project. The goal with the series was to not only reveal how the newspapers racist past helped shape the state of Oregon today, but also to reinforce its commitment to representing the communitys diverse voices.The Oregonian did both in exemplary fashion. A home run.

Breaking news reporter Savannah Eadens won second place for The Deadliest Block, two in-depth articles on a troubled area of east Portland. The category was local news beat coverage or continuing story, not in top 20 media market.

The Oregonian/OregonLive also took second place in news series for newspapers not in top 20 media market with The Safest Place. Crombie, Nakamura and Swindler contributed to the entry.

Opinion Editor Helen Jung won third place in the national contest for editorial writing by an individual or team for a series of three editorials.
Its Mothers Day weekend and if youre looking to skip the crowded buffet lines, weve got some options of fun things to do with mom (or anyone really), and even a few events that might help you score a thoughtful gift. Does mom love ballet or opera? Weve got her covered. Maybe birds and wildflowers are more her style, head down to Silver Fall State Park.

Although the state-wide indoor COVID-19 mask mandate has lifted, some venues or artists still have restrictions in place. Check venue websites for information on specific COVID safety requirements.

The Portland Ballet presents Current/Classic." Image courtesy of The Portland Ballet

Portland Ballet presents Current/Classic

Portland Ballet welcomes two new world premiere works. Tom Golds Carnival of the Animals and Nick Le-Juricas Innominate during this annual family-friendly spring show. The program also includes a performance of Paquita, set in Spain during Napoleons occupation. Audience members are invited to stay after each performance to meet the cast, take photos, and have their programs signed.

7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 12-13, Lincoln Performance Hall, PSU campus, 1620 S.W. Park Ave.; tickets $10-$38; theportlandballet.org or 503-452-8448 ext. 106.

Friends of Noise All-Ages concert

The benefit concert features Mauve, Femme Cell, Mr. Dinkles, As Above, and School Project in an effort to support musical and sound engineering education for young women, trans, and nonbinary youth.

6 p.m. Friday, May 12, Jaja PDX, 819 S.E. Taylor St.; tickets $10 advance, $12 day of; friendsofnoise.org/event.

Because I Will Not Despair

In Mulieribus and Portland Youth Philharmonic will perform the work of award-winning composer Jessica Meyer accompanied by four poems of pain and peace by Portland artist Alicia Jo Rabins. This world premiere concert hopes to create a cross-continental and intergenerational experience of love letters to women. The concert also features the West Coast premiere of Kareem Roustoms Hurry to the Light.

7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, St. Philip Neri Church, 2408 S.E. 16th Ave., and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Evans Auditorium, Lewis & Clark College, 615 S. Palatine Hill Road; tickets $10-$30; portlandyouthphil.org/concerts.

Archaeology Roadshow

The Archaeology Roadshow hosts professional and avocational archaeologists and heritage specialists from Portland State University, federal, and state agencies, Tribes, professional organizations, private companies, and university students who construct temporary exhibits and offer hands-on activities related to projects taking place across Oregon and the region. Expect pop-up exhibits, expert panel talks, and opinions on treasures visitors bring to the show. There will be no financial appraisals.

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Hoffmann Hall Plaza, PSU, 1833 S.W. 11th Ave.; free; archaeologyroadshow.org.

OMSI's newest exhibit features hundreds of displays and art about orcas. Image courtesy of Royal BC Museum.

Orcas: Our Shared Future

OMSIs new exhibit offers a deep dive into the stories and science of the giant of the oceans, the orca. The exhibit includes more than 100 displays, immersive games, videos, and artifacts, and three life-sized replicas. Several cultural objects by Indigenous artists will also be featured. The show is hosted by OMSI and was produced by the Royal BC Museum in partnership with MuseumsPartner.

Open during OMSI hours beginning Saturday, May 13 and continuing through January 2024, at 1945 S.E. Water Ave; free with museum admission of $14-$18; omsi.edu.

Silver Falls State Park offers a Mother's Day weekend of birding and wildflower walks. Image courtesy of Oregon State Parks.

Mothers Day Birding Festival

The annual birding and wildflower festival at Silver Falls State Park offers a chance for moms and their people to see migratory birds and spring blooms across the stunning grounds of the mid-Willamette Valley park. Take part in birding or wildflower guided hikes, a live raptor show, native plant sale, and other educational presentations. The wildflower show features at least 100 species on display. Most events start at 10 a.m., but early arrivals can get in on a birding hike at 7:30 a.m.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14, South Falls day-use area on OR 214 south of Silverton; free. Parking is $5 or free with an annual Oregon State Parks pass; stateparks.oregon.gov.

David Van Zandt will show bronze sculptures during the Washougal Studio Arts Tour.

Washougal Studio Artists Tour

Art enthusiasts are invited to explore the artistic heart of Washougal on Mothers Day weekend with this self-guided open studio tour. See works in progress in a variety of media including sculpture, jewelry, acrylics, watercolor, oils, fused glass, and fiber arts. Several new artist participate in the tour this year including a bronze sculptor, a potter, and a leather artist.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14, in nine locations around Washougal; free. Get a tour map at washougalstudioartists.org.

St. Johns Bizarre

The popular north Portland classic May event the St. Johns Bizarre is back after three years off for the pandemic. Expect an eclectic lineup of national and local musicians, a craft fair featuring more than 100 booths, food vendors, family events and the beloved St. Johns Parade (noon-2 p.m.)

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 13, in the heart of downtown St. Johns between north Lombard and Philadelphia streets.

Jena Friedman

Oscar-nominated writer, director, comedian Jena Friedman who wrote and produced for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Late Show with David Letterman, and the Oscar nominated Borat 2: Subsequent Movie Film. Shell do an afternoon standup show at Helium this Saturday. 21 and older only.

3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Helium Comedy Club, 1510 S.E. Ninth Ave.; tickets $27-$37; portland.heliumcomedy.com.

Opera Theater Oregon World Premiere of Nu Nah-Hup: Sacajaweas Story

This new opera reimagines the story of Sacajawea, the extraordinary Agai-Dika/Lemhi-Shoshone woman who was a crucial member of the historic 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The story is sung from Sacajaweas voice including oral history and language from her culture. The libretto was written by Rose Ann Abrahamson. The music was created by Justin Ralls and Hovia Edwards. A pre-show lecture is scheduled for each performance. Viewer discretion is advised.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, May 13-14, Hampton Opera Center, 211 S.E. Caruthers St.; tickets $60; secure.portlandopera.org/operatheateroregon.

From Darkness to Light: Refugee Experiences in Words and Music

Soloist Michelle Bushkova joins the Portland Chamber Orchestra for two concerti performed on piano and violin. Both composer Victor Copytsko and Bushkova have faced hardship and persecution for speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This concert is their statement in support of the people of Ukraine, Belarus, and refugees throughout the world, and all who defend justice and freedom of speech.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton; tickets $19-$44; portlandchamberorchestra.org.

Collaborative Community Concert

Blanchet House and Chamber Music Northwest will host a neighborhood concert in the parking lot next to Blanchet House. Its free, and open to all. The program features the Anderson-Sasaki Duo and is the maiden voyage of Portlands new SoundsTruck NW, a mobile stage that brings music to the community.

12:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, at 310 N.W. Glisan St.; blanchethouse.org.

Shelly Rudolph and Tom Grant perform in a benefit jazz concert for SWWA Center for the Arts.

Soul Jazz Benefit Concert

Jazz and blues vocalist Shelly Rudolph sings during a special concert to benefit the SWWA Center for the Arts Uplift! childrens project. Shell be joined by renowned jazz innovator, pianist Tom Grant, and guitarist Dan Gildea, saxophonist Renato Caranto, bassist Bill Athens, drummer Edwin Coleman III, and Paul Mazzio on trumpet. National Cirque champion aerialist Rebecca Palmer with Aerial Muse Collective will accompany Rudolph with a choreographed performance.

6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St. Vancouver; $30; .kigginstheatre.com.

- If you have events youd like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly printed A&E section of The Oregonian, please email submissions to events@oregonian.com at least three weeks prior to the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.

 Rosemarie Stein

503-221-4376, events@oregonian.com; @trafficportland

Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
Video journalist Arman Soldin died in eastern Ukraine, near Chasiv Yar (Donetsk region) as a result of a missile strike, AFP news agency reported.

"The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman. His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine," AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said.

Reportedly, the agency's journalists, along with a group of Ukrainian soldiers, came under fire from the Grad multiple launch rocket system on the outskirts of the town of Chasiv Yar, in the vicinity of Bakhmut. Soldin died as a result of a close missile hit to the place where he was.

A 32-year-old French citizen originally from Sarajevo, Soldin, along with other journalists from the agency, arrived in Ukraine the day after the start of Russian aggression and since then regularly traveled to the front line, to the east and south of the country.

According to the human rights groups Reporters Without Borders and the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, Soldin became the 11th media person to die while covering the war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to the journalist's relatives. "Agence France-Presse journalist, one of our compatriots Arman Soldin, was killed in Ukraine. With courage, from the first hours of the conflict, he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us. We share the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues," he said.
The Legislatures Democratic and Republican leaders have scheduled a meeting to discuss the Senate impasse as the walkout enters its seventh day.

Republican leaders have said they walked out because bill summaries are too difficult to understand and need to be written at a middle school level. Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, also told the Capital Chronicle they want 20 hyperpartisan bills set aside, including proposals on abortion, guns and transgender health care.

But Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, told reporters he will not back down on House Bill 2002, a proposal shoring up abortion rights and gender-affirming health care.

Let me be clear: House Bill 2002 is not up for negotiation, Wagner said. Democrats ran on ensuring abortion rights for all Oregonians and voters gave us the majority in both chambers. We have a clear mandate to pass this bill.

With less than two months left in the session, lawmakers have to pass bills determining how much the state spends on services, including housing assistance, on attorneys for low-income defendants and behavioral health care services for vulnerable Oregonians. Bills are moving through the House, and through committees, but theyre backing up at the Senate, and without a quorum, they cant be passed.

Wagner said he has invited Knopp to a meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday with Republican and Democratic leaders from the House. Knopp, who has boycotted the Senate the past four days, will join that conversation virtually, Wagner said.

I will continue to have an open door, Wagner said. We will continue to do what we did this last week, which was send him an email and say, Hey, you want to get coffee and a doughnut? And unfortunately, we havent seen a lot of movement from his side to actually want to show up.

At a separate news briefing Tuesday, House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, told reporters he hopes to move the conversation forward. Rayfield and House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, have a good relationship and work together on some issues, he said.

Im not interested in a political game of chicken, Rayfield said. What I am more interested in is facilitating and being a part of a conversation where we can look at how do you govern for the entire state, and make sure that were passing laws and priorities that are consistent with the values of the people that sent us here.

Wagner and Knopp havent met for about five weeks, and Knopp has previously called their meetings earlier in the session completely and utterly worthless.

Ashley Kuenzi, Knopps spokeswoman, confirmed Knopp will be at the meeting.

He is hoping to have a conversation with some substance, Kuenzi said.

Gov. Tina Kotek has talked to Knopp and Wagner about the walkout. Kotek said she called Knopp last Thursday and listened to his concerns. She told him she understands that legislators in the minority party are frustrated, but said he needs to come back.

Kotek also spoke to Wagner on Monday, she said. Knopp and Wagner are adults and should work out their issues themselves, she said.

I am watching and hopefully things will improve, Kotek said. If not, I will get involved.

Meanwhile, frustrations are mounting.

They are holding us hostage by this walkout, said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton. Theyre holding hostage, every single bill and every single budget, things that Oregonians need.

On Tuesday, the Senate had 10 unexcused absences, nine of them Republicans along with Brian Boquist, I-Dallas. Sens. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, and Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, were excused.

The 30-member Senate needs 20 members to conduct business.

In 2022, Oregon voters passed a constitutional amendment that prevents a legislator from running for reelection if they have 10 or more unexcused absences.

WAGNER DENIES MEDICAL, EMERGENCY REQUESTS

After the walkout started, Wagner said he would only grant excused absences in extraordinary circumstances and hes done just that, rescinding previously approved requests and denying requests for medical reasons, emergencies and religious ceremonies. Wagner said senators can be excused only for extraordinary circumstances that apply equally to all senators. He declined to discuss the reasons behind specific denials with reporters, citing potential litigation.

Sen. Cedric Hayden, R-Fall Creek, has filed complaints against Wagner over denials to attend church and help his wife take care of their disabled daughter.

Records show Wagner also denied medical requests from Republican Sens. Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls and Art Robinson of Cave Junction. It is clear that the office of the Senate president is now attempting to make medical decisions for senators, Robinson wrote on his request form.

In response to a denial to be excused for a family emergency with his parents, Republican Sen. David Brock Smith of Port Orford criticized Wagner and spoke of his parents in a tearful speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

His father, a 78-year-old retired Navy lieutenant commander, suffers from vascular dementia, Brock Smith said. His parents have been married for 58 years and together for 65 years since they started dating as teenagers.

My mother has called me at my home in Port Orford crying to where Ive had to call my father to try and make sure that he is safe and that he can get to bed and then I call my mother back as shes sobbing, Brock Smith.

His father doesnt know who his mother is anymore, Brock Smith said.

She of course is a very private person but wanted you to know how incredibly hard it is, Brock Smith said. I would appreciate it and I know that she would as well Mr. President, with all due respect, that you not mention anything about this after my courtesy because frankly its very upsetting  and frankly, your comments would be as empty as your word.

Wagner responded anyway and thanked Brock Smith for his vulnerability.

Your parents sound like absolutely amazing people and Im sure they are so proud of the work that you have done, Wagner said.

-- Ben Botkin and Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle

The Oregon Capital Chronicle, founded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization that focuses on Oregon state government, politics and policy.
Metro area voters will weigh in during the May 16 election on a slew of local races for school boards, fire districts, water districts and other positions, a slate of local ballot measures and a key race for a spot on the Multnomah County Commission.

Voters have until Election Day to mail their ballots back or drop them off at an official dropbox. Have you already mailed in your ballot? You can track it online.

Weve collected our top coverage of this years candidates and ballot measures in this post to help you make an informed decision about voting.

Measure 26-238: Capital gains tax to fund eviction lawyers

The exterior of the Multnomah County Courthouse. Multnomah County voters will decide this May whether to impose a capital gains tax that would fund lawyers for tenants facing eviction.

Multnomah County voters will decide this May whether to impose a capital gains tax that would fund lawyers for tenants facing eviction.

Measure 26-238 would levy a 0.75% countywide tax on capital gains  the profits from the sale of property, such as a business, real estate or stocks and bonds.

Proponents say that if adopted, the measure would raise between $12 million and $15 million per year and could provide free legal representation to tenants in eviction court starting no later than next May. They say the tax, falling mostly on the countys wealthiest residents, would help even the playing field for tenants who are often outmatched in the courtroom by represented landlords. Opponents have largely stayed clear of advocating against a policy to provide legal representation but have attacked the capital gains tax as a funding mechanism, saying its impact would be greater than voters might realize.

Read more:

Multnomah County voters will decide on capital gains tax to fund eviction lawyers

Portland tax would pay for tenant eviction lawyers. Some elected officials are against it

Multnomah County Board of Commissioners

Albert Kaufman, Julia Brim-Edwards and Ana Del Rocio.

Three candidates are vying to fill the seat vacated by Multnomah County Board of Commissioners Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, who won the top county seat in November. The seat, one of five on the board, covers most of Southeast Portland east of about 33rd Avenue.

Julia Brim-Edwards, a member of the Portland school board and recently retired Nike executive, Ana del Rocio, a community organizer and former county commission policy staffer, and Albert Kaufman, a board member for his neighborhood association in Southeast Portland, are running to fill the seat amid a whirlwind of challenges facing the county, including rampant homelessness and massive unmet need for mental health and addiction treatment.

If a candidate wins an outright majority in the May 16 election, they will be sworn in immediately and their term will run through 2024. If there is a runoff, appointed Commissioner Diane Rosenbaum, Vega Pedersons designee, would serve into November.

Read more: Multnomah County Board of Commissioners candidates differ on approaches to homelessness, addiction

Portland Public Schools

Patte Sullivan and Derrick Peterson are the two candidates in the Portland school board's sole contested race in the upcoming May election. Whatever the outcome of their contest, the board will be made up of a majority of people of color, starting in July.

Three seats on the Portland school board are up for election this cycle, but only one is contested.

That race, between Derrick Peterson, a former chief deputy at the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, and Patte Sullivan, a retired teacher, has drawn intrigue and created plenty of confusion.

Peterson, who was considered the races frontrunner, collected key endorsements and raised nearly $18,000 before announcing he was ending his campaign and would not serve, if elected. He did so after The Oregonian/OregonLive and others reported on his past ties to a Christian nationalist church. But Peterson later told outgoing school board member Eilidh Lowery in a text, Im letting voters speak and will see what happens. If I get voted in, I will remain on the board.

It remains unclear whether Peterson will keep the seat, if elected. He hasnt talked publicly with the media since first announcing he would withdraw.

Read more:

Candidate for Portland school board withdraws  or did he?

Portland school board candidate says anti-abortion group listed him as board member without permission after he was honored at affiliated church

People of color will hold majority on Portland School Board, a first for the states largest district

Other school board races

Courtneigh Swerzbin, who is running for a seat on the North Clackamas School Board, canvases in Happy Valley on Thurs., April 13, 2023.Dave Killen / The Oregonian

The balance of power on school boards around Oregon, including in some suburban Portland districts that are among the largest in the state, could shift with the results of the May election.

Contested races, often with candidates running as part of ideologically aligned slates, are on the ballot in Hillsboro, North Clackamas, Canby, Salem-Keizer, Newberg, Albany, West Linn-Wilsonville, Crook County, Oregon City and Gresham-Barlow, among other districts. The deep-pocketed donors who are key players in consequential statewide races have waded in, with endorsements and donations coming from conservative groups like Oregon Right to Life and the Oregon Family Council, as well as labor unions and advocacy groups like Stand for Children.

That trend, which the state school boards association says has been gaining ground around the state since 2018, is more pronounced than ever this year.

Read more: Consequential school board races underway in Portland suburbs, other parts of Oregon

Beaverton:

In Beaverton, two contested school board races are drawing donors, attention

In 3-way race for Beaverton School Boards Position 3, focus is on enrollment, student needs and budget

Nonprofit leader, technology sales director vie for Position 6 seat on Beaverton School Board

Hillsboro

Daycare owner, retiree stress different priorities in race for position 5 seat on Hillsboro school board

Incumbent faces challenge from parent, substitute educator in race for position 7 seat on Hillsboro school board

Hillsboro school board candidates for position 4 weigh in on budgets, academics and enrollment issues

Gresham-Barlow

Inclusiveness, transparency surface as key issues in Gresham-Barlow school board race for position 7

Incumbent faces challenge from retired teacher in race for position 4 seat on Gresham-Barlow school board

Gresham-Barlow school board candidate Shawn Farrens champions career-technical education, steady leadership

North Clackamas:

North Clackamas School Board candidate Aimee Reiner highlights need for parent influence

North Clackamas School Board candidate Courtneigh Swerzbin says shed prioritize accountability

North Clackamas School Board candidate Angela Pederson focused on collaboration with families

North Clackamas school board candidate Tara Nelson says shed focus on transparency, parent input

Endorsements

The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board has made endorsements for the May 2023 election. Readers can watch videos of the boards endorsement interviews on the editorial board playlist on YouTube at youtube.com/Oregonian.

Read more: Editorial endorsements May 2023: Our voting recommendations in select Multnomah County, Portland contests

Other coverage

Multnomah County mails ballots six days late

Multnomah County will reprint 550,000 ballots, delay mailing ballots to voters due to error

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson vowed to tackle behavioral health, homelessness, gun violence and early childhood education, among many other issues, during her state of Multnomah County address at Franklin High School on Tuesday night.

It was the first state of the county speech held in-person since the start of the pandemic and nearly 300 people filled the auditorium. It was also the first state of the county address since Vega Pederson became chair in January.

The address highlighted much of the proposed $3.5 billion budget that county commissioners will vote on June 8. She called for stepped up funding for auto theft prosecution, detox beds, animal care workers and short- and long-term shelter options.

As we emerge from the pandemic into a city remade by social unrest, homelessness, economic disparity and disconnection, we have an increasing need for a social fabric that cares for the most vulnerable, Vega Pederson said. That is what Multnomah County does, cares for the most vulnerable with integrity and commitment.

The county will hold three public hearings May 10, 17 and 31 for residents to weigh in on the budget.

Vega Pedersons proposal calls for $750,000 to fund two investigators and two prosecutors to reduce a backlog of gun violence cases in the District Attorneys Office. Previously, the positions were funded by one-time-only federal pandemic relief money. The budget would also allocate more money for an Auto and Commercial Retail Theft Unit in the District Attorneys Office.

Since 2019, weve been experiencing a historic 68% increase in auto thefts, with an 80% increase in cases referred to the District Attorney, she said. Multnomah County and the city of Portland are co-funding this theft task force to place two new deputy district attorneys directly inside police precincts.

A student asked Vega Pederson following her speech how the county would address the mental health of students impacted by gun violence. She said the county will continue to invest in mental health resources in schools, in addition to continuing to fund after school and summer programs to fill support gaps for students.

Her proposed budget would also expand behavioral health staff for both youth and adults in the county corrections system. If commissioners agree, $1 million will be earmarked for those new corrections health staff members.

She is also calling for increased investments in the Behavioral Health Resource Center, the Behavioral Health Emergency Coordination Network, and behavioral health homeless services.

The Behavioral Health Resource Center in downtown Portland would receive $2.5 million to staff 32 shelter beds and 19 transitional housing beds  something that is already built and set up within the building but was just waiting for funding and a nonprofit to manage the shelter aspect of the program.

The (centers) programs are just one piece of a systemwide puzzle, Vega Pederson said. Which is why were also investing in new capacity to support community members stabilizing from acute intoxication with $2 million new dollars for our Behavioral Health Emergency Coordination Network.

The behavioral health investments would complement the proposed $280 million for homeless and housing services. Among that is the countys new Housing Multnomah Now program, which aims to house 300 people, and emergency funding from the state, which will house 275 more. The funding would also create 140 new shelter beds, primarily at the large and small pod and tent villages that Los Angeles-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy is contracted with the city of Portland to operate.

When people ask what my plan for homelessness is, every strategy, program and initiative is rooted in partnership, accountability and urgency, Vega Pederson said.

Vega Pederson said county workers are close to confirming where in the citys downtown area Housing Multnomah Now will start to connect with campers to get them into apartments.

Chabre Vickers, Prosper Portland director of equity, policy and communications, leads the question and answer portion of the state of Multnomah County address with Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.

In early February, Vega Pederson had said engagement with landlords starts today. But the county has yet to launch the program, with officials citing delays in state funding as the primary reason.

Now, the goal is to house 100 people living unsheltered in the central city by the end of June before expanding to help house people living outdoors in east county over the next year.

While a large portion of the countys homeless funding will go to rent assistance, a significant portion will also go to tiny home and motel shelters.

Should all beds come online as budgeted and predicted  this will support more than 2,500 beds of year-round shelter with wraparound services this calendar year, Vega Pederson said.

The countys voter-enacted Preschool for All has experienced a slow rollout, despite plentiful funding from the voter-enacted tax on high earners. The proposed budget includes funding to double the number of preschool spots to 1,400 for the 2023-24 school year, short of the minimum goal of 1,500 that county officials set in 2020. A substantial portion of the funds would be used to fund new preschool sites and secure more preschool providers.

These families, their dreams and progress, are worth our investment and Im so glad were making it, Vega Pederson said, referring to the proposed $17 million capital outlay. These dollars fund infrastructure projects for home-based providers, child care centers, nonprofit organizations and school districts.

Chabre Vickers, Prosper Portland director of equity, policy and communications, asked Vega Pederson what the community should be excited about amid Preschool for Alls slow start.

Vega Pederson replied that this year 700 students had preschool that otherwise wouldnt have that opportunity.

Vega Pederson also noted that one reason for a lack of available preschool options is incredibly low pay. Preschool for All addresses this by offering livable wages, she said.

The budget also includes an increase in funding for Multnomah County Animal Services that will allow the division to add 10 full-time positions to address its long-standing struggles.

In January, the shelter temporarily stopped accepting strays and lost pets as it struggled to provide basic care to the pets in its custody. Shortly after, Vega Pederson called for a five-month review of the shelter that remains underway. An investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive found that problems at the shelter were well-documented for at least seven years but county officials failed to act.

As we take care of people, we must support our animals too. Our animal shelter needs investment, Vega Pederson said. Were bringing on a much-needed 31% increase in animal care staffing.

Nicole Hayden can be reached at nhayden@oregonian.com or on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden.
Oregon lawmakers are mulling whether to boost pay for statewide officeholders and pass ethics reforms following the resignation of former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, who stepped down after news that she had taken a $10,000 a month side job with a troubled cannabis company.

Fagan, a Democrat, said she took the lucrative side job consulting for an affiliate of Oregon pot chain La Mota in part because she struggled to pay her bills as secretary of state. The post, which oversees Oregon elections and state audits, pays $77,000 per year. Thats far less than the job pays in California and Washington.

Influential lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, supported Fagans resignation and said she eroded trust in government with the consulting gig. Lieber has since echoed Fagans claims that state government posts dont pay enough.

I think that we have an existential threat with regards to not only the statewide salaries, which are extraordinarily low, but also if you look at the legislative salaries and judicial salaries, Lieber told reporters last week. We need to address those things.

Oregons governor makes only $98,600 a year while the states attorney general makes $82,200 and the state treasurer and labor commissioner receive the same annual pay as the secretary of state, $77,000. All make significantly less than their counterparts in Washington and California.

Lieber and Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, said they support creating an independent commission to study pay structures, which could lead to pay bumps. Knopp supports raising pay for judges and statewide officeholders, which include the secretary of state, governor and attorney general, said Ashley Kuenzi, a spokesperson for Knopps office.

Lieber said she wasnt sure whether the commission would also study lawmakers salaries. Most lawmakers earn about $35,000 in addition to per diems and monthly stipends for duties. Efforts by some lawmakers to spike their own pay have fallen flat in recent sessions.

However, talks to form the commission are currently on pause. Kuenzi said Knopp and Lieber spoke once about creating the independent commission, but havent discussed it since. Relations are thorny between the two parties amid a boycott of the state Capitol by Senate Republicans that entered its eighth day Wednesday.

Our plan is to continue those policy conversations and put something forward this session, Lieber told reporters Tuesday about launching the independent commission.

Fagan took the side job consulting for Veriede Holdings, a subsidiary of La Mota, in February.

The gig paid $10,000 per month  more than her government salary  and would have offered $30,000 bonuses for helping the chains owners, Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell, obtain licenses in states other than Oregon and New Mexico.

Democratic and Republican officials alike have criticized Fagans side job and said it could violate Oregon ethics laws, which prohibit public officials from using their office for financial gain and require public disclosure of economic conflicts of interest. Gov. Tina Kotek called for the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to open an investigation into Fagans actions.

But some advocates say the investigation may not find that Fagan violated Oregon ethics laws because those laws are relatively weak. Some lawmakers said this week that they want to change that. Elisabeth Shepard, a spokesperson for Kotek, said the governor supports efforts to reconsider ethics laws.

Public officials including the secretary of state must disclose their income sources in an annual statement. However, Dan Meek, a Portland attorney specializing in campaign finance reform and ethics, said current law wouldnt have required Fagan to list Veriede as an income source until April 2024.

Lieber said its incredibly important for the Legislature to consider tightening state ethics rules but didnt give additional details or a timeline.

I think that that probably deserves a longer conversation, she said.

Tess Seger, a spokesperson for Lieber, didnt give more details to The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, said hes resolved to pass ethics and campaign finance reform laws in response to Fagans consulting scandal.

Rayfield introduced House Bill 2038 in January, which would require public officials to disclose income from a source that does business with the government or has a legislative or administrative interest. Its unclear if the rule change would have applied to Fagans contract.

The proposal failed in recent years, Rayfield told reporters Tuesday. This year, the bill hasnt advanced from the House Committee on Rules.

Theres been a lot of really good work thats been already going on, Rayfield said. The secretary of states situation really shined a light on that need for that work to continue and for us to actually pass some of those things.

That includes campaign finance reform, Rayfield said. Oregon is one of just a handful of states with no caps on donations to political candidates, which critics say forces public officials to cozy up to wealthy donors. Rayfield and Kotek are backing separate campaign finance proposals this session that good governance advocates including Meek have criticized for including key loopholes.

Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, also plans to introduce a pair of amendments mirroring two 2024 ballot initiatives penned by Honest Elections Oregon and the League of Women Voters.

-- Grant Stringer; gstringer@oregonian.com; @Stringerjourno

This story was updated to include a comment from the office of Gov. Tina Kotek that lawmakers should consider whether to tighten ethics law.
Six Republican and Democratic legislative leaders met Wednesday to talk about the GOP-led Senate walkout, which continued for an eighth day after they talked.

All six leaders agreed: We met, we had a conversation, we are planning on additional conversations, legislative leaders said in a joint statement without elaborating.

Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, were at the meeting, which marked the first time the two have talked in about five weeks.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis; Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton; House Majority Leader Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; and House Minority Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, also participated in the meeting.

Spokespeople declined to say when they may meet next.

The walkout is preventing the Senate from having the two-thirds quorum needed to vote on bills, and it is jeopardizing legislation on a variety of issues that include housing, behavioral health, and budget bills for schools, prisons and other state needs.

Republican senators have said they walked out because bill summaries fail to comply with a state readability requirement that they be written at a middle-school level. Knopp also told the Capital Chronicle they want 20 hyperpartisan bills set aside, including proposals on abortion, guns and transgender health care.

On Tuesday, Lieber said Democratic leaders want to hear what Republicans wish to accomplish for their districts but are uninterested in a kill list of Democrat-sponsored bills that need to die.

The Senate needs 20 of its 30 members present to do business. On Wednesday, there were 18 members present and 12 absences. Ten of them were unexcused. Four senators  Republican Daniel Bonham of The Dalles, Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek, Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls and Independent Brian Boquist of Dallas  have eight unexcused absences.

In 2022, voters passed a constitutional amendment that prevents legislators from running for reelection if they have 10 or more unexcused absences.

The Senate will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, and the Legislature must adjourn the session by June 25.

-- Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle

The Oregon Capital Chronicle, founded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization that focuses on Oregon state government, politics and policy.
Wednesday 10 May 2023 4:38pm



Being hemmed in  a photograph submitted by a participant in the Through the Eyes of Men project.

An innovative research project at the University of Otago, Wellington, is using photography to help men open up about their experiences of living with depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety.

In the project, Through the Eyes of Men, led by Senior Research Fellow Dr Sarah McKenzie, 21 men get behind the lens, taking photos which reflect their personal experiences of living with mental distress, and what helped or hindered their mental health journeys.

Their images are displayed in a digital exhibition on the project's website, along with descriptions of what they mean to the photographers. Their photos range from scenes of nature to urban, family and home life.

Through the Eyes of Men



Dr Sarah McKenzie.

Dr McKenzie says the pictures opened up channels for the men to describe the reality of living with mental distress and explain what recovery feels like to them.

This collection of photographs and descriptions shows us first-hand the realities of mens mental health, through their eyes.

The men who took part in the project were a diverse group, ranging in age from 23 to 62 years.

We were able to capture multiple perspectives among men in terms of age, social and ethnic backgrounds, Dr McKenzie says. We spoke to Maori, Pakeha and migrant men across the country. Some were fathers, others were sole parents, some were heterosexual, others were gay, and some were unemployed, while others had stressful jobs.

She says our knowledge and understanding of mens experiences of mental distress is limited here in New Zealand.

This is surprising given suicide is a leading cause of death among men and particularly Maori men. We know anxiety and depression are known risks for suicide, but there are many other social and cultural factors at play.

For many of those involved, the images which most resonate with their mental distress are grey or black, reflecting their sense of being trapped, feeling isolated, or of being in a dark tunnel.



Locked in.

For one man, a photo of a padlock reflects his sense of being locked in: When I saw the padlock it was this feeling of, particularly with anxiety, that feeling of being locked into it. No matter how hard you try to get rid of your anxiety you just cant.

Another photographed a dense forest, reflecting his sense of feeling hemmed in: When I was really in the thick of it, I pushed everybody away. Id cross the street to avoid friends that Id known for a long time. So the sense of being crowded in society  theres just this sense of being hemmed in.

For some, use of drugs and alcohol were factors hindering their recovery, while others mentioned their struggles with grief, a loss of faith, or in finding an identity.

When it came to what helped their recoveries, the men focused on scenes which reflected time spent with children, support from partners, time spent in the outdoors, as well as reading or creative or practical activities.

For one man, a sunset scene reflected the moment he began taking the time to enjoy little moments: This is when I was starting to learn how to take moments, take breaths, take time to be with me, time to enjoy the little beauties in your day.

Another found expressing his creativity through art was therapeutic: I can go to the studio and get into my art process, and that invigorates me. It gets me out of my head and puts me into something. So its a process that will make me feel better.

The men involved in the project talked of how helpful it had been to articulate their thoughts and feelings, with one saying it had been a very cathartic process.

Another appreciated having a different means to express their thoughts and emotions, saying: Thats why I was drawn to the project of actually doing photos. Because its another way of expressing something. And its amazing, you know, that classic line, a photo says a thousand words. It really is true.

Dr McKenzie wants the project to help destigmatise mental distress and encourage conversations about men's mental health.

We need to better understand why men are more likely than women to take their own lives, and what we can do to support men in talking about their mental health difficulties.

Through the eyes of men was funded through a Marsden Fast-Start grant administered by the Royal Society Te Aparangi.

For more information, contact:

Dr Sarah McKenzie

Senior Research Fellow

Department of Psychological Medicine

University of Otago, Wellington

Email sarah.mckenzie@otago.ac.nz

Cheryl Norrie

Communications Adviser

University of Otago, Wellington

Mob +64 21 249 6787

Email cheryl.norrie@otago.ac.nz
Wednesday 10 May 2023 12:44pm

New research from the University of Otago, Christchurch, backs a recent Pharmac decision to provide broader protection against a potentially fatal childhood disease.



Professor Tony Walls.

Late last year, in response to concerns raised by child health experts, Pharmac amended the national childhood immunisation schedule to include a 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PVC-13) in response to rising case numbers of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease ( IPD ).

Now, a study comparing IPD incidence rates between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand backs Pharmacs decision to upgrade the vaccine from the existing 10-valent to a 13-valent vaccine.

The study, published in The Lancet Western Pacific medical journal, compared IPD case numbers in both countries over a five-year period from 2017-2021.

It concludes that while the Indigenous Australian population experienced the highest rates of the disease (followed by Pasifika and New Zealand Maori), the overall IPD rate in Aotearoa for pre-school children increased during this time period, particularly cases of the potentially life-threatening 19A IPD serotype.

While ethnicity-adjusted IPD rates for children under two were similar for both countries between 20172020, case numbers in New Zealand rose sharply in 2021.The crude rate of IPD in NZ children under two years of age was found to be more than three times higher than in Australia, with 64.3 per cent of isolates identified as serotype 19A. New Zealands proportion of serotype 19A IPD cases increased from 11.5 per cent to 29.5 per cent for children under five years old, whereas Australian rates remained static at 5 per cent.

Study co-author Professor Tony Walls, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist at the University of Otago, Christchurch, says the results reinforce the timeliness of Pharmacs decision to switch to the PVC-13 vaccine.

The World Health Organization recommends that a switch in the vaccine used in any national PCV programme should be considered if the epidemiology of IPD changes significantly. This study, the first undertaken comparing IPD rates in both countries, proves that significant change was occurring in New Zealand, and that an upgrade to the PVC-13 vaccine was urgently required, says Professor Walls.

Pneumococcal disease is currently the worlds number one vaccine-preventable cause of death among infants and children younger than five years of age. This decision will help arrest the concerning rise in IPD case numbers in this country and better protect our young children from the worrying and life-threatening risks the disease poses.

Australias national immunisation schedule has funded a PVC13 vaccine since 2011. However, while New Zealands immunisation schedule included a PVC13 vaccine from 20142017, it had reverted to a 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PVC10) in 2017, due to low IPD case numbers at the time, and in order to re-direct funding into other vaccines.

Pneumococcal disease is caused by the common bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. At the more minor end, it can cause localised ear or sinus infections. But IPD occurs if the bacteria get into the blood, resulting in a severe form of pneumonia, bacteraemia (blood infection) and meningitis, potentially affecting the heart muscle, joints and abdomen. In 2022 there were 41 deaths due to IPD in New Zealand. Also of concern, treatment can be compromised due to rising rates of antibiotic resistance.

Study co-author, University of Otago, Christchurch Post-doctoral Research Fellow Nienke Hagedoorn, says young Pasifika and Maori children in Aotearoa are disproportionally affected, as are other vulnerable groups.

The risk of invasive pneumococcal disease for Pasifika children and tamariki Maori is almost three times higher than the risk for other ethnicities in New Zealand. However, our study shows rates of serotype 19A are also increasing among New Zealanders aged over 65 as well, says Hagedoorn.

Its important for surveillance to also monitor serotype and IPD incidence in older New Zealanders to inform ongoing policy on pneumococcal vaccines. Their burden of disease should also be considered as the influence of infant vaccinations can also provide indirect immunity in older age groups.

Professor Walls warns the recent switch from PVC10 to PVC13 may take a few years to significantly reduce our burden of disease.

Catch-up immunisations for children under five are not part of the PVC programme change, therefore those who received PVC10 may not have adequate protection against serotype 19A, he says.

The study authors say improving immunisation coverage nationwide, particularly in high-risk groups, should be a key aspect of any plan to reduce the impact of IPD due to stereotype 19A.

Publication details

Comparison of the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease between Australia and New Zealand in 2017-2021: an observational study based on surveillance data

Nienke N. Hagedoorn, Andrew Anglemyer, Charlotte Gilkison, Mica Hartley, Tony Walls

The Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific

For more information, please contact:

Lorelei Mason

Communications Advisor

University of Otago, Christchurch

Mob +64 21 555 024

Email lorelei.mason@otago.ac.nz
The state-owned enterprise National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom has reported that the company has information about the plans of Russian occupiers to evacuate 3,100 plant workers from Enerhodar, a satellite town of the Zaporizhia NPP.

"Information has been received about the preparation of Russian invaders for the "evacuation" of about 3,100 people from the satellite city of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant," Energoatom said on its Telegram channel on Wednesday.

As Energoatom said, first of all, it concerns the removal of 2,700 plant workers who signed a contract with the fake JSC Zaporozhye NPP Operating Organization or another Rosatom enterprise, as well as members of their families.

"At the same time, we remind you that the ruscists have banned the ZNPP workers from leaving the city almost from the beginning of the occupation. Also, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, part of the families of Zaporizhia nuclear workers have already been taken from Energodar to the Rostov region of the Russian Federation," Energoatom said.

As the company explained, the Russian occupiers thus prove their inability to ensure the operation of the Zaporizhia NPP, since, at present, the plant already lacks qualified personnel.

"Even Ukrainian workers who, having signed shameful contracts, agreed to cooperate with the ruscists, are going to be 'evacuated' soon. And this will exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue of having enough personnel to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear power plant even in the current shutdown state," the press service of Energoatom said.

At the same time, Energoatom, for its part, is taking all possible measures to gather the necessary number of specialists capable of ensuring the safe operation of the plant in the first period after its de-occupation.

The company intends to rotate a team from the employees of ZNPP, who are now in the territory controlled by Ukraine, as well as specialists from other nuclear power plants.

"The quickest possible de-occupation of the Zaporizhia NPP, the expulsion of the ruscists from Enerhodar and the transfer of control over the plant to its legal Ukrainian operator Energoatom, is the only way to end the Russian disorder at the ZNPP and ensure its further security," Energoatom said.
Following are activities of the Midland County Sheriff's Department and the Midland Police Department, compiled by reporter Dan Chalk.

Tuesday, May 9

10:48 p.m. - Officers were sent to the 1400 block of Wyllys Street for a fireworks complaint.

9:38 p.m. - Deputies arrested a 34-year-old man in Ingersoll Township for domestic assault after he assaulted his 63-year-old mother. The mother complained of back pain. The man was found to be in possession of prescription medication. He was transported and lodged at the Midland County Jail without incident.

8:58 p.m. - Officers were sent to the 2000 block of Sylvan Lane for an animal complaint.

6:41 p.m. - Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Greendale Township location and discovered that the the 71-year-old male driver didn't have a valid driver's license. He was issued a citation and a report is being sent to the prosecuting attorney.

3:32 p.m. - Midland County Sheriff's Office received a referral from the Department of Health & Human Services indicating that a girl was impregnated while underage and now has a five-month-old child. Her family was contacted and said that no criminal investigation was requested and that although under the age of consent, both the girl and the child's father, also a minor, are parenting the child together.

3:10 p.m. - Officers were sent ot the 4400 block of Campus Ridge for an animal complaint.

2:57 p.m. - Coleman Police and a deputy were dispatched to assist with a disorderly 15-year-old boy in Warren Township. The boy was contacted and was turned over to his mother once she arrived.

2:21 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to speak with a 50-year-old woman in Larkin Township regarding her 61-year-old stepbrother harassing her on the phone. The woman stated she just wanted the incident to be documented.

2:06 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to an Ingersoll Township location for a 23-year-old man stating that he was getting blackmailed on social media. The deputies advised the man on how to handle the situation.

1:57 p.m. - Officers were sent to the area of George and East Carpenter streets for an animal complaint.

1:26 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township residence for a report of breaking and entering. They spoke with a 64-year-old man, who stated several pieces of property were taken from the home. There are no suspects, and this is still under investigation.

1:12 p.m. - Officers were sent to the 500 block of Mill Street to assist Child Protective Services.

12:18 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township location for a cable wire that had been struck and was lying in the roadway. Deputies were able to remove the cable from the roadway and contacted Spectrum.

12:17 p.m. - A 28-year-old Missaukee County man called the sheriff's office regarding a custody dispute with a 30-year-old Warren Township woman. The woman was contacted and stated that she was working with an attorney to have a custody hearing in Missaukee County and would not turn the child over because she believed the man had been under the influence the last time he came to her house for a custody exchange. The sheriff's office recommended to the man that he contact Friend of the Court.

11:56 a.m. - An Animal Control Deputy was dispatched to a business on M-20 in Midland for an injured cat. It appeared likely the cat had been struck by a vehicle. The deputy transported the cat to the Humane Society to be evaluated and, if possible, treated for its injuries.

10:39 a.m. - Officers were sent to the corner of West Wackerly and Eastman for a personal damage accident.

9:29 a.m. - Deputies were dispatched to Homer Township regarding a road rage incident that resulted in the suspect breaking a window out of the victim's vehicle. The suspect fled the scene.

8:36 a.m. - Officers were sent to the corner of Bloomfield and Brookfield drives for a personal damage accident.

8:21 a.m. - Deputies filed a report on a car-deer crash in Geneva Township.

8:12 a.m. - Deputies investigated a road rage incident in Homer Township, and the 40-year-old male complainant was arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Midland County. He was lodged at the Midland County Jail.

8 a.m. - Officers were sent to the intersection of Jefferson and Fournie for a personal damage accident.

6:07 a.m. - Officers were sent to the 600 block of South Saginaw to assist EMS.

5:51 a.m. - Deputies filed a report on a car-deer crash in Ingersoll Township.

2:02 a.m. - A deputy was dispatched to Saginaw County, where Birch Run Police had arrested a 46-year-old Flint male on a Midland County warrant. The male was transported and lodged in the Midland County Jail.

1:39 a.m. - A deputy transported a 38-year-old Detroit woman from the Farmington Hills Police Department to Midland County Jail without incident. The woman was arrested by Farmington Hills Police for outstanding warrants out of Midland.

12:40 a.m. - Officers were sent to the 100 block of Fast Ice Drive, in the vicinity of the Midland County Jail, for a warrant arrest.
BERLIN (AP)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has invited top officials of the country's 16 states for a summit Wednesday on the growing number of asylum-seekers and the lack of housing and spaces in schools or kindergartens for them.

The federal government and the states have been arguing for months over who gets to pay for the rising costs.

In addition to the more than 1 million Ukrainians who came to Germany last year looking for shelter from Russia's war on their country, the number of asylum-seekers is also up steeply. Ukrainians receive refugee status in Germany immediately and dont need to apply for asylum.

In 2022, more than 244,000 people applied for asylum in Germany. In the first four months of this year, 101,981 people applied for asylum  an increase of 78% compared with the previous year, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Experts estimate that up to 300,000 migrants could apply for asylum in Germany this year.

Many of those now arriving in Germany on a daily basis trek across the Balkan s and come from war-ridden countries such as Syria or Afghanistan. They rely on smugglers to take them across the borders so they can ask for asylum the moment they arrive on German soil.

Local communities  which are represented by the states at Wednesday's migration summit  have been putting up asylum-seekers in tents, containers, gyms or former airports for months as regular housing gets scarce. In addition, they say there's also a lack of kindergarten and school spaces for migrant children. They demand billions in additional federal funds to cover their costs.

The national government, however, rejects their demands, saying it spent 28 billion euros ($30.7 billion) on migration last year alone. More than 12 billion euros were invested in combating the causes of flight abroad, and around 15 billion were provided for direct relief to the states and local authorities, German news agency dpa reported.

For this year, the government says it will give 15.6 billion euros in federal support to the states and communities to help support their costs for migration  which the states claim is still not enough.

While the migration level of 2015-16, in which more than 1 million people applied for asylum in Germany, has not been yet reached, officials fear that the growing number of migrants could also lead to a re-strengthening of far-right parties trying to exploit anti-migrant sentiment for their own populist purposes.

There have been calls to reinstate border controls in Germany, which usually does not control its outer borders as it is a member of the visa-free Schengen travel zone. Scholz himself said earlier this year that Germany needs to do a better job curbing illegal migration and deporting those whose asylum bids get rejected. Germany has repeatedly reintroduced checks along its southern border with Austria in an effort to clamp down on migration. Austria in return, reinstated controls on its border with Slovakia to keep migrants from entering without authorization.

Beyond Germany, theres also growing concern that the arrival of migrants throughout Europe is getting out of control and that a joint European solution needs to be found.

Some top officials, including German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, support plans to establish transit camps for migrants at Europes outer borders where officials can decide on asylum bids  and deport those who are rejected before they can even travel to popular destinations such as Germany, Britain or Scandinavia.

For too long, we have made it difficult for people to come to Germany who we need as bright minds and hardworking hands," German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Tuesday on ZDF public television. "And for too long we have made it easy for people to stay who are actually obliged to leave because they entered Germany irregularly. And that has to change.

___

Follow all AP stories on migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
AP

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  An explosion close to a police station near the Syrian capital killed one officer and wounded four others Wednesday, state media reported.

The reports, citing the Interior Ministry, did not provide further details on the explosion in the town of Barzeh, just north of Damascus. Initial reports only mentioned five injured officers.
There is a long list of descriptors used to identify Donald Trump: real estate magnate, reality TV star, former president, insurrectionist, criminally indicted payer of hush money.

As of Tuesday, a new particularly incriminating label can be added: sexual assailant.

Even so, the determination of a civil jury  that Trump physically brutalized writer E. Jean Carroll  seems unlikely to make much difference to his unshakable political base or, for now, change the fundamental dynamics of the 2024 presidential race.

"I don't see this moving the needle at all," said Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan campaign analyst who's spent decades handicapping elections. "Every time we've thought that something would hurt him, it hasn't."

That said, Trump still faces a raft of criminal investigations involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the attempted Jan. 6 coup he inspired and the mishandling of purloined documents he spirited to his Mar-a-Lago retreat.

By the time Republican voters cast the first ballots next February in Iowa, will the cumulative weight of Trump's legal burdens  compounded by the verdict in Carroll's lawsuit  be enough to drive a significant number of GOP voters away?

That jury is still out.

A Manhattan panel of six men and three women deliberated less than three hours  barely enough time to cater lunch  before returning a verdict finding that Trump had forced himself on Carroll nearly three decades ago in the dressing room of an upscale Manhattan department store.

The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded his victim $5 million in damages.

But if the swiftness of the decision seemed clear-cut and ringingly decisive, the verdict proved less so.

Jurors did not accept Carroll's claim the ex-president had raped her, rejecting the most inflammatory allegation and  crucially  keeping the combination of "rape" and "Trump" out of news headlines.

But even such a verdict might not have put off very many of Trump's supporters.

His criminal indictment in March for paying hush money to hide an extramarital affair and steady his wobbling 2016 presidential campaign  a career killer under most circumstances  proved a fundraising bonanza and prompted many Republicans to rally behind Trump's bid to reclaim the White House.

Minutes after Tuesday's verdict was delivered, Mike Madrid, a founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, wisecracked on Twitter, "That sound you hear is Trump's polling numbers going up in the Republican primary."

Perhaps.

A great deal will depend on what happens over the next several months  on the campaign trail even more than inside a courthouse  as the fight for the Republican nomination presumably heats up.

Most of Trump's GOP rivals have so far shown a reluctance to go beyond the merest, veiled criticism of Trump, or offered only weak-tea admonitions.

"The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump," former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tut-tutted after Tuesday's verdict was delivered.

That sort of gentility is not unusual for this stage of the campaign. As the balloting nears, and competition intensifies, candidates will have to make a strategic decision. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's main rival at the moment, will in particular have to decide how openly and aggressively he wants go after the GOP front-runner.

"There is an available chunk of the Republican electorate that wants to move on from Trump," said Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist and longtime Trump critic, who has conducted countless focus groups plumbing voter sentiments.

"The question that I've had is whether any of the candidates running against Trump have the political talent to take him on directly and seize that available audience," Longwell said. "Can they start outflanking Trump and showing people they can be a tougher fighter? Maybe. But nobody's figured out how to do that yet."

It is Trump's great good fortune that his political future won't be decided by the jury in Manhattan. He proved a perfectly terrible witness on his own behalf.

In a videotaped deposition  Trump did not take the stand  he seemed alternately bored and put upon, suggesting at one point that Carroll would have enjoyed being raped.

When presented a photograph of Carroll, he mistook his accuser, "not my type," for his second wife, Marla Maples. He defended his infamous hot-mic moment on "Access Hollywood" in which he said he could grab women by the genitals  "and when you're a star, they let you do it"  by saying that history backs him up.

"If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said in his deposition. "Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately."

Trump famously boasted during the 2016 campaign he could stand in the middle of Manhattan's 5th Avenue and shoot someone without losing votes.

Now, with Tuesday's swift verdict, he's about to test another proposition: whether he can sexually maul a woman in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room and still make that claim.

Mark Z. Barabak is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on politics in California and the West.
Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
On May 9, France handed over to Ukraine a second mobile laboratory for DNA testing, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

"France handed over to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine a second mobile laboratory for rapid analysis and DNA testing. This new contribution is part of France's strong support in the fight against impunity in the face of Russian aggression," the statement said.

It is noted that this laboratory will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Research Institute of Forensic Examinations of the city of Dnipro.

"As a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, France will continue to support the fight against impunity in Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry said.

As reported, on July 14, 2022, France handed over to the Prosecutor General's Office the first mobile laboratory for express analysis and DNA testing. It was developed by the French company TRACIP (Deveryware Group) together with IRCGN, which is an expert in victim identification (DNA sampling and processing) and evidence collection.
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Four people were killed and 10 others injured in an attack on Tuesday night in the vicinity of the Ghriba synagogue on the southern Tunisian island of Djerba, where the annual Jewish pilgrimage was taking place, the Tunisian Interior Ministry has said in a statement
Niamey, Niger (PANA)  International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and Nigerien authorities have reached an agreement at the staff level on the third review of Niger's economic programme under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and a new programme under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) convinced that the countrys economic outlook is favourable over the near and medium term
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Visiting British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has held talks with Kenya's Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki in Nairobi on countering extremism, serious organised crime and trade in illicit commodities, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has condemned in "the strongest terms" the armed attack at a synagogue in the Tunisian city of Djerba, which claimed the lives of civilians and security personnel, expressing Libya's solidarity with Tunisia
Rabat, Morocco (PANA) - Morocco and Guinea agreed on Tuesday in Rabat to further enhance their partnership under South-South cooperation, which should allow the private sectors of both countries to continue to play an important role in boosting economic exchanges
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - In a time of energy transition and rising demand for metals and minerals, resource-rich governments in Sub-Saharan Africa have an opportunity to better leverage their resources to finance their public programmes, diversify their economy, and expand energy access
Poland's foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador on Wednesday over an incident involving a Russian fighter jet and a Polish border guard aircraft over the Black Sea, a spokesman has announced.

Sergei Andreyev was handed a "note of protest" regarding the incident, Lukasz Jasina said.

"We strongly condemn the provocative and aggressive behaviour of the Russian side, which is a serious international incident," Jasina wrote on Twitter.

He added that no further statement on the issue would be issued by the Polish foreign ministry on the day.

On Friday, an incident occurred affecting a Polish Border Guard aircraft taking part in a Frontex mission over the Black sea near Romania. The Polish Turbolet L-410 aircraft was approached three times by a Russian fighter jet that performed aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres. During the incident, the Polish crew temporarily lost control of the aircraft and altitude.

On Monday, Nato headquarters said that Nato Air Policing troops had been put on alert following the incident.

"We must be aware that the Russian Federation undertakes such actions deliberately and protest actions are necessary, however, they will not change the Russian Federation's approach in this area," Piotr Mueller, Polish government spokesman commented on Monday.

"As part of the North Atlantic Alliance, we are also talking about how to prevent such situations," Mueller added.(PAP)


Photo: (Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has granted over 615,000 public service workers $42 billion in student loan forgiveness since October 2021.

The U.S. Department of Education highlighted the Biden administration's efforts to promote the use of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which is being presented as an alternative option to President Biden's broader student debt forgiveness plan of up to $20,000 per borrower.

The White House is also working to increase access to income-driven repayment plans and promote the PSLF program as a viable alternative.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

According to ABC, the PSLF program was established by Congress in 2007 to assist government and not-for-profit employees by forgiving their student loan debt after ten years of payments (120 total payments).

The idea behind this program was to encourage people to work in public service, a sector where salaries are generally lower than those in the private sector, by easing their financial burden and incentivizing them to continue to serve the public.

However, despite the program's good intentions, it was poorly implemented.

The approval rate among applicants was low, with only around 7,000 borrowers receiving forgiveness before 2021.

As per U.S. Education Undersecretary James Kvaal, many borrowers were unsuccessful in receiving forgiveness due to the wrong type of loans or using ineligible repayment plans, such as bank-based loans made with federal subsidies.

For years, borrowers were making payments under PSLF, thinking they were making progress towards debt cancellation, but the fine print of the program prevented them from receiving forgiveness.

In response to these issues, the Biden administration issued a one-year limited waiver in October 2021 to temporarily change the rules of PSLF.

The waiver addressed some of the program's shortcomings and made it easier for borrowers to qualify for forgiveness.

The Education Department stated that the Biden administration's changes, including the temporary waiver, have greatly expanded the use of the program.

The changes aim to make it easier for public service workers to receive forgiveness by counting all previous payments made by eligible applicants who didn't file the right forms or didn't do so on time.

The Education Department hopes that this change will encourage more people to pursue careers in public service, knowing that they can receive financial support to manage their student loan debt.

Read Also: US Government Partners With NEH To Document Histories of Indigenous Students at Boarding Schools

Qualifying for PSLF

Although the temporary waiver for PSLF has expired, the program remains available to eligible public service employees.

The Hill reported that to qualify for debt forgiveness under PSLF, applicants must be employed full-time by a U.S. federal, local, state, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization, including U.S. military service, and have direct loans or consolidate other federal student loans into a direct loan.

In addition, applicants must make 120 qualifying payments towards their loan.

Student Loan Forgiveness

President Biden has pledged to alleviate the burden of student loan debt, which currently stands at $1.6 trillion and is rapidly increasing for over 45 million borrowers.

Middle-class borrowers often face high monthly payments and growing balances, while those who are most vulnerable are severely impacted by debt.

To fulfill his campaign promise, Biden proposed a loan cancellation plan in August 2022, with a plan to start forgiving loans in October.

According to the White House, the program would forgive up to $10,000 of federal student loan debt for borrowers who make under $125,000 per year or $250,000 as a married couple, with an additional $10,000 forgiven for those who received Pell grants, which are awarded to low-income families.

Related Article: Michigan Student Hailed as Hero for Stopping Out-of-Control School Bus After Driver Passed Out
Photo: (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

During a meeting on Monday, Katherine Sasser, a Missouri School Board member, announced her resignation for her child's safety as a transgender person in Missouri.

Sasser explained that her decision was based on recent legislation introduced by state lawmakers that would have a negative impact on her transgender daughter.

According to the Columbia Daily Tribune, she tearfully expressed that her family would be relocating out of state before the start of the next school year because they no longer felt safe in Missouri.

Sasser's resignation is effective as of Tuesday, and she plans to officially submit her letter of resignation.

She had previously shared her concerns about the proposed legislation during previous board meetings.

Choosing Her Transgender Child's Safety

Katherine Sasser's statement after the board meeting expressed her deep connection to Columbia, Missouri, where she had spent the last two decades of her life.

She arrived in the city as a college freshman at the University of Missouri in 2003, and since then, Columbia has become her home, where she has built her life and raised her family. Sasser expressed her appreciation for the district, which she said had "professionally raised" her.

KOMU reported that Sasser also expressed her sadness and concern over the possibility of a future Missouri where young people are not given the opportunity to appreciate and embrace diversity.

Sasser also expressed her fear of classrooms that only present one point of view, where students cannot be their true selves, and where educators are not trusted to make necessary decisions to serve their students.

She implored people to use their agency and privilege to stand up for those who are being attacked, particularly minorities. She urged people to believe others when they express their needs and to care for each other.

Sasser also took the time to thank various people who have supported her, including Superintendent Brian Yearwood, the Columbia Public Schools staff, fellow board members, educators, friends, family, and the community.

After her remarks, board president Suzette Waters expressed her gratitude to Sasser for her service and the joy she had brought to the community.

Sasser's statement and subsequent ovation serve as a reminder of the profound impact that one person can have on a community and the power of empathy, compassion, and kindness to effect change.

Read Also: Flint Community Schools Implement Backpack Ban Over Safety Concerns Amid Rising Threats and Weapons in Schools

Missouri's Anti-Transgender Bills

According to NBC News, the American Civil Liberties Union reports that this year, Missouri has introduced 48 bills aimed at restricting LGBTQ rights, with only Texas introducing more.

Shockingly, nearly half of those bills are specifically targeted at limiting the rights of transgender individuals.

The situation worsened last month when Missouri's Republican-led House passed a bill that would prohibit gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors.

At the same time, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who was investigating an adolescent gender clinic at St. Louis Children's Hospital, announced an emergency rule that would restrict transition-related care for all transgender people in the state.

The rule, which was set to take effect on April 27, was blocked by a judge a few hours before its implementation, and the judge extended the order until July 20, pending a hearing.

This series of events shows a troubling trend of attacks on the rights of the LGBTQ community, and particularly on the rights of transgender individuals, in Missouri.

It highlights the importance of fighting for equality and protecting the rights of all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Related Article: Safety in Private Spaces Act: Florida Passes Bathroom Bill Targeting Transgender People
Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that Wagner forces will not withdraw from Bakhmut by his previously stated deadline of May 10, despite the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) failing to provide Wagner with additional shells, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said in its Russian offensive campaign assessment for May 9.

"Prigozhin added that the Russian MoD order threatened Wagner with treason if Prigozhin withdrew his forces from Bakhmut, likely one of the reasons why Prigozhin is not following through on his May 5 threat to withdraw from Bakhmut if the Russian MoD failed to fully supply Wagner with ammunition by May 10, a threat he dropped on May 7," the ISW analysts said.

Prigozhin's failure to follow through on his May 5 withdrawal threat indicates that he is cognizant of his dependence on the Russian MoD. Prigozhin attempted to blackmail the Russian MoD into reprioritizing the Bakhmut offensive so he could independently claim victory in the city at the expense of the Russian military's likely preparations ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. Prigozhin likely expected the Russian MoD to entirely cave to his demands at the risk of abandoning their own objectives for regular Russian forces but likely realized he cannot follow through with his ultimatum at this time. Prigozhin also likely anticipated that General Seregi Surovikin would be able to coerce the Russian MoD into satisfying Wagner's demands; but his inability to reach Surovikin, if true, indicates that Prigozhin does not have as much leverage within the Russian MoD as he imagined.

Prigozhin continued to blame high casualties and the slow pace of advances in Bakhmut on other Russian irregular formations to frame Wagner as the only competent force operating in the area. Prigozhin seized the Victory Day holiday as an opportunity to mock Russian President Vladimir Putin and question his judgment.

"Prigozhin referred to a 'happy grandfather' figure who 'thinks that he is good' during a discussion of ammunition shortages and Russia's future prospects in Ukraine. Prigozhin then rhetorically asked what Russia and future generations should do and how Russia can win if the 'grandfather' turns out to be a 'complete asshole.' Prigozhin also noted that unnamed figures (likely referring to Putin and the senior Russian MoD figures) should stop showing off on Red Square. Prigozhin is likely referring to Putin, who is often referred to as 'grandfather' (or more specifically 'Bunkernyi ded' or 'bunker grandfather'), and Prigozhin has previously attacked other senior Russian officials and officers by name  but has not done so against Putin. Prigozhin has previously attempted to upstage Putin's authority through similar rhetorical stunts," the analysts said in the report.

Menawhile, Putin attempted to use Victory Day celebrations to rally Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) partners, many of which have sought to reduce their reliance on the Kremlin since February 2022. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev joined Putin at the Moscow Victory Day parade in Red Square.

"Putin emphasized the importance of CIS leaders attending the event and repeated boilerplate Kremlin rhetoric that Russia is pursuing a multi-polar world order. Putin's latest efforts to rally CIS countries were muted by the reluctance of several Central Asian leaders initially expressed towards attending the Victory Day event, and Lukashenko did not join the rest of the leaders at an earlier wreath-laying ceremony," says the report.
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Patently Apple reported back on January 30, 2023 that Samsung sent an indirect warning to BOE via a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). We followed-up with a report in April confirming that the U.S. ITC had launched a formal investigation into BOE Display's possible infringement of Samsung's OLED patents.

It's being reported this morning that China's top display panel manufacturer BOE Technology Group has slapped rival Samsung Electronics with a series of patent-infringement lawsuits, ratcheting up the intellectual property dispute between the two major Apple suppliers ahead of the launch of new iPhones later this year.

Beijing-based BOE and two of its subsidiaries recently filed six lawsuits against Samsung and its five Chinese entities  mostly display panel and semiconductor companies  at the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate Peoples Court in southwestern China. All of their lawsuits are expected to be heard by the Chongqing court next Thursday, with a follow-up hearing set for August next year.

The legal actions taken by Shenzhen-listed BOE, whose largest shareholder is an asset management firm under the Beijing municipal government, represent the Chinese tech companys first salvo against Samsung, which had instigated a trade dispute last year. For more, read the South China Morning Post report.

Korea's tech site 'The Elec' has chosen to view the patent war differently. The site views that the nature of the Chinese government's proxy war against South Korea is because of their closer relationship with the United States.

The Elec's report in-part took a different take on the matter by providing some additional background information not revealed by others covering this story. According to The Elec, the chairman of BOE in China visited Korea last month without stopping by Samsung Electronics, a major customer.

It is presumed that the reason for this is the fact that BOE recently filed a patent lawsuit against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display in China. At the end of last year, Samsung Display filed a patent infringement investigation targeting BOE with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) for repair organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) imported and sold in the US. In the industry, there are observations that the patent lawsuit between the two companies will escalate beyond nerve warfare.

With BOE filing their patent lawsuit directly against Samsung Display and others, Samsung Display has now gained a reason to expand their fight. Since BOE, a state-run company, has an advantage in the dispute with China, Samsung Display is expected to review in earnest a response strategy that can be deployed in the rest of the world except China. Although it will be difficult for Samsung Display to win against BOE in China, there is a prospect that the dispute may develop in the direction Samsung Display hoped.

Some in the industry have interpreted that the Chinese government is launching a proxy war through the BOE in response to the recent appearance of the South Korean government getting closer to the US government amidst the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China for several years. In Chinese civil cases, the court system adopts the 4th grade, 2nd trial system. China's courts consist of four levels of courts: primary courts, intermediate courts, high courts, and the highest courts. Since the BOE filed a lawsuit in the intermediate court this time, the related cases will all end when the higher court decides. For more, read the full report by The Elec.

On January 04, 2023, prior to Samsung launching their formal complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission on January 30th, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made a bold prediction that China's BOE would overtake Samsung and be the number one OLED supplier for the iPhone.

Kuo's first research point stated: BOE has beaten Samsung and secured most 2H23 new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus display orders. If development and production proceed smoothly over the next few months, BOE will become the largest display supplier for the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, with a market share of around 70% (compared to Samsungs 30%).

I don't know how else to interpret Samsung's swift action weeks later with their complaint with the U.S. ITC other than it being a move to block BOE from winning over Apple's iPhone business.

Apple needs a steady supply of OLED displays and a patent war would be something that Apple would like to avoid.

Did Kuo get it wrong? Did Kuo give Samsung too much time to stop BOE's plan of overtaking Samsung as the lead supplier? While we may never know the answers to those questions, it's pretty clear that a nasty patent war is now underway that's likely to expand before cooler heads prevail.

The Korean Government considers advanced displays to be a protected industry for the health of the nation. So this fight will be fought hard to secure it remains a top supplier of advanced displays for Apple and the industry as a whole.

In the Bigger Picture

In the bigger picture, experts ask US officials to view display industry as key national security asset amid China's growing influence. "The Biden administration is now viewing semiconductors and displays as important engines of economic competitiveness and pillars of national security, because bulking up the manufacturing capacity of these parts creates new jobs and offers value-focused growth opportunities. But the display industry is also following the semiconductor industry in becoming a significant high-tech industry with only a few industry players  most of which are based in Korea, Taiwan and Japan  which have proven manufacturing capability," a senior trade ministry official told The Korea Times. There's a lot more about this issue in that June 2022 article that should be read by those interested in the patent war that is about to break wide open. You could check it out here.
This morning Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer for "The Crowded Room," the gripping, upcoming limited series starring and executive produced by Tom Holland, and created by Academy Award-winning writer and executive producer Akiva Goldsman. The highly anticipated 10-episode series will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on Friday, June 9, 2023.

For those who prefer to Binge-Watch an entire show over a weekend, 'The Crowded Room' will be available in full on July 28th.

"The Crowded Room" follows Danny Sullivan (Holland), a man who is arrested following his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. A captivating thriller told through a series of interviews with curious interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), Dannys life story unfolds, revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a life-altering revelation.

Featuring an ensemble cast led by Holland, the series also stars Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Sasha Lane, Will Chase and Lior Raz along with guest stars Jason Isaacs, Christopher Abbott, Thomas Sadoski and Zachary Golinger.

Apple TV+ debuts trailer for season three of Peabody and Daytime Emmy Award-winning series "Stillwater"

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for the third season of beloved hit "Stillwater," premiering globally on Friday, May 19.

The third season of the Peabody and Daytime Emmy Award-winning series, "Stillwater," centers on siblings Karl (Judah Mackey), Addy (Eva Ariel Binder) and Michael (Tucker Chandler), who encounter everyday challenges  big and small  which sometimes feel insurmountable. Fortunately for these three, they have Stillwater (James Sie), a wise panda, as their next-door neighbor. Through his example, stories and gentle humor, Stillwater teaches the children the concept of mindfulness, while offering them a deeper understanding of their feelings as well as tools that help them face their own day-to-day challenges.

Last week we reported that the Apple TV+ series "Loot" shut down production due to the writer's strike and the series "Severance" is the latest to shut down, according to Deadline. Until the strike is over, it's likely that every U.S. based Apple TV+ series will halt production going forward.

Archive: Apple TV News
According to a new report, EU antitrust regulators are seeking more information on Apple's mobile payment system, the European Commission said on Wednesday, a sign that the enforcer is looking to close any loopholes and boost its case against the iPhone maker.

Reuters notes that "The EU competition watchdog last year accused Apple of restricting rivals' access to its tap-and-go technology, Near-Field Communication (NFC), used for mobile wallets, making it difficult for them to develop rival services on Apple devices.

"We can confirm the sending of requests for information," a commission spokesperson said, while declining to provide details.

Apple has previously pointed to PayPal's success on its iOS mobile operating system as an option for users as well as competition from Danish rival MobilePay, Sweden's Swish and Belgium's Payconiq.

The commission's request for information to rivals and retailers is unusual as it comes three months after Apple defended itself at a Feb. 14 hearing."






Dr. Mario Beauregard, a Canadian cognitive neuroscientist who is currently affiliated with the University of Arizonas Department of Psychology, was a member of the faculty of the Universite de Montreal when, with Denyse OLeary, he wrote The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientists Case for the Existence of the Soul (New York City: Harper Collins, 2007).

On page 10 of The Spiritual Brain, Beauregard and OLeary recount a story that I had forgotten about the terrible crash of an Air France airbus at Lester Pearson International Airport on Tuesday, 2 August 2005. There was a torrential downpour that day, and the plane, which was carrying 309 people, overshot the runway and, as a consequence, burst into flames.

The Canadian minister of transportation was informed that approximately 200 people had perished in the disaster; the governor-general of Canada  Queen Elizabeths stand-in for Canada as a nation of the British Commonwealth  issued an official statement of heartfelt condolences to the families of the crash victims.

After the rain had stopped, though, and after the smoke had subsided, it was discovered that, although 43 passengers had suffered minor injuries, not a single person had died in the crash.

How was this possible?

In any situation like this, multiple factors are involved. Following Beauregard and OLeary, I will highlight just one. The aircraft had come to a halt near Highway 401, Ontarios main traffic artery. Heres what Mark Steyn had to say:

Passing motorists pulled off the road and hurried toward the burning jet to help any survivors. Of the eight emergency exits, two were deemed unsafe to use, and on a third and a fourth the slides didnt work. Nonetheless, in a chaotic situation, hundreds of strangers coordinated sufficiently to evacuate a small space through four exits in less than a couple of minutes before the Airbus was consumed by flames.

Beauregard and OLeary continue:

Many evacuated passengers were later picked up on the shoulder of the 401 and driven by strangers to Air Frances terminal. So . . . hundreds of unrelated people who would never see each other again cooperated to ensure that all got out in time? People offered rides to strangers from other parts of the world . . . ?

Its a wonderful story, but its also a story that raises a very important question. (And there are innumerable stories like it.)

Why would people do such things, why would people risk their lives, for complete strangers? How does evolutionary psychology explain such actions?

Beauregard and OLeary cite a comment about altruism from the science writer Mark Buchanan, writing in New Scientist:

In evolutionary terms it is a puzzle because any organism that helps others at its own expense stands at an evolutionary disadvantage. So if many people really are true altruists, as it seems, why havent greedier, self-seeking competitors wiped them out? (cited on page 9)

Theorists of evolutionary psychology have not shied away from the challenge. (Whether their explanatory hypotheses are plausible, though, is quite another matter.)

Robert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, apparently believes that he has it figured out. Altruism results from a wiring error in human brains, and evolution is wiping altruists out. It simply hasnt yet finished the job:

Our brains misfire when presented with a situation to which we have not evolved a response. (cited on page 10)

Beauregard and OLeary will have none of that, though, and they are impatient with the attempts of others to explain altruism away as actually, in every case, motivated by self-interest (sometimes of the most hyper-subtle and unobvious kind imaginable):

Of course, one can always construct a plausible story . . . to account for altruism as a self-seeking behavior, and many theorists have done so. But surely it makes more sense to conclude that the Toronto strangers who took the risk of helping were not seeking any benefit, either for themselves or their descendants. Nor is evolution somehow bogged down in the process of wiping them out. Nor are their brains wired wrong. Nor are they secretly benefiting in some way relative to passing motorists who do not help. Evolutionary psychologists are simply looking in the wrong places to try to understand their behavior. (page 11)

In his famous 1976 book The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins popularized a gene-centered view of evolution, as opposed to alternative views that were focused on individual organisms or on groups of organisms:

We are survival machines  robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment. . . . Individuals are not stable things, they are fleeting. Chromosomes too are shuffled into oblivion, like hands of cards soon after they are dealt. But the cards themselves survive the shuffling. The cards are the genes. The genes are not destroyed by crossing-over, they merely change partners and march on. Of course they march on. That is their business. They are the replicators and we are their survival machines. When we have served our purpose we are cast aside. But genes are denizens of geological time: genes are forever.

The idea of the selfish gene, if not the phrase itself, had been developed during the 1960s by the British evolutionary theorist W. D. Hamilton and others. The gene-centered view was thought able to account for such phenomena as the instinct of humans (and other animals) to care preferentially (even to the point of self-sacrifice) for their offspring. According to this model, the more closely two individual organisms (including humans) are genetically related to each other, the more sense it makes (as seen from the genetic perspective) for them to behave cooperatively with each other.

Heres how W. D. Hamilton himself put it, in his 1963 book The Evolution of Altruistic Behavior:

Despite the principle of survival of the fittest the ultimate criterion which determines whether [a gene] G will spread is not whether the behavior is to the benefit of the behaver, but whether it is to the benefit of the gene G . . . With altruism this will happen only if the affected individual is a relative of the altruist, therefore having an increased chance of carrying the gene. (pages 354-355)

But genetic relationships and genetic self-interest cannot, by themselves, explain stories like that of the strangers on Ontarios Highway 401 back in August 2005.

Edited to add: Over at the aptly-named Peterson Obsession Board, a frequent commenter who goes by the moniker of Dumb Dud (or something of that sort)  one of the more hostile and more obsessively consistent readers of this blog, but also one of the consistently least competent of them  says that Im claiming that the story of the August 2005 Air France crash (and the survival of all of its occupants) was a miracle. Im not, though. I think it a remarkable story, but I dont claim it to have been miraculous. Thats not even remotely my point.
Every so often I do Conversations Under the Oaks, where I take questions on anything and everything. This most recent edition began with a question thats deep and relevant to more than just Pagans.

Many polls show the Nones to be the fastest growing group, but much of our American culture thinks that either youre in big organized religion or youre an atheist, and those are the only options. I wonder what it will take to recognize a less black and white scenario in mainstream culture.

The core problem is that for most Americans (and really, most Westerners), the only religion they have any exposure to is Christianity. Theyre taught that Christianity is the one true religion and that its the right religion for everyone. They may recognize Judaism as a religion, but they view it through the lens of supersessionism  the idea that Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism and therefore Jews should convert. That idea is highly offensive to Jews, and to many of the rest of us. Other religions are mostly ignored  we still occasionally see rightwing politicians arguing that Islam is not a religion, an idea thats so blatantly false as to be ridiculous.

This core problem then extends to atheism. In his book The God Delusion, New Atheist Richard Dawkins argues against religion, but his definition of religion comes straight out of Christian fundamentalism. He went so far as to wear a t-shirt that said Atheists For Jesus because he appreciated the teachings of Jesus, while refusing to acknowledge the nontheistic-but-still-religious aspects of those teachings.

We dont hear Paganism conflated with Satanism so much anymore, but it still happens occasionally. Some of this is the medieval idea that witches were in league with the devil. Most of it is that too many Americans assume that any religion other than their own must be rooted in the worship of their anti-god.

And so what we end up with is a three-headed taxonomy of religions all centered on Christianity. Real religion is what Christians believe, false religion is what other people believe, and atheism is people who dont believe anything, or at least, anything sufficiently like Christianity.

This centering of Christianity is so pervasive that the Nones (as in none of the above) often call themselves spiritual but not religious. Many of them are quite religious, but religion is so connected to Christianity in general and fundamentalism in particular that they want no part of it.

The good news is that as Christianity continues to decline, those who arent completely indoctrinated (a group that includes Christians who are devoted to their religion but still accepting of those who follow other paths) will begin to understand that religion takes many forms, and will gradually learn a new, more inclusive, more universal definition of religion.

We can help with this in our conversations with ordinary people. We need not and should not proselytize, but we can help by decentering Christianity in our religious discussions. Here are some important concepts we need to understand and promote.

Religion is more than what you believe

The idea that religion is all about what you believe is a modern, Western, Protestant idea. For most people in most of the world for most of history, religion was and is about what you do, who you are, and whose you are. There is a place for belief in religion, but its not the most important thing, much less the only thing.

Religion is about how we live

Whats most important in life? Following a particular moral code? Doing no harm? Doing the most good? Helping others? Taking care of yourself and your family? What are our obligations to each other, and to the world at large?

We dont need to tell other people what religion we follow. They can see for themselves by watching how we live our lives.

Religion doesnt require a holy book

Revealed religions are usually based on books  thats the only way they can spread beyond a tight geographic area. Organic religions arise from the lived experiences of a group of people in a particular place and time.

Many Pagans like to say Nature is our holy book  we learn from the trees, the mountains, the rivers, and all the animals that share the planet with us. We treasure the stories of our ancestors and we value the writing of other people on this path. But the source of our religion isnt a book  its our own lived experiences, and the experiences of our co-religionists.

Religion is the collective wisdom of our ancestors

This is one of the things the Spiritual But Not Religious folks often miss. While each of us must find the path that calls to us, we dont have to start from zero. Our ancestors  of blood and of spirit  built a foundation. We can start there and then go further than they ever imagined.

Religion is a living thing

Good religion is built on a foundation of the past, but it must speak to the needs and experiences of people here and now or it will fade into irrelevance. Or it will be propped up with coercion and force, but thats another rant for another time.

Clinging to cultural norms and moral codes that may  or may not  have made sense centuries ago is no substitute for the hard work of re-examining core values and principles and figuring out how best to apply them in a world that is broader and deeper and has very different needs than in the past.

Religion is best practiced together

Our religious experiences are almost always an individual thing (though most of mine have happened in the context of a small group working). But the religions that flow from those experience are something we do together. Religion is our stories, our songs, our dances, our ceremonies. As my friend and fellow Denton Pagan leader Cynthia Talbot likes to say, you cant dance the Maypole by yourself.

This is where the Nones will always struggle for recognition as a real religion (or as a spirituality, to use their preferred term) and not as a form of atheism. They dont want to practice together, either because they were harmed in other (mostly Christian) groups, or they dont want to make the commitment that group practice requires. Or they dont have time for it, something Calvinist Christians (with their emphasis on work and their worship of capitalism) should consider, as their own numbers continue to decline.

Modern Paganism is growing as a solitary religion, and it has ever since the 1970s. As much I treasure my group practice, Im doing my best to adapt my writing and teaching for those who do not have or do not want a local religious community. But thats a challenge.

There are many religions and they dont all look alike

This is the most religiously diverse society in the history of humanity. We need only look around our communities to find Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, Pagans, and followers of other religions. Each of these religions deserves to be understood on its own terms, not just in terms of how it compares to the Protestant Christianity that still dominates the United States.

Old habits and old ways of thinking die hard. Decentering Christianity and instead centering a broad and inclusive understanding of religion will be a long-term project.

But to return to the original question, our wider society will recognize a less black and white scenario when it learns to see all the colors in the rainbow of religions.
Mitsubishi & Ashdale Engineering celebrate 35 years of delivering advanced automation projects

Mitsubishi Electric and Ashdale Engineering are celebrating 35 years of partnership, focused on bringing highly customised, effective automation solutions to a variety of industries in Northern Ireland.





Spanning over three decades that featured significant technical innovations, the anniversary marks an occasion to look back at key achievements reached by the two companies and how their relationship has grown.



During this 35-year period, Mitsubishi Electric has assisted the electrical engineering and system integration specialist with equipment technical support. This dedication to helping Ashdale Engineering deliver value-adding solutions to the market has been driving the companys competitiveness as well as that of its customers.



Ashdale Engineering, in turn, has continued to grow and become an integral Automation Solution Partner. From investing in talent to training members of its team to become Mitsubishi Electric Certified Engineers, the company has ensured that it can help end users and OEMs benefit from the latest advances in automation.



Over time, Ashdale Engineering has also become one of the largest stockists of Mitsubishi Electric equipment in the region and has had its facility recognised as a Centre of Technical Excellence.



Also, thanks to the close relationship with the automation vendor, it has been shedding a unique light on the needs of different industries to help the development of new products.



In addition to offering new, cutting-edge solutions to companies across industry, the longstanding partners have been upgrading machines and existing setups, extending equipment service life, while ensuring high reliability.



In particular, one of the first Mitsubishi Electric PLCs installed by Ashdale Engineering in a mill approximately 35 years ago is still running today.



Paul Ford, General Manager at Ashdale Engineering, comments: We're confident and proud to offer Mitsubishi Electric products as part of our solutions and its an honour and privilege to work with a partner that values the business relationship so highly.



We were first drawn to the company for the reliability and broad range of its products, which we still recognise to this day, but we quickly came to release that there was so much more that we could benefit from.



The high level of technical support, mutual trust, collaborative approach and shared vision have helped us to deliver best-in-class projects for our customers.



Northern Ireland is a melting pot of different industries, all with highly specific needs, and we strive to deliver the best solution possible for every project with great effort and tenacity.



Adrian Gubbins, Factory Automation Business Unit Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, concludes: Nurturing our Automation Solution Partner base is extremely important for us, and we couldnt be prouder to have such a remarkable and longstanding relationship with Ashdale Engineering.



The company is a true solution provider, as it goes above and beyond to understand customer requirements and help them benefit from the exact system that they need to succeed.



One project I remember fondly is how we worked hard with our partner to develop a highly customised interface that would address the very specific needs of a local water treatment facility.



Over the years, this same approach has helped us push the boundaries of what is possible, helping to create highly innovative and ambitious setups.



Even more, we truly appreciate their unique insights, as they help shape our development activities based on real industry needs. We look forward to working together for another 35 years and beyond!



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If youve enjoyed the new tabs in Windows 11s File Explorer and want to go even further, consider investing seven bucks in the successor to Stardocks wonderful Groupy app, the aptly named Groupy 2.

Stardocks latest software doesnt differ that much from the awesome original Groupy, which debuted in beta way back in 2017. At the time, Microsoft was talking about Sets, a prototype UI that would organize apps in much the same way that browsers organize different webpages. It featured a tabbed interface that kept multiple windows organized together in a unified manner.

Microsoft quietly killed Sets, though, before that vision came to be. Today, Microsoft applies the tabbed interface to Edge, as well as multiple instances of File Explorer and a tabbed Notepad UI. If youd like to keep Word alongside PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook in a single window, however, Windows doesnt allow it. Groupy does.

Related open Excel, PowerPoint and Word files, all within Groupy 2 tabs. Stardock

Whats different in Groupy 2 is that Stardock has allowed you to save tabbed apps as a, well, group, and then launch them as a single click. Weve seen this mechanism elsewhere, most usually in various browsers, where groups of tabs can be saved wholesale and then launched together when its time to shift attention to this new task.

Groupy also allows you to mouse over the app tab to view the open file, and group instances of the same app together.

Groupy 2 supports additional customization options, including the ability to place tabs in a new tab row, color-code them, and more. While Groupy was designed to work with both Windows 10 and 11, the tab experience more closely matches Windows 11. (Microsoft has said that Windows 10 wont be getting any additional feature updates, though it will end support in 2025.)

Groupy 2s configuration options include tab placement, colors, and how theyre grouped. Stardock

Stardock will charge $6.99 for Groupy 2 during the beta period, and increase the price to $9.99 after it ends. The price is for a perpetual license. Stardock said that there are a few additional features that the company plans to add during the beta period.
Passwords have one big flaw: If anyone guesses what your password is, youre left with no defense. Its why we use password managers and two-factor authentication to better safeguard our accounts.

Passkeys, on the other hand, are immune to this issue. In fact, this newer login method is both simpler and more secure. With just a smartphone, you can generate and store passkeys, and they dont require as much interaction or management. Once theyre set up, you just approve login attempts with a PIN or biometrics (e.g., fingerprint or facial identification).

If that sounds exciting, youre in luck. Passkey support beginning to pick up steam, and Google is the latest big corporation to let you log into an account with a passkey. Heres how to get started.

How to set up passkeys for your Google account

On PC, youll begin by heading to the web version of Googles account management. If you plan to set up a phone or tablet, it must be nearby the computer youll be using. The PC also must have Bluetooth and run Windows 10 or 11, and you must use Chrome (version 109 or newer) or another Chromium browser like Edge (version 109 or newer).

Head to myaccount.google.com. On the left side of the page, click on Security. Under How you sign into Google, click on Passkeys. If you dont see this option, youll need first to click on Use your phone to sign in and link your account to a device like a phone or tablet. Click on the blue Use passkeys button.

Youll now see a management screen for your passkeys. If you have any Android devices already logged into your Google account, theyll automatically be available for passkey setup. You just have to log into your account to complete the process.

When youve manually set up a passkey successfully, youll see this confirmation screen. PCWorld

To manually create a passkey, click the white Create a passkey button. If youre on an incompatible PC, youll see a dialog box with a blue button to Use another device. You can choose to set up a device like a phone or tablet by scanning a QR code, or a security key. (For setting up passkeys in a compatible password manager, use the QR code method.)

If you decide you dont like passkeys and want to remove them, you can delete manually added ones by clicking the X button. For automatically added devices, you must remove that phone or tablet from your account.

How to use a passkey to log into your Google account

Once youve set up passkeys for your Google account, they become your default login method. After you enter your user name, youll see a screen prompting you to use your passkey. Click on the blue Continue button.

Once you setup passkeys, they become the default login method. PCWorld

If youve used a phone or tablet (which most people will), youll see another prompt asking if you want to sign in using the passkey on that device. Click continue, then switch to your phone to verify the request with your PIN or biometrics. Youll then be logged inif two-factor authentication is enabled on your Google account, itll only be necessary when logging in with your password. A passkey is considered to already be both something you know (the private encryption key stored on the device) and something you have (the phone). In other words, its two factors already combined into one system.

How passkeys work

At first glance, passkeys may seem less secure due to their simplicity. It can look like a phones facial recognition, fingerprint, or PIN becomes the only thing protecting the Google account.

Passkeys use public-key encryption, also known as asymmetrical encryption, for login authentication. When you create a passkey, a public key and a private key are generated. The public key gets shared with the website (in this case, Google), while you hang on to the private key. You need both to sign into your accountwhenever you try to log on, the website will ask for proof that youre you. If you approve the request, your device will use your secret key to create a digital signature to send to the website, which the website will unencrypt using the public key you gave it. Your PIN (or biometrics) safeguards use of your private key, rather than serving as the full authentication process.

Sync your passkey to the cloud and you can more easily use it across devices (or pick up where you left off, if your primary device is lost or stolen). Google

This process offers better protection against website breaches, since no one can guess your private key based on the public key. Passkeys are also tied to the website theyre generated for, so they cant be captured by fake phishing sites like passwords can.

Passkeys can also be saved in several different waysnot just to your device, but also to hardware security keys, a compatible PC, and the cloud. For cloud backups, you can use a password manager like Dashlane or NordPass, or save them to your operating system (Windows; macOS & iOS). You can control how widely you spread your collection.

Other sites that use passkeys

Google isnt the only major site that supports passkey loginApple beat them to the punch late last summer. You can find more websites (like Best Buy) on this list hosted by password manager 1Password. Password managers will also be more widely adopting passkey support in the coming months, too. Overall, expect passkeys to become more common as the year rolls on.
Google released its first self-branded Android phone in 2010, and has been releasing steady new models at least once a year since then. Its history with tablets is more tumultuous: After getting early hits with the affordable Nexus series, Google tablets have lost out to Samsung and Apple at every turn, and its been almost five full years since the ill-fated Pixel Slate. The $499 Pixel Tablet, fully revealed at Google I/O 2023 after a year of waiting, is taking a new approach by playing on Googles smart home prowess.

Whats different about the Pixel Tablet?

The Pixel Tablet is both a conventional, media consumption-focused slate, comparable to the iPad Air, and a smart home management station, a la Googles own Nest Hub or Amazons more premium Echo devices. Pull the thing out of your bag and its a regular tablet, ideal for surfing or streaming video. But place it on the magnetic speaker dock with POGO pin charging (included in the box, no less!) and it becomes a sort of super-powered Nest screen in what Google calls Hub Mode. From there its ready to manage all your homes lights, music, and other gadgets, or function as a Google Cast screen for the media on your other devices  a first for an Android tablet.

Google

What are the specs of the Pixel Tablet?

If this seems a bit familiar, it should: Amazon tried something similar a few years ago, selling charging docks that would turn its Fire-branded tablets into de facto Echo devices. The difference is the scope. Google is aiming the Pixel Tablet as a more premium device competing directly with mid-range iPads, as opposed to Amazons always-budget Fire line. The Pixel Tablet uses an 11-inch, 25601600 LCD screen, Googles Tensor G2 processor (the same one found in the Pixel 7 phone), 8GB of RAM, and a fingerprint unlock built into the power button.

The tablets looks are a little on the plain side, more like the unassuming Pixel 5 than newer Google phones, with a single 8MP camera on the rear and a matching one on the front. The case uses aluminum with a nano-ceramic coating for a matte finish, available in Porcelain (white, with matching white bezel on the front) or Hazel (grey). An off-pink Rose color is available in some markets, and all are matched to the speaker dock included in the box.

Google Pixel Tablet with Charging Speaker Dock Lifestyle Photography Google

Speaking of that dock, it includes an impressive 15-watt speaker with a 43.5mm driver for four times the bass than the Pixel Tablet alone. When you dock the tablet audio will seamlessly transition to the dock, and the tablets unique triple far-field microphones will start listening for your Okay Google commands, just like any of Googles Nest devices. Oddly the Pixel Tablet lacks the face-scanning powers of the Nest Hub Max, but otherwise itll essentially turn itself into a happy (and cute) little smart screen. You can buy extra docks to rest and charge the tablet around the house or your office, and accessories like the kickstand-packing first-party case work with the dock. Off of that 15-watt charger, Google says the tablet will last for 12 hours of video streaming.

What software does the Pixel Tablet run?

The Pixel Tablet comes with Android 13, the latest version of Googles mobile operating system, with five years of guaranteed updates. And it is definitely mobile  unlike the more professionally-targeted Pixel Slate which ran ChromeOS and was heavily marketed with keyboard add-ons. No, Googles backing off the idea of a productivity device and not intending to compete with cheaper laptops or Microsoft Surface-style gadgets, leaving that space to Chrome-powered tablets like the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet. This thing is all-tablet, all the timewhen its not a smart home hub. The tablet also includes some first-to-Android support for multiple user profiles, ideal for sharing the device around the people in your home.

Google

How much will the Pixel Tablet cost?

Which brings us to the price. Google is asking $499 for the Pixel Tablet (599 in the UK). Its up for pre-order now, shipping in June. That puts it between the price of the standard iPad and the upgraded iPad Air, with better storage (128GB on the base model versus 64GB) and the included dock in the box, but sans the option for a 5G upgrade. On paper its a great deal, even if Googles tablet is thicker and heavier than the svelte Air.

But Google has spent the last five years more or less ignoring the Android tablet market, ceding the hardware space almost entirely to Samsung, Amazon, and Lenovo, and giving app developers little to no reason to focus on software experiences for bigger screens. Perhaps the announcement of the Pixel Fold, Googles first foray into folding phones, will give Android a long-overdue reason to focus on more than five-to-six inches of screen space. And perhaps pairing the Pixel Tablet to Googles more solid position in the smart home space will give it a necessary boost on the competition.

But speaking as someone whos been with Google hardware since that very first phone, various Nexus tablets, the Pixel C and the Pixel Slate, I wouldnt hold my breath. Positioning this as a premium tablet in the same space as the iPad, and thus competing with Apples best-in-the-industry tablet interface and app support, is an aggressive move from a company that hasnt earned the trust of tablet users after a decade of attempts.
Ukraines Main Intelligence Agency: If Ukraine wanted to do smth in Moscow on May 9, they would have seen the effect

Representative of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, commenting on information in the Russian media about the alleged attempt by Ukrainian forces to attack Moscow with drones on May 9, said that if Ukraine really wanted to do something, "this effect would have been seen."

"I think that if Ukraine wanted to do something in Moscow on May 9, we would certainly see this effect. More than once there have been statements by public figures and the military-political leadership that our goal is military facilities. What concerns propaganda events is of little interest," Yusov said on the air of the national telethon.

He stressed that the main threat to the residents of the Russian Federation on May 9 "came from their regime and their power bloc."

Earlier, Yusov stated that Russia may be preparing another provocation against the civilian population, as well as against Belarus by May 9.
Is Bard back? Google unveiled fundamental new improvements to its AI chatbot during the companys I/O 2023 keynote on Wednesday, with new Duet AI powers fundamentally improving its Workspace productivity apps as well.

AI has been one of the unexpected breakthroughs of the past year, with nearly daily updates from tech giants big and small implementing AI. Even the U.S. government wants to use AI. Google, long the dominant player in search, has had its reputation undermined by AI models like ChatGPT and even generative AI art from Midjourney.

Google has lagged behind OpenAIs ChatGPT and Microsofts Bing in terms of AI, launching its own Bard chatbot in February, a day before Microsoft had publicly launched Bings AI chatbot. So far, Bard has seemed to prioritize search, knowing up-to-the-minute facts. In fact, if you ask Bard a query, one of the possible outcomes is to Google it for more information. However, Bard has offered less creativity than either ChatGPT or Bing, tying for second in our March showdown between the three AI chatbots.

But now, you can try out Bard for itself  Google said its eliminating the waitlist and opening it up to general use.

Closer integration between other Google services and Bard will enable Bard to display Google Maps. Mark Hachman / IDG

With a new PaLM 2 large language model underneath it, Bard can now understand twenty programming languages, and can now better understand and provide code. It can even link to the code and analyze it, Google executives said. That code can then be able to be exported and tested via a collab  a remote test server.

More tools are also coming to Bard, with extensions that are essentially third-party plug-ins. Its beginning with Googles own services, using images both as inputs and outputs. In part, that will be done with Google Lens. Maps will be integrated as well, so that Bard will output mapping directions.

A rather nice new look for Google Bard, with integrated images. Mark Hachman / IDG

Plugins from Khan Academy and Adobe Firefly are coming, executives added. It appears that Bard will not create generative AI images itself, but use the third-party Firefly app instead.

AI is coming to Google Workspace

Google was expected to follow the trail blazed by Microsoft with its various Copilot AI enhancements for Microsoft 365: adding generative text creation to Google Docs, for example, and AI assistance when creating a Slides presentation. Microsoft has shown off key features of how Copilot works, including the ability to skip meetings by using a follow feature that combines automated transcription with an AI tool that you can query to reveal why other participants made their decisions.

Being able to describe what you want to do and then let AI handle it (in this case, Google Sheets) is an ideal use for AI. Mark Hachman / IDG

That indeed happened at I/O 2023. Google showed off how a simple text description in Docs could create a sophisticated job description. In Slides, Google showed off how a poem prompt could generate an image, applying different styles. Trusted testers will be able to try this next month, Google said. It will be wrapped up in a new service called Duet AI for Workspace.

Google also demonstrated generative text-writing in Docs using prompts  an AI suggested a few paragraphs, then asked the user how to proceed. Images were suggested, too. Google appears to believe that users will respond better to prompts than having to suggest everything themselves.

Though Bard will use plugins like Firefly, Google does have its own generative AI art capability, as this Slides shot shows. Mark Hachman / IDG

Google additionally showed off how AI can be used to pull up and enhance Workspace files that you already have, such as creating speaker notes for a presentation on the fly.

Googles AI foundation: PaLM 2

CNBC had previously reported that Google is improving the underlying capabilities of Bard and other models, adding a more powerful PaLM 2 model that can speak 100 languages. Google executives said PaLM 2 is supposed to better understand logic and coding, and possibly images as well. Thats important, given that AI input has been largely text-based, for now. On the other hand, for years Google has offered image searching capabilities that use your smartphones camera, so its hard to imagine that capability wouldnt appear in Googles AI engines.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said that over 25 products would be powered by PaLM 2, with differently sized models. The smallest, Gecko, can work natively on mobile devices. Google will even have a version for medical devices, called Med-PaLM.

Interestingly, Google is building in watermarking to any of its generative AI art. The metadata will signify when an image is created by AI, so that content creators will get credit and to avoid misinformation.

This story was updated at 11:36 AM with additional details.
Absa bank has taken its flagship education and skills programme  ReadytoWork  to the northern part of Ghana, as part of a concerted effort to empower the Ghanaian youth with financial, entrepreneurial and work skills.



Representatives of the bank, led by Head of Citizenship, Priscilla Yeboah, engaged more than 250 final-year students at the Tamale Technical University on a diversity of topics, including financial management, leadership, workplace culture, career strengths and how to start a business.



The ReadytoWork curriculum utilizes modern tenets of entrepreneurship, leadership and financial management to empower todays youth in navigating the challenging work environment. The initiative also has a webinar series, which has become a leading platform for empowering and equipping the Ghanaian youth with modern skills to transit from school into the world of work.



In an age of fast-paced economic transformation and dynamism, access to employment has become a game of intense competition. New skills are required in a world where digital technology, buoyed by artificial general intelligence, is at the forefront of creativity and innovation. What the ReadytoWork initiative seeks to do is give the youth an early start in the job market.



Head of Citizenship at Absa Bank Ghana, Priscilla Yeboah said Empowering the youth with cutting-edge skills to win in the marketplace is a crucial construct of our educational and skills initiative in Ghana. With a brand promise that empowers Africas tomorrow, together with a strong storytelling ethos and support, we see this programme as a game changer that will contribute to sustainable youth empowerment in the country. We always want to play a crucial part in helping the youth to fulfil their career and leadership aspirations, and we are happy to see this come to life.



Last year, Absa donated 50 computers and accessories to the same University, following an urgent request from the schools leadership for support.

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Professor Dominic Fobih, a former Minister of Education, has made headlines after tying the knot with a 31-year-old woman.



The 80-year-old former Member of Parliament for Assin South was captured on video dancing with his new wife, who was dressed in a white and gold beaded-laced corset gown, to the love song 'Fatia Fata Nkrumah' by Dada KD.



The wedding has sparked public discussion, with some making claims about the marriage, including allegations that Professor Fobih has nine wives.



In response to these claims, the professor stated that he only has one wife and that most of the claims are due to ignorance and misinformation.



I dont have nine wives, I have one wife, I just got married. I didnt have a wife before so Ive just got married. Who in Ghana has nine wives. If anybody is commenting on nine wives the person has been misled. Those who are commenting are commenting on what theyve read and that is borne out of ignorance, Prof. Fobih said in a radio interview with Accra-based Starr FM on Tuesday (May 9, 2023).



He added that he married for himself and not for anyone else.



Im a very strong-willed person and Im always convinced about what I decide to do and is best for me. I know why Im doing this and so they can tell all sort of things. I didnt marry for anybody, I married for myself, Prof. Fobih added.



Professor Fobih, who was a legislator from January 2001 to January 2017 on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, described himself as a strong-willed person who knows what is best for him.



The ceremony has since gone viral on social media, with many sharing their opinions about the marriage.









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The American Tower Corporation (ATC) has held a media engagement in a bid to enhance public knowledge about its activities and make itself known.



The engagement, chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of ATC Ghana, Yahaya Yunusa and the head of legal, Enid Kanor enlightened journalists about the key roles of the firm.



The American Tower Corporation as a global digital infrastructure company keeps people and industries connected by providing the real estate necessary for todays wireless communications.



The firm serves its customers through tower sites and other real estate solutions that support connectivity and opportunity.



Yahaya Yunusa said the company constructs telecommunication towers to lease to multiple customers to deliver fast and world-class wireless connectivity services to consumers and businesses alike.



Regulated by the National Communications Authority, Mr Yahaya said the company have over 4000 sites in Ghana creating 178 direct and 12,716 employments to over 90% Ghanaians.



He said the Ghanaian economy benefits from the company through taxes and revenue to the government, direct support to the digitization agenda, training and employment of Ghanaians (workers being 99% citizens), and investment in local vendors amongst others.



With regards to concerns about towers posing a health risk to residents in communities, the head of legal, Enid Kanor said theres no medical research to back those claims.



She also noted that falling towers in some parts of the county cannot be associated with the ATC as they build their towers with the strictest expertise and conduct regular maintenance.



On some challenges faced by the ATC, Enid Kanor bemoaned the high-cost of land to build a tower, high fuel prices as they use the generator to provide backup power to their customers and also the rampant stealing of batteries and siphoning of fuels from their generators.



Despite the challenges, Mr Yahaya says the ATC remains committed to investing and developing wireless infrastructure solutions across the country.

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The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of its Experience Ghana, Share Ghana campaign has visited Kakum National Park, Cape Coast Castle, and Elmina Castle in the Central Region, and Nzulezu, Bisa Abrewa Museum, and Ankasa Resource Reserve in the Western Region.



The move by the GTA is to encourage domestic tourism in the country and market both popular and unfamiliar tourist sites domestically and internationally.



Speaking on why Ghanaians need to visit castles and forts in Ghana, Robert Morgan Mensah, Head of Education at the Castle, said it is important to learn about Ghanaian history and to honour the memories of those who suffered during the slave trade.



"It is fascinating to learn about the different powers that occupied and fought over the same piece of land over the centuries. The dungeons, governor's residence, tunnels, and other areas give visitors a glimpse into the harsh realities of the transatlantic slave trade. It is again significant to know the symbolism of the Door of No Return and the Door of Return and the role the castle played in the propagation of Christianity in Ghana".



Benjamin Amoah, a tour guide trainee at Elmina Castle, also noted that visiting the castle offers a chance to appreciate the architecture and craftsmanship that have survived for over five centuries.



At Kakum National Park, Mr. Samuel Dunkwa, Assistant Wildlife Officer with the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, revealed that the park has a gift shop where visitors can purchase locally made clothes, jewelry and artifacts.



"Currently, Kakum National Park has diverse plant and animal species, with more than 100 mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The park offers a variety of activities for visitors to enjoy, such as the canopy walkway, nature walks, treehouse camping, and watching butterflies. There are also recreational facilities like a children's park and an amusement park where visitors can host small programs. The park has restaurants that serve delicious local food and a gift shop where visitors can purchase locally made cabins, clothes, and artifacts. The waiting area is also well-furnished and equipped with movies of animals in their natural habitat".



On his part, Sam Isaac, Tourism Officer in-charge of Ankasa Reserves Area, said that the Ankasa National Park offers visitors the opportunity to experience the beauty of Ghana's nature and unique wildlife. "The park is easily accessible by road and can be visited as a day trip or as part of a longer trip to the Western Region. It is an ideal destination for nature lovers, bird watchers, and anyone interested in exploring Ghana's rich nature".



The team further visited Nzulezu, a community noted for its distinctive architecture, with houses built on stilts above the water. The community is also known for its traditional fishing practices. It has its own school, church, and clinic, and residents rely on the lake for transportation, food, and water.



Finally, the team made a stop at the Bisa Abrewa Museum, a private Pan-African Museum that showcases the rich history and culture of Africa and Africans in the diaspora. It features over 200 artifacts, including statues, arts, pictures, and vessels made of gold, bronze, and brass, some of which are 400 years old.



The Domestic Tourism campaign is under the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) being undertaken under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.



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National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has stated that the party's planned parliamentary and presidential elections will come off as planned.



According to him, nothing will stop the elections and asked anybody who has grievances to consult the leadership of the party for rectification.



The Campaign team of Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, a flagbearer aspirant for the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is seeking a postponement of the May 13 Presidential Primaries over what they describe as a flawed register.



A petitioned sent to the Electoral Commission and Election Committee of NDC on May 8, 2023 under the signature of Kofi Kukubor, Head of Research and Strategy with the campaign team of Dr. Duffuor stated that extensive review of the voters' register or photo album for 220 Constituencies have identified several discrepancies that render the register incomplete or inaccurate.



The campaign team said going into an election with such a register undermines the credibility and integrity of the election and capable of causing irreparable damage to the flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, therefore demanding the following:



1. Postponement of the May 13th Presidential Primaries.



2. Stakeholders meeting to establish an agreeable roadmap that will guarantee the integrity of the voters register.



3. Clean the register within an agreeable time frame to ensure free and fair election.



4. To save the image of the NDC so that the party can have a credible voice so that the party can speak on national election matters when the need arises.



But speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained that he could not fathom why the Duffuor campaign team are trying to make things difficult for themselves.



They have already been furnished with voters' register, and the photo album provided to them is an added document that the leadership of the party decided to provide so that they will have a fair idea of the voters.



"There is nothing wrong and no one is rigging the elections for nobody. The leadership of the party will organize a press conference and outline all the processes for the elections. Anybody with peculiar problems should endeavour to be present and have all those bottle necks removed," he said.



"Nonetheless, the party's presidential and parliamentary primaries will definitely come off as planned," he added.



Watch Video Below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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WILLIAMSPORT  A Clinton County man who as a convicted felon illegally possessed firearms including silencers from China has been sentenced to more than six years in prison.

The six-year, five-month jail term followed by three years supervised release was imposed Tuesday by U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on John Davis Nixon, 45, of Lock Haven.

When he pleaded guilty in November he admitted receiving silencers from China on three dates in December 2020 and once each in February and March the following year. The last shipment contained two silencers.

Nixon also admitted possessing the following weapons and ammunition: a 12-gauge shotgun and the following ammunition: 999 rounds of 5.56, 375 rounds of 12-gauge, 1,031 rounds of 9mm, 69 rounds of .38 caliber, 30 rounds of .40 caliber, 815 rounds of .22 caliber, 30 rounds of 20 gauge and 200 rounds of Grendel.

Included in the sentence is the forfeiture of the weapons, silencers and ammunition.

Nixons record includes charges of theft, simple assault, drugs and driving under the influence.

More:

Pa. man arrested after cheating argument escalates into forced entry, gunshot

Mom, daughter admit to stealing from Pa. credit union where they worked
A new style of Yuengling Lager will soon be available, celebrating military service members.

D.G. Yuengling & Sons announced that their limited-edition Team RWB camo cans will be returning, as part of the companys Stars & Stripes program. The move is in partnership with the military veteran nonprofit group Team Red, White & Blue.

The special Team RWB cans, emblazoned with a unique desert camouflage print and Team RWB logo, mark just one of the many ways Yuengling continues to honor Americas veterans, read a statement on the companys website. Starting this month, the limited-edition cans will be available across the brewerys 23-state footprint in 12pk/12oz and 24pk/12oz cans and single-serve 24oz cans until the end of the summer, available for purchase at fans favorite stores, restaurants and bars.

The statement added that the cans will be available in all 26 states where Yuengling is sold.

Each can also has a QR code, which when scanned, will allow customers to engage with additional features. Among them are a giveaway to win tickets to a performance with Lee Brice, the companys Stars & Stripes brand ambassador, and info on how to donate to Team RWB.

For more information about Yuengling, visit their official Facebook page or read the full statement on their website here.
You know what they say about one mans trash.

A church undergoing renovations sold two stained glass windows initially thought to be nothing special. Turns out they were Tiffany glass.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports how a historic church in Philadelphia originally built for St. Pauls Presbyterian Church in 1901 was sold last summer to the Emmanuel Christian Center at the price of $1.7 million.

The same Inquirer article details how William Brownlee Sr.  the new pastor  envisioned a church which had more of an updated vibe, and thus won a battle against preservationists to renovate the 122-year-old building (the location failed to get a status as a historic site). This involved gutting the church and removing items such as pews and the wood trim, as well as two stained glass rose windows.

These furnishings were sold to an architectural salvager for $6,000 total, windows included. Thing is, the pair ended up being identified as rare Tiffany glass.

According to New York Encyclopedia, Tiffany glass  as created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, founder of the famed blue-boxed jewelry brand  are coveted works of rich colors inspired by medieval Rome and Syria.

Such glass is extremely valuable, such as the two stained glass windows from the church, which were estimated to be worth between $150,000 and $250,000 apiece.

If no one said they were Tiffany, you sure couldnt tell it by the glass, Paul Brown  the architectural salvager  later said to the Inquirer.

As previously stated: One mans trash 
Press Release

May 10, 2023 Senate adopts reso congratulating Israel on its 75th anniversary The Senate today adopted a resolution congratulating Israel on its 75th anniversary which will be celebrated on May 14, 2023. Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, who sponsored Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 59, said the relationship between Israel and the Philippines is deeply rooted in faith as well as the countries' common beliefs. For his part, Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri showed a video clip of the patrol boats the country recently purchased from Israel. He said that half of the fast-craft patrol boats would be built in the Philippines. Zubiri said Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are well-loved and like by the Israeli people. "They were so friendly to the Filipinos. Maybe because of the fact that we were friendly to them once upon a time in their nation's history," Zubiri said, adding that the Philippines has a visa-free access to Israel. In 1934, the Philippines opened its door to 1,300 European Jews who sought refuge from persecution. Villanueva said that when the Israelis sought to create the State of Israel in 1947, the Philippines was one of the 33 countries that voted for the UN resolution in favor of Israel and the only Asian country to support the resolution. Sen. Risa Hontiveros expressed her support for the adoption of the SRN 59 and prayed "to bring people together instead of driving them apart as well as to protect all children instead of teaching them to hate." Sen. Robin Padilla, a devote Muslim, lauded Israel for its "freedom of religion" policy. He said he was free to visit any mosque when he visited Israel as an ordinary citizen. Sen. Sonny Angara said the Philippines has a lot to learn from a state like Israel, which is a very innovative state and a world leader in research and development and agricultural technologies. Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa expressed his support for the resolution, saying that he had a very good working relationship with his Israeli counterparts during his stint at the police force, especially in the aspect of counter-terrorism. He expressed his admiration for the country and its people and hoped the Filipinos could adopt the same patriotic sense of the Israeli people. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano thanked the Israeli people for its unwavering support to the Philippines. He said the two countries had continued a relationship despite the distance between them. "Since the establishment of the modern State of Israel, the Philippines and the State of Israel are always friends and partners in the spirit of perpetual firm and lasting peace," Villanueva said in his sponsorship speech. He said the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1958, after establishing a diplomatic relation on August 9, 1957. Both nations continue to share holistic democratic values, freedom and civil rights as manifested in the 14 major bilateral agreements between them, he added. Villanueva said Israel continued to support Filipinos at the height of the pandemic. Filipino diplomatic staff, OFWs, Agro-Studies On-the Job Training participants and OFWs with expired working permits or undocumented migrants were administered COVID-19 vaccines at community centers in Israel. The Jewish nation also donated more than US$450,000 worth of medical supplies, testing kits, and educational equipment to the Philippines in 2020. "Here in the Senate, there is an existing Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association, which was formalized when Senate Resolution No. 114 was unanimously adopted by the Senate in the 18th Congress on July 24, 2018. The Resolution conveyed the sense of the Senate to fully promote, support and enhance Philippines-Israel relations," Villanueva said. "Mr. President, this representation joins the State of Israel in the celebration of its 75th founding anniversary in commemoration of both nations' steadfast and unwavering commitment to its harmonious and peaceful diplomatic relations," he added. All members of the Senate were made co-authors and co-sponsors of the measure.
In some areas of Bakhmut direction, enemy cant hold pressure of AFU, retreat to distance of up to two kilometres - Syrsky

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, reported on effective counterattacks by Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut direction, as a result of which the enemy retreated to a distance of up to 2 kilometers in some sections of the front.

Thanks to the well-thought-out defense in Bakhmut direction, we get the results of effective actions of our units. In particular, we conduct effective counterattacks. In some areas of the front, the enemy could not hold the pressure of the Ukrainian defenders and retreated to a distance of up to 2 kilometers, he wrote on the Telegram channel.

Syrsky stressed that the competent conduct of the defense operation exhausted the trained forces of the PMC Wagner and forced them to replace them in certain areas with poorly trained units of the regular troops of the Russian Federation, which were defeated and withdrew.

He also noted that despite the significant concentration of troops and loud statements by Russian war criminals about their intentions to take Bakhmut before May 9, the enemy could not capture the town.

Our defense forces reliably hold the front and do not allow the enemy to advance. The battle for Bakhmut continues  I would like to note separately the work of the 3rd separate assault brigade, which dealt a powerful blow to the enemy in battle and showed the power of the Ukrainian army, added Syrsky.
ALLEN, Texas  The gunman accused in the mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets brought with him eight legally purchased weapons, authorities said at a news conference Tuesday.

Three of the weapons were on him and five others were in his vehicle at the time of the shooting, said Hank Sibley, the Texas Department of Public Safetys North Texas regional director. It was unclear where he bought them, or what kind of weapons they were.

The briefing at Allen City Hall was the first time authorities have briefed the public since Saturdays massacre, when, at two news conferences  opportunities for media to ask for details  officials declined to answer questions.

Only six questions, which spanned about three minutes, were answered Tuesday.

The shooting Saturday about 3:30 p.m. killed eight people and wounded seven others at the mall on West Stacy Road near U.S. Highway 75. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene including the gunman, who was shot by a police officer. Two others died at the hospital.

Of the seven additional people who were wounded, one was in critical condition, one was in serious condition, two were in fair condition and two were in good condition, Medical City Healthcare said Tuesday morning. It was unclear what hospital the final patient was being treated at or what their condition was.

Sibley said determining the gunmans motive is the focus of the investigation.

Why did he do this? Well, the big question is, we dont know, Sibley said. Thats what the investigation is trying to find out.

Sibley confirmed, however, that the gunman had a neo-Nazi ideation. He said investigators havent found a manifesto yet to his knowledge, but are analyzing the gunmans cellphone and computer.

A social media profile reviewed by The Dallas Morning News that appeared to be tied to the gunman showed he had espoused an obsession with violence and extremist ideology. Asked whether investigators were aware of a website where the gunman appeared to post photos of a swastika on his arm, Sibley said officials are aware of the site and are investigating it.

To me, it looks like he targeted the location rather than a specific group of people, Sibley said. He was very random in the people he killed. It didnt matter the age, same race or sex. He just shot people  which is horrific in itself.

Authorities also noted warrants were carried out at two locations, which sources previously told The News were a Budget Suites hotel and a home in northeast Dallas. Sibley said the man was not on law enforcements radar before the shooting, and stated its too early to classify the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.

Sibley confirmed reports that the gunman was in basic training in the military in 2008, but said officials questioned whether he was fit for duty. He said the gunman also had an expired private security license and worked at multiple private security firms.

The gunman had not previously worked at Allen Premium Outlets, Sibley said.

On Tuesday, The Dallas Morning News learned the gunman ordered a rare rifle and two handguns from a Garland gun store in 2021, putting down a $100 deposit for each. But the guns were on back order and difficult to get, especially during the pandemic, said John Mannewitz, who owns Targetmaster with his family.

In February, after two years of waiting, the gunman requested the return of his $300 deposit and received it, Mannewitz said. The rifle, a KR-103, is similar to the AK-47 and costs about $1,000, he said. But the ammunition is less expensive than other semi-automatic rifles, he said.

The SIG Sauer P226 and the Beretta 92FS pistols were also difficult to acquire at the time, he said.

Im kind of surprised he waited two years, Mannewitz said.

FBI agents came by the store on Sunday to ask about the gunman, said Mannewitz.

Theres nothing about him I remember, he said.

Allen police Chief Brian Harvey said the Allen police officer who killed the gunman within three to four minutes of the first shots demonstrated tremendous bravery, but added officials arent prepared to release his name.

Sibley said the officer undoubtedly saved countless lives.

If he hadnt been there, Sibley said, I think wed have had a much more severe situation.

Police officers gather at an entrance of a shopping mall, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. Police say one person was killed and three other people were wounded in a shooting at Cielo Vista Mall. One person has been taken into custody, El Paso police spokesperson Sgt. Robert Gomez said. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

The victims killed Saturday were identified as Cho Kyu Song, 37; Kang Shin Young, 35; James Cho, 3; Daniela Mendoza, 11; Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26.

Harvey commended LaCour, who was a security guard at the mall. Harvey said LaCour was able to get one person to safety before he was killed while trying to help others.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough said the FBIs victim services team and community partners have provided resources to over 30 families and over 100 people so far. In addition, 1,100 vehicles have been returned to their owners.

Yarbrough said people can retrieve their personal belongings left at the mall at the family assistance center located at the Allen Senior Recreation Center, 451 St. Mary Drive. The center will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Our community also responded with an overwhelming show of support for the victims, the victims families and public safety, Harvey said. And we are grateful.

Now that investigators have finished processing the crime scene, property managers will decide when to reopen the mall.

The investigation is ongoing and now being led by the Texas Rangers.

Jamie Landers, Kelli Smith, Isabella Volmert and Kevin Krause of The Dallas Morning News wrote this story.

2023 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut state representative and a wrong-way driver were both over the legal limit for alcohol when they were killed in a highway crash in January, according to government officials and state police.

Middletown Democrat Quentin Williams, 39, died in the early morning hours of Jan. 5 as he returned home from Gov. Ned Lamonts inaugural ball in Hartford. His car burst into flames after it was struck head-on by the wrong-way driver on Route 9 southbound in Cromwell.

FILE - State Rep. Quentin Williams, D-Middletown, center, applauds during Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's state of the state address on Jan. 4, 2023, in Hartford, Conn. Williams died in a crash early the next morning. (Brian O'Connor/Connecticut House Democrats via AP, File)AP

The other driver, Kimede Mustafaj, 27, of Manchester, had a blood-alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to a toxicology report obtained by local media. Mustafaj also had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system, the report says.

State police said Wednesday that the full accident report was not yet publicly available because it was still being reviewed. Authorities have placed full blame for the crash on Mustafaj.

State House Speaker Matt Ritter told lawmakers and Capitol reporters Tuesday that the state public safety commissioner, James Rovella, notified him that toxicology tests showed Williams was over the legal limit.

Ritter said he had not seen the report and it wasnt clear what exactly Williams blood-alcohol level was. He said the news did not take anything away from Williams stature as a dedicated public worker and rising political star.

He was an incredible person and his legacy is, you know, to us ... the same legacy that he created and established ... with the work that he did in Middletown and for the state of Connecticut, Ritter said.

The crash happened hours after Williams was sworn in for a third term.

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The attorney representing the owners of the Residences at Governors Square, an affordable housing complex in Harrisburg, on Tuesday gave assurances to residents that they should feel little impact as a result of a bankruptcy filing.

Robert Chernicoff, attorney for Uptown Partners, said it was much too early in the legal process to ascertain specifics about the eventual outcome of the filing, but that residents, in general, should not be concerned about their residency.
An east Alabama motel owner was arrested after police claim he illegally dumped hundreds of mattresses riddled with bedbugs in a wooded area.

Dharmeshkumar Patel, owner of the Lanett Inn, was charged with five counts of criminal littering, LaFayette Police Chief Investigator Lt. Roderick Brock told WRBL.

Patel reportedly told police investigators he was renovating the motel and tried to dispose of the mattresses but could not find a facility that would take the bug-infested bedding.

He called around to the proper places where you can dispose of them, and they would not take them, so he was aware that the surrounding locations would not take that amount, Brock said.

About 200 bedbug-infested mattresses and box springs were found last week on Chambers County Road 92, prompting the police investigation.

Patel told police he hired a crew to dispose of the mattresses but did not share any names with authorities, Brock said.

The cleanup was estimated to cost $10,000.

Brock said additional arrests may be forthcoming.

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A man who arranged to meet a fellow animal lover at a Woodbridge dog park so their French bulldogs could play on Friday was lured to a nearby apartment complex, where his dog was stolen, officials said.

After being connected by a mutual acquaintance, the 22-year-old brought his bulldog Enzo to met the other man at Woodbridge Dog Park on Cliff Road in the Sewaren section of town, police said.

The other man suggested they go to his mothers nearby apartment to pick up additional dogs to play, according to Woodbridge police.

When they arrived at Fox Hill Run apartments on Fox Hill Run Drive, another man swiped Enzo and fled in a black Nissan SUV at about 4:15 p.m., police said.

While the victim told NJ Advance Media the thieves have demanded $8,000 for the return of the dog, a police spokesman said they are treating the incident as a theft.

The stolen dog has a microchip so it can be identified if found.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
A public forum on police practices in the Harrisburg area and beyond will be livestreamed this evening on the PennLive.com Facebook page. You can also watch it here, once it begins at 6 p.m.

The Community Summit on Policing, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, features a keynote address by Georgetown University law professor Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor who authored the critically-acclaimed 2017 book Chokehold: Policing Black Men.

The forum is being held at St. Stephens Cathedral, 221 N. Front St. in Harrisburg. Doors will open at 5 :30 p.m.

COMMUNITY SUMMIT ON POLICING The Pennsylvania Council of Churches holds a Summit on Policing at St. Stephens Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pa., May 10, 2023. Keynote speaker is Paul Butler, author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men, and a professor at Georgetown University. Posted by PennLive.com on Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Organizers hope area residents will turn out to share their experiences with police.

Law enforcement officials will be present to hear those stories, and offer their own perspectives, as part of a discussion panel building off of Butlers remarks, including: Chad Dion Lassiter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; David Splain, president, Pennsylvania Association of Police Chiefs; and Jennifer Gettle, Deputy District Attorney, Dauphin County.
Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard during Listening to Listeners, an original Today in Pa. segment that occurs every other Friday.

You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | May 10, 2023

A bag with Bob Marley on it  and over $400,000 in it  was seized at Philadelphia International Airport. Some experts say that the best way to keep juvenile crime down is by creating in-school youth courts run by students. The states RV industry is still going strong, even after the pandemic. Also, this college student is sneaking his way into success.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.

As sponsored by Renewal by Anderson of Central PA.
Twelve facilities in Pennsylvania  mostly power plants - produce roughly one-fifth of all the commonwealths greenhouse gas emissions, according to an analysis of federal data by PennEnvironment released Tuesday.

The concentration of the states greenhouse gas output in a handful of single sites, PennEnvironment said, points to the need for Pennsylvania to make bolder moves when it comes to tackling climate change  namely the transition from fossil fuel power generation to renewables.

The report represents a wake-up call, and a call to action, said Sen. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, the sponsor of several bills this session involving clean energy.

PennEnvironment, an environmental research and advocacy group, complied its analysis by pulling data from the federal Environmental Protection Agencys facility-level reports.

In Pennsylvania, 287 facilities have sufficient outputs of greenhouse gases to qualify for individual reporting to the EPA, according to PennEnvironment. Those facilities make up 40 percent of the commonwealths total greenhouse gas output, and the top 12 of them make up 20 percent.

One of the top polluting facilities is a steel plant; the remainder are power plants. Of those, five are natural gas-fired facilities that have come online since 2018, the report found.

Natural gas produces fewer greenhouse gases than coal- or diesel-fired power plants, and has been promoted in the past as a bridge source of electricity to replace dirtier power plants until more zero-output renewables, like wind and solar, come online.

In 2017, according to EPA data, Pennsylvania power generation emitted the equivalent of 80 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; as of 2020, that had dropped to 73 million metric tons, as part of a pandemic-era slow-down seen across all emission sources.

The limited impact of new natural gas facilities on greenhouse gas output shows it is a bridge fuel  its a bridge to climate catastrophe, Zachary Barber, an analyst and advocate with PennEnvironment, said Tuesday.

Those new facilities will likely be online for decades, Barber said, presenting a roadblock to the further implementation of zero-carbon renewables - which need to replace coal and natural gas at a much faster rate in order to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.

That issue has been debated in Harrisburg for years, with natural gas proponents arguing that the switch to natural gas has been more successful over the broader term, and that - while not zero-emission - the rise of high-capacity natural gas generating plants like those identified in the PennEnvironment study has been a net positive.

Pennsylvania power generation emitted as much as 130 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents back in 2005; the decline in recent years is largely attributable to natural gas share of power generation doubling over the time period, and coal being cut in half, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Natural gas has been the single greatest driver in reducing harmful emissions over the past dozen years, David Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade group for natural gas developers, said in a statement Tuesday.

Barbers group supports expanding the states Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, by which the state requires energy providers to source at least some of their electricity from clean and renewable sources. Comitta has introduced a bill that would greatly increase the minimum percentage sourced from solar.

PennEnvironment is also urging the state to stay the course in trying to enter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a consortium of states that operate a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Former Gov. Tom Wolfs administration moved to join the program under the existing regulatory authority of the states Department of Environmental Protection; the matter has been challenged in court by Republican lawmakers, who say the DEP cannot impose RGGI fees unilaterally.

Gov. Josh Shapiros budget proposal this year anticipates Pennsylvania entering the program, with a projected $663 million in revenue from greenhouse gas output fees to be reinvested in environmental and renewable energy projects.

In total, power generation makes up 29 percent of Pennsylvanias overall output of greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane and other gases connected to climate change, according to the EPA.

Other industrial users make up 31 percent of the commonwealths greenhouse gas emissions, and transportation another 22 percent, with the remainder of the output being from residential, agricultural, and other commercial purposes, according to EPA data.

President Bidens administration is also preparing to announce new regulations on greenhouse gas outputs from power plants, which could force some operators to adopt smokestack pollution-capture systems that the industry has previously been reluctant to implement, the New York Times reported last month.
A state senator is once again trying to modernize Pennsylvanias liquor system by expanding access to pre-packaged cocktails.

The legislation would allow restaurants, bars, taverns, beer distributors, grocery and convenience stores that sell beer and wine to add these popular canned cocktails such as rum punch, pina coladas and margaritas to their product list.

Currently, the state-owned liquor stores have the market cornered on the sale of these so-called ready-to-drink, or RTD, products in Pennsylvania.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Mike Regan, R-Cumberland/York counties, moved out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Wednesday by a 6-5 vote. Some of those who dissented expressed an interest in working with Regan to further fine tune the bill to try to find middle ground as the bill moves through the legislative approval process. Regan was amenable to that.

Whats in the proposal: Regans legislation tries to strike a balance among the various interests on this issue by limiting the RTDs sold outside of liquor stores to having no more than 12.5% alcohol by volume, while the RTDs available in liquor stores can have a higher alcohol volume.

It also limits the size of the containers sold outside of liquor stores to 16 ounces with a maximum total sale of off-premises consumption of 192 fluid ounces at bars and restaurants. The RTDs sold in liquor stores would not face those same restrictions and neither would beer distributors under this proposal.

RTDs surveys say: According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board which oversees liquor sales in the state, a recent analysis reviewing Neilson, Census and National Alcohol Beverage Control Association data found that Pennsylvanians RTD consumption (per capita for individuals 21 years and older) is more than three times the U.S. average and higher than that of neighboring states including New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia.

A recent survey commissioned by Distilled Spirits Council of the United States showed RTDs to be the fastest growing spirit category. Further, it found consumers support greater access to these products, including in grocery and convenience stores, with 86% agreeing that spirits RTDs should be sold where beer and wine are available for purchase.

Whats behind the bill: Pennsylvania stands to make between $150 million and $200 million in tax revenue (annually) by year three, Regan said. This is a demand of the people of Pennsylvania who are going to New Jersey and Delaware and Maryland to purchase the products they need because they cant be purchased here so that was driving it.

Regan said the PLCB testified at a 2021 hearing that its 600 stores lack the shelf space or the refrigeration necessary to transport these products to liquor licensees. Beyond that, he said only between 60 and 100 of RTD products are sold through the states liquor system when there are in excess of 2,000 of these products available in the country.

What PLCB has to say: Since the last time the PLCB testified on this topic and based on the concerns raised at that time, we have expanded RTD availability to meet consumer demand, said PLCB spokesman Shawn Kelly. The PLCB has adapted, allocating more floor and display space to RTDs and growing our RTD portfolio to include proven customer favorites and new, exciting options just hitting the market. This spring and summer our stores prominently feature new and popular RTDs so they are quite visible and easily accessible to customers. We have also increased refrigeration space in our Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.

About the number of different RTD products it sells, Kelly said, Variety of brands is less important to Pennsylvanians than familiarity of brands and variety of flavors.

This fiscal year the PLCB anticipates hitting about $80 million in sales of canned RTDs, he said.

Background: Regan attempted in 2021 to loosen the liquor law to allow these pre-packaged cocktails to be sold in more places by adding it to a bill that passed the House of Representatives to make permanent a short-term pandemic rule that permitted bars to sell up to a gallon of mixed drinks on a to-go basis. Packaged together, the bill never made it to the governors desk.

Regan also offered his RTD bill as a standalone measure. It narrowly passed the Senate but died due to inaction in the House.

What other people say: Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Allegheny County, was among those at the committee meeting to raise a concern about the financial impact this proposal could have on the PLCB and its employees.

He said the revenue the state derives from the PLCB has been stable and increasing. But privatizing a part of the LCBs operation could mean losing profit while putting several thousand liquor store employees jobs at risk.

Its a very complicated discussion, Brewster said. And I still maintain that our state store system is valuable. Its one of the few assets that the taxpayers in Pennsylvania have.

Sen. Jimmy Dillon, D-Philadelphia, said, I believe theres a path forward to finding that balance for what is fair for Pennsylvania taxpayers as well as finding the availability for the product. I think we can all agree that we would like to see a greater retail access for these products. But we must give careful consideration to the LCB employees and families and sustaining jobs of that nature.

Brewster and Dillon were among those who voted against the bill along with the other Democrats on the committee. Sen. Frank Farry of Bucks County, was the lone Republican to vote against the bill.

Meanwhile, Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said Regans bill, if enacted, would mark a major change to the current system, and would hurt small business bars, taverns, and licensed restaurants. The legislation doesnt provide the 10% discount that bars and restaurants currently receive when buying liquor products in Pennsylvania and the distribution system favors large player over small businesses when it comes to pricing and delivery, he said.

Moran added, It grants the right to sell liquor to licenses that currently do not have that right. As we saw in the past, when [bars and restaurants] lost the exclusive right to sell six-packs-to-go  and beer distributors gained the right to sell down to a growler  small business taverns, bars, and restaurants lost a significant amount of revenue.

Andy Deloney, a senior vice president for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said, We are happy to see this bill move through committee and are hopeful the Senate will see the great value it provides for local businesses and consumers. Spirits RTDs contain the same amount of alcohol as the beer and wine products already being sold in these stores. There is no reason to treat these similar products differently.

A spokesman for Gov. Josh Shapiro declined comment about the legislation.

* This story was updated to reflect that RTDs sold outside of the state-owned liquor stores would be limited to no more than 12.5% alcohol by volume.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
A sixth member of Gov. Josh Shapiros Cabinet has now won Senate confirmation.

By a 48-0 vote, Russell Redding was confirmed on Wednesday, extending his tenure of running the state Department of Agriculture for a third governor.

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to give his nomination a favorable recommendation to remain as agriculture secretary. At the hearing, Redding was introduced by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, who referred to his constituent as a rare find and a man of character and honor and integrity. He added it should be noted that his glowing recommendation comes from the man who was last years nominee for governor who lost to Shapiro.

The committee offered high praise to Redding for his responsiveness and efforts to keep the agriculture industry and the issues it faces in the forefront. They also credited him for his past service that began in 2009 through 2011 under former Gov. Ed Rendell and then again in 2015 and serving through both terms of former Gov. Tom Wolf and thanked him for his willingness to stay on the job.

I was concerned last fall when the election was over and you were telling us at the Farm Show you were done. Then we get the phone call that you were staying and I was very, very happy to say the least. Im sure everyone on the committee and in the Capitol here is likewise, said committee Chairman Elder Vogel, R-Beaver County.

Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, complimented Redding for the forward-looking vision that he brings to the position. She noted his working with Team Pennsylvania produced a study on the economic impact of agriculture in this state and it served as a launching pad for the states multi-faceted Farm Bill in 2019.

Redding indicated his goals going forward include strengthening the business of agriculture business through access to markets, capital and workforce, streamlining the permitting process, ensuring access to basic services to people who live in rural areas, and expanding the dairy processing operations in the state.

Other Cabinet nominees that have been confirmed and dropped the acting before their title include Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Chris Paris and Adjutant General Mark Schindler. Last week saw the confirmation of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll, Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
On Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Melnyk, held a meeting with Chief advisor to the Special Advisory of the Presidency of Brazil, Ambassador Celso Amorim, during which the parties discussed the possibility of Brazil joining the search for ways to ensure sustainable and long-term peace in Ukraine based on respect for international law, restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

In this regard, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister positively evaluated the intentions of President Lula da Silva to facilitate reaching peace in Ukraine. He invited Brazil to engage actively in the implementation of the Peace Formula initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on the website.

Melnyk expressed gratitude to Brazil for the consistent support of our country within international organizations, solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who are suffering heavily from Russian aggression, as well as for the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

While discussing the priority areas of cooperation in the trade and economic sphere, the interlocutors emphasized mutual interest in expanding, deepening and filling with concrete content the strategic partnership relations existing between Ukraine and Brazil.
By Melanie Mason, Benjamin Oreskes and Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein flew back to Washington on Tuesday, her spokesman said, after her extended absence due to the shingles virus threatened to derail Senate Democrats agenda.

The senators absence caused mounting heartburn for the Democratic majority, which has few votes to spare to confirm President Joe Bidens Cabinet and judicial nominees, as well as potential legislation to avert a default on the national debt.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Feinstein, who had been convalescing in the Bay Area since mid-February, boarded a charter private plane Tuesday to return to the Senate. Adam Russell, a spokesman for the Democratic senator, confirmed she arrived in the Washington area Tuesday evening but declined to comment further.

Feinstein, 89, has contended with questions about her health and ability to serve for several years, and her slow recovery from the shingles virus and related complications led some Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to call for her resignation.

On Tuesday, Khanna said he was glad to hear of Feinsteins return, and he was hopeful that she will be able to fulfill her duties.

The people of California deserve strong representation and a senator who can vote to advance President Bidens judicial nominees and protect Americans fundamental rights. The three-month absence hurt our agenda, and time will tell on the future, Khanna said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, file)AP

Feinstein has missed nearly 80 votes this year, according to ProPublica  the most of any senator. Her absence has been keenly felt on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where, without Feinstein, Democrats needed at least one Republican vote to advance Bidens nominations for federal judges.

As outcry grew about her absence, Feinstein asked for another Democrat to temporarily be appointed to the panel in her place. Republicans rejected that effort.

With Feinsteins return to the Senate, Democrats will have an 11-10 edge on the Judiciary Committee, enabling Bidens nominations to progress to the full Senate without needing a GOP vote. The committee is due to meet Thursday to consider nominations to the federal bench.

The cross-country trip Tuesday may also serve to dampen growing complaints about a lack of transparency from Feinsteins office on details about her medical condition. Last week, her staff declined to give The Times a report or interview from her doctor.

Some progressives said they continue to have concerns about the senators health. Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People, an advocacy group pushing for more women of color to hold elected office, called for assurances that the senator will be able to fully represent our state and carry out the duties of her position.

Sen. Feinsteins absence has made the work of ensuring the best for our state and country more difficult, and we hope that her return is one that we can count on. If not, it is time for us to have a necessary discussion about the future of the California Senate seat, said Allison, who is backing Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) in next years race to succeed Feinstein. The senator is not seeking reelection.

Two of the Democrats vying for the Senate seat  Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine  said they welcomed Feinsteins return. (Lee could not be reached for comment). The sentiment was echoed by Californias junior senator, Alex Padilla, who said he knew Feinstein was eager to return to continue our important work.
The village of Cache Creek, British Columbia, shown in a handout photo, is maintaining a state of local emergency due to flooding. More evacuation orders have been issued for residents of Cache Creek over the risk of flooding. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Sheila Olson *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones makes an announcement on healthcare with Premier Doug Ford in the province in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Residents in and around the central Ontario community of Minden are calling on the health minister to step in and impose a one-year moratorium on the planned closure of an emergency department. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Letters may be submitted to The Herald at letters@pentictonherald.ca or by mail at 101-186 Nanaimo Ave. W., Penticton, B.C., V2A 1N4. Letters may not exceed 400 words. The Herald will not publish unsigned or anonymous submissions.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili believes that Georgia's government should make its position clear following the Russian authorities' decision to resume air traffic with Georgia and lift visa requirements for Georgian citizens.

"I propose convening the National Security Council and considering the introduction of visas for Russian citizens for three months, a move that is necessary to us given internal challenges. There is a need for greater control by the state over Russians who arrive in our country. Therefore, it is necessary to take some measures to ensure that all this stays within the normal civilized framework," Zourabichvili said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

"Georgia does not need any alleged concessions from Russia," she said.

Zourabichvili believes that the Russian leadership's decision "runs counter to the interests of Georgia."

Presently, Russian citizens do not need visas to visit Georgia.

The Russian president's decree scrapping the visa system for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023, except for those arriving in Russia for work, was published earlier in the day.

Another decree signed by the Russian president lifted restrictions on flights between Russia and Georgia. Direct flights between these two countries were suspended in July 2019.
In the Russian Federation, the stocks of Kinzhal and Kalibr missiles are at a critical level, there is no possibility of a rapid increase in the production of new high-precision missile weapons, said Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"There is no possibility of a rapid increase in the production of new high-precision missile weapons. They [Russians] are constantly looking for circumvention of sanctions," Yusov said on the air of the national telethon.

He stressed that Ukraine and the international pro-Ukrainian coalition are constantly working to strengthen the sanctions policy, which creates production difficulties for the Russian Federation.

"But there is a certain production. We can talk about dozens a month. Even if they pause for months, say, until the fall, they will not be able to cover what they have already spent on the war in Ukraine," Yusov added.

At the same time, the intelligence service noted that the Russian Federation still has a large supply of certain missile weapons, especially the S-300.

"But about high-precision weapons - those very Kinzhals, Calibers - they are really already at a critical level," Yusov said.
Billy_Slater Secures 888poker $100K Mystery Bounty Title

May 10, 2023 Matthew Pitt Editor

888poker continues pulling out all of the stops regarding its mystery bounty tournaments, as it hosted another $109 buy-in $100,000 guaranteed affair this weekend.

A total of 945 players competed, made up of 785 unique entries and 160 rebuys, leaving 888poker with a slight overlay on the generous $100,000 guarantee, not that those who finished in the money places minded because it represented even more value for them.

The largest of the mystery bounty payments tipped the scales at $10,000, a welcome addition to any poker player's bankroll. Brazil's "beijamyrola" got their hands on this huge bounty despite falling in 112nd place! The $10,139 they took home was more than any of the other entrants, including "Billy_Slater," the eventual champion!

A special mention also goes to 888poker ambassador Ian "Simpioni" Simpson. The popular grinder crashed out in 60th place for a $145 score, but Simpson pulled out several bounties, including one worth $3,000, to make for a profitable evening at the virtual felt.

$100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Country Bounties Prize Total Prize 1 Billy_Slater Chile $1,286 $7,740 $9,026 2 Diguiry Brazil $1,972 $5,645 $7,617 3 Luciole16 Kazahkstan $1,619 $4,150 $5,769 4 GuyWhite14 Canada $1,012 $3,075 $4,087 5 ProudToBeNIT Belarus $433 $2,275 $2,708 6 J0nSn0wShow Denmark $3,026 $1,700 $4,726 7 ChristaBorg Canada $826 $1,280 $2,106 8 fjreis Brazil $526 $970 $1,496 9 somebody888 Lithuania $93 $740 $833

Lithuania's "somebody888" sat down at the final table with only 9.4 big blinds, so it was unsurprising to see them become the first casualty. They only last one hand after raising to seven big blinds with king-queen before calling the shove from "GuyWhite14," who jammed with pocket jacks. somebody888 failed connect with the board, and was gone.

It took another 40 minutes before the final table lost another player. Brazil's "fjreis" saw their stack dwindle to only 3.3 big blinds when they open-called with king-nine of diamonds in a clash with "ProudTobeNIT," who three-bet with ace-eight of hearts. An eight on the flop proved enough to reduce the player count by one.

Seventh place and a total of $2,106 went to "ChristaBorg." First, they lost a chunk of their stack when their ace-queen lost to pocket jacks. They then min-raised with ace-king of diamonds in the cutoff, "Luciole16" clicked it back to four big blinds in the small blind, before ChristaBorg jammed for 13.1 big blinds in total. Luciole16 instantly called, as would you had you been dealt pocket aces. ChristaBorg flopped a flush draw but the turn and river bricked.

"J0nSn0wShow" was sent packing 20 minute later when they open-shoved for only 3.4 big blinds with pocket threes from the button. Billy_Slater called in the big blind with ace-queen, which flopped a queen to send J0nSn0wShow home in sixth. J0nSn0wShow took home $4,087 thanks to opening $3,026 worth of bounties before busting.

A few moments after J0nSn0wShow's demise, ProudToBeNIT joined the list of eliminated players. They moved all-in for 3.2 big blinds from the button with ace-four on the button, and Luciole16 called in the big blind with the dominated four-deuce. Luciole16's hand only remained dominated until the flop because two deuces appeared; ProudToBeNIT was drawing dead by the turn.

The final four became three when Canada's GuyWhite14 was wiped out by Luciole16. From the button, Luciole16 min-raised with pocket queens, and called the 11.6 big blind shove from GuyWhite14, which they made with ace-four from the small blind. An eight-high board was no help to GuyWhite14, and they headed to the showers.

Exclusive PokerNews 888poker Freeroll Passwords for May 2023

Luciole16 bowed out in third despite being the chip leader going into three-handed play. They lost a decent percentage of their stack bluffing into a pair of queens, then got a little too frisky with a straight draw when their opponent had a straight. Luciole16 committed their last 9.3 big blinds with ace-ten after Billy_Slater had min-raised with ace-deuce. Billy_Slater called, and flopped a deuce, turned an ace, and busted the dangerous Luciole16.

Billy_Slater held a two-to-one chip lead going into the one-on-one clash with "Diguiry." The battle was over after only a couple of hands. Billy_Slater moved all-in with nine-deuce of diamonds, and Diguiry called off their 13.5 big blind stack with ace-queen. A nine on the flop and another on the river brought the latest $100,000 Mystery Bounty event to a thrilling conclusion.
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After Speaker McCarthy complained about his White House meeting with the President, Biden called out McCarthys lies.

McCarthy complained after his meeting with Biden at the White House, I didnt see any new movement. President said the staff should get back together. But I was very clear with the president. We have now just two weeks to go. Chuck Schumer could pass something wed go to conference right away and solve that, But I dont think Chuck Schumer can pass anything. They havent dealt with it. Unfortunately, the President has waited 97 days without ever meeting. Every day. I ask, could we meet and he said no.

Video of Biden:

Biden responded to McCarthy at the White House:

Look, now, I know the speaker says, well, Im not  he uses the L word, but says Im not telling the truth. All I ask was if youre not going to cut any of those programs and youre saying the cut is 22% across the board, then youre going to have to cut a hell of a lot more with the programs that are left. Were not going to do that either.

Im not sure. I dont think theyre sure exactly what theyre proposing and takes cuts in defense off the table, the cuts they have to make to other programs will be even deeper than that.

And one last thing thats very important. The speaker is saying hes been trying to get me to sit down with him for 97 days. 97 days ago we did meet in my office. I said to him at the time, Im happy to talk with you. You submit your budget, Ill submit mine, and well talk about it. And I dont want to get any press person, point anybody out, but I think you all remember my saying that. I submitted my budget on March the 9th in detail. He passed his plan I think in the last or second to last week in April. Five days later, after he finally put forward something, I called on him to invite him to a meeting with the other leading members of Congress.

Take a look at the responses of the President and the Speaker and ask yourself who does it seem like the pressure is getting to?

Kevin McCarthy knows that if he cuts a deal with Biden on the debt limit, his career could be over. If the far-right in the House doesnt like the deal, they could move to remove McCarthy as speaker. If McCarthy tries to play hardball with Biden, he could plunge the country into default and wreck the global economy.

Speaker McCarthy is in a much worse position than the President. Biden understands this, which is why he is not going to let any lies go unchallenged and continue to turn up the pressure on McCarthy.
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The Department of Justice has filed federal criminal charges against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) possibly in relation to false statements on his campaign finance filings.

CNN reported:

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos, the Republican lawmaker whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Santos is expected to appear as soon as Wednesday at federal court in New Yorks eastern district, where the charges have been filed under seal.

The exact nature of the charges couldnt immediately be learned but the FBI and the Justice Department public integrity prosecutors in New York and Washington have been examining allegations of false statements in Santos campaign finance filings and other claims.

The charges alone do not mean that Santos will be expelled from Congress. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy set the bar for expelling Santos at the New York congressman being convicted of a crime.

Depending on what the DOJ charges Santos with, he could be looking at federal prison. Rep. Santos has been caught in numerous lies and potential criminal violations of the nations campaign finance laws, so it is probable that the DOJ is going to focus on that area.

It is unlikely that Santos will resign from the House, or Speaker McCarthy will expel him. With only a four-seat majority, House Republicans cant afford to lose a single vote. The odds are McCarthy will hope that Santoss criminal case drags through the 2024 election, but it looks like Republicans can kiss Santoss seat goodbye next year.

George Santos might be going down faster than anyone expected.
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The best thing that Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina could say about the E. Jean Carroll verdict was that he was happy that Trump wasnt branded a rapist.

Video of Tacopina being happy that Trump wasnt branded a rapist:

Tacopina said, I appreciate that. I appreciate they complimented me, but for me its just about the results. And at the end of the day while, you know, it was strange, a part of me was obviously very happy that Donald Trump was not branded a rapist.

When the big victory in court is that the jury did not have enough evidence to find Trump guilty of rape, it probably hasnt been a good day.

Tacopina wasnt done:

Tacopina later continued along the same track, The Access Hollywood should not have come into this success. Theres plenty of issues to appeal and look, thats what happens, right? Were in one sense gratified. And I know some people in this camp are very happy that, you know, the rape claim was rejected, but, you know, Im not. And I am happy about that certainly, but Im not happy he was found liable for anything,

Tacopina didnt have any spin on this. He took the one point out of ten that Trump wasnt found liable for and ran with it, but there is no disguising that the press conference, just like Trumps case itself was a disaster.

Trumps legal team did not offer a defense, and they are hoping to get the verdict of the jury tossed on a technicality.

Tacopinas press conference disaster illustrates how difficult is going to be for Trump to spin the E. Jean Carroll verdict.
The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS), together with the Coca-Cola Foundation, provided humanitarian assistance to the residents of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv region.

"The distribution of humanitarian aid in the form of bed sets was organized in the local dormitory, in which the residents of the united territorial community, whose houses were destroyed, are accommodated. A powerful generator has also been provided to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the center, designed for 200 people," the URCS said on Facebook on Wednesday.

According to Anatoliy Bochkarev, the chairman of the Velyka Dymerka village council, almost 350 houses were completely destroyed in the territory of the community as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"In Velyka Dymerka alone, at least 160 families were left homeless. Many of them do not have the opportunity to find a new home. Therefore, the dormitory provided by the community is the only refuge for the majority. Some 80 people continue to live here today. The help of philanthropists is very important, both for these people and for the community. Having lost their homes, people lost all their property, so the arrangement of sleeping places in the dormitory is solved with the help of philanthropists and volunteers," Bochkarev noted.

Velyka Dymerka was under Russian occupation in March 2022.
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Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is in police custody after he was indicted on 13 federal counts including money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements to the House.

CNN reported:

The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed federal charges against Rep. George Santos and the New York Republican is in custody.

Santos, whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, has been charged on a 13-count indictment, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

He was taken into custody in Melville on Long Island, where the FBI is housed, a law enforcement source told CNN. From there, he was taken to the courthouse in Central Islip.

The Santos indictment is 2023s least surprising political story. It was never a matter of if Santos went down, but when.

George Santos has a lot in common with Donald Trump. They are both New York grifters and con artists who appear to have gotten away with their crimes for years until they overstepped and won elective office,

The power and the intensity of the elected official spotlight should never be underestimated. If Trump had never run for president, he would probably still be getting away with crimes.

If Santos had never won a fluke House election, no one would know who he is, and he would still be stealing and robbing people with schemes like fake charities.

George Santos should resign, but he wont. Santos will keep collecting his salary from taxpayers, and Kevin McCarthy will do nothing to force him out because he needs Santoss vote.

Rep. Santos will probably end up in federal prison, as justice is finally coming for Republican corruption.
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The party that brought the United States criminal defendant Donald Trump also brought the United States the now DOJ-charged George Anthony Devolder Santos.

Santos is accused of opening a shell company and depositing money that was given under the promise it would be used to help him get elected and then moving that money to transferred/laundered into his personal accounts and used for personal purchases, cash, to pay off personal debts, and more.

The charging documents for Representative Santos tell the story of his run for office as a get rich quick scheme, noted by New York Times reporter Nick Confessore, who wrote above the following cited passage: Santos indictment suggests that his bid for Congress was, among other things, a kind of a get-rich-quick scheme.

Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation Scheme

Beginning in September 2022, during his successful campaign for Congress, Santos operated a limited liability company (Company #1) through which he allegedly defrauded prospective political supporters. Santos enlisted a Queens-based political consultant (Person #1) to communicate with prospective donors on Santoss behalf. Santos allegedly directed Person #1 to falsely tell donors that, among other things, their money would be used to help elect Santos to the House, including by purchasing television advertisements. In reliance on these false statements, two donors (Contributor #1 and Contributor #2) each transferred $25,000 to Company #1s bank account, which Santos controlled.

As alleged in the indictment, shortly after the funds were received into Company #1s bank account, the money was transferred into Santoss personal bank accountsin one instance laundered through two of Santoss personal accounts. Santos allegedly then used much of that money for personal expenses. Among other things, Santos allegedly used the funds to make personal purchases (including of designer clothing), to withdraw cash, to discharge personal debts, and to transfer money to his associates.

Santos behavior has been shockingly brazen  even for a member of the Republican Party, which has branded itself as pro-corruption under Donald Trumps leadership. The comments made by law enforcement about his indictment read like an exhale of noxious fumes.

This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney said in a statement. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.

Yes, thats right, Santos unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits during the pandemic. But to be fair, cheating the government out of unemployment and then being paid by the taxpayers to do a job one is not really doing after arriving via a get rich quick scheme seems like a natural progression that he could have learned while watching Donald Trump run for the presidency in 2015.

It wouldnt be surprising for Santos legal defense to be on par with that of many January 6th defendants: But Trump.

Yes, indeed. But Trump. Its difficult to keep a straight face covering the law and order party as its leaders and members seemingly run afoul of the law repeatedly.

District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said, As charged in the indictment, the defendants alleged behavior continued during his second run for Congress when he pocketed campaign contributions and used that money to pay down personal debts and buy designer clothing.

If there was any confusion about just whom Santos is modeling himself after, he cleared that up after appearing in court Wednesday, calling the indictment a witch hunt.

Im going to fight my battle. Im going to deliver. Im going to fight the witch hunt. I am going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.

It might seem to Santos as if he is getting in trouble over so little given what the Trump family got away with from Donald Trumps inaugural scam on down to the $2 billion from a fund led by the Saudi crown prince a mere 6 months after finally (unwillingly, on Trumps part) vacating the White House. But Santos alleged grift was committed without the expensive legal protection of the elites committing white collar crimes.

Santos is accused of violating the law multiple times and he left a trail so obvious its almost as if he wanted to get caught.

Santos was in police custody Wednesday morning after being indicted for 13 federal counts, including money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements to the House.

As Jason Easley noted earlier, Santos will be kept in the U.S. House of Representatives, even though he has been indicted by the DOJ. Why? Because Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) cant afford to lose any of his ultra slim majority, and so once again, the Republican Party has made the cynical calculation that power is more important than ethics, the law, their image, and any moral high ground they might have dubiously claimed.

McCarthy could have avoided this embarrassment by getting rid of Santos when his first scandals rolled in, but McCarthy instead prioritized his own tenuous power via Santos.

While there are dirty politicians in both parties, Republicans keep getting away with this kind of behavior with no punishment from their voters because Republicans have primed their base not to believe the news and also to take pride in having no shame. That is Trumps appeal: No shame. Do what you want. Hurt whoever you want. Just win.

Skirting the law in the course of self-enrichment is practically a Trump brand at this point, but his blatant self-dealing seems to have taken as a challenge by other Republicans to get what they can while they can (also see several conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court).
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House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) promised a big evidence reveal of a Biden family pay-to-play scheme, but he didnt have any evidence at all.

Video of Comer:

Comer said, Well talk about that progress. First, we want to discuss information the committee has learned since our last press conference in November. New information investigators have uncovered regarding the transfer of money from foreign entities to the Biden family.

Well, that sounds big. Lets see the evidence that Joe Biden solicited money from foreign countries in exchange for policies while he was vice president.

Take it away, Chair Comer:

Many of the wire payments occurred while Joe Biden was Vice President and leading the United States efforts in these countries. First instance, Vice President Biden was lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies. In reality, he was a walking billboard for his son and family to collect money.

Hunter Biden and his associates capitalized on a lucrative financial relationship with the Romanian nationals. Who was under investigation for and later convicted of corruption in Romania. The Bidens received over $1 million for the deal and 16 of the 17 payments to their associates account that funneled the Bidens money occurred while Joe Biden was vice president. In fact, the money stops flowing. From the Romanian nationals. Soon after Joe Biden leaves the vice presidency.

Comer calls this evidence of influence peddling. It is not.

There is no evidence that President Biden did anything.

Rep. Comer is rehashing stories about Hunter Biden that have been known about and investigated for five years.

The real red flag in Comers press conference came when he promised that his investigation is on the up and up:

Comer said, As has been my practice. We will report to you only facts when they are verified. And indisputable. This committee will not pursue witch hunts or string the American people along for years with false promises of evidence that is beyond circumstantial evidence.

James Comers Big Press Conference Was An Embarrassment

Even Republicans have complained that Jim Jordan and James Comers investigations have been embarrassing due to the lack of evidence.

Rep. Comer took some bank records, connected them with conspiracy theories, and then attached them to President Biden.

Comer has no actual evidence that President Biden did anything wrong. There is no evidence that Biden solicited funds from foreign countries in exchange for policy influence.

House Republicans are making it up as they go along.

James Comer is abusing his power as the chair of the House Oversight Committee, and he is wasting taxpayer money on these investigations.

It is embarrassing for the country that House Republicans are trying to pass off conservative media conspiracy theories and legitimate congressional investigations.

Comers press conference is a prime example of why Republicans are likely to lose the House in 2024.
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More development could be coming to Interstate 20's exits 18 and 22.

The Aiken City Council met in executive session prior to its meeting Monday evening to discuss providing city services to a business that could locate itself near Exit 18.

The type, name and timeline of the business's location are currently unknown.

The Aiken City Council also voted 6-0 Monday evening to approve the second and final reading of an ordinance expanding a sewer easement to include a 0.25 acre driveway easement across a city-owned property near the Aiken Regional Airport to Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC.

Mayor Pro Tempore Ed Woltz did not attend Monday's meeting. Andrea Gregory made the motion to approve the ordinance. Kay Brohl seconded her motion.

According to Aiken County property records, the city of Aiken owns the property on both sides of Windham Boulevard from its intersection with the Columbia Highway (U.S. Route 1) and continuing westward to Windham's intersection with a road providing access to the BAE Systems plant on the south and Windham's intersection with Progress Court on the north.

Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC owns or is in the process of acquiring a 16.55-acre property further north between the city-owned property north of Windham Boulevard and the Center Fire Department along the west side of the Columbia Highway.

Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC is a South Carolina limited liability company incorporated March 7. Its registered agent is Aiken attorney and real estate investor Ray Massey.

The terms of the transaction are unknown as are Bear Mountain's plans for the property.

Property record maps show the property has access to Columbia Highway but not Windham Boulevard.

Bedenbaugh added the South Carolina Department of Transportation found it problematic to have another access point on the Columbia Highway for the Bear Mountain property because of its proximity to the Windham Boulevard intersection and the Center Fire Department. He said after conferring with SCDOT, the best solution was to provide access via an expanded easement across the city-owned property north of Windham Boulevard.

The ordinance calls for Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC to pay the city $1 for the expanded easement.

The price drew criticism from Project Pascalis lawsuit plaintiff Luis Rinaldini during the public comment period following Gregory's motion and Brohl's second.

He implied the city was giving a deal to Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC because of the relationship between Massey and his law firm partner, Gary Smith, who also serves as city attorney.

He said given Massey's previous dealings with the city  Rinaldini declined to provide specifics, saying he had already done so at previous meetings  he said he believed greater scrutiny should be given to the ordinance and that Massey and the other investors should have to pay full price for the easement.

Massey was the registered agent of RPM Development Partners, the group the city was working with on Project Pascalis.

"It may well be the city council wants to do this," Rinaldini said. "But it's just a bad idea to do it for $1 when the city attorney is involved."

Smith recused himself from the discussion of the ordinance because of Massey's involvement with the property that the easement would be given to.

Rinaldini added even though the transfer was an easement  right to use for access  and not a property transfer the city was still losing its ability to use the property because once a driveway is built nothing else can go there. He also said the city-owned property would be divided in half by the driveway.

"As far as I can tell, there's been no analysis of what this does to the value of the city parcel as opposed to the value of the property in which the partner of the city attorney is investing," Rinaldini said.

Don Moniak also spoke during the public comment and said the name used in the city's ordinance, Bear Mountain LLC, was incorrect.

There is no Bear Mountain LLC listed among the corporation records maintained online by South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond's office. There are, however, four corporations with Bear Mountain in the name. Two are in Travelers Rest, one is in Murrells Inlet and the other, Bear Mountain Real Estate LLC, is registered to Massey.

Ed Girardeau, a Republican representing District 4, disputed there was a special relationship between the city and Ray Massey or the Smith Massey law firm.

"I dispute that we're giving discounts to anybody or we sold anything to anybody for less," Girardeau said. "No discounts are given to Smith Massey or anybody."

Girardeau said the city council only considers the merits of the item before it. He said the city council only knew the identity of one of the investors in the project because Smith recused himself during the first and second readings of the ordinance.

"Is it positive for the city to grant an easement to this property so they come in? Yes," Girardeau continued. "They're going to be water and sewer customers."

Girardeau said the new owners of the property would pay commercial water and sewer rates and those rates would be higher because the property is not within the city limits. He added at the end of the day the city would make plenty of money with the added water and sewer revenue. He also referenced the city's water and sewer policy requiring customers of the city's system to annex into the city if their property becomes contiguous with the city limits and added this meant the city would make more tax revenue should the new owners have to annex into the city.

He added the city-owned property was only 80 feet deep  the city-owned property narrows as it approaches the Columbia Highway  so the city can't do anything with it anyway because of zoning restrictions.

Gregory said Girardeau's comments were well said. Gail Diggs added she agreed.

The city council then voted 6-0 to approve the ordinance.
COLUMBIA  An effort to outlaw most abortions in South Carolina appears to be heading to a special session of the Legislature following the defeat of a near-total ban.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 16-7 along party lines May 9 to advance legislation banning abortions around the sixth week of pregnancy with limited exceptions.

The committee's Republicans refused to broaden an exception for fatal fetal anomalies, saying allowing an abortion in "severe" cases leaves too much ambiguity.

"We know what fatal means. Its finality," said Rep. Case Brittain, R-Myrtle Beach. "We dont like broad words because that leaves it open to interpretation."

Rep. Jason Elliott, R-Greenville, said he believes the definition in the bill covers the sorts of severe cases Rep. Spencer Wetmore, D-Folly Beach, sought to address.

But rejection of her proposal left in place the same "fetal anomaly" definition interpreted by Medical University of South Carolina lawyers last July in denying an abortion for Jill Hartle of Charleston.

Hours earlier, Hartle told legislators of her horrifying ordeal of being 22 weeks into her pregnancy when she learned the severity of her daughter Ivy Grace's heart defect, which was expected to require multiple risky heart surgeries at birth and continued transplants for however long she lived.

"Im one of the women directly affected by the six-week abortion ban," said Hartle, who noted her daughter's diagnosis came after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the state's 2021 law temporarily took effect.

"They had meetings with the lawyers and the only anomaly they could come up with is if a child is born without a brain  if a child could be hooked up to a life-support machine, it's not considered fatal," she said.

"If I were to have delivered and opted for comfort care, Ivy wouldve known nothing but high doses of narcotics and excruciating pain until she passed," she continued.

After making the decision to terminate, she and her husband had to wait weeks more to get the first appointment at a hospital in Washington, D.C., as the hairstylist's clients continued to ask about her "cute" belly.

"When you know for a fact your child isn't going to make it, and you have to walk around the world physically pregnant," she said, "that trauma is what I'll live with the rest of my life, and I blame the state of South Carolina 100 percent."

She told the GOP-led panel she used to be a Republican, but the experience flipped her politics.

"I don't fault the doctors. They're having to do exactly what MUSC lawyers said and their interpretation of the law," she said. "No one wants to take the risk of losing their medical license."

Legislators' discussion, she said, shows they don't understand the real-life consequences of their political stances.

Until they've been through such a journey themselves, "how can you place your moral high ground on someone?" she told reporters outside the meeting. "Im an extreme woman of faith. I know exactly where my daughter is. Shes in heaven with our Lord and it is between me, my husband, my doctor and my God, not anyone else."

Republicans' refusal to even tweak the "fetal anomaly" definition, she said, means "the state still doesn't give a (expletive) about my life, my mental health or my well-being."

The committee's vote sends the bill to the House floor on the last week of the 2023 regular session, putting it in play for an expected special session. Legislative leaders plan to let the regular session end May 11 without a law on how they can return to wrap up work on the budget. If Gov. Henry McMaster calls them back, as would be needed to finalize a spending plan, there's no limit on what they can take up.

That would allow debate on abortion to continue. The GOP-dominated House could approve the six-week ban as early as May 16, returning it to the Senate.

The move follows months of House GOP leaders refusing to take up the Senate's six-week ban, saying they won't accept anything less than a ban from the start of a pregnancy.

But tactics by abortion foes changed after senators proved  yet again  that they lack the votes for a ban prior to six weeks, and it appeared the continued GOP impasse would leave South Carolina's 22-week ban in place until at least 2024.

The "fetal heartbeat" bill would ban abortions once an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, which occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy. Victims of rape or incest could get an abortion through 12 weeks. Other exceptions beyond the fatal fetal anomaly would allow abortions to save the mother's life or to prevent lifelong health problems.

Doctors who violate the law could be charged with a felony and fined up to $10,000 or put in prison for up to two years, as well as lose their license.

The measure is very similar to what the state Supreme Court tossed out in January as violating privacy rights in the state constitution. GOP senators tweaked it in a way designed to flip that 3-2 decision.

Kathleen McDaniel, an attorney for Planned Parenthood's successful challenge, said the gist of the ban hasn't changed.

"The concept of banning abortion at six weeks is exactly the same," she told legislators.

"That is not going to save the bill from unconstitutionality," she added, referring to a near-guaranteed second challenge.

What has changed is the makeup of the court itself. The Legislature's replacement of Justice Kaye Hearn, who authored the main abortion opinion before retiring, made the South Carolina Supreme Court the nation's only all-male high court.

"Now we have this all-male Supreme Court and, hopefully, theyll rule differently on the right to privacy," Wetmore said sarcastically about her Republican colleagues' strategy.

All of her proposed changes failed.

That included attempts to reduce a doctor's threatened punishment from a felony to a misdemeanor and to strike the whole bill and instead extend abortion rights until roughly 24 weeks. That would have put in state law the national precedent overturned last June, when the U.S. Supreme Court returned the legality of abortions to states.

"Have you looked at a photograph of a baby at 24 weeks?" asked Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, who has led the effort in the House. "Its fully developed. The fetal brain stem is entirely developed."

Republicans rejected all proposals by Rep. Will Wheeler, D-Bishopville, to set the ban somewhere between what he called the extremes of six weeks and 24 weeks.

The state Supreme Court's decision in January left in place the 2016 law that banned abortions at the 22nd week, making South Carolina the second-least restrictive state in the Southeast, other than Virginia. However, the three clinics in South Carolina don't provide abortions past 13 weeks, so later abortions occur at hospitals.

Data from the state's public health agency shows abortions are on the rise, with nearly half of the women coming from another state.

Republicans say they want to stop South Carolina from being a "destination state" for abortions.

Sen. Penry Gustafson, who helped defeat the House's near-total ban two weeks ago, indicated she still supports the six-week bill she voted for back in February but is clearly exasperated by the seemingly never-ending debate.

"I don't like what was done," the Camden Republican told reporters about changes made by the House Judiciary Committee, which keeps the debate going between the chambers.

"Let's get it across the finish line so we can reduce abortions," she said. "I feel like Im living in a twilight zone with the merry-go-round of this legislation."

McCravy noted the committee amendment made 16 major changes to the Senate bill.

Those include making the biological father responsible for half of the mother's pregnancy expenses and extending his child support obligations back to conception. Another change requires health insurance companies to cover contraceptives. And it newly lists examples of medical emergencies that would allow a legal abortion, including an ectopic pregnancy, severe preeclampsia, and uterine rupture.

Alexander Thompson contributed to this report.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Evenings of intimate jazz and spirituality are coming to the Queen Street Playhouse this Spoleto season.

Spoleto Festival USA's 2023 Wells Fargo Jazz series will see a pair of rising Black artists, harpist Brandee Younger and saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, perform as artists-in-residence at the 20 Queen St. theater. Each will perform five shows across three nights, Younger and her trio June 1-3 and Wilkins and his quartet June 7-10. Part of their residency includes a collaboration with the nonprofit Charleston Jazz Academy to host workshops with the music school's students.

Larry Blumenfeld, jazz curator for Spoleto, said this year's shows will also be the first time hosting artist residencies at the Queen Street Playhouse. Previous residencies were held at the College of Charleston's Simons Center Recital Center, which is closed for renovation.

"Each residency will have its own vibe and character," Blumenfeld said in an email. "What's consistent is that Wilkins' quartet and Younger's trio will both sound terrific and make emotional connections with listeners in this new (for us) venue."

The vision for this year's shows is to somehow tell a story by presenting a "wide range of world-class music" to attendees in a chamber-music-style for jazz, he said. Multiple elements will collide when these genre-blending performers play for small audiences in a historic theater in a city steeped in hundreds of years of stories.

If You Go What: Wells Fargo Jazz series artist residencies with Brandee Younger and Immanuel Wilkins Where: Queen Street Theater, 20 Queen St. When: Harpist Brandee Younger will perform at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on June 1, at 7 p.m. on June 2 and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on June 3. Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins will perform at 5 p.m. June 7-10 and a final performance at 9 p.m. on June 10. More info: Brandee Younger spoletousa.org/events/brandee-younger Immanuel Wilkins spoletousa.org/events/immanuel-wilkins-quartet

"Jazz loves places haunted with history," he said.

At age 26, Wilkins has quickly earned a reputation as one of jazz's most exciting musicians, Blumenfeld said. Music critics and elder musicians unanimously praise his innovative spirit, he said. His debut 2020 album, "Omega," was the jazz album of the year in The New York Times.

Raised in the tradition surrounding music in Black churches, much of his music focuses on deepening connections of the spirit, Wilkins said in an interview. In his second album, "The 7th Hand," Wilkins dives further into the idea of using music and improvisation as a language to commune with the divine. So much of the quartet's performance focuses on living in the moment and the beauty comes from the risk of performing something so conceptual and improvisational that the audience doesn't connect, he said.

What does that mean for his audience at Spoleto? Something potentially special.

"The beautiful thing about being in one place for four days is there is a certain openness and gaining of comfortability by playing in the same place every day," he said. "I think it might be more experimental than things weve done before."

Pianist and composer Courtney Bryan was set to be an artist-in-residence but withdrew from this year's festival amid medical issues. Instead, Younger will perform during Bryan's evenings at the Queen Street theater.

Last year, Younger became the first Black woman nominated for a Grammy Award for best instrumental composition. She released her second album on April 7, and NPR has described her as the most heralded new voice on the harp. Younger has performed with jazz legends Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane and Jack DeJohnette. She has also worked with Common, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, John Legend and Stevie Wonder. NPR described her work as continuing a harp tradition that bridges jazz and classical while blending in soul and R&B music of her time.

"She is a terrific and dynamic musician who extends a very special legacy of jazz harp  best embodied by Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby  and connects it with a contemporary, hip-hop and pop-informed attitude toward music," Blumenfeld said.

Blumenfeld said he's excited for festivalgoers to get to know Younger after she played at last year's Spoleto. Younger played at the Cistern Yard with Ravi Coltrane in a celebration of Coltrane's mother's music. Younger essentially played Coltrane's mother at the performance, he said.

Younger was one of several artists he had in mind when he began curating the shows at the theater this year.

"I'll never forget Brandee plucking serenely, even as a light rain began to fall near the end of that concert," Blumenfeld said.
COLUMBIA  Richland County School District Ones initial budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year includes funding for the district to staff its school metal detectors and give its employees a raise.

The proposed $389 million budget got the district's board members' unanimous initial approval at their May 9 board meeting, the first of three readings it needs before becoming official.

It includes more than $1.6 million to fund 38 positions in the district that would provide manpower to staff the metal detectors that will screen students entering middle and high schools next year.

That funding is part of a larger push for more school security measures in Richland County, where both the Richland One and Two school districts are looking to increase the presence of metal detectors in their schools, despite some research suggesting that they have limited effects on student safety.

The detectors themselves have already been purchased from money in the districts current budget, Chief Operations Officer Edward Carlon told the board during the May 9 meeting.

The initial budget, which will be discussed again at the school boards next meeting on May 23, also sets aside more than $10 million for employee pay boosts, giving teachers a 5 percent raise and non-teacher employees a 4 percent raise.

Its also set to appropriate an additional $100,000 for the districts middle school language immersion program.

The initial 2023-24 budget would increase the districts expenditures by about $31 million from last years $358 million budget. In order to help fund that additional spending, the district is also planning to increase the amount of property taxes that Richland One residents have to pay.

Its the first time the district would look to increase property taxes in four years, according to board Chairwoman Cheryl Harris, but district officials said the increase was necessary.

I think were in a position where we have to ask for something, Carlon told the board.

The planned increase would mean that in the district, which covers downtown Columbia and lower Richland County, a business valued at $100,000 would be taxed at an additional $90 per year, Carlon said.

South Carolina residents don't pay school operating property taxes on their primary residences.

Despite the overall increase in the districts budget, Richland One is also planning to make some cuts, including reducing the amount of staff in its central district office, which would save the district about $589,000.

The Lexington-Richland Five school district, which serves students in Chapin, Irmo and a slice of Columbia, also plans to bump up school-operating property taxes, though neither district is increasing it as much as they would be legally allowed to.

Were only asking for what we need, Harris said.

One Richland One board member, Tamika Meyers, asked why the district was not planning to push taxes up as much as possible to fund repairs around the district, but Harris emphasized the need to be responsible to taxpayers.

"We're still coming out of COVID, and with that, our families, our communities, are still struggling," she said, adding, "We could go for the cap, but sometimes you've got to look at where the community is and the harm it could put on them."
COLUMBIA  Two weeks into the search for a fugitive killer, state and local agencies are now offering a $30,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of Jeroid Price, a convicted murderer who was released from prison on a secret order that has since been voided by the S.C. Supreme Court.

The 43-year-old was released from prison in March, some 16 years early, on a secret, in-chambers deal between a solicitor, defense attorney and retiring judge for providing "substantial assistance" to law enforcement.

Price was free for a month before S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson became aware of the order, prompting him to ask the state's high court to unseal the records for his review and subsequently request a bench warrant.

On April 21, prior to the hearing on whether to put Price back behind bars, Wilson sent a letter to Chief Justice Donald Beatty requesting a bench warrant be immediately issued for Price until the the court made a final determination, saying Price was "not only a danger to the community but a flight risk" and that he was under no bond or order requesting his presence in South Carolina.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office said they did not receive a response from the chief justice.

On April 26, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled in a 3-2 vote to void the secret order and immediately send Price back to prison where he would serve the remainder of his 35-year sentence for fatally shooting 22-year-old Carl Smalls Jr. at a Columbia nightclub in 2002. Since then, state and local law enforcement have been trying to track Price down.

The $30,000 reward for information leading to Price's capture and return to prison is being offered by the S.C. Department of Corrections, S.C. Law Enforcement Division and Richland County Sheriff's Department, which made the announcement on May 10, two weeks since the search for Price began.

Price is described as a 5-foot-10-inch Black man weighing around 250 pounds. Law enforcement says he is considered armed and dangerous.
Lindsey Barrow Jr. admits that his business, Lowcountry Street Grocery, is a little complicated.

At its core, the mission is simple: Provide a market-based solution to combat food insecurity.

The for-profit company does so through three separate programs: a mobile farmers market, subscription-based grocery delivery service and GroceryRx, which aims to address chronic disease with nutrition education and a prescription of fresh food.

The Community Supported Grocery arm of Barrows business is the one expanding to Columbia.

A food delivery service that aims to make the local food economy more equitable, convenient and scalable, Community Supported Grocery offers weekly grocery bundles with price options ranging from $5-10 (with SNAP/EBT) to around $100 for large families. All produce and goods are sourced from local, independent farmers and producers.

The new venture is coming at an important time for the city of Columbia. After a report found Richland County, the second largest in the state, lost just over 20 percent of its grocery stores between 2016 and 2020, Columbia has begun looking at ways to not only replace the gaps left but provide access to food in parts of the city that have long been missing grocery stores.

Lowcountry Street Grocerys expansion to the Soda City could help address these issues.

Columbia is such a hotbed of agriculture and history and community, Barrow said. It just makes so much sense for us to pilot something like this in Columbia.

Founded in 2017, Lowcountry Street Grocery was built on the Robin Hood business model, using profits from sales to those who have to provide discounts and a sliding scale for those who do not. As the website states, LSG leverages the demand for healthy, high-quality local food, to directly address the need for the same for those that need it most.

Barrow is passionate about food equity and providing fresh goods to those in food deserts without access to healthy produce, but he also says he was determined to use a more resilient model than many nonprofits are permitted to use.

So far, the system has worked.

Community Supported Grocery participation grew exponentially amid the pandemic, when restaurant closures left farmers without business. As restaurants reopened and CSGs weekly customer base grew to 800, Barrow says they have had to increase their scope throughout the state and pull in some other farmers regionally because they cannot source enough in Charleston.

As Barrow started to consider expansion, he connected with Stephanie Burt, the host and producer of The Southern Fork podcast. A satisfied Community Supported Grocery customer who had temporarily relocated to Columbia, Burt noticed a void in Columbias food system: There was and still is a disconnect between the many Midlands producers and those interested in purchasing local produce, bread and eggs, all of which come in every CSG bundle.

I loved the curation of it, the concept, and the communication, Burt said, discussing her personal experience with CSG. It ended up being very economical for me.

Discussions about a move to the Midlands became more serious last fall, at which point Burt helped Barrow and his team formulate a plan to connect with purveyors and neighborhoods in the Columbia area. With a large farming community, the Midlands is well suited for a local delivery service like Community Supported Grocery, Burt said.

They bring so much knowledge to the table that whenever I came to them with an idea, we were really able to brainstorm, Burt said. It was really wonderful to see how much knowledge is in that organization.

Community Supported Grocerys Columbia operation will start small as they develop relationships in the area. When it launches June 6, it will start by delivering to a few neighborhoods in the Columbia metro area.

Farmers who would like to participate can email LauraKate McAllister at laurakate@lowcountrystreetgrocery.com. Columbia community members and neighborhood associations can share their interest by filling out this online form.

Charleston residents also have something to look forward to in May, when Lowcountry Street Grocerys mobile farmers market will return for the first time since February 2020. Nicknamed Nell and housed in a retrofitted green and white 1988 Ford bus, the mobile market pops up in local communities with products from over 250 local farmers and producers.

Locals can find Nell at Neighbors Together (1 to 3 p.m.) and Commonhouse Aleworks (4 to 6 p.m.) May 16; Roots and Shoots Nursery (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) May 17; Morrison Yard (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Sanders Clyde School (3 to 4 p.m.) and Corrine Jones Park (5 to 7 p.m.) May 18; and Guggenheim Park (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) May 19.

For more information, visit communitysupportedgrocery.com.
Greenville County Council is considering offering tax incentives to two different companies planning to add hundreds of jobs in the county.

One is a known entity while the other remains a mystery.

United Community Bank, which is building its new headquarters along the Reedy River in downtown Greenville, plans to invest at least $65 million and add 230 jobs in Greenville. Its new seven-story building at 200 E. Camperdown Way next to the Grand Bohemian Inn is slated to open in the first quarter of 2024. It is the largest bank by total assets based in South Carolina.

The second project, code-named Project Blue, plans to invest $51 million and add 303 new jobs in the county, said Councilman Butch Kirven, chairman of the councils Finance Committee.

The committee discussed the details of each project in executive session on May 8, then voted unanimously to recommend offering tax incentives to each project.

The incentives still must undergo a public hearing and three readings by County Council, generally a formality until the past council session in 2021-22. Last year, the council initially deadlocked 6-6 on a request by United Community Bank to add a 2.3-acre parcel the bank purchased for parking to a county business park, which would have made it eligible for tax incentives. The council later reconsidered and unanimously supported the parcels addition to the business park.

Now that the entire bank property is eligible, the council can decide whether to extend a set of tax incentives already approved for the bank. In 2020, the county agreed to tax the bank at a 6 percent assessment for 30 years in exchange for a $24 million investment in the county. It also agreed to credit the bank 35 percent for 10 years as a special source credit to defray the costs to add infrastructure and improve properties in the county.

The agreement under consideration now would extend the credit to 40 percent for 12 years, Kirven said.

Representatives with United Community Bank could not be reached for comment.

The tax breaks are designed to incentivize job creation and investment within the county from new or expanding businesses. The local incentives are tied to the amount of investment, not the number of jobs created, and include provisions the business has to repay the incentives if it cannot live up to the investment promised.

So far this year, the council has approved tax incentives packages for three businesses, including;

Mateis Solar Corp., known as Project Saving Daylight, which plans to invest $11.2 million for a project located on Piedmont Grove Road. The company is required to invest at least $9.6 million within five years and expects to create 154 jobs.

170 Patriot Hill Drive LLC, for a $19 million investment at a location within Fountain Inns Fox Hill Business Park.

Augusta Grove BTS LLC and Haier US Appliance Solutions Inc., known as Project Cardboard, for a $50 million investment into a new General Electric warehouse building expected to create 45 jobs within five years.

The council also passed a resolution and may soon finalize a deal to offer incentives to Ortec, a project code-named Project Perigree, which is required to invest $10.5 million within five years at 465 Old Pelzer Road in Piedmont. The agreement would extend existing incentives for 10 years.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. I have been in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur since May 2, and many events have been held here. The groundbreaking of 10 villages has been made, and there have been many opening ceremonies, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation, Trend reports.

"Having been here in Karabakh and East Zangezur for about 10 days now, I can see firsthand again that Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur are reviving, roads, bridges, tunnels, power plants, water reservoirs, schools, hospitals, residential buildings, mosques are being built, rebuilt or renovated, electricity transmission lines are being extended. The interests of the people of Azerbaijan are at the core of all this creative work," President Ilham Aliyev said.
A new Zaxby's restaurant is expected to open this summer in Spartanburg off U.S. Highway 29.

Travis Townsend, owner and operator of the location at 2272 Nazareth Church Road, said he hopes to open the business by the beginning of July.

The restaurant will be around 2,900 square feet and will feature drive-thru canopies for a two-lane drive-thru that merges into one line once customers get to a cashier window. Townsend said the location will have a farmhouse-style look.

The restaurant will offer its standard popular menu items such as the Big Zax Snak Meal, chicken wings with nine different sauce options and Big Zalads.

Townsend said he plans to open more locations this year throughout the Upstate in Chesnee, Simpsonville and Piedmont. He said he also wants to partner with schools and other organizations to give back to the Spartanburg community.

New architecture nonprofit launched by Greenville firm

MOA Architecture Inc. CEO Michael Allen founded a new nonprofit to make architecture education more accessible.

ARKITEX aims to give resources such as webinars, design projects and other information to youth and young professionals looking at a career in architecture. The free resources to be used by individuals, schools and other community organizations can be found online at www.arkitexfoundation.org.

I created ARKITEX because I believe more widespread visibility for the profession, as well as resources, guidance and encouragement will help create the opportunity for more young people to see and choose architecture as a career path, Allen said in a statement.

The resources will continue to grow as the nonprofit establishes more partnerships, ARKITEX Executive Director Corrinda Brown-Cryer said.

These initial resources are just the beginning," Brown-Cryer said.

Greenville brewery wins awards at international competition

Fireforge Crafted Beer  a brewery, taproom, kitchen and biergarten in downtown Greenville  received accolades from the 2023 New York International Beer Competition.

New York International Beer Competition, in its 12th year, evaluates beers based on categories and price points and is judged by trade buyers. This year, the competition had more than 700 entries from over 15 countries in nearly 30 categories.

The brewery was named the South Carolina Brewery of the Year and earned three medals. Its Game Time Decision brew earned a gold medal and its Day on the Lake and Spirito Santo both earned bronze medals.

Having our submissions recognized by top beer buyers and trade professionals who have their finger on the pulse of consumer buying decisions is exciting, Fireforge co-founder Nicole Cendrowski said in a press release.

Fireforge Crafted Beer opened in 2018. It has more than 20 in-house brewed beers and other beverages on its menu along with food options.

In other news...

The Rock It! Co., a marketing and events agency, is opening a Greenville office. The agency's founder and CEO Leah Stoudenmire started her advertising career in Greenville at Erwin Penland in 2002. In 2014, she founded The Rock It! Co., which currently has a Charleston office. The company offers digital marketing, branding, marketing strategy, copy creation, events and design.

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative donated $50,000 to the Greenville Tech Foundation to name a classroom at the Prisma Health Center for Health and Life Sciences in honor of former local educator, Kenneth Southerlin . The three-story, 125,000-square-foot center is currently under construction on the Greenville Technical College's Barton Campus and will serve as a campus hub. Southerlin was in the education field for 35 years before retirement. He is also a member of the Blue Ridge Electric board and the college's governing board.

donated $50,000 to the Greenville Tech Foundation to name a classroom at the Prisma Health Center for Health and Life Sciences in honor of former local educator, . The three-story, 125,000-square-foot center is currently under construction on the Greenville Technical College's Barton Campus and will serve as a campus hub. Southerlin was in the education field for 35 years before retirement. He is also a member of the Blue Ridge Electric board and the college's governing board. Proactive MD opened its 11th primary care heath center in South Carolina on April 17. The new Greer center is located on Memorial Drive Extension and joins the company's more than 70 health centers across the U.S. The company is headquartered in Simpsonville and operates in 17 states.

opened its 11th primary care heath center in South Carolina on April 17. The new Greer center is located on Memorial Drive Extension and joins the company's more than 70 health centers across the U.S. The company is headquartered in Simpsonville and operates in 17 states. A North Carolina-based federal credit union opened another Upstate location in April. Truliant Federal Credit Union opened its new Easley branch at 5660 Calhoun Memorial Highway. It is the third in the Upstate, part of a greater regional expansion. The Easley location will be open Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thats all for this week. Email your thoughts, tips, releases and newsy bits to smirah@postandcourier.com.
GREENVILLE  A former teacher at Legacy Early College has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of rape of a student stemming back to her time as a teacher in Delaware.

A police investigation found that Reed Messer, at the time a middle school teacher, had a sexual relationship with a juvenile student for about two months beginning in October 2014, according to Delaware State Police.

Messer, 42, was a special education teacher at Legacy Early College in Greenville from July 2018 until she was fired at the end of this past January, said Katie Summersett, the schools human resources manager.

After the school was informed that she was the subject of a criminal investigation in Delaware, she was placed on administrative leave and was subsequently terminated upon the conclusion of an internal investigation, Summersett said. The safety of our scholars is always the highest priority in our school.

Summersett said she was not aware of any criminal charges against Messer expected in Greenville.

Messer was extradited to Delaware on May 8 following her arrest and detention in South Carolina. She has not been an employee of the school district in Delaware since November 2014.

Messer was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust, 10 counts of third-degree rape, and 10 counts of fourth-degree rape, according to police. Her bond was set at $310,000.
Gavin Mitchell hit a walk-off single May 11 to clinch a 1-0 victory for Summerville in its first game of the Lower State round of the Class AAAAA Baseball playoffs. Read moreGreen Wave edges Berkeley in Lower State playoffs
Charleston, SC  Both Duane Lewis and Daniel Crooks have dedicated their careers to law enforcement and the pursuit of justice. As the sheriff of Berkeley County, SC for a third consecutive term, Lewis has often considered the duty of the role and its history. Eager to explore a bygone era i Read moreBerkeley County, SC sheriff and retired SC constable shed light on historic criminal investigations within Berkeley County in new book
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
You may have lost your mother early in life or never really knew your mother. My two sons were only 17 and 20 when their mother passed at the age of 49 from multiple sclerosis. Mothers Day is a tough day for them and many others around the world. This day may be very difficult for you. Read moreMothers Day and your time
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Shusha was surrendered to the enemy due to national treason and betrayal in May 1992, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation from Shusha on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Shusha was surrendered to the enemy due to national treason and betrayal in May 1992. Shusha is an impregnable fortress. Everyone knows that. They vacated Shusha precisely to come to power. A month after the occupation of Shusha, the PFPA-Musavat duo came to power and achieved their dreams.

Unfortunately, Azerbaijan's Karabakh problem remained unresolved. Those in power were only preoccupied with their personal interests. They were engaged in looting, robbery, arbitrariness, anarchy, and chaos, lands were being lost, and the then PFPA-Musavat government was selling fuel to Armenia. Notice how much these people hated their own nation that on even such difficult days, they resorted to these dirty deeds to fill their own pockets. They even instigated a civil war to stay in power.

After that, our tragedies further increased. After the occupation of Shusha, Lachin was in great danger too, and ten days later, Lachin was also occupied. In April 1993, Kalbajar was also occupied, so a geographical link appeared between Karabakh and Armenia," President Ilham Aliyev said.
Its cold inside The Cooler. Thats because everyone in here is dead. As twin fans keep the chilly air moving, Horry Countys coroner for more than three decades explains the practical problems of managing all these bodies in the Opioid Capital of South Carolina. Read moreBailey: Inside the Cooler: People come to Myrtle Beach to get lost in the crowd'
S.C. Gov. Henry McMasters order calling the Legislature into a special session on Tuesday was so matter-of-fact, so routine, so unextraordinary that you might well wonder why I would bother writing about it  much less why the word extraordinary would be attached to it. Read moreScoppe: Special SC legislative sessions haven't always been so cordially convened
Most people probably heard or read little, if anything, about this month's Sullivan's Island Town Council elections, because unlike recent years, there was little to no controversy as the four candidates vying for three open council seats mostly tried to out tree-hug one another: All strongl Read moreEditorial: Ham-handed move on Sullivan's Island still carries lessons two years later
FLORENCE  A semester at Carlow College in Ireland changed Dillon native Curtis McLaurin's future.

McLaurin was one of approximately 350 Francis Marion University students who received their degrees during the May 6 commencement exercise at the Florence Center.

History always fascinated the 2019 Dillon High School graduate. It was his strongest subject in high school and he picked it for his major at Francis Marion.

He really enjoyed European history, which sparked a desire for a semester abroad. Two of his professors, Dr. Mark Blackwell and Dr. Jen Titanski-Hooper urged McLaurin to spend a semester studying in Europe.

Blackwell is a professor of philosophy and religious studies and director of international programs. Titanski-Hooper is an assistant professor of geography and director of the McNair Institute for Research and Service. They guided him through the application process.

McLaurin knew he wanted to be immersed in a new culture but didn't have a preference. He decided on Carlow College because it is a similar size to FMU. He spent fall 2022 studying at Carlow.

Francis Marion University has an enrollment of approximately 4,200 students, and 96 percent of them are residents of South Carolina. Every semester, FMU exchanges students with several of its 18 partner universities in 13 countries.

McLaurin's decision changed everything.

McLaurin had the opportunity to work with Ukrainian refugees at Carlow College. He and other Carlow students helped Ukrainian refugees learn English.

For 10 weeks, he helped approximately 60 refugees learn English through visual and audible learning techniques. "I was able to experience a great merge of cultures at Carlow," McLaurin said. "As an American student, I had the privilege of teaching the English language to Ukrainian refugees under the guidance of Irish professors. It was an incredible experience."

McLaurin also traveled throughout Ireland to visit museums, historic sites and landmarks.

Before he returned to the U.S., he spent a week in London with his mother, who also is an FMU graduate

"My time in Ireland opened my eyes to so many things," he said. "I have so many memories and experienced a great deal of personal growth during my semester abroad that I will carry with me forever,"

McLaurin said he plans to work internationally and continue his education. He wants to work for the Peace Corps or UNESCO teaching and doing humanitarian work.

Study trip to Ecuador

Biology major Annalena Griffin had an amazing journey to the Wildsumaco Biological Station in Ecuador during her studies at Francis Marion University.

The Taylors native said the Maymester trip had a big impact professionally and academically.

"The trip was amazing," she said. "It was incredible to apply what we were learning in the classroom to what we were seeing right outside our window at the biological station. It was the most amazing experience ever. We got to meet other classes from other universities that were there and have really interesting discussions with them."

The trip didn't change her career path.

Griffin said she always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, specifically an exotic animal specialist. She is caring for 10 rescued snakes in her home.

She always has known veterinary medicine would be her calling because of several experience she had as a child. "I worked at a zoo, animal hospital, and volunteered for different animal and wildlife organizations," Griffin said.

Francis Marion University fueled her dream of becoming an exotic animal veterinarian, she said.

Griffin graduated May 6 from FMU. Her next stop is the veterinary school at the University of Georgia where she will pursue the four-year veterinary degree program with hopes of working for a zoo.

The road to Florence

Franyeris Mercado received her master's degree in speech-language pathology from Francis Marion University on May 6.

The Rhode Island native moved to Florence nearly three years ago to begin FMU's speech-language pathology program. She won't be leaving Florence. She will start work as a speech pathologist for Florence 1 Schools this fall.

Mercado was a nontraditional student at the Florence university. She took a break from education after her high school graduation. She worked in hospitals and doctors' offices for several years before returning to school.

She earned an undergraduate degree in communication disorders from the University of Rhode Island in December 2020. At Rhode Island, her best friend's son was diagnosed with autism. She was fascinated with the care her friend's son received and started looking into programs that would prepare her to be a speech pathologist.

Francis Marion University's program intrigued Mercado because it prepares students to work in medical and educational settings, she said.

"For me, it was important to attend a university that prepares future SLPs for work in medical and school settings," Mercado said. "I always wanted to go to a place that welcomed diversity and is inclusive. I found all those things at FMU."

At first, Mercado thought she wanted to work in a health care setting, but fell in love with the world of education during her clinical studies.

"I absolutely loved working with children during one of my clinical experiences," Mercado said. "Seeing their eyes light up and their confidence build as they mastered new skills was extremely rewarding."

Soon, students in Florence 1 Schools will benefit from Mercado's speech-pathology training at FMU.
Charleston, SC (29730)

Today

Cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Heydar Aliyev's strength, wisdom and, in general, the Heydar Aliyev factor protected Azerbaijan like an umbrella, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation from Shusha on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Although he stayed out of political activity, the Great Leader always lived with the interests of Azerbaijan, his heartbeat with Azerbaijan, and in difficult times for our people, after the tragedy of January 20, he raised our people`s voice of justice to the world. On January 21, he came to the permanent representative office of Azerbaijan in Moscow. He raised his voice, condemned this bloody act of the Soviet government and the leadership of the Soviet Union, and made a statement to the world about this massacre. I was there with him. I remember that day well. It was both a tragic day, but at the same time, it was a proud day. Azerbaijanis living in Moscow gathered in front of the permanent representative office. When Heydar Aliyev approached the building, it seemed as if a corridor was opened in front of him. Although he was removed from all positions, an ugly campaign was carried out against him by the then-leaders of Azerbaijan in the Soviet media, he was always a great leader in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people" President Ilham Aliyev said.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 16:02:20

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Rebranded construction tech startup draws ex-Shopify leader and new funding to revolutionize commerce for complex industries.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Tough Commerce Inc., formerly Brokrete Inc., announces a rebranding, C$2mm in additional financing and the welcomed addition of Willem van Bergen as an investor and board member.Meet the Board: Fostering Industry TransformationFrom left to right, headshots of Willem van Bergen, former Shopify leader; Jordan Latourelle, Tough Commerce Founder & CEO; and Ronald Richardson, P.Eng., ICD.D, Corporate Director & Board Chair.With its new brand, growing team and continued access to capital, Tough Commerce continues its expansion as the leading complex commerce platform for industries underserved by traditional e-commerce giants, such as the construction industry. The platform enables complex industries to create industry-specific workflows to completely digitize their operations, from e-commerce to delivery and back-office to payout."We're excited to launch our new name and brand, which we believe better represents our DNA and our mission," said Jordan Latourelle, CEO of Tough Commerce. "The construction industry is in dire need of a modern, robust and unified commerce engine, and we're proud to be at the forefront of this transformation." Tough Commerce is also excited to announce new funding of C$2.0mm in addition to the C$2.1mm raised last year to fuel new customer acquisition, roadmap and organic growth, bringing the total amount raised by the company north of C$7.8mm. This latest funding round was led by Tough Commerce board chair and investor, Ronald Richardson. Tough Commerce is proud to recognize the continued support and investments from Boston-based ConTech VC firm Legacy Capital Ventures, Willem van Bergen, Montreal-based construction firm Groupe PSC, MaRS IAF, and its undisclosed U.S.-based ConTech investor partners.Last year, the company added over a decade of e-commerce experience to its investor group and board of directors with the addition of Willem van Bergen. Willem joined Shopify as its 25th employee in 2010 before its Series-A raise. During his 12 years at Shopify's headquarters, his roles included Infrastructure Engineering Team Lead, Sr. Developer Productivity Manager and Principal Production Engineer. Willem helped actively shape Shopify's internal culture, engineering team discipline, infrastructure design and product roadmap."What Jordan is doing at Tough Commerce is exciting, and I see strong parallels to the early days at Shopify. The team has the right energy, expertise and product needed to be the leader in this market, and it's a big market. It was an easy investment, and I am glad to be part of the team," said Willem."Willem is an excellent addition and complement to our board and investor group. He brings the rare, operational-level experience of scaling Shopify's team, product and culture from seed stage to centicorn status (>$100b market capitalization). His guidance on our e-commerce growth playbook helps fast-track operational decisions," said Ronald Richardson, Brokrete Board Chair."What we are most proud of is seeing construction suppliers use our platform as the unifying layer to digitize and run 100% of their business - not just e-commerce. "Tough" is becoming the core operating system for construction suppliers, " said Jordan.The Tough Commerce engine is fully operational and used by construction suppliers throughout Canada, the United States and Australia.Contact InformationJordan LatourelleCEOpr@ toughcommerce.com Related FilesTough Commerce Rebrand.png Related ImagesMeet the Board: Fostering Industry TransformationFrom left to right, headshots of Willem van Bergen, former Shopify leader; Jordan Latourelle, Tough Commerce Founder & CEO; and Ronald Richardson, P.Eng., ICD.D, Corporate Director & Board Chair.Exhibiting the new brand at ConExpo 2023The Tough Commerce team showcased the launch of their new brand at the ConExpo in Las Vegas.SOURCE: Tough Commerce
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 10:45:18

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / ByondXR today announced the launch of its groundbreaking platform for virtual experience building (beta version).ByondXR is proud to announce the beta launch of its innovative self-service, a no-coding platform for virtual experiences, with an emphasis on commerce experiences. The platform enables businesses to easily create captivating and immersive 3D experiences that revolutionize how their customers interact with brands and products. With a variety of plugins available, brands can add a wide variety of content, engagement opportunities, and enhancements to their experiences.With ByondXR's platform, users can enjoy seamless, interactive experiences across multiple devices, in peak performance, transforming the way retail, e-commerce, and luxury markets operate.ByondXR will be exhibiting at ShopTalk Europe in Barcelona from 9-11 May 2023, allowing attendees to witness firsthand how immersive technology is redefining customer engagement and driving sales in the retail sector. The platform capabilities are available there, so you can get a glimpse of what has been released recently. The platform is designed to help build brand equity and provide value to all target audiences, including customers, agencies, consultancies, and integration partners.Co-founder and CEO, Noam Levavi: "Our innovative solution enables businesses to create captivating and immersive 3D experiences that revolutionize how customers interact with brands and products." Using state-of-the-art technology, our solution allows users to create 3D experiences that are both visually stunning and engaging. By enabling businesses to provide customers with an interactive experience that stands out from the competition, our solution helps businesses to attract and retain more customers".For more information about ByondXR's groundbreaking platform for virtual reality, please visit ByondXRAbout ByondXRByondXR is a pioneer of virtual experiences that transforms e-commerce. ByondXR has created engaging online shopping experiences for consumers by mimicking real-life showrooms or creating new ones. They can explore inclusivity and accessibility, decorate their homes more efficiently, and build memorable connections with brands. Customizable 3D platform with photorealism, immersive design, cart integration, and gamification. By adding plugins, features, visuals, carts, etc., users and partners can fully customize their own virtual stores. E-commerce, media, and other elements can be controlled by plugins. Manage a virtual store comprehensively, easily, and quickly by choosing what, when, and how to showcase. It provides powerful analytics to measure results and optimize stores. The technology has been used by major international beauty, fashion, retail, and home decor brands, such as Target, The Coca-Cola Company, L'Oreal, YSL Beauty, NARS, VidaGlow, Mondelez, Kiehl's, and Caesarstone. With ByondXR's virtual solutions, retailers have a competitive edge in the present, as well as in the future. For more information visitwww.byondxr.com Media Contact:ByondXREfrat Tzory- VP of Marketingefrat@ byondxr.com +972 52 600 8172SOURCE: ByondXR
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 18:47:28

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Caliber was recognized as a leading company setting a new standard for what it means to have a great company culture.NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Caliber Corporate Advisers, one of the leading marketing and communications agencies for fintech and financial services, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list.This prominent list, featured in the May/June 2023 issue, is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility."The reason I started Caliber was to build a company committed to providing a meaningful experience for our employees and client partners," said Harvey Hudes, founder and CEO. "When you hire amazing people who align with your culture and your values, you can achieve great things. We're very proud of the culture we've built, and the ranking on Inc.'s Best Workplace list is one of my proudest moments as it speaks to the fact that our team members believe in our culture as well." After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 591 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking."Being named to Best Workplaces is an honor that only a small fraction of companies have been able to claim," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Proving to the world that you're a magnet for talent and have a culture that keeps teams engaged, productive, and proud to come to work is a truly remarkable achievement." Caliber, which provides strategy and execution in messaging, PR, content, social media, and digital advertising, was recently recognized by the Financial Times as one of Americas' Fastest Growing Companies in 2023 and as one of the Top Financial PR Firms for 2023 by O'Dwyer's earlier this year. In 2022, the agency was recognized as a Crain's top 50 fastest-growing companies in NYC.About CaliberCaliber drives innovation in financial services and fintech, insurance and insurtech, real estate and proptech, and related professional services by being a marketing and communications "go-to" trusted partner. We provide best-in-class strategy and execution in messaging, PR, content, social media, and digital advertising. We take pride in bringing a fresh perspective and acting as an extension of your team. With team members across the U.S. and Europe, we serve a global client base. Visit www.calibercorporate.com to learn more.About Inc. MediaThe world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com Media Contact:Ryan Hall, DirectorCaliber Corporate Advisersryan@ calibercorporateadvisers.com SOURCE: Caliber Corporate Advisers
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-11 00:00:16

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By using their human-kind event tech, HeadBox is able to save event bookers time and money while handling the heavy lifting from function venue research to event execution.GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Corporate bookers on the Gold Coast are increasingly turning to HeadBox, the national events agency, for outsourcing their event planners and managers. As the pandemic has put a strain on resources for large organisations, many are finding that outsourcing their event planning to HeadBox is a cost-effective and efficient solution.Venue hire Gold Coast With a team of experienced event planners and managers located across Australia, HeadBox is able to provide in-person site visits and on-the-ground support for events. HeadBox has established relationships within the supplier ecosystem, which allows them to negotiate better pricing and secure premium venue hires Gold Coast-wide that might not be available through other channels.HeadBox's human-kind event tech takes care of all the heavy lifting, from finding the most suitable function room Gold Coast wide to event execution, so corporate bookers can focus on other aspects of their job. This means that bookers can save significant amounts of time and money while still hosting successful events.HeadBox has been successful in securing more corporate events on the Gold Coast, with over $12M worth of events currently in the works. With the event industry back in full swing for 2023, corporates are reaching out to HeadBox for support and more briefs are coming in every day.HeadBox has partnerships with a wide range of venues to suit any type of event, from intimate gatherings to large-scale conferences. They also provide tailored event management services, ensuring that events run smoothly and are executed with the highest level of professionalism.The Events team at HeadBox also specialises in social events, such as weddings and parties. Their experienced team can handle all aspects of planning a successful event, from venue selection to catering and everything in between.As the event industry continues to recover from the pandemic, HeadBox is poised to help even more corporate bookers in the future.To learn more or search for the perfect function or party venue Gold Coast wide, visit HeadBox online.About HeadBoxHeadBox is Australia's fastest-growing event tech company, on a mission to reinvent the global events industry through technology. With a focus on building human-kind event tech, HeadBox is the easy way to plan meetings and events with confidence, connecting people with spaces to make brilliant things happen, everywhere.Contact InformationHeadbox AUMarketing Managerpress@ headbox.com SOURCE: HeadBox
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 19:37:02

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Evolve Med Spa is offering 20% off all services and products for nurses and has contributed donations to local healthcare systems in honor of Nurse's Week.RED BANK, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Evolve Med Spa, an award-winning destination for skin rejuvenation, body contouring and injectable treatments, is proud to announce that it will be offering nurses 20% off all services and treatments for the month of May in honor of Nurse's Week.Evolve Med Spa in HobokenAll Evolve Med Spa clinics will be participating in honoring nurses for Nurse's Week with discounts, raffles and giveaways. In addition to the discount, Evolve Med Spa has also donated over $5,000 in products and services to local heathcare systems, hospitals, medical practices, and urgent care centers."Nurses are the backbone of our community's physical and mental health, and we are so grateful for their dedication and hard work," said Dr. Osbert Fernandez, Medical Director and co-founder of Evolve Med Spa. "We want to show our appreciation for all that they do and honor the impact they make every single day." The 20% discount is available to all nurses who present their nursing license or ID card at the time of service. The discount is valid for all services and treatments offered at Evolve Med Spa, including:Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau and XeominFillersLaser hair removalMicroneedlingMorpheus8Chemical peelsBody sculptingRetail skincare productsAll other servicesThe discount is valid for the month of May 2023. To schedule an appointment, book online at: evolvemedspa.com About Evolve Med SpaEvolve Med Spa is a leading provider of medical spa services with locations throughout New Jersey, New York and Maryland. Evolve Med Spa helps you look your best, feel confident, and be unapologetically you. Our highly trained, physician-led team of medical and aesthetic professionals customizes treatments for you based on proven technology and an artist's eye for natural beauty, leaving you confident, empowered, and positively glowing.Contact InformationEmily FernandezVP, Brand and Client Experience9179406009SOURCE: Evolve Med Spa
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-11 00:00:19

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A recent study has shown that mining companies are placing a greater emphasis on the well-being of their employees in response to the growing recognition of the importance of mental health in the workplace.PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / The mining industry, particularly in Western Australia, is a significant source of investment, employment, exports and government revenue. However, according to Techforce, a leading provider of skilled labour solutions to the sector such as chef jobs, it also faces distinct challenges related to remote work and travel, shift work, temporary lodging, exposure to health and safety risks and a predominantly male workforce.rigger jobs, chef jobs, mining chef jobs, fifo chef jobs perthA collaborative project led by the Centre for Transformative Work Design, based at Curtin's Future of Work Institute (FOWI), has produced a report on employee well-being in the sector. The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) prepared the report, which revealed that the mining industry has made strides in prioritising and supporting employee well-being.Techforce says mining companies have recognised the need to provide support to employees in high-stress roles, such as rigger jobs and mining chef jobs. As the long working hours and isolated living conditions of FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) workers can contribute to mental health challenges, many companies have implemented initiatives aimed at supporting the well-being of their employees, including access to mental health support services, onsite gyms and fitness programs, healthy meal options and opportunities for social interaction.The industry is also recognising the importance of providing mental health training to their employees, particularly those in leadership positions, says Techforce. By equipping their managers with the skills and knowledge to recognise and address mental health challenges in their teams, companies can promote a culture of support and openness.By shifting focus to support employee well-being, Techforce says companies will also see a positive impact on their bottom line. With a reduction in absenteeism and turnover, productivity will improve and costs associated with recruitment and training will be reduced.Techforce is committed to improving the well-being of their employees and will continue to seek out innovative ways to provide support to their team. For those looking for FIFO chef jobs Perth-wide or other mining-related roles, visit www.Techforce.com.au About TechforceTechforce Personnel is a national privately owned recruitment and workforce management company, specialising in supplying qualified employees to a range of industries across Australia and New Zealand.Contact Information:Techforce PersonnelMarketing Managerrecruitment@ techforce.com.au (08) 6363 7040SOURCE: Techforce
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The Nakhchivan period was of great importance for Heydar Aliyev's future activities. The people chose him as their leader, and this was a real celebration of democracy, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation from Shusha on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports.

"The Azerbaijani government, both the communist and the so-called democratic authorities, tried their best to remove Heydar Aliyev from Nakhchivan. Nakhchivan could barely breathe under the blockade, but they were committing provocations, sending paratroopers to Nakhchivan and attempting a coup d'etat. It was as if they wanted Nakhchivan to be occupied as well. However, the people did not allow that to happen. They closely united around their leader, and I want to say once again that it was precisely because of Heydar Aliyev's determination and activity that the lands of Nakhchivan were saved from the Armenian occupation," President Ilham Aliyev said.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-11 00:15:58

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 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 Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 17:01:27

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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Companies looking to make sure they are fully ESG compliant in reaching the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community can now work with Island City Media Group, the largest media company for this audience. May is National Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.Island City logoLogo for Island City Media GroupIsland City produces the annual MANA Awards and is the largest AANHPI media company in the country with an estimated global audience of five million people. Island City is also home to the biggest celebrities and influencers in the AANHPI community.Island City's team (all members of the AANHPI community) has decades of experience in audio/video production, leadership, product development and entrepreneurship. Island City Media Group also has the ability to serve as a cultural consultant specifically for matters related to the AANHPI community."Many companies are now looking to Island City Media Group to help them hit their brand ESG strategic goals and develop new relationships in the AANHPI community," said Joey "Q" Quenga, co-founder and CEO, Island City Media Group.About Island City Media GroupIsland City Media Group's mission is to create a multi-platform model which provides a central forum dedicated to featuring Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander talent, highlighting achievements, and celebrating culture. The company's vision is to build a community-centric platform for the AANHPI community and be an industry leader in connecting people through digital media. Island City's goal is to inspire and provide opportunities for the AANHPI community by establishing strategic partnerships, programs and resources. For more information, please visit https://www.islandcitymediagroup.com/ Contact InformationScott Robertson, APRRobertson Communicationsscott@ robertsoncomm.com 623-224-7343SOURCE: Island City Media Group
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 13:00:56

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Complete with retail, restaurants and outdoor spaces, Indigo Commons is being designed for human connections and will provide unique ways for small business owners to thriveHOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Meristem Communities, a Houston-based real estate development company committed to creating Places for People, has announced the groundbreaking of Indigo Commons, the mixed-use town center and heart of the 235-acre Indigo neighborhood in Fort Bend County, Texas. Indigo Commons will create new energy and engagement in the community with a wide variety of small businesses including specialty food and beverage offerings, boutique shops, neighborhood services and office and multi-family residential space. Meristem is providing ownership opportunities for small businesses at Indigo Commons, which empowers local entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, build real estate equity and create a legacy that helps shape the neighborhood.Courtesy of CultivateLAND"As we were designing the community, we knew we wanted Indigo Commons to have unifying characteristics that invite engagement between residents, visitors and shopkeepers," said Clayton Garrett, partner at Meristem Communities. "We drew inspiration from traditional Main Streets where buildings are at a human scale and encourage interaction. It's the mix of retail, commercial and small businesses open from the start in Indigo that will encourage social connection and a strong local economy. So different than traditional suburban communities, which are mostly just residential." Courtesy of CultivateLANDGarrett continued, "We're proud to be part of Fort Bend County, which is one of the most diverse and entrepreneurial counties in the nation. People from all over the world call Fort Bend home because of the inclusive culture,exceptional schools and beautiful communities. Indigo Commons will reflect this vibrant lifestyle by accommodating an eclectic assortment of small businesses in a neighborhood that's safe, human-oriented and pedestrian-friendly." Utilizing incremental development, Indigo Commons will deliver spaces that prioritize small businesses while meeting the cultural and practical needs of the community. First-floor spaces in Indigo Commons will be focused on active retail, inviting people to shop, dine and explore. The second and third floors of the buildings will be a combination of offices or residences depending on the building location and the needs of the local business owners.Courtesy of CultivateLAND"Merchants, shopkeepers and small businesses are a huge part of our vision at Indigo and what really sets Indigo Commons apart is the opportunity for small businesses to own a commercial space within the neighborhood," said Scott Snodgrass, partner at Meristem Communities. "In the same way that we carefully planned our residential neighborhood to make sure we had a wide diversity of homes for different family formations and life stages, we took the same approach when we looked at Indigo Commons. We decided to first offer smaller square footages that are more appropriate for independent enterprises, with the opportunity to purchase their own buildings. We want shopkeepers and merchants to be able to grow their businesses while growing their equity - just as you do when you purchase a home - with no landlords and no rent increases. They deserve to feel confident that the brick and mortar of their legacy can be passed along. It's an unusual opportunity in our market, but we believe it's crucial to creating equity, providing an authentic experience for residents and for Indigo as a community to grow and thrive." Small business owners can choose from a collection of six diverse configurations with a range of appropriately sized square footage plans and storefront options including: a two-story, 1,600-square-foot retail and office space; a three-story, 2,400-square-foot retail/office/residential space; and four different retail/residential spaces ranging from 2-3 stories between 1,600 and 3,200 square feet. A seventh custom option is available for businesses that might have a different need.Courtesy of CultivateLANDTo help small businesses navigate and access the three different paths to purchase at Indigo Commons, Meristem Communities is working closely with SBA preferred lenders including local agencies and banks, and engaging with the City of Richmond, Fort Bend County, local chambers, small business organizations and more.Committed to fostering a healthy and prosperous business environment for entrepreneurs of all sizes, Meristem Communities is also planning to offer micro-scale startups additional opportunities at Indigo Commons, whether that means renting a cabinet that opens on the outside of a building, a having a space to park a food cart for a few hours or a place to pull up a food truck."Simply put, Indigo Commons is going to be a game changer for the local Fort Bend economy," said Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy. "Meristem Communities has a creative vision and a contagious energy that we don't often see in commercial developments. They're fully committed to making Indigo Commons an active hub that enables all types of businesses to grow and prosper. I know it will be an enticing opportunity for local business owners and a great asset to the County." The priority registration list to join Indigo Commons is currently open. For more information and updates on Indigo and Indigo Commons, visit IndigoCommunity.com and IndigoCommons.com Courtesy of CultivateLANDAbout Meristem CommunitiesMeristem Communities is a Houston-based real estate development company exploring how healthy communities are developed and nourished. Established in 2021 by founding partners Clayton Garrett and Scott Snodgrass, the company believes that the best places on Earth are born when spaces are thoughtfully designed and communities are empowered to care for them. Meristem's first neighborhood, Indigo, is currently in development in Fort Bend County, Texas with a projected phase one grand opening in early 2024. Upon completion, the 235-acre neighborhood will feature approximately 750 residential units, 42 acres devoted to agriculture, and 12 acres of mixed-use commercial development. For more information, visit Meristemcommunities.com CONTACT:Katy Biggerstaffkbiggerstaff@ newgroundco.com SOURCE: Meristem Communities
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-11 00:16:00

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 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: 2023-05-10 16:02:18

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Supporting creators expanding overseasTOKYO, JAPAN / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / pixiv, the communications platform operated by pixiv Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "pixiv", Office: Shibuya, Tokyo, Representative Director: Shingo Kunieda), where users can share illustrations, manga, and novels, will be the corporate sponsor of the exhibition "Rearise #1.6 EXHIBITION L.A.", which opens on May 27, 2023, at Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles, California, USA, and features works by the creative collective "SSS by applibot".SSS "Rearise #1.6 EXHIBITION L.A." Official Website: https://rearise.sss.applibot.co.jp/1_6la/en/ pixiv aims to help creators expand overseas through sponsorship"SSS by applibot" includes a total of eight celebrity creators (BUNBUN, Naji Yanagida, PALOW, Sevnzel, taiki, Isssai, Masafumi Takagi, and Mai Yoneyama) who create games, anime, light novels and more.About SSS by applibot: https://sss.applibot.co.jp/ pixiv has long been actively involved in promoting creators overseas and helping Japanese creators expand internationally. pixiv highly values its ongoing partnership with "SSS by applibot", and is proud to support their members at this all-new U.S. exhibition as the official corporate sponsor.pixiv's support for creators overseasAs of April 2023, pixiv boasted more than 90 million registered users, of whom 58% are located outside Japan. Of pixiv's non-Japanese members, about 7.2 million are located in the USA, with more than 1.1 million unique users from the USA using the pixiv site each month. American creators have posted a cumulative total of more than 3.7 million pages of works to the site.In December of last year, pixiv partnered with the U.S.-based publisher Clover Press to release English editions of "Artists in Taiwan" and "Artists in Korea", which highlight the work of creators in those countries. This crowdfunded project garnered a total of $88,524 in financing on Kickstarter, becoming a hugely successful project for introducing works by Asian creators into the Western market.Then, in March of this year, pixiv partnered with the publisher PIE International to release an artbook entitled "Artists in the Americas", showcasing work by 62 creators from North and South America to proactively support creators from the Americas and help them deepen their relationships with their fans.Going forward, pixiv will continue to support creative activities and produce opportunities to help creators expand their fanbase internationally. About pixiv https://www.pixiv.net pixiv is a social networking service for creators, focused on "communication through sharing works". pixiv, Inc. https://www.pixiv.co.jp Striving to be an exciting space for users to enjoy creative activities, we provide various services to support creators, including pixiv, one of the world's largest art communities, FANBOX, encouraging creators' activities, and the 3D project VRoid.Representative Director: Shingo KuniedaEstablished: July 25th, 2005Inquiries: Takahashi, NishidoiE-mail: info@ pixiv.co.jp Contact InformationMika Nishidoieditorinfo@ pixiv.co.jp SOURCE: pixiv Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 08:01:06

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Copper alloy is a metal composed of two or more elements, at least one of which is copper. The other elements are typically metals such as tin, zinc, aluminum, lead, nickel, and iron. Copper alloys are used in a variety of applications, such as electrical wiring, plumbing, and coins. Copper alloys are also used to make jewelry, musical instruments, and sculptures.Request for Sample Report: https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/Copper-Alloy-Material-Market/request-for-sample-report Market DriversGrowing Demand for Automotive and Aerospace Industries: The growing demand for copper alloy materials from the automotive and aerospace industries is driving the market growth. Copper alloys are increasingly being used in the production of various components for these industries, such as engines, radiators, exhaust systems, and brakes.Increasing Adoption of Copper Alloy Materials in Electronics: The rising demand for copper alloy materials in the electronics sector is another key driver of the market. Copper alloys are used in the production of components such as connectors, printed circuit boards, and electrical wiring.Growing Demand for Copper Alloy Materials in Construction: The growing demand for copper alloy materials in the construction sector is also driving the market growth. Copper alloys are used in the production of various components such as pipes, wires, and fittings.Increasing Demand for Copper Alloy Materials in Medical Devices: The increasing demand for copper alloy materials in the medical device industry is also driving the market growth. Copper alloys are used in the production of various components such as implants, prostheses, and orthopedic devices.Increasing Use of Copper Alloy Materials in Industrial Applications: The increasing use of copper alloy materials in industrial applications is also driving the market growth. Copper alloys are used in the production of various components such as valves, pumps, and bearings.Market ChallengesIncreasing Cost of Raw Materials: The cost of raw materials used to produce copper alloys is increasing. This is due to the increasing demand for copper alloys and the limited availability of raw materials. This has led to an increase in the cost of production, which has a negative impact on the global copper alloy material market.Volatility in the Prices of Copper Alloys: The prices of copper alloys are highly volatile, which makes it difficult to predict the future prices. This makes it difficult for companies to plan their production and pricing strategies.Intense Competition: The copper alloy material market is highly competitive, with a large number of manufacturers competing for market share. This makes it difficult for companies to differentiate their products and gain a competitive advantage.Stringent Government Regulations: Government regulations on the production and sale of copper alloys are becoming increasingly stringent. This is making it difficult for companies to meet the regulatory requirements and stay competitive.Technological Advancement: Technological advancements are leading to the development of new products and processes. This is making it difficult for companies to keep up with the changing technology and remain competitive.Covid-19 Impact AnaysisThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the global copper alloy material market. The global demand for copper alloy material has decreased significantly due to the pandemic, resulting in a decline in the market value of copper alloy material. This has been caused by the disruption of global supply chains, the decline in industrial production, and the decrease in demand from major end-use industries such as automotive, electronics, and construction.The decline in global demand has caused a decline in the price of copper alloy material, which has led to a decrease in the market value of copper alloy material. This has been further exacerbated by the decline in the supply of copper alloy material due to the closure of mines and smelters.In addition, the pandemic has caused a decline in the global demand for copper alloy material, due to the disruption of global supply chains and the decline in industrial production. The decline in demand has caused a decrease in the market value of copper alloy material, as well as a decrease in the availability of copper alloy material.In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the global copper alloy material market, resulting in a decline in the market value of copper alloy material. The decline in demand, coupled with the disruption of global supply chains, has caused a decrease in the availability of copper alloy material, leading to a decrease in the market value of copper alloy material.Global Copper Alloy Material Market SegmentationThe segment analysis chapter provides information on the different sub-segments of the market. The chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the market segments and year-on-year growth projections that enable readers to identify potential market growth areas.Based on type, the global copper alloy material market is segmented into beryllium copper, oxygen free copper, cadmium copper, leaded copper, chromium copper, copper nickel, others.Based on application, the copper alloy material market is segmented into home appliances, mechanical, automobile, electronic component, others.Global Copper Alloy Material Market Regional AnalysisThe market analysis report includes a comprehensive analysis of the copper alloy material market by region and country. The regional and country-specific insights provided in the report are valuable for market competitors to make informed decisions about their business strategy. The individualized, country-wise, and segment-wise analyses allow readers to explore the potential of the market in different geographic areas. This section is crucial for understanding the year-on-year growth projections and global market share value, making it an essential part of the report.Copper Alloy Material Market, by RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaGlobal Copper Alloy Material Market Competitive AnalysisThe report also features a competitive analysis section that includes a detailed company shares analysis, a list of mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations, as well as information on the introduction of new products to the market. Some of the prominent players in the market are AMPCO METAL, Aviva Metals, Cadi Company, Copper Alloys Ltd, DOWA METALTECH CO., LTD., Electric Materials, Iwatani Corporation, JX Nippon Mining & Metals, KME Special Products & Solutions GmbH, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Modison Limited, SVS SchweiAYtechnik GmbH, Wieland.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 10:26:49

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Generator panels are electrical control systems used to monitor and regulate the output of a generator. They are typically used to control the flow of electricity from the generator to other electrical systems, such as the power grid or a home. Generator panels provide safety features such as overload protection, as well as monitoring functions such as voltage and current readings.Request for Sample Report: https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/Generators-Panels-Market/request-for-sample-report Market DriversGrowing Demand for Reliable Power Supply: The rising demand for reliable power supply is one of the major driving factors for the growth of the global generators panels market. With the increasing number of natural disasters, power outages have become more frequent, making it necessary for businesses to have uninterrupted power supply. This has led to an increase in the demand for generator panels, which provide reliable and continuous power supply.Increasing Number of Smart Grid Projects: The increasing number of smart grid projects across the globe is another key factor driving the growth of the global generators panels market. Smart grids are designed to monitor and control the flow of electricity, enabling efficient use of energy resources. This has increased the demand for generator panels, which are used to control and monitor the flow of electricity.Growing Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources: The increasing adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower is another major factor driving the growth of the global generators panels market. Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly popular due to their low cost and environmental benefits. This has led to an increase in the demand for generator panels, which are used to control and monitor the flow of electricity from these sources.Rising Demand from Developing Countries: The rising demand from developing countries is another major factor driving the growth of the global generators panels market. Developing countries such as India and China are witnessing rapid economic growth, which has led to an increase in the demand for reliable power supply. This has led to an increase in the demand for generator panels, which provide reliable and continuous power supply.Technological Advancements: Technological advancements in the field of generator panels have also contributed to the growth of the global generators panels market. Technological advancements such as the development of smart generator panels and digital control systems have enabled efficient and cost-effective power supply. This has led to an increase in the demand for generator panels.Market ChallengesIncreasing Competition: The global Generators Panels market is highly competitive, with many companies vying for market share. This has resulted in an increase in product innovation, pricing pressures, and a decrease in margins.Technological Advancements: The rapid pace of technological advancements is creating new opportunities and challenges in the global Generators Panels market. Companies are increasingly investing in research and development to stay ahead of the competition.Regulatory Environment: Regulatory policies and standards can have a significant impact on the global Generators Panels market. Companies must comply with local regulations and standards in order to be successful in the market.Cost of Manufacturing: The cost of manufacturing Generators Panels is high due to the complexity of the components used. This has led to an increase in the cost of the final product, which can be a challenge for companies operating in the market.Environmental Concerns: Environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important in the global Generators Panels market. Companies must ensure that their products adhere to environmental regulations and standards in order to be successful in the market.Covid-19 Impact AnaysisThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global generators panels market. The pandemic has caused a disruption in the supply chain of the generators panels market, resulting in a significant decline in demand from key end-use industries such as construction, manufacturing, and power generation.The pandemic has also caused a disruption in the availability of raw materials due to the closure of factories, resulting in a decrease in production capacity of generators panels.Furthermore, the pandemic has caused a disruption in the availability of capital for the generators panels market, as the financial markets have been affected by the pandemic. This has caused a decrease in investment in the generators panels market, leading to a decrease in the demand for generators panels.In addition, the pandemic has caused a decrease in the demand for generators panels due to the decrease in the demand for electricity due to the lockdowns and restrictions imposed by governments across the world. This has caused a decrease in the demand for generators panels from the power generation sector.Finally, the pandemic has also caused a decrease in the demand for generators panels from the residential sector, as people are spending less on home improvements due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. This has caused a decrease in the demand for generators panels from the residential sector.Global Generators Panels Market SegmentationThe segment analysis chapter provides information on the different sub-segments of the market. The chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the market segments and year-on-year growth projections that enable readers to identify potential market growth areas.Based on type, the global generators panels market is segmented into explosion proof generators panels, stainless steel generators panels.Based on application, the generators panels market is segmented into industrial grade generators, high voltage commercial generators.Global Generators Panels Market Regional AnalysisThe market analysis report includes a comprehensive analysis of the generators panels market by region and country. The regional and country-specific insights provided in the report are valuable for market competitors to make informed decisions about their business strategy. The individualized, country-wise, and segment-wise analyses allow readers to explore the potential of the market in different geographic areas. This section is crucial for understanding the year-on-year growth projections and global market share value, making it an essential part of the report.Generators Panels Market, by RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaGlobal Generators Panels Market Competitive AnalysisThe report also features a competitive analysis section that includes a detailed company shares analysis, a list of mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations, as well as information on the introduction of new products to the market. Some of the prominent players in the market are AJ Power Co., Ltd., Brilltech, Deep Sea Electronics, Generac, HIGHVOLT POWER & CONTROL SYSTEMS, OCI, SSPL Engineers, Schneider Electric, Shiv Power Corporation, Spike Electric, Vesta Engineering.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 19:50:26

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GODALMING, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Condor ("Condor" or the "Company") (AIM:CNR)(TSX:COG) is pleased to announce that at the Company's AGM held earlier today, all resolutions were passed.- Ends -For further information please visit www.condorgold.com or contact:Condor Gold plcMark Child, CEO+44 (0) 20 7493 2784Beaumont Cornish LimitedRoland Cornish and James Biddle+44 (0) 20 7628 3396SP Angel Corporate Finance LLPEwan Leggat+44 (0) 20 3470 0470H&P Advisory LimitedAndrew Chubb and Nilesh Patel+44 207 907 8500Adelaide Capital (Investor Relations)Deborah Honig+1-647-203-8793About Condor Gold plc:Condor Gold plc was admitted to AIM in May 2006 and dual listed on the TSX in January 2018. The Company is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Nicaragua.The Company's principal asset is La India Project, Nicaragua, which comprises of a large, highly prospective land package of 588 sq km comprising of 12 contiguous and adjacent concessions. The Company has filed a feasibility study technical report dated 25 October 2022 and entitled "Condor Gold Technical Report on the La India Gold Project, Nicaragua, 2022" (the "2022 FS") which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and was prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The 2022 FS indicated that La India Project hosts a high grade Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") of 9,672 kt at 3.5g/t gold for 1,088,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 8,642 kt at 4.3 g/t gold for 1,190,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource category. The open pit MRE is 8,693 kt at 3.2 g/t gold for 893,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 3,026 kt at 3.0 g/t gold for 291,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource category. Total underground MRE is 979 kt at 6.2 g/t gold for 194,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 5,615 kt at 5.0 g/t gold for 898,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource category.The 2022 FS replaces the previously reported Preliminary Economic Assessment ("2021 PEA") as presented in the Technical Report filed on SEDAR in October 2021 as the current technical report for the La India project.The 2021 PEA considered the expanded Project inclusive of the exploitation of the Mineral Resources associated to the La India, Mestiza, America and Central Breccia deposits. The strategic study covers two scenarios: Scenario A, in which the mining is undertaken from four open pits, termed La India, America, Mestiza and Central Breccia Zone ("CBZ"), which targets a plant feed rate of 1.225 million tonnes per annum ("Mtpa"); and Scenario B, where the mining is extended to include three underground operations at La India, America and Mestiza, in which the processing rate is increased to 1.4 Mtpa. The 2021 PEA Scenario B presented a post-tax, post upfront capital expenditure NPV of US$418 million, with an IRR of 54% and 12 month pay-back period, assuming a US$1,700 per oz gold price, with average annual production of 150,000 oz gold per annum for the initial 9 years of gold production. The open pit mine schedules were optimised from designed pits, bringing higher grade gold forward resulting in average annual production of 157,000 oz gold in the first 2 years from open pit material and underground mining funded out of cashflow. The 2021 PEA Scenario A presented a post-tax, post upfront capital expenditure NPV of US$302 million, with an IRR of 58% and 12 month pay-back period, assuming a US$1,700 per oz gold price, with average annual production of approximately 120,000 oz gold per annum for the initial 6 years of gold production. The Mineral Resource estimate and associated Preliminary Economic Assessment contained in the 2021 PEA are considered a historical estimate within the meaning of NI 43-101, a qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify such historical estimate as current, and the Company is not treating the historical Mineral Resource estimate and associated studies as current, and the reader is cautioned not to rely upon this data as such. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Company believes that the historical Mineral Resource estimate and Preliminary Economic assessment is relevant to the continuing development of the La India Project.In August 2018, the Company announced that the Ministry of the Environment in Nicaragua had granted the Environmental Permit ("EP") for the development, construction and operation of a processing plant with capacity to process up to 2,800 tonnes per day at the La India Project. The EP is considered the master permit for mining operations in Nicaragua. Condor has purchased a new SAG Mill, which has mainly arrived in Nicaragua. Site clearance and preparation is at an advanced stage.Environmental Permits were granted in April and May 2020 for the Mestiza and America open pits respectively, both located close to La India. The Mestiza open pit hosts 92 Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t gold (36,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 341 Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. The America open pit hosts 114 Kt at a grade of 8.1 g/t gold (30,000 oz) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 677 Kt at a grade of 3.1 g/t gold (67,000 oz) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. Following the permitting of the Mestiza and America open pits, together with the La India open pit Condor has 1.12 M oz gold open pit Mineral Resources permitted for extraction.DisclaimerNeither the contents of the Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.Qualified PersonsThe technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Andrew Cheatle, P.Geo., a director of Condor Gold plc, and Gerald D. Crawford, P.E., the Chief Technical Officer of Condor Gold plc, each of whom is a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101.Important Notice(s)Forward Looking StatementsAll statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information' with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements with respect to future development and pr
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 12:00:56

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NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICESTORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Roscan Gold Corporation ("Roscan" or the "Company") (TSXV: ROS)(FSE:2OJ)(OTCQB:RCGCF) announces that, further to its press release of March 31, 2023 that due to investor demand the Company has increased the size of its non-brokered private placement financing to gross proceeds of up to $2,700,000 through the issuance of up to 13,500,000 common Shares (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.20 per Common Share (the "Offering")This news 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 RoscanRoscan Gold Corporation is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of producing gold mines (including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine which lies in a contiguous property to the west of Kandiole), and major gold deposits, located both north and south of its Kandiole Project in West Mali.For further information, please contact:Nana SangmuahPresident & CEOTel: (902) 832-5555Email: info@ Roscan.ca Forward Looking StatementsThis news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com . Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Roscan Gold Corporation
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 23:15:31

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 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
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May 10, 2023 Police, military support Tolentino's move to postpone Barangay, SK polls in Negros Oriental MANILA - The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have expressed their respective full support over the recent proposal of Senator Francis 'TOL' N. Tolentino to postpone the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Negros Oriental amidst dozens of reported incidents of political violence in the said province. "On the part of (PNP) Region 7, kung ano yung maganda para sa Negros Oriental na gagawin natin, we will support po yung move po na i-postpone yung Barangay Elections... para at least yung concentration at yung agam-agam ng community (ay mawala)," PNP Region 7 regional director P/BGen. Anthony Aberin said on Wednesday during the continuation of the Senate inquiry in connection with the assassination of the late governo Roel Degamo and other politically motivated crimes in Negros Oriental. According to Aberin, the proposed postponement will definitely help PNP Region 7 to concentrate the vast majority of its personnel in securing the entire province, once the poll body finally decides to delay the scheduled polls in October. Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, earlier urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the possible postponement of BSKE in Negros Oriental, considering the current political atmosphere in the province especially after the brutal assassination of Degamo last March. For his part, Army Brigadier General Leonardo Pena of the Joint Task Force Negros stressed the need for additional troop deployment in Negros Oriental during the conduct of BSKE in the province, considering that it has a total of 557 barangays. "More troops would be needed to really secure these barangays. So, if my unsolicited advice will be considered, mas maganda po sana yung may postponement (ng BSKE), so we can also request for additional forces coming from the other areaspara mabantayan po talaga natin itong 557 barangayas na maging peaceful po ang pagconduct ng barangay elections," said Pena. Pena who used to head the Army's 302nd Infantry Brigade based in Negros Oriental noted about the augmentation forces from other Army units months before the conduct of BSKE in the said area. "Na-augment to conduct checkpoint operations sa first and second districts of Negros Oriental... big number of military forces right now for a brigade to handle the situation," he added. Meanwhile, during the same hearing, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body "is supportive" over recent calls to defer the Negros Oriental BSKE following the initiative raised by Tolentino in April, but he stressed that there are certain matters and so-called 'gray areas' that need to be ironed out before formally proceeding with the postponement. The poll body chief explained that under Republic Act No. 6679, 'insurrection and rebellion' could be used as primary grounds in postponing scheduled elections in a political subdivision of the country, but Garcia noted that when to apply the said grounds is still in question up to now. "Wala pong problema doon sa kapangyarihan ng Commission. Ang problema, kailan po ba dapat nag e-exist ang grounds na iyan? Puwede po ba nag exist ang grounds na iyan several months before the conduct of the election? Hindi po naging maliwanag iyon," Garcia said in response to Tolentino's query in connection with his suggestion to defer the Negros Oriental BSKE for 30 days. "Pagka po in-interpret ng ibang lawyers... yung nangyaring violence, rebellion, insurrection, terrorism at such other grounds, dapat nangyari within the period, at least election period, na malapit sa eleksyon," he added.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Azerbaijan is successfully moving forward along the path Heydar Aliyev laid down, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation from Shusha on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Heydar Aliyev has made unparalleled contributions as President of the independent Azerbaijan. Today, Azerbaijan is successfully moving forward along the path he laid down.

He played a massive part in the upbringing of the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism. It was on his initiative that the first Youth Forum was held in Azerbaijan in 1996. Since then, Youth Forums have been held regularly. The youth liberated Karabakh and Zangezur, the youth of those years and those who have emerged in the last 20 years," President Ilham Aliyev said.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-10 16:02:41

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Every sip of the sweet and tart moonshine will support scholarships for familiesGATLINBURG, TN / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Sugarlands Distilling Co. today announced the newest flavor in the award-winning craft distillery's moonshine portfolio - Sour Blue Raspberry - made in partnership with Folds of Honor, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America's fallen and disabled military service members and first responders.The Folds of Honor Sour Blue Raspberry Moonshine boasts a refreshingly fruity flavor that packs a sweet and slightly tart taste and features a vibrant blue hue that's sure to catch the eye and please the palate. Sugarlands will donate 5% of proceeds from sales of the new Sour Blue Raspberry Moonshine to Folds of Honor."Since our founding, we have been committed to supporting our military, veterans and first responders," said Ned Vickers, president and founder of Sugarlands. "When a military member or first responder is injured or lost, their family faces many hardships. Our partnership with Folds of Honor helps lighten that burden by funding scholarships for the family members and letting them know they are not forgotten." This is the second time Sugarlands has partnered with Folds on Honor on a limited-edition beverage benefitting the organization. The two introduced the ready-to-drink (RTD) canned moonshine cocktail One-Two Punch in 2021. Sugarlands donated thousands of dollars to the Folds of Honor scholarship program from 5% of the sales of One-Two Punch over the past year. Founded by Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 44,000 scholarships totaling more than $200 million in all 50 states."It's been an honor to partner with Sugarlands, their employees and patriotic customers," said Ben Lesie, Folds of Honor executive vice president. "This year's new Sour Blue Raspberry continues Sugarlands' annual commitment to support our military and first responders families' educational dreams. We are excited and grateful to release this year's program." Giving back is a core value of Sugarlands and its MoonShare program, which supports multiple charitable causes and organizations across the U.S. that positively impact the community. Past beneficiaries of the MoonShare program have included the Medal of Honor Foundation, Operation Homefront, USA Cares and the Gary Sinise Foundation, among many others. The MoonShare program has donated approximately $1 million since launching in 2014.Founded in 2014, Sugarlands produces a full line of craft moonshines and sippin' creams with flavors like Dynamite Cinnamon, American Peach, Dark Chocolate Coffee and Butter Pecan. Sugarlands also produces High Rock, a multi-award-winning craft vodka, in collaboration with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Amy Earnhardt, and Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey, which won Best Whiskey in the 2019 American Craft Spirits Association Awards and a Double Gold Medal in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.The Folds of Honor Sour Blue Raspberry Moonshine is currently available at Sugarlands Gatlinburg Distillery and will soon be available at retailers across the county. To find Sugarlands products, visit FindMoonshine.com . Make an impact with every sip, but sip wisely! The Folds of Honor Sour Blue Raspberry Moonshine is produced and bottled by Sugarlands Distilling Company, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. [20]%alc/ vo.,750 proof, available in 750ml jars. Must be 21+ to purchase.About Sugarlands Distilling Co.Sugarlands Distilling Company is a craft distillery located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Producers of award-winning moonshine, rum, cream liqueurs, vodka and rye whiskey, Sugarland spirits are distributed in 42 states and made available for home delivery via Reserve Bar. Sugarlands hand-crafted cocktails can be sipped in restaurants, bars, and festivals across the country, as well as on the Back Porch located at the downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee distillery.The Sugarlands distillery welcomes more than one million guests each year and is rated as TripAdvisor's number 1 thing to do in Gatlinburg as well as the world's top-rated distillery experience. A proud supporter of the community, Sugarlands Distilling Company has donated nearly $1 million to nonprofits across the country through their giveback program, MoonShare.For more information, please visit www.sugarlands.com and follow Sugarlands on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SugarlandsShine.###Media Contacts:Sammy EanesSugarlands Distilling Co.sammy@ sugarlands.com 540-525-0864SOURCE: Sugarlands Distilling Company
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AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is an annual industry tradition celebrating the significance and impact that travel and tourism has on the economy, businesses, quality of life, and more.As part of National Travel and Tourism Week, Travel Texas, along with the U.S. Travel Association, will embark on a week-long showcase, highlighting what travel means to the Texas workforce, economic growth and personal well-being. The theme of this year's Travel and Tourism Week is "Travel Forward," which focuses on the essential return that travel and tourism has in cultivating vibrant communities and creating job opportunities. The travel industry supports jobs in many sectors of the economy including leisure and hospitality, transportation, retail trade services, finance, real estate, construction, insurance, and others. Taxes generated by travel support public sector jobs like fire fighters, police officers or teachers.Travel and tourism continue to be one of the most important drivers of the Texas economy, with travelers to and within the state spending $91.7 billion in 2022, resulting in a $187.5 billion economic impact on the Texas economy. Last year alone, travel supported jobs grew by 10% to 1.2 million across Texas with $67.6 billion in earnings.The financial impact of millions of visitors to Texas destinations is critical to both the state and local economies. Texas is one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States. It's no wonder that the Lone Star State serves as a must-visit destination, from sunny beaches and picturesque mountains, to guest ranches and dynamic and diverse urban centers, the state offers a multitude of incredible leisure experiences for visitor of all ages. There's no place in the world that's quite like Texas.Begin planning your next Texas adventure by visiting www.TravelTexas.com , and connecting with Travel Texas on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. For more details about National Travel and Tourism Week and the economic impact of travel in Texas, please visit www.travel.texas.gov # # #About Travel Texas: The mission of Travel Texas is to enhance and extend local economic development efforts by marketing Texas as a premier travel destination in out-of-state domestic and international markets, generating non-Texan travel to the state.Media Contact:Megan LagroneMMGY NJFmlagrone@ njfpr.com 512.524.6271SOURCE: Travel Texas
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Tradition Will Assist the City With Its Historic Transition to ERCOT and Electricity DeregulationSTAMFORD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Tradition Energy announces it was recently awarded a Professional Services Agreement through a competitive RFP process conducted by the City of Lubbock, the 10th-largest city in Texas.Tradition Energy logo The contracted Energy Consulting and Management Services are related to procuring electricity for the City and assisting it with its exciting entry into ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and the deregulated electricity market in the coming months.Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L), the local utility company serving the City of Lubbock, has been working to make infrastructure updates to connect with the ERCOT system since March 2018. In May of 2021, LP&L successfully connected 70% of its system (approximately 83,000 customers) to the ERCOT grid, and the city council later confirmed the vote for deregulation in 2022. This interconnection with ERCOT is the first in Lubbock's history and the first for any regulated municipality in the state in 25 years to move toward deregulation.The City of Lubbock joins Lubbock County, Texas Tech University, University Medical Center, and others who have selected Tradition Energy as their advisor on procurement strategy and process as they transition to the deregulated ERCOT market."The City of Lubbock looks forward to working with Tradition Energy as we navigate our historical transition to the competitive markets and join other Texas cities participating in energy deregulation," said Tray Payne, Mayor of the City of Lubbock."Their deep experience with Texas local government clients, ERCOT market expertise, client support, and team structure were critical factors in the City's decision to award to Tradition," said Jarrett Atkinson, City Manager of the City of Lubbock."We are honored to receive this award from the City of Lubbock," said Alan Kurzer, CEO of Tradition Energy. "The Tradition team is very excited to share its ERCOT energy market expertise and introduce the City to the opportunities a competitive market presents." About Tradition EnergyTradition Energy is the nation's largest independent energy procurement and sustainability solutions advisor. Clients partner with us to manage their energy expenditures, implement renewable energy solutions, and develop integrated sustainability strategies to reduce their carbon footprint. Tradition Energy is part of the Tradition Group, ranked amongst the top 3 worldwide in financial products and commodities with over 2,400 employees in 30 countries. www.TraditionEnergy.com Contact InformationScott MerrellExecutive Director713-609-9922Related ImagesTradition Energy logoCity of Lubbock logoSOURCE: Tradition Energy
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to approve his request for obtaining a loan facility of $800m from World Bank to finance the National Safety Net Programme.

The presidents request was contained in a letter read by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, at the plenary session on Wednesday.

Mr Buhari will hand over power to the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, on 29 May.

In the letter sent to the Senate, the president said the $800m loan facility is intended to be used to support poor Nigerians and will be disbursed to poor households across the country.

He claimed that the facility is an extension of the unconditional cash transfer being implemented by the federal government.

The president stated that the funds, when approved, will be sent to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries.

He also said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved his request for obtaining the loan, noting that he is waiting for the approval of the Senate before going ahead with processing the loan.

The Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, announced in April that the federal government would secure an $800 million World Bank loan to be disbursed to about 50 million vulnerable Nigerians or 10 million households as part of its subsidy palliatives measures.

She said the disbursement is in anticipation of the planned subsidy removal in June.

The Debt Management Office had recently announced that the debt profile of Nigeria as of 31 December rose to N46.25 trillion or $103.1 billion.

The DMO while giving the breakdown stated that there was an increase of over N7 trillion from what the country owned in 2021.

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A 23-year-old assistant pastor on Tuesday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how a bishop, Daniel Oluwafeyiropo of Reign Christian Ministry, Lekki, allegedly raped her twice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the cleric is standing trial on an amended three-count charge bordering on rape and sexual assault, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The assistant pastor (name withheld) testified for the prosecution at the bishops trial.

She was led in evidence by Lagos State counsel, Babajide Boye.

She told the court she was an assistant pastor of 1 Reign Christian Ministry, founded by the bishop.

She said she knew the bishop on 28 May 2018, when her friend invited her to a church programme at which the bishop ministered at Akungba, Akoko, in Ondo State.

She said that the programme was tagged Strictly Supernatural.

According to her, she subsequently became a church member and rose to the position of assistant pastor.

She said that Pastor Boluwatishe Oladejo took over from Pastor Toyosi Bamise as the Lead Pastor then.

The witness told the court that the bishop, who she regarded as her spiritual father, raped her at his residence on Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki, Lagos State, on 21 June 2020.

Details

The witness said: I was listening to Pastor Chris message when the bishop came to the three-seater chair I was sitting on and told me to go naked.

For fear of what happened a day before, I went naked, and bishop locked the door, increased the television volume and went naked. He pinned me to the chair and raped me. He was bigger than me.

The witness said she appealed to the bishop to leave her, but he did not.

He threatened that I would run mad if I should tell anyone, so I was in the guest room till the following day. On June 22, I sent a message to Pastor Boluwatishe and informed him that I had been raped, the alleged victim testified.

She also told the court that the bishop did not allow her to leave the house after the first alleged rape.

He sent the gateman anytime I needed anything. At this time, it was dawned on me that this man was a rapist.

For my safety, I acted stupid and acted as if I did not tell anyone. I was in the room when he came again and said he wanted sex, but I refused.

He was furious, so I told him I had tears from the previous sexual violation, she testified.

The witness said that, on 23 June 2020, the bishop also told her he wanted sex with her.

He said I should count it as a privilege that he had sex with me because many people would love to have sex with him.

I told him I had someone I was dating.

That same morning of 23 June, he removed my dress and raped me again in the sitting room.

He told me I would die if I should tell anyone. I bled a second time because of the forceful entry, she said.

More expose

She earlier told the court that the bishop called her on the phone on 5 June 2020, saying that it was her turn to come with some other pastors to his house in Lekki, Lagos State.

She added that, on 19 June, when she got to the house, the bishop came out from his room and told her that she had a query to answer.

She testified that the bishop told her she would transcribe his Fulfilling My Ministry message.

She said: The following day, on June 20, only the bishop and I were left in the house after other pastors had left.

The bishop told me to go on a three-hour prayer work around the estate, but I returned 30 minutes before the three hours elapsed due to rain.

He questioned why I returned earlier, and I told him it was due to rainfall.

I was seated on a couch that same day listening to Pastor Chriss message when the bishop walked up to me from the dining section and commented on the teaching I was listening to.

She testified that the bishop told her to remove her clothes but didnt rape her.

He said he wanted to know my loyalty and see If I had finally submitted to him.

I told him I could do anything for him but sex. He tried kissing me, but I stopped him; then, he slapped me.

He ordered me to wear back my clothes, saying that I disappointed him, the witness said.

She testified that on 24 June 2020, the bishop told her to clean up the house.

That was when Sister Faith and Pastor Toyosi came to the house.

I tried to talk to Pastor Toyosi, but the bishop did not give me a breathing space until he travelled to Ghana, and I went home.

Ordeal

The alleged survivor also told the court that the defendant sent N5,000 to her from Ghana to treat herself because of the tears she had.

He got back to Nigeria with his two children and wife, and when the wife asked why I could not walk well, the bishop told her I contracted a disease from the toilet.

He came to meet me about 3.30 a.m. in the guest room and brought out a rod for me to swear with that I would run mad if I should tell anyone that he raped me, which I did out of fear.

He took me to First City Hospital, Lekki, where Dr Tina Clement, a member of the church, attended to me, ran some tests, gave me drugs and sent the results to him.

When the doctor asked what happened to me, the bishop told me to tell her my friend raped me, and he was with me throughout the tests, she said.

NAN reports that a computer printout of chats between her and the defendant was admitted in evidence.

NAN also reports that Oluwafeyiropo allegedly had sexual intercourse with one other person and sexually assaulted another, aged 19 years, by forcefully sucking her breasts.

According to Lagos State Government, which prosecutes the case, the alleged offences contravene Sections 260(2) and 263 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Justice Ramon Oshodi adjourned the case until 24 May for cross-examination of the witness and continuation of trial.

(NAN)

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A former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, is in the race for the Senate Presidents seat with baggage of corruption allegations. Despite this, his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, picked him as its choice for the office.

The party, which by convention stands to produce the senate president by virtue of its having the majority in that chamber of the incoming 10th National Assembly, now hopes that the would-be members of the Red Chambers would overlook Mr Akpabios pending corruption case, in addition to the task of convincing other five contenders for the high office to withdraw from the race.

Mr Akpabio, Orji Kalu, a former governor of Abia State; and Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Zamfara  are frontrunners in the race for the top seat of the Senate despite bearing the weight of corruption investigations that have lasted for between seven and 16 years.

The rest, who are serving senators and senators-elect  Sani Musa, representing Niger East Senatorial District; Mohammed Jubrin Barau, representing Kano North, and Osita Izunaso, representing Imo West  are not known to have pending corruption cases.

In his case, Mr Kalu was charged with corruption, tried for 12 years, and jailed. He was set free after the Supreme Court ordered a retrial of his case. The retrial is yet to commence.

Messrs Akpabio and Yari have yet to be charged, but face daunting corruption allegations for which they have been detained, and are always in the wait for the next summons by Nigerias frontline anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

None of these seems to be a factor in APCs equation for choosing its candidate for the Senate President. The days when the anti-corruption profile of the outgoing leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari, was perceived to be a threat to the ambition of politicians with corruption-tainted records are long gone.

His party, which rode to power on the promise to tackle and disincentivise corruption in 2015, turned out to be a haven for politicians struggling to regain political relevance and seeking to be relieved of weights of corruption allegations. Mr Buhari himself led the way in appointing a number of candidates, including Mr Akpabio, burdened with corruption cases to top offices, even though his government vowed not to drop cases against anyone based on political considerations.

That the APC announced Mr Akpabios emergence as the APCs choice on Monday underscores the partys divorce from its change mantra that brought it to power in 2015, and setting the stage for the emergence of another Senate President entangled in corruption investigations and legal proceedings as it was in the 8th National Assembly.

Bukola Saraki became the Senate President in 2015 despite being dogged by various corruption allegations dating back to his time as the Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011. He ended up spending over half of his tenure shuttling courtrooms to answer to charges, and battling forfeiture proceedings. He faced prospects of fresh investigations by the EFCC, while his associates faced relentless probes and prosecution.

His trial for alleged forgery of the Senate rules at the FCT High Court for four months, and the one at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on asset declaration breaches for over two years, became pivotal to the Senates business. While the forgery case was withdrawn by the federal government in October 2016, after four months, the CCT trial ended with a judgement of the Supreme Court exonerating him of the asset declaration-related charges in July 2018.

Mr Saraki inadvertently drew the Senate in as a co-suspect in his efforts to prove his innocence.

He attended his trial with as many as 50 senators, stalling the proceedings of the Senate whenever scheduled legislative sittings clashed with his court trials. The Senate attempted to gain control of the CCT and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and devised a series of legislative tactics to disrupt Mr Sarakis trial at the CCT.

About four years after Mr Saraki ended his tenure as Senate President, the echoes are brought back to the present by the frontline candidates jostling for the high office.

It is likely that the emergence of any of the three candidates will upend hopes of possible retooling of the anti-corruption war of the APC government that has failed to tame entrenched corruption in the country.

What follow are the cases each of the three frontline candidates are facing.

Orji Kalu

Mr Kalu, 63, is the current senator for Abia North. He became the Chief Whip in the Senate in 2019.

He was one of the first to publicly announce interest in the Senate Presidents seat after his re-election on 25 February.

He is spurred by considerations of ethnoreligious balance in the next government that favour ranking senators from either his South-east zone or neighbouring South-south zone.

A former governor of Abia State for two terms between May 1999 and May 2007, Mr Kalu left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the fallout of a rift with then President Olusegun Obasanjo, to form the defunct Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in 2007.

Since leaving office in 2007, he has aspired, but failed to hold other public offices, until fortune started to smile on him after joining APC in November 2016.

Among other former governors in the race for the Senate Presidents seat, Mr Kalu has the longest-running corruption case. He had been charged, tried, jailed, and still faces the prospect of a fresh trial.

His case traces back to his days as governor. EFCC filed money laundering charges against him within a month of his stepping down on 29 May 2007 from an office that clothed him with immunity from prosecution.

In the charges filed against him in June 2007, EFCC accused him, along with his co-defendants, of diverting over N3.2 billion from Abia State coffers.

After years-long stalling of the case, the Supreme Court on 18 March 2016 cleared the legal encumbrances for his trial to begin.

The trial began afresh at the Federal High Court in Lagos. As the trial grew in intensity, Mr Kalus chances of a political comeback also dwindled. Mr Kalu made the deft move of joining the APC in November 2016.

His defection, well received within APC, drew criticism from the Nigerian public.

At the time of his defection to the APC, details of his alleged plundering of the coffers of the Abia State government were being unravelled in court. The court heard how Mr Kalu allegedly perpetrated the fraud with the help of his co-defendants  his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House.

The EFCC said the defendants used Sloks account to divert the funds from the Abia States accounts with Standard Trust Bank (now United Bank for Africa), Citizens Bank (later Spring Bank), and Manny Bank (now Fidelity Bank).

It said the defendants converted the funds into various bank drafts before they were subsequently paid into the said companys account.

They denied the charges. But not convinced by their denial, the trial court found them guilty in December 2019. It sentenced Mr Kalu to 12 years in jail, his co-defendant to 10 years, and ordered the winding up of Slok.

But five months into serving his jail time, a Supreme Court decision nullified his conviction on technical grounds: that the judge who jailed him was ineligible to handle the trial having been elevated to the Court of Appeals bench as of the time he concluded the case.

The Supreme Court also nullified section 396(7) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act enabling the judge to return to the Federal High Court to conclude the 12-year-old trial. The court, however, held back an acquittal and ordered a fresh trial in the case.

After using the Supreme Court judgement to get out of jail, Mr Kalu placed legal obstacles to the order of retrial given by the court. A ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2021 helped him to stave off the re-trial, while EFCC continues its dogged quest to restart the trial.

The EFCC has since appealed against the decision, with the EFCCs chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa, repeatedly vowing to ensure Mr Kalu is brought to trial.

If Mr Bawas hopes and Mr Kalus aspiration of becoming the Senate President materialise soon, the politician may end up being the second sitting Senate President to face trial in less than five years.

Mr Kalu, who backed the failed bid of the outgoing Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to pick the APCs presidential ticket last year, has said it is his turn to lead the Senate. He is banking on the support of both President Buhari and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Godswill Akpabio

The Akwa Ibom North West senator, 60, joined active politics in 2002 when then governor of Akwa Ibom State, Victor Attah, appointed him as commissioner.

He later succeeded Mr Attah as governor in 2007 and went on to win reelection in 2011.

A staunch PDP member, he won his election to the Senate months before completing his tenure as governor in 2015. He stepped down as governor on 29 May 2015 and was inaugurated as a senator in June.

A first-timer in the Senate, Mr Akpabio pulled his political weight to snatch the position of Minority Leader in the APC-dominated chambers from candidates who ranked higher by virtue of their record of previous election to the Senate.

But no sooner had Mr Akpabio left office as governor and begun to settle into his senatorial duties, than allegations of corrupt practices that he allegedly perpetrated while superintending over the treasury of his state began to emerge.

In June 2015, a lawyer, Leo Ekpeyong, who hails from Akwa Ibom, accused Mr Akpabio of stealing N108.1 billion of Akwa Ibom funds in a petition he sent to President Buhari and the EFCC.

The petition detailed how Mr Akpabio allegedly colluded with a former Government House Permanent Secretary and a former Accountant General of the state to steal the funds.

It said the trio of Mr Akapio and the two other officials made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881 amounting to N22.1 billion.

For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.

He also accused Mr Akpabio of expending over N50 billion taken from the coffers of Akwa Ibom during the 2015 general elections.

He claimed that Mr Akpabio withdrew a whopping N18 billion from the state coffers under the guise of special services, reception of very important guests and sundry items.

The cumulative aggregate of these monies stolen by Godswill Akpabio from the coffers of government as pocket money is the annual budget of some states in Nigeria put together, the petition reads.

EFCC invited the petitioner to adopt his petition in June 2015, signalling the start of investigations into the case.

As a follow-up to that, the commission, four months later in October 2015, detained Mr Akpabio for interrogation.

Coming out of detention, Mr Akpabio, however, said he was neither arrested nor detained as reported, but only honoured EFCCs summons to answer corruption allegations against him.

In another two years, Mr Akabio had turned into a political alien in a state where he was once a king and a kingmaker. Pending EFCC investigations only added to his woes.

Like a humbled war commander, he turned to the adversarys camp for protection. He dumped the PDP for the APC in August 2018. The move cost him his status as a principal officer as the Minority Leader of the Senate. For him, the future was more important than an extra luxury of the moment.

But things did not work out as he planned. Although, he managed to push aside the pioneer members of the APC in the state to pick the partys senatorial ticket for his district, he lost the general election.

He, however, got succour from President Buhari, who appointed him as Minister of Niger Delta, despite EFCCs ongoing investigations into his corruption case.

The appointment served its purpose for him as investigations immediately went cold, while he held a crucial cabinet position.

Time dulled attention on the case, but not its substance. With Mr Akpabio out of office and Mr Buhari in the twilight of his administration, EFCC recently dusted its files on him.

The EFCC in a recent letter asked Mr Akpabio to personally report for interrogation on 9 May.

But despite his burden of corruption allegations, the APC has picked Mr Akpabio, who is believed to be the closest to the president-elect, Mr Tinubu, as its preferred choice for the Senate Presidents seat. Prelude to the partys decision were the formidable endorsements he had received from APC governors, and separately from the outgoing APC governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who dropped out of the race to back the former Akwa Ibom governor.

Abdulaziz Yari

Mr Yari, the senator-elect for Zamfara West, 55, served in various roles in his former party, the All Nigerias Peoples Party (ANPP), until 2007 when he won an election to the House of Representatives to represent his Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency.

He was elected the governor of Zamfara State on the ANPP platform four years later in 2011. In 2015, his faction of the ANPP merged with other parties to form the APC. He contested and won his second term in office as governor on the platform of APC that year.

As governor, he became the chair of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at a time the federal government refunded to various states, huge sums of money deducted from their accounts for the repayment of Paris Club and London Club loans between 1995 and 2002.

Unlike Messrs Kalu and Akpabio, Mr Yari had not been elected to the Senate, although he had been a member of the House of Representatives. Mr Yaris ambition to go the Senate in 2019 after completing his second term as governor was truncated by a Supreme Court judgement that voided the victory of all APC candidates in the state.

But like Mr Akpabio, Mr Yari has teetered on the brink of corruption trial over the years. He piled up different corruption cases during his time as governor, although he has yet to face any charges in court. His name has featured in various court filings linking him to a slew of assets  cash and tangible ones  suspected to be proceeds of corruption.

He is a suspect in corruption cases under investigations by the EFCC and its sister agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

In February 2021, EFCC detained him for a long interrogation session with detectives at its Lagos office, over an alleged attempt to illegally move N300 billion from a corporate account in a new generation bank.

About a month before his detention by the EFCC, the ICPC had, in an apparently unrelated case, obtained an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja for final forfeiture of suspicious funds found in bank accounts bearing his name and the names of his companies.

The forfeited funds included $56, 056.75 lodged in a Polaris Bank account. The rest are the sums of N12.9 million, N11.2 million, $301, 319.99; N217, 388.04 and $311, 872.15 were kept in different Zenith Bank accounts.

In April 2021, EFCC also held him at its Sokoto zonal office for hours-long interrogations. It similarly held him for another round of interrogation in May 2022, a year ago.

Although EFCC has yet to publicly disclose its case against Mr Yari, sources and court filings have provided a glimpse.

In 2017, about two years before Mr Yari completed his tenure as governor, EFCC traced to him N500 million and $500,000 believed to have been fraudulently taken from Paris Club refunds meant for the 36 states.

EFCC alleged in a court forfeiture filing that it received an intelligence in January 2017 alleging conspiracy, criminal misappropriation of public funds involving about N19.4 billion paid to the Mr Yari-led NGF for onward disbursement to the states.

The NGF allegedly mismanaged the funds through the spurious engagement of consultants for the recovery of the money. The funds were being paid to the states by the federal government.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on 30 June 2017, issued an interim order of forfeiture of the N500 million and $500,000 traced to Mr Yari.

The judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, however, rejected EFCCs further request for a permanent forfeiture of the funds, because third parties were able to establish their ownership of the money.

But the case of diversion of the Paris Club refunds remains one of the issues for which Mr Yari is being investigated by the EFCC.

The APCs zoning of the Senate President to the South-south and narrowing its choice down to Mr Akpabio is a major erosion of the base Mr Yari is banking on.

But Mr Yari is not a politician that is swayed by zoning. In 2022, he defied his partys zoning to pick the nomination form to contest for the national chairman of the party, although he lost out.

But in general, while zoning may matter to the APC, the question is whether the party will pay equal attention to the corruption profiles of the candidates jostling to be the Senate President and its implications for the nation in June.

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The Federal High Court Abuja, on Wednesday, gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from imposing fines, henceforth, on broadcast stations in the country.

The judge, James Omotosho, in a judgement, also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed, on 1 March 2019, on each of 45 broadcast stations.

Mr Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations.

He further held that the NBC Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law.

Mr Omotosho said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law.

He said that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at the same time, the court and the judge on its own matter.

The judge agreed that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, being a subsidiary legislation that empowers an administrative body such as the NBC to enforce its provisions cannot confer judicial powers on the commission to impose criminal sanctions or penalties such as fines.

He also agreed that the commission, not being Nigerian police, had no power to conduct criminal investigation that would lead to criminal trial and imposition of sanctions.

This will go against the doctrine of separation of powers, he said.

Mr Omotosho held that what the doctrine sought to achieve was to prevent tyranny by concentrating too much powers in one organ.

The action of the respondent qualifies as excessiveness as it had ascribed to itself the judicial and executive powers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NBC had, on March 1, 2019, imposed the sum of N500, 000 each on 45 broadcast stations in the country over alleged violation of its code.

Suit

However, the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda had, in an originating motions marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1386/2021, sued the NBC as sole respondent in the suit.

In the motion dated November 9, 2021 by its lawyer, Noah Ajare, the group sought a declaration that the sanctions procedure applied by the NBC in imposing N500,00Q fines on each of the 45 broadcast stations on March 1, 2019 was a violation of the rules of natural justice.

The lawyer also said that the fines were in violation of the right to fair hearing under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap AQ) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The group argued that this was so because the code, which created the alleged offences of which the broadcast stations were accused was written and adopted by the NBC, and also gives powers to the said commission to receive complaints of alleged breaches, investigate and adjudicate the complaints, impose sanctions, including fines, and ultimately collect the fines, which the commission uses for its own purposes.

They, therefore, sought an order setting aside the N500,000 fines purportedly imposed by the NBC on each of the 45 broadcast stations on Friday, 1 March 2019.

They also sought an order of perpetual Injunction restraining the respondent, its servants, agents, privies, representatives or anyone acting for or on its behalf, from imposing fines on any of the broadcast stations or any other broadcast station in Nigeria for any alleged offence committed under the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.

Delivering the judgment, Mr Omotosho described the NBCs act as being ultra vires.

He held that the fines imposed by the NBC as punishment for commission of various offences under its code were contrary to the law and hereby declared as unconstitutional, null and void.

The judge also made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the commission from further imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. (NAN)

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The ECOWAS Court has fixed 27 September for judgement in a suit challenging some provisions of the Nigerian governments national broadcasting code.

The contested provisions of the code empower the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to impose fines on any erring Nigerian broadcast station. The NBC can shut down broadcasting stations that fail to comply with its sanctions.

Major Nigerian broadcast stations have been strained by exorbitant fines for breaches of the code in the last few years, some of which have triggered court actions.

Coincidentally, a Nigerian court, in a judgement on Wednesday, invalidated NBCs power of to impose fines on the countrys broadcast stations.

A panel of the ECOWAS Court led by Dupe Atoki had heard a case filed in 2020 on a similar matter on Monday (8 September), a statement by the courts information unit stated Wednesday.

The court picked 27 September to deliver its judgement after the hearing.

Plaintiffs case

The plaintiff in the ECOWAS Court case, the Expression Now Human Rights Initiative (ENHRI), a non-governmental organisation, had filed the suit alleging that aspects of the broadcasting code of Nigeria encroached on the rights of a free media which should operate freely without undue interference.

The organisation, which says it is concerned with the protection and promotion of human rights, maintained in its suit that the NBC Code is used to suppress the right of citizens to freedom of expression.

ENHRI told the ECOWAS Court that NBC arbitrarily issued letters of alleged violation of the code on broadcasters, while also imposing sanctions, thereby acting as complainant and judge.

The organisation filed its suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/35/20 filed on 4 September 2020, citing the allegedly offensive aspects of the code to include Articles 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 15.2.1 and 15.2.1 of its 6th Edition and Articles 11.5.1 of the amendments to the 6th Edition.

Its lawyer, Solomon Okedara, argued that the cited aspect of the code suppressed its rights to freedom of expression as well as those of its associates and collaborators.

The NGO added that this amounted to a violation of Articles 9 and 19 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) and Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Mr Okedara added that NBC Code and its amended version were alien to a democratic society and that the Codes definition of hate speech and offensive reference is vague and ambiguous, and described the sanctions for violations as disproportionate and excessive.

He contended that the NBC Code did not provide broadcasters with any avenue or platform to be heard before the imposition of sanctions.

He urged the court to determine the legality of the stated Articles of the Code, the amendments, and the powers of the NBC to impose sanctions especially exorbitant fines particularly in relation to the context of offensive reference and hate speech.

Among its prayers, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that the stated provisions of the Code, its amendments and sanctions/fines, breached Nigerias obligation under international laws and treaties to which it is a signatory.

Counter-argument

In a counterargument, the Nigerian governments counsel, I.I. Hassan, told the court that the NBC was established to regulate the broadcast industry in line with its mandate to ensure standard broadcast content.

He added that the Nigerian Constitution makes provisions for sufficient safeguards for human rights.

He said the right to freedom of speech is not absolute and can be curtailed as opposed to under appropriate circumstances. He said, for instance, a person or organisation cannot commit slander or libel under the pretext of exercising freedom of expression.

He urged the court to dismiss the case describing the allegations as unfounded and speculative as the NGO did not establish that it suffered from the alleged violation.

Earlier on 2 May, the presiding judge, Ms Atoki, had informed both parties of a change in the panel of judges following the replacement of two judges whose tenure in the court had ended.

The matter had been adjourned for judgement before the exit of the two judges. But because they could not deliver their judgement before their exit, parties to the suit had to make their final submission before the new panel.

The case was eventually heard on 8 May.

Apart from Ms Atoki, the two other judges on the panel are Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Ricardo Claudio Monteiro Goncalves.

Controversial restrictions

The NBC has come under criticism in the last few years over what is widely seen as its increasingly strangling restrictions on broadcast stations.

Press freedom and human rights activists have described NBCs sanctions as arbitrary actions which feed into the broader climate of information blackout and disregard for the rule of law by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The agency has hit many broadcast stations with exorbitant fines for various breaches of the broadcasting code, including the promotion of hate speech  a hazy concept that many rights activists argue is being deployed to curtail free press.

premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/546675-Nigerian-govt-fines-trust-tv-n5-million-for-airing-terrorism-documentary.html

The controversial actions of the NBC have triggered a slew of legal actions in the last few years, some of which have been dismissed, while others are pending in court.

The ECOWAS Court has the records of ruling against member states including Nigeria in human rights cases, the only subject matter the courts jurisdiction covers. But the implementation of the courts decisions has always been an issue.

In March last year, the court ordered the Nigerian government to amend the controversial section 24 of its cybercrime law which is widely viewed as authorities weapon for muzzling citizens rights to freedom of expression. The Nigerian government has yet to show a willingness to implement the courts decision.

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Lawmakers, who are aggrieved over the selection of Tajudeen Abbas as the consensus candidate for the speakership of the 10th House of Representatives, on Wednesday, took their protest to the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers, under the aegis of the Coalition of Progressive Speakership Aspirants (COPSA), comprise Deputy Speaker Idris Wase, Muktar Betara, Sada Soli, Aminu Sani Jaji, Yusuf Gagdi and Miriam Unuoha.

They submitted their protest letter to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Tinubu settled for Godswill Akpabio (South-south) and Barau Jibrin (North-west) for the senate president and deputy senate president respectively.

He also endorsed Tajudeen Abbas (North-west) and Ben Kalu (South-east) for speaker deputy speaker respectively.

The APC, on Monday, also adopted them during a meeting of the NWC.

We feel betrayedWase

In his speech, the deputy speaker said the party betrayed the aspirants by micro-zoning the offices without consultations.

He said: We are people who have been aspiring for the office of speakership for the House of Representatives at the 10th National Assembly.

We recall that at the meeting at the Villa, you asked us to slow down for the APC zoning arrangement.

We feel betrayed as if our contributions arent recognised as if we arent members of this party.

How Tinubu asked me to step down for Gbajabiamila in 2019  Betara

In his speech, Mr Betara told Mr Adamu and the NWC members that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, directly interfered in the 2019 speakership race by pleading with him to step down for Femi Gbajabiamila.

He added that he withdrew from the speakership race in 2019 based on the plea by Mr Tinubu, who was then a leader of the party.

I was to contest with the current speaker. I was called by the president-elect (Tinubu), and he told me, I want you to allow Femi to be the speaker because Femi is retiring from the National Assembly.

From there we moved on to support Femi to become the speaker. After our election in the 9th Assembly, the president-elect still called me and said, Betara I want you to hold the House for Femi and I said Daddy. I worked for Femi for four years.

Mr Betara also faulted the zoning of the speaker and deputy senate president to the North-west.

We have been in this Assembly, there is no time, two presiding officers are zoned to one area. It has never happened, Mr Betara said.

In his response, Mr Adamu pleaded with the aggrieved lawmakers to give the party time to act on their letter. He assured them that the party will act.

There must be a fair hearing before we take a position. We like the fact that you come very straight. It is your party and we have heard you.

I plead with you in good conscience to give us time before we can come with finality to your demand. You have shown loyalty we will invite you, in due course, he said.

The inauguration of the 10th Assembly is scheduled for 13 June.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied refusing to obey the judgement of the Supreme Court on the national chairmanship of the All Progressives Ground Alliance (APGA).

INEC said this in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr Okoye said INECs attention had been drawn to posters and statements being circulated by a group accusing it of refusing to obey the Supreme Court judgment purportedly recognising one Edozie Njoku as the authentic national chairman of APGA.

He said that the commission viewed the circulation of the posters and statements as cheap blackmail aimed at hoodwinking those who were not abreast of the details of the case.

He said that the issues in question were about facts, the law and due process.

He said the suit started from the Jigawa High Court, initiated by one Rabiu Aliyu against Jude Okeke and three others, in which Mr Njoku was not a party to the suit.

One of the reliefs sought is a Declaration that the national officers of APGA, including the Plaintiff, who were elected at its national convention held in Owerri, Imo State on May 31, 2019, shall remain in office and discharge their respective duties for a term of four years commencing from May 31, 2021.

Mr Okoye added that on 30 June 2021, the Jigawa High Court in suit No: JDU/022/2021 entered judgement in favour of the said Rabiu Garba Aliyu.

He recalled that on appeal, the Court of Appeal described the suit as an abuse of court process.

Consequently, the entire proceedings of the Jigawa State High Court in suit No. JDU/022/2021, delivered by Musa Ubale J on June 30, 2021, and the judgement delivered thereon are accordingly set aside, he said.

Mr Okoye added that the Supreme Court in its judgement of 14 October 2021 affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal.

However, on Jan. 27, Njoku, who was never a party to any of the suits and the processes filed in the various courts approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria as an interested person/applicant.

Njoku filed a Motion on Notice seeking for an order of the court to correct typographical errors and accidental slip in the lead judgement of the Supreme Court.

This was granted and the correction did not in any way affect the substance of the suit and the orders made by the Supreme Court.

Mr Okoye described INEC as a law-abiding institution that would continue to give effect to the decisions, judgements and orders of the various courts in Nigeria.

The Courts are not helpless when they make orders, deliver judgements and make pronouncements. They also have the capacity to punish for disobedience of their orders and judgements in committal proceedings.

This is the process open to law-abiding citizens, groups and organizations rather than resorting to cheap blackmail and using amorphous groups to malign the commission and its officials, Mr Okoye said.

(NAN))

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Heydar Aliyev has made outstanding contributions to the field of army building. It was as a result of his activity that the regular army was created, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Our financial resources were indeed limited at that time, and it was not possible to allocate sufficient funds to the army. Despite the shortage of funds, very serious steps were taken to build the army, President Ilham Aliyev said.
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP-GF) says it plans to organise a reception for governors-elect on the partys platform on Thursday.

This is contained in a statement by Director-General, PDP-GF, Cyril Maduabum, in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that while the forum would receive the governors-elect on the platform of the party, it would also use the occasion to send off past chairmen of the forum, including Segun Mimiko, Ayodele Fayose, Ibrahim Dankwambo and Seriake Dickson.

Mr Maduabum said the event under the leadership of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, would feature a discussion on Good Governance at the Sub-National level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes.

He said the discussion is to be presented by the Guest Speaker and a renowned economist, Muda Yusuf, who would lay out the challenges facing governance at the sub-national level and possible solutions.

The programme will serve as an opportunity for PDP leaders, stakeholders and members to come together, since after the general election.

Mr Maduabum said that the event would take place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

He said that the forum would receive seven governors-elect including, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, and Agbu Kefas of Taraba State.

Others were Ameopusenibo Fubara of Rivers State, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau.

Three re-elected governors, expected at the event were: Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa.

Mr Maduabum said the outgoing governors of the party would also be honoured during the ceremony for all their services to the forum.

(NAN)

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The pioneer President of the France-Nigeria Business Council, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has handed over the reins of the council after a successful two-year tenure to Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank.

Mr Rabiu, the founder and executive chairman of BUA Group, handed over the reins to Mr Wigwe in a ceremony held Wednesday (today), marking a new chapter in the Councils history.

During Mr Rabius tenure as pioneer president, the council achieved significant milestones in strengthening business ties between France and Nigeria, promoting mutual growth and prosperity.

Under his leadership, the Council organized two France-Nigeria Business Forums in Paris, a meeting in Lagos, and a session in Paris last year, which led to several fruitful partnerships between French and Nigerian businesses.

The BUA chairman also oversaw the Councils support for various initiatives fostering collaboration between the brightest minds of both nations and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In his farewell address, Mr Rabiu expressed gratitude to the Council members, President Macron, and other stakeholders for their unwavering support during his tenure. He acknowledged the exceptional service of Jean Haas, the Secretary of the Council, who will continue in his role under the new leadership.

Herbert Wigwe, the incoming President, is a seasoned banker and a prominent figure in the Nigerian banking sector.

Mr Rabiu expressed confidence in Mr Wigwes ability to lead the Council towards new heights, citing his vast experience and keen understanding of the global financial landscape as key assets.

As Mr Wigwe begins his tenure, Council members, including the BUA Chairman, have pledged their support and look forward to continued collaboration in fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth for both France and Nigeria.

The France-Nigeria Business Council is a key platform for strengthening business ties between France and Nigeria, with the aim of promoting mutual growth and prosperity.

READ ALSO: Buhari inaugurates BUAs new cement plant in Sokoto

It serves as a nexus for collaboration, innovation, and partnership between the two nations, fostering an environment conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

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The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Ayogu Eze (Enugu) and five others as Federal Commissioners for (RMAFC).

This followed the adoption of the report of Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs at plenary on Wednesday.

Others confirmed as federal commissioners of RMAFC included; Peter Opara (Imo) Hauwa Umar Aliyu (Jigawa), Rakiya Tanko Haruna (Kebbi).

Also confirmed were Ismail Mohammed (Kwara) and Kolade Abimbola (Oyo).

The Senate also at plenary confirmed the appointment of Abdu Abubakar as non -executive director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

His confirmation followed the adoption of report of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions.

Six bills also scaled first reading including, Federal Road Commission Training Institutions Establishment Bill 2023, National Board for Arabic and Islamic studies Establishment Bill 2023, Federal Medical Centre Ibeji-Lekki, Lagos State Establishment Bill, 2023 among others.

The senate also adopted the report of the Committee on Public Accounts on annual reports of the Auditor -General for the Federation, on the accounts of the Federation for 2017 and 2018 among others.

(NAN)

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The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday, met with a delegation of the United Nation Development Programme, UNDP and the German Government during which it canvassed upport and productive partnership in improving policing in Nigeria in line with the ongoing police reforms.

This is in continuation of the commissions stakeholders advocacy meetings for a holistic overhaul of the Nigeria Police Force for optimum service delivery.

It is also the brainchild of the commissions Chairman, Solomon Arase, a former Inspector General of Police.

At the meeting which held at the corporate headquarters of the commission in. Abuja, a member of the commission, Clara Ogunbiyi, who represented the chairman, said it has been a difficult task to oversight the police with the myriads of challenges facing the commission.

Mrs Ogunbiyi solicited for assistance from the Organisation and the German government in some areas that will help the commission rebuild the Nigeria Police Force for better performance.

She mentioned the building of an automated police personnel database and conduct of a verification exercise on police personnel. This, she said, will enable the commission have a reliable data on police personnel in Nigeria.

Mrs Ogunbiyi, retired justice of the Supreme Court, also said the commission will need support in carrying out background checks on recruits and cadets in training to assist verify their credentials and determine previous criminal records or involvement in criminal activities.

She spoke on the need for medical/psychiatric evaluation of police officers for early detection of illness and prevent sudden deaths while in service.

According to her, it will also help discover officers who are addicted to hard drugs or alcohol and rehabilitate them. Mentally unstable officers will also be discovered and taken off the streets or their appointments terminated.

Mrs Ogunbiyi called for support for specialised training of staff of the commission on investigation, communication skills, ICT and administrative procedures of the NPF. She said this will help equip staff with the required skills that would enable them optimally perform their duties.

Simon Ridley of UNDP Nigeria said the organisation is in the commission to explore how it can collaborate, partner, support and strenghten the ongoing police reforms in the country.

Mr. Ridley also noted that the organisation was also interested in the commissions role in police oversight and accountability and to explore opportunities for collaboration.

Grothe Tobias of the Federal Foreign Office of the German Embassy, security sector represented the German Government at the Stakeholders Meeting.

Ikechukwu Ani

Head, Press and Public Relations

Wednesday, May 10th, 2023.

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The local subsidiary of Netherlands-based dairy maker Royal FrieslandCampina NV incurred a record net loss of N10.3 billion for the first quarter of the year.

The loss was recorded after the company partially settled accrued foreign currency-denominated obligations to trade partners, which Nigerias foreign exchange scarcity has blown out of proportion in recent years.

That compares with a net profit of N2.9 billion reported for the same period last year.

A stack of past dues reaching back to 2020, unable to be repaid as the company couldnt source enough forex, triggered an exceptional foreign currency expense of N14.1b, it said in its earnings report.

That added to higher interest costs at N4 billion which had the most squeeze on its bottom line for the period.

FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, the manufacturer of noble milk brands like Peak and Three Crowns and the infant formula Friso, heftily relies on imports and foreign exchange for its operations.

It expects the development to have sweeping implications for its financials this year, saying a full recovery of the huge exceptional expense will likely happen beyond December.

A foreign exchange crunch, erupting in the heat of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, is tightening the noose on FMCG firms in Africas largest economy, many of whom depend on imported raw materials to run.

Last month, Nigerian Breweries said a drought of dollars and euros similarly ramped up its outstanding payable to trade partners abroad to 110 million, a debt that must be quickly redeemed to prevent the countrys biggest brewer from a partial or total shutdown.

Unilever Nigeria declared in a statement in March it would be prioritising business continuity measures that reduce exposure to devaluation and currency liquidity after announcing a planned end to the production of its popular brands, including Omo, Sunlight and Lux.

For the three months under review, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria posted a slight drop in revenue to N81.9 billion. Cost of sales contracted by 6 per cent, but selling and distribution costs accelerated by one-fifth to almost N7 billion.

The company trades its shares over the counter at Lagos NASD OTC Securities Exchange, where they are quoted at N71.50 per unit and a market capitalisation of N139.6 billion at market close on Tuesday.

Royal FrieslandCampina NV, the parent company, highlighted an exchange rate loss of 63 million (N30.9 billion at N490.4/1) in its Nigerian operation in its 2022 financial statement.

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila on Tuesday met with members-elect amid growing opposition to Tajudeen Abbas as the preferred choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the speakership of the 10th House.

The meeting, organised by the joint task, was held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Tuesday evening. Mr Gbajabiamila and James Faleke, the Secretary of the now-defunct APC presidential campaign council made appearance.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the ruling party opted for Mr Abbas as the consensus candidate for the speaker, and Ben Kalu as the deputy speaker.

Following the announcement, several top aspirants in the speakership race allied to fight the imposition of Messrs Abbas and Kalu.

Deputy Speaker Idris Wase (APC, Plateau), Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), Ahmed Jaji (APC, Zamfara and Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano) announced their coalition on Monday and vowed to defeat the consensus candidate.

Non-aligned

Bello Kumo, the chairman of the joint task, in his opening remarks before the meeting moved into closed doors, said it has yet to adopt any of the aspirants. He said the meeting was called to allow serious conversation among members.

He said all members-elect were invited to the meeting.

We are not aligned with any candidate. The essence of this meeting is to bring every member elect together to discuss. We will try as much as possible to have a rancour-free parliament, he said.

Kalu withdraws from speakership race, accepts endorsement as deputy

Meanwhile, Mr Kalu has also announced his withdrawal from the race and accepted the endorsement as deputy speaker.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, said he accepted the decision of the party because it is supreme.

I wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to all who have tirelessly supported my candidacy for the speakership position of the 10th assembly.

I believed this position was ideal for the south-east region, as it has not produced a speaker in the last 40 years.

This decision aligns with the partys commitment to fairness, equity, and inclusiveness in all of its leadership selection processes, he said.

The 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated in June.

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Former Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, says he has accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court which upheld the election of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the state governor.

The former governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2022 election said this in a statement he signed on Wednesday.

Mr Oyetola said although the verdict of the court was against the wish of his partys members and supporters, he accepted it in the interest of peace and development of the state.

We strongly believe we presented a good case before the Supreme Court but the Court thought otherwise and has given its verdict. While the outcome is against our wish and that of our party members and supporters, we are all bound to accept it as law-abiding citizens.

Mr Oyetola also urged APC members, his supporters and those who voted for him in the election to accept the judgement as the will of God and move on.

To our members and supporters across the State, I urge you all to accept the verdict of the Court and move on. The present situation is a win-win for us. Its both a loss and victory rolled into one. While we lost Osun technically, we gained Nigeria.

I remain committed to the growth and development of Osun. I will therefore continue to work with well-meaning citizens of Osun, associations and institutions to facilitate development to our dear State. Similarly, I urge all citizens of Osun to continue to exhibit the Omoluabi ethos and uphold the dreams of our forebears for the State, irrespective of party affiliations.

While urging the governor to focus on good governance, the petitioner also prayed for the state governor for a successful and prosperous tenure.

To the Osun Governor, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your victory at the Supreme Court. While I pray for your tenure to be prosperous for our people and the State, I urge you to focus on delivery of good governance.

Politics aside, time has come to let you know that the interest of the masses must be most paramount without any restriction or discrimination whether based on political persuasion, creed or religion. Whatever personal differences we have must give way to the advancement of our great State. The security of Osun people must be guaranteed regardless of their religious and political affiliations. I pray for peace and progress in your tenure.

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In Nigeria, Persons With Disability (PWDs) may now heave a sigh of relief as the difficulties hitherto being experienced in their efforts to access news and be updated on happenings around them may have been resolved through an innovative application launched in Lagos on Tuesday.

Named Disability Inclusive News App (DINA), an initiative of one of Nigerias leading online newspapers- TheCable, the applications assistive features are, according to the newspaper, aimed at ensuring that persons with visual impairment, auditory challenges, and some limb challenges get access to the news with ease.

The newspaper also added that it is targeted at safeguarding PWDs from fake news and misinformation through the fact check arm of TheCable, Cable Check.

The application was said to have been developed by the newspaper in partnership with Project Enable Africa, a disability inclusion hub.

In his opening remarks, TheCable Editor, Kolapo Olapoju, said apart from amplifying the struggles of PWDs, it is high time media professionals and organisations began to enable them access news with ease and at their own pace.

Mr Kolapo was represented by another staffer of the organisation, Ebunoluwa Olafusi.

Digital inclusion

Presenting DINA, the Project Lead, Mayowa Tijani, said the application is the newspapers commitment to promoting inclusion across all spheres in the country.

He said the initiative aligns with Nigerias Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019, and that it shows the newspapers values.

The media unconsciously leaves a lot of people behind, a lot of persons with disability. This is our commitment to leave no one behind, and we hope other key players in the media industry in Nigeria will join us in working towards a future that truly leaves no one behind, he said.

The launch also featured a panel session on digital inclusion and media innovation in Nigeria. Moderated by another editor at TheCable, Lanre Olagunju, panelists had included the Founder and Director of BudgIT, a civic tech organisation, Seun Onigbinde; an official of Paradigm Initiative- a non-governmental organisation- Angela Onyegbuna, and the Executive Director of Project Enable Africa, Olusola Owonikoko.

According to Mr Owonikoko, who joined virtually, disability inclusion is crucial to sustainable development, stressing the need for access to assistive technology for PWDs.

Commending the initiative, Mr Onigbinde said everybody needs the media, emphasising the need for media organisations to continue to innovate for digital inclusion and accessibility for all.

He expressed his delight for the deliberate push to bridge the gap and promote the inclusivity agenda adding that there is nothing called development if it is not inclusive.

Ms Angela also noted that getting assistive technology for PWDs is a major challenge that TheCable is trying to address.

She however noted that more efforts are needed to advance the development of assistive technology for PWDS and to help them deal more with technology so as not to be left behind.

Ms Angela also stressed that it is important to fill the existing gaps in digital inclusion, adding that collaborations, accessibility to inclusive technology, and affordability of this technology is crucial.

Policy implementation

Ms Angela said the implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019, has been poor, urging telecommunication organisations, private sectors, and the government to collaborate to ensure that the policy is implemented.

On his part, Mr Onigbinde decried the lack of accurate data on PWDs. He urged the government and civil society organisations to work together to get accurate data on PWDs in Nigeria to amplify the implementation of the policy.

He added that while waiting on the government to provide data that might be delayed, media organisations can also work with minority groups to create alternatives.

In his closing remarks, the founder of TheCable, Simon Kolawole, urged media houses to prioritise digital inclusion.

He also thanked the DINA team for their relentless efforts to deliver the applications goals and objectives.

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President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit.

A statement from the office of the president-elect signed by Tunde Rahman on Wednesday said Mr Tinubu, during the visit, will engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administrations readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations.

This is the second time Mr Tinubu will be travelling out of the country after he was declared president-elect on 1 March. He returned to Nigeria on 24 April after a four-week vacation in France.

The statement said the president-elect will use the opportunity of the trip to fine-tune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europes business community, including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up, a part of the statement noted.

The statement also said that Mr Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigerias readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on job creation and skills acquisition.

Reviving the countrys economy forms a major plank of Tinubus Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigerias importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the countrys huge youth population, the statement said.

The president-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

The statement said he is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing-in as the 16th president of the country on 29 May.

Before he left the country, the president-elect met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by the Joint Task Team of the House.

Mr Tinubus victory is being challenged at the presidential election petition tribunal which started hearing on Monday.

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A new report has shown that Nigeria accounts for the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally.

The report, which was titled: Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: Progress Report 2023 and released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday shows that Nigeria, Africas most populous nation is only behind India in the latest ranking.

The report noted that in 2020, 788 women and children died per thousand in India and 540 women and children per thousand died in Nigeria.

In the same year, India accounted for 17 per cent of global maternal, and neonatal deaths and stillbirths, while Nigeria accounts for 12 per cent.

Eight other countries with high maternal, neonatal , and stillbirths are Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The report estimates that globally, there were a combined 4.5 million maternal, neonatal deaths and stillbirths in 2020.

Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions experiencing the largest numbers of deaths, although, across all regions, there is variation regarding the pace at which countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the global 2030 targets.

The top 10 countries with the highest-burden account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths, and 51 per cent of the worlds live births, the report noted.

Nigeria in retrospect

It is no longer news that Nigerias Maternal Mortality Rate is one of the highest in the world.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa says that one in seven global maternal deaths occurs in Nigeria. That is more than 50,000 women dying per year in Nigeria.

Health experts, however, said about 95 per cent of deaths during childbirth are preventable.

Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, had earlier attributed the high maternal, infant and under-five mortality in the country to lack of access to quality healthcare services.

The report

Speaking on the report, the WHO in a statement said COVID-19 pandemic, rising poverty, and worsening humanitarian crises have intensified pressures on stretched health systems.

It said according to the report, global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has flatlined for eight years due to decreasing investments in maternal and newborn health.

The WHO, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Anshu Banerjee, said pregnant women and newborns continue to die at unacceptably high rates worldwide.

Mr Banerjee said the COVID-19 pandemic has created further setbacks to providing women and babies with the healthcare they need.

If we wish to see different results, we must do things differently. More and smarter investments in primary healthcare are needed now so that every woman and baby  no matter where they live  have the best chance of health and survival, he said.

In his remark, Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF Director of Health, said since the COVID-19 pandemic, babies, children, and women who were already exposed to threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile countries and emergencies, are facing the heaviest consequences of decreased spending and efforts on providing quality and accessible healthcare.

Mr Lauwerier said funding shortfalls and underinvestment in primary healthcare can devastate survival prospects.

For instance, while prematurity is now the leading cause of all under-five deaths globally, less than a third of countries report having sufficient newborn care units to treat small and sick babies, he said.

Meanwhile, around two-thirds of emergency childbirth facilities in sub-Saharan Africa are not considered fully functional  meaning they lack essential resources like medicines and supplies, water, electricity or staffing for 24-hour care.

Human Rights violation

The Director of the Technical Division at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Julitta Onabanjo, said the death of any woman or young girl during pregnancy or childbirth is a serious violation of their human rights.

Ms Onabanjo said this also reflects the urgent need to scale up access to quality sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage and primary health care, especially in communities where maternal mortality rates have stagnated or even risen during recent years.

We must take a human rights and gender transformative approach to address maternal and newborn mortality, and it is vital that we stamp out the underlying factors which give rise to poor maternal health outcomes like socio-economic inequalities, discrimination, poverty, and injustice, she said.

She said to increase survival rates, women and babies must have quality and affordable healthcare before, during, and after childbirth as well as access to family planning services.

She noted that more skilled and motivated health workers, especially midwives, are needed, alongside essential medicines and supplies, safe water, and reliable electricity.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Today, Azerbaijan has become one of the transport hubs in Eurasia, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

I would like to remind you that a prominent and prestigious international conference on the Europe-Caucasus-Asia International Transport Corridor was held in Azerbaijan on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev. It was in those years that the foundation of the project we refer to as the Middle Corridor today was laid  Europe-Caucasus-Asia. So, the passage of this corridor through the territory of Azerbaijan was agreed upon in those years, President Ilham Aliyev said.
The Senate has condemned the attacks that claimed many lives and destroyed properties in some communities in Benue State.

This was a sequel to a motion moved by Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) at the plenary session on Wednesday.

At least 74 people were killed last month following clashes that erupted between farmers and herders in different communities in the state.

Police spokesperson in the state, Catherine Anene, said 28 bodies were recovered at a camp for internally displaced people in Mgban Local Government Area between Friday evening and Saturday morning, some hours after the last attack was recorded.

Speaking on the attacks at the plenary, Mr Moro said many lives and properties of his people have been displaced as a result of the clashes.

He said the attacks were carried out by suspected killer herdsmen, noting that none of the perpetrators have been arrested since the incident.

The senator urged the Senate to mandate security agencies in the country to investigate the attacks and fish out the perpetrators.

He requested that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should be directed to mobilise its officers to the affected communities to support survivors of the attacks.

Mr Moro also requested that the Senate should observe one minute of silence in memory of those that lost their lives in the attacks.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, therefore, ordered security agencies to investigate the attacks and arrest the perpetrators.

Mr Lawan also directed NEMA to mobilise its officers to the affected communities.

The upper legislative chamber also observed a minute silence in memory of the dead victims.

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The House of Representatives has received relevant documents from the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) concerning the 014 contracts it carried out under the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

The Ad hoc Committee probing the inability of NCC to provide widespread available telecommunication networks received the document in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, submitted the documents to the committee, which is also investigating accruals and utilisation of funds in the USFP.

It would be recalled that the committee, headed by Bamidele Salam, had on 9 May, demanded details of the projects including specific addresses and project descriptions.

The committee also demanded the specifications for each of the contracts that were awarded and listed in the 91-page document submitted by NCC.

The committee had pointed out that there was no specific description of what was done in the contracts and they were couched in a manner that they would be hard to track.

It also noted that 80 per cent of the projects had no specific location.

The NCC was expected to have submitted the required documents on 9 May, to enable the committee to analyse them during its next hearing which was held today.

Mr Salam said the NCC submitted the relevant documents late hence they could not go through them.

The committee needs to go through the documents, he said, adding that it would get back to NCC on another date that would be communicated to them.

The lawmakers frowned at the absence of the Chief Executive Officers of telecommunication companies, who were summoned to make presentations at the hearing.

(NAN)

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The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned hearing in Peter Obis petition challenging Bola Tinubus victory as Nigerias president-elect.

Mr Tinubu, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Obi of Labour Party (LP) in the 25 February presidential election.

A five-member panel of the court headed by Haruna Tsammani adjourned the petition until 17 May following a request by Mr Obis lawyer.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Livy Uzoukwu, Mr Obis lead lawyer, informed the court of an agreement by lawyers to parties in the petition to file and exchange necessary documents for a smooth hearing of the substantive petition.

Respondents lawyers  Abubakar Mahmoud (INEC), Wole Olanipekun (Mr Tinubus lawyer), Lateef Fagbemi (APC), all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), confirmed Mr Ozoukwus submissions before the court.

The court which had its inaugural sitting on Monday adjourned Mr Obis petition until Wednesday.

Mr Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, came third in the election.

He is, however, challenging Mr Tinubus election as president-elect.

Mr Obi is praying the court to nullify the poll over allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act by Nigerias electoral commission, INEC.

The Labour Party candidate also accused INEC and Mr Tinubu of manipulating the poll in favour of the latter.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court dismissed a petition by the Action Peoples Party (APP). This came after the partys lawyer, Obed Agu, announced the partys decision to withdraw the case to the court.

The development leaves Mr Tinubu with three remaining petitions against his victory to battle in court.

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A chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Musa Saidu, says the South-east region of Nigeria cannot get the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly because it failed to learn from its past mistakes.

Mr Saidu, also the leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

I want to say without fear of contradiction that the South-east has no justification to start asking for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly because it is not part of those who voted for the APC.

The South-east cant be in contention for the Senate Presidency because its people didnt vote for the APC, he said.

Mr Saidu was reacting to the demand by the South-east Senate Caucus that the APC zone the position to the region for fairness and justice.

You are talking about fairness and justice when you didnt even vote for the APC during the 2023 general election.

Other zones voted massively for the party and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, while you decided to give your votes entirely to the Labour Party.

How can you come out to say that the President-elect should zone the Senate Presidency to South-east when you didnt vote for him?

Supposing he didnt win the election, would he be in the position to zone the Senate Presidency? he said.

Mr Saidu said the South-east had a similar problem with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 when it demanded the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

When you ganged up to defeat the APC even in the stronghold of the president-elect, what were you thinking of?

The Senate Presidency is not for free; you have to work for it.

You are calling for equity and fairness, but you decided to concentrate your votes for LP. Is there fairness in that?

I think that the zoning of the Senate Presidency to South-south is not entirely a bad idea because the zone performed better in terms of voting for the APC in the last election, he said.

Senate South-East Caucus position

NAN reports that the Senate South-East Caucus, on 7 May urged the APC to zone the Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly to the region for fairness and justice.

Reading the communique at the end of a meeting in Abuja, Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP-Anambra) also urged the President-elect to ensure the position was zoned to the South-east.

The incoming administration of Tinubu must correct this anomaly by ensuring that the Southeast is given the opportunity to produce the next Senate President.

The President-elect should be sensitive to the times in Nigeria and ensure the country continues to thrive on the part of equity, unity and fairness to the tripod of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) and the geopolitical zones.

With the side-lining of the South-east from producing the Presidential candidates of the major political parties before the general elections, the only means through which the zone can be compensated and given a sense of belonging is for the zone to produce the next Senate President.

This will restore the confidence of the people from the South-east and South-south geo-political zones and indeed all Nigerians in the unity of the country.

He added: The APC must rise above primordial and political interest.

It must also shun the winner, take it all syndrome and pursue ethnoreligious inclusivity and a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous, equitable and just democratic nation.

The South-east has been denied the chance of producing the president of Nigeria since 1966.

The South-south has produced a president for six years and also had a Deputy Senate President in the outgoing administration.

The only zone in the south that has not been favoured is the South-east.

The South-West has the president; the North-east has the Vice-President. It is only just that the least position at the moment that can assuage the South-east is given the chance to be the president of the 10th Senate.

(NAN)

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The Federal Government and governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, may currently be at loggerheads over the latters alleged encroachment of a parcel of land belonging to Federal Government College (FGC), Malali, Kaduna State.

Although Mr El-rufai has less than three weeks to the end of his tenure, the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), has approached a competent law court and obtained an injunction restraining the state government from further works on the land in dispute.

A judge, B.F. Zubairu of the Kaduna High Court, on 2 May, granted the FME an interim injunction restraining the state from entering, developing, or committing further acts of trespass on the land belonging to the unity school.

Following the injunction, the ministry also wrote to the Inspector General of Police in a letter referenced FME/LU/HQ/S/434/23/1/53 and dated 4 May to enforce the court order.

The ministry, in the letter signed by its Permanent Secretary, Andrew Adejo, requested the presence of policemen in the college especially in areas where the encroachment is taking place to protect the children and property of the school.

Genesis

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Old Students Association of Federal Government Colleges (FGC) in Nigeria accused the state government of illegally encroaching on the schools land, calling appropriate authorities to intervene urgently.

The students body narrated that the government had in 2015 requested the FME to cede parts of the schools land to it for use. But PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the ministry declined, citing security concerns.

Mr El-Rufais government was also accused by the government of demolishing a part of the schools perimeter fence, saying the development has heightened the fear of terrorist attack, Tribune Newspaper earlier reported.

But despite the court order and the involvement of the police, the National President of the schools alumni association, Seyi Gambo, told PREMIUM TIMES that the state has refused to stop working on the land belonging to the FGC.

Mr Gambo said since last week, the government has continued to work at the site carrying out construction without honouring the injunction.

He accused the police of possible compromise because they have been saying they are investigating while construction still continues on the disputed land.

Police react

Meanwhile, the police have reacted to the development, even as its official confirmed the receipt of a letter over the matter.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on the phone, the new Commissioner of Police (CP), who claimed to have assumed office a few days ago, Mua Garba, said he did not know much information about the matter.

Mr Garba, however, assured that justice would be pursued on the matter and that it would be seen to be delivered.

He said: We need to investigate. When the school principal delivered the letter, we told him to exercise patience.

Since they have gone to court and there is a judgement on that, then they should exercise patience. Give us the benefit of the doubt; we are going to solve the problem.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Ibrahim Musa, he declined to comment on the matter.

Also, telephone calls made by our reporter to the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, were not answered or returned.

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The Police have paraded two security officials  naval personnel and the Nigerian Correctional Service official  for their alleged involvement in car snatching.

The suspects, Ibrahim Adamu, 25, a naval personnel and Abdullahi Abdulwahab, 26, of the Correctional Service were paraded on Tuesday by the police in Edo State, Punch newspaper reported.

The police said the two security officials, after snatching the car, forced the victim to transfer the N400, 000 to their account, the police spokesperson in Edo State, Chidi Nwabuzor, told reporters.

The suspects snatched the car in Delta State but were arrested in Ekpoma, Edo State while on their way to Abuja to sell it, according to the police.

Mr Nwabuzor, a police superintendent, said the suspects who were arrested in military uniforms claimed to be personnel of the two security agencies.

He said the vehicle and military uniform were recovered from them.

The naval personnel, Mr Adamu admitted to reporters that he was arrested for stealing a Mercedes Benz C300 in Delta State.

I was recruited into the Navy in 2019. I worked in Lokoja, Kogi state before I was posted to Warri, Delta state. It was when I went on a course in Sapele that I made the plan to steal a vehicle.

After my course, Mr Abdulwahab (NCS officer) came to visit me and I told him my plans, assuring him that we would make money and he agreed to join me. We chartered a tricycle from Warri to Sapele for the operation.

We saw a vehicle without a number plate in Sapele, we asked him to stop but he refused. We pursued him to a village where he finally stopped. And I told him, we are taking him to our office for driving an unregistered vehicle and he pleaded that we should settle the matter there but we refused.

I took over the steering from him and started driving but when we got to Oghara Road, he offered us money to settle the matter and I told him to pay N500,000 but he paid N400,000 to a Point of Sale account which I gave him and was later transferred to me. We were driving to Abuja to sell the car when the police arrested us, Mr Adamu said.

Mr Abdulwahab admitted being invited for the job but said it was his first involvement in robbery.

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Africas richest man and the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd has what it takes to become the African version of Saudi Arabias Aramco.

Mr Dangote believes that the NNPC can generate billions of dollars in revenue if the right decisions are made.

Mr Dangote made the remark on Wednesday at the ongoing 2023 Upstream Investment Management Services Ltd (NUIMS) Annual Value Assurance Review (AVAR) Workshop in Lagos.

The years theme is, Consolidating for Growth in PIA Era.

The event was attended by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Mele Kyari; the Executive Vice President (Upstream), NNPC Adokiye Tombomieye; the Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, Bala Wunti; the Chairman, Heirs Holding, Tony Elumelu and other top investors in the Nigerian economy.

According to Mr Dangote, the Petroleum Industry Act brought the transformation of NNPC from a government establishment to a commercial entity with no recourse to government funding.

He said NUIMS has a critical role to play in unlocking funding to take advantage of the huge opportunities in the sector as well as to actively manage the investments to repay its loans, generate reasonable returns, and fund investment in new opportunities.

Mr Dangote said, I truly believe that NNPC should be our African Aramco. You have what it takes to take you up there and I am very happy. There is nothing that is impossible. You can make it possible and dont let anything scare you. It is just the same thing with us. If I tell you about our own story, you will be shocked as to how. It wasnt only the refinery that we started about six years ago. We had 32 projects that we all rolled out at the same time.

But then, on the way we had lots of hitches here and there where the devaluation of the currency, Covid, and challenges of infrastructure set in. If you want to want to do a real project in Nigeria, you have to look at the infrastructure that we have, because the infrastructure we have is not meant for mega projects.

We need to look at our infrastructure and see how we can take ourselves to the next level and it has to be driven by NNPC because they are the largest conglomerate and whatever happens to NNPCL their assets, it actually happens to us either directly or indirectly.

Without you doing well, the country cannot do well. As the investment arm of NNPC, NUIMS plays a critical role in managing the Federal Governments interest in the oil and gas industry  you are a partner in the Joint Venture (JV) assets and the Concessionaire in the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) arrangements. As important as its oversight function is, my expectation in this post-PIA era is that NUIMS should pivot from being overly focused on its role as a watchdog to acquiring the mindset of an aggressive Investment Manager.

The billionaire in his feedback said the NNPC needs to roll out massive investments in terms of oil and gas to meet demand, adding that there are many off-takers waiting to invest.

Mr Dangote said, Let me quickly illustrate with a personal experience. My businesses in Nigeria require 635 million scf of gas per day with further additional demand as we expand capacity. No businessman will leave such an opportunity on the table. Unfortunately, I hardly get 300 million scf per day and there is no clarity as to when the required gas will become available.

According to the chairman of the Dangote Group, a good investment manager actively seeks out investment opportunities, assesses them and takes an investment decision.

According to him, as a manager, NNPCs principal objective should focus on: delivering strong returns; growing the investment portfolio and managing portfolio risks.

He pointed out that the NNPC must first look into the cost component of its production.

According to Mr Dangote, Nigeria has one of the highest break-even prices globally for extracting oil and gas which results in a long payback period.

He said, Lets begin with delivering strong returns, which of course is a function of price and cost. While price in your industry is determined by the market and so clearly outside your control, the same cannot be said about cost. More aggressive cost targets need to be adopted and NUIMS staff rewarded with juicy bonuses if they meet these targets.

You need to benchmark costs with producers in similar basins and aim to be the lowest amongst your peers. Some existing government policies, as laudable as they may be, also need to be re-evaluated. For instance, we need to strike a delicate balance between encouraging local participation in the oil & gas sector and compromising efficiency and cost.

Mr Dangote suggested to the NNPCL that the next course of action as a manager should be to grow its investment portfolio explaining that it would reduce the influence of IOCs.

The Chairman of Heirs Holding, Mr Elumelu, in his comment, lauded the NNPC for the effort it made to curb crude oil theft.

According to him, due to the efforts of the NNPC Ltd, Heirs Oil & Gas has witnessed 96 per cent recovery rate.

Mr Elumelu said, When I listened to the Group CEO speak today, talking about us moving to 2.5 million barrels, we challenge him to do more. I believe that it is achievable. From losing 97 per cent of our 50,000 barrels production, interestingly and it will be bad of me to have this platform and not share this here.

That day, I got a call from the GCEO and I thought he was going to kill me for speaking up, to my greatest surprise, he said to me Tony we are sorry about what is happening, we are doing something about it, it will be corrected.

They worked as a team and the Board of the NNPC, the FG, the security agencies, and last month our recovery factor was 96 per cent. So GCEO NNPC, you have delivered.

I speak from experience, a beneficiary and one who cried out before and today standing up today to say we have improved our production and that is what we need to encourage more investments in the industry.

He added, Today, we lifted 501,000 barrels of oil bringing our total lifting this year alone to 2.6m barrels of oil. I am a great beneficiary of the new NNPCL.

Also speaking at the event, Mr Kyari said the challenges facing the oil and gas industry globally has made it compelling for the NNPC to come with more ingenious ways of doing things.

He admitted that there have been challenges with security and underinvestment in recent times, adding that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, the NNPC is better positioned to create value for Nigerians.

He said, The crux of the industry is to make sure the upstream industry works. If the upstream works, there would be cash in the country. We are in cash crunch in the country today, we are in forex crunch today because the upstream has not gotten to a level where we can have surplus to support the economy.

And the reason is because we have challenges of security, decarbonization issues, energy transition, and reluctance of finance institutions to lend.

The practicality of all these is that there is difficulty in having access to capital today and this is very obvious, the whole world is lamenting today and there is absolute supply gap in gas in the market in the short term and for a while to come and everyone is taking a step backwards on what could be done to arrest the situation.

As a company, NNPC is leading this process, we are required to ensure that production cost is optimum, we have interest in nearly every business in the upstream sector and even in the midstream and our performance determines what happens in the industry. We are in a position to go back to normalcy.

Production target that we have kept over the years of 2 million barrels are realizable but have remained on the powerpoint and this is the time to take them off the powerpoint and resolve the insecurity, investment and financing issues.

As a National Oil Company, Mr Kyari said the NNPC must cooperate with its partners to solve the energy challenges facing the country.

He said it is only through collaborative efforts with its stakeholders and partners that the NNPC can guarantee energy for the nations industrialization.

Mr Kyari added, We can solve the problem of energy poverty in the country, we can also support the rest of the world particularly West African countries to resolve the energy crisis that we are facing today. We can also help to resolve the issue of food security and by doing this, we will make more money for the country and businesses make more money.

We will invest in power and we are doing it and we believe that at the end of the day, we will create sufficient power for the country so that industries will spring up everywhere and create that prosperity that we desire.

We have the best of workforce that we have anywhere in the world and we have seen many things that they have done. This means that our short term is real, our short term is achievable and as a company, we will satisfy the requirements of our partners and shareholders.

Our performance will speak for our us and our country and this is what we are focused on doing, we will work with you, we will work with the industry, we will work with our partners, we will work with our shareholders and ultimately, we will deliver value in a short time of three years and this is sufficient to bring all the value on the table.

We are getting all the support from the security agencies to make sure this works and we are getting maximum cooperation and we will overcome the security challenges and this company will deliver value for all of us.

In his speech at the event, Mr Tombomieye said the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (2021) came with so many expectations for NNPC Limited, which has been transformed into a fully commercial entity.

He said the oil and gas reserve base in Nigeria is enormous as available data indicate that the current crude oil and condensates production of 1.210 million barrels per day as of April has fallen short of the desired aspirations of 1.395 mmbopd for NUIMS.

According to him, additional effort will be required to meet the objectives of growing reserves, oil and gas production, and monetizing the subsurface resources.

He said, There is no gainsaying that several challenges have be-devilled our operations over time, ageing facilities, obsolete technologies, evacuation challenges, high production cost, inadequate workforce, inadequate funding.

NUIMS has consistently demonstrated the zeal to overcome some of these challenges, as depicted in the recent strides for the emplacement of the industry-wide Security architecture, which has assisted in restoring production in some corridors.

We are no longer in the PowerPoint era, and you must channel your energy towards reducing costs and growing production and revenue. Nigerians are watching us, and we must remain accountable to them.

The Board and Management of NNPC Limited have tasked us with specific deliverables. We have executed the KPIs with timelines on when to deliver and can no longer afford to return with excuses to our principals for nonperformance.

Let us consider ourselves partners in progress, and every contribution is for the collective good of the Company. Knowing fully that the strength of a chain is at its weakest link, we must strive to support each other on this journey of making the Upstream Directorate the shining light of the Company as it has always been. 

In his address of welcome, Mr Wunti said NUIMS currently has over $60bn assets under its management which has position it effectively to contribute significantly to the development of the Nigerian economy.

He said, We have assets under management that are $60bn and out of these assets, we are expected to produce so much hydrocarbon in a very difficult environment and that hydrocarbon we will produce tends to achieve the things NNPC has set as responsibility.

READ ALSO: NNPCL commissions natural gas city gate in Ogun

Theres no better engine of growth in any economy than its SMEs. Our SMEs today are being faced with several problems. But one problem outside physical issue is the inadequacy of energy. And this energy security is our responsibility and we are having various challenges and if we have $60bn of assets under our management, and if those assets represent 75 per cent of the total assets of the country, it means 75 per cent of our inability to deliver that energy is a result of our action or inaction.

We needed to understand what exactly we are doing right and wrong, and particularly what we can improve on.

He said NNPC would continue to conduct its operation in a manner that ensure financial discipline, execution discipline, and operational discipline.

The only way we can achieve this is to use our human capital and we will listen to our partners so we can move further while actualizing what they expect from us, he concluded.

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In Pantami: Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro, the author chronicles the feats achieved by a highly unusual but extremely modest public official, who has served as Nigerias Communication and Digital Economy Minister since 2019, to include: the implementation of broadband connectivity across the country, leapfrogging the ascendant economy around the digital ecosystem, and the empowerment of citizens through the cultivation of ICT skills.

From the cover of Pantami: Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro, one could see the short blurb on the book by Professor Adeola Akande, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).

According to Akande, the book is: Much more than just being a chronicle of the vicissitudes of a respected scholar of the digital experience and faith, it is a testament to a crucial period in the life of a country.

The NCC Board Chairs blurb sets the tone for what readers would encounter in the revelatory contents of Yushaus masterly choreographed piece of non-literary writing.

Pantami: Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro unfolds across four sizeable sections, with each having at least three thematic nodes. In Chapter One, titled, Personal Opinion, the author mediates upon and gives further eludication of issues around the subject of the book, which he had earlier written on, in pieces such as That Friendly Call from the Scholar, The Memorable Visit for Digital Innovation, Authority on Cybersecurity and Datafication, and Encounter with a Digital Economy Maestro.

The second Chapter of Yushaus book centres around Inter-Agency Engagements within government, of which Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), his redoubtable subject, has been a highly consequential figure in over the past half a decade. This deals with issues around rivalries among federal agencies and pertain to concerns such as: Resisting Multiple Telecom Taxation, The NIN-SIM Linkage Palaver and The War on Stamp Duty.

Similarly, Chapter Three of Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro on Managing External Factors, illustrates major battles or challenges Profesor Pantami contended with during his tenure in office as the Minister. The concern the issues of the ASUU Battle over IPPIS-UTAS Payment System; On FUTO Professorship and Witch-Hunting or Boko Haram Saga?

Through the frame of Pantamis travails as a public office holder, the author observes in this book that the media are generally more inclined towards celebrating conflict and crisis, while reveling in a single story that represses, if not censors, the other crucial sides to issues, which could have tempered the public drift towards hysteria.

Operational Exigencies is the organising theme on which Chapter Four of the book is anchored, as expressed over matters relating to NigComsat and the Fear of Privatisation; The Galaxy and Visibility and Record of Accomplishments.

Most of the issues in this book on Pantami revolve around the activities and mandates of agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. Some of these agencies, which have conspicuous presence in Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro, include the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone Limited, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST).

I found a number of the themes in the book highly interesting, intriguing and seemingly controversial. For instance, the author takes the reader though the compelling narration of how a very long ASUU strike was motivated essentially by egos and the intrasigence of the refusal to yield ground, leading to a protracted disagreement industrial action over the required payment system for Nigerian universities lecturers, among others.

In Pantami: Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro, the author chronicles the feats achieved by a highly unusual but extremely modest public official, who has served as Nigerias Communication and Digital Economy Minister since 2019, to include: the implementation of broadband connectivity across the country, leapfrogging the ascendant economy around the digital ecosystem, and the empowerment of citizens through the cultivation of ICT skills.

Others areas of his direct impact comprise the implementation of a Digital Identity Programme, attendant upon a National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, the digitalising of government functions and processes, as well as deployment of the 4G spectrum across the country.

Yet, the controversy over the appointment of the Minister as a Professor of Cybersecurity at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and also the debate on the Ministers links to Boko Haram terrorism, many years earlier, were dispassionately analysed by the author.

Whilst the different fireworks intensified and the controversy raged, such that the Presidency was forced to take a position on the matter, Yushau Shuaib, a PR storm-chaser and warrior, rallied his his top commanders and infantry persons in his bunker in Wuye From there, he deployed arsenals strategically, firing from the cylinders of traditional and new media with remarkable marksmanship.

Yushau, equally, was very fair in his narrations, as he details the genesis of the aforementioned thorny issues and how they all ended with the Ministers triumph over a renascent brigade of catawulers, hecklers and naysayers.

Through the frame of Pantamis travails as a public office holder, the author observes in this book that the media are generally more inclined towards celebrating conflict and crisis, while reveling in a single story that represses, if not censors, the other crucial sides to issues, which could have tempered the public drift towards hysteria.

As one who marvels at Pantamis erudition in both Islamic and Western education, I was appalled by the controversy that trailed his elevation to the rank of a Professor by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). While I am aware that he is a person with an aversion for being addressed as a Sheikh, in line with his deepset humility, I had expected the minister to, in like manner, cast away the pulpy endocarp of the mango to rid off the flies that were then swarming around.

Whilst the different fireworks intensified and the controversy raged, such that the Presidency was forced to take a position on the matter, Yushau Shuaib, a PR storm-chaser and warrior, rallied his his top commanders and infantry persons in his bunker in Wuye (must I say he is one of most gender-affirming executives in the industry, who gives as much opportunity to all, male and female). From there, he deployed arsenals strategically, firing from the cylinders of traditional and new media with remarkable marksmanship. At the end of the day, the authors PR warfare paid up. The rest is now history, as we say.

Indeed, I share the sentiment expressed by Yushau that Pantami, to a great extent, triumphed over the recurrent trials, travails and tribulations that sought to grate at his rather exemplary and achievement-laden period in public office.

In conclusion, I recommend this edifying and intellectually-stimulating book to PR practitioners, students, communication experts and players in digital innovation and ICT, among others. PR managers, in particular, will find the book relevant in learning the ropes of solving seemingly knotty image crises.

Jaafar Jaafar is the Publisher of Daily Nigerian.

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The police in Delta State, South-south Nigeria, said they have arrested two members of a criminal syndicate which allegedly supply ammunition to kidnappers, cultists and armed robbers in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspects were arrested when the Decoy Squad of the police in the state led by Julius Robinson, an assistant superintendent of police, raided their hideout in Asaba, the state capital, at about 9:40 a.m. on Monday.

The police spokesperson said the raid followed a tip-off to the police about the suspects activities.

He said 250 rounds of live cartridges were recovered from one of the suspects, Chinedu Enenmo, who was the first to be arrested.

Mr Enenmo, 37, an indigene of Ogidi Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, later led the operatives to Fegge in Onitsha North Local Government Area of the state where the second suspect, Donatus Ndukan was arrested, Mr Edafe said.

The police said Mr Enenmo, the first suspect, described Mr Ndukan, the second suspect, as his boss in the business.

Mr Ndukan, 34, hails from Urom Community in Awka North Local Government Area of the Anambra State.

Both suspects are in (police) custody, and investigation is ongoing, the police said.

Recovery of another ammunition

Mr Edafe said, in a separate incident on Tuesday, a Divisional Police Officer in Delta State, T.Y. Mahmud, led an anti-crime patrol team on a visibility and confidence-building patrol in the fight against kidnapping and armed robbery in Warri and its environs.

He said the team intercepted a tricycle along the area conveying three people to an undisclosed destination and carried out a search on them.

During the search, 30 rounds of 7.62 AK-47 live ammunition were recovered from two of the passengers, the police spokesperson said.

Mr Edafe gave the names of the suspects as Eddy Aboyowa, 37, and Isaiah Akpani, 35- all males and residents of the Warri.

The police were investigating the suspects, he said.

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The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, over the wrong parade of a man accused of killing five police officers in Imo State.

The man is said to be a member of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Background

Some gunmen, on 21 April, killed five police officers at a restaurant in Ulakwo, a community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state.

The gunmen also killed a couple during the attack.

The police in the state, on 30 April, said they had arrested nine IPOB members who allegedly killed the officers and the couple. The police later paraded the suspects the same day.

The suspects who were paraded by the police included: Mathew Chukwuma, 48, Ikechukwu Ojokoh, 53, Charles Chilaka, 44, and Anthony Iwu, 50.

Others were: Damian Ibe, 50, Simon Iwuala, 31, Nwabueze Ahiwe, 47, and Paul Obali- all males.

RULAAC kicks

In the petition to the IGP on Monday signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC said one of the suspects, Mr Ojokoh, was wrongly paraded.

The group contended that Mr Ojokoh could not have taken part in the killing of the officers because he was still in police detention at the time of the attack.

Mr Ojokoh, a tailor and father of five, was arrested by the police operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Tiger Base on 15 April, six days before the attack on the officers, RULAAC said in the petition.

The group said the suspect was arrested on the allegation of being a member of the IPOB and that his family considers the latest accusation against him as both curious and ironic.

It said the recurring attacks on police facilities and killing of officers remain unjustifiable and that the attackers should be prosecuted in line with the law.

However, parading a man for a crime committed while in police custody raises serious concerns and questions, and calls for a careful investigation to ensure that an innocent person is not accused wrongly or made to pay the price for a crime he did not commit, RULAAC said.

We request the IGP to order an investigation into the continued detention of Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh and circumstances surrounding his being accused of being among those who carried out attack on police officers on a date he was still in police custody.

He should be released or charged to court if he has any case to answer. His family and legal representatives should also be allowed access to him, it urged.

Denial of guaranteed rights

RULAAC also drew the attention of the IGP to the attitude of police officers in the South-east who allegedly presume that anyone accused of being an IPOB member has automatically lost their constitutionally guaranteed rights to due process.

The human rights group said the officers in the region should be reminded that there should be presumption of innocence of a suspect until otherwise proven guilty in a fair trial in line with the law.

This is a very dangerous attitude that has led to the murder of many innocent citizens. The constitution guarantees every person arrested for a recognisable offense the right to fair trial, the group stated.

Summary executions and extrajudicial killings amount to murder and can have ugly repercussions including creating a cycle of violence.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The Great Leader's contributions to Azerbaijan and its people are unparalleled, and we, his successors, follow in his footsteps, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

In 2003, in the run-up to the presidential election, I addressed the people and said that if they trusted me, I would remain loyal to Heydar Aliyev's policy. The people of Azerbaijan believed in me, and I have kept my word and will keep it in the future too. Almost 20 years have passed since 2003. These 20 years have been a period of rapid development and progress. Azerbaijan will only develop for many years to come, President Ilham Aliyev said.
A chief security officer of a commercial bank was, on Tuesday, shot when suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) attacked the bank at Nkwo Market, Ihiala in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The incident happened at about 12:30 p.m.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said joint security operatives comprising the police and military foiled the attack.

Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said the attackers were suspected IPOB members and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) enforcing their illegal sit-at-home order in the area.

The police spokesperson said the armed hoodlums, in their numbers, arrived in the area on a motorcycle and fired sporadic shots in an attempt to rob the bank.

The attackers also attempted to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movements in the area, before the joint security operatives arrived.

The joint operatives responded swiftly which made the armed men abandon their evil plan and took to their heels, he said.

Unfortunately, due to the indiscriminate shootings by the armed group, a stray bullet hit the chief security officer of the bank on the leg, Mr Ikenga stated.

The police spokesperson, however, said the victim has been taken to the hospital for treatment, adding that no life was lost in the attack.

He said calm has since returned in the area as police and other security agencies have intensified patrols and surveillance in the state.

He urged residents of the state to contact the police in the event of a security threat in their neigbourhood.

Background

Some unknown persons, believed to be the pro-Biafran agitators, last week, circulated printed copies of fliers, asking residents of the state and the South-east to observe a-four-day sit-at-home from 8 to 11 May.

In the notice, which has the IPOB logo, the group did not give reason for the order.

The group was said to have stormed various markets in Nnewi South Council Area of the state, and went around with megaphones, announcing the sit-at-home order in the South-east.

They also reportedly shot in the air while making the announcements.

IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

The secessionist group, under its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has repeatedly disowned enforcers of sit-at-home in the south-east, describing them as criminals attempting to blackmail the organisation.

A factional IPOB leader, Simon Ekpa, has been accused of being behind the sit-at-home orders in the region.

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OSLO, Norway, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueNord ASA ("BlueNord" or the "Company") today published its first quarter 2023 results. The first quarter of the year delivered excellent operational performance and strong cash generative financial results.

Highlights:

First quarter net hydrocarbon production of 26.6 mboepd, above quarterly guidance

Strong underlying reservoir performance where natural decline is mitigated by high level of well activities

Revenues of USD 221 million compared to USD 179 million in same quarter in 2022

compared to in same quarter in 2022 EBITDA in Q1 of USD 122 million , versus USD 107 million in Q1 2022

, versus in Q1 2022 Strong Operating Cash Flow of USD 157 million , with total liquidity of USD 529 million at the end of the quarter

, with total liquidity of at the end of the quarter Licence application submitted for acreage containing the gas discovery Elly-Luke in the Danish part of the North Sea.

Net hydrocarbon production for the quarter was 26.6 mboepd. This is above the quarterly guidance range of 25.0-26.5 mboepd. The overarching strong production trend from 2022 continued in the first quarter of 2023 and outlook is expected to remain strong, with both planned optimisation work and infill drilling. As a result, BlueNord's quarterly guidance for the remainder of the year is under review with the Company expecting an upwards revision.

The Tyra Redevelopment project continued to move forward and significant progress was made on Tyra East with respect to riser tie-ins, well reinstatement, fire water system and sea water cooling system. On 8 May 2023 the first gas turbine generator successfully started up, and the continued focus ahead of first gas remains on improving offshore productivity and completing key milestones.

The financial result for the first quarter of 2023 shows a continued strong development with Revenues of USD 221 million and EBITDA of USD 122 million. Cash Flow from operating activities was USD 157 million in the first quarter, with Post-Tax Cash Earnings of USD 147 million. BlueNord continues to be fully-funded for Tyra with cash generative operations and Cash on Balance Sheet of USD 329 million and Total Available Liquidity of USD 529 million.

"I am delighted to be able to report, in our first quarter as BlueNord, that we continue to deliver in line with our track-record of strong operational and financial performance. Production levels were above the top-end of our guidance for the quarter and, supported by strong market and hedged commodity prices particularly for our gas volumes, we generated significant free cashflow in the period," said Euan Shirlaw, Chief Executive Officer of BlueNord.

"The outlook also remains strong and, after the quarter end, we will spud the first of seven planned infill wells to support near-term production levels and we continue to make progress towards Tyra coming onstream at the end of this year. The announcement of our Elly Luke licence application demonstrates our desire to maximise the long-term value of our business and to assess opportunities to capture incremental value. Overall, we continue to make strong progress in delivering a more than doubling of our production to over 55mboe/d by 2025 and returning material capital to our shareholders," he concludes.

The report and investor presentation may be downloaded from the Company's website www.bluenord.com or www.newsweb.no.

The Company will host a webcast today at 11:00 CEST.

To join webcast: https://channel.royalcast.com/hegnarmedia/#!/hegnarmedia/20230510_5

Contact:

Cathrine F. Torgersen, EVP Investor Relations & ESG

Phone: +47 915 28 501

Email: cathrine.torgersen@bluenord.com

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation, and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The stock exchange announcement was published by Cathrine Torgersen, Executive Vice President Investor Relations & ESG, BlueNord ASA, at the date and time as set out above.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/4225/3767094/2047021.pdf BlueNord Q1 2023 Report https://mb.cision.com/Public/4225/3767094/bb152c73a108f63f.pdf BlueNord Q1 2023 Presentation

SOURCE BlueNord ASA
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Independence is the greatest asset, the greatest blessing. Today, all of us, all Azerbaijanis, celebrate with pride that we live as an independent country in the truest sense of the word, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Security is guaranteed in Azerbaijan. There is peace in Azerbaijan. I want to say again that there are wars, conflicts and confrontations in every part of the world today, and we see it every day. Azerbaijan is an island of stability, an island of security. This is a great asset, and the people of Azerbaijan know it very well because we experienced difficult times in the first years of our independence, President Ilham Aliyev said.
PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Miguel Fluxa Rossello, founder and chairman of Spanish hotel and resort group, Iberostar, has been named as Forbes' Best CEO of 2023 in Spain. The prestigious recognition spotlights Mr. Fluxa's exceptional leadership and legacy in growing Iberostar Group into a global hospitality brand with an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of the environment.

Miguel Fluxa Rossello, founder and chairman of Spanish hotel and resort group, Iberostar (PRNewsfoto/Iberostar Group)

"It is an honor to receive this recognition from Forbes Spain. We are a family company with strong values that have helped us shape Iberostar's corporate culture based on quality and long-term sustainability," said Fluxa Rossello. "This recognition is a testament to the dedication of so many collaborators and professionals who have accompanied us throughout all these years and to the more than 30,000 people who today share our vision and passion for this industry."

Under Mr. Fluxa's leadership, Iberostar has become a pioneer in responsible tourism. Through a framework that focuses on people as the lifeblood of the business, and on the oceans through its Wave of Change movement, Iberostar has become an international leader with an extraordinary track record of sustainable practices. In 2020, Iberostar presented its 2030 Agenda, focused on eliminating waste, sourcing responsible seafood, neutralizing carbon emissions, and improving the health of the ecosystems surrounding its hotels. One of Iberostar's main commitments is reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, 20 years ahead of the industry's global target.

Fluxa's vision has also led to significant growth for Iberostar. Starting in 1973, creating the first Spanish tour operator, Iberojet, along with creating Sunworld, in 1991, the first tour operator with Spanish capital in England. This year, the company celebrates 40 years since the brand was launched in 1983 with seven hotels in Majorca  today, Iberostar has over 100 properties in 16 countries, with expansion plans in new markets all over the world. Furthermore, in November 2022, Iberostar signed a longterm commercial alliance with InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG), where Iberostar retains 100% ownership of its company, but is also part of IHG's system under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand, becoming the 18th brand for IHG.

Forbes' Best CEO award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the business world, with previous winners including Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella. The recognition, which is awarded by Forbes' publications, is based on a range of factors, including financial performance, leadership style, and impact on industry and society.

Notes to editor: Please find imagery here

About Iberostar Group

The Iberostar Group is a 100% family-owned multinational Spanish company with over 65 years of experience in the tourism industry, as well as entrepreneurial roots dating back to 1877. Its main line of business is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, whose portfolio includes over 100 four- and five-star hotels in 16 countries. The Group has become an international leader, as it promotes a responsible tourism business model that revolves around caring for both people and the environment. Its pioneering Wave of Change movement reflects the company's specific commitment to the environment and the oceans, as well as its efforts to share it with society as a whole.

With sustainability acting as a driving force for business, the Iberostar Group places the circular economy at the heart of its strategy and is working towards its own 2030 Agenda. This involves becoming waste-free by 2025, carbon neutral by 2030, and 100% responsible in its seafood supply chain by 2025, as well as improving the health of the ecosystems that surround its hotels, among other goals.

The Group is made up of a global team consisting of more than 30,000 people and 95 nationalities. Thanks to this talent, the company is a leader in quality and is at the forefront of providing an outstanding experience for guests through constant innovation in terms of products and its commitment to digitisation.

Find out more about us at grupoiberostar.com/en/ .

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2072820/Iberostar_Group_CEO.jpg

SOURCE Iberostar Group
Leading dental support organization will benefit from increased control and visibility through Dentira's comprehensive real-time procurement platform.

VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 123Dentist, a leading Canadian dental support organization (DSO) has announced the selection of Dentira, a provider of next-gen spend management solutions, as its primary procurement partner. Dentira's cutting-edge SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, empowered with the latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), delivers real-time information on pricing, stock status, inventory and order status, and automates the accounts payable (AP) workflow.

123Dentist

As a rapidly expanding organization, 123Dentist was seeking a procurement solution that could cater to the unique requirements of its supported practices across Canada. Dentira's user-friendly and customizable solution is also rapidly scalable, making it a perfect match for their needs. This platform's unique features, such as real-time integration with vendors, multilingual catalog support and full spend visibility, and different AP workflows for each business unit, were key to 123Dentist's decision to pick Dentira.

"Dentira has been seamlessly integrated throughout our network and its customizable features have been transformational for our supported practices" stated Dr. Amin Shivji, CEO of 123Dentist. "Dentira's scalability has provided our teams with the support needed to meet the demands of our expanding network."

Dentira's existing partnership with Heartland Dental, which has successfully used Dentira for its dental supplies purchasing for over two years, is a testament to the platform's effectiveness. With its strategic partnership with Heartland Dental, 123Dentist can now use Dentira to better leverage Heartland's deep relationships with leading dental manufacturers and distributors to create an expansive and world-class formulary of clinical supplies, equipment, and clear aligners.

"123Dentist has grown rapidly in recent years and we were using different procurement solutions (such as Coupa) in different parts of our business. These solutions combined only addressed a fraction of our needs and were costly to maintain," commented Jason Brown, Vice-President of Procurement at 123Dentist. "Dentira's dental-focused platform has proven to be a game-changer for us. By utilizing Dentira's advanced features such as automatic vendor catalog sync and invoice processing automation, 123Dentist can streamline all spending in one place and reduce man-hours spent on platform operations. The result is visible in the significant ongoing savings of both time and money."

About 123Dentist: 123Dentist is a leading dental support organization based in Canada. What started as a single practice in Vancouver, owned by CEO Dr. Amin Shivji and two partners, has now grown to over 350 supported practices and 5,000 team members. The success of 123Dentist can be attributed to two fundamental principles: placing patients' needs above all else and recognizing that supported dentists and staff are crucial in ensuring patient satisfaction.

123Dentist's ultimate goal is to establish itself as the dental support community of choice for all Canadian dentists and dental professionals. The organization offers a range of alternative partnership models tailored to suit the unique requirements of each dentist, including the option to retain clinic ownership. This innovative approach allows supported dentists to focus entirely on delivering top-quality patient care while a seasoned team provides an extensive range of support services. For additional information, please visit 123dentist.com.

About Dentira: Dentira Inc., the leader in intelligent spend management for the Dental industry, is based in San Francisco, California, and supports over 10,000 dental clinics and over 80 of the largest DSOs across the United States, Canada, and Australia. For further information, please visit dentira.com, email [email protected] , or call 626-840-1764.

SOURCE 123Dentist
KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed "Lumbini, Nepal: the Buddha's Birthplace" and "The Source of Buddhism and World Peace", a festival for the International Day of Vesak has been hosted by the Nepalese government On May 5. Representatives from the China Religious Culture Communication Association as well as the delegation of the Buddhist Association of ChinaBAC, led by Buddhist Master Yin Shun attended the celebration festival that included several special events, such as the Charity and Brightness Action program, the launching ceremony of Shenzhen Benhuan Academy's study abroad program, and the Buddha statue ordination ceremony of Bodhi Institute in Lumbini, with the aim of promoting religious and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal and deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

2023 International Day of Vesak: Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery in Nepal to Host A Series of Celebration Events

The International Day of Vesak takes place on the day of the full moon in the month of May and is celebrated with a festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. Several of Nepal's senior government officials, cabinet ministers, provincial governors, and members of the Federal Parliament attended this year's festivities, at which Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal, and Chen Song, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Nepal, delivered speeches. Buddhist Master Yin Shun, head of the BAC delegation, joined the event as one of the representatives of the global Buddhist community in Lumbini. The festival attracted nearly 5,000 guests and devotees.

Buddhist Master Yin Shun highlighted the importance of the International Day of Vesak in Nepal. "Shakyamuni Buddha who made the pursuit of peace his lifetime mission, was one of the world's original peacemakers," said the Buddhist Master. "On the commemoration of Buddha's 2,567th birth anniversary, the International Day of Vesak is a global initiative aimed at utilizing the teachings and wisdom of Buddha to navigate the complex and tumultuous international landscape and foster a path towards world peace, despite the numerous challenges faced by the world in the past century."

The donation delivery ceremony of the 2023 Silk Road Charity and Brightness Action for Students and Physicians was held at Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery in Nepal, bringing goodwill from China to over 300 inhabitants in Lumbini, Nepal. The aim is to convey the Buddha's message of compassion and goodwill and deepen the friendship between the peoples of China and Nepal.

"Buddhism is a bridge of friendship between China and Nepal. Both countries are poised to deepen their cultural and religious exchanges and collaborations in the near future," stated Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who fully affirmed the philanthropic efforts of Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery under the leadership of Buddhist Master Yin Shun. "We expect the monastery to continue fostering friendship between the peoples of both countries, spreading China's traditional culture of selfless love and compassion, and building a future of peaceful co-existence for the world."

The launching ceremony of Benhuan Academy's study abroad program was also held concurrently with the festival. The lineup of guests in attendance at the ceremony included the Chinese ambassador, Mr. Chen; Benhuan Academy chairman, Buddhist Master Yin Shun; Lumbini Buddhist University registrar, Dr. Acharya Tilak Ram; and the university's international office director, Dr. Khadka Kumar.

The Buddha statue ordination ceremony of the Bodhi Institute also took place during the Festival. "We look forward to lotus flowers blooming in everyone's heart," said Master Yin Shun. "The Buddhists belong to one family, and all of them are the Buddha's disciples with the same religious beliefs. As a result, we shall work fervently and as one to propagate Buddhist teachings."

SOURCE The Buddhist Association of China
Aarash Darroodi is represented by DRMZ Agency

LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aarash Darroodi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation ("Fender"), has been named the In-House Legal Counsel of the Year by the Los Angeles Times for 2023. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding legal professionals who have demonstrated exceptional skills, leadership, and dedication in their fields and communities.

The award ceremony was held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on May 4, 2023. The in-person event honored many of the area's top legal professionals across numerous industries.

As a seasoned lawyer with over 18 years of in-house legal experience, Darroodi has established a reputation as a highly skilled and innovative general counsel with a keen eye on modernizing the in-house counsel role. Darroodi has spent more than two decades working for premier consumer goods and technology companies and is a much sought-after speaker on some of the largest venues in business, including SXSW, TED Talks, Thomson Reuters, Fox

Business, NAMM, Association of Corporate Counsel, Legal Marketing Association, and ALM, on a range of topics including technological disruption, globalization, and modernization of the legal counsel role.

Commenting on the award, Darroodi stated, "I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive this recognition. This award is a testament to my entire team's hard work and commitment, and I share this honor with them." "As General Counsel, my top priority has always been to not only serve the amazing organization that I work for but to shape the profession's future as a whole."

Paula Boggs, former EVP and General Counsel of Starbucks Corporation added, "I am thrilled to see Aarash Darroodi receive this well-deserved recognition. He is an exceptional general counsel who consistently goes above and beyond to serve his organization and uphold the highest standards of the legal profession," Ms. Boggs said. "I am so proud to see Aarash continue to pioneer redefining what it means to be a global in-house counsel. I congratulate Aarash and his entire team on this outstanding achievement."

The LA Times In-House Counsel of the Year Award is a highly selective honor, with recipients chosen based on peer reviews and extensive evaluations by the awarding body. It reflects Darroodi's exceptional legal skills, dedication to his client, and commitment to upholding the highest standards of the legal profession.

About Aarash Darroodi

Aarash Darroodi is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, one of the world's leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers, and distributors, transforming music history since 1946.

Darroodi holds a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law School; a Juris Doctor from Georgia State University School of Law; a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland R.H. Smith School of Business; and a CPA license.

For more information about Aarash Darroodi, please contact Claudia Gharai at the DRMZ Agency.

SOURCE DRMZ Agency
20 of the Nation's Most Talented Artists, All YoungArts Award Winners,

Receive High Honor Bestowed by the President of the United States

MIAMI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- YoungArts congratulates the 59th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, with special acknowledgement to the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts (full list below) who are YoungArts award winners and were nominated for the honor by YoungArts. The U.S. Presidential Scholars awardone of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic excellence, leadership qualities and community serviceis presented on behalf of the President of the United States and honors up to 161 graduating high school seniors of high potential each year. Students who would like to be considered for U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts must be YoungArts award winners. Applications for the 2024 YoungArts competition will open on June 6, 2023 at youngarts.org/competition.

The 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts

Clive Chang, President of YoungArts, said, "The 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts represent the next generation of storytellers and changemakers in our country, exemplifying both academic excellence and artistic ingenuity spanning the visual, literary, and performing arts. YoungArts is incredibly proud to celebrate these young artists today and to amplify their unique voices as they grow to become our nation's most influential cultural ambassadors."

"U.S. Presidential Scholars have always represented the future of our country and the bright promise it holds. I want each of these remarkable students to know: your passion and intellect, pursuit of excellence, and spirit of service are exactly what our country needs," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "On behalf of President Biden, I am delighted to join your family, friends, and communities in celebrating your accomplishments. Aim high, share your talents, and continue embracing opportunities to lead as your exciting future unfolds."

The 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are:

*Interviews can be facilitated, and images are available upon request.

Name Hometown City, State School YoungArts Winner Year and Discipline Fallon Dern Studio City, CA Harvard-Westlake School Film, 2023 Zoe Dorado Castro Valley, CA Castro Valley High School Writing, 2023 Raisa Effress Studio City, CA Harvard-Westlake School Photography, 2022 Zakiriya Gladney Tucson, AZ University High School Photography, 2023 Georgia Greene Shelby, NC Cleveland Innovation Academy Dance, 2023 Vibha Janakiraman West Chester, PA PA Leadership Charter School Classical Music, 2022 Mira Kim Alexandria, VA Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Classical Music, 2023 Katherine Liu Wellesley, MA Wellesley High School Classical Music, 2022 Alejandro Lombard Studio City, CA Harvard-Westlake School Film, 2023 Miranda Lu San Jose, CA Leland High School Visual Arts, 2023 Khalil Mcknight New Orleans, LA New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Visual Arts, 2023 Lauren Mei Santa Ana, CA Orange County School of the Arts Theater, 2022 Zariyah Perry Dallas, TX Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Theater, 2023 George Porteous New York, NY Dalton School Theater, 2023 Sophia Rabin Newport Beach, CA Corona Del Mar High School Voice, 2023 Cassidy Reigel Baltimore, MD Baltimore School of the Arts Dance, 2023 Christopher Shin Cherry Hill, NJ Cherry Hill High School East Classical Music, 2023 Gavin Trotmore Berkeley, CA Berkeley High School Design Arts, 2023 Cole Willis Dallas, TX Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Film, 2023 Bayan Yunis Fort Wayne, IN Carroll High School Photography, 2023

Media Contact:

Sara Ory

Polskin Arts

[email protected]

SOURCE YoungArts
DUBLIN, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Asia-Pacific (APAC) Medical Devices Industry Outlook 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



While the United States and Europe medical device markets face backlash from the economic slowdown, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the cost-of-living crisis, the APAC medical devices market continues to record phenomenal growth. However, 2023 will be challenging for APAC Medtech due to uncertainties arising from the anticipated market slowdown and other macroeconomic factors. Bank failures in the United States also continue to create ripple effects in APAC, with Credit Suisse being the latest.



In this study, the publisher analyzes the APAC medical devices market, including macroeconomic factors, the latest trends, revenue forecasts, and predictions. The study period is 2022-2027 and the forecast period is 2023-2027, with 2022 as the base year. We also provide country-specific analyses for China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the rest of APAC. Medical device segments covered include orthopedics, cardiology, respiratory, diabetes, wound care, and others. The study excludes the refurbished medical devices market in APAC.



Our analysis shows that a long-term change that will impact the industry is sustainability. Although lagging in sustainability efforts compared to global counterparts, medtech players in APAC are getting back on track to achieve 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, some even aiming for 2025 or 2027 to achieve carbon neutrality.



The digitalization of medical devices will continue, with original equipment manufacturers digitalizing their devices and operations. This also pushes Medtech participants to deliver value for providers and patients with devices and digital data, leading to new business models and disruptive technologies.



As APAC transitions conventional approaches to healthcare innovation, it involves an extensive coalition of healthcare stakeholders. This enables the exploration of new methods that combine diagnostics, devices, digital tools, emerging technologies, and medication to deliver improved patient outcomes.



The publisher offers stakeholders insights into opportunities that arise from the increased inclusiveness of underserved patient populations, robotics adoption, and the transition of care from hospitals to home-based models.

Key Topics Covered:





1. Analysis Highlights

Market Highlights

Global GDP Growth Snapshot

Top Predictions for 2023

2. Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative 8

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the APAC Medical Devices Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

3. Growth Environment

Scope of Analysis

Market Segmentation

Growth Environment

4. Macroeconomic Factors

Impact Analysis - Supply Chain Disruptions

Impact Analysis - Sustainability Initiatives

5. Revenue Trends, 2022

Revenue Forecast by Segment

6. Top 5 Predictions, 2023

Prediction 1

Prediction 2

Prediction 3

Prediction 4

Prediction 5

7. Segment Outlook, 2022

Snapshot - Orthopedics

Companies to Watch - Orthopedics

Snapshot - Cardiology

Companies to Watch - Cardiology

Snapshot - Respiratory

Companies to Watch - Respiratory

Snapshot - Diabetes

Companies to Watch - Diabetes

Snapshot - Wound Care

Companies to Watch - Wound Care

Snapshot - Others

Companies to Watch - Others

8. Country-specific Analysis, 2023

Revenue Forecast by Region

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Rest of APAC

9. Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1 - Robotic Surgery

Growth Opportunity 2 - Transition of Care to Outside the Hospital

Growth Opportunity 3 - Screening Solutions for Cervical and Ovarian Cancers

10. Conclusions

Conclusions and Future Outlook

Next Steps

Your Next Steps

Why Frost, Why Now?

List of Exhibits

Legal Disclaimer

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/arx4u8

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

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's recent announcement concerning a national plan to combat the "loneliness epidemic," Assisted Living Locators emphasizes the assisted living model as a crucial solution to minimize social isolation among older adults, establishing itself as an essential player in the battle against loneliness. The nationwide senior placement and referral service is dedicated to assisting families in finding top-rated in-home care, independent retirement options, assisted living communities, and memory care facilities.

Angela Olea, RN, founder and brand president of Assisted Living Locators, states, "As the American population continues to age rapidly, it's essential to develop care models that emphasize social interaction and overall well-being. Our mission is to assist families in finding the right care solutions, including assisted living communities that foster social connections and support residents' health."

Assisted Living Locators' nationwide network of knowledgeable, compassionate senior care advisors works closely with families to navigate the complex process of finding appropriate care solutions. These advisors consider each individual's needs, preferences, and budget.

Olea stated that the senior living industry has long recognized the benefits of socialization for older adults. Assisted living communities, in particular, have proven effective in reducing loneliness and fostering social connections. A 2021 Activated Insights survey reported that only 20% of senior living residents felt "severely lonely," suggesting a potential decrease in loneliness among older adults in assisted living and congregate living settings.

In response to the Surgeon General's announcement, Olea emphasizes, "Assisted Living Locators is committed to being part of the solution to the loneliness epidemic. By guiding families towards care options that strengthen social connections, we can significantly reduce social isolation and improve the overall health and well-being of older adults."

As the national plan to fight the loneliness epidemic unfolds, Assisted Living Locators remains dedicated to addressing the critical need for social connections among older adults through its nationwide senior placement and referral services.

To speak to an Assisted Living Locators senior care advisor, call 800-267-7816 or visit www.assistedlivinglocators.com.

SOURCE Assisted Living Locators
New structure reinforces AUNA's commitment to healthcare access, value-based care and risk mitigation

MEXICO CITY and LIMA, Peru, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Auna S.A.A. ("Auna" or the "Company"), one of the largest players in the Latin American healthcare industry, with presence in Mexico, Colombia and Peru, announced today a new organizational structure that will focus on scaling and integrating its established regional capabilities in medical resolution and patient experience.

Amid continued growth for Auna, the company is implementing new leadership changes to better focus on integrating regional operations, generating cash flow, deleveraging, and improving the capital structure. Effective immediately, Suso Zamora, Executive Chairman assumes the additional role as President and Luis Felipe Pinillos, current Vice Chairman of the Board has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board. The additional organizational changes focus on team leaders with regional business line accountability and country responsibility to produce broader access to healthcare, significant inroads into value-based care, and best-in-class clinical services:

Sven Boes , has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Hospital Operations and Mexico .

, has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Hospital Operations and . Andres Angel , has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Performance and Colombia .

, has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Performance and . Marco Roca , has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Insurance Plans and Peru .

, has been named Executive Vice President leading Regional Insurance Plans and . Gisele Remy who joined the Company in January 2023 , has been named Executive Vice President leading Finance. Ms. Remy, who will lead the financial operations of the Company, has previous experience in corporate finance, investment banking, corporate strategy, and several other financial roles in regional companies of Latin America .

Pedro Castillo, previously CFO, assumes a new role as Executive Vice President leading Corporate Development. He assumes this new role to lead regional strategic projects focused on value creation at Auna.

All of the aforementioned roles report directly to Mr. Zamora, as well as the functional areas of Culture and Talent, Technology, Legal, and the Auna Ideas Foundation. Victor Serra has left the Company to pursue other endeavors.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of Auna, we are pleased to announce that Suso Zamora our Executive Chairman, has accepted the additional role of President of Auna. After careful consideration and extensive evaluation, we believe that Suso's deep understanding of the Company, unparalleled commitment, and exceptional leadership skills make him the perfect candidate to lead Auna during its next phase of growth. I am confident that Suso has the vision, expertise, and strategic focus to steer Auna to continued success. This new leadership structure by country and business line reinforces our intention to deepen our regional platform," said John Wilton, independent board member and chair of the Boards Talent and Compensations Committee. "The Board wants to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Victor Serra for his positive impact and impassioned service to our patients, staff and company and wish him the best on his future endeavors," he added.

With healthcare plans, value-based care, and clinical offerings available to approximately 3.5 million members and one million patients across Mexico, Colombia and Peru in 2022, Auna remains committed to delivering exceptional care to patients in the markets it serves.

About Auna

Founded in 1989, Auna is one of the largest companies in Latin America's healthcare industry. The Company operates 16 hospitals and 10 healthcare centers at all levels of complexity in Mexico, Peru and Colombia. Auna is the leading provider of oncology healthcare plans with a fully integrated model that services over one million members in Peru, and as of recently, 2.5 million members in dental and vision insurance in Mexico. Since 2018, Auna has expanded rapidly, not only through growth in its oncology segment and execution of organic developments, but also through the acquisition of important healthcare players in the high growth markets of Mexico and Colombia. Auna is backed by Enfoca, its controlling shareholder, and one of the leading investment firms in Latin America.

For more information visit www.aunainvestors.com

SOURCE Auna S.A.A.
51% of moms worry about their family's online safety multiple times a week, 54% monitor their kids' online behavior at least once a week, but 20% never talk to their children about online safety

Aura's Mother's Day special offer helps moms protect their families from online crime with features that keep kids safe, but independent

BOSTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aura, the leader in intelligent safety for consumers, today released new data showing how frequently American moms worry about their family's online safety and their comfort levels discussing it with their kids. Aura found that more than half (51%) of moms with kids under the age of 18 think about their kids' online safety more than once a week, and 38% of moms say they worry about their sensitive information being compromised online more than once a week. Yet, even with such concern, 1 in 5 in that same set of moms never start a conversation with their children about online safety and 40% responded that they rely on their partner to manage their family's online security.

As families' lives become more and more connected, their online risk increases. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children 8-18 years old spend 7.5 hours a day with a screen in front of them. With so much information being shared online, nearly 1 million children had their identity stolen in 2022 resulting in more than $688 million in losses.

"Parents' concerns about security are grounded in reality  children are at risk of everything from cyberbullying to encountering predators and scammers online," said Hari Ravichandran, Founder and CEO of Aura. "But, they want to trust their kids' judgment and give them the freedom and privacy to socialize without a helicopter parent overhead. With Aura's new AI-powered safety tools, parents can now achieve this balance between safety and independence."

Other key findings in Aura's research include:

Moms are worrying more than dads: 38% of mothers say they worry about their sensitive information being compromised online more than once a week, whereas only 29% of fathers say they worry more than once a week.

38% of mothers say they worry about their sensitive information being compromised online more than once a week, whereas only 29% of fathers say they worry more than once a week. Overconfidence in internet provider protections: 1 in 5 American families rely on their internet provider as their main defense against online crime.

1 in 5 American families rely on their internet provider as their main defense against online crime. Money is a big worry: On average, 30% of parents are concerned about their kids spending unauthorized money online without parental consent.

On average, 30% of parents are concerned about their kids spending unauthorized money online without parental consent. Age matters: Parents of tweens are more likely to think about their family's online safety at least once a week (46%) compared to parents of teenagers (41%) or parents of children under the age of 6 (42%).

Parents of tweens are more likely to think about their family's online safety at least once a week (46%) compared to parents of teenagers (41%) or parents of children under the age of 6 (42%). Veteran families are at higher risk and are more concerned: Veteran parents are more likely to say they manage their family's digital security (84%) than civilian parents (51%).

To reduce the stress of online safety for moms, Aura is running a Mother's Day special offer providing white glove onboarding support for new family plan customers. Users can get protected with an Aura family plan at aura.com/mothersday then contact Aura's award-winning customer support team at 1 (888) 350-3957 to have an Aura expert security consultant help them set up protections for their family.

This special offer starts at $29/month to protect up to 5 adults and unlimited children with online and device security, identity theft protection services, financial fraud protection, parental controls, safe gaming and cyberbullying alerts. This offer will be available to new Aura family plan customers through June 30, 2023.

About Aura

Aura, the leader in intelligent safety solutions, provides all-in-one digital protection for consumers. We understand that the online safety needs of each individual are unique and require a personalized solution. By bringing together security, privacy and parental controls on an intelligent platform, Aura makes adaptive and proactive digital safety accessible to everyone. Visit www.aura.com.

About the Study

This Ipsos Poll was conducted April 14-16, 2023, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel  a division of Ipsos. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,029 adults ages 18-65 from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online in English.

The survey was conducted using the web-enabled KnowledgePanel, which is the largest and most well-established online panel that is representative of the adult US population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS  a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in these households are invited to join and participate in the web-enabled KnowledgePanel. For those potential panel members who do not already have internet access, Ipsos provides a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methods, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and provide fully representative online samples to the research community.

The study was conducted in English. The data for the total sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2022 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The weighting categories were as follows:

Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60+)

Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races/Non-Hispanic)

Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)

Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)

Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)

Household Income (under $25K , $25K - $49,999 , $50K - $74,999 , $75K - $99,999 , $100K - $149,999 , $150K and over)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 7.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 7.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.11. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

SOURCE Aura
AUSTIN, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurigo Software , the leading provider of capital planning and construction management software for infrastructure and private owners, announced it has entered into a multiyear contract with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) to modernize the planning, funding, and execution of the agency's Capital Transportation Program. Aurigo's flagship product suite, Masterworks, will help DelDOT prioritize project requests, manage the use of state and federal funds, and keep track of program performance throughout delivery.

DelDOT manages almost 14,000 roadway lane miles, over 1,750 bridges, and over 300,000 signs, structures, and other assets. The agency also provides major commuter rail, bus, and paratransit public services throughout the state. According to the state's 2021-2026 transportation plan, DelDOT projects delivery of over $3 billion in capital spending over the next 5 years.

"With infrastructure investment on the rise, evaluating which projects to prioritize and how to fund them is a critical first step in the process," said Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO and founder of Aurigo Software. "Masterworks will streamline DelDOT's capital planning operations, allowing them to build more accurate multiyear budgets and automating reimbursement from the federal government. We look forward to supporting Delaware's long-range transportation goals of safety, resiliency, and economic vitality."

The new system will allow DelDOT to create capital projects, prioritize them, and estimate their costs. Funding across different sources will be set up and tracked, providing the agency with a robust and flexible way to associate, update, and combine funds on projects when needed. The system will also automate the obligation and reimbursement process for federal funds, integrating with the Federal Highway Administration's Financial Management Information System (FMIS). What-if analysis of proposed plans will help identify optimal project combinations based on available funding and strategic priority.

Project encumbrances and actual spending will be tracked through integration with the agency's financial system, Peoplesoft. Cost estimates will be revised as required, allowing DelDOT to accurately forecast program spending in real time. Enterprise-wide dashboards and reports will provide agency executives with the right data to make decisions quickly.

"Considering our significant investment in capital construction projects throughout the state valued at over $600 million annually, DelDOT is pleased to be onboarding Aurigo to help modernize our budget and spend activities around these efforts," said Todd Reavis, Director of Technology and Innovation, and Lanie Clymer, Director of Finance. "We look forward to utilizing Aurigo's robust, secure, cloud-hosted solution to meet our growing needs. We find immediate value in this highly configurable platform and believe it will allow us to implement change and scale for the future more efficiently."

Delaware joins several other states using Aurigo's Masterworks to modernize their capital programs, including Utah, Massachusetts, and Iowa. The company had its most successful year in its history in 2022 as major public agencies take advantage of funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021.

About Aurigo Software

Aurigo builds software that helps build the world. Aurigo provides modern, cloud-based solutions for capital infrastructure and private owners to help them plan with confidence and build with quality. With more than $300 billion of capital programs under management, Aurigo's solutions are trusted by over 300 customers in transportation, water and utilities, healthcare, higher education, and the government with over 40,000 projects across North America. Aurigo helps capital program executives make better decisions based on proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. Aurigo is a privately held U.S. corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas, with global offices in Canada and India. Learn more at www.aurigo.com .

SOURCE Aurigo Software Technologies
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Today, Azerbaijan has become an important country for Europe. We are a strategic partner with a third of the European Union member states  with nine countries. So, our international positions are quite strong, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

We succeeded in having all the documents and resolutions we needed to adopt at the international level, which played a role in the successful conduct of the Second Karabakh War because we proved the truth. We aimed to prove the truth, and we succeeded  that this is our land. The land I am standing on is the land of Azerbaijan. We have created this legal and political framework thanks to our hard work in international organizations, President Ilham Aliyev said.
Consumer Watchdog Proposes Actions to Address Climate Change and Industry Abuses

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-five years after California voters passed Proposition 103 to protect themselves against skyrocketing insurance rates, insurance companies' refusals to insure, and other abuses that destabilized California's economy, its author will testify before the Senate Insurance Committee today on how Proposition 103 addresses the similar crisis in home, condo and renters insurance today  and what more can be done.

Harvey Rosenfield, who wrote and led the campaign for Prop 103 and founded Consumer Watchdog, will urge California legislators and the Insurance Commissioner to enforce Prop 103's protections to keep homeowners insured, expand funding for homeowners to reduce wildfire risk on their property (and make insurance companies recognize when homeowners do so), and restrain the insurance industry's own contributions to climate change.

Rosenfield will reject the insurance industry's campaign to blame Proposition 103, and climate change, for companies' misconduct in the marketplace. Lobbyists for the industry, which spent a then-record $63 million on their unsuccessful campaign to defeat the grassroots initiative in 1988, are swarming the state Capitol urging lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Lara to undercut Proposition 103's key protections against inflated insurance rates, non-renewals in neighborhoods across California and other discriminatory practices.

Read the analysis Consumer Watchdog submitted to state legislators here.

Consumer Watchdog's recommendations to the legislature include:

Speed up implementation of actions to reduce wildfire risk across the state by allocating new funding sources to assist individual homeowners and communities, such as directing cap and trade dollars to fund home-hardening and defensible space projects, particularly for low- and middle-income Californians.

Require insurance companies to sell insurance to all residential property owners in California who meet state fire-mitigation guidelines.

who meet state fire-mitigation guidelines. Impose an annual surcharge on premiums collected by insurance companies when they sell insurance policies to companies that explore for or produce fossil fuels. Connecticut lawmakers are presently considering similar legislation.

lawmakers are presently considering similar legislation. Make the FAIR Plan, California's "insurance company of last resort," more accountable to the public by creating a public majority on the FAIR Plan's governing board, which is now controlled by insurance companies.

Recommendations to the Insurance Commissioner include:

Continue the Department's longstanding protection of Californians against industry proposals to: pass on to consumers the cost of reinsurance, which would cause insurance rates to go up by an estimated 40%, and to replace verifiable data with secret, biased algorithmic models when requesting future insurance rate increases.

Address redlining and market withdrawal. Set clear and uniform rules for analyzing whether withdrawals are consistent and supported by data. The insurance industry should not decide housing policy in California ; that responsibility belongs to state and local officials accountable to the voters.

; that responsibility belongs to state and local officials accountable to the voters. Mandate disclosure of each insurance company's contributions to climate change through direct and indirect emissions, underwriting and investing in fossil fuel projects, and examine whether each company's underwriting of fossil fuels is consistent with state law and California's 2045 Net Zero climate goals.

2045 Net Zero climate goals. Require insurance companies to consider the actions taken by homeowners and communities to limit wildfire risk when they decide whether to sell an insurance policy, not just when insurers set premiums as required under the Commissioner's new rules.

Initiate a public investigation of whether the insurance industry is evading Proposition 103 when it sells insurance to condo associations.

Many policyholders who experienced losses in past years' wildfires have yet to receive all the coverage they paid for. Conduct a public investigation of claims abuses and issue regulations strengthening protections against improper claims handling practices.

Recruit and deploy more agency staff to ensure that rate applications and insurance companies' practices are closely reviewed as required by Proposition 103.

Consumer Watchdog's testimony also exposes how profitable the insurance industry is in California, belying the insurance companies' claims of financial catastrophe due to climate change and regulation:

California homeowners' insurance companies were more profitable than the national average over the last 20 years. They earned an average 8.8% return on net worth in California , compared to 6.2% nationally, according to data reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

homeowners' insurance companies were more profitable than the national average over the last 20 years. They earned an average 8.8% return on net worth in , compared to 6.2% nationally, according to data reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. PG&E and Edison, the utilities that caused the biggest fires in California , were forced to reimburse insurance companies $12.1 billion for the damage from the 2017-18 wildfires.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of voters' passage of Proposition 103 in 1988. The law requires insurance companies to open their books, justify their rates in a public process, and get approval from the Insurance Commissioner before a rate change takes effect. All documentation an insurer submits to justify a rate increase must be open to public review, and the public may challenge a rate that is excessive, unjustified or unfairly discriminatory.

In a 2019 study of the nation's insurance laws, the Washington, D.C. based Consumer Federation of America called Proposition 103 "the best in the nation" and calculated it had saved Californians $154 billion on their auto insurance premiums alone, while allowing insurance companies to earn fair profits. Read the CFA analysis here.

Read more about Proposition 103 here.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog
BEIJING, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) ("Autohome" or the "Company"), the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China, today announced that it will hold its annual general meeting of shareholders (the "AGM") at 18th Floor Tower B, CEC Plaza, 3 Dan Ling Street, Haidian District, Beijing, The People's Republic of China on June 26, 2023 at 4 p.m. (Beijing time).

Holders of record of ordinary shares of the Company at the close of business on May 25, 2023 (Hong Kong Time) are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the annual general meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Holders of the Company's American depositary shares ("ADSs") as of the close of business on May 22, 2023 (New York Time) who wish to exercise their voting rights for the underlying ordinary shares must act through the depositary of the Company's ADS program, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas.

The Notice of AGM, which sets forth the resolutions to be submitted to shareholder approval at the meeting, and form of proxy for the AGM are available on the Company's website at https://ir.autohome.com.cn.

The Company has filed its annual report on Form 20-F, including its audited financial statements, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Form 20-F can be accessed on the Company's website at https://ir.autohome.com.cn, as well as on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov.

The Company has also published its annual report for Hong Kong purposes pursuant to the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ("HKEX"), which can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.autohome.com.cn, as well as the HKEX's website at https://www.hkexnews.hk.

About Autohome Inc.

Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) is the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Its mission is to engage, educate and inform consumers about everything auto. Autohome provides occupationally generated content, professionally generated content, user-generated content, and AI-generated content, a comprehensive automobile library, and extensive automobile listing information to automobile consumers, covering the entire car purchase and ownership cycle. The ability to reach a large and engaged user base of automobile consumers has made Autohome a preferred platform for automakers and dealers to conduct their advertising campaigns. Further, the Company's dealer subscription and advertising services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through Autohome's platform, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. The Company offers sales leads, data analysis, and marketing services to assist automakers and dealers with improving their efficiency and facilitating transactions. Autohome operates its "Autohome Mall," a full-service online transaction platform, to facilitate transactions for automakers and dealers. Further, through its websites and mobile applications, it also provides other value-added services, including auto financing, auto insurance, used car transactions, and aftermarket services. For further information, please visit www.autohome.com.cn.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Autohome Inc.

Investor Relations

Sterling Song

Investor Relations Director

Tel: +86-10-5985-7483

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Jenny Cai

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]

SOURCE Autohome Inc.
Third-generation nurse recognized for constantly seeking new ways to improve processes and transform safety standards

BELMONT, Mich., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AvaSure, the inventor of the TeleSitter solution and the market leader in acute virtual care and remote safety monitoring, announced today that Chief Clinical Officer Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN has been named among Becker's Hospital Review's 2023 "Patient Safety Experts to Know."

As a third- generation nurse, self-proclaimed "nurses' nurse," and nurse executive, Votruba has dedicated her career to the continuous improvement of healthcare and the empowerment of the nursing community and the patients they care for.

To download a photo of Votruba, click here.

Most recently, Votruba elevated her leadership by leveraging technology and innovation to put nurses and their patients at the center of the solution, reducing nurse burnout, improving outcomes, and driving high-quality, value-based patient care.

"Nurses show up to work every day thinking about the best ways they can deliver compassionate care to make a difference in the lives of their patients," said Votruba. "It is my great honor and calling to support these hard-working professionals who form the foundation of American healthcare."

Votruba's primary goal is to advance her vision to revolutionize inpatient care delivery with the addition of virtual technology. Partnering with 36% of academic medical centers and 67% of the largest U.S. health systems, she guides the delivery of inpatient telehealth solutions that have provided safer environments for over 1.5 million patients. She pioneered video monitoring of fall-risk patients and has led several research studies regarding fall risk reduction, the mitigation of workplace violence, and managing behavioral health patients in acute care. Under Votruba's direction, AvaSure has expanded its own nursing staff to 15% of the employee base to support the change management needed to ensure positive patient outcomes are achieved.

The individuals honored in Becker's 2023 "Patient Safety Experts to Know" list are noteworthy proponents of patient harm reduction, disease management, disaster preparedness, and more, according to Becker's.

These healthcare providers, experts, researchers, and executives value patient safety above all. For these patient safety experts, the improvement of the patient journey is of the utmost importance, as they are constantly seeking new ways to improve processes and transform safety standards.

"There is no one more deserving of this award than Lisbeth," said Adam McMullin, CEO, AvaSure. "She dedicates herself tirelessly to advocating on behalf of nurses, their patients, and our partners, and we're proud that she has been recognized by Becker's for this enduring commitment."

About AvaSure

AvaSure provides the leading hospital virtual care platform to systems with nursing and staffing shortages that are challenged to significantly reduce labor costs without sacrificing patient health outcomes. Recently recognized by KLAS Research as the leader in reducing the cost of patient care, AvaSure is the pioneer in providing best-in-class, video-based AvaSure TeleSitter and TeleNurse solutions. As a trusted partner of more than 1,000 hospitals, AvaSure combines remote patient monitors, virtual nurses and other providers on a single platform to enhance clinical care without placing any additional burdens on existing staff. To learn more about AvaSure visit www.avasure.com.

Contact:

Marcia Rhodes

Amendola Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE AvaSure
VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX; ASM) (NYSE American: ASM) (FSE: GV6) ("Avino" or "the Company") a growing silver producer in Mexico, released today its consolidated financial results for the Company's first quarter of 2023. The earnings should be read in conjunction with the Company's Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the corresponding period, which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.avino.com, or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

First Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights

Revenues of $9.8 million , impacted by timing of concentrate shipments

, impacted by timing of concentrate shipments Mine operating income of $1.9 million , $2.6 million net of non-cash costs of sales

, net of non-cash costs of sales Net loss of $0.4 million , or $Nil per share

, or $Nil per share Cash costs per silver equivalent payable ounce sold 1,2 - $14.22 per ounce

- per ounce All in sustaining cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce sold 1,2 - $20.17 per ounce

- per ounce Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") 3 of $0.3 million

of Adjusted earnings 3 of $1.1 million , or $0.01 per share

of , or per share Cash provided by operating activities of $0.4 million

Cash was drawn down by the $5M final payment to Coeur Mining for the acquisition of La Preciosa and impacted by the timing of concentrate sales

"The quarter was highlighted by steady production levels which increased 48% over Q1 2022," said David Wolfin, President and CEO. "We presented our updated mineral resource estimate which added significant mineral resources, totalling 368 million silver equivalent ounces across all properties and integrated La Preciosa into one single report. These results indicate decades of tonnage for future production. We also were able to share the results of our comprehensive metallurgical testwork program on the Oxide Tailings Project. We are focused on our clear path to transformational and organic growth, and we remain well-positioned to manage through any near-term pressures arising from an overall economic slowdown. We are focused on delivering the best performance to our shareholders and stakeholders, while executing on our growth plan to become an intermediate silver producer in Mexico."

Financial Highlights

HIGHLIGHTS (Expressed in 000's of US$) First Quarter 2023 First Quarter 2022 Change First Quarter 2023 Fourth

Quarter 2022 Change Financial Operating Performance





Revenues $ 9,825 $ 11,050 -11 % $ 9,825 $ 14,649 -33 % Mine operating income (loss) $ 1,851 $ 4,744 -61 % $ 1,851 $ 4,356 -58 % Net income (loss) $ (352) $ 646 -154 % $ (352) $ 1,296 -127 % Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization ("EBITDA")1 $ 286 $ 2,777 -90 % $ 286 $ 3,207 -91 % Adjusted earnings1 $ 1,054 $ 3,350 -69 % $ 1,054 $ 4,026 -74 % Cash flow from operations $ 448 $ 3,450 -87 % $ 448 $ 3,320 -87 % Per Share Amounts





Earnings (loss) per share $ (0.00) $ 0.01 -100 % $ (0.00) $ 0.01 -100 % Adjusted earnings1 per share $ 0.01 $ 0.03 -67 % $ 0.01 $ 0.03 -67 % HIGHLIGHTS (Expressed in 000's of US$) March 31,

2023 March 31,

2022 Change March 31,

2023 December 31,

2022 Change Liquidity & Working Capital



















Cash $ 2,697 $ 11,686 -75 % $ 2,697 $ 11,245 -76 % Working capital $ 5,109 $ 14,528 -58 % $ 5,109 $ 8,821 -42 %

Operating Highlights and Overview

HIGHLIGHTS (Expressed in US$) First Quarter 2023 First Quarter 2022 Change First Quarter 2023 Fourth

Quarter 2022 Change Operating





Tonnes Milled 159,757 111,138 44 % 159,757 150,292 6 % Silver Ounces Produced 234,338 164,358 43 % 234,338 309,856 -24 % Gold Ounces Produced 2,286 801 185 % 2,286 2,426 -6 % Copper Pounds Produced 1,397,637 1,217,349 15 % 1,397,637 1,540,851 -9 % Silver Equivalent Ounces1 Produced 678,247 457,798 48 % 678,247 770,127 -12 % Concentrate Sales and Cash Costs





Silver Equivalent Payable Ounces Sold2 506,727 459,109 10 % 506,727 756,636 -33 % Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent Payable Ounce1,2,3 $ 14.22 $ 11.21 27 % $ 14.22 $ 11.76 21 % All-in Sustaining Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent Payable Ounce1,2,3 $ 20.17 $ 19.90 10 % $ 20.17 $ 18.63 8 %

1st Quarter Operational 2023 Highlights

Steady Production in Q1  The Avino Mine Continues to Deliver

Another quarter of strong production results of 678,247 silver equivalent ounces bringing the 12-month trailing total to 2.9 million silver equivalent ounces from the Avino Mine, representing a 48% increase over Q1 2022

Mill throughput increased by 44% compared to Q1 2022 to 159,757 tonnes, a further increase of 5% from Q4 2022

Adds Significant Mineral Resources to Total 368 Million Silver Equivalent Ounces Across All Properties

The updated mineral resource estimate ("MRE") includes the Elena Tolosa ("ET") deposit, the San Gonzalo deposit, and the Oxide Tailings deposit. Inaugural MREs have also been included on the Guadalupe and La Potosina deposits.

Avino Property Highlights (Comparisons are to 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate on the Avino Property)

161 million measured and indicated silver equivalent ounces, an increase of 38%, made up of:



70 million silver ounces, an increase of 35%



136.7 thousand copper tonnes, an increase of 18%



596 thousand gold ounces, an increase of 23%, contained in:



34.7 million measured and indicated metric tonnes, increase of 28% overall, also



70 million inferred silver equivalent ounces, an increase of 90%

Oxide Tailings Highlights (Comparisons are to 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate on the Avino Property)

5.7 million tonnes of measured and indicated mineral resources, an increase of 407%



17.4 million measured and indicated silver equivalent ounces, an increase of 287%

Favourable Metallurgical Results from the Oxide Tailings Project

The metallurgical results from the test work program on its Oxide Tailings Project ("the Project") have been released. The Project hosts gold and silver from past producing historic operations in an inactive tailings facility located on the Avino property with 5.7 million tonnes of measured and indicated resource grading 95 g/t of silver equivalent. Historically, near surface oxidised material was not recovered well by Avino's conventional flotation mill, which has created this opportunity for re-processing the tailings with an agitated leaching process.

These results will form the basis for the metallurgical analysis of a Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") on the Project.

This Project has been in our portfolio for many years and factors prominently into our five-year growth plan to become an intermediate silver producer in Mexico .

Dry-Stack Tailings Facility Completed and Fully Operational

The dry-stack tailings facility is now complete and fully operational. During the quarter, a conveyor system was installed and is currently transporting the pressed dry tailings to the Avino open pit area. The dry-stack facility was a top ESG priority and demonstrates a commitment to safety for the community and the environment. In addition, dry-stack tailings require a smaller footprint. A selection of short videos of the facility in operation can be viewed on our website under Videos and Media.

Avino ET Area Drills Results

On January 5, 2023 , the Company announced assay results from 4 drill holes at Avino Elena Tolosa ("ET") below the current deepest workings at the mine.

, the Company announced assay results from 4 drill holes at Avino Elena Tolosa ("ET") below the current deepest workings at the mine. This exploration program was designed to test the continuity of the steeply dipping mineralization and to understand the source of the mineralization. As a result, the Avino vein is now known to extend 800 metres downdip. Additionally, it appears that the Avino vein is getting richer in copper as we go deeper with a grade of 1.63% copper over 16.66 metres in Hole ET 22. Geological modelling is ongoing to determine the potential geometry and controls of the mineralization. The 2023 drill program is underway with 8,000 metres planned.

During the first quarter, 3,125 metres were drilled.

Capital Expenditures

First quarter cash capital expenditures company-wide were $3.8 million, compared to $0.9 million during Q1 2022, within the range as previously disclosed in the Avino 2023 Outlook press release which can be found here on the Company's website. This figure also includes exploration expenditures at prospective areas around the Avino Property, such as La Potosina and Guadalupe, which has led to inaugural mineral resource estimates on both deposits. Key capital items included investment into the mobile equipment fleet, with the acquisition of several pieces of underground and surface equipment that will be used for years to come, both at Avino and eventually at La Preciosa.

Pre-Feasibility Study  Oxide Tailings Project

The Pre-Feasibility Study was awarded after completion of the RFP process. The study is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

ESG Initiatives

Avino continues to create value for all stakeholders and supports the communities in which we operate as we continue ongoing efforts to incorporate principles of sustainability and social responsibility. In line with Avino's policy of local employment, Mexican nationals account for 100% of the mine work force. Currently there are 456 direct jobs at the mine, which has increased substantially since the restart of operations in 2021, which typically translates to 3 times the number of indirect jobs for services, consultants and suppliers in the surrounding communities and the Durango area.

Qualified Person(s)

Peter Latta, P.Eng, MBA, VP Technical Services, Avino who is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical data in this news release.

Non-IFRS Measures

The financial results in this news release include references to cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce, all-in sustaining cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce, EBITDA, and adjusted earnings/losses, all of which are non-IFRS measures. These measures are used by the Company to manage and evaluate operating performance of the Company's mining operations and are widely reported in the silver and gold mining industry as benchmarks for performance, but do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. For a reconciliation of non-GAAP and GAAP measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis dated May 10, 2023, for the three months ended March 31, 2023, which is incorporated by reference within this news release and is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Conference Call and Webcast

In addition, the Company will be holding a conference call and webcast on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 08:00 am PDT

(11:00 a.m. EDT). Shareholders, analysts, investors, and media are invited to join the webcast and conference call by logging in here Avino Q1 Financial Results or by dialing the following numbers five to ten minutes prior to the start time.

Toll Free Canada & USA: 1-800-319-4610

Outside of Canada & USA: 1-604-638-5340

About Avino

Avino is a silver producer from its wholly owned Avino Mine near Durango, Mexico. The Company's silver, gold and copper production remains unhedged. The Company's mission and strategy is to create shareholder value through its focus on profitable organic growth at the historic Avino Property and the strategic acquisition of the La Preciosa property. Avino currently controls mineral resources, as per NI 43-101, that total 368 million silver equivalent ounces, within our district-scale land package. We are committed to managing all business activities in a safe, environmentally responsible, and cost-effective manner, while contributing to the well-being of the communities in which we operate. We encourage you to connect with us on Twitter at @Avino_ASM and on LinkedIn at Avino Silver & Gold Mines. To view the Avino Mine VRIFY tour, please click here.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"David Wolfin"

________________________________

David Wolfin

President & CEO

Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (together, the "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the mineral resource estimate for the Company's Avino Property, including La Preciosa, located near Durango in west-central Mexico (the "Avino Property") with an effective date of November 30, 2022, prepared for the Company, and references to Measured, Indicated, Inferred Resources referred to in this press release. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the dates of technical reports, as applicable. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, the price of gold, silver and copper, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking information. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; the COVID-19 pandemic; volatility in the global financial markets; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; uncertainties and risks related to carrying on business in foreign countries; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; tax consequences to U.S. investors; and other risks and uncertainties. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. For more detailed information regarding the Company including its risk factors, investors are directed to the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F and other periodic reports that its files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Footnotes:

1. In Q1 2023, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $22.56 oz Ag, $1,888 oz Au and $4.05 lb Cu. In Q4 2022, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $21.18 oz Ag, $1,729 oz Au and $3.63 lb Cu. In Q1 2022, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $23.94 oz Ag, $1,874 oz Au and $4.53 lb Cu Calculated figures may not add up due to rounding.

2. "Silver equivalent payable ounces sold" for the purposes of cash costs and all-in sustaining costs consists of the sum of payable silver ounces, gold ounces and copper tonnes sold, before penalties, treatment charges, and refining charges, multiplied by the ratio of the average spot gold and copper prices to the average spot silver price for the corresponding period.

3. The Company reports non-IFRS measures which include adjusted earnings, EBITDA, cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce and all-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and the calculation methods may differ from methods used by other companies with similar reported measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section for further information.

SOURCE Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.
Gamma452E 5G Macro O-RU Platform certified by O-RAN Alliance's OTIC

DALLAS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baicells Technologies, a global provider of LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) network solutions, has announced the successful certification of its Gamma452E 5G Macro Outdoor Remote Radio Unit (O-RU) Platform. The Open-RAN Alliance's (O-RAN) Open Testing and Integration Center (OTIC) labs formally certified the Open Front Haul (OFH) Interface of the Macro O-RU platform in late April.

The Baicells Gamma452E is a compact, high power, outdoor 4x40 Watt Remote RU that operates in both 4G and 5G NR mode supporting bands n40, n41, n48, and n78. It supports the O-RAN evolved Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) 7-2a for integration with third-party O-RAN Distributed Units (O-DU). Already the first macro-outdoor O-RAN Radio Unit certified through the OTIC conformance test, it has also completed integration testing with several third-party O-RAN DUs.

The certification is an industry first and a major milestone for the delivery of O-RAN architectures that will help deliver the next generation of 5G-based mobility services. In a standards-based O-RAN architecture, the OFH is the open interface used to connect the Remote RU and the DU. By opening this interface to standards, it offers the ability to mix compliant equipment from different vendors, and economically deliver focused coverage and capacity to where it's needed. The architecture's flexibility helps build best-of-breed solutions tailor-made for the environments and communities they serve.

Baicells, one of the early members of the Open RAN Alliance, continues to demonstrate its commitment to the delivery of viable O-RAN solutions through the successful delivery of key functionality required for commercial adoption and deployment. Some of the world's largest mobile operators are members of the O-RAN Alliance, whose mission is to reshape the RAN industry toward more intelligent, open, and fully interoperable mobile networks.

"Baicells is an established technology and innovation leader and being the first in our industry to achieve this milestone only backs that up. We continue to be engaged with our ecosystem partners and mobile operators across our global footprint as they test and prepare for rolling out O-RAN architectures against their respective timetables," said Mr. Lixin Sun, Baicells CEO.

According to Research and Markets, the global Open RAN market is expected to surpass $32B USD by 2030, demonstrating a 42% CAGR, with the RU segment accounting for $9.9B of that total.

The Gamma452E has been moving through its final stages of testing and is already in planning for first trial deployments. General availability is planned for Q2 2023. Learn more about the Gamm452E, Open RAN, and other 5G platforms from Baicells (Booth# 629) at the Connect X Conference, May 8-10 in New Orleans.

About Baicells

Baicells is an innovator offering turnkey 4G and 5G Network Solutions under new economics for service providers, enterprises, and communities. With 600+ commercial deployments across more than 60 countries, offices on five continents, and over 500 patents, Baicells has established itself as a technology leader. To meet the demand for connectivity in a mobile first world, Baicells continues to scale with manufacturing capacity online in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam backed by partnerships with leading global manufacturers. Baicells innovations help connect the unconnected. Visit www.baicells.com to learn more.

Media Contact for Baicells

Babel for Baicells

Paul Campbell

[email protected]

SOURCE Baicells Technologies
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Corporation announced today that it will redeem on May 19, 2023 all $1,000,000,000 principal amount outstanding of its 1.486% Fixed/Floating Rate Senior Notes, due May 2024 (CUSIP No. 06051GJC4) (the "Notes"), at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date of May 19, 2023. Interest on the Notes will cease to accrue on the redemption date.

Payment of the redemption price for the Notes will be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is the trustee and paying agent for the Notes.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions difficult to predict or beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the uncertainties and risks discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in any of our subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

Investors May Contact:

Lee McEntire, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.388.6780

[email protected]

Jonathan G. Blum, Bank of America (Fixed Income)

Phone: 1.212.449.3112

[email protected]

Reporters May Contact:

Bill Halldin, Bank of America

Phone: 1.916.724.0093

[email protected]

Christopher P. Feeney, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.386.6794

[email protected]

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation
Opening its doors on May 11 at 10:00 A.M., Gotham features the state's best cannabis alongside premium lifestyle brands, art and culturally rich programming in a unique retail environment

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gotham, a new, artfully curated cannabis concept store, announced today the opening of its flagship on May 11, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Located in the Bowery in New York City, the two-story retail and gallery space designed by Cinema Vitae will feature Gotham-branded products, premium cannabis, fashion and lifestyle brands, as well as art exhibitions in a beautifully designed environment.

Gotham, NYC's 1st luxury cannabis and cultural concept store opens on May 11, 2023. Tweet this (Photo courtesy of Gotham/Christopher Coe)

Gotham works with best-in-class brands offering New York State's finest cannabis products, including flower, edibles, vaporizers, pre-rolls, and tinctures. Gotham features high-end product partnerships with New York based brands like Edie Parker, Flowerhouse, House of Puff, and Rose New York X David Zilber of Noma. Additionally, the brand will debut Gotham Goods, its namesake line of CBD products and accessories. Product experts will always be on-hand to help customers choose goods tailored to their needs and interests.

Founder Joanne Wilson, a seasoned entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist with track record of early investment in high-growth consumer brands like Food52, Parachute and Sweet Loren's, is the visionary behind Gotham's new concept, the next wave of cannabis retail.

"Gotham is a reflection of New York's rich history and influence. We're proud to be one of the pioneers reimagining what the legalized cannabis market can become in the state," said Wilson. "As part of that growth, we have an unwavering commitment to social justice which is why STRIVE was the perfect partner for us for our flagship store."

Gotham is committed to creating systemic change through the power of jobs, education and opportunity for those that were formerly incarcerated for cannabis. STRIVE is a nonprofit which provides a pathway to life-changing careers for those who face societal barriers to economic empowerment and upward mobility--including those impacted by the justice system. As a beneficiary the non-profit will receive a portion of proceeds to fund their programs.

"STRIVE New York is proud to be a beneficiary of Gotham as part of our continued work serving the Black and Brown communities that have been disproportionately harmed by systemically oppressive cannabis laws," says Ayesha George, Executive Director STRIVE New York. "Gotham's vision will fuel positive social change and create access for people to build economic mobility and empowerment from what once brought them barriers."

In addition to evolving the cannabis retail environment, Gotham brings back the quintessential in-person shopping experience to create community and connection, much like cannabis does.

"We wanted to create a space that was a first of its kind, uniquely downtown and differentiated from the local head shop. Gotham is a true concept store where visitors can discover something new, browse high end brands and enjoy incredible art through a distinctive NYC lens. And, of course, we also sell cannabis," said Gotham Chief Creative Officer Billy Richards, a hospitality veteran and former director of NYC's famed Boom Boom Room and Rose Bar.

Gotham will feature a curated selection of retail, exhibits, and happenings that reflect New York's cultural zeitgeist. The 2,800 square foot open-concept venue features an exhibition space that will display seasonally rotating shows featuring New York artists. For its inaugural show, Gotham will partner with Bright Moments to present an NFT gallery. The store will also feature a permanent installation by NYC-based multimedia artist Molly Lowe.

Located at 3 East 3rd Street in New York City, Gotham will be open for in-person shopping and in-store pick-up seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with delivery coming soon. For more information visit www.gotham.nyc.

ABOUT GOTHAM

Gotham is an artfully curated concept store that features an elevated selection of cannabis as well as a premium collection of retail for a discerning clientele. Located on Bowery and 3rd St. in NYC, Gotham fuses art, design, fashion and culture alongside the state's best cannabis. Gotham is committed to creating systemic change through its beneficiary partner STRIVE, to harness the power of jobs, education and opportunities for those formerly incarcerated for marijuana offenses. www.gotham.nyc.

ABOUT STRIVE

STRIVE (www.strive.org) is a national workforce development leader that for nearly 40 years has successfully provided services to populations facing significant employment barriers. STRIVE's proven program model moves students into careers that lead to upward mobility and economic empowerment. Headquartered in East Harlem, New York and with operations in 13 locations, STRIVE has helped more than 85,000 individuals prepare for career success through employment programs geared toward adults, young adults, and those with involvement in the justice system.

Website: https://gotham.nyc/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gothamNY

Instagram: @gotham.ny

TikTok: @gotham_nyc

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gotham-nyc

SOURCE Gotham
Body Vision Medical signs exclusive distribution agreements in Czech Republic, India, Malaysia and Thailand.

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the month of April, Body Vision Medical, a leader in AI-driven, intraoperative imaging signed exclusive distribution agreements with Asantela S.R.O, Assiz & Sarah Health Care Pvt. Ltd., I-Medic Imaging Sdn, Bhd., Exotech Medical Co., Ltd. for distribution of its LungVision real-time, intraoperative CT imaging platform in the Czech Republic, India, Malaysia and Thailand, respectively.

Body Vision Medical's LungVision System utilizes the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to convert X-ray images acquired from any C-arm into real-time, intraoperative CT scans. This cutting-edge technology empowers bronchoscopists to see the pulmonary lesion and confirms that biopsies are taken from within the lesion during diagnostic bronchoscopy, improving the probability of both early detection and long-term survival for lung cancer patients.

"These distributor relationships mark a key step in democratizing Body Vision's LungVision imaging technology to lung cancer patients globally, especially in areas where the incidence of lung cancer is high, but access to advanced medical technologies like LungVision is limited, leading to poor patient survival rates." says David Webster, CEO of Body Vision Medical. "We believe we can improve on the quintuple aim of healthcare by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to cost-effectively provide clinicians with the real-time, intraoperative imaging they need to enhance procedural accuracy, drive better patient outcomes, and reduce overall operating costs."

By forging these strategic alliances, Body Vision Medical is executing on its growth strategy of expanding lung patient access to LungVision in 60 new markets over the next three years.

About Asantela, S.R.O

Asantela is a dynamic company specializing in the sale of innovative medical devices in the areas of electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, and interventional pulmonology into the Czech Republic.

About Assiz & Sarah Health Care Pvt. Ltd.

Assiz & Sarah Healthcare was established in 2014 with the vision of making innovative and breakthrough technologies available to the Indian Medical Market. As one of the leading players in the Indian capital equipments market, their infrastructure, logistical and distribution nature is as impressive as their technical and marketing capabilities.

About I-Medic Imaging Sdn. Bhd.

I-Medic Imaging is a prominent supplier of Medical and Diagnostic imaging products in Malaysia. Renowned for its commitment to introducing the latest innovative medical technology to the Malaysian healthcare community, the company has been instrumental in improving clinical outcomes, optimizing efficiency, and improving medical facilities in hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices.

About Exotech Medical Co., Ltd.

Exotech is a group of leading business advisors well know for their ongoing collaboration with internationally renowned medical device companies. Exotech is committed to providing a premier experience to customers, including expert level service and clinical support post-sale.

About Body Vision Medical

Body Vision Medical specializes in AI-driven, intraoperative imaging with the aim of saving lives through the democratization of innovative medical technology. Its first commercial product, LungVision, addresses the unmet clinical need for early, definitive lung cancer diagnosis and, in the future, to enable effective treatment of lung lesions via a minimally-invasive procedure.

Visit bodyvisionmedical.com to learn more and connect with them on LinkedIn .

Contact

[email protected]

+1-888-302-5439

SOURCE Body Vision Medical
NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.725 per share. The dividend is payable July 6, 2023 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2023.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors

[email protected]

Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
HOUSTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) ("Callon" or the "Company") intends to participate in the follow upcoming investor events and plans to post an updated investor presentation to the Company's website on May 15, 2023. The updated Company presentation will be available at www.callon.com/investors.

May 16, 2023  TPH & Co. Hotter-Than-Hell Energy Conference. President and Chief Executive Officer, Joe Gatto , will host an investor dinner.





TPH & Co. Hotter-Than-Hell Energy Conference. President and Chief Executive Officer, , will host an investor dinner. May 17  18, 2023  RBC Capital Markets Hosted Non-Deal Roadshow . Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors in Milwaukee and Chicago .





RBC Roadshow June 6  7, 2023  RBC Capital Markets Global Energy, Power & Infrastructure Conference. President and Chief Executive Officer, Joe Gatto will be meeting with investors.





RBC Gatto June 8, 2023  Bank of America Energy Credit Conference. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





June 21  22, 2023  JP Morgan Energy, Power, and Renewables Conference. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





Renewables July 12, 2023  TD Securities Calgary Energy Conference. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





About Callon Petroleum

Callon Petroleum Company is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of high-quality assets in the leading oil plays of South and West Texas.

Contact:

Kevin Smith

Director of Investor Relations

Callon Petroleum Company

[email protected]

(281) 589-5200

SOURCE Callon Petroleum Company
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. As for economic development, no other country in the world that developed as fast as Azerbaijan in the last 20 years. Our economy has increased more than three times, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Azerbaijani nation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Our foreign exchange reserves have reached 65 billion dollars. Our foreign exchange reserves exceed foreign debt about 10 times. We do not depend on anyone and do not interfere in anyone's affairs. But we do not and will not allow anyone to poke their noses into our affairs, be it political issues, Azerbaijan-Armenia issues, or Karabakh, which is an integral part of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said.
Investment will advance smart farming technology to empower growers with real-time portable lab data and to support the carbon credit industry with scientifically accurate measurements

MONTREAL, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChrysaLabs, a leading innovator at the forefront of soil science, announced today a 15 million Canadian dollar ($11 million) financing round, including investments from Leaps by Bayer , TELUS Ventures and BDC Capital . Existing investors Ecofuel, Emmertech, Anges Quebec, AQC and Koan Capital are also participating in this financing.

A ChrysaLabs Probe combines three cutting-edge and patented technologies with AI machine learning to deliver real-time insights straight to the field. The sampling probe analyzes 40 different soil parameters to provide a precise overview of what is happening in the soil, at a lower cost than traditional soil testing. Within 30 seconds of inserting the probe into the ground, users will have a complete soil analysis  including macronutrients, micronutrients, pH, organic matter, CEC, organic carbon, bulk density, moisture and more  at their fingertips.

ChrysaLabs announced $11 million Series A financing with investments from Leaps by Bayer, TELUS Ventures and BDC Capital Tweet this

"Our spectroscopy-based soil probe delivers ground truth soil information, which can empower farmers to make a real impact on climate change while advancing their financial opportunities," said ChrysaLabs Co-Founder and CEO, Samuel Fournier. "This investment round comes at an important time for us and the industry, which is greatly in need of accurate data, and will propel our expansion into the carbon verification market and onto more farmers' fields."

Today, the rapidly growing ag carbon market is missing an accurate, scalable and low-cost solution to deliver trustworthy soil data. ChrysaLabs' carbon quantification solution establishes a reliable method to verify nature-based carbon credits. The unique ability to gather information on how soil evolves over time unlocks land's potential like never before.

With a product at the intersection of technology and sustainable agriculture, investors are enthusiastic about the potential of ChrysaLabs.

"ChrysaLabs' breakthrough innovation will transform how we look at soil and carbon," said Juergen Eckhardt, EVP and Head of Leaps by Bayer. "Now, for the first time, we can unearth near-real time data that is both accurate and actionable  improving overall sustainability. This is a significant advance over the status quo of mailing soil samples to a lab, which delays the grower's ability to manage their soil as a dynamic input and inform a wide range of decisions. These insights align and accelerate economic and sustainable outcomes."

"ChrysaLabs' technology has the potential to revolutionize the world of agronomy and precision farming," said Mario Mele, Vice President at TELUS Ventures. "Their technology not only helps growers save time and reduce their reliance on traditional wet soil labs, but also provides them with a comprehensive digital twin of their land, allowing for more precise, and efficient fertilizer management. We see a tremendous potential to make an impact on the future of agronomic services globally and are excited to be a part of their journey."

"We're committed to helping Canadian farmers improve profitability while making their business more environmentally friendly and sustainable over time," said Joseph Regan, Managing Partner, Industrial Innovation Venture Fund at BDC Capital. "Real-time data empowers growers to make decisions that improve yield while optimizing fertilizer applications."

To date, ChrysaLabs technology has been used on more than two million acres across seven countries, six Canadian provinces and 25 U.S. states.

About ChrysaLabs

Better soil intelligence for better decisions. ChrysaLabs is a fast-growing ag tech company at the intersection of agriculture and science. We believe that fast and accurate soil data are key components of precision ag. ChrysaLabs' unique solution uses Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning to extract real-time data from its patented spectroscopy technology providing precious information within seconds, and allowing field managers to take the best actions minutes after sampling. Our technology enables producers and agronomists to sample the soil as many times as they want: more data leads to more precise actions, higher yield, and optimized costs.

www.chrysalabs.com

www.linkedin.com/company/chrysalabs/

Media Contact

Philippe De L'Etoile

[email protected]

SOURCE ChrysaLabs
P&C industry veteran brings extensive underwriting and international experience

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced that Mark Homan has been appointed Division President, International Property and Casualty, for Overseas General Insurance, the company's international general insurance operations. Currently, he serves as Chief Operating Officer for the division. In his new role, which is effective June 1, Homan will be responsible for the company's international commercial property and casualty (P&C) insurance business, including property, casualty, professional lines, energy and marine product lines.

Mark Homan has been appointed Division President, International Property and Casualty, for Overseas General Insurance, Chubb's international general insurance operations

Homan succeeds Timothy O'Donnell, who is retiring from the company after 20 years of service. Homan will report to Juan Luis Ortega, Executive Vice President, Chubb Group and President, Overseas General Insurance.

"Mark is an experienced underwriter with deep international experience," said Ortega. "Over the past 12 years at Chubb, he has successfully led our casualty business, helping to drive growth that has positioned Chubb as a market leader in one of our largest international P&C businesses. Mark has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful and effective approach to managing and expanding our business, from casualty to other P&C lines."

"Tim has had great success at Chubb, most recently leading the substantial growth and consistently improving margins in our P&C division. During his tenure at Chubb, Tim has also led our international Financial Lines business as well as Professional Lines in North America," Ortega commented. "He has been a trusted partner and has played a key role in promoting and nurturing talent around the world. We congratulate Tim for a remarkable global insurance career and wish him all the best in this new stage of his life."

Homan has three decades of insurance industry experience. Prior to serving as Chief Operating Officer for the division, he was Executive Vice President, International Casualty. Homan began his insurance career in 1993 and, prior to joining Chubb in 2011, held management positions in Europe and the U.S., including at Allianz, AIG and Wuba, where he served as a member of the board.

He is a graduate of Middlesex University with an Honours Degree in European Business Administration. He also holds a Diploma Betriebswirt from the Fachhochschule Reutlingen, Germany, where his thesis was sponsored by Robert Bosch GmbH.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 34,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com

SOURCE Chubb
Cloud Theory reports national and regional rankings for the automotive industry, with Toyota moving into the lead for the first time in 2023.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Theory, the innovative automotive data insights provider, has announced its April findings of national and regional Inventory Efficiency Index rankings in the automotive industry. Backed by Cloud Theory's real-time inventory and vehicle movement insights, these rankings reflect which OEMs are getting more than their fair share of sales compared to their relative supply in the marketplace.

The Inventory Efficiency Index (patent pending) provides a previously unavailable view of market-relevant supply and demand of all makes and models, across all geographies, and in real-time so that key decision makers can confidently allocate precious marketing and incentive dollars or reallocate vehicles to where they have the best chance to sell quickly. A score of 100 indicates that relative supply and relative demand are in balance while a score above that benchmark points to a make or model getting more than its fair share of vehicle movement. A score below 100 indicates that steps should be taken to boost demand or tamp down supply.

April findings reveal that Toyota has reached the top spot nationally, overtaking Kia, with an Inventory Efficiency Index of 156.9. Toyota gained 15.4 points compared to the prior month. Kia lost some ground but remains a strong performer in the second spot and with a score above 150.

Brand April 2023

Inventory

Efficiency Index MoM Point Change Toyota 156.9 +15.4 Kia 153.8 -4.9 Lexus 139.6 -10.5 Honda 136.6 +9.7 BMW 127.1 +3.3 Land Rover 124.8 -9.4 Subaru 121.6 -5.2 Nissan 116.7 -1.2 Hyundai 115.4 -6.3 Chevrolet 107.0 +2.1

Rick Wainschel, VP of Data Science & Analytics for Cloud Theory, said, "Sometimes one or two models can move a brand forward, but in the case of Toyota, almost every model in its lineup experienced a jump in vehicle movement, resulting in a double digit increase in its efficiency score. Aggressive leasing and financing programs on key models such as the Corolla, RAV4, and Tacoma contributed to this nationwide improvement. This is a good sign that Toyota is turning the inventory corner and moving to support its models," Wainschel remarked.

Regional Rankings

Although Toyota is #1 nationally, Cloud Theory reports differing rankings when breaking down the data by region. Toyota ranks first in five of the nine census regions, with Lexus, Kia, and Honda taking the top spot in the other four.

Region Top Inventory

Efficiency Brand Inventory

Efficiency Index

Score National Toyota 156.9 Pacific Toyota 149.3 Mountain Toyota 162.1 West North

Central Toyota 162.9 East North

Central Toyota 168.4 East South

Central Toyota 176.3 West South

Central Kia 189.6 South Atlantic Kia 155.0 New England Honda 163.8 Middle Atlantic Lexus 153.7

Ron Boe, Cloud Theory's Chief Revenue Officer, explained: "When OEMs are making their incentive and financing program decisions, they need to consider how to allocate their resources in order to maintain leadership positions or to shore up areas of opportunity. By making decisions strategically and surgically, support programs can be tailored by considering a make's inventory supply and demand position relative to the competition, and putting funds to work in the places that they are most needed."

About Cloud Theory

Cloud Theory is more than a concept. It is the eye of the storm, where cutting-edge data, software, and artificial intelligence meet deep industry knowledge and experience. Built for automotive manufacturers, agencies, and affiliates, Cloud Theory enables our customers to understand  in real time  the complex competitive world in which they do business and to make bold decisions that drive them forward. The combination of billions of data points, interactive tools, and expert consulting gives our clients the ability to weather any storm and find their way to clear blue skies. Learn more at cloudtheory.ai. To learn more about our entire portfolio of automotive brands, visit www.advancelocalautomotive.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mike DeVilling

[email protected]

Rachel Slotnick

[email protected]

SOURCE Cloud Theory
LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Coco Republic, the iconic Australian furniture brand, is excited to announce the new opening of its 42,000 square foot showroom in Orange County on May 27th. This move is part of Coco Republic's ambitious expansion plans in the US, catering to the growing demand for high-quality furniture and accessories and experiencing luxury living at its finest.

Outdoor Architect Collection

"The new Coco Republic store is a complete revamp and transformation of the area. It also has a uniquely beautiful outdoor area - full of interior design pieces and outdoor furniture", says Skye Westcott, President of North America.

The Coco Republic OC Flagship will feature a 3-day grand-opening weekend on May 27th at the SOCO center, known as the only interior design center in Southern California. The SOCO center features artisan boutique owners, I expert stylists, and high-end designers making it a unique and trendy destination for those looking for high-quality home decor and furniture.

"We carefully selected one of the best locations in OC, California to ensure our customers can conveniently visit our new store and indulge in the perfect blend of shopping," says Skye Westcott.

"We see strong similarities between the Californian and Australian lifestyles, with a shared love of the outdoors and the way nature is incorporated into our homes. This makes California an essential market for us, where the indoor-outdoor lifestyle is deeply ingrained in the culture", she continues.

Explore the new Coco Republic store located at 3305 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA.

For more information about Coco Republic, please visit www.cocorepublic.com

Press contact:

Lisa Agerman

[email protected]

www.secondhomepr.com

SOURCE Coco Republic
ARVADA, Colo., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Community First Foundation, the community foundation serving Jefferson County (Jeffco) and the organization that runs ColoradoGives.org and Colorado Gives Day, announced the launch of its new name, Colorado Gives Foundation and brand positioning, along with an initiative to bring affordable workforce housing to Jefferson County.

A couple celebrates affordable workplace housing in Colorado.

"We believe community is built by connection, and now as Colorado Gives Foundation, we are building on the brand recognition of Colorado Gives with an invitation for community members to join us in making good happen," said Kelly Dunkin, president and CEO of Colorado Gives Foundation. "We're excited to launch our new brand and highlight the critical issue of affordable workforce housing in Jeffco while we work together with community partners to bring forward solutions."

At the heart of our community lies the importance of housing, which provides a sense of safety, security, and well-being. Unfortunately, many hard-working people in Jefferson County cannot afford to live near their place of employment. Estimates suggest that nearly 14,000 new units are needed to meet housing needs in Jefferson County. To help bridge this gap, Colorado Gives Foundation is seeding $15 million to create a housing fund called Bring it Home to help build or preserve affordable workforce housing to Jeffco.

"Colorado Gives Foundation listens emphatically to the needs of those we serve, with a firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion," added Dunkin. "And what we have heard is there is no direct funding to get those in the missing middle, the people earning good incomes but not enough to live near where they work. This is where we can work together with our community to help Bring It Home," added Dunkin.

Donors, whether individuals or organizations, can join the effort by donating to the Bring it Home Fund, knowing every dollar makes a difference. All donations are pooled to invest and support Jeffco workforce housing for greater impact. "Maintaining and building affordable housing takes time. It's a big problem that no one person or organization can tackle alone. But together, we can change this and make good happen because housing is good for everyone," said Dunkin.

The Bring it Home Fund at Colorado Gives Foundation has already made its first investment to the Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative which seeks to fill a critical shortage of financing for affordable housing through the acquisition, preservation and development of affordable workforce housing. Bring it Home Fund will continue supporting investments in housing by providing low-cost capital to create and maintain affordable workforce housing in Jefferson County.

For more information on how you can support the Bring It Home Fund, visit ColoradoGives.org/SupportHousing.

About Colorado Gives Foundation

Colorado Gives Foundation (formerly Community First Foundation) connects donors and Colorado nonprofits to make good happen. Through Colorado Gives 365, we make it easy for people to donate to the causes they care about, enabling meaningful change to help our neighbors thrive. We achieve this by connecting people, ideas, and nonprofits, helping donors with philanthropic planning, and supporting nonprofits with grants and resources. Together, we strive to build resilient, connected and thriving communities. Our work is rooted in attentive listening and a firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Colorado Gives Foundation is where donors find and discover the community impact that matters most to them, which is good for everyone.

CONTACT:

Cindy Matthews, Director of Communications & Community Outreach

[email protected]

720.898.5909

SOURCE Community First Foundation; Colorado Gives Foundation
To learn more about what surrogates need and want from their surrogate package, we surveyed 600 experienced surrogates, including many from southern California.

Here are their top five priorities:

Matching with the right intended parents The right amount of pay without any hassles or receipts Free legal support to ensure contract is fair and valid Peace-of-mind insurance coverage at no cost with no out of pocket expenses Expert guidance through the surrogate IVF process preparing for embryo transfer

We listened and responded with our new and improved All-In Surrogate Care and Compensation Package - the first and only program of its kind - featuring:

Our proprietary Matching Matters process that creates the most compatible match possible and ensures a surrogate is an equal partner in the surrogacy process, sharing important decisions with the intended parent.

The most comprehensive surrogacy compensation package on the market. First-time surrogates can earn up to $72,000 with our limited time bonus.

with our limited time bonus. Our Life Simplicity Plan which includes a dedicated match manager coordinating expert legal, insurance and IVF support throughout the entirety of her surrogacy journey.

Surrogacy inspired Los Angeles area surrogate NIkki Bredeson to want to support families just like ConceiveAbilities does. She even pumped breastmilk for her intended family for thirty-two months after giving birth to her surrobabe. Her personal journey gave her the opportunity to start her own business: Cookies, Then Milk , a lactation support company, helping breastfeeding women produce, increase, and maintain their milk supply. "The ConceiveAbilities All-In Care and Compensation package shows that ConceiveAbilities understands what truly matters most to surrogates: everything! They don't miss a beat in surrogacy care, from a truly educational first phone call to help navigating the postpartum period and every moment in between!"

Surrogate Brelani Jiminez says ConceiveAbilities surpassed her expectations, "It is one thing for an agency to explain what they can do for you, but to experience it first-hand in action is a completely different story. The All-In Surrogate Care and Compensation Package has helped not just me but my family through every speed bump, curve, and unexpected turn along the way. If your goal is to have an agency who will provide the support and care needed to guide you through a surrogacy journey while also compensating you for your time and willingness to be a surrogate, ConceiveAbilities will surpass your expectations and more!"

ConceiveAbilities is grateful, on this Mother's Day and every Mother's Day, for Brelani, Cookies, Then Milk, and all the amazing surrogates and other professionals who help women bring new life into the world.

Learn more about why ConceiveAbilities is the best surrogacy agency for surrogates everywhere, including women in Los Angeles, San Diego and throughout southern California.

SOURCE ConceiveAbilities
Critical Start's Female Channel Executives Recognized by CRN's 2023 Women of the Channel List for Their Impact on the Technology Industry

PLANO, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Critical Start, a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity solutions, announced that six of its channel leaders have been named to CRN's Women of the Channel list for 2023: Meredith Dishman, director of distribution channels, Allie Stevens, senior director of channel and field marketing, Kate Krhovjak, channel and field marketing manager - Central, Victoria Milligan, channel and field marketing manager - East, Rebecca Bell, channel and field marketing manager - West, and Katie Pollaro, channel marketing manager.

This annual list by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, honors outstanding women from vendor, distributor and solution provider organizations whose remarkable contributions and leadership have made a significant impact on the technology industry. The inclusion of these accomplished female executives further demonstrates Critical Start's commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech community.

"As a company that prides itself on innovation and excellence in the field of cybersecurity, we recognize the valuable role that women leaders play in driving success in the technology industry," said Rob Davis, CEO and founder of Critical Start. "We are proud to have multiple female leaders named to CRN's Women of the Channel list for 2023, and we congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition. With their exceptional talent and unwavering commitment to achieving channel excellence, our female leaders are a vital part of Critical Start's continued growth and success in meeting the evolving needs of our customers in today's rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape."

Dishman, a seasoned channel executive with over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, and management, has been instrumental in driving Critical Start's routes to market and demand generation initiatives with distribution and their channel partners. She has developed programs and resources to amplify the distribution channel offerings and collaborated on channel operational processes for driving and measuring success.

Stevens, an accomplished senior director of channel and field marketing, leads a team of North American channel and field marketing professionals at Critical Start. Her passion for channel marketing is evident through her creative approach to demand generation, content creation, and enablement efforts. By fostering strong relationships with partners, Stevens ensures that Critical Start delivers value and maximizes ROI.

Krhovjak is a dedicated channel strategist who leads marketing activities and events in the Central region to engage prospects and strengthen partner relationships. Her work has advanced Critical Start's channel operations and created mutually beneficial alliances with partners that drove new business. Krhovjak is also committed to creating meaningful experiences for Critical Start's prospects and clients.

Milligan leverages her six years of experience in marketing, event creation, and execution of demand generation programs to drive channel and field marketing efforts in the East for Critical Start. She has significantly increased brand awareness in the East by managing over 30 unique channel events and effectively working with partners to set clear expectations, manage logistics and drive opportunities in the pipeline.

Bell, as the channel and field marketing manager for the West region, collaborates with internal teams and partners to boost revenue and increase the pipeline by implementing effective marketing strategies. Her efforts helped partners and customers better understand Critical Start's product offerings, resulting in an enhanced customer experience and increased revenue.

Pollaro sets Critical Start's channel marketing strategy to help increase partner mindshare and engagement to fuel pipeline. As a marketing and channel professional, she thrives in creating marketing programs, enhancing strategic partner enablement, and implementing marketing strategies that align with key business initiatives. Pollaro is adept at developing partner relationships and building effective channel marketing programs while collaborating closely with her channel account managers.

"We are ecstatic to announce this year's honorees and shine a light on these women for their significant achievements, knowing that what they've accomplished has paved the way for continued success within the IT channel," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "The channel is stronger because of them, and we look forward to seeing what they do next."

The honorees of CRN's 2023 Women of the Channel list bring a wealth of creativity, strategic thinking, and leadership to their respective roles and responsibilities. Whether in vendor, distributor, or solution provider organizations, these exceptional women are using their unique talents to drive success for their partners and customers. CRN's recognition of these outstanding leaders is a testament to their unwavering dedication and commitment to achieving channel excellence and their vital contributions to the technology industry.

The 2023 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage starting May 8 at www.CRN.com/WOTC.

About Critical Start

Today's enterprise faces radical, ever-growing, and ever-sophisticated multi-vector cyber-attacks. Facing this situation is hard, but it doesn't have to be. Critical Start simplifies breach prevention by delivering the most effective managed detection and incident response services powered by the Zero-Trust Analytics Platform (ZTAP) with the industry's only Trusted Behavior Registry (TBR) and MOBILESOC. With 24x7x365 expert security analysts, and Cyber Research Unit (CRU), we monitor, investigate and remediate alerts swiftly and effectively, via contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Time to Detection (TTD) and Median Time to Resolution (MTTR), and 100% transparency into our service. For more information, visit criticalstart.com. Follow Critical Start on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. Follow The Channel Company: Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Heather Malik

[email protected]

SOURCE Critical Start
Two of VIPRE's channel program leaders are named to the prestigious list published annually by CRN.

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VIPRE Security Group, a global leader and award-winning cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection company, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Tiffany Torson, senior director, cybersecurity sales and client success, and Heather Scaglione, global channel marketing manager, to the Women of the Channel list for 2023.

Each year, CRN recognizes women from vendor, distributor, and solution provider organizations whose expertise and vision have a noticeable and commendable impact on the technology industry.

CRN's annual Women of the Channel list honors exceptional women for their strategic vision, thought leadership and channel advocacy that impacts growth and innovation in the channel. The annual Women of the Channel list is the official guide to the top female leaders of the IT channel.

With this recognition, CRN honors leading women for their unwavering dedication and commitment to furthering channel excellence.

Torson leads VIPRE's retention business for channel partners. In her role, Torson assisted in the re-vamp and re-launch of VIPRE's channel partner program, re-organized the channel client success team to better serve partners, mentored new partner account managers, and provided them with ongoing training.

She's also focused on the VIPRE channel team maximizing incentives for new channel business referrals and partner expansion efforts, as well as increasing engagement with the company's key strategic partners to help drive their marketing efforts.

"I am thrilled to be counted among this group of amazing women and to represent the philosophy of VIPRE Security Group," Torson said. "We are re-launching our channel partner program with a "Channel First" strategy to better help our partners grow their business, providing increased lead generation support, additional marketing development fund opportunities and partner portfolio expansion to increase their margins.

"Our partnership with the IT channel community has always been the cornerstone of our growth strategy, and this year, with our newly re-launched partner program, it means we're taking our commitment to the channel to the next level," Torson added.

Scaglione leads VIPRE's global channel marketing efforts to empower partners with the resources they need to grow their businesses. Some of the programs she's led include the launch of VIPRE's global channel roadshows to promote face-to-face engagement and information exchange among partners, global webinar programs, newly introduced MDF programs, and a completely revamped global partner portal experience.

"I am truly honored and humbled to be recognized on the same list as so many other extraordinary women in the channel," Scaglione said. "With our new and improved VIPRE partner program, we hope to enable our partner community with everything they need to be successful and profitable while having a little bit of fun, and I'm committed to growing the channel through our amazing partners and continuing to bring them world-class cybersecurity solutions."

Lee Schor, chief revenue officer for VIPRE, who has a long history working in the channel, noted VIPRE's renewed commitment to the channel is obvious and is paying dividends to the organization and its partners, as evidenced by this acknowledgment from CRN.

"Tiffany and Heather are channel professionals of the highest merit and we're thrilled that they have been recognized by CRN and are here helping us make VIPRE one of the world's best channel-focused organizations," Schor said. "There are many channel-focused initiatives underway with VIPRE and Tiffany and Heather are significant contributors to the success of these programs and to all who benefit from working with us."

Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company, said, "We are ecstatic to announce this year's honorees and shine a light on these women for their significant achievements, knowing that what they've accomplished has paved the way for continued success within the IT channel. The channel is stronger because of them, and we look forward to seeing what they do next."

The 2023 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage starting May 8 at www.CRN.com/WOTC.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

About VIPRE Security Group

VIPRE Security Group is a leading provider of internet security solutions purpose-built to protect businesses, solution providers, and home users from costly and malicious cyber threats. With more than 25 years of industry expertise, VIPRE is one of the world's largest threat intelligence clouds, delivering exceptional protection against today's most aggressive online threats. Its award-winning software portfolio includes next-generation antivirus endpoint cloud solutions, advanced email security products, along with threat intelligence for real-time malware analysis, and security awareness training for compliance and risk management. VIPRE solutions deliver easy-to-use, comprehensive layered defense through cloud-based and server security, with mobile interfaces that enable instant threat response. VIPRE is a proud Advanced Technology Partner of Amazon Web Services operating globally across North America and Europe. The group operates under various brands, including VIPRE, StrongVPN, IPVanish, Inspired eLearning, Livedrive, and SugarSync. www.VIPRE.com

Press Contact:

Scott E. Rupp

941-448-7566

https://millerrupp.com/

SOURCE VIPRE Security Group
Giving Away Shoes to Healthcare Workers Across the Country

WEST GROVE, Pa., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Nurses Week, Dansko is thrilled to show additional appreciation for nurses' hard work and dedication. Throughout this week-long celebration Dansko will be giving away 500 pairs of various shoe styles to healthcare workers at events across the nation. From their adjustable sneakers to their light-weight clogs and mules, Dansko will be providing healthcare workers with their legendary comfort and support.

"Dansko revolutionized the healthcare industry over 30 years ago with our Professional clog," said Kitty Bolinger, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Dansko. "Knowing that one size doesn't fit all, we have continued to support our healthcare workers with new styles such as the Peony and Kaci. National Nurses Week is a special time to recognize and appreciate our nurses and give back to those that give so much."

Healthcare institutions participating in the Dansko Nurses Week program include: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, Penn Medicine - University of Pennsylvania Health System, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Main Line Health of Riddle Hospital, North Shore University Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

ABOUT DANSKO

Dansko is a premium comfort footwear brand headquartered in West Grove, PA and is 100% employee owned. Founded in 1990, Dansko's mission is to improve the quality of people's lives through its products, passion, and commitment to a better tomorrow. Dansko shoes are for people who strive to get the most from life. We make shoes that are simply good for your feet  all day, every day  in a range of styles that are just right. Like you, we go the extra mile, love what we do, and do our best to make the world a better place.

SOURCE Dansko
Matt Jansen named Chief Operating Officer, North America

named Chief Operating Officer, Rick Elrod announces retirement, effective April 2024

announces retirement, effective Brandon Lairmore to succeed Elrod

IRVING, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) today announced changes to its executive management team.

Matt Jansen has been named as Chief Operating Officer, North America. Jansen joins Darling Ingredients from StepStone Group Inc., where he served as Senior Managing Director. Jansen brings more than 30 years of executive management experience in the global agri/food industry to Darling Ingredients. His prior roles include Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabia Agriculture and Livestock Investment Company and Chief Executive Officer of COFCO International, the overseas agriculture business platform for COFCO Corporation, China's largest food and agriculture company. Jansen also served in a number of executive roles at ADM including Chief Risk Officer and Senior Vice President; President of ADM Global Oilseeds; President ADM Grain Group; and President ADM Brazil.

"Matt brings a breadth of experience to Darling Ingredients that will be extremely valuable in leading our U.S. and Canada rendering operations as well as our renewables and specialty businesses, ensuring we deliver on the company's great potential," said Randall C. Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Rick Elrod, Executive Vice President, U.S. Rendering Operations, has informed the company of his intention to retire in April 2024, after 30 years of service.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management team and Darling's 15,000 employees, I want to thank Rick for his three decades of contributions not only to Darling Ingredients, but the entire rendering industry," Stuewe said. "Rick has guided this company through significant transformation and growth. He has been instrumental in developing our U.S. rendering operations to the diverse business it is today. We are grateful for his dedication and wish him the best in retirement."

Brandon Lairmore, currently Senior Vice President, North Central Region, will succeed Elrod. Lairmore joined Darling Ingredients in 2016 as the Regional Vice President for the North Central Region after nearly 20 years in the agriculture and meat processing industry, having held numerous operational leadership roles at Pilgrim's and Tyson Foods. He was promoted to Senior Vice President for the North Central Region in 2018.

"Brandon's extensive experience and leadership in the industry has been invaluable to our growth and success. I am confident his commitment and leadership will help drive continued success in our U.S. rendering operations," Stuewe said. "Over the next year, Rick will continue to lead our U.S. rendering operations as we further integrate our recently acquired business, and transition leadership over to Brandon."

Stuewe added, "These changes are an important part of our internal succession plan. I am proud to have such a talented and experienced team of leaders that will ensure the success and growth of our company in the years to come."

About Darling Ingredients

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) is the largest publicly traded company turning edible by-products and food waste into sustainable products and a leading producer of renewable energy. Recognized as a sustainability leader, the company operates more than 260 facilities in over 15 countries and repurposes approximately 15% of the world's meat industry waste streams into value-added products, such as green energy, renewable diesel, collagen, fertilizer, animal proteins and meals, and pet food ingredients. To learn more, visit darlingii.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Darling Ingredients Contacts



Investors: Suann Guthrie

Senior VP, Investor Relations, Sustainability & Communications

(469) 214-8202; [email protected]



Media: Jillian Fleming

Director, Global Communications

(972) 541-7115; [email protected]

SOURCE Darling Ingredients Inc.
Added details (the first version was published at 12:20)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Agreements were reached on certain items of the peace treaty [with Armenia] in Washington negotiations, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters, Trend reports.

According to Bayramov, the negotiations on the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in the US. The initiatives related to the peace treaty were put forward by Azerbaijan. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev announced this for the first time in 2021. In February last year, Azerbaijan put forward 5 basic principles, and finally, in October 2022, negotiations on the peace treaty began in Geneva.

"The negotiations were conducted around the final expanded basic principles presented by Azerbaijan. Then the meeting was held in Washington in November. A meeting in Moscow was scheduled for December. The Armenian side refused the third meeting, boycotting it under various pretexts. Questions related to the Lachin Road were given as a pretext. Thus, these meetings have not been held for about 6 months," the FM said.

Bayramov pointed out that with the mediation of the US, Armenia returned to the negotiating table.

"We had quite intensive discussions about the peace treaty for 4 days in Washington. They covered a number of important issues. We cannot talk about full agreement, there are enough differences between the positions of the Azerbaijani and Armenian parties," he added.

He also noted that agreement was reached on certain paragraphs of the peace treaty during these negotiations. "We have taken another step forward. Likewise, we must approach this process realistically. It would be good to coordinate all the issues at one meeting, but there is no readiness for this yet. Azerbaijan constantly demonstrates its commitment to the peace process," he said.
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ('Denison' or the 'Company') (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) today filed its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis ('MD&A') for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. Both documents will be available on the Company's website at www.denisonmines.com, SEDAR (at www.sedar.com) and EDGAR (at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). The highlights provided below are derived from these documents and should be read in conjunction with them. All amounts in this release are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. View PDF version

David Cates, President and CEO of Denison commented, "Our Q1'2023 operational highlights showcase the multiple facets that make up our dynamic company. During the quarter at our flagship Wheeler River project ('Wheeler River'), we progressed our efforts on the Phoenix deposit ('Phoenix') Feasibility Study ('FS'), incorporating results from the highly successful leaching and neutralization phases of the Feasibility Field Test ('FFT') completed in late 2022. With the FS nearing completion, and the environmental assessment for Phoenix progressing in parallel to our technical de-risking efforts over the last several years, Phoenix remains squarely positioned to become the next new uranium mine in the eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region.

We also reported notable news from other assets in our vast project portfolio  including the discovery of high-grade uranium mineralization at the Moon Lake South exploration project and positive results from the completion of an internal concept study ('Concept Study') for the use of the in-situ recovery ('ISR') mining method at Denison's 25.17% owned Midwest development project ('Midwest'). The discovery at Moon Lake South is in the very early stages and illustrates the untapped potential of our large exploration property portfolio. Moon Lake South is a particularly exciting property, given that it is nearly surrounded by Denison controlled exploration properties and is adjacent to our flagship Wheeler River property. At Midwest, we are collaborating with our long-time joint venture partner Orano Canada Inc., to take steps that could see Midwest emerge as another meaningful source of low-cost future production for Denison. Based on the positive results of the Concept Study, the Midwest joint venture has approved a program and budget for 2023 that will support the further de-risking of the application of the ISR mining method at Midwest, and which may result in the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ('PEA').

With truly meaningful developments ahead on multiple Denison projects and the uranium market benefiting from a sustained stream of positive developments increasing projections of global demand for nuclear power, Denison is well positioned to offer investors unique leverage to the uranium market from our multi-stage / multi-asset portfolio of high-grade Athabasca Basin projects."

Highlights

Completed an internal Concept Study examining the application of the ISR mining method at Midwest

The Company completed a Concept Study examining the potential application of the ISR mining method at Midwest. The Concept Study was prepared by Denison during 2022 and formally issued to the Midwest Joint Venture ('MWJV') in early 2023. Based on the positive results of the Concept Study, the MWJV has provided Denison with approval to complete additional ISR-related work for Midwest in 2023.

Evaluation activities planned for Midwest during 2023 include the collection of deposit-specific information and the completion of select preliminary engineering studies to support the further evaluation and de-risking of the key criteria required to further assess the potential application of the ISR mining method, which may result in the preparation of a PEA to support the development, if warranted, of future field tests.

Discovered high-grade uranium mineralization at Moon Lake South

In April 2023, Denison reported that drill hole MS-23-10A intersected 1.38% eU 3 O 8 over 8.7 metres (0.05% eU 3 O 8 cut-off), including a sub-interval grading 2.88% eU 3 O 8 over 3.1 metres, intersected approximately 30 metres above the unconformity in the Athabasca sandstone, as part of the recently completed winter exploration program at the Moon Lake South property. Uranium mineralization was encountered in four of the six drill holes completed during the 2023 winter exploration program, which was designed to evaluate the strike length of low-grade mineralized occurrences identified in the 2021 and 2016 drill programs.

Feasibility Study for Wheeler River Phoenix deposit on track for completion by mid-2023

Feasibility level engineering design, well field production modelling and cost estimation for the application of ISR mining for the high-grade Phoenix uranium deposit at Wheeler River progressed during the first quarter of 2023, and is currently on track to support the announcement of the results from the FS by mid-2023.

Released 2022 ESG report, highlighting progress on environmental, social and governance initiatives

In April 2023, Denison released its 2022 ESG Report, which provides information on the Company's environmental, social and governance ('ESG') initiatives and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to sustainability and transparency. Denison's 2022 ESG Report focuses on key ESG topics including the Company's objective to maintain excellence in corporate governance practices, "best in class" engagement with communities potentially impacted by its activities, diversity in the Company's workforce, and robust assessments of the environment and biodiversity in the regions within which it operates.

About Denison

Denison Mines Corp. was formed under the laws of Ontario and is a reporting issuer in all Canadian provinces and territories. Denison's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'DML' and on the NYSE American exchange under the symbol 'DNN'.

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has an effective 95% interest in its flagship Wheeler River Uranium Project, which is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan. A Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') was completed for Wheeler River in late 2018, considering the potential economic merit of developing Phoenix as an ISR operation and the Gryphon deposit as a conventional underground mining operation. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the MLJV, which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest Main and Midwest A deposits and a 67.41% interest in the Tthe Heldeth Tue ('THT', formerly J Zone) and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. The Midwest Main, Midwest A, THT and Huskie deposits are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Through its 50% ownership of JCU, Denison holds additional interests in various uranium project joint ventures in Canada, including the Millennium project (JCU, 30.099%), the Kiggavik project (JCU, 33.8118%) and Christie Lake (JCU, 34.4508%).

Denison's exploration portfolio includes further interests in properties covering approximately 300,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin region.

Denison is also engaged in post-closure mine care and maintenance services through its Closed Mines group, which manages Denison's reclaimed mine sites in the Elliot Lake region and provides related services to certain third-party projects.

Technical Disclosure and Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Chad Sorba, P.Geo., Denison's Director, Technical Services, and Andy Yackulic, P.Geo., Denison's Director, Exploration, who are both Qualified Persons in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison.

Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'.

In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: projections with respect to exploration, development and expansion plans and objectives, including the scope, objectives and interpretations of the technical de-risking process for the proposed ISR operation for the Phoenix deposit, including the FFT and metallurgical testing programs described herein and the interpretation of the results therefrom; expectations with respect to a FS for Phoenix; expectations regarding regulatory applications and approvals and the elements thereof, including the EIS; objectives and interpretations of the Midwest Concept Study and any potential for further studies and/or an EA; the Company's ESG objectives; expectations regarding the performance of the uranium market and global sentiment regarding nuclear energy; expectations regarding Denison's joint venture ownership interests; and expectations regarding the continuity of its agreements with third parties. Statements relating to 'mineral reserves' or 'mineral resources' are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the mineral reserves and mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For example, the results and underlying assumptions and interpretations of the PFS as well as de-risking efforts such as the ISR field programs discussed herein may not be maintained after further testing or be representative of actual conditions within the applicable deposits. In addition, Denison may decide or otherwise be required to extend its evaluation activities and/or the FS and/or otherwise discontinue testing, evaluation and development work if it is unable to maintain or otherwise secure the necessary approvals or resources (such as testing facilities, capital funding, etc.). Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2023 under the heading 'Risk Factors'. These factors are not, and should not be, construed as being exhaustive.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this press release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this press release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

SOURCE Denison Mines Corp.
LMU-CDM and Direct Diagnostics Advance Dental Education Through Salivary Diagnostics

SAN MARCOS, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Diagnostics (Direct Dx) is proud to announce their partnership with Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine (LMU-CDM), a renowned educational institution dedicated to preparing future healthcare professionals for success in their fields. As a leader in salivary diagnostics, Direct Dx is thrilled to join forces with LMU-CDM to enhance their curriculum and provide students with cutting-edge tools and technology.

"The primary goal of this partnership is to integrate the science of salivary diagnostics into the educational curriculum of Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine, allowing students to gain first-hand experience in utilizing the HR5 tests in their university clinics. By merging medicine and dentistry, students will learn how to implement oral systemic care into practice, ensuring that they graduate ready to practice at the highest level of care," said Jeffrey Sopko, President and CEO of Direct Diagnostics.

The primary goal of this partnership is to integrate the science of salivary diagnostics into educational curriculum. Tweet this

"We are excited to collaborate with Direct Diagnostics to provide our students with access to cutting-edge salivary diagnostic testing technology," said Denise Terese-Koch, DDS, BS, MBA, EdD, Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine. "This partnership aligns with our mission to produce competent oral health care providers who are committed to delivering the highest level of care to their patients. We look forward to working together to advance dental education and improve the future of healthcare."

As part of their commitment to serving the underserved Appalachian population, this collaboration will enable the university to provide salivary diagnostic care to those in need through their clinics.

Direct Diagnostics will contribute to the university's commitment to facilitating the growth and development of dental and medical education by providing access to its HR5 test, which tests for the top 5 high-risk oral pathogens. This will allow students to learn about the latest advancements in salivary diagnostics and help prepare them for the future of preventative healthcare.

"We are thrilled to partner with Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine and to be able to contribute to their mission of growth and development of graduate dental education," said Dr. Thomas W. Nabors, DDS, FACD, founder of salivary diagnostic testing using DNA PCR, and Chief of Oral Systemic Medicine for Direct Diagnostics. "We are excited to collaborate with a team that shares our passion for advancing the future of healthcare through diagnostic science and evidence."

This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for Direct Diagnostics and Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine to work together to advance the field of healthcare and improve the lives of patients. Through this partnership, Direct Dx and LMU-CDM will be able to nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals and promote the advancement of dental education for a brighter future.

For more information, please contact:

Jeffrey Sopko - President & CEO

[email protected]

Peter Maroon - VP of Sales

[email protected]

Direct Diagnostics

512-861-1510

[email protected]

SOURCE Direct Diagnostics
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DSFederal, Inc., a government focused leader in data science and digital solutions was selected as a finalist for the 15th Annual Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) Awards. These awards honor small and emerging government contractors and the players in the industry that rely on these businesses.

DSFederal was a finalist for the Award of Excellence. The Award of Excellence highlights an organization that represents excellence within their respective community, the government contracting industry, and towards employees.

Under the leadership of Founder and Chairwoman, Sophia Parker, DSFederal has grown into a successful company with 120 employees comprised of 63% minority and 65% female employees. Today, DSFederal is distinguished by its focus on customer service and its ability to "Connect the Dots" between people, technology, and solutions.

"In a world that is increasingly data enabled, being a dot connector is vital. Identifying and optimizing multi-faceted relationships on an international stage will be essential to becoming an impactful industry force in the future. In the next step of DSFederal's transformative journey, we will be at the vanguard of this new universe of possibilities," said Clement Chen, DSFederal's Chief Executive Officer.

Founder and Chairwoman Sophia Parker was also a finalist for the Executive of the Year award. The Executive of the Year commends an individual from the Washington region with extraordinary commitment to his/her company and employees, as well as to the government contracting community as a whole.

Parker was recognized for catalyzing individual and community development locally and worldwide. Her philanthropic brainchild, The DSFederal-IDEA Foundation, has benefited organizations around the world, including Soholat Health Services & Vocational Organization in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Amitofo Care Centre in Malawi, Jusoor for Syrian refugees, and Doctors Without Borders. Meanwhile, closer to home, the DSF-IDEA Foundation Scholarship covers two full-tuition scholarships each year for students in programs at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) who are facing financial need. As part of the scholarship, DSFederal is also offering internship opportunities to scholarship recipients.

"As an immigrant coming to this country, it is not only my duty to give back to the community but also to create a lasting impact. Investing in education in Montgomery County is good for the county and is also good for the business ecosystem," said Parker.

"The SECAF Awards give us an opportunity to highlight the small and emerging contractors that are succeeding in our market; along with the people, in and out of government, that are driving our market to success," said Mitchell Ross, Principal at Acquisition and Management, LLC, and Chair of the SECAF Board of Directors. "DSFederal exemplifies the successful journey that can result from a commitment to serving the public sector market."

About DSFederal

DSFederal provides transformative technical solutions and strategic support for the Federal Government and for HHS. Our highly specialized data science team, deep public health expertise combined with a broad technology skillset and partnerships with innovative organizations in the private sector help us to connect the dots between data and people, delivering impactful insights with real-life applications.

Our firm is ISO 9001 certified and CMMI Level 3 for service and development, proving our commitment to consistently high-quality standards and ensuring customer satisfaction. Our highly experienced professionals partner with 50+ federal clients across more than 80 projects. Our people are united by one mission  to improve human life through transformative solutions.

SOURCE DSFederal
(Rule 144A CUSIP: 29245JAH5; Reg S CUSIP: P37110AJ5

Rule 144A ISIN: US29245JAH59; Reg S ISIN: USP37110AJ50

Rule 144A Common Code No. 113234393; Reg S Common Code No. 113234423)

SANTIAGO, Chile, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Empresa Nacional del Petroleo ("ENAP", the "Company" or "we") announced today that $452,502,000 aggregate principal amount, or approximately 75.42% (the "Tendered Notes"), of its outstanding 4.375% Notes Due 2024 (the "Notes") were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 9, 2023 (the "Early Tender Date") in accordance with the Company's Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement dated April 26, 2023 (the "Statement"), pursuant to which the tender offer and consent solicitation are being made. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein have the meaning given to them in the Statement.

The Company also received consents sufficient to effect all of the proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture governing the Notes as set forth in the Statement. The Proposed Amendments include, among others, eliminating substantially all of the restrictive covenants and certain events of default, as well as shortening the minimum notice period required for optional redemptions of the Notes to three calendar days on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Statement.

The Company has accepted for purchase all Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the Early Tender Date. Holders who validly tendered and did not validly withdraw their Notes prior to the Early Tender Date will receive a Total Consideration of $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes tendered and accepted for purchase by the Company, which includes an early tender consideration of $50 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, on or about May 11, 2023 (the "Early Settlement Date"). On the Early Settlement Date, the Company will also pay accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes accepted for purchase from the last applicable interest payment date for the Notes up to, but excluding, the Early Settlement Date and plans to execute a supplemental indenture effecting the Proposed Amendments to the indenture governing the Notes.

The Company's obligation to pay for the Tendered Notes is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, which are further described in the Statement, including the consummation of the Company's concurrent offering of notes.

The Offer is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on May 23, 2023, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company.

On or about the Early Settlement Date, we intend to issue a notice of redemption to redeem the Notes that remain outstanding at the make-whole redemption price, as calculated in the Indenture. However, this press release does not constitute a notice of redemption of the Notes or an obligation to issue a notice of redemption of the Notes.

The Company has retained Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Santander US Capital Markets LLC, Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. and/or SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. to serve as the dealer managers and solicitation agents for the Offer and Solicitation. Questions regarding the Offer and consent solicitation may be directed to Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at Attn: Liability Management Group, +1 (800) 558-3745 (U.S. toll-free), +1 (212) 723-6106 (collect) and/or to Santander US Capital Markets LLC at Attn: Liability Management Group, +1 (855) 404-3636 (U.S. toll-free), +1 (212) 940-1442 (collect) and/or to Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. at Attn: Liability Management Group, 1-833-498-1660 (U.S. toll-free), [email protected] (email), and/or to SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., Attention: Debt Capital Markets  Liability Management, Toll Free: (888) 284-9760, Collect: (212) 224-5163, Email: [email protected]. Requests for documents may be obtained from the Tender Offer Website https://projects.morrowsodali.com/enap, or directed to Morrow Sodali International LLC, the Information and Tender Agent for the Offer, via email at [email protected] or at +1 203 609 4910 (Stamford); +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

NONE OF THE COMPANY, THE DEALER MANAGERS AND SOLICITATION AGENTS OR THE INFORMATION AND TENDER AGENT MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HOLDERS SHOULD TENDER THEIR NOTES OR DELIVER CONSENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER OR THE SOLICITATION, AND NO ONE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY ANY OF THEM TO MAKE SUCH RECOMMENDATIONS. HOLDERS MUST MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER THEIR NOTES AND DELIVER CONSENTS, AND, IF SO, THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOTES TO TENDER.

This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. The Offer is being made solely pursuant to the offer documents.

The Offer does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not permitted by law or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

In any jurisdiction in which the Offer is required to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and in which the dealer managers, or any affiliates thereof, are so licensed, the Offer will be deemed to have been made by any such dealer managers, or such affiliates, on behalf of the Company.

The notes offered pursuant to the concurrent offering 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 or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, including, without limitation, changes in our business or acquisition strategy or planned capital expenditures, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About ENAP

We are engaged in a broad range of petroleum-related activities, including the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas, the transportation and storage of crude oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG") and natural gas, petroleum refining and the wholesale marketing of refined petroleum products, petroleum derivatives, LPG, crude oil and natural gas. Our principal source of revenue is the sale of refined petroleum products in Chile. We purchase virtually all of the crude oil we process from third parties.

We organize our business into two independently operated business divisions (segments): (i) "Exploration and Production," which conducts our upstream operations and accounted for 6.6% of our consolidated revenues, 26.7% of our consolidated gross margin, and 35.3% of our Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2022; and (ii) "Refining and Marketing," which accounted for 93.4% of our consolidated revenues, 73.3% of our gross margin and 64.7% of our Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our Refining and Marketing division accounts for substantially all of our consolidated sales to third parties and is responsible for purchases of crude oil from third parties.

We are a state enterprise wholly owned by the Republic of Chile and were created on June 19, 1950 by Law No. 9,618 of 1950. Our relationship with the Chilean government is managed through the Ministry of Energy (Ministerio de Energia), in accordance with Law No. 21,025. Currently, the President of Chile appoints two board members who must be of different gender, including the Chairman of our Board of Directors, and also appoints four board members from a shortlist of three candidates proposed for each position by the High Management Public System (Sistema de Alta Direccion Publica or "ADP", an autonomous agency responsible of the selection process of senior positions at governmental agencies and state-owned enterprises) and also appoints one board member on the basis of a proposal submitted by ENAP's employees.

We are a hydrocarbon producer, the only refiner in Chile and the Chilean market leader in the wholesale distribution of refined petroleum products.

SOURCE Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP)
AVENTURA, Fla., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ESJ Capital Partners, a Florida-based leading commercial real estate investment firm, is delighted to announce the successful closing of a 14-acre parcel of land in Saint Augustine, Florida. This parcel will serve as the build-to-suit location for the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences, one of the country's foremost graduate institutions specializing in health sciences education.

ESJ Capital Partners and USAHS St Augustine

The University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences was founded in Saint Augustine, Florida in 1979 and has since added four additional campuses in Miami, FL, Austin and Dallas, TX, and San Marcos, CA. ESJ is proud to work with the University and contribute to its continued growth and success.

"This project is almost three years in the making, and we are thrilled to be developing a new campus for USAHS. Single Tenant Net Lease assets in the education, office, and medical sciences sectors, both build-to-suit and existing, are an important part of our portfolio, and we look forward to continuing our growth in these sectors." said Ben Small, Head of Real Estate of ESJ.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the 120,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art medical and educational campus is scheduled for next month, with delivery expected in late 2024. We are excited to continue working closely with the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences, a prestigious institution dedicated to delivering exceptional educational programs in the health sciences field.

"We would like to express our gratitude to our entire team for its hard work and unwavering commitment, and also our financing partners: Banesco, Abanca, and Meridian Capital, for the successful completion of this transaction. We are grateful for their trust and support in our vision and mission to create innovative real estate solutions." said Arnaud Sitbon, President & CEO of ESJ.

SOURCE ESJ Capital Partners
ESR's two new logistics and industrial projects, Rojana Industrial Estate Laemchabang and Asia Industrial Estate Suvarnabhumi, represent a capital investment of THB 8 billion ( US$ 235 million ) and are expected to be completed in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Over the next 5 years, ESR (via its development funds) intends to invest a further US$ 1 billion into Thailand , in line with the country's projected GDP growth at 3.28% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. [1]

ESR's expansion in Thailand will create job opportunities in the country and the Group will share its best-in-class knowledge and expertise to uplift the skillsets of the local workforce, and add valuable infrastructure for the further development of Thailand's economy.

BANGKOK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ESR Group Limited ("ESR" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; SEHK Stock Code: 1821), APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy, today announced its expansion into Thailand, with the opening of its Thailand office.

ESR is currently developing two logistics and industrial parks in Thailand, representing a capital investment of THB 8 billion (US$ 235 million). The first project, expected to be completed by end 2025, is in Rojana Industrial Estate Laemchabang and has a land area of approximately 100 rai (160,000 sqm) and a GFA of 93,000 sqm. It is strategically situated 15 minutes to the Laem Chabang deep seaport within the Chonburi province, identified as part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC)[2] development by the Thai Government to encourage investment, uplift innovation, and advanced technology.

The second, due for completion by end 2026, is in Asia Industrial Estate Suvarnabhumi and has a land area of approximately 225 rai (363,500 sqm) and a GFA of 253,500 sqm. Being close to the Suvarnabhumi airport and multiple access routes to the centre of Bangkok, other economic centres in Thailand and the port in Laemchabang, the project is in a prime location which is ideal for the development of national distribution hubs for logistics companies, e-commerce operators, aggregation and distribution of goods via air freight as well as the movement of temperature sensitive goods.

Jeffrey Shen and Stuart Gibson, ESR Group Co-founders and Co-CEOs, said: "ESR's expansion into Thailand is in line with one of our three growth pillars to expand our New Economy business which includes logistics, data centres, life sciences and high-tech industrial sectors, especially in Southeast Asia, one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Rapid urbanisation, favourable demographics and rising incomes will continue to drive consumption and e-commerce in Thailand and this will generate strong demand for high-quality logistics spaces. Beyond capital investment, we see tremendous potential for ESR to create job opportunities in Thailand, share our best-in-class knowledge and expertise to uplift the skillsets of the local workforce, and add valuable infrastructure for the further development of Thailand's economy. Our strong focus on ESG and track record in developing innovative and sustainable properties will also support Thailand's transition to a low-carbon economy."

Jai Mirpuri, Head, Singapore Development & Thailand, ESR Group, said: "As the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, Thailand is an important component of ESR's strategy for this important region. The government has launched Thailand 4.0 to transform the country into a value-based economy, which includes key sectors such as new-generation e-commerce, logistics, automotive and digital industries. Over the next 5 years, ESR (via its development funds) intends to invest a further US$ 1 billion into Thailand, in line with the country's projected GDP growth at 3.28% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. We believe that the strategic locations, compelling offerings and sustainable features of our properties, backed by our local team of expertise, will attract tenants that are MNCs in the New Economy and high-growth sectors."

As part of ESR's ESG focus, the Group's portfolio of industrial real assets in Thailand will include renewable energy generation, human-centric design, electrification of logistics fleets, water efficiency management and reduction of carbon footprint during development. These are incorporated right from the design stage and will be implemented without compromising on functionality and efficiency for tenants.

In addition to the two properties that ESR is currently developing, the Group will explore opportunities to invest in other strategic locations with significant potential for logistics growth, such as the Bangna-Trad, Eastern Economic Corridor, and Wang Noi areas and subsequently expand to other parts of Thailand including Chiang Mai, Surat Thani and Khon Kaen.

[1] International Monetary Fund: Thailand

[2] Eastern Economic Corridor

About ESR

ESR is APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally. With approximately US$150 billion in total assets under management (AUM), our fully integrated development and investment management platform extends across key APAC markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, India, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, representing over 95% of GDP in APAC, and also includes an expanding presence in Europe and the U.S. We provide a diverse range of real asset investment solutions and New Economy real estate development opportunities across our private funds business, which allow capital partners and customers to capitalise on the most significant secular trends in APAC. ESR is the largest sponsor and manager of REITs in APAC with a total AUM of US$46 billion. Our purpose  Space and Investment Solutions for a Sustainable Future  drives us to manage sustainably and impactfully and we consider the environment and the communities in which we operate as key stakeholders of our business. Listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, ESR is a constituent of the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Large Cap), Hang Seng Composite Index and MSCI Hong Kong Index. For more information on ESR, please visit www.esr.com

SOURCE ESR Group Limited
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Feds for Medical Freedom President Marcus Thornton today released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration's decision to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal employees and contractors:

"For almost two years, Feds for Medical Freedom has fought against forced vaccine requirements that are unconstitutional, immoral, and deeply damaging to employee recruitment and retention within the federal government," said Thornton. "Our efforts led to an injunction against that mandate which saved the jobs of over 400,000 unvaccinated or undeclared federal workers. On May 11, the Administration will finally abandon, for now, its effort to coerce American citizens to get vaccinated against their will.

"Feds for Medical Freedom has fought against forced vaccine requirements that are unconstitutional [and] immoral ..." Tweet this

"While the end of the COVID vaccine mandates is something to celebrate, the fact is that there are many federal employees and contractors who were fired, chased out of their workplace by hostile supervisors, or endured harassment for almost two years. Those men and women deserve justice and compensation, and we will continue to fight for them. New databases were created to document those who, often for religious reasons, did not comply. Until those databases are dismantled, they will continue to be used to discriminate against employees of faith. Furthermore, there are bad actors within the federal government who have perpetrated other policies rooted in discrimination and a disregard for civil liberties, and we will relentlessly pursue accountability for them."

In late February, Feds for Medical Freedom filed a lawsuit, Feds for Medical Freedom v. Antony Blinken et al., seeking to hold the U.S. Department of State accountable for religious discrimination based on its persecution of employees who refuse to get vaccinated for faith-based reasons. The organization says it will continue to file similar lawsuits seeking justice for employees in other federal agencies.

CONTACT: Alex Weintz, [email protected]

SOURCE Feds for Medical Freedom
-Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on May 17, 2023-

SHANGHAI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FinVolution Group ("FinVolution", or the "Company") (NYSE: FINV), a leading fintech platform, today announced that it will report its first quarter 2023 unaudited financial results, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, after the close of U.S. markets.

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:30 PM U.S. Eastern Time on May 17, 2023 (8:30 AM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on May 18, 2023).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free): 1-888-346-8982 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9657 International: 1-412-902-4272 Hong Kong, China (toll free): 800-905-945 Hong Kong, China: 852-3018-4992 Mainland, China: 400-120-1203

Participants should dial-in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "FinVolution Group."

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.finvgroup.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call until May 24, 2023, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States (toll free): 1-877-344-7529 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9658 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 9175031

About FinVolution Group

FinVolution Group is a leading fintech platform in China connecting underserved individual borrowers with financial institutions. Established in 2007, the Company is a pioneer in China's online consumer finance industry and has developed innovative technologies and has accumulated in-depth experience in the core areas of credit risk assessment, fraud detection, big data and artificial intelligence. The Company's platform, empowered by proprietary cutting-edge technologies, features a highly automated loan transaction process, which enables a superior user experience. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had over 159.4 million cumulative registered users.

For more information, please visit https://ir.finvgroup.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

FinVolution Group

Head of Investor Relations

Jimmy Tan, IRC

Tel: +86 (21) 8030 3200- Ext 8601

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Jenny Cai

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]

SOURCE FinVolution Group
MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Horizon Corp. (NYSE: FHN or "First Horizon") today announced a $50 million commitment to its communities through the First Horizon Foundation.

As part of the $200 million cash payment received from the TD termination agreement, First Horizon is investing $50 million of those funds back into the communities it serves.

First Horizon Commits $50 Million to Its Communities

"Without hesitation, our executive leadership team and Board of Directors made this important decision," said D. Bryan Jordan, Chairman, President and CEO of First Horizon. "Our commitment to continuously care for our communities - through all economic cycles - has always been part of our strategy and embedded in our core values."

Jesse Van Tol, President and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, commented, "First Horizon has been a reliable, trusted partner for NCRC and many of our nonprofit members for years. We are thrilled that our communities will continue to benefit from the leadership role First Horizon plays in supporting underserved communities which, in turn, helps to create and sustain vibrant communities."

Jordan continued, "It is our responsibility and privilege to support the individuals, families and small businesses that make up our beloved communities in which we live and work, and this decision underscores our passion for and commitment to doing just that."

Since the First Horizon Foundation was established in 1993, it has invested more than $150 million in the communities it serves. In 2022, the First Horizon Foundation invested nearly $18 million across its 12-state southeastern regional footprint in addition to the $5 million spent in Louisiana by the Louisiana First Horizon Foundation. Approximately forty percent of those funds were dedicated to low- and moderate-income communities. Through strategic partnerships with more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations last year, the Company provided support to its communities' greatest needs, including health and human services; financial literacy; access to financial resources and affordable housing; small businesses; diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; disaster recovery and much more.

The funds will be dispersed through First Horizon Foundation's normal grant cycle process. Applications can be made at www.firsthorizonfoundation.com .

About First Horizon

First Horizon Corp. (NYSE: FHN), with $80.7 billion in assets as of March 31, 2023, is a leading regional financial services company, dedicated to helping our clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states across the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com .

SOURCE First Horizon Corporation
DUBLIN , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Fluoropolymer Processing Aid Market by Polymer Type (PE, PP, PVC), Application (Blown & Cast Film, Wires & Cables, Pipes & Tubes, Fibers & Raffia), and Region (Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, MEA, South America) - Global Forecast to 2028", size is estimated as USD 1.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 1.7 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 2.9%.

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The fluoropolymer processing aid market is mainly driven by the increasing demand for polymers in different areas such as food packaging, pharmaceutical applications, industrial packaging, etc. This market also driven by rising plastic usage in the emerging countries. This fluoropolymer processing aid helps in enhancing the processability of the polymers making it efficient at a reasonable price.

"Fibers & Raffia is projected to grow at fastest CAGR, in terms of volume, during the forecast period"

Fibers & Raffia is projected to be the fastest growing segment in fluoropolymer processing aid market, in terms of value, by registering the highest CAGR of 3.26% during the forecast period. These fluoropolymer processing aids can be added to the polymer to enhance the product with a smoother surface finish by reducing the end product defects. Wires & cables is the second largest growing application with a CAGR of 3.19%.

"Polypropylene is projected to be the fastest growing polymer in fluoropolymer processing aid market, in terms of value"

Polypropylene (PP) is projected to register high growth rate of 3.01% during the forecast period of 2023  2028. Considering its lower cost and ease of manufacturing, polypropylene segment can be used in many applications such as automotive, packaging, consumer goods. It is manufactured by making use of sheet (or) film extrusion,blow molding, injection molding. PP is also expected to see growth in demand, primarily from the healthcare and packaging industries, thereby driving the fluoropolymer processing aid market.

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"Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest regional segment for fluoropolymer processing aid during the forecast period, in terms of value."

Asia Pacific region accounts for the highest market share of 55.6% in 2022 and is projected to grow at a rate of 3.51% during the forecast period. The fluoropolymer processing aid market is being driven by escalating use of polymers across different end use industries including construction, automotive, packaging. China accounts for the largest market share for fluoropolymer processing aid in the Asia Pacific region.

3M company (US), Solvay SA (Belgium), The Chemours Company (US), Arkema (France), Daikin Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Gabriel Chemie Group (Austria), Zhejiang Java Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd (China), Shanghai Lanpoly Polymer Technology Co., Ltd. (China), Plastiblends (India) and Adplast (Portugal)are the major players of fluoropolymer processing aid market. These companies are strong in their own geographies and they focus on innovating new technologies moving towards a sustainable future.

Browse Adjacent Market: Specialty Chemicals Market Research Reports & consulting

Related Reports:

Plastic Additives Market - Global Forecast to 2026

Acrylic Processing Aid Market - Global Forecast to 2025

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Azerbaijans approach in the negotiation process [with Armenia] is continuous, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters, Trend reports.

"Azerbaijan is a supporter of the negotiation process and normalization. Unfortunately, inconsistent and contradictory opinions and approaches are voiced by Armenia. You know that there was a break in the peace talks for almost six months, and then these negotiations have been recently resumed, taking into account the role of international mediators. We consider holding a meeting at the level of leaders after a certain break to be a positive moment," the minister said.

A meeting is planned to be held in Belgium's Brussels between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
MACAU, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From May 10 to 12, 2023, the 3rd BEYOND International Technology Innovation Expo  also known as BEYOND Expo 2023 is being held at the Venetian Macau Convention and Exhibition Center. This year is the third consecutive year that Fosun Pharma (stock code: 600196.SH, 02196.HK) has participated in the Expo. Together with Henlius, Fosun Kite, Fosun Health and the in-depth incubation platform Fosun Lead, Fosun Pharma showcases its innovative R&D achievements and globalization footprint in the healthcare industry in the Life Sciences Exhibition Area (Booth No. B28) at the Expo.

Fosun Pharma Participates in the BEYOND Expo 2023 to Showcase Its Innovative R&D Achievements

Founded in 2020, BEYOND Expo has been successfully held for two years and is now one of the largest and most influential international technology expos in Asia. With the theme of "Technology Redefined", BEYOND Expo 2023 aims to encourage exchanges among industry segments, promote the comprehensive upgrading and reform of the industry, and become a grand international event for technology exchanges.

Application of more innovative achievements for the benefit of patients

This year, Fosun Pharma showcases its innovation-driven development strategy and strong capabilities in global operation and demonstrates the latest achievements of cutting-edge technology industrialization and innovative R&D achievements brought by international cooperation.

HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab), the first innovative monoclonal antibody developed by Fosun Pharma's biopharmaceutical platform Henlius, has been approved in China for the treatment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) solid tumors, squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). HANSIZHUANG has been granted orphan drug designations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA and the European Commission for the treatment of SCLC. HANQUYOU (trastuzumab), the first China-developed mAb biosimilar approved both in China and Europe, has been approved in more than 30 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The biologic license application (BLA) for HANQUYOU has been accepted by the FDA. It is expected to become the first China-developed biosimilar approved in China, the EU and the USA, expanding its presence in major biologic markets of Europe and the USA.

Back in 2021, at Fosun Pharma's first participation in the BEYOND Expo, Yikaida (Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Injection), China's first CAR-T cell therapy product approved for marketing, received widespread attention from attendees. During the three consecutive years of participation in the Expo, Yikaida's latest R&D and commercialization progress has also attracted much attention. By the end of 2022, Yikaida had been included in the urban customized commercial medical insurance of 70 provinces and municipalities and more than 60 commercial insurances, with more than 130 registered treatment centers. To date, Yikaida has been used to cure more than 400 patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In October 2022, the application for the second-line Yikaida therapy for indications submitted by Fosun Kite was accepted for review by the Center for Drug Evaluation, NMPA. This means that adult patients with DLBCL who do not respond to first-line immunochemotherapy or relapse within 12 months after first-line immunochemotherapy can expect to benefit from the therapy earlier.

Both Comirnaty (BNT162b2) and Comirnaty bivalent mRNA vaccines have been registered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ("Hong Kong SAR") and approved as regularly imported vaccines in Macao SAR, expanding its presence in both public and private sectors. Relevant dosage forms for children and infants have been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR for local government vaccination programs. Azvudine Tablets, developed by Fosun Pharma and Genuine Biotech, received emergency conditional approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on July 25, 2022. On August 9, as the main recommended drug for the treatment of COVID-19, it was included in the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 9) of the National Health Commission, and later incorporated into 40 national and provincial guidelines such as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 10). In January 2023, the National Healthcare Security Administration officially included Azvudine Tablets in China's medical insurance reimbursement list, and insured patients can be reimbursed for using the tablets according to regulations. The new medical insurance payment standard was officially implemented on April 1, 2023.

Fosun Lead, an in-depth incubation platform of Fosun Pharma, makes its debut at the Expo with cutting-edge technologies

As a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group, Fosun Pharma is guided by innovation and internationalization, continues to enrich its innovative product pipelines and improve the research and clinical development capabilities of FIC (first-in-class) and BIC (best-in-class) new drugs and accelerate the R&D and commercialization of innovative technologies and products through such diverse and multi-level cooperation models as independent R&D, cooperative development, in-licensing, and in-depth incubation.

Fosun Lead, an in-depth incubation platform of Fosun Pharma, makes its debut at this BEYOND Expo. Fosun Lead is a scientific and technological innovation incubation platform jointly established by Fosun Pharma and Professor Xu Tian, a world-renowned scientist and Chief Scientific Advisor to Fosun Pharma. Through the in-depth incubation model, the platform integrates internal and external resources, focuses on precision medicine, artificial intelligence and other technical fields, and is committed to the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements and the incubation of technological innovation and entrepreneurship oriented to unmet clinical needs. In China, Fosun Lead has invested more than 500 million yuan and established a shared experimental space of more than 4,000 square meters. The platform has incubated and implemented four scientific and technological innovation companies, including Jingshan Bio-Technology, Shenai Technology, Xintaiyuan Bio-Technology, and Junji Health Technology, which respectively promote the R&D of gene cell therapy products, artificial intelligence algorithms for tumor precision therapy, personalized tumor immunotherapy and microecological flora products. It has established close cooperative relations with top universities' research institutes and medical institutions at home and abroad to promote the commercialization of their research results and resources. The incubated companies have attracted a large number of first-class R&D talents at home and abroad, actively promoted product R&D, and secured important progress.

Fosun Health advances strategic planning and the FHMO model in the Greater Bay Area

In addition, Fosun Pharma's booth has showcased the strategic planning of its subsidiary Fosun Health's healthcare services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Under the guidance of the two national strategies of "Healthy China 2030" and "Digital China", Fosun Health takes "Enabling Family a Healthier and Better Living" as its mission, offers online-offline integrated services around the whole life cycle of users, builds the whole-course and active health management capabilities for special diseases, and gradually realizes the FHMO model integrating "medical treatment, pharmaceuticals, insurance and healthcare services". After years of industrial development, Fosun Health has owned and operated many general hospitals with brand and medical capability advantages in the Greater Bay Area, such as Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital, Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital, Zhuhai Chancheng Hospital, and Guangzhou Xinshi Hospital. While deepening the layout, it has continuously promoted the online and offline integration of medical institutions, extended grass-roots services, created a high level of medical disciplines, and promoted the integrated operation of the Group, so as to enhance the regional medical service model.

Li Haifeng, Fosun Global Partner, Chairman of Fosun Foundation; Wang Donghua, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategic Enabler (CSEO) of Fosun Pharm; Huang Hai, CEO of Fosun Kite and Jin Yi, CEO of Jingshan Bio-Technology attended the BEYOND Expo Life Sciences Summit and concurrent events.

About Fosun Pharma

Founded in 1994, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.* ("Fosun Pharma"; stock code: 600196. SH, 02196. HK) is a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group. Fosun Pharma directly operates businesses including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical diagnosis, and healthcare services. As a shareholder of Sinopharm Co., Ltd., Fosun Pharma expands its areas in the pharmaceutical distribution and retail business.

Fosun Pharma is patient-centered and clinical needs-oriented. The company continuously enriches its innovative product pipeline through independent research and development, cooperative development, license-in, and in-depth incubation. Fosun Pharma improves the research and clinical development capabilities of FIC (First-in-class) and BIC (Best-in-class) new drugs as well as accelerates the R&D and launch of innovative technologies and products.

Guided by the 4IN strategy (Innovation, Internationalization, Intelligentization, and Integration), Fosun Pharma will uphold the development model of "Innovation Transformation, Integrated Operation and Steady Growth", with the mission of creating shareholder values through strengthening its independent R&D and external cooperation and enriching its product pipelines, as well as promoting the global networks and enhancing operational efficiency. Fosun Pharma will actively promote the digital and physical business layout in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry and is committed to becoming a first-class enterprise in the global medical and health market.

For more information, please visit our official website: www.fosunpharma.com

SOURCE Fosun Pharma
TOKYO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced today that it has secured a pledge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of USD 24 million (approximately JPY 3.2 billion*2) over three years for GHIT Fund's third five-year plan, GHIT 3.0 (from FY2023 to FY2027*1).

Since its inception in 2013, the GHIT Fund has been investing in new product development and committed to portfolio management to contribute to global health, supporting Japanese technology and innovation to combat infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. In April 2023, the 10th anniversary of its founding, GHIT aims to streamline and accelerate research and development for malaria, tuberculosis, NTDs and other infectious diseases.

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting the GHIT Fund as a critical partner since its inception. We are grateful for their financial contribution and look forward to working together to find solutions to the challenges in global health," said Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of GHIT Fund.

Katey Owen, director of neglected tropical diseases and director, vaccine development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: "Over the past nine years, our relationship with GHIT has evolved and expanded. What started as an investment to test a new R&D financing mechanism has proved its innovative model and become a pioneering model for others to follow. We're delighted to continue this relationship over the next three years, with a renewed focus on the impact GHIT can make within the global health landscape."

As of March 30, 2023, there are 53 ongoing projects, including 26 discovery, 15 preclinical and 12 clinical trials in the GHIT portfolio. The total amount invested since 2013 is JPY 29.1 billion (approx. USD 217 million). The GHIT Fund has 170 partners (59 domestic and 111 overseas) that have participated in product development to date, and the number of Japanese and overseas institutions has dramatically increased over the past 10 years.

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, which afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. In collaboration with global partners, the GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.

https://www.ghitfund.org/en

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a US-based foundation established in 2000. Since 2006, the foundation also benefits from Warren Buffett's support. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, works with grantees and partner organizations across the globe to address critical health and development priorities  from infectious disease to agricultural development and financial services  to benefit the world's poorest people.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is guided by the belief that every life has equal value. It works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, the foundation focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. Its approach to grantmaking emphasizes collaboration, innovation, risk-taking and results. The foundation has six divisions: global health, global development, gender equality, global growth and opportunities, global policy and advocacy, and US Program.

Official website: www.gatesfoundation.org

For more information, contact:

Katy Lenard at +1-301-280-5719 or [email protected]

Eriko Mugitani at +81-36441-2032 or [email protected]

1 From April 2023 to March 2028

2 USD 1 = JPY 134.14, the approximate exchange rate on April 28, 2023.

SOURCE Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund
DUBLIN, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Glass Fiber Yarn Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028 Segmented By Type (E-Glass, S-Glass, and Others), By Yarn Type (Single Yarn, Piled Yarn, and Others), By Application, By End User Industry, By Region and Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global glass fiber yarn market is anticipated to increase at an impressive rate through 2028. Glass fibers yarn is a kind of yarn with comparatively allied glass fiber avoiding any weave.

Glass fibers are used to strengthen the plastic or surfaces to increase tensile strength, flex modulus, impact resistance, dimensional constancy, heat, chemical, and worm resistance. There are different types of yarns, such as E-glass, high-strength (HS)-glass, S- glass, and corrosion-resistant (CR)-glass. Each glass type has specific characteristics and different purposes according to its features.



Growing demand from various end users for construction, automobile, sports, fishers, aerospace, and manufacturing are the crucial factors that impel the market's growth. The standard of living and demand for eco-friendly products leads to an increase in the demand for consumer goods and products as well as related industries.

Furthermore, government regulation over trade, such as free trade agreements, bilateral agreements, and regional trade agreements, are encouraging import and export that propel the market growth. Thus, it is expected that the global glass fiber yarn market will grow in the projected year.



Rising Demand from Construction Industries



Advanced characteristics possessed by glass fiber yarn, such as tensile strength, flex modulus, impact resistance, dimensional constancy, and heat resistance, have significantly increased the demand for glass fiber yarn across the construction industry. Additionally, glass fiber yarn is resistant to chemicals and worms. All these properties help industries to create a lighter and more rigid product that can be used to make desired finished goods.

Glass fibers can be molded into different shapes and provide low thermal conductivity that makes this product to use in walls for insulation and in concrete to increase strength in low cost. Due to these properties, it is used in the production of window and gate frames that expand and contract scantly with temperature fluctuations.

Thus, the demand for glass fiber yarn is accepted to rise to satisfy the need for high strength, wall insulation, and different shape products. The flourishing construction industry is expected to increase the demand for the glass fiber yarn market in the coming years.



Growing Demand for Production Power Generation Machinery



The core area of today's development is revolved around renewable and sustainable development. Electricity is considered a significant component of modern development. This situation will lead to demand for renewable energy and shift the market to opt for new power generation methods and machinery. Due to its properties, different machinery parts of the power generation industry, such as scrubbers, tank farms, and others, use fiberglass as a basic component.

Apart from these, glass fiber yarn is used to make printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are used in different electronic devices. Hence, it is expected that the demand for glass fiber yarn will rise as the demand for power generation products and related product grows.



Increasing Demand for Electricity from Sustainable Sources



The growing awareness related to the environment and sustainability has significantly increased over the years. This, in turn, has increased the demand for renewable energy, especially wind energy which is one of the best renewable energy sources. The turbine blades of wind energy are made from glass fiber yarn, making them stiff and lighter in weight. As technology is emerging, there are huge prospects for the growth of the glass fiber yarn market in the coming years.



Report Scope:



In this report, global glass fiber yarn market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:



Glass Fiber Yarn Market, By type:

E-Glass

S-Glass

Others PVC

Glass Fiber Yarn Market, By Yarn type:

Single Yarn

Piled Yarn

Others

Glass Fiber Yarn Market, By application:

PCB

Structural Parts

Facade

Marble & Mosaic Tiles

Others

Glass Fiber Yarn Market, By end-user industry:

Wind Energy

Automotive & Transportation

Building & Construction

Electronic & Electricals

Marine

Others

Global Glass Fiber Yarn Market, By region:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Malaysia

Australia

Japan

Europe & CIS

& CIS Germany

France

United Kingdom

Spain

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Egypt

Turkey

Key Topics Covered:

Product Overview Research Methodology Executive Summary Global Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook North America Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook Europe Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook Asia-Pacific Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook South America Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook Middle East and Africa Glass Fiber Yarn Market Outlook Market Dynamics Market Trends & Developments Global Glass Fiber Yarn Market: SWOT Analysis Porter's Five Forces Analysis Competitive Landscape Strategic Recommendations

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Saint-Gobain S.A

Owens Corning Composite Materials, LLC

China Jushi Group Ltd

Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd

Chongqing Polycomp International Corporation

AGY Holdings Corp.

China Beihai Fiberglass Co. Ltd.

Taiwan Glass Industry Corp.

Fulltech Industries Corp.

F.I.T Industrial Co., Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r5bfoa

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
NEW YORK , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A latest research report [115+] pages with 360-Degree visibility, titled "Biological Safety Cabinet Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product Type (Class I, Class II, and Class III); By End-Use; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023 - 2032" published by Polaris Market Research in its research repository.

"According to research report, the global biological safety cabinet market size/share was valued at USD 195.71 Million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 405.80 Million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period."

What are Biological Safety Cabinet? How Big is Biological Safety Cabinet Market Size & Share?

Overview

A biological safety cabinet (BSC), also called a microbiological safety cabinet, is a ventilated enclosure that offers protection to personnel, products, and the environment from exposure to biohazards and pollution from other sources during ordinary operations. The cabinet uses high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for protection. Biological Safety Cabinets are categorized into three classes, including Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3.

Although all three classifications offer safety for both people and the environment, only Class II and III cabinets offer product protection. BSCs are widely used in research laboratories, clinical settings, and other facilities where biological materials are handled. The increasing demand for wireless and portable systems, growing geriatric population, and rising cases of chronic diseases across the globe are the prominent factors anticipated to drive the biological safety cabinet market size during the forecast period.

Request Sample Copy of Biological Safety Cabinet Market Research Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/biological-safety-cabinet-market/request-for-sample

(The sample of this report is readily available on request. The report sample contains a brief introduction to the research report, Table of Contents, Graphical introduction of regional analysis, Top players in the market with their revenue analysis and our research methodology.)

Our Sample Report May Includes:

2032 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis.

115+ Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research).

Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request.

2023 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends.

Includes Updated List of table & figures.

Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis.

Some of the Top Market Players Are:

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Labconco Corporation

NuAire

Baker Company

Jinan Biobase Biotech

Germfree Laboratories

Air Science

Haier Biomedical

Cruma

Azbil Telstar

Berner International

Biolab Scientific

Lamsystems

Esco Micro

Kewaunee Scientific

For Additional Information on Key Players, Request to Download Sample Pages Here: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/biological-safety-cabinet-market/request-for-sample

Key Growth Driving Factors

R&D activities and scientific research: Rising R&D activities in life sciences coupled with increasing scientific research of micro-organisms, plants, and animals using various experiments and methods such as tissue culture and microbial research are expected to boost the biological safety cabinet market demand in the coming years.

Rising R&D activities in life sciences coupled with increasing scientific research of micro-organisms, plants, and animals using various experiments and methods such as tissue culture and microbial research are expected to boost the biological safety cabinet market demand in the coming years. Growing demand and adoption of biological safety cabinets: Increase in demand and adoption for biological safety cabinets in healthcare facilities and the rise in requirement for protecting products, workers, and the environment from exposure to and pollution from biological hazards further propels the market growth.

Increase in demand and adoption for biological safety cabinets in healthcare facilities and the rise in requirement for protecting products, workers, and the environment from exposure to and pollution from biological hazards further propels the market growth. Government guidelines and R&D expenditure: Increased number of beneficial government guidelines on healthcare industries across both developing and developed nations and growing spending and research & development expenditure by private and government organizations are predicted to flourish the biological safety cabinet market growth over the anticipated period.

Increased number of beneficial government guidelines on healthcare industries across both developing and developed nations and growing spending and research & development expenditure by private and government organizations are predicted to flourish the biological safety cabinet market growth over the anticipated period. Increasing prevalence of chronic disorders: A surge in the prevalence of chronic disorders such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and respiratory diseases which has led to the requirement of more research, is positively influencing the growth of the industry.

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Recent Trends Influencing the Market

Recent Launch: For instance, in September 2022 , Thermo Fisher Scientific launched its latest product, the 1500 Series Biological Safety Cabinet, which is designed to meet the needs of most laboratories and protect them from various biological hazards and contamination. This new series features a combination of energy efficiency, safety, and user convenience, providing a high level of personal and product protection.

For instance, in , Thermo Fisher Scientific launched its latest product, the 1500 Series Biological Safety Cabinet, which is designed to meet the needs of most laboratories and protect them from various biological hazards and contamination. This new series features a combination of energy efficiency, safety, and user convenience, providing a high level of personal and product protection. Automation technologies and rising adoption of biotech and healthcare laboratories: The introduction of different automation technologies and rising adoption of biotech and healthcare laboratories globally for storage, sample production, and managing in a low-cost and safe manner in developed economies such as US, Germany , and Canada is expected to create growth opportunities for the market throughout the foreseen period.

The introduction of different automation technologies and rising adoption of biotech and healthcare laboratories globally for storage, sample production, and managing in a low-cost and safe manner in developed economies such as US, , and is expected to create growth opportunities for the market throughout the foreseen period. Product innovations and digital interfaces: Rising product innovations such as the development of cabinet variants with improved construction, airflow pattern, and exhaust systems, along with the rising prevalence of digital interfaces adapted for HEPA filters and simple cabinet control for sterility-preserving environments, are additional biological safety cabinet market trends bolstering the market growth.

Segmental Analysis

Class II segment held the highest biological safety cabinet market share in 2022

Based on product type, class II segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2022 owing to the rising popularity of these class II biological safety cabinet systems across the world, as it offers full protection from all types of microbials. Also, increased use of a number of research activities coupled with growing expenditure on the development of novel medicines by biological safety cabinet market key players are driving the segment growth. Furthermore, the class III category is likely to grow at a significant rate and is expected to register a substantial market share throughout the predicted period due to the rise in adoption of this product form across different biological laboratories to protect the exposure and pollutant by biohazardous agents.

Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies witnessed major revenue share in 2022

By end-use biological safety cabinet market segmentation, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical companies held the highest share. This growth can be attributed to the launch of a number of the latest technology-based products as well as increasing research & development activities and rising expenditure in the healthcare industry across both developed and developing nations. For instance, in December 2022, a Florida-based company presented its new line of Laminar Flow Hoods, Biological Safety Cabinets, and Cleanroom Pass-Through Boxes for aseptic primary engineering control equipment. The product segment is aimed at fulfilling the severe governmental guidelines imposed in this industry.

The demand in Asia Pacific is anticipated to show a significant growth

In terms of geography, the biological safety cabinet market in Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the fastest rate over the study period owing to the continued increases in spending by both domestic and international institutions, expanded government backing and supportive measures for fundamental research, a substantial presence of trained labor, and the emergence of start-up trends.

Moreover, North America held the major market share in 2022 due to the growing cases of different chronic disorders, growing R&D activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, and early adoption of cutting-edge and innovative technologies.

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Biological Safety Cabinet Market: Report Scope & Coverage

Report Attribute Details Revenue forecast in 2032 USD 405.80 Million Market size value in 2023 USD 210.07 Million Expected CAGR Growth 7.6% from 2023  2032 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023  2032 Top Market Players Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Labconco Corporation, NuAire Inc., The Baker Company Inc., Jinan Biobase Biotech Co. Ltd., Germfree Laboratories Inc., Air Science Inc., Haier Biomedical, Cruma S.A., Azbil Telstar, Berner International, Biolab Scientific, Faster S.R.L., Lamsystems, Esco Micro, and Kewaunee Scientific Segments Covered By Product Type, By End-Use, By Region Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options

Geographical Overview

The demand in Asia Pacific is anticipated to show a significant growth

In terms of geography, the biological safety cabinet market in Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the fastest rate over the study period owing to the continued increases in spending by both domestic and international institutions, expanded government backing and supportive measures for fundamental research, a substantial presence of trained labor, and the emergence of start-up trends.

Moreover, North America held the major market share in 2022 due to the growing cases of different chronic disorders, growing R&D activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, and early adoption of cutting-edge and innovative technologies.

Browse the Detail Report "Biological Safety Cabinet Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product Type (Class I, Class II, and Class III); By End-Use; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023 - 2032" with in-depth TOC: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/biological-safety-cabinet-market

For Additional Information OR Media Enquiry, Please Mail At: [email protected]

Recent Developments

In May 2021 , Labconco Corporation launched the Axiom Biosafety Cabinets to meet the increasing demand for flexible biosafety cabinet ventilation. The updated cabinets feature various exclusive Class II, and Type C1 Axiom features suitable for all types of microbiological applications.

, Labconco Corporation launched the Axiom Biosafety Cabinets to meet the increasing demand for flexible biosafety cabinet ventilation. The updated cabinets feature various exclusive Class II, and Type C1 Axiom features suitable for all types of microbiological applications. In February 2021 , Thermo Fisher Scientific revealed the launch of an advanced system that expands its offering of "Class II Biological Safety Cabinet," designed to meet the protection requirements of bio-processing, diagnostic, and bio-pharmaceutical laboratories. The new system offers superior reliability levels, ensuring user safety and uncompromised sample protection.

The Key Questions Answered in This Report

What will be the market size and growth rate in the forecast year?

What are the key factors driving the industry?

What are the main trends that are positively impacting the market growth?

What growth opportunities does the market offer?

What are the key outcomes of Porter's five forces model?

What are the names of key players working in the industry?

What growth strategies are the companies considering to stay in the market?

Polaris Market Research has segmented the biological safety cabinet market report based on product type, end-use, and region:

By Product Type Outlook

Class I

Class II

Class III

By End-Use Outlook

Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Companies

Diagnostics & Testing Laboratories

Academic & Research Organizations

By Region Outlook

North America (U.S., Canada )

(U.S., ) Europe ( France , Germany , UK, Italy , Netherlands , Spain , Russia )

( , , UK, , , , ) Asia Pacific ( Japan , China , India , Malaysia , Indonesia , South Korea )

( , , , , , ) Latin America ( Brazil , Mexico , Argentina )

( , , ) Middle East & Africa ( Saudi Arabia , UAE, Israel , South Africa )

About Polaris Market Research:

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for PMR's clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve PMR's diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide PMR's customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to PMR's customers.

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SOURCE Polaris Market Research
CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) announced that its 5-year strategic plan was approved by its Board and confirmed by membership. GPA's vision is to be 'the primary global voice of prebiotics in human, companion animal, infant nutrition, medical and functional foods, beverages and supplements, and topical applications'. GPA is the only global trade association solely focused on prebiotics and providing education, insights, and awareness building to drive category growth.

Global Prebiotic Association Members Approve 5-Year Strategic Plan and Vision at Meeting During Vitafoods Europe

"Our trajectory over the past five years has validated our excitement about prebiotics," said GPA Executive Director Len Monheit. "Our plan for the next five years is ambitious, and brings new challenges and opportunities as prebiotics take their place as one of the biggest ingredient opportunities to provide health and nutrition solutions."

GPA's five year plan includes adding a Scientific & Advisory Technical Board that will help ensure tracking of all important developments and tap into external expertise to complement member strengths. With the emergence of synbiotics, GPA will ensure clarity in messaging so that the role and potential of prebiotics is optimized. The organization will also expand its committees to include both Education and Membership complementing the work of its current committees - Science/Technical, Regulatory and Communications. GPA is also committed to the development of an EU-focused program and European representation across all committees. With current membership at 42 companies, GPA will grow that number to over 135 in the next five years while at the same time expanding its presence in LATAM, Asia, Europe and South America.

Monheit added "Thank you to the GPA Board for its faith in our direction and ambition and thank you to our members for their commitment and engagement."

Learn more about GPA at prebioticassociation.org.

About GPA

The Global Prebiotic Association is comprised of scientifically-validated prebiotic ingredient manufacturers, brand holders, retailers, and service companies. The Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) is the only global trade association focused on prebiotics and their applications and science.

Media contact: Traci Kantowski, Communications Director, Global Prebiotic Association

+1 331-806-3864, [email protected]

SOURCE Global Prebiotic Association
MINNEAPOLIS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Data released today from Gravie, one of the fastest growing employer health benefits companies in the United States, shows that its flagship Comfort health plan is successfully reducing costs while also driving higher engagement with services that help keep people healthy. Launched in 2020, Comfort offers its members zero copays and zero deductibles on 85% of the most common healthcare services including office visits, specialist appointments, labs and imaging, generic prescriptions, mental health services and more.

For calendar year 2022, employers averaged a 15% reduction in premiums compared to their prior carrier renewal. The savings also extended to employees with the Comfort plan, who spent 20% less on claims than their colleagues on a traditional copay or HSA plan, and 61% less in out-of-pocket expenses.

At the same time as they experienced savings, employees took advantage of the 100% coverage Comfort offers on the most common healthcare services, using their benefits more frequently than those on a traditional plan that charges copays and deductibles for the same services. Comfort members had higher engagement with the following services: primary care, specialty care, imaging, mental health visits, urgent care and pharmacy. Meanwhile, claims for Comfort members averaged $160 per month less than claims for employees on a traditional copay or HSA plan.

"The 2022 data on Comfort's performance demonstrates that the plan is not too good to be truewhich is typically the first response we hear in the market when we're talking about this plan," said Marek Ciolko, Gravie co-founder and co-CEO. "We built Comfort with the belief that a benefits-rich health plan doesn't need to cost more money, as long as you're eliminating barriers to members accessing the kinds of benefits they need and want to use. We're thrilled that our employer clients and members are experiencing Comfort the way we intended."

Comfort is a level-funded health plan, which mitigates financial risk for employers and may even result in a refund of premiums if, at the end of the plan year, premiums outpace claims. Level-funding has typically been out of reach for small and midsize employers.

While most individuals and employers are spending more than ever on healthcare these days, the latest Comfort performance data shows the potential cost savings of eliminating copays and deductibles on the most common healthcare services. For example, Comfort members are averaging five free medical visits per year compared to the industry average of 2.8 free visits per year.

This plan performance news comes at a time when Gravie continues its steady growth trajectory, including securing an additional $179M in funding led by General Atlantic earlier this year. The company also recently unveiled new branding, with the tagline, "More benefits. Fewer asterisks." and launched a new website demonstrating how Gravie is having a meaningful impact on the healthcare of its members.

Learn more about Gravie and its Comfort plan, available to employer groups through their broker partners, at www.gravie.com/gravie-comfort .

About Gravie

Gravie has been and continues to be at the forefront of driving change and improving the healthcare industry by creating innovative employer-sponsored health benefit solutions that put consumers first. Comfort, Gravie's flagship product, is the nation's first-of-its-kind health plan that provides first-dollar, 100% coverage on most common healthcare services, at a cost comparable to traditional group health plans. Learn more about Gravie at www.gravie.com .

Media contact

Jeff Smokler

Gravie

410.370.1266

[email protected]

SOURCE Gravie
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The GVTC Foundation has been committed to connecting the community to opportunities through its five key areas of giving, which includes education. The foundation firmly believes education is the key to building stronger and more empowered communities. One of the most rewarding contributions that the foundation makes to the community is through its scholarships.

GVTC and The GVTC Foundation Award $235,000 in Scholarships to Local Students

The GVTC Foundation awarded $47,500 in scholarships this year to three graduating seniors in GVTC's service area. The scholarships included the $25,000 Ritchie T. Sorrells Leadership Scholarship, the $15,000 Ola Armstrong Volunteer Scholarship, and the $7,500 Vocational/Technical Scholarship. These scholarships aim to invest in students' futures in the community and support their academic endeavors.

The scholarship recipients were selected from a vast pool of applicants with the help of the New Braunfels Community Foundation (NBCF). The competition was extensive, and each chosen candidate had outstanding accomplishments. The GVTC Foundation Scholarship Committee surprised each student with a Zoom call that included their counselors, and the students' reactions were priceless.

Savay Sexton was the recipient of the $25,000 Ritchie T. Sorrells Scholarship for Leaders. She demonstrated her extraordinary leadership skills through multiple roles within 4-H, Gonzales Robert Lee Brothers Memorial Library Teen Action Group, and Gonzales Bucket Calf Program.

Savay will attend Texas A&M University and major in Agriculture Leadership and Development with a minor in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Sciences. Her career goal is to work in international agritourism coordinating tours in Europe and the United States showcasing agriculture entities and how the effects of policy, culture, technology, history, and legacies weave together.

Riley Edmondson received the $15,000 Ola Armstrong Scholarship for Volunteerism. She showed incredible community involvement through several organizations, including Leo Club, CoAPT, HOSA, National Honor Society, FCCLA, and Spanish Club. Riley will attend UT-San Antonio this fall to pursue a nursing degree. After graduation, she plans to transfer to UT-Arlington to continue her education and obtain a nurse practitioner degree. After college, Riley would like to open her own dermatology practice.

Carson Soens was the recipient of the $7,500 Vocational/Technical Scholarship. In the fall, he will attend Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas, to learn more about the culinary industry and expand his skill set. After college, Carson hopes to open his own restaurant and give back to the community through his love of food.

In 2023, GVTC and The GVTC Foundation will distribute over $235,000 to high school seniors in our service area! We understand and value the meaning of being local, and with each contribution made, we hope to enhance students' futures in our communities.

The GVTC Foundation is excited to see a new wave of determination and hope in its scholarship recipients and each generation to follow. Congratulations and good luck to all the scholarship recipients in their much-deserved success and future endeavors.

About GVTC:

GVTC is an award-winning fiber optics communications provider delivering high-speed Internet, digital cable TV, phone, and interactive smart security to residential and business customers in far north San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, and South Central Texas. GVTC offers Internet connection speeds up to 1 Gbps. GVTC's wholesale carrier transport network delivers Ethernet data delivery between San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston, with access to remote Texas markets. The company's philanthropic arm, The GVTC Foundation, is celebrating more than a decade of charitable giving. More than $5.8 million in contributions have been given throughout GVTC's service area.

Contact:

Brianne Magott- Communications Coordinator

Office: (830) 8858433

[email protected]

www.gvtcfoundation.com

SOURCE GVTC Communications
Third letter to shareholders expresses intent to communicate continuously

Implementation of generative AI in HANCOM Office SW to enhance product competitiveness and expand in overseas markets

Restructuring of high-intensity projects through selection and concentration to establish a foundation for long-term future growth

SEOUL, South Korea, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HANCOM (030520, CEO Sung-Jun Byun/Yeon-Soo Kim) announced on May 10 that the company has sent a letter to shareholders for the first-half of 2023.

When it sent its first letter to shareholders in 2021, HANCOM promised continuous communication with the shareholders. With this third letter, the company is keeping its promise.

In the letter, HANCOM stated, "Starting last year, we began a full-scale transition from an installation software-oriented business structure to a cloud SaaS-oriented business structure," and emphasized, "HANCOM will make a leap forward by restructuring the company portfolio for the expansion of cloud SaaS projects and taking a leadership role in the domestic and overseas AI editor markets through AI development, while also staying aggressive."

HANCOM will implement generative AI technology in its HANCOM Office SW to improve product competitiveness based on customer needs and establish a growth engine for expansion in overseas markets. In addition, HANCOM Office Editor will be integrated with robotic process automation (RPA) through partnerships with domestic and overseas partners via an SaaS model to secure a new source of revenue across various industries and services.

Notably, HANCOM secured the company's largest-ever amount of cashable assets through the sale of HANCOM MDS last year. It will use these assets to aggressively expand into overseas markets through investment in and acquisition of companies with growth potential through the company's global strategic initiative 'HANCOM Alliance.'

HANCOM also plans to improve the quality of its businesses and establish a foundation for long-term future growth by actively pursuing the growth of its subsidiaries with high growth potential, such as the genetic analysis and digital healthcare company HANCOM Carelink and the travel startup MadX Company, and by actively restructuring the business portfolios of its subsidiaries.

HANCOM CEO Yeon-Soo Kim stated, "We will do our best in terms of business innovation, financial improvement, and transformation of corporate and organizational culture for HANCOM to achieve continuous growth in the difficult market environment."

SOURCE HANCOM
The cannabis-infused seltzer will be the first national brand to distribute in Texas

BIRMINGHAM, Mich., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas, get ready to get Happi. Just in time for the hot summer months, Happi is launching its refreshing, cannabis-infused seltzers in the Lone Star state in partnership with Bayou City Hemp Company and 8th Wonder Brewery, who will formulate, manufacture and package Happi locally. Distributed by Flood Independent Distributors, Happi will be the first national brand to launch in Texas. Texans can find a Happi for any occasion in bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and other retail locations throughout the state by early summer.

Happi Launches First Functional Cannabis-Infused Seltzer Made for Day and Night (PRNewsfoto/Happi)

Happi is bringing its best selling flavors to Texas, including Glow and Nightcap, the first cannabis-infused functional beverages made with minor cannabinoids, along with reishi and lion's mane mushroom. Glow helps you find clarity and focus, and is available in a bright, crisp blood orange ginger flavor. Nightcap helps soothe you into more restful slumber, and is available in a subtly sweet and spicy Turkish apple tea flavor. Stay tuned for new additions to the Happi lineup in Texas!

Happi Glow 30 calories, 5mg THC, 5mg CBD, 3mg CBG, 2mg CBN

Carbonated Water, Organic Orange Juice, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Blood Orange Juice, Natural Flavors, Hemp Extract, Organic Lion's Mane Mushroom Extract, Vitamin C, Potassium Sorbate

Carbonated Water, Organic Orange Juice, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Blood Orange Juice, Natural Flavors, Hemp Extract, Organic Lion's Mane Mushroom Extract, Vitamin C, Potassium Sorbate Happi Nightcap 30 calories, 5mg THC, 5mg CBN

Carbonated Water, Organic Apple Juice, Organic Orange Juice, Organic Honey, Natural Flavors, Hemp Extract, Vitamin C, Organic Reishi Mushroom Extract, Potassium Sorbate

Carbonated Water, Organic Apple Juice, Organic Orange Juice, Organic Honey, Natural Flavors, Hemp Extract, Vitamin C, Organic Reishi Mushroom Extract, Potassium Sorbate Lime Wild Mint 25 calories, 5mg THC

Carbonated Water, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Lime Juice, Organic Pomegranate Juice, Natural Flavors, Hemp Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamin C

Founded in 2021, Happi got its start on dispensary shelves in Michigan and quickly expanded to additional states. In 2023, the brand launched its first hemp-derived direct-to-consumer sales online with shipping to 32 states, making it that much easier to find your Happi place.

"They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this launch is no different. It's a huge milestone for Happi to become the first national cannabis beverage brand in Texas," said Lisa Hurwitz, President and Co-Founder of Happi. "Collaborating with the team at 8th Wonder and Bayou City to locally produce Happi has really made us feel at home here."

"Happi is the perfect addition to our portfolio, including their functional beverages, which are a first for Texas. We think Texans are really going to love these infused seltzers and their light buzz," said Joel Canada, VP of Sales, Bayou City Hemp Company. "We're really looking forward to introducing cannabis-infused options like Happi to Texas."

Look for Happi on shelves in Texas by early summer. To get Happi delivered to your door today, visit https://happihourdrink.com/ .

ABOUT BAYOU CITY HEMP COMPANY

Launched in 2019, Bayou City Hemp Company is Texas' leading vertically integrated cannabis company with a world-class facility and team that is scaled to ensure the highest standards, services, and goods are met from seed-to-shelf. The company has produced award-winning consumer packaged goods for its customers from gummy edibles and nano-shots to vape pens, additives, and seltzers. With a science based approach, Bayou City's nano-emulsion technology is the core of their products' innovation. The organization's nano molecules are 1000x smaller than traditional cannabis distillate, which results in better taste, efficacy, and faster onset/bioavailability. Bayou City is focused on being the trusted source in creating and providing the highest quality and most reliable cannabis-derived products in the world, while maintaining a commitment to innovation, quality, and collaboration with its partners. As leaders and stewards of the cannabis industry in Texas, Bayou City strives to normalize and legitimize the industry through education and awareness. For more information, visit www.bayoucityhemp.com .

ABOUT HAPPI

Happi is an all-natural, cannabis-infused seltzer that changed the cannabis beverage game when it debuted in 2021. There's a Happi for any occasion with multiple flavors made with organic fruit and a range of dosages from 2.5-10mg, depending on the state. Happi is currently available in select states and online. Find your Happi at happihourdrink.com .

SOURCE Happi
BROOKLYN, N.Y., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heraclea Food Co. ("Heraclea"), an innovative olive oil brand, launched in the US market on March 15th, offering transparency, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability. Founded by Berk Bahceci, a former lawyer driven to address the lack of transparency in the olive oil sector, Heraclea is committed to raising consumer awareness on the social and environmental impacts of olive oil production.

Heraclea is a vertically integrated olive oil company growing its olives on 100 acres of land in Milas, Mugla, a region with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status as determined by the European Union. By controlling every aspect of the production process, Heraclea accurately assesses and minimizes its olive oil's environmental and social impacts, setting a new industry standard. Learn more about Heraclea's vision and commitment to sustainability at https://heraclea.co/pages/our-story.

The company offers two unique PDO-certified products, Early Harvest and Mature Harvest olive oil, reflecting their dedication to quality and sustainability. Heraclea's olive oils provide customers with an unparalleled taste experience while promoting environmentally conscious choices. Discover Heraclea's products at https://heraclea.co/products/the-pairing.

The olive oil industry faces challenges like soil degradation, erosion, water contamination, unemployment, and migration from producing regions due to mechanized harvesting. Most olive oil brands aren't producers themselves, preventing them from assessing the true impact of their products. Heraclea aims to shift this paradigm by raising consumer awareness and pushing other brands to assess their production methods and minimize carbon emissions and other social impacts.

"By creating Heraclea, we want to show consumers that it's possible to produce high-quality olive oil while respecting the environment and supporting local communities," said Berk Bahceci, founder of Heraclea. "Our mission is to inspire other brands to follow our lead and take responsibility for their impact on the planet and its people."

Heraclea invites consumers to join their mission in making a positive impact on the environment and society. By choosing Heraclea, customers enjoy superior PDO-certified olive oil and support a company dedicated to reducing the industry's environmental and social footprint.

**About Heraclea**

Heraclea's PDO-certified olive oil is committed to providing a high-quality product while respecting the environment and supporting local communities.To learn more about Heraclea, please visit www.heraclea.co or follow on Instagram (@weareheraclea).

Contact Information: [email protected]

SOURCE Heraclea Food Co
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. A documentary film entitled Iz was demonstrated in Shusha on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the architect and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, national leader Heydar Aliyev.

State and government officials, guests of the Kharibulbul International Music Festival in Shusha, and well-known figures of culture, art, and science took part in the screening of the documentary.

The film presented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation describes the life and activities of the Great Leader, the script of which covers different periods of his political activity based on the speeches of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

The film also tells about the national leader's commitment to Azerbaijan and the people, the strengthening of Azerbaijan as an independent state, and the consistent policy pursued in the direction of the liberation of Karabakh from the Armenian occupation.

At the same time, the liberation of our occupied lands from thirty years of occupation under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan, Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the restoration of the territorial integrity of the country, and thus the realization of the will and dreams of national leader Heydar Aliyev are also featured in the film.
LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- idexo, the NFT Innovation Infrastructure leader, is excited to announce its strategic move to zkSync, a leading Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution using Zero Knowledge technology, following an unanimous community vote. With this transition, idexo bids farewell to Fantom for its community systems and embarks on a new journey encompassing several groundbreaking ventures and spinouts.

Spendable Voting By NFT Holder Smart Contract in Solidity Current pools for spinout projects for transaction gas price stability, selfie NFT mobile app and AI-generated NFTs and web3 game

In response to the enduring challenge of transaction gas cost volatility on Ethereum networks, idexo is launching a new whitepaper for a protocol designed to provide stable gas pricing. The innovative GasHedge DAO contracts, utilizing idexo's proprietary directional staking technology, invites interested parties to stake idexo's native token in a dedicated pool that will govern the protocol.

The gas stability protocol will be accessible through smart contracts and UI, initially deployed on the zkSync network, and is centered around the creation of "method credit tokens" that can be used at run-time to process transactions for specific methods such as minting NFTs or making DEX swaps. Anyone can create these ERC20 method credit tokens and there are DEX contracts to buy/sell options to these method credits at future prices. A Paymaster system accepts these ERC20 tokens as payment for actual transactions and puts through the actual gas payment at transaction time.

Idexo's NFTMe mobile app and directional pool are making their debut on zkSync, leveraging zkSync's native Account Abstraction features to enhance the app with new functionality. This improvement will further enhance user experience in the app that enables users to seamlessly create and sell NFT collections crafted from selfies.

The DEX for idexo's native token is now hosted on Mute, as part of the transition to zkSync.

Incorporating zkSync into its no-code SaaS product and low-code API, idexo now empowers users to effortlessly create NFT and Soulbound Token collections, and a wide range of other smart contract types, on the zkSync platform.

Idexo is also introducing a groundbreaking AI-generated NFT Collection and Game spinout, slated for launch on zkSync.

The project is further excited to announce the relaunch of its Early Adopter Soulbound Token program, now named Early Adopter v2 on zkSync. Existing idexo community NFT holders can mint the base rank token through idexo's community token gating portal beginning on May 15th. New members can participate in a free mint event on Twitter, scheduled for May 17th at 3pm UTC. The Soulbound Token will feature four higher ranks, accessible through community points accumulation or direct purchase using idexo's native token. Higher ranks unlock access to exclusive airdrops and whitelists from campaign partners, such as web3 games, or from special experiments conducted by idexo itself.

Furthermore, idexo is proud to introduce an innovative smart contract that enables holders of any stake NFT, created from idexo's general or directional staking pools or DAOs, to propose and vote on the allocation of community tokens. Votes will be weighted based on the size of the stakes on their NFTs. This cutting-edge smart contract, named SpendableVotingByStakeNFTHolder.sol, has been deployed to zkSync testnet for final live testing before launching on the mainnet.

"We are grateful for our community's unanimous support in making the move to zkSync and are eager to unveil numerous new innovations as part of the transition," says Greg Marlin, Founder of idexo. "zkSync's native support for Paymasters and Account Abstraction aligns with our vision of driving mass adoption through enhanced user and founder experiences, and we look forward to introducing more innovations in that domain."

To learn more about idexo's strategic move to zkSync and how to engage, visit the community site at idexo.io.

MEDIA CONTACT

Company: idexo

Name: Greg Marlin

Email: [email protected]

City: London

Country: United Kingdom

Website: https://idexo.com

Phone: +44 20 8089 1372

SOURCE idexo
BOSTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial Intelligence has come a long way since the success of DeepMind over Go world champion Lee Sedol in 2016; the world is beginning to change according to the new possibilities afforded by AI. From the robust predictive abilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT  where the AI chatbot can be used for all sorts of purposes, from creating scripts (including malware) to writing academic essays  to AI image generators that are so good that they can win Sony world photography awards, the complexity and capabilities of AI algorithms are growing at a startlingly fast pace. Hardware is hardly divorced from this. As machine learning workloads become more complex and more compute-hungry, so must hardware scale appropriately to ensure cost-efficiency for end users without stalling progress in the software domain. Hardware and software are tightly linked, and it is the matter of control and ownership of AI hardware that is emphasized in IDTechEx's latest report, 'AI Chips 2023-2033'.

Semiconductor foundry node roadmap. Source: IDTechEx

The Price of Failure

2016 may have been the year that the world first took notice of the reality of AI, but IDTechEx believes that 2020 will be the year that is remembered as a turning point in technology initiatives across the globe. Chips for AI training  where training refers to providing AI algorithms with large datasets, such that the algorithm can adjust its weights in order to better fit with the provided data  are typically at the most leading-edge nodes, given how computationally intensive the training stage of implementing an AI algorithm is. Intel, Samsung and TSMC are the only companies that can produce 5 nm node chips. Of these, TSMC is currently the only company that is having any real success with securing orders for 3 nm chips. TSMC is a Taiwanese company, Samsung South Korean. TSMC has a global market share for semiconductor production that is currently hovering at around 60%. For the more advanced nodes, this is closer to 90%. Of TSMC's six 12-inch fabs and six 8-inch fabs, only two are in China and one is in the USA. The rest are in Taiwan. Therefore, the semiconductor manufacture part of the global supply chain is heavily concentrated in the APAC region, principally Taiwan.

Such a concentration comes with a great deal of risk should this part of the supply chain be threatened in some way. This is precisely what occurred in 2020 when a number of complementing factors (such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of data mining, a Taiwanese drought, fabrication facility fire outbreaks, and neon procurement difficulties due to the Russia-Ukraine war) led to a global chip shortage, where demand for semiconductor chips exceeded supply. Since then, the largest stakeholders (excluding Taiwan) in the semiconductor value chain (the US, the EU, South Korea, Japan, and China) have sought to reduce their exposure to a manufacturing deficit should another set of circumstances arise that results in an even more exacerbated chip shortage.

The Prize

But this is not the only reason that national and regional government initiatives have been put in place to incentivize semiconductor manufacturing companies to expand operations or build new facilities. The manufacture of advanced semiconductor chips fuels national/regional AI capabilities. These capabilities, in natural language processing (understanding of textual data, not just from a linguistic perspective but also a contextual one), speech recognition (being able to decipher a spoken language and convert it to text in the same language, or convert to another language), recommendation (being able to send personalized adverts/suggestions to consumers based on their interactions with service items), reinforcement learning (being able to make predictions based on observations/exploration, such as is used when training agents to play a game), object detection, and image classification (being able to distinguish objects from an environment, and decide on what that object is), are so significant to the efficacy of certain products (such as autonomous vehicles and industrial robots) and to models of national governance and security, that the development of AI hardware and software should be at the top of the agenda for any government body that wishes to be at the technological forefront.

Report Coverage

IDTechEx forecasts that the global AI chips market will grow to US$257.6 billion by 2033. How this pie is sliced will largely depend on how effective funding initiatives are. IDTechEx's report breaks down each major national and regional funding initiative related to semiconductor manufacture, giving analysis pertaining to where funding is coming from, how this is to be dispensed, and the relative effectiveness of each governing body's initiatives. Geopolitical background is given, difficulties and opportunities presented, and each region's use and expertise with AI clearly detailed. In addition, the major private investments made and announced since 2021 with regard to semiconductor manufacture are surveyed and contextualized within overarching funding initiatives.

More generally, the report covers the global AI Chips market across eight industry verticals, with 10-year granular forecasts in seven different categories (such as by geography, by chip architecture, and by application). In addition to the revenue forecasts for AI chips, costs at each stage of the supply chain (design, manufacture, assembly, test & packaging, and operation) are quantified for a leading-edge AI chip. Rigorous calculations are provided, along with a customizable template for customer use and analyses of comparative costs between leading and trailing edge node chips.

IDTechEx's latest report, 'AI Chips 2023-2033', answers the major questions, challenges and opportunities faced by the AI chip value chain. For further understanding of the markets, players, technologies, opportunities, and challenges, please refer to this report.

To find out more, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/AIChips.

Upcoming Free-to-Attend Webinar

How AI Is Shaking up the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain

Leo Charlton, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this article, will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on Wednesday 7 June 2023 - How AI Is Shaking up the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain.

Contents that will be covered in this webinar include:

AI capabilities and why these matter

The link between AI and semiconductor manufacture

Reasons for government funding initiatives into shoring up domestic semiconductor supply chain capabilities

Outlook, both with regards to the effectiveness of these campaigns, as well as the global semiconductor supply chain and AI chips until 2033

Click here to find out more and register your place on one of our three sessions. If you are unable to make the date, please do register for one of the sessions anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording and slides as soon as they are available.

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

Images Download:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gxeg9rbj0h7jtopk6mqls/h?dl=0&rlkey=04rxtuk4ajnv492um8ckjyqht

Media Contact:

Lucy Rogers

Sales and Marketing Administrator

[email protected]

+44(0)1223 812300

Social Media Links:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx

Facebook: www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch

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SOURCE IDTechEx
DUBLIN, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Indonesia Construction Equipment Rental Market - Strategic Assessment & Forecast 2023-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Indonesia construction equipment rental market is expected to reach a value of $618.5 million by 2029 from $430 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 5.3%

Earthmoving equipment accounted for the largest share of the Indonesia construction equipment rental market, around 45% in 2022. The excavator in the earthmoving segment accounted for the largest share of 71.8% in 2022. Rising investment in infrastructures, development of expressways, & mining projects in 2022 is expected to drive the demand for renting excavators.

In 2022, the Indonesian government increased the infrastructure development projects, including constructing airports, railways lines, roadways, highways & bridges across the country. The government invested USD 407 billion under Nation Strategic Plan; the fund was directed to 200 different PPP projects in 2022.

The demand for hydraulic excavators in the Indonesia construction equipment rental market is growing due to the rise in public infrastructure projects which include an extension of railways tracks, airports & renovation of bridges & highways across Indonesia in 2022. Several road construction & housing projects are progressing in different countries in the region in 2023.

Renting large excavators and dump trucks witnessed a sharp rise post-pandemic in 2021 due to rising mining activities nationwide. The growth in the mining industry is due to an increase in coal prices & surge in nickel extraction projects in Indonesia. The government's focus on increasing nickel production to fulfill local demand will positively impact the mining industry.

Japanese rental companies have a strong presence in the Indonesia construction equipment rental market. These companies are introducing digital transformation to enhance customer experience. Chinese construction equipment manufacturers like SANY, XCMG & others are popular with customers due to their low cost and equipment financing facilities. The demand for electric and automated equipment witnessed growth in the year 2022.

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVER

Rise in Infrastructure Investment



In 2022, the government invested in 83 PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects for infrastructure developments, which include 50 projects in the transportation sector, including 13 ports and 15 railways projects. Asian Development Bank provided a loan of USD 100 million to the Indonesian government to support these projects.

In 2023, the Indonesian government planned 49 projects, 33 PPP projects, and 16 non-PPP projects. The 33 PPP projects include 18 Road Sector Projects, 4 Telecommunication Sector Projects, 1 Electricity Sector Project, 6 Water Supply Sector Projects, 3 Transportation Sector Projects, and 1 Energy Conservation Sector Project. A total investment value of more than USD 38.0 billion is planned to direct these infrastructure projects.



Government Investment Under National Strategic Projects



In 2022, the government introduced National Strategic Projects in Indonesia.

The projects focus on increasing Indonesia's economic growth, improving community welfare, and increasing regional development. There are over 200 projects in National Strategic Projects ranging from toll road development and new airport construction to broadband enhancement coverage, worth nearly USD 500 billion.

In 2022, the government planned to invest in the construction of 200 projects and ten programs of National Strategic Projects with an investment value of USD 407 billion, targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2024.



Japanese Rental Companies Focus on Digital Transformation



The level of competition among manufacturers in the Indonesian market is increasing due to the surge in Chinese heavy equipment, which is cheaper and has easy financing facilities. Chinese companies such as SANY, XCMG & Zoomlion partner with local distributors to provide rental services in the Indonesia construction equipment rental market at a lower price.

Japanese rental companies such as AKTIO, Nikken, Kanamoto, and Nishio Rent All strongly influence Indonesia's construction equipment rental market. These rental companies have established operations across the region. These companies offer a wide range of products, from standard construction equipment rental and aerial platform forklifts, cranes, and other rental equipment.



INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS

Rising Building Material Prices Can Hamper the Construction Industry



Indonesia faces the challenge of a shortage of skilled labor force in 2023.

The country needs ~113 million skilled workers by 2030 to achieve manufacturing, infrastructure, and agribusiness economic growth. The country depends on foreign & cheap laborers from Bangladesh, Nepal & India.

These cheap foreign laborers employed in the Indonesian construction industry are known for taking little care of construction equipment when using them. According to Caterpillar Indonesia, improper handling of construction machinery is one of the major challenges for the Indonesia construction equipment rental market.



VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Prominent vendors in the Indonesia construction equipment rental market are Caterpillar, Volvo Construction Equipment, JCB, Komatsu, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Zoomlion, Kobelco, SANY, XCMG & Kubota.

Prominent Vendors

Caterpillar

Komatsu

JCB

Volvo Construction Equipment

Hitachi Construction Machinery

Kubota

SANY

Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. (XCMG)

Kobelco

Other Prominent Vendors

Hyundai Construction Equipment

Liebherr

Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd.

Yanmar

Rental Companies Profile

Aktio Corporation

Kanamoto

PT. Berlian Amal Perkasa Construction & Rental

Nishio

PT. Indonesia Classification Company

PT Kobexindo Tractors Tbk.

CV. Mitra Perdana Equipment (MPE)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ig1aye

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
NEW DELHI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 G20 Interfaith Forum, Partnerships in Action: towards "One Earth, One Family, One Future" took place from the 7-9th of May in the Bahai House of Worship, New Delhi. The event was hosted by the Bahai International Community, working in partnership with the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association.

The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) was founded to bring together religious leaders, faith-inspired organizations, public officials, academics, and cultural organizations from all sectors to advance humanitarian values and understanding worldwide in the context of the G20 process. The IF20 has operated since 2014 and has provided a continuing international platform to explore ways in which religious communities can make meaningful contributions to global policy formation.

The New Delhi Forum was focused on the themes of India's G20 Presidency: One Earth, One Family and One Future, and looked ahead to the G20 India Summit in September 2023 and beyond to 2024. Prior to the formal commencement of the event, H.E. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency, addressed the forum and offered his vision from India's presidency.

The forum built upon the success of the 2022 forum in the UAE, and prior G20 Interfaith events. The 2023 forum aspired to hear a wide range of voices, including but not limited to, historically underrepresented populations such as minorities, women, children, and youth, and relevant networks, as well as faith-based and interfaith organizations at local, national and international levels.

The New Delhi Forum focused on priority issues connected to the wider G20 agendas - climate change, refugees, child dignity, the food crisis, trafficking, anti-racism initiatives, protecting cultural heritage, conflict resolution, tolerance, education, COVID recovery and more general health care reforms, social protection and humanitarian reforms. The overarching theme of the forum focused on leaving no one behind, especially those in the most vulnerable circumstances. The aim of the forum was to raise awareness of these issues and create substantive and specific policy recommendations for this year's G20 process.

Commenting on the success of the forum, Chief Executive of Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, Dana Humaid AI Marzouqi, said: "I would like to thank our partners, the Bahai International Community and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association for their support in the production of another highly successful event. The last two days have affirmed, yet again, that interfaith cooperation is a hugely effective medium for uniting people from across the globe. This forum continues to demonstrate that diversity is our greatest strength, and that we can all work together, regardless of our background, to deliver meaningful change for the most vulnerable in society. From my personal perspective, I was enormously encouraged by the discussions around child dignity  children are our future and we must do everything we can to allow them to live safe and fulfilling lives. What is essential is that we translate our efforts here into concrete action in wider society. I feel confident that having witnessed the passion, energy and determination of the forum's participants, that we can speak as one voice and provide actionable recommendations to inform the G20 Summit in September. We will also take the ideas shared onto our workshops in Kenya, Turkey and Philippines where I look forward to developing them further".

Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Bahai International Community to the United Nations, added: "The G20 interfaith forum continues to be a uniquely unifying force, transcending differences and bringing together groups and individuals from faith traditions across the globe, to work together for the betterment of our common humanity. It has been a pleasure to hear from experts of both faith and non-faith backgrounds on the most pressing issues facing our world, as well as the potential solutions to these. It is my sincere hope that we can take the conclusions and outcomes of this forum and translate them into actions that will protect the most vulnerable in society and build capacity for them to flourish."

Professor W. Cole Durham Jr., President of the G20 Interfaith Forum Association, concluded: "The New Delhi Forum has served as a major landmark in this year's continuous engagement with G20 process."

The next G20 Interfaith Forum will be held in Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum

The G20 Interfaith Forum Association was launched in 2014, during Australia's Presidency of the G20. It has progressed from a largely academic gathering timed to coincide with the G20 Summit to a sustained alliance of diverse religious leaders, practitioners from humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development organizations; and scholars. The underlying purpose is to contribute to global agendas through practical and ethical experience and wisdom of the world's diverse religious communities, which are often absent from global forums. The extensive contributions of the "network of networks" as well as the prophetic voice and leadership of renowned religious leaders can enrich the G20 deliberations and contribute, alongside parallel and often interlinked constituencies (civil society, youth, business, etc.) to addressing the urgent problems facing the world and its leaders.

About the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities (IAFSC)

The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities was established to empower faith leaders to work for the safety and security of our communities, tackling issues such as child sexual abuse, extremism, radicalization and human trafficking. The IAFSC aims to facilitate the building of bridges between key stakeholders including faith communities, NGOs and experts in various domains. The IAFSC is conscious of the importance of empowering faith leaders, both at the institutional and grass-root levels, with knowledge, and to mobilize them to play a more active role in community safety.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum Association

The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it helps prioritize key global policy goals and point toward practical means of implementation at every level of society.

SOURCE G20 Interfaith Forum
NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The INX Digital Company, Inc. (Cboe Canada: INXD, INXATS: INX, OTCQB: INXDF) ("INX"), a broker-dealer and inter-dealer broker, is pleased to announce that Alexandra Damsker and Ralph Daiuto have joined its Advisory Board. The two seasoned executives bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the company as it continues its growth trajectory in the digital economy.

Alexandra Damsker is an experienced corporate and securities attorney, public speaker and runs the token-agnostic blockchain education podcast Crypto | Immersion. Formerly with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and international firm Mayer Brown, she is also a two-time founder. Mrs. Damsker has been in the blockchain space since 2016, currently serving as legal, operations, and strategic advisor to several companies, family offices, and high net-worth individuals regarding a variety of blockchain and Web3 fields.

Ralph Daiuto is an accomplished attorney and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the securities and fintech industries. He is currently the CEO of RAD Partners, LLC, a boutique consulting firm specializing in legal, compliance, and regulatory matters. Daiuto is also a seasoned executive with a track record of success in building and growing businesses. His experience with digital assets and blockchain-related technologies includes his work as COO and General Counsel for tZero Group, Inc. and founding Director of BSTX, the first SEC-regulated Securities Exchange Facility leveraging private blockchain technologies. Daiuto is a current Member of the Private Securities Executive Advisory Board of DTCC and a former member of both the FINRA FinTech Industry Committee and the Leadership Committee of the Chamber of Digital Commerce's Token Alliance.

"We are thrilled to welcome Alexandra Damsker and Ralph Daiuto to our Board," said Shy Datika, INX's CEO. "Both Alexandra and Ralph bring unique strengths and experiences that will be invaluable as we continue to drive innovation and growth for our company and for the entire digital assets ecosystem here in the U.S. and globally."

Damsker and Daiuto will join INX's Advisory Board immediately and will work closely with the company's executive team to help guide its strategic direction.

Damsker stated, "INX has a talented team that continues to set industry standards with innovation in digital asset compliance, liquidity, and access. I look forward to developing new economic models with them as compliance continues to grow."

Ralph Daiuto added, "I have been closely following INX's journey in the digital asset space and believe that they are well positioned for future success. I look forward to working with the INX team and helping them build out their regulated marketplace."

For more information about INX and its novel trading and capital-raising financial instruments for enterprises and companies worldwide, visit https://www.inx.co/.

About INX:

INX provides a regulated trading platform for digital securities and cryptocurrencies.

With the combination of traditional markets expertise and a disruptive fintech approach, INX provides state-of-the-art solutions to modern financial problems. INX is led by an experienced and dedicated team of business, finance, and technology veterans with the shared vision of redefining the world of capital markets via blockchain technology and innovative regulatory approach.

About The INX Digital Company, Inc. INX is the holding company for the INX Group, which includes regulated trading platforms for digital securities and cryptocurrencies, combining traditional markets expertise and an innovative fintech approach. The INX Group's vision is to be the preferred global regulated hub for digital assets on the blockchain. The INX Group's overall mission is to bring communities together and empower them with financial innovation. Our journey started with our initial public token offering of the INX Token in which we raised US$84 million. The INX Group is shaping the blockchain asset industry through its willingness to work in a regulated environment with oversight from regulators like the SEC and FINRA.

In addition to operating two regulated trading platforms for blockchain assets, INX's interdealer broker, I.L.S. Brokers, plans to offer non-deliverable cryptocurrency forwards to Tier-1 banks in the future. For more information, please visit the INX Group website here .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Other Disclosures

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, INX has made certain assumptions, including with respect to, the continuous development of the INX trading platform, the offering of non-deliverable cryptocurrency forwards, and the development of the digital asset industry. Although INX believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include but are not limited to regulatory developments, the state of the digital securities and cryptocurrencies markets, and general economic conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, INX disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise.

Cboe Canada is not responsible for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news 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 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.

For further information, contact:

The INX Digital Company, Inc.

Investor Relations

+1 855 657 2314

Email: [email protected]

For more information, contact:

Liz Whelan

[email protected]

(312) 315-0160

SOURCE The INX Digital Company, Inc.
TOKYO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackery has made its debut at the 18th Office Disaster Prevention EXPO [Spring], which is held at Tokyo Bigsite from May 10th to May 12th, 2023. This is the first time Jackery participates in a disaster prevention-themed exhibition in Japan. It serves as a platform to showcase the utilization of Jackery products in the field of disaster prevention while also expressing our determination to expand in this sector.

"We demonstrate during the expo how Jackery products may be used successfully in scenarios involving disaster prevention. Our goal is to demonstrate the practical applications and benefits of our portable power stations and solar panels in ensuring the safety and continuity of operations in the face of unforeseen events." said the Head of Jackery Japan Marketing Department.

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce the Pro series' introduction, which includes the much awaited SG 3000 Pro model, which will be sold in Japan by the end of June. The Pro series reflects the most recent developments in our product line, providing improved features and capabilities to satisfy our customers' changing needs. Premium Pro family solar generators from Jackery produce clean, sustainable energy with no emissions.

During the exhibition, we are honored to have a renowned disaster prevention expert Mr. Tomoya Takani deliver a live presentation on the utilization of energy storage systems in office disaster prevention at the Jackery booth (booth number: 4-15). This seminar aims to inform participants about the significance of including solar generators in their business continuity plans by emphasizing their function in supplying dependable and effective electricity during catastrophes.

We warmly invite all visitors to our booth to explore our products, talk with others about about disaster prevention strategies, and witness firsthand the value of incorporating Jackery's energy solutions into their preparedness plans.

About Jackery

Jackery, the world's leading innovative portable power and green outdoor energy solution provider founded in California in 2012, is a global top-selling solar generator brand born with a mission to offer green energy to everyone, everywhere. Having introduced solar generators to the great outdoors, Jackery fulfills the power needs of every nature-lover, inspiring them to explore further and seek more extraordinary experiences. Expanding its footprint from the US to Europe, Japan, and China, Jackery has sold over 3 million units globally since 2018. Together, we are committed to making the world a better place.

SOURCE Jackery Inc.
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- James Burg Trucking Company President Jim Burg has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Burg was appointed by ATRI Chair Derek Leathers, chairman, president and CEO of Werner Enterprises, at the Institute's Board meeting in Hollywood, Florida on May 5, 2023.

Jim Burg, President, James Burg Trucking Company

Burg began his career in trucking over 40 years ago. He was an owner-operator for eight years before incorporating and licensing his company, James Burg Trucking Company, which is a flatbed carrier currently operating over 90 trucks throughout the Midwest.

During Burg's career he has logged over 1.3 million miles operating commercial motor vehicles while simultaneously focusing on the complexities of transportation and meeting his customers' needs. He has spent countless hours on innovative truck and trailer design to achieve the most efficient flatbed equipment in the industry.

Burg is very active in the trucking industry and has served on numerous committees and boards of the American Trucking Associations, PrePass Safety Alliance, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Michigan State Police. He has received a number of trucking industry awards and honors including being the 2010 recipient of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine's Innovator of the Year award and the 2016 Michigan State Police Distinguished Partner award.

Burg has been married to his wife Carol for 22 years and is the father of two daughters. Olivia is a junior at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY and Isabelle is a freshman at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

"Jim has been a loyal supporter of ATRI and we are excited to welcome him to the Board of Directors. As a regional carrier, he brings an important perspective to the Board and we look forward to his involvement as we continue to address trucking's top research priorities," said ATRI Chair Derek Leathers.

A complete listing of the ATRI Board of Directors is available at TruckingResearch.org.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute
PITTSBURGH, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) announced today that they will attend the KeyBanc Industrials & Basic Materials Conference in Boston.

Details of the conference are as follows:

When: Wednesday, May 31, 2023



Attendees: Patrick Watson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Dr. Carlonda Reilly, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Michael Pici, Vice President, Investor Relations

About Kennametal

With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,700 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2 billion in revenues in fiscal 2022. Learn more at www.kennametal.com . Follow @Kennametal: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE Kennametal Inc.
Jerome "Jerry" Block, Partner at the law firm of Levy Konigsberg, was recently featured in a special CNN investigation into J&J baby powder cancer claims.

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block was recently featured in a CNN investigation that premiered on Sunday, May 7th on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.

Learn more about the CNN episode featuring Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block and three clients with asbestos baby powder cases against J&J.

The special - "Shaken: Baby Powder on Trial"  focuses on the legal battle between J&J, one of the world's largest health care companies, and plaintiffs whose cancers were caused by asbestos in J&J's talc-based baby powder products. The FDA confirmed the presence of asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder in October 2019 and less than a year later J&J pulled its talc-based baby powder from the U.S. and Canadian markets. The CNN documentary profiles: three women who have stepped forward with filed lawsuits against J&J; the company's continuing denial of the asbestos in talc problem; and some of the advocates who are fighting to help victims obtain justice  including Levy Konigsberg's Jerry Block, who represents all three of the women profiled in the episode.

In addition to profiling the personal struggles these women have faced following their cancer diagnoses, the documentary also chronicles their struggle to secure justice against a powerful corporation by shedding light on the improper tactics J&J has employed to shield itself from liability.

This includes strategically merging its consumer products business into a newly created entity in Texas, splitting that entity into two, saddling one of the new entities with the company's talc liabilities, and immediately putting that company into bankruptcy in a maneuver known as the "Texas Two-Step," which has been strongly criticized as an abuse of bankruptcy law.

As Block notes during the documentary:

"After filing for bankruptcy, the first thing that was done by this new company was to go to the bankruptcy court and say, 'you need to stop all the cases against Johnson & Johnson.' This prevents all of the existing cases from going forward. It also prevents any new cases from being filed against the company."

Block is featured throughout the CNN documentary discussing key aspects of the litigation, including evidence relating to asbestos in talc supporting his clients' claims, as well as Levy Konigsberg's work fighting for a dismissal of J&J's bankruptcy case (which was rejected by a federal appeals court in January 2023). At the end of the CNN episode, it is revealed that J&J's subsidiary re-filed its bankruptcy immediately after the first bankruptcy was dismissed, and J&J is now seeking to settle all present and future talc claims for 8.9 billion dollars through the bankruptcy court. Levy Konigsberg, on behalf of its clients, is continuing to oppose J&J's improper use of the bankruptcy system that would deny cancer victims their right to a trial by jury.

"Shaken: Baby Powder on Trial," featuring Partner Jerry Block will air again on Friday, May 12 at 9pm EST on CNN. The episode is also available to stream on CNN OTT and online at CNN.com, mobile apps, and CNNgo. You can listen to an audio showcast of the episode here.

Jerry Block is a Partner at Levy Konigsberg. A nationally recognized civil trial attorney, he has helped his firm recover more than $3 billion in compensation for victims in high-profile cases involving asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, as well as in other toxic exposure, and complex civil claims involving public health. He is one of the nation's only attorneys to have won multiple jury verdicts against both the asbestos and tobacco industries. For more information, visit www.levylaw.com.

Media Contact

Jerome Block

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Levy Konigsberg
Jones & Son Fine Jewelry partners with the Miss Arkansas Pageant creating a custom watch to raise funds for scholarships, it's called "Buy a Watch  Give a Scholarship"

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For over 100 years the Miss Arkansas Pageant has been the states' premier scholarship vehicle for young women. The last few years, however, have seen a plateau in fundraising due to the last few years of the pandemic. One local jeweler came up with a way to beat the slump. Little Rock, Arkansas jeweler, Jones & Son Diamond & Bridal Fine Jewelry, has partnered with the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Foundation creating a Limited-Edition Watch. The custom one-of-a-kind watch will be sold from now until the Miss Arkansas Pageant in June 2023. It's a custom watch that's only limited to a few hundred. The profit from the watch will raise up to $25,000 and will be used as a much-needed boost for scholarships. Jacob Jones, from Jones & Son Diamond & Bridal Fine Jewelry came up with the concept over a year ago, showed it to the board of the Miss Arkansas Foundation, and started working on it right away. Jacob said, "Jones & Son has been involved as a Miss Arkansas sponsor for over 10 years. We wanted to come up with something fun to draw more attention to the Miss Arkansas cause and raise as much money as possible. We call it "Buy a Watch  Give a Scholarship' This way you can help out, get a great looking watch, and support young women with their college tuition and education." Susie Morgan, Chair of the Miss Arkansas Foundation Board of Directors said, "We are so excited to partner with Jones & Son and be able to offer even more scholarships to these young women, that's what the Miss Arkansas Program is all about."

Front of the Miss Arkansas Watch created by Jones & Son Fine Jewelry in Little Rock, Arkansas. Back of the Miss Arkansas Watch created by Jones & Son Fine Jewelry in Little Rock, Arkansas. Current Miss Arkansas 2022 Ebony Mitchell

Details About the watch: The Jones & Son/ Miss Arkansas 2023 watch is a custom quartz movement watch. This watch is a fashion accessory that is rose gold electroplated, features Austrian crystals, and a vibrant leather strap that comes in 5 different colors. The back of the watch and box are stamped Miss Arkansas 2023, Limited Edition Watch to commemorate this 2023 Miss Arkansas Pageant. It's only $199 and sold online at https://jonesandson.com/2023-miss-arkansas-watch/ or at Jones & Son's West Little Rock Store at 11121 Rodney Parham Rd Little Rock, AR 72212.

About Jones & Son Fine Jewelry: Jones & Son is a Little Rock, Arkansas jeweler and a leading engagement ring manufacturer and is a direct diamond importer since 1986. Jones & Son was voted Arkansas's Best Jeweler in 2021 by AY Magazine

SOURCE Jones & Son
During a working visit to Georgia, Portugal's Defense Minister Helena Carreiras met with Georgia's Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. Following an official welcome ceremony, the two held a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Defense where they discussed international security matters and the current challenges.Their conversation also delved into the prospects for future bilateral cooperation and topics related to Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.Helena Carreiras, the Defense Minister of Portugal, received thanks from Juansher Burchuladze for Portugal's unwavering support towards Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also expressed gratitude for Portugal's support for Georgia's aspirations towards joining the European Union and NATO.During the meeting, the joint contribution of military personnel from both countries in ensuring international security was highlighted.The defense ministers agreed to develop bilateral cooperation further and signed a document outlining mutual cooperation between the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Portugal and the Ministry of Defense of Georgia.During a meeting between The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili and the members of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Malta, the Maltese parliamentarians voiced their complete support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as its aspirations for EU membership.The two parties discussed The European Union as a unique project for peace and prosperity, which is open to all willing states. The Maltese parliamentarians shared their experience of joining the EU and expressed their willingness to provide detailed information to Georgia.Papuashvil thanked the members of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee for their strong support, and he provided them with information regarding Georgia's progress and expectations in the implementation of EU recommendations.The sides discussed a wide range of issues, including the agenda of the parliaments of Georgia and Malta, security challenges in the Black Sea region, opportunities for bilateral cooperation, and ways to deepen the relations between the two countries.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Heydar Aliyev always attached special importance to Azerbaijan's relations with brotherly Uzbekistan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Bahrom Ashrafkhanov told Trend.

"Working as the first secretary of Central Committee of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev had close friendly relations with head of Uzbekistan Sharof Rashidov. A thoroughly educated and deeply intelligent man, he sincerely admired our history, culture and traditions. We are proud that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev continues this great work, the ambassador said.

He said that Uzbeks have an expression: "       ", which means "Whoever has received the blessing of the father, success always accompanies him". This wisdom can be fully attributed to the activities of Azerbaijani and Uzbek leaders, who are proven and reliable successors of the work of their ancestors.

We can mention the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Tashkent in 2010. In addition, last year's June state visit to Uzbekistan by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev began with the opening of the street named after Heydar Aliyev and a memorable bas-relief in Tashkent. All this is a recognition of the merits of Heydar Aliyev in strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between our peoples and states," Ashrafkhanov said.

As Ashrafkhanov noted, today in Uzbekistan, along with brotherly Azerbaijan, on the occasion of the anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, numerous international, cultural and educational events are held and broadcasted on the life and activities of the great leader.

"Being a true patriot, he was an example of love for his native land, people, commitment to the ideas of citizenship, humanism, high morality, culture. His whole life and activity was the personification of the high concept of patriot. He devoted every hour, every minute of his life to serving Azerbaijan, always fought for the only goal and idea  to see the republic prosperous and the Azerbaijani people happy, the true owner of their wealth. The memory of great leader Heydar Aliyev will forever remain in our hearts, thereby laying a solid foundation for further filling the chronicle of significant events of interstate relations with new achievements," the ambassador said.
LoanPro's Addition of Carl Pascarella to Board Signals Upcoming Launch of Transaction Level Credit Offering

FARMINGTON, Utah, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LoanPro , the leading loan management platform, announced that Carl Pascarella, Former CEO of Visa, has joined its board of directors. Pascarella is a financial industry veteran who served as President and CEO of Visa USA from 1993 to 2005, overseeing its transformation into a global payment network.

Carl Pascarella

In his new role on the LoanPro board, Pascarella will contribute his extensive experience and knowledge in financial services to help guide LoanPro's next generation of credit offerings, set to launch this summer. Pascarella was attracted to LoanPro's existing offering of highly configurable installment programs, as well as innovative new product development initiatives, with revolutionary credit card personalization through Transaction Level Credit on the horizon.

LoanPro CEO Rhett Roberts stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Carl Pascarella to our board. His deep knowledge of financial services, credit, and fintech along with his track record of success, will be invaluable in expanding our products and services for fintechs and financial service providers."

Beyond having played a key role in Visa's growth and evolution, Pascarella currently serves as Executive Advisor at TPG Capital, a global private equity firm, and sits on the board of several corporations.

About LoanPro:

LoanPro's mission is to expand global prosperity by providing personalized financial products that everyone can trust. LoanPro specializes in building, launching, and managing loan programs that bring clients' visions to life while giving them unparalleled data access, control, and streamlined compliance. The ultra-configurable platform offers a complete loan management solution by consolidating servicing, collections, payment processing, lending CRM, origination enhancement, and more, configured and managed in partnership with a best-in-class client success team.

Built to solve the former inadequacies of loan servicing, LoanPro has benefited from over 15 years of iteration, and today serves over 1,200 clients and over 50 partners across every state and province in North America and Canada. To learn more visit us at loanpro.io.

Media Contact: Polly Phillips

[email protected]

SOURCE LoanPro
Teacher from Baton Rouge propels Louisiana on the world map of top-quality educators with Cambridge Awards recognition

BATON ROUGE, La., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nathalie Roy, Latin teacher from Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge, was named regional winner of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards in North & South America. Run by Cambridge University Press , the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards are a global competition which celebrates the efforts of teachers around the world. This year, the competition received over 11,000 nominations from 99 countries, beating last year's nominations by 4,000 nominations.

The global competition gives students, parents, and other teachers the chance to nominate a current primary or secondary teacher for something wonderful they have done. Now in its fifth year, the awards demonstrate the inspiring and positive impact of teachers across the globe and give students a platform to say, 'thank you'.

This year, Nathalie Roy was named regional winner in the USA, winning for her achievement bringing the Latin subject to life, leading as a role model and giving up spare time for extracurricular activities.

Speaking on her win, Roy said: "I've always been a keen believer that to change the world you must start with the students. My passion for Latin, bringing the subject to life for students and ensuring my students feel safe drives what I do. Seeing my students able to thrive in an environment where they feel able to make mistakes, be themselves and ask for help is vital. This is important both in the classroom and in extracurricular programs such as the LBGTQ+ club I run and my Girl Scout troop."

Matthew Walker, Publishing Director for Education at Cambridge University Press, said: "The achievements of our 2023 regional winners, plus the thousands of nominations we received for the competition, speak volumes for the value of teachers' roles and the positive impact they have on students. Hopefully Nathalie Roy's victory will continue to inspire our teachers to go beyond the classroom, to deliver exceptional care, bold ideas, and guide younger generations to come."

Nominations were judged based on the teacher's willingness to go 'beyond the classroom'  whether that was giving up spare time or promoting a charity  displaying fantastic pastoral care, making the ordinary extraordinary with innovative ideas and practices, or opening up the world by preparing students for their futures beyond school.

As a regional winner of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teachers Awards, Nathalie Roy will receive $630 worth of books or digital resources, along with a Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards trophy, and promotion for them and their school. She will also feature on a thank you page at the front of new Cambridge University Press Education textbooks from February 2024.

The public can now vote on their favorite teacher out of the six regional winners, to become the overall winner of the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards 2023. This will be announced on June 6, 2023.

To find out more about Cambridge University Press and the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, please visit https://dedicatedteacher.cambridge.org/

About Cambridge University Press:

Cambridge University Press is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which is a department of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University's mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Its extensive peer-reviewed publishing lists comprise 50,000 titles covering academic research and professional development, as well as school-level education and English language teaching. Playing a leading role in today's international marketplace, Cambridge University Press has more than 50 offices around the globe, and it distributes its products to nearly every country in the world.

SOURCE Cambridge University Press
NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Humanculture, a non-profit organization creating sustainable change through community and cultural projects, has partnered with Paul Kadjo, a celebrated fashion designer and winner of the Best Sustainability Award at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin 2021, to create a one-of-a-kind fashion collection that honors Maasai style. The collection will be a true collaboration with Maasai people, grounded in eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices.

Titled "Inside Out; The Rebirth of an Untold Story" the project aims to challenge the historically Eurocentric view of people and culture rooted on the African continent. Led by Paul Kadjo, the team works closely with the Maasai people at Humanculture to translate traditional garments and cultural objects into a modern bespoke fashion collection that embodies the subtle art of communicating in codes, fine craftsmanship and storytelling, all elements of our modern concept of luxury.

"We are honored to be working with Paul Kadjo to create a fashion collection that is sustainable and elevated," said Stephanie Zabriskie, founder of Humanculture. "This collaboration will be sourced in Africa, furthering this new age of fashion that is both luxurious and socially responsible. I've been eager to fuse Maasai aesthetics with modern silhouettes for quite some time." Humanculture projects are led by an all Maasai board to ensure they are beneficial to the community and aligned with the culture. "We are excited to be together with Paul Kadjo to celebrate our loved Maasai culture and share this with the world," said Maasai Counselor Rokoine Diwani.

The project involves traveling to Tanzania to locally source textiles and materials specific to Maasai fashion. Paul and his team will collaborate directly with Humanculture's Maasai team, listening and gaining hands-on inspiration directly from the source. The creative process will be captured through photo and video. The end result will be a cutting-edge collection that blends traditional Maasai style with modern fashion design.

"I believe that storytelling, community, and craftsmanship are essential to creating enduring luxury." said Paul Kadjo. "This collection is about responsibly collaborating with Maasai people and sharing that beauty with the world. Our 'Inside Out' collection will showcase the beauty of Maasai culture while supporting the local community through proceeds from the collection." said Kadjo. The fashion collection will be unveiled in early 2024, accompanied by several art exhibitions in the United States and internationally. To make a donation or inquire about partnering, visit the Humanculture website.

About Humanculture:

Humanculture is a non-profit organization working to preserve the life and culture of African and Indigenous societies, especially in remote areas. Their decolonial projects improve sustainable access to safe water, food security, health services, education and economic freedom.

About Paul Kadjo:

Paul Kadjo is a celebrated designer whose work explores his own identity and heritage. Born in Germany and raised in the Ivory Coast, Paul draws on Africa's closeness to nature and pairs that with the European innovative zeitgeist, enabling him to live holistically and communicate between the worlds.

For more information about the Maasai fashion collection, please visit: www.Humanculture.org/couture

SOURCE Maasai Water Project
C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife's Board of Directors today announced quarterly shareholders' dividends on the following non-cumulative preferred shares of Manulife Financial Corporation, payable on or after June 19, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 24, 2023:

Class A Shares Series 2 - $0.29063 per share

per share Class A Shares Series 3 - $0.28125 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 3 - $0.14675 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 4 - $0.376823 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 9 - $0.373625 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 11 - $0.384938 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 13 - $0.275875 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 15 - $0.236625 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 17 - $0.2375 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 19 - $0.229688 per share

per share Class 1 Shares Series 25 - $0.29375 per share

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A dress company that became an oil company that became a dress company again. Jay Day Dress Co.'s first collection, The Promise Dress, is a single design that becomes 23 unique outfits in one. Jay Day Dress Co. is built on a personal mission to reduce environmental damage through designs that solve overconsumption and petroleum byproduct pollution. Jay Day Dress Co. is a women-owned and operated businessJulia James Davis is the CEO and Designer, and all photographs and branding are by President Elena Statheros-Davis, a former Ford model. All manufacturing is based in Los Angeles using American-made raw materials and deadstock fabrics.

The Promise Dress by Jay Day Dress Co. in vegan deadstock leather.

In 1932, Jay Day Dress Co. was originally founded in New York City by Julius "Jack" Davis. At its height, Jay Day Dress Co. sold 200,000 dresses per month to JCPenney and other retailers across the country during the worst years of the Great Depression. Jay Day Dress Co.'s success provided seed money for Jack's young son Marvin Davis to become one of America's youngest and most successful wildcatters.

Full circle: Jay Day Dress Co. is resurrected by Jack's great-granddaughter Julia James Davis. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas and is equipped with firsthand knowledge of both the fashion and fossil fuel industry.

"The fashion industry is the second leading polluter behind fossil fuels, the two industries are so intertwined they are arguably one and the same. The solution is design that conserves resources through versatility, which is how The Promise Dress was born."

The Promise Dress by Jay Day Dress Co. is currently sold online at www.jaydaydressco.com and through private trunk shows (see lookbook ). Follow Jay Day Dress Co. on Instagram , Twitter , and TikTok .

SOURCE Jay Day Dress Co.
COVINA, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Prophecy Market Insights" Global Molybdenum Market accounted for US$ 4.6 billion in 2020 and is estimated to be US$ 5.8 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 2.50%"

What is the Overview of Molybdenum Market?

Molybdenum is metallic element which resembles tungsten and chromium in various properties and used in hardening and strengthening of steel material. Molybdenum is used as catalysts, in alloys, lubricants, fertilizer and pigments.

Growing demand for steel industries has become a key factor in market growth. Wide variety of benefits and growing use in production of high-quality nozzles, warheads, shaped-charge liners in defense sector is expected to boost the demand for Molybdenum market growth in future.

Key Highlights:

In March 2023 , CME Group launched new first trades of Molybdeum Oxide (Platts) Futures designed to manage the risks associated with energy transition for participants and allows industrial to protect against rising volatile prices.

, CME Group launched new first trades of Molybdeum Oxide (Platts) Futures designed to manage the risks associated with energy transition for participants and allows industrial to protect against rising volatile prices. In November 2016 , Highland Metals Inc., launched new "Beta Titanium Molybdenum Archwires" which will provide improved function and performance within nickel-free wire product offerings.

Order free Sample Copy of the Report:

https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/158

What is Prophecy's Analyst View on Molybdenum Market?

Wide applications in aerospace, industrial, energy, medical, transportation and agricultural sector has provided lucrative opportunities in market growth. Growing demand from energy sector and rising infrastructure projects is expected to fruitful the demand for Molybdenum market growth in future.

What are some challenges faced by the Molybdenum Market?

Fluctuating demand: The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market.

The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market. Environmental concerns: Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups.

Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups. Supply chain disruptions: The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum.

The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum. Competition from substitutes: Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum. Price volatility: Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively.

Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively. What recent developments are there in the Molybdenum Market?

Technological advancements: There has been an increase in the use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. This includes the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics.

There has been an increase in the use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. This includes the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. Growing demand for renewable energy: The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels. Exploration and production of new mines: There has been a renewed focus on exploration and development of new molybdenum mines in regions such as South America and Central Asia , in response to growing demand.

There has been a renewed focus on exploration and development of new molybdenum mines in regions such as and , in response to growing demand. Increasing investment in infrastructure: Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum.

Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum. Strategic partnerships and collaborations: Companies in the molybdenum market are forming strategic partnerships and collaborations with other businesses and organizations to enhance their research and development capabilities, expand their product offerings, and strengthen their market position.

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Who are the Key Manufacturers in Molybdenum Market?

Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

China Molybdenum Co., Ltd.

Luoyang Hi-Tech Metals Co.

Antofagasta PLC

Jinduicheng Molybdenum Co., Ltd.

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.

Codelco Inc.

Southern Copper Corporation

Rio Tinto Group

Teck Resources Limited.

What are the Drivers and Restrains of Molybdenum Market?

Drivers:

Growing demand from end-use industries: Molybdenum is used in various industries such as steel production, oil and gas exploration, and chemical manufacturing. The growing demand from these industries is driving the demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in various industries such as steel production, oil and gas exploration, and chemical manufacturing. The growing demand from these industries is driving the demand for molybdenum. Increasing investment in infrastructure: Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum.

Investment in infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, and airports is driving demand for steel, which is a key application area for molybdenum. Rising demand for renewable energy: The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power has led to an increased demand for molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels. Technological advancements: The use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process is increasing, leading to greater efficiency and productivity.

The use of technology in the molybdenum mining and production process is increasing, leading to greater efficiency and productivity. Strategic partnerships and collaborations: Companies in the molybdenum market are forming strategic partnerships and collaborations with other businesses and organizations to enhance their research and development capabilities, expand their product offerings, and strengthen their market position.

Restrains:

Fluctuating demand: The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market.

The demand for molybdenum is heavily influenced by its end-use industries, such as steel production and energy generation. Fluctuations in demand from these industries can lead to volatility in the molybdenum market. Environmental concerns: Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups.

Molybdenum mining and production can have negative environmental impacts, including the release of pollutants and greenhouse gases. This can lead to increased scrutiny and regulation from governments and environmental groups. Supply chain disruptions: The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum.

The molybdenum market is heavily dependent on global supply chains for both raw materials and finished products. Disruptions in these supply chains, such as natural disasters, political instability, or trade disputes, can affect the availability and price of molybdenum. Competition from substitutes: Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum.

Molybdenum is used in a variety of applications, including as an alloy in steel production and as a catalyst in chemical reactions. However, there are substitutes for some of these applications, such as vanadium and tungsten, which can impact demand for molybdenum. Price volatility: Molybdenum prices can be volatile due to fluctuations in demand and supply, as well as geopolitical events and economic conditions. This can make it difficult for businesses in the molybdenum market to plan and manage their operations effectively.

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Geographical insights on Molybdenum Market:

Asia Pacific : The Asia Pacific region is the largest consumer of molybdenum, with China being the major consumer and producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries.

The region is the largest consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer and producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries. North America : North America is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with the United States being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and automotive industries.

is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and automotive industries. Europe : Europe is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with Germany being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries.

is a significant producer and consumer of molybdenum, with being the major consumer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the construction, automotive, and energy industries. South America : South America is a significant producer of molybdenum, with Chile being the major producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the mining, construction, and energy industries.

is a significant producer of molybdenum, with being the major producer of molybdenum. The region's demand for molybdenum is primarily driven by the growth in the mining, construction, and energy industries. Middle East and Africa : The Middle East and Africa region are minor consumers and producers of molybdenum, with limited production and consumption occurring in the region. However, the region's demand for molybdenum is expected to grow in the coming years, driven by the growth in the construction and energy industries.

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Onward deliveries to JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines

Celebration Ceremony Today as Governor Gianforte honors Montana Renewables as North America's Largest Sustainable Aviation Fuel Producer

GREAT FALLS, Mont. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Montana Renewables, LLC (MRL) hosted key aviation stakeholders, including Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, to celebrate the first production and initial shipments of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under a multi-year agreement with Shell Trading (US) Company ("Shell"). The start of production makes Montana Renewables the largest SAF producer in North America.

Montana Renewables, LLC

"Montana Renewables is a great example of what's possible when there aren't sideboards placed on innovation," Gianforte said. "The result is a healthier environment, a stronger economy, and more jobs. We'll continue to champion pro-jobs, pro-business policies to support cutting-edge, job-creating businesses like Calumet."

"We're proud to collaborate with Shell to improve aviation sustainability," said Bruce Fleming, CEO Montana Renewables. "Strong support from the State of Montana, Cascade County, and the City of Great Falls made possible the unique speed of Montana Renewables, and Shell is the logical offtake partner for us to reach multiple airlines and airports from our geographically advantaged site. We are now producing more SAF than any other North American company on top of our renewable diesel and renewable hydrogen."

Shell and its affiliates are expanding and building supply chain capabilities to blend and distribute SAF throughout the US to enable more customers with access to the fuel, helping to accelerate the pace of decarbonizing the aviation sector.

"We're excited to be working with Montana Renewables to bring together the right mix of technical expertise and operational capabilities to help increase access to SAF production in the US for our customers, including Delta, Alaska and JetBlue, to power progress in aviation," said Christine Bassitt, General Manager of Shell Aviation Americas.

In April, Delta announced an agreement to purchase 10 million gallons of neat SAF from Shell. "This is a great example of the kind of action and investment needed in states across our country that we need to meet our aggressive SAF goals as an industry," said Pam Fletcher, Chief Sustainability Officer  Delta Air Lines. "There's not enough SAF being produced today to power the world's commercial airlines for a single day, so we're grateful to everyone at the State of Montana, Montana Renewables and Shell for providing the incentives and taking meaningful steps toward scaling production of this largest known lever we have for decarbonizing aviation."

About Montana Renewables, LLC

Montana Renewables, LLC is an unrestricted subsidiary of Calumet located in Great Falls, MT. Montana Renewables is permitted for 15,000 barrels per stream day ("bpsd") of renewable feedstocks which are converted into low-emission sustainable alternatives that directly replace fossil fuel products. The renewable fuels plant began operations in late 2022. As the world recognizes a sustainability responsibility, MRL is making immediate carbon reductions and stands ready to grow and innovate further. This business is a leader in North America's energy transition, with our renewable products being delivered to Canada and the United States West Coast.

SOURCE Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.
OSLO, Norway, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), a Nordic pharma company and provider of high-quality products to hospitals and pharmacies, has today amended its cash offer to acquire the shares and warrants in Sensidose AB not already owned by Navamedic ASA (the "Offer"). The Sensidose shares and warrants of series TO 1 are currently listed on Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden.

Navamedic ASA ("Navamedic") has today amended its Offer to SEK 8.50 per share in Sensidose AB ("Sensidose") and extended the acceptance period for the Offer until 25 May 2023. Navamedic has also offered to acquire the traded warrants of series TO 1 in Sensidose for SEK 0.60 per warrant.

Navamedic has already acquired 6,928,935 shares in Sensidose representing 57.94% of the outstanding shares. Navamedic has also acquired 426,577 tradable warrants of series TO 1 in Sensidose and thereby secured an ownership of more than 50% in Sensidose even if all subscription rights are exercised.

The Offer represents a valuation of Sensidose of approximately SEK 102 million. The value of the Offer (i.e. excluding the shares and warrants already owned by Navamedic) is approximately SEK 44 million.

For further information about the Offer, please see the attached press release regarding the amended Offer.

Carnegie Investment Bank is acting as financial advisor to Navamedic. Roschier Advokatbyra AB and Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS are acting as legal advisors to Navamedic. First House AS is acting as communications and IR advisor to Navamedic.

For further information, please contact:

Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen,

CEO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 951 78 680

E-mail: [email protected]

Lars Hjarrand, CFO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 917 62 842

E-mail: [email protected]

About Navamedic ASA

Navamedic ASA is a Nordic pharma company and reliable provider of high-quality products, delivered to hospitals and through pharmacies, meeting the specific needs of patients and consumers by leveraging its highly scalable market access platform, leading category competence and local knowledge. Navamedic is present in all the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Benelux, with sales representation in the UK and Greece. Navamedic is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: NAVA). For more information, please visit www.navamedic.com

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication, through Newsweb by Lars Hjarrand at 09:00 hrs CET on 10 May 2023.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/17619/3767173/2047436.pdf Press release (English) - Increase of consideration II

SOURCE Navamedic ASA
Integrations with Shopify, Klaviyo, Snapchat, and More Ensure Every Brand Can Leverage Bloomreach Intelligence and AI to Power Targeted, Personalized Campaigns

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomreach , the world's #1 Commerce Experience Cloud, today announced it has made it even easier for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands to connect their existing technologies with tools that offer a deeper understanding of the customer journey. Bloomreach Engagement's suite of marketing intelligence and orchestration tools can now be connected to leading D2C channels, apps, and commerce platforms  including Shopify, Klaviyo, Movable Ink, and more  allowing brands to increase loyalty and reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC) with more targeted campaigns.

Despite a growing need to drive down CAC and improve retention, time-consuming integrations often keep fast-growing D2C brands from adopting the tools they need to achieve these goals. In response, Bloomreach Engagement has launched easier, faster integrations of its intelligence and orchestration solutions with commonly used channels, apps, and platforms to complement brands' existing technology stacks. These solutions include:

A single marketing view of the customer that seamlessly connects first-party data , customer preferences, granular segments, and channel behavior to other data platforms or marketing apps

that seamlessly connects , customer preferences, granular segments, and channel behavior to other data platforms or marketing apps AI-powered predictions , including purchase or churn intent, optimal campaign send time , and best channel per customer, which can improve engagement and conversions across all marketing channels

, including purchase or churn intent, , and best channel per customer, which can improve engagement and conversions across all marketing channels Server-side anonymous user tracking , which mitigates the impact of tracking restrictions and allows marketers to factor in anonymous activity for a complete picture of the customer that drives better personalization across email, SMS, and ads

, which mitigates the impact of tracking restrictions and allows marketers to factor in anonymous activity for a complete picture of the customer that drives better personalization across email, SMS, and ads Seamless journey orchestration , including the option to add channels and features at any time, which allows marketers to build detailed customer journeys across channels without ever changing screens

Marketers seeking more analytics, AI, and customer journey insights can now tap into these industry-leading Bloomreach features to enhance existing email, SMS, or ad programs, driving down CAC and improving retention without replacing existing technology. A newly launched two-way integration with Klaviyo, for example, takes just minutes to set up and enables brands to export customers, consents, and campaign events from Klaviyo directly to Bloomreach for a comprehensive view of the customer. Utilizing Bloomreach's intelligence and orchestration, brands can sync their data sets back to Klaviyo, enriching their subscriber data with high-intent segments and accelerating email marketing growth.

Bloomreach Engagement also integrates with leading commerce platforms including Shopify, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, and Magento, as well as ad platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Google Ads. The company has also launched integrations with D2C favorites including Movable Ink, Yotpo, and more.

"Data-driven marketers at D2C brands are looking for more ways to understand the customer journey and lower CAC with more targeted, personalized campaigns," said Michal Novovesky, General Manager and Head of Product, Bloomreach Engagement. "We don't want concerns about integration times or impacts to their tech stack to stand in the way of that. In offering easier integrations with the platforms, apps, and channels we know they use, we're ensuring there are no limits to the connections they can build with their customers."

About Bloomreach

Bloomreach is the world's #1 Commerce Experience Cloud, empowering brands to deliver customer journeys so personalized, they feel like magic. It offers a suite of products that drive true personalization and digital commerce growth, including: Discovery , offering AI-driven search and merchandising; Content , offering a headless CMS; and Engagement , offering a leading CDP and marketing automation solutions. Together, these solutions combine the power of unified customer and product data with the speed and scale of AI-optimization, enabling revenue-driving digital commerce experiences that convert on any channel and every journey. Bloomreach serves over 850 global brands including Albertsons, Bosch, Puma, FC Bayern Munchen, and Marks & Spencer. For more information, visit Bloomreach.com .

Media Contact:

Michelle DeMaio

Bloomreach

Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Bloomreach
DURHAM, N.C., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Young children, ages 2 to 4 years, especially those with parental history of asthma, suffered the highest rates of asthma with recurrent exacerbations (ARE) over a nearly 30-year period studied in new research funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) at the National Institutes of Health.

"Describing the incidence rates of ARE across a large, diverse population of children is a critical first step for identifying potential risk factors and causes," explained Christine Johnson, PhD, MPH, an ECHO Program investigator at Henry Ford Health.

During this study, ECHO researchers looked at data from over 17,000 children between 1990 and 2017 from across the U.S. including Puerto Rico in order to learn which factors influenced the rates of childhood AREa subtype of asthma where children experience frequent, severe episodes of asthma. They found that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Black children, children ages 2 to 4 years old, and children who lived in the Northeast and Midwest had the highest rates of ARE.

These findings suggest that different environmental and social factors may play a significant role in the onset of recurring asthma issues in children.

"Understanding these causes will help researchers determine how to best prevent ARE and associated asthma outcomes," said Rachel L. Miller, MD, an ECHO Program investigator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Drs. Miller and Johnson led this collaborative research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Miller, R. et al. Incidence Rates of Childhood Asthma with Recurrent Exacerbations in the U.S. Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.03.016

About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the NIH. Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

About the NIH: NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information, visit www.nih.gov.

SOURCE NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. I have always been greatly impressed by the political wisdom of Heydar Aliyev, as well as the will with which he laid the foundations of the new independent state of Azerbaijan, Petar Stoyanov, ex-president of Bulgaria, told Trend.

Stoyanov was sharing his memories of Heydar Aliyev as part of the joint Trend-NGIC project titled "The lasting legacy of Heydar Aliyev".

"In December 1999 as a relatively young President of my country, I visited Baku at the invitation of President Heydar Aliyev. We had extremely fruitful and enjoyable discussions, including a one-on-one conversation. We discussed in detail our bilateral relations, major aspects of the further development of our cooperation and the strengthening of friendship between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan," he said.

As the ex-president pointed out, in this challenging period, President Heydar Aliyev demonstrated that he was a visionary.

"His goal was not only to resolve the current problems of the country within his mandate, but also to lay the best foundations for its development in the next 40-50-100 years. Due to his recognition of the excellent strategic geopolitical position of his country, Azerbaijan established its role as an important factor in the "TRACECA" program for the Restoration of the Historic Silk Route. I think that this quality of a visionary was the most important element of his leadership of Azerbaijan," Stoyanov noted.

He added that, despite the difference in age and experience, it was always a pleasure to communicate with President Heydar Aliyev as he was an intelligent, balanced and informed communicator.

"I enjoyed talking to him because he had invaluable experience and a vision for the future of the post-Soviet space. He felt true love for my country which is similar in size and close in its traditions to Azerbaijan, but more importantly, because of the future common tasks we were facing," Stoyanov said.

The ex-president noted that it is not by chance that the Azerbaijani people call Heydar Aliyev the national leader.

"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Heydar Aliyev played a decisive role in the development and well-being of his country: from the historic achievements in gaining independence, through the unique energy projects, attracting major foreign investments and the revival of the Great Silk Road. All these historical achievements of Azerbaijan are connected with the name and personality of Heydar Aliyev," he concluded.
TAIPEI, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) announced today that Rafael Sotomayor, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Secure Connected Edge of NXP Semiconductors, will deliver the Keynote at COMPUTEX 2023.The keynote will take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2 on Wednesday, May 31, at 9:00 AM(UCT+8) with the keynote theme Shaping Ecosystems to Master Complexity.

Rafael Sotomayor will share the vision about what's next in semiconductor solutions and how the right mix of technologies like edge processing, Machine Learning, AI, safety, security and interoperability, combined with a strong ecosystem of partners, helps to deliver consistent experiences for the sustainable, smart connected world. Featured partners on the virtual stage will be industry leaders and important ecosystem partners around the globe.

"NXP is proud to be part of COMPUTEX 2023 again and for our EVP, Rafael Sotomayor to deliver the presentation for the COMPUTEX Keynote." said Birgit Ahlborn, Vice President of NXP Communications. "As a company that enables a smarter, safer and more sustainable world through innovation, we are looking forward to highlighting how NXP is pushing the boundaries in Industrial and IoT, Smart Home, Smart Industry, and Automotive, and working with our partners in the Taiwan electronics ecosystem."

NXP is making key investments in developing cutting-edge solutions that are reimagining how we connect and interact with our world. Join NXP Keynote to attain an insider's view into a new and truly interoperable future, and the comprehensive system solutions to master complexity and establish the breakthrough technologies that make the world better, safer and more secure.

COMPUTEX 2023 will take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 & Hall 2, from May 30 to June 2 with over 1,000 exhibitors from 22 countries using 3,000 booths. In addition, TAITRA will organize COMPUTEX Keynote & Forum, where CEOs and senior executives from global tech giants share their insights and key industry issues. Sign up for COMPUTEX Keynote & Forum: https://event.taiwantradeshows.com.tw/en/events/74/index.html. For more details about the related events, please visit the TAITRA's COMPUTEX official website: https://www.computextaipei.com.tw/en/index.html

For more exhibition information

COMPUTEX: https://www.computextaipei.com.tw/

InnoVEX: https://www.innovex.com.tw/

About COMPUTEX

COMPUTEX was founded in 1981. It has grown with the global ICT industry and become stronger over the last four decades. Bearing witness to historical moments in the development of and changes in the industry, COMPUTEX attracts more than 40,000 buyers to visit Taiwan every year. It is also the preferred platform chosen by top international companies for launching epoch-making products.

Taiwan has a comprehensive global ICT industry chain. Gaining a foothold in Taiwan, COMPUTEX is jointly held by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council and Taipei Computer Association, aiming to build a global tech ecosystem. COMPUTEX uses cross-domain integration and innovation services as the most powerful driving forces for achieving the goal of becoming a new platform for global technological resources.

About TAITRA:

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is Taiwan's foremost trade promotion organization. TAITRA is a public-benefit corporation founded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs by uniting industry and commerce groups from the private sector with the purpose of helping them expand their global reach. Currently, TAITRA has a team of more than 1,300 trade professionals, both domestically and abroad. Headquartered in Taipei, TAITRA operates 5 local offices in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, as well as 63 branches worldwide. It has also signed cooperation agreements with 319 sister organizations that promote international trade. By forming a comprehensive trade services network that provides zero-time-difference and borderless real-time services, TAITRA continues to work with enterprises to jointly pursue the steady development of Taiwan's economy. It is the best partner for your success in business expansion.

SOURCE COMPUTEX
WATKINSVILLE, Ga. and ELBERTON, Ga., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The boards of Oconee Financial Corporation (OTCQX: "OSBK") ("Oconee") and Elberton Federal Savings & Loan Association ("Elberton Federal") announced today the commencement of the required offering of OSBK common stock in connection with the pending merger of Elberton Federal and Oconee State Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oconee Financial Corporation.

As previously announced, the transaction is structured as a merger conversion, whereby Elberton Federal, a federal mutual savings association, will convert to stock form and then immediately merge with and into Oconee State Bank. As part of the transaction, Oconee is now offering a set number of shares of its common stock to eligible members of Elberton Federal, Oconee shareholders of record as of April 30, 2023, and possibly others, in a subscription offering and a community offering.

Oconee has scheduled community meetings in Elberton and Watkinsville in the coming weeks to provide interested investors with further details about this investment opportunity. For meeting times and to make a reservation, or to receive an offering circular in advance of attending a meeting, interested individuals should contact the Oconee Financial Corporation Stock Information Center, at (312) 521-1600, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

About Elberton Federal Savings and Loan Association

Elberton Federal is a $28 million federal mutual savings association operating from its home office located in Elberton, Georgia. For more than 100 years, Elberton Federal has sought to be an institution of excellence by providing the highest quality financial products and services to its customers, offering financial products at a fair price, and creating the opportunity for personal and professional growth to its employees.

About Oconee Financial Corporation

Oconee State Bank, a $537 million asset bank established in 1960 and headquartered in Watkinsville, Georgia, operates five full-service financial centers in Georgia, located in Oconee, Athens-Clarke, Gwinnett, and Macon-Bibb counties. The bank is the only locally owned and operated community bank headquartered in Oconee County. Oconee State Bank proudly serves its communities, providing unparalleled commitment to personalized service, innovative products and solutions, and brings exceptional value to all stakeholders, through local ownership, involvement, and decision making. The bank strives to be essential to those it serves, by creating remarkable experiences that significantly mark the lives of others. Oconee Financial Corporation was established in January 1999 to serve as the holding company of Oconee State Bank.

Important Additional Information

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval. The offering is made only through the means of an offering circular. Neither the FDIC, the OCC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor any other federal or state regulatory authority has approved or disapproved Oconee Financial Corporation's common stock or the terms of the offering in connection with the proposed merger conversion. It is illegal for any person to tell you otherwise. THE SECURITIES TO BE OFFERED BY OCONEE FINANCIAL CORPORATION ARE NOT DEPOSITS AND ARE NOT AND WILL NOT BE INSURED OR GUARANTEED BY THE FDIC OR ANY OTHER FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY. OCONEE FINANCIAL CORPORATION'S COMMON STOCK IS SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

SOURCE Oconee Financial Corporation
Ombori today announced the upcoming launch of StoreAI  an extension to Ombori Grid that delivers the power of AI to retailers right now.

STOCKHOLM, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The company's successful store digitalization platform, Ombori Grid, makes it quick, easy and cost-effective for retailers to deploy sophisticated in-store technology that transforms the shopping experience for both customers and staff, as well as providing powerful, detailed insights for managers.

Store AI extends the existing in-store functionality with a selection of best-of-breed AI tools designed specifically to meet the needs of physical retailers, including large language models, image generators, and expert systems. StoreAI enables retail brands to increase productivity, offer customers more choice, and create memorable shopping experiences that will keep customers coming back, increase brand differentiation, and increase revenue.

StoreAI for Ombori Grid will be formally launched on May 24 in Stockholm by CEO Andreas Hassellof. The launch event  AI in Physical Stores: Enhancing the Shopping Experience with StoreAI by OmboriGrid  will also feature guest speakers from Ombori's partners Microsoft, Pointr and Volumental.

CEO Andreas Hassellof said, "Everyone's talking about AI and how it will change the world. But retailers don't need talk  they need solutions, and they need them now. And that's what Ombori StoreAI is delivering with StoreAI  AI-powered store digitalization solutions that can quickly and easily enhance the shopping experience for both customers and staff, as well as providing powerful, detailed insights for managers."

CONTACT:

Further information

Andreas Hassellof, CEO, OmboriGrid AB (publ), +46 (0) 77-586 80 00, [email protected]

SOURCE OmboriGrid AB
Entrepreneur Joel Adelman has dedicated his career to helping staffing entrepreneurs

grow their businesses with non-traditional paths to capital.

CLEVELAND, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Encore Funding leadership team is proud to celebrate 25 years of excellence in the staffing industry. Joel Adelman, an entrepreneur serving entrepreneurs, founded Advance Partners in 1998 with a vision to help staffing entrepreneurs grow their businesses. During Adelman's time as CEO, Advance Partners lent over $20 billion in working capital to thousands of staffing agencies, many of which were minority-owned businesses.

The Founders of Advance Partners and Encore Funding

In 2021, Adelman created Encore Funding, fueled by demand from past clients and colleagues, to continue his legacy of entrepreneurship in the staffing industry. He assembled Encore Funding's leadership from the team who helped build Advance Partners' legacy. With the five original founders and many senior leaders of Advance Partners now at Encore Funding, Adelman and team continue to build the brand as entrepreneurs serving entrepreneurs.

"We've started our 'encore' by bringing this talented team back together," states Adelman. "I'm incredibly proud of all that we've accomplished over the past 25 years together. This team has always been driven to provide the highest level of service to clients and help them achieve success. Through our funding and services, staffing entrepreneurs can make it their encore, too."

Crain's Cleveland regarded Adelman and team in early 2022, saying, "The entrepreneurs behind Encore Funding are taking the first steps toward growing the Cleveland-based lending business into Advance Partners 2.0."

In addition to customized, alternative lending solutions, Encore Funding offers clients strategic consulting, resources and networking support. Clients also receive access to the tenured executive team, including Adelman and the original Advance leadership team, that has delivered more than $20 billion in funding to entrepreneurs. Adelman is proud and humbled to support staffing agencies owned by entrepreneurs who have been historically disadvantaged and underfunded.

Adelman and the leadership team have achieved numerous milestones over the last quarter century.

Adelman and leadership team found Advance Payroll Funding  March 1998

First day of business  April 1998



First client  June 1998

Leadership & clients weather economic crisis  2008-2009

Joel and the leadership team helped clients handle tough economic times and supported many of them to grow and maximize opportunities with a new focus.

Adelman supports Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill clean-up  April 2010

Joel helped his client staff over 5,000 individuals to assist in the clean-up of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, working hand in hand with clients and local, state and national governmental agencies to efficiently deploy and pay workers.

Advance Partners achieves $1 billion in funding  2012

in funding  2012 Adelman is named Entrepreneur of the Year US by Ernst & Young  2013

Advance Partners is included in the Inc 500 List  2014

Advance Partners is acquired by Paychex  2015

Adelman supports entrepreneurs beyond the staffing industry via AdCap Management  2016-2020

Adelman and leadership team found Encore Funding  2021

Encore Funding achieves major milestones  2022

Acquires two friendly competitors  January 2022



Hires long-time Senior Operations and Credit Executives from Advance Partners, building the familiar team at Encore  2022



Projected to achieve $1 billion in funding within two years of active operations  2022

About Encore Funding

Encore Funding is an alternative lender, founded by entrepreneur Joel Adelman, that delivers working capital, consulting and software to growth-minded staffing entrepreneurs. Beyond receivables financing, the firm offers advisory support and resources needed to drive solutions and positive returns. Encore invests in staffing agencies and entrepreneurs seeking to drive business, economic and community impact. For more information, visit encore-funding.com.

SOURCE Encore Funding
NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) announced today that Jeremy Male, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at J.P. Morgan's 51st Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 11:20 a.m. Eastern Time. A live and replay audio webcast will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.outfront.com.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location, and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

Contacts:

Investors

Media Stephan Bisson

Courtney Richards Investor Relations

Communications & Event Manager (212) 297-6573

(646) 876-9404 [email protected]

[email protected]



SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.
Peraton is the only Virginia -based and national security company to be recognized

Best Managed Companies demonstrate excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic, resilient culture, as well as strong financials

The company will join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 46 countries

RESTON, Va., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Peraton is proud to announce it has been selected for the second time as a U.S. Best Managed Company Sponsored by Deloitte* Private and The Wall Street Journal. The 2023 program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies across 31 cities and the achievements of their management teams.

The secret? Investing in the right people, technology, and solutions without compromising our organizational integrity. Tweet this Peraton is the only Virginia-based and national security company to be recognized as a 2023 U.S. Best Managed Company

The 2023 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic culture, as well as strong financials. Designees propelled their businesses forward and remained true to their purpose and values by investing in their people, creating advantage through digital transformation, taking measurable action on sustainability, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"Following our acquisitions, the team and I strategically prioritized investing in the right people, technology, and solutions to support our customer missions without compromising our organizational integrity," said Stu Shea, chairman, president, and CEO, Peraton. "We are honored to once again be recognized as a Best Managed Company for remaining true to our mission and our values while still meeting the bottom line."

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture, and governance/financial performance. The winners then join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 46 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

*Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of their legal structure.

About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

About Peraton

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies from threats across the digital and physical domains. Peraton supports every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and we serve as a valued partner to essential government agencies that sustain our way of life. Every day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit Peraton.com to learn how we're safeguarding your peace of mind.

SOURCE Peraton
Response to Policymakers Request to Hear from Law Enforcement on Cannabis

DENVER, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Policy Center for Public Health & Safety (PH&S) is announcing the formation of a law enforcement coalition designed to serve as a liaison and sounding board to state and federal policymakers on cannabis reform policy.

The coalition will include a range of law enforcement experts and leaders from across the US including rank-and-file law personnel. The timing of the coalition coincides with 2023 cannabis priorities being set in Washington, DC and lawmakers introducing cannabis legislation.

On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will take up the SAFE Banking Act in a hearing titled, "Examining Cannabis Banking Challenges of Small Businesses and Workers ." The bill is a key priority for the cannabis industry as it would allow banks to serve cannabis companies without fear of federal retribution. The US House has passed the SAFE Act seven times, but it has yet to pass in the Senate.

A point of discord in previous SAFE negotiations has been the lack of voice and perspective from the law enforcement community; PH&S' law enforcement coalition is a direct response to federal lawmakers as it aims to break down that divide.

The organization is appointing Ben Kimbro to direct and oversee this law enforcement coalition. Kimbro brings decades of experience in training, consulting, and equipping professional law enforcement agencies on six continents while also bringing a background in interfacing with the cannabis industry and law enforcement.

"The objective of this initiative is to better understand law enforcement perspectives as they relate to cannabis and public safety issues. A meaningful dialogue should lead to forward-thinking actions, which support the concerns of law enforcement and provide further clarity around matters of public policy in dealing with legalization of cannabis issues," said Kimbro.

PH&S also brings an established track record in working with US Attorneys General in advancing the rule of law and public safety. With this new coalition, PH&S will also facilitate dialogue between state Attorneys General.

"Through respectful & meaningful dialogue, initiatives such as this stand to bridge the gaps surrounding legitimate law enforcement issues in cannabis policy like safe banking," said Karen White, Executive Director of AGA.

PH&S' law enforcement coalition will take a multi-faceted approach in including municipal, county, state, and federal local law enforcement perspectives.

ABOUT PH&S : PH&S is a 501(c)(4) company addressing the challenges facing law enforcement, regulators, cannabis investors & operators as well as financial institutions. The PH&S is a 501c4 and has an affiliate entity, the PH&S Foundation which is a 501c3.

About Attorneys General Alliance: The AG Alliance initiates meetings, panels and discussions and serves as a host forum for bipartisan cooperation in the Attorney General community.

Contact:

Monica McCafferty

303.903.3394

[email protected]

SOURCE Policy Center for Public Health and Safety
Outlook Revised to Positive by S&P Global Ratings

MERIDEN, Conn., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Home Lending, a leading mortgage loan primary and special servicer, announced that S&P Global Ratings has affirmed its overall "average" rankings for residential Primary (prime) and Special Servicing. Additionally, S&P Global Ratings revised Planet's outlook to "positive" from "stable" for both rankings.

Planet remains a leading primary and special servicer for mortgage-based assets. In its review, S&P highlighted significant growth in Planet's prime portfolio, which has continued to gain volume and momentum from MSR (Mortgage Servicing Rights) acquisitions and private clients.

S&P Global Ratings also noted:

Quantitative metrics, which reflect competitive performance results compared to peers

Systems improvements, including enhanced reporting, telephony, and customer service applications

Monitoring of more contact center calls than peers

Multiple levels of internal controls

Good oversight and processes within complaint and vendor management

Sound default administration processes

About Planet Financial Group, LLC

Planet Financial Group, LLC, Meriden, Connecticut, is a fully integrated family of companies delivering innovative origination, servicing and asset management solutions. Through this synergistic ecosystem of products, services and technologies, PFG provides best-in-class experiences for investors pursuing value maximization and borrowers seeking streamlined end-to-end loan lifecycle support. PFG is the parent of Planet Home Lending, LLC and Planet Management Group, LLC, which also does business under the name Planet Renovation Capital.

About Planet Home Lending, LLC

Planet Home Lending, LLC, Meriden, Connecticut, (NMLS #17022) is an approved originator and servicer for FHA, VA and USDA, as well as a Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Seller/Servicer, a full Ginnie Mae Issuer and approved sub-servicer and a Standard & Poor's Global Ratings- and Fitch Ratings-rated special and prime residential servicer. Planet Home Lending, LLC has been assigned a corporate family rating by Moody's Investors Service viewable at www.moodys.com. Its correspondent division offers a full suite of government, agency and niche home loans. Planet Home Lending, LLC is also a special servicer managing diverse investor portfolios. Its customized servicing solutions maximize asset recovery and optimize performance through active management at the portfolio and loan levels. Planet Home Lending, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender. For more information about Planet Home Lending, LLC, please visit https://planethomelending.com. For more information about Planet Home Lending's Correspondent offerings, please visit https://phlcorrespondent.com.

About Planet Management Group, LLC

Planet Management Group, LLC, Melville, New York, maximizes the value of diverse investor assets through active management. For more information about Planet Management Group, please visit https://planetmanagementgroup.com.

Press:

Dona DeZube

Vice President, Communication

Planet Home Lending

[email protected]

(443) 263-2832

SOURCE Planet Financial Group, LLC
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PSG, part of Dover (NYSE: DOV) and a global pump, metering and dispensing-solution expert, today announced the launch of its new BioProTT FlowSU System and updated SumoFlo CPFM-8103 Single-Use Coriolis Mass Flow Meter technologies. The unveiling of these new products from the recently launched PSG Biotech brand took place last month at the 2023 INTERPHEX Show, which was held in New York, NY.

"The new and improved BioProTT FlowSU System and SumoFlo Coriolis Mass Flow Meter products ensure maximum media-integrity protection, which gives producers of life-saving biopharmaceuticals, medicines and therapeutics confidence that their products are safe," said Michael Franco, Director, Global Biopharma Sales for PSG. "That is the motivation behind everything we do at PSG and the embodiment of the 'Caring For Every Drop' philosophy that drives our business every day."

The BioProTT FlowSU System is a next-generation flow-measurement system that has been designed for single-use biopharma applications. The "Ready. Connect. Flow." capabilities of the FlowSU System revolve around an innovative disposable sensor that eliminates the need for calibration and can be easily integrated into most standard manifolds while performing flow-measurement and air-in-line detection tasks simultaneously. The sensor's straight-line flow path also produces product transfer with less shear stress to better protect sensitive fluids from damage. The reusable and easy-to-mount holder station is outfitted with integrated electronics with Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability. The holder station is compatible with every sensor size and allows tool-free attachment with special locking technology, creating a safe and reliable connection with every use.

The SumoFlo CPFM-8103 Single-Use Coriolis Mass Flow Meter, the world's only gamma-sterilizable Coriolis mass flow meter, continues to provide a best-in-class mass-flow reading accuracy rate of +/-1% in flow rates from 0.05 to 100 kg/min. In addition, several new features have been added that further separate its operational capabilities from competitive models and make it well suited for upstream, laboratory, and cell and gene therapy applications. Specifically, the 031 model offers a new inline option for both inlet and outlet ports. In addition to the standard 1/8" connection option, a new 1/4" connection option allows the flow meter to be used in a wider range of applications with no adjustment needed for different tube sizes. Finally, the flow meter's external temperature sensor has been relocated to the interior of the unit, which improves reliability and performance and eliminates a potential leak path. The redesign of both the 031 and U08 models also allows them to be more efficiently manufactured while maintaining robust operating capabilities in the same size and footprint. The U08 SumoFlo Coriolis Mass Flow Meter is the low-flow version with a flow-rate range of 0.002-0.05 kg/min, making it ideal for critical low-dosing applications in the biopharmaceutical space.

For more information on the ways that PSG equipment and systems can optimize performance in critical life science and biopharmaceutical applications, please visit psgdover.com/biotech.

About PSG:

PSG is the global pump, metering and dispensing-solution expert, enabling the safe and efficient transfer of critical and valuable fluids that require optimal performance and reliability in applications where it matters most. Additionally, PSG is a leading provider of flow meters designed to reduce waste and downtime while accurately measuring, monitoring and controlling the distribution of fluids. Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, USA, PSG is comprised of several world-class brands, including Abaque, All-Flo, Almatec, Blackmer, Ebsray, em-tec, Griswold, Hydro, Malema, Mouvex, Neptune, PSG Biotech, Quantex, Quattroflow, RedScrew and Wilden. PSG products are manufactured on three continents  North America, Europe and Asia  in state-of-the-art facilities that practice lean manufacturing and are ISO-certified. PSG is part of the Pumps & Process Solutions segment of Dover Corporation. For additional information on PSG, please visit psgdover.com. PSG: Where Innovation Flows.

About Dover:

Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of over $8 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Climate & Sustainability Technologies. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 25,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com.

PSG Contact:

Christopher Walsh

(331) 277-8137

[email protected]

Dover Media Contact:

Adrian Sakowicz, VP, Communications

(630) 743-5039

[email protected]

Dover Investor Contact:

Jack Dickens, Senior Director, Investor Relations

(630) 743-2566

[email protected]

SOURCE Dover
Benefit Night Followed by Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Joined by Orland Park City Officials

ORLAND PARK, Ill., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Original Rainbow Cone , a Chicago tradition for over 95 years is proud to announce the grand opening of its third standalone location in the Chicagoland area. The new store, located at 15711 Harlem Ave, Orland Park, 60642 will officially open its doors to the public on May 26. The celebration will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 am; Orland Park city officials will be in attendance and members of the Orland Park and neighboring communities are encouraged to attend.

Get ready for a colorful and delicious experience at Rainbow Cone's newest location in Orland Park!

The Original Rainbow Cone has been a staple of the Chicago dessert scene for over 95 years, with its iconic combination of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, and orange sherbet flavors stacked on a tall cone. Rainbow Cone has become a local favorite, with lines stretching down the block during the summer months.

"We're thrilled to be opening our third standalone location," says Lynn Sapp, third generation owner of The Original Rainbow Cone. "Our family has been serving up Rainbow Cones for generations, and we're excited to share our unique flavor with the beloved Orland Park community."

To celebrate the grand opening, Rainbow Cone is hosting a benefit night with Bridge Teen Center on May 23rd from 5 pm-8 pm. During this time, all orders will be 50% off, and Rainbow Cone will donate all proceeds to the Bridge Teen Center. The event is open to the public, and attendees can enjoy their favorite Rainbow Cone flavors while supporting a great cause.

The Bridge Teen Center is a nonprofit teen community center that provides a safe and positive environment for 7th-12th graders to explore their interests and passions through more than 350 different free holistically-designed after-school programs and events each year. Since its founding in 2010, the organization has served over 11,850 different students from 128 different neighboring communities. To learn more, visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org .

The new Orland Park location will be open 11am- 11pm daily. In addition to its famous Rainbow Cones, the store will also offer other treats like shakes, ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches and mini donuts made to order.

"We can't wait to welcome our new customers to the Orland Park location," says Sapp. "Whether you're a longtime fan of Rainbow Cone or trying it for the first time, we guarantee you'll love our unique combination of flavors."

In addition to a grand opening event at the new Orland Park Rainbow Cone, the company will also host a gift card contest. First place will receive $100, second place will receive $50 and third place will receive $25. To enter, visit https://rainbowcone.com/locations/orland-park .

About The Original Rainbow Cone:

The Original Rainbow Cone serves ice cream featuring extraordinary flavors and textures, including the world-famous 5-flavor "Rainbow Cone", shakes, ice cream cakes & sandwiches, mini donuts, and memories dedicated to last forever. After opening in 1926, the "Rainbow Cone'' received its fame and quickly became the most unique ice cream cone anyone has ever seen. As Rainbow Cone works to expand locations and showcase its new adventures the company is excited to share their love for Rainbow Cone's signature sliced cone with even more communities. The Original Rainbow Cone is also available for nationwide shipping via Goldbelly. With nine permanent locations scattered across Illinois, one location in Indiana and more locations coming soon to Tennessee and Florida, Rainbow Cone is on a mission to sweeten new markets nationwide. For more information about Rainbow Cone's franchise program, visit https://rainbowconefranchise.com or follow the rainbow on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

SOURCE The Original Rainbow Cone
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members have visited the tomb of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honors as May 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the architect and founder of modern and independent Azerbaijani state, the great son of the Azerbaijani people and the National Leader, Trend reports.

A guard of honor was lined up here.

President Ilham Aliyev laid a wreath at the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and paid tribute to the Great Leader.

The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was played.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and the family members paid tribute to the National Leader.

The head of state, the First Lady and their family members then put flowers at the grave of the Great Leader`s wife, outstanding ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

They also paid respect to prominent statesman Aziz Aliyev and professor Tamerlan Aliyev.
Announcement represents Arcadia Cold's sixth facility in US, demonstrating a growing national network to serve customers.

ATLANTA, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadia Cold Storage and Logistics has finalized an agreement to open a brand-new cold storage facility located in Reno, Nevada to extend their reach into the western United States.

Arcadia's Reno Cold Storage is set to begin serving customers in Q3 2023. The facility represents the sixth within Arcadia's network providing another western regional location after the March announcement of their Phoenix Cold Storage facility.

Reno represents Arcadia Cold's sixth facility in US, demonstrating a growing national network to serve customers. Tweet this Arcadia Cold's Reno Cold Storage Facility Rendering

The state-of-the-art facility will span 254,460 square feet and offer fully convertible freezer and cooler distribution center services, with 37,260 pallet positions to support regional distribution, import-export services, and high-volume throughput handling capabilities.

The Reno Cold Storage facility will provide access to key metropolitan markets in California, Nevada, Utah, and the Pacific Northwest region, serving as a hub for the western United States. Arcadia's facility will represent one of the first large-scale 3PL cold storage facilities in the Reno market. The facility sits on Interstate 80, only hours from major population centers in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City.

"Once again, we are happy to announce another new facility launch within the growing Arcadia cold storage network. Reno is an important addition for us to provide access into the greater Western and Pacific-Northwestern markets for our customers who are seeking a quality cold storage and distribution option in the region", said Arcadia Cold CEO Chris Hughes.

About Arcadia Cold: Arcadia Cold specializes in providing third-party handling, storage, distribution, and value-added services to the food industry. We are on a mission to design and deploy modern facilities and provide innovative solutions through the practical application of technology, creating meaningful value for our customers while helping them meet their strategic objectives  establishing The New Age of cold chain. www.arcadiacold.com

SOURCE Arcadia Cold
Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton and Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater Honored

ATLANTA, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rheem, a leading global manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products, is celebrating its achievement of winning two awards at the internationally recognized 2023 Edison Awards ceremony, in Ft. Myers, Fla., on April 20. The Edison Awards, named after the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, recognizes world-changing innovations and the brilliant minds behind them.

Rheem, a leading global manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products, accepting two awards at the internationally recognized 2023 Edison Awards ceremony, in Ft. Myers, Fla. From left to right: Scott Cohen, Rheem water heating division, director, marketing and training, and from Rheems air conditioning division, Nancy Grimm, senior commercial marketing manager, and Rosa Leal, senior manager product management.

The Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton Commercial HVAC line earned silver in the Engineering & Robotics, Commercial Technology category and the Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater earned bronze in the Consumer Solutions, Sustainable Design category.

"To receive recognition for two of our Rheem products from the Edison Awards is a true testament to our company's determination to provide next-level comfort solutions for all of our customers' needs," said Chris Day, vice president, global water product strategy and marketing, at Rheem. "It is an important acknowledgment for our Rheem team members who work meticulously to ensure we continue to lead the industry by bringing the most innovative, sustainable and smart products to market."

Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton is a culmination of years of research and development, creative engineering and innovation. Crafted with smart features, the Renaissance line includes exclusive PlusOne advantages for easy replacement, installation and service. Renaissance products incorporate features contributing to Rheem's goal of building a more sustainable future.

The Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater is ENERGY STAR certified and ideal for drop-in gas replacement. It plugs into any standard 120V outlet and features high-efficiency upgrades without the need to install a 240V electric service. Its built-in EcoNet Wi-Fi technology provides control of the household water heater so homeowners can adjust water temperature and track energy usage from a smartphone.

All nominations were reviewed by the Edison Awards Steering Committee, with the final ballot determined by an independent judging panel. The panel comprises more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from the product development, design, engineering, science, marketing and education fields and past winners.

For more information about Rheem, please visit www.rheem.com.

About Rheem 

Founded in 1925, Rheem Manufacturing is a global leader committed to delivering innovative products that save energy and support a more sustainable future. Rheem is the only manufacturer in the world that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool & spa heating and commercial refrigeration products, and is America's #1 water-heating brand with products available in more than 80 countries. Paloma Co., Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan, acquired the iconic Rheem brand in 1988, and today the company's portfolio of premium brands include Rheem, Ruud, Friedrich, Raypak, Sure Comfort, WeatherKing, Eemax, Richmond, Splendid, Solahart and EverHot as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell, Witt, ColdZone and Kramer, which are part of the Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG) division.

About The Edison Awards

Established in 1987, the Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The annual competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. Past award recipients include Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and leaders of global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Genentech, General Electric, General Motors, IBM and Campbell Soup Co. In 2022, the Edison Awards introduced the inaugural Lewis Latimer Fellowship program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com.

SOURCE Rheem
BALTIMORE, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rita's Italian Ice has signed a lease with David S. Brown Enterprises, at 419 W. Baltimore in the Renaissance District of Baltimore City, mere footsteps away from University of Maryland, Baltimore. The opening at their new location, 419 W. Baltimore Street, is scheduled for May 2023.

"Rita's will without a doubt prove to be a popular area attraction. We are excited to have them aboard as this is their fourth location within our portfolio" said Ken Bernstein, Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing at David S. Brown Enterprises. "We look forward to our continued partnership."

"We've received great service and support from David S. Brown Enterprises every step of the way," Albert Holley stated. "It has been a pleasure working with Ken Bernstein and we couldn't be more excited about opening our new location," Holley added.

The 400 W. Baltimore Street project is in the heart of Baltimore's Educational and Cultural District next to University of Maryland Medical System and only blocks from Camden Yards, The Baltimore Convention Center, CFG Arena, and Lexington Market. The location delivers 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space with street level suites on both North and South sides of Baltimore Street. Current tenants include national retailers such as Nando's and Taco Town with expected openings for a new Starbucks and Qdoba in 2023.

About Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard opened its doors in Bensalem, PA. in 1984, and has been dedicated to spreading "Ice, Custard, Happiness!" ever since. Now, Rita's is the largest Italian Ice concept in the world with over 600 shops. Guests around the world visit Rita's to celebrate their everyday moments with freshly made cool treats in a fun-filled atmosphere. Known for its famous Italian Ice, made daily featuring real fruit, and award-winning Frozen Custard, Rita's serves a taste of happiness with each delicious treat. For more information about Rita's Italian Ice visit www.ritasice.com.

About David S. Brown Enterprises, LTD.

Established in 1933 and headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland, we are a full-service real estate company. Our mission is to serve our community through socially conscious development, high-quality construction, and innovative design. For additional information, please visit www.davidsbrown.com.

SOURCE David S. Brown Enterprises, LTD.
DUBLIN, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sandvik AB - Digital Transformation Strategies" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides insight into Sandvik's tech activities, including its digital transformation strategies, its innovation programs, its technology initiatives, its estimated ICT budget, and its major ICT contracts.



Sandvik AB (Sandvik) is an engineering company that specializes in material technology and industrial processes. The company's major offerings include metal cutting tools and tooling systems; mining and rock excavation equipment; stainless steel, special alloys, and titanium; furnace products and heating systems; and digital manufacturing solutions.

The company caters to various sectors including aerospace, automotive, construction, general engineering, mining, nuclear power generation, oil and gas, process industry, and renewable energy. The company sells its products through a network of direct sales force and distributors in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.



In September 2018, Sandvik and SSAB launched the SmartSteel Innovation Challenge to develop a solution for traceable steel. Both companies invited researchers, companies, and institutes across the globe to the challenge. A total of 26 teams submitted their proposals, and seven finalists gained the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a jury in Stockholm (Sweden).



In July 2021, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions launched a new technology center in Zimbabwe to assist region's mining industry on its digital journey. The technology center will work with local underground hard rock mines focused on technology to improve their productivity and make mines safer and more productive using digital technologies.

Initially, the center implemented OptiMine for monitoring and tracking underground mobile equipment and customer support for MySandvik project.

Scope

Sandvik aims to have 60% of its customers utilizing its automated and digital solutions by 2025. Throughout 2022, it worked on automation and developed new functionality for its digital assistant platform, Sandvik Automation Module (SAM), which enables customers to optimize their operations and gain operational insights for improved productivity and performance

Sandvik is embracing digitalization and automation by leveraging big data, analytical tools, robotics, and AI technologies to create new business opportunities and improve business intelligence. The company is focusing on new ways for people to interact with machines and to transfer digital instructions into physical products or equipment, enabling real-time decisions in the machining process. To this extent, Sandvik offers several digitalized solutions and services to optimize its customers' operations pertaining to costs, productivity, and environmental impact

Sandvik worked with IBM to jointly develop an analytics and predictive maintenance solution that uses IBM Watson IoT technology and predictive analytics to better predict and prevent equipment breakdowns

Reasons to Buy

Gain insights into Sandvik's tech operations

Gain insights into its tech strategies and innovation initiatives

Gain insights into its technology themes under focus

Gain insights into various product launches, partnerships, investment, and acquisition strategies

Key Topics Covered:

Overview

Brief information about the company, its business divisions and its financials

Digital Transformation Strategy

A summary of key digital strategies/implementation efforts of the company

Accelerators, Incubators, and Other Innovation Programs

Discusses the company's key strategic units, innovation labs, incubation and accelerator programs dedicated to technology innovation

Technology Focus

Lists the technology themes pertinent to the industry the company operates in and highlights the themes adopted by the company

Technology Initiatives

Discussion about all the technology introductions & partnerships the company has entered

Investment

Brief discussion about the investments made by the company to acquire new technologies

Acquisitions

Brief discussion about the acquisitions by the company

Partnership and Investment Network Map

A bird's eye view of all the partnerships/investments/acquisitions that the company has made in the last 3-5 years

ICT Budget and Contracts

The company's ICT budget segregated into hardware, software, and managed IT services

Key Executives

Lists key executives and Digital Transformation Executives of the company, typically the key decision makers/influencers

Contact the Publisher

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

IBM

CribWise

Medius

Infrakit Cloud

Onshape

JDA Software

Exyn

Resolute Mining

PARC

Boliden

Immensa

Nokia

Rajant Corporation

Siemens

Transval

Tenaris

Oqton

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r9jf2n



Source: GlobalData

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CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arizton's latest research report, the Saudi Arabia data center market will grow at a CAGR of 8% during 2022-2028.

To Know More, Download the Free Sample Report:

https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3796

Saudi Arabia Data Center Market

Data center investments in Saudi Arabia over the next 2-3 years are expected to be aggressive due to investments from local operators and the entry of several new operators. The market is attracting hyperscale operators to open their cloud regions in the country. The wholesale colocation revenue will likely increase in Saudi Arabia due to the entry of major cloud operators such as Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, Oracle, and Huawei. These companies have announced plans to open cloud regions in Saudi Arabia in the upcoming years.

Saudi Arabia Data Center Market Report Scope Report Attributes Details Market Size USD 2.08 Billion (2028) Market Size (Area) 610 thousand sq. Feet (2028) Market Size (Power Capacity) 120 MW (2028) CAGR Investment (2022-2028) 7.98 % Colocation Market Size (Revenue) USD 440 Million (2028) Historic Year 2021-2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2028 Market Dynamics Improvement in Inland & Submarine Connectivity

Increasing Cloud Investment

Increase in Data Center Investment & Activities

Big Data & IoT Driving Data Center Investments

On-premises Infrastructure Migration to Colocation &

Managed Services

Looking for More Information? Download the Free Sample Report:

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Investment Opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia , one of the largest ICT markets in the Middle East region in terms of capital volume and spending, is a developed data center market in the Middle East region.

, one of the largest ICT markets in the region in terms of capital volume and spending, is a developed data center market in the region. In 2022, Dammam , Riyadh , and Jeddah were the major data center investment destinations in Saudi Arabia . Other cities such as Neom, Qassim, Al Khobar, and others also witness data center investments.

, , and were the major data center investment destinations in . Other cities such as Neom, Qassim, Al Khobar, and others also witness data center investments. The rising adoption of cloud-based services is helping the growth of retail and wholesale colocation services in the market. The market is witnessing increased demand for colocation spaces across existing and upcoming data centers.

In September 2022 , the company announced that it had secured full funding from Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking for its first data center that is under development in Dammam . The facility was expected to be online by Q4 2022. However, as of February 2023 , the facility is yet to open.

Over 60% of Future Demand to Come from Cloud Service Providers

Saudi Arabia's data center market has the presence of on-premise data centers operated by financial services, educational institutions, and governments, such as the National Commercial Bank, National Center for Security Operations, Qassim University Medical City, Saudi Credit Bureau, Saudi National Bank, and others. In the next 3-5 years, we will see a significant decline in on-premise owing to the increase in digitalizing initiatives across sectors, the implementation of a cloud-first strategy, and the demand for colocation and cloud. In addition, most existing service providers offer managed solutions to enterprise customers, which will likely grow in the market from 2023 to 2028.

The market is witnessing the entry of all the global cloud operators such as Google, Microsoft, Alibaba, Huawei, and Oracle. This will increase the demand for wholesale colocation services. Through continuous expansion by these service providers, the cloud segments will likely dominate the capacity over the next five years. Amazon Web Services (AWS) will also likely enter the market in 1-2 years. In addition, we believe the market will witness the entry of multiple global organizations to service customers through a local presence.

Why Should You Buy This Research?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and the Saudi Arabia colocation market revenue.

colocation market revenue. An assessment of the investment in Saudi Arabia by colocation and enterprise operators.

by colocation and enterprise operators. Investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across locations in the country.

During the forecast period, a detailed study of the existing market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Saudi Arabia data center market size.

data center market size. Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Saudi Arabia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 21



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 40



Coverage: 6 Cities



Existing vs. Upcoming (Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Saudi Arabia

Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027)



Wholesale vs. Retail Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

The Saudi Arabia market landscape investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, rack cabinets, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

market landscape investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, rack cabinets, and general construction services with sizing and forecast. A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspects of the market.

Additional Benefit Post-Purchase

1hr of free analyst discussion

10% of customization

Customization Available

If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.arizton.com/customize-report/3796

The report includes the investment in the following areas:

IT Infrastructure

Servers



Storage Systems



Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems



Generators



Switches & Switchgears



PDUs



Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems



Rack Cabinets



Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC and CRAH Units



Chillers Units



Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers



Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development



Installation & Commissioning Services



Engineering & Building Design



Fire Detection & Suppression



Physical Security



Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II



Tier III



Tier IV

Geography

Riyadh



Other Cities

Major Vendors

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Ashi & Bushnag

Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting

Atkins

Capitoline

DC PRO BV

Edarat Group

EGEC

Gensler

HATCO

ICS Arabia

ICS Nett

IDP Engineering

Environment and Architecture

INT'LTEC Group

Juffali Airconditioning, Mechanical, and Electrical Company (JAMED)

Linesight

RED

SANA Creative Systems

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Alfa Laval

Canovate

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Enrogen

Grundfos

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Vertiv

Data Center Investors

Google

Gulf Data Hub

Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

New Entrants

EDGNEX

Google

Quantum Switch

Zeropoint DC (NEOM)

Table of Content

Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers in Saudi Arabia

Historical Market Scenario

20+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center IT Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area

Existing Vs Upcoming Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Dammam



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Data Center Facilities

Investment Opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic factors of the Saudi Arabia Market

Investment Opportunities in the Saudi Arabia

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Data Center Colocation Market in Saudi Arabia

Colocation Services Market in the Saudi Arabia

Retail vs Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-ons

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Geography

Dammam

Other Cities

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

New Entrants

Appendix

Market Derivation

Quantitative Summary

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United Arab Emirates Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027: The United Arab Emirates data center market to reach USD 1.72 billion by 2027. Over 115 MW of power capacity will be added across the United Arab Emirates from 2022 to 2027.

Kuwait Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027: Cloud adoption is driving data center demand in the data center market in Kuwait. In Kuwait, the spending on public cloud services is expected to reach around USD 112 million by 2024.

Africa Data Center Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027: Africa data center market will witness investments of USD 5 billion by 2027.All countries in the Africa will see more and more installations of inland and submarine network connectivity, leading to higher data center development driven by efforts from government agencies, telecommunication service providers, and colocation providers. This will provide ample number of opportunities for data center vendors in Africa.

Middle East Data Center Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027: The Middle east data center market will witness investments of USD 6.73 billion in 2027. In 2021, the UAE will be one of the preferred data center locations in the Middle East, with more than 10 data center facilities investments. In 2021, Amazon Web Services announced the development of a new data center region in Abu Dhabi, which consists of three availability zones in the UAE. It is expected to be opened in the first half of 2022.

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SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
The division unveiled a new visual identity, new website, and refreshed positioning.

OMAHA, Neb., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scantron Technology Solutions, a division of the Scantron Corporation and a leading nationwide technology solutions provider, announced today that it has rebranded to Secur-Serv to reflect its focus on cybersecurity and IT transformation. The new brand represents the commitment to providing exceptional managed services that break through conventional solutions and inspire a more inventive approach to technology.

"We've evolved from legacy device support to a security-first Technology Solutions Provider focused on modernization" Tweet this Cathy Pickoski, Chief Executive Officer

Following the acquisition of ServRight in 2021, Secur-Serv expanded its field service personnel to over 3000 technicians, enabling a greater depth of expertise and expansion of onsite services to businesses nationwide. In addition, Secur-Serv has focused on expanding its cybersecurity and cloud solutions to position itself for continued success in the managed services space.

"At Secur-Serv, we've evolved from legacy device support to a security-first Technology Solutions Provider focused on modernization and digital transformation," said Cathy Pickoski, CEO of Scantron Corporation. "Our new name and logo, featuring a shield, embody our commitment to protecting our clients from security vulnerabilities and IT challenges."

The Secur-Serv name is rooted in the company's commitment to providing exceptional customer support for Managed IT, Managed Print, Managed Device, and Cybersecurity services to thousands of companies across the United States.

"We're committed to providing exceptional managed services that help our clients become leading organizations in their respective industries," added Pickoski. "Our extensive knowledge about managed services allows us to offer a range of solutions enabling our clients to focus on their core business while we manage their IT needs."

"Together with our clients, we're building a future where technology works for people, not the other way around," said Pickoski. "We're excited to continue our journey as Secur-Serv and to help our clients achieve their goals through transformative managed services."

To learn more about Secur-Serv and its managed services offerings, visit secur-serv.com.

About Secur-Serv, a division of Scantron Corporation: Secur-Serv is a security-first managed services provider that prioritizes and places security at the center of everything it does. The company provides Managed IT, Managed Print, Managed Device, and Cybersecurity services to companies of every size across the United States. With over 3000 field service technicians, a Network Operating Center based in Omaha, NE and extensive service offerings, Secur-Serv is a leading MSP for all things IT. For more information, visit secur-serv.com.

About Scantron Corporation: Scantron Corporation is a global, diversified company that empowers growth through intelligent, mission-critical assessment, technology, and data capture solutions for business, education, certification, and government clients around the world. The company provides managed technology support for several hundred thousand IT devices and endpoints, manages millions of copied pages, delivers hundreds of millions of high-precision, scannable answer sheets, and supports educational institutions, certifying bodies, small to large businesses, and government agencies across the globe. Scantron is headquartered in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, with other locations in, Omaha, Nebraska, Salt Lake City, Utah and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.scantron.com.

SOURCE Scantron Technology Solutions
Marketing Authorization granted for Tibsovo as the first and only approved IDH1 targeted therapy in Europe

IDH1-mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia and IDH1-mutated Cholangiocarcinoma, difficult and hard-to-treat cancer

PARIS and BOSTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Servier, a global pharmaceutical group, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Tibsovo (ivosidenib tablets) as a targeted therapy in two indications: in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) R132 mutation who are not eligible to receive standard induction chemotherapy; as well as in monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 R132 mutation who were previously treated by at least one prior line of systemic therapy.

Tibsovo is the first and only IDH1 inhibitor approved in Europe. It has received orphan medicine designation recognizing the significant benefit brought to patients by Tibsovo over available therapies for both CCA and AML.

"The prognosis for patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or cholangiocarcinoma has historically been poor with very limited treatment options. With today's approval by the European Commission, Tibsovo is now the first targeted IDH1 inhibitor approved in Europe. This further affirms our unparalleled scientific leadership in harnessing the IDH mutation and commitment to finding new therapeutic solutions for patients with difficult and hard-to-treat cancers," said Arnaud Lallouette, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Medical & Patient Affairs at Servier.

"IDH1 mutations are major drivers of disease progression in acute myeloid leukemia and cholangiocarcinoma, which are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, highlighting the urgent need for a targeted therapeutic option. The development of new targeted therapies such as Tibsovo, which works differently from traditional chemotherapies, is now providing treatment options that may increase the life expectancy and quality of life for patients," said Philippe Gonnard, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Product Strategy at Servier.

AML is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow marked by rapid disease progression. It is the most common acute leukemia in adults and affects 5/100,000 inhabitants in Europe, i.e., more than 20,000 new cases each year.i The two-year survival rate of 75 years-old patients with AML is below 10%.ii

The approval by the European Commission in AML is supported by data from the AGILE study, a global, Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival (EFS) (hazard ratio [HR] 0.33; 95% CI [0.16, 0.69]) and overall survival (OS) (HR 0.44; 95% CI [0.27, 0.73] of patients with IDH1-mutated AML treated with Tibsovo in combination with azacitidine compared to azacitidine plus placebo. The median OS (95% CI) for Tibsovo + azacitidine and placebo + azacitidine was 24.0 (11.3, 34.1) and 7.9 (4.1, 11.3) months, respectively. In addition to the primary endpoint of EFS, the study met all key secondary endpoints, including complete remission (CR) rate, OS, and complete remission with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) rate, as well as objective response rate (ORR). These results prove that Tibsovo, in combination with azacitidine, is an effective combination treatment option for patients with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML. The most common adverse reactions were vomiting, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, electrocardiogram QT prolonged, and insomnia.

Cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile duct, is a rare and aggressive tumor often linked to medical history such as cirrhosis or liver infection. Cholangiocarcinoma affects 13 in 100,000 people in Europe, with approximately 10,000 new cases each year.iii The five-year survival rate is 9%, but 0% if metastasized.iv Only surgery has been shown to cure patients, but this treatment option is only possible for a limited number of patients, and the risk of relapse remains high. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy are the standard therapy for patients with cholangiocarcinoma who are not eligible for surgery or whose disease has progressed after surgery.

The European Commission's approval in cholangiocarcinoma is supported by data from the ClarIDHy trial, the first and only randomized Phase 3 trial for previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma. Results from the ClarIDHy study demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) by an independent review committee (HR 0.37; 95% CI [0.25, 0.54], p<0.001)v. The median PFS (95% CI) for Tibsovo and placebo was 2.7 (1.6, 4.2) and 1.4 (1.4, 1.6) months, respectively. Thirty-two percent and 22% of patients randomized to Tibsovo remained free of progression or death at 6 and 12 months, respectively, versus none on the placebo arm. The most common adverse reactions were fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, decreased appetite, ascites, vomiting, anemia, and rash.

Tibsovo is currently approved in the U.S. as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with IDH1-mutant relapsed or refractory AML and in monotherapy or in combination with azacitidine for adults with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutant AML who are 75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Tibsovo has also been approved in the U.S. and Australia for patients with previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma. Tibsovo is also approved in Chinavi for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory AML who have a susceptible IDH1 mutation.

The Marketing Authorization covers the 27 countriesvii of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Find out more about cholangiocarcinoma and acute myeloid leukemia on servier.com.

Press contacts

Group: [email protected]

USA:

Nathan Mellor

[email protected]

About the AGILE Phase 3 AML Trialviii

The AGILE trial is a global, Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tibsovo in combination with azacitidine compared with placebo in combination with azacitidine, in adults with previously untreated IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not candidates for intensive chemotherapy (75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy). The study's primary endpoint is event-free survival (EFS), defined as the time from randomization until treatment failure, relapse from remission, or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. Treatment failure is defined as failure to achieve complete remission (CR) by Week 24.

Key secondary endpoints include CR rate, defined as the proportion of participants who achieve a CR; overall survival (OS), defined as the time from date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause; CR and complete remission with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) rate, defined as the proportion of participants who achieve a CR or CRh; and objective response rate (ORR), defined as the rate of CR, CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) (including CR with incomplete platelet recovery [CRp]), partial remission (PR), and morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS).

About ClarlDHy Phase 3 cholangiocarcinoma trial

The ClarIDHy trial is a global, randomized Phase 3 trial in previously treated IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma patients who have documented disease progression following one or two systemic therapies in the advanced setting. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either single-agent Tibsovo 500 mg once daily or placebo with crossover to Tibsovo permitted at the time of documented radiographic progression per RECIST 1.1. The primary endpoint of the ClarIDHy trial is progression-free survival (PFS) as evaluated by independent radiology review. Secondary endpoints include investigator-evaluated PFS, safety and tolerability, overall response rate, OS, duration of response, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and quality of life assessments.

About Servier

Founded to serve health, Servier is a global pharmaceutical group governed by a Foundation that aspires to have a meaningful social impact, both for patients and for a sustainable world. With its unique governance model, it can fully serve its vocation with a long-term vision: being committed to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs. The 21,400 employees of the Group are committed to this shared vocation, a source of inspiration every day.

As a world leader in cardiology, Servier's ambition is to become a renowned, focused and innovative player in oncology by targeting difficult and hard-to-treat cancers. That is why the Group allocates over 50% of its R&D budget to Oncology.

Neuroscience and immuno-inflammatory diseases are the future growth drivers. In these areas, Servier is focused on a limited number of diseases in which accurate patient profiling makes it possible to offer a targeted therapeutic response through precision medicine.

To promote access to quality care for all at a lower cost, the Group also offers a range of quality generic drugs covering most pathologies, relying on strong brands in France, Eastern Europe, Brazil and Nigeria.

In all these areas, the Group includes the patient voice at each stage of the life cycle of a medicine.

Headquartered in France, Servier relies on a strong geographical footprint in over 150 countries and achieved a revenue of 4.9 billion in 2022.

More information on the new Group website: servier.com

Follow us on social media: LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram

About Servier in the U.S.

As a leader in oncology, Servier is committed to finding solutions that will address today's challenges. The company's oncology portfolio includes innovative medicines designed to bring more life-saving treatments to a greater number of patients, across the entire spectrum of disease and in a variety of tumor types. Servier has significantly accelerated its investment in difficult and hard-to-treat cancers with more than 50% of its research and development dedicated to delivering significant advances in areas that may truly move the needle for our patients.

Servier believes co-creation is fundamental to driving innovation and is actively building alliances, acquisitions, licensing deals and partnerships that bring solutions and accelerate access to therapies. With the company's commercial expertise, global reach, scientific expertise and commitment to clinical excellence, Servier in the U.S. is dedicated to bringing the promise of tomorrow to the patients that we serve.

For more information: www.servier.us.

About TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets)

TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) is approved in the U.S. in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with newly-diagnosed IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults 75 years of age or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy. TIBSOVO is the first therapy targeting cancer metabolism approved in combination with azacitidine for patients with newly-diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML.

TIBSOVO is also approved in the U.S. as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with IDH1-mutant relapsed or refractory AML, and for adults with newly-diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML who are 75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Last year, TIBSOVO garnered its first approval in a non-hematologic malignancy for patients with previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma.

Please see the TIBSOVO indications and Important Safety Information with a link to the full Prescribing Information below.

TIBSOVO IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION FOR U.S. PATIENTS

INDICATIONS

TIBSOVO is an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) inhibitor indicated for patients with a susceptible IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test with:

Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

In combination with azacitidine or as monotherapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in adults 75 years or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy

Relapsed or Refractory AML

For the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory AML

Locally Advanced or Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma

For the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma who have been previously treated

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: DIFFERENTIATION SYNDROME IN AML

Patients treated with TIBSOVO have experienced symptoms of differentiation syndrome, which can be fatal. Symptoms may include fever, dyspnea, hypoxia, pulmonary infiltrates, pleural or pericardial effusions, rapid weight gain or peripheral edema, hypotension, and hepatic, renal, or multiorgan dysfunction. If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate corticosteroid therapy and hemodynamic monitoring until symptom resolution.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Differentiation Syndrome in AML: In the combination study AG120-C-009, 15% (11/71) of patients with newly diagnosed AML treated with TIBSOVO plus azacitidine experienced differentiation syndrome. Differentiation syndrome is associated with rapid proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells and may be life-threatening or fatal. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome in patients treated with TIBSOVO included noninfectious leukocytosis, peripheral edema, pyrexia, dyspnea, pleural effusion, hypotension, hypoxia, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, pericardial effusion, rash, fluid overload, tumor lysis syndrome, and creatinine increased. Of the 11 patients with newly diagnosed AML who experienced differentiation syndrome with TIBSOVO plus azacitidine, 8 (73%) recovered. Differentiation syndrome occurred as early as 3 days after start of therapy and during the first month on treatment.

In the monotherapy clinical trial AG120-C-001, 25% (7/28) of patients with newly diagnosed AML and 19% (34/179) of patients with relapsed or refractory AML treated with TIBSOVO experienced differentiation syndrome. Of the 7 patients with newly diagnosed AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 6 (86%) patients recovered. Of the 34 patients with relapsed or refractory AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 27 (79%) patients recovered after treatment or after dose interruption of TIBSOVO. Differentiation syndrome occurred as early as 1 day and up to 3 months after TIBSOVO initiation and has been observed with or without concomitant leukocytosis.

If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate dexamethasone 10 mg IV every 12 hours (or an equivalent dose of an alternative oral or IV corticosteroid) and hemodynamic monitoring until improvement. If concomitant noninfectious leukocytosis is observed, initiate treatment with hydroxyurea or leukapheresis, as clinically indicated. Taper corticosteroids and hydroxyurea after resolution of symptoms and administer corticosteroids for a minimum of 3 days. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome may recur with premature discontinuation of corticosteroid and/or hydroxyurea treatment. If severe signs and/or symptoms persist for more than 48 hours after initiation of corticosteroids, interrupt TIBSOVO until signs and symptoms are no longer severe.

QTc Interval Prolongation: Patients treated with TIBSOVO can develop QT (QTc) prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias. Concomitant use of TIBSOVO with drugs known to prolong the QTc interval (e.g., anti-arrhythmic medicines, fluoroquinolones, triazole antifungals, 5HT3 receptor antagonists) and CYP3A4 inhibitors may increase the risk of QTc interval prolongation. Conduct monitoring of electrocardiograms (ECGs) and electrolytes. In patients with congenital long QTc syndrome, congestive heart failure, or electrolyte abnormalities, or in those who are taking medications known to prolong the QTc interval, more frequent monitoring may be necessary.

Interrupt TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 480 msec and less than 500 msec. Interrupt and reduce TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 500 msec. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who develop QTc interval prolongation with signs or symptoms of life-threatening arrhythmia.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome: Guillain-Barre syndrome can develop in patients treated with TIBSOVO. Monitor patients taking TIBSOVO for onset of new signs or symptoms of motor and/or sensory neuropathy such as unilateral or bilateral weakness, sensory alterations, paresthesias, or difficulty breathing. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who are diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

In patients with AML, the most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (25%) are leukocytes decreased, diarrhea, hemoglobin decreased, platelets decreased, glucose increased, fatigue, alkaline phosphatase increased, edema, potassium decreased, nausea, vomiting, phosphate decreased, decreased appetite, sodium decreased, leukocytosis, magnesium decreased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, arthralgia, dyspnea, uric acid increased, abdominal pain, creatinine increased, mucositis, rash, electrocardiogram QT prolonged, differentiation syndrome, calcium decreased, neutrophils decreased, and myalgia

the most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (25%) are leukocytes decreased, diarrhea, hemoglobin decreased, platelets decreased, glucose increased, fatigue, alkaline phosphatase increased, edema, potassium decreased, nausea, vomiting, phosphate decreased, decreased appetite, sodium decreased, leukocytosis, magnesium decreased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, arthralgia, dyspnea, uric acid increased, abdominal pain, creatinine increased, mucositis, rash, electrocardiogram QT prolonged, differentiation syndrome, calcium decreased, neutrophils decreased, and myalgia In patients with cholangiocarcinoma, the most common adverse reactions (15%) are fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough, decreased appetite, ascites, vomiting, anemia, and rash. The most common laboratory abnormalities (10%) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma are hemoglobin decreased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, and bilirubin increased

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Strong or Moderate CYP3A4 Inhibitors: Reduce TIBSOVO dose with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.

Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.

Sensitive CYP3A4 Substrates: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.

QTc Prolonging Drugs: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO. If co-administration is unavoidable, monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.

LACTATION

Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with TIBSOVO and for 1 month after the last dose.

Please see Full Prescribing Information , including BOXED WARNING for AML patients

*Servier has an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with CStone for the development and commercialization of TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore

i ESMO Guidelines 2020 - Acute myeloid leukemia in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

ii National Cancer Institute. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Cancer Stat Facts: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/amyl.html.

iii Valle JW, et al. Ann Oncol. 2016;27(Suppl. 5):v28v37

iv Oliveira IS, et al. Abdom Radiol (NY). 2017;42(6):16371649

v Abou-Alfa GK, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2020;21(6):796807

vi Conditional NDA approval for this indication from NMPA. In Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, Servier has granted to CStone a co-exclusive license for the development and an exclusive license agreement for commercialization of Tibsovo (ivosidenib tablets).

vii Centralized Marketing Authorization does not include approval in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

viii ClinicalTrials.gov. Study of AG-120 (Ivosidenib) vs. Placebo in Combination with Azacitidine in Patients with Previously Untreated Acute Myeloid Leukemia With an IDH1 Mutation (AGILE). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03173248.

SOURCE Servier Pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Six in ten small business owners report increasing wages to hire and retain workers but worry higher costs are "not healthy business-wise," according to new data from SCORE , a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. To maintain profitability and employee satisfaction, entrepreneurs are finding compensation isn't the only solution.

SCORE's Spring 2023 Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement report surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners on employee-related challenges. SCORE client Sunitta Hedaoo (right) is the owner of Kora Journeys, a boutique luxury travel company based in Houston, Texas.

SCORE's Spring 2023 Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement report surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners on employee-related challenges in today's competitive environment, including the impact and cost of disengaged employees.

"The key to retaining good employees seems to be higher wages, which then results in higher costs that are not healthy business-wise," said SCORE client Claudia Marquez, president of Tacotote in Albuquerque, N.M. "It truly seems that the focus is on employees getting higher pay, without considering small business survival."

Moving forward with a plan

While small business owners are more optimistic now than pre-pandemic, more than half (59.2%) still feel that employee-related challenges will continue for at least another year. In the face of these challenges, small business owners are taking action.

In addition to increasing wages, they are:

Building connections to their company culture, mission and values (46.2%)

Offering professional development and training opportunities (41.3%)

Providing bonuses and/or profit sharing (39.2%)

Incorporating flexible and/or remote work options (36.8%)

"There is a limited number of employees to draw from these days, and they don't want to work any more than they need to," said SCORE client Owen Faulkner, owner of Town & Country Heating and Cooling Co. in Bucyrus, Kan. "With not as many people coming into the trades, we are treating our existing employees better to help retain them."

Alongside wages and professional development, some small business owners have utilized other programs to retain their employees, including health and wellness programs (12.5%), diversity, equity and inclusion programs (5.7%) and childcare benefits (4.3%).

Signs of improvement

Employment numbers have steadied, with just 17.5% of businesses reporting having fewer employees compared to the previous year. That's down from 2021, when 26.8% of small business employers reported smaller staff.

"The pandemic brought challenges with hiring and retention for a multitude of businesses,but entrepreneurs excel at exercising creativity and flexibility when they need to do more with less," said SCORE Vice President of External Relations Betsy Dougert. "By capitalizing on their innate strengths, small business employers can motivate and inspire their existing teams, attract new talent and grow to new levels of success."

Click here to view the full Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement data report.

About SCORE:

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at www.score.org .

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

CONTACT:

SCORE

202-968-6428

[email protected]

Visit SCORE's media resources to be connected with expert small business interview sources and news updates.

SOURCE SCORE
New research using this dataset shows that 85% of the world's largest companies have a significant dependency on nature across their direct operations

New dataset includes dependency scores, describing the level of risk associated with a company's reliance on 21 different ecosystem services, and the ecosystem footprint for companies, a new metric measuring operational impact on nature and biodiversity

Companies, investors and other stakeholders can use this dataset to understand their impact and dependency on the natural world and to develop strategies to create more resilience with respect to the ecosystems they depend on

This dataset has been designed to help companies and financial institutions align with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

NEW YORK and LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Sustainable1 has today launched Nature & Biodiversity Risk, a new dataset assessing nature-related impacts and dependencies across a company's direct operations that can be applied at the asset, company and portfolio level. This new dataset will support companies, investors and entities as they seek to understand, manage and mitigate exposure of corporates and portfolios to nature related risks and impacts.

Nature & Biodiversity Risk can be accessed through S&P Capital IQ Pro and covers over 17,000 companies and over 1.6 million assets and provides a number of new nature-related risk metrics including a dependency score and ecosystem footprint measure enabling greater understanding of a company or asset's dependency and impact on nature. The dataset applies the Nature Risk Profile, a new methodology for analyzing companies' impacts and dependencies on nature, launched by S&P Global Sustainable1 and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in January this year.

Thomas Yagel, Chief Operating and Product Officer, S&P Global Sustainable1 said:

"From the launch of the Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in 2021 to the significant commitments made at COP15, there is an increasing demand from companies and investors to be able to quantify both their dependency on nature and the impact of their operations on location-specific ecosystems."

The dependency score* considers the level of reliance that a business' direct operations have on 21 different ecosystem services, as well as the expected resilience risk of the ecosystem providing these services, where these businesses are operating around the world. The dependency score is on a scale from 0 to 1.0 (where 0 represents no dependency risk and 1.0 represents very high dependency risk).

The Ecosystem Footprint** measures a business' direct operational impact on nature and biodiversity. This metric combines three key areas of analysis: the areas of land impacted by the company (land area), the degree to which the location-specific ecosystem integrity is reduced (ecosystem degradation) and the significance of the location-specific ecosystem impacted (ecosystem significance).

Steve Bullock, Global Head of Research and Methodology, S&P Global Sustainable1 said:

"Our research shows that 85% of the world's largest companies have a significant dependency on nature, indicating the critical importance of greater transparency for market participants on nature-related risks and opportunities. This new dataset signals a maturation of the conversation on nature and provides clear metrics quantifying the nature related dependency and impact of over 1.6 million global real assets."

Applying this new dataset to the S&P 1200, the world's largest public companies, our analysis shows that:

85% of the world's largest companies have a significant dependency* on nature across their direct operations.

46% of the world's largest companies have at least one asset located in a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)*** that could be exposed to future reputational and regulatory risks.

S&P 1200 companies used an estimated 22 million hectares of land for their direct operations in 2021 to generate USD 28.9 trillion revenue.

revenue. Expressed as an ecosystem footprint, this is equivalent to fully degrading 2.2 million hectares of the most pristine and significant ecosystems globally, such as the most intact and biodiverse parts of the Amazon or Sumatran rainforests.

The dataset can be leveraged by market participants to understand their nature-related risks and more transparent alignment with Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recommendations. The dataset is aligned with the LEAP risk and opportunity assessment approach, as recommended by the TNFD.

Dependency score methodology note:

*The dependency score considers the level of reliance that a business has on 21 different ecosystem services, as well as the expected resilience risk of the ecosystem providing these services, where these businesses are operating around the world. Significant dependency is signified by companies that have a dependency score over 0.6 (where 0 represents no dependency risk and 1.0 represents very high dependency risk).



Ecosystem footprint methodology note:

** In order to provide a decision-useful metric that enables comparison between business operations, land area, ecosystem integrity degradation and ecosystem significance are brought together to calculate the equivalent impact on the most significant areas globally in terms of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision. This produces an Ecosystem Footprint expressed as the equivalent number of hectares in the most globally significant ecosystems that would be fully degraded by the company's operations.

Key Biodiversity Area note:

***KBAs are sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity (International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN], 2016). KBAs are identified at the national, sub-national or regional level by local stakeholders based on standardized scientific criteria and thresholds.

About S&P Global Sustainable1

S&P Global Sustainable1 is the central source for sustainability intelligence from S&P Global. Sustainable1 matches customers with the ESG products, insights and solutions from across S&P Global's divisions to help meet their unique needs. Our comprehensive coverage across global markets combined with in-depth ESG intelligence provides financial institutions, corporations and governments an unmatched level of clarity and confidence to successfully navigate the transition to a sustainable future. Our data and well-informed point of view on critical topics like energy transition, climate resilience, positive impact and sustainable finance allow us to go deep on the details that define the big picture so customers can make decisions with conviction.

To learn more, please visit: www.spglobal.com/esg

About S&P Global

S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world.

We are widely sought after by many of the world's leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world's leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today.

Media Contact

Sarah Whybrow

Global Director of ESG Communications, S&P Global Sustainable1

[email protected]

+447929 711556

SOURCE S&P Global Sustainable1
ST. LOUIS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Volpi Foods, a fourth-generation women-owned family charcuterie business based in St. Louis for over 120 years, is proud to announce today that the company has qualified for the Economic Development Incentive (EDI) program offered by Ameren Missouri. The EDI program is a partnership between Ameren Missouri and qualifying new and existing businesses seeking to locate or expand in Missouri. The aim is to reduce intermediate-term energy costs and encourage investment in energy-efficient technologies.

Founded in St. Louis in 1902, Volpi Foods is a fourth-generation, family-owned producer of award-winning charcuterie available in retailers nationwide. Slow-cured in small batches, non-GMO, gluten-free and never frozen, every product is free from nitrates, nitrites, or growth hormones. Volpi Foods is proud to preserve the ancient tradition of dry curing meat by hand, partners only with local farmers to source meat that is Raised Responsibly and still operates the oldest salumeria in America. Volpi Foods' processing facility in Union. Volpi Foods, a fourth-generation women-owned family charcuterie business based in St. Louis for over 120 years, is proud to announce today that the company has qualified for the Economic Development Incentive (EDI) program offered by Ameren Missouri. The EDI program is a partnership between Ameren Missouri and qualifying new and existing businesses seeking to locate or expand in Missouri.

Ameren Missouri will continue to review Volpi's power usage at the end of two years and then annually after that. Depending on the results, Volpi could continue to receive a 35% discount on power usage above its existing baseline for up to five years. This program provides an ideal opportunity for Volpi Foods to continue providing high-quality charcuterie meats nationwide while further supporting its beloved local community. Plus, expanding the company's operations in this efficient, proactive way also supports Volpi's strong commitment to sustainability.

"Beyond the cost savings we can invest back into the business, we're particularly grateful to be partnering with Ameren Missouri in this important stage of our expansion," says Dylan Puricelli, engineering manager for Volpi Foods. "Having the EDI program already in place will inspire more energy-efficient options for any new electrically powered equipment and ensure we're moving in the right direction."

"The expansion of the Volpi Foods processing facility in Union is another example of how businesses are prospering in our service territory," adds Tara Oglesby, vice president of community, economic development, and energy solutions for Ameren Missouri. "We are thrilled they were able to utilize our economic development incentives to grow their business, which also benefits the local community. Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan continues to be instrumental in making the region more attractive for businesses to grow here while also providing reliable energy to power the communities we serve."

For more information, visit VolpiFoods.com. For more information about Ameren Missouri visit AmerenMissouri.com/EDI

About Volpi Foods Founded in St. Louis in 1902, Volpi Foods is a fourth-generation, family-owned producer of award-winning charcuterie available in retailers nationwide. Slow-cured in small batches, non-GMO, gluten-free and never frozen, every product is free from nitrates, nitrites, or growth hormones. Volpi Foods is proud to preserve the ancient tradition of dry curing meat by hand, partners only with local farmers to source meat that is Raised Responsibly and still operates the oldest salumeria in America. To learn more, visit VolpiFoods.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.

Media Contact:

Team Crier for Volpi Foods

310-274-1072

[email protected]

SOURCE Volpi Foods
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Further work on the draft peace treaty will be continued by Azerbaijan and Armenia on a bilateral basis, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.

"We see our role in assisting this process, that's why we offered Moscow as platform for the meeting. Our main goal is to ensure sustainable and lasting peace in the region. The only alternative way to achieve this goal is by implementing the entire set of trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia," Zakharova said.

Negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia were held in Washington on May 1-4.

The next meeting in this format is scheduled to be held in Moscow.
DON'T FORGET KIDNEY PATIENTS  THEIR VULNERABILITIES REMAIN

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the COVID-19 public health emergency comes to an end, the American Association of Kidney Patents (AAKP), as the oldest and largest patient-led kidney patient advocacy organization in the nation, offers a simple request, on behalf of the millions of immunocompromised kidney disease and dialysis patients and immunosuppressed kidney transplant patients, to policymakers: "Don't you forget about me." AAKP welcomes the many successes America has achieved in the battle against COVID-19 and the opportunity many Americans now have to once again pursue their aspirations. The end of the public health emergency (PHE) was made possible by the ingenuity and dedication of researchers, scientists, medical professionals, public servants, pharmaceutical industry workers, and the enormous generosity of American taxpayers. It has also come after the loss over one million innocent American lives and tens of thousands more who remain debilitated from long COVID.

We also remind government leaders and health insurance executives that science and data show today is not "a different day" for everyone. Highly vulnerable kidney patients have the same worries today that they did yesterday. COVID-19 is not an equivalent threat as the annual flu for this patient community. COVID-19 remains a serious concern for immunocompromised kidney disease and dialysis patients and immunosuppressed kidney transplant patients, many of whom suffer from multiple chronic conditions. Over the past three years, according to federal government data and medical research, COVID-19 has ravaged these unprotected patient populations with some of the highest premature death and mortality rates of any sector of our society.

Based on our ongoing concerns for patients, we offer the following recommendations:

1.) Align Federal Regulatory and Payment Policies for Vaccine Innovation:

Federal regulatory and payment polices should encourage, not hinder, the next generation of safe vaccines and therapeutics to protect and treat immunocompromised and immunosuppressed kidney patients, for whom few effective treatment options exist, to prevent severe illness and death.

2.) Foster Innovation in Transplant Drugs via the FDA Immediately:

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) should monitor the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) progress in adopting new clinical endpoints and/or secondary endpoints for the advancement of new immunosuppressive drug medications for kidney transplant recipients. This is an unmet need for patients and essential for future transplant drug innovation and reduced transplant patient vulnerability. Immunosuppression therapies used today rely upon endpoints that are 20 to 40 years old, which completely fail to consider long-term graph survival and patient quality of life. Instead, the FDA relies upon a clinical measure based on one year of transplant organ graft failure, a woefully inadequate and outdated measure given the advances in transplant patient survival far beyond the first year. Moreover, unmet needs in this area include antibody mediated rejection and BK virus nephropathy, which currently have no effective FDA approved therapies.

3.) Formalize Telemedicine Flexibilities:

Telemedicine practices, a core element of patient-centered medicine, and associated waivers established by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to COVID-19, must be made permanent so that kidney patients can continue to exercise maximum patient care choice in the selection of their providers and the safe setting for the care they receive.

4.) Expand Home Dialysis Options:

Home dialysis, which increased during COVID-19 as a patient preference and a comparatively safer alternative to in-center hemodialysis, should be supported and encouraged across the HHS agencies. Increased home dialysis access (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), along with earlier kidney disease detection and innovation in transplantation, was a recommendation within the 2019 Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health and should remain a top HHS policy priority.

5.) Protect the Rights of Kidney Patients Under the ADA:

The HHS Office of Civil Rights should closely monitor ongoing kidney patient access to critical life-saving procedures in hospitals and healthcare settings, especially when kidney patients contract COVID-19 and need emergency interventions to remain alive. In 2020, HHS Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights reminded hospitals and hospitalists, in writing, that the rights of kidney patients under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must not be violated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This happened in response to media reports, and concerns raised by kidney patient advocates and nephrologists, that multiple dialysis patients were denied life-saving treatments in direct contradiction to their expressed desire to live. This was a dark chapter in medicine for kidney patients that will never be forgotten by the kidney patient community and must never be repeated.

6.) Expand Data Transparency, Assess Costs to People, Facilitate Accountability:

All current federal data related to kidney patients since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (including data on the CMS 2728 Medical Evidence Form and 2746 Death Notification Form, as well as data previously included in CROWNWeb) must be made available to researchers and the public, within appropriate HIPPA and disclosure standards. It is of great importance that a true picture of how kidney patients have been impacted be established, including COVID-related infections, COVID-related injuries including acute kidney injury (AKI), premature deaths (in all healthcare settings and at the individual facility level), and other data related to COVID-19. Data transparency improves public and patient trust in government and will aid researchers and scientists in their efforts to prepare for future pandemics and to gauge the true magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting loss of innocent life, injury, and long COVID.

AAKP is committed to improving kidney patient care choice and access to innovations in COVID-19 therapeutics and treatments. We will continue to advocate for all kidney patients and their families, never forgetting the innocent friends, family members, and kidney allies who lost their lives or had their lives forever altered by this terrible disease.

Click here to watch OnDemand AAKP's panel discussion, "COVID-19 Concerns for Immunosuppressed Kidney Transplant Patients as the National Public Health Emergency Ends," which took place on March 9, 2023, World Kidney Day , during AAKP's National Kidney Patient Consumer Policy Roundtable: Timely Issues Impacting Kidney Transplant Patients, Drug Innovation, and Living Organ Donors. Esteemed participants included Edward V. Hickey, III, USMC, AAKP President, Chair of the Veterans Health Initiative, former senior U.S. Congressional staff member, and kidney patient; Paul T. Conway, AAKP Chair of Policy and Global Affairs; former Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Labor; former dialysis patient, 26-year kidney transplant patient (moderator); Jeffery Silberzweig, MD, FASN, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Hospital Services, The Rogosin Institute; Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weil Cornell Medicine; Co-Chair American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team; Lisa Glasser, MD, U.S. Medical Affairs Head, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca; and Glenda V. Roberts, Director of Patient Engagement & External Relations, Kidney Research Institute, Center for Dialysis Innovation, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Washington; Board Member, Kidney Health Initiative (KHI); Transplant Subcommittee Member, American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team; AAKP Ambassador; former dialysis patient, current kidney transplant recipient.

Since 1969, AAKP has driven national policy discussions on kidney patient consumer care choice and treatment innovation. In 2018, AAKP established the largest U.S. kidney voter registration program, KidneyVoters. Over the past decade, AAKP patients have helped gain lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); new patient-centered policies via the White House Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019); new job protections for living organ donors from the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional legislation allowing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients (2013). Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook, @kidneypatients on Twitter, and @kidneypatients on Instagram, and visit www.aakp.org for more information.

FOR MORE Information:

Jennifer Rate

Director of Communications and

Digital Operations

(813) 400-2394

[email protected]

SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients
Novus Healthcare will exclusively distribute STIMULAN and genex in South Africa

KEELE, England, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocomposites, an international medical devices company that engineers, manufactures and markets world leading products for use in infection management in bone and soft tissue, today announces that its STIMULAN products are now available in South Africa for treating bacterial infection.

South Africa now joins a growing list of countries, which include the UK, EU, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia where STIMULAN can carry antibiotics, such as vancomycin, gentamicin and tobramycin to a site of infection. genex, a bone graft substitute produced by Biocomposites has also received approval and both product ranges will be made available through distribution partner Novus Healthcare.

STIMULAN is the first and only approved calcium matrix that can carry antibiotics to treat bacterial infection and is now used in over 80,000 procedures every year, in thousands of hospitals around the world. STIMULAN offers surgeons the flexibility to apply a broad spectrum of 'off-the-shelf' antibiotics at concentrations that will support their patient-specific treatment plans. Additionally, STIMULAN targets high concentrations of antibiotics at the point of infection, which lowers rates of reinfection, decreases hospital readmissions, and significantly improves patient outcomes.

Michael Harris, Chief Executive Officer of Biocomposites, said: "Biocomposites is committed to developing innovative products that improve patients' lives, and we are very pleased to now offer STIMULAN and genex in South Africa. Along with our approvals in the UK, EU, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, STIMULAN offers surgeons the freedom and flexibility to choose the antibiotics that support their infection treatment plans. We are proud to continue to expand the availability of STIMULAN and genex around the world, enabling more patients to benefit from our innovative technology."

Nando Fereira, PhD, Full Professor and Head of Clinical Unit (Tumour, Sepsis, and Reconstruction) at Stellenbosch University added: "I am excited to learn that STIMULAN will soon be available in South Africa through Novus Healthcare. The versatility of this range in the fight against bone and soft tissue infections will be of significant benefit in my treatment regime."

Maritz Laubscher, Associate Professor Trauma & Limb Reconstruction, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Cape Town commented: "I used STIMULAN with great success whilst working in the UK and am pleased it will soon be available in South Africa through Novus Healthcare."

About Biocomposites

Biocomposites is an international medical device company that engineers, manufactures and markets world leading products for use in infection management in bone and soft tissue. Based in Keele, UK, it has global operations across Europe, USA, Canada, China and India. Biocomposites is a world leader in the development of innovative calcium compounds for surgical use. Its products regenerate bone and target infection risks across a variety of specialties, including musculoskeletal infection, orthopaedics, trauma, spine, foot and ankle, podiatry and sports injuries. Biocomposites products are now used in over 120,000 procedures per annum and sold in more than 40 countries around the world. Please visit biocomposites.com to learn more.

SOURCE Biocomposites
NEW YORK, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech Seoul, a new online English news platform, announced on May 9th that they have signed a partnership agreement with Starta Ventures, a mid-sized venture capital firm based in New York, to support the global expansion of Korean startups.

The signing ceremony was held on April 27th at the Starta VC office in Manhattan, attended by Tech Seoul CEO Thomas Park and Starta Ventures CEO & Partner Alexey Girin.

Tech Seoul signs a MOU with Starta Ventures to expand global outreach for Korean startups

Through the business agreement, the two companies agreed to jointly operate the One Week NYC Immersion Program, a one-week program that invites angel investors, VCs, and potential customers in New York to participate in 2-3 pitch contests and Demo Day events, and the 2 days NYC Immersion Program, a two-day visit to New York for workshops and pitch contests, to help Korean startups enter New York.

Under the agreement, the two companies will develop additional programs to help Korean startups enter New York, and in the future it plans to establish and jointly operate a VC and accelerator in Seoul that professionally supports Korean startups entering New York.

"Our collaboration with Starta Ventures, a leading New York-based VC in the tech sector and a specialist in supporting international startups, is a great opportunity for Korean startups to enter New York," said Thomas Park, CEO of Tech Seoul. "The pitch contest and demo day event, which allows startups to visit New York for as little as two days or a week to meet with investors, VCs and potential clients in New York, is an easy soft landing for Korean startups, and Tech Seoul aims to bring around 100 Korean startups to New York by the end of 2024 to help them get a fresh start in the New York."

"We're thrilled to have signed the MOU between Starta and Tech Seoul(East Orion)! Korean startups are known for their creativity, ingenuity, and innovative spirit, and we're excited to collaborate with them to bring new ideas to life. We also welcome the news of more and more Korean startups scaling their businesses to the United States. With their entrepreneurial mindset and groundbreaking ideas, Korean founders have a lot to offer the American market. This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and we're confident that by working together, we can achieve great things and create a brighter future for all" said Alexey Girin, CEO and General Partner of Starta Ventures.

Starta VC, a New York-based VC and accelerator with a portfolio of more than 174 investments since its founding in 2011 and the launch of a new $50M fund and residency program, identifies, incubates, and funds early-stage startups in the technology sector. It also operates a soft landing program in New York designed to help international startups expand their US market presence and raise capital.

In early May, Tech Seoul will establish a separate entity in New York, separated from East Orion, to provide programs such as networking, workshops, pitch contests, demo days, and space for Korean startups to go global.

About Tech Seoul

Tech Seoul, meanwhile, is an in-house venture of global marketing company East Orion, and is a new online English-language news platform where startups write and publish their own articles. On Tech Seoul, startups can publish text news using AI technology, and also publish English-language video news broadcast by AI anchors right on the spot.

Press Contact:

Thomas Park

201-738-6445

https://techseoul.news/

SOURCE Tech Seoul
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BlueCross) has recognized Tennessee Oncology with a Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care are reimbursed based on performance against quality and cost outcome targets. Tweet this BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has recognized Tennessee Oncology with a Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Tennessee Oncology earned the designation by incorporating patient-centered and data-driven practices to better coordinate cancer care and improve quality and safety, under a value-based payment model. Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care are reimbursed based on how they perform against both quality and cost outcome targets in order to receive incentives and rewards for better health outcomes  rather than traditional fee-for-service. Care delivery transformation to improve quality and affordability has been most successful when accompanied by transformation to a value based payment model.

"Our commitment to innovation and patient-centered care have always been core to the culture of Tennessee Oncology. Tennessee Oncology's recognition as a Blue Distinction Center for Cancer Care will contribute to this mission," said Natalie Dickson, MD, President and Chief Strategy Officer for Tennessee Oncology. "The current era of personalized medicine is especially encouraging for our patients and clinicians. However, affordability will continue to be a major challenge. This Blue Distinction Center for Cancer Care designation will allow us to better serve our Tennesee Oncology patients and BlueCross members."

By combining nationally consistent quality criteria with locally effective value-based programs, Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care deliver maximum value to members battling cancer by aligning health care payments with improved health outcomes. The designation is available for all cancer types and various care settings, including physician groups, cancer centers, hospitals and accountable care organizations (ACOs).

The Blue Distinction designation builds on a partnership created in 2021, when Tennessee Oncology and BlueCross launched a value-based care program to support the highest-quality, cost-effective cancer care for individuals who buy coverage on healthcare.gov and those who receive coverage through their employer. This oncology medical home partnership, an evolution of the Clinically Integrated Alliance established in 2020 with Ascension Saint Thomas, is designed to follow BlueCross members at all phases of their cancer journey from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up, reflecting evidence-based best practices in comprehensive, patient centered cancer care.

"BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is pleased to congratulate Tennessee Oncology on this designation, which represents another dimension to our unique partnership," said Dr. Andrea Willis, chief medical officer for BlueCross. "This recognition provides BlueCross members with the peace of mind they need when making decisions regarding medical treatment."

"Cancer patients are unique, and so is the care that they receive," said Jennifer Atkins, vice president of network solutions for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. "They often receive different kinds of specialized care in multiple settings with perhaps surgery at a distant medical center but chemotherapy at a local hospital or physician office. Medical professionals and facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Cancer Care provide coordinated patient care and communication under a value based payment model."

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery and transplants while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver.

According to the American Cancer Society, there were more than 42,000 new cancer diagnoses in Tennessee in 2022. Roughly 18,000 BlueCross members diagnosed with cancer undergo chemotherapy every year, with average claims of $75,000 for six months of treatment. These trends underscore the importance of collaborative efforts to address the rising costs of cancer treatment for members and employers.

For more information about the program and for a complete list of designated doctors and medical facilities, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

About Tennessee Oncology

Tennessee Oncology is one of the nation's leading teams of cancer care specialists, nationally recognized for improving patient outcomes and driving quality of life innovation. Our comprehensive range of cancer care services includes clinical trials, specialized oncology nursing care, laboratory services, pharmacy, outpatient chemotherapy, PET/CT services, psychology and palliative care, integrative oncology, patient education and financial support services. Founded in 1976, our unique vision, introducing patient-driven care with a clinical trial focus, propelled Tennessee Oncology to lead one of the largest, physician-owned, community oncology practices in the country. Currently, over 100 physicians in more than 35 locations share the privilege of serving adult cancer patients from South Central Kentucky through Middle Tennessee to Northwest Georgia. For a complete list of Physicians, locations and services please visit: www.tnoncology.com

About BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is a taxpaying, not-for-profit health plan serving more than 3.3 million members in Tennessee and around the country. The Chattanooga-based company was founded in 1945 and has brought peace of mind to its members and local communities for more than 75 years. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Inc. is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit the company's news center at bcbstnews.com .

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out our blog.

About Blue Distinction Centers

Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers' need for affordable healthcare. Each provider's cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans' areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider's in-network status or your own policy's coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

SOURCE Tennessee Oncology
Bipartisan Government Relations Firm Helps Clients Succeed with Extensive Experience And a Coast-to-Coast Foothold

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 51 Group , a bipartisan, national government relations firm, has launched with a name representative of its work with clients across all 50 state governments and the federal government in Washington, D.C. In this interconnected world, The 51 Group stands out for its truly Atlantic-to-Pacific Ocean perspective, with partners and team members on the West Coast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions, with a particularly strong base in Virginia's state capital.

Bipartisan Government Relations Firm Helps Clients Succeed with Extensive Experience And a Coast-to-Coast Foothold Tweet this The 51 Group, a bipartisan, national government relations firm, has launched with a name representative of its work with clients across all 50 state governments and the federal government in Washington, D.C.

The partners collectively have over 50 years of experience and a successful track record of providing one-stop, plug-and-play national government relations services. Beyond its own team, The 51 Group's services include the ability to connect clients to its trusted set of government relations consultants across the U.S.

The dynamic firm's inaugural client roster includes some of the largest entities in the financial services, private equity, healthcare, automotive, education, workforce development, and emerging technology sectors, along with membership associations and national and regional non-profit organizations.

The 51 Group's capabilities include:

National and multistate government relations

National bill tracking

State government relations

Federal government relations

Policy and strategy development

Brand awareness and exposure

West Coast Office: Los Angeles, California

Scott Frein, founder and managing partner, is based in Los Angeles, where he previously served as senior vice president of a Top 20 national government relations firm. There, he led the expansion of its West Coast public affairs team in California. He also launched and co-led the firm's National Education Practice and served on the National and Multistate Practice teams. Over the last seven years, and on behalf of his clients, Frein has worked directly or indirectly in more than 40 states.

Frein previously served as the Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations for ACT, Inc.best known for its college admissions exam, the ACT Test. He led ACT's Washington D.C. office, and oversaw the organization's policy development, federal government relations, and state government relations teams. Before ACT, Frein was the head lobbyist for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), a Washington D.C.-based membership organization that advocates for and provides professional development opportunities to the nation's state superintendents of education. He's a member of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee's (RLCC) Finance Committee.

Frein says, "The trend we have seen and continue to see is that our clients are focusing more on what is happening in states rather than waiting on the federal government to set the policy agenda. This trend was exacerbated after more than two years of upheaval when significant federal resources were disseminated to states with few guardrails. Our team at The 51 Group has already proven to be the connective tissue between what is happening in state capitals and Washington, D.C. And what makes us most unique to clients in this space is our ability to navigate the policy and legislative dynamics of one state, many states, D.C., or all of the above."

Mid-Atlantic Office: Richmond, Virginia

Davis Rennolds, founder and partner, is based in Richmond, where his intimate knowledge of the executive and legislative branches is invaluable to clients. Rennolds' strategic focus includes advising private equity investors and portfolio companies as they navigate the implications of state-based policy decisions as well as counseling them on important market trends. His policy expertise started in transportation, as then-Governor Bob McDonnell appointed him to serve as special policy adviser to the Department of Transportation, and has since grown to agriculture, education and healthcare, among others.

Rennolds honed his skills as a legislative assistant to Virginia delegates and as political director for the Republican Party of Virginia. Demonstrating his success at bipartisanship, two governors from different parties have both appointed him to the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors; he also was named chair of the University's Administration, Advancement, Finance, and Facilities Committee. His community involvement includes service on the Citizens' Advisory Committee for the Executive Mansion as well as supporting Federation of Virginia Food Banks.

In addition to Frein and Rennolds, The 51 Group has three more team members in Illinois and Virginia who serve in legislative, policy, and operations roles.

The 51 Group provides government relations solutions at the federal, state and local levels. Our name comes from the unique capability to work with clients across all 50 state governments and the federal government in Washington, D.C., which allows us to serve as a valuable partner in providing one-stop, national government relations in a wide variety of sectors. www.the51grp.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Adam Shapiro

[email protected]

202-427-3603

SOURCE The 51 Group
Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Head of Global Business Group at Meta, and Otmar Wiestler, President of Helmholtz Association, join board of global leader in cancer research funding

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research announced today the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Head of Global Business at Meta, and Otmar Wiestler, MD, President of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization, were elected at The Mark Foundation's April board meeting. Their terms are effective immediately. Both new board members are well-positioned and uniquely qualified to support the Foundation's mission of accelerating research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

"We are honored to welcome these distinguished members to The Mark Foundation Board of Directors," said Ray DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman. "With Nicola's sharp business acumen and her personal experience as a cancer patient, and with Otmar's experience running one of the world's leading cancer institutions, we are confident their leadership will help the foundation advance high-impact cancer research. Their diverse backgrounds will help expand our funding capabilities, forge more global partnerships, and guide new scientific research breakthroughs."

Nicola Mendelsohn - Nicola Mendelsohn CBE is the Head of Global Business Group at Meta. Nicola previously served as Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Meta. She is currently a non-executive director of Diageo, sits on the Mayor of London's Business Advisory Board, and is co-president of the charity Norwood. Prior to joining Meta Nicola worked in advertising for over 20 years at BBH, Grey, and Karmarama.

After being diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma (FL) in 2016, Nicola made it her mission to help FL patients and to find a cure. In 2019, she founded and launched the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation. Nicola has also prioritized improving cancer patients' lives in her role at Meta. For World Cancer Day 2023, Meta was a founding partner of a cross-industry coalition to erase the stigma of cancer in the workplace, called the "Working with Cancer" pledge.

"I've always been deeply impressed by The Mark Foundation's innovative approach to funding  and accelerating  the world's most promising cancer research across industry and academia," said Nicola Mendelsohn CBE. "I am honored to join the board of such an outstanding organization, one that is bringing forward much-needed discoveries for the next generation of treatments and diagnostics for the benefit of cancer patients everywhere."

Otmar Wiestler - Professor Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler is president of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific research organization. Professor Wiestler also served as the Chairman of the Executive Board and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg for over 11 years. His areas of focus include cancer research, tumor genetics and stem cell research.

"The Mark Foundation is committed to accelerating cancer research on a global scale; since 2017 they have funded outstanding grantees in 13 countries," said Otmar Wiestler.

The new appointments to the Board will join current members: Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman of the Board; Alexander Knaster, Founder of The Mark Foundation; Ross Levine, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Paul Pospisil, PhD of Korn Ferry.

About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research actively partners with scientists, research institutions, and philanthropic organizations around the world to accelerate research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded more than $195 million in grants to enable innovative basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, including drug discovery. In 2022, The Mark Foundation received an additional $500 million commitment to fund cutting-edge cancer research in its first decade. The Mark Foundation also has a robust and growing portfolio of investments in oncology companies developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Through its research and venture arms, The Mark Foundation supports projects throughout their life cycle to ensure their highest chance of success in impacting the lives of patients with breakthroughs in cancer care. To learn more please visit www.TheMarkFoundation.org.

Contact:

Linda Heaney

[email protected]

SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago has announced the launch of the Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA), an initiative aimed at accelerating efforts to address major global challenges  such as climate change, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness  by leveraging the power of incentives, competition, and private sector innovation.

Threats to the global community  such as climate change and pandemics  demand urgent innovation and action at scale. Tweet this UChicago Market Shaping Accelerator

Supported by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, and the Digital Harbor Foundation, the MSA brings together renowned experts in market shaping, including Nobel laureate economist Michael Kremer and Rachel Glennerster from the University of Chicago and Christopher Snyder from Dartmouth College. This group of experts has contributed significantly to research and policy successes of market shaping mechanisms, including developing advance market commitments (AMCs) for carbon removal ( Frontier ) and pneumococcal vaccines , which saved an estimated 700,000 lives in low-income countries.

"Climate change and pandemics could both threaten to devastate our economies and societies," said Michael Kremer, University Professor in Economics, University of Chicago and 2019 Nobel Laureate. "To address these risks, we need technological and social innovations, but under our current institutions, market incentives to invest in innovations to address these risks are inadequate given the huge social need. However, market-shaping mechanisms can harness the power and creativity of the private sector to develop the innovations we need to address climate change and pandemics."

Market shaping uses economic tools to solve market failures where commercial incentives for innovation trail behind societal needs. One example is advance market commitments (AMCs), which are "pull mechanisms" that tie payments to outputs. AMCs establish legally binding contracts to subsidize the purchase of a large quantity of a specific innovation if it is invented. Other examples include prizes, which are competitions that reward solutions for a specific problem, and milestone contracts, which are payments linked to achieving interim steps toward an innovation.

The MSA will collaborate closely with governments, multilateral institutions, and philanthropists to design the details of contracts and policies to accelerate and scale innovation. Already, the MSA is collaborating with global organizations and policymakers to advance innovation in carbon removal, climate-resilient crops, and universal coronavirus vaccines.

"We don't know when the next pandemic will hit but we know it's coming and we know, on average we will lose $800 billion every single year (in expectation) to pandemics," said Rachel Glennerster, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Chicago and former Chief Economist at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). "There are lots of great ideas about how to protect against the next pandemic, including vaccines that could protect against any future coronavirus or any future flu. But how do we make sure these are produced at sufficient scale that everyone can benefit from them when the next pandemic hits? This is the challenge the MSA is taking on."

The MSA benefits from a diverse group of expert advisors, including Susan Athey of Stanford University, Catherine Bremner of Impax Asset Management, Michael Greenstone and Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago, Matthew Kotchen of Yale University, Nan Ransohoff of Frontier, Tom Kalil of Schmidt Futures, Jean Tirole of the Toulouse School of Economics and 2013 Nobel Prize recipient, Heidi Williams of Dartmouth College, and Catherine Wolfram of UC Berkeley.

"We are fortunate to have advisors who are among the world's leading experts in market design and innovation, as well as some of the best thinkers and practitioners in the diverse domains the MSA will cover," said Christopher Snyder, the Joel Z and Susan Hyatt Professor in Economics at Dartmouth College.

The MSA was officially launched last week at an event held at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. The agenda and video from the event can be found here .

SOURCE University of Chicago
CINCINNATI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Range USA, the world's largest operator of indoor gun ranges, opened its 42nd location in O'Fallon, Missouri on May 8th, 2023. This is the 2nd Range USA store to open in the St. Louis market.

"We found St. Louis to be an excellent opportunity for us to expand our footprint," said Tom Willingham, founder of Range USA. "Our Bridgeton store opened earlier this year with great success, so we are equally excited to open our O'Fallon location only a few months after."

With 15,000 square feet of retail and range space, Range USA offers a large selection of firearms, ammunition and accessories, (20) 25-yard, open-to-the-public shooting lanes and (2) 25-person capacity classrooms. For those who will visit the range more often, range memberships are available. RangeUSA.com is a full eCommerce platform offering an additional 40,000 firearm products, online courses, and other services to purchase.

"Our mission is for our team to help develop responsible gun owners," said Willingham. "As part of that mission, we want to set the standard for approachable, clean, and safe indoor gun ranges. We will be the place everyone thinks of when saying 'let's go to the range'  America's gun range."

The new store employs, on average, 25-30 part-time and full-time employees and is located at 9100 Veterans Memorial Pkwy in O'Fallon. Store hours are 10am  8pm (Sunday  Thursday) and 10am  9pm (Friday and Saturday).

A grand-opening event is set for Friday, May 19th to Sunday, May 21st at Range USA's Mishawaka location. Customers can expect free items, discounts, and giveaways for anyone 21 years of age or older. Details can be found on the company website at RangeUSA.com.

About

Since 2012, Range USA has been committed to providing a safe, responsible, and enjoyable place to shop, shoot and learn about firearms. In our stores, Range USA welcomes customers of all skill levels and backgrounds, with instruction, expertise, and an atmosphere of community. Of course, Range USA offers a great selection of top selling firearms, ammo, and accessories. But safety and enjoyment continue to be our focal pointwhich is why our range facilities are designed for your enjoyment and experience. Range USA classes, available online and in-person, are taught by certified instructors who have helped thousands of customers become responsible firearm owners. It only takes one visit to experience the Range USA difference!

Range USA logo for media use: https://bit.ly/RangeUSAlogo1

Range USA storefront image for media use: https://bit.ly/RangeUSAstore

SOURCE Range USA
Tim Hortons, Canada's favorite coffee brand, to enter South Korean Market

BKR Co., Ltd (BKR) has entered into master franchise and development agreement with Tim Hortons

BKR is one of the largest QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) companies in South Korea

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Tim Hortons, Canada's iconic coffee brand with a nearly 60-year history, is expected to enter the South Korean market later this year under a master franchise agreement with BKR Co. Ltd., one of the largest QSR companies in South Korea.

Tim Hortons to launch in South Korea in 2023 (CNW Group/Restaurant Brands International Inc.) Tim Hortons Logo (CNW Group/Restaurant Brands International Inc.)

Tim Hortons, famous for its fresh premium coffee, donuts and delicious food, serves original Canadian classics like Double Double coffee and Timbits donuts, fresh sandwiches, wraps and more. Tim Hortons uses only 100% premium Arabica beans and ethically sourced coffee. Under its brand philosophy 'Always Fresh', Tim Hortons coffee is created using a unique blend of 100% premium Arabica beans roasted with care to deliver the consistent taste of Tim Hortons every time.

The brand currently has approximately 5,600 restaurants across 15 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, across the Middle East, China, India, Thailand, and the Philippines.

"South Korea is one of the world's largest and fastest growing coffee markets. We are proud to have such an experienced partner in BKR. We are excited about meeting our South Korean guests and introducing them to the premium quality coffee and delicious foods that Tims fans around the world know and love" said David Shear, President  International, Restaurant Brands International, parent company of the Tim Hortons brand.

ABOUT TIM HORTONS 

Tim Hortons is one of North America's largest restaurant chains operating in the quick service segment. Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, the Tim Hortons brand appeals to a broad range of guest tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, teas and our famous iced coffee based beverages), baked goods, hot breakfast sandwiches, breakfast snacking items, and other food products. Tim Hortons has approximatively 5,600 restaurants in Canada, the United States and around the world. Tim Hortons is a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI"), one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with over $35 billion in annual system-wide sales and approximately 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. RBI owns four of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands  BURGER KING, TIM HORTONS, POPEYES, and FIREHOUSE SUBS. More information about the company is available at timhortons.com.

ABOUT BKR

BKR is a premium QSR (quick service restaurant) company that operates the Burger King brand in Korea. Since entering Korea by opening the Jongro branch in 1984, it has been loved by Korean consumers for the past 39 years for its differentiated menu and unique store interior design. Burger King, which has established itself as a "premium QSR brand that serves the most delicious hamburgers," currently operates more than 480 stores Korea nationwide. Under corporate philosophy and brand principle as 'high-quality products, friendly services, and clean store', Burger King Korea is serving delicious menu experience.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, which reflect management's current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, initiatives and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about our expectations regarding the ability of the Tim Hortons business in South Korea to enter the market in 2023. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RBI's expectations are detailed in filings of RBI with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K and include the following risks: risk related to our ability to successfully implement its domestic and international growth strategy and risks related to its international operations; risks related to our ability to compete domestically and internationally in an intensely competitive industry; global economic or other business conditions that may affect the desire or ability of our customers to purchase our products; our relationship with, and the success of, our franchisees and risks related to our fully franchised business model; and the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising programs and franchisee support of these programs. Other than as required under applicable laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc.
WOODBRIDGE, N.J., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Triton Benefits & HR Solutions is pleased to announce the opening of its new office in Hoboken, NJ. The new office, which is in addition to Triton's other offices in New York, Los Angeles, South Jersey, Texas, and Philadelphia, will provide expanded support for clients in the tri-state area. The 1000-square-foot office will add 6 to 7 new employees to the Triton team.

Anthony Farinella, Triton's newly appointed Vice President of Sales & National Accounts, sees the new office as an essential part of Triton's growth strategy. "With over 50,000 employees getting their health benefits through Triton and $600 million in policy revenue, Triton continues to expand its footprint with its 8th office in Hoboken, NJ," said Farinella. "Deeply populated cities like Hoboken provide a great opportunity for attracting top talent that is local in a very tough job market."

Triton Benefits & HR Solutions is a company that specializes in helping businesses navigate the complexities of employee benefits and human resources. They offer customized solutions, strategy sessions, bi-annual plan reviews, and a dedicated team for each client. The company uses secured cloud technology to interact with clients and logs all open and closed issues. They strive to think outside the box when it comes to healthcare plans and offers self- or level-funded plans, wellness programs, HSAs, and Telemedicine. Triton's main corporate headquarters is located in Woodbridge, NJ.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our physical footprint into Hoboken, NJ," said Steve Rosenthal, President and CEO of Triton Benefits & HR Solutions. "The addition of this new office will allow us to provide even better support for our clients in the tri-state area and continue our mission to help businesses navigate the complex world surrounding employee benefits and human resources."

About Triton Benefits & HR Solutions

Triton Benefits & HR Solutions is not your ordinary employee benefits broker. With over $600 Million in group health insurance premiums under management and working with all major carriers nationwide, Triton has the expertise and relationships to create unique and customized healthcare options that set them apart from the rest. What truly sets Triton apart is its concierge-style service, providing an unmatched level of personalized attention to every client relationship. Their commitment to building long-lasting relationships with their clients is at the core of their philosophy.

In a world where businesses need to make informed decisions to stay competitive, Triton Benefits & HR Solutions is a partner that can help navigate the complexities of employee benefits and human resources. For more information on how Triton can help your business, visit their website at www.tritonhr.com .

Contact:

Mike Garbo

(732) 579-4462

[email protected]

SOURCE Triton Benefits & HR Solutions
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. ASAN [Azerbaijan Service and Assessment Network] Centers will be built both in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions, the Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan Ulvi Mehdiyev told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, the centers will be built as the liberated territories are being restored.

"In the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, work continues on the restoration of cities and villages, as well as cultural heritage sites. As cities and villages are restored, ASAN Centers will be built in these territories," he added.

In February this year, Mehdiyev said that as citizens return to the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, ASAN Centers will start operating there, and the first center is planned to be opened in Shusha.

ASAN Service was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev No.685 dated July 13, 2012.
RADNOR, Pa., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Triumph Group, Inc., (TRIUMPH) (NYSE:TGI) and Moog Inc. have entered into a five-year agreement to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) solutions for Boeing 787 landing gear and cargo door actuation control systems through the Moog Total Support Program (MTS) for an Asia Pacific operator who has more than 40 Boeing 787's in service today. This work will be performed at TRIUMPH Actuation Products & Services facilities in Clemmons, North Carolina and Yakima, Washington.

"TRIUMPH is uniquely positioned as the OEM manufacturer of these 787 products to provide the highest level of technical and customer MRO support," said Mike Boland, President of TRIUMPH Actuation Products & Services. "As an industry leader in landing gear and cargo door actuation systems, we continue to expand our MRO relationship and partnership with Moog to provide comprehensive support to the 787 fleet."

Moog Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog's high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, marine and medical equipment. Additional information about the company can be found at www.moog.com. For more information on Moog's Total Support Program, visit https://www.moog.com/markets/aircraft/commercial-aircraft/MoogTotalSupport.html.

TRIUMPH Actuation Products & Services is a leader in design, development, manufacture and support of complex electro-hydraulic and mechanical systems and equipment for the aerospace and defense industry. Products include actuators, pumps, motors, reservoirs, control valves and a wide range of mechanical controls for commercial and military aircraft. Our Actuation Products & Services business services customers around the world with ten manufacturing sites across North America and Europe.

TRIUMPH, headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs, and overhauls a broad portfolio of aerospace and defense systems and components. The company serves the global aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers and the full spectrum of military and commercial aircraft operators.

More information about TRIUMPH can be found on the company's website at www.triumphgroup.com.

SOURCE Triumph Group
Platform handles complex infrastructure, compliance, and payments processing required to power real stakes competitions

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Triumph , a plug-and-play solution that helps game developers monetize through skill-based real money tournaments, today announces $14.1 million in total funding, with a $10.2 million Series A led by General Catalyst with participation from Heroic Ventures, Hanover Technology Investment Management, SteelPerlot, RavenOne, Box Group, Great Oaks, NOMO, Strike, and Valhalla Ventures, with the prior seed led by Ari Stiegler at Flux Capital. Triumph's platform multiplies revenue potential for game developers by offering a suite of experience creation tools leveraging real money tournaments and prizes.

Triumph-powered games generate significant revenue growth for game developers and increase player engagement & lifetime. Tweet this Triumph architecture

Triumph manages all aspects of real money tournaments and prize infrastructure on behalf of developers. "Our mission is to empower development teams of all sizes to build unique experiences around real money competition," said Jacob Brooks, co-founder and co-CEO of Triumph. Triumph-powered games generate significant revenue growth for game developers and increase player engagement and lifetime: players who play real prize games play 3.6x more per month on average, generating $54 in average monthly revenue per user.

The significant costs and legal complexities around real stakes have historically barred access to all but the largest game studios who could invest millions to bring a real money system online. "Creating a compliant and adaptive real money system requires navigating a patchwork regulatory landscape at the state and federal level. Our game-agnostic infrastructure streamlines gaming law, high-risk payment processing, KYC, and anti-fraud with ease," said Jared Geller, co-founder and co-CEO of Triumph.

With their Series A funding, Triumph plans to expand to additional platforms beyond mobile and will offer novel real money experiences. Currently operating in 37 states and Washington D.C., Triumph will continue expanding to serve players in more jurisdictions as the legal landscape evolves. To support scaled operations, Triumph has made key hires including Jamin Horn as General Counsel; Bennie Huang as Head of Engineering; and Bruce Yang as Head of Product.

"We believe Triumph is turbocharging player engagement and monetization in a growing gaming category with their SDK that gives gaming studios and developers what they need to build exciting, skill-based games in an ever-changing regulatory landscape," said Niko Bonatsos managing director at General Catalyst. "The leadership team is able to attract strong talent to their growing team, positioning Triumph to expand their reach across platforms, the US and beyond."

Game developers looking to integrate real money tournaments into their mobile games can sign up at triumpharcade.com . Games can be up and running on Triumph in one day, and is a free to integrate service.

About Triumph

Triumph is a seamless, plug-and-play payments and compliance engine that makes skill-based real money tournaments a viable way for developers to monetize their games. Triumph is democratizing access to a robust compliance and payments stack that handles KYC, payments processing, gaming law and privacy compliance, anti-fraud, accounting, and player skill matchmaking, ensuring full legal compliance while shielding developers from exposure to the complexities surrounding real money offerings. Triumph-powered games generate significant revenue growth for game developers and increase player engagement and lifetime: players who play real prize games play 3.6x more per month on average, generating $54 in average monthly revenue per user.

For more information, visit triumpharcade.com

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures  for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker.

For more: www.generalcatalyst.com .

SOURCE Triumph
COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Applications are open for the new Doctor of Business Administration Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The program is designed for working professionals to elevate their careers as leaders in business organizations and government agencies that utilize cutting-edge technologies and business analytics to drive growth and innovation.

The practitioner-oriented curriculum covers business strategies, research methodologies, analytics, legal and ethical issues in digital economy, and big data management  all within a 3-year program designed with flexibility.

"Emerging and rapidly advancing technologies along with the proliferation of data has redefined how leaders approach and solve operational problems," says Assistant Dean of Doctoral Programs and Dean's Professor of Accounting for the Smith School Rebecca Hann. "Senior executives and researchers increasingly are challenged to expand their expertise and skill sets to keep current with a rapidly changing business landscape."

The 54-credit-program's areas of specialization are Information Systems and Marketing.

The information systems track will engage students with state-of-the-art research tools and techniques in AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics and causal Inference from large-scale data  all toward developing:

A deep understanding of digital business models, digital platforms and emerging technologies and their implications for business strategy and policy;

A solid foundation in behavioral and economic theories for nuanced insights into the role, impact, and potential of digital technologies; and

Rigorous research skills and advanced critical reasoning applied to real-world decision making in business and government.

The marketing track curriculum covers topics including marketing analytics, digital-marketing, e-commerce and retail management, social media strategies, customer relationship management, brand and product management, advertising and marketing communications, new product development and innovations. Students will develop skill sets and comprehensive knowledge in:

Social media and web analytics, market segmentation, marketing mix models, personalization and recommendations, and attribution modeling;

Using behavioral theories to understand users' as well as customers' motivation, attitudes and behaviors and make behavioral predictions; and

Understanding of foundational theory and practical application of marketing behavioral and quantitative topics.

Smith's DBA program further accommodates working professionals with flexible course offerings during weekday evenings and weekends.

For more information go to Smith's Doctor of Business Administration homepage.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Media Contact:

Greg Muraski

[email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
WEST CHESTER, Pa., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Venerable today announced the appointment of Ross Boudiab as Treasurer. In this role, Boudiab will report to David Wiland, Chief Financial Officer, and oversee treasury strategy and processes for the business, including cash management, liquidity, short-term investments, debt management, and bank and creditor relations.

Boudiab is a senior leader with over 20 years of global treasury experience, most recently with Corebridge Financial, Inc. where he held the role of Assistant Treasurer. Boudiab was responsible for cash management, forecasting, and funding activities, as well as optimizing cash investments, managing bank relationships, developing payment strategies, and was heavily involved in the AIG separation activities. During his years with AIG, Boudiab held various roles in treasury and previously spent time at Barclays Bank PLC, JPMorgan Chase, and Citibank.

Boudiab holds a Master of Business Administration from Rice University, as well as a Master of Finance and Banking and Bachelor of Business Administration from American University of Beirut.

"Ross's highly collaborative nature and ability to advance business goals will contribute to Venerable's culture in a very positive manner," said Wiland. "He brings significant experience to a critical function and I look forward to seeing the impact he will make."

About Venerable

Venerable is a privately held company with business operations based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Des Moines, Iowa, and New York, NY. Venerable owns and manages legacy variable annuity business acquired from other entities. Created by an investor group led by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC, Crestview Partners, Reverence Capital Partners, and Athene Holding Ltd., Venerable is a business with well-established, strategic investors, experienced in successfully building and growing insurance businesses with patient, long-term capital. For more information, please visit www.venerable.com.

Contact:

Allison Proud

Corporate Communications

610-249-9730

SOURCE Venerable
The partnership simplifies the personal insurance journey for Gonzaga University alumni and offers an additional way for "Zags" to contribute to their alma mater

CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VIU by HUB (VIU), a digital insurance brokerage platform, today announced a partnership with Gonzaga University (GU) to provide alumni (Zags) with the opportunity to shop for and buy personal insurance coverage through a variety of carriers while receiving trusted advice. The partnership supports Gonzaga's Office of Alumni and Friends by generating ancillary revenue to support alumni programs and scholarships.

Powered by Hub International Limited (HUB), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, VIU is rapidly changing the personal insurance experience with its embedded broker platform and omnichannel approach featuring a digital-first experience, supported by personalized live agent interactions and trusted advice.

"We are proud to partner with Gonzaga on a program that will impact past, present and future members of the Zag community," said Bryan Davis, EVP and Head of VIU. "GU alumni benefit from VIU by HUB's powerful brokerage advice and help build a new source of revenue to support future university endeavors by simply shopping for protection that best fits their needs."

VIU's technical capabilities allow the platform to be easily embedded within the workflows, communications and systems of partner organizations, such as alumni associations, enabling them to provide added value to their members and clients while supporting their organizational growth and goals.

"Our alumni are an integral part of the GU community, and their contributions to their alma mater and our world are vast," said Kara Hertz, Assistant Vice President for Alumni and External Relations at Gonzaga University. "By partnering with VIU by HUB, we are excited to offer our alumni a service we know they'll value that has the added benefit of providing a new opportunity for them to contribute to the university they love."

VIU enables consumers to compare, shop for, and navigate personal insurance policies across auto, home, condo, renters, life and pet, and leverages the expertise of HUB, which has been in business for more than four decades and is the largest personal lines broker in the U.S.

About Hub International

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Hub International Limited is a leading full-service global insurance broker and financial services firm providing risk management, insurance, employee benefits, retirement and wealth management products and services. With more than 16,000 employees in offices located throughout North America, Hub's vast network of specialists brings clarity to a changing world with tailored solutions and unrelenting advocacy, so clients are ready for tomorrow. For more information, visit Hub Media Center.

About Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University (GU) is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the university is named after the young Jesuit saint Aloysius Gonzaga. The campus houses 105 buildings on 152 acres of grassland alongside the Spokane River, in a residential setting a half-mile from downtown Spokane. For more information, visit Gonzaga University.

CONTACTS:

Media: Jessica Wiltse

Phone: 312-596-7573

[email protected]

Media: Shelley Rossetter

Phone: 863-397-8877

[email protected]

SOURCE Hub International Limited
Conference call to discuss financial and operational results scheduled for Thursday, May 11, at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time

HENDERSON, Nev., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) ("Volition") today announced financial results and a business update for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. Volition management will host a conference call tomorrow, May 11 at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time to discuss these results. Conference call details can be found below.

"It has been a phenomenal start to the year, with the launch of our Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test through IDEXX's reference laboratory network. It is also available as the Heska Nu.Q Canine Cancer Screen and Monitor test through Heska's veterinary diagnostic laboratory and for pre-order at the point of care. Without a doubt, establishing global supply agreements with two global industry leaders offers what we expect to be significant revenue opportunities for Volition, and we are delighted to report a 381% increase in sales to $124,000 of the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test for the first quarter compared to the previous year.

"Our goal is to make canine cancer screening and monitoring accessible worldwide and we are moving ever closer to realizing our mission as we are expecting launches in additional countries this year," commented Cameron Reynolds, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Volition.

"We also continued to work diligently in our efforts to bring Nu.Q NETs to market, and we are now undertaking large-scale finding studies across multiple sites in the U.S. to determine clinical utility in sepsis and support an application to the FDA's Breakthrough Device Program. We believe that the Nu.Q NETs test is a ground-breaking diagnostic aid that clinicians can use to detect the diseases associated with NETosis and anticipate that this will be a pivotal year as we progress towards commercialization."

Volition is hosting a Capital Markets Day at the New York Stock Exchange, in a hybrid format, tomorrow, Thursday May 11, at 2:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Volition's executive team will provide strategic updates on both Nu.Q NETs and Nu.Q Vet and will be joined by Key Opinion Leaders: Dr. Andy Retter (Intensive Care Consultant); Veterinary Oncologists, Professor Heather Wilson-Robles and Dr. Sue Ettinger. Details for this event can be found below.

Financial Highlights



Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2023 , totaled approximately $10 million compared with $10.9 million at the end of 2022.

, totaled approximately compared with at the end of 2022. Received approximately $8 million net of underwriter's fees and commissions in cash through an underwritten public offering of its common stock in February.

net of underwriter's fees and commissions in cash through an underwritten public offering of its common stock in February. Expect to receive a further $13 million in milestone payments from Heska Corporation and additional funding, including non-dilutive funding, from three Belgian agencies, in the coming months.

Event: VolitionRx Limited First Quarter 2023 Earnings and Business Update Conference Call



Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Time: 08:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time

U.S. & Canada Dial-in: 1-877-407-9716 (toll free)

U.K. Dial-in: 0 800 756 3429 (toll free)

Toll/International: 1-201-493-6779

Conference ID: 13738662

Cameron Reynolds, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Volition, will host the call along with Terig Hughes, Group Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Tom Butera, Chief Executive Officer of Volition Veterinary Diagnostics Development LLC, and Scott Powell, Executive Vice President, Investor Relations. The call will provide an update on important events which have taken place in the first quarter of 2023 and upcoming milestones.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available on the investor relations page of Volition's corporate website at http://ir.volition.com. In addition, a telephone replay of the call will be available until May 25, 2023. The replay dial-in numbers are 1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada and 1-412-317-6671 (toll) internationally. Please use replay pin number 13738662.

Event: VolitionRx Limited Capital Markets Day

Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Time: 2:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time

To attend virtually please register HERE

About Volition

Volition is a multi-national epigenetics company powered by Nu.Q, its proprietary nucleosome quantification platform. Through its subsidiaries, Volition is developing simple, easy to use, cost effective blood tests to help diagnose and monitor a range of life-altering diseases including some cancers and diseases associated with NETosis such as sepsis and COVID-19. Early diagnosis and monitoring have the potential to not only prolong the life of patients but also improve their quality of life. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present.

Volition's research and development activities are centered in Belgium, with an innovation laboratory and office in the U.S. and additional offices in London and Singapore.

The contents found at Volition's website address are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. Such website address is included in this document as an inactive textual reference only.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that concern matters that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "aims," "targets," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "optimizing," "potential," "goal," "suggests," "could," "would," "should," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other topics, Volition's expectations related to the revenue opportunities and launches of product sales with Heska and other counterparties to agreements, the timing, completion, success and delivery of data from clinical studies, the potential uses, benefits and effectiveness of its Nucleosomics technology platform, including the Nu.Q NETs test and the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test, and the timing and execution of Volition's strategy with the FDA. Volition's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, results of studies testing the efficacy of its tests; a failure by the marketplace to accept Volition's Nu.Q NETs test, Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test or other products based on its Nucleosomics platform; Volition's failure to secure adequate intellectual property protection; Volition's failure to obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to distribute and market future products; Volition will face fierce competition and its intended products may become obsolete due to the highly competitive nature of the diagnostics and disease monitoring markets and their rapid technological change; downturns in domestic and foreign economies; and other risks, including those identified in Volition's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that Volition files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For instance, if Volition fails to develop and commercialize diagnostic, prognostic or disease monitoring products, it may be unable to execute its plan of operations. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Volition's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as required by law, Volition does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Nucleosomics and Nu.Q and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, all references to "$" refer to the legal currency of the United States of America.

Media Enquiries:

Louise Batchelor/Debra Daglish

Volition

[email protected]

+44 (0)7557 774620

SOURCE VolitionRx Limited
BOSTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W) (the "Company," "we" or "Wayfair") announced today the pricing of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 3.50% convertible senior notes due 2028 (the "notes") in a private offering (the "offering") to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). In connection with the offering, the Company granted the initial purchasers an option to purchase, within a 13-day period beginning on, and including, the initial issuance date of the notes, up to an additional $90 million aggregate principal amount of notes.

The notes will bear interest at a rate of 3.50% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning November 15, 2023. The notes will mature on November 15, 2028, unless earlier redeemed, repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms. Prior to August 15, 2028, the notes will be convertible only upon satisfaction of certain conditions and during certain periods. Thereafter, the notes will be convertible at any time until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date. The Company may not redeem the notes prior to May 20, 2026. On or after May 20, 2026, the Company may redeem for cash all or part of the notes if the last reported sale price of the Company's Class A common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive), including at least one of the five trading days immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption, during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption. The redemption price will equal 100% of the principal amount of the notes being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date.

The notes will be convertible at the option of holders, subject to certain conditions and during certain periods, into cash, shares of the Company's Class A common stock or a combination of cash and shares of the Company's Class A common stock, with the form of consideration determined at the Company's election. Holders of the notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of their notes at 100% of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, upon the occurrence of certain events. The conversion rate will initially be 21.8341 shares of the Company's Class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $45.80 per share of the Company's Class A common stock). The initial conversion price of the notes represents a premium of approximately 25.0% over the last reported sale price of the Company's Class A common stock on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, which was $36.64 per share. The sale of the notes is expected to close on May 12, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

When issued, the notes will be the Company's senior unsecured obligations and will rank senior in right of payment to any of the Company's unsecured indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the notes; equal in right of payment to any of the Company's existing and future unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated, such as its 1.125% convertible senior notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes"), 0.625% convertible senior notes due 2025 (the "2025 Notes"), 2.50% accreting convertible senior notes due 2025 (the "Accreting 2025 Notes"), 1.00% convertible senior notes due 2026 and 3.25% convertible senior notes due 2027; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company's secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of the Company's subsidiaries, including Wayfair LLC's guarantee of the Accreting 2025 Notes.

In connection with the pricing of the notes, the Company entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with certain of the initial purchasers or their respective affiliates and certain other financial institutions (the "option counterparties"). These capped call transactions are generally expected to reduce the potential dilution with respect to the Company's Class A common stock upon any conversion of notes and/or offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted notes, as the case may be, with such reduction of potential dilution and/or offset of cash payments subject to a cap. The cap price of the capped call transactions will initially be $73.28 per share, which represents a premium of 100% over the last reported sale price of the Company's Class A common stock on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 and is subject to certain adjustments under the terms of the capped call transactions.

The Company has been advised that, in connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, the option counterparties or their respective affiliates expect to purchase shares of the Company's Class A common stock and/or enter into various derivative transactions with respect to the Company's Class A common stock concurrently with, or shortly after, the pricing of the notes. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Company's Class A common stock or the notes at that time. In addition, the Company expects that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to the Company's Class A common stock and/or purchasing or selling the Company's Class A common stock or other securities of the Company in secondary market transactions from time to time following the pricing of the notes and prior to the maturity of the notes (and are likely to do so on each trading day during the observation period relating to any conversion of the notes on or after August 15, 2028 that is not in connection with a redemption, or following the Company's election to terminate any portion of the capped call transactions in connection with any repurchase, redemption, exchange or early conversion of the notes). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of the Company's Class A common stock or the notes, which could affect the ability of holders to convert the notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of the notes, it could affect the number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and value of the consideration that holders will receive upon conversion of the notes.

In addition, if any such capped call transaction fails to become effective, whether or not the offering is completed, the option counterparty party thereto may unwind its hedge positions with respect to the Company's Class A common stock, which could adversely affect the value of the Company's Class A common stock and, if the notes have been issued, the value of the notes.

The Company estimates that the net proceeds from the offering will be approximately $588.6 million (or approximately $677.0 million if the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes in full), after deducting fees and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use approximately $75.8 million of the net proceeds from the offering to pay the cost of the capped call transactions. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes, the Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes to enter into additional capped call transactions. In addition, the Company also intends to use approximately $513.8 million of the net proceeds from the offering and approximately $1.0 million of cash on hand to repurchase for cash approximately $82.5 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2024 Notes and approximately $534.5 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes as described below. The Company intends to use the remaining net proceeds, if any, from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, operating and capital expenditures. The Company may also use a portion of such net proceeds to finance acquisitions, strategic transactions, investments, repurchases of the Company's Class A common stock or the repayment, redemption, purchase or exchange of indebtedness (including its existing convertible notes).

Contemporaneously with the pricing of the notes in the offering, the Company entered into separate and individually negotiated transactions (the "concurrent note repurchases") with certain holders of the 2024 Notes and certain holders of the 2025 Notes to repurchase approximately $82.5 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2024 Notes for an aggregate of approximately $77.6 million in cash and approximately $534.5 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes for an aggregate of approximately $436.2 million in cash.

The Company expects that certain holders of the 2024 Notes and certain holders of the 2025 Notes that the Company agreed to repurchase that have hedged their equity price risk with respect to such 2024 Notes and 2025 Notes, respectively (the "hedged holders"), will, concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the new notes, unwind all or part of their hedge positions by buying the Company's Class A common stock and/or entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to the Company's Class A common stock. The repurchase of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Notes and the potential related market activities by holders of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Notes participating in the concurrent note repurchases could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Company's Class A common stock and may have increased the effective conversion price of the notes. The Company cannot predict the magnitude of such market activity or the overall effect it will have on the price of the notes or the Company's Class A common stock.

The notes and the Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the notes, if any, are not being registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction. The notes and the Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the notes, if any, may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

About Wayfair

Wayfair is the destination for all things home: helping everyone, anywhere create their feeling of home. From expert customer service, to the development of tools that make the shopping process easier, to carrying one of the widest and deepest selections of items for every space, style, and budget, Wayfair gives everyone the power to create spaces that are just right for them.

The Wayfair family of brands includes:

Wayfair: Everything home  for a space that's all you.

Joss & Main: The ultimate style edit for home.

AllModern: All of modern, made simple.

Birch Lane: A fresh take on the classics.

Perigold: An undiscovered world of luxury design.

Wayfair Professional: Just right for Pros.

Wayfair generated $12.0 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2023 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal and state securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: whether we will issue the notes; the anticipated use of the net proceeds of the offering; expectations regarding the effect of the capped call transactions and the repurchase of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Notes; expectations regarding actions of the option counterparties and their respective affiliates and regarding the hedged holders; whether the capped call transactions will become effective; and whether the repurchases of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Notes will close, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "continues," "could," "intends," "goals," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations of future events. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be accurate, although we believe that we have been reasonable in our expectations and assumptions. Investors should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or that known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from our expectations and projections. Investors are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

A list and description of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause or contribute to differences in our results can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Media Relations Contact:

Susan Frechette

[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:

James Lamb

[email protected]

SOURCE Wayfair, LLC
Users can now book their flyadeal flights through Wego's platform

Wego recorded over 22 million flight searches to Saudi in 2023

DUBAI, UAE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wego , the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has announced its partnership with flyadeal, the true low-cost airline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a subsidiary of Saudi Airlines Group, to offer its users the chance to directly book flights on flyadeal through its platform.

MENA is a key market for Wego, and always tops the searches from this region. flyadeal, one of the youngest and fastest growing low-cost airlines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East, continues its expansion to the region.

Ross Veitch, CEO and Co-founder of Wego and Con Korfiatis, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer

flyadeal currently operates scheduled flights to 17 domestic destinations across Saudi Arabia and six in Europe, Middle East and Africa. From June, the airline will triple its international footprint with 12 additional destinations in Europe and Middle East. These are Rhodes and Heraklion in Greece; Sarajevo (Bosnia); Larnaca (Cyprus), Tivat (Montenegro); Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey; Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi, (Georgia); and Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt).

The new partnership includes all flyadeal flights to Wego's marketplace where users can book directly with the airline. Wego is looking to provide its users with a wider choice of airlines to book from, by adding such a renowned airline to its portfolio.

Con Korfiatis, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are delighted to partner with Wego, the biggest and renowned online travel marketplace in the MENA region. This collaboration will allow our customers to directly book flyadeal's wide choice and growing number of flights through Wego's platform, giving us the opportunity to distribute our products to a bigger audience, and showcase our competitive everyday fares. This partnership will further enhance our customers' travel experience and help us to better serve them."

Additionally, Wego's users will benefit from flyadeal fares which will be promoted across all Wego's marketing channels and will be able to search and book the most competitive deals online.

Ross Veitch, CEO and Co-founder of Wego, said: "As the largest online travel marketplace in MENA we are delighted to announce our partnership with flyadeal, the fastest growing airline in KSA. We look forward to offering flyadeal's attractively priced fares to Wego's audience both in The Kingdom and also across our regional points of sale as flyadeal opens new international routes."

Around 10,000 monthly bookings for flyadeal have been conducted.

The top destinations searching for flights to Saudi were Egypt, India, Kuwait, UAE, Sudan, Oman, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, and Qatar.

Wego data also shows that 79% of travelers are staying up to 3 days with the remaining percentage staying 12 days or more.

This collaboration ensures Wego users are always getting the most comprehensive selection of flight options possible across all its platforms.

About flyadeal

On 23 September 2017, national day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, flyadeal made its historic maiden flight from Jeddah to Riyadh marking a regional first for a low-cost airline to be launched only across digital and social media channels. Being the sister airline of full-service national carrier Saudia  both under the umbrella ownership of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation  flyadeal was created for the price conscious and tech savvy consumer in mind in a market where 80 per cent of the Saudi population is less than 40 and has at least two mobile phones.

With the Kingdom undergoing dramatic transformation under the government's Vision 2030 economic diversification drive, the aviation sector has been earmarked for huge growth. flyadeal aims to stimulate travel, tourism and trade with its affordable, value for money every day fares.

flyadeal operates a young fleet of 28 Airbus A320 aircraft flying from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to towns and cities across Saudi Arabia and a growing international footprint in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The airline has flown almost 20 million passengers since its inaugural flight. In 2019, flyadeal placed orders for 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft. By 2030, the airline plans to operate hundreds of routes with a fleet of over 100 aircraft. flyadeal's aggressive expansion drive makes the rapidly-growing airline one of the country's most desirable companies to work for.

Fly for Lesswww.flyadeal.com

About Wego

Wego provides award-winning travel search websites and top-ranked mobile apps for travelers living in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions. Wego harnesses powerful yet simple to use technology that automates the process of searching and comparing results from hundreds of airlines, hotels, and online travel agency websites.

Wego presents an unbiased comparison of all travel products and prices offered in the marketplace by merchants, both local and global, and enables shoppers to quickly find the best deal and place to book whether it is from an airline or hotel directly or with a third-party aggregator website.

Wego was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Dubai and Singapore with regional operations in Bangalore Jakarta and Cairo.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2072640/Wego_flyadeal_Partnership.jpg

SOURCE Wego
WELL AI Voice is a transformational product that leverages generative AI to dramatically reduce a provider's administrative burden by privately and securely capturing a patient encounter conversation and automatically generating a succinct and medically relevant chart note giving doctors up to 30% of their practicing time back.

WELL AI Voice is the first of many future products/services launched under the new WELLHealth.ai program. WELL is committed to de-risking and democratizing powerful, medical-grade and compliant AI based products and services for the benefit of patients and providers.

WELL AI Voice will be on display today through May 12 th, at Booth 325 at the Pri-Med Canada In-Person Conference & Trade Show, which is being held at the International Centre in Toronto, ON .

VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) ("WELL" or the "Company"), a digital health company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare providers and their patients globally, is pleased to announce the launch of its ground-breaking product, WELL AI Voice.

WELL AI Voice is a powerful and transformative product that reduces a provider's documentation and administrative burden by privately and securely capturing a patient encounter conversation and automatically generating a succinct and medically relevant chart note. The ambient scribe feature leverages cutting-edge generative AI capabilities, allowing providers to deliver improved care to their patients by focusing entirely on the patient, reducing provider burnout, and giving the provider more accurate documentation. WELL AI Voice is integrated directly into OSCAR Pro, works with WELL's Profile and Cerebrum EMRs and alongside any other EMR, and will be available as part of the apps.health ecosystem.

Test results have demonstrated that physicians are experiencing a timesaving of up to 30% when using WELL AI Voice. Physicians have also commended the ability to maintain eye contact during patient visits as the ambient scribe no longer requires them to look at their computer to take notes.

"The feedback from our physicians using WELL AI Voice has been overwhelmingly positive. It is incredible the amount of time being saved on documentation which has now been automated, allowing providers to focus their attention entirely on the patient, which patients love as well", said Michael Frankel, WELL's Chief Medical Officer.

As part of its ongoing commitment to developing innovative solutions for healthcare providers, the Company has also launched WELLHealth.ai, a program that encompasses the various AI capabilities that it will be building into its Provider Solutions platform offerings. This includes the investments WELL will be making as part of The WELL AI Investment Program, previously announced on April 25th, 2023, as well as other greenfield initiatives. WELL AI Voice is the first-generation product to be released as part of the program.

"Today marks a major milestone for WELL as we launch WELL AI Voice," said Amir Javidan, COO of WELL Health Technologies. "With ambient scribe, we are tech-enabling providers with the power of AI and saving precious time by automating one of the most challenging and mundane parts of their daily work - documentation. The WellHealth.ai program is the foundation from which we will leverage the latest advancements in AI to empower providers and augment their practices. WELL AI Voice is the first of many AI capabilities we plan to introduce as part of our WELLHealth.ai program."

WELL AI Voice will on display at Booth 325 during the Pri-Med Canada In-Person Conference & Trade Show, which is being held at the International Centre in Toronto, ON. WELL representatives will be in attendance to provide live demonstrations throughout the conference.

For more information on WELL AI Voice and the WELLHealth.ai program, please visit WELLHealth.ai.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"

Hamed Shahbazi

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.

WELL is a practitioner-focused digital healthcare company. WELL's overarching mission is to positively impact health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally. WELL exists to enable healthcare practitioners with best-in-class technology and services. WELL has built the most comprehensive end-to-end healthcare system across Canada including the nation's largest network of clinics supporting primary care, specialized care, and diagnostics services. In the United States, WELL provides omni-channel healthcare services and solutions targeting specialized markets such as the gastrointestinal market, women's health, primary care, and mental disorders. In addition to providing patient services, WELL develops, integrates, and sells its own suite of technology software and solutions to medical clinics and healthcare practitioners. WELL's practitioner enablement platform includes: Electronic Medical Records ("EMR"), telehealth platforms, practice management, billing, Revenue Cycle Management ("RCM"), digital health apps and data protection solutions. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and on the OTC Exchange under the symbol "WHTCF". To learn more about the Company, please visit: www.well.company.

SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.
Dr. Javad Sajan At Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery Is The Best Plastic Surgeon In America

SEATTLE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plastic surgeon, Dr. Javad Sajan, is the number #1 plastic surgeon in the US based on his revolutionary surgical techniques and dedication to patients. Alongside his traditional cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation , tummy tucks , and Brazilian butt lifts , he also has championed gender affirming procedures including FTM top surgery , facial feminization , and MTF breast augmentation .

Who Is The Best Plastic Surgeon For Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular plastic surgeries in the United States and Dr. Javad Sajan is the best plastic surgeon for breast augmentation. Getting the best results possible depends on choosing the right plastic surgeon. Dr. Javad Sajan has performed countless breast augmentation surgeries on both cisgender and transwomen. He also performs all major types of breast augmentation including inframammary, periareolar, transaxillary , and transumbilical breast augmentation .

Who Is The Best FTM Top Surgeon In The USA?

Dr. Sajan is the best FTM top surgeon in the USA. More surgeons in the United States now perform FTM top surgery. However, few perform high volume and patient-centered drainless top surgery. Dr. Sajan offers patients customization options such as the shape of their incisions: curved, follow the pec, or straight as well as nipples or no nipples. This level of individualization is unique and makes Dr. Sajan the best top surgeon in the United States and explains why his patients come from around the world.

Dr. Javad Sajan's patients also detail why he is the best plastic surgeon in the US, "My whole experience with Dr. Sajan and his team has been incredible. All the staff is so friendly and helpful. Dr. Sajan is extremely knowledgeable and cares about you as a person not just a patient. Beyond that my results so far have been great, during the healing process they were always readily available to help. I couldn't be happier with my whole experience."

About Dr. Javad Sajan: Dr. Javad Sajan is one of America's top plastic surgeons. He livestreams surgeries on Snapchat as part of his dedication to transparency in the operating room. Dr. Sajan is also the host of the Plastic Surgeon Podcast and is featured in the documentary series, realdrseattle , on YouTube.

Contact: Allure Esthetic

Phone: 206-209-0988

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Allure Esthetic
Details added: first version posted on 13:14

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. ASAN [Azerbaijan Service and Assessment Network] Centers will be built both in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions, the Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan Ulvi Mehdiyev told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, the centers will be built as the liberated territories are being restored.

"In the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, work continues on the restoration of cities and villages, as well as cultural heritage sites. As cities and villages are restored, ASAN Centers will be built in these territories," he added.

In February this year, Mehdiyev said that as citizens return to the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, ASAN Centers will start operating there, and the first center is planned to be opened in Shusha.

ASAN Service was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev No.685 dated July 13, 2012.
YIWU, China, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. On May 10, the 2023 Yiwugo Top 10 Vendors Competition has officially started the voting process on this year's China Brand Day, with the aim of promoting vendors' business integrity and innovation for high-quality development of the Yiwu market. It adheres to the original intention to assist vendors on the platform in building brand image and showcasing brand strength.

The competition, which has been successfully held for 11 consecutive years, has emerged as an influential brand selection event in the Yiwu market.

"The competition not only provides a business opportunity for us, but also offers us a good chance to show our products and improve them. The selected outstanding business owners will also be recommended to participate in the offline Award Ceremony for Yiwugo Top Ten Vendors, where we can exchange business experience with more merchants," said Wang Jian, the owner of Aishang Daily Necessities Factory.

Fu Jiangyan of Zhangweichao Socks Firm argued, "I am a veteran in the market, doing business here for many years. I have always adhered to the principle of integrity in business." Fu, a die-hard follower of Yiwugo Top 10 Vendors Competition, has run the clothing wholesale business for more than 10 years in the market. Fu's distinctive ethnic style clothing leaves a deep impression on people. Since the launch of the live streaming in Yiwugo, she has achieved great success in live streaming marketing through unremitting efforts. "We must continue to learn in order to adapt to market changes," Fu declared. In recent years, with the support of Yiwugo, Fu not only managed to gain success in her own business, but also took the initiative to help other vendors expand their markets and sales channels. She has built a name for herself to many buyers at home and abroad, making Zhangweichao Socks and herself a preferred choice for customers when making purchases. Fu has turned her small business into a big success, attracting customers from the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

While helping vendors, on the one hand, Yiwugo also recommends excellent merchants and goods to buyers through the selection activity. On the other hand, it helps promote competition and cooperation among businesses and further facilitates the development of the platform.

Yiwugo always regards the brand building of vendors on the platform as an important means to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of industries and to boost the competitiveness of product channels. It makes relentless efforts to help enterprises grow better and stronger with enhanced brand quality and internal motivation. To promote high-end brands, Yiwugo has cultivated a group of influential and competitive well-known enterprise brands. By investing in brand building, it helps promote the high-quality development of the economy. By more accurately understanding consumers and targeting the market, it is conducive to building a sustainable development path.

The voting for 2023 Top 10 Vendors Competition will last from May 10, 2023 to 24:00 on December 31, 2023. Unlike last year's event, more emphasis will be placed on comprehensive transaction volume in this year's competition. The top 10 shops with the most votes will be ranked in the first tier, and the ranking will extend to the 20th tier, with all shops beyond the 20th tier ranked as 21st. In addition to selecting the annual "Top 10 Vendors", the competition will also feature 10 "Leading Vendors", as well as 90 "Model Vendors" and 120 "Elite Vendors" in various sections of the market. A total of 230 awards will be set up. The enterprise that ultimately wins the first place in the Top 10 Vendors Competition will receive a reward of 10,000 yuan, the second place 8,000 yuan, the third place 6,000 yuan, and the remaining top 10 vendors 5,000 yuan each. All "Model Vendors" and "Elite Vendors" will receive rewards of 3,000 yuan and 2,000 yuan, respectively. The results of the competition will be announced after New Year's Day in 2024, and the award ceremony is expected to be held in mid-January. All award-winning vendors will appear at the award ceremony next year, so stay tuned.

SOURCE Yiwugo.com
Leading financial holding company represents first Taiwanese Eventus client

TAIPEI, Taiwan and NEW YORK, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus , a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions, has been selected to provide trade surveillance for Yuanta Futures in Taiwan, representing the firm's first Taiwanese client.

Yuanta Futures is a subsidiary of Yuanta Financial Holdings and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. As a systemically vital participant in Taiwan's futures market, the firm selected Eventus' Validus trade surveillance platform to replace its previous vendor solution, citing its superior actionable alert capability and user-friendly interface. Rebecca Hu, Yuanta Futures' Senior Manager of Customer Service Trading Department, said Eventus has delivered an exceptional customer experience as well as improved surveillance outcomes.

"We have been very pleased with the responsiveness and expertise of the Eventus team as we have implemented the technology," she said. "Our compliance staff has found Validus to be much more user-friendly, and we see improved clarity and accuracy in the outcomes the system provides."

Nick Wallis, Eventus Head of Sales, International Markets, said Eventus is proud to be working with one of Taiwan's most important futures companies.

"We are delighted to have won the trust of one of the region's leading companies and to have the opportunity to deliver surveillance outcomes that are more precise and easier to action," he said. "We look forward to continuing to work with Yuanta as an important foundation customer as we further grow our client business in the Asia-Pacific region."

Eventus has earned more than 30 awards and honors since 2018 for its technology and best-in-class service, including six awards specifically for its service to the APAC region.

About Eventus

Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets.

Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventus.com .

About Yuanta

Yuanta Futures is the largest futures commission merchant (FCM) in Taiwan and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. It is the first FCM to have received an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives trading license in Taiwan.

With Taiwan's strongest sales team and a deep store of professional knowledge, Yuanta Futures offers a diverse and convenient electronic operating platform - the cutting-edge Yuanta Futures Wizard app  giving users a brand-new program trading experience. Yuanta Futures has worked to build a new era of wealth and stability for its investors, removing the aura of mystery and risk that has previously surrounded the futures market. For more, visit www.yuantafutures.com.tw

SOURCE Eventus
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. Azerbaijani Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population has handed over 100 apartments and private houses to the families of martyrs and disabled veterans in connection with the 100th birth anniversary of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports via the ministry.

According to the ministry, the apartments and private houses were provided in a residential complex of MIDA (State Housing Development Agency) in Bakus Hovsan village, as well as Absheron, Shamkir, Gazakh, Gadabay, Tovuz, Ujar, Yevlakh, Yardimli, Balakan, Gakh, Beylagan, Sabirabad, Saatli, Shaki and Tartar districts.

The ceremony of presenting the documents for the apartments was attended by Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Anar Aliyev and Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population Elshad Mammadov.

Aliyev emphasized the great merits of the national leader Heydar Aliyev in the field of creation and development of the social protection system in Azerbaijan.

It was noted that the program for providing apartments and private houses to the families of martyrs and disabled veterans was launched in the 1990s [after the first Karabakh war] by instructions of Heydar Aliyev, and measures within the program are successfully continued every year.

After the 2020 second Karabakh war, in which Azerbaijani army under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev achieved victory, following instructions of the head of state, a wide package of social support for martyr families and disabled veterans began to be implemented.

As part of this support package, the program for providing apartments and private houses has been expanded by five times. Since 2021, families of the second Karabakh war martyrs and veterans have been also provided with housing.

Taking into account the apartments and private houses presented today, after the second Karabakh war, martyr families and disabled veterans were given 4,760 apartments and private houses, this year - 260, and in general over the past period - 13,560 housing units.

According to the instructions of the head of state, at least 1,500 apartments and private houses will be transferred to persons from the above category in 2023.

Citizens who were provided with new apartments and private houses expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the constant care of the state for them.
Mexico City, May 10 : Mexico has declared an end to the Covid-19 health emergency in keeping with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion Hugo Lopez-Gatell said.

"The decision was made given that the conditions the WHO took into account to suspend the public health emergency of international concern have been met," Lopez-Gatell was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying during a press conference.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed a decree that marked the end of the initial March 23, 2020 document declaring the start of the health emergency.

On May 5, the WHO declared the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency due to the steady decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

According to Lopez-Gatell, 95 percent of Mexico's population has the antibodies needed to repel the virus, providing the country with a "high level of immunity." In addition, the variants currently circulating have a "lower virulence" than previous ones, causing only mild illness, he said, adding that clinical treatment of patients has improved.
Washington, May 10 : US federal prosecutors have reportedly filed criminal charges against Congressman George Santos.

The charges, which remain under seal, were filed in the Eastern District of New York, Xinhua news agency reported, citing US media reports.

Santos, the US representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, could appear in court as early as Wednesday, reports said.

The New York Republican has been the target of multiple investigations after questions emerged about his resume, biography, and finances.

The US House Ethics Committee launched an investigation earlier this year to look into issues surrounding Santos.
Kiev, May 10 : Ukraine's foodstuff export through the Black Sea ports last week hit its lowest level since August 2022 due to the disruptions of the work of the "grain corridor", data from an industry body showed.

Between May 1 and May 7, Ukraine's ports shipped 404,000 tons of agricultural products, down 10 per cent from the previous week, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) said in a report.

In particular, Ukraine sent abroad 165,000 tons of wheat, 161,000 tons of corn, and 52,000 tons of sunflower oil during the recording period, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the UCAB report.

Eleven vessels, which had been loaded with grain last week, were still waiting for inspections, it said.

Since the "grain corridor" started its work on August 1, 2022, Ukraine had exported some 29.7 million tons of foodstuffs via its seaports, according to the UCAB report.

In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkey and the United Nations on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.

The deal envisages the creation of a "grain corridor" for the safe passage of ships carrying agricultural products.
Ankara, May 10 : A record number of Turkish nationals living abroad have cast their ballots for the upcoming general elections.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Supreme Election Board said in a statement that over 1.75 million Turks have cast their ballots overseas or at border cross-points, while the highest turnout recorded previously was 1.35 million, reports Xinhua news agency.

Diaspora voting took place from April 27 to May 9 in 73 countries where Turkish diplomatic missions serve.

Voters in Turkey on May 14 will elect the President and 600 MPs for a five-year term.

The votes of some 3.4 million eligible overseas nationals will be weighed in a tight race predicted by surveys.

According to two recent polls by Metropoll and Optimar, incumbent conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aged 69, and his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, the leader of the opposition, almost run neck-and-neck.

A majority of the Turkish diaspora lives in Western Europe, especially Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium, where Turkish workers settled in great numbers in the 1960s.

In previous elections, Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), boasted strong support among Turkish voters in Europe.

In a message to external voters on April 29, Erdogan said he expected them to "hurry to the polls and make history on May 14".

The preferences of the Turkish diaspora could be decisive for the top two candidates if they want to get more than 50 per cent support in the first round of voting, and avoid a run-off at the end of the month, Ankara-based pollster MAK Center For Social Research, said.

Before 2014, Turks abroad who wanted to participate in elections had to return to the country to vote.

Over the years, Erdogan has implemented legal measures to ensure that expatriate Turks be able to vote abroad and their participation in the electoral process gradually increased as more polling stations have been set up across Europe.

In the 2018 presidential elections, he received nearly 60 per cent of the overseas votes after campaigning in critical countries such as Germany which hosts nearly 1.5 million Turkish voters.

According to experts, the Turkish diaspora in Europe tends to support and vote for conservative political figures.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 10 : A woman house surgeon died after a patient, who was brought to a hospital in Kottarakara in a violent condition, stabbed her and four others early on Wednesday.

The woman succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment.

A medical official said the man, who was in a violent condition when brought to the hospital, picked up a surgical blade and attacked Vandana Das multiple times when she was attending to him.

"She was given emergency treatment and shifted to a premier hospital in the capital city. Despite best efforts, her life could not be saved," said a senior Indian Medical Association office-bearer.

According to an eyewitness, the 42-year-old school teacher Sandeep from Pooyapalli in Kollam district, had created a ruckus in his home and was brought to the hospital by police after he suffered injuries.

Sandeep, according to local legislator K.B. Ganesh Kumar, said was undergoing de-addiction therapy.

"It's very sad that despite such incidents happening frequently, no action is taken after a probe. Stringent action should be taken in such cases," said the film star-turned-politician.

Ironically, the incident took place when some police officials were present at the hospital.

As the news spread, hundreds of doctors rushed to the hospital where her body is kept.

"Despite promises, no action is being taken and hence we are going on a strike. We demand that strict action be taken without any more promises," they asserted.
Berlin, May 10 : The number of politically motivated crimes in Germany increased by 7 per cent year-on-year in 2022 to a new high of 58,916 cases, the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) said.

"Politically motivated crime is a reflection of social conflicts in our country," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement, stressing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, reports Xinhua news agency Most crimes had a "diffuse ideological motivation", which could not be assigned to either the left or right of the political spectrum, according to the ministry. These also included crimes related to protests against Covid-19 measures.

Crimes motivated by right-wing ideology increased to just under 23,500 cases.

No other distinct group accounted for more cases and these crimes were often accompanied by violence.

Last year, 41 per cent of victims of politically motivated violent acts were injured by right-wing perpetrators.

"I am particularly concerned that attacks on refugees have increased sharply," Faeser said. "It is extremely inhumane to attack people who have found protection from war and terror in our country." German police recorded 1,420 crimes against persons seeking protection in 2022, up 9 per cent year-on-year.

Attacks on asylum shelters rose by 67 per cent to 120 cases, the Ministry said.

In 2022, the number of people seeking protection in Germany grew faster than ever before, reaching more than three million, according to official figures.

Just over one million people came from Ukraine alone.

Record immigration put further pressure on the country's welfare system, fuelling the public debate on housing refugees and deporting rejected asylum seekers.

The German government is scheduled to discuss plans for stricter asylum policies with the federal states on Wednesday.
Beijing, May 10 : In what may be the first detention related to the misuse of ChatGPT, the Chinese law authorities have arrested a man for allegedly using the OpenAI chatbot for generating fake news and sharing it online.

Police in northwestern China's Gansu province said that a suspect surnamed Hong had been detained for "using artificial intelligence technology to concoct false and untrue information", reports South China Morning Post.

While ChatGPT is not directly available in China, users can still access its service if they have a reliable VPN connection.

The cybersecurity team found the AI-written fake news about a train crash was posted by more than 20 accounts on Baijiahao, a blog-style platform run by Chinese search engine giant Baidu.

The news received more than 15,000 clicks before authorities took action.

Hong confessed to using ChatGPT to quickly produce different versions of the same fake story and uploaded them to his Baijiahao accounts.

Hong was suspected of the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a charge that normally carries a maximum sentence of five years.

"But in cases that are deemed especially severe, offenders can be jailed for 10 years and given additional penalties," the report mentioned.

China has slammed ChatGPT, the AI-driven chatbot by Microsoft-owned OpenAI that has become a rage, saying it is spreading US government "misinformation" and directing internet companies not to use it in their applications.

Chinese regulators told Tencent and Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group, not to offer ChatGPT services to the public, Nikkei Asia reported in February.

There is a "growing alarm in Beijing over the AI-powered chatbot's uncensored replies to user queries".
Mumbai, May 10 : Maharashtra ex-Minister and state Congress Working President M. A. Naseem Khan has slammed the government's move to reduce this year's quotas for the upcoming Haj pilgrimage and levying higher charges to the Muslim faithful for providing various services, here on Wednesday.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khan has said that earlier the pilgrim quota given to the Haj Committee of India (HC) India was over 200,000, which has now been slashed to around 150,000.

The rest of the quota has been passed onto the private tour operators who are charging exorbitant amounts ranging from Rs 500,000-Rs 10,00,000 per head for the Haj pilgrimage, he said to the PM.

Khan has also questioned the HCI's decision to charge different amounts for the pilgrimage from different embarkation points in the country.

He said that the HCI charges heavily from different embarkation points from Maharashtra - like, Mumbai Rs 3,04,843, Nagpur Rs 3,67,044, Aurangabad Rs 3,92,738, which he feels is unjustified.

Khan claimed that the pilgrims are also being denied other benefits like the 'qurbani' and 'adahi' charges that were given pre-2019, but when he raised the matter with the HCI Members, they informed lack of authority as all their powers were withdrawn by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The Congress leader also hinted at a scam in the hotel bookings in Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrims, why the subsidised tickets offered by Saudi Arabian Airlines are now booked through private airlines at higher rates.

"Due to this, there is anger in the pilgrims and the Muslim community in Maharashtra and all over India. I request you to personally look into the matter and give suitable directions to the concerned ministry," Khan appealed to the PM.

The Haj-2023 will start from June 26 and the first of the flights to Saudi Arabia from different parts of India shall commence from May 21.
Tel Aviv, May 10 : Israel is on high alert as it prepared for retaliatory rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip after a series of airstrikes killed militants and civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that over 2,000 Israelis have been evacuated from communities near the enclave, as a precaution against possible rocket attacks launched by Gaza-based militants, reports Xinhua news agency.

Residents in southern Israel were being relocated to hotels in central regions of the country.

In the city of Sderot, preparations have been made by the municipality to temporarily relocate approximately 4,500 elderly or sick residents.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told local council heads near Gaza that they "must be prepared for every scenario".

He added that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security forces "are prepared to defend every front", according to a statement released on his behalf.

On Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets and drones carried out simultaneous and surprise attacks at buildings and apartments which host the Islamic Jihad terror group's senior military leaders in Gaza.

The Gaza-based Health Ministry said 15 Palestinians were killed and more than 20 were injured in the airstrikes, including 10 civilian women and children.

The Islamic Jihad confirmed in a statement that three commanders, namely Jihad Ghannam, Khalil Al-Bahtini and Tareq Izzeldeen, were killed in the strikes.

The faction vowed a response.

In a fresh airstrike in the afternoon, the Israeli military said they killed two militants preparing a rocket attack against Israel.
New Delhi, May 10 : A 39-year-old woman from Bengaluru fell victim to a fraud in Delhi, as she was duped of her valuables and cash by a man she met on a matrimonial website, an official said on Wednesday.

The woman identified as Vijay Laxmi, who works as a cabin crew member in an airline, said that when she came to meet the accused in Delhi, he fled away with her gold jewellery worth Rs 18 lakhs, Rs 15,000 cash and even withdrew Rs 58,000 from her ATM cards.

The incident occurred on May 7.

According to the FIR accessed by IANS, she got in touch with one Anshul Jain through matrimonial website Jeevansathi.com 15 days before she met him.

"We started talking on WhatsApp. He introduced himself as a businessman in NCR and expressed his desire to marry me. Three days ago, he invited me to Delhi to meet his family at a wedding function. He asked me to bring appropriate dresses and jewellery," she said in her complaint.

On May 7, she reached Delhi, and Jain came to pick her up at T-2 IGI airport in his orange Tata Punch car. "We went to the Aerocity food court and had some snacks. After that, when we returned to the car, he told me that something seemed wrong with the car's tyre and asked me to get out and check. As soon as I stepped out of the car, he sped away, taking my valuables," the FIR read.

Laxmi alleged that Jain took away 300 gms of gold jewellery, her phone, three ATMs, Rs 15,000 cash and her airline Airport Entry Card (AEP). After that he transferred Rs 40,000 in four transactions from Canara Bank and Rs 18,000 from ICICI bank.

"I am a cabin crew member in an airline. Now I don't have a single ID or my mobile phone. Jain deceived and cheated me, fraudulently taking away the aforementioned items," the FIR added.

A senior police official said that they are investigating the case and an FIR has been registered under section 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code at IGI police station.
Los Angeles, May 10 : 'Beetlejuice' is returning to movie theatres next year with a new edition.

Warner Bros. has announced that 'Beetlejuice 2' will be released on the big screen on September 6, 2024, reports 'Variety'.

It opens on the same day as Marvel's 'Blade', a comic book adventure starring Mahershala Ali. Otherwise, there's not much currently set on the release calendar in the surrounding weeks.

Warner Bros. has fielded hits over Labor Day weekend of years past with 'It' and the sequel 'It: Chapter 2' as well as 'The Nun'.

As per 'Variety', there's little information available about the follow-up to Tim Burton's 1988 film about a pesky poltergeist, but the filmmaker is returning with Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice and Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz.

Additional cast members include 'Wednesday' star Jenna Ortega as the daughter of Ryder's character, as well as Justin Theroux in a yet-to-be-revealed role. Production is expected to begin in London on May 10.

Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing 'Beetlejuice 2'. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who worked with Burton on 'Wednesday', have penned the screenplay.

In the first film, a recently deceased married couple (played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) are impossibly irked by the new family (Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones play the parents and Ryder portrays their teenage daughter) that moved into their home. So they contact Beetlejuice, a devious ghost from the Netherworld, who promises to help them haunt the house's new inhabitants.

A critical and commercial hit, 'Beetlejuice' grossed $74.7 million and inspired a Tony-nominated stage musical. After a four-year run, which was interrupted by the pandemic, the show closed on Broadway in January.
San Francisco, May 10 : Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO and founder of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, has filed a pre-trial motion to dismiss 10 out of 13 charges against him.

His attorneys seek to dismiss the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud charges, reports TechCrunch.

The lawyers also seek to dismiss a few other charges, including bribery and political contribution charges, the report mentioned.

Bankman-Fried is currently under house arrest at his parent's house in Palo Alto, California, ahead of his expected trial in October.

The US authorities have charged him with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to misuse customer funds.

He is also facing suits by the SEC and CFTC over similar charges.

The US District Court for Southern District of New York has charged him for allegedly bribing Chinese officials "at least $40 million." The US Department of Justice alleged that Bankman-Fried "authorised and directed a bribe of at least $40 million to one or more Chinese government officials." The Justice Department said the Bankman-Fried wanted access to the funds in order to assist Alameda "in obtaining and retaining business." Bankman-Fried has also been charged with four additional counts of fraud, including unlawful political contributions leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.

He was arrested in the Bahamas on December 12, 2022 and extradited to the US on December 21.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 10 : Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan in Kerala Assembly on Wednesday denounced Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for maintaining a silence even as his former Principal Secretary M.Sivasankar languished in jail over corruption charges.

"It's really shameful, Vijayan, your top IAS official in your office - M.Sivasankar is currently languishing in jail for his alleged involvement in the Life Mission corruption case. He has spent close to 100 days in jail in the gold smuggling case and you are silent," said Satheesan.

During the first Vijayan government 2016-21, Sivasankar was the principal secretary till he was suspended in 2020 after the gold smuggling case surfaced.

"If Vijayan claims ignorance about the case, then he is not fit to be the chief minister. Sivasankar was no ordinary official in Vijayan's office. Now close on the heels of gold smuggling and Life Mission corruption, comes the AI camera scam. It's now clear that all roads of corrupt dealings lead to Vijayan's office," added Satheesan.

"The CM's strategy is to keep mum and allow the rest to do the talking. Never in the history of the country has there been such a Chief Minister whose office is engaged in undesirable activities and he remains silent. Had he not got the support of the BJP-led Centre, things would have been different. Vijayan speak up and don't hide," said Satheesan.
Islamabad, May 10 : The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) alleged that there is a conspiracy afoot to blame it for violence and vandalism on state properties by baton-wielding protesters waving party flags.

PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said that those involved in public vandalism and damage to property during Tuesday's protests had nothing to do with the PTI and that a "planned conspiracy" using criminals' acts like vandalism of state buildings may be used as a pretext to ban the party, The News reported.

Umar's comments came as unverified videos circulated across Pakistani social media of PTI workers allegedly storming and vandalising state buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, even apparently setting fire to part of one of the buildings.

Umar added that it was not possible to "prove that those are PTI supporters who are burning and vandalising." PTI workers had taken to the streets on Tuesday, following the arrest of party chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Protests were held across major cities of the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, The News reported.

In Karachi, PTI protesters managed to block the main thoroughfare -- Shahrah-e-Faisal -- and also damaged property.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab has claimed that PTI supporters also set a vehicle on fire.

In Lahore, PTI protesters blocked various roads, burnt tyres and reportedly led to injuries on police personnel, while in Rawalpindi, PTI workers protested on Murree Road and blocked other roads as well.

Earlier, Khan had called on supporters to "shut down Pakistan" over his arrest.
Amaravati, May 10 : The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to former Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLC Adireddy Appa Rao and his son and TDP state executive secretary Adireddy Srinivasa Rao in a case relating to financial irregularities in a chit fund company.

They were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh on April 30. They had filed a petition for bail and the High Court had completed hearing on the same two days ago.

Appa Rao, the husband of TDP Rajahmundry MLA Adireddy Bhavani, and their son Srinivasa Rao, are directors in Jagajjanani Chit Funds Private Limited.

During the hearing on the bail petition, the counsel of the TDP leaders argued that the Depositors Act does not apply in the case. They also argued that a case was registered against them without any complaint lodged by depositors.

On behalf of the state government, Advocate General Sriram submitted to the court that the accused diverted money of the depositors for other purposes.

The main opposition TDP had condemned the arrests. TDP national president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spoke to Bhavani over phone and expressed solidarity with her.

Naidu said that the political harassment and vendetta by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government is increasing by the day. He lamented that there is no change in the ruling party's behaviour.

The TDP president had said the YSRCP government believed only in illegal cases and illegal arrests. He said the arrest of Appa Rao and Srinivasa Rao is another example of the YSRCP government's politics of vendetta.

The TDP chief said despite courts reprimanding the government on many occasions, the Jagan government has not mended its ways.
Kolkata, May 10 : The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in West Bengal and this time on the alleged murder of two former school students at North Dinajpur district way back in September 2018.

A single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered the probe in the matter of the killing of Tapas Burman and Rahesh Sarkar, former students of Darivit High School in North Dinajpur district on September 20, 2018 within the school compound.

While passing the order, Justice Mantha observed that there had been complaints of use of bombs, explosives and firearms in the incidents of clashes where these two former students were killed.

He also said that since the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police was unable to make sufficient progress in its investigation, the charge of probe is being handed over to the NIA.

To recall, in September 2018, a group of students, their guardians and former students of Darivit High School started protesting over the decision of school authorities to appoint Urdu and Sanskrit teachers ignoring the vacancies of teachers for crucial subjects like Science and Mathematics.

Those opposing the movement entered into clashes with the protesters which turned the entire area into a virtual battlefield on that day when the two former students of the school were killed in firing.

Justice Mantha, on Wednesday, observed that although the post-mortem reports suggest that the bullets which killed Sarkar and Burman were fired from highly improvised firearms, the CID sleuths were unable to identify the nature of the firearms used on the day.

Justice Mantha, also expressed ire over the role of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), which was assigned the task of parallel probe in the matter. He observed that WBHRC's findings were based just on the inputs given by the district magistrate and the district police superintendent, which proves how reluctant the commission was in the matter. He also directed the state government to immediately arrange for compensation for the victims in the clashes.
New Delhi, May 10 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized six shops belonging to terrorist Fayaz Ahmad Khan in Lethpora, Kashmir, in connection with a militant attack on the CRPF Group Centre on December 2017.

The attack claimed the lives of five soldiers and three militants.

Khan was arrested by the NIA following a massive raid in Jammu and Kashmir in May 2022 along with Muzamil Mushtaq Bhat.

"Bhat and Khan, the two workers of The Resistance Front (TRF), were in contact with their Pakistan-based handlers for providing logistic support for terrorist activities, spreading terrorist propaganda, radicalising and recruiting new members of the banned outfit," an NIA official said.

The TRF is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group.

The official added that the TRF and its self-styled commander Sajjad Gul have been actively radicalising, motivating and recruiting youth of Jammu and Kashmir for indulging in violent activities.

He along with his other associate commanders of LeT based in Pakistan, have been recruiting individuals to conduct reconnaissance of pre-determined targets, coordinating and transporting ammunition, explosives in order to launch attacks on the security forces and execute targeted killings.
Kiev, May 10 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to launch talks on the war-torn nation's membership in the European Union (EU).

"It is time for a positive decision to launch negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union," Zelensky told reporters after talks with von der Leyen in Kiev.

Kiev is counting on receiving a positive interim assessment of Ukraine's progress on the path of European integration by the European Commission in June, Zelensky said.

For her part, von der Leyen spoke positively of Ukraine's efforts towards the fulfillment of the seven requirements put forward by the European Commission for starting the accession talks.

"I would like to express my deepest respect for this work. Please know that you can rely on our expertise and support in this ongoing process," said von der Leyen.

In June 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc.

In January this year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine aims to become a member of the EU within the next two years.
Washington, May 10 : US President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders from across the aisle will meet again on Friday as their first meeting ended in a stalemate to help resolve the impending interest payment debt default crisis after a contentious confrontation at the Oval Office.

While the Republican Congressmen and Democrats traded charges of being unreasonable and unrelenting on their stands, for the first time, President Biden confirmed reports that the White House has been discussing a unilateral step of invoking the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to get over Congress and bypass the debt ceiling limit.

But Biden seemed equally firm to dismiss the idea, saying it would lead to concerns of litigation complicating matters, media reports said.

NBC quoted a reliable source to say the mood in the room was "tense and serious", and claimed that Biden suggested that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was at times out of line.

"Occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker," Biden said of the meeting with each party's leaders in both chambers of Congress, according to NBC.

Biden said the three other participants were "very measured and low-key".

Speaker McCarthy however accused Biden of having waited too long to open negotiations. "Everybody in this meeting reiterated the positions they were at. I didn't see any new movement," McCarthy said.

Republicans want spending cuts by the government in exchange for their support to increase the debt ceiling, but Democrats face serious voter issues in an election eve year as spending cuts would slash critical social services.

The Biden government has breached the $1.4 trillion debt ceiling limit prescribed by the treasury, whose Secretary Yanet Yellen, says she can last on payouts on interest until June 1, after which she will resort to extraordinary measures.

Such measures entail prioritising interest payments that could jeopardise payouts on social welfare programs such as senior citizen benefits.

If the US government defaults on interest payments and payouts under its various schemes, it could lead to a spiralling effect on the money markets world wide, as most countries' governments and investors hold large amounts of Treasury bonds in their reserves.

Any default by the US government would lead to loss of investor confidence and a crash in the stock markets globally reducing the credibility of the treasury bonds.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that by not heeding the President's appeal to keep spending cuts off the table for bargaining for support, to raise the debt ceiling limit Speaker McCarthy is endangering America and making it much harder to make progress on budget negotiations.

Biden's budget is a whopping $1.7 trillion. But the more moderate Republican member and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, vowed to find a solution in time in national interests.

"The US is not going to default. It never has and it never will," he said. "The solution lies between the one person in America who can sign a bill into law and the speaker of the House." McCarthy has proposed a counter fiscal measure that would trim Bidens budget to $1.5 trillion , cutting $20 billion . Democrats have opposed this.

The Congressmen and the White House are all on tenterhooks as the US Treasury Department has warned that the government will run out of money as soon as June 1, unless Congress raises its borrowing limit.

Media reports say that Biden and McCarthy have little time to overcome the impasse and both of them don't enjoy any pre-existing relationship to give in to each other.

A compromise between the two has to appear on the table because the White House has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling itself and both sides realise that an unprecedented economic calamity of a default should be avoided at all costs if the US has to retain its credibility in the global money markets.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 10 : Kerala Health Minister Veena George has been drawing criticism from several quarters for her remark over the murder of a young house surgeon on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old woman house surgeon was stabbed to death by a patient, who was brought to a hospital in Kottarakara.

Reacting to the murder, George, a journalist-turned two time legislator, said this happened to the young doctor because she was not experienced to handle such attacks.

The Minister's reply did not go down well with the medicos, and a woman doctor reacted sharply, "So it means we have to learn self defence also apart from learning medicine".

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said this sad incident occurred as the police is "inefficient".

"It's been said the patient was brought to the hospital by a police team. They knew the patient was in a violent state and they failed to act appropriately. And the statement of George is untenable and it means that doctors should now learn karate and kalayaripayettu for their self defence. This Health Minister will enter Guinness for becoming the Minister who would have ordered the maximum probes," said Satheesan.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said this shows the way the health sector in the state is run and it's come to a stage that the health sector doesn't have a proper and effective leader.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came to pay their last respects at a premier hospital in the capital city, where the woman doctor passed away.

A 42-year-old suspended school teacher and a drug addict Sandeep was brought to the hospital around 4 a.m. by the local police after he created ruckus in his house.

A medical official said Sandeep picked up a surgical blade and attacked Vandana Das multiple times when she was attending to him.

"She was given emergency treatment and shifted to a premier hospital in the capital city. Despite best efforts, her life could not be saved," said a senior Indian Medical Association office-bearer.

Sandeep, according to local legislator K.B. Ganesh Kumar, was undergoing de-addiction therapy.

"It's very sad that despite such incidents happening frequently, no action is taken after a probe. Stringent action should be taken in such cases," said the film star-turned-politician.

As the news spread, hundreds of doctors rushed to the hospital where her body is kept.

"Despite promises, no action is being taken and hence we are going on a strike. We demand that strict action be taken without any more promises," they asserted.

Soon after the incident the medical professionals in both the private and government sector called for a 24 hour strike and only attended to emergency services.
Damascus, May 10 : The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced the resumption of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia following a reciprocal move from the kingdom.

The decision to reopen the diplomatic mission emanates from the deep ties between both countries, their people's aspirations, and the importance of enhancing bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve the joint Arab work, the Syrian ministry said in a statement.

The move came after Saudi Arabia announced the reopening of its diplomatic mission in Syria earlier on Tuesday, indicating that both countries have normalized relations.

On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers decided during a meeting in Cairo to re-admit Syria to the Arab League after 12 years of suspension.

On April 12, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that Damascus and Riyadh had agreed to resume consular services and air flights between the two countries after the minister visited Riyadh for the first time since 2011, a prelude to restoring full diplomatic representation on Tuesday.
Mumbai, May 10 : Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has cryptically talked about the ban on the recently released film 'The Kerala Story' in a thread about the "propaganda" film.

Cryptically reacting to the ban of 'The Kerala Story' in West Bengal, Kashyap tweeted on Wednesday: "You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong." He also shared a quote by French philosopher Voltaire, which read: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." 'The Kerala Story' is currently in controversy after the film's trailer claimed that 32,000 girls from Kerala went missing and joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Later, the film's makers had changed it to three women.

Anurag tweeted it is "just wrong" to ban a film, even if it is "propaganda" and asked people to watch 'Afwaah', which "talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest".

He tweeted, "You want to fight propaganda. Then go in numbers and see the film that talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest. It's running in cinemas and is called 'Afwaah'. Go make your voice stronger. Go make a point. That's the right way to fight." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently directed the state chief secretary to ensure the film is removed from all screens in the state.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The Czech MERO CR, which is the operator of Czech oil pipelines, has reached an agreement with the shareholders of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) to increase its capacity, which will allow the country to effectively diversify the sources of oil production, Trend reports with reference to TASS.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters after talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni that the project should be implemented in 2024.

"MERO has reached an agreement with the shareholders of the TAL to increase its capacity. The corresponding agreement between [both sides] will be signed in May," Fiala said.

The PM said earlier that the Czech Republic will overcome its dependence on oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, one of the biggest crude oil pipeline networks in the world, by 2025.

Increasing the capacity of this pipeline will allow the country to receive 7-8 million tons of oil annually.

Over the next year and a half, work will be carried out to expand the capacity of the TAL oil pipeline. The estimated costs will amount to about 65 million euros.
Hyderabad, May 10 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha on Wednesday appealed to Karnataka voters to reject hatred and vote for development.

She took to Twitter to make an appeal as voting was underway in Karnataka Assembly elections.

"Dear Karnataka, Reject Hatred! Vote for development, prosperity & well-being of society and the people," tweeted Kavitha, daughter of BRS president and Telangana Chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, Kavitha resumed her normal activity on Wednesday after recovering from an avulsion fracture she suffered last month.

"Today after recovering from the injury I visited Kondagattu and offered my humble prayers. May Anjanna bless us all with good health and prosperity," tweeted Kavitha, a member of Telangana Legislative Council.

She had suffered an avulsion fracture a month ago after she slipped and fell in her home. Doctors had advised her rest for three weeks.

An avulsion fracture occurs when the ligament near the bones fractures, causing a tiny part of the bone to be detached. Avulsion fractures are particularly common in athletes that quickly alter direction, leap, and jump.
Chennai, May 10 : AIADMK deposed leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam (OPS) on Wednesday requested Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to take stringent action against filmmaker Pa Ranjith's assistant director, Vidhuthalai Sigappi aka Vigneswaran for allegedly insulting Hindu gods.

The former Chief Minister in a three page statement on Twitter posted, "Ever since the DMK government came to power, the denigration of religion and religious gods has been going on in complete violation of the Indian constitution. All people living in India are given the right to freedom of religion. There is no restriction for people to worship. But defamation of any religion is not acceptable under the Constitution. No one has the right to insult a particular religion. If one speaks disparagingly or insulting a particular religion stating it is an opinion, the government has the duty and responsibility to take legal action against him." He further said, "Last year in Chidambaram and Cuddalore, a video was circulated on YouTube with derogatory remarks against the world famous Thillai Nataraja. More than 2000 Sivanadiyar, a group of Shaivate monks, protested against it. Condemning this, on behalf of AIADMK, I issued a statement and urged the Honourable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take action against those who published such videos to create religious conflicts." OPS said, "Vigneswaran alias Viduthalai Sigappi spoke in a programme insulting the epic Ramayana and Hindu gods like Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman whom people worship. This is going viral on social media and this is highly condemnable. This is completely against the principle of Arignar Anna. A complaint has been lodged with the city police. AIADMK strongly opposes any such insulting speech to the people of any religion. Such activities tend to undermine law and order, religious harmony and create religious conflicts." OPS requested Chief Minister Stalin to immediately intervene in the matter and take strict legal action against those who "insulted" Hindu gods and ensure that such incidents do not happen in future.

On Tuesday, Vigneswaran was booked by the Chennai police on a complaint alleging that the Assistant Director had insulted Hindu gods and goddesses while reciting a poem at the Vaanam arts festival, organised by Director Ranjith's Neelam Cultural centre.

However, reacting to the charge, Ranjith said: "Sigappi's speech was about deaths caused by mannual scavenging. When he said whether the deaths would be noticed if Gods were to undergo similar ordeal, it was said to stress on the point that system turns blind eye to the deaths of underprivileged. The police have succumbed to pressure from fascist groups."
Itanagar, May 10 : Biri Santi, a model-turned politician and Mrs International Sri Lanka Title Winner (2017), was appointed as the General Secretary of the National Panchayat Association by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday.

Biri Santi, who is currently a Zila Parishad Chairperson of Kamle district of Arunachal Pradesh, would now devote herself to 24 states in India to further strengthen the Panchayati Raj system and further take the development mission at the grassroots level.

National Panchayat Association is a premier organisation that works in 24 states of India for devolution of power and to achieve self governance to the village level.

For the sustainable development and all around growth in the rural areas, district panchayat bodies play a very crucial role.

Thirty-six-year-old, Biri Santi, who is also the President of All Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Parishad, said that she would encourage more women to participate in the Panchayati Raj system to develop the villages across the country.

Mother of a nine-year-old son, Biri Santi, who was elected Zila Parishad Chairperson of Kamle district in 2020, participated in Mrs Universe Philippines and West Central Asia Title Winner in 2018.

"I want to serve the people with utmost devotion and dedication with all sincerity. Even though I was a model, I have always done so to bring name and fame for my family, community, area, district, state and country across the world," she told IANS.

"Many of the areas of our state including my Kamle district are backward and underdeveloped in all respects.

The backward areas need special attention from the leaders and the government. A lot of work needs to be done for the development of large parts of Arunachal Pradesh areas and welfare of the people. All these issues stirred me to join politics," Biri Santi said, thanking the BJP for giving her a chance to work for the people.

"Women are very hard working, sincere and devoted to their responsibility. I would persuade and support the women, especially the backward and tribal women so that they come forward in large numbers for the all round development of the villages and the society." "The people of my area have been expecting many things from me and I also try to fulfil their aspirations," she said, adding that "I would make the maximum effort for the development of the area and welfare of the people." Her appointment to the national level post added another feather in her remarkable career.

Her tenure as the president of All Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Parishad has seen many positive developments in matters related to alleviation of poverty, education, livelihood generation, gender parity and environmental issues.

Biri Santi has worked for facilitating acquisition of land and encouraging the people to cooperate with the government owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), which has been commissioning several hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Biri Santi, who has been culturally active since her college days, was inducted as Art and Culture Secretary of the Women Wing under All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, May 10 : More than 500 million cyberattacks were blocked in India out of 1 billion global attacks, representing a sharp increase of over 29 per cent in the number of cyberattacks in Q1, 2023, compared to Q4, 2022, (829 million attacks), globally, a new report showed on Wednesday.

According to the application security SaaS firm Indusface, on average the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance) sector faced 38 per cent more attacks per application compared to the industry average, with over 9,73,000 attacks per website.

"It is interesting to see how industries such as BFSI and Healthcare are more targeted by vulnerability and bot attacks. Clearly, attackers are more interested in Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from these sectors. That said, other industries including SaaS and manufacturing are more targeted by DDoS attacks," said Ashish Tandon, CEO of Indusface.

Moreover, the report said the cyberattacks were particularly alarming for the Indian insurance sector, where it found that 11 per cent of all requests on insurance websites were attacked and this number is just 4 per cent as an industry average.

In Q1 2023, about 1,287 applications were attacked by bots versus 743 applications in Q4 2022, an increase of 73 per cent.

When compared to the industry average, BFS and insurance companies received 75 per cent and 33 per cent more bot attacks, respectively.
Gurugram, May 10 : In a breakthrough against cybercrime in Nuh district, the Haryana Police have unearthed a pan-India criminal network linked to about 28,000 cases of cyber fraud across the country, police said.

The total amount of money allegedly defrauded by these cyber fraudsters is around Rs 100 crore.

According to the police, these criminals used to cheat people across the country with fake SIM, Aadhaar cards etc. and used to deposit money in fake bank accounts to avoid arrest.

They duped people from all across the country but mainly those from Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Superintendent of Police, Nuh, Varun Singla, while addressing a press conference on Wednesday informed that on the intervening night of April 27 and 28, 102 teams of 5,000 policemen had raided 14 villages of the district simultaneously.

During this raid, around 125 suspected hackers were detained. Of these, 65 accused were identified and arrested.

All of the accused were produced in the concerned courts and taken on remand for seven to 11 days.

Following the arrest, to unearth the whole nexus, Haryana Director General of Police, P.K. Agrawal, deployed a team of 40 cyber experts from across the state in connection with the questioning of these cybercriminals.

Sustained interrogation of the cybercriminals apprehended was thus carried out with the help of the cyber experts and intricate details regarding the modus operandi being adopted by the cybercriminals as well as detailed information about sources of fake SIM cards and bank accounts were obtained.

The mobile phones and SIM cards seized during the raid were also technically examined and relevant details were also sought from TSPs/ISPs, banks, NPCI, UPI Intermediaries, UIDAI, DoT, social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, OLX etc.

The assistance of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre of the Ministry of Home Affairs was also requested to provide the linkages of fake bank accounts, SIMs, mobile phones etc. used by these cybercriminals with the cybercrime complaints received across the country.

During this analysis, it has been revealed that cybercriminals have so far defrauded around 28,000 innocent people to the tune of more than Rs 100 crore from all states and union territories across the country.

Around 1,346 FIRs have been registered against these cyber fraudsters across the country. The details of these cybercriminals are being sent to concerned senior police authorities of these states to fix the culpability of these cybercriminals.

The investigation also revealed that about 219 accounts of private and public sector banks and 140 UPI accounts were being used for committing cyber fraud.

These bank accounts were mainly found to be activated online and that too by defrauding innocent people on the pretext of providing a job and then taking their credentials such as Aadhar Card, PAN Card, mobile number and getting an online KYC done.

Apart from this, 347 SIM cards activated from Haryana, West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, North-east, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka circles of telecom companies have also been unearthed which were being used by these criminals for cybercrime.

During the investigation, the source of fake SIMs and bank accounts is mainly linked to the district of Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

"Sixteen cases registered in Nuh district, 250 wanted cybercriminals working as co-accused to the cybercriminals apprehended have also been identified, of which 20 are from Rajasthan, 19 from Uttar Pradesh and 211 from Haryana. The cybercriminals, who are in the age group of 18-35 years, have revealed that they normally used to work in a group of 3-4 persons," the Nuh SP said.

"The cybercriminals have also revealed that fake bank accounts, fake SIM Cards, mobile phones, cash withdrawal/disbursal and technical services such as posting an advertisement on social media websites were provided by only a few individuals in a village after charging their commission fee ranging from 5 to 50 per cent of the fraud amount," Singla added.

The cybercriminals mainly used common service centres for cash withdrawal while some others used ATMs installed in different villages for the same.

The SP said the accused usually spent the cheated amount on their house construction, bikes, saloon and their day-to-day meet.

"With this operation, we successfully break the chain of suppliers who provide fake SIM cards, bank accounts and mobile phones to these criminals," he said.

Giving details of the modus-operandi, Singla said that these fraudsters used to commit the fraud by luring the victims with attractive offers of sale on products like bikes, cars, mobile phones etc. by posting misleading advertisements on Facebook Bazaar/OLX.

"The unsuspecting victim then calls the fraudster on the given fake mobile number and the fraudster cheats the victim on the pretext of courier charges, transportation of product etc. but the product never gets delivered." These fraudsters also used to post an advertisement on social media platforms offering work from home mainly related to packaging of Natraj pencils, promising an earning of Rs 30,000 per month and cheating innocent people on the pretext of registration fees, packing materials, courier fees etc," the Nuh SP said.

Similarly, cyber fraudsters used to check random number series in UPI apps to get the names of victims registered against those numbers on those apps.

The fraudster then impersonates some friend/relative of those unsuspecting victims and requests them to receive payment on their behalf on one or the other pretext. They then used to commit fraud by sending fake payment messages and getting the real money transferred to their accounts before the victim found something amiss.

Similarly, on the pretext of buying old coins, innocent people were duped with huge sums of money.

The cybercriminals were also duping victims through sextortion crime by creating attractive profiles on social media platforms and luring the victims to come on a video chat where they carry out screen recordings of the victims in compromising positions and then extort huge sums of money from them.

"Sensing the seriousness of cybercrime, 102 police teams were constituted by the Director General of Police, Haryana, which conducted coordinated and simultaneous raids at 320 targeted locations with a 5000-strong force. During the raids, 166 fake Aadhar cards, 5 PAN cards, 128 ATM cards, 66 mobile phones, 99 SIMs, 5 POS machines, 3 laptops etc. were recovered." The police are working on the multiple leads provided by the cybercriminals arrested in this operation and further raids are being carried out to nab the criminals spread over multiple states, who have since absconded from their villages," Singla added.
Bengaluru, May 10 : Voting in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday gained momentum in the post-lunch period, being recorded at 52.18 per cent voter turnout till 3 p.m.

The voting, which began at 7 a.m., will continue till 6 p.m.

Voter turnout increased after the lunch hours, crossing 60 per cent in several high-voltage constituencies across the state. Going by the trend, the experts opine that the overall turnout will cross 70 per cent, indicating a close fight between political parties.

Turnout in the high-voltage Varuna seat, where veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah faces minister V. Somanna, reached 61.88 per cent by 3 pm.

The trend of huge voter turnout in coastal and hilly regions continued. The turnout of voters reached 58.92 per cent in Virajpet seat while Madikeri seat registered 57.58 per cent polling.

Dakshina Kannada district, which witnessed revenge killings and communal incidents, also saw a large number of voters turning out to booths. Sullia recorded 59.95 per cent polling, Puttur 61.47 per cent, Bantwal 61.63 per cent, and Mangalore 57.32 per cent.

Mangalore City South recorded 49.29 per cent turnout, Mangalore City North 55.15 per cent, Moodabidri 57.12 per cent, and Belthangady 59.26 per cent.

In Udupi district, assembly segments Karkal saw 62.07 per cent polling, Kapu 62.08 per cent, Udupi 58.71 per cent, Kundapura 61.5 per cent and Byndoor 57.81 per cent.

Channapatna seat, where Janata Dal-Secular leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and BJP's former minister C.P. Yogeshwar have locked horns, saw 60.55 per cent voting. Kanakapura from where Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar is contesting recorded 64.5 per cent polling.

Chamarajpet seat in Bengaluru, which has a large number of Muslim voters, has recorded mere 39.77 per cent. Shikaripura seat from where B.Y. Vijayendra, former CM B.S. Yediyurappa's son is contesting, saw 61.08 per cent turnout.

Hubli-Dharwad Central, from where former CM Jagadish Shettar is contesting on Congress ticket, has seen only 49.32 per cent of voter turnout. Athani seat from where former Deputy CM Laxman Savadi is contesting has seen 59.35 per cent polling.
Islamabad, May 10 : As political tensions continue to escalate following the dramatic arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial authorities have also called in army troops to control the situation on the ground following the suit of the Punjab province government, local media reported.

The Ministry of Interior has approved the Punjab province government's request for assistance by sanctioning ten companies of troops, saying: "The army would be working alongside district administration to restore law, order and peace".

In a separate statement, Punjab provincial police said action had been taken against those attacking government property, police force and law enforcement agencies in the province, Geo News reported.

"Miscreants involved in violent acts, vandalism, damage to public and private property throughout the province have been arrested," the notification said, adding that they had "seriously injured" more than 130 police officers and law enforcement personnel during the violent operations.

The spokesperson then shared: "Police teams have arrested 945 law breakers and miscreants from across the province." The Punjab police spokesperson said: "More than 25 vehicles of the police and government agencies were destroyed and burnt." Protesters had attacked more than 14 government buildings, looted and caused serious damage to government property, he shared, Geo News reported.

Furthermore, Punjab province Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar shared that strict legal action is being taken against those who challenge the writ of the state and the law.

He reaffirmed that those who injure citizens, police officers and personnel and damage property "will be brought to justice".

Following the violent protests, at least 30 people were arrested in Peshawar, police confirmed, adding that cases had been registered against the alleged miscreants, Geo News reported.

According to the police, the cases are registered on charges of damaging public and private property, vehicles, metro buses and government ambulances.

Provisions of arson, stone pelting, vandalism and attacks on the police have also been registered.

Identification of rioters and arsonists from CCTV footage and other sources is underway, the police said.

Reacting to the news, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi slammed the federal government and questioned: How did the army become available for deployment in Punjab, when earlier it was said it was "too busy" (to perform election duty)? "We have serious concerns about threats to the life of chairman Imran Khan. Our leader is in the custody of those who threatened him. Secondly, till yesterday, the army was very busy and was not available for the elections, but what has happened that the army has been deployed in Punjab and KP today? The nation is not stupid," Qureshi tweeted, Geo News reported.
Chennai, May 10 : Getting bankruptcy protection, can the Wadia group's low cost carrier Go Airlines (India) Ltd send its fleet back into the air in two weeks -- as it said earlier -- is the question that needs to be answered.

On Wednesday, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the voluntary insolvency petition filed by Go Airlines and appointed Abhilash Lal as the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP).

The airline had suggested Lal's name in its insolvency petition.

The Principal Bench of NCLT, New Delhi also declared a moratorium for the company and directed the suspended Board of Directors to cooperate with the IRP.

The NCLT has also ordered the suspended management to deposit Rs 5 crore for the IRP to meet the immediate expenses to be adjusted by the Committee of Creditors (COC) to be formed soon.

It had also ordered the company from retrenching any of its employees.

Blaming global aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney of not providing spare engines for defective ones resulting in the grounding of nearly half of its fleet, Go Airlines had approached the NCLT with a petition for resolution on May 2.

Reacting to that charge, Pratt & Whitney's spokesperson in a statement said: "Go First's (Go Airlines brand) allegations that Pratt & Whitney is responsible for its financial condition are without merit. Pratt & Whitney will vigorously defend itself against Go's claims, and is pursuing its own legal recourse." The airline had approached the NCLT to retain its aircraft from being repossessed by the lessors. With the bankruptcy cover, the lessors have to petition the NCLT.

It was also reported rival airlines have started talking with the airport authorities to take over the slots occupied by Go Airlines.

As for funds to restart operations, Go Airlines CEO Kaushik Khona had earlier told IANS that the company is yet to draw the balance of Rs 208 crore of the Rs 1,500 crore sanctioned under the Emergency Line Credit Guarantee Scheme (ELCGS).

According to him, the airline needs about Rs 17-18 crore per day for its operations as the trade partners may provide the needed items -- fuel and others -- on cash and carry basis.

Khona had also said that the airline will be able to fly again soon with its planes to be up in the air in 7/8 days once the petition is admitted.

On Wednesday, the airline had announced an extension of flight cancellations till May 19.

As to the availability of pilots to fly the aircraft as many have started attending interviews held by rivals, Khona had said: "I have the pilots to fly all the 54 aircraft. We have a huge fleet of pilots." Khona said the majority of the pilots have not left the company even during the Covid-19 period and added that it takes about six months for a pilot to fly an aircraft after joining a rival.

He did agree that the salaries for the ground staff have been paid while the April salary for the professional and others is pending.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Bengaluru, May 10 : Former Prime Minister and veteran Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda on Wednesday arrived in a helicopter in Paduvalahippe village near Holenarasipur town in Hassan district of Karnataka to cast his vote.

The helicopter landed on the premises of a government college in Holenarasipur and reached the polling booth by car along with his wife, Channamma.

Deve Gowda, 89, took the help of two assistants to enter the polling booth and exercised his franchise.

During the poll campaign, Deve Gowda travelled across the state and appealed to the voters, especially the Vokkaliga community, to elect his son -- H.D. Kumaraswamy, to the position of CM by bringing JD-S to power.

He took part in public rallies in a wheelchair and addressed the crowd.

H.D. Kumaraswamy, the former Karnataka Chief Minister, arrived with his family members -- son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is contesting from Ramnagar seat as a JD-S candidate, his wife -- Anitha Kumaraswamy, the sitting MLA from Ramnagar, and daughter-in-law Revathi to cast vote.

They cast their votes in the polling booth of Ketiganahalli village near Bidadi town close to Bengaluru.

The result of the Karnataka Assembly election will be announced on May 13.
Hyderabad, May 10 : Priyanka Karunakaran, a Malayali actor who made her debut in Netflix's 'Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga' with Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal, is all set to star in 'Radhan', a short film that is scheduled to release on a popular OTT platform this month.

Starring Bhupendra Jadawat and Priyanka as leads, 'Radhan' is a Kissaghar production directed by Mayank Pushpam Singh.

Priyanka even won the best actress in a lead role in the short film category at the Indo French International Film Festival for 'Radhan'. The short film also won an award at the recently held Dadasaheb Phalke Awards.

The film is about finding love in difficult circumstances. In a chawl in Mumbai, where not much is around to encourage or drive ambitions, a jobless not-so-young man is challenged to re-look at life and love by a GenZ girl, quite contrary to all his convictions. Through the characters of Ujjwal and Madhu, a cynic and a happy free-spirit, respectively, the film constructs its world for the viewer.

Priyanka said, "As an actor, you are always looking to experience something new and different. When I read 'Radhan' for the character of Madhu, I felt that I needed her. I got to explore a world so different from mine. It was physically challenging and the weather was not supportive, but the cast and crew was wonderful which made the experience great. I am so happy to receive my first ever acting award." Director Mayank Pushpam Singh said, "Priyanka is an out and out performer. She is in sync with her environment, objects and persons as well. She internalises all of this which brings her in unison with the character. Besides, it is her self-preparation that also helps her to be one with the character which I realised and respected.

"Some of her attributes, skill sets, expressions, dancing skill and ability to morph into a girl-next-door role were admirable... She could bring Madhu to life with ease. During some of our reading sessions, I was convinced that she is Madhu. Despite coming from a very different world, I must say her efforts and intent to become Madhu was commendable."
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)

Press release

Immediate need for restraint and dialogue in political crisis

Lahore, 10 May 2023. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is greatly troubled by the unfolding political crisis in the country, following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan yesterday, and its implications for the rights of ordinary citizens.

We deplore the use of disproportionate force in arresting Mr Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. It was clearly unwarranted and has only aggravated the political climate.

HRCP strongly condemns the violence perpetrated both by security and law enforcement personnelin which at least one person was reportedly killedas well as by enraged protestors. At this time, the need for restraint and political dialogue has never been greater. Respect for the rule of law must apply equally to all citizens and in all situationsit cannot be applied selectively.

HRCP was also alarmed to see that the states knee-jerk reaction to the crisis was to restrict Internet connectivity. As before, such steps achieve little apart from allowing dangerous rumours to circulate and compromising peoples access to information and their safety in public spaces.

Once again, HRCP urges all political stakeholders to use peaceful, democratic means such as the forum of the Parliament to settle their differences rather than resorting to violence, intimidation and thuggery.

Hina Jilani

Chairperson

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
New Delhi, May 10 : A 27-week old prematurely born baby girl weighing 620 gram, got a new lease of life by doctors at a private hospital in Haryana's Panchkula.

Sneha (name changed) was born preterm (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy) on February 17 and required respiratory and cardiac support at birth due to extremely immature lungs, heart and gut.

The chances of occurrence of such babies are less than 10 in 1,000 babies with survival rates of 1 in 100 babies, said doctors at Cloudnine Hospital in Panchkula who saved her.

Her mother had a didelphys uterus or double uterus which is a rare condition where a woman develops two uteruses.

A double uterus is a congenital abnormality that you are born with, and each uterus has its own fallopian tube and ovary.

The baby was born prematurely due to rupture of membranes with severe intrauterine growth retardation and her weight at birth was a minimal 620 gram.

She was put on mechanical ventilation within a minute of birth and poor cardiac contractility caused shock in the baby.

The baby was given ventilator support and was provided womb-like care in the incubator till six weeks of age.

The baby girl also had sepsis (infection), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and responded well to treatment.

She was initially given expressed breast milk through tube feeds and once the baby was off oxygen by a month after birth, the baby started accepting feeds orally.

Later, she was weaned off to CPAP (mechanism to support spontaneous breathing) for a few weeks.

"This case was extremely complex. It was traumatic for the parents as this was the first child born after five years. The weight of a baby at birth is a strong indicator of growth of the baby and in this case the baby picked up well," said Saurabh Goel, Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician, Cloudnine Hospital, Panchkula, in a statement.

"South Asia has the highest incidence of low birthweight, with one in four newborns weighing less than 2,500 gram. Low-birth weight is due to a variety of reasons, from the mother herself being undernourished to her being ill during her pregnancy and in certain cases it can be genetic," he added.

The baby responded positively to the treatment and got discharged from the hospital weighing 1.6 kg.

At present, the baby is above 1,800 gm and accepting feeds from mother and growing well, said doctors in the statement.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted time to the Central government to file its response on a petition seeking a ban on political parties with names having caste, religious, ethnic or linguistic connotations and flags resembling the Tricolour.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma was dealing with petitioner lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's Public Interest Litigation (PIL) arguing that such political parties' names might prejudicially affect the poll prospects of a candidate amounting to a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951. Such a step will help ensure free and fair elections, the petition said.

"Review the political parties, registered with caste, religious, ethnic or linguistic connotations and ensure that they are not using a flag, similar to the national flag, and de-register them if they fail to change it within three months," the petition read.

The court was apprised that in spite of the issuance of a notice on the PIL in 2019, the Centre has not filed a reply.

The bench also comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad observed that the Centre was an "equally important party" to the PIL.

As the counsel for the Central government prayed for grant of four weeks' time to seek instructions, the court allowed it and also asked the counsel for the Election Commission to seek further instructions in the matter. The ECI has already filed a response to the petition.

The court listed the matter for next hearing on August 9.

Referring to political parties such as the Hindu Sena, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Indian Union Muslim League, the petition said this violates the RPA and the Model Code of Conduct.

It said: "In addition, there are many political parties including the Indian National Congress, which use a flag similar to the national flag, which is also against the spirit of the RPA." According to the ECI's 2019 reply, in 2005 it took a policy decision not to register any political party having a name with religious connotations and has since registered no such party.

It added that any such party registered before 2005 will not lose its registration for having a name with a religious connotation.

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Islamabad, May 10 : The Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) petition challenging the Islamabad High Court's decision to term party chief Imran Khan's arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as "legal", media reports said.

Following Khan's arrest on Tuesday from inside the high court premises, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi summoned an emergency meeting of a seven-member committee to review the situation and devise a comprehensive strategy to secure the safe and early release of the PTI chief, Geo News reported.

The senior PTI leader had announced the party's plan to move the apex court.

PTI's legal team headed by the party's senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhry submitted the petition.

However, after the party submitted the petition, the registrar's office returned the petition minutes after it was submitted.

The registrar's office stated that the PTI chief did not approach the relevant forum, adding that he could file an intra-court appeal.

It further stated that the petition did not have the signatures of the PTI chief, Geo News reported.

Speaking to the media outside the apex court, Fawad said: "As soon as Imran Khan was arrested, a legal and constitutional crisis was created in the country." He added that an economic crisis would also arise in the country. The PTI leader then said that arson and violence were not the way of PTI and that they could not "afford" to set buildings on fire.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested an inter-state robber involved in several burglaries in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused identified as Asib (21), a resident of district Guna in Madhya Pradesh, was arrested from Naraina. The accused, along with his gang, was planning to carry out robbery in Greater Kailash area.

The official said that a reward of Rs 25,000 was also declared on information leading to his arrest.

Police said that in February last year, one Pawan Kumar made a complaint regarding burglary at his jewellery showroom at Budh Bazar, near Sainik Farm in South Delhi.

It was reported that some unknown persons had stolen gold, diamond, silver jewellery and other valuable articles from his shop and during investigation it was revealed that Asib along with his associates was involved and wanted in this case, however, some of his gang members were arrested, but he was on the run since then.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Ingit Pratap Singh, said that in the past few months, information was being received that some of the members of an inter-state gang of criminals belonging to Madhya Pradesh are planning to commit some heinous crime in Delhi.

In February this year, two members of this gang identified as Giriraj and Tomy were arrested but other members of the gang were absconding.

"On Monday, specific inputs were received that a key member of the gang, Asib, would be meeting his gang members in Naraina in order to execute some crime in the vicinity of Greater Kailash," said Singh.

Acting on the inputs, the police team laid a trap and Asib was nabbed.

During interrogation, Asib revealed that in order to earn easy money, he along with Tomy, Giriraj, Vikram, Shahrukh, Pappu, Ajay and others started committing robberies at shops, showrooms or at secluded houses.

"Usually, they would carry out recce while selling toys and would finalise their targets during day time. They would target those houses, shops or showrooms which are isolated or are inhabited by women," said Singh.
Kolkata, May 10 : The transactions of as many as 200 bank accounts belonging to Birbhum-based rice-mill, its owner Robin Tibrewal, and some of its employees are currently under the scanner of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal.

Sources said that after initial investigations, the central agency sleuths have traced some transactions from these accounts with the companies owned by Enamul Haque, the kingpin of the alleged cattle scam in the state.

So far the CBI sleuths, sources said, have traced such transactions worth over Rs 50 crore from these bank accounts. All these transactions had taken place during the six-year period between 2016 and 2022 and the central agency sleuths say that more such transactions involving bigger amounts might be revealed in due course of examinations of these bank accounts.

The CBI sleuths have tracked some fictitious inward remittances to the accounts of Tibrewal from Haque Industries Limited, substantial portions of which were debited and withdrawn from these accounts just after they were deposited. The nature of such transactions has prompted the CBI to believe that proceeds of the alleged cattle smuggling have been diverted through such transactions involving the bank accounts of Tibrewal and Haque.

Already the CBI has questioned Tibrewal twice in this connection at the agency's Nizam Palace office in South Kolkata. Last time, he was questioned on May 1.

Currently, Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal, his daughter Sukanya Mondal, bodyguard Sehgal Hossain and chartered accountant Manish Kothari are in judicial custody at Tihar jail in New Delhi for their alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling scam.

While the Enforcement Department (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe into the alleged scam, is trying to extract information from Anubrata Mondal and his daughter in Delhi, the CBI has expedited its actions here by questioning other suspects in the matter.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi Police by employing an unconventional strategy apprehended a notorious arms supplier operating in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and recovered seven weapons. The police capitalized on the arrest of a robber caught red-handed with a weapon, utilizing his confiscated phone as a vital tool to trace the origins of the illegal firearm.

In a clever move, the police contacted the source identified as Rahul Chaudhary (23), a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, through the robber's phone and placed an order for illegal weapons, even transferring an amount as part of the transaction.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan said that the matter came to light after an armed robbery was reported in Najafgarh and the police managed to arrest the robber identified as Ramgopal (32), alias Bhura, a resident of Jafarpur in Delhi on Sunday.

During frisking, one country-made pistol along with two bullets were recovered from his possession.

"Further, three days police custody was taken for the source of weapons as he disclosed that he procured the recovered weapons from one Rahul," said Vardhan.

As per a trap, a deal was concluded with Rahul by using Ramgopal's mobile phone for providing more weapons, even some money was transferred in his account.

"After finalizing the deal, a trap was laid near highway, Tappal, Aligarh, and when accused Rohit came to supply the illegal arms, he was apprehended by the team. Seven countrymade pistols were recovered from his possession," Vardhan added.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the court's hinting on Tuesday at a possibility of declaration being made something less than marriage but something more than the present status may not be the correct course of action.

It stressed that the legislature has the wherewithal to regulate the fallout and the court "will not be able to foresee, envisage, comprehend, and thereafter deal with the fallout of that declaration".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted before a five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, that during Tuesday's dialogue, "it fell from your lordships that there is a possibility of declaration being made something less than marriage but something more than the present status".

"Having examined that, my lord, that may not be the correct course of action. Your lordships' declaration would be a law within the meaning of Article 141, binding all and not all just courts, binding the whole nation," he said.

On Tuesday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, assisting the court, in a debate over the issue of same-sex marriage countered the petitioners' side argument that since Parliament would do nothing about their right to marry, the apex court must issue a constitutional declaration to force it to enact a law giving legal sanction to their marriages.

"I say that it is a very dangerous route to take," he said.

The bench - also comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, S. Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P.S. Narasimha -- observed that it may not be correct to say the apex court cannot issue a constitutional declaration. It had said that the Parliament, in the past, did follow up on constitutional declarations by making laws.

During the hearing on Wedneday, Mehta said that "the difficulty would be this, any declaration of law would bind every individual in the country, who is not before your lordships...".

Citing a baker's case, Mehta continued that one baker refused to bake a cake in same-sex marriage and he was prosecuted etc. "Similar thing (happened) after the judgment of the American Supreme Court 5 vs 4, one pastor refused to perform the ceremony of marriage and he was sought to be prosecuted and they have to come out with a law, Pastor Protection Act".

He contended that "now examine a situation where your lordships declare the law, your lordship will not be declaring the contours of the declaration, the regulatory powers, what will be the regulation - who will be bound and who will not be bound".

"Suppose someone goes to a priest for performing a particular ritual and the priest says as per my religion, it is only husband and wife who can sit and a man and a woman can sit in performance of that ritual, I will not be a party to it. I am posing a question to myself, would he not be guilty of contempt of your lordship's declaration," said Mehta.

At this juncture, Justice Bhat said that is the priest's fundamental right to follow his conscience and faith.

As Mehta questioned where does that conscience stops, and where his duty ends or begins, Justice Bhat said: "What is the form, content and contours of the declaration is important, we are all presuming that declaration will be in the form of writ that grant this or grant that. This is what we are accustomed to. What I was hinting at as a constitutional court, we recognize only a state of affairs and draw the limit there." Mehta said: "My worry was this when a declaration is made either by legislature or court, legislature has the wherewithal to regulate the fall out. Your lordship will not be able to foresee, envisage, comprehend, and thereafter deal with the fallout of that declaration. Fallout can be manifold in various facets of life".

The bench then queried if declaration from this court will apply to everyone individual in the nation and pre-empt the legislature from considering? Mehta said, "I am slightly on a different point, it may not pre-empt the legislature, the legislature can still do something, but..." Concluding his submissions, Mehta said: "We had we had written letters to state governments, there are seven responses - Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra, Assam, Sikkim and Rajasthan... Rajasthan take the position we have examined it and we are opposed to the position which the petitioners are taking. All rest say that this needs an intense and expansive debate and we will not be able to respond immediately." The apex court will continue to hear petitions seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage on Thursday.
Chandigarh, May 10 : The Punjab New and Renewable Energy Sources Department on Wednesday launched Punjab State Energy Action Plan to ensure promotion of energy efficiency in buildings, industries, municipalities, agriculture, transport and other sectors.

The action plan is aimed at assisting government departments and agencies to adopt the most sustainable, long-term and inter-sectoral renewable and clean energy plans.

Additional Chief Secretary A. Venu Prasad, Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) Chairman H.S. Hanspal and head of Indo-German Energy Programme GIZ, Winfried Damm, also launched decision support tool and Amritsar smart city portal and renewable purchase obligations (RPO) portal for the state.

Amritsar will be developed as solar city, Prasad said while adding the energy action plan will help achieving goals towards net zero in each sector.

PEDA signed a pact with GIZ's IGEN Access to Energy programme funded by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany for seeking technical assistance with the help of experienced team of consultants and representatives of over 20 departments and organisations.

Emphasising on the need of fast-tracking implementation of the action plan and review the progress quarterly, Prasad asked all departments to come forward to equip their office buildings with solar panels to decarbonise the power sector, which will help in reducing power consumption charges to 25 to 30 per cent.

Hanspal said PEDA is the state designated agency of government for implementation of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, and the vision of the PEDA to achieve net-zero goals by 2070.

Appreciating the efforts of PEDA for taking the lead to prepare this unique document, Indo-German Energy Programme GIZ head Damm explained the importance of long-term energy planning to meet India's ambition on achieving the net-zero goal.

He emphasised on the role of all government departments and citizens of the state in realising the targets set at international stage.

He also shared examples from different European nations and their sectoral initiatives to decarbonise their economy, mostly by 2050, Germany by 2045.
New Delhi, May 10 : A team of international researchers, including from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, has found evidence of brain structures that underlie sight recovery in people born blind, and may help treat the condition.

The team included 23 congenitally blind patients (aged 7-17 years) from Uttar Pradesh with dense bilateral cataracts, who received cataract surgery at different stages of adolescence.

The findings, published in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that improvements in visual functions are linked to changes in white matter pathways, which connect neurons in different brain regions.

The team studied many pathways, but only those involved in high-order visual functions, such as face recognition, were directly linked to the visual improvement.

Moreover, researchers saw that the patient's amount of change in late visual pathways, specifically the posterior callosum forceps, predicted the amount of behavioural improvement. This is a new result that identifies the location of brain changes responsible for behavioural improvement.

They also confirmed that cataract surgery has a greater impact on visual function and brain plasticity if received at younger age, but recovery is still possible even if the eye surgery is received later in adolescence.

The results suggest that sufficient plasticity remains in adolescence beyond the critical period for visual development, allowing patients to partially overcome abnormal visual development and help localise the sites of neural change underlying recovery in blind teenagers.

There is therefore a window of time wider than previously thought, during which sight-recovery surgeries can be useful to improve visual perception by altering structural brain plasticity.

"There is a general notion known as 'critical period for sensory development' that kids who are born visually impaired (due to cataract) and continue in that same condition for a few months or years, can't get back their visual function later part of life, even if they get back their sight by miracle. But this appears not to be true in many cases," said Prof. Tapan K. Gandhi, Professor of AI, Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi.

"Current medical facilities can treat defects in lenses and corneas, and the brain can then begin to learn about the visual world," he said.

The research sheds light on the definition of the sites of neural change related to sight-recovery, which can guide the development of treatments that attempt to induce neural plasticity through behavioural and surgical interventions.

"The new insights uncovered by our team challenge accepted limitations of sight-recovery surgeries, creating an opportunity for the expanded use of these surgeries that will make many more cases of blindness treatable, worldwide," said Bas Rokers, director at Neuroimaging Centre at New York University- Abu Dhabi.

"Our work also offers evidence to support the call for the scientific community to reassess the critical period for visual development in adolescents," he added.

--IANS rvt/vd

A
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court will on Thursday pronounce its judgment on the political crisis in Maharashtra in connection with the rebellion by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs, leading to the fall of Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

On March 16, the court, after hearing submissions for nine days, reserved its judgment on a batch of cross-petitions of the groups headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in connection with the issue.

An announcement regarding the judgment was made by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Wednesday during the hearing on pleas related to legal sanction to same sex marriage.

On March 16, a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Chandrachud and comprising Justices M.R. Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha, before reserving the verdict, shot a volley of questions at senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Thackeray group.

The Chief Justice asked Singhvi: "So, really the question is whether there was a valid exercise of power by the Governor to call for a trust vote? And what happens, if we come to a conclusion that there was no valid exercise of power by the Governor to call for a trust vote?" As Singhvi said everything falls, the bench said that everything falls on would be simple. Singhvi stressed that is the core question and urged the court to allow him to present his case.

The Chief Justice further queried: "Then, according to you, what, we reinstate the Uddhav Thackeray government? But you resigned." Singhvi said Thackeray's resignation and not facing the trust vote is irrelevant.

The Chief Justice observed: "That is, the court being told to reinstate a government (which has resigned)." Singhvi said that it is a plausible way of looking at it but it is irrelevant, and asked the bench to give him an opportunity to explain his contention.

At this juncture, Justice Shah said: "How can the court reinstate a Chief Minister who did not even face floor test?" Singhvi said the court is not reinstating anyone but it is restoring the status quo ante.

The Chief Justice further queried Singhvi, "But, it would have been a logical thing to do provided you had lost the trust vote on the floor of the Assembly. Clearly, then you would have been ousted from power due to a trust vote, which is set aside... look at the intellectual conundrum that it is not that you have been ousted from power as a result of a trust vote which was wrongly summoned by the Governor. You chose not to, whatever reason you did not face the trust vote." The Thackeray group was represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Singhvi, Devadatt Kamat, and advocate Amit Anand Tiwari.

Shinde group was represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Harish Salve, Mahesh Jethmalani and advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh for the Shinde-led group. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the office of the Governor in the matter. The hearing in the matter commenced on February 21.

On June 29, 2022, the apex court refused to stay the Governor's direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Thackeray to take floor test, who resigned sensing defeat. It paved the way for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance led by Shinde to come to power in Maharashtra.
Bengaluru, May 10 : The voting in Karnataka for the 224 Assembly seats on Wednesday which began at 7 a.m. ended at 6 p.m. with the state recording a voter turnout of 65.69 per cent till 5 p.m., an official said.

Barring some incidents, the polling was overall peaceful. Those standing in queues at the polling booths till 6 p.m. were allowed to cast votes.

The final polling percentage will be known later on Wednesday evening as the Election Commission is expected to receive reports from all constituencies.

Karnataka had crossed 50 per cent turnout in the post-lunch period. By 3 p.m., 52.18 per cent of voters turned out to exercise their voting rights.

The polling, which began on a dull note, picked up pace as the day progressed and the turnout crossed 75 per cent in high voltage constituencies across the state.

Going by the trend, analysts opine that the final turnout will cross 75 per cent. This would also indicate a close fight between political parties.

The voter turnout in the high voltage Varuna seat reached 77.11 per cent by 5 p.m.

It is one among the keenly observed seats as Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and Minister for Housing V. Somanna are contesting from there.

The trend of huge voter turnout in coastal and hilly regions continued.

The turnout of voters reached 70.09 per cent in the Virajpet seat. Madikeri seat registered 70.81 per cent polling.

Dakshina Kannada district, which witnessed revenge killings and communal incidents, also saw a large number of voters turning out to booths.

Sullia recorded 70.01 per cent polling, Puttur 74.96 per cent, Bantwal 74.71 per cent and Mangalore 70.2 per cent polling.

Mangalore City South recorded 59.33 per cent turnout, Mangalore City North 67.2 per cent, Moodabidri 70.47 per cent, and Belthangady 73.64 per cent turnout.

Udupi district's assembly segments Karkal saw 75.53 per cent polling, Kapu 75.18 per cent, Udupi 71.98 per cent, Kundapura 75.08 per cent and Byndoor 71.83 per cent polling.

The Channapatna seat, where former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy and former BJP minister C.P. Yogeshwar are contesting, recorded 71.21 per cent.

Kanakapura constituency, from where Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar is contesting, saw 80.5 per cent turnout.

Chamarajpet seat in Bengaluru, which has a large number of Muslim voters, recorded a mere 49.42 per cent polling.

Shikaripura seat, from where B.Y. Vijayendra, former CM B.S. Yediyurappa's son is contesting, recorded a 77.52 per cent polling.

Hubli-Dharwad Central, where former CM Jagadish Shettar is contesting on a Congress ticket, has witnessed 58.67 per cent of voter turnout.

The Athani seat from where former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi is contesting has seen 71.28 per cent polling.
New Delhi: Firefighters doused the fire at Nizamuddin Slum area in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Firefighters doused the fire at Nizamuddin Slum area in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Firefighters doused the fire at Nizamuddin Slum area in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, May 10 : A fire broke out in a jhuggi behind DPS Mathura Road in Southeast Delhi on Wednesday, but no one was injured in the incident, a fire department official said.

According to Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service (DFS), a call regarding a blaze at a jhuggi behind DPS Mathura Road was received at 5.03 p.m. following which six fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

"The fire is under control and so far no injuries have been reported. However, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained," Garg added.
New York, May 10 : An Indian-American mother was left heartbroken after she found the body of her missing 16 year-old daughter at the bottom of a cliff in Texas after using a cell phone tracking app, media reports said.

When Siri Reddy did not show up at the pick up time, her mother headed to the Keystone School in San Antonio on May 4 afternoon but the high school junior was nowhere to be found, The New York Post reported.

The mother used an app to track her daughter's phone, which led her to a wooded area near Heroes Stadium on Thousand Oaks, some 12 miles away from Reddy's school.

She also reported the matter to the police, and as the officers responded, the mother spotted the daughter at the bottom of a cliff.

Emergency responders tried life-saving measures on Reddy, but she could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene.

"At this time it is unknown why (Reddy) was at the location," the San Antonio police said, adding that they believed she succumbed to her injuries after falling off the cliff.

Police said the incident is still under investigation.

The Keystone School released a statement describing Reddy as an 'award-winning' student.

"She was a member of the National Honor Society, an award-winning member of the school's Science Fair team, a member of the Upper School robotics team, and contributed to The Keynote [student newspaper]," the high school stated.
Imphal, May 10 : The situation in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur improved further on Wednesday with the authorities relaxing curfew in 11 districts, including Imphal West and Churachandpur, for six hours in the morning even as the Army and central paramilitary forces continued their vigil in the sensitive areas.

Mobile internet service will continue to remain suspended in the state till May 13.

Defence sources said that armed miscreants on Wednesday fired upon the Army and Assam Rifles at Dolaithabi in Imphal East district when the security personnel were on an area domination patrolling.

"After firing a few rounds, the miscreants ran away. An Assam Rifles jawan who sustained gunshot injury in the firing has been safely evacuated to the military hospital by an Army helicopter," the sources said.

In all, 128 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles continued flag marches in the tension-ridden and violence-hit areas in different districts. The forces also undertook round-the-clock aerial surveillance using drones and Army choppers.

A defence release said on Wednesday that the Indian Army's three-pronged domination strategy in Manipur is helping the state return to normalcy.

"The Army and Assam Rifles have significantly re-engineered the security architecture, while numerous resources have also been infused to improve the situation. People are now returning to their homes," the release said.

It added that the Army is leaving no stone unturned in monitoring the troubled areas, not only in the hinterland, but also along the India-Myanmar border.

Round-the-clock surveillance using drones, employment of MI17 and Cheetah helicopters of the Air Force and the Army, and numerous foot patrols and flag marches are being carried out to restore confidence of the locals on the ground.

As Manipur limps back to nromalcy, inimical elements may once again attempt to spread malicious unverified content, the defence release said.

Stating that the Army and Assam Rifles are committed to restoring complete normalcy at the earliest, it requested the people of the state to disregard any malicious attempt to disturb harmony in the region through manipulated interpretation and misrepresentation of facts.

Violent clashes, firing and arson broke out across Manipur during a 'Tribal Solidarity March' on May 3 called by the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

The ATSUM had called the rally in 10 hill districts, inhabited by the tribals, to oppose the recent Manipur High Court order, which asked the state government to send a recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry regarding the demand to include the majority and predominantly Hindu Meitei community in the ST list.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had said on Monday that at least 60 people, including women, have been killed and 231 others have been injured while 1,700 houses have been burnt in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Congress on Wednesday slammed the government over the alleged links of DRDO director P. M. Kurulkar with the RSS, arrested in an espionage case, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how it happened under his nose.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera released a video of Kurulkar speaking at a RSS event and also his interview where he accepted his ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also attended a programme with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Khera said, "Kurulkar, a director of DRDO, who was arrested on espionage charge by the Maharashtra ATS has association with the RSS for four generations. Maharashtra ATS arrested P.M. Kurulkar for providing secret information to Pakistan through a woman. It is being said that he was honey trapped." Highlighting his association with the RSS, the Congress leader said, "He (Kurulkar) used to play saxophone in RSS shakha for 14 years. Even his father was associated with the RSS." Khera also reminded the BJP of Dhruv Saxena and RSS pracharak Yashwant Shinde's connections with Pakistan's ISI and other organisations. Targeting the BJP, Khera said, "A man in DRDO was giving information to Pakistan. Since October 2022 he was giving information. In February his laptop was submitted with the ATS. And he was arrested about a week ago on espionage charges." Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Khera said, "DRDO works under the Prime Minister. This happened under the nose of PM Modi from a man (Kurulkar), who has been associated with the RSS.

Taking a pot shot at the RSS for denying that Kurulkar was associated with it, he said, "How can RSS deny the fact that Kurulkar was associated with them. He himself said that he played the saxophone for 14 years with them and also shared the stage with Mohan Bhagwat." "We want to ask from the Prime Minister, how secret information of India was being shared with Pakistan. How is this happening under him," he added.

The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad last Thursday arrested the highly decorated senior scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Kurulkar, for allegedly sharing sensitive defence related information with agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). On Tuesday, Kurulkar was produced before the additional sessions judge (Special Court) in Pune and remanded to further custody until May 15.
New Delhi, May 10 : Mauritius Financial Services Minister Mahen Kumar Seeruttun has told the countrys Parliament that the allegations of the presence of shell companies in Mauritius are false and baseless.

The Mauritius minister gave this reply in response to a question about Hindenburg Research's allegations against Adani Group.

After a Mauritius MP asked the minister about Hindenburg's allegation of use of Mauritius-based entities for money laundering and share price manipulation for the Adani Group, the minister said shell companies are not allowed in Mauritius.

All global business companies licensed by the Financial Services Commission have to meet substance requirements on an ongoing basis as per section 21 of the Financial Services Act and are being strictly monitored by the Commission.

With respect to the allegation of Mauritius being a tax haven, the minister informed the House that Mauritius strictly complies with the international best practices and has been rated as compliant with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standards.

Additionally, since 2018, Mauritius has reformed its global business framework and tax regime with a view to removing harmful tax practices. As per the peer review conducted by the OECD forum on harmful tax practices, the OECD is satisfied that Mauritius does not have any harmful features in its tax regimes, thus recognising Mauritius as a well regulated, transparent and compliant jurisdiction.

The minister said that the Financial Services Commission is monitoring the matter closely. The commission is pursuing its actions within the ambit of the relevant legislations and in line with its current supervisory process. It has been carrying out reviews of all the companies cited in the Hindenburg report, the minister said.

And as part of the Supervisory Review, the Financial Services Commission has requested and received compliance reports pertaining to all the relevant companies, which show compliance with the prevailing legislations in Mauritius. Given the multilayering of those companies cited in the report, the Financial Services Commission continues to monitor the matter diligently.

"The Financial Services Commission is collaborating with law enforcement agencies in Mauritius and overseas regulators on this matter. To conclude, I wish to draw the attention of the honourable Member of Parliament the fact that the Hindenburg report cannot be read in isolation, particularly in the light of the rebuttal report from the Adani Group," the minister said.
Hyderabad, May 10 : A sub-inspector of police in Telangana's Jagtial town was booked on Wednesday after he allegedly attacked a Muslim woman travelling in a TSRTC bus.

The police official also used foul language against her and her faith. Anil Kumar, SI at Jagtial rural police station, accompanied by some constables, stopped the bus, and physically assaulted the burka-clad girl.

The SI was enraged as the girl had refused to vacate the seat for his wife, who was travelling in the same bus. After the SI's wife called him, he, along with police constables, stopped the bus.

The girl alleged that when she was video recording the incident on her mobile phone, the SI used foul languages and snatched her phone.

Following strong protest by the Muslim community in Jagtial demanding action against the sub-inspector, police booked a case against Anil Kumar and his wife.

On complaint by the 22-year-old Shaik Fatima, the police booked the SI, his wife and constable under Indian Penal Code's Sections 290 (public nuisance), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint).

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi spoke to Jagtial Superintendent of Police Aggadi Bhaskar regarding the incident. The SP assured that action will be taken against the SI.

Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjedullah Khan also wrote to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao demanding arrest of the SI and his dismissal from service
Colombo, May 10 : An IMF staff team comprising Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department is to visit Sri Lanka from May 11 to 23.

Visiting as part of regular consultations ahead of the first review mission later this year, the team also comprised of Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka, Asia and Pacific Department, IMF and Sarwat Jahan, IMF Resident Representative in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Sri Lanka had requested 17 countries which had formally formed an official creditor committee for debt treatment.

Co-chaired by India, Japan and France, the committee includes Paris Club creditors and other official bilateral creditors.

"This first meeting occurred after the successful launch of the debt restructuring process for Sri Lanka led by the co-chairs on April 13," the Paris Club said in a statement.

"The Sri Lankan authorities attended the meeting and formally presented their request for debt treatment. They reiterated their commitment to transparency and comparability of treatment towards their official bilateral creditors. The IMF and World Bank representatives presented the latest macroeconomic developments regarding Sri Lanka and the current status of their relationship with the country," the Paris Club stated.

"The creditor committee takes note of the open letter addressed by the President of Sri Lanka to all its official bilateral creditors on March 14, 2023 assuring transparency and comparability of treatment for all external creditors and ensuring that no side arrangements inconsistent with comparability of treatment will be made with any creditor. The committee welcomes passage of the resolution for implementation of the IMF-supported programme by the Sri Lankan Parliament on April 28," the Paris Club added.

The creditor committee for Sri Lanka had given an undertaking to pursue its work to find an appropriate solution to Sri Lanka's external debt vulnerabilities, consistent with the parameters of the IMF programme.

It stresses the importance for private creditors and other official bilateral creditors of Sri Lanka to provide a debt treatment on terms at least as favourable as the ones agreed by this creditor committee, in line with the comparability of the treatment principle.

It reiterates its invitation to other bilateral official creditors to formally join the creditor committee.

Sri Lanka's biggest bilateral lender, China and Paris Club members with no eligible claims, Saudi Arabia and Iran attended the meeting as observers, while the representatives of the IMF and the World Bank Group also attended the meeting as well.

Going through the worst ever economic crisis since Independence, the IMF has approved a $2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for the Indian ocean island nation to help come out of the crisis.
New Delhi, May 10 : After the high-voltage campaigning, the 224-member Karnataka Assembly finally went to the polls on Wednesday with political pundits predicting a close contest between the ruling BJP and the principal opposition Congress.

According to the ABP/C-Voter Exit Poll, in the Greater Bangalore region, the BJP is likely to win 17 out of the 32 seats, while the Congress is projected to win 13 seats with JD(S) coming a distant with just two seats.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 11 seats in the region, while the Congress got 17 seats and the JD(S) four.

The Congress might lose on four seats which it had won in the 2018 Assembly polls, while the BJP is expected to win six additional seats, the exit poll predicted.

The grand old party is expected to get 39.3 per cent vote share, down 0.7 per cent as compared to its 2018 share of 40 per cent. The saffron party is predicted to witness an upswing of 5.7 per cent in vote share at 44.7 per cent as compared to its share of 39 per cent in 2018.

The JD(S), which got 18 per cent votes in 2018, is likely to get 13.1 per cent votes this time, marking a drop of 4.9 per cent.
Chandigarh, May 10 : Amid clashes and arrest of a ruling AAP legislator, nearly 50 per cent of the 16.21 lakh electorate on Wednesday cast votes to decide the fate of 19 candidates in the fray for Jalandhar (reserved) parliamentary constituency, which witnessed a four-cornered fierce contest in the Dalit-dominated Doaba region, traditionally a Congress bastion.

The counting of ballots will take place on Saturday.

Voting began on a dull note, with below five per cent polling in the first hour but by 11 a.m., rose to 17 per cent. It picked up gradually as the day progressed.

Women turned out in strength in the rural areas of the constituency that spread across nine assembly constituencies.

There were minor hiccups as electronic voting machines developed snags at some places.

Ruling AAP legislator Dalbir Singh Tong was arrested for violating model code during the polling, but later released on bail.

Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C. told the media that Tong, the legislator of Baba Bakala, was arrested.

He said on receiving photographs of outsiders present near polling booths, the police have been instructed to conduct checks and make public announcements to ask non-voters to leave the constituency immediately.

He said the bypoll was overall peaceful. Till 5 p.m., one hour ahead of the voting to culminate, 50.05 per cent voting percentage was recorded.

Opposition parties alleged a gross misuse of government machinery by the government during the polling.

Hours ahead of the polling, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) urged the Election Commission to deploy paramilitary forces and demanded videography of every booth falling under the constituency.

The bypoll was necessitated with the death of Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary due to a heart attack while taking part in the Punjab leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January.

The Congress, which has remained undefeated in this seat since 1999, has fielded Chaudhary's widow Karamjit Kaur as its candidate, while the AAP has given the ticket to Congress turncoat and former legislator Sushil Rinku.

While the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (SAD-BSP) combine has fielded Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, a sitting legislator, the BJP has given the ticket to Akali turncoat and former legislator Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal.

The Jalandhar bypoll is being dubbed to be a crucial electoral battle for all political parties ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The 13-month AAP government is set for a litmus test, where a victory or defeat will stamp its administrative and leadership acumen.

In June 2022, the AAP had witnessed a major setback when SAD (Amritsar)'s Simranjit Singh Mann won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat after defeating his nearest rival, the party's Gurmail Singh, by a slender margin.

The Sangrur constituency was once a stronghold of AAP. Bhagwant Mann had represented this seat twice -- 2014 and 2019. He had vacated the seat after winning the Assembly elections in February 2022 from Dhuri and became the Chief Minister.

For the Jalandhar bypoll, the Chaudhary family was banking on votes of Dalits owing to their proximity with Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a prominent Ravidassia community that has much influence in the Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts.

Likewise, AAP's candidate Rinku belongs to the Ravidassia sect. The Jalandhar seat has 38 per cent Dalit population, comprising 21 per cent Ravidasias and the remaining Valmiki or Mazhbi Sikhs.

Playing an emotional card during campaigning, SAD President Sukhbir Badal had said strengthening the SAD-BSP alliance by electing its joint candidate Sukhi in the bypoll would be the most appropriate homage to late five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Saying that this poll will set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP leader Amarinder Singh has said the vote for the party candidate would strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He has lashed out at the AAP government, saying it has completely failed the people's expectations despite getting a landslide victory.

In appeal to the voters to give one more year so that they could trust AAP in 2024, Chief Minister Mann has tried to woo votes by saying: "You (people) kept on giving chances to the Akali Dal and the Congress for 70 years, but they did nothing for you. Just give us one more year to work. If you don't like our work, don't vote for us in 2024." AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Mann on Sunday jointly campaigned by holding four roadshows in various constituencies in a single day.

There were 16,21,759 voters, including 8,44,904 men, 7,76,855 women, 10,286 persons with disability, 1,850 service electors, 73 overseas electors and 41 transgenders in the constituency.

A total of 1,972 polling booths were set up.
Chandigarh, May 10 : The Opposition Congress in Haryana on Wednesday announced to extend the 'Hath Se Hath Jodo' campaign for three months, saying the party got tremendous support to the programme.

A decision in this regard was taken at the Congress Legislature Party meeting presided by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

State President Chaudhary Udaybhan and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda were also present at the meeting.

It was decided at the meeting that all party MLAs would go to Jantar Mantar to extend support to wrestlers on May 13.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Hooda said the Congress is constantly reaching out to the public through various programmes.

The Leader of Opposition also talked about revelations made in the CAG report regarding the Excise Department.

"The government does not have any record of production, sale and income from liquor. The CAG has revealed major irregularities in the Excise Department." He said the government, claiming transparency, is proving to be a failure on every front.

In response to a question, two-time chief minister Hooda said digitisation had started during the Congress government and its purpose was to provide convenience to the public, while the BJP made arrangements like 'Meri Fasal, Mera Byora', property and family identities to trouble the public.
New Delhi, May 10 : If the trends thrown up by the ABP/C-Voter Exit Poll for Karnataka hold, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah could be back as the CM of the southern state.

Voters in Karnataka seem to have identified him as their first choice for the top job. The exit poll data suggest that 40.1 per cent of the electorate in Karnataka want Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister.

The Congress leader is followed by current Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is the preferred choice for 34.1 per cent of the voters. JD(S) leader and another former Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy, comes a distant third with 18.1 per cent of the electorate backing him as their first choice.

Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar had openly declared his ambition of becoming the Chief Minister prior to the polls, and he is considered by political analysts to be a strong contender.

Yet, the exit poll suggests that voters in Karnataka do not share this view, with just 4.2 per cent of the electorate singling Shivakumar out as their preferred choice for the CM's post.

Siddaramaiah was a strong leader in the JD(S) and was considered a close aide of the party patriarch and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. But upset over the decision of Deve Gowda to anoint his son Kumaraswamy as his successor, Siddaramaiah quit the party and joined the Congress in 2005.

A handsome victory for the Congress in the 2013 Assembly elections saw him get elevated as the Chief Minister. In 2018, Siddaramaiah contested from two seats and lost one of them. His support base appears incredibly strong among the Dalit and Muslim communities.

While 54 per cent Dalit voters in Karnataka want him as the next CM, close to 69 per cent of the Muslim voters share the same viewpoint.

Siddaramaiah leads current Chief Minister Bommai in most regions in Karnataka, except Coastal Karnataka and Greater Bangalore where Bommai holds the edge.
Bengaluru, May 10 : Manipal Hospitals came up with a novel initiative to help 16 in-patients to cast votes in Karnataka assembly elections on Wednesday.

Manipal Hospitals approached the BBMP commissioner along with the chief electoral officer proposing a novel initiative to help the in-patients have smooth voting opportunities. The authorities welcomed and supported it.

Following a thorough health check-up and approval from their respective doctors at Manipal Hospitals, the patients were assisted to the polling booths to cast votes in the hospital-registered vehicles.

The patients included transplant survivors, patients under dialysis, an accident patient, post TURP, patients who are under chemotherapy, and patients recovering from lung cancer. The hospital provided medical support to all 16 patients to avoid any unnecessary mishaps.

Although there were many in-patients who expressed their interest in availing this service, Manipal could nominate only 16 who fitted into the medical criteria.

Among the 16, there were 2 high-end cases who were transported to the respective constituency guarded by medical staff including the nurses and a doctor.

The team from Manipal Hospitals received full support from the returning officer of the particular constituency with a letter stating approval to help in-patients cast votes in a seamless way.

These patients were taken to voting booths including Anekal, Rajaji Nagar, Shivanagara, Sun City, Haralur, Malleshpalya, Malleshwaram, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi layout, Sarjapur, Yeshwanthpur and CV Raman Nagar.

Karthik Rajagopal, Chief Operating Officer, Manipal Hospitals, said: "I would like to congratulate the medical staff and the coordinating team for successfully executing the novel idea to help 16 in-patients provide transportation to cast a vote. Manipal has always been known for the best treatment care but we did not want to limit ourselves to our services and think beyond helping our patients, adhering to all the protocols listed by the Election Commission."
New Delhi, May 10 : The Central government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that seven states have responded on the issue of same-sex marriage and Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam have opposed the petitioners' contention seeking legal sanction for such marriages.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, contended before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Sikkim, have said the issue needed a "very intense and expansive debate" and these state governments cannot submit their responses immediately.

The Centre had, in an affidavit filed in the apex court, said it had issued a letter on April 18 to all states inviting comments and views on the "seminal issue" raised in these petitions.

Mehta submitted before the bench - also comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, S.R. Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P.S.Narasimha -- that Rajasthan takes the position that "we have examined it and we are opposed to the position which the petitioners are taking".

A communication from the Deputy Secretary, Law, of Manipur to the Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, Union Ministry of Law and Justice, said "the views/ comments of the state government on this matter will require detailed assessment on the existing social customs, practices, values, rules, etc., that may be prevalent in different sections of the society. Therefore, the state government would like to seek more time for proper examination for furnishing the views/comments on the matter".

The Andhra Pradesh government said it has consulted the heads of various religions in the state on same-sex marriage. "After considering the above views, I am to inform that the state of Andhra Pradesh is against the same sex marriage and/or persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community," said the Special Chief Secretary.

The Uttar Pradesh government said: "The state government cannot formulate its comprehensive response without wide consultation with all sections of the society. Hence, it would not be possible for the state government to provide any comprehensive response in such a short period of time," and sought additional time to prepare a proper response.

Maharashtra said the state government would have to hold detailed and meaningful consultations with a wide cross section of society. "It is submitted that the issue involved in the present batch of petitions is rather sensitive and would potentially affect a cross section of the society in the state of Maharashtra cutting through various religious sections.. it is submitted that in the absence of complete material including the pleadings of various parties before the Supreme Court of India, Maharashtra would not be in a position to come up with a comprehensive response, touching on all the aspects of the matter at such short notice," said the Joint Secretary in communication to the Secretary, Ministry of Law.

Assam has told the Union Law Ministry that the subject invokes new interpretations and challenges the validity of laws concerning marriage and personal laws enforced in the state with diverse cultures, creeds, customs, and religions prevalent in the state.

"Further, it would be prudent to maintain that legislation is the prerogative of legislature, at Centre and in states, and the courts may like to view the matter in accordance with core principles of our democratic structure. The Legislature reflects the collective wisdom of the nation and its citizens, and it solely possesses the power to enact a law governing human relationships," the Assam government has said.

The state government said marriage, divorce and ancillary subjects fall under entry 5 of Concurrent list of the Constitution and hence, it is also in the domain of the state legislature in a manner that it is in the domain of Parliament.

"On the basis of the above, the state government would like to oppose the views in the matter as laid out by petitioners... before the Supreme Court and also requests for providing reasonable time and opportunity to place its views further," the Assam government said.

The Sikkim government said it is actively considering the matter and is constituting a committee to conduct an in-depth study to assess the ramifications of same-sex marriages on social customs, practices, values and norms after due consultation with all the stakeholders.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court would pronounce its verdict on Thursday in a case between the Delhi government and Centre in connection with the administrative control over transfers and postings of civil servants.

On January 18, a bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices M.R Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli, and P.S. Narasimha - reserved the judgment after hearing Solicitor General Mehta, representing the Centre, and senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, for almost four and a half days.

Mehta contended before the apex court that he had filed an application for reference of the matter to a larger bench. The Chief Justice replied, "We did not hear arguments on reference. It was never argued, now we are in rejoinder...". Mehra pressed that reference is needed, adding that "they do not want to be remembered in history for handling over capital to complete anarchy".

Singhvi opposed Mehta's submissions. Mehta argued that when he filed the application seeking reference to the larger bench, the Delhi government opposed it and the court told him that it can be argued during submissions. "Reference is essentially on the ground that contours of federalism between Union and Union Territory require relook. It is covered in my arguments," said Mehta.

Earlier, the Centre had filed an interim application seeking reference to a larger bench of nine or more judges in the Delhi-Centre dispute over control of services.

But the Chief Justice said: "We would have looked at the matter differently, reference was never argued." As Mehta requested the bench to allow him to submit the application, the bench replied: "We will consider...".

However, the Chief Justice told Mehta that the aspect of reference was not covered in his arguments. Mehta said all points were covered without using the word "reference".

Opposing Mehta's arguments, Singhvi submitted that this matter was listed for hearing at least 10 times, first it went to a three-judge bench, and reference was not mentioned. He added that when the matter was listed for hearing recently, then reference was raised.

Singhvi said it is an "ambush" argument and not a whisper was made regarding reference during long arguments. Mehta said it is not a delaying tactic but adjudication of a very important issue relating to the national capital.

The top court allowed Mehta to file submissions on reference to the larger bench in the Centre-Delhi dispute over control on 'services'.

The application filed by the Centre had said that it is seeking reference of appeal to a larger bench of this court for a "holistic interpretationa of Article 239AA of the Constitution, core to the determination of issues involved".

In July 2018, a constitution bench had held that the executive power of the Union government in respect of NCT of Delhi is confined to land, police and public order under subsection 3 of Article 239AA.

The Centre, in its application seeking reference to a larger bench, said that the issue pertains to the administration of the country's capital and, therefore, it is a question of constitutional interpretation.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday junked a plea by sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to submit additional evidence supporting his appeal in the Gujarat High Court against his conviction in a custodial death case.

It also rejected Bhatt's plea for recusal of a judge from hearing a matter.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar said it was not inclined to interfere with the high court order. "Having gone through the impugned order passed by the High Court, we see no reason to interfere with the same in exercise of powers under Article 136 of the Constitution. Any observations by this court on the deposition of the aforesaid 3 witnesses (doctors) may ultimately affect the case of either party in the appeal, which is yet to be considered by the high court. Therefore, the special leave petition stands dismissed," said the bench, in its order.

"However, it is observed that the high court to finally decide and dispose of the appeal strictly in accordance with law and on merits and on re-appreciation of the entire evidence on record which were considered by the trial court and without in any way influenced by any of the observations made by the high court in the impugned order so far as the cause of death is concerned and any observations made by the high court in the impugned order shall be confined to deciding the application under Section 391 Cr.P.C. only," it said.

The apex court also rejected Bhatt's plea seeking recusal of Justice Shah from hearing the matter.

On Tuesday, Bhatt's counsel had submitted that there was a reasonable apprehension of bias as Justice Shah, as a high court judge, had castigated the petitioner while hearing his plea linked to the same FIR. The Gujarat government counsel and complainant's counsel opposed this contention and termed it forum shopping.

The top court said: "We are of the opinion that the request of recusal is nothing but an attempt to indulge in forum shopping and bench hunting and to avoid the bench with mala fide intention. It is to be noted that earlier the bench headed by one of us heard the special leave petition in a case relating to the very FIR and filed by the very petitioner and at that point of time, no such objection was raised and no such prayer was made." The bench said merely because some proceedings might have been heard by one of us before the high court in connection with the present matter and/or proceedings and some observations might have been made against the petitioner on the delaying tactics, cannot be a ground to accede to the request made by the petitioner.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh represented the Gujarat government and senior counsel A.N.S. Nadkarni represented the original complainant.

A Jamnagar court awarded life term to Bhatt after he was held guilty on June 20, 2019 in a three-decade old custodial death case.
Kolkata, May 10 : Barring extraordinary circumstances that might emerge later, it seems clear that the CPI-M-led Left Front and Congress will be having an understanding in the forthcoming West Bengal three-tier panchayat system polls this year, as top leaders of both parties have given clear indications on this count.

The foundation of this understanding will be laid at a joint rally organised by Congress and Left Front at Suri in Birbhum district on Thursday, which is supposed to be addressed the CPI-M politburo member and state Secretary Mohammad Salim and the Congress' state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The venue of the meeting will be the same ground at Suri, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a rally last month and said that if BJP wins 35 out of 32 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal in 2024, then the Trinamool Congress state government might collapse even before 2025.

According to Salim, if the people of all levels get united against the misrule of Trinamool Congress and the communal politics of BJP, then the leadership of neither Left Front nor Congress will stand as hurdles for that unity. "The people of West Bengal are getting united in demand for peaceful voting in the panchayat polls as well as against corruption and communal politics. We will combat corruption and communal politics at the same time," he said.

According to Chowdhury, in the last panchayat polls in 2018, there was no situation for opposition parties to even field candidates in all the seats. "Before every election the Trinamool Congress promises free and fair polls. But in reality, all the elections are marred by massive violence by the state's ruling party. This time we will try to fight that violence by uniting the people," he said.

As regards to the seat sharing formula, the state leadership of both the Left Front and CPI-M do not want to enforce any direction from the top and instead want the district leaderships of respective forces to discuss and finalise it.
Hyderabad, May 10 : Eight students have died by suicide since Tuesday after failing or scoring low marks to pass in the Intermediate exams.

The results of Intermediate first year and second year (11th and 12th classes) were declared on Tuesday.

The incidents were reported from various parts of the state during the last 24 hours. Five of them were in Hyderabad.

P. Jhanvi (17) of Santosh Nagar area in Hyderabad hanged herself at her residence. She was upset after failing in the Intermediate second year examination. She was a student of MPC (Maths, Physics and Chemistry) at a private junior college.

Another girl student ended her life in Vanasthalipuram. Gayatri hanged herself at her residence. She and her younger sister had appeared in the exam. Gayatri was upset as she had failed to clear the exam while her younger sister had passed.

Gautam Kumar of Khairatabad area also ended his life after failing in the exam. Saifabad police registered a case and shifted the body for autopsy.

In Manikonda, a girl student jumped to death from the fifth floor of a building after failing in the exam. Shanta Kumari was a student of Intermediate first year at a government college in Raidurgam.

Another student ended his life at Neredmet in Secunderabad. Upset after failing in the intermediate second year exam, he hanged himself at his house.

A student from Armoor who was studying at a private college in Hyderabad ended his life after failing in the exam.

Meanwhile, a student from Mahabubabad district, who had committed suicide after appearing the exam due to fear of failure, has scored 892 out of 1,000 marks in Intermediate second year. Guguloth Krishna had ended his life on April 10. However, the results declared on May 9 show that he cleared the exam with good marks.

The series of suicides has been reported despite authorities taking action to provide counselling to students.

The Board of Intermediate Education has set up a separate cell to help students overcome any stress, strain and anxiety. This cell called Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking across the State (Tele Manas) works round the clock.

Officials said the services of psychologists and psychiatrists for counseling and guidance are available. Students can contact toll free number 14416.

Late last month, nine students in Andhra Pradesh had ended their lives after failing to clear Intermediate examinations.

--IANS ms/vd

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New Delhi, May 10 : Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has embarked on an official two-day visit to Japan's Niigata where she will participate in the "Dialogue with partner countries" at the G7 Finance Ministers/Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting on May 12.

During her visit, Sitharaman will also have multilateral and bilateral engagements with her counterparts, besides a roundtable meeting with business leaders and investors, official sources said.
New Delhi, May 10 : Global networking giant Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and discussed how the company has doubled down on manufacturing to boost exports from the country.

Cisco has announced strategic investments in Indian manufacturing capabilities as the next step in delivering cutting-edge technologies to our customers in India and across the globe.

"Thank you for your leadership, Honorable PM of India, @narendramodi! Thrilled to announce @Cisco is investing in manufacturing in India, with an aim to drive over $1B in combined domestic production and exports," Robbins tweeted.

On his part, PM Modi tweeted: "Delighted to meet you @ChuckRobbins and good to see @Cisco harnessing the wide range of opportunities available in India".

Cisco has announced it will start manufacturing in India, with an aim to drive more than $1 billion in combined domestic production and exports in the coming years via offering a robust and secure device ecosystem.

India is a key market for Cisco and its second largest R&D centre outside the US.

Earlier in the day, Robbins also met government's think tank NITI Aayog's CEO, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, with whom he discussed Cisco's plan to manufacture products for Indian and global markets.

"Great to meet B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, @NITIAayog to discuss @cisco_in's plans to manufacture products for Indian and global markets as well as our commitment to #cybersecurity, #skilling & promoting #entrepreneurship in India," he tweeted after the meeting.

He also had a meeting with Telecom Secretary K. Rajaraman, during which both the officials discussed the company's future plans.

"Great meeting with India's Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman on @cisco_in's plans to manufacture in India for India and the world. Hearing about India's efforts in #5G, rural broadband across the country was inspiring!" Robbins tweeted.

Since commencing operations in India in 1995, Cisco has focused on helping the country digitise at scale and speed, including accelerating the transformation of critical sectors like transport, agriculture, including through the Country Digitisation Acceleration programme, and building a skilled workforce through the Cisco Networking Academy programme.

"Fuelled by a rapidly developing digital economy, India is a focal point of innovation and business for Cisco, and we remain deeply committed to our partnerships here," according to Robbins.
Gandhinagar, May 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the 29th biennial educational conference of the All India Primary Teachers' Federation in Gandhinagar, an official said on Wednesday.

The conference is scheduled to be held at Nijanand Farm near GIFT City from May 11-13.

An official said that on the second day of the conference -- May 12, PM Modi would be present.

The event is expecting participation from more than 91,000 teachers from Gujarat and across the country.

The theme of this year's conference, 'Teachers at the Heart of Transforming Education', aptly underscores the pivotal role of educators in shaping the future of education, an official said.

The conference will also be attended by a host of dignitaries, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Central Minister of Fisheries Parshottam Rupala, and others.

Adding a dash of nostalgia and retrospective, an educational exhibition will be held during the program.

The exhibition will feature a series of pictures highlighting the transformative work done in the field of education during Prime Minister Modi's tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014.

It will include glimpses of significant initiatives like the School Admission Festival, Quality Festival, and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra, thus showcasing the strides made in education during those years.
New Delhi, May 10 : After the conclusion of the Assembly elections in Karnataka on Wednesday, the ABP/C-Voter Exit Poll projected a close contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in the Mumbai-Karnataka region that sends 50 legislators to the 224-member state Assembly.

The survey findings indicate that BJP is projected to win 26 seats (projected range of 24-28) in the region, down from 30 it won in 2018, while the Congress is expected to win 24 seats (projected range of 22-26), seven morte than its 2018 tally of 17, according to the ABP/C-Voter Exit Poll.

According to the survey, the BJP is projected to secure 43.4 per cent vote share in the Mumbai-Karnataka region, marginally lower than its 2018 share of 44 per cent. For the Congress, the data predicted a vote share of 43.8 per cent, an upswing of 4.8 per cent from its 2018 share of 39 per cent.
New Delhi, May 10 : A Delhi court on Wednesday extended, till May 24, the judicial custody of gangsters Vijay Mann, Rohit alias Moi, and Deepak Boxer in connection with a case filed by the Delhi Police under the Passport Act.

During the hearing at the Patiala House Courts, Mann, puportedly of the Gogi gang, through his lawyer, also raised concerns about his safety in the Delhi prison and alleged a conspiracy by his rivals to kill him.

Mann claimed that he received threats from inmates who intended to harm him while he was being produced before the court.

He submitted a petition to the court requesting increased security measures to be taken to safeguard his life.

In response to his claims of a conspiracy, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria directed the jail authorities to produce Mann via video conferencing from the jail.

Furthermore, Mann has requested that the court direct the authorities to increase his security in light of the recent killing of top gangster Tillu Tajpuria in Tihar Jail by members of the rival Gogi gang. He claimed the same group is targeting him too.

On May 6, the Delhi court had issued notice to the Tihar jail Superintendent on a plea moved by gangster Deepak Boxer, expressing fear for his life and seeking a transfer to another jail.

As per police, Boxer was also handling the Jitender Gogi gang after his death.

Gogi gang's Jitender Gogi was killed by his rivals in the Rohini court in 2021 and Tajpuriya was a prime accused of his murder.
New Delhi, May 10 : After voting for the 224-seat Karnataka assembly concluded on Wednesday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, terming his party workers "babbar sher", thanking them for running a "dignified and solid people-oriented campaign".

"I want to thank the 'Babbar Sher' workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign. Thank you to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future," he said in a tweet.

His remarks came after the polling for the Karnataka assembly concluded on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

According to the Election Commission, 65.69 per cent voting was recorded till 5 p.m. Counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Congress had ran a spirited campaign in the southern state and targeted the ruling BJP over alleged corruption.

Rahul Gandhi, his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi had campaigned in the state.

The Congress in its manifesto promised 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 and free travel to all women in regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses.
Aizawl/Imphal, May 10 : Over 3,375 men, women and children took shelter in six Mizoram districts after ethnic violence broke in Manipur on May 3, officials said on Wednesday.

Due to the violence in Manipur, another 2,300 took shelter in eight government sponsored camps in Cachar district of southern Assam. However, around 600 people returned to their homes in Manipur.

An official in Aizawl said that of the 3,375 people, mostly tribals, sheltered in Mizoram, the highest number of 1,214 people took shelter in Saitual district followed by 1,142 in Kolasib district, 934 in Aizawl district, 68 in Champhai District, 12 in Khawzawl District and four in Serchhip District.

The same tribal and non-tribal communities, especially the Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis, Mizos, and Chakmas are living in different northeastern states presenting a complex mosaic.

Parliamentarians, various organisations and NGOs have urged the Manipur and Central governments to curb the ethnic violence involving all stakeholders.

Ruling Mizo National Front MP C. Lalrosanga had urged Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande, to gain people's trust and confidence, especially of the tribal communities, to control the ethnic strife in Manipur.

The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), an apex body of eight major students organisations of seven northeastern states, condemned the Manipur government's action evicting the indigenous settlers belonging to the Zo community and the violent incidents that followed.

"The tribals were evicted on the pretext that they are settling on reserve forest whereas the fact is that these indigenous settlers have been residing in these areas for ages.

"The government of Manipur has to take into account that these are the indigenous communities of northeast and have inhabited these lands from their forefathers and they are not illegal immigrants from Nepal or Bangladesh," NESO Chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa and General Secretary Mutsikhoyo Yhobo said in a joint statement.

Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Mizoram's apex students' body, has accused the Manipur government of grabbing Zo ethnic tribals' land in the neighbouring state and evicting them.

"The origin of these problems is the Manipur government's attempts to evict ethnic Zo people from their various settlements so that their lands can be taken from them and these tribal lands can be declared reserved forest, protected forest, wildlife sanctuaries and wetlands," the MZP had said in a statement.

A series of violent clashes, firing and arson broke out across Manipur during a 'Tribal Solidarity March' on May 3 called by the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had said on Monday that at least 60 people, including women, have been killed and 231 people injured while 1,700 houses have been burnt in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3. He also said that 35,655 persons, including 1,593 students, have been moved to safer locations.
Bengaluru, May 10 : KGF Chapter-1 and 2 fame Kannada superstar Yash, who cast his vote here on Wednesday, said "people should not need his message on the occasion, and they know everything well".

Speaking to reporters after exercising his franchise, Yash said "it was his right and responsibility to vote".

"I have exercised mine. Every voter should come out and vote, that is more important," he said.

Asked why he did not take part in campaigning, Yash said that this time he did not feel it was interesting and for that reason he did not step out to take up campaigning for political parties.

"Last time there were few objectives and we have carried out works through the 'Yashomarga' organisation. The youth should understand that voting is their right. Politicians and political parties should ensure they work and deliver fundamental works appropriately," Yash stated.

"Health, education and fundamental work should be given to people. If that is done, the people will carry out their responsibilities and work well," Yash stated.

Yash had campaigned for Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.

Ambareesh emerged victorious with a whopping margin against former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Jaipur, May 11 : The Rajasthan government, in a submition, has said that legalising same-sex relationships will create imbalance in the social fabric, leading to widespread consequences for the social and family systems.

The Congress-ruled Rajasthan government made the submition before the Union government in the midst of the hearing of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriages in the Supreme Court.

The letter by Prakash Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Law, dated May 5, refers to the provisions and objectives of the Hindu Marriage Act, Muslim personal law, and the Special Marriage Act and says, "The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of Rajasthan's report says that same-sex marriages will create an imbalance in the social fabric, leading to widespread consequences for the social and family system." "The government circulated letters to District Collectors in state to know their views. The Collectors came to the view that there should not be a provision regarding same-sex marriages as the practice is not prevalent and is against public opinion in the state." Gupta's letter further states that if public opinion was in favour of same-sex marriages, the same would have been addressed by the Assembly of the state or the Parliament.

The Rajasthan government said that a bureaucratic exercise in the state found that same-sex marriages are "not prevalent" and are "against public opinion".

Rajasthan is among the seven state governments which submitted their stand on same-sex marriages to the Union government. As per the Centre's submission, while Rajasthan opposed it, the other six states "Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, and Assam" sought more time to examine the issue.
Bengaluru, May 11 : The polling for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly concluded on Wednesday and the Congress, which is hoping to return to power in Karnataka had run a spirited campaign in the state with five top leaders playing a significant role.

From manifesto to aggressive campaign, all of the points highlighted by the grand old party in the state gained the immediate attention of the people of the southern state.

But behind the successful campaigning in the state, party leaders like G. Parmeshwara, party state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, M.B. Patil, Shashikant Sethil and Sunil Kanugolu played an important role.

Surjewala: He was appointed as Karnataka in-charge by replacing party general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal in 2020. Before he was appointed the in-charge of the state, the differences in state leadership were clearly visible between former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state unit chief D.K. Shivakumar.

However, Surjewala ensured that the differences between the two factions get end before the polls and he brought both of them together during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the state last year along with former party chief Rahul Gandhi, during the candidate finalisation and also during the entire campaigning.

Surjewala also kept on giving the message of unity in the party leadership in the run up to elections and also kept on sharing the pictures of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar altogether.

M.B. Patil: A powerful Lingayat leader, Patil, who was made the chairperson of the campaign committee in the state ran a spirited campaign against the ruling BJP in Karnataka.

According to party insiders, Patil was instrumental in inducing powerful Lingayat leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar into the party ahead of the polling.

The party leaders also said that Patil was behind designing the aggressive campaign in the state with back-to-back public meetings of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, public meetings and road shows of former party chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the state. He also focused on the door-to-door campaign of the party to woo the voters in the state. It was also due to Patil's efforts that Congress' former chief Sonia Gandhi held an electoral public meeting after a gap of four years.

Patil is considered close to Siddaramaiah and had also handled several important portfolios in the state government.

G. Parmeshwar: He was made the Chairperson of the Karnataka Congress Manifesto, Policy, and Vision Committee. The Congress' manifesto, which talked about banning organisations like PFI and Bajrang Dal, soon garnered the attention of the people and also attracted criticism from several quarters.

Parmeshwar, a former Deputy Chief Minister and former state unit chief also mentioned the five guarantees of the party for the people of the state which became an instant hit.

In the manifesto, the Congress promised Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi - Rs 2,000 monthly incentive 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 and free travel to all women in regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses.

He also brought a manifesto for different regions of the state like for Coastal region, where the party is hoping to gain more seats as compared to previous elections.

Shashikant Sethil: A 2008 batch IAS officer, Sethil, who resigned in 2019 over the CAA and joined Congress later was made the in-charge of the Congress war room in the poll-bound state.

He not only worked closely with the team but also ensured that the party would monitor the fact-checking and give support to party leaders to counter and corner the ruling BJP on issues. Under Sethil, Congress kept a close tab on the campaign of the party in all the Assembly constituencies of the state.

Sunil Konugolu: Kanugolu, who is working as a strategist for the Congress, was responsible for preparing the survey, campaign, deciding on candidates selection and winning strategy.

According to party leaders, Kanugolu, who stays mostly behind the scene, prepared the strategy for each Assembly seat in the state. He also prepared the strategy to corner the BJP and the JD(S), so that Karnataka's contest does not become triangular.

According to party leaders, Kanugolu was responsible for Congress campaigns like the release of the rate card, pay-CM, and 40 per cent commission sarkar against the ruling BJP.

Kanugolu had earlier worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the BJP's campaign. He was brought into the Congress fold in May 2022.

Later, he started strategising campaigns for the Congress. He even contributed to Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. He had worked for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and is said to have played a key role in the resounding victory of Yogi Adityanath in 2017.

Kanugolu had worked with Prashant Kishor in 2014 before parting ways.

The counting of votes for the 224-member assembly will take place on May 13.

In 2018, Congress could manage to win only 80 seats while the ruling BJP won 104 and the JD(S) got 37 seats.

The Congress formed the government in alliance with the JD-S. However, the government fell in 2019 after several MLAs of the JD-S quit the party and joined BJP.

This time, the Congress is hoping to form the government in the southern state with a full majority by dethroning the ruling BJP.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, May 11 : The Delhi government should approach the Centre or the relevant river boards to address the water dispute between Delhi and Haryana over the supply from the Yamuna, the Haryana government has submitted before the Delhi High Court.

In the wake of the summer season, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) petitioned in the High Court for an unrestricted supply of clean water to Delhi and the removal of sand mining blockades from the river. Haryana opposed this request.

The Haryana government asserted that the Delhi government's dispute over the share and allocation of water is not maintainable in court and further stated that the Delhi government or the DJB should raise the issue of any additional water demands with the Upper Yamuna River Board, the Bakhra Beas Management Board, or the Central government in accordance with the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

Haryana government's affidavit said: "In case of Inter-State river water disputes neither this court nor the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to entertain any such water dispute, which is specifically barred by Section 11 of the Inter-State water disputes Act, 1956 read with Article 262 of the Constitution of India." The affidavit was submitted by advocate S.B. Tripathi in response to DJB's application in a pending plea from 2013 for clean water and the elimination of bundhs.

In the plea, Haryana was accused of disobeying earlier court directions given in May 2019 to supply Delhi with its fair share of water and to prevent unlawful sand mining.

The DJB, through lawyer Sumit Chander, further asserted that notwithstanding the order, photographs from last month revealed such buildings obstructing the water flow.

The next hearing is listed for May 10.
Coworking operator Workland selects Galleria Riga as the site for its next, and largest, coworking space to date. This will make Galleria Riga the largest coworking hub in Latvia.

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East Capital Real Estate, the owner and manager of Galleria Riga Shopping Centre will invest more than 3 million Euros to convert 3,200 sqm into office space which will occupy the Gallerias entire 5th floor. The integration of Workland turns Galleria Riga into a modern mixed-use asset and strengthens its role as a strong and sustainable engine for the city center.



We are beyond pleased to sign this new lease agreement, one of the largest offices leases signed since COVID, says Albin Rosengren, Partner and Head of Real Estate, East Capital Group. The continued transformation of what was previously a single-use shopping centre into a multi-purpose city hub shows the attractiveness of city locations with mix of services and function that support each other.



The establishment creates 300 new workplaces with access to restaurants, gyms, shops and daily errands in Galleria Riga. The high-quality office space will be the most modern and flexible in Riga. It will offer spaces for both larger companies, but also for gig workers and smaller teams. This will be the third, and largest, Workland coworking office in Riga and the fourteenth in the Baltics.



A convenient and enjoyable place, full of life is what we are striving for. Our aim is to create the perfect city within the city says Zane Sulca, manager of Galleria Riga.



Worklands coworking centre in Galleria Riga is not your average workspace, says Indrek Haal, founder and Chairman of the Board of Workland Group. "The location makes it convenient to take a break from work and hit the gym, get a quick bite in a cafe, or do some shopping, all without leaving the building.



But convenience is not the only factor that makes Workland unique. Workland coworking centre is setting a new standard for workspaces with its beautifully designed interiors and the highest microclimate standards. The space inspires creativity, productivity, and collaboration among professionals from different industries.



The Galleria Riga, with several unique concepts, is a mixed-use and multi-purpose focal point, located in central Riga. The owner of Galleria Riga is the East Capital Baltic Property Fund III, which is managed by East Capital Real Estate a part of East Capital Group, an independent asset management group in Sweden that has been active in the market since 1997.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow signed the Declaration on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the countries, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the Tajik president.

The declaration was signed following the meeting between the two presidents that took place in Dushanbe within the frame of the state visit of Berdimuhamedow to Tajikistan on May 10.

We have just adopted a declaration and advanced the level of relations between our countries to an in-depth strategic partnership. This historic decision meets the fundamental interests of our nations and is one of the important factors in the development and stability of the region, Rahmon said.

Tajik president also noted that during the negotiations the sides reached an agreement to increase the efficiency of the work of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

Within the frame of the meeting, the various aspects of cooperation between the two countries were discussed, including maintaining the regular political dialog at all levels, the activation of inter-parliamentary relations, the development of trade and economic ties, and cooperation in industrial and transport sectors.
Cheryl Ehrne of Rochester, NY was named the winner of a National Dream Car Sweepstakes. She opted to take the $50,000 cash prize. Pictured l-r: Barb McGrath, Libby Perkins, Cheryl, and Frank Ehrne Cheryl Ehrne didnt think much about the possibility of winning the sweepstakes after entering last June. In fact, she even bought a new car a few months later. Rather than sell her already new car, Ehrne instead opted to receive a $50,000 cash prize.

Product Report Card, an online market research company providing consumer input to businesses across the country, has announced Cheryl Ehrne of Rochester, New York as the winner of their national Dream Car Sweepstakes. Ehrnes submission was one of more than 5.7 million received by the Denver-based company over the last year.

A member of Product Report Card since 2014, Ehrne didnt think much about the possibility of winning the sweepstakes after entering in last June when she completed a $5 shopping survey. In fact, she even bought a new car a few months after completing the survey. Rather than sell her already new car, Ehrne instead opted to receive a $50,000 cash prize  the approximate total minimum value of the vehicle prize.

In some ways I did win the car as the $50,000 will go a long way to paying off my new vehicle, says Ehrne, who owns her own pet sitting business. I also plan on donating some of the money to local charities my husband [Frank] and I are involved with.

Her good fortune was celebrated last month with a surprise gathering at the offices of Mason Marketing in the Rochester suburb of Penfield where, upon her arrival, Ehrne was greeted with an oversized check, balloons, cake, and champagne. Representing Product Report Card at the surprise event were General Counsel, Libby Perkins, and her mother, Barb McGrath, whose husband, David McGrath, is the CEO of the company. Making the trip from Denver to Rochester a little more special was the fact that both women were born in Rochester.

With millions of entries, to have someone from Rochester, the place I grew up, win such a great prize was in some ways surreal, says McGrath, who still has family in the area. Rochester is such a wonderful community, and it was a special experience to return home and celebrate with Cheryl.

This is the second time we have run the Dream Car Sweepstakes, but the first time we have been able to celebrate our winner in-person, notes Perkins, who explained that the first sweepstakes winner was announced during a peak time in the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone at Product Report Card couldnt be happier to have Cheryl, who has been such a loyal panel member, win this sweepstakes.

Ehrnes good fortune is a reminder of the benefits of participating in consumer surveys and sweepstakes. Its a testament to the power of feedback and the rewards that come with it.
We are honored to receive this distinction from such a trusted and respected company as CARFAX. Our entire team strives to deliver the very best service to our customers and to have yet another independent third-party validate this directly with our customers is truly an honor.

Airpark Auto Pros has been recognized in the fourth annual CARFAX Top-Rated Service Center Program. Airpark Auto Pros received a 5 star rating (out of possible five stars) based on verified reviews from CARFAX Car Care members for auto repair and maintenance.

The CARFAX Top-Rated Service Centers received an average of 4.8 stars out of a possible five stars. Airpark Auto Pros exceeded the bar with 5.0 stars!

Over 30 million drivers are using CARFAX Car Care to take better care of their vehicles said Mike Liou, Head of B2B Marketing at CARFAX. We used the timely and honest feedback from these verified customers to put together this list  the best of the best.

John Burley, owner of Airpark Auto Pros commented, We are honored to receive this distinction from such a trusted and respected company as CARFAX for the second year in a row. Our entire team strives to deliver the very best service to our customersfrom the work of our amazing technicians to the great advice and customer service of our managers. To have yet another independent third-party validate this directly with our customers is truly an honor.

About Airpark Auto Pros LLC

Airpark Auto Pros is an award-winning 10-bay auto facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland providing high quality, ASE certified auto services, maintenance, and upgrades for foreign and domestic vehicles. Highly trained and certified technicians handle everything from a basic brake pads to high-end electronic systems and full engine replacement. The company is known for providing exceptionally honest service and is a business of uncompromising integrity, ethics, and moral principles.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the worlds largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell  Show me the CARFAX.
Nashville TN skyline "We are excited to bring the Intrepid Direct culture and experience to Nashville and are looking to further expand strategically in the coming years, said Bill Strout, President of Intrepid Direct Insurance.

Intrepid Direct Insurance, the leading direct-to-consumer property and casualty insurance provider for businesses, with expertise in the franchise model, has opened a satellite office in Nashville to support its growing customer base. Intrepid Direct is a nationwide provider, and the Nashville office provides it with the ability to access additional claims and customer service talent for its expanding business needs as well as connect directly with its national footprint of customers.

Intrepid Direct is dedicated to serving specific industries that gain the most value from a direct-to-customer insurance offering. It specializes in franchise businesses such as restaurants, auto-aftermarket shops, fitness studios, and gyms, but has also found success in other industries such as last-mile delivery operations. Intrepid Direct offers bundled business insurance aligned with each companys unique needs, including property, general liability, workers compensation, professional liability, employment practices liability, hired and non-owned auto, and umbrella insurance. To view industry-specific coverages, visit intrepiddirect.com.

Because we believe in-office, face-to-face connection has been and will continue to be the key to our tremendous success, we needed to open an additional office in another region of the country to access talent to staff our expanding business operations, said Bill Strout, President of Intrepid Direct Insurance. We are excited to bring the Intrepid Direct culture and experience to Nashville and are looking to further expand strategically in the coming years.

Intrepid Directs business model allows owners to buy insurance directly, saving time and money  typically up to 20 percent versus insurance purchased through an agent or broker. Intrepid Direct bypasses broker fees by removing the middleman, allowing for lower prices without skimping on service or coverage. Customers have a single point of contact for all insurance needs  the agent, the underwriter, and the claims team  all on one team. Independent agents and brokers cannot offer quotes from Intrepid Direct. To obtain a quote, business owners only need to email info@intrepiddirect.com. Intrepid Directs continued growth has created opportunity to add more team members in the areas of sales, underwriting, client services, and claims departments (both at its headquarters in Kansas City and now in Nashville) who want to help us redefine and improve the insurance experience for our thousands of customers. As a tech leader in the insurance sector, Intrepid Direct is also heavily recruiting for its technical engineering team. For a list of all opportunities, visit intrepiddirect.com/about-us.

About Intrepid Direct Insurance

Intrepid Direct Insurance is a leading direct property and casualty insurance provider, helping business owners and franchisees save up to 20% on their business insurance premiums. Intrepid Direct is changing the insurance industry with a tech-forward, comprehensive direct insurance model. By removing the third party, we've made quoting faster (our goal is less than 48 hours), applications easier, claims smoother, and lower prices, putting owners back in control of their business and schedule. Intrepid Direct Insurance Company is rated A+ (Superior), Financial Size Category XV, by A.M. Best. Our insurance is bundled for savings, and designed to meet your company or brand requirements. We also offer uncommon conveniences for customers such as the ability to pay premiums across 12 equal monthly installments without finance charges, on-demand claims reporting, and an assigned designated customer service representative that will pick up the phone on the first ring... just to name a few. See how we're redefining the insurance experience at intrepiddirect.com.

Intrepid Direct Insurance operates as Intrepid Direct Insurance Agency, LLC. CA License 0K95913. Products and services are provided by one or more insurance companies that are rated A+ (Superior), Financial Size Category XV by A.M. Best Company, Inc. Not all products and services from Intrepid Direct are available in every jurisdiction, and the precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to the actual terms and conditions of the policies as issued. Certain coverages may be provided through surplus lines insurance companies through licensed surplus lines brokers. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.
Inc Best Workplaces Honoree 2023 "At AM Specialty Insurance Company, our company culture thrives on the pillars of collaboration, innovation, and integrity, as we leverage our diverse talents to make a difference to the specialty insurance landscape and secure a better tomorrow for our stakeholders."

AM Specialty Insurance Group has been named to Inc. magazines annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2023 issue, which hits newsstands on May 16, 2023, and prominently featured on Inc.com, the list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or a virtual facility.

The flagship entity of the group, AM Specialty Insurance Company (ASIC), is an Arizona domiciled domestic Excess and Surplus Insurance Company and an Accredited Reinsurer. ASIC has been assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" (Excellent) by AM Best. ASIC's business model is unique; allowing for risk-sharing and access to reinsurance capacity for its partners. Information about AM Specialty Insurance Groups other subsidiaries can be found below.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 591 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organizations benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking.

"We are honored to be named as one of Incs Best Workplaces of 2023. At AM Specialty Insurance Company, our company culture thrives on the pillars of collaboration, innovation, and integrity, as we leverage our diverse talents to make a difference to the specialty insurance landscape and secure a better tomorrow for our stakeholders," says ASIC CEO Shevawn Barder.

Being named to Best Workplaces is an honor that only a small fraction of companies have been able to claim, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. Proving to the world that youre a magnet for talent and have a culture that keeps teams engaged, productive, and proud to come to work is a truly remarkable achievement.

About AM Specialty Insurance Group

AM Specialty Insurance Group is comprised of AM Specialty Insurance Company, AM RE Syndicate, and AM Star Claims. AM RE Syndicate creates efficient risk transfer between best-in-class primary MGAs and institutional investors to provide investment opportunities outside of the natural catastrophe space for a diversified and predictable return. AM Star Claims is an attorney-led management company that provides Claims Management & Litigation Consultancy, Underwriting Review, and Operational Oversight & Review services for insurance providers in the specialty market.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc.

For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peerto-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com
This acquisition grows our service capability in the Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin market and highlights our ongoing commitment to provide exit opportunities to the talented entrepreneurs in our industry.

Quench, a leading provider of filtered drinking water solutions for businesses and dealer partners across North America, announced today that it has acquired Pure Water Technology of Northern Wisconsin, a prominent Quench dealer in the Green Bay area.

We are delighted to welcome Pure Water Technologys customers to the Quench family, said Ryan Hartley, Vice President of Corporate Development for Quench. This acquisition grows our service capability in the Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin market and highlights our ongoing commitment to provide exit opportunities to the talented entrepreneurs in our industry.

I am confident that our customers will be as excited about this acquisition as we are, said Larry Kipfstuhl, President of Pure Water Technology. Quench is the recognized leader in the industry, offering gold-standard customer service and support with a state-of-the-art product line. Quench was great to work with throughout the sale process, just as they were as our long-time partner.

Quench has developed a streamlined approach to acquisitions, with an emphasis on transparency and flexibility with sellers. More on Quenchs acquisition process can be found at https://quenchwater.com/acquisitions/ or by contacting our acquisition team directly at acquisitions@quenchwater.com.

About Quench

Quench USA, Inc. offers bottle-free filtered drinking water solutions for healthy and environmentally conscious consumers outside the home, through direct sales and independent dealers across North America. Our bottle-free water coolers, ice machines, sparkling water dispensers and coffee brewers purify a users existing water supply to provide reliable and convenient filtered water across a broad mix of businesses, such as government, education, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and other industries, including more than half of the Fortune 500. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Quench has sales and service operations across North America to serve our 100,000+ customers, and a network of more than 300 independent dealers selling products under the brand names Pure Water Technology, and Wellsys, and Waterlogic. Quench is a Culligan Company. For more information, please visit https://quenchwater.com.

About Culligan

Founded in 1936 by Emmett Culligan, Culligan is a world leader in delivering water solutions that will improve the lives of its customers. The company offers some of the most technologically advanced, state-of-the-art water filtration and treatment products. Culligan's products include water softeners, drinking water systems, whole-house systems and solutions for businesses. Culligan's network of franchise dealers is the largest in the world, with over 900 dealers in 90 countries. For more information visit: http://www.culligan.com.
Fuuz customers often have complex operational processes and need to track data such as machine recipes, production routings and bills of materials at a very deep level, said Craig Scott, founder and CEO of Fuuz.

New features recently added to the Fuuz Manufacturing Platform as a Service (xPaaS) enhance the user experience with the Screen Designer tool to more easily configure dashboard displays that fit their business needs. The Fuuz Platform and its pre-built apps such as Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) are revolutionizing the way manufacturers manage, track, and automate plant floor processes from material receiving to shipping.

Fuuz customers often have complex operational processes and need to track data such as machine recipes, production routings and bills of materials at a very deep level, said Craig Scott, founder and CEO of Fuuz. Screen Designer enhancements allow our customers to create extremely intelligent screens with more controls and features than ever before.

Screen Designer is a standard feature on the Fuuz Platform. It includes the Fuuz User Interface (UI) Builder and Dashboard Designer functions. UI Builder gives companies more power to customize the presentation layer with drag-and-drop ease. The Dashboard Designer function transforms data into compelling, easy-to-use, intuitive dashboards for any business process, from sales to shipping, production or other displays.

Major new enhancements to the Fuuz Platform Screen Designer tool include:



Rapid personalization of dashboard components using Screen Designer widgets. The widgets can be reused on various human-machine interfaces (HMIs) or other screens created in Fuuz, which means users can make one update and immediately push it out to all of the screens on the shop floor at the same time. This can save hours or days of work and ensures app consistency for all users.

Ability to render PDFs and other documents or images directly in a companys manufacturing solution. Users no longer have to hunt around or click through numerous tabs to see work instructions, pack prints, product drawings and other important necessities when building products or facilitating processes. This new feature, combined with other native Fuuz capabilities, provides digital work instruction options, streamlining the manufacturing or assembly processes and reducing training requirements for end users.

Capability of enhancing tables to allow inline table editing and conditional formatting. This includes text and other values, as well as specialized workflow action buttons in tables that automate business processes and eliminate redundancy of effort. Meaningful data, provided to your users with the right context eliminates the need for exporting to and running your business in excel spreadsheets.

Scott said that these enhancements are just an example of the many updates that are continually made to the cloud-based, version-less Fuuz Platform. We constantly improve Fuuz by automatically releasing a continuous stream of intuitive enhancements that help our customers work faster, better and smarter, he said. This eliminates the need to schedule downtime for updates or training and ultimately saves companies time and money.

Visit the Fuuz website for more information or to schedule a demo.

About Fuuz

Fuuz powered by MFGx is a next-generation Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with supportive processes that help companies of all sizes gain full visibility into their global operations, automate manual processes and accelerate their digital transformation  without the expense of new enterprise software. Fuuz MES can be extended with Warehouse Management, Transportation Management and other pre-built industrial SaaS apps, as well as platform tools for rapid application development and integrations for all major ERPs, homegrown apps, payroll and other software solutions manufacturers use every day. MFGx is a Michigan-based software integration company with more than 20 years of hands-on experience in diagnosing and solving software integration problems for discrete and process manufacturers in multiple industries. For more, visit fuuz.com.
8 community-based organizations in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit join CHC Black Birthing Initiative to reduce preterm births Black women are 3x more likely to die from pregnancy related causes in the U.S. and 50% more likely to deliver a premature baby.

Today, CHC: Creating Healthier Communities announced the next phase of its three-year, $7 million grant partnership with the Elevance Health Foundation. The Black Birthing Initiative aims to reduce high rates of preterm births among Black women in three cities: Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit. The initiative will ultimately identify stressors and other health related social needs impacting preterm births and work with community-based organizations to provide community-driven interventions.

As we lift up various observances from National Minority Health Month last month to Maternal Mental Health Month now in May, we must continue our collective work to ensure the voices and choices of Black people remain front and center throughout the year and are an integral consideration in every discussion and funding decision that relates to addressing health inequities, said Valerie Rochester, chief health equity officer at CHC.

These community-based organizations have been selected as partners in the Black Birthing Initiative and are now enrolling expectant parents, which will help CHC create an evidence-based case study with a standardized screening tool and interventions that will later be leveraged by health systems nationwide:

Atlanta Collaborative



Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia  a community-based organization that focuses on the full spectrum of maternal and child health concerns from prematurity to maternal mortality with a focus on advocacy, education, and access to vital resources.

Center for Black Womens Wellness  a community-based and family service center committed to improving the health and wellbeing of underserved Black women and their families.

Community Speaks Consulting  a Black woman led consulting group on a mission to amplify community voices. Our vision is to be the bridge between community and service providers.

Cleveland Collaborative



Birthing Beautiful Communities  a nonprofit community of birth workers or doulas providing social support to pregnant women in Cleveland who are at highest risk for infant mortality during the prenatal and postpartum period.

Village of Healing a community development organization located in Cuyahoga County that provides access to gynecological, antepartum, and post-partum care to women in need.

Detroit Collaborative



Women-Inspired Neighborhood Network  a program of Henry Ford Health, originally formed via a collaborative effort of health systems, community and academic partners of the Detroit Regional Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force and supported by funders committed to improve infant mortality rates for African American families in Detroit.

Detroit Health Department  a community government organization that has been building healthy and thriving communities for over 100 years. Its mission is to address the public and population health priorities of Detroiters, while continuing to provide public health services to address the needs of individuals and families.

JFM Consulting  a Detroit-based consulting firm that partners with the nonprofit, philanthropic and public sectors to improve quality of life, primarily in underserved communities, through planning, strategy and evaluation.

The urgency cannot be understated, as Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes in the U.S. and 50% more likely to deliver a premature baby (CDC). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome disproportionately affects Black babies (American Academy of Pediatrics), and two-thirds of pregnancy deaths are preventable (CDC). This collaborative project will create a framework and interventions that can improve outcomes for mothers and babies on a national scale.

One in 10 babies are born prematurely in the U.S., with Black women 50% more likely to deliver a premature baby, said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., chief health officer at Elevance Health. Through screening thousands of expectant Black mothers, the Black Birthing Initiatives community partners will help us identify stressors and other health related social needs that are impacting preterm births, helping us advance health equity for all.

CHC is committed to implementing community-led, evidence-informed approaches centered in health equity and based on the lived experiences, needs and concerns of those most affected. Learn more about CHCs Black Birthing Initiative here. Pregnant or post-partum women can lend their voice and take the needs assessment to inform this work.

ABOUT CHC: CREATING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES

CHC: Creating Healthier Communities brings nonprofits, businesses and communities together to improve community health. Our focus is health equity, addressing underlying issues and removing barriers so everyone can thrive. Our work is driven by community need, and we direct programs, resources and support where they have the greatest impact. Together with partners, weve been creating healthier communities for more than 65 years. Join us at chcimpact.org or @chcimpact.

ABOUT ELEVANCE HEALTH FOUNDATION

Elevance Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, Inc. The Foundation works to advance health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; substance use disorder; and food as medicine. Through its key areas of focus, the Foundation also strategically aligns with Elevance Healths focus on community health and becoming a lifetime, trusted health partner that is fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. To learn more about Elevance Health Foundation, please visit http://www.elevancehealth.foundation or follow us @ElevanceFND on Twitter and Elevance Health Foundation on Facebook.
I am a regular Christian on a church pew. I have studied end time prophecies for over 40 years, taught Sunday School, and watched many reputable and un-reputable TV preachers teach on the end times

Author Ann Priester Bennett has worked diligently to highlight and summarize New Testament end-time prophecies in Beginners Guide to End-Time Prophecies: A Verse-By-Verse Bible Study of New Testament End-Time Prophecies ($17.49, paperback, 9781662876424; $8.99, e-book, 9781662876431).

Any Christian who desires to take heed to the prophecies that have already been shared with Gods people in His Word will find a good place to start in this beginners guide. Some may have avoided studying end-time prophecy in the past for fear it would be too confusing, or depended only on what they had been taught by others without studying the Bible for themselves. That can end now.

I am a regular Christian on a church pew. I have studied end time prophecies for over 40 years, taught Sunday School, and watched many reputable and un-reputable TV preachers teach on the end times, said Bennett.

Ann Priester Bennett is a Christian wife, mother of three sons, and grandmother of ten. She and her husband of 46 years were taught the authority of Scripture by sweet-spirited Biblicist preachers and teachers in the churches they attended in Tennessee and Alabama. Bennett has served as a Sunday School teacher for both youth and adults, and on various church committees. She has been a participant in small group Bible studies most of her life. She used the question-and-answer study methods she learned in those Bible studies in writing this book.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Beginners Guide to End Time Prophecies is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.


I am thrilled to join the well-respected team at Ligori & Ligori and provide my clients with legal counsel they can trust to protect their rights, says Francisco Cruz.

Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law, an established personal injury law firm has offices in Tampa, Lakeland, Key West, Ocala and Orlando, Florida welcomes attorney Francisco Cruz to the team. He is now a member of a top legal firm that is well-known for providing personalized service and a commitment to seeking the highest amount of compensation for a clients personal injury or loss due to a serious car accident, boat accident, dog bite or many other types of injury-related accidents. Mr. Cruzs legal knowledge, determination and experience are a great addition to the firm. Francisco Cruz graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BS in Finance. Mr. Cruz then attended Barry University to obtain his law degree. While at Barry, he was a certified legal intern with the State Attorneys Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, handling several criminal cases all the way to trial. He was also an active volunteer at the Judge Advocate Generals Office at Patrick Air Force Base assisting veterans and their families with legal issues and questions. After graduating with his Juris Doctor and passing the Florida Bar exam, Francisco accepted a position as an assistant state attorney with the State Attorneys Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Osceola County. As a prosecutor, Francisco litigated hundreds of cases. During this time, he gained valuable experience during hearings, motions and trials. Wanting to have more direct communication and impact on those he could help and use the skills he had gained as a prosecutor; he began private practice in the areas of criminal defense and personal injury. Francisco Cruz now focuses his practice of law on cases where his clients have been injured due to the negligence of others. Throughout the years, he has been able to represent clients in many jurisdictions throughout Florida. He has gained the respect of attorneys and judges throughout the state as a professional and skilled litigator. He has been a member of the Florida Bar in good standing since 2014 and is a member of The Florida Justice Association.

I am thrilled to join the well-respected team at Ligori & Ligori and provide my clients with legal counsel they can trust to protect their rights, says Francisco Cruz.

More About Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law:

Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law has offices in Tampa, Lakeland, Key West, Ocala and Orlando, Florida. They handle a wide variety of personal injury and insurance claims, including those involving auto accidents, truck accidents, property damage, storm damage, wrongful death, negligence and more. The practice was established with a mission to provide personalized attention for your personal injury while leveraging resources and experience to help clients obtain fair compensation for a loss.

For more information about the legal services offered at Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law, please call (888) 254-7119 or visit http://www.callmeonmycell.com.


Because we prioritize employee well-being and focus on growth and development, we are more creative, innovative, productive, and agile, allowing us to thrive in todays competitive recruitment marketing space", said Lisa Shuster, iHires Chief People Officer

iHire has been named to Inc. magazines annual Best Workplaces list for the fourth time. The list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or a virtual facility. iHire earned a Best Workplace score of 91 out of 100 and recorded a 97% employee engagement rate. Further, the most common word employees surveyed used to describe iHires work environment was collaborative.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 591 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, employee growth, and overall company culture. The organizations benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking.

iHires commitment to a people-first, values-driven culture helps associates to feel engaged and included no matter where they work, said Lisa Shuster, iHires Chief People Officer. Because we prioritize employee well-being and focus on growth and development, we are more creative, innovative, productive, and agile, allowing us to thrive in todays competitive recruitment marketing space.

A few examples of how iHire connects its hybrid workforce include sending new hires across the country a welcome box of branded swag and hosting virtual activities like costume contests and game shows with both remote and in-person staff. In addition, iHire puts its people first by prioritizing mental health and well-being. For instance, the company offers generous PTO, flex time, situational leave, telehealth services, an employee assistance program (EAP), wellness spending accounts, and more.

Being named to Best Workplaces is an honor that only a small fraction of companies have been able to claim, said Scott Omelianuk, Inc. Editor-in-chief. Proving to the world that youre a magnet for talent and have a culture that keeps teams engaged, productive, and proud to come to work is a truly remarkable achievement.

About iHire

iHire is a leading career-oriented platform that powers a family of 57 industry-focused talent networks, including WorkInSports, iHireVeterinary, iHireDental, iHireConstruction, and iHireChefs. For more than 20 years, iHire has combined advanced job matching technology with our expertise in the talent acquisition space to connect job seekers with employers in their desired sector. With an industry-specific, candidate-centric, and data-driven approach to recruitment, iHire helps candidates find meaningful work and employers find unique, high-quality talent  faster, easier, and more effectively than a general job board. Visit http://www.iHire.com for more information.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit http://www.QuantumWorkplace.com.


When we build applications to support business service requests, we automate just about every job in our organizations. The truth is, most IT tasks and procedures can be streamlined and made more efficient using automation, including some aspects of Db2 database administration.

Tampa-based global software vendor and IT consulting firm Infotel Corp. today announced its sponsorship of the 2023 IDUG North America Db2 Tech Conference in Philadelphia, May 15-19. Infotel will also be sponsoring a Partner Sponsored Presentation (PSP) with global Db2 expert Craig S. Mullins and Infotels senior technical manager Thierry Hubert on intelligent automation for Db2. Huberts portion of the PSP will feature a Db2 automation use case from one of Infotels customers.

Held this year at the historic Loews Philadelphia Hotel, IDUG NA brings together Db2 professionals from across the continent for over 100 educational sessions with first-class presenters; educational workshops before, during, and after the conference; fundamentals courses; and IBMs certification and badging opportunities.

"The Infotel team is thrilled to once again attend the 2023 IDUG North American Db2 Tech Conference, held this year in Philadelphia, said Jeff Castella, Infotel Corps vice president of software. IDUG events provide the Db2 community with unparalleled opportunities for education, networking, and furthering business, and we always come away from these conferences having made genuine connections with our peers and customers in the Db2 space.

In addition to providing major sponsorship support of IDUG EMEA, Infotel will be sponsoring a presentation by one of the top minds in the mainframe space, author Craig S. Mullins. Mullinss presentation, titled Intelligent Automation of Db2 Administration and Management, will cover topics such as the importance of automation for mainframe database administrators, autonomics and the types of automation, the consequences DBAs face if they dont adopt a culture of IT automation, and more.

Following Mullinss presentation, Hubert will demonstrate a customer use case on how one Infotel client saved significant costs in license fees on Db2 and migrated utilities to Infotels iDBA solution, eliminating the need for other administration solutions.

From my experiences, it seems like many in IT believe they can automate everyone elses job but not their own, said Mullins. When we build applications to support business service requests, we automate just about every job in our organizations. The truth is, most IT tasks and procedures can be streamlined and made more efficient using automation, including some aspects of Db2 database administration.

More information on where and when to attend Mullinss presentation at IDUG can be found at https://insoft-infotel.com/. All attendees will receive a copy of the slide deck after the event. For those unable to attend, Infotel will provide a download link for the presentation after the conference. Visit https://go.insoft-infotel.com/idug-na-2023-lp to subscribe to Infotel content in North America and to receive a link to the Infotel PSP slide deck.

While at IDUG Philadelphia, the Infotel team will be showcasing the latest version of their DB/IQ software v6.03, which has been updated for improved user experience and greater cost efficiency for DBAs.

DB/IQ v6.03 includes:



Improvements for Db2 SQL tuning (Check, Control , EXPLAIN)

Improvements in Eclipse Plugin which helps determine insufficient code and corresponding costs to the business if not amended

Improvements to Index Administrator for improved cost efficiency

Improvements to Package Manager to manage ALL Db2 packages and EXPLAIN tables

Improvements to Quality Assurance+ to allow you to completely eliminate expensive Db2 traces

Infotel invites IDUG attendees to stop by the Infotel booth (#8) throughout the conference to say hello and learn about Db2-related topics and customer use cases or discuss Infotels suite of mainframe performance and optimization solutions for IBM z/OS. Customers in attendance will have the opportunity to speak to one of Infotels most seasoned support resources, Technical Manager Thierry Hubert. Craig S. Mullins will also be at the Infotel booth to provide Infotel-sponsored consulting on 5/17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

About Infotel

Infotel Corp., based in Tampa, Florida, is a software vendor and IT consulting firm specializing in data management, application performance, and optimization solutions across both distributed and mainframe platforms. For more than 40 years, Infotel has delivered proven solutions to help clients improve their data management systems.

For more information on Infotel Corp. and the Infotel family of products, please visit https://insoft-infotel.com.

About Craig S. Mullins

Craig is President & Principal Consultant of Mullins Consulting, Inc. and the publisher of The Database Site. He has over three decades of experience in all facets of database systems development including creating and teaching database classes, systems analysis and design, data analysis, database administration, performance management, and data modeling.

For more information about Craig, visit https://craigsmullins.com/.


Keynova Group Credit card issuers are accentuating card account security and engaging cardholders to help monitor and mitigate suspicious activity with personalized information and proactive capabilities. -- Beth Robertson, Managing Director, Keynova Group

Keynova Group, the principal competitive intelligence source for digital financial services firms, today announced the results of the Q2 2023 Online Credit Card Scorecard. Bank of America claims the sole first place honors in the Scorecard for online user experience in Keynova Groups competitive evaluation of the 10 leading U.S. credit card issuers websites. As part of Keynovas review of digital credit card capabilities, an inaugural Mobile Credit Card Scorecard will be released in Q4 2023.

The Scorecards findings show that leading issuers are enriching their online Credit Card Security Centers with personalized data and recommendations and are making improvements to credit card applications that minimize data entry while emphasizing application efficiency.

"Credit card issuers are accentuating card account security and engaging cardholders to help monitor and mitigate suspicious activity with personalized information and proactive capabilities, said Beth Robertson, managing director, Keynova Group. We also see issuers continuing to streamline the card application process by gathering only the core information and disclosure acknowledgments needed to effectively evaluate an applicant.

Key Findings:

Leading Issuers Personalize Security Centers to Engage Users

As data privacy is of paramount concern to both cardholders and issuers, 40% of leading credit card issuers are using a centralized Security Center to supply security information that is personalized to the cardholder and to his or her specific transactions. Bank of America stands out in this area for its customized security indicator which offers individual recommendations about security--helping cardholders to see the positive effect of implementing protective measures such as account alerts or multi-factor authentication. Bank of America, Chase, and U.S. Bank make up the 30% of issuers that provide a personalized summary of account login history via the Security Center, showing recent login details including date, time, and device used. While 80% of issuers display last date and time of login on the card accounts authenticated landing page, only 20% indicate the last device used for login.

Card Issuers Enable Cardholder Tools to Detect Suspicious Activity

To help detect suspicious card activity, issuers offer a variety of tools to assist cardholders in monitoring storage and use of card account data by third parties. More than half (60%) of issuers identify merchants paid via recurring card transactions, and Chase additionally includes a list of all other merchants that are storing a users card number and related information. Half of issuers highlight organizations or apps that have access to a cardholders account data via data-sharing or aggregation services and enable permissioned account access to be revoked. Ancillary protection services for cardholders also reinforce security: 40% of issuers including American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Discover offer social security number (SSN) tracking services that help identify unauthorized use or dark web access to a cardholders SSN. Discover also offers a service to remove personal information from third-party people-search sites.

Streamlined Forms Improve Card Applicant Experience

Cardholder acquisition is another area of continuing development for issuers which are evolving their credit card applications to create a simplified and efficient experience for prospects; 60% of issuers now offer a single-page card application designed to contain all required information entry and acknowledgements. Barclays US and Discover also now offer an application prefill option for non-customers, enabling applicants to enter abbreviated personal information such as the last four digits of their SSN, a mobile phone number, or birth date to prefill key personal data in the application and preclude the need for exposing the full SSN on the form. The applications can also facilitate digital onboarding for new cardholders as half of the reviewed issuers offer enrollment for paperless document and statement delivery within the application flow.

About the Credit Card Scorecard

Keynova Groups Online Credit Card Scorecard objectively evaluates the cardholder acquisition and servicing experience for consumers using the websites of 10 leading U.S. credit card issuers: American Express, Bank of America, Barclays US, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Discover, PNC, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. A Mobile Credit Card Scorecard, to be released in Q4, reviews the mobile app and mobile web experience for the same group of issuers. With more than two decades of experience benchmarking online and mobile financial services, Keynova Groups Credit Card Scorecards identify best practices and trends in the competitive landscape for consumer credit card issuing. For more information about Keynova Groups Credit Card Scorecards, please visit https://www.keynovagroup.com/scorecards/#credit-cards-and-lending.

About Keynova Group

Keynova Group is the nations foremost competitive intelligence firm providing trusted benchmarking insights and analysis of consumer and small business digital financial services, including banking, credit card, home lending and insurance. Since 1999, Keynova Groups Scorecards have served as the go-to source for leading financial services firms to obtain reliable competitive intelligence and actionable insights. The firms proven methodology and highly detailed results help its clients maximize the value of their digital channels to deliver a premier experience to customers and prospects.
PayBito's crypto broker program allows anyone to earn money from home At PayBito, we believe in promoting crypto adoption and providing financial freedom. Our new crypto broker program empowers entrepreneurs to start a business and earn money from home, without the need for an initial investment or technical expertise.

International crypto exchange PayBito has revolutionized the existing financial scenario with its latest offering. Allowing anyone to start a crypto trading business within three to five working days, the US-based PayBito facilitates financial inclusion, empowering entrepreneurs with advanced cloud architecture and AI tools. The crypto broker program makes it possible for businesspersons to make money from home, with zero starting investment.

Crypto Brokerage as a Passive Income Generator:

PayBito had earlier won global acclaim as the worlds number one provider of white-label crypto exchange technology, with solutions deployed in over 26 countries. But, the quest for innovation did not stop there. As a true passive income generator, brokerage using the PayBito platform does not require huge investments or fixed overheads, with the firm launching the worlds first crypto broker platform and featuring a free one-month trial.

PayBito has introduced an open-source instant crypto exchange API kit as part of their recent offerings. This kit simplifies the process of starting a brokerage business for those seeking a secondary income stream or looking to enter the world of entrepreneurship. It eliminates the need for complex technical set-up, server hosting team, and support team. With PayBito, entrepreneurs can host their exchange locally or on the cloud without any hassle. Moreover, PayBito provides state-of-the-art features, end-to-end security, innovative AI tools, and simple KYC processes.

Cutting Edge Features to Make Money From Home:

PayBito CEO Raj Chowdhury says, "at PayBito, we believe in promoting crypto adoption and providing financial freedom. Our new crypto broker program empowers entrepreneurs to start a business and earn money from home, without the need for an initial investment or technical expertise."

PayBito's innovative crypto broker platform has several standout features, including:



No Large Investment

Beyond a nominal monthly subscription fee of $49.99, there is no need for any investment in hosting, security measures, support services, maintenance, and more.

Instant Business Launch

PayBito's registration process is simple, with no tedious processes, long waiting times, or eligibility requirements. Every feature and tool associated with PayBito comes with an easy set-up process, eliminating the need for a third-party vendor or service provider. The process can be completed in minutes

Customizable Platform

The crypto broker platform is not a one-size-fits-all model. Every entrepreneur can customize the platform based on their risk threshold, business style, clientele type, and more.

Scalability

PayBito is not just for start-up entrepreneurs. As the business grows, the platform offers several tools for taking the business to the next level regarding formation, operation, and management. It is possible to scale up or down the service without the requirement of fixed investments or overheads.

Zero Shady Links or Schemes

PayBito offers a professional platform for a nominal subscription fee without any hidden deals or shady schemes promising quick money. Users can trade on the exchange or create and enlist coins in the market.

Sustainable Career With Freedom and Growth:

PayBito offers a professional path for a sustainable career with stability and high growth opportunities. One PayBito broker from the USA shared, I sought a safe source of income from home and found hassle-free broker registration and the opportunity to earn handsomely.

Freedom of Work

PayBito brokers have the freedom to choose their level of involvement, time commitment, and risk associated with the trade. It is not a typical nine-to-five job or pay-per-hour-worked scheme. The user control panel allows brokers to have good control and visibility of the entire process from anywhere, at any time, on any device.

Steady Income

With versatile methods of making money, PayBito offers brokers a steady income without the need for an initial investment. It is not a scheme where one gets paid only when there is work.

Growth Opportunity

Unlike other work-from-home jobs, becoming a PayBito broker is not a dead-end, skill-based career path. The platform offers a wide range of growth opportunities. With the increasing adoption and acceptance of crypto, a vast population of potential first-time crypto investors is looking for brokers with good resources. PayBito has democratized crypto trading, allowing brokers to create their unique brand and services to attract new clients. A PayBito-associated crypto broker from Singapore says, Im making money from home and living a life free of EMIs.

Brokering World Hunger Away While Making Money From Home:

A PayBito-associated broker, while making a steady income, will also help fight against world hunger simultaneously. PayBito donates one dollar for every dollar its brokers make as a trading commission. Thus, as the brokers grow, the platform offers more money towards causes that help feed starving children.

Looking Forward:

PayBito's new global exchange platform aims to accelerate cryptocurrency adoption, providing a secure, user-friendly, and innovative platform that caters to both crypto entrepreneurs and trading firms. With over a million users and 1.5K partners, PayBito has already processed over 100 million transactions. PayBito's offering enables entrepreneurs and businesses to establish their crypto enterprises with minimal technical knowledge or initial investment. All they need is a computer and an internet connection.

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.
Integrating REDCOM C2 technology with PacStar's modular systems greatly reduces complexity while allowing users to leverage multiple, disparate means of communication to ensure interoperability in complex and contested combat environments.

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of advanced tactical communications systems for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), has announced a new Sigma XRI module for PacStar systems. The new PacStar 421 module includes REDCOM Sigma XRI technology with radio gateway services for modern and legacy radios, enabling tactical users to seamlessly bridge the gap between disparate VoIP and RoIP radio systems. The module leverages existing radio assets to enable maximum interoperability, regardless of the radio network, endpoint, or frequency used.

The PacStar 421 module with REDCOM XRI also includes REDCOMs powerful Sigma C2 Console app, which enables RoIP and VoIP endpoints to be monitored, controlled, and patched together on-the-fly from an intuitive interface.

PacStar and REDCOM have worked closely together for several years, but this is the first time we have executed joint development to create a fully integrated product, said REDCOM Strategic Lead John Kelliher. REDCOM's robust and proven C2 communications solution converges IP- and RF-based communications, enabling real-time interoperability at the point of attack. Integrating REDCOM C2 technology with PacStar's modular systems greatly reduces complexity while allowing users to leverage multiple, disparate means of communication to ensure interoperability in complex and contested combat environments.

We are very excited to collaborate with REDCOM to add REDCOM XRI functionality to PacStar 400 Series tactical communications ecosystem, said Dominic Perez, CTO, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division. The combination of PacStar and REDCOM technologies gives operators the best of both worlds, delivering a proven full-featured C2 platform that uses a single interface for controlling RoIP and SIP endpoints and for voice, video and chat.

A live demonstration of the PacStar 421 RoIP Module with REDCOM Sigma XRI will be presented during SOF Week, May 8-11, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, FL, in Curtiss-Wrights booth #1143.

About REDCOM

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc. is a woman-owned small business that specializes in the development of advanced strategic, operational, and tactical communication solutions with a focus on interoperability, flexibility, and ease of use. REDCOMs MIL-spec products are optimized for low size, weight, and power (SWaP), making them the ideal communications core for denied environments or deployments to the tactical edge. REDCOMs customers include all branches of the military, government agencies, emergency responders, integrators, and enterprises. All REDCOM products are proudly designed, built, and supported in the United States. For additional information, please visit the REDCOM website at http://www.redcom.com.

About the PacStar Family of Leading Battlefield Solutions

The industry-leading PacStar family of advanced communications solutions addresses a wide range of military, intelligence, and commercial applications. Curtiss-Wright created and manufactures COTS-based rugged, small form factor expeditionary and mobile communications systems. Separately, it developed integrated, network communications management software, IQ-Core Software, for the military, federal, state/local government, and emergency responder markets. The companys patented IQ-Core Software, hardware technology, and integrated solutions provide secure, command, control, and communications systems, particularly in remote or infrastructure starved areas. In addition, PacStar communications systems are ideally suited for commercial/industrial organizations with mission-critical field communications requirements.

For additional information about Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions products, please visit http://www.curtisswrightds.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter @CurtissWrightDS.
With her vast experience formulating and executing high-level talent searches and building relationships with key players across the healthcare, life sciences, banking, and private equity sectors, Kate will be a wonderful addition to the Slone Partners senior team, said CEO Leslie Loveless.

Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences, biotechnology, and healthcare companies, has announced that Kate Portland has been named Vice President of Client Partnerships. In her new role, Portland will focus on developing and fostering new and existing client relationships to enhance the companys impact in the nations investment firms, healthcare, and life sciences companies. Kate will also develop and lead executive searches for C-suite placements along with placing investment team members for private equity and venture capital firms.

Prior to joining Slone Partners, Portland was the Head of Executive Talent at Water Street, a Chicago-based private equity firm dedicated to investing in the healthcare sector. In this role she was responsible for recruiting the leaders for the firms portfolio companies and executive advisors. Previously, Portland was the Vice President of Human Capital at GTCR where she oversaw human resources and recruiting for the investment teams. She also served in several leadership roles at Citadel Investment Group, which included spearheading recruiting for Surveyor Capital, the Client & Partner Group, and the Equity Quant Coverage teams. Portland previously founded and ran her own executive search firm, Venautics, dedicated to the asset management industry. She also spent time as an investment banking analyst at both Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Portland began her career in healthcare consulting at Hewitt Associates and Towers Perrin.

Kate Portland is an accomplished and highly respected executive talent recruiter and client development specialist with an impressive track record of success over more than 20 years, said Slone Partners CEO Leslie Loveless. With her vast experience formulating and executing high-level talent searches and building relationships with key players across the healthcare, life sciences, banking, and private equity sectors, Kate will be a wonderful addition to the Slone Partners senior team.

Portland holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

ABOUT SLONE PARTNERS

Slone Partners delivers the leaders who build amazing and diverse life sciences and healthcare organizations  People Are Our Science. Founded in 2000, Slone Partners specializes in delivering world-class C-suite leadership, executive, and upper management talent to the most promising and established biotech, diagnostics, research tools, healthcare, precision medicine, medical device, and laboratory services companies. With national and global clients, Slone Partners uniquely and precisely provides an array of executive search and advisory services, including diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, to innovative life sciences and healthcare companies. To learn more about Slone Partners value proposition and processes, visit http://www.slonepartners.com or call 888.784.3422.
We are excited to return to COMPUTEX TAIPEI and meet with our existing and potential customers to discuss how we can address their unique supply chain needs.

Smith, a leading global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces its upcoming exhibition at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2023, a major international gathering of electronics-industry professionals. This will be the companys ninth time exhibiting at the show.

Smith representatives will be on hand at booth I0020 to discuss the companys comprehensive supply chain service offerings, including procurement, lifecycle management, and state-of-the-art in-house testing and inspection capabilities.

Smiths global industry outlook and vast, multichannel supplier network provide our customers with the tools and resources they need to manage their supply chains as markets continue to shift, said Choon Byun, Chairman, APAC at Smith. We are excited to return to COMPUTEX TAIPEI and meet with our existing and potential customers to discuss how we can address their unique supply chain needs.

To attend the show, please visit the COMPUTEX TAIPEI registration page.

WHAT: COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2023

WHEN: Tuesday, May 30, 2023  Friday, June 2, 2023

WHERE: Smith Exhibition Showcase  Hall 1, Booth I0020

Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center

No. 1, Jingmao 2nd Road, Nangang District, Taipei City, TW 115

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and automobiles. In 19 cities around the world, Smiths legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $4.8 billion in 2022. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smiths flexible Intelligent DistributionTM model optimizes customers supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smiths testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Singapore cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smiths operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the companys global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number seven among all global distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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Global Digital Literacy Council Our research shows that digital skills are crucial to sustaining the well-being of and drive to prosperity for economies around the world. We feel privileged to showcase our analysis and findings in the APEC meeting in Detroit, said Nich Haber, Chair of the Global Digital Literacy Council.

The Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC) will participate alongside Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) 2023 annual meeting on May 16, 2023, in Detroit, MI.

The Global Digital Literacy Council is an advisory group comprised of corporate executives, government officials, academicians, and industry influencers working together to define international digital literacy standards and the means through which these standards can be validated.

Over the past several years, in partnership with Certiport, the GDLC analyzed market trends and job data to understand the workforce landscape and the relevance of digital literacy as a crucial job skill. This collaboration and research led to the development and delivery of the IC3 Digital Literacy certification program that validates learners digital skills, now in its most recent version, the Global Standard 6.

In a two-hour session hosted by the Council, representatives from the GDLC will lead discussions around digital literacy as a workforce skill. Our research with Certiport shows that digital skills are crucial to sustaining the well-being of and drive to prosperity for economies around the world. We deeply admire the work of APEC and the HRDWG and feel privileged to showcase our analysis and findings in their annual meeting in Detroit, said Nich Haber, Chair of the Global Digital Literacy Council.

In line with HRDWGs 2023 theme of Promoting Equitable and Inclusive Education and Skills Training Opportunities in the Asia-Pacific Region, the session will host diverse members of APEC economies and discuss the positive impact of teaching and testing digital literacy skills in the APEC region. At APEC, we have focused this year on creating a resilient and sustainable future for all, with special emphasis on policies that promote interconnectivity, innovation, and inclusivity, said Zhao Li, Lead Shepherd, HRDWG. Our HRDWG plenary meeting is a chance to discuss the best ways to create a sustainable and bright future for our economies. We are looking forward to learning from the Global Digital Literacy Council.

Learn more about APEC and HRDWG here. Additional information about the Global Digital Literacy Council can be found here. Learn more about Certiport here.

About the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG)

The Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) was established in 1990 and conducts work programs on developing human resources, focusing on issues ranging from education, capacity building to labor and social protection. The goal of human resources development in APEC is to promote the well-being of all people and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the region. HRDWG has responsibilities to help build cultural awareness and promote gender equality as well as be responsible for including disability issues in its workplan.

About the Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC)

The Global Digital Literacy Council serves as an advisory body and as an authoritative voice on issues driving the development and implementation of global digital literacy standards and systems around the world. The IC3 Digital Literacy Standards result from periodic reviews by the Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC) and recommendations from members of the council to better attack the challenge of digital literacy needs at several levels. The council is made up of industry professionals, government leadership, and academicians who have a strong presence in digital literacy concerns worldwide.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery, and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe Certified Professional certification program, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit certification program, the App Development with Swift certification program, the Unity Certified User certification program, the Communication Skills for Business certification program, the IC3 Digital Literacy certification, and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information visit http://www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/certiport.

"Certiport" is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
With a commitment to fostering healthy ecosystems while enhancing productivity and creativity, they are helping to shape our cities and communities through innovative biophilic designs. "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with UpScapers of Nashville, TN to market the unique Roofingreen systems and brand throughout the United States." Frank Jellinek, Roofingreen VP International Partners

"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with UpScapers of Nashville, TN to market the unique Roofingreen systems and brand throughout the United States." Frank Jellinek, Roofingreen VP International Partners

With UpScapers we team up with a highly dynamic master distributor that is successfully marketing Vistafolia artificial plant panels and fully shares our biophilic design philosophy. Led by the Wiener family, UpScapers has decades of industry experience, a fast-growing sales & distribution network and capability to provide full installation services across the country.

As a sign of our commitment to the US market, we have also decided to join the CADdetails.com platform, a primary tool for many architects, designers and landscapers, where they can find and download product data and drawings.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Roofingreen and bringing their award-winning green roof solution to our customers," said UpScapers Principal, Jackie Wiener. "This partnership will enable us to provide our customers with access to a cutting-edge and sustainable green roofing solution with potential to transform any space into an oasis of beauty and sustainability."

With outstanding projects to show for in New York City and Florida, for Roofingreen these are major steps towards becoming a recognized brand in the design of urban outdoor living spaces in the USA. We now have all the fundamentals in place to convert the potential of this highly demanding market into a flourishing business.

About UpScapers

Established in 2020, UpScapers is North America's fastest-growing biophilic design and installation company, sourcing and warehousing and installing ground-breaking vertical landscape solutions. UpScapers supplies, trains, and supports a vast network of certified resellers and is invested in educating the architectural & design community on biophilic design benefits and the increased movement toward inclusion of biophilia in modern design.
It is an honor for us both to be on this years Super Doctors list. We strive to offer the best in facial plastic surgery and dermatology and provide a customized approach to meet each patients needs, says Dr. Morgan Rabach.

Both Dr. Lesley Rabach and Dr. Morgan Rabach of LM Medical NYC have been chosen by Super Doctors as two of the top doctors in New York for 2023. The number of physicians in each region receiving this honor is limited to approximately five percent. This award is given to the areas best doctors in various medical specialties. The list of distinguished physicians will be published in an upcoming edition of The New York Times and online at http://www.superdoctors.com. Both doctors join an elite group of physicians earning this recognition. Super Doctors uses a rigorous multi-step process designed to identify healthcare providers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Dr. Lesley Rabach is double board certified in two facial plastic surgery fields, with a stellar reputation for creating natural, beautiful results for patients. Her extensive education, training and experience have earned accolades in her field, and she has been published in various medical journals. Dr. Morgan Rabach is a board-certified dermatologist who also has been recognized for her many accomplishments in dermatology and aesthetics. She has received many top rankings and has a substantial media presence in well-known beauty publications around the world.

It is an honor for us both to be on this years Super Doctors list. We strive to offer the best in facial plastic surgery and dermatology and provide a customized approach to meet each patients needs, says Dr. Morgan Rabach.

More about LM Medical NYC:

LM Medical NYC (Facial Plastic Surgery and Dermatology Specialists) is located at 33 Fifth Avenue #1B in New York, NY. As sisters and founders of the practice, Dr. Lesley Rabach, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, and Dr. Morgan Rabach, a board-certified dermatologist, come together to provide the highest-quality medical, surgical and cosmetic care for patients at one location. This premier NYC practice offers expertise in two fields of medicine to help patients achieve the appearance they desire in a comfortable, upscale atmosphere. The clinic provides many services, ranging from the latest in clinical dermatology treatments to non-invasive cosmetic injections and youthful makeovers with plastic surgery. For more information or to schedule a consultation or appointment, please call 212-777-2272, or visit http://www.lmmedicalnyc.com.


Its easy to characterize conspiracy theorists as people who will believe just about anything. However, its not true that conspiracy theorists commonly believe contradictory conspiracies, such as the claim that Diana, Princess of Wales, did not die in a car accident but instead both was murdered and is still alive after faking her own death. That kind of thinking appears to be nothing more than a statistical artifact, according to Jan-Willem van Prooijen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) in an interview about his research in Psychological Science.

The correlation emerges mostly because many people believe the official story (Princess Diana died in a car accident) and do not believe either contradictory conspiracy theory, van Prooijen explained.

Van Prooijen, Iris Wahring, Laura Mausolf, Nicole Mulas, and Shayda Shwan (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) examined beliefs about contradictory conspiracy theories through a series of four studies with a total of 7,641 participants.

In the initial study, 796 participants from the United Kingdom were presented with descriptions of eight topics associated with popular conspiracy theories. Participants reported whether they believed the official story to be true or false before rating, on a scale of 1 to 5, how strongly they agreed with two related conspiracy theories. In the case of climate change, for example, participants reported whether they believed the official science-supported statement that climate change exists and is caused by human activity. They then rated how strongly they agreed with the conspiratorial statements climate change exists but is not caused by humans and climate change does not exist.

In line with previous research, van Prooijen and colleagues found a significant correlation between participants belief in contradictory conspiracy theories. When the researchers looked more closely at the data, however, it became clear that this effect was driven primarily by participants who believed the official story and did not believe either conspiracy theorynot, as previously suggested, by participants who believed both contradictory conspiracy theories.

When people dont believe a conspiracy theory that a person is murdered and also dont believe a conspiracy theory that a person faked her own death, their responses are also going to be positively correlated, van Prooijen said.

Notably, the researchers did not find any significant positive correlation related to dead-or-alive conspiracies. For example, participants who did not believe the official story about the suicides of Adolph Hitler and Jeffrey Epstein were more likely to believe that the man in question had either faked his death or been killed by someone else, not to report believing both at the same time.

More on the science behind conspiracy theories >

The researchers further tested these findings through three similar studiesone with 5,261 participants in the Netherlands and two with a total of 1,584 participants in the United States. Although participants in the Netherlands who disbelieved the official story were more likely to believe multiple conspiracy theories related to a single subject, this correlation was not found for dead-or-alive cases. Similarly, participants in the two U.S. samples who reported believing in one conspiratorial explanation for an event were not found to be more likely to believe a second contradictory theory, especially for dead-or-alive cases.

Finally, van Prooijen and colleagues conducted a mini meta-analysis that further supported these findings. Across all four studies, there was a positive correlation between reported belief in contradictory conspiracy theories among people who believed the official story because they did not believe either conspiratorial explanation. Meanwhile, there was a significant negative correlation between belief in contradictory conspiracy theories among people who did not believe the official story related to a dead-or-alive case. Thats because this group tended to only believe in one conspiratorial explanation.

All of this does not mean that conspiracy theory belief is necessarily rational, van Prooijen said. Conspiracy beliefs tend to be based on weak evidence, motivated reasoning, pseudoscience, and so on. But conspiracy theorists do not typically or systematically believe that a person is dead and alive at the same time. People like that do exist, but they are the exceptions, not the rule.

Future work needs to investigate how this statistical artifact may influence other findings related to conspiratorial thinking, van Prooijen added. For example, research suggests that belief in one conspiracy theory (e.g., 9/11 was an inside job) predicts belief in unrelated conspiracy theories (e.g., climate change is a hoax). But this correlation could appear larger than it actually is because of data from participants who believe both official stories and disbelieve both conspiracy theories, he explained.

Reference

van Prooijen, J.W., Wahring, I., Mausolf, L., Mulas, N., & Shwan, S. (2023). Just dead, not alive: Reconsidering belief in contradictory conspiracy theories. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231158570

Feedback on this article? Email apsobserver@psychologicalscience.org or login to comment. Interested in writing for us? Read our contributor guidelines.
Philip Yancey is no stranger to The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Awards Celebration held during their annual Leadership Summit. The author has been honored numerous times for sales in the millions and unflinching prose. On May 9, Yancey reached the top, the Pinnacle Award for an author's impact on the Church and society, and Luci Shaw  editor, poet, and co-founder of Harold Shaw Publishers  was presented with the Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award. The ECPA cited her 'innovative, influential and enduring" contributions, raising the bar for "literary excellence in Christian publishing."

In naming Yancey, the ECPA cited his 12 Gold Medallion Book Awards titles that exceeded 500,000 copies in sales, a Christian Book Award for Grace Notes in 2010, and two Book of the Year Awards for The Jesus I Never Knew in 1996, and Whats So Amazing About Grace in 1998. ECPA president Jeff Crosby praised Yancey for decades of writing with "honesty, piercing questions, and resilient hopefulness" in a string of titles including Disappointment with God, The Question That Never Ends, Soul Survivor and, most recently, the memoir Where the Light Fell.

This year is the 25th anniversary of his first book, Where Is God When It Hurts (Zondervan), on living without anger or fear in the face of physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. The book has been updated through the years as issues have arisen. In a new edition this fall, Yancey, who frequently shares his own experiences, doubts, and struggles in his works, may add a new perspective  dealing with his recent diagnosis of Parkinsons.

Yancey, who is 73, told PW, "My future is full of question marks, and Im not unduly anxious. I have excellent medical care and support from friends. I trust a good and loving God who often chooses to reveal those qualities through his followers on earth. I have written many words on suffering and now am being called to put them into practice. May I be a faithful steward of this latest chapter."

Meanwhile, he's on to writing his 26th book  co-authoring What Went Wrong: Russia's U-Turn and the Path to Ukraine (Wipf and Stock Publishing, late fall) with John Bernbaum, founder of the Moscow American Christian University, recently shuttered by Vladimir Putin. They are exploring "what happened to turn Russia from a westward-looking freedom-loving society to a closed hostile society," Yancey said.

Ninety-four-year-old Luci Shaw's long career as a writer, editor, and publisher has come nearly full circle with the Lifetime Achievement Career named for Taylor, the late founder and president of Tyndale House publishers. She was the English stylist who worked with him on his paraphrase of the New Testament Epistles, Living Letters, published in 1963. She and her husband launched Harold Shaw Publishers in 1967 (an imprint of WaterBrook since 2000) with her as v-p and senior editor and later president after her husband's death in 1966.

She is part of the Chrysostom Society of Christian poets, essayists, novelists, and nonfiction writers. The ECPA announcement cited her ongoing work as an editor for literary publications and her "numerous works of poetry, essays, childrens books, and nonfiction including Writing the River, Sea Glass, Water My Soul, God in the Dark, Angels Everywhere, The Green Earth, and The Crime of Living Cautiously. Iron Pen, an imprint of Paraclete, will release her latest poetry collection Reversing Entropy in April 2024. Paraclete poetry editor Lillian Miao told PW the book offers "grace-filled expressions of all the gifts her life has held." Tuesday evening at the Awards Celebration she read a poem she composed for the occasion.

The Christian Book of the Year

Jennie Allen's bestseller, Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World, an energetic roadmap to creating deep, healthy, joyful relationships, has been named Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It was among the 13 categories of winning titles in Christian publishing announced Tuesday at the ECPA's annual Leadership Conference in Nashville.

Find Your People is the second book in a run of blockbuster titles by Allen for WaterBrook, a Penguin Random House imprint. It debuted in February 2022 at the top of the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, reflecting the global popularity of Allen, a Bible teacher and founder of the IF: Gathering women's conferences that are streamed to 40 countries. Together with Get Out of Your Head, published in 2020, the two books have sold nearly a million copies according to Circana BookScan. Laura Barker, v-p and publisher for WaterBrook and Multnomah, told PW, that what keeps readers "coming back book after book is that she delivers tangible, relevant, Bible-infused solutions to the tensions we all face in walking out our faith in daily life. In 2013, she received the Christian Book Award for New Author of the Year for Anything (Thomas Nelson).

The 2023 New Author of the Year honor went to graphic designer and first-time author Jennifer Tucker for Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul from Thomas Nelson Gift, an illustrated guide to the practice of prayers centered on Christ and Scripture.

The Christian Living winner was James K.A. Smith's How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now (Brazos Press/Baker Publishing Group). The philosophy professor told PW that reconciling faith and history is about "finding the space to hit the pause button on our immersion in this frenetic present, and to contemplate and reckon with where weve come from and what we are called to do."

Tim Challies' Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God (Zondervan Reflective) won in the Biography & Memoir category. Challies, a pastor, author, and blogger, writes about living in Christian hope after the sudden death of his son, Nick, in 2020.

There was a tie for the top honor in the Children's category. Sharing the honors were The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, (Crossway) by pastor and writer Kevin DeYoung with illustrations by Don Clark, and Our God is Bigger Than That! (End Game Press) by Michelle Medlock Adams and Eva Marie Everson, both prolific authors of scores of books, with illustrations by Anna Jones.

In Bible Study, the win went to Bible teacher, speaker, and author Nancy Guthrie for Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation (Crossway). According to the publisher, she "takes the fear, intimidation, and confusion away from studying Revelation" and helps readers make sense of its "unique apocalyptic symbolism, visual imagery, and Old Testament allusions."

For a full list of the winners, click here.
With Penguin Random House now holding a majority stake in Sourcebooks, the companies have teamed up in a PRH-funded acquisition of the assets of Callisto Media. Callistos assets will now be managed by Sourcebooks. The purchase comes after PRH, which acquired a 45% stake in Sourcebooks in 2019, upped its ownership stake to a majority position. The announcement said there are no changes in Sourcebooks' leadership, management or publishing autonomy following the increase in PRHs ownership position.

Callisto, which was founded in 2011 and was once one of PWs fast-growing independent presses, enjoyed tremendous growth up and into the pandemic, and at one-time had as many as 400 employees in offices in New York and Emeryville, Calif. In 2020, Callisto enjoyed a sales boom in childrens nonfiction books published by its Rockridge Press imprint. Its My First Learn-to-Write Workbook racked up sales of 431,000 copies in the first half of 2020, and has now sold about 1.5 million copies.

Speaking to PW in 2020 about the success of that title and its children's line, Callisto executives cited the company's data driven approach to publishing as the driving factor. But by the summer of 2021, Callisto began laying off some employees and, early that next summer, delaying and cancelling new projects. By July 2022, Callisto had laid off 35% of its workforce in a bid to downsize and reduce its spending by $20 million. A second round of layoffs came in October 2022, when it eliminated another 200 jobs.

Benjamin Wayne, cofounder and CEO of Callisto, told employees at the time that the additional cuts were necessary because he was unable to raise additional funds, with venture capital firms becoming more cautious about making new investments following a slowdown in the economy. Wayne also cited questions from VC firms about the prospects of technology companies as the economy cooled. (Callisto viewed itself as a data and technology company first.)

We are excited to continue to build the future of the Callisto publishing program with our partners at Penguin Random House," said Sourcebooks founder and CEO Dominique Raccah, in a statement. This acquisition brings together two of the most data-driven publishers in the industry to create a consumer-led organization."
The survey that tracks satellite TVs reach across a wide range of global regions and industry metrics and SES claims that the new report confirms its position as a leading content connectivity provider in the media industry.The overall growth was driven primarily by increases in Europe, up by 6.3 million homes, and Africa (+3 million), with stabilisation in Latin America and Asia-Pacific. However, the continued trend of cord-cutting and the continued expansion of fibre connectivity in the US has seen North American reach decline further, falling by 5.4 million over the last year.In all, SES now addresses 49.5 million homes in Africa, 33.1 million in the Asia-Pacific region, 44 million in Latin America, 13.4 million in the Middle East, 53.2 million in North America and 175.8 in Europe.Other notable highlights revealed in the report included the finding that while video-on-demand continues to attract viewers, free to air TV proves to be growing globally as fibre connectivity expands globally , IPTV continues to grow as a TV reception method, taking share from traditional cable TV. In Africa, satellite continues to drive an increase in the number of direct-to-home (DTH) TV homes. SES pointed out that in Ethiopia it has gained 90% penetration of TV homes through its partner Ethiosat.Commenting on the report, Norbert Holzle, global head of media at SES said: For years, we have been collecting data and insight from the annual Satellite Monitor market research on our TV neighbourhoods and the shifting market dynamics around video delivery and consumption trends. We do this because we believe we can add value to our customers with this data and empower them to make informed business decisions on the best way to deliver content to a large audience in the most cost-effective way.
Property details:

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Price: $ 2,500 Seller State of Residence: Tennessee Type: Homesite, Lot Property Address: Pressmans Home Rd Zip/Postal Code: 37857 Zoning: Residential City: rogersville State/Province: Tennessee Location: 378**, Rogersville, Tennessee

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan honored the memory of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov wrote on Twitter, Trend reports.

"Today we took part in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev. In 2022, a street and a commemorative bas-relief named after the national leader of Azerbaijan were opened in Tashkent. We highly appreciate the current state of Uzbek-Azerbaijani cooperation and advocate its further enrichment in all directions," Saidov said.
Lindsay Arnold / Instagram

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/09/2023



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' pro Lindsay Arnold has revealed her sweet daughter's name and her "very scary and shocking" birth story.Lindsay announced her second daughter's name, June Cusick, less than one week after giving birth."Our sweet and tiny girl joined our family May 3rd in the afternoon and we have been on cloud 9 ever since," the pro dancer and choreographer, 29, captioned an Instagram post on Saturday, May 6.Lindsay shared three photos of her baby girl, who was born weighing five pounds and seven ounces, swaddled in a pink blanket.Lindsay went on to share her birth story and how she welcomed June via C-section."Baby girl came out butt first and I was actually able to watch most of this delivery through a plastic curtain, I wasn't able to see with Sage," Lindsay wrote.Lindsay welcomed her first-born daughter , Sage Jill, with husband Sam Cusick in November 2020.Lindsay continued of her labor and delivery experience with June: "Contractions started for me early that morning at 38 weeks 5 days pregnant (just one day earlier than when I went into labor with Sage). The contractions started out strong but then in the late morning slowed down quite a bit."Lindsay recalled going for a walk, taking Sage to dance class, and then finishing up some last minute work-related things -- all the while having contractions 25 minutes apart."Around 2PM, they picked back up and quickly went from 10 min apart to 3 all in about 30 min. I called Sam and he raced home from work. We dropped Sage off at my parents house and headed to the hospital!" Lindsay shared in her post."By the time I got there contractions were consistently two min apart and VERY intense. They checked my dilation and I was at 4cm, checked baby girls position and she was still breech (had been breech since 30 weeks) so they called my dr and he said it was time to get baby girl out and move forward with a c section."Lindsay said she received her spinal block and then nurses prepped her for surgery.After June came out "butt first," Lindsay said, "When it was time for her head to come out, that's when we could see that the cord was wrapped around baby girls neck (explains why she was breech). It was extremely difficult for them to pull her head out and the cord was compressing around her neck as they pulled."When doctors released June's head, they "quickly unraveled the cord," according to Lindsay, which "was wrapped around our sweet girls neck 6 times."Lindsay called it a "very scary and shocking moment" for everyone in the room."My doctor said he has never seen a cord wrapped that many times," Lindsay revealed, adding, "They quickly and effectively worked on getting baby girl breathing and alert which took a few minutes."While Lindsay said those minutes "felt like forever," she and Sam were "so blessed" to have June breathing on her own."Our little June came out fighting and we are so proud of her and just so in love. We are soaking up every moment with our girls and just want to say thank you for all of the love and support for our family," Lindsay concluded.Lindsay added one day later on Instagram, "Can't imagine life without our sweet June. It feels like she has always been with us," before posting a video of her labor and birth Vlog.When June first arrived on May 3, Lindsay gushed on social media about how she and her husband "are so in love" with their newborn."Mama and baby are healthy and we are soaking up every minute with our little piece of Heaven. Thank you for all the love we will share more soon. #birth #babygirl #laboranddelivery #csection #birthannouncement," she wrote earlier this month.Before giving birth, Lindsay wrote a sweet tribute to Sage in an April post."I have been feeling all the emotions as we get closer and closer to becoming a family of four," Lindsay shared at the time."It's crazy to think that there will be another baby girl in our family and I can't quite wrap my head around how my heart is going to handle doubling in size again when she arrives but I know that it will and I'm so excited.""We are beyond grateful and blessed for the time we have had with Sage as our little fam of 3 and we are all so excited and ready to have baby sister join our family so soon," she continued."My heart literally explodes when I think about seeing Sage with her baby sister for the first time."Lindsay revealed she was pregnant again in late October 2022."We are beyond grateful and feel so blessed to be adding a new addition to our family," Lindsay wrote on Instagram.She later added, "You guys this is literally the best thing in the world, to be able to able to tell you all our amazing news. It's been our little secret for a while."The pro dancer and choreographer then revealed in early November that she had a baby girl on the way . She and her husband hosted a gender-reveal party at their Utah home."We are beyond excited to bring another sweet girl into our family and so so happy that Sage will have a sister," Lindsay gushed.Lindsay later reflected on her pregnancy via Instagram Stories, telling her followers, "You guys, we are having another girl!... I obviously would've been happy with either a boy or a girl, I would be stoked, but I am so excited that Sage is going to have a little sister.""I can't imagine a life without sisters, so I'm so grateful that they will have each other. It's so crazy -- I'm going to have two little girls!" she added.Lindsay had struggled to conceive her second child, which she was open about with her followers on Instagram.Lindsay revealed in a YouTube video in October how she and Sam started trying for another baby in January 2022, which she acknowledged was not a very long time compared to other couples out there."Month 9, I get a faint positive test. It was very faint... I was also testing way early... and then literally every day after that was negative," Lindsay said in the YouTube video.Lindsay shared how she could've had a chemical pregnancy or a false positive, which is rare."It was awful because I got so excited. I was so pumped out of my mind and told Sam... and it was super disappointing to have all that [taken away]," Lindsay said.But the following month, Lindsay discovered she was pregnant again."I thought I had it hard, but I know other people have it so much worse," Lindsay noted.Lindsay decided not to compete on ' 31st season late last year because she was focused on Sage."Doing what is best for my daughter is always going to be at the top of my list!" Lindsay wrote on Instagram before the Disney+ season premiered in September."As many of you know, my family and I live in UT and in order to do DWTS I have to move myself and my daughter Sage out to LA and leave behind my husband Sam who works full time here in Utah."She elaborated, "And there is a lot of sacrifice that has to be made that unfortunately just did not feel right for us this time around. We exhausted every option we could think of to make it work but at the end of the day, none of the options felt good in my heart or felt like the right thing for our lives right now."Lindsay also confirmed at the time how she and Sam were trying for their second child."We are also trying to grow our family and that in itself is a complicated logistical thing as I'm sure many of you understand," Lindsay wrote."All this being said it's so important to me that you understand none of this has anything to do with my love for the show as that will NEVER change and it also doesn't mean that this is the end for me and DWTS.""Although this decision has been so hard to make," she added, "I feel so much peace about it and know that it is the right thing to do."Lindsay announced she was pregnant with her first child in May 2020, just one month before she and Samuel celebrated five years of marriage.Lindsay and Samuel were high school sweethearts who tied the knot at the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, UT, in June 2015. Approximately 150 guests reportedly attended their reception at the Sleepy Ridge estate.Fellow pros Jenna Johnson and Emma Slater were among her bridesmaids in her wedding, with Witney Carson serving as her maid of honor.Lindsay did not compete on ' 29th season because she was pregnant at the time, but she joined the show for Season 30 and danced with The Bachelor alum Matt James Lindsay joined as a pro partner for Season 16 and has competed in 10 seasons overall.
Kinetic Content / Reality TV World

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/10/2023



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star Gina Micheletti has explained why she blindsided Clint Webb with complaints about his personality that seemed to come out of left field just a few days before "Decision Day."On 's sixteenth season, Gina and Clint had a sitdown chat with show experts, Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz, a few days before Decision Day.Gina admitted how a lack of chemistry was the problem in her marriage and being partnered with Clint for the extreme experiment was a mismatch.During the show's Afterparty talk show on May 3, Gina watched back a Season 16 clip of her telling the experts about how Clint is "outrageous, wild and fun" as well as "the life of the party.""Everyone is consistently laughing and he brings this energy that's... a bizarre energy I've grown to love it about him," Gina continues. "But at first, the crass sense of humor [caused] almost a feeling of secondhand embarrassment."Clint then vents in a confessional, "How did this just come up?! Very interesting."Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam therefore asked Gina why she had never expressed those concerns or annoyances to Clint before."I think it was a culmination of me really trying to process 'what is it?' in my head that's not working," Gina explained."And we're at this point for probably the last week of really me taking, I know personally, the introspective work to figure it out, like, 'What is it that's really bothering me?' And once I did, I think I just -- it all came out."Gina insisted it was "a process" for her, but Keshia pointed out how Clint looked a little stunned, like a deer in headlights, hearing what Gina had to say."I mean, I don't know how Clint doesn't know that he is that way. He's the life of the party, he's the funny guy, he's the crazy and bizarre one. And he talks about that," Gina reasoned."He'll tell you, 'I live on Front Street, and I do this and that.' And so, it's starting to feel like, 'That's cool as a fun friend,' but it wasn't really feeling like a marriage."Keshia said Gina had taken issue with who Clint inherently is, and that's why Gina said Clint took it "offensively.""I always said, like going into this process, I said, 'I want someone who can make me laugh and is the life of the party,' and all of that," Gina shared."And I'm learning, like, 'Okay, maybe I do need someone a little more reserved,' like, I always thought I was the loud one."In response to trolls and haters accusing Gina of having withheld her true feelings from Clint the entire time, Gina said, "I think we have to realize that this process is legitimately eight weeks long. It's not like we've been together for three years and all of a sudden I'm like, 'This is what I don't like about your personality,' or, 'This isn't what's aligning with mine.'""I think I'm just processing through what it really is that's there," she added, "and I'm learning about the things that aren't there for me, personally."star Airris Williams -- who married Jasmine Secrest on MAFS16, joined Gina on Afterparty and claimed that everybody loved Clint for the reasons Gina has said she didn't like him as more than a friend."Clint is going places. He's the life of the party and he always turns up," Airris said."He'll dance even though he can't dance. So that's who he is, and in his mind, he's heard from all of us, 'Clint, you're great because of A, B and C.' And then hearing Gina say, 'I don't like A, B, and C,' coming from her, his wife, it hits different."Airris claimed he never really witnessed Gina cringing in the background during group gatherings."When Clint is in the zone, all of the attention is on him. I don't even know what Gina's doing, but she's probably like, 'Oh my gosh!' Some of us are like, 'Go Clint, go Clint!' And she's probably like, 'No Clint, no Clint,'" Airris said."Bring it back Clint!" Gina joked.Gina acknowledged how she and Clint "are perfect on paper" -- including how they're both logical thinkers -- but they were both missing a spark and physical intimacy.Gina ultimately concluded of her husband, "I don't really think Clint is attracted to me either."Gina and Clint began sleeping in separate beds after their honeymoon in Jamaica, and they never even kissed throughout the experiment.But the spouses maintained a positive and optimistic attitude, thinking maybe chemistry would develop organically over time. The pair never gave up and had hope their friendship could become something more with an emotional attachment.Clint, however, claimed on a previous episode of Afterparty that Gina didn't act like a wife at all throughout the experiment and she was a totally different person off-camera . He alleged that Gina gave him mixed signals and really confused him.With Decision Day right around the corner, it appears there's not much hope for Gina and Clint's relationship.'s sixteenth season also stars Airris and Jasmine, Nicole Lilienthal and Chris Thielk , and Kirsten Grimes and Shaquille Dillon Mackinley Gilbert and Domyinique Kloss got a divorce only 12 days into the process, and Mackinley has since voiced interest in potentially dating Gina.Gina shared whether she'd be open to giving Mackinley a chance during her Afterparty appearance.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
The ED carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS -- BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells -- on Wednesday in connection with its money-laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities at the infrastructure development and finance company, official sources said.

Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

The premises linked to the two auditors in Mumbai were searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added.

The action came a week after the Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court verdict that quashed an SFIO probe against the two companies, both former auditors of IL&FS Financial Services, paving the way for action against them under the Companies Act and allowing the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take forward its enquiry against them.

Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is an agency under the corporate affairs ministry that investigates and prosecutes white collar crimes and frauds.

The money-laundering probe into the alleged financial irregularities at IL&FS was launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2019 after the federal agency took cognisance of a Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) FIR filed against IRL, ITNL (group companies of IL&FS), its officials and others.

The ED also took cognisance of a complaint filed by the SFIO against IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) and its officials.

The ED had also attached assets of various entities in this case in the past.

Arun Kumar Saha, one of the former members of the committee of directors of IFIN, and Karunakaran Ramchand, former managing director of ITNL, were arrested by the ED, which subsequently filed a chargesheet before a special PMLA court in Mumbai.

The ED alleged in the chargesheet that the senior management of IL&FS indulged in acts of commissions and omissions, leading to illegal personal gains to them at the expense of the company.

The ED had said in order to maintain the credentials of IFIN -- so that they could continue to receive high remuneration -- the directors allegedly falsified the accounts and indulged in "circuitous transactions" to artificially boost the balance sheet of the IL&FS group, whereas in reality, these illegal activities were leading to further losses to the group.

According to records, the IL&FS group companies had an aggregate debt burden of more than Rs 91,000 crore and a series of defaults had taken place between June and September in 2018, threatening to collapse the money markets of India.

This had led to initiation of action against the firms and their auditors.

The Union government took the management control of IL&FS and appointed a new board in October 2018 in an effort to control defaults and restore confidence and financial stability in capital markets.
Sebi is learnt to have written to several regulators including those in Bermuda, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, seeking detailed information on some FPIs.

IMAGE: Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the Adani Group. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Securities and Exchange Board of India may approach the central government or law enforcement agencies to be able to get information from foreign jurisdictions in the Adani-Hindenburg case.

Sebi is awaiting details on end-beneficiaries of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in connection with the charges levelled by the US-based Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group.

The market regulator may refer the matter to ministries because some offshore regulators were not very forthcoming in providing the information sought, citing privacy reasons, said two people in the know.

Sebi is learnt to have written to several regulators including those in Bermuda, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, seeking detailed information on some FPIs.

Law enforcement agencies can opt for judicial assistance through letter rogatory (LR) and mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) in getting information.

LR is a formal request from a court to a foreign judicial body for assistance in an investigation, while MLAT requests can be made for collecting evidence and examining witnesses residing abroad.

Ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) are those that 'own' or 'control' an FPI, which is a pooled investment vehicle.

FPI regulations, along with the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, make a foreign entity responsible for maintaining and disclosing the records of UBOs at regular intervals.

Under the recent amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Rules, any individual or group holding 10 per cent ownership in the client of a 'reporting entity' will be considered a beneficial owner as against the ownership threshold of 25 per cent applicable earlier.

Explaining the issue, a regulatory source said Sebi could exercise information-sharing rights under its international memorandum of understandings (MoUs) entered into with overseas regulators.

But in case the query raised is beyond the requirements, then getting such information could be challenging.

About 32 securities regulators, including Sebi, are signatory members of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and also there are MoUs with other nations on exchanging information and cooperation.

Sources said Sebi had sought information about entities with holdings lower than the threshold.

"Offshore multi-layerings and a back-end omnibus kind of structures are nothing new and have generally been established for varied structuring reasons. Since lots of these ultimate holding structures can also get regulatory shelter under local privacy laws, at times it may be difficult to get the clear picture on end-beneficiaries," said Tejesh Chitlangi, senior partner, IC Universal Legal.

According to Chitlangi, the reduction of the threshold to 10 per cent has made it further difficult to ascertain UBO information, particularly in matters where the end-investors may not be inclined to cooperate for a variety of reasons.

Identifying and verifying beneficial ownership in FPIs mean finding out ownership/entitlement interests or control, the materiality threshold, a look-through test or the test of designated a 'senior managing official' whenever no owner entity can be identified.

FPIs are required to inform Sebi as well as their custodians about their beneficial owners when there is any material change in their structure, ownership, or control.

While seeking a six-month extension from the Supreme Court, Sebi said it would require statements from multiple domestic as well as international banks.
If the corruption issue doesn't claim Mr Baghel, the Congress's chances in the assembly election later this year are good, observes Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Congress plenary session in Raipur, February 25, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

After the Centre's lightning strikes on the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, is Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel next in line?

The Enforcement Directorate is trying to link the coal levy extortion -- where an e-Transportation Permit (TP) to transport coal from the mine to the user was replaced by a manual Non-Objection Certificate (NoC) at the behest of a cartel run by one Suryakant Tiwari and some bureaucrats -- with alleged pay-offs to many senior politicians.

Whether the ED will be able to finish its investigation and create a chargesheet linking the extortionists with the Congress's political leadership ahead of the assembly elections due in the second half of 2023 remains to be seen.

As of now, challenges to the Congress government are few.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been comatose for the most part after the 2018 assembly elections, in which it could win only 15 of the 90 seats in the assembly.

Former chief minister Raman Singh has been drafted into party work as national vice-president though he was unable to save his own backyard in the last assembly elections.

A few months ago, the BJP appointed three-time MLA Narayan Chandel Leader of the Opposition, replacing Dharamlal Kaushik.

Mr Chandel, the MLA from Janjgir-Champa and former deputy speaker of the assembly, is from the same caste -- Kurmi -- as Mr Baghel.

The BJP has exerted every nerve and sinew, but during the Baghel government's tenure, it is the Congress that has won all five bypolls to the assembly and local body elections.

In the last five years, the party also won all the Zilla Parishad, Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika and Nagar Panchayat elections.

The party won additional brownie points when it spearheaded an agitation against Governor Anusuya Uikey, who objected to increased quotas for Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Economically Weaker Section in public employment and admissions in educational institutions, a move backed by the state BJP.

Chhattisgarh reservation quotas are now 76 per cent, the highest in the country.

But trust the Congress to create problems where none exists.

Initially, after the 2018 assembly elections, as part of Rahul Gandhi's plan to introduce new Congress faces in the state, Tamradhwaj Sahu was chosen to become chief minister.

Mr Baghel, and the other big Congress leader in the state, T S Singh Deo, had just returned from Delhi, where they had each been given an assurance of getting the top job.

But when they landed in Raipur it was Mr Sahu's supporters who were letting off celebratory fireworks.

Like the proverbial tortoise, Mr Sahu had won the race.

Both returned to the airport and went back to Delhi, where Ahmad Patel thrashed out a half and half arrangement for chief ministership (between Mr Baghel and Mr Singh Deo).

As part of that arrangement Mr Sahu was made home minister.

Then came COVID-19, which claimed Ahmad Patel.

Now you had only Mr Singh Deo's word that he was given an assurance he would be CM for the second half of the term.

When Mr Baghel refused to budge, Mr Singh Deo ratcheted up his protest.

Mr Singh Deo continues to be unhappy, but Mr Baghel has grown in stature -- he was drafted for campaigning in the recent Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections.

He organised the Congress Plenary in Raipur. He enjoys the confidence of the Gandhi family.

As chief minister, Mr Baghel is realistic and free of dogma.

The rural economy is the centrepiece of his government's economic policy.

The scheme of purchasing cowdung from farmers led to many theories about the government's soft Hindutva, but it is a fact that Mr Baghel has not allowed the BJP to play up the Hindutva card.

The Gaudhan Nyay Yojana, or GNY, was launched in 2020.

Dung bought from farmers is transported to more than 3,500 government-run cowsheds, where it is turned into fertiliser and other products.

The next step is to turn these into industrial parks.

And if Raman Singh's triumph was reform in the public distribution system, Mr Baghel's promises to be grain procurement.

No Chhattisgarh farmer is protesting or demanding guaranteed minimum support price, secure in the knowledge that the state government will buy up all his produce.

The government offers cash assistance to landless agricultural labourers and has introduced health and nutrition facilities.

It promotes local traditions by giving additional public holidays for local festivals, highlighting the significance of local games and cuisine and introducing a state song and a state icon.

The chief minister is in constant touch with the voters through his 'Bhent-Mulaqat' programme, under which he has already visited more than 50 assembly constituencies.

If the corruption issue doesn't claim Mr Baghel, the Congress's chances in the state are good. But it is a big 'if'.
His disqualification to participate in future elections may follow, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.

IMAGE: A woman gestures next to a burning police vehicle during a protest by Imran Khan's supporters, after his arrest, in Karachi, May 9, 2023. Photographs: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad high court on May 9 afternoon on a warrant of arrest issued by the National Accountability Bureau, for irregular acquisition of property, which has been deemed to fall under corrupt practices by a holder of public office, under Section 9 (a) of the NAB Ordinance, 1999.

Pakistan estate dealer Malik Riaz had sold a property in Britain (ironically, after purchase from Nawaz Sharif's son). The National Crimes Office had frozen these funds. Later, after an out of court settlement, 190 million pounds were released for refund to the government of Pakistan.

Part of this money was adjusted in the supreme court of Pakistan's account against Malik Riaz's dues. The balance was apparently set off, in violation of money laundering laws, for land grants to Imran's family and friends. These transactions happened in 2019, when Imran was PM.

458 kanals of land in Mouza Bakrala, Tehsil Sohawa, Jhelum district and 240 kanals in Bani Gala, Islamabad (in the name of absconding business lady associate Farah Gogi) were gifted to Imran, ostensibly for setting up a university in the name of this trust.

The properties are registered in the name of the Al Qadir Trust, of which both Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi are the only trustees.

A small university campus was apparently set up in Sohawa, but very few students have enrolled and the university has not been recognised yet by Pakistan's education authorities.

Soon after Imran's arrest, Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf cadres resorted to slogan shouting, arson and violence. Protest demonstrations were held in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and other cities.

Unruly protestors breached the perimeters of a guest house in the Lahore corps commander's residential compound. PTI supporters, including women, gathered outside and shook the gates of the Pakistan army's general headquarters cantonment boundary fencing in Rawalpindi.

Unconfirmed reports suggested even a break in inside. These uprisings, though small so far, have been rather unprecedented, especially as the direction of protestors' ire seems focused against Pakistan's army.

Taking umbrage at Imran's arrest on the court premises, Chief Justice Amir Farooq of the Islamabad high court summoned the IGP Islamabad and the federal interior secretary to appear before him. He questioned whether the Pakistan Rangers, deployed to arrest Imran, were used in aid of the civil authority.

Islamabad Inspector General of Police Dr Akbar Nazir Khan affirmed they were. NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi explained the circumstances of the issue of the warrant of arrest.

Soon after retired General Nazir Ahmed Butt's appointment as NAB chairmaN in March 2023, inquiries on this foreign money trail into Pakistan were taken up in earnest. NAB had summoned Imran and Bushra Bibi in this case. After they avoided appearing, a warrant was issued.

On appeal, the Islamabad high court ruled the NAB warrant illegal on minor procedural grounds a few days ago. This arrest has ensued on a fresh NAB warrant on May 1, for which bail had not been obtained by Imran's legal team.

The CJI initially reserved his verdict, but later at night issued a short order holding the arrest legal.

The noose had been slowly, but surely tightening.

Imran kept taking advantage of an openly partial and benevolent judiciary, turning a blind eye to his repeated avoidance of indictment proceedings, as also easily getting anticipatory bail in several cases.

IMAGE: Imran Khan's supporters block a highway, during a protest against his arrest, in Karachi, May 9, 2023.

However, Imran seemed to have crossed a red line during his Lahore public meeting a few days ago, accusing the director general, counter intelligence (DG-C) in the Inter Services Intelligence directorate Major General Faisal Naseer of plotting to kill him. This statement elicited an angry response from the DG, Inter Services Public Relations Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

The ISPR press release No. PR-55/2023-ISPR of May 8 accused Imran of leveling 'highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior military officer without any evidence.'

It emphasised, 'This has been a consistent pattern (of Imran and other PTI leaders) for last one year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials' were targeted 'for the furtherance of political objectives.'

Imran Khan is likely to be produced on remand before a NAB court in Islamabad on May 10, when indictment in the Toshakhana case is also to be taken up in the additional sessions judge's court, Islamabad.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the whole of Punjab and in several other cities in other provinces. The violence which erupted spontaneously due to Imran's popularity may peter out over the next few days.

If they do not, a more serious crackdown on PTI supporters under close to martial law conditions cannot be ruled out.

Even as the protests are tackled by law and order authorities, Imran is likely to face long incarceration. His disqualification to participate in future elections may follow, even as the judiciary gets the message and decides, as in the past, to throw in its cudgels of quasi- independence and conform to the doctrine of necessity.

In this backdrop, though much bravado has attached to Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial's assertion that his order of elections in Punjab on May 14 still stands, elections to the national or provincial assemblies remain a far cry.

If all goes smoothly in law and order terms, they could still be held in October 2023, but the current surcharged atmosphere suggests to the contrary. Bandial remains to be tamed even as his retirement looms in four months, on September 16.

IMAGE: A boy rides past a paramilitary check post, that was set afire by Imran Khan's supporters, during a protest against his arrest, in Karachi, May 9, 2023.

In Imran's absence, it may be difficult for second stream PTI leaders to carry forward the populist momentum. Pervez Elahi, appointed President of the party recently, over the heads of other senior leaders like Pervez Khattak, Shah Mehmood Quereshi, has never been known to confront the military establishment.

A battle for succession to Imran's mantle may ensue. Meanwhile, a six-member PTI leadership committee has been formed, under Quereshi, to decide the future course of action.

The above scenario could unravel only if dissensions within the army, which have been exaggerated by observers sympathetic to Imran in Pakistan, intensify.

The ISPR notification of May 8 constituted a clear warning, backed by the collegiate leadership of senior generals who have rallied behind army chief, General Asim Munir.

Unconfirmed media reports suggest former DG, ISI, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (retd) is under informal house arrest. Former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been told to cut down his interactions with the media. Other retired generals like Zahir ul Islam, Shuja Pasha and Naeem Lodhi, who rallied to Imran's side in the recent past, may be under similar close watch.

History also suggests revolts from within or coup attempts against the army chief have never succeeded in Pakistan. Only time will tell if promotion of a protege like Imran will return to bite the omnipotent 'saviour' institution this time.
China has objected to a proposal by India to blacklist senior Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rauf Azhar at the United Nations Security Council.

It is learnt that China objected to the proposal from India to add the leader of the Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e Mohammed to the UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions list.

Rauf Azhar, born in 1974 in Pakistan, had been sanctioned by the United States in December 2010.

In August last year, China put a hold on the proposal by India and the US to designate Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist and subject him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

The US Department of Treasury had in December 2010 designated Abdul Rauf Azhar, a senior leader of Jaish-e Mohammed, for acting for or on behalf of JEM".

The US said that as a senior leader of JeM, Abdul Rauf Azhar has urged Pakistanis to engage in militant activities. He served as JEM's acting leader in 2007, as one of JEM's most senior commanders in India, and as JEM's intelligence coordinator. In 2008 Azhar was assigned to organise suicide attacks in India. He was also involved with JeM's political wing and has served as a JeM official involved with training camps.

Earlier also, China, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, has placed holds and blocks on bids by India and its allies to list Pakistan-based terrorists.

In May 2019, India had won a huge diplomatic win at the UN when the global body designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist, a decade after New Delhi had first approached the world body on the issue.

A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China was the sole hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a "technical hold". All decisions of the committee are taken through consensus.

Last year, China put holds on proposals to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists Hafiz Talah Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Shahid Mahmood, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba terrorist Sajid Mir under the Al Qaeda Sanctions regime.
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that Defence Research and Development Organisation official Pradeep Kurulkar, arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent, was an "active Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteer".

IMAGE: DRDO official Pradeep Kurulkar was arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent,. Photograph: ANI Photo

The DRDO official was arrested last week by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.

The Congress' attack came a day after a special court in Pune extended till May 15 the police custody of Kurulkar after observing that the charges against him were serious and custodial interrogation of the accused for a further period is unavoidable for a thorough probe.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the arrest of Kurulkar is a "very serious matter" and alleged that it exposes the "anti-national face" of the RSS.

"Pradeep Kurulkar, an active RSS volunteer leader and DRDO's Director of R&D (Engineering), has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad for spying on behalf of Pakistan. The case.... exposes the lie and charade of the RSS being a so-called nationalistic organisation," he claimed

The Congress spokesperson said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should answer as to what is the relationship between Kurulkar and the RSS as the matter pertains to national security.

There was no immediate reaction from the RSS.

Khera also showed a video during the press conference of Kurulkar addressing RSS events with top Sangh functionaries in attendance.

"Kurulkar's association with the RSS goes back generations, as he revealed in an interview with a YouTube channel last year. His grandfather was an RSS volunteer who worked as a mathematician, and his father carried on his work for the Sangh," Khera claimed.

The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistan Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official has said, adding it was a case of honeytrap.
Seeking the extension of police custody of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist Pradeep Kurulkar, arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent, the prosecution told a special court on Tuesday they have received the forensic report of devices seized from him and some images, videos and files that were deleted earlier have been retrieved now.

The special court in Pune extended till May 15 the police custody of Kurulkar, arrested by the Maharashtra police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 3, after observing that charges against him were serious and custodial interrogation of the accused for a further period is unavoidable for a thorough probe.

The DRDO scientist was produced before the additional sessions judge (Special Court) in the afternoon after the end of his police custody.

The prosecution, while arguing for further custody of Kurulkar, informed the court they have seized a phone on which the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) agent had messaged the accused using an Indian number.

It sought to know why the PIO was blocked by the accused, and told the court they wanted to interrogate him on this and other issues related to the case.

The prosecution, through its lawyer Vijay Fargade, said Kurulkar, a director at one of the DRDO labs in Pune, had travelled to five to six countries on a diplomatic passport and they wanted to know whom he met during these trips.

The prosecution informed the court they had sent some electronic devices, including mobile phones, seized from the accused, to a forensic laboratory and they have received its report.

According to the report, some images and videos deleted earlier have been retrieved from the said devices and they need to analyse that data.

Advocate Fargade said they need to probe the scientist's financial transactions from his bank statements.

Further custody was also sought on the ground the accused had met some women in the DRDO guest house in Pune.

The police were yet to receive the visitor record of the DRDO guest house and once the document was received, the accused needs to be questioned on this angle, it said.

It needs to be probed if any other person helped the accused in providing the confidential information, Fargade told the court.

Opposing the custody extension plea, Rhishikesh Ganu, the counsel for Kurulkar, said relevant devices have already been seized and since his client is a decorative officer and cooperating with the ATS in the probe, there was no need for his custodial interrogation anymore.

After hearing arguments from both sides, additional session judge S R Navandar, in his order, said that during the investigation, some new facts have come to light.

"The investigating officer has received some retrieved data from the forensic laboratory. It means that certain data was deleted from the mobile phone of the accused, and the said data needs to be analysed as allegations made against the accused are serious," said the judge.

The judge said apparently certain images and data, shared by the accused with foreigners, can be said to be an anti-national act on his part, considering the position he is holding (in DRDO).

'If the activities are detrimental to the interests of the country, more particularly to the security of the nation, the investigation has to be done thoroughly. Therefore, custodial interrogation of the accused for a further period is unavoidable and the police custody is extended till May 15,' said the judge in its order.

Meanwhile, workers and leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party's Pune city unit staged a protest against Kurulkar.

They alleged the DRDO scientist was affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and sought a thorough probe into the matter and strict punishment to him.

The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistan Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official said last week, adding it was a case of honeytrap.

After his arrest, an offence under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act was registered against Kurulkar.
IMAGE: Indian Army with Assam Rifles personnel conduct rescue operation in violence-affected Manipur. Photograph: ANI Photo

Jawaharlal Nehru University Professor Bhagat Oinam alleges that the violence in Manipur was a well-planned conspiracy.

At a press conference held at the Press Club of India, Delhi, by the People's Alliance for Peace and Progress Manipur and the Delhi Manipuri Society on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Professor Oinam stated, "The Bharatiya Janata Party government has taken strict action against the drug mafia and that is why the drug mafia became active in this incident and they have a big role in this Manipur violence."

"There is a fear in the Kuki community that if the Meitei community is given ST status, then the jobs of the Kuki community will be at risk, this is also a reason for the violence," Professor Oinam alleged.

He also claimed that the people of the Kuki community who have come from Myanmar in an unconstitutional manner have got jobs in the central government.

On the other hand, Rubina, a victim of the Manipur violence, said, "Timely help was not provided to us. If the government had helped us on time and controlled the violence, then such a big incident would not have happened. This is a failure of the state government."

On Monday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for sending central forces to restore normality at the earliest.

"Around 60 people have lost their lives so far while 231 have suffered injuries in the violence," Biren Singh stated.

"Also, about 1,700 houses were burned down in the unfortunate incidents on May 3," the CM added.
Exit polls on Wednesday predicted a tight contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata party in the high-stakes Karnataka assembly polls with most pollsters giving an edge to the grand old party.

IMAGE: First-time voters pose for photographs at a selfie stand after casting votes for Karnataka assembly polls, at a polling station, in Hubballi on May 10, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo

India Today-Axis My India predicted a clear majority for the Congress with 122-140 seats in the 224-member assembly and gave the BJP 62-80 seats. It gave 20-25 seats to the Janata Dal-Secular, the third major player in the race.

News 24-Today's Chanakya also forecast a majority for the Congress with 120 seats as against 92 seats for the BJP and 12 for the JD-S.

The result for the three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) will be announced on Saturday.

While the ABP News-C Voter exit poll predicted that the Congress would get 100-112 seats, BJP 83-95, JD-S 21-29, the Republic TV-P MARQ forecast that the Congress will get 94-108 seats, the BJP 85-100 and JD-S 24-32.

The India TV-CNX exit polls gave the Congress 110-120 seats and the BJP 80-90 seats. They predicted 20-24 seats for the JD-S.

Karnataka (224 seats) BJP Congress JD-S Others ABP New-C Voter 83-95 100-112 21-29 2-6 India Today-Axis My India 62-80 122-140 20-25 0-3 News 24- Today's Chanakya 92 120 12 0 India TV-CNX 80-90 110-120 20-24 1-3 Republic TV-P MARQ 85-110 94-108 24-32 2-6 TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat 88-98 99-109 21-26 0-4 Times Now-ETG 85 113 23 3 News Nations-CGS 114 86 21 3 Suvarna News-Jan Ki baat 94-117 91-106 14-24 2-6 Zee News-Matrize Agency 79-94 103-118 25-33 2-6

The TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat exit poll stated that the Congress is likely to get 99-109 seats, the BJP 88-98 and the JD-S 21-26 while the Zee News-Matrize Agency predicted that the Congress would get 103-118, the BJP 79-94 and the JD-S 25-33.

The News Nation-CGS poll said the BJP would get 114 seats, the Congress 86 and the JD-S 21. The Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat forecast that the BJP was likely to win 94-117, Congress 91-106 and the JD-S 14-24.

Times Now-ETG exit polls gave 113 seats to the Congress and 85 to the BJP. It predicted 23 seats for JD-S.

Reacting to the predictions, the Congress tweeted, "As the exit polls roll in, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Congress party is on track for a resounding victory."

It tagged screenshots of exit polls by India Today-Axis My India and News 24-Today's Chanakya, both of which predicted a clear majority for the Congress.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, however, rejected the exit polls and asserted that his party will win with a clear majority.

Talking to reporters in his home constituency Shiggaon, from where he is in the poll fray, he said, "Our ground report says we will win with absolute majority. Let us wait till May 13."

In the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats out of total 224, followed by the Congress at 80 and JD-S at 37. There was one independent member, while BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.

With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and the JD-S were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of BJP staked a claim and formed the government. However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD-S alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition and defected to the BJP, facilitating it to come back to power.

In the by-polls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

In the outgoing Assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, and JD-S at 29.
'Good friends can also disagree', British High Commissioner Alex Ellis on Wednesday said in response to questions on raids at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai by the Income Tax department earlier this year.

IMAGE: In February, BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai were raided by Income Tax officials . Photograph: ANI Photo

Speaking at the Ananta Centre in New Delhi, he underlined that he would never share details about his discussions with the Indian authorities.

"The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a globally respected institution and broadcaster whose news material I consume everyday. Secondly, all organisations have to obey the law of India. BBC is talking to Indian authorities about that," Ellis said.

"Certainly, I would never share all the things that I discussed with the Indian authorities. But good friends can also disagree. I think that it is okay to disagree sometimes," the British High Commissioner said, making it clear that he was making a general point.

In February, BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai were raided by Income Tax officials who claimed to have detected multiple irregularities, including non-payment of tax on certain remittances that were not disclosed as income in India.

On the attack on the Indian High Commission in London, Ellis described it a "symptom of extremism" which was a "risk" in any country.

"There is no disagreement. What happened at the Indian High commission is not okay. It is a symptom of extremism. Overall extremism is a risk in any country," he said.

The British High Commissioner further said that he completely understood the anger in India over the vandalism at the High Commission and he would be equally agitated if it happened to the British High Commission.

Pro-Khalistani protestors tried to vandalise the Indian High Commission in London and pulled down the national flag while holding protests outside the High Commission complex on March 19. It happened a day after the Punjab Police launched a crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh in Punjab.

Ellis added that the UK-India relationship is "complex" because of its colonial history and that there will always be "bumps" which were part of the complexity and richness.
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by Nandita Haksar

The BJPs attempt to resolve the problem by backing the Meitei community and projecting them as Hindu will only exacerbate the situation

It was in the early eighties when I first went to Manipur to record human rights violations being committed by the Indian armed forces. When I returned to Delhi, friends and family commented that I had become much more polite and soft-spoken after being in the state.

I was deeply impressed by the culture, the gentle ways of speaking. I was attracted to Manipur by the dignity of the people and their lack of aggression in their interactions and, most of all, the culture in which people avoided embarrassing or hurting each other.

However, from my very first visit I was aware of the deep division within the communities living in Manipur: the wariness and resentments were all too evident.

First of all, there was the universal suspicion and dislike for the outsiders or mayangs  a racist, derogatory term for Indians. Then there was the deep division between the tribal people living in the hills and the majority Meitei people who were mostly Vaishnavites. But there were also Muslims and a small but significant community of Meiteis who did not convert to Hinduism. There was also some Nagas who had not converted to Christianity and some were included as Scheduled Castes.

From the eighties, these divisions were somewhat suppressed by the fact that the entire state was declared disturbed under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, and the anger of the people was directed at the Indian state.

However, even in 1988 when I was fighting another human rights case in Manipur, I found it very difficult to unite all sections of Manipur behind the demand for the repeal of the Act. It was perhaps the first time that lawyers belonging to four different communities took up a human rights case together: N Kotishwar from the Meitei community, Samual Risom of the Nagas, Songboi Serto of the Kom community and myself, the mayang.

Even the human rights movement was soon divided along communal lines, with each community focusing on specific violations rather than uniting to fight as one. In all these cases, the activists from New Delhi added to the divisions rather than bringing people together. I have written about this in the context of the 16-year fast by Irom Sharmila and how it became a Meitei nationalist issue in Manipur, while for peace activists from other parts of India she became a cause celebre even though she was backed by the Meitei militant groups.

The most fundamental conflict in Manipur has been the resentment of the tribal people, both the Naga group of tribes and the Kuki-Mizo-Chin group of tribes, against the unequal development and disparity in infrastructure between the Hills and the Valley. Tribals are a majority in Manipurs Hills. They cannot transfer their land to non-tribals, who include the Meiteis.

In 2021, Congress MLA Alfred Kanngam Arthur presented facts and figures about the disparity in budget allocation between the Hills and the Valley. The figures showed that in the previous five years, of nearly Rs 22,000 crore in plan funds, the Hills received less than Rs 500 crore.

These figures  placed before the Assembly in which there are only 20 MLAs from the Hill areas and 40 from the Valley  did not lead to any remedies. Instead, the Manipur state government denied the problem altogether. The finance department challenged the validity of the figures. Journalists known for their integrity dismissed the figures as unbelievable and did not consider the allegations of large-scale corruption and diversion of funds meant for tribal welfare to the Valley.

I have not studied the figures but I have been to the Hill areas and stayed in Imphal to see for myself the discrepancy in the infrastructure and basic amenities. I have seen how it is difficult to get even an ambulance or get basic blood tests or physiotherapy in Ukhrul, which is in the Hills barely three hours away from Imphal.

Apart from lack of medical facilities there is an acute water shortage. Even today, people have to walk several kilometres to Ukhrul from their villages to buy basic things. Daily life in the Hills is very tough, with growing poverty.

The Meiteis have always considered themselves the most advanced community in Manipur, with a history of being united under the Kangleipak Kingdom founded in 1110 AD. They practiced an ancient religion before they converted to Vaishnavism. With Hinduism, they were divided into castes. However, the royal family were not accepted as Kshtriyas but are categorised as members of the Other Backward Classes.

Meitei has been recognised as an Indian language and included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Meitei society is divided into Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes.

In these circumstances, the demand of the Meiteis to be recognised as a Scheduled Tribe has been looked upon with suspicion by the tribal communities who view it as an attempt by the Meiteis to dominate the Hill areas that so far have a measure of autonomy because of their Scheduled Tribe status. Article 371C of the Constitution deals with special provisions for the Hill areas of Manipur. There are also other laws to protect tribal lands from being transferred to non-tribals.

Tribal communities feel the Bharatiya Janata Party that is in power in the state is playing a dangerous communal politics by backing the Meiteis as Hindus, as against the tribal peoples who are predominantly Christian. Hindu nationalism has allowed the burning of churches and growing religious fundamentalism in the Valley.

The religious extremism of the majority community feeds into the minority religious fundamentalism. A dramatic example was the attack in April on a pastor who made derogatory remarks about the pre-Hindu Sanamahi faith.

Meitei youth have organised themselves under the banner of an organisation called Arambai Tengol, taking inspiration from he past. Even though this section of Meitei want to reclaim their pre-Hindu religion, the BJP has for long appropriated the traditional religions in the North East under their banner. For example, the BJPs parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, backs the Zeliangrong Heraka Association of Manipur.

This is briefly the background in which the violence can be seen. But there are other reasons too that have added to the volatile situation becoming even more dangerous.

The coup in Myanmar in February 2021 coup sparked a civil war in that country that has forced thousands to flee their villages and take shelter in India. North East India has been directly impacted the most by the civil war in the Chin State, from where more than 40,000 people have taken shelter in Mizoram and Manipur.

The Chins are ethnically related to the Mizos of Mizoram and the Kuki-Zomi people in Manipur. Though at least 25 Kuki-Zomi extremist groups are under a ceasefire suspension of operations agreement in Manipur, The Hindu reported that they are said to be in touch with their Myanmar counterparts.

Similarly, the paper reported, The Valley-Based Insurgent Groups of Manipur formed mostly by the dominant Meitei community are reportedly fighting alongside the Myanmar Army against the resistance forces in that country. Many members of these VBIGs are learnt to have been killed in the Myanmar civil war.

The Indian government has refused to recognise the Chins or other Myanmarese as refugees and has declared them as illegal migrants. Many of these Chins have been arrested and they are in a desperate situation. The Mizoram government, in defiance of the Centre, has taken in Chin refugees and provided them with basic humanitarian assistance. But in Manipur, it is largely the Kuki-Chin-Mizo communities that have taken on the burden of looking after the refugees.

In the absence of a humanitarian policy of the Centre government to provide basic amenities to these desperate people under a brutal army rule, many have to resort to making Aadhar cards illegally. This becomes grounds for arresting them and many are detained in jails. The Centre should allow the state to issue identity cards to the refugees from Myanmar and register them; this would be a humane response instead of calling for a National Register for Citizens.

The Meiteis fear that the Chins from Myanmar will settle in their lands. They have expressed concern about the growth of illegal villages. A recent report in the Imphal Free Press states that in addition to the existing 2,803 villages in Manipur, another 966 villages are seeking recognition. Most of these villages are in the Kuki-Mizo-Chin inhabited hill areas. The burden of providing for these refugees has fallen on the Kukis.

Their situation has become even more precarious with the drive against poppy cultivation. With rising levels of poverty, many tribals, mainly Kukis, have taken to poppy cultivation. According to officials, 14,315 acres of illicit poppy, cultivated mostly in the hill districts of Manipur, were destroyed by security forces in the previous term of the present government. This means the poor tribals compelled to work in poppy cultivation are losing their only source of livelihood.

Churachandpur, which has been the site of terrible violence over the past few days, is one of the five districts of Manipur that share a border with Myanmar. Less than 10% of the 398-km Manipur-Myanmar border is fenced. As a result, it serves as the transit route for illegal drugs to North East India from the Golden Triangle, the tri-junction of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand borders  a centre of a thriving opium economy and narcotics. Manipur is not only a site for the trafficking of drugs but also for their production, controlled by drug lords across the border.

The situation is made even more unstable by the fact that every community in Manipur is backed by an armed group. The demands of these armed insurgents range from wanting independence of Manipur from India to calling for the reorganisation of states within India. The Nagas of Manipur led by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Muivah) want the integration of Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur with Nagaland state  as also the Naga-inhabited areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Kukis and Nagas have a conflict over territory: some Kukis want to integrate the Kuki-Chin-Mizo inhabited areas to merge with Mizoram. These insurgent groups are also linked to political parties, which makes any political resolution even more difficult.

These demands for breaking up Manipur have been opposed by the Meiteis and their armed groups. In a sense, their demand for Scheduled Tribe status is in part a response to these movements for self-determination.

There have been deadly conflicts in the past and there will be more in the years to come. Merely calling for peace will only serve to stop the violence, which has spread to Shillong and even Delhi. But how can we begin a political process that will lead to a resolution to the long and complex history of conflicts in the state?

A family of refugees from Myanmar, at Farkawn village near the India-Myanmar border, in Mizoram in this photograph from November 2021. Credit: Reuters.

The first thing that needs to be recognised is that the people of Manipur are victims of deadly identity politics that has kept them from having conversations across the community. The insurgents, the political parties and the intelligence agencies have all contributed to this growth of identity politics.

There is no political party that has not played into this and kept up the divisions alive to be exploited for narrow political gain. The BJPs attempt to resolve the problem by backing the Meitei community and projecting them as Hindu will only exacerbate the situation. Many of the Meiteis and their armed groups have rejected their Hindu connection by going back and reclaiming their pre-Hindu culture and religion.

The people have voted in the BJP after years of disenchantment with the Congress and the regional parties. They are also critical of the insurgent groups that have no political vision for the future.

There is no mechanism in place that can address the genuine grievances of each community and there is no space for conversation or free and fair discussions.

Without having real conversations about the grievances, problems and criticisms, there is no possibility of resolution. There are people in all communities who do not approve of this violence. Even in the midst of the brutal attacks on Kukis where government officials were lynched, Kuki women protected Meiteis and helped in their evacuation. In other instances, Meiteis ensured the safety of Kukis.

The Centre has invoked Article 355 of the Indian Constitution and taken over the law and order in the state. In the past the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was used for the same purpose.

I do not think that the political parties can take the initiative to find a resolution because they are complicit in the identity politics that has poisoned the atmosphere of the state. It is the people of Manipur who must take the initiative. Perhaps, one way is to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Wounds cannot be healed without the balm of justice and justice begins by all parties acknowledging that identity politics must be replaced by a politics that leads to development and peace.

(Nandita Haksar is a human rights lawyer and award-winning author)

[The above article from scroll.in is reproduced here for educational and non-commercial use]
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The public criticism of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) by official Armenia's Yerevan is considered to be counterproductive, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.

"The desire of the Armenian leadership to discuss the effectiveness of the organization in its own right is puzzling when the CSTO has all the necessary formats, established channels of interaction, and, most importantly, the participants of this organization are ready not only to listen to all this but are also ready to work in this direction," the spokesperson said.

Recently speaking at the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the difficulties in Armeania's relations with the CSTO.

"There are difficulties in the relations between Armenia and the CSTO. Last year we hosted the CSTO summit, but, unfortunately, we could not reach a consensus on important decisions. And we have stated our position and our dissatisfaction with the organization," Pashinyan said.

According to the Armenian PM, the CSTO failed to fulfill the obligations it has towards Armenia.
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan was on Wednesday sent on an eight-day remand to the anti-corruption watchdog while a sessions court indicted him in a separate graft case, amid violent protests that left at least seven people dead and prompted deployment of the army here and in three provinces.

IMAGE: Former prime minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan delivers a video message before his arrest on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Photograph: @PTIofficial/Twitter

The 70-year-old chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was taken into custody by the paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by barging into a room of the Islamabad High Court.

On Wednesday, Khan was produced in the Anti-Accountability Court No. 1 presided by judge Muhammad Bashir, the same judge who had convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam in a corruption case of having properties in London.

In its verdict, the court handed over Khan for an eight-day remand to the NAB.

During the hearing, the NAB lawyers requested the court to grant a 14-day remand of Khan to probe the allegations against him in the Al-Qadir Trust case in which he is accused of looting Rs 50 billion of the national treasury. But Khan's lawyer opposed the plea and asked the judge to release him as the charges were fabricated.

In his statement, Khan told the accountability court that he was fearful for his life.

"I have not been to the washroom in 24 hours," he said.

"I am afraid I will meet the same fate as 'Maqsood Chaprasi'," Khan said, referring to a witness in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's money laundering case who died due to a cardiac arrest last year. Khan's party had termed the witness' death 'mysterious'.

Separately, the District and Sessions Court indicted Khan in the Toshakhana case.

Judge Humayun Dilawar conducted the hearing in the makeshift court set up in the New Police Guest House along with the ATC No. 1.

Khan was present in the court and pleaded not guilty when the charges were read. He also refused to sign the court documents, according to Geo News channel.

The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months. The charges are about the allegation that Khan concealed the proceeds of sale from the state gifts.

The New Police Guest House located in the high security premises of Police Lines Headquarters at Sector H-11/1 area of Islamabad was declared as a court for the purpose of hearing two cases against the former cricketer-turned-politician.

Citing sources, Geo News said that a medical report submitted to the NAB showed that Khan has been declared fit.

PTI Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Secretary General Asad Umar went to the Islamabad High Court to file a plea against the police decision to stop them from seeing Khan.

However, before any legal process was launched, Umar was arrested by the anti-terrorism squad of Islamabad police as two new cases have been launched against him for the violence after Khan's arrest. Later, media reports said Qureshi and former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema were also arrested.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army warned Khan's supporters against taking the law into their hands and said it showed "patience and restraint and exercised extreme tolerance," not even caring about its reputation, in the larger interest of the country.

In a terse statement, the army said that May 9 will be remembered as a "black chapter", referring to the protests "targeting army property and installations."

"This group wearing a political cloak" has done what enemies could not do in 75 years, all "in the lust for power," the army said.

It warned that any further attack on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations and properties will be severely retaliated.

Meanwhile, clashes between protesters and security forces in the last 24 hours have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 others injured across Pakistan as the army was deployed in the country's capital, Islamabad as well as in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces to maintain law and order.

Prime Minister Sharif on Wednesday warned those taking the law into to their own hands to abide by the law otherwise they will be dealt with an iron fist.

"Imran Khan and PTI caused severe damages to sensitive installations of the country. Such scene had never been witnessed in 75 years. Many lives were endangered. Even ambulances were set on fire. Like enemy, installations of armed forces were attacked," he said in a televised address to the nation.

"I urge miscreants to abide by law otherwise they will face strict action. No one will be allowed to conspire against Pakistan. We will never let this conspiracy succeed," he warned.

According to Khan's party, one person has been killed each in Lahore, Faisalabad and Burewala cities of Punjab. It said over 150 protesters have been injured in Punjab alone.

In Peshawar, at least four persons were killed and 27 others injured in clashes between protestors and police, a spokesperson of Lady Reading Hospital confirmed.

Protestors also set fire to the building of state-run Radio Pakistan, causing severe damage to the studios, auditorium and other facilities, Director General Radio Pakistan Peshawar Tahir Hassan said.

The office of state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan located in the building was ransacked and damaged.

In Islamabad, the protestors clashed with police and the Srinagar Highway linking the national capital with its international airport remained blocked for several hours.

IG Islamabad Akbar Nasir Khan told the media that at least five police personnel were injured.

In Sindh, the government imposed Section 144 to control the situation and police arrested around 270 people.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said that internet services across the country will remain suspended for an indefinite period. The services were shut down as protests erupted after Khan's arrest.
The supporters of former premier Imran Khan on Wednesday attacked the Lahore residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, police said.

IMAGE: Smoke billows from a Radio Pakistan building next to a burnt vehicle after it was set afire by the supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a protest against his arrest, in Peshawar on May 10, 2023. Photograph: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters

According to police, over 500 miscreants from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party reached the Model Town Lahore residence of the prime minister in the early hours of Wednesday and set ablaze vehicles parked over there.

"They also threw petrol bombs inside the premiere's house," a senior police officer of Punjab police told PTI on Wednesday.

The police official said only the guards were present at the prime minister's house when the miscreants attacked. They also set on fire a police post there.

"As a heavy contingent of police reached there, the PTI protesters left," he said.

Before reaching the prime minister's residence, the mob attacked the ruling PML-N Secretariat in Model Town, torching the vehicles parked over there. They also put the barriers there on fire.

Police said that the protesters set on fire 14 government installations/buildings and 21 police vehicles in Punjab during the last two days -- Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the protesters had set ablaze at the Corps Commander House in Lahore after ransacking it.

The situation in Lahore and several other cities of Punjab remained tense on Wednesday in the wake of the arrest of PTI chief and former premier Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a land transfer corruption case.

Violent clashes between Imran Khan's supporters and security forces have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 injured across Pakistan as the army was deployed in the country's capital Islamabad, as well as in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on Wednesday to maintain law and order.
Former United States President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed author and advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996, a Manhattan federal jury has found and awarded her $5 million for battery and defamation, a verdict that may hurt him in his 2024 bid to regain the White House.

IMAGE: E Jean Carroll reacts, next to her attorneys Shawn Crowley and Roberta Kaplan, as the verdict is read in the civil rape accusation case against former US President Donald Trump, in New York, on May 9, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

The jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, holding him liable for battery charges but did not find that Carroll proved he raped her.

Carroll has alleged that Trump had raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan and then defamed her when the former US President posted a statement in October on his Truth Social platform by describing her case as a complete con job and a Hoax and a lie.

The jury verdict against Trump comes just over a month after a grand jury in Manhattan indicted the 76-year-old former president, for his role in paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump, the first former US President to be criminally charged, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments to Daniels during the 2016 presidential elections at his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court.

Carroll, 79, called the verdict a victory for her and other victims of abuse.

'I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed,' she said in a statement.

CNN quoted Carroll's lead attorney Roberta Kaplan saying in a statement, No one is above the law, not even a former President of the United States.

Referring to Carroll, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, in all caps, that he has absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!

He went on to describe the process as a very unfair trial and added that what else can you expect from a Trump-hating, Clinton-appointed judge, who went out of his way to make sure that the result was as negative as it could possibly be, speaking to, and in control of, a jury from an anti-Trump area which is probably the worst place in the US for me to get a fair trial.

Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina said outside the court that Trump will appeal the verdict and called it strange.

This was a rape claim. This was rape case all along and the jury rejected that, but made other findings.

But they rejected her rape claim and she'd always claimed this was a rape case so it's a little perplexing, but we move forward, Tacopina was quoted as saying by CNN.

Tacopina added that Trump is ready to proceed and go forward.

He's firm in his belief, as many people are, that he cannot get a fair trial in New York City based on the jury pool, Tacopina said.

The jury comprised six men and three women and delivered the unanimous verdict after about just three hours of deliberation.

Given that the jury's findings are civil and not of a criminal nature, Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time following this verdict.

Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination.

Trump's potential rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have so far criticised him on electability grounds but have stayed away from the former president's legal troubles including Carroll's allegations and the Manhattan probe into a hush-money scheme, CNN reported.

But there is nothing in US law that prevents a candidate who is found guilty of a crime from campaigning for and serving as president -- even from prison.

The US Constitution lists only three qualifications for the Presidency the President must be at least 35 years of age, be a natural-born citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives.

He was acquitted by the Senate both times. Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.
A 23-year-old doctor was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a man whose leg wound she was dressing at a hospital in Kerala's Kollam district where he was brought after a fight with his family members.

Image only for representation. Photograph: PTI Photo

Dismayed over the killing of the young doctor, the Kerala high court said the incident was an outcome of police and government failure.

Coming down hard at the government and the police, the HC bench said it indicated their "failure" to protect doctors.

According to an officer of Kottarakkara police in the district, while a wound on the leg of the man -- identified as Sandeep -- was being dressed by Dr Vandana Das, he suddenly got provoked and attacked everyone standing there using a scissor and scalpel.

The incident occurred during the early hours of Wednesday and Das succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.

The brunt of the attack was borne by the young doctor while the police personnel who accompanied the man were also injured. She was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but could not be saved.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of the doctor and said the incident was "shocking and extremely painful". He said a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter.

"Assaulting health workers in the line of duty is unacceptable. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. The government will take strong action against attacks on doctors and health workers," Vijayan said in a statement.

The high court said while the police was trained and expected to protect women and children, they failed to protect the young doctor.

"It is a complete failure of the system. Having an aid post in a hospital is not enough. When you (police) knew the man was acting abnormally, you should have restrained him. You should be able to anticipate the unanticipated. Else there is no need for the police. Over time, we have become casual, Did you not fail this girl?" the special bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath asked.

The court added it had on several occasions in the past warned such an incident would occur if nothing was done.

"This is what we were scared of. We had said in the past that something like this could happen," the bench said.

The court said the incident has created a "fear psychosis" among the doctors, medical students and their parents.

"Doctors have gone on strike. What excuse would you give for denial of treatment to thousands of patients as a result? Can you blame the doctors for any problem caused to any patient today due to the strike?" the court asked the state government.

Across the state, members of the Indian Medical Association and the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) protested against the incident.

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission took cognisance of the matter on its own based on media reports and sought a report within seven days from the Kollam district police chief.

The incident kicked off a political row over Health Minister Veena George's statement before the media that the victim was a house surgeon and therefore, inexperienced and got scared when the attack occurred.

Criticising her statement, state Congress chief K Sudhakaran asked what the minister meant by the doctor being inexperienced.

"Does she mean the doctor was inexperienced to counter or defend against an attack by a man addicted to drugs and alcohol. The statement is a joke," he told reporters.

Condoling the death of the doctor, Sudhakaran said it was sad and unfortunate that something like this had happened.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan said the doctor's murder has shaken the entire Kerala society.

He contended it was a dangerous situation that hospitals are not safe places and alleged the doctor was killed due to "negligence of the police".

The Congress leader attacked George too by saying that the minister had ordered the "most number of investigations in the state's history".

Education Minister V Sivankutty also condoled the death and said it was a shocking incident. The education department has placed Sandeep under suspension.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also slammed the ruling Left over the incident.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, while expressing shock and concern over the tragic incident, contended it was a shame that doctors and healthcare workers were not safe in Kerala.

He alleged that the "apathy and callousness" of the Pinarayi Vijayan government and its "misgovernance" were tarnishing the image of the state and bringing disrepute to it.

"Shocked to learn about the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das and attack on hospital staff in Kottarakkara. Atrocious that dreaded criminals are cut loose, endangering the lives of life savers. Deeply concerned about the safety of doctors and healthcare workers in Kerala."

"Shame that doctors and healthcare workers are not safe in Kerala, which is a renowned global destination for medical tourism and has a rich legacy of various streams of medicine and healthcare. The apathy and callousness of @pinarayivijayan and the misgovernance of @CPIMKerala is tarnishing that image and bringing disrepute to the State. It's a disgrace that @pinarayivijayan government can't keep our doctors safe," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, KGMOA protested against the doctor's killing. In a statement issued by its president Dr T N Suresh, the union of government medical professionals said all services except emergency treatment will be suspended today in Kollam district.

It sought exemplary punishment for those responsible for the incident and demanded that stringent measures be put in place to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

It also urged the government to strengthen security in hospitals, ensure due precautions are taken when bringing accused in custody for medical examination and urgently implement a triage system.

Medical professionals came out on the streets in Kottarakkara in protest against the incident. Protests were seen at some other hospitals in the state as well.

Describing what happened the hospital, an officer of Kottarakkara police station said Sandeep had called the emergency helpline to save him from his family members following a fight with them.

When police arrived at the scene, they found him injured and took him to the taluk hospital for medical examination and treatment.

"He had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. He was alone with the doctor as we are not allowed into the room when a patient's wound is being dressed.Suddenly, there was commotion and the doctor ran out screaming for help followed by the man who was carrying a scissor and a scalpel and was shouting 'I will kill you'," the officer said and added it was not yet known why he got so violent and targeted the doctor.

When the officers at the scene tried to stop him, he attacked them too. Besides the doctor, four others were injured by the man who also vandalised some areas of the hospital, the officer said.

"He was later subdued with much difficulty and taken into custody," the officer said. While after the attack, a case under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code for attempted murder was lodged, the officer stated that in view of the doctor's death, murder charges are likely to be imposed on the accused.

Reacting to the incident, an IMA official said it was an unfortunate and sad incident and doctors across Kerala will be protesting against the same.

The official added the victim doctor was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was at the taluk hospital as part of her training.

Several attempts were made to resuscitate her, but she could not be saved, the IMA official said.
The Mumbai Police have issued a look out circular (LOC) against an Indian student pursuing medical education in the United Kingdom for allegedly sending a threatening email to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, an official said.

IMAGE: Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Photograph: ANI Photo

The police have initiated the process to bring the student back to India as he has been identified as the sender of the email, the official said on Tuesday.

The investigation revealed the student hails from Haryana. He is in the third year of a medical course.

The student is likely to return to India by the end of this year when his academic session ends in the UK, the official said.

Police suspect the student allegedly sent threatening messages to Salman Khan in the name of jailed gangster Goldy Brar in March.

A few days ago, Salman Khan received an e-mail on one of his official IDs which stated that he should meet gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's aide Goldy Brar and sort out their differences once and for all, or be ready to face the consequences.

The Mumbai Police recently nabbed a minor boy after he called up the control room and allegedly threatened to kill Salman Khan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a state visit to the US next month that will underscore the growing importance of the bilateral strategic ties and both sides will reflect on their vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: President Joe Biden meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2021. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The MEA said Modi has been invited by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and he will attend a state dinner on June 22.

It said the visit offers a "valuable opportunity" for the two countries to further deepen their comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership.

Announcing the visit, the MEA, however, did not mention the duration of the trip.

People familiar with the preparation for the trip said exact details of the prime minister's schedule are being worked out, adding the visit is likely to start on June 21 and the duration could be of four days.

It will be Modi's first state visit to the US after Biden became President. The prime minister visited Washington in September 2021 to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit. Modi had a bilateral meeting with Biden during that visit.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an official state visit to the United States of America, which will include a state dinner on June 22 following an invitation from President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden," the MEA said in a statement.

It said the visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the US as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors.

"The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defence, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections," it said.

The MEA said Modi and Biden will also explore ways to strengthen India-US collaboration in pluri-lateral and multilateral fora, including in the G20.

"They would reflect on their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement," it said.

The White House said Modi's visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the US and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.

"President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22," it said.

"The visit will strengthen our two countries' shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space," it said.

"The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security," the White House added.

After becoming the Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has made more than half a dozen trips to the United States for bilateral and multilateral meetings with all the three American presidents, Obama, Donald Trump and now Biden, but this is for the first time he has been invited for an official state visit, a privilege accorded to America's close friends and allies.

He last visited Washington in September 2021 at the invitation of President Biden for a bilateral meeting and also attended the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit.

Modi will join Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at a summit of the Quad leaders in Sydney on May 24 that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine conflict and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific.

Before travelling to Australia, Modi is likely to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies which is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21.

President Biden will attend the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima as well as the Quad summit in Sydney.

"It is entirely good and proper that the world's two greatest democracies further cement their strategic, economic, and technology convergence in these turbulent geostrategic times. The state visit will remind the world that India and America still have so much more potential to capture in our bilateral relations, reflecting the energy and talent of our demographics and our systems, which serve to empower our free peoples," US-India Business Council president Atul Keshap said.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy along with wife Sudha Murty, and Mysuru royal family member 'Rajamate' Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, were among the early voters who cast their ballot in the Karnataka Assembly polls on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after casting her vote for Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Photograph: Courtesy @nsitharamanoffc/Twitter

IMAGE: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with his family after casting vote in Shiggaon. Photograph: Kind courtesy @BSBommai/Twitter

Siddalinga Swamiji, seer of the Tumakuru-based Siddaganga Mutt; actor Ramesh Arvind, senior Congress leader G Parameshwara, and ministers including R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra, C N Ashwath Narayan and K Sudhakar exercised their franchise in the initial hours of polling, which began at 7 am.

IMAGE: Former CM and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa with his family members after casting votes in Shikaripura. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar shows his ink-marked finger after casting his vote at Karnataka Public School polling station, Doddalahalli, Kanakapura Taluk, in Ramanagara. Photograph: ANI Photo

Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty voted at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, where Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, also voted.

IMAGE: Former Karnataka CM and Congress candidate from Varuna constituency Siddaramaiah casts his vote. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena and District Electoral Officer and Chief of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Tushar Giri Nath also cast their ballot.

IMAGE: Former CM and Congress leader Jagadish Shettar with his family members after casting votes at a polling station in Hubballi. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Former Karnataka CM and JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy, along with his family, casts his vote at a polling booth in Ramanagara. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

Urging people to come out and vote, Sudha Murty said: "I will not ask you who you will vote for or why you vote, because everyone has their own opinion and decision, but everyone should vote. We vote in every election."

IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his wife Radhabai Kharge cast their votes at a polling booth in Kalaburagi. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

On people who 'go out' without voting, she said, "I can only say those who don't have patriotism, do such things. Get up early, first vote and then go anywhere you want."

IMAGE: Senior BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje after casting her vote in Bengaluru. Photograph: Kind courtesy @ShobhaBJP/Twitter

IMAGE: BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya with his family members shows his ink-marked finger after casting his vote, in Bengaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo

BJP stalwart Yediyurappa, along with sons -- party candidate B Y Vijayendra and Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra -- other family members, visited a temple in the morning and later voted at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district.

IMAGE: Infosys co-founders Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy after casting their votes, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Union minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi after casting his vote, in Hubballi. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JoshiPralhad/Twitter

"Based on the developmental works of (PM) Modi and (Basavaraj) Bommai government and my travel across the state I'm saying that we will win 125-130 seats and form the government on our own, and Vijayendra will win in Shikaripura by a margin of over 40,000 votes," Yediyurappa said after voting.

IMAGE: RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale after casting his vote, in Bengaluru. Photograph: PTI Photo

Many polling stations in Bengaluru saw brisk polling, with senior citizens leading from the front at some of them.
A voter turnout of nearly 72 per cent was recorded in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday where the ruling the Bharatiya Janata Party, a combative Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular, which is hoping to be a kingmaker in the event of a hung assembly, are locked in a cliffhanger contest.

IMAGE: Army jawans help an elderly woman arriving on a wheelchair to cast her vote for Karnataka assembly elections in Bengaluru on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Several pollsters predicted that the Congress may have an edge in Karnataka, which is BJP's southern citadel, in a hung assembly with a couple of them even projecting that the grand old party may get a majority on its own.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, however, rejected the exit polls and asserted that his party will win with a clear majority.

Counting of votes for the 224-member Assembly will be taken up on May 13.

"Largely peaceful voting in all 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, and no repoll indicated in any of the 58,545 polling stations," the Election Commission(EC) said.

Violence was reported from some areas including an incident where a poll officer was allegedly manhandled by some villagers, according to reports from districts.

According to the latest figures available at 10 pm, the turnout stood at 71.77 per cent. The EC said the final figures will be known by Thursday.

Karnataka recorded a 72.36 per cent voter turnout in the 2018 Assembly polls which had thrown up a hung assembly with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats, falling slightly short of getting a majority.

A total of 5.31 crore electors were eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

While the BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the state has never voted the incumbent party to power, the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past. The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), which is in power in Punjab and Delhi, has also fielded candidates.

According to the latest voting data, Ramanagara in the Old Mysuru region recorded the highest turnout of 78.22 per cent, while the lowest polling was from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 48.63 per cent, election officials said.

IMAGE: People wait in queues outside a polling booth to cast their votes for the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Mangaluru. Photograph: PTI Photo

On the exit poll predictions, Bommai said, "Exit polls are exit polls. They can't be 100 per cent correct. There will be variation that can change the whole scenario."

Talking to reporters in his home constituency Shiggaon, from where he is in the poll fray, he said, "Our ground report says we will win with absolute majority. Let us wait till May 13."

Besides Bommai, prominent among those who voted include former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and former chief ministers B S Yediyurappa and D V Sadananda Gowda (both BJP) and Siddaramaiah and Jagadish Shettar (both Congress) and IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy and wife Sudha Murty.

To draw people to exercise their voting rights, the EC took many initiatives such as theme based and ethnic polling booths, and pink booths exclusively operated by women.

Theme-based and ethnic polling booths -- 737 in all across the State -- added a lot of colour to the exercise.

The excitement among the first time voters was palpable. "I am very happy to vote. This is my right", was a standard refrain among the new voters.

According to the EC, it has set up 996 all women managed polling booths, 239 booths managed by people with disabilities and 286 managed by youth.

Photograph: Harish Kotian/ Rediff.com IMAGE: A family takes a selfie after casting vote in Karnataka assembly elections.

Many elderly voters also came to cast their vote with enthusiasm.

"I have completed 100 years. I am happy to vote. Everyone should vote and may good happen to everyone. I have been voting for the past 60 years. I never ever missed a single election without voting," said Boramma, a centenarian from Melagodu in Holenarasipur Taulk of Hassan district who came to the polling booth with a stick for support holding the hand of her son.

The voting day also presented a sharp contrast where a birth and a death happened in polling booths.

The booths also witnessed brides and bridegrooms voting for their public representative before tying the nuptial knot with their chosen ones.

A woman delivered a baby boy soon after casting her vote at Korlagundi village in Kurugodu Taluk of Ballari district, according to reports.

A medical team along with some other women present at the booth made the arrangements and helped the woman, who developed pain, go into labour. "Without much suffering, she delivered a baby boy at the polling station. The entire polling booth burst into joy," an official said.

At Chikkole village in Belur Taluk of Hassan district, 49-year-old Jayanna died of heart attack soon after casting his vote. In another incident, Paravva Sidnal (70) died even before casting her vote at Yarajharvi village in Belagavi district.

IMAGE: A bride arrives to cast her vote at a polling station in Mudigere assembly constituency, in Chikkamagaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day urged people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers and enrich the "festival of democracy".

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi too appealed to the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers to build a progressive and a "40-per-cent-commission-free" state.

The battle-ready BJP with its well-oiled election machine ran its campaign with a blitzkrieg by Prime Minister Modi.

The Congress manifesto proposing to ban the Bajrang Dal heated up the later half of the campaign as the BJP and Prime Minister Modi aggressively latched on to the issue to portray the grand old party as being against Lord Hanuman and the sentiments of Hindus.

Modi also made it a point to chant 'Jai Bajrang Bali' in all his speeches after the Congress released its manifesto.

Barbs like 'venomous snake', 'Vishakanya' and 'Nalayak beta' vitiated the poll campaign as some leaders used intemperate and abusive language.

While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, likened Modi to a 'venomous snake' and his son and Congress candidate Priyank Kharge called the prime minister a "nalayak beta", BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal described former Congress president and MP Sonia Gandhi as a 'Vishakanya' (venomous woman).
The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court it has received responses from seven states on the issue of same-sex marriage and the governments of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Assam have opposed the petitioners' contention seeking legal validation for such wedlock.

Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that states like Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Sikkim have said the issue needed a "very intense and expansive debate" and they would not be able to submit their responses immediately.

The Centre had, in an affidavit filed in the apex court earlier, said it had issued a letter on April 18 to all states inviting comments and views on the "seminal issue" raised in these petitions.

"At the outset, I had said that we have written letters to the state governments. There are seven responses, I am not reading them, from Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Sikkim and Rajasthan. I am placing them on record," Mehta told the bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, on Wednesday.

"Rajasthan takes the position that we have examined it and we are opposed to the position which the petitioners are taking," he said, adding some states have said the issue needed a "very intense and expansive debate and we would not be able to respond immediately."

The bench was hearing arguments for the ninth day on a batch of petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage. The arguments remained inconclusive and will continue on Thursday.

On April 19, the Centre had urged the apex court that all states and Union Territories be made party to the proceedings, saying any decision on the issue without obtaining their view would render the present "adversarial exercise incomplete and truncated".

Responding to the Centre's letter for views of the state governments on this issue, the state of Manipur has said its views or comments on this matter will require detailed assessment on the existing social customs, practices, values, rules etc that may be prevalent in different sections of the society.

"Therefore, the state government would like to seek more time for proper examination for furnishing the views/comments on the matter," said a communication from the Deputy Secretary (Law) of Manipur to the Secretary of the Department of Legal Affairs, Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

Similarly, in its communication to the Union Law Ministry, the state of Andhra Pradesh said it has consulted the heads of various religions in the state on same-sex marriage.

Referring to their opinions, the special chief secretary to the government of Andhra Pradesh has said, "After considering the above views, I am to inform that the state of Andhra Pradesh is against the same sex marriage and/or persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community".

In its communication to the Union Law Ministry, the state of Uttar Pradesh has said the question involved in these petitions is a "sensitive subject" affecting various sections of the society and different religious denominations.

"The state government cannot formulate its comprehensive response without wide consultation with all sections of the society. Hence, it would not be possible for the state government to provide any comprehensive response in such a short period of time," it said, while seeking additional time to prepare a proper response.

The Maharashtra government, in its communication to the Union Law Ministry, has said the state would have to hold detailed and meaningful consultations with a cross section of society.

"It is submitted that the issue involved in the present batch of petitions is rather sensitive and would potentially affect a cross section of the society in the State of Maharashtra cutting through various religious sections," it said.

It said in the absence of complete material, including the pleadings of various parties before the apex court, the state would not be in a position to come up with a comprehensive response, touching on all the aspects of the matter at such short notice.

The state of Assam has told the Union Law Ministry that the subject invokes new interpretations and challenges the validity of laws concerning marriage and personal laws enforced in the state with diverse cultures, creed, customs and religions.

It said while the matter calls for wide-ranging discussion on various aspects of the institution of marriage as a social phenomenon, it may be said that even across societies, the legal understanding of marriage has been that of an agreement/contract between two persons of opposite genders.

"Further, it would be prudent to maintain that legislation is the prerogative of legislature, at Centre and in states, and the courts may like to view the matter in accordance with core principles of our democratic structure. The Legislature reflects the collective wisdom of the nation and its citizens, and it solely possesses the power to enact a law governing human relationships," the Assam government has said.

It said marriage, divorce and ancillary subjects fall under entry 5 of Concurrent list of the Constitution and hence, it is also in the domain of the state legislature in a manner that it is in the domain of Parliament.

"The state government which is not made a party in the instant litigation while the ramifications clearly affect the state, would therefore also request for copies of the documents, pleadings, etc., made before Supreme Court, so that it can reasonably advance its necessary views before the apex court at the earliest," it said.

"On the basis of the above, the state government would like to oppose the views in the matter as laid out by petitioners... before Supreme Court of India and also requests for providing reasonable time and opportunity to place its views further," the state has said.

The Sikkim government has told the Union Law Ministry that the state is actively considering the matter and is constituting a committee to conduct an in-depth study to assess the ramifications of same-sex marriages on social customs, practices, values and norms after due consultation with all the stakeholders.

"In view of the above, it is hereby informed that the state government shall submit its view/comments once the Committee submits a report to the government," it said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on May 12 a plea by the producers of controversial multilingual film The Kerala Story against the ban on screening of the film by the West Bengal government.

IMAGE: A BJP member hands over the movie tickets to women to watch the film The Kerala Story, in Thane on Monday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.

Salve said the petition challenges the ban by the West Bengal government and the 'de facto' ban in Tamil Nadu.

The bench said it had on Tuesday posted for May 15 a separate plea against the Kerala high court order refusing to stay the release of the movie and the fresh plea would also be heard on that day.

However, the bench agreed to list the plea for hearing on May 12 after Salve said, "We are losing money everyday."

The Kerala Story starring Adah Sharma was released in cinemas on May 5.
Georgias export-promotion agency Enterprise Georgia will promote the countrys investment potential in meetings with companies at the ongoing Annual Investment Meeting in Abu Dhabi this week, Trend reports with reference to Agenda.

The Ministry of Economy said the bodys Director Mikheil Khidureli would meet about 20 companies from Persian Gulf countries to introduce Georgia's investment opportunities and business climate.

Khidureli will also participate in a panel reviewing investment attraction for ensuring economic growth.

The Ministry also said Georgia was being represented at the event - which is running between Monday and Friday - with a stand where visitors learn about investment, business and economic environment in the country.
The Tamil Nadu government filed a criminal complaint in a sessions court in Chennai on Wednesday against state Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai for defaming Chief Minister M K Stalin.

IMAGE: Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai. Photograph: ANI Photo.

The complaint, filed by city public prosecutor G Devarajan before the vacation sessions judge C Uma Maheswari, covers two specific allegations levelled by Annamalai against Stalin.

The first is related to an allegation made by the BJP leader in respect of an investor firm vis-a-vis DMK personalities and connecting them to Stalin, who visited Dubai last year to attract investments to Tamil Nadu.

The other aspect relates to Annamalai's allegation that "kickbacks of Rs 200 crore" had been channelled by a multinational company through two shell firms to "Chief Minister M K Stalin for DMK's 2011 election fund".

Annamalai, referring to the DMK rule between 2006 and 2011, had alleged that payments were received by the party as kickbacks from a company that won a bid related to the execution of Chennai Metro Rail Phase I project.

The BJP leader made the allegations in a press conference in Chennai on April 14, 2023.

The prosecutor contended that CrPc Sec 199 (2) on prosecution for defamation of a minister of a government of a state or Union would be attracted as the allegations pertained to the discharge of public functions by Stalin. Since 2021, Stalin is discharging public function as CM. He was the deputy CM between 2009 and 2011.

The prosecutor contended that Annamalai's statements are not only false but are also made with an intention to harm the CM's reputation.

Such imputations have lowered "the moral and the credit of the chief minister" in the eyes of the general public.

Such allegations have "caused considerable harm to the reputation of the chief minister. There were many debates conducted by the television channels and the interview was circulated on social media. The CM is enjoying very high reputation among the people of India and Tamil Nadu in particular. The excellent rule he has delivered for the past two years has earned him a very high reputation among the people of Tamil Nadu and across the country."

The love and affection showered by the people of Tamil Nadu on the chief minister "is not digestible by the opposition parties, and the BJP, of which the accused is the state president."

The statements were not made in good faith but only with malice to defame the CM for personal political gain of the accused.

The complainant prayed the court to take cognisance of the plaint, issue process and proceed against Annamalai for the offence of defamation (IPC Sec 499).

It sought that Annamalai be punished for the offence (under IPC Sec 500, punishment for defamation which may extend to two years or with fine or both). The matter is set to come up in court in July.
The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Thursday on a clutch of cross-petitions filed by the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the Shiv Sena pertaining to the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will deliver its verdict on pleas related to the political crisis that led to the fall of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray following a revolt by Shinde.

As per the cause list published on the Supreme Court's website, a single judgment will be pronounced by Justice Chandrachud.

On March 16, the top court had reserved its verdict on the pleas at the conclusion of lengthy arguments from both sides that went on for nine days starting February 21.

On the last day of hearing, the top court had wondered as to how it can reinstate the Uddhav Thackeray government when the chief minister had put in his papers even before facing the floor test, after the faction led by him pitched for setting aside the governor's June 2022 order to the CM for a trial of strength in the House.

The Thackeray faction made vehement submissions before the court urging it to "turn back the clock" and restore the "status quo ante" (previously existing state of affairs) as it had done in 2016 when it reinstalled Nabam Tuki as the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

The bench also comprises Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction was represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, AM Singhvi, Devadatt Kamat and advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, while the Shinde camp was represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Harish Salve, Mahesh Jethmalani and advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the office of the governor.

On February 17, the top court had declined to refer a batch of pleas related to the Maharashtra political crisis triggered by a split in the Shiv Sena to a seven-judge bench for reconsideration of the 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment on Arunachal Pradesh.

The 2016 judgment dealt with powers of the assembly speaker and ruled that he/she cannot proceed with pleas for disqualification of MLAs if a prior notice seeking the speaker's removal is pending before the House.

On June 29, 2022, at the height of the Maharashtra turmoil, the apex court had refused to stay the governor's direction to the 31-month-old MVA government led by Thackeray to take a floor test.

Sensing defeat, Thackeray resigned, catapulting to power a Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation led by Shinde.

On August 23, 2022, a three-judge bench of the top court headed by then chief justice N V Ramana had formulated several questions of law and referred to the five-judge bench petitions filed by the two Sena factions which raised several constitutional questions related to defection, merger and disqualification.

In a blow to the Thackeray bloc, the Election Commission had earlier this year declared the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and allotted it the bow and arrow symbol of the party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray.
Voting for the high stakes assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday, in a state where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

IMAGE: Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, with son B Y Vijayendra at a polling booth in Shivamogga. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal-Secular.

The electoral fate of top guns--Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar and JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy among others will be sealed during the day-long exercise.

Counting of polled votes will be taken up on May 13.

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.

A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

Among the electors, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 'others', while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.

While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx -- the State has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 -- and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

Also what needs to be seen is, whether the JD-S will emerge as a 'kingmaker' or a 'king' by holding the key for government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

A total of 75,603 Ballot Units (BU), 70,300 Control Units (CU) and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) are slated to be used during the voting.

According to poll officials, elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state for the smooth conduct of elections and forces have been deployed from neighbouring states as well.

As many as 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces ) police in 650 CoYs (companies) are on law & order and security duty on poll day across the state.

'Critical Polling Stations' are covered by one or more of the measures like Micro Observers, Webcasting and CCTVs to keep a watch on the polling process as force multipliers.

The voter turnout in the 2018 polls was 72.36 per cent.

In a bid to check apathy among voters, the Election Commission has come up with the idea of holding the poll in the middle of the week to prevent people planning an outing by clubbing the poll-day holiday with the weekend break.

CM Bommai (Shiggaon), Leader of Opposition and former CM Siddaramaiah (Varuna), JD-S leader Kumaraswamy (Channapatna), Shivakumar (Kanakapura) are the among the top candidates in the fray.

Besides Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central) is the other former chief minister who is contesting this election.

Shettar had recently joined the Congress, quitting the BJP.

'A government with full majority' seemed to be the war cry of the leaders of all the political parties during campaigning that ended on Monday, as they stressed on getting a clear mandate to form a strong and stable government, unlike what happened after the 2018 polls.

In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by the Congress at 80, the JD-S 37.

There was one independent member, while the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.

With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and the JD-S were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of the BJP staked claim and formed the government.

However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition, and defected to the BJP facilitating the party coming back to power.

In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

In the outgoing assembly, the BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, the JD-S --29, the BSP one, two Independents, Speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignation to join other parties ahead of polls).
IMAGE: Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur files her nomination papers for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election in presence of party leaders Charanjit Singh Channi, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Navjot Singh Sidhu, April 13, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Polling began on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, morning for the high-stakes Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election where a four-cornered electoral battle is in the offing with the AAP, Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

Amid tight security arrangements, voting for the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency began at 8 am and will continue till 6 pm, said officials.

There are a total 1,621,800 eligible voters, including 844,904 males, 776,855 females, and 41 transgenders in the constituency.

Nineteen candidates, including four women, are in the fray. The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

There are 1,972 polling stations in the constituency and 497 of them have been identified as critical, officials said.

A dedicated women-only polling station has been set up in all nine assembly constituencies, which are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha (reserved) seat fell vacant following Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary's death. He suffered a cardiac arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jalandhar's Phillaur in January.

The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku who quit the Congress to join the Punjab's ruling party while the Congress has shown its faith in Karamjit Kaur, Santokh Chaudhary's wife.

The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the saffron party. Atwal is the son of former Punjab Vidhan speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal who had also joined the BJP.

The SAD has fielded its two-time MLA from Banga seat Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who is a doctor. The SAD candidate is backed by its ally, the Bahujan Samaj Party. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Gurjant Singh.

A win is important for AAP which had faced drubbing in the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-poll, just three months after it came to power in March 2022 with a thumping majority of 92 seats in the 117 assembly segments in Punjab.

The bypoll is also being seen as a test of the one-year performance of the Bhagwant Mann-led government which has promised providing free electricity, jobs to youth, regularising services of contractual employees, action against corruption and opening of mohalla clinics among others.

The Congress, meanwhile, is looking to defend its citadel with its prestige at stake. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat is considered to be a traditional Congress stronghold and the party has remained undefeated from here since 1999.

The stakes are also high for the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal which saw humiliating defeats during the 2022 Punjab assembly polls. Both parties were once allies in Punjab. The SAD broke ties with the BJP in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

Voting begins for assembly bypolls in UP

Voting got underway in the bypolls to the Suar and Chhanbey assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning.

There is a direct contest between the ruling coalition and the Opposition Samajwadi Party in the bypolls. Though the results will have no precipitative impact on the constitution of the assembly, it will be a morale booster for the victor before the Lok Sabha poll next year.

A total of 14 candidates are in the fray -- six in Suar and eight in Chhanbey.

The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has decided to not contest the by-elections, while the Congress has fielded its candidate only in Chhanbey.

With leaders either campaigning in Karnataka or busy with the urban local bodies elections of Uttar Pradesh, the campaign for the two seats in Rampur and Mirzapur districts has been lacklustre.

The Suar seat in Rampur district will be in focus as it was held by Abdullah Azam Khan, senior SP leader Azam Khan's son, before it was declared vacant on February 13 after a Moradabad court sentenced the young leader to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case.

In the previous assembly also, the Allahabad high court had in 2020 set aside his election for not declaring his correct age in the affidavit.

The Samajwadi Party is going all out in its attempt to defend what can be called its last citadel in Rampur while the Apna Dal (Sonelal), an ally of the ruling BJP, is leaving no stone unturned to breach it, especially after the saffron party snatched the Rampur assembly as well as the parliamentary seats, both of which were Azam Khan's stronghold.

Azam Khan himself was disqualified from the assembly last year after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a hate speech case.

In the 2022 UP assembly election, Abdullah Azam Khan had defeated the Apna Dal (Sonelal)'s Haidar Ali Khan in Suar by over 61,000 votes.

This time, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the seat and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari.

The Chhanbey seat in Mirzapur fell vacant following Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol;s death in February. The party has fielded Kol's wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol is the Samajwadi Party candidate.

In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the BJP has 255 MLAs while its allies the Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD party have 11 and six legislators respectively.

The Samajwadi Party has 109 MLAs while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal has nine. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has six MLAs, the Congress and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two each and the Bahujan Samaj Party has one member in the assembly.

***

Meghalaya: Voting begins for Sohiong bypoll

The by-election was necessitated following UDP candidate H D R Lyngdoh's death ahead of the assembly elections in the state on February 27. Polling in Sohiong was postponed after Lyngdoh's death.

Six candidates are in the fray. All of them are men: Synshar Lyngdoh Thabah of the UDP, Samlin Malngiang of the NPP, S Osborne Kharjana of the Congress, Sandondor Ryntathiang of the HSPDP, Sereph E Kharbuki of the BJP, and Stodingstar Thabah of the TMC.

***

Polling begins for Jharsuguda by-election in Odisha

Over 1,000 poll officials and an adequate number of security personnel, including seven companies of paramilitary forces, have been deployed.

Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Parmar Smit Parshottamdas said CCTV cameras and deployment of micro-observers and central forces have been ensured in 106 booths identified as critical, besides 30 as demanded by various political parties. 19 platoons comprising around 570 police personnel, besides 100 officers, have been deployed, the SP added.

Collector cum District Election Officer Aboli Sunil Naravane said this was the first time that webcasting was done in all the 253 polling stations.

The by-election was necessitated following the murder of sitting MLA and the then Health Minister Naba Kishore Das on January 29.

Though nine candidates are in the fray, the contest is mainly between the BJD, BJP and Congress.

The BJD has fielded Das's daughter Deepali Das, while the BJP has nominated Tankadhar Tripathy. The Congress has fielded Tarun Pandey, the late MLA Biren Pandey's son.

All the three candidates are debutant contestants.

The bypoll gains significance as it is the last election before the Lok Sabha polls next year. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had campaigned for BJD candidate Deepali Das while Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisheswar Tudu had canvassed for BJP nominee Tankadhar Tripathy.
Mothers and wives wept as President Droupadi Murmu, Supreme Commander of India's armed forces, conferred eight Kirti Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras to personnel of the Indian Army, paramilitary and police forces for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.

President Murmu set aside the protocol of her high office to hug mothers and wives as they mourned their loss and also acknowledged a grateful nation's eternal debt to their kin.



During an operation in Baramulla, the Jammu and Kashmir Police commando displayed exceptional courage that led to the elimination of three terrorists and the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition. All Photographs: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo IMAGE: President Murmu hugs Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh 's mother.During an operation in Baramulla, the Jammu and Kashmir Police commando displayed exceptional courage that led to the elimination of three terrorists and the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) to Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh 's mother.



Naik Jasbir, 6th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, displayed exceptional gallantry and eliminated a terrorist during an operation in Kupwara.

He injured another terrorist before making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. IMAGE: Naik Jasbir Singh 's mother weeps before she receives the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) from President Murmu.Naik Jasbir, 6th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, displayed exceptional gallantry and eliminated a terrorist during an operation in Kupwara.He injured another terrorist before making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) to Naik Jasbir Singh's mother.



During an operation in Baramulla, J&K, Rifleman Aurangzeb evacuated an injured soldier and eliminated three terrorists with his team. IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) to Rifleman Aurangzeb , Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, 44th Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles.During an operation in Baramulla, J&K, Rifleman Aurangzeb evacuated an injured soldier and eliminated three terrorists with his team.

IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Kirti Chakra (Posthumous) to the wife of Sudip Sarkar, Constable/GD, 169 Batallion, BSF.

During an operation along the LoC in Kupwara, Constable Sudip eliminated a terrorist and made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland.

IMAGE: President Murmu hugs Gunner Jasbir Singh's distraught mother before she presents the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous).

Gunner Jasbir, Regiment of Artillery, 19th Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles, displayed exceptional gallantry in eliminating a terrorist during an operation in Anantnag, J&K.

He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and made the supreme sacrifice.

IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) to Sepoy Karn Veer Singh's parents.

Sepoy Karn Veer, Rajput Regiment, 44th Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles, during an operation in Shopian, J&K, eliminated one terrorist and injured another despite being mortally wounded.

IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Kirti Chakra (Posthumous) to thw wife of Sodhi Narayan, Head Constable, Chhattisgarh.

The head constable displayed extraordinary courage and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation while fighting and killing Naxalites during an operation in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.

IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu holds Constable Rohit Kumar's wife before she presents the Kirti Chakra (Posthumous).

J&K Police Constable Rohit displayed relentless courage while saving the lives of civilians during an operation in Kulgam, J&K.

He eliminated a terrorist and made the supreme sacrifice for the country.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Yeh Hai India: Capturing Events And Moods Across Our Incredible Country.

IMAGE: A monkey drinks water from a tap at the railway station in Prayagraj on a hot summer day. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Students show their marks on mobile phones after Class 12 board results were announced at the Everwin Matriculation School in Chennai. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Dense clouds gather in the sky over the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Devotees arrive to offer prayers at the Kedarnath temple amid snowfall. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: A worker shifts and modifies high-tension electric cables in Gurugram. Photograph: ANI Photo

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
BYD Co Ltd, on Wednesday cut the starting price of its best-selling Seal sedan by 10%, as the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant seeks to extend its lead in the world's largest auto market with lower-priced products, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

The company replaced its line-up of the model with five new versions. That includes a rear-wheel drive Seal Champion Edition with a 550-km (342-mile) driving range per charge at a starting price of 189,800 yuan ($27,459). This is 20,000 yuan cheaper than a previous version with the same driving range, according to BYD's website.

The new price is also 18% cheaper than the rear-wheel drive version of Tesla Inc's Model 3 in China with a driving range of 556 km, which the Seal Champion competes against.

China's EV market is in the midst of a price war started by Tesla earlier this year, with several EV makers including BYD following the U.S. automaker's example by cutting prices for best-selling models this year to defend market share.

"Loss making independent (new energy vehicle) producers are likely to resist further price competitions, but we believe profitable market leaders such as Tesla and BYD still have the pricing flexibility to balance demand and supply - and both companies will continue to expand production capacity aggressively in 2023," Fitch Ratings analysts said in a note on Tuesday.

BYD, China's best-selling electrified vehicle maker, launched the Seal sedan under its Ocean series in July 2022 with a sporty design style and intelligent features.

It sold 19,573 Seal cars in the first quarter, while China sales of the Model 3 totalled 42,782 units in the same period, data from China Passenger Car Association showed.

The EV price war is also drawing sales away from internal combustion engine vehicles as the price gap between the technologies narrows.

BYD has so far led the new energy vehicle (NEV) market with its various offerings of battery-only and plug-in hybrid models priced under 300,000 yuan. At the recent Shanghai autoshow, it hit headlines by unveiling an electric hatchback costing half the price of the cheapest NEVs available elsewhere.

It has outgrown Germany's Volkswagen as the best-selling passenger vehicle brand in China in the last two quarters.

But signs of weaker demand are also appearing as BYD reduced shifts at two of its auto assembly plants in recent weeks, Reuters reported in March.
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'In the driver's seat, completely incapacitated by drug use': Brattleboro man held without bail after latest drug arrest
ALL ALONG ROUTE 30  The Vermont Agency of Transportation is asking folks to slow down on Route 30 this spring and into the summer as work to 
Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, has served on the House Education and Ways & Means Committees. He has heated his home exclusively with a geothermal heat pump since 2008. 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.
China launched a new cargo mission on Wednesday night to transport supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, a Long March-7 Y7 rocket lifted off at 9:22 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-6 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded and began working. The agency declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo vessel will later conduct an automated rendezvous and docking with the station combination in orbit.
Turkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured four wanted IS terrorists in Syria, including senior militant who acted as the terrorist group's so-called former governor, security sources said Wednesday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

The terrorists were nabbed in an operation following extensive work and were handed to security forces, the sources said.

IS' former so-called Turkiye governor Shahap Varish, who was on the Red Category of the Interior Ministry's Wanted List, was among those detained in the operation.

The terrorist was behind a number of foiled terrorist attacks planned against Turkish security forces.

In 2013, Turkiye became one of the first countries to declare IS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by the terrorist group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.

In response, Turkiye launched counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
HARTFORD  More than 150 cannabis industry exhibitors are expected in the capital city May 20 and 21 as the XL Center hosts the Connecticut Cannabis and Hemp Convention.

NECANN, which has been developing cannabis industry conventions since 2014, announced Wednesday its inaugural Connecticut convention for the weekend of May 20 at the XL Center.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during his first post-presidency campaign rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, Ohio, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

In a high-profile civil trial, a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle advice columnist. The case took place in a Manhattan federal court and centered on allegations of rape and defamation brought by Carroll against Trump under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which provides a one-year window for sexual abuse survivors to file claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.



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The unanimous verdict, reached after less than three hours of deliberation, marks the first time Trump has been held legally responsible for sexual misconduct. He has faced accusations of sexual assault from numerous women in the past.



During the trial, the nine-member jury, comprising six men and three women, considered 10 questions and ultimately determined that Trump sexually abused, but did not rape, Carroll. As this is a civil trial, the verdict does not determine guilt or lead to criminal charges. However, the jury ordered Trump to pay $2 million for sexual abuse and $3 million for defamation.



Trump continues to deny Carroll's allegations. Following the trial, he posted on his social media platform Truth Social, stating, "I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!"



Carroll's lawsuit claimed that Trump "seized Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her" in a Bergdorf Goodman department store approximately 27 years ago. She sought redress for her injuries and to demonstrate that even someone as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the law.



Carroll went public with her allegations in 2019. Trump denied the claims, stating she was "not my type" and that he had "never met this person in my life." He also claimed that Carroll was lying to help sell her memoir. Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in 2019, alleging his comments caused her emotional pain, suffering, and damage to her reputation and career. That suit remains stalled over disputes regarding the Department of Justice's role in defending Trump.



Carroll's most recent lawsuit, filed in November 2022, alleges both battery and defamation. During the trial, she testified, "I'm here because Donald Trump raped me," and "when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen." She added, "He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try and get my life back."



The trial also featured testimonies from other women who accused Trump of sexual assault, including former PEOPLE writer Natasha Stoynoff and ex-businesswoman Jessica Leeds.



This verdict comes as Trump faces other legal challenges, including pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with alleged hush money payments made to two women during his 2016 presidential campaign.


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MANCHESTER  Contractors have been busy downtown as property owners take advantage of no interest loans to transform landmark buildings.

Projects fed by the town loan program include ongoing renovation of the building at Main and Pearl streets, formerly home of Catsup & Mustard restaurant, and renovations of the Bank of America building at 893 Main St. and the Firestone Art Studio and Cafe at the southern edge of downtown. The board of directors received a report about the work and recommendations for long-term improvements from the economic development commission Tuesday night.

The work at 623 Main St., also known as 2-4 Pearl St., includes eight new studio and one-bedroom, market rate apartments on the upper floors, town planning and economic development director Gary Anderson said before the meeting. A new, yet-to-be determined restaurant is to occupy the former Catsup & Mustard space, Anderson said. The project at 893 Main St. includes six market-rate apartments, a mix of one-bedroom and studios.

The town loaned a total of $550,000 for the projects, $200,000 each for the Firestone and Main and Pearl projects and $150,000 for 893 Main St., Anderson said. The money came from a town sanitation fund, not taxpayer dollars, he said.

Selection criteria for the loan program included "transformative projects in multi-story buildings," code improvements that significantly enhance a property's long-term viability, respect for historically significant building facades and enhancement of the overall downtown environment, according to the report.

The projects are part of planned improvements all along Main Street, including a new library where the Webster Bank branch is now located, demolition and development of the Tong Building/Forest Street lot site across the street from the library site and planned roadway and sidewalk changes meant to accommodate more outdoor dining, events and public gathering places.

Other changes downtown include the expected opening of a Jamaican restaurant in space formerly occupied by a bakery at Main and Park streets, Anderson said. The building owner could not be reached Tuesday. Also, Anderson said, Urban Lodge Brewing on Purnell Place is expanding to provide food service from the former Lucky to Go satellite building of the Lucky Taco restaurant, which closed recently after nine years on Main Street.

To foster foot traffic downtown, the economic development commission report says town leaders should consider prioritizing new retail businesses and restaurants downtown over service-oriented businesses. Other recommendations include:
Connecticut lawmaker Quentin "Q" Williams was drunk when he was killed by a wrong-way driver in January after leaving Gov. Ned Lamont's inaugural ball, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Speaker of the House Matt Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas announced to the closed-door Democratic caucus that Williams' blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit of 0.08 when he was killed early on Jan. 5.

What we shared with the caucus was that we expected a toxicology report to be released today or tomorrow and to be accessible to the public, and we just wanted to let them know about that, Rojas said in a brief interview on the House floor.

However, the Connecticut State Police's legal department told Hearst Connecticut Media Group on Tuesday that the report may take up to one month to be released. The head of the legal department for the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees the state police, said the accident investigation report and toxicology results were completed, but could not immediately be released.

A portion of the accident investigation report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media on Tuesday showed Kimede Mustafaj, a 27-year-old Manchester woman identified by state police as the wrong-way driver who also died in the crash, had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. The report also showed Mustafaj had Delta-9 THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system when the crash occurred.

Rojas said he and Ritter expect the report will also indicate Williams' blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit.

"Obviously, its not something you want to read on Twitter or Facebook, and so we had a chance as a family, is what we call ourselves, to talk about it," Ritter said.

He described Williams as an "incredible person" and said the revelation would not sully the caucus' perception of him.

"I dont think anybody wants to revisit that night or second-guess anybody," Ritter said. "I think we all want to preserve the legacy and the things that he fought for, and thats kind of where I think the caucus is right now.

"I think we all feel the same level of sadness today that we felt in January," he added.

Williams, a 39-year-old Middletown Democrat who had just been sworn in to a third term, was traveling home from Lamonts inaugural ball in Hartford when the crash occurred near Exit 18 of Route 9 in Cromwell.

On Tuesday, state officials said Williams' toxicology results don't overshadow the fact that he was the victim of a wrong-way driver.

It certainly resurrects the whole incident all over again, which is sad and tragic and should not diminish the good work that he did when he was in the chamber, said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford.

And I think for all of us in the state of Connecticut, we should just make sure were taking care of each other and trying to prevent these tragedies by making sure that people are not driving while intoxicated. We all make bad choices at any given point in life, but it seems as if theres so much more permanency to those bad choices because there are so many higher risks out there."

Williams was a popular figure in his hometown of Middletown where he previously served as city treasurer and commissioner of Planning and Zoning. He was also the director of advocacy and policy for Excellence Community Schools, a charter school program in Stamford.

One day after the crash, hundreds attended a vigil for him on Middletowns South Green.

Family, friends and colleagues said Williams had "truly dedicated his life to public services, was "an amazing human being" and one of our shining stars.

His death was also described as a "great loss to our state.

Williams was known for his buoyant personality, being a champion for justice and equality and someone who had a big heart and boisterous laugh.
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STAMFORD  The "Hippo Ballerina" has landed.

The 15-foot-tall statue was unveiled Tuesday in front of Ferguson Library in downtown Stamford. The graceful pachyderm weighs more than two and a half tons and was cast in bronze, but wears a copper tutu.

She was created in 2016 by Danish sculptor by Bjorn Okholm Skaarup and was inspired by Edgar Degas' sculpture "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," as well as the dancing hippos of Walt Disney's "Fantasia."

In addition to his career as a self-taught sculptor, Skaarup has written and illustrated numerous books on historical, archaeological and anatomical subjects.

Skaarups unique sculptures draw inspiration from classical mythology, late Renaissance and 20th century American pop culture, while reinterpreting both classical and modern artistic themes, according to art experts.

"Hippo Ballerina" made her New York City debut in 2017 at Dante Park near Lincoln Center. Since then, she has been exhibited all over the city, including in the Flatiron District and in Pershing Square Plaza, near Grand Central Terminal.

This is not even the first time the twinkled-toed colossus has traveled to Connecticut; she was also at the Homestead Inn in Greenwich in 2017.

Skaarup also had a solo exhibition of his animal sculptures at The Bruce Museum in Greenwich in 2015 through 2016.

The statue's sisters can be seen at Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, 175 Greenwich Ave. in Greenwich. Skaarup has sculpted HB in various sizes, positions and contexts  tying her shoes, en pointe, twirling ribbons and balancing on a circus ball.

"Hippo Ballerina" is slated to spend summer and fall in downtown Stamford.
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LONDON (AP)  The head of the Church of England on Wednesday condemned a British government bill that would dramatically curb migrants ability to seek asylum in the U.K., calling the policy isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made a rare intervention in Parliament to oppose the legislation. He told the House of Lords, Parliament's unelected upper chamber, that the government's proposal was a short-term fix that risked causing great damage to the U.K.'s reputation.

The legislation bars asylum claims by anyone who reaches the U.K. by unauthorized means, and compels officials to detain and then deport refugees and migrants to their home country or a safe third country," such as Rwanda. Once deported, they would be banned from ever re-entering the U.K.

Britain's Conservative government says the measure would deter tens of thousands of people from trying to cross the English Channel in small boats each year in hopes of reaching the U.K. But critics, including the United Nations' refugee agency, have described the legislation as unethical and unworkable, and some allege it would violate international law.

The bill passed the House of Commons last month. It was on a second reading Wednesday in the House of Lords, where it faces strong opposition. The Lords can amend the legislation but not block it.

Welby, who is also the spiritual head of Anglican churches worldwide and presided over King Charles III's coronation on Saturday, said international protections for refugees were not inconvenient obstructions to get 'round by any legislative means necessary.

He added that it was wrong for the U.K. to leave the responsibility of accommodating refugees up to other countries, often much poorer ones.

Of course we cannot take everyone and nor should we, but this bill has no sense at all of the long-term and the global nature of the challenge that the world faces," Welby said. This nation should lead internationally, not stand apart.

Britain's government has urged the House of Lords to back the bill, which it says is designed to meet the will of the British people.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop the boats" carrying asylum-seekers across the English Channel and made that one of the key focuses of his time in office. His government has argued that the bill will clamp down on criminals who exploit desperate asylum-seekers and prevent migrants from dying during dangerous voyages from northern France in small dinghies.

There is nothing compassionate about allowing vulnerable people to perish in the Channel, Sunak's spokesman, Max Blain, said. The government will robustly defend its migration bill, he added.

While Britain takes in fewer migrants than other European countries such as Germany and Italy, the number of people crossing the busy waterway in search of better lives in the U.K. has increased significantly in recent years.

More than 45,000 people, including many fleeing countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Syria, arrived in Britain in small boats last year, up from 8,500 in 2020.

The government has housed many of those awaiting asylum decisions in hotels, which officials say costs taxpayers millions of pounds (dollars) a day. Authorities have said they plan to place new arrivals in disused military camps and a barge docked on the southern English coast.

Welby has been outspoken about his opposition to the Conservative government's efforts to curb migration. Last year, he warned against official rhetoric that portrayed migrants as invaders." He also called a government plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda the opposite of the nature of God.

___

Follow AP's coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House next month, courting an Indo-Pacific leader with whom he has sought stronger ties as the United States looks to blunt China's growing assertiveness in the region.

Modi's visit June 22 will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday in announcing the Indian leader's official state visit.

Biden and Modi will focus on their countries' commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region, as well as on their technology partnerships, including in defense, clean energy and space, she said. They will also discuss common challenges, including climate change, health security and developing the workforce.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said the visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the United States

This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership, the Indian government said.

U.S.-India relations under Biden have been warm, but also marked by complexity as Biden has sought stronger ties with the world's largest democracy while at the same time looking to counter China's growing economic and military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Since coming to office, Biden has sought to reinvigorate the Quad, an international partnership with the U.S., Australia, India and Japan. But unlike the other Quad countries and nearly every other major U.S. ally, India has not imposed sanctions on Russia and has offered only limited criticism of its invasion of Ukraine. Russia is India's biggest supplier of military hardware.

The partnership first formed during the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to host Biden, Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a Quad Leaders' Summit in Sydney later this month.

As Biden worked to unite the world against Russia, India boosted its imports of Russian oil. That allowed India to increase its energy supplies at a discount as its economy struggled to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

When Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, he offered measured public comments about Russias actions in Ukraine. I know that todays era is not of war, Modi told Putin.

But Biden has put a premium stronger economic ties with India and other Indo-Pacific nations amid growing competition with China. That's helped soften the differences between the U.S. and India over Russia.

So even though, on Russia, Ukraine, and a whole range of other issues around the world, we do have differences in approaches and different views, said Richard Rossow, senior adviser and chairperson of U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington On the threat that we both kind of agree is the major emerging threat ... for the next generations, theres very little daylight in our perception there.

Last year, Biden launched a trade deal with India and 11 other Indo-Pacific nations called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. The White House said the agreement would help those economies work more closely on issues including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy, worker protections and anticorruption efforts.

The president is likely to face criticism from human rights advocates for inviting Modi on a state visit and for plans plans to celebrate him at a state dinner, which is a high diplomatic honor reserved for close U.S. allies.

Press freedom in India has declined in recent years and opponents of Modis governing Hindu nationalist party have accused it of stifling dissent and introducing divisive policies that discriminate against Muslims and other minorities.

Modi has also been accused of trying to silence critics of his administrations handling of the pandemic.

India routinely denies criticism of its human rights record. It has also rejected criticism by foreign governments and rights groups that civil liberties have contracted in the country.

Asked about the optics of lavish treatment for Modi, Jean-Pierre said Biden always discusses human rights concerns with his counterparts. She said the U.S.-India relationship is critical.

This is an important relationship as we speak about the Indo-Pacific, as we talk about how to move forward in that region, Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday during a trip with Biden. The president believes this is an important relationship that we need to continue and build on."

Modi had a warm relationship with Biden's immediate predecessor as president, Republican Donald Trump.

In 2020, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world into lockdown, Trump made a two-day visit to India that included a raucous rally at a 110,000-seat cricket stadium. Trump had hosted Modi in the U.S. in 2019, a visit that included a side trip to Houston that drew about 50,000 people, many from the large Indian diaspora in the U.S.

Biden last hosted Modi at the White House in September 2021 for a meeting of leaders of the Quad. India also holds the rotating president of the Group of 20 nations and Biden is expected to attend that summit in New Delhi later this year.

Modi is the third foreign leader whom Biden has invited on an official state visit, which includes an expansive arrival ceremony with pomp and pageantry on the White House lawn and a ritzy state dinner with scores of guests from the worlds of politics, business and entertainment. French President Emmanuel Macron visited late last year, followed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April.

The last time India was so honored was nearly 15 years ago, under then-President Barack Obama in 2009.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Modis upcoming visit is not his first to the Biden White House; Modi visited Biden in 2021.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an annual nationwide televised phone-in show in Moscow, Russia (Photo : Sputnik/Sergei Savostyanov/Pool via REUTERS)

Fears of assassination led Russian President Vladimir Putin to hurriedly deliver a speech at this year's Victory Day parade, according to sources. In his first public appearance since an alleged assassination attempt at the Kremlin last week, Putin attended the Moscow parade on Tuesday to mark the end of Russia's involvement in World War II.



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However, this year's Victory Day parade was significantly smaller than usual due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Sources familiar with the celebration revealed that the parade only featured a single Soviet-era T-34 tank accompanied by no more than ten other military vehicles.



The parade also had fewer soldiers present, as most of Russia's fighting-aged men are currently engaged in the conflict in Ukraine. Ukrainian Ministry Advisor Anton Gerashchenko remarked, "It was one of the smallest in Russian history, taking less than 10 minutes." He added that the parade mainly consisted of cadets and students from military universities, not military personnel.



Western intelligence sources confirmed that the parade's scale was the smallest ever, attributing this to the majority of Russia's military and weaponry being either deployed in Ukraine or destroyed during the past 14 months of conflict. One Western intelligence source said, "Most Russian units that would normally be participating in the parade are either sitting in pieces in the Ukrainian countryside, still in Russian service waiting for the coming Ukrainian counteroffensive, or now in service with the Ukrainian Army."



Additionally, Putin's speech on Tuesday was reportedly shorter than usual. Despite its brevity, the 70-year-old Russian leader took the opportunity to blame the West for the ongoing war in Ukraine. Addressing his audience from Moscow's Red Square, Putin stated, "Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our Motherland."


Prince Harry Not Gonna Wear his Military Uniform? (Photo : REUTERS )

The royal family was left perplexed after Prince Harry made a brief appearance at King Charles III's coronation only to leave shortly thereafter. According to an insider, members of the royal family were primarily focused on the significant ceremony on Saturday, May 6, but couldn't help wondering why Harry attended at all, as he didn't interact with his family beyond the coronation.



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The source close to the family told a news publication, "One makes one's choices. To be honest there wasn't much talk of Harry at all. The focus was very much on the occasion."



The Duke of Sussex, 38, arrived in London on Friday afternoon, May 5, and departed nearly 24 hours later, before the celebrations had concluded.



While Harry's hasty departure may have been due to wanting to return to California in time for his son Archie's 4th birthday, which coincided with the coronation, it is also likely related to his ongoing feud with his family. Charles was reportedly "genuinely quite disappointed" that his youngest son didn't remain for the entirety of the celebrations, but he did take a moment to wish his grandson a happy birthday.



OK! reported that during a private lunch following the ceremony, the new king toasted to his loved ones, including "those that weren't there," and expressed his hope that his youngest grandson would have a happy birthday "wherever he was."



Meghan Markle, Harry's wife, stayed in California with their children, Archie and Lilibet, 1, over the weekend. Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex would not be attending the ceremony, opting to care for her children in the U.S. However, according to a source, there were additional reasons for her decision to avoid the royal event.



Royal biographer Omid Scobie stated that the Suits actress did not travel to the UK to "protect her peace," adding, "She is aware just how much of the spotlight goes on her when she sets even a foot near the story."



Scobie further noted that if Meghan had accompanied her husband, the media coverage and narrative of the day would have been quite different.



Harry and Meghan's strained relationship with the royal family has only deteriorated since their decision to step back from their senior royal roles in 2020. In addition to discussing royal family members in interviews and producing their Netflix series, Harry has been candid about his experiences within the palace in his memoir, Spare, providing the family with ample reason to maintain their distance from the couple.



A Vanity Fair source echoed the royal family's confusion regarding Harry's brief attendance at the coronation.


Delhi Police slammed a Pakistani actress who tried to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) by saying that they are spreading chaos and terrorism in Pakistan.

Actress Sehar Shinwari said, "Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police? I have to file a complaint against Indian PM and Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claim) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will provide me justice."

Anyone knows the online link of Delhi Police ? I have to file a complain against Indian Pm & Indian Intelligence Agency RAW who are spreading chaos and terrorism in my country Pakistan. If the Indian courts are free (As they claims) then I am sure Indian Supreme Court will  Sehar Shinwari (@SeharShinwari) May 9, 2023

Delhi Police respond to the actress

The Delhi police sharply retailed to this comment and said that they were afraid India still does not have jurisdiction in Pakistan and asked how is she tweeting at a time when the internet has been shut in her country.

"We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan. But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country!", police authority said.

We are afraid we still do not have jurisdiction in Pakistan.



But, would like to know how come you are tweeting when the internet has been shut down in your country! https://t.co/lnUCf8tY59  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 9, 2023

Civil unrest in Pakistan

This comment by the police came in the backdrop of the civil unrest in Pakistan due to the arrest of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been remanded for 8 days. Soon after his arrest, violent protests broke out in different cities and provinces of Pakistan.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested yesterday, has been remanded for 8 days. Soon after his arrest, violent protests broke out in different cities and provinces of Pakistan. Imran Khan's party, PTI has shared a tweet which apparently shows visuals of shelling on Kashmir Highway, near Islamabad.

Shelling at Kashmir Highway as protesters number is increasing. Its time for people of Pakistan to come out and defend their country. #ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/AXKrDKDb4I May 10, 2023

                -        #ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/SJZ16EWcw0  PTI (@PTIofficial) May 10, 2023

Use of force against citizens at H11 Islamabad : pic.twitter.com/6XRjT8vrUH  Dr. Iftikhar Durrani (@IftikharDurani) May 10, 2023

Clashes between Imran Khan's supporters and authorities aren't limited to Islamabad as the situation isn't that different in Peshawar. According to Musa Virk, who is the head of PTI's social media for Punjab, 4 people have lost their life in Peshawar, as a result of action by the authorities. The building of Radio Pakistan in Peshawar has also been set on fire.

4 Pakistanis dead in Peshawar.



State has declared war on its own people. pic.twitter.com/k0swdtLWlM  Musa Virk (@MusaNV18) May 10, 2023

Information being shared on Pakistani media suggests that fire has also been set on APP's office in Peshawar. Six people were inside the office when the office was set on fire, as per a report from the Dawn, which is a Pakistani daily newspaper. Although as of now it isn't clear if the APP office was actually situated in a different building or in the same building as the Radio Pakistan. There have also been reports of shelling in Lahore's Zaman Park.

Civil unrest is not new in Pakistan

Pakistan, a country with a complex socio-political landscape, has experienced several instances of civil unrest throughout its history. These periods of turmoil have been marked by political protests, social movements, and sometimes violent clashes between the government and the opposition. Examining some of these key episodes provides insights into the challenges faced by the nation.

One of the earliest major instances of civil unrest in Pakistan occurred in the 1960s during the Ayub Khan era. The protests, led by political parties and student groups, demanded democratic reforms and an end to the military regime. The movement gained momentum and culminated in the historic 1968-69 protests, known as the "Awami (People's) Movement". These demonstrations spread across the country and saw citizens from various sectors of society united against the authoritarian government. Eventually, Ayub Khan stepped down in 1969, marking a significant shift in Pakistan's political landscape.

In the 1970s, Pakistan witnessed further unrest following the controversial 1970 general elections. The East Pakistan-based Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a majority of seats but was denied power by the military-backed government, triggering widespread discontent. The situation escalated into the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, leading to the eventual separation of East Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh.

Another significant period of civil unrest unfolded in the late 1970s during General Zia-ul-Haq's military regime. The government's implementation of conservative Islamic policies, such as the controversial Hudood Ordinances, sparked opposition and protests from progressive sections of society. Women's rights activists, intellectuals, and political groups voiced their concerns, leading to clashes with the authorities.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pakistan witnessed further civil unrest amid political turmoil. Following the death of military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, the country faced a power struggle and a series of corruption scandals. Political parties, including the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), mobilised their supporters, leading to protests, strikes, and sporadic violence. The period was marked by the dismissal and reinstatement of governments and allegations of election rigging, exacerbating social and political tensions.

More recently, Pakistan experienced significant civil unrest in the early 2000s during the tenure of President Pervez Musharraf. The lawyers' movement, triggered by the removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, gained widespread support from legal professionals, civil society, and opposition parties. Mass protests, including the famous "Long March" in 2009, demanded the restoration of the judiciary's independence and the end of military interference in politics.
The raids come as lawmakers widen the definition of espionage to include sharing data on national interests.

Chinese police conduct work during a raid at the Capvision office in Shanghai in this undated photo.

China state security police raided the offices of Suzhou-based Capvision as part of an investigation into alleged espionage at the high-profile consultancy firm, Chinese financial media reported on Wednesday.

Just days after similar raids targeting foreign consultancy firms, police have accused Capvision of facilitating the leaking of state secrets, raided its offices and questioned its employees in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Shenzhen, according to Jiangsus state-run provincial TV station.

Police told the broadcaster that Capvision had been in regular contact with people working in sensitive industries like defense and science, and that the company had paid huge salaries to such people in a bid to illegally obtain all kinds of nationally sensitive data.

The state security bureau of Suzhou city ... together with the Municipal Market Supervision Administration and the Municipal Statistics Bureau launched a joint law enforcement action against the Suzhou branch of the consulting company Capvision ... which is suspected of endangering national security, Sina.coms finance channel reported.

The raid comes after China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National Peoples Congress, revised its counter-espionage law last month to broaden the definition of spying to include sharing documents, data, materials and items related to national security and interests.

Chinese police take photographs during the raid on the Capvision office in Shanghai in this undated photo. Credit: Screenshot from CCTV via AP





The Chinese authorities have typically employed a highly elastic definition of what constitutes a state secret, and national security charges are frequently leveled at journalists, rights lawyers and activists, often based on material they posted online.

Capvision was founded by a former employee of the U.S. management consultancy Bain & Co., which also received a visit from police in Shanghai last month, following a raid on U.S. due diligence firm Mintz in March. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned in April that the risks of doing business in China are rising.

The company said via its official WeChat account on Monday that it would resolutely implement its response to national security developments, pledging to step up its self-regulation, according to FX168 Financial News (Hong Kong) News.

A warning signal

Citing the companys own prospectus, Sina.com said the number of experts working with Capvision rose from 230,000 at the end of 2018 to 395,000 in the third quarter of 2021.

Capvision undoubtedly played an important role in [a] wave of incidents endangering national security, the report said, citing state security police.

When experts refuse to answer, Capvision would incite them to answer sensitive questions by increasing their fee, it said. It also told experts that they can use examples, analogies and other flexible methods to answer sensitive questions obliquely.

The company also introduced clauses into consultant contracts shifting responsibility for sensitive data onto their contractors, the report said.

The experts were attracted by the generous fees offered ... and leaked internal sensitive content and even state secrets and intelligence to foreign-linked consultants, taking them down the path of illegal and criminal actions, Sina.com quoted police sources as saying.

Independent current affairs commentator Ji Feng said the move is a warning signal to Western companies and organizations operating in China.

First, they want to frighten ordinary people, but they also want to send a reminder to Western countries ... its a bargaining chip in [Chinas strategic] games with the West, Ji said.

A staff member stands in the entrance of the Capvision office in Beijing on May 10, 2023. China said on Tuesday a raid by authorities on US consultancy Capvisions offices was aimed at safeguarding its national security and development interests. Credit: AFP





Commentator Zhang Shengqi said leaks do occur from sensitive areas of government and the economy, often from retirees from companies with military links.

There are military-linked technology companies in the system, and they sell their tech for a profit, Zhang said. They form cooperative relationships and will do anything to find overseas buyers.

When I was in Beijing, I saw these veteran officials looking for buyers, saying that they had stolen these technologies from the United States via declassification and military tech making the transition to civilian use, he said. These technology products were originally stolen from the West, and they were selling them to countries that are less developed than China.

Control over economic information

Veteran current affairs commentator Ma Ju said the authorities are also targeting consulting firms because they are sources of fairly reliable economic data, and the ruling Chinese Communist Party wants total control over the flow of information about the economy.

These consulting companies have branches all over the world, and they have been fine in China for so many years, yet suddenly they have become problematic, Ma said. I believe everyone who understands the Chinese system knows very well [what is happening].

Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, called on authorities to more clearly delineate which areas of due diligence were permissible.

Without proper due diligence, foreign companies will be unable to invest in new projects in China, he said in comments quoted by Reuters on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the raid on Capvision was part of normal law enforcement.

Recently, Chinese national security authorities and departments concerned have jointly taken public law enforcement actions on the company mentioned, Wang said.

These are normal law enforcement actions consistent with Chinese laws that aim to promote sound and well-regulated growth of [the] sector and safeguard national security and development interests.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Matt Reed.
Anheuser-Busch Brands Suffer Sales Decline Amid Dylan Mulvaney Controversy (Photo : Yibada News)

The aftermath of the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco has accelerated Bud Light's decline in sales, with the damage now extending to other Anheuser-Busch brands, according to recent data obtained by The Post.



Retail sales of Bud Light across the United States plunged by 23.4% in the week ending April 29 compared to the previous year. This is a more significant decrease than the 21.4% drop experienced the week before, as reported by Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ data.



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As consumers become aware of other beer brands under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella, the negative impact has broadened. The company's flagship Budweiser brand saw an 11.4% decline in sales for the week ending April 29. Additionally, sales of Bud's Michelob Ultra brand-the third-best-selling beer in the US behind Bud Light and Modelo Especial-fell by 4.4%, according to Bump Williams data.



Bump Williams, the consultancy's CEO, stated, "It's not just a Bud Light issue. It's an Anheuser-Busch portfolio problem now."



Anheuser-Busch's smaller US brands were also affected, with Natural Light sales down 5.2% and Busch Light sales dropping 1.8%.



These growing sales declines are a significant blow to Bud's leading US beer business. Last year, Bud Light sales exceeded $4.8 billion, as reported by the Connecticut-based firm. Modelo Especial achieved $3.75 billion in sales, while Michelob Ultra generated $3.3 billion.



In 2021, Budweiser ranked seventh with $1.83 billion in sales. Year to date, Bud Light and Budweiser are the only top 10 US beers with declining sales, dropping 3% and 0.4%, respectively.



Williams warned that Bud Light must address its downward trend by the end of the month, or it will continue to lose market share. "There has to be a sense of urgency for InBev to correct these trends," he said.



This marks the fourth consecutive week of double-digit sales drops related to Anheuser-Busch's brief marketing collaboration with transgender influencer Mulvaney. The partnership began on April 1 when Mulvaney shared videos of herself drinking Bud Light in a bubble bath.



Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, commented, "Anecdotally, we are hearing that sales of Bud Light are declining more rapidly at bars and restaurants where some consumers don't want to be seen drinking it or they are getting into arguments over the brand."



Meanwhile, competing brewers are gaining market share as Bud Light's sales decline. Coors Light and Miller Light each experienced over a 20% sales increase in the week ending April 29 compared to the previous year, according to Bump Williams and Nielson data.



Pabst Blue Ribbon saw an 18.9% increase, and Keystone Light experienced a 15% bump over the same period.



Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris has attempted to distance the company from the controversial Mulvaney partnership. He emphasized, "We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post, and not a campaign." The company has yet to comment on the sales declines.


Analysts say there is a risk that regional governments could start declaring bankruptcy, one after the other.

China Cinda Asset Management Co Ltd Chairman Hou Jianhang arrives for a news conference in Hong Kong on March 30, 2016.

Authorities in the southwestern province of Guizhou have hired a state-owned debt management company, as analysts warned of a potential financial crisis sparked by domino-like bankruptcies among local authorities.

China Cinda Asset Management has sent a panel of experts to the province in a bid to prevent and defuse various risks and offer stronger financial services, to the local government and state-owned enterprises, the company announced in a WeChat post cited by the state-run China Daily newspaper on April 25.

Cinda specializes in the reform and risk mitigation of small and medium-sized financial institutions, acquiring their distressed debt assets and investing in trusts, default bonds, judicial auction funds, according to a March 29 report in the same newspaper.

The company facilitates local government-led regional bailout and risk mitigation of large real estate groups and mergers and acquisitions of high-quality real estate enterprises, the paper said, adding that it had already intervened in the central province of Henan, where it set up a 10-billion yuan bailout fund for the purpose of bailing out property developers.

Official figures released ahead of the National Peoples Congress showed that Chinas public revenue totaled more than 20 trillion yuan last year, while expenditure topped 26 trillion yuan, an increase of 6.1% on the previous year, finance minister Liu Kun told a March 1 news conference in Beijing.

Lockdowns, quarantines and testing

Local governments have been hit by the triple whammy of increased pandemic spending while absorbing tax reductions, exemptions and early tax refunds, as the ongoing downturn in the real estate industry has led to a sharp drop in land transfer fees, which once accounted for 40% of local fiscal revenues, analysts have told Radio Free Asia in recent interviews.

Financial analysts have estimated that around one-third of public expenditure last year went on the rolling lockdowns, mass quarantines and compulsory daily COVID-19 testing programs of ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinpings zero-COVID policy, which ended in December.

A man walks past an advertisement displaying currencies, including Chinas yuan, the U.S. dollar and the Euro at a money exchange in Hong Kong on July 26, 2011. Credit: Tyrone Siu/Reuters





The policy has left local governments struggling with an ever-mounting debt burden, prompting officials to borrow more to pay back old debts, and to raid the coffers of medical insurance funds to make ends meet, resulting in cuts to medical benefits and mass protests in major cities in February, they said.

Bloomberg cited official data in a Feb. 27 report as saying that at least 17 of China's 31 provinces and municipalities are facing severe fiscal deficits, with local borrowing exceeding 120% of income, which the Ministry of Finance set as a warning level for local government debt in 2020.

Guizhou, with a population of nearly 40 million, recently issued a rare public appeal to the central government for assistance, despite warnings from Beijing in January that there would be no bailouts, sparking fears that it could be the first Chinese province ever to go bankrupt.

The government announced on its website on April 11 that its financial and fiscal research teams had visited a number of cities to discover the extent of the problem, and concluded that there is a significant and urgent problem that cant be effectively resolved by this government alone.

Local governments struggle

Commentators saw the report as tantamount to a direct appeal to Premier Li Qiang for central government support.

I think were going to see a domino effect, as more provinces in the southwest follow Guizhous lead and start sending out warning signals about bankruptcy, Beijing-based financial analyst Si Ling told RFA in a recent interview.

Local governments declaring bankruptcy could affect public opinion, and put pressure on Chinas central government, namely the State Council and the Ministry of Finance, he said.

He said if the financial crisis spreads to richer regions of China, such as the Pearl River and Yangtze River delta regions, it could spark an international sell-off of Chinas sovereign debt.

If one local government after another goes bankrupt, then even the central government and the Peoples Bank of China wont be able to buy up the piles of sovereign debt that will be sold off on international money markets, Si said.

An aerial view of the Beipanjiang Bridge across the Beipanjiang valley in Shuicheng county in southwest Chinas Guizhou province on Dec. 29, 2016. Credit: Pu Chao/Xinhua via AP





There are already signs that other governments are also struggling, with two county governments in the southwestern province of Yunnan recently announcing they had set up special task forces to address mounting debt.

Authorities in Yunnans Tongchong county said on April 24 that they could barely make their payroll given the current schedule of repayments.

Financial commentator Si Ling said the fact that local governments like those in Yunnan are openly talking about the problem suggests they have reached the end of the line.

Economic recession has undermined the ability of governments to pay back their loans, Si said. When the financial crisis breaks, it will affect everyone.

Local debt crises and huge debt burdens, governments going bankrupt, all of that could really happen, and happen all at once in an overwhelming way, he warned. The Chinese government wont be expecting it, because it has never happened before.

Chinas local government debt exceeds U.S.$9 trillion (about 61.55 trillion yuan), and continues to increase, according to a recent Reuters report.

No choice but to borrow

Yunnan resident Xiao Tai, who gave only a nickname for fear of reprisals, said the local government in his local region of Xishuangbanna is in debt to the tune of 16 billion yuan, and is already falling behind on wages to civil servants.

Everyone is in debt, he said. The central government is rich, and so are the banks, but ordinary people and local governments have no money.

He said many people in China, faced with a tanking economy, poor job prospects or unpaid wages, are being forced to borrow just to survive.

Ordinary people used to be afraid of owing tens of thousands of yuan, but now they have no choice but to borrow hundreds of thousands, he said. If they dont borrow, they will have nothing to live on.

He said moves are afoot where he lives to get property developers to build heavily subsidize housing for civil servants in lieu of wages, and to issue supermarket vouchers to enable people to buy daily necessities, staving off public unrest over unpaid wages.

But he said much of the central government funding allocated to the region as part of poverty alleviation schemes had disappeared. There are many reasons why there is no local fiscal revenue, and the biggest of them is corruption, Xiao Tai said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Matt Reed.
Villagers are forced to march with troops or taken to junta camps to keep rebel fighters away.

As fierce fighting has enveloped a jade mining town in northern Myanmar, the military has arrested more than 700 civilians and used some of them as human shields in battles with rebel groups, residents told Radio Free Asia.

So far this year, 20 people  mostly civilians  have been killed in the fighting in Kachin states Hpakant town, 711 miles north of Yangon.

The junta troops are trying to win back territory lost to People's Defense Forces, made up of ordinary citizens who have taken up arms against the military, which took control of the country in a February 2021 coup detat.

The civilians were apparently arrested for supporting PDF or Kachin Independence Army, an armed ethnic group, and held in custody near junta camps. It isnt clear if they have been formally charged. About 500 of them have been allowed to return to their homes, while about 100 remain detained.

They were arrested to be used as hostages or human shields for the junta troops. Most of them, about 75%, were released later, a Hpakant resident, who declined to be named, told RFA.

Some of them were specifically arrested at home by junta forces that were acting as if they were carrying out a mission and were not released, the resident said. They were prosecuted and given prison sentences.

No clear charges

In March, the junta arrested the owner of the Shu Daunt Thit tea shop in Hpakant, who was an officer in the Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO, the KIAs political wing. They also arrested 30 civilians, including four that they found in the home of the KIO officer. Another 17 Hpakant civilians were arrested on May 2 and 3.

On April 21, nearly 200 residents of a single village in Hpakant Township were arrested for allegedly supporting the KIA and the PDF, and about 150 have not yet been released, according to a resident.

They have released about 50 of them. Since they arrested about 200, 150 of them are still in their custody, he said. They do not cite any particular law for the arrests. They have detained them just by accusing them of supporting the KIA and the PDF.

The villager said that those arrested were kept in the police jail in Ma Sut Yang village and Htwal Aung, one of the detainees, was killed when he was beaten during interrogation.

On April 18, the military council troops entered a different village and arrested more than 80 civilians to be used as human shields, said a resident who escaped.

They arrested about 80 people. They made us walk in front of them, making us keep our heads down, he said. They asked us not to look at them. When we got to the motor road, the junta soldiers made us split into two groups and made us ride with them in two big trucks.

Myanmar military troops are seen in Hpakant in this undated photo. Credit: RFA

Men were put in a truck in the front and women in the rear  which was hit by gunfire, he said.

The truck in the front was not hit, only the one behind. Seven of the detained civilians were hit by the bullets and one of them died," he said.

The woman who died was 20-year-old Sai Mon Mai, while the six injured women were Bauk Mai, La Ban Kharn Shaung, In Khun Bauk Sant, Maran Sai Mai, Zar Zar Myo and La Bya Kharn Nan, he said.

We have seen that the junta troops shoot, arrest and kill everyone on their way as a strategy to rule the country by putting fear in the people, said a human rights activist in Kachin state who refused to be named for security reasons.

Failed state

Kyee Myint, a justice lawyer, said Myanmar has become a failed state under the junta.

There is no more law and order, he said. Thats why it is questionable as to who is really in charge. The junta has totally failed to uphold the rule of law.

On April 23, 5 people, including several businessmen and a military junta major were shot and killed at a karaoke room in Hpakants Ma Shi ka Htuang ward. The next morning, the junta shot and killed a KIO member and a PDF member they had captured.

Locals said that unidentified bodies of people who had been killed are often seen in Hpakant.

Regarding these events, Win Ye Tun, Kachin State social affairs minister and spokesman for the junta, said that although he has heard the news, it is difficult for him to confirm because it is a security issue.

We have heard of some of the cases but we cant confirm the news from our department, he said. The security departments might have more news, but we are trying to help the government to be able to take action in accordance with the law.

A Hpakant resident told RFA that she no longer felt safe living there.

In the current situation, I have to be afraid of everything, she said. I dare not go out. I am facing life-threatening danger everywhere.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
The perpetrators of the Shan state incident must be held accountable, Southeast Asian leaders say.

Indonesia President Joko Widodo (center) delivers his speech during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on May 10, 2023.

ASEAN leaders condemned a weekend attack on a convoy carrying regional diplomats and aid workers in Myanmar, as they opened a summit on Wednesday amid escalating violence in the Southeast Asian country under military rule.

The meeting of government leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began in Labuan Bajo, a picturesque seaside town on the Indonesian island of Flores, as pressure mounted on the 10-nation bloc to take firm action on member-state Myanmar. The country has been ravaged by bloodshed since the military seized power from an elected government more than two years ago and unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.

In a joint statement, leaders of the regional bloc said they condemned the attack on a humanitarian convoy in Myanmars Shan state on Sunday and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Indonesia President Joko Jokowi Widodo, this years chair of ASEAN, urged members of the bloc to unite in the face of challenges.

At the moment, the global economy has not fully recovered. Major power rivalries continue to sharpen. The global dynamic becomes more unpredictable, he said in a speech to open the summit.

Will ASEAN remain a spectator? Will ASEAN stay silent? Furthermore, will ASEAN be capable of being the engine for peace and economic growth? he asked. I am confident that we are certain ASEAN is capable, as long as we hold the key element: ASEAN unity.

In their collective statement, the Southeast Asian leaders expressed support for efforts by Jakarta to push for the implementation of a five-point peace plan, which ASEAN and Myanmars military rulers had agreed to during an emergency summit in April 2021.

The five-point consensus called for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, constructive dialogue among all parties, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian assistance and a visit by an ASEAN delegation.

The junta has largely ignored the plan, prompting ASEAN to bar its leaders from attending the groups summits.

ASEANs founding charter established the groups principles of consensus and non-interference in its members affairs. This has led to criticism of ASEAN as being ineffective.

Among the critics is Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, who was at the summit in eastern Indonesia.

On Wednesday, he called for the five-point plan to be implemented in its entirety.

Malaysia is disappointed that there continues to be a lack of meaningful and real progress in the implementation of the 5PC [five-point consensus], Malaysian state media quoted Anwar as saying.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left) talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia on May 10, 2023. Bay Ismoyo/pool via AP





Analysts: Deadlines, more intense pressure needed

The violent incident in Shan state took place as an ASEAN convoy was delivering humanitarian aid to Hsihseng township. Diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore were traveling with the convoy when it came under gunfire.

There were no reports of injuries in the shooting, which the Myanmar military blamed on anti-junta forces. The opposition to the junta denied any involvement, according to reporting by Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.

Marina Ika Sari, a researcher at the ASEAN Studies Program of The Habibie Center, a think-tank in Jakarta, said the bloc should set a timetable to make the five-point peace plan work.

What is needed is a practical plan  short-term, medium-term, long-term, with targets and timelines, she told BenarNews.

She also said that ASEAN should discuss how to protect foreign diplomats and aid workers who are at risk in Myanmar.

The security protection of civilians such as foreign diplomats and humanitarian workers in Myanmar is an important issue to be discussed after the attack, she said.

Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, an ASEAN researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the situation in Myanmar was no longer only a domestic political issue.

It has degenerated into a civil war, with spillover effects such as refugees and transnational crimes, he told BenarNews.

Kharisma acknowledged that the consensus system limits ASEAN in what the bloc can do. In his opinion, barring Burmese military leaders from summits is not enough to change their behavior.

More varied and intense pressure is needed, he said.

Myanmars military has faced widespread resistance from pro-democracy protesters, ethnic armed groups and other anti-coup forces since seizing power in February 2021.

The ASEAN summit was also expected to address issues such as a roadmap to Timor Lestes full membership in the bloc, the South China Sea disputes and maritime security as well as the promotion of human rights and democracy in the region.

In his opening remarks, Jokowi said ASEAN, which has a combined population of about 650 million and a gross domestic product of about U.S.$3 trillion, had major assets as the epicenter of growth, such as a fast-growing economy, a young and dynamic workforce and a stable political environment.

He urged the leaders to work together to strengthen economic integration, inclusive cooperation, regional health architecture, food security, energy resilience and financial stability.

Tria Dianti in Jakarta and Iman Muttaqin Yusof in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.
Grief mingles with defiance in Sagaing, where evidence of an atrocity was recorded on a soldiers cell phone.

A photo from May 10, 2022, shows about 30 men with their hands tied behind their backs on the grounds of Mon Taing Pin monastery. It was recovered from the phone of a Myanmar soldier.

One year ago, horror visited the village of Mon Taing Pin.

Burmese junta troops killed 29 of the villages menfolk, maiming and burning the bodies in a 44-hour orgy of violence that was recorded on a soldiers cell phone.

Today, the villagers of this forsaken community in Myanmars northern war-torn Sagaing region still mourn their losses and live in perpetual fear of another military assault as the junta attempts to squelch resistance to its two-year-old military takeover.

If the military comes from the south, we have to run to the north. If they come from the north, we have to run to the south, said one 40-year-old woman, who lost both her husband and her brother in the May 10-12 attack.

We are still panic-stricken, she added. I depended on my husbands daily bread and now I dont know what to do. Like all the Mon Taing Pin residents cited in this report, the woman requested anonymity for safety reasons.

In an image taken from a video found on a soldiers phone, the phones owner and two other soldiers who appear to have taken part in the Mon Taing Pin massacre talk about how many people they have killed, the methods they used and cutting up the bodies.

Radio Free Asia revealed the massacre last June after analyzing a cache of files retrieved from a cell phone that was dropped in a neighboring township and found by a villager.

It included an image of about 30 men with their hands tied behind their backs on the grounds of a monastery, and victims of execution a day later.

Boasting about killings

Stoking further outrage, the phone included photos of armed men posing next to corpses, and a video in which they boast about how many people they have killed, and how they have killed them.

The photos and video indicated the presence of Light Infantry Battalion 708, which is part of the Yangon-based Military Operations Command No. 4. Witnesses also said members of the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia took part in the raid on the village.

Ample proof of Burmese military atrocities and abuses by security forces has emerged in the past two years. There has been detailed testimony from victims and military defectors; images and footage from citizens cell phones; CCTV video; and satellite imagery analysis of dozens of villages in Sagaing burned to the ground.

But the Mon Taing Pin massacre appeared to be the first time in which Burmese soldiers had been caught on film talking about the horrors that they were visiting upon people. It was part of an ongoing scorched earth campaign that has terrorized this rural heartland of northern Myanmar since the Feb. 1, 2021, coup against a civilian government.

A series of photos from April 28 on the soldiers phone shows a young man with his arms bound behind him, his face puffy and bloodied while a person holds a knife to his chest. A witness to the massacre described a similar interrogation technique by the soldiers during the raid on Mon Taing Pin.

In follow-up reporting, RFA has verified accounts of what happened in the village by speaking to the people who lived there.

One woman said that she lost all three of her sons in the onslaught that began at around 6 a.m. on May 10 with heavy weapons fire. About 150 Burmese military and pro-junta militia entered the village with guns blazing. The attack ended around 2 a.m. on May 12, as soldiers left after slaughtering the men they had detained.

Most of Mon Taing Pins survivors returned to their homes within a couple of days of the attack, and they continue to eke out a fragile existence. Residents say the last time junta troops came to the village was March 5 this year.

Junta target

The surrounding Ye-U township has become a frequent target for junta forces. Since the coup, some 3,332 homes in 53 villages have been burned down there, according to the residents and local militia.

Across the whole of Sagaing, nearly 48,000 houses have been burned as of the end of February 2023, according to the non-government research group, Data for Myanmar. Thats out of a total of about 60,500 houses burned nationwide.

For three months after the incident, they raided the village every month, said a 64-year old man who lives in Mon Taing Pin. Now, they have left for the southern part of Tabayin, he added, referring to the township to the southwest of Ye-U.

The charred remains of Tin Tein Yan village in Sagaing region's Ye-U township, which was attacked by junta forces, Aug. 2022. Credit: Ye-U township's People's Defense Group

He said that villagers have struggled to grow new crops this year and have to share what they have with neighbors. There are about 400 households in Mon Taing Pin, and a total of about 1,800 people. Some 30 houses were burned down during the violence, and charred bodies were found inside the burned homes.

One mother, whose 34-year-old son Kyaw Min Aung was among those slain, said she constantly thinks about his killing. Whenever she misses her son, she grasps the long-sleeved checkered shirt and hat he was wearing on May 11  the day he died.

Now it is the anniversary. My heart is broken. I cannot forget [my son] for a single day, she said.

Myanmars military, however, appears to have done just that.

When junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun spoke to RFA about events in Mon Taing Pin last June, he said that authorities had opened a probe into the matter. Regarding these incidents, we can respond only after investigation in the field, he said.

Since then, RFA has repeatedly sought an update from the spokesman, including for this report. He did not pick up a reporters calls.

Allegations of atrocities and war crimes by junta forces have piled up since the Mon Taing Pin massacre. In the deadliest reported incident since the coup, as many as 200 people were killed in an April 11 air strike on Pa Zi Gyi village in Sagaings Kanbalu township.

Evil military dictatorship

In Mon Taing Pin, grief now mingles with defiance.

What I want to say is that this evil of military dictatorship must be rooted out, the male resident said. We can cure our loss if the junta is toppled. So, we must revolt until the military dictatorship is eliminated.

This photo (blurred to cover the graphic scene) shows the phone owner and a man who also appeared in the video standing next to five slain men lying in pools of blood. Two of the slain men also can be seen in the photo from the previous day showing about 30 men with their hands tied behind their backs on the grounds of Mon Taing Pin monastery.

Myint Htwe, who was an elected parliamentarian representing Ye-U township before the coup, said it was vital to persecute the perpetrators by courts martial for what was a violation of military conduct and international law.

After the revolution, the perpetrators must be held to account for their role in overseeing or carrying out the killing. Everyone knows it, he said.

The woman who lost her husband and brother in the massacre also demanded justice.

There was a mass killing. There are widows who lost their husbands. Some lost two or three sons. They have been suffering from mental disorders, she told RFA.

We are the same. Husbands and brothers were burned alive and that caused deep resentment, she said. We want justice for those victims and their families.

Edited by Mat Pennington.
Observers say the offer smacks of desperation as military losses mount on the battlefield.

Myanmars military is taking out its pocketbook to try to persuade rebels to stop fighting.

The generals in Naypyidaw want to give members of the anti-junta Peoples Defense Force and other terrorist groups who surrender their weapons and renounce their loyalty to resistance forces as much as 7.5 million kyats (U.S.$3,570)  a princely sum for most people in Myanmar.

Thats according to an offer made Tuesday to those willing to return to the legal fold, as well as anyone illegally armed for reasons of personal security who agrees to apply for a weapons license.

Its the latest attempt by the Burmese army to defeat resistance forces, who have reported growing success against a depleted military two years after generals took control of the country in a February 2021 coup detat.

Facing losses on the ground, the military has increasingly relied on airstrikes to win its battles  often at devastating cost to civilians.

Based on the announcement, the regime is prepared to provide anywhere from 200,000 to 7.5 million kyats (U.S.$95 to $3,570) to rebel fighters who throw themselves at the mercy of a military tribunal, depending on the type of weapon and ammunition they hand over to authorities when they surrender.

Those who have committed murder, rape, and other crimes will have to face legal proceedings in court, the announcement said, but relaxations will be made according to the law, depending on the scale of the offense.

Applicants for a license to carry firearms for the purpose of personal security will not be questioned about how they obtained the weapons and ammunition and can expect to be approved, provided they comply with the principle of possession.

No thanks

Rebel fighters responded to the proposition with disdain.

The junta inviting the PDFs to return to the legal fold is just an example of how it manipulates the law as it sees fit, said a 19-year-old with the Ye-U township PDF in Sagaing region, who asked to be identified as Nway Oo, and said he would not be accepting the offer.

Their statement is full of false intentions. As long as [the junta generals] are in power, the country will continue to suffer, so we must fight to root them out, he said. Well never give up  we will fight until they are brought to justice and made to answer to the will of the people.

Members of People's Defense Force Kalay  Battalion 7 in Myanmars Kalay district train in February 2023. Credit: Screenshot from Peoples Defense Forces Kalay  Battalion 7 video

Nway Oo graduated from high school in 2020 and joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement branch of students who boycotted education under the military following the coup.

In the Sagaing region, which has offered up some of the stiffest resistance to military rule since the takeover, its obvious that the juntas strength on the ground is decreasing, he said, as the number of troop patrols is dwindling and airstrikes are on the uptick.

Sayar Kyaung, the leader of the anti-junta Yangon UG Association, told RFA that the military has never stopped cracking down on the PDF and called the sudden announcement an attempt to distort the revolution.

The juntas announcement is a bit funny  rule of law in Myanmar ceased to exist once they staged a coup, he said. Their offer to relax legal procedures indicates that they are weakening.

Sign of desperation

The junta's offer is part of a genuine bid to resolve Myanmars armed conflict, said Thein Tun Oo, executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, which is made up of former military officers.

[Anti-junta fighters] will not find it easy to continue on a path of armed resistance, he said, adding that those directly involved in the fighting understand the situation.

Some youths naively and impulsively joined the resistance groups, he said. This is a chance for them to come back.

But Nay Phone Latt, spokesman for the shadow National Unity Governments Office of the Prime Minister, said the juntas announcement showed its desperation.

Its pretty obvious  they have invited the PDFs to return just because they finally came to realize that they cannot beat them on the ground, he said. Thats why they appear to be forgiving with this invitation. But we all know what [junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing] said earlier.

Just a month ago, in a March 27 speech to mark Armed Forces Day, Min Aung Hlaing called the NUG, PDF, and armed ethnic organizations terrorists who seek to destroy the nation, vowing to eradicate them.

Tuesdays announcement marks the second time the military has called on members of the PDF and other anti-junta groups to surrender their weapons and rejoin Myanmars legal framework, following an overture in June last year.

International call for resolution

It also came as observers suggested there was no political off-ramp from Myanmars conflict on the horizon, despite calls by state leaders, international diplomats and fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, states in recent weeks for an immediate cessation of violence and dialogue between all stakeholders.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing [right] meets with former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Naypyidaw, April 24, 2023. Credit: AFP/Myanmar Military Information Team

After the former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Naypyidaw at the end of April to discuss an end to violence with the junta leaders, the military bombed a hospital, said NUG spokesman Kyaw Zaw.

And when the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was visiting in mid-April, the junta dropped bombs on a civilian population, he said.

By looking at incidents like that, you can see whether theyre complying with the international communitys pleas to stop the violence, he said.

The latest call to stop hostilities came on Monday from Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, after an attack over the weekend on a diplomatic convoy delivering humanitarian relief to displaced people in Myanmar. The convoy included members of the ASEAN disaster management agency and diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore.

There were no reports of injuries in the shooting, which the Myanmar military blamed on anti-junta forces. The juntas opposition has denied any involvement.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the regimes response to international calls for dialogue went unanswered Wednesday.

Inclusive dialogue not yet possible

Thein Tun Oo, of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Study, told RFA there are still many requirements to be fulfilled before the nations problems can be solved through dialogue, although he did not provide details.

Furthermore, he suggested that the junta would not be swayed by external pressure.

Although the leaders meet and hold discussions with international diplomats and act agreeable, in fact, Myanmar rarely follows international guidelines as a result of pressure, he said, noting that such a tactic has never led to all-inclusive dialogue in the country.

The vacant chair for the Myanmar delegation is seen at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Credit: Pool/AFP

Sai Kyi Zin Soe, a political analyst, told RFA that an all-inclusive dialogue is not yet possible, in part because of an unwillingness to engage on the part of the armed resistance.

International leaders visiting Myanmar to discuss the crisis and, after that, all stakeholders holding an inclusive dialogue and coming to an agreement  is a scenario that the international community hopes for but is impossible, he said.

Under the current circumstances, it may only cause controversy among revolutionary groups over whether or not to follow the advice for a dialogue, which could create tension and lead to disputes between them.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Iran is implementing modern new payment systems to make it easier for its citizens to use public transportation and get their subsidized daily bread. But Afghans living in the country say they are being left behind due to immigration policies that restrict their access to bank cards.

Afghan migrants are complaining that not being able to have bank cards makes it difficult to use city subways, access mobile phone services, and even to get their daily bread.

Mirwais, who has lived in the southwestern city of Shiraz for over 20 years, says the limitations add to the "pressure" he and other Afghans face every day in Iran.

"All the migrants face this," said Mirwais, who gave only his first name in a telephone interview with RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Whether in Shiraz, Tehran, or Isfahan, migrants suffer and are under pressure all over Iran."

Digital Divide

The lack of access to basic services can be traced to requirements imposed years ago that effectively prevent many members of Iran's large Afghan community from obtaining bank cards. While Iran has made the leap to Internet banking, online purchases, and digital card readers, migrants must still go in person to a bank to make withdrawals or send wire payments.

Some Afghans living in Iran say they cannot open a bank account at all, while others complain that they face limits on the amount they can withdraw. Getting mobile phone service has also been made difficult due to Iran's crackdown on unregistered SIM cards.

The problem has been compounded by the need for bank cards to purchase transportation tickets or to apply for new smart cards introduced for purchasing subsidized goods from bakeries, meaning Afghans have to rely on workarounds just to put food on the table or travel around.

Mohammad Amiri, 26, has lived in Tehran with his wife and child for more than two years, but still faces difficulties carrying out everyday tasks.

"In the [Tehran] subway, you need to pay with a bank card. They don't accept cash," he told Radio Azadi. "Some [Iranians] buy tickets for us [in exchange for cash], but others don't."

"Unfortunately, as Afghan migrants, we don't have the right to have a bank card or even a SIM card. This is a real problem for us," he said.

Mirwais expressed the same frustration, saying that if fellow passengers are not willing to purchase electronic passes for them, he and other Afghans must take taxis at much greater expense.

He said the same goes for bakeries, which recently introduced a new "smartization" system that uses special cards that allow customers to automatically deduct their purchases from a state-subsidized account.

The initiative has been touted by officials as a way of more effectively distributing subsidies, easing skyrocketing prices for flour and bread, and eliminating graft.

'They Make It Hard'

Officials have denied they are excluding anyone and have pledged to fix any difficulties stemming from the new systems, saying that there are alternatives to using bank cards and that the Tehran subway allows Afghan nationals experiencing payment issues to ride for free.

But Afghans who spoke to Radio Azadi said the reality is much different.

"My wife offered the baker money six times, but the baker would not accept it, saying she must bring a bank card," Mirwais said this week. "There are some [Iranians] who offer their cards, one in 1,000. They give their cards and take cash to resolve the problem."

"We go to the bank, they don't accept our passports; we go to buy a SIM card, they don't accept our passports," Mirwais said. "It should be easy to use the subway, but the government makes it hard for migrants."

Millions Of Migrants

An estimated 3 million Afghans, many of them undocumented refugees and migrants, live in Iran. Many have complained of widespread discrimination and abuse.

More than 1 million Afghans crossed into Iran in 2021, often en route to third countries, as the Taliban advanced and eventually seized power in Afghanistan that year. Iranian authorities have reportedly deported more than half of recent arrivals.

Many Afghan migrants in Iran moved to the Islamic republic decades ago amid political upheaval and war. Iran has also long been a destination country for Afghan migrant workers seeking seasonal jobs.

Migrants are officially divided into two categories in Iran: those who are documented and have passports, residency, or immigration cards, and the undocumented. The latter group includes Afghans who never held passports in their home country.

Iran provides one-year residency permits for more recent arrivals, and has said that full access to banking and social services, including health insurance, are available to all migrants who officially register their names and information with the Interior Ministry. More than 2 million foreign nationals have complied and are on the books, according to the ministry.

But mired in its own economic crisis amid skyrocketing inflation and rising food prices, Iran has often expressed alarm at the number of undocumented Afghans on its soil.

Undocumented Afghans like Amiri have little hope of gaining access to basic services, and even those who have residency permits can only hold bank accounts for the one-year period of their stay.

"We can't open a bank account because we don't have any [identity] documents with us," Amiri said.

"We applied at several banks, but they've told us that we must wait. So, we're just waiting to see what will happen. Having a bank card is essential for us, for our daily lives."

Written by Michael Scollon based on reporting by Freshta Negah of RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
As China continues to reopen its economy and reinvigorate its diplomatic dealings around the world after three years of strict COVID-19 restrictions, Beijing has its sights set on Central Asia, analysts and officials say.



As trade and commerce links between Beijing and the five countries in Central Asia continue to rebound from the shutdowns caused by the pandemic, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold Beijings first in-person summit with Central Asian leaders on May 18-19 in Xian.



China will use the summit to try to build on the major progress it has made recently by establishing visa-free travel deals with several regional governments.



A new draft law between Kazakhstan and China that allows passport holders of the countries to stay in the other country for 30 days has been approved by Astana and is expected be signed into force later this month at the summit in Xi'an.* The move comes after Uzbekistan approved two weeks of visa-free travel for Chinese tourists and with Kyrgyzstan currently in talks for its own visa-free regime with Beijing that it hopes will boost its economy through increased cross-border trade, investment, and tourism.



Weve discussed visa issues for our citizens, including for truck drivers [and] also about the introduction of a visa-free regime, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev told the countrys parliament on May 3 while discussing a recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang. Now our side has to do the workbut in general, China is ready to discuss and is open to dialogue.

The current push in Central Asia comes as China looks to breathe new life into its multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) foreign-policy project and attempt to normalize the situation in its western Xinjiang Province, which borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. China views Central Asia as integral to its long-term economic strategy for Eurasia and experts say Beijing is looking to send a symbolic message to the region as its domestic economy gathers steam again since its reopening.



China's image and its trade relationship took a hit during the pandemic when Beijing closed its borders [with Central Asia], Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told RFE/RL. The assumption here is that this can bring economic benefits, but its also a clear message that China is open for business and that Central Asia is open to China.



A New Chapter



Beyond the rigid COVID-restrictions in China during the pandemic that led to a major drop in cross-border trade, Xinjiang saw stricter border controls come into effect ahead of a multiyear repression campaign launched by Beijing against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the western province such as ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz.



That expansive campaign in Xinjiang -- which included detention camps and prisons as well as forced labor and birth control, among other abuses -- led to what a 2022 UN report called serious human-rights violations and recognized as genocide by several Western parliaments.



In Central Asia, the crackdown became a flashpoint for activism due to family connections, particularly between Kazakhs and Xinjiangs ethnic Kazakhs, with several former detainees publishing testimonies after fleeing China for the Central Asian country.



The Kazakh government and its Central Asian peers have since silenced most forms of activism about Xinjiang, with only a select few relatives of those missing in Xinjiang still willing to protest in the face of continued repression.

Central Asian governments now have their sights set on reaping the economic rewards of a reopened China and increasing trade links with neighboring Xinjiang.



This will dramatically increase the flexibility of Kazakh business and its ability to provide not only local, but also the Central Asian, Eurasian, and Chinese markets with the necessary goods. This will also provide more investment opportunities, Adil Kaukenov, an expert at the state-run Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies in Astana wrote on April 13 when legislation for the visa-free deal was approved.



Xinjiangs importance is underlined by the fact that the province alone accounts for 40 percent of total Chinese-Kazakh trade, according to Kazakh government statistics.



As a whole, Chinas economic footprint in Central Asia is growing despite the pandemic-caused setbacks. By the end of 2020, total Chinese investment in the region reached $40 billion, a figure that grew to $70 billion by the end of 2022.



Kazakhstan continues to account for a leading percentage of Chinese capital in the region. In addition to being a leading site of investment, Chinese-Kazakh trade grew by 33 percent year-on-year in 2022 to set a new record of $24 billion -- and local officials are seeking to increase it further.

During a March visit, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev welcomed Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Ma Xingrui and a visiting trade delegation to Astana, where the countries signed $565 million worth of new contracts.



Astana also continues to position itself to capitalize as a key transit point for ferrying goods overland between China and Europe, as Kazakhstan aims to fill the void left as shipping companies look to bypass Russia -- which had been the main transit route -- due to sanction risks caused by its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.



Kazakhstan and other countries like Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey are trying to boost investment and interest in the Middle Corridor -- also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route -- a transit route under the guise of the BRI that links East Asia and Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus.



In principle, Chinas relationship with Central Asia hasnt changed a lot, said Pantucci, who is the author of Sinostan: Chinas Inadvertent Empire. Its seen as integral to Xinjiangs security and development and its clearly a region where Xi and the Chinese government are comfortable and continue to cultivate better ties.



A Milestone Summit



The focus on boosting regional infrastructure and connectivity will follow Beijing as it holds the high-profile summit with Central Asian leaders in Xian, which will be chaired by Xi. It marks the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union that a Chinese leader will host all five Central Asian heads of state.



Chinese officials have already said the summit will showcase burgeoning trade between Beijing and the region, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin telling reporters on May 8 that it will be a milestone that heralds a new era of cooperation. He added that an important political document is due to be signed that will draw a new blueprint for China-Central Asia relations.

Wang did not go into detail about the agenda, but the summit will be closely watched as Central Asia navigates the political and economic fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haiyun Ma, a professor at Frostburg State University who studies Beijing's relations with Russia and Central and South Asian countries, told RFE/RL.



Ma said the direct economic benefits from measures like the new visa-free deals are still unclear, but they are an important symbol for Beijings growing sway and the regional reordering under way as China grows its ties with Moscow but continues to pursue its interests in Central Asia, where Russia has traditionally guarded its influence.



The war in Ukraine has proved awkward for Central Asians as they looked to forge new long-term economic relationships with other countries, leverage concessions from Moscow because of its weakened status, and distance themselves from the Kremlin politically.



Despite Moscows diminished stature, however, it continues to be a key player in the region.

Its continued influence was on full display as all five Central Asian leaders hurriedly came to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day, which many analysts viewed as a result of Kremlin pressure.



With that in mind, Ma added that Beijing will use the summit to reassure the regions countries that it supports their political independence and will take new steps towards creating a China-centered economic circle in Eurasia.



This is basically a two-birds, one-stone strategy: to weaken Russian influence [and] to further integrate Central Asia more closely with China and its other [projects] in the region, Ma said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the status of the draft law.

Written and reported by Reid Standish in Prague with additional reporting by RFE/RLs Kazakh and Kyrgyz services.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine's military will not attack Russian territory with the powerful weapons he is requesting from Kyiv's Western allies, during a visit to Germany on May 14.

"We are not attacking Russian territory. We are liberating our lawful territory," Zelenskiy said at a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "We have no time, no forces, and no surplus weapons for this," he said.

On the eve of Zelenskiy's arrival, Germany announced a $3 billion military aid package to help Kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion.

"Now is the time for us to determine the end of the war already this year, we can make the aggressor's defeat irreversible already this year," Zelenskiy told reporters in Berlin.

He thanked Germany for supporting Kyiv during "the most challenging time in the modern history of Ukraine" on being welcomed earlier by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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 in Ukraine, click here.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed Zelenskiy at Schloss Bellevue, his official Berlin residence.

Zelenskiy is also expected to travel to the city of Aachen to receive the prestigious Charlemagne Prize.

Zelensky expressed his thanks to Germany as he signed the visitor's book at the German president's residence.

"In the most challenging time in the modern history of Ukraine, Germany proved to be our true friend and reliable ally, which stands decisively side-by-side with the Ukrainian people in the struggle to defend freedom and democratic values," Zelenskiy wrote.

On the eve of his arrival, Germany announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth more than $3 billion, including tanks, antiaircraft systems and ammunition.

"We all hope for a rapid end to this terrible war by Russia against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately this is not in sight," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.

The package includes 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 30 Leopard 1 tanks, 15 Gepard antiaircraft tanks, 200 reconnaissance drones, four additional Iris-T antiaircraft systems including ammunition, additional artillery ammunition and more than 200 armored combat and logistics vehicles.

Germany has been criticized by many in Ukraine for its reluctance to send heavy armaments to Kyiv for its battle against Russian forces. The latest aid package is Berlin's largest since the invasion of February 2022.

Zelenskiy's trip to Germany comes after the Ukrainian leader received vocal support on May 13 from Italian leaders in Rome and at the Vatican, where Pope Francis called for humanitarian gestures toward the most fragile persons, innocent victims of the conflict."

On the war front, at least one Russian SU-34 warplane and a military Mi-8 helicopter had crashed in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, Russian emergency services were quoted by TASS news agency as saying, with several reports claiming the craft had been shot down.

Later, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that a Russian SU-35 jet and a second Mi-8 helicopter also crashed on May 13, but that report could not immediately be confirmed.

Ukraine did not comment on the reports. Kyiv normally does not comment directly on any incidents occurring within Russias borders.

If confirmed that the aircraft were shot down, it would represent a major coup for the Ukrainian military and an embarrassment for the Kremlin.

On the war front, Ukrainian forces intercepted and destroyed three missiles and 25 drones overnight in the latest aerial attack by Russian forces, Ukraine's air force said on May 14.

Russia attacked from different directions with Shahed attack drones, Kalibr missiles from ships in the Black Sea, [and] cruise missiles from Tu-95 strategic aircraft," the air force said in a statement.

Russia has increased the number of missile and drone strikes since the beginning of May, which Ukrainian authorities attribute to Moscow's fear of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Late on May 13, Russian missiles hit the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, which is home to the electro-pop duo Tvorchi, this year's contestants from Ukraine at the Eurovision 2023 Song Contest, local authorities said.

The attack came as the contest was under way in Britain because Ukraine, last year's winners, could not host it due to the war.

WATCH: After Ukraine was unable to host this year's Eurovision competition, Liverpool stepped in to host the annual song contest and is putting Ukrainian artists and culture front and center.

The strike hit warehouses owned by commercial enterprises and a religious organization, injuring two people, local officials in Ternopil reported on Telegram.

Melinda Simmons, Britain's ambassador to Kyiv, praised Tvorchi for their Eurovision entry.

"The staging was brilliant. And poignant as their university home town of Ternopil was targeted by Russian missiles this evening," Simmons tweeted.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Amber Heard Settles in Spain with Daughter: Is She Leaving Hollywood Behind?

Actor Amber Heard delivers a statement as she leaves the High Court in London, Britain (Photo : REUTERS/Simon Dawson)

Hollywood actress Amber Heard is reportedly enjoying a happy life with her daughter.



On the 8th (local time), foreign media outlets captured Amber Heard strolling with her daughter, Oonagh Paige, in Madrid, Spain, over the weekend. Amber Heard became a mother in 2021 through a surrogate.



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According to foreign media, Amber Heard has been spotted in Spain for a few months, suggesting that she has purchased a house and settled there. She has always been with her child and reportedly spends time with her, unconcerned about the attention from those around her.



The Daily Mail quoted a source as saying, "Amber speaks Spanish and is currently focusing on raising her daughter," adding, "It seems that she is not in a hurry to return to work or Hollywood." Amber Heard put her Yucca Valley, California home up for sale last January.



The media outlet also added, "It is unclear how Amber, who has been claiming financial difficulties since the trial, is making ends meet."



Amber Heard began her married life with Johnny Depp in 2015 but faced a divorce just two years later. She then embarked on a lengthy legal battle, accusing Depp of domestic violence, but lost last year. She was ordered to pay Depp $15 million (approximately 19.4 billion KRW) in damages.



Since then, Amber Heard has essentially announced her temporary retirement by leaving Hollywood and moving to Spain. However, her appearance in the first trailer for 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' on the 26th of last month hinted at her return. Nevertheless, the public is opposing her comeback, with a massive petition calling for the cancellation of her casting.


KYIV -- An insurance company co-owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire businessman Mikhail Fridman has underwritten Russian National Guard vehicles that were later deployed to Ukraine, Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, has found. The discovery could lead to Kyiv attempting to seize Fridmans assets in Ukraine.



Documents on Russias government procurement website show that AlfaStrakhovanie earned at least 63.4 million rubles ($800,000) in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, from insuring National Guard vehicles. Using social media and Russian government websites, Schemes established that many of these insured vehicles took part in the invasion of Ukraine  though the insurance was not in effect when the vehicles were outside of Russia.



The companys insurance also extends to vehicles used by a security detail for President Vladimir Putin.



A separate company in Fridmans portfolio, X5 Group, registered in The Netherlands, runs a joint venture with Voentorg, a sanctioned vendor that is owned by the Russian Defense Ministry and supplies Russian troops with food and clothing.



In both Ukraine and the European Union, actions considered to have undermined Ukraines sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence can lead to sanctions.



The Schemes findings were published on May 1. On May 3, the Luxembourg-registered holding company that is the parent of AlfaStrakhovanie, ABH Holdings, responded to the Schemes report and announced plans to disinvest from its Russian insurance and banking businesses. The firm, in which Fridman has a roughly 33-percent stake, denied that AlfaStrakhovanie had violated EU sanctions and stressed that ABH Holdings sanctioned shareholders do not take part in the companys management.



AlfaStrakhovanie does not appear to have concealed its role in insuring National Guard vehicles. A press release published online in August 2022, bearing the corporate logo, announced that the company had begun insuring 340 vehicles for the Far Eastern branch of the Russian National Guard.



About four months earlier, in April 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Main Directorate of Intelligence reported finding documents from this unit among a convoy of Russian National Guard special forces it said it had destroyed outside Kyiv.

Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Malyuska told Schemes that if law enforcement confirms Schemes findings, it could lead Kyiv to file a lawsuit to confiscate Fridmans assets in Ukraine.

Under Ukrainian law, a Russian citizen who is sanctioned for ties to Moscows invasion of Ukraine can lose all of his or her assets in Ukraine without compensation. Kyiv sanctioned Fridman in October 2022.



Aside from a branch of AlfaStrakhovanie, Fridman is reported to have stakes in Sense Bank, one of Ukraines largest retail banks and a sibling of Russias Alfa-Bank; mineral-water producer International Distribution Systems; and telecommunications company Kyivstar.



The 59-year-old, London-based Fridman is listed on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index as one of the worlds 200 richest people, with a total net worth of about $11.5 billion. Both the European Union and the United Kingdom have sanctioned him for allegedly supporting the invasion of Ukraine financially.



Using a letter-writing campaign and lawsuits against the European Union, Fridman has contested both the British and EU sanctions. Though the United Kingdoms National Crime Agency has reduced its probe of criminal allegations against the businessman, an investigation into money-laundering allegations continues, The Financial Times reported in April.

In remarks to Schemes, Fridman, who in March 2022 called the war in Ukraine a huge tragedy that should be stopped, did not deny that he controls AlfaStrakhovanie -- EU sanctions bar him from selling his shares -- but noted that he resigned from the management of all companies in which he owns shares in February 2022. Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.



At the moment, I have no right to participate in the work of these companies in any way, Fridman told Schemes via a Telegram chat on April 26. You should address your questions directly to the management of the companies.



Insuring The Russian National Guard



A 2022 promotional video posted on YouTube for AlfaStrakhovanies 30th anniversary declares that the company offers insurance for everything from cell phones to sea ships, space equipment, and nuclear risks.



The video does not mention insuring Russian National Guard and presidential security vehicles. Using a Virtual Private Network, Schemes found proof of those transactions on Russias state procurement site, known as Goszakupki.



A series of official documents that confirm that a government client has received contracted services from a provider, known as Acts of Provided Services, shows that the Russian National Guard has ranked as one of AlfaStrakhovanies largest government clients since 2018, with over 280 million rubles ($3.5 million) in vehicle insurance policies.



In its May 3 press release, ABH Holdings board member Andrew Baxter said that all the contracts cited by Schemes were concluded before February 2022. An Act of Provided Services, however, is not a contract, but a log of services rendered under the terms of a contract.



Formed by President Vladimir Putin in 2016, the Russian National Guard, commonly known as Rosgvardia, has been directly involved in Russias combat operations in Ukraine, including using artillery to destroy targets, according to its director, Viktor Zolotov, a close Putin ally.

An April 2023 film by the government-aligned NTV network identified Rosgvardias most important function in Ukraine as ensuring the security of facilities of special importance, including the Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.



AlfaStrakhovanies compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance for the Russian National Guard  a type of policy known by the acronym OSAGO -- provides up to 400,000 rubles ($5,200) for repairs to vehicles and up to 500,000 rubles ($6,500) for victims involved in accidents with Rosgvardia vehicles in Russia.



In the May 3 press release, ABH Holdings Baxter emphasized that these contracts are NOT valid on territory where hostilities are taking place  an assertion Schemes independently verified.



That restriction, however, does not appear to apply to vehicles traveling in Russia on their way to Ukraine.



A December 22, 2022 document details AlfaStrakhovanie insurance services in 2022 for regional Russian National Guard units, all of which have spent time fighting in Ukraine. It is based on a December 27, 2021 contract, signed before Fridmans resignation from his management positions.



A video posted in late April 2022 on RuTube, a Russian alternative to YouTube, shows the Russian National Guards commander for the Bryansk region, Colonel Ivan Vanchugov, congratulating troops recently returned from Ukraine on the end of their business trip in the area of the so-called special military operation.



An Act of Provided Services states that a Bryansk-based Rosgvardia unit received services from AlfaStrakhovanie worth roughly 1.17 million rubles ($15,100) in 2022.



A video posted on April 16, 2022 on the Russian social-media platform VK by Lenins Testament, a local outlet in the Voronezh region, which also borders Ukraine, shows a column of KAMAZ trucks bearing the Russian flag returning from Ukraine.



Schemes traced the registered license-plate numbers of two of the vehicles seen in the video to Russian National Guard units in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, and the Voronezh region.



License plate 0766KA15 belongs to Russian National Guard unit 6681, which Goszakupki reports paid over 1.08 million rubles ($14,000) to AlfaStrakhovanie in 2022:

License plate number 036915 belongs to the Voronezh region branch of the Russian National Guard, which received services from AlfaStrakhovanie at a cost of just under 947,270 rubles ($12,000) in 2022:

A video posted on RuTube in early July 2022 shows Russian National Guard troops from the city of Tula, south of Moscow, returning home from Ukraine to cheers from residents.



Schemes identified one of the convoys vehicles as the property of the Tula region branch of the Russian National Guard:

The Russian government procurement site indicated that as of December 12, 2022, AlfaStrakhovanie had provided to the Tula region branch services valued at over 850,000 rubles ($11,000).

AlfaStrakhovanie also insured military unit 5598, which is part of the Russian National Guard and is based in Kazan, the capital of the Tatarstan region.



In early March 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence said it had identified 5598 as a Russian National Guard special forces unit that carried out punitive operations against civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Protecting Putin

AlfaStrakhovanies vehicle insurance services for the Russian government extend beyond the Russian National Guard, however, to Putins security.



A February 7, 2023, Goszakupki document states that the company will cover four vehicles from military unit 26116  a mini-bus, truck, plow, and jeep -- for 7,161.41 rubles ($90). The contract expires by the end of 2023.



According to Russias registry of legal entities, military unit 26116 answers to the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President of the Russian Federation, which oversees the concealed emergency facilities popularly called Putins bunkers.

Z-Shirts, Food, And More For The Russian Military



Another company in the so-called Alfa family, X5 Group, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange, cooperates with the Russian military in a different sphere  retail.



A joint venture between the X5 Groups Pyatyorochka chain of hypermarkets and the Russian Defense Ministrys Voentorg, which outfits and feeds Russian troops and manufactures Z-emblazoned T-shirts, has expanded since the 2022 fighting began. In August 2022, the 57th Voentorg-Pyatyorochka store opened in the Volga River city of Engels, the site of an air force base from which heavy Russian bombing raids against Ukraine regularly depart.



The European Union and Switzerland sanctioned Voentorg in June 2022 for "material and financial support for actions that undermine the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."



The X5 Group, which is registered in the Netherlands, did not respond to Schemes request for comment about this retail partnership.

Written by Elizabeth Owen based on reporting by Heorhiy Shabayev of Schemes.
Calm returned to Gaza Sunday as a fragile ceasefire ending five days of fighting held, leaving Palestinians and Israelis to count the cost of cross-border fire which has killed dozens.
Washington's power brokers love playing chicken. But the rest of the world will watch in dread Tuesday when President Joe Biden and Republican leaders meet to negotiate the US debt ceiling -- praying that one side finally blinks.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry rejected what they described as inappropriate, false and discriminatory remarks by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Israels 75th anniversary, the Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported.

Her "made the desert bloom" comment was noteworthy as it is a racist anti-Palestinian trope.

Such propaganda dehumanises and erases the Palestinian people and falsifies their rich history and civilisation. Likewise, such narratives perpetuate the continued and racist denial of the Nakba expulsions and whitewashes Israels illegal occupation and apartheid regime, the ministry said in a statement.

It also added that such anti-Palestinian rhetoric undermines the European Unions standing and casts serious doubts on its declared commitment to international law and human rights.

"It is also a betrayal to European citizens who do not endorse such erasure of the Palestinian people.

The Foreign Ministry said the European Commission President owes European citizens and the people of Palestine an apology.

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The upcoming visit by Pope Tawadros II to the Vatican will draw the Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches closer, reports Amira Hisham

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark, is scheduled to visit the Vatican City in Rome from 9 to 14 May. The agenda of the 118th Coptic Orthodox Pope is very full and includes a meeting with Roman Catholic Pope Francis on 10 May.

The visit comes 10 years after Tawadros IIs first meeting with Pope Francis and 50 years after the first meeting between a Roman Catholic Pope and a Coptic Orthodox Pope and Patriarch. A decade ago the two popes agreed that 10 May should be declared Coptic-Catholic Friendship Day.

Pope Tawadros II told the media he will be accompanied by a delegation of 10 priests in Rome. The Egyptian pope will be present alongside Pope Francis for the general audience in St Peters Square at the Vatican, where he will give an address to the crowds.

Pope Tawadros II said the visit will commence with a meeting designed to discuss means for the two churches to draw closer together and a session between the Coptic Orthodox delegation and the Vatican.

On 13-14 May, Pope Tawadros II will visit Coptic Orthodox churches in Rome. Due to the small size of these churches, Pope Francis has allocated the Archbasilica of St John Lateran for Pope Tawadros to preside over the Coptic Orthodox liturgy.

During Pope Tawadros IIs pastoral visit to Rome in 2018, he presided over the liturgy at the St Paul the Apostle Church, the second-largest Catholic church in Italy.

During his meeting with the Egyptian media, the pope told Al-Ahram Weekly that he would share with Pope Francis in an ecumenical prayer, not a liturgical one that follows a certain structure based on the denomination of each group.

It will be just like the prayer we shared at St Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral when Pope Francis visited Cairo in April 2017, he said. We were then a large group of the heads of churches. We were not affiliated to the same denomination, but we were gathered in ecumenical prayer.

Before the announcement of Tawadros IIs visit to the Vatican, rumours had spread on some social-media platforms that the Egyptian pope would take part in a Catholic prayer, with some even accusing him of diverting from the teachings of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

This is not the first time that hardliners have spread disinformation about the popes foreign trips. Six months after Pope Tawadros II visited the Vatican for the first time in May 2013 on a European tour that included Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, rumours spread that he had shared in a Catholic prayer with Pope Francis.

The Coptic Orthodox Church denied the rumours in an official statement.

At times of closer rapprochement between the Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, similar rumours sometimes spread. However, there were no such rumours when former Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Patriarch, visited the Vatican in 1973.

Anba Epiphanius, bishop of the Anba Makkar Monastery, said during one of his foreign visits that those behind the rumours were a group of Coptic Orthodox Christians who feared for their personal interests.

Anba Epiphanius played an important role in the rapprochement between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches until he was murdered by Isiah Al-Maqary, a monk at the Anba Makkar Monastery, who was later sentenced to death.

Waves of rumours also occurred when Pope Francis visited Cairo in April 2017, with hardliners writing on social media that the Coptic Orthodox Church had accepted Catholic baptism.

A church statement said the two churches had agreed to seek to accept the baptism of Catholics rather than accepting the baptism of Catholics.

Anba Epiphanius then delivered a speech at the Friends of Arab Heritage Conference in February 2018 acknowledging the acceptance of the baptism of Catholics based on the writings of the Early Church.

The rapprochement between the Roman Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Churches witnessed strides in which Anba Epiphanius played a leading role. Pope Tawadros IIs upcoming visit to the Vatican is considered to be a resumption of the warm and amicable relations between the two churches.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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NEARLY 450 dogs were seized by South Yorkshire Police in 2022  six times as many as five years ago, the Advertiser can reveal.

The number has increased 483 per cent since 2018  with a rise of 91 per cent from 2021 to 2022 alone.

Figures for the Rotherham district show 89 dogs seized last year  a rise of 178 per cent from the 32 picked up by police in 2021.

Nationally, 2022 saw record numbers of human deaths from dog attacks  including Joanne Robinson (43), who was killed by her own beloved pet last July in Wath.

A large number of lockdown dogs bought during the pandemic  when behaviour and routines were different  has been cited as a cause, as well as the sharp rise in popularity of breeds like the XL bully.

Rotherham district commander Chief Supt Laura Koscikiewicz said: Weve seen an increase in horrendous dog attacks, but theres also been an increase in concern about stray dogs, and even people with concerns about their own dogs behaviour, where theyve been advised by the RSPCA to get in touch with us.

Its a trend we are really concerned about locally in Rotherham and more widely across South Yorkshire Police.

This is a real concern nationally and theres lots of work ongoing.

Were looking at the reasons for it.

There is a potential hangover from lockdown, more people buying dogs, and there was potentially an increase in unregistered breeds.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: In Rotherham, we are seeing an increasing trend, especially in the Canklow and East Herringthorpe areas, in the ownership of XL bully dogs, particularly as Covid dogs following the pandemic.

These are currently legal within the UK but are increasingly being responsible as a breed for a proportion of dangerous dog incidents, including those where owners are injured themselves.

SYP as a force is continually using both enforcement and educational activities to reduce the occurrence of dangerous dog incidents and mitigate the risks to the public.

In September this year, we will be launching an educational input to be provided to Year 6 primary school students with regards to such dogs as part of their visit to the Lifewise Centre in Rotherham, run by our specialised dog legislation officers.

Force-wide data shows there were 68 dangerous dog incidents in January 2022 but 118 in the same month this year.

The figure has been in over 100 for every month except one since March 2022, and there were 76 dogs seized during January and February this year  more than double the total for the same months last year.

South Yorkshire Police is the second force in the country to introduce a responsible dog ownership course, to be used as an alternative to court for owners after low level incidents.

The average number of nights dogs stay in kennels after being seized has reduced from 77 to 22 since 2018  although there was an increase to 117 in 2019.

SYPs dog safety advice includes the following:
Suniel Shetty

More than 1500 restaurants have been added to this Application

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty has invested in a new startup. He has tried his hand in food business by launching an application called 'Waayu'. It has been launched through the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association. This app is similar to Swiggy and Zomato.

Notably, In Swiggy and Zomato, restaurants have to pay them a commission, due to which they either increase the rate or reduce the quantity, but this new app is saying that there will be no commission. The customer can pay the directing restaurant. This app is currently launched only in Mumbai. More than 1500 restaurants have been added to this application and thousands of food items can be ordered from the app.

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Suniel Shetty has been made the brand ambassador of the Waayu app and also owns the shares of the app. Talking to the Money Control website, the actor said, "We know that the round of funding is going on. So we should not talk about cash burn. The team should be good and the cash flow should continue. I'm not talking about unicorns, I'm not even interested in them. If you see every startup as a unicorn, it's not. I will continue to support good founders and good ideas."
PM Modi

For rapid growth, it is necessary to build modern infrastructure: PM Modi

JAIPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that some people in the country are so full of negativity that they do not want to see anything good happen and weigh everything with the votes. He said that the Government of India believes in the mantra of the development of the country through the development of the state. The Prime Minister was addressing the foundation stone laying and inauguration ceremony of various schemes at Nathdwara in Rajsamand.

Without naming anyone, PM Modi said, "Some people in our country have become victims of such a distorted ideology, filled with so much negativity that they don't want to see anything good happen in the country and they only want to create controversy."

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PM Modi further said, You must have heard something, like some people preach that flour first or data first, road first or satellite first. But history is a witness that for sustainable development, for rapid growth, it is necessary to build modern infrastructure.

He said that people who weigh everything with the scales of vote, they can never make a plan keeping in mind the future of the country. Prime Minister Modi said, "Due to this thinking, the construction of infrastructure has not been given priority in our country. Due to this, the country has suffered a lot. If adequate number of medical colleges had been established earlier, there would not have been such a shortage of doctors in the country.

The Prime Minister said that the Government of India believes in the mantra of the development of the country through the development of the state. He said, "Rajasthan is one of the largest states of the country, it is the bearer of India's bravery, India's heritage and India's culture. The more Rajasthan develops, the faster India's development will increase. He said, "Apart from giving roads to villages, the Government of India is also engaged in connecting cities with modern highways." Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi and many other people were present in this program.
Lakhwinder Lakha

CJM Dr. Amar Inder Singh's court ordered the Regular Bail

CHANDIGARH: The local court has granted regular bail to Lakhwinder Singh Lakha, who is serving life sentence in the former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh murder case. CJM Dr. Amar Inder Singh's court ordered him to be released on bail in two sureties of 2 lakhs each.

Giving information about this, Advocate Jaspal Singh said that he had applied for his regular bail on behalf of Sukhwinder Kaur, sister of Lakhwinder Singh Lakha. He said that Dr. Amar Inder Singh Sandhu CJM Chandigarh court has accepted this application and ordered to release him on bail in two sureties.

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He said that in this matter, the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was that those prisoners whose life sentence has been completed and the decision of their permanent release is not settled, such prisoners should be released on regular bail. He said that in this case, the jail superintendent and the home secretary appeared in the court and recorded their statements, after which the court issued this order.
Japan's leading index declined more-than-expected in March after improving in the previous month, preliminary data from the Cabinet Office showed on Wednesday.

The leading index, which measures future economic activity, dropped to 97.5 in March from a 4-month high of 98.2 in the previous month.

The coincident index that measures the current economic situation remained stable at 98.7 in March.

At the same time, the lagging index dropped to a 5-month low of 99.4 in March from 99.9 in the preceding month.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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The Netherlands' industrial output decreased for the third straight month in March, largely due to a sharp fall in chemical output, figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.

Industrial production fell 4.0 percent year-on-year in March, after a 2.3 percent decline in February.

Although total manufacturing output contracted, about half of all classes produced more in March than in the same month a year earlier, the agency said.

The chemical industry had the largest negative contribution of 17.6 percent, followed by rubber and plastic with a 9.5 percent fall.

On the other hand, the transport equipment industry experienced the highest growth, rising by 12.9 percent yearly in March.

On a monthly basis, industrial production decreased a seasonally and working-day adjusted 2.0 percent in March.

Entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industry were less positive in April, as they were less upbeat about the order book and the expected activity.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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The United States has imposed sanctions on four Sinaloa Cartel members and two Mexico-based entities involved in mass trafficking of illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine and other deadly drugs into the country.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated JoaquIn Guzman Lopez, a leader in the Sinaloa cartel and one of drug kingpin El Chapo's sons, as well as three Sinaloa Cartel members - Saul Paez Lopez, Raymundo Perez Uribe, and Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano.

The Mexico-based firms targeted by the U.S. Treasury are Sumilab, S.A. de C.V. (Sumilab), which is a Culiacan, Sinaloa-based chemical and lab equipment company, and Sinaloa-based real estate , Urbanizacion, Inmobiliaria y Construccion de Obras, S.A. de C.V.

Sumilab was designated for its involvement in shipping precursor chemicals to Sinaloa Cartel members and associates.

Urbanizacion is owned by Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano.

While Ovidio Guzman Lopez was captured in Mexico in January, Joaquin Guzman Lopez and the Guzman Salazar brothers remain fugitives. The U.S. Department of State offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, as well as a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

Founded in the 1980s, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest and most notorious drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. The Sinaloa Cartel controls drug trafficking activity in key regions throughout Mexico, particularly along the Pacific Coast. Using these strategic points, the cartel trafficks tons of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States.

"Today's action continues to disrupt key nodes of the global illicit fentanyl enterprise, including the producers, suppliers, and transporters," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. "Treasury, in close coordination with the Government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to leverage our authorities to isolate and disrupt Los Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel's operations at every juncture."

The production and trafficking of illicit drugs is a global and security threat that exacerbates the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Director of the Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong.

Rhodes Universitys Director of the Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong, has been selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Professor Nyokong is one of the 80 outstanding researchers, innovators and communicators from around the world who have been elected as the newest Fellows of the Royal Society, the United Kingdoms (UK) national academy of Sciences and the oldest science academy in continuous existence. The announcement was made today by the Royal Society.

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the worlds most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Societys fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.

Professor Nyokong and the 79 other elected researchers have been selected for their substantial contribution to the advancement of science, from the use of forensic techniques to identify victims of war crimes, to investigating processes in the Earths core, and mapping the worlds largest peatlands in the Congo basin.

The President of the Royal Society, Sir Adrian Smith said: I am delighted to welcome our newest cohort of Fellows. These individuals have pushed forward the boundaries of their respective fields and had a beneficial influence on the world beyond. Among this years intake are individuals who were at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those working on global challenges, from TB to climate change. They are pioneering scientists and innovators from around the world who have confounded expectations and transformed our thinking.

Professor Nyokong said she felt honoured by the election as she never expected it. She said she shared the honour with her students, without whom she would have never been a great scientist. In South Africa, we do not want to offend anyone, but my work has always been about fighting the war against stereotypes of colour and gender. I was not expected to succeed based on the above. My success is due to my determination to train students who are truly world leaders, who have integrity and who are humble. My main aim has been to spread excellence among the African youth, said Professor Nyokong.

Thirty percent of this years intake of Fellows, Foreign Members and Honorary Fellows are women. New Fellows have been elected from 20 UK institutions, including Manchester, Sussex, Exeter and Edinburgh. They have been elected from countries including Japan, Finland, China and South Africa.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela said he was hugely proud of Professor Nyokong. She is a distinguished professor of our University. We are incredibly proud of her contribution to the research output of the University and all her achievements. She has very few equals in her area of speciality. She is making a huge contribution to our country and to the whole world. As the University, we are delighted to have academics of her caliber teaching our students, supervising our postgraduate students and contributing to global knowledge, he said.

Source: Division of Communication and Advancement
Egypt strongly condemned the Israeli forces recent escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

The statement denounced the Israeli forces' shelling of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 13 Palestinians, including children and women.

Israel had launched pre-dawn airstrikes targeting multiple homes and residential buildings in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Egypt also condemned the incursion of Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli forces.

The statement further criticised the continued invasions of Palestinian cities by Israeli forces, with the latest incident occurring in Nablus.

Egypt stated that such attacks violate international law and principles of international legitimacy, and undermine efforts to achieve security in the region.

"These attacks not only exacerbate the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories but also undermine efforts to achieve calm and reduce tension in the region within the framework of the agreements reached at the Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba meetings," added the text.

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Kia Seltos facelift will inherit the same 1.5L NA petrol and 1.5L turbo diesel from current model and get new 1.5L turbo petrol from Carens

Kia made its India debut with the launch of Seltos in 2019. Since then, it has not received any major updates. Fast forwarding to 2023, Kia is getting ready to launch facelifted Seltos. It has already been spied on test in India multiple times. But as it has been wearing camouflage, design details of India-spec Seltos facelift are still under the wraps.

Yes, Seltos facelift has been launched in South Korea and the USA. But Indian Seltos facelift will wear a different design, as has been noticed in the spy shots. Now, yet another set of 2023 Seltos spy shots confirm a new detail, one which has been most awaited. Panoramic Sunroof.

2023 Kia Seltos Panoramic Sunroof Confirmed  Spied

Yes. 2023 Kia Seltos facelift will get Panoramic Sunroof in India. This has now been confirmed via exclusive spy shots shared by automotive enthusiast Anvish. Ever since its launch in 2019, Seltos buyers have been wanting a panoramic sunroof. But all these years, it only came with a single pane sunroof.

Kia Seltos not getting a panoramic sunroof was even more surprising when you consider the fact that its sibling, Hyundai Creta comes with a panoramic sunroof. With the launch of panoramic sunroof option with Seltos, Kia is likely to see a boost in their Seltos sales figures. This was much needed as Maruti Grand Vitara has been eating into their market share.

Upgraded and more premium design, overhauled features list and rejigged variants lineup are expected from Seltos facelift. Kia will retain the overall silhouette. Changes are likely to be evolutionary. In this sense, the new design elements will not redefine Seltos. Instead, they will establish iterative changes that will still be recognisable as Seltos.

Design Updates, New Features, More Power

Front grille will be larger and slightly redesigned. India-spec Seltos will get ADAS as recent test mules in Hyderabad donned a bumper-mounted radar module. At the rear, it will get a different tail light as opposed to global model. 2023 Seltos top variants with 1.5L turbo petrol will get dual exhausts. Recent spy shots reveal cameras on ORVMs enabling 360-degree camera and blindspot assistance with feed on drivers display.

Speaking of the 1.5L turbo petrol, Kia is currently offering it in Carens alone. This engine promises exhilarating performance with 160 PS of power and 253 Nm of torque. This engine will also make its way to Seltos 2023 facelift. It could be offered with 7 DCT auto as well as 6 speed MT. Other powertrain options include 1.5L NA petrol and the good ol 1.5L diesel.

Kia will overhaul Seltos features list to make it more premium. For starters, it will get a 10.25 infotainment screen, automatic climate control, cruise control, LED headlights, powered and ventilated front seats, rear AC vents, a digital drivers screen, 360-degree camera, ADAS, panoramic sunroof and more. When launched, it will take on Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Hyundai Creta and MG Astor. Kia is likely to launch 2023 Seltos around the festive season. Prices of 2023 Kia Seltos facelift will be in a similar range as current Seltos. Top end variants might get more expensive, thanks to features like ADAS and panoramic sunroof.
YZF-R1 inspired design language is the main highlight on 2023 Yamaha R3 along with its 42 PS and 30 Nm capable 320cc parallel-twin engine

Yamaha updated it for MY2023 with a bunch of new features. Japan is the first recipient of 2023 Yamaha R3. Launch happened today, May 10th, 2023. Yamaha is quoting a price JPY 726,000 (including tax) which translates to Rs. 4.39 lakh as per todays currency exchange.

Yamaha R3 didnt need a lot in terms of componentry, so it doesnt get a lot as part of MY2023 update. R3 got USD forks and other paraphernalia in 2019 update. Yamaha didnt even add any new colours with 2023 update. So, what is new? Lets take a look.

MY2023 Yamaha R3 Launched In Japan

This model is of particular interest to Indian automobile market as we are expecting an imminent launch. Along with R3, Yamaha also showcased MT-03, MT-07 and MT-09 as well. Dealer sources revealed Yamaha intends to launch most of these, but R3 and MT-03 are highly likely. When launched, YZF-R3 will take on Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Ninja 400 along with KTM RC 390.

We hope India gets all the added features with MY2023 Yamaha R3 too. Speaking of, Yamaha is offering LED turn indicators as standard fitment with MY2023 update. Halogen bulbs were the biggest sour points in R3s design. The new front and rear LED turn indicators blend in well and complements stylish LED headlights and LED tail lights.

Other additions include a quick shifter, but Yamaha is not offering it as standard fitment. Instead, prospective buyers have to shed JPY 22,000 (approx Rs. 13,325). Were not sure whether it allows both clutchless upshifts and downshifts, or just one of them. Yamaha R15M gets a quick shifter too, supporting only clutchless upshifts.

What does it pack?

2023 Yamaha R3 comes in three colour options, just like its preceding model. These are Deep Purplish Blue Metallic, Dark Bluish Purple Metallic and the good ol Metallic Black. We think Dark Bluish Purple Metallic looks the flashiest, which might not be to everyones taste.

R3 measures 2090 mm long, 730 mm wide and 1140 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 1380 mm long with a ground clearance of 160 mm. This should be enough to scale any and every illogical speed breaker we have. R3 bears the same beating and pulsating heart as before. Which is a 320cc parallel twin engine with liquid cooling, 4V head and packs DOHC setup.

This engine is good for 42 PS of power at 10750 RPM and 30 Nm of torque at 9000 RPM, mated to a 6-speed gearbox. With 14L of fuel in the tank, 2023 Yamaha R3 weighs just 169 kg, which is really commendable. Componentry includes USD front telescopic forks, rear monoshock, 110/70-17 front and 140/70-17 rear tyres.

Yamaha offers single disc setup at both ends along with dual channel ABS. Fatter rubber would be nicer and while at it, we hope Yamaha offers the same fully digital TFT instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity from R15M. R3 gets a fully digital LCD panel with limited functionalities. Launch in India is expected before Diwali 2023. Prices of Yamaha R3 in India could be in the Rs 4 lakh range.
Senior analyst on Sudanese affairs Amany Al-Tawil explains Egypts priorities in the face of the conflict in Sudan to Al-Ahram Weekly.

Fresh from an Arab League extraordinary meeting that discussed the armed conflict in Sudan on Sunday, Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri started a two-leg tour to NDjamena and Juba on Monday, the capitals of two neighbouring countries to Sudan.

The top Egyptian diplomat is expected to discuss the crisis in Sudan and ways to secure a sustainable ceasefire.

On Sunday, the Arab League meeting assigned Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League secretary-general, to a contact group that will conduct talks with the conflicting Sudanese parties and concerned regional and international players to promote a ceasefire between the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the country.

Prior to heading on his African tour, Shoukri spoke with the two sides of the conflict to stress Egypts commitment to help to find a solution to the crisis in Sudan.

According to Amany Al-Tawil, a senior analyst of Sudanese affairs at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, both Egypt and Saudi Arabia are worried about the impact of the armed conflict that started on 15 April in Sudan between the SAF, under the leadership of Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF, under the leadership of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

The current crisis in Sudan comes at a sensitive moment in Sudanese-Egyptian relations, given the history of the past few years when different political forces have been blaming Cairo for this position or the other, Al-Tawil said.

However, she added that the people-to-people factor has always been a point of strength in the bilateral relationship between Egypt and Sudan. The keen message of hospitality that the Egyptian state has put forward to Sudanese crossing the border to Egypt to find refuge from the armed conflict and the hospitable attitude that people have been showing were certainly helpful to remedy some grievances.

Since the beginning of the conflict, tens of thousands of Sudanese have escaped Khartoum, some to other parts of the country and some to neighbouring countries, including Egypt, which has so far received 60,000 Sudanese, and both Chad and South Sudan.

It is a very worrying situation, and judging by how things have been unfolding it is hard to see any valid indicators of a sustainable ceasefire, Al-Tawil said. This, she added, was the case despite the talks between representatives of the SAF and RSF that Saudi Arabia has been hosting since Sunday.

According to Al-Tawil, the talks, Shoukris diplomatic mission, and other political interventions, including those conducted by the UN and its agencies, are focused on one objective  a sustainable ceasefire to help contain a humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding.

Traditionally, Egypt would be acknowledging the national armed forces as the party to reckon with. This is both compatible with the countrys foreign policy parameters and with the overall sentiment in Egypt, Al-Tawil said. She added that it is almost an established fact that most Sudanese would be more inclined to side with the SAF rather than the RSF.

This, she argued, was the case despite the conditional alliance of some civilian political forces with Hemedti in the past few months given his announced position in favour of the creation of a civilian government in line with the parameters of the Framework Agreement negotiated between some of the civilian movement leaders and the armed forces of Sudan.

The Sudanese population for the most part, she said, is not at all inclined to accept Hemedti in view of the [RSFs] practices against civilians.

In addition to his association with the crimes against civilians in Darfur during the rule of Sudans ousted former president Omar Al-Bashir, Hemedti has been recently criticised by humanitarian groups working in Sudan for compromising the safety of civilians in Khartoum during the conflict between the RSF and SAF.

The announced figures suggest that over 500 civilians, including 100 children, lost their lives as they got caught up in the armed conflict.

However, Al-Tawil said that for the purposes of realpolitik Egypt cannot overlook the need to talk with Hemedti to facilitate a ceasefire to spare civilians from having to escape the country. It is a complex situation, and the stability of Sudan is crucial for Egypt, she said.

The military balance of power on the ground, Al-Tawil argued, does not indicate a decisive upper hand either for the SAF or the RSF. If this situation continues, both sides might eventually decide to count on some external help, and this would take Sudan into the deep tunnel of regional conflict and proxy wars, she said.

This is a worst-case scenario and if things moved in this direction, it would be a very problematic situation for Egypt.

A best-case scenario, she added, would be one where the many parallel mediations could secure a ceasefire soon and the beginning of a political process. This, however, would require some syncronisation among those initiatives, including the one that Egypt is working on in coordination with South Sudan, the one the US is working on with Saudi Arabia, and the one that IGAD is managing.

According to Al-Tawil, there is also the possibility for the SAF to find a way to have the upper hand in the armed conflict. Should this happen, it would be up to Al-Burhan to move towards the integration of all the recognised militant bodies into one unified army.

He would need to reach out to the civilian forces, diverse and even fragmented as they are, to reach a political solution. This would not be an easy task given the grievances of a good segment of the civilian forces over the move that Al-Burhan, Chair of Sudans Transitional Sovereignty Council, made on 25 October 2021 to sideline the civilian leaders.

For now, Al-Tawil said, the civilian forces have not had much input on plans to end the current conflict. Some of these leaders left Sudan on board the planes that some governments sent to take their nationals out of the country, given that some have dual nationalities, she said.

In a statement issued less than two weeks after the beginning of the conflict, several civilian bodies, including syndicates, political parties, and public figures, appealed for an end to the armed conflict and the resumption of the political process that would allow for a full democratic transition whereby the military would stay out of politics and all political bodies would commit to a strictly national political agenda.

The statement warned against any attempt by foreign players to use the current conflict in Sudan to impose foreign agendas. It also warned against any attempt by the Al-Bashir regime to use the current conflict to relaunch itself.

According to Al-Tawil, there is a reason for the civilian forces to worry about foreign intervention, given the weight that some foreign players had been throwing behind this or that side during the increasing political tensions between the leaders of the SAF and the RSF over the timeline and working mechanism for the integration of the RSF into the SAF.

Moreover, there is certainly reason for worry over the possible attempt of the political block of Al-Bashir to relaunch itself. This, she argued, was not just coming from the prominence that some figures of this block have in most influential state institutions in Sudan, but also from their political presence on the ground that is hard to overlook or to qualify as totally insignificant.

Al-Tawil said that any mediation that aims to address the root causes of the current situation in Sudan needs to address three points. The first is the failure over the past few months to reach an agreement over the Framework Agreement for the remainder of the democratic transition.

Despite the international support, the signing of this Framework Agreement kept getting postponed this was partially due to the fact that the agreement did not have the support of a wide political coalition due to the splits in the civilian front in Sudan, she explained.

The second point is the attempts of the Al-Bashir political block to incite conflict in the country in order to avoid a democratic transition that would eventually bring about the trials of the figures of the ousted regime and the irreversible cancellation of any hope for the block to make a comeback.

The third point relates to the countrys tribal leaders, especially those in the east of Sudan who have been acting against the political process as defined in the Framework Agreement which they thought was not going to serve their economic influence and interests.

They were actually [threatening] acts on the ground to protest against this agreement, and they vowed to block the east of Sudan on the day it was supposed to be signed, Al-Tawil added.

These three points along with the conflict within the Forces of Freedom and Change and the bras de fer between the SAF and RSF have led to an escalation of sentiments of political polarisation in the country, Al-Tawil argued.

She added that the complexity of the problems requires a lot of work before Sudan can get back on the track of a political process towards stability. However, for now the priority should be for a ceasefire and a prompt humanitarian operation before the conflicts get addressed.

On every step of the way, Egypt needs to be there for Sudan, she concluded.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Heather Fukunaga, second from right, from Fallbrook, along with other patrons at Bird Rock Roasters take in the taste of coffee from Cuicateco beans while attending the cupping event where California grown coffee beans were introduced for the first time.

Ever wonder what Southern California would taste like in a coffee cup? Fifty local java-lovers were the first locals to find out this past weekend in private cupping sessions of the first-ever locally-grown coffee at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Mission Valley.

I tasted nougat, maple syrup, burned butter and tobacco, said Alex Stabrawa, a Clairemont resident who shares her java passion on her Instagram page @Coffeeandvegan. Ernst Kneubuhler, a barista and coffee machine technician vacationing from Switzerland, said he detected notes of vanilla and citrus and a pleasant finish of chocolate powder that stayed with me for a while.

They each paid $125 for the first hour-long cupping session on Saturday, which included the tasting experience and a tiny, take-home 40-gram tub of Cuicateco beans from Frinj Coffee.

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Founded in 2017, Frinj is a Santa Barbara-based agricultural cooperative growing the first commercially produced coffee in the continental United States. Its ultra-specialty coffee beans are grown on 35 private farms in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties.

How ultra-special are these beans? The first 500-pound lot of Frinj coffee sold for $18 a cup at Blue Bottle Coffee shops in the Bay area in 2017. It sold out within two weeks.

Frinj founder and CEO Jay Ruskey said ultra-specialty coffee has the potential to become as popular a homegrown product as craft beer, though it will never be as easy to produce due to the unique growing conditions coffee plants require.

We think theyre the best coffees in the world, Ruskey said.

Alex Holsheimer of Fallbrook inhales the smell of fresh-brewed Southern California-grown Cuicateco coffee at a cupping event Saturday at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Mission Valley. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Most of the worlds coffee beans are grown on mountains in equatorial countries like Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Colombia, which have a dependably high degree of warm daytime sun, night-time cool temperatures and rainfall.

In 2002, Ruskey realized he could replicate most of those growing conditions at his fruit tree farm in Goleta, Good Land Organics. For 12 years, he quietly experimented, planting a dozen different varieties of arabica coffee plants in his avocado and lime groves. Despite being 18 degrees north of the equatorial coffee belt, the coastal Southern California region had the near-perfect combination of sun, chill and hilly farmland.

On the downside, he realized his coffee plants required irrigated water. Some species couldnt handle the hard winter frosts. And the coffee fruit  each cherry has one or two beans inside  took nearly twice as long to mature as some equatorial varieties. But on the plus side, these slow-growing cherries have a richer, more complex flavor, and with less rain, these plants arent as susceptible to fungus and other water-caused diseases.

In mid-2017, Frinj began selling juvenile coffee plants to Southern California avocado ranchers. Many of those initial plants will produce their first fruit for Frinj next year. There are now 35,000 coffee plants growing on 20 farms in Bonsall, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Escondido and Temecula, as well as at 15 farms in Santa Barbara County. Another 17,000 plants will go into the ground this year, Ruskey said.

One of these local farmers is Gayanah Krasnyanskiy, who owns Guyanahs Farm in Escondido. Two years ago, she planted 1.2 acres of her 10-acre avocado ranch with coffee plants. This year, shell plant another 1.2 acres with coffee. She expects her first coffee harvest in 2020. Krasnyanskiy said she likes the idea of diversifying her crop to produce a higher yield.

Gayanah Krasnyanskiy, right, of Gayanahs Farm in Escondido sniffs fresh-brewed Southern California-grown coffee. She is growing coffee plants on her 10-acre avocado ranch. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Ruskey said the typical yield for an avocado grove in Southern California is $3,000 to $5,000 an acre. With the addition of mature coffee plants, that yield-per-acre can climb to $15,000 to $20,000.

In 2018, Frinj produced its second harvest of 500 pounds of beans, but because the company is in growth mode, more than half of the crop was used for planting and research. Most of the rest were sold to high-end customers overseas. The only coffee from that crop sold in America was a nano-lot of 17 pounds of beans to Bird Rock Roasters.

Ruskey said he chose Bird Rock as his sole U.S. distributor this year because the La Jolla-based roaster has an outstanding reputation in the industry. Recognized as 2012 Roaster of the Year by Roaster Magazine, Bird Rock sources all of its coffees directly from farmers in Central America, Africa and, now, Southern California.

Cuicateco coffee beans grown in Southern California are prepared for grinding at a cupping event at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Mission Valley. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Bird Rock co-owner Jeff Taylor, who has been in the specialty coffee business for 25 years, said theres a small but fast-growing market of high-end coffee consumers in the U.S. and Asia who are happy to pay top-shelf prices for the worlds rarest and finest coffees.

Frinj coffee stands out, Taylor said, because its unique and it tastes good. Last week, he submitted Bird Rocks newly roasted Frinj Cuicateco beans to Coffee Review, the coffee industrys version of Wine Spectator. It earned an outstanding ranking of 92.

When Taylor put the Frinj coffee on sale to his customers last month, the cuppings sold out in two hours. The rest was snapped up in 12 hours through online presales of 200-gram cartons priced at $100.

I dont need all the customers in the world. I just need that small niche of people who love coffee and want to have that experience and are willing to pay for it, Taylor said, about the high-end specialty market.

As the number of farms in the cooperative grows and the number of plants reach full production maturity, Frinj will begin diversifying its line of beans. This years salable crop was only the Cuicateco variety. Still to come are the low-caffeine Laurina variety, the Catuai variety known for its chocolately flavor; and the much-in-demand Geisha variety, which has jasmine and black tea flavors.

After the cupping on Saturday, Stabrawa said she loved tasting the Cuicateco coffee but she especially enjoyed supporting the regions fledgling coffee industry.

It makes me very proud as a California to have coffee grown on California farms, she said.

As customer Alex Holsheimer, center left, looks on, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters co-owner Jeffy Taylor talks about the Southern California-grown coffee beans they will be tasting on Saturday. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
Egypt signed on Tuesday a new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Agreement (UNSDCF 2023-2027) with the United Nations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The signing ceremony was attended by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly; UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova; and representatives from development organizations, specialized UN agencies, ministers, and officials.

During the ceremony, PM Madbouly asserted that the signing is a culmination of Egypts and the UNs developmental relations over the years, highlighting Egypts role as one of the founders of the organization in 1945.

For her part, Panova said "I am happy to report that we mobilized the UN system to come on board. Twenty-six UN entities based in Egypt have jointly worked on this Cooperation Framework and will sign it today. We will see seven additional UN agencies  that have not participated in the last Framework  joining other agencies under this years agreement.

In 2018, Egypt had signed a five-year partnership agreement (2018-2022) with the UN under the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF).

The UNPDF was fully aligned with Egypts Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Panova stressed that the UN General Assembly Resolution has identified the Cooperation Framework as the most critical instrument for planning and implementing UN development activities at the country level."

The Framework unpacks the three dimensions of Sustainable Development, including the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. It includes a dedicated outcome area on the empowerment of women and girls and a new priority area on transparency, good governance, and the rule of law.

Egypt has begun implementing an economic reform programme with the support of its development partners, Madbouly affirmed, citing Egypts programmes alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as UN affiliated national strategies.

The reform programme included several social protection measures targeting groups that are most in need, Madbouly said, citing the expansion of Egypts cash transfer programme Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) which already provides support to millions of families.

The government has also increased pensions and wages; adopted tax exemption for low-income citizens; and provided various forms of support for basic goods and services, the prime minister added.

Furthermore, Madbouly asserted that Egypt is aware of the challenges that still exist, stressing the unprecedented shocks received by the Egyptian and global economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian Crisis.

In response to these shocks, he said, the government took swift and decisive measures to stimulate economic activity as well as strengthen social protection programmes.

Madbouly emphasized the importance of the African continent, highlighting that it comprises 71 percent of the world's least developed countries, which requires more collaborative international efforts and multilateral projects to strengthen its private sector, human capital, and infrastructure.

For her part, Panova said "We sign this Cooperation Framework at a crucial moment for Africa, and for Egypt."

She noted that the African continent, particularly Egypt, is currently experiencing a series of interrelated crises that jeopardize hard-won development gains for both present and future generations.

The United Nations Sustainable Group website states that the UNSDCF represents the UN development systems collective offer to support countries in addressing key Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) priorities and gaps. It begins and ends with an analysis of the national development landscape and SDG priorities, including through the lens of the imperative to leave no one behind.

According to the UNSDCF document, the framework also provides guidance to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) as they plan, finance, deliver and evaluate their support to countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), typically over a five-year cycle.

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With an annual increase of more than 32% in the first quarter of 2023, Saudi Arabia's e-commerce sector has shown phenomenal growth. 4,093 commercial registrations were issued during this time period, up from 3,499 in Q1 2022.

Riyadh issued 13,195 commercial registers, followed by Makkah with 8,605 and the Eastern Region with 5,294 according to the business bulletin of the Ministry of Commerce. There were 1,649 and 1,107 registrations issued by Madinah and Al-Qassim, respectively.

The National Transformation Program, which supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, has as one of its goals to promote the growth of the e-commerce business system.

The Kingdom recognizes the value of e-commerce in advancing the country's economy as one of the top 10 fastest-growing e-commerce nations, with a growth rate of 17% in Q1 2023.

Through organizations that provide services for electronic payments, digital marketing, and technological solutions, the Saudi e-commerce system aids business owners who want to switch from conventional trade to e-commerce.
The Egyptian cabinet approved in its weekly meeting on Wednesday an agreement between Egypt and Qatar that aims to eliminate double taxation on income taxes and prevent tax evasion and avoidance.

The agreement applies to individuals and collective investment vehicles earning income in either country, and covers taxes on total income or any element of income.

These include taxes on profits from the disposal of movable or immovable property, taxes on total wages and salaries, and other taxes.

The agreement also includes provisions for notifying each country of substantive amendments made to their tax laws.

It outlines the specific taxes that will be applied in Egypt, including personal income tax, corporate income tax, withholding tax, and other taxes.

In Qatar, the agreement applies to income tax and corporate tax (also known as Qatari tax).

Egypt and Qatar originally signed the double tax elimination agreement during Prime Minister Mostafa Madboulys visit to Doha in February 2023.

The agreement aims to boost economic relations with the Gulf state. It is also considered a step to help increase the size of Qatari investments in Egypt.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) stated in February that the value of trade exchange between Egypt and Qatar increased to $ 80.1 million in the first 11 months of 2022, compared to $ 45.5 million in 2021  a 76.2 percent increase.

Qatar is the third biggest Arab State investor in Egypt. There are currently 160 Qatari companies in Egypt that have injected investments worth nearly $ 2 billion into the country, according to a previous statement by Cabinet Spokesperson Nader Saad.

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Paleontologists have examined how Tribrachidium, Rugoconites, and Obamus  three relatively common members of the Ediacaran biota (550 million years ago)  were geographically distributed.

The Ediacaran seas were a largely foreign place compared to todays marine environments, said University of California, Riverside graduate student Phillip Boan and his colleagues.

They were dominated by a mat on the sea floor composed of bacteria and layers of other organic materials. In addition, predatory creatures were uncommon.

For their study, the authors selected three animals  Tribrachidium, Rugoconites, and Obamus  found in relatively large numbers at Nilpena Ediacara National Park, South Australia, and examined how they were geographically distributed.

Given the alien nature of Ediacaran Earth, they were surprised to find an animal, Obamus, that lived much the way barnacles do today.

First discovered in 2018 and named for the former U.S. president, this creature lived on specific parts of the sea floor in the company of other Obamus.

The animal averaged about a half-inch in diameter and was shaped like a French cruller donut with ribbons on top, Boan said.

It did not move of its own accord, and likely spent its entire life embedded in its preferred spot on the sea floor.

We think about the very oldest animals and maybe you wouldnt expect them to be so picky, said University of California, Riversides Professor Mary Droser.

But Obamus only occurs where there is a thick mat, and its a pretty sophisticated way of making a living for something so very old.

The other two animals, Tribrachidium and Rugoconites, are also immobile creatures with no modern descendants.

They are tri-radially symmetrical, like the Mercedes Benz logo. And they would have lived their entire lives embedded in the sea floor, as Obamus did, Boan said.

Distribution for these other two animals was varied. Sometimes they could be found living in the company of other organisms like themselves, but not in every instance. However, Obamus displayed a clear preference.

This is really the first example of a habitat-selective Ediacaran creature, the first example of a macroscopic animal doing this. But how did they get where they wanted to go? This is a question we dont yet know the answer to.

The researchers theorize that Obamus were likely motivated by the need to reproduce.

There are a limited number of reproductive strategies, especially for animals like these, Professor Droser said.

There are more strategies today, and theyre more elaborate now. But the same ones used today were still being used 550 million years ago.

Obamus likely spread itself via selective larva that preferred locations with thick microbial mat and near other Obamus.

We dont entirely understand how Obamus offspring spread out, but we know that when they picked a place to live, it was very specific, Boan said.

The findings were published in the journal Paleobiology.

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Phillip C. Boan et al. Spatial distributions of Tribrachidium, Rugoconites, and Obamus from the Ediacara Member (Rawnsley Quartzite), South Australia. Paleobiology, published online March 13, 2023; doi: 10.1017/pab.2023.9
Humans inherited genetic material from Neanderthals that affects the shape of our noses, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

The new Communications Biology study finds that a particular gene, which leads to a taller nose (from top to bottom), may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa.

Co-corresponding author Dr Kaustubh Adhikari (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment and The Open University) said: "In the last 15 years, since the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced, we have been able to learn that our own ancestors apparently interbred with Neanderthals, leaving us with little bits of their DNA.

"Here, we find that some DNA inherited from Neanderthals influences the shape of our faces. This could have been helpful to our ancestors, as it has been passed down for thousands of generations."

The study used data from more than 6,000 volunteers across Latin America, of mixed European, Native American and African ancestry, who are part of the UCL-led CANDELA study, which recruited from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru. The researchers compared genetic information from the participants to photographs of their faces -- specifically looking at distances between points on their faces, such as the tip of the nose or the edge of the lips -- to see how different facial traits were associated with the presence of different genetic markers.

The researchers newly identified 33 genome regions associated with face shape, 26 of which they were able to replicate in comparisons with data from other ethnicities using participants in east Asia, Europe, or Africa.

In one genome region in particular, called ATF3, the researchers found that many people in their study with Native American ancestry (as well as others with east Asian ancestry from another cohort) had genetic material in this gene that was inherited from the Neanderthals, contributing to increased nasal height. They also found that this gene region has signs of natural selection, suggesting that it conferred an advantage for those carrying the genetic material.

First author Dr Qing Li (Fudan University) said: "It has long been speculated that the shape of our noses is determined by natural selection; as our noses can help us to regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe in, different shaped noses may be better suited to different climates that our ancestors lived in. The gene we have identified here may have been inherited from Neanderthals to help humans adapt to colder climates as our ancestors moved out of Africa."

Co-corresponding author Professor Andres Ruiz-Linares (Fudan University, UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment, and Aix-Marseille University) added: "Most genetic studies of human diversity have investigated the genes of Europeans; our study's diverse sample of Latin American participants broadens the reach of genetic study findings, helping us to better understand the genetics of all humans."

The finding is the second discovery of DNA from archaic humans, distinct from Homo sapiens, affecting our face shape. The same team discovered in a 2021 paper that a gene influencing lip shape was inherited from the ancient Denisovans.*

The study involved researchers based in the UK, China, France, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Germany, and Brazil.
The Egyptian government approved a draft decree during its weekly meeting on Wednesday exempting travellers who bring gold from customs duties and other fees -- except value-added tax (VAT) -- for a period of six months.





According to the cabinet, this exemption applies to semi-manufactured gold, gold prepared for currency-trade, and jewellery parts made or coated with a layer of precious metals.

However, natural or cultivated pearls, gemstones, and composite or inlaid semi-precious stones on jewellery are not included in this exemption.

The government has not specified the exact amount of gold that will be exempted from taxes for travellers entering the country.

On Sunday, however, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said that the Egyptian government will decide on Wednesday whether to allow those coming from abroad to bring up to 150 grams of gold duty-free.

The move aims to achieve stability in gold prices within the markets and reduce smuggling of half-manufactured and manufactured gold.

The draft decree was suggested by the Gold Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce to ease pressure on local gold supply and reduce prices.

The gold market in Egypt has been disrupted due to a set of factors, including shrinkage in supply  due to shortage in US dollars  and ballooned demand.

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Bloomberg: According to Bloomberg, the Italian Prime Minister told US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Rome last week that while the final decision hasnt been made, her government may consider an exit from its role in the Belt and Road Initiative. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: Since China and Italy signed a cooperation document on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between the two governments, fruitful outcomes have been achieved in our cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, industrial manufacturing, clean energy and the third market. There is a need for both sides to further tap into the potential of our Belt and Road cooperation, step up mutually beneficial cooperation across the board and strive to make sure that the outcomes of growing China-Italy relations will bring more benefits to the two countries and peoples.

AFP: Yesterday, Germanys Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Beijing to take a clear stance against Russian aggression in Ukraine. These comments were on the same day that an AFP journalist tragically lost his life during a rocket fire in Donetsk. Does the Chinese foreign ministry have any reaction?

Wang Wenbin: You mentioned the remarks of the German Foreign Minister during State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gangs visit to Germany. I would like to take this opportunity to share some details about the visit.

On May 9 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks and jointly met the press with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin. The main purpose of this visit is to prepare for the upcoming seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultation.

State Councilor Qin noted that China and Germany are both major countries with global influence and need to step up dialogue and cooperation in a rapidly changing and turbulent world. The two sides need to make good preparations for the seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultation and draw up a comprehensive plan for practical cooperation going forward. China and Germany need to follow the right path, stand together against a new Cold War, decoupling and severing of supply chains, and be a source of confidence and strength for world peace and prosperity. China is a key partner for Europe in the face of risks and challenges. We welcome Europe to share Chinas market opportunities and development dividends and hope to see the mutual success of Chinese modernization and European integration.

State Councilor Qin noted that while China appreciates Germany and the EUs statements of not aiming for decoupling from China, China is, however, concerned about what the EU said about de-risking. What China brings to the world are opportunities, cooperation, stability and reassurance, not crises, confrontation, turmoil or risks. To shut out China in the name of de-risking is to throw away opportunities, cooperation, stability and development. It is essential that China, Germany and the EU all abide by international trade rules and honor the spirit of contract, stay open to each other, refrain from politicizing normal economic, trade and investment cooperation and do not interfere in market mechanisms.

State Councilor Qin stressed that Taiwans return to China is an inherent component of the post-war international order. Anyone who truly hopes for cross-Strait peace and stability and upholds the international order needs to adhere to the one-China principle and oppose any act of Taiwan independence.

China and Germany agreed to lay a solid ground for the seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultation and make a comprehensive plan for practical cooperation in various fields. The two sides agreed to step up coordination in multilateral fields and strengthen cooperation on COP28 and biodiversity.

Chinas position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang made clear during his visit to Germany, the Ukraine issue is highly complex. An over simplified or emotionally driven approach clearly would not be the right way forward. The only viable approach is to stay calm and rational and create conditions for a political settlement. China is neither the one that created the conflict nor a party to it. We advocate peace and promote talks for peace. We hope that Germany will play a leading role and offer concrete proposals for building a balanced, effective and durable European security architecture.

Al Jazeera: One year ago on this day, my colleague, a journalist with Al Jazeera, Shireen Abu Aqleh, was shot by Israeli troops while reporting in occupied Palestinian territory. The tragedy has yet to be handled in a just manner and the perpetrators have yet to be held accountable. On the one-year mark of her death, can the foreign ministry say something on the protection of journalists? Though stationed in different countries, we are all like Shireen. Does the Chinese side still remember her? Does the spokesperson have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: China supports a thorough, transparent, fair and impartial investigation into this incident and hopes it will be handled justly in accordance with the law.

I would also stress that China is deeply concerned over the recent worsening of the Palestine-Israel conflict. We call on all parties, Israel in particular, to show maximum calm and restraint, avoid taking any action that may heighten the tensions, and prevent further escalation of the situation.

China Review News: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on May 9 saying that the US strongly encourages the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at this years World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting. Taiwan has participated as an observer in previous WHA meetings. The US will continue to advocate for Taiwans return as an observer at the WHA and participation throughout the UN system. It is in line with the USs one-China policy. Do you have any response?

Wang Wenbin: China firmly opposes the US statement.

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Taiwan regions participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. This is an important principle affirmed in the UNGA Resolution 2758 and the WHA Resolution 25.1. With the DPP authorities refusing to recognize the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle and headstrong on Taiwan independence, the political foundation for cross-Strait consultation has been thrown into jeopardy, and the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists. The US statement is misguided and misleading. It is intended to connive at and support separatist acts for Taiwan independence.

The Taiwan question is at the core of Chinas core interests. It is the number one red line that must not be crossed between China and the US. We once again urge the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, observe international law and the basic norms governing international relations, act on the US leaders assurances of not supporting Taiwan independence and not supporting two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan, stop hyping up issues related to Taiwan using the WHA. The one-China principle has the overwhelming support of the international community and represents the trend of the world. This is not to be denied, nor can it be held back. Any attempt of playing the Taiwan card and using Taiwan to contain China will be rejected by the international community and not succeed.

The Paper: A spokesperson of the US State Department said a few days ago that Syria does not merit readmission into the Arab League, and we continue to believe that we will not normalize our relations with the Assad regime and we dont support our allies and partners doing so either. In the meanwhile, the US announced the decision to extend the regime of unilateral sanctions against Syria for one year more, starting from May 11, 2023. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, and its affairs should be decided by the people of the Middle East independently. Syrias return to the Arab League meets the aspiration of the Arab people, and is conducive to the strength and unity of Arab states as well as peace and stability in the region. The US needs to respect the aspiration of the people of Middle East countries, stop coercive diplomacy, stop disrupting the dialogue and reconciliation process among Middle East countries, and stop manufacturing tension to divide the Middle East.

Phoenix TV: On May 9, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of collecting human genomic data against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet as an additional form of control and surveillance. He also said that the US is concerned over this. Whats Chinas comment?

Wang Wenbin: These claims do not hold water and mean nothing except manufacturing sensational news items.

China is a country governed by law. The privacy of all Chinese citizens, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, are protected by law.

The US widely collects and uses genomic information. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon has formulated R&D plans for hitting opponents with genetically engineered weapons. Those involved disclosed that the genomic data of Asian Chinese, European Aryans and Middle Eastern Arabs are all being collected by the US military. According to the website of Russia-based RT, the US Air Education and Training Command (AETC) once issued a tender seeking to acquire samples of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and synovial fluid from Russians. Its pretty clear who exactly is using genomic information for secret purposes.

Shenzhen TV: Some scholars at the Jeju Research Institute recently wrote an article saying that the Japanese government will make a big mistake by choosing the worst way to dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water, which may cause humanitarian disasters, instead of other options suggested by experts, for so-called economic reasons. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: I have noted relevant reports. Many people may wonder why Japan wont discharge the nuclear-contaminated water, which it claims to be safe and harmless, into Japans inland rivers or use it for agricultural and industrial purposes and instead insists on dumping it into the ocean? It is extremely irresponsible of Japan to selfishly put the world at risk.

One would expect Japan to show more sense of responsibility in addressing international concerns as the G7 presidency puts it in the spotlight this year. Disappointingly and disturbingly, despite the concerns of its Asian neighbors and the international community, Japan has kept pushing the ocean discharge plan, dramatically increased its defense spending, developed offensive weapons, repeatedly sought to break away from the pacifist constitution and commitments to an exclusively defense-oriented policy, and often sought to honor the militarists and justify their war crimes during World War II.

Japan keeps saying that it is a responsible member of the international community. We would like to remind Japan that to be a responsible country, it cant rely on empty talk. Japan needs to take the concerns of the international community seriously and take real actions to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the rest of the world.

Xinhua News Agency: We noted that a joint statement was reached at the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue. This is the first international document that has the participation of the Afghan interim government since its establishment. In this document, the three sides noted explicitly that terrorism is not allowed, naming specifically the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). Do you think the pledge of the Afghan side to fight terrorist groups in the country, especially the ETIM, will help it receive recognition from the world?

Wang Wenbin: Yesterday we shared the outcomes of the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue. I would like to take this opportunity to share more on the Dialogue.

The fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue successfully held a few days ago is the first formal dialogue among the foreign ministers of the three countries since the major change in the situation in Afghanistan in August 2021. It has played a leading role in continuing the good neighborliness, friendship and practical cooperation among the three parties, contributing to the political settlement of the Afghan issue, and galvanizing international efforts to stabilize the situation and provide help to Afghanistan under the new situation. Thanks to the vigorous efforts of China, a joint statement was issued at the Dialogue, laying out common understandings and charting the course for deeper cooperation between the three countries in political, development and security domains.

As you said, the joint statement is the first multilateral document that has the participation of the Afghan interim government, and also the first time that Afghan Taliban made a written pledge of not allowing the ETIM and other forces to conduct terrorist actions and activities. This is of great significance to the future development of China-Afghanistan relations and to counter-terrorism and security cooperation in the region.

As a traditionally friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China always believes that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community, the interests and wellbeing of the Afghan people should be given attention, the peaceful reconstruction of the country should be encouraged, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan should be respected. In the meanwhile, we also noted that there are quite some concerns and expectations about the Afghan interim government from the rest of the world. Specifically, it is hoped that the Afghan side will make more progress in adopting moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and protecting the rights and interests of women and children. It is also hoped that the Afghan side will take a firmer stance on countering terrorism and strive for more tangible outcomes in this regard. We hope the Afghan interim government will take concrete steps in the right direction to win the understanding and trust of the international community. This will create favorable conditions for Afghanistan to further develop its good-neighborly and friendly relations with its neighbors and better integrate into the international community.
The United States is "cautiously optimistic" that Sudan's warring factions will reach a new temporary ceasefire during talks in Saudi Arabia to allow in aid, a senior official said Wednesday.

Envoys from the warring generals, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have been meeting since Saturday in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah for "pre-negotiation talks" with the participation of the United States.

"Our goal for these talks has been very narrowly focused first on securing agreement on a declaration of humanitarian principles and then getting a ceasefire that is long enough to facilitate the steady delivery of badly needed services," said Victoria Nuland, the State Department's number three official.

"I talked to our negotiators this morning who are cautiously optimistic," she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The top UN aid official, Martin Griffiths, outlined proposals in which the two sides would guarantee safe passage for humanitarian relief, according to a UN spokesman.

If a new temporary ceasefire is reached, talks will expand to work toward a permanent end to hostilities, Nuland said.

"We and our partners continue to make clear to the warring parties led by these two generals that there can be no military solution to this crisis and negotiations are the only way forward," Nuland said.

The violence broke out nearly a month ago as the paramilitary forces refused to integrate into the army in line with an agreement as part of a fragile transition to civilian rule.

President Joe Biden last week threatened sanctions against the warring sides after the last ceasefire, brokered largely by the United States, ended.

Asked about potential sanctions, Nuland said the US administration would "look at appropriate targets in various categories, particularly if we cannot get these generals to allow the humanitarian aid and put their guns down."

More than 750 people have been killed in the fighting which has wounded more than 5,000, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt and South Sudan bear a special responsibility towards Sudan, stressing that the suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people must be alleviated.

Shoukry's comments came during a press conference with South Sudans Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau Deng in the South Sudan capital Juba on Tuesday.

The two top diplomats talked to reporters after holding a meeting to discuss the ramifications of the ongoing conflict in Sudan on both countries and coordinate efforts to end it.

"Egypt and South Sudan are working to achieve stability in the region," Shoukry told reporters.

For his part, Dau Deng said that "the influx of Sudanese people fleeing violence in their country is putting pressures on its immediate neighbours."

All international efforts to end the conflict need to be coordinated for the benefit Sudanese people, Dau Deng said.

The South Sudan top diplomat added that Shoukrys visit is very crucial to his country since "the two countries have a shared focus on reaching peace in Sudan."

Earlier in the day, Shoukry delivered a message in person from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to South Sudans President Salva Kiir.

During the press conference, Shoukry noted that he listened to new ideas from President Kiir on ways to strengthen coordination to meet the challenges arising from the Sudanese situation.

I will convey President Kiir's ideas to President El-Sisi. We will continue to coordinate on ways to resove the crisis as well as deal with its humanitarian impact on both Egypt and South Sudan, Shoukry said.

President El-Sisi stressed in his message to the President Kiir on the need to reach a a permanent ceasefire in Sudan, explained Shoukry.

Meanwile, Dau Deng stressed during the press conference that "any continuation of the war in Sudan will put pressure on our countries."

For his part, FM Shoukry noted that Egypt has received 70,000 Sudanese citizens through its southern borders since the start of the conflict in mid-April.

He stressed that the current conflict requires that Sudans immediate neighbours consult on a continuous basis to work toward ending the ongoing fighting and ameliorate its impacts on them.

The top Egyptian diplomat also highlighted the importance of taking the necessary actions to coordinate politically or economically for the best interest of both peoples of Egypt and South Sudan.

Shoukry's visit to Juba comes a day after he delivered a letter in person to Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby as part of Egyptian shuttle diplomacy to coordinate regional efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, May 5, 2023, charged investment adviser Pinnacle Advisors LLC for aiding and abetting Liquidity Rule violations by a mutual fund it advised and whose Liquidity Risk Management Program it administered. The SEC also charged the fund's two independent trustees, Mark Wadach and Lawton "Charlie" Williamson, and two officers of both Pinnacle Advisors and of the fund it advised, Robert Cuculich and Benjamin Quilty, with aiding and abetting Liquidity Rule violations by the fund.

The action is the first-ever case enforcing the Liquidity Rule, which prohibits mutual funds from investing more than 15 percent of their net assets in illiquid investments, requires funds to take certain prompt remedial steps if they hold illiquid investments above this percentage limit, and requires funds to adopt a liquidity risk management program to assess their liquidity risk.

The SEC's complaint alleges that, from June 2019 to June 2020, the fund held approximately 21 to 26 percent of its net assets in illiquid investments. According to the complaint, Pinnacle Advisors and its officers, Cuculich and Quilty, classified the fund's largest illiquid investment as a "less liquid" investment, ignoring restrictions, transfer limitations, and the absence of any market for the shares, and disregarding the advice of fund counsel and auditors. The SEC alleges that Pinnacle Advisors and its officers did not present the fund's board with a plan to reduce the fund's illiquid investments to 15 percent or lower or make required filings with the SEC, as required by the Liquidity Rule. The complaint also states that Cuculich and Quilty misled the SEC's Division of Investment Management about the basis for the fund's liquidity classifications. According to the complaint, the fund's board had oversight responsibilities regarding the fund's Liquidity Risk Management Program, and Wadach and Williamson, who knew that the shares were restricted and illiquid, aided and abetted the fund's violation by recklessly failing to exercise reasonable oversight of the fund's program.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the Northern District of New York, alleges that Pinnacle Advisors, Cuculich, and Quilty aided and abetted the fund's violations of Rules 22e-4(b)(1) and 30b1-10 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and that Wadach and Williamson aided and abetted the fund's violations of Rule 22e-4(b)(1) under the Investment Company Act. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions and civil money penalties. The fund is now a liquidating trust and is not separately charged.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Gwen Licardo, Andrew Sporkin, Dani Srour, and Lisa Knoop and was supervised by Hane L. Kim of the Retail Strategy Task Force and Mr. Pollock. Alex Lefferts of the Enforcement Division's Office of Investigative and Market Analytics assisted with the investigation. The examination that led to the investigation was conducted by Anna Shmidt, Shari Singh, Lawrence Chinsky, Rachel Lavery, and Jennifer Klein of the Division of Examinations. The litigation will be handled by Todd Brody, Mr. Sporkin, and Ms. Srour.
From the parking lot, theres nothing to suggest that Quito Village is the California housing policy equivalent of a unicorn, or that the seemingly low-key project is sitting at the center of one of this years biggest political fights.

Peek through one of the gates of this dirt lot in the San Jose suburb of Saratoga. Trenches, a few foundations and an excavator pawing at a mountain of dirt are the only indication that, if all goes to plan, this will be the site of 90 new townhomes next year.

But though it may not be obvious  even to one of its developers, who was surprised to hear the news  this easy-to-ignore housing development appears to be one of a kind.

What makes Quito Village unique dates to early 2020 when Sand Hill Property Co. agreed to follow a strict labor standard, promoted by some of the states most powerful organized labor groups, that favors the hiring of union workers. The Silicon Valley real estate developer did so to take advantage of a 2017 state law meant to speed the construction of dense housing.

Atlanta-based real estate giant PulteGroup took over the project in 2022 and began construction in September. That makes Quito Village the only known project in California that has broken ground under the laws union-hiring rule.

Now lawmakers are debating making that 2017 law permanent, but with a bill that would strike out the union-backed labor standard that Sand Hill agreed to take on for the Saratoga project.

For many Democrats in the Legislature who want to see the state turbocharge its housing construction and who argue that the union-hire rule places too onerous a standard on developers amid a dire housing shortage, Quito Village is a case in point.

So thats one in five years, Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, chair of the Assemblys housing committee, said in an interview last month. That to me kind of says it all.

As lawmakers and competing unions debate the rules merits, much of the argument rides on the answer to a single question: Can California simultaneously encourage developers to build our way out of the states housing shortage while also requiring them to reserve jobs for the states unionized construction workforce?

If PulteGroup is in fact the only company actively building new housing under the terms of this controversial rule, as housing data assembled by the state suggests, how and why it has been able to go forward might shed light on that question and help settle a fiery and protracted debate.

But its not clear that the company is even following the rule.

Upon taking over the project last year, PulteGroups legal team made the case to the city of Saratoga that state law does not obligate the company to abide by the union-backed standard imposed on mixed-income projects, according to emails shared with CalMatters. The city disagreed.

A year later, prompted by a Public Records Act request filed by CalMatters, Saratoga city staff noted Pulte has not been submitting monthly reports to prove that it is complying with the rule.

Significant monetary penalties may be imposed under State law for failure to comply, Saratogas Community Development Director Debbie Pedro wrote to Brett Walsh, a Bay Area-based project manager with Pulte on May 1, in a letter the city shared with CalMatters.

Developers are subject to state fines of up to $10,000 per month for each missing monthly compliance report. If a company is found to be skirting the skilled and trained standard entirely, the penalties can rack up much higher and much quicker: $200 per day for each worker employed in contravention of the rule.

Walsh did not respond to an email from CalMatters. When asked about the projects construction crew in April, Jim Zeumer, Pulte's vice president for communications, said the company shares only basic project scale, scope and pricing information. Zeumer did not respond to additional requests for comment after the city of Saratoga sent its letter.

David Bini, a construction workers union labor leader in Santa Clara County, said that he, too, is curious whether the company is complying with the labor law.

He said he put in a call to the company last month with an offer to help them in getting in compliance if they need it, he said.

But as the letter from the city of Saratoga to Pulte suggests, the true number of projects that have moved forward under the controversial rule might not be one. It could be zero.

Skewed results in California housing law

Under the 2017 streamlining law authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, developers are offered a trade:

In cities and towns that havent kept up with state-set housing production goals, developers can skip some of the permitting hurdles that often delay or kill projects early on. In exchange, developers have to set aside a portion of the new units for low-income occupants, and abide by higher labor standards.

For projects in which every unit is designated affordable, developers simply have to pay their crews more. A prevailing wage is a state-determined minimum rate for each trade that roughly corresponds to what unionized construction workers make.

But for mixed-income projects, where developers meet the laws minimum affordable housing rule but plan to charge as much as they can on the remaining units, an even higher standard applies: Construction crews must be skilled and trained. That means a little over half of most trade workers must be graduates of apprenticeship programs, the vast majority of which are sponsored by unions.

Presented with those two options, most developers who make use of the law have taken the first path.

Since the law went into effect, developers have invoked the streamlining bill to propose nearly 18,000 units, according to an analysis by UC Berkeleys Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Roughly two-thirds of the proposed projects are entirely affordable, meaning the projects have to pay only prevailing wages.

Though data collected by the state is self-reported by local governments and riddled with errors, of the remaining third that includes market-rate units, Quito Village appears to be the only one that has actually broken ground.

Wiener cited the laws uneven performance as reason to take out the skilled and trained workforce standard entirely when he introduced his proposal to make the law permanent.

But there is at least one other possible reason to explain the disparity.

Under the law, the exact percentage of units that developers have to set aside for low-income residents depends on which kinds of homes the locality is falling behind on.

In cities and towns short on permitting new homes for lower-income households, streamlined projects have to be 50% affordable. In places that arent allowing enough building on the higher end, the requirement is only 10%.

Saratoga falls into the second bucket. As planned, 10% of the townhomes at Quito Village will be provided at below-market rates.

Many California cities have met their state production goals for market-rate housing, but not for lower-income units. In those municipalities  a little more than 200 in recent years  streamlining privileges are granted only if half of the units are set aside for lower-income occupants. Thats a high bar for profit-driven builders, leaving the field to nonprofit-subsidized affordable housing developers.

But interviewees for that report also pointed to the union-hire rules for mixed-income projects as a factor that might reduce the financial feasibility of projects.

Dan Dunmoyer, head of the California Building Industry Association, said projects that require prevailing wages and those that demand a skilled and trained workforce tend to have similar payroll costs. The big difference comes down to time, he said.

When you have to use skilled and trained, then you cant move until you find that worker or that contractor, he said. That may delay me three or four months per trade.

Even so, he added, the argument about which higher labor standard ought to apply is academic in most of California. Both are cost prohibitive other than in the highest end communities, he said. It just doesnt pencil in 85% of the state.

An exception in Saratoga?

If ever there was a place where higher labor standards could pencil out, its Saratoga. Thats because the Santa Clara County burb is, in a word, loaded.

The average household income here is nearly $225,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The average listing price of a new home exceeds $3.5 million. Its the kind of place where developers can afford to take on higher costs because residents here are willing to pay for them.

Once you add the economics of a high-market community, these extra premium dollars are OK. Youre selling townhomes for $1.3 million up, so theres some meat on the bone, said Steve Lynch, director of planning for Sand Hill Property, which got the site ready for development before selling the residential portion to PulteGroup.

Asked why Sand Hill was willing to do what other developers have thus far been unwilling to do and accept the skilled and trained standard, Lynch said that, in fact, it did not.

Though an initial project approval letter from the city specifies that the project is subject to that union-hire requirement, as does an FAQ listed on the projects website and a letter that Lynch sent to Saratoga City Manager James Lindsay in the companys initial streamlining application obtained by CalMatters through a public records request, Lynch said Sand Hill later determined that the language of the 2017 law actually exempts small towns like Saratoga.

Pultes legal team seemed to have its own questions about the projects labor requirement prior to taking over.

In an email exchange in the early summer of 2022, Winter King, an attorney representing the city of Saratoga, wrote to the developers lawyer, David Chidlaw, referencing Pultes questions about whether your client would be required to use a skilled and trained workforce if it acquires the Quito Village project.

In a subsequent email King sent to Chidlaw, she made the citys position clear. We dont see a way around this requirement, she wrote, adding that compliance with the skilled and trained standard is a condition of the projects approval and required by law.

Its unclear whether the conversation continued. Winter referred questions to the city of Saratoga and Chidlaw did not respond to requests for comment.

The uncertainty over whether the law does or doesnt apply, at least as described by Lynch at Sand Hill, seems to boil down to a question of syntax.

The text of the law carves out an exemption for projects located within a jurisdiction located in a coastal or bay county with a population of 225,000 or more. Santa Clara County, which is considered a bay county, has nearly 2 million residents. The city of Saratoga has a mere 30,000. The question: Does the 225,000 threshold figure apply to the county or the city? If the threshold applies to the jurisdiction of Saratoga, the project would be exempt from the skilled and trained requirement.

So, too, would projects in the vast majority of Californias cities and towns.

Under that more restrictive interpretation of the law, the skilled and trained standard  the subject of years of legislative debate and political gridlock  would apply only to 12 of Californias 482 cities.
The Vatican announced on Wednesday it released a book about the Vatican's efforts to promote Christian unity in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Shenouda III of Egypt and Pope Paul VI of Rome on 10 May 1973.

The book is titled The Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church: 50th Anniversary of the Meeting between Pope Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III (1973-2023).

The book release comes in tandem with Egypt's Pope Tawadros IIs three-day visit (10-12 May) to the Vatican, marking 50 years of relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

The agreement signed in 1973 between the Coptic Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church ended a 1,500-year-old theological dispute, ushering in a new period of improved relations between the Coptic and Catholic groups.

The book includes papers documenting the dialogues between the two churches from the second Vatican Council till present, according to a statement by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

"It contains a joint introduction by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Pope Tawadros II. The introduction emphasises the importance of constantly asking ourselves where we need to go beyond our current state in our journey towards full communion," the statement explained.

In the introduction, the two popes describe the 10 May 1973 meeting between Pope Shenouda III and Pope Paul VI as a historic meeting and note that the book brings together the key documents of the rapprochement between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches.

Moreover, the two popes recall the joint Christological declaration issued by the two churches on 10 May 1973 which later led to producing a document outlining the principles for seeking unity between the two churches, signed by Pope John Paul II and Pope Shenouda III in 1979.

In the book, Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II recall their first meeting on 10 May 2013, during which they announced the celebration of the Day of Friendship between Catholics and Copts, which continues to be celebrated annually.

Finally, the two popes expressed their hope for the growth of brotherly love and friendship between the two churches, leading to the long-awaited day when they can celebrate together at the altar, the statement concluded.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday that his office was launching a broad civil rights investigation into the Antioch Police Department in the wake of revelations that some officers exchanged racist, homophobic text messages with one another.

The probe will also delve into ongoing patterns and practices within the East Bay police department related to excessive use of force and the use of police dogs, Bonta said.

Early indications that weve seen here in Antioch raise significant red flags, said Bonta, who spoke to the press at the state office building in Oakland. The people of Antioch deserve safety and their civil rights to be protected  from what weve seen so far  it does not appear that thats happening.

Antioch Police Department spokespersons said the department welcomes the investigation and pledges full cooperation with DOJ officials. They added that they were pleased to announce they had joined other "progressive policing agencies" across the U.S. in pledging to enhance trust and collaboration between police and local communities.

Wednesdays announcement comes on the heels of another ongoing criminal investigation by the Contra Costa District Attorneys Office and the FBI into allegations of assault, use of drugs, and other misconduct within the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments.

A report from the District Attorneys Office characterized some of the crimes as ones of moral turpitude. However, dozens of those criminal cases involving specific officers have been dismissed, The Chronicle reported.

Bonta said his offices investigation will focus on patterns and practices within the police force that resulted in more extreme spikes in excessive force against communities of color, including Black residents.

The state will be analyzing data that illustrates those practices, as well as the cache of unearthed text messages circulated among nearly half of the Antioch police force that officials have called disturbing and painful to read.

The Contra Costa County district attorneys investigation found that at least 24 police officers engaged in the dissemination of racist, misogynist and homophobic text messages directed at the residents of the city and its officials.

Among other things, the texts called Black residents gorillas, monkeys and water buffalo, and used a number of other slurs to describe city residents  a revelation that sparked fury across the city and landed nearly 25% of the citys police force on paid leave.

The attorney generals civil rights investigation is separate from the ongoing administrative and criminal investigations at the local and federal levels, but could result in widespread corrective action in the department.

Bonta said Wednesday that his office has been working on a concurrent civil rights investigation into the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office and several other law enforcement agencies across the state.

Anyone with relevant information to share may contact the California Department of Justices Civil Rights Enforcement Section at police-practices@doj.ca.gov.
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Martinez police Tuesday said they still dont know how 1 pound of liquid mercury ended up near a public garbage can at the East Bay citys new Amtrak train station.

Firefighters spotted a silvery puddle in the train station parking lot Monday afternoon and closed the station while the countys hazmat team launched a cleanup. In addition to the police, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was also investigating the hazardous spill.

Mercury is the silvery liquid metal in some thermometers. The amount at the train station was more likely an industrial quantity, estimated at 1 pound or 1 pounds, county health officials said.

Why is someone walking around carrying a pound of mercury? Supervisor Candace Andersen said, questioning county health officials at Tuesdays board meeting.

We really dont know the source, said Matt Kaufmann, Contra Costa Countys deputy health director.

But Kaufmann tried to reassure county supervisors that from an air monitoring perspective, the amount was one thousand times less than it would be to be considered immediately dangerous to life and health.

We are orders of magnitude below what we would consider a health concern, Kaufmann said.

Even so, the county health department urged people who had been at the train station Monday to examine shoes, pant hems and other low-to-the-ground clothing for signs of the silvery liquid heavy metal. Officials advised people to contact the health department, double-bag those items and put them outside if they appear contaminated.

Late Tuesday, Contra Costa County health authorities warned people against walking in the street through downtown Martinez because a garbage truck may have picked up the contaminated trash from the train station trash bin and spread it. People should stick to the sidewalk, officials said.

The public health concern relates specifically to the potential for people to walk through contaminated areas of the street and track mercury indoors, where it could potentially cause health problems related to long-term exposure, officials said in a press release.

The areas affected by the spill included the Martinez Amtrak station and parking lot and several downtown streets: Marina Vista Avenue between the station and Alhambra Avenue, Alhambra Avenue from Marina Vista to Buckley Street, Buckley from Alhambra to Berrellesa Street, and Berrellesa from Buckley north to the Martinez City Public Works yard.

Earlier Tuesday, workers in hazmat gear continued testing the station parking lot and platform to detect trace amounts of the metal  a neurotoxin dangerous to health if ingested  and remove tiny droplets, police said. Passenger trains ran on normal schedules and were diverted to an old station about one block away at Ferry Street.

Kaufmann said mercury is found in many common household items like thermometers and blood pressure cuffs, and it is also used in a variety of industrial activities.

It would be quite unusual for someone to walk around with a pound or more of mercury, he said.

Martinez Police Commander Greg Hurlbut it appeared that people had walked through the spilled mercury, tracking it into the station. Vehicles had driven through it as well.

The mess might have gone unnoticed had a team of firefighters not been called to the station to help an elderly woman who had fallen, Hurlbut said. They spotted the silvery puddle on the pavement by their parked fire engine about 3:30 p.m.

Police are hoping witnesses come forward with information. No surveillance cameras pointed in that direction, he said.

Wed love to know who it was, so we can give them the cleanup bill, Hurlbut said.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Martinez Police Department at (925) 372-3440. Anyone with concerns about contamination can call the Contra Costa Health Department at (925) 655-3200.
Rafe Swan / Getty Image

A massage therapist was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a woman in April at a Palo Alto spa, according to authorities.

Cesar Castro Moreno, 58, of Gilroy, is charged with one felony count of forcible oral copulation in connection with an assault that took place at the LaBelle Day Spa & Salon on the 800 block of El Camino Real on April 15, according to Palo Alto police.
For years, San Francisco public schools have been caught up in a bitter debate over the districts math curriculum. A vocal group of parents has argued that the districts decision to delay teaching Algebra I until high school hobbles children who are ready to take the math course in middle school. But some experts and district leaders have argued that pushing back algebra can level the playing field for kids who are struggling in math.

The debate gets to the heart of larger fights about merit and equity playing out in the district.

The battle boiled over into a lawsuit filed by a group of San Francisco parents in March who demanded officials put Algebra I back into middle schools and stop forcing students to retake the course in ninth grade if they have already passed it in a private school or through other providers before entering high school.

With the school board slated to get an update on the issue in two weeks, heres what you need to know about the controversy.

Why did the district push algebra back?

Moving Algebra I to high school follows the Common Core math sequence, which includes a separate eighth-grade math course that includes some algebra. But restricting Algebra I to high school was intended to keep students together rather than tracking them by ability until ninth grade with the hope that more students across all demographics would be prepared for algebra and higher math courses.

What does the research say?

A Stanford University study found the elimination of middle school Algebra I had little to no impact on improving pass rates, proficiency or enrollment in higher math classes.

Whats the latest on the lawsuit?

District officials filed their response to the lawsuit, denying all allegations and asking a judge to toss out the case. A hearing is scheduled for June 3.

Are district officials rethinking how to teach math and when to offer Algebra I?

Yes. Superintendent Matt Wayne told The Chronicle in an exclusive interview that the district will be looking closely at math instruction and course sequencing in the months ahead. A progress report to the board is expected on May 23.

Well share some thoughts about where we need to go with math, he said. We have work to do around math.

Does that mean he wants to put Algebra I back in middle schools?

Not necessarily. It does mean Wayne and the board will be looking at the issue. Wayne said this major decision needs extensive public input through community meetings and public debate. No changes will happen this fall, but could be in place for fall 2024.

Could Algebra I be back in middle schools in a little over a year?

Yes.

Why the possible change of heart?

Wayne acknowledged that delaying Algebra I hasnt really achieved greater participation in higher math courses by students of color or improved outcomes overall. The Stanford University study backs that up. Also, standardized math scores across the district have not moved much, with about 46% proficiency overall, but much lower for disadvantaged students.

The district is conducting an audit of math curriculum, placement policies and course sequencing to address students who want to move faster through math courses while also meeting the needs of those who are struggling.

I have heard and the evidence supports the fact we are not accelerating as many students as we want and can and too many are not meeting standards, Wayne said. We have a lot of work to do in this area.

Back to the lawsuit, what exactly is that about?

Basically, parents claimed its unfair to delay Algebra I, because it can hobble children whose academic growth in mathematics outpaces that of their peers, create barriers which prevent students from excelling in mathematics, and make it nearly impossible for any student to attain access to high school Calculus.

They also allege that students who took Algebra I outside the district have been forced to retake it, in violation of state education code, which indicates that any students who complete the course before high school have satisfied the states Algebra I graduation requirement.

Yet, they said, the district has required all those students who took the course before high school to take a math verification test to demonstrate proficiency, which the lawsuit claims violates education code. Most students failed it, meaning they had to retake Algebra I.

Has the district addressed this?

Yes. Even as the lawsuit moves through the legal system, Wayne announced that the district would no longer offer or require the math verification test. Instead, students who took Algebra I in private school or in another program only have to submit semester grades of C or better and a syllabus of the course taken to verify content to be placed in geometry in ninth grade.

Whats next?

In addition to the May 23 school board update and the court hearing in early June, Wayne said the district would continue to respond to the lawsuit and work with families to pursue mediation rather than a long legal battle.

Otherwise, theres a lot coming in the months and years ahead to improve math teaching and learning in San Francisco schools, he said.



Hopefully, Wayne added, people are looking overall at what were doing for math.
BART should hire more sworn police officers and double down on keeping trains clean if it hopes to see any significant boost in ridership, according to a new poll.

The findings from a BART-specific poll commissioned by the Bay Area Council, a business advocacy group thats supported the regional rail agency since its inception, should not come as a surprise. Crime and filth on BART tainted many peoples perceptions of the agency years before the pandemic decimated its ridership.

But the polling reaffirms the challenging path for recovery facing the Bay Areas fare-dependent rail system.

With ridership stagnant since September, BART has a one- to two-year window to either recover large swaths of lapsed riders or secure a state or local taxpayer subsidy before incurring massive annual budget deficits. Failure could mean whittling BART service to doomsday levels so infrequent that it collapses the agencys customer base.

To secure its future, BART must overcome hardened, negative perceptions from voters and riders who feel the agency hasnt made much progress reducing crime and filth on trains and in stations.

There can be no higher priority for BART and the future survival of the system than to direct every ounce of energy and resources into making the system safer and cleaner, the Bay Area Councils CEO and president, Jim Wunderman, said in a statement.

Among the findings from the Bay Area Councils BART Perceptions Survey:

73% of the 1,000 respondents polled in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties said they feel more comfortable riding BART when a uniformed police officer is present. Fifteen percent of respondents said more police would make them feel less safe, while the remaining 13% were unsure.

Almost 80% of residents polled said BART should act more aggressively in ejecting people from trains and stations who violate the agencys passenger code of conduct. The code of conduct prohibits drugs, smoking, drinking and illegal behaviors.

About half of respondents said they have either seen a crime or been a victim of one on BART.

44% of the 357 respondents who ride BART regularly said theyve never or rarely seen a police officer on the system.

About 60% of respondents said they would ride BART more frequently if it improved safety and cleanliness.

The Bay Area Council is among the coalition of advocacy groups and legislators vying to secure a $5 billion temporary bailout for BART and other Bay Area transit agencies. The regions transit agencies project theyll have a combined $2.9 billion budget deficit by 2028, with BART accounting for 40% of the gap.

Wunderman said the agency should immediately and significantly increase police and security personnel on trains, as well as remove rule-breakers more often and install its new hardened fare gates within a year (BART plans to replace all gates by 2026).

Since 2021, the Bay Area Council has conducted separate return-to-office surveys showing that crime and cleanliness have kept some would-be riders from taking the transit service. BART must treat this like a crisis, Wunderman said, because it is a crisis.

It could be tough for BART to add more officers. BARTs fiscal cliff starts in March 2025, and the agencys board is debating the extent of the potential cost-cutting.

One area where respondents seemingly disagreed with the vision of the BART boards progressive majority is in its policing efforts. Since 2020, the BART Police Department has deployed civilian staff such as social workers and crisis intervention specialists to connect homeless riders to housing and support and emergency services.

BART leaders and some board directors have touted its Progressive Policing Bureau as a humane way to address endemic homelessness on the system. However, 65% of respondents said BART is better off focusing on operating trains than acting as a social services provider.

BART officials say theyre already making changes to improve crime and cleanliness.

In March, BARTs Police Department began deploying an extra eight to 18 sworn officers on trains and stations between downtown Oakland and downtown San Francisco. The agency this year is cleaning train car interiors twice as often, BART spokesperson Chris Filippi said.

After the first month of BARTs new police officer deployment plan, the agencys Police Department saw a 38% decrease in calls for service and a 40% increase in arrests, Filippi said.

We are committed to building on these safety and cleaning initiatives as we move forward because we know thats what our riders expect of us, Filippi said.
Id start a foundation to help underprivileged youth.

Id buy property for my kids.

Id go back to school.

These are excerpts from the many poignant conversations Ive had with other Black Californians about what they would do with reparations payments. Its important to listen to those voices now that the state will soon take up the matter in the Legislature.

Lost in the chaotic debates over reparations is a thoughtful consideration of how the money would be spent and what benefits it might bring to society. Now, even I cant rule out that some people would squander the money. But for most Black families this would be a once-in-a-lifetime economic stimulus program that would allow some people to buy their first homes, open businesses and launch nonprofits that work to assist other marginalized communities.

California reparations: What to know about the effort to pay Black residents

Listening to Black Californians who support reparations makes clear how much better the states social and economic health could be if the riches lost over generations are at least partially returned to their rightful owners.

Every Black person I spoke with fell within the state task forces eligibility requirements and, based on the nine-member panels economic models for calculating potential reparations payments for individuals, would receive between $180,000 and $900,000.

One of these people is Tracy Brown, an Oakland artist, activist and reparations advocate. Brown told me her mother recently died of complications related to sepsis while living in a nursing home, and the death made her think more about the health care inequities faced by Black Californians.

I could use reparations to pay for long-term health care for my father, and I could put in place long-term health care for myself, that way I dont have to worry about suffering at the hands of a medical system that, historically, doesnt prioritize Black life, she told me.

The states reparations task force approved its historic draft proposal over the weekend, which includes the payment of cash or its equivalent to eligible recipients. The payments are the most controversial and least popular aspect of a proposal some economists say could cost the state over $500 billion, but they are closer to reality today than ever.

Hope Williams, a longtime social justice activist on Treasure Island, told me about the generations of her family who have never been able to be homeowners due to lack of resources and housing discrimination. She said she would use reparations money to fund her ongoing community activism and acquire permanent housing for her mother and daughter.

When you look at these inequities, these arent a thing of the past, Williams said. Were living it.

Devin Williams, an Antioch native, said his reparation payment would partly go toward his pursuit of a degree in sociology. Williams is a member of the nonprofit Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which works to address racial, economic and social injustice, and he said the degree could help him launch his own business.

It would be a foundation for community outreach and getting folks involved in knowing what their rights are, political education for Black men and women who dont have that knowledge yet, he said. All of it would lead to me being able to give back and invest in future generations.

Myrai Mills, a college student living on Treasure Island, and the daughter of Hope Williams, also said she would use any reparations money for education. Mills is a student at Contra Costa College.

Id put money toward my own education to better myself, and then focus on starting my own nonprofit around getting Black students in STEM, Mills told me. I would help our generation, and help raise up future leaders.

William Palmer liked the idea of pouring the money back into the Black community. Palmer, who was formerly incarcerated in California, is the current executive director of Life After Next, a re-entry program for people newly released from prison.

I would be able to put forth assets for a loan to be able to buy a building I want to use to create re-entry housing in San Francisco, he said, adding it would also house artists who were formerly incarcerated.

Some of the most vocal reparations critics would rather you not hear this kind of sensible talk.

While it wouldnt be fair to lump all reparations critics together  there are legitimate questions about how the state could afford the payments  skeptics with rational arguments are far less vocal than people who dont want to see any Black people get anything.

The criticism of whether Black people deserve reparations, and what we could and should do with any money is yet another form of peoples belief of the ownership of the Black body, Brown said.

The extremist perspective that cutting checks to Black Californians would be the downfall of the state is unfounded but these critical perspectives get drowned out by the tantrums being thrown by reparations critics who claim to believe in the American Dream, but only if it remains attainable to them and them alone.

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, who is leading local reparations efforts, told me he would help his family buy property and also invest in his community.

One thing that was drummed into me growing up is that every generation has to be better off than the last, he said.

Now imagine how much better we all would be if millions of other Black Californians were able to do just that.
Jennifer Louis has been appointed Berkeleys next police chief, five months after city leaders expressed alarm over revelations that she had been previously investigated on allegations of sexual harassment and reprimanded for unprofessional conduct.

The Berkeley City Council approved Louis appointment Tuesday night. A veteran of the Police Department, she started as a patrol officer in 1999 and was later promoted to police captain. She will receive an annual base salary of $301,820.48.

Louis has served as the interim police chief for the past two years. She is the first woman, first Asian American and first openly gay person to be appointed to the departments top job.

Last December, Berkeley city leaders said they were blindsided after the Los Angeles Times published a story detailing a sexual harassment investigation that was launched after Louis  who was then a captain  allegedly made inappropriate comments to another Berkeley officer at a party in May 2017.

The L.A. Times reported that a probe by an outside law firm found that Louis made harassing comments to one woman, but did not substantiate allegations made by two other women. The investigation concluded that Louis had violated the citys harassment prevention policy.

In response, former Chief Andrew Greenwood ordered her suspended from the department for five days. Louis appealed the suspension to Berkeley City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley, who instead gave her a written reprimand.

Williams-Ridley, who recommended Louis for the top job, wrote in her report Tuesday that Louis has demonstrated herself to be a progressive and visionary leader.

Council Member Sophie Hahn told The Chronicle on Wednesday that Louis is doing a good job for Berkeley and is working closely with the council on important reform.

Hahn, who had previously criticized the city manager for failing to disclose the sexual harassment investigation, said, What is clear is that it was a closed matter. It went through the proper administrative processes, and there was a conclusion.

Tuesdays vote comes after previous delays in confirming Louis for the job.

In October, Williams-Ridley recommended that the council approve her, but the planned Nov. 15 vote was delayed for unrelated reasons. Days earlier, a former officer had accused Sgt. Darren Kacalek, the president of the police union, of spearheading an illegal arrest quota and sending derogatory and racist messages in 2019 and 2020 about unhoused people.

The confirmation vote for the new chief was postponed pending an investigation into the allegations concerning Kacalek. That investigation is still not done, city officials said.

But Hahn said despite the ongoing probe, Louis was not the subject of that investigation.

Its an investigation into a unit that she was not part of nor did she oversee it, Hahn said. She was not in the chief position, and she was not in a unit.

Council Member Ben Bartlett said he abstained from Louis appointment because the Kacalek investigation was not yet complete. Council Member Kate Harrison also abstained.

Council Member Rashi Kesarwani, who voted in favor of Louis appointment, said she has shown a continual desire to engage with the community in good faith and to continue to build greater trust.
Famed Bay Area chef Charles Phan is closing one of his restaurants this week after struggling for years to sustain the business.

Rice and Bones, a casual Vietnamese restaurant on the UC Berkeley campus, will close Friday, May 12, as first announced on Instagram.

The restaurant was a victim of its location, tucked inside the campus College of Environmental Design, Phan said.

Were not busy enough, he said. Weve been bleeding since day one.

Phan, whos known for his pioneering Vietnamese restaurant the Slanted Door in San Francisco, opened Rice and Bones in 2018. The Cal alumnus wanted to give students at his alma mater a quality, healthy place to eat.

The restaurant did well enough on weekdays during the school year. But dinner never really took off, and we never got any traction from the neighborhood, Phan said. Its challenges were later compounded by the pandemic and a labor shortage.

Phan continues to operate Chucks Takeaway, a casual sandwich shop in San Francisco, and another Slanted Door in San Ramon. His popular Slanted Door spin-off Out the Door closed in 2021 and his Embarcadero bar Hard Water closed in 2022.

Two of Phans other projects remain highly anticipated and much delayed  most notably, perhaps, the Slanted Door at the Ferry Building, a prominent and massive location that has remained temporarily closed for a renovation since the pandemic amid rumors of its closure. Phan definitively said Tuesday that the restaurant will reopen but is mired in the permitting and building process.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

A new Vietnamese noodle shop in Marin, called Moonset, as well as a Napa location of the Slanted Door, are also in process but not near opening, he said.
A beloved Napa Valley Italian restaurant reopens Thursday, May 11, with a new menu of vegetable-forward pizzas and pastas from chef Christopher Kostow of three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood.

Kostow and his wife, Martina, took on the task of reviving longtime locals hangout Ciccio earlier this year; the Yountville restaurant closed temporarily in 2022 after a 10-year run. Local vintner and restaurant founder Frank Altamura is still the owner of Ciccio while the Kostows are handling the daily operations. Its the first Italian restaurant for Kostow, who has been steadily growing his Napa Valley footprint; his company Team Kostow also includes the Charter Oak, Loveski Deli and the Restaurant at Meadowood, which remains closed after a 2020 fire. They refreshed the space and added creative twists on the negroni and Aperol spritz.

Perhaps the most significant change is that Ciccio will now take reservations  and with a capacity of 50 people, its bound to become one of Napa Valleys toughest tables to snag. (Weeks ahead of its reopening, Ciccio was already booked through May.) The Kostows will leave the six bar seats and a pair of antique German beer tables out front for walk-ins.

It was a difficult place to get into, said Martina Kostow on the former no-reservation policy. Wed have to leave at 5 p.m. so we could be there at 5:30 p.m. when they opened. There was always a window and if you missed it, you missed it.

Brian L. Frank/Special to The Chronicle

Like before, the menu will focus on traditional, Italian comfort fare. But Christopher Kostow wanted to put his own stamp on it, which means patrons wont find exact replicas of old favorites. Hes bringing an emphasis on fresh produce: a pork mezzelune pasta ($28) comes with fermented mustard greens; the pork chop Milanese ($34) is paired with a side of preserved plum mostarda; squash blossoms and herbs elevate the Aqua Pazza ($30), a traditionally simple dish of fish poached in broth.

Im a little more willing to utilize less traditional products without doing super challenging flavor profiles, he said. Its all very understandable and easy to appreciate, but feels unique at the same time.

The pizzas ($22-$26) include simple pepperoni and sausage options, but also more unconventional combinations like potato with leek confit, fontina cheese and a caper salsa; an artichoke dip-inspired pizza comes with artichoke hearts, Parmesan, cream cheese and creme fraiche. Employing the same sourdough starter as the Charter Oak, Kostow describes the pizzas as Neapolitan but with a lot of texture and crunch.

For dessert, Christopher Kostow is especially excited about a whipped mascarpone ($13) served with prunes cooked down in spiced wine, a tribute to a dish at Frankies 457 Spuntino in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Brian L. Frank/Special to The Chronicle

Ciccio was well-known for its extensive negroni menu, and beverage director Micah Clark has ensured that negronis and spritzes ($16-$18) will be the backbone of the restaurants new cocktail list. Franks negroni, a recipe of Altamuras thats a slight spin on the classic, remains the menus stalwart, while the Kingston negroni is made with rum instead of gin. Clark said he typically hates white negronis  he doesnt like Gran Classico  but has substituted Amaro Lys (made with bitter botanicals) in its place, which he feels works better. For spritzes, theres an Aperol version with an added splash of dry white wine, more like what youd find at a family-run trattoria in Venice, said Clark. The Italian Spring Punch (vodka, myrtle liqueur, lemon and soda) is another play on the spritz trend.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

The wine list is mostly Italian, with a few esoteric selections, said Clark, like a Carignan from Sardinia and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere from Trentino. Theres also a handful of recognizable Napa Valley additions.

Brian L. Frank/Special to The Chronicle

The renovation of the space was quick  more of a refresh than an overhaul. Most noticeably, the Kostows added a new coat of paint on the interior walls and bar; the latter is now a striking hunter green paired with brown leather stools. The red exterior, featuring the word Market in bold white letters, remains an homage to the buildings early 1900s roots as an Italian market. The cozy vibe inside  including the original orange booths, orange light fixtures and red-tiled, wood-fired pizza oven in the open kitchen  feels brighter, but generally unchanged.

We want people to feel like theyre coming home again, said Martina Kostow, whose family used to dine at Ciccio weekly. We dont want to take away from that feeling we had when wed walk in. This space does create a certain feeling, its warm and welcoming, quaint and charming.

Ciccio. Opening Thursday, May 11. 5-9 p.m., Thursday-Monday. 6770 Washington St., Yountville. ciccionapavalley.com
Underground Cellar, the innovative wine reseller that suddenly ceased operations in late April after attracting customers with a game-like wine-collecting experience, owes roughly $25 million worth of wine and other debts to creditors, according to bankruptcy filings.

On May 1, the San Francisco company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the District of Delaware, where it was incorporated, to end business operations and liquidate its assets. The bankruptcy documents list more than 37,000 unsecured claims, largely for purchased wine that customers havent received.

As the bankruptcy case proceeds, Underground Cellars thousands of customers, investors and suppliers are left wondering what went wrong at a company that seemed poised for huge success, with $13.5 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, and $20 million in reported revenue last year. Now, there are conflicting accounts of the companys leadership structure, an allegation of fraud and questions over who rightfully owns the many wines supposedly housed in Underground Cellars Napa warehouse.

Underground Cellars attorney did not respond to The Chronicles requests for comment. The companys founder and former chief executive declined to comment on the record.

Days before the company filed for bankruptcy, a plaintiff named Erik Jensen filed a class-action lawsuit in Delaware, alleging breach of contract, fraud and other charges. Jensen claims to have $3,000 worth of wine stored with Underground Cellar that he cannot access.

A statement on the companys website cites recent market headwinds and an inability to secure financing or an acquisition in an increasingly challenging capital market as the factors that led to the decision to file bankruptcy.

A defining feature of Underground Cellars platform was that it offered to store customers purchased wines for them in a virtual CloudCellar until they were ready to have them shipped from the companys climate-controlled physical storage location. But now, no one with wine in the CloudCellar can access it.

Its just horrifying. Everybody is feeling robbed, said Gregg Thatcher, an Underground Cellar user and administrator of a Facebook group with over 400 fellow customers. Thatcher is owed a little over $1,000; many other customers are owed tens of thousands of dollars worth of wine. People built up these vast collections and they dont know what theyre going to do. Its a tremendous loss for them, Thatcher said. One person Thatcher spoke with claims to have spent $200,000 on wine he cant access.

Some customers questioned whether their wines actually exist. But a former Underground Cellar warehouse employee who spoke with The Chronicle said the Napa warehouse has over 500,000 bottles stored, and that before the shutdown, it was shipping 200-300 cases of wine a week. (The Chronicle has verified the workers employment with Underground Cellar, but is granting them anonymity in accordance with its policy on anonymous sources).

But there was still a shortfall, according to the bankruptcy filing, which shows that customers ordered $2.7 million worth of wine that never made it to the warehouse.

In an email to a frustrated customer shared on the Underground Cellar Facebook group, a bankruptcy lawyer for Underground Cellar wrote that the bankruptcy was filed to protect the rights of the individuals who have paid for the wine and have wine sitting in the warehouse. The company had limited options and lacked the funds to ship its wine to customers, he wrote. We felt that filing for [bankruptcy] was the best way of having the [bankruptcy] court determine who gets what. There is no [bankruptcy] fraud here.

Bradley Coppella from Philadelphia said he spent roughly $15,000 on wine with the company over the past decade. Currently, he estimates that he has $3,000 to $4,000 worth of wine (a little over 100 bottles) to claim. Coppella, a wine connoisseur, is also a forensic accountant who frequently investigates bankruptcy matters as part of his job. For the first time, he now finds himself an unsecured creditor listed on public documents. Based on his professional experience, he said, he doesnt expect to get any money out of the filing.

Theres usually some compensation in Chapter 7, said Reno Fernandez, a bankruptcy appellate specialist with Complex Appellate Litigation Group in San Francisco. But its usually very small. Rarely do creditors receive 100% of what theyre owed.

Bankruptcy documents indicate that Underground Cellar had over $20 million in revenue last year, but now has less than $100,000 in cash and $328,000 in invoices owed to it. It also lists very few physical assets: $260 worth of office furniture and equipment, plus warehouse equipment valued at less than $35,000.

Its laughable that this entire company, thats all they say they have in assets, said Coppella.

With such limited assets, creditor payouts will come down to Underground Cellars $11 million in reported wine inventory, far short of the $25 million in claims. This is likely because the inventory is valued at what Underground Cellar paid for the wine  purchased at a significant discount from producers  and the customers claims are based on the much higher retail value of the wine, said Coppella.

You should expect a pitched battle over who owns the wine, said Fernandez. Under Chapter 7, a trustee will be appointed to sell Underground Cellars assets, then distribute the proceeds to creditors. Secured creditors, who have liens, a legal right to assets, tend to get paid first; larger investors like venture capital firms are more likely to be secured creditors than individual customers. Investment company TriplePoint Capital has an $8 million priority lien against Underground Cellar.

But the case strikes Fernandez as unusual among Chapter 7 filings. If it turns out that the victims literally own the wine, then were way outside of normal, said Fernandez, who is not working on the case but reviewed the bankruptcy documents for an interview with The Chronicle. At that point, all bets are off.

The bankruptcy filing does acknowledge that the wine Underground Cellar is storing was purchased by and is owned by the customers  but that ownership could be litigated. Its possible that the wine itself could be distributed to the customers that bought it, but that seems very unlikely given the disorganized state of (the company), Fernandez said.

Underground Cellars wine partners are also seeking answers: Theyre left with outstanding invoices, and they cant access any unsold wines that are stored in the companys warehouse. Ali Smith Story of Healdsburgs Smith Story Wines, for instance, said shes currently out a few thousand dollars for about 20 cases of wine.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

What led to Underground Cellars bankruptcy remains unclear. Story said she learned of recent layoffs, and the company made changes to its management in December, according to the former employee. Last September, Jeff Hardy, formerly Underground Cellars president and chief operating officer, announced he would replace founder Jeff Shaw as chief executive officer. Hardy declined a request to be interviewed, but said he has not been involved with the company in any capacity since December 2022.

But while financial records in the bankruptcy filing confirm that Hardys last paycheck was issued at that time, they also show that he was operating as chief executive officer since May of that year, several months before the transition was announced. Shaws last salary paycheck in his role as co-founder and board member was issued in August 2022 and he received monthly payments totaling $75,000 for a consulting role from June 30, 2022, through April 15, 2023. He was also listed as a board adviser at the time of filing. One week before the company filed for bankruptcy, Shaws signature was printed on an annual filing with the California Office of the Secretary of State, which listed him as the companys chief executive officer, secretary and chief financial officer.

According to the filings, Chad La Tourette, the companys head of merchandising, was promoted to the chief executive officer role in December when Hardy left; Robert Ord, the companys longtime director of winery relations, was promoted to the same position at Underground Cellars affiliate company, Phoeno Wine Co., in March  just a few weeks before the company shut down.

Now, the bankruptcy trustee will also likely scrutinize the past activities of management to determine whether they are liable for any misconduct, said Fernandez, the bankruptcy appellate specialist. But even if illegal activity is found to have occurred, he said that the bankruptcy would probably still proceed, as long as thats deemed to be in the best interest of the creditors.

I dont envy folks that had wine with them, Fernandez said.
More rockets were fired toward Israel, while Israel struck more targets in Gaza as Egyptian TV channel Extra News said Wednesday that Egypt has brokered an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza.

There was no immediate comment from Jihad faction on the ceaasefire.

Israeli government officials confirmed that Cairo was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen confirmed that the Israeli government is considering an Egyptian suggestion for an immediate ceasefire. According to news agencies quoting Cohen, there is a possibility that an agreement on a ceasefire could be reached "within hours."

Shortly after the state-run Egyptian TV channels announcement, more rockets were fired toward Israel, AP reported.

Palestinian resistance fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday in reponse to Israel deadly airstrikes that killed 21 Palestinians, most of them children and women, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel. A home and car were hit by rockets in the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, Israeli officials said, with the occupation army announcing a series of new strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Smoke billowed from the densely populated enclave.

Sirens were also heard in Tel Aviv, which is located 80 kilometres (50 miles) to the north on the Mediterranean Sea.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as Davids Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

Egypt had called earlier on Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians and condemned the Israeli forces' recent escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry will participate in a new meeting of Munich group on the Middle East Peace Process.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem, marches through the heart of the occupied Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

The meeting, which will be held on Thursday, brings together representatives of Egypt, Jordan, France and Germany.

Shoukry is expected to hold a press conference with counterparts in the group

Furthermore, the Arab League Council held on Wednesday an extraordinary session  on the level of permanent representatives  to discuss the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.

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After publishing a credulous profile on Liz Holmes  the disgraced former Theranos CEO formerly known as Elizabeth, who begins serving an 11-year sentence later this month for defrauding investors  the New York Times was criticized on social media and in multiple outlets for helping launder the reputation of a well-documented grifter. These criticisms are entirely fair, but theres a bigger critique being overlooked in the pile-on, which is less that the Times shouldnt do humanizing profiles of the moral stakes of incarceration, but that maybe a famous wealthy woman isnt the most morally urgent test case for such a genre.

Indeed, the Times  and other media outlets  should take the online skewering and do some self-reflection on how the human stakes of our prison system are so rarely examined. And how on the occasions that it does happen, the genre is often reserved for famous white people.

Incarcerated people (or, as is the case of Holmes, those facing long prison sentences) are routinely reported on and made to be statistics. But they are rarely given a human face  alongside a detailed accounting of how our meat-grinder system affects not just those we put in cages, but loved ones, friends and dependents. There are 172,700 women, disproportionately Black and Latina, who are locked up in American prisons and jails. They could urgently use the Times resources for their own humanizing profiles.

The American system of mass incarceration is, at its core, a failure of empathy  informed by class factors, racism and a host of mindless tough-on-crime conventional wisdom. But its also largely driven by an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to the human cost of caging. This is especially true when analyzing the human stakes of the U.S. mass incarceration of women, which is 8 to 25 times greater than in peer countries.

More for you Jury finds Theranos ex-CEO Holmes guilty of 4 of 11 fraud charges

According to a March 1 report from the Prison Policy Institute, Womens incarceration has grown at twice the pace of mens incarceration in recent decades, and has disproportionately been located in local jails. Around 4% of these women enter into incarceration pregnant, yet only half had received any kind of prenatal care in prison apart from an obstetric exam, the report states. Fifty-eight percent of women in U.S. prisons and 80% of women in U.S. jails, like Holmes, have children.

The Times, like other respectable media outlets, does report on people in womens prisons, but it rarely affords them their humanity with the level of detail and naked advocacy it did with Holmes.

Ms. Holmess partner and the father of their two young children, pushes a stroller with the couples 20-month-old son, William, Amy Chozick, the author of the Times profile tells us. William enjoys playing in the sand, The Little Blue Truck, dumplings and, like his mom, already speaks some Mandarin.

Imagine the impact if 10, 20, 50 or 100 more women torn from their children by our carceral system got a similar profile in the worlds most prominent English-language newspaper.

This isnt to say the New York Times doesnt write about poor incarcerated women on occasion. Four years ago, John Leland captioned a photo series by Sara Bennett that documented women serving life sentences. But these instances are often mere blurbs when compared with Holmes 5,500-word PR job.

There is ample evidence that children with incarcerated mothers face greater levels of depression and anxiety, and are often passed between caregivers or within the foster system. Compounding the injustice, a majority of incarcerated women have previously faced domestic violence. As the prison abolition organization Survived and Punished points out on its website, a troubling number of these women are actually criminalized for simply trying to survive their abuse  and to protect their children. In just one example: Nan-Hui Jo fled her abusive American citizen partner with her child to seek safety for her and her young daughter. Her husband had physically assaulted her, isolated her from friends, and took her passport and keys to prevent her from leaving. She was then arrested for child abduction, and the district attorney who prosecuted her tried to portray her as a manipulative illegal immigrant seeking to cheat U.S. systems, calling her a tiger mom who was too competent to be a victim.

And then there is the cruel treatment of those who give birth in prison. Pregnant prisoners are routinely shackled during or after labor and immediately separated from their newborns. Numerous currently and formerly incarcerated women have written eloquently about the horrors of going through labor shackled, or being shackled immediately after, being denied the chance to breastfeed, and having their children taken away from them.

The journalistic instinct to humanize Elizabeth Holmes isnt, in and of itself, a bad one. But empathy, namely empathy for the millions of people whose lives are torn apart by our brutal carceral system, is in urgent need of democratizing.
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

With just a couple of weeks left in the school year, there may be progress in the negotiations between the Oakland Unified School District and its teachers union, but as the strike enters day 5, it's causing mixed feelings in the broader community.

On this episode of the Fifth & Mission podcast, Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how the bargaining process is going, why the "common goods" proposal is making this strike unique, and how graduating seniors are feeling about potentially ending their high school careers away from their classrooms.
A state appeals court reinstated a defamation suit Wednesday against Rep. Maxine Waters, a veteran Democratic congresswoman from Los Angeles, for accusing her 2020 campaign opponent of having been dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

Waters was first elected to the House in 1990, after seven terms in the state Assembly, and is Californias second-longest-serving member of Congress, after Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. She defeated Republican Joe Collins in 2020, with 72% of the vote, after a campaign in which she repeatedly said Collins had been dishonorably discharged in 2017 after 13 years in the Navy.

Waters cited a federal judges ruling in 2018 that dismissed a suit Collins had filed against the Navy. The judge said the case arose from events related to (Collins) dishonorable discharge from the Navy for engaging in partisan politics while in military service and declaring a campaign to run for president in 2020. Waters said other documents showed Collins had engaged in additional misconduct in the Navy.

But the states Second District Court of Appeal said Wednesday that the judge had later deleted the word dishonorable from his ruling, and that Collins, during the campaign, had shown Waters a document stating that he had been discharged under honorable conditions.

This document apparently was official. There was nothing suspicious about its appearance, Justice John Wiley said in a 3-0 ruling allowing Collins to proceed with his suit, which a judge had previously dismissed.

The court did not decide whether the document was genuine, a decision for the jury if the case goes to trial, but said Collins could sue Waters for disregarding it.

The document, if genuine, would have established without doubt that Waters charge was false, Wiley wrote. Waters easily could have checked its authenticity, but did not. Free speech is vital in America, but truth has a place in the public square as well.  When you face powerful documentary evidence your accusation is false, when checking is easy, and when you skip the checking but keep accusing, a jury could conclude you have crossed the line.

A jury reviewing all the evidence of Collins past conduct might eventually conclude that Waters had not knowingly or recklessly lied about him, Wiley said, but his suit should not have been dismissed at an early stage. The ruling also overturned a judges order that Collins pay $53,500 to Waters in attorneys fees under a state law imposing penalties for meritless suits that were intended to suppress free speech.

Waters lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, said the ruling involved only a preliminary issue, not the merits of the case, and that we will assess whether to appeal. An attorney for Collins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says she may still file charges against a security guard who fatally shot an alleged shoplifter, despite declaring a week earlier that the guard had produced credible evidence of reasonable self-defense. So if Jenkins decides to prosecute Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, could his lawyers introduce evidence that she had previously cleared him?

Maybe not. But theyll certainly try.

While witnesses testifying at a trial can be impeached, or challenged, by an opposing lawyer based on contradictory statements they have made in the past, Jenkins isnt a witness to the crime, noted Robert Weisberg, a Stanford University criminal law professor and co-director of the schools Criminal Justice Center.

But Weisberg said Anthonys lawyer, while cross-examining a prosecution witness, might try to quote the district attorneys comments to contradict the witness account. The prosecutor would likely object that Jenkins opinion had no effect on the witness testimony, and the judges ruling may turn on the nature of the witness interactions with the D.A.s office, Weisberg said by email.

He said the defense lawyer might also try to bring up Jenkins comments in an opening statement or closing argument to the jury, which are not regulated as strictly as the questioning of witnesses. And if there is any indication that Anthonys prosecutors have withheld evidence that supports his case, Weisberg said, the defense lawyer will try to get Jenkins on the stand for a hearing on THAT issue.

Police say Anthony fatally shot 24-year-old Banko Brown on April 27 outside a Walgreens store on Market Street after Brown allegedly tried to steal from the store. Four days later, Jenkins released Anthony from custody and said, The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense.

Both threats of force and physical force were used, the district attorney said, without providing any details. Filing charges when there is credible evidence of reasonable self-defense, she said, would be unethical and create false hope for a successful prosecution.

Browns friends and supporters protested, describing him as a strong advocate for the transgender community. They held a vigil in his honor, called on Walgreens to stop using armed security guards at its stores and demanded prosecution of Anthony.

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin has asked the district attorney to release police reports, witness accounts and video footage of the shooting. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, made a similar request, and said there has been increasing public doubt about the guards claim of self-defense. Anthony has declined to comment on what happened.

On Monday, without explaining her change of position, Jenkins said she had not ruled out charging Anthony. She said she had asked police to locate and interview additional witnesses and gather additional evidence. A final charging decision will be made when the investigation is complete. She has not released any video of the incident.

Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge and now executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute at UC Berkeley Law School, said Tuesday that if Anthony is charged, his lawyers probably would be unable to tell a jury about Jenkins past statements. But he said they could use those statements prior to trial in asking the judge to order the District Attorneys Office to turn over any evidence that supports Anthonys case.

If charges are filed, defense counsel will ask for discovery of all evidence known to the D.A. at the time that she expressed her initial opinion, on the basis that the evidence is reasonably likely to be exculpatory, Fogel said. And he said Anthonys lawyers would probably advise the judge to be skeptical about the adequacy of the evidence Jenkins office released, given the political embarrassment to the D.A.
San Franciscos plans to close an RV homeless shelter on the outskirts of the Bayview are prompting outcry from city supervisors who want to keep the site open.

City officials say they need to wind down the 3-year-old shelter consisting of dozens of RVs and trailers on a gravel lot at Pier 94 to return the property to the Port of San Francisco, which typically uses the area for industrial purposes but allowed it to temporarily house homeless people starting in the early days of the pandemic in April 2020.

More on homelessness: How many people are homeless in San Francisco? Heres what the data shows

The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which oversees the shelter, says it is working to place all 118 people who currently live in the RVs and trailers into long-term housing or alternate shelter. Officials intend to close the Pier 94 shelter by the end of the year and hand control of the site south of the Islais Creek Channel back to the port by mid-January.

But a majority of the Board of Supervisors is objecting to the departments plans, arguing that the site is still badly needed in a city with a huge homeless population, a long-running housing crisis and a dire shortage of shelter beds. They say the shelter is particularly necessary in supervisorial District 10, which includes the Bayview and had the second-highest number of unhoused residents during the citys last official one-day count last year.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Here we have a place that is actually doing very well in terms of housing folks and getting them off the street and providing shelter, said Supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents the Bayview. Obviously, we cant just eliminate something like that without making sure that folks have somewhere to go.

The shelter has served more than 300 people since it opened, and as of last month, 37 people had been moved into permanent housing. About 70% of people who have stayed at the shelter are Black, according to the city.

Walton and his colleagues unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday that calls on the homelessness department and the port to keep the shelter open to prevent evicting over 100 residents, mostly of Black, African American, or African descent, back to the streets.

Its not clear if the resolution will have any impact. So far, the homelessness department  which reports to Mayor London Breed  is standing firm in its plans to close the shelter.

The department said it doesnt plan to force any shelter residents to live on the streets. Emily Cohen, a spokesperson for the department, said the shelter stopped accepting new residents so the city can focus for the remainder of the year on getting the current 118 residents housed elsewhere. She was confident that San Francisco could find enough supportive housing for people at the shelter, comparing the effort to the closure of hotels where city officials temporarily housed homeless people in the early stages of the pandemic.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

I appreciate where the supervisor is coming from  we dont want to lose any shelter capacity, Cohen said of Waltons resolution. We know that we need more shelter in our community, not less. At the same time, the port has more than lived up to their end of the deal . We entered into this agreement fully knowing that this was a temporary COVID program and that we would need to wind it down.



As of the citys last tally in early April, 59 of the shelters 118 residents had already been referred to housing and were awaiting placement. Cohen said the city was in the process of assessing the remaining guests, most of whom would likely be referred to housing as well. Anyone deemed ineligible for supportive housing will be offered a shelter bed in the Bayview, Cohen said.

We are not trying to rush this  we are trying to do it in a gradual and deliberate way so that we can do this responsibly, Cohen said.

Standing in the lot outside the shelter on a recent morning, Frederick Emerson Jr., 63, said he had lived there for almost three years and hoped to be moved into housing soon.



I had an assessment the other day and its looking good, he said.



Emerson, a San Francisco native, said he had been living in a van for three years before he moved to Pier 94. He was deeply grateful for his time at the RV site and said its likely closure was kind of a shame.



They even give us food. We dont have to ask for it  they give it to us. Thats a blessing, Emerson said. So if theyre gonna tear it down  I dont think thats right right now.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Another shelter resident, Sean Prentice, sat just a few steps away on a chair in front of a concrete barrier. Behind him, a yellow Shelter in Place Center sign was draped over the chain-link fence that surrounded the shelter, a testament to its original purpose in the pandemic.

Prentice, 54, spoke glowingly of how the RV site had allowed him to have space to call his own.



Your own space is very, very important, he said. Its helping me fend for myself, to where Im not as giddy and antsy on the streets.

Like Emerson, Prentice said he was also hoping to be placed into long-term housing soon, but he wasnt sure when exactly it would happen.



Im a pretty patient guy, he said.

The shelter was set up with 91 trailers the city acquired from the state Office of Emergency Services and 21 RVs it leased from others. Cohen said its possible some of the trailers may be moved to another location in the city and used to house homeless people at a later date.

Justin Berton, a spokesperson for the port, said in a statement that Pier 94 is located in the heart of a busy industrial area and is not suitable as a long-term place to live.

It was only made available due to an emergency shelter-in-place declaration, which has since ended and terminated the agreement and the viability of residential use, Berton said.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

He said the port would work with others in the city on a coordinated winddown that puts the well-being of the residents first and eventually returns industrial land for industrial use. The ports leaders wholeheartedly agree with supervisors desire to find alternate places to go, Berton said.

Dan Wlodarczyk, a San Francisco General Hospital physician who volunteers at the Pier 94 site twice per week, regularly visits the RVs and trailers and checks on residents medical needs, evaluating their vital signs and tracking symptoms of their ailments, scheduling appointments and prescribing suboxone  a medication that treats opioid dependence  to those who need it.

He said the shelter has had social as well as medical benefits.

What makes the site really unique is that people come from the same community, and theyre connected in multiple ways, Wlodarczyk said. There are some that are relatives. Peoples families know each other. They went to school with each other. Its different from other shelters where people are from all over the city and wherever they came from. Theres more of a sense of community here, which I think is a strength.

Wlodarczyk said he was surprised to learn of the shelters planned closure because of the Bayviews large homeless population. In addition to his volunteering at Pier 94, he also volunteers in a van that travels to homeless encampments in the area.

Theres a lot of people out there, he said. It seems like were in a housing crisis, and we need more housing opportunities for people, rather than less.
A Kenyan court on Wednesday ordered a doomsday cult leader accused of the deaths of dozens of people to be held behind bars for three more weeks.

Paul Nthenge Mackenzie faces terrorism charges over what has been dubbed the "Shakahola Forest Massacre" after the grisly discovery last month of mass graves near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi.

A total of 133 people have been confirmed dead, many of them children, after investigators said Tuesday they had unearthed another 21 bodies from the forest site.

A court in the port city of Mombasa ordered Mackenzie, his wife, and 16 other suspects held for 30 days, dating from his first court appearance when he was arraigned on May 2.

Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda said that releasing the suspects would jeopardize their safety as well as the ongoing investigation.

Prosecutors had been seeking their detention for another 90 days.

Police believe most of the bodies found near Malindi were followers of Mackenzie, a taxi driver-turned-preacher who is accused of inciting them to starve to death "to meet Jesus."

While starvation appears to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten or suffocated, according to chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor.

Court documents filed on Monday said some of the corpses had their organs removed, with police alleging the suspects were engaged in forced harvesting of body parts.

But Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki urged caution.

"It is a theory we are investigating. The reports that came from the morgue are still being finalised and I do not want to pre-empt the matter," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha has said that as many as 500 people have been reported missing, including from villages around the forest.

Mackenzie, who founded the Good News International Church in 2003, turned himself in on April 14 after police acting on a tip-off first entered Shakahola forest.

The case has stunned Christian-majority Kenya and led President William Ruto to set up a commission of inquiry into the deaths and a task force to review regulations governing religious bodies.

Another pastor accused of links to Mackenzie and to the bodies found in the forest was released on bail at a court hearing last Thursday.

Ezekiel Odero, a high-profile and wealthy televangelist, is being investigated on a raft of charges including murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalisation, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud and money laundering.

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A boy and a woman were injured by gunfire near an Oakland high school on Tuesday evening, officials said.

The Oakland Police Department said it responded to the report of the May 9 shooting just before 5:30 p.m. on the 8600 block of MacArthur Boulevard, near Castlemont High School in the Castlemont neighborhood, just northwest of the Oakland Zoo.
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An employee at a San Francisco dry cleaner was charged with six counts of misdemeanor invasion of privacy after he allegedly recorded women in the shops dressing room with a hidden camera, the San Francisco District Attorneys Office announced Tuesday.

Several women filed police reports saying the employee had asked them to undress while their clothes were being tailored at Divisadero Heights Cleaners, which is on the 1100 block of Divisadero St., the DAs office said in a statement. The employee allegedly placed a clock in the room and constantly adjusted it, which the women believe was a hidden camera.
A popular San Francisco Bay Area park was shut down on Wednesday to search for evidence linked to the disappearance of Ylva Hagner, who was last seen 27 years ago, according to multiple media outlets.

Investigators with the FBI and the Belmont Police Department descended on Stulsaft Park in Redwood City reportedly looking for remains linked to the cold case, CBS News reported.

Hagner, a Palo Alto resident, was last seen on Oct. 14, 1996, at a company office in downtown Belmont where she worked as a product marketing manager, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in one of many stories that ran in the weeks after the disappearance. Belmont is located on the Peninsula, less than 5 miles north of Redwood City.

The investigation team also searched the rear yard of a home near Stulsaft Park, KTVU reported.

Basically, we took a look back into the case and opened up the cold case investigation and thats why were out here today, Lt. Peter Lotti, a spokesperson for the Belmont Police Department, said in a video posted by KTVU. And really our ultimate goal is to bring closure to the case.

While the Belmont Police Department is leading the renewed investigation, the FBI said in a statement to SFGATE that it is providing forensic support with our evidence response team.

Rachel M. via Yelp

Hagner, a Swedish resident, was 42 years old at the time of her disappearance. She had been living in the Bay Area for more than 10 years and was working at Axios Software Co. in Belmont, as well as attending Stanford's continuing studies program.

The day she disappeared, Hagner attended a company party and emailed an essay for a graduate course she was taking at Stanford University, the Chronicle said.

An employee of Axios reported her missing to the authorities on Oct. 16 after she didn't show up for a few meetings and a class at Stanford.

Her black 1992 Honda Civic was found on Oct. 18, several blocks from her office. It was unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition; there wasn't a purse or wallet or any significant evidence, the Chronicle reported.

Hagner's disappearance inspired a huge search effort. Dozens of people were questioned including a former husband and three former boyfriends. A monetary reward was offered by Axios and Hagner's father. But there were few new leads. In March 1997, acting on a tip, police searched a vacant home on Page Mill Road, the Chronicle reported. They found nothing.

Police told CBS News that Stulsaft Park will reopen Wednesday. The 46-acre park is popular with dog owners due to a large off-leash area, and families are also drawn to a playground. It's known for its large wilderness, with a maze of both official and unofficial trails.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  An energy company should be fined nearly $3.4 million for safety violations involving a 2021 oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches, a federal regulator said.

Amplify Energy Corp. ignored 83 alarms indicating the offshore pipeline had leaked and failed to notify federal authorities or shut down the pipeline to San Pedro Bay until 17 hours after the first alarms, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a letter proposing the fine that was sent April 6 to the company's president.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Maryland's highest court on Tuesday reversed a ruling by a lower court that the state's first-in-the-nation tax on digital advertising was unconstitutional, saying the court lacked jurisdiction over the case.

In an order, Justice Matthew Fader, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland, sent the case back to Anne Arundel County Circuit Court with directions to dismiss. He said the plaintiffs failed to exhaust administrative remedies through the states tax court  Reasons will be stated in a later opinion. The four-page order does not make any ruling on the constitutionality of the law.

Last year, the circuit court ruled that the tax on digital advertising violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits discrimination against electronic commerce. The court also held that the law violates the U.S. Constitutions prohibition on state interference with interstate commerce.

In a case that is being closely watched by other states that have also weighed a similar tax for online ads, Maryland's comptroller appealed the decision in the case brought by Verizon Media Inc. and Comcast.

Maryland's Supreme Court issued its order after hearing arguments from attorneys in the case on Friday.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown praised the court's ruling, saying the digital ad tax provides critical funding for a sweeping education reform law known as the Blueprint for Marylands Future.

I applaud the Supreme Court for acting quickly because the revenues generated by this tax will help us provide our children the best education possible for success, Brown said in a statement. The digital ad tax will support our collective goal of transforming schools across the State. It will help level the playing field so that underserved communities will have access to quality educational opportunities enjoyed by our highest performing schools.

In arguments Friday, Julia Bernhardt, an assistant attorney general, said the plaintiffs sought to bypass administrative procedures that the state has in place.

This court has repeatedly held that constitutional claims are to be presented to the tax court. In case, after case, after case, almost every case involving a constitutional challenge to a state tax has come up through that way since the establishment of the tax court, Bernhardt said.

Jeffrey Friedman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, argued there was a constitutional exception that applied to this case.

It only applies, as this court has repeatedly described it, in a situation where the entirety of the law is invalid. In this case, its invalid because it violates federal law, he told the court Friday.

Maryland lawmakers overrode then-Gov. Larry Hogans veto of the digital ad tax measure to pass the legislation in 2021. The state estimated the tax could raise about $250 million a year to help pay for a sweeping K-12 education measure.

The law taxes revenue that the affected companies make on digital advertisements shown in Maryland.

Attorneys for Big Tech companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon have contended that the law unfairly targets them. It would impose a tax based on global annual gross revenues for companies that make more than $100 million globally.
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A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a rail-safety bill introduced after the derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, but its fate remains uncertain due to significant Republican opposition.

The bill would increase inspections of trains carrying hazardous materials, require the use of technology to detect track defects, and sharply raise penalties on railroad companies for crashes.

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the bill one day after Norfolk Southern renewed a promise to create a fund for residents near the site of the Ohio train wreck to cover any decline in home values since the February derailment.

Norfolk Southern Corp. CEO Alan Shaw said in a letter to committee members that the railroad expects to compensate homeowners within about 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the crash if they sell their homes for less than the property was appraised before the derailment. He said the railroad expects to start making payments within a year.

On Feb. 3, 38 railcars derailed in East Palestine, 11 of which carried hazardous chemicals, with some spilling into nearby waterways. Half of the town's 5,000 residents were evacuated as emergency responders burned off chemicals to prevent an uncontrolled explosion.

Images of the black smoke and stories about families forced to leave their homes led lawmakers to call for action to improve rail safety. The bill that emerged was approved by the Senate panel on a 16-11 vote, with all but two Republicans opposing the measure.

One of those Republicans supporting the bill, J.D. Vance of Ohio, argued that the measure is necessary to stem an increase in rail accidents.

There will be another East Palestine in this country if we do not pass the Railway Safety Act. Its that simple, Vance said. Yes, it may make rail transportation a little bit more expensive, but it's going to make rail transportation a little bit more expensive in the service of safety.

But Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the bill would give too much power to the Biden administration to restrict rail shipments of coal, oil and other fossil fuels that the radical green movement hates.

Vance and Republican Eric Schmitt of Missouri joined all the committee Democrats in voting for the bill.

Cruz said the bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes it probably would need to pass on the Senate floor, or to win passage in the GOP-controlled House, unless changes are made to restrict the administration's rulemaking power over railroads.

The bill has been the subject of bipartisan negotiations that resulted in changes to the original version introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Ian Jefferies, president of the Association of American Railroads, said those negotiations have improved the bill, but challenges remain with certain provisions, including a requirement for at least two crew members on each train.

In his letter late Tuesday to committee members, Norfolk Southern CEO Shaw said that while the company has accrued nearly $400 million in charges for the derailment, that doesnt include compensation for falling property values, long-term health care or water treatment. It also does not reflect payments the railroad will receive from insurance.

Shaw said Cruz encouraged him to write the letter, which contained more details around homeowner compensation than the company had previously provided. This commitment demonstrates that, as Senator Cruz and others have indicated, Norfolk Southern understands that this derailment was not the fault of the people of East Palestine, the CEO said.

The federal government, the state of Ohio and residents near the crash have all filed lawsuits against Norfolk Southern.

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corp., based in Atlanta, rose a fraction of a penny in trading Wednesday.
The crowd that prayed together at Arlington Presbyterian Churchs Sunday worship service had dwindled from more than 100 to a few dozen. Donations dropped, and for years, congregation members grappled with how to reinvent their nearly century-old Northern Virginia church.

Neighbors stories guided the churchs radical transformation. As church members spoke with people who worked nearby, they heard a common concern: People were struggling to afford to live there.

Those stories broke their hearts, says the Rev. Ashley Goff, pastor since 2018. They really felt this call by God to do something very dramatic about the lack of affordable housing.

After some contentious discussions, the church reached a decision to use the greatest asset it had: real estate. In 2016 the church sold its land and historic stone building to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, a nonprofit developer, for $8.5 million.

The church was razed. In its place now stands Gilliam Place, a six-story complex with 173 apartments. The building, with ground-floor space rented by the church for services, offers homes to people who earn 60% or less of the areas median income.

Hundreds of faith groups are using their property to build homes. For cash-poor congregations that face declining revenue and member participation and rising maintenance costs, developing housing can offer a financial benefit while also expanding their social mission.

Most faiths embrace helping the vulnerable, and faith-based organizations have long provided housing. But its rare that religious leaders have real-estate-development expertise and resources to navigate the often-challenging financial and political barriers that come with planning and building apartments or houses.

Nonprofits and foundations have stepped in to help. Enterprise Community Partners, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and other groups provide religious leaders with training, connections to developers, legal advice, and financial support to help them make informed decisions about whether they should use their land for housing. Then, the nonprofits guide leaders through the complex development process.

Enterprise, one of the biggest nonprofits working on housing issues, has run its Faith-Based Development Initiative since 2006. Capital One, Bank of America, and local grant makers, including the Blank Foundation in Atlanta and New Yorks Trinity Church Wall Street and others, provided support. In 2022, Wells Fargo gave $8.5 million to help the program expand nationally from the mid-Atlantic region where it began.

Houses of worship in Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington are participating now. Grantmakers and local governments have committed roughly $12 million to the program for the next several years.

So far, the effort has created or preserved 1,500 affordable rental apartments in the Baltimore-Washington region. More than 1,000 homes are in various stages of development in other parts of the country, and the potential for more is huge.

Even if just 10% of the faith-owned land got activated tomorrow for affordable housing, were talking about potentially hundreds of thousands of units around the country, says the Rev. David Bowers, an Enterprise vice president and leader of Faith-Based Development Initiative. In the Washington metropolitan area alone, the Urban Institute identified nearly 800 vacant parcels owned by faith-based institutions, most of which are already zoned for residential buildings. Assuming multifamily housing could be built on that land, it could support building 43,000 to 108,000 new low-cost housing units.

Meanwhile, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a nonprofit community-development financial institution, is helping churches explore housing projects in New York and the San Francisco area. And Yes in Gods Back Yard, backed by the grant-maker coalition Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial County, has ambitious goals for faith groups in Southern California.

Most faith groups dont opt to sell their land and tear down their sanctuary space as Arlington Presbyterian did. Rather, they want to maintain control of the land and take better advantage of underused property like parking lots or classrooms.

Congregations and other faith-based organizations have a long history of filling housing needs through land donations, Habitat for Humanity projects, and providing shelter for people who are homeless. Many churches in Black neighborhoods have been involved in those efforts, and these congregations are a priority for Enterprise, as theyve historically had less access to financial resources to support their growth, Bowers says.

Leaders from more than 250 houses of worship across the county have participated in Enterprise training sessions. Black churches represent around 80%. The rest include a mix of churches and a few mosques and synagogues.

Part of our work is to get more faith communities from all kinds of walks involved, Bowers says. When you have declining memberships and you see your building space very underutilized, it becomes pretty stark.

Some faith organizations that build housing rely on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the countrys largest affordable-housing subsidy program. But the process of applying for government tax credits can be sluggish, says Monica Ball, who leads community outreach for Yes in Gods Back Yard, or YIGBY. The groups name is a play on NIMBY, or Not in My Back Yard, the acronym used to describe residents who object to new housing or other development where they live.

YIGBY helps faith leaders navigate the home-building process. Instead of relying on tax credits for development, the group hopes to demonstrate how foundations, corporations, and wealthy people can help increase the supply of affordable housing without necessarily spending a dime. Using a construction loan guarantee, foundations or donors pledge to repay a loan with their endowment or other assets. This helps developers access the funds they need while removing risk for the lender.

YIGBY is helping Bethel African Methodist Episcopal, San Diegos oldest Black church, build 26 new one-bedroom apartments for homeless veterans and older people. The regions severe shortage of housing means that many veterans who receive a housing voucher from the Department of Veterans Affairs often cant find a place to rent. Housing analysts estimate the San Diego region needs to build more than 13,000 new homes annually to meet demand.

Banks are often reluctant to lend to first-time developers, so YIGBY has turned to donors and low-interest loans, to help finance Bethels project using a construction loan guarantee. Andy Ballester, a co-founder of the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, set aside around $5.3 million  an amount equivalent to the value of the construction loan. That money acts as insurance for the bank and will be tapped into only if the developer fails to make an interest payment on the loan.

So why havent more faith groups built new housing to address the shortage?

Its just a simple time and money and expertise disconnect, Ball says. And while these challenges arent unique to houses of worship, the need to get zoning approvals from the government and deal with neighbors who resist new development often presents obstacles.

Sometimes houses of worship are at an advantage when they try to work through local opposition, Bowers says. If people perceive the house of worship as an anchor institution and a good neighbor in that community, sometimes they have goodwill that theyve accrued over time, and that may help.

Places of worship are in need of revenue and relevance, says Ball, leader of community outreach at YIGBY.

When youre in the middle of a housing crisis, if youve got land, the best way to generate revenue and become socially relevant is build housing.

_____
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

I was 10-weeks pregnant and craving pizza while on vacation in Germany. We picked a well-reviewed restaurant, only to be told that no tables would be available that night. My husband, who meant well, suggested we try our luck at a different restaurant a few doors down. But it didnt serve pizza, and for me at that moment, nothing but pizza would do.

So, naturally, I burst into tears.

Thankfully, we swiftly found another option and my highly specific food craving was satisfied. But traveling while pregnant is tricky, assuming its safe for you to do so (always talk to your doctor or midwife first). Not only might you be dealing with nausea, fatigue, food cravings you may not be able to accommodate in other countries, and other maladies, but also some travel activities can be unsafe during pregnancy.

I traveled a few times while pregnant, both for work and leisure, leaning on a few helpful credit card perks to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Your cards benefits could smooth the way to a less chaotic, and more enjoyable, travel experience.

3 times credit card perks make it better

When booking travel: Insurance and seat upgrades

Travel protections like trip cancellation insurance can come in handy if you need to back out of your trip due to a covered reason, like illness. Note that what counts as a covered reason can vary by card, and some situations related to pregnancy may not be covered. This can include travel after a certain week in your pregnancy, or if you become pregnant with multiples before booking travel. Review what your card does and doesnt cover, and consider additional travel insurance if needed.

Thanks to big sign-up bonuses, airline credit cards speed up the time it takes to earn a substantial number of miles. Booking flights directly through airlines with those miles can give you an out if you need to cancel your trip. Some airlines will refund your miles with no fees if you back out, even close to your travel date.

If youre accustomed to toughing it out in the back of the plane, this might be a good time to cash in miles earned from airline cards on a seat upgrade. A dangerous health issue to avoid is deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot that can travel to your lungs. Your risk of DVT increases in pregnancy. More spacious seating with increased mobility could decrease lower extremity swelling and venous stasis, which can increase the risk of DVT, Dr. Meghan Zysik said in an email. Zysik is an attending obstetrician and gynecologist at Albany Medical Center, part of the Albany Med Health System in Albany, New York.

At the airport: Ditch the luggage and lines, embrace the lounges

The times I traveled alone, I didnt want to hoist my carry-on bag into the overhead compartment, and theres never a guarantee a kind stranger will offer to help (especially if you arent visibly pregnant yet). With airline cards, you typically get a free checked bag, saving you $60 in bag fees per round trip flight. Everybody has to pay attention to their body, says P. Fadwah Halaby, a certified nurse midwife in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dont lift it if it feels like its going to hurt. Halaby recommends limiting lifting any bags weighing more than 25 pounds.

Now that you can move through the security line unencumbered by baggage, dont let that statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry go unused. Not only is this benefit worth at least $78 in value, but itll also get you out of line, and off of your feet, faster. Prolonged standing can lead to physical discomfort and worsen lower extremity swelling, Zysik said. Take the time saved with PreCheck to eat a meal, sit, and rest or doing calming routines such as meditation.

A perfect place to do all those things is an airport lounge, which some travel cards grant you free access to.

During the trip: Hotel freebies and away-from-home medical care

Your credit card company may offer referrals to local medical providers if you need assistance during your trip. This can include providing names of English-speaking doctors and hospitals, and even helping you stay in contact with your family. Youd have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for these services, but youll get help during a stressful time.

Hotel credit cards come packed with extras to make your stay more relaxing. One of my cards earned me status, granting free access to a lounge at our hotel in Berlin that provided breakfast, happy hour and all-day snacks. You can also get a few more hours of rest with late checkout, another benefit of cards that give you automatic status at hotel brands.

Take reasonable precautions

Before heading out of town, talk with your doctor or midwife because some medical conditions during pregnancy may increase your risk of health complications. Certain activities are off limits, like scuba diving. Your medical provider can also recommend medications that can ease pregnancy symptoms.

And, of course, they may insist you refrain from travel entirely. You have to use common sense. It really needs to be said, Halaby says. Do you have a diagnosis? Are you being treated for something in particular that may or may not be good for traveling? If any of that is the case for you, a relaxing staycation may be the more medically sound option.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

Sara Rathner writes for NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @sarakrathner.

The article How Credit Card Perks Can Boost Comfort for Pregnant Travelers originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Whatever the National Park Service is paying Matt Turner, its not enough.

The mastermind behind such tweets as this not-so-moving inspirational nature quote and this banger on petting fluffy cows has revolutionized the 107-year-old federal agencys social media presence. Serving as the lone social media specialist for the past five years, Turner has brought a personality chock full of dry humor, sassiness and wit to the National Park Service.

You read that correctly: Hes a one-man show.

You might think  with all this success and a growing fan base  Turner leads a huge team of writers and creators working furiously in some back room to craft the perfect posts. Youd be wrong. He's the lone social media driver, running the agencys Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr accounts all by himself.

I always leaned into the humor and the ways to make those connections, Turner told SFGATE in a recent phone conversation. Its been a great tool for us to grab attention.

The agencys viral memes, tweets and trendy pop culture references have taken social media by storm. If youre a fan of Americas vast network of national parks, national monuments and historic sites, youre likely a fan of Turners work, or you've at least seen his posts shared on your social media feeds. Its even inspired other agencies like the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to adapt similarly hilarious approaches to social media.

Turner, 40, didnt start out as a social media connoisseur.

Courtesy of the National Park Service

He landed his first job with the National Park Service in 2005, handing out brochures to arriving vehicles at Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah, Georgia. He later worked as a park ranger at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois, and Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri. I definitely enjoy being in the field and talking to visitors, having that connection with a group, he said.

Turners travels also provided him with the chance to dip into social media responsibilities at the various historic sites along the way, honing his craft for his eventual big break. That came in 2018, just three years after the National Park Service launched on Instagram.

Since then, the agencys social media celebrity has taken off. On Instagram, the National Park Service hit 1 million followers in the summer of 2019 and then 2 million that fall. Now, that number sits at a hefty 4.9 million. Its much the same story on Facebook and Twitter, where followers clock in at 1.7 million and 1.2 million, respectively.

Its almost as if the federal agency is an influencer. So, whats the secret?

Big animals, of course.

The larger animals, bison especially, Turner explained. People definitely gravitate toward that kind of content. Its what the Texas native called safety with a smile, part of the playful editorial strategy he employs.

Bears are a big hit, too. The morning we spoke, Turner had just posted a tweet about bears and salmon-scented body wash.

You may also remember this hilarious thread from two months ago: If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend downeven if you feel the friendship has run its course. Truer words have never been tweeted.

Weve done a lot of bear safety, Turner said. That really grabbed a lot of attention, especially by a lot of media. But it was all packaged together with a lot of bear safety tips. That was a moment that we really saw the power of social media.

The quips were just some of many that have drawn the National Park Service into the national spotlight, including a Facebook post warning park visitors to please refrain from licking toads. The unusual advice made the rounds on news platforms across the country and even made for a great segment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

We get a lot of positive comments from people who read all the way to the end of the posts and actually learned something, he explained. Thats gold for us. Those are the moments where we realize its working.

If its not animals, pop culture references have also put Turners work on the map.

Social media users might remember last months viral Barbie poster trend that followed a post from the account for Greta Gerwigs highly anticipated movie of the same name. Without missing a beat, the National Park Service jumped on the craze with a series of hilarious memes featuring bears, rocks, lighthouses, coral reefs and volcanoes.

We knew that would work, Turner said. For that one, we kind of made it our own. We gave it that parks service twist to make sure that people could connect to that trend.

Theres one place where the National Park Service doesnt have an account: TikTok (the White House has banned the controversial app at federal agencies). However, Turner stays on top of the platform's latest trends through a personal TikTok account he created for his cat.

While monitoring trends is part of the job, Turner solicits ideas and feedback from his media and public relations colleagues in the National Park Service Office of Communications to create the best social media user experience possible. Like Turner, many of his co-workers constantly surf their own social media timelines for the next entertaining idea or viral trend.

I love it, National Park Service spokesperson Cynthia Hernandez said. I think in talking to Matt, you can understand his personality and humor. It comes out in the work that he does. I very much enjoy it.

Courtesy of the National Park Service

We all have ideas that are pulled to the table, Turner said. For us, especially, its about getting feedback on things. Humor is subjective. We sleep on things. Sometimes we run things by supervisors if we think it will cause a stir. It tends to be those conversations that bring out the best material, he added.

His partner also helps keep him in the know. [My wife is] a fan of Lizzo, so I got some lyrics from her, Turner laughed.

So whether its "Star Wars" quotes, bear cub memes or something else entirely, this gig looks to be right up Turners alley.

I think when I first started in the parks service, MySpace was still a thing, he noted. Over the years, [social media] became a great tool to share more of the park stories.
A senior Ukrainian military official said Wednesday that Russian forces had dropped back from some areas near Bakhmut after limited counter attacks by Kyiv's forces in the longest-running battle of Moscow's invasion.

Commander of Ukrainian ground forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian troops had fallen back in some regions of the front in the eastern Donetsk region by up to two kilometres (around one mile).

"We are seeing the results of the effective actions of our units," Syrskyi said, explaining that his forces were launching counter attacks along some portions of the contact line around Bakhmut.

"In some areas of the front, the enemy could not withstand the onslaught of Ukrainian defenders and retreated to a distance of up to two kilometres," he added.

Russian troops have battled since last summer to capture Bakhmut, the political importance of which has come to surpass any strategic value.

But Wagner, the Russian paramilitary group leading the Kremlin's offensive for the city, has publicly complained to Moscow that it lacks resources to hold its positions.

Its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened this week to withdraw his forces from the city if the defence ministry did not bolster its supplies of ammunition.

"Our defence forces are holding the front and preventing the enemy from advancing. The battle for Bakhmut is continuing," Syrskyi added in his statement on social media.

Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 70,000 people, has been destroyed as Russian forces have posted incremental gains over recent months, amounting to some 80 percent of the city.

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A ban on new cannabis stores could be coming to San Francisco.

Ahsha Safai, the District 11 supervisor and newly announced San Francisco mayoral candidate, wants to ban new applications for pot shops in the city, limiting the number of stores to current shops and any retail applications that have already been filed. Safai told SFGATE that there's already enough pot stores in San Francisco.

Weve gotten to a point where the retailers themselves are asking for there to be a pause to allow the market to adjust, Safai said. So thats where we are. They are oversaturating in certain areas and there are plenty of applications pending.

The city currently has 70 licensed cannabis retailers, according to state data, with additional licenses still pending approval. The San Francisco Office of Cannabis was unable to immediately confirm how many additional applications are pending.

An SFGATE review of state and local data shows San Francisco currently has more pot shops per capita than other major California cities, with 8.5 legal retailers per 100,000 people. Los Angeles has 1.8, while San Diego has 2.6 stores per 100,000 people. However, San Francisco still lags behind other West Coast cities: Denver has 28 pot shops per 100,000 people, while Portland, Ore., has 34 pot shops per 100,000 people.

The mayoral hopefuls proposal would indefinitely block any new retailers from receiving licenses in Californias fourth largest city. Safai originally proposed the legislation in 2020, but it was shelved during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the San Francisco Cannabis Retailers Association requested the ban last year. A representative from the association told SFGATE in a statement, "This is good, common sense legislation that will support existing retailers struggling to make ends meet in the wake of over saturation and unchecked crime."



Safai said he was not worried about the proposal unfairly protecting existing shop owners from new competition. He then went on to say it was specifically designed to help those operators stay profitable.

If we want the existing operators to survive, we have to allow for them an opportunity to be protected, Safai said.

Cannabis businesses have faced a deep stigma in California, with the majority of counties passing outright bans on pot retailers, according to the Department of Cannabis Control. Anger over new dispensaries continues to surface in San Francisco, with the Chinese American community being particularly opposed to the businesses. San Franciscos Chinatown has an outright ban on pot shops, and a pot shop application in the Sunset generated widespread protests in the Chinese American community last month.

The San Francisco Standard, which broke the news about the proposal, called Safais proposal an apparent move to appeal to the Chinese American community as part of his 2024 mayoral campaign. Safai didnt deny that description to SFGATE, but said his proposal was largely inspired by calls from existing retailers.

San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst N/San Francisco Chronicle via Gett

Limits on retail stores have been directly blamed for encouraging Californias illicit cannabis market, which most analysts estimate is significantly larger than the legal market. But Safai denied that his ban on new stores would encourage illegal drug dealers, instead saying that banning new retail applications would allow existing legal operators to survive.

Safai also said limiting the total number of legal stores would help fight retail burglaries, which have grown increasingly brazen in the Bay Area, because a smaller number of stores would be easier to defend.

Its not clear how many retail stores would be allowed in the city under Safais proposal. The citys Office of Cannabis currently lists 121 applications as having not received their permanent permit yet, but a spokesperson for the office said the list contained outdated applications that are inactive and are no longer pursuing a license.

The list is ultimately an overcount of the number of cannabis retail businesses that will be permitted by the [Office of Cannabis], Angela Yip, a spokesperson for the city administrator, said in an email.

Yip was not able to immediately say how many active applications are awaiting approval.
Rice & Bones, award-winning Bay Area chef Charles Phan's restaurant on the UC Berkeley campus, is closing. The fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant's last day is May 12, according to an Instagram announcement.

For the past five years, we have been honored to be a part of UC Berkeleys campus and student body, providing sustainably and locally sourced food that weve been proud of, read the post. Unfortunately, with the current economic climate, it has become increasingly difficult for us to continue the business.

Rice & Bones first opened in UC Berkeley's architecture building in 2017. The restaurant was a very personal project for Phan, who had studied architecture there before opening the Slanted Door. Rice & Bones serves rice plates, pho, steamed buns, spring rolls and coffee.

Ever since we came back from the pandemic, its been a challenge of course to get back to pre-pandemic times, Slanted Door press representative Anh Duong told SFGATE.

Students disappearing from Berkeley during the pandemic, as well as more recently over school breaks, made it difficult for the business to survive in the on-campus location, she explained.

People have been really kind in that theyre sad to see us go, Duong said. They were so excited when they first heard the Slanted Door family was coming to Berkeley and to have healthy Vietnamese food. Theres been a lot of memories there over the last couple of years.

Phans original Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco has been temporarily closed since 2020 for renovation. His upcoming Marin noodle shop, Moonset, and his new Napa location of the Slanted Door are still in the construction process, with no official opening date yet, said Duong.

Two of Phan's other restaurants, Out the Door and Hard Water, closed in recent years. However, his San Francisco sandwich shop, Chucks Takeaway, and the Slanted Door in San Ramon are open.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A second Michigan school district is banning backpacks on school premises due to concerns about gun violence, this time because a third-grade student was found with a loaded gun.

Grand Rapids Public Schools said in a statement Wednesday that the weapon was discovered this morning at Stocking Elementary School and that it was the fourth time this year that the district has uncovered a student with a handgun  three of them in backpacks.

District Superintendent Leadriane Roby said at a news conference Wednesday that the ban was a drastic step that was necessary.

We have averted at least two tragedies in the last two weeks. We dont want to stand before you again, said Larry Johnson, executive director of public safety and school security.

Flint Community Schools banned backpacks beginning May 1, citing a nationwide increase in threatening behavior and contraband, including weapons, being brought into schools at all levels.

Flint students are allowed to carry belongings in small purses or clear plastic bags that are subject to being searched. Grand Rapids has not yet announced how its students will carry their books and belongings.

There's an increased concern over guns in schools in Michigan following a mass shooting by a 15-year-old student at Oxford High School in 2021 that left four students dead and seven others injured.

Ethan Crumbley has pleaded guilty to the shootings. He has said he used a gun that had been purchased for him by his father that had not been secured at home. Investigators believe the gun was stashed in his backpack on the day of the shooting.

A 6-year-old student shot his teacher in Virginia this year using his mothers 9mm handgun.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed safe storage legislation last month that will require gun owners to keep unloaded firearms in a locked storage box or container when it is reasonably known that a minor is or is likely to be present on the premises. The law goes into effect next year.
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Alert: Missouri lawmakers pass bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors; governor is expected to sign it
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  A Chicago man who was convicted of shooting and seriously wounding an Iowa sheriff's deputy during a convenience store robbery in 2021 has been sentenced to up to 92 years in prison.

Thirty-eight-year-old Stanley Donahue will have to serve at least 60 years before he is eligible for parole. He was sentenced Friday on multiple charges including attempted murder of a peace officer related to the shooting in Coggon, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Prosecutors said Donahue robbed two employees at a Caseys store and confined them in a cooler before shooting Linn County deputy Will Halverson seven times on June 20, 2021.

Donahue fled and was later arrested after a more than 12-hour manhunt that ended when he was spotted by a television news crew.

Halverson said at the sentencing hearing that the shooting had permanently affected his life even though he was able to return to work after he recovered from his injuries. On the night he was shot, Halverson said he thought he was going to die.

Its OK to feel scared about spending the rest of your life in prison, Halverson said. Use your time wisely. Use that time you have there to change your life for the better.

But after Halverson's testimony, Donahue started making comments disrupting the hearing and cursing at the deputy. Donahue even mocked Halverson for becoming emotional during his testimony at trial.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said Donahues outburst and a comment he made to Halverson after his conviction in February shows he doesnt feel any remorse. After his trial, Donahue looked at Halverson and his family and said It should of been worse than what it was, followed by an expletive.

Theres no indication that Stanley Donahue wont commit another horrific crime like this again if given an opportunity, and his criminal history demonstrates he will, Maybanks said.

Judge Christopher Bruns said he believed there was little chance of rehabilitating Donahue after he had spent much of his adult life in prison and his crimes continued to escalate over the years.

Donahue declined to make a statement at his sentencing hearing.

One of the former convenience store clerks, Madelyn Stepanek, also told the judge that the robbery was the scariest night I have ever experienced, and it forever changed how safe she feels in the community she grew up in.

"After that night it felt as though a part of my identity and life that I had known was taken away, Stepanek said. These crimes flipped our community in a drastic way and it hurt me along with my family for a lifetime.
BROOKLYN  A Willimantic man was killed Tuesday night when he "drifted" into oncoming traffic on Route 6 and was struck head-on by a truck, Connecticut State Police said.

State police identified the driver killed as 38-year-old Carlos Alberto Garcia-Giron.

The agency said the crash occurred near the Cherry Hill Road intersection around 6:55 p.m. Tuesday.

Garcia-Giron was heading east along Route 6, also known as Hartford Road, in a 2007 Acura TSX when he crossed into the westbound lane, state police said. Police said the car then collided with a Ford F550 truck, causing the larger vehicle to roll over onto its passenger side.

Garcia-Giron was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said, while the driver of the Ford was taken to Backus Plainfield Emergency Care Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

State police said the crash remains under investigation.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff's agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information in multiple cases and of threatening one victim with deportation.

Detective Demetrious Campbell, 48, was arrested Tuesday on nine counts of official misconduct and one count of extortion, the Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release. He was suspended without pay and remained in the Broward County Jail on Wednesday morning.

Sex offenses are such heinous crimes to recover from because of the emotional and sometimes physical scars endured by victims that last for many years, Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. Failure to fully investigate such serious crimes is reprehensible and downright disgraceful.

The investigation began when a victim called the agency's sex crimes unit to ask about her case, the new release said, and Campbell told his supervisor the victim was uncooperative.

The sergeant reopened that case, and also reviewed Campbell's files. He found eight cases this year and 25 in 2022 that were classified as unfounded, which means all leads were exhausted, evidence was reviewed and the investigator determined no crime occurred.

Further investigation found 41 of the 99 sex crime and abuse cases Campbell investigated between October 2021 and March were classified as unfounded.

Nine women have given sworn statements, including one who said Campbell threatened to have her deported. An investigation is continuing.

A lawyer who could speak on Campbell's behalf was not listed on jail records.

However, Matt Cowart, president of the local chapter of the International Union of Police Associations, told the Miami Herald they're aware of the charges.

As with anyone accused of a crime, Campbell will have the opportunity to defend himself as the case progresses through the judicial system, he said.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed a law providing full disability benefits to Chicago police officers and firefighters struck by COVID-19 before vaccines were available, presiding over an emotional statehouse ceremony which marked the end of a financial struggle for responders including the brother of Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

The Act-of-Duty law, HB3162, ensures disability benefits of 75% of salary plus health insurance for anyone unable to work after contracting the coronavirus from March 9, 2020, when the flare-up intensified in Illinois, until June 30, 2021. The law grants them the presumption that they picked up the illness on the job.

Pritzker said after COVID-19's arrival in early 2020, police, fire and medical personnel were both a line of defense and a lifeline.

Our first responders were key to our national response, transporting infected patients to hospitals, disbursing masks and testing kits or providing care to those in distress...," Pritzker said. But even with social distancing, masks and mitigations in place, many of our first responders became infected with COVID-19."

Mendoza's brother, 58-year-old police Det. Joaquin Mendoza, was a veteran officer who worked the midnight shift. With no spouse or children, the comptroller said work was his only focus. In November 2020, when the city canceled days off, he worked 17 straight days, woke up one morning with a cough and two days later was rushed to the hospital with COVID-19.

He moved in with his sister and her family and since then, he's had five strokes and lost both kidneys, requiring thrice-weekly dialysis. But the Policemans Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago denied his claim for full disability because there was no proof that he contracted the virus on the job. The board also denied Officer Diana Cordova-Nestad.

This has been the most hellacious experience..., Mendoza said. I dont want any police officers to feel that their only recourse is to recognize that theyre worth more dead than alive and decide to eat a bullet because they dont want to deal with this. ... I know it sounds dramatic, but its real.

Mendoza said she know of about 20 others who will benefit from the law  after her brother and Cordova-Nestad were denied, no one else sought benefits.

"It's a small universe... so you're not talking about opening up the floodgates," she said.

Joaquin Mendoza had planned to attend the bill signing but underwent surgery again on Tuesday and remains hospitalized.

He told me that maybe it had to happen... because hes the only one with a sister who knows how to navigate this crazy system and can right the wrong for brothers and sisters on the force, the comptroller said.

___

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A sheriff's deputy died after being attacked in her Indianapolis home by a dog that also bit and wounded her 8-year-old son, authorities said Wednesday.

Tamieka White, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday night shortly after Indianapolis police officers responded to her home on the city's east side, officials said. She had been a deputy with the Marion County Sheriffs Office since 2007.

Her young son was also bitten in the dog attack, which was reported about 7:45 p.m., officials said. He is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Indianapolis police said the attacking dog charged at a responding officer, who fatally shot the animal.

A spokesperson with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the dog was not owned by White, and police have identified the owner. They declined to release further information about the owner.

Indianapolis Animal Care Services said in a statement that workers impounded the deceased dog, three additional dogs and a cat from Whites home. The department said it cannot confirm the breeds without a DNA test, but it said all the dogs appeared to be a pitbull-type.

The animals are being held as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday that White had served as a deputy sheriff with the agency since 2007 in the Judicial Enforcement Division, which oversees the transportation of inmates to and from courts, collecting delinquent taxes and serving legal process papers.

Deputy White was a bright light to all that knew her, Sheriff Kerry Forestal said in a statement. We are immensely grateful for her nearly 17 years of service to our agency."
The diplomatic mission of Saudi Arabia in Syria will resume its work 11 years after it was closed as the two countries' relations have improved recently, the kingdoms news agency reported late Tuesday.

The announcement came nearly a month after Syria and Saudi Arabia said they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming airline flights.

Last months development followed a visit by Syrias top diplomat to the kingdom, the first since Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012 and a visit by Syrias foreign minister to Riyadh.

On Sunday, the 22-member Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria, ending a 12-year suspension and taking another step toward bringing Syrian President Bashar Assad back into the fold.

Syria was widely shunned by Arab governments over the Assad government's brutal crackdown on protesters in a 2011 uprising that descended into civil war. The breakdown in relations culminated with Syria being ousted from the Arab League.

After the conflict started, Saudi Arabia backed the Syrian opposition.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the reopening of its embassy in Damascus aims to strengthen security and stability in the region. It did not say when the embassy will reopen, adding that the move follows the Arab Leagues decision to reinstate Syrias membership.

There was no official comment from Damascus.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country, 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.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19 and Syria is expected to attend.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United States and Britain voiced dissatisfaction with the weekend decision by the Arab League to re-instate Syria as a member.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said they opposed the move. But they also allowed it was up to the Arab League to determine its membership.

Also on Tuesday, Syrias Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Moscow where he will attend a meeting on Wednesday that will include his counterparts from Iran, Turkey and Russia.

It will be the first time that Syrias foreign minister will meet his Turkish counterpart in more than a decade, as Turkey has been a main backer of opposition fighters trying to remove Assad from power.

Meetings between the defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia were held in Moscow in late April.

Syrias 12-year conflict has killed half a million people and displaced half the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP)  Four months after a 6-year-old Virginia boy shot and wounded his teacher as she taught class, an attorney for the boys mother said it still is not clear how the boy got the gun.

Police have said Deja Taylor legally purchased the gun used in the Jan. 6 shooting and Taylors attorney, James Ellenson, has said she believed her gun was secured on a high closet shelf with a trigger lock. In an interview ABCs Good Morning America aired Wednesday, Ellenson said no one knows how he got it.

People have talked to him about that, but I dont know that any adult knows exactly how he got the gun, Ellenson said.

Taylor said her son has ADHD and while attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder might affect others mildly, she described her son as off the wall," saying he "doesnt sit still ever.

Ellenson has said the boy was under a care plan that included a family member accompanying him to class every day. The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him. The change was made because the boy had started medication and was meeting his goals academically, Taylor said.

Taylor was charged last month with felony neglect and reckless storage of a firearm. A trial date of Aug. 15 has been set. Ellenson has said Taylor wants to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors.

The felony neglect charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. The misdemeanor charge of recklessly storing a firearm is punishable by up to one year in jail. The boy will not be prosecuted.

Taylor said she does feel responsibility for the shooting and apologized to the teacher, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner.

That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he cant take responsibility for himself, Taylor said. I just truly would like to apologize ... she did get hurt. We were actually kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. And she is really a bright person.

Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest as she sat at a reading table in her first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, has had four surgeries and later told NBC she sometimes cant get up out of bed.

Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit that accuses school officials of gross negligence and of ignoring multiple warnings the day of the shooting. Zwerners attorneys say school officials knew the boy had a history of random violence at school and at home, including an episode the year before when he strangled and choked his kindergarten teacher. The boy was sent to another school, but allowed his return for first grade this school year, Zwerners lawsuit states.

The Newport News School Board argues her injuries fall under the states workers compensation act and cannot be addressed through her suit. The board pushed back against Zwerners claims that the child should not have remained in her class, saying he was in the process of being evaluated and treated for possible ADHD  which causes inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Even if he had been found in need of additional services, state and federal laws would have applied for the purpose of keeping such children in the classroom with their peers when possible.
A plan by New York City officials to send some migrants seeking asylum to hotels in northern suburbs was met with fierce resistance by local leaders, leading to a delay in an initial transfer that had been touted for Wednesday even as the city insisted its plans hadn't changed.

Mayor Eric Adams had caused an uproar north of the city by announcing Friday that the city would send north up to 300 single, adult men to two hotels in suburban Rockland County and neighboring Orange County for up to four months. The Democratic mayor's plan comes as the city struggles to deal with a surge of about 60,000 asylum-seekers since last spring, many of whom were bused to the city by out-of-state governors.

New York City officials had intended to move forward with at least part of the plan and send a small number of asylum seekers to Orange County on Wednesday, Adams spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement.

But by the end of the day, no migrants had arrived at the hotel, identified by Orange County officials as the Crossroads Hotel in the Town of Newburgh, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of the city.

In another statement, Levy said they were "discussing legal and safety concerns with our state partners, and while we have paused tonight, our plans have not changed.

The administration pledged to provide food and services to the men. But local officials accused Adams of doing the very thing he complained governors were doing to the city: busing out asylum-seekers without properly alerting the municipalities where the people were headed.

It was a sneak attack in the dark of night, Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny said at a news conference Wednesday.

The confrontation comes as cities across the nation prepare for an increase in migrants seeking asylum when a pandemic-era policy that permitted the expulsion of many migrants ends Thursday.

Kenny said her Rockland County town secured a temporary restraining order stopping the Armoni Inn and Suites from taking in asylum-seekers as its lawsuit progresses. That's in addition to emergency declarations in both Rockland and Orange counties designed to block hotels or motels from housing migrants.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the county was pursuing its own litigation and that the hotel's operating permit expired April 30.

A call seeking comment was made to the Armoni Inn.

In his initial statement, Levy said , "we need the federal government to step up, but until they do, we need other elected officials around the state and country to do their part."

Levy claimed that Day, a Republican, has failed to show humane and compassionate care. Day said local opposition stems from the city unilaterally pursuing an ill-conceived plan that will strain local resources.

The plan is short-sighted, universally opposed locally and will only endanger the lives of our residents, Day said.

Camille Mackler, the executive director of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal service providers, said officials at all levels of government deserved blame for a response she characterized as chaotic and inefficient.

We need to have a better coordinated response," she said, "and one that centers the humanity and dignity of everyone involved instead of continuing to use their lives as political pawns.

The Adams administration has already been using hotels within the city to house some migrants, mainly families with children. Plans to house others at sites  including a cruise ship terminal and a beach parking lot in the Bronx  have been abandoned.

___

Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York.
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NEW YORK (AP)  New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that the death of Jordan Neely at the hands of a fellow subway rider was a tragedy that never should have happened and pledged to do more to help people experiencing mental health crises.

My heart goes out to Jordans family, who is suffering great pain and uncertainty about the circumstances of his death, said Adams, a former police officer who was criticized for his initial muted response to Neely's death.

Neely died on May 1 when U.S. Marine veteran Daniel Penny put him in a chokehold aboard a subway train in Manhattan.

The 30-year-old Neely was a former Michael Jackson impersonator who was well-known to city outreach workers who try to help unhoused people experiencing mental illness.

A freelance journalist who recorded video of Neely's final minutes said Neely had been screaming at other passengers but hadnt attacked anyone when Penny pulled him to the floor and pinned him. The video shows two other subway riders helping to hold Neely down.

Neely lost consciousness during the struggle and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The medical examiners office ruled that Neely died in a homicide caused by compression of the neck but said the question of criminal culpability would be up to the legal system. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has promised a thorough investigation.

Penny, 24, said through his lawyers last week 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.

Protests have erupted in the days since Neely's death, with demonstrators demanding Penny's arrest.

Because Neely was Black and Penny is white, some see echoes of the nearly 40-year-old case of Bernhard Goetz, a white gunman who was convicted of a weapons offense after he shot four Black men on a subway train in 1984.

Adams' first response to the fatal encounter was to decline to condemn Penny and to reference the rights of subway riders to take action in certain situations.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assisting someone," Adams said after Neely's death was first reported.

Neelys family issued a statement earlier this week criticizing the mayors response.

The mayor has chosen a side, said Donte Mills, an attorney hired by Neelys aunt and father. For him to put that forward as an excuse for Mr. Penny is very irresponsible, its not acting in good faith as a mayor and its disrespectful to the family, who is suffering a loss.

Speaking in a livestream address from City Hall on Wednesday, Adams sought to counter the charge that he did not care about Neely. He noted that Neely shared a name with his own son, Jordan Coleman, and said all New Yorkers must work together to do more for our brothers and sisters struggling with serious mental illness.

A message seeking comment on Adams' speech was left with Mills, Neely's family's attorney.

Trying to steer mentally ill homeless people into shelter and treatment has been a priority for Adams, a Democrat, since he took office at the beginning of 2022.

Adams announced a plan in November to hospitalize some severely mentally ill people involuntarily, citing the city's "moral obligation to act.

That approach was criticized by some civil liberties advocates as too invasive, but Adams said Wednesday that the city has managed to bring many people in crisis to the hospital who desperately needed care in recent months.

In a statement responding to Adams' comments, the New York Civil Liberties Union said, We know that forcing anyone into treatment is a recipe for failure.

The organization added, "The mayor is right that there are more Jordan Neelys in our city. They deserve to get back on their feet, not be controlled, criminalized, or killed.

Adams urged New York state lawmakers to pass legislation that would smooth the path for getting homeless mentally ill people into treatment.

Neely was not the first member of his family to die violently. His mother, Christie Neely, disappeared in 2007 and her body was found stuffed in a suitcase in the Bronx.

Christie Neely's boyfriend was charged with strangling her, and Jordan Neely testified at the boyfriend's murder trial.

Neely's mental health began deteriorating at some point after that, and Adams said the young man interacted with many city agencies and community-based organizations and providers" over the years. Those efforts were not enough, and we must find ways to strengthen our system starting with investigation and accountability, Adams said.

Adams said he would bring together the leaders of the five organizations that contract with the city to provide homeless outreach services for a summit next week on improving outcomes for people with serious mental illness.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohio voters will get the chance to decide whether to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments just ahead of possible November vote on an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state.

A resolution asking voters in an August election to raise the threshold for future amendments from a simple majority to 60% cleared the politically fractured Ohio House 62-37 on Wednesday. Five majority Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing it. The policy battle has consumed the state for months.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing abortion rights last year, other states' amendments involving the procedure have shown voter support for legal access to abortion is between 50% and 60%, whether in conservative Kansas, Democratic-leaning Michigan or Republican-leaning Kentucky. No vote has exceeded 60%.

AP VoteCast polling last year found 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal.

The resolution's Republican backers continued to characterize the effort as a constitutional protection act aimed at keeping deep-pocketed special interests out of Ohio's foundational documents, while Democrats lambasted it as an assault on democracy.

Cries of protest resounded through the Statehouse as Wednesday's debate took place, and Democratic lawmakers produced hand-painted signs from under their seats just after the vote and exited the chamber chanting, One person, one vote.

The measures sponsor, Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart, said the protesters didnt bother him.

Youve got 150 people in T-shirts in a state of 12 million people, he said. Thats fine. They can come and put on the circus, but we expect this is going to be a robust election and well-received, and we believe it will pass when Ohioans get their chance to vote.

The labor-backed We Are Ohio coalition launched an immediate opposition campaign. Other opponents include every living ex-governor of the state, both Republican and Democratic former attorneys general and the Ohio Libertarian Party.

Kayla Griffin of All Voting is Local, a voting rights organization that's part of the We Are Ohio coalition, said lawmakers should not underestimate us when we show up in August.

Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, said, "We call on every Ohioan to knock on doors, to phone bank, to register voters and to not just let them know there is an August election, but that our ability to determine our own futures as voters is on the line.

Among maneuvers used to get the resolution past its GOP opposition was to remove language Tuesday that would send the question to an August ballot. Opponents of that strategy bristled at the fact that it was only in January that a new election law was signed eliminating most August special elections.

State Rep. Sharon Ray, who offered the amendment pushing the 60% question to Ohio's next scheduled general or special election, said an August election would add another level of complication to the already tough job of local election workers.

I made a promise to our board of elections, the Republican said. Remember, these are our neighbors and friends that work very hard to provide flawless elections for us  most of them volunteers, they get paid a mere stipend  and, I guess, I appreciate their sacrifice.

The language was reinserted on the floor Wednesday, with minor changes that required it to go back through the Ohio Senate, which approved it easily.

___

Hendrickson 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.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)  A northern Virginia man arrested on terrorism charges has a husband-wife relationship with another American who was dubbed by authorities as an  empress of ISIS  for her work to establish an all-female battalion of the Islamic State, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Mohammed Chhipa, 33, of Springfield, Virginia, was arrested last week on charges that he provided support to a terrorist group. Prosecutors allege that he transferred nearly $200,000 in cryptocurrency, with some of that money traced back to the Islamic State, to support Chhipa's stated goal of helping smuggle female ISIS members from detention camps. Other funds remain unaccounted for.

At a detention hearing Wednesday, prosecutors also disclosed a relationship between Chhipa and Allison Fluke-Ekren, an American from Kansas who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Fluke-Ekren pleaded guilty last year to organizing and leading the Khatiba Nusaybah, a battalion in which roughly 100 women and girls  some as young as 10  learned how to use automatic weapons and detonate grenades and suicide belts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Aminoff told the judge that Chhipa considers himself to be married to Fluke-Ekren, although the marriage was apparently conducted online and has no legal status in the U.S. He said Chhipa, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from India, has been trying to adopt Fluke-Ekren's children.

Court documents in Fuke-Ekren's case do not mention Chhipa by name, but also indicate that Fluke-Ekren considered herself to be married to a man she met online. It is not clear that the two have ever met in person.

Whatever the relationship between Chhipa and Fluke-Ekren, the charges against Chhipa appear unrelated to that relationship. Prosecutors say that between November 2019 and July 2022, Chhipa used virtual currency to transfer more than $188,000 to accounts known and unknown. An FBI affidavit states that some money remains unaccounted for but that $18,000 went to wallets known to be used by ISIS women located in Syria, while $61,000 went to cryptocurrency wallets in Turkey. The affidavit states that money intended to arrive in Syria is often routed through Turkey.

The affidavit quotes text messages sent by Chhipa indicating he wanted the money to be used to bribe guards at detention camps where families of Islamic State fighters are still being held.

The affidavit says Chhipa also met with an FBI controlled persona  either an undercover agent or a confidential source  and accepted cash from the individual. Chhippa then transferred the money to Bitcoin and sent it directly to a known ISIS member, according to the affidavit.

Chhipa has been under investigation for years. Indeed, prosecutors say he fled to Egypt in August 2019, fearing he would be arrested after his home was raided. He was brought back to the U.S. after authorities contacted Interpol, but he was not charged until Monday. Prosecutors say Chhiipa continued to engage in illegal conduct after he returned to the U.S., even though he know he was drawing authorities' scrutiny.

Family members who attended Wednesday's hearing did not comment, but passed out a written statement supporting him. The statement described Chhipa as tirelessly working for the betterment of women and children and said he "has been targeted by false allegations.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Anderson ruled at the conclusion of Wednesday's hearing that Chhipa should remain jailed while he awaits trial.
NEW HAVEN  Southern Connecticut State University is in the final construction stage of its $52.4 million new building, ready for the faculty to move in less than two weeks from now.

The four-storied, 64,000-square-foot School of Business will be the first state-owned building to leave behind no carbon footprint, thanks to the solar system and the 500-foot-deep geothermal system for air conditioning and green power.

Its about saving money and saving the environment, said Eric Lessne, associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations. Our whole campus is 100 percent green power. We produce, on campus, between our fuel cells and solar, about 60 percent of our power.

School of Business Dean Jess Boronico said the new building and other initiatives are "expected to increase the scope of enrollment to international markets, including China, India, and beyond." The school currently has about 700 undergraduate students, according to the university.

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system is struggling with lower enrollment to the point it plans devastating" budget cuts  including 650 faculty and staff layoffs and the termination of some programs.

The new building features 64 offices, eight classrooms, a 99-seat auditorium, an 85-seat community lounge, a specialty classroom, five conference rooms, 16 team rooms and a boardroom, according to Peter Visentin, who heads the universitys architectural services.

Faculty of the School of Business will move into the new office spaces May 22, three days after the construction company transferred the building to the state. An opening ceremony of the building is set to take place Sept. 15.

The construction is complete, but the universitys still waiting for a certification of occupancy, some final touches on things and furnishing  but nothing detrimental.

Visentin said some of the rooms included in the building were ones that faculty had asked for during the planning process. For example, Visentin said the professors asked for a one-sided mirror room to observe market research happening on the other side.

Some technologies included in the building are motion-sensor water fountains, stock market tickers, scheduling touch screens in front of team rooms and a mechanical room that can be controlled by the universitys building management system being monitored from another building.

The current School of Business is located at the former student center on Crescent Street. Visentin said that the building is undersized, and there are only two classrooms there. He said the registrar had to schedule classes all over campus, which meant students had to meet at different locations.

Now that were in our new 64,000-(square-foot) work at home, we can consolidate the business school into this building, Visentin said.

Victoria Verderame, assistant director of media relations, said the university hasnt determined what to do with the existing building yet.

The building was initially slated to be done in February of this year. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the construction process. The initial plan to open the building to students for classes in the fall of 2023 hasnt been disrupted, however.

The impact from the pandemic wasnt as bad as other projects, Visentin said.

We had some long lead time issues, he said. We had roofing material that took us about a year to get, which usually takes two months. Same thing with the mechanical units.

SCSU got accreditation for its business school just last month from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. Other accredited business schools in the area include the ones at the University of New Haven and Quinnipiac University.

That is like pulling teeth; that is a major accomplishment, Lessne said. I hope this building had something to do with it.

The university recently opened the $74 million health and human services building. According to a budget presented last year, SCSU plans to renovate Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, Earl Hall and Moore Field House. It also looks to construct a new, single-story, 10,000-square-foot university police facility on Wintergreen Avenue.
When she published a children's book almost a year after her husband's death, Kouri Richins wanted to help kids struggling to cope with the loss of a loved one. The Utah mother of three was facing her own grief when she wrote the picture book after her husband, Eric Richins, died in March 2022, she said.

"It completely took us all by shock," Richins said in April while promoting her book, "Are You With Me?" In an interview with KTVX, an ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, she added: "It's - you know - explaining to my kid just because he's not present here with us physically, doesn't mean his presence isn't here with us."

But after a month of praise from local media for helping children deal with grief, Richins's story took a dark turn. She has been charged with murder in the death of her husband, accused of poisoning him with a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Richins, 33, was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and three counts of second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

Richins initially told police that she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink and that he consumed a THC gummy as the couple celebrated his sale of a home, according to charging documents obtained by The Washington Post. She told police that she later found her 39-year-old husband unresponsive and "cold to the touch" before he was pronounced dead, charging documents say.

But a toxicology report from the Utah Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Eric Richins "died from an overdose of fentanyl," according to charging documents unsealed Monday.

"The level of fentanyl in Eric's system was approximately five times the lethal dosage," the medical examiner wrote.

The murder charge stems from police investigators' interactions with Kouri Richins as well as the account of an "unnamed acquaintance" who claims to have sold her the fentanyl, according to authorities. If convicted, Richins faces 25 years to life in prison.

Skye Lazaro, Richins's attorney, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.

Margaret Olson, one of the prosecutors in the case for the Summit County Attorney's Office, stressed that Richins is "presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." She declined to comment on the charges.

"Please keep in mind there are three young children belonging to the decedent and the accused, making this matter very sensitive and difficult," Olson told The Post on Tuesday.

The charges in Utah come less than four years after an author in Portland, Ore., wrote about "how to murder your husband" - and was convicted of murdering her husband. Romance novelist Nancy Crampton Brophy fatally shot her husband, 63-year-old chef Daniel Brophy, at the Oregon Culinary Institute on June 2, 2018. Crampton Brophy, who was sentenced to life in prison last year, had published an essay in 2011 describing five core motives and a number of murder weapons from which she would choose if her character were to kill a husband in a romance novel.

Kouri and Eric Richins were married nine years and had three sons - Carter, Ashton and Weston, who were 9, 7 and 5 years old at the time of his death - according to his obituary.

"Eric was a family man, who always strove to be the absolute best father and husband," his obituary reads. "Eric did absolutely everything in his power to provide his family with every possible opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun."

But the couple was not in a good place in early 2022, authorities say.

An unsealed warrant states that Kouri Richins had logged into the joint life insurance policy her husband had with his business partner at C & E Stone Masonry in January 2022. She removed them as each other's beneficiary and named herself as the policy's sole beneficiary, the warrant says. Eric Richins and his business partner were able to change it back after the insurance company notified them of the change, authorities say.

Around this same time, Kouri Richins, a real estate agent, had been in contact with an acquaintance about obtaining prescription pain medication for an investor, charging documents say. The acquaintance, who is identified by authorities only as C.L., said Richins made multiple requests for pain medications. C.L. said Richins specifically asked for fentanyl, prosecutors say, and requested "some of the Michael Jackson stuff" as well. After C.L. obtained about 15 to 30 fentanyl pills from a dealer in Ogden, Ore., Richins purchased them for $900, according to the charging documents.

On Feb. 14, 2022, Kouri and Eric Richins were having a Valentine's Day dinner at their home in Kamas, Utah, when the husband "became very ill" shortly after they had eaten, authorities say. He believed he had been poisoned - and allegedly had an idea of who might have done it.

"Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him," prosecutors say.

About two weeks later, Kouri Richins asked for another $900 worth of fentanyl pills, which she received from C.L. at one of the homes she was showing on Feb. 26, 2022, authorities say.

Unbeknown to Richins, her husband had replaced her as the beneficiary of his will and his power of attorney, the warrant says. He did not tell his wife that he replaced her with his sister in the will because he believed his wife might "kill him for the money," his sisters told authorities.

One of his sisters recalled to authorities how Eric Richins had called them years earlier while he and his wife were vacationing in Greece to say he had become violently ill after he had an alcoholic drink that Kouri Richins handed him. The sister alleged that Eric Richins believed then that his wife had tried to kill him, the warrant says.

"He warned them that if anything happened to him, she was to blame," the warrant reads.

The charging documents do not explain why he had stayed with his wife if he believed she had tried to poison him.

On March 3, 2022, Kouri Richins said she and her husband were celebrating closing on a $2 million house to be used for her business. Family members have disputed this, telling authorities that Eric Richins was going to tell her they weren't buying the home, charging documents say.

About 9 p.m., Kouri Richins said, according to the documents, "she made Eric a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where Eric consumed it while sitting in bed." After he fell asleep following a night terror, she told authorities, she went to the bedroom of one of her children.

At 3 a.m., she returned to her bedroom, she told investigators.

"She felt Eric and he was cold to the touch," prosecutors say. "That is when [the] defendant called 911."

After he was pronounced dead, Richins told police that she had kept her phone plugged in next to her bed and did not take it into the other bedroom. But investigators say they later found that the phone had been locked and unlocked multiple times and that messages were sent, received and deleted during that time.

As his death was being investigated, Richins posted photos to social media remembering her husband.

When she was reading her children bedtime stories, she found that nights were the hardest for her sons and wanted a book that addressed some of the feelings of grief they were processing, she told local media. That's when she decided to write and self-publish a children's book to help others deal with grief.

"I just wanted some story to read to my kids at night, and I just could not find anything," she told KTVX.

The 41-page book released March 7 is described on its Amazon page as "a must-read for any child who has experienced the pain of loss, and for parents who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow." Richins's book is based on what she calls the three C's: connection, continuity and care.

"It's just comforting to them to know that they're not living this life alone," Richins said last month. "Dad is still here - it's just in a different way."

She told KPCW, an NPR affiliate in Salt Lake City, that there were plans for sequels, including her next title, "Mom, How Far Away is Heaven?" Her first book "Are You With Me?" had surged into the top 5,000 of Amazon's top books list as of Tuesday morning. Later in the day, it appeared Amazon removed the book from its website.

A detention hearing to decide whether the mother should be held in jail is scheduled for May 19, according to KPCW.

Eric Richins was remembered as an avid outdoorsman and hunter who spoke Spanish fluently after a two-year mission to Mexico City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his obituary says. Above all, the University of Utah graduate "lived to the fullest and with few regrets," according to his family.

"Words can't describe the loneliness and loss that is felt in every heart that was lucky enough to know him," the obituary says.

Before she was arrested, Richins posted a video reel to Facebook saying how much she missed the late husband she is now accused of poisoning.

"Life is just so . . . hard without you here!" she wrote. "The cards I have been dealt seems like a game that just can't be played."
THOMPSON  A school employee talked online to an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl for weeks, asking for nude photographs and proposing they meet up for sex, according to court records.

Glastonbury police charged Phillip R. Therrien, 56, last week with attempting to commit enticing a minor by computer and attempting to commit risk of injury to a child. He was released from custody after posting a $200,000 bond, judicial records show.

Therrien, an employee of Thompson Public Schools, has been placed on unpaid leave and is prohibited from entering school grounds, Superintendent Melinda A. Smith wrote in a letter to families. Though Smith did not name Therrien, police determined he was last employed by the Thompson Board of Education. Therrien also told the undercover officer in their correspondence that he was a custodian at a high school, according to his arrest warrant.

Therrien, who lives in the Thompson village of North Grosvenor Dale, started talking with the officer on the morning of April 5, his warrant said.

The officer is a certified forensic examiner with the Glastonbury Police Department and assigned to the Connecticut Center for Digital Investigations Unit and a Homeland Security Task Force. The officer sent a message to a girls-only chat room around 8:30 a.m. as a guest user posing as a 15-year-old girl from Connecticut. According to the warrant, he received a message from another account from a man named Jim, saying he was from Putnam.

The officer expressed interest about meeting someone else from Connecticut and said they were bored at school. Jim, later identified as Therrien, claimed to be a 23-year-old man and told the officer he was single and looking and said, Maybe we can date, the warrant stated. Therrien then asked the officer about their body, the warrant said.

Two days later, Therrien told the officer he had lied about his age and he was actually 55 years old, according to the warrant.

Over the next several days, the officer said he continued to log in to the chat room, and Therrien asked numerous sexual questions, according to the warrant. On April 10, Therrien suggested meeting and having sex with the teen," the warrant stated. He also requested nude pictures of the teen, and after the officer refused, Therrien asked if he could take pictures during their meeting, the warrant said.

Therrien repeatedly confirmed he knew the user was 15 years old and spoke about how he could go to jail for this and get in trouble, according to the warrant.

At one point, Therrien gave the officer his cellphone number and requested a picture of the teen," the warrant stated. Over the next couple of weeks, the officer sent Therrien three pictures of a female undercover police officer from when she was younger, the warrant said.

On April 17, Therrien asked the teen if they were a police officer, the warrant stated. The officer denied this, but Therrien continued to ask. At one point, the officer told Therrien it seemed he did not trust the situation and offered to leave, according to the warrant.

However, Therrien said he didn't want the "teen" to leave, the warrant stated.

I want you," Therrien told the undercover officer, according to the warrant.

He then again requested nude pictures and the officer told him to stop asking, the warrant stated.

'Jim' would often tell the (officer) he loved them in additional chat messages and the grooming process continued for several days, the warrant said.

A federal subpoena was sent to Verizon for information about the cellphone number Therrien had provided. The account was linked to Therriens mailing address, according to the warrant.

Therrien canceled the initial meeting, which was planned for April 12, and rescheduled for April 21. However, on April 21, Therrien canceled again and said he got in a car crash that morning, the warrant stated. The officer told him they did not believe him and no further communication took place, the warrant said.

Therrien is scheduled to next appear in state Superior Court in Manchester on June 21.
TORRINGTON  The moment the first costumed group of students ran into the center of the gym at Torrington High School, the cheers were deafening.

The bleachers, packed with more students, erupted with applause as students waved to their friends below, held flags over their heads or sang along for Multicultural Diversity Day, a celebration of the many cultures present at the high school. The event was born out of a club founded in 2001.

THS Spanish teacher Armando Zarazu, a 23-year veteran of the school district, formed the THS Multicultural Club in 2001 and continues to serve as its adviser.

"The main idea of the celebration is to show and embrace the positive cultural heritage of our diverse student body," Zarazu said. "We do it through music and dance. As you have been able to appreciate, the students put in all their efforts into it to ensure that everything goes well."

Students were responsible for every facet of the celebration, from sound and music to the order of the groups, accompanied by a program that listed each group's presentation.

Torrington's ROTC Color Guard members Brad Reilly, Isabella Ricupero, Lydia Campbell and Raiden Tramontano presented the American flag, and Layla Martin sang the national anthem. Emcees took turns with the introductions.

Then, after a rap performance by Gabriel Colon and Franklin Garcia Andujar to the enthusiastic crowd, the dances began.

Costumes ranged from Indian silk dresses and men's tunics to brightly colored skirts, tunics and boots. The Ecuadorian dance group performed their country's popular "Andes" dances, with the boys wearing traditional two-faced masks and chaps and the girls twirling in red, green and yellow ensembles.

Flags from many countries were flying in the air, held over the heads of the crowd, or incorporated into the costumes.

The Puerto Rico dancers gave a combination show of bomba, salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton and plena. Dancers for the Mexican group performed Mexicano and explained that it is "one of the most joyful dances due to its distinguished clothes and music. ... Our costumes (are) long skirts and a flower in the hair that represents one of the biggest festivities in Mexico such as the Day of the Dead."

Groups representing Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan) also were well-represented. Student Anita Paul performed twice on her own, first for Cambodia and then for Korea. Members of the school chorus also performed.

During and after each performance, the audience cheered. Zarazu said the students were proud to show off their cultures, and that it was important for everyone to feel part of the celebration.

"As is understandable, not everyone has dancing skills, so the work is divided into groups," he said. "We have those who are in charge of decorating the gym, those who are in charge of taking pictures and videos of all the activities. I make sure there is participation from as many students as possible," he said.

The Multicultural Club worked on this year's event for three months, Zarazu said, meeting after class to discuss their plans, rehearsing and getting ready for the May 5 event.

"The students take pride of their heritage and practice daily," he said. "Students have the opportunity to work with others in a team environment while learning about the different cultures. It is an inclusive environment. For example, this year for the first time we had students from Bangladesh."
A police officer shot dead two people participating in an annual pilgrimage to a renowned Tunisian synagogue as well as two members of the security services before he was killed on Tuesday, the interior ministry said.

Four other visitors to the Ghriba synagogue on Djerba island and five more security officers were wounded in the attack, according to the ministry.

In a statement, the Tunisian foreign ministry identified the two worshippers killed as a Tunisian, aged 30, and a French national, aged 42, but did not give their names.

The attack took place after the assailant first shot dead a colleague and took his ammunition, according to the interior ministry.

He then went to the Ghriba synagogue -- Africa's oldest -- as hundreds of people were taking part in the annual pilgrimage, which was drawing to a close on Tuesday night.

The synagogue was previously targeted in a suicide truck bombing that killed 21 in 2002.

"Investigations are continuing in order to shed light on the motives for this cowardly aggression," the interior ministry said, refraining from referring to the shooting as a terrorist attack.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller condemned the shooting.

"The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world," he said on Twitter.

"We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces."

The French embassy in Tunisia announced it had set up a "crisis unit" and an emergency hotline following the attack.

The sound of gunshots at the synagogue had sparked panic among the hundreds of pilgrims, local media reported.

According to organisers, more than 5,000 Jewish faithful, mostly from overseas, participated in this year's pilgrimage to Ghriba, which resumed in 2022 after two years of pandemic-related suspension.

Tuesday's shooting came as the tourism industry in Tunisia was finally enjoying a rebound from pandemic-era lows, as well as from the aftereffects of a pair of attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015 that killed dozens of foreign visitors.

The Ghriba attack also comes as Tunisia goes through a severe financial crisis that has worsened since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021 and rammed through a constitution that gave his office unlimited powers and neutered parliament.

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TORRINGTON  The auto shop at Oliver Wolcott Tech is full of cars and trucks, all in various stages of repair. It's also full of students and teachers working together to get them fixed.

A group of juniors and seniors, students of shop teacher Sean Sarta on May 3 celebrated the completion of a repair job for Howard's Book Store owner John Noelke, who brought his 2002 Nissan Frontier pickup to OWTS. He needed the engine replaced and had been turned down by several garages before he decided to call the high school. "They said it was unfixable," he said.

"I had my furnace replaced by a guy who was also a graduate of OWTS, and I found him after I called some other places, and they said it was too big a job," Noelke said. "This guy was great, and he knocked it down in four days. So I thought, why not call the high school? They do auto repair."

In January, he had the truck towed to the high school's auto shop and ordered an engine from a parts dealer in Massachusetts. But when it arrived, the engine was faulty and had no compression. Noelke said the dealer took it back and sent another engine. "By this time, we're into February, then March," he said.

Then, the OWTS auto shop got busy. The shop students and teachers didn't abandon it, but replacing an engine is a big job, and the truck also needed other repairs. So Sarta and his students continued to work on it between other jobs.

"We spent time figuring out what parts we needed and got those parts," said junior Paul Ledda.

Once the engine was installed, the wiring completed, and the connections made, the truck started, but there was no power. "It just wouldn't go," said junior Adon Burrell. "It had no oomph."

"We tried different things to get it going," said junior Duncan Williams.

"There was no procedure to follow to get John's truck running," Sarta said. "It was trial and error. They figured this out themselves. They didn't want to give up on it.

Noelke said, "There was a point where I thought we were just going to bag it. Then one day about two weeks ago, Sean calls me up and says, 'We got it!' and it was such a relief."

Ray Royals, who retired in 2022 after teaching at OWTS for 34 years, is Sarta's mentor and encouraged him to apply for his job. Sarta was hired, and Royals is still part of the auto shop family, working as a substitute teacher. When Noelke came to pick up his truck, Royals was there, beaming with pride.

Burrell, Ledda and Williams were three of the students who worked on the truck, along with seniors Jace Lyons, Ryland Cardillo and John Alexander.

Ledda, who works for a Goshen fabricating and welding company, said, "I'm a gearhead, and I learned about cars from my dad (the late Paul Ledda Sr.). When I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to come here.

"Mr. Royals is great, and Mr. Sarta's the best thing to happen to this school," he said.

Burrell, a diesel mechanic at Torrington Diesel, believes he's getting the best experience for his career. "The work we get to do is awesome," he said. "It's great experience."

Burrell won second place in this year's Skills USA competition, which is rare for a junior, Sarta said. "He was up against a lot of seniors, and he did really well," he said.

Williams is also a mechanic at Village Service Center, a repair shop in Thomaston. "I started tinkering with cars first, but I wanted to learn more," he said.

Royals, who took the reins from his father, the late John Royals, as a teacher at OWTS, said he sought Sarta out when he decided to retire. "His level of expertise sets him apart," Royals said. "The kids do phenomenal work here."

Mike DiCandia, another shop teacher, said the OWTS students are like a family. Before coming to Torrington, he taught at Platt Tech in Milford and Bristol Tech in Bristol. But OWTS has become home, he said.

"It goes well here because of the students we attract," he said. "They want to do this work as a lifelong career, and it's their passion. There's big interest and big demand for experienced mechanics. Many of our students have family who also came through the program, and they already have that interest."

Sarta's proud of his students. "It's really cool to see how these guys all stepped up," he said.

For information on OWTS and its programs, visit wolcott.cttech.org
Vermont's Republican governor signed abortion and gender affirming shield bills into law Wednesday that are the first in the country to explicitly include protecting access to a medication widely used in abortions even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdraws its approval of the pill, mifepristone.

The bills protect providers from discipline for providing legally protected reproductive and gender affirming health care services.

Today, we reaffirm once again that Vermont stands on the side of privacy, personal autonomy and reproductive liberty, and that providers are free to practice without fear, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement.

In the identical bills passed by the House and Senate, reproductive health care services includes medication that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for termination of a pregnancy as of January 1, 2023, regardless of the medications current FDA approval status. Planned Parenthood believes other states' shield laws will cover the issue but that Vermonts law makes it explicit, according to Lucy Leriche, of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court preserved womens access to the drug, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. The justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of mifepristone, which are appealing a Texas lower court ruling that would roll back FDA approval of mifepristone. The next step in the case is arguments before the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on May 17.

Unfortunately, we cant say how these legal protections will actually play out based on what happens in the Fifth Circuit Court, and likely appeals to that decision no matter what happens, said Isabel Guarnieri, of the Guttmacher Institute, which describes itself as a research and policy organization that advances sexual and reproductive health and rights, by email. All we know is that theres going to be a ton of chaos and confusion.

Greer Donley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law who is an expert in abortion law, said states cannot allow medications the federal government prohibits. But that does not mean the federal government would enforce its ban if states go their own way.

___

Rathke reported from Marshfield, Vermont.
NEW HAVEN  City and Yale University police both will have increased presence in the neighborhood where police said a Yale graduate student sleeping at home was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by an unfamiliar man early Tuesday.

But New Haven Chief Karl Jacobson said the city takes sexual assault and other violent crime seriously anywhere it happens  and both Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker said New Haven largely is a safe place.

"We have a safe city" and "we're responding to this in the same way we'd respond to a sexual assault anywhere else in the city ... whether it's in Newhallville or the Hill or Fair Haven," said Jacobson.

An incident like the one that reportedly happened early Tuesday in the 300 block of Elm Street  just steps off the Broadway shopping district between Broadway and Howe Street  "is very rare, and we're doing everything (we) can to catch this person," Jacobson said.

"We have 136,000 people in our city" and things happen, said Elicker. "... But the message here is not 'lock your doors, lock your windows, do not go outside.' The message here is, 'do not be afraid.' ... This is predominantly a safe city."

City detectives, who are taking the lead in the investigation, responded and collected potential evidence, said Jacobson. Anyone with any information is asked to contact New Haven police, he said.

The student, whose sex and age were not disclosed, awoke around 2 a.m. Tuesday to find the unknown suspect pointing a gun at them, Anthony Campbell, chief of the Yale Police Department, wrote in a message emailed to members of the Yale community.

The man attacked the student before fleeing the scene, said Campbell, former chief of the New Haven Police Department. Campbell said New Haven police, aided by Yale police, are investigating the assault. In response to the incident, Yale police are increasing patrols in the area, Campbell said.

The assault took place in the 300 block of Elm Street, according to Campbell. University spokesperson Karen Peart described the home as an off-campus apartment.

"We believe there was some form of forced entry," said Jacobson.

The student was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, said Campbell. He did not provide any information about the extent of the students injuries.

Peart said resources are available through Yale to those seeking support.

Julie Dahlquist, who is both a Yale employee and the mother of a Yale undergraduate who was in the process of moving into an apartment in the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, was not at ease with the situation as she walked along Elm Street.

"It's of extreme concern," said Dahlquist, who as an employee received an email about the assault. "Anytime there's an assault" inside someone's apartment, it's a concern, she said. "It's concerning to me that (the resident) was inside" their own apartment.

"As a parent of a Yale undergraduate students, that's extremely concerning to me," Dahlquist said. "Whatever Yale can do to make this and surrounding areas safe, they should do."

Martha Kahlson, a visiting graduate student fellow at Yale from Stanford University, took it more in stride, saying, "I always lock my door, but usually I don't feel like it's necessary."

Now it feels necessary, although most of the time she is not worried, Kahlson said.

"I'm street smart, but I don't live in fear," although "I have a lot of friends who are hyper-vigilant" and "I think the person this happened to is probably going to live in fear" for a long time, she said.

Elsewhere along Elm Street, a little closer to Howe Street and the Dwight neighborhood, Yale undergraduate Marc Gonzalez, who was getting ready to leave for the summer, said the attack was a cause for concern for him.

"It's really scary because it happened so close," and because it can happen even if "you do everything right," Gonzalez said.

Leah Kang, a professional dog walker whose partner is a Yale student, said the attack in the neighborhood made her worry.

"I feel like a lot of stuff happens around here," said Kang, originally from Orange County in California, as she walked Freddie, a close-to-the-ground dachshund along Elm Street near Lynwood Place. But while the attack concerns her, it does so "not that much," she said.
By Jeff Ballinger

Bay City News

Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies arrested two people early Monday after a call from a business owner reporting suspicious activity detected by his security cameras.

The owner of a business in the 3900 block of Santa Rosa Avenue called dispatch just after midnight after seeing on his security cameras two people climbing under vehicles parked outside his business, according to a social media post from the sheriff's department.

Upon arrival, deputies found two people: 57-year-old Joseph McBeth, of Castro Valley, and 32-year-old Krista Kresge, of Fremont.

Deputies said the two told them they had come to Sonoma County to visit a casino and to look at cars and RVs.

When deputies determined that Kresge was on probation, which allows a warrantless search, they said they found McBeth's vehicle nearby and saw in plain view through the window a methamphetamine pipe and a handgun.

An ensuing search found more than 43 grams of meth, cocaine, an unknown drug, drug paraphernalia and a loaded handgun that had been reported stolen in Tempe, Arizona.

Deputies arrested McBeth on suspicion of several offenses, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm in public, possession of a loaded firearm and narcotics, possession of methamphetamine for sales and knowingly receiving stolen property. McBeth was released later that day on $30,000 bail.

Kresge was arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia -- both misdemeanors -- and was released that same day on a citation.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2023 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
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Alert: US attorney's office says Rep. George Santos has been arrested on federal criminal charges, case remains sealed
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping immigration bill that bolsters his migrant relocation program and limits social services for immigrants lacking permanent legal status  key political priorities of the Republican as he prepares to launch a presidential campaign.

The signing came a day before the expiration of coronavirus restrictions on asylum that have allowed the U.S. to quickly expel migrants at the southern border for the last three years, a policy known as Title 42.

DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential candidacy in the coming weeks, has made hardening Florida's immigration laws a top priority as he heaves criticism on federal border policy and takes a hard-right stance geared toward Republican primary voters.

We're bracing for some turbulent times ahead," DeSantis said at a bill signing ceremony in Jacksonville, adding, "You're likely to see it get a lot worse.

The law provides $12 million for DeSantis migrant relocation initiative, which drew national attention last year when the governor flew a group of South American migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, a move intended to protest federal immigration policy.

It also expands requirements for businesses with more than 25 staffers to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines if employees can legally work in the U.S. And it prohibits local governments from providing money to organizations that issue identification cards to immigrants lacking permanent legal status in the country and invalidates out-of-state drivers licenses held by people living in the country illegally.

Another provision requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics have said is intended to dissuade immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from seeking medical care.

DeSantis has made illegal immigration a key priority of his administration as he heaves heavy criticism on Democratic President Joe Biden's border policy. At the governor's Wednesday bill-signing ceremony, DeSantis and others spoke from behind a lectern that read Bidens Border Crisis." Multiple speakers at the event detailed crimes committed by immigrants lacking legal status.

This week, the DeSantis administration made public that it had selected three vendors it intends to use for the governor's migrant relocation program, suggesting that additional flights or relocations are likely. One of the vendors is the same aviation company DeSantis' office used for the flight to Martha's Vineyard. A spokeswoman for the governor's division of emergency management, where the migrant relocation program is housed, said contracts with the vendors are still being negotiated.

Instead of using people as political pawns, he should be focused on the job in Florida," Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book said in a statement after the signing. "This bill is a misguided, dysfunctional and disingenuous way to deal with a problem the federal government should be in charge of fixing.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation are criticizing federal emergency managers for missing deadlines as residents seek recovery assistance following the largest wildfire in the states recorded history.

It has been a year since the U.S. Forest Service sparked the blaze after two prescribed-burn operations meant to clear dead and overgrown vegetation went awry. Hundreds of homes were destroyed along with the livelihoods of many rural residents who are now bracing for another season of post-fire flooding.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez and U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the agencies need to finalize regulations for doling out nearly $4 million in recovery funds to families and businesses.

Without the final rules, they say justice for victims is being delayed, resulting in confusion and uncertainty for residents.

The lawmakers also said FEMA has missed a number of self-imposed deadlines, and that has deepened mistrust with the community.

Every day that passes without compensation to the victims delays their ability to begin rebuilding after losing so much," the letter states. "We ask that you put yourself into the shoes of those whove waited more than a year after the fire started.

FEMA opened its regional claims offices to the public in recent weeks, and the director, Angela Gladwell, has vowed that her staff will be here until the job is done and every claimant receives the compensation they're due.

Regional FEMA officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the lawmakers' letter or the timing for finalizing the regulations.

The New Mexico officials indicated that the delay was related to reconsideration of provisions that deal with compensation for trees that were burned on private property and compensation for risk reduction. They have argued the language was a holdover from a different catastrophe that affected suburban homes, not an economy based on forest.

We reiterate the importance of removing these caps. It is vitally important that our communities are able to begin restoring their lands and begin mitigation efforts to protect their homes and properties from future flooding or fire, the letter reads.

Leger Fernandez and the two senators requested that FEMA and Homeland Security provide an update, saying many victims still are without permanent homes and the anticipated flooding this summer will make matters worse.

Fire danger also remains high across parts of New Mexico despite above-average snowpack in the higher elevations. Red flag warnings prompted by strong winds and dry conditions were issued for much of the state Wednesday, as crews battled a new fire near the burn scar.

The blaze near Sapello sent up a large plume of smoke, prompting road closures and evacuations.

The National Park Service on Wednesday cancelled its plans for a prescribed fire at El Malpais National Monument, citing the deteriorating weather conditions.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina's Democratic governor rallied residents and local doctors Wednesday in Wilmington as part of a last-minute bid to persuade at least one Republican lawmaker to sustain his expected veto of a bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The visit marks the second day of Gov. Roy Cooper's cross-state campaign to urge the constituents of four GOP state legislators to demand they uphold abortion access after expressing hesitance about further restrictions during their election campaigns last year.

Cooper singled out Reps. Tricia Cotham and John Bradford of Mecklenburg County and Rep. Ted Davis and Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County after Republicans fast-tracked legislation last week to impose more stringent limits beyond the current 20 weeks. He plans to veto the bill Saturday at a rally in Raleigh, but party-line votes for passage and assurances from legislative leaders indicate it will likely be overridden.

Flanked by health care providers Wednesday in the Cape Fear region  Davis and Lees home turf  Cooper insisted it's not too late for voters to change their lawmakers' minds.

All we need is one  one person of conscience, he said. One person who knows that this is wrong and is not afraid to stand up to party leadership.

Cooper's shoe-leather advocacy represents state Democrats' last defense against a new wave of conservative policies made possible by Cotham's recent party switch from Democrat to Republican. Her move gave the GOP veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers, essentially nullifying the governor's veto power unless he can pull in one or more Republicans to block the bill from becoming law.

Some Democrats, like longtime political consultant Gary Pearce, say Cooper's last-minute barnstorming demonstrates a newfound desperation" in light of Republicans' recent seat gains. But conservative critics like Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, view his visits as attempts to bully lawmakers."

Lee, who insists he's made clear his unwavering views on abortion since the campaign season, said in a tweet Wednesday that he opposes banning the procedure before 12 weeks but thinks most abortions later in pregnancy are abhorrent and should be restricted. The Wilmington-area Republican said in a candidate forum last fall that he supports a woman's right to choose in the first trimester.

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 had said Friday in a tweet.

Abortion providers say the headline-grabbing 12-week cutoff distracts from dozens more provisions packed into the 47-page bill that make it much more restrictive than meets the eye. They pointed to new hurdles requiring women to make an in-person visit to a medical professional at least 72 hours before the procedure. Under current law, the three-day waiting period can be initiated over the phone.

That waiting period, Cooper said, is longer than the time it took Republicans to file, debate and pass the bill.

Starting July 1, the bill would also 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.

New facility requirements would also require a massive investment for most providers to continue operating clinics in the state, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic CEO Jenny Black told reporters Wednesday. Some of the organization's abortion centers, which Black said have been havens for North Carolinians and patients traveling from more restrictive states, will never meet the new standards, she said.

Davis, Lee's counterpart in the state House and the lone Republican absent from the chamber when lawmakers approved the bill last week, had previously stated his support for the existing 20-week limit. Asked by email Wednesday about Coopers visit to Wilmington and his own views on the abortion bill, Davis said he had no comment at this time.

While Pearce, the state Democratic consultant, said its a longshot that Coopers last-minute plea will sway a Republican, he called the approach a smart strategy that could pay dividends in future elections.

Its not impossible, Pearce said of Cooper pulling in a Republican. But then if they go ahead and override his veto and they put this in effect, then Democrats are going to run hard on it next year, and I think its going to be a winning issue for them.

Constituents like Marla Barthen, a Wilmington nurse and film industry medic, are among those demanding accountability.

Senator Lee talked about a 12-week ban, but then all these other stipulations that were loaded on top of that  it's overreach, she said. Then Ted Davis made promises that he wasn't going to make any changes ... and so women inside our community have just been misled and lied to.

___

Hannah 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.
Loud explosions again rocked greater Khartoum on Wednesday, as fighting between Sudan's warring generals showed no let-up despite talks in Saudi Arabia.

"We were woken by explosions and heavy artillery fire," one resident of Khartoum's sister city of Omdurman told AFP.

During the night, two huge explosions were heard across greater Khartoum, residents of multiple districts said.

The warring sides-- regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo -- sent negotiators to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for what US and Saudi mediators billed as "pre-negotiation talks".

But there was still no announcement of any progress in the talks in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

Earlier this week, a Saudi diplomat acknowledged that a permanent ceasefire was not even on the table as each side "believes it is capable of winning the battle".

The top UN aid official, Martin Griffiths, has left Jeddah after he "proposed a declaration of commitments for the two parties to guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian relief," a UN spokesman in New York said Tuesday.

More than 750 people have been killed since the fighting erupted on April 15, the majority of them civilians.

Nearly 150,000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries, while 700,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut state representative and a wrong-way driver were both over the legal limit for alcohol when they were killed in a highway crash in January, according to government officials and state police.

Middletown Democrat Quentin Williams, 39, died in the early morning hours of Jan. 5 as he returned home from Gov. Ned Lamont's inaugural ball in Hartford. His car burst into flames after it was struck head-on by the wrong-way driver on Route 9 southbound in Cromwell.

The other driver, Kimede Mustafaj, 27, of Manchester, had a blood-alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to a toxicology report obtained by local media. Mustafaj also had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system, the report says.

State police said Wednesday that the full accident report was not yet publicly available because it was still being reviewed. Authorities have placed full blame for the crash on Mustafaj.

State House Speaker Matt Ritter told lawmakers and Capitol reporters Tuesday that the state public safety commissioner, James Rovella, notified him that toxicology tests showed Williams was over the legal limit.

Ritter said he had not seen the report and it wasn't clear what exactly Williams' blood-alcohol level was. He said the news did not take anything away from Williams' stature as a dedicated public worker and rising political star.

He was an incredible person and his legacy is, you know, to us ... the same legacy that he created and established ... with the work that he did in Middletown and for the state of Connecticut," Ritter said.

The crash happened just hours after Williams was sworn in for a third term, shocking and saddening family, friends and colleagues. Before being elected to the legislature, Williams served as Middletowns city treasurer.
LONDON (AP)  Britains bonfire of European Union laws has been reduced to embers.

The U.K. government on Wednesday scrapped a plan to remove all remaining EU laws, about 4,000 in all, from British statute books by the end of this year  a post-Brexit goal that critics said was rash and unachievable.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said in a written statement that the government would instead draw up a list of about 600 specific laws that would be revoked. Badenoch acknowledged there were risks of legal uncertainty if all EU laws were ditched by the end of the year.

A lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, Jenny Chapman, called the announcement a humiliating U-turn from a weak and divided government.

Thousands of pieces of EU law were cut-and-pasted into U.K. legislation when Britain left the bloc in 2020 after decades of membership, to ensure continuity for people and businesses.

The government's Retained EU Law Bill would have automatically removed all of them at the end of the year unless they were explicitly replaced or retained. Champions of Brexit said the move would slash red tape and loosen regulation for businesses.

Critics argued that reviewing a huge number of laws in a rush would lead to rules being rewritten without proper parliamentary scrutiny. Opponents also worried that the government would weaken workers rights and environmental standards in its rush to discard the EUs way of doing things.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss introduced the bill during her ill-fated seven weeks in office last year. Sunak, her successor, decided to keep it. During an earlier failed leadership bid against Truss, Sunak had vowed to scrap all EU legislation within his first 100 days in office, and recorded a campaign video showing him feeding reams of paper labeled EU legislation into a shredder.

The bill was approved by the House of Commons, where the governing Conservative Party has a majority, but ran into opposition in Parliaments upper chamber, the House of Lords.

Business groups breathed a sigh of relief at Wednesday's announcement. Jane Gratton of the British Chambers of Commerce said that U.K. business leaders had been worried about the headlong rush towards the sudden removal of vast swathes of legislation overnight that could make it harder to compete internationally.

It is welcome that government has listened, and the bill will no longer apply a blanket sunset clause in this way, with the real risk of unintended but negative consequences, she said.

___

Follow APs coverage of Brexit at https://apnews.com/hub/brexit and of U.K. politics at https://apnews.com/hub/british-politics
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  Four people have been arrested in North Macedonia, police said Wednesday, following cooperation with Greek authorities over a cocaine shipment seized in neighboring Greece a day earlier.

A total of 14 people have now been detained in both countries as a result of Tuesday's operation in Greece's northern port city of Thessaloniki, where Greek officers confiscated 105 kilograms (230 pounds) of cocaine.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  An explosion at an ammunition factory in southern Sweden seriously injured at least one person Wednesday, police said.

Police said they were investigating the blast as an industrial accident. The factory in Karlsborg, some 220 kilometers 137 miles) southwest of Stockholm, was manufacturing small-caliber ammunition.

While there was uncertainty about how the explosion happened, it probably did not occur in the manufacturing process itself, but probably in connection with maintenance work as a pure accident, a police statement said.

Police said the the injured person was a man who was alone inside the room where the explosion occurred. Officers have not entered the facility because a safety assessment must be conducted first.

Authorities said other workers were unharmed and the explosion did not cause a fire.

The situation for us is quite calm at the moment, Peter Brandels of the local rescue service told Swedish broadcaster SVT.

The factory is operated by defense manufacturer Nammo, which is based in Raufoss, Norway. According to the factorys website, the Karlsborg plant employs about 130 people and makes small caliber ammunition for use by assault rifles and other light weapons, including armor piercing and non-toxic/lead free ammunition.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Nammo spokesperson Fredrik Tangeraas confirmed there was an incident at the facility. We are assessing the situation and supporting emergency services in their work, he added.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  A boat capsized in northwestern Nigeria, killing 15 people, police said Wednesday.

The boat was heading to the village of Dundeji in Sokoto state on Tuesday when it capsized in the middle of a river, local police spokesman Sanusi Abubakar told The Associated Press

There were 36 passengers on board the boat, with 21 of them rescued alive. Thirteen females and two males died. Abubakar said. Some of the fatalities were children.

It was the latest in a series of boat capsizings in Nigerias river communities.

The villagers on Wednesday gathered at the local square with their families as they mourned the victims, who were on their way to fetch firewood, local media reported. Umar Yabo, a local representative, described the deaths as a great loss to the community, which is about 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the state capital, Sokoto.

Authorities on Wednesday launched an investigation into the tragedy, the police official said. Such capsizings are common in many river communities across Nigeria where locally-made boats are the major means of transportation. Officials attribute them mostly to overloading and the use of poorly maintained boats.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany plans to allow sound recording of some criminal trials, ending the decades-long practice of requiring judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers to rely on notes and their memory.

Cabinet approved a plan Wednesday that provides the basis for automated transcription of recordings made in regional courts. However, neither the recordings nor the transcripts will be made available to the press or public, and publishing them would be a criminal offense.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union is getting closer to ratifying a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence.

Lawmakers gathered in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday approved by a large majority the EUs endorsement of the Istanbul Convention.

The human rights treaty of the Council of Europe states that men and women have equal rights, and obliges state authorities to take steps to prevent gender-based violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

The EU signed the treaty six years ago but it has yet to be ratified by the bloc as a whole because of the opposition of six member countries  Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

I want to send my strongest call to those six remaining member states in the EU, to also individually ratify the Istanbul Convention," said Arba Kokalari, a Swedish EU lawmaker from the Committee on Womens Rights and Gender Equality. "Its time for you to stand on the right side of history and to support womens right to a life free from violence.

Asked for an opinion by the EU Parliament, the EU Court of Justice said in 2021 that the Council  which represents EU member countries governments  could ratify the Istanbul Convention without unanimity.

According to the EU, one in three women in the EU  some 62 million women  has experienced physical or sexual violence, and more than half of women (55%) in the region have been sexually harassed at least once since the age of 15.

Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention in 2021, prompting condemnation from womens rights groups and Western countries. The landmark convention was signed in Istanbul in 2011.
Russia on Wednesday proposed a roadmap to normalise ties between Syria and Turkey at the first meeting of their foreign ministers since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.

"Our task is to determine the general guidelines for further progress," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting that also included Iran's top diplomat.

"The best result of our discussion today would be an agreement to instruct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Syrian-Turkish normalisation for the next ministerial meeting," he said.

Lavrov said this proposal could then be put to the leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Turkey supported early rebel efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, keeping a military presence in northern stretches of the war-torn country that angers Damascus.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made up with former rivals across the region and is now courting a presidential summit with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.

Lavrov also said Syria and Turkey should begin discussions on repairing transport and logistics "and resuming trade and economic cooperation without any barriers".

Kremlin mediation would give President Vladimir Putin diplomatic clout with Russia isolated internationally over Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Damascus is a staunch ally of Moscow, which intervened in the civil war in 2015, launching air strikes to support the government's struggling forces.

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The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday urging District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to release evidence  including surveillance footage  that her office collected after a private security guard shot and killed 24-year-old Banko Brown outside of a Walgreens store last month.

Before its passage, however, supervisors spent time verbally beating up on Jenkins for her actions in the days following Brown's death.

I am completely disgusted by the district attorneys conduct to date on this, said District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, who said Jenkins initial announcement that she wasnt immediately bringing charges against the security guard  only to later state the investigation is ongoing  has the appearance of a really bad cover-up.

I want to send a strong message to our district attorney that her words were unartful and ill-conceived, said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. There can be justice still by releasing the evidence and doing whats right.

Brown, a transgender Black man, was shot outside of the Walgreens at 825 Market St. on April 27 during an alleged shoplifting incident. Police originally arrested the alleged shooter, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, but he was released from custody last week shortly after Jenkins announced that her office would not immediately bring charges. At that time, Jenkins said in a statement that "the evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense."

She has so far refused to release any evidence that her office has gathered in the days since the shooting  even amid very loud calls for her to do so. One of those calls came from District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. In response, Jenkins wrote a sharply worded letter accusing the supervisor of interfering with the judicial process, calling him a non-lawyer. The letter also said the investigation remains ongoing, something Walton later called a contradiction to her initial statement.

During the Tuesday meeting, Waltons board colleagues blasted Jenkins for that reply letter.

The tone was very condescending, said District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan.

I read it today in my office with my mouth agape; its unbelievable the way she spoke to you, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen said to Walton.

The resolution the board voted on was sought by Board President Aaron Peskin of District 3, and calls on Jenkins to immediately release surveillance footage, witness statements and police reports.

Jenkins has said such a move would compromise the ongoing investigation, and that if she makes a final decision not to bring charges, she'd provide a comprehensive public report explaining why. Many of the supervisors didnt buy it, with Preston saying Jenkins herself compromised the investigation by saying the evidence clearly shows the guard acted in self-defense in her initial statement.

Good luck prosecuting that case, Preston said. You can be a defense attorney with one brain cell and could just blow up that statement from the district attorney.

The resolution did hit one snag before passing when District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, a Jenkins ally, sought to add language calling for the release of evidence that is only publicly disclosable.

That drew immediate blowback from Ronen, who said that because Jenkins said in her letter to Walton her office is restricted by state law when it comes to releasing evidence, Dorseys addition would amount to giving Jenkins an out.

I just dont know why we would give her an out when were all on the same page this video should be released now, Ronen said.

Supervisors also challenged Jenkins claim that state law is preventing her from releasing evidence. Ronen said that the specific provision of the California Government code (7923.600) Jenkins references doesnt actually prevent her from releasing the video, but shes hiding behind that government code.

Interestingly, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who is typically ideologically aligned with Jenkins and Dorsey, also believes that Jenkins has the power to release the video now, stating, Its within the district attorneys authority to decide when to release evidence.

Also notable were remarks from District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani, another board moderate who said, Whatever the amendment says, I will be happy to support it so we can move toward healing.

Board President Peskin later asked Dorsey whether he could live with his resolution without the publicly disclosable language. After Dorsey acquiesced, the board proceeded to vote on passing the resolution, but not before a particularly colorful exchange Peskin had with one of many members of the public present.

After the individual heckled Peskin with, I dont like you, he replied, with his voice raised, I dont care whether you like me; Im doing my job.

Tuesday's vote was preceded by another round of emotional public comment. Several speakers urged the board to pass Peskin's resolution, and also took the time to slam Jenkins.

"[Jenkins] went out of her way on May 1 to say that, based on evidence that only she has seen, Banko Brown's killer acted in self-defense  showing clear bias and actually aiding the potential defense of the killer in a trial, even if she does file charges," one person said. "It's clear to me that her refusal is deeply tied into her agenda to shield law enforcement from transparency."

Jenkins' office did not reply to an SFGATE request for comment in time for publication.

The resolution wasn't the only escalation of the board's battle with Jenkins: two board members  Peskin and Preston  threatened to use the board's subpoena powers to obtain the surveillance footage directly from Walgreens if Jenkins doesn't release the footage.

"This videotape is going to come out publicly, and its only going to get worse the longer this takes," Preston said.
LATEST May 10, 4:20 p.m. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California said that he would not be supporting New York Rep. George Santos' reelection bid next year in light of the 13 charges federal prosecutors have indicted him on.

No, Im not gonna support Santos, McCarthy told reporters late Wednesday, according to NBC News. I think hes got some other things to focus on in this life than running for stuff.

May 10, 12:30 p.m. New York Rep. George Santos has been indicted by federal prosecutors on 13 charges that include wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives. On Wednesday morning, Santos turned himself in to federal custody and surrendered his passport. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, and announced he had no intention of dropping his reelection campaign.

Santos, a Republican, had a meteoric rise to infamy when it was revealed that he had made numerous false claims about his past in the months leading up to his victory in last years midterm elections. Those claims, to name just a few, include untrue statements about where he had attended college and what his professional work experience entailed, as well as the manner in which his mother died. The charges against him mostly deal with a political contribution solicitation scheme, in which he allegedly used money from donors to finance a lavish lifestyle.

Now, all eyes are on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California for his response.

McCarthy has more or less stood behind Santos in the months since the scandal became public, rebuffing several calls from members of both parties to expel him from Congress. The speaker said Tuesday that Santos can remain in Congress for now, but if hes convicted, he should resign.

Backing up further, in January, McCarthy said he would decide what to do with Santos based on the findings of the House Ethics Committee, which began looking into the representative in February. Simply put, McCarthy said that if the committees investigation found that Santos had broken the law, the GOP would expel him from the chamber.

If for some way when we go through Ethics that he has broken the law, then we will remove him, but its not my role, McCarthy told reporters, according to NBC News. I believe in the rule of law. A persons innocent until proven guilty.

However, as John Bresnahan  the co-founder of the political news website Punchbowl News  pointed out on Twitter, the news of the indictment has complicated things.

I dont believe the House Ethics [Committee] will move against Santos at this point, Bresnahan wrote on Wednesday. McCarthy appoints GOP members to that panel, and McCarthy wants to see the case play out.

The GOP members on the committee, which is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, may try to pause the committees work now that Santos has been indicted. Or, they could simply argue that Santos didnt break the law. Either way, it means that any pressure on McCarthy to remove Santos likely wont come from the House Ethics Committee anytime soon.

The federal charges are a different animal altogether. Unlike the Republican members of the House Ethics Committee, federal prosecutors arent subject to the political whims of the speaker. They cant remove Santos from Congress, but if they prove he is guilty in court, pressure for McCarthy to remove him will only amplify.

On Wednesday, McCarthy told reporters that he would wait for the trial to play out before making a decision.

He will go through his time in trial, and lets find out how the outcome is, he said, according to CNN.

The obvious problem with his reasoning is that the trial process could drag on for months or even years, and Santos is up for reelection next year. Whats clear in this situation is that McCarthy, who has a very slim House majority, is trying to protect Santos, who represents a competitive district. If Santos is expelled from Congress and a special election is called, the Democrats could claim that seat.

The freshman originally said he would not run for reelection in 2024, but  perhaps true to form  he reversed his decision in an announcement last month. McCarthy has repeatedly stated the voters will decide Santos fate, but its safe to say thats coming from a place of protecting his majority, not deference to New York voters.

This story has been updated.
WFO BROWNSVILLE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Brownsville TX

734 PM CDT Tue May 9 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Jim

Hogg and southeastern Zapata Counties through 800 PM CDT...

At 734 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over

Lopeno. This storm was nearly stationary.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Lopeno and Morales-Sanchez.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 2679 9919 2683 9896 2678 9895 2667 9901

2666 9903 2666 9920

TIME...MOT...LOC 0034Z 267DEG 3KT 2674 9910

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

East central McMullen County in south central Texas...

Southwestern Live Oak County in south central Texas...

* Until 815 PM CDT.

* At 734 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 7 miles south of

Simmons, or 12 miles west of George West, 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...

George West.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 37 between mile markers 59 and 60.

US Highway 281 between mile markers 628 and 642.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 718 and 734.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Corpus Christi TX

747 PM CDT Tue May 9 2023

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN LIVE OAK COUNTY...

At 747 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 7 miles south of

Simmons, or 8 miles west of George West, moving east at 20 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...

George West and Simmons.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 37 between mile markers 59 and 60.

US Highway 281 between mile markers 628 and 642.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 718 and 734.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Prepare immediately for large hail and deadly cloud to ground

lightning. Seek shelter inside a well-built structure. Stay away from

windows.

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Southwestern Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana...

Southeastern Jasper County in southeastern Texas...

Southwestern Newton County in southeastern Texas...

Northeastern Orange County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 1100 PM CDT.

* At 749 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are

possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected

to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Orange, Vidor, Vinton, Deweyville, Mauriceville, Forest Heights,

Hartburg, Pinehurst, Toomey and Gist.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

North central Jim Wells County in south central Texas...

Southeastern Live Oak County in south central Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT.

* At 814 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Annarose, or

11 miles south of George West, moving southeast at 20 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...

Midway, Mount Lucas, Annarose, Dinero, Lagarto and Westdale.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 37 between mile markers 42 and 45.

US Highway 281 between mile markers 638 and 654.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Prepare immediately for large hail and deadly cloud to ground

lightning. Seek shelter inside a well-built structure. Stay away from

windows.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Northeastern Calhoun County in south Texas...

* Until 830 AM CDT.

* At 558 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 5 inches of rain

have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 3 inches in 1

hour. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Point Comfort, Port Alto and Schicke Point.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY

Flood Advisory

National Weather Service Corpus Christi TX

610 AM CDT Wed May 10 2023

...FLOOD ADVISORY HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A FLASH FLOOD WARNING...

The threat of flooding continues and a Flash Flood Warning is now in

effect. Please refer to that bulletin for more information.

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Southwestern Aransas County in south central Texas...

* Until 800 AM CDT.

* At 610 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain

have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 2 inches in 1 hour.

Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Rockport, Key Allegro, Palm Harbor, Copano Village and Fulton.

Local Law Enforcement has reported a couple intersections

experiencing some minor flooding and water ponding on roadways.

Additional rainfall expected will likely lead to more impactful

flooding.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

The National Weather Service in League City has issued a

Southeastern Jackson County in south central Texas...

West Central Matagorda County in southeastern Texas...

* At 612 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 5 inches of rain

have fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin

shortly.

Palacios, La Ward, Blessing and Lolita.

This includes the following Low Water Crossings...

County Road 472 at Fivemile Branch, Lincoln Ave at East Carncahua

County Rd Number 22 and Kings Hill Road at Tres Palacios River.

Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law

enforcement and request they pass this information to the National

Weather Service when you can do so safely.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has attended an unveiling ceremony of the signs at the intersection of Molla Panah Vagif and Panahali Khan streets.

Special Representative of the President in the Shusha district Aydin Karimov informed President Ilham Aliyev of the works to be done in the streets.

Molla Panah Vagif street is 2,473 meters in length and 10-15 meters in width, while Panahali Khan street 864 meters in length and 10-13 meters in width.
A car bombing close to a police station near the Syrian capital wounded five officers on Wednesday, state media reported.

The reports, citing the Interior Ministry, did not provide further details on the explosion in the neighborhood of Barzeh, just north of Damascus. The state SANA news agency circulated photos of a charred car with investigators assessing the damage.

A pro-government radio station cited a police source and said the car that exploded was a private vehicle. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The explosion comes as Syrian President Bashar Assad is making strides in restoring ties with the Arab world. Syria was readmitted into the Arab League on Sunday following a 12-year suspension.

On Tuesday, the Syrian and Saudi foreign ministries announced the reopening of their diplomatic missions.

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WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 11, 2023

_____

FLOOD WARNING

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

Flood Warning

National Weather Service Corpus Christi TX

1030 AM CDT Wed May 10 2023

...The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi TX has issued a

Flood Warning for the following rivers in Texas...

Coleto Creek At Arnold Road Crossing affecting Victoria and

Goliad Counties.

For the Coleto Creek...including Arnold Road Crossing, Highway 59,

Victoria...Moderate flooding is forecast.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/crp.

...FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...

* WHAT...Moderate flooding is forecast.

* WHERE...Coleto Creek At Arnold Road Crossing.

* WHEN...From this morning until further notice.

* IMPACTS...At 17.0 feet, Major lowland flooding extends well into

the flood plain, cutting off livestock. Roads and low bridges near

the river are flooded and are dangerous.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 9:45 AM CDT Wednesday the stage was 14.1 feet.

- Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage

late this morning to a crest of 16.9 feet this evening. It

will then fall below flood stage late tonight.

- Flood stage is 15.0 feet.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

Below are the latest river stages and stage forecasts:

Fld Observed Forecasts (10 am)

Location Stg Stg Day/Time Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon

Coleto Creek

Arnold Road Cross 15.0 14.1 Wed 9 am 13.6 8.6 6.3 5.8 5.7

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in League City has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Fort Bend County in southeastern Texas...

Brazoria County in southeastern Texas...

East central Matagorda County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 630 AM CDT.

* At 554 AM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Riverstone to near Richwood to 16 miles

southeast of Sargent, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Southern Pearland, southeastern Missouri City, Lake Jackson, Alvin,

Angleton, Freeport, Clute, Manvel, West Columbia, Surfside Beach,

Fresno, Richwood, Brazoria, Jones Creek, Danbury, Arcola, Iowa

Colony, Oyster Creek, Holiday Lakes and Bailey's Prairie.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lake Charles LA

542 PM CDT Wed May 10 2023

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CAMERON AND

SOUTHWESTERN CALCASIEU PARISHES...EAST CENTRAL JEFFERSON AND

SOUTHEASTERN ORANGE COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 545 PM CDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe

limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning will

be allowed to expire. However gusty winds and heavy rain are still

possible with this thunderstorm.

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

DALLAM HARTLEY OLDHAM

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northern Cameron Parish in southwestern Louisiana...

Southwestern Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana...

East central Orange County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 615 PM CDT.

* At 546 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Toomey, or

near Orange, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Orange, West Orange, Vinton, Pinehurst, Toomey, Edgerly and

Carlyss.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 10 in Texas between mile markers 880 and 875.

Interstate 10 in Louisiana between mile markers 1 and 16.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground

lightning is 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.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

East central Reeves County in southwestern Texas...

Central Ward County in western Texas...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 501 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles southeast

of Pecos, moving northeast at 15 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...

Pecos, Barstow, Toyah Lake, B F Goodrich Testing Track and Pecos

Municipal Airport.

This includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 41 and 64.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, May 10, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

East central Reeves County in southwestern Texas...

Northeastern Ward County in western Texas...

Southeastern Winkler County in western Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 557 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles southwest

of Pyote, or 18 miles east of Pecos, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Monahans, Thorntonville, Pyote, Wickett and Roy Hurd Memorial

Airport.

This includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 58 and 84.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Bank of England ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ ) No changes made

Hochschild Mining reiterated its full-year production targets, adding that it had finished the first quarter with a "strong" financial position.

The miner's boss, Ignacio Bustamante, cited the improved social situation in Peru, expectations for increases in output at San Jose and Inmaculada, as well as "encouraging progress" at its Mara Rosa project in Brazil.

However, the mine plans for Inmaculada were subject to approval of its Modified Environmental Impact Assessment.

That was expected to occur in the second quarter of 2023.

Mara Rosa had now reached 77% completion and was on scheduled and budget for first production in the front half of 2024.

For the three months ending on 31 March, the miner's attributable gold production declined by 15.6% to reach 64,510 ounces.

Silver equivalent production also fell by 15.6% to 5.36m ounces.

Gold and silver grades mined actually improved but total ore production dropped by 15.6% to 278,138 tonnes.

Total cash at period end stood at $103m, which was down from $144m at the end of 2022.

Its net debt meanwhile had risen to $218 from $175m.
Melrose Industries said on Wednesday that it was trading "materially ahead" of expectations, with significant growth in revenue, profit and margin, as it issued new guidance for the full year.

In the first four months of this year, revenue was up 19% on the same period a year earlier, with Engines showing the fastest momentum, up 28%, and Structures up 14%.

Melrose now expects full-year 2023 revenue of between 3.35bn and 3.45bn, adjusted operation profit of between 340m and 360m and adjusted EBITDA of 495m to 515m. Analysts had been expecting revenue of 3.4bn.

Head office costs are expected to fall to around 30m from 45m.

Melrose also said on Wednesday that for the next 12 months, its focus will be "to create further substantial value for shareholders by maximising the embedded quality and potential of Aerospace". Beyond that, it will continue as a pureplay aerospace company. Melrose recently spun off its automotive business GKN.

As a result, it will not seek to make another acquisition of an unrelated industrial business or, in the near term, a material aerospace business.

Chief executive Simon Peckham said: "Aerospace has huge embedded value and an EBITDA of 1 billion is achievable within the next few years, much of this coming from the premium Engines business.

"With the new simplified strategy for Melrose announced today, we look forward to explaining the full potential of Aerospace at the upcoming capital markets event next week including the route to realising this value."

At 0915 BST, the shares were up 3.4% at 438.74p.

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Melrose has issued its first update since the demerger of its Dowlais businesses, and things got off to a promising start. Melrose saw revenues from both the Engines and Structures divisions soar by double digits in the first four months of the year.

"There are also structural growth drivers which looks set to play into Melroses hands. Flying hours in the US and Europe have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the easing of restrictions in China also provides the industry with a welcome boost. And after several years of covid-related underinvestment, airlines are now looking to upgrade their ageing fleets. That's resulted in an order backlog to supply components for more than 12,000 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, meaning we see potential for revenue to continue growing at double-digit rates for the next couple years.

"The groups restructuring efforts should be complete in the next 12 months. As a pureplay Aerospace business, the group now has the potential to attract a valuation reflective of a high-quality business in an improving market backdrop. Whether the group maximises value though will depend on how it navigates supply chain challenges and business improvements in a post-demerger world."
Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, in a first response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes that have killed 19 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean Sea, 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appears to be remaining on the sidelines.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

As rocket fire continued, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover during one attack.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinian residents.

As air raid sirens continued to wail, Israeli media said at least 100 rockets had been fired. Israeli rescuers said two people were hurt running for shelter, and local officials said an empty home in the southern town of Sderot was struck.

Throughout the day, Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least three Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted 40 rocket launchers across the enclave.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms.

Speaking from her homes bomb shelter, she said she had mixed feelings about the Israeli militarys assault on Gaza. I am happy to see that theyre responding to last weeks bombs, it feels like they care, she said. I just dont want to see anyone get hurt, here or on the other side.

Tuesday's strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.

The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

On Wednesday, the army said an airstrike targeted militants traveling to a rocket launcher site in southern Gaza Strip.

Medics said the strike killed one man and seriously wounded another. Later on Wednesday, another airstrike killed a Palestinian in northern Gaza and two Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the targets were militants.

It also remained unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late Tuesday were militants or civilians. Israel has claimed the men were preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.

The Israeli military had instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools were still closed for a second day as a precaution against rocket attacks.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Danny Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war.

Hamas has expressed solidarity with its smaller counterpart in Gaza, and the two groups often coordinate with one another.

In a statement, the organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed Avenging the Free  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israel's killing of three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians. The resistance is ready for all options," the factions said. If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it."

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group is dragged into the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll on Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible, saying they operate in heavily populated residential areas and use residents as human shields.

Meanwhile, Israeli police said they would allow the annual flag-waving march marking Jerusalem Day to take place along its traditional route through a main Palestinian thoroughfare in the Old City on Thursday next week. The decision could raise the risk of further violence.

Thousands of Israeli nationalists take part each year, with some chanting racist slogans, as they walk across the Old City to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Jewish Quarter. Last year's march was marked by violence, and in 2021, the march helped trigger a rocket attack on Jerusalem and 11-day war with Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain men as Ahmed Assaf, 19, and Rani Qatanat, 24. The Islamic Jihad militant group later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. The northern West Bank city of Jenin and its environs have been the frequent target of such raids as it has emerged as a hub of Palestinian militant activity.

Israel says the raids in the West Bank are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.

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India's ecosystem of suppliers will help drive Walmart's goal of exporting goods worth $10 billion annually from the country by 2027, the company's President and CEO Doug McMillon. Addressing Indian suppliers and partners here, McMillon reinforced Walmart's continued commitment to India and to building an ecosystem of suppliers and partners, including small and medium enterprises.

He also reaffirmed Walmart's roadmap of strengthening partnerships with Indian communities, expanding opportunities for local businesses and fostering transformative and innovative solutions for retail from the country to the world.

"Walmart is committed to India and we are here for the long term. We are excited about the Indian suppliers and partners who make quality, affordable, and sustainable products for our customers and members around the world," he said.

"We are proud that our business can support India's growth by creating jobs, strengthening communities, and accelerating India's progress as a manufacturing destination," McMillon added.

McMillon and Judith McKenna, President and CEO, Walmart International, met suppliers, merchants, grantees, artisans and MSMEs across key India programmes and initiatives.

These included Walmart Sourcing, Walmart Vriddhi, Flipkart and Flipkart Samarth, PhonePe, Walmart Marketplace, Walmart Global Tech in India, and the Walmart Foundation.

"As a nation that's set to be one of the world's largest economies by 2030, we're excited to have the opportunity to serve as partners in India's economic development, aligned with the country's ambitions," said McKenna.

The retail giant Walmart said last year that it was offering manufacturers and trading firms in India to reach a growing market of more than 120 million US consumers each month.
President Joe Biden will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month as part of Modi's trip to the United States that will include honors at an elaborate White House state dinner.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that Modi's June 22 visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.

It will be Modi's first visit to the Biden White House, though the two leaders have met at international summits since Biden took office.

Modi is the third world leader to be invited on a U.S. state visit by Biden, following French President Emmanuel Macron late last year and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April.

Biden and Modi will focus on their countries' commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region, as well as on their partnerships in technology, including in the areas of defense, clean energy and space, Jean-Pierre said.

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Global conglomerate Vedanta said it has appointed industry veteran Terry Daly as advisor for its semiconductor business. He will be responsible for providing strategic counsel and inputs as the conglomerate looks at setting up a state-of-the-art semiconductor fab unit and semiconductor assembling and testing unit in India.

"We are pleased to welcome Daly to our team. As an industry veteran, he brings a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in managing several workstreams that are critical for establishing a world-class semiconductor fab," said David Reed, CEO, Vedanta-Foxconn Semiconductors Limited (VFSL).

Daly joins Vedanta from his post as an independent consultant in the microelectronics industry.He was instrumental in establishing a strategic alliance on advanced technology with Samsung and in the acquisition of IBM's microelectronics business.

"India has a generational opportunity to become part of the global semiconductor supply chain and provide geographic diversification to its customers, supply chain resiliency to its partners, and job creation opportunities to its extremely talented population," said Daly.

"I am very impressed by the unique, complementary partnership that Vedanta and Foxconn bring to the opportunity to establish India's first commercial semiconductor fab," he added.

Daly spent 26 years at IBM, the majority in its semiconductor division. Before joining IBM, he spent five years as an officer in the US Army.

Vedanta-Foxconn Semiconductors Limited (VFSL) is a joint venture between Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, better known as Foxconn, and Vedanta Resources Limited, a globally diversified natural resources company.

VFSL will establish an integrated semiconductor fab foundry in India. In phase 1, the company will set up capacity of 40,000 wafers per month to cater to applications in displays, consumer electronics, industrial, mobiles, network equipment and automotives.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Discount retailer Christmas Tree Shops (CTS), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 5, has announced plans to close 10 underperforming stores across seven states, with liquidation sales commencing as soon as this week.

According to documents in the bankruptcy case, states affected by the sudden termination of business include Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Georgia and New York.

Heres a look at the full list of closures:

Georgia:

Kennesaw, Ga., 845 Ernest W. Barrett Pkway NW

Florida:

Pembroke Pines, Fla., 11470 Pines Blvd.

Massachusetts:

Falmouth Mass., 28 Davis Straits, Route 28

Sagamore, Mass., 5 Cranberry Highway Route 6A

Michigan:

Flint, Mich., 4071 Miller Rd.

New York:

Spring Valley, N.Y., 32 Spring Valley Marketplace

Watertown, N.Y., 21182 Salmon Run Mall Loop West

Pennsylvania:

Downingtown, Pa., 955 East Lancaster Ave.

Lancaster, Pa., 2350 Lincoln Highway East

Virginia:

Woodbridge, Va., 2700 Potomac Mills Circle

The stores lease expiration dates range from 2024 to 2027, and each location occupies an average of 33,000 square feet of retail space.

After careful consideration, we determined that availing ourselves of the Chapter 11 process was the best way to address our burdensome liabilities, CTS chairman Marc Salkovitz noted in a press release. This is strictly a financial restructuring. Our operations are sound. By increasing our financial flexibility, we will be able to focus on continuing to delight our loyal customers with a wide selection of unique goods at affordable prices.

Founded as a small holiday store -- The Christmas Tree Gift Shop -- in the early 1950s on Cape Cod, in Yarmouthport, Mass., the small business was transformed into a destination for one-of-a-kind items with astonishingly low prices sometime in the 1970s by a new owner, Chuck Bilezikian.

According to the CTS website, the single Massachusetts store grew into three quaint, treasure-filled spaces: the Barn Shop, the Front Shop and the Back Shop (hence the name Christmas Tree Shops with an s) and became a sort of treasure hunt space for local residents and Cape Cod tourists alike.

Though no longer a holiday store, the name Christmas Tree Shops remained, and additional locations began cropping up throughout New England. In 2003, the brand became part of the Bed Bath & Beyond family and expanded beyond the Northeast

In 2020, CTS became an independent company owned by Handil Holdings. Led by Pam and Marc Salkovitz, the company currently operates 83 stores in 20 states. The company noted in a press release it hopes to complete its financial restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11 a financially stronger retailer before the end of August.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Authorities allege that a suspect tossed his drugs and ran as police pursued him in connection with a group assault where two victims were slashed and seriously injured in Tompkinsville.

John Isaiah, 31, of the 100 block of St. Marks Place in St. George, and Raymond Banks, 30, of the 2100 block of Richmond Terrace in Port Richmond, stand accused in connection with the assault on April 15 around 9:50 p.m. on Victory Boulevard near Bay Street, according to the criminal complaint and police.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, along with the NYPD, and local elected and law-enforcement officials participated in a nationwide effort to warn Americans about the dangers of fentanyl.

Tuesday marked National Fentanyl Awareness Day, and the group warned that the dangers of the drug must be taken seriously. Its presence on Staten Island and across the country skyrocketed in the past several years.

In 2015, fentanyl was present in just 15% of fatal overdoses on Staten Island, but by 2020 it was found in nearly 80% of all fatal overdoses. Fentanyl and its analogs claim the lives of hundreds of Staten Islanders, thousands of New Yorkers, and tens of thousands of Americans every year, said McMahon in a statement. ...It is long overdue that our nation treat fentanyl and its analogs as the existential threat they are to our loved ones and our community.

McMahon called Staten Islanders to do their part and advocate to their elected officials about the urgency of this crisis and the need for smart policies and funding.

He also encouraged directing those struggling with substance use disorder to a number of treatment and support options available to them on Staten Island.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said the fight against illegal drugs is about saving lives.

The drastic increase in fentanyl use in our city tragically illustrates exactly what is at stake here. This poison is shockingly deadly, she added.

The borough was significantly impacted by the abuse of prescription pills at the outset of the crisis, according to Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan.

Fentanyl is the most deadly opioid that we have seen yet, and it has deeply affected many families on Staten Island.

Borough President Vito Fossella thanked McMahon for standing at the forefront to raise awareness of this urgent and deadly public health crisis.

He said unfortunately countless Staten Island families know all too well the heartbreak of losing a loved one to this silent killer.

In 2017, the Richmond County District Attorneys Office launched SIHOPE.org and the Staten Islanders Against Drug Abuse public awareness campaign. Its goal was to provide critical resources for anyone anyone battling addiction and their loved ones.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an emergency executive order Tuesday ahead of what officials expect will be an influx of migrants into the state as a federal rule is set to expire.

The order, which runs through June 8, will suspend or change some portions of New York law in an effort to allow state officials and localities to better address the expected surge from the southern border.

Federal policy, known as Title 42, was a pandemic-era rule put into effect making it easier to deport migrants arriving from Canada and Mexico, but is set to expire Thursday.

For more than a year, we have been working closely with Mayor Adams to provide support and advocate for federal resources to address the large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in New York City, Hochul said. With Title 42 set to expire, the circumstances on the ground are expected to change significantly and this Executive Order will be an important part of our coordinated response. I have spoken to Mayor Adams and County Executives throughout New York as we work to address this situation

Changes made through Hochuls executive order will make it easier for the state to purchase food, contract with non-government entities, and set up housing to help better care for the new arrivals.

As justification, Hochul said that the state is already in a large-scale humanitarian crisis, and that with the coming influx, a disaster is imminent.

Since January 2022, tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in New York City, many bused from southern states, and according to Hochul, more than 36,000 still remain in the citys shelter system.

Mayor Eric Adams has said that the citys care for the migrants represented a $4.3 billion financial burden on the city to care for the migrants over two years, and that they expect the problem to get worse as Title 42 expires.

Both Hochul and Adams have consistently pushed for additional federal support, but their calls have seemingly fallen on deaf ears in the Biden administration.

Adams pulled no punches in April, when he held a press conference about the looming end of Title 42, and accused the national government of abandoning the city.

Migrants under the citys care are being housed at traditional homeless shelters, 103 emergency hotel shelters around the five boroughs, and eight Humanitarian Emergency Relief Centers.

On Staten Island, at least four emergency hotels have opened to help care for migrants coming into the city, and that hasnt sat well with some elected officials.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) and Borough President Vito Fossella issued a joint statement Friday announcing the latest hotels in Willowbrook and Rosebank, and called for the local government to reverse course on a policy in place since former Mayor Ed Kochs administration.

New York Citys right-to-shelter policy was meant for homeless New Yorkers, not citizens of other countries coming here seeking asylum, the duo said in a joint statement. By housing thousands of migrants under this policy, the city is abusing its original interpretation at the expense of hard-working taxpayers who never asked to carry the burden. Its past time for the city to challenge the right to shelter decree and join our calls to secure the border and stop illegal crossings.

As a result of a 1979 lawsuit and subsequent legal action, New York City is one of three U.S. municipalities that has a right to shelter for all homeless people, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.

A coalition co-founder, attorney Robert Hayes, brought the suit that year on behalf of Robert Callahan, a homeless man suffering from alcoholism who Hayes discovered sleeping on the street in Manhattan, according to the Coalition.

In a settlement, the city and state agreed to provide shelter and board to all homeless men who met the need standard for welfare or who were homeless by reason of physical, mental, or social dysfunction. Women and children were added later, according to the coalition.

Throughout the crisis, Adams and members of his administration have maintained that the city has a moral and legal obligation to house migrants arriving in the five boroughs.

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Improvements to this century-old community center promise to serve Staten Island children for 100 more years

Staten Islanders need to protect against ticks due to spike in Lyme disease

NYC Mayor Adams: Texas Gov. targeting 5 cities run by Black mayors with migrant busing strategy
Anthony Gaspipe Casso was on the warpath, looking to permanently silence Peter Fat Pete Chiodo, his onetime right hand man who he feared had turned rat.

The final act of this organized crime drama would play out on a spring morning at a service station in Fort Wadsworth.

But it wouldnt go the way Casso planned.

GASPIPES RISE AND FALL

One of the most notorious killers in Mafia history, Casso claimed to have taken part in anywhere from 15 to 36 murders, including attempts on the life of Gambino crime boss John Gotti.

Cassos goodfella father had also been called Gaspipe, thanks to his penchant for bludgeoning victims with a pipe, according to Five Families, a book on mob history by former New York Times investigative reporter Selwyn Raab.

A career criminal, Casso by 1989 was underboss, or second in command, to Lucchese crime family chieftain Vittorio Amuso.

Lucchese crime family underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, seen here being led into the Federal Courthouse in Newark, N.J. on Jan. 1, 1993, ordered the hit on Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo. (Star-Ledger photo by John O'Boyle)

Amuso had been placed at the head of the family by former boss Anthony Tony Ducks Corralo, whod been indicted in the famous Mafia Commission case.

The deal that elevated Amuso, and Casso along with him, was brokered at the Staten Island home of top Lucchese gangster Christopher Christie Ticks Furnari.

Amuso and Casso enjoyed a bloody and lucrative run at the top, but by 1990, the feds were closing in.

Casso had been tipped off by a law enforcement source on his payroll that he, Amuso and others in the Genovese, Colombo and Gambino crime families were about to be indicted in the Windows racketeering case.

The charges involved the Mafias bid-rigged control of window replacements in city housing projects.

Casso and Amuso decided to go on the lam and made Alfonse DArco, known as the Professor for his bespeckled and non-threatening appearance, acting Lucchese boss.

But Casso and Amuso continued to direct family business while on the run, including ordering hits on rivals.

KILL FAT PETE

In spring of 1991, Raab wrote, Casso ordered a killing that stunned DArco: the murder of Lucchese capo and Staten Islander Peter Fat Pete Chiodo who had been Cassos right hand for years.

Staten Island Lucchese crime family capo Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo's girth saved him from death during assassination attempt at hands of mob rivals. (Advance file photo)

The 435-pound Chiodo had been a family enforcer and killer, and was known as one of Cassos murderous Angels of Death.

But Chiodo was jammed up too, facing indictment himself in the Windows case as well as being charged in a second case involving Lucchese control of the city painters union.

Facing two separate trials, Chiodo decided to plead guilty rather than go on the lam, hoping to be paroled in 10 years instead of serving life in the slammer.

But Chiodo committed the unpardonable mob offense of failing to ask Casso and Amuso for permission to plead guilty.

The bosses were infuriated. Believing that Chiodo had turned informant, Casso gave the order: Kill Fat Pete.

HAIL OF BULLETS

Knowing that he was being hunted, Chiodo, 40, stayed close to his home on Overlook Terrace in Grasmere.

But DArco had had mob technicians tap Chiocos home phone and learned that Chiodo planned to go to into hiding until his sentencing date.

Before leaving town on May 8, 1991, Chiodo went to Pellicanos service station, at the corner of Fingerboard Road and Bay Street in Fort Wadsworth, to get a new fanbelt for his white Cadillac.

Chiodo and his father pulled up to Pellicanos at about 3:42 p.m. Chiodo opened the hood of his Cadillac.

Three shooters whod been lying in wait approached Chiodo. One of the would-be killers used a black ski jacket to hide his weapon, the Advance reported.

Seeing the hitmen, Chiodo pulled his own gun and fired before running for cover. The hitmen then let out with a fusillade of bullets, including from a .38-caliber pistol and a 9mm handgun.

A stray bullet shattered the four panes of glass at the top of this door of a home on Fingerboard Road when mob assassins tried to take out Pete "Fat Pete" Chiodo in 1991. (Tony Carannante/Staten Island Advance)

Chiodo was hit a reported 12 times, including in the chest, stomach, legs and arms. Bullets also lodged in a car and a truck parked at the service station and hit two neighboring homes as well.

I happened to see that the man fell and when he got up, he was in a pool of blood, one eyewitness told cops. I thought they were like, fooling around. But they werent. It was real.

Nothing like this has ever happened here, said a neighborhood woman, who told the Advance that one of the bullets meant for Chiodo had come flying through her upstairs bedroom window.

Front page of Staten Island Advance tells the story of Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo mob hit gone bad in Fort Wasdworth on May 8, 1991. (Advance file photo)

The shooters ditched a car theyd used, a blue Chevrolet Caprice, at the corner of School Road and Tompkins Avenue, the Advance reported. The car had been reported stolen in Brooklyn two months earlier.

Chiodos estranged wife, Filomena, arrived on the scene of the attempted rubout right after the shooting but left immediately, the Advance reported.

Chiodo was taken to St. Vincents Medical Center in West Brighton, where eight hours of emergency surgery saved his life.

Surgeons would later say that Chiodos huge girth saved him from death as none of the bullets that struck him was able to penetrate far enough to damage any vital organs.

But the mob wasnt done with Fat Pete yet.

A Lucchese hitman disguised as a doctor, accompanied by a mob-friendly nurse, later tried to sneak into Chiodos hospital room to finish the job, but was run off by FBI agents.

TURNCOATS

Chiodo later testified against his mob cohorts at the Windows trail after the Luccheses broke mob protocol and threatened his parents and other family members. Chiodos uncle would later be murdered and his sister shot and seriously wounded.

Large bulletin board showing photographs of bosses, underbosses, capos and soldiers in five New York City organized crime families . (Photo by Marianne Barcellona/Getty Images)Getty Images

Chiodo joined his family in the Witness Protection Program and died of natural causes in January 2016.

After running afoul of Amuso, Casso too turned government witness. Among his revelations was that NYPD Detectives Stephen Carracapa and Louis Eppolito were on his payroll and had taken part in murder contracts and other illegal activities for the mob. The two detectives would later be dubbed The Mafia Cops.

Casso was later thrown out of witness protection for various infractions and was sentenced to 455 years in jail without parole. He died of COVID-19-related complications on Dec. 15, 2020, at the age of 78.

MORE ORGANIZED CRIME STORIES BY TOM WROBLESKI

Gangster Lucky Luciano, the father of the modern Mafia, survives a one-way trip to Staten Island in 1929

Ha-Ha, Schellack Head, Mikey Scars and Tommy Karate: the 33 greatest mob nicknames in history

Robbers hold guards, customers hostage at Bay Street deli, rob Wells Fargo armored truck of $2.25M in largest heist in Staten Island history

The little-known other Godfather house on Staten Island where 3 key scenes from the iconic gangster flick were filmed

Mob kingpin Al Capone gets taken to Staten Island for a ride. On a pony
An MTV special focused on mental health expected to include an appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris set to air next week has been postponed due to the Hollywood writers strike, according a report by the Associated Press.

Harris felt traveling to the Los Angeles-based event would be considered crossing the picket line, according to the report.

President Joe Biden called for a fair deal for writers at a White House movie screening this week.

Nights like these are a reminder of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and the value they deserve, Biden said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared in Buffalo on Monday to announce New York states $229 billion budget is setting aside $1 billion in additional funding to address mental health care needs.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York is hosting a virtual opportunity this week for job seekers to find civil service opportunities without having to take the state civil service exam.

The Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Virtual Career Fair will be held on Thursday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will be able to view content and chat one-on-one with recruiters.

The HELP program, hosted by the state Department of Civil Service (DCS), was developed to aid New York State agencies in filling critical positions in direct care, health and safety to help New Yorkers meet their basic needs. The program provides job seekers with opportunities to begin a career with the state without having to take a test -- streamlining the appointment process so state agencies can hire diverse, qualified permanent employees quickly. Typically, to gain employment through the state, DCS offers an application schedule each month for the entry-level civil service exams. These tests are open to anyone who meets the qualifications listed on the examination announcement.

There are thousands of positions across state agencies within the HELP program.

State agencies attending the HELP Virtual Career Fair include: Office of Mental Health; New York State Insurance Fund; Stony Brook University Hospital; Office of Children and Family Services; Office of Medicaid Inspector General; Office of Addiction Services; Department of Health.

These state agencies are hiring new employees under the HELP Program through March 31, 2024. New state employees hired under the program will be appointed on a permanent basis.

JOB OPENINGS

The following are job openings for those agencies attending the virtual career fair: Medical specialist; licensed psychologist; physical therapist; nurse practitioner, family health; occupational therapist; psychiatrist; physician assistant; nurse practitioner; nursing assistant; youth counselor; associate psychologist; health care surveyor; nursing station clerk; medical assistant; child protective specialist; clinical social worker; registered nurse; direct care staff; addiction counselor; clinical physician; social worker; recreation therapist, and more.

PREVIEW DAY

Before the HELP Virtual Career Fair, a Preview Day will be held Wednesday, May 10, at 9 a.m.. The Preview Day will allow participants to visit exhibitor booths and view informative videos and available job openings.

REGISTRATION

To attend the New York State HELP Virtual Career Fair, those interested must register online. Please upload a resume before the live event as well. Registration is available at the New York State Department of Labor website.

For more information about this event, contact VIRTUALJOBFAIRS@LABOR.NY.Gov.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In remembrance of those who have died, here is a collection of obituaries posted on SILive.com. Viewing times and guestbooks can be found here.

Joseph Cannizzaro, 64, returned home to his Lord and Savior on May 5, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Joe grew up in Travis on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island. He attended St. John Villa Academy, St. Peters High School and went on to graduate from St. Johns University. He fondly reflected on his childhood, having such wonderful memories of growing up in Travis and spending his younger years in his fathers diner, Ja Nets. In his younger years he owned Rocket Auto Sales, a wholesale car company, then established Community Respond, an alarm company providing security systems and guard service to many Staten Island homes and businesses. His professional journey then led him to real estate where he formed Global Source Investments. Joe was a reputable and well-liked landlord, owning an office building at 1911 Richmond Avenue from 1990 until 2022. Joe was a passionate and knowledgeable motorcycle and classic car enthusiast. He was a huge presence, vibrant and full of life. To know him was a gift; he left a lasting impression on everyone that he met. For the full obit, click here.
As we all know, Todt Hill Road is the main artery from Mid-Island to other parts of New York City and New Jersey. This road is getting congested every day as thousands of people travel on it. There are days and certain times that traffic is stalled and the congestion leaves people waiting  and if there is an accident, then the story is worse.

To avoid traffic on Todt Hill Road, people are going through small Benedict Road and are coming out on Willow Pond Avenue, which creates another mess for people living on Benedict Road.

A few years ago, the curve on Todt Hill Road was supposed to be straightened out. But, so far, nothing has been done to correct it. Due to the severity of the current congestion, I ask our great governor, Kathy Hochul, and our elected officials, to please ask the state to give the local government part of the state property from Ocean Terrace going south to Circle Road for the expansion of Todt Hill Road.

We are aware that no expansion can be done on the left side of the road going south, as there are houses already built. But , there is plenty of property on the right side that the state can allow to be used for expansion  and correct the Todt Hill curve as well.

I hope New York state will consider this most important issue of our of community on Staten Island .

(Dr. Mohammad Khalid is president of the Iron Hills Civic Association of Staten Island Inc.)
South Korea and Japan's efforts to improve their once-strained relationship and boost military ties are key to countering North Korea, America's top general said.

United States army chief of staff James McConville was in Seoul this week for talks with senior South Korean military leaders. He visited the Demilitarised Zone, which divides the two Koreas.

He spoke to AFP and other media Tuesday in the Panmunjom Truce Village, just days after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a landmark visit to Seoul for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, who vowed a "new future" for the historically troubled alliance.

"Peace comes through strength and that strength comes from countries that share the same values, that share the same interest, that understand the importance of having peace and stability and security in the region so you get prosperity," McConville said, when asked about trilateral military cooperation.

Tokyo and Seoul have recently sought to bury the historical hatchet over Japan's brutal 1910 to 1945 colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula, as the two countries -- both key security allies of the United States -- face growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang.

North Korea has conducted a record-breaking string of launches in 2023, including test-firing the country's first solid-fuel ballistic missile -- a key technical breakthrough for leader Kim Jong Un's military.

Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence cooperation in response, staging a series of major military exercises this year, including two drills with Tokyo -- and pledging to do more.

McConville walked around Panmunjom -- where then-US president Donald Trump met North Korea's Kim in 2019 -- as a North Korean guard peaked through a curtain on their side of the border, possibly taking photos of the top US general.

McConville told reporters including AFP that it was "time to have no conflicts in the region".

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Were all here today because trade is all our livelihood, John Atkins, president of Global Containers Terminal New York, said in his testimony at the U.S. House Committee of Ways and Means hearing in Staten Island on Tuesday.

Global Containers Terminal hosted the committees Trade in America: Securing Supply Chains and Protecting the American Worker hearing at its location in the West Shore Green Zone, during which farmers, business owners and executives testified on the impact of federal labor and trade policies in their industries.

The Ways and Means Committees first field hearing on Trade in America taking place in Staten Island will focus on how the United States can hold China accountable, stop unfair and illicit trade practices, secure our critical supply chains, and ensure America has the tools to compete and win, Jason Smith, chair of Ways and Means, said in the hearing announcement.

As chairman, I am committed to giving Americans directly impacted by these issues a voice in developing policies that will refocus Americas trade agenda on protecting workers and strengthening our economy.

The witnesses at the hearing varied in the sectors and industries they work in, but they concurred that the government needs to expand and enact legislation that supports American trade and labor, both domestically and internationally by closing policy loopholes that undermine the U.S.s competitiveness in the global market.

The U.S. House Committee of Ways and Means listens to testimonies at its first field hearing on trade in America at Global Containers Terminal on Staten Island's West Shore on May 9, 2023 (Staten Island Advance/Giavanni Alves)Giavanni Alves

COMPETING WITH CHINA

A large theme in the testimonies was the need for the U.S. government to take measures to ensure an even playing field for American companies in trade, thereby also supporting jobs.

Thomas OShei, president of United Steelworkers Local 135L, pointed out loopholes, such as the nations high de minimis thresholds, which allow China to thrive in direct to consumer imports.

The U.S. has one of the highest de minimis thresholds on the globe. Set at $800, this allows for significant volumes of direct to consumer imports to enter the U.S. market from international locations. The lack of reciprocity means that U.S. businesses and workers do not have the ability to compete, OShei said.

In addition, such a high de minimis threshold means that significant manufactured goods, like tires, could go straight to consumers without properly accounting for duties.

John Romano, co-CEO of Tronox Holdings, a vertically integrated producer of titanium dioxide  a mineral used as pigment for goods, such as paints and plastic products  spoke to the companys standing in the industry and the threat that China poses.

Tronox is considering opening a rare earth processing plant in Hamilton, Mississippi, aimed at supplying U.S.-based customers, which would contribute to the economy and support manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The company is seeking support from the U.S. government, bolstering in the international market to compete with China.

The threat from China is a clear and present danger not only to our core titanium dioxide business but to our plans to expand grow our rare earth business in the U.S. While China accounted for 36% of global titanium dioxide production a decade ago, today China accounts for 52%, Romano said, noting that Tronox projects Chinese production could account for up to 70% of global demand for the mineral by 2030.

Though rich in mineral reserves, China has consistently sought to disrupt the normal functioning of the free market to serve its geopolitical ends, Romano said.

The co-CEO recalled when China, in 2010, suddenly reduced export quotas by 40% on rare earth mineral exports and in doing so pushed global rare earth prices sharply higher  in some cases tenfold.

This type of market manipulation and price volatility is why U.S. companies seeking to enter the rare earth industry need U.S. support, Romano added.

Witnesses listen to members of the U.S. House Committee of Ways and Means speaking during the committee's first field hearing on trade in America at Global Containers Terminal on Staten Island's West Shore on May 9, 2023 (Staten Island Advance/Giavanni Alves)Giavanni Alves

Nury Turkel, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, also commented on Chinas dominance in the global market, with particular interest in the countrys human rights violations.

Turkel, who is Uyghur-American, called for the federal government to more strictly enforce laws, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, to prevent goods produced by Uyghur forced laborers from being imported into the U.S.

This committee must keep front of mind that China is Americas top source of imports, and it is China that is using forced labor as a tool of genocide, he said.

Let us be clear: forced labor is the profit-making dimension of an ongoing genocide. Business complicity must be taken completely off the table. The current laws must be fully enforced and even amended to ensure that the American people are not unwittingly complicity in powering a genocide with their dollars, Turkel added.

The official also noted that Chinas forced labor allows for lower prices creating an environment in which competition is truly impossible for American workers.

SUPPORTING LOCAL INDUSTRIES

Dale Hemminger, owner of Hemdale Farms Dairy and Greenhouses, testified on the challenges facing American farmers.

Hemmingers upstate farm primarily produces dairy and vegetables. He noted that nearly one in every five gallons of dairy products are exported, making international trade a key stream of income. However, Canada has proven a major competitor.

Over the last 30 years the Canadian dairy industry has masterly outsmarted numerous trade agreements keeping their market mostly closed to U.S. products, Hemminger explained.

The U.S. House Committee of Ways and Means holds first field hearing on trade in America at Global Containers Terminal on Staten Island's West Shore on May 9, 2023 (Staten Island Advance/Giavanni Alves)Giavanni Alves

The farmer/business owner said he competes with Canada to sell large volumes of vegetables, the same products that are being imported from Canada.

Their products undercut my cost of production because of Canadian subsidies, including a trucking for export subsidy, investment grants and government controlled low cost inputs like energy that makes them more competitive, he said.

The other major challenge is labor costs, between federal and state labor laws, Hemminger said.

He noted that Hemdale Farms is up to the challenge of competing in global markets but called for a level playing field with open markets and cost structure where we can be competitive with both our income and expenses.

If this is not the case, I owe it to my family and community to change my focus and possibly my location, Hemminger added.

Atkins commented on the need to boost the U.S.s export market as imports have been lower recently. Volume at the Global Center Terminals port on Staten Island year-over-year is down about 42% and down 15% since 2019 due to consumer reaction post-pandemic. One contributing factor has been the high mortgage rates resulting in a decline in home sales and thereby a decline in importing home goods, he said.

Global Container Terminals plans to increase its capacity by 65% through 2027 and double by 2030 thanks to private investment and federal infrastructure funding.

Any beneficial moves that could be made to incentivize the export market will help not just the American worker, but will help the ports we see here today, Atkins said.

We are tied so tightly to consumerism; a healthier economy is what brings that through. Anything we can do to get more people employed through trade policies, enforcement, anything that gets people to work gets money into the system.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) speaks at the U.S. House Committee of Ways and Means' first field hearing on trade in America at Global Containers Terminal on Staten Island's West Shore on May 9, 2023 (Staten Island Advance/Giavanni Alves)Giavanni Alves

REP. MALLIOTAKIS REFLECTS

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), who sits on the Ways and Means committee, discussed the committees goals and reflected on the hearing.

The congresswoman referred to the Global Center Terminal port as an example of areas where there is room for economic growth.

The port is a big provider of jobs for our community and economic activity in the borough. We want to look for opportunities to help port increase its capacity, Malliotakis said.

The congresswoman expressed confidence in exporting overseas, which she said is an area with a lot of opportunity for GDP growth.

When I talk about exporting and how that can help improve our GDP, our economy, help American businesses, help American workers; its about having a pro-growth tax policy that helps manufacturing in this country again and helps us, and then a trade policy that helps provide new markets to export. And that will benefit this port greatly. It will create more jobs here on Staten Island. It will be a great stimulus to our borough, our state and the country, Malliotakis said.

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Last month another US firm, management consultants Bain & Co, were visited by Chinese police. Its employees were questioned and computers and phones were confiscated. Then, on Monday, state media broadcast images of raids on multiple offices of yet another international advisory group, Capvision, questioning its employees and seizing its computers. Capvision has claimed that it connects more than 2000 of its clients to more than 450,000 experts with specialist expertise. Chinese state media broadcast images this week of raids on multiple offices of international advisory group, Capvision, questioning its employees and seizing its computers. Credit: AP China has always been sensitive about the extent to which Western companies and their governments have access to corporate and government data and insights, largely because of the blurred lines in its economy between the corporate sector and the military, and the extent to which the activities of the corporate sector, much of it state-owned, are shaped and directed by Beijings view of its national interests. Amid the heightened tensions generated by the trade war with the US and that countrys efforts to cut its access to the Wests most advanced technologies, China has become even more protective of information about its companies and its military.

After initially targeting excessive leverage in its property, and causing a massive implosion in that sector, last year the authorities cracked down on Chinas technology sector and wiped more than $US1 trillion ($1.5 trillion) from its value. The focus this year appears to be on the transfer of information from inside China to foreign companies and governments. Apart from the raids on foreign consultancies, Chinas data providers had already been ordered to stop providing foreigners access to detailed information on Chinese companies and Chinas economy. Its difficult to see how Western companies could invest in China while exposing themselves to open-ended risk by investing essentially blind in an environment where there is no clarity about whats sensitive information and whats not. Last month the Chinese legislature revised its Counterespionage Law, originally enacted in 2014, to restrict the transfer of information related to national security and state interests and expanded the definition of espionage to include any material related to national security and state interests  without defining what they might mean. Presumably, the information China now regards as state secrets is related to its competitive advantages or its military, but the lack of definition means foreign companies operating in China have no clear idea of where the boundaries between data that is sensitive and that which isnt a lie.

It is apparent from the authorities actions that even accessing and providing foreign companies or institutions with open-source data published on Chinas internet might be considered espionage. Loading Foreign companies cant invest without access to detailed information on prospective partners, competitors and the economy and market they are considering investing in. Companies investing in China, as they would in any other market, have relied on consultants and publicly available data to gather information and conduct the due diligence programs that are routine prerequisites in any Western investment decision. Chinese corporate registry databases have, however, been directed not to make their data available outside mainland China, Capvisions experts will no longer be available and the consultants will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for companies to undertake their due diligence investigations.

What was supposed to be an open door has been transformed into a gateway to risk for companies and their executives. The risk isnt just to potential investment returns from inadequately researched transactions but the safety and freedom of individuals, given the vagueness around what constitutes espionage. Data or contact with experts that might be routine and uncontroversial anywhere else could lead to an arrest in China. Chinas sensitivity is understandable. The nexus between its corporate and military sectors means that some commercial activity has military applications and sharing information on that activity could see valuable intelligence made available to geopolitical rivals. New Premier Li Qiang insists China is open for business with foreign companies, which makes Beijings decisions very curious. Credit: AP There are defence-related think tanks in the US that do use, or at least have used, publicly available Chinese data to provide insights into its militarys capabilities and into the relationships between Chinese companies and the military.

Those insights could also help inform Western governments when they are considering  as they have done  whether to restrict Chinas access to particular technologies or whether to impose sanctions on companies or individuals. The data hoovered by the consultancies, or even Western auditors operating within China, could be valuable to foreign intelligence agencies. Loading Foreign investment is, however, important to China. The Financial Times has estimated that more than a third of its exports are generated by foreign companies operating in China. China also still needs access, not just to their capital but their technology and expertise. Its difficult to see how Western companies could invest in China while exposing themselves to open-ended risk by investing essentially blind in an environment where there is no clarity about whats sensitive information and whats not.
The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo would likely shut for almost three years to allow for the knock-down and rebuild of the museums 35-year-old wing.

Management of Australias leading science and technology museum will begin moving dozens of staff out of the Ultimo location from next month when an application for the sites redevelopment could be lodged.

A construction period of 30 months is estimated for the $500 million redevelopment, which will upgrade exhibition and circulation spaces and reorient the museums entrance towards the city. The museum was expected to close in December,with tenders to go out early next year, and in this scenario the rebuilt museum would not reopen until 2026.

Render of the new-look Powerhouse when it reopens in 2026.

The broad timetable for the redevelopment was disclosed for the first time in a briefing called by new arts minister John Graham, who has ordered transparency around the planned rebuild.
When youre picking out some flowers for Mothers Day, its worth thinking about how you can give mum something beautiful without the ugly underbelly that underpins so much of the unsustainable floristry and floral design industries.

Its an issue driven by the industrys excessive use of single-use plastic, like packaging, decorations, and floral foam (the water-absorbing base used for flower arranging), and the heavy carbon and chemical footprint associated with imported flowers.

Research has found Australians were set to spend $754 million on Mothers Day in 2022 with flowers (34 per cent of those surveyed) being the most popular gift.

Sophie Wolanski from Muck Florals about to install some sustainable flowers at a store in Mosman ahead of Mothers Day. Credit: Wolter Peeters

So, how can you buy more sustainable blooms this year? A growing awareness of these problems is driving a shift within the floral industry to pursue more sustainable practices.
Tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people in southern Sudan, the country's doctors union said Wednesday, raising fears the war between the country's rival top generals, currently centered in the capital, could set off more violence in far-flung provinces.

It remained unclear whether the tribal clashes were related to the brutal fighting that ignited mid-April across the country as a result of a power struggle between the military's head, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

The tribal violence in the south erupted Monday between the Hausa and Nuba tribes in the city of Kosti, the capital of White Nile province bordering South Sudan, according to Sudanese local media reports.

Deadly tribal violence is not uncommon in Sudan's south and west, where disputes dating back to the country's split from South Sudan remain unresolved.

The country's wider conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The violence has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province. Last month, armed fighters, many in RSF uniforms, rampaged through the city of Genena in West Darfur killing at least 100 people, according to the doctors' group, the Sudanese Doctor's Syndicate, which mainly tracks civilian fatalities.

The UN's migration agency said that 700,000 people have now been displaced by the violence, in updated figures released Tuesday, more than double the tally from a week prior.

Before the fighting started, 3.7 million people were already displaced internally, mainly in western Darfur, according to the agency's figures.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Wednesday that food insecurity in Sudan is expected to surge to record levels due to the conflict, affecting more than 19 million people, or two-fifths of the population, according to the World Food Program

A series of cease-fires has failed to stop the fighting and prompted foreign governments to speed up the evacuation of their citizens from the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Sudans warring parties are holding talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, but have made little progress as of Monday regarding a more sustained humanitarian truce, a UN official in Sudan told The Associated Press.

The talks, the first since the fighting erupted, are a part of a Saudi-US initiative meant to stop the fighting.

The UN official added that the gap between the two sides' positions remains wide, due to deep mistrust. He called for more pressure on the two generals, especially from their regional backers.

The military has traditionally been backed by Egypts government, and the RSF has enjoyed support from the United Arab Emirates.

They should give concessions to reach a compromise, he said.

The military has demanded that the RSF withdraw from Khartoum's neighborhoods and its hospitals, power and oil facilities to one central base outside the city, according to two senior military officials with direct knowledge of the talks.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary group is saying that it should retain control of all of the bases it had held prior to the conflict, including at key locations inside the capital, such as the Khartoum Airport, according to two RSF officials involved in the preparations for the talks.

They said the RSF is also looking to ensure its ranks are still paid out of the national budget and that its wounded soldiers can receive adequate medical treatment.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk the media because of the ongoing negotiations.

Saudi Arabias Foreign Ministry had said the talks aim to achieve an effective short-term cease-fire to facilitate humanitarian assistance, and agree on a timetable for further negotiations to reach a permanent cease-fire.

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Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has welcomed Australian Trade Minister Don Farrells arrival in China.

It is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples to improve, maintain and develop well Sino-Australian relations, Wang said at a regular press briefing tonight.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. Credit: AP

I can tell you here that China and Australia are both important countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and the economic structures of the two countries are highly complementary.

The tone from the Foreign Ministry, its ambassadors and Chinese state media has shifted markedly over the past year as China pushes for a shift in relations despite making few substantial trade or diplomatic concessions.

It was only in December 2021 that Wang accused the Australian government of abusing the concept of national security and hurling unsubstantiated accusations and attacks against China, provoking tensions and instigating confrontation.

There has been a change in government but no real policy changes from either side since then. Both sides are playing for a rhetorical reset hoping it might lay the ground for policy shifts in Beijing and Canberra without either side losing face.
First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on May, 12, 1993.

The three women in Brett Whiteleys life came together yesterday - to battle over the artists will in the NSW Supreme Court.

In a crowded courtroom  standing room only for latecomers - Arkie Whiteley, 28, took the witness stand to swear that her father had told her she would be very wealthy when he died.

Miss Janice Spencer, Whiteleys girlfriend, also took her oath and said Whiteley had promised that if anything happens to me, you will be taken care of.
Protesters gathering outside train stations including in Martin Place and around Town Hall in Sydney are running the risk of being fined or imprisoned under tough anti-protest laws rushed through state parliament last year, the NSW Supreme Court has heard.

Climate change protesters Dominique Jacobs and Helen Kvelde, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office, launched a constitutional challenge last year to the new laws, which criminalise a range of protest activities in or near major facilities such as ports, roads and train stations.

The maximum penalty is a $22,000 fine, imprisonment for two years, or both.

Rallygoers listen to a speaker at the steps of Sydney Town Hall in July. Credit: Flavio Brancelone

Lawyers for the protesters argue the laws, introduced by the former NSW Coalition government with the support of the then Labor opposition, fall foul of the implied freedom of political communication in the Commonwealth Constitution.
When counsel assisting the inquiry, Erin Longbottom, KC, asked whether he thought there was a conspiracy afoot, Drumgold responded, I had not formed a view one way or the other, but I thought there was enough instances to make it possible if not probable. On a day in which Drumgold also emotionally expressed regret for a public statement he made in support of Higgins, his testimony spurred both Reynolds and Cash to reject his allegations of political interference, saying they were without foundation. Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash both vehemently denied any suggestion of interference in the trial. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Mr Drumgold SC intimated that I may have exerted political pressure on the AFP in the conduct of the investigation or somehow interfered in the investigation. I reject this suggestion categorically and consider it an affront to my reputation, Reynolds said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon. This suggestion is baseless and without any foundation. In fact, it was me who referred Ms Higgins to the AFP on 1 April 2019.

Cash, who employed Higgins in her office after Reynolds in 2019, was declared an unfavourable witness by Drumgold during the trial, in which she denied knowing about the allegation while Higgins was working for her and agreed any cover-up would have been political suicide. She denied Drumgolds assertions in almost identical words to Reynolds. Drumgold, who accused police pressuring against the prosecution of losing their objectivity, said one of his hypotheses about the conduct he observed was a government minister exerting pressure through a federal commissioner onto ACT Policing to make the matter go away. Asked by Sofronoff why would you think that? Drumgold replied, Im looking at circumstantial strands. Im looking at enthusiastic engagement by a senator, Im looking at unprecedented pressure being placed on me and unprecedented actions being, a number of police held [the view] this matter shouldnt proceed, and a number of other factors. He did not name the senator.

During the trial, Drumgold had questioned Reynolds about her partner sitting at the back of the courtroom while she was giving evidence. She said she had not spoken to him about her evidence as it was made plain to her that was unacceptable. Drumgold told the inquiry he believed there was enough circumstantial evidence Reynolds  a senator for Western Australia  had arranged for her partner to sit in the back of the courtroom for an improper purpose. Sofronoff said the circumstantial evidence was simply the partners presence, to which Drumgold replied, just his presence in a trial his partner is giving evidence in, on the other side of the country. During the hearing on Wednesday, Drumgold fought back tears when he admitted he probably shouldnt have made supportive statements of Higgins when he fronted a media conference on December 2 announcing there would be no retrial of Lehrmann.

Longbottom took Drumgold to the part of his press conference in which he said, Miss Higgins has faced a level of personal attack that I have not seen in over 20 years of doing this work. She has done so with bravery, grace and dignity, and it is my hope that this will now stop, and Miss Higgins will be allowed to heal. Drumgold said, I realised I probably shouldnt have done it and became emotional as he said, I foolishly thought [the media] might give her a break. Asked whether he had turned his mind to the effect his statement would have on Lehrmann, who had pleaded not guilty to raping Higgins and has maintained his innocence, he said, possibly not as much as I should have. Loading The inquiry was told earlier that ACT Policing deputy commissioner Joanne Cameron warned her police offers against speaking with Lehrmanns barristers less than two weeks before a senior investigator allegedly told defence lawyer Steven Whybrow he would resign if the jury found him guilty.
Melbournes unofficial greyhound capital  the inner-northern suburbs  may finally get an off-leash area for the racers-turned-pets, but some owners say its time for an end to breed-specific rules which prevent their pets from running in normal dog parks.

Moonee Valley City Council on Tuesday night voted to push ahead with planning and consulting on a possible off-leash area specifically for greyhounds after five potential sites were identified in the municipality.

Natasha Birimac would be keen to take her greyhound, Jayce, to an off-leash park. Credit: Wayne Taylor

In Victoria, pet greyhounds are banned from being off-leash in public spaces, including in council off-leash areas, due to their pace and past training to chase lures. The exception is at greyhound-only sites, but across the state there are just six of these, forcing owners to drive significant distances and pay fees to use them.

Only three of these facilities are in metropolitan Melbourne  Cranbourne, Broadmeadows and Park Orchards all have dirt practice racing lines known as slipping tracks. There is also a privately owned dog park in Heatherton that holds greyhound-only sessions for paying members.
Staff at one of Melbournes biggest universities are being urged to offer rooms to international students amid concerns they will turn their backs on Australia as the rent crisis stings.

Monash University Student Union said this week that the housing situation had become so dire that options that werent ideal needed to be considered.

International student Xinyu Zhang says it is difficult for international students to find a house that is safe and affordable in Melbourne. Credit: Penny Stephens

Union president Sebastian Schultz said the union was encouraging tutors or educators to help house international students.

Weve gotten to such a point that ... we need to reconsider options that we knew werent ideal, and we ruled out because we thought we werent at that stage, Schultz said. It looks like were at that stage.
Alcoa has been given a month to reduce the risk of water contaminated with forever chemical PFAS overflowing at its Willowdale mine inland of Bunbury in Western Australia and risking the environment and human health.

The WA environment regulator has given the US company a long list of actions after an inspection in March found water contaminated with nearly twice the level of PFAS considered safe for areas of high conservation levels, such as the jarrah forest Alcoa mines for bauxite.

The regulator condemned the pipeline Alcoa built to move PFAS across a water supply dam as easily damaged and not built to requirements. Credit: Anon.

A Department of Water and Environmental Regulation notice issued on May 5 said Alcoa employees had told it the PFAS-contaminated wastewater had to be disposed of urgently before heavy winter rain could cause the areas where it was stored to overflow.

Last year, Alcoa attempted to address this risk from past use of firefighting foam that contained PFAS by using a pipeline to carry the contaminated water over the Samson Dam public drinking water dam.
If you have deep pockets, you could be neighbours with some of the most powerful names in Perth.

A premium clifftop address along millionaires row is Perths most expensive listed rental.

The house along Saunders Street in Mosman Park is listed for $2800 a week and includes six bedrooms and four bathrooms, a saltwater swimming pool, and palatial adults retreat.

Flanked by the Swan River and just minutes from Cottesloe and Leighton beaches, the home features 550 square metres of under-roof area, including balconies and terraces to enjoy the view.
The Albanese government will spend $159 million over four years to give every MP an extra member of staff to cope with their increasing workloads due to larger constituencies and the growing demands of social media.

The measure was announced in Tuesdays budget as a partial response to former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins review of federal parliaments workplace culture, which highlighted the long and irregular hours, high levels of stress and significant workload political staffers face.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied that the court case brought by former staffer Sally Rugg (right) against independent MP Monique Ryan (left) led to the increased staffing for MPs that was announced in the budget. Credit: Jason South/Alex Ellinghausen

The decision follows a $100,000 settlement reached by activist Sally Rugg with the Commonwealth and independent MP Monique Ryan over her dismissal, after Rugg refused to work what she argued were unreasonable hours. There was no admission of fault from Ryan or the Commonwealth.

The staffing boost means all 151 lower house MPs and 76 senators will be able to increase their electorate office workforce from four to five people. Any single member of any MPs office will now also be able to travel to Canberra for parliamentary sittings, rather than just one nominated member of staff.
A 1920s bungalow in Tamarama that was for sale with $50 million hopes has sold, reinforcing an age-old adage that when it comes to real estate it is all about location, location, location.

Lang Syne is a local landmark thanks to its prime position on 1100 square metres of oceanfront reserve privately elevated above the popular Bondi to Bronte walk with uninterrupted views up and down the coast.

The sale is not only a record for Sydneys eastern beaches, but the highest of its kind in any oceanfront suburb in the state.

The exact sale result will be revealed at settlement given what a well-placed source said are strict gag orders on all those involved, but secrets rarely remain as such for long when it comes to Sydneys most expensive real estate.
No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started jailbreaking the artificial intelligence chatbot  trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene.

But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration to let thousands of hackers take a shot at testing the limits of their technology.

Some of the things they'll be looking to find: How can chatbots be manipulated to cause harm? Will they share the private information we confide in them to other users? And why do they assume a doctor is a man and a nurse is a woman?

This is why we need thousands of people," said Rumman Chowdhury, lead coordinator of the mass hacking event planned for this summer's DEF CON hacker convention in Las Vegas that's expected to draw several thousand people. "We need a lot of people with a wide range of lived experiences, subject matter expertise and backgrounds hacking at these models and trying to find problems that can then go be fixed.

Anyone whos tried ChatGPT, Microsofts Bing chatbot or Googles Bard will have quickly learned that they have a tendency to fabricate information and confidently present it as fact. These systems, built on whats known as large language models, also emulate the cultural biases theyve learned from being trained upon huge troves of what people have written online.

The idea of a mass hack caught the attention of U.S. government officials in March at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, where Sven Cattell, founder of DEF CONs long-running AI Village, and Austin Carson, president of responsible AI nonprofit SeedAI, helped lead a workshop inviting community college students to hack an AI model.

Carson said those conversations eventually blossomed into a proposal to test AI language models following the guidelines of the White Houses Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights  a set of principles to limit the impacts of algorithmic bias, give users control over their data and ensure that automated systems are used safely and transparently.

Theres already a community of users trying their best to trick chatbots and highlight their flaws. Some are official red teams authorized by the companies to prompt attack the AI models to discover their vulnerabilities. Many others are hobbyists showing off humorous or disturbing outputs on social media until they get banned for violating a products terms of service.

What happens now is kind of a scattershot approach where people find stuff, it goes viral on Twitter, and then it may or may not get fixed if its egregious enough or the person calling attention to it is influential, Chowdhury said.

In one example, known as the grandma exploit, users were able to get chatbots to tell them how to make a bomb  a request a commercial chatbot would normally decline  by asking it to pretend it was a grandmother telling a bedtime story about how to make a bomb.

In another example, searching for Chowdhury using an early version of Microsoft's Bing search engine chatbot  which is based on the same technology as ChatGPT but can pull real-time information from the internet  led to a profile that speculated Chowdhury loves to buy new shoes every month and made strange and gendered assertions about her physical appearance.

Chowdhury helped introduce a method for rewarding the discovery of algorithmic bias to DEF CONs AI Village in 2021 when she was the head of Twitter's AI ethics team  a job that has since been eliminated upon Elon Musk's October takeover of the company. Paying hackers a bounty if they uncover a security bug is commonplace in the cybersecurity industry  but it was a newer concept to researchers studying harmful AI bias.

This year's event will be at a much greater scale, and is the first to tackle the large language models that have attracted a surge of public interest and commercial investment since the release of ChatGPT late last year.

Chowdhury, now the co-founder of AI accountability nonprofit Humane Intelligence, said it's not just about finding flaws but about figuring out ways to fix them.

This is a direct pipeline to give feedback to companies, she said. Its not like were just doing this hackathon and everybodys going home. Were going to be spending months after the exercise compiling a report, explaining common vulnerabilities, things that came up, patterns we saw.

Some of the details are still being negotiated, but companies that have agreed to provide their models for testing include OpenAI, Google, chipmaker Nvidia and startups Anthropic, Hugging Face and Stability AI. Building the platform for the testing is another startup called Scale AI, known for its work in assigning humans to help train AI models by labeling data.

As these foundation models become more and more widespread, its really critical that we do everything we can to ensure their safety, said Scale CEO Alexandr Wang. You can imagine somebody on one side of the world asking it some very sensitive or detailed questions, including some of their personal information. You dont want any of that information leaking to any other user.

Other dangers Wang worries about are chatbots that give out unbelievably bad medical advice or other misinformation that can cause serious harm.

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said the DEF CON event will hopefully be the start of a deeper commitment from AI developers to measure and evaluate the safety of the systems they are building.

Our basic view is that AI systems will need third-party assessments, both before deployment and after deployment. Red-teaming is one way that you can do that, Clark said. We need to get practice at figuring out how to do this. It hasn't really been done before.

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At the outset of his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump famously said, I could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters. Today, after being found liable in a civil suit for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, Trump can say, I can beat a rape charge and even sustain conviction of a witch-hunt phoney hoax sexual assault charge on Fifth Avenue, and not lose any voters.

Carroll is very courageous. We know from experience here, with Jarryd Haynes case and Brittany Higgins aborted trial, how searing and arduous it is for women to obtain a conviction after alleging that they were raped. That a jury substantially believed Carroll about events she related from 30 years ago is proof that justice can prevail.

E. Jean Carroll and Donald Trump.

But Trump is somehow able to defy political gravity that would claim other mortals. No chief executive of a listed company in the United States can keep his job if even an accusation of sexual impropriety is made. Just two weeks ago, the head of NBC Universal was forced to resign for an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company. Trump, the former president who was impeached twice, and who is facing further criminal proceedings from New York to Georgia to Washington DC on charges of corrupting political and electoral processes, is not only still in the game to return as the Republican presidential nominee  but is the frontrunner today. It is astonishing.

Trump has one playbook: deny, defame, discredit. Never admit, never concede, never retreat. Always appeal. Right after the verdict, Trump posted that the court proceedings were a disgrace and a witch-hunt comprised of Democratic Party justice from Democratic prosecutors and a Democratic judge in the Democratic city of New York. Americas politics are so infested with rancid hyper partisanship that even deeply scarred candidates for the House and Senate who lie about their careers or who are accused of sexual assault are not denied a place on the ballot by Republican voters.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Fire Department is calling on the community to be extra vigilant for the coming weeks and months as the country enters the annual Caribbean Heat Season which runs from May to October.



According to the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS), heat waves in the Caribbean are more common during the months of August and September.



The Fire Department and Office of Disaster Management (ODM) would like to offer the following tips to help the community manage hot weather as we enter the heating season: Minimize the risks of sun and hot weather; prepare your household, pets and workplace; avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day; for those working outdoors, get relief from and avoid the effects of heat by adjusting your attire and activities to limit sun exposure, heat and exertion.



Hot cars/trucks can be deadly. Dont leave children in cars/trucks; be aware of heat-related illness such as high body temperature, vomiting, and pale and clammy skin; stay cool with air-conditioning, or at a pool; avoid going out during the hottest hours, and wear sunscreen if necessary; drink lots of water; wear lightweight, light-colored clothes; wear a hat or carry an umbrella with you when youre out; help others by checking on those at risk, like the sick, older adults, pregnant women, and children.



Keep pets safe and healthy in the heat by: never leave pets in the car/truck; avoid hot surfaces like asphalt that may burn your pets paws; offer water and shade at all times; move indoor pets, like fish and birds, away from windows or direct sunlight; watch for heat stress such as excessive panting, drooling, weakness, and reluctance to move in a pet may be caused by heat stress.



Stay aware of your own wellness and that of others: family members, friends, and work colleagues.



In case of a fire emergency call: 919. The Fire Department falls under the Ministry of General Affairs.



For health/medical emergencies call 911.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA), would like to acknowledge the nurses of the department on International Nurses Week which is being observed globally this week. The week culminates into International Nurses Day (IND) on Friday, May 12.



Nurses play a key role in all health-related institutions and are the backbone of the health system. Their responsibility is toward the welfare, safety, and recovery of patients.



IND was created to honor and pay tribute to all nurses. Friday, May 12 marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the date that the nursing profession was born.



The International Council of Nurses (ICN) theme for IND-2023 is, Our Nurses. Our Future. The ICN is a federation that represents the interests of the nursing profession of millions of nurses worldwide.



The ICN theme sets out what the federation wants for nursing in years to come to address global health challenges.



CPS would like to say thank you to its nurses and nurses on Sint Maarten for all that they do in safeguarding our community.
Cay Hill:--- For the 8th time, the Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School in Cay Hill was honored to assist the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps by providing them with a command center for yet another annual hurricane exercise - HUREX. Between May 1-9, approximately 300 Marines from Sint Maarten, Aruba, and

Curacao practiced and simulated different hurricane scenarios at multiple locations in Dutch Sint Maarten.

This preparation exercise is designed to train the soldiers to get themselves and their equipment set up as quickly as possible in the event of another major Hurricane. In this years exercise, the soldiers took over the gymnasium and six different classrooms at the Asha Stevens campus in Cay Hill, adjacent to NIPA

and the Fire Brigade.

Asha Stevens-Mohabier, Founder and Chief Executive Director of Hillside Christian Schools, said, It is our great honor to host HUREX for yet another year. There is nobody that we trust more in the event of a major hurricane than these dedicated troops. Our excellent working relationship continues to thrive and we look forward to many more years of collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and their corps, concluded Stevens.

Sergeant Major Erik Florie, stationed in Sint Maarten, expressed his gratitude to the school by presenting Mrs. Stevens with a plaque as a token of appreciation. What you and the school does for us every year does not only help us, but it helps the community too. Due to the schools size and central location, we are able to rehearse different hypothetical scenarios in a practical way and optimize the efficiency with which we prepare for the hurricane season ahead. We are very grateful and pleased with the way this years HUREX panned out, said Florie.




PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Ms. Silveria Jacobs will be attending the Caribbean Climate and Energy Conference (CCEC) in Aruba this week. With the hosting of this conference, by Aruba and the Netherlands, the Kingdom of the Netherlands hopes to work towards more awareness for climate action in small island states within the Caribbean.

Previous discussions were held between Prime Minister Jacobs and Minister Jetten regarding opportunities for Sint Maarten internationally, and within the Kingdom, to gain access to funds earmarked for climate action and sustainable development. Furthermore, discussions were held on recommendations as to how Sint Maarten can best tap into the needed funds and technical expertise to help Sint Maarten as a SIDS take climate action.



Following up on these discussions Prime Minister Jacobs, on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Minister Jetten, on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate in the Netherlands. This MoU will strengthen the collaboration between the Netherlands and Sint Maarten in the field of renewable energy and facilitate gaining access to much-needed technical assistance as well as climate action funds.



If my previous discussions and lobbying have provided any insight, it is that there is great importance for Sint Maarten to be part of the discussions where it pertains to green energy and sustainable development for our island. With the signing of this MoU we are poised to make great strides for the sustainability and long-awaited energy transition Sint Maarten envisions, said Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.



More about CCEC and the daily program

Upon the invitation of the Prime Minister of Aruba, Evelyn Wever-Croes, and the Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, Rob Jetten, representatives from regional countries, international organizations, and financial institutions will meet in Aruba. Examples of themes that will be addressed include an inclusive energy transition and financing for all plans.



The first day of the conference will be devoted to the climate and energy transition within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Caribbean islands in the Kingdom will discuss what kind of corporation is needed to achieve the climate goals laid down in the Paris Agreement. Day two of the conference will have an international focus, during which a broad panel of countries, organizations, and development banks will discuss the climate action that is needed for small islands worldwide. On the third day, the participants will dive into different climate and energy-related projects in Aruba and will meet young people to discuss the climate and energy transition.
SABA:--- The Executive Council of Saba will appoint Bram Streppel as the new permanent Island Secretary. He will start in the position on August 1st, 2023. Bram is currently domain manager at the municipality of Velsen, in the European Netherlands, and has built his career since 2011 in policy and management positions in the social domain, civil affairs, client contact centers, and executive and policy support. He is an experienced and inspirational manager who focuses on organizational development and continuous improvement of public organizations.

Bram makes a deliberate choice to serve in the Caribbean Netherlands and has thoroughly prepared to work on Saba. Bram: "I have had numerous conversations with Sabans and people who work on Saba. I have studied documents and visited Saba to get to know Saba and their colleagues at the public entity. I am impressed by what has been achieved on Saba and how well the balance is between the daily care for Sabans, the island, and the investment in longer-term developments. I am very motivated to be able to contribute to this in the coming years."

The search for a new island secretary led to a serious longlist of candidates. Four were interviewed online by the Executive Council. Two final candidates visited Saba and had conversations with future colleagues. The Executive Council decided to appoint Bram Streppel because of his focus on improving the organization and his leadership competencies.

Commissioner Bruce Zagers: "With Bram, we have made a deliberate choice for a younger, though experienced, leader who will strongly focus on improving our organization". Island Governor Jonathan Johnson sees an Island Secretary who will be able to modernize the organization with his energy and experience: "Bram perfectly fits our needs for the next phase of development of the public entity."

Interim Island Secretary Henk de Jong will hand over his responsibilities to Bram Streppel in August.

Consultancy firm CTMH supported the Executive Council in this search.
Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc (NYSE American, AIM and VFEX: CMCL)

Caledonia Mining Corporation PlcA (the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/caledonia-mining-corporation-plc/ ) announces the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders (the aAGMa) held at St Helier, Jersey today.A

The total number of shareholders present in person or by proxy at the AGM was 70, representing 37.87% of the Companya?s outstanding voting shares.A

The table below shows the proxy votes received on resolutions 1(b)[1] to 1(j), which were duly passed by a show of hands, to reappoint the nine nominees proposed for re-election as directors:

[1] Resolution 1(a) would have been to reappoint Mr Leigh Wilson, who retired on May 4, 2023, and therefore this resolution was withdrawn and not put to the AGM

Further resolutions 2 and 3 were also passed at the AGM so that:

BDO South Africa Inc was reappointed as the auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and the directors were authorised to fix its remuneration; and

Holtzhausen, Kelly and Wildschutt were reappointed as members of the Audit Committee.

The full text of each resolution, together with explanatory notes, are set out in the notice of AGM and management information circular dated March 27, 2023 which are available on the Company\-s website at www.caledoniamining.com.

Mr Kelly, who was acting as interim chairman of the board of directors (aChairmana) following the retirement of Mr Leigh Wilson on May 4, 2023, was appointed as Chairman at a meeting of the board immediately following the AGM.A Given the Companya?s policy that the Chairman shall not be a member of the Audit Committee, another independent non-executive director, Mr Gordon Wylie, was appointed to the Audit Committee in his place.

For further information please contact:

Enquiries:

Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc

Mark Learmonth Tel: +44 1534 679 800

Camilla Horsfall Tel: +44 7817 841 793

Cenkos Securities plc (Nomad und gemeinsamer Makler)

Adrian Hadden Tel: +44 207 397 1965

Neil McDonald Tel: +44 131 220 9771

Pearl Kellie Tel: +44 131 220 9775

Liberum Capital Limited (gemeinsamer Makler)

Scott Mathieson/Kane Collings Tel: +44 20 3100 2000

BlytheRay Financial PR (UK)

Tim Blythe/Megan Ray Tel: +44 207 138 3204

3PPB (Financial PR, Nordamerika)

Patrick Chidley Tel: +1 917 991 7701

Paul Durham Tel: +1 203 940 2538

Curate Public Relations (Simbabwe)

Debra Tatenda Tel: +263 77802131

IH Securities (Private) Limited (VFEX Sponsor  Simbabwe)

Lloyd Mlotshwa Tel: +263 (242) 745 119/33/39
TANAKA Launches New Alloy \TK-FS\ for Probe Pins

TOKYO, May 9, 2023  (JCN Newswire)  TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), which operates the TANAKA Precious Metals manufacturing business, announced the launch of TK-FS, a new allow for probe pins of probe cards and test sockets used in the testing process of semiconductor manufacturing. Samples started shipping in July of 2022, and a material with even better performance has been achieved through continuous research and development.

So far, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo has been manufacturing and selling palladium (Pd) materials mainly for pogo pin-type probe pins used in test sockets for final testing (post-processing) of semiconductor packages. The latest TK-FS launch is a material that can be used in a wide range of types of probe pins besides pogo-pin types, such as cantilever-type or vertical-type for wafer testing (pre-processing) probe cards. This product has three unique attributes: a Vickers hardness of at least 500, specific resistance of at most 7.0 micro ohm-cm, and durability that can withstand 10 or more times of repeated bending. In TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo\-s existing products, there is no material that has simultaneously achieved these three qualities of high hardness, low specific resistance, and high pliability. This product succeeded in addressing all requirements, allowing the same material to be used in various types of probe pins.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductors, semiconductor test equipment is used to conduct testing  divided into several stages  to see if the semiconductor is operating properly, how many years it can operate, and whether it is operating safely. Testing using semiconductor test equipment requires extremely high reliability as it is used to assess the performance of the main operations of products that use semiconductors. With the spread of IoT today, the demand for semiconductor-related products is expanding, including the necessity of semiconductors in electronic devices, as well as in a wide range of fields such as automobile and home appliances. At the same time, the market for semiconductor test equipment is also expected to continue developing.

As this product is a material that combines the functions of high Vickers hardness, low specific resistance, and high pliability, it can be used for various types of probe pins. It is expected to contribute toward longer service life and lowering costs in semiconductor test equipment.

For this product, the target is to achieve twice the shipment volume compared to that of existing products by 2028. In the future, the goal is to shift most of the existing products for probe pins to TK-FS. TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo seeks to contribute toward the development of the semiconductor market, which is expected to grow significantly going forward.

Features of TK-FS

 Simultaneously achieves the three functions of a Vickers hardness of at least 500, specific resistance of at most 7.0 micro ohm-cm, and durability that can withstand 10 or more times of repeated bending (based on TANAKA\-s standards)

 Using unique processing technology, it is possible to adjust and offer a wide range of Vickers hardness values (400 to 520)

 Has a higher elongation (8% to 13%) compared to TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo\-s existing probe pin materials

About TANAKA Precious Metals

Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,225 employees, the Group\-s consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, were 787.7 billion yen.*

*From the current consolidated fiscal year, the amounts of sales for some transactions are indicated as net values due to the application of the Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition.

Global industrial business website

https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/

Product inquiries

TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.

https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-on-industrial-products/

Press inquiries

TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.

https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-for-media/

This press release in PDF: http://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/files/20230509_EN.pdf
Google on Wednesday disclosed plans to infuse its dominant search engine with more advanced artificial intelligence technology, a drive that's in response to one of the biggest threats to its long-established position as the internet's main gateway.

The gradual shift in how Google's search engine runs is rolling out three months after Microsoft's Bing search engine started to tap into technology similar to that which powers the artificially intelligent chatbot ChatGPT, which has created one of Silicon Valley's biggest buzzes since Apple released the first iPhone 16 years ago.

Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., already has been testing its own conversational chatbot called Bard. That product, powered by technology called generative AI that also fuels ChatGPT, has only been available to people accepted from a waitlist.

But Google announced Wednesday that Bard will be available to all comers in more than 180 countries and more languages beyond English.

Bard's multilingual expansion will begin with Japanese and Korean before adding about 40 more languages.

Now Google is ready to test the AI waters with its search engine, which has been synonymous with finding things on the internet for the past 20 years and serves as the pillar of a digital advertising empire that generated more than $220 billion in revenue last year.

We are at an exciting inflection point," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told a packed developers conference in a speech peppered with one AI reference after another. We are reimagining all our products, including search.

More AI technology will be coming to Google's Gmail with a Help Me Write option that will produce lengthy replies to emails in seconds, and a tool for photos called Magic Editor that will automatically doctor pictures.

The AI transition will begin cautiously with the search engine that serves as Google's crown jewel.

The deliberate approach reflects the balancing act that Google must negotiate as it tries to remain on the cutting edge while also preserving its reputation for delivering reliable search results  a mantle that could be undercut by artificial intelligence's penchant for fabricating information that sounds authoritative.

The tendency to produce deceptively convincing answers to questions  a phenomenon euphemistically described as hallucinations  has already been cropping up during the early testing of Bard, which like ChatGPT, relies on still-evolving generative AI technology.

Google will take its next AI steps through a newly formed search lab where people in the U.S. can join a waitlist to test how generative AI will be incorporated in search results. The tests also include the more traditional links to external websites where users can read more extensive information about queried topics. It may take several weeks before Google starts sending invitations to those accepted from the waitlist to test the AI-injected search engine.

The AI results will be clearly tagged as an experimental form of technology and Google is pledging the AI-generated summaries will sound more factual than conversational  a distinct contrast from Bard and ChatGPT, which are programmed to convey more human-like personas.

Google is building in guardrails that will prevent the AI baked into the search engine from responding to sensitive questions about health  such as, Should I give Tylenol to a 3-year-old?  and finance matters. In those instances, Google will continue to steer people to authoritative websites.

Google isn't predicting how long it will be before its search engine will include generative AI results for all comers. The Mountain View, California, company has been under intensifying pressure to demonstrate how its search engine will maintain its leadership since Microsoft began to load AI into Bing, which remains a distant second to Google.

The potential threat caused the stock price of Google's parent, Alphabet Inc., to initially plunge, although it has recently bounced back to where it stood when Bing announced its AI plans to great fanfare.

More recently, The New York Times reported Samsung is considering dropping Google as the default search engine on its widely used smartphones, raising the specter that Apple might adopt a similar tactic with the iPhone unless Google can show its search engine can evolve with what appears to be a forthcoming AI-driven revolution.

As it begins to ingrain AI in its search engine, Google is aiming to make Bard smarter by connecting with the next generation of a massive data set known as a large language model, or LLM, that fuels it.

The LLM that Bard relies on is dubbed Pathways Language Model, or PaLM. The AI in Google's search engine will draw upon the next-generation PaLM2 and another technology is known as a Multitask Unified Model, or MUM.

Although people will have to wait to see how Google's search engine will deploy generative AI to find answers, a new tool will be immediately available. Google is adding a new filter called Perspectives that will focus on what people are saying online about whatever topic is entered into the search engine.

The new feature will be placed along existing search filters for news, images, and video.

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Sudan and neighbouring Chad share an intertwined history, the repercussions of which have spilled over into the present crisis in Khartoum, reports Haitham Nouri

Tens of thousands of Sudanese have flocked into Chad to escape the conflict between the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. Now in its third week, the conflict has already claimed hundreds of lives and is likely to linger on.

Even if there is a dim hope that the clashes in Khartoum will be silenced in the foreseeable future, the battle in the westernmost region of Darfur, which shares long borders with neighbouring Chad, will probably last longer.

The UN and its agencies in Sudan and Chad estimate that more than 20,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad following the outbreak of the conflict between the SAF and RSF. The RSF comprises Janjaweed militias and is already charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict that took place between 2003 and 2013.

Sudan shares its borders with seven countries, including South Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Central Africa, Eritrea, and Libya. Thus far, Chad has received the largest number of Sudanese refugees as a result of the clashes.

Sudan is a turbulent country in a turbulent region. Its neighbours, save for Egypt, have lived through decades of tension and Civil War. Relations between Chad and Sudan are inextricably intertwined, which has led both countries to interfere in each others affairs, said Amin Magzoub, a Sudanese military analyst.

Magzoub believes the crisis in Sudan, spilling over into Chad, is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. The war in Sudan affects Chad, prompting NDjamena to side with one party in the conflict, which probably in this case is the SAF, he said.

The first crisis between the two countries took place between 1980 and 1988, when late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi used the pastoral Arab tribes of Chad, Niger, and Darfur to fight in Chad.

These forces were popularly called the Islamic Legion and were led by Sheikh Ibn Omar, a Chadian professor of mathematics of Arab origins, who opposed the rule of presidents Goukouni Oueddei (1979-1982) and Hissene Habre (1982-1990).

The Islamic Legion was disbanded with Habres victory in the so-called Toyota War, the last phase in the war between Libya and Chad (1987-1988), and the expulsion of Ibn Omar to Darfur.

The situation in Darfur was not much different. The defeat of Libya and its allies at the hands of the pastoral tribes came in tandem with the spread of drought and desertification in Sudan, Chad, and further north.

Civil War broke out between the north and south of Sudan in May 1983 after late president Jaafar Numeiri violated the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement with the south. The situation was further complicated by Numeiris response to the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood and his announcement of the implementation of Islamic Sharia Law in September 1983.

In the same year, drought and desertification in the region resulted in famine from which Sudan and much of the African Sahel region suffered until the late 1980s.

Numeiris regime fell in April 1985 and was replaced by the democratic rule of prime minister Sadik Al-Mahdi from 1986 to 1989.

Al-Mahdis minister of defence Fadlallah Burmah Nasser armed some Arab tribesmen, creating the nucleus of what was later known as the Janjaweed militias in the Darfur conflict.

The Sudanese used to call these forces the Marahil, or Arab Gathering, and gave them a few other names as well. No one believed they could resolve the crisis. Many thought they had ulterior motives, Magzoub said.

Later years saw the fall of democracy and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan. The group led a military coup planned by their late leader Hassan Al-Turabi under former president Omar Al-Bashir in June 1989.

Al-Bashir used the Bedouin tribes in the war in south Sudan. When the non-Arab tribes in Darfur demanded economic and social equality, they saw the Janjaweeds guns pointed at them.

In Sudanese Arabic, Janjaweed means djinn [devil] on horseback carrying a GM [rapid fire gun].

The International Criminal Court later accused the Janjaweed, their leaders, Al-Bashir, and prominent figures in his regime of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, killing 300,000 people, according to UN estimates, and being responsible for the rape of up to 40,000 women and girls, according to reports of humanitarian organisations operating in the region.

The Janjaweed were used not only in Darfur, but also in the conflict against late Chadian president Idriss Deby who succeeded Habre in 1990.

Together with the Chadian opposition, the Janjaweed carried out two attacks on NDjamena in April 2006. Hundreds were killed before Debys forces were able to take back control.

In 2008, the Janjaweed and Chadian allies carried out a bigger attack on the Chadian capital, threatening the presidential palace and resulting in the deaths of 700 people. However, with French support, Deby was able to emerge victorious.

In response to the moves of the Al-Bashir regime, Debys government supported the Justice and Equality Movement, which was fighting in the Civil War in Darfur, in its attack on Omdurman in the western part of Khartoum in May 2008.

Sudanese forces fended off the attack after the deaths of 200 people.

When Chad gained independence from France in 1960, the number of Muslims in the north and Christians in the south was equal.

Population increases in the following decades tipped the scales slightly in favour of Muslims, though these were divided into Arabs and Africans and were engaged in fighting between the Arabs associated with the pastoralists of Darfur and the herders of Zaghawa, to whom Deby belonged, Magzoub said.

The Zaghawa were heavily present in the Justice and Equality Movement, which stood against the Bedouin pastoralists in Darfur.

Following the killing of Gaddafi in late 2011 and regime change in Libya, weapons spread throughout the region, and neighbouring countries began to intervene in Tripolis affairs.

The first intervention took place at the hands of Al-Bashir, who supported Arab tribes in southern Libya and the Muslim Brotherhood and threatened Deby in Chad.

Sudans moves were not carried out by the army, but rather by the Janjaweed, whom Al-Bashir changed into the RSF in 2013 and had reported to him directly.

Despite pressure on Al-Bashir to take his troops out of Libya, Chadian and Libyan tribes allied with Al-Bashir remained involved in the conflicts in oil-rich Libya. One of these forces attacked Chad, and the conflict resulted in Debys death in April 2021.

According to Magzoub, the tribal presence is a cause of worry for EU countries that want to see an end to the conflict in Libya. This will require the Europeans to stand against the RSF to prevent the sabotaging of the faltering political process in Tripoli, he said.

The Chadian government will not accept the victory of the RSF. If they win, the RSF will not settle unless Debys government is overthrown, he added. Neither will France accept the RSFs victory. France is using Chad for its anti-terrorist Barkhane operation, Magzoub said.

Chad has been home to the French forces in the region since 1987. These played a role in defeating Gaddafis forces, participated in the conflicts in Central Africa, supported governments in Niger and Cameroon, and coordinated with Nigeria to confront the terrorist group Boko Haram.

France fears the spread of terrorism in the African Sahel if Hemedti [RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo] and his militias take control of Sudan due to his close links with tribes that support terrorist groups in the region, Magzoub concluded.

A version of this article appears in print in the 11 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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By Fernando Arce

New Canadian Media

Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University are looking into harnessing the power of advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve migrant integration and the immigration system as a whole.

But its not just an abstract policy study, said scientific director Anna Triandafyllidou, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at TMU. With advanced technologies like AI permeating virtually every aspect of our lives  from smartphones to smart homes and smart cities  the idea is to make migrant participation through those technologies mainstream in all areas of life, she told NCM.

We want to see migrant integration in the context of this broader socio-economic and political transformation that is happening, Triandafyllidou said. We are advocating that migrant integration is not a specific area of public policy, but it needs to be mainstream.If were looking into cities, urban planning and housing, migrant integration is part and parcel of that.

Last month, the Canadian government announced a $1.4B investment through the Canadian First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) in 11 large-scale research initiatives.

York University, for instance, is receiving $105.7M to lead research with Queens University into the potential benefits and risks of AI for humanity. The University of Toronto also recently received a historic $200M to work on self-driving labs that use advanced technologies to accelerate the discovery of new materials and molecules, such as the ones used in medicines.

At TMU, the Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides research program  which will receive $96.8M over seven years  is the only social-science program and the only one explicitly looking into immigration holistically, according to Triandafyllidou.

Researchers from TMU, Concordia University and the University of British Columbia are looking into four thematic research streams: immigrant health and well-being, employment and lifelong learning, place and infrastructure, and citizenship and participation.

We feel that migration and the social innovation it brings is the glue that makes everything else possible, Triandafyllidou said. You cant come up with the best smart building, or the best smart transportation system if you dont know if this is what is serving the communities and their particular needs.

One area where the research is meant to help is with foreign credential accreditation  a cumbersome and expensive process that too often pushes immigrant professionals into so-called survival jobs.

Many foreign professionals ignore this before immigrating, meaning many of them and their families are left in precarious situations during that process, which can take years and thousands of dollars to complete.

Triandafyllidou said one way technology could help is by allowing immigrant workers trained in regulated professions like healthcare to complete much of the accreditation process from their home countries. This would allow them to move to Canada once in-person internships are required.

People say, If I knew about this whole accreditation process, I couldve done part of it when I was back home and I had my business or my professional practice,' she said. Thats where technology could facilitate this: people could do online training, online assignments, even simulations while theyre still at home and prepare for their arrival.

For unregulated professions, it could help employers familiarize themselves with potential employees before they come in order to best leverage their skills and experience.

Triandafyllidou said its mind boggling that in a multicultural place like Canada  especially in metropolises like Toronto and Vancouver  employers cannot appreciate the skills and experience that people bring from another country and another context.

If we know that there are employers looking for skilled professionals and we can find skilled professionals in any geography, how do we familiarize the two parts so when these skilled professionals come to Canada, theyre not put at the lowest level job to start from scratch?, she questioned. This is where advancements in technology can create real-life type solutions.

For the most part, immigration policy analyst Andrew Griffith welcomes the news. However, he cautions that academic research too often champions higher levels of immigration without critically analyzing its impacts on domestic socio-economic conditions like housing affordability and availability, access to health care, infrastructure, urban areas and the environment.

Griffith hopes researchers will ask the really big questions that look into whether large numbers (of immigrants) make sense in todays environment.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), established in 1989, is a civilian government space agency that aims to promote the peaceful use of space for the benefit of Canadians. Its most high-profile projects include the Canadarm robotic arm series and the Artemis 2 moon mission, which will feature CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Although the Canadian astronaut program predates the CSA, the agency has recruited 14 astronauts across four campaigns, and most of those individuals flew in space. The most famous of these astronauts was Chris Hadfield, who commanded the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013 after having flown on two previous missions.

Traditionally, compared with NASA (which usually has an annual budget ranging from about $26 billion to $27 billion), the CSA has received a smaller annual budget of roughly CA$400 million ($300 million USD). The CSA thus relies heavily on collaboration. NASA has been the CSA's longtime launching partner, through seats and science secured with the Canadarm series. The CSA also partners with other government departments and with Canadian companies to supply satellites and technology, with an eye toward commercialization where possible.

Canadian governments have been criticized by entities like the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (opens in new tab) for leaving long gaps between the space strategy updates that determine the amount of funding the CSA receives. That said, the 2023 federal budget (opens in new tab) for the CSA included substantial new funds on top of the agency's annual budget: CA$2.5 billion ($1.84 billion) for science related to the Gateway space station, a planned lunar outpost led by NASA; extending ISS participation to 2030; and a lunar utility vehicle; among other things. That money will be spread over as many as 14 years, depending on the program. Another major tranche of funding in 2019 was issued for the development of Canadarm3, a new robotic arm.

Related: Artemis 2's Canadian astronaut got their moon mission seat with 'potato salad'

Canadian space before the CSA

Government-funded civilian space activities predate the formation of the CSA by decades, through activities such as radio communications and sounding rockets that probed the upper atmosphere. The first Canadian satellite, Alouette, was built under the purview of a now-defunct Canadian government department known as the Defence and Research Telecommunications Establishment (DRTE), according to the CSA's materials (opens in new tab). Alouette went into space in 1962 atop a U.S. rocket.

Modern-day CSA activities can be traced to the 1967 Chapman Report, also known as " Upper Atmosphere and Space Programs in Canada (opens in new tab)." John Herbert Chapman, chairman of the report committee, was a DRTE physicist and space scientist who played a key role in Alouette. The report was immensely influential in government policy, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia (opens in new tab), as the country shifted its satellite activities from science to commercial applications.

Other offshoots of the report include Canada's Anik A1 communication satellite in 1972 and the communications company Telesat, originally formed as a Crown (government-owned) corporation, in 1969.

Related: Best mobile apps to identify space stations and satellites

Chapman also recommended that Canada create its own space agency rather than sharing responsibilities among other departments. Other government champions, such as then-Science Minister Jeanne Sauve in 1974 (opens in new tab), voiced their support over the decades. But the formation of the CSA would not come for another 22 years after the Chapman Report.

Artist's impression of Alouette, the first Canadian satellite in space. (Image credit: Canadian Space Agency)

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Early Canadarm work

Canadarm also predates the CSA's establishment by decades. In fact, the story begins on a 1951 sea voyage from Liverpool, England. George Klein, an inventor with Canada's National Research Council (NRC), examined cigarette paper he was rolling and, from that, had an idea to create a collapsible tube system for space use, according to Space.com staff writer Elizabeth Howell's book " Canadarm and Collaboration (opens in new tab) (ECW Press, 2020). The information originally came from Richard I. Bourgeois-Doyle's 2004 NRC book, "George J. Klein: The Great Inventor (opens in new tab)."

Klein's work led to an antenna type called the Storable Extendible Tubular Member, which can roll up for launch and then unfurl in space. The technology first flew on Alouette and continues venturing to space regularly, including on the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021.

As Canada was flying satellites and its STEM antenna in space, NASA was deciding on the next directions for its human space programs after the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s and the Skylab space station. The history of the space shuttle and the ISS are lengthy, but very simply put, NASA decided to pursue multinational collaborations in the 1970s as part of its space policy. One reason was to reduce costs, and another was to create allies and deepen friendships across multiple policy objectives. Canada was included in those discussions with NASA.

Related: 'An entirely new way of thinking': The ISS celebrates 20 years in space

In 1974, NASA and Canada's NRC signed an agreement that, in essence, promised Canadian science missions on the space shuttle in exchange for a robotic arm (later called Canadarm), according to "Canadarm and Collaboration." Notably, the agreement did not discuss astronauts.

Canadarm flew on numerous space shuttle missions, starting with STS-2 in November 1981, and exceeded NASA's expectations. (Today, the Canadarm series is managed by Canadian company MDA, but back in those days, the project was led by Spar Aerospace and funded by Canada's NRC.)

NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski during a tricky International Space Station solar array repair in 2007. He was standing on a long extender, formed from an old Canadarm. The extender was mounted on Canadarm2 to reach the faraway panels. (Image credit: NASA )

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Canadian astronauts

Around the late 1970s, NASA created a new class of astronaut, known as a "payload specialist," who could, in some cases, be a foreign national responsible for a small set of experiments. This opened the door for a Canadian astronaut program. In 1979, NASA extended an invitation for Canadian astronauts to Chapman personally, but the invitation somehow got lost when Chapman, 58, died suddenly, according to Howell's book and an April 2, 1981 article from "The Ottawa Citizen."

Then, in 1983, NASA's Enterprise test space shuttle was making a "goodwill" tour of international stops, including in Canada. During the shuttle's visit to Ottawa in June (which Howell, by good fortune, attended as an infant with her parents), then-NASA Administrator Jim Beggs promised his agency would invite Canada to send Canadian experiments, along with a Canadian astronaut, into space.

That effort launched a recruitment campaign in 1983 that brought in six new Canadian astronauts, including luminaries like Marc Garneau (who, in 1984, became the first Canadian astronaut in space) and Roberta Bondar (who, in 1992, became the first Canadian woman in space). Their seats were paid for by Canadarm, which, in its lifetime, serviced the Hubble Space Telescope and assisted on shuttle spacewalks. After the Columbia space shuttle disaster of 2003, Canadarm (including a long extender) was repurposed to scan the bottom of each shuttle with a camera to look for any loose heat shield tiles, which was one of the causes of Columbia's demise.

Related: 20 years after Columbia shuttle tragedy, NASA pledges 'acute awareness' of astronaut safety

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jenni-Sidey Gibbons (left) shows a scrapbook to Roberta Bondar, a retired CSA astronaut. Sidey-Gibbons, when a small child, created the scrapbook in 1992 to follow coverage of Bondar's mission when Bondar became the first Canadian female astronaut in space. (Image credit: Canadian Space Agency)

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The success of Canadarm brought on successors. Canadarm2 was launched in 2001 for the ISS and was co-installed by Hadfield, who also received a rendition of Canada's anthem in space from NASA mission control. A handy robot helper, Dextre, followed in 2008. Canadarm2 was also repurposed in 2012 to assist certain cargo spacecraft in berthing to the ISS  a use for which it was not originally envisioned.

The next generation of the robotic arm, Canadarm3, is expected to serve NASA's Gateway space station, which will orbit the moon. Gateway will support Artemis program missions to the lunar surface. Canada's contribution, which includes artificial intelligence for Canadarm3, funded the seat aboard Artemis 2. At least one other Gateway mission is guaranteed for the CSA.

Related: What it's like to snag a spacecraft with the International Space Station's robotic arm

Artist's impression of Canadarm3. (Image credit: Canadian Space Agency)

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Notable Canadian astronaut missions

Canadians have flown in space privately and for NASA, but this section focuses on the Canadian government's astronauts. At first, the government program was managed by Canada's NRC. Then, after the CSA was formed in 1989, government astronauts flew on behalf of the CSA.

The first Canadian astronauts were payload specialists, meaning they were responsible for certain experiments on the shuttle and did not perform duties such as spacewalks. Garneau, Bondar and Steve MacLean  who flew in 1984, 1992 and 1992, respectively  were all payload specialists.

As the program and the ISS planning matured, NASA invited certain Canadians to train as mission specialists to help the country gain more experience for space station missions. Canada also issued a second recruitment of astronauts that brought four new people on board in 1992. Subsequently, Garneau and Hadfield, a new trainee at the time, were the first certified mission specialists. (NASA later extended shuttle mission specialist training to more astronauts, and then to all astronauts by default.)

Related: Life in space: Astronaut Chris Hadfield's video guide

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau during space shuttle mission STS-97 in December 2000. Garneau was the first Canadian astronaut in space in 1984, back when the program was managed by Canada's National Research Council. (Image credit: NASA)

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Major CSA milestones in the 1990s and 2000s included the first Canadian woman in space (Bondar, in 1992), the first Canadian on the Russian space station Mir (Hadfield, in 1995), the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm (Hadfield, in 1995), the first Canadian to visit the ISS (Julie Payette, in 1999) and the first Canadian to do a spacewalk (Hadfield, in 2001.)

An astronaut recruitment in 2008-2009 brought on two new astronauts: Hansen and David Saint-Jacques. In 2013, Hadfield became the first Canadian commander of the ISS. Saint-Jacques had his first flight in 2018-2019, and Hansen is expected to fly his moon mission in 2024 or so. (The slow pace of flight assignments is due to the CSA's relatively small share of ISS funding, at 2.3%, since flights are based upon partner contributions.)

Canada currently has four astronauts. Hansen and Saint-Jacques are still active. The two others, Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons, were selected in 2017 but have not yet been assigned to a mission. Canada is expected to fly another ISS mission in 2024 or 2025, so more Canadian astronauts may go to space soon.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen participates in extravehicular activity training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Hansen will fly on the moon-circling mission Artemis 2. (Image credit: NASA)

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Other CSA activities

Robotics and astronauts take the lion's share of CSA attention, but the agency is also involved in other types of space work.

The David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa is a test bed for satellites before they reach space. Satellites there are shaken, baked and put through electronic interference tests to make sure they are ready for launch.

The agency also has funded a suite of Earth observation satellites that monitor the planet's surface for natural disasters, changes in agriculture and even ship activities. The most famous set is the Radarsat series; Radarsat-1 launched in 1995, Radarsat-2 in 2007 and the Radarsat Constellation (a trio of satellites) in 2019.

Payloads from CSA-funded projects have also traveled to other locations. For example, the Mars Curiosity rover 's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (funded by the CSA) has been analyzing the composition of rocks on the Red Planet for more than 10 years. A Canadian laser flew to asteroid Bennu aboard NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Several Canadian experiments are on the ISS, focusing on aspects such as aging on Earth and the effects of weightlessness. Artemis 2 experiments have not yet been announced.

Closer to Earth, the AuroraMAX camera provides live views of auroras in the skies over Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories. In Earth orbit, the SciSat satellite examines the ozone layer and its depletion, particularly over northern Canada. Aboard NASA's Terra satellite, the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere instrument examines atmospheric pollutants in Earth's atmosphere. The CSA also offers cubesat opportunities periodically for Canadian students.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which launched in 2021, includes participation from the CSA. Canada provided the fine guidance sensor for the telescope to point in space, as well as a near-infrared imager and spectrograph.

An illustration of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope fully unfolded in space. (Image credit: NASA/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez)

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CSA FAQs answered by an expert

Francois-Philippe Champagne Social Links Navigation Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada Francois-Philippe Champagne is the Canadian government minister (a federal politician with a portfolio of duties) responsible for the CSA. He reports directly to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Champagne was first elected in 2015 and was first appointed to Cabinet in 2019; Cabinet is the group of government ministers in Canada that are each responsible for a portfolio. Champagne's portfolios have included minister of foreign affairs, minister of infrastructure and communities, and minister of international trade.

Where do you see the CSA's role in government? The CSA brings [many] portfolios together. There's the aspect of the space economy, or aspects that will benefit communities in the Arctic with health and nutrition in harsh environments. CSA [also] brings in the foreign affairs portfolio.

In what ways do you think the CSA will benefit Canadians? Space exploration is all about science, technology and innovation. And as a reminder, the science of today is the economy of tomorrow. You don't need to go very far to see the dividends that space is bringing; just think about GPS, which is now something commonly used by everyone.

What kinds of consultations are being done with Canadian companies? There's a new Canadian space council [of companies]  and we do want to make sure we integrate Canadian companies in the strategic supply chain. I've been talking to a number of [international] space companies, like SpaceX, Blue Origin  and obviously talking to NASA.

This exclusive Space.com interview was done on April 2, 2023, the day before the Artemis 2 crew was announced. It has been edited and condensed.

Additional resources

Keep up with CSA activities in real time by following the agency on Twitter (opens in new tab) and Instagram (opens in new tab), and stay up to date on news by visiting the CSA website (opens in new tab).

Bibliography

Bourgeois-Doyle, R. I. (2004.) George J. Klein: The great inventor. National Research Council of Canada: NRC Research Press. https://www.amazon.com/George-J-Klein-Great-Inventor/dp/0660193221/ (opens in new tab)

Canadian Global Affairs Institute. (2022, June.) Revitalizing Canadas visions for space. https://www.cgai.ca/revitalizing_canadas_visions_for_space (opens in new tab)

Canadian Space Agency. (2018, September 28). Alouette I and II. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/alouette.asp (opens in new tab)

Canadian Space Agency. (2023, March 29). Significant investments to further propel Canadian space exploration. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/news/articles/2023/2023-03-29-significant-investments-to-further-propel-canadian-space-exploration.asp (opens in new tab)

Chapman, J. H., Forsyth, P. A., Lapp P. A., & Patterson, G. N. (1967). Upper atmosphere and space programs in Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.uottawa.ca/research-innovation/sites/g/files/bhrskd326/files/2022-08/special-study-no.-1-upper-atmosphere-and-space-programs-in-canada.pdf (opens in new tab)

Franklin, C. A. (2015, March 4). John Herbert Chapman. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-herbert-chapman (opens in new tab)

Howell, E. (2020). Canadarm and Collaboration: How Canada's astronauts and space robots explore new worlds. ECW Press. https://www.amazon.com/Canadarm-Collaboration-Canadas-Astronauts-Explore-ebook/dp/B089VGLY1Y (opens in new tab)

Kirton, J. (1990, February). Canadian space policy. Space Policy, 6(1), 61-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/0265-9646(90)90008-L (opens in new tab)
Canada wildfires slow allowing evacuees to return, but hot, dry weather coming



Entwistle, Canada, May 9 (AFP) May 09, 2023



Cooler temperatures and light rain brought relief that allowed some wildfire evacuees to return home in Canada's Alberta province on Tuesday, but several blazes were still out of control and a coming sharp rise in the mercury could set back efforts to tame the fires.

Authorities have lifted evacuation orders for a handful of communities after beating back flames, but suffocating smoke still fills the air -- carried by winds across the continent as far as the Arctic and the US Atlantic coast.

The number of wildfires that forced 30,000 people to flee in the past four days has fallen from a peak of 110 to 81, with 24 still listed as out of control.

But officials warned that a return to hot and dry conditions was expected by Friday and would persist through the weekend.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith noted that 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) in the province are usually consumed by wildfires each year. "We've already had 390,000 hectares burned. So it's already 10 times the typical fire year and we're really just getting started," she told reporters.

"It's an extraordinary (and) unprecedented event, which is I think what we have to be prepared for in future."

"At the moment, it's all hands on deck," she said, noting that more than 700 firefighters are currently deployed and a request has been made for another 1,100 reinforcements from the rest of the country.

Fire chief for the county west of Edmonton, Brian Cornforth, said his crew of over 60 firefighters "are exhausted." "We've been at this for over a week and this fire keeps (spreading) to new areas."

He described how a grass fire in the area had spread across 90 kilometers (56 miles) "within a few hours."

"We need new resources and additional firefighters now," he told AFP.

"Over the next few days, we're gonna see it get drier and drier and hotter and hotter, and those two things work against us for firefighting."



- 'Seeing what can be salvaged' -



Around the town of Entwistle, 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Edmonton, entire forests and grasslands were blackened and smoke billowed from the ground.

A local cemetary appeared to have been spared, but its tombstones were covered in soot and ash. Elsewhere, burnt-out trucks and collapsed buildings lined roads into the town, observed an AFP journalist.

Cheryl Harris, 58, returned to find a massive pile of charred debris in place of what was once a thriving river tubing business.

"We had a bunch of rain two days ago and that helped settle things, and we're getting a little bit of a sprinkle today, hopefully we'll get the rain that they're calling for, but we still need a lot (to douse) the wildfires," she said.

"Today it's cooled off enough that we can pick through and see what can be salvaged," she said.

Surveying the damage, Harris told AFP: "It's hard to see 16 years of work (destroyed)," pausing as she teared up. "But my husband, my kids and my pets are safe. That's more important than stuff."

Temperatures are forecast to rise up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) by Sunday.

"The short term is not looking all that great," warned Terri Lang, an Environment Canada meteorologist in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

"The long term forecast for May is not looking great either with above average temperatures and below average precipitation," he said.

"All that rain that's been falling over the last few days will quickly evaporate again once we get into these hot dry conditions (again)."

In recent years, western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.

Forest fires in Canada's oil sands region in 2016 disrupted production and forced out 100,000 residents from Fort McMurray, pummeling the nation's economy.

More recently in 2021, British Columbia suffered record-high temperatures over the summer that killed more than 500 people, as well as wildfires that destroyed an entire town.

That was followed by devastating floods and mudslides.
Health experts 'must raise alarm on AI threats'



Paris, May 9 (AFP) May 09, 2023



Health professionals must warn the world about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), a group of academics wrote on Wednesday, as clamours grow for work on the technology to be halted.

The academics wrote in the BMJ Global Health journal that time was running out to take action because corporations, the military and governments were working so fast to develop AI tools.

AI exploded into the public consciousness last year with ChatGPT, a bot capable of generating tracts of coherent text from short prompts.

The wild popularity of the bot sparked a race between tech giants like Google and Microsoft to embed AI in everything from spreadsheets to search tools, and prompted investors to pour money into AI startups.

But the health academics pointed to a range of threats, including powerful AI surveillance systems being developed in dozens of countries, killer robots and disinformation.

For healthcare, they wrote, people with darker skin were at serious risk of harm or reduced care because the datasets used to "train" AI algorithms were often biased.

They argued that "the window of opportunity to avoid serious and potentially existential harms is closing".

The authors, led by Frederik Federspiel of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and David McCoy of the United Nations University in Kuala Lumpur, wrote that global cooperation would be needed.

"Healthcare professionals have a key role in raising awareness and sounding the alarm on the risks and threats posed by AI," they wrote in an analysis piece.

"If AI is to ever fulfil its promise to benefit humanity and society, we must protect democracy, strengthen our public-interest institutions, and dilute power so that there are effective checks and balances."

Concern about the direction of AI research is prompting alarm even among those at the centre of the field.

Earlier this month, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed "the godfather of AI", quit his job at Google to warn of the "profound risks to society and humanity" of the technology.

In March, billionaire Elon Musk -- whose Tesla carmaker deploys AI systems -- and hundreds of experts called for a pause in AI development to allow time to make sure the technology was safe and properly regulated.
Google answers ChatGPT challenge with Bard expansion



Mountain View, United States, May 10 (AFP) May 10, 2023



Google on Wednesday said it is opening Bard, a rival to Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, to 180 countries as it expands use of artificial intelligence across its platform.

Executives at an annual Google developers conference in Silicon Valley said that generative AI will also be used to supercharge the tech giant's leading search engine.

"We have been applying AI for a while, with generative AI we are taking the next step," Google chief executive Sundar Pichai told thousands of developers gathered for the event.

"We are reimagining all our core products, including search," he said.

Google is racing to catch up with rival Microsoft, which has rushed to integrate ChatGPT-like powers in a wide array of its products, including the Bing search engine.

Microsoft's dash into AI came despite fears about the technology's potential threat to society, including its impact on the spread of disinformation and whether it could make whole categories of jobs obsolete.

Cathy Edwards of Google Search said to think of the new experience as search that is "supercharged" by a conversational bot.

Other Google executives laid out how generative AI is being woven into Gmail, photo editing, online work tools and more.

The company's AI efforts would be carried out in a "bold and responsible" way, senior product director Jack Krawczyk said during a briefing.

Google's expansion meant it removed a waitlist for Bard, letting users around the world engage with it in English after months of testing it out in the US and Britain.

Bard will be modified to support 40 languages in coming months, according to Krawczyk.

"We're excited to get Bard into more people's hands," Krawczyk said.

"We're pretty fired up about where Bard is going."

Google also announced browser "extensions" that will imbue apps and services such as Gmail and Maps with AI features.

Bard technology will enable features such as filling in text to help draft emails and suggesting ideas for artwork by scrutinizing a picture of available supplies.

Google is also letting partners build such extensions, including one from Adobe that will let users generate images, Krawczyk said.



- Risky tech? -



Google's announcement came a week after rival Microsoft expanded public access to its generative artificial intelligence programs, which are powered by models made by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

The AI-enhanced features of the company's Bing search engine and Edge internet browser became open for anyone.

The services have been enhanced with the ability to work with images as well as text, and Microsoft intends to add video to the mix.

Despite the rollouts by two of the world's biggest companies, risks from AI include its potential uses for disinformation, with voice clones, deep-fake videos and convincing written messages.

A range of experts in March urged a pause in the development of powerful AI systems to allow time to make sure they are safe.

Their open letter, signed by more than 1,000 people, including billionaire Elon Musk and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, was prompted by generative AI technology from Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI.

A prominent computer scientist often dubbed "the godfather of artificial intelligence" recently quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of the technology.

Geoffrey Hinton, who created some of the technology underlying AI systems, maintained that the existential threat from AI is "serious and close."
STAFF RESULTS



READER RESULTS













Please join us in the comments and on social media in celebrating winners Steven Yuen and Perdita Weeks as well as the incredible runner-ups. Both winners have secured a place in the 2023 Performer of the Year competition that will take place in January 2024.



Come back to Spoiler TV on Thursday, June 1 at 12 pm ET for the start of the May round.



Please join us in the comments and on social media in celebrating winners Steven Yuen and Perdita Weeks as well as the incredible runner-ups. Both winners have secured a place in the 2023 Performer of the Year competition that will take place in January 2024.for the start of the May round.

Below you will find the Top 3 finishers for each side listed out in placement order. All of these graphics will be available on my Twitter account as well as the official SpoilerTV Twitter and Instagram accounts. We are happy for you to share them, but please share them from one of these official sources to ensure you are sharing the best quality version of these graphics. For the highest quality, please click on the slides to enlarge them.Staff side voting this month went back and forth between two performers, with Steven Yuen (Danny Cho) fromedging ahead in the final hours to take the top spot fromSimone Kessell (Lottie Matthews); Patrick John Flueger (Adam Ruzek) oftook the third slot. &On the Reader's Side,stars Perdita Weeks (Juliet Higgins) and Jay Hernandez took an early lead and never looked back. Eventually, Weeks pulled ahead to take the win with Hernandez coming in second. As he did on the staff side Patrick John Flueger oftook the third slot.The key to Juliet Higgins behavior in this entire episode rests with the nightmare that she has at the beginning. Seeing Thomas die in front of her just as he was proposing, leaving blood on her hands, has the character appear slightly off-kilter the entire episode. While her screen time in this episode is not significant, Perdita Weeks shines in showing more depth of her character and displaying more of her vulnerability. Thankfully this weeks director, her co-star Jay Hernandez, wisely trusted her enough to give her free reign in several key scenes. After being a bit more cross and terse with Thomas, hiding her concern about the mercenaries that are after Thomas and his friends, she meets with a new client, a young woman reeling over the supposed suicide of her fiance. There are just subtle moments, pauses in her questions, and facial expressions during this scene where you see WeeksHiggins strongly connecting to the story of the young woman and her fiances relationship that closely mirrors her relationship with Magnum. Her next powerful moments come when Higginss undercover role as a psychiatrist in the psychiatric hospital is blown. Weeks does well carrying the demeanor of a medical professional. Having her go undercover as a doctor and not a patient is a nice twist on this oft-used storyline, though it was a bit trite to have her use a pair of glasses to indicate professionalism and intelligence as part of her disguise. Where that trope did work is in that second she makes the decision to confide in the young female patient woman as herself and take off the glasses. That displayed a lot of trust and understanding that she didnt want to deceive the girl and speak to her honestly as herself. Some of Weeks strongest moments in the episode is the brief but powerful scene where the drugged and hallucinating Juliet is interrogated by her undercover persona.Playing opposite oneself must be one of the most difficult challenges an actor faces, and Weeks handles it beautifully, performing seamlessly in the scene as the drugged Juliet forced to face her greatest fear and come face to face with her guilt, the blood on her hands about her former fiancee Richards death and giving a sinister and menacing edge to her undercover psychiatrist role. Then comes that tender moment when after Thomas rescues her, Juliet admits her fears about losing him and her guilt over her role in Richards death. This was a masterful moment of both strength and vulnerability. Again, although not given significant screen time Perdita Weeks performance in episode 509 was both layered and complex and most assuredly worthy of being named performer of the month.
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TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisian authorities opened an investigation Wednesday into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the country's security forces. The motive of the gunman, whom guards killed before he could enter the building on the island of Djerba, remained unclear.

The island's historic Ghriba synagogue, thought to be one of the worlds oldest Jewish temples, is a popular pilgrimage destination, but it was unknown if the assailant, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, specifically targeted Jews in Tuesday's attack.

The death toll from the attack rose to five Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalized in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisia's TAP news agency. Four other members of Tunisia's security forces remain hospitalized in Djerba, including one in critical condition.

The chair of the synagogue's committee, Perez Trabelsi, was in the house of worship during the attack and told The Associated Press of his terror when the sound of the cartridges broke out.

I was scared, as were most of the people gathered in the oukala, a large space adjacent to the synagogue. Everyone was panicked. Many took refuge in the rooms for fear of being hit by the shots that came from outside, he said.

The synagogue attracted more pilgrims this year  around 6,000 people from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and beyond  than it had for some time, Trabelsi said. He said he was saddened that the pilgrimage to the site that is revered in Judaism was spoiled by those who wish Tunisia harm.

Israeli and Tunisian authorities and family members identified the civilian victims as cousins: Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French. Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sorry to hear that two members of our people were killed in Djerba. On behalf of myself and the government of Israel, I send condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the murdered, he said in a statement.

The assailant, a guardsman affiliated with the naval center in the island's port town of Aghir, first killed a colleague with his service weapon before seizing ammunition and heading toward the Ghriba synagogue, the Tunisian Interior ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple. The guards fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said.

Jews have lived on Djerba, a picturesque island off the southern coast of Tunisia, since 500 B.C. The first Jewish arrivals were said to have brought a stone from the ancient temple of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians.

The stone is kept in a grotto at the synagogue. Women and children descend into the grotto to place eggs scrawled with wishful messages on them.

Djerbas Jewish population is one of North Africas biggest, although in recent years it declined to 1,500, down from 100,000 in the 1960s.

Most left following the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries, and the economic policies adopted by the government in the late 1960s also drove away many Jewish business owners.

Djerba, a dusty island of palm trees and olive groves, lures hundreds of thousands of tourists every year  mainly Germans and French  for its sandy beaches and rich history. The Ghriba synagogue itself, said to date to 586 B.C., once drew up to 2,000 visitors per day, Jewish leaders have said.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sadness at the attack. In a statement, the ministry paid tribute to the rapid intervention of the Tunisian security forces and stands by Tunisia to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of fanaticism.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli noted that unfortunately, the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site, according to his office.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with Tunis Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan, and told him that Israel stands alongside the community in this difficult hour. He said he instructed ministry officials to provide all needed aid. Israel and Tunisia dont have formal diplomatic relations.

The European Jewish Congress expressed its shock and outrage.

Terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue, Congress President Ariel Muzicant said in a statement.

Former Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM that he was at the Ghriba synagogue with family members during the attack. He described the place as almost empty because most visitors had already left the site.

The shooting was heavy and the attacker tried to enter the synagogue compound, he said. The counterterrorism officers, who were extremely professional, quickly blocked all exits. A carnage was thus avoided.

Aviel Haddads sister, Rona, told Israels Kan public radio that the entire family had immigrated to Israel from Tunisia, and that her brother, a jeweler, traveled to Djerba frequently.

She said that she and her family tried unsuccessfully for hours after the attack to contact him and later learned the news through family friends. She said the family intended to bury her brother in Israel.

The president of the Israelite Consistory of the southern French city of Marseille, Michel Cohen-Tenoudji, said Benjamin Haddad, a father of four, was a well-known, very active member of the local Jewish community.

He was running a kosher bakery in the city center and was known for offering Shabbat bread to people in need, Cohen-Tenoudji told French media. The family is devastated. On a personal level, I feel indignation, horror and sorrow.

In 2002, a truck bombing killed about 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, an attack in Tunisia at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed 38 people, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, along with attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards.

___ Thomas Adamson reported from Paris. Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, contributed to this story.
Rena Murshud

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Israel Mukhtar Mammadov met with Knesset member, chairman of the Israel-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Vladimir Belyak.

According to Azernews, the diplomat wrote about this on his Twitter page:

"Had a productive meeting with Member of the Israel-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Vladimir Belyak. Discussed our bilateral ties and stressed the importance of strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation," ambassador tweeted.
Some 68 percent of working mothers are willing to hire foreign housekeepers as long as they can speak some Korean, a survey suggests.

Prof. Mo Jong-ryn at Yonsei University asked 500 working mothers in Seoul late last year whether they would hire full-time foreign housekeepers who speak Korean at a relatively low W700,000 a month (US$1=W1,144). Some 67.8 percent said yes.

Some 40.6 percent said they would hire them even if they could not speak Korean.
Gov. Ned Lamont has three words to describe the stakes of next years presidential election featuring President Joe Biden  though its probably best that he doesnt say one of them out loud.

Re-electing President Biden is a B.F.D, the governor said in a campaign video released on Twitter Wednesday, which featured endorsements from numerous other elected Democrats.

A big, you-know-what deal, in family-friendly parlance.

Lamonts choice of words was possibly an intentional reference to one of Bidens more infamous hot-mic moments during his vice presidency: He was caught uttering the full phrase in 2011 to describe the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

More recently, Biden was caught dropping the f-bomb while meeting with a Florida mayor during a visit to view the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian.

Lamont criticized a group of protesters for hurling the same foul language at President Biden during his trip to Connecticut in 2021, though its worth noting that the event in question was a stop at a daycare center.

You could hear it loud and clear from the playground, Lamont said at the time.

Connecticuts junior U.S. senator, Chris Murphy, also appeared in Tuesdays video with a more benign endorsement, saying Im on Team Biden-Harris.

Four years ago, Lamont was one of the earliest boosters to Bidens then-fledgling campaign in a crowded Democratic field. He was similarly enthusiastic about announcing his support for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris re-election bid, holding a press conference in front of the State Capitol on the afternoon that the campaign was formally launched.

Other Democratic governors who appeared in the video praising the Biden-Harris campaign included New Jerseys Phil Murphy, Illinois J.B. Pritzker, New Mexicos Michelle Lujan Grisham, North Carolinas Roy Cooper, and Californias Gavin Newsom.
Two years ago, Andrew McCarthy walked hundreds of miles with his son across Spain in the hopes of strengthening their relationship. Later this month, he will be coming to the Nutmeg State to share that experience.

During an event, which runs from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on May 25 at Stamford's Ferguson Library's DiMattia Building. McCarthy, best known as an actor in '80s movies like "St. Elmo's Fire," "Pretty in Pink" and "Weekend at Bernie's," will discuss his latest book, "Walking With Sam: A Father, A Son, And Five Hundred Miles Across Spain." The memoir, which was released on May 9, chronicles Andrew McCarthy taking his son Sam McCarthy on a 31-day walk through Spain's Camino de Santiago in 2021. This is not Andrew's first book, and the author has also written for National Geographic Traveler magazine.

"When Andrew McCarthy's eldest son began to take his first steps into adulthood, McCarthy found himself wishing time would slow down," the book's description reads. "Looking to create a more meaningful connection with Sam before he fled the nest, as well as recreate his own life-altering journey decades before, McCarthy decided the two of them should set out on a trek like few others."

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

The Camino de Santiago is a series of routes through Spain, France and Portugal leading to the shrine of Saint James the Great, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and is hailed as the patron saint of Spain.

The actor decided to take his then-19-year-old son on the journey, and during the trek, the pair discussed topics like divorce, trauma from school and fame, according to Ferguson Library. Like his father, Sam, is an actor and has had roles in series like "Condor" and "Dead to Me."

"I just wanted to be able to spend that time [with him]. And he was going through a lot of stuff in his life. I was going through stuff in my life, and I knew that  walking that distance could kind of burn through a lot of our defenses and a lot of our anxieties and fears and just sort of help bring us home to ourselves and to each other in a certain way, Andrew told Us Weekly.

Andrew took the same journey by himself around 25 years ago and said it helped him "liberate" himself from fear. The actor said it was a good time to retake the journey as the world was experiencing a lot of fear due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he told Forbes.

Tickets to the talk are on sale for $15 to library members and $25 for the general public.
B inance has mounted a fresh charm offensive in a bid to restore the crypto firms fraught relationship with the UKs finance watchdog.

The companys bosses hailed the Financial Conduct Authoritys reasonable and responsible approach to crypto regulation after they renewed discussions to secure licenses in the wake of its concerns over attempts to gain access to UK customers.

In an interview with the Standard, Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillmann said: Our intention and our hope is to be able to get licensed and registered in the UK.

Were having those discussions right now. Building trust over time is going to be really important for us to be able to do that so thats where our focus is.

In 2021, the FCA ordered Binance to stop all regulated activity in the UK and issued a warning to consumers about the site, adding: Be wary of adverts online and on social media promising high returns on investments in cryptoasset or cryptoasset-related products.

The following year, the watchdog expressed its concerns over a deal struck with fintech firm Paysafe, through which its users could deposit sterling into Pay.UK bank accounts.

But despite the FCAs crackdown, Binance bosses signalled their support for the FCAs hardline approach.

Our view is that the FCA wants this industry to grow, they just want to make sure its done in a responsible way, Hillmann said.

They should take their time in doing that and make sure that anyone who is being approved today is going to stand the test of time for when they do have a policy framework in place.

So I do think they are taking a very reasonable, rational approach to the industry right now.

Chief Compliance Officer Noah Perlman said: I think there is a general increased scrutiny in this area given some of the well-publicised issues that this industry has had.

[But] wherever we are we want to be in sync and collaborative with the regulators and make sure were delivering what they need in a transparent way, to ensure that were not operating in grey area.

The comments stand in contrast to remarks by Binance co-founder He Yi, who previously slammed the UK as the most stressful country for crypto regulation, while co-founder Changpeng Zhao had warned only novice regulatorswant to be the most strict regulator.

Luckily, I have not met any novice ones this year, he added.

Last year, Binance poached former FCA regulator Steven McWhirter in a bid to strengthen its credentials to gain regulatory approval. So far, though, there has been no indication from the FCA that the firm will be granted further regulatory approval.

Earlier in May, the watchdog teamed up with police to crackdown on illegal crypto ATMs, with warnings by police that the machines were a key component in the facilitation of money laundering and the movement of funds acquired through criminal activity.

The amount of money thats laundered through traditional means far eclipses  both in notional terms and as a percentage  that thats going on in crypto, Perlman said.

Crypto like anything else has its downsides, but criticising it for being a vehicle for money laundering seems like a pretty lazy analysis.

Binance has grown to become the biggest crypto exchange in the world, with spot trading volumes of more than $7 billion per day.
C limate protesters have gathered outside Norwegian oil giant Equinors London offices to oppose the companys plans to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field.

Rosebank, which lies west of the Shetland Islands, is one of the largest such fields in the North Atlantic, capable of producing up to 500 million barrels of oil.

The International Energy Agency has previously said there must be no new investment in oil and gas if the world is to become net zero by 2050, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructure are already set to push global temperatures beyond safe limits.

Campaigners from Stop Rosebank, Greenpeace, Fossil Free London and Parents For Future arrived at Equinors central London headquarters on Wednesday morning to try to persuade Equinor to abandon its plans.

Equinor said Rosebank will have a lower carbon footprint than other fossil fuel projects on the UK Continental Shelf, but its calculations relate only to its operations and exclude emissions from burning the fuel itself.

The company also said that investing in oil and gas will help the UKs energy security and it is unhelpful for Western democracies to stop developing their resources.

An international delegation of climate protesters plans to challenge Equinor at its AGM in Stavanger in Norway on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman for campaign group Uplift said.

As well as Rosebank, campaigners are protesting against Equinors fossil fuel expansion plans in Canada, Brazil and Argentina.

This Government must join the thousands of people, represented by these campaigners at Equinors AGM, that are saying no to Equinors profiteering at our expense

Scottish Stop Rosebank campaigner Lauren MacDonald, who is attending Equinors AGM, said: Equinors oil projects in the UK and in the rest of the world threaten our common future and, as an international community, we cannot stand by and watch that happen.

I am joined in Stavanger by anti-Equinor campaigners from Canada, Brazil and Argentina to demand that Norway, a supposed climate leader, stop its state-owned oil company from developing all new fossil fuel infrastructure including Rosebank in the UK.

Norway needs to set an example to the rest of the world and stop profiting off oil and gas during a climate emergency.

The plans to develop Rosebank must be approved by the UK Government and a decision is expected soon.

If it goes ahead, the Government will give Equinor a tax break of 3.75 billion, meaning the company will only have to invest 350 million.

Campaigners, along with shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband, say that up to 80% of the oil and gas produced will be sold abroad so Rosebank will only be of limited economic value to the UK.

Hundreds of scientists and academics have also written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to block the development, saying it will undermine the UKs attempts to be a climate leader.

An Equinor spokesman said it is estimated it will bring 26.8 billion to the UK through tax payments and investment.

As long as there is a need for oil and gas, we think it is important that we continue to invest in fields that can contribute to energy security with a low carbon footprint while creating jobs and value for society

He added: Rosebank is a project that can help counteract the decline in domestic UK oil and gas production.

As long as there is a need for oil and gas, we think it is important that we continue to invest in fields that can contribute to energy security with a low carbon footprint while creating jobs and value for society.

The project will be developed in line with the North Sea Transition Deal, UK net zero targets and Equinor net zero ambitions.

Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said: The Rosebank oil field will do nothing to secure Britains energy supply or lower household bills, but it will blow through our carbon budget all while costing the taxpayer 3.75 billion thanks to extremely generous government subsidies.

This Government must join the thousands of people, represented by these campaigners at Equinors AGM, that are saying no to Equinors profiteering at our expense.
J ohn Lewis staff today voted to back Dame Sharon White in a confidence vote in her leadership during a turbulent period on the high street.

But employees of the beloved retailer, which also owns Waitrose, also rejected a motion of confidence in Whites performance last year, which led to the axing of bonuses.

The partnerships council, a 61-member group of team members across John Lewis and Waitrose elected by the workforce, meet twice a year to look at trading performances and pass a vote of confidence in leadership.

The vote is non-binding, but is a key barometer for the performance of the employee-owned retailers boss.

Every half year, the chairman attends our partnership council to give an update and discuss with councillors the progress of the partnership, Partnership Council president Chris Earnshaw said. This is central to how we exercise our democratic principles and ownership of the business.

Earnshaw said the council backed White, but did not mention the details of the results. Staff may vote on a scale of very strongly agree to very strongly disagree in the vote.

The council voted in support of the chairman to progress the partnership in relation to its purpose, principles and rules. The council did not support last years performance, in which we reported a full year loss and no Partner Bonus.

The council, chairman and board will continue to work together to ensure the long-term success of the partnership and our employee-owned model.

The meeting this time comes during a period when the company has come under the spotlight over directions, or potential directions of the business that have attracted criticism.

It was reported in March that plans are being considered to dilute the famous partnership structure amid tough High Street conditions. The Sunday Times article that month said White was understood to be in the early stages of exploring a plan to change the retailers mutual structure so it can try to raise between 1 billion and 2 billion of new investment.

A company spokesman said at the time the partnership model will always be the heart of the business. He added: "We keep under review our future funding needs so we have options to fuel the next stage of our growth plan, but nothing is happening in the short term.

Meanwhile there was disappointment when the company told its around 74,000 partners that they would have to go without a bonus for the second time in three years.

Former Ofcom boss White is in the midst of a turnaround plan to boost sales, trim costs and create new revenue streams, such as building rental flats over some of its shops. She has chaired the group since February 2020.
T he Coronation brought a mixed bag of emotions. I spent most of it next to a very soggy Buckingham Palace broadcasting with American network CBS. The makeshift media village was so muddy it was like that other great British institution, Glastonbury, with slightly better loos.

At one point the American anchor broke from the script and exclaimed: Wow  you guys are SO COOL?

Its what we do with great aplomb. Through occasions like this, we export a fairytale vision of Britain  ancient, feudal, bejewelled, opulent, cloaked in furs and dripping with wealth.

But we know the reality of todays Britain is different. Thats why the organisers were wise to try and make the service at Westminster Abbey reflect the society which pays for all the tiaras and trimmings. There were people invited from many different backgrounds and that made it interesting, relevant and appropriate. And belting out Zadok the Priest was a near religious experience, regardless of your faith.

So thats why like many people including myself and actress Adjoa Andoh noticed such a contrast with that all-important balcony shot of the King, Queen and close family members. It was very different to the Abbey. It was all white  that is simply a statement of fact. As is the fact that it could have been different if Meghan, right  a bi-racial woman  had been there. In a parallel universe, if she had been present that would have meant a departure from a tableau which hasnt changed in centuries. And lets not forget, that shot is the inner circle of privilege, the apex of elitism in Britain. Which we all fund. So thats why it does matter. It tells a story.

That shot proved what a shame it was that the Royal family lost the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I dont blame them one bit for leaving and think they were treated badly. Everyone involved in this row has lost out but perhaps most is the institution which needs to connect with a different audience. They could have been a real asset.

What is also sad but unsurprising is the racially charged backlash I and others like Andoh have had for merely pointing out the lack of diversity which exists within the Royal family. I tweeted this and received rabid responses like why does Britain need to change? and fight to preserve our precious white culture. The other new thing is to call any black or brown person who highlights any inequality a racist themselves, normally by accounts which tell you go back to where you came from. Glasgow, in my case.

Andoh has received huge amounts of abuse. But she need not apologise for making a factual observation.

We all want this new Carolean era under our new King to be happy and successful. But does this mean arresting people for not supporting the monarchy? Or abusing women of colour who merely point out an uncomfortable truth? Our new King is many things  clever, sensitive and wordly. Im sure he looks at this and thinks not in my name.

Starmers time has almost come

Last weeks local elections were fascinating. The Tories had a stinker while Labour, the Lib Dems and Greens produced some stonking results across England. The next general election is still a way off and many things can happen but theres a big chance now that Keir Starmer could be Prime Minister.

Thats a big deal. Until very recently (the Liz Truss mini-Budget), it looked impossible for Labour to make it to Downing Street, that the Tories could easily win another term. Thats now not the case. Throw in the SNP meltdown in Scotland, which Labour will surely benefit from in the polls, and it looks like years of Conservative rule could be coming to an end.

The issue for Starmer now is whether he can get a majority  or will it be a hung parliament? How will tactical voting play out?

And how will he navigate all the other parties apart from the Tories ganging up on him to preserve their vote? British politics is about to get very exciting. Again.
T he Illegal Migration Bill makes its way to the House of Lords today, where it is set to be debated  and possibly heavily amended  by peers.

The controversial legislation seeks to prevent people coming to the UK via small boats, by effectively denying the right to asylum regardless of the strength of anyones case. It also empowers the Government to ignore rulings by the European Court of Human Rights.

The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has urged the Lords not to defy what she describes as the will of the people by torpedoing the legislation. This is, of course, a misrepresentation of the role of the upper chamber, which exists to scrutinise and amend bills.

Indeed, peers are expected to propose amendments that include more legal safe routes for migrants and to prevent ministers from ignoring human rights rulings, both of which this newspaper has called for.

Time and again we have seen that rushed legislation leads to bad law. It is therefore right that the Lords does its job. Though the Government may not be too disappointed by this outcome, given that ministers will have someone else to try and blame for their inability to achieve the self-declared aim of stopping the boats.

The end for Trump?

Many would hope that a jury finding a presidential candidate liable for sexual abuse would mark the end of that persons political career. But in the present United States, that outcome is far from certain.

A jury concluded that Donald Trump sexually abused E Jean Carroll in the dressing room of a New York department store in the Nineties. He was further found liable for defamation, when he falsely denounced Carrolls allegations as a hoax and a lie. After numerous accusations, and the former presidents boast that he could grab women, this is the first occasion on which Mr Trump has been found legally guilty for a sexual crime.

If one were looking for further evidence of the febrile nature of American democracy, the judge in this case warned jurors not to disclose their identities to anyone, lest they face political retribution and even violence.

For all the concerns about his age and jokes about frequent gaffes, Joe Biden may well remain the worlds best bet against a second Trump administration.

Jarvis a worthy winner

Congratulations to Jarvis, winner of the 2023 Oscars book prize, for his wonderful book, The Boy With Flowers in His Hair.

The prize, supported by the Evening Standard, encourages parents to share books with their children. It was set up by James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand in memory of their son, Oscar, who died at the age of three in 2012.

For more information on the prize and the winning book, go to www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk.
Korea lost an average of 43.4 days a year for every 1,000 workers due to strikes over the last 10 years, 217 times more than Japan, which lost just 0.2 day over the same period.

The Korea Economic Research Institute on Thursday said it calculated the number of lost work days by multiplying the number of striking workers by the number of hours they downed tools and dividing it by an eight-hour working day.

KERI said Korea's union participation rate of 10.3 percent is actually lower than Japan's 17.9 percent, but the marked difference stems from a ban on assigning replacement workers in Korea, which is possible in Japan.

According to Korean labor laws, employers cannot hire new staff or replace existing workers during strikes. Employers here are also prohibited from subcontracting the work of striking staff, while Japan recognizes the continuation of work as a right of employers.

Choo Kwang-ho at KERI said, "Permanent staff at major conglomerates make excessive demands while abusing the right to down tools. Businesses have no means to respond and end up accepting the excessive demands, which has widened the income gap between workers in big and small companies."
W here does London stop and the terrifying provincial nothingness begin? Please dont shout at me, that was a question originally asked by Jay Foreman several years ago in this excellent video.

Wrong answers include the end of the Tube, the other side of the M25 or when the postcodes stop making sense. The correct answer is the Greater London Boundary, within which the 32 boroughs and all of human experience can be found.

These borders are by their nature a bit random. Theres no impassable mountain range separating Barnet from Hertfordshire or vast desert between Sutton and Surrey. And so, while London is not formally expanding, it is extending its reach through the export of people. This is already having major political, social and economic implications for surrounding towns, as well as the city left behind.

Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics has warned Rishi Sunak he should be concerned about the threat of political Londonisation of the South-East. Travers told the Standard: It looks as if people are leaving London and some of them are taking their Liberal Democrat and Labour-voting habits with them.

This migration from city to commuter belt has, Travers suggests, contributed to Lib Dem surges in seemingly true blue Tory areas such as Windsor and Maidenhead (home to Theresa May), Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), Chichester (Gillian Keegan) and Elmbridge (Dominic Raab) to name a few.

While persuading voters to change their minds is always worthwhile, in a first-past-the-post electoral system, spreading your voter base into a more efficient distribution is nearly as good. So, while the Tories have clearly lost support after more than a decade in government and overseeing a flatlining economy, demographic change is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Labour and the Lib Dems.

Of course, this is not an unalloyed good for the capital itself. Some Londoners are choosing to move out as they always have, for more space or a change of scene. The rise of remote and hybrid work makes that easier, as does new infrastructure projects such as the Elizabeth Line.

But plenty are simply being priced out of the city, due to soaring rents and sky-high property prices. Indeed, as we report in todays paper, there is a surge of people in their twenties and thirties moving back in with their parents.

Those that dont are often spending 1,000 a month for a *room* in a shared house. Email notifications for anything new on the rental portals  for the mere chance to view a property  is a daily reality. It is no fun and if nothing else, for this price and at that age, London really ought to be fun.

And this, in part, explains why so many schools in the capital are closing their doors. At the risk of hyperbole, do we want to live in a city without children?

Clearly, we need to build more homes for rent and to buy, but the NIMBY vote is large, it is concentrated and it has a grip on all political parties. The Conservatives for a period did not know whether to stick with the NIMBYs or twist, but have now opted for the former. Meanwhile, only today, Rupa Huq, Labour MP for Ealing, was celebrating the halting of a plan to build 477 homes in her constituency. And dont get me started on the Lib Dems.

The Londonisation of the South-East is changing British politics. That is good news for the Not Conservative Party I wrote about on Friday, which is set to make gains at the next general election. But a new parliament does not magically resolve the central problem holding back the capital and its economy, one that is leading to an outflow of people: how to build more homes.

In the comment pages, Ayesha Hazarika says the Coronation illustrated that Britain and the royals have missed out from Harry and Meghans exile. Anne McElvoy concludes Vladimir Putin is flailing like never before, as his latest bleak speech shows. While Melanie McDonagh predicts that if John Lewis loses its way, shoppers will be bereft.

And finally, National Express new name is bland and meaningless  get used to it, says a (delightfully) curmudgeonly Jonathan Prynn.

This article appears in our newsletter, West End Final  delivered 4pm daily  bringing you the very best of the paper, from culture and comment to features and sport. Sign up here.
B ulgaria will not be taking part in Eurovision 2023 but it has some representation in Blanka, who has been on a long and international journey to Liverpool.

She is half Bulgarian by ancestry and spent her late teens in the US with her mother as she chased her dream of becoming a popstar. But at Eurovision she will be flying the flag for Poland, the country where she grew up.

Blanka Stajkow, to give her her full name, has packed a lot into her 23 years. She became a model after returning to Poland  featuring in her countrys Top Model series.

On the back of this, she returned to singing and released her first single, Better, and signed a contract with Warner to release her second, Solo  which she will sing for Poland in Liverpool.

Blanka will appear solo in Thursdays second semi-final although her almost namesake Blanca Paloma will be appearing on behalf of Spain.

She has taken to Instagram to share that the opportunity is a dream but she might already have survived a nightmare. Her performance of Solo on a Polish pre-Eurovision competition sparked plagiarism accusations that it was similar to Up, a 2022 song by Romanian pop star Inna, as well as rigged voting. But no case has been brought forward and Blanka is free to compete.

Blanka performs in the second semi-final dress rehearsal / AP

A Eurovision write-up of a rehearsal said: Blanka said she was going to show us, and she did. When her turn came for her first rehearsal, she hit the stage wearing not one, but two outfits.

Thats right  weve got ourselves a good old costume reveal. The half-Polish, half-Bulgarian star turned out a poptastic performance with her dancers and a slick, multi-scene set up.

And while she brings the style, Blanka will also not go down without a fight and is a fan of the video game Street Fighter II, especially the character  Blanka.

Poland will compete in the second semi-final of Eurovision on Thursday May 11. For more information about the competition  click here.
I nvestment in Eurovision has been really well spent because it has provided an opportunity for the UK to showcase itself to the world, the minister for the song contest has said.

The Government pledged 10 million in funding to this years competition, which is being held in Liverpool on behalf of last years winners Ukraine.

Funding from the city council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority was also provided to stage the event.

Eurovision Minister Stuart Andrew said: I absolutely think any investment weve made in this has been really well spent because its an opportunity for us to showcase to, on the show itself, 160 million people around the world what Liverpool, what the wider region, what the whole of the UK has to offer.

That is a massive audience and were making sure that we continue to show that we are a great country when it comes to organising huge events like this.

The feedback weve been getting so far is lots of people going home to their countries at the end of this week very, very happy indeed.

Everybody that I've spoken to from many different countries has said they're huge Eurovision fans, been to many contests and they are citing this as one of the best

He said the welcome received by Eurovision fans was a great credit to the work done by people in the city.

He added: Liverpool has got a great reputation of being a party city and what theyve done is just welcomed everybody here so warmly.

Everybody that Ive spoken to from many different countries has said theyre huge Eurovision fans, been to many contests and they are citing this as one of the best.

Mr Andrew, whose Eurovision remit is part of his role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, said it was disappointing that strikes by rail workers could affect train services to and from the city at the weekend.

Asked if the Government should have taken action to resolve the strikes, he said: Actually, I think its really disappointing that the unions have targeted this event.

We have to remember that there are a lot of displaced Ukrainians who are coming here to enjoy this and to see their country performing, their cultural heritage, and theyve made that really difficult.

Theres offers on the table, they need to get on with accepting that I think.

Mr Andrew said he and his partner usually held Eurovision parties at home so it was great to be celebrating the contest live.

Seeing it live and how extraordinary it is, is just truly wonderful to see, he said.

The politician said the Ukrainian feel to the contest made it an even more special Eurovision Song Contest.

He added: I think its incredibly important to show to our friends in Ukraine that whilst they cant host this, we are happy to stand side by side with them and make sure it isnt just the UK hosting this, this is a joint venture between our two nations.

Seeing some of the extraordinary cultural elements from Ukraine here is very moving.

He said he was backing United Kingdom entrant Mae Muller to win.

I think that we have shown last year that we are within play and I hope that we can continue that success, he said.

There are clearly other favourites amongst the Eurovision fans.

The reception Norway, Finland and Sweden got last night was great to see.

The Eurovision Song Contest is unpredictable so who knows, its anyones game really.
Review at a glance









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On paper, SpitLip Theatres delicious knockabout musical about a plot to fox Hitler shouldnt work. Neither should the operation it was based on. But MI5s crackpot misdirection scheme, in which fake invasion papers were planted on a washed-up corpse, helped change the course of the Second World War.

Now an exuberant, energetic, incurably daft show about it is in the West End, after a five-year journey through fringe and regional theatres that has become part of the story. Last night, three of its four co-creators were in the cast of five: the other two had been in it from the start, or nearly.

Mincemeat the musical has wit, charm, a subversive attitude to gender, a surprising amount of pathos, and a Eurobeat number for a Nazi boyband (yes, really). Its also packed with deliberate anachronisms, outrageous overacting and sheepishly knowing in-jokes. Its an embodiment of the eccentric British exceptionalism it both celebrates and mocks

The prevailing tone of arch jokiness is set in the opening number, Born to Lead, in which swaggering, privileged intelligence officers address the war as an extension of their schooldays. One of them is the pre-Bond Ian Fleming (Zoe Roberts): another is Ewen Montague, played by Natasha Hodgson in a marvelously bluff, gruff, freewheeling parody of cocksure masculinity.

Matt Crockett

Their plans to just kill Hitler are shot down by commanding officer Johnny Bevan (Roberts again: frantic doubling of roles is a signature). So Montague  typically  commandeers the mad Mincemeat strategy of gawky-but-brilliant Charles Cholmondeley. In this role David Cumming, sporting a non-period Mohican topknot, ramps the shows overblown acting style up to a level of hysteria thats undeniably funny but sometimes grating.

He, Hodgson and Roberts wrote the book, music and lyrics with Felix Hagan, however, and their achievement cant be understated. The script is nimble; the songs riff through period genres from Noel Coward numbers to stirring sea shanties; the rhymes are inspired. The creators highlight the unsung contribution of backroom heroines Jean Leslie and Hester Leggett to the Mincemeat plot. In a production where hardly anyone is cast according to their gender pronouns, Jak Malone is very moving as Hester.

Robert Hasties new production feels slightly upgraded, design-wise, from the version I saw at Southwark Playhouse in 2022. But it retains the shows gawky, undergraduate zest and scratchiness. A microphone malfunction last night just added to the spirit of gung-ho fun. Glyndwr Michael, the homeless man whose dead body was co-opted to carry the Mincemeat plans, is honoured at the end. Quite right too. This show could be just what the West End needs.

Fortune Theatre, to 19 Aug; operationmincemeat.com
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Recorded at His Majestys Theatre in time for the Kings coronation were joined by playwright Ryan Calais Cameron to talk about his new production Retrograde, now on at the Kiln Theatre.

You may well know Ryan for his show For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy.

We review The Motive and the Cue, a play by Jack Thorne, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Janie Dee, Mark Gatiss and Tuppence Middleton, now on at the National Theatre.

We chat about royal plays, Phantom of the Opera and the news of Sir Kenneth Branagh set to direct and star in the West Ends King Lear.

Theatre critic Alice Saville joins us to review The Good Person of Szechwan, thats presented by the English Touring Theatre and Sheffield Theatres, now on at the Lyric Hammersmith.

Plus we pay tribute to director and writer Adam Brace who has died aged 43.

Listen above, or wherever you stream your podcasts.
L ong lauded as Mexicos culinary capital, Oaxaca also happens to be the premier spot in the country for another consumable  mezcal.

More than 70 per cent of the worlds production of the spirit is grown in the state, including at Casa Silencio  a desert oasis-cum-distillery where the elixir of the gods is never more than the twist of a bottle cap away.

Where is it?

Casa Silencio - Exterior / Casa Silencio

In Xaaga, a little town an hours drive out of central Oaxaca. If youre looking for an escape, Casa Silencio is it: the desert is in full view from every vantage point of the property, with espadin agave plants and cactus dotted across the vast expanse. Its a magical spot to sip from as the sun sets and the stars begin to crowd overhead.

Style

A solar-powered mezcal wheel looks like a work of art / Casa Silencio

Understated desert luxe, where every corner looks as if it is perfectly crafted from the land around it. Stone and reclaimed wood are the materials of choice, and theres not a sink, piece of art, or even staff T-shirt graphic that hasnt been carefully created for the property by Mexican designer Alejandro DAcosta.

Beyond its moody hues of blacks and earth tones, freshened up with pops of bronze and bright white, sustainability is at Casa Silencios core: solar panels power the place (as well as its mezcal distillery), rainwater is diverted to the production plant, hotel and restaurant, and its art installations are made from recycled bottles. Going green has rarely looked or tasted  this good.

Facilities

Take a dip in the midst of desert scenery / Casa Silencio

Facilities include an onsite distillery at which all guests are invited to complimentary tours and tastings of El Silencio mezcal; a library, and an angular pool from which you can sip cocktails on demand (the Red Rooster is particularly good).

The propertys secret snug, with unlimited access to El Silencio-stuffed fridges, is an after-dinner must. Visitors during February are invited to Umbra, a 20-hour electronic music extravaganza, featuring food and music from some of the states biggest hitmakers.

Extracurricular

The cobbled streets and grand churches of Oaxaca are stunning  but, if youve made it to the region, youve likely done so for one thing: food. Mimi Lopezs traditional dishes have made her something of an Instagram sensation in recent years, in large part thanks to her son, Charlie.

The pair now run cooking classes from her restaurant in Matadamas (around half-an-hour from the town centre), where you can try your hand at Oaxacan staples including mole negro and tortillas. Mimis squash blossom tamales are easily the best youll have in Mexico.

Food & drink

Mezca / Casa Silencio

Your glass will never run dry at Casa Silencio: mezcal cocktails are unlimited and abundant, with the brands own versions of standards alongside a range of unique concoctions (premium mezcals and wine incur an extra charge).

Food is included, too: expect refined Oaxacan classics, like blue corn tlayudas (thin tortillas stuffed with beans and local Castillo cheese), guacamole, and chapulines (grasshoppers). Dinner is a five-course primarily local affair with an Italian influence: theres arancini on a bed of grasshopper sauce and a Caprese salad, plus a delicious catch of the day, taco, rib-eye, and, for dessert, chocolate creme brulee. The menu changes twice a year.

Which room?

Casa Silencios rooms complement the desert surroundings / Casa Silencio

There are six suites, all in different earthy hues that keep their cool in spite of the heat. All come with their own sofa, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls or doors that open to the outside decking. Try Tierra if youre looking for a relaxing soak in its freestanding bath, or Luna for an extra pop of gold and bronze.

Best for...

Mezcal lovers, and anyone looking to ascend to desert design heaven.

Details

Rooms, including all food and drink, are 890 per night; casasilencio.com
T he first question anyone is bound to ask you if youre going to Paris for the weekend is: Oh, are you getting the train? Such is the British love for the Eurostar that no one even cares what youre actually going to do when you get there. For those that do care, in a long weekend (we went Friday morning to Sunday evening) we wanted a real mixture of food, culture and exploring new parts of the city. The best part of going to Paris if youve been before is that you will have ticked off all those iconic destinations, and now have room to explore the parts that dont pop up in every top 10 things to do list.

Our base was the Plaza Athenee (rooms from 1,531 per night, dorchestercollection.com), and if you have the means to stay in total unapologetic luxury, then you should absolutely go for it. Our suite was on the sixth floor, with a balcony that looked out onto the Eiffel Tower  near enough to the landmark to see it in all its beauty, but far away from all the crowds and queues. It was such a calm oasis away from the streets below. And if like me you were an avid Sex and the City fan, that episode where Carrie arrives in Paris, checks into the Plaza and screams in sheer delight at her balcony view  that was the room next door.

We arrived into light drizzle and grey skies, picking up the blue-grey zinc Haussman rooftops perfectly, and headed (after a quick nap  5am wake-ups are never easy) to the Marais in search of lunch. I can wholeheartedly recommend the famous Jewish bakery Sacha Finkelsztajn (laboutiquejaune.fr), where Ive had incredible bagels on more than one trip to Paris. This time, though, we opted for the Israeli cafe Miznon (miznonparis.com) for heaped pita breads. Stepping off the rain- soaked streets into a room filled with warm music, steamed up windows and the smell of freshly chopped herbs was incredible. I chose a falafel pita, drenched in Tahini and chilli and fresh tomato  a balance of tart and fresh and spicy and rich. My boyfriend went for the lamb kebab, and a happy hungry silence followed.

Well-fuelled, we explored a myriad of vintage shops all around  from the curated Systeme Solere, Le Temple Du Vintage with striking pieces from Courreges, YSL, Dior and Missoni to the mish mash of Vintage Desir under its wooden coiffure sign with strange five-euro hats and a yellow fur coat I didnt buy but someone else did five minutes later. We also made the pilgrimage to Merci  a concept store of the most buyable things (homeware, jewellery, clothes)  that you will struggle to leave empty-handed. I also recommend having afternoon coffee and cake from their cafe with its floor-to-ceiling lined shelves of old books, which you can take off the shelves and read if youre fluent in French.

From Merci we braved the rain and headed for the Ile Saint Louis, one of the two natural islands in the Seine  past Notre Dame to read about the vast restoration project underway after the 2019 fire  and to one of my favourite bars, the St Regis (cafesaintregisparis.com). People often talk about the famous Angelina hot chocolate, thick and gloopy and indulgent, but the St Regis does a much less cloying and more delicate version topped with a flower of whipped cream. A shot of espresso afterwards is good to shake off the chocolate too. We sat and drank slow glasses of wine on the brink of early dinner time whilst watching groups of locals spoon onion soup into their mouths, curls of Gruyere falling back into the white china bowls.

Afterwards we made a pit stop in the rain for ice cream from Berthillon just down the street from the St Regis. My boyfriend declared this complete daylight robbery  a very neat (small) boule of ice cream is four euros. If youre imagining heaped Italian gelato, this is not the place. But the flavours  pine nut praline and burnt butter caramel  are subtle, not too sweet and, in my opinion, worth the price.

That night, we decided to try a chaotic dinner in the 9th, at Bouillon Chartier (bouillon-chartier.com)  a sort of Berghain no-booking bistro where you join what looks like an endless queue with everyone from huge groups of dressed up locals to extremely casual solo diners. When you make it near the front, a bouncer will pick you off in odd numbers after constant one-word phone calls. The line is its own event and has a point about 20 minutes in where you can get a glass of sangria for a euro  which makes the whole thing feel quite fun.

When youve made it inside, the place is like a genuinely authentic Brasserie Zedel  1950s decor with vast ceilings, luggage racks for your bags, and a waiter who will seat you and take an order within minutes  scrawling your decisions illegibly on the paper in front of you. The prices are well worth it. You can get an Americano aperitif (an almost negroni) for less than three euros. One tip is that this is not the place to be adventurous with food  my boyfriend chose the calfs head and lets just say  the spaghetti might have been better. Do try their ice cream profiteroles dusted in flaked almonds to finish though. It was a brilliant atmospheric dinner venue, where you will probably leave after midnight, having spent under 30 euros a head each after three courses, and having heard all 200 people inside the restaurant burst into gleeful choruses of happy birthday at least twice.

Bouillon Chartier / Bouillon Chartier

We woke up to another grey day on the Saturday, our balcony dusted in droplets  and enjoyed a slow morning of a long breakfast at the hotel (pistachio pastries, croissants filled with jam, fresh juice, porridge and fruit, and the rather English boiled eggs and soldiers), before walking to the Pompidou via the Tuileries. We had been aiming for the Musee Orangerie to see the exhibition of Matisses work in the 1930s, but had made the mistake of not booking so a queue stretched down the length of horse chestnut trees.

At around 4pm we were hungry again (the sign of a good breakfast), and decided to try a place that had been recommended to me by a friend who grew up in Paris: Le Barav (lebarav.fr). An unpretentious wine bar in the upper Marais, it was dotted with an eclectic mix of Parisians spilling out onto tiny round tables on the side of the street. It is the perfect place for a very late lunch or an early evening snack if youre having a classically late dinner. While the sun finally made a welcome appearance, we devoured a generous cheese board washed down with several cheap glasses of light white wine from the Loire  and enjoyed every second. Our only mistake we realised after going inside to the menagerie of bottles inside  is that you can choose any bottle of wine you want to drink and pay six euros to drink it outside.

We took Lime scooters back to the hotel for dinner, zig zagging the base of the Seine past groups of friends and lovers drinking by the river as the sun went down. Ditching our scooters round the corner from Avenue Montaigne (not sure how many Plaza guests arrive to formal dinners by electric scooter), we arrived just in time to shower and change and be downstairs in time for the chefs menu at the Jean Imbert  a restaurant that only opened nine weeks ago but already has a Michelin star.

The setting is nothing short of Versailles: vast ceilings and gilded cornices tower above huge urns teeming with pink roses  all dotted down a central table made from one singular slab of marble. Our dinner  we opted for Le Menu De Jean  was all a surprise, and frankly more akin to performance art. We started with wisps of cheese pastries; langoustines covered in individually-hand-placed vegetable scales that made the shellfish look like a rainbow mermaids tail, before moving onto a brioche filled with egg yolk, cream and covered in caviar (delicate and surprising, one of the highlights of the whole menu). Then, we ate multiple parts of the lobster  including the head  all seared in front of our eyes in cognac. It was rich and warming with a hint of spice. By the time we made it to dessert I dont think either of us actually thought we could eat a bite more  until two golden balls arrived in front of our eyes  a glittering sugar shell that satisfyingly cracked to reveal a lemon caramel and the softest vanilla cream. It didnt stop there  a whole copper tub of homemade pistachio ice cream came alongside  the perfect shade of pale yellow-green, and a rhubarb tart to offset the sweetness, the strings of fruit laid across pastry like thick brushstrokes of pink paint. We staggered upstairs to bed, swearing we would never eat again.

Jean Imbert / Plaza Athenee

On our final day, we woke up to full sunshine pouring onto our balcony and marvelled at how different Paris looks in the sunshine and blue skies: a totally new city. After taking a moment to read on the balcony  or in my case to stare at the Eiffel Tower again and take a lot of pictures  we ventured downstairs for another lavish breakfast we almost couldnt face after the dinner the night before. From there we walked off the rich food by going to Montmartre to experience its winding cobbled streets and charming painted signage  and on market day where stalls of classic french crockery, glassware and mother-of-pearl jewellery boxes sat alongside records tattered books and frilled blouses that shimmered in the wind. If youre not looking for the tourist hotspot of La Maison Rose (lamaisonrose-montmartre.com), where youll experience the Montmartre paparazzi taking the shot over and over, head just a few minutes away to Les Cinq Marches (5marches-montmartre.com) for coffee and cakes, or to Cafe De Luce (cafedeluce.com) for drinks outside in the square under dappled light from tall green trees.

We wound our way on to the Canal St Martin (Paris answer to East London), for lunch sat basking outside in the sunshine. We grabbed a bottle of wine from a natural wine bistro Le Verre Vole (leverrevole.fr) with floor to ceiling bottles boasting playfully printed labels (if wine bar Early June (early-june.fr) just 30 seconds round the corner had been open yet we would have also tried there), and huge sandwiches crammed with myriad vegetables from the vegan Plan D  which tasted anything but vegan. The huge queue that snakes round these tiny streets is testament to how delicious the food is. We even convinced them to lend us two plastic wine glasses so we could enjoy our bottle of Nicolas Reau Muscadet by the canal, watching boats go up and down the green water and forget that we were about to leave.
T ravel insurance should be an essential part of holiday planning. Not only could it go a long way to covering the cost of expensive medical bills while away, it could pay out in the event the policyholider is forced to cancel their trip due to illness, bereavement or redundancy for example.

A single trip policy provides cover for a one-off trip, opposed to an annual (multi-trip) policy which covers any number of eligible trips over the course of 12 months.

When choosing which single trip policy to buy, consider the premium and the excess which is the agreed amount levied on each claim (or whether its worth paying an extra premium to waive this excess).

Theres more than cost to consider, though. Ensuring the policy comes with adequate levels of cover across areas such as medical treatment and repatriation (the cost of getting home), trip cancellation and lost or stolen baggage is vital.

And while Covid is almost completely behind us in terms of travel restrictions, its still a consideration if you catch the virus before you go and need to cancel, or while youre away and require medical treatment.

With all this in mind, weve identified our top five single trip travel insurance policies. Always carry out a fresh search before buying.

Best single trip travel insurance policies

1. Explorer Travel Insurance Single Trip (Platinum) - 5/5 stars

[Best for a family or single person]

Price for 7-day family trip to Spain: Single traveller: 16.47| Two adults & two teenagers: 33.31*

Cancellation cover: 5,000

Excess: 75

Why we picked it

Offers 5,000 per person in cancellation cover - the highest level out of all the policies listed.

For lost or stolen luggage, theres 2,000 per person.

The 75 per person excess on eligible claims can be waived by paying an additional premium.

Pros

5,000 cancellation cover

25,000 personal accident cover

500 personal money cover

Cons

Gadget cover costs extra

No end supplier failure cover

2. CoverForYou Standard - 5/5 stars

[Best for couples]

Price for 7-day family trip to Spain: A couple: 24.60 | Two adults & two teenagers: 37.67*

Cancellation cover: 3,000

Excess: 50

Why we picked it

Topping the list for a couple, robust levels of cover are balanced with a reasonable price and low excess, should the policyholder need to make a claim.

Theres up to 3,000 to cancel or curtail the trip, and 2,000 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings, for each person.

A 50 excess, the lowest we found, is levied on accepted claims. This can be waived by paying an additional premium.

Pros

3,000 end supplier failure cover

Low 50 excess levied per person per claim

Cons

Gadget cover costs extra

Similar cover available for cheaper premium

3. NOW Premier ST - 4.5/5 stars

Price for 7-day family trip to Spain: 35.73*

Cancellation cover: 3,000

Excess: 75

Why we picked it

For 35, each person can claim up to 3,000 for trip cancellation. Theres also a relatively sizeable 3,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage and belongings.

An excess of 75 per person is payable on eligible claims but this can be waived by paying an additional premium.

Pros

1,500 missed departure cover (both departure and return journeys)

500 personal money cover

Cons

75 excess per person per claim

Gadget cover costs extra

4. Cedar Tree Classic Plus Single Trip - 4/5 stars

Price for 7-day family trip to Spain: 34.80*

Cancellation cover: 2,000

Excess: 95

Why we picked it

Offers 750 per person in lost or stolen gadget cover.

Theres also 2,000 for cancellation or curtailment, and 1,500 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings.

The 95 per person excess levied on eligible claims can be waived by paying an additional premium.

Pros

750 gadget cover

Essential levels of cancellation and baggage cover

Cons

No end supplier failure cover

95 excess levied per person per claim

5. TravelTime PremierPlus - 4/5 stars

Price for 7-day family trip to Spain: 32.32*

Cancellation cover: 4,000

Excess: 99

Why we picked it

For 32, theres a relatively substantial 4,000 in cancellation cover per person.

Each person is also covered up to 2,000 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings cover.

The 99 per person excess payable on each accepted claim is relatively high, but there is the option to waive it by paying an additional premium.

Pros

4 million personal liability cover

500 personal money cover

Cons

99 levied per person per claim

Gadget cover costs extra

Methodology

Using our travel insurance journey, powered by CYTI, we ran quotes for a family of two adults aged 38 and 42, and two children aged 12 and 14, a couple aged 38 and 42 and an individual aged 42, travelling to Spain for seven days.

We assumed that none of the travellers had pre-existing medical conditions.

We scored the top five cheapest providers most competitively-priced policy that includes at least 2 million for medical treatment and repatriation, 2,000 for trip cancellation and 1,500 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings.

Each policy won up to five points for price and up to five points for excess, as well as an additional five points if it offers an excess waiver.

We converted the total score for each policy into a rating out of five.

* Premiums correct at the time of research but can change

What is single trip travel insurance and who is it for?

Single trip travel insurance is designed for those planning a one-off holiday and typically lasts around 30 days, although some policies will stretch up to 60 or 90 days.

Its best suited  and usually works out to be the most cost-effective  for those taking one or two holidays a year. But remember, a separate policy will be required for each and every trip.

Planning to go away more than twice a year? Annual cover will likely be more appropriate, although it pays to compare single trip and annual policies carefully.

For those over the age of 75, single trip travel insurance is also usually the best choice as many travel insurers will not offer annual cover to those in this age group.

What should my policy cover?

A good single trip travel insurance policy will cover the following as standard:

medical expenses: covering medical bills for emergency treatment treatment abroad

covering medical bills for emergency treatment treatment abroad personal liability: in the event the policyholder injures someone or damages their property while away

in the event the policyholder injures someone or damages their property while away cancellation and curtailment: covering a cancelled trip or a trip cut short due to illness, redundancy or bereavement

covering a cancelled trip or a trip cut short due to illness, redundancy or bereavement missed departures : if the policyholder misses their flight, ferry or train through no fault of their own

: if the policyholder misses their flight, ferry or train through no fault of their own baggage and personal belongings: in the event the policyholders items are lost, damaged or stolen (always check the single item limit on the policy as items worth more than this amount must be covered separately).

For a more comprehensive travel insurance policy, a range of optional extras can usually be added, such as:

end supplier failure and/or scheduled airline failure: providing financial protection if the hotel, travel company or airline goes into administration. This is worth adding if the flights are not part of an ATOL protected package holiday

providing financial protection if the hotel, travel company or airline goes into administration. This is worth adding if the flights are not part of an ATOL protected package holiday legal expenses: covering legal fees if a claim is made against the policyholder for an incident that wasnt their fault

covering legal fees if a claim is made against the policyholder for an incident that wasnt their fault natural catastrophe and terrorism cover: for claims arising from a natural disaster such as a volcano eruption, or due to a terrorist attack

for claims arising from a natural disaster such as a volcano eruption, or due to a terrorist attack sports and activities cover: specialist cover if the policyholder is taking part in high-risk or winter sports, eg. skydiving or snowboarding.

Whether this extra cover is necessary will partly depend on the type of holiday planned and whether it will involve extreme activities, as well as the planned spend for the travel insurance policy.

It may be that some policies automatically include higher levels of cover as standard, while others will require paying extra. Running a number of comparisons can help when looking for the best price for the required level of cover.

Compare Travel Insurance Quotes Choose from 100+ policies. Its free, quick and simple. Get A Quote

Are there any exclusions?

When comparing policies, it helps to check the small print carefully for what is not covered. Typical exclusions within a travel insurance policy are as follows:

medical treatment for pre-existing conditions

claims due to drug or alcohol-related incidents

claims arising from visiting a country the Foreign and Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has advised against

claims resulting from not taking reasonable care of possessions, for example leaving a bag unattended and someone stealing it

claims relating to not having the correct vaccinations for the holiday.

Will a single trip travel insurance cover me for Covid?

All travel policies will cover medical expenses after falling ill with the virus while away, while others will also include cover for trip cancellation as a result of contracting the virus. Details can be found in each policys terms and conditions. In the meantime, see our guide to the best travel insurance policies specifically for Covid.

Can I take out single trip travel insurance for more than one person?

Yes, its possible to take out single trip travel insurance whether travelling alone, with someone else or as a family.

Family cover generally works out cheaper than arranging a separate policy for each person, although its always worth running several quotes to confirm this before taking out cover.

Do I need single trip travel insurance for the UK?

For breaks in the UK, its easy to assume travel insurance isnt necessary. But having cover in place can still provide vital financial protection for trip cancellation or loss of possessions.

Check whether the policy only provides cover if away for more than a specified number of nights, or whether the break has to be a certain distance (maybe 25 miles) from home.

When should I buy single trip travel insurance?

The best time to buy any type of travel insurance policy is as soon a holiday is booked. Doing so will ensure all-important cancellation cover should illness, the death of a family member or redundancy scupper holiday plans.

How much does single trip travel insurance cost?

The cost of a single trip travel insurance policy will be determined by destination, trip duration and who is travelling.

For example, a couple going for a weeks holiday in Spain could get basic cover for around 10, while a family of two adults and two children travelling to the United States could expect to pay over 60 for a policy with 10 million of medical expenses cover.

What are the top destinations for single trip travel insurance?

This cover is suitable for any destination provided the trip isnt for a prolonged period - policies usually stipulate 30, 60 or 90 days. Normally, the policyholder must be visiting one country rather than touring through several.

Many holidaymakers buy single trip travel insurance for their journeys to the likes of Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Turkey.

Will I need a specialist travel insurance policy if I am over 65?

Older travellers do not need a specialist travel policy on account of their age, although they will find the cost of a standard policy is higher once they reach 65 or 70, with further increases in store as they get older still.

A specialist policy will be required if the traveller has a pre-existing medical condition such as heart disease or cancer, or has had such medical problems in the past. When applying for travel insurance, a comparison tool will need information such as whether anyone travelling has a medical condition, and if so, it will show insurance companies that have experience of providing cover in these cases.
A derelict office building in Mayfair is up for sale with potential to be transformed into one of the capital's most extravagant mega mansions.

Office-to-resi conversions are more often associated with substandard housing snuck through under permitted development rights, but this Grade II-listed property is on the market with planning permission for conversion into a luxury 10-bedroom home with basement swimming pool.

The building close to Hyde Park Corner will cost the visionary buyer 35 million  before they have even begun any renovations.

Last used as office space, the 18th century building has been stripped back and left vacant and requires a significant amount of work.

The inside of the building has been stripped out after office workers departed / Penguins Egg / Knight Frank / Rightmove

Holes can be seen in flooring, while walls and external spaces appear in need of major restoration and redecoration.

However, the scale of this job will ramp up several notches if the buyer carries out a planning consent granted in 2015.

Under this approved scheme, which is still valid for completion, the buildings basement would be deepened to fit in a pool, gym, sauna and Jacuzzi.

This lower-ground floor would also include staff quarters featuring two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, utility room and chauffers office, according to plans submitted to Westminster City Council.

Significant work would be required to the listed building even to return it to commercial use / Penguins Egg / Knight Frank / Rightmove

The first floor would contain a 54 metre squared living room and a separate 47 metre squared family room along with a library and media space. A study, kitchen and dining room are planned for the second floor.

Spread over the three floors above are eight bedrooms and the same number of bathrooms, with the main bedroom opening on to double dressing rooms that flow onto an en suite with twin toilets.

The scheme also includes creation of a roof terrace.

Adam Byng of Hertfordshire-based quantity surveying firm PCP Surveyors estimated costs of up to 7 million to execute the planning permission to a standard expected for this type of property. Consultant fees could be added on top, he said.

Anthony Kazan, head of development at Knight Frank, said the agency expected interest from a range of parties.

It would suit an owner-occupier whether they want it as a house or an office, he said.

Given the size of the planning permission it would become a large house at the top end of the central London market.

Although conversion of office space into residential premises is allowed without planning consent using amendments to the permitted development regime, Westminster City Council has used Article 4 directions to overrule these rights across vast swathes of the borough. In addition listed building consent is required for those buildings  such as this Mayfair office  that have such heritage protection.
P rivate renters with minority ethnic backgrounds are 38 per cent more likely to have faced an unaffordable rent increase and 36 per cent more likely to have been threatened with eviction than white British or Irish renters.

Not a nugget from the Evening Standard c1958 but a statistic from campaign group Generation Rent. Its report found that despite the Equality Act 2010 making discrimination against prospective tenants on grounds such as disability, race and sex illegal, twice as many minority survey respondents as white ones had been threatened with court action by a landlord.

Thats the thing about Londons red-hot rental market: it makes discrimination by stealth all too easy. If youve got dozens of applicants feverishly outbidding each other, whats to stop you choosing tenants on whatever spurious grounds you like?

Who can make a rock solid accusation of discrimination when bidding wars and no-fault evictions are par for the course? So a huge number of private renters currently looking for a home at the moment are discovering.

This is just one reason why the Renters Reform Bill is so desperately needed and why tenants, campaigners and landlords are all ready this week to pick over the promised document when it eventually comes before Parliament.

Therell be plenty who are hoping Michael Gove has rolled back some of his more concrete proposals, but I very much hope he hasnt.

The rental health of the city depends on it.
Korea's labor unions continue their ritual yearly strikes with ever noisier demands for more money and perks even as their productivity has failed to catch up and production is being moved overseas.

Unionized workers at Hyundai and affiliate Kia downed tools for seven years in a row from 2012-2018, causing the automakers W15 trillion in production losses (US$1=W1,169). Those at GM Korea downed tools for 103 days, whereas Japan's Toyota did see a single strike over the last 57 years.

The numbers were cited at a forum on Wednesday hosted by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. Kim Joon-kyu at KAMA said, "It's rare in any advance economy that wage negotiations and strikes take place every year. This is a privilege enjoyed only by Korea's militant unions."
F ull plans for a seismic shake-up of the private rental sector are due to be published any day, as landlords and tenants hold their breath in anticipation of what has  and hasnt  made the final cut.

Levelling Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove confirmed in a Sky News appearance last Wednesday that the much-delayed Renters Reform Bill would be unveiled this week, more than four years after initial consultations. Although the Mirror newspaper reports that procedural issues have caused subsequent delays.

Mr Gove said the legislation will change the way in which the relationship between landlords and tenants work, providing tenants with new protection which should ensure that theyre better protected from arbitrary rent increases.

A white paper published in June last year laid out proposals including a ban on no-fault evictions and fixed-term contracts, plus greater protection for tenants in receipt of benefits or with a pet in tow.

It also pledged that the Decent Homes Standard would be extended to cover privately rented homes for the first time, citing an English Housing Survey that found 1.6 million people are living in dangerously low-quality homes.

For too long many private renters have been at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords who fail to repair homes and let families live in damp, unsafe and cold properties, with the threat of unfair no fault evictions orders hanging over them, it said.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate has called it a game-changer for Englands 11 million private renters  but critics say its come too late.

A coalition of campaigners marched on Downing Street in March, expressing anger at the languid pace of progress and demanding promises put forward were urgently fulfilled.

The Bill will need to pass through parliament before dates can be set for the laws to come into effect, which could take several months.

So what can we expect to see?

An end to no-fault evictions

The backbone of the Bill is the abolishment of Section 21, a key piece of legislation from the Housing Act 1988 that allows landlords to evict tenants without providing justification.

First proposing the ban on 15 April 2019, the Government said that private landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants from their homes at short notice and without good reason.

Nearly 230,000 private renters have received a no-fault eviction notice in the three years since, according to research called out by Shelter and Yougov  which equates to one every seven minutes.

Its inclusion in the bill is as good as confirmed  plans to end no-fault evictions were published in the manifesto in November 2019, in the white paper in June 2022 and reaffirmed by a spokesperson for the Department as recently as March.

A tenancy will only end if the tenant ends it or if the landlord has a valid ground for possession.

...but Section 8 could provide a loophole for landlords

Those grounds for possession will also be subject to a shake-up, with landlords promised effective means to gain possession of their properties when necessary.

Evictions due to anti-social behaviour would be expedited and there will be new grounds for persistant arrears  i.e. unpaid rent  and the sale of the property.

The wider implication is an upheaval of Section 8, which is a type of eviction notice issued by a landlord when they believe the tenant is in breach of their agreement.

The worry is that the bar for issuing a Section 8 notice could be lowered to account for the abolishment of no-fault evictions.

Rigid fixed-term contracts could be out

Tenancy structure is also under the spotlight, with the standard Assured Shorthold Tenancy in line to be scrapped.

Instead, a periodic or rolling system  which currently comes into effect when a fixed term has expired  would become the norm. Tenants will need to give two months notice.

Locking parties into a contract undermines the flexibility that the Private Rented Sector offers and restricts tenants and landlords ability to react to changing personal circumstances, according to the white paper.

Landlords might have to join a register

A new online property portal could provide a single front door for landlords, tenants and local councils.

Though the proposal falls short of proposing a universal landlord license, the portal will be more than a policy hub  tenants will be able to access information about their landlords historic compliance, and local councils will use the data to crack down on criminal landlords.

There are future plans to integrate info from the Database of Rogue Landlords, which would make the offenses public.

According to government data cited in the white paper, just 30 per cent of landlords are demonstrating good practice.

At the moment, its not clear how the portal would look or function.

Notice periods for rent increases could be doubled

Landlords would need to give two months notice, rather than one, if they want to increase the rent  which would only be allowed once per year. Rent review clauses in contracts would be banned.

If a tenant approaches the First-tier Tribunal with a disproportionate rent increase, it would not be able to increase rent beyond the amount the landlord initially asked for.

Separately, if a desperate tenant has offered multiple months rent upfront  an increasingly common practice in Londons bidding wars  the landlord would be legally required to repay it if a tenancy ends earlier than the period that has been paid for.

The introduction of rent control, meanwhile, is firmly off the agenda: Historical evidence suggests that this would discourage investment in the sector and would lead to declining property standards as a result, which would not help landlords or tenants.

No more blanket bans on benefit claimants or families with children

No DSS is a common sight on rental listings, but the government could be poised to make it illegal for a landlord to refuse tenancies to families with children or those in receipt of benefits.

Its also been suggested that this could widen to cover other vulnerable groups in the future, such as prison leavers.

The challenge will be proving that a tenant has been rejected on these grounds, particularly in competitive markets.

Households with dependent children make up 30 per cent of the private rented sector, according to the governments own research, while 26 per cent receive some kind of Housing Benefit.

Landlords would have to consider pets

The English Private Landlord Survey 2021 found that 45 per cent of landlords were unwilling to let to tenants with pets.

Good news for furry friends  the Bill is expected to stop these blanket no pet policies, with the onus on landlords to prove why the request is unreasonable.

Animal charities have long lamented the attitudes towards pet ownership in the private rented sector and the knock-on effect for rehoming centres.

Dogs Trust has said that around one in 10 owners that contact them cite issues with housing as the main reason for needing to rehome their dog, while Cats Protection estimates that it took in 1,300 cats last year due to landlord bans.

Decent Homes Standard extended to the private rental sector

Introduced in 2001, the Decent Homes Standard states that public housing must be free from serious health and safety hazards.

That assurance could be extended to the private rental sector for the first time.

How this will be rolled out is another matter, but the white paper pledged to run pilot schemes with a selection of local councils to explore the different ways they could enforce standards.

A new ombudsman could keep disputes out of court

A powerful new ombudsman could help enforce these sweeping policy changes and ensure that low-profile disputes between tenants and landlords can be settled quickly  and without going to court.

All landlords will be required to join.
Im here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen, legendary journalist E. Jean Carroll told the jury on the first day of her groundbreaking civil trial against the former US President. He lied and shattered my reputation. Im here to try and get my life back. A jury found he sexually abused her, but not that he raped her. Trump continues to deny he did anything wrong.

In April the former ELLE columnist describes her horrific attack in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-90s over a three day trial. Well, it was such a funny New York scene, Carroll told the Jury on meeting Trump. I love to give advice and here was Donald Trump asking me for advice about buying a present. The 79-year-old went on to explain that they soon wound up in the lingerie section where Trump told Carroll to try on a sheer gray bodysuit, to which she jokingly told him to try it on instead.

I didnt picture anything about what was about to happen, she continued. That open door has plagued me for years because I just walked into it. Just walked in. Carroll then recounted how Trump allegedly pushed her against the wall and inserted his fingers and his penis inside her.

E Jean Carroll walks out of Manhattan federal court on Tuesday / AP

Having first come forward with the allegation in her 2019 book What Do We Need Men For? Trump started a vicious campaign against the author, accusing her of lying to boost sales of her memoir and that she was a complete con job. Later that year she was fired from her Ask E. Jean column at Elle that she had written for over 26 years, because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, she tweeted at the time. (Elle has since maintained that the early termination of her contract had nothing to do with the allegation.)

Yesterday, the New York jury took only two hours to find Trump guilty of battery (but not rape) and defamation - awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. I think that jurors just sat around and said how long do we need to sit here to make it look like there was something to consider and we considered it, observed Kim Masters, editor at large at The Hollywood Reporter, of the unanimous decision.

The landmark ruling is the first time the property tycoon has been formally charged with sexual misconduct, despite 26 women coming forward with similar allegations over the years.

Another triumph for morality. Even the GOP will reconsider if they want a sex offender as their frontrunner for 2024, one social media user commented on the news. I applaud the fact that she fought, in spite of great odds and personal peril, against what has always been and truly continues to be an unvanquishable foe, wrote another.

Donald Trump has promised to appeal and called it a "disgrace" after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing a writer in the 1990s. / Truth Social

Trump did not attend the trial, but called the verdict a disgrace and posted, I have absolutely no idea who this woman is, on his Truth Social platform, despite the two having been photographed together at an NBC party in 1987.

Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed, Carroll wrote in a post-verdict statement. As Trump prepares for his 2024 presidential campaign, and with famously Republican-leaning platform CNN even being urged to cancel his town hall tonight, many are wondering whether Trumps political career is finally over.

From Indiana beauty queen to published writer outgrowing her hometown

The esteemed writer was born in Detroit and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to inventor father Thomas F. Carroll Jr. and politician mother Betty Carroll. The oldest of four children, she was a passionate cheerleader and once even crowned Miss Indiana University beauty queen. However her heart has always been set on writing, and was only 12 when she started pitching stories to magazines.

She landed her breakthrough gig after college with a debut article in Esquire, which was a witty literary quiz she concocted about Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald.

In April the former ELLE columnist describes her horrific attack in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-90s / REUTERS

It was all down to the journalist Marilyn Johnson (now a good friend of Carroll) who was an editorial assistant at Esquire at the time and handselected Carrolls quiz out of the huge in tray of submissions. .

That was pure luck, Carroll said in an interview with Observer. Otherwise Id still be out there in Montana sending stuff to fucking Redbook or whatever. Ladies Home Journal. Wow.

Thanks to her Esquire article, commissions soon started rolling in - including one to interview Fran Lebowitz for a cover article in Outside magazine in 1983. The gig brought her to New York city for the first time and before long she made the bold choice to relocate completely to Manhattan - leaving behind her then-husband Steve Byers.

Of course, I went back for my dog, she told Indianapolis Monthly at the time.

Life as a New York city It girl

Carrolls first apartment in the city was a basement on 26th Street. She used to sleep with a shotgun nearby. It didnt take her long to integrate into the glitzy social scene, where she spent a lot of time in chic hangouts like Elaines. Here she met literary heavyweights Norman Mailer, Gay Talese and Hunter S. Thompson, the latter of whom she went on to write an imaginative gonzo biography of.

In fact, she was even described as the feminisms answer to Hunter S Thompson by the New York Times thanks to her style of journalism. For example, she hiked across the Pacific island in search of a more primitive mate for Playboy (where she was the publications first female contributing editor) .

Writer E. Jean Carroll arriving at the courthouse as jury selection began / AP

However her big break came from her infamous Ask E. Jean column that she wrote for Elle from 1993 to 2019. Through her many articles she helped women navigate the choppy waters of their work, social and sex lives, with the Chicago Tribune voting it one of the five best magazine columns in 2003.

We all worshipped her, said Katherine Rosman, an editor who worked at Elle in the 90s of Ask E. Jean. She created this world in her column where you as a young woman could be focused on your career and becoming the woman that you wanted to be, and it wasnt antithetical to also be boy crazy and also want to get married and also want to be pretty. She helped show a lot of people that those concepts were not mutually exclusive.

It was so popular that in the 1990s, she went on to host her own cable television talk show based off of the column.

On finally getting the vindication she deserves

Although the news first broke in her bestselling memoir, Carroll told the court during the civil rape trial that she at first hadnt intended to write about the alleged assault by Mr Trump.

She explained she took a feminist road trip across the United States in 2017 in search of answers to the question: What do we need men for? While on her travels, the sexual assault allegations against the disgraced filmmaker Harvey Weinstein broke during the initial wave of the MeToo movement which spurred her into action.

I was not a pioneer, I am a follower, she said during cross-examination on Thursday 27 April. I saw other women coming forward after Harvey Weinstein and I thought, who am I to stay silent. Also I was 78 or 79, I had been silent for too long.

I saw other women coming forward after Harvey Weinstein and I thought, who am I to stay silent. Also I was 78 or 79, I had been silent for too long. / REUTERS

When she first went public with her allegations in a New York magazine article ahead of her book launch, she filed a civil lawsuit against Trump - the then-President of the United States, who even enlisted the help of the Justice Department to defend him.

Not one to back down, last year, Ms Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Mr Trump under a New York law that allows sexual assault survivors a chance to bring civil suits after the statute of limitations has expired on alleged offences.

The new lawsuit accuses him of battery and defamation, based on his inflammatory insults, and is the basis of the trial that began on 25 April and wrapped yesterday afternoon.

In an essay for New York Magazine, she revealed that she never had sex again after her encounter with Mr Trump, her last hideous man. She also revealed why she did not come forward at the time: Receiving death threats, being driven from my home, being dismissed, being dragged through the mud, and joining the 15 women whove come forward with credible stories about how the man grabbed, badgered, belittled, mauled, molested, and assaulted them, only to see the man turn it around, deny, threaten, and attack them, never sounded like much fun.
A father and son have been found guilty of running a large-scale drugs factory in west London selling pharmaceutical drugs on the dark web.

Allen Valentine, his son Roshan Valentine and childhood friend Krunal Patel made 3.5million producing and selling Benzodiazepines, a type of sedative, which is a Class C drug.

The trio advertised the sale of Xanax, Diazepam and Valium in exchange for cryptocurrency on several markets on the dark web. The drugs were then posted through the mail.

Detectives tracked the three men visiting a warehouse unit at Acton Business Park. It was from here that the drugs were produced, packaged and supplied under the guise of a company called Puzzle Logistics Limited.

Each of the men visited the unit on a daily basis, often staying for much of the day. Krunal Patel would frequently leave with large bags, returning 10 to 15 minutes later without the contents of the bags.

Detectives utilised specialist cyber tactics to prove the three men converted 3.5million from cryptocurrency into fiat currency (sterling). The accounts have been frozen by police.

Krunal Patel was arrested close to the warehouse, with 15 parcels labelled for posting to addresses across the UK.

Inside those parcels were tablets imprinted Xanax and Teva, both brand names for licensed medicines within the Benzodiazepine group. Roshan and Allen Valentine were arrested later that same day.

Officers searched the warehouse and found a concealed laboratory where a large amount of equipment and several containers of chemical substances were discovered, along with numerous crates of pills manufactured on site.

The pills were analysed and found to contain Class C drugs from the Benzodiazepine group including Deschloroetizolam, Flubromazepam, Bromazolam and Flualprazolam.

Allen Valentine told the jury he was a doctor and has qualifications in pharmacy, enquiries are currently ongoing to verify the claims.

Detective Constable Alex Hawkins, of the Mets Cyber Crime Unit led the investigation. He said: The three men ran a sophisticated, large scale production of fake pharmaceutical drugs sold on the dark web that appeared to be genuine. Their operation was solely for the greed of those involved bearing no concern for the vulnerabilities of those purchasing these drugs.

Some of the drugs contained completely different chemicals from those which should be in the genuine tablets; some of them are extremely dangerous.

This is the first seizure of those chemicals in the UK and as such legislation will be amended later this year to include these drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A substances. Stopping the manufacturing of these drugs has removed a significant risk to the public.

We would like to thank pharmaceutical companies Viatris and Teva UK for assisting the Met in our investigation and supporting our prosecution against these dangerous and fraudulent men.

Id urge anyone to seek medical advice and obtain a prescription for medication through a doctor. If you buy from the dark web there is no guarantee what is in the substances, as with this case.

All three were charged with conspiracy to produce Class C drugs and money laundering offences on August 19 last year and were remanded in custody.

Krunal Patel, 40, of Carmalite Road, Harrow, and Roshan Valentine, 39, of Hilliard Road, Northwood pleaded guilty to eight offences around supplying Class C drugs on Friday, 10 February at Isleworth Crown Court.

Allen Valentine, 62, of Kynaston Wood, Harrow, pleaded not guilty to the same offences and was found guilty on Tuesday, 9 May following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

They will be sentenced on a date to be determined.

A confiscation hearing to legally obtain their illegal profits will take place in due course.
A senior anti-fraud police officer has been found guilty of breaching standards of professional behaviour and barred from working for the service again.

David Clark, a former Chief Superintendent at the City of London Police, was found guilty of gross misconduct during an inquiry over an allegation that he requested police resources for a personal matter.

There were five allegations made against Clark and a misconduct panel found all the charges amounted to gross misconduct.

The hearing, which followed an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation, found that David Clark forwarded emails from his work email account to his personal email account and subsequently forwarded those documents to a third party, in 2018.

It was also found proven by the panel that he obstructed an IOPC investigation by denying, when interviewed, that he had forwarded the documents and that he also disposed of his mobile phone knowing it contained evidence relevant to that investigation.

He was at one point the fifth highest paid officer in the force underneath Ian Dyson, then commissioner, Alistair Sutherland, assistant commissioner, and two commanders.

Chief Superintendent for Professionalism and Trust Portfolio, Sanjay Andersen, said: The findings of the misconduct panel relate to serious allegations dating back to 2018, that Clark breached our standards of professional behaviour in Honesty and Integrity, Orders and Instructions, Confidentiality and Discreditable Conduct.

Trust and confidence in policing is essential. While this case dates back several years, we take every action necessary to maintain our professional standards and expect all officers and staff to serve with honesty and integrity.

The behaviours and actions evidenced throughout this hearing will not be tolerated by the City of London Police, and Mr Clark will now be added to the police barred list, preventing him from ever working in policing again.

IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: David Clark was a senior officer for City of London Police, acting as a commander and head of the economic crime unit, when he chose to take those actions and, in doing so, he not only breached police standards of professional behaviour but also the trust placed in him by the public.

His explanation, that he had not sent documents to his personal email account and had not provided that documentation to a third party, simply did not stand up to scrutiny. And his claim that he had taken the opportunity to upgrade his mobile phone, and had not disposed of it knowing it contained evidence relevant to our investigation, was not accepted by the disciplinary panel.

As a result, Mr Clark was found to have repeatedly breached the police standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, confidentiality and discreditable conduct. In those circumstances it is right that the panel decided he would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving and he will now be placed on the police barred list, stopping him from taking up any further position in policing.

The misconduct panel found Mr Clark guilty of gross misconduct and provided an outcome of dismissal had Mr Clark still been a serving officer. Mr Clark resigned from the force in 2019.

The outcome of the hearing means Mr Clark is added to the police barred list, which will prevent him from re-entering the police service or joining other policing bodies.
A trial in one of the Duke of Sussexs legal battles is set to begin at the High Court in London.

Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

The trial  expected to last up to seven weeks  is due to begin on Wednesday, with the duke set to appear as a witness in June.

Here the PA news agency looks at the legal cases the duke has been involved in over the last few years.

 Privacy claim against Splash News and Picture Agency

In May 2019, Harry accepted substantial damages and an apology from a news agency which took pictures of his home in the Cotswolds from a helicopter.

Harry settled privacy and data protection claims against Splash News and Picture Agency over photographs of and into the living area and dining area of the home and directly into the bedroom.

The court heard Splash agreed to pay damages and legal costs.

 Legal action against the Home Office

The duke is bringing legal action against the Home Office over the security arrangements for himself and his family when they are in the UK.

He is challenging the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec)  which falls under the remit of the Home Office  over his security, after being told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting.

The dukes legal team argue that the security arrangements set out in a letter from Ravec, and their application when he visited the UK in June 2021, were invalid due to procedural unfairness because he was not given an opportunity to make informed representations beforehand.

There will be a full High Court hearing to review the dukes claim on a date to be set.

 Libel claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL)

The duke is bringing a libel claim against ANL  the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail On Sunday  over an article about his case against the Home Office.

The story was published online and in the newspaper in February 2022 under the headline: Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret then  just minutes after the story broke  his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.

Justin Rushbrooke KC, for Harry, said the Mail On Sunday article purported to reveal, in sensational terms that information from court documents filed by the duke contradicted public statements he had previously made about his willingness to pay for police protection for himself and his family whilst in the UK.

ANL is contesting the claim, arguing the article expressed an honest opinion and did not cause serious harm to his reputation.

At a preliminary hearing in March, the High Court heard the dukes bid to strike out ANLs honest opinion defence or grant judgment in his favour on it.

A judgment is expected later this year.

 Alleged unlawful information gathering at News Group Newspapers (NGN)

Harry is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, over alleged unlawful information gathering.

The duke alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for the papers.

At a hearing in April, the publisher asked a judge to throw out his claim, arguing it was brought too late, along with a similar claim brought by Hugh Grant.

However, Harrys lawyers said it is an attempt to go behind an alleged secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012.

NGN denies that such an agreement was in place.

A judgment is expected later this year.

 Alleged unlawful information gathering at Associated Newspapers Limited

Harry is one of seven people, also including David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Sir Simon Hughes, bringing legal action against ANL over denied allegations it carried out or commissioned unlawful information gathering.

The allegations include hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, blagging private records and accessing and recording private phone conversations.

ANL, which firmly denies the allegations, asked a judge to rule in its favour without a trial, arguing the legal challenges against it were brought far too late.

A judgment is expected later this year.

 Alleged unlawful information gathering at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN)

A small number of representative claimants were previously selected as test cases for the trial starting on Wednesday, including the duke.

The court previously heard that Harrys case is that 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010 included information that was allegedly obtained through unlawful means, including phone hacking.

The other claimants selected for trial are former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouses ex-wife Fiona Wightman and actor Michael Turner.

MGN is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.
T he fatal shooting of two dogs in front of their owner next to a canal in east London has resulted in two voluntary referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The development came after the owner of the animals appeared in court charged with dangerous dog offences after being tasered by Metropolitan Police officers.

An IOPC spokesperson said: We can confirm the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has made voluntary referrals of two complaints in relation to the incident in Poplar, east London where a man was Tasered and two dogs were shot dead on 7 May.

We are assessing the referrals to determine what further action may be required from us.

Footage posted on social media showed officers pursued a man, who was holding two dogs on a short lead along the canal, on Sunday afternoon.

The situation then appeared to become heated, as he was tasered to the floor and the animals were shot dead.

Louie Turnbull, 46, of no fixed address, was charged on Tuesday with being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control and being in possession or custody of a dog while disqualified from owning or keeping a dog.

He appeared in custody at Thames Magistrates Court.

A small number of animal activists held a protest with their own dogs outside Limehouse police station after the shooting.

One holds a placard reading: Mans best friend shot dead in the street, there will be no effing peace. Another read Dogs are people and deserve a trial.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement: The charges follow a call to police just after 5pm on Sunday May 7 to reports of a woman being attacked by a dog in Commercial Road.

Officers located a woman who reported two dogs had attacked her dog.

Both dogs were destroyed by police at the scene.

The owner of the dogs was arrested at the scene. Police taser was discharged. He was taken into custody and was later charged as above.

The Met said its Directorate of Professional Standards conducted a thorough review of the incident, including available body-cam footage, and are satisfied that there are no concerns around officer conduct.
A murder investigation has been launched after a 29-year-old was found with fatal stab wounds inside his car in Ladywell, south east London.

Police say the mans family are reeling following the shocking attack which happened in broad daylight in a busy street.

Four people have now been arrested in connection with the stabbing, Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday.

Police were called to Malyons Road in Ladywell just before 2pm on Wednesday, when they discovered the injured man in his grey BMW.

Paramedics and an air ambulance were scrambled to the scene, but attended but the man could not be saved.

DCI Kieran, of the Met Police, said: This was a shocking incident that took place on a busy street in the middle of the day. There were a large number of witnesses and I thank those people who have already taken the time to share what they saw.

If you have footage or information but havent yet spoken to police, please do get in touch.

We are building a timeline of the events surrounding the murder and your information could be a missing details in that picture. If you saw anything, please do take the time to contact us.

The victims family is reeling from the shock of losing their loved one in such a violent way. Our thoughts are with them as our investigation progresses.

A post-mortem examination and formal identification will take place in due course.

Four people have been arrested in connection with this offence. They remain in custody while police continue their urgent investigation.

Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, leading local policing, added: It saddens me to see another life ended by knife crime in our city.

I know that this incident will send shock waves throughout our community. Please know that I share in your concerns, and while my officers are supporting the murder investigation team, they are also available to provide support and reassurance through enhanced patrols in the area.

If you are worried please do feel free to approach officers and speak with them.

Anyone with information or footage relating to this incident should call 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 3928/10May.

To speak with officers from the investigation team direct please call 020 87214622.

To remain 100% anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.
D ocuments relevant to the Daniel Morgan murder investigation have been found in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard.

Met Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said the discovery of paperwork in a unit that had not been used for a number of years was unacceptable and deeply regrettable.

Some of this material should have been disclosed to Baroness Nuala OLoans Daniel Morgan Independent Panel which published its final report in June 2021.

Mr Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987.

The independent panel set up to look into the case published a scathing report which accused the Met of a form of institutional corruption for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

A careful assessment has been completed to understand the significance of the newly found documents and any potential impact.

A total of 95 pages of material have been initially identified that would have been disclosed under a protocol agreed with the Panel.

Assistant Commissioner Gray said: We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the Panel.

The documents were found in January and an assessment started in February.

Some of the material is relevant to the work of DMIP and a subsequent inspection by His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime and the Home Office have been informed.

A Met spokesman said: Our assessment is that there are no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

The Met has written to the family of Daniel Morgan and Baroness Nuala OLoan to explain what we believe has taken place and outline next steps.
A teenager stabbed to death outside his school gates had talked about knife crime robbing him of innocent friends just like me in a haunting video filmed just months before his murder.

Renell Charles, 16, a pupil at Kelmscott School in Walthamstow, east London, was ambushed and fatally stabbed in the chest on Friday afternoon.

He took part in acclaimed filmmaker Kay Rufais Smile-ing Boys Project, which uses creative arts to address the mental health needs of black boys.

Dressed in his school uniform last September, Renell is passionate as he says: Right now, especially in this time and generation, lets be real.

People are dying out there. Unnecessary people are getting hurt. Innocent people are getting killed.

And its young black boys just like me.

We deserve a chance to show that not all black boys are just tough, hard gangsters.

No matter what they have been through, theyve always got a smile on their faces.

Rufais project, most recently funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Foundation for Future London, tackled masculinity and negative stereotypes behind rising violence.

His work has been showcased at City Hall and across the world.

In the footage Rufai posted on Instagram yesterday, Renell says that since taking part in the eight-week session he had learned to open up more, adding: Its okay to get mad at situations. Its okay to be upset and cry. Its not being a wuss.

The teenager was given a shopping voucher for being involved after Rufai praised him as a shining light and a leader.

Rufai told the Standard he had shot the video with Renell at his school and they had a catch-up session in December.

The filmmaker was contacted at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday by a teacher. He initially thought Renell had been in trouble in class but his hands started shaking when he realised the teenager had been killed.

He said: I received a phone call many of us never ever want to receive.

Can you ring me? I have some bad news about Renell.

I had hoped he was rude to a teacher and was facing an exclusion or just something about his behaviour in school, and she - the amazing teacher - just needed advice on how to best support Renell through it - but my body knew.

The weakness had already permeated through my optimistic guard, and my hands were already shaking. We must do better.

Headteacher Sam Jones said the attack marked the darkest of days for the community.

A 16-year-old boy charged with Renells murder will appear at the Old Bailey on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy was arrested yesterday over the murder of 18-year-old Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, known as Jordan, who was stabbed to death near Dagenham Heathway Tube station on Friday night.

Three further males aged 16, 17 and 20 were detained last night in the Suffolk area on suspicion of murder and violent disorder. All four remain in custody.
J urors in the trial of actor Stephen Tompkinson were told his talent makes him convincing in putting across a story as they retired to consider their verdict.

The 57-year-old DCI Banks star is accused of punching a man who was drunkenly making noise outside the actors home in the early hours of May 30 2021.

Tompkinson, of Whitley Bay, denies causing grievous bodily harm.

In his closing speech to the jury, prosecutor Michael Bunch said Tompkinson snapped and lashed out at Karl Poole, causing him to suffer a fractured skull when he fell and hit his head on the pavement following the alleged blow.

Newcastle Crown Court has heard Tompkinson came out of his house wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown after finding Mr Poole and his friend Andrew Hall drinking at the bottom of his driveway at 5.30am.

He is an expert in playing a part - a man tormented by a pair of drunks. He can deliver a line

A neighbour who watched the incident from her bedroom window told the court she saw Tompkinson slap and punch Mr Poole, but Tompkinson said he simply pushed the man away in self-defence.

Mr Bunch said Tompkinson had argued his profession made him less likely to assault anyone because it would be career suicide.

But when we snap, do we worry about the consequences in that moment? the prosecutor asked jurors.

Do we think about anything else other than that which has made us see red?

The prosecutor said the jury might think Tompkinsons obvious talent makes him convincing in putting across a story.

He is an expert in playing a part  a man tormented by a pair of drunks. He can deliver a line, Mr Bunch said.

He told jurors Tompkinson was disgusted by the two men, reminding them he had described their behaviour as disgraceful and pure self-indulgence by grown men who should be behaving better.

Nicholas Lumley KC, defending Tompkinson, said he was an actor sought out by producers because of his calmness and asked: Why would he risk throwing away that hard earned reputation?

Jurors heard Mr Poole and Mr Hall had been drinking since midnight that bank holiday Sunday and had gone to the beach before passing Tompkinsons home in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, on the walk back.

Tompkinson, who was living with his partner and her seven-year-old son at the time, heard strange noises and went out to challenge the two heavily intoxicated men, one of whom was wearing just his underpants.

He had called 999 after seeing the pair try to stand up and fall several times while drinking from a bottle of Jagermeister, the court heard.

While waiting to be connected, he went outside and told them he was calling the police.

Tompkinson told court the two men took great objection to him complaining and had started to move towards him.

He said he put his hand out to stop Mr Poole coming any further and made contact with his face, but told jurors it wasnt enough to knock a sober man off his feet.

Judge Paul Sloan KC, the Recorder of Newcastle, sent the jury out to consider its verdicts at 3.20pm on Wednesday.

Tompkinson denies one charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Drought-stricken Spain says last month was the hottest and driest April since records began in 1961.

The State Meteorological Agency, known by the Spanish acronym AEMET, said Monday that the average daily temperature in April was 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 Fahrenheit), which was 3 degrees Celsius above the average.

AEMET said average maximum temperatures during the month were up by 4.7 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall was a fifth of what would normally be expected in the month, making it the driest April on record in Spain.
C itizen scientist volunteers are needed to help monitor sweet chestnut trees for pests and disease, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has said.

Sweet chestnut trees, or Castanea sativa, are found in parks and woods across the country. They provide food and habitat for various forms of wildlife.

The trees are threatened, however, by two problems  the oriental chestnut gall wasp (OCGW) and a fungus called chestnut blight.

The RHS, along with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Forest Research and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is asking people to monitor sweet chestnuts for any signs of wasps, fungus or even good health.

Sweet chestnuts can be identified by their long, glossy green leaves which have pointed tips and toothed edges.

In the early summer they are covered with yellow catkins while in autumn the leaves turn golden before falling.

Mature, they stand between 17-22 metres and can live for up to 700 years if they remain healthy.

Sweet chestnut trees  like many other plant and tree species  are increasingly vulnerable to pests and diseases

The RHS said monitoring the trees does not require any specialised knowledge and it is asking people simply to look for signs of the fungus or wasp, take pictures and send them to a Government website called TreeAlert.

Telltale signs of the fungus include cracked or sagging dead bark with discolouration or bright orange fruiting bodies while the wasp will leave distorted leaves or buds with swellings called galls.

These circular growths, caused by the OCGW laying its eggs inside the buds, stunt the trees growth and reduce its ability to produce nuts.

There is also some evidence that it opens up a space for chestnut blight to enter and infect the tree, which will eventually kill it.

Both wasp and fungus are spreading across Europe though in the UK it is thought the wasp is currently around London and the south east.

Dr Jassy Drakulic, RHS plant pathologist, said: The Check a Sweet Chestnut project is a vital tool in the fight to protect tree health and provides a great opportunity for members of the public to get involved in conservation efforts.

By working together to record and monitor these trees, we are helping safeguard Britains sweet chestnut trees for future generations to enjoy.

The Check a Sweet Chestnut project is trying to recruit volunteers as part of National Plant Health Week, which runs from May 8-14.

People are being encouraged to report healthy trees too so that Forest Research scientists can judge the proportion of trees that are afflicted.

The data will also be used to create a map of the health of sweet chestnut trees in the country which will help future surveillance work and monitoring of other emerging diseases, the RHS said.

Nicola Spence, UK chief plant health officer, said: Sweet chestnut trees  like many other plant and tree species  are increasingly vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Encouraging the public to be good plant health citizens and report disease sightings is absolutely crucial if we are to minimise the risk to our cherished treescapes.
T he British Medical Association (BMA) has announced it will take the first steps towards securing a new ballot for industrial action  despite ongoing talks with the Government to resolve a pay dispute.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday night, the BMAs Junior Doctors Committee said the potential reballot would send the Government a clear message that they could not run down the clock until the unions current mandate runs out.

Stay united  were here to stay, it added.

The BMA, whose current mandate runs until August, have not called further strikes since entering into negotiations with Health Secretary Steve Barclay last month. Around 47,000 junior doctors have already taken part in two sets of strikes in the past two months.

Dr Emma Runswick, the BMAs deputy chairwoman of council, described the negotiations as talks about talks but said she was cautiously optimistic they would lead to an agreement following months of deadlock.

Addressing MPs at the Health and Select Committee on Tuesday, she said: It is positive, definitely positive and Im cautiously optimistic about that, but the pace here is, is painfully slow.

She added: I would really emphasise that there was no need for this strike action to take place.

We told the Government all the way back last summer that we were looking to open negotiations and there were no negotiations. And then when we finally got into negotiations after the first round of strike action, they were almost immediately collapsed by completely unreasonable preconditions.

The union has called for a 35 per cent pay rise to address what they claim is a 26 per cent salary cut since 2008.

Separately, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced on Tuesday night that a fresh ballot for strike action would begin on May 23 and run for a month.

It comes after members rejected a pay offer involving a one-off lump sum and a 5 per cent pay rise for next year  despite the union recommending the deal.

The RCN said its new ballot would be aggregated, meaning it would have a mandate to strike in every NHS trust in England.

To achieve a country-wide mandate, half of all eligible members must vote and the majority must say yes to strike action.

In an email to RCN members, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen, called on nurses to force the government back to the negotiating table and to make an improved pay offer.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said of the new ballot: There is still time for serious talks between the government and unions to resolve these ongoing disputes and to avert further strikes.

However, trust leaders will understandably be alarmed by the prospect of more disruptive strikes by nurses  but this time at a national level  just as the NHS is dealing with the aftermath of the most significant period of industrial action in the health services history.
L ondon is seeing a surge in boomerang kids as a growing number of young adults are unable to afford their own home, official figures revealed on Wednesday.

More than one in four (26.8 per cent) London families had at least one adult child in the home, the largest proportion of any English region, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The capital saw the fastest rate of increase in families with adult children in England and Wales between 2011 and 2021, with a jump of 24.5 per cent, twice the 12.2 per cent increase seen across all other regions.

The trend is expected to have continued during the cost-of-living crisis, with rents and mortgage bills soaring for millions of people, particularly in the capital.

Nick Bowes, chief executive of the Centre for London, said: These deeply worrying statistics indicate that Londons future as a liveable city is at stake.

Younger adults risk being permanently priced out of affording life in the capital without intervention.

Only a massive expansion in the amount of affordable, private and social housing in London can reverse this trend and properly address Londons housing crisis.

Even though the average house price in London has dipped recently, it still stands at more than 530,000, according to the Land Registry, far out of the reach of many young adults.

The average rent in the capital has also spiralled to 2,500-a-month, according to the property website Rightmove, with many young adults now spending more than 1,000-a-month for a room in a shared house.

Among all local authorities, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham and Newham saw the highest growth rates of families with adult children over the decade to 2021 at 46.1 per cent, 38.5 per cent and 38.1 per cent, respectively.

Six of the ten areas in the country with the highest proportion of families with adult children were in London.

The highest rate was in Brent, where almost one in three (32.4 per cent) families had adult children living with them, followed by Enfield 31.9 per cent, Newham 31.4 per cent, Redbridge 30.6 per cent, and Barking and Dagenham 30.3 per cent.

The next five in London were Harrow at 29.9 per cent, Ealing 29.1 per cent, Hillingdon 28.5 per cent, Croydon 28.4 per cent and Havering 28.3 per cent.

Overcrowding among families with adult children was most prevalent in London (23.2 per cent), while the North East had the lowest rate at 6.7 per cent.

Adult children living with their parents were oldest in London, where the average age was 25 years. The median age in every other English region was 24 years.

In five London boroughs adult childrens average age had risen to 26 years over the decade.

These include the neighbouring boroughs of Harrow (up from 24 years), Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Brent (all up from 25 years).

Haringey also saw the average age of adult children rise to 26 years from 24 years.

London was the least affordable region for buying a home in 2022, with an average worker spending 12.5 times their annual earnings to buy a home where they work, according to the ONS.

This compared to the North East as the most affordable area, with the average home costing 4.9 times average earnings.

London was also the least affordable region for private rental housing in 2021, with the average rent equivalent to 39.8 per cent of average household incomes.

The capital was also the only region where more than half of lone-parent families had adult children (50.6 per cent) in 2021. This was a 31.1 per cent increase from 2011, the highest of any region.

London also saw faster growth (17.2 per cent) in the number of couples who were married or in civil partnerships with adult children at home compared with other regions.

The city also had the highest share of unemployed adult children aged 22 to 64 years (10.4 per cent) among the English regions.
S uspects held by the City of London Police will be screened for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a UK first trial.

The pilot aims to identify those with ADHD entering the criminal justice system at an early stage so they can be swiftly referred for diagnosis, medicated where needed and better supported.

The force claims to be the first in the UK to screen detainees for ADHD, a condition that includes symptoms such as being restless, having trouble concentrating acting without thinking and a short attention span.

Urgent cases will be fast-tracked to an NHS provider of adult ADHD assessments, City of London Police said on Wednesday.

The initial ADHD screening checklist has been created by counsellor, therapist and chief executive of ADHD Liberty, Sarah Templeton, who has worked in four prisons across England.

Its hoped the assessment will give officers a better understanding of the crimes committed by people with ADHD to curb reoffending.

Dame Sally Coates HMIP report in 2021 suggested that it would be reasonable to assume that at least 50 per cent of prisoners have some form of neurodivergence.

Ms Templeton believes the figure is considerably higher. She has worked for seven years to raise awareness of the commonality of ADHD among offenders.

She said the pilot will prove how many people being held in police stations have undiagnosed ADHD.

Ms Templeton added: A mental health nurse I have spoken to, who has worked in prisons for 20 years, puts the rate of ADHD at 85 per cent. It shows how serious the problem is.

Our goal is to screen current prisoners and those in police custody and medicate those with ADHD. We want all forces to follow the City of Londons stance as it will greatly improve our understanding of the issues and help prevent reoffending.

Detective Chief Inspector Anna Rice, of the City of London Police, said the pilot will help ensure detainees with ADHD are processed fairly.

This comes soon after we were the first in the country to have successfully used a new Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Checklist when dealing with suspects.

Peoples mental health is very important to us and well continue champion initiatives that secures the most appropriate outcome for those suspects with neurodiversity whilst obtaining positive outcomes for the victims.

This new pilot will coincide with a mental health checklist already incorporated in processing suspects through the criminal justice system.

The mental health checklist, developed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the National Police Chiefs Council, aims to improve the depth and quality of information provided to CPS prosecutors before they make charging and case management decisions.

It also helps to ensure that suspects and defendants with mental health conditions or disorders are accurately identified.
J ust Stop Oil protesters blocked traffic on a major central London road on Wednesday morning, sparking rush hour commuter misery.

Around 32 activists with the group blocked Moorgate after marching through the City from Queen Victoria Street near Mansion House.

Shortly before 9am, Scotland Yard said it was aware of the protest and that it had ordered protesters to move out of the road as it was causing serious disruption.

The so-called Section 12 conditions are used when a senior officer believes it is necessary to prevent a procession from causing serious public disorder, serious criminal damage or serious disruption to the life of the community.

Just Stop Oil, whose supporters have been marching in the capital daily since April 24, said the conditions were a bid to stifle legitimate dissent.

However, activists appeared to comply with the condition and moved out of the road.

At 09:09hrs, following the implementation conditions, the Just Stop Oil procession at Moorgate moved out of the road and onto the pavement, said a Met spokesperson.

The road is now clear and traffic is flowing.

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: The Public Order Bill and specifically Section 12 notices are being used to remove the British publics right to peacefully oppose government policies that threaten the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Marching has been an integral means of bringing about social change for centuries, be it for those seeking universal suffrage, those seeking to gain equality, or those seeking to make transport accessible for disabled people.

The action came a day after the groups activists walked slowly in front of traffic in Camden, holding up banners reading Just Stop Oil.

Police observed the protesters on their walk from Delancey Street to Chalk Farm via Camden Town but did not intervene.

The group is calling for an end to all new oil and gas licences.

One of those taking part in Wednesdays protest, Jonathan Kennedy, 43, said: New oil and gas licences at this point in history are an act of aggression against our childrens generation.

The groups brand of direct protest action has repeatedly caused disruption across London and led to arrests.

It estimates that since February 14 last year, some 2,100 arrests have been made in connection with the groups activities.
P olice are appealing for help finding a missing 16-year-old named Kyle who has not been seen for 10 days.

Scotland Yard issued a photo appeal on Wednesday, saying they are growing increasingly concerned about his welfare.

The teenager, whose surname has not been released, was last seen on Sunday, April 30. He is said to have links to the Slough and Bromley areas.

The Met says Thames Valley Police has been helping the force with its investigation.

A Met spokesperson said: Kyle has been missing since Sunday 30 April and officers are growing increasingly concerned about his welfare.

Kyle is 167cm or approximately 5ft6ins tall. He sometimes wears his hair in braids and may be wearing a blue bandana. He was wearing a black puffed jacket with colour on it, and grey Nike Jordan high top trainers.

If you have information about Kyle or his whereabouts please contact police straight away on 101, quoting 23MIS014313.
T hey are one of the most famous acting couples in the world, but Rachel Weisz says she and Daniel Craig dont practice their work together. Weisz has said she has attempted to rehearse for parts with her former Bond star husband in the past, but doesnt any more. I tried but we do it separately, she said.

Instead, Weisz uses an app called LineLearner, which helps with practicing scenes. It came in useful when playing twins in the Amazon series Dead Ringers recently.

In an interview with American podcast WTF, Weisz, who now lives in New York with Craig, also spoke about her youth in London, listening to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. I was definitely not conservative, she said.

Vine teases about her switch to the screen

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Sarah Vine, journalist and ex-wife of Michael Gove, is writing a film script. Vine wrote in the Spectator that shes cooking up a small project with screenwriter Sean Macaulay, who also has a political links, as brother-in-law of ex-PM Gordon Brown.

Vine has been at the centre of recent Westminster drama. She and Gove were close with David and Samantha Cameron before falling out over Brexit. She told her husband to be your stubborn best when he stood for PM and upset Boris Johnsons first bid for No 10. We asked what the script was about but were told to wait and see. But could Michael Gove: The Movie hit cinemas soon?

Cave joins the Unherd monarchy party

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Nick Caves move from rock rebel to the mainstream continues. The Australian upset some of his fans by going to the Coronation  he said he is not a monarchist but liked the ceremony and all its weirdnes. But we also spotted him toasting both the King and Queen at a Coronation party hosted by Unherd, the Right-leaning website, last week, alongside Tory MPs. Despite it all, he was still too cool for the Coronation concert.

Fox unveils Bridgen as first Reclaim MP

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Actor turned unloved politician Laurence Fox unveiled his Reclaim Partys first MP, Andrew Bridgen, at a press conference today, as we predicted in January. Bridgen lost the Tory whip for sharing misinformation about the Covid vaccine, comparing it to the Holocaust. Bridgen claimed around six Tory MPs share his interests. They were noticably absent. Was that yet more misinfo?

Odudu hosts Across the Table dinner

Londoners Diary 10th May 2023 1 / 6 Londoners Diary 10th May 2023 'Dinner: Across The Table' Hosted By WhatsApp x AJ Odudu Keisha Buchanan and AJ Odudu Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images 'Dinner: Across The Table' Hosted By WhatsApp x AJ Odudu Layton Williams Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images Photo London VIP Dinner To Celebrate Martin Parr Martin Parr and Grayson Perry Dave Benett Love Hero Pre-Summer Drinks & Collection Preview Alistair Guy Dave Benett Love Hero Pre-Summer Drinks & Collection Preview Olivia Cox Dave Benett

Sugababe Keisha Buchanan and presenter AJ Odudu dressed up for an Across The Table dinner celebrating Londons African-Caribbean diaspora last night at Stork in Mayfair. Odudu and WhatsApp hosted, and actor Layton Williams went too. Elsewhere, artist Grayson Perry paid tribute to photographer Martin Parr at a dinner in his honour, while snapper Alistair Guy and presenter Olivia Cox welcomed a new upcycled clothing collection at the 00.thestore. Brand Love Hero called it pre-summer drinks. No more rain would be nice.
A cross-party panel of MPs will consider whether to open an inquiry into the Metropolitan Polices arrest of anti-monarchy protesters over the coronation weekend, its chairwoman has confirmed.

Six detained anti-monarchy demonstrators were the first to be arrested under the sweeping Public Order Act, under suspicion of going equipped to lock-on, a measure protesters use to make it harder for police to move them.

Dame Diana Johnson, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said there were real questions to be asked about the practical application of the law and what guidance was issued to officers ahead of Saturdays Westminster Abbey service.

The Labour MP said her committee would meet on Wednesday to consider whether we want to spend some time looking at those particular issues.

She said she recognised the Met had co-ordinated a huge policing operation over the weekend which had been very successful at keeping people safe.

She added: But actually that issue of how protests were policed is something that has raised concerns, particularly about the implementation of this very new act of parliament, the Public Order Act 2023, and particular section 2, which is about going equipped to lock-on, which seems to have been at the core of why members of Republic were arrested around the use of luggage tags.

Well need to decide whether we want to have that short inquiry to learn some lessons and see what the implementation of that act actually means in practice to frontline police officers

So there are real questions about that and we think this morning well need to look at that and decide whether we want to have that short inquiry to learn some lessons and see what the implementation of that act actually means in practice to frontline police officers.

Dame Diana said the committee would be interested in reviewing how broad the legislation was and what guidance was given to frontline police officers and whether there is an issue about training.

She also said answers were needed on why more top level discussions between the Met and protest group Republic in the months ahead of the coronation were not shared with officers on the ground, particularly when it came to the use of megaphones and luggage tags by demonstrators.

Her comments come after Met chief Sir Mark Rowley on Tuesday defended the arrests during what he called a unique fast-moving operational context.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also backed the new powers, which came into force last week, saying it was right for officers to have the ability to tackle serious disruption.

Helen King, a former assistant commissioner at the Met, said it was legitimate to ask questions about the polices handling of the protests but said frontline officers did not have the benefit of hindsight when making on-the-spot decisions about public safety.

She told the BBCs Today programme: For the frontline officer, they have a very difficult decision that they have to make quickly, usually with imperfect and partial information.

And those of us who have the benefit of hindsight, knowing that the coronation went off safely, that horses didnt bolt, that there wasnt a stampede, that nobody got seriously hurt, were in a luxurious position compared with the officer on the street having to make a decision there and then.

Ms King challenged what she saw as a growing narrative that police dont care about human rights.

She added: My experience is that absolutely the opposite is the case, every policing decision involves the very careful balancing of different human rights of different groups.

And I think in the case of the coronation, a unique operation, public safety was right up near the top and of course the right to life is the highest right of all.
A n attempt to stop Suella Bravermans Illegal Migration Bill in its tracks has been heavily defeated in the House of Lords.

Peers rejected by 179 votes to 76, a majority of 103, a so-called fatal motion to the Bill which aims to stop small boat Channel crossings.

Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, who proposed the fatal motion, said: This Bill is all pain and no gain. This is a question of principle.

The government won the vote despite a rare political intervention from the Archbishop of Canterbury who heavily criticised the plans, saying they risked great damage to the UKs reputation.

In a withering attack on the Bill, Justin Welby said international protections for refugees are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary

He was among a large number of peers in opposition to Suella Bravermans controversial Bill as it made a bruising passage through the house.

He argued against legislation aimed at ensuring people who arrive in small boats crossing the Channel are detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda, and banned from returning to Britain.

He has previously criticised the plan to send migrants to Rwanda as ungodly.

The archbishop, who crowned the King in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, said he did not think the Bill would stop the small boats crossing the English Channel as he branded it "morally unacceptable and politically impractical".

He told peers: We need a Bill to reform migration. We need a Bill to stop the boats. We need a Bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that without much change this is not that Bill.

This Bill fails to take a long-term and strategic view of the challenges of migration and undermines international co-operation rather than taking an opportunity for the UK to show leadership.

Highlighting the existing global agreements on refugees, Mr Welby said: While now inadequate, what those conventions offer is a baseline from which to build a globally shared understanding of what protection must be given to refugees.

They are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary.

The Bill has faced criticism / PA

He added: Even if this Bill succeeded in temporarily stopping the boats, and I dont think it will, it wont stop conflict or climate migration.

The immigration reforms, which have already been passed by the Commons, are still set for a rocky ride through parliament despite passing this first hurdle.

Among other critics in a debate stretching into the evening was Baroness Helic, who fled to the UK from war-torn Bosnia at the age of 23, who argued the Bill represented an outright ban on asylum and questioned its morality.

She said: Undermining jurisdiction of international courts and ignoring our international legal commitments does not serve our interests.

The only way to tackle global transnational challenges like immigration is through international law, cooperation and shared responsibility.

Leading a race to the bottom where we all try to offload our obligations onto the others will not help, bearing in mind 74% of all refugees worldwide are hosted by low and middle income countries with far fewer resources than our nation.

Labour peer Lord Howarth of Newport branded the legislation merciless and particularly cruel for children.

The former Tory MP, who served in Margaret Thatchers government, added that the Iron Lady would have understood that this policy wont work.

He said: I would remind the proponents of this legislation that Mrs Thatcher used to say that, in politics, you have a choice: you can appeal to the better part of human nature or the worst.

She was no softie, but she didnt practice cruelty out of a cynical notion of electoral expediency.

She would have understood that the policy wont work at any level. The asylum seekers wont be deterred from getting into the boats because they wont know what our law is and the people traffickers will continue to take their money and push them out to sea.

Robert Jenrick defended the bill / PA

But immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he respectfully disagreed with the Archbishop of Canterburys criticism.

We believe the British public support us in our efforts to stop the boats, he told Channel 4 News.

He said that he did not think there was anything moral in perpetuating the trade for people smugglers and human traffickers.

If this was easy, if there were simple solutions, we would have done them already, he added.

He said that those crossing the Channel from France were essentially asylum shoppers.

We dont think its right that if youre in a safe country like France, that you should be coming to the UK. Thats creating a fundamental unfairness.

Also rejecting the Archbishops criticism, House Of Cards author Lord Dobbs stressed the need to tackle the people smugglers.

The Tory peer and former adviser to the Thatcher government said: They trade in lies, they trade lives.

Theres nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue. It is our moral obligation to stop them, to bring an end to the unimaginable pain of mothers and fathers watching their children drowning off our shores in the channel.

No amount of handwringing or bell ringing is going to do that.

Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth said the archbishop and other opponents were right to talk about the bill in moral terms.

He said: Proceeding with this Bill is the moral course.

We must put a stop to the dangerous Channel crossings, putting lives at risk and splitting families.

We must end the callous exploitation of vulnerable people by the people smugglers and we must uphold the law and ensure fair play for those who abide by our immigration rules.

The unelected chamber sat from 11am to consider the Bill at second reading after it passed the Commons, with almost 90 speakers including the archbishop being listed to speak.

One of Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks five pledges was to pass legislation to stop the boats.

More than 6,000 migrants have crossed the channel so far in 2023, with the Home Office facing severe criticism for delays in dealing with asylum applications.

To cope with the numbers, the Government plans to use disused military camps and a barge as accommodation centres.

Bibby Stockholm, the barge which is to be used by the Home Office to house up to 500 male asylum seekers, arrives from Genoa / Getty/PA

But critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.

Meanwhile, a barge which the Government plans to use to house up to 500 migrants has arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall.

The Bibby Stockholm is expected to be moved into position at the port of Portland in Dorset in the next few weeks, after undergoing checks. It was towed from Italy and will be used to house single adult male asylum seekers.

The plan has, however, faced criticism from Tory-run Dorset council and local Conservative MP Richard Drax who said it was dumped on our door without consultation by the Government.
A n inquiry into the Metropolitan Polices arrests of anti-monarchy protesters over King Charless Coronation weekend is to be launched.

The cross-party home affairs committee met this morning and discussed the response to the event after new powers to deal with demonstrators were given to police under the Public Order Act.

A committee spokesman said: The committee will hold an evidence session on the policing of the Coronation and arrest of republican protesters next Wednesday, May 17. The session will examine the Mets approach to policing public protests and the practical implementation of the Public Order Bill. A full list of witnesses will be announced in the coming days.

Officers arrested 64 people in London over the coronation, including six anti-monarchy protesters who were later released without charge.

The Met defended the arrests, but expressed regret that the campaigners from the Republic campaign group were taken into custody on Saturday.

The group said it is considering legal action against the police force.

A spokesman said: The Home Affairs Committee will hold an evidence session on the policing of the Coronation and arrest of republican protestors next Wednesday, May 17.

The session will examine the Mets approach to policing public protests and the practical implementation of the Public Order Bill.

Chairwoman Dame Diana Johnson said there are real questions about how potential protesters were dealt with.

The Labour MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: Actually that issue of how protests were policed is something that has raised concerns, particularly about the implementation of this very new Act of Parliament, the Public Order Act 2023, and particular section two, which is about going equipped to lock-on, which seems to have been at the core of why members of Republic were arrested around the use of luggage tags.

HM King Charles III Coronation Day: Protesters 1 / 16 HM King Charles III Coronation Day: Protesters Activist and doctor Kush, 33, arrested while protesting Reuters Activists in Trafalgar Square ES Protesters at the Coronation REUTERS A protester is lead away by police REUTERS Police approach a Just Stop Oil protester AFP via Getty Images An Abolish The Monarchy flag being erected in the crowds POOL/AFP via Getty Images Police confiscate Just Stop Oil placards PA Not My King protesters POOL/AFP via Getty Images Protesters at the Coronation AFP via Getty Images Anti-Royal protesters AFP via Getty Images Anti-Royal Protesters AFP via Getty Images Anti-Royal protesters POOL/AFP via Getty Images

So there are real questions about that and we think this morning we'll need to look at that and decide whether we want to have that short inquiry to learn some lessons and see what the implementation of that Act actually means in practise to front line police officers.

Dame Diana said the committee would be interested in reviewing how broad the law is and what guidance was given to front line police officers and whether there is an issue about training.

Raising the fact that discussions were held between the Met and Republic in the months leading up to Saturday's service, the senior backbencher said she wanted to know what exactly was arranged and agreed and why did front line officers not know about that and not know about the agreement, for example, around use of megaphones and perhaps this issue around luggage straps.

The Met has claimed intelligence leading up to the coronation had indicated that people were planning to throw rape alarms at horses on the procession route to cause a potential stampede and that paint could be thrown at the King's carriage.

Four people arrested on the day of the Coronation have been charged so far, including, one with suspicion of causing a religiously aggravated offence, one under the Public Order Act and two for drug possession.

Police said the Republic members were originally arrested on suspicion of older offences of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance and released with no further action.

Helen King, a former assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said it was legitimate to ask questions about the police's handling of protests over the coronation weekend but added that front line officers did not have the benefit of hindsight.

The retired senior officer said: They have a very difficult decision that they have to make quickly, usually with imperfect and partial information.

And those of us who have the benefit of hindsight, knowing that the coronation went off safely, that horses didn't bolt, that there wasn't a stampede, that nobody got seriously hurt, we're in a luxurious position compared with the officer on the street having to make a decision there and then.

Ms King challenged what she saw as a growing narrative that police don't care about human rights, in fact they want to undermine them.

She added: Whereas my experience is that absolutely the opposite is the case - every policing decision involves the very careful balancing of different human rights of different groups.

And I think in the case of the coronation, a unique operation.
Last week, Burns seemed to signal an interest in greater dialogue between the two countries. "Our view is we need better channels between the two governments and deeper channels, and we are ready to talk," he said last week in a virtual appearance at an event hosted by the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. "We've never been shy of talking, and we hope the Chinese will meet us halfway on this," Burns said.

Relations have been particularly strained since early February, when the U.S. spotted a Chinese espionage balloon flying over the U.S. mainland. That incident caused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel what had been expected to be an in-person visit with Qin earlier this year.

Despite the tone of Qin's comments, some viewed the meeting, one of the first high-level meetings between American and Chinese officials in several months, as a positive step.

Qin described relations between the two countries as having "hit the ice," and he criticized U.S. policy toward Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own. Burns, for his part, was more reticent about the talks, posting a brief update on his official Twitter account that said, "I met State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today. We discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication."

In a readout of the Monday meeting, Qin said that U.S.-China relations have worsened since a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November, saying "a series of erroneous words and deeds by the U.S. since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations."

After meeting in Beijing with U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang criticized the U.S. for what he described as an ongoing effort to "suppress" his country, saying that improved communications between the two superpowers will depend on the U.S. changing its policies.

 Critical Comments

The Foreign Ministry's readout of the meeting depicted Qin as sharply critical of the U.S., urging Washington to "correct its understanding of China" and to "return to rationality."

Appearing to refer to Burns' comments about being willing to talk, Qin said, "It is not possible to talk about communication on the one hand, but to keep suppressing and containing China on the other hand. You cannot say one thing and do another. We must respect China's bottom line and red line, and stop undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests." He added, "In particular, we must correctly handle the Taiwan issue, stop hollowing out the one-China principle, and stop supporting and condoning 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."

In what appeared to be a reference to the espionage balloon incident, Qin said, "It is necessary to persist in handling unexpected incidents in the relationship between the two countries in a calm, professional and pragmatic manner, so as to avoid another impact on Sino-U.S. relations." He said any future talks should be based on "mutual respect, reciprocity and mutual benefit."

 State Department Reacts

In a press conference Monday afternoon, Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel commented on the meeting, saying, "Maintaining open lines of communication with the PRC [People's Republic of China] has been a key tenet of our approach as it relates to this very complicated bilateral relationship."

Asked whether the U.S. had anything to "correct" in its position on Taiwan, Patel said it did not. "There has been no change to our policy with China. There has been no change to our 'One China' policy, which is guided by more than four decades of the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiques and the six assurances. We have been very clear-eyed about that. And we're also going to continue standing with our friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance our shared prosperity and security and values."

 Room for Progress

Zuri Linetsky, a research fellow with the Eurasia Group Foundation, told VOA that he saw the dialogue between Qin and Burns as a positive sign, and said that the language in the Chinese Foreign Ministry's readout was clear about the policy changes Beijing wants the U.S. to make, in particular toward Taiwan and trade.

"One thing that stands out to me is this discussion of 'security and development interests' which is, I think, a call out to the restrictions on Chinese access to semiconductors," Linetsky said.

The Biden administration has pressured countries that use U.S. technology to make semiconductors and the machines that fabricate them to restrict sales to China. Though the U.S. has branded this as a very narrow ban, applying only to military technology or items that could be repurposed for military use, the Chinese appear to view the ban as part of a broader strategy to restrict the country's overall development.

Linetsky said that the meeting between Qin and Burns appeared to signal that more talks might be on the horizon, though he warned that it would be a mistake to expect progress to be smooth. "This isn't going to happen in a straight line," he said. "It's going to happen in fits and starts."

 Coming Investment Guidance

As soon as next week, the Biden administration is expected to release new guidelines that will restrict the investments U.S. firms can make in China, to prevent technology that can be used for military purposes from being transferred to Beijing.

The policy will be part of a broader administration plan to insulate the U.S. from China without fully breaking ties, a process that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a recent speech referred to as "de-risking" rather than the more commonly used term "decoupling." "De-risking fundamentally means having resilient, effective supply chains and ensuring we cannot be subject to the coercion of any other country," he said in remarks delivered at the Brookings Institution on April 27.

In that same speech, Sullivan pushed back against Chinese claims that the U.S. was trying to freeze China out of new technologies and to hinder its overall development. "These are tailored measures," Sullivan said. "They are not, as Beijing says, a technology blockade. They are not targeting emerging economies."
D owning Street has distanced Rishi Sunak from Lee Andersons comments after the senior Tory told anti-monarchy activists to emigrate rather than protest.

The Conservative deputy chairman has drawn ire over remarks in which he suggested republican demonstrators leave the country after dozens were arrested over the Kings coronation weekend.

The Prime Ministers press secretary said on Wednesday: Its not something that the Prime Minister has expressed.

I think all members of the Conservative Party believe in the right to protest.

Mr Anderson had shared an article about the arrests on Twitter, writing: Not My King?

If you do not wish to live in a country that has a monarchy the solution is not to turn up with your silly boards.

The solution is to emigrate.

If you do not wish to live in a country that has a monarchy the solution is not to turn up with your silly boards

The comments came after the senior Tory MP previously clashed with Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley over the forces handling of protesters, telling him to leave his ivory tower and deal with with demonstrators in Westminster.

Critics on social media condemned his anti-democratic remarks and pointed out the right to protest peacefully, while others expressed support for his opinion.

Jonathan Harris, a Lib Dem councillor in West Northamptonshire, tweeted: 30 p Lee  Idiot on display. You took the rights away for British people to live and work across the EU, and forget that great democracies are built on and absolutely allow the right to peaceful protest.

Under the controversial new Public Order Act, protesters who have an object with the intention of using it to lock on are liable to a fine, with those who block roads facing 12 months in prison.

Mr Sunak defended the legislation and thanked police for their hard work at the Kings coronation during Prime Ministers Questions earlier on Wednesday.

He told MPs: It is the right of the British public to be able to go about their ordinary day-to-day lives without undue, serious disruption.

That is why it is right that the police have extra powers.
R ishi Sunak should be very concerned about the threat of political Londonisation of the South-East, a leading expert warned on Wednesday.

Professor Tony Travers, from the London School of Economics, highlighted some of the shock results in the region outside the capital in last weeks town hall elections.

It looks as if people are leaving London and some of them are taking their Liberal Democrat and Labour-voting habits with them, he told the Standard.

There is a risk to the Conservative Party of Londonisation, particularly in the South-East. It appears to have started to the west of London. As you look west from London there is a large and growing patch of Lib-Dem councils.

Professor Travers, an expert in local government, stressed that swathes of the South-East had been the bedrock of the Conservative Party even in bad years, so party chiefs should be very concerned at the latest apparent shift in voting patterns.

Before and after: This graphic shows the impact the May local elections have had on the political map around London / PA

He believes the changes are down to the trend of people leaving London as they grow older having accelerated during the pandemic; that many of these areas were pro-Remain and the harm of Brexit is becoming more evident; some Tory policies aimed at wooing former Red Wall voters were likely to alienate others in the Blue Wall in the south; and the fact that the Conservatives have now been in power for 13 years.

On Friday, the Lib-Dems won Windsor and Maidenhead council (where the MP is ex-Prime Minister Theresa May), Surrey Heath (Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove), Chichester (Education Secretary Gillian Keegan), gained seats in Elmbridge (Dominic Raab), as well as seizing control of South Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Horsham, Guildford, and Dacorum to the north of London. The Tories were wiped out in Lewes in East Sussex.

To the east of the capital, Labour gained Medway, Dover, Gravesham and Thanet, and, in possibly one of the biggest shocks, Bracknell Forest to the west, where tactical voting is believed to have played a significant role.

The Lib-Dems gained 192 councillors, Labour 130, and the Greens 67 while the Tories lost 380 in the South-East, more than a third of their total across England.

The largest swing in the country was in the south, with the Tories down four percentage points, and Labour up 5.2.

The Conservatives still hold Reigate and Banstead, Sevenoaks, Dartford, Thurrock, Basildon, Epping Forest, Braintree, Harlow, Broxbourne and Rushmoor.

A string of councils in the South-East are now under no overall control.

Labour took three flagship Tory councils in London last year  Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet  but lost Croydon, Harrow and Tower Hamlets.
T he Tory mayoral candidate race heated up on Wednesday as two senior MPs names were put in the running as Conservative candidates.

Former Cabinet Secretary Kit Malthouse refused to deny he would take on Sadiq Khan next May, while there were rumours circulating Westminster that senior party members were urging Security Minister Tom Tugendhat to consider the role.

Mr Malthouse told LBC: Naturally you think about these things and have a look at what people might be open to. I will keep my thoughts to myself for the moment. It is a fantastic opportunity.

The former Education Secretary and Policing Minister is a close ally of Boris Johnson and served as a Deputy Mayor during his City Hall administration. He added that discussions were ongoing about the mayoral candidate role.

Mr Tugendhat was also being touted as a potential candidate after impressing during the Tory leadership contest last year, senior sources told the Telegraph. However, the Government ministers friends played down the rumours.

Senior Conservative officials are believed to want someone with star power to take on Labours Mr Khan, who will fight for a historic third turn next year.

One Tory source previously told the Standard that someone like West Ham vice-chairman and Apprentice star Karren Brady would be a perfect choice. The Conservative life peer said she had no plans to take up elected office in 2013 but has more recently refused to rule out running to lead City Hall.

TV judge Robert Rinder is also said to have been approached by the party. He has played down the suggestion.

Applications for Tories who want a run at City Hall close on May 24. The party will then create a shortlist of three and a final candidate will be chosen by London Conservative Party members on July 19 - ten months before the London mayoral elections.

Susan Hall, the former Tory leader at City Hall, Nick Rogers and Andrew Boff along with former Number 10 advisor Samuel Kasumu have all declared they will stand. Minister for London Paul Scully has also expressed an interest.

Conservative Party Chairman, Greg Hands MP, said: By the time of the next mayoral election, Sadiq Khan will have been in office for eight long years.

The Conservatives are the only party who can prevent him inflicting a decade of decline on our great city.

Im confident that whichever of the great candidates is selected by our members will be the right person to take the fight to him.
T he Archbishop of Canterbury has launched a withering attack on the Governments plans to tackle the small boats crisis, as they faced their first test in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

The Most Rev Justin Welby argued the Illegal Migration Bill risked great damage to the UKs reputation at home and abroad and said it was morally unacceptable to leave the poorest countries to deal with the migration crisis.

The top cleric urged a rethink of the flagship legislation aimed at ensuring people who arrive in the UK in small boats would be detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

Nearly 90 peers were set to speak on Suella Bravermans bill, with dozens of Labour, Liberal Democrat and crossbench peers against the plans.

The clampdown has been prompted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks pledge to stop the boats bringing migrants across the English Channel.

It came after Keir Starmer attacked Rishi Sunak at Prime Ministers Questions over the Conservatives loss of more than 1,000 councillors in last weeks local elections.
A UK minister said there is so much wrong with youngsters in Northern Ireland not meeting their first Catholic or unionist until their late teens.

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker told MPs he is absolutely all in favour of school choice, but raised concerns over costs and social divisions.

He cited a report which suggested 600,000 a day is spent on maintaining a divided education system in Northern Ireland as he backed calls for integration.

Mr Baker told the House of Commons: It cant be right just on a cost basis, never mind all of the social divisions that it leads to.

That conversation needs to be had. Ive made my position very clear and the Governments position is very clear: we are in favour of integrated education. I know there will be a spectrum of views.

Mr Baker, as he spoke of funding pressures for different sectors, added: But I would just say on all of these issues when it comes to funding were all very clear that the problems that are faced will endure, were all very clear there will need to be a conversation about the Barnett formula, Im aware of the Barnett squeeze, but none of these things are going to be anything like plausible to solve in a way that will be acceptable to all sections of the community until the executive is restored.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) said the same choice for education available to Mr Bakers constituents in Wycombe should be available to people in Northern Ireland.

He said: I am surprised that a minister whose party talks all the time in this House about choice in education wishes to shoehorn education in Northern Ireland into one particular system.

Mr Baker agreed about the need for school choice, adding: The question is at what cost?

And that question of at what cost is the one he and his colleagues, MLAs, need to answer in a reformed executive.

But Im very clear that when I go over there as a minister and meet young people who to say me I was 16 before I met my first Catholic or I was 18 before I met my first unionist, theres so much wrong with this.

I find myself amazed this is even a conversation in the 21st century. Yes to choice, but at what cost?

Stephen Farry, Alliance MP for North Down, said he welcomed Mr Bakers comments and noted there is very significant demand for integrated schools right across the community in Northern Ireland.

He said: Moving from a split system to whats more of a share, integrated system does involve some degree of investment.

The problem is the Department of Education cant do that at present in the context where theyre facing declining budgets and theyre trying to protect what they have.

Mr Baker replied: His point is very well made and, as he knows, I hear it now and I have heard it in the past.
S etting a deadline for restoring powersharing in Northern Ireland would be deadly, according to Chris Heaton-Harris.

The Northern Ireland Secretary added it is pointless to set timelines and the focus is on getting the job done properly to ensure the executive can remain for a very long time when it returns.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since last year when the DUP withdrew in protest over the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The one thing I have learned in my role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is that deadlines are deadly

The Windsor Framework recently struck by the UK and EU sought to reduce red tape on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, but the DUP wants further assurances.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour former minister Kevin Brennan said: Given the hugely advantageous position Northern Ireland now finds itself in, as outlined by the Prime Minister when the Windsor accord was being announced, isnt it time that powersharing really was restored?

And isnt it time the Secretary of State in fact considered a deadline for the restoration of powersharing?

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: The one thing I have learned in my role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is that deadlines are deadly. It is pointless setting timelines on things.

Getting the job done properly, so when the executive comes back it can be there for a very long time, is the right thing to do. And that is what everyone is working towards.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle later asked Mr Heaton-Harris to reveal what talks were taking place about restoration of powersharing.

Mr Heaton-Harris said there was an ongoing pattern of formal talks with the parties, but added: I would also say to him, one thing I have learned from the negotiations to get the Windsor Framework over the line is that some of these things are best done on a confidential basis, because otherwise, other people get to pull the threads of negotiations and the whole thing falls apart.

Earlier at Northern Ireland questions, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson highlighted ongoing unionist concerns about the EUs influence in Northern Ireland, particularly how divergence from UK law, could inhibit our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.

He added: If we are to get Stormont restored on a stable foundation, which is what we want, then we have got to resolve these issues.

People in Northern Ireland, unionists in particular, need to know that their place in the United Kingdom, which was enshrined and protected in article 1 of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, will be equally enshrined and protected in UK law as a result of any arrangements that are put in place.

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: I can give him that assurance from this despatch box, but I know because of the engagement that we have had that he would like to see that in other terms as well.

That is why I look forward to our continuing conversations so we can work out exactly what the ask is, so I can try and deliver on that.

In the absence of local ministers, it has fallen on Mr Heaton-Harris to set Northern Irelands 2023/24 budget and senior civil servants to run departments.

MPs are considering all stages of the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill on Wednesday.

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, opening the second reading debate, said: The measures in this Bill will ensure a continuation of the current governance arrangements in Northern Ireland should there be no executive when they expire on June 5.

They are not and cannot be a substitute for devolved government they are by no means ideal, particularly in the context of this financial position.

He said the UK Government is acutely concerned about the long-term sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland, and said departments are facing very difficult and unavoidable decisions in the current difficult and frustrating circumstances.
A ndrew Bridgen has announced he is becoming the Reclaim Partys first MP. The North West Leicestershire MP has been sitting as an independent after being expelled from the Conservative Party for comparing Covid vaccinations to the Holocaust.

Mr Bridgen has also launched legal action against former health secretary Matt Hancock, who condemned Mr Bridgens comments as antisemitic at the time.

At an event on Wednesday morning, Mr Bridgen said he had submitted a defamation claim to the High Court, saying the former health secretarys comments were an attempt to shut down valid concerns expressed by me.

Earlier this year, Mr Bridgen tweeted: We know the vaccines are causing serious harms and now its becoming increasingly clear how they are doing it. No wonder so many people are ill since vaccination. As one consultant cardiologist said to me this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust.

Below is a look at Mr Bridgens new party and what it stands for.

What is the Reclaim Party?

Reclaim was founded in October 2020 by actor Laurence Fox after an appearance on the BBCs Question Time earlier that year, which the actor said resulted in him being cancelled from a 21-year acting career.

According to its website, the party exists to challenge woke orthodoxy and promote freedom of speech, which it views as being under grave peril.

The leader of the Reclaim Party, Laurence Fox / PA Archive

Reclaim has been dubbed the Ukip for culture and is strongly associated with the so-called culture wars.

Mr Fox, who now hosts a show on GB News, has also previously expressed scepticism about the Covid vaccine and opposed lockdowns during the pandemic.

What are Reclaims policies?

Reclaims focus is on freedom of speech, which it describes as fundamental to a free society, arguing no opinions should be protected and all public bodies should have a legal obligation to protect free speech.

The partys website also suggests a scepticism of net zero policies, saying they punish the poorest in society and the implications of climate change policies must be openly debated.

Mr Fox has tweeted about a climate hoax.

On social media, Reclaim has been critical of all things considered woke, with Mr Fox referring to a Covid scam, attacking the concept of 15-minute cities, transgender rights and critical race theory.

The party promises to end illegal immigration and stop the scourge of human trafficking, reduce the size of the state, cut taxes and depoliticise national institutions like the police, the civil service and the National Trust.

During his campaign to be mayor of London, Mr Fox said he would honour every recipient of the Victoria Cross and George Cross with a plaque on the street they were born.

Who is backing Reclaim?

According to the Electoral Commission, Reclaim has been heavily funded by Brexit-backing businessman Jeremy Hosking, who has donated more than 2 million to the party.

As well as Mr Fox, other members of the party include Martin Daubney, a former editor of Loaded magazine and Brexit Party MEP who has appeared as a host on GB News.

How has Reclaim performed in elections?

Reclaim is yet to win an election.

Mr Fox stood for the London mayoralty in 2021 under the Reclaim banner and got 1.9% of the vote, coming sixth and losing his 10,000 deposit.

Mr Daubney contested the 2021 North Shropshire by-election that followed the resignation of Owen Paterson from Parliament but also lost his deposit after polling 375 votes, coming seventh.
T he Prime Minister has been urged to tackle the epidemic of youth crime after two London teenagers were stabbed to death within hours of each other.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said children and parents in her constituency were terrified following the killing of 16-year-old Renell Charles in her constituency.

The Kelmscott School pupil was attacked on Friday afternoon. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder.

Hours after Renells death, Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, known as Jordan, 18, was stabbed to death near Dagenham Heathway Tube station. A second male was taken to hospital with a knife injury.

In another incident, a 15-year-old old boy from south London was charged with the murder of Ben Moncrieff, 18, in Bath, Somerset, in the early hours of Saturday.

Speaking at Prime Ministers Questions, Ms Creasy told Rishi Sunak: Children are terrified to go to school. Their parents are frightened to let them and the teachers are at their wits end.

Theyve asked me to come here today to beg you to make the epidemic of youth crime in our country a national priority.

Jordan Kukabu was stabbed to death near Dagenham Healthway Tube station / Met Police

So will the Prime Minister meet with myself and representatives from my local community to talk about how we can get the mental health and mentoring support these young people need so that every young person in our country has that future they deserve?

Mr Sunak said the Government always wants to do more to tackle youth violence and claimed more powers handed to police had brought down crime.

He said: We should do everything we can to tackle violence against young people in particular. Im pleased that knife crime has fallen by almost 10 per cent. And serious youth violence has fallen by 24 per cent in the last few years. Thats because we are giving the police the powers they need. Whether that is stop and search, increasing jail terms, and confiscating around 90,000 weapons. Of course we will always want to do to make sure that our streets are safe for our young people.

Elsewhere at the first PMQs since devastating local election for the Conservative Party Sir Keir Starmer claimed the country had told the Tories they are the problem, not the solution.

In a heated exchange, the Labour leader said voters across England had rejected Conservative policies in a cost of living crisis, resulting in the party losing more than 1,000 councillors after the polls last Thursday.

Sir Keir said: This is the price of having a tired, worn-out Government fronted by a Prime Minister who boasts he has never had a working class friend.

He is smiling his way through the cost-of-living crisis, gloating about success while waiting lists grow.

He is pretending that crime, house building, schools are all just doing fine while handing the country 24 tax rises all with his name on them.

But Mr Sunak hit back, accusing Sir Keir of being all politics and no action.

He branded the Labour leader Sir Flakey for breaking election promises.

Its a bit rich to hear about mandates from the person who has broken every single promise he was elected on, Mr Sunak said.

I can go through the list: nationalisations, NHS outsourcing, universal credit, and now tuition fees. He was for them before he was against them. Hes not just Sir Softie, hes Sir Flakey too.
P rince Harry claims tabloid newspapers used private investigators to illegally target members of the Royal Family including King Charles and Princess Diana, the High Court has heard.

The Duke of Sussex is suing the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over unlawful newsgathering techniques and phone hacking allegedly carried out over the course of 15 years.

In documents presented to the High Court at the start of a seven-week trial, lawyers for Harry said there is evidence of private investigators being paid to target the Duke, his brother Prince William, King Charles, Princess Diana, and his sister-in-law Kate, Princess of Wales.

There are also disclosed emails demonstrating the UIG (unlawful information gathering) which was being conducted by some of the PIs (private investigators) namedwith the full knowledge of MGNs journalists, the documents states.

King Charles was targeted when he was Prince of Wales, Prince Harry claims / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

These payment records show that the Duke of Sussex and his associates were of enormous interest to MGNs journalists and subjected to very large amounts of UIG.

It is said payments were also made for private investigators to target the late TV presenter Caroline Flack, who had been rumoured to be dating Harry, his friends Guy Pelly and Natalie Pinkham, ex-girlfriend Chelsy Day, aide Jamie Lowther Pinkerton, nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, and Princess Dianas mother Frances Shand-Kydd.

David Sherborne, representing Harry and his co-claimants, told the court the alleged hacking of the Dukes mobile phone posed a very real and large-scale security risk for the Royal Family.

(He) experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity which is consistent, now in hindsight but at the time unsuspected, with the unauthorised accessing of his voicemails and other unlawful information gathering, he said.

AP

Mr Sherborne added this included missed and hung-up calls on an almost daily basis from numbers he did not recognise.

This unlawful activity, including in particular knowing where the Duke of Sussex was going to be at a given time and the widespread dissemination amongst MGNs journalists of private information relating to him, posed a very real and large-scale security risk for the Duke of Sussex, his family and his associates.

Harry is suing alongside Hollyoaks star Nikki Sanderson, Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell, and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse.

In written documents for the claimants, former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan  now a TV host on Talk TV  is accused of having personal knowledge of phone hacking at the newspaper.

According to written submissions, former Mirror group political editor David Seymour is set to give evidence of Mr Morgan having involvement in relation to an incident relating to phone hacking involving Princess Diana.

Mr Seymour also records that a colleague of his had reported to him that Piers Morgan had, at a lunch with then Chairman of Trinity Mirror Sir Victor Blank, mocked and taunted Ben Verwaayen, CEO of BT who was present, saying something to the effect of you need to tell your customers to change the PIN numbers from factory settings, because otherwise you can just get into their voicemail messages, the statement continues.

Omid Scobie, the author of Finding Freedom about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, says in his witness statement that he did work experience on the Daily Mirrors 3AM column in spring 2002.

Piers Morgan (Jonathan Brady/PA) / PA Archive

He recalls during one of those days in the office the editor, Piers Morgan, came over to talk to someone about a story relating to Kylie Minogue and her boyfriend James Gooding.

Mr Morgan asked how confident they were in the reporting, and was told that the information had come from voicemails.

Mr Scobie says he tracked down the article he believes this incident related to, where key information had been attributed to friends.

During the trial, Mr Morgan is also set to face claims he obtained confidential and private information about TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, .

In his opening of the case, Mr Sherborne mentioned Mr Morgan as one of the editorial figures accused of knowing about and approving of unlawful newsgathering practices.

As allegations were being aired in the High Court, Mr Morgan posted on Twitter without comment a screengrab of a South Park episode mocking Harry and Meghan for seeking privacy.

On Wednesday, MGN offered an apology to Prince Harry for an incident of unlawful newsgathering at The People, when 75 was paid to a private investigator for information on the Dukes night out at Chinawhite in 2004.

The media organisation, however, denies wider claims that the Prince was a phone hacking victim.

Many (stories) came from information disclosed by or on behalf of Royal households or members of the Royal Family; from information and photographs sold to the newspaper by freelance journalists and news agencies, photographers and photography agencies; others from confidential sources (including sources with extensive royal contacts); prior reports in the public domain and, in one case, from an on-the-record interview given by the Duke of Sussex himself, lawyers for MGN said.

Prince Harry is due to give evidence in the trial next month, breaking a long-standing traditional of Royal Family members not becoming personally embroilled in legal battles.

Mr Morgan, who has always denied involvement in phone hacking, is not expected to be a witness in the civil trial.

The case continues.
A n ex-girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex decided a royal life was not for her as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists at the Mirrors publisher, the High Court has been told.

Several high-profile figures, including Harry, are bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Claims brought by four individuals, one of whom is the duke, are being heard in a seven-week trial  which began on Wednesday  as representative cases.

MGN, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, is contesting the claims, arguing some have been brought too late.

Ultimately, MGN's activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that 'a royal life was not for her', which was 'incredibly upsetting' for the Duke of Sussex at the time

In court documents, David Sherborne, representing Harry, said the activities, including the alleged unauthorised accessing of his voicemails, caused the duke huge distress and created a huge amount of paranoia in his relationships.

He said: He became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age.

It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and made him fear for his and her safety.

Zimbabwe-born Ms Davy dated Harry for around six years. The two are thought to have split in 2009.

The pair were in a long-distance relationship while the duke was training in the Army and overseas and Ms Davy was at university in South Africa.

Lawyers for MGN have said there is no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception in any of these four claims.

Prince Harry / AFP via Getty Images

Andrew Green KC, for the publisher, said in written submissions the allegation is denied or not admitted for a period in a claim brought by actress Nikki Sanderson.

Referencing Harrys witness statement, which is yet to be made public, Mr Sherborne said that each time the duke was thought to be in a relationship, the persons family or friends would be dragged into the chaos and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN.

Addressing Harrys relationship with Ms Davy, Mr Sherborne continued: They were never on their own, which placed a huge amount of unnecessary stress and strain on their relationship.

Ultimately, MGNs activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that a royal life was not for her, which was incredibly upsetting for the Duke of Sussex at the time.

They also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily, and led to huge bouts of depression and paranoia.

The High Court in London was later told the alleged hacking of Harrys mobile phone posed a security risk to the royal family.

Six of the calls were made on the day in January 2009 that Ms Davy announced that she was no longer in a relationship with the Duke of Sussex, and this had been widely reported. They are likely attempts to reach her for comment about the split

Mr Sherborne said Harry experienced unusual telephone and media-related activity which is consistent, now in hindsight but at the time unsuspected, with the unauthorised accessing of his voicemails and other unlawful information gathering.

The barrister said this included missed and hung-up calls on an almost daily basis from numbers he did not recognise.

He said: This unlawful activity, including in particular knowing where the Duke of Sussex was going to be at a given time and the widespread dissemination amongst MGNs journalists of private information relating to him, posed a very real and large-scale security risk for the Duke of Sussex, his family and his associates.

But Mr Green said part of Harrys case includes seven calls to Ms Davys phone.

The barrister said in written submissions: Six of the calls were made on the day in January 2009 that Ms Davy announced that she was no longer in a relationship with the Duke of Sussex, and this had been widely reported.

They are likely attempts to reach her for comment about the split.

He said it is inherently unlikely they were phone hacking attempts.

The barrister later said in written submissions that out of 33 articles in the dukes claim, the publisher denies 28 of them involved phone hacking or unlawful information gathering.

Mr Green said it is not admitted that there was unlawful information gathering in five articles where there is a related recorded payment.

He also said it is denied that 29 of the articles contained Harrys private information or information that could lead to him being awarded damages.
An unmarried Chinese woman on Tuesday began her final appeal of a hospital's denial of access to freeze her eggs five years ago in a landmark case of female reproductive rights in the country.

Teresa Xu's case has drawn broad coverage in China, including by some state media outlets, since she first brought her case to court in 2019. She lost her legal challenge last year at another Beijing court, which ruled the hospital did not violate her rights in its decision.

The upcoming judgment will have strong implications for the lives of many unmarried women in China and the country's demographic changes, especially after the world's second-largest economy recorded its first population decline in decades.

In China, the law does not explicitly ban unmarried people from services such as fertility treatments and simply states that a "husband and wife" can have up to three children. But hospitals and other institutions, in practice, implement the regulations in a way that requires people to present a marriage license.
T he Metropolitan Police has apologised to the family of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan after documents relevant to the inquiry into his death were discovered in a locked cabinet in New Scotland Yard that had not been used for a number of years.

A total of 95 pages of material should have been disclosed to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which was set up to look into the case and published its final report in June 2021, the force said.

A further 71 pages were identified that would have been provided to His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as part of its subsequent inspection.

Daniel Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987, and a string of unsuccessful investigations into his death have been mired with claims of corruption.

We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is

An independent panel set up to look into the case published a scathing report in June last year in which it accused the Met of a form of institutional corruption for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray apologised on behalf of the force to Mr Morgans family.

We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is, she said.

We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the panel.

The Met said its assessment found there are no evidential documents that relate to criminal investigations into the murder.

However, the Police Inspectorate has agreed to review the documents and the Mets assessment of them.

In the circumstances, we consider we are entitled to ask whether the information has come to light only because, as we understand it, the media had already got hold of the story

The Met added that it remains in discussions with the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

In a statement, Mr Morgans family said they were not surprised by the new.

We, the family of Daniel Morgan, are not surprised by this latest revelation concerning the Met and its handling of this whole sorry saga over the 36 years since Daniels murder in March 1987, the statement said.

The family said there has been no explanation for why it took the Met four months to tell them about the documents.

We were informed last night  by way of a letter from Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray  that these documents had been stored in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard following a handover between senior officers in 2014 and accessed only when the Met forced entry into this secure storage in January 2023, the statement said.

No explanation has been forthcoming as to why it took the Met over four months to inform us of this development. In the circumstances, we consider we are entitled to ask whether the information has come to light only because, as we understand it, the media had already got hold of the story.

What we see here is precisely the kind of conduct that was identified as institutional corruption in the Panels June 2021 report; it appears that the Mets first objective remains to protect itself, concealing its failings for the sake of its public image and reputational benefit.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder after an 18-year-old was stabbed to death in east London.

Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, known as Jordan, from Romford, was found with stab wounds near Dagenham Heathway Tube station on Friday evening.

Police were called at around 11.47pm to reports of men armed with machetes. Despite the efforts of emergency services Jordan died at the scene.

A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as a single stab wound to the chest.

Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday evening that a boy 15, has been charged with his murder. He has also been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Thursday May 11.

A second man, aged in his 20s, was also taken to hospital with a stab injury. His condition has been assessed as not life-threatening.

Three other males, 16, 17 and 20, were arrested on Tuesday in Suffolk on suspicion of murder and a separate offence of violent disorder. They remain in custody.

A 27-year-old man, also arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting an offender and a separate offence of violent disorder, has been bailed pending further enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector James Shirley, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: My thoughts remain with the young mans family and friends. Dedicated detectives have been working around the clock since this tragic incident as we strive to identify and apprehend those responsible for killing Jordan.

Our investigation is making significant progress. Local people have provided us with information, which together with forensic enquiries and analysis of CCTV is enabling us to build a picture of what happened on Friday night.

I am grateful to everyone who has provided information. There will be other people with information that would assist our investigation and I urge them to come forward and share what they know or any relevant footage. This can be done anonymously through Crimestoppers should anyone prefer not to speak with police.

A 20-year-old man, who was previously arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released with no further action. However, he was also arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and has been released on bail for this offence.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 8711/05May.

To remain 100% anonymous share your information via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at Crimestoppers-uk.org.
P olice have launched a fresh appeal in the search for a man who disappeared one year ago while camping in a remote area of Scotland.

Neil Skinner, 72, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was last seen camping close to Loch Dochard in the Bridge of Orchy area of Argyll and Bute on Sunday May 8, 2022.

He was reported missing to police the next day.

Mr Skinner remains missing despite extensive searches and inquiries by police.

Last year, Mr Skinners family said they were desperately seeking answers as to what happened to him.

He is described as 5ft 8in with short, white hair, a white goatee-type beard and glasses.

We have kept in regular contact with his family during what has been an incredibly difficult time for them and we will continue to support them in any way we can

At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a green jacket and grey walking trousers.

Inspector Lee Page said: Neil has now been missing for a year and we know what a difficult period this has been for his family and friends.

Neil was last seen in the Loch Dochard area near Bridge of Orchy on Sunday May 8, 2022.

Sadly, despite extensive police inquiries and searches by officers and our partners, he remains missing.

We have kept in regular contact with his family during what has been an incredibly difficult time for them and we will continue to support them in any way we can.

Any new information received will continue to be investigated fully and I would urge anyone with information on Neils whereabouts to contact police on 101, quoting reference 3773 of May 9, 2022.
T he UK is set to designate Russias mercenary Wagner Group as a proscribed terrorist organisation, it is understood.

The Times quoted a Government source as saying the move was imminent and likely to be enacted within weeks, following two months spent building a legal case.

Led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin and made up of contractors and recruited convicts, the Wagne Group has been fighting alongside Russian armed forces in areas of eastern Ukraine.

It has been heavily involved in the city of Bakhmut, where the longest  and likely bloodiest  battle of the war has taken place.

Proscription would make it a criminal offence to join Wagner, encourage support for it, display its logo in public or attend its meetings.

Among other organisation on the Governments proscribed list are the Islamic State, al Qaida and neo-Nazi group National Action.

It comes as the Labour Party demanded ministers formally label the Wagner Group a terror outfit after accusing it of committing appalling atrocities.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin used Moscows Victory Day parade to accuse the West of unleashing a real war on the country with its untamed ambitions.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that international allies must continue supporting Ukraine in order to uphold the principle that powerful nations cannot invade their neighbours with impunity.

Speaking on a visit to the US, Mr Cleverly said: Things are complicated, things are messy, things are difficult, things will get scary.

We will expect to hear escalatory words coming out of Vladimir Putins lips  we need to be ready for that, we need to have the resolve to continue to do the right thing, notwithstanding those comments.

Labour said in February it wanted ministers to follow the USs lead after Washington designated Wagner a significant transnational criminal organisation.

In a joint statement, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: The Wagner Group is responsible for the appalling atrocities in Ukraine and across the world.

No-one in the UK should be allowed to belong to the Wagner Group, support it or promote it.

The push for Wagner to be proscribed came after a Government department reportedly helped its millionaire owner Mr Prigozhin to circumvent UK sanctions to take a British journalist to court in 2021.

The Treasury commissioned an internal review of its processes after it was reported that licences had been issued to allow lawyers to help Mr Prigozhin launch legal action against a Bellingcat reporter in the UK while the Russian oligarch was subject to sanctions.

As a result of the review, the department said the Government was committed to further targeted changes to the process for issuing legal fees licences that safeguard the sanctions regime against the risk of manipulation and ensure ministers are accountable for OFSI Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation) decision-making.
T he UK government has revealed that it will be recommending that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reclassifies monkey dust as a class A drug.

Sky News revealed the story, with a source saying that the drug is devastating communities and that the classification needs to meet the severity of the drug.

Currently, the drug is categorised as a Class B substance despite emergency services saying there is an epidemic of patients hooked on the dangerous drug across Stoke-on-Trent.

But, what exactly is Monkey Dust? Here is everything we know.

What is Monkey Dust?

Monkey Dust, also known as MDPV, bath salts, magic and zombie dust, is a synthetic psychoactive drug often found in powder or crystal form. It can be snorted, swallowed or smoked in a pipe, and the substance is often sold for very little, making those in poverty more likely to choose it over other substances.

It became popular across the US, where it used to be readily available at petrol stations, convenience stores, and bookshops, before Barack Obamas administration made it an illegal substance in 2012.

The drug has become popular in the UK in recent years, with the West Midlands police officers calling it a public health crisis in 2018.

What are the side-effects of Monkey Dust?

Monkey Dusts side-effects are reported to be long-lasting and intense, affecting users for up to 12 hours.

The powerful rush of energy and euphoria it produces makes some feel like they are physically invincible. Thus, users often become aggressive or violent without thinking about the consequences. It can also cause hallucinations, paranoia and a lack of self-control.

Some also find themselves envisioning that they are being chased and end up doing things like trying to climb buildings and lashing out at those around them.

Cases in Stoke-on-Trent have shown that those who take the drug can exhibit extremely erratic behaviour, instigate fights and commit acts of violence.
E mmanuel Macron has led the tributes to a French journalist killed while reporting on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.

Arman Soldin, who worked for AFP news agency, died on Tuesday after being hit by rocket fire west of Bakhmut.

The 32-year-old was part of a team of journalists who came under fire at roughly 4.30pm local time.

The French president paid tribute to Soldins work on the frontlines of the war.

We share the pain of his loved ones and his colleagues, he wrote in a tweet.

"His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine," said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries.

Soldin was born in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia, and a French citizen, according to AFP. He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and had traveled regularly to the front lines in recent months.

AFP said it was devastated" at Soldin's death and that all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones."

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Severodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

RSF Director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Soldin's death a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a speech Tuesday night in Washington, expressed condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones.

Countless journalists are working to expose and report on the truth in extremely dangerous settings," Blinken said. Today, we were devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine.
D onald Trump has been found liable for sexually abusing magazine writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then wrongfully branding her a liar, a court has found.

The jury in the civil court case ruled in favour of the former US presidents accuser this week after less than three hours of deliberations.

A nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court in New York ordered Trump to pay $5 million (3.9 million) in compensation and damages to Ms Carroll.

The six men and three women jurors ruled that she had been assaulted but rejected her claim that she had been raped by Trump.

Ms Carroll said her victory was not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed. Trumps lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said the ex-president will appeal against the verdict.

But what will this mean for Donald Trumps 2024 presidential campaign?

Is Donald Trump facing any more charges?

Yes, but unlike this last case  the next ones are criminal, not civil proceedings.

For example, last month Trump became the first current or former US president to be arrested and charged with a crime.

At the end of March, a grand jury voted to indict Trump on criminal charges. This followed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about him.

At a hearing in New York at the start of April, Trump pled not guilty to all charges and proceedings are ongoing.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his legal woes, however, which Reuters has documented here.

Can Donald Trump still run for US president in 2024?

As the E Jean Carroll case was a civil one, Trump does not face any jail time following the verdict.

And the answer to the above question is yes, he can, even amid ongoing criminal accusations.

There is nothing the US Constitution that stops someone who has been accused, indicted or even convicted of a crime from running or winning the presidential election.

However, its worth noting that individual states may have their own laws and regulations regarding candidacy and eligibility for elected offices, including the presidency. These laws can vary, and some states may impose restrictions on individuals with certain criminal convictions or specific legal issues.

Even if he were to be jailed, Trump could still run from his prison cell.

However should he win, theres nothing in the US Constitution that would automatically grant Trump a reprieve from prison time. A lengthy legal battle would be expected in that instance, however.

Who can run for US president?

Several requirements must be met for someone to run to become the US president, the US Constitution says. The person must be:

a natural-born citizen of the United States. This means they must be born on US soil or born to US citizen parents abroad.

at least 35 years old.

been a resident of the United States for 14 years.

Additionally, potential candidates often belong to one of the major political parties such as the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. However, independent candidates can also run for president.

Its important to note that individual states may have additional requirements for candidates to appear on their respective state ballots.

Who is running for US president in 2024?

As well as Trump, there are others who have thrown their hat into the ring:

Joe Biden

Serving US President Biden has officially announced his candidacy for a second time. He announced he would launch a re-election bid in a video message on Tuesday April 25.

Marianne Williamson

Not well known in UK but famous in the US, Marianne is a self-help author. She is famed for being the former spiritual adviser to television mogul Oprah Winfrey.

She said in February 2023: I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time.

Nikki Haley

Former politician Nikki Haley spent two years as Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, and previously had said she wouldnt stand in 2024.

But it appears she has had change of heart and wants to run, if Trump does. She said in February 2023 it was time for a new generation of leadership.

Ron DeSantis

The current governor of Florida has not officially entered his name into the hat but it is heavily rumoured that he is going to run and will be announcing his candidacy soon.

Robert F Kennedy Jr

Lawyer and well-known vaccine sceptic, Robert Kennedy Jr is the son of the late US Senator Robert F Kennedy. He filed candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission on April 5, 2023.

Vivek Ramaswamy

The conservative activist in February 2023 announced on Fox News his intention to compete in the 2024 Republican entry for president. The Yale Law School graduate is something of a celebrity in right-wing circles.

Larry Elder

Mr Elder, a former attorney, and current conservative talk radio host, announced on April 20 he would be running for president in 2024.

He said he had a moral, religious, and a patriotic duty to join the race.

Ryan Binkley

Pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley has also announced his entrance into the 2024 race.

Asa Hutchinson

Former Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, formally announced his campaign for president on April 26.
A gunman shot dead three people and wounded nine others in a gun attack near the oldest synagogue in Africa on Tuesday.

The attacker opened fire near El-Ghriba worshipping place on the Tunisian island of Djerba.

The three victims included a security guard, and two visitors, according to the Tunisian Interior Ministry.

Security forces were able to shoot dead the gunman.

The attack came amid an annual pilgrimage to the island of Djerba that draws hundreds of Jewish people from Europe and Israel, Reuters reported.

La Ghriba is Africas oldest synagogue, a revered and iconic location at the heart of the island, according to Reuters, built on the site of a Jewish temple that is believed to date back almost 1,900 years.

Authorities did not identify a motive for the attack, but Islamist militants have previously targeted the pilgrimage in Djerba and have staged other attacks in the country, according to Reuters.

One of the most well-known attacks is the 2002 truck bombing by al Qaeda militants, which killed 21 Western tourists  prompting high security at the synagogue in the following years.
A woman found by a jury to have been sexually abused by Donald Trump has declared the world finally knows the truth after the former US President was told to pay $5 million in damages and left counting the political cost of his legal defeat.

E Jean Carroll, 79, sued Mr Trump over an encounter in the mid 1990s at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman, and also accused him of defamation for branding her allegations an complete con job, a hoax and a lie.

Following a civil trial, a jury concluded that Mr Trump had sexually assaulted Ms Carroll but not raped her, in a verdict that could have serious ramifications for his 2024 White House bid.

In a statement after the verdict, Ms Carroll, a well-known magazine advice columnist, thanked her supporters and hailed her legal team who never, ever backed down in pursuit of truth and justice.

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back, she said.

Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.

Donald Trump has promised to appeal / Truth Social

The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding Mr Trump liable for battery. He was also found liable for defamation in the October 2022 comments about Ms Carroll on his Truth Social online platform.

Addressing supporters after the verdict, Mr Trump wrote: I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.

The verdict is a disgrace  a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!

His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told reporters outside the courthouse the former US President plans to mount an appeal against the inconsistent verdict.While it was strange, part of me was obviously very happy that Donald Trump was not branded a rapist, he said. I didnt think there should be any liability findings so well pursue that.

He also tackled questions about Mr Trumps decision to shun the civil trial and not give live evidence in his defence.

This was a circus atmosphere and having him be here would be more of a circus, he said.Mr Tacopina pointed to Trumps denials in a video deposition played to the jury, adding: What more could he say than I didnt do it?

Mr Trump is the frontrunner to be the Republican candidate in next years Presidential election, and US political analysts believe the trial verdict is unlikely to significantly affect his core support.

However Republican senators spoke out to question Trumps ability to appeal to voters beyond his base.

It has a cumulative effect, said South Dakota Senator John Thune. People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama.

I dont think he can get elected, added Senator John Cornyn, an attorney and Republican representative for Texas. You cant win a general election with just your base.

Sean Spicer, Mr Trumps director of communications during his term as President, said optics do matter in politics and contended the rape allegation would have stung a lot - even though Trump was cleared of that allegation.

Its never a good thing to have a verdict against you...especially of this nature, he added.

Ms Carroll first accused Trump of abuse in a 2019 memoir, saying it happened on a shopping trip to Bergdorf Goodman  a department store close to Trump Tower in Manhattan.

She said they had been joking about lingerie when Mr Trump became aggressive in the changing room area.

In support of her case, Ms Carroll called evidence from two other women who say they are victims of sexual abuse by Mr Trump.

Jessica Leeds told the court she was groped by Mr Trump in the late 1970s as they sat together in first class on a plane.

The 81-year-old from North Carolina told jurors Mr Trump grabbed her chest and ran his hand up her skirt before she was able to wriggle free and escape to a different seat on the New York City-bound jet.

There was no conversation. It was like out of the blue, she said. It was like he had 40 zillion hands.

People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff said Trump kissed her forcibly in 2005 at his Mar-a-Lago resort, during an interview to mark his first anniversary with wife Melania.

Mr Trump  who denies all claims of sexual misconduct - was also questioned in his video deposition about the infamous Access Hollywood tape when he was recorded talking about kissing and touching women without their consent.

Im automatically attracted to beautiful women, he is heard saying. I just start kissing them  its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait.

He adds: And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p***y.

Quizzed on the remark, Mr Trump replied Well, historically, thats true with stars and said he considered himself a star.

As the fallout from the trial continues, Trump is set to appear in a CNN town hall debate as he pushed forward his Presidential campaign.

Analysts noted that Mr Trumps polling numbers went up last month when he was charged with allegedly falsifying business records over hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just dont think are going to be moved by this type of thing, said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.

The Manhattan jury of six men and three women awarded Ms Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages for her battery claim, and $2.7 million in compensatory and $280,000 in punitive damages for her defamation claim.

However Mr Trump will not have to pay anything while an appeal is still pending, potentially delaying a final conclusion to the case until after next years election.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will boost tracking of North Korean missiles in real time by linking their radar systems, officials said Tuesday.

A senior presidential official told reporters, "Currently, the militaries of the three countries are building the system."

They made the agreement at a trilateral summit in Phnom Penh in November last year.

This includes data on the missile launch location, flight direction and expected point of impact.

"Consultations on concrete details are ongoing, and at this point there isn't anything specific that has been decided," a Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters.
U S congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds as he appeared in court on Wednesday.

Mr Santos, 34, has been accused of defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

He has also been accused of making false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income and liabilities.

Mr Santos was mobbed by reporters and protesters as he left Central Islip Federal Courthouse on Wednesday, wearing sunglasses. One man held a sign reading lies behind Mr Santos.

Top House Republicans, who control the chamber by a narrow 222-213 margin, said they would wait for the legal process to play out before taking further action on Mr Santos, who made the plea at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York.

He was released on a $500,000 bond (395,965) and is due back in court for his next appearance on June 30. This means he can go back to Washington and cast votes in Congress.

As a condition of his release, he agreed to surrender his passport and to limit his travel.

Im proud of the way he can stand tall and face the music, said Mr Santos attorney, Joe Murray. Were finally going to get to address all his allegations.

Federal prosecutors said they had evidence of a sweeping pattern of fraudulent behavior.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Mr Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Breon Peace, the US prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

Nine House Republicans have so far called for Mr Santos to resign, including six from his home state of New York.

But House Republican Steve Scalise said the caucus would withhold judgment on Mr Santos.

In America, theres a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process, he told a press conference.

Mr Santos was elected to Congress last autumn after a campaign built partly on falsehoods.

He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, he did not work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, did not go to college and had struggled financially before his run for public office.

He said falsely that he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two. Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019.

REUTERS

He has since admitted to fabricating large parts of his resume.

Questions about the Republican politicians finances also surfaced.

In regulatory filings, Mr Santos said he had loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than 750,000 US dollars (594,000), but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Mr Santos had reported making 750,000 US dollars a year plus dividends from a family company, the Devolder Organisation.

He later described that business as a broker for sales of luxury items including yachts and aircraft.

The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Mr Santos stopped working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York, said.

Mr Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen cheques to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they had reopened the case.

In 2017, Mr Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders.

This case was dismissed after Mr Santos claimed his chequebook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have been looking separately into complaints about Mr Santoss work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets.

One New Jersey veteran accused Mr Santos of failing to deliver 3,000 US dollars (2,400) he had raised to help his pet dog get surgery it needed.
A high school principal has paid tribute to a treasured pupil who died on a school trip to a flooded cave in New Zealand.

Police recovered the body of the student who vanished in a cave when floodwaters hit his school trip to Abbey Caves on Tuesday morning.

The group of 15 students and two adults had entered the cave network in Whangarei as part of an outdoor education class, authorities said. The others made it out safely.

The death has raised questions about why school officials chose to go ahead with the trip even after forecasters warned heavy rain was approaching.

The district council website cautions people to check weather forecast as caves can be prone to flash flooding. The site says the cave system features dramatic limestone outcrops, sink holes and three significant caves.

We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have, Police Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement. At the moment, polices focus is on supporting those affected.

Hill said the body was recovered late Tuesday.

Whangarei Boys High School Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith wrote on Facebook that the event was hugely upsetting for all those involved.

As we have already expressed that our thoughts and aroha [sympathies] are firmly with the whanau [family] and the students  even more so now that a body of one of our students tragically has been recovered.

It is really important for me to let you know how devastated we are that one of our whanau have lost a much loved, and treasured, son and brother and the impact of this tragedy is being felt widely amongst our school staff, students and community.

Further south, the heavy rainfall and flooding Tuesday prompted authorities in Auckland to declare a state of emergency. The declaration remained in place Wednesday morning as the weather eased.

Fire and emergency crews said they responded to more than 200 calls on Tuesday, most of them in Auckland. Many were for floodwaters entering buildings, but they had also responded to landslides, falling trees and trapped cars. Some train and bus services were cancelled, and authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Severe weather has plagued the North Island this year. In January, four people were killed when floodwaters hit Auckland. In February, 11 people died when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region.

He said Tuesday hed yet to find out all the details on what had happened to the student.

I do want to express my deep concern there and my absolute support for the school community, Hipkins said.
R ussian forces have retreated up to 2km in some parts of the Bakhmut, according to a top Ukrainian military commander.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who heads Ukraines ground forces, made the comments in a post on Telegram.

His claims back up reports from one of his units that it has routed a Russian infantry brigade from frontline territory near the city.

The head of Russias Wagner private army has also said the Russian forces had fled but Moscow has not commented on the reports its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of the disputed city.

The eastern Ukrainian city has been the primary target of Moscows huge winter offensive and scene of the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

Ukrainian servicemen of a Reconnaissance team fly a drone at a front line near the town of Bakhmut. / AFP via Getty Images

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has repeatedly accused Moscows regular armed forces of failing to adequately support his private army leading the fight in Bakhmut, said on Tuesday the Russian brigade had abandoned its positions.

Our army is fleeing. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men, Prigozhin said.

In a statement overnight, Ukraines Third Separate Assault Brigade said: Its official. Prigozhins report about the flight of Russias 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the 500 corpses of Russians left behind is true.

The Third Assault Brigade is grateful for the publicity about our success at the front.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin / AP

Early on Wednesday the Ukrainian unit, which was formed last year from the nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azovs founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had defeated the Russian brigade.

In fact, the 6th and 7th squadrons of this brigade were almost entirely destroyed, brigade intelligence was destroyed, a large number of fighting vehicles were destroyed a considerable number of prisoners were taken, he said.

The attacks were implemented within a territory 3 km wide and 2.6 km deep, and this entire territory is completely liberated from the Russian occupying forces.

Ukraines eastern military command said the Russian brigade had been heavily damaged, although it said Russia was still trying all-out to capture the rest of the city.

Unfortunately they have not destroyed the whole (Russian) brigade yet, two companies have been seriously damaged there, Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern military command, said in televised comments.

The situation (in Bakhmut) remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it (Bakhmut) is (still) the main direction of attack, the main coveted target, he said.

Since last week, Prigozhin has repeatedly threatened to pull Wagners forces out of Bakhmut unless Russias regular armed forces send his troops more ammunition. In his latest remarks on Wednesday he said his troops were receiving only 10 percent of the shells they need.
Doreen dreams of being a dancer. And every weekend, she is one. She lives in the heart of the Kibera neighbourhood of Kenyas Nairobi, the biggest slum in East Africa. The 13 year old, who is shy but breaks into a warm smile when something amuses her, takes Saturday classes at Project Elimu, a community initiative which specialises in dance, particularly ballet.

While Kibera is full of energy, its not an easy place to live. Doreen walks to her ballet class from her familys cramped, two-room house. Its a washing day, and drying clothes are strung up inside, so there is little space to sit. She climbs through mazy streets up an escarpment covered in discarded plastic bags. Doreen says her family hasnt always been able to afford for her to go to school, where students have to pay a small sum to attend each day. It was tough being left out while others were in class. When my friends are inside, and they are learning, I used to feel that I was not supported, she says. But her ballet classes are free.

Inside the one-storey building that houses Project Elimu, Doreen changes from her red dress into a tutu in the back room. Chatting with her classmates, she puts on her pink ballet shoes, paid for by the centre, and her friends help tie the satin ribbons around each others ankles. They jokingly try out different lifts together, then stand in a line by the wooden barre, ready to practise their pointe technique. Theyre planning a performance right in the centre of Kibera.

Ballerinas from Project Elimu perform in Kibera / Flavian Mbusi/Evening Standard

Doreens older sister Faith is a keen ballet dancer too. Their mother explains how it has kept her daughters active: they often demonstrate their moves to their parents at home. Other classes at Project Elimu have focused on teaching young women about sexual health, including information about periods, sexual and reproductive rights and unplanned pregnancies, she says.

At the weekend, Elimu is a hive of activity. From early in the morning, children of all ages arrive to be signed in by young organisers. None are turned away. At first, they chat and play among themselves, then an instructor leads some noisy warm ups, before a calmer period of playing with Lego. The children are fed porridge for breakfast, and rice for lunch. Later on, the older children, mostly girls, join more advanced ballet classes.

Project Elimu has grown my confidence, says 13-year-old Natasha, one of the ballerinas. My body has become so flexible, and I can speak in front of a crowd.

The food for the students is prepared by a group of young women on a scholarship fund who are proud of their work. They understand how important the classes can be, especially for Kiberas young girls. One of the helpers, Winnie, describes how she had to drop out of school when she got pregnant at 15 during the pandemic. The babys father denied any responsibility, and Winnies own widowed mother was upset, turning her out of the house. I used to sleep outside in the forest, she says. There were complications during childbirth, but now her son Gabriel is three, and comes with her to Project Elimu.

Doreen, 13 (left) and her friend Shelly, 14, at Project Elimu / Flavian Mbusi/Evening Standard

Getting a job here has given Winnie back her confidence and helped to repair her relationship with her mother. She is now back at high school, which is paid for by Project Elimu, while the salary she earns helps pay the rent and look after her younger siblings too. In our society, if you dont study, theres no good job that you can do, she says. So I had to go back to school, so that my brothers and other siblings cannot look down on me.

Winnies determination has inspired her friend Sylvia, once a star dancer at Elimu, who dropped out of school at 16, soon after the pandemic lockdowns, when she got pregnant by a man a decade older than her. Shes just started working at the project and is hoping to go back to school with the small wages she earns; she dreams of being a lawyer.

They speak warmly about Mike Wamaya, the 38-year-old founder of the project, a former dancer who is also the main ballet teacher. He got me and my mum to understand each other, something that not even family could do, Winnie says. Its Wamayas birthday this Saturday, but he still comes in to take charge of proceedings.

We create something that makes us happy

Mike Wamaya introduces the acts at a Project Elimu performance in Kibera, Kenya / Flavian Mbusi/Evening Standard

Elimu works because it evolved from the community, says Wamaya. Kibera is rich in well-meaning charity projects that run out of steam after a year or two, partly because they dont have connections to the area. There are a lot of NGOs that are busy with womens empowerment, but with them everything is being designed outside and being brought in, he says. It should be the other way round - what do they really want? Wamaya grew up nearby and became a professional dancer, touring Europe. He came back to work with children in Kibera and established Project Elimu in 2017.

He gets frustrated when people talk about arts education as if it is nice to have, but not essential. They tell him it would be better to teach children something practical, like business skills, or view dance as just something to keep them busy. People say its a waste of time, because they cant measure it immediately, he says, with some irritation.

Through dance, the students learn teamwork, being part of a system, and personal expression. Its about them finding out who they really are and what they want for themselves, he says. In wealthy parts of the world, parents pay for their children to take ballet classes, Wamaya points out, so why shouldnt young people in Kibera try it too? We create something that makes us happy, he says. A report into arts education in Africa by UNESCO, the UNs educational arm, agrees, stating that arts and culture are essential components of a balanced education, as they are a vital channel for imparting social moral values and knowledge.

Wamaya has big plans for Project Elimu. Around the corner, he has secured another plot of land, where he plans to build a multi-storey centre for dance classes and other extra-curricula classes. Money is tight: he relies on small donations and partnerships for his funding, rather than big grants, but is infectious when talking about the project. When you have nothing, all you have is your dreams he says.

Women and girls face huge challenges in Kibera, particularly since the pandemic. Its home to a quarter of a million people, packed together in a warren of dirt streets and tin-roofed shacks with poor sanitation and shared toilets. Not everyone can afford to go to school. Its thought that Covid shutdowns disrupted the education of 18 million students in Kenya, and when schools reopened at the start of 2021, only 84% of girls returned, compared to 92% of boys. Wamaya explains that families prioritised paying school expenses for their sons, which meant girls missed out.

Shelly, 14, a talented ballet dancer, was one of them: I told Project Elimu that my school uniform was torn, and I did not have a school bag and shoes. They came to my aid and bought me those things.

Teenage pregnancy went up in the lockdowns too. The rates were already high in Kenya: in 2016, it was estimated at 18%. According to charities, pregnancy rates in some areas of the country tripled in the first few months of the Covid pandemic, with impacts on health, including girls resorting to unsafe abortions. In response, Project Elimus Smile Bank addresses the challenges for Kiberas schoolgirls with information on reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, their sexual rights and gender-based violence. Girls can access free sanitary products, even during lockdowns.

A place of tranquillity and fun

A dancer at Project Elimu prepares for the performance / Flavian Mbusi/Evening Standard

Kibera can be chaotic. On the main street, the remains of tyres that were burned in recent political protests have destroyed the tarmac, creating deep potholes. Felix, a young instructor at the project, says he saw a man have his head smashed in with a rock for stealing just around the corner. On the streets, girls face the threat of sexual coercion and violence. But Project Elimu is a place of tranquillity and fun.

The dance show is held in Kiberas main square, where political rallies are held, so everyone in the community can watch. Its called Periods, and aims to address stigma around the subject, such as girls not being allowed to go to church when they are menstruating.

As its outside of school term-time, Doreen has dyed the ends of her hair bright blue. She and her friends make-up each others faces, and practise together outside before walking down to the makeshift stage. A huge crowd of local children and adults gather to watch the routines, the students wearing a variety of costumes, some handmade. In one of the tightly choreographed dances, the girls represent the pain of cramps. In another, the young men lift the girls over their heads. The crowd responds with enthusiastic cheers.

Doreen is buzzing after the performance. When people say that you dont know how to dance, dont lose hope, dont look behind, dont say that you dont know, just continue, she says, full of life. She explains that as well as learning about sexual and menstrual health at Project Elimu, shes also learned confidence. It helps the girls to know their responsibilities and how they can take care of themselves, she says. When I grow up I would like to be a professional dancer she says. I would like to perform in the UK.

A Project Elimu dance performance in Kibera, Kenya / Flavian Mbusi/ Evening Standard
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S harp Objects star Patricia Clarkson and The End Of The F***ing World actor Alex Lawther will join Successions Brian Cox in a new production of Eugene ONeills play Long Days Journey Into Night.

It was previously announced Scottish star Cox, best known for playing media tycoon Logan Roy in Succession, will take on the role of James Tyrone in the autobiographical play, directed by Jeremy Herrin.

Clarkson, who starred opposite Amy Adams in the adaptation of the novel Sharp Objects and is also known for roles in Easy A, The Green Mile and Far From Heaven, will play matriarch Mary Tyrone, while Lawther will appear as Edmund.

They will be joined by Daryl McCormack, who recently starred opposite Dame Emma Thompson in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, as James Jr, while Derry Girls star Louisa Harland will play Cathleen.

The play, which marks Coxs his first West End role in almost a decade, won the Pulitzer Prize and is regarded by some as the greatest American play of the 20th century.

Telling a story of love, hate, betrayal, addiction and the fragility of family bonds, it depicts a summer day in the life of the Tyrone family.

McCormack said: It has been a dream of mine to bring this play to life, since I first read it as a student more than 10 years ago. To be accompanied by such talented actors and have a brilliant director in Jeremy, it is a true gift. I eagerly await the work that is ahead of us in reviving this magnificently tragic and haunting play.

Director Herrin added: A great play is always relevant and Long Days Journey Into Night is, its often argued, the greatest play of the 20th century.

With its searing honesty and blistering depth of emotion, it must be up there.

What is impossible to argue with is that we have the best cast and, in Lizzie Clachan, one of the most exciting designers in the country, to discover what makes ONeills masterwork relevant for now.

I cant wait to bring this classic to life. I anticipate a feast of fine acting and vivid performances in what I hope to be a high definition production.

Long Days Journey Into Night will begin previews at Wyndhams Theatre from March 19 2024 with opening night on April 2 2024.
E urovision will take place in the UK on Saturday but the omens are not good for home entry Mae Muller.

Ukraine won the 2022 competition and, as per tradition, it would be the host for this year. However, the ongoing conflict with Russia means that Britain - the runner-up last year - will stage the event in Liverpool.

Mullers entry I Wrote a Song is, according to bet365, the eighth most likely to win at 40/1 with Swedens Loreen deemed as the favourite. Loreens song Tattoo was given odds of 8/13.

The winner in 2021 was Italy, and Britain has not won the song contest since 1997 - which means the country last hosted in 1998.

Swedens Loreen is the favourite for the 2023 title / Getty Images

But, if the UK defies the bookies odds and comes top in the Eurovision final on Saturday, it will be the first time in nearly 30 years that the same nation has both hosted and won.

The last occasion was in 1994, when Ireland staged the event in Dublin and also claimed first place with the song Rock n Roll Kids, performed by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan.

It meant Ireland had actually won three times in a row, having also hosted and won in 1993, following on from their 1992 win.

The UK has not yet managed to win Eurovision while also staging the event, though it has come close several times, finishing in second place on five of the eight times it has hosted the contest.

This happened most recently in 1998, when the contest took place in Birmingham and the UKs entry Imaani came a close second behind Israels Dana International.

The first occasion was back in 1960, when the UK again came a close second, this time behind France.

United Kingdom entrant Mae Muller at the Eurovisions Turquoise Carpet opening ceremony (Peter Byrne/PA) / PA Wire

Aside from Ireland, only four other countries have won Eurovision while also hosting the event.

They are Switzerland, in the very first contest in 1956; Spain in 1969 (joint winners with the UK, Netherlands and France); Luxembourg in 1973; and Israel in 1979.

Victory for the UK this year would be the sixth time the country has won the contest and the joint second-highest number of wins of any competing nation, level with Sweden and one behind Ireland.
A Ukrainian refugee who fled her home with just a rucksack is now promoting her nations culture in Liverpool amid the Eurovision Song Contest to showcase what Ukraine actually looks like.

Veronika Yasynska is originally from Kyiv but has lived in Liverpool for more than a year after fleeing Ukraine following Russias invasion  a journey which spanned six countries and saw her hide in a basement for five days.

The 29-year-old is now an event project assistant for Eurovision with Culture Liverpool and is part of Discover Ukraine, which is an area of the Eurovision village promoting Ukrainian traditions, food and music.

Authentic dishes, such as borscht with smoked pears, chebureki  deep fried dough with lamb  and dumplings with cherries will be served at the village, while visitors can also take part in a pottery masterclass and learn the Ukrainian art technique of Petrykivka.

Other activities include an interactive exhibition called See, hear, feel Ukraine from Music Saves UA, which is a non-profit fundraiser created by the Ukrainian Association of Music Events providing humanitarian aid for those in Ukraine, to learn about the history of Ukrainian music.

It is really important for me to be here and see this historical event in person, Ms Yasynska told the PA news agency.

I think it helps to describe the resistance of our Ukrainian nation  despite the full-scale invasion happening in our country  [we want] to share our love and the spirit of Ukrainian bravery.

Ms Yasynska believes that Eurovision can provide Ukrainians with an opportunity to be heard.

We can clarify all of the details around our history, explain the fabric of decolonisation, and to give an understanding that we are always an independent sovereign state, she said.

I think Eurovision has been a trampoline to highlight a lot of questions and to give a better understanding of what Ukraine actually looks like.

Ms Yasynska said she is working with a production team who will deliver commissioned projects.

So it will be two weeks of events and collaborations with Ukrainian artists before the actual song contest, she added.

She said she is proud to be able to share her background and culture, and finds heart-warming moments with colleagues bonding over Ukrainian music.

I can be proud of our country because we have a really rich cultural background and heritage, Ms Yasynska explained.

I cant describe how it is interesting to observe how many people discover Ukraine through these circumstances, and they are working with Ukrainian artists, which is absolutely amazing.

When you can share your earphones with a colleague and were listening to Ukrainian music, its really surreal.

Being part of this years Eurovision is surreal for Ms Yasynska, who has been an avid fan of the singing contest since 2004 when Ukraines entry, Ruslana, won the competition.

Eurovision has been a big part of life since 2004 when Ruslana won Eurovision, she said.

Since that time, I was a fan of the contest and followed the updates.

I will definitely cheer for my country and support it.

Ms Yasynska was initially apprehensive that the UK being host to Eurovision might take away from highlighting Ukrainian culture, but hopes that the Discover Ukraine project will move it forward with our Ukrainian culture.

It was kind of a question of how will it be?, perhaps people wont understand us, or that [Eurovision] might highlight the UK more, but I want to move things forward with our Ukrainian culture, she explained.

However, I am sure that everything will work perfectly.

Ms Yasynska fled Ukraine with just a rucksack, limited essentials, her laptop and camera, and had to camp in basements before making the trip to Liverpool.

I stayed with my family in Kyiv and hid in a basement with five other families before moving to the south-eastern part of Ukraine where I volunteered for a while, she said.

My family and I decided to split, so I continued travelling with my mum and without my father to Poland through Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Warsaw, and after that we moved closer to Germany where we found apartments to rent.

During that time, my friend messaged me that he had been living in Liverpool for a while, and offered me to come to the UK.

She initially declined her friends offer after believing that the war on Ukraine would not last more than a few weeks.

Realising that Poland was becoming overwhelmed by displaced and relocated persons from Ukraine she felt the need to move somewhere safer with her mother, despite it being a scary prospect.

I agreed [to the move], though it wasnt something that I really wanted to do as I didnt have a plan or strategy to stay in the UK, she said.

I travelled with one rucksack, my laptop and camera and travelled by train.

It was really scary to move somewhere abroad.

While she was daunted by the move, she hopes that she can help my country through her line of work.

I had no expectations of Liverpool  I just wanted to find a safe place, find a job immediately, start work, and the biggest thing for me is to help my country and it doesnt matter what it will be, she said.

I just wanted to find something that will be helpful for the army or displaced people.

She is grateful for the support that she has received whilst being in the UK.

I want to thank everyone who has supported Ukraine  each individual who has already helped is part of our big victory, she said.

I would like to encourage people to keep [supporting] because we really need to stop this war.
T he Eurovision semi-finals this week will determine who goes through to the grand final on Saturday.

But a number of countries have already guaranteed their spot in the song contest, and therefore do not have to compete in the semi-finals.

In previous years, UK fans may have wondered how our act got through to the final, to end up scoring at the bottom of the board.

Find out below why the UK, among other countries, automatically qualifies for the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.

Which countries automatically qualify for Eurovision?

The UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy are known as The Big Five and automatically qualify for the final.

These countries broadcasters make the biggest financial contribution towards the contest, and so automatically get to compete.

However, only three of the Big Five took part in the first-ever contest in 1956: France, Germany, and Italy. They competed against the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

How to throw the ultimate Eurovision party at home 1 / 12 How to throw the ultimate Eurovision party at home Just follow these 8 easy steps... JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images Step 1: Set a dress code Dressing in the most awful, Euro-tastic outfits is essential to the night. Wrap yourself in tin foil like Ukraine's act in 2007, use a pot of gel and bottle of hairspray for Jedward or a brunette wig and beard to create the ultimate Conchita look. Or for the more old school guest, go ABBA. The Eurovision is more about the costume than the songs for some, so your party should be too. The wackier the better... Step 2: Flags, Flags and more Flags Decorations are obviously a must, but you dont have to worry, its pretty simple  flags! Flags on doors, walls, windows and even in your food and drinks. Any country that has a space in the grand final deserves a space in your house. Bernard / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock Step 3: Swedish Drinks Only Considering that this years Eurovision is going to be held in Stockholm, it seems only right that Swedish traditions have an invite to your party - so it's time to hit the hard stuff.



Brannvin, or Burn-wine, is a Swedish special liquor distilled from potatoes. Vodka is the purest form of Brannvin, and is usually seasoned with herbs to create an Akvavit. For the real party animals, it can also be drunk as snaps, also known as a nubbe, in a small shot glass alongside a meal. For the less daring maybe, lager beer and sweet cider is also very popular in Sweden. And if you really want to get creative, why not make the Swedish mule cocktail - chin chin! Step 4: Play drinking Games With all these drinks involved, of course there needs to be a Eurovision-themed drinking game? Take a responsible sip every time you see or hear the following...an act wearing sunglasses on stage, when someone says Sweden', there are dancers that have no relevance to the song - whatsoever, there is an act wearing practically nothing, someone is wearing tin foil - again, when the presenter shouts Good Evening and finally, when a country's performance is unusually amusing. Rex Step 5: Party food With people flocking to IKEA in search of its famous Swedish meatballs, why not give it a run for its money with a delicious selection of Swedish party food. We suggest you go heavy on the meatballs and throw in a few cinnamon buns and potato dumplings for good measure. Step 6: Do a sweepstake While watching this gloriously tacky competition, why not engage in a little competition of your own? Organise a sweepstake amongst your guests, choosing one person per country and a pound to enter, with the jackpot as the prize. You can print out the BBC's handy sweepstake kit from here: bbc.co.uk BBC Step 7: Make a playlist Create the ultimate playlist with Eurovision hits from over the years such as, Rise Like a Pheonix (Conchita), Waterloo (Abba), Flying the Flag (Schooch), Congratulations (Cliff Richard), Lipstick (Jedwood) and Just a little bit (Gina G). It's bound to get the party started and keep the mood up during any ad breaks. Olle Lindeborg/AFP/Getty Step 8: Karaoke to end the night It wouldn't be the ultimate Eurovision party without a spot of karaoke after it's all over. Even if it's not your thing, it usually ends up being the funniest and most memorable part of the night. If you really cant wait until the end of the night, why not put the subtitles on the telly or select the sing along version during the contest? You may want to have a few drinks first...

In fact, The Big Five was established fairly recently, with the rule being introduced to the contest in 2000.

Initially, the countries that automatically qualified were the UK, France, Spain, and Germany, a group known then as the Big Four.

In 2011, Italy rejoined the competition and entered the Big Five.

Additionally, the country who won the previous years competition will also automatically qualify for the final. This means that Ukraine will appear in Saturdays show alongside the Big Five.

Usually, the winning country will host the show the following year. But due to the war in Ukraine, the UK will host Eurovision on Ukraines behalf.

Which other countries have qualified for the Eurovision final?

Following the first semi-finals, Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia, and Norway qualified for the grand final on Saturday.

The second semi-final will take place on Thursday, May 11, and will see the following countries compete for a place in the final: Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania, and Australia.

The Eurovision Song Contest grand final will air at 8pm on Saturday, May 13, on BBC One.
The government is considering a new work visa for domestic helpers from Southeast Asia, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The category of "domestic help" will likely be added to the list for the E-9 visa for unskilled workers, and applicants from the Philippines and elsewhere will be required to register with employment brokers.

The minimum wage will apply to comply with International Labor Organization rules against discrimination. At the current rate of W9,620 per hour, a full-time foreign domestic helper will be paid at least W2.01 million a month (US$1=W1,324). Korean housemaids are typically paid about W13,000 per hour.

During the pilot period, domestic helpers will commute to work rather than living with their employers in order to ensure adequate space and privacy.
On Tuesday, The Godfather actor surprised many when he confirmed that he had become a father for the seventh time several months before his 80th birthday while promoting his comedy, About My Father.

ET Canada presenter Brittnee Blair stated during their chat: I know you have six kids, to which the actor corrected her, replying: Seven, actually. I just had a baby.

The veteran actor then went on to share his approach to fatherhood with the host, sharing: I mean, theres no way around it with kids. I dont like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that.

But, [sometimes] you just have no choice.

And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes you cant.

The GMB hosts had their say on De Niros baby news / ITV

A rep for the actor later confirmed The Standard that De Niro is now a father of seven, although its unclear who the mother is.

In light of his surprising news, GMB hosts Susanna Reid and her co-host Ed Balls had their say on the matter.

Reid said that she could see why some fans of De Niro see his decision to have a child at 79 as self-indulgent and selfish.

While Balls admitted he felt it was wrong to have a child at his stage of life, explaining that by the time his child will be 18 and at university, the actor will be close to 100 years-old, remarking, if he is still alive, that is.

The star confirmed during a recent interview that he had welcomed his seventh child / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

It has not been confirmed who the babys mother is, but PageSix have reported that the actor is dating Tai Chi instructor Tiffany Chen after they met on the set of his 2015 movie The Intern.

De Niro welcomed his first two children, Drena, 51, and son Raphael, 46, with his first wife, American actor Diahnne Abbott, who he was married to from 1976 to 1988.

Then in 1995, he welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27, with his former girlfriend, model Toukie Smith.

The Oscar winner also has two children, son Elliot, 25, and daughter Helen Grace, 11, with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
S martphones should be banned in schools to tackle the damage being done from children watching pornography, MPs have heard.

Campaigners told the Commons Women and Equalities Committee that schools should remove phones from children to reduce their exposure to online pornography and to stop them from upskirting other pupils.

Schools could do more to educate pupils and parents about the dangers of pornography and its links to violence against women and girls, MPs were told.

Lucy Marsh, from the Family Education Trust charity, said: Until we actually address the fact that children are watching porn, were never going to solve the problem of violence against women because while children have got access to smartphones they are going to be able to view it.

I think really we need to be looking at should children have access to smartphones and should they be in schools for that? For that I would say the answer is no. I dont think smartphones should be in schools.

It doesn't matter what controls you've got on your own child's smartphone, if another child in that school has no controls on their phone your child can be exposed to hardcore porn at lunchtime

I think that actually we should look at completely banning children having them [smartphones] in school because that would solve some of the problems of things like children being filmed getting changed or being filmed in toilets or upskirting, and things like that, that would solve some of it.

Her comments come after the Childrens Commissioner for England called for more robust online protections for children after its research found that acts of sexual violence commonly found in pornography were referenced in half of police interview transcripts of child-on-child sex abuse cases.

Dame Rachel de Souza said its report, published this week, said further review of some of the cases found children suggesting direct links between exposure to pornography and harmful sexual behaviour.

When asked whether the current Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum does enough to help tackle misogyny and violence against women and girls, Ms Marsh said: Not at all. Were seeing huge damage being done with children watching porn.

She told the Women and Equalities Committee: I think that schools are not addressing the fact that the harm that this does to children in being able to form healthy relationships when theyre adults.

Ms Marsh added schools could hold sessions for parents on the dangers of porn, as she suggested some parents are probably in denial that their children arent looking at this.

We're seeing huge damage being done with children watching porn

Tanya Carter, from campaign group Safe Schools Alliance UK, also called on schools to educate parents about the sheer volume of pornography online.

She told MPs on Wednesday: At Safe Schools we think smartphones absolutely should not be in schools.

Once youve got smartphones in schools, every child in that school is only as protected as the least protected child in that school.

It doesnt matter what controls youve got on your own childs smartphone, if another child in that school has no controls on their phone your child can be exposed to hardcore porn at lunchtime.

In March, Rishi Sunak announced that the Government would bring forward a review of RSHE in schools.

It came after Conservative MP Miriam Cates claimed some pupils have been subjected to relationships and sex education classes that are age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate.

During the committee, Ms Carter called for a public inquiry into the situation as she said the campaign group had heard from lots of parents who cannot get access to teaching materials on the RSHE curriculum.

She added: Absolutely we want children to have education that benefits them, but some of the materials weve seen its really not beneficial to children.
W hatsApp has denied claims that it constantly uses the microphone on smartphones even when the app is not in use.

The issue has been festering for weeks, but has now morphed into a full-blown privacy debacle for the messaging app.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk tweeted that WhatsApp cannot be trusted. The Twitter CEO made the incendiary statement in response to a viral tweet from a Twitter staffer. In the post, Foad Dabiri said that WhatsApp had quietly been using his phones mic while he was asleep.

A screenshot shared by the Twitter engineer appeared to show that WhatsApp had intermittently accessed his mic early in the morning.

The claim followed similar online reports from Samsung and Pixel phone owners. Confused users asked Why is my WhatsApp using my microphone all the time? and WhatsApp using microphone when not in use in a series of posts shared on Reddit, and Google and Samsungs support websites.

WhatsApp on Tuesday responded by saying that the issue was due to a bug on Android that misattributes information in the privacy dashboard.

Located in your Android phone settings, the privacy dashboard lets you view what apps are using which permissions. This includes things such as access to your location, microphone, and camera, which many apps require to function correctly.

WhatsApp added that it had asked Google to investigate and remediate the issue. A Google spokesman told The Standard: We are aware of the issue and are working closely with WhatsApp to investigate.

We also contacted WhatsApp for a comment.

In a follow-up tweet, WhatsApp said that it can access the mic only with permission when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video. It said: These communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them.

How to check if WhatsApp is using your mic

You can see how many times WhatsApp has used your mic, or even block it from accessing it altogether, via your Android phones settings.

Here, you should select privacy, and then microphone to see which apps have used your mic recently.

You can also block all apps from using your mic by toggling microphone access off. However, this will also stop you from making voice or video calls using apps such as WhatsApp, Zoom or Skype.

To see which permissions WhatsApp has access to specifically, go to your phones settings and scroll down until you see apps.

Now, scroll down again and select WhatsApp or search for it via the search bar. Here, you can toggle on or off permissions such as camera and mic access, among others.

WhatsApp vs Twitter

The timing of Musks attack on WhatsApp is notable. The entrepreneur appears to be positioning Twitter as a WhatsApp rival by promising to introduce voice and video calls.

The social network already lets you tweet businesses and organisations, a feature WhatsApp borrowed back in 2018 and has gradually been expanding since.

Musk has also promised to add encryption for Twitter direct messages. The secure privacy feature is a bedrock for many messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Signal, and means that others cannot access your communications.
Eight out of 10 Koreans feel labor reforms are necessary to improve Korea's competitiveness, a poll suggests.

In the poll of 1,000 people by the Korea Enterprises Federation, an overwhelming 80.3 percent said labor reforms are necessary to improve Korea's national competitiveness, and only 17 percent said they are not essential and 2.7 percent definitely do not want them.

Some 73.1 percent said the relationship between labor and business is too confrontational.

A majority of respondents supported President Yoon Suk-yeol's efforts to keep militant unions strictly within the law.

Some 29.6 percent of respondents felt the president is doing a good job trying to improve the financial transparency of labor unions; 28.9 percent support his efforts to root out their shady practices; and 17.5 percent applauded him for strictly applying the law against strikes and other industrial action.
One of President Yoon Suk-yeol's campaign pledges was to bring younger people into government, but as he marks the first year of his presidency on Wednesday, the average Cabinet minister is just short of pensionable age.

The average age of government ministers is 60.3, while Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon was the only Cabinet member still just in his 40s when he was appointed last year. Ten are in their 60s and eight in their 50s.

A presidential office source on Monday insisted that a young Cabinet will become a reality "once government goes fully digital."

Yoon pledged in December 2021 to create a digital government platform and said many ministers in their 30s will be appointed who fit the format. But last month he climbed down, saying, "This is not an issue that can be completed within my tenure and design has only just started."

Instead, the president has set up advisory bodies of people in their 20s and 30s in nine ministries, but their responsibilities are ill-defined.
Hes bear-ly even started but Brussel has already made a mark on the community.

The new mascot for West Lincoln Community Care made his debut recently, celebrating as WLCC and Tim Hortons wrapped up a successful Smile Cookie campaign that surpassed the $25,000 goal. Brussel made a few appearances in the community, and WLCCs client services and food bank manager Sharlene Volpatti said residents can expect to see the big bear mascot more in the future.

Our goal is to have Brussel out in the community creating awareness of the issues affecting our community and the support programs available to help, Volpatti said.

We hope to go into schools and reach the younger generation, facilitating in a fun way, while informing the youth where they can volunteer, how donations help and of course, where they or their families can receive support.

The organization received a donor sponsorship to help purchase the new mascot. It took six months to create the West Lincoln Community Care Bear, as staff customized everything from the heart in his palm, to the hair on his head, to his shoe type.

Volpatti encourages anyone who sees Brussel out on the prowl to come up and say hi and see what WLCC is up to. For more information on the agency, you can also visit its website westlincolncc.com.

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Google is expected to announce a more conversational version of its flagship search engine, fuelled by artificial intelligence.

The efforts to overhaul its search business with AI, set to be unveiled Wednesday at the companys I/O conference in Mountain View, California, will showcase how Alphabet Inc.s Google is responding to competitive threats. Google is asserting its dominance in the market following moves by companies including Microsoft Corp., which is now using technology from the startup OpenAI in its own search product, Bing.

Consumers now have more access to choice, so AI is Googles market to lose, said Zeno Mercer, research analyst at investment advisory firm ROBO Global.

Underpinning all the new product developments are Googles large language models  massive AI systems that ingest enormous volumes of digital text from news articles, social media posts or other internet sources, and use that material to train software that predicts and generates content on its own when given a prompt or query. Google has pioneered research into LLMs, which power the current crop of AI chatbots like OpenAIs ChatGPT. On Wednesday, Google is expected to report more advances in that research work to help it stay ahead of the competition. The way these generative AI technologies will be applied across the companys products and services has yet to be announced, but any changes to search have the potential to upend users habit of typing keywords into a blank search bar, then getting a list of relevant links to sources.

In February, Google announced its competitor to ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot called Bard. But the product has so far still had a limited audience as users are asked to join a wait-list. At I/O, the public will see if the company has any grander plans for Bard and if it will announce any improvements to the product, as testers have pointed out its flaws and limitations over the past few weeks. Googles response to naysayers thus far has been to stress that Bard is designed to be a creative companion, not a replacement for its trusted search product.

Google has also hinted that it will use its developer conference to highlight new generative AI-powered offerings across products like Workspace  Google Docs, Sheets and Slides  as well as in its cloud services. Google in the past has suggested its AI could help with creating slide presentations and sales-training documents, taking notes during meetings and drafting emails to colleagues, but experiments have been limited to its Google Cloud clients. Google previously said that it planned to eventually offer the features to the general public.

Mercer, the research analyst, said Google is now at an inflection point where it needs to rapidly iterate and make changes, just like it did in its early days. If it doesnt, consumers will start looking for alternatives, Mercer said.Google is also unveiling a foldable Pixel smartphone. The company posted a video and photos of the device, called the Pixel Fold, showing a phone with a large external display and an even bigger internal screen that can close up like a clamshell.

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FREDERICTON - A former New Brunswick education minister says he believes Premier Blaine Higgs recently ordered a review of the provinces policy on sexual orientation in schools because he has a plan to gut sex education.

Dominic Cardy, who resigned from cabinet last October, said Wednesday his allegation is based on what he has heard from sources within the government and his own interactions with Higgs.

Its a reflection of the premiers personal beliefs that there should be less-complete sex education for New Brunswick students, Cardy said in an interview. The premier really gets uncomfortable when anyone talks about sex. Sadly, thats the root of it.

Higgs, who is on a working visit to Europe this week, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cardy said that when he was in the Progressive Conservative cabinet, Higgs made it clear during a meeting that he was uncomfortable with the textbook used for sex education in middle schools because it contained pictures of naked people.

Its not anything erotic, said Cardy, who now sits as an Independent after serving as education minister from 2018 to 2022.

Its designed to teach the kids about their own anatomy .... And if youre evidence-driven, its shown to be the best way to educate kids, in terms of making them feel better about themselves, having sex later in life, not getting pregnant, avoiding (sexually transmitted infections) and having healthy relationships.

Cardy said Higgs was confused by the difference between the sex education curriculum and the provinces policy on sexual orientation and gender identity, known as Policy 713.

The premiers concerns were odd, vague and seemed driven by an overall feeling of unease ... and believing that his unease should be imposed on New Brunswicks adolescents, to their own detriment.

Policy 713 says school staff must create a culture where LGBTQ students see themselves and their lives positively reflected in the school environment. Among other things, the policy calls on schools to provide personnel with opportunities to understand the needs of LGBTQ students, and offer students access to washrooms that align with their gender identity.

On Tuesday, Education Minister Bill Hogan said the Progressive Conservative government decided to conduct a review of Policy 713 a few months ago after it heard concerns raised by a variety of groups, including parents and teachers.

On Wednesday, Hogan said his office had received hundreds of complaints about the curriculum without being specific. But he then raised the issue of gender identity.

There would be a question as to what is an age-appropriate place for a student to be introduced to that topic, he said. We need to clarify what the expectations are for teachers so that parents are aware of what is going on.

Cardy said that when he had the education portfolio, he didnt receive any complaints about the policy, which he introduced in 2020.

(Higgs) clearly had issues with Policy 713, Cardy said. Hes never been particularly clear about what those are, and he remains the only person who expressed any significant concerns around the policy.

When he resigned last fall, Cardy released a blistering letter criticizing Higgss leadership style, and he accused the premier of wanting to take a wrecking ball to the education system.

Outside the legislature, Hogan was asked Wednesday if the premier was behind the policy review. He said he doesnt speak for the premier, and he rejected the idea that the government is trying to gain more control over what is taught in schools. Thats absolutely false, he said.

Hogan did not answer directly when asked if the provinces curriculum on sex education was being reviewed. Instead, he cited the need to look into something called personal growth and development, which refers to the part of the curriculum that deals with gender identity and sexual behaviour, among other things.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

 By Michael MacDonald in Halifax

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NEW MINAS, N.S. - Nova Scotias government is providing some of its surplus land in an Annapolis Valley village to help defray the cost of building 24 co-operative housing units.

The Progressive Conservative government is touting the project proposed for an empty lot in New Minas, N.S., as the latest evidence of how the allocation of 37 surplus provincial sites for housing will make a dent in the chronic shortages.

A coalition of non-profit groups known as the Valley Roots Housing Association says it will build units of one, two and three bedrooms for a variety of incomes.

The coalition says it expects that rents will be a maximum of 80 per cent of the rent of comparable units in the private market.

It says the project will be set amid green space, use passive solar energy and include two units accessible to people with disabilities.

Project consultant Earl Mielke says the provinces donation will make the project viable, adding that purchasing the land would have cost about $1 million.

He says the next step will be to seek assistance through federal and provincial programs that provide subsidies to non-profit groups that develop housing.

Mielke estimates that the project would require about $7 million in capital, with the final cost dependent on the price of construction materials once it gets underway next year. He said the housing co-operative would be a mix of some people paying full rent, and some getting a little help.

The provincial donation of land is conditional of the project including affordable units.

Premier Tim Houston has argued that the best way to reduce the widespread shortages of affordable housing is to take a wide approach to increasing the supply across all income levels.

However, NDP Leader Claudia Chender has argued that the province needs to be moving more quickly to address housing shortages and resume building some public housing on its own. She said the announcement on Wednesday was a step in the right direction, as the province should leverage all the resources it has to create housing.

However, she said rents capped at 80 per cent of the market rate will only help a portion of low-income Nova Scotians in need of housing.

Eighty per cent of a market rate of $1,200 (per month) for a two-bedroom is still hard for a lot of people in this province, particularly working families and people who arent making great wages, she said in an interview.

Any development like this is a good thing, but its only a drop in the bucket of whats actually needed.

John Lohr, the minister of municipal affairs and housing, said in an interview Wednesday that the province boasts one of the highest densities of public housing per capita in the country, with 11,200 public housing units.

He said the priority is to do a better job of looking after the public housing we have, noting that the province plans to spend $50 million in the next four years to upgrade its public housing stock.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox pope, Tawadros II, delivered a joint blessing Wednesday from St. Peters Square in a significant ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of their predecessors.

Tawadros, the Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, joined Francis on the stage for the entirety of Francis weekly general audience. He delivered a lengthy speech at the start in Arabic and then joined Francis in blessing the crowd at the end during a rainy morning.

In welcoming Tawadros to the Vatican, Francis recalled that Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the meeting of St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, a first between a Catholic and Coptic Orthodox pope. During that May 10, 1973, encounter, the two popes signed a joint statement on their shared faith in Christ and their rejection of proselytism, while also voicing concern for the plight of the Palestinian people and calling for peace in the Middle East.

Francis has called that declaration a milestone on the ecumenical journey, and welcomed Tawadros to the Vatican soon after his election in 2013. Francis then visited Tawadros in 2017 at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo at a time in which Egypts Orthodox Christians were reeling from a spate of Islamic militant suicide bombings at churches that killed dozens of people.

Francis has frequently referred to the ecumenism of blood, the idea that Catholics and Orthodox  while divided by schism and theological differences  are united in mourning religiously inspired violence against Christians. Francis referred Wednesday in particular to the 2015 beheading of 21 mostly Egyptian Coptic Christian workers in Libya.

And speaking of martyrs of the Coptic Church, who are ours as well, I want to remember the martyrs on the Libyan beach, who were made martyrs a few years ago, Francis said.

Tawadros, for his part, reaffirmed the ties that unite the churches. Despite the differences in our roots and affiliations, we are united by the love of Christ who dwells in us and the host of our apostle fathers and saints surrounds and guides us, he said, according to a translation of his Arabic remarks provided by the Vatican.

Tawadros visit will culminate with another ecumenically important event when he celebrates a Coptic Orthodox liturgy Sunday at Francis cathedral in Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

According to the Vaticans ecumenical norms, Catholic churches are generally reserved for Catholic worship. But a bishop can offer one of his churches to another Christian community if it will not cause scandal or confusion to the faithful.

Last month, there was an uproar among some conservative Catholics when a group of 50 Anglican bishops and priests celebrated a liturgy at St. John Laterans main altar without such proper approvals. The basilica issued an apology and said the celebration violated canonical norms.

In the case of Tawadros, the Vatican has made clear that he has full approval to celebrate the divine liturgy on Sunday at Francis cathedral, which is his seat as bishop of Rome. A statement from the Vatican secretariat of state announcing Tawadros visit and the celebration noted that the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is one of the most important realities in the ecclesial panorama of the Middle East where in these times the Christian community is facing situations of great difficulty.

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LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement and improve public education to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations, where they are forced to participate in online fraud, according to a draft statement to be issued Thursday at the end of a regional summit.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo, will express concern about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms, according to a draft of their statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The use of social media and other platforms by cybercrime syndicates has complicated anti-trafficking in persons efforts, as well as multiplied the number and scale of the cases, it says.

Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in the region, with numerous reports of people from Asia and further afield being lured into taking jobs in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. However, they often found themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.

The scam networks, which often have links to transnational organized crime, are set up in countries with weak law enforcement and attract educated young workers with promises of high earnings. The workers are then subject to isolation and the threat of violence unless they succeed in cheating victims reached by phone into transferring payments into overseas bank accounts.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement and prosecution, and repatriation of victims, the draft statement says. It also urges that national prevention efforts be improved, including better public awareness campaigns and increased use of advanced technology.

On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said 20 of their citizens had been freed in Myanmars Myawaddy township after being brought to the country and forced to perform cyberscams.

Other workers from Southeast Asia have also been victimized. Philippine authorities recently said a number of Filipino victims were also rescued from Myanmar and were to be flown back home.

Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters on Tuesday it has been difficult for Indonesia and other countries in the region to work with Myanmar, which has been gripped by civil strife since the military seized power in 2021, in dealing with cybercrime and its victims.

He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.

Such a treaty has long been overdue, he said. It would prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals and solidify ASEAN as a rules-based community.

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her government is working to help Indonesian workers who have been duped into participating in online scams in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

Philippine authorities have recently rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be flown back to their countries, Marsudi said.

Aside from cybercrime, human trafficking and labor abuse still abounds in Southeast Asia, Mahfud said. He said Indonesians have been smuggled into countries such as Malaysia and forced to work on plantations under dismal conditions.

Their salaries are not paid. People are tortured if they want to go home, Mahfud said.

___

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez, Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.

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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didnt deserve.

Afterward, he said he wouldnt drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.

Santos' 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republicans fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself, a cheerfully combative Santos told reporters swarming him outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said hes been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a witch hunt.

His lawyer, Joseph Murray, was more circumspect, saying: Any time the federal government comes after you its a serious case. We have to take this serious.

Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshmans ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.

I think were seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine, said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Bidens State of the Union address in February.

Asked about Santos on Wednesday, Biden said, Im not commenting, adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, Thats for Congress to decide.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and then induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

Santos didnt directly address the specifics of the charges to reporters, but when asked why he received unemployment benefits while employed, Santos cited a job change and confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santos, sporting his usual crewneck sweater, blazer and khakis, said little during the arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes. Reporters spilled from the gallery to the jury box, joined by a handful of constituents.

He should be thrown out of Congress and put in prison, declared Jeff Herzberg, a Long Island resident who spent hours waiting to see Santos arraignment. I hope that day comes soon.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didnt work at the big financial firms he said employed him, didnt go to college and struggled financially before entering politics. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

But a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from the company to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Santos legal troubles date to his late teens, when he was investigated in Brazil for allegedly using stolen checks to buy clothes  a case that authorities say theyve since reopened.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook was stolen and someone else took the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos fundraising for a group that purported to help abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he raised to help his dog get needed surgery.

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in White Plains, New York, Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

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On Twitter, follow Jake Offenhartz at twitter.com/jangelooff and Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/

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Follow the APs coverage of U.S. Rep. George Santos at https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.

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If we want to reduce the chances of convicted criminals repeating their offences, there are two things we can do: We can hunt them down after they've violated their release on bail or parole and take them into custody to protect the public.

Or, we can supervise them closely upon their conditional release while addressing the factors that led to their offending  also to protect the public.

While both strategies are important, only the latter offers a long-term solution to the problem of reoffending. Tracking down repeat offenders is a necessary aspect of protecting public safety, but addressing risk factors reduces the likelihood that they'll become repeat offenders.

With the latest announcement from the Ontario government, its clear our policymakers understand the first approach to protecting public safety. Its less clear they embrace the second approach.

Amid intense controversy about paroled and bailed offenders reoffending, the Ontario government recently announced a $112 million investment to strengthen the provinces bail system and ensure that high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions.

Nearly half of the funds will go toward creating a new bail enforcement unit within the Ontario Provincial Polices Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) squad. The unit will be dedicated to apprehending high-risk offenders who have violated bail.

About a quarter of the $112 million will go toward ensuring that dedicated prosecutors and experts are available to conduct complex bail hearings. And another quarter is earmarked for helping the OPP and First Nations police develop bail compliance and warrant apprehension teams.

Ideally, the infusion of cash will help to protect first responders and members of the public from those who have violated conditional release. But the announcement is frustratingly short on details about how Ontario will address the risk factors that lead to reoffending.

Strategies to do so are well known, and many were canvassed by a recent British Columbia-commissioned report on repeat offenders. Authored by criminologist Amanda Butler and former Vancouver deputy police chief Doug LePard, the report emphasizes the importance of intensive supervision of those on bail and parole.

To that end, Butler and LePard recommend increasing the number of probation officers dedicated to repeat offenders. Since probation officers are often the first line of defence against reoffending, we need to ensure their numbers are sufficient to ensure proper, one-on-one supervision of high-needs offenders.

As part of their supervisory duties, probation and parole officers are responsible for ensuring that offenders follow the conditions of their release, including orders for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

This is easier said than done, however, since criminal justice, health and social service organizations remain largely siloed, with limited communication and coordination among them.

Repeat offenders therefore sometimes fail to receive the help they need, and as we saw with Jordan OBrien Tobin, who stands charged with the murder of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes in the Keele subway station, that can lead to rapidly escalating violence and tragic results.

To avoid situations like this, the B.C. report recommends creating a provincial committee designed to improve coordination and service integration among the criminal justice, health and social services sectors, with a special focus on those with complex health needs who come into conflict with the law.

In addition, Butler and LePard suggest assigning a psychiatric nurse to every provincial court  both to support immediate psychiatric assessments of defendants and to recommend diversion to specialized courts, such mental health, Indigenous and drug courts.

Finally, the B.C. report advocates for the increased use of therapeutic bail, which involves delaying sentencing while an offender receives treatment or programming, and can result in avoiding a criminal conviction.

If were serious about reducing reoffending, we ought to consider all of these strategies alongside increased enforcement. And the province certainly sounds serious: When Ontario announced its $112 million investment, Solicitor-General Michael Kerzner said we will stop at nothing to protect the safety of the public.

Now it's time to put those words into action, and we can do so by ensuring, not just that repeat offenders are quickly captured, but that we implement the strategies necessary to prevent others from becoming repeat offenders in the first place.

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IQALUIT, Nunavut - An arbitrator has sided with the organization representing Nunavut Inuit, ruling that plans by the federal and territorial governments to increase Inuit employment in the territory are not meeting commitments in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Part of the 1993 agreement aims to increase Inuit employment in the public service in Nunavut to levels representative of the territorys Inuit population  85 per cent.

In a dispute that went to arbitration in 2020, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., or NTI, argued the governments plans do not fully comply with that agreement.

In an initial decision, arbitrator Constance Hunt agreed with the Inuit organization. She found the governments current plans fail to set long-term goals that explain how each department will reach and maintain representative Inuit employment, and they make it difficult to determine how much and where progress has been made.

She also said the Nunavut governments plans fail to use National Occupational Classification codes and do not address regular part-time employment.

This decision marks a turning point in the lives of Nunavut Inuit and in advancing our social and economic position within the Nunavut Territory and in reminding the governments to comply with their legal obligations under the Nunavut Agreement, NTI President Aluki Kotierk said in a statement.

As a society that used to live out on the land, we knew how important every single person is, whatever role they play. And now that we live in communities where far too many Inuit are unemployed, the feeling of being worthless or not having as much value becomes a great burden ... and it eats away at our self-esteem.

Inuit have been significantly under-represented in the public service in Nunavut, which is the largest employer in the territory. The Nunavut governments rate of Inuit employment has remained around 50 per cent since 2012, while a 2018 report on the Nunavut Inuit labour force stated 40 per cent of federal employees in the territory were Inuit. A federal employee testified during arbitration that it has risen to 48 per cent in recent years.

That report found Inuit representation was the highest in administrative positions and tended to be lower in management, supervisory, scientific and professional roles. It identified family responsibilities, lack of opportunities in peoples home communities, health and historical trauma as barriers.

There are so many things that are involved with having Inuit hired within government and retained and promoted, Marie Belleau, managing legal counsel at NTI, said during a news conference Wednesday. All of those require active and ambitious steps where it really has to be a priority.

It is achievable and that was the goal and the steps were already laid out in the Nunavut Agreement back in 1993 when the agreement was signed.

The federal government has prepared nine Inuit employment plans for its departments and a draft of a whole-of-government plan. Nunavut has published 14 plans for its departments and a master plan to have 54 per cent Inuit employment by 2020 and 58 per cent by 2023.

None of those plans set goals for reaching 85 per cent Inuit employment or address how that would be maintained.

The governments argued long-term goals are less reliable and harder to achieve.

Dr. Michael Prince, Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy at University of Victoria, testified during arbitration that under present arrangements he would not anticipate representative employment levels could be achieved before the end of the century.

Belleau said NTI has proposed remedies and now has 60 days to discuss them with the federal and territorial governments. Its a confidential process, she said, and could result in monetary damages.

We are obviously seeking measures that can improve governments efforts in achieving adequate Inuit employment plans, she said.

I think the biggest outcome, biggest positive outcome of this, would be that the obligations are actually fulfilled, so we dont find ourselves years from now again trying to figure out how we can impress upon the governments how important it is to live up to the obligations, Kotierk added.

If the parties fail to come to an agreement, the dispute would go back to arbitration to determine remedies.

The territory did not provide an immediate comment.

Kyle Allen, a representative for Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, said in an email that the federal government is reviewing the arbitrators decision.

Increasing Inuit employment remains a priority for our government and we understand its socio-economic impacts, as well as its important role in addressing Inuit self-determination, he wrote. Our government will continue to work together with partners toward a plan of action.

NTI previously reached a settlement with the federal government in 2015, after filing a lawsuit arguing Canada had failed to meet various promises under the Nunavut Agreement.

Ottawa agreed to provide just over $255 million in compensation, which NTI said it would largely spend on training for Inuit employment. The settlement also allowed for a new dispute resolution process.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

 By Emily Bake in Yellowknife

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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Minister of Science and Education of Azerbaijan Emin Amrullayev and UK Minister of State at the Department for Education Nick Gibb have discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries,

Azernews informs, UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan Fergus Auld made a post on his Twitter account.

"The Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, attends the World Education Forum in London this week. On the sidelines of the forum, he met with the UK State at the Department for Education, Nick Gibb. The ministers discussed cooperation in the field of education," the ambassador twitted.
The United States returned two looted antiquities to China, the latest in a wave of repatriations of artifacts stolen from more than a dozen countries, New York authorities announced Tuesday.

The two 7th-century stone carvings, currently valued at $3.5 million, had been sawn off a tomb by thieves in the early 1990s and smuggled out of China, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

The carvings were among 89 antiquities from 10 different countries purchased by Shelby White, a private art collector in New York. From 1998, they were "loaned" to the Metropolitan Museum of Art until they were seized this year by the DA's office following a criminal investigation.

"It is a shame that these two incredible antiquities were stolen and at least one remained largely hidden from the public view for nearly three decades," Bragg said. "While their total value is more than $3 million, the incredible detail and beauty of these pieces can never be truly captured by a price tag."
OTTAWA - The House of Commons has unanimously asked a parliamentary committee to look into allegations that the Chinese government waged an intimidation campaign against Conservative member of Parliament Michael Chong.

MPs voted Wednesday in favour of a motion brought forward by the Conservatives to have the House procedural committee study whether Chongs parliamentary privilege was violated by a foreign state.

Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat this week over a newly surfaced 2021 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which alleged that a Toronto consular officer sought to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong because of the MPs criticism of Chinas human-rights record.

China responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat from Shanghai, and insists it has not targeted any MPs.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly warned ahead of the expulsion that Beijing could do more than just send envoys packing.

Economic interests, consular interests and also diplomatic interests will be affected, she said last week. That has leftindustries bracing for blowback.

University of British Columbia professor Vina Nadjibulla said thats because while many countries tend to stick with reciprocal measures, China often responds months later in ways that are unrelated.

If this had happened with any other country, the response would likely be the same, said Nadjibulla, who specializes in Indo-Pacific diplomacy.

She is watching to see whether Beijing blocks certain exports under the guise of regulatory issues, and said she isnt sure whether Canadians are more likely to be detained in China.

Nadjibulla noted that while Washingtons travel advisory for China urges Americans to reconsider travel  due to wrongful detentions, Ottawa only advises a high degree of caution in China, due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

She stressed that China might choose not to escalate, and that COVID-19 travel barriers and diplomatic rows have made it even harder to understand a government that is often perplexing.

China is currently on a diplomatic charm offensive meeting with world leaders, she added, and might not want to be seen as a disruptive power.

There are also few examples of countries deeming Chinese diplomats as persona non grata, with Washington and London opting to informally ask China to bring back diplomats.

This was the right and necessary step for Canada to take, she said. Regardless of this flare-up in tensions, our focus should be on our broader China strategy  and derisking our trade relations and deterring Chinas interference at home.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a China expert at the University of Ottawa, says the government should assume that Beijing is taking a tit-for-tat approach and will only escalate things further if Canada does.

She took note of the Tuesday statement from Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin that announced the expulsion of Canadian diplomat Jennifer Lalonde.

We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada, Wang is quoted saying in the official English translation of his remarks.

McCuaig-Johnston said Ottawa should latch on to that interpretation rather than stoking fears about a hit to Canadas economy or danger for its citizens in China.

My interpretation suggests that it would be additional action on Canadas part that might be cause for further retaliation, rather than them planning to do anything further as a result of Mr. Zhao being sent home, she said.

It also is a threat. If we do few future things, there would be other retaliation.

McCuaig-Johnston argued Canada should treat China with the same amount of deference as any other country, and be clear-minded that Beijing is not afraid of inflicting economic pain.

We certainly accept that Canada and China will always have a fairly comprehensive amount of trade going in both directions, because we they need our resources and we need their products, she said.

Beyond that, they dont want to have much to do with Canada.

NDP foreign-affairs critic Heather McPherson said she hopes the committee will hear from intelligence experts as well as diaspora groups who feel targeted by foreign governments.

They should be hearing from impacted communities in Canada, she said.

Its very important that were cautious and that were thoughtful about how we do this so that national security is not put at risk but that we are getting the answers that we need.

Chong declined an interview request Wednesday as questions arose surrounding his recent briefing with the prime ministers national security adviser, Jody Thomas.

The Ontario MP said in Parliament that Thomas told him CSIS informed her predecessor in 2021 about the matter, yet its unclear who that was, as the role was held by different people at different times that year.

Three people who held the role have told media they dont recall seeing the document in question or did not hold that position when CSIS raised the issue.

In any case, Nadjibulla and McCuaig-Johnston say Canada will need to calibrate its approach to China through a series of developments.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus special rapporteur David Johnston is due to report by May 23 with any interim recommendations on the advisability of additional mechanisms or transparent processes to help weed out foreign interference in Canada.

He will release a full report by October. McCuaig-Johnston said she expects the Liberals will call a public inquiry after that, given how much pressure theyre already facing.

These issues are not going to fade from attention. If anything, theyre going to become more focused, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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AUR MPs protest in Chamber plenary meeting.

Several Alliance for Romanians' Union (AUR) deputies sat in front of the Chamber's plenary platform on Wednesday, protesting against the drafts on the agenda, including those on the organisation of the activities to prevent the separation of children from their families and the governance of state-owned companies, told Agerpres.

Chamber Deputy Speaker Ciprian Serban opened the meeting standing up.

He announced that the urban mobility bill goes straight to the final vote, asking AUR Chairman George Simion to take his place.

"We skip the debate, the draft goes to the final vote," said Serban.

The AUR leader asked the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, to be present at the meeting.

The leader of the Save Romania Union (USR) deputies, Ionut Mosteanu, pointed out that there is a need for debate on the bills.

"USR voted for the removal from the agenda of the draft on the governance of state-owned companies, companies that are badly run, it is the milestone of the PNRR [the National Recovery and Resilience Plan], but there is a need for debate. What happened with the regulation was not in order. We had amendments, we couldn't support them, I appeal to all parliamentarians, especially new ones, first term. And I tell you one thing: I remember the first days in Parliament and yes, we thought that we could stop the PSD [the Social Democratic Party] roller, which at that time belonged to Dragnea. And every time when we attacked them at the CCR [the Constitutional Court of Romania], they won. Today, let's not give the PSD and PNL [the National Liberal Party] the opportunity to pass their projects without debate," said Mosteanu.

He said that these are delicate bills, but they must be debated.

After several protests, the AUR MPs returned to their seats and the debates on the bills were resumed, but they went to the platform again to express their dissatisfaction with the draft on the organisation of activities to prevent the separation of children from their families.
CultMin Romascanu: National Village Museum - the most prominent representative of Romanian cultural diplomacy.

The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum is the most prominent representative of Romanian cultural diplomacy, and a visit to this institution hardly misses from the agenda of any foreign tourist, Culture Minister Lucian Romascanu said on Wednesday at the opening of the Village Museum Days string of events taking place between May 10 and 17, told Agerpres.

"There is a huge chunk of the Romanian soul here and I am happy to see that this Romanian soul is getting richer every year with new buildings, new constructions, new events. People from all over the world come here, I think that the Village Museum hardly misses from the agenda of any foreign tourist. It is the most prominent representative of Romanian cultural diplomacy, although this is not necessarily laid out in its job description, but this just comes naturally. And I am glad that we've had this museum for 87 years now and I would like it to last as long as the Romanian village will endure, that is forever," Romascanu said.

Museum manager Paula Popoiu said on this occasion that the mission of the institution is to carry on the work of the Bucharest School of Sociology whose mentor Dimitrie Gusti founded the Village Museum, which today bears his name.

"We look at the Village Museum as the most important creation of the Bucharest School of Sociology. The visionary and charismatic Dimitrie Gusti created many institutions for this country. Some lasted just one or two years (...), but the Village Museum is the lasting legacy of the Bucharest School of Sociology and of the effort made by these extraordinary people of the interwar period. Perhaps none of the School's scholars thought that it would be exactly this museum that would represent and carry forward its work," Popoiu said.

"The Village Museum in Bucharest and another 19 village museums throughout the country are the 'golden boxes' where we keep the proof of our identity: the Romanian village. The Village Museum is a fresco of the time, but it is clearly also a living museum, (...) in permanent dynamics, in permanent effervescence. And for this reason, the museum draws as many as 900,000 visitors a year," Paula Popoiu went on to remark.

On Wednesday, the museum's 'H.H. Stahl' Foyer Hall will host the opening of the exhibition "The shoulder embroidery folk blouse in the UNESCO Heritage", bringing together over 100 heritage items from the museum's collections. Opened on Royalty Day, the exhibition is intended as a tribute to Queen Maria, the one who loved and intensely promoted the authentic Romanian traditional costume.

The events marking the museum's 87th anniversary, which will also include inaugurations, book launches, Romanian traditional music shows and a fair of folk artisans, will end on May 17 with the opening of the exhibition "120 Years Since the Birth of Gheorghe Focsa", dedicated to the great ethnographer who served as director of the Village Museum for over 40 years.
Exim Banca Romaneasca launched on the banking market on Wednesday.

Exim Banca Romaneasca is officially launched on Wednesday on the banking market as a top universal bank, 100% Romanian, with full services for individuals and legal entities, told Agerpres.

"From today it becomes official the name change of EximBank to Exim Banca Romaneasca, a top Romanian bank - the 8th position in the ranking of banks according to managed assets, a reliable banking partner for individuals and legal entities. Although we are changing our name, we remain consistent in terms of our mission: to support the growth of prosperity in Romania, to build sustainable partnerships for the social welfare and economic performance of our clients by accelerating financial intermediation. The bank will continue to carry out its activity in two main directions: activity in the name and in own account - like any other universal commercial bank on the market, i.e. activity in the name and on behalf of the state - independent of the commercial component, will continue to act in the segment of state guarantees and insurances, according to the mandate received from the Romanian state. Our whole business strategy is focused on building a solid base for future growth and we are confident that we will succeed in doing this as we managed to develop rapidly in the last 10 years, building a strong brand on the banking market," said Traian Halalai, the executive chairman of Exim Banca Romaneasca.

The bank's top official added that, regarding the general strategic lines, Exim Banca Romaneasca aims to lend responsibly, encourage saving and, in general, support all clients with advice and appropriate financial solutions, be they retail, corporate or public sector clients.

In the segment of individuals, the bank will focus on drawing resources in RON and foreign currency, including term deposits and savings accounts, and for companies it will aim to structure a product offer that covers their entire financing cycle, simultaneously with maintaining personalized approaches for certain segments of corporate clients.

The efficient and flexible model of the territorial network - 83 branches intended for individuals and micro-enterprises and 26 Business Centers dedicated exclusively to the corporate segment, allows the bank to be close to retail and corporate clients and to implement various Romanian and European development programs.

After the completion of the merger between EximBank and Banca Romaneasca at the end of last year, the Extraordinary General Meeting of EximBank shareholders approved the change of the name of the bank to Exim Banca Romaneasca, starting from May 10, 2023, thus emphasizing the extension of the addressability of the bank to individuals as well.

With the name change, the bank will also have a new brand identity. This has as its central element the merger between the two banks, capitalizing on the notoriety of the two brands - by keeping the abbreviation Exim and adding the name Banca Romaneasca, the color palette includes the tricolor (blue, yellow and red) to emphasize the "nationality" of the bank and promote Romanian values.
IGPF: Almost 71,000 people enter Romania on Tuesday, of whom over 7,300 Ukrainians.

The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that, on Tuesday, a number of 71,127 people entered Romania through border points, of whom 7,338 were Ukrainian citizens, told Agerpres.

According to a release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, approximately 162,900 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with more than 45,100 means of transport, completed the control formalities at the border crossing points nationwide, both on the way in and on the way out.

As of 10 February 2022 (the pre-conflict period), a number of 4,187,626 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.

In the relevant areas - the border crossing points and the "green border," the border policemen discovered 74 illegalities (50 offences and 24 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, with the amount of fines enforced stands at 14,000 RON.

Assets of an estimated value of approximately 1,013,000 RON were impounded.

On Tuesday, a number of 9 foreign citizens were not allowed to enter the country because they didn't meet the requirements stipulated by the law, while a number of 13 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons.
Ciuca: We need to get inspired by our ancestors to defend peace, democracy and freedom.

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca says that more than ever before, Romanians should get inspired by the deeds of their predecessors, by their courage and determination and to defend, "with all their energy", peace, democracy and freedom."

"Today, we are marking Romania's National Independence Day and, at the same time, Royalty Day, honouring this way the sacrifices of the Romanian Army, the determination of the entire Romanian society to achieve this national goal, but also the major role played by the monarchy in the process of edification of the Romanian state. 146 years ago, king Carol I signed the Declaration of Independence that had been adopted the day before by the Romanian Parliament, which represented both the fulfilment of an ideal and an absolutely necessary condition for the young Romanian state to make the leap towards modernity. Won on the battlefield by Romanian soldiers who showed, through valour and sacrifice, that Romania deserves to join the free nations of the world, as state independence opened up the Romanian society to new opportunities, to new ideals," Ciuca says in a message issued on Wednesday.

He says that the modernisation of the Romanian state, the development of its economy and the institutional consolidation were direct results of winning independence, "and the royal house was an active part of these transformations."

Ciuca added that, through high moral standing, involvement and attachment to Romania and its people, the royal family left "a precious legacy" and offered a worthy example of the way in which, through sacrifices and devotion, the great desires of a nation can be achieved, told Agerpres.

"It is our duty to pass on this powerful lesson of history and the teachings that May 10 generously offers us, just as we should instill in the younger generation feelings of deep gratitude and respect for the heroes who sacrificed themselves on battlefields. At the same time, it is important to evoke the outstanding personalities of the great statesmen from those decisive moments for the evolution of our country", adds Ciuca.

He points out that, in the current context marked by the illegitimate and unjustified military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, "which has favoured the recrudescence of historical revisionism, extremism and hate speech," Romania, more than at any time, needs to be inspired by the deeds of the ancestors, by their courage and determination and to defend, with all the energy, peace, democracy and freedom.
LabMin Budai to attend Government's Question Time, in Senate plenary meeting.

Labour Minister Marius Budai will participate on Wednesday, as of 11:30hrs, in the Senate plenary meeting, at the Government's Question Time debate, following an invitation made at the proposal of the Save Romania Union (USR) parliamentary group, according to the institution's website, told Agerpres.

"Mr Budai must explain to us how he is to renegotiate the PNRR [the National Recovery and Resilience Plan - editor's note] in Brussels, after more than a year of bragging to do so, when, in fact, he is not even able to put an end to a clear subject, such as special pensions. It is because of this issue that Romania loses so much money from the PNRR," Radu Mihail, leader of the USR group in the Senate said on 2 May.

Marius Budai announced that he would be present on 26 April in the Senate plenary, but canceled his participation because of the Government meeting taking place that very day.
M Ciuca voices Romania's openness to analysing, continuing , strengthening Korean presence in nuclear power.

Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Wednesday that in his conversation with his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-Soo he expressed Romania's openness to analysing, continuing and strengthening the Korean presence in the field of nuclear power, told Agerpres.

"I reiterated my support for increasing South Korean green field investment projects. I want to express my hope that we will see new South Korean investment projects in Romania also as a result of high-level talks. We discussed the possibility of investing in the fields of green energy, digital technologies, in the field of the food industry, as well as strengthening ties among SMEs. We expressed our openness to analysing, continuing and strengthening the Korean presence in the field of nuclear power, encouraging South Korean investment in Romanian projects in this particularly important sector in all of our efforts to strengthen energy security and independence. Mr Prime Minister has already agreed on collaboration for the opening of the new reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the involvement of South Korean companies in the development of small modular reactors," Ciuca said after a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Romanian Government House.

Ciuca also invited the business community of Korea to join the Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative, which will take place in September in Bucharest.

He recalled his visit to Seoul and Busan last December. He added that this year marks the 15th anniversary of a strategic partnership between Romania and Korea.

"Based on the meeting in Seoul and the agreement on the areas of collaboration, we agreed that these can be considered as new elements of the road map for the continuation and development of the strategic partnership between Romania and Korea. I agreed with my counterpart on the need for systematic consolidation of bilateral collaboration. (...) We emphasised the need to restart and strengthen bilateral co-operation under new concrete projects in all areas of the partnership, both politically and economically. We agreed that the business component should represent the main element of the development of bilateral relations."

Ciuca added that discussions also covered the current security context.

"I mentioned Romania's geo-strategic position, the fact that it is one of the most dynamic and competitive economies in the European Union, which offers wide resources and investment opportunities. I agreed with the prime minister on how the business sectors of the two countries should continue their dialogue and collaboration in such a way as to identify the potential and opportunities for doing business in the two countries."

Ciuca welcomed the continuation of a trend of increased commercial exchanges, showing that since 2021 it has exceeded one billion dollars, with an 8% increase in 2022.

"I emphasised that this trend should be further incentivised, supported with new initiatives in innovative fields of high added value. I reconfirmed Romania's interest in organising this year in Seoul the 20th meeting of the joint industrial co-operation committee at a ministerial level. We are also interested in organising a bilateral business forum related to the ministerial event to ensure the coherence of co-operation efforts in the public and private sectors."

The discussions also covered other important areas for the intensification of co-operation between the two countries, such as defence, including the defence industry, cyber-security, education, culture, and technical and scientific co-operation.

A memorandum of understanding between Romania's National Sea Port Administration Corporation and the Busan Port Authority was signed as part of the Han-Ciuca meeting.
PM of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-Soo pays visit to Bucharest.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Han Duck-Soo, is coming to Bucharest on Wednesday.

He will have talks with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, will be received at the Cotroceni Palace by President Klaus Iohannis and will have a meeting with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, told Agerpres.

According to the official agenda, the high-ranked Korean official will be received by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Wednesday morning, at the Victoria Palace, for a one-to-one meeting, and also a restricted format meeting of the two government delegations.

Also, the two prime ministers will participate in the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Company Administratia Porturilor Maritime S.A. [The Administration of Sea Ports - editor's note] and the Busan Port Authority and will hold joint press statements.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea will be received by President Klaus Iohannis during lunchtime, at the Cotroceni Palace.

The meeting with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, will take place during the morning, at the Parliament.
The presidents of the United States, Joe Biden, and Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, spoke on Tuesday by telephone for about an hour, during which they discussed the imminent immigration changes in the United States and reiterated their commitment to a humane and orderly management of the flow of people. They also addressed drug and arms trafficking and cooperation for welfare, as indicated in a tweet by the Mexican leader himself.

The call, the first in six months between the two presidents, comes just two days before the expiration in the United States of the measure known as Title 42, imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump and which facilitated the rapid expulsions of irregular migrants, without the authorities ever accepting the asylum applications of the new arrivals, on the grounds of preventing the spread of covid. With this disappearance, migrants can now re-proceed with their asylum applications through the judicial channels, in processes that can take years to resolve but during which the petitioner remains on U.S. soil. At the same time, another measure, Title 8, will begin to be implemented, which will allow for expedited removals of those whose applications are not accepted for processing. U.S. authorities anticipate that beginning Friday thousands of immigrants will attempt entry to try their luck and, on their side, promise a humane and orderly response.

The two leaders, the White House said in a statement, discussed their efforts to strengthen the bilateral relationship, including the importance of strengthening U.S.-Mexico cooperation to manage unprecedented migration in the region. To this end, the statement adds, they discussed close coordination between border authorities and strong measures (to enforce the border) in preparation for a return to Title 8, which entails harsher consequences for those removed than for those who have been removed under Title 42.

Biden and Lopez Obrador stressed, the text adds, the value of migration management in a humane and orderly manner, with expanded legal avenues and consequences for irregular migration. They also confirmed a shared commitment to address the root causes of migration in Central America and the urgency of effectively reducing the overcrowding of migrants on Mexicos northern border.

In a deeply polarized country where immigration is one of the most divisive issues, the Republican opposition, which has made the fight against illegal immigration one of its major electoral banners, is calling for a firm hand and claims that the barriers are about to be broken. Some congressmen of this party speak of the entry of one million people in the next three months.

The U.S. Administration argues that it has been taking steps to ensure that the situation will be under control at all times. It has established temporary housing centers, made arrangements for the processing of asylum applications in Colombia and Guatemala so that migrants do not have to undertake long and dangerous journeys to reach the Mexican border to present their cases, and has agreed to accept a greater number of settlement permits, 30,000 per month, for citizens of several American countries, from Haiti to Venezuela. However, those permits are still far fewer than the number of people of those nationalities seeking to come to the United States.

Title 42 will be replaced by Title 8, which allows asylum claims if the applicant can demonstrate that he or she would suffer persecution or torture if returned to his or her country, but authorizes the expedited deportation of others and bars them from entering the U.S. for five years after removal. Last week, the Biden Administration also announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to reinforce the border guard.

The announcement of the end of the measure -implemented in March 2020 with the onset of the pandemic in America- has caused hundreds of thousands of migrants of different nationalities to turn towards Mexicos borders with the United States to try to enter U.S. territory.

True to his style, after the call with his U.S. counterpart, the Mexican president posted a message on social networks in which he briefly informed that they talked for an hour and discussed migration, cooperation for the poorest countries (and which are the main senders of migrants) and arms trafficking. We are good neighbors and friends, he assured in the publication, in which he attached a photograph taken during the call.

The two leaders also discussed the fight against arms trafficking and fentanyl, one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the bilateral relationship. The United States is suffering from a veritable epidemic of use of this synthetic opioid - of the nearly 110,000 overdose deaths in 2021 in this country, more than two-thirds were caused by this drug - and points to Mexico as the source from which this substance arrives. The Mexican president, for his part, rejects that the fentanyl entering the United States is manufactured in his country.

Both leaders alluded to recent enhanced and accelerated efforts to combat arms and fentanyl trafficking by dismantling criminal networks and Biden, according to the White House, expressed his commitment to use all available tools to tackle arms trafficking and reduce the flow of firearms into Mexico. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to modernize the shared border and promote inclusive economic growth.

With a year and a half to go before the U.S. elections, the positions of the political class in Washington on fentanyl trafficking have hardened. Hard-line Republican Party members of Congress are proposing to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, which would open the way for the U.S. government to conduct military operations on Mexican soil to capture drug traffickers. The White House does not contemplate this possibility, but insists that Mexico must do more.

Precisely, this Tuesday the Treasury Department imposed new sanctions against one of Chapo Guzmans sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, three other members of the Sinaloa cartel and two other companies for their role in drug trafficking to the United States.

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PM of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-Soo welcomed at the Victoria Palace.

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca received his South Korean counterpart, Han Duck-Soo, at the Victoria Palace, on Wednesday.

The welcome ceremony with military honors will be followed by a tete-a-tete meeting between the two officials, told Agerpres.

Next, a meeting, in a restricted format, of the two government delegations will take place.

Afterwards, the two heads of Executive will participate in the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Company Administratia Porturilor Maritime SA [The Sea Ports Administration - editor's note] and the Busan Port Authority and then they will hold joint press statements.

The Korean official is currently paying a visit to Romania. He will be received by President Klaus Iohannis and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu.
PNL Spokesman Stroe: Violent politicians found refuge in AUR; such behaviours have no place in Romania.

National Liberal Party (PNL) Spokesman Ionut Stroe said that the Alliance for Romanians' Union (AUR) party is the place where "violent politicians have found refuge," who understand to impose their point of view in Parliament "by pushing aside and threatening people" and for whom "domestic violence is a custom," adding that such behaviour "has no place in Romania."

"I have warned many times that AUR is a dangerous, extremist party whose agenda is to promote hatred and division. Today we are witnessing violence at the Parliament fence, scuffles with gendarmes and attempts to force entry into Parliament. This is not the first attempt to introduce forbidden objects into Parliament, a few years ago they tried with drugs, today with bullets. What's next, a machine gun? I believe that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past, when this kind of slip-up was treated very casually, until it resulted in casualties. AUR is the place where violent politicians have found refuge, who understand how to impose their point of view in the plenary halls of Parliament by pushing aside and threatening people and for whom domestic violence is a custom," Ionut Stroe wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

He also maintained that "the chair of this party is banned from entering the Republic of Moldova, but also Ukraine and there are clear suspicions that he has links with Russian intelligence services."

"Things are, I think, quite clear. Such behaviours have no place in Romania, which we are all trying to build and it is our duty, everyone's duty, to tax them," Stroe added.

The Bucharest Gendarmerie informed on Wednesday that the AUR protests taking place inside and outside the Palace of Parliament courtyard do not meet the legal conditions, and the participants were made aware of this, told Agerpres.
Senate's Gorghiu: Romanian authorities assessing Republic of Korea's candidacy for hosting World Expo 2030.

The importance of cooperation in the context of the current geopolitical and economic challenges was highlighted on Wednesday during the meeting acting Senate President Alina Gorghiu had with Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-soo, who is on an official visit to Romania, told Agerpres.

"The Romanian high dignitary underlined the close relations with the Republic of Korea and recalled that this year the two countries are celebrating 15 years since the signing of the Strategic Partnership, highlighting the Republic of Korea's status as a global partner of NATO. In this regard, she mentioned that there is potential for developing cooperation in security and defence, given that Romania has increased the percentage allocated to defence to 2.5% of the GDP," reads a Senate press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday.

According to the quoted source, Gorghiu welcomed the signing of the memoranda of understanding for the production of ammunition and for cooperation between the Port of Constanta and the Port of Busan.

The acting President of the Senate expressed her interest in strengthening parliamentary dialogue and expanding and boosting bilateral political contacts, recalling the visit to Romania of the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea last year.

"The two officials stressed the particular importance of significant joint cooperation at regional and multilateral levels in the context of the current geopolitical and economic challenges," the press release added.

The Romanian delegation also included Senate Secretary Roberta Anastase, Chairman of the Defence Committee, National Liberal Party (PNL) Senator Nicoleta Pauliuc, PNL Senator Eugen Pirvulescu, member of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the Republic of Korea, Romanian Ambassador to Seoul Cezar Manole Armeanu, and State Counsellor for Foreign Policy, Security and Strategic Affairs Iulian Chifu.
USR's Mosteanu: Handful of extremists allowed to cause chaos in Parliament; MPs should be checked for weapons.

Leader of the Save Romania Union deputies Ionut Mosteanu reproaches Interior Minister Lucian Bode that the Gendarmerie "allows" a few dozen people to block Parliament, told Agerpres.

"A handful of extremists are allowed today to cause chaos in Parliament (...) Now, I ask Mr. Lucian Bode: why does the Gendarmerie allow a handful of a few dozen people to block Parliament? It's not the first time you let them, Mr. Bode. You have let them fly freely through the City Halls, to invade Parliament's yard. Extremists must be stopped," Mosteanu said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

He mentioned that, at the entrance to the Palace of Parliament, an Alliance for Romanians' Union (AUR) collaborator was stopped after the Protection and Guard Service (SPP) representatives discovered four cartridges at the entrance gate. Mosteanu asked that all MPs be checked at the entrance.

"Today, it's about bullets. Last time, they broke into Parliament and vandalized an embassy car. What will happen next time? The USR is calling for all MPs to be checked for weapons at the entrance. Just like at the airport," the deputy stated.

Mosteanu also rejected the criticism of the AUR representatives who demanded the withdrawal of the law on the establishment of the National Observatory for Children.

"'Down with child thieves', they chant. And I tell you: no, today no one will steal any children. Using the propaganda techniques Simion learned from his friends in the Russian services, they scared people with a law that does just the opposite: it protects children from family separation. That's what the law says. It supports vulnerable families," the USR deputy explained.

The Bucharest Gendarmerie informed that the AUR protests taking place on Wednesday inside and outside the courtyard of the Palace of Parliament do not meet the legal requirements, and the participants were informed of this fact.
(Broadry)  Boat Trader, the leading online marketplace for buying and selling boats, is gearing up to launch a brand-new season of Stomping Grounds which aims to explore the unique boating cultures of different regions across the United States.

The series is set to premiere on Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m. (ET). It is free to watch on YouTube (also available via streaming platform Waypoint TV). The show is a celebration of the diverse communities that make up the boating world and aims to highlight the local knowledge, customs, and traditions that make boating unique in different regions.

I think what really hooks people is even if you dont know much about boats or fishing or wakesurfing you can really get drawn into the show because we cover nature, we cover history, we cover wildlife, and of course, the boats and different types of boats people are using, says Host Ryan McVinney.

What to Expect

This season, viewers can expect a few celebrity guests on the new episode, including Jacksonville Jaguar and boating enthusiast Logan Cooke. Host Ryan McVinney will give viewers a look at boating communities across the US, including:

Chicago, Illinois

Nashville, Tennessee

Portland, Oregon

San Francisco, California

Austin, Texas

New Orleans, Louisiana

Boating culture varies greatly across the United States, with different regions having their own unique style and traditions. For example, the boating culture in the Northeast may opt for more enclosed cabin cruisers and traditional sailing vessels. In the South, there are more open day boats and center console fishing boats. The Stomping Grounds series aims to showcase these regional differences and highlight the things that make each area so special.

The Stomping Grounds series is a welcome addition to Boat Traders lineup of content aimed at helping boaters find the perfect boat and get the most out of their time on the water. By highlighting the unique boating cultures of different regions, the series is sure to inspire boaters to explore new destinations and embrace the diversity of the boating world.
Jen Dykeman knew she needed a work-life change. Shed spent 20 years in marketing, and the thrill was gone. Id lost the spark of caring whether another piece of plastic imported from China made it to the shelf in some retail store. It felt I wasnt helping people and contributing to the world in the way that I wanted to, she says.

She didnt dive into the change process headfirst, however. I took the slowest possible route over many years. I did a lot of soul searching, took career tests, focused on what was important to me, and after all of that hard work, I landed on art therapy, she says.

Making the switch  Although shed earned her undergraduate degree in art history at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, she needed to complete a year of studio art classes to enter the art therapy counseling program.

It's funny because I ended up in the exact same classroom where Id studied 20 years earlier. It was really wild, almost surreal, and I spent one glorious year there, she says. She went on to earn a dual degree in art therapy and counseling. Shed also enhanced her own art processes shed begun as a young preteen.

An artists life  Ive been making collages since I was in middle school, in the 1970s and 80s, she says. I just kept moving back to it throughout my life. Ive done the same with my yoga practice, which goes back to my sophomore in high school.

Yoga and art still go hand in hand in Dykemans life. Yoga is another aspect to help people learn some skills to help them self-regulate and live a more fulfilled life, she says. She completed her yoga teacher training at the same time she finished her art therapy and counseling degree.

She now teaches yoga a few days a week at Island Life Yoga & Nutrition in Soulard, which happens to be located across from her home.

Weathering storms  Dykemans twin training in mind, spirit and therapeutic artwork converged during the tough years of the pandemic and political unrest worldwide.

When the pandemic hit, there was a lot of grief for myself and probably everybody else in the world. I went back to making art even more usual because its an outlet for soothing, processing and moving through difficult things. It also really helps from a neurological standpoint. Through art, people can access the emotional parts of themselves and process of the worries in life.

Introspection, random chance and intuition  Dykeman is open to inspiration and discovery in whatever ways that come to her. Ten years ago, a dream launched her into a series of four artworks about Ophelia. Shes completed three of the pieces. She painted "Ophelia of the Air" first. Now theres one of fire, another of water. At some point Ill make Ophelia of the earth, she says. The paintings were definitely a self-exploration. I didnt come to the work with a plan.

A chance encounter led Dykeman to sell five small collages that would later appear on television on "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory." My husband, Andy, and I were having a 50th wedding anniversary party for his parents. I didn't know this person who was invited, but she was an Emmy award-winning set designer. Andy talked to her, showed her our art, and she asked to buy my pieces, Dykeman says. She later enjoyed seeing her art on the sets, through a random and unplanned sale.

The third hand  Dykeman plans to continue to wear three hats  working artist, art therapist and licensed professional counselor.

Her personal artwork could even be viewed as teaching by example. I describe my style as intuitive, a bit moody and emotional, tinged with dark edges but also filled with light, joy and color. Its organic with a bit of surrealism, existentialism and Eastern philosophies focused on themes of life, death, and regeneration, she says.

We're often told art therapists are the third hand that helps people process feelings and emotions, she says. I want to continue that process through art. I am also available for people who want to process in more verbal ways. Its great to capitalize on all of these skills.

Art of Life

Artist  Jen Dykeman

Age  54

Family  Dykeman, lives with her husban,d Andy, who is also an artist and a chiropractor. Their dog, sweet Sofi, a Pomerian/cocker spaniel mix, is a self-trained therapy dog who goes to work at Andys office each day and gets to work comforting folks.

Home  Soulard

What she makes  Dykeman is an artist who paints, makes collages, assemblages and mixed-media works. She also creates unique sculptures, ceramics and artist books. She works as an art therapist and grief counselor at Evelyns House, a BJC hospice.

Where to buy  Dykeman sells through her Facebook and Instagram pages as well as at art shows. Her website, Art of Life, is currently under construction and will also be a place people can by her work. Her art is on display at Jacoby Arts Center in Alton through May 26. She is also exhibiting work at Paper Cuts, a show at Ellipsis Gallery, 3340 Manchester Road from noon to 4 p.m. May 20. She is also currently exhibiting at Boxx Gallery in Tieton, Washington.

How much  Her original pieces are priced from $95 to $500. She also accepts commissions.
CLAYTON  A Jennings man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to killing his girlfriend in front of her 14-year-old daughter after she refused to lend him $36.

Brian Clay, 47, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery and two weapons offenses, admitting that on June 13, 2018, he shot his girlfriend, Loreal Goode, 32, of St. Louis, outside a Jennings Family Dollar. He was sentenced Monday by Circuit Court Judge John Borbonus Monday to a life sentence, which is calculated at 30 years in Missouri, plus an additional 10 years in prison.

My daughter didnt deserve this, Goodes mother, Joann Goode told the Post-Dispatch shortly after the killing. She didnt deserve to go out like this.

Joann Goode said her daughter had been dating Clay for about six years.

The couple and Goodes daughter were in a car outside the store at 6440 West Florissant Avenue when Clay asked for a ride to a pawnshop and $36 so he could get his TV back, police said at the time. He killed her when she refused.

My grandbaby was screaming, Please dont do it. Please dont do it, for me if you dont do it for anybody else, Joann Goodes mother said in 2018.

Clay was originally charged with first-degree murder in the case, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to second-degree murder as part of plea negotiations.

Clay spoke before sentencing Tuesday, according to the office of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell.

I dont know what possessed me to do that, he said in an apology. I dont deserve mercy. I dont deserve forgiveness.

Goodes aunt and the daughter who witnessed the killing also made statements to the judge.

Goodes aunt said she accepted Clays apology, But it still doesnt make up for what he did.

Goodes daughter rejected the apology: You knew exactly what you were doing, she said.

Bell said in a statement Monday that the plea deal was supported by Goodes family.

The agreement spares the victims daughter the ordeal of reliving this horrific event before a courtroom of strangers and being confronted by the man who killed her mother before her eyes, the statement read. This cold-blooded killer will have the rest of his life in prison to reflect on why he did what he did.
UPDATED 9:45 a.m. Thursday with arrest

ST. LOUIS  A 28-year-old man was shot and killed late Tuesday in the city's North Pointe neighborhood.

Officers found Brandon West, of Spanish Lake, lying in the street suffering from gunshot wounds just after 10 p.m. in the 5900 block of Summit Place.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers arrested a 25-year-old woman in the killing and will be seeking charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, police said Thursday.

This is at least the 55th homicide in the city this year.

This weekend saw a spate of killings that kicked off a four-month stretch that typically sees an increase in homicides as the weather warms.

Between 2018 and 2022 in St. Louis, about 42% of homicides have happened between May and August, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis. Last year, 84 of the citys 200 homicides happened during that stretch.
On April 30, the attorney general of Bolivia, Wilfredo Chavez, was with his wife, enjoying what was meant to be a quiet vacation over the May Day holiday, when a news story changed their plans suddenly. Both were returning by car from a shopping expedition and Chavez, 53, was sitting in the back of the car, checking messages on his cellphone. It was then that he came across a headline that, he says, shocked him into silence: Diary of a Pedophile Priest. A few minutes later, he showed the story to his wife.

What are you going to do? she asked.

React, Chavez replied. React immediately.

The Bolivian attorney general, who is a member of MAS  Movimiento al Socialismo, a political party led by former president Evo Morales re-read the article once again. It was the story of the Spanish priest Alfonso Pedrajas, alias Padre Pica, who died in 2009 but left behind a secret diary explaining how he abused dozens of minors in various schools in Bolivia for decades going back to the 1980s, and how his congregation, the Society of Jesus (better known as the Jesuits) protected him. The diary came to light after a nephew of the deceased found it in an attic and showed it to EL PAIS.

Chavez wrote a tweet announcing an investigation, and events began taking place over the following days: Chavez filed a formal complaint and also asked Spanish public prosecutors for background on the alleged attacker. Meanwhile, the Jesuits took action against eight former high-ranking officials of the order accused of covering up for Pedrajas. The bishops of Bolivia asked for forgiveness, and the Society of Jesus provincial (the highest position of the congregation in the country) testified in court as a witness.

Chavez spoke with EL PAIS in a video call to explain how this case has shaken the foundations of the Bolivian Church.

Question. What stage is the investigation at?

Answer. We are making progress. A committee of prosecutors has been formed, two people have testified on behalf of the Society of Jesus, and we are about to take statements from the eight suspended priests [former superiors of the order]. There has also been a search at the school [Colegio Juan XXIII, where Pedrajas confesses to having abused the most minors], a committee has been set up to verify [the abuses] and we are waiting for other procedures, including the most important one: the participation of the victims.

Q. Have the crimes passed the statute of limitations?

A. They have not prescribed in Bolivia. The Inter-American Court has determined that, in these cases, the rape can be likened to crimes against humanity.

Q. Is the diary strong evidence of abuse and its cover-up? It's a typed text file...

A. It is a piece of evidence that should lead us to check it against other evidence. That is why we have reached out to the Spanish Attorney Generals Office and, if possible, we want to get in touch with the relative [the nephew who came forward with the diary]. A statement by a direct relative would favor us greatly in the investigation. But its not the only evidence. Obviously there is also the testimony by the victims, both about the abuse and the cover-up, which is what we can sanction at this time. This man [Pedrajas] has died and the crime is intuitu personae [criminal responsibility is extinguished and cannot be transferred to third parties]. But the systematic cover-up is not. And we are going to [prosecute] that, above all, with the testimonies and the diary.

Q. What penalties might the concealers face?

A. They could have the same criminal responsibility as the perpetrator, depending on the conditions in which they participated in the act. There has been a systematic cover-up and it will be necessary to see who took part in it and to what extent. The penalty could be imprisonment or compensation for damages. There must be an exemplary compensation in all the ways established by jurisprudence.

Q. There are victims who have accused other Jesuits of abuse. Will this investigation address these cases if they are reported?

A. Of course. I said it from the beginning: this is not an isolated case.

Q. Therefore you are contemplating the possibility of opening a general investigation into cases of pedophilia within the entire Catholic Church in Bolivia, as other countries such as Belgium have already done?

A. Thats right. It is a duty to history and to the victims. I have been reviewing what has happened in other countries, how there has been a kind of truth commission that has opened up everything that should have been opened up in the Church. It is necessary to find out, on the basis of a basic concept of memory, truth and justice, how the Church participated in these cases, which are many. The complaints have surprised us a lot. At the international level, I have seen information [recent news of abuses in other Latin American countries] and we are requesting to speak with our peers in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, in short, on the entire continent, to see what general attitude we are going to take, perhaps make some pronouncement at the international level.

Bolivian Attorney General, Wilfredo Chavez, at his office in El Alto, Bolivia. Sara Aliaga

Q. The case of Padre Pica has roiled the media in Bolivia.

A. The news has been spreading, especially through social media. There is outrage there. Walls have been painted [graffiti asking for justice] in the places where the events took place and in schools run by the Jesuits nationwide. And it is being done openly. Groups of women, mothers and former students are speaking out and the problem is growing. What we regret is that there are some media outlets that are part of this power group [of the Church] that are working against it.

Q. Do you mean the fact that there are sectors and media outlets that see the investigation as an attack on the Church?

A. Thats right. Yesterday at the homilies we did not hear anyone asking victims for forgiveness in a sincere way. The bishops reacted by playing the victims before such an abominable, horrifying act. This reaction is out of place and confirms how the Church covers up for its peers. There are media outlets that are using their reporters to carry out a kind of political victimization. What political angle can there be in the fact that the attorney general has announced an investigation that was logical? We could not stand by and applaud such an internal situation in the country.

Q. The individuals accused of abuses and most of the potential concealers are Spaniards who were sent to Bolivia by the Spanish Society of Jesus. What responsibility does the Spanish Church have in all this?

A. The investigation has to look into this, too. Obviously, stigmatizing an entity is very complex, and I think that we must first obtain official information. We will have to ask the Spanish Church and the Society of Jesus for a response, considering that Pedrajas had done this before and had apparently discussed it with people [that he committed crimes] and they still sent him to Bolivia.

Q. Will you also ask the Vatican for information? One of the concealers reached a high-ranking position in Rome.

A. We have to do it through consular channels. Remember also that Pope Francis is a Jesuit. We have to stick to a homogeneous line of work and seek information where we can find it. And the Vatican is a source because, indeed, Father Marcos Recolons [one of the concealers] was in active duty at that time, and we also understand that he knew about it and was part of an important structure, first regional and then global.

Q. What would you say to the victims?

A. I would tell my brothers and sisters in this country who have been victims or who know something about this criminal act to get in touch with investigators. That there will be a special office to protect their integrity and dignity. The State will take all their statements and information, and we pledge our commitment to an investigation that will conclude with criminal sanctions. If Pedrajas can no longer be held accountable, there are still those who covered up the very serious events that took place. We are not going to stop until we have a final ruling and those responsible for criminal acts are serving their sentences and making full reparations. There must be an exemplary criminal sanction that will once and for all break the structure of systematic cover-up by the Catholic Church that existed in the country.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Several officers on Tuesday were recognized for lifesaving actions after two St. Louis police officers were shot in Ferguson last year.

The awards, presented during the St. Louis County Police Board of Commissioners meeting, were for the officers actions after a Jan. 26, 2022, shooting following a St. Louis police pursuit.

The chase went into St. Louis County and ended in a crash at West Florissant

Avenue and Lang Drive in Ferguson.

Capt. Bradley Kelling on Tuesday said the seven St. Louis County officers who responded to assist the city saved the lives of two officers who had both been shot as the suspects tried to run away.

St. Louis police Officer Colin Ledbetters heart stopped, and he underwent hours of emergency surgeries. The other officer, Nathan Spiess, was shot in the leg and also hospitalized.

Kellings said officers Joseph Dawkins and Andrew Huskey applied a tourniquet and carried Ledbetter to an ambulance. Officer Christopher OFallon applied a second tourniquet.

Officers Jacob Myers and Michael Conley applied tourniquets to Spiess, with help from Officer James Borzillo and Officer Andrew McCune.

Because of the officers quick thinking, training and their willingness to put themselves in harms way to protect their fellow brother officers, we are honored Officers Ledbetter and Spiess are here today, Kelling said.

Both LedBetter and Spiess attended the meeting and stood with the county officers as they received their awards.
ST. LOUIS  Police on Wednesday identified the man shot and killed Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a shuttered Walgreens in the city's Tower Grove South neighborhood.

Elma Davis, who lived in Walnut Park East, was shot in the parking lot just before 2 p.m. near Gravois and Grand avenues.

His shooting was just one of several in a 72-hour period this weekend where at least 11 people were shot in the city, five of whom died.

This weekend's spate of killings kicked off a four-month stretch that typically sees an increase in homicides as the weather warms.

Between 2018 and 2022 in St. Louis, about 42% of homicides have happened between May and August, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis. Last year, 84 of the citys 200 homicides happened during that stretch.

Davis' death marked the citys 54th homicide of the year.
ST. LOUIS  Police arrested one of two gun-wielding people caught on camera during a double shooting at a crowded holiday celebration this past weekend in south St. Louis, but the 33-year-old woman was released Wednesday afternoon after the prosecutors office refused charges against her.

The suspects release drew public ire, but Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners office declined to further explain.

We are working closely with police on this ongoing investigation, circuit attorney spokeswoman Allison Hawk wrote in a statement. We cannot comment further at this time.

Gardner has been under blistering political pressure for the past several months, as state officials, from legislators to the attorney general, have lambasted her over accusations that she too often dismisses charges, fails to prosecute cases, neglects to keep crime victims informed and generally mismanages the office.

Still, it is not entirely uncommon for prosecutors to refuse charges and cite the need for additional follow-up. The office can issue charges if investigators return with new evidence.

Investigators on Wednesday applied for two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action. A police spokesperson said the Circuit Attorneys Office refused the charges because of a lack of evidence and a shooting victim refusing to cooperate.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Charles Wall said the department could not release more information about the case because its ongoing. There is still a second suspect in the case, pictured with the woman in the photos, who investigators have identified but not arrested.

The photos, released by investigators Monday, show two suspects in the shooting, which happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday when a fight broke out on a street packed with revelers for an annual Cinco de Mayo festival.

Police said they found the victims, a man and a woman, both 25, shot in the legs in the 2700 block of Cherokee Street. Neither of their injuries are life-threatening.

That block is home to Earthbound Beer and just next to Yaquis on Cherokee.

Both tips coming from the public as well as the media attention associated with the photos assisted greatly in this investigation, Wall said Wednesday.

The shootings were just one of several in a 72-hour period this weekend where at least 11 people were shot, five of whom died.

The night before this shooting, on Friday, two people had been shot and killed at a bar about a block away.

It is disheartening to see more and more victims not given the justice they deserve, said Sgt. Donnell Walters, president of Ethical Society of Police, a group that represents officers in St. Louis and St. Louis County and advocates for racial equality in policing. If youre saying even these pictures are not enough evidence, that can be a discourager for future victims and witnesses.

Several employees of businesses in the area of shooting said Wednesday evening the photos of the suspects were startling, but they frequently hear gunshots in the area.

Its Missouri, two Cherokee Street shop employees said in unison to the Post-Dispatch.

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones released a statement Sunday attributing the violence to interpersonal conflicts that escalated due to the wide proliferation of guns in the city.

The city of St Louis will continue to use every tool available to us to make our communities safer, but our families urgently need action with gun safety laws at the state and federal levels, she said in that statement.

The mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday about the city prosecutor declining to file charges.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris of the Post-Dispatch contributed.
FLORISSANT  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing more testing data it says demonstrates that radiation levels in a shuttered elementary school are safe and unrelated to uranium enrichment activities in St. Louis in the early days of the nuclear age.

The 333-page report, based on testing more than 1,200 soil samples and hundreds of other measurements, is the second of three reports the Corps plans to release. Two weeks ago, it released a 400-plus page report reaching similar conclusions about the radiological contamination in Jana Elementary School.

The report provides additional data from our structural surveys and sampling that confirms there are no areas of radiological concern in or around the school, Phil Moser, St. Louis District program manager for the Corps program in charge of cleaning up Coldwater Creek and other areas impacted by uranium enrichment, said in a statement.

But the reports are too late to reverse Hazelwood School Districts decision to shutter Jana and reshuffle 400 students to five different schools. That decision was made after a contractor for plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit released a report claiming high levels of radiation in the school, causing an uproar among parents in the district.

The districts own contractor found radiation levels no higher than background levels, though a parent group asserted it had a conflict of interest because the firm was also a federal contractor.

A Hazelwood spokeswoman said the district is aware of the new Corps report but had nothing new to add beyond a statement it released after the first Corps data was released last month.

The Board and administration recognize that the closure of Jana Elementary and the subsequent redistricting of students and reassignment of staff to other district schools has not been an easy transition, the schools statement said. However, there is no expectation that Jana Elementary will reopen, and students and staff will remain at their current schools. At the same time, we are encouraged by the resilience our Hazelwood School District community has shown throughout this season of change and uncertainty.

The Corps report zeros in on lead-210  a decay product from a uranium isotope. A report authored by Marco Kaltofen, who was working as an expert for the class-action plaintiffs, claimed the lead isotope was in levels far in excess of normal background concentrations around the school.

The Corps said it couldnt reproduce the higher concentrations Kaltofens report cited in interior dust samples. The highest lead concentrations cited by Kaltofens report were found in pavement sediment and are consistent with background levels of radon gas decaying through to lead-210; settling on pavement; and concentrating pavement sediment at low spots, the Corps report said.

Even so, assuming the highest levels of lead-210 in Kaltofens report, 46.9 picocuries per gram, the Corps said those levels fall well below regulatory guidelines: one 600-millionth of the level set by the Toxic Substances Control Act.

And the risks from everyday activities are far higher than that posed by the radiation, the Corps said. Assuming the highest concentrations are everywhere in the school (which the Corps said is far from the case), students would be 4,100 times more likely to die in a vehicle accident. Staff, which spends more time and years at the school, would be 1,700 times more likely to die in a vehicle accident. An earthquake would be three times as likely to be the cause of death for a student, and 1.3 times as likely for a staff member.
CLAYTON  A chorus of concerned St. Louis County residents and advocates helped postpone a bill Tuesday that would largely prohibit people from being in county streets. Joggers, walkers, people with disabilities and community groups have all complained that it would unfairly target them.

The measure proposed by Councilman Ernie Trakas, a Republican from unincorporated South County, bars standing, sitting, walking or otherwise moving along roadways in St. Louis County where sidewalks are available. People could be ticketed for violating the rule, and it would apply throughout the county unless a municipality has a stricter rule in place.

Trakas held the bill at the weekly County Council meeting, saying he was working with county attorneys to address the communitys concerns in a substitute bill. That bill could be ready by next Tuesdays meeting, Trakas said.

Robyn Wallen, transportation committee chairperson for the Missouri Council of the Blind, said her agency worries most that authorities will enforce the bill inconsistently.

Were afraid of the demographics that are going to be targeted, she said. Its always easy to approach the people that you feel are less likely to say anything.

People who jog, push strollers, use a wheelchair, have limited mobility, are visually impaired or live in a place with bad, bumpy sidewalks encounter the same problem: Walking in the street is often a necessity. If there are no sidewalks, the bill mandates that people use whichever roadway shoulder faces oncoming traffic. It allows for first responders and people getting on and off buses.

Trakas says the bill is a public safety measure that isnt designed to target anyone.

Really theres not, in my mind anyway, an argument to be made that somehow this measure to make roadways safer for people and drivers is somehow compromising other peoples convenience or right, Trakas said.

Manchester Mayor Mike Clement spoke at the council meeting and said his city has rules similar to those Trakas proposed.

The county changes are intended to make county and state roadways safer for all vehicle drivers and those that walk or move along the highways, Clement said.

But the proposed rules are impractical for joggers, says Anne Marie Mosher of Florissant. The 54-year-old community college math teacher runs 5 or 6 miles daily and encounters plenty of situations where she has to hop into the street.

Anybody who does recreational walking or running would understand that this adds some layer of unnecessary stress to somebody whos just trying to get out and about, Mosher said.

Mosher also worries the bill unfairly targets her students at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley. Many dont have a car and walk to class.

Theyre focused on trying to get somewhere rather than, Oh, I have all the time in the world to think about this rule, Mosher said.

The pro-pedestrian group Safer Streets for Kirkwood and St. Louis County sent a letter to council members urging them to vote down the bill. And Trailnet, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that advocates for pedestrians and cyclist safety, also opposed the bill. The organization shared concerns in a letter to councilmembers.

Mandating people walk on sidewalks that are either bad or nonexistent is not good public policy, the letter stated.

Until all sidewalks in St. Louis County become accessible to people with disabilities, Trakas bill should not go into effect, said Wallen, who is blind.

If you want to have something like this, fix that first, Wallen said.

Trakas needs a majority of the seven-member council to favor the bill.

If it passes, it would go to County Executive Sam Page for his signature before becoming ordinance.
WASHINGTON  Missouris Republican senators are sticking with former President Donald Trump after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing former journalist E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her after she went public with her allegations in 2019.

A Manhattan grand jury made up of six men and three women awarded Carroll $5 million after concluding that Trump had sexually abused her in a changing room at Bergdorf Goodman and for later defaming her in posts on Truth Social, but they acquitted him for rape.

I havent paid much attention to the case, said Sen. Eric Schmitt. I know its under appeal. I wish people were paying closer attention to the fact that the Biden administration is coordinating with the government to silence speech.

Schmitt endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary in February. In doing so, he backed a former president who was twice impeached, refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election, encouraged a mob of his supporters to go to the U.S. Capitol and who is under investigation by the Department of Justice for his handling of classified documents after leaving office and a Georgia prosecutor over his efforts to overturn the presidential election results in the state.

He stuck with his endorsement after Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury over allegations that he was involved in a scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from talking about their affair.

Schmitts endorsement is, in a way, returning a favor to the former president. In a contentious Republican primary in Missouri, Trump endorsed Eric, refusing to distinguish between Schmitt and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Trumps decision not to solely endorse Greitens helped Schmitt win the primary against someone who many deemed a liability in a general election.

Schmitt called Trumps endorsement of him full-throated.

As Trump is leading Republicans in 2024 presidential primary polling, most members of his party, like Schmitt, are standing behind him amid a slew of unprecedented legal challenges that followed the former presidents actions after he left office.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he thinks the jurys ruling will do little to change the mind of Republicans who support Trump. Hawley has not endorsed a candidate in the primary but has said he believes Trump will be the nominee.

People think that the criminal justice system  and I know this isnt criminal but the New York legal system is  this is my sense of what people think the Republican side  is that its off the rails when it comes to Trump, Hawley said. Maybe Im wrong. Maybe itll affect it. But I just kind of doubt it.

Trump has been leading in early polls of the Republican primary. His closest possible opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has seen falling support across the country, even though he has yet to formally declare his campaign.

Even in polls of the general electorate, Trump has largely been tied with President Joe Biden, who appears to have tepid support from members of his own political party. A recent Washington Post/ABC poll found that most Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults want the party to nominate someone other than Biden. That same poll found that Biden was trailing Trump by 7 percentage points.
JEFFERSON CITY  A rare party switch in the Missouri House could be in the offing after one Republican on Wednesday wasnt allowed to speak against a GOP plan to restrict gender-affirming care for minors.

Rep. Chris Sander, R-Lone Jack, one of two openly gay Republicans in the Legislature, said Wednesday that local, state and national Republicans needed to decide whether gay and transgender Republicans were welcome.

If they want to tell all Republicans who are gay to get out and go to the Democrat Party, they just need to do that, Sander, a 2001 graduate of Hazelwood West High School in St. Louis County, told the Post-Dispatch.

Sander was one of three Republicans to vote against the restrictions, which are headed to Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, for his consideration.

House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, R-Lees Summit, and Rep. Gary Bonacker, R-House Springs, also broke with their party to vote with Democrats against the ban.

Sander, who said he is Republican committeeman for the Van Buren Township in Jackson County, said he planned to speak at the county partys May 22 meeting.

Members of the county GOP have tried to censure Sander for filing a resolution that would overturn Missouris constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was nullified by a 2015 Supreme Court decision.

Im going to rail against them and Im going to say how I think it should be, and if they dont like it, they can just get rid of me, and if that happens then Ill be an independent or a Democrat, Sander said, adding he might also consider becoming a Libertarian if he left the GOP.

If they kick me off that (Jackson County GOP) committee, I will not be a Republican, Sander said.

If Sander were to quit the GOP, he would join a short list of other House members over the past decade to leave their political party.

In 2015, then-Rep. Keith English, a Florissant Democrat, said he was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent.

This is no longer the Democrat Party of Bill Clinton or John F Kennedy. Im leaving the party because I love my state, English said at the time.

Englishs decision to ditch the Democrats followed another Democratic defection a day after the 2014 midterms.

Then-Rep. Linda Black, who had been a Democrat from Desloge, switched to the Republican Party a day after the election after she ran unopposed.

Her St. Francois County district had a long history of electing Democrats but voters there have bolted to the Republicans in recent election cycles.

Sanders eastern Jackson County 33rd District is roughly 58% Republican and 39% Democrat, according to an analysis of the districts partisan makeup.

I can see myself winning an election as a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, he said.

Republicans controlled 117 seats in the House in 2015 following Blacks switch.

The GOP now controls 111 seats despite continuing to hold a two-thirds majority.

Democrats hold 51 seats following Democratic Rep. Rasheen Aldridges resignation this year to join the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Parson has not called a special election to replace him.
ST. LOUIS  Tod Robberson, the editorial page editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the past seven years and a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer, will retire June 15 after more than 40 years in journalism.

Kevin McDermott, a columnist and editorial writer, will take over as leader of the Post-Dispatch editorial page.

We will certainly miss Tods unmatched knowledge of local, national and international topics and his willingness to challenge political leaders regardless of party, Ian Caso, president and publisher of the Post-Dispatch, said in a statement. We are, however, very fortunate to have Kevin McDermott as the next leader of the editorial page. Kevin is extremely well versed on the issues and policies that impact our readers and is uniquely positioned to take this lead role.

Robberson met daily with the editorial board to plan out the opinion lineup for the newspaper. He and the board also met with public figures to discuss stances on local, national and international events driving the news. Among other changes, Robberson recruited columnists and contributors from the community and launched an online video series, Up for Discussion, as another means to deliver commentary to Post-Dispatch subscribers.

After retiring, Robberson will join his wife, a teacher and theater director, in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Robberson came to the Post-Dispatch in January 2016 from The Dallas Morning News, where he had been an editorial writer since 2007. He won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 2010 for his work on social and economic disparities between northern and southern Dallas, proposing solutions to narrow those gaps. He was previously a foreign correspondent for the Morning News, The Washington Post and the Reuters news agency. He covered international affairs in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Mexico, Colombia, Panama and the United Kingdom, as well as civil wars in Lebanon, El Salvador and Colombia. He also covered the Iran-Iraq war, both U.S. wars with Iraq and the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

A Houston native, Robberson holds a bachelors degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and a masters degree in Arab studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Robberson said his job as editorial page editor was a roller coaster ride.

And I happen to be a big fan of roller coasters, Robberson said. I love St. Louis like Ive never loved a city before. But theres been an exponential increase in the number of gray hairs on my head because of the stress that comes with seven and a half years in the editorial hot seat.

I need to get my life back after devoting 40-plus years to daily journalism, he added. Im thrilled to know that our pages will pass to the capable hands of Kevin McDermott.

McDermott, 57, of St. Louis, came to the Post-Dispatch in 1995 and covered politics before becoming a columnist and editorial writer.

The editorial page has a long, proud history of fostering public debate on the issues of the day, he said. Im looking forward to continuing that mission in these interesting times.

Alan Achkar, executive editor of the Post-Dispatch, said Robberson led our editorial page with insight and intelligence, and he strived every day to present a strong perspective. His dedication and hard work were impressive.

Achkar also said he is looking forward to how McDermott will shape the role.

Kevin has covered news and politics in our region for years. He knows the key issues and players, Achkar said. Hes a natural to step into this job.
MT. VERNON, Ill. (AP)  A New Mexico motorist was killed early Tuesday and a state trooper was wounded in an exchange of gunfire along an interstate highway in southern Illinois, police said.

Illinois State Police said a trooper stopped about 3 a.m. along Interstate 64 to assist a stranded motorist on the right shoulder of eastbound lanes. The officer encountered motorist Brandon L. Griffin, 23, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a female passenger.

After a second state trooper arrived, state police said, "an altercation occurred during which gunfire was exchanged between Griffin and a responding officer."

Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 16-year veteran trooper was shot and wounded and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The other trooper and the female passenger were not injured, police said.

The shooting happened near Mt. Vernon, the Jefferson County seat, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, closing the interstate's eastbound lanes for more than three hours.

State police said the agency's internal investigators are handling the case, and no additional details would be released. Once state police complete its investigation the findings and evidence will be submitted to the Jefferson County States Attorneys Office for review, police said.
Recently there has been media interest in St. Louis and Dallas about a case that the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged back in February. We accused a 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman with child sex trafficking. Both defendants provided the same address in a suburb of Dallas, which explains the media interest in Texas.

The defendants were taken into custody at a St. Louis County hotel situated right on Interstate 70, less than two miles from St. Louis-Lambert International Airport. This location, where we allege the defendants intended to exploit two teenage girls sexually, made me reflect on all the advantages and opportunities that, unfortunately, St. Louis County provides for child sex traffickers with our cross section of interstate highways, international airport and abundant hotels.

Many child sex traffickers, like the two defendants from the Dallas area, are transients who cross state lines to exploit children sexually. As such, federal prosecutors tend to prosecute most of these cases in this region. However, the name used for this offense and the fact that many perpetrators are transient can lead to a misconception that sex traffickers always cross state lines. Child sex trafficking, by Missouri statute, is when an adult leads a child to participate in a commercial sex act, a sexual performance, or the production of explicit sexual material. This crime can be and is committed without the perpetrator leaving home.

This should disturb all of us: Child sex trafficking is happening right here. Not all the defendants are transients, either. Both the feds and our office have pending child sex trafficking charges against a woman who lives in St. Louis County. According to the charges filed against her, she enticed victims to cross state lines to work for her as a domestic with the plan of exploiting them sexually once they were established in an unfamiliar environment.

The stakes are high in investigating and prosecuting these crimes, because these victims often are pressured to become victimizers. Consider that one codefendant in the case we charged this year is only 18, barely an adult herself. Although it is premature to discuss this ongoing investigation further, in some instances, victims of child sex trafficking are groomed and forced to assist sex traffickers themselves.

Given the furtive nature of this crime and the vulnerability of the victims, it is an under-reported crime. In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 19,000 reports of possible child sex trafficking in the United States. Yet, Staca Shehan, vice-president of the analytical services division at the center, told The Guardian, Its concerning across the board how little trafficking is being reported.

This crime is becoming more attractive to criminals because it has become easier to commit due to social media. In 2020, the Human Trafficking Institute reported, based on an analysis of 105 federal child sex trafficking cases, that Facebook was the social media platform most used by child sex traffickers; Instagram was second and Snapchat third. There is no legal requirement for social media companies to report child sex trafficking that occurs on their networks  and there should be.

In addition to finding ways to hold these powerful companies accountable, we all must be vigilant. Recognizing that social media has led to new strategies by child sex traffickers and more of these horrible crimes, our office is partnering with Gateway Alliance Against Human Trafficking to conduct training for our prosecutors, and we are encouraging our law enforcement partners to take advantage of this valuable local resource as well.

We need the communitys help, too. If readers see evidence of a youth being exploited on social media  or anywhere  its essential that people say something. They can call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline at 800-422-4453 or notify local law enforcement.

The occasion of our case being in the news provides an opportunity for me to remind the public that this terrible crime does happen here, and concerned citizens are often our eyes and ears. We are all safer when we are all vigilant and prepared to report suspicious activity. I ask all readers to keep their eyes and ears open, to trust their gut instincts, and if they see something suspicious, on social media or in a hotel or on the street, say something.

As Shehan of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said, I think everyone could do more.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 888-373-7888. More information is available through the Gateway Alliance Against Human Trafficking: gatewayhumantrafficking.org.

Wesley Bell is St. Louis County prosecuting attorney.
El Paso / Ciudad Juarez -

El Paso / Ciudad Juarez -

On the other side of the 20-foot high, rust-colored fence, around 500 migrants who had managed to cross the Rio Grande and turned themselves in to border authorities awaited their fate under a merciless sun on Tuesday morning at Gate 42, one of the busiest points of entry on the 1,951-mile border that separates Mexico from the United States. On the U.S. side, a burly border patrol officer who asked not to be identified confirmed that crossings between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso have surged in the last week.

It is estimated that the number of border crossers stopped each day has risen from 6,000 to 8,000, and many more are expected after 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, when Title 42 expires. Nobody on either side of the border dared to predict what exactly will happen on Friday, when the Trump-era policy that allowed border officials to immediately expel migrants ends, and regular administrative processing regulations go back in place, allowing migrants to once again seek asylum.

Migrants walk past a barbed wire fence at the El Paso border. Nayeli Cruz

Title 42 was introduced by former president Donald Trump in 2020, allegedly as a measure to stop the spread of the Covid pandemic. From March 2020 to March 2023 it was used to immediately send 2.6 million people back to Mexico without the usual immigration court proceedings. When Title 42  part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944  ends, Title 8 will go back into effect. In practice, this will introduce tougher requirements to enter the United States. Those denied entry will be deported, and be barred from attempting entry again for the following three, five or eight years. If they are caught trying again, they face prison terms in the United States. By comparison, under Title 42, deported migrants could keep trying without any consequences.

On Thursday nothing will end; a harsher era of arrests, deportations and imprisonment is being inaugurated. And the most worrying thing is that this will include refugees, people who legitimately have the right to seek asylum, says Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, a non-profit that has been working in the field for 25 years.

The apocalyptic forecast made by the hardest wing of the Republican Party assumes that the border will be thrown wide open on Thursday, and that an invasion will be inevitable. Disinformation spread for different reasons by Republicans and human smugglers is leading many to believe that it will be easier now than ever to get in. I am afraid that thousands of people waiting on the other side will try their luck. If one stops to think about it, there is an extraordinary paradox in the way conservatives are encouraging these attempts, says Garcia.

Authorities estimate there could be upwards of 10,000 daily arrests as of Friday. Holding centers are already stretched to the limit, with around 25,000 migrants in custody. On Tuesday, during a call between Biden and his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leaders discussed ways to urgently reduce overcrowding in the region.

New barbed wire fencing has been put in to further restrict access. Nayeli Cruz

The Biden administration has been bracing for a crisis for weeks, and spent several days trying to prove it has the situation under control. It has sent 1,500 active-duty troops to the border, in addition to the 2,500 that are already stationed along the busiest border on the planet. The new troops will not participate in security tasks, which are the exclusive responsibility of the border police; instead, they will provide logistical and administrative support.

These efforts are focused on three concepts, as two White House officials told reporters on Tuesday: law enforcement, deterrence and diplomacy. We have provided more resources, we have sent more troops and officers for the processing of migrants, judges and lawyers to help expand legal channels for immigration, they explained. The diplomacy part involves the promise to open processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia with the collaboration of allies such as Spain and Canada, as well as the launch of a mobile application, CBP One, intended to help migrants apply for asylum from their countries of origin. But migrants have criticized it because, they say, navigating the app requires the kind of knowledge that only a combination of lawyer and computer scientist might have, and which most applicants lack.

Despite these efforts, the situation has placed Biden in a delicate situation. As a candidate, he campaigned on a promise to humanize immigration management, but in practice he has continued on the path set by Trump. The president now finds himself sandwiched between those who consider him too soft on border issues and those who blame him for being too harsh.

The human face of that political fight can be seen at the Sacred Heart Church in downtown El Paso (population 1.45 million). This town has become ground zero for the immigration crisis. It was already filled with people living on the streets in May and December, when judges twice stopped the government from ending Title 42. The entire block where the church sits has been fenced off to prevent migrants from leaving those four streets, and has housed up to 2,000 people, including dozens of small children. They crossed here from Ciudad Juarez in search of a better future than the one awaiting them in their countries of origin. On Tuesday morning, there were about 1,000 people still living there.

A group of migrants waits next to the border wall. Nayeli Cruz

Venezuelans and Colombians are the predominant nationalities. Some have been there for weeks, others have just arrived. They sleep outdoors with blankets provided by the Red Cross and seek the shade during the day, now that temperatures are already close to 86F (30C). They share terrifying stories of journeys through the Darien jungle, one of the most dangerous passes in the world, where murders, rapes, beatings and extortion are rife.

Early on Tuesday, a few individuals without uniforms began distributing leaflets among the waiting migrants, encouraging those who crossed the border between the international bridges (a euphemism for illegally) to go to their nearest U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station for processing. A day earlier, the Department of Homeland Security had warned about an upcoming localized operation of law enforcement, which many automatically translated as raid. Venezuelan migrant Yirmin Lopez was thinking of taking a bus to Denver that same day, while Carlos Mario, a Colombian national, quoted Chronicle of a Death Foretold, a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, to explain that he had no intention of surrendering to authorities. They will send me back to my country, he said. Among the luckiest were Joana Guerra and her children, Brittany, five, and Zander, three. The family did report to the authorities, and have permission to travel to New York to stay with relatives.

Meanwhile, in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez (population: 1.5 million), an estimated 35,000 migrants are at an impasse. Many are in makeshift camps just a few feet from the Rio Grande, the natural border between the two countries. The migrants wait there in the hopes that U.S. authorities will pick them up for processing. The last time this happened was May 2. Since then, hundreds of people have waited with a number painted on their forearms indicating their place in line in case this happens again.

The flow between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso is one of the most intense on the border. Irregular crossings have increased by 134% in the first seven months of the fiscal year (October to September), compared to 2022. More than 235,000 people have been intercepted there since last October. There are other busy crossing points: Tijuana (15,000 people), Yuma in Arizona, where 1,000 cross every day, and Matamoros, which connects with the easternmost part of Texas, where on Sunday an individual ran over a group of immigrants with his truck, killing eight people.

Official shelters are close to collapse. Local authorities in Ciudad Juarez said on Tuesday that there were 900 spots left in a system with a capacity for around 3,000. Calls for help have come in from smaller Mexican border communities that lack the infrastructure of the bigger cities and who fear being inundated by migrants deported by the U.S. in the coming days.

Migrants approaching the border. Nayeli Cruz

Officials in Washington estimate that more than 150,000 migrants were waiting this weekend in shelters and on the streets of Mexicos northern states, a source familiar with the estimates told CNN. The figure easily exceeds the number that the Mexican government has pledged to accept, around 30,000 people.
Republican Missouri state Sen. Nick Schroer posted a photo on Twitter Sunday of an unidentified man carrying a long gun as he strolled in the middle of a downtown St. Louis street last weekend. Schroer called for a state takeover of St. Louis police, exclaiming: More people murdered over the weekend and the Wild West literally in the streets. Blood on your hands if no action taken! What that action might have entailed isnt quite clear.

Even if the police department had been under state control when this happened, the most officers could have done would be issuing the man a ticket for jaywalking. He was perfectly within his rights to carry a long gun in public because of laws the Republican-controlled Legislature has put into place. The blood on their hands isnt for the lack of a state takeover of the police but rather lawmakers insistence on making guns so easily available while blocking police from cracking down.

GOP lawmakers across the country have deliberately chosen to ignore the opening words of the Second Amendment, the part referring to a well-regulated militia in order to justify unbridled gun rights.

After the October 24 shooting at a St. Louis school that left two dead, Gov. Mike Parson insisted that tighter gun restrictions wont stop bad people doing bad things.  You can make all the guns illegal that you want, but the bottom line is someone is going to go get one, and theyre not law-abiding citizens anyhow.

But Schroer wants action. Neither he nor Parson want more restrictions on gun ownership, so it appears the onus is on members of the public to take action on their own. Here are some options they might consider, dripping with the same cynicism and built on the same total absurdity of the positions already expressed by lawmakers and Parson:

 First of all, lawmakers can approve a state subsidy for all Missourians to obtain military-grade Kevlar vests and helmets, along with matching Kevlar backpacks for kids.

 Require all Missourians to carry an extra blood pack when circulating in public and wear a bracelet or tattoo that advises first responders of their blood type.

 Require all public places to post signs warning of the risk of mass shootings so that people will know if they enter, say, a mall or restaurant or concert venue, they do so at their own risk.

Street signs should warn all drivers that they must respect any armed men they encounter in the middle of downtown streets exercising their gun rights.

Too many people are doing irresponsible things like dining out and shopping without exercising the kinds of precautions necessary to protect against the shooters Missouri lawmakers have so enthusiastically helped arm.

Schroer is right. Lawmakers must take action and put a stop to all this wanton enjoyment of life. Missourians must demand Kevlar. Now.
Equal Rights Amendment could, in fact, have radical effects

The editorial Failure to move the Equal Rights Amendment says it all about todays GOP (May 4) could do with additional perspective. The time limit in the original congressional approval had the sensible purpose of assuring contemporaneous ratification by the states. The reason for the failure of sufficient states to ratify in the required time frames (and the ratification rescission by some states), even after the time window was extended, was the growing realization that the seemingly simple wording could, despite the contention in the editorial that it was hardly radical, indeed have radical consequences: If the ERA were ever to be deemed ratified, the likely consequence would be multiple lawsuits seeking to overturn longstanding legal and social policies like separating mens and womens sports. And consider that, today, some would want to define sex differently from the generally accepted meaning of that word in 1972.

Also, its not clear that the ERA is relevant to the abortion issue, since only biological females can become pregnant. Regulating the termination of pregnancies, to whatever degree, does not necessarily implicate discrimination between males and females.

David W. Detjen  Creve Coeur

Republican Party didnt defeat ERA, the whole nation did

The Republican Party did not kill the Equal Rights Amendment; the American people declined to put this controversial amendment into the U.S. Constitution 50 years ago. If the ERA is so popular today, then it could be proposed anew in Congress and then submitted to the states for ratification. But the amendment is not popular and would never get the supermajority of votes required for passage.

The language of the ERA is very radical because it does not define sex and, today, sex has many new definitions. The ERA never mentions women, nor would it give women any special rights or protections.

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the ERA dead in National Organization for Women v. Idaho. In 2021, a federal district court reaffirmed that the ERA cannot be added to the Constitution. Congress cannot unilaterally take a vote today and place the ERA in the Constitution. The U.S. Senate should not have wasted its time on this meaningless vote.

Anne Schlafly  Alton

Transgender rights supporters

should stand with Anheuser-Busch

I would love to hear from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, Greater St. Louis Inc. and other institutions that defend LGBTQ rights when anti-transgender legislation is brought forth. Those organizations have remained silent during the Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light fiasco. Even better, I think every beer and spirits company should step up in solidarity and show support for Anheuser-Busch, thereby demonstrating leadership during this political stunt. The beermakers future drinkers, including LGBTQ supporters, are watching. Continued attacks on the transgender community are not only bad for business but just plain wrong.

Trish Gunby  Ballwin

To declaw or not to declaw should be left up to the cats owner

Regarding the letter to the editor Declawing cats is inhumane and causes behavioral issues (May 6): I have had cats that have been declawed, and they were some of the friendliest cats, with no behavior problems whatsoever. They always used the litter box and never had problems with their feet. I had an amazing veterinarian in the St. Louis area who removed the root of the cats nail, not just the tip. Our cats were happy, healthy and lived great lives. Declawing had no negative effect on my cats behavior. I think the declawing decision should be left up to the owner of the cat.

Nancy Waller  Carpinteria, Ca.

Americas health care system is failing on pain management

Devastatingly, the refrain of many health care providers to their patients suffering with chronic pain is that its all in your head. Actually, its a recognized, long-term disease, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. With tens of millions of daily sufferers in the U.S., one would think pain management in this country would have advanced much further than having to convince ones medical provider that the terrible constant burning, stinging, aching and throbbing sensations are real. They are real.

This struggle is especially true for marginalized communities that do not have the privilege, power and resources to access the elite health care providers who have found a way to dig deeper into the research, learn about care and management and at least acknowledge chronic pain.

The research exists, and the education is out there. Stanford Medicine, a highly reputable institution, has a fully accessible online pain-management series that anyone can access for free. An integral part of the national pain strategy under the Affordable Care Act is to encourage this exact type of education for health care professionals to advance pain care in this country. However, it has fallen short. It is time we require health care providers be educated on proper pain care and management to minimize patient suffering and save the time, resources and money that go into the patchwork of chronic pain care in America.

Anneliese Majsterek  St. Louis

Read letters online at STLToday.com
On any given weekday, you can walk into the lobby of the Public Hotel in New York or the Santa Monica Proper Hotel in Los Angeles and almost always find people sitting on couches, sipping lattes in front of their open laptops, working. Its almost serene  inspiring, even  in a way that most peoples homes or offices will never be.

Briani Callender, a New York-based casting producer and content creator, works from hotels three or four days a week. She describes her favorite hotel lobby, The Beekman in New York City, as awe-inspiring.

It has the same awe as your first time like walking into The Plaza, Callender says, referring to a historic luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan. It's just very intricately designed and very thoughtfully put together.

The atmosphere is one of the reasons remote workers and freelancers are taking advantage of hotels, especially boutique and high-design hotels in cities, as another space for productivity. These workers arent necessarily digital nomads. Some are just looking to get outside of the house.

Michelle Fang, head of social at Safara, a curated hotel booking platform, said in an email that shes noticed more people working from third spaces  outside of work and home  over the past few years.

Remote workers were cooped up at home for so long during the pandemic, but not quite ready to return to a cookie cutter workplace, Fang said. So third spaces like hotel lobbies rose in popularity, especially as hotel lobbies were already designed with the frequent, working traveler in mind.

And those running hotels dont seem to mind it, either. It can be another way for hotels to connect with the community and maybe get more locals to buy food and beverage on the property.

If youre a remote worker, freelancer or student, here are some of the reasons you might want to try coworking from a hotel.

1. Free or affordable rates

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some hotel chains experimented with special day rates to rent a hotel room for remote working. These days, most people prefer the cheaper alternative: setting up shop for free or little to no cost in the lobby.

For example, The Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles welcomes remote workers in any public space  including the lobby, pool or restaurant area  for a fee of $10 a day or $100 a month, which is more than $100 cheaper than official area coworking spaces like WeWork. It also comes with other perks like unlimited free brewed coffee and water, free printing and scanning and discounts on hotel rooms or meeting rooms.

Before you go, research the hotels policies for allowing nonguests. In free spaces, its usually good practice to support the business by buying food or drink from the hotels cafe or restaurant.

2. A chance to check out the amenities

One of the reasons hotels allow their public spaces to be used for free or cheap is because it helps people get familiar with their amenities.

Patty Quiroz, director of sales and marketing at The Kimpton Everly, says people who participate in the coworking program often learn about the hotels programming, like paint nights, by being on-site.

Some workers also like the convenience of having a cafe, restaurant or bar in the building, especially when meeting up with other people.

It's really nice because when you're with other co-workers or friends, you're like, OK, 6 o'clock is the cutoff and we're gonna move 5 feet to the bar, Callender says.

3. Designed for work

One of the reasons that hotels are great places for coworking is because theyre already designed to be welcoming and inviting. They might already have large tables for people to sit at and natural light coming in through the skylights.

Content creator and partnerships coordinator Mya Miller said in an email that she prefers working from hotels rather than coffee shops. Hotel public spaces are often bigger, meaning its easier to find outlets and comfy seating.

For someone that doesn't go into a traditional office, it's also a great way to be surrounded by other people working remote jobs and I find it to be motivating and comforting at the same time, she said.

Its not right for everyone, though. Miller suggested working at hotels when you can do quiet independent work, instead of days when you have back-to-back meetings. Theres nothing worse than someone being too loud on their conference call.

4. Reliable workspace when traveling

If you are traveling and working remotely (with or without your boss knowing), you dont have to be confined to your hotel room either.

When I book my hotels, I will take the lobby into consideration for where to book, Fang said. Its always a good fallback for when Im in a new city and am not able to figure out the best co-working space or local coffee shop to go to just yet.

After all, a hotel doesnt have to be just where you sleep. It can be a place to gather and work, even if you arent a guest.

Meghan Coyle writes for NerdWallet. Email: mcoyle@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @inkwaves.
Meyer Burger Technology AG / Key word(s): Financing

Meyer Burger's German subsidiary MBT Systems GmbH launches a green senior unsecured guaranteed convertible bond to accelerate the next growth phase



10-May-2023 / 06:46 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Thun  May 10, 2023



NOT FOR PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.



Meyer Burger's German subsidiary MBT Systems GmbH (the 'Issuer') launches a green senior unsecured guaranteed convertible bond to accelerate the next growth phase

Meyer Burger Technology AG (SIX: MBTN, 'Meyer Burger', the 'Company' or the Guarantor) today announces the launch of approx. EUR 230 million green senior unsecured guaranteed convertible bonds (the 'Bonds').

Meyer Burger is ready to accelerate the next growth phase, including the ramp-up of the production site in Goodyear, Arizona, USA. The net proceeds from the bond issue shall be used to finance the material and equipment sourcing, and ramp-up of module and cell production in response to the expected acceleration of solar energy expansion, now that Europe, like the USA, is also looking to provide public incentives, says CEO Gunter Erfurt.

Meyer Burger intends to place Bonds with an aggregate principal amount of approx. EUR 230 million that will be issued by the Issuer and guaranteed by the Company.

The Bonds will be issued with a denomination of EUR 100,000 per Bond at 100% of their principal amount and are expected to carry a coupon between 3.500% and 4.000% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears. Unless previously converted or repurchased and cancelled, the Bonds will be redeemed at 100% of their principal amount on May 17, 2029.

The Bonds will be convertible into newly issued or existing registered shares of the Guarantor of currently CHF 0.05 nominal value each (the "Shares"), at an initial conversion price expected to be set at a premium between 25% and 30% over the volume weighted average price of the Shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd between launch and pricing of the offering (translated into EUR using the prevailing EUR:CHF foreign exchange rate). Shares issued or delivered upon conversion of the Bonds will have the same rights and entitlements as, and rank pari passu in all respects with, all other Shares of the Guarantor.

The net proceeds from the issue of the Bonds shall be used to finance and/or refinance investments in Eligible Green Projects as defined by the Guarantors Green Financing Framework dated June 2021 including material and equipment sourcing and the ramp-up of module and cell production in response to the expected acceleration of solar energy expansion.

Meyer Burger will be entitled to redeem the Bonds at their principal amount plus accrued interest in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Bonds at any time (i) on or after June 7, 2027, if the price of a Share is equal to or exceeds 130% of the then prevailing conversion price over a certain period or (ii) if less than 15% of the aggregate principal amount of the Bonds remain outstanding.

The offering of the Bonds will be conducted as a private placement to professional clients in Switzerland and to investors outside the US (in reliance on Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended), and in compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in every country where the offering takes place.

The Bonds are expected to price later today. The settlement and payment date of the Bonds is expected to be on or around May 17, 2023. The Bonds will not be listed or admitted to trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange or any other trading venue and no application has been made to list or admit the bonds to trading. Application for the listing and trading of the Bonds may be made at a later stage.

The Issuer and Meyer Burger have agreed to a 90-day lock-up period after the issuance of the Bonds, subject to customary exceptions and waiver by the syndicate banks.



Media contacts

Meyer Burger Technology AG

Anne Schneider

Head Corporate Communications

M. +49 174 349 17 90

anne.schneider@meyerburger.com



Dynamics Group AG

Andreas Durisch

Senior Counselor

T. +41 43 268 27 47

M. +41 79 358 87 32

adu@dynamicsgroup.ch



About Meyer Burger Technology AG

www.meyerburger.com

Meyer Burger has started production of high-performance solar cells and solar modules in 2021. Its proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology enables the company to set new industry standards in terms of energy yield. With solar cells and modules developed in Switzerland and manufactured in Germany according to high sustainability standards, Meyer Burger aims to become a leading European photovoltaic company. The company currently employs around 1200 people at research facilities in Switzerland, development and manufacturing sites in Germany and sales offices in Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia.

Meyer Burger was founded in 1953 in Switzerland. As a provider of production systems, the company has shaped the development of the global photovoltaic industry along the entire value chain in recent decades and has set essential industry standards. A large part of the solar modules produced worldwide today are based on technologies developed by Meyer Burger.

The registered shares of Meyer Burger Technology AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker: MBTN).



Disclaimer

This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for any securities. This document is not a prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act and not a prospectus under any other applicable laws. Copies of this document may not be sent to jurisdictions, or distributed in or sent from jurisdictions, in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction.

This document is not for publication or distribution in the United States of America (including its territories and possessions, any State of the United States and the District of Columbia), Canada, Japan or Australia or any other jurisdiction into which the same would be unlawful. This document does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities in such jurisdictions or in any other jurisdiction into which the same would be unlawful. In particular, the document and the information contained herein should not be distributed or otherwise transmitted into the United States of America or to publications with a general circulation in the United States of America. 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), or the laws of any state, and may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration under or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. There will be no public offering of the securities in the United States of America.

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom. No prospectus offering securities to the public will be published in the United Kingdom. This document is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons who (i) are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) are qualified investors within the meaning of article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/1129) as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 who are also (A) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended from time to time (the FSMA Order) or (B) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FSMA Order (all such persons being referred to as relevant persons). The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

In any member state of the European Economic Area, this document is only addressed to qualified investors in such member state within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, and no person that is not a qualified investor may act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

This publication may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like believe, assume, expect, forecast, project, may, could, might, will 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 Meyer Burger Technology AG and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Meyer Burger Technology AG, MBT Systems GmbH and the banking syndicate assume no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.

Except as required by applicable law, none of Meyer Burger Technology AG, MBT Systems GmbH or the banking syndicate has any intention or obligation to update, keep updated or revise this publication or any parts thereof following the date hereof.

The banking syndicate is acting exclusively for Meyer Burger Technology AG and MBT Systems GmbH and no-one else in connection with the offering. They will not regard any other person as their respective clients in relation to the offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than Meyer Burger Technology AG and MBT Systems GmbH for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in relation to the offering, the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

In connection with the offering of the securities, the members of the banking syndicate and any of their affiliates may take up a portion of the securities in the offering as a principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for their own accounts such securities and other securities of the Meyer Burger Technology AG and MBT Systems GmbH or related investments in connection with the offering or otherwise. The members of the banking syndicate and any of their affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps, warrants or contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which the members of the banking syndicate and any of their affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of securities. The banking syndicate does not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

None of the members of the banking syndicate or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to Meyer Burger Technology AG or MBT Systems GmbH, their subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.
by Austin Bay May 10, 2023

Once again Iran's robed dictators are launching attacks on oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. In the last two weeks of April, Iranian forces boarded and seized two oil tankers. One tanker carried crude destined for the U.S., so its seizure constituted a direct attack on American maritime commerce.

Iran's corrupt ayatollah regime believes seizing civilian ships creates diplomatic and economic leverage. From 20% to 25% of the world's daily oil supply passes through the Strait. Grabbing a tanker, or even a freighter hauling sand, tells the world the regime can disrupt global commerce. With a few armed speedboats and kamikaze drones, Tehran can spike world energy costs, rattle financial markets and get global headlines.

Iran presents one of many global state-sponsored, terrorist and criminal threats to global maritime commerce. In March, pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea (near the Ivory Coast) seized a Danish tanker and kidnapped six crew members. In April, Yemeni pirates attacked two yachts transiting the strait between Yemen and Africa.

Compared to 2021, in 2022 world-wide piracy decreased by 13%. But transport disruptive incidents in the Strait of Malacca (Singapore) increased. Shipping industry advisers warn their clients that their ships entering piracy-threatened zones need up to date intelligence and to have trained their crew to defend against assault at sea.

Many commercial ships transiting these zones now have on-board armed security personnel.

One major marine insurer, Gard (based in Norway), says crews must "identify a suspicious approach or attack at an early stage, allowing defenses to be deployed..."

That general advice suggests a specific bit of advice I read several years ago. A key tactic is preventing pirates from boarding, but often that's difficult -- in other words, sink their boats. The pirates, however, often have light or heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers on their small craft, so the commercial ship's team, with semi-automatic rifles, is outgunned.

Pirates, Iranian ayatollahs and other bad actors engaged in sea crime send a message about the vulnerability of the global supply chain. In other words, they are a permanent COVID-19 pandemic. The statistics are no secret: Eighty percent of international trade by volume goes by ship, 70% by value.

Commercial ships aren't the only at-sea and offshore vulnerabilities.

The Gulf of Mexico, primarily off Texas and Louisiana, produces around 18% of America's oil and gas needs. In 1942 these platforms did not exist, otherwise they would have been easy targets for Nazi U-boats. In 2023, they do. They are easy targets for Russian and Chinese subs, and for terrorists and criminals.

Crime isn't theory. Mexican drug cartels have seized drilling platforms in the Bay of Campeche. The thugs rob drilling crews and demand ransom for their release.

Last fall Russia's Nord Stream natural gas pipelines suffered leaks and a mysterious attack. Who damaged the pipelines matters, but the incidents demonstrate that offshore infrastructure vulnerabilities have major international economic and defense consequence. American offshore pipelines are vulnerable.

Eco-terrorists observe pipeline incidents and hijacked tankers. Ecological extremists aren't the worst threat here -- but criminals and enemy nations are. Damaging Florida's and South Carolina's beaches constitutes an economic attack on the U.S.

Major point: With all these threats, do you see why marine insurance, for ships, cargo and infrastructure, is so high? Insurance adds to your food and energy bill.

What can we do? In 2019 Britain created a Joint Maritime Security Center. It's a node for information sharing and, ideally, for providing security in high-threat situations.

Information helps but doesn't replace physical security assets. The U.S. Navy needs to focus on China, not escorting ships through Hormuz. The U.S. Coast Guard has too many tasks and too few ships. Worldwide it's a similar story.

How to solve the escort problem?

Several ideas are worth considering. Arming offshore drilling platforms is a no-brainer. On-shore we have private security companies. So why not carefully regulated private maritime security companies, to defend offshore oil rigs, pipelines and wind farms? Marine insurance corporations may eventually demand their ships provide escort for commercial vessels -- and stop the pirates from boarding.
Over two billion dollars worth of American aid has been sent to Afghanistan since the IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) took over in mid-2021. The United States halted normal aid because of the IEA but continued aid programs on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. still does not have diplomatic relations with the IEA and the aid is monitored via the foreign aid groups that manage disbursement of aid throughout Afghanistan. The IEA is desperate for foreign aid to replace the much larger amounts the previous IRA (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) government had received. IEA assured foreign aid donors that it would not interfere with the distribution of aid but it did anyway, the most obvious being an IEA decision to ban Afghan women from working for foreign aid agencies and put additional restrictions on who could receive aid. It was increasingly common for the IEA to back off on agreements with foreign aid groups over how aid was to be distributed and used. The main problem was that IEA decisions were subject to modification by prominent imams (religious authorities) who had the authority to order the IEA to modify or cancel decisions on religious grounds.

This is what happened to emergency food aid. First it was decided that Afghan women could not work for the foreign aid groups distributing food. This was a problem because many widows with children needed this food and could not get it by bringing a male relative due to those being often not available or all dead. These self-destructive policies became common for the IEA and often got worse as rival imams contradicted each other. Aid agencies responded by withdrawing aid. This was not just because of the restrictive and unpredictable IEA rules, but because large quantities of aid were being diverted by the IEA to other uses of which corruption was only one. This has meant less foreign aid and over 95 percent of Afghans living in poverty. Many local observers (mainly Pakistani and Iranian) believe the IEA will self-destruct because of its inability to attract and maintain flows of foreign aid as well as similar problems with governing Afghanistan and providing security. This is required for the IEA to prevent Islamic terror groups, as well as tribal, religious and ethnic differences, causing a collapse of any central government and national unity.

IEA leaders see the situation differently. The IEA considers their decision making process superior because they put Islamic law above all else. That means criticism from donor nations who do not share their religious orthodoxy are irrelevant. That is the one of many reasons why no nations have established diplomatic relations with the IEA. That does not prevent foreign economic investment. China is offering to invest $10 billion to build and operate lithium mines in areas like Nuristan and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. Chinese companies refine over half the worlds lithium. China might even build plants to refine lithium ore into pure lithium suitable for use in batteries. Afghanistan has lithium deposits worth over a trillion dollars and the Chinese investment would build roads, tunnels, hydroelectric power plants and the mines themselves. The IEA would have to tolerate thousands of Chinese workers brought in to supervise and actually build all this infrastructure. The Chinese use very little local labor because a Chinese workforce is more efficient and reliable. Lesser investments are also handled by Chinese firms. One that is already agreed to and underway is the $700 million effort to finally establish oil fields, a refinery and power plants and pipelines to export oil. This deal would last 25 years and the IEA would receive a 15 percent royalty on oil sales. This project will also provide jobs for over 7,000 Afghans. China would bring in managers, engineers and other technical and supervisory personnel. The Chinese are spending about $140 million on this project during 2023.

There is some international cooperation with the IEA in areas of mutual interest. The most obvious one is Islamic terrorism, which is also a problem for the IEA. The primary Islamic terror threat in Afghanistan is from ISK (Islamic State Khorasan), which was formed in Afghanistan during 2015, with the help of ISIL leadership in Syria, to handle ISIL activity throughout the region (Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan and India). ISK found they were most effective if they confined their operations to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which they have been doing since 2019.

The IEA also has problems because they cannot gain any official recognition that they are the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Most nations consider the IEA a Pakistan-backed Islamic terror group that took control of the government with the additional help of Afghan drug cartels. ISK has become more active in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the IEA took over because now no one is in charge and that is ideal for ISK and the drug cartels. ISK and the cartels stay out of each others way because neither has anything to gain, and much to lose, by attacking each other. The cartels pay IEA to refrain from attacking drug operations, which include poppy crops and small labs that convert portions of the poppies into opium and then heroin. ISK sees no point carrying out terror attacks against the cartels because the cartels will do the same to ISK and on a larger scale. In that respect the cartels are terrorists, but only when cash does not suffice. ISK is different because they see IEA as heretics and enemies of Islam. IEA feels the same way towards ISK. Other Moslems in Afghanistan and neighboring nations regard ISK as religious zealots who defame Islam. The only relatively safe base for ISK is IEA ruled Afghanistan. Despite that, ISK attacks targets in Afghanistan, including IEA but not the drug cartels. ISK also uses its Afghan bases on the Pakistan border to carry out attacks in Pakistan. There used to be some ISK actions near the Iran border but attacks on Iran were more costly, in terms of cash and personnel, then similar efforts against IEA and Pakistani targets. ISK also plans attacks farther away, especially in Western countries. These attacks are more risky and prone to trigger massive counterattacks. Western nations, especially the United States, continue to observe ISK operations and carry out occasional airstrikes, usually with missile armed UAVs.

May 8, 2023: The UN has indefinitely extended its halt to relief operations in Afghanistan because of IEA interference, especially the ban on the UN employing Afghan women. Foreign aid groups believe that half the Afghan population (thats 20 million people) face severe food shortages. This will cause some starvation deaths and even more fatalities because prolonged hunger makes victims more likely to die from some other affliction. In early 2022 the UN estimated that 95 percent of Afghans were not getting enough food and eventually there would be starvation deaths. The UN experts calculated the total need and costs to transport the aid to where it is needed most. The major flaw in this plan is that few foreign aid donors are willing to donate. Disaster areas have earned unofficial risk level ratings that measure how much of the aid disappears (is stolen) before it can get to those in need. Afghanistan is considered one of the riskiest aid recipients in the world and has earned and sustained that designation over the last fifty years. Some aid groups continue to work in Afghanistan without employing local women and tolerating a certain amount of IEA meddling.

The IEA believes there are nearly four million opium and heroin addicts in Afghanistan. The government is destroying poppy crops and arresting about a thousand drug dealers. The major drug cartel operations in Kandahar and Helmand provinces were left alone. China insisted it was more likely to invest in Afghanistan if the IEA did something about the heroin and other drugs produced in Afghanistan and exported to neighboring countries, including China as well as worldwide. The IEA agreed and issued a decree banning farmers from growing poppies, the plant that produced opium, which is further processed into heroin. The farmers, especially in the south (Helmand province), ignored the decree, pointing out that poppies were the most profitable crop they could produce and the heroin cartels had more firepower than the IEA. Just another reminder to be wary of Taliban promises. Money talks. Farmers can obtain 7-15 pounds of opium per acre (8-17 kg per hectare), to create the opium which is refined into heroin. The farmer is paid about a thousand dollars per acre for the opium. But the value of that opium increases fifty times once it is refined into heroin and sold in foreign markets. Most of that increase goes to middlemen (refiners, smugglers and distributors). Most of the increase in value occurs once the heroin gets out of the country, but that still makes the opium and heroin trade the biggest single segment of the Afghan economy.

In Kabul, IEA intel discovered where the ISK second-in-command was when it identified two ISK hideouts in Kabul. Both were raided and in one hideout the senior ISK official was found and killed.

May 7, 2023: The three nations (China, Russia and Pakistan) that have the most economic activity with Afghanistan are urging the IEA to help Afghanistan as well as the IEA by allowing women to work. Another needed activity is cracking down on the drug cartels and Islamic terror groups that currently operate freely. So far the IEA has ignored these suggestions. In response, the world largely ignored the IEA and Afghanistan.

May 6, 2023: The IEA agreed to allow the Chinese BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) project to extend from Pakistan into Afghanistan. The Pakistan portion of BRI is called CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project. While China is picking up most of the $60 billion cost of CPEC, it means that China owns many of those new economic assets, especially the new port of Gwadar. In early 2017 China and Pakistan signed an agreement granting China a 40-year lease on new Chinese-built facilities at Gwadar. The lease granted China most (over 80 percent) of the revenue brought in by port and free trade zone operations. China usually imports its own workers from China to do most of the work on projects like this. By 2022 China had several hundred thousand Chinese in Pakistan, some of them with their families. Extending CPEC into Afghanistan will involve several billion dollars worth of spending in infrastructure and thousands of jobs for Afghans. Chinese engineers and supervisors will manage the work and the IEA will be responsible for keeping the Chinese safe. There are already some Chinese working in Afghanistan and they have to be careful when they travel because kidnapping foreigners for ransom is popular with many Afghan outlaws.

May 4, 2023: In the southeast (Khost province) TTP gunmen crossed into Pakistan (North Waziristan) and encountered Pakistani soldiers. A gunbattle left three TTP men dead as well as six Pakistani troops. In nearby Kurram unidentified gunmen attacked a school and killed seven teachers, most of them local Shia. There has long been armed violence between Shia and Sunni Pakistanis in this area. Currently, most of the violence in North Waziristan is caused by TTP gunmen who are based in Afghanistan. Lately the TTP has expanded its operations to the southeast, where Afghanistan borders the Pakistani province of Baluchistan. TTP violence in Baluchistan has visibly increased.

April 30, 2023: Iran and Pakistan share borders with each other and Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan have prosperous and peaceful relationships, but have problems with the new government in Afghanistan. Pakistan was the first nation to officially recognize the new (2021) IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) IEA government in Afghanistan. There are still disagreements between the two countries and the resumption of diplomatic relations makes it easier to discuss possible solutions to disputes. Currently the only countries willing to trade with Afghanistan are Iran, China, Russia and Pakistan. Since IEA took over in 2021, Afghanistan has been a much more difficult country to do business in. Iran recognized the IEA and exchanged ambassadors in March 2023. Inside Afghanistan the economic and security situations are chaotic. It is in the interests of Iran and Pakistan to try and remedy this.

April 24, 2023: The lack of foreign aid has led the IEA to extract more in taxes from Afghans than any previous government. This is unpopular and the IEA tax collections are increasingly facing armed resistance to paying what is demanded. The IEA has not got a lot of security forces personnel to back up the tax collectors so a lot of tax revenue is uncollectable. There are also problems with corrupt tax collectors, who further reduce the amount collected.
Nanocosmos launches new security feature for content providers to shield their interactive live streams against illegal activities

The real-time live streaming solution nanoStream Cloud is even safer now: nanoStream Guardian has been added to block unauthorized access.

Berlin, Germany( )

nanocosmos, the Berlin-based real-time streaming provider, introduces nanoStream Guardian, a new service released with nanoStream Analytics 2.20.1 which is part of their B2B live streaming platform and API nanoStream Cloud. nanoStream Guardian addresses most recent demands from publishers and IP holders for robust stream protection, and adds to nanoStream Clouds key assets, including global footprint, adaptive player, stability and reliability. Protecting streams from unauthorized access has become a major requirement as anywhere, anytime content availability and interactive livestreaming have gained popularity.

Illegal stream replication and tampered live streams may damage the reputation of a content provider. Illegal playbacks may even force a provider to compete against his own content and unauthorized access can get a business tangled up in data breaches or unwelcomed liabilities.

In 2022, nanocosmos simplified token-based access (JWT) and introduced additional protection by webhooks in order to address malicious activities, which included the hijacking of streams. With the new release of nanoStream Guardian, nanocosmos continues to integrate progression and innovation into their nanoStream Cloud platform in the midst of their milestone 25th anniversary this year. The extension of security features adds to nanoStream Clouds signature focus on streaming quality and reliability. The companys award-winning solutions strive for the highest Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) for interactive use cases based on ultra-low latency live streaming on a global scale.

nanoStream Guardian is integrated into the nanoStream Cloud Analytics dashboard, where it provides an overview of suspicious activities, empowering users to block specific client web sites, referrers and IP addresses and IP ranges from accessing live streams. It follows a simple principle: Observe activities, evaluate suspicious ones, then block identified threats. Alternatively to the analytics dashboard environment of nanoStream Cloud, nanoStream Guardian API is available for customers who require additional control and features e.g. blocking IP ranges.

About nanocosmos

nanocosmos is a Berlin-based company with more than two decades of experience in the audio/video industry. The flagship product nanoStream Cloud is an industry reference for reliable B2B interactive live streaming on any device. With pioneering advancements and milestones like ultra-low latency live streaming on any device and browser, with adaptive bitrate playback, stream protection and data driven live streaming, nanocosmos continues to hold its strong position in multiple market segments for interactive live streaming.

Links

nanoStream Guardian blog post: https://www.nanocosmos.de/blog/2023/04/introducing-nanostream-guardian-stream-protection-at-your-fingertips/

Website: https://info.nanocosmos.de

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nanocosmos-gmbh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nanovideo

Blog/ News: https://www.nanocosmos.de/blog/
LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / Ecora Resources PLC (LSE/TSX:ECOR) announces that at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 10 May 2023 all resolutions were duly passed by a show of hands. Resolutions 15 to 18 were passed as Special Resolutions.

In accordance with Listing Rule 14.3.6, a copy of Resolutions 15, 16, 17 and 18 will shortly be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism. The full text of all the resolutions passed at the meeting can be found in the Notice of Annual General Meeting, both available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

Full details of the proxy voting can also be found on the Company's website.



Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Ex-dividend date 11 May 2023 15 June 2023 28 Sept 2023 11 Jan 2024 Record date 12 May 2023 16 June 2023 29 Sept 2023 12 Jan 2024 Payment date 7 June 2023 26 July 2023 25 Oct 2023 14 Feb 2024 Amount 1.75p 2.125c 2.125c 2.125c

Dividends from Q1 2023 onwards will be declared in US dollars, translated at exchange rates prevailing on the record date of each dividend and payable in sterling and Canadian dollars to our shareholders on the London and Toronto Stock Exchanges respectively.

For further information:

Ecora Resources PLC +44 (0) 20 3435 7400 Jason Gray - Company Secretary Website: www.ecora-resources.com Camarco

Gordon Poole / Owen Roberts / Elfie Kent +44 (0) 20 3757 4997

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Ecora Resources PLC

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Laureano Ortega arrived at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua) to deliver the inaugural address of the 2023 academic year, impeccably dressed in a gray suit with a white shirt and dark maroon tie. One thing he didnt have was the academic credentials of the typical speakers that give university lectures. But being the son of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo was enough to put him on the podium of the most important public higher education institution in Nicaragua. The title of the address delivered by the presidential advisor for investment promotion was Challenges and opportunities for higher education to achieve well-being in a multipolar world.

This was no scholarly lecture. Ortega began by greeting all the university leaders present (and subject to his parents whims), and then complained about the international sanctions imposed on Nicaragua and the Ortega-Murillo family circle.

In recent years, we have seen how the United States and its European and Canadian lackeys have imposed so-called sanctions  little more than illegal attacks on the peoples of this world  with even more madness, senselessness and irrationality, said Laureano, who studied political science and sociology at private universities in Managua, and later audiovisual production in Costa Rica. They throw out sanctions left and right, but with less and less effect, because the reality is changing. The power balance and alignments now differ greatly from 40 years ago.

The geopolitical alignments alluded to by Ortega in his April 26 speech is a reference to China, Russia, India, Iran and Arab countries  nations the Nicaraguan regime has courted recently to relieve the international isolation brought on by its relentless violation of human rights since the 2018 uprising. The oppression in Nicaragua is such that experts from the United Nations say it constitutes crimes against humanity intellectually authored by Ortega and Murillo.

Laureano Ortega Murillo receives an honorary degree from Ramona Rodriguez Perez, the rector of UNAN. Cesar Perez (Presidencia de Nicaragua)

Laureano Ortega told his audience that China, Russia, Iran and India are now global leaders in research and development of the technologies of the future, and are opening the door for mutually beneficial cooperation based on respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of every state. He predicted the end of the global dollar dictatorship, and glossed over the fact that the United States is still Nicaraguas main trading partner.

The Arab Countries and China are major global financial centers with the capacity and willingness to offer financial cooperation through loans, investments and joint projects and programs, said Ortega. Transactions and exchanges are already conducted without the U.S. dollar. In other words, the global dollar dictatorship is coming to an end. Nicaragua cannot and should not be excluded from this new and much-needed mode for work and financial cooperation. According to Nicaraguas La Prensa daily newspaper, Laureano Ortega failed an economic theory course when he was a student at Central American University (UCA), the private Jesuit university that the Sandinista government has strangled financially in retaliation for supporting the youths who protested en masse in 2018.

The international relationships touted by Laureano Ortega have produced little for Nicaragua. Much like the projects he has pushed as the presidential advisor for investment promotion, like the illusory Chinese construction of an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua, or the direct Managua-Rome flight with the Italian Blue Panorama Airlines that only lasted three months.

We are forging future alliances in a new world that nothing and no one can stop. We are on the cusp of a multipolar world and the demise of the historical hegemony of the United States and its European and Canadian lackeys Their political and economic blackmail will soon wither and die, thank God, said Ortega as the audience applauded.

Camila Ortega and the creative economy

In late March, Laureanos sister, Camila Ortega Murillo, gave the inaugural address at the University of the Autonomous Region of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN). Camila is her mothers personal assistant  Vice President Rosario Murillo  and runs one of the familys television stations. She is passionate about haute couture and has her own fashion show  Nicaragua Disena [Nicaragua Designs]  complete with catwalk models. Along with her brother Laureanos opera festival, the fashion show is heavily promoted by her parents regime. Both events receive millions in government funding, and are sponsored by state institutions, companies owned by the ruling family and Sandinista business owners.

In 2019, Camilas parents created a special position for her: coordinator of the National Commission for Nicaraguas Creative Economy, comprising several state institutions and supported by the Nicaragua Disena platform. The government claims that the creative economy generates local jobs, income and economic development, as well as income from exports and intellectual property. However, the impact of this creative economy is nowhere to be seen. Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reports show some macroeconomic recovery but little improvement in the well-being of ordinary Nicaraguans who have fled by the thousands to the United States and other countries. Nearly 7% of Nicaraguas 6.5 million citizens have left the country to escape its sociopolitical and economic crisis.

Camila Ortega Murillo delivers her inaugural address via a live video feed. Cesar Perez (Presidencia de Nicaragua)

Camila has a degree in political science and gave her inaugural address via a live video feed, instead of traveling to the university on Nicaraguas northern coast, an area that has recently experienced two massacres of indigenous people by land invaders protected by the Sandinista government. Camila didnt mention the massacres in her speech, but thanked her parents repeatedly. We are pleased to share that with the guidance and mandate of our president  Commander Daniel  and our vice president  comrade Rosario  we are working diligently to stimulate, promote and develop this creative economy model powered by small and medium-sized enterprises, young entrepreneurs and all the enterprising youth of our country.

Laureano and Camila are the most visible children in their parents regime. The Sandinista sources consulted by EL PAIS say that both have been assigned special roles by the presidential couple, such as delivering inaugural addresses at universities despite their lack of academic credentials. A professor at a public university who wished to remain anonymous told us that these inaugural addresses reflect the decline of higher education in Nicaragua, recently devastated by university closures and property seizures.

A few days ago, the government closed three more universities  thats five this year. The government takes over universities and stifles scientific research, critical thinking and the pursuit of knowledge, while demanding acquiescence and accolades for the regime, said a humanities professor at a public university. They impose mediocrity  sending their children to lecture here is proof. They only value servility. Its a dagger thrust to the heart of university autonomy, which the students of this country have fought so hard to defend, even during the Somoza regimes.

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COLUMBIA, MO / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / EquipmentShare, one of the fastest-growing integrated equipment rental and equipment asset management companies in the United States, announces that it will increase its borrowing capacity from $2.1 billion to $3 billion through a senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility with Capital One, and the successful closing of its debut offering of $640 million of senior secured notes ( the "Notes"). The revolver, which has a $1 billion accordion option, builds upon the two previous issuances in 2021 and 2022 with Capital One.





ES logo

EquipmentShare logo in orange and black

"This is another important step in scaling our ability to meet the demand we have for our services," says Jabbok Schlacks, CEO and co-founder of EquipmentShare. "Having a maturing capital structure allows more partners the ability to participate with us as we relentlessly focus on our customers and driving efficiencies across our operations and the industry."

"The bigger we get - the more data we consume into T3, enabling unique advantages with our technology that drive bottom line impact to our customers," says Willy Schlacks, President and co-founder of EquipmentShare.

In August 2021, Capital One served as the lead arranger and administrative agent for EquipmentShare's original line of credit of $1.2 billion. In July 2022, the line of credit was increased to $2.1 billion. Over the same period of time, EquipmentShare expanded its footprint, entering new markets nationwide and acquiring thousands of new customers.

"Capital One is pleased to continue our support for EquipmentShare, a business that has proven itself as a leader in the construction industry no matter what the external environment has been," Tim Tobin, Head of Asset Based Lending at Capital One, said. "It was the company's strong foundation and strategic growth over the last few years that paved the way for positive receptivity for this transaction. Our deeply specialized team drew on its industry expertise to drive market enthusiasm, partnering closely with EquipmentShare as the company worked to secure Series E funding, a critical funding milestone. We were honored to partner with EquipmentShare once again, and look forward to watching what the future holds for the company."

"This increase in our ABL led by Capital One, along with our recent inaugural bond issuance creates meaningful access to capital and new debt investors," said Trevor Schauenberg, EquipmentShare's CFO. "Expanding this efficient borrowing facility allows EquipmentShare to continue to grow into new U.S. markets and distribute our unique solutions to our customers in the construction industry."

Last month, EquipmentShare announced the completion of a $290 million funding round led by funds affiliated with BDT Capital Partners. The Series E round also included participation from existing investors such as RedBird Capital Partners, Tru Arrow Partners, and Sound Ventures, as well as several new investors including Brown Advisors.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as the lead book running manager, Wells Fargo Securities, Capital One Securities, Citigroup, Fifth Third Securities, J.P. Morgan, Mizuho, MUFG, SMBC Nikko and Truist Securities acted as joint book-running managers and Regions Securities LLC and UBS Investment Bank acted as co-managers for the successful private offering of the Notes.

The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any U.S. persons unless pursuant to registration under the Securities Act, or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" under Rule 144A of the Securities Act or, outside the United States, to persons other than "U.S. persons" in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About EquipmentShare

Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, EquipmentShare is a nationwide construction solutions provider dedicated to solving industry pain points through smart jobsite technology and equipment rental, retail and service centers. EquipmentShare's cloud-connected operating system, T3, is powered by telematics and machine hardware to give construction and industrial companies a real-time view into their jobsite and operations. EquipmentShare's enterprise suite of apps is OEM-agnostic and can track and manage any piece of equipment, regardless of brand, to help fleet managers monitor assets, prevent theft and machine misuse, track employee hours and shifts, optimize machine efficiency, streamline maintenance and prevent unplanned downtime. EquipmentShare operates more than 150 facilities as of year end and employs approximately 4,000 team members. EquipmentShare's growing presence of locations, which includes equipment and service yards, research and development sites, dealerships for major brands, administrative offices and specialty solutions locations, serves the rising demand for the company's equipment and digital solutions. To learn more, visit www.equipmentshare.com.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $307.9 billion in deposits and $440.3 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2022. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is included in the S&P 100 index.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as, but not limited to, "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "could," "may," "will," "should," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements, including with respect to the offering described herein, rely on a number of assumptions, estimates and data concerning future results and events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside EquipmentShare's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Accordingly, EquipmentShare cautions that the forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by these and other important factors and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those reflected by such statements.

Contact Information:

Amy Susn

Director of PR & Communications

[email protected]

(573) 890-0609

SOURCE: EquipmentShare

View source version on accesswire.com:
COLUMBIA, MO / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / EquipmentShare.com Inc. ("EquipmentShare"), one of the fastest-growing integrated equipment rental and equipment asset management companies in the United States, announced today the closing of its inaugural offering of $640 million of senior secured second lien notes due 2028 (the "Notes"), one of the largest high-yield issuances in 2023 for a first-time issuer. The company also announced its entry into an amendment to extend the maturity of, and upsize the borrowing capacity under, its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the "ABL Facility"). The ABL Facility amendment will increase EquipmentShare's borrowing capacity under that facility from $2.1 billion to $3.0 billion.





ES logo

EquipmentShare logo in black and orange





The landmark offering of the Notes and the ABL Facility amendment are designed to optimize EquipmentShare's capital structure, allowing the company to refinance existing debt. The Notes mature on May 15, 2028, unless earlier redeemed. The Notes will be secured on a second priority basis by liens on substantially all of the assets that secure any first priority lien obligations of EquipmentShare.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as the lead book running manager, Wells Fargo Securities, Capital One Securities, Citigroup, Fifth Third Securities, J.P. Morgan, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, MUFG, SMBC Nikko and Truist Securities acted as joint book-running managers and Regions Securities LLC and UBS Investment Bank acted as co-managers for the successful private offering of the Notes.

The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any U.S. persons unless pursuant to registration under the Securities Act, or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" under Rule 144A of the Securities Act or, outside the United States, to persons other than "U.S. persons" in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About EquipmentShare

Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, EquipmentShare is a nationwide construction solutions provider dedicated to solving industry pain points through smart jobsite technology and equipment rental, retail and service centers. EquipmentShare's cloud-connected operating system, T3, is powered by telematics and machine hardware to give construction and industrial companies a real-time view into their jobsite and operations. EquipmentShare's enterprise suite of apps is OEM-agnostic and can track and manage any piece of equipment, regardless of brand, to help fleet managers monitor assets, prevent theft and machine misuse, track employee hours and shifts, increase machine utilization, streamline maintenance and prevent unplanned downtime. EquipmentShare operates more than 150 facilities as of year end and employs approximately 4,000 team members. EquipmentShare's growing presence of locations, which includes equipment and service yards, research and development sites, dealerships for major brands, administrative offices and specialty solutions locations, serves the rising demand for the company's equipment and digital solutions. To learn more, visit www.equipmentshare.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as, but not limited to, "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "could," "may," "will," "should," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements, including with respect to the offering described herein, rely on a number of assumptions, estimates and data concerning future results and events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside EquipmentShare's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Accordingly, EquipmentShare cautions that the forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by these and other important factors and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those reflected by such statements.

Contact Information

Amy Susn

Director of PR & Communications

[email protected]

(573) 890-0609

SOURCE: EquipmentShare

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Key leader will support geniant's accelerated growth in technology and digital services that enhance employee and customer experience, including mobile, web, AI, and cloud.

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2023 / geniant, a next-generation experience consulting group that's focused on designing and developing holistic solutions across customer and employee experiences, welcomes Paul Tidwell to the key role of President, Digital. As a respected figure in the technology community, Tidwell elevates geniant's team through his extensive experience leading complex transformations around the globe.





Paul Tidwell

Photo of Paul Tidwell, President, Digital at geniant





"Over my career, I've seen many companies take on large digital programs, but they rarely change the way they operate and thus never realize the full value of their investment," said Paul Tidwell, President, Digital. "geniant is the right place for me to make a large impact on an organization. Our teams can support everything from getting a project over the finish line to developing an entire experience-led digital strategy."

As a seasoned leader in the industry, Tidwell has a proven track record of driving growth and innovation through the implementation of cutting-edge technology solutions. His experience spans a range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, and retail, where he has led Fortune 500 companies and startups alike to optimize how they deliver digital solutions and create unforgettable customer and employee experiences.

"We are excited to welcome Paul to the geniant team," said Keith Jacobs, co-CEO of geniant. "All too often, large-scale digital projects fail because development teams focus on solving acute problems rather than underlying causes. Paul has the unique experience to guide clients and expedite their releases."

In his new role as President of Digital, Tidwell will be responsible for overseeing geniant's digital offerings and driving growth from user experience through the entire technology stack, including process modernization. He will work to develop and execute the company's vision for growth and further differentiation in the digital space while also collaborating with clients to deliver exceptional experiences and drive business value.

About geniant:

geniant helps innovative leaders seamlessly shape experiences in physical spaces, interactions with people, and technology. From digital transformation to hybrid work strategy, we've worked with a wide range of organizations - from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies. geniant excels at improving experiences for employees and customers.

For more information, visit www.geniant.com.

Contact Information

Jeremy Johnson

SVP Experience Transformation

[email protected]

2142282894

SOURCE: geniant

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The epidemiologist brings more than 15 years of experience in investigating, controlling, and preventing infectious diseases in healthcare and public environments.

LOMBARD, IL / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / LiquiTech, a leading provider of sustainable water treatment and management solutions for commercial and institutional customers, announces that Loan VanAuker has joined the company as an Infection Prevention and Control Epidemiologist.

LiquiTech

LiquiTech

VanAuker brings more than 15 years of experience in disease outbreak surveillance, investigations, and prevention, most recently as an Infection Prevention Practitioner at Baylor Scott & White Health Systems.

In her role at LiquiTech, VanAuker will apply her experience in epidemiology, disease investigations, public health, and infection control and prevention to support customers on all aspects of waterborne pathogen remediation, control, and prevention.

"We are excited to have Loan coming on board with us at LiquiTech," said David Pierre, Director of Water Safety Programs. "She has tremendous knowledge and experience in investigating, controlling, and preventing Legionella and other pathogens. We know her exceptional expertise will bring meaningful results for our current and future customers."

VanAuker earned a Master of Science in Health Studies at the Texas Woman's University and is currently completing public health studies at Walden University to receive a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). Her certifications include Certified in Infection Control (CIC), ASSE 12080 Legionella Water Safety and Management Specialist, American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, and Lean Six Sigma.

Since November 2018, VanAuker has worked as a facility epidemiology expert at Baylor Scott & White Health Systems. She served on a COVID-19 team assisting laboratory facility leaders with validation studies and leading infection prevention initiatives.

Among her duties, VanAuker investigated hospital-associated infections and outbreaks, engaged in water management plan development and Legionella prevention, and implemented and assisted with creating policies and processes to decrease infections and ensure patient safety during surgical procedures.

VanAuker also worked as an Epidemiologist and Influenza Surveillance Coordinator for both the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Dallas County Health and Human Services department. At the state level, she was the lead investigator for disease outbreaks and served as the subject matter expert in respiratory diseases, including Legionella, influenza, and coronaviruses. She investigated vaccine-preventable diseases, including mumps and measles outbreaks, and created influenza toolkits for long-term care facilities and schools.

In Dallas County, VanAuker's role included investigating flu-associated deaths, administering public health programs related to community illnesses, and serving as the lead epidemiologist for foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, brucellosis outbreaks, and healthcare-associated infections, including infections from multi-drug resistant organisms. She also served as an adjunct professor for nine years, teaching epidemiology at Texas Woman's University.

"My entire career has been spent investigating disease outbreaks and developing protocols and procedures to prevent them," VanAuker said. "I'm so pleased to be joining the team at LiquiTech, and I'm excited to use my experience and deep understanding of Legionella and other pathogens to help our customers improve water and patient safety."

About LiquiTech

LiquiTech develops and delivers water treatment solutions for healthcare, hospitality, education, commercial, and multi-family customers. Our chemical-free, sustainable technologies are designed to improve potable water quality and eliminate waterborne pathogens without creating harmful byproducts that are unsafe for humans, plumbing systems, and the environment. For more information, please visit www.liquitech.com.

Contact Information

Kelsey Raftery

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

847.738.0933

SOURCE: LiquiTech

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RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers, will report first quarter 2023 results before the market opens on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Interested parties can listen to the event via a webcast scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The webcast will be accessible via the companys Investor Relations website (ir.AdvanceAutoParts.com).

To join by phone, please pre-register online for dial-in and passcode information. Upon registering, participants will receive a confirmation with call details and a registrant ID. While registration is open through the live call, the company suggests registering a day in advance or at minimum 10 minutes before the start of the call. A replay of the conference call will be available on the companys Investor Relations website for one year.

About Advance Auto Parts

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of December 31, 2022, Advance operated 4,770 stores and 316 Worldpac branches primarily within the United States, with additional locations in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company also served 1,311 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and various Caribbean islands. Additional information about Advance, including employment opportunities, customer services, and online shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005753/en/

Investor Relations Contact:

Elisabeth Eisleben

T: (919) 227-5466

E: [email protected]

Media Contact:

Darryl Carr

T: (984) 389-7207

E: [email protected]

Source: Advance Auto Parts, Inc.
Q3 2022-2023 revenue remains steady

FY 2022-2023 nine-month revenue up 9% to 405m1

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Claranova (Paris: CLA):

This press release presents unaudited Group consolidated revenue, prepared in accordance with IFRS.

"Claranova achieved during the first nine months a growth in revenue of 9% to 405m. The diversity of our portfolio of activities assured us a steady revenue stream in the third quarter, despite an underperformance by PlanetArt reflecting a priority given to profitability and a less favorable exchange rate. And with Avanquest and myDevices delivering double-digit gains, we can confirm our goal of achieving growth in revenue of 10% and an improvement in EBITDA2 of between 25% and 30% for the full year.3"

Pierre Cesarini, Chairman-CEO of Claranova.

Claranova reported revenue for the first nine months of FY 2022-2023 of 405m or growth of 9% at actual exchange rates compared to the previous year and 2% at constant exchange rates. All the Group's businesses grew both at actual exchange rates and like-for-like4 during the first nine months of FY 2022-2023.

Revenue trends by division for the first nine months of FY 2022-2023:

(in  million) Jul. 2022 to

Mar. 2023

(9 months) Jul. 2021 to

Mar. 2022

(9 months) 5 Change Change at

constant

exchange

rates Change at

constant

consolidation

scope Change at

constant scope

and exchange rates PlanetArt 314 291 8% 1% 8% 1% Avanquest 86 76 13% 9% 8% 3% myDevices 5 3.5 36% 24% 36% 24% Revenue 405 370 9% 3% 8% 2%

Revenue trends by division for the third quarter of FY 2022-2023:

In m Dec. 2022 to

Mar. 2023

(3 months) Dec. 2021 to

Mar. 2022

(3 months) 6 Change Change at

constant

exchange

rates Change at constant

consolidation scope Change at

constant scope

and exchange rates PlanetArt 60 64 (6%) (2%) (6%) (2%) Avanquest 29 26 13% 14% 7% 8% myDevices 2 1 53% 44% 53% 44% Revenue 91 91 0% 3% (2%) 2%

PlanetArt: nine-month revenue exceeding 300m (+8%)

PlanetArt, the personalized objects e-commerce subsidiary, reported nine-month revenue of 314m, up 8% at actual exchange rates from the same period last year (+1% at constant exchange rates). This performance highlights the success of the alternative marketing channels introduced by PlanetArt's teams several months ago.

In Q3, the division experienced slower growth with revenue of 60m, reflecting a less favorable exchange rate and the decision by PlanetArt's teams to focus on profitability. To this end, efforts were devoted to stabilizing customer acquisition costs and redirecting sales to higher value-added offers.

Avanquest: 9-month revenue of 86m, up 13%.

Increased marketing investments in H1 enabled Avanquest, the Group's software publishing division, to achieve revenue of 29m in Q3 2022-2023 or growth of 13% at actual exchange rates. Revenue for the first nine months rose in consequence to 86m, up 13% at actual exchange rates (+3% like-for-like), driven mainly by SaaS sales of proprietary software for Security for PDF (+12% over the period) and Photo applications (+9% over the period).

The contribution of non-core businesses totaled 14m for the first nine months of FY 2022-2023, down by 15% from the same period last year. As a result, by the end of March 2023, these lower-margin activities represented only 17% of the division's revenue.

Benefiting from a larger customer base and a percentage of recurring revenues reaching 65 % at the end of March 2023, the Avanquest division should continue to grow in Q4 and improve its profitability for the full year.

myDevices: continuing growth in revenue to 5m for the first 9 months

In Q3 2022-2023, the IoT (Internet of Things) division, myDevices continued to ramp up operations with revenue of 2m, up 53% at actual exchange rates (44% at constant exchange rates). Based on this good performance, revenue for the first nine months rose to 5m (+36% at actual rates and +24% at constant rates).

By exceeding the threshold of 200 partners (204), myDevices will benefit from annual recurring revenue (ARR) of 3m as of March 31, 2023, a 37% increase compared to the end of March 2022 at constant exchange rates.

Financial calendar:

August 2, 2023: FY 2022-2023 revenue

Telephone number for individual shareholders available from Tuesday to Thursday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for calls within France: 0805 29 10 00 (local rate).

About Claranova:

As a diversified global technology company, Claranova manages and coordinates a portfolio of majority interests in digital companies with strong growth potential. Supported by a team combining several decades of experience in the world of technology, Claranova has acquired a unique know-how in successfully turning around, creating and developing innovative companies.

Claranova has proven its capacity to turn a simple idea into a worldwide success in just a few short years. Present in 15 countries and leveraging the technology expertise of its 800+ employees across North America and Europe, Claranova is a truly international group, with 95% of its revenue derived from international markets.

Claranovas portfolio of companies is organized into three unique technology platforms operating in all major digital sectors. As an e-commerce leader in personalized objects, Claranova also stands out for its technological expertise in software publishing and the Internet of Things, through its businesses PlanetArt, Avanquest and myDevices. These three technology platforms share a common vision: empowering people through innovation by providing simple and intuitive digital solutions that facilitate everyday access to the very best of technology.

For more information on Claranova Group:

https://www.claranova.com or https://twitter.com/claranova_group

Disclaimer:

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Companys control. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Companys control that could cause the Companys actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

CODES

Ticker : CLA

ISIN : FR0013426004

www.claranova.com

1 At actual exchange rates.

2 EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is a non-GAAP aggregate used to measure the operating performance of the businesses. It is equal to Recurring Operating Income before depreciation, amortization and share-based payments including related social security expenses and the IFRS 16 impact on the recognition of leases.

3 Based on the average daily EUR/USD exchange rate from July 1, 2022 to March 27, 2023, i.e. 1.03

4 Change at constant scope and exchange rates

5 Restatement for the accounting adjustment of the Avanquest Software divisions revenue arising from the application of IFRS 15 on the recognition of revenue over time from Soda PDF subscriptions transferred to a cloud-based model in August 2020 as reported in the Appendix to the press release of August 5, 2022.

6 Restatementfor the accounting adjustment of the Avanquest Software divisions revenue arising from the application of IFRS 15 on the recognition of revenue over time from Soda PDF subscriptions transferred to a cloud-based model in August 2020 as reported in the Appendix to the press release of August 5, 2022.

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ANALYSTS - INVESTORS

+33 1 41 27 19 74

[email protected]

FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION

+33 1 75 77 54 68

[email protected]

Source: Claranova
First delivery and use of DNA manufactured using Evonetixs unique thermally controlled synthesis technology

Key milestone in the development of Evonetixs desktop DNA synthesis platform

CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EVONETIX LTD (Evonetix), the company bringing semiconductor technology to DNA synthesis, today announced that DNA synthesized using its unique semiconductor chip technology was delivered to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. This milestone marks the start of the next stage of development of the Company as it expands the range and scale of DNA synthesized on its desktop platform.

The DNA was delivered to Dr Jenny Molloy, Co-chair of the Engineering Biology Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. The successful testing of the DNA in Dr Molloys laboratory further validates Evonetixs patented thermally controlled semiconductor technology and supports the further development of the Companys desktop DNA synthesis platform, which is being developed to enable scientists to synthesize long DNA in their own lab, enabling the biology revolution.

Dr Jenny Molloy, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge, said: Im delighted to have received the first DNA synthesized on Evonetixs semiconductor chips. Rapid access to custom-designed DNA is a key challenge for us and Evonetixs technology is an exciting new approach to meet the growing demand from researchers. Having the capability to quickly synthesize accurate, gene-length DNA in our own lab will revolutionize our ability to experiment and accelerate results across engineering biology.

Colin McCracken, Chief Executive Officer at Evonetix, commented: We are proud to be collaborating with scientists at the University of Cambridge as part of our early access programme, delivering our high-fidelity DNA for use in research activities. Synthesizing the first user-ready DNA using our desktop platform is a huge accomplishment and a big step towards the development of our platform. Following our recent fundraise1, this achievement continues our work towards full commercialization of our technology.

Dr Matt Hayes, Chief Technology Officer at Evonetix, added: Our technology brings together entirely new approaches to chemistry and process control to enable DNA synthesis in any lab. Having optimized each element of our technology, this milestone demonstrates that our platform can successfully synthesize DNA using our patented thermally controlled semiconductor chip technology and will allow us to begin expanding the scale of our synthesis.

For more news from Evonetix, please visit: https://www.evonetix.com/news/

1. Press release (7th February, 2023) Evonetix closes $24 million USD (20 million) financing

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005467/en/

Lorna Cuddon

Zyme Communications

Tel: +44(0)7811996942

Email: [email protected]

Source: EVONETIX LTD
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FLT), a leading global business payments company, today announced that the Company will participate in the following investor conferences:

On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, the Company will host a fireside chat at the Barclays Emerging Payments and FinTech Forum. The discussion will begin at 1:15 PM ET.

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the Company will host a fireside chat at the Baird Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference. The discussion will begin at 3:45 PM ET.

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the Company will present at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference. The presentation will begin at 12:40 PM CT.

On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the Company will host a fireside chat at the RBC Capital Markets Financial Technology Conference. The discussion will begin at 10:40 AM ET

Investors and interested parties can access these presentations by visiting the Companys investor relations website at http://investor.fleetcor.com/.

About FLEETCOR

FLEETCOR Technologies (NYSE: FLT) is a leading global business payments company that helps businesses spend less by providing innovative solutions that enable and control expense-related purchasing and payment processes. The FLEETCOR portfolio of brands automate, secure, digitize and manage payment transactions on behalf of businesses across more than 150 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.FLEETCOR.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005749/en/

Investor Relations

Jim Eglseder, 770-417-4697

[email protected]

Source: FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc.
Unprecedented in scope, speed, and significance, the global settlement, reached just after plaintiffs concluded their case in the bellwether trial in San Francisco, is the culmination of four years of a vast, unrelenting effort by plaintiffs and their counsel to hold Altria accountable for the 21st centurys cigarettes redux youth nicotine plague.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel announce a comprehensive and historic $235 million settlement with Altria in the nationwide JUUL e-cigarette vaping predatory advertising, fraud, addiction and injury litigation currently facing bellwether trial in San Francisco. The settlement will resolve all remaining personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity cases brought in the national MDL and the JCCP in California against Altria (the earlier phase of the vast litigation ended in late 2022 when JUUL entered into four coordinated settlements with all plaintiff parties).

This settlement represents a positive step forward in addressing the harmful impacts of vaping on the public, said Girard Sharp partner Dena Sharp, Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in the litigation. The settlement funds will compensate JUUL purchasers, young people, parents, and governmental organizations across America, and avoids the delay and uncertainty of continued court proceedings. We are proud of our clients and the federal court system that made this result possible. The legal system worked in this case, and we thank the jurors who devoted their time to this trial over the past few weeks.

Together with the earlier settlements with JUUL in the federal multidistrict litigation captioned In re: Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2913, and the coordinated proceeding captioned Juul Labs Product Cases, JCCP No. 5052, the settlements with Altria (nee Philip Morris) announced today will directly address youth use of e-cigarettes nationwide and provide compensation to JUUL purchasers.

The Altria settlement follows nearly four years of hard-fought litigation in both state and federal court. Co-Lead Counsel believe that resolving the litigation against Altria through settlement is categorically in the best interests of all plaintiffs. The settlement builds on Plaintiffs earlier successful efforts to hold JUUL itself accountable, and will provide monetary relief as well as continuing mandatory changes to Juul/Altrias marketing and other practices, including prohibitions on youth marketing and the sale of flavors not authorized by the FDA.

The Altria settlement brings a final resolution to the personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity cases brought in the MDL and the JCCP brought on behalf of children, families, and JUUL purchasers everywhere in the U.S.

Next Steps

The Court will hold a hearing in the near future to review the proposed class settlement. If the settlement receives preliminary approval, a Class Settlement Administrator will be appointed to handle the process of making funds available to class members (including those that already filed claims as part of the JUUL settlement). At that time, the Class Settlement Administrator will notify class members about their rights under the Settlement. Concurrently, a claims process will begin for the Personal Injury and Government Entity settlements.

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Dena Sharp

GIRARD SHARP LLP

601 California Street, Suite 1400

San Francisco, CA 94108

Telephone: (866) 981-4800

Source: GIRARD SHARP LLP
Annual Teacher of the Year Awards recognizes 16 teachers for their dedication to students

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Goddard Systems, LLC, (GSL), the franchisor of The Goddard School, the nations leading premium early childhood education provider, is honored to recognize 16 teachers from across the country for their outstanding efforts and commitment to students this past year.

Now in its 17th year, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards celebrates Goddard School educators who use their passion for teaching to encourage a sense of joy in the learning process. This year, teachers from across The Goddard Schools more than 600 locations were nominated by school owners, fellow teachers and families in four classroom categories (infant, toddler, preschool/pre-k and kindergarten/school-age) across four regions (northeast, southeast, central and west). Sixteen teachers, which includes one grand prize Teacher of the Year winner, were selected for their embodiment of competence, leadership, creativity and a nurturing demeanor.

At the Goddard School, we are fortunate to have teachers committed to instilling a love of learning in their students in classrooms across the country, said Dennis R. Maple, chairman and CEO, GSL. Its truly an honor to recognize and celebrate these award-winning teachers for their dedication to Goddard students and families. Because of their steadfast efforts, Goddard students will continue to flourish for years to come.

16 Regional Winners

This years 16 winning Goddard teachers were selected from more than 3,100 nominations. All 16 regional winners created strong bonds between home and school and incorporated their own passions into their teaching while continuing to ensure the health and safety of their students. In addition to being named a 2023 Goddard School Teacher of the Year, GSL gifted each of the regional winners a $1,000 cash award and dedicated a custom set of Life Lesson Library books, Goddards exclusive social-emotional development program, to each school in the teachers name. Congratulations to the following teachers:

Northeast Region Winners:

Southeast Region Winners:

Central Region Winners:

West Region Winners:

Grand Prize Winner

In addition to being a regional winner, The Goddard School of Collegeville, PAs Alex Frangoulis was named The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards grand prize winner. Frangoulis has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students and families during his 5-year tenure at the school.

I absolutely love coming to work every day to support the children at The Goddard School of Collegeville, said Frangoulis. I appreciate everyone in our school family who nominated me for this award. It was a lovely surprise and I am truly honored to be chosen among so many caring and hardworking early childhood educators.

Several children who have graduated from his kindergarten program have returned years later to visit because their time with him made learning a fun and memorable experience. Frangoulis consistently breaks down concepts into relatable stories and activities that have practical application in a childs everyday life. When teaching about different world cultures and communities, for example, he always invites families to share aspects of their respective cultures. As the grand prize winner, GSL honored Frangoulis with an additional $5,000 cash award.

A childs social and emotional development is just as crucial as their academic growth, and these teachers exemplify perfecting that partnership through early childhood education, said Dr. Lauren Starnes, senior vice president and chief academic officer, GSL. We are so appreciative of their commitment to fully preparing their students for the next steps in both their academic and life journeys. We cant thank them enough for all that they do for their students and families.

For more information about The Goddard School, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards and this years winners, please visit GoddardSchool.com.

ABOUT GODDARD SYSTEMS, LLC

Established in 1988, Goddard Systems, LLC (GSL), the franchisor of The Goddard School, is the acknowledged leader in the premium early childcare and education market segment. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSL has been consistently named one of the top childcare franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales) by Franchise Times. Goddard Systems currently licenses more than 600 Goddard School franchises that serve more than 75,000 students in 37 states. For more information, visit goddardschoolfranchise.com.

ABOUT THE GODDARD SCHOOL

Learning for fun. Learning for life.

Children learn best through experience. The Goddard School uses current, academically endorsed methods to ensure that children have fun while learning the skills they need for long-term success in school and in life.

The distinctive structure positions schools to support the needs of families and helps ensure that children are known and appreciated for their individual talents and personalities. The Goddard Schools F.L.EX. Learning Program (Fun Learning Experience) helps children explore and discover their interests in a safe, nurturing environment. And a team of acknowledged experts in various fields of early childhood education guides the course of study.

Additionally, this program has earned Cognia Accreditation and Middle States Corporate Accreditation for creating policies, programs and standards that help franchised locations meet high standards in early learning, child development and childcare. The Goddard School serves more than 75,000 students from six weeks to six years old in 37 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more about The Goddard School, please visit GoddardSchool.com.

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Joe Markle

Media Relations Specialist, Goddard Systems

610-405-9569

[email protected]

Source: Goddard Systems, LLC
The rise of gold mining in Sudan, which has become Africas third largest producer of the precious mineral over the last decade, has gone hand in hand with the growth of poverty in a country that ranks 172nd in the United Nations Human Development Index (out of a total of 191 nations). While Sudanese authorities announced in January that a record production had been achieved in 2022, the World Banks economic indicators pointed to a very different mark for this country located in the Horn of Africa: the percentage of the population below the poverty threshold had risen steadily from 15.3% in 2014 to 32.9% in 2022. That is to say, right now around 15 million people are living on less than $2.15 (1.96) a day.

Although the gold industry does not explain by itself the impoverishment of Sudan, the battle over its control is fueling the current conflict between the Sudanese army and the main paramilitary organization, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), for whom gold has become one of its main sources of funding. At least 604 people have died and another 5,127 have been injured since a fresh confrontation broke out on April 15, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

No one knows exactly how much gold is being extracted in Sudan. The industry began to gain traction following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, as a way to compensate for the two-thirds of oil wells that Khartoum lost with the independence of the south of the territory. Although available figures are confusing, they do offer a dimension of the minerals economic potential. In January, the director of the General Administration for the Supervision and Control of Production Companies, Alaeldin Ali, stated at a media conference that the country had achieved a new extraction record, having exceeded its best production by one ton and 611 kilograms. The previous record was set in 2017 with 107 tons. In other words, last years extraction would have been around 109 tons, according to these official calculations. The Sudanese Resources Company announced in April that the export of gold, to the tune of around 41.8 tons, had brought in revenue of about $2 billion (1.8 billion) in 2022.

None of these figures include the gold that gets smuggled out of the country. The Central Bank of Sudan has recognized that [mineral] smuggling is a major problem in the country, says Denise Sprimont-Vasquez, an analyst at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). This expert points to the gold extraction companies controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, as one of the actors responsible for this looting. The other faction, the national army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, exploits other economic sectors of the country. And then there is the Wagner Group, a shady organization of Russian mercenaries with ties to the Kremlin, whom the United States and the European Union accuse of exploiting Sudanese gold through shell companies. In January of this year, it was revealed that three Russian citizens had been arrested for smuggling gold out of Sudan, recalls Sprimont-Vasquez.

Nor does the Sudanese state have the capacity to account for the gold extracted through artisanal mining methods, which according to the C4ADS analyst represents 85% of the countrys total. As this activity is mainly informal, it is unlikely that it will be covered by official statistics, she adds.

Two men pan for gold in Sudan, near Khartoum. Eric Lafforgue

The 2021 coup, which ended the transitional government and gave way to the military executive of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, increased opacity in the gold sector, says Joseph Siegle, research director at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. During the brief period that Sudans transitional government lasted (from the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 to October 2021), an audit by the civilian-led Ministry of Finance revealed that most revenues from gold were not declared. In 2021 alone, at least 32 tons of gold went unaccounted for, according to state inspections, which is a minimum of $1.9 billion, Siegle explains. The figure was advanced by CNN in a 2022 investigation. The estimate that was made is that in 2021 the real production of gold might have reached 233 tons, a figure much higher than what is reflected in the official data, adds Jesus Garcia Luengo, an expert in sub-Saharan African resources and a member of the African Studies Group at Madrids Autonomous University.

Gold as a weapon of war

Gold is financing part of the conflict. It provides Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with a deep, government-independent war chest to finance his conflict, even though the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by al-Burhan, also control many companies and economic sectors in the country, Siegle stresses. Dagalo, according to this analyst, has become one of the richest men in the country, among other things due to his control of the gold sector, in addition to livestock and infrastructure, in the western region of Darfur.

This control of resources by military actors is, says Siegle, an important factor in the current conflict and one of the reasons that keep the country in a critical economic situation. If the armed forces had to submit to a civilian government, as required by the framework agreement that governed the transition to democracy, then these resources would enter the government treasury, contributing significantly to the economic recovery and stabilization of the country.

Gold extracted from Sudan is believed to have helped stabilize the Russian economy since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent international sanctions Research director at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies

But Moscow also benefits from this state of affairs. Wagner, under Yevgeny Prigozhin [known as Russian President Vladimir Putins chef] has become very active in the Sudanese gold sector, including in close collaboration with Hemedti, Siegle explains. According to this expert, it was precisely the arrival of the Wagner Group, whose presence in Sudan Prigozhin has denied, that has raised part of Sudans artisanal mining to a commercial scale. This would explain the record levels of extraction; gold extracted from Sudan is believed to have helped stabilize the Russian economy since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent international sanctions [against Moscow], he stresses. According to a CNN investigation published last July and based on information from official Sudanese sources, between February and July of last year at least 16 flights left Sudan for Russia loaded with smuggled gold.

While paramilitary and foreign actors share the exploitation of gold, those 233 tons that are estimated to have been extracted in 2021 would have meant revenues of more than $13 billion [11.7 billion], notes Garcia Luengo. This income would be fundamental in a country where the population suffers from severe deprivations, with low Human Development Index indicators and an immense need for basic social services.

In addition, the scant control over gold mining not only perpetuates poverty, but also represents a major environmental and public health problem. Artisanal miners often use mercury, which is cheaper than other substances, to separate gold from other minerals. During the process, the extracted amalgam is heated, as mercury evaporates before the gold melts. However, it is odorless and highly toxic, so it is easily inhaled by workers, in addition to contaminating land and water.

To measure the impact of this pollution, Garcia Luengo recalls that some two million people work in Sudans artisanal mining industry, including children (the countrys population is more than 45 million people). They work without adequate protection, he laments, so that the gold business not only impoverishes them and generates violence, but also makes them sick.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSX: GFP) (GreenFirst) will host a conference call to review its first-quarter financial results on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 8:30am (Eastern). The results are scheduled to be released at the close of trading on May 15, 2023.

The live webcast of the earnings conference call can be accessed via telephone: (+1) 416 764 8658 or (+1) 888 886 7786 or via web http://momentum.adobeconnect.com/greenfirstq1/. A replay of the webcast and presentation slides will be available on GreenFirsts website following the conference call. Please visit GreenFirsts Investor Relations website at greenfirst.ca/investors at the end of the day on May 15, 2023 to view the earnings release prior to the conference call.

About GreenFirst

GreenFirst Forest Products is a forest-first business, focused on sustainable forest management and lumber production. The Company owns four sawmills located in rich wood baskets proudly operating over 6.1 million hectares of FSC certified public Ontario forestlands (FSC-C167905). The Company believes that responsible forest practices, coupled with the long-term green advantage of lumber, provide GreenFirst with significant cyclical and secular advantages in building products.

For more information, please visit: www.greenfirst.ca or contact Investor Relations at (416) 775 2821

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510006076/en/

Investor Relations

(416) 775 2821

Source: GreenFirst Forest Products Inc.
BioLegend Founder Gene Lay makes transformational gift to address steep rise in cancer and other immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Brigham and Womens Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham, today announces a historic $100 million gift from eminent biotechnology entrepreneur Gene Lay, MS, DVM, founder and CEO of BioLegend, Inc., through the Laygend Foundation. The landmark giftthe largest in the Brighams historywill establish The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation of Brigham and Womens Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), also a founding member of Mass General Brigham, and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Vijay Kuchroo, DVM, PhD, an immunologist and principal investigator at the Brigham, will serve as inaugural director of the institute, which will be located at and administered by the Brigham. Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Immunology at HMS, and Ramnik Xavier, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology at MGH, will serve as the institutes vice directors.

I have always been fascinated by the immune systems ability to heal the body, says Lay. And Ive had a longstanding relationship with and respect for the scientists in the Harvard medical community, who played an instrumental role in my career. With this gift, I am bringing together the best scientific minds I know to translate research discoveries into therapies for immune-mediated diseases rooted in chronic inflammation.

With a philanthropic investment of $100 million, the new institute will leverage the collective strengths of Boston and HMS-affiliated immunology and biomedical experts and their collaborations with some of the worlds most distinguished scientists. Kuchroo will lead day-to-day operations, convening core and affiliated faculty and trainees around three central platforms: basic science, translational science, and technology. The primary areas of research will include basic understanding of immune-mediated diseases, aging, and cancer and translation of this knowledge to the development of new immunotherapies. In addition, the Gene Lay Institute will provide substantial training opportunities for students and fellows to support immunology innovators of the future.

We are honored to receive this historic and visionary gift from Dr. Lay, who is deeply committed to solving an emerging trend in medicinethe rise of chronic inflammation associated with increased levels of disease and suffering, says Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, president of the Brigham and executive vice president of Mass General Brigham. This will amplify our ability to improve the quality of patients lives across the country and around the world. Were thrilled to be part of this pivotal moment in the field of medicine.

During the past several decades, the astounding rise in inflammatory diseases has made it increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is a root cause of many diseasesnot only allergies and autoimmune diseases, but also cancer and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, says Kuchroo. This transformative gift and investment will allow some of the best immunologists of our time to address this epidemic head-on and build new knowledge to promote basic understanding for preventing and treating immune-mediated diseases.

Adds George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, dean of HMS, As weve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and modes of scientific inquiry is key to addressing our most confounding scientific and medical challenges. Were deeply grateful for this opportunity to convene the best immunologists in the world to bring solutions to patients and families.

Lay is the founder of San Diego-based BioLegend, now part of Revvity, Inc., which is a global life sciences and diagnostics company. BioLegend focuses on the development and production of high-quality antibodies, proteins, and assays for cellular immunity, inflammation, cancer, stem cells, and other reagents required for research and diagnosis. Since its founding in 2002, BioLegend has expanded its reach across the globe, with research and development facilities in Taiwan and Japan, as well as subsidiaries in Taiwan, Japan, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France. Lay continues to give back to the scientific community while pursuing his dream of cultivating more expertise in Taiwan, the country where he was born.

About Brigham and Women's Hospital

Brigham and Womens Hospital is a founding member of Mass General Brigham and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. With nearly 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 50,000 inpatient stays, and over 2.6 million outpatient encounters annually, clinicians across the Brigham provide compassionate, high-quality care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally, nationally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical, and translational research, Brigham and Womens Hospital has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by nearly $750 million in funding. The Brighams medical preeminence and service to the community dates to 1832, with the opening of the Boston Lying In, one of the nation's first maternity hospitals designed to care for women unable to afford in-home medical care. Its merger with the Free Hospital for Women resulted in the Boston Hospital for Women in 1966. In 1980, the Boston Hospital for Women, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital officially merged to become Brigham and Womens Hospital. With nearly 21,000 employees across the Brigham family  including the Brigham and Womens Physicians Organization and Brigham and Womens Faulkner Hospital  that rich history is the foundation for our commitment to providing superb care for some of the most complex cases, pursuing breakthroughs in biomedical research, training the next generation of health care providers, and serving the local and global community.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005276/en/

Jessica Pastore

617-874-6346

Source: Brigham and Womens Hospital
Award-winning cannabis brand meets increasing niche market demand, adds pre-roll to innovative product lineup

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Item 9 Labs, an award-winning, premium cannabis brand, announced the latest release of its limited edition one-gram rosin-infused pre-rolls in participating Arizona dispensaries.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005329/en/

The demand for solventless cannabis products in Arizona has continued to grow since the start of the state's adult-use cannabis market. Item 9 Labs' infusion process for these pre-rolls captures the true essence of its award-winning, intentionally grown flower and features flavorful and potent, 100% solventless rosin. (Photo: Business Wire)

The product release follows a successful initial test run in December 2022 that immediately sold out after being stocked in local dispensaries and generated extremely positive customer and budtender feedback on the product quality.

Our teams infusion process for these pre-rolls captures the true essence of our award-winning, intentionally grown flower and features flavorful and potent, 100% solventless rosin, said Chris Wolven, Chief Operating Officer of Item 9 Labs.

The demand for solventless cannabis products in Arizona has continued to grow since the start of the states adult-use cannabis market, especially in the concentrate and vape categories. The niche sector provides a consistent, high quality and fuller expression of the various cannabinoids and terpenes that the cannabis plant has to offer.

Cannabis data firm BDSA analyzed product data from the past year and noted that the growing rosin category is making a significant mark among many mature markets in the evolving industry, counting single to double-digit growth in sales from 2021 to 2022.

Our goal is to provide our community with the premium cannabis products they deserve, Wolven continued. Item 9 Labs one-gram rosin-infused pre-rolls are made with full nugs from our premium, house-grown cannabis flower and infused with pure concentrate  creating a pocket-free, fully homogenized infused pre-roll that stands out from others in the Arizona market.

Item 9 Labs addition of rosin-infused pre-rolls bolsters its already extensive product lineup of connoisseur grade pre-rolls, featuring one-gram pre-rolls crafted with its award-winning flower and infused with live resin sugar, live resin badder or crumble concentrates.

According to BDSAs most recent market research, Item 9 Labs ranked No. 3 in Arizonas one-gram infused pre-roll category for February 2023, capturing 8.5% market share. Overall, the state generated $4.16 million in infused pre-rolls that month. Being sold in over 65% of Arizonas dispensaries, Item 9 Labs is recognized as one of the top 10 leading cannabis brands in the state.

The rosin-infused pre-rolls are sold at participating Botanica, JARS and Nature's Medicines locations, among other dispensaries throughout Phoenix.

To learn more about Item 9 Labs and the brands wide range of premium cannabis products, visit item9labs.com or its Instagram at @item_9_labs.

ABOUT ITEM 9 LABS

Item 9 Labs cultivates the highest quality cannabis products while providing transparency, consistency and well-being for an enhanced cannabis experience. With more than 35 podium finishes in Arizona marijuana competitions, Item 9 Labs is a trusted source for premium cannabis products. Starting with intentionally grown flower, the Item 9 Labs product catalog spans across five core categories, including several active cannabis strains, cannabis vape products, premium concentrates and Orion vape technology. For additional information, visit item9labs.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005329/en/

Item 9 Labs

[email protected]

Source: Item 9 Labs
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to six classes of notes issued by LAD Auto Receivables Trust 2023-2 (LADAR 2023-2), an auto loan ABS transaction.

LADAR 2023-2 represents the second term ABS securitization for Driveway Finance Corporation (DFC or the Company) in 2023 and the fourth overall. LADAR 2023-2 will issue six classes of notes totaling $476.95 million. Credit enhancement on the notes is comprised of overcollateralization (OC), yield supplement overcollateralization (YSOC), subordination of junior note classes, a cash reserve account, and excess spread.

DFC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lithia Financial Corporation, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Lithia Motors, Inc. (Lithia). DFC has been originating and servicing loans in the automobile finance business since September 2012, initially targeting a subprime borrower base. Since May 2020, the Company has been a full credit spectrum lender, financing vehicles exclusively to Lithia customers through Lithias dealership network and e-commerce business channels. Today, Lithia is a Fortune 500 company operating 332 dealership locations representing 50 brands in the United States, Canadian provinces, and the UK. Lithia offers an array of products and services including new and used vehicles, insurance, automotive repair and maintenance, and automobile financing through its DFC subsidiary.

KBRA applied its Auto Loan ABS Global Rating Methodology, as well as its Global Structured Finance Counterparty Methodology and ESG Global Rating Methodology as part of its analysis of the static pool data and the underlying Collateral pool and stressed the capital structure based upon its stress case cash flow assumptions. KBRA considered its onsite operational review of Lithia and DFC at its Tigard, OR location, as well as periodic due diligence updates with Lithia and DFC. Operative agreements and legal opinions will be reviewed prior to closing.

To access ratings and relevant documents, click here.

Click here to view the report.

Related Publications

Disclosures

Further information on key credit considerations, sensitivity analyses that consider what factors can affect these credit ratings and how they could lead to an upgrade or a downgrade, and ESG factors (where they are a key driver behind the change to the credit rating or rating outlook) can be found in the full rating report referenced above.

A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here.

Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here.

Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com.

About KBRA

Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA) is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510006042/en/

Analytical Contacts



Brockton Bowers, Senior Analyst (Lead Analyst)

+1 (646) 731-2418

[email protected]



Jacob Paulose, Associate Director

+1 (646) 731-1269

[email protected]



Eric Neglia, Senior Managing Director (Rating Committee Chair)

+1 (646) 731-2456

[email protected]



Business Development Contact



Arielle Smelkinson, Senior Director

+1 (646) 731-2369

[email protected]

Source: Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC
Key Points:

LEXI is a green energy company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium brine assets in Argentina. LEXI's portfolio includes approximately 72,000 hectares

LEXI will initiate a drilling campaign within thirty days in its Antofalla North Project

The highly-experienced, hyper-local team brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on familiarity with the Antofalla Salar

The first phase includes 1,600 meters of drilling in four diamond core wells

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lithium Energi Exploration Inc. (TSXV:LEXI) (the Company or LEXI) is pleased to announce that contracts are executed, and the first drill hole in its Antofalla North Project drilling campaign (the Campaign) will commence in the next 30 days.

Our Campaign team is best-in-class, comprising companies owned and operated by local residents of the province of Catamarca, where the project is located, with past experience operating in the Salar de Antofalla, noted LEXI CEO Ali Rahman. This hyper-local knowledge will be critical to ensuring our ability to execute a successful drilling campaign to prove value in our properties and deliver shareholder value. We believe that 2023 will be a break-out year for LEXI, coinciding with the markets recognition that investment in lithium is critical to actually build the energy transition.

The Campaign will initially undertake 1,600 meters of drilling in four diamond core wells to obtain physical core samples and characterize the subsurface in the properties. Average total depth (TD) per well is anticipated to be 400 meters; however, based on real-time field results, deeper horizons may also be explored. The core samples will reveal porosity, permeability, and can provide chemical analysis critical for resource estimation. Core samples are planned for analysis at Geosystems Analysis, Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, one of the foremost analytical laboratories in the world for analyzing lithium brine core samples. Brine sample analysis will be conducted at Alex Stewart Laboratories to yield full spectroscopic analysis of brine chemistry and lithium concentrations.

The Antofalla basin is a long, narrow, fault-based graben  identified as one of the worlds largest entrapment depressions hosting lithium-bearing brine  and its total depth is not currently defined. Although adjacent results from others cannot and do not assure the outcome of this Campaign, published data resulting from drilling campaigns executed by other exploration companies on claims near to the Antofalla North Project have reportedly yielded indications of significant volumes of lithium-bearing brine with concentrations ranging from 350 to 650 ppm.

Highly experienced lithium hydrogeologist and qualified person, Murray Brooker, has planned the location of drill holes for the upcoming program, based on previous TEM electrical geophysics for the company and extensive knowledge acquired working on salt lake projects in Argentina for more than a decade. Based on data obtained from core samples and pump tests, the Campaign is expected to yield a NI 43-101 resource estimate, possibly ready for publication as early as Q4 of 2023.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Murray Brooker, RP. Geoscientist 10,086, a consultant of the Company, and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc.

Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc., (TSXV: LEXI), (FSE: L09), (OTC: LXENF), or LEXI is an exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium brine assets in Argentina. LEXI's portfolio of prospective lithium brine concessions in the Argentina Province of Catamarca (heart of the lithium triangle) includes approximately 57,000 hectares and a 20% interest in Triangle Lithium Argentina, S.A., which owns an additional 15,000 hectares - all located in and around the Antofalla Salar, one of the largest basins in the region. LEXI is committed to innovation, sustainability, and quality, striving to differentiate itself from other players in the industry to maximize its potential for success. LEXI is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Catamarca, Argentina. For more information, visit lithiumenergi.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ali Rahman

________________________

Ali Rahman,

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking 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.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the results of preliminary testing proving accurate and repeatable over time and at commercial scale; the absence of material changes with respect to the Company and its businesses; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of future economic evaluations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties; failure to of the parties to the Transactions to comply with the terms and conditions of the definitive agreements relating to the Transactions; and the use of proceeds. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005408/en/

For media inquiries:

Ian Murphy

[email protected]

(310) 689-6397

Source: Lithium Energi Exploration Inc.
Unprecedented in scope, speed, and significance, the global settlement, reached just after plaintiffs concluded their case in the bellwether trial in San Francisco, is the culmination of four years of a vast, unrelenting effort by plaintiffs and their counsel to hold Altria accountable for the 21st centurys cigarettes redux youth nicotine plague

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel announce a comprehensive and historic $235 million settlement with Altria in the sprawling nationwide JUUL e-cigarette youth vaping predatory advertising, fraud, addiction and injury litigation currently facing bellwether trial in San Francisco. The settlement will resolve all remaining personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity cases brought in the national MDL and the JCCP in California against Altria (the earlier phase of the vast litigation ended in late 2022 when JUUL entered into four coordinated settlements with all plaintiff parties).

To call this global settlement with Altria momentous is an understatement, states Lieff Cabraser partner Sarah R. London, Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in the litigation. Unprecedented in speed of attainment, scope, and impact, it will provide extraordinary and truly meaningful relief for youth, parents, and governmental organizations nationwide in a comprehensive resolution that avoids the delay of further trial and possible appeals, bringing closure to litigation brought on behalf of children, teens, young adults, parents, schools, health departments, and really, on behalf of everyone across the nation. This is an extraordinary outcome. We could not be more proud of the courage, resolution and persistence our clients, and are delighted with this superlative result.

Together with the earlier settlements with JUUL in the federal multidistrict litigation captioned In re: Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2913, and the coordinated proceeding captioned Juul Labs Product Cases, JCCP No. 5052, the settlements with Altria (nee Philip Morris) announced today will directly address youth use of e-cigarettes nationwide.

The Altria settlement follows four years of hard-fought litigation in both state and federal court. Co-Lead Counsel believe that resolving the litigation against Altria and its officers and directors through settlement is categorically in the best interests of all plaintiffs. The settlement builds on Plaintiffs earlier successful efforts to hold Juul itself accountable, and will provide monetary relief as well as continuing mandatory changes to Juul/Altrias marketing and other practices, including prohibitions on youth marketing and the sale of flavors not authorized by the FDA.

The Altria settlement brings a final resolution to the personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity cases brought in the MDL and the JCCP brought on behalf of children and families everywhere in the U.S.

This last-shoe-dropping settlement in the JUUL e-cigarette youth harm cases will provide meaningful compensation to people suffering from nicotine addiction and other injuries, and will further remunerate consumers who purchased JUUL products as well as providing new and much-needed resources to school districts, cities, and counties to abate youth nicotine addiction in their communities.

The Altria settlements include over 8,500 personal injury cases, and over 1,400 government entity cases, and a massive class of consumers. The scope of these suits is beyond vast, London also notes. This settlement, in combination with the earlier JUUL settlements, marks a stunning and complete resolution of the JUUL/Altria litigation, and adds substantial additional compensation for victims and their families, get real funds to schools for abatement programs, and help local governments further prevent youth use of e-cigarettes across America.

Next Steps

The Court will hold a hearing in the near future to review the proposed class settlement. If the settlement receives preliminary approval, a Class Settlement Administrator will be appointed to structure and initiate a formal claims process. At that time, the Class Settlement Administrator will notify class members about their rights under the Settlement. Concurrently, a claims process will begin for the Personal Injury and Government Entity settlements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005894/en/

Sarah London

LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP

275 Battery Street, Fl. 29

San Francisco, CA 94111

Telephone: (415) 956-1000

Email: [email protected]

Source: LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP
This achievement exemplifies the REITs unwavering commitment to sustainability goals that minimize specific property footprints while fueling community development

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Macerich, a leading owner, operator and developer of top retail and mixed-use destinations across major U.S. markets, today announced the successful certification of 11 retail assets under BREEAMs In-Use certification standard. This achievement exemplifies Macerichs commitment to improving its sustainable performance cross-portfolio, integrating asset benchmarking and certification into an innovative, forward-looking sustainable strategy and a larger set of ESG goals centered around thoughtful redevelopment and community stewardship.

Comprising nearly 14 million square feet, the Macerich properties that have achieved BREEAM certification span seven states and include Danbury Fair in Connecticut; Deptford Mall in New Jersey; Green Acres Mall, Kings Plaza and Queens Center in New York; Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Fashion Square in Arizona; The Oaks (common area) in California; FlatIron Crossing and Twenty Ninth Street in Colorado; and Tysons Corner Center in Virginia.

Macerich has long teamed with BREEAM to champion innovative means of measuring sustainability progress across our industry, including monitoring the progress to carbon neutrality by existing properties, which are core to so much of the retail landscape, said Olivia Bartel Leigh, Executive Vice President, Portfolio Operations and People, Macerich. We are very pleased to have received this certification  a recognition that reflects our philosophy of making a difference for our investors, employees, industry partners and the communities where we do business by engaging with sustainability in all we do.

BREEAM  a leading global sustainable building assessment standard delivered by BRE Group (BRE)  was the sustainability certification of choice for Macerich based on several prominent points of alignment with Macerichs broader sustainability strategy. Macerichs focus on the concept of double materiality is largely supported by the BREEAM approach to assessment and certification, as the platform has always highlighted stakeholder education and financial wellness as two important aspects of an impactful strategy.

Already ingrained in EU ESG regulations, double materiality looks at the opportunity to view ESG in a way that drives both sustainable and economic gain, considering the intersection of financial responsibility and good stewardship of natural resources. This approach necessitates a companys evaluation of the internal and external impacts related to sustainable decision-making. Macerich sought BREEAM certification of these assets in part to ensure that a thoughtful multi-level assessment was completed upon certification.

When dealing with retail assets, identifying the most effective, efficient methodology to assess sustainability performance can be nuanced and difficult, particularly where the sector is working with existing infrastructure rather than new construction, said Breana Wheeler, US Director of Operations at BRE. Despite certain hurdles within the asset type, Macerich clearly understands the value these properties hold as community cornerstones, and the firm remains at the forefront of the sustainability movement transforming properties with new technologies and innovative best practices. The firm became the first organization in the US to certify an asset under BREEAM back in 2016. In the years since, it has established itself as a prime example of how a REIT can address climate concerns and reduce environmental impact, while also choosing a pathway that makes financial sense and reflects a strong return on investment for stakeholders.

In addition to its notable compatibility with existing infrastructure, BREEAMs rigorous and science-backed method for building assessment and performance benchmarking guides users toward the most relevant data and insights needed to achieve even the most complex ESG goals. For Macerich, this includes achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 (20 years ahead of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement); deploying drought-resistant landscaping, low-flow fixtures and monitoring technology to minimize waste and protect freshwater; and establishing operations with zero on-mall waste through the reduction of landfill waste and the support of tenants sustainability commitments.

From a governance perspective, Macerich and BREEAM share a commitment to transparency that was reflected throughout this certification process. For each asset, BREEAM utilizes a third-party assessor tasked with the objective evaluation of building operations and performance, conducted via an on-site walkthrough.

In leveraging third-party evaluation, the platform provides users like Macerich with an added level of accountability and transparency in their assessment and, ultimately, their reporting. This further speaks to Macerichs forward-looking strategy, as the company has proven its ability to actively demonstrate best practices while amassing outside data to inform a stronger ESG policy in the future. Certification of all 11 Macerich assets was supported by the third-party assessor team at UL Solutions.

About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich's portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Developing and managing properties that serve as community cornerstones, Macerich currently owns 47 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 44 regional town centers, many of which contain mixed uses. Macerich is firmly dedicated to advancing environmental goals, social good and sound corporate governance. A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has achieved a #1 GRESB ranking for the North American retail sector for U.S. Retail, Retail Centers. For more information, please visit www.Macerich.com.

Macerich uses, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website, which can be found at investing.macerich.com, as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Additional information about Macerich can be found through social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures, including NOI and FFO, to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the earnings release and supplemental filed on Form 8-K with the SEC, which are posted on the Investor Relations website at investing.macerich.com.

About BRE & BREEAM

BRE delivers innovative and rigorous products, services, standards and qualifications which are used around the globe to make buildings better for people and for the environment. For a century we have provided government and industry with cutting edge research and testing to make buildings safer and more sustainable. Learn more at www.bregroup.com.

BREEAM is the worlds leading science-based suite of validation and certification systems for the sustainable built environment. Since 1990, its third-party certified standards have helped improve asset performance at every stage, from design through construction, to use and renovation. Millions of buildings across the world are registered to work towards BREEAMs holistic approach to achieve ESG, health and Net Zero goals. It is owned by BRE  a profit-for-purpose organization with over 100 years of building science and research experience. Learn more at www.breeam.com/usa.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005761/en/

MEDIA

Emily Kaufold, Antenna Spaces

[email protected]

201-465-8033

Source: BRE
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mednow Inc. (TSXV: MNOW) (OTCQX: MDNWF), Canadas on-demand virtual pharmacy, announced today that further to its news release dated April 24, 2023, the Company has amended the terms of its offering by way of prospectus supplement for proceeds of up to $1,000,000 (the Offering) led by Gravitas Securities Inc. (the Agent). Pursuant to the Offering, the Company has engaged the Agent to offer on a commercially reasonable efforts basis up to 3,703,704 units of the Company (Units) at a price of $0.27 per Unit (the Unit Price). The Company has agreed to grant the Agent an option to increase the size of the Offering by up to 15% (the Over-Allotment Option), exercisable in whole or in part at any time for a period of 30 days after closing of the Offering.

Each Unit will consist of one Class A common share in the capital of Mednow (a Common Share) and one Common Share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price equal to $0.41 for a period of 5 years from the closing date. The Units will be qualified for distribution by way of shelf prospectus supplement pursuant to a short form base shelf prospectus of the Company dated July 15, 2022.

In consideration for the Agents services with respect to the Offering, Mednow will (i) pay the Agent a cash fee of 8% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering (including Units sold pursuant to exercise of the Over-Allotment Option); and (ii) issue such number of warrants (the Broker Warrants) equal to 8% of the aggregate number of Units sold pursuant to the Offering (including Units sold pursuant to exercise of the Over-Allotment Option). Each Broker Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Unit at the Unit Price for a period of 5 years from the closing date.

The net proceeds of the Offering are intended to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The Offering remains subject to receipt of TSX Venture Exchange and all other necessary regulatory approvals.

About Mednow

Mednow (TSXV: MNOW) (OTCQX: MDNWF) is a healthcare technology company offering virtual access with a high-standard of care. Designed with accessibility and quality of care in mind, Mednow provides virtual pharmacy and telemedicine services as well as doctor home visits through an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare that is focused on the patient experience. Mednows services include free at-home delivery of medications, doctor consultations, a user-friendly interface for easy upload, transfer, and refill of prescriptions, access to healthcare professionals through an intuitive chat experience and the specialized PillSmart system that packages prescriptions in easy to use daily dose packs, each labeled with the date and time of the next dose.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act). The securities have not been and will not be registered under 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.

This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities.

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 Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding the terms of the Offering and the anticipated use of proceeds of the Offering are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as intends or anticipates, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should, would or occur. Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release including that the Offering will close and will do so on the anticipated terms; and that the Company will use the net proceeds in the manner contemplated. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary, include, without limitation, that the Offering will not close or will not close on the anticipated terms or timeline; and that the Company will not be able to utilize the proceeds in the manner contemplated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509006334/en/

Investor contact:

Lorraine Cardenas

1-855-686-6300

[email protected]

Source: Mednow Inc.
Wide majority believe AI will be an investing and trading game changer and will help Financial Advisors better serve clients

Most also believe AI will never take the place of human advice

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morgan Stanley Wealth Management today announced results from its quarterly individual investor pulse survey. The results reveal insights into how investors view Artificial Intelligence (AI) and possible investing use cases:

Most believe AI will be revolutionary for financial services. The wide majority (72%) of investors believe that AI is a game changer for investors and traders and nearly three out of four (74%) believe the technology will help Financial Advisors (FA) better serve their clients. In fact, over three out of five (63%) would be interested in working with a Financial Advisor that leverages it.

The wide majority (72%) of investors believe that AI is a game changer for investors and traders and nearly three out of four (74%) believe the technology will help Financial Advisors (FA) better serve their clients. In fact, over three out of five (63%) would be interested in working with a Financial Advisor that leverages it. But AI will not take the place of human guidance. Over four out of five investors (82%) believe that artificial intelligence will never replace human guidance. And nearly nine out of ten (88%) agree that the human-to-human FA relationship is extremely important.

Over four out of five investors (82%) believe that artificial intelligence will never replace human guidance. And nearly nine out of ten (88%) agree that the human-to-human FA relationship is extremely important. Enthusiasm is most pronounced among younger investors. In particular, 35-44 year old investors over index from the general population in their views that AI will be a game changer (87% v. 72%), that it will help FAs better serve clients (89% v. 74%), their interest in working with an FA who leverages it (85% v. 63%), and their belief that AI will not replace the FA/Client relationship (84% v. 82%).

While AI is clearly groundbreaking, and we are just scratching the surface of its potential impact within financial services, this data aligns with an insight weve known for some time: The clients who are most engaged with their Financial Advisors are also the most satisfied, said Jeff McMillan, Head of Analytics, Data and Innovation for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Within this context, AI should be viewed not as a replacement of human guidance, but as a powerful tool to help turbocharge a Financial Advisors practice management and client interaction capabilities.

Our goal is to arm our Financial Advisors with innovative technology that can help them be more efficient in their practices, giving them more time to do what they do bestserve their clients, said Vince Lumia, Head of Field Management for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Its encouraging to see excitement for artificial intelligence tools not just within the Financial Advisor ranks, but among investors as well.

The research comes on the heels of Morgan Stanley Wealth Managements recent announcement in which it is developing an internal-facing service that leverages OpenAI technology and Morgan Stanleys vast intellectual capital to deliver relevant content and insights into the hands of Financial Advisors in seconds, helping drive efficiency and scale.

About the Survey

This wave of the survey was conducted from April 3 to April 20 of 2023 among an online US sample of 924 self-directed investors, investors who fully delegate investment account management to financial professionals, and investors who utilize both. The survey has a margin of error of 3.20 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. It was fielded and administered by Dynata. The panel is broken into thirds investable assets: less than $500k, between $500k to $1 million, and over $1 million. The panel is 60% male and 40% female and self-select as having moderate+ investing experience, with an even distribution across geographic regions, and age bands.

About Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the Firms employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

This has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument, or to participate in any trading strategy. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. Morgan Stanley recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor.

Morgan Stanley Portfolio Solutions are portfolios available in our Select UMA platform under either Firm Discretionary UMA or Managed Advisory Portfolio Solutions. Please see the Select UMA ADV at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and Dynata are not affiliates.

 2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

Referenced Data

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Artificial intelligence could be a game changer for investors and traders. TOTAL AGE Q223 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Top 2 Box 72% 81% 87% 71% 61% 52% Strongly agree 27% 35% 45% 28% 11% 10% Somewhat agree 45% 46% 52% 43% 50% 42% Somewhat disagree 21% 15% 12% 24% 25% 35% Strongly disagree 7% 4% 1% 5% 14% 13% Bottom 2 Box 28% 19% 13% 29% 39% 48%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Financial Advisors will be able to better serve their clients with the assistance of artificial intelligence. TOTAL AGE Q223 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Top 2 Box 74% 80% 89% 71% 66% 60% Strongly agree 26% 34% 41% 23% 18% 11% Somewhat agree 48% 46% 48% 48% 48% 49% Somewhat disagree 19% 17% 8% 23% 23% 27% Strongly disagree 7% 3% 3% 6% 11% 13% Bottom 2 Box 26% 20% 11% 29% 34% 40%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? I'd be more interested in using a brokerage or Financial Advisor that leverages artificial intelligence over one that doesn't. TOTAL AGE Q223 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Top 2 Box 63% 76% 85% 62% 48% 38% Strongly agree 25% 37% 37% 23% 11% 12% Somewhat agree 38% 39% 48% 39% 37% 26% Somewhat disagree 25% 20% 12% 25% 31% 39% Strongly disagree 12% 4% 3% 13% 21% 23% Bottom 2 Box 37% 24% 15% 38% 52% 62%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Artificial intelligence will never fully take the place of human advice and guidance. TOTAL AGE Q223 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Top 2 Box 82% 79% 84% 80% 84% 82% Strongly agree 42% 41% 45% 40% 40% 43% Somewhat agree 40% 38% 39% 40% 44% 39% Somewhat disagree 15% 16% 13% 17% 13% 15% Strongly disagree 3% 5% 3% 3% 3% 3% Bottom 2 Box 18% 21% 16% 20% 16% 18%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Having a trusted, human-to-human relationship with my Financial Advisor is very important to me. TOTAL AGE Q223 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Top 2 Box 88% 87% 93% 88% 84% 88% Strongly agree 51% 43% 57% 49% 51% 61% Somewhat agree 37% 44% 36% 39% 33% 27% Somewhat disagree 8% 10% 6% 9% 9% 4% Strongly disagree 4% 3% 1% 3% 7% 8% Bottom 2 Box 12% 13% 7% 12% 16% 12%

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Media Relations: Lynn Cocchiola, [email protected]

Source: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MSCI Inc. (MSCI or the Company) (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, published a management presentation for investors on its investor relations website, ir.msci.com, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The Companys management may use this presentation during meetings with investors and analysts.

About MSCI Inc.

MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 50 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process.

To learn more, please visit www.msci.com. MSCI#IR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005866/en/

Investor Inquiries

[email protected]

Jeremy Ulan +1 646 778 4184

[email protected]

Jisoo Suh + 1 917 825 7111

Media Inquiries

[email protected]

Sam Wang +1 212 804 5244

Melanie Blanco +1 212 981 1049

Source: MSCI Inc.
Its nighttime in Tapachula and a crowd of migrants is pushing into one of the entrances to the offices of the National Institute of Migration (INAMI), in the suburbs of the city. Two National Guard offices guarding the entrance use all their effort to stop the metal fence erected to hold back the migrants from being pushed down. Behind the fence, some 2,000 migrants huddle together, waiting their turn. But others rush forward, while the officers try to stop them. Enough already, one agent yells. Amidst the chaos, a group of Venezuelan migrants take pity on the officers and help them hold up the fence to stop the flow.

The officers gather themselves. Theres no room for more here! We cant fit anymore! one of the officers yells, exasperated, to the immigration agents trying to control the migrants behind the fence.

For the past two weeks, thousands of migrants have been lining up every day in miles-long queues in front of the migration offices in Tapachula, the main entrance into the southern border of Mexico. They are waiting in line to request a temporary permit from the Mexican government that will allow them to legally advance towards the Mexico-U.S. border. Most of them are hoping to cross into the United States before the imminent end of Title 42, a pandemic-era rule of the Trump administration that denies asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Migrants line up to receive temporary immigration papers on May 8, in Tapachula (Mexico). Juan Manuel Blanco (EFE)

Migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Central America and even Africa have been waiting hours and days for their turn. They are desperate. On Monday, they endured the relentless sun as the temperature rose to 35C (95F). In the afternoon, it rained down on them.

News that Title 42 is set to end on May 11 has caused a crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, where the U.S. government has stationed 1,500 soldiers to reinforce security and prevent the passage of tens of thousands of migrants. Some 2,174 miles (3,500 kilometers) further south, on the Mexico-Guatemala border, another crisis is playing out.

The thousands of migrants who manage to reach Mexican soil are piling up as they wait for a permit to be able to legally transit to the north. However, others have decided not to wait and are continuing their journey north without the permit, taking alternative routes where they are unlikely to be detained by immigration officers and deported. But these routes come with other risks: robbery, kidnapping, extortion and even death.

But waiting for the paperwork is also a painful process. Brother, I have been lining up here for four days. I am not going to move an inch, says a 37-year-old Venezuelan, as he waits in the rain next to his wife.

People argue while waiting in line to process their paperwork, on May 8. Juan Manuel Blanco (EFE)

The crisis on the Mexico-Guatemala border is not new. Human rights organizations working on the ground estimate that there are between 40,000 and 50,000 migrants trapped in Tapachula, the main entrance on Mexicos southern border. Many of them have come here seeking to apply for a humanitarian visa or refugee status, but have been forced to return or wait for months due to the slow-moving bureaucracy.

On April 23, a caravan of about 3,000 migrants left Tapachula for Mexico City. The leader of the caravan, Irineo Mujica, an activist with the organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders), reached an agreement with the Mexican government: in exchange for breaking up the caravan, migrants would be offered a 45-day temporary permit.

In Tapachula, Mexicos National Immigration Institute opened a mobile office in the citys Ecological Park and began granting express permits to hundreds and then thousands of migrants. According to local newspapers, authorities are handing out more than 1,000 permits per day. But despite this, the line seems to go on forever. Migrants in Tapachula say that the immigration officers are working until 2am to clear the site. But by mid-morning the next day, the line is growing again.

Although the National Immigration Institute is issuing temporary permits non-stop, it does not have the capacity to address the rising number of migrants who have arrived in the past few weeks. The chaos and the lack of organization from authorities means that many migrants are spending days waiting in line in the harsh weather and sleeping in the surrounding streets.

A group of migrants shelters from the sun and heat outside an immigration office on May 5. Juan Manuel Blanco (EFE)

Mexicos National Institute of Information reported on Tuesday that between November 23, 2022, and May 6, 2023, Mexico issued 81,245 temporary permits to people from 103 countries on the five continents. Many migrants come from countries previously almost unheard of in Mexico such as Kyrgyzstan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Estonia, Eritrea, Sri Lanka and Reunion Island. The countries with the highest number of applicants are Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras and Angola.

No one knows what will happen after Thursday, when Title 42 comes to an end. However, the crisis continues to worsen on both Mexicos northern and southern border. This is not going to end. More and more people are coming behind us. They say that the United States is going to open the doors and all we want is for them to let us through, says Oscar, a young Honduran who has been stuck in Tapachula for three months and has spent three days waiting for the permit that will allow him to move towards his destiny: the north.

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Program provides PGTI dealers industry-leading financing solutions to support customers

NORTH VENICE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PGT Innovations (NYSE: PGTI), a national leader in the premium window, door, and garage door industry, announced today a new exclusive consumer financing relationship with Service Finance Company, LLC (SFC), a subsidiary of Truist Bank (NYSE: TFC). The new relationship is expected to drive future organic growth for PGT Innovations while expanding the presence in the window and door industry for SFC.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005746/en/

Service Finance provides financing solutions to home improvement dealers across the U.S. As part of the agreement, PGT Innovations dealers will gain access to an innovative financing program, industry-leading payment features, consumer-friendly terms, and access to high-touch training and customer service that can help dealers increase their sales.

We are excited to announce our new exclusive relationship with Service Finance, as through our dealers feedback we have found that consumer financing offerings at competitive costs is key to their success, said Jeff Jackson, President and CEO of PGT Innovations. Providing innovative solutions is a foundational pillar of PGT Innovations, and we are confident that the robust consumer financing program we have created with Service Finance will provide an opportunity for our dealers to further grow their businesses and increase their profitability. Service Finance has a strong track record of partnering with manufacturers to create supportive financing programs that drive organic growth, and we are looking forward to exploring future opportunities that will benefit our dealers and consumers.

Since our founding, Service Finance has provided dealers innovative financing solutions while providing homeowners flexible payments to meet their project needs, all while providing a level of service unmatched in the home improvement financing space, said Mark Berch, President of Service Finance. This new relationship expands Service Finances presence in the residential window and door space while enabling PGT Innovations dealers to better serve customers and accelerate their growth.

In addition to providing our dealers with a comprehensive consumer financing program at industry-leading costs, we believe the on-site sales training will accelerate the program adoption and ensure our dealers are utilizing all available offerings to better serve their customers and grow their business, said Debbie LaPinska, SVP and Chief Customer Officer of PGT Innovations. PGT Innovations dedication to serving our dealers perfectly aligns with Service Finances dealer- and consumer-friendly culture, and we are excited to see the impact this program will have for our dealers in the future.

About PGT Innovations, Inc.

PGT Innovations manufactures and supplies premium windows, doors, and garage doors. Its highly engineered and technically advanced products can withstand some of the toughest weather conditions on Earth and are revolutionizing the way people live by unifying indoor and outdoor living spaces.

PGT Innovations creates value through deep customer relationships, understanding the unstated needs of the markets it serves, and a drive to develop category-defining products. Through its brands, PGT Innovations is also the nations largest manufacturer of impact-resistant windows and doors and holds the leadership position in its primary market.

The PGT Innovations family of brands include CGI, PGT Custom Windows and Doors, WinDoor, Western Window Systems, Anlin Windows & Doors, Eze-Breeze, NewSouth Window Systems, Martin Door, and a 75 percent ownership stake in Eco Window Systems. The companys brands, in their respective markets, are a preferred choice of architects, builders, and homeowners throughout North America and the Caribbean. Their high-quality products are available in custom and standard sizes with massive dimensions that allow for unlimited design possibilities in residential, multi-family, and commercial projects. For additional information, visit www.pgtinnovations.com.

About Service Finance

Boca Raton, FL based  Service Finance Company, LLC (SFC) is a subsidiary of Truist Bank, which is a subsidiary of Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC). Service Finance, which has financed more than $15 billion in loans since its founding in 2004, currently services more than 15,000 home improvement contractors/dealers nationwide. The company provides retail financing options in all 50 states for 90 manufacturers/associations in windows and doors, HVAC, roofing, renewable energy, kitchen and bath remodeling, siding, plumbing, and electrical. For more information, visit Service Finance (svcfin.com).

About Truist

Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities. Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country and offers a wide range of products and services through our retail and small business banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, insurance, wealth management, and specialized lending businesses. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is a top 10 U.S. commercial bank with total assets of $574 billion as of March 31, 2023. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.

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PGT Innovations Contact

Media Relations

Stephanie Cz, Corporate Marketing Manager

[email protected]

941-480-1600

Service Finance Contact

Jim Cadena

Senior Vice President

866.254.0497

Truist Contact

Brian Boudreaux

Senior Vice President

[email protected]

Source: PGT Innovations, Inc.
Cements Ables Strong Market Position While Setting Company on Next Growth Phase

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Able Freight Services, LLC (Able), the countrys largest privately owned time-sensitive, perishables airfreight forwarder, welcomes the addition of Pravin Singh to the companys executive team as its Senior Vice President of Commercial. Mr. Singh joins the Able family after a distinguished career at IAG Cargo and British Airways, most recently as IAG Cargos Vice President for the Americas, and previously as Regional Commercial Manager for Asia Pacific, India, and the Middle East based in Hong Kong. In these roles Mr. Singh was responsible for growing top- and bottom-line results while strengthening governance and compliance. Earlier in his career with British Airways, Mr. Singh lived and worked in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Singhs responsibilities include leading Ables commercial efforts to expand its reach with customers and partners around the world. As the second largest airfreight exporter from Los Angeles International Airport, with additional operations in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Mexico, Ables well-established leadership position helps ensure time-sensitive perishables arrive on-time. As the business and regulatory complexities and customer service expectations of global airfreight logistics expand, Able, under Mr. Singhs commercial leadership, is uniquely positioned to service those needs.

Able, owned by Equity Group Investments (EGI), serves prominent global brands of produce growers, shipping companies, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and government bodies who need to confidently ship time-sensitive and perishable goods, including fruits and vegetables, protein, seafood, e-commerce, and handling critical pharmaceutical and medical products with a trusted partner.

For over 50 years, EGI has invested in great companies with tremendous growth potential, said Mark Sotir, President, Equity Group Investments. Much of our success derives from hiring transformational leaders and providing them with the guidance and resources needed for long-term success. Pravins global commercial experience and proven ability to make those around him better give us confidence he will not only help lead Able through its global growth phase, but also make a lasting positive impact on the entire industry.

Ables long-standing partnerships with leading commercial and cargo airlines around the world, together with its distributed global network of over 75 cold chain storage, handling, and last-mile logistics partners, provide Able with the competitive edge it needs to exceed customer expectations worldwide.

Ables storied history of innovation and exceptional service to their loyal customers is well known, said Mr. Singh. The combination of Ables extensive global infrastructure and capable team, together with EGIs long-term investment philosophy and relentless pursuit of excellence, proved to me that Able is the right place to launch the exciting next phase of my career.

About Able Freight Services

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Able Freight Services, LLC is a high-growth, global airfreight forwarder currently servicing customers exporting time-sensitive goods from around the world to more than 60 countries. From its humble beginnings 30+ years ago, Able now serves prominent global brands of produce growers, shipping and freight forwarding companies, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and government bodies. Leveraging its extensive network of cold-storage locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Mexico and its network of trusted global partners, Able services time-sensitive perishable goods, including fruits and vegetables, protein, seafood, e-commerce, and handling critical pharmaceutical and medical products. The Companys long-standing partnerships with leading commercial and cargo airlines and more than 75 cold chain partners (affectionately referred to as local heroes) around the world help provide Able the competitive edge it needs to compete on a global scale. Able is proudly the 2nd largest airfreight exporter out of Los Angeles International airport. For more information, please visit www.ablefreight.com.

About Equity Group Investments

EGI is a private investment firm founded more than 50 years ago by Sam Zell. Backed by private capital, EGI is flexible and opportunistic with a primary focus on direct private investment opportunities but has the in-house expertise to invest across the capital structure. As long-term investors, EGI actively partners with portfolio company executives to execute strategic planning, implement operational efficiencies, and scale businesses. EGI has grown companies across numerous industries into multi-billion-dollar businesses throughout economic cycles. EGIs current portfolio includes investments in healthcare, transportation and logistics, infrastructure, energy, consumer, industrial, manufacturing, agri-business, and real estate. For more information, visit www.egizell.com.

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Media

FGS Global

[email protected]

Source: Able Freight Services, LLC
Grant through Sunstones donor-advised fund will support CSU system

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fifteen student teams from CSU campuses took home a total of $200,000 on Friday, May 5, at the conclusion of the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition hosted at San Jose State University.

Sunstone Management announced at the event that this is the first year of a five-year commitment to sponsor the entrepreneurial event, with a total of $1 million coming through the Sunstone Community Fund in prize money to promote pursuit of business innovation at California State University campuses.

This is an investment in the future of entrepreneurship, said John Keisler, CEO of Sunstone Management. Being able to tap into and support the brain power and energy of students and professors in the CSU system is both our honor and duty. We look forward to a long partnership.

There were five tracks in the competition  two product tracks, two services tracks and a social entrepreneurship track. Two teams each from 18 of the 23 campuses in the CSU came to compete in the five tracks.

The CSU chancellors office was pleased with the event, according to Dr. Ganesh Raman, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, who was in San Jose.

I was delighted to see 18 CSU campuses participate in the systemwide CSU/Sunstone student business pitch competition hosted by SJSU, he said. We were treated to some spectacular business pitches on new products, services and ventures with social impact. We are grateful to Sunstone Management for their generous support that provided significant prizes to the CSU student launched companies.

Judges evaluated pitches based on desirability, feasibility, and viability. First, second and third place awards were made in each track, with teams winning $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

The Sunstone CSU Startup Launch has taken another big step forward with 36 teams representing 18 of the 23 CSU campuses competing for prize money to move their ideas forward, said Wade Martin, director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Cal State Long Beach and one of the Startup Launch founders. The competition showed the high-quality entrepreneurs that are coming out of the CSU system. The support from Sunstone Community Fund is making this possible and shining a light on the potential economic impact of the CSU community on the state economy.

Winners in each track were:

Product Track 1

First Place - AxoTech (CSU San Bernardino)

Second Place - AirGlue (Sonoma State)

Third Place - From Nature (CSU Northridge)

Product Track 2

First Place - Solubrin (CSU San Bernardino)

Second Place - X-Adapt (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

Third Place - Tipsy Treats (CSU Northridge)

Service Track 1

First Place - Nomad Recruiting (Fresno State)

Second Place - FutPlay (San Jose State)

Third Place - Altrole (Cal Poly Humboldt)

Service Track 2

First Place - Ryde (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

Second Place - ReliaCare (San Diego State)

Third Place - Credit Cliq (San Jose State)

Social Enterprise

First Place - Planit Ponics (CSU Dominguez Hills)

Second Place - Craft Your Bra (CSU San Marcos)

Third Place - Bag/Get (CSU Fullerton)

Sunstone Management, a diversified private capital sponsor firm headquartered in Irvine, Calif., focuses on early-stage startup companies through partnerships with higher education institutions, governments, accelerators and more.

The 2024 Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition will be held at CSU Dominguez Hills. Contact Jayro Sandoval at [email protected] to participate and learn more about the Sunstone Community Fund.

About Sunstone Management

Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital sponsor firm located in Southern California that invests in diverse early-stage technology entrepreneurs who seek to build great companies. We believe in the aspirational power of the American economy to attract and inspire investors and entrepreneurs from throughout the world. We deliver new and exciting opportunities for economic growth through the creation of innovative public-private partnerships, and our unique experience across government, education, and private sectors. Identified by Financial Times as one of Americas Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row.

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Crunchbase | Pitchbook

About Sunstone Community Fund

The Sunstone Community Fund is a Donor Advised Fund managed by the National Philanthropic Trust. It is an important component of Sunstone Managements vision to advance public-benefit programs that support the development of inclusive and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems. The SCF supports a network of universities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies that develop and implement university-based entrepreneurship programs, early-stage tech accelerators, and advance local economic development through inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation.

Website | LinkedIn

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005947/en/

Jennifer Huang

Sunstone Management

(562) 732-0617

[email protected]

Source: Sunstone Management
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tempus, a leader in artificial intelligence and precision medicine, today announced that Norman E. Ned Sharpless, MD, will serve as a senior strategic advisor to Tempus and its leadership team, leveraging his vast experience as a medical policy expert and cancer researcher to further the companys mission of improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Sharpless was most recently the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, a position he held from 2017 to 2022. He also served as Acting Commissioner for Food and Drugs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019, before returning to the NCI directorship. At the NCI, Dr. Sharpless was instrumental in championing health equity and modernizing clinical trials, among many other accomplishments. Prior to the NCI, he was the director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Sharpless has had an indelible impact on the medical community in addressing major public health challenges and spurring innovation, said Eric Lefkofsky, Founder and CEO of Tempus. His vast experience in healthcare, and more specifically the oncology space, is invaluable and we are thrilled to have him as an advisor.

Im excited to join the Tempus team and to advance the use of multimodal data to improve the care of adults and children with cancer, said Dr. Sharpless. The breadth and depth of the Tempus platform presents a unique opportunity to both identify increasingly personalized treatments and help target our research to focus on the most promising of the next generation of therapeutics for cancer patients.

Dr. Sharpless received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both of Harvard Medical School. He is the Professor of Cancer Policy and Innovation at the UNC School of Medicine, co-Founder of Jupiter BioVentures, and a member of the American Association of Physicians and the National Academy of Medicine.

About Tempus

Tempus is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. With one of the worlds largest libraries of clinical and molecular data, and an operating system to make that data accessible and useful, Tempus provides AI-enabled precision medicine solutions to physicians to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics. The goal is for each patient to benefit from the treatment of others who came before by providing physicians with tools that learn as the company gathers more data. For more information, visit tempus.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005113/en/

Erin Carron

Senior Director of Communications

[email protected]

Source: Tempus
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp. (with its subsidiaries, Triple Flag or the Company) (TSX:TFPM, NYSE: TFPM) today announced that each of the 9 individuals nominated for election as a director at the Companys Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 10, 2023 was elected.

The detailed voting results are set out below:

Director Number of Votes FOR Percentage of Votes

FOR Number of Votes AGAINST Percentage of Votes

AGAINST Dawn Whittaker 178,149,427 99.75% 452,105 0.25% Susan Allen 178,225,366 99.79% 376,165 0.21% Tim Baker 177,407,741 99.33% 1,193,791 0.67% Peter OHagan 178,112,617 99.73% 488,915 0.27% Geoff Burns 178,226,967 99.81% 334,564 0.19% Mark Cicirelli 177,949,584 99.63% 651,948 0.37% Blake Rhodes 178,262,385 99.81% 339,146 0.19% Shaun Usmar 178,574,228 99.98% 27,303 0.02% Elizabeth Wademan 178,305,527 99.83% 296,004 0.17%

Shareholders also voted in favor of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the auditor of the Company and the Say-on-Pay advisory resolution regarding the Companys approach to executive compensation. Each of the resolutions approved at the meeting were described in detail in the Companys Management Information Circular dated March 30, 2023, available under the Companys profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

A report on all items of business voted at the Meeting has been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About Triple Flag

Triple Flag is a pure play, gold-focused, emerging senior streaming and royalty company. We offer bespoke financing solutions to the metals and mining industry with exposure primarily to gold and silver in the Americas and Australia, with a total of 229 assets, including 15 streams and 214 royalties. These investments are tied to mining assets at various stages of the mine life cycle, including 29 producing mines and 200 development and exploration stage projects. Triple Flag is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker TFPM.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510006063/en/

Investor Relations:

James Dendle

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Tel: +1 (416) 304-9770

Email: [email protected]

Media:

Gordon Poole, Camarco

Tel: +44 (0) 7730 567 938

Email: [email protected]

Source: Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp.
New integration transforms automation process for security operations at scale

Vanta announces additional strategic investments by Atlassian Ventures, HubSpot Ventures and Workday Ventures

Crossing the 5,000 customer milestone as the market-leading trust management platform

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vanta, a leading trust management platform, announced today that it has expanded its partnership with CrowdStrike, a leader in cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity and data, with a new integration that improves compliance and security operations for organizations of all sizes. Vanta also announced three new strategic investors in their previously announced Series B  Atlassian Ventures, HubSpot Ventures and Workday Ventures.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005415/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

The new integration builds on an existing partnership between Vanta and CrowdStrike. In September 2022, the companies announced that CrowdStrike had made an investment in Vanta via the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund. That investment, along with the newly announced investments today by Atlassian Ventures, HubSpot Ventures and Workday Ventures, not only enable Vanta to continue growing its go-to-market, R&D and global expansion efforts, but provide valuable partnership opportunities via aligned customer and partner bases and industry-leading product innovation.

As the markets leading trust management platform, were excited to build on our industry-first partnership with CrowdStrike, bringing together our pioneering technologies to automate compliance securely across organizationsfrom small and midsize businesses to enterprise environments, said Christina Cacioppo, CEO, Vanta. As we transform the way companies demonstrate their security, and ultimately, establish and deepen trust, were thrilled to welcome new investments by Atlassian Ventures, HubSpot Ventures and Workday Ventures as we work to simplify and centralize security for our 5,000 global customers and beyond."

With cybersecurity threats continuing to increase in volume and complexity, its more critical than ever for organizations to prioritize their security posture and build trust with internal and external stakeholders alike. By leveraging the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, Vanta customers gain visibility into employee agent deployment, allowing them to seamlessly configure and manage cloud monitoring to ensure internal policies are being upheld.

The integration with CrowdStrike increases automation for compliance security operations at scale within Vanta, empowering customers to:

Improve security posture by actively monitoring the status of corporate employee access to the Falcon platform, as well as mitigate potential misuse and insider threats by removing access for offboarded users.

by actively monitoring the status of corporate employee access to the Falcon platform, as well as mitigate potential misuse and insider threats by removing access for offboarded users. Eliminate security blindspots with additional visibility into CrowdStrike agent installation coverage across relevant endpoints, and workloads for comprehensive protection and control.

with additional visibility into CrowdStrike agent installation coverage across relevant endpoints, and workloads for comprehensive protection and control. Meet compliance standards by certifying CrowdStrike prevention policies by actively performing the relevant checks on the required devices and cloud workloads within the Vanta platform.

"Cybersecurity and compliance are both on similar trajectories of increasing complexity," said Daniel Bernard, Chief Business Officer, CrowdStrike. "Together with Vanta, CrowdStrike is automating continuous security and compliance so organizations of all sizes can elevate protection levels in an efficient manner."

Over the past year, Vanta has nearly doubled its customer base to serve over 5,000 companies across 58 countries, while expanding its global footprint with offices in Australia, Ireland and the U.S. In January, Vanta announced its acquisition of Trustpage to accelerate its enterprise momentum and transform trust into a marketable advantage for companies around the world.

Developing trust and providing companies with solutions to support them as they grow is essential to our mission to help organizations grow better. Vanta enables companies to strengthen trust with customers by improving security and compliance management, making them a natural partner to HubSpot, said Eric Richard, CISO and SVP of Engineering Operations, HubSpot. Im looking forward to the work Vanta and HubSpot will do together to create more secure digital experiences for companies and their customers.

To meet demand from its rapidly expanding customer base, in Q1 alone, Vanta added over 50 new integrations, for a total of 125+ across the most essential cloud applications in a company's tech stack. With Vantas recently launched Vendor Risk Management (VRM) solution and Questionnaire Automation, customers can evaluate security in the buying process while closing their own deals faster  all in a single platform.

Teams work in a more connected and collaborative nature than ever before. But with more apps and entry points in every organizations tech stack, the companies of tomorrow need to ensure theyre secure today, said Peter Lenke, Head of Atlassian Ventures. Were excited to invest in and partner with Vanta as they enable security teams to significantly reduce vendor risk by quickly inventorying vendors, performing security reviews, and remediating issues  all in the same platform they use for security and compliance today. Vanta closes the loop on the security lifecycle from start to finish. With our shared commitment to reimagine and deliver a more secure cloud, we couldnt be more thrilled to join Vanta in its next phase of growth.

In addition to its product and partnership acceleration in 2023, Vantas innovation has been recognized across a range of rankings and awards including securing the #17 spot in CNBCs Disruptor 50, Incs Best Workplaces and the Fastest Growing Cybersecurity Company by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.

The investment in Vanta reflects our commitment to intelligent automation and sophisticated technology that helps organizations navigate an ever-changing world, said Michael Magaro, Senior Vice President of Corporate Growth, Workday Ventures. As the strategic capital arm of Workday, trust and transparency are values that are ingrained in everything we do at Workday Ventures. Vanta is well-positioned to evolve the rapidly changing trust and security industry, and we look forward to partnering with them as they continue their journey to safeguard organizations and consumers everywhere.

In 2022, Vanta raised $150 million in funding from leading investors Craft Ventures, Sequoia and Y Combinator and security industry pioneers like CrowdStrike, bringing the companys total amount raised to $203 million at a $1.65 billion valuation.

About Vanta

Vanta is the leading trust management platform that helps simplify and centralize security for organizations of all sizes. Over 5,000 companies including Autodesk, Chili Piper, Flo Health, and Quora rely on Vanta to build, maintain and demonstrate their trustall in a way that's real-time and transparent. Founded in 2018, Vanta has customers in 58 countries with offices in Dublin, New York, San Francisco and Sydney. For more information, visit www.vanta.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005415/en/

Erin Cheng

[email protected]

Source: Vanta
Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) today announced changes to its executive management team.

Matt Jansen has been named as Chief Operating Officer, North America . Jansen joins Darling Ingredients from StepStone Group Inc., where he served as Senior Managing Director. Jansen brings more than 30 years of executive management experience in the global agri/food industry to Darling Ingredients. His prior roles include Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabia Agriculture and Livestock Investment Company and Chief Executive Officer of COFCO International, the overseas agriculture business platform for COFCO Corporation, China's largest food and agriculture company. Jansen also served in a number of executive roles at ADM including Chief Risk Officer and Senior Vice President; President of ADM Global Oilseeds; President ADM Grain Group; and President ADM Brazil .

"Matt brings a breadth of experience to Darling Ingredients that will be extremely valuable in leading our U.S. and Canada rendering operations as well as our renewables and specialty businesses, ensuring we deliver on the company's great potential," said Randall C. Stuewe , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Rick Elrod , Executive Vice President, U.S. Rendering Operations, has informed the company of his intention to retire in April 2024 , after 30 years of service.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management team and Darling's 15,000 employees, I want to thank Rick for his three decades of contributions not only to Darling Ingredients, but the entire rendering industry," Stuewe said. "Rick has guided this company through significant transformation and growth. He has been instrumental in developing our U.S. rendering operations to the diverse business it is today. We are grateful for his dedication and wish him the best in retirement."

Brandon Lairmore , currently Senior Vice President, North Central Region , will succeed Elrod. Lairmore joined Darling Ingredients in 2016 as the Regional Vice President for the North Central Region after nearly 20 years in the agriculture and meat processing industry, having held numerous operational leadership roles at Pilgrim's and Tyson Foods. He was promoted to Senior Vice President for the North Central Region in 2018.

"Brandon's extensive experience and leadership in the industry has been invaluable to our growth and success. I am confident his commitment and leadership will help drive continued success in our U.S. rendering operations," Stuewe said. "Over the next year, Rick will continue to lead our U.S. rendering operations as we further integrate our recently acquired business, and transition leadership over to Brandon."

Stuewe added, "These changes are an important part of our internal succession plan. I am proud to have such a talented and experienced team of leaders that will ensure the success and growth of our company in the years to come."
FILE PHOTO: Google logo and AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Jeffrey Dastin

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - The financial report you read, the apparel marketing you see and the chat assistant you engage may soon reflect a common origin: artificial intelligence from Google.

The cloud division inside Alphabet Inc is lining up customers to put its newest technology to the test, so-called generative AI that produces human-like prose or other content from past data.

Deutsche Bank AG, Uber Technologies Inc and a unit of Victoria's Secret & Co are among the companies giving Google's tools a try, the company told Reuters for its I/O conference on Wednesday in Mountain View, California.

Customers are applying Google's technology in ways both expected, such as a customer-service chatbot for Uber, and unusual, including AI to handle drive-thru orders at a Wendy's Co fast-food restaurant in Ohio.

Their interest comes at a critical moment for Google. Its cloud division posted its first-ever operating profit last quarter, and the AI technology that Google pioneered may help it narrow the gap with bigger players Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Alphabet announced still more updates on Wednesday to draw business customers, such as a computer programming assistant called Duet AI for Google Cloud, with a model it named Codey.

At the same time, clients are previewing its AI services on a free basis, Google said. Its rivals are marketing competing products, too, to companies reluctant to leave them. And Google is contending with a nascent challenge to its search business from Microsoft and partner OpenAI, which built the ChatGPT phenom.

In an interview with Reuters, Google Cloud's CEO. Thomas Kurian, said Alphabet's AI models were drawing interest from customers new and old, among them clients of its competitors.

"They want our access to our models," he said. Then "they start a relationship."

One of the companies deepening its work with Google while still relying on Microsoft for productivity tools is Deutsche Bank. Bernd Leukert, its chief technology, data and innovation officer, said the bank is targeting a range of tasks to automate with the help of Google's engineers and its so-called large language models.

Deutsche Bank wants this AI to lower costs in call centers where it needed temporary personnel for peak periods and workers to handle menial tasks, he said in an interview. And it is exploring if Google's AI can craft research drawing from economic data, market reports and other content, to give the bank's customers and staff, said Leukert.

"The faster you can consume this huge amount of external information, condense it and draw the conclusion out of it, the better it is," he said. Asked about errors by AI, Leukert said research analysts would have to validate and edit material pre-publication, as the bank would take "a very conservative approach."

Deutsche Bank will decide by October which of these projects are mature enough to move forward, he said.

Other companies using the technology include Adore Me, the Victoria's Secret unit drafting ad copy with AI in Google Docs, Kurian said. The Wendy's pilot beginning in June has helped Google stress-test its systems as well.

"You've heard about these generative models hallucinating, right?" he said, referring to how they can spout inaccurate information. At Wendy's, "you don't want the model to recommend a product that may not exist."

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Mountain View, California; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) today announced a proposed offering by way of a private placement of a total of $1,000.0 million aggregate principal amount of its Senior Notes due 2029 (the Notes). The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Companys subsidiaries that are obligors under each series of its existing notes. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the Companys revolving credit facility. The exact terms of the Notes and timing of the offering will depend upon market conditions and other factors.

The Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under any state securities law, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A and to non-U.S. persons outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
Paid press release content from Evertise Financial. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Same Combination of Characteristics as a Nearby Field That Produced 89 Million BO

 (MoneyShow Newswire via Evertise Digital) VPI has announced a new oil development project in Noble County, OK. After 17 successful projects and 47 wells drilled with no dry holes, VPI is partnering with Ed Kaiser, a Petroleum Geologist who has spent a lifetime mapping 1000 square miles of Skinner and Red Fork Sands. This discovery has the same combination of characteristics as a proven field that has produced 89 million barrels of oil only a few miles away.

Dan Sauer, VPI President commented that We are pleased and excited to partner with Ed in realizing the culmination of a lifetime of dedication to his profession. In fact, the Oklahoma City Geological Society awarded him a prestigious Achievement Award for his work.

We have every reason to believe this project will be as successful as the one a few miles away  especially with the incredible team of experts we have assembled.

VPI will be presenting this project for the first time to accredited investors at the Las Vegas Moneyshow at the Paris Hotel on 4/24 through 4/26. VPI will begin drilling the first well soon and will offer right of first refusal on future wells in the development to early round investors.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Vertical Petroleum Industries

Dan Sauer, President

(580) 798-0653

[email protected]
Of the more than 100 known types of cancer, pancreatic cancer is the most lethal. 88% of patients who have this type of cancer die despite having received the available treatments, which mostly involve surgery and chemotherapy. However, this terrible statistic has a bright side: 12% of the patients survive. Some live for years, even more than a decade, without the cancer coming back. In medical terms, they are cured. How do they do it?

This question has inspired the development of a vaccine against pancreatic cancer based on messenger RNA, the same molecule that made it possible to create immunizations against Covid-19 in record time. The results of the first tests on patients  just 16 people in a first round of trials  have shown promising results. The vaccine has succeeded in activating the immune system in half of the patients. None of them relapsed during the 18-month trial period. On the other hand, all the patients in whom the vaccine did not provoke a reaction suffered relapses.

The results are still very preliminary, but they mark an important milestone in a field in which treatments and patient survival have hardly improved in the last 40 years.

Pancreatic cancer is the quintessential cold tumor. In oncological jargon, a cold tumor refers to one that is not likely to trigger a strong immune response. Therefore, the immune system is incapable of detecting it and provoking inflammation  heat  to kill it. This is why immunotherapy, the most successful cancer treatment in recent years, does not work in the pancreas. What is surprising is that the tumors of long-term survivors of pancreatic cancer are burning up: there are up to 12 times more immune cells in them than in other patients. These immune cells are killer T-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell capable of killing other cells. The survivors T cells have learned to identify the aberrant proteins produced by the tumor  called neoantigens  and kill it.

After analyzing samples from long-term survivors, we asked ourselves whether we could emulate this in the rest of the patients, Vinod Balachandran, a physician at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and leader of the team that developed the vaccine, explained to EL PAIS. The most important thing, he added, is that, contrary to what was thought until now, pancreatic cancer does produce molecules that allow the immune system to be launched against it.

The results are published this Wednesday in the journal Nature. Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, the now famous Turkish-born couple who founded BioNTech and created the successful mRNA vaccine against Covid in collaboration with Pfizer, also worked on the investigation. The fact is that the two researchers set up their company precisely with the idea of creating the first effective vaccines against cancer.

Scientist Vinod Balachandran, in New York in 2022. KarstenMoran (Karsten Moran)

In this clinical trial, a vaccine had to be manufactured for each patient. After removing the tumors from the abdomen of the 16 participants, the researchers sequenced their genomes and identified up to 20 neoantigens. They then created the vaccines containing the recipe for each to synthesize the tumor-specific molecules in their bodies.

The patients were given atezolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, a dose of the vaccine and finally mFolfirinox, a type of chemotherapy. They then got a booster dose. In addition to the positive results in the aforementioned 50% of patients, the researchers observed an increase in the number of killer lymphocytes in their bodies, which is probably behind the absence of relapses. Balachandran explained that they hope to start soon, together with BionTech, a second phase of more detailed tests with more patients, which is essential to ascertain the real effectiveness of the vaccine.

These results are very promising and lay the groundwork for a second phase of clinical trials, emphasized Amanda Huff and Neeha Zaidi, researchers at Johns Hopkins University who were not involved in the study. These oncology vaccine specialists also highlighted a surprising observation. One of the patients who responded to the vaccine had killer lymphocytes not only in his pancreas, but also in his apparently healthy liver. Why? Apparently he had a non-cancerous lesion characterized by a mutation in the TP53 gene, which is the same as the one in his pancreatic cancer. This suggests that the immune system activated by the vaccine could fight not only the primary tumor, but also metastasis in other organs.

A survival time of 18 months without relapse is a very respectable Ignacio Melero, University Clinic of Navarra (Spain)

Ignacio Melero, an expert in immunotherapy at the University Clinic of Navarra (Spain), praised the results of the study: When the surgeon removes these tumors there is usually residual disease. These results show us that it may make sense to add this vaccine, which is the first mRNA vaccine to show positive results in the pancreas, to conventional treatments. A survival time of 18 months without relapse is a very respectable. But the oncologist also warned that, for now, the technology to develop these vaccines is very complex, especially because you have to make one vaccine per patient.

Ana Fernandez-Montes, spokeswoman for the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, believes that this is a very hopeful approach. We are talking about a tumor that after surgery can only receive chemotherapy to avoid relapses, a treatment that has a high failure rate and with very significant toxicity, she said. We are converting a cold tumor, which does not respond to immunotherapy, into a hot tumor, which potentially will [respond to treatment], she added.

Balachandran spoke about the limitations of his work. Its hard to compare what we see in vaccinated patients with what we saw in long-term survivors, but we do know that the type of immune cells that are activated are the same: CD8+ killer T lymphocytes, he explained. The doctor says that this experimental vaccine needs to be studied further by slightly modifying the combination times with chemo and immunotherapy to see if it improves effectiveness. They will also have to answer the most pressing question: why did only half of the patients react to the vaccine?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
Greenville, South Carolina, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARCpoint Inc. (TSXV: ARC) (the Company or ARCpoint) a leading US-based franchise system providing drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and clinical lab testing services is pleased to announce that it has engaged Bradley Scharfe through his holding company, Scharfe Holdings Inc., (the Consultant) to provide investor relations consulting services to the Company.

During the term of this engagement, the Consultant will conduct investors relations activities to increase the awareness and interest of potential investors in the Company, and the Company will pay the Consultant a service fee of $5,000 per month for a total of $30,000 for the first six months (the Initial Term). After the initial term, the engagement will continue on a month-to-month basis and the service fee will be re-evaluated and mutually agreed upon by the parties. The engagement may be terminated by either party at any time (including during the Initial Term) with a 30 days prior written notice to the other party.

Neither the Consultant nor Mr. Scharfe holds any interest, direct or indirect, in the Companys securities or has any relationship with the Company other than as contemplated in the current engagement.

The agreement with the Consultant is subject to the approval of the TSXV.

About ARCpoint Inc.

ARCpoint is a leading US-based franchise system providing drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and clinical lab testing, corporate wellness programs, and employment and background screening, among other services. The Company is based in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. ARCpoint Franchise Group LLC, formed under the laws of the state of South Carolina in February 2005, is the franchisor of ARCpoint Labs and supports over 130 independently owned locations. ARCpoint sells franchises to individuals throughout the United States and provides support in the form of marketing, technology and training to new franchisees. ARCpoint Corporate Labs LLC develops corporate-owned labs committed to providing accurate, cost-effective solutions for customers, businesses and physicians. AFG Services LLC serves as the innovation center of the ARCpoint group of companies as it builds a proprietary technology platform and a physician network to equip all ARCpoint labs with best-in-class tools and solutions to better serve their customers. The platform also digitalizes and streamlines administrative functions such as materials purchasing, compliance, billing and physician services for ARCpoint franchise labs and other clients.

For more information, please contact:

ARCpoint Inc.Jason Tong, Chief Financial OfficerPhone : (604) 889-7827E-mail: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.

Source: ARCpoint Inc.
TORONTO, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Software Inc. (TSX: CSU) is pleased to announce the results of the vote on directors at its May 8, 2023 annual shareholders' meeting. Each of the thirteen nominees listed in the Corporation's management proxy circular dated March 27, 2023 was elected as a director. Voting was conducted by ballot with the following voting results:

Name of Nominee Votes For % Votes Withheld % Jeff Bender 14,058,863 94.74 % 781,088 5.26 % John Billowits 13,119,828 88.41 % 1,720,122 11.59 % Susan Gayner 14,307,450 96.41 % 532,501 3.59 % Claire Kennedy 14,125,945 95.19 % 714,006 4.81 % Robert Kittel 12,080,536 81.41 % 2,759,414 18.59 % Mark Leonard 14,417,426 97.15 % 422,525 2.85 % Mark Miller 13,822,068 93.14 % 1,017,883 6.86 % Lori ONeill 14,310,927 96.44 % 529,024 3.56 % Donna Parr 14,582,949 98.27 % 257,002 1.73 % Andrew Pastor 13,469,852 90.77 % 1,370,098 9.23 % Laurie Schultz 14,586,740 98.29 % 253,211 1.71 % Barry Symons 14,061,591 94.75 % 778,360 5.25 % Robin Van Poelje 13,001,774 87.61 % 1,838,176 12.39 %

Final voting results on all matters voted on at the annual meeting held on May 8, 2023 will be filed with the Canadian securities regulators.

About Constellation Software Inc.

Constellation Software acquires, manages and builds vertical market software businesses.

For further information:Jamal BakshChief Financial Officer416-861-9677[email protected]www.csisoftware.com

Source: Constellation Software Inc.
An Emerging Markets News Commentary

ORLANDO, Fla., May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last month, we introduced you to Golden Independence Mining Corp. (CSE: IGLD, OTCQB: GIDMF, FRA: 6NNA) (the Company or Golden Independence), a development company currently focused on the development-stage Independence Project located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mines Phoenix-Fortitude mine in the Battle Mountain-Cortez Trend of Nevada in addition to the Napoleon Gold Project located in the Kamloops Mining Division of BC.

Since then, the Company announced it has acquired a portfolio of quartz mining claims located in the eastern Yukon (collectively, the Yukon Claims) previously held by Bearing Lithium Corp. (Bearing).

This is a major accomplishment for the company, Jeremy Poirier, CEO of Golden Independence, explained, due to the number of very prospective high-grade samples that have not been previously followed up on. He also stated that the Company is aggregating all the historical exploration data from the acquired projects in order to determine the next best steps. The Company warns investors that verification is not yet complete and grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades of sampling on the entire property.

The acquired portfolio includes three projects: the HY-Jay, VBA and VM. Those three projects cover almost 8,000 hectares and are located along the 50-kilometer Upper Hyland River Gold Belt. Golden Independence noted the significance of the location as it is a belt of favorable stratigraphy, comprising Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian Hyland Group and is host to several high-grade, sediment-hosted orogenic gold vein occurrences.

Lets take a look at what these projects entail:

HY-Jay Project:

Comprised of 198 claims covering an area of approximately 4,110 hectares located on the northwest corner of Seabridge Golds 3 Aces project and adjoins Stratabound Minerals Golden Culvert project to the west.

According to news releases from Bearing Resources Ltd., prior exploration discovered three areas of anomalous gold in rock and soil: the Zig Zag, East Ridge and West zones. Prior exploration further discovered the West and East Ridge zones returned values greater than one gram per ton gold from quartz veins hosted in metasediments, with one highlight value returning 144 g/t gold. Sampling from the Zig Zag zone returned significant gold assays from grab samples of quartz-arsenopyrite vein material collected from a large field of metasediment and phyllite sub-crop and float boulders, with results from seven grab samples ranging from 2.19 g/t gold up to a maximum of 47.0 g/t gold.

VM Project:

Comprised of 104 claims covering approximately 2,160 hectares and located 20 kilometers northwest of the HY-Jay project and adjacent to Trailbreaker Resources Plateau project where drilling has intersected significant mineralization including 13.25 g/t gold over 17.5 meters at the Goldstack Zone and 7.6 g/t gold over 9.03 meters at the Gold Dome Zone.

The VM project was staked to cover two stream drainages highlighted by favorable geology and coincident gold and arsenic anomalous (greater than 95 percentile) government regional geochemical survey samples (sample 813102: 53 ppb Au & 50.8 ppm As; sample 813104: 41 ppb Au & 22.0 ppm As).

The VBA Project:

Comprised of 80 claims covering an area of approximately 1,660 hectares located 45 kilometers northwest of the HY-Jay project and adjacent to Trailbreaker Resources Plateau project.

The VBA project was staked to cover drainages highlighted by an 824.4 ppm arsenic (greater than 99 percentile) government regional geochemical stream sediment survey anomaly (sample 811614).

Work is still ongoing to decipher the next best steps for Golden Independence and its newest acquisition.

For more on Golden Independence Mining Corp., visit: https://goldenindependence.co/

About Golden Independence Mining Corp.:Golden Independence Mining Corp. is a development company currently focused on the development-stage Independence project located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mines Phoenix-Fortitude mine in the Battle Mountain-Cortez Trend of Nevada in addition to the Napoleon gold project located in the Kamloops Mining Division of BC. The Independence project hosts an M&I resource of 334,300 ounces of gold and an Inferred resource of 847,000 ounces of gold with a substantial silver credit. A 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a low-cost heap leach operation focusing on the near-surface resource with total production of 195,443 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of US$1,078 per ounce of gold. The Napoleon project is comprised of over 1,000 hectares and prospective for multiple-forms of gold mineralization, with exploration in the area dating back to the 1970s with the discovery of high-grade gold.

About The Emerging Markets Report:The Emerging Markets Report is owned and operated by Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), a syndicate of investor relations consultants representing decades of experience. Our network consists of stockbrokers, investment bankers, fund managers, and institutions that actively seek opportunities in the micro and small-cap equity markets.

For more informative reports such as this, please sign up at: https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/

Must Read OTC Markets/SEC policy on stock promotion and investor protection

Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 requires that any person that uses the mails to publish, give publicity to, or circulate any publication or communication that describes a security in return for consideration received or to be received directly or indirectly from an issuer, underwriter, or dealer, must fully disclose the type of consideration (i.e. cash, free trading stock, restricted stock, stock options, stock warrants) and the specific amount of the consideration. In connection therewith, EMC has received the following compensation and/or has an agreement to receive in the future certain compensation, as described below.

EMC has been paid $150,000 by Golden Independence Mining Corp. EMC does not independently verify any of the content linked-to from this editorial. https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/disclaimer/

Emerging Markets Consulting, LLCFlorida Office390 N Orange Ave. Suite 2300Orlando, FL 32801E-mail: [email protected]Web: https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/

Source: Emerging Markets Consulting LLC. and Golden Independence Mining Corp.
EssilorLuxottica and Chalhoub Group sign joint venture agreement to grow retail eyewear presence in GCC region

EssilorLuxottica and Chalhoub Group sign a partnership for the development of direct retail in the GCC.

The companies aim to shape the regional eyewear category through enhanced customer service and unmatchable experiences.

The joint venture will see the opening of mono-brand and multi-brand stores for iconic global brands such as Ray-Ban, Persol, Oliver Peoples and David Clulow.





Charenton-le-Pont, France and Dubai, UAE (10 May 2023)  EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames and sunglasses, and Chalhoub Group, signed a joint-venture for the development of direct eyewear retail in the GCC region. The agreement aims to shape the eyewear category and achieve new levels of customer service through combining EssilorLuxotticas eyewear expertise, technology, and brands, with Chalhoub Groups deep understanding of the regions consumers and delivery of unforgettable experiences.

The new partnership represents an important step for EssilorLuxottica in raising the segment's visibility and standards by increasing consumer engagement with high quality premium brands. It will also support Chalhoub Groups expansion into the rapidly growing eyewear category utilising the Groups expertise in luxury retail.

Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO at EssilorLuxottica, commented: We are pleased to partner with Chalhoub Group to grow the eyewear category in the highly dynamic region that is the GCC. This move will allow us to complement our existing and deeply rooted network of customers in the region, whom EssilorLuxottica is committed to continue serving with high quality products and solutions. Leveraging on Chalhoub Groups extensive knowledge and retail presence in the region, we will raise the visibility and quality of the entire industry and reinvent the omnichannel consumer journey together, resulting in a more engaging retail experience for consumers.

Patrick Chalhoub, Group President at Chalhoub Group, stated: As we expand into the eyewear category, we are entering a new vertical that has significant potential for growth and innovation with a high demand from our regional luxury consumers. EssilorLuxottica is a partner of choice with their fashionable, elegant products, and brand portfolio; their core values of helping people to see more and be more, alongside their growth ambition in the GCC region, complements our Groups purpose to inspire and delight customers.

A series of mono-brand and multi-brand stores will be launched in the GCC for EssilorLuxotticas core and iconic global eyewear brands, including Ray-Ban, Persol, and Oliver Peoples, allowing the brand to expand its global footprint in the GCC region. The unique luxury multi-brand eyewear concept, David Clulow  born in the United Kingdom and well-known among Middle Eastern consumers from London  will also be introduced with new stores set to focus on an elevated customer experience, with unmatched service, along with the best in eyeglass technologies.

About EssilorLuxottica

EssilorLuxottica is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames and sunglasses. Formed in 2018, its mission is to help people around the world to see more and be more by addressing their evolving vision needs and personal style aspirations. The Company brings together the complementary expertise of two industry pioneers, one in advanced lens technology and the other in the craftsmanship of iconic eyewear, to set new industry standards for vision care and the consumer experience around it. Influential eyewear brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley, lens technology brands including Varilux and Transitions, and world-class retail brands including Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, Salmoiraghi & Vigano and GrandVision are part of the EssilorLuxottica family. EssilorLuxottica has approximately 190,000 employees. In 2022, the Company generated consolidated revenue of Euro 24.5 billion. The EssilorLuxottica share trades on the Euronext Paris market and is included in the Euro Stoxx 50 and CAC 40 indices. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESLX.PA; Bloomberg: EL:FP. For more information, please visit www.essilorluxottica.com.

About Chalhoub Group

For over six decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. The Group, in its endeavour to excel as a hybrid retailer, has reinforced its distribution and marketing services with a portfolio of eight owned brands and over 300 international brands in the luxury, beauty, fashion, and art de vivre categories. More recently, the Group expanded its expertise into new categories of luxury watches, jewellery, and eyewear. Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken with the customer at heart. Be it constantly reinventing itself or focusing on innovation to provide luxury experiences at over 750+ experiential retail stores, online and through mobile apps, each touch point leads to delighting the customer. Today, Chalhoub Group stands for 14,000 skilled and talented professionals across seven countries, whose cohesive efforts have resulted in the Group being ranked third in the Middle East and first in Saudi Arabia as a Great Place to Work. To keep the innovation journey going, the Group has set up The Greenhouse, which is not just an innovation hub, but also an incubator space and accelerator for start-ups and small businesses in the region and internationally. This is just one of the several initiatives taken by the Group to reinvent itself, catalysed by forward thinking and future proofing. The Group has also been embedding sustainability at the core of its business strategy with a clear commitment towards people, partners and the planet, and by being a member of the United Nations Global Compact Community and signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles.

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MONTEREY, Calif., May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded $24,500 in scholarships to five undergraduate students enrolled at universities where they are pursuing degrees in water-related fields of study. This includes the recipient of the new Edward G. Jerry Gladbach Scholarship, which was created in honor of the late Jerry Gladbach, an ACWA Past President, SCV Water Vice President and longtime water leader.

ACWA and its partners are proud to continue to support and promote Californias next generation of water leaders through these scholarship programs, said ACWA President Pamela Tobin. We congratulate this years group of exceptional undergraduate scholarship recipients and look forward to following their educational and career achievements in the years ahead.

The students were recognized today during ACWAs 2023 Spring Conference and Expo in Monterey. The students and the 2023-24 scholarship programs for which they were awarded are:

ACWA Scholarship ($3,500 each)

Riley Milligan , a civil engineering student at California State University, Long Beach

, a civil engineering student at California State University, Long Beach Joseph Silvi, an environmental engineering student at University of California, Berkeley

Clair A. Hill Scholarship ($5,000, sponsored by Jacobs)

Maggie Usher, a bioresource and agriculture engineering student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Edward G. Jerry Gladbach Scholarship ($2,500, sponsored by SCV Water)

Elizabeth Pena, an environmental policy analysis and planning student at University of California, Davis

Arthur L. Littleworth Best Best & Krieger Diversity Scholarship ($10,000 over four years, sponsored by BB&K)

Mallory Sutherland, an agricultural business student at California State University, Fresno

For more information about ACWAs scholarships, please visit www.acwa.com/scholarships.

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose more than 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com

Contact: Heather Engel, Director of Communications |C (916) 669-2397

Source: Association of California Water Agencies
Charleston, SC, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Throughout his fifty-year-career working in intelligence operations, Brigadier General Wayne Michael Hall witnessed the war of wits America was playing and losing with its enemies. Hall believes a systemic dumbing down has led the country to a precipice and the only way to keep up with the demands and conflicts of the 21st century is to alter Americas way of thinking. Seeing the writing on the wall over the last three decades, he penned a series of essays to address the deficiencies he perceived in critical thinking, within the military and throughout society. Dissecting the theory of information as it relates to conflict, he presents an anthology of essays with solutions for leveling the playing field and boosting Americas intelligence.

In Whispers from the Arrow of Time, Hall highlights the decline of military thinking capabilities, emphasizing the role artificial intelligence has played in peoples ability to engage in complex thinking  a decline he feels has trickled into the mainstream with people often accepting misleading or false data on social media as fact. Proposing alternatives for what he considers an intellectual decline endemic, Hall illustrates how analysis alone is not enough to stay competitive. He believes that to stay ahead globally in both combat and economic competition people must also learn to effectively synthesize information. Additionally, he tackles the concept of quality control, calling for changes in the way the standards that comprise the meaning and quality of conclusions, facts, evidence, and truth are defined. Advocating for lifelong learning, Halls essays provide practical advice on how to overcome Americas failings and offer foundational theories to inspire better thinking and planning in relation to the arrow of time.

Whispers from the Arrow of Time is available for purchase on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

About the Author:

Wayne Michael Mike Hall, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired), is a career intelligence officer with over fifty years of experience in intelligence operations. After retiring, he worked with military and private corporations providing consulting services in intelligence-related matters for more than twelve years. He also created a two-week intensive seminar for intelligence analysts and collections specialists, centering on his book Intelligence Analysis: How to Think in Complex Environments. He holds a BS from the University of Nebraska, an MS from Kansas State University, an MMAS from the US Army CGSC, and an EdD from The George Washington University.

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Leah Joseph Palmetto Publishing [email protected]

Source: Palmetto Publishing
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integra Resources Corp. (Integra or the Company) (TSXV: ITR; NYSE American: ITRG) is pleased to provide an update on work programs and upcoming catalysts at its flagship assets located in the Great Basin, USA, as well a corporate update with respect to the proposed share consolidation. Integra is focused on achieving several key milestones in 2023, including an updated mineral resource estimate and the submission of the Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) at the DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho, as well as an updated mineral resource estimate and Preliminary Economic Study (PEA) at the Wildcat & Mountain View Projects, located in western Nevada.

The Company is pleased to host a corporate update webinar on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 8:00am PST/11:00am EST. The webinar will feature a presentation from Integras President, CEO and Director, Jason Kosec, as well as a live Q&A session. A recording of the webinar will be available on Integras corporate website. To register for the webinar, please use the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L5osfCkPQ66qZw9ZsB-O8w

Project Update:

DeLamar Project

Integra recently completed a highly successful stockpile drilling program at DeLamar in April 2023. The program consisted of 321 holes, totalling 12,588 meters (m). Results from 9,089 m, representing 247 drill holes, have yet to be released. The Company will continue to release results from the stockpile drilling program as they are received from the lab. Highlights from the drilling program include (refer to March 2023 press releases, gold equivalent (AuEq) = g/t gold (Au) + g/t silver (Ag)  77.7): 76 m of 0.74 g/t AuEq (0.62 g/t Au and 9.54 g/t Ag) 111 m of 0.59 AuEq (0.27 g/t Au and 24.60 g/t Ag) 50 m of 0.67 g/t AuEq (0.34 g/t Au and 25.29 g/t Ag)

Integra intends to release an updated mineral resource estimate for DeLamar in Q2 2023, incorporating results from the stockpile drilling program as well as additional drilling that was completed after the cut-off date for the previous mineral resource estimate.

The Company expects to submit the MPO for DeLamar to the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Q4 2023. The submission of the MPO represents a significant milestone in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process. Additional commentary on Integras permitting efforts and achievements at DeLamar is provided below.

Wildcat & Mountain View Projects

The Wildcat & Mountain View Projects, located in western Nevada, were acquired by Integra as part of the recently completed merger with Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("Millennial").

The Company is currently preparing an updated mineral resource estimate to incorporate Millennials 2021-2022 drill program of 1,250 m at Wildcat and 7,200 m at Mountain View. Given the positive resource conversion results seen by the Company to date, it is expected that there will be significant conversion of resources from the Inferred category to the Indicated category in the upcoming resource estimate.

Highlights from the 2021-2022 drilling program at Wildcat & Mountain View include (refer to 2022 Millennial press releases): Wildcat: 39.2 m of 1.26 g/t oxide Au, 41.4 m of 0.93 g/t oxide Au, and 120.2 m of 0.39 g/t oxide Au Mountain View: 185.5 m of 1.48 g/t oxide Au, 128.3 m of 1.73 g/t oxide Au, and 232.5 m of 0.91 g/t oxide Au

Material from drilling at Wildcat and Mountain View was used for metallurgical testing, including 22 column leach tests and 186 bottle roll variability tests performed at McClelland Laboratories of Reno, Nevada. All metallurgical test work is now complete and results have met or exceeded the Companys expectations.

Final mining and engineering studies are underway to support the combined maiden PEA for Wildcat & Mountain View, expected to be released in late Q2 2023.

Integra intends to initiate a resource expansion drill program at Wildcat in H2 2023 to test potential extensions of the oxide resource and demonstrate growth potential in previously un-explored areas surrounding the proposed main pit.

An Exploration Plan of Operations (EPO) was submitted to the BLM for both Wildcat and Mountain View in late 2022 and early 2023 respectively. The Company is working closely with the BLM to obtain the authorizations for expanded exploration programs in the future. The EPO will allow for significantly increased flexibility (400 acres of surface disturbance vs. 5 acres of surface disturbance permitted under the current Notice of Operations) for future exploration, geotechnical and metallurgical drilling to support resource growth and future economic studies at Wildcat and Mountain View.



President, CEO & Director, Jason Kosec, stated, following the transformational merger with Millennial Precious Metals, Integra now controls one of the largest precious metal resource endowments in the Western USA. Our vision is to become the next mid-tier producer in the Great Basin and 2023 will be pivotal in achieving that goal. In addition to the maiden PEA for Wildcat and Mountain View and three updated resource estimates, the Company plans to submit the Mine Plan of Operations for DeLamar. The team continues to work aggressively to unlock the full potential of these projects and continue to de-risk them through advanced metallurgy, engineering, geological and environmental baseline studies, in addition to conducting exploration focused on oxide growth.

Executive Chairman, George Salamis, added, Integra is committed to pursuing responsible mining development in the United States and this is reflected in our approach to de-risking and developing our key projects in Idaho and Nevada. Extensive baseline work has been underway at DeLamar for over three years, studying everything from wildlife and vegetation to air and water quality and soils. The permitting team has done an excellent job and we look forward to applying the same level of dedication to the environmental baseline, stakeholder engagement, and project development work underway at Wildcat and Mountain View.

DeLamar Permitting Update

Integra is currently in its third and potential final year of baseline study data collection for the upcoming NEPA process subsequent to the submittal to the BLM as part of the MPO in Q4 2023. To date, Integra has established 38 surface water monitoring locations and 34 historic and new groundwater wells have been sampled quarterly since 2021, resulting in over 8 quarters of site-specific data. Baseline studies have been initiated for Wetlands, Seeps and Springs, Aquatic Resources, Air Quality, Wildlife, Vegetation, Soils, Cultural Resources, and Geochemistry in addition to Surface Water and Groundwater. To date, no federally listed threatened or endangered species have been identified in the proposed project area.

Integra has also entered into a cost recovery agreement with the BLM and initiated Agency and Tribal coordination to provide input on baseline studies to identify potential issues and alternatives in advance of the NEPA. In addition, Integra has worked with the BLM to select a third-party consultant to assist the BLM in the process of baseline plans of study review and approval, baseline data collection, and subsequent baseline technical report review in an effort to reduce the need for baseline data gap analysis and the risk of new issues or concerns arising during the scoping process.

Share Consolidation

Subject to the receipt of approval from the TSXV and NYSE American, Integra intends to consolidate its common shares (Integra Shares) on the basis of one post-consolidation Integra Share for every 2.5 pre-consolidation Integra Shares (the Consolidation). The Consolidation is currently expected to be implemented on or about May 22, 2023.

As a result of the Consolidation, Integra Shares issuable pursuant to Integras convertible securities will be proportionally adjusted on the same basis. No fractional share of Integra will be issued, and any fractional interest in Integra shares resulting from the Consolidation will be rounded to the nearest whole Integra share.

A letter of transmittal will be mailed to registered shareholders once the Consolidation has taken effect, which will contain instructions on how registered shareholders can exchange their share certificates or direct registration system advices (DRS Advices), evidencing their pre-Consolidation Integra Shares for new share certificates or DRS Advices representing the number of post-Consolidation Integra Shares to which they are entitled.

DeLamar Project Overview:

The past producing DeLamar Project, which includes the adjacent DeLamar and Florida Mountain gold and silver deposits, is located in Owyhee County in southwest Idaho. Since acquiring the Project in 2017, the Company has demonstrated significant resource growth and conversion while providing robust economic studies in its maiden preliminary economic assessment and Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). An independent technical report for the PFS on the DeLamar Project has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 and is available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

Wildcat Project Overview:

Wildcat is located within the Farrell mining district in Nevada, 56km north of the town of Lovelock within Pershing County. The property can be accessed by year-round roads from Lovelock via State Route 399 and Seven Troughs Road. The 17,612-acre land package consists of 916 unpatented claims and 4 patented claims. The claims are located on publicly-owned lands administered by the BLM. The mineralization at Wildcat consists of a gold-dominated, low sulphidation, epithermal vein system with oxidized, disseminated sulphide mineralization hosted in volcanic and intrusive rocks. The Inferred mineral resource estimate at Wildcat contains 776,000 ounces of Au (oxide) (60.8 million tonnes at 0.40 g/t Au; effective date of November 18, 2020). A technical report for the Wildcat Project is available on the Millennial Precious Metals Corp. issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Mountain View Project Overview:

Mountain View is located within the Deep Hole mining district in Nevada, 24km north of the town of Gerlach within Washoe County. The project area is covered by a 5,476-acre land package consisting of 282 unpatented claims, located on publicly-owned lands administered by the BLM. Gold-dominated mineralization at Mountain View consists of low sulphidation epithermal veins and disseminated oxide and sulphide mineralization hosted in Cenozoic volcanic rocks. Mountain View has an Inferred mineral resource estimate containing 427,000 ounces of Au (oxide) (23.2 million tonnes at 0.57 g/t Au; effective date of November 15, 2020). A technical report for the Mountain View Project is available on the Millennial Precious Metals Corp. issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

About Integra Resources Corp.

Integra Resources Corp is one of the largest precious metals exploration and development companies in the Great Basin of the Western USA. Integra is currently focused on advancing its three flagship oxide heap leach projects: the past producing DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho and the Wildcat and Mountain View Projects located in western Nevada. The Company also holds a portfolio of highly prospective early-stage exploration projects in Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. Integras long-term vision is to become a leading USA focused mid-tier gold and silver producer.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Raphael Dutaut, Ph.D (P.Geo), Integras Vice President, Exploration and Tim Arnold (PE, SME), Integras Chief Operating Officer. Both individuals are Qualified Persons (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43- 101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSJason KosecPresident, CEO and Director

CONTACT INFORMATIONCorporate Inquiries: [email protected]Company website: www.integraresources.comOffice phone: 1 (604) 416-0576

Forward Looking and Other Cautionary Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and applicable United States securities laws (referred to herein as forwardlooking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forwardlooking statements which includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: the potential benefits to be derived from the recently completed merger with Millennial, including, but not limited to, the goals, synergies, strategies, opportunities, profile, mineral resources and potential production, project timelines, prospective shareholding, integration and comparables to other transactions; the Consolidation; the future financial or operating performance of the Company and the Companys mineral properties and project portfolio; Integras intended use of the net proceeds from the sale of subscription receipts; the results from work performed to date; the estimation of mineral resources and reserves; the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates; the development, operational and economic results of technical reports on mineral properties referenced herein; magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; the anticipated advancement of the Company mineral properties and project portfolios; exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits; underground exploration potential; costs and timing of future exploration; the completion and timing of future development studies; estimates of metallurgical recovery rates; exploration prospects of mineral properties; requirements for additional capital; the future price of metals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; the timing and possible outcome of pending regulatory matters; the realization of the expected economics of mineral properties; future growth potential of mineral properties; and future development plans.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as may, will, could, would, anticipate, believe, expect, intend, potential, estimate, budget, scheduled, plans, planned, forecasts, goals and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such information is provided. Assumptions and factors include: the integration of the Companies, and realization of benefits therefrom; the Companies ability to complete its planned exploration programs; the Consolidation; the absence of adverse conditions at mineral properties; no unforeseen operational delays; no material delays in obtaining necessary permits; the price of gold remaining at levels that render mineral properties economic; the Companies ability to continue raising necessary capital to finance operations; and the ability to realize on the mineral resource and reserve estimates. Forwardlooking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: integration risks; general business, economic and competitive uncertainties; the actual results of current and future exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; meeting various expected cost estimates; benefits of certain technology usage; changes in project parameters and/or economic assessments as plans continue to be refined; future prices of metals; possible variations of mineral grade or recovery rates; the risk that actual costs may exceed estimated costs; geological, mining and exploration technical problems; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); title to properties; the impact of COVID-19 on the timing of exploration and development work and managements ability to anticipate and manage the foregoing factors and risks. Although the Companies have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are advised to study and consider risk factors disclosed in Integras annual report on Form 20-F dated March 17, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and Millennials managements discussion and analysis dated April 28, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

There can be no assurance that forwardlooking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are presented for the purposes of assisting investors in understanding the Companys plans, objectives and goals, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. This news release also contains or references certain market, industry and peer group data, which is based upon information from independent industry publications, market research, analyst reports, surveys, continuous disclosure filings and other publicly available sources. Although the Company believes these sources to be generally reliable, such information is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other inherent limitations and uncertainties. The Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release and accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of such data is not guaranteed.

Cautionary Note for U.S. Investors Concerning Mineral Resources and Reserves

NI 43-101 is a rule of the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Technical disclosure contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Classification System. These standards differ from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and resource information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by domestic United States companies subject to the SEC's reporting and disclosure requirements.

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: Integra Resources Corp.
Dan Chait promoted to COO of JM Family Enterprises; Scott Gunnell named President of JM&A Group; Bill Shope becomes President of Southeast Toyota Finance

Deerfield Beach, Fla, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To best prepare for the future and continue positioning its core automotive companies to lead change and embrace the opportunities of the industrys shifting landscape, JM Family Enterprises announced three executive leadership changes.

Dan Chait, most recently the president of both JM&A Group and Southeast Toyota Finance, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) of parent company JM Family. In this role, Chait will work closely with teams from subsidiaries JM&A Group, Southeast Toyota Distributors, Southeast Toyota Finance, and JM Lexus to champion the strategic priorities of our core automotive companies. Chaits deep roots at JM Family include leading multiple business units through fluctuating industry and economic cycles, and well-established relationships with Toyota and the companies dealer partners.



Chait brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of JM Familys automotive business to his new role. After many years in the automotive and financial services industries, he joined Southeast Toyota Finance in 2002 as vice president of Asset Management. From there he assumed group vice president (GVP) and senior vice president (SVP) positions before being named president of Southeast Toyota Finance in 2013. In 2021, he took on additional responsibility as president of JM&A Group. Chait has a proven track record of inspiring action and fostering inclusivity across his teams.



Following Chaits promotion, Scott Gunnell has been named president of JM&A Group and Bill Shope has been named president of Southeast Toyota Finance. Current president of JM Family subsidiary Southeast Toyota Distributors, Brent Sergot, will also report to Chait and continue leading the business and ensuring the company remains a valuable partner to both Toyota and the southeast regional Toyota dealers.

With a collective 74 years of service to JM Family, the promotions of Dan, Scott, and Bill are a testament to investing in our leadership team so we can continue to best serve our consumers, dealers and business partners, said Brent Burns, President and CEO of JM Family Enterprises. While each possess tremendous strategic thinking, operational insights, and understanding of a dealers business, they also exemplify our core values and uphold our unique culture while living and working by the principles instilled by our founder, Jim Moran.

Gunnell has over 25 years in the automotive business and has forged meaningful relationships with the companys partners and customers during his career at JM&A Group, which has spanned across sales, product, marketing, strategy, customer service and operations. His most recent leadership positions included VP of Sales Strategy and GVP of Business Strategy and Operational Excellence, before being named SVP and COO last year. Under Gunnells leadership, the company is positioned to continue accelerating dealership performance through investments in core technology, modern retail initiatives and a realigned field organization focused on consultative solutions and a dealer-centric support model.

After successful finance positions in the banking and fleet leasing industries, Shope joined Southeast Toyota Finance in 1990 as director of Fleet Leasing. He progressed into several leadership roles during his tenure, including VP of Portfolio Management and GVP of Analytics and CFO. Shope has effectively managed the day-to-day business since assuming his most recent role as SVP and COO in 2020. In that role, Shope has successfully led a number of critical initiatives, including key technology investments, while navigating the business through the challenges of the pandemic.

About JM Family Enterprises

JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with $18 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services, franchising and specialty distribution industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors, JM&A Group, World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance), JM Lexus, National Truck Protection, Home Franchise Concepts, Futura Title & Escrow and Rollease Acmeda. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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AUSTIN & FORT WORTH, TX, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- School Nurses advocate for the health and wellness of every campus community with compassion, warmth, and a smile. Thats why Goodside Health calls on schools, students, families, and community partners across the nation to celebrate those who care for our students this 2023 School Nurse Day.

Goodside Healths school-based health services couldnt exist without the dedication and support of School Nurses, said Goodside Health CEO Brian White. They continuously find ways to create safe and healthy spaces for learning, and were grateful that so many choose to make SchoolMed a part of their school day.

By increasing access to care in the trusted setting of the school health room, SchoolMed has increased classroom time by an estimated 202,000 hours for the more than 1.1 million students it serves during the 2022/23 school year.

Through SchoolMed, Goodside Health partners with schools and their health rooms to close the gaps in childrens healthcare with a program designed to keep healthy students in class and create a pathway for sick children to get back to health as quickly as possible.

School Nurses helped students get care through our telehealth program an amazing 16,000-plus times this school year, added White. The dedication they show to their campuses is an inspiration to everyone at Goodside Health.

On behalf of everyone at Goodside Health, thank you, School Nurses, for everything you do for your communities.

Click here to see Goodside Healths Message of Thanks to School Nurses in recognition of 2023 School Health Nurses Day.

Congratulations #CelebrateSchoolNurses Winners

After dozens of video submissions from students, families, and colleagues across Texas and Florida, Goodside Health is excited to recognize the following submitters and schools as part of the 2023 Celebrate School Nurses campaign.

Congratulations to:

Each randomly selected submitter receives a $100 Visa Gift Card, and the schools of the nominated school nurses receive a $250 donation for school health supplies from Goodside Health.

The #CelebrateSchoolNurses promotion required eligible participants to send in a short video of appreciation for their school nurses from April 17-April 30 (Terms & Conditions* applied). Three submissions were selected by randomized drawing of eligible submissions and were notified directly of their selection. Schools will receive their $250 donation by December 31, 2023. Learn more at goodsidehealth.com/celebrateschoolnurses.

Goodside Health thanks everyone for their commitment to #CelebrateSchoolNurses!

About Goodside HealthGoodside Health is advancing the delivery of pediatric care by partnering with communities to provide access to physical health, mental health, and telehealth services at school, at home, and in the clinic. Relentless advocates for expanding access to care and promoting health equity, Goodside Health leverages a Whole-Child Approach to care and lives our mission of closing gaps in childrens healthcare through innovation and execution. To learn more about Goodside Health, please visit www.goodsidehealth.com.

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Jimmy Donovan Goodside Health (682) 267-0457 [email protected]

Source: Goodside Health




Karine Calvet and Pierre-Yves Roussel

join Lectras Board of Directors

Paris, May 10, 2023  Lectras Annual Shareholders Meeting held on April 28 appointed two new Directors, Karine Calvet and Pierre-Yves Roussel for a four-year term. They both will become members of the Strategic Committee, replacing Bernard Jourdan, Lead Director, and Anne Binder. Karine Calvet also becomes a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee.

The Lectra Groups software, cutting equipment, data analysis solutions and associated services enable its customers to benefit from advances in Industry 4.0.

With its new strategic roadmap for 2023-2025, the Group aims to use its expansion  mainly due to the acquisition of Gerber in June 2021  to accelerate its growth, significantly increase the share of SaaS in its sales, and seize opportunities for external growth. Supported by the commitment of its staff and recognized by its customers, Lectra will also be at the forefront of a more sustainable future.

Daniel Harari, Chairman and CEO of Lectra, said at the Shareholders Meeting: First, we would like to offer our warmest thanks Anne Binder and Bernard Jourdan for their commitment and for their important contribution to Lectras development over the last twelve years. We are delighted to welcome Karine Calvet and Pierre-Yves Roussel to Lectras Board of Directors. Karine Calvet brings an excellent knowledge of the IT and industry sectors, as well as solid expertise in strategy, management and sustainable development. Pierre-Yves Roussel, for his part, has an in-depth knowledge of the fashion and luxury markets and expertise in strategy, management and governance.

Karine Calvet is Vice-President EMEA responsible for Partners at AVEVA, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric.

She began her career at CGI in 1993 and has spent most of it in IT: sixteen years in services companies, seven years in telecommunications, and six years in software.

She has had leadership roles in telecommunications environments for leading global companies (CGI, Capgemini, Alcatel-Lucent, Verizon, Microsoft and currently Schneider-Aveva), focusing on digital transformation.

Karine Calvet served as Head of Industry at Capgemini, then managed worldwide teams at Alcatel-Lucent as Vice-President, Eastern Europe then at Verizon as Managing Director. Her time at Microsoft strengthened her software expertise, her direct and indirect channels skills, and her experience in IT services.

In the last two years, as Vice-President, Southern Europe then Vice-President, Partners and Alliances at Schneider-Aveva, Karine Calvet has worked closely with industrial companies to help them meet the challenges of operational efficiency, safety, cost management, sustainability and decarbonization by taking advantage of digitalization.

Karine Calvet is a graduate of Sciences Po and of Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne.

Pierre-Yves Roussel has been CEO of leading US fashion label Tory Burch since January 2019.

He began his career in investment banking with HSBC in Brussels, then at Morgan Stanley in London.

In 1990, he joined management consulting firm McKinsey & Company in France, where he led numerous consultancy assignments in the fashion, luxury, distribution and media sectors in Europe and Asia. In 1998, he was elected Partner then, in 2004, Global Senior Partner (Director).

In 2004, he joined the LVMH Group Executive Committee as Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Operations, reporting directly to Bernard Arnault. In 2006, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group, one of the LVMH Groups five branches of operational activity.

From 2006 to 2018, he was Chairman of the Board of the brands Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, Kenzo, Pucci, Rossimoda, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Berluti, JW Anderson and Nicolas Kirkwood. He has also been a member on several prestigious fashion juries including Andam, CFDA Fashion Incubator, and the LVMH Fashion Prize. He was a member of the management committee of the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode et de la Couture from 2010 to 2018. In 2018, he left the LVMH Group to take up the post of CEO  based in New York  of the company Tory Burch. Founded by his wife in 2004, the private family-run company has more than 350 stores worldwide, 13 retail websites, and nearly 5,000 employees.

Pierre-Yves Roussel is a graduate of Brussels University and the London Chamber of Commerce. He also holds an MBA from the Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania).

About Lectra:

As a major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the Industry 4.0 revolution with boldness and passion by providing best-in-class technologies.

The Group offers industrial intelligence solutions - software, equipment, data and services - that facilitate the digital transformation of the companies it serves. In doing so, Lectra helps its customers push boundaries and unlock their potential. The Group is proud to state that its 2,500 employees are driven by three core values: being open-minded thinkers, trusted partners and passionate innovators.

Founded in 1973, Lectra reported revenues of 522 million euros in 2022 and is listed on Euronext (LSS).

For more information, visit www.lectra.com .

Follow Lectra on social networks:

Media contacts:

Hotwire for Lectra

Alexis Bletsas - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 71

Laura Bandiera - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 70

Elise Martin - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 77

email: [email protected]





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Back on March 23, 1997, a man opened a newspaper and changed the world forever. An advertisement on one of the pages of The Buffalo News newspaper caught his eye: Wanted: 20 volunteers to participate in the Human Genome Project, a very large international scientific research effort. [...] The outcome of the project will have tremendous impact on future progress of medical science. He heeded the call, donated a few milliliters of blood and joined a $3 billion project that resulted in 2003 in the so-called human reference genome, 70% of which was made up with that mans DNA, along with inputs from two dozen other people. That genetic information did indeed change the history of mankind, but it was insufficient, as it excluded the diversity of the human species. An international consortium published on Wednesday a more sophisticated alternative, elaborated with the genetic sequences of 47 people from different regions of the planet. It is the first draft of the so-called human pangenome.

A persons genome  their DNA  is the instruction manual present in each of their cells. It is a text of over 3 billion letters (ATGGCGAGT...), in which each letter is simply the initial of a chemical compound with different amounts of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. G, for example, is guanine: CHNO. The genome of any two people matches 99.9%, but that remaining 0.1% is made up of millions of letters that make a human being unique and can hide the keys to their diseases. If the 2003 reference genome is a linear sequence, the new human pangenome can be imagined as a road map in which an individual genome is just one path, according to Benedict Paten, a computational biologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz (USA) and one of the leaders of the study.

The new investigation adds 119 million letters to the model used thus far. The authors of the study, grouped in the Human Reference Pangenome Consortium, explain that the low diversity of the current reference genome has caused a streetlight effect, which is a type of observational bias that occurs when people only search for something where it is easiest to look, such as when a drunk person looks for their house keys on the ground, at night, under a streetlight. A policeman tries to help him and, after a few minutes of fruitless searching, the officer asks the man if he is sure he has lost his keys there. No, I dropped them in the park, but this is where the light is, the man replies. Scientists have been looking for two decades for possible genetic variants where it was easier to look: within the limits of the reference genome, which in addition to ignoring human diversity was full of holes due to the lack of precision of the technology.

Benedict Paten and his colleagues have been working for years to develop new tools capable of reading DNA with unprecedented accuracy, with as little as one error every 200,000 letters. Several members of the team have also been involved in the T2T Consortium, which achieved the first truly complete sequence of a human genome a year ago. Until then, only 92% had been sequenced. The remaining 8% was similar to the blue sky pieces in a large puzzle: too repetitive to easily find where they fit.

Medicine that is fairer

Geneticist Karen Miga, of the University of California, Santa Cruz, said Tuesday at a press conference that the diversity of the pangenome initiates a new, fairer era in medicine. The 47 genomes incorporated so far come mainly from Africa (24) and the Americas (16), including four Peruvians from Lima, four Colombians from Medellin and eight Puerto Ricans. Six genomes are Asian and only one is from Europe, a continent that is already over-represented in genetic databases. The teams goal is to reach 350 complete genomes in a single pangenome, to be published by mid-2024. The first draft was published this Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Computational biologist Benedict Paten of the University of California, Santa Cruz. UCSC

Spanish scientist Santiago Marco, who has developed algorithms and software tools for the pangenome, explained the magnitude of the technical challenge: todays machines cannot read a genome in one go, but read billions of tiny fragments randomly and repeatedly. Assembling a persons genome is like reconstructing a big book with 3 billion letters, putting together paragraphs and disordered pages, as if it were a big puzzle, said Marco, who works at the National Supercomputing Center in Barcelona, Spain. The construction of a reference pangenome may require processing 100 times more information, he warned.

Francisco Martinez Jimenez, an expert in computational immunogenomics, uses the reference genome in his day-to-day work as a model to search for specific alterations in the tumors of patients at the Vall dHebron Institute of Oncology, also in Barcelona. This specialist explained that if the patients ancestors are, for example, from South America, Africa or Southeast Asia, it is much more difficult to detect these alterations, because the current reference genome is mainly made up of DNA from people of European origin. Having genetic diversity in the pangenome is very relevant, particularly in cancer, he said.

Martinez Jimenez analyzed the complete genome of more than 7,000 primary and metastatic tumors of 71 types of cancer. The results of his study, also published Wednesday in the journal Nature, show that in certain types of tumors  such as prostate, thyroid and some breast cancers  the genetic differences between the primary cancer and metastasis are very important, while in others, such as pancreatic cancer, they are subtle. Metastases per se do not seem to be explained, in general, by a specific genomic alteration, but possibly by changes in the tumor microenvironment, such as a deprivation of the immune system in certain locations or a greater irrigation by blood vessels, with more nutrients, said Martinez Jimenez, who carried out his study at the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands.

Biologist Benedict Paten insists that the human pangenome is for the moment a draft and asks for patience until a real impact on medicine is seen. There are assembly errors  not too many, but some  that we knew we would make and that we want to correct, he admitted. Another co-author of the study, Erik Garrison of the University of Tennessee, shared his enthusiasm in a statement. In his opinion, the first draft of the human pangenome is as exciting and unexpected as the first observations of unknown regions of our own planet or solar system, adding that in this case, however, it is something that could define our physical nature.

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Miami, FL, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of Miamis most renowned chefs Chef Bee (Piyarat Potha Arreeratn) and young entrepreneur Charlie Rothkopf have announced the official start date for member enrollment into Miami Sushi Club. Beginning May 10, foodies and art aficionados can register to become members of the exclusive, NFT-only sushi club, which will provide them with unlimited access to a trendy new sushi restaurant opening soon in South Florida.

The entrance to the restaurant will require purchasing an NFT, a non-fungible token, which can be obtained by becoming a member of the Miami Sushi Club. Each NFT will represent a membership and will be sold as a limited edition digital art piece. Two tiers of NFTs are available to sushi lovers - Miami Sushi Warriors for $1,000 and MSC Omakase for $2,500. The membership will grant access to the restaurants main dining room, the cocktail lounge, as well as numerous events and pop-ups.

This absolutely new concept is going to be of interest to digital art collectors and to foodies! I am a sushi enthusiast myself, and I am thrilled to announce the official launch of our project. Super excited to share our vision with guests, said Miami Sushi Club co-founder Charlie Rothkopf.

The venue will be located in a trendy spot at 14841 Biscayne Blvd in North Miami. Chef Bee said the restaurants menu will include not only traditional, high-grade sushi items, but also some newly created dishes. The team says Miami Sushi Club will be an immersive dining experience that blends art and food, with a sleek and modern design that reflects the sophistication of the menu.

Miami Sushi Club plans to create a strong and lasting appeal in the local restaurant community by presenting and implementing a completely unorthodox concept. By adding new technologies and art to the mix, Chef Bee and Charlie Rothkopf are expanding the horizon and setting up a new high standard of fine dining in South Florida.

You can visit Miami Sushi Clubs page to pre-register and purchase your access-granting NFT beginning May 10, 2023. Payment options include credit cards and Ethereum.

Chef Bee

About Miami Sushi Club

Miami Sushi Club represents a bold and innovative approach to the restaurant industry aiming to inspire entrepreneurs to explore new ways of connecting with customers in the digital age. By combining his passion for sushi with cutting-edge technology, entrepreneur Charlie Rothkopf has created a unique dining experience to leave a lasting impression on anyone who is lucky enough to experience it.

Media contact:

Robert Penington

[email protected]

News Via KISS PR Brand Story Newswire

Source: Miami Sushi Club
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Logan Capital Inc. (NEO: MLC) (Mount Logan, our, we, or the Company) will release its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2023 on or about Thursday, May 11, 2023 after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date of release. The Company will host a conference call on Friday, May 12, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Shareholders, prospective shareholders, and analysts are welcome to listen to the conference call. To join the call, please use the dial-in information below. A recording of the conference call will be available on the Companys website www.mountlogancapital.ca in the Investor Relations section under Events.

Dial-in Toll Free: 1-833-470-1428International Dial-in: 1-404-975-4839Access Code: 612276

About Mount Logan Capital Inc.Mount Logan Capital Inc. is an alternative asset management and insurance solutions company that is focused on public and private debt securities in the North American market and the reinsurance of annuity products primarily through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Mount Logan Management LLC and Ability Insurance Company. The Company also actively sources, evaluates, underwrites, manages, monitors, and primarily invests in loans, debt securities, and other credit-oriented instruments that present attractive risk-adjusted returns and present low risk of principal impairment through the credit cycle.

Ability is a Nebraska domiciled insurer and reinsurer of long-term care policies acquired by Mount Logan in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Ability is unique in the insurance industry in that its long-term care portfolios morbidity risk has been largely re-insured to third parties, and Ability is no longer insuring or re-insuring new long-term care risk.

This press release is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, a prospectus or an advertisement and the communication of this release is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, an offer to sell or an offer to purchase any securities in the Company or in any fund or other investment vehicle. This press release is not intended for U.S. persons. The Companys shares are not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Company is not and will not be registered under the 1940 Act. U.S. persons are not permitted to purchase the Companys shares absent an applicable exemption from registration under each of these Acts. In addition, the number of investors in the United States, or which are U.S. persons or purchasing for the account or benefit of U.S. persons, will be limited to such number as is required to comply with an available exemption from the registration requirements of the 1940 Act.

For additional information, please contact:

Jason RoosChief Financial Officer[email protected]

Mount Logan Capital Inc.365 Bay Street, Suite 800Toronto, ON M5H 2V1

Source: Mount Logan Capital Inc.
Belmont, CA, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) Provost and Senior Vice President Dr. Greg White announced an agreement with Holy Names University (HNU) to transfer students in HNUs MBA and MA Educational Therapy programs to NDNU. Under this agreement NDNU will teach out HNU students enrolled in HNUs MBA program and HNUs MA Educational Therapy program will be moved to NDNU, pending WSCUC approval.

Current and prospective HNU students were notified that the MBA and MA Educational Therapy programs are closing as of May 15, 2023. All current MBA and HNU MA Educational Therapy students who will not have graduated by May 2023 will be encouraged to transfer to NDNU. Prospective students who have inquired or applied to HNU for their MBA or MA Educational Therapy programs will be made aware that these programs are being taught out at NDNU and prospective students can enroll in NDNUs existing MBA program and, pending WSCUC approval, NDNUs MA Educational Therapy program.

We are pleased to enter into this agreement with HNU, said White. We want to do all we can to support the HNU students as they seek to continue and complete their graduate degrees with minimal disruption during the transfer process. White added, I also want to thank HNU for their support in a difficult time for their institution. Their decision to close after the Spring semester was very difficult and is deeply felt by the community.

NDNU is reaching out to students in HNUs MBA and MA Educational Therapy programs to help them transfer and they can also reach out to NDNU by contacting the Admissions Team at (650) 508-3600 or [email protected]

About Notre Dame de Namur UniversityNotre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is a Catholic, not-for-profit, coeducational institution serving adult learners from diverse backgrounds. Established in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDNU is the third-oldest college in California and the first authorized to grant women a baccalaureate degree. The university is WSCUC accredited and offers masters degree programs in business, education, and psychology, as well as teacher credential programs. NDNU maintains a strong commitment to academic excellence, social justice, a diverse and inclusive learning community, and community engagement. For more information, visit www.ndnu.edu.

Kurt Allen, Vice President, Marketing and Communications Notre Dame de Namur University 650-508-3533 [email protected]

Source: Notre Dame de Namur University
DAYTON, Ohio, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dayton Development Coalition and JobsOhio, in partnership with NASA Glenn Research Center and the Northeastern Ohio Community, will present the Ohio Space Forum May 23 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland, Ohio. The day-long conference will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and feature federal, military, industry, and academic leaders in the dynamic fields of space research, operations, intelligence, exploration, and defense. Speakers will address Ohios space history, and how the state continues to play a leading role. All are invited to learn more about growth opportunities for businesses in Ohio as we continue to support our nations vital space missions.

Ohio plays a critical role in achieving our nations defense and space exploration objectives, from helping the U.S. make its way back to the moon in 2024, to supporting critical national security objectives through the work of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, the National Space Intelligence Center, and other intelligence operations. Only in Ohio can you find the talent behind the Air Forces ability to develop, deliver, support, and sustain war-winning capabilities and the NASA researchers shaping the world of tomorrow by developing technologies that will continue to revolutionize aeronautics, defense, and space exploration.

Ohio Space Forum Keynotes:

NASA Keynote: Ohios Key Role in the Nations Exploration Goals, Casey Swails, Deputy Associate Administrator for Business Operations, NASA

Space Force Keynote: Ohios Key Role in National Security Space (NSIC, AFRL, and Beyond), Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence, U.S. Space Force

National Security Space Brief, Col. Marqus Randall, Commander, Space Delta 18, National Space Intelligence Center, WPAFB

National Space Councils User Advisory Group Update and Ohios Role, Chirag Parikh, Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary, National Space Council

The event will also feature panels on Critical Space Technologies, Ohios Commercial Space Impact, the Ohio Federal Research Network, Commercial Capabilities for Civil and National Security Space, and The Future of Space.

Attendees will have the option to tour NASA Glenn Research Center on Wed., May 24. The tour is closed to the media.

For additional information, please visit: https://orbitohio.com/. To view the agenda, visit: https://www.orbitohio.com/agenda. Registration for this event is closed.

Venue: Hilton Cleveland Downtown, 100 Lakeside Avenue East, Cleveland, OH 44114

Parking: Pay parking is available in the hotel garage and throughout Downtown Cleveland.

To register as a member of the news media, please contact Shannon Joyce Neal at [email protected] by Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

# # #

Shannon Joyce Neal JobsOhio 937-231-5436 [email protected]

Source: JobsOhio
Toronto, Canada, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cryptocurrency investment firm CFund Capital Canada Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "CFund") will participate in the North American Blockchain Technology Expo from May 17th to 18th, 2023. The expo will be held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California, aiming to explore the latest developments and noteworthy innovations in the blockchain ecosystem.

CFund is a professional platform that combines investor education, liquidity provision, and crypto asset management. Last year, CFund attended the North American Blockchain Forum, establishing connections with other industry leaders and participating in discussions. This time, CFund will once again attend the expo, better prepared to achieve greater results.

Speakers at the expo will include representatives from well-known brands in the industry, such as Walmart, Netflix, Vodafone, LinkedIn, and FedEx. CFund will also participate in discussions about the development of the blockchain industry and hopes to establish connections with top blockchain enterprises to explore potential collaborations.

As blockchain technology continues to develop, CFund has been committed to providing better services for investors. At this expo, CFund will showcase its recently introduced ChatGPT technology. By applying artificial intelligence to investment analysis and management, the technology has significantly improved the company's level of intelligence and investment efficiency. This demonstrates CFund's relentless pursuit of technological innovation and its commitment to providing clients with a superior investment experience.

The concurrently held Artificial Intelligence and Big Data exhibition will provide a comprehensive platform for attendees to explore how these advanced technologies can drive the development of the blockchain industry. As a company dedicated to blockchain technology innovation, CFund will actively participate in this exhibition to explore the integration of artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain technology, bringing greater value to investors and the industry.

CEO Robert Levin expressed confidence in the upcoming Blockchain Expo: "We are looking forward to attending this blockchain expo, which is an opportunity to establish connections with top enterprises and professionals in the industry and explore the latest applications and business models of blockchain technology. We will share our experience and insights in applying ChatGPT technology and are eager to learn more from other participants."

The expo will be attended by more than 6,000 participants from around the world, including CTOs, innovation and technology executives, IT directors, telecom providers, developers, startups, original equipment manufacturers, governments, automotive, operators, technology providers, investors, and venture capitalists. Speakers will share their unparalleled industry knowledge and real-life experiences in various areas of the blockchain, including enterprise Web3, commercial blockchain, tokens and digital assets, metaverse and Web3 applications, decentralized and DeFi.

CFund stated that participating in this expo will bring more opportunities to establish connections with blockchain enterprises and enthusiasts worldwide, explore potential collaborations, and gain valuable industry insights and experience from other industry leaders, providing new ideas and directions for the company's development.

In addition to the Blockchain Expo, the event will also feature six major exhibition areas, including IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Cybersecurity and Cloud, 5G, Edge Computing and Digital Transformation, providing a more comprehensive display and communication platform for attendees to explore the application of blockchain technology in different fields and industries.

As a professional platform focused on crypto asset management and investor education, CFund is dedicated to applying blockchain technology in practical production and life, bringing more value and convenience to people. During the expo, CFund will continue to delve into the application scenarios and business models of blockchain technology, seeking more investment opportunities and partners to further enhance the company's influence and competitiveness in the blockchain field.

Please stay tuned for the North American Blockchain Technology Expo to be held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California from May 17th to 18th, 2023, where CFund will join forces with industry elites to explore the future development of the blockchain field.

For more information about CFund Capital, please visit CFund website (www.CFund.cc)and CFund official Twitter account (@CFundCC)

Contact information:

Company name: CFund Capital Canada Inc

Email: [email protected]

City: Markham

Country: Canada

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFundCC

Telegram: https://t.me/OfficialCFundcc

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Source: CFund Capital Canada Inc
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Restaurants Canada (RC), the not-for-profit member-based association representing Canadas foodservice sector, has announced Kelly Higginson as new President and CEO, effective immediately. The news is also accompanied by the announcement that former President and CEO, Christian Buhagiar, who joined RC in 2022, has departed from the organization.

It is truly an honour to be taking on this role. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the business of hospitality is an integral part of who I am now, and who Ive been for a long time, said Higginson. Canadian restaurants have hit a pivotal moment in our industrys post-pandemic recovery. With this, we need to offer our members strong leadership and advocacy to retain those already in foodservice, while also looking forward to elevate our sector entirely, reminding Canadians that foodservice is a $100 billion industry and the 4th largest private-sector employer with over 1.2 million employees. As the new President and CEO, I will embrace the opportunity to represent and advocate for the industry to restore stability and predictability to our sectors business environment.

Kelly Higginson takes on the role of President and CEO after serving the organization as Chief Operating Officer since 2022. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Vice President of Operations at The CFW Group, leading operational strategy for North American hospitality brands like ki modern japanese + bar, The Shore Club and Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House. During her time with The CFW Group, Higginson had first-hand experience navigating copious challenges as she worked to further the development and retention of employees through the global pandemic.

Kelly not only brings a wealth of knowledge from her years in Canadian foodservice, but also has an incredible passion for developing strong and inclusive teams to maximize impact; something our members need from us now more than ever, said Jeremy Bonia, Chair of the Board, Restaurants Canada. We are fortunate to have Kelly jump into the role of President and CEO, her vision is clear, and we look forward to supporting her as Restaurants Canada works to build the industry back stronger than ever, added Bonia.

-30-

About Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit member-based trade association advancing the potential of Canadas diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through member programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Canadas foodservice sector is a $100 billion industry that serves 22 million customers across the country every day. As the fourth-largest private-sector employer, Canadian foodservice directly employs 1.2 million people and indirectly supports another 290,000+ jobs in related industries, with $32 billion in food and beverage products purchased every year. www.restaurantscanada.org

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Tianna Goguen Restaurants Canada [email protected]

Source: Restaurants Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Doctors across the Lower Mainland received an e-mail recently from a concerned physician advising them to avoid sending patients who need urgent medical attention to Langley Memorial Hospital, which has been overrun with patients and near collapse.

This is not an isolated incident. What is happening at Langley hospital is taking place in emergency departments (EDs) across the province.

Our emergency departments are on red alert, says Dr. Gord McInnes, co-president of the Section of Emergency Medicine. Our patients are suffering, and the doctors struggling to provide their care are tired and distressed. Our patients need and deserve better. They deserve to know that they will be safe, and that they will be cared for when they go to an emergency department for help. The dire situation we are facing now cannot continue.

Too many patients, including those with serious medical conditions, are being warehoused in emergency rooms for 24 to 48 hours before moving out of the emergency department and into a bed on the appropriate ward, while their conditions worsen. Patients are waiting upwards of 8 hours to see a doctor, so that by the time they receive care, their condition has seriously declined. Research shows that after 6 hours of waiting in the emergency department for care, mortality and morbidity increase by 10%.

We need the provincial government to work with us on real solutions to relieve the pressures in our hospitals, which are the root of the problems in our EDs, says Dr. McInnes. Solutions will need to address some of the biggest challenges, among them the need for more beds to build capacity, and to address the shortage of health care staff.

In the short-term, we ask that government and health authorities take steps to help weather the storm.

First and foremost, health authorities must empower physicians and nurses to call code orange  a protocol that ensures patients are immediately moved into other areas of the hospital when the ED reaches critical limits for admitted patients. This will give us the space to assess, diagnose, and initiate treatment to patients still coming into our emergency department.

We need a process that would switch acutely ill patients in the emergency department who are waiting for a bed on a specialty nursing ward with a recovered patient in that ward waiting to be discharged. This would mean that those needing the most urgent attention can get it, and those who need monitoring as they wait to be discharged will also be attended to.

For patients in an emergency, please dont hesitate to come to the emergency department. If you are unsure whether the emergency department is the right place, please reach out to services like 811 to seek advice.

For media interviews, please phone: 604-638-2832.

Source: Doctors of BC
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stroud Resources Ltd. (TSXV: SDR) (Stroud or Company) announces a non-brokered private placement to raise up to C$1,500,000.

The Company proposes to issue Convertible Debentures for gross proceeds of up to C$1,500,000. The Convertible Debentures bear interest of 14% and mature 90 days from issue. On Maturity, the Convertible Debentures convert to units (the Units) at $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit will comprise one common share and one common share purchase warrant, with each warrant exercisable into one common share at a price of $0.10 for a period of three (3) years from closing.

If, over a period of 20 consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange or TSXV), the closing price of the Companys common shares on the Exchange is at or exceeds $0.30, then the Company may, at its option, provide written notice (the Notice) to the Holder requiring that these Warrants be exercised within 30 days of the date of the Notice, failing which these Warrants shall immediately thereafter expire, then the Expiry Time shall be accelerated to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the 30th day following receipt of the Notice by the Holder (the Exercise Period).

All securities will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date. The private placement is subject to the approval of the TSXV.

Proceeds raised through the issue of Units will be used for general working capital purposes.

About Stroud Resources Ltd.Stroud Resources is a TSXV listed company (TSXV: SDR) focused on the exploration and development of its Santo Domingo epithermal silver project in central Mexico.

For more information, please visit www.stroudsilver.com or contact Mirsad Jakubovic, Chief Financial Officer, Stroud Resources Ltd., Tel: 1-416-888-8731, [email protected].

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of the drill results, geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits.

Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Companys expectations or projections.

Source: Stroud Resources Ltd.
The Acupuncture for our Seniors Act would increase Medicare beneficiaries access to acupuncturists, provide more non-pharmacological options for pain relief, and promote the professions growth.

WASHINGTON, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) commend U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for introducing [H.R. number], the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act. The Acupuncture for our Seniors Act would authorize the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to recognize qualified acupuncturists as healthcare providers. Medicare recognition would enable qualified acupuncturists to provide covered services to Medicare beneficiaries, which will soon surpass 80-million Americans.

CMS already recognizes the value of acupuncture and began covering services in January 2020. Unfortunately, because acupuncturists do not have Medicare-provider status, they cannot provide these covered services to beneficiaries without supervision. The status quo disrupts the acupuncture service-delivery model, as they cannot independently provide services to Medicare beneficiaries, despite their ability to do so for non-Medicare beneficiaries. The resulting access barrier hurts Senior Citizens and exacerbates healthcare inefficiencies.

Research demonstrates that acupuncture is effective in providing high quality, personalized care that helps individuals manage painwithout opioids and invasive proceduresand embrace preventive and wellness care options. Acupuncturists training, expertise, and scope of practice enable them to practice independently.

Medicare beneficiaries are projected to increase from 63 to 80 million in the next seven years, so this bill is critical in removing barriers to the increasing demand for a safe, non-pharmacological option to pain and improved health. The ASA applauds Representative Judy Chu, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, and all involved for understanding the need to solve the opioid crisis while also decreasing healthcare costs and improving long term outcomes, Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, L.Ac., ASA Chair.

The ASA and the NCCAOM support efforts to increase access to acupuncturists. Obtaining Medicare provider status for acupuncturists is a priority for the ASA and the NCCAOM and we are grateful to Representatives Judy Chu and Brian Fitzpatrick for championing this bill, stated Mina Larson, M.S., MBA, CAE, NCCAOM CEO. The Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act would increase Senior Citizens access to non-invasive, cost-effective, care for pain-management that so many cannot access due to current supervision requirements.

The ASA and the NCCAOM will officially launch the professions advocacy efforts on May 15, when over 100 acupuncturists will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressional offices in support of the Acupuncture for our Seniors Act.

About the ASA

The Mission of the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) is to promote the highest standards of professional practice for acupuncture and EAM in the United States, to benefit public health. Through strengthening the profession at the state level while promoting collaboration nationally and internationally, the ASA provides its members, the public, legislators, and regulators resources for ensuring the best expression of this ancient and modern medicine.

About the NCCAOM

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is a non-profit 501(6) organization established in 1982. The NCCAOM is the only national organization that validates entry-level competency in the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine through professional certification. The NCCAOM certification or a passing score on the NCCAOM certification examinations are documentation of competency for licensure as an acupuncturist by 45 states and the District of Columbia, which represents 98 percent of the states that regulate acupuncture. The National Commission for Certification Agencies accredits all NCCAOM-certification programs. To learn more about the NCCAOM, or about acupuncture and national-board certification, visit www.nccaom.org.To find an NCCAOM board-certified practitioner in your area, click on Find a Practitioner at www.nccaom.org.

Media Contact: Olga Cox, M.S.Phone: 202-381-1116Email: [email protected]

Source: National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
TORONTO, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Topicus.com Inc. (Topicus or the Corporation) (TSXV: TOI) is pleased to announce the re-election of each of the five director nominees listed in the Corporations management proxy circular dated March 27, 2023, John Billowits, Jane Holden, Alex Macdonald, Donna Parr and Robin van Poelje, to the Corporations board of directors at its May 8, 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders (the AGM).

Bernard Anzarouth, Jeff Bender, Jamal Baksh, Mark Leonard, Daan Dijkhuizen, Han Knooren and Paul Noordeman did not stand for re-election to the Corporations board of directors at the AGM. The Corporation wishes to thank each of the directors for their contributions as board members.

About Topicus.com Inc.

Topicus.com Inc. is a leading pan-European provider of vertical market software and vertical market platforms to clients in public and private sector markets. Operating and investing in countries and markets across Europe with long-term growth potential, Topicus.com Inc. acquires, builds and manages leading software companies providing specialized, mission-critical and high-impact software solutions that address the particular needs of customers. For further information:

Jamal BakshChief Financial Officer416-861-9677[email protected]

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.

Source: Topicus.com Inc.
On a spring day in 1938, a 25-year-old man was left lying on the ground. A projectile had crossed his head on the Valencian front of the Spanish Civil War. When he recovered consciousness two weeks later, the Republican soldier had experienced a shocking change: under certain conditions, he saw the world backwards. The 28-year-old doctor Justo Gonzalo attended the patient in a nearby military hospital. The projectile, probably shot by the Francoists, had partially destroyed the ridges on his cerebral cortex in the left parieto-occipital region. The wounded man, however, survived miraculously, without needing operations or special care. Gonzalo, born in Barcelona in 1910, realized that the unique case  who he called Patient M  could illuminate the functioning of the human brain.

The doctor and M survived the war and continued seeing each other for almost half a century, until Justo Gonzalos death in 1986. The researchers daughter Isabel Gonzalo has dusted off her fathers archives  boxes with hundreds of documents and photos  to rediscover the case, alongside the neuropsychologist Alberto Garcia Molina. At a time when the scientific community was divided between those who see the brain as a whole, and those who draw hard boundaries between the brain regions, Gonzalo proposed an intermediate hypothesis based on Patient M: the theory of brain dynamics, according to which the organ has its functions distributed in gradients, with gradual transitions.

Isabel Gonzalo, who is a physicist and professor emeritus at the Complutense University of Madrid, met Patient M during his visits to the familys home. The man had been born in a village in the Spanish municipality of Ciudad Real. When he was resting, without major stimuli, he saw a terrifying backwards world, in which objects appeared in triplicate and tinged green. His auditory and tactile perception were also inverted, so that sounds and touches appeared in his mind on the opposite side. M looked at his wristwatch from any direction to check the time, Isabel remembers. The details of the case have been published in the journal Neurologia.

Drawing of patient M made by Justo Gonzalo for the journal of the Cajal Institute, in 1951. Justo Gonzalo

At the beginning of the 20th century, Spain was a luminary in studies of the human brain. The researcher Santiago Ramon y Cajal had demonstrated in 1888 that the thinking organ was not a diffuse mass, as had been previously believed, but rather that it was organized into individual cells: neurons. Cajal won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery in 1906. Around him grew a school of talented disciples, like the neurologist Gonzalo Rodriguez Lafora, who, when the Civil War broke out, recruited Justo Gonzalo to work with him in his Skull Trauma Center. There, Gonzalo, Cajals academic descendant, met Patient M and hundreds of other wounded patients. The patients adaptive capability was astonishing, as the doctor described in his book Cerebral Dynamics, published in two volumes between 1945 and 1950. M had found his abnormalities strange when, for example, he saw men working upside down on a scaffold, Gonzalo wrote. In general, the disturbances go completely or almost completely unnoticed to the wounded. Later, when they discover them, they dont seem to worry, but rather consider them as something temporary that does not affect or compromise their daily life. M tended to downplay his symptoms: They are things that sometimes appear in my vision.

Neuropsychologist Alberto Garcia Molina works at the Institut Guttmann, a hospital in Barcelona specialized in rehabilitation of people with brain damage. The researcher emphasizes that the history of neurology is full of tragic natural experiments, like that of Phineas Gage, an American railroad captain who survived an iron rod being driven through his brain on September 13, 1848. The formerly calm man became aggressive and vulgar. British doctor David Ferrier mentioned Gages case in his 1878 lecture The Localization of Cerebral Disease, in which he pioneered the association of concrete functions to specific areas of the cerebral cortex.

Justo Gonzalo's laboratory at the Cajal Institute, Madrid, at an undetermined date after 1952. Coleccion familiar

Garcia Molina explains that, in the 1930s, the modular perspective remained dominant. The brain was seen like little boxes. When you altered a box, supposedly there was a concrete deficit, the neuropsychologist explains. For Dr. Gonzalo, the modular theories couldnt explain the questions that emerged with Patient M, so he began to create his theory of brain dynamics, breaking with the hegemonic vision about how the brain works.

The war brought a turn in Justo Gonzalos scientific career. He had studied at the University of Vienna in 1934 and at the Goethe University of Frankfort in 1935, at the height of Naziism in Germany. After the July 1936 coup in Spain, he remained faithful to the Republic during the Civil War and even worked as a doctor in a battalion, under the command of communist officer Enrique Lister. Gonzalos mother joked about the new lifestyle of her son, who had previously spent all his time in the library: Thanks to the war, Justito is finally getting some air, she told family members.

In 1952, the doctor became part of the Cajal Institute in Madrid, where he continued attending to 200 brain injury patients who were registered in the Honorable Corps for the Mutilated in the War for the Fatherland, which excluded the wounded who fought on the Republican side. Letters between M and Gonzalo confirmed that the man who saw the world backwards had not received a pension as a wounded veteran. My father admired him, because he was a very bright person who was capable of taking care of himself and working in the fields, Isabel Gonzalo remembers. The physicist calculates that M died in the late 1990s. The identity of the man, who helped illuminate the functioning of the human brain, was never made known.

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(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise stated)

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the Company or Torex) (TSX: TXG) reports the Companys financial and operational results for the three months ended March 31, 2023. Senior management of Torex will host a conference call tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM (ET) to discuss the quarterly results.

Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO of Torex, stated:

The consistent operational and cost performance that investors have come to expect of Torex continued in the first quarter of 2023, placing the Company in an excellent position to deliver on full year operational guidance for a fifth year in a row. During the quarter, the team produced 122,918 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost1 of $1,079 per ounce, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin1 of 42%. Our solid production and disciplined cost management, combined with the higher gold price, resulted in adjusted EBITDA1 of $132.7 million and net cash generation from operating activities of $47.0 million. Per usual course of business for first quarters, cash flow was impacted by tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million.

Development of the Media Luna Project is tracking to schedule and budget, with the project approximately 24% complete at quarter end. Through the end of March, approximately 34% of project expenditures had been committed, including 22% incurred. As disclosed previously, the Guajes Tunnel has advanced more than four kilometres with breakthrough on track for early Q1 2024, if not before. During the quarter, the contract was finalized for the hybrid battery electric and diesel underground mining fleet, with fabrication dates established and first deliveries anticipated later this year. The level of spending on Media Luna is expected to increase through the remainder of 2023 as surface construction and underground development activities continue to gain momentum.

In terms of the forward look, production during Q2 and Q3 will be closer to the bottom end of the quarterly run-rate implied by full year guidance. Our mine plan for the next two quarters sees the conclusion of mining in the Guajes pit, a heavy focus on waste stripping in the El Limon pit and draw down of stockpiled material. Given the mine plan, total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs during Q2 and Q3 are expected to be above the upper end of the annual guided range for those quarters only. Production and costs are expected to return to usual levels in Q4, with higher processed grades and the increased level of ore production. Notwithstanding these planned quarter on quarter movements, we are well on track to achieve annual guidance.

2023 is an important year for Torex and we are off to an excellent start. With $564 million of available liquidity at quarter-end, strong cash flow from ELG, and continued momentum on production and cost management, we are well-positioned to fund the remaining $683 million of capital on the Media Luna Project while delivering on our commitments and generating solid value for shareholders.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Strong safety performance continues: Exited the quarter with no fatalities and a lost-time injury frequency (LTIF) rate of 0.53 per million hours worked on a rolling 12-month basis. There were three lost-time injuries in the quarter at the Media Luna Project, with three contractors suffering hand-related injuries.

Exited the quarter with no fatalities and a lost-time injury frequency (LTIF) rate of 0.53 per million hours worked on a rolling 12-month basis. There were three lost-time injuries in the quarter at the Media Luna Project, with three contractors suffering hand-related injuries. Gold production: Delivered gold production of 122,918 ounces (oz) for the quarter driven by a record milling rate of 13,073 tonnes per day (tpd) and a record mining rate at ELG Underground of 1,738 tpd. This represents a strong start to the year and puts the Company on track to meet annual production guidance of 440,000 to 470,000 ounces.

Delivered gold production of 122,918 ounces (oz) for the quarter driven by a record milling rate of 13,073 tonnes per day (tpd) and a record mining rate at ELG Underground of 1,738 tpd. This represents a strong start to the year and puts the Company on track to meet annual production guidance of 440,000 to 470,000 ounces. Gold sold: Sold 118,455 oz of gold at an average realized gold price1 of $1,899 per oz, contributing to revenue of $228.8 million.

Sold 118,455 oz of gold at an average realized gold price1 of $1,899 per oz, contributing to revenue of $228.8 million. Total cash costs 1 and all-in sustaining costs 1 : Total cash costs of $709 per oz sold and all-in sustaining costs of $1,079 per oz sold. All-in sustaining costs margin1 of $820 per oz sold, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin1 of 42%. Cost of sales was $137.4 million or $1,160 per oz sold in the quarter, benefitting from the record milling throughput, partially offset by the appreciation of the Mexican peso. Given the strong cost performance during the quarter, the Company is on track to achieve full year total cash costs guidance of $740 to $780 per oz and all-in sustaining costs guidance of $1,080 to $1,130 per ounce.

Total cash costs of $709 per oz sold and all-in sustaining costs of $1,079 per oz sold. All-in sustaining costs margin1 of $820 per oz sold, implying an all-in sustaining costs margin1 of 42%. Cost of sales was $137.4 million or $1,160 per oz sold in the quarter, benefitting from the record milling throughput, partially offset by the appreciation of the Mexican peso. Given the strong cost performance during the quarter, the Company is on track to achieve full year total cash costs guidance of $740 to $780 per oz and all-in sustaining costs guidance of $1,080 to $1,130 per ounce. Net income and adjusted net earnings 1 : Reported net income of $68.2 million or earnings of $0.79 per share on both a basic and diluted basis. Adjusted net earnings of $50.3 million or $0.59 per share on a basic and $0.58 per share on a diluted basis. Net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project.

Reported net income of $68.2 million or earnings of $0.79 per share on both a basic and diluted basis. Adjusted net earnings of $50.3 million or $0.59 per share on a basic and $0.58 per share on a diluted basis. Net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project. EBITDA 1 and adjusted EBITDA 1 : Generated EBITDA of $102.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of $132.7 million.

Generated EBITDA of $102.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of $132.7 million. Cash flow generation: Net cash generated from operating activities totalled $47.0 million and $61.9 million before changes in non-cash operating working capital, including income tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million, primarily related to fiscal 2022. Negative free cash flow1 of $54.0 million net of cash outlays for capital expenditures, lease payments and interest.

Net cash generated from operating activities totalled $47.0 million and $61.9 million before changes in non-cash operating working capital, including income tax and royalty payments of $85.9 million, primarily related to fiscal 2022. Negative free cash flow1 of $54.0 million net of cash outlays for capital expenditures, lease payments and interest. Strong financial liquidity: The quarter closed with net cash1 of $318.4 million, including $321.9 million in cash and $3.5 million of lease obligations, no borrowings on the credit facilities of $250.0 million and letters of credit outstanding of $7.9 million, providing $564.0 million in available liquidity.

The quarter closed with net cash1 of $318.4 million, including $321.9 million in cash and $3.5 million of lease obligations, no borrowings on the credit facilities of $250.0 million and letters of credit outstanding of $7.9 million, providing $564.0 million in available liquidity. Media Luna Project: Media Luna Project expenditures totalled $66.4 million during the quarter, with a remaining project spend of $683.4 million. Expenditures during this period were primarily focused on continued development of the Guajes Tunnel and South Portals, with development of the Guajes Tunnel reaching 3,870 metres and South Portal Lower reaching 1,725 metres by end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2023, physical progress on the Project was approximately 24%, with detailed engineering, procurement activities underground development, and surface construction advancing. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had commitments in place for $298.9 million of project expenditures (approximately 34% of total budgeted expenditures). The pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025. The project continues to track to overall schedule and budget.

Media Luna Project expenditures totalled $66.4 million during the quarter, with a remaining project spend of $683.4 million. Expenditures during this period were primarily focused on continued development of the Guajes Tunnel and South Portals, with development of the Guajes Tunnel reaching 3,870 metres and South Portal Lower reaching 1,725 metres by end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2023, physical progress on the Project was approximately 24%, with detailed engineering, procurement activities underground development, and surface construction advancing. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had commitments in place for $298.9 million of project expenditures (approximately 34% of total budgeted expenditures). The pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025. The project continues to track to overall schedule and budget. Year-end Mineral Reserves & Resources2: Drilling success in the ELG Open Pits and ELG Underground resulted in more than 60% of Proven & Probable gold reserves processed in 2022 being replaced. Drilling both north and south of the Balsas River was successful in increasing gold equivalent Measured & Indicated resources by 1,078 koz prior to depletion (+16%) or 567 koz after depletion (+8%). Measured & Indicated resource growth was driven by ELG Underground, Media Luna, and EPO, where an inaugural gold equivalent Indicated resource of 671 koz was declared.

These measures are Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures or Non-GAAP ratios (collectively, Non-GAAP Measures). For a detailed reconciliation of each Non-GAAP Measure to its most directly comparable IFRS financial measure see Tables 2 to 10 of this press release. For additional information on these Non-GAAP Measures, please refer to the Companys managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three months ended March 31, 2023, dated May 9, 2023. The MD&A, and the Companys unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2023, are available on Torexs website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com). Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for Morelos Complex can be found in Tables 11 and 12 of this press release. Gold equivalent values account for underlying metal prices and metallurgical recoveries used in reserve and resource estimates. For additional information on the Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for Morelos Complex, please see the Companys annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, or the Companys news release titled Torex Gold Reports Year-end 2022 Reserves & Resources issued on March 28, 2023, both available on Torexs website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com).

Table 1: Operating & Financial Highlights

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Operating Results Lost-time injury frequency1 /million hours 0.53 0.28 0.12 Total recordable injury frequency1 /million hours 1.87 1.58 1.69 Gold produced oz 122,918 116,196 112,446 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Total cash costs2 $/oz 709 711 748 Total cash costs margin2 $/oz 1,190 1,073 1,128 All-in sustaining costs2 $/oz 1,079 1,034 1,034 All-in sustaining costs margin2 $/oz 820 750 841 Average realized gold price2 $/oz 1,899 1,784 1,876 Financial Results Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Cost of sales $ 137.4 146.6 132.2 Earnings from mine operations $ 91.4 69.9 75.5 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Per share - Basic $/share 0.79 0.40 0.47 Per share - Diluted $/share 0.79 0.40 0.46 Adjusted net earnings2 $ 50.3 38.3 37.2 Per share - Basic2 $/share 0.59 0.45 0.43 Per share - Diluted2 $/share 0.58 0.44 0.43 EBITDA2 $ 102.5 96.0 103.1 Adjusted EBITDA2 $ 132.7 122.9 110.7 Cost of sales $/oz 1,160 1,202 1,224 Net cash generated from operating activities $ 47.0 132.1 46.7 Net cash generated from operating activities before changes in non-cash operating working capital $ 61.9 110.8 60.8 Free cash flow2 $ (54.0 ) 40.5 (19.7 ) Cash and cash equivalents $ 321.9 376.0 237.0 Net cash2 $ 318.4 372.1 233.4

On a 12-month rolling basis, per million hours worked. Total cash costs, total cash costs margin, all-in sustaining costs, all-in sustaining costs margin, average realized gold price, adjusted net earnings, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow and net cash are non-GAAP financial measures with no standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures for further information and a detailed reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measures in the Companys MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2023, dated May 9, 2023, available on Torex Golds website (www.torexgold.com) and under the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com).

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS

The Company will host a conference call tomorrow at 9:00 AM (ET) in which senior management will discuss the first quarter operating and financial results. Please dial in or access the webcast approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call:

Toronto local or International: 1-416-915-3239

Toll-Free (North America): 1-800-319-4610

A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Companys website at https://torexgold.com/investors/upcoming-events/. The webcast will be archived on the Companys website.

Table 2: Reconciliation of Total Cash Costs and All-in Sustaining Costs to Cost of Sales

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Total cash costs per oz sold Production costs and royalties $ 88.4 91.0 85.8 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Total cash costs $ 84.0 86.7 80.8 Total cash costs per oz sold $/oz 709 711 748 All-in sustaining costs per oz sold Total cash costs $ 84.0 86.7 80.8 General and administrative costs1 $ 6.6 5.7 7.8 Reclamation and remediation costs $ 1.4 1.4 1.4 Sustaining capital expenditure $ 35.8 32.3 21.7 Total all-in sustaining costs $ 127.8 126.1 111.7 Total all-in sustaining costs per oz sold $/oz 1,079 1,034 1,034

This amount excludes a loss of $3.6 million, loss of $2.5 million and loss of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively, in relation to the remeasurement of share-based payments. This amount also excludes corporate depreciation and amortization expenses totalling $0.1 million, nil and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively, recorded within general and administrative costs. Included in general and administrative costs is share-based compensation expense in the amount of $1.9 million or $16/oz for the three months ended March 31, 2023, $0.8 million or $7/oz for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $1.8 million or $16/oz for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This amount excludes other expenses totalling $0.6 million, nil and nil for the three months ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and March 31, 2022, respectively.

Table 3: Reconciliation of Sustaining and Non-Sustaining Costs to Capital Expenditures

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Sustaining $ 14.6 14.8 5.6 Capitalized Stripping $ 21.2 17.5 16.1 Non-sustaining $ 0.7 6.6 5.3 Total ELG $ 36.5 38.9 27.0 Media Luna Project $ 66.4 62.6 20.8 Media Luna Infill Drilling/Other $ 3.1 4.1 3.9 Working Capital Changes & Other $ (6.3 ) (14.8 ) 13.5 Capital expenditures1 $ 99.7 90.8 65.3

The amount of cash expended on additions to property, plant and equipment in the period as reported in the condensed consolidated interim statements of cash flows.

Table 4: Reconciliation of Average Realized Price and Total Cash Costs Margin Per Ounce of Gold Sold to Revenue

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Add: Realized gain on gold contracts $ 0.5 5.3 - Total proceeds $ 224.9 217.5 202.7 Total average realized gold price $/oz 1,899 1,784 1,876 Less: Total cash costs $/oz 709 711 748 Total cash costs margin $/oz 1,190 1,073 1,128 Total cash costs margin % 63 60 60

Table 5: Reconciliation of All-in Sustaining Costs Margin to Revenue

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold oz 118,455 121,913 108,012 Revenue $ 228.8 216.5 207.7 Less: Silver sales $ (1.5 ) (1.4 ) (0.7 ) Less: Copper sales $ (2.9 ) (2.9 ) (4.3 ) Add: Realized gain on gold contracts $ 0.5 5.3 - Less: All-in sustaining costs $ (127.8 ) (126.1 ) (111.7 ) All-in sustaining costs margin $ 97.1 91.4 91.0 Total all-in sustaining costs margin $/oz 820 750 841 Total all-in sustaining costs margin % 42 42 44

Table 6: Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Earnings to Net Income

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Basic weighted average shares outstanding shares 85,869,276 85,843,808 85,797,699 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding shares 86,398,732 86,166,019 86,091,564 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Adjustments: Unrealized foreign exchange gain $ (0.5 ) (0.9 ) (1.0 ) Change in unrealized gains and losses on derivative contracts $ 27.1 25.3 8.2 Remeasurement of share-based payments $ 3.6 2.5 0.4 Derecognition of provisions for uncertain tax provisions $ (15.2 ) - - Tax effect of above adjustments $ (9.0 ) (8.1 ) (2.3 ) Tax effect of currency translation on tax base $ (23.9 ) (15.1 ) (8.1 ) Adjusted net earnings $ 50.3 38.3 37.2 Per share - Basic $/share 0.59 0.45 0.43 Per share - Diluted $/share 0.58 0.44 0.43

Table 7: Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Net income $ 68.2 34.6 40.0 Finance (income) costs, net $ (3.0 ) (4.5 ) 0.4 Depreciation and amortization1 $ 49.1 55.6 46.4 Current income tax expense $ 16.8 50.7 24.6 Deferred income tax recovery $ (28.6 ) (40.4 ) (8.3 ) EBITDA $ 102.5 96.0 103.1 Adjustments: Change in unrealized gains and losses on derivative contracts $ 27.1 25.3 8.2 Unrealized foreign exchange gain $ (0.5 ) (0.9 ) (1.0 ) Remeasurement of share-based payments $ 3.6 2.5 0.4 Adjusted EBITDA $ 132.7 122.9 110.7

Includes depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales, general and administrative and exploration and evaluation expenses.

Table 8: Free Cash Flow

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Net cash generated from operating activities $ 47.0 132.1 46.7 Less: Additions to property, plant and equipment1 $ (99.7 ) (90.8 ) (65.3 ) Lease payments $ (0.8 ) (0.9 ) (0.6 ) Interest paid $ (0.5 ) 0.1 (0.5 ) Free cash flow $ (54.0 ) 40.5 (19.7 )

The amount of cash expended on additions to property, plant and equipment in the year as reported on the condensed consolidated interim statements of cash flows.

Table 9: Net Cash

Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars 2023 2022 2022 Cash and cash equivalents $ 321.9 376.0 237.0 Less: Lease obligations $ (3.5 ) (3.9 ) (3.6 ) Net cash $ 318.4 372.1 233.4

Table 10: Unit Cost Measures

Three Months Ended Mar 31, Dec 31, Mar 31, In millions of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted 2023 2022 2022 Gold sold (oz) 118,455 121,913 108,012 Tonnes mined - open pit (kt) 9,354 9,505 10,019 Tonnes mined - underground (kt) 156 155 114 Tonnes processed (kt) 1,177 1,141 1,134 Total cash costs: Total cash costs ($) 84.0 86.7 80.8 Total cash costs per oz sold ($) 709 711 748 Breakdown of production costs $ $/t $ $/t $ $/t Mining - open pit 28.4 3.03 28.6 3.01 25.7 2.57 Mining - underground 12.6 80.42 10.9 70.19 9.8 86.14 Processing 39.7 33.72 38.2 33.43 37.2 32.77 Site support 12.1 10.25 13.2 11.54 11.0 9.66 Mexican profit sharing (PTU) 5.5 4.64 3.9 3.43 8.1 7.16 Capitalized stripping (21.2 ) (17.5 ) (16.1 ) Inventory movement 3.5 6.2 2.7 Other 0.9 0.8 1.2 Production costs 81.5 84.3 79.6

Table 11: Mineral Reserves for the Morelos Complex

Tonnes Au Ag Cu Au Ag Cu AuEq AuEq (kt) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (koz) (koz) (Mlb) (gpt) (koz) Media Luna Underground Proven - - - - - - - - - Probable 23,017 2.81 25.6 0.88 2,077 18,944 444 4.54 3,360 Proven & Probable 23,017 2.81 25.6 0.88 2,077 18,944 444 4.54 3,360 ELG Open Pit Proven 2,821 4.65 5.5 0.15 421 495 9 4.73 429 Probable 5,582 2.46 3.9 0.15 442 699 18 2.54 456 Proven & Probable 8,403 3.20 4.4 0.15 863 1,195 27 3.27 885 ELG Underground Proven 829 6.22 7.7 0.28 166 204 5 6.60 176 Probable 1,734 5.64 7.1 0.24 314 393 9 5.96 332 Proven & Probable 2,563 5.83 7.3 0.25 480 598 14 6.17 508 Surface Stockpiles Proven 4,655 1.26 3.1 0.07 188 470 7 1.30 195 Probable - - - - - - - - - Proven & Probable 4,655 1.26 3.1 0.07 188 470 7 1.30 195 Total Morelos Complex Proven 8,306 2.90 4.4 0.12 776 1,170 22 2.99 800 Probable 30,332 2.91 20.5 0.70 2,833 20,037 471 4.25 4,148 Proven & Probable 38,638 2.91 17.1 0.58 3,609 21,206 493 3.98 4,947

Notes to accompany Mineral Reserve table:

1. Mineral Reserves were developed in accordance with CIM (2014) guidelines.2. Rounding may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade, and contained metal content. Surface Stockpile Mineral Reserves are estimated using production and survey data and apply the same gold equivalent (AuEq) formula as ELG Open Pits.3. AuEq of Total Reserves is established from combined contributions of the various deposits.4. The qualified person for the Mineral Reserve estimate is Johannes (Gertjan) Bekkers, P. Eng., VP of Mines Technical Services.5. The qualified person is not aware of mining, metallurgical, infrastructure, permitting, or other factors that materially affect the Mineral Reserve estimates.

Notes to accompany the Media Luna Underground Mineral Reserves:6. Mineral Reserves are based on Media Luna Indicated Mineral Resources with an effective date of October 31, 2021.7. Media Luna Underground Mineral Reserves are reported above a diluted ore cut-off grade of 2.2 g/t AuEq.8. Media Luna Underground cut-off grades and mining shapes are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz gold (Au), $17/oz silver (Ag) and $3.25/lb copper (Cu) and metal recoveries of 85% Au, 79% Ag, and 91% Cu.9. Mineral Reserves within designed mine shapes assume long-hole open stoping, supplemented with mechanized cut-and-fill mining and includes estimates for dilution and mining losses.10. Media Luna Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0112) + Cu (%) * (1.6946), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries. Notes to accompany the ELG Open Pit Mineral Reserves:11. Mineral Reserves are founded on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, with an effective date of December 31, 2022, for ELG Open Pits (including El Limon, El Limon Sur and Guajes deposits).12. ELG Open Pit Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 1.2 g/t Au.13. ELG Low Grade Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 0.88 g/t Au.14. It is planned that ELG Low Grade Mineral Reserves within the designed pits will be stockpiled during pit operation and processed during pit closure.15. Mineral Reserves within the designed pits include assumed estimates for dilution and ore losses.16. Cut-off grades and designed pits are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz Au and metal recovery of 89% Au.17. Mineral Reserves are reported using a Au price of US$1,400/oz, Ag price of US$17/oz, and Cu price of US$3.25/lb.18. Average metallurgical recoveries of 89% for Au, 30% for Ag, and 23% for Cu.19. ELG Open Pit (including surface stockpiles) AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0041) + Cu (%) * (0.4114), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.Notes to accompany the ELG Underground Mineral Reserves:20. Mineral Reserves are founded on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, with an effective date of December 31, 2022, for ELG Underground (including Sub-Sill, ELD, Sub-Sill South and El Limon Sur Deep deposits).21. Mineral Reserves were developed in accordance with CIM guidelines.22. El Limon Underground Mineral Reserves are reported above an in-situ ore cut-off grade of 3.2 g/t AuEq and an in-situ incremental cut-off grade of 1.05 g/t Au.23. Cut-off grades and mining shapes are considered appropriate for a metal price of $1,400/oz Au and metal recovery of 90% Au.24. Mineral Reserves within designed mine shapes assume mechanized cut and fill mining method and include estimates for dilution and mining losses.25. Mineral Reserves are reported using a Au price of US$1,400/oz, Ag price of US$17/oz, and Cu price of US$3.25/lb.26. Average metallurgical recoveries of 90% for Au, 62% for Ag, and 63% for Cu, accounting for the planned copper concentrator.27. ELG Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0083) + Cu (%) * (1.1202), accounting for metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.

Table 12: Mineral Resources for the Morelos Complex

Tonnes Au Ag Cu Au Ag Cu AuEq AuEq (kt) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (koz) (koz) (Mlb) (gpt) (koz) Media Luna Underground Measured 1,823 5.29 42.0 1.38 310 2,460 55 8.06 473 Indicated 25,567 3.02 30.1 1.05 2,486 24,708 589 5.11 4,196 Measured & Indicated 27,390 3.17 30.9 1.07 2,796 27,168 645 5.30 4,669 Inferred 7,322 2.54 23.0 0.88 598 5,422 143 4.27 1,006 ELG Open Pit Measured 3,161 4.67 5.7 0.16 475 576 11 4.76 484 Indicated 8,143 2.35 4.1 0.15 615 1,073 26 2.42 635 Measured & Indicated 11,304 3.00 4.5 0.15 1,090 1,650 37 3.08 1,119 Inferred 1,385 1.92 2.2 0.06 85 100 2 1.95 87 ELG Underground Measured 1,741 5.94 8.0 0.34 332 450 13 6.58 369 Indicated 3,274 5.54 8.1 0.28 583 854 20 6.08 640 Measured & Indicated 5,016 5.68 8.1 0.30 916 1,304 33 6.26 1,009 Inferred 1,480 5.45 10.2 0.30 259 485 10 6.05 288 EPO Underground Measured - - - - - - - - - Indicated 4,050 2.37 34.8 1.48 308 4,528 132 5.16 671 Measured & Indicated 4,050 2.37 34.8 1.48 308 4,528 132 5.16 671 Inferred 5,634 1.79 31.3 1.17 324 5,668 145 4.04 732 Total Morelos Complex Measured 6,725 5.17 16.1 0.54 1,117 3,486 80 6.13 1,325 Indicated 41,035 3.03 23.6 0.85 3,992 31,164 767 4.66 6,143 Measured & Indicated 47,760 3.33 22.6 0.80 5,110 34,650 847 4.86 7,468 Inferred 15,821 2.49 23.0 0.86 1,267 11,675 299 4.15 2,112

Notes to accompany the Mineral Resource Table:1. CIM (2014) definitions were followed for Mineral Resources.2. Mineral Resources are depleted above a mining surface or to the as-mined solids as of December 31, 2022.3. Mineral Resources are reported using a gold (Au) price of US$1,550/oz, silver (Ag) price of US$20/oz, and copper (Cu) price of US$3.50/lb.4. Gold equivalent (AuEq) of Total Mineral Resources is established from combined contributions of the various deposits.5. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves.6. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.7. Numbers may not add due to rounding.8. The estimate was prepared by Ms. Carolina Milla, P.Eng. (Alberta), Principal, Mineral Resources Notes to accompany Media Luna Underground Mineral Resources:9. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.10. Mineral Resources are reported above a 2.0 g/t AuEq cut-off grade.11. Metallurgical recoveries at Media Luna average 85% for Au, 79% for Ag, and 91% for Cu.12. Media Luna Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0119) + (Cu (%) * 1.6483). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.13. The assumed mining method is from underground methods, using a combination of long hole stoping and cut and fill.Notes to accompany the ELG Open Pit Mineral Resources:14. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.15. Average metallurgical recoveries are 89% for Au, 30% for Ag and 23% for Cu.16. ELG Open Pit AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0043) + (Cu (%) * 0.4001). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.17. Mineral Resources are reported above an in-situ cut-off grade of 0.78 g/t Au.18. Mineral Resources are reported inside an optimized pit shell. Underground Mineral Reserves at ELD within the El Limon shell have been excluded from the open pit Mineral Resources.Notes to accompany ELG Underground Mineral Resources:19. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.20. Average metallurgical recoveries are 90% for Au, 86% for Ag and 93% for Cu, accounting for the planned copper concentrator.21. ELG Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + (Ag (g/t) * 0.0123) + (Cu (%) * 1.600). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.22. Mineral Resources are reported above a cut-off grade of 3.0 g/t AuEq.23. The assumed mining method is underground cut and fill.Notes to accompany EPO Underground Mineral Resources:24. The effective date of the estimate is December 31, 2022.25. Mineral Resources are reported above a 2.0 g/t AuEq cut-off grade.26. Metallurgical recoveries at EPO average 85% for Au, 75% for Ag, and 89% for Cu.27. EPO Underground AuEq = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * (0.0114) + Cu % * (1.6212). AuEq calculations consider both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.28. The assumed mining method is from underground methods using a long hole stoping.

ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. The Companys principal asset is the Morelos Complex, which includes the El Limon Guajes (ELG) Mine Complex, the Media Luna Project, a processing plant and related infrastructure. Commercial production from the Morelos Complex commenced on April 1, 2016 and an updated Technical Report for the Morelos Complex was released in March 2022. Torexs key strategic objectives are to optimize and extend production from the ELG Mine Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC. Jody Kuzenko Dan Rollins President and CEO Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Direct: (647) 725-9982 Direct: (647) 260-1503 [email protected] [email protected]

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release pertaining to Mineral Reserves has been reviewed and approved by Johannes (Gertjan) Bekkers, P.Eng., Vice President, Mine Technical Services of Torex Gold Resources Inc. and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release pertaining to Mineral Resources has been reviewed and approved by Carolina Milla, P.Eng., Principal, Mineral Resources of Torex Gold Resources Inc. and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

CAUTIONARY NOTES

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, statements that: the Company is placed in an excellent position to deliver on full year operational guidance; development of the Media Luna Project is tracking to schedule and budget; the Guajes Tunnel breakthrough on track for early Q1 2024, if not before; the level of spending on Media Luna is expected to increase through the remainder of 2023; production during Q2 and Q3 will be closer to the bottom end of the quarterly run-rate implied by full year guidance; the mine plan for the next two quarters sees the conclusion of mining in the Guajes pit, a heavy focus on waste stripping in the El Limon pit and draw down of stockpiled material; total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs during Q2 and Q3 are expected to be above the upper end of the annual guided range for those quarters only; production and costs are expected to return to usual levels in Q4, with higher processed grades and the increased level of ore production; net income includes a net derivative loss of $26.6 million related to gold forward contracts entered into to mitigate downside price risk during the construction of the Media Luna Project; the pace of investment is expected to increase into the second half of 2023 and remain relatively consistent through the first half of 2024, before declining as development activities wind down ahead of commercial production, which is anticipated in early-2025; the Company on track to meet annual production guidance and full year total cash costs guidance and all-in sustaining costs guidance; and the Companys key strategic objectives are to optimize and extend production from the ELG Mine Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property. Generally, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects, or does not expect, is expected, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will, may, could, would, might, or on track, or well positioned to occur. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties identified in the technical report (the Technical Report) released on March 31, 2022, entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Feasibility Study, which has an effective date of March 16, 2022, and the Companys annual information form and managements discussion and analysis or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the assumptions discussed in the Technical Report and such other reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Source: Torex Gold Resources Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX-VGCX) (Victoria or the Company) held its Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") earlier today, May 10, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Shareholders voted in favour of all items proposed by the board of directors and management.

The director nominees, as listed in the Management Information Circular dated March 27, 2023, were elected as directors of the Company at the meeting to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. In addition, The Omnibus Incentive Plan was approved and Ernst & Young LLP was appointed as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year. The results are as follows:

Total Eligible Votes: 64,522,682, Total Voted: 37,717,086 Total Voted: 58.46%

Resolutions For For % Against/Withheld Against/Withheld% Non Vote Number of Directors 33,716,500 99.59 138,290 0.41 3,862,296 T. Sean Harvey 32,357,738 95.58 1,497,052 4.42 3,862,296 John McConnell 33,391,811 98.63 462,979 1.37 3,862,296 Christopher Hill 33,363,862 98.55 490,928 1.45 3,862,296 Joseph Ovsenek 31,077,622 91.80 2,777,168 8.20 3,862,296 Steve Haggarty 33,691,848 99.52 162,942 0.48 3,862,296 Ria Fitzgerald 33,687,851 99.51 166,939 0.49 3,862,296 Kimberly Keating 33,010,072 97.50 844,718 2.50 3,862,296 Omnibus Plan 26,951,168 79.61 6,903,622 20.39 3,862,296 Appointment of Auditors 37,300,525 98.80 416,561 1.10 0

John McConnell, President and CEO, noted We are delighted to have Kim, Ria and Steve join Sean, Chris, Joe and I on Victorias Board. Their wealth of expertise, particularly from a technical perspective, will be a great asset to the Victoria Gold team and the Eagle Gold Mine.

Qualified PersonThe technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul D. Gray, P.Geo., as the Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About the Dublin Gulch PropertyVictoria Gold's 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property (the Property) is situated in central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year round, and is located within Yukon Energy's electrical grid.

The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company's Eagle and Olive Gold Deposits. The Eagle and Olive deposits include Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.6 million ounces of gold from 124 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 0.65 grams of gold per tonne. The Mineral Resource for the Eagle and Olive Gold Deposits has been estimated to host 245 million tonnes averaging 0.59 grams of gold per tonne, containing 4.7 million ounces of gold in the "Measured and Indicated" category, inclusive of Proven and Probable Reserves, and a further 36 million tonnes averaging 0.63 grams of gold per tonne, containing 0.7 million ounces of gold in the "Inferred" category.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Except for statements of historical fact relating to Victoria, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking information, including any information related to the intended use of proceeds from the Term Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility, the amended terms and conditions of the Loan Facility, and Victoria's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as plan, expect, budget, target, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may, will, could or should occur, and includes any guidance and forecasts set out herein (including, but not limited to, production and operational guidance of the Corporation). In order to give such forward-looking information, the Corporation has made certain assumptions about its business, operations, the economy and the mineral exploration industry in general, in particular in light of the impact of the novel coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease (COVID-19) on each of the foregoing. In this respect, the Corporation has assumed that production levels will remain consistent with managements expectations, contracted parties provide goods and services on agreed timeframes, equipment works as anticipated, required regulatory approvals are received, no unusual geological or technical problems occur, no material adverse change in the price of gold occurs and no significant events occur outside of the Corporation's normal course of business. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information. These factors include the impact of general business and economic conditions, risks related to COVID-19 on the Company, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, anticipated metal production, fluctuating metal prices, currency exchange rates, estimated ore grades, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in Victoria's corporate resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in development and production time frames, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainty of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, higher prices for fuel, steel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, final pricing for metal sales, unanticipated results of future studies, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, requirements for additional capital, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, limitations on insurance coverage and timing and possible outcomes of pending litigation and labour disputes, risks related to remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure, fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations. Although Victoria has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding Victoria's expected financial and operational performance and Victoria's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. All forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof, as the case may be, and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management of the Corporation as at the date hereof. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information contained herein and the documents incorporated by reference herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

For Further Information Contact:John McConnellPresident & CEOVictoria Gold Corp.Tel: 604-696-6605[email protected]

Source: Victoria Gold Corp
Airborne geophysical survey to aid in structural mapping and to define prospective drill targets for the Grease River Project in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) (OTCQB: FDCFF) (the "Company" or "Forum") and Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTCQB: TRCTF) (FSE: Z1K) ("Traction") are pleased to announce they have commenced an airborne magnetic, electromagnetic (EM) and radiometric survey on Forum's 100%-owned Grease River Project, located along the north rim of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. The helicopter-borne survey will be conducted using a New Resolution Geophysics specially designed Xcite" Time Domain Electromagnetic System. The 1,290 line-km survey will be conducted at a 100 metre line spacing over the entire Grease River claims totaling 10,528 hectares along the Grease River Shear Zone (Figure 1).

Traction entered into an option agreement with Forum whereby Traction is entitled to acquire a 51% interest in the Property by paying an aggregate of $250,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,625,000 common shares and funding an aggregate of $3 million in exploration expenditures on the Property by December 31, 2025. Forum is the Operator during this First Option Period. Traction has the further option to earn up to 100% interest in the project by making $1.7 million in cash payments, 5.5 million share payments and $6 million in exploration up until December 31, 2028. Forum would retain a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty and $8 million in milestone payments (see News Release dated February 7, 2023).

The Grease River Project

The Grease River Project is located within the north-central margin of the Athabasca Basin near the community of Fond du Lac. The Grease River Project consists of two separate claim blocks situated along the NE-trending Grease River Shear zone, a major intracontinental shear zone greater than 400 km long. The nearby Fond du Lac uranium deposit was previously discovered within the shear zone by Amok Ltd. ("Amok") and Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. ("Eldorado") in the 1970s and a historical resource estimate was included which was not prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), of one million pounds uranium at an average grade of 0.25% U3O8*. While the Company believes the historical estimate to be relevant and reliable, given the extensive exploration work completed by Amok / Eldorado, experienced mineral resource companies, and the quality of the historical work completed, a qualified person has not completed sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral. As such, the historical estimate should not be relied upon. The Company further notes that the Grease River Project claims are located along trend of the deposit to the southwest and northeast. Limited exploration has been conducted in the Grease River Project area.

*Homeniuk, L A, Clark, R. J., and Bonnar, R., Eldorado Nuclear Limited, CIM Bulletin May,1982. "Fond-du-Lac uranium deposit"

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Rebecca Hunter, Ph.D, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Forum Energy Metals

Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) (OTCQB: FDCFF) is a diversified energy metal company with uranium, copper, nickel, and cobalt projects in Saskatchewan, Canada's Number One Rated mining province for exploration and development, a strategic uranium land position in Nunavut and a strategic cobalt land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt.

For further information: https://www.forumenergymetals.com/

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTCQB: TRCTF) (FSE: Z1K) is in the business of mineral exploration and the development of discovery prospects in Canada, including its three uranium projects in the world-renowned Athabasca Region.

We invite you to find out more about our exploration-stage activities across Canada's Western region at www.tractionuranium.com.





Figure 1. Location of the Grease River Project in northern Saskatchewan nearby the community of Fond-du-Lac. The southern claim block is in Athabasca Basin sandstone cover (yellow) and the northern block is in basement rocks (shown with background magnetics). Dashed line is the Grease River Shear Zone.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4908/165475_7123550c746db851_003full.jpg

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard J. Mazur, P.Geo.

President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information contact:

Rick Mazur, P.Geo., President & CEO

[email protected]

Tel: 604-630-1585

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165475
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Lode Metals Corp. (CSE: LODE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive assignment and assumption agreement (the "Definitive Agreement"), dated May 9, 2023, with Federal Gold Corp. and Angold Resources (US) Ltd. (collectively, the "Subsidiaries"), each wholly-owned subsidiaries of Angold Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AAU) ("Angold"). Pursuant to the terms of the Definitive Agreement, the Subsidiaries will assign (the "Assignment") to Elkhorn Gold Exploration LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, all rights to the contractual arrangements (collectively, the "Option Agreements") pursuant to which the Subsidiaries hold the rights to acquire the Iron Butte Project, located in Lander County, Nevada and the Hope Butte Project, located in Malheur County, Oregon.

Iron Butte Project, Lander County, Nevada

Located near Battle Mountain, Nevada USA, the Iron Butte Gold Project covers an area of 2,227 hectares. Past drilling (31,614 meters) between 1980 and 2009 by Homestake, Newmont and Newcrest defined bulk-tonnage epithermal gold-silver system that outcrops at surface and with a historic mineral resource estimate.

Hope Butte Project, Malheur County, Oregon

Hope Butte is a large, intact hot springs low-sulfidation epithermal gold deposit hosted in Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic-volcaniclastic rocks and covering an area of approximately 2,312 hectares. Regionally, it is located at the intersection of the Oregon-Idaho Graben and the Vale Fault Zone, an area with extensive past and currently active geothermal activity. Cinnabar bearing opaline silica exposed at surface was discovered and mined on a limited scale in the 1950's.

In consideration for the Assignment, the Company has agreed to issue 10,000,000 common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to Angold, and to assume all obligations of the Subsidiaries with respect to the Option Agreements. Following completion of the Assignment, Lode will hold the rights to acquire the Iron Butte Project, and the Hope Butte Project, pursuant to the Option Agreements, in consideration for completing the following cash payments and share issuances:

IRON BUTTE PROJECT Payment Deadline Cash (USD) Common Shares (USD)* December 21, 2023 $150,000 $45,000 December 21, 2024 $200,000 $63,000 December 21, 2025 $300,000 $90,000 December 21, 2026 $500,000 Nil HOPE BUTTE PROJECT October 12, 2023 $75,000 $50,000 October 12, 2024 $150,000 $75,000 October 12, 2025 $200,000 Nil October 12, 2026 **$250,000 Nil

*Payable based upon the volume-weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company in the thirty-days prior to issuance and the prevailing exchange rates at the time.

**Further payments of US$250,000 are owing on each successive anniversary thereafter until the Company elects to exercise the rights to acquire the Hope Butte Project.

The Company is at arms-length from Angold, and the Subsidiaries, and no finders' fees or commissions are payable in connection with the entering into of the Definitive Agreement. The Consideration Shares will be subject to an escrow arrangement, during which time they may not be traded, for a period of twelve months following issuance. In addition to the escrow arrangement, the Consideration Shares and the common shares issuable under the Option Agreements, will bear a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance. Completion of the Assignment remains subject to customary closing conditions, including any required regulatory approvals.

Incentive Security Grant

The Company also announces that its board of directors has approved the adoption of a new long-term incentive plan (the "Incentive Plan") which replaces the existing stock option plan of the Company and allows for the grant of incentive stock options and restricted share units ("RSUs"). Pursuant to the terms of the Incentive Plan, the Company has granted a total of 850,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") and 1,000,000 RSUs to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company. The Options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.06 until May 10, 2028. The RSUs vest and will be settled in an equivalent number of common shares of the Company on September 10, 2023.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kenneth Tullar, P. Geo., the Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Lode Metals Corp.

Lode Metals is a gold exploration company focused on applying modern exploration techniques integrated with current geological models to the previous producing, high-grade Cracker Creek property located in northeastern Oregon, United States. The Cracker Creek property consolidates the contiguous, high-grade, past-producing Columbia, Eureka, Excelsior and North Pole Mines, collectively the most prolific gold producers in Oregon between 1891 and 1934.

For further information contact:

Jon Bey

President & Chief Executive Officer

Lode Metals Corp.

Email: [email protected]

www.lodemetals.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements thatinvolve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-lookingstatements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate","expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical factincluded in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks anduncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurateand actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in suchstatements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from theCompany's expectations are detailed from time to time in the filings made by theCompany with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used inthe preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events orcircumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as aresult of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many ofwhich 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 disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165562
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2023) - Mita Health Group announces the opening of their third European consultation office in London city, England. The company is renowned for providing expert care to patients seeking gastric sleeve procedures and similar treatments.

Collaborating with the UK's National Health System and boasting numerous successful surgery references, the company is excited about taking this step to treat thousands of patients in the country and change their lives for the better.

In addition to weight loss solutions like gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and gastric balloon, Mita Health Group aims to reach a wider audience in London with services such as dental treatments and aesthetic surgeries through their new branch.

"Our expansion to England increases our branches to three, including Malta and Macedonia. We strive to help more people achieve their desired appearance and health in Europe," said Hakan SEN, Chief Executive Officer at Mita Health Group.

Building on their successful track record, Mita Health Group is dedicated to making a significant impact on the local community in London city. With their state-of-the-art facility and highly skilled medical professionals, the company is poised to become a leading choice for weight loss solutions in the region. Also, placing great importance on post-operative care, Mita Health Group integrates its comprehensive Online Aftercare program with local branches for a seamless patient experience.

Hakan Sen, CEO

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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"We began our journey with gastric sleeve surgeries in Turkey, and now we're excited to expand as a brand in Europe. Our near-term goals include further European growth and opening branches on other continents. We're committed to maintaining our high standards of service and reaching more people around the world," said Hakan SEN, Chief Executive Officer at Mita Health Group.

Mita Health Group, a government-guaranteed and accredited organization from Turkish Ministry of Health, employs 50 professionals, including doctors, nurses, medical tourism experts, and support staff. As the company expands, the demand for skilled personnel is expected to grow. This growth will create more job opportunities in the countries where they open branches, contributing to local economies.

The opening of the new branch also marks an important milestone for Mita Health Group's continued growth and global presence. The company is excited to share their expertise and commitment to patient care with the people of England.

Mita Health Group Logo



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Follow MITA HEALTH GROUP on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.

For more information please visit the website or contact us directly :

Contact: Hakan SEN, Chief Executive Officer

Website: https://www.mitahealthgroup.com/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +90 535 464 05 96

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165525
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

AAA Heating and Plumbing is offering an Early Bird AC Sale to help customers beat the surge pricing from manufacturers in the summer. With a wide range of air conditioning units available, customers can find the perfect fit for their needs.



Calgary, AB - AAA Heating and Plumbing, in partnership with Air Conditioner Calgary and Hot Water Tank Calgary, announces its Early Bird AC Sale.

With the summer months quickly approaching, now is the best time to invest in an air conditioner before the surge pricing from manufacturers.

AAA Heating and Plumbing has been a trusted name in the industry for over 20 years, providing high-quality services to the Calgary community.

With extensive experience and knowledge, AAA Heating and Plumbing is committed to offering the best products at competitive prices to ensure customer satisfaction.

As temperatures rise, the demand for air conditioning units increases, causing manufacturers to raise their prices. By taking advantage of the Early Bird AC Sale, customers can beat the surge pricing and save money on their air conditioning unit purchase.

"We understand the importance of having a reliable air conditioning unit during the hot summer months," said Dean Fleming, Founder of AAA Heating and Plumbing. "That's why we're excited to offer our Early Bird AC Sale, allowing our customers to invest in an air conditioner at an affordable price."

With a wide range of air conditioning units to choose from, customers can find the perfect fit for their home or business. From energy-efficient models to those with advanced features, AAA Heating and Plumbing has it all.

The Early Bird AC Sale is only available for a limited time, so act fast to take advantage of this offer. For more information, visit AAA Heating and Plumbing's website or call their team at 403-474-5443.

About Us: AAA Heating and Plumbing has been providing exceptional services to the Calgary community for over 20 years. As a trusted name in the industry, AAA Heating and Plumbing is committed to providing high-quality products and services to ensure customer satisfaction.

Contact Info:

Name: Dean Fleming

Email: Send Email

Organization: AAA Heating and Plumbing

Address: 2165 41 Ave NE, Calgary, AB, T2E 6P2

Phone: 403-474-5443

Website: https://www.emergencyfurnacerepaircalgary.com



Release ID: 89097182

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Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Business investor Cosmin Panait examines current consumer cyclical trends and how they rate as long-term investment opportunities.



When considering the best long-term investment sectors and strategies, opinions remain divided. However, procedural matters aside, many experts agree that some markets continue to stand out  including so-called consumer cyclical companies.



One such expert is Cosmin Panait. Panait is an investment fund manager and philanthropist from New York City, New York. He has funded private and publicly traded companies in industries ranging from biotechnology and media to consumer packaged goods. He's also the celebrated co-founder of the Panait & Yang Foundation.



So, what are consumer cyclical companies, and why do they stand out among today's best long-term investments?







Consumer Cyclicals

The consumer cyclical market is also known as the consumer discretionary sector. Investor and philanthropist Panait explains that the consumer cyclical market centers around firms providing chiefly luxurious or more pleasure-focused goods and services. That's as opposed to purely life's essentials.



Investors and other experts see the consumer discretionary sector as cyclical because of market demand. Demand for cyclical market goods and services tends to fluctuate. For example, the call for such goods and services is invariably higher during specific business cycle periods, like the early growth stage.



At the same time, consumer cyclical companies do best when people are the most hopeful about their finances, their jobs, and the future more generally. Demand, therefore, tends to decline when the economy shrinks.



In any case, Cosmin Panait reports that cyclical consumer names remain firmly in the past decade's three top long-term investment sectors. That's owing to their place among the investments most likely to see positive returns over extended periods. Examples of popular consumer cyclical companies in 2023 include Apple, Disney, Nike, Starbucks, and Home Depot.



Other Leading Investment Sectors in 2023

According to Panait, technology, and healthcare are two other leading long-term investment sectors alongside cyclical consumer companies. Technology has long been a notable area in which to invest, whether shorter- or longer-term. Continuously shaping the economy, the market enjoyed more than three-fold growth over the past ten years.



Meanwhile, investing in healthcareespecially in a world with an ever-aging populationmakes more sense than ever. Alongside technology, more generally, rapid advances in healthcare-focused biotech are wowing investors, and with good reason. Specialists tout biotech as one of today's fastest-growing investment spaces.



As a trio, consumer discretionary investments and those made in technology and healthcare make for a great all-around long-term plan. Countless experts agree, including many of New York-based Panait's peers.



About Cosmin Panait

Visionary New York-based investment fund manager Cosmin Panait is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina. The investment manager and philanthropist has since helped to establish the Panait and Yang MMS Scholarship at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.



The Panait and Yang MMS Scholarship exists alongside the Panait & Yang Foundation. The Panait & Yang Foundation is a private family foundation that funds nonprofit organizations promoting education, supporting child welfare, and preventing animal cruelty.



Cosmin Panait lends his expertise to the family office investment firm he co-founded. At the firm and elsewhere, the investment fund manager specializes in hedge funds, venture capital, private equity, and PIPEs.

Contact Info:

Name: Cosmin Panait

Email: Send Email

Organization: Cosmin Panait

Phone: +1-786-847-0699

Website: https://www.cosminpanait.ventures/



Release ID: 89097181

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LA VERNE, Calif. (PRWEB) May 10, 2023

The University of La Verne raised nearly $2 million for scholarships and announced the largest commitment of funds in university history during its 25th Anniversary Scholarship Gala May 6 on the historic La Verne campus.

"This is truly a mic drop moment," President Devorah Lieberman told hundreds of attendees, including civic and community leaders. "These funds, each of you and the entire community make a significant impact on the university and our students."

During the celebration, Lieberman shared the personal stories of four students and how they benefited from scholarships as well as the support of staff and faculty across campus.

"More than 90 percent of all our students receive scholarship support from donors and supporters like you who recognize the intellect, empathy, bravery, and belonging these students have to offer the world," said Lieberman.

She later recognized longtime university champions Sara and Michael Abraham. They recently made an additional commitment to the university and the College of Health and Community Well-Being.

"Sara and I believe the value of what you can give is not important in life, but the value of giving to others is what makes life important," said Michael Abraham, who has served as a member of the board of trustees for 24 years. "From veteran students who have served their country to healthcare graduates who will serve their communities, our intention is for this gift to provide pathways to their service and success. We are proud to be able to support the university's commitment to its mission and students."

The couple has previously named the Sara and Michael Abraham Campus Center and the Sara and Michael Abraham Veteran Student Success Center.

In a surprise announcement, community partner Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) revealed it would put $1.5 million toward scholarships and a new IEHP Health Career Academy under the Randall Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact

Lieberman thanked guests for their generosity and partnership on behalf of students and higher education in her final gala address before she retires June 30.

"I am humbled to say that I have had the privilege of serving the University of La Verne as president for 12 years and I am grateful for all that we have been able to accomplish together- This includes establishing new colleges, expanding our footprint into Ontario, increasing our endowment and national visibility, donor named deans and faculty members, exceeding our $125 million comprehensive campaign, and a laser focus on maintaining a culture where everyone feels like they belong."

The Scholarship Gala closed with a drawing for a 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE, which was generously donated by the OREMOR Automotive Group, and won by Alumnus Freddie Ochoa, '03 and '09.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE:

The University of La Verne is a private, nonprofit, comprehensive institution founded in 1891 on four core values: lifelong learning, ethical reasoning, civic and community engagement, and diversity and inclusivity. Located in Southern California, the university is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, serving students on the historic La Verne campus, regional campuses, and online. It is consistently listed in U.S. News & World Report rankings for National Universities, Best Value Schools, Top Performers on Social Mobility and Best Online Programs. Learn more about the university at laverne.edu

Read the full story at https://www.prweb.com/releases/nearly_2_million_in_record_breaking_donations_and_largest_university_gift_announced_at_university_of_la_verne_2023_scholarship_gala/prweb19330308.htm
One of the largest donations from a privately held company to offset the cost of higher education for students in three of the largest cities in the U.S.

DALLAS , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 1-800-TruckWreck, powered by Witherite Law Group , announced it will make one of the largest donations from a privately held company to fund educational scholarships through its "Making a Difference" scholarship. The financial contribution of just over $600,000 will be awarded to students in Dallas, TX. , Chicago, Il. , and Atlanta, GA  all 1-800-Truck-Wreck office locations.

Post-secondary education offers additional training for various skills that may increase an individual's chances of securing higher-level employment. Though, fear of cost and amassing debt prohibits many from pursuing college or trade school. Additionally, some simply lack access to these resources. 1-800-TruckWreck and its partners, the Fort Worth ISD, Atlanta Public Schools, Chicago Urban League , North Lawndale Employment Network and St. Sabina Employment Resource Center , are working together to assist students who want to further their education.

"The recent spotlight on student loans has raised awareness of the overall cost of higher education. It can take decades to repay them, leading to an even bigger burden, especially for those who are already financially challenged," said Amy Witherite , founder of Witherite Law Group and 1-800-TruckWreck. "An investment in our students is an investment in our future. We believe in supporting our youth and giving them a solid foundation on which to pursue their dreams."

This year, 121 graduating seniors will be awarded $290,000 in scholarships, and scholarships will be renewed for an estimated 130 previous recipients who have maintained a 2.0 GPA and have taken at least 12 credit hours, for a total of $615,000 in scholarship funds awarded by 1-800-TruckWreck.

"Amy has had a huge impact on my life, and I want people to know how great she is. The scholarship helped me tremendously to stay in school and pay for things like books that my mother and aunts could not pay for," said Sierra Powe , Texas Christian University. "As a first-generation college student, Amy helped me to be a trailblazer for my family."

Witherite is committed to being an integral part of the communities she serves via 1-800-TruckWreck. As the daughter of a teacher, she understands and has a heart for those who need extra assistance  especially youth  and has used her success to fill the gaps for those in need. She has partnered with several businesses and organizations to enrich the lives of children and families.

"Thank you to everyone at Witherite for allowing me to use last year's scholarship to study in Korea for the summer. Not only do I feel more than prepared tackling my language course this year, but also expanding on the knowledge I learned at the museums and historic sites in Korea to aid in my studies of East Asia through my major," said Shaniya Longino , Wesleyan University. "This year, I am continuing my studies in East Asia and Korea by studying in Korea again thanks to my scholarship renewal."

Created in 2016, the "Making a Difference" Scholarship provides financial assistance to students who have demonstrated leadership in their schools and communities. The scholarship presentation schedule is as follows:

Dallas, TX

Time: 9:45 a.m.

Date: May 16, 2023

Location: Dunbar High School, 5700 Ramey Ave. , Fort Worth, TX 76112

Atlanta, GA

Time: 9:00 a.m.  11:00 a.m.

Date: May 18, 2023

Location: South Atlanta High School, 800 Hutchens Rd SE , Atlanta, GA 30354.

Chicago, IL

Time: 5 p.m.  7 p.m.

Date: June 15, 2023

Location: The Lawndale Christian Conference Center , 3750 West, W. Ogden Ave , Chicago, IL 60623

ABOUT 1-800-TRUCKWRECK/WITHERITE LAW GROUP

1-800-TruckWreck/Witherite Law Group is a personal injury law firm founded in 2001 with offices in Atlanta (also serving Columbus and Macon ), Dallas , Fort Worth , and Chicago . The firm's attorneys specialize in helping those injured in a car or truck accident and can be reached by calling 1-800-TruckWreck or 1-800-CarWreck, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

1-800-TruckWreck Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1800TruckWreck/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1800truckwreck/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/1800truckwreck

Please contact Kayla Tucker Adams , KTA Media Group, for interviews and onsite media coverage at [email protected] or 214-403-9852.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/1-800-truckwreck-to-award-over-600-000-to-high-school-and-college-students-nationwide-through-its-making-a-difference-scholarship-301821363.html

SOURCE Witherite Law Group
Althing (all - thing) is a Minnesota healthcare entity pioneering innovations achieving equity, access and technology enhanced care models. For three years Althing has been delivering behavioral health and safety services in select schools that have resulted in healthier, more informed and safer districts.

DULUTH, Minn. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Althing announces an answer to the epidemic of behavioral health and safety concerns among our youth.(www.airs4districts.com).

Improved school safety and health. Direct behavioral health service for students to connect with qualified providers.

Acute health concerns, anxiety and violence continue to increase among school age children. Most suffer in silence. Althing's breakthrough model, District AIRs (Assess-Intervene-Refer/services) combines qualified adolescent health services with purpose built technology to enable a direct provider encounter for every student, 12 and older. District AIRs identifies and addresses depression, suicidal ideation, safety, anxiety, violence, substance use and more.

Anonymous student testimonials from recent AIRs events include:

"I was not in a good place and had dark thoughts. I felt totally alone and in a helpless situation. I didn't want to burden my mom and couldn't go to the school counselor. I couldn't breathe, had panic attacks and didn't want to live anymore. Our school had an AIRs event. During my health class I was able to privately connect with a provider for help. I shared what I was going through openly without a worry because I knew my privacy was protected. I'm still seeing my therapist today and am doing so much better. I could see that others in the school were doing better too. This saved my life."

District AIRs is available at no cost thanks to sponsors and existing state and federal funding. AIRs aligns with state statutes and conveniently integrates into one period of the daily class schedule. District AIRs is applied twice a school year and can serve 100s of students per day, for full district coverage in one week, Althing ensures all in need are provided timely, qualified care.

"Schools can be paralyzed by the fear of identifying the full student need, while not having a way to provide needed services. District AIRs addresses that." Said David Krenz , ret. superintendent of Austin Public Schools, Austin, Minnesota "We no longer have that barrier, schools can have confidence in helping the kids in need. District AIRs is qualified, affordable, effective  and most importantly  provides an immediate way to address the needs of all students."

Districts receive timely, relevant, detailed aggregate data that provides deep insight into the health, safety, culture and needs of the student body. Althing's experts guide districts in responding to the new insights, hardening and improving resources while respecting the voices of their students. District AIRs helps schools achieve their health and safety imperative.

If you would like to schedule District AIRs for your students, wish to partner with Althing or just to learn more, visit our websites and contact us.

About Althing

Althing provides innovative, accessible health solutions holding to the principles of: equity, quality, access and value. To learn more about District AIRs visit airs4districts.com and subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@althing7525/videos.

Contact Katja Kressmann at 218-461-0655

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-solution-for-safer-healthier-schools-301821220.html

SOURCE Althing, LLC.
Rena Murshud

National Leader Heydar Aliyev is the leader whose name and signature are inscribed in golden letters in world politics. His legacy in the world of diplomacy is still being passed on to future generations. The great leader was one of the well-known influential persons in the Caucasus region, the post-Soviet space, and even in the world. Today, his memory is revered in many countries, and one of those is Egypt, one of the oldest in the Middle East.

Azerbaijani Professor, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Diaspora Organizations Association in Egypt Seymur Nasirov, who has an exceptional role in the Egyptian-Azerbaijani friendship, as well as in teaching our native language, popularizing our culture in Egypt, in a comment for Azernews noted that the National Leader was known by his name in many parts of the world during his political activities in the Soviet era.

"There is no doubt that if he had not been a Muslim, he would have been the head of the former SSR," he added.

Speaking about relations between the two countries, Professor said that relations with Egypt were at a high level during the period when Heydar Aliyev was in charge of the Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following Azerbaijan's regaining its independence, not only the political elite of the country, the intelligentsia, but also the people of Egypt began to recognize Heydar Aliyev as a political leader, a man who saved his people from great troubles, he said.

Seymur Nasirov stressed that the National Leader has the right over every Azerbaijani. According to him, as the chairman of the "Egypt-Azerbaijan Friendship Society", he was privileged to tell about him, repeatedly preparing programs about his genius on Egyptian television.

The West has always had plans to confuse the Middle East, plunder their wealth and divide their countries. And these countries needed exemplary personalities to decide their own destiny, build state unity and protect it from chaos. The National Leader was one of the foremost among them," the Professor underlined.

Seymur Nasirov noted that he has been a living witness to everything that was happening, and not as a person who knows the National Leader from books or articles.

It was Heydar Aliyev who came to rescue his people from disaster and cataclysm, which was pulling towards chaos and abyss in the early 90s. It was Azerbaijan's National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who drew a map of the path that led the country from great disasters to peace."

The Professor also touched on the role of the National Leader in liberation of Azerbaijan's lands from occupation.

According to him, there has never been such a victory in history in any Muslim country over the past century.

"Only Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the successor of the policy established by the National Leader, could do this. Therefore, it is our duty to present him to the world as an exemplary man. In this way, we serve our country and promote a person who can prevent chaos. We are even trying to get a textbook on the National Leader of the Eastern Countries in Egyptian high schools. Let them recognize the genius and use his experience," Nasirov emphasized.

Speaking about Heydar Aliyev's visits to Egypt, Seymour Nasirov noted that Egypt was a country that had strong ties with the USSR, but was under occupation.

The year of the National Leader's visit in 1973 was a time when Egypt struggled to reclaim its land. The visit of the SSR representative to Egypt was an act worthy of the country's high appraisal. As for archival information, there is a lot of information about the participation of the National Leader in the Cairo Opera and his numerous visits to the country. His second visit took place in 1994. Heydar Aliyev's development of relations with Egypt, which is one of the founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and currently has the strongest army in the world, is proof that he is a visionary and genius politician," the professor underlined.

Further, Seymur Nasirov spoke about the events held by the Azerbaijani diaspora in Egypt together with the embassy honoring memory of the National Leader.

In 2007, a protocol on brotherhood was signed between the Kalubiya province and the Absheron region of Egypt. In accordance with this protocol, the Egyptian-Azerbaijani friendship park was created in Egypt, in which a monument to Heydar Aliyev was erected in 2008.

At the same time, an Egyptian park and statues characteristic of the country were built in the Absheron region. The Egypt-Azerbaijan school also operates in both countries. I want to emphasize that on May 10 of each year in Egypt, in the Egypt-Azerbaijan Friendship Park, a large event dedicated to the National Leader will be held with the participation of prominent political figures and rulers of Egypt, he added.

In the end, the professor noted that being the Azerbaijani diaspora, the Azerbaijani language is being taught in Egypt to more than 450 students from 42 countries within the Azerbaijan Friendship Society.

"We hang pictures of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev in school classrooms and proudly promote their policies and bring them to the Egyptian world, professor concluded.
Brazilian Andre Luiz Barbosa waits for his dog to be seen last Wednesday at the North Municipal Veterinary Hospital of Sao Paulo, one of four in the city.

Charlie, a gorgeous golden-haired labrador, dozes on a blanket in a waiting room in Sao Paulo, among dozens of other dogs and cats. He has never been this sick. First it was the rash on his mouth. The veterinarian suspected lupus and recommended a biopsy. 31-year-old Kelly Queiroz paid for her pets appointment with a private doctor, but the test was impossible for her: It was 200 reales, she says, a cost of $40. It cost too much. So the Brazilian decided to wait and see if the dog got better. He got worse. He stopped eating, his feet got swollen, Queiroz recalls. She paid for pet insurance, but it turned out that it initially only covered emergencies. Charlie was sick, but it wasnt that serious. A coworker at the museum where Queiroz works told her about this free public veterinary hospital. She was surprised and relieved.

Now, here she is, lined up for Charlie to get an ultrasound and an IV at the North Municipal Veterinary Hospital of Sao Paulo. The dog just had his blood drawn, and he has an appointment with the dermatologist, but he still does not have a clear diagnosis. Just knowing its not serious, Im relieved. And the calm of getting treatment without having to juggle the impossible payments. Doctor Giulia has attended us wonderfully. I even cried, Queiroz said last Wednesday. Ten hours prior, at midnight, she lined up with Charlie and a blanket. The demand is enormous, so receiving care requires patience, which dissuades those who can afford private treatment.

Low-income neighbors, those who cannot pay for a clinic in Latin Americas wealthiest and most populous city, are the priority users of the four veterinary hospitals in Sao Paulo, a city with 12 million people, 1.9 million dogs and more than 800,000 cats, numbers that will only increase in the census soon to be released.

The dog Mili during a chemotherapy session in a public veterinary hospital in Sao Paulo last Wednesday. Lela Beltrao

It is a free public service with an impressive range of specialities, from ophthalmology to orthopedics, dentistry and oncology. In these halls, a dog with an amputated paw crosses paths with one with diabetes, a cat in cancer treatment and an army of uniformed young veterinarians and nurses with colorful bandannas. The premises are sober and bare-bones, but with an intensive care unit and three operating rooms.

Doctor Daniel Leite da Silva directs the metropoliss network of veterinary hospitals. Why did the city decide to spend public money on this? Because, he explains, it creates a virtuous cycle for the pets and their companions: We prevent animals from being abandoned. It allows us to maintain epidemiological monitoring to prevent zoonosis illnesses that are passed from animals to humans and we help to care for the emotional health of the tutors who take care of their pets wellbeing.

A veterinary nurse attends a patient last Wednesday in a municipal hospital for cats and dogs in Sao Paulo. Lela Beltrao

With a team of 145 veterinarians and almost 100 aides, last year, the four hospitals attended 130,000 visits. The budget for this year reaches 27 million reales ($5.3 million).

Sao Paulo opened its first municipal veterinary hospital in 2012. Its experience has inspired cities like Brasilia, Salvador de Bahia and Guarulhos. Similar centers exist in Mexico and Argentina, and El Salvador just inaugurated one. Brazilian users are surprised to hear that such services do not exist in wealthy Europe. As Micaela de la Maza, creator of srperro.com, a website about dogs, says, In Europe they dont exist. At the end of 2022, the first public hospital was announced in Rome. That announcement received a lot of media attention, and the issue has become part of Spanish electoral campaigns.

In Brazil, as in the rest of the world, pets have gone from being considered property to being seen as family members. Dr. Da Silva notes how that change is reflected even in terminology: When I started studying, in 2003, we called them owners, then tutors or caretakers, and now some call themselves bichological mothers and fathers [in a play on words on bicho, the Portuguese word for animal]. Like almost all the veterinarians and nurses consulted in the center, he has his own pets: two cats and a dog. His work also encompasses adoption and surgical castration programs. Here there isnt indiscriminate euthanasia, he says.

Two veterinary surgeons operate on an animal in one of the three operating rooms at the North Municipal Veterinary Hospital of Sao Paulo last Wednesday. Lela Beltrao

Free veterinary attention can also be understood as a measure to mitigate inequality in Brazil, a country proud of having created the largest human public health system on the planet. Neither the US, China nor India have anything like it. But the disparity between rich and poor is abysmal, and pets also experience the gap.

Sao Paulo is a city where dozens of thousands of people live in the streets, while powerful executives avoid traffic jams by traveling in air taxis. The megalopoliss homeless people can take their dogs to the free veterinarian thanks to public services, while the most wealthy, when they go on vacation, leave their dogs in five-star hotels with pools and saunas. The city is dotted with gigantic 24-hour stores that sell everything imaginable to feed and care for an animal. Doggy day cares feature cameras that allow owners to monitor their furry friends from the gym or work. Walking dogs in a baby carriage, or leaving them in hands of a dog walker, is common in privileged neighborhoods.

In the hospitals waiting room, no barking is heard. The professionals have carried out operations as serious as spinal fractures, but they usually attend low or medium-complexity cases. They dont have the latest technologies. As the head veterinarian Da Silva says, comparing his resources with the ones he saw at the veterinary hospital at the University of Florida, there, the care is for whoever can pay. Here we try to reach the widest population possible. He does the calculation: With the cost of a CT scan, we do five x-rays.

The cat Mica, who is 45 days old, is fed by a nurse in the intensive care unit of a public veterinary hospital in Sao Paulo, last Wednesday. Lela Beltrao

Teo, the cat of Maria Zuleni dos Santos, who works in a bakery, is 11 years old and has intestinal cancer. He awaits the oncologist in his carrier. Zyon is waiting to see the general doctor. Prince, say something to mommy, Adriana Costa tells her dog, who stopped eating and drinking last weekend. Costa and her partner came here because a few days of hospitalization cost them almost $100, and each appointment is $40, an impossible rhythm with her salary as a cleaner in a clinic. As she chats, she pays attention to the announcements. When she hears the nurse call, Zyon and Adriana, you can come back, Zion and Adriana, she will carry him in her arms to the appointment.

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Body Vision Medical signs exclusive distribution agreements in Czech Republic , India , Malaysia and Thailand .

CAMPBELL, Calif. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the month of April, Body Vision Medical, a leader in AI-driven, intraoperative imaging signed exclusive distribution agreements with Asantela S.R.O, Assiz & Sarah Health Care Pvt. Ltd., I-Medic Imaging Sdn, Bhd., Exotech Medical Co., Ltd. for distribution of its LungVision real-time, intraoperative CT imaging platform in the Czech Republic , India , Malaysia and Thailand , respectively.

Body Vision Medical's LungVision System utilizes the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to convert X-ray images acquired from any C-arm into real-time, intraoperative CT scans. This cutting-edge technology empowers bronchoscopists to see the pulmonary lesion and confirms that biopsies are taken from within the lesion during diagnostic bronchoscopy, improving the probability of both early detection and long-term survival for lung cancer patients.

"These distributor relationships mark a key step in democratizing Body Vision's LungVision imaging technology to lung cancer patients globally, especially in areas where the incidence of lung cancer is high, but access to advanced medical technologies like LungVision is limited, leading to poor patient survival rates." says David Webster , CEO of Body Vision Medical. "We believe we can improve on the quintuple aim of healthcare by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to cost-effectively provide clinicians with the real-time, intraoperative imaging they need to enhance procedural accuracy, drive better patient outcomes, and reduce overall operating costs."

By forging these strategic alliances, Body Vision Medical is executing on its growth strategy of expanding lung patient access to LungVision in 60 new markets over the next three years.

About Asantela, S.R.O

Asantela is a dynamic company specializing in the sale of innovative medical devices in the areas of electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, and interventional pulmonology into the Czech Republic.

About Assiz & Sarah Health Care Pvt. Ltd.

Assiz & Sarah Healthcare was established in 2014 with the vision of making innovative and breakthrough technologies available to the Indian Medical Market. As one of the leading players in the Indian capital equipments market, their infrastructure, logistical and distribution nature is as impressive as their technical and marketing capabilities.

About I-Medic Imaging Sdn. Bhd.

I-Medic Imaging is a prominent supplier of Medical and Diagnostic imaging products in Malaysia . Renowned for its commitment to introducing the latest innovative medical technology to the Malaysian healthcare community, the company has been instrumental in improving clinical outcomes, optimizing efficiency, and improving medical facilities in hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices.

About Exotech Medical Co., Ltd.

Exotech is a group of leading business advisors well know for their ongoing collaboration with internationally renowned medical device companies. Exotech is committed to providing a premier experience to customers, including expert level service and clinical support post-sale.

About Body Vision Medical

Body Vision Medical specializes in AI-driven, intraoperative imaging with the aim of saving lives through the democratization of innovative medical technology. Its first commercial product, LungVision, addresses the unmet clinical need for early, definitive lung cancer diagnosis and, in the future, to enable effective treatment of lung lesions via a minimally-invasive procedure.

Visit bodyvisionmedical.com to learn more and connect with them on LinkedIn .

Contact

[email protected]

+1-888-302-5439

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SOURCE Body Vision Medical
NEW YORK , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) announced that it will be participating at an upcoming investor event which will include a fireside chat with management, available on Broadridge's Investor Relations page at www.broadridge-ir.com.

J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference - Boston, Massachusetts

Time and Date: May 22, 2023 , at 8:40 AM ET

Company Speaker: Tim Gokey , Chief Executive Officer

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors

[email protected]

Media

[email protected]

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SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
HOUSTON , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) ("Callon" or the "Company") intends to participate in the follow upcoming investor events and plans to post an updated investor presentation to the Company's website on May 15, 2023 . The updated Company presentation will be available at www.callon.com/investors.

May 16, 2023  TPH & Co. Hotter-Than-Hell Energy Conference . President and Chief Executive Officer, Joe Gatto , will host an investor dinner.





. President and Chief Executive Officer, , will host an investor dinner. May 17  18, 2023  RBC Capital Markets Hosted Non-Deal Roadshow . Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors in Milwaukee and Chicago .





RBC Roadshow June 6  7, 2023  RBC Capital Markets Global Energy, Power & Infrastructure Conference . President and Chief Executive Officer, Joe Gatto will be meeting with investors.





RBC Gatto June 8, 2023  Bank of America Energy Credit Conference . Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





June 21  22, 2023  JP Morgan Energy, Power, and Renewables Conference. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





Renewables July 12, 2023  TD Securities Calgary Energy Conference . Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Haggard , will be meeting with investors.





About Callon Petroleum

Callon Petroleum Company is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of high-quality assets in the leading oil plays of South and West Texas .

Contact:

Kevin Smith

Director of Investor Relations

Callon Petroleum Company

[email protected]

(281) 589-5200

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SOURCE Callon Petroleum Company
PHILADELPHIA , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Checkpoint Systems, one of the only vertically integrated RF/RFID solution providers for retail, will attend this year's NRF Protect at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas .

From June 5 th to 7th 2023, Checkpoint will present their latest innovations to retail industry experts in loss prevention, asset protection, digital fraud, and cybersecurity to learn about new technologies and solutions to showcase how Checkpoint can enable retailers to better protect their merchandise, manage their inventory, and increase sales.

Checkpoint's team of experts will be on hand during the show to demonstrate its newest technologies and wide range of solutions developed for apparel, big box, grocery, DIY and craft retailers, as well as drug, discount and department stores.

Attendees will be able to explore Checkpoint's newest solutions during the event:

SFERO: A fully customizable modular RFID loss prevention system with high detection performance.

A fully customizable modular RFID loss prevention system with high detection performance. Alpha Edge : This new line of Alpha solutions features exclusive DeArm technology that requires deactivation before removal, adding an extra layer of security.

This new line of Alpha solutions features exclusive DeArm technology that requires deactivation before removal, adding an extra layer of security. ItemOptix for Retail: With over 20 years of experience in RFID, Checkpoint has reimagined their RFID inventory management software making it easy to use, easy to deploy, and easy to adapt.

With over 20 years of experience in RFID, Checkpoint has reimagined their RFID inventory management software making it easy to use, easy to deploy, and easy to adapt. Shrink Shelf: The newest innovation in shelving technology, the Shrink Shelf system has anti-sweep technology that increases shelf space and promotes front facing of products. Shrink Shelf- from product protection to planogram perfection

The newest innovation in shelving technology, the Shrink Shelf system has anti-sweep technology that increases shelf space and promotes front facing of products. Shrink Shelf- from product protection to planogram perfection The NS45: an in-lane EAS checkout solution that is both discrete and powerful.

To learn about these innovative solutions and more, please visit Booth 501 during NRF Protect.

About Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (www.About Checkpoint Systems.com).com)

A division of CCL Industries, Checkpoint Systems is the only vertically integrated RF/RFID solution provider for retail. With consumer demands accelerating at an extraordinary rate driven by technology, Checkpoint delivers intelligent solutions  bringing clarity and efficiency into the retail environment anytime, anywhere. Through a unique offering of software, hardware, labels, tags and connected cloud-based solutions, Checkpoint optimizes retail operations and efficiencies with real-time intuitive data delivered throughout the supply chain and in-store resulting in improved profitability and an enriched consumer experience. Checkpoint's intelligent retail solutions are built upon 50 years of radio frequency technology expertise, innovative high-theft and loss prevention solutions, market-leading software, RFID hardware and comprehensive labeling capabilities to brand, secure and track merchandise from source to shelf.

Twitter: @CheckpointSys

Instagram: @Checkpointsystemsna

About CCL Industries

CCL Industries Inc., a world leader in specialty label and packaging solutions for global corporations, small businesses and consumers, employs over 21,000 people and operates over 180 production facilities in 40 countries on six continents with corporate offices in Toronto, Canada , and Framingham, Massachusetts . For more information, visit www.cclind.com.

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SOURCE Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
P&C industry veteran brings extensive underwriting and international experience

NEW YORK , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced that Mark Homan has been appointed Division President, International Property and Casualty, for Overseas General Insurance, the company's international general insurance operations. Currently, he serves as Chief Operating Officer for the division. In his new role, which is effective June 1 , Homan will be responsible for the company's international commercial property and casualty (P&C) insurance business, including property, casualty, professional lines, energy and marine product lines.

Homan succeeds Timothy O'Donnell , who is retiring from the company after 20 years of service. Homan will report to Juan Luis Ortega , Executive Vice President, Chubb Group and President, Overseas General Insurance.

"Mark is an experienced underwriter with deep international experience," said Ortega. "Over the past 12 years at Chubb, he has successfully led our casualty business, helping to drive growth that has positioned Chubb as a market leader in one of our largest international P&C businesses. Mark has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful and effective approach to managing and expanding our business, from casualty to other P&C lines."

"Tim has had great success at Chubb, most recently leading the substantial growth and consistently improving margins in our P&C division. During his tenure at Chubb, Tim has also led our international Financial Lines business as well as Professional Lines in North America ," Ortega commented. "He has been a trusted partner and has played a key role in promoting and nurturing talent around the world. We congratulate Tim for a remarkable global insurance career and wish him all the best in this new stage of his life."

Homan has three decades of insurance industry experience. Prior to serving as Chief Operating Officer for the division, he was Executive Vice President, International Casualty. Homan began his insurance career in 1993 and, prior to joining Chubb in 2011, held management positions in Europe and the U.S. , including at Allianz, AIG and Wuba, where he served as a member of the board.

He is a graduate of Middlesex University with an Honours Degree in European Business Administration. He also holds a Diploma Betriebswirt from the Fachhochschule Reutlingen, Germany , where his thesis was sponsored by Robert Bosch GmbH.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich , New York , London , Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 34,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com

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SOURCE Chubb
ARVADA, Colo. , May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Community First Foundation, the community foundation serving Jefferson County (Jeffco) and the organization that runs ColoradoGives.org and Colorado Gives Day, announced the launch of its new name, Colorado Gives Foundation and brand positioning, along with an initiative to bring affordable workforce housing to Jefferson County .

"We believe community is built by connection, and now as Colorado Gives Foundation, we are building on the brand recognition of Colorado Gives with an invitation for community members to join us in making good happen," said Kelly Dunkin , president and CEO of Colorado Gives Foundation. "We're excited to launch our new brand and highlight the critical issue of affordable workforce housing in Jeffco while we work together with community partners to bring forward solutions."

At the heart of our community lies the importance of housing, which provides a sense of safety, security, and well-being. Unfortunately, many hard-working people in Jefferson County cannot afford to live near their place of employment. Estimates suggest that nearly 14,000 new units are needed to meet housing needs in Jefferson County . To help bridge this gap, Colorado Gives Foundation is seeding $15 million to create a housing fund called Bring it Home to help build or preserve affordable workforce housing to Jeffco.

"Colorado Gives Foundation listens emphatically to the needs of those we serve, with a firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion," added Dunkin. "And what we have heard is there is no direct funding to get those in the missing middle, the people earning good incomes but not enough to live near where they work. This is where we can work together with our community to help Bring It Home," added Dunkin.

Donors, whether individuals or organizations, can join the effort by donating to the Bring it Home Fund, knowing every dollar makes a difference. All donations are pooled to invest and support Jeffco workforce housing for greater impact. "Maintaining and building affordable housing takes time. It's a big problem that no one person or organization can tackle alone. But together, we can change this and make good happen because housing is good for everyone," said Dunkin.

The Bring it Home Fund at Colorado Gives Foundation has already made its first investment to the Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative which seeks to fill a critical shortage of financing for affordable housing through the acquisition, preservation and development of affordable workforce housing. Bring it Home Fund will continue supporting investments in housing by providing low-cost capital to create and maintain affordable workforce housing in Jefferson County .

For more information on how you can support the Bring It Home Fund, visit ColoradoGives.org/SupportHousing.

About Colorado Gives Foundation

Colorado Gives Foundation (formerly Community First Foundation) connects donors and Colorado nonprofits to make good happen. Through Colorado Gives 365, we make it easy for people to donate to the causes they care about, enabling meaningful change to help our neighbors thrive. We achieve this by connecting people, ideas, and nonprofits, helping donors with philanthropic planning, and supporting nonprofits with grants and resources. Together, we strive to build resilient, connected and thriving communities. Our work is rooted in attentive listening and a firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Colorado Gives Foundation is where donors find and discover the community impact that matters most to them, which is good for everyone.

CONTACT:

Cindy Matthews , Director of Communications & Community Outreach

[email protected]

720.898.5909

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SOURCE Community First Foundation; Colorado Gives Foundation
ALEXANDRIA, Va. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Competition Smart, a leading government contracting consulting firm, has announced the launch of CSmart Insights, a subscription service providing access to uniquely curated data, analyses and insights, designed to help clients win government contracts. The company's core services, which include initial deal strategy, price to win, competitor analysis, and color team reviews, have earned its clients a win rate of 90% over almost a decade of operation.

Competition Smart founder and president Jeff Halsted said CSmart Insights was developed to support clients who want key insights at critical moments in the business development process.

"Our approach is proven, and our clients are telling us they want to access the unique insights we provide in new ways," Halsted said.

CSmart Insights builds on the proven proprietary methodology that has helped clients win more than $2 billion in contracts, by adding new data sources, technology and insights. A CSmart Insights subscription adds a key player to your team, ready to be called on at the moment you need information, insights and focus areas that will help you win.

"We are providing a bespoke service to each of our subscribers, leveraging our unique data and insights to answer key questions and create focus for your business development and capture teams," Halsted said. "With CSmart Insights, clients can tell us what they are bidding on, and we deliver the insights they need to win."

Competition Smart has hired Dan Murray as Chief Product and Innovation Officer to lead the launch of CSmart Insights. Dan has a successful background in GovCon, winning deals, delivering to the government, and running large P&Ls. After the GovCon tour, Dan joined a multi-billion dollar company where he established and led an innovation lab. During the past 12 years, Dan has created 10 new products and brought many to market.

"I'm excited to be joining Competition Smart as the Chief Product and Innovation Officer and to lead the launch of CSmart Insights," said Murray. "The opportunity to deploy innovative ways to deliver insights to drive the success of our clients is truly exciting. I look forward to working closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and deliver the insights they need to succeed."

Additionally, Michael Halsted has joined the company as a data analyst. Michael brings strong capabilities in data analytics and the skills to help CSmart Insights leverage our unique technology to help clients succeed.

"We are thrilled to have Dan and Michael on board as we launch CSmart Insights," said Jeff Halsted . "Michael fully understands how to leverage our targeted data to help clients gain an edge over competitors. Dan's expertise will be invaluable in helping our clients take full advantage of what Insights has to offer, and ultimately pave the way for their government contracting successes."

About Competition Smart:

Competition Smart is a leading government contracting consulting firm that has helped clients win government contracts for almost a decade. The company's core services include initial deal strategy, price to win, competitor analysis, and color team reviews.

For more information visit CompetitionSmart.com or email [email protected].

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SOURCE Competition Smart, LLC
DENVER , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Vectra Bank Colorado has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by Denver Post Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

"Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees," said Eric Rubino , Energage CEO. "That's something to be proud of. In today's market, leaders must ensure they're allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That's paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends."

About

At Vectra Bank, we practice "proactive relationship banking." Which means we get to know our clients well, and we use that knowledge to vigorously discover opportunities to grow their business. We're passionate about helping clients who are passionate about their business, and our expert bankers serve them in 35 bank locations across the Rocky Mountain region.

Vectra combines sophistication with personalization to offer a truly unique service experience. As a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A., Vectra offers every client  personal or business  the best of both worlds: a broad reach and depth of resources alongside an unparalleled onetoone attention. We like to say we are big enough to count and yet small enough to care.

About Energage

Making the world a better place to work together.TM

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 16 years of culture research and the results from 27 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.

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SOURCE Vectra Bank Colorado
State-of-the-Art Campus Underscores Epson Commitment to Technology Innovation, Teamwork, Sustainability, and Employee Work-Life Balance

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, a global technology leader, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Los Alamitos -based headquarters on Tuesday, May 9 at 3131 Katella Ave. The ceremony featured remarks from Los Alamitos Mayor Tanya Doby , Epson America president and CEO Keith Kratzberg and Seiko Epson Director Koichi Kubota . Local government officials Ana Lasso from the California Office of Sustainability and Zechariah Jauregui from U.S. House of Representatives District 45 , along with community representatives and non-profit leaders, were also in attendance.

Epson celebrates new Los Alamitos headquarters focused on productivity, sustainability and hybrid collaboration

The new campus serves as Epson's corporate headquarters for the U.S. , Canada and Latin America , overseeing operations for home, office, commercial, and industrial printing, visual communications, wearables, robotics, microdevices, and manufacturing. Supporting an innovative hybrid program for more than 80% of its workforce, Epson retains remote working flexibility for employees with a six-day per month in-office schedule. The campus also features a hoteling workspace system, greatly reducing the required physical footprint for staff. This allowed for an expanded Executive Briefing Center serving as a state-of-the-art destination to host customers, partners and community members.

"The innovative Epson campus embodies the lessons we've gleaned from relocating during a global pandemic. By leveraging Epson technologies, we've optimized the space to boost productivity and foster collaboration, while prioritizing sustainability, community engagement, and employee work-life balance," said Kratzberg. "Our newly established Executive Briefing Center serves as a hub for Epson team members and partners, providing an environment in which we can envision and develop effective strategies for future business achievements."

In addition to expanding operations to more than 150,000 square feet in a two-building, environmentally focused facility, the Epson Campus is the physical realization of the Epson 25 Renewed Corporate Vision and how Epson America embodies our mission. Offering one of the leading job markets in California and one of the most diverse populations, Orange County was the right location for the move.

"We welcome Epson and its employees to the Los Alamitos business community and believe their presence will support a wide range of local businesses, as well as bring new jobs and investment opportunities to the area," said Mayor Tanya Doby . "I firmly believe in the culture and community of Los Alamitos and look forward to the ongoing collaboration to help the area grow and thrive."

The new Epson campus underscores Epson's commitment to local community engagement, integrated sustainability and workplace collaboration:

Adaptive and Hybrid Workforce  With the right technologies and adaptive culture in place, the new campus supports an innovative hybrid work program and hoteling system. The facility also features a unique virtual demo and presentation system to train and support the company's mission-critical technologies.

With the right technologies and adaptive culture in place, the new campus supports an innovative hybrid work program and hoteling system. The facility also features a unique virtual demo and presentation system to train and support the company's mission-critical technologies. State-of-the-Art Technology  The new state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Center allows Epson customers, partners and community members to interface with Epson technologies as well as conduct their own business. It incorporates Epson's latest solutions to emphasize Epson's product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. In addition, Epson offers the facility for use by local businesses and nonprofits, with monthly activities on campus for networking and community interaction.

The new state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Center allows Epson customers, partners and community members to interface with Epson technologies as well as conduct their own business. It incorporates Epson's latest solutions to emphasize Epson's product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. In addition, Epson offers the facility for use by local businesses and nonprofits, with monthly activities on campus for networking and community interaction. Interactive Design and Collaboration  A great deal of thought went into the design of the new headquarters  which features two distinct buildings and extends the outside indoors  to expand team collaboration, meeting venues and to support hybrid workplace efficiencies. The workspace is focused on core Epson values  supporting its people, leveraging purpose-designed technology, and ensuring customer value. The two main buildings are connected with an architectural bridge  which plays a key role in keeping employees connected.

A great deal of thought went into the design of the new headquarters  which features two distinct buildings and extends the outside indoors  to expand team collaboration, meeting venues and to support hybrid workplace efficiencies. The workspace is focused on core Epson values  supporting its people, leveraging purpose-designed technology, and ensuring customer value. The two main buildings are connected with an architectural bridge  which plays a key role in keeping employees connected. Environmentally Focused Building Initiatives  The new Epson Campus allows opportunities for Epson to further its commitment to environmental sustainability. Environmental features include rooftop solar panels providing 100% of the company's energy needs, reduced lighting requirements due to large windows and motion sensors, expansive water conservation, and drought tolerant landscaping throughout the campus. In addition, Epson offers Electric Vehicle charging stations to employees.

"Our new headquarters is more than just a building; it represents a commitment to growth, innovation and excellence. With state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, we are better equipped to deliver world-class products and services to our customers," concluded Kratzberg.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan -based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion . global.epson.com/

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif. , is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S. , Canada , and Latin America . To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica ), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

EPSON is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2023 Epson America, Inc.

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SOURCE Epson America, Inc.
Further exploration is needed, including cost and economic studies, regulatory conditions, site evaluations and additional technology assessments

(Editor's note: The Purdue University and Duke Energy Small Modular Reactor and Advanced Reactor Feasibility Study Interim Report and fact sheet are available at https://purdue.ws/smrstudyreport.)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Purdue University and Duke Energy released an interim report today that describes small modular reactors as one of the most promising emerging technologies and a potential, carbon-free option that should be further explored to help meet the future, long-term power needs of Purdue University.

This finding came following the first year of a small modular reactor and advanced reactor feasibility study into whether advanced nuclear technologies could power the university's West Lafayette campus and supply excess energy to Indiana's electric grid in the 2030s and beyond.

Electricity from nuclear power plants is a carbon-free source of energy that operates continuously 24 hours a day. Small modular reactors will typically produce up to 300 megawatts of clean energy, with some designs having higher generating capacities. They also have enhanced safety features and are simpler than traditional nuclear plants, making them easier, faster and more affordable to build.

"Our early findings show that advanced nuclear technology presents a potential path to zero emissions for our university, and we intend to continue our teamwork with Duke Energy in the next phase of the study," said Purdue University President Mung Chiang . "The persistent collaboration among Duke Energy, Purdue University and world-renowned energy and policy experts demonstrates the critical importance of this exploration into advanced nuclear energy and what it could mean not only for our campus, but also the community, state and nation."

In the interim report, no technology has been selected and no decision to build a new nuclear plant has been made at Purdue University or on Duke Energy's Indiana system. The interim report confirmed:

Small modular reactors are a promising, carbon-free energy option for Purdue University that should be further explored.

that should be further explored. Because small modular reactors can operate continuously and their energy output can adjust to meet power demand, they complement other resources, such as renewable energy. This is important for reliable energy as wind and solar power becomes a larger percentage of the generation mix.

Small modular reactor designs have enhanced safety features and are simpler than traditional nuclear plants, making them easier, faster and more affordable to build.

First-of-a-kind small modular reactors are expected to be in service in the U.S. later this decade, and the federal government is helping to fund several projects.

later this decade, and the federal government is helping to fund several projects. Small modular reactors offer many economic benefits, such as:

Generating millions in taxes for local communities



Creating thousands of temporary construction jobs and hundreds of permanent high-wage jobs



Attracting private companies to locate and expand in Indiana

Federal and state law supports advanced nuclear development, but the federal licensing process is complex and lengthy. Streamlined planning, design, construction and financing are needed.

"To reach a clean, carbon-free future, we need to explore a broad range of technologies, including advanced nuclear," said Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar . "We need to study this and other options further, and this report starts a conversation about how we might transition to carbon-free power that can operate on demand in concert with renewable energy, such as solar and wind."

The interim report also explored challenges  such as public acceptance, regulatory conditions, cost competitiveness, technology development, used fuel management and skilled workforce availability  and recommended these next steps:

Advocate for federal and state policy and funding needs.

Federal policy recommendations:

Federally backed funding insurance options More nuclear engineering and science workforce development programs A public-private advanced reactor development program A fuel availability program Maintaining federal tax credits



State policy recommendations:

Additional support for initial planning and development activities for first movers considering advanced nuclear technology State tax credits for small modular reactors and advanced reactors

Build on the successful stakeholder engagement to date to continue regional and national dialogue on nuclear energy. Purdue University and Duke Energy hosted a six-part lecture series, "Understanding Tomorrow's Nuclear Energy," from August 2022-February 2023. It reached an audience of 4,900 in-person and virtually. As technology and policy advance, additional stakeholder engagement will help ensure a broader understanding of the benefits and challenges of new nuclear development.

and Duke Energy hosted a six-part lecture series, "Understanding Tomorrow's Nuclear Energy," from August 2022-February 2023. It reached an audience of 4,900 in-person and virtually. As technology and policy advance, additional stakeholder engagement will help ensure a broader understanding of the benefits and challenges of new nuclear development. Conduct cost and economic studies, site evaluations and additional technology assessments. As first-of-a-kind projects progress through approvals and construction, Purdue University and Duke Energy will continue monitoring developments. Quantifying the costs and economic benefits of advanced nuclear, performing additional technology assessments and evaluating potential sites for development will help inform the path forward.

The process to site, permit, receive regulatory approval, build and bring online a new nuclear plant currently takes about 10 years to complete. If Purdue University and Duke Energy at any point in the future decide to pursue small modular reactors near campus or elsewhere in Indiana , public and stakeholder input will be an important part of the process first.

"The more we learn about small modular reactors, the more potential we see for this technology to help our university achieve a sustainable energy future and eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels," said Michael B. Cline , senior vice president, Purdue University Administrative Operations.

The Purdue University and Duke Energy feasibility study was announced in April 2022 . The interim report released today culminates hundreds of hours of research and evaluation from nearly three dozen leaders and industry experts, including world-renowned experts who serve on the team's executive and technical advisory committees.

Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 890,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. , is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Florida , Indiana , Ohio and Kentucky , and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Ohio and Kentucky . The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contacts:

Purdue University | Tim Doty | 765.494.2080 | [email protected]

Duke Energy | Angeline Protogere | 800.559.3853 | [email protected]

24-hour media line: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy
Therapy to make us shut up. Books to convince us that silence is increasingly valuable. Gurus who promise to cure us of our urges to say everything, everywhere. After a decade of training and learning to be loud on the internet, in 2023 we are being told that talking less accomplishes much more. A book on this subject is a New York Times bestseller and Time magazine made the topic a cover story.

At the beginning of this year, there were over two million podcasts with 40 million episodes produced, over 3,000 TED talk events, tens of thousands of Instagram reels, 7 billion daily audios on WhatsApp and countless autofiction videos, where everyone tells their own truths. We are living in a global epidemic of verbal diarrhea.

And what do we talk about when we talk too much? Well, almost always about ourselves. And we like it. We especially enjoy it when we have an audience. Research from Rutgers University found that, on average, we tend to spend 60% of the time in a conversation talking about ourselves; this figure can reach 80% on social media. The reason we do that is simple: we love it when we are the center of the conversation (and in control of it). Through magnetic resonance imaging, a team of researchers at Harvard Universitys Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience lab observed that talking about ourselves activated the reward and motivation circuits in the brain; these are the same ones engaged by sex, drugs and good food.

Pleasure hooks us, and some people cannot ration their speech; they are real junkies of small talk that almost always ends up  surprise, surprise!  being about themselves. As American writer Dan Lyons tells it, he was one of those people. In his bestselling book STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World, he confesses that he was a talkaholic and, like a good addict, he was unable to stop himself. He was mansplaining, maninterrupting and deliver[ing] manmonologues, he recounts in his recently published book.

In 1993, West Virginia University researchers James McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond coined the term talkaholism to describe the addiction to compulsive chatter. They also created a diagnostic test for talkaholism (by the way, Lyons scored 50 points). McCroskey and Richmond described talkaholism as an addiction. As Lyons writes in his Time magazine article, talkaholics cannot just wake up one day and choose to talk less. Their talking is compulsive. They dont talk just a little bit more than everyone else, but a lot more, and they do this all the time, in every context or setting, even when they know that other people think they talk too much. And here is the gut punch: talkaholics continue to talk even when they know that what they are about to say is going to hurt them. They simply cannot stop. In 2010, Michael Beatty, a professor at the University of Miami, discovered that the origin of this compulsion was an imbalance in the brainwaves of both hemispheres that affect impulse control.

Among the traits that characterize talkaholics is disregarding one of the first rules of coexistence we learn as children: waiting their turn (both in general and specifically in terms of speaking). According to experts, they implement a tactic known as a shift response that consists of constantly diverting the focus of any conversation until they return the discussion back to themselves. Most consider themselves to be good conversationalists. They love it, but they lack the ability to edit their stories, which are often endless and full of extraneous details, digressions and interruptions.

Mostly normal people can also be addicted to narcissistic and unsubstantiated chatter on the internet. We talk and tell so much that sometimes guilt eats away at us. Nearly 40% of internet users aged 18-35 have regretted posting information about themselves online at least once, and 35% have regretted talking about a friend or family member more than they should, says the Digital Life study conducted by the Havas Creative agency.

Resisting social pressure and not engaging in or removing oneself from global chatter requires training. People who have decided to learn to be quiet are now signing up for listening courses, many of which are cropping up on the internet. For his part, Daniel Lyons learned the techniques they teach prisoners to keep their mouths shut during parole hearings from a California psychologist.

In this day and age, it is difficult to overcome the urge to fill each silence we encounter. The result is thunderous noise and endless chatter. If we could at least limit ourselves to speaking only about what we know  which does not include talking about ourselves because we have mastered that subject the least  it would be a great relief. Learning to be quiet, resisting the urge to tell things, is 21st-century gold, the new Google, the cryptocurrency that does not vanish. Its also a status symbol that New York Times bestsellers call a superpower.

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NEW DELHI, India , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 G20 Interfaith Forum, Partnerships in Action: towards "One Earth, One Family, One Future" took place from the 7-9th of May in the Bahai House of Worship, New Delhi . The event was hosted by the Bahai International Community, working in partnership with the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association.

The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) was founded to bring together religious leaders, faith-inspired organizations, public officials, academics, and cultural organizations from all sectors to advance humanitarian values and understanding worldwide in the context of the G20 process. The IF20 has operated since 2014 and has provided a continuing international platform to explore ways in which religious communities can make meaningful contributions to global policy formation.

The New Delhi Forum was focused on the themes of India's G20 Presidency: One Earth, One Family and One Future, and looked ahead to the G20 India Summit in September 2023 and beyond to 2024. Prior to the formal commencement of the event, H.E. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency, addressed the forum and offered his vision from India's presidency.

The forum built upon the success of the 2022 forum in the UAE , and prior G20 Interfaith events. The 2023 forum aspired to hear a wide range of voices, including but not limited to, historically underrepresented populations such as minorities, women, children, and youth, and relevant networks, as well as faith-based and interfaith organizations at local, national and international levels.

The New Delhi Forum focused on priority issues connected to the wider G20 agendas - climate change, refugees, child dignity, the food crisis, trafficking, anti-racism initiatives, protecting cultural heritage, conflict resolution, tolerance, education, COVID recovery and more general health care reforms, social protection and humanitarian reforms. The overarching theme of the forum focused on leaving no one behind, especially those in the most vulnerable circumstances. The aim of the forum was to raise awareness of these issues and create substantive and specific policy recommendations for this year's G20 process.

Commenting on the success of the forum, Chief Executive of Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, Dana Humaid AI Marzouqi, said: "I would like to thank our partners, the Bahai International Community and the G20 Interfaith Forum Association for their support in the production of another highly successful event. The last two days have affirmed, yet again, that interfaith cooperation is a hugely effective medium for uniting people from across the globe. This forum continues to demonstrate that diversity is our greatest strength, and that we can all work together, regardless of our background, to deliver meaningful change for the most vulnerable in society. From my personal perspective, I was enormously encouraged by the discussions around child dignity  children are our future and we must do everything we can to allow them to live safe and fulfilling lives. What is essential is that we translate our efforts here into concrete action in wider society. I feel confident that having witnessed the passion, energy and determination of the forum's participants, that we can speak as one voice and provide actionable recommendations to inform the G20 Summit in September. We will also take the ideas shared onto our workshops in Kenya , Turkey and Philippines where I look forward to developing them further".

Bani Dugal , Principal Representative of the Bahai International Community to the United Nations, added: "The G20 interfaith forum continues to be a uniquely unifying force, transcending differences and bringing together groups and individuals from faith traditions across the globe, to work together for the betterment of our common humanity. It has been a pleasure to hear from experts of both faith and non-faith backgrounds on the most pressing issues facing our world, as well as the potential solutions to these. It is my sincere hope that we can take the conclusions and outcomes of this forum and translate them into actions that will protect the most vulnerable in society and build capacity for them to flourish."

Professor W. Cole Durham Jr ., President of the G20 Interfaith Forum Association, concluded: "The New Delhi Forum has served as a major landmark in this year's continuous engagement with G20 process."

The next G20 Interfaith Forum will be held in Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum

The G20 Interfaith Forum Association was launched in 2014, during Australia's Presidency of the G20. It has progressed from a largely academic gathering timed to coincide with the G20 Summit to a sustained alliance of diverse religious leaders, practitioners from humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development organizations; and scholars. The underlying purpose is to contribute to global agendas through practical and ethical experience and wisdom of the world's diverse religious communities, which are often absent from global forums. The extensive contributions of the "network of networks" as well as the prophetic voice and leadership of renowned religious leaders can enrich the G20 deliberations and contribute, alongside parallel and often interlinked constituencies (civil society, youth, business, etc.) to addressing the urgent problems facing the world and its leaders.

About the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities (IAFSC)

The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities was established to empower faith leaders to work for the safety and security of our communities, tackling issues such as child sexual abuse, extremism, radicalization and human trafficking. The IAFSC aims to facilitate the building of bridges between key stakeholders including faith communities, NGOs and experts in various domains. The IAFSC is conscious of the importance of empowering faith leaders, both at the institutional and grass-root levels, with knowledge, and to mobilize them to play a more active role in community safety.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum Association

The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it helps prioritize key global policy goals and point toward practical means of implementation at every level of society.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-faith-and-community-leaders-gather-for-if20-new-delhi-to-contribute-to-g20-agendas-301820769.html

SOURCE G20 Interfaith Forum
BEIJING , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 31st PT Expo China (hereinafter referred to as "PTEXPO"), hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and organized by Postal & Telecommunications Appliances Co., Ltd., will be held at the Beijing National Convention Center on June 4-6, 2023 . The year 2023 marks the fourth anniversary of the official commercialization of China's 5G technology. By the end of 2022, China had built the world's largest 5G network with 2.312 million 5G base stations, and had 561 million 5G users, which accounted for over 60% of the world's total 5G users. On the occasion of this important milestone for industry development, the PTEXPO will showcase the achievements of the ICT industry with the theme "Build an Information Artery, Co-create a New Era of Digital Intelligence". The event highlights progress in areas such as the innovation and evolution of 5G technology, R&D of key and core technologies, broadband network construction, digital industrialization, and digital transformation of industries. Renowned companies from the upstream and downstream industrial chains of the ICT industry will gather here with their latest technologies, products, and cutting-edge viewpoints, presenting an exciting and professional feast for the industry.

This year, the exhibition area has been upgraded to over 40,000 square meters, featuring 6 major exhibition sessions, 9 special exhibition areas, more than 40 industrial summits, and the release of multiple industrial reports and white papers. The scale of the exhibition will reach a new high, including dedicated exhibition areas for 5G security, carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, digital healthcare, etc.

This year, the ICT China  High-level Forum will continue the "2+10+N" model, that is, to organize 2 high-level forums, 10 theme forums, N thematic forums as well as self-organized activities by enterprises. The forum will consist of a series of activities such as technical seminars, solicitation and selection, new product releases, government-enterprise exchange, investment and financing, etc. The Computing Power Innovation Forum, AI-Driven Future Conference, Quantum Computing Forum, and Future City Gigabit Optical Network Development Forum will be held, along with additional forums such as 2023 Anti-telecom Fraud Forum, 5G Security Forum, and Cloud Native Development Forum, to empower the digital transformation of all sectors of society.

The organizer of the exhibition highlighted that PTEXPO, as a national ICT industry feast, will play a crucial role in empowering vertical sectors, boosting confidence and building a consensus on industry development. We are delighted to announce that the invitation for exhibition visitors has started, and we warmly welcome you to attend and participate in the exhibition. Click here to learn more.

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SOURCE PT Expo China
New digital marketplace set to transform the CRE debt financing process for borrowers and lenders

NEW YORK , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lev, the digital transaction platform for commercial real estate, today announced the launch of Lev Match, a groundbreaking new marketplace for debt financing. Lev Match has been designed to remove friction from the financing process and deliver faster, better outcomes for borrowers and lenders.

The technology behind Lev Match has been used by Lev's capital markets team to close more than $2 billion in debt financing and it is now being made available through a first-of-its-kind "self-serve" experience.

"We have spent the last several years building, refining and stress-testing the technology behind Lev Match and I couldn't be more excited to now be putting the product directly into the hands of borrowers and lenders," said Yaakov Zar , Lev's co-founder and CEO. "By creating the first highly-scaled digital marketplace for debt financing, we are able to connect borrowers and lenders in a way that will completely transform the CRE financing experience."

For borrowers, Lev Match provides instant access to lending programs from thousands of national and regional lenders. Borrowers can view detailed profiles that spotlight the best-fit lenders for specific deals and financing requirements. Intuitive templates enable borrowers to build and submit compelling digital deal books and then collect and negotiate term sheets directly within the product.

Outside of transactions, borrowers can use Lev Match to build new lender relationships by harnessing search functionality and an integrated lender communications hub. A digital SREO tool helps borrowers manage their existing portfolio and provide deeper transparency to lenders, while insights dashboards help borrowers make smarter investment decisions.

For lenders, Lev Match delivers a powerful marketing and relationship building tool. Lenders can manage their profiles and current program availability to help build direct relationships and generate deal flow only from highly curated and qualified borrowers that match their specific lending criteria. Templated digital deal books, supported by borrower profiles and SREOs give lenders instant access to the information they need to inform financing decisions, which helps speed up the overall process and improve certainty of execution for both parties.

To help inform rates and program availability, lenders can use Lev's tools to access aggregated financing benchmarks. These benchmarks provide a real-time pulse on the financing landscape, ensuring lenders are quoting in-line with the market.

Idaho based real estate investment and operating company, Alturas Capital Partners, which has more than $520 million in assets under management, is among the first owner-operators to take advantage of Lev Match:

"Even when you have a trusted stable of lenders, there is always value in building new relationships, particularly when exploring new geographies or asset classes," said Devin Morris , COO at Alturas Capital Partners. " Lev Match takes the headache out of the process, letting you easily identify and connect with lenders that are a fit for your investment strategy, and then quickly source term sheets when you're actively working a deal."

Lev is a venture-backed digital commercial real estate financing platform. At the heart of the Lev platform is Lev Match, the industry's first CRE debt financing marketplace, which uses AI to instantly connect the right lenders with the right borrowers. Founded in 2019, Lev has raised over $100 million in funding from Parker89, Cross River Digital Ventures, NFX, StepStone Group, Canaan Partners, JLL Spark, Animo Ventures and Ludlow Ventures, among others. For more information, visit levcapital.com.

For further information

Alex Vlasto

Lev

[email protected]

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SOURCE Lev
TORONTO , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX: MND) (OTCQB: MNDJF) is pleased to announce its financial and operational results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 .

The Company's condensed and consolidated interim financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 , together with its Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the corresponding period, can be accessed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.mandalayresources.com. All currency references in this press release are in U.S. dollars except as otherwise indicated.

First Quarter 2023 Highlights:

Maintained a strong financial position with $34.2 million of cash on hand;

of cash on hand; Generated consolidated quarterly revenue of $42.2 million ;

; Consolidated quarterly adjusted EBITDA[1] of $12.9 million ; and

; and Consolidated net income in Q1 2023 was $0.6 million ( $0.01 or C$0.01 per share).

Frazer Bourchier Mandalay's New Director, President and CEO, commented: "Mandalay delivered stable financial results and maintained a healthy net cash position during the quarter delivering its eleventh consecutive profitable quarter. The gold price was strong and these fundamentals indicate solid future performance. At Costerfield, performance was hindered by lower than planned mined ore tonnes and grade predominately due to non-systemic incidents affecting the quarter. At Bjorkdal, supply chain challenges delayed delivery of underground equipment, which led to lower grade and ore tonnes. We are addressing these production shortfalls with action plans focused on labour, improved infrastructure, mobile equipment availability and increased definition drilling."

Nick Dwyer , CFO of Mandalay, commented: "Mandalay ended the quarter in a strong financial position with $34.2 million in cash on hand and $23.5 million in total interest-bearing debt outstanding, leaving us in a net cash position of $10.7 million . Our consolidated cash costs1 and all-in sustaining costs1 per saleable gold equivalent ounce produced during Q1 2023 were $1,222 and $1,596 , respectively, up from previous quarters mainly due to lower metal production."

Mr. Bourchier continued: "Looking forward, Mandalay will be free of all hedging encumbrances after Q2 2023, of which we incurred a $3.0 million outlay during the quarter. The hedges were a requirement of the previous, now closed debt facility. In addition, the Company will continue to invest in exploration to both extend mine life in known mineralized areas and to step out for potential new near mine discoveries. Management remains very focused on improving operational processes and controls to compensate for this Q1 2023 shortfall in order to achieve 2023 guidance. I look forward to further unlocking the considerable value potential I see underlying both assets in the next 12 to 24 months."

First Quarter 2023 Financial Summary

The following table summarizes the Company's consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 , December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022 :



Three months

ended

March 31 ,

2023 Three months

ended

December 31 ,

2022 Three months

ended

March 31 ,

2022 $'000 $'000 $'000 Revenue 42,179 41,381 54,154 Cost of sales 26,606 19,972 21,716 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 12,945 20,137 31,305 Income from mine ops before depreciation and

depletion(1) 15,573 21,409 32,438 Adjusted net income (1) 518 5,202 13,887 Consolidated net income 554 1,043 10,485 Capital expenditure 8,776 11,028 9,630 Total assets 279,413 282,224 324,600 Total liabilities 94,907 98,070 138,776 Adjusted net income per share (1) 0.01 0.06 0.15 Consolidated net income per share 0.01 0.01 0.11





1. Income from mine operations before depreciation & depletion, Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information.

In Q1 2023, Mandalay generated consolidated revenue of $42.2 million , 22% lower than the $54.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. The decrease in revenue was due to lower production with lower metal grades at both the sites. The Company's realized gold price in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 2% compared to the first quarter of 2022, and the realized price of antimony decreased by 10%. In Q1 2023, Mandalay sold 6,511 fewer gold equivalent ounces than in Q1 2022.

Consolidated cash cost per ounce of $1,222 was higher in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $831 in the first quarter of 2022. Cost of sales during the first quarter of 2023 versus the first quarter of 2022 were $4.3 million higher at Costerfield and $0.6 million higher at Bjorkdal. Consolidated general and administrative costs were $1.5 million higher compared to the prior year quarter.

Mandalay generated adjusted EBITDA of $12.9 million in the first quarter of 2023, 59% lower than adjusted EBITDA of $31.3 million in the first quarter of 2022, the decrease in adjusted EBITDA was due to lower revenue in the current quarter. Adjusted net income was $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2023, which excludes a $0.1 million unrealized gain on financial instruments, compared to an adjusted net income of $13.9 million in the first quarter of 2022.

Consolidated net income was $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2023, versus $10.5 million in the first quarter of 2022. Mandalay ended the first quarter of 2023 with $34.2 million in cash and cash equivalents.

_____________________________________ 1 Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information.

First Quarter Operational Summary

The table below summarizes the Company's operations, capital expenditures and operational unit costs for the three months ended March 31, 2023 , December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022 :



Three months

ended

March 31 ,

2023 Three months

ended

December 31 ,

2022 Three months

ended

March 31 ,

2022 $'000 $'000 $'000 Costerfield Gold produced (oz) 7,368 12,085 12,197 Antimony produced (t) 544 504 683 Gold equivalent produced (oz) 11,017 15,427 17,247 Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 921 608 576 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,101 800 775 Capital development 865 678 746 Property, plant and equipment purchases 508 1,584 1,812 Capitalized exploration 2,151 1,747 1,687 Bjorkdal Gold produced (oz) 8,969 10,256 12,384 Cash cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,592 1,362 1,186 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,902 1,774 1,491 Capital development 1,809 2,570 2,460 Property, plant and equipment purchases 2,583 3,335 1,890 Capitalized exploration 794 1,114 755 Consolidated Gold equivalent produced (oz) 19,986 25,683 29,631 Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,222 909 831 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,596 1,246 1,110 Capital development 2,674 3,248 3,206 Property, plant and equipment purchases 3,091 4,919 3,702 Capitalized exploration (2) 3,011 2,861 2,722





1. Cash cost and all-in sustaining cost are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release for further information. 2. Includes capitalized exploration relating to other non-core assets.

Costerfield gold-antimony mine, Victoria, Australia

Costerfield produced 7,368 ounces of gold and 544 tonnes of antimony for 11,017 gold equivalent ounces in the first quarter of 2023. Cash and all-in sustaining costs at Costerfield of $921 /oz and $1,101 /oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $576 /oz and $775 /oz, respectively, in the first quarter of 2022.

Costerfield posted another solid quarter with $23.3 million in revenue and $11.5 million in adjusted EBITDA. Head grades during Q1 2023, averaged 7.7 g/t gold and 2.6% antimony, both were below expectations as processed grades were adversely affected by a higher volume of the lower grade stockpile material required to supplement the lower tonnages of mined ore. The lower mining tonnes were mainly a result of higher than usual turnover of staff over the last few quarters, lower than planned equipment availability due to a damaged loader, and a power interruption that resulted in lost production days.

Bjorkdal gold mine, Skelleftea, Sweden

Bjorkdal produced 8,969 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2023 with cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,592 /oz and $1,902 /oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,186 /oz and $1,491 /oz, respectively, in the first quarter of 2022.

Bjorkdal generated consistent production and sales figures with $18.9 million and $4.1 million in revenue and adjusted EBITDA, respectively, in Q1 2023. Production was lower than expected as mined tonnage was negatively affected by the lack of availability in trucks and labour shortfalls. As compared to the same period last year, mined ore from the underground was down approximately 24%. This led to lower processed head grades for the quarter at 1.05 g/t gold due to the need to use a larger volume of the 0.6 g/t gold surface stockpile in the blend through the mill. With the operational actions Mandalay is taking to improve production from the first quarter, unit costs at both sites are expected to decrease when compared to the first quarter.

Lupin, Nunavut, Canada

Care and maintenance spending at Lupin was less than $0.1 million during the first quarter of 2023, which was same as in the first quarter of 2022. Reclamation spending at Lupin was $0.1 million during the first quarter of 2023 compared to $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2022. Lupin is currently in the process of final closure and reclamation activities mainly funded by progressive security reductions held by the Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

La Quebrada, Chile

No work was carried out on the La Quebrada development property during Q1 2023.

Conference Call

Mandalay's management will be hosting a conference call for investors and analysts on May 11, 2023 , at 8:00 AM ( Toronto time).

Analysts and interested investors are recommended to join the conference call by registering your name and phone number at the following URL to receive an instant automated call on your phone, to avoid any wait time to talk to an operator: https://emportal.ink/3Lh7KeL

Alternatively, you may join by using the following dial-in numbers and talking to an operator:

Participant Number ( North America toll free): 888-664-6383 Participant Number (Local): 416-764-8650 Conference ID: 13748019



A replay of the conference call will be available until 11:59 PM (Toronto time), May 18, 2023, and can be accessed using the following dial-in numbers:

Encore Number (North America Toll free): 888-390-0541 Encore Number (Local): 416-764-8677 Encore Replay Code: 748019

About Mandalay Resources Corporation:

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia (Costerfield gold-antimony mine) and Sweden (Bjorkdal gold mine). The Company is focused on growing its production and reducing costs to generate significant positive cashflow. Mandalay is committed to operating safely and in an environmentally responsible manner, while developing a high level of community and employee engagement.

Mandalay's mission is to create shareholder value through the profitable operation and continuing the regional exploration program, at both its Costerfield and Bjorkdal mines. Currently, the Company's main objectives are to continue mining the high-grade Youle vein at Costerfield, bring the deeper Shepherd veins into production, both of which are expected to continue to supply high-grade ore to the processing plant, and to extend Youle's Mineral Reserves. At Bjorkdal, the Company will aim to increase production from the Aurora zone and other higher-grade areas in the coming years in order to maximize profit margins from the mine.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in 2023. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, changes in commodity prices and general market and economic conditions. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Mandalay. A description of additional risks that could result in actual results and developments differing from those contemplated by forward-looking statements in this news release can be found under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mandalay's annual information form dated March 31, 2023 , a copy of which is available under Mandalay's profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any inferred resources that are discovered as a result of additional drilling will ever be upgraded to proven or probable reserves. Although Mandalay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Non-IFRS Measures

This news release may contain references to Income from mine operations before depreciation & depletion, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, free cash flow, cash cost per saleable ounce of gold equivalent produced and all-in sustaining cost all of which are non-IFRS measures and do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Management uses adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow as measures of operating performance to assist in assessing the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future working capital needs and to fund future capital expenditures, as well as to assist in comparing financial performance from period to period on a consistent basis. Management uses adjusted net income in order to facilitate an understanding of the Company's financial performance prior to the impact of non-recurring or special items. The Company believes that these measures are used by and are useful to investors and other users of the Company's financial statements in evaluating the Company's operating and cash performance because they allow for analysis of its financial results without regard to special, non-cash and other non-core items, which can vary substantially from company to company and over different periods.

The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as income from mine operations, net of administration costs, and before interest, taxes, non-cash charges/(income), intercompany charges and finance costs. The Company defines adjusted net income as net income before special items. Special items are items of income and expense that are presented separately due to their nature and, in some cases, expected infrequency of the events giving rise to them. A reconciliation between adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, on the one hand, and consolidated net income, on the other hand, is included in the MD&A.

The Company defines free cash flow as a measure of the Company's ability to generate and manage liquidity. It is calculated starting with the net cash flows from operating activities (as per IFRS) and then subtracting capital expenditures and lease payments. Refer to Section 1.2 of MD&A for a reconciliation between free cash flow and net cash flows from operating activities.

For Costerfield, saleable equivalent gold ounces produced is calculated by adding to saleable gold ounces produced, the saleable antimony tonnes produced times the average antimony price in the period divided by the average gold price in the period. The total cash operating cost associated with the production of these saleable equivalent ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable equivalent ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For Bjorkdal, the total cash operating cost associated with the production of saleable gold ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable gold ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in costs include total cash operating costs, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For the Company as a whole, cash cost per saleable gold equivalent ounce is calculated by summing the gold equivalent ounces produced by each site and dividing the total by the sum of cash operating costs at the sites. Consolidated cash cost excludes royalty and corporate level general and administrative expenses. This definition was updated in the third quarter of 2020 to exclude corporate general and administrative expenses to better align with industry standard. All-in sustaining cost per saleable ounce gold equivalent in the period equals the sum of cash costs associated with the production of gold equivalent ounces at all operating sites in the period plus corporate overhead expense in the period plus sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization, divided by the total saleable gold equivalent ounces produced in the period. A reconciliation between cost of sales and cash costs, and also cash cost to all-in sustaining costs are included in the MD&A.

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SOURCE Mandalay Resources Corporation
LOS ANGELES , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A dress company that became an oil company that became a dress company again. Jay Day Dress Co.'s first collection, The Promise Dress, is a single design that becomes 23 unique outfits in one. Jay Day Dress Co. is built on a personal mission to reduce environmental damage through designs that solve overconsumption and petroleum byproduct pollution. Jay Day Dress Co. is a women-owned and operated businessJulia James Davis is the CEO and Designer, and all photographs and branding are by President Elena Statheros-Davis , a former Ford model. All manufacturing is based in Los Angeles using American-made raw materials and deadstock fabrics.

In 1932, Jay Day Dress Co. was originally founded in New York City by Julius "Jack" Davis. At its height, Jay Day Dress Co. sold 200,000 dresses per month to JCPenney and other retailers across the country during the worst years of the Great Depression. Jay Day Dress Co.'s success provided seed money for Jack's young son Marvin Davis to become one of America's youngest and most successful wildcatters.

Full circle: Jay Day Dress Co. is resurrected by Jack's great-granddaughter Julia James Davis . She was born and raised in Houston, Texas and is equipped with firsthand knowledge of both the fashion and fossil fuel industry.

"The fashion industry is the second leading polluter behind fossil fuels, the two industries are so intertwined they are arguably one and the same. The solution is design that conserves resources through versatility, which is how The Promise Dress was born."

The Promise Dress by Jay Day Dress Co. is currently sold online at www.jaydaydressco.com and through private trunk shows (see lookbook ). Follow Jay Day Dress Co. on Instagram , Twitter , and TikTok .

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marvin-davis-grand-daughter-re-launches-jay-day-dress-co-301821045.html

SOURCE Jay Day Dress Co.
Onward deliveries to JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines

Celebration Ceremony Today as Governor Gianforte honors Montana Renewables as North America's Largest Sustainable Aviation Fuel Producer

GREAT FALLS , Mont. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Montana Renewables, LLC (MRL) hosted key aviation stakeholders, including Montana Governor Greg Gianforte , to celebrate the first production and initial shipments of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under a multi-year agreement with Shell Trading (US) Company ("Shell"). The start of production makes Montana Renewables the largest SAF producer in North America .

"Montana Renewables is a great example of what's possible when there aren't sideboards placed on innovation," Gianforte said. "The result is a healthier environment, a stronger economy, and more jobs. We'll continue to champion pro-jobs, pro-business policies to support cutting-edge, job-creating businesses like Calumet."

"We're proud to collaborate with Shell to improve aviation sustainability," said Bruce Fleming , CEO Montana Renewables . "Strong support from the State of Montana , Cascade County , and the City of Great Falls made possible the unique speed of Montana Renewables, and Shell is the logical offtake partner for us to reach multiple airlines and airports from our geographically advantaged site. We are now producing more SAF than any other North American company on top of our renewable diesel and renewable hydrogen."

Shell and its affiliates are expanding and building supply chain capabilities to blend and distribute SAF throughout the US to enable more customers with access to the fuel, helping to accelerate the pace of decarbonizing the aviation sector.

"We're excited to be working with Montana Renewables to bring together the right mix of technical expertise and operational capabilities to help increase access to SAF production in the US for our customers, including Delta, Alaska and JetBlue, to power progress in aviation," said Christine Bassitt , General Manager of Shell Aviation Americas.

In April, Delta announced an agreement to purchase 10 million gallons of neat SAF from Shell. "This is a great example of the kind of action and investment needed in states across our country that we need to meet our aggressive SAF goals as an industry," said Pam Fletcher , Chief Sustainability Officer  Delta Air Lines. "There's not enough SAF being produced today to power the world's commercial airlines for a single day, so we're grateful to everyone at the State of Montana , Montana Renewables and Shell for providing the incentives and taking meaningful steps toward scaling production of this largest known lever we have for decarbonizing aviation."

About Montana Renewables, LLC

Montana Renewables, LLC is an unrestricted subsidiary of Calumet located in Great Falls , MT. Montana Renewables is permitted for 15,000 barrels per stream day ("bpsd") of renewable feedstocks which are converted into low-emission sustainable alternatives that directly replace fossil fuel products. The renewable fuels plant began operations in late 2022. As the world recognizes a sustainability responsibility, MRL is making immediate carbon reductions and stands ready to grow and innovate further. This business is a leader in North America's energy transition, with our renewable products being delivered to Canada and the United States West Coast .







View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/montana-renewables-begins-sustainable-aviation-fuel-deliveries-to-shell-301820679.html

SOURCE Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.
TSX and OTC: MPVD

TORONTO , May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province", the "Company") (TSX: MPVD) (OTC: MPVD) today announces financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 ("the Quarter" or "Q1 2023") from the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine (" GK Mine "). All figures are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Financial Highlights for First Quarter 2023

961,000 carats sold, with total proceeds of $128.7 million ( US$95.0 million ) at an average realised value of $134 per carat ( US$99 ), a record quarterly revenue result for the Company.

( ) at an average realised value of per carat ( ), a record quarterly revenue result for the Company. Record Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $67.5 million .

of . Earnings from mine operations of $47.2 million .

. Record Net income of $28.2 million or $0.13 basic and diluted earnings per share 2 .

or basic and diluted earnings per share . Repaid US$12.0 million of second lien bond debt principal on April 4 th 2023.

1Cash costs of production, including capitalized stripping costs, and adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS measures with no standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS. See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" at the end of the news release for explanation and reconciliation.

2 Record Net Income, with Q4 2021, normalised for Impairment reversal of $240.6 million



Operational Highlights for First Quarter 2023

(all figures reported on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated)

766,786 ore tonnes treated, an 8% increase relative to Q1 2022, (Q1 2022: 707,553 tonnes treated;)

1,319,603 carats recovered, 11% higher than the comparable quarter (Q1 2022: 1,185,156 carats)

Average grade of 1.72 carats per tonne, a 3% increase relative to Q1 2022 (1.67 carats per tonne)

Cost per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping of $90 /carat, and cost per tonne processed, including capitalized stripping of $155 /tonne.

/carat, and cost per tonne processed, including capitalized stripping of /tonne. Increase in unit cost relative to prior periods reflects greater capitalized stripping incurred in Q1 2023 (approximately $42 million vs $20 million in Q1 2022), as well as an increase in one-off maintenance related costs (numerator).

vs in Q1 2022), as well as an increase in one-off maintenance related costs (numerator).

Net of Capitalized stripping, cost per carat recovered was $58 /carat in Q1 2023 vs $56 in Q1 2022.

Sales Highlights for First Quarter 2023

As previously released, during the first quarter 961,024 carats were sold for total proceeds of $128.7 million ( US$95.0 million ), resulting in an average value of $134 per carat ( US$99 per carat). Three open market sales were completed in the quarter to deliver the highest Q1 revenue recorded by the Company to date. These results compare favourably with two open market sales during Q1 2022 when 506,567 carats were sold for total proceeds of $84.7 million ( US$66.7 million ).

Reid Mackie , the Company's Vice President Sales and Marketing, commented:

"In Q1 2023 the Company achieved record sales on the back of a three-sale first quarter, which included three full production shipments and buoyant prices for smaller diamonds. Compared with Q1 2022, the lower average sales price achieved can be primarily attributed to the different mix of goods sold in both quarters with market prices also adjusting downwards from the record high seen early last year."

Growth

The latest round of drilling at Hearne has been highly successful with the results strongly supporting the Hearne Extension as modeled. Ten holes have been completed, with each featuring kimberlite intercepts. One scheduled hole remains to be drilled on Hearne, with two additional holes planned to test for extension to the known Tuzo orebody. Final drilling results are expected later in Q2 2023. The Company continues to work with its joint venture partner to study the economic viability of extending the life-of-mine at Gahcho Kue to include underground mining and the potential inclusion of the Kennady North Project kimberlites.

Mark Wall , the Company's President, and Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"In the first quarter we saw an improvement in production compared to Q1 in 2022 despite unplanned maintenance challenges. There remains work to be done to fully optimize production and we are working with our joint venture partner on the required opportunities. The mine operator expects to see production increase as we move through the year in response to these initiatives and warmer weather.

Quarter 1 was an excellent sales period, with our sales team bringing three sales to the market to achieve record sales results in a market that continues to oscillate. We continue to enjoy healthy adjusted EBITDA to revenue margins.

On costs, the mine entered a period of heavy capitalized waste stripping during the quarter, which coupled with some one-off maintenance related costs, resulted in a high unit cost per carat recovered and tonne processed. We expect these costs to reduce as we phase out of the heavy waste stripping, and return to normal operations in the plant.

Reducing our debt by US$12 million in early April was a positive as Q1 is a capital-intensive period for the Company, with all of the bulk commodities and heavy equipment for the year transported up the winter ice road. We remain focused on paying down our debt from free cashflow and we are fortunate to have no early repayment penalties in our debt facilities.

On growth we continue to work with our joint venture partner De Beers on reviewing mine life extension possibilities for the project via the drilling we are currently doing on the underground potential of the Gahcho Kue mine, as well as reviewing any potential to incorporate kimberlites from the Kennady property.

We will continue to push hard in quarter 2 where we have important maintenance work scheduled that is planned to further optimize the processing plant at Gahcho Kue."

Gahcho Kue Mine Operations

The following table summarizes key operating statistics for the Gahcho Kue Mine in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.





Three months ended Three months ended



March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







GK operating data





Mining





*Ore tonnes mined kilo tonnes 428 1,019 *Waste tonnes mined kilo tonnes 8,507 7,149 *Total tonnes mined kilo tonnes 8,935 8,168 *Ore in stockpile kilo tonnes 1,420 1,059







Processing





*Ore tonnes processed kilo tonnes 767 708 *Average plant throughput tonnes per day 8,247 7,867 *Average diamond recovery carats per tonne 1.72 1.67 *Diamonds recovered 000's carats 1,320 1,185 Approximate diamonds recovered - Mountain Province 000's carats 647 581 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, net of capitalized stripping ** $ 99 93 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, including capitalized stripping** $ 155 122 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, net of capitalized stripping** $ 58 56 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping** $ 90 73







Sales





Approximate diamonds sold - Mountain Province*** 000's carats 961 507 Average diamond sales price per carat US $ 99 $ 132

* at 100% interest in the Gahcho Kue Mine **See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" at the end of the news release for explanation and reconciliation. ***Includes the sales directly to De Beers for fancies and specials acquired by De Beers through the production split bidding process



Financial Performance





Three months ended Three months ended (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except where otherwise noted)

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







Sales $ 128,657 84,653 Carats sold 000's carats 961 507 Average price per carat sold $/carat 134 167 Cost of sales per carat* $/carat 85 83 Earnings from mine operations per carat $ 49 84 Earnings from mine operations % 37 % 50 % Selling, general and administrative expenses $ 4,007 3,994 Operating income $ 41,091 35,018 Net income for the period $ 28,224 24,327 Basic earnings per share $ 0.13 0.12 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.13 0.11



Conference Call

The Company will host its quarterly conference call on Wednesday, May 10 th, 2023 at 11:00am ET .

Title: Mountain Province Diamonds Inc Q1 2023 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID: 44495174

Date of call: 05/10/2023

Time of call: 11:00 Eastern Time

Expected Duration: 60 minutes

Webcast Link:

https://app.webinar.net/dpA23QXRjg8

Participant Toll-Free Dial-In Number: (+1) 888-390-0561

Participant International Dial-In Number: (+1) 416-764-8668

A replay of the webcast and audio call will be available on the Company's website.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS measures

This news release refers to the terms "Cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed" and "Cash costs of production per carat recovered", both including and net of capitalized stripping costs and "Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (Adjusted EBITDA)" and "Adjusted EBITDA Margin". Each of these is a non-IFRS performance measure and is referenced in order to provide investors with information about the measures used by management to monitor performance. These measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. They do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed and cash costs of production per carat recovered are used by management to analyze the actual cash costs associated with processing the ore, and for each recovered carat. Differences from production costs reported within cost of sales are attributed to the amount of production cost included in ore stockpile and rough diamond inventories.

Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to analyze the operational cash flows of the Company, as compared to the net income for accounting purposes. It is also a measure which is defined in the Notes documents. Adjusted EBITDA margin is used by management to analyze the operational margin % on cash flows of the Company.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin with the net income on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income:



Three months ended Three months ended

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022





Net income for the period $ 28,224 $ 24,327 Add/deduct:



Non-cash depreciation and depletion 25,318 8,948 Share-based payment expense 340 444 Fair value (gain) loss of warrants (146) 1,525 Net finance expenses 9,522 9,140 Derivative losses 1,065 77 Deferred income taxes 1,820 4,270 Current income taxes 750

Unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) 645 (4,146) Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and depletion (Adjusted EBITDA) $ 67,538 $ 44,585 Sales 128,657 84,653 Adjusted EBITDA margin 52 % 53 %



The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash costs of production per tonne of ore processed and per carat recovered and the production costs reported within cost of sales on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income:





Three months ended Three months ended (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except where otherwise noted)

March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022







Cost of sales production costs $ 49,116 27,120 Timing differences due to inventory and other non-cash adjustments $ (11,835) 5,150 Cash cost of production of ore processed, net of capitalized stripping $ 37,281 32,270 Cash costs of production of ore processed, including capitalized stripping $ 58,241 42,154







Tonnes processed kilo tonnes 376 347 Carats recovered 000's carats 647 581







Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, net of capitalized stripping $ 99 93 Cash costs of production per tonne of ore, including capitalized stripping $ 155 122 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, net of capitalized stripping $ 58 56 Cash costs of production per carat recovered, including capitalized stripping $ 90 73



About Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.

Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kue diamond mine located in Canada 's Northwest Territories . The Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls more than 113,000 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases surrounding the Gahcho Kue Mine that include an Indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and Inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites. Kelvin is estimated to contain 13.62 million carats (Mct) in 8.50 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 1.60 carats/tonne and value of US$63 /carat, at February 2019 . Faraday 2 is estimated to contain 5.45Mct in 2.07Mt at a grade of 2.63 carats/tonne and value of US$140 /ct, at February 2019 . Faraday 1-3 is estimated to contain 1.90Mct in 1.87Mt at a grade of 1.04 carats/tonne and value of US$75 /carat, at February 2019 . All resource estimations are based on a 1mm diamond size bottom cut-off.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Matthew MacPhail , P.Eng ., MBA, and Tom E. McCandless , Ph.D., P.Geo ., both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province's business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed.

Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

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SOURCE Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.
MILLSBORO, Del. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nihar Gala Grant for Healthcare Students is delighted to announce a generous financial grant opportunity for students pursuing careers in the healthcare field. Founded by Nihar Gala , CEO of Alpha Care Medical, this grant aims to support and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals who are passionate about making a positive impact.

Students with a keen interest in healthcare are invited to apply for the Nihar Gala Grant by submitting an essay of 1000 words or less, addressing the prompt: "What is a national or global problem that concerns you, and how do you propose a solution?" The grant is open to individuals currently enrolled in an accredited college or university, studying in healthcare fields such as pre-medicine, nursing, physical therapy, medical laboratory science, or any other allied health program.

The winners of the Nihar Gala Grant essay contest will receive a total of $1,000 in scholarship funds. This financial support can be used for tuition, books, or living expenses directly related to their education.

Nihar Gala , an esteemed figure in the healthcare industry and the visionary behind Alpha Care Medical, has dedicated his career to providing high-quality healthcare services to the community. Driven by his commitment to excellence, professionalism, and compassionate care, Alpha Care Medical has become a premier healthcare provider in Delaware . With fluency in English, Spanish, and Hindi, Gala effectively communicates with patients from diverse backgrounds, ensuring they receive the best possible care.

The deadline for applying to the Nihar Gala Grant is July 15, 2023 . The grant recipient will be announced on August 15, 2023 . Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the official Nihar Gala Grant website at https://nihargalagrant.com/ to access the application form and submit their essays.

About Nihar Gala :

Nihar Gala is the founder and CEO of Alpha Care Medical, a comprehensive healthcare provider with four locations in Delaware : Millsboro , Harrington , Dover , and Seaford . Driven by his passion for addiction medicine, pain management, and other areas of healthcare, Gala established Alpha Care Medical to ensure patients receive the highest standard of care. Under his guidance, Alpha Care Medical has become a trusted name in healthcare, committed to providing quality medical services for people of all ages.

Website: https://nihargalagrant.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nihar-gala-grant-for-healthcare-students-empowers-future-leaders-to-tackle-global-health-challenges-301821166.html
Pilots travel to Omaha to focus attention on luxury brand's continued refusal to boldly address pilot labor crisis

COLUMBUS, Ohio , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) hosted the largest informational picket in NetJets history this past Saturday outside the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders' Meeting in Omaha ; NJASAP represents the 3,000-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary (NYSE: BRK.A). An extraordinary demonstration of Membership solidarity and resolve, the event drew more than 800 off-duty pilots and their family members from across the United States .

The fight to restore NetJets's competitive edge brings a record-setting 800-plus pilots & family members to Omaha .

"The NetJets pilots and our families will not stand idly by and watch the continued erosion of our brand's reputation as a career destination carrier," NJASAP President Capt. Pedro Leroux said. "Quite the contrary, for however long it takes, we will pursue a competitive package of wages, benefits and working conditions that positions the brand to attract and to retain the pilot talent required to support the world's most complex and dynamic flying environment." To date, NetJets has chosen not to acknowledge the sustained pilot labor crisis and to take bold steps to hone its competitive edge, potentially jeopardizing its ability to maintain the caliber of workforce required to support the Fractional's very demanding operation.

"In response to a question about NetJets asked during the annual meeting this past Saturday, Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger commented, 'You can argue it is worth as much as any airline now,'" Leroux said. "NJASAP agrees  in the same way we unreservedly agree with a statement in the 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report that emphasizes the importance of recruiting and retaining qualified, competent personnel." Failure to maintain an experienced, talented workforce, the report continued, could have negative implications for the conglomerate and its subsidiaries.

Interestingly, NetJets executives' decisions of late do not reflect Berkshire's view on the subsidiary's value or the consequential nature of experienced pilot personnel  especially in light of the sustained pilot labor crisis. "We are puzzled by what we are seeing unfold at NetJets," Leroux continued. "Given the complexity of our operational environment and the premium NetJets owners pay for the level of safety and service that distinguishes the brand as the global leader in private air transportation, it is time the Executive Management Team restores the brand's competitive edge."

A more comprehensive discussion of NJASAP's concerns is available at www.GenuineQS.com.

About NJASAP Founded in 2008 as an independent labor advocate, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) represents the professional interests of the 3,000 pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. For more information, please visit our websites, www.njasap.com and www.genuineqs.com, or find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/njasap, Instagram, www.instagram.com/njasap, and Twitter, @njasap.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/njasap-hosts-largest-picket-in-netjets-history-301821208.html

SOURCE NJASAP
WATKINSVILLE, Ga. and ELBERTON, Ga. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The boards of Oconee Financial Corporation (OTCQX: "OSBK") ("Oconee") and Elberton Federal Savings & Loan Association ("Elberton Federal") announced today the commencement of the required offering of OSBK common stock in connection with the pending merger of Elberton Federal and Oconee State Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oconee Financial Corporation.

As previously announced, the transaction is structured as a merger conversion, whereby Elberton Federal, a federal mutual savings association, will convert to stock form and then immediately merge with and into Oconee State Bank. As part of the transaction, Oconee is now offering a set number of shares of its common stock to eligible members of Elberton Federal, Oconee shareholders of record as of April 30, 2023 , and possibly others, in a subscription offering and a community offering.

Oconee has scheduled community meetings in Elberton and Watkinsville in the coming weeks to provide interested investors with further details about this investment opportunity. For meeting times and to make a reservation, or to receive an offering circular in advance of attending a meeting, interested individuals should contact the Oconee Financial Corporation Stock Information Center, at (312) 521-1600, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time .

About Elberton Federal Savings and Loan Association

Elberton Federal is a $28 million federal mutual savings association operating from its home office located in Elberton, Georgia . For more than 100 years, Elberton Federal has sought to be an institution of excellence by providing the highest quality financial products and services to its customers, offering financial products at a fair price, and creating the opportunity for personal and professional growth to its employees.

About Oconee Financial Corporation

Oconee State Bank, a $537 million asset bank established in 1960 and headquartered in Watkinsville, Georgia , operates five full-service financial centers in Georgia , located in Oconee, Athens - Clarke , Gwinnett , and Macon - Bibb counties. The bank is the only locally owned and operated community bank headquartered in Oconee County . Oconee State Bank proudly serves its communities, providing unparalleled commitment to personalized service, innovative products and solutions, and brings exceptional value to all stakeholders, through local ownership, involvement, and decision making. The bank strives to be essential to those it serves, by creating remarkable experiences that significantly mark the lives of others. Oconee Financial Corporation was established in January 1999 to serve as the holding company of Oconee State Bank.

Important Additional Information

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval. The offering is made only through the means of an offering circular. Neither the FDIC, the OCC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor any other federal or state regulatory authority has approved or disapproved Oconee Financial Corporation's common stock or the terms of the offering in connection with the proposed merger conversion. It is illegal for any person to tell you otherwise. THE SECURITIES TO BE OFFERED BY OCONEE FINANCIAL CORPORATION ARE NOT DEPOSITS AND ARE NOT AND WILL NOT BE INSURED OR GUARANTEED BY THE FDIC OR ANY OTHER FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY. OCONEE FINANCIAL CORPORATION'S COMMON STOCK IS SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oconee-state-bank-and-elberton-federal-announce-stock-offering-in-connection-with-pending-merger-301821310.html

SOURCE Oconee Financial Corporation
President Joe Biden speaks on the debt limit during an event at SUNY Westchester Community College, on May 10, 2023, in Valhalla, New York.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday blasted Republican-demanded spending cuts as devastating, making his case in a campaign-style speech to voters as lawmakers met in Washington on raising the governments borrowing limit to avoid a potentially catastrophic U.S. default. The president is showing an increased willingness to discuss possible budget restraints, yet he insisted anew that any talks on that should occur without the risk of the federal government being unable to pay its bills.

America is the strongest economy in the world, but we should be cutting spending and lowering the deficit without a needless crisis, Biden said Wednesday.

His words were a challenge to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who met Tuesday with Biden at the White House, declaring afterward that sharp spending cuts were required for House Republicans to increase the debt limit and stave off the risk of default.

Biden laid into that GOP proposal on Wednesday in Valhalla, New York, saying spending cuts recently passed by the Republican House could hurt schools and the countrys sacred obligations to military veterans.

Wednesdays events marked a preview of what the coming 18 months will look like for Biden as he performs his presidential duties while also trying to boost his political position ahead of the 2024 election. He went to a region represented by first-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district Biden won in 2020. Yet the president was gracious to the congressman, saying that Lawler is the kind of Republican I was used to dealing with.

Biden used the trip to trumpet recent economic progress  pointing to the 12.7 million jobs created during his term and a fresh focus on domestic manufacturing  while warning that an unprecedented debt default would threaten millions of jobs and raise the prospect of a recession.

Back in Washington, senior White House officials and congressional aides were starting to discuss a path to avert a painful debt default that could come as soon as June 1, in preparation for another meeting between Biden and top Capitol Hill leaders on Friday. But McCarthy showed few signs that he and House Republicans were willing to budge from their debt limit proposal, and Biden underscored again that their plan was a non-starter with him.

Hes proposed deep cuts that I believe will hurt American families, Biden told reporters Tuesday after his meeting with McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Biden raised the specter of cuts to veterans care, an issue that has become particularly sensitive in the back-and-forth rhetoric between the White House and congressional Republicans. When the president suggested during the meeting on Tuesday that the House GOP plan could end up cutting benefits to veterans, McCarthy told reporters that he shot back that was a lie. But Biden disputed that it was a lie, saying that the across-the-board cuts would affect veterans care and other vital domestic programs.

The faceoff comes as the government is rapidly bumping up against its legal borrowing authority, meaning that it may not be able to pay its bills as early as the start of next month unless lawmakers agree to lift the limit.

Biden is also scheduled to spend a week abroad on a trip to Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea later this month. He said postponing his travel is possible but not likely.

With debt talks showing minimal progress, the White House hopes that Bidens public relations campaign  starting in a congressional district that will be key for Democrats seeking to wrest House control back from Republicans next year  increases pressure on GOP lawmakers who cant afford politically to alienate moderate voters.

Rep. Lawler, as one of 18 House Republicans hailing from a congressional district won by Biden, is a prime target for the White House.

Still, Lawler accepted the invitation from the White House, maybe to their surprise, the lawmaker said in an interview Tuesday. He said it was a little disappointing that Biden was spending his time traveling to his district rather than negotiating with other leaders in Washington.

Nobody wants to see us default. Nobody wants to see us not raise the debt limit. But they also dont want to see us continue to spend money that we dont have, Lawler said. When Im out talking to folks in my community, my district, by and large they agree with my stance.

Despite Lawlers presence at the event, at Westchester Community College, Biden is always going to be honest with the American people, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

House Republicans, in their debt measure that passed in April, are aiming for $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and undoing the Biden administrations proposal that would forgive student loan debt. The White House has made it clear that Biden would veto that legislation.

Democrats, who control the Senate by 51-49, are calling for a clean debt limit hike without any conditions such as spending cuts, but any such measure would require the support of at least nine Republican senators, and most of them say they will oppose doing so.

While in New York on Wednesday, Biden, who formalized his reelection campaign on April 25, also was holding a pair of fundraisers.

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VANCOUVER, BC , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (the "Company") (NYSE: RBA) (TSX: RBA) was held on May 8, 2023 . Each of the matters voted upon at the Meeting is discussed in detail in the Company's Proxy Statement dated April 7, 2023 , which can be found on the Company's website at: https://s24.q4cdn.com/560830410/files/doc_financials/2023/ar/ny20006921x500_def14a_ritchie-bros_webready.pdf.

Per TSX reporting requirements, the Company wishes to disclose that the total number of shares represented by shareholders in person and by proxy at the Meeting was 150,536,523 common shares of the Company and 485,000,000 Series A senior preferred shares of the Company, representing approximately 83.42% of the total votes eligible to be cast. The voting results for the election of directors were as follows:

Name of Director

For

Against Erik Olsson

138,236,041

13,196,152 Ann Fandozzi

148,314,288

3,117,904 Brian Bales

149,171,974

2,260,218 William Breslin

148,435,088

2,997,104 Adam DeWitt

145,260,573

6,171,619 Robert G. Elton

143,652,516

7,779,676 Lisa Hook

136,285,494

15,146,698 Timothy O'Day

148,950,838

2,481,354 Sarah Raiss

133,246,957

18,185,236 Michael Sieger

147,836,691

3,595,501 Jeffrey C. Smith

148,653,187

2,779,005 Carol M. Stephenson

141,744,317

9,687,876

On May 10, 2023 , the Company filed a report of voting results on all resolutions voted on at the Meeting on www.sedar.com.

About RB Global

RB Global (NYSE: RBA) (TSX: RBA) is a leading, omnichannel marketplace that provides value-added insights, services and transaction solutions for buyers and sellers of commercial assets and vehicles worldwide. Through its auction sites in 14 countries and digital platform, RB Global serves customers in more than 170 countries across a variety of asset classes, including automotive, commercial transportation, construction, government surplus, lifting and material handling, energy, mining and agriculture. The company's marketplace brands include Ritchie Bros., the world's largest auctioneer of commercial assets and vehicles oering online bidding, and IAA, a leading global digital marketplace connecting vehicle buyers and sellers. RB Global's portfolio of brands also includes Rouse Services, which provides a complete end-to-end asset management, data-driven intelligence and performance benchmarking system; SmartEquip, an innovative technology platform that supports customers' management of the equipment lifecycle and integrates parts procurement with both OEMs and dealers; Xcira, a leader in live simulcast auction technologies; and Veritread, an online marketplace for heavy haul transport. For more information about RB Global visit RBGlobal.com.

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SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
TORONTO , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Russel Metals Inc. (TSX: RUS) announces voting results from its 2023 annual meeting of shareholders held on May 9, 2023 . A total of 32,058,428 common shares were represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, representing 51.35% of the 62,428,342 issued and outstanding common shares as of the record date on March 17, 2023 .

Shareholders voted in favour of the election of each nominee director as follows:

Nominee Votes For Percentage For Votes Against Percentage Against Linh J. Austin 31,008,463 97.30 % 859,078

2.70 % John M. Clark 30,283,390 95.03 % 1,584,151

4.97 % James F. Dinning 29,382,015 92.20 % 2,485,526

7.80 % Brian R. Hedges 29,985,988 94.10 % 1,881,553

5.90 % Cynthia Johnston 30,480,643 95.65 % 1,386,898

4.35 % Alice D. Laberge 29,715,878 93.25 % 2,150,663

6.75 % William M. O'Reilly 29,791,041 93.48 % 2,076,500

6.52 % Roger D. Paiva 30,869,327 96.87 % 998,214

3.13 % John G. Reid 30,224,752 94.84 % 1,642,789

5.16 % Annie Thabet 30,964,516 97.17 % 903,025

2.83 %

The Company's advisory "say on pay" resolution was also approved with 87.46% of the votes cast in favour of the resolution. In addition, the resolution appointing Deloitte LLP as auditors of the Company was approved.

About Russel Metals Inc.

Russel Metals is one of the largest metals distribution companies in North America with a growing focus on value-added processing. It carries on business in three segments: metals service centers, energy products and steel distributors. Its network of metals service centers carries an extensive line of metal products in a wide range of sizes, shapes and specifications, including carbon hot rolled and cold finished steel, pipe and tubular products, stainless steel, aluminum and other non-ferrous specialty metals. Its energy products operations carry a specialized product line focused on the needs of energy industry customers. Its steel distributors operations act as master distributors selling steel in large volumes to other steel service centers and large equipment manufacturers mainly on an "as is" basis.

If you would like to unsubscribe from receiving Press Releases, you may do so by emailing [email protected]; or by calling our Investor Relations Line: 905-816-5178.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/russel-metals-announces-2023-annual-meeting-voting-results-301821080.html

SOURCE Russel Metals Inc.
DON'T FORGET KIDNEY PATIENTS  THEIR VULNERABILITIES REMAIN

WASHINGTON , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the COVID-19 public health emergency comes to an end, the American Association of Kidney Patents (AAKP), as the oldest and largest patient-led kidney patient advocacy organization in the nation, offers a simple request, on behalf of the millions of immunocompromised kidney disease and dialysis patients and immunosuppressed kidney transplant patients, to policymakers: "Don't you forget about me." AAKP welcomes the many successes America has achieved in the battle against COVID-19 and the opportunity many Americans now have to once again pursue their aspirations. The end of the public health emergency (PHE) was made possible by the ingenuity and dedication of researchers, scientists, medical professionals, public servants, pharmaceutical industry workers, and the enormous generosity of American taxpayers. It has also come after the loss over one million innocent American lives and tens of thousands more who remain debilitated from long COVID.

We also remind government leaders and health insurance executives that science and data show today is not "a different day" for everyone. Highly vulnerable kidney patients have the same worries today that they did yesterday. COVID-19 is not an equivalent threat as the annual flu for this patient community. COVID-19 remains a serious concern for immunocompromised kidney disease and dialysis patients and immunosuppressed kidney transplant patients, many of whom suffer from multiple chronic conditions. Over the past three years, according to federal government data and medical research, COVID-19 has ravaged these unprotected patient populations with some of the highest premature death and mortality rates of any sector of our society.

Based on our ongoing concerns for patients, we offer the following recommendations:

1.) Align Federal Regulatory and Payment Policies for Vaccine Innovation:

Federal regulatory and payment polices should encourage, not hinder, the next generation of safe vaccines and therapeutics to protect and treat immunocompromised and immunosuppressed kidney patients, for whom few effective treatment options exist, to prevent severe illness and death.

2.) Foster Innovation in Transplant Drugs via the FDA Immediately:

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) should monitor the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) progress in adopting new clinical endpoints and/or secondary endpoints for the advancement of new immunosuppressive drug medications for kidney transplant recipients. This is an unmet need for patients and essential for future transplant drug innovation and reduced transplant patient vulnerability. Immunosuppression therapies used today rely upon endpoints that are 20 to 40 years old, which completely fail to consider long-term graph survival and patient quality of life. Instead, the FDA relies upon a clinical measure based on one year of transplant organ graft failure, a woefully inadequate and outdated measure given the advances in transplant patient survival far beyond the first year. Moreover, unmet needs in this area include antibody mediated rejection and BK virus nephropathy, which currently have no effective FDA approved therapies.

3.) Formalize Telemedicine Flexibilities:

Telemedicine practices, a core element of patient-centered medicine, and associated waivers established by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to COVID-19, must be made permanent so that kidney patients can continue to exercise maximum patient care choice in the selection of their providers and the safe setting for the care they receive.

4.) Expand Home Dialysis Options:

Home dialysis, which increased during COVID-19 as a patient preference and a comparatively safer alternative to in-center hemodialysis, should be supported and encouraged across the HHS agencies. Increased home dialysis access (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), along with earlier kidney disease detection and innovation in transplantation, was a recommendation within the 2019 Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health and should remain a top HHS policy priority.

5.) Protect the Rights of Kidney Patients Under the ADA:

The HHS Office of Civil Rights should closely monitor ongoing kidney patient access to critical life-saving procedures in hospitals and healthcare settings, especially when kidney patients contract COVID-19 and need emergency interventions to remain alive. In 2020, HHS Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights reminded hospitals and hospitalists, in writing, that the rights of kidney patients under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must not be violated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This happened in response to media reports, and concerns raised by kidney patient advocates and nephrologists, that multiple dialysis patients were denied life-saving treatments in direct contradiction to their expressed desire to live. This was a dark chapter in medicine for kidney patients that will never be forgotten by the kidney patient community and must never be repeated.

6.) Expand Data Transparency, Assess Costs to People, Facilitate Accountability:

All current federal data related to kidney patients since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (including data on the CMS 2728 Medical Evidence Form and 2746 Death Notification Form, as well as data previously included in CROWNWeb) must be made available to researchers and the public, within appropriate HIPPA and disclosure standards. It is of great importance that a true picture of how kidney patients have been impacted be established, including COVID-related infections, COVID-related injuries including acute kidney injury (AKI), premature deaths (in all healthcare settings and at the individual facility level), and other data related to COVID-19. Data transparency improves public and patient trust in government and will aid researchers and scientists in their efforts to prepare for future pandemics and to gauge the true magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting loss of innocent life, injury, and long COVID.

AAKP is committed to improving kidney patient care choice and access to innovations in COVID-19 therapeutics and treatments. We will continue to advocate for all kidney patients and their families, never forgetting the innocent friends, family members, and kidney allies who lost their lives or had their lives forever altered by this terrible disease.

Click here to watch OnDemand AAKP's panel discussion, "COVID-19 Concerns for Immunosuppressed Kidney Transplant Patients as the National Public Health Emergency Ends," which took place on March 9, 2023 , World Kidney Day , during AAKP's National Kidney Patient Consumer Policy Roundtable: Timely Issues Impacting Kidney Transplant Patients, Drug Innovation, and Living Organ Donors. Esteemed participants included Edward V. Hickey , III, USMC, AAKP President, Chair of the Veterans Health Initiative, former senior U.S. Congressional staff member, and kidney patient; Paul T. Conway , AAKP Chair of Policy and Global Affairs; former Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Labor; former dialysis patient, 26-year kidney transplant patient (moderator); Jeffery Silberzweig , MD, FASN, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Hospital Services, The Rogosin Institute; Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weil Cornell Medicine; Co-Chair American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team; Lisa Glasser , MD, U.S. Medical Affairs Head, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca; and Glenda V. Roberts , Director of Patient Engagement & External Relations, Kidney Research Institute, Center for Dialysis Innovation, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Washington; Board Member, Kidney Health Initiative (KHI); Transplant Subcommittee Member, American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team; AAKP Ambassador; former dialysis patient, current kidney transplant recipient.

Since 1969, AAKP has driven national policy discussions on kidney patient consumer care choice and treatment innovation. In 2018, AAKP established the largest U.S. kidney voter registration program, KidneyVoters. Over the past decade, AAKP patients have helped gain lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); new patient-centered policies via the White House Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019); new job protections for living organ donors from the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional legislation allowing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients (2013). Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook, @kidneypatients on Twitter, and @kidneypatients on Instagram, and visit www.aakp.org for more information.

FOR MORE Information:

Jennifer Rate

Director of Communications and

Digital Operations

(813) 400-2394

[email protected]

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SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Stellantis North America executives honored in two of seven award categories  Chief Operating Officer of the Year and Chief Diversity Officer of the Year

executives honored in two of seven award categories  Chief Operating Officer of the Year and Chief Diversity Officer of the Year Award demonstrates company's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

Company has purchased $100 billion from minority-owned suppliers since 1983

from minority-owned suppliers since 1983 Stellantis achieves significant rankings from DiversityInc: No. 30 of Top 50 Companies for Diversity, No. 2 for Supplier Diversity and No. 17 of Top Companies for Black Executives

Stellantis North America Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Stewart and Vice President  Diversity, Inclusion, Engagement & EEO Compliance Lottie Holland were each presented with Equity Honors Awards by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). These awards are given to corporate chief officers who have been recognized by their peers as true leaders of economic equity and minority business integration.

Stewart received the Chief Operating Officer of the Year award and Holland received the Chief Diversity Officer of the Year award at a ceremony in Miami on May 9 .

"This is an incredible honor, one I share with our entire team at Stellantis," said Stewart. "Our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion is a business imperative that has shaped our company's purpose  powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves. We see our role as a catalyst for change by creating opportunities that enable diverse businesses to grow and develop. As a community of minority business advocates, we must continue to challenge ourselves to set even higher standards."

"At Stellantis, we believe we are more than an automotive company," said Holland. "We are a source of economic empowerment for people and communities that have not participated fully in our economy or that have been denied economic justice. We believe by embracing and empowering individuals from different backgrounds, we can foster innovation and creativity, build stronger relationships with our customers and suppliers, and create a more equitable and sustainable future for all of us."

Since 1983, the company has purchased more than $100 billion from diverse-owned suppliers and, in 2022, spent nearly $8 billion in North America with this same group of suppliers. In 2022, Stellantis increased the diversity of its salaried U.S. workforce by 58%, including a 27% increase in gender diversity and a 39% increase in ethnic diversity.

Additionally, Stellantis launched two innovative supplier development programs  MentorWE and the National Black Supplier Development Program  for women- and Black-owned suppliers, respectively, to prepare them for future contracting and procurement opportunities.

Earlier this month, Stellantis was recognized by DiversityInc for its tireless efforts and commitment to diversity, ranking No. 30 on the publication's prestigious list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity in the U.S. , No. 2 on the Supplier Diversity specialty list, moving up from No. 3 in 2022, and No. 17 of Top Companies for Black Executives.

Stellantis North America

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move  aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Company website: www.stellantis.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Stellantis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellantisNA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellantisna

Twitter: @StellantisNA

YouTube: http://youtube.com/StellantisNA

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SOURCE Stellantis
NEW YORK , May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech Seoul, a new online English news platform, announced on May 9th that they have signed a partnership agreement with Starta Ventures, a mid-sized venture capital firm based in New York , to support the global expansion of Korean startups.

The signing ceremony was held on April 27th at the Starta VC office in Manhattan , attended by Tech Seoul CEO Thomas Park and Starta Ventures CEO & Partner Alexey Girin .

Through the business agreement, the two companies agreed to jointly operate the One Week NYC Immersion Program, a one-week program that invites angel investors, VCs, and potential customers in New York to participate in 2-3 pitch contests and Demo Day events, and the 2 days NYC Immersion Program, a two-day visit to New York for workshops and pitch contests, to help Korean startups enter New York .

Under the agreement, the two companies will develop additional programs to help Korean startups enter New York , and in the future it plans to establish and jointly operate a VC and accelerator in Seoul that professionally supports Korean startups entering New York .

"Our collaboration with Starta Ventures, a leading New York -based VC in the tech sector and a specialist in supporting international startups, is a great opportunity for Korean startups to enter New York ," said Thomas Park , CEO of Tech Seoul. "The pitch contest and demo day event, which allows startups to visit New York for as little as two days or a week to meet with investors, VCs and potential clients in New York , is an easy soft landing for Korean startups, and Tech Seoul aims to bring around 100 Korean startups to New York by the end of 2024 to help them get a fresh start in the New York ."

"We're thrilled to have signed the MOU between Starta and Tech Seoul(East Orion)! Korean startups are known for their creativity, ingenuity, and innovative spirit, and we're excited to collaborate with them to bring new ideas to life. We also welcome the news of more and more Korean startups scaling their businesses to the United States . With their entrepreneurial mindset and groundbreaking ideas, Korean founders have a lot to offer the American market. This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and we're confident that by working together, we can achieve great things and create a brighter future for all" said Alexey Girin , CEO and General Partner of Starta Ventures.

Starta VC, a New York -based VC and accelerator with a portfolio of more than 174 investments since its founding in 2011 and the launch of a new $50M fund and residency program, identifies, incubates, and funds early-stage startups in the technology sector. It also operates a soft landing program in New York designed to help international startups expand their US market presence and raise capital.

In early May, Tech Seoul will establish a separate entity in New York , separated from East Orion, to provide programs such as networking, workshops, pitch contests, demo days, and space for Korean startups to go global.

About Tech Seoul

Tech Seoul , meanwhile, is an in-house venture of global marketing company East Orion, and is a new online English-language news platform where startups write and publish their own articles. On Tech Seoul, startups can publish text news using AI technology, and also publish English-language video news broadcast by AI anchors right on the spot.

Press Contact:

Thomas Park

201-738-6445

https://techseoul.news/

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SOURCE Tech Seoul
ROCKVILLIE, Md. and SUZHOU, China , May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, ophthalmology and other major diseases, and Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly", NYSE: LLY), jointly announced that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has approved the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for TYVYT (sintilimab injection) in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy (pemetrexed and cisplatin) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progressed after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. It makes TYVYT (sintilimab injection) globally the first PD-1 inhibitor approved for patients with EGFR-mutated non-squamous NSCLC that progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy, which is a breakthrough in the field of immunotherapy.

This is the seventh NMPA-approved indication of TYVYT (sintilimab injection). The first six indications of TYVYT (sintilimab injection) are included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), making TYVYT (sintilimab injection) the only PD-1 inhibitor for the first-line treatment of five high-incidence cancer types in the NRDL  including non-squamous NSCLC, squamous NSCLC, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and gastric cancer. TYVYT (sintilimab injection) is also the first and the only immunotherapy medicine for gastric cancer in the NRDL. This is also the eighth NMPA-approved indication of BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection).

This new approval in China was based on the results of a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, prospective Phase 3 clinical trial (ORIENT-31, NCT03802240) evaluating TYVYT (sintilimab injection)  BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection) + chemotherapy (pemetrexed and cisplatin) for the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated non-squamous NSCLC who progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy.

In the second interim analysis (data cutoff date: March 31 st, 2022), in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, based on the assessment by the Independent Radiographic Review Committee (IRRC), significant and clinically meaningful PFS benefit was sustained with sintilimab plus bevacizumab plus chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone (median PFS: 7.2 months vs. 4.3 months; HR=0.51, p

As of data cutoff date July 4 th, 2022, a trend towards overall survival (OS) benefit with sintilimab plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy was observed although the median OS for chemotherapy was prolonged due to crossover after progression in chemotherapy group. The median OS for sintilimab plus bevacizumab plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone were 21.1 months vs 19.2 months, HR=0.98. After adjusting for crossover, the OS HR ranged from 0.79 to 0.84. In the exploratory analyses of quality of life, compared with the chemotherapy alone, sintilimab plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy showed longer median time-to-deterioration of the Global Health Status Dimension Score of EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30). The safety profile of this study was consistent with that observed in previously reported studies of sintilimab and bevacizumab, without new or unexpected safety signals.

The first interim analysis results of ORIENT-31 were published in The Lancet Oncology on July 28, 2022 [i]. The second interim analysis results were published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine on May 5, 2023 [ii].

The principal investigator of the ORIENT-31 Study, Prof. Shun Lu from the Oncology Department of Shanghai Chest Hospital, stated, "Different from the western population, about half of the Chinese patients with NSCLC have EGFR mutations. EGFR-TKI targeted therapy is the first line treatment choice in NSCLC patients with EGFR sensitive mutation. However, almost all patients will eventually develop TKI-resistance and progression of disease and there are no good treatment options for EGFR-TKI failed NSCLC population[iii]. The ORIENT-31 study is globally the first prospective, randomized and double-blind Phase 3 study that demonstrated that PD-1 inhibitor  bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy can significantly prolong PFS in EGFR-mutant non-squamous NSCLC population who have failed EGFR-TKI treatment. In addition, compared with standard platinum-based chemotherapy, sintilimab and bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy improved the ORR and DOR, showing survival benefit trend as well as improvement in quality of life. The approval of this indication brings a new treatment option for EGFR-mutated non-squamous NSCLC patients who have failed EGFR-TKI treatment, benefiting more Chinese patients."

Dr. Michael Yu , Founder, Chairman and CEO of Innovent, stated, "Despite proven efficacy in broad types of cancer, immunotherapy has rarely made breakthroughs in the treatment of driver gene-positive non-squamous NSCLC patients. We are excited about the results of ORIENT-31 study and this new approval marks the first immunotherapy combination therapy approved for patients with driver gene-positive non-squamous NSCLC in China , and making TYVYT the first PD-1 inhibitor approved for driver gene-positive non-squamous NSCLC globally. Innovent will continue our commitment to innovation and contribute to the 'Healthy China 2030' strategy."

Dr. Hui Zhou , Senior Vice President of Innovent, stated, "Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with the highest mortality rate and incidence in China , representing a large unmet medical need[iv]. The new approval of TYVYT is another important clinical development milestone, bringing new hope to the broader lung cancer patients with EGFR mutation. Innovent will continue to develop more novel therapies to address unmet clinical needs and bring more effective treatment options to patients in China and globally. "

Mr. Ben Basil, President and General Manager of Lilly China , stated, "Since its debut in 2018, TYVYT has been approved consecutively six indications including lymphoma, lung cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer to gastric cancer, and all six indications have been included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), benefiting millions of Chinese patients. I am very excited to see another indication approved today, bringing a brand new treatment option to NSCLC patients who have failed EGFR-TKI treatment in China . TYVYT sets a great example for our partnership with Innovent. We will continually work with our local partners in bringing more innovative drugs to Chinese patients, continuously making contributions to the 'Healthy China 2030' blueprint."

Dr. Li Wang , Lilly Corporate Senior Vice President, Head of China Drug Development & Medical Affairs Center, stated, "The ORIENT-31 study is globally the first study in immunotherapy to confirm benefits in EGFR positive lung cancer patients who have failed EGFR-TKI treatment. The two interim analyses have demonstrated encouraging clinical results, breaking the dilemma of EGFR-TKI resistance. With the newly approved indication, TYVYT provides a new treatment option and brings new hope to patients with EGFR-mutated non-squamous NSCLC who progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy in China ."

About the ORIENT-31 Study

ORIENT-31 is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center Phase 3 clinical study conducted in China evaluating sintilimab, with or without bevacizumab, combined with chemotherapy (pemetrexed and cisplatin) in patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic nsqNSCLC who have progressed following EGFR TKI treatment (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03802240). The primary endpoint is PFS as assessed by IRRC based on RECIST v1.1. The secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), PFS as assessed by investigators, ORR and safety.

About Sintilimab

Sintilimab, marketed as TYVYT (sintilimab injection) in China , is a PD-1 immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody co-developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company. Sintilimab is a type of immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, which binds to PD-1 molecules on the surface of T-cells, blocks the PD-1 / PD-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway, and reactivates T-cells to kill cancer cells[v]. Innovent is currently conducting more than 20 clinical studies of sintilimab to evaluate its safety and efficacy in a wide variety of cancer indications, including more than 10 registrational or pivotal clinical trials.

In China, sintilimab has been approved for seven indications and included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) for six indications. The updated NRDL reimbursement scope of TYVYT (sintilimab injection) include:

For the treatment of unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma;

For the treatment of unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;

For the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer lacking EGFR or ALK driver gene mutations;

For the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer;

For the treatment of unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma with no prior systematic treatment;

For the treatment of relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymphoma after two lines or later of systemic chemotherapy.

Additionally, sintilimab has been approved in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy (pemetrexed and cisplatin) for the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated nsqNSCLC who progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy.

Besides, two clinical studies of sintilimab have met their primary endpoints:

Phase 2 study of sintilimab monotherapy as second-line treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;

Phase 3 study of sintilimab monotherapy as second-line treatment for squamous NSCLC with disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy.

About BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection)

BYVASDA is a recombinant humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody drug. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important factor in angiogenesis that is highly expressed by the endothelial cells in most human tumors. An anti-VEGF antibody binds VEGF-A selectively with high affinity and blocks its binding to VEGF-2 receptors on the surface of vascular endothelial cells, thereby inhibiting signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt/PKB and Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK. BYVASDA produces anti-tumor effects by inhibiting the growth, proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells, blocking angiogenesis, reducing vascular permeability, blocking blood supply to tumor tissues, inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and inducing apoptosis in tumor cells[vi]. In China, BYVASDA is approved for eight indications including advanced non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, adult recurrent glioblastoma, advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer and cervical cancer, seven of which are included in the NRDL.

About Innovent

Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent's mission is to develop, manufacture and commercialize high-quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high-quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease, metabolic disorder and other major diseases. On October 31, 2018 , Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK.

Since its inception, Innovent has developed a fully integrated multi-functional platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 35 valuable assets in the fields of cancer, metabolic disorder, autoimmune disease and other major therapeutic areas, with 8 approved products on the market. These include: TYVYT (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection), SULINNO (adalimumab biosimilar injection), HALPRYZA (rituximab biosimilar injection) , Pemazyre (pemigatinib oral inhibitor), olverembatinib (BCR-ABL TKI) , Cyramza (ramucirumab) and Retsevmo (selpercatinib). An additional 3 assets are under NMPA NDA review, 6 assets are in Phase 3 or pivotal clinical trials, and 18 more molecules are in clinical studies.

Innovent has built an international team with advanced talent in high-end biological drug development and commercialization, including many global experts. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi, Adimab, Incyte, MD Anderson Cancer Center and other international partners. Innovent strives to work with many collaborators to help advance China's biopharmaceutical industry, improve drug availability and enhance the quality of the patients' lives. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com. and www.linkedin.com/company/innovent-biologics/.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines to make life better for people around the world.

We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and http://newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.

About Eli Lilly and Company's strategic cooperation with Innovent Biologics

Lilly entered into a strategic collaboration with Innovent focused on biological medicine in March 2015  a groundbreaking partnership between a Chinese pharmaceutical company and a multinational pharmaceutical company. Under the agreement, Lilly and Innovent will co-develop and commercialize oncology medicines, including Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) in China . In October 2015 , the two companies announced the extension of their existing collaboration to include co-development of three additional oncology antibodies targeting oncology indications. In August 2019 , Innovent further entered into a licensing agreement with Lilly to develop and commercialize a potentially global best-in-class diabetes medicine in China. Its collaboration with Lilly indicates that Innovent has established a comprehensive level of cooperation between China's innovative pharmaceuticals sector and the international pharmaceuticals sector in fields such as R&D, CMC, clinical development and commercialization. In August 2020 , Lilly and Innovent announced a global expansion of their strategic alliance for sintilimab. In March 2022 , Lilly and Innovent deepened the strategic partnership in oncology, in which Innovent obtained the sole commercialization rights of CYRAMZA (ramucirumab) and Retsevmo (selpercatinib), and a right of first negotiation for potential future commercialization of pirtobrutinib in Mainland China.

Note:

TYVYT (sintilimab injection) is not an approved product in the United States .

BYVASDA, SULINNO, and HALPRYZA are not approved products in the United States .

TYVYT (sintilimab injection, Innovent)

BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection, Innovent)

HALPRYZA (rituximab injection, Innovent)

SULINNO (adalimumab injection, Innovent)

Pemazyre (pemigatinib oral inhibitor, Incyte Corporation). Pemazyre was discovered by Incyte Corporation and licensed to Innovent for development and commercialization in Mainland China, Hong Kong , Macau and Taiwan .

CYRAMZA (ramucirumab, Eli Lilly). Cyramza was discovered by Eli Lilly and licensed to Innovent for commercialization in Mainland China.

Retsevmo (selpercatinib, Eli Lilly). Retsevmo was discovered by Eli Lilly and licensed to Innovent for commercialization in Mainland China.

Disclaimer: INNOVENT does not recommend use of any unapproved drugs/indications.

Innovent Biologics, Inc. Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Innovent, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.

These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of the Company with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, the Company's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.

The Company, the Directors and the employees of the Company assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialise or turn out to be incorrect.

References

[i] Lu S, Wu L, Jian H, et al. Sintilimab plus bevacizumab biosimilar IBI305 and chemotherapy for patients with EGFR-mutated non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer who progressed on EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor therapy (ORIENT-31): first interim results from a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2022;S1470-2045(22)00382-5. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00382-5.

[ii] Lu S, Lin, Wu, et al. Sintilimab plus chemotherapy for patients with EGFR-mutated non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer with disease progression after EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor therapy (ORIENT-31): second interim analysis from a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Respir Med May 5, 2023 . doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00135-2.

[iii] Chen P, Liu Y, Wen Y, et al. Nonsmall cell lung cancer in China[J]. Cancer Communications, 2022, 42(10): 937-970.

[iv] Zheng R, Zhang S, Wang S, et al. Lung cancer incidence and mortality in China : updated statistics and an overview of temporal trends from 2000 to 2016[J]. Journal of the National Cancer Center, 2022.

[v] Wang J, Fei K, Jing H, et al. Durable blockade of PD-1 signaling links preclinical efficacy of sintilimab to its clinical benefit. mAbs 2019;11(8): 1443-1451.

[vi] International Journal of Nanomedicine 2019:14 7643-7663

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SOURCE Innovent Biologics
CHICAGO , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago has announced the launch of the Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA), an initiative aimed at accelerating efforts to address major global challenges  such as climate change, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness  by leveraging the power of incentives, competition, and private sector innovation.

Threats to the global community  such as climate change and pandemics  demand urgent innovation and action at scale.

Supported by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt , Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin , and the Digital Harbor Foundation, the MSA brings together renowned experts in market shaping, including Nobel laureate economist Michael Kremer and Rachel Glennerster from the University of Chicago and Christopher Snyder from Dartmouth College. This group of experts has contributed significantly to research and policy successes of market shaping mechanisms, including developing advance market commitments (AMCs) for carbon removal ( Frontier ) and pneumococcal vaccines , which saved an estimated 700,000 lives in low-income countries.

"Climate change and pandemics could both threaten to devastate our economies and societies," said Michael Kremer , University Professor in Economics, University of Chicago and 2019 Nobel Laureate. "To address these risks, we need technological and social innovations, but under our current institutions, market incentives to invest in innovations to address these risks are inadequate given the huge social need. However, market-shaping mechanisms can harness the power and creativity of the private sector to develop the innovations we need to address climate change and pandemics."

Market shaping uses economic tools to solve market failures where commercial incentives for innovation trail behind societal needs. One example is advance market commitments (AMCs), which are "pull mechanisms" that tie payments to outputs. AMCs establish legally binding contracts to subsidize the purchase of a large quantity of a specific innovation if it is invented. Other examples include prizes, which are competitions that reward solutions for a specific problem, and milestone contracts, which are payments linked to achieving interim steps toward an innovation.

The MSA will collaborate closely with governments, multilateral institutions, and philanthropists to design the details of contracts and policies to accelerate and scale innovation. Already, the MSA is collaborating with global organizations and policymakers to advance innovation in carbon removal, climate-resilient crops, and universal coronavirus vaccines.

"We don't know when the next pandemic will hit but we know it's coming and we know, on average we will lose $800 billion every single year (in expectation) to pandemics," said Rachel Glennerster , Associate Professor of Economics, University of Chicago and former Chief Economist at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). "There are lots of great ideas about how to protect against the next pandemic, including vaccines that could protect against any future coronavirus or any future flu. But how do we make sure these are produced at sufficient scale that everyone can benefit from them when the next pandemic hits? This is the challenge the MSA is taking on."

The MSA benefits from a diverse group of expert advisors, including Susan Athey of Stanford University, Catherine Bremner of Impax Asset Management, Michael Greenstone and Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago, Matthew Kotchen of Yale University, Nan Ransohoff of Frontier, Tom Kalil of Schmidt Futures, Jean Tirole of the Toulouse School of Economics and 2013 Nobel Prize recipient, Heidi Williams of Dartmouth College, and Catherine Wolfram of UC Berkeley.

"We are fortunate to have advisors who are among the world's leading experts in market design and innovation, as well as some of the best thinkers and practitioners in the diverse domains the MSA will cover," said Christopher Snyder , the Joel Z and Susan Hyatt Professor in Economics at Dartmouth College.

The MSA was officially launched last week at an event held at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC . The agenda and video from the event can be found here .

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SOURCE University of Chicago
Leading financial holding company represents first Taiwanese Eventus client

TAIPEI, Taiwan and NEW YORK , May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus , a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions, has been selected to provide trade surveillance for Yuanta Futures in Taiwan , representing the firm's first Taiwanese client.

Yuanta Futures is a subsidiary of Yuanta Financial Holdings and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. As a systemically vital participant in Taiwan's futures market, the firm selected Eventus' Validus trade surveillance platform to replace its previous vendor solution, citing its superior actionable alert capability and user-friendly interface. Rebecca Hu, Yuanta Futures' Senior Manager of Customer Service Trading Department, said Eventus has delivered an exceptional customer experience as well as improved surveillance outcomes.

"We have been very pleased with the responsiveness and expertise of the Eventus team as we have implemented the technology," she said. "Our compliance staff has found Validus to be much more user-friendly, and we see improved clarity and accuracy in the outcomes the system provides."

Nick Wallis , Eventus Head of Sales, International Markets, said Eventus is proud to be working with one of Taiwan's most important futures companies.

"We are delighted to have won the trust of one of the region's leading companies and to have the opportunity to deliver surveillance outcomes that are more precise and easier to action," he said. "We look forward to continuing to work with Yuanta as an important foundation customer as we further grow our client business in the Asia-Pacific region ."

Eventus has earned more than 30 awards and honors since 2018 for its technology and best-in-class service, including six awards specifically for its service to the APAC region.

About Eventus

Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets.

Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventus.com .

About Yuanta

Yuanta Futures is the largest futures commission merchant (FCM) in Taiwan and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. It is the first FCM to have received an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives trading license in Taiwan .

With Taiwan's strongest sales team and a deep store of professional knowledge, Yuanta Futures offers a diverse and convenient electronic operating platform - the cutting-edge Yuanta Futures Wizard app  giving users a brand-new program trading experience. Yuanta Futures has worked to build a new era of wealth and stability for its investors, removing the aura of mystery and risk that has previously surrounded the futures market. For more, visit www.yuantafutures.com.tw

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SOURCE Eventus
FILE PHOTO: President of the Superior Electoral Court Alexandre de Moraes attends a ceremony at the Superior Electoral Court headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

By Ricardo Brito

BRASILIA (Reuters) -The head of Brazil's electoral authority, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, delivered a stern warning to the world's top tech companies on Wednesday, saying he would not let them undermine Brazil's democracy.

Moraes' comments - which included the assertion that global tech giants "believe no jurisdiction in the world can oversee them" - reflect growing global debates about whether the firms are doing enough to police their platforms.

They also constitute an ambitious new battle line for Moraes, a judge whose previous crusades have included squaring up to far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's efforts to undermine the country's electoral system during last year's presidential election.

"The big tech platforms have been challenged and they will be penalized. They will be held accountable, to guarantee the voter's freedom to vote," Moraes told judges and public servants studying electoral law, without naming any specific firms.

Shortly after his speech, Moraes threatened to suspend and fine messaging app Telegram nationwide unless it complied with an order to remove criticism it had made on its platform about a proposed internet regulation bill seeking to control the spread of disinformation online.

Telegram subsequently took down the message, saying in a statement that the Supreme Court had ordered it to tell users that its message had "distorted" the debate in "an attempt to induce and instigate users to coerce lawmakers."

Later, Telegram said "it would likely no longer be able to continue working in Brazil if the law were passed with the proposed wording."

"While we complied with the order to remove our messages, Telegram stands behind its analysis and believes that laws that will affect the lives of tens of millions of people require public attention and a reasonable period of debate," it said.

Brazil is among countries taking a global lead in pressuring tech giants to crack down harder on users it sees as spreading disinformation.

Moraes has already fined Telegram once this year for failing to comply with a court order that called for accounts of Bolsonaro supporters to be frozen, and ordered the suspension of the app last year in a ruling that was revoked days later.

DISINFORMATION BILL

Dubbed the "Fake News Law," the internet regulation bill seeks to put the onus on internet companies, search engines and social messaging services to find and report illegal material, instead of leaving it to the courts, and proposes hefty fines for failures to do so.

Global tech firms have campaigned against the bill, arguing it would open the door to censorship. It would also endanger free services on their platforms if they are obliged to pay content providers and for copyright on material posted on their sites, they say.

Last week, Alphabet's Google added a link on its search engine in Brazil connecting to blogs against the bill and asking users to lobby their representatives.

Brazil's government and judiciary said such actions amounted to undue interference in the congressional debate.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino said: "The law must prevail over the digital Far West" and he gave Google two hours to remove the link or face a big fine.

Google pulled it in minutes, while defending its right to communicate its concerns through what it called "marketing campaigns" on its platforms.

Facing a wave of criticism from conservative lawmakers, who say the government plan is to censure its opponents, and lacking support in the lower house, the bill was taken off the fast track last week and there is no date for it to be put to the vote.

($1 = 5.0033 reais)

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
By Farah Master

HONG KONG (Reuters) - For many of China's manufacturers of baby and children's products, painful reverberations from last year's historic decline in the country's population are already upon them.

Domestic sales are shrinking and the scramble is on to develop new streams of revenue, whether that be diversifying into products for adults or boosting offerings in overseas markets with younger populations like Southeast Asia and India.

Hong Kong-listed Health and Happiness (H&H), which gains nearly half of its revenue from baby products such as infant formula, food and diapers, is one such company.

Revenue for its Dodie diaper brand slid 12% in mainland China last year as a fresh decline in the birth rate to a record low exacerbated oversupply and caused prices to drop, says interim Chief Executive Akash Bedi.

Global expansion and diversification are H&H's priorities this year and beyond, Bedi added. The company managed to offset the fall in diaper demand with a 12.5% jump in global revenue for the adult nutrition division housing its Swisse-branded vitamins and supplements.

"In newer markets such as Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Malaysia, the (Swisse) brand has been growing both offline and online channels to grow share," he said via email.

China's market for baby food and diapers is the world's largest at $37.9 billion, accounting for around a third of global sales annually, according to research from Euromonitor.

But the knock-on effects from China's first population drop in six decades have been swift and the market is forecast to contract this year for the first time since Euromonitor began keeping track in 2012. Including this year's fall to $37.6 billion, it is expected to shrink 2% to $37.2 billion by 2025.

Birth rate declines are also not expected to end any time soon, with analysts noting young Chinese adults are not keen to have more than one or even any kids due to the sky-high costs of child-rearing, especially education.

China's lowest birth rate on record https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/DEMOGRAPHICS/zdpxdrarmpx/chart.png

Non-diversified makers of baby products are "going to face declining margins, bad revenues, and their stock prices are going to collapse because it's going to take them one, two, maybe even three years to come up with a new strategy and execute," said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group (CMR).

CMR estimates the China market for children's goods and services (including education) to currently be worth some $500 billion annually and predicts it will shrink 15%-20% over the next five years.

Slowing revenue for baby products in China Slowing revenue for baby products in China https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ASIA-POPULATION/CHINA-BABY%20PRODUCTS/egvbyezqxpq/chart.png

ADULT DIAPERS, ADULT MILK POWDER

Fujian-based Hengan International Group Company, a maker of sanitary napkins, diapers and tissues, saw its overall diaper sales fall 1.4% last year as products at the cheaper end of its baby diaper range lost favour. Adult diaper revenue, however, shot up 13% - highlighting how China's rapidly ageing population is prompting shifts in consumer spending.

Noting "huge room for development", Hengan plans to invest more in adult care products such as its ElderJoy diaper brand, aiming to expand market share both at home and in Southeast Asia, it said in an earnings statement last month.

Perhaps the most hurt by China's demographic trends have been domestic manufacturers of infant milk formula with less diversified product lines, with many posting steep sales drops in 2022 after years of growth.

China Feihe, the country's biggest maker of infant formula, saw revenues slide 6.4%. Sales for Yashili International Holdings Ltd plunged 15.7% while those for Ausnutria Dairy Corp Ltd tumbled 9.1%.

Falling revenues for Chinese infant formula makers https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ASIA-POPULATION/CHINA-BABY%20PRODUCTS/lgvdkgqzwpo/chart.png

Shares for the three firms now trade between a third and a fifth of their all-time highs. None responded to requests for comment.

All are expanding into products for older people, their earnings reports said. In particular, milk powder products for adults that are fortified with vitamins and minerals - while mostly a nascent China-only market segment - have been targeted as a promising area for development.

Yashili, for example, said it will focus on making milk powder for 3-to-15-year-olds as well as adults, particularly the elderly. It has also recently launched products targeting young women, including a goji berry puree and fruit oatmeal.

Makers of children's clothing are also having to become more creative as they pursue growth.

"The impact of declining birth rates is very, very, very real," said Zhang Yan, founder of Shanghai-based children's clothing line natunakids.

"We now make a lot of matching parent-child outfits. Whereas once an item of clothing would have only been made for kids, I am now asking my craftspeople to also make adult versions," she said.

($1 = 6.9110 Chinese yuan)

(Additional reporting by Nicoco Chan and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Marius Zaharia and Edwina Gibbs)
U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, has been indicted on charges that he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress about his income and cheated his way into undeserved unemployment benefits, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Peace said.

Santos surrendered Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didnt work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didnt go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company via emails, text message and phone calls and provided the person with contact information for potential contributors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty.

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

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FILE PHOTO: Containers are seen at a terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - With China and the U.S. fixated on each other, Europe is at risk of being paralysed in between and needs to steer its own agenda, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Wednesday.

"If we had to choose between the U.S. and China, we would have extreme problems," Habeck said as he gave the keynote address to mark World Economy Day at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (DIHK) world conference.

The economy minister said the only option to prevent this from happening is to shape a European trade agenda. "Trade agreements are part of it, in my view," Habeck said.

"We must work to ensure that multilateral organizations work and that we keep free trade," he said, calling for a strengthening of international bodies such as the World Trade Organization.

The economic conflict between China and the U.S. is shaping international trade flows, he said. "China wants to attract European investment and German investment, hoping that Europe doesn't completely ally itself with the U.S.," Habeck said.

German companies are increasing investment in China even as the German government, the European Union and the G7 want to "derisk" their relationships with Beijing, he added. Meanwhile U.S. companies are trying to gain independence from China, he said.

"The economic relation with China is immensely important for the economic ministry," Habeck said, arguing in favour of de-risking. "An economic decoupling from China is not in our interest," he said.

(Reporting by Maria Martinez; Editing by Jan Harvey)
A Ford Ranger Raptor is seen at a Ford event in Michigan, U.S., May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Joe White

By Joseph White

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Wednesday unveiled the latest addition to its muscle truck franchise - a Ranger Raptor midsize pickup with a 405-horsepower engine and a suspension designed for racing across the desert, made possible in part by Ford's electric vehicles.

The Ranger Raptor, and the rest of the new generation of Ford Ranger pickups, will launch in North America later this year, illustrating how established automakers are shifting their combustion-vehicle lines toward more powerful, higher-profit variants as regulators clamp down on carbon emissions.

For Ford, the Ranger Raptor is part of a broader strategy to develop performance variants of popular vehicles that share 80% of the parts of the basic truck or SUV, but can deliver an average 30% more profit margin over the cost of building the vehicle. Ford is expected to highlight this strategy at an investor event on May 22.

Prices for the new Ranger will start at $34,160. But a Ranger Raptor will start at $56,960, Ford said.

"This is a very successful and profitable derivative," Jim Baumbick, vice president for product development and quality for the Ford Blue unit, told Reuters.

Ford is also ramping up production of its Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning and Transit electric vehicles - generating credits that allow it to sell more high-performance, combustion vehicles such as the Ranger Raptor, the Bronco Raptor and the F-150 Raptor.

"We're doing it through a portfolio of products" that includes electric vehicles and a hybrid Maverick pickup, Baumbick said.

Like other established automakers, Ford is using profit from combustion vehicles to subsidize losses on its electric models. How far Ford can push that strategy will depend on consumers, and also government regulators.

This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began hearings on a proposal to dramatically tighten vehicle CO2 emissions limits with the goal of pushing electric vehicles to 67% of U.S. new vehicle sales by 2032.

The redesigned Ranger will compete in a global segment dominated by Toyota Motor Corp's Tacoma and Hilux trucks. Toyota will reveal the next generation of its North American Tacoma midsize truck on May 19. Rival General Motors Co added two off-road performance variants of its midsized Chevrolet Colorado pickup trucks last year, as well as more powerful engine options.

(Reporting by Joseph White in Detroit; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's mid-range air defence missile system David's Sling was successfully deployed in operations for the first time during Wednesday's cross-border fighting with Gaza militants, two Israeli military sources said.

The military did not immediately provide further details on the system's use during the cross-border fire, in which Palestinians fired about 270 rockets at Israel which had mounted air strikes across the enclave.

David's Sling, designed to shoot down rockets fired from 100 km to 200 km (62 to 124 miles) away, is part of Israel's shield that already includes short-range Iron Dome and long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles.

Israel has used Iron Dome extensively to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, and the Arrow missiles were developed with an Iranian missile threat in mind.

Davids Sling, developed and manufactured jointly by Israels state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd and the U.S. Raytheon Co, is also designed to intercept cruise missiles.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Dan Williams; Editing by William Maclean)
ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government has not yet taken a decision on whether to leave the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal with China and is reviewing its options, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday.

Italy joined the ambitious BRI programme in 2019, despite protests from the United States. The pact comes up for renewal at the end of the year and Meloni said parliament would be involved in discussions about its future.

"We have not yet taken a decision. The debate is open," Meloni told reporters during a trip to Prague, repeating that she herself had opposed the original choice to sign up to the BRI.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
FILE PHOTO: A Lucid logo is seen at the Nasdaq MarketSite as Lucid Motors (Nasdaq: LCID) begins trading today on the Nasdaq stock exchange after completing its business combination with Churchill Capital Corp IV in New York City, New York, U.S., July 26,

By Yousef Saba and Rachna Uppal

DUBAI (Reuters) - Lucid's electric vehicles are often displayed prominently at public events and financial conferences in Saudi Arabia to symbolise its crown prince's multi-billion dollar "Vision 2030".

The electric car maker is among the biggest U.S. investments by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) which has been tasked with driving the kingdom's ambitious plan to cut its reliance on oil revenue.

For PIF, the Lucid bet is proving challenging.

The U.S. company, in which PIF owns a 60.46% stake, fell well short of analyst forecasts on Tuesday with a sharp first quarter revenue fall and a cut to its 2023 production outlook.

That performance could put another potential dent in Saudi plans to build its own EV industry, which includes Lucid's first manufacturing plant outside the U.S., as part of its far-reaching diversification plan led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Mohammed is also chairman of PIF, the $620 billion fund which is expected to contribute 1.2 trillion riyals ($320 billion) to non-oil GDP through its portfolio companies and create 1.8 million new jobs between 2021 and 2025.

"The EV manufacturing plan is still one of the boldest parts of the Saudi plan," said Justin Alexander, director at Khalij Economics and Gulf analyst at GlobalSource Partners.

"Most new EV firms that aren't Tesla are struggling."

Shares in California-based Lucid, which has posted net accumulating losses of over $4.6 billion since Q1 2020, closed 5.6% lower at $7.28 on Tuesday after the results. They were trading around $7.24 at 1615 GMT on Wednesday.

That made PIF's stake worth about $8 billion, according to Reuters calculations. Its investment was worth about $17.4 billion in mid-2022, the wealth fund's bond prospectus showed, and around $26 billion when Lucid was listed in 2021.

PIF and Lucid did not respond to requests for comment.

ROAD AHEAD

For all the bumps in the road, Saudi Arabia has remained a committed investor in Lucid, whose Q1 investor presentation says PIF has invested around $3.6 billion in it since 2018.

And in March this year, 97.2% PIF-owned GIB loaned Lucid about $266 million and roughly the same amount in April 2022, while the government-owned Saudi Industrial Development Fund also loaned the company about $1.4 billion in 2022.

There was even speculation earlier this year that PIF would buy Lucid out altogether.

The Saudi government has agreed with Lucid to buy up to 100,00 of its vehicles over the next decade.

And construction of Lucid's Jeddah plant, targeting peak production of up to 155,000 cars a year, got underway last year, local media reported. Re-assembly operations are expected to begin in September, Lucid said in its presentation.

"Rather than fixing on short term results, the future of PIF's stake in Lucid will be dependent on the plans to build a Lucid factory in Saudi, on taking Lucid private again and/or on the potential integration with Ceer," said Global SWF Managing Director Diego Lopez of plans for a new Saudi EV maker.

Ceer, a joint venture with Apple supplier Foxconn which was announced in November, aims to draw over $150 million in foreign direct investment, create up to 30,000 jobs and contribute $8 billion to Saudi GDP by 2034.

($1 = 3.7501 riyals)

(Reporting by Yousef Saba and Rachna Uppal; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, walk on top of railroad cars as they get ready to continue their journey to the U.S. border in the site known as El Basurero, a stretch of land next to a trash dump and the railroad, in Huehuetoca, State of Mexico, Mexico

By Daina Beth Solomon, Gustavo Graf and Lizbeth Diaz

HUEHUETOCA, Mexico (Reuters) - Thousands of migrants in Mexico have been clambering onto dangerous freight trains rumbling northward in a scramble to reach the U.S. border by the time the United States ends a tough migration policy later this week.

In recent weeks, up to several hundred people have boarded daily, activists and officials say, with many setting off atop train cars pulling out from a brief stopping point at a garbage dump in Huehuetoca, a town north of Mexico City.

The rush has intensified as news circulates about the end on Thursday night of Title 42 - a COVID-era policy that since 2020 has allowed the U.S. to rapidly expel migrants back to Mexico.

The U.S. is preparing for a jump in border crossings when it goes, piling more pressure on authorities already grappling with record levels of illegal entry.

Many migrants want to reach the border as soon as possible, although they are unsure what the rules will now be. Washington has said it will finalize a new regulation this week that will deny asylum to many.

"Will it be easier? I doubt it," said Romario Solano, 23, a Venezuelan, while waiting for hours in baking sun near the trash-strewn rail tracks in Huehuetoca. "We know that as migration has increased, tougher measures have been taken."

Solano acknowledged that riding the train was dangerous, but said he did not have money for a bus.

For years, mainly Central Americans have crisscrossed Mexico on cargo trains, dubbing them collectively "La Bestia" (The Beast) due to the risk of injury, even death, if they fell off. Migrants are also vulnerable to gangs, cold nights and sweltering days.

The latest wave of people aboard "La Bestia" are largely poor Venezuelans, including families with small children, mostly aiming to reach Ciudad Juarez, opposite the Texan city of El Paso.

Many climb narrow ladders to sit on roofs; others huddle inside empty boxcars, and spread blankets over gravel, steel bars and other building materials to ride in open-air wagons.

"There are hundreds of people arriving every day," said migrant activist Guadalupe Gonzalez last week in the central city of Irapuato, where the train makes a stop. "We hadn't seen so many migrants passing through here like this before."

During the past month, as many as 700 people were trying to board per day, she said.

Seated on a log near the Huehuetoca garbage dump, Venezuelan migrant Allender Ruy played voice messages on his phone from a friend warning him about the several-day journey ahead: "Brother, when you get the train, bundle up ... it's very cold, terribly cold."

After being deported to Venezuela earlier this year from Panama while en route to the U.S., Ruy was hoping for a second shot. "I have to get there, at the latest, before the 11th," he said.

On the cracked screen of his smartphone, fellow Venezuelan Franklin Cuervas watched a Tik Tok video captioned "the border is getting tougher." Two of his brothers in the U.S. had urged him to arrive before May 11 to avoid crowds of other migrants.

"They say it would be better (to arrive) before, because more people are coming, people who want to get in," he said.

A family of 10, including a 1-year-old girl and several children who were coughing, retreated in disappointment to the shade of one of the few trees in the hot desert terrain when they realized a clattering train was not the one they wanted.

"We're a bit anxious ... supposedly there will be problems before the 11th," said Alejandro Mavo, 44, who traveled with his wife and five children from Venezuela. "We're barely on time."

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Gustavo Graf in Huehuetoca, Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City, and Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez; Editing by Dave Graham and Rosalba O'Brien)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of GoAir airline on an A320neo aircraft in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Pratt & Whitney plans to oppose Go Airlines (India) Ltd's push to enforce an arbitration ruling against the U.S. company for the supply of spare engines, a Delaware court filing showed.

The airline, widely known as Go First, approached the Delaware court after it won an arbitration order in Singapore against Pratt & Whitney, which it said failed to supply engines on time. That, the Indian airline argues, has also forced it to file for bankruptcy in New Delhi.

(Reporting by Mike Scarcella in New York and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Kim Coghill)
FILE PHOTO: The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. Picture taken May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

By Andrew Goudsward

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve its dispute with law firm Covington & Burling over the agency's demand for the names of 300 clients affected by a cyberattack on the firm.

But both sides indicated during the hearing in Washington, D.C., that a court order would be necessary to break the impasse.

The SEC sued Covington in January to force the prominent Washington-based firm to identify public company clients whose information was accessed or stolen in the breach. The hack was carried out by the Chinese-linked Hafnium cyber-espionage group, according to court filings, and the SEC said it needed the client names to probe for securities law violations associated with the attack.

Covington, represented by law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, has resisted the subpoena, arguing that its clients are confidential and identifying them would run afoul of legal ethics standards and constitutional privacy protections.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta called the SECs request concerning at Wednesdays hearing, but also appeared skeptical that he had the legal authority to block the agency's demand.

Mehta told an SEC lawyer that the subpoena puts Covington in the very awkward position of having to identify its clients to an enforcement agency without evidence of wrongdoing.

Were not targeting any particular party, SEC lawyer Eugene Hansen responded. Were following the evidence wherever it leads.

The SEC has said the client identities are necessary to investigate potential insider trading associated with the hack and to ensure that the companies affected made required disclosures.

A lawyer for Covington, Theodore Boutrous, said the SEC has made Covington a test case for new authority to scrutinize public companies through demands on their law firms following a hack. A group of 83 large U.S. law firms has backed Covington in the case.

The judge appeared to search for a resolution short of a court order, asking Hansen if the SEC could narrow its demand to only clients that had private information material to investors accessed during the cyberattack.

The SEC said it needed more transparency from Covington about which clients were affected, rejecting the results of an internal investigation by the firm that found only seven clients had market-relevant information caught up in the hack.

Covington also appeared skeptical of a settlement, arguing that identifying a smaller set of companies would only help the SEC focus an investigation that could implicate its clients.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward)
By Karen Lema

(Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said the prospect of tensions escalating over Taiwan was a "grave concern" to Southeast Asian leaders and discussions about it were inevitable at this week's summit in Indonesia.

"Considering that we agree on the concept of ASEAN centrality when it comes to regional concerns, that will be one of the most important subjects that we will bring up," Marcos told reporters late on Tuesday.

Marcos was in Indonesia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, where he will seek the completion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

"I will bring it up again," Marcos said. "The issues ... they will not calm down until we have a code of conduct."

The Philippines, which won an arbitration case in 2016 that clarified its sovereign rights and invalidated China's claim of historic jurisdiction over the entire South China Sea, has complained of late about Beijing's "dangerous manoeuvres" and "aggressive tactics".

China says it is operating lawfully in its territory.

Marcos was in the United States last week and met counterpart Joe Biden, after which he secured a clear-cut treaty commitment from Washington that it would defend the Philippines if attacked in the South China Sea.

ASEAN and China have been working towards a maritime code of conduct following a commitment they made in 2001, a set of rules that many analysts expect will, if they materialise, be non-binding and have no enforcement mechanism.

China's claims run more than 1,500 km (932 miles) off its coast and into the exclusive economic zones of five ASEAN countries - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia - where Beijing's coast guard and armada of fishing vessels have been accused of using intimidation tactics.

Marcos said he hoped the code of conduct would be in place "sooner rather than later because the tensions are increasing."

(Reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Martin Petty)
FILE PHOTO-Delegations led by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar hold talks in Moscow, Russia, April 25, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

ANKARA (Reuters) -Foreign ministers for Turkey, Syria, Russia and Iran met on Wednesday in Moscow, marking the highest-level talks so far on rebuilding ties between Ankara and Damascus after years of animosity during Syria's civil war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a tweet that he had stressed the need for "cooperation in the fight against terrorism and working together to establish the basis for the return of Syrians" during the meeting.

NATO member Turkey has backed political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 12-year civil war, and sent its own troops into the country's north. It is also hosting more than 3.5 million refugees from its neighbour.

Cavusoglu said "taking the political process in Syria forward and protection of Syria's territorial integrity" were the other issues discussed.

Syria's foreign minister Faisal Mekdad was quoted as saying by Syrian state news agency SANA that "despite all the negatives of the past years, there is an opportunity" for Damascus and Ankara to work together.

But the priority for Syria was ending the illegal presence of all foreign militaries including Turkey's, Mekdad said.

Syria's northwest includes a sliver of territory held by rival militias, including hardline armed groups and jihadist factions backed by Turkey.

"Without progress in this matter, we will remain stagnant and will not reach any real results," Mekdad was quoted as saying.

Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement there had been a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and that the countries' deputy foreign ministers would be tasked with preparing a roadmap to advance Syria-Turkey ties.

Syrian and Turkish defence ministers had also held talks in Moscow in December.

Moscow is Assad's main ally and Russia has encouraged a reconciliation with Turkey. Assad was invited on Wednesday to attend the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19 in a major sign that the regional isolation of Damascus has thawed.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily in Beirut; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Alexander Smith)
Articol sustinut de fanatik.ro fanatik.ro: Locul din Romania care este desprins din povesti. E atat de frumos incat nu o sa vrei sa mai pleci. Este ieftin si aproape de Bucuresti
FILE PHOTO: Smoke erupts following a shell explosion, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on May 7, 2023. Adam Tactic Group/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Russia's defence ministry on Thursday denied reports that Ukrainian forces had broken through in various places along the front lines and said the military situation was under control.

Moscow reacted after Russian military bloggers, writing on the Telegram messaging app, reported what they said were Ukrainian advances north and south of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, with some suggesting a long-awaited counteroffensive by pro-Kyiv forces had started.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier said the offensive had yet to start.

"Statements circulated by individual Telegram channels about 'defence breakthroughs' that took place in different areas along the line of military contact do not correspond to reality," the Russian defence ministry said in a Telegram post.

"The overall situation in the area of the special military operation is under control," it said in a statement, using the Kremlin's description of the war in Ukraine.

The fact the Russian ministry felt obliged to release the statement reflects what Moscow acknowledges is a "very difficult" military operation.

Ukraine says it has pushed Russian forces back over the past several days near Bakhmut, while a full-blown counteroffensive involving tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of Western tanks is still being prepared.

"We still need a bit more time," Zelenskiy said in an interview with European broadcasters.

Reuters was not able to verify the reports and it was unclear whether Ukrainian forces were attacking in force or just mounting armed reconnaissance raids.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Musiyenko said Kyiv's backers understand that a counteroffensive "may not result in the complete eviction of Russian troops and the definitive defeat of Russia in all occupied areas."

"We have to be ready for the war to continue into next year - or it could end this year," Musiyenko told Ukrainian NV Radio. "It all depends on how the battles develop. We can't guarantee how the counter-offensive will develop."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner private army which has led the fight in Bakhmut, on Thursday said Ukrainian operations were "unfortunately, partially successful". He called Zelenskiy's assertion that the counteroffensive had not yet begun "deceptive".

BRITAIN TO SEND CRUISE MISSILES TO UKRAINE

Ukrainian forces had already received enough equipment from Western allies for their campaign but were waiting for the full complement of armoured vehicles to arrive, Zelenskiy said.

In a major step up in Western military support for Ukraine, Britain said it was sending Storm Shadow cruise missiles that would give Kyiv the ability to strike deep behind Russian lines.

The missiles "are now going into, or are in, the country itself," Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told parliament in London, adding the missiles were being supplied so they could be used within Ukraine.

Western countries including the U.S. had previously held back from providing long range weapons for fear of provoking Russian retaliation. Wallace said Britain had weighed the risk.

The Kremlin earlier said if Britain provided these missiles it would require "an adequate response from our military".

In an evening address on Thursday, Zelenskiy said he would soon be able to report very important defence-related news.

"Foreign flags will never reign on our land, and our people will never be enslaved," he said.

The war in Ukraine is at a turning point, with Kyiv poised to unleash its counteroffensive after six months of keeping its forces on the defensive, while Russia mounted a huge winter offensive that failed to capture significant territory.

Moscow's main target for months has been Bakhmut, which it has yet to fully capture despite the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

ZELENSKIY EXPECTED TO MEET POPE FRANCIS

There are no signs of peace talks between the two countries to end the war, which began in February 2022 with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. Zelenskiy is expected to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday, diplomatic sources said, days after the pope said the Vatican was involved in a peace mission. The pope has given no further information on such an initiative.

The war worsened a global food crisis - Ukraine and Russia are major agricultural exporters - and while an agreement last July safely reopened some Black Sea grain shipment channels, negotiations to extend the deal were difficult.

Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations discussed on Thursday U.N. proposals to keep the pact alive. Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports.

Meanwhile in South Africa, an important Russian ally on a continent divided by the war, the U.S. ambassador told journalists that Washington was confident a Russian vessel had loaded weapons and ammunition from South Africa in December, a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the conflict.

The government is opening an independent inquiry led by a retired judge into the allegation, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. No evidence had yet been provided by Washington to support its allegation, the president's office said.

Washington has repeatedly warned countries against providing material support to Russia, saying that those who do may be subject to economic sanctions similar to those imposed on Moscow.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff, David Ljunggren and Grant McCool; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Diane Craft and Daniel Wallis)
FILE PHOTO: The Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer atttends a news conference after a meeting of the alliance's Military Committee, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine will increasingly be a battle between large numbers of poorly trained Russian troops with outdated equipment and a smaller Ukrainian force with better Western weapons and training, NATO's top military official said on Wednesday.

Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO's military committee, noted Russia was now deploying significant numbers of T-54 tanks - an old model designed in the years after World War Two.

"But the problem is they still have a lot of T-54s. So ... in terms of numbers, quantity, it is an issue," Bauer told reporters after a meeting of the alliance's national military chiefs at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"What we will see now is that the Russians will focus - have to focus - on quantity, larger number of conscripts, and mobilize people, not well-trained, older materiel. But large numbers," he said.

The Ukrainians meanwhile would "focus on quality, with Western weapon systems and Western training. That's the big difference in the coming months, I would say."

Bauer said the NATO military chiefs restated "unrelenting support" to a Ukrainian representative at the meeting.

"There is no doubt that NATO will support Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Bauer, a Dutch military officer.

U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's top commander for Europe, added the degradation of Russian forces was "very uneven".

"It's predominantly in the ground forces," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Alex Richardson)
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza, in Sderot, Israel, May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned civilian deaths in Gaza as "unacceptable" and appealed for them to "stop immediately" and for all parties to exercise maximum restraint, Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.

Israel hit Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza for a second day on Wednesday and Palestinian militants launched hundreds of rockets across the border, setting off sirens as far away as Tel Aviv, while Egypt began efforts to mediate an end to the fighting.

The 15-member U.N. Security Council met behind closed-doors on Wednesday over the latest violence.

In total 20 Palestinians, including at least five women and five children, as well as three senior Islamic Jihad commanders and four gunmen have been killed since Israel launched pre-dawn strikes on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said.

"Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the proportional use of force and taking all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations," Haq said.

Guterres also condemns the indiscriminate launching of rockets from Gaza into Israel, which violates international humanitarian law and puts at risk Palestinian and Israeli civilians, Haq said.

"The Secretary-General urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and to work to stop hostilities immediately," Haq said in a statement.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Alistair Bell)
Daniel Perry walks into the courtroom moments before he was convicted of murder in the July 2020 shooting death of Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter protest, at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas, U.S. April 7, 2023. Jay

(Reuters) -A U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in a Texas prison on Wednesday for killing a man at a protest against police brutality in 2020, setting the stage for Governor Greg Abbott to make good on a pledge to grant a pardon.

Daniel Perry was found guilty last month of shooting to death 28-year-old Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin, Texas. The demonstration came months after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in Minneapolis.

Perry said he was acting in self defense when he shot Foster. His defense team said he had no choice but to fire his handgun when Foster pointed a legally owned AK-47 at Perry, the Texas Tribune reported.

After Perry's conviction, Republican Greg Abbott said he would seek a pardon for him. He said the state's "stand your ground" law justified Perry's actions and could not be "nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney," Abbott said at the time.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 25 years, while the defense had sought 10 years, CNN reported. The sentence was handed down by State District Court Judge Clifford Brown.

Perry's defense lawyers said they were disappointed with the sentence, but would focus to appealing the case and cooperating with the state's pardon process.

"As part of the appeal we will be able to focus on the evidence that was kept from both the grand jury and trial jury," including alleged harassment by Foster, attorney Clinton Broden said in a statement.

Jose Garza, the district attorney for Travis County, where the case was tried and where Austin is located, is a Democrat.

The shooting came moments after Perry, who was driving for Uber, happened upon a group of protesters, including Foster, marching downtown. Foster and several others approached Perry's vehicle after it stopped. Protesters told police that they feared they were being assaulted with the vehicle, according to media accounts.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Nichola Groom

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week raided a factory and sales office operated by one of the world's largest solar panel makers, China's Jinko Solar Holding Co Ltd, the agency said on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Investigations arm of DHS, Mike Meares, said search warrants were executed in Florida and California on Tuesday as part of an ongoing federal investigation. He did not provide details on the substance of the probe.

Jinko, which is based in Shanghai, has a solar panel factory in Jacksonville, Florida, and a sales and operations office in San Francisco.

The company is one of few global solar manufacturers that have set up domestic production in recent years. Most U.S. solar panels are imported from Asia.

The company, through a spokesperson, said its business was operating normally and that it was "engaging constructively with relevant agencies to understand the nature of the inquiry".

"Jinko Solar is committed to operating in accordance with the highest ethical standards and adhering to the laws and regulations of the countries where it operates, including the United States," the spokesperson said.

In the last year, Jinko and other large Chinese panel makers have had shipments of solar equipment detained by U.S. customs officials under the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act, a new law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor.

In recent months, however, Jinko and others have had shipments released from detention. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a division of DHS.

Jinko shares slid 8% on Tuesday after the raid in Florida was reported by several local news outlets. The stock recovered slightly on Wednesday and was trading up 29 cents at $43.76 on the New York Stock Exchange in late afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Deepa Babington, Jan Harvey and Jonathan Oatis)
FILE PHOTO: Travelers are stuck in a traffic jam as people hit the road before the busy Thanksgiving Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The largest U.S. oil and gas trade lobby group said on Wednesday it believes sharp emissions cuts proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would result in the elimination of new internal combustion vehicles.

But a California air regulator said the EPA plan "will benefit the climate, air quality, environmental justice, and economic development" and a top environmental group urged the agency to ramp up the pace of adopting electric vehicles to ensure the U.S. is on a path to 100% zero emission new vehicle sales by 2035.

"The stringency of the standards as proposed and illustrated by EPA, are effectively a ban on internal combustion engines," said Bryan Just, a senior policy advisor for vehicles at the American Petroleum Institute.

Just said the rules would "eliminate the opportunity to improve" internal combustion and hybrid technologies "and create an outsized reliance on battery materials from other countries to meet United States' transportation needs."

California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph praised the EPA proposal but urged some changes.

Randolph said "because conventional internal combustion technology will be used for years to come, we encourage you to include mechanisms to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from those vehicles continue to decline even if the share of ZEVs increases" and called for "stronger provisions for battery warranties."

California needs the EPA's approval for its plan to end the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles by 2035.

Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All Campaign, said "the EPA must finalize the strongest possible standards this year" and urged the agency to ramp up the pace of EV adoption after 2030.

They testified the second day of the EPA's virtual public hearings on its aggressive proposal for cutting U.S. vehicle emissions for 2027-2032 model years. The plan would require 13% annual average pollution cuts and a 56% reduction in projected fleet average emissions over 2026 requirements.

The EPA estimates the plan would result in 60% of new vehicles by 2030 being electric and 67% by 2032.

President Joe Biden's administration has not endorsed setting a date to phase-out gas-powered vehicle sales.

On Tuesday, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor warned the industry will struggle to meet EPA EV targets because of problems with the EV battery supply chain. Ford Motor separately urged the Biden administration to "harmonize greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
0000060086 FALSE 0000060086 2023-05-09 2023-05-09 0000060086 l:CommonStock001ParValueMember exch:XNYS 2023-05-09 2023-05-09









UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549





FORM 8-K





CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934





Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)





LOEWS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)





Delaware 1-6541 13-2646102 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)





667 Madison Avenue , New York , NY 10065-8087 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)





Registrants telephone number, including area code: ( 212 ) 521-2000





NOT APPLICABLE (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)





Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):





 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)





 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)





 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))





 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4 (c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))





Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:





Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common stock, $0.01 par value L New York Stock Exchange





Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter).





Emerging growth company





If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.





1







Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.





Loews Corporation (the Company) held its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 9, 2023 (the Annual Meeting). A brief description of the matters voted upon at the Annual Meeting and the results of the voting on such matters are set forth below.





Proposal 1: Election of Directors . Shareholders elected each of the Companys nominees for director.





Votes For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes Ann E. Berman 199,550,238 10,151,898 220,624 7,306,679 Joseph L. Bower 191,632,844 18,067,034 222,882 7,306,679 Charles D. Davidson 208,698,263 1,001,848 222,649 7,306,679 Charles M. Diker 198,945,142 10,754,819 222,799 7,306,679 Paul J. Fribourg 177,013,143 32,655,945 253,672 7,306,679 Walter L. Harris 192,915,717 16,783,666 223,377 7,306,679 Susan P. Peters 208,073,398 1,671,882 177,480 7,306,679 Andrew H. Tisch 202,944,348 6,790,769 187,643 7,306,679 James S. Tisch 207,341,666 2,394,257 186,837 7,306,679 Jonathan M. Tisch 203,723,284 6,015,712 183,764 7,306,679 Anthony Welters 194,016,930 15,707,056 198,774 7,306,679





Proposal 2: Say on Pay . Shareholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Companys named executive officers (Say on Pay).





Votes For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 202,064,572 7,570,416 287,772 7,306,679





2







Proposal 3: Say on Frequency . Shareholders chose, on an advisory basis, every one year for the frequency of future Say on Pay votes (Say on Frequency).





Votes for 1 Year Votes for 2 Years Votes for 3 Years Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 206,236,546 27,249 3,322,056 336,909 7,306,679





In light of the vote of the shareholders on this matter, the Companys Board of Directors has determined that Say on Pay votes will be conducted every year, until the next Say on Frequency vote.





Proposal 4: Auditor Ratification . Shareholders ratified the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Companys independent auditor for 2023.





Votes For Votes Against Votes Abstained 211,281,578 5,700,821 247,040





Proposal 5: Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation . Shareholders approved an amendment to the Companys Certificate of Incorporation to update the exculpation provision in light of recent changes to Delaware law regarding officer exculpation.





Votes For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 183,661,567 25,928,553 332,640 7,306,679





Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.





(d) Exhibits.





See Exhibit Index.





3







EXHIBIT INDEX





Exhibit No. 104 Cover Page Interactive File (the cover page tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

4





SIGNATURES





Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.





LOEWS CORPORATION (Registrant) Dated: May 10, 2023 By: /s/ Marc A. Alpert Marc A. Alpert Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

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A two-star general who commanded the 19th Air Force has been fired, the service announced Wednesday, citing undisclosed misconduct allegations.

Maj. Gen. Philip Stewart was relieved of command Tuesday by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the commander of the Air Education and Training Command, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, related to alleged misconduct which is currently under investigation, said Capt. Lauren Woods, spokeswoman for the training command.

Robinson determined new leadership was necessary to ensure good order and discipline, she said in a statement. Woods did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions about the nature of the investigation or what accusations Stewart faces.

"The Air Force takes any misconduct allegation seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough investigation," Robinson said.

The vice commander of the 19th Air Force, Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, has been appointed as the interim commander, Woods said.

The 19th Air Force  headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Air Force Base in Texas  is responsible for instructing more than 30,000 U.S. and allied students annually in specialties including remotely piloted aircraft crews, air battle managers, weapons directors, Air Force Academy Airmanship programs, and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training, according to the units website. It falls within the Air Education and Training Command, also located at Randolph AFB.

The 19th Air Force includes 32,000 personnel and 1,530 aircraft assigned to 17 wings located across the United States. It also leads the Air Forces new program to train pilots.

Stewart took command of the 19th Air Force in August 2022, according to his online biography. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2017.
The people of Guam are stronger than ever as the public health emergency around the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, the islands lieutenant governor said this week.

The U.S. territory on Thursday will mark the end of the emergency declared by the Department of Health and Human Service at the pandemics outset in January 2020.

This crisis will be remembered for its global impacts, but we must never forget the tireless service of the healthcare workers and health systems that led us forward, said Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio in a news release Tuesday. Today we are stronger than ever, and together we will work to build the prosperity of better days.

The Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services said new COVID-19 cases are down 92% since January 2022, the peak of the virus omicron surge. Deaths are down more than 80% and hospitalizations are down almost that much, according to the release.

The island stopped free testing for COVID-19 in March. It last found 31 new cases, of which two were hospitalized, in 817 tests during the week of March 21-27, according to results posted on the departments website.

At the time, Guam had tallied 61,139 cases and 415 deaths over three years.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero lauded the resilience of Guamanians during the pandemic.

As we find ourselves in an era of hope and promise, we look back on the challenges of the past three years and the ways in which our island and people showed unprecedented strength, she said in the release.

USS Theodore Roosevelt

Though far from U.S. shores and with a population of 170,500, Guam played an outsized role early in the pandemic drama. In March 2020, news attention focused on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier approaching the island as the virus swept its decks after a liberty stop in Vietnam.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt diverted to Guam with at least 39 cases of COVID-19 among its crew. The ship arrived March 26 and two days later the ships commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, assuming all sailors aboard were infected, lifted a quarantine order in the cramped aft birthing, citing true human suffering due to conditions there.

Eventually, more than 1,150 sailors aboard the Theodore Roosevelt became infected and one died. Crozier, faulted for an email made public describing the situation, was relieved of his post by Thomas Modly, acting secretary of the Navy.

Modly eventually resigned following the backlash for criticizing Crozier as stupid while addressing the crew aboard the ship.

Were milking it

Meanwhile, Navy officers on April 1, 2020, booked thousands of hotel rooms on Guam and moved the stricken sailors from the ship into quarantine.

On April 9, 2020, Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr., who had been treated for COVID-19 at Naval Hospital Guam and released, was found unresponsive in isolation in his quarters on the base. He died four days later.

The carrier remained at Guam for two months, during which time Leon Guerrero was criticized for saying the island used the Navy emergency to leverage advantage from the federal government.

She said then-Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite had agreed to return unused military land to Guam that would be the site of a new hospital.

So, we're milking it, she said. We're milking it very hard.

Leon Guerrero's spokeswoman, Krystal Paco-San Agustin, said Guam selflessly took in the carriers crew, without regard for what might be given in return.
(Tribune News Service) The Navy captain who was in charge of the Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor during the May 2021 Red Hill jet fuel spill is not a target of the U.S. Department of Justice's ongoing criminal investigation into the environmental disaster that affected about 93,000 people, his attorney told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Capt. Trent C. Kalp, 51, was in charge during the May 2021 fuel leak and was succeeded by Capt. Albert L. Hornyak on Aug. 6, 2021, before the November 2021 spill. Hornyak was removed of his command in April 2022 "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to perform his duties following a series of leadership and oversight failures at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility."

Hornyak raised concerns about the facility's safety in leaked emails obtained by the Star-Advertiser.

Kalp testified before the grand jury Dec. 8 and has not received a target letter from DOJ, according to his attorney, Victor J. Bakke.

"We received a letter requesting his appearance, and we voluntarily appeared, " said Bakke in an interview with the Star-Advertiser. "At this time, to our knowledge, we are not a target of the investigation."

Kalp is currently director of fleet supply.

The report on the spill prepared by the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet noted that Kalp removed military oversight of day-to-day operations at Red Hill just a few months prior to the May 2021 leak, causing a "significantly " increased risk at the facility.

It also found that he failed to "identify, mitigate, or directly address these risks, " oversaw an "alarming level of procedural non-compliance, " on May 6, 2021, and demonstrated an overall lack of critical thinking and leadership.

DOJ is in the midst of a federal grand jury investigation into the 2021 Red Hill fuel spill to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

Civilian and U.S. Department of Defense officials in charge of Red Hill operations during the fuel leaks have been testifying before the panel.

Those officials include civilian contractors working at Red Hill at the time of the spills and Navy commanders like Kalp.

Sherri R. Eng, 56, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command environmental business line leader and Navy Region Hawaii environmental program manager, was also interviewed by the grand jury. Eng did not immediately reply to Star-Advertiser requests for comment.

Special agents with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have been shepherding witnesses to the panel and supporting the grand jury's investigation for months.

Despite witnesses walking into and out of the U.S. District Courthouse in Honolulu en route to the proceedings and the high-profile nature of the spills that sickened thousands and threatened Oahu's aquifers, federal officials are saying nothing about the criminal probe.

"Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS does not comment on or confirm details relating to ongoing investigations, " Jeff Houston, a spokesperson for NCIS Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., told the Star-Advertiser in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet told the Star-Advertiser in a statement, "It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing criminal investigation."

The U.S. Department of Justice also declined to discuss the investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted.

"As a general matter, the department will neither confirm nor deny the existence of an ongoing investigation, " said Wyn Hornbuckle, deputy director of DOJ's Office of Public Affairs, in a statement to the Star-Advertiser.

The probe is being led by Krishna S. Dighe, senior counsel with DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division, which is tasked with enforcing "the Nation's civil and criminal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste laws."

The water contamination affected roughly 93, 000 people, mainly military families. For months the state Department of Health issued an advisory that the water was unsafe to drink. Thousands of families relocated to hotel rooms or moved out of their housing as the Navy and regulators worked to make the water safe to drink. The all-clear was declared in March 2022, about four months after the jet fuel contamination was found.

In March 2022, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the department would permanently shut down the Red Hill facility following the disaster. The decision came amid withering pressure from state officials, the Hawaii congressional delegation, protests and extensive community opposition to keeping the under -ground, World War II-era fuel facility in operation.

The management of the Red Hill fuel spills and the disclosures of information have eroded local trust in the Navy. Defueling of the Red Hill facility is projected to be completed in July 2024.

Star-Advertiser staff writer Kevin Knodell contributed to this report.

(c)2023 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 17:47 | All, World, Japan

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday that Japan has protested to China through diplomatic channels over comments related to Tokyo's policy toward Taiwan made by Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao.

Hayashi called the comments "extremely inappropriate," in reference to Wu's speech at a press conference in Tokyo late last month that if Japan linked Taiwan to its own security, the Japanese people "would be dragged into the fire."

Hayashi was responding to questions from an opposition lawmaker at a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee meeting.

Hayashi stressed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are important to Japan's security. He explained that Japan has repeatedly conveyed its position to China on occasions including top-level dialogue that Tokyo hopes that issues related to Taiwan will be resolved peacefully.

At the April press conference, Wu criticized as "absurd" the perception that an emergency over Taiwan would also be an emergency situation for Japan and said Japan's involvement in Taiwan issues would undermine the foundation of Japan-China relations.

China regards Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island, as a renegade province to be brought into its fold, by force if necessary.

Wu assumed his new post in March.

Related coverage:

New Chinese envoy to Japan says bilateral ties at "critical juncture"
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  A group of seven Americans, including two Navy officers and two teachers affiliated with this base south of Tokyo, helped rescue an injured hiker off a rough mountain trail last month.

The Americans were hiking near Mount Hinokiboramaru in Kanagawa prefecture April 15 when they stopped to take photos near a riverbed, said one of the hikers, Ikego Elementary School special education teacher Barbara Garner.

The group noticed several items, including a backpack and a shirt, at their feet. After searching around, they discovered a Japanese man with a severe injury to the top of his head, Garner told Stars and Stripes on May 3.

He looked up really slow at me and I could see that he had this huge gash on his face and his face was covered with blood, she said.

The group immediately sent two people to the trailhead to look for help while the remaining hikers used an emergency blanket and umbrellas to stave off hypothermia in the injured man.

We had no [phone] reception, but luckily we were close enough to the visitors station that my friend Marilyn and I decided to run back and find help, Lt. Ashley Bossier told Stars and Stripes in a May 3 email.

The other hikers in the group were Lt. Annie McCarthy, a physical therapist at Naval Hospital Yokosuka, substitute teacher Kat Glans and Kinnick High School teacher Charles Strobino.

Bossier, an occupational therapist at the hospital, and her friend Marilyn Voight, who was visiting Japan, alerted authorities at the visitor center. After several hours, a rescue team made its way up the trail and assisted with the evacuation.

The injured man was in his 60s and from Kawasaki, a spokesman for the Matsuda Police Station told Stars and Stripes on May 8.

The spokesman declined to identify the injured man by name but said he had only a vague recollection of the incident and police were unable to determine what happened prior to his injury.

Police are unaware of the injured mans status following his treatment at a local hospital, the spokesman said. Officers were very thankful to the American hikers for their actions that day, he added.

This was a scary incident. We were traveling light and had few resources to deal with such a traumatic injury, hiker Martin Lewis said in a May 3 email. So, we did the best we could with what we had.

After camping nearby and completing their hike, the group returned to find a note on one of their cars from the visitor center.

Dear Heroes, thank you for reporting the injured person on the course for Mt. Hinokiboramaru, read the note in English and Japanese. He was rescued by the Mountain Rescue Squad.

Garner, Bossier and Lewis all agreed that either fate or divine intervention seemed to be at play.

Everyone helped in their own way, and I couldnt help but feel like we were meant to be on the mountain that day, Bossier said. I dont really believe in that sort of thing, but it did feel very meant-to-be, I cant deny it.
Baghdad, Iraq, October 2003: A Humvee gunner is outlined by the headlights of trailing vehicles as a convoy rolls through Baghdad on its way to a raid south of the city. Soldiers often work around the clock in what they call the Three-Block War.
CAIRO  Tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people in southern Sudan, the country's doctors union said Wednesday, raising fears the war between the country's rival top generals  currently centered in the capital  could set off more violence in far-flung provinces.

It remained unclear whether the tribal clashes were related to the brutal fighting that ignited mid-April across the country as a result of a power struggle between the military's head, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

The tribal violence in the south erupted Monday between the Hausa and Nuba tribes in the city of Kosti, the capital of White Nile province bordering South Sudan, according to Sudanese local media reports.

Deadly tribal violence is not uncommon in Sudan's south and west, where disputes dating back to the country's split from South Sudan remain unresolved.

The country's wider conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The violence has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province. Last month, armed fighters, many in RSF uniforms, rampaged through the city of Genena in West Darfur killing at least 100 people, according to the doctors' group, the Sudanese Doctor's Syndicate, which mainly tracks civilian fatalities.

The U.N.'s migration agency said that 700,000 people have now been displaced by the violence, in updated figures released Tuesday, more than double the tally from a week prior. Before the fighting started, 3.7 million people were already displaced internally, mainly in western Darfur, according to the agency's figures.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Wednesday that food insecurity in Sudan is expected to surge to record levels due to the conflict, affecting more than 19 million people, or two-fifths of the population, according to the World Food Program

A series of cease-fires has failed to stop the fighting and prompted foreign governments to speed up the evacuation of their citizens from the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Sudan's warring parties are holding talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, but have made little progress as of Monday regarding a more sustained humanitarian truce, a U.N. official in Sudan told The Associated Press.

The talks, the first since the fighting erupted, are a part of a Saudi-U.S. initiative meant to stop the fighting.

The U.N. official added that the gap between the two sides' positions remains wide, due to "deep mistrust". He called for more pressure on the two generals, especially from their regional backers. The military has traditionally been backed by Egypt's government, and the RSF has enjoyed support from the United Arab Emirates.

"They should give concessions to reach a compromise," he said.

The military has demanded that the RSF withdraw from Khartoum's neighborhoods and its hospitals, power and oil facilities to one central base outside the city, according to two senior military officials with direct knowledge of the talks.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary group is saying that it should retain control of all of the bases it had held prior to the conflict, including at key locations inside the capital, such as the Khartoum Airport, according to two RSF officials involved in the preparations for the talks. They said the RSF is also looking to ensure its ranks are still paid out of the national budget and that its wounded soldiers can receive adequate medical treatment.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk the media because of the ongoing negotiations.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry had said the talks aim to achieve "an effective short-term cease-fire to facilitate humanitarian assistance," and agree on a timetable for further negotiations to reach a permanent cease-fire.

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Aswan, Egypt, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
LA PAZ, Bolivia  The Bolivian general who captured Argentine-Cuban guerrilla leader Ernesto Che Guevara has been buried, and the ceremony was shunned by Bolivias leftist national government in a gesture that has angered his relatives.

Retired Gen. Gary Prado Salmon, a hero to some compatriots and a pariah to others, died Saturday at 84 from renal complications.

He had been declared a national hero in 1967, but also was accused in 2009 of involvement in a coup attempt against then-President Evo Morales. The Bolivian Army did not bury Pardo with any honors for Sunday's ceremony, though he did receive tributes from city and regional officials.

No authority from President Luis Arce's government issued any statement on Prados death, nor did any military officials. No active members of the military participated in the wake nor funeral and there were no active duty officers flanking Prados coffin, as is the norm for deceased members of the service  all of which has upset Prados family.

My husband will not be honored. The commanders violate the rules to please the government, Maria del Carmen Morales, Prados widow, told the local El Deber newspaper.

Prados son, Gary Prado Arauz, said a request by the Union of Retired Military Personnel that honors be rendered had been denied. Its a shame, he told journalists at his father's wake.

The government of Luis Arce, like his predecessor (Morales), sympathizes with Che Guevara, so they wont honor Gary Prado. Thats why theyve chosen silence, said Paul Coca, a political science professor at the Franz Tamayo University. The Armed Forces, for their part, wont do anything that could bother or disturb the government.

In addition, Prado was an activist in the Revolutionary Left Movement of former president Jaime Paz, who is a declared political enemy of the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party of Arce and Morales, Coca said.

Prado did receive tributes from local authorities in Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the county where he lived. The government of the Santa Cruz region laid Prado in state and friends and family members as well as retired military officers celebrated a Mass in the citys cathedral before he was buried.

Prado was a captain on October 8, 1967 when he commanded the patrol that captured the legendary guerrilla fighter in the Bolivian jungle.

In his book How I Captured Che and in subsequent interviews, Prado stated he was not responsible for Guevaras execution, which was ordered by higher-ranking officers. I had nothing to do with it. I was looking for the other guerrilla fighters. When I returned to the camp, they had already executed him, he said.

Later in life, Prado was Bolivia's ambassador to Great Britain in the early 1990s and to Mexico in 2000-2002. It was during his posting in Mexico that Mexican writer and filmmaker Alberto Hijar threw a glass of wine in his face, shouting, To the health of Che, murderer.

The government substantially distanced itself from Prado during the tenure of Morales, a leftist president in office from 2006 to 2019, who is a recognized admirer of the Cuban revolution and a friend of late Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Prado served 11 years of home detention after he was accused of alleged terrorism as part of a supposed coup plot against Morales in 2009. Morales is the current leader of the MAS.

While Prado was in the opposition, he was admired by supporters for his backing of the leaders of Santa Cruz, the countrys economic engine that has long been at odds with politicians in La Paz.

Former center-right President Carlos Mesa, who was in office 2003-2005, sent a message of condolence. I am deeply saddened by the death of General Gary Prado, an honorable military man and a good person. A protagonist of a historic and fundamental event in our history, the capture of Ernesto Che Guevara, he tweeted.

Guevaras guerrillas fought in the Bolivian jungle for nine months between 1966 and 1967.

Guevara, an Argentine who later became a Cuban citizen, was buried alongside other guerrilla fighters in Valle Grande, near where he was captured. The whereabouts of his remains were kept secret until they were recovered and moved to Santa Clara, Cuba in 1997.
TOKYO  Japan, the United States and South Korea are negotiating an agreement on sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches, as cooperation among the three nations becomes increasingly important amid growing nuclear and missile threats from the North, Japan's chief government spokesperson said Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said there has been no agreement yet, but "I understand that defense authorities are vigorously proceeding to set up an arrangement."

"The security environment surrounding Japan and South Korea is becoming more severe and more complex, and coordination between the two countries as well as trilaterally with the United States has become increasingly important," Matsuno said.

Japan and South Korea are both key U.S. allies and their cooperation is key to Washington's security strategy in the Indo-Pacific as tensions grow with China, North Korea and Russia.

Japan and South Korea have been separately linked to data from U.S. radar systems but not directly to each other due to difficult relations strained by disputes over history, most recently over South Korean court rulings in 2018 ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean workers for wartime abuses including forced labor. Leaders of the three countries agreed last November to speed up information sharing on North Korean ballistic missile launches.

Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported earlier Tuesday that Japan and South Korea are nearing agreement on connecting their radars via a U.S. system to share real-time North Korean missile warning information, which would help strengthen Japanese missile defense capabilities.

The Yomiuri said the three countries are expected to reach an agreement in early June on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense ministers' conference being held in Singapore. Japanese and South Korean defense ministers will hold bilateral talks during the conference, the Yomiuri said.

Ties between Japan and South Korea have rapidly thawed in recent months, largely because of their shared sense of urgency over escalating regional security threats.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's conservative government announced in March a domestically contentious plan to use local corporate funds to compensate Korean victims of forced labor without demanding contributions from Japan. Yoon then visited Tokyo and agreed with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to overcome their disputes over history to deal with more pressing concerns, prompting a resumption of defense, trade and other talks.

Kishida visited Seoul this week, where he avoided making a new, direct apology over Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula but sympathized with Korean victims over their ordeals in an apparent effort to maintain the momentum for improving ties.

Kishida said he and Yoon will pay respects at a memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima during this month's summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, where Yoon has been invited as a guest. Tokyo will allow South Korean experts to inspect preparations at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant for the release of treated but still slightly radioactive wastewater, which many Koreans oppose, Kishida said.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons resumed flights in South Korea on Tuesday, three days after one crashed in an agricultural field near Osan Air Base.

The F-16 went down during a training flight at 9:45 a.m. Saturday about 10 miles from Osan and nine miles from Camp Humphreys, according to the 51st Fighter Wing.

The pilot, whom the Air Force has not identified, ejected safely and is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, wing spokesman Kim Dae Hwan said by email Tuesday. No other injuries were reported, he said.

The F-16 carried only simulated munitions for training, Kim said.

The Air Force resumed F-16 flights Tuesday after an initial crash investigation and a three-day stand-down to refocus the team, Kim said. A safety investigation is underway, and a recovery team has been working at the scene.

Recovering the aircraft wreckage may take time to ensure it does not compromise the safety investigation, Kim said.

Understanding the cause of the incident is a top priority to ensure the safety of the F-16 fleet and operations moving forward," he said.

The F-16 was assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, about 115 miles southwest of Seoul.

Around 30 F-16s from the wing were relocated to Osan in March while Kunsans runway undergoes routine repairs that are estimated to be complete in late August, wing spokeswoman Capt. Kaylin Hankerson said by email March 30.

U.S. F-16s are a mainstay of allied airpower in South Korea.

On April 14, four American F-16s and at least two B-52H Stratofortress bombers trained with four South Korean F-35A Lighting IIs. The drill took place one day after North Korea conducted its ninth ballistic missile test that prompted the Japanese government to warn residents in Hokkaido to seek shelter.
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Motor vehicle accidents on Japans streets, highways and expressways are on the rise and traffic cops are on alert, Japanese and U.S. military authorities warned recently.

Vehicle accidents are a leading cause of preventable injuries, and driving in Japan is different than driving in the United States, Air Force Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, commander of US Forces Japan, wrote in an April 19 letter to all troops serving in the country.

Distracted driving, bad weather, impairment and aggressive driving are contributing to a rise in accidents on the nations roadways, Rupps letter states, though it provided no data to reinforce the claim.

A representative for USFJ in an unsigned email May 2 said the command did not have accident statistics involving U.S. personnel in Japan and referred Stars and Stripes to the individual service branches for that information.

Stars and Stripes on May 3 contacted III Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Army Japan and Naval Forces Japan, whose spokespeople referred the question back to USFJ. An Air Force spokesman, Allen Gutierrez, did not respond.

Rupp issued his message to bring fresh attention to safe driving as the lifting of COVID-19 measures in Japan results in increased travel, USFJ spokeswoman Yukiko Date said in an email Wednesday.

Japans annual Spring Traffic Safety campaign starts Thursday and continues until May 20. It typically includes stepped-up traffic enforcement and an increased police presence.

By March 31, Japan had experienced more than 73,000 reported accidents, a 4.5% increase over the same period in 2022, according to a March report from the National Police Agency. Those accidents resulted in more than 83,000 injuries and 600 fatalities.

Last year, failure to adhere to safe driving practices accounted for about 198,000 incidents, over half of all reported accidents, according to the agencys 2022 annual report. Japan defines violations of safe driving practices as distracted driving, speeding and reckless driving.

Causing a traffic accident that results in injury in Japan can carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and fines up to about $7,400. Causing injury or death in a traffic accident may also result in substantial payments to surviving family members or injured parties to make amends for their suffering, a common practice in Japan.

Officers and senior noncommissioned officers must ensure their troops understand the risks on Japanese roads and the importance of driving safely both on and off duty, Rupp wrote in his safety letter.

Leaders must ensure newly arrived personnel to Japan take their initial driving instructions and tests seriously, he said.

In Japan, vehicles must be covered by Japanese Compulsory Insurance, or JCI, liability insurance that covers the death or injury of crash victims. Driving without mandated insurance is a criminal offense.

Drivers under the status of forces agreement are also required to have minimum coverage for vehicle damage. SOFA covers the rights and responsibilities of people in Japan with the U.S. military.

Japans spring safety campaign has three objectives, according to the Cabinet Office: securing safety for pedestrians, especially children; raising awareness of safe driving and accident prevention; and ensuring bicyclists obey traffic laws and wear helmets.

Fatal accidents involving pedestrians are rising compared to last year, according to an April 27 news release from Japans National Police Agency. Drivers are most often at fault, but pedestrians are at fault 25% of the time, the agency said.

Accidents involving bicycles are higher again for the second year in a row. According to the release, 40% of fatal accidents occur at intersections and 60% of cyclists who died in an accident sustained a head injury. The death rate is about 2.6 times greater for bicyclists not wearing helmets.
PARIS  French international news agency Agence France-Presse says its Ukraine video coordinator was killed Tuesday during a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Arman Soldin, 32, was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets, the agency said. The rest of the AFP team was uninjured.

The late afternoon attack took place in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, a town near Bakhmut, the agency said. Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war's longest battle.

"His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine," said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries.

Soldin was born in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia, and a French citizen, according to AFP. He arrived in Ukraine to cover the war the day after the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and had traveled regularly to the front lines in recent months.

AFP said it was "devastated" at Soldin's death and "all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones."

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Severodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

RSF Director Christophe Deloire praised the daily courage of those covering the war and called Soldin's death "a tragedy of all those who defend the independence and reliability of information."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a speech Tuesday night in Washington, expressed condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones.

"Countless journalists are working to expose and report on the truth in extremely dangerous settings," Blinken said. "Today, we were devastated to learn of the death of AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine."
Britain and the United States will continue supporting Ukraine regardless of whether its military can recover territory from Russia in a planned counteroffensive, two senior officials said on Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in a joint news conference in Washington, said they were committed to ongoing aid for Ukraine despite mounting questions about what the spring operation can achieve in the face of intense Russian resistance.

We need to continue to support them irrespective of whether this forthcoming offensive generates huge gains on the battlefield because until this conflict is resolved and resolved properly, it is not over, Cleverly said.

Top Ukrainian officials have said they worry the offensive, which aims to recapture areas seized by Russia following President Vladimir Putins February 2022 invasion, could fall short of Western expectations, potentially jeopardizing needed assistance in the future. The operation is expected to begin in coming weeks.

While Ukrainian forces have performed far better on the battlefield than many Western partners had expected, Cleverly said, anything is possible in the period ahead as Moscow pours massive quantities of men and firepower into Ukraine.

This is not a film, he said. There are no certainties when it comes to conflict.

Blinken said the United States likewise would provide indefinite backing to Ukraine, saying that assistance to Kyiv in the war shouldnt be seen as competing with priorities that have taken a deadly toll at home such as gun violence and the opioid epidemic.

There is not a zero sum choice between some of the work were doing around the world and the work that were doing at home, he said.

Blinken said Americans backing for the war remained strong. He pointed to recent comments in support of Kyiv from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), which were seen as a counterweight to skepticism voiced by some other House Republicans about Americas need to defend Ukraine.

While polls show that public support for U.S. aid to Ukraine has waned, especially among Republicans, congressional leaders of both parties continue to back the war. Many have called for more, not less, weaponry donations.

Blinken said the United States would continue to provide Ukraine the weaponry that Washington believes Kyiv needs in its fight. The focus is on the Ukrainian efforts that we anticipate to try to retake more of the territory thats been seized from Ukraine by Russia over the last 14-plus months, he said.

The United States is by far the largest backer of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced an additional $1.2 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including air defense systems and artillery rounds.

Leaked U.S. intelligence assessments from earlier this year predicted that Ukraine will have difficulty in recapturing territory due to shortfalls in soldiers, ammunition and equipment.

Those reports intensified questions about whether Kyiv can achieve its stated goal of recovering Russian-held territory, including Crimea, which Putin illegally annexed in 2014, or whether it will have to make concessions to end the violence.

Blinken, perhaps looking to mute any fallout from the leaked documents, said last week that Ukraines army is better positioned to make headway in its expected counteroffensive than the leaked U.S. intelligence indicated. Where Ukraine might have been a month ago, two months ago, three months ago, is not where it is now, he said.
PCS season has a new anthem.

Its sung to the tune of Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, but it focuses on the unique challenges of military moves. Amy Reichman Reeves found inspiration for the song during the process of her familys move from Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

We've all heard the overplayed refrain, You knew what you were signing up for, she said via Messenger. And it's true  moving every couple of years is not surprising. But unpacking a box five months later and finding the contents of your garbage can individually wrapped in paper? Watching the movers literally toss your nightstands down the stairs? That's surprising.

I think finding camraderie in the sometimes maddening and always surprising military lifestyle makes it all go down a little easier. If you don't laugh about it, you'll cry about it, and even better, you'll find a tribe to do both with you.

Her mildly profane take on the process, which begins with the line PCS, PCS, put your marriage to the test, has struck a nerve on social media, where her video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

While my mother and spouse frown upon the fact that half a million people have now listened to me curse on the internet, my favorite line is Where'd we get all this stuff, let's just throw it in a ditch. Because I have truly pondered just lighting all of my belongings on fire and starting over every single move.

But thats not the plan right now for her and her spouse, their 8- and 5-year-old boys, and their two big dogs. Theyre powering through that move.

My spouse is a major pack rat, and I am, by nature and through military experience, more of a minimalist, and I just cannot fathom how or why we have acquired so many things, she said. And when I see a box we never even unpacked from our last move, I'm about ready to just throw it all in a ditch. But nope, let's tossit in the truck, put it in a new garage, and argue about it again in 2 years! It's a PCS tradition!
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 19:52 | World, All, Japan

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi during their meeting in Beijing in April that he is willing to visit Japan, a source familiar with bilateral relations said Wednesday.

The two Asian neighbors have been exploring the possibility of Qin's Japan trip later this year as 2023 marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the 1978 bilateral Peace and Friendship Treaty, the source said.

Tokyo and Beijing are also considering resuming a bilateral high-level economic dialogue, last held in 2019, on the occasion of Qin's Japan visit, the source added.

The move apparently reflects Beijing's wariness over improving ties between Japan and South Korea potentially leading them to harden their stance on China in alignment with the United States.

If it materializes, it will be the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Japan since Qin's predecessor Wang Yi traveled to the country in November 2020. Qin assumed the ministerial post last December.

During their meeting on April 2, Hayashi asked Qin to visit Japan and the Chinese minister expressed willingness to positively consider it, but the two countries refrained from publicly announcing that, according to the source.

The development is believed to mirror deteriorating public sentiment toward China in Japan following the detention in March of a senior employee of Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc. on suspicion of engaging in spying activities.

Qin's Japan visit could be arranged in the second half of this year as a Chinese diplomatic source said the situation is "not ideal right now."

Bilateral ties are expected to remain tense for some time, with the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima later this month, to be chaired by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, likely reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Japan is also set to begin releasing treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant by this summer despite strong opposition from China, among other countries.

A Japanese government source said a high-level dialogue is "all the more necessary" between Tokyo and Beijing because they face many challenges.

In the next round of the economic dialogue, which was launched in 2007 but suspended in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japan is expected to convey its concerns over China's intellectual property protection and urge Beijing to lift its ban on food imports imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

China is believed to touch on Japan's tighter export controls for advanced chip manufacturing equipment, a measure seen as an effort to hinder Beijing's development of cutting-edge semiconductors that could be used for military purposes.

An apparent attempt by China to stabilize its relations with Japan comes amid rapid improvement of Tokyo-Seoul ties that had been strained over wartime labor compensation.

Beijing has also seen its relations with Seoul deteriorate recently after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed concern in an interview with Reuters last month over increased tensions around Taiwan amid pressure from China, which views the self-ruled democratic island as its own.

China and South Korea last had a high-level contact in January with foreign ministers of the two countries holding telephone talks.
STUTTGART, Germany  U.S. European Commands Gen. Christopher Cavoli and other top NATO defense officials met Wednesday in Brussels to fine-tune new defense plans for Europe that are expected to transform how the alliance will defend itself for years to come.

The meeting came ahead of a summit this summer in Vilnius, Lithuania, where heads of state are expected to formally approve a strategy that NATO commanders have been hammering away at since the last summit in Madrid a year earlier.

Tailored regional defense plans will strengthen and update the ways allies deter and defend, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at the start of talks at alliance headquarters Wednesday.

The plans provide a much more precise requirement for what is needed to help transform our militaries so allies will know exactly what forces and capabilities are needed, including where, what and how to deploy, he said.

The defense plans will call for more troops at higher levels of ready-to-deploy forces who can mobilize on short notice, military officials said.

This change will move us from an alliance that was optimized for out-of-area contingency operations to an alliance fit for the purpose of large-scale operations to defend every inch of the alliance's territory, Cavoli said Wednesday. This is necessitated by the new realities we face.

To bring all the defense plans to fruition, allies will need to invest sufficiently in relevant military capabilities.

Increasing defense spending among members has long been a NATO priority. In Vilnius, members are expected to raise spending targets for members, making the current 2% of gross domestic product benchmark a bare minimum.

Cavoli, who serves in the dual-hatted role of EUCOM chief and NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, said new capability requirements are going to be spelled out for allies with unprecedented specificity.

Thats a real advantage for all nations in the alliance, Cavoli said. It will give focus to their national defense planning.

The NATO generals and admirals also took stock of the latest developments in Ukraine, where forces are expected to soon launch a major counteroffensive against the Russians.

Ukraines chief of defense, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, was unable to attend the meeting with NATO leaders Wednesday. However, other representatives of Ukraine were on hand.

Much is riding on the outcome of the looming offensive, which has been anticipated for months. With expectations high, there are concerns that if Ukraine falters, Western political and popular support could begin to waver as the war drags on.

Still, allied leaders say they are committed to Ukraine for the long haul, as emphasized by Dutch Adm. Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

There is no doubt NATO will support Ukraine for as long as it takes, Bauer said. Make no mistake, Russia will not stop at Ukraine. Its ambitions lie far beyond Ukraines borders. 
SOFIA, Bulgaria  A European Union commissioner from Bulgaria was nominated Wednesday for the post of prime minister, as the Balkan country struggles to end a two-year period of political instability and economic hardship.

Maria Gabriel was tipped on Wednesday by the center-right GERB party  the winner of the parliamentary election last month  to receive a mandate from the country's president to nominate a Cabinet, which needs to be approved by a majority in parliament.

President Rumen Radev has announced that he would give the mandate on Monday.

Gabriel, 43, a member of the European Parliament since 2009, is EU commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. She is also the first vice chair of the European People's Party.

The EPP's leader, Manfred Weber, tweeted Wednesday that Gabriel "has the experience and international authority to overcome the political stalemate in Sofia," regarding the formation of a government.

In Sofia, GERB leader Boyko Borissov, himself a three-time prime minister, praised Gabriel in parliament as someone "who can lead the economy, industry, modernization in the direction we expect."

Borissov, whose party won in the early election in October by just 2 percent over the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria group, said that he prefers a coalition government with them. But the reformists promptly rejected that, saying that the very reason for their existence was to eliminate the corruption that they say was brought about by GERB.

Now, Borissov will have to seek support from the remaining parliamentary groups, which include an ethnic Turkish party, the Socialist party, an anti-elite party and a pro-Russia nationalist group.

If GERB fails to form a government, the president must give the mandate to the second-largest political party in parliament and then to the third largest if there's no result.

Because of deep rifts between the parties in parliament, analysts have serious doubts that a viable coalition can be formed, and many don't exclude the possibility of another election  the sixth in 2 years.
STUTTGART, Germany  Poland and Slovakia were greenlighted this week for over $350 million in U.S. weapons sales, giving the two eastern flank allies a boost as countries in Russias periphery move forward with their respective military buildups.

The State Department gave initial approval to Slovakia for the sale of modern heavy gun tactical vehicles with an estimated worth of $250 million.

Meanwhile, Poland was approved for Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods to support the addition of warplanes to the countrys arsenal. The value of that sale was nearly $125 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department said in a statement.

Official notification of the plans was submitted to Congress, which typically approves such transactions as a matter of course.

Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many U.S. allies in Eastern Europe have been ramping up spending on an array of weapons systems.

Poland in particular has been on a spending spree, adding weaponry ranging from Abrams tanks and Apache attack helicopters to F-35 fighter planes. Warsaw also has been in the market for numerous South Korean-made systems, including FA-50 fighter jets.

The sale of the sniper pods would improve the tactical effectiveness of FA-50 fighters by enhancing their ability to identify and target enemy positions from a greater distance, the State Department said.

Slovakia is acquiring 192 M1278A1/A2 heavy gun carriers joint light tactical vehicles and M153 remote weapons stations. The purchase also involves machine guns and other gear to build out the tactical vehicles.

The sale will enable Slovakia to divest itself of Russian-produced gear and replace Soviet-era personnel carriers.

Procurement of the JLTV would represent a major milestone in Slovakias goal of developing a capable 21st-century military which can meet its national defense needs and effectively contribute to NATO operations, the State Department said.
MOSCOW  Syria and Turkey agreed Wednesday to set up a "roadmap" to improve strained ties, following talks alongside Russia and Iran in Moscow.

The agreement comes a week after Syria and Arab governments meeting in Jordan agreed to establish a roadmap of their own to resolve Syria's lengthy civil war and bolster ties. Syria has been returning to the Arab fold and slowly restoring ties with its neighbors.

The Arab League also readmitted Syria's membership after a 12-year suspension in the onset of the conflict on Sunday, before Saudi Arabia delivered a formal invitation earlier Wednesday to President Bashar Assad to attend the upcoming summit in Jeddah.

Throughout the 12-year conflict, Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in the country's northwest seeking to remove Assad from power. The Syrian government has frequently denounced Ankara's hold over parts of a northwest enclave previously seized by Assad's opponents. Turkey captured the territory through several military incursions since 2016 against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

Russia on the other hand intervened militarily in Syria starting in September 2015, and alongside Iran played a pivotal role in keeping Assad in power and to reclaim much of the country back. Moscow has maintained a military presence in the Mideast country even as the bulk of its forces are busy fighting in Ukraine.

Moscow has spent years trying to help Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuild ties with Turkey and other countries that were fractured in the war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of Syria's prewar population of 23 million.

Russia's foreign minister on Wednesday hosted his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that marked the highest-level contact between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.

Talks to establish a plan to improve relations between Turkey and Syria would be done in coordination with ongoing communication between the four countries' defense ministries.

"The ministers noted the positive and constructive atmosphere of the exchange of views and agreed to continue high-level contacts and technical talks in the quadripartite format in the coming period," a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry after the talks read.

The statement added that they called for more international aid to Syria, not only to help the country's struggling population but also "in the interests of voluntary, safe, and dignified" refugee returns and post-war reconstruction.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and increasing anti-refugee sentiment. He is seeking reelection on Sunday, when Turkey holds both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Syrian state media quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying during Wednesday's meeting that Syria and Turkey "share goals and common interests." He said that "despite all the negatives over the past years," Damascus saw the talks as an opportunity "for both governments to cooperate with the help and support of our friends Russia and Iran."

Yet Mekdad added that the Syrian government's "main goal" was to end all "illegal" military presences in the country, including that of Turkish forces.

"We will continue to demand and insist on the subject of withdrawal," he was quoted as saying.

Following a deadly earthquake in February that killed tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey, regional normalization with Damascus began to accelerate. In April, Moscow hosted the defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that it said focused on "practical steps to strengthen security in the Syrian Arab Republic and to normalize Syrian-Turkish relations."

Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed.
WASHINGTON  The United States and Britain voiced dissatisfaction Tuesday with the weekend decision by the Arab League to re-instate Syria as a member.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said they opposed the move. But they also allowed it was up to the Arab League to determine its membership.

At the same time they said their countries would not normalize relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad's government unless it accepts and complies with a U.N. plan to restore peace to the country after a brutal 13-year civil war.

"We do not believe that Syria merits re-admission to the Arab League," Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference with Cleverly at the State Department.

"It's a point we have made to all of our regional partners, but they have to make their own decisions," Blinken said. "Our position is clear: We are not going to be in the business of normalizing relations with Assad and with that regime."

Cleverly said the British government agreed with the U.S. stance.

"This is an occasion where the U.S. and the U.K. share very, very similar views," he said. "The U.K. is very uncomfortable with the re-admission of Syria in the Arab League, but as Secretary Blinken said, ultimately it is a decision for the membership of the Arab League."

"The point that I have made is that there needs to be conditionality if they choose to take this course of action," he said. "It needs to be conditional on some fundamental changes from Damascus and the Assad regime."

Blinken and Cleverly said any solution to the crisis in Syria must be based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, which was adopted in 2015 and lays out steps, including a permanent cease-fire, humanitarian assistance and progress toward free and fair elections, measures the Arab League also backs.

"I think the Arab perspective as articulated through the Arab League is that they believe they can pursue these objectives through more direct engagement," Blinken said. "We may have a different perspective when it comes to that, but the objectives that we have I think are the same."

Both men said it was critical for Syria to never again become a haven for the Islamic State group, which occupied large portions of the country and neighboring Iraq before being largely driven out.

Syria was reinstated in the 22-nation Arab League on Sunday after a 12-year suspension. It was a symbolic victory for Assad, who can join the group's May 19 summit, though Western sanctions will continue to block reconstruction funds to the war-battered country.
JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said it killed two Palestinian gunmen who fired on troops in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday, the latest in near-daily violence roiling the region.

The shooting came as tensions are at a fever pitch following a series of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip that killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and 10 others  most of them women and children  on Tuesday. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate and Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.

The Israeli military has instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools were still closed for a second day as a precaution against attacks by Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain men as Ahmed Assaf, 19, and Rani Qatanat, 24. No militant group immediately claimed the men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily raids for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. The northern West Bank city of Jenin and its environs have been the frequent target of such raids as it has emerged as a hub of Palestinian militant activity.

Israel says the raids in the West Bank are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war and the Palestinians seek the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, for a future independent state.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

A state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the truce efforts appeared to falter as fighting intensified late Wednesday, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military said it was carrying out airstrikes against Islamic Jihad militant group targets in Gaza. According to Palestinian media reports, the strikes targeted the last floor of a building at a residential complex in southern Gaza Strip, killing at least two people, including an Islamic Jihad commander. The Israeli military did not elaborate and there was no comment from the militant group on the latest airstrike at the Qatari-built complex.

In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. But he cautioned: "This round is not over."

"We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You can't hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you," he said, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.

Throughout the day, rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern and central Israel, some 50 miles away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

Late Wednesday, Egypt's Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said it had brokered a cease-fire. Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy, they said Israel would evaluate the situation based on actions on the ground, not declarations.

Islamic Jihad said it would continue firing rockets. Mohamad al-Hindi, an official with the group, said a sticking point in the talks was that the Palestinians wanted an Israeli commitment to stop targeted killing operations, such as the ones that killed three top Islamic Jihad commanders early Tuesday.

As rockets streaked through the sky, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as David's Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City's Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

Israeli officials said over 400 rockets had been fired as of Wednesday evening. Most, they said, were intercepted or fell in open areas, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said about one-quarter had been misfired and fallen inside Gaza. Israeli rescuers said three people were hurt running for shelter, and four homes in southern Israel were damaged by rocket strikes.

The army said that schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. "We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms."

Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least five Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted dozens of rocket launchers, arms warehouses and other targets across the enclave. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said four of the dead were militants.

A 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Layan Mdoukh was killed in a blast at her home in Gaza City in unclear circumstances on Wednesday.

The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday that set off the exchange of fire killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

"Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Israel is not interested in war."

In a statement, an umbrella organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed "Avenging the Free"  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israel's killing of the three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians.

"The resistance is ready for all options," the factions said. "If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it."

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group enters the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible because they operate in heavily populated residential areas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

Islamic Jihad later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.

Ben Zion reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
BEIRUT  Saudi Arabia has invited Syrian President Bashar Assad to the upcoming Arab League summit in the oil-rich kingdom, the Syrian president's office said on Wednesday. The news comes as Damascus continues to slowly return to the Arab fold, following a 12-year-period of political isolation.

Assad received the invitation days after the Arab League restored Syria's membership into the organization during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday. Syria's membership was suspended for brutally cracking down on mass protests against Assad in 2011. Since then, the uprising turned into a vicious civil war that killed nearly a half million people and displaced half of the country's pre-war population of 23 million.

The upcoming summit will take place in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on May 19.

Assad's office published photos of Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan delivering the invitation. It was not made clear whether Assad will attend the summit.

Saudi Arabia had been a key backer of armed opposition groups attempting to overthrow the embattled Syrian president, but in recent months had called for dialogue. On Tuesday, the Syrian foreign minister paid a visit to the kingdom, the first in over a decade, while Riyadh and Damascus announced Tuesday that they will reopen their embassies and restore diplomatic relations.

Jordan and Egypt have also renewed ties with Damascus, following normalization efforts from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain years ago.

There is still no consensus on restoring ties with Damascus among Arab countries. Kuwait, Morocco, and Qatar, remain key opposing voices. Qatar remains a key backer of rebel groups in war-torn Syria.

Some analysts have said Syria's reinstatement into the Arab League is largely symbolic, and anticipate that a tangible resolution could take time. Jordan earlier this months hosted talks with Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iraq as part of an Arab-led initiative to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

The meeting also discussed other regional issues, such as refugees and drug smuggling.
(Tribune News Service)  A federal magistrate judge on Tuesday considered whether to send a Marine Corps veteran to jail for violating his bond in his Capitol riot case after he was caught scaling a building while possessing knives and razor blades.

But after hearing testimony in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya decided to instead grant John George Todd IIIs request to move to South Carolina to live with his sister and her husband while he awaits his trial later this year.

Upadhyaya swore in Kristen and Christopher Revels as Todds third-party custodians and transferred his pre-trial supervision from the Western District of Missouri to the District of South Carolina.

Todd will be restricted to his residence at all times except for activities such as employment, education, religious services, medical or mental health treatment and court appearances, according to the judges ruling.

Todd, 33, had been free on a personal recognizance bond since his May 2022 arrest in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Prosecutors allege he was caught on video making threatening remarks to police during the riot.

He faces four misdemeanor counts related to the breach: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Todd has declined to accept a plea bargain, and a bench trial is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Prosecutors said Todd should be sent to jail pending trial for violating his conditions of release that prohibited him from possessing any firearms or weapons or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.

Specifically, the defendant had contact with local law enforcement, while experiencing suicidal ideations and was found to have both razor blades and knives on his person, said a document filed April 25 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. More concerningly, the defendant also scaled the side of a building to try to gain access to a person with whom he was upset. Todd also was intoxicated at the time, prosecutors said.

The government said that while this incident alone is disturbing, this is not the only transgression in this case.

...The defendant has previously violated his conditions, unlawfully possessing a firearm while experiencing acute mental health concerns. As a result of this incident, the defendant was ordered to undergo medical or psychiatric treatment.

The episode involving the firearm possession occurred in September 2022, the government said, and the case involving the razor blades and knives was on April 12.

While it appreciates the defendants mental health condition(s), the government said, the issue the court now faces is whether Todd violated his conditions of release  and if he did, whether his current state of supervision remains appropriate.

Respectfully, it does not.

In its filing, the government said the court also must consider whether any conditions of release would assure that Todd would not flee or pose a danger to other people or the community, or whether he is unlikely to abide by any conditions of release.

Here, over the course of approximately six months, the defendant possessed multiple weapons, appeared to stalk another civilian, and threatened his own life, necessitating response by local law enforcement, the government said.

Those concerns, it said, must be considered with the backdrop of Todds pending criminal charges involving the Capitol breach.

During the riot, while in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building, the defendant screamed, near law enforcement, I swear to G-d, Ill hip toss your ass into the f--- crowd, mother ---! the governments filing said. He appeared to then smoke a cigarette while in the Rotunda. The seriousness of this crime is not to be understated. All in all, the defendants prolonged and repeated violations raise substantial concern about his compliance with pretrial release.

In an April 27 response, Todds attorney, John Pierce  who has represented more than 20 Capitol riot defendants, including QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley  said Todd is an Afghanistan combat veteran who is dealing with combat-related PTSD.

Mr. Todd has suffered several traumatic bouts of mental health episodes and has been continuously under the care of Veterans Administration (VA) mental health counselors and treatment physicians, Pierce said.

He described Todds actions on April 12 as a minor incident that involved a domestic issue and alcohol use.

Pierce said Todd was getting medical and mental health treatment at the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is doing well under the circumstances, with a comprehensive plan for outpatient recovery.

Mr. Todds doctors do not believe Mr. Todd is a threat to himself or others at the present time, Pierce said. Incarceration would only exacerbate Mr. Todds health and mental health problems.

Pierce said Todd was not charged with any criminal conduct in the April 12 case but instead taken to a mental health facility.

Mr. Todd did possess a knife and/or razor blade on that date; but these instruments were in Mr. Todds pockets and were not used, brandished or presented in any way as weapons, Pierce said. Incarcerating Todd before his trial, Pierce said, would pose the serious risk of over punishing Mr. Todd, even in the event of possible conviction in this matter.

Todds court filing included letters of support from Kristen and Christopher Revels, who pleaded with the judge not to put Todd in jail. They said they were willing to let him move in with them and help him get the treatment he needed.

Kristen Revels wrote that Todd was a combat Marine in Afghanistan who developed PTSD as a result of seeing friends blown up in front of him and witnessing their deaths.

Unfortunately, due to the behaviors John had in trying to cope with these traumas he was discharged, other than honorably, she wrote. Instead of his command or supervisor reaching out and ensuring he had the support he needed after returning from combat, they tossed him out and stripped him of the benefits he needed to get the care and treatment that would aid him in healing.

In recent months, Kristen Revels said, Todd had finally been able to start receiving assistance from the VA. However, he did not, nor has he had the support system around him needed to heal and thrive, she said.

She said she and her husband, both military veterans, also had experienced PTSD from combat and we have an amazing VA that has done wonders in learning to cope and heal from our trauma.

John will be employed by my husband and closely supervised, he will have the ability to get to and from appointments needed to continue treatment for his PTSD correlated to his military service while in the United States Marine Corps, Revels said.

Incarceration at this time in Johns mental health treatment would be a complete disservice to him as a veteran who was disabled due to his service.

In a motion filed Tuesday morning, Pierce said the Revels have a roughly two-acre farm where they raise chickens, goats and pigs. The property includes an auto body shop, where Todd would work, he said, and the local Veterans Administration and the South Carolina pre-trial services staff would provide treatment and supervision.

Most of all, this would provide a strong separation from all of the influences, people, memories, or the like that could hinder his healing, Pierce said. It would provide a fresh venue for a fresh start.

2023 The Kansas City Star.

Visit kansascity.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default.

Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as "productive" even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he "didn't see any new movement" toward resolving the stalemate.

Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden's encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.

After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was "absolutely certain" that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations "is not an option."

Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn't agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impacts at home and around the world.

Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country's full faith and credit to be held "hostage" to negotiations  while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.

"I told congressional leaders that I'm prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default," Biden said.

Outside the White House, McCarthy said, "I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there's any place we could find savings."

As the president welcomed McCarthy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, "We're going to get started, solve all the world's problems."

Biden described the meeting's tone as "very measured and low key," adding, "occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker."

He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.

Still, Biden added, "I trust Kevin will try to do what he says."

There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.

The Senate leader categorically said, "The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, "I've done everything in my power to make sure we will not default."

Democrats said there is room to "come together" on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is "greatly endangering America."

"To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it's my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.

McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.

While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it, saying that he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.

White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated."

Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default  if only the other side capitulated.

The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country's economy. Default, officials say, would have sweeping impacts, threatening to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.

Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden's plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.

Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, "We both said default is not an option  but only one of us took action."

Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.

It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.

Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as "addicted to spending."

McCarthy rejected as he said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. "First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie," he said.

While calling for a "clean" increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.

In response to McCarthy's demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would "take a hard look" at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.

"We don't need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments, made, money not dispersed, etc.," Biden said, adding: "It's on the table."

Biden added the debt limit should be raised for "more than a year, so that we can move things along." The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government's borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.

While the financial markets have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.

"Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent," said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. "The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps."

Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.

Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.
By Christine Tjandraningsih and Puy Kea, KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 20:25 | World, All

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations denounced a weekend attack in Myanmar in a statement, with the country's prolonged political crisis among the issues confronting ASEAN at the group's summit that began Wednesday in Indonesia.

The statement was issued as diplomatic sources revealed a secret meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Myanmar's military-appointed foreign minister Than Swe on the resort island of Bali last month.

There was no detail about the secret meeting, but Marsudi briefed other ASEAN foreign ministers on Monday that the "gap among all parties concerned in Myanmar is very wide" and that a peaceful solution to the Myanmar crisis may not be seen in the near future.

In the stand-alone statement on Myanmar, ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with the ongoing violence in the country, urging the immediate cessation of the use of force following the attack on a convoy of diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore on an aid mission in eastern Myanmar.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable," the statement by the leaders of the 10-member group who are meeting in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo read.

Myanmar, an ASEAN member state in which the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, is absent from the two-day summit as host Indonesia has stood by the ASEAN position that the junta should only send a nonpolitical representative, if any.

The convoy carrying humanitarian aid for displaced people in Myanmar's Shan State was attacked by unknown gunmen, but nobody was injured.

The ASEAN leaders called for an environment that enables the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues.

They also expressed their support for Indonesia, this year's chair, to continue its engagement with all stakeholders in Myanmar in order to encourage progress in the implementation of the so-called five-point consensus agreed upon at a special ASEAN summit in April 2021 attended by Myanmar junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

Steps laid out in the consensus include ending the junta's violence against political opponents and civilian protesters "through concrete, practical and time-bound actions."

Progress on the implementation of the consensus will be discussed on the second day of the summit, during which some decisions may be made, including on an implementation plan, according to diplomatic sources.

A draft chairman's statement, seen by Kyodo News, said the leaders are expected to commend "the successful partial delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar on 7 May 2023, despite the challenging security situation," referring to the attacks on the convoy.

Other topics discussed by the leaders of ASEAN on Wednesday included efforts to maintain a central role in the region amid increasing rivalry between the United States and China, according to the draft.

Regarding a proposed "code of conduct" agreement in the South China Sea, currently being drawn up by ASEAN and China to help avert confrontation in the region, the leaders are set to welcome "the initiative to expedite the COC negotiation," according to the draft.

The agreement will include "the proposal to develop guidelines for accelerating the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC," it said.

On Wednesday, the leaders adopted a road map for East Timor's full membership. The tiny country, which achieved formal independence in 2002, currently has ASEAN observer status.

In the road map, it was stipulated that East Timor must "prepare a financial scheme to meet all financial obligations of ASEAN membership" and must have adequate "physical infrastructure and logistics to host meetings and accommodate" ASEAN delegates.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Related coverage:

ASEAN-plus-3 finance chiefs to stay vigilant amid bank woes

ASEAN strongly condemns airstrike by Myanmar military

Myanmar's junta leader vows to crush anti-military resistance forces
Federal data shows that issues within the control of airlines consistently have been the biggest cause of delayed flights and a growing share of cancellations since the beginning of the pandemic.

President Biden took aim at those disrupted flights Monday, calling on airlines to provide compensation to stranded and late travelers when carriers are responsible for problems.

We know how frustrating delays, cancellations and rebookings are for travelers, Biden said at the White House.

In response, Airlines for America, a trade group for major carriers, said its members have no incentive to cancel or delay flights. The organization released charts seeking to explain the reasons for problems, highlighting the role played by weather and issues at air-traffic-control facilities run by the Federal Aviation Administration.

On Tuesday, the FAA released its own charts  a sign that this summer could again see finger-pointing between the government and the industry. It sought to explain how delays chalked up to problems within the nations airspace are largely due to weather. The agency said it plans to regularly update the figures in the coming months.

So what does the data show? Airlines are required to tell the Transportation Department why flights were delayed or canceled. The figures have been published through February, showing a few clear trends as the industry has recovered from the hammer blow delivered by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

The biggest cause of canceled flights is indeed weather, according to the data. But in 2021 and 2022, issues within the airlines control were a much greater share of the reason flights were canceled, jumping from about 25% to almost 40%. At the same time, the share of canceled flights attributed to airspace issues  some of which are the FAAs responsibility  has declined.

The federal data also shows that the overall rate of flight cancellations was slightly higher in 2021 and 2022 than in the two years before the pandemic, particularly last summer. The winter of 2021 saw a major spike as the omicron variant swept through airline workforces, while a meltdown at Southwest Airlines over the past Christmas and New Years period caused another spike.

Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges within their control and continue working diligently to improve operational reliability, Airlines for America said in a statement Monday.

As the summer approaches, the industry has been pushing to recruit new workers after many left during the pandemic. It has also been working with the FAA to slim schedules in the Northeast, where the agency has warned of a staffing shortage at a key New York facility. The group pointed to data indicating that airlines reliability so far this year is increasing.

When it comes to flight delays, data shows similar trends. Issues within airlines control have become the biggest source of delays in the wake of the pandemic, while the effect of airspace issues has declined. The government also breaks out when a late-arriving aircraft on a previous flight is the cause for a delay, and says airlines bear the responsibility in many of those cases, too.

It will be up to the Transportation Department to write rules governing the compensation that Biden called for Monday. One of the issues the department said it will tackle is defining what qualifies as a delay or cancellation within an airlines control, and the requirements are likely to apply only to flights delayed by several hours.

That means the current data isnt an exact guide for how often passengers could expect to be compensated. But based on the available numbers, travelers are right in many cases to blame their woes on the airlines.
WASHINGTON  The Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter Monday asked billionaire Harlan Crow to provide a full accounting of the free travel and other gifts he has made to Clarence Thomas or any other Supreme Court justices, marking an escalation of the powerful committee's efforts to convince the court to adopt stricter ethical standards for itself.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and the committee's 10 other Democrats signed on to the letter asking Crow to provide an itemized list of gifts worth more than $415 that he's made to Thomas, any other justice or any justice's family member, as well as a full list of lodging, transportation, real estate transactions and admission to any private clubs Crow may have provided.

The Judiciary Committee is now the second Senate committee to target Crow after ProPublica reported that the Republican donor invited Thomas on pricey vacations, bought his mother's house and provided Thomas's grandnephew with private school tuition, most of which were not disclosed by the justice.

The Judiciary Committee also sent letters Monday to three companies associated with the Republican donor's travels that facilitated the private resort, private jet and superyacht travel where Thomas has joined Crow, asking those companies to provide a list of other guests whose travel overlapped with Thomas's or that of any other justice.

For example, the committee asked the company Topridge Holdings for a full list of guests who stayed at Camp Topridge - Crow's private lakeside resort  while Thomas was there as a personal guest of Crow's.

Supreme Court justices are required to disclose gifts of over $415, but the rules around gifts involving personal hospitality were murkier. The Judicial Conference, the federal courts' policymaking body, recently changed disclosure rules to require justices and other federal judges to report more details of gifts, including free stays at hotels or hunting lodges, and clarified that a ride on a private jet, for example, must be reported.

"Regardless of the intentions behind these stays, if these gifts to Justice Thomas enabled those with interests before the Court to have private access to a Justice, it is a matter of significant public concern," the senators wrote. The committee also asked for details about any stays that other Supreme Court justices may have had at the Adirondacks resort.

Crow has said he never attempted to influence Thomas's decision-making on the court, and Thomas said he believed he had been following the court's disclosure rules.

All 11 of the committee's Democrats, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)  who on Tuesday announced she's returning from a health-related months-long absence  signed the letters, and none of the committee's Republicans joined.

Feinstein's return could expand Durbin's options if Crow ignores the request for information by the committee's May 22 deadline. Her absence from the Judiciary Committee has meant the committee's Democrats lacked the votes to subpoena anyone, given unanimous Republican opposition to the idea.

But in an interview with CNN on Sunday, Durbin did not rule out a subpoena, saying "everything is on the table." He also said he was embarrassed for Thomas as news continued to drip out about his relationship with Crow and that he hoped Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. would move on his own to institute stronger ethical standards for the court.

"This is the Roberts court, and history is going to judge him by the decision he makes on this," Durbin said. "He has the power to make the difference."

Durbin last month asked Roberts to appear in front of the committee, but the chief justice declined the request, saying it would be inappropriate given the separation of powers. Roberts also included a "Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices" signed by all nine justices that reaffirmed the disclosure and other rules they abide by, saying they've done so for decades.

The letters to Crow and others are part of the committee's efforts to craft legislation strengthening the ethical rules and standards that apply to Supreme Court justices. "The information gathered from these letters will help identify specific shortcomings in the 'Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices' that legislation needs to address," committee spokeswoman Emily Hampsten said in a statement.

Such legislation would likely face a tough time gaining Republican support, however, as Republicans in Congress have rallied to Thomas's side. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats want people to "gasp in horror" that Thomas vacations with his friends. Other Republicans have suggested Democrats are merely angry over the court's conservative bent and recent decisions, including overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion.

Yet the cascade of unflattering reports about Thomas and some other justices' undisclosed potential conflicts of interest has fueled calls for ethics reform as polls suggest that Americans have declining trust in the institution. A conservative judicial activist, for example, paid Thomas's wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, The Washington Post reported last week.

The reports have also put pressure on Durbin to take a more aggressive stance in pushing for court reform. Late last month, Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked Crow to inform his committee whether Crow reported the gifts to Thomas on his taxes. The senator also said he would "explore using other tools at the committee's disposal" to obtain the information if Crow did not respond by May 8. A spokesman for Wyden said Crow's attorney "refused to provide answers" to the committee in a response received late on Monday.

Fewer than 4 in 10 Americans said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the Supreme Court, according to an NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll released late last month. In 2018, 59 percent said they had faith in the court.
(Tribune News Service)  Sen. Dianne Feinstein is flying back to Washington, her spokesman said Tuesday, after her extended absence due to the shingles virus threatened to derail Senate Democrats agenda.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Feinstein, who had been convalescing in the Bay Area since mid-February, boarded a charter private plane on Tuesday and could return to the Senate as early as this evening.

Adam Russell, a spokesman for the Democratic senator, confirmed she is in transit back to Washington but declined to comment further.

The senators protracted absence caused mounting heartburn for the Democratic majority, which has few votes to spare to confirm President Joe Bidens Cabinet and judicial nominees, as well as potential legislation to avert a default on the national debt.

While Feinstein has contended with questions about her health and ability to serve for several years, her slow recovery from the shingles virus and related complications led some Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to call for her resignation.

Other observers, including ethics experts and progressive activists in the state, decried a lack of transparency from her office on details about her medical condition. Last week, her staff declined to give The Times a report or interview from her doctor.

In a statement last week, Feinstein pushed back against critiques that she was causing a backlog for the Senate Judiciary Committee and maintained she would be returning to Washington without specifying a timeline.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to meet to consider nominations this Thursday.

2023 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border would be "chaotic for a while" when pandemic-related restrictions end, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weighed whether or when to cross.

The restrictions have been in place since 2020, and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks.

Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. "But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "It's going to be chaotic for a while."

Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Mexico shares a 1,951-mile border with the United States, so the nation is key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border.

Migrants are already arriving. About 100 people  mostly from Colombia  came across the border before dawn Tuesday and walked nearly two hours through remote, boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego to a sandy plateau where Border Patrol agents watched over them.

Andres Barra, 39, left Colombia on Friday, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, and paid a smuggler $300 to guide him to a mountain peak near the agents, to whom they surrendered. He fled Colombia because frequent robbery and extortion made it difficult to live.

He said he wanted to enter the United States while the restrictions were still in effect, because he heard it would be more difficult after Thursday.

"It won't be so easy anymore," he said.

Agents in the U.S. Border Patrol's relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four- or five-day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, groups handed out fliers Tuesday that explained in English and Haitian Creole how to register for the CBP One app that the U.S. has been using to allow migrants to schedule an appointment to try to gain admittance to the U.S.

Standing in Reynosa's central square Tuesday, Phanord Renel of Haiti said he would not risk deportation to cross. "We don't want to go back there (Haiti) because the situation is very complicated there," he said. "If we can't cross, we have to put up with it here, maybe the government will do something for us, but cross illegally  no."

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to the country's immigration system.

"We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we're using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border, but they will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are "not there in any way to be interacting with migrants," said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

At least some of the active-duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go. More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May.

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation. Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. The Biden administration's plan is meant to crack down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some migrants have been spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

"It's a very complicated legal system and it's becoming increasingly difficult to communicate the realities of our clients," Daniel Berlin, of the International Rescue Committee, said. "While we try to communicate the most accurate and up to date information that we have, smugglers and traffickers and other bad actors are communicating false information."

Effects have also been felt far from the southern border. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration in response to a tenfold increase in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in the city in need of temporary shelter and other help.

Chicago officials have warned for several weeks that its shelters can't accommodate the larger number of migrants arriving daily since late April. Migrants have been sheltering inside city police stations or airports because city-run shelters are full.

Associated Press reporters Rebecca Santana, Elliot Spagat in Imperial, California, Mark Stevenson in Mexico City, Katie Foody in Chicago, Gerardo Carrillo in Reynosa, Mexico contributed to this report.
AUSTIN, Texas  Army Sgt. Daniel Perrys attorney pledged Wednesday to fight for an honorable discharge for the soldier following a judge sentencing Perry to 25 years in prison for shooting and killing an Air Force veteran during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020.

We're not done fighting for Daniel Perry, and we won't ever quit, said Doug OConnell, Perrys attorney and a retired Army Special Forces colonel.

Even as the sentence hearing ended Wednesday morning in a Travis County courtroom, lingering issues remained for Perry, including a possible pardon from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his murder conviction, a pending discharge from the service, and the potential for Army criminal investigators to uncover violations of military laws by Perry and other soldiers identified in court records.

Judge Cliff Brown said Perry received a fair and impartial trial, countering allegations from Perrys attorneys of jury misconduct.

District Attorney Jose Garza agreed with the judge when he addressed news reporters after the hearing.

I hope that the outcome of today's sentencing brings some sense of justice for the Foster family, he said. I know that they have waited for so long.

A jury last month found Perry, 36, guilty of murder in the shooting death of Garrett Foster at Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020. Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran, was carrying an assault rifle as the protest moved down Congress Avenue when Perry, who was working a side job as a rideshare driver, turned his car into the group of protesters. Perry, who was also armed, said he shot Foster because Foster pointed his rifle at Perrys car.

Anna Mayo, Fosters sister, said during a news conference with Garza that her family has been attacked online with hurtful messages and misinformation about her brother as theyve awaited justice.

When there's respect to [give] a veteran, my family will be the first to give it, she said. To hear so many people blatantly disregard that Garrett was a veteran and tear his character apart  has been the hardest part of this.

Foster enlisted in the Air Force as a refueler and bomber maintainer in June 2011, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. He separated from the service in May 2013 as an airman first class assigned to Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Perry intentionally drove into the crowd. On Tuesday during the first day of the sentence hearing, they presented evidence from Perrys phone records that included racist comments that the soldier made privately and publicly on social media. The records also showed his disdain for racial justice protesters.

Mayo said the evidence that prosecutors presented during the hearing shocked and repulsed her.

The racist comments you were so comfortable making were sickening to see, she said directly to Perry on Wednesday in court. I hope that this prison sentence changes you entirely.

In one text message to another soldier, Perry shared a photo of a woman holding a childs head under water with the words, When your daughters first crush is a little negro boy.

Soldiers who served alongside Perry, an infantryman assigned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, testified Tuesday about his character. They said Perry is not a racist. Instead, they described the content as dark humor, or barracks humor, that helps ease the stress of Army life, OConnell said.

Perry, who enlisted in July 2012, had deployed to Afghanistan and Poland, according to the Army. The service moved to discharge him after he was convicted last month.

The Army has reviewed the phone records and is providing them to criminal investigators, said Bryce Dubee, an Army spokesman.

The Army has reviewed the evidence released by the Travis County District Court and has passed the information to the Army Criminal Investigation Division to conduct an independent review of the allegations contained within the document, he said.

OConnell said the prosecutions release of Perrys phone records was character assassination, and the Army is wrong in the move.

They have not had access to the courts file. When they tell you that [they've] looked at evidence, that's not correct. What they've been able to see potentially is media reports, and other speculation or other descriptions, OConnell said.

Looming over the sentencing was Abbotts pledge to pardon Perry because the governor said he believes the jurys verdict contradicts the states 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has said it is already reviewing Perrys trial to present a recommendation to Abbott about a pardon. Garza said the board has agreed to allow him to present his evidence, and OConnell said they will now reach out to the board as well.

We will be providing them, pushing them information that we think is very, very relevant, OConnell said.

The defense attorney also said he plans to submit an appeal for Perry.
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is predicting vast ripple effects from a Republican senators continued hold on senior military nominations, including profound confusion and disturbance for service members and their families.

Austin outlined the increasing risks in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who unsuccessfully called for the unanimous confirmation of nearly 200 stalled military officer nominations in late April. The effort was again blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who has held up promotions for months over his opposition to new Pentagon policies providing access to abortion services.

Long-term holds have a corrosive and cascading effect: they prevent our rising officers and their families from being able to predict promotion and rotation windows, which can increase the pressure to leave the military in favor of greater stability, Austin wrote. The more our normal promotion processes are jolted, the more we risk the loss of the diverse warfighting and technical expertise that America needs to confront its 21st-century security challenges.

The list of officers caught up in the blockade has grown to include 64 three- and four-star admirals and generals for positions such as the Army chief of staff, the chief of naval operations, the commandant and assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, commander of U.S. Northern Command, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency. The positions are due to rotate within the next 120 days, Austin wrote.

Another 80 three- and four-star positions are expected to come up for rotation in the next nine months, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the vice chief of staff of the Army and the vice chief of staff of the Air Force. The Defense Department anticipates sending about 650 general and flag officer nominees for Senate confirmation through the end of the year, Austin wrote.

The Senate typically approves military promotions all at once by a unanimous consent vote but Tubervilles obstruction would require the upper chamber to vote on each one by one, a process that would consume months of floor time.

Ultimately, the breakdown of the normal flow of leadership across the departments carefully cultivated promotion and transition system will breed uncertainty and confusion across the U.S. military, Austin wrote.

The impact will be felt not just by the militarys most senior officers but also by rising one- and two-star general and flag officers, he wrote. Extended holds could delay promotion timelines for groups behind the current cadre of officers by one to two years, according to Austin.

Tubervilles hold also introduces a new layer of stress for families planning permanent change-of-station moves. Austin said those moves will need to be delayed or canceled if the senator refuses to lift his objection, and military children will not be able to move to new schools in time for the next school year.

Military spouses might not be able to accept or start new jobs due to the uncertainty, and services for family members with special needs could be subject to serious delays, he said.

The current hold imposes additional burdens upon our military families that are both unnecessary and unconscionable, Austin wrote.

The defense secretary warned the consequences of the hold are far-reaching and will grow more dire the longer it persists.

Failing to fill key roles in the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, for example, will weaken U.S. cybersecurity at a moment when the nations adversaries are eying new domains of potential conflict, Austin said.

The hold also makes it more difficult for the U.S. to fulfill its global leadership responsibilities and diminishes the militarys reputation as the strongest in the world, he said. Much of that standing is based on Americas stable processes and orderly transitions, Austin said.

The full impact of this hold may not be immediately noticeable because of the resilience built into our military organizations, but over time, the hold will cause cascading impacts to our readiness and needlessly hinder our ability to meet our strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and beyond, he wrote.

Joint exercises with partners, such as Balikatan with the Philippines or U.S.-Israeli naval activity in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could become more difficult if confirmation delays force other leaders to take on the responsibilities of officers held up by the Senate, Austin wrote.

The failure to confirm leaders in key roles transfers strategic risk down the chain of command and forces our units to operate with less experienced decision-makers in charge, he wrote. By destabilizing the senior military promotion and rotation process, we put our short- and long-term readiness at significant risk.

Tuberville has shown no signs of backing down from his objections and continues to demand the Pentagon rescind policies that provide leave and travel reimbursement for service members seeking reproductive health care. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, joined the obstruction last month.

Austins letter to Warren follows similar warnings from seven former defense secretaries last week who told Senate leaders that they feared damage to U.S. national security.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Wednesday that senators will continue to fight for troops until the irresponsible blockade ends.

The overwhelming majority of Americans disagree with these Republican tactics that are hurting hundreds of military families, he said.
WASHINGTON  Facing growing pressure to show progress in their investigations, House Republicans on Wednesday detailed what they say are concerning new findings about the finances of President Joe Biden's family.

The smoking gun, according to the GOP, is recently obtained financial records connected to the president's son Hunter Biden, brother James Biden and a growing number of associates who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania. They suggest, without evidence, that the payments were part of a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves off the family name.

To help them get here, Congressional Republicans relied on more than 150 suspicious activity reports as a roadmap to follow what they call the Bidens' complicated financial money trail.

The confidential reports, called SARs for short, are often routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the government. The filing of a SARs report is not evidence on its own of misconduct.

But Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee leading the probe, said Wednesday that other types of financial records obtained through congressional subpoenas and lawsuits have now become the focus of their investigation.

The White House dismissed the whole investigation as "yet another political stunt."

"Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called 'investigations' with legitimacy," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

Here's a deeper look at suspicious activity reports and how Republicans are using them as a roadmap to investigate the Biden family:

WHAT IS A SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORT?

Financial institutions are required to file a suspicious activity report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) no later than 30 calendar days from when it detects a suspicious transaction that could have links to money laundering or terrorism financing.

First originated as a "criminal referral form," suspicious activity reports were established through the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. In 1996, according to FinCEN, the form became the standard way to report suspicious activity in the financial system.

The rules around the reports were later amended under the U.S. Patriot Act. Today, banks and credit unions routinely submit SARs.

WHAT TRIGGERS A SARS?

Industries that deal in large sums of money are required to file SARs to the government when they detect a transaction with possible links to money laundering, counterfeiting, fraud or illicit finance  this includes banks, casinos, loan companies and depository firms.

Signs of insider trading and individual transactions of $5,000 or more often trigger an institution to file a report, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation states that entities "are encouraged to file nonetheless in appropriate situations involving these matters, based on the potential harm that such crimes can produce."

Large transactions involving foreign payers  like the kind that Hunter and James Biden are known to have engaged in through their work  are the kinds of transactions often flagged to federal authorities.

SARs can also be filed by individuals or entities outside the financial sector, including law enforcement, public safety workers, city or state officials, business owners, and even the general public.

Law enforcement agencies use the reports to uncover and prosecute illegal activity, as well as help identify and counteract fraudulent and criminal behavior before it becomes a larger issue.

In recent years, electronic SARs reporting has increased through FinCEN's Bank Secrecy Act e-filing system. Nearly 42,000 reports were filed by the loan and financial services industry in 2021, according to data compiled by FinCEN, a huge jump from the more than 1,500 reports filed in 2015.

HISTORY OF SARS AGAINST POLITICAL ACTORS

The filing of suspicious activity reports against elected officials is not uncommon. During the Trump administration, Deutsche Bank's anti-money laundering division recommended filing suspicious activity reports on transactions conducted by Trump companies, including the Trump Foundation, and firms owned by his son-law Jared Kushner.

Michael Cohen, a one-time attorney for former President Donald Trump, had several suspicious activity reports filed against him, including one that recorded a $500,000 deposit from a company connected to a Russian oligarch who donated money to Trump's inauguration fund.

Most SARs are never made public. The records connected to Trump and Cohen were revealed through leaks to the media and as part of federal investigations.

CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE REPORTING PROCESS

Suspicious activity reports are cloaked in secrecy to make them useful for law enforcement. The person suspected of triggering a SARs is not routinely informed about the pending report.

Any discussion or disclosure about SARs to outside groups such as news outlets would be considered an unauthorized disclosure and is punishable as a federal criminal offense.

In the case involving Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, an IRS employee was charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 with leaking banking records that had been flagged as suspicious activity.

The confidentiality rules have come up again as Comer conducts his probe into supposed suspicious activity reports by Biden family members. The Kentucky lawmaker and some committee members and staff were recently able to view some of the thousands of pages of the Biden family's financial records through subpoenas made to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January.

A handful of lawmakers immediately began talking on social media and cable news about what they had seen in the reports, asserting evidence of misconduct.

House Democrats have accused Comer and other Republicans on the committee of potentially violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

WHAT ARE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING?

Republicans vowed after winning the House majority last year that they would use their subpoena power to investigate foreign entities that did business with the family during Biden's time as vice president and during the Trump administration, including a specific focus on his son Hunter.

This all comes as Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware reportedly making a charging decision in the next few months. And while Hunter Biden never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, his membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his father's public service, including reported references in his emails to the "big guy."

Joe Biden has said he's never spoken to his son about his foreign business. And there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way.

An attorney for Hunter Biden on Wednesday slammed years of Republicans' investigations as "chasing conspiracies."

"Today's so-called 'revelations' are retread, repackaged misstatements of perfectly proper meetings and business by private citizens," Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for the president's son, said.

WHAT EVIDENCE HAVE THEY GATHERED?

Up until now, Comer and Republicans have not publicly revealed evidence to substantiate their claims of wrongdoing by the Biden family. But Comer said their investigation into the Biden family is widening.

"This is not just about the president's son. This is about the entire Biden family, including the president of the United States," Comer said during an appearance Sunday on Fox News. "So we believe there are a whole lot of accounts that the IRS and the DOJ don't know about because we don't believe they have done a whole lot of digging in this. And we have."

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
A Senate committee voted Wednesday in favor of train safety legislation introduced after the derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, advancing a measure that would set new standards for the freight rail industry.

The vote was 16 to 11, with two Republicans joining Democrats on the Commerce Committee. The vote moves the bill to the Senate floor, where it probably will need 60 votes to pass.

Residents of the small Ohio town were evacuated after officials burned vinyl chloride gas that the Norfolk Southern train was carrying. The indelible images of thick black smoke and fears of the community prompted pledges from lawmakers to boost rail safety. But Wednesday's vote also showed the limits of bipartisan support, with several Republicans saying the bill was too broad and would raise costs for the industry.

Democrats, led by committee chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), turned back a number of Republican amendments designed to narrow the bill's scope, saying the legislation included provisions based on what lawmakers had heard from people in Ohio.

"No community should have to go through the trauma and evacuation and environmental damage that East Palestine had to go through, especially when you can prevent these from happening," Cantwell said.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a committee member who spearheaded the legislation, has said at least five other Senate Republicans are onboard. While similar rail legislation has been introduced in the House, there is no plan to take up a bill in the Transportation Committee, a Republican committee spokesman said Wednesday.

Cantwell worked with Vance ahead of the meeting to refine the bill, and tried to secure the support Wednesday of Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), the committee's leading Republican. But Cruz said the legislation would drive up the costs of rail transportation and make it easier for the government to limit shipments of fossil fuels.

"Without sufficient guiderails, in the hands of overzealous Biden bureaucrats, the new mandates in the bill would make it much easier to restrict the transportation of coal, of oil, of natural gas and of oil," Cruz said.

Vance sparred with members of his party ahead of the vote, highlighting the support the bill has from some industry associations, conservative groups and former president Donald Trump.

"Yes, it may make rail transportation a little bit more expensive, but it's going to make rail transportation a little bit more expensive in the service of safety," he said.

The legislation would set standards for trackside safety detectors that were an early focus of the East Palestine investigation and apply special safety rules to trains transporting the hazardous gas released after the derailment. It would significantly increase the maximum fines railroads could face for violating federal rules, from $100,000 to $10 million.

The bill also seeks to curb efforts by railroads to stretch their workforces, which have been thinned in recent years as the industry pursues more efficiency. It includes a mandate that trains on major railroads generally have a crew of at least two people  an idea opposed by operators that want to experiment with single-person crews  and a provision on standards for rail car inspections.

Ian Jefferies, chief executive of the Association of American Railroads, said while the industry supported some aspects of the bill, the two-person crew requirement was a problem for railroads.

"There's absolutely no safety data to support perpetually mandating two individuals physically located in the cab of the locomotive. It has always been a matter for collective bargaining," he said.

While air and water testing has found no dangerous levels of contamination in East Palestine and surrounding communities, homeowners in the area worry their property values might not recover.

Cruz had been expected to propose an amendment to the bill to ensure Norfolk Southern provided East Palestine homeowners with financial help. But on Tuesday, Alan Shaw, the railroad's chief executive, wrote to the senator reaffirming its commitments to property owners, and a Republican aide said Cruz no longer needed to propose a change to the bill.

Shaw wrote that the railroad expected to be able to begin making payments within a year.

"This commitment demonstrates that, as Senator Cruz and others have indicated, Norfolk Southern understands that this derailment was not the fault of the people of East Palestine," Shaw wrote.
As U.S. drug shortages hit a five-year high and concerns mount about the safety of medicines, the Biden administration has quietly assembled a team to address chronic problems hurting America's drug supply.

Since the beginning of the year, a group of White House officials has been meeting frequently to increase the availability and quality of medications, according to several people familiar with the matter. The effort has intensified as Americans struggle to find common drugs like antibiotics and amid high-profile safety lapses like deadly eye drops.

The Biden administration first set its sights on drug shortages and quality issues in 2021, as part of an effort to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. that includes other industries. But fixing the drug supply chain has been particularly challenging, prompting a more serious push.

President Joe Biden's top domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, has been a driving force behind the team, according to two of the people. The group is led by the Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council.

Rice, who is leaving her post later this month, asked the group to finalize proposals by early spring with tangible ideas that the U.S. government could execute, according to one of the people. The group missed that timeline because they have struggled to reach a consensus with the Food and Drug Administration, said five people familiar with the talks.

Most of the people interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity. Asked for comment, a senior Biden administration official said the White House team's work is a continuation of the administration's focus on ensuring resilience of the nation's pharmaceutical supply.

Two people familiar with the group's efforts said the FDA has refused to fully answer questions and suggested that the agency lacks the funding or authority to make certain changes floated by the White House group.

An FDA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the agency has been cooperating with the White House but can't fix the supply problems alone because larger market forces are driving generic drugmakers out of business, contributing to shortages. The companies that buy drugs in bulk pit manufacturers against each other and drive down prices, which shrinks drugmakers' margins, the official said. This leaves manufacturers with little money to maintain robust supply chains or, in some cases, keep making drugs at all.

Another FDA official said the agency has suggested generic drugmakers need incentives such as tax breaks to boost U.S. manufacturing.

"We remain committed to partnering across government, academia, and industry to strengthen and diversify the supply chain, further address drug shortages and ensure Americans continue to have access to drugs that are of high quality, safe and effective," the FDA said in a statement.

Generic drugs are cheap and have razor-thin margins, so manufacturers do everything they can to cut costs. The companies manufacture in facilities in lower-cost countries such as India and China that are subject to less scrutiny, where it's easy for safety problems to develop, leading to recalls and shortages. And companies don't make large excess quantities of drugs because they can't afford to, leaving little room for unexpected spikes in demand.

To fix these problems, the White House group has met with a variety of players including Mark Cuban's discount drug company, Cost Plus Drugs, the head of pharmacy at NYU Langone Health and Valisure, an independent testing lab in Connecticut, according to the people. The coalition is also in frequent communication with the Pentagon, the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA, which HHS oversees.

Among the ideas the White House is looking at are: developing tools that could foresee potential drug shortages before they start, creating quality scores for manufacturing facilities, increasing the FDA's unannounced inspections, robust testing of imported products, and requiring foreign manufacturers to keep electronic records instead of paper ones, since those can be destroyed.

After Bloomberg News reported details of the White House effort, the director of government affairs at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, one of the largest generic drugmakers, wrote on social media that burdensome additional regulations would worsen shortages.

The White House team has met with other drug industry executives, three people familiar with the matter said. Teva Chief Executive Officer Richard Francis said Wednesday that he hasn't met with the team but that he's "pleased that the government is focusing on something as critical as access to medicines."

The pharmaceutical supply chain is uniquely hard for the government to change in part because the U.S. has taken a hands-off approach to drug manufacturing for so many years.

"There's a lot of resistance in the industry to more transparency or anything that requires more cost in this low-margin business," said Elisabeth Reynolds, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology lecturer and former special assistant to Biden for manufacturing and economic development at the National Economic Council. "We have to find ways to provide incentives to invest in quality, or put in place requirements to make them responsible for quality."

The White House team is preparing to present leadership with solutions in coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter. A senior administration official said the group's work will continue after Rice's departure later this month.

Rice is being replaced by Neera Tanden, a senior adviser to Biden who formerly worked in the Obama and Clinton administrations.
(Tribune News Service)  The letter arrived at Greg Gunheim's Timber Cove home before he returned from a few days of visiting with friends out-of-state. It was addressed to him and his wife, Midori, so she opened it first.

But she did let him read the note for himself and discover the envelope's astonishing surprise.

Goosebumps bloomed instantly, not for the first time, as Gunheim held one of his late father's World War II dog tags and contemplated the mystery that brought it to him.

A Windsor woman, Irene Luna, had sent it after her husband repotted an orchid and found the metal disk in the soil, tangled in the roots.

Three pieces of glass and a ceramic, hexagonal object, like some kind of bolt, were among the other found "treasures" Jim Luna discovered during the transplant process.

But no one knows how any of the items became buried in the dirt and entwined in the orchid roots  and in the lives of utter strangers  nor are they particularly hopeful of finding out.

"I wish the metal could talk to tell us how it got there," said Gunheim, 69. "And how did he lose it?"

The Lunas can't help.

The orchid came to them in a roundabout way that ties in two other families: Irene Luna's brother, Fred Hernandez, and his wife, Lisa, who live northeast of Redding, in the town of Burney; and their close friends, the late Jeff Sanders and his wife, Denise, who died last year.

Jeff and Denise Sanders had lived on Fitch Mountain in Healdsburg, and after Denise died in March 2022, Irene Luna's brother and sister-in-law were down for the service and were helping their friends' adult kids clean out the house.

They were gifted two of the Sanders' orchids but, with a long drive home ahead, decided to leave them at the Lunas' Windsor home.

One of those orchids, 13 months later, would yield Gunnar Glenn Gunheim's dog tag, on April 23.

Irene Luna didn't know how to find the owner at first and took a day or two to start Googling.

"My husband was in the military," she said, "so I knew it was precious to them."

She found lots of references to Gunnar Gunheim, and many other Gunheims, including a Greg Gunheim. That name was associated with someone named "Midori"  a rare name in the area.

Luna, a retired office staffer at Cali Calmecac Language Academy in Windsor, remembered a teacher there named Midori, and, speaking with a former principal, learned the two women might be one and the same.

She made phone calls, left messages and was out of town when Midori Gunheim tried to call back. Finally, they connected by phone and verified that Luna had found the right family.

"Thank goodness for Google," Luna said.

Gunnar Glenn Gunheim, born in Eureka in 1925, had lived most of his life south of Windsor, growing up on a chicken farm in Petaluma, and probably joining the Navy from there, his son said.

His parents later moved to Santa Rosa, and Gunnar Gunheim may have lived with them briefly after the war. He met his wife as a young parole officer in San Francisco, and it was there he started his family of seven. He later passed the state bar exam, launching his career as an attorney, "fighting for the underdog," Greg Gunheim said.

He moved in the late 1960s to Novato, where he lived until his death in December 1996.

His son, Greg, an Army veteran himself, knew something of his father's Navy service, mainly aboard the USS Bassett during the rescue of 154 sailors who survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. The ship sank in only 12 minutes after a torpedo attack by the Japanese near the Philippines. Only 316 of 1,195 people on board survived.

Greg Gunheim had attended a 1995 reunion of survivors with his father and had experienced the emotion in the room all those decades later. Survivors and rescuers alike told stories, with some accusing leadership on both vessels of contributing to the suffering and trauma of those who endured days in the water, exposed to the elements and to ravenous sharks, which were responsible for many, many deaths.

Greg Gunheim had talked about the rescue, about one man who dove into the water over and over, pulling men out. He talked, also, about fear and suspicion among the Bassett crew that they might have been ordered to respond to a setup, an ambush, rather than a rescue, resulting in an uprising among some of the sailors.

But though Greg Gunheim and his father were close, they didn't talk much about his war experience.

Greg Gunheim never saw his father's dog tags.

When he pulled one out of the envelope last week, "I just filled with goosebumps," he said.

He was emotional retelling the story of his dad and his history, as well, and said the dog tag eventually will go to his own son, "who said when I told him about it, 'I guess I'd like to have that some day.'"

Irene Luna said when she first got Greg Gunheim's voicemail, after he opened the letter, she coudn't respond at first, "because I knew I would cry. His voice was so emotional."

Now they have talked, and they and their spouses plan to have dinner soon to celebrate the find.

"It's just amazing," Irene Luna said. "How it ended up in that little pot, we'll never know. ... But I'm just so happy that he ended up with Dad's dog tag, and the grandson will eventually receive them. That's more important than us knowing how he actually got it."

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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 08:30 | All, Japan, World, G7

Japan is not expecting U.S. President Joe Biden to issue a separate message on nuclear disarmament when he travels to Hiroshima next week to take part in this year's summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies, the country's envoy to the United States said Tuesday.

Ambassador Koji Tomita, who briefed reporters in Washington on the three-day summit from May 19, said Japan instead seeks for the group to release a strong collective message, as "77 years of human efforts not to resort to nuclear weapons must not be wasted."

When asked about the matter at the National Press Club, Tomita said Japan is not trying to "ask President Biden to come up with a specific message," noting that his trip to the city, devastated by a U.S. atomic bombing in 1945, is not for bilateral engagement but to attend the multilateral meeting.

Biden, who announced his re-election bid in late April, will become the second sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima after Barack Obama, who delivered a 17-minute speech renewing his pledge for a world without nuclear weapons in the western Japanese city in 2016.

The ambassador said Japan wants the message issued by the G-7 to be as "concrete as possible," while acknowledging it "remains very difficult" for major countries to advance efforts toward global nuclear disarmament under current circumstances, citing security challenges such as Russia's war in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, he said it is incumbent upon Japan, the only county to have suffered the tragedy of nuclear attacks, to lead the group to that end.

Obama visited Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park in May of 2016 after attending that year's G-7 summit in central Japan. Accompanied by then Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, he also laid a wreath at the cenotaph for victims of the bombing, toured the nearby museum, met some Japanese survivors and gave a hug to one of them.

In his speech, Obama did not offer any new proposals for concrete action, but underscored that "among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them."

"We may not realize this goal in my lifetime, but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe," he said.

On Tuesday, the White House said Biden will make a "historic stop" in Papua New Guinea while traveling from Hiroshima to a summit of the Quad group involving the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States in Sydney.

It will be the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Pacific country. The plan was announced as Biden's administration seeks to forge closer ties with Pacific island nations as a counter to China's rising influence.

Biden will meet Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and other leaders in the region to follow up on the first-ever U.S.-Pacific Island Summit, which the president hosted in September last year in Washington, according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.

She said in a statement that the leaders will discuss ways to tackle various challenges facing the region, including climate change, protection of maritime resources and achieving inclusive economic growth.
Sullivan, IN (47882)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High around 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
Young is suspected of involvement in the planning of the Lawlor murder, including organising a highly publicised meeting in a Sligo hotel with suspects in the Belfast murder.

Robbie Lawlor was suspected of an active involvement in the murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods   PA

The PSNI is seeking to extradite Sligo gangland boss Barry Young in connection with the murder of rival criminal Robbie Lawlor, once he finishes his sentence here for directing a drugs gang.

TheIrish Independent can reveal how PSNI detectives suspect Young (38)  one of the most significant drug dealers in the west and north-west  was forced to enlist his own criminal associates in the North to have Lawlor murdered in Belfast on behalf of the Mr Big drugs organisation.

Details of the Sligo criminals operation emerged at the Special Criminal Court yesterday, where he had pleaded guilty to directing a criminal organisation.

It emerged how he had thanked gardai for arresting him and had felt suicidal over his drug debts.

Barry Young

It can now be revealed that the extent of these debts owed to the Mr Big organisation, and a particular 300,000 drugs seizure in Sligo more than three years ago, led to Youngs downfall.

A source said: Young is someone who has criminal contacts everywhere, particularly along the counties attached to the western seaboard of this country.

He has been a long-time player in Dublin but the reality is that, for over a decade, he had a slave and master relationship with the person you call Mr Big.

Young is suspected of involvement in the planning of the Lawlor murder, including organising a highly publicised meeting in a Sligo hotel with suspects in the Belfast murder.

The source said: Young got in way over his head and the way things are looking for him right now are not great at all. There is reliable information that he was involved in planning a murder. There is also reliable information that he was forced into this situation by criminals more senior than him.

Lawlor was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020, less than three months after he was suspected of an active involvement in the murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods.

Robbie Lawlor was suspected of an active involvement in the murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods   PA

Lawlor, who was also the chief suspect for a spate of gang murders in Dublin, became heavily embroiled in the Drogheda feud and inflamed the dispute after his release from jail in December, 2019.

Among those gun murders was the shooting of Kenneth Finn (36) in Coolock in February, 2018  he was a right-hand man and best pal of Mr Big.

This is currently being treated as the primary motive for the murder of Lawlor in Belfast.

Arrests, cash seizures and other matters linked to the Dundon/McCarthy gang in the aftermath of the fatal shooting are now being described as a smokescreen devised by Mr Big, according to sources who consider him Irelands most devious criminal.

Young pleaded guilty in March to directing the activities of the gang, which had an international character but operated in the Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and Galway areas where it was involved in drug-dealing, intimidation and money laundering.

The court was told that drug seizures linked to the gang totalled more than 628,000, while Young himself had 40,000 in ready cash despite his only stated income being social welfare payments. Young also dispatched enforcers that he described as head-the-balls and Dirty Harrys to collect on drug debts, the sentencing hearing was told.

At the three-judge court yesterday, Detective Garda Inspector Ray Mulderrig told Fiona Murphy SC, for the State, that Young was arrested by detectives from Sligo at Dublin Airport on January 11 of this year on his way to Spain in a bid to escape his life of crime and drug debts.

The experienced officer has led the detailed investigation into Youngs drug trafficking network for many years.

Det-Insp Mulderrig told Ms Murphy that gardai seized Youngs phone and discovered thousands of messages, images, videos and calls relating to Youngs criminal activities in running the Sligo-based gang.

Det-Insp Mulderrig said Young had 81 previous convictions at the time of his arrest and had been twice sentenced for drug-dealing, with the last conviction for that offence in 2006 when he was sentenced to six years imprisonment.

The gang members reported to him through a chain of command and he directed and would be informed about the distribution and delivery of the drugs, the movements of cash and the enforcement of the debts owed.

The senior detective told the court that investigations of five phones associated with Young led to the arrest of 16 people, six of whom are before the courts, with three of those facing charges of organised crime involvement and money laundering directly attributed to the gang.

Det-Insp Mulderrig said four of Youngs accounts were frozen and had a cumulative balance of more than 40,000.

The gang had links to a major Dublin-based organised crime group that sent down enforcers when required. This organisation can be revealed today as the Mr Big gang.

This gang is considered the biggest drug-dealing organisation on the northside and has also been involved in tiger kidnappings.

It is suspected of organising the brutal gun murders of Real IRA brothers Alan and Vinnie Ryan in 2012 and 2016 as part of extortion-related disputes.

Convicted drug dealer Young muscled in on the lucrative turf of Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim and his network of dealers took control and even managed to bribe a disgraced garda to leak sensitive information over a five-month period.
Donna Kerrigan of Galtymore Park in Drimnagh, Dublin 12, faced animal welfare charges over the condition of her five-year-old Shih Tzu Charlie.

A Dublin woman has been ordered to pay more than 13,000 after refusing to bring her sick and starving dog to a vet.

Donna Kerrigan of Galtymore Park in Drimnagh, Dublin 12, faced animal welfare charges over the condition of her five-year-old Shih Tzu Charlie.

The pooch had suffered from prolonged starvation and had rope and cord lodged in its stomach when it was seized by the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) on October 4, 2021.

The rope and cord removed from Charlie's stomach

Kerrigan repeatedly failed to turn up for scheduled appearances at Dublin District Court and the hearing proceeded in her absence on Monday.

DSPCA inspector Bartley Finnerty told Judge Anthony Halpin that he visited the defendant's home after receiving complaints about the dog's welfare from a member of the public.

He said Kerrigan allowed him to see the dog, which he described as being underweight, lethargic, and not behaving normally.

The inspector advised her to take the animal to a vet but when he returned a day later, he found it on a public footpath in the same condition.

He seized the dog and later interviewed Kerrigan, who claimed that she tried to bring the Shih Tzu to two different vets but was refused as they were not taking new customers.

DSPCA vet Elise O'Flynn White said the dog weighed just 4.8kg and was "unable to hold its own body weight".

She described it as very weak, dehydrated, and emaciated with visible bones. It also had a foul odour from faecal matting and fresh diarrhoea.

The dog would not eat, but its weight increased within a day to 5.7 kg after drinking water.

During surgery, vets discovered a blockage in its intestine caused by the rope and cord material, and its stomach was "completely blocked".

Blood tests showed it suffered "prolonged starvation" but has since recovered and now weighs 11kg.

Judge Halpin convicted Kerrigan of recklessness regarding the health or welfare of her dog as well as failing to protect and feed the animal.

He banned the woman from owning pets for five years before handed her down fines totalling 1,500 and ordering her to pay 11,580 towards DSPCA costs within three months.

Judge Halpin also ordered that the dog be forfeited as it has remained in the DSPCA's care for the past 19 months. The society can now find a new home for Charlie, who has made a full recovery.
Dean Maguire (29), Karl Freeman (26) and Graham Taylor (31)  were killed instantly in the horror crash

A garda is to face a criminal prosecution over his driving in relation to an incident in which three men were killed in a collision on the N7 in Dublin two years ago while fleeing from gardai.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court heard that the DPP has directed that a garda involved in the pursuit of the three males, who were members of a Tallaght-based criminal gang that specialised in burglaries, is to be charged with a driving offence.

The three victims  Dean Maguire (29), Karl Freeman (26) and Graham Taylor (31)  were killed instantly when their BMW vehicle burst into flames following a head-on crash with a truck between Citywest and Baldonnel on July 7, 2021 while they were driving on the wrong side of the carriageway.

Sally Ann Maguire (Dean Maguire's wife)   Colin Keegan

The coroner, Clare Keane, was informed that the DPP had taken the decision to initiate the prosecution based on a file submitted by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission which investigated the circumstances of the fatal crash.

A designated officer with GSOC, Sean Campbell, applied for an adjournment of the inquest into the deaths of the three men based on the new development in the case.

Mr Campbell said the garda facing the prosecution was still not aware of the precise offence with which he would be charged and consequently he did not wish to say anything further on the matter.

The GSOC official said he had only become aware of the DPPs decision on Tuesday evening.

Mr Campbell said he was not in a position to provide any more details about the prosecution until he had received documents from the DPP relating to the summons to be served on the garda.

However, solicitor for Mr Taylors family, James MacGuill, complained that minimal information about the pending prosecution was being provided to the hearing.

It is scandalous treatment by GSOC of bereaved families who already have been waiting two years for answers, said Mr MacGuill.

Jason Freeman, father of Karl Freeman   Colin Keegan

He claimed GSOC should be required to provide a legal justification why the mens relatives should have another two weeks of legal uncertainty imposed on them.

Mr MacGuill also called on Dr Keane to use her authority to get Mr Campbell to provide such information.

Solicitor for Mr Maguires family, Michael Finucane, claimed there would be no prejudice to the garda by just informing the relatives of the victims about the charge which he would be facing.

Mr Finucane said he could see no basis why they could not be given such information after hearing from Mr Campbell that the gardas solicitor had been told in a roundabout way about the pending prosecution.

Asked to clarify what that meant, Mr Campbell replied that the offence related to his driving on the night.

Mr MacGuill said he would be astonished if the garda or his solicitor had not asked what exact charge he would be facing.

He claimed there was nothing under legislation to prevent the coroner and his clients from being told the nature of the offence as Mr Campbell was only stating a preference not to release such information.

Mr MacGuill said it was likely that the garda would face a charge of either reckless endangerment or dangerous driving causing death.

What possible reason is there not to be told today, he remarked.

Brenda Taylor (Graham's Taylor's mother)   Colin Keegan

However, Mr Campbell said he was aware of the specific charge but did not wish to answer further questions about it at this stage.

The GSOC official said he would be happy to answer any questions once the summons had been served on the garda and he was aware of the offence.

Following repeated questions by legal representatives of the families of the deceased, Mr Campbell said he had informed the gardas solicitor about the prosecution.

He explained that the solicitor would have seen all GSOCs information on the case and would have known what was coming.

Mr Campbell said he believed it was only fair that the garda should be formally notified first about the offence and would not release such information in advance of that.

In response, Mr Finucane claimed no justifiable reasons had been provided by the GSOC official for not revealing the specific offence.

Its not good enough. That is really causing great difficulties for all the families, he added.

Asked by the coroner when he would be in a position to specify the nature of the charge, Mr Campbell said GSOCs file had been with the DPP since last December and he expected he would be able to outline the exact offence to the coroner and the mens families in about two weeks.

Mr Freemans father, Jason Freeman, addressed the court to express concern that the families would read about the charge in the newspapers unless the coroner compelled Mr Campbell to disclose the offence.

Addressing a large group of the deceaseds relatives who attended the hearing, Dr Keane acknowledged that the issue was very upsetting for them.

Following a brief adjournment, the coroner said she would grant GSOCs application for an adjournment in the case on the basis criminal proceedings are being considered.

Dr Keane set a further hearing in the case for May 23.

Last August, the inquest heard the bodies of the three men had to be identified using DNA samples taken from relatives because of the extent of the injuries they suffered in the collision and subsequent fire.

Controversy was generated following the mens deaths in 2021 over the conduct of mourners at the requiem mass and burial of Mr Maguire.

The funeral at St Marys Priory church in Tallaght garnered international headlines after a screwdriver and torch  tools associated with burglars  were brought to the altar as offertory gifts, while many attendees ignored attempts by local priests to limit the numbers in church and to get the congregation to observe social distancing and mask-wearing as part of Covid-19 restrictions.

One woman who delivered a eulogy said Mr Maguire would not be forgotten before adding: Sorry for the language, Father  rest in peace, you f**king legend.

A poster brought to the church read: RIP Dean  You know the score, get on the floor, dont be funny, give me the money.

Fr Donal Roche, who oversaw the requiem ceremony and threatened to halt proceedings at one stage if greater respect was not shown in church, subsequently described it as the most disturbing funeral he had ever attended.

A funeral cortege featured motorcyclists doing wheelies and burnouts in a high-speed convoy, while Mr Maguires associates also carried out dangerous manoeuvres on public roads around Crumlin and other parts of the city in the days following his death.

All three men, who had a combined total of over 200 convictions, were known to gardai and were believed to be key figures in a burglary gang that was linked to Fat Andy Connors  a crime gang leader who was shot dead outside his home in Saggart, Co Dublin in August 2014.
Florin Ciuraru pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and his wife admitted the theft.

A scammer told a theft victim he would have to pay him bucks for the return of his mobile phone after the accuseds wife stole it in a supermarket.

Florin Ciuraru answered the phone and demanded money when the victim rang it, a court heard.

His wife Doina Ciuraru had earlier taken the phone when it fell out of the mans pocket as he shopped.

The accused, both aged 34 and parents of five, from Ayrfield Drive, Dublin 13 were each fined 250 at Dublin District Court.

Florin Ciuraru pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and his wife admitted the theft.

Garda Colm Maguire told Judge Bryan Smyth the victim had dropped his iPhone from his pocket at Lidl, Moore Street on June 12, 2022.

Doina Ciuraru was nearby and immediately picked it up, making no attempt to hand it back.

The theft was seen on CCTV.

Garda Eoin Morrison said the victim called his phone from a friends phone later that day and Florin Ciuraru answered it and asked for bucks, or money to return it.

They arranged to meet on Dorset Street in central Dublin and the victim turned up with other people  friends and security guards from the area to help him.

The phone was returned without money being handed over, Gda Morrison said.

Doina Ciuraru

Florin Ciuraru was identified from phone records. His wife replied I find the phone when charged.

They had no previous convictions.

It was a crime of opportunity, defence barrister Kevin McCrave said. It was not planned, the situation presented itself.

The couple came to Ireland from Romania in 2007 and Florin Ciuraru was a cleaner, Mr McCrave said.

The court heard there was a language difficulty for the accused, who had an interpreter in court.

Theres no language difficulty when it comes to taking somebodys phone and then trying to scam them out of money to get it back, Judge Smyth said.
The man took pictures of the baby before sending them to her mum and driving off. The child was found crying, cold and in a terrified state by passers-by at 5am

A young father who abandoned his baby daughter at the side of a busy road to get revenge after the child's mother went on a night out has been jailed for three years.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, then took pictures of the two-year-old child before sending them to her mother and driving off.

The child was found crying, cold and in a terrified state by two passers-by at 5am.

Judge John Aylmer placed the incident at the the higher end of the scale for such offences, saying the child had been exposed to significant risk of death or injury.

He added that the child had been exposed to all kinds of danger by the man in a fairly premeditated fashion.

The accused, who is in his 20s, appeared at Letterkenny District Court in Co Donegal, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of child cruelty.

Details of the incident were outlined in court by Garda Sergeant Frank McDaid of Letterkenny garda station.

He told how two men returning from a night out in Letterkenny in August, 2020, thought they had heard a child crying.

They found a young child in socks and no shoes holding a babys bottle containing milk at the entrance to a construction site.

They immediately began banging on the doors of local houses, thinking the child had accidentally walked out of one of the houses.

However, none of those who answered recognised the little girl and gardai were contacted. The child was put into a patrol car and wrapped up as she was feeling cold.

A woman later telephoned the garda station explaining that the lost child was her daughter, who had been in the care of her father earlier that night.

The court heard how the man had become jealous that his ex-partner had been out socialising and had telephoned the woman at least 30 times and threatened to abandon the child. At 4.30am the man threatened his ex-partner that he would leave the child if she did not tell him where she was.

The man eventually followed through on his threat. He took a picture of the child alone by the side of the road and sent it to her mother and her sister before driving off.

A full investigation was launched and CCTV was recovered showing the man driving off leaving the toddler alone.

The accused was arrested by gardai and when confronted he told them: Aye, I was expecting this silly thing.

He was interviewed on four occasions, during which he admitted getting the child out of her bed and leaving her in Letterkenny, saying his temper got the better of him.

He also admitted that anything could have happened to the child but said he had been on medication for depression, which he had stopped taking.

A victim impact statement on behalf of the childs mother said the child still struggles to be around other people and will only stay with her and her parents.

The young woman said her daughter or herself had never been through anything so traumatic, but added that they are getting through it.

The court was also told that the young man has not seen his daughter since the incident.

Barrister for the accused, Ms Fiona Crawford, said her client was rightfully ashamed of what he had done and was very remorseful.

Ms Crawford said her client admitted he had used the child as a pawn in a jealous relationship and there was no excuse for it.

He added that he really appreciated what the passing men had done in finding his daughter, admitting they had saved her life.

Ms Crawford added: He had lost the head and temper got at him. He was taking matters out on his child. She would have been scared and confused.

There is no excuse and he is so disappointed, disgusted and ashamed of himself.

Passing sentence, Judge Aylmer said that before mitigation, he placed the incident at the higher end of the scale and one which merited a sentence of five years.

He said the fact the child was only left alone for two minutes was only fortuitous, as the child had been found by two men returning from a party.

This involved a huge breach of trust on his behalf in that he had the care and the custody of the child, said the judge.

However, because of the fact that the accused had entered an early plea and his overall co-operation, he was reducing the sentence to one of four years imprisonment.

Judge Aylmer also noted the accused was remorseful, that he was very trusted before the incident and that this incident was very much out of character.

The man also had no previous convictions for similar offences and only had one previous conviction for a simple drugs possession offence.

The accused was also being treated for depression at the time but was not taking his medication and that he acted out of bad temper for purely selfish reasons.

In all those circumstances, including the needs identified by the Probation Services, Judge Aylmer said he was suspending the last 12 months of the four-year sentence.

He directed that the man abstain from alcohol and unprescribed drugs and remain under the service of the Probation Service for 12 months after his release.

Judge Aylmer also ordered the accused to identify the names of any partners or their children with whom he forms a relationship within the 12 months of being released.
Mr Baldrick, a member of the Irish defence forces, based at the barracks in Rathmines, is charged with assault causing harm to the woman.

Darragh Baldrick (23) appeared in Dublin District Court today charged over the alleged incident in Cathal Brugha barracks

A soldier has been charged with assaulting and injuring his partner at an army barracks in Dublin.

Darragh Baldrick (23) appeared in Dublin District Court today charged over the alleged incident in Cathal Brugha barracks in the early hours of yesterday morning.

He was granted conditional bail with no garda objections and the case against him was adjourned for the directions of the DPP to be given.

Mr Baldrick, a member of the Irish defence forces, based at the barracks in Rathmines, is charged with assault causing harm to the woman.

The charge is under Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and the incident is alleged to have happened on May 9.

Today, Garda Brendan O'Callaghan gave evidence of the accuseds arrest, charge and caution. He said he arrested the accused at the barracks yesterday morning and brought him to Rathmines garda station where he was charged at 6.55pm.

Mr Baldrick made no reply after caution, the garda said. He was handed a copy of the charge sheet.

The garda had no objection to bail subject to conditions.

Judge Brendan OReilly granted bail in the accuseds own bond of 100 with no cash lodgement required.

Under conditions, Mr Baldrick must stay away from the alleged victim and her home in west Dublin. He is to have no contact with her, directly or indirectly including by social media.

Defence solicitor Evan Moore told Judge OReilly the accused was a member of the defence forces. Mr Baldrick and the alleged victim had no children together, he said.

The accused had no trips abroad planned, the court heard.

The judge granted free legal aid after hearing evidence of the accuseds earnings and that he had no assets.

Mr Moore then said he was seeking reporting restrictions in the case, saying the alleged assault was on the accuseds partner, and it was to save her being identified.

I think that would be stretching it now, the judge said, stating the charge.

Mr Moore said he was seeking restrictions given the sensitivity of it.

I dont see any basis for it, Garda Sergeant Derek Spain said.

The judge refused the application for reporting restrictions and remanded the accused on bail, to appear in court again on July 5.
Male culprit allegedly roared abuse before attacking the innocent jogger

Gardai have launched an appeal for witnesses after a female jogger was reportedly punched in the face by an e-scooter rider whilst out for a run in Limerick.

The terrifying assault happened at approximately 6.25pm last Wednesday May 3 while the woman (20s) was on a popular walking path, the canal bank in Rhebogue, Co Limerick.

A statement from police today said:

"Gardai received report of an incident of assault that occurred at approximately 6:25pm on the 3rd of May 2022 in the Rhebogue, Co Limerick.

A woman aged in her 20s received non-life threatening injuries that did not require medical treatment.

No arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing.

According to gardai, the assault happened close to the canal entrance at Richmond Rugby Club.

Divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch spoke to the Limerick Leader about what exactly happened.

"She was listening to music and enjoying the nice evening. Suddenly two electric scooters with young males on them came up close to her at speed. She instinctively put her hands out and brushed off one of the youths.

He continued but stopped, dropped his scooter and verbally abused her as he was walking back to her," Sergeant Leetch said.

"The woman said that she did not see them but he -the male culprit- roared more abuse and punched her in the side of her face," she added.

Following the assault, the woman returned to her home and reported the incident to gardai.

"She described the youths as being between twelve and fourteen years old. The youth that struck her was wearing a distinctive brown and orange hoodie and black pants. The other youth was dressed all in black with his hood up," said Sgt Leetch.

Gardai are looking for any witnesses who may have seen the assault or anyone who knows anything about the youths on the e-scooters to contact Henry Street garda station on 061 212400 or any garda station.
By Yuki Yamaguchi, KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2023 - 09:53 | All, Japan

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its net profit fell 14.0 percent in fiscal 2022 from the previous year to 2.45 trillion yen ($18 billion), the first decline in four years due to rising material costs. Operating profit for the year ended March slid 9.0 percent to 2.73 trillion yen, although the Japanese carmaker posted record sales of 37.15 trillion yen on robust vehicle sales and a weaker yen that bloats its overseas sales when repatriated. For the current business year through next March, Toyota expects net profit to increase 5.2 percent to 2.58 trillion yen as it expects growth in production capacity. Operating profit is projected to rise 10.1 percent to a record 3 trillion yen on sales of a record 38 trillion yen, up 2.3 percent. The automaker recently had its first leadership change in 14 years with Koji Sato, a former Lexus division head, replacing Akio Toyoda as president at the world's biggest auto seller on April 1 as it accelerates its efforts in electric vehicle development. Sato vowed to shore up its fledging all-electric car business at a press conference following the release of its earnings, while also saying Toyota will stick to its "multi-pathway strategy" to offer a wide selection of green vehicles, including hybrid cars and fuel cell vehicles.

"The key is to improve our product development capabilities in an agile manner," Sato said of its EVs. "We will also consider partnering with other companies as an option to expand our lineup and make attractive products."

Toyota expects to invest about 5 trillion yen to achieve the goal of selling 3.5 million EVs by 2030.

It plans to show a concept model for the next-generation EV it plans to launch in 2026 at the Japan Mobility Show, a trade fair scheduled to be held in October in Tokyo for cars and various transportation options.

For last fiscal year, rising costs for steel and aluminum pushed down Toyota's operating profit by 1.55 trillion yen, although the positive effect from the falling yen and brisk sales in Japan and other Asian markets helped mitigate some of the impacts, the automaker said.

"We realized there was still room for improvement despite the challenging circumstances," Sato said. "We will boost our resistance to fluctuating factors such as material costs and foreign exchange."

The company said it aims to produce a record 10.1 million cars for the Toyota and Lexus brands in fiscal 2023, up from 9.13 million a year before, as it recovers from a semiconductor shortage that impacted its production last fiscal year.

The auto giant, together with its subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., plans to sell 11.38 million vehicles worldwide, up 7.8 percent.

Toyota also said it has restarted shipments of Daihatsu-made vehicles sold under the Toyota brand to Malaysia, Mexico and Ecuador after they were halted following revelations about the subsidiary's improper testing of products.

A review by a third-party organization proved they are all safe to drive, Toyota said, adding it is also in talks with authorities in Thailand and countries in the Middle East to restart shipments to them.

Daihatsu said last month that door parts of four models for overseas markets were "improperly modified" in side collision tests, with the number of affected vehicles amounting to 88,000 units, many of which were sold in Thailand and Malaysia.

Toyota said separately in a release that it has received a joint shareholder proposal from three institutional investors calling on the company to improve disclosure of its lobbying activities regarding climate change.

The company said it is against the proposal, saying it is already committed to updating information on climate-related public relations activities each year.

Related coverage:

Toyota Chairman Toyoda apologizes for Daihatsu's improper testing

Japan major automakers' domestic output sees 1st rise in 4 yrs

Toyota focuses on emission cuts rather than on EV sales: new pres.
I had no idea just how bad the legal system was until I went to a garda station in my own county as a complainant myself

A Dublin councillor who was sexually harassed has raised issues regarding the use of victims counselling records and the DPP with the Minister for Justice.

Independent Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Councillor Deirdre Donnelly, who previously revealed how she had been assaulted at a political event by a public representative, met Minister Simon Harris to highlight her concerns.

Cllr Donnelly said: I had no idea just how bad the legal system was until I went to a garda station in my own county as a complainant myself.

She has spoken openly about her experience with the Irish justice system following an incident at a political event a few years ago.

She was shocked at the lack of privacy in the garda station when she first complained, as well as the gardas refusal despite numerous requests to provide her with a copy of her statement.

Cllr Donnelly has previously spoken out about the issue

Her biggest concerns, however, relate to the use of a victims counselling records in a trial to aid the defence and delays in getting a decision from the DPP on whether a trial will go ahead or not.

These matters can cause an already traumatised victim a huge amount of stress, said Cllr Donnelly, as she recalled a wait of almost two years before the DPP finally decided not to prosecute.

It is difficult to undergo counselling and try to move on when you do not know if a trial is going ahead or not, she added. This is before we even take the delay in getting to court into account.

In relation to the use of counselling records she asked the Minister to consider what would happen if the private meetings the accused had with their lawyer were transcribed and used in court.

Is there a constitutional right to privacy, she asked.  Why is it that a victim of rape or sexual assault can have their privacy violated in such a manner but the offender on release into the community has a right to privacy regarding his address?

During the meeting with Minister Harris, she also highlighted the need for the availability of legal advice from the outset as well as other essential supports.

She believes that the DPP should engage with victims and explain the reason for their decision if they decide not to prosecute.

She has also said that its now time for a referendum on victims rights so that complainants will be less reluctant to report incidents.

It's almost two years since Cllr Donnelly first spoke out about the urgent need for reform of the justice system for victims of sexual violence.

She contacted all members of the Seanad and Dail at the time but expressed her disappointment at the poor response from the majority of members.

I was delighted therefore that Minister Harris took the time to meet me to discuss my recommendations on how to improve the system, she said.

"I really hope that this will be the start of real change and welcome the fact that he has agreed to take my suggestions on board as new legislation goes through the Oireachtas.
Professor Colin OGara chats to Nicola about addiction in Ireland

HE is the consultant psychiatrist with his finger on the pulse when it comes to alcohol abuse, cocaine use and gambling addictions.

With an expertise in the use of medicine to help those trying to quit acute and dangerous habits, Professor Colin OGara says absolutely anyone is open to developing problematic addictions which could destroy their lives.

Today, the head of addiction services at St John of God talks about how modern life, our traumatic past and our historic relationship with alcohol have all fed into an addicted Ireland.

And he warns how with the use of cocaine, now normalised in every town across the country, a looming threat of a crack cocaine epidemic is never far away.

Crime World Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

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Gardai were called to the scene in the early hours of this morning by members of the military police.

A member of the Defence Forces has been arrested in relation to the assault of a woman at a military barracks earlier today.

The woman was allegedly assaulted at Cathal Brugha barracks in Rathmines, Dublin.

Gardai were called to the scene in the early hours of this morning by members of the military police.

Its understood that the victim suffered wounds consistent with an assault including injuries to her neck.

A man was arrested in relation to the incident and brought to Rathmines Garda Station for questioning.

Independent.ie understands that the suspect is a member of the Defence Forces while the alleged victim is a woman known to him.

He has since been charged in relation to the incident and is due before a court in Dublin tomorrow morning.

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai arrested a man following reports of an alleged assault in the Rathmines area in the early hours of Tuesday, 9th May 2023.

"The man was detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a South Dublin Garda Station.

"He was later charged and is due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice tomorrow morning, Wednesday 10th May 2023 at 10.30am.

"Investigations are ongoing," the garda spokesperson added.

A military spokesperson told Independent.ie: "The Defence Forces is aware of an alleged incident that occurred in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines this morning.

"After an initial Military Police review, there is now currently a Garda Siochana (AGS) investigation ongoing into the alleged incident and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment any further on the matter."
Eric (39) was found dead after drinking a Moscow Mule cocktail which his wife had given him, allegedly riddled with poison

A Utah mum (33) who wrote a book about grief to help her sons overcome the death of their father has been charged with his murder.

Kouri Richins husband, Eric (39), was found dead in his bedroom last March after drinking a Moscow Mule cocktail which his wife had given him, allegedly riddled with poison.

Shortly after the dinner, Eric became very ill. Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him, court documents said.

Kouri's book

About a year to the day her husband died, Richins published a childrens book, Are You With Me? about navigating grief after the loss of a loved one.

Police now allege she killed her husband of nearly a decade with a lethal dose of illicit fentanyl.

This month, they charged her with aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Newly released court documents detailed a series of illicit fentanyl purchases by Kouri in the months leading up to her spouses death.

Kouri allegedly bought the drugs from a known dealer. Weeks before her husbands death, the Richins had marked Valentines Day with a dinner at home.

Moscow mule cocktail

An autopsy and toxicology report revealed that Eric died of a fentanyl overdose. He had about five times the lethal dosage in his system.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and seized his wifes phone and several computers. They discovered extensive communications between Kouri and the dealers associate, who said they obtained hydrocodone for the mum.

A couple of weeks later, Ms Richins reached out again and asked for some of the Michael Jackson stuff.

Kouri Richins allegedly paid $900 for 15-30 fentanyl pills. About two weeks later, on February 26, Richins allegedly reached out for more fentanyl pills.

Richins family

About 3:30 a.m. on March 4, 2022, deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive man at the couples home. First responders unsuccessfully tried to revive Eric, who died six days after the latest alleged pill delivery.

His wife gave investigators her version of what happened that night. The couple had celebrated her business success and she brought him a cocktail in bed. Richins said she left and went to sleep with one of her three sons in his room because the child was having a night terror.

The defendant said she awoke around 03:00 hours and came back to her and Erics bedroom. She felt Eric and he was cold to the touch. That is when defendant called 911, court documents said.

Kouri allegedly told cops she left her phone plugged in next to her bed and did not take it to her sons room.

However, tolls on the defendants phone show that messages were sent and received during that time. These messages were deleted, court documents revealed.

For months, Kouri Richins worked on her book. In April, she appeared on Good Things Utah, a show on tv channel ABC4, to talk about the importance of her childrens book on mourning.

She said its based on three concepts: connection, continuity and care.

Connection: Keep the persons spirit alive who has passed. Continuity: Try and keep routines and schedules as normal as possible. Care: Affirming their feelings; understanding when they are sad, mad, lonely and talking about those feelings and letting them know its OK, Kouri said in the interview.

Her three children helped her pen the book to articulate their feelings, she said.

Weeks later, Richins was arrested for her husbands death.
The soothing, timeless paradise that is Stephens Green truly is natures gift to my old home town...

Last Wednesday afternoon, the May sun glinting overhead like a polished sapphire, Dublins lush, abundant and beloved front garden shimmered, a tranquil, hypnotic Eden.

On early summer days like this, St Stephens Green  the city centres pristine lung  assumes a miraculous dual aspect.

At once a bustling, outdoor Grand Central Station, all noise and hubbub, teeming with humanity on its way to somewhere else, but also a house of serenity, a few minutes snoozing on one of its wrought-iron benches sufficient to defuse the ticking time-bomb of lifes everyday stresses.

Buzzing like the RDS mosh-pit at Bruce Springsteen, yet as dreamy as a mountain-top Buddhist temple.

At the lip of hectic Grafton Street, the park is a soothing, timeless paradise.

An environmentally friendly jump-lead when our emotional engines splutter.

A refuge where you can be alone among the thousands. Or, for those craving the cup of human company, an open air tavern were draughts of conversation on tap are the house speciality.

Flanked by the stately Shelbourne Hotel, the beautiful Newman University Church, and an abundance of old bars, it is among my favourite spaces in my favourite city.

A happiness factory, a coalition of man, woman and nature, the place that prompted Noel Purcell to sing Leo Maguires ecstatic line, the one announcing that Dublin could be heaven.

And there is something of the divine, something spiritually uplifting about a stroll through Stephens Green, natures gift to the old town, a carousel of duck ponds and bandstands and ancient statues and walkways curling through centuries-old trees.

Advance under the parasol of oak-lined avenues  Beau Walk, Leesons Walk, Moncks Walk and French Walk  and even the religiously agnostic might be persuaded that they are indeed privy to a specimen of Gods handiwork.

Each time I visit, I am reminded of Barack Obamas lament for a simple life-affirming pleasure that his elevated status as US Commander-in-Chief stole from him.

I just want to go through Central Park and watch folks passing by. Spend the whole day people watching. I miss that.

Last Wednesday, azure skies tattooed with fluffy blond wisps of cloud, that New York City landmarks smaller Celtic cousin, Dublin 2s 22-acre botanic wonderland, was at its most alluring.

Obamas people-watching paradise.

Office workers sipping a lunchtime cappuccino or scrolling through the days headlines on their phone, tourists flicking through guidebooks, teenagers posing for selfies, the lonely allowing the park to transfuse the lifeblood of companionship into lives that are too often solitary and friendless.

Next to me an elderly lady hummed quietly to herself as she made light work of a 99 Flake.

I wondered what flashbacks were assailing her memory: Schooldays of long ago perhaps, or summer hours strolling through this very place with a first love, so much of life stretching out before them.

I lingered for a little over an hour, remembering, imagining, enjoying the movie of life that was unspooling on the giant green screen.

It wasnt a scorching day, there was still a hint of devil in the breeze, but when the sun took your face in its soothing embrace, it lit you with the sheer pleasure of being alive.

The riot of colour, symphony of birdsong, the young and besotted at the fountains edge, all seemed like a signpost to the promise of long, bright, carefree days ahead.

It might have been a victory parade celebrating that winters dark army had been officially defeated and exiled.

Sycamores, so recently naked and shivering in the winter chill, are again robed in verdant summer suits.

Older trees bend to one side as if curious to eavesdrop on the thousand conversations on the benches below.

In the parks quieter recesses, robins, those wonderfully social and playful creatures, chirp their joyous song of friendship.

The summer grasses are combed and shaved and as smartly attired as the wedding parties who often gather on the old humpback bridge for group photos. The flower beds  a miracle of lemons and lilacs  burst with newly sprouted life.

The park doubles as an avian airport, flights of ecstatic, shrieking, rapacious gulls taking off and landing, their noisy colonisation of the duck pond about the only negative to a long, lazy afternoon.

On a weekend when our neighbours crowned their latest monarch, Noel Purcells celebration of this storied acreage again invaded a sleepy Wednesday afternoon at Dublins epicentre.

Theres no need to hurry, theres no need to worry, youre a king and the ladys a queen.
Missing girls aunt says a satchel found beside remains could be teens

MISSING Amy Fitzpatricks aunt Christine Kenny is not ruling out the possibility that the discovery of human bones near where the teenager went missing may be those of her long-lost niece.

Amy (15) went missing from Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola, in Spain, on New Years Day 2008.

The young Dubliner had been living there with her mum Audrey, stepdad Dave Mahon and her since deceased brother Dean.

Spanish police have revealed that in recent days human remains were found next to a suitcase in the hills close to where Amy went missing.

The body was found in the hills near Mijas and they reckon the body has been there over a decade, Christine told the Sunday World. They found a skull and other body parts.

They reckon though from the bone structure that its of a woman aged between 25 and 30 or thereabouts. But it takes ages for that type of thing to be dealt with.

Amy's aunt Christine Kenny and Amy's dad Christopher Fitzpatrick. Pic Val Sheehan

There is a possibility that it could be Amy though, as there was a satchel bag found with the remains, and Amy used to have a similar type bag.

Crusading Christine had led the campaign on behalf of Amys fathers side of the family to find out what happened to the teenager, and she recently met Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin to try to press Spanish authorities to put more resources into the search.

I wish this was finished with and the child was found and that someone came forward with the information; thats what we need now because it has taken its toll, Christine said.

My main concern is that Amy is found one way or another.

If she is found deceased that she is given a decent burial, and she is laid to rest with Dean in the family plot, so her father Christopher  who bought the grave  and the family can pay their respects.

The people who are responsible for her going missing should also be brought to justice. I want the case upgraded to one of murder.

Christine adds that a woman who sent her new important information recently is vital to solving the puzzling case.

Amy's mother Audrey Fitzpatrick and partner Dave Mahon with Sunday World in Spain

This lady has never given her name, but she has been giving information over the years, she reveals.

This information has eventually found its way to me through sources. I havent got around to all the bits and pieces. There is about 21 pages in it and its ongoing.

She seems to be on the ball all the time. I dont want this person to stop giving the information to the police, and the Guardia Civil as well.

Christine says the woman insists the people involved in Amys disappearance were known to her.

She reckons that she knows who is responsible for Amys disappearance, says Christine.

Amy spent New Years Eve in 2007 with her friends, Ashley and Debbie Rose, near her Spanish home.

She was never seen again after leaving the Rose house at around 10pm on New Years night to walk a few minutes back to her home.

Her mother Audrey and stepfather Dave Mahon now live in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, where Mahon is facing charges of beating up an old age pensioner.
Im not sure if its a form of post-colonialism or Stockholm syndrome within the political system  or just an inability to make a decision

The statue of Prince Albert sits at the back of Leinster House. Photo: Steve Humphreys

The statue of Albert is now almost completely enclosed by a hedge. Photo: Douglas O'Connor

Britains King Charles III is being urged to take possession of a statue of his great-great-great-grandfather at the Dail.

The coronation is over  please take Albert home, said Aontu leader Peadar Toibin TD.

The statue of King Charless ancestor, Prince Albert  husband of 19th-century British monarch Queen Victoria  overlooks a lonely hedge at the back of Leinster House.

It once dominated the rear of the building, facing on to Merrion Square from the middle of the lawn.

It was moved to the side of the Natural History Museum after Irish independence, and a cenotaph to the Civil War dead eventually took the central location instead.

The statue of Albert is now almost completely enclosed by a hedge that has grown up around it over the years.

The statue of Prince Albert should be removed from the Leinster House lawn, said Mr Toibin, who invited King Charles to pay for it to be shipped to England.

A corresponding statue of Queen Victoria stood in front of Leinster House, facing Kildare Street, where the plinth is now. It was put into storage after independence and was eventually sent to Sydney, Australia.

Aontus Mr Toibin outlined the reasons the statue was not an appropriate choice for the seat of the Irish parliament.

Prince Albert was the husband of British Queen Victoria, who was also known as the Famine Queen, given that she was the monarch that presided over the deaths of one million Irish people and the emigration of a further two million, he said.

He did not watch the coronation TV coverage at the weekend as he is busy canvassing for Aontu candidates for the local elections in the North later this month.

The statue of Prince Albert sits at the back of Leinster House. Photo: Steve Humphreys

The reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert over Ireland was an unmitigated humanitarian disaster, from which Ireland has not recovered from yet in terms of population  yet we have a statute at the rear of Leinster House in Prince Alberts honour, he said.

Prince Albert was born a German, Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel. Through his marriage to Queen Victoria, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha retained the British throne.

The British royal family only changed its surname to Windsor during WWI.

The statue of Albert was unveiled at Leinster House before a large crowd in 1860, when Albert was aged 41.

King Charles III in golden carriage video dubbed with Pintman audio

It celebrates his industrial, artistic and scientific achievements. Albert died just a year later, aged only 42.The statue has therefore been in central Dublin for 163 years.

I cant imagine any other mature democratic nation doing as we are in keeping Albert, with his history, said Mr Toibin, who made an effort in 2016 to have the statue removed.

Im not sure if its a form of post-colonialism or Stockholm syndrome within the political system  or just an inability to make a decision, he added.

The statute should be decommissioned.

Its seems we are embarrassed enough to let the statue be overgrown by a hedge, but not enough to just remove the statue.

Surely we have enough Irish people of note who have contributed and sacrificed for the development of the Irish State that we can come up with a person better suited to Leinster House Lawn?

I am thinking of the many outstanding women who help build this Republic such as Hanna Sheehy Skeffington or Dr Kathleen Lynn.

But one way or another, Albert has to go.
The Wrexham success story is incredible and I can relate to it, that ambition, the hard work and passion to become the very best.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor surprised Wrexham football fans outside the iconic The Turf Pub when they became the first punters in the UK to sample his new stout - Forged, from a Nitro Truck at the weekend.

Conor donated 10,000 towards a local autism charity as well as takings from beverage sales on the evening, amounting to another 2,200. That brings the total Conor handed over to approximately 14,000.

Totally blown away by the generosity of Conor McGregor to reach out and make such a significant donation to Your Space Wales, said Wrexham star and autism charity patron, Paul Mullins.

Paul Mullin, Wrexham Footballer and Vicki Evans, Operations Director at Your Space being pr (Image: Radioactive PR)

McGregors team pitched up to The Turf, which has featured prominently in Disneys Welcome To Wrexham series, in a custom designed Land Rover Defender complete with tap to serve over 1,000 pints to the locals.

Forged Irish Stout was first brewed in late 2020 and for the last number of years has been available exclusively in McGregors The Black Forge near his home in Crumlin.

Conor explained why his company decided to focus on the north Wales town.

The Wrexham success story is incredible and I can relate to it, that ambition, the hard work and passion to become the very best.

I wanted to reward their fans by making them the first to sample my stout on these shores. Their desire for success inspires me and much like Forged Stout theyre not here to take part, theyre here to take over!

Home of Wrexham fc

"Im also incredibly proud to support the local Your Space Autism charity through Forged Irish Stout along with Paul Mullin.

This is a cause that is very close to me and my team's heart and Im grateful to Paul for offering me the opportunity to support such a worthy cause and for the work he puts into Your Space. I look forward to visiting Wrexham soon, Conor said.

Owner of The Turf pub, Wayne Jones, told local news reporters of his joy to hear from the mixed martial artist.

Its not every day you get a call from Conor McGregor, but to be honest nothing surprises me these days after the past couple of years.

Its a real privilege for him to choose my establishment as the first to pour his stout outside of his own pub and it gave us a wonderful opportunity to support a very worthy local charity in Your Space which does amazing work, Mr Jones said.

Having scaled production through the purchase of his own brewery, the Crumlin man is set to take on the stout category on both sides of the Irish Sea with more events planned in the UK, Ireland and North America.

The Dub is expected to be a regular visitor to the Welsh city as Forged cans are made on the outskirts of the town in Ardagh Packaging, Wrexham.
This wasnt Reillys first visit to the Irish American presidential pit-stop

The Irish American actor, John C Reilly, startled delighted staff at the world-famous Barack Obama Plaza near Moneygall, Co Offaly after he dropped in for a visit.

The Hollywood star, who was on his back from presenting the IFTAs in Dublin, stopped in to the motorway service station located on the border of Offaly and Tipperary, near the ancestral home of former US President Barack Obama.

Barack Obama Plaza said in a social media post on Monday, May 8: John C Reilly made Obama Plaza his destination of choice (again) as he visits Ireland!"

"John was happy to stop and be pictured with Cathal & Kinga today, they added, alongside a photo of the actor with two staff members.

However, this wasnt Reillys first visit to the Irish American presidential pit-stop.

"We were delighted to have John C Reilly in," the plaza said on social media back in January 2019.

"Like everyone else he had to get a selfie & a Supermacs."

The plaza, that opened in 2014, three years after Obama's visit to Ireland, features a bronze statue of Barack and Michelle Obama that was unveiled at the site in 2018.

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Reilly was attending the IFTAs on Sunday night in Dublin, where he presented the award for Best Film, which went to The Banshees of Inisherin.

The Illinois native has strong Irish roots and served as the International Guest of Honour at the 2022 St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin.

Speaking the day before the parade, Reilly said it had a deep meaning for him as an Irish American.

I know that my father who is somewhere watching right now couldnt be more proud, he said at the time.

You know, I have always been a big supporter of Ireland. I have come here many, many times over the years; I have vacationed here, I have worked here but it feels especially important to come here now to let people know that Ireland is open for business again.

Reilly made an appearance on The Late Late Show while in Ireland for the festivities in 2022, where he performed heartfelt renditions of the Irish classics Raglan Road and The Wild Rover.

He has always been a big supporter of Ireland and had previously attended the St Patricks Day celebrations in his home city with his Irish father.
The residential values across Abu Dhabis freehold areas grew by 1.2% in the first quarter of 2023, pushing the average prices to AED964 per sq ft. In contrast, villa values showed signs of moderation after rising for six consecutive months, resulting in an annual rate of change of 1.2%, according to global property consultancy, Knight Frank.

The stability in prices across Abu Dhabi's freehold areas is largely due to a limited number of new homes currently under construction, stated the industry expert in its latest Abu Dhabi Residential Market Review.

Around 29,000 homes are set to be completed by the end of 2025, with villas making up 58% of this number.

However, the pace of new project launches is quickening, with 15 new residential projects unveiled in the first quarter of 2023 alone. At present, 5,600 homes have been announced, but construction is yet to commence on these, it added.

According to the Department for Municipalities and Transport, Yas Island recorded a staggering AED4.2 billion ($1.14 billion) in property transactions during 2022, followed closely by Al Reem Island at AED 3.4 billion, and Saadiyat Island at AED 3.1 billion.

The total value of transactions across the city rose by 8.5% in 2022, and the number of deals saw an increase of more than 27%, it added.

Faisal Durrani, Head of Middle East Research, said: "While residential transactional activity appears to be picking up pace, average home values still trail the 2014 peak by around 26%."

"This discount is undoubtedly contributing to rising deal activity, but the markets performance remains fragmented, with the headline figures masking more nuanced trends at a submarket and price-band level," he noted.

"In general, households are continuing to use the relatively low-price environment to upgrade where possible, with demand cascading upwards  those in smaller apartments upgrading to larger ones and those in smaller villas doing the same," said Durrani.

He pointed out that this trend was most noticeable in locations such as Al Reef Villas, where prices have risen by 16.8% since January 2020, fuelled in large part by those upgrading to villa living from apartments.

Al Reef Villas remains one of the most affordable freehold villa communities in Abu Dhabi.

"While villas appear to be a favourite amongst buyers, prices are moderating and currently stand 1.2% up on this time last year. This yo-yo like behaviour of villa prices suggests a price ceiling may have been reached, beyond which buyers are reluctant to commit," he added.

Stephen Flanagan - Partner, Head of Valuation and Advisory Mena, said: "We are observing a significant upswing in new project launches. With the city's strong economic growth driving job creation, we expect an upturn in demand for rental properties, particularly in the villa market."

"Like the sales market, tenants are seizing the opportunity to upgrade their accommodation wherever possible, which is leading to a strengthening of the villa lease rates," noted Flanagan.

According to Knight Frank, there has been a rise in villa rents, which have recovered to pre-Covid levels and currently stands 3.6% above January 2020 figures.

Notably, Saadiyat Island (AED84 sq ft) and Al Raha Beach (AED69 sq ft) have experienced the highest growth in rents since the onset of the pandemic.-TradeArabia News Service
KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2023 - 20:07 | All, World, Japan

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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G-7 finance chiefs to discuss bank woes, Ukraine, emerging risks

NIIGATA, Japan - Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven nations on Thursday began a three-day meeting in central Japan, as bank and debt woes add another layer of uncertainty over the global economy, already hit by Russia's war on Ukraine.

The G-7 is expected to confirm their unwavering support for Ukraine while keeping up the pressure on Russia to end its unprovoked war on its neighbor. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said $1 billion will be mobilized to assist Ukraine and related efforts via the government-backed Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

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ASEAN chair Indonesia says no real progress made on Myanmar peace

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo told other ASEAN leaders Thursday that no significant progress has yet been made on the implementation of a consensus to end violence in Myanmar, urging unity among the 10-member group on the issue.

The president was speaking on the second day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia, referring to the so-called five-point consensus agreed upon at a special ASEAN summit in April 2021 attended by Myanmar junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

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Several injured as predawn M5.2 quake rattles Tokyo Bay area

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 jolted areas surrounding Tokyo Bay early Thursday, including Chiba Prefecture and downtown Tokyo, leaving several people injured, according to the Japanese weather agency and local authorities.

The 4:16 a.m. quake registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Kisarazu and a lower 5 in Kimitsu, both in Chiba Prefecture, and a 4 in areas including Tokyo's Chiyoda and Shinagawa wards, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. No tsunami warning was issued.

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Kishida says Japan aims to lead int'l rule-making efforts for AI use

TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that Japan will seek to lead international efforts in establishing rules for the use of artificial intelligence as the chair of this year's Group of Seven meetings.

The pledge comes as governments have been pushing to harness rapidly developing technologies like AI bot ChatGPT while mitigating risks to privacy and addressing other concerns.

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Japan, ASEAN to hold summit on Dec. 16-18 to mark 50th anniv. of ties

TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold a three-day meeting to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their relationship in December, the top Japanese government spokesman said Thursday.

The Japanese government is preparing for the special summit with ASEAN from Dec. 16 in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference.

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SoftBank Group posts net loss of 970 bil. yen in FY 2022

TOKYO - SoftBank Group Corp. said Thursday it posted a net loss of 970.14 billion yen ($7.2 billion) for the year ended March as the technology and investment giant suffered a drop in the value of its shareholdings.

The Japanese conglomerate marked an annual loss for the second straight year but it shrank from the 1.71 trillion yen reported a year earlier. Sales for fiscal 2022 rose 5.6 percent to 6.57 trillion yen.

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Nissan's net profit rises 3.0% to 221.9 bil. yen in FY 2022

TOKYO - Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday its net profit for the year ended March rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier to 221.9 billion yen ($1.65 billion), as a surge in raw material costs was offset by the depreciation of the yen against the U.S. dollar.

Nissan's operating profit for fiscal 2022 grew 52.5 percent from a year earlier to 377.11 billion yen, while sales rose 25.8 percent to 10.6 trillion yen.

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Tokyo teacher sent to prosecutors for murder, likely laden with debt

TOKYO - A junior high school teacher was sent to prosecutors on Thursday a day after his arrest on suspicion of killing a man during a break-in at a home in Tokyo in February.

Kosuke Omoto, 36, allegedly stabbed to death Masafumi Yamagishi, 63, at the latter's home in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, apparently to steal valuables. Omoto is believed to have amassed millions of yen in debt through gambling and foreign exchange trading, investigative sources said.

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Video: Newborn crane in Japan's Hokkaido

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Its estimated that between 37,000 and 43,000 new homes will need to be built to keep up with demand in the Western Bay of Plenty over the next 30 years.

SmartGrowths latest Housing and Business Capacity Assessment identifies what more needs to be done to meet the needs of the growing population.

SmartGrowth is a collaboration between Bay of Plenty Regional, Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District councils, tangata whenua and central government that sets the strategic vision and direction for the growth and development of the sub-region.

SmartGrowth Leadership Group interim chair Anne Tolley says the assessment shows there will be insufficient housing in the short, medium, and long term for the sub-region - but opportunities remain.

This reflects a delay in being able to bring houses onto the market. These delays are caused by a range of factors including funding and delivery of infrastructure and the need to balance growth needs against national priorities such as the protection of highly productive land, fresh water and wetlands, and the management of natural hazard risks.

Affordability and providing the right housing for our communities remains a key issue as well. Making additional land available for housing will not resolve this situation on its own.

However, we know that councils are making plans with this in mind, including actively responding to rezone land in the right locations, providing the necessary infrastructure to support growth and enabling more development within existing urban areas.

Changes to council District Plans in 2023 to enable more housing in existing urban areas will support efforts to increase supply, and so will spatial planning projects that are taking place in areas such as Otumoetai, Mount Maunganui and Te Puke. Finding pathways to better enable housing on Maori land is also a high priority.

Business capacity in the sub-region is also impacted by demand for land. The assessment has found at least 320 hectares of new greenfield industrial land is required in the subregion over the next 30 years.

This is not able to be met within the Tauranga City area and sites within the Western Bay of Plenty District will be considered to address this.

Stats NZ projections estimate the sub-regions population is likely to increase to 282,900 in the next 30 years. Projections for 2022 show the population growing faster than the year before too, says Anne.

This is great as it creates opportunities for many, but it means we need the right infrastructure and land development to deliver the housing and employment our growing communities will need.

To ensure the right housing and infrastructure is delivered to meet the housing needs of our communities, a sub-regional Housing Systems Plan is being developed.

With a focus on delivery in the short term, the Plan will ensure key parties such as the councils, Tangata Whenua, Kainga Ora and the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development are working to the same Plan and are collectively supporting each party to deliver the housing we need as quickly as possible.

Kainga Ora is currently investing in housing development across the sub-region, including along Te Papa Peninsula and in Tauriko West.

But we also need more support from central government. We have written to the Minister for the Environment, Hon. David Parker, to acknowledge this position and highlight the need for central government support to provide major transport infrastructure to enable growth.

We know we need to plan for our future needs, and the needs of our future neighbours. The Western Bay of Plenty is a great place to live, work and play  and we are focused on making plans that support people to live the life they want to here now, and into the future too.
Rain or shine, Ann-Elisa Miles continues to share her passion for Rotoruas museum as a volunteer guide - despite the building having been closed since 2016.

Now, as Rotorua Lakes Council considers difficult decisions about the iconic Bath House buildings future, she is urging it to keep investing in strengthening it to restore it as a museum.

It is the soul of Rotorua.

This is one of four options for the iconic Rotorua Museum - Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawas future councillors will receive in a meeting today.

According to the meeting agenda, they will be asked to decide whether to give the go-ahead to begin consulting the public about the four options.

The options are to restore and reopen the museum; to stage the project; postpone it; or to earthquake-proof the building to a lower standard - which will mean it can't not be used as a museum.

The building closed in 2016 after sustaining significant structural damage in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kaikoura.

It is more than 100 years old and carries a Category 1 heritage rating.

Despite not being able to access the interior, Ann-Elisa has continued to conduct tours of the outside of the building.

The Norwegian told Local Democracy reporting she has spent 20 years sharing her love and learnings of Rotoruas past.

She feels no time should be wasted in fixing and opening the building as a museum, and says it's of national significance.

She acknowledges she holds strong views on the issue and believes the building and the land, with its rich history, is the appropriate place to house Rotoruas treasures.

National Party Rotorua MP Todd McClay says as an MP he does not hold a view on any options but believes there will be strong opinions from the public as to what to do.

He says the total project cost is a very large amount of money, which has the potential to grow. He also notes the current economic climate.

The budget needed to complete the construction is now estimated to be at least $81.4 million, and the council will need to find about an extra $28m capital investment if it chose to pursue this.

According to the agenda, the extra cost is proposed to be met through $9m of council funding, obtained through borrowing, and $19m of external funding.

Weve got to keep in mind what is affordable at the moment, says McClay.

He believes public consultation is the best way forward and calls for calm and respectful discussion.

Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Reynold Macpherson says its members hold diverse views on the museum.

Some want it to go back to central government where it came from.

Some see it as beautiful and iconic, and far more worthy of restoration than other pet projects because it could generate income.

He says others see the escalating costs and the councils inherited $300m debt and its attempt to improve its finances as reasons for mothballing it.

Elected members would be wise to commission advice on all options from a licensed and experienced quantity surveyor and then consult ratepayers.

A Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga spokesperson says it's aware of the four proposed options.

The Bath House (former) is of national and international significance for its association with the development of overseas tourism to New Zealand.

They say the building stands on Ngati Whakaue gifted land when the Government established Rotorua as a tourist resort in 1880, and is the first major building project carried out by the government to stimulate international interest in its spas.

Rotorua Museum has been closed since 2016. Photo / Laura Smith.

Heritage New Zealand will continue to work with the council and other parties to explore the options and assist in finding a course of action that best conserves the cultural, social, and architectural heritage of this significant building.

Rotorua Musuems website detailed how in 1963 the council took over control of the Bath House, and the museum opened in its south wing in 1969.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell says there is, naturally, a lot of interest in the future of what the building will be.

Progress has unfortunately been slow to date, but were committed to finding a solution as soon as possible.

The projected cost for fully restoring it to a museum has risen drastically since the council last consulted with the community in 2018.

Since the last consultation was five years ago, a lot has changed and she believes it will be appropriate to ask the community what their aspirations for the building were and what they were willing to pay.

The big question is how much of a priority this project is to our community now that we know a full restore will cost upwards of $81.4m, with ongoing costs expected.

A council spokesperson says elected members will be considering the matter at todays Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting.

- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.
A group of deerstalkers had to scramble through rising floodwaters as torrential rain wreaked havoc through the Bay of Plenty on Tuesday.

The active weather front that had earlier ravaged Northland, and sparked a state of emergency in Auckland, swept through the region in the evening, taking many by surprise at the voracity of the downpour.

A group of deerstalkers had to be dramatically rescued as a flash flood burst through their clubrooms, with a 1.5 m high wall of surging water sweeping away their vehicles.

A heavy deluge of rain caused flooding near houses at Donovan Park, Te Puke. Video: Glandre Van De Berg/Supplied.

The Bay of Plenty deer stalking association was having its committee meeting in their clubrooms on State Highway 29 near Tauriko, when water in a nearby creek rose and caused a wave of rapid flooding.

It came so fast, it was unbelievable, like a wall of water about 1.5m high, says one of the group, Evan Dines, who had to quickly evacuate.

Tauranga Boys' College was evacuated during after school activities, with boys wading up to their thighs in flood waters. Photo: Codi Fredericks.

While the group all made it out of the water to dry land, assisted by fire and emergency services, there was nothing they could do as they saw their cars in the car park outside, become submerged in water and carried away in the fierce torrents.

The cars are all gone. Buggered, says one of the group.

Meanwhile, a group of school children in an after school games club at Tauranga Boys College had to be evacuated as waters swept through the college grounds, says one of the boys mothers, Kaysi Fredericks.

One boy was wading in water up to his thigh, and my son had to just walk through it too getting soaked. It was hard for parents to get there to pick them up as the roads were so bad. As I got the call to go and pick him up at one point you couldnt see the kerb of the road as the water was so high, and that was on the main road.

Tauranga Boys' College was evacuated during after school activities, with boys wading up to their thighs in flood waters. Photo: Codi Fredericks/Stuff.

Parents were also frantic knowing their children were at camp at Mclaren Falls, in the Western Bay, says Fredericks.

My daughter was one of them. There were many extremely anxious parents, as we couldnt reach them and there is no wi-fi there, no phones. We were all so relieved when we heard they were all okay  soaked and surrounded by water  but we were just so happy that they were all safe.

Te Puke resident Glandre Van Den Berg says the floods had caused a stream of fast moving water behind her house, turning Donovan Park into a sea of water, and flash flooding roads.

As the Bay of Plenty was battered with heavy rain both Western Bay and Tauranga activated their emergency operation centres, and supported by Emergency Management, says Lisa Glass at Emergency Management Bay of Plenty.

We didnt have a declared state of emergency, so it wasnt an emergency per se, but it was complex enough and there was enough going on that teams around the place were working to make sure we were all aware of what was happening and what needed to be done.

A number of people had water on their properties and into some buildings, says Glass.

Fire, police, roading and power contractors were kept super busy, but fortunately the rain eased off enough to take some of that pressure off after the initial heavy deluges.

Heavy rain, fallen trees and slips caused road closures on State Highway 29, and roads between Omokoroa and Waihi and Tauranga and Rotorua had to be closed.

Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips, says Bay of Plenty Civil Defence.

- Annemarie Quill/Stuff.
A recent poll has shown less than a third of people surveyed think Tauranga City commissioners are doing a good job.

Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance commissioned the poll that asked How good a job do you think the Commission running Tauranga City Council has done over the past two years since it was appointed?

It asked people to rank the performance from very poor to very good.

The results show 27 per cent thought it was good or very good, 32 per cent said it was average, 34 per cent said it was poor or very poor and 6 per cent were unsure.

The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research on April 23 and 24 and asked 400 adults in Tauranga questions about the commissioners, and the decision to appoint them and extend their term.

The commission was appointed to Tauranga City Council in February 2021 by the previous Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta, to replace a dysfunctional council.

In March 2022, Mahuta extended the commissions term to July 2024 when an election would take place.

The poll asked if people supported or opposed the decision to appoint the commission, with 55 per cent in support of the decision and 34 per cent opposed, 11 per cent were unsure.

It also asked: In March 2022, the Minister of Local Government cancelled the scheduled elections for Tauranga City Council and extended the terms of the commissioners for a further two years. Did you support or oppose this decision?

Of the 400 respondents, 35 per cent were in support and 56 per cent were opposed.

Another question asked: Would you support or oppose ending their [the commissioners] term early and holding an election for a new mayor and councillors on the same day as the parliamentary general election in October?

The response showed 67 percent were in support of an election in October and 26 per cent were opposed, with 6 per cent unsure.

Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance spokesperson Sam Hill says the results show over time people's opinion of whether there should be a commission in place had gone from being slightly positive to quite strongly negative.

You can see from those polling numbers that people have gradually lost confidence, and they would like to have their say now, says Hill.

It just shows that people want to have an election as soon as possible.

Commission chair Anne Tolley said the commission was "well aware" that many residents would prefer to have elected governance. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Asked her thoughts on the poll, commission chair Anne Tolley says: Without knowing more about the way poll panel participants are selected, or self-selected, its impossible to make a judgment about the fairness of the poll findings.

Having said that, essentially this shows that around 60 per cent of the people polled are either happy, or at least not unhappy, with our performance, while around one-third thought the commission hasnt performed well.

I suspect that a similar poll relating to previous elected councils would have had a far lower approval rating, she says.

The commission is well aware that many residents would prefer to have elected governance, but the fact is that didnt work out well last time and weve been put here to do the job of addressing issues that elected councils had put in the too-hard basket for too many years.

Tolley says some of those issues, like the housing shortfall and traffic congestion are intractable.

It does take a long time to turn the ship around, but the feedback were getting is that there is confidence were heading in the right direction.

In terms of the commissions tenure, that is a matter for the Government to consider, says Tolley.

Asked if he would consider holding an election for Tauranga in October, local government minister Kieran McAnulty says he has no plans to alter the current role or tenure of the commission.

Local government minister Kieran McAnulty . Photo: RNZ.

The purpose of appointing the commissioners remains to put Tauranga in a stronger position for the future and return the city to full local democracy as soon as possible.

The former Minister of Local Government made the decision to appoint a commission in Tauranga as the Tauranga City Council faced several issues that it was unable to resolve on its own.

The decision to appoint the commission until July 2024 was made following careful consideration of the commissions exit plan, feedback from businesses and community leaders, and the need to ensure that the council and the Tauranga community have certainty in the funding and delivery of services and infrastructure, says McAnulty.

There is no deadline to organise a local election for Tauranga because there will be no local elections until the end of the commissions appointment in July 2024, he said.

McAnulty did not respond directly to a question about his thoughts on the commissions performance.

The poll surveyed 260 people via phone and 140 via an online panel. The results were weighted to reflect the overall adult population of Tauranga in terms of gender and age.

Based on the sample of 400 respondents the maximum sampling error (for a result of 50 per cent) was +/- 4.9 per cent, at the 95 per cent confidence level.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Change of weather in south of Spain this weekend with drop in temperatures and possible rain In Malaga province, Aemet sets the probability of showers at 80% on Saturday morning and forecasts a drop of up to 9C in the maximum temperatures

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Spains state weather agency Aemet is warning that the weather in Andalucia could take a turn for the worse from this Friday, after several weeks of summer-like temperatures. The forecast is for rain and a drop in maximum temperatures which could be as much as 9C in Malaga province.

And the reason? To start with, an anticyclone that will withdraw towards the Azores, will allow a colder and more unstable air mass to enter.

"In some areas the storms will be very strong," warned the Malaga meteorology expert Jose Luis Escudero in his SUR blog Storms and Lightning.

A powerful pocket of cold air will drop from the north and the picture could be complicated.The storms could be intense on the Mediterranean and Balearic slopes. There will also be showers in much of the north of the country," agreed Samuel Biener, geographer and climatologist for the specialist weather portal Meteored. And he added: In a large part of Spain, temperatures will be registered below the climatic average, with a snow level between 1,500-1,700 metres in the centre of the country and northern areas. More than half a metre of snow could accumulate in parts of the Pyrenees and it will also snow in the Cordillera, Cantabrian, Central System, Sierra Nevada and Iberian System regions.

What will happen in Andalucia? The south of Spain will not be immune to this situation, which will leave its mark starting tomorrow, Escudero warned. In our region, a drop in maximum and minimum temperatures will begin to be noticed from Thursday, with Saturday being the coldest day. Weather models give maximums that will move between 19 and 26 degrees and minimums on Sunday between 9 and 16 degrees. Comparing these temperatures with April and the first days of May, it could be said that we will have cold weather. As of Sunday they will begin to rise, he maintains.

In Malaga province, Aemet forecasts a drop of up to 9 degrees depending on the municipality. Therefore, in Malaga city the maximum temperature will go from 30 degrees at the beginning of the week to 21 degrees on Saturday or 20 this Sunday. The minimums will also drop, from the 19 degrees this Wednesday to the 14C expected this coming Sunday.

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It will be less hot and there is also the possibility of having to reach for the umbrellas. Although it will likely be confirmed tomorrow, there is a probability of rain on Friday night or Saturday in the Andalusian provinces of Almeria, Granada and Malaga. If it does come, the rainfall in Malaga is not expected to amount to much, and it would occur mostly on the coast," said Jose Luis Escudero.

For now, Aemet sets these possible showers in Malaga city at 80% until 12noon on Saturday. Before dropping to 50%. A token 20% probability is set for Sunday, when a day of sun and clouds is expected.
Spanish government says it will ban outdoor work if there are weather alerts for extreme heat Deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz, said the legislative change will be made when there is a red or amber warning for high temperatures, decreed by the state weather agency Aemet

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Certain legislative changes, such as banning outdoor work, will come into effect during episodes of extreme high temperature alerts, the Spanish government has announced.

On a visit to Alcorcon to support the leader of Podemos in Madrid and candidate for mayor of the town, Jesus Santos, on Wednesday 10 May the deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz told media outdoor work would be prohibited when there is a red or amber alert, decreed by state weather agency Aemet, for days with extremely high temperatures.

When questioned about the extraordinary Cabinet meeting that will take place on 11 May to address measures against the drought, the Minister of Employment hinted there would be regulatory changes to prevent occupational hazards during heat waves.

She explained that for the moment it is not clear whether this change would get the green light immediately or in the following days. But the deputy prime minister stressed it is necessary to incorporate mandatory measures for the work force amid high temperatures and the harsh effects of climate change.

Diaz said there had already been incidents involving outdoor cleaning operatives working in extremely high temperatures this year.
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 14:36 | All, Japan

Japan's parliament enacted a bill Wednesday permitting courts to approve the placing of GPS monitors on suspects to prevent international bail jumping, a move spurred by multiple cases such as the high-profile escape of former Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn.

It also approved, as part of criminal law reforms, measures to protect the anonymity of alleged victims of sexual and other crimes to prevent them from their assailants.

The use of GPS devices, which will begin within five years of the promulgation of the revised law, comes despite some opposition on the basis they are potentially an impingement on privacy.

But others argue it may lead to more suspects being granted bail, helping curb excessive periods of detention for which Japan has received criticism.

Ghosn was arrested in 2018 for allegedly underreporting his compensation, but he sensationally jumped bail and fled to Lebanon the following year.

The GPS monitors will be used in cases in which it is feared suspects, such as corporate executives with overseas bases, will flee the country.

Those who remove their monitors without permission or are caught entering court-designated prohibited areas such as airports or seaports will be detained and imprisoned for up to one year under a punishment to be introduced by 2025.

In a related move, criminal penalties will be newly established for suspects who fail to respond to court summons on the trial date or who leave their residence without permission. Such defendants will be subject to imprisonment of up to two years.

To ensure they show up to trial, a new "supervisor system" will require those designated as responsible for the defendants to accompany them. The supervisors must also report on how defendants are faring.

A defendant will be denied bail if the supervisor fails to pay a guarantor's deposit, separately from bail money.

Suspects are currently not required to appear in court during an appeal, but they will be required to do so if they have been indicted for a crime mandating a prison sentence.

If sentenced to time in prison, they will be barred from leaving the country without court permission.

The reforms in criminal procedure were endorsed by the House of Councillors after the bill passed the House of Representatives.

Separately, measures were approved to prevent perpetrators from knowing the personal information of unacquainted victims of sexual crimes and other offenses.

The change involves authorities creating an excerpt made up of documents like arrest warrants and indictments by omitting the victim's name, address and other personal information.

In criminal proceedings, in principle, it is necessary to mention detailed facts about the case, including the names of the victims. But there have been situations in which victims' personal information was obtained by assailants during the procedure.

Efforts have been made to prevent such outcomes, but calls have grown for legal change.

The need for stronger privacy protection was highlighted when a woman was murdered in 2012 by her stalker in Kanagawa Prefecture. When he was arrested the previous year for allegedly blackmailing her, police read him his arrest warrant, which included parts of her name and address.

Related coverage:

Japan to introduce GPS trackers to prevent int'l bail jumping
KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2023 - 07:13 | All, World, G7

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday touched on the possibility of attending a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima starting next week "virtually" depending on the course of his negotiations with congressional leaders on the debt ceiling.

When asked about the possibility of delaying his trip due to an impasse over raising or suspending the country's debt limit, Biden told reporters there would be no delay but he might "do it virtually or not go."

Biden's comments in a New York suburb came a day after talks with congressional leaders failed to produce a breakthrough. Following the negotiations, Biden had said he was "still committed" to the gathering in western Japan, "but obviously this is the single most important thing on the agenda," referring to the debt issue.

He also said Tuesday that canceling his trip to attend the three-day G-7 summit of major industrial nations from May 19 was "possible but not likely."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned last week that the government could run out of money as early as June 1 if Congress does not act "as soon as possible" to raise or suspend the $31.4 trillion limit.

Biden's latest remarks, which are likely to trigger some anxiety for Japan, the host of the summit, came hours after the White House downplayed the possibility of the president canceling his trip, suggesting that he can deal with important domestic issues even when not in the United States.

After Hiroshima, Biden is due to travel to Papua New Guinea, which will be the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Pacific country, and Australia.

In Sydney on May 24, the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States are set to hold a summit of the so-called Quad group, with discussions of how to deal with China's increasing military and economic influence expected to top the agenda.

"The president is the president...wherever he is, wherever he travels," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One.

She made the remarks after stressing that Biden has said he is "committed" to going to the summit of major industrial nations in Hiroshima despite the deadlock, and that averting the first-ever default by the federal government is "Congress's constitutional duty and obligation."

Biden is scheduled to hold another round of talks with House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders on Friday.

The spokeswoman, accompanying Biden on his way to Valhalla, New York, said, "We'll see where conversations go from there."

Related coverage:

Biden hints at skipping G-7 trip due to debt ceiling impasse

Japan not seeking nuclear disarmament message from Biden in Hiroshima

FOCUS: Biden's leadership on nuclear disarmament to be tested in Hiroshima
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Norway, N.Y.  A Herkimer County woman was arrested after farm animals found on her property were not being properly cared for and were in grave condition, troopers said.

On Tuesday, state police assisted an animal cruelty officer at 3403 Military Road in the town of Norway, according to a news release Wednesday from the state police. They were called to the home to check on animals who troopers said were being hoarded and abused.

Authorities searched the property and found goats, donkeys, and cows housed by a woman attempting to care for the animals, troopers said. The woman, Lorraine A. Rose, 60, of Norway, became overwhelmed trying to take care of them, they said.

Troopers said Rose willingly surrendered over 80 goats to the Pause 4 All Paws Animal Rescue.

Rose was charged with five counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance, a misdemeanor.

The investigation is ongoing.

A woman was arrested for animal cruelty after she became overwhelmed with taking care of her farm animals, including over 80 goats, troopers said. Animals on her property were said to not be cared for and in grave condition. (Photo Provided by state police)

Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com
Fulton, N.Y.  For eight days, Brady Nivers family sat by his hospital bed, at times holding his hand, supporting him and praying for the Fulton teen to pull through.

Brady Nivers mother, Heather Higgins Niver, took to Facebook to update the Central New York community on his injuries, operations and condition each day.

On Tuesday morning, Bradys mom shared with the community that her son had died Monday.

Today I woke up without my son, she said in the Facebook post. The first morning without him. It doesnt seem real.

Brady, 16, fought for his life for over a week as he was treated for injuries he suffered in a head-on crash that killed his school sweetheart, Rylee Bartlett, 17. They were both juniors at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton.

Rylee died when the car she was driving crossed into oncoming traffic at 5:35 p.m. April 30 on state Route 48 near Chesbro Drive in the town of Granby. Brady was a passenger in the car and badly injured.

He was transported to Upstate University Hospital. He died Monday.

In the post Tuesday, his mom said in those eight days she and her family had extra minutes with Brady to hold his hand, talk to him, kiss him and tell him they love him; that the whole world loved him.

Brady brought together thousands of people, she said.

She wrote she and their family are devastated and life without Brady will never be the same. But she said they will continue to share her sons message:

Be kind. Be strong. Be determined. Be a champion.

Over the last week, thousands of people in the Central New York area shared posts with the hashtag #BradyStrong and the saying You got this.

Many shared stories of Brady, saying to know the Fulton teen was to love him.

Students at G. Ray Bodley High School formed a heart in front of their school in support of Rylee and Brady. Many could be seen wearing pink for Rylee, others held up signs for the couple.

Students at G. Ray Bodley High School formed a human-made heart in the school's courtyard in support of Rylee Bartlett and Brady Niver after a car accident took Rylee's life and severely injured Brady. Eight days later, Brady also died. (Provided Photo)

Brady was a wrestler for the high school -- who recently won his weight class during a big tournament in March. Rylee traveled with the team for every match and tournament and would sometimes keep score. She also often wore a t-shirt saying, My boyfriend wrestles better than yours.

Rylee and Brady had been together since 7th grade, and were planning on going to their first prom together this Friday.

Community members hoped and prayed Brady would push through, making t-shirts and sunglasses to help raise money for his family and sending love and support to them anyway they could.

Restaurants and local stores have asked community members to donate money, many leaving jars on the counters for both Rylee and Bradys families.

Hardcore Hit Fulton at 1804 Route 3 will raise donations for the families Saturday with a 90 minute fitness class.

Basket raffles will be available to win and those seeking to donate or create baskets for the raffle are asked to bring them to Precise Eatery Tuesday through Friday, according to the gyms Facebook post.

A GoFundMe for Bradys family was created to help them with all expenses. A GoFundMe for Rylees family was also set up.

A funeral was held for Rylee on Saturday in Fulton. For her calling hours, so many people attended that people were asked to park at a nearby community college lot and buses shuttled them to the funeral home.

Now Bradys family and the Fulton community are preparing for his funeral.

Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com
Allan Graham peered into the tiny glass window in the door of his old mailbox at Cazenovia College. It had been 25 years, but maybe the combination would still work.

The last time I used this was in 97, he said, fiddling with the knob. His old college pals clustered around in a ring, phones up and recording.

The little golden door swung open. The alumni cheered. Possibly it was the last time a Cazenovia College student would get their hands on one of the old, brassy mailboxes.

Once commencement ceremonies wrap up Saturday, May 13, the school will close for good, another casualty in the growing ranks of Americas shuttering small schools.

Caz had a good run: 199 years. It seems unfair, said Shelly Kazukiewicz, one of the alumni, that the college couldnt round it up to an even 200.

Still, she wasnt wallowing during her last unofficial tour around the tiny, red-bricked campus. She and 30 or so other alumni from the mid- to late-90s had gathered in Cazenovia last weekend for a final, on-campus reunion. Kazukiewicz and a dozen other stragglers were on a joy ride, dropping by the WITC radio station booth, sneaking into some of the old dorms, peeking through the doors of Catherine Cummings Theatre where a lot of them used to perform.

Alumnus Allan Graham successfully tries the combination on his old mailbox. Saturday, May 6, 2023. Jules Struck | jstruck@syracuse.com

Eventually they wandered out to the flagpole on the quad and settled into the semi-circle benches.

Campus was quiet. It was a good afternoon for swapping stories.

Travis Simpson cupped a hand to shade his cigarette lighter from the breeze.

Remember those Indian cigarettes we used to smoke from Canada? he said, cracking a smile.

Clove cigarettes, said Sandra Simpson. The crew laughed, remembering their lace-up Doc Martens and getting caught in the rain in 12-weight corduroys, smuggled beers and banana-eating contests at the local dance hall  rubble from a fervid youth.

Remember how the students used to pour soap into the water fountain as a prank? Or that one phone booth that would start without quarters if you smacked it just the right way? Did anyone ever catch a glimpse of Pearl, the Farber Hall ghost?

There are a lot of memories baked into this campus, said Britt Doerr, some of them not worthy of printing, he laughed. Many of this group were resident advisers, the first line of defense against campus shenanigans, said Doerr.

The alumni had come from around New York and a little farther for this weekend. There will be another, bigger alumni-organized event in June with people from all class years, but this group of 90s kids wanted to do a smaller meet-up, too.

To those who showed up, of course, Cazenovia College meant big things. Many enrolled because they wanted a small, liberal arts education.

The clock tower outside Witherall Library used to be a fountain that students would routinely fill with dish soap as a prank. "They filled it in and put the clock tower up there," said Britt Doerr, class of '99. "We were convinced they did it because they were like, 'alright, we're not cleaning the soap out of the fountain anymore.'" May 8, 2023. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

On such an intimate campus, everyone had an impact.

Colleen Robinson had her son during her sophomore year of college, she said. The year after, the college opened up a floor in Hubbard Hall for moms with kids. Once, in a pinch, President Adelaide Titus babysat Robinsons son while she was at class.

Tricia Lyman was one of the first openly Native American students on campus. The teachers she was close to encouraged her to take pride in the bravery it took to share her identity on an overwhelmingly white campus.

I know now even more what that meant, said Lyman.

Toni-Ann Gilmore dealt with an eating disorder during her time at Caz, she said, and the campus formed its first support group around her.

Graham was, for some of the other students, the first Black person they had met, he said. His photography professor at Cazenovia College has remained his mentor for 20 years; Graham still calls him Pops.

We were lucky to have the culture, said Lyman. Not everybody has that.

31 1 / 31 Cazenovia College look back through the years

The afternoon, and Simpsons cigarette, faded while the alumni sat chatting around the flagpole on the quad. Some of the group broke up to head back to their hotels. They had had a long day at the lakeside, snapping photos with the college mascot, CAZ the Wildcat. Later that night, they would meet for a luau.

A couple of the alumni stayed to swap ghost stories. They reminisced about their favorite professors, about the kind ladies who had sorted their mail, about the bagpipe players at graduation.

This weekend was bittersweet, they agreed. Its hard to imagine this campus as anything but Caz. But it doesnt mean an end to their reunions, they said.

We formed this bond of family that would never break, no matter, said Graham.

Rip the buildings down, dig up the roots  Caz roots are in us.

Jules Struck writes about life and culture in and around Syracuse. Contact her anytime at jstruck@syracuse.com or on Instagram at julesstruck.journo.

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NY Cannabis Insider is hosting an industry summit at The Desmond Hotel in Albany, N.Y. on May 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Details and tickets available here.

The conference will be the states first cannabis summit of 2023, where industry professionals  from growers, processors and retailers to attorneys, consultants and politicians  will gather for a day of venting, problem-solving, and learning. The event will feature traditional breakout panels on industry hot topics alongside an open forum dedicated to discussing specific challenges faced followed by proposing ideas and solutions. NY Cannabis Insider will report on the issues brought to light and solutions discussed over the next several months.

Industry challenges that well be discussing during the interactive workshop include:

 Not enough legal recreational cannabis dispensaries open across the state: This means farmers and processors have nowhere to sell their crop; ancillary service providers (accountants, attorneys, real estate agents, etc.) have no businesses to service; and the illicit market continues to thrive and outperform the legal industry.

 $0 raised for the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program: The Dormitory Authority of the State of NY (DASNY) and its fund managers were supposed to have raised $150M from private investors by Sept. 1, 2022. This is money that is supposed to pay for the build outs and loans for CAURD licensees. To date, none of it has been raised.

 DASNY is competing against CAURD licensees for locations: CAURD licensees who dont want a DASNY store or support from DASNYs fund must still get their location approved by the agency to make sure it doesnt conflict with a site the agency is negotiating.

 June 1 deadline: Adult-Use Conditional Cultivators and Processors can only distribute their products to retailers until June 1, 2023. The OCM hasnt yet set rules for legal distributors, let alone begun the licensing process. If theres no legislative fix by June 1, theres no way legally to get product from the supply tier to the retail tier.

 Crumbling medical program: Seven years after medical sales began, there are only 38 medical dispensaries across the state of New York. The medical companies are suing the state over the CAURD program and their inability to enter the recreational market, and those companies are also laying off workers and cutting hours. At the end of the day, its the states patients who suffer from a lack of access, product types and affordability.

 The 4/20 bill: Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo and Senator Michelle Hinchey have introduced legislation that would allow cultivators to sell their products directly to consumers until Sept. 30, 2023. However, this legislation has stoked division between CAURD licensees and growers, and may not even be feasible given the time constraints and lack of capital among growers to institute a mini retail store on their property.

 Enforcement: Gov. Kathy Hochuls enforcement bill has made it into this years budget. It aims to increase fines against unlicensed businesses and gives broader authorities to OCM and the Department of Taxation and Finance. But how likely is it to work? And will this effort target Black and brown business owners, reopen the War on Drugs, or miss an opportunity for onboarding these businesses and their tax revenues?

 Lack of communication: Whether its with OCM, DASNY or among each other, NYs cannabis industry lacks the communication avenues necessary to enact meaningful dialogue and an exchange of ideas. Those in the industry often feel theyre getting nowhere with OCM, DASNY is a black box that answers to no one, and supply tiers are often separated both by geographical distance and motivations.

 Legacy: How does the legacy industry successfully onboard into legal without necessary support, financial aid, banking, and other services? Is that a priority for this industry?

 Open topic table: Your chance to bring up any other problems were missing from the list above.

After we work to unpack the various challenges and root causes, the group will work to discuss ideas and solutions to move the burgeoning cannabis market forward.

NY Cannabis Insider is hosting a statewide industry summit on May 18 in Albany NY to address challenges and solutions for the legal marketplace.

Meet the sponsors and vendors offering onsite advice and support

Sponsors and vendors are the businesses shaping and supporting the industry. Look for them at the event for advice and help with your cannabis business:

 Cannaspire provides the products, services, and consulting you need to succeed in the cannabis industry from application to expansion.

 New York State Dispute Resolution Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit membership organization committed to the promotion of quality conflict management and peaceful dispute resolution.

 New York Medical Cannabis Industry Associations mission is to protect and serve the patients in New Yorks medical cannabis program while working collaboratively to establish a responsible, inclusive and competitive adult-use cannabis program.

 Ground Game Cannabis is a New York State sales and distribution agency created to help cannabis brands get their products on dispensary shelves and keep them there.

 Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW is a labor union that proudly represents working people in a variety of different industries, including New Yorks cannabis workers who are employed across the industrys full supply chain from seed to sale.

 Citrin Cooperman is one of the nations largest professional services firms, with a dedicated Cannabis Advisory Services (CAS) team that utilizes their specialized knowledge to help companies thrive.

 Dickinson & Avella knows the cannabis industry inside and out from their work on the implementation of medical marijuana to the emerging adult-use market.

 The Bluntness is one of the fastest growing independent digital media and marketing platforms exploring, examining and elevating the intersection of cannabis & psychedelic culture, community & commerce.

 Allspace is thoughtful space design meets full-service fabrication & installation; we work with your to develop a concept that encompasses everything from aesthetics to functionality.

 Cannabis Workforce Initiative has a mission to promote and support social equity in the adult-use cannabis market by providing quality workforce development and legal education.

 HUB International Limited has specialized cannabis insurance experts and risk consultants help you manage the emerging risks that face your cannabis business with the right risk transfer and mitigation.

 New York Consortium of Cannabis Accountants has a mission to promote financial literacy among New Yorks legacy market leaders and social equity entrepreneurs.

 StaffBuffalo and HRBuffalo are ancillary businesses to the cannabis industry, optimizing the People Operations to enable growing businesses to thrive.

 East Coast Cannabis Insurance offers experienced insurance solutions for everything in the cannabis industry, from workers comp to crop coverage.

 Cannabis360 is a full-service cannabis marketing partner focused on crafting your brand story, finding your best audience and driving brand awareness for your business.

 Hybrid Marketing focuses on business outcomes to move the needle in the areas of revenue, risk, cost, cashflow, and asset utilization.

Our next event will be an afternoon networking and production facility tour hosted by Beak & Skiff/1911 Establish/ayrloom held on June 8 in CNY (tickets and details here). Contact Lindsay Wickham at lwickham@advancemediany.com to learn more about sponsor and vendor opportunities.

As entrepreneurs and cannabis professionals are moving forward in the billion-dollar legal weed industry, NY Cannabis Insider events allow participants to learn about regulations, discuss topics essential to New York State, make connections, establish teams and foundations, and continue business planning.
On Friday, May 19 at 12:05 p.m., FOCUS Greater Syracuse, Inc. in partnership with the NYS Division of Human Rights, Onondaga County/Syracuse Human Rights Commission, CNY Fair Housing, and Legal Services of Central New York will host a conversation about fair housing protections under state law. The forum will highlight what fair housing is, what your housing rights are, provide insight on housing discrimination, and resources available to the community.

Panelists for the forum include Caroline Downey, General Council, NYS Division of Human Rights; Sally Santangelo, Executive Director, CNY Fair Housing; Susan Griffith, Managing Attorney, Legal Services of Central New York. Bishop Dr. H. Bernard Alex, Victory Temple Fellowship Church will be the moderator for the forum.

Participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time when they register, as well as pose questions during the forum. Those interested can register at focussyracuse.org, or click the link here.
Albany, N.Y.  Susan Sarandon was among a group of protestors arrested this week in Upstate New York during a push for higher wages for restaurant workers.

The Academy Award-winning actress, who is a New York City native, joined One Fair Wage in a rally at the New York State Capitol in Albany on Monday, One Fair Wages announced. The group wants to end subminimum wages for tipped restaurant workers in New York state.

The wage for tipped workers in New York is 66% of the overall minimum wage, One Fair Wage reported, and ranges from $8.35 to $10.40 an hour. That impacts a workforce that is overwhelmingly staffed by women and people of color.

The group of protestors  which included Ana Maria Archila, a former candidate for lieutenant governor, along with waitresses and their families  gathered for a Mothers Day of action in Albany, where they campaigned for legislators to set a true minimum wage for restaurant workers who receive tips.

I myself am a mother. I have been a single mother. I have worked in a restaurant for tips, Sarandon said during the rally, according to WRGB. I know how difficult it is and I know how important it is.

The actress stood with sign-holding protestors on the Capitols Million Dollar Staircase, photos posted by One Fair Wage on Facebook show, and later formed a human chain with her fellow protestors to block a security checkpoint.

Eventually, New York State Police eight protestors for disorderly conduct, a violation, reported WRGB.

Sarandon and Archila were among the eight people arrested, reported Spectrum News 1. With her hands handcuffed behind her back, Sarandon appeared calm as she was quietly escorted away by a trooper, a video posted on Twitter by reporter Kate Lisa shows.

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By Peter Masheter, KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 11:06 | Arts, Feature, All, G7

Hiroshima and its people have been hoping to build momentum toward a world without nuclear weapons through the Group of Seven summit in May, with its museum set to play a key role in conveying the reality of the 1945 atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

With Barack Obama famously becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit in 2016, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is expected to welcome the leaders of the G-7 industrialized nations on the first day of the gathering, with exhibits emphasizing the bombing's human costs at a time of soaring nuclear tensions worldwide.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is trumpeting this year's gathering as a chance to call for a "world without nuclear weapons," and the museum's director, Takuo Takigawa, sees the visit on the summit's sidelines as constituting a "historic opportunity of greater importance and visibility" than Obama's.

The anticipated tour would be the first joint one by the G-7 nations, three of whose members -- the United States, Britain and France -- are nuclear powers for whom visits to atomic-bombed Japanese cities are potentially politically awkward.

But atomic bomb survivors, civic groups and ordinary citizens are calling for the visit to be more than a photo opportunity for the leaders in the face of the growing threat of nuclear use sparked by Russia's war in Ukraine.

Opened in 1955, the museum is intended to pass on the story of Hiroshima long after those directly affected by the bombing are gone. It holds about 100,000 items in its collection, with many of them the donated effects of people caught in the bombing, ranging from belongings such as clothing to organic matter including hair.

It completed its third renovation in 2019, aiming to give more weight to individuals' experiences of the tragedy. It welcomed a record-high 1.76 million visitors that year, including some 520,000 foreign nationals.

Its unflinching depiction of the bombing leaves strong impressions on many visitors from overseas. Among them is Ed Asmutis, a 62-year-old on a tour from the United States who said early last month he left feeling that "every elected official should take an opportunity to walk through the museum" to reflect on their future decision-making.

Takigawa says he hopes the leaders will "take the chance to reflect deeply" on the exhibits and the "reality" of the atomic bombing that devastated Hiroshima and ushered in the nuclear age at 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945.

Among the pieces leaders are likely to see are graphic photographs of people burned and disfigured by the bomb's searing heat, and the "human shadow" left by an individual sitting on the steps of a bank at the time of the blast.

"The bombing killed a huge number of people, some 140,000 in Hiroshima by the end of 1945, and we must convey that, but each individual's grief and suffering varies," Takigawa said. "The renovated exhibition offers visitors the chance to look closely at those individual griefs and sufferings."

While Kishida, as then foreign minister, faced difficulties in realizing Obama's visit to Hiroshima seven years ago, Russia's nuclear threats in its war in Ukraine have made visits by the G-7 leaders this time much easier to arrange.

Aging atomic bomb survivors, meanwhile, are hoping that the visit will just be the start in a process of meaningful dialogue.

"My simple wish is for the leaders to give at least 30 minutes, an hour, to sincerely take in the museum. The reality is much worse, but they should start discussions from there," said Kazuhiko Futagawa, organizer for the Japan In-Utero Hibakusha Network.

"The discussions should not be held just between themselves. To avoid the same things repeating, they need to speak with states like Russia, China and North Korea, too, although it will take time," he said.

At 77, Futagawa is one of the youngest survivors alive today. He was in his mother's womb when she was exposed to the bomb, and he lost his father and older sister to the attack.

At the end of March 2022, there were 118,935 legally recognized living atomic bombing survivors, known as hibakusha in Japan, with their average age standing at 84.53.

The desire for substantive engagement is not restricted to survivors, either. Yuna Okajima, an 18-year-old native of Hiroshima, and 16-year-old Miharu Obayashi from Kawasaki near Tokyo, have together launched a multilingual online petition urging the leaders to meet atomic bomb survivors and engage with the museum.

Their motivation to speak out came from reports that Obama spent just 10 minutes at the museum, which Okajima found "disrespectful to Hiroshima." By Director Takigawa's estimate, it takes a visitor about one-and-a-half hours to thoroughly take in the exhibits today.

Okajima was also concerned that by holding the summit in the city, the Japanese government might "start saying it had already laid a path to nuclear abolition" despite having a stance on international efforts to abolish nuclear weapons that has been criticized both at home and abroad for ambiguity.

Japan, which relies on U.S. nuclear deterrence for protection, backs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but has not signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which the nuclear powers do not support.

Kishida has defended this approach as a way for Japan, the only country to suffer a nuclear attack, to bridge the differences between nuclear and nonnuclear states.

"We do not believe that a 'commitment to peace' is just simply the G-7 leaders gathering in the atomic-bombed cities, taking pictures, and having discussions," according to material from Okajima and Obayashi's campaign.

Their petition, which will run until just before the summit, was submitted to the Foreign Ministry in March, when it had garnered around 20,000 signatures.

Despite the calls for longer visits, Takigawa said he would let individual visitors decide how to engage with the museum.

"Our role, ultimately, is to provide an opportunity for visitors to learn the truth about what happened in Hiroshima. But I hope those who come here will engage with the truth, and deepen their understanding," he said.

Related coverage:

Japan not seeking nuclear disarmament message from Biden in Hiroshima

Japan eyes Hiroshima peace museum visit by G-7 spouses during summit
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cleveland man is accused of beating and Zip-tying a 60-year-old woman then stuffing her into a 3-foot-by-3-foot plastic container and sealing the lid, police say.

He then moved the container around his house to avoid police detection, authorities said.

Officers found the woman after hearing her muffled cries for help during a house search in the middle of the night May 3, officers reported. As of Thursday, the victim was unconscious and on a ventilator, with multiple fractures to the back of her head, according to court documents.

Dalontay Edmond-Geiger, 31, is charged in Cleveland Municipal Court with attempted murder, kidnapping, felonious assault and evidence tampering. A judge on Friday set a $500,000 bond.

The incident occurred at Edmond-Geigers home on West 97th Street in the citys West Boulevard neighborhood. Police got a call that afternoon about a woman acting hysterical at West 97th Street and Lorain Avenue, claiming there was a female tied up in the basement of an area home, according to a police report.

Officers knocked on the door of the house, which was playing loud music. Edmond-Geiger emerged in a frantic state, the report states. He declared that he was a confidential informant for the Cleveland police, asked officers to turn off their body cameras and told them to leave because he didnt want his cover blown. Then he disappeared back inside.

Ten minutes later, he reappeared and permitted officers to search the basement, which turned up nothing. The officers left. (During the incident, police confirmed that Edmond-Geiger was trying to become an informant, according to the report.)

At about 10:30 that night, police spoke with another woman on the corner of West 97th and Lorain, asking if she had any information on the house. She immediately became upset, then whispered, He killed her, according to the report.

The woman refused to speak to police so close to Edmond-Geigers house, but she agreed to reconvene with officers at St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church, a few blocks away, 20 minutes later.

At the church, the woman told police that she, Edmond-Geiger and two others were stopped a week earlier on two occasions by vice unit officers, which prompted Edmond-Geiger to accuse one party member of snitching.

The woman visited Edmond-Geigers house later, she told officers at the church, and thats when he told her he killed the person he believed spoke with officers, the police report says. He did so after Zip-tying, beating and stabbing her, he said as he showed the woman photos of the victims body, which appeared lifeless, the report states.

About midnight, police returned to Edmond-Geigers house and started knocking. Edmond-Geiger emerged and told officers hed let them in through the back.

Two officers circled the house, while another, who remained by the front door, heard a noise. I could hear what sounded like a heavy object being dragged across the enclosed front-porch floor, he reported.

Officers entered the house and began searching. One thought he had heard a moaning sound, according to the report. Each time he heard the moan, Edmond-Geiger turned up the radio, refusing to turn it back down, police say.

The moaning seemed to be coming from the porch. An officer opened the door and called out. A womans muffled cries appeared to be under the porch or inside a wall, police reported.

Eventually, Edmond-Geiger told the officers where the woman was, saying, She is in the tote, police say.

An officer opened the container and found the victim, motionless, stuffed with her body folded inside, according to the report. She said she was paralyzed and in pain, the report says.

Edmond-Geiger was arrested, and the victim was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center.

Last month, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Hollie Gallagher placed Edmond-Geiger on probation for two years after he pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property. Because he violated his probation, he faces as much as 18 months in prison in addition to the new charges.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP)  President Joe Bidens administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released Wednesday, as U.S. officials warned of difficult days ahead as a key limit on immigration is set to expire.

The rule comes just a day before the U.S. ends use of Title 42, which had allowed it to limit migration in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The change use has led to concerns about whether the U.S. has the necessary tools to control migration.

The rule announced Wednesday is part of new measures meant to crack down on illegal border crossings while creating new legal pathways, including a plan to open 100 regional migration hubs across the Western Hemisphere, administration officials said. U.S. officials have detailed steps theyve taken to prepare for what many are expecting to be a substantial increase in migrants attempting to enter the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the days and weeks ahead have the potential to be very difficult.

Our plan will deliver results but it will take time time for those results to be fully realized, he said.

In Ciudad Juarez, migrants continued to arrive this week in small groups by train or bus  and leave daily to surrender to the U.S. authorities. Fran Tovar, a 30-year-old electrician from Venezuela who left two children behind to try to reach the U.S., was crossing on Wednesday.

There is fear and anguish, said Tovar, adding that he has spent three months in Juarez trying to get an appointment through an app the U.S. has encouraged migrants to use to present themselves at a border entry point and seek admission.

Tovar was expelled from the U.S. on his first attempt, then tried again 24 hours later. He was worried because after Title 42s use expires, he could face tough consequences.

The COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions have allowed border officials to quickly return people  and they did so 2.8 million times since March 2020. But after the restrictions expire Thursday, migrants caught crossing illegally will not be allowed to return for five years. They can face criminal prosecution if they do.

Even with the restrictions in effect, border crossings rose to all-time highs.

The measure announced Wednesday is a key part of the U.S. strategy. While stopping short of a total ban, it imposes severe limitations on asylum for those crossing illegally who didnt first seek a legal pathway. It includes room for exceptions and does not apply to children traveling alone. It was first announced in February and takes effect Thursday.

Its almost certain to face legal challenges. A federal appeals court prevented similar but stricter measures pursued by then-President Donald Trump in 2019 from taking effect.

The Biden administration emphasized the complex dynamics at play when it comes to immigration that at one time consisted largely of adults from Mexico seeking to come to the U.S. They could easily be returned home. Now migrants come from across the Western Hemisphere and beyond.

The rule was immediately met with criticism.

With its new rule formalizing sweeping restrictions on asylum access, the Biden administration is putting border politics ahead of the safety of refugees, said Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International.

U.S. officials also said they planned to open regional hubs around the hemisphere, where migrants could apply to go to the U.S., Canada or Spain. Two hubs were previously announced in Guatemala and Colombia. Its unclear where the other locations would be. The administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing border plans that were not yet public.

The measures are meant to fundamentally alter how migrants go to the U.S. southern border as officials brace for large numbers to cross this week, possibly to circumvent the new rules. Others were waiting until after Title 42 goes away, thinking their chances might be better.

Roughly 24,000 law enforcement officers were stationed along the 1,951-mile (3,140-kilometer) border with Mexico. An additional 1,500 active-duty military troops are being sent to back up U.S. Customs and Border Protection but will not interact with migrants. And 2,500 National Guard troops are already there, tasked to help out CBP.

The Democratic administration will return migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to Mexico if they do not apply online, have a sponsor and pass a background check. It will admit 30,000 per month from those nations to the U.S. Mexico will continue to take back the same number who cross illegally.

Immigration officials also plan to deploy as many as 1,000 asylum officers to conduct expedited screenings for asylum seekers to more quickly determine whether someone meets the standard to stay in the U.S.

Mayorkas said migrants taken into U.S. custody will be given an initial option to voluntarily turn back because of the increased consequences of removal after Title 42 expires.

Most of the people going to the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are fleeing persecution or poverty in their home countries. They ask for asylum and have generally been allowed into the U.S. to wait out their cases. That process can take years under a badly strained immigration court system, and it has prompted increasing numbers to go to the border hoping to get into the U.S.

Authorities have spent months setting up interview rooms and phone lines at facilities along the border to facilitate screenings, part of a broad effort to expand the use of expedited removal proceedings aimed at migrants who cross illegally into the U.S.
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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 19:00 | All, Japan

A 13-year-old boy was stabbed outside his home in Tokyo on Wednesday morning in an apparent attempted murder, with the suspect under arrest, investigative sources said.

The junior high school student was taken to a hospital after being stabbed in the chest and collapsing in front of the door to his home in the capital's Ota Ward, police said. He was reported to be conscious, and his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The suspect, 61-year-old Yasunori Yamashita, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault and has admitted to the allegation.

The police said they are now investigating Yamashita for attempted murder and violation of a law on illegal possession of weapons.

They are also looking into any connection or trouble between the two. The boy's father was quoted by a neighbor as saying he knows the suspect.

The police said the incident took place at about 8:05 a.m. at a residence close to a junior high school and located around 400 meters southwest of JR Kamata Station. The victim was wearing a uniform, and the police believe he was about to head to school at the time of the attack.

A knife believed to have been used in the attack was found near the scene and stained with what appeared to be blood, according to the police.

A woman living in the neighborhood called the police after the student's mother told her, "Please call an ambulance. My child was stabbed." The mother was seen holding her son, asking him if he was OK, according to the woman.

The student's eyes were closed, and he was stretchered to an ambulance, she said.

The student was initially reported to the police as being an elementary school student, but it was later confirmed that he is in the first grade of junior high school.

Related coverage:

Teenage boy slashes classmate with knife at Hiroshima school

Teen arrested in Japan school attack wanted to experience killing
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 19:08 | All, World

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to its annual meeting as an observer as it did prior to 2017.

Before the WHO's decision-making body holds the meeting on May 21 to 30 in Geneva, the U.S. top diplomat released a statement saying that excluding Taiwan from the gathering is "unjustified and undermines inclusive global public health cooperation and security, which the world demands."

The call came amid heightened tensions over Taiwan between the United States and China, which claims the self-ruled democratic island as part of its territory to be brought under its control, by force if necessary.

Taiwan has been excluded from the World Health Assembly since 2017 because of opposition from China. Since the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Beijing, which views her as a separatist, has been ratcheting up pressure on the island.

Blinken said that Taiwan is "a reliable partner, a vibrant democracy, and a force for good in the world" and the United States will continue to advocate for its return as an observer at the assembly and for "its meaningful and robust participation throughout the U.N. system and in international fora."

He said U.S. support for Taiwan is in accordance with Washington's longtime "one-China policy," which recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.

In Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed China's firm opposition to the U.S. statement on Taiwan, saying it is "misguided and misleading" and intended to "connive at and support separatist acts for Taiwan independence."

Beijing urges Washington to "stop hyping up issues related to Taiwan using WHA," Wang said at a press conference.
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Touring the 1961 General Cargo ship - Cap San Diego, Hamburg, Germany



Along the waterfront is a 6 kilometer long fair, with rides and endless food and drink stalls. I had always wanted to visit these harbour days and I also wanted to go on a tour with one of the museum ships, based in Hamburg, The Cap San Diego.



So on Saturday morning, very early, around 04.30AM I pointed my W123 Mercedes star east and put the hammer down! Well, this is a 40 year old car, so I keep it at a steady 110 km/h on the cruise control.







Almost 500 kilometers to get to my hotel in Hamburg. I reached my hotel, next to the central station around 10.30. Checked in, parked the W123 in their protected car park and headed out for the harbour.



Look at this ship? Isnt she a beauty??







Before we start the tour a little more information on this magnificent general cargo ship. From various internet sources and the (German) brochure from the museum



MS Cap San Diego is a general cargo ship, situated as a museum ship in Hamburg, Germany. Notable for her elegant silhouette, she was the last of a series of six ships known as the White Swans of the South Atlantic, and marked the apex of German-built general cargo ships before the advent of the container ship and the decline of Germany's heavy industry. Next to (general) cargo she also carried a small amount of passengers.



The Cap San Diego was built and launched by Deutsche Werft in 1961 for Hamburg Sud as the last of a series of six ships. The 159 m, 10000 dwt ship ran a regular schedule between Germany and South America, completing 120 round trips until 1981. After being sold and running under different names and under Spanish flag and also flags of convenience as a tramp trader, the run-down ship was scheduled for scrapping in 1986 when she was bought by the city of Hamburg.



The ship was restored mainly by the labour of enthusiasts and laid-off dock workers, and is kept operational to date. Most of the time, the Cap San Diego is moored at the port of Hamburg where visitors can access virtually all areas of the ship from the bridge to the engine. One of the cargo holds hosts temporary exhibitions. Passenger cabins can be booked for overnight stays. Several times a year, the ship leaves the harbour on her own power for trips mostly on the river Elbe or to Cuxhaven. In 2001, the ship was awarded the Maritime Heritage Award by the World Ship Trust, and in 2003 she was declared a protected item of cultural heritage under Hamburg law.



She is powered by a MAN K9Z 140 D two stroke crosshead engine, has nine cilinders and three turbo chargers. The engine produces 11650 horsepower at 118 revolutions per minute. Giving her a top speed of well over 20 knots (about 38 kilometers an hour).



She is very similar to the first ship I ever sailed on, as an apprentice engineer as part of my training; The Nedlloyd Florida. Same size, same engine power, same cargo hold configuration, age etc. So this really brings back many memories.



Just a photograph of the brochure will show you some of the details. Unfortunately, all in German. Ze Germans are still a little behind by providing their brochures, or website for that matter, in English.







I had booked this trip many months ago and had been really looking forward to it. I spend three days in Hamburg, but the highlight of my stay was definitely sailing and touring on the Cap San Diego.



As you would expect from a former Merchant Navy Chief Engineer and nerdy techy, I will focus heavily on various technical parts of the ship. We were allowed on the ship around 12.00am with sailing scheduled for 13.00pm. First thing I did was head for the engine room, obviously!!



On most of these sort of ships you enter the engine room from above. There is a little platform above the main engine. It gives you a good view of the top of the engine.



You are looking at the forward four cilinder heads and two of the turbo chargers. Those huge pipes going into the center of the cilinderhead are the fuel lines going to the injectors.







Here we are facing aft, on the cilinder head deck. Notice the size of this engine and its component in relation to the engineer!







Just to get your perspective on the size of this main engine. Here a little drawing that will visualise it, I hope







This engine has a height of almost 10 meters, a length of almost 16 meters and is 4 meters wide. It weighs more than 500 tonnes!!!



So this is a BIG engine even by today standards. Not as big as modern ships two stroke diesels, but never the less, still very impressive. Lets look at some details.



Here a close up of one of the turbo chargers







Here you see, what sits inside the turbo charger. It is one shaft with on the left a Jet turbine wheel on which the exhaust gasses are directed. On the other (right hand) end of the shaft a compressor wheel to compress inlet air for the engine.







Ships carry spares of everything. And they are bolted down all over the engine room. Here one of the cilinder liners. You can see the scavenging air ports in the side of the liner. This is a two stroke diesel with only scavenging ports. The engine on the NedLloyd Florida has inlet ports and outlet valves. Having outlet valves instead of outlet ports allows for better air flow (scavenging) of the cilinder.



A cilinder liner like this easily weighs several tonnes. During my career I have pulled several of these for maintenance and for repair. We had to do this once, in the middle of the ocean, with pretty heavy seas. Not an easy job, with such a huge lump of heavy metal swinging from the crane!







Each cilinder has its own cilinder head. Here you see it, with its lifting frame attached.







Here you see some other spare parts. Well, these would not be used as spares, the are cut-away parts to show the guests how they work.



The bit in the front is a fuel injector and behind it are some, I believe, air starter valves. They would carry a large number of fuel injectors and parts to overhaul each injector too. We would carry several sets. Overhauling an individual injector could easily take several hours. So you would pull the old injector, put a new one in and overhaul the old one later.







Lets explore this huge engine some more. Just underneath the cilinder head deck you will find on the port side the high fuel pressure pumps.











Also, the cilinder lubricators are positioned along the engine here. Each cilinder liner has a dedicated lubrication device. It was the responsibility of the duty engineer to check they were working correctly. If not, you would very quickly have some major problems. I know, I once had to fly out from home on quick notice to go a fix and engine that had run without cilinder lubrication. We had to replace all pistons and all liners!



It is driven by a crank mechanism on the right. On the left is manual crank. Prior to the first start of the engine, the engineer and or oilers would give it a number of terms. This would ensure the cilinder liner would have some lubrication oil on its first start too.







This is the manoeuvring position. These ships had manned engine rooms. The bridge would give signals to the engine room staff by means of a so called telegraph. The engineer on duty would acknowledge the signal and start/run the engine accordingly. These large two stroke engines are couple directly to the propellor. They can turn two ways. So to go from ahead to astern of vice verse, the engine had to be stopped and started in the other direction. All done with these handwheels you see here.



Usually the telegraph and the engine controls had some sort of interlocking mechanism. Just to prevent starting in the incorrect direction.



During manoeuvring there would be a number of staff in the engine room. The chief engineer and at least one duty engineer. There would be several oilers walking around too. Usually one of them would be dedicated to keep the air pressure vessels full. These engines start by means of compressed air. So there are a couple of massive compressors to fill two huge pressure vessels up to 30 bars. No automation, you have to keep an eye on the pressure gauge and switch the compressors on/off by hand. Drain condensate etc.







Main engine control and alarm panel







Most engine rooms are kept clean. I mean meticulously clean. But the Cap San Diego engine room gave new meaning to a clean engine room. I spend several hours in the engine room and I did not have a spot of oil on me. Not even on my hands, that keep touching the various hand rails as you go up and down endless stairs. Look at this!!! Somebody has put a lot of elbow grease into getting it to look like this!!







The business end of the engine. This is the propellor shaft and the, what else, so called propellor tunnel. The shaft is connected directly to the engine and the propellor. It runs, very smoothly in a number of bearings.







Apart from the main engine, an engine room is always full of all kinds of machinery and endless pipes, valves, filters and all kinds of technical stuff.



Valves and often pipe flanges are painted in different colour, so they can be easily identified. E.g. green means seawater, blue means fresh water, yellow means lubrication etc etc.















Next to the Main Engine, she also has four auxiliary engines. These are Deutz V8M 536, 500 Horsepower, 514RPM. They each drive a 310 KW generator that provides 440V/60Hz.







They had an interesting piston from one of its aux engines on display. It says (In German) this piston has run too long!!







And of course various electrical panels. Most vessel have a three phase, 440V, 60Hz system. Other power requirements (such as 220V/50 Hz) are derived from this. The reason is partly historical. When you start with 440Hz/60Hz, it is also easy to use 380V. At 60Hz electrical motors can run at higher RPM, (relatively).











Most of these sort of vessels, will have a boiler for various purposes. That could be a basic as to provide heating to the cabins, or to heat (heavy) fuel, or cargo (more later). The Cap San Diego had a pretty decent boiler in the engine room.



First weekend in May the harbour days in Hamburg are held. It is probably one of the largest harbour festivals in the world, certainly the largest in Europe. Hundreds of ships gather for three days in Hamburg. From German Frigates, to Dutch Tugboats, vintage windjammers and so on. All the ships are open, free of charge, to the public.Along the waterfront is a 6 kilometer long fair, with rides and endless food and drink stalls. I had always wanted to visit these harbour days and I also wanted to go on a tour with one of the museum ships, based in Hamburg, The Cap San Diego.So on Saturday morning, very early, around 04.30AM I pointed my W123 Mercedes star east and put the hammer down! Well, this is a 40 year old car, so I keep it at a steady 110 km/h on the cruise control.Almost 500 kilometers to get to my hotel in Hamburg. I reached my hotel, next to the central station around 10.30. Checked in, parked the W123 in their protected car park and headed out for the harbour.Look at this ship? Isnt she a beauty??Before we start the tour a little more information on this magnificent general cargo ship. From various internet sources and the (German) brochure from the museumMS Cap San Diego is a general cargo ship, situated as a museum ship in Hamburg, Germany. Notable for her elegant silhouette, she was the last of a series of six ships known as the White Swans of the South Atlantic, and marked the apex of German-built general cargo ships before the advent of the container ship and the decline of Germany's heavy industry. Next to (general) cargo she also carried a small amount of passengers.The Cap San Diego was built and launched by Deutsche Werft in 1961 for Hamburg Sud as the last of a series of six ships. The 159 m, 10000 dwt ship ran a regular schedule between Germany and South America, completing 120 round trips until 1981. After being sold and running under different names and under Spanish flag and also flags of convenience as a tramp trader, the run-down ship was scheduled for scrapping in 1986 when she was bought by the city of Hamburg.The ship was restored mainly by the labour of enthusiasts and laid-off dock workers, and is kept operational to date. Most of the time, the Cap San Diego is moored at the port of Hamburg where visitors can access virtually all areas of the ship from the bridge to the engine. One of the cargo holds hosts temporary exhibitions. Passenger cabins can be booked for overnight stays. Several times a year, the ship leaves the harbour on her own power for trips mostly on the river Elbe or to Cuxhaven. In 2001, the ship was awarded the Maritime Heritage Award by the World Ship Trust, and in 2003 she was declared a protected item of cultural heritage under Hamburg law.She is powered by a MAN K9Z 140 D two stroke crosshead engine, has nine cilinders and three turbo chargers. The engine produces 11650 horsepower at 118 revolutions per minute. Giving her a top speed of well over 20 knots (about 38 kilometers an hour).She is very similar to the first ship I ever sailed on, as an apprentice engineer as part of my training; The Nedlloyd Florida. Same size, same engine power, same cargo hold configuration, age etc. So this really brings back many memories.Just a photograph of the brochure will show you some of the details. Unfortunately, all in German. Ze Germans are still a little behind by providing their brochures, or website for that matter, in English.I had booked this trip many months ago and had been really looking forward to it. I spend three days in Hamburg, but the highlight of my stay was definitely sailing and touring on the Cap San Diego.As you would expect from a former Merchant Navy Chief Engineer and nerdy techy, I will focus heavily on various technical parts of the ship. We were allowed on the ship around 12.00am with sailing scheduled for 13.00pm. First thing I did was head for the engine room, obviously!!On most of these sort of ships you enter the engine room from above. There is a little platform above the main engine. It gives you a good view of the top of the engine.You are looking at the forward four cilinder heads and two of the turbo chargers. Those huge pipes going into the center of the cilinderhead are the fuel lines going to the injectors.Here we are facing aft, on the cilinder head deck. Notice the size of this engine and its component in relation to the engineer!Just to get your perspective on the size of this main engine. Here a little drawing that will visualise it, I hopeThis engine has a height of almost 10 meters, a length of almost 16 meters and is 4 meters wide. It weighs more than 500 tonnes!!!So this is a BIG engine even by today standards. Not as big as modern ships two stroke diesels, but never the less, still very impressive. Lets look at some details.Here a close up of one of the turbo chargersHere you see, what sits inside the turbo charger. It is one shaft with on the left a Jet turbine wheel on which the exhaust gasses are directed. On the other (right hand) end of the shaft a compressor wheel to compress inlet air for the engine.Ships carry spares of everything. And they are bolted down all over the engine room. Here one of the cilinder liners. You can see the scavenging air ports in the side of the liner. This is a two stroke diesel with only scavenging ports. The engine on the NedLloyd Florida has inlet ports and outlet valves. Having outlet valves instead of outlet ports allows for better air flow (scavenging) of the cilinder.A cilinder liner like this easily weighs several tonnes. During my career I have pulled several of these for maintenance and for repair. We had to do this once, in the middle of the ocean, with pretty heavy seas. Not an easy job, with such a huge lump of heavy metal swinging from the crane!Each cilinder has its own cilinder head. Here you see it, with its lifting frame attached.Here you see some other spare parts. Well, these would not be used as spares, the are cut-away parts to show the guests how they work.The bit in the front is a fuel injector and behind it are some, I believe, air starter valves. They would carry a large number of fuel injectors and parts to overhaul each injector too. We would carry several sets. Overhauling an individual injector could easily take several hours. So you would pull the old injector, put a new one in and overhaul the old one later.Lets explore this huge engine some more. Just underneath the cilinder head deck you will find on the port side the high fuel pressure pumps.Also, the cilinder lubricators are positioned along the engine here. Each cilinder liner has a dedicated lubrication device. It was the responsibility of the duty engineer to check they were working correctly. If not, you would very quickly have some major problems. I know, I once had to fly out from home on quick notice to go a fix and engine that had run without cilinder lubrication. We had to replace all pistons and all liners!It is driven by a crank mechanism on the right. On the left is manual crank. Prior to the first start of the engine, the engineer and or oilers would give it a number of terms. This would ensure the cilinder liner would have some lubrication oil on its first start too.This is the manoeuvring position. These ships had manned engine rooms. The bridge would give signals to the engine room staff by means of a so called telegraph. The engineer on duty would acknowledge the signal and start/run the engine accordingly. These large two stroke engines are couple directly to the propellor. They can turn two ways. So to go from ahead to astern of vice verse, the engine had to be stopped and started in the other direction. All done with these handwheels you see here.Usually the telegraph and the engine controls had some sort of interlocking mechanism. Just to prevent starting in the incorrect direction.During manoeuvring there would be a number of staff in the engine room. The chief engineer and at least one duty engineer. There would be several oilers walking around too. Usually one of them would be dedicated to keep the air pressure vessels full. These engines start by means of compressed air. So there are a couple of massive compressors to fill two huge pressure vessels up to 30 bars. No automation, you have to keep an eye on the pressure gauge and switch the compressors on/off by hand. Drain condensate etc.Main engine control and alarm panelMost engine rooms are kept clean. I mean meticulously clean. But the Cap San Diego engine room gave new meaning to a clean engine room. I spend several hours in the engine room and I did not have a spot of oil on me. Not even on my hands, that keep touching the various hand rails as you go up and down endless stairs. Look at this!!! Somebody has put a lot of elbow grease into getting it to look like this!!The business end of the engine. This is the propellor shaft and the, what else, so called propellor tunnel. The shaft is connected directly to the engine and the propellor. It runs, very smoothly in a number of bearings.Apart from the main engine, an engine room is always full of all kinds of machinery and endless pipes, valves, filters and all kinds of technical stuff.Valves and often pipe flanges are painted in different colour, so they can be easily identified. E.g. green means seawater, blue means fresh water, yellow means lubrication etc etc.Next to the Main Engine, she also has four auxiliary engines. These are Deutz V8M 536, 500 Horsepower, 514RPM. They each drive a 310 KW generator that provides 440V/60Hz.They had an interesting piston from one of its aux engines on display. It says (In German) this piston has run too long!!And of course various electrical panels. Most vessel have a three phase, 440V, 60Hz system. Other power requirements (such as 220V/50 Hz) are derived from this. The reason is partly historical. When you start with 440Hz/60Hz, it is also easy to use 380V. At 60Hz electrical motors can run at higher RPM, (relatively).Most of these sort of vessels, will have a boiler for various purposes. That could be a basic as to provide heating to the cabins, or to heat (heavy) fuel, or cargo (more later). The Cap San Diego had a pretty decent boiler in the engine room. Last edited by Jeroen : 9th May 2023 at 15:34 .
In context: The unofficial "Patch Tuesday" moniker describes Microsoft's decades-old tradition of releasing relevant security updates for all the company's products on the same day. Every second Tuesday of the month for the last 20 years, Redmond has updated Windows, Office and many other programs used by millions of PC users worldwide.

Compared to previous releases with their huge number of bug fixes, Patch Tuesday for May 2023 is a rather meager update providing security fixes for a total of 38 different flaws. Microsoft's official bulletin of the month includes security notices for several Windows components, programs belonging to the Office productivity suite, Sysinternals utilities for power users, and the Chromium-based Edge browser.

Flaws fixed by the latest Patch Tuesday are classified as follows: eight elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, four security feature bypass vulnerabilities, 12 remote code execution vulnerabilities, eight information disclosure vulnerabilities, five denial of service (DOS) vulnerabilities, and one spoofing vulnerability. Six of the bugs are classified as "critical," providing a potential way for cyber-criminals to remotely execute their malicious code.

The list of flaws solved in May's Patch Tuesday doesn't include 11 vulnerabilities found in the Edge browser, which were fixed with a previous update released on May 5.

As for non-security related updates, Microsoft released cumulative patch packages for Windows 11 (KB5026372) and Windows 10 (KB5026361, KB5026362). A complete report about all the fixed flaws and related advisories has been published by Bleeping Computer.

The most interesting zero-day flaw fixed with this month's Patch Tuesday is tracked as CVE-2023-24932, or "Secure Boot Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability." The bug has been exploited by cyber-criminals to spread the BlackLotus UEFI malware, a complex and dangerous threat to Windows security which, for attackers with physical access or administrative rights, could bypass Secure Boot and other advanced security features to completely "own" a target device.

The patch for CVE-2023-24932 addresses the vulnerability by updating the Windows Boot Manager, but is not enabled by default. Microsoft acknowledges this vulnerability is a bypass for the previously fixed CVE-2022-21894 flaw. The other actively exploited 0-day flaw of the month is CVE-2023-29336, or "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." An attacker could exploit this flaw in the Windows kernel driver to elevate user privileges to system level, Microsoft explains.

Last but not least, Patch Tuesday fixes a previously disclosed but not actively exploited 0-day vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-29325, or "Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." The flaw could be exploited by sending a maliciously crafted email, forcing a vulnerable version of Microsoft Outlook to execute remote code on the target machine.

Microsoft rolled out this month's patches via Windows Update, update management systems such as WSUS, and as direct downloads available on the Microsoft Update Catalog website. Other software companies providing security fixes in sync with Microsoft's Patch Tuesday include Apple, Cisco, CISA, Google, and SAP.
According to Zechariah Akinpelu, "If you think technology can solve your security problems, then you don't understand the problems, and you don't understand the technology." Over his nearly 20-year career, he has proven his understanding beyond a doubt.

This is an individual who is not only tech-savvy but who also knows how imperative it is to stay one step ahead of any potential cyber threats. This requires talent, intuition, and creativity, almost getting inside the mind of malicious hackers. He lives and breathes security, so it is no surprise that it is his primary focus both in and out of the office.

Zechariah started his career working as a full-stack developer in his home country of Nigeria. It was during this time that he gained a deep understanding of the tech industry, working with various software companies.

He is extremely driven and demands such a high level of excellence from himself that, during the development of one of his applications, he taught himself about secure coding to ensure that his application was effectively resilient against hacking.

From then on, Zechariah was a strong advocate for increased security measures - so much so that he was soon tasked with leading quality assurance and security engineering for the entire company. As he gained a greater understanding of the inner workings of security, Zechariah saw the immense potential at the intersection of security and the finance industry.

As global digitalization continues to push more systems and operations online, cyber threats have become an even greater risk for both corporations and individuals. For this reason, he left his role in software engineering to lead security for financial institutions.

Over the years, he has worked in many interesting roles - with each one, learning something new. At Enterprise Bank (now Heritage Bank), he strategically developed the information security unit to align with the company's overall objectives.

At FirstBank, he led one of the largest teams of security engineers in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Zechariah also led the information security organization of the region's largest digital payment company, Interswitch.

Nowadays, Zechariah is a seasoned cybersecurity executive. He holds the title of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Unity Bank, one of the largest financial service providers in Nigeria. He was recruited for his vast experience, as well as his long-term vision. He recognizes the importance of supporting cybersecurity across all sectors of the company, and so he is eagerly working to establish an in-house Information Security Group for the bank.

He also leads stealthy penetration testing and adversary simulation engagements to evaluate his systems' security, which he is constantly working to improve and update. His expertise is an absolute asset.

This expertise didn't just appear overnight. Zechariah has invested a significant amount of time, money, and energy into developing his career. In addition to the numerous professional certifications he has obtained over the years - CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, and ECSA, to name a few.

He is also an alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management and holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Ibadan, an MBA in cybersecurity from the Business School Netherlands, as well as a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the EC-Council University, New Mexico, United States. His diverse and global education has helped him develop a unique perspective and ability to think outside the box.

Outside of the office, Zechariah is constantly looking for ways to raise the bar within the industry. He has worked as the Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX) Liaison and the Lagos Education Director with ISACA, a global professional association and learning organization with over 170,000 members working in digital trust fields.

His work as Education Director was particularly fulfilling as he helped to develop content for CPEs, conferences, and seminars. Along the same lines, he has worked as an examiner with CISM for almost a decade and has been a CDPSE Certification Working Group member since 2021.

While Zechariah enjoys public speaking engagements, his first experience was quite a surprise. He had organized a conference for the ISACA Lagos chapter, and at the last minute, a speaker canceled. Quick on his feet, he decided to fill in and presented the topic with such confidence and expertise that nobody knew what had happened.

Since that first engagement, he has hosted events and workshops across the US, the Middle East, Europe, and the United Kingdom. He loves the opportunity to share his knowledge with the next generation.

Along his career path, he has also received several esteemed awards. He was named EC-Council Ethical Hacker of the Year in 2016 and was inducted into the EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker Hall of Fame in 2021. He was named the Leader in the 2022 World CIO 200 Summit and, most recently, was invited to join the prestigious Forbes Technology Council.

It is clear that Zechariah Akinpelu's expertise in cybersecurity is recognized on a global level. His passion is unmatched, and his dedication is helping to make the industry stronger and more resilient than ever before.

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The largest Tesla Supercharger in Canada will soon be constructed.

This was confirmed after the giant EV maker filed paperwork to build the charging station. Numerous reports stated that Tesla filed its paperwork with the city back in March. Canada is among the main markets for the EV maker.

Once the new Tesla Supercharger station arrives in this 2nd largest country, Canadian Tesla EV owners can greatly benefit from it.

Largest Tesla Supercharger in Canada to Arrive!

According to Drive Tesla Canada's latest report, the largest Tesla Supercharger in Canada will be located at Brampton's Trinity Common Mall.

Also Read: Tesla's Powerwall Pilot Project With German Electric Company Transnet BW a Success!

It is expected to be constructed in an isolated parking area beside the Rogers store at 210 Great Lakes Drive.

Based on the acquired Tesla paperwork, the new Supercharger will be built along the outer edges of the parking area; this is similar to the design of North York's Supercharger station.

Although it is expected to be the largest Supercharger station in Canada, experts clarified that it would not come close to the size of the largest U.S. Tesla Supercharger.

Aside from these details, it was also confirmed that the upcoming EV charging station will not feature the pre-fabricated Superchargers of Tesla.

Other Supercharger Efforts of Tesla

Building new Supercharger stations in different countries is not the only effort made by Tesla today. The giant automaker also offers reduced pricing in several European countries.

Teslarati reported that the EV manufacturer decreased its Supercharger fees in Europe by over 10%. Among the countries that experienced lower Supercharger fees are Germany and Netherlands.

As of writing, Tesla is still improving its Supercharger business. Recently, the automaker announced that its 45,000th Supercharger stall was already completed.

If you want to learn more about Tesla's supercharger efforts, you can click this link.

In other news, a new Tesla Shanghai factory for Megapack batteries has been announced. Meanwhile, experts claimed that Tesla's price cuts in California were not able to save its market share.

For more news updates about Tesla and other giant EV makers, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Tesla Gigafactory Texas Now Reportedly Produces 4,000 EVs Every Week: Still Behind Giga Berlin?

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Artificial intelligence took over the world earlier this year, and this is because of the advanced features and helpful functions it brings to users, but AI music generation is not something that the industry takes lightly. Spotify is now on a purge to remove thousands of AI-made songs in the platform, with a massive percentage of it being the ones seeing significant streaming, mostly from bots.

The service called Boomy is also amidst this issue, as the generative music platform debuts different songs from text prompts, now taking over Spotify's streams.

(Photo : Jason Davis/Getty Images)

Spotify is Purging Thousands of AI-made Songs in the Platform

According to the Financial Times report (via Ars Technica), there is a growing problem on Spotify which involves AI-generated music and bots taking over the streaming platform. With this, Spotify is now looking to purge and remove them from the music app as it is not only promoting the use of AI for making songs but also involves bots to listen to them and boost their revenue.

The company behind these AI-generated songs is known as a California-based startup called Boomy, with its Boomy AI claiming to have made over 14 million AI-generated songs already.

It was also reported that Universal Music has flagged all of the main streaming platforms in the world, mentioning the "suspicious" streaming activity on Boomy's tracks.

The report claimed that Spotify said that tens of thousands of Boomy music were already removed from the platform.

Read Also: Twitter, Spotify vs. Apple: 'Absurd' App Store Rules is a Massive Concern for Executives

AI-Made Songs are Taking Over, With Bots as Listeners

AI-made songs are now taking over streaming platforms, and that is not the only problem, especially for those artists who create songs out of scratch, one that takes them a long time in doing so.

There are also "listening bots" who play these songs over and over, one that would help boost their fame and revenue on platforms like Spotify.

Spotify Amidst the AI Take Over in the World

The tech industry has been filled with the wonders and helpfulness of artificial intelligence with the rise of the likes of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms present now.

With the many AI applications and their API available for developers to build apps or other experiences with, other industries see these types of apps available to bring the experience to them in under several seconds. There was one TikTok viral music called "Heart on My Sleeve" which features Canadian hip-hop artists, Drake and The Weeknd, but was made via AI, as there is no released music from the two's collaboration yet.

It was also made available on Spotify for a brief time before it was taken down after seeing massive streams.

Many may see this as a dispute in the music industry, particularly with artists, producers, and other concerned individuals who use their creative juices in creating tracks, beats, lyrics, and other elements that make up a sound.

Spotify is not entirely enforcing a ban on AI music on its platform, but reports are now swirling in regarding complaints behind this, as well as listening bots that boost its streams that add to the uploader's revenue, overshadowing other artists, both in the indie and mainstream music.

Related Article: Spotify Working With Partners to Address AI-Generated Songs, Still Permitting Innovation

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
There is a new development to the legal battle faced by the former FTX CEO and co-founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, and this is also the first time that its team shared its first official legal defense with the world. It centers on SBF's team looking to dismiss the case brought up against the executive made by the US government, especially regarding the FTX bankruptcy that took place in 2022.

(Photo : Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks to Dismiss Multiple Charges Against Him

Ars Technica's latest report compiles the many submitted documents of Sam Bankman-Fried's legal team to the US courts, centering on their motion to dismiss the many cases filed against the former FTX CEO.

The law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, known for representing Bankman-Fried, has accused the US government of its "rush to judgment" regarding the executive's hands on the crime and charges against him.

"The Government's haste and apparent willingness to proceed without having all the relevant facts and information has produced an indictment that is not only improperly brought but legally flawed and should be dismissed," as discussed in the memo by Bankman-Fried's legal team.

SBF is now asking for an "oral argument" where he and the court would discuss the "baseless charges" against him to clear himself of the crimes. The executive is also looking to dismiss 10 out of 13 charges, with him claiming that there is no substantial basis for these claims.

Read Also: Sam Bankman-Fried Faces New Criminal Charge for Bribing Chinese Officials for as much as $40M

SBF's Legal Defense: Wants Separate Trials for Cases

Apart from this, Bankman-Fried's legal team aims to separate the trials for the different cases filed against the executive, one which would give SBF a fair chance in the eyes of the jury and avoid "undue prejudice." The move to separate the combined charges aims to allow SBF a fair fight in court.

Moreover, SBF's lawyers aim to have Bahamian authorities to consent the charges against him as part of the extradition treaty with the US when he was taken from his home in the Bahamas and back to the country.

FTX Bankruptcy and Sam Bankman-Fried

One of the modern times' most controversial executives is Sam Bankman-Fried, and this is because of the unprecedented and surprising collapse of a once-known high-performing company, FTX. The company's bankruptcy initially had all of its money and its investors' funds lost, with no one answering to the missing funds.

Different evidence was presented against SBF, with egregious spending using FTX's funds to pay for DoorDash orders, lavish vacations on luxurious hotels, and other services that are not part of the company's spending plans. Moreover, this complaint said that this was also the time that FTX is struggling to make ends meet and when the company threatened to go under.

While other executives like Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison already admitting their guilt on the fraud charges against them, SBF has pleaded "not guilty" on all of its cases and plans to fight it out in court. Now, the former executive and his legal team are seeking to dismiss the cases against his name, as well as have separate trials for the complaints to give him a fair fighting chance in front of the judge and jury.

Related Article: Not Guilty? Sam Bankman-Fried Denies New Counts Linked to FTX's Demise

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Elon Musk-led automaker Tesla has achieved its goal of producing 5,000 Model Y vehicles in a week at its Gigactory in Texas. This number was the original goal of the company for its volume production at the plant.

(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

GRUENHEIDE, GERMANY - MARCH 21: Newly completed Tesla Model Y electric cars stand at the new Tesla Gigafactory electric car manufacturing plant on March 21, 2022 near Gruenheide, Germany. The new plant, officially called the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, will officially open tomorrow with an event with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The new plant is producing the Model Y as well as electric car batteries.

Achieving Production Volume Goal

Tesla announced on Tuesday that its Gigafactory in Texas achieved a production volume of 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, which means that it would be able to produce 260,000 vehicles per year. According to Electrek's report, the automaker created a friendly competition between Gigafactory Texas and Gigafactory Berlin, which both ramped up its volume production.

Giga Texas achieves production of 5k Model Y/week pic.twitter.com/WwZrv3CYae  Tesla (@Tesla) May 9, 2023

Compared to its production rate of 3,000 per week in December and 4,000 by April, achieving this new goal is a milestone for Tesla as it increases its capacity by 20% in only a short amount of time. By achieving this goal, Tesla Model Y has overtaken the Model 3 in becoming the company's most popular vehicle model.

Before the announcement from Tesla itself, Teslarati obtained several pictures of the company celebrating the production milestone with a unique logo that features "5K" and Texas longhorns and engrained Tesla T logo. This was planted as a celebration of the milestone of Giga Texas, fitting due to its being the only model that they currently produce in the facility.

This goal was achieved by Giga Texas a bit behind compared to other facilities of the company as they are facing different challenges in the facility. This includes vehicles that are equipped with 4680 battery cells, which enables new structural battery pack chassis design.

In comparison with the traditional ones, this new way of manufacturing vehicles brings some complexity. It remains unclear how many vehicles are being produced by Tesla with 4690 cells and 2170 cells, including the structural battery pack.

Also Read: Tesla to Build its Sixth Gigafactory in Mexico

Giga Texas is now anticipating beginning production of the highly-anticipated Tesla Cybertrucks, which amassed over 1 million pre-orders and is set to begin production sometime later this year.

While Musk stated that production would begin later this summer at the earliest, there is still a question mark if they will proceed with this as Cybertruck's production has been halted several times already.

Other Facilities

This achievement was followed by the Giga Berlin Plant reaching a rate of 5,000 Model Y per week last March. If Giga Berlin keeps up with the current manufacturing pace, the facility will be able to manufacture over 250,000 vehicles per year.

Now that it has reached its goal with this vehicle, Tesla anticipates adding a new model to the lineup, which is noteworthy since the company is now authorized to build 500,000 vehicles per year out of the factory. It was rumored that Tesla has been planning to release the Model 3 next in this facility, but the company has been silent for quite some time now regarding this matter.

Related Article: Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Ramps up Output to 5,000 Cars a Week

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Apple is looking to release new wireless Bluetooth Headphones under its Beats lineup, centering on an updated version of the brand's famed Studio Pro wearables. The new leaks surrounding the Beats Studio Pro center on new developments for the wireless headphones, centering on a new proprietary chip that would power the device.

With all that said, it would see a significant contender right on Apple's releases, with the famous AirPods Max which also delivers a premium music and communication experience as a wireless headphones.

(Photo : 85mm.ca from Unsplash)

Beats Studio Pro to Deliver a Refreshed Version from Apple

As first reported by 9to5 Mac, the Cupertino giant is "about" to release an upgraded version of the Beats Studio Pro to the world, but there are still limited details behind this new audio wearable. First off, this is a Bluetooth headphone that features wireless capabilities, and the new model will debut with an integrated custom Beats chip that would deliver the experience.

This new chip will help bring better capabilities for the headphones, centering on improvements in the active noise cancellation and transparency mode features.

Moreover, there are speculations regarding a "personalized" spatial audio feature for this Beats headphones.

Lastly, Apple is also looking to give the Beats Studio Pro a USB-C Charging port for fast charging.

Read Also: Apple is Working on Beat Studio Buds Plus: Here's What to Expect

Beats Studio Pro vs. Apple's AirPods Max

As per Engadget, it has been five years since Apple introduced a new device on Beat's top-tier Studio headphones, and this time, the company is looking to improve the experience for all.

Apart from Sony, Bose, Shure, Marshall, and other audio wearable brands in the world, Beats will have to face its parent company's featured AirPods Max should it be released soon.

It remains unknown as to how much Apple would sell the Beats Studio Pro, as well as if it would replace the current $349 Beats Studio3 on its lineup.

Apple's Beats Development

For a long time now, Apple has continued the development of its acquired company, Beats, which brings a unique audio experience for its users, centering on what the company has to offer. It also follows the famous branding which Dr. Dre introduced to the world, centering on the superb music quality and experience available in what it offers.

However, Apple also debuted its proprietary audio experience under the AirPods lineup which it introduced in 2016, and quickly became one of Beats' rivals in the market.

Not long after, Apple also introduced its studio-focused wireless Bluetooth headphones, the AirPods Max, as one of its premium music devices that pairs well with Cupertino's many devices.

With Apple expanding its audio experiences for users including its massive focus on Apple Music, the wearable devices prove to be a core accessory to one's music and streaming needs. Beats is still a brand that the company aims to push, and with leaks behind the new Studio Pro Bluetooth headphones, the company is still looking to expand more on its portfolio of audio products.

Related Article: Beats Studio Buds+ in iOS 16.4 Confirmed per FCC Filings

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As buyers move into the world of high-speed data transfer, reliable and secure data storage has become a higher priority than ever before. This is especially true for content creators, photographers and other professionals who regularly transfer and carry large amounts of data.

Rugged Exterior Offers Durability and Convenience

With the rise of tablets, phones, and other portable devices, consumers have come to expect the same portability and convenience from their storage solutions. Samsung's 1TB T7 Shield SSD delivers in spades with a rugged exterior that easily absorbs drops, water, and dust.

According to the story by Engadget, now on sale for $75, a record low price as part of a larger Samsung storage sale that also features discounts on NVMe SSDs and microSD cards, the T7 Shield offers fast read/write speeds coupled with an assurance of durability.

Impressive Design and Durability of the Samsung T7 Shield

What makes the T7 Shield stand out is its design. Exceeding the MIL-STD-810G standard, the SSD can resist drops up to 9.8 feet and is IP65-rated, a certification given to dust and water-resistant devices.

On top of this, the exterior is rubberized, adding further grip and shielding from scratches and knocks. The Samsung T7 Shield is the perfect companion for content creators and anyone requiring reliable storage while on the go.

The Samsung Storage Sale Offers More Than the T7 Shield

The speeds on offer with the T7 Shield are impressive too. This solid-state drive is rated to read at 1,050MB/s and write at 1,000MB/s, which is great for anyone that requires fast backup speeds. Buyers can purchase the device from Amazon.

This means no worrying about transferring data from memory cards, making it ideal for backing up photos and video in the field. But the Samsung storage sale doesn't end with the T7. Aside from Amazon, buyers can also purchase the SSD from Samsung.

Save Up to $22 with Samsung's Updated Storage Sale

As part of the promotion, it's possible to get a 2TB 980 Pro NVMe drive for $140, which works out as a 13% saving, and the 256GB EVO Select microSD card + adapter for only $18, a total combined saving of $22.

Whether buyers want reliable storage, fast transfer speeds, or a combination of both, Samsung's 1TB T7 Shield SSD is the perfect choice. And with the option of a host of further savings with the updated Samsung storage sale, it's the perfect time to pick up one of the most resilient portable storage solutions on the market today.

Read Also: 2TB SSD Western Digital Drops to $115 After an Over 50% Discount

The T2 Shield: the Reliable and Affordable Data Storage Solution

Content creators and data pros constantly transferring data in the field simply can't afford the risk of their data failing. Storing it in a durable and waterproof drive like the T2 Shield can give users the peace of mind that their data will remain safe and secure, even if it takes a tumble.

Combined with its record-low price, it's easy to see why professionals and everyday people are investing in Samsung's T7 Shield external SSD.

Related Article: Tentative Exynos 2500 Specs Spotted Online: Leaks Show 10-Core CPU Performance

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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 12:02 | All, World, Japan, G7

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday his plan to visit Japan next week to attend this year's summit of the Group of Seven countries remains unchanged, but he suggested the trip could be canceled if he does not make progress in talks with Congress to prevent the first-ever default by the federal government.

"I'm still committed, but obviously this is the single most important thing on the agenda," Biden told reporters after meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders at the White House.

While highlighting the seriousness of the ongoing negotiations on the debt ceiling, Biden added that canceling the trip to attend the three-day G-7 summit of major industrial nations in Hiroshima from May 19 is "possible but not likely."

Related coverage:

Japan not seeking nuclear disarmament message from Biden in Hiroshima

Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, said Wednesday that Tokyo had "not received any notice from the U.S. government" regarding Biden's possible absence from the gathering.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned last week that the government could run out of money as early as June 1 if Congress does not act "as soon as possible" to raise or suspend the $31.4 trillion limit.

Biden could not break the impasse in the talks on Wednesday but said he is certain a default will be avoided. The president will hold another round of talks with the congressional leaders on Friday.
AI has already been heralded as a game changer in healthcare. In CES 2023, for instance, experts from the American Medical Association said that artificial intelligence could soon take over the domain of medicine, but in a way that benefits both physicians and patients.

But a group of doctors and public health experts have now cautioned that it could pose an existential threat to humanity.

The group, which included experts from the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the International Institute for Global Health, released an article in BMJ Global Health pushing for better AI regulation.

Doctors Pushing for AI Regulation

The article focuses on the hazards of AI in healthcare, such as errors that could hurt patients, data privacy and security concerns, and the potential for AI to exacerbate social and health inequalities by incorporating existing biases into automated algorithms.

OpenAI's ChatGPT, for example, has already been chastised for its data privacy laws, which have been the focus of contention in Italy, which has recently banned and reinstated the service.

Additionally, biases are known to exist in OpenAI's image-generating tool DALL-E 2, and other AI models can have, produce, and perpetuate biases.

The authors urge the medical and public health communities to learn more about the possible concerns posed by AI and to participate in policy debates about reducing these risks while reaping the advantages of AI.

Exploring Other Threats Posed by AI

AI's potential for harm is not restricted to healthcare. The report emphasizes the hazards of employing AI for surveillance and information campaigns, which might erode democracy further by generating a widespread breakdown in trust or fueling societal division and violence, with resulting public health consequences.

One example is the rapid development of emotion analysis technology, which the UK's information rights watchdog believes may endanger vulnerable people.

In 2023, the agency plans to issue recommendations on using biometric technologies like voice, facial, and fingerprint recognition.

Read Also: Spotify is on a Purge to Remove AI-Made Songs on the Platform, Boomy Boosts' Artificial Streaming'

The authors also expressed concern about the development of future weapons systems that might find, choose, and kill "at an industrial scale" without the need for human oversight.

Furthermore, the research discusses AI's possible impact on jobs, noting that unemployment is highly related to poor health outcomes and behavior.

While there would be numerous benefits to eliminating repetitive, risky, and unpleasant employment, the authors warn that authorities must confront the possibility of job losses due to AI-driven automation.

Reproducibility Crisis

The health industry has been wrestling with the potential benefits of AI, such as enhanced disease diagnosis, discovery of new medicines, answering patient concerns, and performing menial jobs.

However, Axios tells us that research has found that hospital algorithms discriminate against Black patients by allocating less attention to them. Algorithm dependability has also been questioned, with experts warning of a "reproducibility crisis" in healthcare studies.

The paper's authors are not the only ones raising concerns about AI. Geoffrey Hinton dubbed the "godfather of AI," announced his departure from Google due to concerns about machine learning dangers.

The United Nations and the European Union have taken moves to regulate AI, but more has to be done.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: AI Increases COVID-19 Vaccine Antibody Response by 128X-New Study

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Chinese tech company ByteDance has postponed the launch of its shopping platform on TikTok in the United States due to concerns about the app's future and a lack of interest from merchants, The Wall Street Journal reports.

TikTok Shopping Platform Launch Held Back by US Ban Concerns

ByteDance had planned to release the platform for all sellers in early spring, but it has now been delayed until June at the earliest.

There are worries that the launch date could be pushed back even further due to merchants' concerns about a potential ban of the app, as well as weak adoption of live-streaming e-commerce in the US.

According to Coresight Research, the US livestream shopping market was worth $20 billion in 2022. Then, by 2026, it is expected to more than triple to $68 billion in sales. However, it is yet to reach the $170 billion number set by China in 2020.

Additionally, TikTok had difficulty attracting more sellers to open storefronts after a preliminary test launch with a small group of selected merchants late last year.

The second phase of expanding the test pool was delayed until late March. This setback for ByteDance could hurt the company's plans to increase revenue from its global asset, as the US market is most lucrative outside of China.

In March, TikTok reported 150 million monthly active users in the United States, compared to 100 million in 2020.

More Challenges for TikTok

ByteDance's US business faces headwinds, including rising geopolitical tensions and increasing e-commerce competition from rivals such as Shein and PDD Holdings' Temu.

ByteDance's push into online shopping is part of a drive to earn more money from its Chinese and global apps, which are popular but have yet to lift the company into profit.

The company has recorded operating losses of more than $7 billion in 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal. ByteDance has been restructuring to improve efficiency since Beijing tightened oversight of China's internet sector. It has cut around 20,000 workers since late 2021.

ByteDance Looking for More Revenue Streams

According to recent reports from ByteDance investors, the company is seeking out new sources of revenue, and they anticipate revenue growth in the high double digits this year.

A Bloomberg report tells us that although ByteDance's revenue surpassed $80 billion last year, with most of it coming from digital advertising, the growth rate slowed down to 30% from 80% in 2021.

Read Also: Spotify is on a Purge to Remove AI-Made Songs on the Platform, Boomy Boosts' Artificial Streaming'

ByteDance heavily relies on China for more than 80% of its revenue, but the competition has stifled the growth of its flagship apps, Jinri Toutiao and Douyin.

Consequently, ByteDance invests in food delivery and location-based services to drive traffic to shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Investors are concerned that the uncertainties surrounding the future of the app in the US could have a domino effect and put other popular apps, advertising, e-commerce, and cloud-computing services at risk. TikTok remains ByteDance's primary attraction outside of China.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: TikTok Introduces 2 New Products to Advance Advertising Solutions

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Archaeologists in Spain have made a puzzling and creepy discovery, finding six skeletons of young men with their hands tied, face-down, and covered with stones in a cliff-side cave on the island of Gran Canaria, according to a report by Reuters.

Profound Symbolic Violence

In the mysterious Caleta de Arriba site, the remains were unearthed, raising the possibility that they existed prior to the 15th-century Spanish conquest of the archipelago located off northwest Africa.



Veronica Alberto, the excavation's leader, explained that the bodies did not undergo traditional burial rites, indicating a funerary practice steeped in profound symbolic violence.



Intriguingly, some of the men had their limbs bound with straps or bindings, and their lifeless forms were forcefully positioned on the rocky surface, with stones deliberately placed upon them.



The enigma deepens as the identity of these individuals remains unknown, leaving scientists eagerly awaiting the results of radiocarbon dating tests on the bones to ascertain the period to which they belong.



The site presents a peculiar anomaly, deviating from the conventional norms of burial grounds. It is noteworthy that exclusively male individuals were discovered, characterized by their robust musculature, implying a shared involvement in a specific form of physical activity.

Consequently, archaeologists are now considering different possibilities and thinking about the potential origins of the remains after the conquest. These origins could date back to the time period between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Read Also: 2,000-Year-Old Cave Art May Suggest that Ice Age Hunter-Gatherers Were the First to Use a Calendar - New Study

Severed Hands from Ancient Egypt

In a related discovery, archaeologists have found physical evidence of practice at an ancient Egyptian palace site. They have found 12 to 18 right hands buried beneath pits in the forecourt of Hyksos palace at Avaris.



The hands were discovered in three different pits in the area that would have been the palace's entrance court in front of the throne room. It is believed that the hands were not all fully intact and were interred together, making it difficult to determine the minimum and maximum number of individuals required to make up the remains.



Although the scholars were able to establish that the minimum ages of the hands were between 14 and 21 years, with the top age range being below 60, it was challenging to examine them forensically.

It is believed that the hands were likely to be part of a ceremony at the palace, giving onlookers a new viewpoint. Eleven of the hands were identified as male, with the 12th being undetermined, based on the sturdy structure of the bones and a morphological tendency for their index fingers to be longer than their ring fingers.



Both discoveries are raising questions about ancient practices and ceremonies, and more research and analysis are needed to fully understand the significance of these findings.

These peculiar burial practices shed light on ancient cultures' diverse and potentially ritualistic and even violent approaches toward the dead.

Related Article: Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Earliest Known Narrative Scene Carved in an 11,000-year-old Neolithic Bench

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SquareX's new anti-virus browser extension could protect users from fraud, scams, and other malicious campaigns.

The Singapore-based startup, which recently raised $6 million, is already working on a new browser extension.

SquareX explained that it is working on the anti-virus browser extension since it wants to be an alternative to conventional cybersecurity products.

The tech firm added that its advanced cybersecurity browser extension would be tailor-made for browser-based cloud SaaS tools.

SquareX's New Anti-Virus Browser Extension

According to Digital Trends' latest report, SquareX's new anti-virus browser extension will still allow users to access unknown websites and links.

Also Read: TSB Bank Warns About Get-Rich-Quick Scams on Meta-Owned Platforms! Here's How to Spot Them

But, instead of opening a regular browser, SquareX's cybersecurity tool will direct users to disposable browsers.

"Conventional cyber-security products don't work well for consumers because they get in the way," said SquareX CEO Vivek Ramachandran via Forbes.

"They're so unproductive that many consumers end up simply uninstalling them," he added.

With SquareX's new anti-virus browser extension, consumers will be able to visit open attachments and visit websites in a secure space on the cloud.

Other Details of SquareX

SquareX's anti-virus browser extension allows anonymous browsing from any location. Consumers can take advantage of this tech since it will enable them to dispose of their browsing activity anytime.

This means that no data will be retained. Aside from this, the browser session will also be destroyed and removed from the startup's servers.

As of press time, SquareX said that they are planning to focus on consumers in the United States, Asia, and the United Kingdom. But, SquareX is expected to offer its service to other countries in the near future.

If you want to learn more details about SquareX's new cybersecurity tool, you can click this link.

Here are other stories we recently wrote about cybersecurity:

A Dallas computer ransomware attack recently caused some jury trials to be canceled. We also reported about the new Gmail Blue checkmark, which will help users avoid scammers.

For more news updates about anti-virus systems and other similar cybersecurity techs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: AI-Powered Chatbots Discovered Running 50 Disinformation Content Farms

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is set to testify before a Senate panel about the critical need for AI regulation in the United States.

Next week, Reuters reports that Altman will testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law as the US government seeks the best ways to regulate artificial intelligence, which is becoming more powerful and widespread.

The subcommittee is entrusted with investigating what legislation would be required to protect Americans as the use of artificial intelligence develops into fields such as medical, banking, and employee surveillance.

Altman will provide his thoughts on the subject, building on his broad experience as the CEO of OpenAI, a premier AI research firm.

United States Pushing AI Regulation Efforts

Despite the widespread adoption of new AI technologies such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, the United States continues to lack significant regulatory measures.

The European Union is at the forefront of efforts to regulate the development of AI technologies. The EU's head of technology regulation has stated that the draft AI Act could be finalized this year.

The proposed AI Act by the EU will regulate the use of AI technology while mitigating potential harm from its misuse. It would also enact rules to ensure AI technology users' safety and privacy.

Importantly, this will also be Altman's first appearance before Congress, and it comes at a pivotal juncture in the debate over how to utilize artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically.

On Monday night, Altman will be hosted for dinner by the House of Representatives when he meets with members of Congress to discuss the necessity of AI regulation, Reuters reports.

Altman's Cooperation with the US Government

On Thursday, May 4, Vice President Kamala Harris met with the CEOs of four prominent tech companies active in artificial intelligence, including Altman, to address the possibilities and hazards of AI.

Altman's attendance at last week's White House AI meeting indicates his dedication to establishing appropriate regulatory safeguards. Altman stated during the discussion that companies are "surprisingly on the same page" regarding the need for regulation in the AI space.

Read Also: Microsoft 365 Copilot Expands Access and Introduces New Features for AI-powered Assistance

Christina Montgomery, IBM's chief privacy officer, will testify alongside Altman. The panel's leader, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, underlined the necessity of this hearing for "overseeing and illuminating AI's advanced algorithms and powerful technology."

An Urgent Need for AI Regulation

Because of the rapid progress of AI technology, there is an urgent need for clear and comprehensive laws.

A slew of challenges must be addressed, including data privacy, algorithmic prejudice and discrimination, and the potential for AI to displace human jobs. A group of doctors calling for AI regulations has recently mentioned this very concern.

As the application of AI expands into new sectors, the necessity for appropriate regulation will become even more pressing. This hearing is essential in the process as lawmakers attempt to develop a framework that balances innovation and advancement with the need to protect consumers and employees from possible AI hazards.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: ChatGPT Privacy Guide 2023: Here's How to Remove Your Sensitive Data From AI Chatbot

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Kicking off its 2023 I/O developer conference strong, Google has announced many enhancements and new additions across its varied tech lineup.

The most prominent of all is the firm's latest push into artificial intelligence with its PaLM 2 large language model, explaining how its integration into all things Google will reshape how consumers approach the brand (as well as their daily searched content).

As with most conversations, AI appears to be the leading player, as Google's Cloud chief Thomas Kurian explained how partners, like Wendy's, can benefit from the company's AI tools. Coming this summer to a Wendy's in Columbus, Ohio, Google's PaLM 2 will help customers with their orders to speed up the process of fast food pickup.

Beyond this, Google also showed off how its Duet AI, a chatbot under Google Cloud, which will be able to help answer questions so users don't have to go looking for results elsewhere. It's almost akin to a GitHub Copilot, an AI-lead product that similarly aids users with code-based queries.

Additionally, the firm notes that soon, Duet might be able to suggest new cloud services, test infrastructure, help with advanced coding, and indicate that code be moved across cloud regions for monetary enhancement.

Richard Seroter, Google Cloud's director of relations and outbound product management, explains that PaLM 2's leverages a host of Google's infrastructure for its competence, including YouTube transcripts and podcasts, cloud documentation, and even sample code.

Even more AI breakthroughs are highlighted in the company's Converse product. This generative AI tool will be able to give answers to complex questions, exemplified by Google with a rather long sentence asking whether Bryce Canyon or Arches National Parks is a better place to bring kids and a dog.

The result is much akin to what ChatGPT users might expect, with detailed reasons spread amongst both possibilities and no definitive answer given aside from one of preference on the part of the asker.

Related Article: Google Weather Sees Material You Redesign, Finally Features the Bold Looks Like Other Google Apps

Converse is itself going to be included in a new initiative Google is calling Search Generative Experience (SGE), wherein experimental generative AI will come to help shape the way we approach everyday search results.

The Converse product will only be available to Search Labs users. It will also include a follow-up option, or "conversational mode," allowing users to dive deeper into their queries and topics with the chatbot.

Google Workspace is getting juiced up with AI, as well, with Google's PaLM 2 allowing users to generate entire spreadsheets and even documents on the fly.

The company gave several examples, like job description writing for online ads and new Google Docs writing features for sales pitches and essays, allowing users to save time.

Bard is also being upgraded, with a wider user base that is slowly gaining in users. Google is keeping up with AI regulation by allotting access on its own time so that limitations and potential contrivances might be stamped out before the product makes a major debut.

The enhancements Bard will see thanks to PaLM 2 will be the inclusion of images in responses and new language responses (including English, Japanese, and Korean).

Google highlights that Bard will one day be capable of integrating with all things Google, helping users to bring information across products like Gmail, Docs, and more into certain conversations with the chatbot.

It will also have the capability to aid with third-party software, like Adobe, and will have big-name collaborations in the form of Uber Eats, ZipRecuiter, Spotify, Walmart, and more.

Google also showed off tangible products like its Pixel 7A, a $499 smartphone that is available today, May 10th, 2023. The phone boasts 128GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and a Tensor G2 chip that will help the device take on rivals like OnePlus and Samsung.

The firm also showed off its $499 Pixel Tablet, which will finally debut next month, with preorders going live today, as well. As VP of Product Rose Yao displayed during the event, the Tablet will be able to act as a smart home hub when it's docked.

Android is getting several updates, as well, including an AI-powered wallpaper feature and special alerts if an unknown tracker is planted on or near your person.

Hopefully, this will never have to go off for you, but it's an interesting new addition that seems to be throwing shade Apple's way in regards to the rival's AirTags products, which came under fire for their misuse.

Read Also: WhatsApp Android Mic Issues: Stays On Even When Not in Use, Says its Google's Fault

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The new Gmail "Help Me Write" will greatly benefit users, especially when it comes to saving time.

As of writing, Google's email service already has features that can help users compose email messages for their work and other daily tasks.

Among these are Smart Compose and Writing Suggestions. However, these features still require users' time and effort in order to write email messages.

This is why Google decided to create the new AI-powered "Help Me Write" feature, a functionality that automatically composes emails.

Gmail 'Help Me Write' Feature To Arrive!

According to Mashable's latest report, Google announced the arrival of its new Gmail "Help Me Write" feature at the Google I/O event.

Also Read: Gmail Package Delivery Tracker: Here's How to Enable the Feature Manually if It Doesn't Show Up

The search engine giant stated that this AI-powered enhancement is an expansion of its generative text and auto-replies in Gmail.

To help users understand how the new AI-powered tool works, Google CEO Sundar Pichai provided an example.

He said that the new "Help Me Write" feature could be used to compose an email message regarding an airline refund.

Pichai added that the AI feature would observe your previous messages with the airline so that the email would be accurate.

Of course, you still have the capability to edit the automated email message according to your liking. After that, all you need to do is send an email message to the airline.

'Help Me Write' Feature's Other Details

Google's Twitter post showed the new "Help Write Feature" in action. On its official tweet, you will see the magic-pen option (the AI-powered feature) at the bottom part of the screen.

Once you click this, the familiar Bard sparkle will appear next to the button. When the icon is tapped on, the user can insert their prompts.

In short, the new "Help Me Write" feature's efficiency will still depend on the instructions you will give to it.

Some trusted Google testers are already able to use the new "Help Me Write" feature. As of writing, the tech firm hasn't confirmed the exact release date for its public launch.

You can click this link to learn more about Gmail's new AI tool.

Aside from AI innovations, Google is also focusing on its other products.

Recently, the search engine giant confirmed the arrival of the first Google Pixel Fold. We also reported about Google Weather's Material You redesign, which features bold looks similar to other Google applications.

For more news updates about Gmail and other Google apps, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Gmail's New Blue Checkmark Helps Users Avoid Scammers! Eligibility, Other Details

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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 22:36 | All, World, G7

The Group of Seven leaders are set to hold three outreach sessions with their counterparts from eight guest nations, including India and Brazil, during their meeting in Hiroshima next week, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

The three sessions will be part of a total of nine sessions during the three-day gathering of the G-7 leaders from May 19 in the western Japanese city, the sources said. When the G-7 summit was held in Germany last year, two sessions out of seven were open to guest countries.

Australia, Comoros, the Cook Islands, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam make up the other six invited countries.

The G-7 members have been seeking to strengthen ties with the "Global South," a term collectively referring to emerging and developing countries in areas such as Asia and Africa.

Issues such as China's intensifying military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and food security are expected to be high on the agenda at the summit.

Most of the Global South countries have tried to avoid taking sides over the Russian war in Ukraine, amid the widening rift between a group of major developed democracies led by the G-7 and the Beijing-Moscow camp.

The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, plus the European Union.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the G-7 summit's chair, has said it is "essential to cooperate with a range of partners" in dealing with issues of energy, food security and climate change, and he will "work as a bridge" between the G-7 and the Global South.

On the first day of the summit, Japan is arranging for the G-7 leaders to visit the Peace Memorial Park, where they will lay flowers at the cenotaph for atomic-bomb victims, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum before discussions start at a hotel, according to the sources.

They will discuss regional affairs and the global economy on the first day, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected to join a session online to discuss the war in the Eastern European nation, the sources said.

The second day's talks will cover economic security, such as beefing up supply chains for semiconductors, as well as food, public health, development assistance, gender issues and climate change, while peace building will be addressed on the third day, according to the sources.

Kishida, who represents a constituency in Hiroshima, has a signature vision of a world without nuclear weapons and he plans to discuss nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation at a session, the sources added.

The heads of seven international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund, have also been invited to the summit.
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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2023 - 21:01 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism

The Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan Association of Travel Agents on Wednesday urged people to take trips abroad in a bid to boost the airline and tourism industry, as demand for international travel struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the number of visitors to Japan has grown steadily since border restrictions were eased last year, infection concerns and the weak yen are believed to be putting Japanese nationals off traveling abroad.

The number of Japanese people who left the country in March totaled 694,300, just 36.0 percent compared to March 2019 before the pandemic, according to government data.

Foreign arrivals to Japan, in contrast, have recovered to 65.8 percent of the level in March 2019.

The agency will focus on promoting travel to 24 countries and regions, including the United States and Thailand, and will work with their respective official tourism bureaus.

To further incentivize international travel, JATA said it will gift 8,000 yen ($60) in electronic money by lottery to 3,210 people who acquire a 10-year passport and fly internationally between July 1 and Sept. 30. Application starts on May 15.

"Flight numbers will not recover on visitors to Japan alone," Koichi Wada, the head of the Japan Tourism Agency, said during a press conference. "It is important that travel demand recovers in both directions."

Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairman of JATA, said, "We would like to pave the way toward a recovery in travelers through the summer holidays."
UAE-based digital real estate investment management platform Keyper, has officially announced a Rent Now Pay Later (RNPL) service, in a bid to ease the financial burden for Dubai residents.

Under this, tenants will be able to pay their annual rent in monthly instalments using a credit card.

Keyper said it will make it easier for tenants to manage their finances and enjoy a seamless rental experience while earning reward points from their credit card.

Set for launch in July, RNPL will be a first-of-its-kind offering in Dubai, said the company, adding that it has built this product to meet the current needs of tenants and landlords in the region.

Under this innovative payment approach, tenants will gain financial flexibility by spreading their rent payments over 12 months instead of the current 1-to-4 checks market standard, where they pay 3-to-12 months in advance.

Monthly rent will be charged to the tenant's credit card, ensuring timely payment. Once a tenant has accepted their new monthly rent, they will go through a simple approval process and be digitally onboarded to the Tenant Dashboard.

Tenants will be able to easily track their payments, add new credit cards, and access their tenancy contract through their personalized Tenant Dashboard, it added.

On the new service, Omar Abu Innab, Co-Founder & CEO of Keyper, said: "We recognize that Dubai is ready to leapfrog other global hubs by enabling tenants to digitize their rental experience and align it to the tenants income schedules. Traditional check payments are outdated, prone to errors, and do not provide a good user experience for tenants or landlords."

"We have designed our RNPL service to address these pain points and to enable our customers, tenants and landlords, to better manage their finance with ease," he noted.

In addition to benefiting tenants, Keyper said its RNPL service is also beneficial to landlords.

By allowing tenants to pay their rent in 12 installments, landlords are likely to experience improved tenant retention rates and reduced default rates. The seamless monthly rent payments through tenants' credit cards reduce the risk of late or missed installments.

"Landlords also have the option, through the Keyper Investor App, to receive an upfront payment for the annual rent at a discounted rate, which gives them immediate access to cash flow while eliminating their default risk," explained Innab.

Currently, Keyper is launching a waitlist for tenants to sign up, providing them opportunity to join their pilot programme. This phased approach will allow Keyper to provide a high-quality experience for all tenants and landlords, he added.
BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- "A letter from family worth ten thousand in silver." This line from ancient poet Du Fu (712-770) reflects the deep emotions that the Chinese people have for their family and homeland.

More than a century ago, when emails and WeChat did not exist, overseas Chinese had to find ways to send messages back home. "Qiaopi", a unique form of mail that serves as both a letter and a remittance, emerged and exhibited overseas Chinese's love for their family and native country while recording history. Today, these yellowed pieces of mail have become a national cultural treasure.

In 2004, a museum dedicated to Qiaopi opened in Shantou City. Even with a tight schedule during his inspection tour in the southern province of Guangdong in 2020, President Xi Jinping visited the museum.

Lin Qingxi, then curator of the museum, introduced the history of Qiaopi and the culture of overseas Chinese from Chaozhou and Shantou regions to Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Shantou is the hometown of a significant number of overseas Chinese. The Opium War of 1840 and ensuing wars of aggression launched by Western powers plunged China into a tragic state of turmoil, and many people in the coastal areas of southeast China sailed abroad to make a living, mainly to countries in Southeast Asia. Then the special correspondence featuring both text and money was born.

In the museum's exhibition hall, Xi carefully examined the letters from a bygone era and listened to Lin's explanation about how they were transported from overseas to a distribution center in Shantou, and ultimately delivered to their intended recipients. Lin also shared touching stories associated with the letters.

The letters sent by the overseas Chinese spanned over a century, encompassing China's revolution, construction and reform periods. Through their letters, these individuals and households shared their concerns during times of peril and expressed their joy as the country grew stronger.

"These letters recorded the strenuous efforts of the old generation of overseas Chinese and their profound love for the hometown and the motherland, and embodied the credibility and integrity of the Chinese nation," Xi said during the visit.

He emphasized the importance of preserving these precious materials and strengthening study in this regard, calling for efforts to remind people of the nation's humiliating sufferings in modern history and promote integrity in society.

After his visit to the museum, Xi was warmly greeted by residents of the neighborhood as he walked down the street.

"The contributions of numerous overseas Chinese are an inseparable part of the reform, opening up, and development of the country," he told the crowd.

Overseas Chinese endured enormous hardships and worked very hard to survive in a foreign country, and after gaining a firm foothold, they sent every dime saved back home, Xi said. "It represents the Chinese people, Chinese culture, Chinese spirit and Chinese heart."

The motherland cares about its overseas sons and daughters, too. "The tens of millions of overseas Chinese across the world are all members of the Chinese family," Xi had once said.

"We need to expand our ties with overseas Chinese, overseas Chinese nationals who have returned to China, and relatives of overseas Chinese nationals who live in China, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, encourage them to actively participate in and support the modernization and peaceful reunification of China, and support their efforts to promote cultural exchange between China and other countries," Xi said in a speech in 2014.

In the report delivered at the 20th National Congress of the CPC last year, Xi pledged to improve and strengthen the work related to Chinese nationals overseas to give shape to a powerful joint force for advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

On Monday, Xi welcomed representatives to the 10th Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and extended sincere greetings to overseas Chinese around the world. 
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during their meeting in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday called on China and Germany to stick to the right path, jointly oppose the "new Cold War" and "decoupling economies or severing supply chains," and inject confidence and impetus into world peace and prosperity.

Qin made the remarks during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin.

China and Germany are both among the major countries with global influence, Qin said, noting that the two countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation under the current international situation featured with interwoven turmoils.

The two sides should join hands to make a good preparation for the seventh round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation, accumulate achievements and make comprehensive plans for practical cooperation in various fields in the future, he added.

Facing various global issues and challenges, countries should cooperate rather than confront, should mutually respect rather than finger-point at each other, Qin said.

Baerbock said Germany attaches great importance to bilateral high-level exchanges as well as exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and looks forward to holding the seventh round of Germany-China inter-governmental consultation, which will be the first post-pandemic offline consultation and the first between the new governments of the two countries.

She said Germany is ready to work with China for positive outcomes of the consultation with a focus on joint efforts, sustainability and action, especially in promoting cooperation on climate change, energy transformation, biodiversity and youth exchange.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukrainian issue. Qin elaborated on China's position, stressing that China's consistent position is to facilitate talks for peace, and to promote the international community to form the greatest common denominator for a political solution to the crisis. European countries were urged to address both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis, and make efforts for the restoration of peace and security.

Qin is on a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of his German, French and Norwegian counterparts. 
Participants march in the annual Pride Parade, a celebration of LGBTQ identity, through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Saturday, June 11, 2022. The parade returned after a two-year hiatus for coronavirus. Rain threatened to dampen the fun, but stayed away, giving way to a golden sunset. (Photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Bubs Australia chief executive officer Kristy Carr has been ousted from the company she founded amid a stoush that has been brewing behind closed doors between her and the board of directors, who also dumped long-time chairman Dennis Lin.

In a statement to the ASX on Wednesday, the infant formula maker said Carrs employment had been terminated effective immediately due to failure to comply with reasonable board directions.

Bubs Australia CEO Kristy Carr has been terminated from the company she founded in 2005. Credit: James Brickwood

We acknowledge Kristys long service to Bubs and the role she has played in building the Bubs brand to the position it enjoys today, said new chair Katrina Rathie, who was appointed to the role on April 11.

Noting the recent deterioration in Bubs financial performance over the half year, the non-executive directors considered the time was right for a change in leadership and to change the governance framework of the company to ensure that it aligns with ASX Corporate Governance Principles and best practice, the ASX statement said.
Boxers rebellion

In wild scenes at the Melbourne Stadium, Italian migrants stormed the ring after their countryman Bruno Visintin had been beaten on points by the West African fighter Attu Clottey. The ring shook as 500 Italians surged against the ropes chanting: Bruno, Bruno. A bottle was thrown into the ring but did not hurt anyone. Fans shouted angrily when the referee, Terry Reilly, crowned Clottey the winner. Then they charged the ring.

Scaffold drama

Onlookers gasped as a workman hung by his fingertips from a scaffolding plank six floors up on the new City Mutual Life building at the corner of King William and Pirie Streets, Adelaide, at 2pm. Workmates quickly hauled the man to safety, saving him from a 70-foot fall. The man, David Hamilton, a stone mason, suffered only a cut finger and shock. He was tiling the face of the building when a plank became loose and he slipped.

Sweet deal
The government has axed a plan to bankroll spaceports and rocket launch facilities in Australia as part of funding cuts to the space industry that could stall critical momentum in the sector, industry figures have warned.

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources recouped $77 million in savings in Tuesdays federal budget by cutting three programs that aimed to support Australian space technology, including $32.3 million slated to co-invest in spaceports and launch sites.

The first NASA rocket launch from a commercial spaceport blasted off from Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory. Credit: Equatorial Launch Australia

Its a significant cut, the chief executive of the Space Industry Association of Australia, James Brown, said. Every country in the world is investing in growing space capability. Only governments can lead that investment, and our government is going in a different direction.

The axing of the spaceport program in particular was bad news, said senior space policy analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Malcolm Davis.
The grieving mother of a German backpacker who died at a Queensland avocado farm has journeyed across the world to find out what happened to her daughter.

Jennifer Kohl, 27, was crushed to death when the ride-on mower she was riding with her then-boyfriend rolled while they were working at Mt Tamborine Avocados in December 2017.

Backpacker Jennifer Kohl had worked on the avocado farm a few weeks before the fatal accident.

Cornelia Kohl travelled from Germany to be in the court as an inquest into the tragedy began in Southport on Wednesday.

The inquest will investigate what caused the mower to roll and whether employers implemented appropriate workplace health and safety measures for mower use.
For anyone out there thinking the No campaign for the upcoming referendum was looking a little disjointed, great news.

Were delighted to confirm that an outbreak of unity among the naysayers will be formalised this week as Warren Mundines Recognise a Better Way group, which has a distinctly home-spun feel, officially merges with the much slicker Fair Australia group  a subsidiary of Liberal-linked attack operation Advance Australia  and fronted by Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Who will take the backseat now that Warren Mundine and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are sharing the limelight? Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The two groups will come together under the Fair Australia banner, Warren told us on Wednesday, but whos going to be the main face of the campaign, and whos going to take a back seat?

Under the terms of the merger, Mundine and Price will be joint campaign spokespersons.
Aymon Fatho, who was killed this week by a shot through a BMWs windscreen in Melbournes west, has been remembered as a happy soul.

Alex Cangialosi, Fathos long-time friend, confirmed his death in the Taylors Hill shooting and said hed miss his high school mate.

[Im] very sorry for his passing and very sorry for his family, Cangialosi said.

Aymon Fatho, the victim of this weeks Taylors Hill shooting. Credit: Facebook

Emergency services found Fatho, 31, with a gunshot wound to his upper body inside a BMW on Vaucluse Boulevard in Taylors Hill, about 11.30pm on Sunday. Paramedics treated him, but he died at the scene.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends a symposium commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of the late Henry Fok Ying-tung, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, in Beijing, capital of China, May 10, 2023. Wang Huning met with Fok's relatives ahead of the event. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A symposium commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of the late Henry Fok Ying-tung, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was held Wednesday in Beijing.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, attended the symposium and met with Fok's relatives ahead of the event.

Fok was an outstanding public figure, renowned patriot, famous Hong Kong businessman, and close friend of the CPC, who served three terms as vice chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 84.

Speaking at the event, Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized the importance of following Fok's dedication to loving both the country and Hong Kong.

He called for united efforts to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. 
Actor Vince Colosimo will seek counselling as he tries to pay back more than $65,000 in unpaid fines, his lawyer told court on Wednesday.

The Underbelly star, 56, appeared by video link in Melbourne Magistrates Court for a brief hearing over a Fines Victoria warrant against him for failing to pay more than 160 fines.

Vince Colosimo outside court in October last year. Credit: Luis Ascui

His lawyer, Julia Munster, said Colosimo had only recently received funding from Legal Aid for her legal representation.

She said he was arranging counselling and working hard to put himself in a better position, but needed two months to do this.
New bulk-billing incentives announced in the federal budget should stall the decline of free GP care, particularly in regional Australia, but doctors say the extra money wont be enough to make out-of-pocket costs cheaper in the cities.

The Albanese government on Tuesday unveiled a $3.5 billion package to triple the financial reward for doctors who dont charge their most vulnerable patients gap fees. GPs will receive a $20.65 bonus if they work in the city and a $39.65 bonus in the countrys most rural areas if they bulk-bill children, concession-card holders and pensioners from November.

Dr Kean-Seng Lim, who works in western Sydney, said 75 per cent of his patients qualify for the incentives, which would help his practice continue to offer fully subsidised services. Credit: Wolter Peeters

The investment has been welcomed as a game-changer for both the regions and the one-third of Australian GP clinics that still offer bulk-billing, as it offers a significant boost to their bottom lines.

But doctors said they expected the changes to halt plummeting rates of bulk-billing rather than turn them around, with private clinics in metropolitan areas  which will receive a smaller bonus  more likely to keep billing patients out-of-pocket.
Chinas young graduates are struggling. One in five is jobless, there are too many being pumped out of universities around the country, and too few big employers are willing to hire in the middle of an economic downturn. They face a perfect storm of discontent in a country that has promised their lives would be better than their parents.

Now, some local authorities want to send them back to the country to transform Chinas mass of urban youth and train a generation of new farmers and rural teachers. In return, they are being offered $500 a month, transport, food, future employment endorsements and study credit to become five-star volunteers.

A university graduate volunteer works at a farm in Guangdong. The province wants to lure 300,000 young Chinese students to the country. Credit: Guangdong University

The push in one of its most populous provinces, Guangdong, and by some of Chinas ministries and state-owned enterprises, has faint echoes of Chairman Mao Zedongs Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside movement, which sought to rid Chinas youth of their privileged city lives.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was forced into rural China after his father had a dispute with Mao in the 1970s. The hard labour stuck with him. Today, Xi is becoming increasingly intolerant of what he sees as a weakness in the Communist Party and the national economy: slackers.
Last week the world simultaneously witnessed two events in Russias war on Ukraine that are significant, including for Australia.

First, Vladimir Putin staged a fake drone assassination attempt on himself, according to the independent Institute for the Study of War. This staged event  as Putin doesnt live in the Kremlin and there were firefighters in position  is a strange stunt to justify the further genocidal bombing of innocent Ukrainian civilians.

Vladimir Putin, facing defeat, is increasingly desperate and dangerous. Credit: Kremlin pool photo via AP

On the same day, Russian forces shelled and fired missiles at Kherson, a port city of some 280,000 people, or about the size of Hobart. Some 23 people died, including in the aisles of their local supermarket, which is very much like a Coles or Woolies.

These two events  one bizarre and the other barbaric  show that the Russian despot is increasingly desperate and dangerous. This week, in one 24-hour period, Putin fired another 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 60 Iranian drones at Ukrainian civilian objects.
London: High Court documents revealed at the start of a phone-hacking case in London have confirmed that a British newspaper group apologised to Prince Harry for unlawfully seeking information about him.

Harry and some 100 celebrities, including actors, sports stars, singers and TV personalities, are suing publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), accusing its titles of habitually accessing private information by widespread phone-hacking, deception and other illicit means between 1991 and 2011.

Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in London in March. Credit: AP

The claimants, who also include victims of crime, say the unlawful behaviour at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People occurred with the full knowledge of senior executives who they say failed to stop it and actively covered it up.

The titles are owned by Reach.
Washington: Misleading claims about the neo-Nazi gunman responsible for Saturdays mass shooting at a Dallas-area shopping centre are reverberating across Twitter, in large part because of Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Musk has questioned whether the man identified by authorities as the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, really had an account on a Russian social media platform, and Musk suggested that revelations about the shooters background could be a psyop, or psychological operation, in which the public is misled about the real details of the shooting.

Extremist material has surged on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the platform. Credit: Bloomberg

Garcia proclaimed his white supremacist views on social media and sported Nazi tattoos. Authorities and independent researchers have confirmed his interest in far-right extremism and white supremacism. When police killed Garcia, he was wearing a patch that read RWDS, an acronym that stands for Right Wing Death Squad.

We do know he had neo-Nazi ideation, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Hank Sibley said at a news conference on Tuesday. He had patches. He had tattoos.
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When speaking of its newly launched China Initiative, Jean-Francois Manzoni, president of world-renowned business school the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) , said that "we are very much looking forward to intensifying our activities in China."



Produced by Xinhua Global Service 
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Congressman George Santos was arrested on Wednesday morning on federal criminal charges.

Santos, the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, was reportedly taken into custody on Long Island, New York.

The indictment includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Santos, a first-term Republican lawmaker, is expected to appear later Wednesday at federal court in New York's Eastern District.

He has been the target of multiple investigations after questions emerged about his resume, biography, and finances. 
RAMALLAH, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were killed early Wednesday by Israeli soldiers in the town of Qabatiya near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, said Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses.

A short video on social media showed that the bodies of the two young men were covered with blood right after they were shot dead during fierce clashes that broke out in Qabatiya.

Local sources and eyewitnesses said that a troop of Israeli soldiers backed by armored vehicles stormed the center of Qabatiya to arrest Palestinians wanted by Israeli security forces for alleged involvement in attacks against Israel.

They added that heavy clashes and exchanges of fire took place in the town between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers. Explosions and intensive gunfire were heard in the town.

The eyewitnesses also said that a third Palestinian was seriously injured and was arrested by the Israeli soldiers before they pulled out from the town.

Since early January, the Israeli army has been carrying out daily raids on Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps to arrest Palestinians allegedly involved in attacks against Israel.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a press statement that since January, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers during the daily raids on Palestinian areas.

Meanwhile, according to Israeli data, 19 Israelis were killed during the same period.

The raids in Qabatiya town came amid growing tension between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in the Gaza Strip, which had resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinians, including five militants and 10 civilians. 
Cheyenne, WY (82001)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High 49F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
XIONG'AN, Hebei, May 10 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for efforts to firm up confidence and maintain resolve while taking solid steps to continuously achieve new progress in developing the Xiong'an New Area.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. Li, Cai and Ding are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. 
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Partly cloudy. High around 70F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 43F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

A few clouds. Low 44F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 44F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2023 shows Republican lawmaker George Santos (C) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

George Santos has been the target of multiple investigations after questions emerged about his resume, biography, and finances.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. federal prosecutors have reportedly filed criminal charges against Congressman George Santos.

The charges, which remain under seal, were filed in the Eastern District of New York, according to U.S. media reports.

Santos, the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, could appear in court as early as Wednesday, the reports said.

The New York Republican has been the target of multiple investigations after questions emerged about his resume, biography, and finances.

The U.S. House Ethics Committee launched an investigation earlier this year to look into issues surrounding Santos. 
This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2023 shows U.S. Congressman George Santos on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States. U.S. federal prosecutors have reportedly filed criminal charges against Congressman George Santos. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. federal prosecutors have reportedly filed criminal charges against Congressman George Santos.

The charges, which remain under seal, were filed in the Eastern District of New York, according to U.S. media reports.

Santos, the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, could appear in court as early as Wednesday, the reports said.

The New York Republican has been the target of multiple investigations after questions emerged about his resume, biography, and finances.

The U.S. House Ethics Committee launched an investigation earlier this year to look into issues surrounding Santos. 

This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2023 shows U.S. Congressman George Santos on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States. U.S. federal prosecutors have reportedly filed criminal charges against Congressman George Santos. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)
SPECIAL REPORT: Kendall Jenners 818 Tequila launching in UK

818 Tequila, the premium brand owned by Kendall Jenner, is set to launch in the UK through Spirit Cartel.

Named after Jenners area code in Calabasas, California, 818 Tequila features three expressions: Blanco; Reposado and Anejo. The former is the least expensive of the releases at an RRP of 48, while the latter is the most at 65.

Each blend has been crafted from 100% Blue Weber Agave, handpicked by jimadores from the lowlands and highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

On the upcoming UK launch, Jenner commented: I can't wait for people across the UK to experience the magic of 818 Tequila. We're arriving in London just in time for the start of spring, and I know everyone will love our delicious tequila when they try it."

The Tequila brand has already been available across the USA, Canada, China, Dubai and select Caribbean markets.

From 10 March, it will be available to buy through Venus, Speciality, Enotria & Coe and off-trade exclusively at Selfridges London, Manchester, Birmingham and its online store.

Director of Tequila operations at 818, David Yan Gonzalez, said: The UK represents an exciting new market for 818 where we see the popularity of agave-based spirits increasing. This is an amazing step for us.

More information can be found at the 818 website.

9 March 2023 - Bradley Weir
SPECIAL REPORT: Duppy Share Rum teams with celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott

UK premium rum brand Duppy Share has paired up with celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott to create a series of authentic food recipes paired with the brands cocktails, ahead of a 'Summer of Rum'.

Harriott has created a range of inspired Caribbean recipes as part of the Pairing is Sharing campaign launched by Duppy Share. The cocktail recipes provided by the brand can be recreated at home.

Commenting on the partnership, Harriott said: Caribbean food always brings you sunshine on a plate and a gorgeous rum cocktail brings you sunshine in a glass - that's why I'm so delighted to team up with my friends at Duppy Share to help create the fantastic Pairing Is Sharing experience. Both rum and Caribbean food are more popular than ever right now and I'm loving the opportunity to work with the Duppy Share team to bring plenty of sunshine, flavour and smiles to the table.

The Duppy Share cocktails have been developed by Portobello Road rum bar Trailer Happiness owner Sly Augustin.

Jack Orr-Ewing, CEO of Duppy Share Rum, added, Im delighted to partner with Ainsley for this campaign. Having grown up watching him on television, it was clear that his personality and values were the perfect match for Duppy Share. Ainsley has always made food accessible, delicious and fun, just like our rums. Since meeting with Ainsley and his team, its clear that his passion for bringing Caribbean food to a British audience matches our mission to share the Spirit of the Caribbean through every drop of rum we sell.

The team at Duppy Share have created a bespoke Ainsley Pairing is Sharing Kit available on their website from this week. The kit will include taster bottles of all rums featured as well as recipe cards. 1 from each of the Kits and 1 from any Duppy Share bottle sold on the Duppy Share website will be donated to the Alpha Boys Music School in Jamaica which Ainsleys Dad attended.

Harriotts recipes paired with Augustins cocktails:

Starter

Jerk King Prawns with Duppy Aged Rum, Crispy Plantain and Avocado paired with Duppy Blitz

Main Course

Coconut & Duppy Spiced Rum Chicken Skewers with Pineapple Slaw and Coriander Roti paired with The Duppy Colada

Dessert

Ainsleys Tropical Tiramisu with Duppy XO, Sweet Mango and Creamy Mascarpone paired with The Duppy Old Fashioned

30 March 2023 - Bradley Weir
"After a mysterious force decimates the worlds population, Sebastian must navigate his own survival journey through the desolate streets of Barcelona. As he forms uneasy alliances with other survivors and they try to escape the city, an unexpected and even more sinister threat grows."
Lillian Ip from Cheltenham went missing on April 30 when she was travelling to Dartmouth Dam in Victoria. On the way to the dam, she was driving along a forest road when her car got held up in a puddle of mud and would not move. Uh oh.
The fine print says theres no checked baggage, and its all one way. However, I did some research and you can go still get cheap return flights. Booking and service fees range anywhere from $5 to $12.50 added to the listed price. There are more details on Jetstars website.
The recent weeks have seen a pant-shitting rise in the development and release of AI tools, with many people working in administrative fields terrified at the thought that they will be replaced by computers who can do their jobs faster and better (and cheaper) than they can.


After Getting Everything Wrong During COVID, Top Health Officials Now Try to Deflect Blame

Commentary

The United States was shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This started under the Trump administration, with guidelines in March 2020. They declared that in order to slow the spread, the nation would have to self-quarantine for 15 days.

Then we were told, 15 days? Thats not enough to flatten the curve. We need to quarantine longer.

A face mask is seen in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 26, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

The economy began to fail. Trillions were given in coronavirus bailouts, and the American people were given crumbs from this. Teachers refused to return to school, and children were forced to learn from home. Businesses declared as non-essential were closed, and this was extended even to the forced closure of churches. Others lost their livelihoods, while big corporations deemed essential saw their sales boom. Even prisons in some states were emptied, under the narrative that the jails could become super spreader sites.

As this happened, politicians were seen eating at restaurants with their families, elite parties were held where only the servers wore face masks, and while the country was on lockdown mass BLM protests were allowed to sweep the country with waves of destruction, under the narrative that the fight for racial justice was more important than the fight for public health safety.

A Return to Normality?

When things gradually began returning to normal, it was still far from normal. Children were forced to wear face masks throughout the school days. Vaccine mandates were rolled out. Many Americans were forced to get injected with experimental shots based on shoddy health data against their will. This was rolled out alongside campaigns of election reform, mass censorship, and heavy-handed public criticism of anyone who stepped out of line.

Three years later, things are finally going back to normal. The vaccine mandates are ending. The public health emergency officially ended. The Atlantic even called for a pandemic amnesty, where we all just forgive the people who violated our rights, and simply move on.

A student adjusts her facemask at St. Joseph Catholic School in La Puente, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Of course, the public doesnt want to just move on. Instead, there are now calls for justice, to ensure this never happens again.

And as the public calls for justicesomething new is happening. Key people who were responsible for these public abuses are trying to flip the script. Theyre attempting to rewrite history, to shift the blame, and it seems theyre hoping the public simply forgets what actually took place.

Fauci Faces Calls for Justice

Former White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a focal point of the criticism.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had this to say about Fauci: You have people like Fauci saying that his lockdowns didnt cause any permanent damage to any young kids. I got news for you. It did. And we are going to reap those rewards across the whole country for years and years and years, because they treated kids so poorly.

Fauci responded to the growing criticism in a recent puff piece from New York Times Magazine. He said that with pandemic policy, Nothing was done perfectly. And he washed the hands of the institutions mainly calling the shots, by stating the emphasis strictly on the science and public healththat is what public-health people should do. Im not an economist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not an economic organization. The surgeon general is not an economist. So we looked at it from a purely public-health standpoint.

Fauci: It Wasnt Fauci

He added: When people say, Fauci shut down the economyit wasnt Fauci. The C.D.C. 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 C.D.C.s recommendation, and people made a decision based on that.

Former White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 17, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

So Fauci didnt shut down the economy? Well, technically he didnt flip a switch somewhere that just locked down businesses across the nation. He didnt personally close down a school, or personally put up a sign closing down a factory. But yes, as he notes, he gave the recommendation. The CDC echoed that recommendation. And policy that shut down the country was based on his recommendation, given from his position in power.

Its like a president starting a war, then declaring he didnt go to war because he never physically set foot on the battlefield. Theres a difference between physically carrying out an order and being the one who pushed for the order in the first place. And when it comes to the lockdowns, Fauci, by his own public admissions, was the one who gave the recommendation for that order.

Conflicting Narratives

This was Fauci on CNN just thirteen days ago on April 26: It was a personification of me as a person who essentially closed everything down. Those were public health recommendations that came from the CDC, and I have always been very supportive of the CDC.

But this was what Fauci said on Oct. 6, 2020, during a live forum: And when it became clear that when we had community spread in the country, with a few cases of community spread, this was way before there was a major explosion like we saw in the Northeast in the corridor, driven by New York City metropolitan area, I recommended to the President that we shut the country down.

You get that? He took credit for giving the recommendation to shut the country down.

Of course, its not just Fauci. Many people were involved in the lockdowns and the abuses. And some of the biggest victims of these policies were Americas children.

Weingarten Says They Tried Opening Schools

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, recently testified before Congress on some of the decisions for schools. She recently claimed that the teachers union had actually pushed early on to have schools reopened.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during a press conference in Tamarac, Fla., on May 3, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Im sorry, Congressman Raskin, Im just, we spent every day from February on, trying to get schools open. We knew that remote education was not a substitute for opening schools, but we also knew that people have to be safe. But maybe its because I live in New York City, I live near a hospital. Every other minute there was an ambulance. There was terror. Our members were terrified. Others were terrified. And what we were simply looking for was clear scientific guidance. And when we couldnt get it, we did it ourselves, and we worked with doctors and we worked with others, and we just tried to get it out there.

So, the teachers union played a heavy role in keeping schools closed. Weingarten claims they really wanted to get them open, as they knew the situation wasnt good for kids. But apparently, it wasnt their fault for closing schools, since the physical decision to close things down was based on scientific guidance from the officials who were giving the public recommendations for people like her to follow. They were acting on the available information.

So Whos to Blame?

The people who carried out the action? The people who recommended the action be carried out? Was the real problem a lack of information? Then maybe we should blame groups like the World Health Organization or Big Tech that were restricting and censoring information and news reports that didnt follow the official narratives?

So then, maybe the blame falls on the groups that created the official narratives? Well, the censorship policies followed recommendations from the CDC, which was also being fed recommendations from Fauci. Seems weve gone full circle.

In other words, the accusations are turning into a big mess of different people all pointing fingers at each other. Who do you hold responsible? None of them? Or maybe all of them?

But for Weingarten, like Fauci, people were also quick to point out that her statements didnt seem to be genuine.

Disingenuous Claims on Opening Schools

Back in July 2020, President Donald Trump and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, released plans to reopen Americas schools. And despite the top-level recommendation, Weingarten was one of the biggest voices trying to stop schools from reopening.

This is what Weingarten said to The Guardian when this was happening: Its as if Trump and DeVos want to create chaos and want to jeopardize reopening. Theres no other reason why they would be this reckless, this callous, this cruel. And she added, Their recklessness scared people so much that now I fear a brain drain of people basically opting out of teaching, because they dont want to jeopardize their own families.

An empty classroom at Hollywood High School in Hollywood, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2020. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

The teachers union Weingarten represents was also a key force in keeping schools closed.

Education Week reported in December 2020 that several statewide teachers unions, including in Illinois, Maryland, and Wisconsin, have put pressure on their governors to shut down schools across the state or set clear benchmarks that dictate when districts will have to close their doors. Weingarten told the publication that before schools could open, the unions wanted requirements for things like facemasks and other COVID mandates.

Its not just an American issue either. This is a global issue. And global leaders are likewise shifting the narrative and altering history.

Trudeau Claims He Didnt Force Vaccines

Take Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example. Canada had some of the strictest mandatory vaccination policies around. In a recent speech, he claimed he never forced anyone to get vaccinated.

And all of the scientists, and the medical experts, and the researchers, not just in Canada, but around the world, understood that vaccination was going to be the way through this. And therefore, while not forcing anyone to get vaccinated, I chose to make sure that all the incentives and protections were there to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated, and thats exactly what they did. We got vaccinated to a higher level than just about any other of our peer countries. And thats why we had a less deadly pandemic than most other countries.

Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters prior to Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on Feb. 8, 2022. (Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)

Did he really not force anyone to get vaccinated? Well, you be the judge.

This is Trudeau in August 2021: We have made the decision that federal public servants need to be fully vaccinated. That is something we are also applying to everyone who gets on a plane or a train in the coming months in Canada.

Heres Trudeau again that same month in 2021: You deserve better. You deserve a government that is going to continue to say, get vaccinated. And you know what? If you dont want to get vaccinated, thats your choice. But dont think you can get on a plane or a train beside vaccinated people, and put them at risk.

I need you to talk to your neighbors and talk to your friends. Talk to those folks who are still wondering whether they should get vaccinated, and tell them yes. They need to get vaccinated so we can protect ourselves, protect our communities, and protect our kids who cant yet get vaccinated. Thats what we need to do. I need you to get out there, he said.

I see. He didnt technically force anyone to get vaccinated. You just couldnt use public transportation, and you risked getting fired from your federal job if you refused. And then the government told your neighbors and other people to seek you out, to try to force you to get vaccinated.

Oh yeah, and when truck drivers held protests calling for an end to the vaccine mandates, Trudeau also invoked Canadas Emergencies Act to crush the protests.

Censorship of the Experts on COVID

Was it really the case that all the scientists, and medical experts, and the researchers were all onboard with the vaccines? All of them? Maybe that was partly because scientists, medical experts, and researchers faced punishment, and could even lose their jobs, if they said otherwise. Remember the narratives on how COVID misinformation was dangerous? Well, thats one way to get all the experts onboard.

We also learned later through the release of the Twitter Files that U.S. federal agencies were colluding with Twitter to suppress information on COVID-19 and vaccines. This included censoring information on COVID and the vaccines that was later shown to be true. It turned out that Twitter even colluded with the FBI to make a blacklist of experts who went against the official narratives.

Chief clinical officer John Corman at Virginia Mason administers a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 24, 2021. (Grant Hindsley/AFP via Getty Images)

As things stand, it looks like many of those responsible for the lockdowns, the mandates, and other abusive policies no longer want to admit their roles in it.

The public is calling for accountability. The people who may be accountable are trying to dodge the blame, while pointing their fingers at someone else. But at the end of the day, accountability will be necessary to ensure that what we endured under COVID policy never happens again.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ahead of March for Life Event, Group Calls for Protection of Children and Ending Euthanasia Expansion

Members of the Campaign Life Coalition gather on Parliament Hill on May 10 ahead of the annual March For Life. (Matthew Horwood/The Epoch Times)

One day before the annual March for Life in Ottawa kicks off, members of the Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) gathered on Parliament Hill to call for the protection of unborn children and to criticize the potential expansion of Canadas euthanasia laws to include minors.

The hundreds of thousands of us across this country who recognize the humanity of preborn children will continue to march until a day comes when the inalienable dignity and the God-given rights of every baby inside the womb and outside the womb are recognized and protected by law, said Pete Baklinski, director of communications for the CLC.

On May 11, thousands of Canadians will gather in Ottawa for the annual march through the streets of Ottawa. In previous years, the march has attracted over 10,000 people.

Baklinski said an estimated 4 million Canadian babies have been aborted since May 14, 1969, when then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau decriminalized abortion in Canada. Baklinski argued that abortion is the leading cause of death in Canada, claiming around 100,000 lives per year.

He said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hides behind the word of choice' when speaking about abortion in Canada. Choice has a face. Choice is the face of hundreds of thousands of preborn Canadian babies killed every year by abortion, he said.

Slippery Slope

Jack Fonseca, CLCs director of political operations, said when abortion was legalized in Canada in 1969, it was intended primarily for life-threatening pregnancies and in rare cases such as rape, and all warnings of a slippery slope were ignored.

Look where we are today, with 100,000 children killed by abortion every single year, almost exclusively for reasons of convenience as a lifestyle choice, he said at the May 10 event.

Fonseca argued a similar slippery slope occurred with Canadas euthanasia law, which was passed in 2016 for the terminally ill, but is to be expanded to the mentally ill on March 17, 2024. Fonseca also highlighted that Parliaments Special Committee on Medical Assistance in Death released a report that included recommendations for expanding euthanasia to minors.

The problem is that once society accepts killing as an acceptable solution to human suffering, we will always find new categories of killable people, he said. The kaleidoscope of killing will continue to expand in this nightmare horror show. Killing is not health care, its murder, and we will stand here against it.

Josie Luetke, the CLCs youth co-ordinator, said following the United States Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, the abortion debate in the country is alive and well. She said Canada should be looking to imitate the United States stance on abortion rights.

Luetke criticized Canadas Families Minister Karina Gould for suggesting Canada might offer the abortion drug mifepristone to women if it is banned in the United States. Back in January 2023, CLC called for Health Canada to ban the abortion drug Mifegymiso after a 19-year-old Canadian girl died of septic shock after taking the pills.

It is absurd to be asking the question is the abortion pill safe? The purpose of the pill is to kill someone. You cannot kill someone safely; it is an oxymoron. Its as ludicrous as asking if a firing squad or guillotine is safe. It is not safe by design, she said.

Bill C-311

On May 9, Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall introduced private members bill C-311, which would encourage judges to consider physical or emotional harm to a pregnant victim as an aggravating factor during sentencing.

While Wagantall opposes abortion, she said her bill was unrelated to it and is solely focused on violence against women.

Trudeau told reporters on May 10 that it was frustrating to see the Conservative Party reopening the debate on abortion and going after a womans right to choose.

Luetke rejected the assertion that Wagantalls bill was about abortion, claiming it is about protecting pregnant women from assault.

If the Liberals are truly pro-womenas they claim to beas they should be, they should support this bill, she said. The fact that they want to use this to fear monger just speaks to the fact that they care more about abortion than they do about protecting pregnant women from harm.

Baklinski said the abortion debate in Canada has been open since 1969, and will stay open until human rights are granted to every single human being, those in the womb and those outside the womb.
American Voters Wont Focus on Verdict Against Trump in E. Jean Carroll Lawsuit: Pence

GOPs 2024 candidates split on the verdict

Former Vice President Mike Pence meets with guests at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Americans wont be distracted by Tuesdays verdict that former President Donald Trump was found liable for battery and defamation charges in the E. Jean Carroll trial.

Its just one more instance whereat a time when American families are struggling, when our economy is hurting, when the world seems to become a more dangerous place, almost every day[theres] just one more story focusing on my former running mate that I know is a great fascination to members of the national media, but I just dont think is where the American people are focused, Pence told NBC News on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan grand jury ruled against Trump on one count of defamation and one count of battery in a civil case launched against him by Carroll, an advice columnist.

The jury rejected Carrolls allegations that she was raped but found that Trump should pay a total of about $5 million in damages to Carroll, including about $3 million for the defamation charge and about $2 million for the civil battery charge.

When asked whether Trump would be fit to serve as president after the jurys verdict, Pence, a potential 2024 contender, said I think thats a question for the American people.

Im sure the president will defend himself in that matter.

But Pence, who once presented a united front with Trump during their time in office, subtly defended his former boss.

I would tell you, in my 4.5 years serving alongside the president, I never heard or witnessed behavior of that nature, he said.

Tuesdays verdict came after an almost-two-week trial that Caroll, 79, claims Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996.

Trump denied Carrolls allegations in 2019, saying that shes not my type. Citing these words, Carroll filed a lawsuit accusing Trump of defaming her in the same year. That lawsuit bounced around state, federal, and appellate courts in New York and Washington, without material consequences.

In 2022, the New York state legislature passed the Adult Survivor Act, which amended state law to give victims of certain sexual offenses a one-year window, beginning on Nov. 24, 2023, to file a civil lawsuit against alleged offenders. Carroll filed a second lawsuit on Nov. 24, 2022, under this Act, which went to trial and resulted in the latest verdict.

Trump has, until the present day, denied all of Carrolls allegations.

I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgracea continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time! Trump said in response to the news of the verdict.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition stage backdrop in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Divided Responses

Some 2024 Republican presidential contenders also reacted to the verdict in Carrolls civil lawsuit.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who launched his White House campaign last month, blasted Trump in the statement after Tuesdays news of the verdict.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire, Hutchinson told The Epoch Times. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur who has formally announced his White House bid, said the results could be different if the defendant were not Trump.

I wasnt one of the jurors, and Im not privy to all of the facts they have, but Ill say what everyone else is privately thinking: If the defendant werent named Donald Trump, would there even be a lawsuit? Ramaswamy wrote in a statement posted on Twitter by NBC News reporter Allan Smith.

Based on the sheer timing of the allegationsthat the alleged assault occurred in the mid-1990s and Ms. Carroll did not sue until 2019 and later in 2022, far beyond the statute of limitations, and in the middle of a spate of legal charges for other ancient allegations, it seems this is part of the establishment systems anaphylactic response against its chief political allergen, Donald Trump.

Believe me, it would be a lot easier for me if Trump werent in this race, he continued. But in America, we dont weaponize the law with decades-old allegations to undercut our political opponents.

I want to win this race by showing voters how I will take the America First movement beyond Trump, and I look forward to facing him on the debate stage.

Gary Bai contributed to this report.
ANALYSIS: CCPs Heavy-Handed Approach Speeds Foreign Investments Flight From China

Record outflow of capital after raids, expanded anti-espionage law

The closed office of the Mintz Group are seen in an office building in Beijing on March 24, 2023. Five Chinese employees at the Beijing office of the due diligence firm were detained by authorities, the company said. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)

As Chinas economy continues to decline, Chinese authorities have adopted a heavy-handed approach to regulating foreign companies in recent weeks. The tactics have chilled foreign investment in China and triggered a massive capital outflow.

Meanwhile, Chinas premier effusively welcomed global executives at the China Development Forum in late March. The contradictory movessimultaneously welcoming and distrustfulhighlighted the ambivalence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its struggle philosophy, say experts.

Independent journalist Zhuge Mingyang believes that the regulatory raids on foreign firms are a silly retaliatory move by the CCP in the face of technology and economic sanctions imposed on China by the United States and other Western countries.

According to investment analytics firm Exante Data, from April 21 to 26, global investors withdrew a net $3.17 billion from Chinese stocks through the cross-boundary investment channel Shanghai-Hong Kong/Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect.

The exodus of capitalthe longest outflow of capital funds in the past five monthscame just weeks after the CCP began a series of tough moves to crack down on foreign companies.

Raids, Detentions, Seizures

In early March, Chinese authorities detained an employee of Japanese company pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma.

On March 26, the Mintz Group, a U.S. corporate research firm, stated that Chinese authorities had raided the companys Beijing office and detained all five of its employees in China.

On March 31, authorities announced a cybersecurity audit of Micron Technology, a U.S. computer memory manufacturer.

In April, in a surprise raid, Chinese regulators visited the Shanghai office of U.S. consulting firm Bain & Company, seized phones and computers, and questioned employees. The Financial Times first reported the raid on April 26.

Most recently, Chinese officers raided multiple locations of business consulting firm Capvision, Chinese state media reported on May 8. In a report on Tuesday, the South China Morning Report said the firm was accused of helping to leak information about the Chinese military technology industry to foreigners.

In line with the raids, on April 26, the regime published Chinas revised anti-espionage law, expanding the definition of spying and increasing the enforcement powers of national security agencies. The amendments, the first modifications since the laws release in November of 2014, allow government agencies to inspect corporate facilities and electronic devices, as well as individuals smartphones and laptops.

Foreign executives are concerned that under the revised law, some normal business operationssuch as gathering information on local markets, competitors, and business partnersmay be targeted as espionage activities.

Alienating Foreign Companies

Anders Corr, founder of Corr Analytics Inc. and publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, told The Epoch Times on May 1 that the aggressive moves by the CCP will discourage foreign companies from doing business in China.

Foreign companies will not want their data open for easy inspection by the Chinese government, which could copy the data through cyber-espionage techniques and provide it to Chinese competitors. This will decrease the willingness of foreign companies to set up major business operations in China, or to travel to China with business-confidential data, he said.

There is another issue that is frustrating foreign companies. In recent months, the CCP has restricted or even outright cut off overseas access to a variety of databases. The black box restrictions limit access to company registration information, patents, procurement documents, academic journals, and official statistical yearbooks.

For example, many customers have found that they can no longer access the Shanghai-based Wind Information Technology Co., according to a Wall Street Journal report. Wind Information is one of the most important databases in China, and its economic and financial data is widely used by analysts and investors in China and abroad.

Investors are getting nervous about Chinas crackdown on accounting and due diligence firms, and their severing of data pipes that used to feed international investors with real-time and quantifiable information about markets that served as inputs for their models and trading algorithms. Without these, it is hard for investors to understand the true value of investable assets, Corr said.

Lucia Dunn, professor of economics at Ohio State University, told The Epoch Times on May 6 that the CCPs recent actions indicate a rapid deterioration in Chinas economic relations with developed countries.

China has been making things more and more difficult for countries that want to trade and do business with it. The tactics that the CCP is employing nowraiding the offices of foreign entities, detaining employees of foreign companies, etc.are unacceptable in the rest of the world, and the CCP must be aware of this. So it appears that they may have adopted a deliberate strategy to rid their country of foreign influence, she said.

Manifesting the Philosophy of Struggle

The CCPs actions appear contradictory: newly minted Chinese premier Li Qiang recently expressed a warm welcome to foreign companies, even as news of the raids was beginning to circulate.

At the end of March, Li told foreign executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, that Chinas doors will open wider and wider, and urged them to invest in China and establish roots in China.

However, according to a February Nikkei Asia report, investment by foreign companies in China fell to its lowest level in 18 years in the second half of 2022, as foreign direct investment in China declined 73 percent on the year, the sharpest drop since 1999.

Data from Chinas State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) indicated that there was a net outflow of $11.2 billion from China between October and December of last year, the largest capital outflow since the third quarter of 2019, according to Nikkei Asia.

Foxconn Reduces Its Reliance on China

In just one example, tech giant Foxconn has recently made headlines as it moves to reduce its reliance on China.

One of Apples biggest suppliers, it was reported in February that Foxconn had received approval to invest $270 million in a factory in Vietnam.

In 2022, Foxconn began production of the iPhone 13 in India.

Further, on Monday, Foxconn acquired a 13 million square foot property in the countrys Devanahalli area, paying $37 million for the site, as it seeks to expand its manufacturing presence in India.

About 70 percent of Foxconns revenue currently comes from China, according to a Wall Street Journal report on March 15.

Foreign investment has played a key role in Chinas rapid economic development. Foreign enterprises have also largely supported Chinas first-tier cities. Chinas most developed and affluent citiesBeijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhenare the most desirable locations for foreign investment.

For example, according to Chinese state media Global Times, at the beginning of February, Shanghai was home to the regional headquarters of 891 multinational corporations and 531 foreign R&D centers. The city attracted a record $23.9 billion in foreign investment in 2022, according to the report.

The exodus of foreign capital, therefore, will inevitably lead to massive unemployment. According to official estimates reported by Chinese state media, foreign-invested enterprises in China account for more than 45 million directly employed workers.

Dare to Fight: A New Foreign Policy

Zhuge believes that the CCPs crackdown on foreign companies illustrates the extreme ambivalence of the CCP, whose approach could be described as deceit, malice, and struggle.

The crackdown can also be seen as a manifestation of Xi Jinpings dare to fight ideology, a new foreign policy doctrine declared at the National Peoples Conference in March of this year.

Dunn also shared her views on Xis dare to fight ideology.

It is hard for an outsider to fully understand the dare to fight mentality. Perhaps President Xi thinks that he has made the West dependent on China economically, to the extent that he can now pull [the] plug that will undermine Western economies, she said.

However, I believe this kind of strategy would be vastly underestimating the economic resilience of Western countries. I feel that after a period of adjustment [during which] these countries wean themselves from Chinese cheap labor and the elusive promise of access to a 1.4 billion person consumer market, we will see Western countries actually doing better with a lessened involvement with China.
A Long March-7 Y7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched a new cargo mission on Wednesday night to transport supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, a Long March-7 Y7 rocket lifted off at 9:22 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-6 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded and began working. The agency declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo vessel will later conduct an automated rendezvous and docking with the station combination in orbit. 
ANALYSIS: How Trump Turned the Tables on Manhattan DAs Indictment

'He's managed to turn a vulnerability into a strength and that's something we've seen him do over and over again.'

Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak during the 2023 Conservative Political Action Coalition, on March 4, 2023. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the recent indictment by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, former President Donald Trump has managed to turn it into a positive boost fueling his bid to return to the White House in 2024.

As previously reported by The Epoch Times, Bragg filed a 16-page indictment (pdf) of 34 felony charges and a 13-page statement of facts (pdf) against Trump on April 4 for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal damaging information regarding an alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels before and after the 2016 election.

Bragg is the first prosecutor in U.S. history to bring a criminal case against a current or former U.S. president.

From the outset, legal experts and members of the liberal media warned Bragg about pushing a vague charge for a crime that exceeded its statute of limitations. But Bragg went forward anyway.

Dennis Prager believes its all part of a plan.

I would not rule out that this is part of the design by others who have influenced Alvin Bragg, Prager told The Epoch Times. Yet he also conceded that Bragg may have decided this completely on his own.

He may want to be a star on the left and be the one to bring down Donald Trump, Prager proposed. These people hate Donald Trump with a hatred we dont find rational.

Indictment Strengthened Trumps Favorability

Pragera columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show hostis the co-founder of the Prager University Foundation. He also suggests Democrats and anti-Trumpers want the former president to run because they think he will lose to President Joe Biden.

Biden is so weak that it might be quite possible that the only Republican that they might be able to defeat is Donald Trump.

Dennis Prager, founder of PragerU and conservative radio talk show host and writer, speaks at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, on Oct. 11, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

As Politico reported, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) believes its politically advantageous for Democrats to have Trump front and center.

Trumps obviously an extremely dangerous person who would be very dangerous for the country. But Im confident that President Biden could beat him, Stabenow said. Broadly, the public rejects him.

Recent polling tells a different story.

In a match-up between Biden and Trump, the latest ABC News and Washington Post poll (pdf) showed Trump leading Biden by six points: 44 to 38.

Biden also trails in a hypothetical match-up against someone who has yet to declare his candidacy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who leads Biden by five points: 42 to 37. More significantly, while 56 percent of Americans expressed disapproval of Biden, 58 percent of the Democrats said they do not want Biden as their candidate in 2024. Bidens overall approval rating has also dropped to a new record low: 36 percent.

On May 7, George Stephanopoulos, host of ABCs This Week, shared his thoughts on the survey.

Ive got to admit I have a hard time wrapping my head around that, the veteran liberal broadcaster confessed. Youve got one in five people who say they believe President Trump should face criminal charges, but they would still vote for him.

Post-indictment polling confirms that Republican support for Trump has grown stronger. A CBS News shows 58 percent of GOP voters support Trump. Among those, 94 percent said it was because of his performance as president, and 84 percent said it was because they thought he could beat Biden. Regarding a potential race between Trump and DeSantis, 58 percent picked Trump. Only 22 percent chose DeSantis, a spread of 36 percentage points.

Polling by FiveThirtyEight and Fox show a similar spread.

DeSantis Falls, Liberal Media Courts Trump

The Real Clear Politics average of national surveys has the Trump versus Biden contest at a statistical tie. But when it comes to the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Real Clear Politics Tom Bevan says, The data is pretty clear.

If you look at our Real Clear Politics average, Trump had about a 14-point lead over DeSantis, and that stayed pretty stable until around the end of March, Bevan said. Then there was a real dramatic jump for Trump and a fall-off for DeSantis, where Trump jumped to a 30-point lead. Hes basically doubled his lead, and thats been pretty consistent.

The other thing Bevan finds interesting is the rating crash by DeSantis seems to coincide with what appears to be the launch of his yet-to-be-declared presidential campaign tour.

He went on his book tour. He gave a speech at the Reagan Library. Hes been going around the country. He went overseas, and nothing has moved his numbers, Bevan noted. If anything, theyve gotten a tad worse over the last five weeks from 24.6 on our average down to 22.9.

While Bevan believes Trump got a significant ratings boost from Braggs indictmenthaving people rally around him because they felt it was politically motivated and it reminded people of the any end justifies the means mindset of Democrats when it comes to Trumphe also sees that DeSantis hasnt been able to move his numbers at all.

Co-Founder and Publisher of RealClearPolitics Tom Bevan. (Courtesy of Tom Bevan)

Even as the indictment broke, people were expecting it to give Trump a brief bump, and then it would go back to where it was before, Bevan said. But they havent gone back. Hes maintained that, and I think thats a pretty interesting dynamic.

Asked about Pragers belief that Bragg may hope to make history, Bevan said its possible.

But I think there is another element, he suggested, adding that the people who go after Trump are not dumb.

They believe Trump will be easy to beat. Biden already beat him, and they want that match-up again, Bevan explained. On the media side of it, all of these news organizations joined the resistance movement right after Trump was elected in 2016. But now theyre right back where they were before that election. They cant get enough of him in terms of their coverage of him.

Bevan is also struck by the enthusiasm of those who still believe the indictment will hurt Trump, especially with something as egregious as what Alvin Bragg has done, tying himself in knots to come up with some novel legal theory to press this charge after the statute of limitations has run out.

Even the New York Times wrote something earlier this week where they reviewed over 30 cases of record fraud similar to Trumps, and Trump was the only one who wasnt charged with another crime. In every other instance in Alvin Braggs office, including from his predecessor, they always included another substantive charge along with the records fraud charge. Knowing all that, they should have known that this would reinforce all of the things that folks on the right believe about the Democrats and the media and galvanized people to Trumps side.

As for the ABC News/Washington Post poll, Bevan said the tight race is not new news.

Democrats like Biden. They give him high marks on his job approval, and they think hes doing a good job. But they dont want him to run because they have concerns about his health, age, and mental acuity, Bevan noted.

In spite of their support for Biden, Bevan said, Democrats would like him to do what he said he was going to do, which was to be a transitional figure and pass the torch to the next generation. Most like him, but they want to give him the gold watch and see him off the stage and move on.

However, considering the release of Bidens pre-recorded video confirming his reelection bid, hes not giving any signs that hes going to do that.

If his numbers continue to be as bad as they are through the fall and into the winter, I would not be surprised if there were some panicked, behind-the-scenes machinations about how they see him off the stage, Bevan proposed. I think those numbers got a lot of peoples attention. He just declared that hes running for reelection, and thats the first poll numbers they get? Thats not a good sign for Biden.

The Sympathy Factor and Political Paralysis

Jacob Rubashkin, a reporter and analyst providing nonpartisan news and analysis on campaigns for House, Senate, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, agrees these are not good numbers for Biden. But he also noted that the 2024 elections are still some distance away.

All we can say on that with any real certainty is that it looks like were heading into a competitive presidential election no matter who the Republican nominee is, Rubashkin told The Epoch Times, suggesting that heres a lot of polling data on the pending Republican primary to suggest Trump has really strengthened his position over the last five months.

While Rubashkin also believes Trumps polling boost has a lot to do with the indictment, he also thinks its emblematic of the challenge Trumps Republican opponents have in trying to take him on.

On its face, being indicted for anything is not a good look, regardless of whether or not Trump actually broke the law, Rubashkin said. Yet what weve seen is Republicans, by and large, are unwilling to treat any of that as negative. At most, you get these oblique remarks, like when DeSantis said, I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star. That was the slightest of nudges, and look at the blowback it got him.

Rubashkin also finds it interesting how Trump has been able to take what should be negative and turned it into a rally around the flag moment within the Republican Party.

All of a sudden, his opponents are not only unwilling to attack him, theyre standing up for him, Rubashkin said. Hes managed to turn a vulnerability into a strength, and thats something weve seen him do over and over again throughout the course of his presidency and now three campaigns. I think that has given him momentum in the numbers, and frankly, it has made Gov. DeSantis look a little weak. He hasnt been able to go after Trump. Voters are responding, and Trump is on an upswing. DeSantis is on somewhat of a decline.

Jacob Rubashkin, a reporter and analyst for Inside Elections. (Courtesy of Jacob Rubashkin)

Rubashkin also suggested that the accumulation of attacks Trump has faced adds up to a polling benefit.

Trump has done well from the beginning, Rubashkin suggested, adding that Trump has been able to present himself as a very sympathetic figure to a crucial part of the electorate.

Despite the fact that hes this brash, wealthy real estate developer from New York, he has managed to find a political home among a large sector of the Republican Party that view him as a kindred spirit, and weve seen that from the get-go in 2015, and that has powered his political rise and kept him so integral along the way.

Rubashkin also believes Trumps supporters feel like hes one of them.

So when they see him facing the obstacles he does, like the Bragg indictment and a half-dozen other ongoing investigations, there is a sympathy factor, Rubashkin posited.

Even if they dont like everything he does, Bevan says, people who werent supporters are starting to see the raids and constant investigations as unfair and politically motivated.

It endears him to them, clearly, and all of that accrues to his political benefit, he explained.

Equally important is what Rubashkin describes as the political paralysis in the anti-Trump/post-Trump establishment.

There are few figures who are willing to go out there and attack him, he said. Rubashkin noted that the only ones who are willing are the Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson sort, who havent been able to gain traction. While DeSantis, Mike Pence, Niki Haley, and Tim Scott have been unwilling to go at him head-on, and that just strengthens his position.
ANALYSIS: Rumors of Bidens Centrism Are Greatly Exaggerated, Analysts Say

On the border and energy, rhetorical shift not matched by reality

President Joe Biden speaks with a member of the Border Patrol as they walk along the U.S.-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

News Analysis

The latest media narrative about President Joe Biden is falling into place just in time for his 2024 reelection bid.

Biden is tacking to the center, according to Politico, The New York Times, The Guardian, and other outlets.

Journalists have cited his approval in March of Alaskas Willow Oil Project, albeit on a smaller scale than the oil company ConocoPhillips wanted.

Some also reference his administrations recent gestures on immigration, including dispatching 1,500 troops to the border ahead of May 11, when COVID-era Title 42 restrictions will end.

But is Biden actually becoming more moderate?

That claim is a lie and is hoping that the American public really is that stupid, said May Mailman, a senior legal fellow with the conservative Independent Womens Law Center, in a May 8 interview with The Epoch Times.

Mailman listed recent Biden administration actions that reflect left-wing priorities: a new mortgage policy that would effectively penalize borrowers with high credit scores, and a lawsuit against Tennessees ban on transgender medical procedures for children, among others.

A For Sale sign is posted in front of a single-family home in Hollywood, Fla., on Oct. 27, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Policy after policy after policy is extremely, extremely radical, said Mailman, who worked in the Trump White House on a variety of issues.

This idea that Biden is a centrist is one that he would never be able to make if not for the mainstream media, she added.

Bidens Border

In addition to sending 1,500 more troops to the southern border, the Biden administration has recently touted measures that the Department of Homeland Security claims will further reduce unlawful migration across the Western Hemisphere.

Yet, immigration experts who favor lower immigration told The Epoch Times that the bigger picture shows that Biden remains an open-border president.

Migrants from Central and South America take part in a caravan attempting to reach the Mexico-U.S. border, while carrying out a viacrucis to protest the death of 40 migrants in a fire at a detention center in the northern city of Juarez, in Tapachula, Chiapas state, southern Mexico, on April 23, 2023. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

The changes the administration has made are merely cosmetic, said Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, in a May 8 interview with The Epoch Times.

The Center describes itself as having a low immigration, pro immigrant vision.

A lot of this is geared toward the presidents reelection bid, said Ira Mehlman, a spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in a May 5 interview with The Epoch Times.

FAIR favors lower immigration, too.

Both Krikorian and Mehlman pointed out that the 1,500 troops wont detain migrants. Thats despite the fact that numbers at the border are only expected to surge further after May 11.

Really, the only thing theyll be is paper pushers, said Chris Chmielenski in a May 8 interview with The Epoch Times.

Chmielenski is a vice president of NumbersUSA, a nonpartisan organization focused on reducing immigration numbers.

The military personnel will carry out non-law enforcement duties, according to the DHS.

Mehlman suggested the media doesnt make that clear enough.

It sounds like, Oh, hes doing something,' he said.

DHS has also trumpeted its use of expedited removal, a process for quickly expelling noncitizens. President Donald Trump moved to expand it in the face of accusations that he was seeking to undermine due process.

Yet, Mailman argued that the agencys rhetoric appears to conflict with its recent budget requests.

The Biden administration has every single budget requested less bed space for housing migrants, which means that they want to not use expedited removal and just let people come into the country and then give them a court date that theyre not going to show up for, she said.

President Joe Biden speaks with members of the U.S. Border Patrol as they walk along the U.S.-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Indeed, the Trump-appointed judge who struck down Bidens catch and release policy drew attention to DHS requests for less and less capacity every year.

Like a child who kills his parents and then seeks pity for being an orphan, it is hard to take Defendants claim that they had to release more aliens into the country because of limited detention capacity seriously, U.S. District Judge Judge T. Kent Wetherell wrote in his March 8 opinion in the case, which pitted the State of Florida against the federal government.

They say their hands are tied, we dont have enough detention space, and then they go and ask Congress for less money for detention space, Krikorian said.

Even if they start detaining people more, theyll detain a larger portion of people, maybe, but only for a few daysand then they let them go and drop them off at the bus station, he added.

Krikorian noted that would-be migrants can get out of expedited removal proceedings by saying they have a credible fear of harm should they return home.

Its not hard to pass the initial interview with an asylum officer.

The latest data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services show that most credible fear cases are resolved favorably for the people claiming credible fear.

The bar is extremely low, Krikorian said.

Loss of Rice a Signal on Immigration

The Biden administrations shifting rhetoric on immigration coincides with Susan Rices departure as domestic policy czar from the White House.

Rices reputation for moderation on the border prompted some advocates of increased immigration to celebrate her replacement by Neera Tanden, herself the child of Indian immigrants.

(L-R) Counselor to the President John Podesta, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry, and then-Vice President Joe Biden attend a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama in the East Room after meetings about the situation in Ukraine and other topics at the White House on Feb. 9, 2015, in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Susan Rices departure makes it even harder to change policy, Krikorian said.

She was less open borders than others in the administration, Chmielenski said.

If the rumors are true, and she was getting fed up with the open border policies, then surely replacing her is a continued move to the left. On the other hand, Susan Rice is sort of a special case. She doesnt need the Biden administration to be a household name, to be important, to be invited to dinner parties, Mailman said.

I do think that as far as the border [is concerned], Biden is trying to have communications be centrist but policies be leftist, she continued, adding that their policies continue to be radical.

Debate Over Energy

Bidens partial approval of the Willow Project in March sparked outrage from some left-wing Democrats.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned the decision in a joint statement with several of her colleagues.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), right, speak during a news conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The Willow Project also helped spur climate protests outside last months White House Correspondents Dinner.

Dan Kish, a senior vice president for policy at the pro-fossil American Energy Alliance, doesnt think the approval marks a turning point.

I think thats a very convenient choreography from some of his friends, he told The Epoch Times in a May 6 interview.

Hed have lost in court probably if he hadnt granted the OK, he added, saying that the applicants took all the necessary legal steps.

In his view, all the outrage was a contrived thing from the presidents allies.

Kish thinks Biden is the most extreme anti-energy president weve ever had.

In late 2022, Kishs organization released a list of 125 actions by the Biden administration they argue have made it harder to produce oil and gas.

He doesnt believe the trend has changed in the subsequent months.

Kish said the administrations recent vehicle emissions proposals, released a few weeks after the Willow Project approval, stand out as particularly radical.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) anticipates its standards will lead to the mass adoption of electric vehicles over the next decade, projecting that fully two-thirds of new light-body vehicles sold in model year 2032 will fall into that category.

EPAs proposed emissions plan is aggressive by any measure. By that I mean it sets automotive electrification goals in the next few years that are  very high, wrote John Bozzella, president and CEO of the automaker trade organization Alliance for Automotive Innovation, in an April 12 blog post upon the release of the standards.

Tesla superchargers in San Rafael, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Kish believes the standards are going to destroy the American automobile industry.

Appearance May Trump Reality

Analysts who spoke with The Epoch Times stressed that the appearance of moderation from Biden is just thatappearance, not reality.

Mehlman said the administrations rhetoric on the border is part of a strategy to mask the scope of whats going on there.

Theyre trying to remove the bad optics without necessarily changing the policy, he added.

Kish made a similar argument about Willow.

He got one up on the board that made it look as though he was being reasonable on energy, he said.

If Bidens policies are as far left as Republicans argue, how might he credibly position himself as a centrist?

Mailman thinks his Sleepy Joe moniker coined by Trump is more powerful than Republicans believe.

U.S. President Joe Biden sits on a train as he goes over his speech marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine after a surprise visit to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2023. (EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

She argued that Bidens policies appear less radical than they are to some voters precisely because he can seem moderate, seem boring, seem stable.

Mailman believes Democrats can keep notching wins by portraying their opponents as the opposite.

As long as they are labeling Republicans as MAGA extremists, which you can see them doing, that We are the Democracy Party angle [is] the angle that they really need to continue to capture, she said.

Chmielenski pointed out another possible advantage for Biden is that he faces a Republican Party that doesnt always offer a coherent message on immigration. Republicans who are comfortable condemning illegal border crossings are often less willing to question the overall rate of immigration, whether legal or illegal.

Nobodys really up in arms about the number of people theyre letting into the country, he said.

He suggested Bidens new parole programs could offer quasi-legal paths for would-be Americans.

The results could look less chaotic than the current border while opening up the possibility of additional legal immigration into a country that has already been demographically transformed by the influx of foreigners since the Hart-Celler Act passed in 1965.

People have a better perception of legal immigration, Chmielenski said.

The Presidents new auto mileage and emissions standards will cut our use of OPEC oil, saving consumers billions at the pump, reduce pollution and help US automakers compete better against Chinese car companies. This is auto mechanics, not rocket science so whats not to like? said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a May 9 email to The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times reached out to other analysts and organizations, including but not limited to the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Immigration Council, and Fossil Free.

None commented by press time.
Australia Amends Nuclear Ban to Facilitate Acquisition of Nuclear Submarines

Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks at a press conference in front of the USS Asheville, a Los Angeles-class nuclear powered fast attack submarine during a tour of HMAS Stirling in Perth, Australia, on March 16, 2023. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

The Australian government has made its first move to support domestic operations for the AUKUS nuclear submarines, putting forward a bill to update the countrys nuclear ban.

Defence Minister Richard Marles presented the bill which will allow the performance of regulatory functions that nuclear submarines require, as well as the supporting infrastructure and facilities, to the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

It does not lift the moratorium on civil nuclear power in Australia, which has been in place since 1998.

Marles said this was the first legislative step to developing the full suite of skills, facilities, and institutions along with an appropriate regulatory and legislative architecture to be nuclear stewards.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L), US President Joe Biden (C) and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) hold a press conference after a trilateral meeting during the AUKUS summit in San Diego, California, on March 13, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

This means the relevant regulatorsthe CEO of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency and the Minister for the Environment and Waterare in no way inhibited from performing their functions in respect of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines and their supporting infrastructure and facilities, he told Parliament.

Australia will purchase at least three nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) over the next decade under AUKUS, a trilateral security pact, as it sets up a domestic industry to eventually build its own ships.

To comply with the nuclear ban, Australias new nuclear submarine design, currently known as SSN-AUKUS, will not be equipped with nuclear missiles.

Response to An Increasingly Challenging Environment

The $386 billion (US$260 billion) deal was struck in response to Chinas increasingly aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific, where it has been carrying out a large-scale military build-up for years.

Marles said this military build-up without any strategic assurances was contributing to the most challenging circumstances in the region in decades.

Combined with rising tensions and reduced warning time for conflict, the risks of military escalation or miscalculation are rising, he said.

These interests demand we deploy all elements of our national power in statecraft seeking to shape a region that is open, stable, and prosperous: a predictable region, operating by agreed rules, standards and laws, where sovereignty is respected.

Acquiring SSNs would unquestionably strengthen Australias defence capabilities, making it just one of seven nations to operate the technology.

Indeed, this capability transition represents the single biggest leap in Australian military capability since the Second World War, Marles said.

An undated visualisation of what an SSN-AUKUS submarine might look like at sea, issued on March 13, 2023. (BAE)

Investing in Defence

It comes after the government delivered the federal budget for 2023-24, lifting defence spending in order to cover costs of the nuclear submarine program.

In proportion to GDP, defence spending will increase 0.2 percent above its current trajectory by 2032-33, Marles said in a media release.

Australia is facing the most difficult strategic circumstances since the Second World War, he said.

To meet these challenges, we must invest in defence, including through the acceleration of important capabilities and activities, and the reprioritisation of those which are no longer fit for purpose.

The budget papers reveal that about $4.5 billion across 10 years ($483 million a year) will go into establishing a new Australian Submarine Agency that will manage the nuclear submarine program.

It will also support 4,000 additional places at universities and higher education providers for courses that teach skills required for the nuclear submarine program, including STEM and management disciplines.

Over the next four years, $19 billion will also go into implementing priorities highlighted in Aprils Defence Strategic Review.

This includes $9 billion for the submarine program, $4.1 billion for long-range missiles, and $3.8 billion for infrastructure in the northern defence base.

Soldiers from 1-1 Air Defense Artillery Battalion fires a Patriot missile during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 at Camp Growl in Queensland, Australia on July 16, 2021.

(U.S. Army photo by Maj. Trevor Wild, 38th ADA BDE Public Affairs.)

In total, military spending has jumped from $49 billion to $52.5 billion in the 2023-24 budget, exceeding $50 billion for the first time.

In terms of GDP, this represents an increased defence spending of 1.93 percent of GDP to 2.04 percent.

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, said the government was creating local jobs in the defence industry as well as lifting defence capability, particularly long-range capability.

Urgent reforms to defence procurement processes will deliver this capability faster, building on improvements already delivered to get projects of concern back on track, he said.
Bank Records Show Biden Family Received $10 Million in Payments From China, Foreign Interests: House Oversight

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and other Republican members of the committee hold a news conference to present preliminary findings into their investigation into President Joe Biden's family on May 10, 2023 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A host of banking and other records made public on May 10 by House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) depict a complex money laundering scheme involving millions of dollars from foreign entities that investigators contend went to President Joe Biden and nearly a dozen members of his family.

In a 36-page memorandum summarizing the committees findings to date, investigators described examining thousands of bank records and legal documents depicting nearly two dozen limited liability corporations (LLCs) established by Biden family members to receive payments from private clients, corporations, and foreign governments, including China and Romania.

Biden family members and business associates created a web of over 20 companiesmost were limited liability companies formed during Joe Bidens vice presidency, the memorandum reads. Bank records show the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals companies. The Committee has identified payments to Biden family members from foreign companies while Joe Biden served as Vice President and after he left public office.

Despite creating many companies after Vice President Biden took office, the Biden family used business associates companies to receive millions of dollars from foreign companies. After foreign companies sent money to business associates companies, the Biden family received incremental payments over time to different bank accounts.

These complicated financial transactions appear to conceal the source of the funds and reduce the conspicuousness of the total amounts made into the Biden bank accounts. Chinese nationals and companies with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party hid the source of the funds by layering domestic limited liability companies.

Comer told journalists in a May 10 news conference that stacks of suspicious activity reports his committee obtained from the Treasury Department and information received from whistleblowers leave little doubt that the schemes only product was selling access to the senior Biden during his vice presidential tenure and thereafter.

Pattern of Influence Peddling

I want to be clear that this committee is investigating President Biden and his familys shady business deals that capitalized on Joe Bidens public office and risked our countrys national security, Comer told reporters at a press briefing on May 10.

This committee has a duty to ask questions and to pursue the facts no matter where they take us. Through the committees investigation, we intend to provide transparency to the American people  in only four months, we have made astonishing progress.

House investigators found new information showing money transfers to the Biden family from foreign entities, he said.

Many of the wire payments occurred while Joe Biden was vice president and leading the United States efforts in these foreign countries, Comer said.

As an example, Comer pointed to public comments by Biden while he was vice president in which he was critical of Romanian officials for the high level of corruption in their government.

In reality, he was a walking billboard for his son and his family to collect money. Hunter Biden and his associates capitalized on a lucrative financial relationship with a Romanian national who was under investigation for and later convicted of corruption in Romania, Comer said.

The Bidens received over $1 million for the deal and 16 of the 17 payments to Biden associates accounts occurred while Joe Biden was vice president. In fact, the money stops flowing from the Romanian national soon after Joe Biden leaves the vice presidency, Comer said.

This is a pattern of influence peddling, he said.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) cited his prior experience working in the banking industry in concluding that the multiple LLCs set up by the family were intended to hide the transactions.

The question is, To serve what purpose? The purpose of all these companies that were created is to conceal money that the Biden family has been gaining because Joe Biden has been sitting in the upper echelon of our national politics for almost five decades, Donalds said.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said, For years, the left has said no one is above the law. Well, put your money where your mouth is and prove that because the American people do not trust the federal government, they dont trust Congress, they dont even trust current presidents because of the kind of possible and alleged corruption we see at every level but no one is ever held to account.

Heightened Scrutiny

Comers press conference comes after years of steadily increasing media reports on the alleged dealings, sparked in 2015 when it was learned that Hunter Biden, the presidents son, was appointed to the board of directors of Burisma, a controversial Ukrainian energy firm, and was paid more than $50,000 a month despite having no experience in the field.

Then-Vice President Biden had a major role in determining U.S. energy policy at the time. With Europe moving rapidly to lessen its long-standing dependence on Russian natural gas, Burisma was in a position in which U.S. influence could be decisive.

But Burisma was only part of the collection of LLCs revealed by the suspicious activity reports that link Hunter and Jim Biden, the presidents brother, to multiple foreign governments, government officials, celebrities, and state-controlled corporations in China, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, and elsewhere.

The committee has uncovered evidence indicative of influence peddling and financial deception warranting further investigation and legislative solutions, the memorandum reads.

The memorandum also highlights multiple past statements by President Biden in which he has firmly denied having knowledge of his sons business activities or assisting them through his public offices in any manner.

My son has not made money in terms of this thing about, what are you talking about, China? I have not hadThe only guy who made money from China is this guy [Donald Trump]. Hes the only one. Nobody else has made money from China, was how Biden put it in a statement quoted by the memorandum.

The bank records refute President Bidens statement. To date, President Biden has continued to deny that his family received money from Chinadespite bank records proving otherwise. In 2017 alone, bank records show President Bidens family and their related companies received millions of dollars from Chinese foreign nationals companies. This amount does not include payments from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Romania, Oman, or other foreign business deals the Committee is investigating, the memorandum reads.

The White House issued a statement in response to Comer even before his news conference began, with Ian Sams claiming the event was nothing more than a continuation of his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points.

Sams is special assistant to the president and the designated White House spokesperson on the Hunter Biden and related corruption investigations.
Beijing Ramps Up Repression of Faith, Labeling Believers as Carriers of Thought Viruses: US Religious Freedom Official

Chinese Catholic worshippers kneel and pray during Palm Sunday Mass during the Easter Holy Week at an underground church on April 9, 2017. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party has ramped up its repression of all faiths while labeling believers as people affected with thought viruses, according to U.S. religious freedom officials.

Instead of making improvements in the Chinese governments treatment of people of faith, people of belief, they have been ratcheting up and turning this regime into a genocidal regime, Nury Turkel, the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told The Epoch Times sister media outlet NTD.

They have been ruthlessly persecuting religious groups, including the Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, [and] Falun Gong practitioners, he said, adding that the human rights situation and religious freedom situation in China has significantly deteriorated since last year.

Nury Turkel, then the vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, speaks at a virtual hearing on Chinas religious freedom violations on Dec. 14, 2022. (USCIRF/screenshot via NTD)

The deterioration manifests in several ways, including the sinicization of religion and the elevation of religious practices to the national security level, according to Turkel.

The Chinese government publicly openly labels people of faith into some sort of people who have a mental illness, who were affected with thought viruses, he said.

Uptick in Persecution of Falun Gong

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline involving meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the core principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The practice gained popularity in China during the 1990s, with estimates putting the number of adherents at 70 million to 100 million at the height of its popularity.

The communist regime, fearing that the number of practitioners posed a threat to its control, initiated a sweeping campaign aimed at eradicating the practice. The campaign against Falun Gong, which the regime began in July 1999, remains active.

Millions of Falun Gong adherents have been detained in prisons, labor camps, and other facilities. Hundreds of thousands have been subjected to torture while incarcerated, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

The USCIRFs 2023 annual report (pdf), released on May 1, cites 7,331 cases of harassment and arrest of Falun Gong adherents, 633 prison sentences, and 72 deaths because of the persecution.

Pang Xun, a 30-year-old radio host for a state-owned television network in southwestern China, died in December, about one year after his arrest. He had been sentenced to five years for handing out flyers raising awareness about the persecution campaign. His family reported that his body was covered in bruises and that there were traces of blood on his lips, chest, and legs.

The Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to all forms of torture, physical abuse, hospitalizations under the guise of them being mentally ill, Turkel said, noting that the regime has subjected Falun Gong adherents to forced organ harvesting for more than a decade.

This issue is gaining momentum, he said, citing the U.S. Houses passage of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act.

At the end of the day, the Chinese leadership would need to recognize that people of faith are actually not a threat to the society, but rather a contributing force to a healthy society, he said.

The countries that respect religious freedom naturally become a harmonious and peaceful society. The country or regime that represses religious freedom creates resentment and, to an extent, lays the foundation for violent activities.

Turkel added that Chinas regime has been investing so much time and energy and also brutally repressing religious practitioners.

That has to stop, he said.

Clampdown on Democracy in Hong Kong

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) (R) speaks with former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundations Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom award ceremony honoring Cardinal Joseph Zen in Washington on Jan. 28, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), the current commissioner of the USCIRF, highlighted Chinas clampdown on democracy in Hong Kong during an interview with The Epoch Times.

He pointed to the arrest of Hong Kongs pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail for fraud after being convicted of breaching a lease contract for his newspapers headquarters last December. He was charged under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

The commissioner also cited the case of Joshua Wong, founder of the pro-democracy party Demosisto.

The young activist has been sentenced and jailed many times since 2018 on charges that include unlawful assembly, contempt of court, participating in and inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly, and violating Hong Kongs no masking regulation. The pre-COVID law made it illegal to wear a face covering at a protest or assembly. Wong was arrested in October 2019 for participating in an unauthorized protest against the law.

In early March 2022, he was charged with subversion of state power for participating in unofficial opposition primaries before the 2020 Legislative Council election.

Most recently, on April 17, he was sentenced to three months in prison for doxxing a police officer who shot an unarmed protester during 2019 antigovernment protests.

Another example is former Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen. Last year, the nonagenarian Roman Catholic cardinal was arrested and found guilty over a fund to help pro-democracy protesters who were in financial need.

Wolf said that had the Hong Kong authorities sent him to jail, it would be almost a death sentence, given Zens advanced age.

The human rights conditions in China are very, very bleak, he said.

China Lobbying

The USCIRF annual report notes that the Chinese regime and state-owned entities such as Hikvision, which has been accused of complicity in abuses in Xinjiang, have hired former U.S. officials and former members of Congress to lobby on their behalf.

In one example, former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) registered to lobby for a Chinese firm in 2021 but decided to deregister hours after her registration was made public by the media.

Wolf says such a practice is unacceptable.

You cant have lobbyists and law firms representing China when theyre committing genocide, when theyre taking organs out of Falun Gong followers, when theyre arresting Catholic bishops, Catholic cardinals, when theyre literally destroying democracy in Hong Kong, when theyre stealing our trade secrets, he said.

When you have your organ taken out, youre dead. Youre dead. And so how can you represent a country thats doing that? Its just time to change.

At the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, no reputable firm would want to take on the Soviet Union as a client, and that shouldnt happen today, Wolf said.

He cited lyrics from The Boxer, written by Simon & Garfunkel in 1969: Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.

You cant disregard whats taking place in the Catholic Church, the Protestant church, human rights dissidents, the Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans, the Falun Gong, and the people of Hong Kong, and potentially, the people of Taiwan. So its now time for the Congress and for the administration to pass a ban prohibiting this activity from taking place, he said.

A Whole-of-Government Approach

To address the present and clear danger facing religious communities in China, the USCIRF chair has suggested that the U.S. government adopt a whole-of-government approach, elevating and integrating religious freedom as a key strategic objective in U.S. foreign policy toward China, and raising religious freedom concerns in all bilateral dialogues and engagement.

Turkel called on the U.S. government to impose all the tools at our disposal in our toolbox to expand the sanctioning over to the Chinese entities and officials that have been responsible for human rights abuses.

That includes the United Front Work department, which works to neutralize sources of potential opposition to the regime, as well as the public security and state security apparatus.

The USCIRF report also seeks a concerted effort by like-minded governments, allies, and partners to establish a U.N. Commission of Inquiry to address the ongoing worsening religious persecution in China.

Turkel cited the regimes transnational repression activities, such as the significant number of satellite police stations specifically established and function to silence the critics of the Chinese Communist Party.

That has to stop, and those who have been designing, carrying out these activities need to be held to account, he said.
Biden Admin Sends Another $1.2 Billion to Ukraine, With Total Military Aid Now at $37.6 Billion

U.S. Department of Defense press secretary Gen. Patrick S. Ryder speaks at a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on April 13, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Biden administration is sending Ukraine a military aid package worth up to $1.2 billion to bolster [Ukraines] air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

The latest package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraines most urgent requirements by committing critical capabilitiessuch as air defense systems and munitionswhile also building the capacity of Ukraines armed forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term, Pentagon press secretary, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said during a news conference.

The equipment will be purchased new from defense contractors under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), an authority that lets the United States procure capabilities from industry or partners. USAI is a fund created in 2015 in response to Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea.

The USAI gives us the ability to leverage the power and the capabilities of the private sector in order to support Ukraines medium and long term security assistance needs, said Ryder.

The total value of the aid to Ukraine from the United States amid the conflict now exceeds $37.6 billion, according to an updated fact sheet (pdf). Of that, more than $36.9 billion has been sent to Ukraine since the start of Russias invasion in February 2022.

155 mm Artillery Rounds, Air Defense Systems

The Pentagon noted that part of the package commits additional 155 mm artillery roundsone of the most requested artillery rounds in Ukraines fight against Russia.

The United States has shipped more than 1.5 million rounds to Ukraine, but as of late April, Kyiv was still seeking more.

The rounds, which are used in howitzer systems, allow Ukrainian soldiers to hit Russian targets up to 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometers) away, depending on what type of round and firing system is used. Howitzers are large guns that can be towed. The rounds can also be configured to be highly explosive, among other flexibilities.

Also in the new security assistance package are additional air defense systems and munitions; equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraines air defense systems; and ammunition for counter-unmanned aerial systems.

The latest aid comes as Ukraine prepares to launch a spring offensive against Russian forces, with air defense a persistent issue.

Also, in recent U.S. intelligence leaks that made headlines on April 6, one document appeared to show that munitions for Ukraines S-300 air-defense system were expected to run out in early May.

Facing economic sanctions and limits on its supply chains over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has routinely turned to Irans Shahed drones to bolster its firepower. U.S. aid packages have included systems to shoot down and otherwise defeat the drones.

Ukraines air defenses shot down 35 Iranian-made drones over Kyiv in Russias latest nighttime assault, officials said Monday. Wreckage from a drone struck a two-story apartment building in Kyivs western Svyatoshynsky district, while other debris struck a car parked nearby, setting it on fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post.

Russian shelling of 127 targets across northern, southern, and eastern parts of Ukraine killed three civilians, the Ukrainian defense ministry said.

In addition to the 1.5 million rounds and air defense systems, the United States will also provide Ukraine with commercial satellite imagery services and support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities as part of the latest package.

Congress, White House Insist on Ukraine Aid

The military aid comes as Congress and the White House are discussing how to avert a first-ever U.S. debt default. The national debt of the United States has surpassed $31 trillion, and unless Congress approves a higher debt limit by June 1, the nation could face a default.

Lawmakers from the Republican and Democrat partiesincluding top Republicans like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senatehave been insisting on continued support and aid for Ukraine.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned of an economic calamity for Americans if the debt ceiling is not raised, has also been pushing for continued aid for Ukraine.

In February, Yellen paid a surprise visit to Kyiv and reaffirmed U.S. aid to Ukraine. America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes, she said at the time.

More recently, in April, Yellen called for continued aid, adding that the United States had plans to provide additional aid through Septemberall as grantsand to support Ukraines energy security and early recovery efforts, but gave no details.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Biden Calls Debt Ceiling Talks With Congressional Leaders Productive, Rules Out Default

The president concedes that unilateral action will not fix the problem but hints that a short-term debt ceiling extension could be on the table

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the debt ceiling at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden met with congressional leaders on Tuesday following a three-month deadlock between the White House and Congress over the debt ceiling, which has threatened a default on the nations financial obligations.

Following the meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders, Biden told reporters that the meeting was productive and that he would do everything in his power to prevent the United States from defaulting on its debt obligation.

I made it clear during our meeting that default is not an option, Biden said. I told congressional leaders that Im prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default.

We agreed to continue our discussions and were going to meet again on Friday, Biden said, adding that until then, staff from both sides will meet daily to discuss progress.

The current limit on federal borrowing in the United States is $31.4 trillion. And although the nation has never defaulted on its debt before, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, that could change as soon as early June if the debt limit is not lifted.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (L) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speak to the press after meeting President Joe Biden and other leaders at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Everybody in this meeting reiterated the positions they were at, the House Speaker told reporters outside the White House after the meeting. I didnt see any new movement.

Noting that he was hopeful that the two sides might find areas of common ground, McCarthy went on to say, I think the best thing that we can do is find places where we can eliminate waste, find places that we can grow this economy, and thats exactly what the House bill does.

In April, House Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would cap federal spending for fiscal year 2024 at 2022 levels to help offset raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion, or through March 2024.

However, the White House dismissed the GOP proposal, accusing House Republicans of manufacturing a crisis and failing to do their job.

Biden accused McCarthy of proposing a very different way forward.

Im not sure. I dont think theyre sure exactly what theyre proposing, Biden said after the meeting, referring to the Republican plan to cut spending.

Biden, however, did not rule out a short-term extension of the debt ceiling.

Im not ruling out anything.  One thing that Im ruling out is default, Biden said, adding that he wont approve massive spending cuts.

Biden also told reporters that there has been internal White House debate on whether unilateral action, such as invoking the 14th Amendment, is possible to resolve the debt standoff.

Section 4 of the 14th Amendment states, The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law  shall not be questioned.

(LR) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and President Joe Biden meet with other lawmakers in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The amendment, which was ratified in the wake of the Civil War, ensures that the United States will always pay its debts.

I dont think that solves our problem now, Biden said, emphasizing that the court must rule on it.

In the meantime, without an extension, it would still end up in the same place, Biden explained.

On May 1, Yellen delivered a letter (pdf) to Congress, stating that the Treasury Department may run out of extraordinary measures and would be unable to meet the governments obligations as early as June 1.

The Congressional Budget Office made a similar prediction last week, indicating that the extraordinary measures invoked by the Treasury secretary will be exhausted by June 2023.

When asked if he has confidence in McCarthy, Biden stated that the speaker may lack flexibility.

I trust Kevin will try to do what he says, Biden said. I dont know how much leeway Kevin McCarthy thinks he has in light of the fact that  it took 15 votes for him to acquire the speakership. And apparently he had to make some serious concessions to get it from the most extreme members of his party.

Lawrence Wilson and Samantha Flom contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden is being accused of money laundering and influence peddling. This is the latest chapter in the Hunter Biden saga, where the presidents son was suspected of selling his fathers influence to foreign governments and businesses.

On Wednesday, members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a press conference. They detailed what they described as a complex money laundering scheme, involving payments from several foreign countries to President Joe Biden. And it turns out this isnt just about Joe and Hunter, either. The Committee members claim the payments have been going to close to a dozen members of the Biden family, and they also claim the Biden family was taking steps to conceal the funds.

Well discuss this story in this episode of Crossroads.
Biden Says Republican Threats Over Debt Ceiling Are Dangerous With Enormous Implications

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, on May 10, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden extended his attacks on Republicans in a speech in New York on May 10, calling their threats over the debt ceiling dangerous and meaningless.

A day after a high-stakes meeting with congressional leaders, Biden delivered a speech at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York, emphasizing the importance of raising the debt ceiling immediately and without conditions.

Republican threats are dangerous, and they make no sense, he said.

The president met with congressional leaders on May 9, ending a three-month standoff between the White House and Congress over the debt ceiling, which had threatened a default on the nations debt commitments. Biden called his meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other congressional leaders at the White House productive. However, the leaders made little tangible progress toward averting a default.

The leaders decided to reschedule their meeting for May 12, with each sides personnel continuing to meet daily to discuss potential solutions.

Biden told the crowd in New York that the debate over the debt ceiling has enormous implications for the American economy, and quite frankly, for the world economy.

This isnt just a theoretical debate going on in Washington, he said, accusing McCarthy of refusing to rule out defaulting on the debt.

If we default on our debt, the whole world is in trouble. This is a manufactured crisis. America is the strongest economy in the world. And we should be cutting spending and lowering the deficit without a needless crisis in a responsible way.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to the press after meeting President Joe Biden and other leaders at the White House on May 9, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

McCarthy, on the other hand, has frequently said Republicans wont allow the country to default on a payment. He has said that the purpose of the debate is to force a conversation on what he considered excessive government spending.

After the meeting, he criticized Biden for ignoring the crisis for 97 days and failing to come to the table to negotiate spending cuts. He told reporters that he saw no new movement during the meeting and that the United States now has only two weeks left to avert the crisis.

When the U.S. statutory borrowing limit of $31.4 trillion was reached in January, McCarthy insisted that no increase would be authorized unless Congress agreed to control future spending.

Biden declined to negotiate, either on the debt ceiling or cuts to federal spending, putting the responsibility on McCarthy to propose a plan for budget cuts. The situation changed on April 26, when Republicans in the House narrowly passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act along party lines.

The Republicans 320-page bill seeks to restore discretionary spending to 2022 levels, limit spending growth to 1 percent per year, and raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion, or through March 2024.

However, the White House dismissed the GOP proposal, accusing House Republicans of proposing harmful cuts to veterans care, public safety, education, and more.

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago in March, 60 percent of Americans believe that the government spends too much money. The percentage of people who think Washington spends too much was highest among Republicans at 88 percent, followed by about 60 percent of independents and only 34 percent of Democrats.

An April poll by Echelon Insights shows that 74 percent of voters, including most Democrats, agreed with the statement, President Biden should agree to negotiations and try to find common ground around the debt ceiling, including some reductions in government spending.

Lawrence Wilson and Samantha Flom contributed to this report.
Biden to Discuss Inclusive Economic Growth During Papua New Guinea Visit: White House

President Joe Biden speaks about "building on the small business boom" during National Small Business Week in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington on May 1, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) later this month to discuss cooperation in advancing inclusive economic growth with the Pacific nation, the White House has confirmed.

Biden will stop in PNG while traveling from Japanwhere he will attend the G7 Leaders summitto Australia for a Quad Leaders meeting on May 24, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

The visit was first announced by PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko, who stated that Biden would visit the Pacific nations capital Port Moresby for three hours on his way to Australia on May 22.

Biden is expected to meet with PNG Prime Minister James Marape and other Pacific Island Forum leaders during his visit, making him the first-ever sitting U.S. president to visit Papua New Guinea.

The leaders will discuss ways to deepen cooperation on challenges critical to the region and to the United States, such as combating climate change, protecting maritime resources, and advancing resilient and inclusive economic growth, the White House stated.

The United States has sought to enhance its engagement in the Indo-Pacific region to counter Beijings growing influence. In February, PNG sent a delegation to Honolulu for security talks with U.S. officials.

The U.S. State Department said they discussed the foundational framework of the U.S.-PNG Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to establish a mutual understanding of core issues.

When completed and signed, a U.S.-PNG DCA will be the foundational framework around which our two nations will enhance security cooperation and further strengthen our bilateral relationship, improve the capacity of the PNG Defense Force and increase stability and security in the region, it stated.

Americans Expect Worsening Economy

Bidens foreign trip comes as the United States faces a debt ceiling issue, with 75 percent of Americans believing that U.S. economic conditions are worsening under his administration, according to a Gallup survey.

Gallup polled 1,013 American adults aged 18 and over between April 3 and April 25. The survey has a margin of error of plus/minus 4 percentage points.

During a press briefing to announce Bidens trip to PNG, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if Biden would postpone his foreign trip to deal with the countrys debt ceiling issue.

Jean-Pierre responded by saying that Biden could be a president anywhere. It doesnt matter if its domestic or international. He is always president even when he travels.

This is something that Congress can take care of today, if they choose [to] do their job, do their constitutional duty, she added. The president is going to make it very clear to the congressional leaders that they must act and avoid default.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and U.S. President Joe Biden meet with other lawmakers in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden and top Republicans and Democrats from Congress are set to sit down this week to try and resolve a three-month standoff over the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling and avoid a default before the end of May.

The Democratic president is calling on lawmakers to raise the federal governments self-imposed borrowing limit without conditions. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his chamber will not approve any deal that does not cut spending to address a growing budget deficit.

The last time the nation got this close to default was in 2011, with the same pattern of divided governmenta Democratic president and Senate with a Republican-led House. Congress eventually came around and averted default, but the economy endured heavy shocks.

Katabella Roberts and Reuters contributed to this report.
Bahrains Labour Fund (Tamkeen) has reaffirmed its commitment to helping Bahrainis play a greater role in private sector growth by supporting on-the-job training for 50 Bahrainis at Arla Foods.

The fourth largest dairy producer in the world and the largest manufacturer of organic dairy products, Denmark-based Arla Foods brands include household names such as Puck, Lurpak and Kraft. Operating a state-of-the-art factory in Bahrain, the company plans to expand its local production to more than 100,000 tonnes annually by 2025.

Participants will rotate between critical manufacturing areas, learning transferable skills and best practices in dairy manufacturing, following which they will be prioritised for full-time positions.

Bahrainisation rate

This initiative aims to increase the Bahrainisation rate in the rapidly expanding fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, which has recorded a 46.24% compound annual growth rate in Bahrain's exports since 2017.

Khalid AlBayat, Executive Director of Business Development at the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), said: Tamkeen remains committed to positioning Bahrainis as the employee of choice across a broad range of high-growth, high-opportunity sectors, including FMCG manufacturing. It is our aim to develop a strong pool of local talent in this sector, which will in turn contribute to attracting further business opportunities and investment into the kingdom.

Mona Al Sari, Senior Head of Human Resources at Arla Foods, said: Serving the entire region, our facility in the kingdom has helped to improve product shelf-life and minimise costs for transportation and product development. Having highly skilled local talent is a major part of our growth strategy, and we value this collaboration with Tamkeens which helps us invest in ambitious Bahraini talent.

Bahrains FMCG market represents a significant opportunity for import substitution with locally manufactured products. The presence of global companies such as Arla Foods in the kingdom also offers prospects for human capital development, supply chain enhancement, and career specialisation, which will help to generate high-value exports from Bahrain to the region and beyond.-- TradeArabia News Service
SHANGHAI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to raise the international influence and competitiveness of Chinese brands was launched on Tuesday in Shanghai.

Initiated by Xinhua News Agency, the Global Tour of China's Brands campaign aims to promote Chinese brands.

As the campaign's initiator, Xinhua will give full play to its resources and strengths to boost the international influence of Chinese brands.

In addition to strengthening the quality of their products, Chinese brands also need the help of influential media to expand presence and recognition, noted Yuan Bingzhong, vice president of Xinhua. 
Blinken Asks WHO to Invite Taiwan to Observe World Health Assembly

Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Md., on May 4, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The United States is urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at its annual meeting in Geneva, stressing its importance to the WHOs commitment to an inclusive, health for all approach to international health cooperation.

Taiwans distinct capabilities and approachesincluding its significant public health expertise, democratic governance, and advanced technologybring considerable value that would inform the WHAs deliberations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on May 9.

WHA refers to World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the WHO, which will hold its annual meeting from May 21 to 30 on global public health priorities.

Blinken described Taiwan as a reliable partner, a vibrant democracy, and a force for good in the world. He said that the United States will keep calling for Taiwans return as an observer at the WHA and its meaningful and robust participation throughout the UN system and in international fora. Such support is in line with Washingtons one-China policy, he said.

The WHA has excluded Taiwan since 2017 under diplomatic pressure from Beijing to isolate the self-ruling island, which the Chinese Communist Party considers as part of Chinese territory and seeks to take over by force, if necessary.

Taiwanese groups in America have been pushing to bring awareness on the issue.

Daniel Hsu, a doctor with the North American Taiwanese Medical Association, on April 15 held up a mug with the words WHC to signify the loss that blocking Taiwans participation in the WHA brings to the WHO. The letter C, he explained, represents an incomplete O.

The WHO shouldnt have a health gap, he said at a press conference.

Hsueh Jui-yuan, minister of health and welfare for Taiwan, said on April 26 that he will still lead a delegation to Geneva despite having received no invitation to the assembly.
California Police Department to Replace Vehicle Fleet With Teslas

The South Pasadena Police Department announced its transition to an all-electric vehicle fleet by acquiring Tesla vehicles.

The southern Californian police department said it would lease 20 electric 10 Model Ys and 10 Model 3s, for patrols, detective work, and other duties, for 60 months, which will cost the city nearly $2 million in funds. The city received $500,000 in funding from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee.

The plan also includes the purchase of 30 charging ports, which will be stationed at City Hall and available for public use.

We have been investigating this transition for five to six years and determined that these electric vehicles will be the best operationally for us, South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky said in a statement.

The police department plans to remove all internal combustion engine vehicles from its force and replace them with Teslas by February 2024.

Some of the Teslas are already in use, according to Deputy City Manager Domenica Megerdichian, while others are still being properly outfitted.

Some of them have K-9 capabilities. Theyll be utilized for both the patrol and the detective administratives, said Megerdichian.

South Pasadenas Plan Intended to Make City Police More Economic

South Pasadenas city council approved the plan in September and tasked Unplugged Performance, a vehicle customization company, with outfitting the vehicles.

Anyone who has investigated the compelling fleet economics of electric vehicle ownership knows that its the right solution to go EV and do it with Tesla, however stepping up and taking the leap for the full department requires leadership and commitment from the Mayor, the City Council and the entire department, Unpluggeds CEO Ben Schaffer said.

Police Sgt. Tony Abdalla, the departments EV project transition lead, said, Unplugged Performance are the global experts when it comes to customizing and upfitting Tesla vehicles.

We are extremely fortunate to partner with the entire Unplugged team as they build the next generation of police vehicles for our entire fleet transition to battery electric vehicles.

Other police departments have made the switch to electric vehicles like Tesla, such as Falmouth, Massachusets and Fremont, California.

Teslas stunning track record of reliability, low maintenance costs, and impressive on-road performance and driving dynamics make EV transition a safe choice for many departments, Abdalla said. The cost savings are undeniable, and being able to bring Teslas entire suite of crash and safety systems to bear on officer safety is an added benefit above and beyond the economics of operating and maintaining this modern EV fleet.

City Officials Predict Cost Savings

We looked at a number of options, and many of our fleet are at end of life or nearing end of life, said Megerdichian.

Megerdichian said that most of the citys police vehicles needed to be replaced, with some being turned in or sent to auction.

Tesla was seen as the best electric vehicle replacement for the police departments existing vehicle fleet.

The citys infrastructure plan also includes installing more electric vehicle charging stations by the end of 2024, both for the city and for public use, in cooperation with Southern California Edisons Charge Ready program.

Its actually part of our vision statement that we are committed to an environmentally stable future, said Megerdichian.

City officials said that residents could see some of the new police model Teslas patrolling the streets over the summer.

Megerdichian said that South Pasadena could save more than $300,000 per vehicle over the next 10 years in fuel and maintenance costs.
Canadian Military Commits to Training Ukrainian Soldiers in Latvia as War Drags On

National Defence Minister Anita Anand and Latvian Defence Minister Inara Murniece hold a joint news conference at the Canadian War Museum, May 10, 2023 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Tuesday that Canadian military members and their Latvian counterparts will begin training Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia as soon as next week.

That means Canada is adding a third country to its training efforts under Operation Unifier, which is already active in Poland and the United Kingdom.

Anand said its a reflection of Canadas commitment to help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

It is also a recognition that our world is growing increasingly dark, and that a year-and-a-half into the further illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine by (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, we cannot let up, Anand said.

This war does not seem to have an end in the near term.

Canada has trained more than 36,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces members since 2015, the year after Russia annexed Crimea.

The program in Latvia is set to provide junior officer leadership development training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine beginning as soon as May 15.

Anand made the announcement after a bilateral meeting with Latvian Defence Minister Inara Murniece in Ottawa.

Murniece said there is a sense of urgency in the Baltic region to maintain support for Ukraine 18 months into the Russian invasion.

My country understands the situation. We are very close to (the) war zone, she said.

Latvias military assistance to Ukraine now accounts for one percent of the countrys GDP, Murniece said, part of an overall push to boost its readiness.

Our defence spending has reached 2.3 percent of GDP. It means our military aid to Ukraine is about half of our military budget, she said.

That spending is expected to soon climb to three percent of GDP, well above the NATO alliances stated target of two percent.

Canada remains below that spending target at about 1.4 percent.

The Washington Post recently reported, citing confidential documents leaked online, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau privately told NATO officials his country will never reach that goal.

The federal government has refused to confirm or deny that report, saying only that Canada remains committed to NATO and investing in the military.

Canadas military aid to Ukraine so far totals more than $1 billion.

Anand and Murniece travelled to Canadian Forces Base Petawawa on Tuesday. Their meetings focused on the plan to surge a Canadian-led NATO battle group in Latvia to a combat-ready brigade.

That commitment was made in a joint declaration signed in June 2022, but plans are still in the early stages.

The next stage is going to be establishing force development, Anand said, adding that another step will be defining the critical capabilities of allied countries militaries.

Canada has already announced that it is urgently procuring anti-tank, anti-drone and anti-air defence systems.

Anand said she and Murniece met with representatives from the other 10 countries that are part of the battle group during the NATO defence ministers meetings in Brussels in February.

Negotiations are underway to determine what they can each contribute to a brigade.

The process is going well, Anand said.

About 800 Canadian Armed Forces members are currently deployed to Latvia, but it remains unclear how many members would be required for the brigade.

The military is currently stretched thin, with more than 16,000 positions unfilled and increased demands from around the globe and across the country.

That includes a recent request from Alberta to help with an early start to the wildfire season, which has led to the evacuations of thousands of people.

Anand said the Canadian Armed Forces has pre-positioned aircraft and personnel in the area as it works to determine what help it can provide.

By Sarah Ritchie
CBC Resumes Some Twitter Activity Following 23-Day Hiatus Over Government-Funded Label

The CBC News logo is projected onto a screen during the CBC's annual upfront presentation at The Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on May 29, 2019. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)

The CBC has returned to posting content on some of its Twitter accounts following a more than three-week hiatus after the platform labelled the public broadcasters main account as a Government-Funded Media outlet.

Today, we will resume some activity on a handful of umbrella Twitter accounts, including @CBCNews, but we will significantly reduce our overall Twitter footprint and continue to assess the platform against our strategy, said CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon in a blog post on May 9.

Twitter initially placed the label on CBCs main account on April 16, but then changed it to 69% Government-Funded Media a day later after the network complained that the original label was inaccurate because CBC creates some of its own revenue through advertising.

CBC then said on April 17 that it would be halting its Twitter activity because the label suggested that its journalism and editorial content was directly influenced by the federal government.

In terms of direct funding, CBC received over $1.2 billion from the federal government last year, according to its 2021-22 annual report.

Twitter removed the contentious label from CBCs account after about three days, but the public broadcaster still did not resume its activity on the platform.

We are reviewing this latest development and will leave our Twitter accounts on pause before taking any next steps, CBCs director of media relations, Leon Mar, told The Epoch Times on April 21.

Reviewing and Adjusting

On May 4, The Epoch Times again asked Mar if CBC had any plans to resume its activity on Twitter, but he said the network is continuing to consider our options and would keep its Twitter accounts on pause.

Along with removing CBCs government-funded label on April 21, Twitter also removed the state-affiliated media tags it had placed on outlets such as the Russian governments RT and Beijings state-run CGTN.

Fenlon wrote in his blog post on May 9 that the CBCs pause on Twitter came at a time when the public broadcaster had already been reviewing and adjusting its social media strategy for more than a year apart from the fact that Twitter under Elon Musks ownership labelled it as government-funded.

Fenlon also noted that Twitter removed its blue-check verification from its accounts around the same time that it labelled CBCs main account as government-funded.

This change, which came on April 20, was due to Twitters new policy dictating that users must be subscribed to Twitter Blue, which costs US$8 monthly, to have the blue checkmark verification.

However, CBCs accounts are still verified with Twitters gold checkmark and square profile picture features, which are granted to accounts that Twitter acknowledges as an official business  through Twitter Verified Organizations.
Ottawa is accusing a Chinese diplomat of targeting a Canadian lawmaker whos critical of Chinas human rights records. Beijing retaliated, ousting a Canadian diplomat. The two nations have clashed since the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018, and Beijings subsequent arrest of two Canadians on espionage charges.

Topics in this episode:

China Expels Canadian Diplomat in Tit-For-Tat Dispute China Raids Consulting Firm Capvisions Office Repression Turning Outward: Analysts on Chinas Expanded Anti-Espionage Law Florida Targets China with New Laws on Land Purchases, Education, Digital Sphere Taiwan, U.S. in Talks for $500M Military Pkg Netherlands Breaking Ties with Chinas Sister Cities Mystery Chinese Spacecraft Returns to Earth U.S. Must Boycott Chinese Goods, Uphold Human Rights: Hudayar on Recession, Climate Issues

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China Increases Its Use of Exit Bans

Restrictions on people leaving the country may enhance political and social control, but they are economic poison

Commentary

Xi Jinping has two big problems as a student of economics. One, he and his government seem to have no idea of what motivates people to invest and take economic risks. Two, Beijing seems unable to resist any exercise of power.

Both these problems show clearly in Beijings heightened use of exit bans against dissidents, minorities, critics of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP), and increasingly against businesspeopledomestic and foreign. These bans may enhance government power, but they will certainly work against Beijings avowed desire to bolster business confidence and so encourage investing and growth.

The CCP has long banned dissidents from leaving the country. Occasionally, bans were used against prominent businesspeople who criticized Party policies. But in the years since Xi has come to power, the authorities have passed more laws to allow such bans and have applied them more broadly. There are presently 15 such laws in place. Five of these have passed in just the last five years.

Only a week ago, the Counter-Espionage Law was amended to allow its greater exercise. Along with the Supervisory Law, the government now can deny exit to anyoneChinese or foreignunder investigation for any civil or criminal transgression, even when not a suspect. What is more, the ban can also extend to family members.

And the use of such bans has exploded. References to exit bans appearing in the records of Chinas Supreme Court have increased eightfold since 2016 to almost 40,000 in the past year. Most of the increase involves civil cases. The human rights group, Safeguard Defenders, contends that the bans have affected tens of thousands of Chinese, millions counting the ethnicity-based cases for people such as the Uyghurs. Independent academic research counts 128 cases in which foreigners have been forbidden to leave the country.

The CCP seldom concerns itself with human rights when it wants to exercise its power, but the bullies in government might well consider the ill effects these policies will bring to Chinas economy. The widespread application of such bans will certainly militate against Beijings clear desire to increase private investment by domestic Chinese firms or foreign firms. They may have the most profound effect on technologies and the high-value, sophisticated products that Beijing so wants for China.

On the domestic side of this equation, Beijing has expressed concern about a lack of business confidence. It is true that business enthusiasm for the future has suffered under the effects of zero-COVID lockdowns, debt overhangs left by failures in the property development sector, and rhetoric from Xi and others in government about the obligations of businesspeople to the Party as opposed to profits objectives.

Data show this state of affairs clearly. In an effort to stimulate growth, Beijing has increased public investment spending by 10 percent in the last year, but investment spending by private businesses has increased a paltry 0.6 percent. To help restore confidence and so change this picture, Xi has gone back on some of his earlier critical rhetoric of business and recently referred to entrepreneurs as our own people.

Exit bans belie such soft sentiments. Because civil cases are a standard aspect of competition and business expansion, the risk of such bans will help ensure that business remains reluctant to expand, even if those involved have no plans to travel abroad.

Foreign investment will, if anything, have even greater sensitivity to exit bans. Premier Li Keqiang has spoken of encouraging such investment flows from abroad, suggesting that foreign owners can look forward to what he referred to as national treatment, presumably more freedom of action. But since foreign-backed business is as likely as domestic business to become involved in civil actions, the exit ban will be a major incentive for foreign money to look elsewhere.

No manager, for example, wants his or her employee to suffer the fate of the Irish national, Richard OHalloran, whose firm sent him to China in 2019 to settle a civil case that predates his employment, and who was forbidden to leave China for three years until 2022 when his firm finally agreed to pay Chinese investors.

Why should foreign investors take the risk when there are attractive alternatives elsewhere in Asia or in their home market that do not threaten what is effectively a hostage situation?

Over the years, Xi has made it clear that he wants to exert Party control more thoroughly. He has said that China has passed a development stage and can now re-exert Marxist control. He and his colleagues in the Forbidden City no doubt see the exit bans as part of such a program. But like so much else in Marxism, these bans are bad for growth, the economy, and Chinas prosperity. Xi and the CCP might carebut not enough to change their ways.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese Canadians Who Speak Out Against CCP Say Their Families Back Home Face Threats, Intimidation

After Judy Wang left China, she thought she had found a safe haven in Canada. But she soon realized her family members back home are basically hostages being used as leverage by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Even though Ive left China, my family is still constantly fearful for me, since the CCPs long arm stretches overseas, said Toronto-based Wang, who is using an alias to protect herself and her family from being further targeted.

Conservative member of Parliament Michael Chong speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 3, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Since moving to Canada Wang has worked as a journalist, often writing about the CCPs human rights abuses and other topics censored in China. But this brought retaliation against her family back home.

Her father was arrested in 2012 when he tried to visit her abroad, and was slapped with a false charge of attempting to incite subversion. The police demanded 30,000 yuan (C$5,800) in return for his release, and prohibited him from travelling overseas. He had a stroke soon afterwards that left him paralyzed.

Wang said the police launched renewed threats against her family as a result of her reporting on CCP corruption and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinaissues the authorities deem sensitive. They threatened her mother by saying they could easily kidnap Wang in Canada and bring her back to China. They put so much pressure on Wangs mother to try to force her to stop reporting negatively on the regime and retract the articles she had already written that Wang decided to cut all ties with her parents.

The threats put my family under a lot of pressure, especially my mother. She couldnt see me, her only child, for so many years, Wang said.

The CCPs coercion tactic of threatening, and actually harming, the families of Chinese-Canadians targeted by the regime was recently spotlighted after the case of Conservative MP Michael Chong came to light. Chongs family in Hong Kong was reportedly threatened after he sponsored a motion in the House of Commons in February 2021, declaring the CCPs mistreatment of Uyghurs a genocide, reported The Globe and Mail. The report was later confirmed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Although Ottawa declared Chinese consul Zhao Wei, who was involved in the threat against Chongs family, persona non grata on May 8, the MP noted that his case is not unique. The CCP has long been targeting the families of Canadians in the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] to coerce and intimidate Canadians here on Canadian soil, he said in the House of Commons on May 4.

Wangs experience is just one of several similar stories recounted to The Epoch Times through interviews with Chinese expatriates in Canada.

Coercing a Canadian to Spy

Toronto-based Michael Xu, a Canadian citizen who acted in a 2009 made-in-Canada TV series critical of the Chinese regime, said his brothers back in China faced repeated threats from the police shortly after. By harassing his family, Xu said, the polices aim was to coerce him into spying covertly for the regime.

The police showed my brothers the films in which my father and I had acted in; afterwards, they tried to get us to cooperate with them in some works here overseas, Xu said, adding that the police even promised them money for spying.

They turned down the offer, and the authorities continued to threaten Xus brothers, demanding money or gifts as a form of appeasement, he said.

Another Toronto resident, Will Hu, had a similar experience of the police calling his father back in China over his role as an extra in a 2019 film that exposed the CCPs repression of religious freedom. Hu said the threat against his family was less severe, which he attributed to the relatively small role he played in the film.

Vancouver resident Anna Liang said her family members in China were harassed by local police in the summer of 2021. Liang believes the harassment is connected to her daughters work as a journalist in Canada.

She said her daughter, Sabrina, who then also lived in Vancouver, was stalked by Chinese agents and her information was passed on to the Public Security Bureau in China. Local police subsequently contacted Liangs mother, sister, and ex-husband (Sabrinas father) back in China asking for an interview in order to interrogate them about Hu and Sabrinas situation in Canada.

This behaviour from the local police has seriously threatened the safety of my family, Liang said. It also made my family worried about our safety in Canada.

You Will Always Lose

The CCPs campaign of intimidation extends beyond just dissidents. According to several Chinese Canadians who spoke with The Epoch Times, even those who simply hold beliefs that are subject to repression by the regime in China have reported harassment of their families back home.

Sonia Qiu, a practitioner of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong now living in Toronto, was detained by the Chinese authorities in 2009 and subjected to surveillance even at her workplace after her release. She eventually fled to Canada as a refugee, but the harassment didnt end there. The CCP continued its intimidation tactics abroad by threatening her family back home, she said.

Qius daughter, who also lives in Canada, learned that her father had received at least two calls from the police in China inquiring about them. Qiu said that out of fear for each others safety, the family has cut all forms of contact.

I am afraid. I was hesitant to speak out because I fear that my family and friends in China will face greater threats, she said, adding that she finds it incredulous that the regime continues harassing her when she has been living outside of China for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, her friends and former colleagues in China have also distanced themselves from Qiu out of fear.

Even if [the CCP] didnt make direct threats, they have achieved their goal of intimidation, Qiu said, noting that a single threat is enough to force compliance with the CCPs wishes, after decades of hard lessons that the Chinese people have learned as to what the regime will do if one doesnt cooperate.

Huang Hua, a Falun Gong adherent, speaks at a rally outside of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, on April 25, 2023. Huang said family members in China face continued harassment and intimidation from the communist authorities. (Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times)

Toronto resident Huang Hua told The Epoch Times in a recent interview that her family suffered financial consequences for not toeing the line in the face of the CCPs intimidation tactics.

Huang, also a Falun Gong practitioner, fled to Canada as a refugee to escape persecution in China, as Falun Gong adherents have been subjected to a severe campaign of repression by the regime since 1999. But her father and sister still live in China, and local police have repeatedly harassed them as part of their intimidation tactics against Huang.

Her father, who lives in Zhejiang Province, has received warnings from local police for trying to contact her. In October 2019, police raided his home, which Huang believes was to search for evidence to convict him for practising Falun Gong.

When Huangs father moved to Sichuan Province to stay with her sister during the COVID-19 pandemic, local police continued to harass the family to try and force them to renounce their beliefs, she said. In September 2022, when Huang decided to bring her father to Canada, they discovered that his life savings of 700,000 Chinese yuan (C$138,000) had mysteriously disappeared from his bank account.

As an individual [in China], its impossible to get away when the government targets you. You will always lose, Huang said, noting that the family gave up trying to secure a lawyer.

In China, the rule of law does not exist.
Chinese in Australia Grateful for Free Society on World Falun Dafa Day

Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney celebrated World Falun Dafa Day with a huge parade on May 9, 2023. (An Pingya/The Epoch Times)

A Chinese living in Australia, who has experienced one of the biggest genocides in the modern world, shared her gratitude for the countrys free society.

On May 9, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney celebrated the upcoming World Falun Dafa Day on May 13 with a parade.

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is an ancient spiritual practice of the Buddhist tradition that includes gentle exercises and a set of teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, forbearance.

An estimated 100 million people have taken up the practice in over 90 countries, according to Faluninfo.net.

Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney celebrated World Falun Dafa Day with a huge parade on May 9, 2023. The photo shows the Tianguo Marching Band. (An Pingya/Epoch Times)

Feel Free and Relaxed in Australia

Mary Li, who escaped the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China said that after arriving in Australia in 2014, she had attended every Falun Gong parade, including once in heavy rain.

Every time I attended a parade, I was struck by the number of people watching and taking pictures, she told The Epoch Times.

Having been in China for over 20 years, I lived a life of fear every day Its completely different here. There are no worries. I feel very free and relaxed here.

Since July 20, 1999the day former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin issued a ban on Falun Dafamillions of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in jails and detention facilities across the country, where they are subjected to torture and forced organ harvesting by the regime.

In 2019, the independent China Tribunal concluded that it was beyond doubt that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting for profit has been taking place in China for years and on a significant scale, with Falun Gong practitioners being the main target.

Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney celebrated World Falun Dafa Day with a huge parade on May 9, 2023. (An Pingya/The Epoch Times)

This country has a good system. Its not like China at all, Li continued. The government here has the peoples best interests at heart.

Li said she joined the parade to tell the Australian society that Falun Dafa is good, truthfulness-compassion-forbearance is good.

Charlotte Wat, who is from Hong Kong, echoed Lis appreciation for Australia and noted she too was concerned about safety in her homeland which is now controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

Wat started practising Falun Gong in recent years after accidentally eating a cannabis cookie. She suffered a severe physical and mental reaction to the drug which she had trouble resolving until she came upon the practice of Falun Gong. She said the practices teachings and the exercises helped her recover.

I have never seen a [Falun Gong] march in Hong Kong, she said. There used to be, but Im not sure about [the situation] now.

She also noted that she would be reluctant to return to her home country and would never even visit China, despite her husband being from there.

Its not that I dont want to go back [to Hong Kong], but I have concerns.

She appreciated the freedom of faith and expression in Australia.

I dont have any concerns here. All the information I want to convey has been conveyed, she said. I will still stand out to speak if Im needed.

Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney celebrated World Falun Dafa Day with a huge parade on May 9, 2023. (Zhou Xin/The Epoch Times)

The theme of this years parade was celebrating the 31st anniversary of the teaching of Falun Dafa around the world, said Zeng Lin, the main organiser of the event.

The parade consisted of three squares  Falun Dafa is good, Dissolve the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Stop the Persecution, and Supporting over 410 million Chinese who have quit the CCP.

Falun Dafa is the hope for the salvation of mankind, Zeng said. Through the parade, we hope to spread the goodness of Falun Dafa to the world.

Australians Showing Support

One Farrer Place, where the parade started, is home to some of Australias most prestigious office buildings, including the iconic Phillip Tower and Macquarie Tower.

Thomas George, who works in a corporate law firm, saw the banners of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance in the procession and said that the universal values of Falun Gong are very important to society today.

In this modern world, you need to [stick to these values], he said. Its good to remind people.

Holding a leaflet and lotus flower, George said the parade looked great and made him feel relaxed. He was also happy to see Falun Gong practitioners speaking out for freedom of faith.

Im happy youre fighting for it. To recognize people for what they want to do is good, he said.

Thomas George, a finance executive at a large law firm in Phillip Tower, showed his support for Falun Gong. (Wen Qingyang/The Epoch Times)

When passing through Martin Place, the parade also caught the attention of Jennifer Ryne, who had learned about Falun Gong before.

It made me feel sad for what the people had gone through, she said. But its a celebration, so Im glad that they enjoy the freedom.

Ryne was struck by the banners showing support for over 400 million Chinese people who have quit the Chinese Communist Party.

Thats fantastic, she said. The more people [who] wake up, the better.

Jennifer Ryne, who witnessed a Falun Gong parade for the first time, said she hoped that more Chinese people would quit the Chinese Communist Party.(Wen Qingyang/The Epoch Times)

The procession passed through the busy streets of Sydneys Central Business District and arrived at Belmore Park after nearly an hour.

To conclude the event of the day, Falun Gong practitioners in the procession took a photo together and wished Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, a happy birthday.

Wen Qingyang contributed to this report.
Chinese Netizens Say Curators Savage Beating by Communist Official Highlights Lawlessness of Ruling Regime

People stand in front of images of Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, on Sept. 4, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

A museum in Chinas western Shanxi Province notified the public this week that it would be forced to close temporarilyas the museums curator had been severely assaulted and left in a coma by a Chinese Communist Party district chief. The incident has sparked heated discussions on Chinese social media about the abject state of Chinas justice systemand the peoples lack of recourse.

The Luliang North Wudang Ancient Weapons Museum in Shanxi Province posted an unusual notice on its official account on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on May 8. The notice announced the temporary closure of a sister museumbut for a shocking reason.

Curator Gao Yufeng was assaulted by the district chief Zhang Haiwen when he visited the Lishi District government for business, the notice read.

The curator was pushed down and injured, and was sent to the emergency department of Luliang City Peoples Hospital by ambulance. His current state is very unstable, sometimes falling into a coma. It is really impossible to open the museum normally to receive visitors under the circumstances. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause!

Luliang Mountain Revolution Museum in Shanxi posted a notice announcing the museums closure on its gate on May 8, 2023. (Internet screenshot via The Epoch Times)

According to local newspaper Luliang Daily, 20-year-old Gao Yufeng made his first discovery of ancient weapons in the area in 1980, and started collecting them.

In 2014, Gao founded the Luliang North Wudang Ancient Weapons Museum, which is the first private museum and the only ancient weapons museum in Luliang City. In 2016, he opened the Luliang Mountain Revolutionary Museum.

According to the Chinese search engine Baidu, Shanxis Luliang Mountain Revolutionary Museum is the first privately owned museum in Luliang with the red [communist] revolution as its theme.

Mainland Chinese media The Paper reported that a staff member of the Chinese communist regimes Lishi District Government Office responded on the evening of May 8 to deny the incident, stating that It must be a rumor.

Drawing Public Attention

The news, however, sparked heated discussions on Chinese social media.

This trick is really amazing. Thinking rationally, how does the museums receiving visitors have anything to do with the curator being beaten? one commentator asked.

Even if a curator is dead, the museum would still open as usual. This is to use the closure notice to let the world know: our curator was beaten unconscious, and seriously injured. The museum wont open until the authorities handle it properly.

Its killing multiple birds with one stone, the message reads. The notice has hidden messagesits great!

Another wrote: This is about a curator being knocked down by the head of the district. If its ordinary people who were beaten up [by officials], they would have no place to post an official notice to the public, and could only suffer it in silence.

Why didnt the curator of the museum complain through legal channels that he was beaten? another netizen asked. If the curator of the museum cant speak out through legal channels, but needs to use the power of social media as well, it is even more impossible for ordinary people to use legal channels to speak out about the injustice they suffer!

Another post read: This shows that the normal channels [in China] can no longer solve problems. There is no other way but to fight each other to the deathnobody will have peace!

Some netizens said they were also worried about the future of private museums: This is a denouncementfrustrated, speechless, helpless  I dont know if this museum will be able to reopen in the future. Any governmental agency, such as fire protection, safety supervision, urban management, street office, or even property management, can shut it down anytime.

Xia Song contributed to this report.
Climate Envoy John Kerrys Jet-Set Spending Is Getting Plenty of Cloud Cover

U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry walks away after addressing the Our Ocean meeting on its opening day at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City on March 2, 2023. (Arnulfo Franco/AP Photo)

News analysis

John Kerry leads an international jet-set life that might exhaust a runway model. If President Bidens special envoy for climate was not in Washington or relaxing at his mansion near Nantucket Harbor, he could be found in Brazil, Panama, the Bahamas, or Germany. And thats just in February and March.

While Kerry trumpets his meetings and appearances around the world, the State Department wraps the rest of his efforts in a cloak of secrecy usually reserved for CIA black box operations. It has refused to specify lists of people he is meeting with and who is advising him as he circles the globe. His office has stonewalled requests for budget and staffing information from legislators and government watchdog groups. In response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed last year by RealClearInvestigations (RCI) for a breakdown on how the climate envoys roughly $16.5 million 2022 budget was spent, the State Department said it could not comply with the request until April 2025, months after both the 2024 election and the expiration of President Bidens current term.

The secrecy surrounding Kerrys work is reaching a boiling point with the threat of a congressional subpoena.

Frustrated that Kerrys office ignored two previous requests for detailed information about its budget when his party was in the minority, Republican Rep. James Comer, who now heads the House Oversight Committee, sent what he labeled a final courtesy letter on April 25 and added that a subpoena would accompany the next request if Kerrys powerful, unchecked position continued to hide the information.

The State Department has not provided any meaningful updates to Committee staff inquiries on the status of producing these documents, Comer wrote. Envoy Kerry is engaging in activities that skirt congressional authority, threaten foreign policy under the guise of climate advocacy, and could undermine economic health. Yet, Envoy Kerry and his office are refusing to be transparent about their activities, spending, and staffing with the Committeeand the American people.

Biden, who has identified climate change as the single greatest threat facing the United States, named Kerry the nations first special envoy for climate on his first day in office in 2021.

His precise job description is difficult to determine, although Kerry has been given a seat on the White House national security team, and it is commonly referred to as a cabinet level positioneven though it did not require Senate confirmation.

Since taking office, Kerry has been indefatigable in attending conferences and meetings in far-flung posts and glittering capitals. His office has sent out his pronouncements to the press and copies of his public remarks from places such as Hanoi, Dhaka, London, Cairo (twice), and, last month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. But almost nothing is known about discussions and potential agreements made at his private meetings.

Given the Biden administrations penchant for issuing sweeping executive orders, especially regarding the climate, Republicans worry that Kerrys undefined position could translate into unchecked power to commit the United States to binding agreements with foreign powers. Neither the White House nor the State Department responded to questions about the precise nature of Kerrys work, and whether he was authorized to negotiate treaties on behalf of the United States.

John Kerry continues to negotiate deals with foreign governments, including the Chinese Communist Party [CCP], that potentially undermine the United States interests, Comer wrote, without the envoys providing any detail about the nature or scope of those deals or whether any have been approved.

In his speeches and other public appearances, Kerry warns that humanity has just a few years left to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change.

It is an existential issue; it is an issue where people today are dying, he told MSNBC in late April. He has called for a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and endorsed the goal of zero emissions by 2050.

In his effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Kerry has flown hundreds of thousands of milessometimes commercially, sometimes on his own private jetleaving a gigantic carbon footprint in his wake. In just nine months last year he logged more than 180,000 miles, emitting some 9.5 million pounds of carbon, according to an analysis of his official travel announcements by the Washington Free Beacon.

The global travel and speeches to combat global warming have enjoyed glowing coverage from media outlets including The New Yorker, which praised his effort to save the climate. But thus far it has unfolded behind a cloak of invisibility beyond the press releases.

RCI reached out to the Washington office of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and the liberal Common Cause, which trumpets the need for transparency and accountability in government. Neither group responded to questions about the special climate envoys refusal to make his spending public.

In the House, its unclear how much support there may be for the efforts of Comer and others to shine a light on Kerrys black budget. RCI reached out to more than 80 representatives, including every Republican member of the Freedom Caucus and the Appropriations Committeewhich is ultimately responsible for directing federal fundingand asked if they possessed any information about Kerrys budget and spending and whether they believed government bodies should hide their financial activities.

Only six responded, and there was no response from a dozen Democrats on the Appropriations Committee, including ranking member Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.

Those who did respond were united in saying they thought Kerrys office should allow public review of its work. Republican Reps. Chip Roy and Scott Perry, of Texas and Pennsylvania respectively, sent a letter in March to DeLauro and others asking them to defund Kerrys office, citing what they fear is his willingness to partner with left-wing environmental agencies and alleged free market meddling.

The U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, is actively undermining U.S. energy production and independence in the name of climate hysteria, Roy and Perry wrote. Despite skyrocketing energy prices and an increasingly unreliable electrical grid, Kerry has said we have to push back hard on efforts to increase oil production and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. Kerry has also reportedly pressured banks and other financial institutions to divest from fossil fuels. Finally, Kerry actively jeopardizes U.S. sovereignty by making dangerous commitments at international climate conferences without the backing of Congress.

Congress and RCI are not alone in being stonewalled by Kerrys office. Judicial Watch, a conservative government watchdog group, also filed a FOIA request for information on Kerrys spending and staff, and they followed that up with a lawsuit last October.

Theyve gone and created this new position, but they dont want to tell us anything about what hes been doing, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told RCI. The resting state of the deep state is secrecy, and unfortunately its not unusual to get this obstruction and contempt for the FOIA law.

Since February, Kerrys office has provided Judicial Watch with small batches of documents, such as a vague organizational chart, trying to slow-walk compliance with the law, Fitton said.

The notion that such a government agencys work and spending should be beyond public purview is preposterous, said Adam Andrzejewski, CEO of OpenTheBooks, which works to make government spending public. (His work appears in RealClearInvestigations.)

Kerry cant operate according to his own accord and spend tens of millions of dollars in his budget as the special envoy without transparency, Andrzejewski said. The people, the press and politicians in Congress need to hold him accountable for his spending as they do with all unelected bureaucrats.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
by Xinhua writers Zhang Yisheng, Yang Dehong

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian set off from what is now the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an as an envoy of Han Dynasty. He braved a world of uncertainties and traveled westward through harsh terrain to Central Asia.

Zhang's pioneering expedition opened up a route that later became the Silk Road, which saw flourishing interactions between China and Central Asia.

Next week, the heads of state of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, which will draw a new blueprint for China-Central Asia relations and open up a new era of cooperation.

Primarily, the summit will further deepen strategic mutual trust between China and Central Asian countries.

Over the past decade, under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, the two sides have made a series of historic and groundbreaking achievements in cooperation.

In January 2022, a virtual summit was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Central Asian countries, and China-Central Asia cooperation mechanisms were created. Then, in September 2022, Xi attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, and paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The forthcoming event in Xi'an is the first summit held offline by the heads of state of the six countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties 31 years ago. During the summit, the heads of state will review the development of China-Central Asia relations and exchange views on China-Central Asia mechanism building, cooperation in various fields and major international and regional issues of common interest.

Moreover, the landmark gathering will inject new impetus into high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Central Asia is where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initiated. In a speech delivered at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University on Sept. 7, 2013, Xi for the first time proposed building the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Central Asian countries were among the first to publicly support the BRI and also pioneers in Belt and Road cooperation.

In the past 10 years, the five Central Asian countries have taken an active part in the BRI, turning Central Asia into a demonstration zone of Belt and Road cooperation. China and the Central Asian countries have strengthened the synergy of their development strategies and actively promoted policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds.

During the approaching summit, all parties will discuss how to further promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Additionally, the summit will draw up a new blueprint for strengthening practical cooperation.

Currently, China-Central Asia cooperation is at an all-time high, and mutually beneficial cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to the six countries and their peoples.

China is the largest trading and investment partner of the five Central Asian countries. Trade between China and the five countries reached 70.2 billion U.S. dollars last year, a historic high. By the end of 2022, China's direct investment stock in the five countries reached nearly 15 billion dollars.

During next week's summit, the heads of state will review the history of friendly exchanges, sort out the fruits of cooperation, and put forward new cooperation initiatives, so as to advance all-round, deep and multidimensional cooperation between China and Central Asia in a solid and efficient manner, and foster a new cooperation pattern featuring a high degree of complementarity and win-win results.

Last but not least, the summit will make new contributions to maintaining regional security.

China and Central Asian countries, with their interests closely entwined, have stood together through thick and thin. So strengthening relations between China and Central Asian countries is crucial to themselves as well as the peace and development of the region.

Through bilateral cooperation and multilateral platforms such as the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, China and Central Asian countries have achieved remarkable results in jointly cracking down on religious extremists, ethnic separatists and violent terrorist forces, effectively guaranteeing national and regional security.

Besides, China and Central Asian countries respect each other's choice of development path based on national conditions, support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, and do not allow anyone or any force to create chaos and turmoil in Central Asia.

At the upcoming summit, all parties will reaffirm their consistent position of firm support for each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan and other regional and international hotspot issues, and send a shared message of upholding multilateralism and jointly safeguarding regional and world peace and security.

As China-Central Asia cooperation meets the needs of the six countries and the expectations of their peoples, the summit in Xi'an will certainly usher in a new era of China-Central Asia cooperation, and help build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future. 
Costa Mesa Officials Concerned Planned State Emergency Center Incompatible With Its Housing Goals

Costa Mesa officials are expressing concern that plans for California to build an emergency operations center on a portion of the state-owned Fairview Development Centera now-shuttered hospital for the developmentally disabledmay impede the citys plans for building housing at the location.

Officials responded with a letter in April to the states plans to use portions of the site to develop an emergency operations center that would function as a hub for 11 counties.

The proposed new center would replace Southern Californias temporary one in Los Alamitos. The only other such center is located in the city of Mather, covering Northern California.

Once built, it would be operated by Californias Office of Emergency Services, which helps the state plan for and provide resources in the event of an emergency, such as winter storms and fire disasters.

The new facility would have 35,000 square feet for offices and training rooms, and a 20,000 square-foot warehouse for vehicles and equipment. Plans also include a 100-foot communications tower with a 20-foot antenna and a helipad, both of which have raised concerns by Costa Mesa officials.

The citys Director of Economic and Development Services Jennifer Le said some elements of the plan dont address how they might affect future and current residential development in the area.

The details regarding the project scope  are very limited and presents a challenge for the City and the community members to provide meaningful feedback regarding potential environmental concerns, Le said in an April 17 letter to the California Department of General Services, which acts as the states real estate division for the Office of Emergency Services and other state agencies.

The site has already been identified by city officials for up to 2,300 housing units, which the city zoned for as part of their state-mandated affordable housing plan.

Le said in her letter that coordination between the City and the State is critical, to ensure a well-planned residential community at the site, where local and state leaders share mutual interests.

Requests Le made in her letter include more specifics of potential environmental impacts the center would create, such as those to air quality and noise, water management, and waste disposal.

She additionally requested day-to-day operational plans, details on how the center would function in times of emergency, and information related to any possible roadway or intersection changes at the site.

Relocating the helipad was also suggested by Le, citing concerns over landing and clearance zones limiting where residential developments could be built. Le suggested John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Fairgrounds, or the Costa Mesa Police Department as alternatives.

The proposed helipad at the site poses a significant constraint to the potential development of housing due to its various landing and clearance zones, the letter reads.

Le also expressed concern about the planned communications tower.

Such an installation poses significant visual impacts to the surrounding residential community, she wrote. At minimum, the City requests an alternative for a reduced height, alternative off-site location, or an on-site location away from residential communities.

Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens told The Epoch Times that the states plan likely wont jeopardize proposed housing at the site.

There was some concern over whether theyre going to include a helipad and whether that would have an effect on how many units we could build  Were speaking amicably to [state officials] so Im not terribly concerned about it, he said.

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) echoed some of the citys concerns also in a letter to the Department of General Services, citing issues with the helipad creating incompatibility with future housing, she wrote.

The proposed helipad and setback requirements are resulting in expansion of acreage for the project site and creating incompatibility with future housing on the  property, her letter reads.

She also agreed the communications tower should be elsewhere.

The proposed [radio] tower should be located in an area on the property farthest from adjoining parcels, she said.

Petrie-Norris sponsored Assembly Bill 188, which passed the California Assembly in 2021, securing a provision in the states budget allowing Costa Mesa and the Department of General Services to have some say in the future of the site.
The U.S. Court of Appeals has overruled the Trump and Biden administrations on how much of a rocket fuel chemical linked to IQ loss can be allowed in Americans drinking water.

The case pitted the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The May 9 rulings from a three-judge panel hinged on how much authority the EPA has under the Clean Drinking Water Act.

The Obama administration first issued a regulatory determination on that chemical, perchlorate, in 2011. But after years without producing actual regulations, it was sued by the NRDC in 2016.

Under a consent decree between the EPA and the NRDC, the agency was required to issue regulations and what is known as a maximum contaminant level goaldescribed in the decision as an unenforceable, aspirational level of the chemical.

Yet in 2020, the Trump EPA withdrew the perchlorate regulatory determination.

The Biden EPA reaffirmed that 2020 finding in 2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Michael Regan, speaks in Selma, Ala., on March 6, 2022. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)

Judge David B. Sentelle, a Reagan appointee, and David S. Tatel, a Clinton appointee, joined forces against the EPA in a May 9 opinion.

They ruled the agency lacks authority to withdraw its own regulatory determinations under the Clean Drinking Water Act.

Even if EPA possesses such authority, it acted arbitrarily and capriciously by doing so, Sentelle wrote.

In a separate decision, Judge Florence Pan, a Biden appointee, agreed with the judgment but argued that the EPA was within its rights to withdraw its prior regulatory determination based on changes in the best available, peer-reviewed science.

Yet she found the agency had relied on a biased dataset that was selectively updated.

Enter the Thyroid

A large study of more than 20,000 women documented lower IQ among babies whose mothers had high levels of urine perchlorate during their third trimester.

The putative effect is thought to be connected to the thyroid. Researchers have found that the chemical interferes with the uptake of iodine in that gland located at the base of the neck.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck just above the collarbone. It secretes hormones that regulate many body functions, including metabolism and cell growth. (Shutterstock)

Iodine deficiency in fetuses can cause profoundly stunted physical and mental growth.

Others, including groups allied with perchlorate-using aerospace firms, argue that the rocket fuel chemical is not so hazardous to human health.

Bill Romanelli of the Perchlorate Information Bureau, which represents perchlorate users, defended the Biden EPAs 2022 decision not to step up regulation of perchlorate.

Romanelli declined to comment to The Epoch Times regarding the May 9 ruling.

The NRDC, meanwhile, celebrated the decision.

After more than a decade of delay and litigation, EPA now must issue a drinking water standard for this widespread and dangerous contaminant. Its about time, said the NRDCs Senior Strategic Director for Health Erik D. Olson in a press release on the ruling.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the EPA for comment.
Democrats Push to Lower Age of Consent to 12 for Medical, Mental Treatment

Parental rights advocates celebrate the withdrawal of a California bill that would have allowed children 15 years old or up to get vaccines without parental consent in Sacramento on Aug. 31, 2022. (Courtesy of Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids)

Minors as young as 12 can in various parts of the United States now be treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), undergo mental health counseling, get a vaccine, and even have an abortion without their parents knowing.

Many states lowered the age of medical consent during the pandemic, just before the emergence of the child transgender craze now topping headline news across the nation.

Connecticut, one of five states that eliminated religious exemptions from vaccines, passed a law last year to permit minors of any age to have an abortion without telling their parents.

Maryland has allowed 12-year-olds to attend therapy sessions without any notice to their parents since 2021.

Similar legislation has recently been introduced in at least two other states.

The District of Columbia Council in 2020 introduced the first law that allows 11-year-olds to get vaccinated in the countrys capital without parental approval. The law, however, is now tied up in a lawsuit filed by parents who won a temporary block by a federal judge.

A Vermont Democrat now wants to have her state join four others where lawmakers already passed specific legislation allowing children as young as 12 to be treated for STDs.

Sen. Ginny Lyons, sponsor of S.151, did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times about the bill.

The bill, which was introduced on April 27, may not seem as much of a surprise in a state considered as liberal as Vermontone of the first states in the nation to legalize gay marriage.

However, public outrage has shown that the state is not completely blue.

Backlash

In the comment section of Truth North Reportswhich bills itself as The Other Side of Vermont Newsseveral Republicans expressed outrage over Lyons bill.

This bill is the Bud Light moment for Vermont, wrote one conservative, making reference to the fallout Anheuser-Busch has experienced after using transgender Dylan Mulvaney to promote its popular beer beer.

Shannon McLamb, who also posted about the bill, told The Epoch Times that lawmakers should be more concerned with why a 12-year-old would have a sexually transmitted disease in the first place.

McLamb, who has been a longtime conservative activist in Vermont, said he believes S.151 is part of a bigger agenda to push pedophilia, maybe even [incest].

So when Uncle Bob molests Jane or Dick they can get it treated and no one is the wiser, McLamb wrote.

Organizations like Planned Parenthood, along with the Department of Health and Human Services advocate for lowering the age of medical consent to protect what they call a teenagers confidentiality.

Confidentiality means privacy, Planned Parenthood states under its advisory section entitled Teenage Confidentiality.

It means that when you, as a young person, talk with your doctor or nurse about certain issues like sex [STI testing and treatment for patients 12 years and older], drugs, and feelings, he or she will not tell your parents or guardians what you talk about unless you give your permission.

More States

Delaware, California, Delaware, and Illinois already have similar laws to the one proposed in Vermont.

According to a Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website tracking laws that allow minors to receive healthcare without parental approval, there are an additional five states that allow those as young as 14 to receive medical care specific to sexually transmitted diseases without the approval or knowledge of a parent, adult, or legal guardian.

They are Washington, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Idaho, and Hawaii.

Only two of the states allow 12- to 14-year-olds to receive other medical treatment without parent consent. If its not sexually transmitted, the minors need parental approval.

HPV

In addition to health care services, McLamb sees the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in school-required immunization as more evidence of a drive to sexualize children.

If people cant see what the end goal here [is], they are not paying attention, he said.

According to the Immunization Action Coalition, four states currently require the vaccine, which is promoted as a prevention of a sexually transmitted infection called human papillomavirus.

Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Virginia, require it in 7th grade while Washington requires it in 6th grade. The CDC recommends the vaccine for children as young as 9 and advises that by age 12, a child should have received two doses of the vaccine.

Lowering the age for parental disclosure on mental health therapy is also on the rise.

On April 27, Vermonts STD bill was advanced to the state Senate Health and Welfare Committee. On the same day New Jersey Democrats introduced a bill that would lower the age that children can go to therapy without the knowledge of their parents to from 16 to 12.

Assemblyman Raj Mukerji (D-Hudson) called it a lifesaving bill for kids who might be contemplating suicide while Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-Bergen) opposed cutting parents out of their childrens lives when they are needed the most.

How much of our childrens lives do we hand over to third parties? he asked at last weeks hearing on the bill.
DHS Surging Personnel to Border Ahead of Title 42 Ending: Mayorkas

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas participates in an interview with Yahoo News in Washington on June 14, 2021. (DHS/U.S. government)

The Biden administration is surging personnel to the border in anticipation of the expected influx of illegal immigrants in connection with the expiration of Title 42, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on May 10.

That includes more than 1,400 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, 1,000 processing coordinators, and an additional 1,500 Department of Defense personnel.

All of these individuals will allow our law enforcement officers to stay in the field and focus on their critical mission, according to Mayorkas.

The secretary outlined measures his department would be taking in the face of increased illegal immigration, warning that they expect to see increased encounters at the southern border.

Our overall approach is to build lawful pathways for people to come to the United States and to impose tougher consequences on those who choose not to use those pathways.

However, Mayorkas also warned that the plan could see some struggles and they expect to see large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks after May 11.

Our plan will deliver results, but it will take time for those results to be fully realized.

Mayorkas pointed to the newly Republican-controlled Congress as being partially at fault for the struggles that Border Patrol has faced with increased migration.

I cannot overemphasize that our current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken, outdated immigration system in place for over two decades, despite unanimous agreement that we desperately need legislative reform, he said. It is also the result of Congresss decision not to provide us with the resources we need and that we requested.

He outlined changes in how Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will proceed, moving toward using Title 8 from Title 42, which allowed the federal government to ban or expel people on public health grounds such as a pandemic like COVID-19

Title 8 of the United States Code means tougher consequences  An individual who was removed under Title 8 is subject to at least a five-year bar on re-entry into the United States and can face criminal prosecution if they attempt to cross again.

Mayorkas clarified when questioned by reporters that individuals in the custody of CBP will be given the option to voluntarily return to their country of origin and not suffer the consequences of removal.

We will give people an opportunity to avoid that tougher consequence by voluntarily returning if they do not take that option, the secretary said.

The exception to that rule would be certain instances when the migrant claimed to fear for their lives and claimed asylum. If they do claim asylum, they could encounter a higher threshold if they attempt to enter the United States illegally or seek relief in another country and are denied.

In March 2020, Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act of 1944 was implemented by the Trump administration. It permits the denial of asylum claims and the swift expulsion of the majority of illegal border-crossers on the grounds of preventing the entry of contagious diseases into the United States.

Agents at the border were able to quickly return many illegal immigrants to Mexico under Title 42, thereby preventing the spread of COVID-19 in overcrowded detention facilities.

Additionally, the Biden administration is starting a new digital advertising campaign in Central and South America to counter the lies of the smugglers with accurate information about US immigration laws.

Mayorkas also made it clear at several points during his comments that the Biden administration is working toward ways to allow migrants legal entry into the United States and that Congress should do more to facilitate modern immigration.

Our president has led the largest expansion of lawful pathways ever, Mayorkas said. The kind of migration we continue to see today requires more resourcesresources we have requested and have not received: clearer authority, and modernized processes that only Congress can deliver. We urge it to do so.
Doctors Call on NSW Government to Act on Drug Law Reform

'Throwing them into jail doesn't achieve anything'

Tablets of the opioid-based Hydrocodone at a pharmacy in Portsmouth, Ohio, on June 21, 2017. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)

Doctors in Australia have called on the New South Wales (NSW) government to take action on instituting a drug law reform and saving lives.

This comes after Queensland Government became the latest jurisdiction to expand police drug diversion programs for people carrying small amounts of illicit drugs.

According to a new report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, there were 1,788 drug-induced deaths Australia-wide in 2021, an equivalent of five drug-induced deaths every day. The primary opioids involved in overdose deaths are natural and semi-synthetic pharmaceutical opioids, including morphine and oxycodone, followed by heroin.

Every Australian jurisdiction, except New South Wales, offers police the discretion to send a person to a diversion program rather than pursue criminal charges for at least their first strike of minor possession of illicit drugs.

Doctors: Stigmatising People Wont Help

Dr Nicole Higgins, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), called on the NSW government to wind back its war on drugs mindset.

If this isnt a wake-up call, I dont know what is, Higgins said in a statement. The example has already been set by Australias other states and territories, and its high time our largest jurisdiction caught up.

Alcohol and other drug use, including illicit drugs, should be seen through a health lens. Ask almost any GP, and they will tell you that we gain nothing from throwing the book at people, making their lives more difficult, and putting them in the too-hard basket.

NSW Premier Chris Minns during the NSW Labor reception in Sydney, Australia, on March 25, 2023. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Higgins said there are also limitations affecting people across Australia, including access to ready and affordable drug and alcohol treatment, particularly for those with opioid dependence.

That must change if we want to reverse current trends and save lives at risk.

Former NSW Government Promised to Decide in June

RACGP NSW and ACT Chair Professor Charlotte Hespe echoed the concern.

My home state is lagging behind, and it is not good enough, she said.

More than three years ago, Commissioner Dan Howard handed a report to the NSW Government recommending the introduction of a legislated police diversion scheme for use and possession of prohibited drugs including referral to health, social, and education interventions.

Hespe said the previous state government responded by saying that a decision would be made once they received more advice in June this year.

We now have a new government, and its time to act because people across the state are having their lives turned upside down for no reason and coming into contact with the criminal justice system when really they need help for a health problem.

RACGP Alcohol and Other Drugs spokesperson Dr Hester Wilson said there are signs of progress, which can help build momentum in Australia.

Its positive news that Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler announced on Friday that the Government would invest in increased access to opioid dependency therapy through pharmacies, he said.

Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler speaks at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 28, 2022. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images)

Its critical that we significantly scale up access to these treatments because opioid dependence treatment programs, including pharmacotherapy services like methadone or buprenorphine, can make all the difference.

NSW Government has been reached out for a comment.

Cost a Key Factor

Wilson stressed that more must be done to ensure that people can access the treatment they need in communities across Australia, including rural areas.

A key factor reported has been cost, with medications on the opioid treatment program requiring patients to pay a private pharmacy dispensing fee of between $5 to $15 a day.

Many people with opioid dependence simply cant afford this, and so they go without. Lets remedy that right away because every life matters, he said.

Diversion programs make an enormous difference. However, instead of one strike or three strikes or whatever number you settle on, we should instead simply aim for a health-first approach for personal consumption of illicit drugs.

People who are using drugs often have tremendous difficulty quitting, so we should not put an arbitrary limit on the number of times they can be diverted from the criminal justice system. We dont do the same for people quitting cigarettes, and really, its no differentquitting a harmful and addictive substance takes time.

Free Medicine Available

Its also vital to boost access to naloxone, a medicine that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose, according to the spokesperson.

A package of Narcan (Naloxone HCI) nasal spray is displayed. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Not enough people know about this incredible, life-saving drug, including the fact that an intranasal spray version is now available, meaning you dont have to inject it, he said.

Its vital to spread the message that naloxone is now free under the Take Home Naloxone program at locations including pharmacies, treatment centres, needle and syringe programs, and custodial release programs, and you dont need a prescription.

Lets boost awareness amongst GPs, other healthcare workers including nurses, people who use opioid drugs, people who know people who use these drugs, and the broader community.

Wilson said people who have a problematic relationship with alcohol and other drugs need help, support, and compassion.

Throwing them into jail or judging them or pushing them to the margins of society doesnt achieve anything and, in my view, diminishes us as a nation. Every persons life matters, its as simple as that.
Drakeford: Tory Government Has A Voter Suppression Agenda

Welsh First Minister insists party is using 'far-right' tactics

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford smiles during the election count at the House of Sport in Cardiff, Wales, on May 6, 2022. (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

The Conservative government is pursuing a deliberate voter suppression agenda, the first minister of Wales has alleged.

Mark Drakeford insisted voter fraud doesnt exist and claimed the Conservative Party is using far-right tactics from the United States to make it more difficult for people to vote.

The local elections on May 4 marked the first time it has been compulsory for all voters in England to show photo identification when arriving at polling stations, as required under the Elections Bill passed by Parliament in April 2022.

The Electoral Commission said that the elections were well run but said some voters were turned away for failing to produce acceptable photo IDs.

Voters leave a polling station in Bridlington Priory Church, Yorkshire, England, on May 4, 2023. (Danny Lawson/PA Media)

Responding to a question during Tuesdays plenary session in the Senedd, Drakeford said: The chair of the Electoral Commission himself witnessed people being turned away from polling stations and very concerningly he witnessed those people we rely on to conduct elections suffering abuse from people who felt that they had been unfairly denied their democratic rights.

I have no doubt at all that this act is part of a deliberate voter suppression agenda pursued by the Conservative government.

The way they think they can win elections is to learn the lessons from the far-right in the United States, and that is to make it more difficult for people who might not support them to turn up and cast their vote.

A Problem That Doesnt Exist

In Wales, voters are now also required to show photo ID at polling stations in some elections including police and crime commissioner elections, parliamentary by-elections, recall petitions, and general elections.

However, they will not need to show ID to vote at Senedd or local council elections as the powers over those voting systems are devolved to the local administration, which is run by the Labour Party.

Drakeford said Labour will not require voter ID in Wales, insisting that the issue of voter fraud does not exist.

We will not be pursuing that course of action here in Wales. Our policies are designed to make it easier for people to cast their vote, not more difficult, he said.

There wasnt a single prosecution across the whole of the United Kingdom last year for voter fraud. This is a solution in search of a problem, a problem that doesnt exist.

The problem that is being created is that people who wish to participate in the democratic process are being denied that right and we will not collude in that in Wales.

Security and Integrity

Darren Millar, a Conservative member of the Senedd, said he was baffled by the Welsh governments position on the matter.

He said: This is about the security and integrity of our elections. We know that across the whole of Western Europe voter ID is the norm, and in most Western democracies it is the norm.

But it seems that you have an issue with it, perhaps because of your own partys record on fraud cases which have happened in Labour areas, such as the Tower Hamlets frauds, the Birmingham frauds as well, back in 2004.

The 2014 mayoral election in the London borough of Tower Hamlets was overturned after the High Court found evidence of vote-rigging and malpractice.

Lutfur Rahman, a former Labour politician who was standing on behalf of Tower Hamlets First, was found to have breached election rules.

An election commissioner also described Bangladesh-born Rahman as an evasive and discursive witness whose evidence was untruthful on occasion and suggested he had played race and religious cards.

The 2004 local elections in Birmingham were also found to have been marred by massive, systematic, and organised fraud.

In a ruling issued in the following year, Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey, KC, upheld allegations of postal fraud relating to six seats won by Labour in the ballot.

Mawrey said at the time, The system is wide open to fraud and any would-be political fraudster knows that.

He said that the fraud would disgrace a banana republic and had made a mockery of the election.

The judge also expressed regret that recent warnings about the failings had been dismissed by the then-Labour government as scaremongering.

Election Integrity

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the photo ID requirement will help make sure voting is a high-integrity process.

Voter ID is not entirely a novelty for the UK, as it has been a requirement in Northern Ireland for nearly 40 years.

Voter ID requirements were introduced in Northern Ireland after the 1983 general elections following concerns about the extent of voter fraud. Since 2003, photographic ID has been required.

Since 2014, the Electoral Commission has recommended that photo ID should be required in the rest of the UK.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: Its vital we keep our democracy secure, prevent the potential for voter fraud, and bring the rest of the UK in line with Northern Ireland which has had photo identification to vote in elections since 2003.

This follows successful pilots in 2018 and 2019, including in Woking where over 99 percent of people were able to successfully cast their vote.

Following local elections in May, it is essential that we understand how voter identification has operated in practice. Extensive analysis of the data collected from polls is now being undertaken by the Electoral Commission and the government, with final reports set to be published later this year.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Elon Musk Responds to Tucker Carlson Rumors

Tucker Carlson (L) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Fla., on Nov. 17, 2022. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images); Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on Sept. 3, 2020. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on May 9 responded to claims that he came to a deal with Tucker Carlson as the former Fox News host released a viral video saying hell be bringing his top-rated show to Twitter.

According to Musk, Carlson will be subject to the same rules as every other user of the platform. And anything misleading will be addressed with the platforms Community Notes feature, he said.

Musk wrote on Twitter in response to Carlsons video: I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules [and] rewards of all content creators.

Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content. I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform.

There were reports this week that Carlson spoke with Musk about a possible deal to bring his show to Twitter. In the video, Carlson didnt address those claims, and he didnt address rumors about his exit from Fox News two weeks ago.

Starting soon, well be bringing a new version of the show to Twitter, Carlson said in the video uploaded on May 9.

It was the first time he commented on his plans since departing from Fox.

Starting soon, well be bringing a new version of the show weve been doing for the last 6 1/2 years to Twitter, Carlson said. We bring some other things, too, which well tell you about. But for now, were just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.

He noted that in the U.S. media business, there are rules governing what you cant say, which he said undermines the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment.

Speech is the fundamental prerequisite for democracy. Thats why it was enshrined in the first of our Constitutional amendments, Carlson said. Amazingly, as of tonight, there are not that many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining is Twitter, where we are now.

In late April, Fox News surprised the media world when it announced that it would be parting ways with Carlson, effective immediately. The company thanked Carlson for his work at the network but has since offered virtually no details about why he left, including the reason why, who approved the decision, and whether Carlson was fired or the two parties came to a mutual agreement.

However, based on a statement issued by Carlsons lawyer to the Axios news website, the parting may not have been entirely amicable. Responding to claims that Carlson would be going to war against his former employer, Hollywood-based attorney Bryan Freedman, whos representing Carlson, said his client wont be silenced but offered no further details.

[The] idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous, Freedman said.

In the video on May 9, Carlson didnt elaborate on when the new show might premiere, say whether hell do interviews with guests, or provide other details. Fox News, which hasnt published an article about Carlson since he left, hasnt publicly responded to the announcement.

Ratings Down for Fox

In about 18 hours, Carlsons clip generated about 92 million impressions and 20 million views on Twitter, suggesting that theres still intense interest in the former Fox News hosts content.

Fox News, in contrast, has seen its ratings dip in recent days. The replacement program, Fox News Tonight, has seen a rotating cast of Fox hosts, including Brian Kilmeade, Lawrence Jones, and now, Kayleigh McEnany.

On May 5, Joness episode of Fox News Tonight placed last behind MSNBC and CNN in the coveted 2554 demographic in the 8 p.m. EST timeslot. When Carlson was hosting, the show usually drew the most viewers in that demographic by far.

Traffic on Sixth Avenue passes by advertisements featuring Fox News personalities, at the News Corporation building in New York on March 13, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Some 90,000 people in that demographic watched Jones, behind MSNBCs 145,000 and CNNs 99,000. MSNBCs Chris Hayes beat Fox News Tonight in total viewers with 1.37 million watching the program, compared with Foxs 1.28 million.

Carlsons final show, on April 21, got more than 270,000 in the 2554 demographic and drew some 2.6 million overall viewers. And across all of March 2023, Carlson averaged more than 3 million viewers per program, in part boosted by his coverage of new footage sourced from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.

A Fox News spokesperson told media outlets on May 9 that the cable news network continues as the highest-rated cable news network in primetime and total day.

The network also continues to be the most-watched cable news channel at 8 p.m. ET with Fox News Tonight, the spokesperson said.

During an earnings call with investors, Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch said there will be no change to the networks programming strategy in the wake of Carlsons exit. Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, didnt directly mention Carlson during the call, according to media reports.

Foxs cable news channel has obviously a successful strategy, he claimed, suggesting that the former hosts exit was merely a tweaking of its strategy and didnt signal a major change.

As always, we are adjusting our programming and lineup, and that is what we continue to do, Lachlan Murdoch said.
CIA Official Helped Recruit Signers for Letter Calling Hunter Biden Laptop Stories Russian Disinformation: House Report

A member of the internal board that reviews materials written for publication by present and former employees of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helped solicit signatures for the October 2020 letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop story has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation, according to a new congressional report.

The letter was signed by 51 former intelligence officials and appeared five days after the New York Post described in a news story based on materials found on a laptop once owned by Hunter Biden how President Joe Biden knew that his son was using access to his fathers position and influence to generate wealth for the family.

The letter was repeatedly cited by Biden and his surrogates during the concluding weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign against then-President Donald Trump and was used by social media giants Facebook, Twitter, and others to justify censoring the New York Post story and favorable responses to it.

Post-election research suggested that as many as one in five of Bidens voters may have not voted for him had they known about the information reported by the New York Post and the Hunter Biden laptop.

The new congressional report adds important details to those already reported about the genesis of the letter, including the role of an unnamed member of the CIAs Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB) in obtaining signers.

When the person in charge of reviewing the book called to say it was approved with no changes, I was told about the draft letter. The person asked me if I would be willing to sign.  After hearing the letters contents, and the qualifiers in it such as, We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails provided to the New York Post by President Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement  I agreed to sign, former CIA analyst David Cariens told congressional investigators, according to the interim staff report for the House Committee on the Judiciarys Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

Hatch Act Bars Feds From Partisan Politicking

Federal employees are explicitly barred by the Hatch Act from using government resources of any kind to help a partisan political campaign. The PCRB employee who told Cariens about the letter and encouraged him to sign it knew the purpose of the letter was to help Biden defeat Trump.

The report is to be made public May 10. A copy of it was obtained by The Epoch Times.

Carienss wife, Janice, also a former CIA employee, joined her husband in signing the letter.

Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell was recruited during the 2020 race by Secretary of State Anthony Blinkenthen working for the Biden campaignto manage the production, solicitation of signers, and media distribution of the letter, according to the report. Blinken has denied that he had a role in the letter effort.

On October 19, 2020, at 6:34 a.m., Morell sent the final version of the statement to the CIAs Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB) for review. According to Morell, the PCRB consists of CIA officersnot contractorsand their sole function is to determine whether former and current CIA personnel are disclosing classified information in any materials they may release publicly, the report said.

This is because [a]ll CIA officers, as a condition of employment, sign the standard CIA secrecy agreement when entering on duty  [and this] lifelong obligation which exists to help avoid the damage to national security requires they submit any materials they intend to publicize to the PCRB for approval. Morell directed the PCRB that [t]his is a rush job, as it need to get out as soon as possible. Morell wanted the public statement released before the October 22, 2020, presidential debate.

Morell told the signers that the PCRB had cleared the letter for publication, but the report notes that, Notably, none of the former intelligence officials who signed the letter and produced documents to the Committees, including Morell, have produced the PCRBs email approving the statement.

Then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe is seen on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, on Dec. 12, 2020. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

The new report also observes that during the same period as Morell was managing the letter project to publication, former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe told the nation that the Biden laptop was not the product of Russian disinformation efforts.

On October 19, while Morell and others worked procuring more signatories for the statement, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffewho, unlike the statements signatories, was in government as the top intelligence official in the United States and privy to all classified informationstated publicly that Hunter Bidens laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign. He further stated: Let me be clear: The intelligence community doesnt believe that because there is no intelligence that supports that, the report said.

The report also provides new information on the origin of the letters description of the source of the New York Post story as bearing the classic earmarks of a Russian information campaign. The phrase was suggested to Morell by James Clapper, Ratcliffes predecessor as DNI.

I have one editorial suggestion for the letter: I think it would strengthen the verbiage if you say this has all the classic earmarks of a Soviet/Russian information operation rather than the feel of a Russian operation, Clapper told Morell in an Oct. 18, 2020, email.

Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan are scheduled to appear before the weaponization panel later this month.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the CIA for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: Former ICE Director Calls Border Crisis Largest Homeland Security Intelligence Failure Since 9/11

Former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan said Arizona is the next "ground zero" for illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking at a press conference in Phoenix on Jan. 26, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Tom Homan, former director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, described the crisis at the United States southern border as the largest homeland security intelligence failure since 9/11, adding that the problem will only exacerbate with the lifting of Title 42 on May 11.

The ending of Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic-era policy implemented by the Trump administration allowing officials to quickly expel illegal immigrants, is going to cause an increase in border crossings, Homan said, adding that the Biden administration is already releasing pretty much everybody as it is.

Whats happening to the southern border right now, in my opinion, after doing this for 35 years, is the largest homeland security intelligence failure since 9/11, Homan said. This is a huge national security failure.

A native of West Carthage, New York, Homan served as a police officer in his hometown and became a Border Patrol agent in 1984, before rising to become head of ICE three decades later during the Trump administration.

As head of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homan received the 2015 Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service, the countrys highest civil service award. In June 2018, the month that he retired from ICE, Homan received the Distinguished Service Medal from Trump, and in January 2021 was awarded the National Security Medal.

Homan, who served as head of ICE from 2017 to 2018, said that during the Biden administration we know that known and suspected terrorists have crossed the border and werent apprehended.

Over 1.4 million known gotaways have crossed the border illegally since [President Joe] Biden took office, Homan said.

This is just known gotaways  How many people have been across the border that we dont know about because they werent captured on a drone or a sensor or a camera? So, if we know 1.4 [million gotaways], that numbers probably double or triple.

Homan added that some illegal immigrants arrested during the Biden administration are from countries that sponsor terrorism.

Theyve already arrested over 170 people from the terrorist watchlist. Thats who theyve arrested, Homan said. If you dont think a single one out of that 1.4 million plus the unknowns [is a known or suspected terrorist], then youre ignorant of the data.

Of the unknown number of illegal immigrants who have unlawfully entered the United States, a large percentage are carrying fentanyl, a large percentage of them are criminals and gang members. And believe me, a large percentage of them are going to be known and suspected terrorists, he said.

Morale at All-Time Low

Homan described morale at ICE and Border Patrol as being at an all-time low.

There is no morale, Homan stated, referring to agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). I talk to hundreds of ICE agents and Border Patrol agents every month, and its just, the morale is nonexistent, and TSA [Transportation Security Administration] is the same thing. They need leadership. They dont have leadership.

Frankly, Im proud that the men and women [of the Border Patrol] come to work every day, strap a gun to their hip, and go out and they do the best they can, knowing that they cant enforce the laws theyre supposed to enforce, they cant uphold the oath they took when they became a Border Patrol agent. The same with ICE agents, Homan said.

Two years of historic illegal immigration crisis on the border, [and] ICE has the lowest number of removals in the history of the agency. That just doesnt make sense. And the reason is because ICE is not allowed to arrest hardly anybody, he added.

ICE carried out a record low 59,011 removals during its 2021 fiscal year, with the previous low occurring in fiscal year 2004, when there were 175,106 removals. ICE carried out 72,177 removals in fiscal year 2022, still much lower than the number of deportations carried out annually during the Trump administration. ICE completed 185,884 removals of illegal aliens in fiscal year 2020, 267,258 in fiscal year 2019, and 256,085 in fiscal year 2018.

Homan cited DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkass guidelines (pdf), issued in 2021, stating that an immigrant being in the United States illegally is not enough on its own to detain and deport them as a key reason for the low number of removals.

The former ICE head described what he thinks it takes to improve morale within DHS agencies.

What its going to take to turn this thing around is to have a [DHS] secretary and a president that doesnt abandon you. That lets you do the job youre supposed to do, enforce the laws that Congress enacted, and take the handcuffs off the officers and put them on the bad guys. Let them do their job, Homan said.

Illegal Immigrants from China

Homan said he was concerned with the record number of illegal immigrants from China crossing the border.

The Chinese are concerning because, again, theyre a country that we have a huge issue with, not just because of COVID, but for national security reasons. And what concerns me more than the Chinese coming across and turning themselves in to the Border Patrol are the Chinese that are trying to get away.

He explained that illegal immigrants pay cartels a certain amount to get across the border and turn themselves in, but pay much more if they want to enter the United States without being detained and make it to a city like New York or Chicago.

Why would someone pay more money to get away? Youve got to ask yourself that question, Homan said. Why would you not pay a lesser amount, turn yourself in to the Border Patrol, be processed, be released, be flown to the city of your choice at government expense, get a work authorization while your case is pendingyou actually get a joband hang out for five to six years until your hearing.

Homan added that even if a hearing is not favorable for an illegal immigrant, no ones looking to remove you because the Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, has said being in the country illegally, on its own, is not enough to make an arrest.

Why would you not take that benefit, take advantage of all that giveaway? Who wouldnt do that? Homan asked. People who dont want to be vetted, people who dont want to be fingerprinted. These are people who get away.

People need to understand that the Chinese that get away, that should be a huge national security concern because they obviously didnt want themselves to be cleared, vetted, fingerprinted, he added.

Homan noted that illegal immigrants from China are not the only source of heightened national security concern, adding that illegal immigrants from North Korea, Iran, and Syria have also entered the United States.

Holding China Accountable

In addition to being a source of illegal immigration into the United States, China is poisoning the country with fentanyl, Homan said, arguing that the administration is not doing enough to counter this.

We had 106,000 overdose deaths, most of them fentanyl, Homan said, citing an annual figure from November 2020 to November 2021. China produces the precursors [for fentanyl production], they supply them to the cartels in Mexico. They know whats going on.

More Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses than were killed by any terrorism attack, including 9/11.

So we designate terrorists, we went to war with terrorism, but well let China kill over 100,000 Americans and nothings being done about it, Homan said. Joe Biden isnt holding China accountable.

In April, the Biden administration announced a strengthened whole-of-government approach to crack down on illicit fentanyl supply chains, including efforts to disrupt the illicit synthetic drug trade with international partners and strengthen coordination and information-sharing among U.S. intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies.

The Department of Justice has also announced criminal charges against dozens of defendants for alleged involvement in fentanyl production, and the Treasury Department sanctioned two entities in China and five individuals in China and Guatemala for supplying precursor chemicals to drug cartels in Mexico for the production of illicit fentanyl intended for U.S. markets.

Homan also said that Mexico is not being held accountable by the Biden administration for the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States.

What accountability have we forced on Mexico or China? Homan asked.

Homan said that Biden has the ability to shut down ports of entry, impose additional tariffs on Mexico and China, and compel Mexico to place military personnel on its borders to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States.

The Epoch Times has contacted the White House and DHS for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: Marine Veteran Injured Fighting ISIS in Syria Says He Was Betrayed by the Service, Part 2

A former Marine artilleryman says he was neglected by the branch after suffering brain injuries during a 2017 campaign to defeat ISIS in Syria

In part one of this series, to make his wrongs right, Sergeant Javier E. Ortiz reported the use of cannabis to his healthcare providers. Because a cocktail of prescription medications was not working, and worsening his quality of life and health, Ortiz made the regrettable decision to self-medicate with cannabis to fight the demons inside caused by the trauma of war.

As a result, Ortiz was blind-sided by administrative separation proceedings in February 2021. This occurred without a positive urinalysis, and only with a self-report. He does not believe his separation from the Marine Corps was a just punishment. He would have preferred to be disciplined by non-judicial punishment for what he considered a minor offense.

While I would have lost rank, I would have stayed in the fight, he told The Epoch Times. All I wanted was a chance to make my wrongs rightand be a good Marine.

Instead, his superiors, he said, labeled him a junkie and a disgrace to the Marine Corps. He was even told that eventually he would end up homeless. And after four months of therapy, in April 2021, a behavioral health provider at Naval Health Clinic Quantico, VA, determined that Ortizs poor decision had nothing to do with PTSD, stating in a report viewed by The Epoch Times, The presence of PTSD/TBI in this service member may not reasonably be considered to be a contributing factor in the behavior or activities which now lead to the recommendation for involuntary administrative separation.

Shortly after in June 2021, his rank was reduced from Sergeant to Corporal.

Legal options were limited for Ortiz, as there was never a trial. While he had the right to request a court-martial, he refused. He owned up to what he had done, hoping for a positive outcome that never came.

It wasnt long before Ortiz was encouraged to reach out to the Uniformed Services Justice & Advocacy Group (USJAG), a nonprofit organization that provides legal, forensic, and investigative services in administrative and judicial proceedings for members of the military. The organization acts as a rapid response team, inserting itself between the Department of Defense (DoD) and injured active-duty service members to ensure both policy and procedure are being followed during the discharge process.

According to USJAG, Ortizs story differs little from thousands of others seen by the organization who have allegedly been held victim to abusive discharge practices. According to Robert Alvarez, USJAG founder and COO, policy and procedure were not being followedand Ortizs rights were being violated.

What behavior health was doing, Alvarez said, is what many would call hand jamming  in short, they grabbed Javiers file, took a look at it, and authored a short line saying that his conduct had nothing to do with his injuries. Alvarez argues nothing could be further from the truth.

Within three days of the previous assessment, a nurse practitioner and a clinical social worker at the same Quantico clinic assessed that Ortizs diagnosis of PTSD may have been a contributing factor for his conduct resulting in the basis for separation.

[His] misconduct, they wrote, was secondary to attempts to manage intrusive memories and flashbacks, and to avoid thoughts and negative emotional states arising from his combat traumas, which are components of his PTSD symptomology.

If this was indeed the case, Alvarez said, it should have been the reason for Javier to be put into a medical retirement process_but that never happened, even though thats what the law says needed to happen.

Instead, as his life continued to spiral out of control, in September 2021, Ortiz was threatened with deportation. He said he was informed by command that any naturalized service member separated with an other-than-honorable conditions discharge may face deportation proceedings.

Ortiz was dismayed by the threat because he had already become a U.S. citizen and had renounced his Dominican citizenship to renew his secret clearance. In addition, his wife of six years was pregnant with their second child at the time he faced each of these challenges.

Nearing a breaking point, Ortiz was discharged from the Marine Corps in October 2021, receiving an other-than-honorable (OTH) discharge and losing all benefits.

Getting discharged was incredibly hard on my family, Ortiz said. I was on a salary that was going up every year, and now Ive been completely stripped of a salary I earned. In addition, he said, I would have preferred being incarcerated on false charges than see my family go hungry for so long.

His son was born three months after his discharge and he had acquired thousands of dollars in debt, he said. My credit score has dropped because I cant pay the debt Ive accumulated, and I feel like Ive been completely buried on purpose, he added, describing the experience as unbearable.

Veterans organizations were making promises they couldnt keep, Ortiz said. I was unable to get the behavioral health treatment I needed, and I started to feel really alone. Under all this stress, I was to a point I could barely communicateand I needed advocacy.

Willful Negligence

Ortiz shared that he still has issueswhich he describes as a long list of untreated, so-called non-service-connected disabilities. While attempting to resolve those ongoing problems that he says were clearly caused by the horrors of war, Ortiz was advised by a Veterans of Foreign Wars director that he should be happy with a 90 percent disability rating, as opposed to a 100 percent rating which would have entitled him to free healthcare.

That advice, he admitted, caused a fit of rage during which he tore apart the house, punched walls, and threw things.

My life feels like its ending, Ortiz said. Ive submitted for unemployment benefits, because I have been unable to work due to PTSD and the obvious ongoing pain, he explained. Through it all, Ortiz said he has maintained a happy family with his wife and two children. But they are exposed to all my episodes, and its heartbreaking.

By the end of August 2022, following a separations board hearing he described as unjust, Ortiz once again found the advocacy he needed through USJAG. And by September, Ortiz was finally recognized as a combat-disabled veteran and service-connected disabilities have been compensated at 90 percent. USJAG was instrumental in helping with this rating.

Prior to USJAGs intervention, Alvarez described Ortizs case as a classic example of how you sweep your dirt under the rug. Pointing to the Marine Corps own report (pdf) in 2019, Alvarez said, they knew that these men and women who fired an excessive amount of artillery rounds were going to be exponentially damaged compared to other groups.

USJAG cannot find a single shred of evidence that they sought out the men and women who served on these teams, damaged by the excessive number of artillery rounds fired, he said. No one sought them out to make sure they were being taken care of or being treated fairly. In my opinion, they just didnt give a damn about these men and women and what they were subjected to.

This was willful negligence, Alvarez added. Willfully ignoring that some of their men and women were injured.

Far More Than PTSD

According to Dr. Robert Beckman with TreatNOW.org, the military classifies traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD in solely the mental health arena. While it is true that brain injuries lead to mental health problems, he said, inflammation from injury can reduce or shut down blood flow, which obviously affects the brains ability to process information for mental and physical utilization. In other words, the ability to think, remember, and respond, as well as the ability to balance, hear, and see, can be affected by inflammation associated with a brain injury.

But confining TBI and PTSD to the mental health arena is a critical mistake, Beckman said. If the military continues to categorize TBI or PTSD as a mental health problem, he said, the problem inevitably becomes the soldiers problem to deal with.

And when a soldier gets back to his life, he often withdraws and loses hope, he said. With the loss, the will to live goes away time and again. This is exactly what happened to Ortiz: a label of PTSD, but no assessment or diagnosis of his other serious health problems.

The DoD and VA [Veterans Affairs] deal with symptoms, and when its all broken down, each symptom has a drug, Beckman said. Theres a drug for depression, nervousness, frustration, sleeplessness, pain, even lack of memorybut theyre all temporary fixes.

And as a result, Beckman said, many soldiers begin to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs because nothing the DoD or VA has done for them has led to a cure. To find the cure, he said, it must be recognized in the medical and military community that a physical injury often manifests itself as a behavioral or psychological problem in soldiers.

Ortizs behavior was exactly as Beckman saidand should have been a sign of a need for help rather than a reason to punish him.

All of the symptomology, including bad balance, confusion, frustration, and anger, can lead to violence, road rage, death by cop, arrests, incarcerationessentially all of the behavioral and psychological actions we see particularly in combat veterans, he said. Taking pills just to function does nothing to cure whats going on internally, because the brain is still broken.

Thousands of active-duty soldiers have not been diagnosed with TBI because, according to Beckman, theres a conspiracy not to find TBI.

He added, On the one hand, theres a reluctancy for soldiers to report injuries or problems when they occur; and on the other, theres an unwritten rule just to get these guys back in the field as soon as possible regardless of the injury or problem.

Drawing from his experience, Beckman said there is a cultural resistance to accurately diagnose TBI because military readiness is all too often the priority. This, too, becomes intertwined with a culture of cover-up, he added.

And that works well for the military, he said, because these guys dont want to leave their unit; they are committed to their battle buddiesall while their injuries are seldom reported.

Clinical Assessment

But Ortiz was an exception to the rule. He sought help, reporting not only his mental issues but also his physical injuries. He met with Dr. Mary Lee Esty for the first time in August 2021.

Estys clinical experience treating the symptoms of concussion/TBI began in 1996 when she was asked by a rehabilitation hospital to provide neurofeedback treatment to people who were at least three years post-concussion without expectation of further recovery. The results were positive, allowing people to return to school and their places of employment, as they regained physical and cognitive skills.

This study led to research treating military personnel living with the aftermath of blasts and other injuries. In a recent study, Esty collaborated with the Walter Reed Traumatic Injury Research Program and results have been exceptionally positive. Esty continues to treat veterans.

The shape he came in was extraordinary, she said of Ortiz. He was in emotional turmoil, like a tug of war. On the one hand, it was clear that he had always wanted to be a Marinebut on the other, he was struggling that [the Marine Corps] treated him so casually painfully. I could tell that he just wanted to scream it all out, but he wouldnt do that.

Light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, loss of sleep, fatigue, pain, memory issues, headaches, and dizziness were all symptoms experienced by Ortiz.

As he shared what he went through physically, how he came out able to walk and talk and alive is pretty amazing to me, Esty said.

Esty administered CNS Vital Signs, an assessment procedure used to evaluate neurocognitive status, to develop a baseline of Ortizs many symptoms. She considered him to be a smart and articulate guy, but over half of his computerized test battery scores were far below average.

Esty also recorded his brain wave activity from 21 standard sites on his scalp. Because Ortiz was taking Zoloft, Clonidine, and Wellbutrin at the time, Esty said the medications affected the results of the test.

Even so, she said the data are consistent with Javiers history of trauma. Javiers service experience with blasts is possibly extreme, but such history of injury tends to be downplayed because there are no visible scars, according to her.

The symptoms of damage are invisible, unavoidable, but explainable, she added, and therefore the Marine Corps should have physically addressed these problems.

Esty saw Ortiz, who was showing improvement, for the last time in January 2022 because he was relocating to Florida to be closer to his family.

Cost of Brokenness

According to USJAGs Alvarez, Ortizs story is one of many. Like so many others, he has a lot of invisible scars, he said. Javier was masking a lot of his issues because he wanted to stay in the Marine Corps.

Alvarez argued Ortiz isnt at fault for pushing himself to the limit. Its what he was trained to do, he said. Javier did not fail the Marine Corps; the Marine Corps failed him.

Everybody in the service knows that when you finally come up on the radar as being broken, the right thing to do is to send you home, to get you to the VA, to get you to focus on your healthbut thats not what happened, Alvarez, a former Marine, pointed out.

When youre no longer functioning as a competent soldier, and your skills as a warrior are diminished, there often remains a nagging inner drive for continued perfection, he added.

But this, he said, is part of a larger problem for soldiers like Ortiz who do whatever it takes to remain in the Corps.

Javier wanted to stay in the service, Alvarez said. He didnt want to admit he was broken, but that becomes a double-edged sword because a lot of times you end up malfunctioning along the way, like Javier and so many others.

According to Alvarez, the Marine Corps should have moved Javier to an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) treatment at the very leastespecially since he was having some hallucinations. IOP treatment can be provided to service members as an alternative to more restrictive inpatient measures, but still require robust behavioral health treatment.

The alcohol issue that was growing as a result of his mental health was not apparent to his command and his other Marines because he was hiding it, he said. Javier was being treated and the Marines knew how severe his symptoms wereand for that, I fault them for not ratcheting up his treatment.

Ortizs intentions were to serve his country with honor, Alvarez said. [But] everything Javier was exposed to and how it was handled by the Marine Corps ended up costing himself his retirement, his familys financial security, and his career, he said. Javier was left with a big black eye from the Marine Corps.

Alvarez emailed a forensic report, seen by The Epoch Times, about Ortizs circumstances to his commanding general, now-retired Major General Julian Alfordthe same general who was allegedly ordered by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to keep his mouth shut about an injury he sustained after taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

[General Alford] would have had the opportunity to look at all the evidence about Ortizwhich was likely reviewed by his Staff Judge Advocate (SJA)and make a fair and decent decision for this man, Alvarez said. He also had the evidence from the [blast overpressure] report (pdf), he added. With both reports in hand, he cant deny he knew that the Marine Corps was well aware Javier was a casualty of the very operation they studied.

Instead, Alvarez said, he was thrown out into the street like yesterdays garbage. And for him, its unforgivable what theyve done to Javier and his family, and I cant give the Marine Corps a pass on that.

The Epoch Times was unable to reach Alford for comment.

Nic Gray, CEO of USJAG, describes Ortizs situation as the entrance to the valley of death. The valley of death is a term used to describe an injured service members journey from serving in combat, sustaining injuries, and being wrongfully discharged from the military under other than honorable conditions.

The five phases of the valley of death, according to Gray, are deployment, medication, behavioral issues, wrongful discharge, and suicide.

During deployment, Gray said, service members go off to war and many come home damaged with TBI, PTSD, and/or missing limbs. The militarys solution, he said, is to place these injured service members on medications, which often results in adverse side effects.

All too often, the adverse side effects of the medications manifest themselves in behavior issues, which results in the injured service members acting out and being reprimanded under UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice], Gray said. And punishment under UCMJ results in injured service members being wrongfully discharged and stripped of all benefits.

Referring to potential acts of suicide, Gray said, injured service members without proper medical care or access to VA benefits face a grim future and a possible death sentence.

Gray went on to say that with an other-than-honorable discharge, the injured service members are unable to work or qualify for unemployment, and are often unable to seek medical care and mental health services to improve their situation.

Additionally, he said, without an improved medical and mental health situation, theyre unable to gain meaningful employment  and without meaningful employment, they have no purpose or mission.

Sadly, without a purpose or mission, Gray said, the end result is pretty much a death sentence through suicide and/or overdosing on opioids.

Additionally, he said, the ramifications extend beyond injured service members and directly impact their families and the communities in which they live.

It creates a heavy fiscal burden on state and local governments along with non-governmental entities, he explains. It also places a stain directly on the Department of Defense and associated branches of the military.

Gray said, The discharge process is rigged by insiders within the Department of Defense; unqualified individuals are making judgment calls that require a level of expertise that they do not possess resulting in fraudulent separations.

According to Gray, the only way to prevent these fraudulent separations is for a third-party oversight body to be established, ensuring both policy and procedure are followed in the discharge process of injured service members.

Ortizs situation is a classic example as to why a third-party oversight body is needed, Gray said, concluding that one could view this problem as the root cause of the many issues within the veteran community.

For Gray, it begins with how injured active-duty service members are treated before leaving the military  and its preventable.

A Caution to Other Warriors

While Ortiz is no longer dependent on alcohol, he remains scarred from his experience. Others from his battalion can say the same. One has resigned from the Marine Corps after returning from Syria. Others have attempted to commit suicide; unfortunately, one was successful. Others have gone on to commit crimes, such as child abuse and homicide.

Doing impulsive things that would not ordinarily be done is not uncommon after TBI, Esty said. TBI does not make people do criminal acts, but it can make people very impulsive. To that end, she said, TBI often causes the loss of cognitive brakes, [and] impulsivity wins.

While the after-effects of participating in a deadly conflict have clearly taken their toll on Ortiz and others, Ortiz refuses to criticize the Marine Corps. Now, could they have handled my situation differently? he said before adding, Yes.

I never feared death and was more than willing to sacrifice all to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and what it truly stands for, Ortiz said. But personnel should also be informed that they could experience harm and damage to their bodies for simply doing the task theyve been assigned to do. [They should know that] if youre going to be in artillery, some bad things might happen.

Because of the toll it has taken on his mind and body, Ortiz shared my life has not been easy, and I never want any Marine to be in my shoesand I sure as hell dont want to see the future families of America in a situation like mine.

Its a tough pill to swallow, sacrificing my sanity and potentially my life, and this be the outcome, he said. I feel disregarded and still have a big fight ahead of me. On Ortizs behalf, USJAG continues that fight.

We conducted a forensic investigation, including statements from the Marine Corps own Blast Overpressure Report, submitted a detailed report about Ortiz to his command, and they still disregarded it, Gray said, The Marine Corps knew exactly what they were doing, damaged Ortiz and others, and didnt do anything about it.

Ortizs story is going to open up a can of worms the DoD doesnt want you to see, Gray added.

Today, Ortiz is 90 percent disabled and unemployable, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to Alvarez, this vindicates Ortizs injuries and is evidence he should have been medically retired. As a result, Alvarez said, We are appealing for 100 percent and will apply for a reversal of his separation, asking for the Marine Corps to medically retire him.

As for Ortiz? It would mean a lot to have my discharge corrected, he said. I would no longer have to hide my [discharge documents], a constant reminder of my past.

In my heart, I know Im a good person and gave all I had, Ortiz added. All I wanted was to be the best example to my family, and be a good Marine.

The Marine Corps didnt return multiple inquiries from The Epoch Times.
An intense dust storm hits the western Mongolian province of Khovd, causing poor road visibility, Aug. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Asigang)

Around 77 percent of Mongolia's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to official data from the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

BARUUN-URT, Mongolia, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Strong winds and heavy dust storms are frequent occurrences in Mongolia as the Asian country is facing worsening desertification and land degradation, with a steady decline in vegetation cover year by year.

Mongolia has a total land area of 1,564,116 square km, but only around 8 percent is covered by forests.

Around 77 percent of Mongolia's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to official data from the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

It is said that climate change and human activities are the two main causes of desertification in Mongolia.

Photo taken on March 14, 2021 shows a view of the dust storm in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. (Xinhua/Asigang)

AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

In April, most parts of the country were hit by strong winds and dust storms almost every day, according to Mongolia's weather monitoring agency.

Climate change-related desertification has been the main factor behind the increasing frequency of yellow dust storms in Mongolia in recent years, according to the country's environment ministry.

The increasing frequency of yellow dust storms is a sign that Mongolia's soil is deteriorating significantly, it added.

The average temperature in Mongolia has risen 2.25 degrees Celsius over the past 80 years, almost tripling the rise of average global temperatures, and the annual precipitation has decreased by 7 percent to 8 percent over the last 80 years, especially the amount of rainfall or precipitation during the warm season has decreased significantly, Altangerel Enkhbat, head of the public administration and management department at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua.

"These figures show the impact of climate change on Mongolia. The frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change has increased significantly in the country in recent years," he said, adding that a tangible example of this is yellow dust storms.

Tackling such environmental issues as desertification is not the sole responsibility of a certain country, but necessitates joint actions of all countries in the region, Minister of Environment and Tourism Bat-Ulzii Bat-Erdene said.

"Yellow dust storms originating from Mongolia reach other countries such as China, South Korea and Japan," he said, stressing that the situation entails collaboration among relevant countries to jointly fight yellow dust storms.

An intense dust storm hits the western Mongolian province of Khovd, causing poor road visibility, Aug. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Asigang)

WORSENED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES

Human activities such as overgrazing, irresponsible mining and unpaved rural roads are also aggravating desertification and land degradation in Mongolia.

Mongolia is one of the world's last surviving nomadic countries. According to its National Statistics Office, Mongolia logged 71.1 million head of livestock at the end of 2022, a record high since the nomadic country began a livestock animal census in 1918.

The promotion of livestock husbandry is seen as the most viable solution to diversify the landlocked country's mining-dependent economy.

However, overgrazing has become one of the main factors that intensify desertification and land degradation in Mongolia as it would reduce grass that holds the soil in place.

Mongolian herders have been paying great attention to increasing the number of their livestock rather than improving the quality. This is partly because the country gives awards and certificates to families who have at least a thousand head of livestock every year.

For example, a total of 191 herder families in the eastern Sukhbaatar province were given this honor at the end of 2022, increasing the number of herder households with more than 1,000 head of livestock in the province to 1,110.

"In recent years, the vegetation cover has been deteriorating, and we have not seen a good summer. We always move to other regions which have rich grass, to fatten our livestock," Borchuluun Gansukh, a herder with over a thousand head of livestock in Ongon soum of Sukhbaatar province, told Xinhua.

Besides overgrazing, irresponsible mining operations are another factor that intensifies desertification in Mongolia.

Mongolia is rich in natural resources, and the mining sector has been one of the main drivers of its economic growth as it accounts for more than 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry.

Unfortunately, environmental protection efforts have lagged behind the mining industry's expansion, resulting in devastating impacts on the country's pristine natural environment.

It is said that environmental impacts have been exacerbated by the location of many mining operations at the headwaters of Mongolia's river systems.

More than 360 rivers, streams, lakes and springs in the country have dried up in 2022 alone mainly due to an irresponsible use of the land and natural resources, according to the environment ministry.

In addition, unpaved rural roads have been playing an important role in accelerating the country's desertification and land degradation.

Mongolia has a state road network of over 112,400 km, of which only 7,830 km are paved, official data from the country's Ministry of Road and Transport Development showed.

A project called Millennium Road, aimed at connecting the country's 21 provinces with the national capital Ulan Bator by paved roads, was completed in 2022, and the above-mentioned 7,830 km of paved roads were built within the framework of the project.

In other words, most roads in Mongolia are unpaved. As a result, drivers arbitrarily create "new roads" in rural areas, causing soil degradation.

Meanwhile, Mongolian herders nowadays prefer to ride motorcycles to look for livestock instead of riding horses, which also contributes to the country's pasture degradation to a certain extent.

People plant trees in Nalaikh District of Ulan Bator, Mongolia, Oct. 10, 2021. (Photo by Suriya/Xinhua)

COMBATING DESERTIFICATION

A nationwide tree-planting campaign called "Billion Trees" initiated by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh is the country's main effort to combat desertification.

Since the launch of a tree-planting campaign in October 2021 to plant at least 1 billion trees by 2030 to combat desertification, Mongolia has planted more than 16.7 million trees across the country, according to the environment ministry.

Under the campaign, the country plans to plant 42.9 million trees this year.

"Mongolia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. We believe that it is necessary to spend more money on the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change," said Yangug Sodbaatar, chief of staff of the president's office.

In this regard, the country has decided to spend annually at least 1 percent of its GDP on combating climate change, desertification as well as planting trees, the official said.

The Asian country is also interested in cooperating with foreign countries and international organizations to combat desertification.

Mongolia's national committee in charge of climate change and reduction of desertification is cooperating with other countries, including China and South Korea, to learn from their experiences in supporting tree-seedling enterprises, helping tree farmers, and creating new jobs while promoting their anti-desertification plans, Bat-Erdene said.

In November 2022, Mongolia signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union (EU) aimed at partnering in the sustainable management of the forestry sector, making Mongolia the first Asian country to join the EU's Forest Partnerships.

Moreover, Mongolia is expected to host the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 2026.

Relevant Mongolian officials and experts firmly believe that organizing the conference holds great significance in amplifying the Mongolian voice on a global scale regarding the issue of desertification in Mongolia, bolstering international cooperation in combating desertification, and attracting investment in this field. 
Farmers Work Together to Save Ranches From Raging Alberta Wildfires

Smoke billows above cattle on a farm as wildfires burn in Alberta in May 2023. (Courtesy of Grant Taillieu)

EDMONTONFred Young, a rural Alberta farmer with 140 acres of land west of Edmonton, started to worry when the thick smoke outside made it hard to breathe. Flames were engulfing the region in late April and early May, and farmers were struggling to rescue their livestock, he says.

Soon after, on May 4, RCMP officers went door to door, telling residents that it was mandatory to evacuate due to out-of-control wildfires spreading across the province.

Ive lived here almost 30 years. Its the first time RCMP ever came to my door to say we had to get out, Young told The Epoch Times on May 9.

Young is among the more than 29,000 Albertans displaced as a result of the wildfires, one of many residents who benefited from neighbours and the rural community coming together to save as many properties as possible.

Alberta officials have called this years wildfires unprecedented. There have been 421 fires as of May 9. This time last year, there were only 220 wildfires, with 532.44 hectares burned. By May 8 this year, the wildfires had already razed some 390,000 hectares, according to figures provided by Alberta Wildfire.

More than 700 wildland firefighters are on the ground fighting the fires, trying to keep them from destroying homes and buildings throughout most of the province, from as far south as Red Deer to as far north as Peace River. Over two dozen of those fires were deemed out of control even as crews worked day and night, holding some blazes from spreading and extinguishing others entirely.

When the evacuation notice came for the Evansburg and Entwistle area, Young and his wife sought refuge at a friends rural farm closer to Edmonton, along with two other farm families that were also welcomed after fleeing the wildfires.

People out here have been amazing. If you need help, no one turns you down. They just say, get in the truck and come here, Young says.

An active wildfire 14 kilometres southeast of Edson, Alta. (The Canadian Press/HO-Government of Alberta)

Five Farms Saved

Not all farmers are able to transport large numbers of livestock in a last-minute evacuation, and that was the case for Young, who has 21 young bulls on his land belonging to another farmers 1,400 head of cattle.

Youngs property is located about a kilometre away from the small hamlet of Evansburg in Yellowhead County, about 88 kilometres west of Edmonton. For the last three years, he has had an agreement with another rancher, Grant Taillieu, to lease land on Youngs property for livestock.

Young said he would not have been able to move the bulls if the fire had hit his land. They were in a wintering pen during the cold weather, but when the fires started, he opened the gates and let them out to summer pasture. He kept Taillieu informed as the fire situation worsened.

That relationship turns out to have saved Youngs homestead and at least five other neighbouring farms the first week of May as two active wildfires raged nearby, one to the east of Evansburg in Parkland County, and one to the west in Yellowhead County.

Taillieu told The Epoch Times he went to Youngs property to protect his livestock, travelling 30 minutes from his ranch near Tomahawk, bringing water and feed. He ended up fighting fires.

Accompanied by three of his six ranch-hands, Taillieu headed out with a bulldozer and a full-sized water tanker.

We can send water like a fire truck, he said. We have fire hoses, nozzles, pumps.

As he drove along Highway 16A, he stopped to put out small fires along the way, and loaded the bulldozer to dig at least a half dozen fire breaks. One house was a little on fire, said Taillieu, and he and his team promptly extinguished it.

A handful of farmers and locals were helping, he said, adding that while none have firefighting training, its different in rural Alberta. Families live alongside each other, sometimes their whole lives. We help each other.

Grant Taillieu, a rancher from western Alberta, used his full size water truck to save multiple farms from wildfires near Evansburg on May 5, 2023. (Courtesy of Fred Young)

When Taillieu arrived at Youngs ranch on May 5, nearby farmers with small portable water tanks on pickup trucks were doing their best to put out fires. While some farmers evacuated, others refused.

They were trying to save their own properties and neighbouring farms before the flames got really close, Young said. Everyone was helping to fight these fires.

By this time, wildfires had been sweeping through the area for days. A state of emergency was declared and a mandatory evacuation notice issued on April 30. That order was lifted on May 3, but by May 5 the fire had doubled in size and the evacuation order was reissued.

Fire crews in Parkland County were working around the clock to control the blaze, put out hot spots, and check on properties. Fire crews were digging fire guards around the perimeter and deploying sprinkler systems to try and stop the fire from spreading, while air tankers and helicopters were dropping fire retardant chemicals on the blaze.

Parkland County said high winds and dry conditions were creating an extremely volatile fire situation.

Safe Havens for Farm Animals

Rural Alberta and the agricultural industry have rallied together to provide resources for displaced ranchers and farmers. On May 5, Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), with help from other members of the industry, created a map showing all of the provinces agricultural and rodeo societies that have opened their doors to evacuated livestock.

Its been updated to include nearly 40 locations across the province, spanning as far south as Cochrane, to as far north as Peace River, Debra Murphy, ABP stakeholder relations manager, told The Epoch Times.

Murphy said the organization is focused on communication with farmers and ranchers, especially around the fire zones. Anyone who needs help with their animals can find housing for livestock with one of the societies.

A photo of the fires burning in Alberta. (Courtesy of Grant Taillieu)

Chantelle Lalond, with the Darwell & District Agricultural Society, said that in some cases farmers have had a very short period of time to evacuate.

We have had fires ripping through our area, she told The Epoch Times on May 8. All the farmers are helping each other.

Lalond, a fourth-generation farmer, said she is a little more prepared this time around because half her land was flooded a few years ago. During the wildfires this past week, she helped a nearby farmer with 18 horses who needed a safe haven for the animals due to fire.

We had 18 horses, in 17 different pens. You cant have studs with mares, babies with geldings, she explained.

Lalond said a lot of farmers have horses that are not broken, and are difficult to manage in an emergency. Not to mention chickens, rabbits, all the backyard farmers.

Farmers have to watch and be more prepared than most people, she said.

Wildfires near Evansburg, Alta., raged the first week of May 2023, as farmers tried to save their properties. (Courtesy of Grant Taillieu)

So Thankful

Taillieu said that as everyone pitched in to fight the fires threatening the properties in the Evansburg area, they werent interfering with any official firefighting efforts because there were no fire crews where they were.

As it should be. I mean, a town of 7,000 people or a hospital takes a lot more priority than a couple of farms or properties, he said.

Young said his friends help meant everything at such a dire time.

Grant saved at least five farms from going up in flames. Im so thankful for him, and I know my neighbour next door is also grateful. He saved our farms, he said.

Grant is amazing. He was a hero, Young added. There are five homes that are here today that might not have been here if it wasnt for him.
Feinstein Returns to US Senate, Giving Democrats Their Majority

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) makes her way to the Senate chambers at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 16, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) returned to work on Tuesday following a long recovery from shingles.

Her return gives back Democrats their majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as a one-seat Democrat advantage in the full Senate.

Feinsteins office said she boarded a flight from her California home to Washington earlier on Tuesday, ahead of a Senate vote in the evening.

The longtime California Democrat was hospitalized with shingles over the February Senate recess. At the time, she said she expected to return to Congress in March.

But her longer-than-expected absence attracted criticism in recent weeks, including from within her party.

Resignation Calls Amid Shingles Recovery

Democrat House members, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) had called on Feinstein to resign, arguing that she wasnt able to carry out her congressional responsibilities.

By around mid-April, Feinstein made the unusual request to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee, saying her recovery was delayed due to complications. But she didnt heed the House members calls to resign.

Republicans immediately rejected Feinsteins request, saying Democrats only want someone in Feinsteins place to push through partisan judicial nominations.

The Senate Judiciary Committee in March was unable to move several nominees through the panel and canceled three straight markups.

Currently, four nominations to fill vacant federal court positions would require Feinsteins presence to proceed.

Feinstein also missed almost 100 floor votes during her months-long absence.

But even in her absence, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced eight nominees to final votes on the Senate floor in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, Feinstein said in a statement that there has been no slowdown.

Oldest Sitting Senator

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said he was pleased that Feinstein has returned and is ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, its clear shes back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California, he added.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) walks to the Senate Chambers during a series of votes at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Feb. 13, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Feinstein is 89 years old, making her the oldest sitting senator. In recent years, she has faced questions regarding her cognition and memory but has defended her ability to carry out her lawmaking responsibilities.

In February, Feinstein announced she would not seek re-election in 2024. Instead, she said she intends to focus her energy in her last two years in Congress on pushing gun control measures and making sure California gets its fair share of federal funding.

Feinsteins career has been marked by several political firsts. She was the first woman to serve as the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s. She was also the first female mayor of San Francisco.

Dianne Feinstein, her arms outstretched in celebration, in her office after she was elected mayor of San Francisco, at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, California, circa 1978. (Nick Allen/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

After Feinstein joined Congress, she became the first woman to lead the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first to serve as the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democrat.

Feinsteins return could provide crucial support for any debt limit bill that arrives in the Senate, which would avert a first-ever U.S. debt default.

Bill Pan contributed to this report.
Foreign Affairs Minister Announces Canada Will Seek Seat on UN Human Rights Council

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly speaks with reporters in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa on April 27, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has announced that Canada will seek a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2028 to 2030.

The multilateral system that underpins [human] rights is under threat like never before. To confront this challenge, we must work together to rebuild the human rights foundation to strive towards a more just tomorrow for everyone, she said during a press conference on Parliament Hill.

Joly said Canadas candidacy will focus on six priorities: protecting human rights defenders; striving for an inclusive future by championing anti-racism and religious freedom; working toward the recognition and realization of the right of Indigenous people around the world; building a feminist foreign policy; advancing digital inclusion and safe online spaces; and dealing with climate change and climate refugees.

We approach this goal with ambition, but also with humility. Were not perfect and were working every day to become better. And while we continue to work to address our own challenges,  well remain a champion for human rights around the world, Joly said.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Marc Miller said Canada established colonial policies to deprive Indigenous peoples of their language, culture, and land, but it should not be afraid to speak about this on the world stage, as painful as it is.

Im confident that Canada would promote rights, perspectives, and priorities of Indigenous peoples at the table. For far too long, Indigenous peoples have been denied the most basic of rights to live freely and fully on their own land. So I fully support this bid, and its time to make their voices heard as perfectly as a person like me can do it, not only in Canada, but internationally, he said.

Greece has also announced it will run for one of the three spots that will be available to countries within its geographical grouping. This group comprises 28 countries, including Canada, Western European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.

The United Nations created the Human Rights Council in 2006 to replace the Commission on Human Rights, which was widely criticized for allowing countries with poor human rights records to become members. But the U.N. Human Rights Council has also been criticized for electing serial human rights abusers such as Cameroon, Eritrea, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates.

The United States withdrew from the council back in 2018, calling it a cesspool of political bias that targets Israel while ignoring atrocities committed by other countries. Russia also left the council in 2022 after U.N. members voted to end its membership following the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

In 2020, Canada lost its bid for a temporary seat at the U.N. security council after a years-long, $2 million effort to rejoin it.
Former CIA Official Drafted Hunter Biden Laptop Letter to Give Biden Campaign a Talking Point: Emails

Michael Morell, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, in Sun Valley, Idaho on July 6, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The former acting director of the CIA who drafted the infamous Hunter Biden laptop letter wanted to give Joe Bidens campaign a talking point to use in a debate against then-President Donald Trump, according to emails released on May 10.

Trying to give the campaign, particularly during the debate on Thursday, a talking point to push back on Trump on this issue, Michael Morell, a former top official at the spy agency, wrote in one of the emails on Oct. 19, 2020.

Morell was writing to John Brennan, another former CIA director, to ask if Brennan would add his name to the letter.

Add my name to the list. Good initiative. Thanks for asking me to sign on, Brennan replied.

The letter, which was prepared after the New York Post published the first story on files from the computer once owned by Joe Bidens son, stated that the files had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. Politico, which first reported on the letter, titled the article Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say, and Brennan was among the signatories to claim disinformation in public outside of the letter.

Nick Shapiro, who worked under Brennan at the CIA, provided Politico with the letter. But it was Morell, an acting CIA director during the Obama administration, who organized it, according to recently revealed information, including a House of Representatives report released on May 10.

Morell began collecting signatures after messages from senior Biden campaign officials, including current Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Andrew Bates, the current White House deputy press secretary. Blinkens call triggered the letter, Morell said in a transcribed interview. Bates sent a news article that cited Michael Carpenter, a former State Department official who heads the Penn Biden Center, as claiming that the Post story was a Russian disinformation operation.

Neither Carpenter nor the letter provided proof backing the claims. Morell said in one message to Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA officer who drafted the letter, that it kinda feels like the Russians were involved.

John Paul Mac Isaac, a Delaware computer store owner, has said that Hunter Biden dropped the computer off at his shop and has released documents showing that the FBI sought the files as well as Hunter Bidens signature on a paper. Many media outlets have said that theyve authenticated the computer and its contents.

John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence at the time, said publicly that Hunter Bidens laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign.

After Polymeropoulos drafted the letter, Morell edited it, the former CIA director said. Initial plans were to publish an op-ed, but it morphed into the letter, Polymeropoulos told House investigators.

I dont recall how it morphed from what I thought was an op-ed into a letter. He did mention to me that someone in the kind of Biden world had asked about doing this, he said.

Morell told the House panel that he investigated the Post story by reading it and then carrying out some searches on the internet. He said he didnt talk to any people as part of that investigation.

There were two intentions here, right? One was to make clear to the American people that the Russians were interfering in the election, and the other was to help Vice President Biden in the debate, he said.

I wanted to help him win the election.

In a different email, to former CIA officer Kristin Wood, Morell said he had control of the document.

The more former intelligence officers the better, Morell wrote. Campaign will be thrilled.

Trump brought up the laptop from hell during the debate in October 2020. Biden countered by referencing the letter.

There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said  five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what hes saying is a bunch of garbage, Biden said.

He didnt mention his campaigns involvement.

The CIA was using leverage over its former employees to coerce them into signing the very letter tech and media companies used to censor the corruption stories erupting from Hunters laptop, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which produced the new report, told The Epoch Times via email.

The CIA wasnt satisfied altering the outcomes of elections abroad. They brought that ambition home. They stole the 2020 election from Trump.

The CIA hasnt responded to requests for comment.

In addition to Morell, Shapiro, and Wood, a number of other former CIA officers signed onto the letter, including John Tullius, David Vanell, Peter Corsell, and David Cariens.

The officials were contacted by Morell, Polymeropoulos, and Wood.

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA officer, was among those who were contacted but chose to not sign.

There was no evidence, Hoffman said on Fox News. And I just felt like we needed to do the forensics.

Hoffman wrote in an op-ed, U.S. intelligence analysts needed more time to conduct forensics on the laptop and for the FBI to complete its investigation and unravel the details, especially the convoluted part about the computer having been found at a repair shop in Delaware. But the email I received from Mr. Morell did not invite any further discussion or debate. The letter was a fait accompli. It was being passed around for signatures, not edits.

Morell also communicated with Shapiro, who was tasked with getting the letter to the media.

In one message, Morell said it should be made clear that we are not making a call on whether the materials are true or not, just that Moscow played a role in getting the information out.

We do not have evidence of Russian involvementjust that our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case, the letter reads.

If reporters were wondering why Morell was involved, they were to be told that he was struck by the fact that in talking to people outside of the government that all of them thought Russia is involved here.

Michael thought people should know that, Morell wrote.
Former Hong Kong District Councillors Join Demonstration Outside HSBC in UK for Pensions Being Withheld

HSBC conducted its annual general meeting in Birmingham, England. Former Hong Kong district councilors arranged a demonstration outside the meeting to voice their opposition to the bank's decision to withhold the BNO Hong Kong residents' MPF. (Coutesy of Yau Man-chun)

On May 5, former Hong Kong District Councillors and some Hongkongers in Britain organized a protest outside the HSBC in the UK, to object to the banks withholding of their MPF (Mandatory Provident Fund) savings.

There are more than 140,000 Hongkongers migrated to the UK via British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme since 2021, however, many of them have been unable to withdraw their MPF savings in Hong Kong.

According to a human rights organizationHong Kong Watch, the estimated MPF savings withheld by the Hong Kong financial service institutions have reached HK$21.5 billion (US$2.73 billion).

On May 5 at 10 a.m., while HSBCs annual general meeting was held in Birmingham, Yau Man-chun, the former District Councillor and now Regional Outreach Coordinator of the Hongkongers in Britain (association), and a group of Hongkongers protested outside The Eastside Rooms.

During the protest, they distributed leaflets to shareholders and held signs with slogans such as Free My Pension Now and MPF Withdrawals Are Our Right. Ting Tse-yuen and Hui Yui-yu, former District Councillors, also joined the protest.

In an interview with the Epoch Times, Yau expressed his criticism of HSBC for assisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in suppressing Hongkongers.

He highlighted that individuals who migrate to the UK through BNO visas would not be refunded their MPF savings. Yau believes that the immigrant population has considerable MPF savings, and the regime is keen to obtain this money.

He further estimated that in the future, the immigrant population would only receive regular interest payments on their MPF savings and would be unable to recover the full amount.

On April 18, Christopher Hui Ching-yu, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, traveled to London to meet with Anne-Marie Trevelyan, minister of state at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).

Trevelyan urged the Hong Kong government to safeguard the freedom and rights of all Hong Kong citizens and enable BNO Hong Kong people to retrieve their MPF savings ahead of schedule.

On April 20, Hui posted a response on the Facebook page of the Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, stating that during the meeting, he had mentioned that the BNO passport and its related visa could not be used as evidence for early withdrawal of MPF benefits as the Hong Kong government does not recognize the BNO passport as a valid travel document and proof of identity.
Hello, Im Conan Milner, and this is Words of Wellness. A show where we discuss health, from mind to body to spirit.

The human mind is a powerful force that allows us to reason and problem-solve. But if the mind becomes obsessive and anxious, this power can turn against us.

It might be the merry-go-round of self-criticism, or the back and forth of a heated, yet imaginary argument. But anybody who has been at the mercy of an overthinking mind knows how exhausting the ride can be. Its tiresome, tedious, and usually unproductive. But for some reason, you just cant stop.

Many justify their overthinking as a safe, quiet place to rehearse for the rigors of real life. However, the process rarely involves the here and now. We usually ruminate on some traumatic event from our past, or fret about the threat of a worst-case scenario thought to be looming in our future. Either way, you end up wasting your precious present in the process.

You run your problematic scene in your mind over and over again, in hopes of somehow resolving the matter. And yet, it only makes you feel worse. So why do we do this to ourselves? What do we get out of it? And can we ever be free from the force of this mental whirlpool?

To help answer these questions, Ill be talking to Nancy Colier. Shes a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and author of Cant Stop Thinking: How to Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination.

Conan Milner: Nancy, thanks for talking with me today. So what prompted you to write a book on this subject? Is this something you saw clinically, or just a trend playing out in society that you felt needed more attention?

Nancy Colier: Delighted to be here talking about such a relevant topic. Its a topic that never really isnt relevant because its sort of the human condition.

Ive seen overthinking in my practice. Ive been a therapist for almost 30 years. And what I saw was that theres a lot of challenging stuff in our lives; a lot of situations with whats happening in our world. And the majority of our suffering goes on inside our heads. Its what we do with the information were receiving.

And I saw this over and over again: people torturing themselves with their own thoughts. And Im human, I was not immune to this either. And I would replay conversations over and over in my mind. I suppose at the time trying to get a different resolution, or trying to say exactly what I wish I had saidthat was my particular brand of overthinking. But I have seen every kind of rumination and overthinking strategy come through my office, and they lead us to suffer it. Thats why I addressed it, because we think that thinking more about problems will help us, and ultimately, it doesnt.

Milner: The term you used, torturing yourself with your thinkingreally sums it up for me, even though I justify it to myself as a problem-solving exercise. It does have a torturous effect. It feels like when we cant stop doing something that we know is really bad for us.

Colier: Were scaring ourselves. Were criticizing ourselves. Were telling ourselves everything thats wrong with every person thats ever walked into our life, and every situation. Its really like carrying around somebody who just tells us really terrible things. And yet, we havent really built any ways for talking to that mind or understanding that mind. Truth be told, it thinks its helping us in some sort of bizarre way. We learn all this stuff when we go to school, but we dont learn how to work with the most important instrument in our lives, which is our own mind.

Milner: I want to discuss talking to that mind, but first, I want to just discuss what overthinking is because I was looking at research showing that it is linked to other mental health problems like depression and anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. So is overthinking itself a clinically diagnosable issue? I wonder if it has anything in common with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Colier: We dont give overthinking a DSM diagnosis. We dont actually identify it as its own sort of pathology. But what I will say is that it is often part of many other disorders. So were anxious because were constantly telling ourselves whats going to go wrong? Or were depressed because were constantly telling ourselves what a piece of nothing we are.

The difference with OCD is its generally behavioral. There will be some behaviors that go with it, whether its handwashing, or another repetitive behavior. Overthinking is a part of OCD, for sure, because we cant stop rehearsing the same thing over and over again. But OCD corresponds with the behavior that goes with it.

Overthinking is, Im sad to say, just sort of the human condition at this point. And as far as what it is, it always makes me laugh. People want evidence-based definitions. And I always tell them, When youre overthinking, you dont need a lot of definitions.

[Overthinking] is when you cant stop going down the rabbit hole of the same conversation, or thinking, What do I need to do to prepare myself? But we want to be moving on. We want to stop the chatter and we cant. We literally feel like were crazy-glued to the thoughts.

Were overthinking when our thinking is causing us suffering. When its making us feel bad and its not helping us, thats overthinking. We dont really need an official person to tell us were overthinking. We know were overthinking.

Milner: One of the intriguing ideas from your book is that thoughts can be addictive. And thats exactly how this feels: you just cant stop. Over the last couple of years, more and more of our behaviors have begun to be classified in the addiction category. But can we really classify thinking this way? How do thoughts compare to chemically addictive substances? And what is it about overthinking that makes it addictive?

Colier: Well, I agree with you: people have a really hard time with the idea of being addicted because they always say to me, But thinking is a good thing. Thinking is something that helps us. How can you say that thats addictive?

But where it gets tricky is when we are using thought in the same ways we might use an addictive substance. We are using overthinking to not be present. Paradoxically, in order to not feel what were feeling, we get wrapped up in what we will or wont do. Or we go over the same things over and over. Its because we dont actually want to feel it. You dont want to be present in it. It might look like were trying to get out of it in a healthy and productive way, but what were really doing is avoiding the moment just like we use alcohol or shopping or drugs or anything.

And at the same time, an addictive substance is something that we want to stop, but we cant. I have spoken to hundreds and hundreds of people on this issue, and the feeling is like when they need to have a drink, but they cant stop thinking.

What makes it so tricky, though, is that we have this incredible reverence for thinking. We think its the best thing. Were in love with our thoughts. Our entire world is built around reason and thinking things through. And its heralded as this really wonderful thing. And so often, we use it in ways that work against us.

So it is a bit more like an eating disorder to some degree, where we have to find a way to be able to think. But we also need to be discerning when we go down the rabbit hole and torture ourselves. Its tricky because its not like alcohol or drugs. We cant be abstinent, and we dont want to be.

Its about recognizing when thinking is the right tool, because very often we will apply thinking to situations that are really the wrong situations. Its a bit like trying to open a door with a banana. Its a good tool, but its not the tool for this. In matters that are really more heart matters, or body matters, where we try and do our pro and con list, and we try and think it through again and again, and theres no stone we havent left unturned, then its the wrong tool.

Milner: You mentioned that overthinking is part of the human condition. Weve always had this with us, but I was wondering if there is any evidence that we do it more now than before? Its often said that we tend to have a very addictive society. But now Im wondering if its just that we use the thinking tool for everything now. Its become our predominant strategy

Colier: 100 percent. Because we have stopped trusting other ways of knowing.

There are so many ways of knowing: our intuition, our bodies, our hearts, and our spirits. And all of these have been discredited. To some degree, everything is now evidence-based.

Ive been in practice, as I said, about 30 years, and what I get asked all the time is: What is the evidence base? Where are the MRIs that youve seen? Whats the science in this? How do you figure this out, and we have put all our eggs in the figuring out basket, and it is at the exclusion of so many other ways of being a human being.

And I think at times in history, when situational anxiety is kicked up, like now, and all the things going on in our world, we double down on our thinking in an effort really to try and get safe again, to find solid ground. But its not where the ground is. And thats something we really have to learn ourselves, boots on the ground.

What were really trying to do is control what feels uncontrollable. If it feels out of our control, thinking is all about letting me get a handle on this. Let me understand it, understand it, understand it. But we may never be able to understand it, or we may understand it and not feel any peace from understanding it.

Some of the practices that I teach people and talk about in the book are this very counterintuitive, not-of-our-society approach. Its to surrender to not knowing. The very thing we dont want to hear is often where we find our real peace, not more understanding of it in the mind.

Milner: I think about all the craziness of the past three years and the people that Ive watched try to get through it. Those who do it better than others tend to have relied on these other faculties that you talk about. Maybe theyre more intuitive.

Either way, we have to think. So when do we use this tool? And when do we put it down and use something else?

Colier: One of the things that I teach is awareness. We have to turn the lens on our own minds. Were trained from the time were very little to think that we are our mind, we are our thoughts, we are our opinions, our beliefstheres no separation between us and them.

The first thing is to just start to notice that your thoughts are someone talking to you. Theres this ticker tape playing in your mind telling you something. But who is it telling? And do you want to listen? Thats already in terms of how were conditioned. And thats already revolutionary, right?

The reason that we need everybody to agree with us, our opinions and thoughts, is because weve been taught again and again that we are that. So if you dont agree with my thoughts, then Im somehow not okay, or Im being denigrated.

But we dont need everyone to agree. Our thoughts are not universally true. Theyre just thoughts. And we wear them more like a loose garment. You start to notice, Oh, okay, so the thoughts are talking to me. And I have some say in which ones I want to go for a ride on. I have some say in which ones I want to turn away from, or just tell them to stop terrifying me, or youre not helping, or whatever I might turn and say.

But at the same time, we get better at noticing where our thoughts are writing a script, storyline, or narrative about our life. So we might hand our friend something, and we see her make a face that we dont understand. And the mind is off to the races with: She doesnt like me. She didnt like the present I gave her last year. Shes angry at me. Shes always hated me. I have no friends. And before we know it, we are just a worthless piece of nothing.

What we want to notice, and people really can learn this, is [to ask], Where did that happen? And the narrative our thoughts wrote about it, where did they break apart? Where did the narrative begin?And thats all of our own making. Thats all our fictional story writing in our thought patterns. So we start to notice, Oh, that was my narrative. What I know is, she made a face. I dont know if she just had dental work. I dont know if a raindrop just landed on her head, I actually dont know anything.

So we start to identify that. And then one of the things that I really am a very strong proponent of is, weve got to get back down into our bodies. What I teach people is that you can think and look, make the plane reservations, and do the grocery list. The mind is really a wonderful servant. It just doesnt make a great master. So use it where its useful, like figuring out problems and so on.

Most of us walk around like these little disconnected floating heads. But we want to remember that this head, where all the thoughts are bouncing around, is sitting on top of a body. And so we start to practice remembering that theres a body here, feeling the body, sensing the body. What does the body know? Its a whole different way of living.

And the thing is that we start to notice how all of these thoughts, as you said in your introduction, are taking us out of the present moment. Were not here, were not here, were lost. If were lucky, were on a beach in Hawaii. If were not, were probably in that conversation with our mother from when we were 11.

Its noticing, Wait a minute, Im not here, and then you come back, feel your feet on the ground. What is this person saying? Listen in again about what this other person is saying. Rejoin the present moment. Thats where joy is. Joy and peace can only exist here.

Milner: You talk about getting out of your head and getting back in your body. I know a lot of people use exercise as a method to facilitate this. Im reminded of a meme I see in weightlifting circles where they say, Lift heavy stone, and sad voice goes quiet. So what is it about movement that stops our brain? Is it just because our focus has changed from our mind to our body?

Colier: Well, in part, its that. What is disturbing to me is that we have found a way recently to kidnap the experience of exercise, and give it back to the mind through these wonderful appsFitbits and these sorts of thingswhere were not even in the exercise. Were monitoring how many steps we took, or what my heart rate is, or my basal metabolic rate, or whatever it is were doing. Weve found a way to actually move the body, but stay completely rooted and attached to the mind. For people that are really addicted to their Fitbit, theyre not really in the experience. You pull yourself out of the stillness of the body, and the quiet of the body is being corrupted by the sense-making, and the reason-making, and the thinking about exercising.

So we are now again, one step away from the direct experience of it. We are in the narrative about it. What is this doing for me? How will this help my health? Were talking about the present moment rather than inhabiting it.

If you exercise, theres just exercising, its not about me doing it. But all of these new apps are now putting me back in my head. So what will this mean for me? What will this mean for my identity? and so on. And thats very unfortunate to me to see the corruption of that.

We have been taught that the mind is who we are. So when you start to drop out for a minute and just notice what your mind is telling you, its existentially terrifying, because we dont really trust that we could continue to exist if were not the mind. That takes some slow going and recognizing the fear of that.

Once we get the hang of that, we can inhabit this place that is more present, or of the one that the mind is talking to. But in the beginning, the only way we feel ourselves in existence is when were thinking, so it is quite a challenge for us to separate enough to see whats happening and that thoughts arent who we are.

Milner: The mind has a hard time letting go. You mentioned how it has infiltrated exercise. But I just know from my own experience of meditating, for example, that maybe the first five minutes might not be enough to stop that hamster wheel. I can see why people get frustrated with it. You think you failed right away because the mind doesnt shut off.

Colier: Well, again, its such a misunderstanding. In our culture, everything is about success and productivity. So are you having a successful meditation? Its really a misunderstanding of what meditation is.

Meditation is really just taking a snapshot of your present moment. Whats happening here in this present moment. We notice the mind is jabbering on like crazy. But you wouldnt yell at your pancreas for monitoring your insulin, or you wouldnt yell at your lungs for monitoring and working with oxygen, or the heart for beating.

What the mind does is produce thoughts. Thats not such a big deal. We have this idea that were successful meditators, or spiritual if we can get our minds to stop. But thats nonsense. Thats hogwash. What were doing is stepping back and saying, on any given day: Whats up in my mind? Whats happening in my mind? Whats happening in my body? Were just turning the lens on what is. Were not really going there with an agenda. And just that process of building this muscle that is sitting on the shore of the beach, and looking out at all the waves in the ripples, thats what were doing. Were building a second place that can look and see.

Whats so important in meditation is not what you find. Its not whats actually happening. Its that whatever is happening, that were meeting with curiosity and friendliness. Thats our job. Thats the only thing we do with whatever is coming. Wow, look at my mind. Its a crazy day in the circus. Oh, look at my mind. Its a little quieter today on the Western front there. My body is pinging and popping, and maybe theres a background, a sensation of sadness, or Im just looking, Im just looking at this organism that I think is me, that I call me.

Whats really there is just all these moving thoughts and feelings in perpetual motion. Meditation has really been misunderstood as stopping thought. You wouldnt want your heart to stop beating. Thats what the mind does. Forgive it.

Milner: But think about how anxiety-ridden the mind is. Like we discussed before, its not living in the present. And the meditative process is one that brings you back to the present. And thats part of the difficulty.

Colier: That is why we resist the present moment. Were terrified to enter this present moment. Weve always got to be planning for the future, or ruminating about the past. But the place were allergic to is this moment. So thats what meditation gets us more comfortable with, for 10 minutes a day, maybe five, whatever youve got. Just give yourself permission to be just here, not two minutes into the future, and see what its like. One of the reasons thats very frightening for people is because we feel this loss of self. We feel ourselves when were planning for the future or thinking about the past.

But when were just dropped into this moment, rising and falling with the breath or feeling the sensations or noticing the thoughts, whatever it might be. Our sense of who we are shifts, and were afraid of that. Were very, very afraid of that. And yet, paradoxically, that is where the peace is.

One of the things that I love when people realize in their work, is that we think that when we have a thought we have to think it. We have to go towards it. We have to engage with it. And when you start doing some of these practices you realize: just because you have a thought doesnt mean you have to engage with it. Its not inherently anything. We dont have to go.

I had a client that would have these crazy, crazy thoughts. And she spent years trying to unravel that. Was it about her early experience? Was it her pathology? And then one day, shes like, You know, what? We just have crazy thoughts. They just appear. We dont really have to spend all this time with them.

When she stopped feeding the thoughts with her attention, which is their juice, they went away, because they just werent that interesting. So we think we can only make them go away by understanding them and beating them down harder. And yet, its really saying, Okay. Another crazy one moving through the system.

There are a lot of ways, in addition to meditation, that we just start noticing what were doing with our thoughts, and how were engaging with them. How were believing them. How were investing them with so much value.

Milner: This is a very empowering idea, because I think a lot of us feel that were at the mercy of our thoughts. We identify with them and so theyre precious, but thats not actually true. Were actually in control, and we can be selective with what we decide to hold.

Colier: Absolutely. And there are sticky thoughts, and really sticky thoughts, and then not sticky thoughts at all. If the thought is, Whats for dinner? We can say, Nah, Ill deal with that later. Or What movie am I going to see this weekend? We can let those go.

But [if the thought is], This person hurt me. This person treated me disrespectfully. And that reminded me of blah, blah, blah, those get stickier. The more family is involved, the stickier they get. So we need tools in those cases, to talk to the thoughts, and acknowledge the hurt in those thoughts. Theyre really trying to get rid of it, in reliving it, pleading our case, or telling us how wrong we were.

But we need to start to bring compassion to that thinking mind and say to ourselves, Sweetheart, you are really caught and reliving this awful experience again. And it hurt when that person said that. But thinking it through more and more and more, and going over how you were hurt, will that really help you? Does that make you feel better?

We start to talk to the thinking mind, like someone we love whos trying to plead our case, to a jury of one, ourselves. So when the thoughts get sticky, we need some more hearty tools there. Because we cant always just let it go.

Milner: So lets talk about those hearty tools. We discussed practicing living in the present moment, and also trying to use other faculties at our disposal, other than always relying on the mind. What else can we employ to address this?

Colier: So I use the word, compassion, because its so important when were really stuck in a painful pattern. First, we need to really, lovingly put our hand on our hearts and just say, Oh, wow, youre stuck. Youre caught. Youre down the rabbit hole. First, we have to go through all of these other practices, and recognize that it already takes a lot of awareness (because were so entrenched) to say, Oh, goodness, youre caught in this awful place. We identify it right there.

So then we try to understand what is the real pain that is being rehashed here. And perhaps there is a better way of taking care of ourselves than continuing to go over how we were harmed by this person. We want to acknowledge that were repeating those thoughts, because we feel that our suffering has not been heard properly. It has not been acknowledged. So we need to do that work. We need to say, It did hurt. It was unfair. It was disrespectful. And then, can you come back into this moment and feel what your hands are touching? Or can you hear the birds singing at this moment?

So its a process of first recognizing that we are trapped in this cycle of suffering. And then ask, what is it that the mind is really trying to heal? Because so often its just this mistaken way of trying to feel better. And then recognizing, from the wiser, more evolved self, that, Sweetheart, this is not going to be the path. And investigate it without judgment. Thats where we have to really be mindful of not bringing in judgment, and trying to take the side of the very instrument thats causing us suffering in the mind.

That becomes more natural as you do it, because were not so identified with the mind. We can see what its up to, and bring some kindness to what its really (in a very primitive way) trying to make happen. And thats not to say that there arent times that we need to say, Stop it to our mind. Stop doing to me what that parent did. Stop talking to me in that tone of voice. Its not helpful. Its these internalized tapes. Im not interested in your attacks anymore, okay? Theyre not helpful, and theyre not true.

So we learn to reality check what youre yelling at yourself about. I always do these things like this. Is that true? Most often, its not true. But like every human, sometimes I do things this way. But stop repeating that thing that was never true.

With these tools, were either compassionately trying to understand, or were just saying, Stop it. Its enough now. Youre not helping my life anymore. Youve got to show your mind whos boss.

Milner: I want to go back to this thing about compassion, because I think its so important to acknowledge pain and suffering. People have a really hard time with that, because were so comfortable with beating ourselves up.

Colier: When we have to stop and be kind to ourselves, it doesnt feel natural. It doesnt. The thought is often that the way I make myself better is, I yell at myself, or I slave drive myself, or flog myself. Its very built into our cultural narrative. Work harder. Understand more.

[We think], If I were to be compassionate with myself, I would lay on the couch and eat bonbons all day, or I would never do anything productive.

But what we find, though, is compassion unleashes this incredible productivity that comes from a different place. Its not slave driven. What we really have been raised with is incorrect (theres really no other word for it): that more harshness, more criticism of ourselves, will improve us. It doesnt. What it does is it paralyzes us, and creates a life that is pretty darn miserable.

So we have to, in little ways, start taking baby steps to say, What if I treated myself in this moment like I was someone I liked? What would it take? You probably wouldnt say youre a piece of nothing, and you never do anything good. I dont think Id motivate anyone that way. I would probably remind them of all the things theyve done that have been positive. Wed be on the persons side, essentially.

But when were yelling at ourselves in this primitive way to think were motivating ourselves, and were going to be better somehow, that is a mistaken belief. And so we have to try other techniques like, what if I liked the person I was trying to encourage now? Would I yell at them to get them to be more productive? Probably not.

So its shifting our relationship, ultimately with ourselves, where we are friendly with ourselves. And that that wont lead to some sort of debauchery and that we can be really powerful. Its like the compassionate warrior. But it doesnt come from these standard ways of yelling at ourselves. That does nothing.

It does take a leap of faith, all of this, because weve been so heavily conditioned to say the only solution is more mind, more thoughts, more doing, doing, doing, and telling ourselves what we need to do. But our peace is in the surrender. We dont know everything. We cant control everything. What we can be is on our own side, and have it in our toolkit no matter what. Thats what creates a life of well-being. Thats what will create our happiness at the end of the day. Not that we figure everything out, but that were on our own side.

Milner: I dont want to taint the beautiful concept of self-compassion, but I think that it would be a lot easier to sell to people if they understood that there is a very productive aspect to it.

Colier: Thats it. 100 percent. And how we get that into mainstream understanding is to do these little baby steps. Were just practicing for a day, I promise. You can go back to flogging yourself into it, I promise. You wont forget. But just for a day, what if you took your side? What if you acknowledge the mistake you made last week, but also, here are three or four things that you did really well these last six months.

Or what if you looked at your intention in all this? Not will you succeed? Or what will come out of it? But what if you focused on what you are wanting to have happen here, to create here? What if we moved your focus from, will it work? Or wont it work? Whats the goal and the result? [And instead, focus on] what you long to happen. Were just going to try it for a day and see. Do you get off the couch? Do you turn into a vegetable? What happens? Because we dont trust it.

There are aspects that are built into our whole way of thinking that the harder it is somehow the more honorable. And that doesnt have to be the case when it comes to living good lives that are really productive.

Milner: You dont have to torture yourself to be a good moral person.

Colier: You got it. You just said it. Exactly right. More whip marks. If anything they make us so afraid to make mistakes that we dont take chances. And our deepest vitality and creativity is stymied, because its coming from this. Youre damned if you do, and damned if you dont. Its not a system that releases the best of us.

Milner: Totally. Well, thanks for your advice, Nancy. I think this is something that everyone can try to employ. And the fact that youve made it a bit of an experiment, so people dont have to swallow it whole right away, but they can just try it out and see how it works for themselves, I think this will go a long way.

Colier: I hope people will just turn the lens on their thoughts. Thats the first step. Just notice their thoughts, and that the thoughts are talking to someone. Once you get the hang of that, youre entering a totally different life.
Relics are sacred materials customarily from the body of a holy person or a fragment of an object a holy person touched. They are believed to retain the power and sanctity of the original revered person, often Jesus or a saint. In the Middle Ages, elaborate and magnificent reliquaries (objects that house relics) were created for both sacred and private spaces.

These highly artistic reliquaries, often made from precious metals and stones, were considered befitting containers to enshrine these objects that directly connected worshippers to the divine. Three outstanding reliquaries spanning three centuries, now part of museum collections, represents the breadth of relics and reliquary forms from the Middle Ages.

Processional Cross

Reverse side of the Processional Cross, circa 11501175. Silver, partially gilt on wood core, carved gems, and jewels. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. (Public Domain)

The Metropolitan Museum of Arts sumptuous 12th-century Processional Cross, made in Asturias, Spain, conveys both luxury and spirituality with its liberal use of silver and gilding, as well as gems and antique intaglios set in gilded filigree bars. Traditionally, a processional cross takes center stage during liturgical processions. It is often hung above the altar when not in use, allowing it to be visible to the congregation.

On the front of Processional Cross, above the hammered golden halo of a crowned and triumphant Christ is a piece of rock crystal. This crystal covers a cavity which still holds an unidentifiable relic.

The reverse side of this processional cross reliquary is beautifully designed with fluid foliate motifs that meander horizontally and vertically, giving the composition a cyclic, balanced structure. The center of the cross shows the Lamb of God.

Detailed arms of Processional Cross reliquary with (L-R) the symbols of Saint Mark, Saint John, and Saint Luke. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Public Domain)

The crosss arms display fine metalwork figures that appear to be symbols of the Evangelists: the lion for Saint Mark, the eagle for Saint John, the ox for Saint Luke, and the angel for Saint Matthew. The Latin inscription on the back of the cross states, In honor of the Holy Savior: Sanccia (Sancha) Guidisalvi had me made. The feminine ending of the name suggests that either the goldsmith or the donor of this artwork was a woman, adding an air of mystery to this powerful piece.

Arm Reliquary

Arm Reliquary, circa 1230. Silver, gilded silver, niello, and gems. The Cloisters Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. (Public Domain)

At The Met Cloisters there is a gallery called the Treasury, which displays small-scale, luxurious artworks made of precious materials reflecting great medieval artistic achievement. One of its displayed artworks, which would have been an important object in a contemporaneous church treasury, is a South Netherlandish Arm Reliquary from the 13th century. Composed of a gilt bronze hand and a silver arm over an oak base, the reliquary is richly decorated with fine gold filigree, gems, and plaques made of niello (a black compound of sulfur and silver inlaid on metal surfaces). The plaques portray a mixture of purely decorative patterns and figurative images, which include Saints Peter and Paul.

Authors Peter Barnet and Nancy Wu, in The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture, explain that the creation of hand and arm reliquaries date to the beginning of the early Middle Ages. When such an object was carried in procession, its powerful image could be seen, even at a distance, by worshippers. Analyzing this example from The Met Cloisters, Barnet and Wu write that the hand gestures in benediction, with the thumb and first two fingers raised. Sanctity of the relics, regardless of their type, would have served to increase the sacral power of this gesture.

There are two cavities for relics in Arm Reliquary, which were presumably covered with rock crystals, as in The Mets Processional Cross. However, the crystal and relics are now lost.

Pendant of the Holy Thorn

Reliquary Pendant of the Holy Thorn, circa 1340. Gold, thorn, amethyst, enamel, and rock crystal, The British Museum, London. (Paul Hudson/CC BY 2.0)

The 14th-century Reliquary Pendant of the Holy Thorn, which is part of The British Museums permanent collection, has an exterior that is set with a large kidney-shaped cabochon amethyst that informs the shape of the pendant but gives no hint as to the interior relic.

On a podcast episode from Les Enluminures, a gallery specializing in medieval and renaissance art, associate Kristen Racaniello explains the importance of amethysts in Christianity: It is the final foundation stone of heavenly Jerusalem as described by John in Revelation. Racaniello described how personal reliquary jewels were intended for one user. When it adorned a persons body, it protected the wearer and provided literal contact with the holy relic.

These intimate, wearable reliquaries were often made of the same luxurious materials, such as gems, precious metals, and enamel, as larger reliquaries. The interior of Reliquary Pendant of the Holy Thorn reveals three leaves stacked like pages in a book. They are made of dazzling basse-taille enamel, a technique in which shallow wells are cut into a metal base. The enamel is laid in thin, translucent sheets which allows the metal to shine through. Each leaf in this reliquary pendant is divided into two sections, which depict biblical narratives including the Nativity, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Virgin and Child Enthroned, the Crucifixion, and the Descent from the Cross. In addition, there is a secular scene showing a praying king and queen.

According to Naomi Speakman, a curator at The British Museum, these figures may be the French royal couple King Philip VI and Jeanne de Bourgogne, conceivably identifiable due to the reliquary pendants date of creation and its Parisian manufacture. The central leaf showing the Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds is a painted piece of vellum covered by rock crystal (imitating enamelwork) that conceals the relic of the Holy Thorn, topped with a small gold crown, wrote Speakman in a catalogue note. A holy thorn from the Crown of Thorns, worn by Christ, was a celebrated medieval relic and is an example of a relic subcategory: Passion relicsobjects that touched Christ at the time of the Passion.

These three reliquaries are now housed in museums and are no longer actively used in a religious context. However, they still engage the modern viewer in artistic appreciation and can inspire spiritual contemplation. This is the timeless power of these objects.
Hong Kong National Security Police Take Away a Sculpture Under the Name of Inciting Others to Subvert State Power

The eight-meter-high (26-foot-high) "Pillar of Shame" by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot to pay tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing on June 4, 1989, is seen before it is set to be removed at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Hong Kong, on Oct. 12, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

On May 5, The National Security Bureau of the Hong Kong Police seized the Pillar of Shame (June 4 memorial statue), a sculpture created by Danish artist Jens Galschit, claiming the sculpture to be related to a national security case of inciting others to subvert state power.

Jens Galschit, owner and creator of the Pillar of Shame, called the event crazy and outrageous. He affirmed that the symbolic language of art could never be crushed and would only get stronger when attacked.

In his news release responding to the seizure, Galschit was confused about how Hong Kong could use his property, the Pillar of Shame, as evidence in any National Security case, as The initiative has been mine, nobody has incited me to put it there, and I personally paid all expenses for it.

Pillar Of Shame in Hong Kong

Portrayed and engraved with distorted bodies and agonizing faces, Pillar of Shame is an art sculpture commemorating victims of different massacres.

The art sculpture series contained six pieces, The other statues stood around the world, in Rome, Mexico City, Brasilia, Copenhagen, and Berlin.

The Pillar of Shame in Hong Kong was completed in 1997 for the June 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre victims. It was placed permanently at the University of Hong Kong in June 1997 until Dec. 22, 2021.

In the early hours of Dec. 22, 2021, the management of the University of Hong Kong abruptly and quietly removed the statue from its campus. They took apart the Pillar of Shame before loading the statue onto a container truck and transporting it away.

Blatant Violation of Human Rights

Ngo Dei, a group founded by Hongkongers in the Czech Republic that once assisted Galschit in displaying his sculptures, issued a statement condemning the Hong Kong Police for their action and has launched a joint effort online.

Ngo Dei described the incident as deeply troubling. The Hong Kong Police used the incitement to subversion as an excuse to seize the Pillar of Shame monument, a powerful symbol of democracy and human rights.

The group also said that the Hong Kong Police infringed on freedom of art and attacked the memory and legacy of the Tiananmen Square Massacre victims.

We urge the Hong Kong authorities to respect artistic freedom and immediately return the Pillar of Shame. We also call on the international community to join us in condemning this blatant violation of human rights and creative freedom and to pressure the Hong Kong government to protect the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens. The group cited.

On May 6, Ngo Dei launched a signing petition on change.org, demanding the authorities to free the Pillar of Shame and explain to the public and Danish artist Mr. Jens Galschit the reasons for confiscating the Pillar of Shame and how it is related to any relevant legal case.

The human rights organization reiterated that the Hong Kong Police had no right to confiscate the Pillar of Shame owned by Jens Galschit, not the University of Hong Kong.

National Security Bureaus Response

On May 6, Hong Kong Security Bureau admitted in an official statement that The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force conducted searches with a warrant and seized an exhibit related to an incitement to subversion case under the National Security Law.

The Bureau strongly condemned an organization for making false accusations against the police action. The authorities also described their confiscation of the Pillar Of Shame as evidence collection which was legal, reasonable, and rational.

Chris P.K. Tang, Secretary for Security, told reporters after appearing on a radio program the case in question had entered legal procedures. Therefore, he could not comment on it.

Tang mentioned that the case had been investigated for a while but denied that the police action was related to June 4.

Sculpture Owner: Crazy and Outrageous

Galschit commented on the incident in an interview with Radio Free Asia, It is crazy and outrageous.

He said that the statue had been erected on the campus of The University of Hong Kong for 20 years before Hong Kong was handed over back to China by the British.

Galschit added that the political repression of the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government violated his private property, and the regime abducted The Pillar of Shame.

He reckoned the event confirmed that the symbolic language of art could not be crushed and would only get stronger when attacked. The language of art symbolism could never be destroyed, The more suppressed it is, the stronger it will only become.

On May 6, Galschit expressed his shock on Ed Chin World on YouTube when talking about removing his sculpture from The University of Hong Kong campus in 2021. He suspected the Police wanted to use The Pillar of Shame as court evidence against the democratic movement. He had asked for the return of the pillar, but the Police never responded after a year and a half of waiting.

Galschit also said the Hong Kong governments statement was odd because it mentioned protecting Hong Kong citizens freedom yet restricting it at the same time.
House GOP Leadership Reacts to Santos Charges

House Republican leaders, citing a need for the legal process to play out, have not called on Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign following Santos arrest on May 10 on federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos surrendered to authorities on the same day the 13-count indictment against him was revealed in the U.S. Eastern District Court in New York. At his court appearance, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Santos, 34, the newly elected congressman who represents New Yorks 3rd Congressional District, which is made up of parts of Long Island and the New York borough of Queens, has contended with revelations of a long list of lies, distortions, and fabrications on his resume, and the narrative of his life he shared with the voters of his district and the broader public.

Nine GOP rank-and-file members of the House, including six from New York, called on Santos to step down. But for now, GOP House leadership is not joining in.

At issue for the GOP is the thin majority, 222-213, it holds in the House, making every vote critical.

Following the Legal Process

At a media appearance after the indictment, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was asked if he would continue to support Santos.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to the press after meeting President Joe Biden and other leaders at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

McCarthy referred to recent history involving two members of Congress, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), who were both indicted. Juries dropped charges against Menendez and issued a guilty verdict in the Fortenberry case.

I havent seen the indictment, but as you know, with George Santos, I did not put him on any committees, said McCarthy. For those, like Sen. Menendez, who was indicted, and who went to trial, he was still able to vote  hes chairman of the [Senate Foreign Relations] committee today.

In America, well just follow the same pattern weve always had, right? If a person is indicted, theyre not on committees, they have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial. Just like, we had a member, Fortenberry. He had the same ability. I removed him from committees. But he was found guilty, and then I told him he needed to resign.

During a May 10 news conference, House leadership members had been scheduled to discuss the immigration crisis along the nations southern border. But Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was asked if the efforts of House Republicans to pass a bill intended to help the government recover pandemic unemployment benefits that were received fraudulently would be weakened with the Santos charges, which include unemployment fraud.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks at a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 25, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

He [Santos] was already removed from all of his committees, said Scalise. There is a legal process. The charges just came out. We just saw some of them this morning. And so, in America, theres a presumption of innocence. But theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process.

Scalise then changed direction, saying, But were going to continue to work to root out fraud, and theres lots of it. And were talking about tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars. And fraud in many federal programs. Weve pointed this out.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference chair, whose district covers parts of upstate New York, said she has been consistent from the very beginning on questions on this subject. This legal process is going to play itself out. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a member of Congress from either party has been indicted. There are a set of rules, and as the Majority Leader stated, he [Santos] voluntarily had stepped down from his committees.

Stefanik then steered the conversation elsewhere.

We are committed to making sure that we root out any fraud when it comes to unemployment pandemic assistance and were working to have support from our conference, and its good policy, and we urge the Democrats to vote in support of it, she said.
Increasing Competition in Canada: Simply Changing the Law Misses the Point, Says Economist

Canadian consumers starved for choice in multiple products and services

An Air Canada flight departing for Toronto taxis to a runway as a WestJet flight bound for Palm Springs takes off at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., in this file photo. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

News Analysis

Canada is abound with industries dominated by a handful of players, resulting in higher prices for consumers, less innovation, and weaker economic growth. Ottawa aims to increase competition by revising its outdated legal framework, but a veteran economist says its government actions that have been undercutting competition and continue to do so.

Its farcical for the government to pretend that its encouraging competition through changes in competition law, Philip Cross, former chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada and Munk senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), told The Epoch Times.

The fundamental problem of competition in Canada is not the competition lawthe whole culture of how governments in Canada interact or work with the business sector, in particular, shelter in large parts of the business sector.

Cross wrote a paper on competition policy in April for the MLI in which he argued that there is little point in changing Canadas Competition Act without broader changes in government policies and attitudes toward business, such as restrictions on foreign companies entering the market and with policies like supply management for certain agricultural products.

The greater hindrance to competition in Canada is the behaviour of governments, not of firms, Cross wrote.

Canadians pay among the highest prices in the world for wireless services, given the lack of competition with three major players Rogers, Bell, and Telus. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced on May 9 that its aiming to increase cellphone competition for consumers by having the large players share their networks.

Canadians dont have much choice for domestic flights, with the industry dominated by Air Canada and WestJet. Banking is dominated by six big banks. Furthermore, the grocery sector is concentrated in the hands of Loblaws, Sobeys, and Metro.

A pie chart shows the concentration in the grocery business in Canada. (Statista / BNN Bloomberg screenshot)

Last October, the Competition Bureau of Canada, an independent law enforcement agency, launched an investigation into grocery store competition and expects to publish findings in June.

Matthew Boswell, commissioner of competition at the Competition Bureau, said in a May 4 statement that Canada has a deep history with monopolies and that the country urgently needs more competition.

One reason for his plea was that he wanted to address arguments against competition reform that had been raised after the bureau put forth recommendations for modernizing competition law in March, senior communications adviser for the Competition Bureau Marcus Callaghan told The Epoch Times.

The recommendations came after a consultation period and simply aim to get us to the starting line alongside our global trading partners who make competition a pillar of their economic policy, Boswell wrote.

Cultural Attitudes

Cross said in his paper that the government could rapidly foster more competition by easing regulations like inter-provincial trade barriers, opening up large segments of the economy that are currently insulated from competition, and fostering a more entrepreneurial culture.

These initiatives would have a larger and longer-lasting impact on competition in Canadas economy than the changes currently being contemplated to the Competition Act, he wrote.

But one thing he points out about Canada is that, despite undertaking pro-growth policies like immigration and free trade, the country severely undermines itself by an indifference bordering on hostility to business interests  as Canada mistakenly relies on its public sector to drive growth.

Cross added that if the government tightens competition laws, the business community will interpret it as another government attack on business. He said its hard to imagine that stricter laws will encourage entrepreneurs to start firms and make investments that drive long-term growth.

If the government wanted to improve competition in this country, it could do so through its own actions, not through changes to competition law, Cross told The Epoch Times.

Nevertheless, one of the Competition Bureaus three main recommendations focuses on re-tooling merger reviews to address increasingly uncompetitive markets and harm to public interest in competition.

Our law can allow anticompetitive business mergers, creating more concentrated markets, and as a result, higher prices for Canadians, Boswell said in his statement.

The bureau opposed the $26 billion Rogers-Shaw deal but the federal court of appeal ruled against it, and the government subsequently approved the takeover in March.

Online Streaming Act

Bill C-11, the online streaming act, became law on April 27, and many have pointed to the potential consequences for a free and open internet, said Timothy Denton, chairman of the Internet Society, Canada Chapter, in a May 9 statement from OpenMedia, describing it as a dangerous expansion of government regulation in Canada.

The legislation is another attempt to narrow the range of views in the public sphere, which is symptomatic of the lack of competition in media and broadcasting, Cross explains.

Internet advocates have stressed throughout Bill C-11s evaluation process that efforts to promote Canadian content must respect internet users rights. The concern is the enormous growth in power for the CRTC as regulator, Denton wrote.

Cross has argued that correcting government actions that favour producers over consumers would increase competition in the marketplace.

The International Monetary Fund and former Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins have said that when a few large firms dominate industries in an economy, it could be a drag on economic growth, innovation, and business investment.

Furthermore, the pandemic provided big business with a chance to gain even greater market share over smaller competitors, which were unable to weather the restrictions and also became less able to compete for labour.
UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Abyei-related issues should not be subjected to the negative impact of the situation in Sudan, a Chinese envoy said Tuesday.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks while speaking at a Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan.

China hopes that the parties concerned will continue to accumulate favorable conditions for the settlement of the final status of Abyei, he said.

Sudan and South Sudan are disputing the oil-rich Abyei region on the border, which represents one of the biggest obstacles hindering the settlement of differences between the two countries.

In 2011, the UN Security Council established the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to monitor the Abyei border.

"Sudan and South Sudan are parties to the issues related to Abyei," Dai said, noting that a political solution in this connection cannot be achieved without dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

In the previous period, bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan keep improving. The leaders of the two countries maintained close engagement on the situation in Abyei, considered the formation of a joint security force along the border, and sent positive signals on addressing the final status of Abyei, he said.

"All of these have laid a good political foundation for the ultimate settlement of the Abyei-related issues, which is very encouraging for China," Dai said.

It is regrettable that the current instability in Sudan may affect and complicate the resolution of the Abyei issue, he said.

"We wish to see an early ceasefire in Sudan, and believe that Sudan and South Sudan will continue the momentum of dialogue and cooperation and implement the consensus already reached," said the envoy. 
IRS Data Confirms California Exodus, State Lost $29.1 Billion Tax Base

The Internal Revenue Service building is seen in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2013. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Recently released data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reveals the extent of migration out of California, with a significant number of people moving out between 20202021 and taking their billions of dollars in income with them.

Approximately 332,000 more taxpayers left the state than entered in the year following the onset of the pandemic, according to IRS data analyzing differences in zip codes on tax filings as compared to the prior year.

According to the data, the state lost $29.1 billion in taxable personal income in 2021 following a loss of $18 billion in 2020.

Businesses are leaving as well, and more are considering a move soon, according to a survey of CEOs conducted by Professor of Economics Jim Doti at Chapman University in collaboration with three University of California campuses: Irvine, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

As many as 50 percent of CEOs are suggesting theyre planning to leave California, he said in EpochTVs Leaving California documentary, citing high taxes, regulations, and housing prices as the motivating factors.

He additionally said its not just about a loss of tax revenue.

The greatest loss to a state is the loss of human capital, not just jobs or businesses, Doti said. If graduate students move to Texas and Florida, it will have a negative impact that is magnified because were losing our best and brightest.

The IRS data revealed Texas as the number one destination for ex-Californians, with more than 52,000 tax returns coming from households that moved there between 2020 and 2021, representing approximately 105,000 people.

More than 60,000 moved to Arizona, with another 50,000 relocating to Nevada. Washington State and Florida each drew more than 40,000, according to the IRS.

Statistics from the states Legislative Analysts Office showed that Californias net migration tracked with cheaper home prices, with the states median home sale price currently more than double the national average.

States drawing the greatest number are those with no income tax, including Texas, where median home prices are $341,300 compared to Californias $742,800, according to Redfinan online real estate broker.

Texas, however, makes up for its lack of income tax revenues with significantly higher property taxes that are re-adjusted according to market prices.

Additionally, high taxes on energy and fuel are in part responsible for the increased cost of living in California, a primary factor driving many to leave the state, according to experts. Gas prices average $4.84 a gallon as of May 4, as compared with $3.57 nationally.

In a 2021 report (pdf), former State Controller Betty Yee called attention to the issue.

Concerns have been raised that changing migration patterns may limit Californias ability to raise revenue via its income tax system, she said. The evidence available to date suggests that recent net out migration from California has reduced, but not reversed, the rate of growth in California income tax revenues.

In addition, there is mathematically less money flowing in the Golden States economy, a factor that will impact businesses and local municipalities, as gross sales and sales tax revenues will inevitably decline with the loss of income, according to experts.

Less income, less tax revenue, and less spending lead to a less vibrant California economy, Chapmans Doti said.

New York is in a similar situation, having lost $45 billion in taxable income over the same two-year period, according to the IRS report.

Similarities between the two states leading to migration outflows include their high tax rates, cost of living, and the timing and severity of their pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, according to experts.

Data from MyMovean online moving companyshows California and New York losing the most residents, with Texas gaining more than any other state during the pandemic.
Jonathan Edwards was on one of his daily nature walks. Suddenly, he stopped. He said a prayer and, as he took in the nature around him, a big smile came across his face. He smelled the trees and took in their every detail. He listened to the gentle sounds of insects that flew by. Gods creation was perfect and beautiful.

Edwards was raised in colonial America and entered Yale at the age of 13. Upon graduation, he started studying all things related to science and nature because he found the glory of God present in the natural world.

He grew up having a strong faith, and in 1727 Edwards was ordained a minister in Northampton, Massachusetts.

As a religious leader, Edwards noticed that the society around him had started to change, and he constantly worked on ways to save the new colonists from falling into the temptations of evil. In the 1730s, Edwards gave a number of sermons that made him popular in religious circles.

Even though his sermons didnt explicitly discuss an appreciation for nature, Edwardss inspiration grew from his dedication to taking the time to enjoy everything in the world around him.

The Sermon

In 1741, Edwards preached his most famous sermon that would make his name remembered well after his death. He first gave this sermon, entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, to his Northampton congregation. The sermon was so well received that he preached it again on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut.

For this sermon, Edwards drew attention for employing what Britannica calls preaching of terror. The sermon is now considered a classic example of fire and brimstone preaching.

People responded to his vivid depictions of Hell, and more and more people chose Christianity to avoid facing the wrath of God.

The cadence, imagery, sentence structure, ideas, and thrust all spoke of Edwards time, beliefs, and aim, the Forest Baptist Church said of Edwardss famous sermon. The power was not in the delivery, but in the content. As he spoke, men and women began openly weeping in the church. They shouted. Some screamed in horror. They interrupted him, yelling back at Edwards, What must I do to be saved? Some, it was said, white-knuckled the pillars and grabbed the pews fearing that, at any moment, they might tumble into the abyss.

When most think of fire and brimstone, they think of preachers shouting at their congregation to get their point across. Edwardss style, though, was quite different. As author George Marsden explained in his book, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, Edwards did not raise his voice or yell. When he preached, he often used a quiet voice filled with vivid emotion.

His most famous sermon would go on to be used heavily in religious circles for the next 200 years. The sermon is still read and studied by Christians and historians to this day.

This sermon has gone down in history as one of the major catalysts for The First Great Awakening. Cover of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, delivered by Rev. Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741. (Public Domain)

According to USHistory.org, The First Great Awakening was a period when spirituality and religious devotion were revived. This feeling swept through the American colonies between the 1730s and 1770s.

And some say that Edwardss influence went even further. He was elected the third president of Princeton University and is also known as being a major contributor to the American Enlightenment era. Also called the Age of Reason, this period, from around 1680 to 1820, saw a change of thought and religious views.

According to Harvard University, Enlightenment ideals of rationalism and intellectual and religious freedom pervaded the American colonial religious landscape, and these values were instrumental in the American Revolution and the creation of a nation without an established religion.
In the first episode of a new American Thought Leaders sub-series called American Thought Leaders: Now, featuring short, timely interviews on the big news and burning topics of the day, we chat with Kash Patel, former Department of Defense chief of staff, former federal prosecutor, and former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump.

We discuss the verdict in the recent TrumpCaroll case, why Patel believes this might be a case of jury nullification, and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountabilitys recent 36-page memorandum on payments to President Joe Biden and members of his family. According to the memo, bank records show the Biden family received $10 million in payments from China and foreign interests.
LA Teachers Union Approves a 21 Percent Salary Increase

Members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) approved a new contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that would give employees a 21 percent salary increase, as both parties came to an agreement.

The agreement would raise the average teacher salary to $106,000, a 21 percent wage increase over three years.

UTLA, which represents more than 35,000 teachers, counselors, nurses, and librarians, voted with 94 percent approving the contract terms, which include raising salaries, reducing class sizes, and adding school staff over the next three years.

The agreement requires LAUSD officials to provide continued support for students through attendance counselors, psychiatric social workers, and school psychologistsand limits class sizes for special education.

The contract also provides immigrant support and efforts to provide housing, both for union members and low-income families of students..

Los Angeles Unified School District workers and supporters rally in Los Angeles State Historic Park on the last day of a strike over a new contract in Los Angeles on March 23, 2023. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, acknowledges the impact of the pandemic and how it affected students and the lack of investments needed to provide quality education to students.

Myart-Cruz believes the new contract will set a national standard for all other educators, where students are supported in a healthy learning environment.

LAUSD now has an opportunity to become one of the most successful school districts in the country. We held the line during bargaining on a number of initiatives because educators are the experts on what has the ability to transform LAUSD into a more equitable environment that not only improves students learning but also the quality of life for LA families, Myart-Cruz said in a statement. Smaller class sizes will give our kids the attention and care they require, and competitive salaries will ensure our schools can successfully hire, retain and develop successful teachers and educators to mold our young leaders of tomorrow.

In March, teachers went on a three-day strike, which kept thousands of students out of classes during that time. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the delay in an agreement was disappointing and students needed to be back in the classroom, especially since the COVID-19 lockdowns had affected students academic progress.

Were talking about LAUSD employees that make very low wages and some of them are really struggling to meet their basic needs so you should know I have been deeply engaged with both the superintendent and the head of the union and I am hopeful that they will be able to come to a resolution very shortly, Bass said in an interview with local abc7 news.

Bass said shell do whatever it takes to support the unions negotiations with LAUSD to help get students and teachers back in the classroom, so parents can go back to work.

Whatever it takes to bring both sides together to get resolution, that is what Im going to do, Bass added. We cant have the schools shut down. We went through how many months, how many years. Two years of schools being shut down. Kids need to be in school. Families need to be at work.

District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho last month said he is grateful that UTLA reached an agreement with the district and will help teachers and employees feel more secure in choosing to work for the district.

This agreement with UTLA is a necessary step not only to make Los Angeles Unified the district of choice for families but also the district of choice for teachers and employees, Carvalho said in a statement. I am grateful that we reached an agreement with UTLA in a manner that reflects the dedicated work of our employees, provides a better academic experience for our students and raises the standards of compensation in Los Angeles and across the country.

LAUSD and UTLA also agreed to reduce the class size of two students in all academic classes, grades TK-12, hire additional counselors to provide college counseling in all high schools with 900 or more students, and increase Professional Development through Banked Time Tuesdays every week at every school, the agreement states.

Were extremely proud of the progress we made and we sincerely hope school districts across the country are able to envision whats possible when educators and student families are viewed as partners, not obstacles, Myart-Cruz concluded.
Loopholes in Lobbying, Ethics Rules Facilitate Foreign Interference, MPs Hear

Democracy Watch says some rules supported by MPs are making it easier for interference to occur

A Canadian flag hangs from a lamp post along the road in front of the Parliament buildings ahead of Canada Day in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Canadian MPs have made formal decisions regarding ethics and lobbying rules that make it easier for foreign interference to occur, an advocacy group told MPs at a parliamentary committee.

Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch testified at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on May 9, as part of its study on foreign interference.

The implementation of a foreign agent registry to curb the issue is currently being looked at by the federal government, but Conacher raised doubts about its eventual effectiveness and noted other areas that need an overhaul.

Simply putting in place a foreign agent registry, especially if its loophole filled, will not do much to stop foreign interference, said Conacher, who heads the non-profit organization dedicated to democratic reform and government accountability.

Loopholes in election donation and spending, lobbying, and ethics rules currently make secret foreign interference relatively easy, as does the very weak and cabinet appointed watchdogs who have very weak enforcement powers and also very weak attitudes generally, and practices in terms of enforcement.

Conacher said the foreign influence registry must require anyone to sign up whether theyre being compensated directly or indirectly by a foreign government.

If the registry only requires people or entities paid to directly influence Canadian politics, then they will easily be able to avoid being required to register by arranging to be compensated for other services or in some other way while doing the influence activities for free, he said.

The government has announced consultations on an eventual registry amid pressure created by multiple national security leaks in the press suggesting widespread interference by the Chinese regime.

While acknowledging this future project to help curb nefarious activities by foreign agents, Conacher pointed to what he called loopholes backed by MPs that can be exploited by foreign interference actors.

He pointed to proposed changes to the lobbying code, which he said will gut key ethical lobbying rules.

Review of Lobbying Rules

MPs on the House of Commons ethics committee have reviewed, earlier this year, proposed changes to lobbying rules brought by the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying.

Chair of the committee, Conservative MP John Brassard, wrote to the Commissioner of Lobbying Nancy Belanger in March on various issues regarding her proposed changes to the code.

He said members approved, with the exception of the NDP committee member, the commissioners recommendation to reduce the length of the cooling-off period which prevents someone who contributed to a political campaign to lobby the elected officials shortly afterward.

Belanger seeks to better define and reduce the current period of an election cycle, typically four years, to two years or even one in some circumstances.

During consultation, several stakeholders submitted concerns that keeping a rule related to political engagement in the Code could infringe a lobbyists Charter rights related to participating in the democratic process, she wrote in the updated code submitted for committee review.

Brassard told The Epoch Times he expects the commissioner to address the committees comments and recommendations before its officially updated. He did not comment on Conachers remarks before committee.

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying didnt return a request for comment by publication time.

Conacher also criticized the work of the committee before which he testified with regard to changes it recommended to the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House Commons.

In its report to the House on its review of the code, in June 2022, the committee recommended that the work of interns in members offices be not counted as a benefit. The House approved the review on March 30.

Conacher says this allows lobby groups including, foreign-sponsored lobby groups, to pay secretly for interns in your office.

So essentially, you have made it legal now for foreign-sponsored groups to plant spies in MPs offices and pay for them in secret with no disclosure.
Lori Lightfoot Declares Emergency as Chicago Reaches Breaking Point With Illegal Immigrants

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks with the press after casting her ballot at an early voting location in Chicago on Feb. 20, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has declared a state of emergency as the sanctuary city reaches a breaking point while it struggles to cope with an influx of illegal immigrants bussed from Texas border towns.

The May 9 emergency declaration comes as the number of individuals and family groups arriving in Chicago surges, the mayors office said in a statement.

I declare that a state of emergency exists in the City of Chicago as a result of the migrant inflow  exceeding the Citys ability to manage that inflow, Lightfoot, a Democrat, said in her emergency declaration (pdf).

Lightfoot requested Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker mobilize the National Guard to provide staffing and logistical support as the housing of illegal immigrants spills over from established and new facilities into police stations, where some are temporarily sheltering.

Chicago has received more than 8,000 illegal immigrants since August 2022, stretching its resources to the limit. The city has redirected some people to other towns, prompting criticism from conservatives. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has pointed out that border towns will soon be expecting roughly 10,000 border crosses per day, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security, when President Joe Biden ends Title 42 on May 11.

Title 42 has been used to swiftly expel illegal immigrants at the border to Mexico amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was first implemented in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, to stem the spread of the virus in crowded detention settings.

Lightfoots office said the matter requires swift action.

This humanitarian crisis has required collective and swift action, which is why the City has partnered with a variety of City departments, Aldermen, community-based organizations, and community leaders to identify sites to serve as temporary respite centers and temporary shelters to address this recent surge in new arrivals, Lightfoots office said in a statement.

Abbott has been bussing illegal immigrants from Texas to various Democrat-run sanctuary cities, like Chicago, since August 2022 to highlight the number of immigrants border towns deal with daily and as a form of protest against Bidens response to record-high illegal border crossings.

The illegal immigrants arriving in Chicago and other cities were apprehended by federal authorities upon entering the United States and later released in border towns. The governors of border states, such as Texas, Arizona, and Florida, have then offered bus transport to Chicago, New York, and others.

Their mayors have criticized this strategy as inhumane and racist. So-called sanctuary cities have historically refused to cooperate with federal immigration authorities that might arrest or deport illegal immigrants.

Lightfoots office said the city will set up new locations to prepare for more arrivals and to relieve Chicago Police Department districts.

The City has continued to call on federal and state governments to support the new arrival mission with much-needed additional funding and resources for emergency shelter and resettlement, as there are not enough resources currently to meet the need, the mayors office said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference in Austin, Texas, on March 15, 2023. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Texas Deploys New Special Border Force

Abbott announced the deployment of a special border force on May 8, days ahead of the end of Title 42, which has turned back millions of illegal immigrants in recent years.

Specially trained Texas National Guard members will form the Texas Tactical Border Force, which will be sent via Black Hawk helicopters to areas along the U.S.Mexico border. They will join Texas National Guard soldiers already deployed as part of Operation Lone Star.

The Biden administration has previously estimated that roughly 300,000 border crossers may be expected once Title 42 ends.

With the ending of Title 42 on Thursday, President Biden is laying down the welcome mat to people across the entire world, but Texas is deploying our new Texas Tactical Border Force, Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott expects the new border force to bolster Operation Lone Star and help to intercept and repel large groups of illegal immigrants trying to enter Texas after Biden terminates Title 42. A similar tactic was used in El Paso successfully last December, the governor said at a news conference on May 8.

The elite National Guard team will focus on surges that occur and identify and shut down crossing points, Abbott said. They will have access to aircraft, boats, night vision equipment, and riot gear, he added.

Many of the border crossers expected to arrive once Title 42 ends are from Mexico, Venezuela, and Central America and come with the expectation that theyll be permitted entry to the United States under the current administrations policies.

At the news conference, Abbott said hed continue bussing illegal immigrants to Chicago and New York. Officials in New York recently announced theyd send hundreds of illegal immigrants to a small city in Rockland County, which alarmed local officials who declared a state of emergency.

Lightfoot Begs Abbott to Stop Sending Arrivals

Lightfoot recently wrote to Abbott on May 1, asking him to stop busing illegal immigrants to her city.

We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources to accommodate an increase of individuals at this level, with little coordination or care, that does not pose a risk to them or others, Lightfoots letter reads.

She begged him to stop this inhumane and dangerous action, saying that many of the arrivals have been in need of food, water, clothing, and extensive medical care.

I am, yet again, appealing to your better nature and asking that you stop this inhumane and dangerous action, her letter reads. Since we began responding to the arrival of migrants sent by your delegation in August 2022, we have shouldered the responsibility of caring for more than 8,000 men, women, and children with no resources of their own. That number continues to grow.

In response, Abbott told Lightfoot that Texas border towns deal with far more illegal immigrants than Chicago has seen.

As the mayor of a self-declared sanctuary city, it is ironic to hear you complain about Chicagos struggle to deal with a few thousand illegal immigrants, which is a fraction of the record-high numbers we deal with in Texas on a regular basis, Abbotts letter states. Texas border towns like Eagle Pass, Brownsville, and Laredoand even bigger cities like El Pasocannot handle the flood of illegal immigrants rushing across our southern border.

Ryan Morgan and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Takes Steps to Expand Street Medicine Services for Homeless

A homeless man sleeps on the streets of Los Angeles in December of 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

LOS ANGELESThe Los Angeles City Council voted May 9 to approve a report calling for the appropriation of funding, staffing, and other resources to expand street medicine teams and services at all city-funded interim housing sites.

The council directed its city administrative officer to report back within 30 days with recommendations that would increase the teams and enable them to provide medical, mental, and behavioral health services.

The council also directed its chief legislative analyst to seek state and federal grants and potential agreements with the county of Los Angeless departments of mental health and health service as possible funding sources.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman introduced a motion in early April seeking to invest in the citys street medicine services. According to the motion, the city had already made a sizeable investment in the program, expanding it in February from one to three teams that serve Council Districts 1, 4, 8, 9, 13, and 14.

The motion cited an urgent need to provide more on-site medicine services at interim shelters, many of which are not equipped with the staff or resources to provide necessary services for unhoused Angelenos.

Los Angeles councilwoman Nithya Raman attends Womens March Action: March 4 Reproductive Rights at Pershing Square in Los Angeles, on Oct. 02, 2021. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Recent surveys and studies indicate that 40 percent to 67 percent of homeless Angelenos have either a mental illness or a substance abuse disorder, while over 20 percent have a physical disability, the motion says.

The teams provide services such as general medical care, preventive care, wound care, behavioral health services such as counseling, therapy and medication treatment, addiction recovery services, and medical care management by coordinating specialist visits, medication delivery, and health insurance enrollment.

Last November, the state Department of Health Services released guidance encouraging Medi-Cal insurers to fund and partner with organizations that bring primary care into encampments. The city was able to cover a large portion of street medicine-related costs by billing Medi-Cal.

Healthcare in Action, a street medicine provider, estimates that adequate health services at interim housing sites would require half-day clinics once per week for 50 people, and half-day clinics twice per week at interim housing for 100 people.

According to Healthcare in Action, the annual cost for each weekly half-day clinic is approximately $24,000. Ramans motion indicated that there remains $4 million unspent and unallocated in a general city purposes fund that could be used to expand the street medicine program.

We should take action now to ensure that these funds are spent on the badly needed, life-saving services provided by street medicine teams, and that these teams are able to continue seeing clients that they serve on the street after they transition indoors, the motion says.
McCarthy Leaves Open Whether Santos Will Be Removed from Congress After Charges

Representative-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, on Nov. 19, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) would not say that Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.) must leave the House of Representatives as the latter faces criminal charges from the Biden administrations Justice Department.

Ill look at the charges, McCarthy told reporters on May 9, during a press conference mainly focused on debt ceiling negotiations with President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other congressional leaders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2023. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

The embattled freshman Congressman faces federal charges in the Eastern District of New York. An indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, charged Santos with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos has faced a litany of accusations since taking office, against a backdrop of demonstrably false statements by the lawmaker, ranging from the trivial to the potentially criminal.

The nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center alleged that he violated federal campaign finance law during the midterms.

He described himself as a terrible liar during a February interview with Piers Morgan.

Although McCarthy granted Santos committee assignments at start of the 118th Congress, Santos soon stepped down from those assignments.

Other New York Republicans went on to introduce a bill targeting individuals indicted for campaign finance violations, in a move inspired by Santos.

Con artists, liars, and fabulists who lied their way into Congress should not be able to monetize their lies, and this legislative package would ensure they are unable to do so, Rep. Anthony DEsposito (R-N.Y.). a co-sponsor of the legislation, told The Epoch Times at the time.

Yet, Santos has also positioned himself as a close ally of former President Donald Trump.

During Trumps arraignment in early April, Santos appeared outside the courtroom, drawing considerable media attention of his own.

Santos could be crucial for McCarthy and other Republican leaders as they seek to advance their legislative agenda with only a narrow majority, a Democrat-dominated Senate, and Biden in the White House.

House Democrats introduced a resolution expel the lawmaker in February.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Santos staff for comment.

This article was updated with the unsealed charges.

Correction: A previous version of this article gave McCarthy an incorrect House title. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Met Police Chief Reveals How Protesters Planned to Disrupt Coronation

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, takes an oath to King Charles III at New Scotland Yard in central London on Sept. 12, 2022. (PA)

Protesters at the coronation were planning to use rape alarms and loud hailers, as well as vandalise monuments and throw paint at the procession, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has revealed.

Months of planning were to be undermined by people who, according to Rowley, were posing a security threat to the crowds and the procession.

By Friday evening, only 12 hours from the coronation, we had become extremely concerned by a rapidly developing intelligence picture suggesting the coronation could suffer. This included people intent on using rape alarms and loud hailers as part of their protest which would have caused distress to military horses. We also had intelligence that people intended to extensively vandalise monuments, throw paint at the procession, and incur on to the route, Rowley wrote in the Evening Standard.

The police also received concerns about how some of this disruption would significantly unsettle their 160-strong mounted regiments, with the potential of causing multiple serious injuries and compromising public safety.

The threat was so concerning that on Friday the Home Secretary and Mayor were given late-night briefings as plans were being put in place, the commissioner wrote.

The police found people in possession of possible lock-on devices and others who appeared to be purporting to be stewards of the event in possession of plastic bottles containing white paint, reported Rowley.

He added that the bottles were specifically to be used to criminally disrupt the procession and resulted in arrests for going equipped to commit criminal damage.

Reasonable Suspicion

Dubbed Operation Golden Orb, the security strategy for the coronation involved 1,500 officers and staff and volunteers across the Met, as well as 6,500 military ceremonial troops.

A total of 64 arrests made on the day included six people planning to protest the coronation. Among them was the head of the anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith. The six people missed the coronation and were subsequently released, as the investigation has been unable to prove intent to use the seized items to lock on and disrupt the event.

Rowley has defended the police officers who patrolled the kings coronation on May 6. He praised the force for ensuring public security in what he described as the largest security operation the Metropolitan Police has ever led.

Speaking out amid the criticism of police for detaining protesters, Rowley noted that the six Republic protesters were arrested based on reasonable suspicion under the new Section 2 Public Order Act 2023 offence of Being Equipped to Lock On.

While it is unfortunate that the six people affected by this were unable to join the hundreds of peaceful protestors, I support the officers actions in this unique fast-moving operational context, Rowley said.

The Met remains adamant policing the kings coronation was about thinking public service first. However, a Republic protester has argued that he was arrested for daring to speak out against the king.

Smith has called for a full inquiry into the polices actions on the day. The anti-monarchists have also argued that the arrests were not about protecting people from harm, but about protecting the king from embarrassment.

Rowley called the ill-informed commentary on the day inaccurate.

While we said that our tolerance for disruption of the coronation celebrations was low, it was not zero. I must challenge those claiming there was a protest ban around the coronation. This is simply not accurate. There were hundreds of undisturbed protestors along the route including a large group in Trafalgar Square, although small in comparison to the tens of thousands seeking to enjoy the event, he wrote.

The coronation saw mass gatherings of people across the capital, there to witness the coronation of King Charles III. Days ahead of the coronation, the government gave the green light to the Public Order Bill, under which the police were given extended stop and search powers.
Nashville Court Demands Covenant School Shooters Unredacted Writings for Review

A Nashville, Tennessee court has ordered the unredacted copies of a so-called manifesto and writings of Nashville Christian school shooter Audrey Hale to be delivered to a judge beginning Friday.

The court order comes in a lawsuit by groups and individuals that sued the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) for the writings after their requests for those records were denied under public records laws.

Chancellor IAshea Myles ordered MNPD to begin delivering sealed, unredacted copies of Hales writings to be discussed at an upcoming status conference (Friday) and show cause hearing scheduled for June 8. The documents being sealed mean they will not yet be available to the press or the public.

The chancellor will review the writings in an in-camera session for her only, according to the Davidson County Chancery Courts order.

[MNPD] shall continue to deliver such documents to the chambers of Chancery Court Part III on a rolling basis as Respondent is able to prepare them for the Courts in camera review, Myles wrote. Counsel for the Respondent shall provide a Counsel Only privilege log to counsel for the Petitioners of the documents that the court has in chambers for the in camera review. Such log shall be updated as documents become ready.

The Suits

Two lawsuits, filed in late April and early May, have been combined due to their similar nature. The original suits were filed by a former sheriff and the Tennessee Firearms Association and a Tennessee resident alongside the National Police Association.

MNPD initially denied the records requests by citing rules and precedent that such records could be denied due to an ongoing criminal prosecution. However, as the requesters stated in the suit, there is no ongoing criminal prosecution as Hale, the only suspect named by police, was killed at the scene of her assault on The Covenant Christian school on March 27. Hale killed three 9-year-old children and three adults who worked at the school.

Since [the event], the actions of the Metro Police Department officers have been correctly characterized as commendable and heroic, and no one has suggested that these officers engaged in any criminal activity in their response to the incident, the NPA said in their suit. There is no criminal prosecution concerning the Covenant School incident, and despite extensive media coverage, including interviews of public officials, no one has suggested that there will be any criminal prosecution because of the incident.

The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Courthouse and City Hall as seen from 2nd Ave. N on March 29, 2023. (Chase Smith/The Epoch Times)

TFA did not comment to The Epoch Times on their pending litigation, but John Harris III, an attorney with Schulman Leroy & Bennett and the executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, released a similar comment to The Tennessean newspaper after they filed their suit last week.

The (MNPDs) denial failed to identify any underlying criminal proceeding, or even potential defendant, such that the requested materials would be a case under Rule 16 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Proceeding, Harris said, according to The Tennessean.

NPA Calls Latest Delay a Catch-22

A statement by MNPD released on Twitter last week stated that the public release of the documents was being delayed as a direct result of the lawsuits. An agency spokeswoman stated MNPD would delay the release of writings until the court weighed in.

MNPD said in an interview with The Epoch Times in late April that Hales writings were being readied for public release.

We are in the process of going through the writings so that they can and will be released publicly, MNPD Public Affairs Officer Kristin Mumford told The Epoch Times on April 28. The FBI is assisting because they have the expertise in this area, but we are the lead, and the release will come through us.

Mumford said at the time, there wasnt a timeline for the release of the writings, but the review period was for redactions to be made if necessary.

Following MNPDs Tweet using the lawsuits as its new reason for denying the release of records, the Tennessee resident, alongside NPA, filed an amended complaint with the court on Friday, saying their use of the lawsuit as a reason to delay was improper.

This statement constitutes an admission that its Rule 16 basis for denial is invalid because there would be no reason to assert this excuse to deny access if the Rule 16 excuse was valid, attorneys wrote. This statement also sets forth a completely invalid reason to deny access under the Public Records Act. This statement presents the ultimate Catch-22 position that a records requester can sue to obtain records, but the very act of filing such a suit acts as an exception to the Public Records Act.

NPA continued by stating the lawsuit is not an exception to public records laws that would allow a records custodian to deny access to the requested records.

The suspect in the Nashville Christian school shooting incident is 28-year-old Audrey Hale, as seen in video footage released by the Nashville Police on March 28, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

Claims of Subverting Public Record Laws

Attorneys also claim in the amended complaint that MNPD has a demonstrated history of willfully failing to comply with the Public Records Act by creating its own policies and procedures directly contrary to the Public Records Act.

They cite a Tennessee Supreme Court case and Tennessee Court of Appeals case from five years earlier where the courts found MNPD had willfully violated the Public Records Act by creating policies contrary to the Public Records Act. MNPD was required to pay $127,000 in attorney fees by the court.

[MNPDs] reliance upon its Catch-22 argument is indicative of a pattern and practice of willful violations of the Public Records Act. A defendant cannot evade its obligation to follow the Public Records Act by seeking to shift its responsibility to the Court. The Court in this case has issued no order that would permit or allow Defendant to cease compliance with the Public Records Act.

It is unclear if media will be allowed entry into Fridays proceeding. The Epoch Times, alongside various other media organizations, have also been sent denial letters. The Epoch Times denial letter by MNPD also cited the same pending litigation precedent.
Train No. X9015, a China-Europe freight train, leaves for Kazakhstan from Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, July 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

China and Central Asian countries, with their interests closely entwined, have stood together through thick and thin. Strengthening relations between China and Central Asian countries is crucial to themselves as well as the peace and development of the region.

by Xinhua writers Zhang Yisheng, Yang Dehong

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian set off from what is now the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an as an envoy of Han Dynasty. He braved a world of uncertainties and traveled westward through harsh terrain to Central Asia.

Zhang's pioneering expedition opened up a route that later became the Silk Road, which saw flourishing interactions between China and Central Asia.

This aerial photo taken on April 15, 2023 shows a view of a scenic moat area along the ancient city wall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Next week, the heads of state of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, which will draw a new blueprint for China-Central Asia relations and open up a new era of cooperation.



Primarily, the summit will further deepen strategic mutual trust between China and Central Asian countries.

Over the past decade, under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, the two sides have made a series of historic and groundbreaking achievements in cooperation.

In January 2022, a virtual summit was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Central Asian countries, and China-Central Asia cooperation mechanisms were created. Then, in September 2022, Xi attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, and paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The forthcoming event in Xi'an is the first summit held offline by the heads of state of the six countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties 31 years ago. During the summit, the heads of state will review the development of China-Central Asia relations and exchange views on China-Central Asia mechanism building, cooperation in various fields and major international and regional issues of common interest.

Moreover, the landmark gathering will inject new impetus into high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Central Asia is where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initiated. In a speech delivered at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University on Sept. 7, 2013, Xi for the first time proposed building the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Central Asian countries were among the first to publicly support the BRI and also pioneers in Belt and Road cooperation.

Photo taken on Sept. 13, 2022 shows some wind turbines at the 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm near the city of Zhanatas in the Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. The wind farm, with 40 wind turbines and a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, is jointly-held by China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan. (Photo by Dmitry Vasilenko/Xinhua)

In the past 10 years, the five Central Asian countries have taken an active part in the BRI, turning Central Asia into a demonstration zone of Belt and Road cooperation. China and the Central Asian countries have strengthened the synergy of their development strategies and actively promoted policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds.



During the approaching summit, all parties will discuss how to further promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Additionally, the summit will draw up a new blueprint for strengthening practical cooperation.

Currently, China-Central Asia cooperation is at an all-time high, and mutually beneficial cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to the six countries and their peoples.

China is the largest trading and investment partner of the five Central Asian countries. Trade between China and the five countries reached 70.2 billion U.S. dollars last year, a historic high. By the end of 2022, China's direct investment stock in the five countries reached nearly 15 billion dollars.

During next week's summit, the heads of state will review the history of friendly exchanges, sort out the fruits of cooperation, and put forward new cooperation initiatives, so as to advance all-round, deep and multidimensional cooperation between China and Central Asia in a solid and efficient manner, and foster a new cooperation pattern featuring a high degree of complementarity and win-win results.

Last but not least, the summit will make new contributions to maintaining regional security.

China and Central Asian countries, with their interests closely entwined, have stood together through thick and thin. So strengthening relations between China and Central Asian countries is crucial to themselves as well as the peace and development of the region.

Through bilateral cooperation and multilateral platforms such as the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, China and Central Asian countries have achieved remarkable results in jointly cracking down on religious extremists, ethnic separatists and violent terrorist forces, effectively guaranteeing national and regional security.

Besides, China and Central Asian countries respect each other's choice of development path based on national conditions, support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, and do not allow anyone or any force to create chaos and turmoil in Central Asia.



At the upcoming summit, all parties will reaffirm their consistent position of firm support for each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan and other regional and international hotspot issues, and send a shared message of upholding multilateralism and jointly safeguarding regional and world peace and security.

As China-Central Asia cooperation meets the needs of the six countries and the expectations of their peoples, the summit in Xi'an will certainly usher in a new era of China-Central Asia cooperation, and help build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
Nearly 73,000 Arkansans lost Medicaid coverage in April as pandemic-relief programs wind down nationwide. About 15 million people could lose Medicaid coverage around the country over the next year, as states start to determine eligibility for assistance after a provision under the 2020 federal COVID-19 public health emergency law expires in May. At least 93 million low-income Americans are covered by Medicaid at this time. Congress terminated the restriction that barred states from removing most individuals on Medicaid for three years which had been stipulated in the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed in December. This allowed states to remove those who are typically unqualified from their Medicaid rolls on April 1. As the law expired, the federal government gave states 14 months to make sure everyone in the program is eligible. Arkansas quickly began its Medicaid eligibility-review process following the end of the federal public health emergency to remove normally ineligible beneficiaries from the program.

The state legislature passed a law in 2021 requiring the states Department of Human Services (DHS) to complete the process in six months, about twice as quickly as most states.

Recipients will now be reviewed under normal eligibility rules, which have been set by Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

States Cull Medicaid Rolls as Pandemic Emergency Declared Over

Most states timelines to clean up the Medicaid rolls vary, with the majority planning to use the most of the 14 months allowed to complete the effort, according to a survey of state Medicaid agencies conducted in January by KFF and Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families.

Five statesArkansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and South Dakotaare planning to finish in the review with the next nine months.

Arkansas struck off more than 44,000 names from its Medicaid program at the end of April, after their coverage had been extended during the pandemic, reported the states Medicaid office on May 8. The majority of those removed from the rolls were booted over paperwork issues.

This included 44,714 people who failed to return the renewal form, and 7,673 who did not return requested information, while the DHS was unable to locate another 2,024, which is about 75 percent of the total.

Another 28,135 cases were closed as part of normal operations, bringing the total number of removals for April to 72,802.

This compares to approximately 25,000 who were removed each month during 201819, prior to the pandemic.
Netflix Warns Media Bill Could Have Chilling Effect

Smartphone with Netflix logo in front of a stock graph in an illustration taken on April 19, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Netflix has warned that a bill to reform regulation of public service broadcasters could prove unworkable and have a chilling effect on what the streamer offers in Britain.

Benjamin King, Netflixs director of public policy in the UK and Ireland, spoke at a Westminster Media Forum event, where he addressed the issues arising from the provision of the Media Bill.

The draft of the bill, currently reviewed by the government, plans to update the UKs public broadcasting framework for the digital age and enable Ofcom to introduce a video-on-demand code to protect UK audiences from harmful material.

The draft legislation will bring video-on-demand (VoD) services such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video under new Ofcom content rules, ensuring children and vulnerable viewers are better protected from harmful material and that these on-demand online-only streaming services platforms are properly accountable to the UK regulator, culture secretary Lucy Frazer said in a statement on March 29.

According to King, the governments move to place impartiality requirements on non-news programmes could mean fewer documentaries for British subscribers of Netflix.

We are concerned that governments plans could, without careful thought, prove unworkable, or risk a chilling effect on Netflixs appetite to make available our many documentaries, which are so beloved by UK members, King said.

While the Media Bill plans to bring video-on-demand services like Netflix TV-like services to the same high standards as broadcast TV channels, King expressed concerns over the government plans.

Ofcom has highlighted in the past the potential threats to freedom of expression from the overzealous application of this challenging concept and we would strongly urge the government to consider whether legislation is necessary given the absence of any obvious potential harm to the status quo, he said.

Deliberate and Informed Choices

The Department for Culture remains alert to the possible risks of underregulated broadcasters catering to large audiences. In 2022, it issued a response to the consultation on audience protection standards for video-on-demand services.

The government announced plans to set a two-tier system for enhanced regulation. The upper tier would be primarily aimed at larger on-demand services where the overwhelming majority of TV-like content can be found and where audiences are more likely to presume or expect a higher level of regulation.

Considering issues of free speech and proportionality, the government said, smaller, lower-risk on-demand services in the UK will continue under existing rules.

King has argued that a tiered system would confuse the audiences. He also spoke about the decision by Netflix to safeguard subscribers, who make deliberate and informed choices to view shows. This is in contrast to viewers stumbling across shows on linear TV, King said.

Netflix will also adopt the British Board of Film Classification age rating system to help children and families choose whats right for them and avoid whats not.

Currently, Netflix and other on-demand services, other than BBCs iPlayer, are not subject to Ofcoms Broadcasting Code. Under the proposed changes in legislation, UK audiences will be better protected from harmful material and better able to complain to Ofcom if they see something they are concerned about.

Ofcom has acknowledged the backlash to the Netflix docu-series featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, released in December 2022. However, Ofcom could not pursue any action against the streamer because Netflixs Europe base is in the Netherlands, and Ofcom can only regulate services based in the UK.

According to King, attempting to transpose British regulatory rules on international programming requires careful thought.

Ofcoms Media Nations 2022 report showed that while the overall viewing of TV and subscription video-on-demand services like Netflix and Disney had fallen from its pandemic peak, viewers are still spending an increasing proportion of their viewing time watching on-demand content.

The UK audiences show a strong appetite for new and original UK-produced. Among the most-watched titles on Netflix in 2022 were Stay Close, After Life, Bridgerton, and the documentary The Tinder Swindler, which were produced in the UK.
The House Oversight Committee has made public bank records of the Biden familys business dealings, showing more than $10 million in foreign cash from more than 20 companies, allegedly in exchange for influence in U.S. policy decisions.

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was arraigned in federal court on Wednesday on a 13-count indictment, including charges of fraud and money laundering.

With Title 42 ending Thursday, multiple American cities are bracing for an expected surge of illegal immigrants, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also signed related legislation.
Parents Who Had Children Taken in Police Raid Sue Massachusetts in Federal Court

The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Mass., home of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit and the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Aug. 11, 2017. (Photo by Beyond My Ken, GNU Free Documentation License.)

Two parents are suing state and local officials in Massachusetts in federal court for heavy-handed treatment during a bungled investigation into allegations of child abuse that were later discredited.

The plight of the family received national attention in December 2022, when The Washington Post and the magazine Reason told their tale. The family is represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a nonprofit national public interest law firm that challenges governmental overreach.

Although the government should work to prevent child abuse and remove at-risk children from truly abusive homes, its required to adhere to its lawful obligations so that all individuals can feel secure in their homes, property, and persons, according to PLF.

The case goes back to July 2022, when graduate student Sarah Perkins brought her 3-month-old son, Cal, to a hospital emergency room a few miles from the familys home in Waltham, Massachusetts. Cals temperature was 103 degrees at the time. Perkinss husband, Josh Sabey, a documentary filmmaker, stayed at home with the couples toddler, Clarence.

At the hospital, an X-ray was taken of Cal to check for pneumonia. The examination revealed a weeks-old healed fracture on one of the babys ribs. Hospital staff alerted the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF), which promptly began a child abuse investigation. Perkins, who was unaware of the cause of the injury, was interrogated by a social worker. Sabey brought Clarence to the hospital and was also interrogated. Eventually, the family was allowed to leave, knowing that they would have to check in with DCF in a few days.

But the next night at about 1 a.m., DCF workers accompanied by Waltham police officers knocked on the familys door. The police lacked a warrant or court order but were determined to remove the children from the family home. The parents objected and Clarence started screaming, but the police seized the children and placed them with a foster mother.

Within 24 hours, Sabeys parents were able to assume custody of their grandchildren, and four weeks later, after a hearing, Sabey and Perkins received permission to take their children home while DCF continued its investigation. Three months later, full custody of the children was restored to Sabey and Perkins, and the case against them was dismissed. The babys fracture was believed to have taken place when his grandmother put him in a car seat.

In the legal complaint (pdf) in the case, Sabey v. Butterfield, court file 1:23-cv-10957, filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, the family claims that the actions taken by officials were reprehensible and plainly unconstitutional. The family has since moved out of Massachusetts.

The officials had no warrant to enter the Sabeys home or seize the young Sabey children, and there was no plausible imminent threat that could justify entering the home and seizing the sleeping toddler and infant from their loving parents and family home in the middle of the night, the complaint reads.

Although the warrantless entry into the home and the seizure of the Sabey children justifiably produced domestic and international outrage  neither DCF nor the [Waltham Police Department] have offered any tenable justification, excuse, or apology for their lawless actions.

Although the parents were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and their children were returned to them, nothing can undo the trauma of that early July morning and the prolonged abrogation of the Sabeys parental rights.

Joshua Thompson, PLFs director of legal operations, said the family is suing to vindicate their constitutional rights.

The police violated their Fourth Amendment protection against searches when they came into their home without a warrant, Thompson told The Epoch Times in an interview.

Theres a reason why the law treats the home differently. Its a sanctuary, and cops cannot break that seal on the front doors or threaten to break down the door without a warrant, the attorney said.

Officials seized the children without a warrant, without probable cause, and without an imminent circumstance and exigency, which is also a Fourth Amendment violation, according to Thompson.

The family is also suing over their 14th Amendment rights, on which the officials infringed when they denied the parents the right to raise their children as they saw fit, he said.

The only type of remedy that they can see under the law is damages, Thompson said.

So while our ultimate goal here is not for a windfall, its important to set an important precedent so that DCF cant do this to other families. The only way we can do that is to make them come to the table  and show a court that what they did was wrong.

Waltham and DCF officials didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Pentagon Officials Acknowledge Uncertainty in Defending Against Hypersonic Missiles

The United States Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking nearly $30 billion in its $842 billion Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget request for missile defeat and defense programs across all branches of the military.

Right now, the DOD is in a race to develop its own hypersonic missiles and engineer effective defenses against the high-velocity, maneuverable missiles being developed by Russia and, particularly, by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

During questioning by Senate Armed Services Committees Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chair Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) in a May 9 budget hearing, four flag officers said some existing systems have capabilities against hypersonic weapons but did not know for sure until they are tested against the evolving missile systems.

King was not happy. It seems to me that we are spending a lot more money to developing hypersonic missiles than we are developing capabilities to defend against them, he said.

King asked Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. Jon A. Hill if an aircraft carrier could be defended against a hypersonic missile attack.

We have the capability to stop it in two places, in the boost-glide phase and when the missile re-enters the atmosphere, Hill said, noting the Navys SM-6 missiles are cruise missile killers designed to track and kill fast-moving, maneuverable targets that can fly high and skim the surface. It would be defeated by a destroyer defending a carrier.

Noting Ukrainians claim they shot down a Russian hypersonic weapon last week with a Patriot anti-air missile provided by the U.S., Hill said the Patriot systems, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles (THAAD), and Aegis ballistic defense system all have capability demonstrated in tests against hypersonics.

THAAD operates on the edge of the atmosphere, he said. We havent tested it against hypersonic, but Im willing to bet there are capacities that we can leverage there.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John F. Plumb said the budget request makes substantial investments in regional ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missile defense capabilities, including $1.2 billion for PAC-3 Patriot missile interceptors, $1 billion for Aegis and THAAD interceptors, and $259 million for regional hypersonic and ballistic missile defense space sensors and the development of a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) missile system.

An operational version of the Active Denial System, a directed energy weapon that is the equivalent of science fictions heat ray, is being developed by the U.S. Air Force. (Unlisted USAF personnel/Public domain/ Wikimedia Commons )

21st Century Missiles vs. 1980s Technology

King said these ant-missile systems are based on technologies from the 1980-90s and asked why DOD is not experimenting with using direct energy weapons to knock down missiles.

At $4 to $10 million each, using missiles in a bullet on bullet approach is an expensive proposition in defending against other missiles.

Developing a directed energy weapon for missile defense has been a target for a period of time, Hill said with prototypes being tested in the fleet. It is scaling its way there. That work is being done today.

King said hes been lobbying to aggressively ramp up direct energy weapons development for five years without any sense of urgency from the DOD. Direct energy is clearly preferable to a $4 million bullet, he said.

More investment is required, Hill said. It is all science and engineering right now.

Plumb broke down the Pentagons proposed $29.8 billion FY24 missile budget as $18.9 billion for investments across all services that contribute to our total missile defeat and missile defense capability and $10.9 billion for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) headed by Hill.

The budget requests $3.3 billion to improve the cyber resiliency of Ground-based Midcourse Defense systems, $64 million to improve Hawaii anti-missile defenses, $428.7 million for the continued fielding of four new over-the-horizon radars, $4.8 billion to develop missile warning/tracking systems,

We are optimizing existing missile defense radars and other sensors in support of our broader all-domain awareness objectives, Plumb said.

After the four missileteers gave their testimony, King said he wanted to ask a question but wasnt sure who to direct it to which, in itself, underscores vagaries in command and control functionality in the nations missile defense.

There are four people in front of us with different responsibilities, he said, suggesting one improvement would be to clean up the organizational chart.

Plumb disagreed.

We do have a good organization here, he said. Missile defense is something that runs through all the services. The Navy needs missile defense. The Army needs missile defense. The homeland needs missile defense. I think it is structured quite well, and were making progress.
Pro-Life Group Meets with Trump to Discuss Federal Abortion Restrictions

President Donald Trump looks out at the audience during a speech at the Susan B. Anthony List 11th Annual Campaign for Life Gala at the National Building Museum in Washington on May 22, 2018. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Former President Donald Trump met with a representative from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America following a previous disagreement with the nonprofit group.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a Monday press release that she and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and others had a terrific meeting with Donald Trump.

During the meeting, President Trump reiterated his opposition to the extreme Democratic position of abortion on demand, up until the moment of birth, paid for by taxpayers  and even in some cases after the child is born, Dannenfelser said in her statement.

President Trump knows the vast majority of Americans oppose brutal late-term abortions when the child can feel pain and suck their thumbs, Dannenfelser went on.

The statement does not specify which federal restrictions on abortion were discussed; however, Graham introduced a bill that would legalize abortion nationwide during the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

President Trump reiterated that any federal legislation protecting these children would need to include the exceptions for [the] life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest, Dannenfelser said. Protecting unborn children capable of feeling pain would align America with the civilized world and with 47 out of 50 European nations.

President Trump believes such a position is unworthy of a great nation and believes the American people will rebel against such a radical position that aligns us with China and North Korea.

The meeting comes several weeks after Dannenfelser criticized the Trump campaigns assertion that abortion restrictions should be left solely to the states as a morally indefensible position.

Graham posted to Twitter echoing the pro-life groups assessment of the meeting, saying, Great meeting today with President Trump, @sbaprolife and @tperkins. I look forward to working with them to protect the unborn.

Significant Trump Supporter

In 2016 and 2020, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America was a significant financial supporter of Trump. During the 2016 campaign, Dannenfelser served as the national chairwoman of the Trump Pro-life Coalition.

However, fellow pro-life Republican Nikki Haley has also thrown her hat in the 2024 presidential ring, offering a number of choices for pro-life groups and voters.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has also taken a strong pro-life stance, telling The Epoch Times on April 22 at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition that he is unapologetically pro-life.

The biotech entrepreneur was clear about how he thinks abortion should be dealt with saying, I think abortion is a form of murder. Murder is dealt with through state law, not federal law. I think we should be consistent about that. Thats what the Constitution demands.
Progressives Believe You Deserve Some Pain

Commentary

Winston Churchill understood the dark underbelly of what the socialists obsession with equality leads to when he said, The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. The progressivesocialistenvironmentalist left that has taken over the Democratic Party seems intent on making sure that Americans arent able to escape or avoid getting their share of misery.

I wrote here recently that the left doesnt want us to be happy. In too many cases, it goes farther than that. The left seems to believe that innocent, successful, happy Americans deserve an occasional kick in the teeth. Its almost as if they resent or feel anger toward any American who has attained the good life and is achieving the American dream. The lefts attitude is punitive, as if they believe that innocent people have committed an offense by having such normal desires as wanting to be safe. Misanthropy reigns on the left.

Here are a few examples:

Recently, a man visiting San Francisco as part of his work for a high-tech company had his car window smashed and thousands of dollars worth of equipment stolen from his vehicle. When Snehal Antani, the CEO of the company, tweeted that hes hesitant about opening an office in such an unsafe city and that his colleague was traumatized by the incident, the tweet elicited a very strange response.

Former San Francisco Police Commissioner John Hamasaki, far from lamenting the vandalism and robbery, mocked Antani and his employee. His scorn and derision for human beings who want nothing other than to be safe, was over the top.

Is that what the suburbs do to you? Shelter you from basic city life experiences ? Hamasaki wrote.

Apart from the fact that, for all Hamasaki knows, the victims live in another city rather than the suburbs, how can a former law enforcement officer defend crime as basic city life experiencesas if crime is the norm, and you must be some sort of spoiled baby if being a victim of crime upsets you.

Hamasaki seems to hold suburbanites in contempt. How dare they feel they should be able to go about their business unmolested in American cities like they (mostly) do in the suburbs. Hamasaki is looking at the situation exactly backward. Instead of expecting suburbanites to accept crime as a normal part of urban life, he should be striving to make public safety and the protection of individual rights as normal in the city as in his stereotypical suburbs.

This mean desire to share miseryto spread it around more equallyis similar to the way the left tolerates and even makes excuses for the riots that periodically happen in response to an unjust, criminal incident, such as when the Minnesota policeman killed a handcuffed George Floyd. People were understandably angry. They demanded justice. But does being angry give anyone the right to burn or loot the property of innocent citizens? What justice is it that punishes the innocent for the crime of the guilty? The way Democratic mayors and national politicians stand aside and permit wanton destruction indicates the twisted notion that allowing injustice to run amok and inflict suffering on the innocent is a legitimate avenue to justice.

Another group of innocents who are routinely victimized in America with the support of the left is our children. The transgender political movement is working overtime to inject sexually jarring contentdrag queen performances, pornographic books, etc.into schools libraries and classrooms. Ill say something here that will drive the trans/non-heterosexual crowd nuts, but its the truth. Every gay person with whom I have been friends suffered a traumatic sexual experience (specifically, molestations or parental abuse) at a young age that scarred them and altered the trajectory of their lives. Such vile deeds were wrong. They were unjust violations of innocent children.

Again, the question arises: Is justice served by sharing the miseryby depriving even more children of their innocence because others were so victimized? While we have compassion for those individuals who have been robbed of their innocence, the societal goal should be for the reduction, if not elimination, of such traumas. Yet, instead of trying to curb the misery of pedophiliac behavior, militant trans activists want to universalize the sexualization of psychologically vulnerable young children by imposing potentially traumatic thoughts and images on them. (For decades, motion pictures have been rated to shield impressionable, undeveloped psyches from exposure to explicit sexual images.) Working to impose a mental sexual overload on children not mature enough to handle it comfortably is a pedophiliac agenda. Targeting the innocence of childhood is a form of child abuse, yet the left supports it.

One particularly obnoxious way in which trans activists work to increase suffering of others in the name of some weird sense of social justice is by invading female sports. Understandably, Americans, motivated by an innate sense of fair play, are pushing back against this practice. They see no reason why female athletes, who have trained and worked for years, should be deprived of achieving their goals by people with male bodies who announce, I now identify as female.

When Churchill spoke of socialism sharing miseries, he was referring primarily to economic miseries. Such sharing is commonplace in the United States today. Consider the recent case of the Federal Housing Finance Agencys proposal to impose higher mortgage fees on borrowers with good credit in order to subsidize borrowers with poor credit by lowering fees to them. The message is unmistakable: Good credit borrowers, who have behaved prudently, need to be penalized. Penalizing the innocent is not justice.

Another economic perversity: Businesses such as Wal-Mart and grocery and drugstore chains are closing stores in cities where the law enforcement establishment either refuses or neglects to protect the stores merchandise. The left prefers to side with thieves over those nasty profit-making corporations even though its those corporations that make available the products we need and want. The innocent and beneficent are punished while the left invents excuses for criminal activity.

The American left today practices a warped sense of justice when they push for policies that inflict pain or misery on innocent Americans who want nothing more than to be free and to go about their lives unmolested, whether by government or by other people. We all would welcome a perfect world where nobody suffers, but such an ideal is beyond our capacity; however, theres no moral justification for socialistic politicians to implement policies designed to impose penalties on people who have done nothing wrong. Such policies are sadistic, mockeries of justice, and just plain mean.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Qantas Appeals to High Court Over Illegal Staff Cut During COVID-19 Pandemic

The empty Qantas departure terminal at Melbourne Airport on Aug. 20, 2020. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Australias flag carrier Qantas has appealed to the countrys highest court to overturn a ruling that the company illegally laid off nearly 1,700 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes after the airline lost its appeal against a Federal Court decision in May 2022.

In 2020, Qantas announced that it would outsource ground handling operations at ten airports across Australia to save $100 million (US$67.6 million) in operating costs.

At the time, the company was suffering significant financial damage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision caused 1,700 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff to lose their jobs and prompted the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to file a lawsuit against the airline.

In July 2021, a Federal Court found that Qantas violated the Fair Work Act in outsourcing its ground operations to avoid enterprise bargaining rights.

While the court expected Qantas to compensate the affected workers, it rejected the unions application for them to be reinstated.

The company then launched an appeal; however, it was dismissed by the court.

Speaking about the High Court appeal, a Qantas spokesperson said the matter concerned the airlines ability to legally outsource a part of its business to save money when survival was uncertain.

When we made this decision, we were still in the depth of the pandemic, and there was very little certainty about when our recovery would begin, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

A line of Qantas aircraft sits at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 31, 2021. (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

The spokesperson said Qantas rejected the courts judgment that preventing protected industrial action in 2021 was relevant to its outsourcing decision.

The airline argued that it did not violate the laws since the dismissed workers did not have the right to take protected industrial action when the outsourcing decision was announced.

Weve always acknowledged that it would have been very tough on our ground handlers and the thousands of other employees who lost jobs because of the pandemic, the spokesperson said.

Unions Response

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the High Courts decision to hear the appeal highlighted the significance and enormity of the matter.

Whatever the outcome, workers must be applauded for their courage, he said in a statement.

This ordeal has been a total calamity for workers, passengers and taxpayers who propped up Qantas during the pandemic with record JobKeeper and other corporate welfare payments while it brutally pushed workers out the door and into Centrelink lines.

Labor senator Tony Sheldon, a former TWU national secretary, said if the court outcome was in favour of Qantas, the government needed to draft new legislation.

Quite clearly, this (Fair Work) legislation was put in by the Australian public through the Australian parliament, and the Australian parliament will have the final say, he told reporters.

Principal lawyer Giri Sivaraman, who represents the TWU, said Qantas lost the case on the facts and that now it was trying to get the High Court to reduce protections in the laws to make its actions legal.

If Qantas wins, protections for all workers across Australia will be reduced, he said.

While the first hearing was conducted on May 9, it is likely to take several months for the court to deliver a ruling.

Qantas appeal comes after the airline announced a profit after tax of $1 billion in the first half of the 2022-2023 financial year.

The company has also appointed a new CEO to replace Alan Joyce, who has held the position for 15 years when he retires in November.
Quebec Government Rejects Trudeaus Immigration Plan, Fears Decline of French

Quebec Premier Francois Legault responds during question period at the legislature in Quebec City on Feb. 16, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

Canadas plan to increase immigration is stoking fears among Quebecs political class, who say the changes would reduce the provinces influence in the country and make it harder to protect French.

Provincial legislature members today adopted a motion declaring Canadas plan incompatible with the protection of French in Quebec and that the province must have complete control over its immigration.

Premier Francois Legault said Tuesday that Quebec would not accept a big rise in immigration because of the need to properly integrate, house and educate newcomers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has maintained that his governments plan to take in 500,000 permanent immigrants a year by 2025up from 437,000 in 2022is necessary to ease labour shortages and create growth.

But while Legault is tangling with Ottawa over immigration powers, the premier is facing criticism at home over soaring numbers of temporary immigrants who arent included in provincial targets.

Quebecs official immigration number is set at around 50,000 people a year, but the opposition parties have noted the real number is much higher due to rising numbers of people who enter the province as temporary foreign workers, skilled workers or students.
Rep. George Santos Arrested on Fraud, Money Laundering, Theft Charges

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was arrested on federal criminal charges on May 10, in relation to an alleged scheme involving fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

The 13-count indictment, unsealed on May 10, charges Santos, 34, with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

He is also accused of making false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income, and liabilities.

This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.

The first-term congressman was arrested on the morning of May 10 and is due to appear at a Long Island district court in the afternoon.

Santos has been under intense scrutiny for months over allegedly lying about large parts of his personal background and professional history, some of which he has admitted to fabricating.

Charges

According to the Department of Justice, Santos used an LLC to deceive potential political backers during his successful congressional campaign in September 2022.

Santos hired a New York political consultant to contact potential contributors and authorized them to mislead donors that their money would be used to assist in electing him to the House, including by buying TV ads, prosecutors said. Two donors allegedly transferred $25,000 to that LLCs bank account, which Santos controlled, based on these fraudulent assertions.

The indictment also alleges that Santos moved the cash into his personal bank accounts to launder them. Santos allegedly spent much of that money on himself, using it to buy clothes, pay off debts, and transfer money to acquaintances and withdrawing it as cash.

Prosecutors also allege Santos made a fraudulent June 2020 application for unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities Act.

Santos is alleged to have received unemployment insurance through the New York State Department of Labor by falsely claiming to have been unemployed in March 2020, benefits that he received through April 2021.

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, George Santos allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits while he was employed and running for Congress, District Attorney for Nassau County Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement.

The congressman was also charged with allegedly misleading the House of Representatives and the public about his financial condition during his two congressional campaigns. The congressman was legally required to file a financial disclosure statement before each election and certify that it was true, complete, and correct.

The indictment alleges that in May 2020, Santos filed two disclosures in which he falsely certified that his only earned income was salary, commission, and bonuses from one of his companies. The indictment states that Santos overstated the income he received from the company and failed to disclose the salary he received from an investment firm.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) didnt say that Santos must leave the House of Representatives in light of the criminal charges from the Biden administrations Justice Department.

Ill look at the charges, McCarthy told reporters on May 9, during a press conference mainly focused on debt ceiling negotiations with President Joe Biden.

Santoss office didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.
China launched a new cargo mission on Wednesday night to transport supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, a Long March-7 Y7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Rep. George Santos Pleads Not Guilty to 13-Count Indictment, Says He Wont Resign

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) speaks with members of the press as he leaves Federal Court on May 10, 2023 in Central Islip, New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty on May 10 to charges that he defrauded donors, stole from his campaign, and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while collecting unemployment benefits for which he did not qualify.

Five hours after turning himself into authorities on Long Island to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and making false statements to Congress, Santos, 34, was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

The 13-count federal indictment against Santos was a reckoning for a web of deception and deceit that, according to prosecutors, coincided with his public image as an affluent businessman.

Santos spoke little during his approximately 15-minute arraignment, and his attorney Joseph Murray requested the judges permission for Santos to travel freely for his campaign, despite the fact that he surrendered his passport.

Santos is slated to return to Washington on May 11 for congressional votes.

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives have reserved judgment on the issue when questioned by reporters.

In regard to George Santos, he was already removed from all of his committees, House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said during May 10s leadership press conference.

There is a legal process. The charges just came out; we just saw some of them this morning. And so, in America, there is a presumption of innocence, but theyre serious charges. Hes going to have to go through the legal process.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did not say that Santos must leave the House of Representatives if he faces criminal charges from the Department of Justice.

Ill look at the charges, McCarthy told reporters on May 9, during a press conference mainly focused on debt ceiling negotiations with President Joe Biden.

The first-term lawmaker said he would not abandon his reelection campaign, defying demands for his resignation.

Santos told reporters outside the courthouse that he is innocent and he plans to prove it in court.

I will not resign, he said.

Im gonna fight my battle, Im gonna deliver, Im gonna fight the witch hunt, Im gonna take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that.

According to the Department of Justice, Santos used a Limited Liability Company (LLC) to deceive potential political backers during his successful congressional campaign in September 2022.

Santos hired a New York political consultant to contact potential contributors and authorized them to mislead donors that their money would be utilized to assist in electing him to the House, including by buying TV ads, prosecutors said.

Two donors allegedly transferred $25,000 to that LLCs bank account, which Santos controlled, based on these fraudulent assertions.

The indictment also alleges that Santos moved the cash into his personal bank accounts to launder them. Santos allegedly spent much of that money on himself, using it to buy fancy clothes, withdraw cash, pay off debts, and transfer money to acquaintances.

Prosecutors also allege Santos made a fraudulent June 2020 application for unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities Act.

Santos is alleged to have received unemployment insurance through the New York State Department of Labor by falsely claiming to have been unemployed in March 2020, benefits that he received through April 2021.

Santoss office did not respond to The Epoch Timess request for comment on the charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
RFK Jr. Responds to Speculation About Becoming Trumps Vice President in 2024

Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. responded to speculation that he could become former President Donald Trumps 2024 running mate in a statement issued on Wednesday.

While Kennedy has given interviews to Trump-friendly media outlets in recent days, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy tried to distance himself from Trump.

Just to quell any speculation, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I join Donald Trump on an electoral ticket. Our positions on certain fundamental issues, our approaches to governance, and our philosophies of leadership could not be further apart, Kennedy, a prominent critic of childhood vaccines, wrote on Twitter.

He did not elaborate further on how he differs from Trump. But in a Twitter post on Wednesday, Kennedy alleged that the Trump administration sold weapons to Ukraine in 2017, but he also said that his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, also provided billions of dollars to the Ukrainian military amidst a steady barrage of hostile actions toward Russia.

The U.S. supported (with $5 billion) public protests that culminated in the 2014 armed, far-right coup against Ukraines democratically elected pro-Russian government, replacing it with an unelected pro-Western government handpicked by Neocon leader Victoria Nuland, the United States Under Secretary of State, he also wrote, referring to alleged actions that were carried out by the Obama State Department in the Eastern European county amidst the 2014 Revolution of Dignity thats sometimes described as color revolution that toppled the previous government.

In a recent interview, Trump said that if he is elected, hell end the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours and would be easy to accomplish. Trump also lamented the horrors of the war, noting that entire blocks of apartments have been flattened since the conflict erupted last year.

You dont knock down a whole city and say that two people got hurt, Trump told GB News earlier this month, referring to reports of casualties. Thousands of people are being killed in these cities that are being knocked down  these are massive buildings.

Other Claims

Kennedy has also said that Trump was responsible for the widespread lockdowns that were implemented across the United States in early 2020 after the first COVID-19 cases were detected in the country. Its worth noting, however, that Trump, as president, had virtually no power to implement lockdowns at the local and state level, while he never called for a nationwide lockdown due to the virus.

Its important for all Americans to recognize that a permanent lockdown is not a viable path forward producing the result that you want or certainly not a viable path forward and would ultimately inflict more harm than it would prevent, Trump said during a White House briefing in mid-2020.

Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 14, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Since Kennedy declared his candidacy several weeks ago, Trump has made virtually no mention of him in interviews or on his social media website Truth Social. Kennedy is facing President Joe Biden and self-help author Marianne Williamson in the Democratic primary, although its not clear how the primary will play out next year.

This week, Kennedy drew headlines when he again suggested that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, which the CIA and other federal officials have long denied. It wasnt the first time he asserted that the agency was linked to his uncles death.

Kennedy made reference to the book, JFK and the Unspeakable, written by James Douglas, for some of his assertions during an interview with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AMs Cats Roundtable. That book theorized that Kennedy was killed because he sought peacemaking during the Cold War before he was killed by his own security apparatus, which some outside experts have disputed.

There is overwhelming evidence that the CIA was involved in his murder. I think its beyond a reasonable doubt at this point, Kennedy said about the November 1963 incident in Dallas, Texas. The evidence is overwhelming that the CIA was involved in the murder, and in the cover-up, he also said.

Addressing reports of his comments this week, he added that nobody should be surprised when Americans are distrustful of a government that refuses to reveal 60-year-old secrets. The American people are entitled to see every document, as the law requires, according to a Twitter post.

Polling

Although Kennedy has been considered a long-shot Democrat candidate against an incumbent president, a new ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 58 percent of Democrats want a new candidate. And another poll from Emerson, released on April 27, shows that 21 percent of Democrat voters would cast their ballots for Kennedy.

Kennedys poll numbers, however, were dismissed by former White House press secretary Jen Psaki in an MSNBC opinion article.

Yes, there have been effective challenges to incumbent presidents in the past. And yes, numerous challengers have defeated early presidential front-runners. Those movements shouldnt be underestimated. But Kennedys early numbers probably have a lot more to do with name recognition than policy. His family is still beloved by many in the Democratic electorate, even though most people would never recognize him on the street, wrote Psaki, who joined MSNBC soon after she left the White House last year.

That same ABC poll also found that Trump would potentially defeat Biden if the election was held today. Trump had 44 percent to Bidens 38 percent, with 12 remaining undecided. The poll also found that 68 percent of respondents believe Biden, 80, is too old to be president, and only 36 percent believe Biden is handling the economy well.
Russia Marks Victory Day With New Strikes on Ukraine, but Pared-Back Parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech during the Victory Day military parade marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II in Red square in Moscow on May 9, 2022. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW/KYIVRussia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv on Tuesday and paraded troops across Moscows Red Square for its annual celebration of victory in World War II.

In a fiery 10-minute speech in front of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin thundered against Western global elites and said civilization 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.

Underlining how the war has isolated Russia from most of Europe and pushed Ukraine closer to the West, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was visiting Kyiv, where she called Ukraine the beating heart of todays European values.

The holiday commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II is the most important day in the calendar in Russia under Putin, who casts his invasion of Ukraine as analogous to Russias fight against the Nazis. Ukraine, which suffered proportionally greater losses than Russia in World War II, calls that an abuse of shared history to justify aggression.

The parade was full of traditional pomp but scaled down from previous years. In place of phalanxes of modern battle tanks, a single World War Two-vintage T-34 rolled across Red Square. The usual fighter jet flyover was cancelled.

Putins message was also undermined by a new profanity-laced tirade from the boss of Russias Wagner private army directed at Moscows generals for failing to give his forces enough weapons.

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, Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. [But] if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the Motherland.

Missile Attacks Overnight

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had failed to capture Bakhmut despite a self-imposed deadline to give Putin a battlefield trophy in time for the holiday. Moscow regards capturing Bakhmut as a stepping stone towards taking other cities in Ukraines industrial east.

Ukraine said its air defenses had shot down 23 of 25 Russian cruise missiles fired chiefly at the capital Kyiv overnight, and there were no reported casualties.

Russias defense ministry said it had launched a concentrated strike using high-precision, long-range sea and air-based weapons aimed against enemy barracks and ammunition depots.

After a weeks-long hiatus, Russia in late April resumed its tactic of long-range missile strikes against Ukraine and has launched a flurry of attacks in recent days.

The day provided Zelenskyy an opportunity to demonstrate Ukraines clear break from Moscow by hosting von der Leyen.

Our efforts for a united Europe, for security and peace, need to be as strong as Russias desire to destroy our security, our freedom, our Europe, Zelenskyy said at their joint press conference in Kyiv.

Russias increasing diplomatic isolation has drawn Moscow closer to China, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday that Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine in seeking a ceasefire.

European nations have criticized China for declining to describe Russias sending troops into Ukraine as an invasion or call for a Russian withdrawal.

In Washington, the White House announced a new security package for Ukraine that includes additional air defense systems and artillery rounds.

Victory Day Speech

Putin struck a rousing note in his Victory Day speech, saying all of Russia was praying for its heroes at the front and concluding with a cheer for Russia, for our valiant Armed Forces, for victory!

After he spoke, a band struck up and cannon fired a salute. Soldiers marched through Red Square followed by armored vehicles and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

But the Moscow parade was much shorter than usual. Security concerns following attacks including drones that exploded over the Kremlin citadel last week meant parades in some other cities were scaled back or called off. Traditional Immortal Regiment processions, in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against the Nazis, were cancelled.

Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2023, marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

In Kyiv there were no reported casualties from Russias latest volley of air strikes on the capital. Debris fell on a house in the Holosiivskyi district in the southwest of Kyiv but caused little damage, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Debris lay in a road in Kyivs central Shevchenkivskyi district.

As at the front, the plans of the aggressor failed, said Sergei Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

The Agence France Presse news agency said late on Tuesday one of its video journalists had been killed by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Bakhmut.

Russia has stepped up its attacks in anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russia marks the Nazi surrender of May 8, 1945 on the following day, because it took effect when it was already after midnight in Moscow. Ukraine symbolized its break from Moscow on Monday by announcing it was shifting its observance to May 8.

Instead, Kyiv proclaimed May 9 as Europe Day, a date observed by the EU to commemorate the post-war integration movement that led to the founding of the European Union.

Kyiv, as the capital of Ukraine, is the beating heart of todays European values, von der Leyen said at her news conference with Zelenskyy. Courageously, Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today.
San Francisco Unsafe, Dirty, Going to Get Worse: Former Board of Supervisors President

Once sought out by millions as a premier destination for travel and business, San Francisco is no longer safe, and a combination of corruption and lack of desire to solve the predicament are plaguing the city, according to Angela Aliotoformer president of the Board of Supervisors.

We need a district attorney thats going to enforce the law, and we dont have that, she told Siyamak Khorrami, host of The Epoch Times California Insider.

Aliotos roots run deep in San Francisco, with a grandparent born in the city in 1880, and her father served as mayor from 1966 to 1977.

San Francisco is absolutely gorgeous, the landscape, the panorama cannot be beaten. Its one of the most beautiful cities in the world, she said during the nearly 40-minute interview, To see the amount of rampant decay  is a horrible experience, and its out of control.

Crime, open drug use, and homelessness have taken a toll on the city, with residents and businesses fleeing in record numbers over the past three years.

Former San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Angela Alioto appears on a California Insider episode that aired on May 8, 2023. (Screenshot via California Insider)

Staffing shortages prohibit the police department from mitigating the increasing incidents of property crime, and morale in the department is down, with officers discouraged, Alioto said.

She suggests a solution lies in an organizational plan with at least minimum staffing in place for the police department, emergency services, and fire department.

We need a mayor and district attorney that are going to enforce laws, even if the people the enforcement will hurt are their political supporters, Alioto said.

Tech layoffs and a move to working from home continue to drag on office vacancy rates, contributing to a vicious cycle some are calling a doom loop devastating the city.

Its going to get much worse. Tech left the city because of COVID and because of crime, homelessness, and dirty streets, Alioto said. For anyone to think that tech is coming back to San Francisco without cleaning the streets is crazy.

While crime and overdose statistics reveal a grim picture in the city, with the number of businesses leaving increasing, as Whole Foods, Nordstrom, and others recently made the decision to flee, critics say local officials are not recognizing the urgent nature of the emergency.

A customer stops to read a sign posted on the front door of a closed Whole Foods store in San Francisco on April 12, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Downtown is empty, and its not just COVID, she said. Theyre not coming back because the streets are filthy, and the homeless situation is heartbreaking.

Homelessness is a historical problem for San Francisco, and the laws and programs aimed at benefitting them are contributing to the problem, according to experts.

People come to San Francisco because the programs are way too lenient, and Im at fault for that, to a degree, Alioto said. Some things I did at the time are being misused.

She points to the emergency needle exchange legislation that she helped get passed in 1995. At the time, the program was designed as a public health measure to prevent the spread of infectious diseasesbut now the law is providing free needles to addicts without exchange, a change that has left the city strewn with dirty needles, according to Alioto.

A used syringe sits discarded on the sidewalks of San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Permanent, supportive housing is a foundational approach to addressing homelessness, and current failures can be traced back to mismanagement and outright corruption, she said, with nearly 75 percent of funding for many nonprofit homeless agencies going to administrative costs, while 25 percent are left for people on the streets.

That happens all the time, and thats why its corrupt, Alioto said. Now its almost been masterminded, we have CEOs and pharmaceutical companies doing it, its a total business.

Based on annual budget data for the six largest homeless nonprofits receiving government funding, if administrative costs were eliminated, every homeless person in San Francisco could be housed for the next ten years in hotel rooms in the city, Alioto observed.

Injection sites touted by Democratic lawmakers as a solution to the overdose epidemic are only exacerbating the homeless problem, she said.

Adding to the citys woes are the effect of Proposition 47making theft of property less than $950 a misdemeanoras shoplifting increased dramatically in recent years, according to city crime statistics.

Union Square visitors look at damage to a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 21, 2021. (Danielle Echeverria/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Prop. 47 is crazy  its just so wrong in so many ways, Alioto said. It created a business of criminals that can live off criminality financially.

With a host of factors impacting public safety in the city, residents report feeling fear while traveling on public transportation, shopping, and walking streets alone.

Its the criminal factor thats so bad  we need to get the drug dealers and the traffickers, she said. Theres no will to get the job done, and now the city is dangerous.

Looking to the future, Alioto is not optimistic about the short-term, but is confident that the city she loves will rebound from its lows.

The city is going to go down  until it hits bottom, and no one can take it anymore, she said. Then hopefully the right people get elected.
Saskatchewan Passes New Provincial Revenue Agency Act

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to the media after the Saskatchewan Budget is presented in Regina, on March 22, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Heywood Yu)

The Saskatchewan Revenue Agency Act (SRA), Bill 122, has passed third reading in the province and is now awaiting royal assent before being written into law.

The provincial government says the legislation allows the province to create its own tax revenue agency, to have greater autonomy over how taxes are collected within the province and that the bill is necessary to keep the federal government from encroaching on Saskatchewans jurisdiction.

This Act is among the steps our government is taking to protect and defend Saskatchewans economic autonomy, industries and jobs from federal intrusion and constitutional overreach, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said in a previous release on Dec. 5, 2022, announcing the legislation.

The vote on Bill 122 was held during the May 9 session of the legislature, with 43 in favour, and 10 opposed.

Bill 122 was first introduced on Dec. 5, 2022. The province said in the release that the legislation creates the framework for a new Treasury Board Crown corporation which would be responsible for administering taxes and related programs in the province, including taking control of the provincial portion of the corporate income tax system from Ottawa.

Under the SRA, personal income tax would still be collected by the CRA.

The Bill is basic in its design, containing standard provisions required to establish a new government agency, including its purpose, powers, overarching governance structure, accountabilities and regulation making authority, said the Dec. 5 release.

The government said the act will also introduce a multi-year plan on establishing a structure of a new provincial corporate income tax system.

At the time the bill was introduced, NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon said the idea would add significant complexity to the tax system.

All theyre doing is growing a bigger government and making things more cumbersome for business, he said, according to the Regina Leader-Post.

The province hopes the proposed tax agency will be very close to revenue neutral for the government, Harpauer told reporters on Dec. 5. She said the province is currently charged by the federal government for any changes it makes to provincial taxation.
Several Police Forces Review Deaths for Links to Man Charged in Lethal Product Sale

Kenneth Law appears in court in Brampton, Ont., May 3, 2023 in an artist's sketch. (The Canadian Press/Alexandra Newbould)

Several police forces say they are reviewing sudden deaths in their regions that could be linked to an Ontario man accused of selling a lethal substance to people at risk of self-harm.

Peel Regional Police arrested Kenneth Law last week and charged the 57-year-old with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide after investigating two recent deaths in the area.

Law, who is in custody awaiting a bail hearing, appeared briefly at a Brampton, Ont., courthouse by video link on Wednesday before his case was put over until Monday.

Peel Region police allege the Mississauga, Ont., man used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance that is commonly used to cure meats but can be deadly.

The force has said one person died in Peel Region at the end of March after consuming sodium nitrate allegedly bought from an online company owned by Law. Investigators said they later learned of a second death.

Three other police forces said that they were reviewing past deaths in light of the allegations against Law.

Toronto police said their review is part of the ongoing investigation by Peel Region police.

(Toronto Police Service) is conducting a review of sudden death occurrences that could be linked to this matter, the force wrote in a statement.

In Durham Region, east of Toronto, police said they were working with the coroners office to review sudden death investigations where sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite were deemed to be the cause of death or a contributing factor.

(Durham Regional Police Service) can confirm one case has been identified from 2022, the force wrote in a statement. We will be collaborating with Peel Regional Police to determine if it is linked to the Kenneth Law investigation.

Meanwhile, police in Regina said they have reopened one death investigation.

Through investigation done by Peel Regional Police, one potential victim was identified in Regina, the force wrote in a statement. At this time, work to determine the circumstances of this case is ongoing.

The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario said it is helping police in their investigations into Law.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Rea said the office cannot divulge how many cases the coroner is examining, but noted they investigate every substance-related death whether intentional or accidental.

There have been at least 37 deaths due to sodium nitrite since 2019, Rea said. More than 90 percent of those deaths were deemed suicides.

Peel Region police have said that their investigation into Law found that at least 1,200 packagesthey have not detailed what was in themwere allegedly sent to 40 countries. They said investigators have been reaching out to police in those countries and officers have been conducting well-being checks on people who received a package.

A coroners report from the United Kingdom appears to point to at least one death by suicide in the U.K. thats linked to a postal box in Mississauga and a company name police have linked to Law.

Ontario Provincial Police alerted the public last week to report any packages received from five companies they allege are connected to Law: Academic, AmbuCA, ICemac, Escape Mode, and Imtime Cuisine.

Health Canada has said it has been made aware of reports of people intentionally ingesting sodium nitrate or nitrite with the intent of self-harm and is taking action to address this concerning trend.
SNP Says It Would Force Labour to Undo Brexit If Election Produces Hung Parliament

Undated handout photo issued by UK Parliament of Alyn Smith who is the Scottish National Party MP for Stirling. (David Woolfall/UK Parliament via PA)

The Scottish National Party (SNP) could force Labour to try to undo Brexit as far as possible if there is a hung Parliament after the next general election, the partys Europe and EU Accession spokesperson said.

The comment came after Labour on a number of occasions ruled out a deal with the SNP, which also campaigns for Scottish independence.

The ruling Conservative Party hemorrhaged around 1,000 seats in last weeks local elections in England. But only around half of the seats went to Labour. The other half were mostly split between the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.

Alyn Smith, the SNPs Europe and EU Accession spokesperson, said all the signs are pointing to a hung parliament, in which no party has an absolute majority required to form a majority government.

The SNP could force a minority Labour government to rejoin the EU single market, reintroduce free movement, and transfer power for an independence referendum to Edinburgh, so Scotland can regain our place in Europe, Smith told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

With no other major parties currently supporting the rejoining of the EU, Smith said Scottish independence is the only way for Scotland to regain our EU membership, but if Labour needs the help of a Kingmaker, the SNP could hold the balance of power at the next election and we would use our influence to undo Brexit as far as possible and demand the UK has a close relationship with the EU, he said.

Smith called Brexit a disaster for Scotland and the UK, saying its costing our economy billions, damaging the NHS, and contributing to the cost of living crisis, and accused the Conservatives and Labour of maintaining a conspiracy of silence.

He vowed to push for the UK to rejoin Erasmus and Horizon Europe, defend the European Court of Justice, and ensure Scotland has the power to escape Brexit entirely with independence.

He also urged supporters to vote SNP in the next general election, saying its the only way to beat the Tories in Scotland.

Labour Ruled Out Deal With SNP

Labour has previously ruled out a coalition deal with the SNP. The party on Wednesday also pushed the Conservative Party to rule out a grubby, desperate deal with the Scottish party.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said in September last year that his party would not go into a coalition government with the SNP, saying, We cant work with them. We wont work with them. No deal under any circumstances.

But he refused to comment on hypotheticals on Tuesday when asked about a potential deal with the Liberal Democrats if his party fails to secure a majority.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech during a gala dinner at Hillsborough Castle, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, on April 19, 2023. (Charles McQuillan/PA Media)

During Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Starmer of being busy plotting coalitions while the Conservatives are running the country.

But Labour called on Sunak to rule out a grubby, desperate deal to cling to power after his press secretary declined to rule out the Tories entering any pacts.

Asked if Sunak could form a pact with the Democratic Unionist Party or other parties, the press secretary declined to speculate on the outcome of the next general election.

Labours shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray said the prime ministers refusal to rule out a grubby deal with the SNP is a sign of his desperation to cling to power.

A repeat of the ToryNat coalition previously seen in Scotland would wreck the UK, putting the very foundations of our country at risk, he said in a statement.

Murray added that Labour had repeatedly ruled out any deal with those who want to break up the country, and urged the Tories to urgently follow Labours example.

Hours after Murrays statement, the Conservatives released a statement saying: We will not be doing a deal with any other party.

PA Media contributed to this report.
T-Mobile Closes San Francisco Flagship Store as Crime Spins Out of Control

An alleged drug dealer uses his phone near drug users in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 22, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

T-Mobile became San Franciscos latest retailer to flee the citys downtown area in recent months, citing a drop in foot traffic and a rise in crime.

The phone companys two-story flagship store in San Franciscos neighborhood of Union Square was permanently closed last month as havoc continues in the once-prominent business district.

A note was left on the door of the T-Mobile outlet for customers directing them to visit two other locations in the city, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

T-Mobile is the latest retailer to abandon its main store in the crime-ridden city, following Whole Foods and Office Depot.

In a statement provided to SFGate via email, a company spokesperson did not give specific details about the decision, but mentioned a change in retailer strategy.

We recently reshaped our retail strategy, said the spokesperson, adding that employees have been offered roles within the company.

A T-Mobile employee at a different store location confirmed with SFGate that staff would probably get transferred to other stores.

Downtown San Francisco Being Abandoned Due to Spike in Crime

Union Square is one of San Franciscos premiere shopping districts and is located in the citys downtown region.

The 17,000-square-foot upscale location broke local price records when it was sold to T-Mobile in 2013 for $50 million.

The building at 1 Stockton Street was previously Apples flagship store in San Francisco, before it relocated to its current location on Post Street.

According to records, the space was sold to the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation following Apples relocation.

The shuttered property now joins other vacant commercial buildings in the city, as a desperate wave of companies flee San Francisco, which has suffered from massive increases of crime and homelessness, high taxes, and a commitment to woke public policies.

The vacant building is next door to a 19,000-square-foot building on Stockton Street that previously housed an Armani Exchange and a 10,387-square-foot space that was once home to a Disney store location.

Businesses throughout San Francisco have experienced repeated smash-and-grab robberies in recent years, especially since the onset of the pandemic.

The plague of shoplifters has cost city businesses millions of dollars in losses, which forced the citys authorities to allow the police to stake out retail locations in 2022 to better manage the crisis.

Other retailers have also announced plans to close their downtown locations this year, including Saks Off 5th on Market Street, after eight years in business.

The CB2 furniture store on Ellis Street was left empty after the chain moved out of the location in January.

The Nordstrom at Westfield San Francisco Centre and the Nordstrom Rack on Market Street, which were both in operation for almost 35 years and nine years, respectively, have plans to close this August.

The dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully, Nordstrom told SFGate.

A spokesperson for the mall in Westfield said. that a growing number of retailers and businesses are leaving the area due to the unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area.

Retailer Reluctant to Keep Stores Open Due to Safety Concerns

City authorities were embarrassed in April after Whole Foods announced the temporary closure of its highly praised flagship store in San Francisco, only a year after opening in March 2022.

The grocery store chain cited concerns about crime in the area posing a threat to the safety of the stores staff, after Walgreens made a similar move in 2021 due to theft issues.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Matt Dorsey, the representative for the district where the Whole Foods was located, posted a tweet in which he stated that he was incredibly disappointed but sadly unsurprised by the temporary closure of Mid-Markets Whole Foods, and blamed the problem of rampant drugs and crime in the area.

Whole Foods closuretogether with many other safety-related challenges weve seen recentlyis Exhibit A as to why San Francisco can no longer afford not to solve our police understaffing crisis, Dorsey wrote on Twitter.

Our neighborhood waited a long time for this supermarket, but were also well aware of problems theyve experienced with drug-related retail theft, adjacent drug markets, and the many safety issues related to them.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for T-Mobile, when asked about the closure, told Fox News Digital that the company recently reshaped our nationwide retail strategy to better take care of customers.

This includes plans weve made in this area and a few others to move away from the Signature Store format in some cities to instead serve customers through a nearby Experience store, the T-Mobile spokesperson added.

The phone companys new Experience store is able to handle multiple customer issues and features the latest T-Mobile devices while offering a more relaxed environment compared to traditional store locations.
Tesla Breaks Ground on Texas Lithium Refinery

Tesla Inc. on May 8 broke ground on its new lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, which CEO Elon Musk said should produce enough battery-grade metal to build 1 million electric vehicles by 2025.

The move would make Tesla the only major car manufacturer in North America that will refine its own lithium.

The facility will push Tesla outside its core focus of building cars and into the complex area of lithium refining and processing, a step Musk said was necessary if the auto giant was to meet its ambitious electric vehicle (EV) sales targets.

As we look ahead a few years, a fundamental choke point in the advancement of electric vehicles is the availability of battery-grade lithium, Musk said.

Musk said Tesla aimed to finish construction of the factory next year and then reach full production about a year later.

Currently, China dominates the processing of many critical minerals, including lithium.

Texas wants to be able to be self-reliant, not dependent upon any foreign hostile nation for what we need. We need lithium, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at the ceremony.

Musk did not specify the volume of lithium the facility would process each year. However, he said the automaker would continue to buy the metal from its vendors, which include Albemarle and Livent.

We intend to continue to use suppliers of lithium, so its not that Tesla will do all of it, Musk said.

Albemarle plans to build a lithium processing facility in South Carolina that will refine around 110,000 tons of the metal each year, with construction slated to begin next year and the facility coming online later this decade.

Musk did not say where Tesla will source the rough form of lithium, known as spodumene concentrate, that will be processed at the facility, although Tesla has supply deals with Piedmont Lithium Inc. and others.

Clean Operations

Tesla said it would forgo the lithium industrys conventional refining process, which relies on sulfuric acid and other strong chemicals, in favor of materials that were less harsh on the environment, such as soda ash.

You could live right in the middle of the refinery and not suffer any ill effect. So theyre very clean operations, Musk said.

Mondays announcement was not the first time Tesla has attempted to venture into lithium production. Musk in 2020 told shareholders that Tesla had secured rights to 10,000 acres in Nevada where it aimed to produce lithium from clay deposits, which had never been done before at a commercial scale.

While Musk boasted that the company had developed a proprietary process to sustainably produce lithium from those Nevada clay deposits, Tesla has not yet deployed the process.

Musk has urged entrepreneurs to enter the lithium refining business, saying it is like minting money.

Tesla said last month a recent plunge in prices of lithium and other commodities would aid Teslas bruised margins in the second half of the year.

The refinery is the latest expansion by Tesla into Texas after the company moved its headquarters there from California in 2021. Musks other companies, including SpaceX and The Boring Company, also have operations in Texas.

Last year, Musk tweeted that Tesla may get into the lithium mining and refining business directly due to the high cost of the metal element. He also said that the availability of battery-grade lithium was a fundamental chokepoint for the EV industry and other sectors.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Texas Lawmakers Advance Bill to Raise Age for Buying Semiautomatic Rifles to 21

Texas state lawmakers advanced a bill on Tuesday that seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle to 21, just days after a mass shooting in Allen.

Two Republicans on the House Select Committee on Community Safety joined the committees Democrats to approve moving House Bill 2744 to the full chamber for a vote. This move is seen as a small victory for gun control advocates despite the bill being unlikely to pass the conservative Legislature and become law.

Reps. Sam Harless from Spring and Justin Holland from Rockwall, both Republicans, voted with Democrats on the last day of the bills deadline to move out of committee and continue through the legislative process. Their support came as a surprise, notably with Hollands previous strong pro-Second Amendment stance.

The bill has been widely criticized by Republicans and gun rights advocates as infringing on the constitutional rights of law-abiding adults. Opponents of the bill have argued that if an 18-year-old is considered an adult with respect to voting, purchasing tobacco, and serving in the military, then it should entitle them to the full rights to protections granted by the U.S. Constitution.

The unexpected vote came just days after a gunman killed eight people, including several children, at a mall in Allen, Texas. Harless described his decision as the most emotional vote hes ever taken, The New York Times reported. I started crying after I made it. That means my heart told me I made the right vote, he said.

Holland Defends Decision

Holland, who has previously advocated for permitless carry of firearms, sought to clarify his position and defend his decision in a letter in which he indicated that he was moved by recent messaging from gun control advocates.

I do not believe in gun control, and I certainly dont agree with the Biden administrations many attempts to undermine our gun rights. When I voted for a bill in committee to raise the age requirement from 18 to 21 to purchase semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines whose caliber is greater than a .22, I did so in full knowledge that some people would try to mischaracterize my vote and the motivations for casting it, Holland wrote.

Holland said that he was convinced by hours of testimony that making this small change might be a roadblock to a person aged between 18 and 21 who wants to buy a gun to use it in a destructive and illegal manner. The gunman in the Allen shooting was 34, so such a law would not have prevented that attack, which some gun control advocates have admitted.

To be clear, I do not support a ban on the sale or possession of these types of rifles. In fact, I own several myself. Rather, I think that increasing the age requirement for purchase lessens the possibility that the weapon is misused while not undermining our fundamental right to keep and bear arms, he added.

The Texas lawmaker had previously earned an endorsement from the National Rifle Association, which assigned him an A rating three times. He shared his letter in response to a statement by the Texas Young Republican Federation (TYRF), which criticized the bill.

Gun Rights Advocates Respond

Joacim Hernandez, chairman of TYRF, expressed the organizations strong opposition to the bill, describing it as infringing on the rights of law-abiding Americans, who he says have every right to protections guaranteed by the Constitution.

TYRF stands firmly in defense of the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Texans and maintains that this bill infringes upon those constitutional rights, Hernandez said in a statement.

Hernandez said TYRF has advocated for a consistent age of adulthood to be endorsed by the Republican Party of Texas platform.

We firmly believe that anyone who can exercise the fundamental right to vote or is considered old enough to die for their country should also enjoy all the protections our Constitution guarantees, he added.

TYRF advocates for responsible gun ownership and safeguarding Second Amendment rights.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) described the Republican lawmakers vote as a compromise and the bill as a slap in the face to legal gun owners.

Law-abiding citizens ages 18-20 have EVERY right to protect and defend themselves, the organization said on Twitter. Compromises like this are why we work incredibly hard to vet candidates Second Amendment beliefs before offering them our support and the support of our members.

Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and injured a third while defending himself during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020 and was found not guilty of all charges filed in a high-profile trial, echoed the criticisms of other gun rights advocates.

He wrote on Twitter: 18 year olds can join the military. They can vote. They can get married. But you are trying to infringe on not just my rights but all 18-20 year olds gun rights.

Meanwhile, Texas Gun Rights, a no compromise gun rights group in Texas, vowed to sue if the bill manages to become law.

Important Step: Democrats

In a letter to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Chairman Dustin Burrows, who chairs the House calendar committee, 21 state Democrats led by Rep. Vikki Goodwin from Travis County requested the bill be added to the General State Calendar.

[G]etting HB 2744 voted out of Committee is an important step. Texans deserve to know the Texas Legislature at least debated these issues and is working toward solutions both for mass shootings, but also gun suicides and accidental shootings, the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers requested that HB 2744 and other bills be brought to the floor this week.

They also lamented that another mass shooting had taken place in Texas and noted its proximity to the committees vote to advance the bill.

This was a welcomed action for many, many Texans. These acts of mass violence have become much too prevalent. Too often loved ones are taken from their families in tragedies that are too immense to comprehend, they wrote. These horrific acts are causing death and trauma for victims, bystanders, law enforcement, first responders, doctors, extended family, and really, all of us. We cant become numb to this.
TUNIS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A guardsman affiliated with the National Guard killed four people on Tuesday night at La Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, south Tunisia, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The guardsman killed a colleague and seized his ammunition before heading toward the synagogue, the ministry said in a statement. He opened fire at security units stationed near the synagogue, leaving two visitors and another security officer killed, before being killed during an exchange of fire.

Several others, including security officers and civilians, were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. 
Texas Lawmakers Pass Historic Bill Allowing Chaplains in Public Schools

State House considering measures allowing prayer, Bible reading, and the 10 Commandments in schools

The Texas Legislature passed history-making legislation that will allow chaplains to be employed or volunteer at public schools to provide support, services, and programs for students.

Senate Bill 763 was approved in the Texas House along party lines on May 9, after the state Senate passed the measure on April 25. Now, its poised to become law.

The bill is the first of its kind in the nation, according to Rep. Steve Toth, a Republican and member of the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus.

Im thankful that Texas schools are free to allow the life-sustaining resource of faith to our children, Toth told The Epoch Times in a text.

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for the courts official portrait in Washington on Oct. 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Conservatives have sought to put religion back into public school after it was banned 50 years ago through a series of rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. But recently, the court has ruled in ways that open the door for religion in schools again, a legal expert told The Epoch Times.

While most liberals oppose religion in schools, saying it violates the separation of church and state, Julie Pickren, a Texas State Board of Education member, lauded the passage as a historic moment for Texas.

If signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, as expected, the state would lead the country in addressing the spiritual needs of teachers and students, she said.

This is the very first time in the history of America that school districts will be able to employ a school chaplain, just like our military and our prisons employ chaplains, Pickren told The Epoch Times.

Because the House modified SB 763 and accepted amendments to change it during the legislative process, the measure likely will go before a committee before being sent to the governor.

Initially, the bill would have allowed Texas schools to hire chaplains, instead of school counselors.

Julie Pickren, a conservative advocate for education, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas on Aug. 6, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez for The Epoch Times)

SB 763 is one of several faith-based bills related to schools under consideration by the Republican-led Texas Legislature.

Jonathan Hullihan, a Texas attorney for Citizens Defending Freedom, said the 2022 Supreme Courts ruling on Kennedy v. Bremerton made faith-based bills more likely to withstand legal challenges.

That case, decided in June 2022, changed how the establishment clause in the U.S. Constitution is viewed, Hullihan told The Epoch Times in an email.

That clause is part of the First Amendment and is what guarantees constitutional protection for freedom of religion in the United States.

Some have argued that religious practices in schools violate that part of the Constitution.

However, recent rulings of the Supreme Court show that historical practices and traditions involving religion are no longer considered an act of establishing a religion, Hullihan said.

Chaplains have a long history of being employed by other government entities, such as the military.

If Texas school districts wish to utilize a chaplain to provide counseling for the children in their school district, they should be free to do so without fear of an Establishment Clause violation, reflecting the historical and traditional role chaplains have played throughout American history, Hullihan wrote.

The framers of the Constitution believed correctly that morality is essential to the well-being of society.

Bill McSwain, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, stands beside the 10 Commandments plaque on the Chester County Courthouse, where he defeated atheist groups who wanted to remove it. (Lily Sun/The Epoch Times)

Under the Texas chaplain bill, each public school district and open-enrollment charter school would vote on whether to hire or allow a volunteer chaplain at school.

While Chaplains wouldnt be required to be certified, as counselors or teachers must be, they will have to meet specific standards.

Amendments to the bill define a chaplain as someone endorsed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Two other additions would require chaplains to undergo background checks and would ban convicted sex offenders from serving.

Each school board or schools governing body would determine what kind of support, services, or programs could be offered by a chaplain.

Opponents Fear Indoctrination

The measure is needed because school counselors are overwhelmed, and chaplains could help support the emotional needs of students and teachers, said Rep. Cole Hefner, a Republican who presented the bill in the state House.

Chaplains wont be there to proselytize, Hefner said.

The legislation faced stiff opposition during a second reading by several House Democrats who called the addition of chaplains in schools indoctrination.

Democrat Rep. Gina Hinojosa said she believes chaplains in schools would be unconstitutional and schools shouldnt be indoctrinating our kids on any kind of religion.

She criticized a group speaking in favor of school chaplains, saying members want to infiltrate the system and support Christians functioning and operating inside the school system.

The Texas state Capitol is seen on the first day of the 87th Legislatures third special session in Austin on Sept. 20, 2021. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

Democrats proposed several failed amendments, including banning schools from using public funds to hire chaplains, requiring parental consent before a student could see a chaplain, and doing away with the mandatory vote by school systems to approve or disapprove of having chaplains on campus.

During a public hearing in the state House in April, many others spoke in favor of the proposal.

Chaplains are spiritual first responders that are needed more than ever in schools where social media has caused added stress in the lives of children, parents, and teachers, Rev. Greg McBrayer told state lawmakers.

McBrayer, who serves as chief flight dispatcher, chaplain, and director of airport chaplaincy and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, said the chaplains would complement school counselors, which are in short supply in Texas.

The need for spiritually grounded intervention has never been greater, he said.

U.S. Army Col. Sam Lee, command chaplain for the United Nations, performs a blessing on 55 boxes of remains thought to be of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War and returned by North Korea to the United States at the Osan Air Base in South Korea on July 27, 2018. (U.S. Army Sgt. Quince Lanford/via Reuters)

Demand for chaplains has increased and many qualified chaplains have a military background, McBrayer said. Some have an ecclesiastical endorsement, have been through seminary school, and hold a masters degree.

Chaplains could reduce bullying, violence, and suicide in schools, said Teresa Benedetti, identified as a retired firefighter from San Antonio during the public hearing.

While adding chaplains in schools might hurt her business, motivational speaker Peggi Merkey testified that the most important thing is helping children.

If you vote for chaplains in schools, Texas has the awesome opportunity to lead the country in changing the lives of students across the nation, Merkey said. Can you imagine the impact made with Texas at the helm?

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at a press conference at the Texas state Capitol in Austin on May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images)

Most opponents at the hearing expressed concern about the education, qualifications, and background checks for prospective school chaplains.

The Texas House also is considering SB 1515, sponsored by Sen. Phil King, a Republican. It would allow the 10 Commandments to be posted in public schools.

Also under consideration is SB 1396, sponsored by Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Republican. That bill would permit public schools to adopt a policy requiring time for students and employees to pray and read the Bible or other religious texts.

Both measures champion religious freedom, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a written statement.

I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind, he said.

Bringing the 10 Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.
Texas Mall Shooters Possible Motives Probed as Grieving Community Comes Together

Minnie's Food Pantry Community Relations Manager Robert Jackson helps install crosses at the Allen Premium Outlet mall memorial site in Allen, Texas, on May 8, 2023. (Jana J. Pruet/The Epoch Times)

The man accused of killing eight and injuring seven others at an outdoor mall in Texas had researched the busiest day to carry out his brutal massacre.

Mauricio Garcia, 33, of Dallas, had posted photos on social media in mid-April of a store at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, near where he shot and killed unsuspecting shoppers in broad daylight on May 6. Allen is about 25 miles north of Dallas, in Collin County.

The shooter was killed by an Allen police officer at the mall on an unrelated call when he heard gunfire at 3:36 p.m. The officer, whose name has not been released, acted swiftly and neutralized the gunman, Allen police said.

About the Gunman

Authorities have not officially said what they believe motivated the killer, but information on social media sites, his attire on the day of the attack, and his short-lived military history have provided insight into possible motivations.

Garcia reportedly made posts on a Russian social networking site suggesting his attack had been planned for weeks before the incident, according to The Associated Press. He also posted photos showing large Nazi tattoos on his arms and torso, including a swastika and the SS lightning bolt logo of Adolf Hitlers paramilitary forces.

Investigators have also interviewed family members and associates of Garcia to learn about his ideological beliefs. His financial records and other electronic media are also being reviewed.

Garcia joined the U.S. Army in 2008 but was terminated three months later before completing his basic training, Army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan told AP.

The cause of his termination is not immediately clear.

An Army official told WFAA that Garcia terminated during basic training on a provision related to physical or mental conditions. The official told the outlet that the Army does not discuss details on personnel terminations.

Garcia received an uncharacterized discharge, which is an entry-level separation given to individuals who separate prior to completing 180 days of military service or when discharge action was initiated 180 days of service.

This type of discharge does not attempt to characterize service as good or bad, according to Vetverify.org.

This type of discharge would not set off red flags or require reports to law enforcement.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the U.S. Army for comment.

Until recently, Garcia had lived at his familys home in Dallas. At the time of the incident, he was living at an extended-stay motel in Dallas.

A woman who lives next door to the home described her neighbors as nice and polite, although she did not know them well. She said Garcia was friendly.

Who are the Victims

Daniela Mendoza, 11, and her sister Sodia Mendoza, 8, of Sachse, Texas, were killed in the attack. Their mother was also injured.

James Cho, 3, and his parents Kyu Song Cho, 37, and Cyndi Cho, 35, were also killed. The couples six-year-old son was also injured. The family lived in Dallas.

Christian LaCour, 20, of Farmersville, Texas, was working as a security guard at the mall when he was gunned down.

Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, of Hyderabad, India, and a project manager for a company in Frisco, Texas, was killed.

Elio Cuman-Rivas, 32, of Dallas was also killed. No further information on Cumana-Rivas was immediately available.

A family from India prays in front of a cross built in memory of Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, of Hyderabad, India, on May 9, 2023. (Jana J. Pruet/The Epoch Times)

Update on Surviving Shooting Victims

On Tuesday, six patients remained hospitalized in area hospitals, Medical City Healthcare wrote in a statement to The Epoch Times.

Medical City Healthcare continues to treat six patients at three hospitals from the Allen Premium Outlets shooting, with two patients showing improvement overnight, the statement read.

Four patients are being treated at Medical City McKinney. One patient remains in critical condition. One patient is in serious condition, one is in fair condition, and another is in good condition.

A fifth patient remains in fair condition at Medical City Plano.

The sixth patient is in good condition at Medical City Childrens Hospital in Dallas.

We politely request everyone respect privacy as patients recover physically while also processing difficult emotions, the statement said.

Community Erects Memorial

The North Texas community has created a massive memorial with large crosses, flowers, stuffed animals, and letters outside the Allen Premium Outlets entrance.

Some community organizations, such as Minnies Food Pantry and Urban Specialists, have also stepped in to pray and support mourners visiting the memorial site.

Everyone has pitched in and come together, so its just one extended family because Collin County has always been a very tight-knit group of generations of families who know and support each other, Minnies Food Pantry Community Relations Manager Robert Jackson told The Epoch Times.

Jackson and his mother, Cheryl Jackson, founder of Minnies Food Pantry, have spent numerous hours at the memorial praying, painting crosses, and hugging those who visit. Minnies is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Collin County that has served over 15 million meals to families in three states since it opened its doors in 2008.

We just wanted to make an impact on one familys life, and thats the same reason why were hereits to make an impact on these families lives, Jackson said while his mother was busy helping arrange flowers and tying ribbons on the crosses erected for each of the lives lost.

Minnies Food Pantry Founder Cheryl Jackson (middle) helps community members build a cross for one of the victims killed in the massacre at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, on May 9, 2023. (Jana J. Pruet/The Epoch Times)

Ojei Hillary told The Epoch Times he was walking out of the Nike store to go to his car when he heard the gunshots.

A pregnant woman nearby began yelling active shooter and to get down, Hillary said, adding that the gunfire was so intense. Since that day, he said hes had difficulty sleeping because he keeps recalling what happened.

It was really terrible, Hillary said.

LaMontria Edwards, director of engagement of Urban Specialities, was also on-hand Monday afternoon. She and others from the 501(c)3 organization spent the afternoon sharing prayers and offering comfort to community members who stopped to pay their respects to the victims. The Dallas-based organization is focused on social change and eradicating senseless violence, according to the groups website.

Violence is one of our core focus areas, so when we heard about what was going on here in Allen, it was instinctive for us to come here and serve those people and those individuals, Edwards told The Epoch Times. So we came out here, and we just led wherever the spirit told us toevery individual that he called us to pray for or to be with.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Founders and the Constitution, Part 9: George Washington

A mural depicts President George Washington as he lays the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 18, 1793. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

Historian Forrest McDonald itemized some of George Washingtons constitutional contributions in American National Biography Online:

His role in working out the details of the Constitution was minimal, but Washington was important to the success of the convention withal. His very attendance, together with Benjamin Franklins, ensured the convention respectability and public trust  His presence in the presidents chair ensured decorous and tempered behavior by the other delegates, several of whom had outsized egos and short tempers.

Perhaps most important, Washington made it possible to create an executive branchwithout which no national government could have been viabledespite the general fear of executive power that had prevailed in America since 1776. Finally, Washingtons signature on the Constitution, in the opinion of many observers, made the difference between ratification by the requisite number of states and refusal to ratify.

We can supplement McDonalds statement in three ways: First, Washington didnt preside at most of the proceedings from May 30, 1787, through June 19, 1787.

During that period the convention spent the greater part of its time in the committee of the whole. Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, a former president of the Confederation Congress, chaired that committee.

Second, Washington further aided the Constitutions ratification by extensive correspondence throughout the public debates (Sept. 17, 1787, to May 29, 1790).

Third, Washington worked his greatest constitutional contributions during his presidency. More on that below.

Personal Life

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on Feb. 11, 1731, as denoted by the old style (Julian) calendar then in force. When the British Empire (including the American colonies) adopted the Gregorian system in 1752, the calendar advanced by 11 days and the year began on Jan. 1 instead of Mar. 25. Hence, we mark Washingtons birthday as Feb. 22, 1732.

The young Virginian grew to be a tall and powerful man. He wasnt merely strong, but graceful, notably on horseback and on the dance floor. Abigail Adamsmarried to the short, pudgy Johnwistfully testified to Washingtons magnetism.

He had eight years of schooling, but displayed none of the deep intellectualism of some of the other leading Founders. He was a pure man of action: a lover of the outdoors and the western back-country, a competent surveyor, a soldier, an excellent practical farmer (tobacco and later wheat), and a wise land speculator.

His wife and relatives brought him considerable wealth, to which he conscientiously added. After the financial collapse of his fellow Founder, Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, Washington may have been the wealthiest person in America.

Character

One key to our first presidents personality was his self-control. He was hot-tempered and thin-skinned, but he labored mightily, and usually successfully, to curb both weaknesses.

His self-control and determination enabled him to overcome grave setbacks. He lost his father when he was 11. He suffered a bout with smallpox that scarred his face. He ran for the colonial legislature twice, and lost both timesbefore finally winning on his third attempt. In his military career, he was repeatedly frustrated, both before the Revolutionary War and during the wars first two years. Many of those frustrations stemmed from his own mistakes.

Self-control enabled Washington to rise to an 18th-century ideal: fitting into ones pre-selected characterthat is, his brand or public image. (The Greco-Latin word character usually means brand.) Character meant far more than public image as we use that term today. One was expected to actually mold his or her conduct to fit the image. Today, we encounter this identity between brand and behavior far more often in the private sector than in political life. In the private sector, the market constantly tests whether a product lives up to its image. But in modern political life, there are huge differences between the images politicians and bureaucrats adopt and how they really conduct themselves. Its one of the central failings of the mainstream media that they permit favored politicians to get away with this.

The character Washington selected was of the scrupulously just and honest man who reluctantly leaves private life to engage in selfless public service, then returns to private life when his task is done. He lived up to this brand in many ways, including resignation of his military command after the Revolutionary War and his retirement after his second presidential term. Washingtons renunciation of personal power led to Americans comparing him to the great Roman statesman Cincinnatus.

The Constitutional Contributions of Washingtons Presidency

Washington served as president from April 1789 until March 1797. Most historians give him credit for establishing the presidency on a firm footing. This is an accurate assessment.

Theres also a less-accurate assessment: the claim that Washington transformed the presidency from a severely limited officeas allegedly conceived by the Foundersinto a far more potent one.

But for Washington to seize power in this way would have been entirely contrary to his character. His character required him to assiduously respect the constitutional understanding of his fellow Founders and to avoid any appearance of self-aggrandizement.

The truth is that most of the constitution-makers envisioned the presidency as precisely the kind of office Washington made it, and the Constitution encapsulated that vision. The claim that he expanded the presidents constitutional powers rests on ignorance of the Founders understanding and of 18th-century law.

Our first president had to resolve several important constitutional questions. Three had clear legal answers, and in each case, Washington reached the right conclusion. Here are the three:

The Constitution gave the Senate power to advise and consent to some presidential decisions (Article II, Section 2, Clause 2). In 18th-century political parlance, to advise could mean (1) to give counsel to someone, or (2) to deliberate (that is, take under advisement). The Constitution meant the latter. Accordingly, Washington resolved, after some doubt, not to formally consult the Senate before making executive decisions.

The Constitution granted the president a list of powers over foreign affairs. As I explain in my book, The Original Constitution, those powers were understood to include certain incidental authority. Taken together, the listed and incidental powers designated the president as Americas leader in foreign affairs. Washington complied with the Constitutions meaning in this regard. He didnt go beyond it.

Washington assumed broad authority over dealings with the Indian tribes. Promoters of federal power claim Washington did so from a very expansive interpretation of the Constitutions Indian Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). In fact, though, most of Washingtons Indian affairs activities were authorized by other parts of the Constitution (pdf).

Our first president also had to address some constitutional questions whose answers were unclear. But the fact that he provided answers doesnt justify accusing him of usurpation.

Founding-era law, like modern law, included a doctrine called practical construction or liquidation (from the Latin verb liquereto clear). It said that when a document is genuinely unclear (and only when its unclear), the parties may clarify (liquidate) its meaning through later conduct. Founders such as James Madison (in, for example, Federalist No. 37) and Alexander Hamilton (in, for example, Federalist No. 82) publicly predicted this would happen with the Constitution.

When Washington became president, one question whose answer was unclear was Who can fire federal officers appointed by the president and approved by the Senate? Could the president dismiss them unilaterally or did the Senate have to agree?

Both President Washington and Congress adopted the view that the president could fire them unilaterally. For reasons I explain in my book, this is also the better constitutional interpretation.

Still more difficult was this question: Does the Constitution grant Congress power to charter corporationsin particular a national bank? The Founders themselves were closely divided on this issue. Whether a person thought a national bank was constitutional depended largely on how he interpreted European financial practices (pdf).

In 1791, both the president and Congress concluded that the Constitution did give Congress authority to charter a national bank. Madison initially opposed this conclusion, but by 1814, he admitted that practical construction had liquidated the issue. Five years later the Supreme Court agreed in its famous decision of McCulloch v. Maryland.

Thus, Washington influenced the Constitutions operation far more as president than as a framer.

Later Life

Around the time Washington left the presidency in March 1797, he predicted he would not live much longer. He was then 65 years old. In view of 18th-century life expectancies, his premonition was a reasonable one.

During his remaining two years and nine months, he acquiesced to President Adams request that he assume command of the troops in event of a war with Francea war that fortunately never arose. He exercised political influence by successfully supporting the congressional candidacies of Patrick Henry and John Marshall.

He spent most of his time administering what had become a huge farm at Mount Vernon. After riding too long in a cold rain, he died on Dec. 14, 1799, apparently from a streptococcus infection.

As his life progressed, Washington increasingly opposed slavery. However, during his lifetime he could not afford to free his bondsmen and he was unwilling to put them through the trauma of selling them, because that usually led to the breakup of enslaved communities and families.

However, Washingtons will emancipated all his slaves. Moreover, his estate funded maintenance and training for those slaves who were still children and pensions for those who were elderly. The pensions lasted until the death of the last recipient, in 1833.

Read prior installments here: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Long Road to Confronting Chinas War on Religion, Part II

News analysis

Falun Gong emerged in China in 1992, a time of a spiritual renewal in a land still under Communist rule, but one recovering from the horrors of Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution. Drawing on Buddhist traditions, Falun Gong combined meditation and tai chi-style exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of zhen, shan, and ren (truth, compassion, tolerance.) The word, in both English and Chinese, to describe this contemplative mind and body approach to life is qigong.

Originating in the northeastern city of Changchun, the practice spread across the country. By the end of the decade, an estimated 70100 million Chinese were following qigong spiritual meditation disciplines or had become devoted practitioners. But in the summer of 1999, after demonstrations on the 10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests by Falun Gong followers, Chinas leaders responded with staggering cruelty. In June, Chinese leader Jiang Zemin set up an office specifically to persecute Falun Gong followers, and put Vice Premier Li Lanqing in charge of the effort. Falun Gong was not a benign new manifestation of ancient Chinese practices, the government decreed. Instead, the regime labeled it a dangerous cult, and proclaimed it a threat to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). And threats to the CCP must be eradicated.

On the night of July 22, thousands of Falun Gong followers were rousted from their beds, arrested, beaten, and incarcerated. Their texts were burned in bonfires in cities across the country and their exercise routines banned. As supporters resisted, Chinese authorities ratcheted up the persecution. On Nov. 30, 1999, some 3,000 Communist Party functionaries were summoned to Beijings Great Hall of the People where Li Lanqing revealed the regimes plans for Falun Gong: Defame their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.

Only much later did the world come to see the ghastly lengths to which the CCP would go in this campaign.

No Physician Would Dare

The discussion among democratic nations about decoupling from Beijing over human rights presents a basic conundrum: How much leverage does the West really have over a nation on which it relies for basic necessities, including medical and technological supplies? This problem became acuteand a hot-button political issueduring the 2019 COVID outbreak and the ensuing pandemic.

But human rights experts and religious freedom advocates have tried to draw attention to a far grislier supply-chain crisis that Beijing has controlled and secretly cultivated for years as the United States and other nations turned a blind eye to its horrors, despite a growing body of evidence.

Nearly a year ago, however, the American Journal of Transplantation, the leading medical transplant publication in the world, made it impossible to ignore.

Two researchers, Matthew Robertson, a Ph.D. student at Australian National University, and Dr. Jacob Lavee, the founder and former director of the Heart Transplantation Unit at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, uncovered compelling evidence that Chinese surgeons are systematically removing organs from prisoners while they are still alive, providing on-demand supplies for what has become Chinas billion-dollar organ export industry.

In their groundbreaking scholarship, Robertson and Lavee translated and analyzed thousands of Chinese surgeons writings in state-run academic journals about their transplant surgeries between 1980 and 2015. Among them, they found 71 papers containing explicit descriptions of surgeries in which hearts were extracted from prisoners who were still alivean obvious and shocking violation of the internationally accepted dead-donor organ rule barring organ extractions before donors have been declared brain dead.

When Robertson, a fluent Mandarin speaker, translated an initial set of documents and shared them with Lavee, the Israeli surgeons initial reaction was disbelief.

I remember telling him out front, You got it wrong, mate. But then those papers kept piling [up], and we both were flabbergasted by our findings, Lavee told RealClearPolitics (RCP). No physician would dare do these organ procurements without first ascertaining the donors were indeed brain dead, and yet they not only didbut put it in writing.

Other leading researchers have painstakingly documented a reprehensible aspect of these life-ending extractions: that prisoners of consciencereligious minorities and political dissidentsare the main victims.

Theres now extensive evidence that Chinese surgeons first honed their forced organ harvesting practice on practitioners of Falun Gong. Over the last several years, the regime expanded the pool of victims to Chinas imprisoned Uyghur population as part of its systematic suppression of the Muslim minority group. (In 2021, President Biden formally declared Chinas treatment of the Uyghur people as genocide for attempting to decimate the population through mass detention and forced sterilization. The Trump administration made the issue impossible to ignore when it first deemed Chinas repression of the Uyghurs a genocide on its last full day in power before Bidens inauguration.)

Seeing Through Chinas Deception

Pressure is growing in the United States and abroad to condemn the ghoulish organ extractions and take steps to ensure that responsible nations and medical institutions disentangle themselves from any involvement in or financial support for Chinas organ supply chains.

Communist China has long harvested prisoners organs, even though the government in Beijing initially asserted that all their organ extractions were from voluntary donors. But as far back as 2005, the top transplant doctor in China, then serving as the nations vice minister of health, admitted that roughly 95 percent of all organ transplants came from prisoners.

An international outcry forced a change in policy in 2015, yet the Chinese Communist Party still reserved the right to extract organs for prisoners who voluntarily donated them. Conveniently for the Chinese government, theres no way to prove that prisoners voluntarily agreed to allow their organs to be harvested upon execution.

Another revealing tell regarding Chinas transplant business is how quickly patients can schedule appointments for transplant surgeries, within days or weeks, compared to waiting months or years in the United States.

In an even more dubious proposition, after the international outcry over its use of prisoners for the vast majority of its organ transplants, China said it had managed to rapidly increase its volunteer registry from virtually none in 2015 to nearly 1.77 million in 2019.

With the help of Australian statistician Raymond Hinde, Robertson and Lavee analyzed the growth curves of Chinas volunteer donation lists for three organ types compared to 50 other countries and found them to be far smoother upward trajectories, nearly perfect yet implausible quadratic equations. Robertson and Lavee wrote a peer-reviewed medical ethics journal article in 2019, concluding that Chinas medical bureaucracy had grossly falsified its volunteer donor database numbers.

More than 12 years prior, allegations had begun to surface that many Falun Gong followers had been killed to supply Chinas organ transplant industry, although the evidence now suggests it began at least six years earlier. China has long denied pursuing this heinous policy, and until the last few years, a lack of transparency made the charges nearly impossible to verify.

But over time, experts, surgeons, and researchers have produced credible evidence, testifying about their appalling findings to Congress, the British Parliament, the United Nations, international tribunals, and other respected world bodies. In 2019, the China Tribunal, a non-governmental commission in the UK, investigated accusations of organ harvesting in China, holding hearings and weighing evidence from dozens of witnesses and experts. What they learned is that instead of curbing the practice in response to worldwide horror, the CCP expanded it to another persecuted religious minority: Chinas Uyghur Muslims.

Led by Sir Geoffrey Nice, a world-renowned lawyer who previously prosecuted Slobodan Milosevic at the Hague, the tribunals seven-member panel concluded that forced organ harvesting has taken place on a significant scale throughout China for years. It also found that the CCPs execution of prisoners of conscience for their organs constitutes crimes against humanity and said the sheer scale of the transplant tourism industry in China suggests that prisoners of conscience have been killed to order for their organs.

While the tribunals determination was a turning point, pressure continues to mount on the international community to do more to condemn the chilling practice and work to stop it. In December, Canada joined at least ten other countries in passing anti-organ harvesting laws. Ottawas new law makes it illegal for citizens and residents to help fund or support any aspect of Chinas organ harvesting industry.

Sam Brownback, who served as ambassador-at-large for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom during the Trump administration, likened the effort to document and amplify Chinas organ harvesting on religious minorities to British politician William Wilberforces early efforts to uncover the horrors of the slave trade in the late 1700s.

The key to any social movement is to put it right in peoples faces, Brownback, who is writing a book on Chinas long history of religious persecution, told RCP. It wasnt until William Wilberforce took people on tours of slave ships and let them smell them and see them that it really started turning the tide.

As evidence builds, support for more U.S. and international action against Chinas grim organ harvesting is growing in Washington as Congress tackles several aspects of Chinas malign activities.

Theres a greater willingness in Washington and around the world to acknowledge that China is dissembling, is secretive, is manipulating dataand they are doing that with their [false] claims of a voluntary donor organ system, Nina Shea, human rights lawyer and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, told RCP.

At the International Religious Freedom Summit in early February, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul accused China of an all-out assault on religion. McCaul then condemned Chinas documented organ harvesting from both the Uyghur Muslims and the Falun Gong. It was one of the first times such a high-ranking U.S. politician publicly acknowledged the problems alarming gravity in forceful terms.

With McCauls backing and near unanimous support, in late March the House passed a bipartisan anti-organ harvesting bill spearheaded by Rep. Chris Smith, longtime human rights champion and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The measure would impose sanctions on anyone involved in funding or supporting Chinas organ harvesting industry. Sens. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, and Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, have introduced a similar bill, now wending its way through the Senate.

Launching a Boycott

For the first time, a prestigious international medical organization recently stepped up to roundly condemn Chinas organ harvesting practices and has backed up its statement with action against China. Last year, the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation, or ISHLT, issued a declaration acknowledging that China executes prisoners to harvest their organs for transplantation. As a result, doctors will no longer be able to publish their research in the societys medical journal or present the results of their work at its annual conference. Human rights advocates tout the new ethics policy as the model all other transplantation-related societies should follow. Such a boycott, however limited for now, is no small matter, those leading it contend.

We know that such an academic boycott is significant because China does not like to be held away from these international medical forums, Dr. Lavee told RCP in a lengthy interview. So hopefully, maybe there will be a similar organization, like the American Transplantation Society or another that will follow.

This is a significant development, Robertson said last year during testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan House panel. Dr. Lavee, my co-author, helped to make that happen. And I think its those types of efforts from professional organizations that will move the needle.

Last month ISHLT held its annual gathering in Denver, where it amplified its condemnation of China to the medical establishment and the world. The opening session featured a presentation by Ethan Gutmann, the leading field researcher on Chinas forced organ harvesting and a senior research fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Gutmann last year testified to Congress that an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 Uyghur Muslims are killed annually for their organs. A revealing finding focuses on a former SARS hospital in Aksu, Xinjiang. Gutmann discovered that the facility has a detention camp for 33,000 people built around the hospital with a large crematorium less than a kilometer away. The hospital is served by an airport with a dedicated fast lane for expressing organs to hospitals throughout China.

One Uyghur man said he drove by the crematorium every day, and the smell was a common complaint among local workers, Guttmann told Congress last year.

In his book, The Slaughter, Gutmann shows how the horrific organ removals first took place with criminal executions of all types of prisoners and then ramped up after the Chinese governments 1999 crackdown on the Falun Gong.

Gutmann has based his findings on more than 20 interviews with former prisoners in Chinese detention camps who have since fled the nation, along with accounts from relatives of organ-harvesting victims. Other public witnesses include a former Chinese surgeon, Dr. Enver Tohti Bugdha, who has testified to Congress and other international panels that, back in 1994, he regrettably performed an organ extraction on a prisoner who was still alive under orders from Chinese officials.

Eyewitness Accounts

Gutmann discovered a strikingly similar pattern through interviews with witnesses from approximately 20 Chinese camps in the heavily Uyghur area of Xinjiang. Between 2.5 percent and 5 percent of inmates disappeared each year, and those who did were usually men of or around 28 years, the age most organs mature and are at their healthiest. Another finding was consistent throughout the camps: All of the disappeared men were wearing brightly colored wristbands or vestseither orange or pinkafter a camp-wide health check that included comprehensive blood tests.

And then these people would disappear, and [the other prisoners] were not supposed to talk about them, Gutmann said in an interview. The growing body of evidence and recognition of Chinas chilling organ harvesting activities is encouraging to leading human rights advocates. Some have tracked and helped air the allegations for decades while watching most Washington officials and U.S. business interests turn a blind eye.

People are finally waking up to the brutality of the CCP, Rep. Smith said when introducing his anti-organ harvesting bill in February. We in the United Statesin the medical field in particularmust examine our moral complicity in this most heinous of crimes.

Under Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, the cruelty of murdering [tens of thousands of] young victims every yearaverage age 28to steal their organs is unimaginable, Smith added. Chinas organ harvesting industry is truly barbaric.

Considering Chinas long history of persecuting religious minorities, the organ harvesting and genocides against religious minorities, however horrifying, dont come as a complete surprise.

To Tohti, the issue is simple: Chinese Communist authorities dont consider regular citizens outside of the party elite to be humans with intrinsic value outside of the governments use or control.

In the CCPs eyes, only CCP members are human beings. All others are assets of the state or Communist Party, he told Congress last year. Therefore, they can do whatever they want. Using the human body for medical purposes is not new.

Tohti cited a footnote in the book, Mao: The Unknown Story, about the early years of Communist control of China. The book cites an incident in 1943 in which a party official authorized another to execute three counterrevolutionaries because doctors at a hospital needed corpses for dissection. The footnote also notes Maos assistant was shown one of the corpses, a male of approximately 30 years, in a basin soaking in formaldehyde.

Condemning but Not Confronting

According to Gutmanns findings, some 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners were murdered for their organs from 20002008 alone, long before Chinese authorities started greatly expanding the practice to Uyghurs. In 2020, a group of twelve independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations declared that they were extremely alarmed by credible evidence of organ harvesting from Falun Gong members, Uyghurs and other Muslims, Tibetans, and detained Christians in China. The experts called on China to promptly respond to the allegations of organ harvesting and to allow independent monitoring by international human rights mechanisms.

Yet China has managed to manipulate the World Health Organization, as it did during the coronavirus pandemic, to outright dismiss these charges of forced organ harvesting. As Nina Shea has reported extensively, Robertson found that WHOs advisory anti-organ-trafficking task force, led by Harvard University transplant surgeon Francis Delmonico, was initiated by Huang Jiefu, a CCP Central Committee member who heads Chinas transplant system. In fact, a government release shows that Huang [o]n behalf of China proposed to establish a WHO task force on organ harvesting, which Robertson argues was a way for him to influence its outcome.

American and international policymakers need to see through the deception, Shea argues, and clearly condemn the persecution against the Falun Gong and declare it a genocide. Had this been done earlier, the Uyghur genocide might never have happened, she said.

Global forums such as the International Religious Freedom Summit and the IHLTS conference in April have helped draw more attention to Chinas organ harvesting from religious minorities.

Despite the broader awareness and public condemnation, its far from certaineven amid the current fever pitch against China in Washingtonwhether Smiths bill will pass the Senate and reach President Bidens desk for a signature. Some Chinese dissidents and human rights advocates believe theres a reluctance to draw a bright line with Beijing because they find such horrific accounts almost too gruesome to be believed.

Its like another expression, its too good to be truebut the opposite, Tohti told Congress last year.

Another phrase that comes to mind is too big to fail. Ultimately, Congress, the State Department, and the U.S. medical establishment all share an institutional reluctance to confront China over these mass atrocities because the potential implications are so far-reaching and range from international trade to Taiwan. The House of Representatives House Foreign Affairs Committee held its first hearing on Chinas organ harvesting practices in 2001, and the practice was raised in hearings as far back as 1996, but Congress has yet to pass any measures aimed at addressing it. The initial 2001 hearing was titled, Organs for Sale: Chinas growing trade and ultimate violation of prisoners rights.

The international medical community for years also has failed to push back on Beijing in any meaningful way. The American Society of Transplantation, for example, has stopped short of calling out China or joining a boycott over evidence that it extracts organs from prisoners who are still alive. It maintains this stance even though it owns the journal that published Robertson and Lavees 2022 peer-reviewed piece on Chinas organ harvesting on prisoners who havent been declared brain dead. When asked whether it will join ISHLTs boycott of Chinese research, a spokesperson for ASTS said that the organization has always condemned unethical procurement practices and clarified that the journal operates independently from ASTS governance.

ASTS has always strongly opposed unethical organ procurement practices, and we are concerned by the study by Dr. Lavee and Robertson finding that procurements in China are happening before the donors are declared brain dead, ASTS President, Dr. William Chapman of Washington University in St. Louis, told RCP in an emailed statement. ASTS firmly supports the dead-donor rule.

Lavee said the response reflects the double-faced attitude toward China of ASTS and other international medical organizations, such as The Transplantation Society. The groups condemn unethical organ procurement practices in general but fall short of taking any meaningful actions to express their policy, he told RCP.

Buying Silence

Robert Destro, who served as assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor during the Trump administration, has described a firmly rooted bias at the State Department against calling out Chinas human rights abuses because theres a belief it will do nothing to change Chinas behavior and will only lead to more foreign policy tensions between Beijing and Washington.

This culture is deeply embedded in the State Department, and it manifests itself as institutional foot-dragging, Destro told Smiths panel last year.

State Department officials, he said, resisted his efforts to convince then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to declare Chinas persecution of the Uyghur people as genocide. He also said members of the U.S. business community visibly blanched when Trump administration officials told them they were serious about halting the import of goods produced by Uyghur forced labor, including solar panels.

But human rights advocates warn that ignoring the barbarity will inevitably lead to even more persecution of millions of people, while adding the moral burden of western complicityand even financial supportfor the repressive practices. For starters, they argue, federal authorities can work to halt Chinas transnational surveillance and aggression against Chinese dissidents now living in the United States.

Just last month, the FBI arrested two men on charges they helped run a secret police station in New York City that Chinese government agents used to disrupt, track, and harass pro-democracy activists and others openly critical of Beijing. The nonprofit group that helped expose the station says there are six more like it operating across the United States.

And the U.S. government needs to do far more to ramp up its efforts to break through Chinas Great Internet Firewall that prevents its citizens, especially religious and ethnic minorities, from organizing and gaining access to information on the worldwide web.

After months of resistance from several U.S. companies, in late 2021 Congress passed, and Joe Biden signed into law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which imposes sanctions on American entities knowingly facilitating forced labor in the Xinjiang region. In March of this year, the U.S. and Customs and Border Patrol reported blocking nearly $500 million worth of imports from entering American ports this year because they determined that they were made wholly or in part by Uyghur forced labor.

But far more enforcement of the measure is needed, along with additional visas, travel bans, and targeted sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for religious persecution, proponents say. Human Rights Watch and other prominent activists have urged the United States to do more to ensure that U.S. companies arent profiting from selling medical or surveillance products to China.

In 2017, the group discovered that Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based firm that manufactures analytical and laboratory products, chemicals, and supplies including those used in COVID test kits and vaccines, had sold DNA sequencers to Xinjiang police. Advocates believe the mass DNA collection is used for tracking Uyghurs, as well as organ-matching.

After two years of congressional and media scrutiny, the company announced it would stop selling human identification technology in the region. Two years later, the New York Times discovered that DNA-collection tools made by Thermo Fisher were continuing to flow to the Xinjiang region, with sales occurring through Chinese companies that buy the products and resell them to the police in Xinjiang.

More recently, the Intercept last fall uncovered a deal between Thermo Fisher and Tibetan police to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of DNA profiling kits and other supplies. That news broke shortly after two human rights groups documented vast Chinese government campaigns to collect DNA from ethnic Tibetans.

After several U.S. lawmakers demanded answers from the biotech company and asked it to halt sales in China, Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper was noncommittal and vigorously defended the DNA testing kits and parts sold to Chinese-controlled police in Tibet as entirely consistent with routine forensics investigations. But, as RCP reported, lawmakers, including Smith and Sen. Marco Rubio, a Texas Republican, said the companys willingness to defend CCP-controlled police practices raises even more concerns about its willingness to profit from sales to brutal regimes.

I cannot underscore how necessary it is to follow the money, Destro urged. The Chinese buy compliancethey buy silence.

Read part 1 and part 3 here.

From RealClearWire

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Toronto School Removes Mothers Day Message After Complaint

A Toronto District School Board sign is shown in front of a high school in Toronto on Jan. 30, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)

A Toronto public school has removed a Mothers Day message displayed at the school that was chosen by grade 6 students because it offended a member of the community.

Charlotte Dobo, a Toronto mother and blogger who has four children who do not attend the school, reported being offended by the message posted on an outdoor display board at Kew Beach Junior Public School.

The message read: Life does not come with a manual. It comes with a mom, according to a May 9 report by CP24.

Dobo posted to a Facebook parent group stating, I dont know if this is a terribly misguided attempt at wishing folks a happy Mothers Day or just generally the worst sign possible.

I dont feel like this represents the neighbourhood its in, the cohort of families at this school, or anything really, she wrote.

She told reporters it should have been a no-brainer to post a more inclusive message.

Ryan Bird, spokesman for The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) told The Epoch Times that the sign was put up on May 8 and taken down on May 9 after some community members objected to it.

While the school was trying to be responsive to some parents and community members by adjusting the sign, it will continue to mark Mothers Day, along with other classrooms across the TDSB. There has been no central direction otherwise, Bird said via email.

Another TDSB representative elaborated on the origin of the billboard, saying it was created by the students.

Grade 6 students at Kew Beach came up with the first quote collectively as they prepare for Mothers Day this weekend, to share how much they care for and depend on their moms, TDSB spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz told CP24.

Upon feedback, the school recognized that this quote does not reflect the inclusivity of our community, and took immediate steps to address the issue. The sign has now been updated with a new message of an encouraging acronym for May, she said.

The sign was then changed to read: M: Make this month count. A: Accoplish [sic] your goals. Y: You can do this, including a spelling error in the word accomplish.
Trudeau to Visit South Korea, Attend G7 Leaders Summit in Japan Next Week

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives to Parliament Hill ahead of a caucus meeting in Ottawa, on May 10, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to travel to Asia next week for an official visit to South Korea and the G7 leaders summit in Japan.

Trudeau is set to visit Seoul between May 16 and 18 and meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to advance shared priorities, including economic and energy security, the path to net-zero emissions and human rights, a Wednesday news release said.

It will be the prime ministers first official visit to the country, according to his office.

Yoon visited Canada in September on his first official trip abroad after being elected in March 2022. The agenda focused on trade.

While in South Korea, Trudeau is also expected to promote the Indo-Pacific strategy that the Canadian government released last fall.

The strategy aims to advance ties in the region and promises nearly $2.3 billion in new spending over five years, including for trade and military projects intended to counterbalance a rising China.

Following the visit to South Korea, Trudeau is slated attend the G7 summit taking place in Hiroshima, Japan, from May 19 to 21.

The Prime Ministers Office says his priorities at the meeting will include collaborating with G7 partners to support Ukraine and advance the transition to cleaner economies.
UK Missed the Boat in Global Battery Race, Expert Tells MPs

Britain is falling behind in the race to develop an electric battery industry, a House of Commons committee heard on May 9, as it received evidence from an expert panel on battery materials.

Business consultants and executives told the MPs during a Business and Trade Committee session that Britain has missed the boat in the first wave of the electric battery revolution and failed to boost development of a successful supply chain. When questioned about the reasons for poor performance, chief executive of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Simon Moores said: You have to ask what the automotive companies here, the big chemical companies like Ineos in the UK, were doing.

He then compared Britains performance to that of other countries.

They werent plugged into batteries when China and Japan was, when Korea, the U.S., and the EU was. They have not even been talking about lithium-ion batteries as a serious multibillion-pound industry when it is exactly that for everyone else in the world, Moore said.

Without the rapid creation of a supply chain, Britain will lose its automotive industry, the panel warned, suggesting that it could migrate to central Europe.

Chief executive of the taxpayer-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre, Ian Constance, said that without keystone volume plants in the UK, the automotive industry would be significantly affected.

Large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants are also known as gigafactories. Moore told the MPs that unless the UK makes its own batteries and has chemical plants to fuel them, it isnt involved in the industry and the energy storage revolution.

When you build a gigafactory, you have the critical mineral supply deals, the contracts, the partners in place to see that lithium ion in the ground go all the way through to that battery plant. And thats really the crux of this global battery arms race. It is not just about making cells, it is about the whole supply chain, Moore said.

Mark Pawsey MP suggested to the panel that while Britain may have grand plans to build electric batteries, it may be restricted in doing so due to the strangle hold China has on the market.

The founder of the Critical Minerals Association Jeff Townsend agreed: [China] can already manipulate the prices. They can raise or drop prices as they deem fit. They have legislation in place to stop the export. They have control of the midstream.

He continued to stress that the UKs role in the world is heavily dependent on critical minerals.

At the moment we are entirely dependent on China and that seems to me like a very, very silly position to be in, Townsend said.

Out of Time

Chairman of the business select committee Darren Jones suggested that if Britain fails to match what other electric battery industry leaders are doing, the car companies will choose to relocate new production lines in other countries where these supply chains exist.

I sadly think thats trueand thats 800,000 peoples jobs on the line and we just cant accept that, Townsend said.

Stephen Gifford, chief economist of the Faraday Institution, said investment and initial planning for the development of battery production plants are urgently needed. The industry projections showed a requirement for ten 20GWh battery production plants by 2040 with five in production by 2030.

The UK currently has one small 1.9 gigawatt-hour (GWh) Nissan plant in Sunderland, northeast England.

Moore suggested that Britain currently doesnt have a strategy, so we dont have a runner in the race.

The UK missed the boat in the first round of the supply of these critical materials and probably in the second round too. We have to make sure we dont miss the boat in the third and final round from about 2030 onwards, he added.

Gifford, however, disagreed that the UK had missed the boat, but said that time is running out.

In an effort to uplift UK manufacturing industries, in October 2022 the government announced a 211 million funding boost for battery research and innovation to help deliver 100,000 jobs in battery gigafactories and the battery supply chain by 2040.
There are many striking similarities between whats happening here in America and whats happening in Brazil.

For instance, the 2016 election, which saw a populist victory in Donald Trump, was mirrored in Brazils 2018 election, which saw a populist victory for Jair Bolsonaro.

Americas Jan. 6 was mirrored by Brazils Jan. 8the so-called Brazilian attack on Congress.

And more recently, just as President Donald Trumps home was raided in Florida, President Jair Bolsonaro also had his home raided over in Brazil.

Specifically, last Wednesday, Brazilian police raided Bolsonaros home, arrested some of his close aides, and seized his cell phone as part of their probe into his COVID vaccination records. According to the official narrative, the Brazilian federal police found supposed evidence of someone tampering with Bolsonaros vaccine records, prior to him flying to the United States.

However, there is something odd about this probe. While it was the case that most foreign visitors needed to be vaccinated in order to enter the United States, there were broad exceptions for diplomats, as well as high-level government officials from other countries.

Furthermore, Bolsonaro has been fairly public about his not getting the COVID-19 vaccine himself. In fact, a few years ago, during the global U.N. Summit in New York City, there was a famous photo of Bolsonaro standing outside a New York pizza shop eating a slice on the street, because he wasnt allowed to enter the establishment without proof of vaccination.

Even after this police raid on his home, heres what he said in a statement: For my part, there was nothing falsified. I didnt take the vaccine. Period.

With all that as the background, its worth mentioning that this raid, as well as the arrest of his aides, didnt necessarily come as a surprise to Bolsonaro. In fact, while he was here in the United StatesI was the last American journalist to interview President Bolsonaro prior to him returning to Braziland I asked him directly about whether or not he expected to be arrested by the opposition party when he returned.

Watch the interview for his response.
US Authorities Arrest Boston Man Accused of Providing China With Blacklist of Dissidents

The U.S. authorities on May 9 arrested a man who is believed to have been secretly providing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a blacklist of U.S.-based pro-democracy dissidents from 2018 to 2022.

Litang Liang, 64, a U.S. citizen living in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, is charged with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government and of doing so without notice to the United States, according to an indictment (pdf) reported by the Boston Globe.

The indictment says the purpose of the conspiracy was to act at the direction or control of the PRC government in order to covertly advance the PRC governments goals and agenda within the United States, referring to the countrys official name of the Peoples Republic of China.

The indictment alleges that Liang has been in contact with CCP officials in New York since 2018 and provided them with information about Chinese individuals and entities in Boston.

He was also accused of organizing a counter-protest in the United States against pro-democracy dissidents, providing photos and information about U.S.-based dissidents to CCP officials, and giving the names of potential recruits to the CCPs Ministry of Public Security.

In July 2018, Liang sent a CCP official the identity of a former student activist whom he believed had destroyed Chinas flags in Bostons Chinatown, the indictment says.

Litang Liang attended an event in the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in November 2017. (Jianyu Huang/The Epoch Times)

Close Contact With CCP

In October 2018, Liang allegedly sent a CCP official photographs and videos of an individual he claimed had sabotaged Chinas flags and conducted a press conference denouncing that individual.

In that same year, Liang allegedly helped organize an event in Boston that was attended by a high-ranking CCP official and provided information about an attendee who worked for an elected official in Boston.

He also allegedly forwarded a list of members of a local Chinese organization with pro-Taiwan leanings to a CCP government official, the indictment says.

During a 2019 rally against Hong Kongs controversial extradition bill in Boston, Liang allegedly organized a counter-protest to the rally. He also took photos and videos of pro-democracy dissidents in Boston.

The indictment states that Liang had also provided a CCP official with the names and professional affiliations of two individuals in Boston to be recruited by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in July 2022.

Liang established the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China in January 2019.

In September 2019, he allegedly photographed anti-China dissidentswho he described as a bunch of clowns trying to cause troublein front of the Boston Public Library and sent the photos to a CCP official.

Liang will remain in custody until a detention hearing on May 11, during which U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal will decide whether Liang will be released pending his trial, the Boston Globe reported.
Funding is renewed for a U.S. agency thats come under fire for working with the Wuhan Institute for Virology. We hear from some lawmakers and medical experts who are concerned about the grant money.

Former President Donald Trump has been found liable in court in the assault case from writer E. Jean Carroll. Trumps attorney called the allegations odd and unbelievable. How much did the jury award Carroll?

A high-stakes face-off takes place as President Joe Biden meets House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the debt ceiling. Will they come together as an unprecedented default is looming?

Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) joins us to offer the GOP perspective on the debt ceiling talks. Apart from raising the debt ceiling for the time being, what is a long-term plan to balance the budget?

Does the House GOP have a smoking gun on the Bidens business dealings? Thats the question as House Republicans gear up to make public their discoveries after months of investigations.

Frank Gaffney from the Center for Security Policy joins us to explore Tucker Carlsons exit from Fox News. What impact will this have on the conservative movement?
* Lenghu, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, enjoys the advantages of clear night skies, stable atmospheric conditions and dry climate comparable to several globally-renowned observatories.

* Construction of the Lenghu site started in 2018. Upon its completion it will house at least nine optical astronomical telescope projects including some 30 telescopes, with an investment of nearly 2 billion yuan (about 289 million U.S. dollars).

* Deng Licai, a researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that with more infrastructure and further testing, Lenghu would become a major base for international optical astronomy research, as well as a source for humanity to explore the mysteries of the universe and cultivate original scientific achievements.

XINING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Lenghu, a tiny town with about 500 permanent residents at an average altitude of 2,800 meters, will soon draw worldwide stargazers with a state-of-the-art observatory site located in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

China's top astronomers have chosen the area as an ideal observatory site, thanks to its clear night skies, stable atmospheric conditions and dry climate comparable to several globally-renowned observatories.

Construction of the Lenghu site started in 2018. Upon its completion it will house at least nine optical astronomical telescope projects including some 30 telescopes, with an investment of nearly 2 billion yuan (about 289 million U.S. dollars).

This aerial photo taken on April 12, 2023 shows an astronomical telescope project of the Lenghu observatory site under construction in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Chen Jie)

"With the new observatory in sight, Lenghu is gaining popularity and attracting more tourists," said Zhang Jing, who works at a hotel in Lenghu town.

She said the hotel plans to revamp its guestroom windows to offer astronomy lovers a better view of the starry night sky.

STAR-GAZING FROM "ROOF OF THE WORLD"

Chinese scientists first looked to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "roof of the world," as a potential observatory site in the 1990s and have located a series of observatory sites on the plateau since 2000, including one in Ngari Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

In 2017, Tian Cairang, then deputy Party chief of the Lenghu industrial park, was anxiously seeking new ways to facilitate local industrial transformation as the small plateau town, which saw a short-lived economic boom in the 1960s due to its oil reserves, had fallen into recession in the 1990s due to resource depletion.

"At night, when we looked up at the sky, we saw the brilliant stars," Tian said in an interview with Xinhua. "The stars seem incredibly close, and the Milky Way so clear. I asked myself this question: can Lenghu rely on its starry sky to develop the cultural tourism industry?"

He invited Deng Licai, a researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), to visit Lenghu.

This aerial photo taken on April 8, 2023 shows a winding mountain road leading to the Lenghu observatory site in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Chen Jie)

Deng was struck by the starry sky once he climbed to the top of the Saishiteng Mountain east of Lenghu, about 4,000 meters above sea level. "It was dark, dry and barren up there, so it might be an ideal site for astronomical observation," he recalled.

Deng and his colleagues eventually identified the site in 2021, after three years of survey which found 70 percent of the nights at Lenghu had clear, photometric conditions, with a median seeing of 0.75 arc seconds and a precipitable water vapour below 2 mm for 55 percent of the night. These qualified the place as an ideal astronomical observing site, Deng said in a paper published in Nature in 2021.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES

Deng said it broke the bottleneck in China's development of optical astronomical observations and will fill the gap in global research.

"Without a cutting-edge observatory here, we miss out on important celestial events that occur in the Western Hemisphere during the day, which is nighttime in the Eastern Hemisphere," Deng said, adding that the site will enable worldwide scientists to expand cooperation.

Among these newly-built projects, a new solar telescope is in the trial run stage.

The Accurate Infrared Magnetic Field Measurements of the Sun (AIMS) is the first solar magnetic-field telescope working in the mid-infrared wavelength in the world, said Wang Dongguang, chief engineer of CAS's Huairou Solar Observing Station of National Astronomical Observatories.

This photo taken on April 8, 2023 with a mobile phone shows Wang Dongguang, chief engineer of CAS's Huairou Solar Observing Station of National Astronomical Observatories, working inside a dome of the Lenghu observatory site in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Gu Ling)

Solar observations in the mid-infrared range have been a challenge for worldwide astronomers, Wang said. The new facility is expected to obtain highly accurate data of the solar magnetic field, mid-infrared imaging and spectrum.

Another project, the Stellar Observations Network Group (SONG) project, with a total investment of 30 million yuan, is undergoing dome installation.

"Instead of using air conditioning inside the dome, we have designed it specifically for thermal and wind dynamics. The new design uses wind to control its inside temperature and air flow, significantly improving the telescope's dome seeing," said Deng.

Once completed, it will join seven other telescopes worldwide to study the internal structure of stars and explore extrasolar planetary systems, said Deng, Chinese representative of the steering committee of the SONG project that involves about 20 countries.

The Multiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) construction project was also launched in Lenghu last year. The 6.5-meter MUST, developed by Tsinghua University, will be the largest telescope in Lenghu upon completion. Scientists hope to make breakthroughs in dark energy evolution, gravitational wave cosmology and galaxy formation.

With more infrastructure and further testing, Deng said Lenghu would become a major base for international optical astronomy research, as well as a source for humanity to explore the mysteries of the universe and cultivate original scientific achievements.

A FUTURE NURTURED BY SCIENCE

Retired local government worker Zhang Yaping follows the building progress of the observatory site in her hometown.

This aerial photo taken on April 8, 2023 shows a part of the Lenghu observatory site in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Chen Jie)

At 56, Zhang vividly remembers her childhood living on an oil production base near Lenghu.

"The town has no summer as a cold wind persistently blows, and the weather is dry all year round," she recalled.

As she grew up, Zhang witnessed Lenghu's prosperity and decline and took part in its development.

"Before 1958, it was a town of tents pitched by geological exploration teams in search of oil," said Zhang, former head of Lenghu town.

In September 1958, when the Lenghu oilfield was discovered, then dubbed one of China's four major oil zones, people flocked in from all over the country. The town gradually became prosperous, and its population reached 100,000 at its peak, statistics show.

But its boom based on oil resources was short-lived: when the oilfield dried up in the late 1980s, many new settlers left and the town fell back into oblivion.

"Although the town's cultural history is short, its future must be bright," she said. "Lenghu's future lies in astronomy, science and technology."

(Video reporters: Chen Jie, Pema Yangtso; Video editors: Zhang Yucheng, Hui Peipei, Yu Jiaming, Wu Yao) 
US Opens Embassy in Tonga to Affirm Ties Amid Chinas Growing Influence

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) and leaders from the Pacific Islands region pose for a photograph on the North Portico of the White House on Sept. 29, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The United States opened an embassy in Tonga on May 9, reaffirming its commitment to strengthen ties with the Pacific island nation amid Beijings growing influence in the region.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the new embassy in Tonga would allow the United States to deploy more diplomatic staff and resources, including the potential appointment of a resident ambassador to Tonga.

This opening symbolizes the renewal of our relationship and underlines the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, to the people of Tonga, and to our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, Miller said in a statement.

The announcement came ahead of President Joe Bidens visit to Papua New Guinea later this month for talks with the Pacific nations leaderthe first such visit by a sitting U.S. president in at least a century.

Biden will meet with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape and other Pacific Island Forum leaders to discuss cooperation on challenges critical to the region and to the United States, such as combating climate change, protecting maritime resources, and advancing resilient and inclusive economic growth, according to the White House.

The opening of the Tonga Embassy was first announced by Vice President Kamala Harris last year at the Pacific Islands Forum. Harris said the United States intends to open another embassy in Kiribati.

The White House stated that these actions will help advance the Biden administrations ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S.Pacific Islands partnership and to support Pacific regionalism.

Tonga Strategically Important to US

The United States has sought to enhance its engagement in the Pacific region to counter Beijings increasing influence.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said last year that Washington considers Tonga strategically important as it was the key to who would rule the Pacific Ocean.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Washington on Oct. 14, 2011. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sherman said the United States and Tonga had fought alongside each other since World War II, some three decades before establishing formal relations.

It is strategic today as well because, as you know, the Peoples Republic of China wants to be here, they want to invest here, Sherman said at an August 2022 event with university students in Tonga.

What they cant do  is decide your future for you. We want to work with you, we want to partner with you, and we want to make sure you get to choose your own future and that neither we nor anybody else decides it for you.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Tonga in May 2022 and signed a tranche of bilateral agreements that would allow China to provide Tonga with a police laboratory and customs inspection equipment, disaster relief aid, blue economy cooperation, and a tomb improvement project.

The agreements came after Tonga, one of the Pacifics poorest nations, signed up for Beijings Belt and Road Initiative in 2021. It also owes two-thirds of its external debtworth $195 millionto Chinas Export-Import Bank, its budget statement shows.

The Chinese regime signed multiple agreements with some Pacific Island nations last year, including a security pact with the Solomon Islands, allowing Beijing to dispatch police, troops, weapons, and naval ships to the country. The Solomon Islands occupies a strategic position in the Pacific and is less than 1,200 miles from Australia.

The Chinese Communist Party tried to have the regions nations sign a sweeping security and economic deal in May 2022 but failed because of a lack of consensus among Pacific Island leaders.

Nina Nguyen, Victoria Kelly-Clark, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Virginia Congressman Endorsed by Trump Backs DeSantis for 2024

Former President Donald Trump (L) addresses the crowd during a 2024 election campaign event in Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 28, 2023; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) speaks to guests at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 19, 2022. (Logan Cyrus, Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has received the endorsement of Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, prior to even announcing his White House bid.

In a statement released by Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis and calling on him to enter the race, Good argued that DeSantis is the GOPs best option, adding he thinks the Florida governor would restore the conservative America-first agenda.

America is hungry for the courageous conservative leadership that has been demonstrated in the free state of Florida over the past four years, Good said on Tuesday. DeSantis has been the model for battling against the harmful Leftist policies that have been oppressing his state and our country, and Floridians responded by awarding him a 20-point victory this past November.

We simply must win the White House back in 2024, as the country cannot afford another four years of the disastrous Biden-Harris administration, he added. DeSantis gives us the best opportunity to win and restore the conservative America-first agenda. We need eight years of his leadership in Washington, and I stand ready to help elect the first former member of the House Freedom Caucus to the presidency.

The endorsement comes amid speculation that DeSantis will announce whether he will run for president in the near future after he hinted at a news conference on May 4 that a decision will be made very soon, telling reporters to stay tuned.

Youre just going to have to stay tuned on all this.  Youll get there one way or another very soon, DeSantis said when asked to provide an update on his potential White House bid.

Good is the fourth member of the House GOP to preemptively endorse DeSantis after joining his fellow Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.).

Democrats decried Goods endorsement in a statement on Tuesday, labeling the Virginia congressman as an anti-choice extremist who wants a complete federal abortion ban.

Goods endorsement comes as no surpriseDeSantis himself has repeatedly supported extreme anti-choice measures and signed an abortion ban last month that bans abortion before many women know they are pregnant. Todays endorsement is yet another reminder that if MAGA Republicans like Ron DeSantis get their way in 2024, they will ban abortion nationwide, the DNC War Room asserted.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trumpthe Republican front-runner in national pollscontinues to dominate the field in early endorsements. So far, Trump has picked up at least 71 noteworthy endorsements, including from ten U.S. Senators and two governors, according to Ballotpedias endorsement tracker.

A poll released by Morning Consult this week shows that Trump is an early favorite in the Republican presidential race, besting DeSantis by a significant 41-point margin. However, DeSantis is still in second place to Trump well ahead of other GOP candidates.

Goods History With Trump

Over the years, Good has signaled his support for Trump, and he was also one of the 147 Republicans who objected to certifying the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election.

Rep. Bob Goods (R-Va.) speaks during a news conference with the House Freedom Caucus on the debt limit negotiations at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 10, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In 2020, Trump endorsed Good running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District of Virginia, saying in a post on Twitter that Good will be a terrific congressman, touting his strong support for law enforcement, and veterans, as well as his position on protecting unborns and the Second Amendment.

Im thankful to have received the support of our President and look forward to working alongside him on his America First Agenda, Good said in a statement upon receiving the endorsement.

I am committed to bringing back the strong economy that President Trump created during his first term by keeping taxes low, ensuring that burdensome regulations are removed from businesses, and focusing on job growth in our district, he added.

Never Back Down

The Never Back Down super PAC was founded by former Trump ally and administration official Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli says on the PACs website that he believes DeSantis is the FUTURE and that he will NEVER BACK DOWN.

Cuccinelli is the former Virginia attorney general and the states 2013 GOP gubernatorial nominee who later served as acting deputy homeland security director during the last two years of the Trump administration.

The group told Fox News in April that it had raised $30 million in fundraising since its launch in early March.

Never Back Down has seen a massive surge in support for the movement to make Gov. DeSantis become President DeSantis, Erin Perrine, the super PACs communications director, wrote on Twitter.

Perrine was the communications director for Trumps 2020 reelection campaign prior to joining the DeSantis PAC.

In an interview in late March, DeSantis touted his ability to beat President Joe Biden in 2024 if he were to enter the presidential race, but he stopped short of announcing if he would run.

Chase Smith contributed to this report.

From NTD News
3rd cheetah dies in fight at Kuno National Park





Staff Reporter

BHOPAL,

In an another jolt to Cheetah Project, female Daksha brought from South Africa has been killed by another cheetah in a fight at Kuno National Park on Tuesday. This is the third cheetah died in Kuno since the cats were brought from Namibia and South Africa.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) J S Chauhan confirmed the death of female cheetah. According to sources in the park, Daksha has died in a violent fight with Phinda adult male coalition, which included Vayu and Agni and also known as White Walkers. Out of 20 cheetahs brought to Kuno National Park, only 17 are alive. Sasha, a captive cheetah had died in March due to kidney ailment. Officials said that she had been suffering before she was brought to India. After witnessing sign of fatigue and weakness, she was under treatment but could not be saved. In April, second cheetah Uday was found dead inside the park.
Staff Reporter

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that Bhopal Municipal Corporation has given a message to the country in the field of environment and use of alternative energy. Madhya Pradesh will neither remain sick nor poor. Chief Minister said that now the people of Bhopal should take a pledge to become number one in cleanliness. Madhya Pradesh will grow rapidly in every field. Solar City is being built in Sanchi. Preparations have been made to provide electricity to every house through solar energy. It is necessary that initiative should be taken in this direction in Bhopal as well. Let us all together make Bhopal a solar energy city. The contract to build the two captive projects is exemplary and wonderful. Chouhan was addressing the virtual launch of 21 MW solar power and 15 MW wind power projects and contract execution programme between Bhopal Municipal Corporation and solar power and wind power companies at Kushabhau Thakre Auditorium. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved to use alternative energy sources. The Prime Ministers resolve is being realised in Madhya Pradesh. The agreement signed in the interest of Bhopal city today, is a wonderful initiative. For this, BMC and Urban Development and Housing Department deserve congratulations. Emphasis on the use of alternative energy sources in the State: CM Chouhan said that a solar energy based project was started in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. Today there is a need to reduce the use of fossil fuel. Madhya Pradesh has taken many initiatives in this direction. After Rewas solar power project, projects were also started at Neemuch, Shajapur and other places. Now preparations are on to lay solar panels on the surface of the dam in Omkareshwar. Recognising the dangers of global warming and climate change, the earth has to be made liveable.

We have to utilise nature, not exploit it. For the last one month, the situation of rain and hailstorm is prevailing. Flood and drought conditions are seen in many places. He said that Bhopal is the cleanest capital. It can also be recognised as the cleanest city in the country. This also requires joint efforts. He gave information about the growth rate, per capita income, contribution of Madhya Pradesh in the agricultural sector and the countrys economy. He said that today along with Narmada, Vindhya, Bundelkhand Expressway, the works of Atal Expressway are being done in the state. The Chambal region which was notorious for dacoit menace will now be known as Chambal Safari. Tourism is developing rapidly. About 20 years ago, the then government had considered it impossible to bring Narmada water to Bhopal. Today, not only Bhopal, but many cities of Malwa region are getting benefited from Narmada water. Urban Development and Housing Minister Bhupendra Singh has said that Bhopal is getting a big gift today as per the instructions of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. This project of solar and wind energy will prove to be a milestone in the field of energy for Bhopal city. Such projects can also be established in other municipal corporations and municipalities. BMC will save Rs 14 crore every year from this project. There will be a further increase in this in the coming times. He said that with will-power of CM Chouhan, the state is making remarkable achievements in all urban development schemes in the country. Proper and co-ordinated development of all the cities is taking place. Today MP is among five leading states of the country. He informed that BMC will get electricity at same rate for next 25 years while electricity rates will increase. Minister Vishwas Sarang said that new dimensions of development have been established under the leadership of CM Chouhan.

Significant work has been done in the field of alternative energy. The Mayor of Bhopal, Malti Rai said that a lot of electricity is used in the work of water supply. At present Rs 12 crore per month is being spent on electricity. The savings plan for the next 25 years will be implemented through 2 projects. There will be an annual savings of about Rs 14 crore. Solar plants are being installed in all the zonal offices of the municipal corporation. With these projects, 60 per cent power demand of Bhopal Municipal Corporation will be fulfilled. Earlier, the guests were welcomed by presenting Tulsi saplings. Chief Minister also released various publications. MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh, MLA Krishna Gaur, former Mayor of Bhopal Alok Sharma, BDA Chairman Krishna Mohan Soni, Chairman of Municipal Corporation Kishan Suryavanshi, Rajesh Hingorani, peoples representatives, Principal Secretary Urban Development and Housing Neeraj Mandloi was present. Notable Aspects of the Projects: n These are the first grid connected open access projects to be set up by any urban body in the country. n This is the first hybrid project to be established in Madhya Pradesh, in which solar and wind energy will be used together. n First renewable projects based on power banking regulation. n About 60 per cent power demand of BMC will be met by these projects.
Big Relief: Govt waives off Rs 2,123 cr interest of over 11 lakh farmers





Staff Reporter

In the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday at the Mantralaya, approval was given to interest waiver scheme for the waiver of the outstanding interest up to Rs 2,123 crore of 11.19 lakh defaulter farmers of Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Societies (PACS). The scheme was approved by the Cabinet in accordance with the announcement of Chief Minister Chouhan. Farmers who have become defaulter due to loan waiver, their interest amount will be paid by the Government, he said. The State Government will compensate the defaulter farmers who have outstanding loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, including principal and interest as on March 31, 2023, from Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Societies (PACS). According to the scheme, the farmer should have a loan of up to Rs 2 lakh including short-term crop loan and medium-term converted loan with interest till March 31. Defaulter farmers will have to apply in their committee to avail interest waiver.

The list containing the details of outstanding loan and interest etc on the defaulter farmers will be made public through a portal at the bank-level. Along with this, special facility has been given to the farmers to provide fertilisers for agricultural work. The amount deposited by the farmer in cash in his loan account, he will be able to get fertiliser up to that amount in the form of loan from the committee. The last date of the scheme has been fixed as November 30, 2023. Detailed instructions of the scheme will be issued by the Co-operative Department. Formation of new sub-division in Khandwa, Chhatarpur and Dewas.

The Cabinet approved formation of new sub-divisions, Khalwa in Khandwa district, Gaurihar in Chhatarpur and Tonkkhurd in Dewas. The new sub-division Khalwa will have Tehsil Khalwas Patwari Revenue Inspector Mandal Ashpurs Patwari Halka numbers 1 to 6, 8 to 15, 43 to 49, 51, 52, thus a total of 23 Halkas and Patwari Halka numbers 7, 16 to 39 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Khalwa, a total of 25 Halkas and Patwari Halka number 40 to 42, 50, 53 to 71 of the Revenue Inspector Mandal Roshni, a total of 23 Halkas, thus a total of 71 Halkas will be included. After the creation of Khalwa the remaining sub-division Harsud will have Patwari Halka No. 1 to 16 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Killaud of Tehsil Harsud and Patwari Halka No. 17 to 33 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Harsud and Patwari Halka No. 34 to 50 of Revenue Inspector Mandal Chhanera thus total 50 Halkas will be included. A total of 11 posts have been approved for the efficient operation of the sub-division including 1 of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon. New sub-division Gaurihar in District Chhatarpur will include all Patwari Halka numbers 1 to 74 of Tehsil Gaurihar, thus a total of 74 Patwari Halkas. After the formation of Gaurihar sub-division, the remaining sub-division Lavkushnagar will include Patwari Halka number 1 to 28 of Tehsil Lavkushnagar and Patwari Halka number 1 to 39 of Tehsil Chandla, a total of 67 Patwari Halkas. For the efficient operation of the new sub division, 1 post of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon, thus a total of 11 posts have been approved.

The new subdivision Tonkkhurd in District Dewas will comprise all 60 Patwari Halkas of Tehsil Tonkkhurd. After the formation of the new subdivision, all the 69 Patwari Halks of Tehsil Sonkutch will be included in the remaining Sonkutch subdivision. For the efficient operation of subdivision Tonkkhurd, 1 post of steno typist, 2 of assistant grade-2, 3 of assistant grade-3, 1 of vehicle driver and 4 of peon, thus a total of 11 posts have been sanctioned. Rs 129.32 crore approved for WebGIS 2.0 project of Revenue Department: The Cabinet approved the technical and financial proposal amounting to Rs 129.32 crore (GST extra) to be spent for the next 5 years (2023-2024 to 2027-2028) for the implementation of the WebGIS 2.0 project of the Revenue Department. Decision for MoU to develop Rewa airstrip as airport: The Cabinet decided to execute an MoU between the authority and the state government to develop the Rewa airstrip as an airport by the Airports Authority of India under the regional connectivity scheme of the Government of India. Orders have been issued by the state government as per the demand regarding allotment/making available government land available for the existing airstrip and additional land for ATR-72 (VFR & IFR) type aircraft operation. Disposal of public property: The Cabinet approved the highest tender amount of Rs 8.15 crore from the H-1 tenderer for disposal of Khasra No. 684/1, Ward No. 2 Lavkush Nagar asset total area of 5670 square meter in Chhatarpur, which is 2.43 times of reserve price of Rs 3.35 crore and it was decided to sell it after depositing 100 per cent of the tender amount by the H-1 tenderer, the contract/registry proceedings will be done by the district collector.
BMS to hold Labour 20 Meet on 11th





Business Bureau

BHARATIYA Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Vidarbha Pradesh will be organising the Labour 20 Meet (L20) under the G20 initiative on May 11 at Hotel Tuli International, Sadar from 3 pm. This was disclosed by Neeta Choubey, National Vice President of BMS while speaking at a press conference held here on May 9.

Choubey further said that the L20 Meet will be inaugurated by Arti Ahuja, Secretary, Labour and Employment, Government of India. Suresh Khade, Minister of Labour, Government of Maharashtra will be the chief guest. Whereas, Ravindra Himte, General Secretary of BMS and Prof Santosh Mehrotra, Visiting Prof. University of Bath, London will be guests of honour. Nilesh Sathe, former IRDAI Member, ex Executive Director of LIC of India and B Surendran, Organising Secretary, BMS will be present. Apart from this, more than 100 representatives from employers, employees and Government organisations including major trade unions like AITUC, CITU, Railways, LIC etc., will be present. The meeting will discuss three issues like Financing Social Security, International Migration of Workers Portability of Social Security Fund and Widening the Horizons: Providing Social Security to All Informal Workers, Choubey said.

Suhas Tiwari, BMS Vice President of Nagpur District, Varsha Patwardhan, IWO President, BMS Vidarbha Pradesh, Gajanan Gatlewar, General Secretary, BMS Vidarbha Pradesh, Neeta Choubey, National Vice President of BMS, Shilpa Deshpande, President, BMS Vidarbha Pradesh, Ashish Murthy, Treasurer of Akhil Bharatiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh, Vinod Bhalerao, President of Vidyut Karmachari Mazdoor Sangh were seated on the dais. Suresh Choudhary, Media Incharge of BMS Vidarbha Pradesh was also present.
Camps under Mukhya Mantri Jan Seva Abhiyan 2.0 in city from May 16





Staff Reporter

An important meeting was organised on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming camps under Mukhya Mantri Jan Seva Abhiyan 2.0. Rinku Vij, Chairperson of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) chaired the meeting and informed that these camps will be conducted from May 10 to May 31 across the State, in accordance with the Governments directive.

The Chairperson informed that ward-wise camps in the city would be organised from May 16 to May 25. During the meeting, the Chairperson stressed on the need to publicise these camps widely within the municipal limits so that people could benefit from the 67 identified services. He urged the officers and employees present at the meeting to ensure that all beneficiaries should take advantage of the campaign by making important information readily available to them.

The Chairperson directed that the ward-wise camps will focus on two categories of applications i.e. the applications already received and pending applications, as well as newly received applications. The JMC Chairperson gave specific instructions to dispose of these applications within the time limit and ensure that the camps are organised efficiently.

To ensure public convenience, the divisional officers were directed to make arrangements for necessary tents, chairs, drinking water and other essential amenities at the camps. The Chairperson asked the officials to take essential steps towards ensuring that the Mukhya Mantri Jan Seva Abhiyan 2.0 is a success and emphasised on making the these camps accessible to all residents within the municipal limits.
Eight policemen suspended for colluding with cow smugglers





Staff Reporter

The crackdown on cow smugglers and illegal slaughterhouses in the Yashodhara Nagar police station area has led to the suspension of eight policemen and the transfer of several others. The action was taken after friendly connections of the police personnel were exposed when the mobile phones of the accused indulged in the cow smuggling were checked.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Amitesh Kumar has attached 21 police personnel, including four officers of Crime Branch Unit V, to the headquarters. The Police Inspector Vishwanath Chavan of the police station has also been transferred, and eight personnel of DB squad have been suspended for colluding with cow smugglers. The investigation has revealed that some beat marshals were in contact with cow smugglers and were helping them. A cop named Rajesh was also collecting money from cow smugglers. This lack of action against the cow smugglers has caused an increase in crime in the jurisdiction. The CP had instructed the police personnel to take action against the illegal businesses, but they did not come into action and the cow smuggling and slaughtering continued in the area. The CP said that he would take strict action against law breakers.

It may be mentioned here that Unit V of Crime Branch and Yashodhara Nagar police station officials were not taking adequate action to prevent cattle smuggling in their jurisdiction despite orders issued by the CP. Consequently, on the directives of the CP, Unit III of Crime Branch conducted cross jurisdiction raids at three different locations in Yashodhara Nagar area, which exposed the shoddy functioning of the Unit and police station officials. During the raids, the police rescued around 53 cattle and registered three offences against the accused persons under Sections 5 (b), 9 of Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, and Section 11 (d) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
FADA concerned over illegal sale of 2-wheelers by unauthorised multi-brand outlets

Business Bureau

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), has expressed concern over the illegal practice of unauthorised multi-brand outlets (MBOs) selling two-wheelers.

FADA has reported that these MBOs are acquiring unregistered vehicles in bulk from dealers and reselling them to customers at discounted rates, higher than the prices offered by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) through authorised dealers, without any commitment to aftersales service. This has not only impacted the legitimate dealerships but has also shaken customers confidence in the brand and dealer partners. Furthermore, as per FADA, these MBOs indulge in evasion of GST, Income Tax, issuance of fake/ undervalued insurance policies, delivery of vehicles without registration/ HSRP and helmets, resulting in revenue loss on various fronts. FADA states that it has reached out to Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra, Vinod Aggarwal, SIAM President, and the Transport Commissioners of Mumbai and Delhi, urging them to take stringent action against these MBOs and ensure their compliance with industry standards and regulations.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Transport Commissioners of Mumbai and Delhi have initiated action against this illegal practice. The Delhi Transport Department is also taking stringent action against the outlets operating such illegal trade practices. The authorities had already issued notice on trade certificate cancellation to such business units.

Vivek L Bhimanser, Transport Commissioner, Maharashtra commented, We have impounded over 6,000 vehicles, and trade certificates of over 50 dealers have been suspended for a week as of now.

Manish Raj Singhania, President of FADA said, We have raised the issue of unauthorised MBOs in the two-wheeler industry, which are not certified as bonafide dealers and sell unregistered vehicles without any trade certificates or aftersales services. This has caused many legitimate two-wheeler dealerships to shut down, making their businesses unviable. Such activities not only tarnish the image of dealerships but also harm brand image and values.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend a joint press conference in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China supports the development path chosen by the European people and supports Europe in achieving strategic autonomy, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said here on Tuesday.

Qin made the remarks while meeting with the press along with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock after their talks in Berlin.

Noting that Tuesday is the "Europe Day" and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-European Union (EU) comprehensive strategic partnership, Qin said China has always maintained a stable and continuous EU policy.

As a key partner for Europe in addressing risks and challenges, China welcomes Europe to continuously share Chinese market opportunities and development dividends, so as to promote the joint development of China's modernization and Europe's integration, he said.

Qin said that China and Germany, as major economic powers in the world and all-round strategic partners, should uphold strategic autonomy, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation to serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the long-term livelihood and welfare of all mankind.

The two sides agreed to make every effort to prepare for the upcoming seventh round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation and map out a comprehensive plan for practical cooperation in various fields in the coming period. The two sides also agreed to increase coordination in multilateral fields and strengthen cooperation in COP28 and biodiversity, Qin said.

"China is willing to work with Germany to play as the promoters of global economic recovery, the maintainers of world peace and stability, and the defenders of the post-war international order," Qin said.

He called on the two sides to maintain and develop the existing cooperation, create a favorable environment and stable expectations for the enterprises of the two countries to cooperate, and provide stronger growth momentum for the global economy.

Europe has gone through two world wars and the Cold War, Qin said, noting that to achieve perpetual peace is the dream of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, while lasting peace remains an important goal in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China and Europe should work together to build a better tomorrow with lasting peace and universal security, Qin said.

Taiwan's return to China is part of the international order after World War II, Qin said, noting that any party who sincerely hopes for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and is sincerely committed to maintaining the international order should strictly abide by the one-China principle and resolutely oppose any act of "Taiwan independence."

The Ukraine issue is highly complex, simplicity and emotionalism are not the solution, Qin said. The only way out is to remain calm and rational and create conditions for a political solution, he noted.

"China is neither the creator of the crisis, nor a party directly concerned, but an advocate of peace and a promoter of peace talks," Qin said, voicing the hope that German will play a leading role and put forward concrete proposals for building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework.

Qin is on a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of his German, French and Norwegian counterparts. 
INDIAS CHANGINGDIPLOMATIC MIGHT





BY ASAD MIRZA :

Tough Indian response to both Pakistan and China during the SCO meet, mainly stems from its exhaustion with its neighbours, who in spite of several Indian initiatives for better relations, prefer to stick with their age-old stands on the contentious issues, preferring not to respond positively to any Indian efforts in this regard.

INDIA taking down Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet is indicative of changing diplomatic might of India. India will not stick to fake goody words any longer. It signals Pakistan about the need to do more to shed the tag of being a global headache on terrorism. Coming soon after the recent Shanghai Cooperation Councils (SCO) Defence Ministers Summit in New Delhi, India last week hosted the Foreign Ministers of the SCO at Goa. The common thread between these two summits was the tough posturing by India against its two neighbours Pakistan and China. At the Goa meeting, Indias External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar, revealed that India had twice called out China and Pakistan at the summit for violating Indias sovereignty through their connectivity projects. The statement was made in response to a question on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which runs through Indian territory currently under Pakistans illegal occupation. Earlier, India had sort of reprimanded the Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu at New Delhi meeting, on the issue of the stalled talks over the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

INDIAS CRITIQUE OF PAKISTAN: Pakistans Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in Goa to represent Pakistan at the SCO-CFM. A visit, which happened after a 12-year gap. The last Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India was Hina Rabbani Khar, when she met her Indian counterpart S M Krishna in Delhi in 2011. However, what soured the atmosphere this time in Goa, was references made by Zardari over Kashmir and Pakistan being a victim of terrorism itself. Though he also called for reviving the stalled talks. India, in a strongly worded response to Pakistans overtures for talks, said victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terror. Rebutting each of the points made by Zardari, EAM Jaishankar said, he (Zardari) was a promoter, justifier and spokesperson for a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan. The tough Indian response came after the news of death of five Indian Army soldiers in a terrorist attack near the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday. Jaishankar said, Bilawals suggestion to sit together and talk was hypocritical and said India was feeling outraged by the incident. INDIAS STAND ON CHINA: Jaishankar had a similar position on China whose readout on the bilateral between him and its Foreign Minister Qin Gang described the situation on the boundary as stable. Jaishankar said that there is an abnormal position in the border areas.

We have to take the disengagement process forward. I have made it very clear. IndiaChina relations will not be normal if peace and tranquillity in the border areas is disturbed. This message was on the same lines as delivered by the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, a fortnight ago. Responding to Zardaris diatribe, Jaishankar said, Bilawals opposition to a G20 meeting to be held in Kashmir had no basis since Pakistan was not even a member of that grouping. On Bilawals opening address at the SCO conference where he said, the issue of terrorism should not be used to score diplomatic points, the Minister said: We are not scoring diplomatic points. We are exposing Pakistan. As a victim of terrorism, we are authorised to do so. We have put up with it. It speaks so much about the mindset of that country. He asked Pakistan to smell the coffee regarding its grouse about abrogation of Article 370 as a violation of international agreements. 370 is history. Sooner the people realise it, the better, Jaishankar said. INDIAN RESPONSE TO CPEC: EAM Jaishankar also took an exception at the mention of CPEC at the SCO meeting, both by Pakistan and China. And rightly so, as SCO is a multilateral forum, not a bilateral one and further Indias adversarial stand on the CPEC has been very clear from the beginning, as it passed through the PoK. India has consistently opposed the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC, as these projects violate Indias territorial integrity and sovereignty. Jaishankar very clearly stated that connectivity is good for progress, but connectivity cannot violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.

BILAWALS OVERTURE: On his part Bilawal Bhutto Zardari blamed Indias Kashmir policy for the frozen peace between India and Pakistan. The India-Pakistan relationship soured significantly after India announced the withdrawal of special powers from Jammu and Kashmir and the division of the State into two Union Territories in August 2019. India has always maintained that it wants regular neighbourly ties with Pakistan while emphasising that the onus is on Islamabad to create a safe environment for such an engagement. The tough Indian response to both Pakistan and China, mainly stems from its exhaustion with its neighbours, who in spite of several Indian initiatives to better relations, prefer to stick with their age-old stands on the contentious issues, preferring not to respond positively to any Indian efforts in this regard. The SCO meet also showed yet again that body language speaks volumes in geopolitics and diplomacy.

The distance between the two Foreign Ministers while posing for photographs was noticeably gaping. However, the cold Indian demeanour, a departure from customary diplomatic niceties, and continuing with its old parroting by the Pakistani Minister were more targeted at their respective domestic audiences. The Indian leadership in view of the forthcoming elections in Karnataka wanted to be seen as acting tough, while the Pakistani Minister wanted to showcase his ability to rake-up old issues against the backdrop of the economic woes of Pakistan. But overall this posturing does not augur well for friendly relations between the neighbours. (IANS)  (Asad Mirza is a senior political commentator based in New Delhi)
JMC bags top ranks in quarterly ranking of urban bodies in State





Staff Reporter

In the latest quarterly ranking of urban bodies, the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has once again secured the top positions. This time, the Municipal Corporation has bagged the first and second positions in the ranking following a healthy competitive environment created by Municipal Commissioner Swapnil Wankhade.

Wankhade informed that the quarterly ranking was conducted across all the urban bodies in the State between May and July 2022 and from October to December 2022. A total of 1,000 marks were provisioned across four components, with the objective of ensuring maximum access to citizens while creating a competitive environment among the civic bodies.

The Municipal Commissioner said the ranking of the civic bodies was done based on their activities between May and July 2022 and from October to December 2022, along with their conduct of activities as mentioned above. Wankhade said the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation actively participated in these activities and secured the first and second ranking in the State by implementing result-oriented actions. To appreciate the remarkable efforts of the JMC, an incentive amount of Rs 36 lakh has been provided under the Urban Cleanliness Award scheme. This amount has been
Koradis proposed plant to come up against six thermal projects





By Kaushik Bhattacharya

The proposed 2x660 MW coal based Supercritical Thermal Power Plant at Koradi is going to come-up against the six other thermal power plants of the State. In short State run Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MSPGCL) or MahaGenco is planning to scrap six of its plants that have outlived its utility. This includes 2 thermal plants at Parli, 2 in Chandrapur, and one each at Koradi and Bhusawal. While MahaGenco claims that two new units at Koradi are categorised as expansion project, but Greens point out the folly that in such case then why all the plants are coming-up in Nagpur alone whereas they should have been set-up at sites where the old plants are being retired. This means, as against six thermal power plants, MahaGenco will run a single plant with the same electricity generation capacity which, environment activists claim, will double the pollution levels in Nagpur city and rural areas. Environment activists across Vidarbha have been opposing this proposed plant at Koradi as same would further deepen the already worsened environment crisis, especially the one relating to disposal of fly-ash.

Green activist Dinesh Naidu said, "Koradi already has a capacity of 2,190 MW thermal power plant which is always in news for violation of environment norms. With this proposed 1,320 MW project, the pollution level is going to be a matter of concern in the immediate future. Therefore, we should oppose this project as it will directly impact the environment of Nagpur city. Already temperatures in city have increased manifold, even during winter this year one got the feel of climate change. So with commissioning of new thermal power plant will adversely impact the new generation.
RTMNU reschedules exams to May 22





Staff Reporter

Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) has rescheduled the timetable of its Summer 2023 examinations. The Under Graduate (UG) examinations were to begin from May 15 and Post Graduate from May 22. Now, the examination for UG will start on May 22, while that for PG will begin on May 29.

The UG examinations include BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BCCA, BCA, B.Voc, BPE, B.Ed, BSW, B.Ed, B.Tech, B.Arch, B.Pharm. The PG examinations include MA, M.Sc, M.Com, MCA, MBA, M.Ed, MSW, M.Pharm, M.Tech, ME, M.Arch, B.Des. University has displayed revised timetable of 413 examinations of the total 947. The examinations will be held at 133 examination centres of four districts - Bhandara, Gondia, Wardha and Nagpur. A special workshop will be held for the centre heads on May 19 to guide them on measures to be taken while conducting examinations, to avoid any mistake or loophole in the process. Every examination centre will have a Supervisor and to prevent untoward incidents, 8 flying squads, two special flying squads and a womens flying squad have been kept ready.

RTMNU has appealed to all the college principals to provide the required facilities to students during their examinations. The University has prepared question papers for 90% of the examinations.
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BERLIN (AP)  China's foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart in Berlin, Foreign Minister Qin Gang noted the recent talks the government in Beijing had with both Moscow and Kyiv, and said China's special envoy for Europe was expected to visit Ukraine again soon.

We won't pour oil on the fire of the war, Qin said, according to an official interpreter.

Western countries have accused Beijing of providing political and material support to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The European Union is currently considering imposing sanctions against companies that supply critical components to Russia's arms industry.

Qin denied Chinese firms were doing so. He said China maintains normal trade relations with Russia, not mentioning a significant bump in Chinas purchases of Russian crude oil at a major discount.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged China to use its clout to find a peaceful solution to the conflict but suggested that Beijing wasn't doing enough yet.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China can play a significant role in ending the war, if it decides to do so, she told reporters in Berlin.

Baerbock welcomed recent statements by the Chinese government confirming the sovereignty of countries that once made up the Soviet Union, adding that the position must hold for Ukraine, too.

The German government is currently in the process of adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line toward Beijing.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday that he favors a de-risking rather than a decoupling of Germany's economy from China.

The distinction did not satisfy Qin, who suggested the German government's eventually policy could hurt trade between the two countries.

Normal economic exchange should not be politicized, he said.

Qin downplayed the recent cancellation of a meeting between China and Germany's finance ministers, saying the visit was postponed for technical reasons and should not be over-interpreted.

A fellow member of German Finance Minister Christian Lindner's Free Democratic Party, Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, visited Taiwan in March, prompting criticism from Beijing, which considers the island part of its territory.

Lindner said Tuesday that Germany should have less of a soft touch approach in its dealings with China.

We won't allow our liberal values to be bought in return for good business," he told German news site The Pioneer.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Jill Biden says writing about the crushing grief she felt after her son Beau died of cancer helped give her the emotional strength to carry on as she encouraged young people who have lost loved ones during military service to spill their feelings out onto paper.

It takes courage to write, she said Tuesday, but it's worth it, because it helps us glue ourselves back together. It connects to those who carry their own grief, reminds us that we aren't alone. And you are not alone.

The first lady opened up about her experience with the children and siblings of service members who lost their lives during military service after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The group is participating in a weeklong writing seminar at a ranch in Justin, Texas, sponsored by The War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom that publishes stories about the human fallout of military service.

Biden, a community college writing professor, said that, after President Joe Biden finished up his earlier service as vice president, a publishing company suggested she write a book about her life. She knew everything she wanted to write about, she said.

But there was one thing I did not want to talk about: My son Beau," she said. Beau Biden, who was the son of President Biden and his first wife, died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.

Although she started writing the book two years after he died, she said "even the best memories were laced with pain. I felt like his loss was crushing me, and I worried that shining a light on it would only make it grow. So I told my team that he was off limits.

But then one day I found myself writing words without thinking. Im shattered, I scribbled on a yellow notebook," the first lady said. She felt like a piece of broken china that that had been glued back together. 'The cracks may be imperceptible, but they're there. Look closely and you can see the glue holding me together.'

She added that there were days when I felt like it took all of my strength to keep my grief inside of me, but when I wrote, I didnt have to. I could let it spill out, messy and melancholy and mad.

It didn't make my sorrow smaller, she said, but it helped give me the strength to carry it.'

The first lady joined the seminar by video as part of Joining Forces, her White House initiative to help support active-duty service members and veterans, their families and their caregivers. She asked the participants what led them to the seminar and about the importance of sharing their stories.

On Wednesday, also as part of Joining Forces and in conjunction with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Biden was hosting a screening of the documentary, Unconditional: When Minds Hurt, Love Heals, to highlight the caregivers of wounded, ill or injured service members or veterans.

Her memoir, "Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself," was published in 2019.
HARTFORD  In yet another budget proposal at a time of record state surpluses and jockeying among legislative leaders and Gov. Ned Lamont, the Republican minority in the state Senate on Wednesday offered $1.5 billion in tax cuts for the biennium starting July 1.

Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly said that the proposed cuts in personal income taxes are nearly identical to Lamont's proposal to cut a 3 percent rate to 2 percent and the 5 percent rate for middle incomes down to 4.5 percent. But unlike Lamont, whose proposal would start for the 2024 tax year, the GOP plan would be retroactive to January of this year.

The $50.4 million spending plan, duplicating Lamont's bottom line, would use $300 million in savings by leaving some unfilled state jobs vacant. The proposal includes slight increases in aid for local schools.

"Most importantly, we're providing the largest tax cut in Connecticut's history," Kelly said during a noontime news conference on the south lawn of the State Capitol. "These priorities are designed to make our state more affordable for the people who need it most. It shows that Senate Republicans are listening to the people who sent us here."

"It provides real, broad-based relief that all of us will notice," said Sen. Henri Martin of Bristol, a top Republican on the tax-writing legislative Finance Committee. "We're going to see it in our paychecks, we're going to see it when we file our taxes and we are going to see it when we open up our electric bills."

So now, there are four active tax plans in the conversation for a new two-year spending plan, including the $50.9 billion proposal from the legislative Appropriations Committee and $50.7 billion recently announced by House Republicans. Democrats have solid 98-53 and 24-12 margins in the House and Senate, respectively, but with anticipated multi-billion state surpluses in recent years, both sides of the legislative aisle and the governor agree this is a time to return money to taxpayers.

Senate Republicans offered the examples of a family of four, with an income of $125,000, would save more than $1,000 under their plan. A single filer with no dependent who earns $40,000 would save $250. An analysis indicates that the proposal would spend $130 million less than what Lamont proposed and $460 million less than the Appropriations Committee approved. Two billion dollars would be invested in the state's under-funded employee and public school teacher retirement plans.

"A single mom with two kids, making $80,000 saves $775 annually," Kelly said, with the Capitol building as a backdrop. "A couple making $70,000 with an additional $30,000 in pension income, saves $2,085. As I often say, good ideas find friends. We believe this to be a good idea, and we certainly hope it finds as much friends in there as I know it will found out here."

"When it comes to spending, we use Gov. Lamont's budget as a base," said Sen. Eric Berthel of Watertown, a top Republican on the Appropriations Committee. "We then made some small, common-sense reductions, such filling open positions based on historical hiring trends and requiring state agencies to live within their budgets." There are currently an estimated 3,500 job vacancies in state government.

"You don't have to lay anybody off," Kelly said, "You just don't have to hire and fund vacant positions that create extra cash in the budget. We're looking at where can we rein government in and return some of the hard-earned tax dollars back to those who earned it."

Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, and House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, described the start of the closed-door bipartisan talks as positive. "Substantially final form," Ritter told reporters in a morning news conference when asked to describe the talks. "I truly believe that. I think on both the (appropriations) and finance side we get closer every day. There is a handful of things still out there, but now that we have Sen. Kelly's proposal, his caucuses proposal, we'll compare them and see where they are."

Candelora, speaking to reporters in the late morning, said he hadn't yet seen the Senate GOP budget plan. "We all want to see tax relief," Candelora said, stressing that his caucus proposed their package last week because they wanted to get in early on bipartisan talks. "Talks have been occurring all of this week, and we wanted to make sure we were in that room crafting that budget.

Adam Joseph, Lamont's communications director, said the latest budget idea was encouraging and includes many of the governor's ideas.

"The administration will continue to work with the General Assembly to pass a budget that delivers on broad-based, middle-class tax relief, retains fiscal guardrails and statutory caps, and that continues to build growth and opportunity for Connecticuts residents and businesses," Joseph said in a written statement.
Caspar Benson/Getty Images/fStop

EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged Tuesday with what would be his fourth domestic battery.

Troy E. Slack, 36, was charged May 9 with domestic battery (fourth subsequent offense), a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.
Edwardsville Police Department Blotter for April 30-May 6, 2023

Five people were arrested in separate incidents for driving under the influence last week in Edwardsville.

Under Illinois law, a DUI offense is a Class A misdemeanor that could carry a jail time of up to a year and a fine that ranges from $500 to $2,500.

Ethan R. Toone, 21, of the 300 block of Southpointe Drive, Edwardsville, was charged with driving under the influence on South State Route 157 on May 7. Bond was set at $3,000.

Tristin M. Lieberman, 24, of the 1400 block of Stonebrooke Drive, Edwardsville, was charged with driving under the influence on Governors Parkway and Plum Street on May 7. No bond was set.

Andrew J. Eiring, 23, of Roselle, was charged with driving under the influence on St. Louis Street and Ammann Place on April 30. Eiring bonded out by posting his Illinois drivers license and $100. Under Illinois law, the drivers license can act as a form of bond on a driving under the influence charge, or Eiring would have had to post $300.

Justin H. Leskera, 29, of the 100 block of East Church Street, Collinsville, was charged with driving under the influence on Plum Street on May 2. Bond was set at $3,000.

Gage L. Clayton, 22, of the 900 block of Longfellow Avenue, was charged with driving under the influence on East Union Street and North Buchanan Street on May 2. Bond was set at $3,000.

There were also five separate cases of arrests for people driving on a suspended drivers license.

Under Illinois law, driving with a suspended drivers license is classified as a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable by a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail and a fine of $2,500.
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GLEN CARBON  Reversing an earlier decision, village officials decided Tuesday not to replace the cedar shake roof on the covered bridge on Main Street this year, saving more than $40,000.

On March 14, Glen Carbon trustees unanimously voted to accept a bid from ARS Construction of Collinsville for the roof work, which was to include removal of the existing cedar shake roof, installation of new underlayment and drip edge, new cedar shake and other miscellaneous work, according to public works Director Scott Slemer.

Of three bids received, ARS submitted the lowest at $40,150. The village originally allotted $25,000 for the project.

But questions about cost and the condition of the roof arose with the March vote to hire ARS for the project. The bridge roof was last replaced in September 2008, according to Slemer, but trustee Ben Maliszewski said it should last longer than 15 years.

Slemer, however, was out of town and unavailable for consultation when trustees took their vote in March.

This week, Slemer reported to trustees that he had another roofing company examine the Glen Carbon landmark to give village leaders another opinion on replacing the bridge's roof and upper structure.

"I contacted Oasis Roofing out of Troy to do an inspection on that," Slemer said Tuesday at the regular village board meeting. "They went up on the roof itself and into the interior of the structure. They reported that the roof still looks like it's in good shape.

"They did find some water staining in [the structure] but there is no indication it was coming from any of the plywood on the roof itself. It looks like [the water] was getting blown in from some heavy winds [on each side of the structure]."

From Oasis' findings, they did not recommend replacing the roof or any additional work at this time, Slemer said.

Originally, when the village went out for bids, three were returned: ARS Construction for $40,150; H&F Exterior for $50,399; and WRN Services for $67,500.
DAMASCUS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Syria on Wednesday received an official invitation from Saudi Arabia to attend the upcoming Arab Summit, just days after Syria returned to the Arab League (AL).

The Syrian presidency said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received an invitation from the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to attend the 32nd regular session of the Arab League Council's meeting at the summit level, which will be held in Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia on May 19.

The invitation was handed to Assad by the Saudi ambassador to Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi.

During the meeting with Al-Sudairi, Assad stressed that the upcoming summit would enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab people.

The Syrian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday night the resumption of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia following a reciprocal move from the kingdom.

In a statement released before midnight, the ministry said that the decision emanates from the deep ties between the two countries, their people's aspirations, and the importance of enhancing bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve the joint Arab work.

The Syrian move came after Saudi Arabia announced the continuation of its diplomatic mission in Syria earlier on Tuesday.

This comes as the two countries have normalized bilateral relations and recently exchanged visits of foreign ministers.

On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers decided during a meeting in Cairo to readmit Syria to the Arab League (AL) after 12 years of suspension.

On April 12, the Syrian foreign ministry announced that Syria and Saudi Arabia had agreed to resume the consular services and air flights between the two countries, a move which was a prelude to restoring full diplomatic representation on Tuesday. 
SPRINGFIELD  Lawmakers are considering creating a grant program that would send state dollars to grocers in Illinois communities that have few options for buying food.

Senate Bill 850 would direct the states Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or DCEO, to establish the Grocery Initiative, a program that would study food deserts in Illinois and provide grants to new or existing grocery stores in these areas. The grants would be available to grocery stores that are organized as independently owned for-profits, co-ops and nonprofit organizations as well as grocery stores owned by units of local government.

Its incredibly expensive to run a grocery store, said bill sponsor Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights. It takes a lot of product and your margins are very thin.

The initiative was first introduced in Gov. J.B. Pritzkers proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which called for $20 million to fund the program. Canty, who is sponsoring the proposal in the House, said she will continue to work on it in the next two weeks as lawmakers craft next years budget.

Canty said she views the proposal as a way to interrupt violence and alleviate some of the root causes of crime.

Without food security, people are desperate and desperate people do desperate things, Canty said.

Problem is widespread

The bill defines food deserts as low-income communities that are at least a half-mile from a grocery store in urban areas and at least 10 miles from a grocery store in rural areas.

Approximately 3.3 million people  about one in four Illinois residents  live in a food desert, according to a 2021 Illinois Department of Public Health report that used data from the United States Department of Agriculture. This dataset was first published in 2019 and was last updated in 2021.

The USDA also measures food access in communities using other thresholds. One-mile and 20-mile thresholds would still include 1.1 million Illinoisans  about 9 percent of the states population, according to that IDPH report.

This is a statewide issue and I think it connects different parts of the state over this issue of food insecurity, Tito Quinones, who works on legislative affairs for the DCEO, told lawmakers last week.

According to a weekly survey from the U.S. Census Bureau that has tracked things like food insecurity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 9.4 percent of households in Illinois reported sometimes or often not having enough food to eat over a seven-day period early last month.

This figure is higher for people of color. About 14.4 percent of Hispanic and Latino households reported that level of food insecurity during the same period. About 18.5 percent of respondents who reported two or more races on the survey indicated they also struggled. For white households, the figure was 8 percent.

Limits debated

The bill would require any grant recipients to carry a substantial variety of perishable foods including things like meat and fresh produce, items not typically carried by dollar stores or convenience stores.

In rural areas, when a grocery store closes, a store like Dollar General or Family Dollar might be a towns only source of food, other than a gas station. Dollar General reports they have more than 19,000 stores in 47 states.

The Illinois Fuel & Retail Association, a lobbying group representing convenience stores, is opposed to the bill because those stores  which include gas station mini marts  would be excluded from grant eligibility under the legislation as currently written.

Our ask is simple: to let convenience stores at least apply for some of this funding, IFRA CEO Josh Sharp told lawmakers.

In 2017, the state began tracking the prevalence and locations of food deserts. Last year, Pritzker signed a bill that allowed DCEO and the Department of Agriculture to begin the process of creating a Healthy Food Development Program which would offer financial assistance to grocery stores.

Sean Park, a program manager at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, spoke to lawmakers about the proposal at a House Revenue Committee hearing last week.

If there was money to be made from the convenience stores doing this, they would already be doing it, Park said, referring to selling meat and produce. What we're proposing in the bill is support for new models.

Those new models might not need to rely as heavily on a profit motive for operating the grocery store. The bill would grant DCEO the authority to limit the kinds of grocers that would be eligible based on factors like annual revenue or physical size.

Grassroots efforts

After the town of Winchester an hour north of Alton lost its local IGA grocery store, residents had to travel around 20 miles to get groceries. In early 2017, civic leaders in the community began considering how to develop a grocery store for the town. The project eventually became Great Scott! Community Market.

The need presented itself, said Thomas Coonrod, the general manager of the store. The question became how to do it, the model, size, location.

Planners settled on a co-op model, meaning the store is owned by its members, who bought into it as it was being developed, giving the store seed capital to get off the ground. Coonrod also said that the store has given local growers a place to sell their produce.

Other new models include municipally owned grocers. Over the past few years, this has been tried in a few communities in states such as Kansas and Florida. A municipally owned grocery store is under consideration in Cutler, a community of several hundred people in southern Illinois Perry County.

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, told his colleagues on the revenue committee that he is uncomfortable with the level of government intervention in the proposed program.

This is unbelievable to me that we are going to suddenly be the financiers of the private capital market, which should be driving the decision, McLaughlin said.

He later cited this concern as a reason that he couldnt support the bill, comparing the idea to socialist nations that formerly made up the Soviet Union.
BRUSSELS (AP)  A top European Union court ruled Wednesday that EU competition authorities were wrong to approve massive bailouts designed to help German flag-carrier Lufthansa and Scandinavian airline SAS deal with the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

The 27 EU member countries must seek approval from the bloc's executive branch, the European Commission, when granting financial support to companies. Many countries across Europe did so in 2020 to help keep their airlines afloat during the pandemic.

In June 2020, Germany notified the commission of its intent to provide 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in aid to Lufthansa. That August, Denmark and Sweden indicated they would be providing 1.07 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in support to SAS.

Low-cost Irish carrier Ryanair, which also was struggling to survive at the time, appealed to the EUs General Court, which ruled that the commission committed several errors in making its positive assessment of the German plan.

Among the errors, a statement from the court said, was thinking that Lufthansa was unable to obtain financing on the markets for the entirety of its needs and failing to require a mechanism incentivizing Lufthansa to buy back Germanys shareholding as quickly as possible.

The Luxembourg-based tribunal said the commission also acted incorrectly by denying that Lufthansa held significant market power at certain airports, and by accepting various commitments that do not ensure that effective competition on the market is preserved.

Concerning Ryainair's challenge of the state aid to SAS, the court ruled that the contested decision must be annulled in its entirety.

It was not immediately clear what impact the rulings might have in the situations the court considered or on other such decisions in the airline sector.

The European Commission said only that we will carefully study the judgement and reflect on possible next steps. A commission spokesperson noted that Lufthansa had paid back the aid to Germany. SAS has not yet paid back Denmark and Sweden.

SAS will now, together with the states, review the content of the ruling as well as possible ways to proceed, and will revert on these issues when there is information to share," the airline said Wednesday.

Ryanair welcomed both rulings, describing them as a triumph for fair competition and consumers across the EU.

An airline spokesperson said in a statement the decisions confirm that the commission must act as a guardian of the level playing field in air transport and cannot sign-off discriminatory state aid under political pressure by national governments.

The commission is the EUs anti-trust watchdog. As pandemic restrictions in 2020 brought travel to a halt and threatened the very existence of airlines, it eased its policies, approving billions of euros in support for national flag-carriers.

Under a fast-track system set up during what the commission describes as an unprecedented crisis, Brussels approved around 3 trillion euros in state support across all sectors in the 27 member nations. Ryanair believes that 40 billion euros was granted to Europes airline sector alone.
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023 15:12 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc648ec4 4 Inforial sustainable,palm-oil Free

A hope for humanity can be found in sustainable growth.

Sustainable practices have proven itself to not only be a transformation towards a better life, but a strengthening of community bonds for a greater future.

This message in particular echoes the hearts of smallholders who are the pillar of Indonesias agricultural communityespecially palm oil production. And yet, they are often neglected in aspects of building a secure life.

As the leading vegetable oil processor, Apical Group (Apical) offers hope that smallholders economic and social livelihoods will improve.

An expanding global footprint of over 50 countries that actualized its promise towards their 5Cs philosophy, Apical aims to give back to the community, country, climate, customer and only then will it be good for the company, and todaythey pivot on upscaling visibility of the community. Especially those who have cemented the foundation of our local food chain.

This strengthened the companys urgency to foster smallholders inclusion - driving transformative changes across their operations by equipping them with the resources to promote responsible agricultural practices and work towards improved livelihood.

In light of this issue, Apicals ongoing collaboration with leading companies in the palm oil industry - Kao Corporation and Asian Agri - have made tremendous strides in creating positive change in the lives of smallholders through the SMallholder Inclusion for better Livelihood & Empowerment (SMILE) program.

With the vision of becoming the most reliable integrated processor of vegetable oil, it is no wonder that Apicals role enlightened such transformative change as this program elicits their ability to add value to each step following the downstream production chain. This is parallel to their hierarchical value of what one might call, others come first as such method brings prominence when controlling product-related impurities.

Launched in 2020, the program draws on the strengths of the three companies to aid independent oil palm smallholders, empower them to become active participants in sustainable agriculture, and overcome barriers to increase yield through access to knowledge, training and resources.

"We are proud of the positive impact that the SMILE programme has had on smallholders' livelihoods and the communities in which they live," opens Bremen Yong, the Director of Sustainability at Apical.

Their resilience to achieve synergy across their business activities with an extensive distribution network worldwide is exemplified by their on-going collaboration with their two peers, which strives for ceaseless social inclusivity. Bremen further supported this visionary journey.

"We are striving for a more inclusive and sustainable future by giving smallholders the tools to empower and encourage them in practicing responsible agricultural practices."

Tuesday marks the first time Apical, Asian Agri and Kao have traveled together to one of the Koperasi Unit Desa (KUD) of the smallholders - KUD Anugerah in Riau. The visit included a productive dialogue session with smallholders from the KUD, who were introduced to the SMILE programme and informed of the significant roles performed by the three companies.

Participants also enjoyed a guided tour of the smallholder plantation, school area, and residences of smallholders, which provided valuable insight into the efforts of the local community to promote sustainable agriculture practices.

Since its inception in October 2020, the SMILE program has engaged with 3,018 smallholders and assisted 390 smallholders in receiving RSPO certification. The program plans to audit three new KUDs in 2023, with participation from approximately 1,105 smallholders in North Sumatra and Jambi.

The SMILE programme was quick to address internal issues smallholders encounter in the face of production, as it is tailored to help independent smallholders overcome barriers by lowering the smallholders cost by at least 30 percent and increase yield through access to knowledge, training and resources. At the same time, sustainable palm oil produced by participating smallholders will be sold at a premium.

By prioritizing sustainable and inclusive practices, the SMILE program aims to increase the smallholders income, consequently improving their livelihood and fostering long-term sustainability.

Smallholders fulfill our local food chains and simultaneously encounter significant challenges from operating within the hardest areas to reach and having thin access to wider markets in potentially expanding their customer base and business.

Ivan Novrizaldie, Asian Agri's Head of Sustainability illustrates how the initiative's results emotes the significance in bridging the knowledge gaps.

"Through the SMILE programme, we have been able to create positive change in the lives of smallholders," he said.

Meanwhile, Nobuyoshi Yamaguchi, Kaos Vice President of Procurement noted that the initiative aligns with Kao's commitment to sustainability and inclusivity.

We are excited to be part of this initiative and look forward to contributing to its success."

KUD Anugerah's Head thanked Apical, Asian Agri and Kao, We are thankful to Apical, Asian Agri and Kao for the SMILE programme, which has helped us improve our livelihoods and promote sustainable agriculture [...] and making strides towards a better tomorrow.

According to RSPO Acting Head of Smallholder Programme, Guntur Cahyo Prabowo, collective action must be taken to close the gap between the supply demand of RSPO certified palm oil and for solutions to be effective, it is important to make shared responsibility work in practice proven that, this is why RSPO has been working with our partners in both oil palm producing and consuming regions to keep collaborations as inclusive as possible.

Implementing integrity at all times, Apicals growth demonstrates the value of transparency and commitment to sustainability when it sits on making the betterment for all. Aligned to Pillar 4 - Inclusive Progress of their strategic sustainability roadmap, Apical2030, the SMILE program is just one of the many affirmations that credits their long-held values, and it is definitely the place to be for customers who longs for an end-to-end solution. As per attained, community always comes first.
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Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023 13:22 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c807ccc 4 Companies Go-To,ecommerce,digital-economy,ecosystem Free

In an age of instant gratification, trusting the process has become somewhat of a rare quality. This is not the case for Melissa Siska Juminto.

Nicknamed Mel by her close acquaintances, Melissa is the new president of the GoTo e-commerce business unit, known to the wider public as Tokopedia and part of Indonesias largest digital ecosystem.

During its start-up days in 2012, Melissa joined Tokopedia as its 44th employee and sole accountant, where two years later she became vice president of business. Her expertise in managing the business is reflected in the way she prioritizes company financial analysis in planning business-growth strategies.

One of Melissas co-workers, Tokopedia Academy lead Siti Fauziah, remembered fondly the early days, where everyone was doing everything because the team was still small.

When Melissa became a corporate accountant, she also paid great attention to business development through the Business & Marketing team and handling cooperation with banking and logistics partners. She also participated in monitoring data analysis of every investment issued for advertising activities. Even from her first days, Melissa has indeed played the role of company leader," she said.

That leader mindset has indeed brought Melissa recognition, as she was appointed chief operating officer in 2018, a role making her responsible for the entire company's operations, which include office operations, driving business growth to becoming the CEOs partner in formulating business directions and policies.

Under her leadership as COO, Tokopedia managed to become the only Indonesian company to be included in the list of companies with the fastest growth based on revenue in the Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 index by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) in 2020, where Tokopedia managed to record a growth of 608 percent.

The role of GoTo's CHRO came in 2022, where Melissa also became responsible for overseeing all human resource functions, including the business partners, rewards, people integration and community experience teams.

Another accolade soon followed, this time for Melissa personally. Her determination and success in driving business growth at Tokopedia landed her in the 40 Under 40 list by Fortune Indonesia in 2022, which highlights figures capable of being an agent of change in the business sector. She was also selected as one of nine business leaders in Asia to be awarded by Michael Page for her achievements in guiding the company toward long-term success in an ever-changing business landscape.

Business relevance through product innovation

Look around you, and chances are you will find a product, a meal, or a service provided by an MSME.

MSMEs play an important role in the Indonesian economy, accounting for 99 percent of all businesses in the country, absorbing 96.9 percent of the total workforce and contributing 61 percent of the national GDP in 2021.

Under Melissas leadership, during the pandemic where many MSMEs were hit hard, Tokopedia ensured its commitment to become the community's reliable platform for meeting daily needs, strengthening the resilience of local businesses, as well as helping drive Indonesia's economic recovery.

One of Tokopedia's many initiatives during the pandemic was the Hyperlocal Initiative, which aims to bring buyers closer to the nearest sellers, thus providing a bigger stage for local businesses and creating opportunities, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Since its launch in April 2020, the Hyperlocal Initiative has contributed to boosting sales and maintaining the Indonesian economy amid a pandemic. This initiative was continued even after the easing of public activity restrictions (PPKM) at the end of 2022.

In research released by Tokopedia together with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), the average sales index in cities with Hyperlocal Tokopedia increased 147 percent in the 2020-2021 period compared to 2017-2019. This research also shows the average sales index in cities with Hyperlocal is five times greater than cities without the initiative.

In the same period, this initiative was able to restrain the rate of increase in unemployment and poverty where cities with hyperlocal had a lower poverty rate of 0.14 percent compared to cities without hyperlocal.

To support the acceleration of company profitability, Melissa and her team also launched Tokopedia Marketing Solutions, a comprehensive marketing solution to help businesses achieve promotional goals and generate sustainable business growth. The kit can also help businesses target advertisements to the right consumer profiles by utilizing consumer data according to applicable regulations and the principles of security and personal data protection.

Based on internal data, Tokopedia Marketing Solutions experienced a 17-fold growth in advertising investment value in the first semester of 2022, and growth in the number of strategic partners from medium to large scale sellers as much as 30 times in the same period.

On the other hand, to address Indonesias unique logistical challenges, Tokopedia introduced the Dilayani Tokopedia smart warehouse, an order-fulfillment service provider that allows sellers including MSMEs to deposit products in areas with high demand, while helping people get products faster by cheaper postage.

The community also warmly welcomed this innovation as during the third quarter of 2022, the number of buyers using Dilayani Tokopedia increased 1.5 times compared to the same period in the previous year, while the number of transactions more than doubled. In addition, the number of sellers using Tokopedia also more than doubled over the same period.

To keep up with changes in consumer behavior in the social-commerce era, the video streaming channel Tokopedia Play was launched in 2018, allowing viewers to look for inspiration while shopping through various interesting shows, such as live shopping, cooking, sports, creations and others. User enthusiasm for this feature is shown by the more than threefold increase in the number of transactions through Tokopedia Play.

For those looking to make an additional income on the side, the Tokopedia Affiliate program allows users to register as affiliates and promote millions of products on Tokopedia using a special link on their social media. If the product is successfully sold through the link, the affiliate will get a commission of up to 10 percent. Since its launch in March 2022, the number of registered Affiliates has reached the hundreds of thousands of people.

Founders Mentality

In a personal post by Tokopedia founder William Tanuwijaya on the day he handed over his position at Tokopedia to Melissa, he said Melissa had a founder mentality and a strong sense of ownership of the company. In recent years, he wrote, it was Melissa who led Tokopedia in its daily routine.

During her career journey, through her growth mindset, whatever challenges and opportunities are presented, from building a marketing team to a business team from scratch, to the role of accountant, VP, chief of staff, COO and concurrently acting as an interim-CHRO GoTo, [every role] is being carried out optimally,"

I learned from Mel that anyone can have a founder mentality, not just the founders of the company on the first day. The best leaders in the company all have such a strong sense of ownership, as if they were the founders of the company, he concluded.

Melissa responded to her new responsibility with optimism: This leadership baton is of course a very big mandate and trust for me. One thing is certain, Indonesia will remain Tokopedia's main focus; and strengthening the business fundamentals and building technology infrastructure are the keys to drive us toward the goal of digital-economic equality."

"By building a Super Ecosystem with GoTo, we want Tokopedia to further encourage the growth of local MSMEs throughout Indonesia, while increasing financial inclusion and making the lives of hundreds of millions of Indonesians easier through technology."

"Through integration, collaboration and common vision within the GoTo ecosystem, we also hope to create a digital ecosystem that is stronger, more comprehensive and independent toward further rounds of business growth," she concluded.
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Linkedin Tonggo Simangunsong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023 09:44 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c7d271c 1 Art & Culture ulos-traditional-Batak-cloth,batak,Bataknese,tradition,weaving,weaver,ulos Free

Uli Artha Panggabean is a weaver of ulos, the traditional woven cloth of the Batak tribe. Her passion for the tradition goes deep.

Forty-three-year-old weaver Uli Artha Panggabean often posts online about the deforestation occurring on the shores of Lake Toba, North Sumatra. Her anxiety is not without reason; many raw materials used to make ulos come from the forest, including wood to make looms and various plants to make the dyes.

Uli has been interested in weaving since a young age.

Maybe being an ulos weaver has become my lifes destiny. The more I stay away from it, the more it calls me, Uli said.

Uli is in the third generation of ulos weavers from her family lineage, with her grandmother and mother coming before her. Neither her grandmother nor her mother had wanted Uli to become a weaver.

Like most traditional Batak parents, her mother wanted her to go to school, find a well-paying job and become an office worker or civil servant, anything but an ulos weaver.

After school, Uli left her village and worked for a company in another city. In 2013, she returned to her hometown, firm in her dream to become an ulos weaver.

Uli was by then proficient at weaving several types of ulos, but wanted to master the ragidup ulos weaving, the ulos that is considered the most difficult to weave.

She dove further into that obsession after her grandmother died in 2021 at 92, and there was no more opportunity to learn from her.

I cried because there was one less true ulos weaver, Uli said.

After her grandmothers death, she returned to her mother and asked her to teach her the ragidup ulos weaving technique, which her grandmother had also mastered. But her mother refused to teach her.

From generation to generation, there is a myth that a woman whose spirit is not strong enough can get sick or die young while learning ulos weaving. Of course, no parents want their daughters to experience that. Many weavers believe that myth, Uli said.

Because her grandmother did not want to pass on her knowledge, her mother finally chose to learn weaving from other weavers and secretly watched her mother weave. Uli had the same experience as her mother.

Goods: Looms used by Uli Artha to weave 'ulos'. (JP/Tonggo Simangunsong) (JP/Tonggo Simangunsong)

Even though my mother didnt teach me directly, I wanted to teach myself by watching her weave, she said. But the more Uli tried to learn from her mother, the more difficult it became.

Our spirits were sometimes as if at war; I do not know why. My mother and my grandmother used to be like that too. Even so, maybe because of the relationship between mother and daughter, we still miss each other.

Following rituals, defying myths

As if destined to become an ulos weaver, Uli mastered her technique in ulos weaving, especially the ragidup ulos weaving technique.

The highest technique in ulos weaving is making the ragidup, she said.

Head of the Center for Documentation and Study of Batak Culture, University of HKBP Nommensen Medan, Manguji Nababan, told The Jakarta Post ulos is a cloth permanently attached to Batak culture and its people. The fabric is used in particular moments, from the birth of a child to marriage and death.

Nababan says ragidup is the highest level of all the ulos and contains a philosophical value. Ragidup symbolizes life, hope for offspring, happiness and blessings of longevity.

Ragidup usually takes 19 days to make, and if a weaver cant work on it for that long, its weaver usually throws it away, said Nababan.

As Uli said, the ragidup ulos making is done in three parts. The third part is the most challenging. The technique is called mangarapot. The weaving technique unites the two parts of the loom with a thread-splicing strategy so the ulos blend perfectly.

Connecting red to white threads, two parts in one weave. Thats the most difficult part, Uli said.

Before starting the most challenging stage, weavers usually cook buffalo meat, its blood thickened to resemble tofu. This is part of the tradition that Uli calls an obligation. It is eaten cooked with local spices.

Uli said while eating the buffalo before weaving was contrary to the Christian belief (against animal sacrifice) she held, she did it because it was part of the tradition, and she wanted to respect her ancestors. I didnt want to take any wrong steps; maybe people say I follow animism, but I dont care, said Uli, whose father was a priest.

Likewise, when she learned the knowledge of ragidup weaving from her mother, she also fulfilled her obligations. She gave her eggs, a chicken and money as a token of gratitude. Her mother cried when she received the items.

She wants to continue perfecting her weaving, even though she admits she has woven ragidup. One of her ragidup is now owned by a Batak living in Den Haag, the Netherlands.

I know there are several ragidup ulos weavers, and if the knowledge they have is not learned and passed on to the next generation, I am afraid this knowledge will be lost.
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Linkedin  Wed, May 10, 2023 14:55 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc647fa8 2 Health Barre-Sinoussi,HIV,health Free

When Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi helped identify a mysterious virus that would become known as HIV 40 years ago, she says it kicked off a "race against time" to counter the looming AIDS crisis.

In an interview with AFP, the 75-year-old virologist described how she and colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered HIV in 1983, which led to her jointly winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

"It all started in 1982," when doctors started sharing stories about the first French AIDS patients, France's Barre-Sinoussi said.

"They were convinced that a retrovirus could be responsible for this new disease."

For more than a decade Barre-Sinoussi had been working on retroviruses, which on infection convert from the genetic material RNA into DNA, allowing them to easily integrate host cells.

In January 1983, the team's strategy was to take a lymph node biopsy from a sick patient, then culture the cells in the lab looking for "very specific enzymatic activity", she said.

Her French doctor colleagues thought that AIDS must be caused by HTLV-1, the only retrovirus known to directly cause cancer in humans.

"But our team did not believe in this hypothesis because this virus causes a proliferation of lymphocytes," Barre-Sinoussi said.

AIDS patients had lower rates of this important immune cell.

"Something didn't add up," she said.

"In May 1983, we isolated the virus and demonstrated that it was a retrovirus that was different from HTLV-1. But we were not yet certain that it caused AIDS."

That was confirmed the following year by US scientist Robert Gallo.

This caused a transatlantic rift over who discovered HIV, with the United States and France eventually agreeing that both Gallo and the Pasteur team led by Luc Montagnier should get joint credit.

'Enormous' challenge ahead

Finally, researchers around the world had a target to aim for in their efforts to combat AIDS, which was rapidly spreading and devastating communities.

"From then on, the task was enormous because we were faced with an unknown virus," Barre-Sinoussi said.

"We had to learn everything about it, find out what proteins it contained, its genetic material, what type of cells it infected, the consequences of this infection."

A crucial first step was to develop tests as quickly as possible, both to diagnose patients and to demonstrate that HIV only infected AIDS patients.

"Only then could strategies be considered to try to block it," she said.

"It was a race against time because we realised that the virus was transmitted by blood, sex and from mother to child."

The endeavour required the swift mobilisation of immunologists, molecular biologists and doctors, she said.

Not to mention patients, even though scientists knew "we would not have time to find a treatment that could save them", she said.

"We found ourselves faced with people who came to the Pasteur Institute to ask us questions about the virus," she said.

"It was very difficult."

Nobel 'recognised a community'

In 2008, Barre-Sinoussi and her former mentor, Luc Montagnier, jointly received the Nobel medicine prize for the discovery of HIV.

"I was in Cambodia when I heard the news. It was a huge surprise. I did not expect it all," Barre-Sinoussi said.

"People living with HIV in the country came up to me with smiles and bouquets of flowers.

"I understood that this prize recognised a community that had been working together from the beginning."

"All levels of society have been affected by HIV/AIDS, which has always been a battle on multiple fronts -- scientific of course, but also political, societal (and) against pharmaceutical companies," she said.

When she started her career, "I was a researcher who never left the laboratory", she said.

But after helping discover HIV, things changed. "I suddenly found myself faced with things that I never imagined possible, such as the general public's lack of tolerance towards certain people," she said.

"Patients were stigmatised, abandoned by their families, their friends, sometimes by health professionals. Some lost their homes, their jobs."

Barre-Sinoussi said that she had also "learned a lot about inequalities, which unfortunately may have become even worse today".

Throughout her long career, Barre-Sinoussi worked continuously towards finding a cure for HIV, serving as the president of the International AIDS Society a decade ago. She retired in 2017.
Beyon has confirmed the appointment of Faisal Qamhiyah as CEO of Umniah in Jordan, following a meeting of the board of directors on Tuesday (May 9) at the company's campus in Hamala, Bahrain.

Umniah is part of the Beyon Group.

Qamhiyah, who was appointed as Acting CEO of Umniah in November 2022, has employed his extensive experience gained over 20 years in the telecommunications and investments sector, to accelerate the implementation of the 5G project, making Umniah the first Jordanian telecom operator to deploy this service in the kingdom.

Prior to joining Batelco, part of the Beyon Group in 2012, Qamhiyah held the CFO role at Umniah, and among his earlier roles, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Zain Jordan and Director of Investments at Ern Capital.

Qamhiyah is a board member in several of Beyons telecoms, technology and digital companies in Europe, Asia and the Gulf region. - TradeArabia News Service
SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Five local and foreign automakers in South Korea will voluntarily recall 229,052 vehicles for manufacturing defects, the transport ministry said Wednesday.

Kia Motors will recall 190,841 vehicles of the Carnival model for faulty sliding doors, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Mercedes-Benz Korea will recall 20,547 units of eight models, including E200d, for lower robustness in the parts of the high-pressure fuel pump.

Hyundai Motor will recall 16,099 units of two models, including Pavise, to fix battery switch design errors in addition to 65 units that have faulty seat belts.

GM Korea will recall 1,467 vehicles of two models, including Bolt EV, for high-voltage battery defects, while Stellantis Korea will recall 33 units of DS4 Crossback 1.5 BlueHDi FCYHZ for the missing bolt fastening in the front bumper.

Vehicles owners can visit the repair and service centers of the companies to replace the faulty parts free of charge, the ministry said. 
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Linkedin Front Row (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023 07:00 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b0563ab18 4 Front Row Nusa-Dua Free

Kulkul beach house, one of the gems of Nusa Dua, has officially reopened its doors to visitors. With a modern twist, the fully renovated beach house has returned with thoughtfully reimagined interiors and updated menus that include some of Indonesias most innovative cocktails. One thing that has remained the same though, is the gorgeous backdrop of the Indian Ocean.

Its name, derived from the traditional Balinese wooden bells that invite locals to gather for special moments, has aimed to do just that since its inception. With a swimming pool that spans 12 meters and a cozy ambiance provided by a mix of house and Mediterranean music, the beach house creates a space for relaxation; a chance to step away from life and on to the idyllic beach.

This time, the Kulkul kitchen returns with a greater emphasis on zero-waste drinking and dining. Still spotlighting as much produce as possible from local partners, the all-day menu features a range of vegetarian and vegan options alongside traditional comfort foods and superb seafood specialties. The new menu also offers innovative trends that combines old classics and emerging trends.

Kulkul relaunched on April 18 and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Linkedin Yerica Lai (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023

Members of the governing coalition have dismissed accusations that President Joko Jokowi Widodo has engaged in political activity unbefitting of his office ahead of the 2024 general election, saying the President should not be neutral and that his involvement in political discussions with party leaders cannot be avoided.

On May 2, the President hosted a private meeting with the leaders of six pro-government parties, excluding the NasDem Party, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. Jokowi reportedly briefed the group on a possible alliance for the 2024 presidential election, which drew a flurry of accusations that the President was meddling in the upcoming elections.

Former president Jusuf Kalla has advised Jokowi to steer clear of politics in the final years of his presidency and follow in the footsteps of his predecessors Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Megawati Soekarnoputri to allow for free competition in the presidential election.

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Linkedin Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023

The West Jakarta District Court sentenced former two-star police general Teddy Minahasa to life in prison on Tuesday for his role in a plot to sell illicit drugs seized by the institution that he headed.



The sentence was lighter than the death sentence that prosecutors had sought.

The panel of three judges found Teddy guilty of orchestrating a scheme to steal 5 kilograms of methamphetamine from a store of confiscated drugs at the Bukittinggi Police headquarters in West Sumatra and to sell the supply to dealers in Jakarta in May of last year. At the time, Teddy was the chief of the West Sumatra Police.

The case surfaced in October of last year after lawmakers revealed to the press that Teddy, who was at the time the incoming chief of the East Java Police, had been arrested on charges relating to a drug case. The news came at a time of diminished public trust in the police following a high-profile murder case involving another police general.

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Linkedin Kate Lamb (Reuters) Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara  Wed, May 10, 2023 10:58 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc6468cb 2 Society Association-of-Southeast-Asian-Nations,Conflicts-War-Peace,Government-Politics,ASEAN,Myanmar Free

Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Indonesia will on Wednesday wrangle over an escalating crisis in military-ruled Myanmar, with patience in the ASEAN bloc wearing thin as its junta shows no intent to end hostilities and pursue a peace plan.

The summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) takes place as Myanmar's military intensifies attacks and air strikes on resistance forces and ethnic minority rebels as it tries to consolidate power ahead of a planned election.

It also comes days after a unknown assailants shot at a convoy of regional diplomats and aid workers in Myanmar bringing supplies to some of the more than 1 million people displaced by conflict since a 2021 coup.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the current ASEAN chair, called on the 10-country bloc to speak up and speak as one on its most challenging issues.

"Will ASEAN only be silent or will ASEAN be able to become the driver or peace or growth?", he said in a speech ahead of a meeting set to also discuss regional tensions and a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

"I am convinced that we all believe ASEAN can do it only if there's unity."

The prime minister of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony bordering Indonesia that is seeking ASEAN membership, stressed the need to restore order in Myanmar.

"We also have the obligation to push ASEAN and the international community to create peace in Myanmar," Taur Matan Ruak said.

No progress

ASEAN, which has a policy of non-interference in its members affairs, has become increasing assertive with Myanmar's junta over its failure to implement a five-point peace "consensus" that its top general agreed to with ASEAN a few month after his coup sparked chaos.

ASEAN has barred the generals from high-level meetings until they execute the peace plan, which includes ceasing hostilities, starting dialogue and allowing full humanitarian access.

Indonesia has also been quietly engaging Myanmar's military, its shadow government and armed ethnic groups to try to kick-start peace talks.

"ASEAN is doing as much as it can really because when you are there on the ground it's not that easy," Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo said.

But some have called on ASEAN to take a harder line with Myanmar's junta.

"To leave the seat empty at ASEAN summits is actually their comfort zone, they don't have to be held accountable," said former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa.

"Excluding the junta is only part of a series of steps that should be taken."

He said the schism over Myanmar presents an "unprecedented challenge" to the bloc's unity and it was essentially functioning with only nine of its 10 members.
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Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023

National Police investigators have arrested a man and a woman suspected to be behind the trafficking of more than a dozen Indonesians to Myanmar, where the victims were forced to run online scams, as ASEAN nations seek a stronger regional response to human trafficking.

Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) general crimes director Brig. Gen. Djuhandani Rahardjo Puro said the two individuals, identified as Andri Satria and Anita Setia Dewi, were apprehended in an apartment in Bekasi, West Java, on Tuesday night and named suspects in response to evidence gathered on the same day. They allegedly trafficked at least 20 Indonesians to Myanmar.

We have questioned five people based on the report that the family of a victim filed on May 2, Djuhandani said, as quoted in a statement on the police website. He added that investigators were still collecting information from the 20 victims and hunting for other possible suspects, particularly people who recruited the victims on false promises of employment in Myanmar.

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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Wed, May 10, 2023

The Riau Islands has rejected a report by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) on a pig farm in the province.

Rika Azmi, head of the provincial Food Security, Agriculture and Animal Health Agency, claimed the WOAH did not have the means to determine outbreaks of animal diseases in Indonesia.

She said the Indonesian Veterinary Authority had notified the WOAH of an ASF incident on Bulan Island as part of transparency efforts.

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Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023 07:21 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c7acb9b 1 Editorial summit,Myanmar,junta,attack,humanitarian-aid,atrocity,five-point-consensus,ASEAN,democracy,peace,Min-Aung-Hlaing,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi Free

Indonesia and Singapore have condemned an armed attack on a humanitarian convoy on a road between Myanmars Shan State capital of Taunggyi and Hshihseng city. The act of violence seems to have been intended as a warning for ASEAN not to try to meddle in Myanmars internal affairs.

The incident also indicates ASEAN will not be able to achieve meaningful progress anytime soon in convincing the Myanmar military to end its atrocities against its own people. Initially, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi had expressed her belief that ASEAN, under Indonesias chairmanship, could step up pressure on the junta to end the crisis that has plagued Myanmar since the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has given no sign of respecting ASEANs Five-Point Consensus of peace restoration, which he accepted during an emergency summit with the blocs leaders in Jakarta in April 2021. Myanmars military has been known for its defiance against pressure from outside.

The weekend incident came just a few days before ASEAN leaders regrouped for the blocs biannual summit, this year in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. ASEAN diplomats were on board when the convoy was ambushed and the violence has put ASEANs peace mission in jeopardy.

The Myanmar junta quickly blamed terrorists for the assault, but the junta cannot evade responsibility because the humanitarian trip could have only happened with its approval.

Local news outlets reported on Monday that the aid convoy came under fire as it was heading for a meeting with the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA), an ethnic armed organization, for talks on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced civilians.

The delegation included Singaporean and Indonesian embassy officials, as well as junta officials and representatives from the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center).

The AHA Center is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation and coordination in ASEAN, as well as with other groups, such as the United Nations, for emergency responses.

No one was wounded in the attack, and no party has claimed responsibility for it either. For outsiders, however, it is hard to believe that the Myanmar military could have been so negligent as to fail to prevent the attack.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo called it a shootout and said it would not stop ASEANs efforts to restore peace in Myanmar.

"Stop using force. Stop violence because it's the people who will be victims. This condition will not make anybody win," said Jokowi, who is serving as ASEAN chairman this year.

Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have been ardent supporters of President Jokowis initiatives on Myanmar. But is also obvious that Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam deem the violence and instability in Myanmar an internal matter.

As ASEAN leaders are now gathering in Labuan Bajo for the summit, the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the military junta and the rising armed resistance against them will loom large over the meeting, especially after the weekend shooting. Min Aung Hlaing and his representatives are barred from attending the summit, as ASEAN leaders have not seen good faith efforts from the junta to end to end the atrocities and begin peace talks.

The Five-Point Consensus demands the immediate cessation of violence, a resumption of peaceful dialogue with all parties to the conflict, the provision of access for ASEAN humanitarian aid and the militarys acceptance of an ASEAN special envoy with full freedom to meet all parties in Myanmar.

President Jokowi is correct in saying that the attack will not deter ASEAN from its efforts to stop human rights violations and restore peace and democracy in Myanmar. The longer the Myanmar crisis persists, the heavier the burden the Myanmar people have to bear and the more vulnerable the region will be to a proliferation of instability.
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Linkedin Hugo Vojetta and Andi Raihanah Ashar (The Jakarta Post) Paris/Jakarta  Thu, May 11, 2023

The publication of the Australian Defense Strategic Review (DSR) on April 24 has led to little to no comments from Southeast Asian countries. In the DSR, Canberra detailed its strategic ambitions for the years to come, after assessing if the country has the necessary defence capability, posture and preparedness to best defend Australia and its interests.

Interestingly, the publication of the DSR came a few weeks after the AUKUS military alliance, composed of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, announced on March 13 its four-step plan which is aiming to promote security and a free and open Indo-Pacific region by enhancing the alliance capacities and minimizing fragmentation effects in the region.

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Linkedin Daniel Awigra (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 10, 2023

Ahead of the opening of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, the Indonesian government announced its commitment to prioritizing the regional socio-cultural pillar, aiming at strengthening cooperation in the protection of migrant workers, regional health architecture and enhancing the development of rural regions.

However, Indonesia, the chair of ASEAN 2023, has so far omitted engagement with civil society and the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples Forum (ACSC/APF), which is recognized in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Blueprints 2015 as an annual forum for civil society engagement in ASEAN.

One of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) was adopted during the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009 with a vision of building an "ASEAN Community that is people-centered and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the countries and peoples of ASEAN.

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Linkedin Agence France-Presse (The Jakarta Post) Belgrade  Wed, May 10 2023

Tens of thousands demonstrated in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Monday, with the protesters calling for the resignation of top officials and the curtailing of violence in the media, after back-to-back shootings stunned the Balkan country.

The "Serbia against violence" demonstration saw members from across the country's political divide come together after last week's shootings, where 17 people were killed in less than 48 hours, including nine at an elementary school in Belgrade.

"We demand an immediate stop to further promotion of violence in the media and public space, as well as responsibility for the long-standing inadequate response from competent authorities," the leftist Let's Not Let Belgrade Drown party said in a statement.

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People visit a trade show of construction, building materials and public works (BATIMATEC 2023) in Algiers, Algeria, on May 9, 2023. BATIMATEC 2023 is held here from May 7 to May 11 with the participation of hundreds of exhibitors. (Xinhua)

People visit a trade show of construction, building materials and public works (BATIMATEC 2023) in Algiers, Algeria, on May 9, 2023. BATIMATEC 2023 is held here from May 7 to May 11 with the participation of hundreds of exhibitors. (Xinhua)

People visit a trade show of construction, building materials and public works (BATIMATEC 2023) in Algiers, Algeria, on May 9, 2023. BATIMATEC 2023 is held here from May 7 to May 11 with the participation of hundreds of exhibitors. (Xinhua)
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Linkedin Agence France-Presse (The Jakarta Post) Riyadh  Thu, May 11 2023

Ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia between Sudan's warring generals have yielded "no major progress" so far, a Saudi official told AFP on Monday, dampening hopes for a quick end to the fighting.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sent representatives to the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday for meetings that Washington and Riyadh have described as "pre-negotiation talks".

Goals include reaching "an effective short-term halt" to the fighting, facilitating aid delivery, restoring basic services and setting "a timetable for expanded negotiations to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities", the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement Monday.

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Linkedin Yvette Tanamal (The Jakarta Post) Labuan Bajo  Wed, May 10, 2023

ASEAN heads of state on Wednesday released a statement to condemn an attack on Sunday against a convoy of Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats traveling to help with humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, expressing a deep concern with the ongoing violence and urging for the implementation of peace initiative the Five-Point Consensus (5PC).

The statement came as pressure continued to mount for the 10-nation bloc to prove it has stripes to deal with the unabating emergency in Naypyidaw by possibly moving beyond ASEANs 5PC, with many now expressing their pessimism in the association.

It also came after Mondays statements from President Joko Jokowi Widodo and the Singaporean foreign ministry condemning the attack, with the former strongly asserting the need to stop the use of violence and for the opening of a path for dialogue toward a common solution.

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Linkedin Reuters Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara  Wed, May 10, 2023 20:15 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b0564c50a 2 Asia and Pacific Indonesia,ASEAN,Cambodia,human-trafficking,crackdown,Philippine Free

Southeast Asian leaders pledged on Wednesday to crack down on online scams operated by human traffickers to prey on vulnerable job seekers, particularly in the poorest countries of the region.

Meeting in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the leaders called for a regional approach to combat human trafficking.

Issuing the first declaration by ASEAN on the danger of traffickers' cyber scams, the leaders noted "the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms".

Lured by social media posts promising well-paid jobs in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, thousands of people have become trapped in cyber scam operations, in some cases held captive and forced to defraud strangers online.

There has been a spike in cases of people enslaved in cyber scams, and more than 1,000 victims have been rescued just in recent days.

Foreign Ministry said that 20 Indonesian citizens who had been trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam were repatriated last Sunday.

In a separate operation, officials in the Philippines said more than 1,000 people from across Asia were rescued in night raids last week. The victims were forced to work up to 18 hours a day in cryptocurrency scams, police said.

ASEAN's efforts to combat human trafficking will include enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to investigate, collect data, exchange information and conduct joint exercises, the declaration said.

Cambodia has emerged as a hotspot for cybercrime rings but networks, which civil society groups say are often linked to Chinese criminal gangs, have since expanded to countries such as Myanmar and Laos.

Experts say the trafficked captives are held in large compounds in converted casinos in Cambodia, and in special economic zones in Myanmar and Laos.
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Linkedin Agencies Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara  Wed, May 10, 2023 15:55 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b05648d31 2 Asia and Pacific Indonesia,ASEAN,summit,labuan-bajo,Myanmar,violence,Jokowi,military-junta,Min-Aung-Hlaing Free

Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara called on Wednesday for an immediate end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar, in an effort to create a window for urgent dialogue and aid delivery as fighting intensifies.

The summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was expected to see wrangling over the bloody crisis in Myanmar, with patience wearing thin as its junta demonstrates no intent to pursue a peace plan agreed with the 10-member bloc two years ago.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force," said a statement from the leaders.

They sought the creation of "a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues."

The meeting takes place as Myanmar's military intensifies attacks and air strikes on resistance forces and ethnic minority rebels as it tries to consolidate power ahead of a planned election.

It also comes days after a unknown assailants shot at a convoy of regional diplomats and aid workers in Myanmar bringing supplies to some of the more than 1 million people displaced by conflict since a 2021 coup.

ASEAN's charter principles of consensus and non-interference have hamstrung its ability to stop the violence in Myanmar, which critics say poses an existential threat to the bloc.

Divisions among its members over Myanmar and other issues, including China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, have undermined the bloc.

Expectations for progress at this summit are low.

"Indonesia has indicated they are planning to release an implementation plan for the five-point consensus," said Aaron Connelly, an analyst for International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.

"I don't think that there's going to be very much there that will surprise people."
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Linkedin Agencies Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara  Wed, May 10, 2023

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called Wednesday for "unity" among Southeast Asian nations, as they come under growing pressure to end the violence ravaging Myanmar or risk irrelevance.

Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Labuan Bajo, as the regional bloc faces criticism for its perceived inaction.

ASEAN has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis, but its efforts so far have failed to stem the bloodshed unleashed by a military coup in 2021.

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Linkedin Reuters Yangon, Myanmar  Wed, May 10, 2023 16:40 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b0564a723 2 Asia and Pacific Myanmar,Indonesia,Retno-Marsudi,dialogue,ASEAN,military-junta,labuan-bajo Free

Myanmar's shadow government welcomes efforts by ASEAN chair Indonesia to kickstart peace talks in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation but is deeply distrustful of the junta that took power in a 2021 coup, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holding a summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara have called for an immediate end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar, pushing for urgent dialogue and aid delivery.

"The biggest obstacle to peace talks is the military junta," said Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for Myanmar's shadow administration, known as the National Unity Government.

Kyaw Zaw said the junta was trying to mislead the international community, pointing to its failure to implement a five-point peace "consensus" agreed by its top general with ASEAN months after the coup sparked widespread unrest.

"The junta never keeps its promises," Kyaw Zaw added.

A junta spokesperson did not answer telephone calls to seek comment.

The 2021 coup, which ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, upended a decade of tentative democratic reform. It was followed by a bloody crackdown on protests, giving rise to an armed struggle.

The military regime is under pressure as resistance fighters, alongside ethnic armed groups, continue to battle junta troops.

In retaliation, the military has intensified attacks and air strikes, as it seeks to consolidate power ahead of a planned election.

On Wednesday, a junta-controlled newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, carried a statement inviting resistance fighters to return to the "legal fold" and offering cash rewards to those who brought back weapons.

For months, Indonesia has been quietly engaging key stakeholders in Myanmar's conflict, besides neighbours China, India and Thailand, in an effort to revive the peace process.

Since late 2021, ASEAN has banned the junta from attending its high-level meetings.
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Linkedin Reuters Islamabad  Wed, May 10, 2023 11:35 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c7eeee8 2 Asia and Pacific Crime-Law-Justice,Conflicts-War-Peace,Government-Politics,Civil-Unrest,military-conflicts,Pakistan,Imran-Khan Free

Supporters of Imran Khan were planning to march to Islamabad on Wednesday where the former Pakistan prime minister is in custody in a corruption case, raising fears of more clashes with security forces.



Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday by Pakistan's anti-corruption agency. Police said a court hearing would take place at the police guest house where he is being held.

The arrest came a day after the country's powerful military rebuked Khan for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

In response, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called for a "shut down" across the country, with Khan's supporters clashing with police in many cities and storming military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his party.

Supporters in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were asked to gather early on Wednesday in Swabi city to leave for Islamabad as part of a convoy, the party wrote on Twitter.

Party leaders asked workers to continue protests but not take the "law in their hands", according to messages shared on Twitter by on Wednesday.

A police spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that Khan will not be brought to court and his scheduled hearing will take place at the location where he is being held under custody.
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Linkedin Karen Lema (Reuters) Reuters  Wed, May 10, 2023 11:00 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c7e37f0 2 Asia and Pacific Association-of-Southeast-Asian-Nations,Diplomacy-Foreign-Policy,Government-Politics,ASEAN,Philippines,Ferdinand-Marcos-Jr,Taiwan,China,Indonesia Free

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said the prospect of tensions escalating over Taiwan was a "grave concern" to Southeast Asian leaders and discussions about it were inevitable at this week's summit in Indonesia.

"Considering that we agree on the concept of ASEAN centrality when it comes to regional concerns, that will be one of the most important subjects that we will bring up," Marcos told reporters late on Tuesday.

Marcos was in Indonesia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, where he will seek the completion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

"I will bring it up again," Marcos said. "The issues ... they will not calm down until we have a code of conduct."

The Philippines, which won an arbitration case in 2016 that clarified its sovereign rights and invalidated China's claim of historic jurisdiction over the entire South China Sea, has complained of late about Beijing's "dangerous manoeuvres" and "aggressive tactics".

China says it is operating lawfully in its territory.

Marcos was in the United States last week and met counterpart Joe Biden, after which he secured a clear-cut treaty commitment from Washington that it would defend the Philippines if attacked in the South China Sea.

ASEAN and China have been working towards a maritime code of conduct following a commitment they made in 2001, a set of rules that many analysts expect will, if they materialise, be non-binding and have no enforcement mechanism.

China's claims run more than 1,500 km (932 miles) off its coast and into the exclusive economic zones of five ASEAN countries - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia - where Beijing's coast guard and armada of fishing vessels have been accused of using intimidation tactics.

Marcos said he hoped the code of conduct would be in place "sooner rather than later because the tensions are increasing."
Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF (BATS:IGE  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 903 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 9,559.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,608 shares of the companys stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 2,581 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 1,801.7% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,328 shares of the companys stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 3,153 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in iShares North American Natural Resources ETF during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in iShares North American Natural Resources ETF during the 2nd quarter worth $219,000.

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iShares North American Natural Resources ETF Stock Performance

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.54. 307,116 shares of the companys stock were exchanged. The companys 50-day moving average is $39.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.62. iShares North American Natural Resources ETF has a 52-week low of $30.59 and a 52-week high of $38.02. The firm has a market cap of $790.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.25.

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF Profile

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF, formerly iShares S&P North American Natural Resources Sector Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of U.S.-traded natural resource-related stocks as represented by the S&P North American Natural Resources Sector Index (the Index).

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BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States needs to respect the aspiration of the people of Middle East countries and stop coercive diplomacy, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

According to media reports, a spokesperson of the U.S. State Department said a few days ago that "Syria does not merit readmission into the Arab League, and we continue to believe that we will not normalize our relations with the Assad regime and we don't support our allies and partners doing so either." In the meanwhile, the United States announced the decision to extend the regime of unilateral sanctions against Syria for one year more, starting from May 11.

"The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, and its affairs should be decided by the people of the Middle East independently," spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query.

Wang said that Syria's return to the Arab League meets the aspiration of the Arab people, and is conducive to the strength and unity of Arab states as well as peace and stability in the region.

The U.S. needs to respect the aspiration of the people of Middle East countries, stop coercive diplomacy, stop disrupting the dialogue and reconciliation process among Middle East countries, and stop manufacturing tension to divide the Middle East, Wang added. 
ABN AMRO Bank (OTCMKTS:ABMRF  Get Rating)s stock price was down 7.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $15.63 and last traded at $15.63. Approximately 5,639 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 326% from the average daily volume of 1,325 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.94.

ABN AMRO Bank Trading Down 7.7 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.56.

ABN AMRO Bank Company Profile

(Get Rating)

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. provides various banking products and services to retail, private, and business clients in the Netherlands and internationally. It operates through three segments: Personal & Business Banking, Wealth Management, and Corporate Banking. The company provides savings and deposits products; labelled residential mortgage products under the Florius brands; and consumer loans under the Alpha Credit Nederland, Credivance, Defam, Moneyou, and ABN AMRO brands.

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AGF Management Limited (OTCMKTS:AGFMF  Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 8,500 shares, a decline of 96.7% from the April 15th total of 261,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 42.5 days.

AGF Management Stock Performance

AGFMF remained flat at $5.61 during midday trading on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.65. AGF Management has a one year low of $4.23 and a one year high of $6.97.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AGFMF. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on AGF Management from C$9.50 to C$8.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on AGF Management from C$9.50 to C$9.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on AGF Management from C$9.50 to C$9.25 in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Desjardins upped their price objective on AGF Management from C$10.00 to C$10.50 in a report on Friday, March 17th. Finally, CIBC upped their price objective on AGF Management from C$9.00 to C$9.50 in a report on Monday, March 20th.

AGF Management Company Profile

AGF Management Ltd. is a diversified global asset management firm. It offers investment solutions to a wide range of clients, from individual investors and financial advisors to institutions, including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, and foundations. The firm provides investment management with operations and investments in North America, Europe, and Asia.

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Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMBC  Get Rating)s stock price dropped 10.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $13.42 and last traded at $13.42. Approximately 64,445 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 442,350 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.99.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMBC has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Capital reissued a neutral rating on shares of Ambac Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Ambac Financial Group in a report on Friday, March 17th. They set a hold rating for the company.

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Ambac Financial Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $648.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.91.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ambac Financial Group

Ambac Financial Group ( NYSE:AMBC Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.37) by $0.07. Ambac Financial Group had a return on equity of 52.87% and a net margin of 103.61%. The company had revenue of $58.00 million during the quarter. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ambac Financial Group, Inc. will post -1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AMBC. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Ambac Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.84% of the companys stock.

About Ambac Financial Group

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Ambac Financial Group, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial guarantee insurance policies through its subsidiary, Ambac Assurance Corp. Its services include credit, insurance, asset management and other financial services. The company was founded on April 29, 1991 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Malaga Financial (OTCMKTS:MLGF  Get Rating) is one of 316 publicly-traded companies in the State commercial banks industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Malaga Financial to similar companies based on the strength of its profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and dividends.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Malaga Financial and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Malaga Financial N/A $21.35 million 8.37 Malaga Financial Competitors $1.62 billion $330.78 million 9.03

Malaga Financials peers have higher revenue and earnings than Malaga Financial. Malaga Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Malaga Financial N/A N/A N/A Malaga Financial Competitors 24.80% 13.01% 1.20%

Risk and Volatility

This table compares Malaga Financial and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Malaga Financial has a beta of 0.52, meaning that its share price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Malaga Financials peers have a beta of 0.61, meaning that their average share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Malaga Financial and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Malaga Financial 0 0 0 0 N/A Malaga Financial Competitors 917 7680 6636 305 2.41

As a group, State commercial banks companies have a potential upside of 52.71%. Given Malaga Financials peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Malaga Financial has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Dividends

Malaga Financial pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Malaga Financial pays out 38.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, State commercial banks companies pay a dividend yield of 3.2% and pay out 26.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

1.2% of Malaga Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.7% of shares of all State commercial banks companies are owned by institutional investors. 11.1% of shares of all State commercial banks companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Malaga Financial peers beat Malaga Financial on 11 of the 12 factors compared.

About Malaga Financial

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Malaga Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Malaga Bank, which engages in the provision of financial services. It offers personal, checking, savings, business, money market, and business banking checking accounts, certificates of deposit, business loans, and business banking and lending services. The company was founded on March 14, 1985 and is headquartered in Palos Verdes Estates, CA.

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BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:LQD  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 350,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $36,901,000. iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF makes up approximately 5.5% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LQD. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $917,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 199,030 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $24,071,000 after buying an additional 53,585 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 19.3% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 35,975 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $4,351,000 after buying an additional 5,827 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC bought a new position in iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its position in iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 20.5% during the 1st quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 78,338 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $9,474,000 after buying an additional 13,338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.51% of the companys stock.

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iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF Stock Up 0.6 %

LQD stock traded up $0.67 on Wednesday, reaching $108.39. 9,158,648 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,880,037. iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF has a one year low of $98.41 and a one year high of $115.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.55.

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF Company Profile

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index (the Index), which is a rules-based index consisting of liquid, the United States dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds for sale in the United States.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Get Rating) (TSE:CM) was upgraded by analysts at CIBC from a hold rating to a buy rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $74.88.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of CM traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.23. The companys stock had a trading volume of 939,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,158,391. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a 52 week low of $39.40 and a 52 week high of $56.68. The stock has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.01. The companys fifty day moving average price is $42.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ( NYSE:CM Get Rating ) (TSE:CM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 24th. The bank reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.21. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 14.51%. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 5.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,644,399 shares of the banks stock worth $1,384,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,107,934 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 20.8% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 27,083,647 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,188,476,000 after purchasing an additional 4,670,453 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 594.2% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 14,574,235 shares of the banks stock worth $589,327,000 after purchasing an additional 12,474,796 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,412,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 566.7% during the 3rd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,325,315 shares of the banks stock valued at $234,321,000 after buying an additional 4,526,515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.40% of the companys stock.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Company Profile

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is a financial institution, which engages in the provision of banking and wealth management services. It operates through the following segments: Canadian Personal and Business Banking, Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, Capital Markets, and Corporate and Other.

Further Reading

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Cano Health, Inc. (NYSE:CANO  Get Rating) shares rose 21.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1.36 and last traded at $1.28. Approximately 2,230,802 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 7,159,655 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.05.

Cano Health Stock Up 30.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market cap of $723.61 million, a P/E ratio of -1.49 and a beta of -0.02. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $1.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.60.

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Cano Health (NYSE:CANO  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.28. The business had revenue of $680.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $655.27 million. Cano Health had a negative net margin of 7.57% and a positive return on equity of 0.72%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Cano Health, Inc. will post -0.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cano Health

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cano Health

In other news, CFO Brian D. Koppy sold 23,591 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.27, for a total transaction of $29,960.57. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 802,570 shares in the company, valued at $1,019,263.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Insiders own 54.40% of the companys stock.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CANO. Ovata Capital Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Cano Health by 1,037.0% in the 1st quarter. Ovata Capital Management Ltd now owns 397,965 shares of the companys stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 362,965 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its stake in Cano Health by 11,402.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 5,490,311 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,996,000 after buying an additional 5,442,581 shares during the last quarter. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Cano Health in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cano Health by 49.6% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,687 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Cano Health by 498.4% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,633 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 57,164 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.56% of the companys stock.

Cano Health Company Profile

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Cano Health, Inc provides primary care medical services to its members in the United States and Puerto Rico. It owns and operates medical centers enabled by CanoPanorama, a proprietary population health management technology-powered platform that provides the healthcare providers at its medical centers with a 360-degree view of their members with actionable insights to improve care decisions and member engagement.

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Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd. (CVE:CYF  Get Rating)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$0.01 and last traded at C$0.01, with a volume of 23000 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02.

Canyon Creek Food Trading Up 50.0 %

The firm has a market cap of C$527,250.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.10 and a beta of 2.14. The firms 50 day simple moving average is C$0.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.03.

Canyon Creek Food Company Profile

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Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd. operates as a food processing company in Canada. The company provides fresh soups and other prepared food products. It offers its products to grocery retailers and various food service establishments comprising restaurants and institutions. Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd.

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Castle Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in Lowes Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW  Get Rating) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,722 shares of the home improvement retailers stock after selling 194 shares during the quarter. Castle Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Lowes Companies were worth $542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Lowes Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. now owns 10,374,801 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $1,948,491,000 after purchasing an additional 167,495 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Lowes Companies by 13.0% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,916,354 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $1,486,770,000 after purchasing an additional 912,518 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowes Companies by 4.9% in the third quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 3,463,854 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $650,546,000 after purchasing an additional 160,651 shares during the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia grew its position in shares of Lowes Companies by 2.9% in the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 2,071,408 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $389,031,000 after purchasing an additional 58,983 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Lowes Companies by 7,952.8% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,586,400 shares of the home improvement retailers stock worth $320,754,000 after buying an additional 1,566,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.62% of the companys stock.

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Lowes Companies Trading Down 2.0 %

Lowes Companies stock traded down $4.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $203.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,479,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,914,480. Lowes Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.12 and a 12 month high of $223.31. The company has a market capitalization of $121.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $200.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $203.22.

Lowes Companies Announces Dividend

Lowes Companies ( NYSE:LOW Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $22.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.71 billion. Lowes Companies had a negative return on equity of 82.30% and a net margin of 6.63%. The firms revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowes Companies, Inc. will post 13.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. Lowes Companiess dividend payout ratio is currently 41.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital increased their price target on Lowes Companies from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Lowes Companies from $250.00 to $235.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Lowes Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Lowes Companies from $250.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowes Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowes Companies presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $223.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowes Companies news, EVP Donald Frieson sold 9,411 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.00, for a total transaction of $1,853,967.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,888 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,523,936. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock.

Lowes Companies Company Profile

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Lowes Cos., Inc engages in the retail sale of home improvement products. The firm offers products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating and property maintenance. It also provides home improvement products in the following categories: appliances, bathroom, building supply, electrical, flooring, hardware, paint, kitchen, plumbing, lighting & fans, outdoor living, windows and doors.

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Shares of Chimera Investment Co. (NYSE:CIM  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $4.91 and last traded at $4.94, with a volume of 1636539 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on CIM shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $7.00 target price on shares of Chimera Investment in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Chimera Investment in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $6.50 target price on shares of Chimera Investment in a report on Thursday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $7.50.

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Chimera Investment Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of -4.39 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chimera Investment

Chimera Investment ( NYSE:CIM Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.03). Chimera Investment had a negative net margin of 25.38% and a positive return on equity of 9.79%. The firm had revenue of $189.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $86.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Chimera Investment Co. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Chimera Investment by 28.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 54,112 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 12,039 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Chimera Investment during the 1st quarter worth about $132,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Chimera Investment by 15.4% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 106,266 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 14,201 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Chimera Investment by 28.3% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,551 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chimera Investment by 31.2% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,203 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.06% of the companys stock.

Chimera Investment Company Profile

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Chimera Investment Corp. is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the business of investing in a portfolio of mortgage assets, including residential mortgage loans, Agency RMBS, Non-Agency RMBS, Agency CMBS, and other real estate-related assets. The company was founded on June 1, 2007 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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TEHRAN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign minister on Wednesday voiced his country's readiness to support diplomatic efforts and forward-looking steps taken under the principle of good neighborliness between Syria and Turkiye.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a quadrilateral meeting with his Syrian, Turkish and Russian counterparts on the Syria issue in Moscow, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.

The meeting marks the highest-level talks so far on rebuilding ties between Damascus and Ankara, who cut ties in March 2012, a year after the outbreak of Syria's civil war.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomed Syria and Turkiye to resume their talks on the normalization, saying the development will be in the interests of the two countries and the entire region's security.

He added Tehran believes that any political solution to the Syrian crisis should be built upon full respect for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, such respect can also benefit the stability and security of countries that share common borders with Syria.

He noted that Syria's military deployment in border regions and joint efforts with its neighbors for the security of shared borders can prevent terror activities and separatists, easing their shared security concerns.

These would also prepare the ground for the re-establishment of the neighborly and strategic ties between Damascus and Ankara, Syrian refugees' return to their country, and the withdrawal of Turkish forces from joint border areas to an agreed timetable, he added.

Amir-Abdollahian added Iran "deeply" believes that Syria and Turkiye can adopt a forward-looking approach, resolving disputes through dialogue and enhancing cooperation based on the principle of good neighborliness.

The Turkish army has launched four large-scale operations in northern Syria since 2016. The most recent operation was launched in 2020.

Turkiye says Kurdish militants in northern Syria compromise its security by carrying out "terrorist" attacks. 
Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT  Get Rating)  Stock analysts at KeyCorp reduced their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Brinker International in a report issued on Wednesday, May 3rd. KeyCorp analyst E. Gonzalez now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $3.87 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $4.08. The consensus estimate for Brinker Internationals current full-year earnings is $2.77 per share.

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EAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Northcoast Research began coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Brinker International from $42.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $37.81.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $37.40 on Monday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $37.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 2.36. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $21.47 and a 52 week high of $42.12.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.06. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 44.32% and a net margin of 2.17%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 224.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 254,950 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $9,729,000 after acquiring an additional 176,405 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 74.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 58,426 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $2,230,000 after buying an additional 24,923 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth $237,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 53.4% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 24,327 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $928,000 after buying an additional 8,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 121,256 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $4,627,000 after buying an additional 3,610 shares in the last quarter.

About Brinker International

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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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Prudential PLC decreased its stake in iShares MSCI India ETF (BATS:INDA  Get Rating) by 27.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,672,293 shares of the companys stock after selling 641,923 shares during the period. iShares MSCI India ETF accounts for 0.9% of Prudential PLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Prudential PLCs holdings in iShares MSCI India ETF were worth $69,802,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of INDA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in iShares MSCI India ETF by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 372,165 shares of the companys stock worth $16,587,000 after purchasing an additional 11,099 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in iShares MSCI India ETF by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,901 shares of the companys stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in iShares MSCI India ETF by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,845 shares of the companys stock worth $1,020,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in iShares MSCI India ETF by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,725,497 shares of the companys stock worth $700,887,000 after buying an additional 579,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in iShares MSCI India ETF during the 1st quarter worth $214,000.

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iShares MSCI India ETF Stock Performance

iShares MSCI India ETF stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $41.47. 2,372,037 shares of the stock were exchanged. iShares MSCI India ETF has a 52-week low of $30.57 and a 52-week high of $38.21. The stock has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86 and a beta of 0.68. The firms 50 day moving average is $39.75 and its 200 day moving average is $41.17.

About iShares MSCI India ETF

The iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI India index, a market-cap-weighted index of the top 85% of firms in the Indian securities market. INDA was launched on Feb 2, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Mongolia Growth Group Ltd. (CVE:YAK  Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as C$1.10 and last traded at C$1.13, with a volume of 5700 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$1.12.

Mongolia Growth Group Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$1.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$1.50. The company has a market capitalization of C$30.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Mongolia Growth Group Company Profile

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Mongolia Growth Group Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides property management, leasing, renovation, and development services in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It operates through three segments: Investment Property Operations, Corporate, and Subscription Products. The company's investment portfolio consists of residential, office, retail, and land and redevelopment sites.

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Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NPV  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Wednesday, May 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.034 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $0.41 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th.

Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE NPV opened at $11.26 on Wednesday. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $11.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.56. Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund has a 52 week low of $10.81 and a 52 week high of $14.89.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund by 8.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 23,400 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 1,803 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 175,151 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 3,631 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $89,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 102,936 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 13,515 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.13% of the companys stock.

Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund Company Profile

Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of Virginia. The fund invests primarily in municipal securities rated Baa/BBB or better.

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Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO  Get Rating) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 640,766 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 10,069 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.17% of Valero Energy worth $81,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,470.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 257 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 250 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 123.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 335 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. 79.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $108.40 on Wednesday. The firms 50-day moving average price is $127.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $39.19 billion, a PE ratio of 3.08, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.66. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $96.93 and a 52-week high of $150.39.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

Valero Energy ( NYSE:VLO Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The oil and gas company reported $8.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $7.24 by $1.03. The firm had revenue of $36.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.88 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 7.86% and a return on equity of 55.32%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 23.66 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 23rd will be paid a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $139.00 in a research report on Sunday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $111.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $153.71.

Valero Energy Profile

(Get Rating)

Valero Energy Corp. engages in the manufacture and marketing of transportation fuels and other petrochemical products. It operates through the following business segments: Refining, Ethanol and Renewable Diesel. The Refining segment consists of refining operations, associated marketing activities, and logistics assets that support its refining operations.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL  Get Rating)  Investment analysts at William Blair issued their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report issued on Thursday, May 4th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia forecasts that the company will post earnings of $8.65 per share for the year. William Blair has a Outperform rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises current full-year earnings is $4.80 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises FY2026 earnings at $11.18 EPS.

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RCL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, April 28th. They set an overweight rating and a $94.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $88.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $82.77.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

RCL stock opened at $76.96 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.39 and a 200-day moving average of $61.81. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 12-month low of $31.09 and a 12-month high of $78.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.41. The company has a market cap of $19.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.91 and a beta of 2.43.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.71) by $0.48. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a negative return on equity of 25.86% and a negative net margin of 9.72%. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($4.57) EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 172.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hartford Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co. now owns 18,489 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,207,000 after buying an additional 2,612 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,986 shares of the companys stock valued at $17,565,000 after buying an additional 5,429 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 31.8% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,720 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 74.0% during the 1st quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 588 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. 74.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Royal Caribbean Group is a cruise company, which engages in the ownership and operation of the following global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. The firm also holds interest in TUI Cruises GmbH, which operates the German brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

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Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. (OTCMKTS:TYCMY  Get Rating) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a drop of 85.7% from the April 15th total of 700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Stock Performance

Shares of TYCMY stock traded up C$0.69 on Wednesday, hitting C$34.88. 1,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,741. Tingyi has a one year low of C$27.19 and a one year high of C$37.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$34.07.

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About Tingyi (Cayman Islands)

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Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp., an investment holding company, manufactures and sells instant noodles, beverages, and instant food products in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through Instant Noodles, Beverages, and Others segments. It offers ready-to-drink teas, juices, milk tea, bottled water, and carbonated soft drinks, as well as coffee drinks/functional drinks/probiotics.

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TUNIS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A guardsman affiliated with the National Guard killed four people on Tuesday night at La Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, south Tunisia, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The guardsman killed a colleague and seized his ammunition before heading toward the synagogue, the ministry said in a statement. He opened fire at security units stationed near the synagogue, leaving two visitors and another security officer killed, before being killed during an exchange of fire.

At least five security officers and other four civilians were injured and rushed to hospital for treatment.

"The synagogue and its possessions were cordoned off and all those inside and outside were secured," said the ministry, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the motive behind the "treacherous and cowardly" attack.

Local media reported earlier that an exchange of fire near the Ghriba synagogue was heard, coinciding with the conclusion of the annual celebrations of hundreds of Jews from local communities and other countries.

The Ghriba synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in Africa, has fallen victim to terror attacks. In 2002, a suicide bombing at the synagogue killed 21 people and a soldier shot dead five people, including four Jews in 1985. 
A barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are seen in the sky of southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets into Israel on Wednesday. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

GAZA/JERUSALEM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets into Israel on Wednesday.

Palestinian security sources and witnesses told Xinhua that more than 20 rockets were fired, while explosions were heard near the border wall separating Israel and Gaza.

The Gaza-based chamber comprising armed factions operating in the enclave, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), claimed responsibility for the rocket firing.

Israeli television showed footage of rockets being intercepted by the country's air defense systems, while emergency services said no casualties were reported so far during the afternoon attack.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement posted on Twitter that dozens of rockets were being fired by Palestinian militants into southern and central Israel, including the financial capital of Tel Aviv and its outskirts.

The rocket attacks came immediately after a fresh Israeli airstrike earlier in the day killed a Palestinian and critically wounded another outside the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medics and Israeli sources said.

Over the past two days, the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have claimed the lives of 17 Palestinians, including civilians, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry. The PIJ, who lost three senior officers in Tuesday's attacks, vowed a retaliatory response. 

A barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are seen in the sky of Gaza City, May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets into Israel on Wednesday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

An Iron Dome missile intercepts a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip over Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Smoke traces are seen after Iron Dome missiles intercepted rockets fired from the Gaza Strip over Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Smoke traces are seen after Iron Dome missiles intercepted rockets fired from the Gaza Strip over Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

A barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are seen in the sky over Gaza City, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

A barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are seen in the sky over Gaza City, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

A barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are seen in the sky over Gaza City, on May 10, 2023. The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed firing a barrage of rockets to southern and central Israel on Wednesday, in response to the surprising Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday predawn, which killed three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's armed wing in the Gaza Strip and their wives and children. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
The Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have berated the zoning of principal positions in the Senate and House of Representatives by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Reacting to the development of zoning arrangements by the APC, the Labour Party said the ruling partys decision was an exercise in futility as opposition parties who are in the majority, would decide who their principal officers will be.

Meanwhile, PDP, on its part, kept mum over its planned response to the APCs action.

In separate responses to a question on the subject, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, and his LP counterpart, Obiora Ifoh, made their reactions.

Ologunagba said, Im not a member of the other party, what they decide to do in this case is their business, we will do our own.

Although he was non-committal as to the details of what plans the party has to thwart APCs move to control both chambers, it was gathered that the party is trying to first put its house in order before making its stand on the issue public.

A party loyalist privy to the development said, Our party is just being tactical. The truth is we need to get our acts together to avert a repeat of what happened during the last elections in some states where some of our leaders especially governors worked against the interest of the party.

Some of the alliances formed by some of the G-5 governors with the ruling party are still active and may come into play. A lot of consultations are ongoing.

On his part, Spokesman of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh expressed confidence that members-elect especially those elected on the platform of opposition parties will use their numerical strength to assert themselves to give Nigerians a leadership that will be truly representative.

He said, The APC has made its pronouncement which is within its right when speaking to its members.

Our members and members of other opposition parties who together form the majority are not bound by the APCs decision as such, they will vote for men and women with capacity who are genuinely committed to the Nigeria project. For us in the Labour Party, our members elect have committed to putting Nigeria and Nigerians first in all that they do.
New York, May 10, 2023Togolese authorities should ensure that journalist Edouard Kamboissoa Samboe and all other members of the media can work without fear, and should drop any restrictions on Samboes work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

On the morning of April 30, Togolese soldiers arrested Samboe, the founder and owner of the privately owned Laabali news website, as he was reporting on the aftermath of a jihadist attack in Togos northern Waldjouaque village, according to the journalist and Robert Douti, Laabalis editorial director, who both spoke to CPJ by phone.

Samboe told CPJ that the soldiers took him to their nearby base, where they questioned him about why he was in the area, seized his two phones and computer, and deleted audio and video recordings he had taken that day. They then transferred him to the custody of the local gendarmerie office in the northern city of Dapaong. The gendarmerie held him until May 2 and released him only after he signed a document agreeing not to return to the area without first informing the authorities.

Journalists should be free to work without fear of arrest, harassment, or undue requirements that they inform authorities of their movements, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Togolese journalist Edouard Kamboissoa Samboe should be allowed to work without restriction, and authorities should refrain from harassing members of the press and seizing their devices.

Samboe said the soldiers were angry because he tweeted about his detention before being transferred to the gendarmerie. Get him out, well settle the accountsWere going to put him down, Samboe recalled the soldiers saying, adding that they said, We spared you and you are ungrateful.

Samboe said the gendarmerie released him without charge after he signed the agreement and gendarmerie officers returned his phones and computer the following day. He described his detention as an attempt to isolate and traumatize him.

While in custody of the gendarmerie, Samboe said he was questioned about his work, including if he had ever interviewed jihadists or worked for France-based media outlets like TV5 Monde or Le Monde. Authorities in Burkina Faso, which shares a border with northern Togo, have suspended French broadcasters France 24 and Radio France Internationale over their coverage of the conflict with jihadists in the country, and in April expelled French reporters Agnes Faivre and Sophie Douce.

Samboe said both the soldiers and gendarmerie made him give up the password to one of his phones, which was locked. The gendarmerie also made him give them the password to his Telegram account, he added.

It is possible that they read my messages, he told CPJ, adding that he believed authorities had accessed his Facebook account as well because he was logged in on his computer when they took it, but was logged out after it was returned.

Samboe said he was worried that his devices were no longer safe to use, citing concerns over the threat of Pegasus spyware, which has been deployed against Togolese civil society members and may have been used to target Togolese journalists. In July 2022, Togo communication minister Akodah Ayewouadan told CPJ that the government had no connection with the Pegasus vendor NSO Group and has not used that spyware, but did not respond to subsequent written questions.

Togolese Minister of Security and Civil Protection Yank Damehame and a gendarmerie officer at the Dapaong office, who identified himself only as Rachid, both agreed to respond to queries via messaging app. CPJ sent questions to both for comment but did not receive any responses by the time of publication.
A former Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, has reportedly been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegation bordering on N22 billion scandal.

The Nigerian Voice understands that Mamman was a minister under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021.

However, he was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday and he is being detained at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja.

It was learnt that his arrest is connected to investigations into alleged corruption in the execution of some power projects.

According to reports, Mamman is accused of conspiring with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert N22 billion and share among themselves.

The investigations also unraveled properties in Nigeria and overseas allegedly linked to the suspects, while millions of naira and dollars have reportedly been recovered.
Budding entrepreneurs from local public high schools received some inspiration Wednesday during the Innovation Cluster Peterboroughs Leapzone Networking Event held at the Venture North Building in downtown Peterborough.

Grades 10 to 12 students from the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board were given the chance to network with business organizations, professionals and fellow young entrepreneurs.

It was a fascinating opportunity for us at the Innovation Cluster to help young people see that if they do have ideas and dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, those dream can become a reality, said Nicole Stephenson, interim CEO of the Innovation Cluster Peterborough.

The event started with a tour of the Innovation Cluster facilities to show what the organization offers to young people and students.

We also had representatives from Trent University and Fleming College, who both spoke to students about opportunities to engage in, Stephenson said. To just really grow any ideas that they may have as young people.

Community partners were also brought in to show the students who was available to help them as advisers or assist with any available funding opportunities while theyre in high school.

We had a mixed group, where some students already had ideas in the works, and some were just curious, said Camila Duarte, program director and business adviser for the Innovation Cluster Peterborough. And what we do with this program is teach them how they can get that business or that idea going.

The program was set up a couple of months ago in partnership with the public school board and included a series of workshops discussing business fundamentals, including marketing, creativity and other topics that she said are crucial to entrepreneurship.

After we finished the first pilot program, we wanted to celebrate the program and the partnership between the district school board and the Innovation Cluster, Duarte said.

The program is designed to cover the basic knowledge required to help a young person or student get their business model off the ground, she said, and encourage them to continue using these resources.

After completing the program, theyre welcome to come to the Innovation Cluster and continue looking for the advising and support, Duarte said.

The Innovation Cluster Peterborough will launch an accelerator program for students in the summer, with an official launch date on May 16.

I was thrilled to be part of this and to do my part as a community member, to ensure that the next generation has the resources they need to make their dreams a reality, Stephenson said.

aschummer@peterboroughdaily.com

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Cobourg police are back at it calling on the community to help Cram-a-Cruiser in support of the food bank and area families.

The next Cram-A-Cruiser food drive returns in support of the Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank on May 13. As previously reported, in an effort to help area families struggling with food insecurity and the food bank to address increasing demand, the Cobourg Police Service has been holding the drives monthly.

The May event is set for Saturday, at the Giant Tiger and Dollarama in Cobourg (1111 Elgin St. W.)

At the April food drive, the community once again answered the call, donating 1,942 pounds of food and $2,287.

Residents can make non-perishable food donations between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. People who cant make it to the event can donate online via fareshare.ca, noted police.

The following is a list of suggested food donations:

Canned pasta, stew, chili, and soup

Flakes of ham, turkey, and chicken

Canned fruits and vegetables

Mac and cheese

Pasta and rice side dishes

Cereal and oatmeal

Peanut butter, jam and cheese spread

Cookies and crackers

Peanut-free granola bars

Pudding and fruit cups

Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate

Meal replacement and protein drinks

Juice and juice boxes

Oil and sugar

Shampoo and body wash

Deodorant and dental care products

Diapers and baby care products

Period and incontinence products

Monetary donations are also welcome, added police.

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Lori Beavis is a museum curator and art educator who helped bring 13 quilled baskets that were gifted to the Prince of Wales back home temporarily.







Thirteen quilled birchbark baskets, or wiigwaasi makakoons, sit in a circle on the land of the Miichi Saagiig Anishnaabeg for the first time in over 160 years.

Theyve been brought back home and put on exhibition at the Peterborough Museum and Archives. Hiawatha First Nation Chief Laurie Carr was there when they were uncrated, saying it was an incredible experience to have the Ancestors come home.

There is such an emotion, a feeling attached, its so hard to describe, said Chief Carr.

These baskets were gifted to the Prince of Wales, in 1860, during a cross-country tour of Canada. They were not stolen, but were gifts on a nation-to-nation basis.

For that moment, when the baskets handmade by the Michi Saagiig women at Rice Lake Village (now Hiawatha First Nation) were handed to Albert Edward, heir of Britains royal monarch, they stood as equals.

Those gifts symbolized the intent of the Treaties, and of the relationship between First Nations and the Crown.

They were about sharing, not taking, describes Chief Carr.

But the respect wasnt mutual, and First Nations had to live with the impacts of colonialism into the next century.

The Makakoons are now on display at the museum for an exhibit titled, To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860.

Lori Beavis is a curator, art educator, executive director for Centre dart daphne in Quebec and a Citizen of Hiawatha. According to Beavis, during the Royal Tour of 1860, the prince visited Indigenous First Nations  both formally and informally. It was a formal meeting when the prince met with Chief George Paudash at Rice Lake.

It was then the Makakoons were gifted to the Prince of Wales. A speech was given by Chief Paudash, but no record of what was said has been found to date.

REDISCOVERING THE MAKAKOONS

My grandmother always had a great love for quillwork and the braid of sweetgrass that often surrounds outside edge of the little baskets, said Beavis.

Beavis recounts she often heard stories of the princes visit as she grew up. When she was doing her doctorate research in 2016, she read about the princes tour of Canada and the gift of the 13 Makaks.

And so I thought that Id really like to see them, said Beavis. And so after I defended my doctorate in February 2016, I did get there.

The items, which are now more than 160 years old, have sat in Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in the U.K., conserved by the Royal Collections Trust.

There, she was able to see the baskets outside of their cases.

He (the curator) lifted them out for me and I was able to start to look at them and turn them around, turn them over and open their lids, said Beavis.

Thats when she discovered the names of each of the baskets makers attached to them. After more than a century, the names of the women had survived.

The fact this work was all kept together, and all identified and known as coming from Rice Lake Village. And then also the fact it has a womens makers name attached to it as well, is just so  I cant think of anything other than to say its explosive, its so important, said Beavis.

All but three baskets still had the makers names attached, so their descendants could be found.

Each basket is a different size, shape and style, imbued with the taste of its creator. Some are more traditional baskets, while others resemble something like a shoebox or a ladys handbag, describes Beavis. One was designed to store maple sugar.

They are all decorated with unique dyed porcupine quill designs. Most are in amazing shape, but some have deteriorated to different degrees over the century-and-a-half.

After seeing the Makaks and leaving the British museum, Beavis asked herself, How can other people see these?

THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

These were nation-to-nation gifts, so they were not stolen. There is no malicious or nefarious history to them, so they are coming for a visit and they will go back again, said Beavis.

At the time the Makaks were gifted, many Indigenous communities were living in difficult situations  during an era of colonialism. Many objects and materials were taken away by the Canadian government and the church. Because of that, there is an extensive history of Indigenous artifacts being stolen and not returned.

But these were handed to the Crown by Chief Paudash and the Women of Hiawatha, and even if the prince didnt see it from the same lens, that meant something.

He (the chief) was making a presentation as a person on an equal basis, as one person from a position of power as well, said Beavis. By that time, the People of Hiawatha had been on that reserved land on Rice Lake since 1818. But nevertheless they were still making announcements, addresses and demands upon the government, both Canadian and British, to recognize the Rights of First Nations Peoples and the Treaties that had been made.

Those gifts were handed over on a Nation-to-Nation basis, even if one of those Nations didnt necessarily fully understand the other.

Chief Carr is a direct descendant of Chief Paudash, and while his speech has never been found, Carr says she believes he would have talked about the relationship that we were supposed to have with the Crown, and how that was failing at that point.

He would have likely spoken about the relationship intended by the Treaties and how they were not being honoured. He also would have spoken about what was happening to the People of Hiawatha at the time.

To this day, Indigenous Peoples continue to give gifts to represent their relationships, and these gifts have immense meaning.

When First Nations come together and have meetings, youre always gifting the other Nation with something, something representative of your Community, your Nation and of the relationship between the two.

But with the Makaks, I dont believe those gifts were seen as that (a building of relationships and mutual respect) on the Crowns behalf, she added.

The Makaks were put on display by the royal family at Queen Victorias summer home on the Isle of Wight. One explanation for the three missing name tags is the queens children played with them and lost them.

Whats also significant about the Makaks is how they represent Women in Indigenous history. In documentation about the princes tour, women were rarely present, but on Rice Lake, the Michi Saagiig Women were there, standing at his side, offering him gifts.

There is a watercolour painting of the women presenting a basket, which is significant because it shows the women werent just dancing partners or making food, but were presenting their gifts to the prince themselves.

That is such a wonderful, powerful message, said Beavis.

BRINGING THEM HOME

During Beavis visit to the artifacts in the U.K., she took photos to bring back to Canada. Later that summer, she spent a week in Hiawatha talking about the Makaks and their history.

Knowledge came together during that week, and citizens of the community talked about how they would have been made. They discussed how the baskets were likely made during the summertime, and how they were all made from one womans cache of quills.

Around that time Beavis began researching each of the makers, finding out when they were born and how old they would have been.

She also met Dr. Laura Peers, a historian, former professor and curator at the University of Oxford, and currently a museum and heritage consultant. Peers had experience bringing artifacts from the U.K. to Canada, and in 2018 joined the project as co-curator. The two began to plan for the Makaks to come home for a visit.

In April of 2023, after years of planning with the Royal Collections Trust, the Makakoons were packed up and finally sent to Canada.

When they finally arrived, there was a small ceremony as they were being uncrated.

The first part of that initial ceremony was having them spoken to in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Michi Saagiig, added Carr.

These Makaks arent just objects of historical importance, says the First Nation Chief. We are calling them our Ancestors, she says, describing how they have spirits living within them.

For those who see the Makaks, Beavis says she wants people to recognize the beauty of the work and the importance of the Indigenous Women makers.

And she also wants people to see the ingenuity of the makers, and wants Indigenous people to feel welcome in the exhibit space, to see the exhibition as an example of the resiliency of Indigenous Peoples and Culture.

In the last 10 to 15 years there has been a renaissance of quillwork, beadwork at Hiawatha but also everywhere across the country, added Beavis. Its fascinating and wonderful to see people going back to that.

For Chief Carr, having the Ancestors come home is an opportunity to reflect and learn, and shell be returning to them soon to learn more.

I have so many questions for them, so many questions I want to ask, said Carr. So, I do need to just sit there with the Ancestors and listen.

This article has been written with the collaboration of Chief Laurie Carr and Hiawatha First Nation as part of our ongoing series of stories related to Indigenous issues and history.

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by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Turks living abroad have turned out in record numbers to vote in the upcoming general elections.

The Supreme Election Board said in a statement that over 1.75 million Turkish have cast their ballots overseas or at border cross-points as of Monday evening, while the highest turnout recorded previously was 1.35 million.

Diaspora voting runs from April 27 to May 9 in 73 countries where Turkish diplomatic missions serve.

On Sunday, voters in Turkiye will elect the President and 600 parliament members for a five-year term.

The votes of some 3.4 million eligible overseas Turks will be weighed in a tight race predicted by surveys.

According to two recent polls by Metropoll and Optimar, incumbent conservative president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aged 69, and his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, the leader of the opposition, almost run neck-to-neck.

"I have traveled an hour to come to vote, this is my civic duty," Zekeriya Esmer, 42, a blue-collar worker from Northern Germany, told Xinhua over the phone.

Living in Germany for many years, Esmer said he voted for Erdogan who seeks a third term in office.

He cited a "more visible Turkish presence on the world stage" under Erdogan's leadership as the reason for his electoral choice.

A majority of the Turkish diaspora lives in Western Europe, especially Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium, where Turkish workers settled in great numbers in the 1960s.

In previous elections, Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), boasted strong support among Turkish voters in Europe.

In a message to external voters on April 29, Erdogan said he expected them to "hurry to the polls and make history on May 14."

The preferences of the Turkish diaspora could be decisive for the top two candidates if they want to get more than 50 percent support in the first round of voting, and avoid a run-off at the end of the month, Ankara-based pollster MAK Center For Social Research, said on Monday.

Before 2014, Turks abroad who wanted to participate in elections had to return to Turkiye to vote.

Over the years, Erdogan has implemented legal measures to ensure that expatriate Turks be able to vote abroad and their participation in the electoral process gradually increased as more polling stations have been set up across Europe.

In the 2018 presidential elections, the Turkish leader received nearly 60 percent of overseas votes after campaigning in critical countries such as Germany which hosts nearly 1.5 million Turkish voters.

According to experts, the Turkish diaspora in Europe tends to support and vote for conservative political figures.

"The first Turks that emigrated to Germany, the Netherlands, or Austria in the postwar period primarily came from the rural Anatolian region, which is conservative," political analyst Serkan Demirtas told Xinhua.

"Voting for your country of origin in the nation where you have established a livelihood can also help reduce alienation as an emigrant," he added. 
The canola industry is expressing concern that China will retaliate to Canadas expulsion of its diplomat by blocking agricultural shipments.

China blocked canola shipments from two major Canadian companies in 2019 not long after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian authorities, and the ban lasted for three years.

The ban lasted for three years before being lifted in 2022.

On Monday, the Canadian government expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, alleging he was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.

Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada, said maintaining predictable market access is key for Canadian farmers and that although supportive steps have been taken by the federal government, nothing can replace access to an important market like China.

Chinas block on canola shipments took a toll on the industry as the value of Canadian canola exports dropped from $2.8 billion in 2018 to $1.8 billion in 2021, the last full year under the ban.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.

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WASHINGTON - Heavy spring flooding has made Line 5 an imminent threat to Lake Superior and a key Indigenous watershed, lawyers argued Tuesday in an emergency motion to shut down the controversial cross-border pipeline.

Lawyers for the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa filed their emergency motion Tuesday and asked District Court Judge William Conley to make a decision on it before the end of the week.

The motion comes after a joint status report by both the band and the pipelines owner, Enbridge Inc., acknowledged extensive erosion last month that has brought the edges of the Bad River ever closer to the pipeline.

That erosion has only continued with alarming rapidity in recent days, the motion says, with the river less than five metres away in several spots  and just 3.5 metres away in one specific area.

Erosion continues to progress  and important factors suggest that further bank loss could be significant, resulting in the exposure and rupture of the pipeline, it reads.

These circumstances present an imminent threat to the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior, and hence to the rights of the band and the public, and they warrant immediate action by this court.

In a statement, Enbridge said it was extremely disappointed to see the motion, which it was not expecting, and played down the potential threat of a breach.

Enbridge and band officials toured the area on Monday and saw no evidence of an emergency, the company said.

The pipe is not exposed, it is completely covered by multiple feet of soil; there is no pipeline safety issue and certainly no cause for alarm, said spokesperson Juli Kellner.

To be clear, the bands leadership seems determined to shut down this piece of critical, North American energy infrastructure regardless of who will be impacted by their actions.

Enbridge has repeatedly offered plans to shore up the riverbank and install an additional valve, but the band insists theres nothing that can be done. Nothing could be further from the truth, Kellner said.

A disruption in any one part of Line 5 has an impact on the entire pipeline, effectively terminating Line 5s operations in whole. This presents severe consequences for people and industries in the United States and Canada.

The two sides have been in court since 2019 as the band tries to compel Enbridge to not only reroute Line 5 around its traditional territory, but to shut it down in the meantime.

Enbridge has already agreed to the relocation project, and that work is well underway. The dispute now revolves around whether the company should be required to shut down and purge the section of line on Bad River land in the meantime.

Late last year, Conley  having already rejected calls to shut down the pipeline immediately  ordered both parties to submit contingency plans in the event the risk of a rupture grew too great.

Neither plan was triggered by the flooding, which began April 11 after an abrupt spring melt and persisted for days, worsened by heavy rains, until the floodwaters finally receded fully on April 23, the report says.

Conley has already indicated that hes reluctant to shut the pipeline down wholesale, citing the potential economic impact in both Canada and the U.S.

The motion suggests Bad Rivers lawyers believe the current circumstances might change his mind.

The band is sensitive to the courts economic concerns about enjoining the pipeline, it reads.

The far graver threat at present is of a rupture that not only would shut down Line 5 but would devastate the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior in the process.

Environmental concerns about Line 5 have long been top of mind in Wisconsin, where the pipeline runs directly through the Bad River Reservation, more than 500 square kilometres of pristine wetlands, streams and wilderness.

Enbridge has plans for a 66-kilometre detour of Line 5 around the reservation, which are already more than two years along.

Late last month, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a UN advisory body, recommended that Canada rescind its support for the pipeline, citing the potential risk of a disaster in the Great Lakes.

The forum called Line 5 a real and credible threat to the treaty-protected fishing rights of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada.

Line 5 is also under legal siege in neighbouring Michigan, where the state wants the line shut down for fear of a disaster in the Straits of Mackinac, the ecologically delicate area where it crosses beneath the Great Lakes.

Business groups and chambers of commerce on both sides of the border, provincial governments and Ottawa have all rallied behind Enbridge in its effort to portray Line 5s survival as a mission-critical matter of continental energy security.

Allies have argued in court filings as well as public forums that Line 5 is a vital source of energy for several Midwestern states and an essential link for Canadian refineries that fuel some of Canadas busiest airports.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.

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(Bloomberg)  Perrigo Co.s over-the-counter Opill gained a key recommendation from US regulatory advisers, paving the way for the birth-control pill to get clearance to be sold without a prescription.

Members of two Food and Drug Administration advisory committees voted 17-0 in support of using the progestin-only pill without a prescription, citing studies that support consumers ability to use the pill properly and touting its public health benefit. The agency isnt required to follow its advisers recommendations, but often does.

Reproductive rights advocates have long argued that the prescription-only system creates unnecessary barriers to access and that oral contraception should be available without a prescription, as it is in more than 100 other countries. If the FDA chooses to approve Opill for over-the-counter use, it will become the first daily, non-prescription oral contraceptive in the US, removing a substantial barrier to access many Americans have faced.

The members voted to support non-prescription use even after the FDA staff said the company didnt address Opills effectiveness among women who are overweight or obese, health conditions that have become increasingly common in the US since Opills initial approval via prescription in 1973.

Recent approval of hormonal contraceptives have shown that efficacy may be decreased as much as 40% in females with increasing BMI, said Anandi Kotak, medical officer in the division of urology, obstetrics and gynecology at the FDA.

The pill is a $100 million opportunity for Perrigo and the shares look increasingly compelling, wrote JPMorgan analysts led by Chris Schott in a note to clients. They rose as much as 5.9% as of 2:05 p.m. in New York. The decision is a new, groundbreaking chapter in reproductive health, Perrigo chief executive officer Murray Kessler said in a statement.

Weight Concerns

About 60% of reproductive-aged Americans are overweight or obese, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Alison Edelman, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Oregon Health & Science University, was part of a team that studied how the pill performed at baseline and what happens if a dose is missed or taken late.

In those studies, Opill performed consistently in individuals of varying weight/BMI including those with an overweight or obese BMI, according to Edelman, who called the results reassuring.

Progestin-only pills like Opill are safe in most people, which makes them a great option for over-the-counter use, Edelman said. People who have or had breast cancer or are pregnant shouldnt take them, she said.

Access to reproductive health care has come under increasing threat. Last month a Texas federal judges decision threatened to restrict nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone, a decision almost immediately followed by a conflicting ruling from a federal judge in Washington state who instructed the government to preserve access to the pill. The Supreme Court eventually stepped in and ultimately decided to leave the medication on the market while the legal battle played out.

HRA Pharma, Perrigos unit that makes the drug, sought FDA approval for an over-the-counter version last summer after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, curbing access to abortion in some parts of the country. That meeting was postponed until May because the agency wanted more information from the company.

The company expects that the FDAs final decision will come by the end of summer in the US. Advocates, including Free the Pill project director Victoria Nichols, called on the FDA to follow the committees recommendation.

It is past time for an over-the-counter birth control pill, which has the potential to advance reproductive justice and expand health equity, Nichols said in a statement. The days of the current prescription requirement are numbered.

With assistance from Fiona Rutherford.

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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NEW YORK  The pioneering mommy blogger Heather Armstrong, who laid bare her struggles as a mother and her battles with depression and alcoholism on her site Dooce.com and on social media, has died at 47.

Armstrong died by suicide, her boyfriend Pete Ashdown told The Associated Press, saying he found her Tuesday night at their Salt Lake City home.

Ashdown said Armstrong had been sober for over 18 months but had recently had a relapse. He did not provide further details.

Armstrong, who had two children with her former husband and business partner, Jon Armstrong, began Dooce in 2001 and built it into a lucrative career. She was one of the first and most popular mommy bloggers, writing frankly about her children, relationships and other challenges.

She parlayed her successes with the blog, on Instagram and elsewhere into book deals, putting out a memoir in 2009, It Sucked and then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown and a Much Needed Margarita.

Armstrong appeared on Oprah and was on the Forbes list of most influential women in media.

In 2012, the Armstrongs announced they were separating. They divorced later that year. She began dating Ashdown, a former U.S. Senate candidate, nearly six years ago. They lived together with Armstrongs children, 19-year-old Leta and 13-year-old Marlo. He has three children from a previous marriage who spent time in their home as well.

Armstrong didnt hold back on Instagram and Dooce, the latter a name that arose from her inability to quickly spell dude during online chats. Her raw, unapologetic posts on everything from pregnancy and breastfeeding to homework and carpooling were often infused with curses. As her popularity grew, so too did the barbs of critics, who accused her of bad parenting and worse.

One of her posts on Dooce spoke of a previous victory over drinking.

On Oct. 8, 2021 I celebrated six months of sobriety by myself on the floor next to my bed feeling as if I were a wounded animal who wanted to be left alone to die, Armstrong wrote. There was no one in my life who could possibly comprehend how symbolic a victory it was for me, albeit ... one fraught with tears and sobbing so violent that at one point I thought my body would split in two. The grief submerged me in tidal waves of pain. For a few hours I found it hard to breathe.

She went on: Sobriety was not some mystery I had to solve. It was simply looking at all my wounds and learning how to live with them.

In her memoir, she described how her blog began as a way to share her thoughts on pop culture with faraway friends. Within a year, her audience grew from a few friends to thousands of strangers around the world, she wrote.

More and more, Armstrong said, she found herself writing about her personal life and, eventually, an office job, and how much I wanted to strangle my boss, often using words and phrases that would embarrass a sailor.

Her employer found the site and fired her, she wrote. She took it down but started back up again six months later, writing about her new husband, Armstrong, and how unemployment had forced them to move from Los Angeles to her mothers basement in Utah.

She was soon pregnant. The pregnancy offered an endless trove of content, she wrote, but I truly believed that I would give it all up once I had the baby.

She didnt, but chronicled her highs and lows as a new mother.

I dont think I would have survived it had I not offered up my story and reached out to bridge the loneliness, she wrote.

Armstrong was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but left the religion years ago. She suffered chronic depression for much of her life, according to her book. In 2017, after the unravelling of her marriage, the internet star dubbed the queen of the mommy bloggers by The New York Times Magazine took a tumble in popularity.

Her depression grew worse, leading her to enrol in a clinical trial at the University of Utahs Neuropsychiatric Institute, according to an interview she gave Vox. She was put in a chemically induced coma for 15 minutes at a time for 10 sessions.

I was feeling like life was not meant to be lived, Armstrong told Vox. When you are that desperate, you will try anything. I thought my kids deserved to have a happy, healthy mother, and I needed to know that I had tried all options to be that for them.

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The book is slugged 4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023.

To be released July 9, it will be 544 pages. Those are the only facts in this column. So maybe stop reading and go listen to Last Kiss. But if you get that reference, youve probably already bought 4C, which is burning up the preorder charts.

Confused? Me too.

Despite not having a listed title, author or synopsis, Taylor Swift fans believe they have cracked this springtime publishing mystery. They claim the upcoming book, making cameos on Top 10 lists everywhere, was secretly written by their goddess, who is dropping cryptic clues and tantalizing Easter eggs.

So her fans are now clicking buy like rats in a Skinner box.

Amazon has already sprinkled its No. 1 Best Seller pixie dust.

It started this month when Ms. Swift tweeted: It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9, iykyk (evil laugh emoji) 

My daughters inform me iykyk means if you know, you know. I did not know. But if the release date is July 7, wondered the Sherlock Swifties, whats this about July 9? Thats the publication date of 4C. Coincidence? The conspiracy theory then got doused with accelerant by Ms. Swift: Thanks to you, dear reader, it finally will be.

Dear reader? For a music album?

Variety reported this week on an unconfirmed pitch leaked to social media, in which a sales rep allegedly told sellers a confidentiality contract must be signed before receiving advance copies of the book. The rep, citing global appeal, also compared the mysterious book to recent memoirs by Matthew Perry and Prince Harry.

I look forward to Harrys followup: What The Hell Was I Thinking?

Anyway, this unknown book will have a first run of one million copies. Thats huge. And it rules out any possibility the big reveal will be, I Pity the Fool! by Mr. T.

The Swifties turned to numerology. Flatiron, an imprint of Macmillan, said details  including author and title  will be released June 13. Hang on. Isnt 13 T-Swizzles lucky number? If you add up 544 pages, oh sweet Moses, 5 plus 4 plus 4 equals 13. July 9 is a Sunday, an odd day for a global book release. But in You Are in Love, Swift sang: Morning, his place / Burnt toast, Sunday / You keep his shirt / He keeps his word.

Books are made up of words!

Preorder, preorder, preorder!

My favourite stories are nonstories. As a proud merchant of fluff, the fluffiness of this weird tale warms my heart. Swifties, who presumably do not blow a lot of disposable income on Tolstoy, Dickens or Joyce, are happily buying books. Well, one book.

That Variety reports was absolutely not written by Taylor Swift.

Whatever. Stop being a wet blanket, Variety. If the Swifties can catapult an unknown tome into bestseller territory during an economic downturn, there is a glimmer of hope for all of us in this godforsaken business of letters.

We just need to weaponize Taylor Swift.

As I wrote many moons ago, this is her world and we just live in it. If she ever decided to sell branded turnips, there would be no regular turnips left for anyone over the age of 25. Ms. Swift could bring back the Pet Rock and hula hoops by Sunday. If she started wearing mismatched socks, millions would copy.

Her fans are turning an unknown book into a premature bestseller simply because they suspect she wrote it. This is gold for all ink-stained wretches.

Swifties, lean in close. Im not authorized to tell you this. I could get fired. But I love and fear you. I heard a rumour, from sources in the upper echelons of Torstar, that Taylor will soon be writing a column for us.

It will begin on July 13 and run on the 13th day of every month for 1,313 consecutive months. It will be about cats. Sometimes, it will be about chicken tenders. Or leggings. Taylor might guest one day for Ellie or Lisi Tesher. Do you suspect your boyfriend dresses up as Batman before sleeping with your seamstress? Now is the time to send in your letter. He should not be doing this.

In an upcoming episode of Kevin Donovans riveting The Billionaire Murders podcast, I also heard Swift will solve the case. Seriously. She knows what happened and will spill. She will also be columnizing on the Jays, jetting to war zones and will mastermind a new Tay-Tay Crossword. All the clues will zig or zag diagonally, instead of going up, down, sideways. Spelling is optional.

I feel sorry for the author of 4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023. I also feel sorry for the booksellers who will be clocking overtime with refunds next month.

But the publishing world just got a crash course in the power of Swifties.

As Variety reported: Yet all these things are apparent coincidences, as (Swift) is not gearing up to release a memoir almost simultaneously with her next album and smack in the middle of a national stadium tour 

Dont be disappointed, Swifties. No, she did not write the upcoming book.

But there is no proof she is not coming to the Toronto Star.

Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe!

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Reuniting a quartet of screen legends  Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen  and plopping them into lush Italian settings for a bachelorette adventure is a cant fail scenario in Book Club: The Next Chapter, a sequel to the 2018 hit opening Friday.

Critics have complained about a thin script and contrived plot twist. Thats all true and none of it matters. Theres plenty of pleasure in watching these four hugely talented and appealing actors who genuinely seem to like each other cavort through this confection. The meta trick is that they are all, essentially, playing themselves and we the fans are in on that central joke.

Fashion plays a key role in this film for that very reason: the clothes reflect what we already know about the actors playing the characters. In particular, quirky fashion star Diane Keaton wears all the hats, vests, wide-legged trousers and full midi skirts you could hope for.

The chance to work with movie legends of such magnitude was the main attraction for me to work on this movie, costume designer Stefano De Nardis told me in an email interview.

These are women in their 70s and 80s, and its significant that their clothes defy old lady vibes. This is the transgressive nature of the Book Club project: these older women look hot and are actively sexual beings, no small feat in our youth-obsessed culture.

To wit: Steenburgens Carol wears a low-cut red gown that causes a chef to overpour the Prosecco when he spies her. Fondas Vivian, whose engagement is the reason for the bachelorette jaunt, does a full-on bridal salon dress montage. Fonda is 85 years old, and seeing her pull off a Bride to Be sash and veil over her leopard print blouse at the Trevi Fountain is worth the price of admission.

De Nardis enjoyed this part of his costuming job. To me, age appropriate means being able to have a personal style and let it out through clothing, he said. I believe more in personality appropriate, than age appropriate.

He also believes in a strong sense of dignity and in beauty. So anything goes, even if its daring, as long as it respects the (not always simple to handle, after a certain age) features of the wearer. This is a delicate way of referring to the fact you wont see crop tops in this film.

The Next Chapter opens with a pandemic Zoom sequence, which is painful to watch, mainly because going back to a quarantine headspace feels like chewing on under-leavened sourdough. The clothes they wear here are as depressing and dumpy as the ones we ourselves wore during lockdown.

But just as the foursome enlisted 50 Shades of Grey to blast their senior sexuality into overdrive in the original movie, this time Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist sends the women in search of treasure and a shift in perspective. The Next Chapter transforms into a girls trip movie, with heady nods to Eat, Pray, Love and Under the Tuscan Sun.

The explosion into the technicolour Oz of Rome, Venice and Tuscany allows the costumes to soar. These are well-off women, but thankfully we get exuberant and colourful looks as opposed to the current vogue for quiet luxury (see: Succession).

Most of the wardrobe was made from scratch and fitted on the actors, which De Nardis said is very unusual for a contemporary project. He started out with inspiration boards of fashion and architecture images, plus mood boards building on the backstory of each character. He then created a colour palette for each woman: Vivian (Fonda) was all gold and honey-toned suede. Diane (Keaton, yes, they used her real name) was all black and white, built on concrete and steel. Sharon (Bergen) was very WASP, so it was all American flags and primary colours. And Carol (Steenburgen) was sort of hippy chic: old paisleys, soft colours and flowing silks.

The script afforded De Nardis a sartorial leap to what he calls Made in Italy fashion, when the women are parted with their suitcases and have to shop locally. The fashion could be pushed slightly further and their looks became a little more daring, he said.

The men in this sequel are very much relegated to the background, by design. Still, they make a mark. There is suave-looking Don Johnson, who plays Vivians fiance. De Nardis subtly nods to the actors storied pastel-clad past by putting him in a powder blue wedding suit. There is still-got-that-gleam Andy Garcia, who plays the pilot partner of Diane, working the stubble look very well. Craig T. Nelson is the faithful husband of Steenburgens Carol, who cleans up nicely in Italy away from California casual.

But it is the nod and wink repairing of Bergen with Giancarlo Giannini (he plays the poliziotto who keeps thwarting but ultimately saving the gang of four) that really hits. Bergen and Giannini starred in the steamy 1978 classic A Night Full of Rain by Lina Wertmuller. In Book Club, the pair trade barbs with sure-footed comic timing  Bergen stands out in this film for her comedic prowess  and their story arc is a gem hidden inside this film.

The four women go through personal growth spurts together, aided by a little tough talk from their best friends. That sounds cynical, but its not; when things get sentimental, the movie rises above its madcap road trip premise. With actors that punch well above their weight, these characters transcend the ageist, diminished types that women are so often cast in  and dressed for.

Leanne Delap is a Toronto-based freelance contributor for the Star and The Kit, where she writes about style and culture. Reach her via email: leannedelap@hotmail.com

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Q My husband and I met at university, became close friends, graduated and then found each other in a museum in New York City looking at the same exhibit with friends. We started dating that day and the rest is history.

We now have two kids, both in high school. My husband is a professional, works hard, wins awards in his field and is financially successful. I put my career on hold to raise my children, but now work part-time in an admin position that I really enjoy.

Recently, my daughter has been giving me a lot of attitude, saying she doesnt need to go to university, that shell just marry someone rich like I did, and shell never have to work. My husband keeps telling her thats not our narrative, but she doesnt listen.

She has two more years of high school, so its not really important that shes saying these things right now. I know perfectly well how kids change throughout their high school years. But its rude, sassy and for some reason touches a nerve with me.

How do I deal with her?

Sassy teen

A Your daughter knows that what shes saying is bothering you, and so she thinks she has found your Achilles heel. Teenage girls and their mothers have gone head-to-head since time immemorial.

It will pass.

In the meantime, try to discover what is behind these statements. Is she having trouble in school academically? That could lead her to think shes incapable of succeeding in university, and heres her out.

Is she having friendship issues? Is there a discrepancy in lifestyle between her and her friends? That could be driving the financial aspect of her comments (though you said your husband is a good earner).

Is she having relationship issues, such that she feels she needs to be dependent on someone else for her future? Im just throwing out ideas for you to pursue.

You said your husband works hard, but perhaps he can find some time to spend with your daughter. He may be able to get to the root of the problem without getting emotional or being the brunt of her lashing out.

No matter what, she needs to know she cant be rude to you or your husband.

Q My dad has given up on technology. He recently retired from his office job and took a leave of absence, as he calls it, from his computer. Six months later, hes decided he never wants to send another email again. He rarely carries his phone with him; if he has it, its on silent so he doesnt hear it; and he cant be bothered to text.

My mother still works and needs to communicate with him throughout the day. He told her hed call her at lunch time and again before she leaves the office, in case she needs something. Shes so frustrated with him that when she gets home, all they do is argue.

My brother lives out of the country, so it doesnt affect him, though he also gets frustrated when he wants to talk to Dad and cant. I work from home and live close by so I just pop over if I need my dad. But the whole thing isnt sustainable.

How can I convince my dad to get back into modern times?

Technophobe

A I can empathize with your dad. Sometimes the multitude of communication that we all navigate on a daily basis can feel overwhelming. However, it is the normal way of life.

Take him out for lunch and explain to him how important it is for him to have a cellphone, to keep it on, and to answer when it rings. If he chooses never to email again, thats OK.

Feedback Regarding the brothers-in-law (March 21):

Reader I do enjoy your column, however, felt your response to the brother-in-law showed bias, valuing settled family life over being a successful entrepreneur or musician.

Another possible reason, since they denied being upset or mad at the parents, is they do not enjoy being around the family as a whole; in which case your suggestion for a guys' weekend is excellent and may allow the opportunity for the brothers-in-law to reconnect and share more insights.

The writer suggested the brothers-in-law changed since the pandemic. Everyone changed during the pandemic, including the writer, his wife and family. The writer was quick to express his perceived shortcomings of his brothers-in-law, without considering how enjoyable getting together with his family really is. Im certain a boys weekend could help the situation (although not necessarily for the sister/mother/wife).

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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HALIFAX - A study published Wednesday details the economic and environmental effects caused by tonnes of lost and discarded fishing gear in some of Canadas most lucrative fishing grounds.

A team of Dalhousie University scientists worked with fishing captains, conservation groups, volunteers and the federal Fisheries Department, which funded the study, to retrieve 25,000 kilograms of so-called ghost gear from three fishing zones off southwestern Nova Scotia.

Boats towing grapples covered a 4,000-square-kilometre area of sea floor off the Atlantic coast around to the Bay of Fundy  a region noted for its rich cache of lobster and other marine species. The project ran from 2019 to 2021, recovering traps, ropes, hooks, cables and other fishing-related equipment.

Tony Walker, an associate professor in Dalhousies school for resource and environmental studies, said the study shows that the problems caused by ghost gear such as lobster traps are pervasive.

People should understand its not just lost to the bottom and then we can forget about it and no harm done, said Walker. These traps continue to catch fish.

The study, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, points out that according to the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada, gear loss in trap fisheries is estimated at between 0.5 and two per cent of total allowable traps.

It says that within the selected retrieval areas, nine fish species listed as at risk are potential bycatch: American plaice, Atlantic cod, Atlantic wolffish, cusk, lumpfish, Northern wolffish, spiny dogfish, spotted wolffish and white hake. The gear could also harm other species at risk, such as migratory species and marine mammals, the study says.

Walker said researchers documented 25 different species caught in the lost traps, including 652 individual lobster, of which 82 per cent were market size. Fifty-seven fish were also found with 42 of those belonging to species at risk.

So its not just a problem for the lobster, its a problem for the industry and its also a problem for marine conservation, Walker said.

The research project found another 5,000 kilograms of assorted fishing gear during shoreline searches. Overall, lobster traps made up 68 per cent of the gear recovered and dragger cable accounted for 12 per cent. The cost of the lost gear to the local fishing industry is estimated at $240,000 per year.

A total of 997 grappling tows were completed over the course of the study with about two-thirds coming up empty.

In the case of lobster traps that were retrieved, the study found those with tags ranged in age from one to 37 years old. About 30 per cent were one-year-old, and approximately one-third of the recovered traps were still usable.

Meanwhile, the study noted that some of the buoys retrieved in the Pubnico, N.S., and Yarmouth, N.S., areas originated from the United States highlighting the multijurisdictional nature of marine debris, and ghost gear more specifically.

Walker said the grappling technique improved during the course of the study to a point where if there is suitable funding it could make a difference in gear retrieval efforts.

Our success rate improved over time so we know those lessons learned can be transferred to other community groups in other areas of Nova Scotia and across Canada, he said.

Walker said a policy change is also needed to allow fishers who find gear to bring it ashore for reuse or disposal, without fear of losing their licences for suspected poaching of others gear.

There are some policy barriers that can be loosened, he said. We could also have continued funding  so community groups and fishers have all the tools available to remove this stuff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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Toronto lawyer Scott Rosen was no stranger to heated litigation, representing business clients and acting as counsel in shareholder, real estate and commercial lease disputes for more than 25 years.

And while the 52-year-old did not shy away from forceful advocacy, even his most contentious matters stayed courteous and civil.

So when an assailant poured phosphoric acid on his head as he descended the stairs to an underground parking lot near his midtown Toronto office on March 28, 2018, Rosen figured it was a random attack by someone who was mentally ill. This, despite the fact the culprit resembled Anh Chiem, whom he was suing on behalf of her former son-in-law.

I suppose there is a small chance its her, we are in litigation and court proceedings. Thats the only person I can think of, Rosen told the police officers investigating the acid attack.

Twenty-one months later, at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2020, Chiem, fuelled with rage, ran over the civil litigator walking to his vehicle in a parking garage at his 234 Eglinton Ave. East law office. He suffered catastrophic injuries and died almost instantly. Prosecutors called it a calculated and extremely violent act that was captured by surveillance video.

It showed a U-Haul pickup driving directly at Rosen, dragging him along the cement wall, before bending like a piece of paper to the ground, the jury was told. After squealing the tires in reverse, the truck accelerated again before passing over his body.

On Tuesday afternoon, after about eight hours of deliberations, the jury convicted Chiem of first-degree murder. Truly the most overwhelming case I have ever seen, Justice Peter Bawden said while commending defence lawyer Naomi Lutes for her work on Chiems behalf.

After the verdict, court officers guided the quietly sobbing defendant out of the courtroom. Rosens wife, Elise Middlestadt, grimaced looking at the woman who suggested during the trial that she had suffered more than Rosen. All I can say is there was nothing more important to Scott than justice and today the right person was held to account, said Middlestadt, who attended court every day. She and other family members will return to court on May 24 when Chiem will receive an automatic life sentence.

Jurors were not told about the earlier acid-throwing incident, which remained unsolved and the suspect unidentified.

But those closest to Rosen have little doubt it was Chiem who showered him with the burning substance demonstrating what the Crown described as her long-standing and undaunted resolve to cause him harm.

Chiem continues to maintain she had no reason to hurt Rosen.

During the trial, prosecutors Bev Richards and Corie Langdon presented evidence that litigation, her bankruptcy and unfounded complaints to the legal regulator about Rosen clearly established motive.

Rosen acted as counsel in three types of court proceedings involving Chiem. There was a protracted real estate dispute involving a parcel of property owned by her mother, Chau Chiem, over a development agreement with her son-in-law Peter Voongs home-building company, Castleform Development Inc. Voong sued the Chiems in 2016 and they countersued.

Rosen was also representing Voongs interests in a child and spousal support court fight with Chiems daughter, Sandra Vo, although the jury did not hear about that feud.

But what sent Chiem over the edge, the prosecutors alleged, was Rosen taking steps to prevent her bankruptcy discharge. Chiem was on the hook for costs related to the Voong lawsuit and also owed $350,000, most of that to Ontario casinos that sued her (a detail not shared with jurors.) She declared bankruptcy in 2018 hoping to wipe out her debts and end the civil litigation.

Rosen, acting in his role as counsel to a numbered company, had purchased two-thirds of her debt and was intending to seize assets including a house occupied by Chiems elderly mother.

Lutes tried, however, to convince jurors to reject the Crowns theory that those legal imbroglios amounted to motive.

Theres no doubt she felt aggrieved and unfairly treated, Lutes said during her closing arguments last week. She may have been angry but she complained to the Law Society, which is what people are supposed to do when theyre angry with lawyers.

As well, by December 2020, Chiem still had protection from creditors, and there was no imminent transfer of assets, said Lutes.

She also argued the Crown had failed to prove the critical issue at trial: who was driving the white U-Haul pickup truck that ran over Rosen  the same vehicle Chiem had rented for three days prior to the killing. Lutes called to the stand a woman present in the parking garage who testified the driver was a man, a witness the Crown said was unreliable.

On the prosecution witness list was a police officer who gave Chiem a ticket while she sat parked near Rosens office  the pickup trucks licence plate had been covered with duct tape; she denied placing it there.

The Crown also relied on the testimony of a man who was driving on Bathurst Street around 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 18  about 15 minutes after Rosen died. He saw a woman behind the wheel of a heavily damaged U-Haul truck. He exchanged words with the driver and later recognized her as Chiem when her photo appeared on a TV newscast.

Chiem was on the stand for several days where she acknowledged renting the truck on Dec. 15, 16 and 17 and parked close to Rosens law office. The jury also heard she was loitering near his office earlier that month.

She has not provided any explanation why she was there those days, Richards said Friday during her closing address.

During lengthy cross-examination, Chiem remained calm and didnt raise her voice while being grilled by veteran prosecutor Richards.

Chiems language skills became an issue at trial.

Using a Vietnamese interpreter, Chiem suggested her English was such that she had no understanding of her legal predicament nor the effect of Rosens opposition to her bankruptcy discharge.

If the jury believed her, it would substantially weaken Crowns case as it relates to motive, Bawden said in a midtrial ruling when the jury was absent.

He allowed the prosecution to recall several witnesses to tell of interactions with Chiem that demonstrated her proficiency in English. They included a bankruptcy trustee who testified he witnessed an angry confrontation between Chiem and Rosen on Sept. 23, 2019, outside bankruptcy court.

She knew full well what was going on and what her jeopardy was and she knew it was entirely as a result of Scott Rosen, Richards said during her closing address.

The jury heard few personal details about Chiem, who turns 65 in November.

Born in Vietnam, Chiem came to Canada with her parents and a son in 1980. The family settled in Halifax, where she worked as a seamstress and had two more children. When she moved to Toronto with three kids in 1989, their father stayed behind in Halifax. By then, Chiem was a Canadian citizen, according to defence documents filed with her bail application. (A judge turned down her release in the summer of 2021.)

While raising her sons and daughter in Toronto, Chiem worked on and off as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant. Missing was the detail that in 1999 and 2001, she was convicted of operating body rub parlours without a licence, contrary to city bylaws. Chiem was fined $2,000 and given two years probation.

Chiems later years were filled with trouble.

She suffered from depression and lived with her boyfriend, with whom she had a volatile relationship, along with her daughter and mother, and sometimes lived on the street, according to her bail application. Her nomadic lifestyle put a strain on her relationship with her children, yet they remained supportive and respectful, Lutes wrote.

At the time of her arrest, Chiem was receiving income through the Ontario Disability Support Program.

Two days before Christmas, with the city under lockdown, Emergency Task Force officers executed a search warrant at her sons house where they found Chiem under a blanket on the floor beneath a bed.

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Mayor Eric Adams spoke at length Wednesday about the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless subway performer who was killed a week ago, but the mayor continued to avoid discussing whether criminal charges should be brought in the case.

After days of remaining relatively silent about Neelys death, Adams refrained from saying anything about Daniel Penny, the former Marine who put Neely in the deadly chokehold, and said that the city has no control over that process.

Today, Im here to talk about Jordans life before he got on that train, Adams said during a 14 minute address Wednesday at City Hall. The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated, and while we have no control over that process, one thing we can control is how our city responds to this tragedy.

Adams then offered his condolences to Neelys family, though he only made glancing reference to what caused him to die.

Jordan Neelys life mattered. He was suffering from severe mental illness, but that was not the cause of his death. His death is a tragedy that never should have happened. My heart goes out to Jordans family whos suffering great pain and uncertainty about the circumstances of his death, Adams said. No family should have to suffer a loss like this, and too many Black and brown families bear the brunt of a system long overdue for reform.

Instead of focusing on Pennys fate, the mayor spent much of his time talking about how to reform that system and policy prescriptions  upstream solutions, as he typically refers to them  that would have to be enacted mostly by state government and be aimed at preventing people like Neely from evading New Yorks extensive social safety net.

He also appeared to both critique and defend the citys efforts to help Neely prior to his fatal run-in with Penny.

One thing we can say for sure: Jordan Neely did not deserve to die, and all of us must work together to do more for our brothers and sisters struggling with serious mental health illness he said. I want to state upfront that there were many people who tried to help Jordan get the support he needed, but the tragic reality of severe mental illness is that some who suffer from it are at times unaware of their own need for care.

Neely, a 30-year-old known for his impersonations of Michael Jackson, died on May 1 after Penny put him in a chokehold for several minutes on the F train.

Witnesses described Neely, who has a history of being arrested for violent acts, as accosting passengers that day and saying he was ready to die. The medical examiners office has ruled Neelys death a homicide.

Pennys attorneys have said he acted in self-defense.

Adams did not take questions after making his address, which wasnt delivered to reporters in person, but broadcast from the citys website. His remarks Wednesday come five days after his last formal Q-and-A with City Hall reporters.

Neelys family, protestors and many local leaders have demanded Penny be charged and point to the lack of criminal charges as proof that a double standard is alive and well in the criminal justice system.

Adams has refrained from joining that chorus, and last Thursday said that he has faith in the criminal justice system and would let the process take its place.

Unlike the mayor, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Brad Lander focused their attention Wednesday on calling for criminal charges to be brought against Penny.

Speaking earlier in the day outside the Broadway-Lafayette subway station where Neely died, Williams contrasted the NYPDs decision to set Penny free without charging him to the decision to bring charges against dozens of demonstrators whove taken to the streets since last weeks tragedy.

The protesters that were recently arrested, they didnt say, Lets wait and see, they didnt say Lets have an investigation to make sure its right, folks  they were immediately charged with something, Williams said. The same should happen when someone is killed.

Williams also urged the city to probe what went into the NYPDs decision to let Penny go without charges shortly after his arrest.

What happened in that precinct? Who made the decision that not even a desk appearance ticket would be laid in the hands of someone who choked someone to death, not even assault, nothing, he said.

Without mentioning him by name, Lander questioned why the mayor still hasnt condemned vigilantism.

We have to ask the question, Is it OK or is it not OK to choke someone to death? Lander said.

Neely was arrested 42 times over the last decade. After his most recent arrest in November 2021 for slugging a 67-year-old woman in the face, he pleaded to felony assault and received 15 months in an alternative-to-incarceration program.

But he skipped a court compliance date and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Feb. 23.

Adams said he will launch a major push for state lawmakers to enact the Supportive Interventions Act, a bill his administration has modeled on policies he announced last November  policies that allow the city to follow a broader interpretation of state law in order to involuntarily place mentally ill homeless people into hospitals.

We need the tools to get people into treatment at critical moments when they are simply unable to self-direct, he said. The Supportive Interventions Act would make it clear in the law itself what New York courts have already said in interpreting it: when mental illness prevents a person from meeting their basic needs to such an extent that they are a danger to themselves, the state has the authority to intervene.

The bill would also make it crystal clear to our hospitals that a person should not be released from psychiatric care simply because they have calmed down and appear stable in the moment, he continued. People in crisis often need extended hospital care to fully recover.

He also urged New Yorkers to volunteer with organizations that provide homeless outreach and said next week he would convene a summit of city contractors that provide such services to discuss improving outcomes for people with serious mental illness.

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DAMASCUS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday the resumption of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia following a reciprocal move from the kingdom.

The decision to reopen the diplomatic mission emanates from the deep ties between both countries, their people's aspirations, and the importance of enhancing bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve the joint Arab work, the Syrian ministry said in a statement before Tuesday midnight.

The Syrian move came after Saudi Arabia announced the reopening of its diplomatic mission in Syria earlier on Tuesday, indicating that both countries have normalized relations.

On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers decided during a meeting in Cairo to readmit Syria to the Arab League after 12 years of suspension.

On April 12, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that Syria and Saudi Arabia had agreed to resume consular services and air flights between the two countries after the minister visited Riyadh for the first time since 2011, a prelude to restoring full diplomatic representation on Tuesday. 
OTTAWA The Trudeau government is bracing for more reprisals after Beijing kicked out a Canadian diplomat following the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat accused of targeting the family of a Canadian MP.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced Tuesday morning Jennifer Lalonde, Canadas consul-general in Shanghai, had been ordered to leave the country by Saturday in what he called a reciprocal countermeasure in response to Canadas expulsion of Zhao Wei, a Chinese diplomat based in Chinas consulate office in Toronto.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Tuesday the government considered not only tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, but also the potential for economic retaliation by China that could invoke safety concerns on Canadian exports.

He said the expulsion of the diplomat was a significant and serious step, and we took a little less than a week to reflect on it, to look at the possible implications, to make sure that what we were doing both demonstrates Canadas firmness, which it does, but also keeps Canadians and our interests protected.

Regardless of whatever next choices they make, he said, we will not be intimidated  and more, we will ensure that China continues to see, along with other countries that are engaging in foreign interference, that we take this extraordinarily seriously.

Expulsion raises the stakes for Canada

The Opposition Conservatives continued to slam the Trudeau government for failing to take the issue seriously until the Globe and Mail reported last week that CSIS assessed in July 2021 that Zhao had gathered information on Conservative MP Michael Chong in order to potentially target his Hong Kong-based family.

That was after Chong sponsored a February 2021 motion that passed the House of Commons condemning China for genocide of the Muslim Uyghur population in northwest Xinjiang province.

The expulsion of the Chinese diplomat  the first such move since the 1970s, according to two government officials  raised the stakes more broadly for Canadians whose jobs rely on all kinds of trade with China.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolys office consulted with other ministers and the Prime Ministers Office in making the decision announced Monday, but not without outside business stakeholders, sources said.

A senior Canadian official, speaking on a background-only basis, said Tuesdays decision by Chinas ruling Communist Party to respond by expelling Lalonde  Canadas most senior trade diplomat in the commercial hub  was not exactly reciprocal, given Lalonde holds a more senior post than Zhao.

China, which did not withdraw Zhao last week as it became clear Joly was weighing his expulsion, was defiant Tuesday.

China denial

The Chinese government denied any of its diplomats had engaged in interference in Canadas affairs, and accused Canadian media and senior politicians of smearing its diplomatic and consular missions in Canada. None of the accusations are based on facts. They are trumped up with hidden agenda, said Wang.

A second Canadian official said the Trudeau government knows China could contrive some other excuse for retaliation  some sort of strain of a crop disease that gets discovered in six months that screws us over  but that at this point, it is not clear what more Beijing might do.

During the long-running three-year dispute over Canadas arrest of a Chinese high-profile Huawei executive, China not only arrested two Canadians and levied tougher penalties against other Canadian-Chinese citizens already imprisoned, it also blocked imports of Canadian agricultural exports of pork, beef, canola and soybeans.

Theyre a big economic powerhouse. And they could inflict pain when they want to, said the second official.

According to an English transcript posted by Chinas foreign ministry, Wang said Lalonde was declared persona non grata based on Canadas false accusation of Chinese interference in Canadas internal affairs.

He warned the Trudeau government to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada.

Illegal police stations

In the House of Commons, all other parliamentary business took a back seat after the Speaker ruled Monday that Chongs parliamentary privileges were breached by CSIS failure to inform him of Zhaos actions two years earlier.

During question period, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman accused the prime minister of being disingenuous in claiming to take the issue seriously.

We need a foreign agent registry, like the ones that exist in Australia and the U.S. We need a national public inquiry into foreign interference. We need to shut down the illegal police stations operating in Canada that harass innocent civilians that the Minister of Public Safety told Canadians were already shut. They are not, she said.

Trudeau said the RCMP are acting against these suspected stations, and insisted as he has for weeks that his government is tackling foreign interference, and will abide by recommendations forthcoming from outside adviser David Johnston  to ensure that we have all the tools that we need and to create more, including a public inquiry if necessary.

Tonda MacCharles is Ottawa Bureau Chief and a senior reporter covering federal politics. Follow her on Twitter: @tondamacc

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OTTAWA - The Liberal government is keen to tackle the problem of disinformation, but that will not include regulating the use of sources, Labour Minister Seamus ORegan said Wednesday.

He said the government will not move on a policy resolution approved at the federal Liberal party convention May 6. The resolution could venture into regulating journalistic practices, which ORegan said is a non-starter.

We would never allow that to become law, ORegan said.

Not on my watch.

The resolution speaks to the rise of disinformation, particularly online, and the problems that has created for trust in government and media.

It specifically calls for fighting the rise of disinformation through efforts that include holding online information services accountable for what they publish and barring the use of sources that cannot be traced.

ORegan said while the policy doesnt directly address media sources, there could be ramifications for them and therefore for freedom of the press.

Regulations requiring all sources of published material to be traced could be read as a restriction on the use of anonymous sources, for example.

It would be a ramification if it was ever law, ORegan said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likewise has dismissed any notion that the resolution will be taken up by his government.

The policy will be part of official Liberal party policy for the next eight years, but the government is not bound to implement it, and the party does not have to campaign on it.

Catherine Evans, a Liberal party member from Vancouver, sponsored the resolution.

She said at the convention disinformation is a problem that is essential to our democracy and it must be addressed.

She told reporters at the event that she didnt intend to target journalists with the resolution, but rather the plethora of online sites that make wild claims without any notion of the origins of the information.

The resolution was one of 24 approved at the convention. Some of them were fast-tracked right to the final vote before the convention even began, but this one had to go through some debate and an initial vote in a policy workshop with a smaller group of Liberals.

The final vote May 6 could have involved all 4,000 Liberals registered for the convention, but fewer than 200 participated. It passed with a show of hands.

All 24 resolutions that passed were later ranked for importance by the partys members when they voted electronically for the partys new president. The combating disinformation policy was ranked 10th.

ORegans concerns are shared by many in cabinet, including Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. He said in French Wednesday that policy conventions are meant to have vigorous debate, and sometimes the membership gets things right. But in this case, he thinks the membership got it wrong.

Toronto Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz tweeted that she ranked it second among the resolutions, behind only a guaranteed basic income.

In an interview Wednesday, Dzerowicz said she does not support anything that would interfere with freedom of the press or journalistic integrity, including regulating the sources used in online news.

But Dzerowicz said disinformation and misinformation are two of her biggest concerns, and something shes hearing a lot about from her constituents as well.

Its something I worry about a lot, she said.

Policy resolutions at a convention are not to be taken as if they would be absorbed and adopted by the government, she said. But this one raises concerns about a problem and opens the door to a conversation on how to solve it.

ORegan said he has to reflect on the fact this policy was adopted and is immediately being disavowed. He said he doesnt know if the people who voted for it fully understood the ramifications of what it could do.

The Liberals have previously been accused of attempting to censor online sites through Bill C-11, which became law last month.

The new law seeks to enforce the Canadian content provisions placed on traditional radio or television broadcasters, on online sites like YouTube or Spotify when they broadcast commercial content.

Conservatives have called it a piece of censorship legislation that will allow the government to dictate what online sites can and cannot publish.

But the Liberals say that isnt remotely what the new law does. Rather, the government says it ensures that Canadian artists are given their due on online broadcasts within Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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15th charge laid in serial killings case

BANGKOK: Police laid another charge against alleged serial killer Sararat Aem Rangsiwuthaporn yesterday (May 9), saying they had evidence showing she poisoned a 15th victim with cyanide in 2015.

crimemurderpolice

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 10 May 2023, 09:37AM

Police take Sararat Rangsiwutaporn, who is accused of killing a woman with cyanide in Ratchaburi province, to the Criminal Court late last month. Photo: Supplied / Bangok Post

According to deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, who is leading the investigation, police in Thong Lor - the area where the death of the 15th alleged victim, Monthathip Sai Khao-in, occurred - invited the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital doctor, who performed the autopsy, for questioning yesterday.

The doctor was said to have done everything required in the autopsy process but had not deemed it necessary to store Monthathips blood and tissue samples, police said.

According to the investigation team, Ms Sararat and Monthathip co-owned a shop in Wat Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom in 2015. That same year, Monthathip was invited to join a private savings scheme, with Ms Sararat in debt to her for more than B100,000, reports the Bangkok Post.

Monthathip was found dead in her apartment in Thong Lor on July 7 of that year; the autopsy showed that heart failure was the cause of death. Many belongings, including the house key that Ms Sararat held, were reported to have been lost after her death.

Meanwhile, the Lawyers Council of Thailand will provide volunteer lawyers to assist the relatives of victims in taking legal action, said its chairman, Wichian Chubtaisong.

At a press conference attended by the victims coordinator, Rapee Chamnanrua, Mr Wichian said that the families of five of 14 alleged victims came to the council on Tuesday to discuss its offer of legal assistance.

The council has offered to help the group take court action, Mr Wichian said, citing their experience in a similar case with the death of Passaporn Boonkasemsanthi, who was poisoned by her husband in 2001.

The council is now in the process of drafting an action plan, said Mr Wichian, adding that Ms Sararats mental illness and pregnancy would not spare her from a court date.

The council will also launch a case against Ms Sararats lawyers over inappropriate media comments, he said.
Dumped by girlfriend, Chumphon man wounds ex, shoots self dead

PHUKET: A Chumphon man shot his girlfriend, wounding her, following their breakup at a house in Wichit last night (May 9), before killing himself with a gunshot to the head.

violencecrimesuicidepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 10 May 2023, 11:53AM

Pol Lt Col Rassada Kleungwong from Wichit Police was called to the home, on the Muangthong-Khaokhad Rd in Moo 6, Wichit, at 10pm.

Police and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived to find a crowd of local residents in front of the home.

Inside the house was its resident, named by police only as Ms Nathinee, 57, sitting at the dining table with blood on her face from a bullet graze. Rescue workers administered first aid before taking her to Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

On the floor in the home was the body of Prajak Piromsak, 56, from Chumphon, with a gunshot wound to his right temple.

Police estimated that he had died at least 20 minutes before they arrived. His body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for post-mortem examination.

On the sofa in the living area police found a .357-calibre revolver that had been fired three times. Bullet holes were found in the sofa and the window. On the table, the police found two cans of beer and one bottle of wine cooler.

Before being taken to hospital, Ms Nathinee explained to police that she and Prajak were friends at school. After school, they later each married other people and had their own families. They started dating each other after both of them had separated from their partners.

Prajak arrived at Ms Nathinees home yesterday after travelling from Chumphon. He arrived with some alcoholic drinks and expected to have dinner together, she said.

While they were having dinner, Mrs Nathinee told him that she wanted him to be just a friend and asked him to tell her in advance before he visited her, which triggered his anger.

He told her that if they could not be together, they must die together. He then fetched the gun from his car, Ms Nathinee continued.

While arguing in the house, Prajak pressed Ms Nathinee against a glass window with his left hand and tried to shoot her in the leg with his right hand, but he missed and the bullet went to the sofa instead, she said.

Prajak then shot at her again. This time the bullet grazed her face. He then raised the gun to his right temple and pulled the trigger.

Ms Nathinee then called out to her daughter, who was staying in her bedroom on the second floor of the house, for help, leading to the police being called, she said.

If you or anyone you know is in need of emotional support and counselling, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-113-6789 (English & Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).
Rainwater runoff blamed for mass fish death at Nai Harn lake

PHUKET: An influx of freshwater from heavy downpours in recent days has been blamed for causing thousands of fish to die at Nai Harn Lake.

weathermarineanimals

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 10 May 2023, 04:36PM

Thousands of dead fish were left floating in the lake on Monday (May 8). Photo: Supplied

Thousands of dead fish were left floating in the lake on Monday (May 8). Photo: Supplied

Thousands of dead fish were left floating in the lake on Monday (May 8). Photo: Supplied

The mass fish death was first reported to The Phuket News by local residents on Monday (May 8). There are dead fish floating everywhere in Naiharn lake today. Never seen anything like it, one resident said.

There are thousands of fish found dead and floating on the surface of Nai Harn Lake today, another wrote.

Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos explained to The Phuket News today (May 10) that officers at the Rawai Municipality public health division were informed of the mass fish death on Monday, and began investigating the cause.

We contacted the public health office to check the water condition to see whether the water is polluted or not and find out what killed the fish, he said.

Officers tested the water and found no evidence of pollution. However, they did find that the PH level of the water had changed dramatically, Mr Aroon explained.

Heavy rains in the area in recent days had resulted in a large influx of freshwater into the lake, which is usually brackish through the small channel across Nai Harn Beach that connects the lake to the sea.

The fish that had died were saltwater fish, he added.

The influx of water had altered the salinity of the water. The volume of runoff from the after heavy rain caused an imbalance of the water PH level [in the water], Mr Aroon said.

He added that the surface water had been affected much more than water at deeper levels in the lake, which had maintained some of its salinity.

Officers were dispatched to remove the dead fish to prevent the water being further fouled, he said.

The event was natural, but not normal, Mr Aroon admitted.

This has never happened before when it comes to the beginning of the rainy season. This year, the tide was very low and it was very dry before the rain came, he said.

There was no rain for a while, and the water at deep levels had been hot and salty, but rain from recent days made the water much less salty, causing an imbalance in the water PH, resulting in the death of the fish, he explained.

Mayor Aroon said he has ordered municipality workers to excavate the channel connecting the lake to the sea in the hope of restoring the lake water to its normal salinity by allowing more saltwater to enter the lake at high tide.

I inspected the lake yesterday and today, and the water in the lake is getting better already, he added.

There are no more dead fish floating in the water, and the fish I could see were swimming about normally, he said.
It has been a year of agony for Kate Osburn.

On May 14, 2022, her eight-year-old son Charlies body was found at 4790 Townline Rd., the home of his father, Curtis Hesselink.

That day in Cambridge is something the Guelph mother can never erase from her memory.

Police searched for 41-year-old Hesselink on Townline Road and River Road for days, including scouring a property in the area. His body was found May 20 by Halton Region police in the bush near a rural property in Milton.

But it is the memory of her young son that Osburn holds dear. To honour him, she released a statement to the Times.

May 13 is the one-year anniversary of my son Charlies death, and we are grieving the loss of a little boy who was vibrant and kind, the statement reads.

He was hilarious, thoughtful, tenacious, curious, sweet and bold. He was loved by everyone who met him. He was beautiful and his heart shone so brightly.

There are two parts to this grief we hold for Charlie. There is the fact that he is gone, and we miss him terribly. And there is the fact that he died by violence. It is difficult to hold these two parts. We must reckon with the violence because Charlie deserves the truth to be known. We must reckon with the loss because Charlie deserves to be remembered.

In the face of such a horrific loss, it can be hard to know what to do and what to say. What we can do is come together to remember a beautiful little boy who was everybodys best friend. So, I am extending an invitation to the community and to anyone who felt connected to Charlie or who feels impacted by his loss to join me on the night of May 13 in lighting a candle in Charlies memory, taking a picture, and posting it to #CharlieInOurHearts. In this way, Charlies spirit will not have to face the darkness of this terrible night alone and his life will be remembered.

To those who attended the funeral of Curtis Hesselink, and to those who trivialize his actions, I kindly ask that you be considerate of the extreme distress it would cause me to see you participate and request that you refrain from joining this vigil.

Speaking with the Times, Osburn said she and Hesselink were separated at the time of Charlies death. Referring to the violence in her statement, she noted Family and Childrens Service had previously been involved with Hesselink.

Police have not released a cause of death, stating last year an autopsy was conducted and cause could not be determined. Toxicology tests were ordered, but results have not been released.

We continue to wait for the coroners report to determine cause of death. However, as a result of the investigation, we have determined the manner of death to be a homicide, said Cherri Greeno, Waterloo Regional Polices director of corporate affairs.

We are not looking for any suspects.

Osburn noted the police investigation resulted in an indication of premeditation.

I live in horror and agony every day, and I miss Charlie with an ache that never stops, Osburn told the Times.



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CAMBRIDGE  Cambridge city council approved a new procedural bylaw Tuesday for council meetings, with one member warning politicians should not abuse their ability to waive a rule that gives the public notice of new motions.

Under the new and previous bylaw, when a councillor gives notice of motion  a motion brought on a particular issue by an individual councillor  the matter generally wont be discussed until the next council meeting.

That gives the public the opportunity to learn of the upcoming matter.

This is of particular importance in Cambridge where three justices said the previous council had violated its procedural bylaw, in their ruling related to councils approval of the Amazon warehouse in Blair.

Council had voted the item down, then reconsidered it at a later meeting without public notice  so that no member of the community was aware of the move and therefore could not comment  and approved it.

The issue around notices of motion was revived May 4 when Coun. Sheri Roberts introduced a notice of motion to reconsider the Oct. 5, 2021, vote on the Galt Heritage Conservation District. Roberts hoped to change the approved boundaries.

Coun. Ross Earnshaw said at the May meeting that the citys bylaw requires any motion to reconsider to go to the city clerk at the meeting immediately before the meeting at which the motion would be heard.

What we are about to do is to repeat the exact mistake that was criticized by the court on that occasion, and that is to move forward for reconsideration without having applied our procedural rules, Earnshaw said.

City clerk Danielle Manton agmreed, and said the motion should go on the May 9 meeting agenda, with a vote on May 30. Roberts instead withdrew the item.

Motions for reconsideration must also be seconded by a council member who voted with the majority in the original vote; Roberts seconder Coun. Nicholas Ermeta did not.

Notices of motion are not limited to reconsideration and can be on any matter a councillor wants to bring forward.

But the bylaw allows a loophole: council can waive its procedural rules and vote on a notice of motion at the same meeting its brought forward.

Just because council has the power to do so does not mean it should be a common practice, said Coun. Adam Cooper.

Bottom line is we all take these procedural rules very seriously, Cooper said. Inherent in that is we also take the suspension of these rules just as seriously and with equal respect.

The new bylaw also tightens restrictions on delegations.

Group delegations will have five minutes to speak  the same as single delegations  unless council votes to grant more time. Council can not add more than an extra five minutes for groups. Group delegations had been allotted up to 15 minutes.

The bylaw also prevents delegations from speaking on matters not under councils jurisdiction, or on several other items, including reports related to integrity commissioner or ombudsman investigations.

Paige Desmond is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on municipal issues for The Record. Reach her via email: pdesmond@therecord.com

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KITCHENER  Police charged a 48-year-old man on Tuesday in connection to an alleged sexual assault that happened more than 12 years ago.

In April, Waterloo Regional Police were contacted about the alleged sexual assault that happened between August 2009 and September 2009.

On Tuesday, police arrested a 48-year-old man from Kitchener who is now charged with sexual assault and sexual assault with a weapon.

He is set to appear in court on June 12.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-570-9777, extension 8980, or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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WATERLOO REGION  At least two councillors want to see the Region of Waterloo help fund A Better Tent City.

Coun. Rob Deutschmann and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said they would like to see a process by which groups such as A Better Tent City can approach regional council for funds.

During budget talks earlier this year, Deutschmann asked council to consider a special situation and approve $180,000 for the informal housing settlement in Kitchener.

But some councillors were concerned about supporting one-offs that came to council and creating policy on the fly. Instead, council agreed to have regional staff suggest ways to better address funding requests.

At a regional committee meeting Tuesday, Vrbanovic asked staff when discussions on such a policy would occur. Deutschmann agreed that a fair and equitable process needs to be developed.

Vrbanovic said he would like to see the review of the funding process later this summer rather than in the fall, because groups such as A Better Tent City need to know as soon as possible if they qualify for funds from the region.

He pointed out that the region funds its own managed encampment, which opened last month on Erbs Road in Wilmot Township, very differently than A Better Tent City, though the two are very similar.

This is the second of two sites, and one is fully funded by the community and ratepayers, and the other one is largely funded through donors, he said.

The sustainability of that other model is something that continues to be of concern, Vrbanovic said.

We need A Better Tent City. We cannot see that fail, Deutschmann said.

A Better Tent City was created in the spring of 2020 when entrepreneur Ron Doyle, retired city administrator Jeff Willmer and homeless advocate Nadine Green came up with the idea of creating a community of small wooden cabins for 50 people, many of whom were unsheltered. The latest location is near the Waterloo Region District School Board offices.

The current 2023 budget does not have any room to fund A Better Tent City, said Peter Sweeney, commissioner of community services told councillors at the committee meeting.

Willmer said in an interview Wednesday he understands that regional council needs a process to give out money but it would be really surprising if at the end of this process, they said no.

A Better Tent City was built with community funding and residents contribute $390 a month from their monthly social assistance, Willmer said.

It is a bit of a change for us, instead of being 100 per cent community funded, to be now asking for regional funding. We didnt make that decision lightly but we also realized that we cant get by forever based on volunteers, Willmer said.

At the regional committee meeting, Deutschmann also questioned whether the region has the right amount in its reserves, particularly the tax stabilization fund, which now has $15 million, and the working fund with $10 million.

The question is: do we need to keep as much of it or can we give some of it back as we do from time to time, he said, referring to the region using about $300,000 to fund local cultural groups.

Deutschmann said he would like to see more flexibility to give funds back to the community when the region begins work on its 2024 budget.

Chief financial officer Craig Dyer said councillors will be getting a review of reserves later this year.

There is no magic or mystery to our reserves, said Dyer, who said regional policies dictate how money accumulates in reserve funds.

If reserves are causing this much concern, we should come back with a full review of the policy, he said. There is nothing to hide.

Coun. Doug Craig agreed that looking at surplus accounts may be a way of funding groups such as A Better Tent City.

Coun Jim Erb praised staff for their labour of love on planning and opening the regions managed shelter last month.

I take the most pride in the finishings, the furnishings and the amenities that have gone into this, said Erb, referring to the comforts of home such as cushions on the bed, that add special touches.

Erb reminded councillors not to lose sight or let the novelty and the uniqueness of the site distract council from its long-term goal of supportive permanent housing for those temporarily housed at Erbs Road.

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KITCHENER  A well-known local housing advocate and two other Kitchener residents are reportedly facing charges after a rally for unsheltered Roos Island residents in Victoria Park last week.

Waterloo Regional Police said they have charged a 43-year-old Kitchener resident, a 25-year-old woman and a 34-year-old identified as female with forcible entry, assault a peace officer and mischief  interfere with lawful use, enjoyment, or operation of property in connection to the protest April 27.

Other residents who attended the rally and outreach workers confirmed the 43-year-old is Julian Ichim, who has lived at the tent city since last summer.

About 40 people rallied at a bridge to Roos Island on April 27 in support of the half-dozen unsheltered people living there, after the City of Kitchener announced it was fencing off both island bridges.

About 30 minutes into the rally a few people removed the chain on the island gate and got onto the bridge, before being stopped by police.

A peace officer sustained a minor physical injury in the incident, police said. Police and protesters spoke for at least an hour before the rally ended.

Paige Desmond is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on municipal issues for The Record. Reach her via email: pdesmond@therecord.com

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Imagine worrying about affording the medication you or your child needs. Over three million Canadians cant afford prescription medication. Twenty per cent of families, more than half of whom have insurance, must choose between food and meds because their insurance doesnt cover new meds, pre-existing conditions, or medical supplies.

Canada, with the third-highest medication costs in the world, is the only nation with universal health care that doesnt also offer universal pharmacare. We pay so much because 100,000 private plans and one hundred public programs limit our collective bargaining power. Canada could save between $5.5 billion and $11 billion by bargaining as a single buyer for all of us.

Imagine how those savings could be used to bolster our floundering public health care, or to invest in clean energy. People and employers would save on costs of private insurance.

Current indications are that the federal government envisions a phased-in, patchwork approach, providing support to uninsured children, then youth, then the elderly. By 2027, people will still be suffering while we still pay huge profits to private insurers and large pharmaceutical companies.

Tell your MP that universal pharmacare, as soon as possible, would be good for the nation, for the economy, for our public health care, and for everyone who needs prescription medication.

Marilyn HayChair, K-W Chapter, Council of CanadiansKitchener

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KHARTOUM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The conflict in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on its people, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, particularly regarding the disputed Abyei region.

The international community is calling for an early ceasefire and joint efforts to address humanitarian crises along Sudan's borders, and to prevent a further destabilization and delay in the settlement of the Abyei issue.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

The Abyei-related issues should not be subjected to the negative impact of the situation in Sudan, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), said on Tuesday while speaking at a Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan.

Dai noted that China hopes the parties concerned will continue to create favorable conditions for the settlement of the final status of Abyei.

"We wish to see an early ceasefire in Sudan, and believe that Sudan and South Sudan will continue the momentum of dialogue and cooperation and implement the consensus already reached," said the envoy.

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, warns that the current instability in Sudan has already caused the return of South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan, as over 200,000 more refugees may return to a country where two-thirds of the population need humanitarian assistance.

As the Sudanese authorities are not currently in a position to effectively protect their borders, said Tetteh, the insecurity at the border between Sudan and South Sudan could increase with cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

Noting the fighting is also affecting the daily commercial activities and delivery of food and other basic goods from Sudan to South Sudan and putting oil exports from South Sudan through Port Sudan at risk, she stressed that the priority now in Sudan is to stop the fighting and start constructive negotiations between the SAF and RSF that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire and the return to a transitional civilian government.

While briefing the Security Council, the UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee also warned that the impact of ongoing violence in Sudan is threatening to derail bilateral political progress with South Sudan, worsen the fragile humanitarian situation, and pose fresh risks.

Despite the positive momentum created earlier between Sudan and South Sudan on the issue of Abyei, Pobee said the outbreak of violence in Sudan "may deeply impact the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues."

The United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei is monitoring the potential impact of the fighting in Sudan, such as an influx of displaced persons, the entry of armed groups into the area or the emboldening of spoilers in local intercommunal relations, she said.

The humanitarian environment in Abyei remains challenging, with UN and non-governmental organizations aiding some 212,000 vulnerable people in the area, including roughly 30,000 internally displaced persons, said Pobee, noting the outbreak of fighting in Sudan risks further complicating the humanitarian situation there.

Also on Tuesday, South Sudan and Egypt called for concerted efforts among Sudan's neighbors and the international community to tackle the humanitarian crisis stemming from the conflict, saying they will continue to coordinate and cooperate and contribute to relieving the situation.

So far, the clashes have claimed the lives of at least 550 people and left 4,926 others wounded, the Sudanese Ministry of Health reported. 
Flynas, a leading low-cost airline in Saudi Arabia, will launch non-stop flights from Riyadh to Yerevan, the picturesque capital of Armenia, in June.



Travelers can now plan their next adventure to Armenia with Flynas, where they can immerse themselves in the country's breathtaking landscapes, delicious cuisine, and hospitality. Experience the rich history, culture and stunning architecture of Yerevan and its surrounding areas. From the countrys beautiful mountains to the bustling streets of the city centre, there is something for everyone in Armenia.



Whether you're a history buff, an architecture enthusiast or simply looking for a new travel destination, Yerevan has something for you. Book your flight now and experience the beauty of Yerevan with Flynas.



Flynas' state-of-the-art fleet and exceptional services will make your journey to Yerevan comfortable and enjoyable. With this new route, Flynas is offering travelers more choices and opportunities to explore the world.



This new flight route highlights Flynas' commitment to expanding its network and meeting the needs of its passengers. The airline is constantly looking for new ways to offer travelers safe, comfortable, and affordable travel options, and this new route is a testament to that.  TradeArabia News Service
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech while presiding over a meeting on advancing the high-quality construction of the Xiong'an New Area to a high standard in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

XIONG'AN, Hebei, May 10 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for efforts to firm up confidence and maintain resolve while taking solid steps to continuously achieve new progress in developing the Xiong'an New Area.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. Li, Cai and Ding are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

In April 2017, China announced the plan to set up the Xiong'an New Area, which is situated approximately 100 km southwest of Beijing. The goal, according to authorities, is to develop it to a level comparable to that of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area.

Xi has been personally involved in making decisions and plans to develop Xiong'an. In the past six years, he paid two visits to the area.

During Wednesday's inspection, Xi said Xiong'an has entered a phase of advancing large-scale construction and at the same time taking on functions nonessential to Beijing's role as China's capital.

On Wednesday morning, Xi took a high-speed train to Xiong'an where he first inspected the Xiong'an Railway Station, a key infrastructure project of the area with great symbolic importance.

The railway station is designed as a transportation hub, Xi said, emphasizing the need to improve the connectivity of the station with various places.

He stressed developing the zone of Zan'gang, where the railway station is located, into a high-end and high-tech industry cluster area.

In addition to the railway station, Xi also visited a residential community that is home to 5,000-plus relocated residents. There, Xi chatted with community workers and residents, expressing his satisfaction with the good living conditions of the residents.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring the relocated residents live well and have satisfactory jobs.

Promoting equal access to basic public services is crucial in building a people's city that is both livable and conducive to doing business, Xi noted.

He visited the home of resident Li Jinghe. Xi said building the Xiong'an New Area is a major strategic decision made by the Party's central authorities and the relocated residents had made their contributions.

"MIRACULOUS" TRANSFORMATION

The development of the Xiong'an New Area is a national project of millennial significance and should be pushed forward with concrete actions and sustained efforts, Xi said.

At the construction sites of an inter-city railway station and an international trade center, he learned about the development of key infrastructure projects and major projects launched for the purpose of relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital.

Xi said more efforts should be made to develop a multifaceted and integrated transportation network and make full use of underground space so as to build a "city of the future" free of urban maladies.

At a convention center, Xi was briefed about the progress of the overall design and development of the Xiong'an New Area and efforts to restore and conserve the eco-environment of Baiyangdian Lake.

At the convention center, Xi convened a meeting on advancing the high-quality construction of the Xiong'an New Area to a high standard.

Xi remarked that the transformation of the Xiong'an New Area from ground zero to an emerging sophisticated modern city within a mere six years is miraculous.

MAPPING OUT FUTURE OF XIONG'AN

It has been demonstrated that the major decision of the CPC Central Committee to construct the Xiong'an New Area is entirely correct, Xi said.

He stressed efforts to fully, faithfully and comprehensively carry out the CPC Central Committee's strategic plans for building the Xiong'an New Area and to make sure the area is built and developed in the right direction.

Xi called for the solid implementation of tasks related to relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the national capital.

He urged the planning of another round of transfers of the headquarters of state-owned enterprises directly under the central government in Beijing as well as their subsidiary companies.

The planning of the transfer of financial institutions, research institutes and public institutions should also begin, Xi said.

The integration of market mechanisms and the government's guidance should be strengthened to add to the internal impetus for the transfer, Xi said.

He noted that pioneering policies and measures in reform and opening up, as well as forward-looking trial and demonstration innovation projects shall be carried out in the Xiong'an New Area, so that it can become a fertile ground for innovation and business ventures.

Xi underlined efforts to build a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized and widely apply advanced science and technology, in a bid to make smart, green and innovative development the trademark of the Xiong'an New Area.

He stressed the need to give the people a more concrete sense of fulfillment and happiness through the development of the new area. He also called for enhancing policies that guide employment and entrepreneurship, as well as bolstering employment training programs.

He encouraged the area to blaze a new path in narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, advancing integrated urban-rural development, and promoting common prosperity for all.

Other senior leaders also spoke at the meeting.

Li Qiang urged the Xiong'an New Area to accelerate efforts to help relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as China's capital, steadily advance infrastructure construction and modernize the industrial system.

Ding Xuexiang said scientific and technological innovation should be the foundation of the high-quality development of the Xiong'an New Area, calling for carrying out high-standard scientific and technological innovation. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech while presiding over a meeting on advancing the high-quality construction of the Xiong'an New Area to a high standard in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, greets the residents while visiting a residential community in Rongdong District of the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with passengers at the waiting hall of the Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a residential community in Rongdong District of the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, chats with elderly diners at the dining hall of a residential community in Rongdong District of the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the home of relocated resident Li Jinghe at a residential community in Rongdong District of the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the construction sites of an inter-city railway station and an international trade center in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, May 10, 2023. Xi on Wednesday inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
A billboard was also put up in Londons Broadway Market on Monday night, which reads Long Live The Queens, with the s looking as if it was graffitied onto the poster. Below the text is a crest, and the same wreath we saw in the tease clip.
Heres how to sound wise when writing a story about mass killings and gun control. Last week saw two such massacres in Serbia (eight deaths and nine deaths respectively) and only one in the United States (eight killed in a mall in Allen, Texas).

Start with striking quotes from the relevant authorities. We walked around like zombies for 24 hours, not believing what has happened and looking for reasons, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who began his political career as a far-right Serbian nationalist during the Yugoslav civil wars.

.

By contrast, the official response in Texas was routine, almost perfunctory. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting an unspeakable tragedy, but proposed no steps to prevent the next one. The local mayor, Ken Fulk, said that Allen is a proud and safe city, which makes todays senseless act of violence even more shocking.

Really? There are safe cities in Texas?

Having established Americans as habitual offenders and Serbs as shocked innocents, we now contrast the sane and serious Serbian proposals for stopping more gun massacres with the Americans fatalistic shrug. President Vucic is promising to do at once all the things that U.S. gun-control campaigners have failed to get on the political agenda for decades.

In a nationwide TV broadcast, Vucic announced an almost complete disarming of the country: We will conduct a revision of all people who posses firearms, around 400,000 of them. (Serbias total population is about 6.6 million.) After these checks, there will be no more than 30,000 to 40,000 weapons legally owned.

What a man! Why doesnt America have somebody like Vucic to end the gun slaughter? (American gun deaths are running at around 50,000 a year, although half of them are suicides.) What the United States needs is a hero to just sweep the guns aside! Etc., etc.

The opinion piece practically writes itself. Indeed, ten thousand versions of it are being written by ChatGPT right now. But its all nonsense.

Vucic is just saying what he thinks people want to hear right now. When he worked for the monster Slobodan Milosevic and Serbs wanted to hear that the massacres their own people were committing in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo were justified, thats what he told them. His own history shows that his words and his deeds rarely match.

There will be no mass disarmament in Serbia: thats not how Vucic plans to spend his political capital. But while Serbs come second in the world for gun ownership (58 guns per hundred residents, compared to 120 per hundred in the United States), they only kill a quarter as many people per capita with guns. The Serbs problem is not really all that bad.

Americas problem is very bad, but its mostly cultural and political. Those who own guns own lots of them, but only three out of 10 American adults own a gun at all. Gun ownership is almost twice as high in the southern states (the old Confederacy) as it is in the urban north-east.

And while Americans obsess about the high gun murder rate, they ignore the fact that most Latin American countries, from Mexico to Brazil, have even higher rates. So do many English-speaking islands in the Caribbean. Is there some common factor, current or historical, that drives up gun ownership rates in the Americas?

And why dont the Latin Americans have much by the way of gun massacres by random crazies, even though they have more guns around? We know far less about the relationship between guns and murder than we think we do, and a little humility would go a long way on both sides.

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CNN cant quit Donald Trump.

Its an abusive relationship. The former president has ridiculed the network as fake news more times than Paris Hilton has purred, Thats hot. Trump once retweeted a meme in which CNN appeared in blood on the sole of his shoe. He shared a video in which he body slams CNN outside a wrestling ring.

This liar honestly hates CNN. Yet, CNN longs for his love.

On Wednesday, the network will pretend all past black eyes came from walking into a door. Trump will make his first appearance since 2016. He will field queries from Republican primary voters in New Hampshire. The town hall, moderated by Kaitlan Collins, is CNNs latest gambit to reverse a ratings free fall.

If thats the only impetus, give CNN points for offering Trump, as he wrote Tuesday on Truth Social, a deal I couldnt refuse!!! Details were not disclosed. But dont be stunned if Wolf Blitzer is ordered to don a red cap and moonlight this summer as Trumps caddy: Mr. President, shall I kiss your putter for good luck?

Speaking of red, CNN also smells blood in the cable waters. The sudden and still unexplained firing of Tucker Carlson by Fox News has given CNN something it has not felt in years: hope. Conservatives are boycotting Fox. The network is now in a race with Bud Light to see who can lose the most customers the fastest.

Fox is feeling something it has not felt in years: vulnerable.

But if ratings are not the only consideration, CNNs decision to air a town hall with Donald Trump amounts to journalistic amnesia. CNN? Based on your past coverage, I thought Trump was a pathological liar, charlatan, criminal conspiracist and existential threat to democracy. Whats next? A CNN town hall with Vladimir Putin?

This is not a shot at Ms. Collins. She is a mere 31 in human years but about 150 in political savvy. She is as sharp as a Ginsu. She has perfect recall. She knows the file, as we say in this business. But not even GPT-4 could moderate this debate in real time.

Trump breathes in oxygen and exhales lies. He cuts off people more than a drunk driver in Belarus. He lives in a fantasyland where his ego writes the laws while the rocks in his head rewrite history.

He is an unreliable narrator saddled with disfiguring narcissism.

That may make for good TV. But, unchecked, it is a nightmare for journalism.

CNN will argue this event is newsworthy since Trump is the Republican presidential front-runner. A Washington Post-ABC News poll this week found Trump would trounce Joe Biden by seven points in a hypothetical 2024 rematch. While political polling is not exactly an exact science, Trump is defying the odds by grabbing the GOP by the p-y.

The man is a force of nature. An evil force, in my opinion. But his fans do not care about his actions. Rape allegations, criminal indictments, impeachment, more looming charges, the red hats are unbothered. This lunatic broke the most sacred covenant of American democracy  the peaceful transfer of power. But the red hats lapped up his Big Lie and now many are in jail for insurrecting. He spent his presidency watching cable news under a spray-tan nozzle, mean tweeting and then hitting the links. His daily briefings were pictures because he has the attention span of a fruit fly. But the red hats love that hes not a snooty elite into book learnin or actual governance. Trump could auction off Americas nuclear codes and the red hats would blame Hunter Bidens laptop. Trump makes libs cry and that makes them laugh.

The red hats are in a doomsday cult. They cant be helped.

But CNN should know better. There is a difference between covering Trump and giving him cover. Unless fact-checker Daniel Dale is onstage Wednesday at Saint Anselm College and ready to bang a gong every time Trump lets fly with a whopper, this town hall is a slap in the face to every CNN journalist who documented the ex-presidents grifts, incompetence, malevolence, mendacity and violation of all norms and decency.

CNN spent years telling viewers Trump was unfit to lead a Shake Shack, let alone the free world. But that grim proclamation is now null and void if he can get them boffo ratings? Give your head a shake, CNN. You argued Trump tried to steal the 2020 election. Now you are offering him a showcase in advance of the 2024 election?

Isnt that like giving an arsonist a flame-thrower?

On Tuesday, Trump did something once unimaginable: he urged supporters to watch CNN. It was like seeing Wendel Clark in a Panthers jersey. As Trump wrote: Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Lets see what happens? Wednesday Night at 8:00!!!

The pressure is now on Kaitlan Collins to save CNN from itself.

She needs to provide shelter for the monsoon of lies. She needs to keep the trains from derailing, a bleak assignment when the conductor is Agent Orange. That she must do this in an auditorium full of red hats only complicates the high-wire act.

On Tuesday afternoon, in breaking news on CNN, a Manhattan jury sided with E. Jean Carroll in her defamation suit against Trump for allegedly raping her and lying about it. She was awarded $5 million for sexual battery and defamation.

Now, CNN is back in bed with an abusive Donald Trump.

CNN, desperate for ratings, is courting disaster.

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PAUL BAND FIRST NATION, ALTA. - A second-degree murder charge has been laid in a fatal knife attack earlier this month on a First Nation west of Edmonton.

Police were called to Paul Band First Nation on May 2 for reports of someone suffering a knife injury.

Saundra Bearhead, who was 33, was rushed to an Edmonton hospital, but died of her injuries five days later.

An investigation by the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit has resulted in the arrest of a 28-year-old man.

Blake Bird is charged with one count of second-degree murder.

He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Stony Plain provincial court on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.

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CALGARY - A young man convicted of manslaughter in the hit-and-run death of a Calgary police officer will face an adult sentence, an Alberta judge ruled Wednesday.

Sgt. Andrew Harnett died after being dragged by an SUV, then falling into the path of an oncoming car on Dec. 31, 2020.

The offender, who is now 20, was days away from turning 18 when Harnett died and was driving the vehicle when it took off from a routine traffic stop with the officer holding on to the wheel and trying to get him to stop.

He testified during his trial that he was scared when Harnett and another officer approached the vehicle during a traffic stop and he saw Harnett put his hand on his gun.

Court of Kings Bench Justice Anna Loparco found the young man not guilty of first-degree murder but guilty of manslaughter last year.

The Crown wants the 20-year-old to serve between 11 and 13 years in prison.

Loparco said the offender had shown maturity, even when committing the offence, and was living on his own.

I find that on the whole he demonstrated traits more aligned with an adult than a young person, Loparco said.

He did not return to the family home following his flight from police. Rather, he went to his own suite and monitored the situation on social media. When he discovered Sgt. Harnett had died, he did not involve his family.

Loparco rejected defence arguments that the actions were largely impulsive and said the objective of the court is to hold the individual, who as the driver was taking a lead role, accountable.

He reached speeds of 80 to 90 kilometres an hour. He also intentionally engaged in a variety of manoeuvres aimed at dislodging Sgt. Harnett from the car, Loparco told the court.

The consequential harm done was immense. A man lost his life, a family lost a husband and soon-to-be father, brother and son. A wide circle lost a friend. Society lost a police officer who exemplified professional conduct.

Loparco said she doubted the genuineness of the young mans expressed remorse and added his recounting of the events deflects blame and minimizes his role. She said he is also considered to be a high risk to reoffend.

The judge said although he may need counselling and support, that cant be offered with a three-year youth sentence.

In my view, a maximum youth sentence, even without credit for any pretrial custody, would not be of sufficient length to hold (the offender) accountable for his offending behaviour, she said.

This court shall, therefore, impose an adult sentence.

Loparco is to hear final arguments on sentencing from both lawyers May 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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Improving access to mental health care for Indigenous individuals  particularly those in remote communities  and creating a mental health unit in a northern Ontario jail were among 46 recommendations presented Wednesday at the inquest into the death of a renowned Indigenous artist.

Jurors at the inquest examining what happened to Moses Beaver will now be able to adopt, oppose or amend the recommendations put forward collectively by lawyers for the artists family, the Ontario government and other parties.

Beaver, an artist from Nibinamik First Nation, was found unresponsive in a Thunder Bay, Ont., jail cell in February 2017 before being taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by suicide. He was 56.

Beavers family has told the inquest they tried many times to find him help to deal with intergenerational trauma and his deteriorating mental health, but a disorganized system was not able to meet his needs.

For the past 23 days, weve had to think deeply about the many ways in which non-Indigenous decisions and actions control the experience of Indigenous life, Caitlyn Kasper, an Indigenous lawyer representing Beavers family, said in her closing statement.

Beavers sons said their father should have been taken to a hospital, and not a jail, after an alleged assault at a medical facility before he died. The inquest also heard that attempts to ensure jail staff had Beavers medical records appeared to be ignored.

The justice system has revealed itself as a microcosm displaying the damage that occurs when everyday racism against Indigenous people is perpetuated through the actions of employees of the same system, Kasper said.

This targeted discrimination does not even have to rely on overtly racist attitudes. It feeds off the acceptance of stereotypes and a lack of cultural understanding.

Jurors at the inquest received nearly four dozen recommendations for governments, police and the Thunder Bay jail on how to better support Indigenous individuals, particularly those who experience mental health issues. Those were agreed upon by lawyers at the inquest, including for Beavers family, various Ontario ministries and the Thunder Bay jail.

The recommendations include a suggestion that the Ministry of Health develop protocols  in consultation with Indigenous communities  to guide decision-making and prioritize delivery of care when a psychiatric emergency occurs in remote First Nations communities.

Another recommendation suggests the creation of a mobile mental health clinic that could provide early intervention care in a culturally competent way for remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario.

The recommendations also include a suggestion that a mental health unit be created in the Thunder Bay jail, where inmates experiencing mental health symptoms, or those being assessed for a mental illness diagnosis, can be housed, assessed and treated.

They further recommend education and programming that would address the mistrust of colonial health care among First Nations people.

The inquest heard emotional testimony from Beavers loved ones who said his mental health began deteriorating more than two decades ago after his wife died suddenly from a brain aneurysm.

He also spent time in a day school designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children, the inquest heard, and his sons alleged he had been sexually assaulted by a teacher.

Beaver also lost a younger brother to suicide, his family said.

The inquest heard that Beaver attempted suicide in 2017 in the days before his death.

His loved ones and nurses in his First Nation community made 58 calls for help to police and medical workers over three days in an attempt to have him airlifted out to a medical facility but the urgency of his medical status was downgraded without explanation, the inquest heard.

During that wait, Kasper, the familys lawyer, said police had to be called as Beaver allegedly assaulted a worker  that led to him being taken to the Thunder Bay jail.

The inquest heard that Beaver was put on suicide watch after arriving at the jail, with someone supposed to check on him regularly, but the facility was overcrowded and short-staffed at the time.

A nurse and a doctor also told the inquest they tried to send Beavers medical records, including details of his bipolar diagnosis, to the jail and made phone calls to get the jails attention, but their attempts were ignored.

There was no effort to obtain health records from other sources, or to fully even read the health record that was in place at the jail, Kasper told the inquest. Instead, (they were) told by those in a position of authority to settle down.

Jurors at the inquest could make recommendations on how to better provide mental health care for Indigenous individuals, both at Thunder Bays jail and across remote First Nations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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EDMONTON - Police say a man has been arrested at the Alberta legislature after a gun was allegedly pointed at some construction workers.

Edmonton police say they were told that a man was spray-painting a message on a column on the north steps of the legislature when he was confronted by construction workers.

Police say the man allegedly picked up a firearm from the steps, pointed it at the workers and told them to leave him alone.

They say the workers fled and Alberta sheriffs were called in.

Police say the man was taken into custody and two firearms, one of which was loaded, were allegedly found in his possession.

A 59-year-old man faces various firearm-related charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- In the past week, the number of people forced from their homes by fighting in Sudan more than doubled to more than 700,000, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the International Organization for Migration reported the 700,000 homeless figure, compared to the 340,000 people listed a week ago, on May 2. They were displaced by the most recent fighting that began on April 15. Before the fighting erupted, 3.7 million people had been internally displaced in Sudan, mainly in the western Darfur region.

Haq said the World Food Programme (WFP) reported it needs nearly 13,000 tons of food to reach some 384,000 people across Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile states.

The WFP said it currently has about 8,000 tons of food in Port Sudan to distribute to those in need. Additionally, two ships are to dock within days at the same port with WFP food and supplies to treat moderate acute malnutrition.

The agency said that since restarting food distributions last week, it reached more than 35,500 people across Gedaref and Kassala, and distribution is underway in White Nile. 
The return to warm weather brings with it a rise in home maintenance service scams that Toronto police say regularly occur each spring.

From roofing to moving scams and painting to appliance repair scams, homeowners should be wary of fraud that comes knocking on their door as an offer for home service. Especially when there is a down payment of cash, individuals may never see that money again  nor the repairs and maintenance they paid for.

Legitimate roofing or renovation companies dont need to knock on doors to find work. Theyre busy enough. So that should be a red flag, Det. David Coffey, with Toronto Police Services Financial Crimes Unit, told the Star. But it can literally be anything. It can be brick and mortar, aluminum, eavestroughs. Fraud is only limited by their imagination.

In a public advisory sent on May 4, Toronto police cited an increase in roofing scams across the city and surrounding areas.

A person may approach a home  unsolicited  advising that its roof needs urgent repairs or offering to inspect the roof for damage. A large down payment is often requested in cash to pay for supplies but the end result is that consumers pay for unnecessary repairs, or the work is not done at all, and the person disappears after receiving the payment.

Coffey said while its important not to be paranoid, other red flags include whether the person is driving a vehicle without any company markings, wearing a uniform without a company logo, omitting paperwork or having paperwork without a company letterhead on it.

There would be phone numbers [for a company] that you could call and verify that that paperwork is legitimate, Coffey said, adding that people should not be rushed into making a decision and before even asking to see paperwork that they should be cautious.

Do your due diligence and dont suffer under the pressure tactics that these people use, he said. Fraud is similar right across the board. They use the same tactics, whether its roofing or renting or taxis or pizza, theres always urgency: You need to do it now, you have to give me the money now.

Large down payments in cash are a common marker, but fraudsters may aim low on the initial offer as well. Thats where an old cliche, Coffey said, still rings true: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Ryan Shupak, CEO and co-founder of Jiffy, a marketplace for homeowners to find maintenance and repair professionals, said this is where doing some back of the envelope math can save homeowners stress and money down the road.

Being wary of why a person is charging so little is sensible, Shupak said. This specialized appliance repair person, for example, is likely not making minimum wage per hour. And so if that [low price] is what theyre charging you, including to drive out, without any hidden costs, there must be a catch.

Questions to consider include: How long will the job take? How many people will be involved? Are these individuals making minimum wage? Are they making more than that, and if so, shouldnt the quote be the opposite? What is the market rate for this profession and service?

At the very least, were performing a service to homeowners who arent using Jiffy because they can just go on our website or app and see, for example, what is the hourly rate for an electrician in Toronto, Shupak said.

Scammers may also catch people who legitimately need their roof to be repaired, making them particularly vulnerable targets, but that does not mean they need to accept service from the same individual notifying them.

Theres no recourse once that cash leaves your hand, similar to e-transfer, which is how most of these call scams work [too], Shupak said.

However, contractors who are doing bigger jobs or who have to buy materials (for example, installing a new furnace or roof shingles) are also wary of being scammed by homeowners. So they may want a deposit in some cases or accept payment in increments.

When asked how often people actually get their money back  if paid in cash  when they report these crimes, Coffey said its not often because police cannot trace cash.

Scammers are going to get caught eventually  but generally, by the time we catch them, the money is gone, he said. While polices priority is to lay criminal charges and bring the suspect before court to then ask for restitution, Coffey said in instances like roofing and maintenance scams, the individuals generally dont have a lot of money. So, you cant get water from a stone.

However, if homeowners do get to the point where they request to see paperwork, Shupak said it should include items such as insurance, a piece of letterhead with a phone number and licenses.

Certain professions are also regulated. For example, electricians are regulated by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) so homeowners can conduct a quick search of their name to verify their standing with the ESA. Or if a roofing contractor has employees then they should be searchable via the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Coffey said while general frauds are increasing dramatically partly as a result of technology (including the internet, email, cyber fraud and crypto), home maintenance fraud remains on the lower end of the sophistication spectrum because it will typically involve a simple knock on the door or a phone call.

People who are victims of these crimes always say to us afterwards, I knew it didnt seem right. If only Id listened to that little voice in the back of my head, Coffey said. Listen to that voice. That voice is your life experience telling you theres something wrong here.

MH Mahdis Habibinia is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: mhabibinia@thestar.ca

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Sunrises and sunsets in the GTA may be warmer in colour, more vibrant and picturesque this week, but the cause of such isnt as beautiful below  or in this case, above  the surface: wildfire smoke.

As flames blaze across large swaths of land in Alberta, the complex soup of pollutants and particulate matter born out of the fires will travel a long distance in high concentrations, said Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada  the GTA being one of its stops.

The fine particulate matter, which measures 2.5 microns and smaller, is essentially invisible until theres a large concentration of it, said Castellan. And, of course, then it blocks the sun and so on, and makes the really interesting sunrises and sunsets (people) have been seeing in Ontario.

While the matter has the potential to cause health effects for some, including those with pre-existing conditions or those who work outside for long periods of time, these pollutants are elevated rather than surface-level.

Theyre not actually giving you very poor air quality at the surface, but they are, without question, right overhead, said Castellan.

Right overhead parts of the GTA, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Huron, to be exact, and itll be here until at least Thursday before continuing its cross-Canada trip later in the week.

Still, theres really no safe level of poor air quality, but in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, the air quality health index remains in the low category. The only place where it isnt low would be in Alberta  closer to the fires, which is pretty typical.

Wildfire smoke is travelling through the country this week

Wildfire smoke knows of no borders, said Castellan, which makes it a little less concerned with its travel plans  its expected to continue travelling thousands of kilometres across the country, and perhaps into the United States as the flames continue in Alberta.

After it travels across parts of the GTA, the smokes next stop will be in Ottawa on Thursday before it continues East toward Quebec and the Maritime provinces.

Why are parts of Alberta on fire?

More than 29,000 people in Alberta have been ordered to leave their homes in recent days as there are 89 active wildfires burning as of this morning, with 26 listed as out of control.

Parts of Alberta are experiencing cooler temperatures and even light rain as the province remains under a state of emergency while dozens of wildfires continue raging.

The government is warning, however, that a return to hot and dry conditions is expected and that fires can reignite even after several days of light rain. Over the weekend and into early next week, temperatures are expected to be 15 degrees above seasonal for parts of Alberta, Castellan said.

Dubbed one of the worst years for wildfires in recent memory, the latest burst of flames is part of more than 360 fires that have burnt at least 25,000 hectares of land since January, the Star reported last week.

And given unseasonably high temperatures are just beginning for the summer months, more wildfires may be waiting on the horizon.

Its only May. What should Ontarians expect for the summer?

Wildfires are expected to continue throughout May and into June, which means a new batch of smoke may be making its way to a city near you in the coming months.

While it may not cause devastating effects in the GTA as it would out West, its presence isnt entirely benign  no level of pollution is safe, but it may impact growing seasons, or at least the taste, of some crops grown in other parts of Canada.

As wildfires blazed across parts of British Columbia last year, wineries felt the burn as smoke tainted the taste of grapes harvested, taking a toll on that provinces $2.8 billion wine industry, with yields estimated to be down by 30 per cent in 2022.

If the fires continue in B.C., Alberta, or pretty much anywhere in the Pacific Northwest  then eventually seeing more smoke this summer (in Ontario) is an inevitability, said Castellan.

With files from Canadian Press

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TORONTO - Residents in and around the central Ontario community of Minden are calling on the health minister to step in and impose a one-year moratorium on the planned closure of an emergency department.

Haliburton Highlands Health Services announced recently that the ER at its Minden location would close as of June 1 and all emergency services would be transferred to its Haliburton site, about 25 kilometres away.

Richard Bradley was among a group of area residents who travelled to the legislature Wednesday after gathering more than 17,000 signatures  and counting  on a petition calling for the moratorium.

Bradley worries the closure will cost lives.

Who is going to be the first person, whether its a child with asthma, or somebody who has an allergic reaction? he said at a press conference while choking up. Its very emotional to the entire town.

Norman Bess, 82, is a seasonal resident of Minden and said he believes the ER staff there saved his life when he had a heart attack in September 2017.

If it hadnt been for this gentleman and that hospital, I wouldnt  I would not be here today, he said.

So theyre taking away something that people need. People move there because theyve had a hospital and now theyre taking it away. And theres no damn reason why theyre taking it away.

In response to questions Wednesday from the NDP asking if she would reverse or pause the closure, Health Minister Sylvia Jones chided the New Democrats for not supporting local health-care decision making.

So often in this chamber we talk about the importance and value of community leadership, of ensuring the community has a voice and now the member opposite is suggesting that we need to override community hospital leadership decisions, Jones said.

It is very unfortunate that they have not supported the local decision made by hospital leadership.

The hospital said a shortage of nursing and medical staff is behind its decision.

It has taken extraordinary measures over the past 18 months to keep both of HHHS emergency departments open, including many personal and professional sacrifices by our staff, the hospital wrote in a statement.

There were more than 20 official close calls in 2022, which would have required short-notice temporary closures, but there were also many more unofficial close calls involving nursing staff shortages at both sites.

Some of those close calls nearly saw both ERs close at the same time, the hospital said.

The organization fought as hard and as long as it could to keep both emergency departments open, but with no long-term solutions in sight, it couldnt go on any longer, the statement said.

A temporary closure would not address the broader staffing crisis HHHS is experiencing, and it would not give staff or the community the certainty they need when it comes to delivering and receiving emergency care.

NDP health critic France Gelinas said this falls squarely within the ministers responsibility.

You cannot take away the emergency department of a rural hospital without having a transition plan agreed upon by the minister of health, she said.

If the minister of health took two minutes to listen, she will see that 17,000 people have signed a petition that says give us a one-year moratorium.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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Accused mobster and convicted killer Vincenzo (Jimmy) DeMaria says hes a victim of negative ethnic profiling because he was born in Italy.

Ive been profiled, DeMaria, 69, said. Absolutely. No doubt about it.

DeMaria, a baker and York Region businessman, spent 17 years in Ontario prisons after being convicted of second-degree murder in 1982, and continues to serve a life sentence on parole. He blamed crooked police, a greedy police agent, a drug habit and negative profiling for much of his woes.

I can only tell you about my suffering. Has there been suffering? Absolutely, he said, speaking at an ongoing deportation hearing as he fights to stay living in Canada, rather than be sent to his native Italy.

His parents brought him to Canada when he was nine months old and he never took out citizenship when he became an adult.

He suggested the deportation hearing was part of a broader pattern of ethnic profiling.

This whole thing is stereotypes, he said.

His younger brother Giuseppe (Joe) DeMaria is wanted in Italy on Mafia association charges, the hearing heard. On this, DeMaria said that Italian police are often fed false information from Canadian law enforcement officers.

DeMaria said he took a course while in custody for drug rehabilitation to cure his drug habit, and since his conviction has completed high school and studied real estate and business management. He was also chair of the inmate committee at Joyceville medium security institution.

He said its hard for people with Italian heritage to get into some professional schools like law in Canada, because of profiling.

In certain professions, Italians are looked down upon, he said.

He said he had hoped that his son, Carlo DeMaria, 48, would become a lawyer. Instead, Carlo works in the finance and insurance businesses, he told the hearing.

The elder DeMaria was convicted of second-degree murder for a 1981 killing at College and Grace Streets, which he said was in self-defence. He fired nine shots into his victim, Vincenzo Figliomeni, 37, a father of four who owed him $2,000. Court heard most of the shots went into Figliomenis back.

Justice Nicholson McRae, who sentenced DeMaria in 1982, said: This was a brutal shooting. It was an execution.

DeMaria told his deportation hearing this week he was hooked on opioids when he killed Figliomeni.

He said that much of the governments case against him in the current deportation hearing was built on the testimony of a paid police agent.

He wanted to earn as much as he could, DeMaria said, adding that he would like the chance to question the agent.

DeMaria also said he doesnt suspect acquaintances like Cosimo Elia Commisso or Angelo Figliomeni, both of the GTA, are in the Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia.

He said he knows Figliomeni as a prominent local fundraiser for health care and community events.

Commisso and his brother, Rocco Remo Commisso, spent time in prison with DeMaria in the early 1980s after the brothers were each convicted of a string of violent charges, including three counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

DeMaria said that he and Cosimo Elia Commisso sometimes also participated in community fundraising events for charity after they both got out of prison.

He said he never asked the Commisso brothers or Angelo Figliomeni about the Ndrangheta.

Theyre not things that you ask people, he said.

DeMaria said he considers Cosimo Elia Commisso a friend but said the two do not do business together.

DeMarias deportation case wont be resolved until the fall at the earliest, and both sides can appeal if they lose.

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Mayoral candidate and current councillor Brad Bradford is facing pushback after posting a campaign video compiling the TTC horror stories of several women on TikTok without their permission.

TikTok creator Myah Elliott, 21, said she did not know the video was being made, and did not give Bradfords team consent to use the video she posted.

Ive never heard of this guy before. I dont know what he stands for, said Elliott. I dont want to be associated with whatever his campaign is because kind of looks like Im endorsing whatever he is talking about.

Another person included in the video, who did not want to comment further, posted a comment on Bradfords video saying she did not provide permission and you need our consent to use our videos.

Bradfords TikTok, which has been shared on Instagram and Twitter, splices clips from TikTok together before going to him speaking.

I am seeing all of these women sharing these really horrible stories on TikTok right now about their experiences on the TTC, he says in the video. Its just totally unacceptable where Toronto is at right now when it comes to safety on the TTC. I am running for mayor to fix that.

He then goes on to outline his plan.

Elliott learned about the video when someone tagged her in a comment and told her about it.

She understands the TikTok videos she makes can be shared and repurposed through the apps own features, but feels that it is different when a video is used for political purposes. In one version of the video posted to Twitter by Bradford, his campaign logo is superimposed over the clips of the women speaking.

Elliott said she would have been happy to have a conversation about whether her video could be used, and would have researched Bradford before deciding because she is careful about how she shares her political opinions online and how her image is used.

She hopes hell see the comments on the video and take it down.

Greg Elmer, a professor of professional communication at Toronto Metropolitan University who researches digital political media, said the video likely is a copyright violation.

It being understood that you or your licensors will own any User Content (as defined below) you upload or transmit through the Services, the TikTok terms of service read.

This suggests that users still maintain ownership over content they upload to the app, Elmer said in an email.

As such, anyone who uses said content could be subject to copyright infringement penalties. Politicians and their staff should be well aware of such legal matters, though in almost every election we see similar misuse of copyrighted material such as music and images. Bradford should immediately take down this content.

The view of the Bradford campaign is that the video is part of the content sharing that is common on social media.

Listening to peoples concerns and taking real action to make a difference is why Brad is running to be Mayor. He sees the stories people are sharing and wants them to know that as Mayor, his SafeTTC Now action plan will take real steps to make the TTC safe so that riders can get to where they need to, unafraid theyre going to become the latest tragic statistic, spokesperson Stephanie Smyth said.

Were responding to whats on social media, Bradford himself said Wednesday after the city council meeting broke for lunch. I think thats an important thing, that candidates should be responding to how people are feelingand frankly a lot of people have responded very positively to it.

Elmer, however, sees ethical issues here that politicians should be aware of, and that may run afoul of TikToks community standards.

While questions remain about how or if the platform adequately regulates such content, politicians and other professionals should always err on the side of caution, especially when using others experiences to support their own agenda, he said. Politically, using sensitive images could be interpreted as gratuitous or worse. And the co-optation of others media content could be seen as underhanded and self-serving.

Aimee Morrison, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo who researches social media, said in her view Bradfords video does not engage with the women sharing traumatic stories, it just mines them for campaign content and shares those stories with an audience the women may not have expected. This is different from responding to videos on TikTok and having a conversation, she said.

Its just a bit  in the terms of TikTok  rude and a little bit inappropriate. Since the problem in the first place is these womens feeling of not being able to move through the world in the way they want ... its not particularly a good look for some other man to be extracting their stories without engaging them.

For Elliott, it comes down to taking the time to ask for permission.

A few months ago she made a video reacting to a Rihanna song, and someone asked if they could use the video. She said yes and it was used in a Rihanna video.

Thats how you are supposed to do it, she said.

Alyshah Hasham is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach her via email: ahasham@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @alysanmati

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Five candidates faced off Wednesday night in the first debate to feature high-profile challengers in Torontos hotly contested mayoral election.

With some of the most prominent names in the race staying away  Josh Matlow, Olivia Chow and Ana Bailao didnt attend  the event offered a chance for challengers trailing in the polls to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack ahead of the June 26 voting day.

Mark Saunders, who polls have among the leading candidates, did take part in the debate, as did Anthony Furey, Anthony Perruzza, Mitzie Hunter and Brad Bradford. The event was hosted by the West Queen West Business Improvement Association and focused on issues affecting small businesses.

Here are seven takeaways:

Bradford in action

From the start of Bradfords campaign, the councillor for BeachesEast York has branded himself as a strong mayor of action. He did his best to live up to that image from the start of the debate by launching into a high-energy opening statement, in which he whipped up the crowd and urged them to give themselves a round of applause for showing up. Lets go, lets go! he said.

All roads lead to traffic

While the candidates faced questions about a diverse range of topics, early in the debate many of their responses returned to what has become a central theme of the first phase of the election: traffic congestion.

When asked how to revitalize a downtown that emptied out during the pandemic, Bradford touted his proposal for a congestion relief commissioner who would be in charge of making it easier to get around the core, while Saunders, the former police chief, said its difficult for people to come into the city because gridlock means nothing is moving.

When asked about compensating small businesses whose bottom lines are hurt by disruptions cased by transit construction, Perruzza, who is councillor for Humber RiverBlack Creek, said the city needed to ensure that work crews dont leave machinery around that isnt doing anything but tak(ing) up a lane and clutter(ing) your roadway.

Lowering costs for small business

Not surprisingly given the focus of the debate, the candidates floated various proposals to reduce costs for small businesses. Most advocated scrapping fees for the CafeTO program, which allows bars and restaurants to set up patios in curb lanes.

Perruzza said the city should lower commercial property rates further than it already has to bring them more into line with residential rates, so that would mean a much bigger tax reduction for small businesses.

Bradford claimed credit for councils approval in November 2021 of a new small business property tax subclass that lowers rates on eligible properties and which he said provides critical relief for mom and pop enterprises.

Hunter now an ex-MPP

Hunters participation in the event came hours after she resigned as Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, a position she held for 10 years. She said her experience at Queens Park would be an asset in the mayors job, saying she has experience dealing with Premier Doug Ford and would hold him to account on issues like the Ontario PC governments pledge to make Toronto whole for development revenue lost as a result of provincial legislation.

Ill continue to go toe to toe with him on behalf of the people of Toronto, she said.

Candidates vs. Leafs

The debate was held the same time the Toronto Maple Leafs were fighting for survival in Game 4 of their playoff series against the Florida Panthers. At various points the candidates tried to tap into Torontonians enthusiasm for the team, with Saunders beginning one of his answers by announcing to cheers the Boys in Blue had won 2-1.

Asked about his stance on the citys new strong mayor powers, Perruzza said Like the Leafs tonight, I believe you win the game when you score more goals. His point was that the mayor shouldnt be able to pass bylaws at council with fewer votes than the opposing side, which the new authority allows.

Absent candidates get a pass

Despite most of the mayoral hopefuls on the panel needing to make up ground on the likes of Chow and Matlow, none of them took the chance to criticize the candidates who didnt show up by name. There also wasnt much back-and-forth between the candidates who were present, with the five rivals keeping the exchanges civil.

The space race

The topic of the debate may have been decidedly earthbound, but the setting was out of this world. Hosted at a sci-fi-themed bar on Queen St. West called Offworld, complete with holograms, astronaut-shaped cocktails and whirling projections of galaxies on the wall behind the candidates, it was the most fantastical backdrop to a Toronto mayors debate in recent memory.

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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TORONTO - Police say a woman is dead after an early morning shooting at a condo in Torontos west end.

Toronto police say officers responded around 4:30 a.m. to a condo in the area of Manitoba Street and Legion Road.

They say residents called building security and reported hearing a violent interaction followed by the sound of a loud bang.

Police say security found a woman who had been shot in the building.

They say the woman died at the scene and the homicide unit is investigating.

Police say a man was reportedly seen fleeing the scene before officers arrived.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

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TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisian authorities opened an investigation Wednesday into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the countrys security forces. The motive of the gunman, whom guards killed before he could enter the building on the island of Djerba, remained unclear.

The islands historic Ghriba synagogue, thought to be one of the worlds oldest Jewish temples, is a popular pilgrimage destination, but it was unknown if the assailant, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, specifically targeted Jews in Tuesday's attack.

The death toll from the attack rose to five Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalized in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisias TAP news agency. Four other members of Tunisias security forces remain hospitalized in Djerba, including one in critical condition.

The chair of the synagogues committee, Perez Trabelsi, was in the house of worship during the attack and told The Associated Press of his terror when the sound of the cartridges broke out.

I was scared, as were most of the people gathered in the oukala, a large space adjacent to the synagogue. Everyone was panicked. Many took refuge in the rooms for fear of being hit by the shots that came from outside, he said.

The synagogue attracted more pilgrims this year  around 6,000 people from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and beyond  than it had for some time, Trabelsi said. He said he was saddened that the pilgrimage to the site that is revered in Judaism was spoiled by those who wish Tunisia harm.

Israeli and Tunisian authorities and family members identified the civilian victims as cousins: Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French. Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sorry to hear that two members of our people were killed in Djerba. On behalf of myself and the government of Israel, I send condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the murdered, he said in a statement.

The assailant, a guardsman affiliated with the naval center in the islands port town of Aghir, first killed a colleague with his service weapon before seizing ammunition and heading toward the Ghriba synagogue, the Tunisian Interior ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple. The guards fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said.

Jews have lived on Djerba, a picturesque island off the southern coast of Tunisia, since 500 B.C. The first Jewish arrivals were said to have brought a stone from the ancient temple of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians.

The stone is kept in a grotto at the synagogue. Women and children descend into the grotto to place eggs scrawled with wishful messages on them.

Djerbas Jewish population is one of North Africas biggest, although in recent years it declined to 1,500, down from 100,000 in the 1960s.

Most left following the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries, and the economic policies adopted by the government in the late 1960s also drove away many Jewish business owners.

Djerba, a dusty island of palm trees and olive groves, lures hundreds of thousands of tourists every year  mainly Germans and French  for its sandy beaches and rich history. The Ghriba synagogue itself, said to date to 586 B.C., once drew up to 2,000 visitors per day, Jewish leaders have said.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sadness at the attack. In a statement, the ministry paid tribute to the rapid intervention of the Tunisian security forces and stands by Tunisia to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of fanaticism.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli noted that unfortunately, the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site, according to his office.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with Tunis Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan, and told him that Israel stands alongside the community in this difficult hour. He said he instructed ministry officials to provide all needed aid. Israel and Tunisia dont have formal diplomatic relations.

The European Jewish Congress expressed its shock and outrage.

Terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue, Congress President Ariel Muzicant said in a statement.

Former Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM that he was at the Ghriba synagogue with family members during the attack. He described the place as almost empty because most visitors had already left the site.

The shooting was heavy and the attacker tried to enter the synagogue compound, he said. The counterterrorism officers, who were extremely professional, quickly blocked all exits. A carnage was thus avoided.

Aviel Haddads sister, Rona, told Israels Kan public radio that the entire family had immigrated to Israel from Tunisia, and that her brother, a jeweler, traveled to Djerba frequently.

She said that she and her family tried unsuccessfully for hours after the attack to contact him and later learned the news through family friends. She said the family intended to bury her brother in Israel.

The president of the Israelite Consistory of the southern French city of Marseille, Michel Cohen-Tenoudji, said Benjamin Haddad, a father of four, was a well-known, very active member of the local Jewish community.

He was running a kosher bakery in the city center and was known for offering Shabbat bread to people in need, Cohen-Tenoudji told French media. The family is devastated. On a personal level, I feel indignation, horror and sorrow.

In 2002, a truck bombing killed about 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, an attack in Tunisia at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed 38 people, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, along with attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards.

___ Thomas Adamson reported from Paris. Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, contributed to this story.

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PARIS (AP)  Germanys foreign minister described China on Wednesday as increasingly becoming a systemic rival on the world stage, and urged Beijing to call out Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.

With Chinas top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on China to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.

But Baerbock and Colonna also said it was time for Europe to decrease its economic and strategic dependency on China.

Baerbock said Germany wants to work in partnership with China everywhere its possible but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues.

One needs to recognize that we are competitors and, sadly, increasingly also systemic rivals, she said.

Baerbock said Europes stance toward China should be not decoupling, but de-risking, because its about our security and freedom, too.

The German government is currently adjusting its policy toward China, with some in the three-party coalition government pushing for a tougher line.

Colonna urged China to use its relationship with Russia to convince the Kremlin that Russia is in an impasse  and to return to reason. The French minister also warned China against delivering weapons to Russia, saying that would push things into a totally new configuration.

Baerbock urged Beijing to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor in the war, noting that Moscow could end the conflict by withdrawing its troops. If Ukraine stops defending itself, on the other hand, then Ukraine will cease to exist and with it, the charter of the United Nations, she said.

After meeting with Baerbock in Berlin on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.

Qin is scheduled to meet with Colonna in Paris on Wednesday.

The visit comes amid diplomatic tensions around proposed new EU trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the blocs sanctions against Russia. The proposal sparked a warning from China that it would retaliate if targeted by such new EU sanctions against Russia.

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BERLIN (AP)  Germany plans to allow sound recording of some criminal trials, ending the decades-long practice of requiring judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers to rely on notes and their memory.

Cabinet approved a plan Wednesday that provides the basis for automated transcription of recordings made in regional courts. However, neither the recordings nor the transcripts will be made available to the press or public, and publishing them would be a criminal offense.

The fact that participants in a trial currently have to rely solely on their notes and memory after a case that can last months is no longer in keeping with the times, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in a statement.

Other European countries, including Sweden, Ireland and the Czech Republic, already allow audio recordings as standard. Spain also allows video recordings.

If approved by the German Parliament, recordings would initially be introduced during a pilot phase lasting until 2030.

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UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The fighting in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on the Sudanese population, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, a United Nations envoy said on Tuesday.

The conflict in Sudan, which erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is putting the incremental progress achieved by Sudan and South Sudan in addressing their outstanding bilateral issues in jeopardy, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, told a UN Security Council meeting.

The government of South Sudan is also wary of the consequences of the Sudanese conflict on South Sudan's stability and security, Tetteh said.

The unstable situation has already seen the return of South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan with the potential for more than 200,000 South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan returning to a country where two-thirds of the population already requires humanitarian assistance, she said.

Tetteh noted that as the Sudanese authorities are not currently in a position to effectively protect their borders, the insecurity at the border between Sudan and South Sudan could increase with cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

The fighting in Sudan is also affecting the daily commercial activities and delivery of food and other basic goods from Sudan to South Sudan and putting oil exports from South Sudan through Port Sudan at risk, she added.

Tetteh stressed that the priority now in Sudan is to stop the fighting and start constructive negotiations between the SAF and RSF that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire and the return to a transitional civilian government.

This would be "the pre-requisite" for further efforts, including future engagement on Abyei, and addressing the outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan, she said.

Also briefing the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee warned that the impact of ongoing violence in Sudan is threatening to derail bilateral political progress with South Sudan, worsen the fragile humanitarian situation, and pose fresh risks.

Despite the positive momentum created earlier between Sudan and South Sudan on the issue of Abyei, a disputed border region, the outbreak of violence in Sudan "may deeply impact the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues," Pobee said.

In Abyei, the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) is monitoring the potential impact of the fighting in Sudan, such as an influx of displaced persons, the entry of armed groups into the area or the emboldening of spoilers in local intercommunal relations, she said.

Pobee said the humanitarian environment in Abyei remained challenging, with UN and non-governmental organizations aiding some 212,000 vulnerable people in the area, including roughly 30,000 internally displaced persons.

The outbreak of fighting in Sudan risks further complicating the humanitarian situation in Abyei, she warned.

However, Pobee affirmed that with fighting ongoing and mediation efforts underway, the United Nations will continue to support Sudan and South Sudan "when dialogue on Abyei resumes." 
MOSCOW (AP)  Syria and Turkey agreed Wednesday to set up a roadmap to improve strained ties, following talks alongside Russia and Iran in Moscow.

The agreement comes a week after Syria and Arab governments meeting in Jordan agreed to establish a roadmap of their own to resolve Syrias lengthy civil war and bolster ties. Syria has been returning to the Arab fold and slowly restoring ties with its neighbors.

The Arab League also readmitted Syrias membership after a 12-year suspension in the onset of the conflict on Sunday, before Saudi Arabia delivered a formal invitation earlier Wednesday to President Bashar Assad to attend the upcoming summit in Jeddah.

Throughout the 12-year conflict, Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in the countrys northwest seeking to remove Assad from power. The Syrian government has frequently denounced Ankaras hold over parts of a northwest enclave previously seized by Assads opponents. Turkey captured the territory through several military incursions since 2016 against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

Russia on the other hand intervened militarily in Syria starting in September 2015, and alongside Iran played a pivotal role in keeping Assad in power and to reclaim much of the country back. Moscow has maintained a military presence in the Mideast country even as the bulk of its forces are busy fighting in Ukraine.

Moscow has spent years trying to help Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuild ties with Turkey and other countries that were fractured in the war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of Syrias prewar population of 23 million.

Russias foreign minister on Wednesday hosted his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that marked the highest-level contact between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.

Talks to establish a plan to improve relations between Turkey and Syria would be done in coordination with ongoing communication between the four countries defense ministries.

The ministers noted the positive and constructive atmosphere of the exchange of views and agreed to continue high-level contacts and technical talks in the quadripartite format in the coming period, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry after the talks read.

The statement added that they called for more international aid to Syria, not only to help the countrys struggling population but also in the interests of voluntary, safe, and dignified refugee returns and post-war reconstruction.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and increasing anti-refugee sentiment. He is seeking reelection on Sunday, when Turkey holds both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Syrian state media quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying during Wednesdays meeting that Syria and Turkey share goals and common interests. He said that despite all the negatives over the past years, Damascus saw the talks as an opportunity for both governments to cooperate with the help and support of our friends Russia and Iran.

Yet Mekdad added that the Syrian governments main goal was to end all illegal military presences in the country, including that of Turkish forces.

We will continue to demand and insist on the subject of withdrawal, he was quoted as saying.

Following a deadly earthquake in February that killed tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey, regional normalization with Damascus began to accelerate. In April, Moscow hosted the defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that it said focused on practical steps to strengthen security in the Syrian Arab Republic and to normalize Syrian-Turkish relations.

___

Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed.

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PARIS (AP)  Colleagues of Arman Soldin, the Agence France-Presse journalist slain in Ukraine, gathered solemnly at the press agencys Paris headquarters on Wednesday, a day after his death, to remember the 32-year old.

A widely broadcast photo of Soldin, pictured in protective gear and smiling broadly with a cat on his shoulder, has plucked at the heartstrings of the French nation.

Arman was so enthusiastic, so energetic, so alive that it seems unreal to be here and talk about it this morning, said Juliette Hollier-Larousse, the agencys deputy news director.

Soldin, who was working as the Ukraine video coordinator, was killed in a Grad rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. He was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire. The rest of the team escaped uninjured.

At the editorial meeting, AFP news director Phil Chetwynd said the shock reverberated across the whole company, saying that Arman was someone who is loved by his colleagues.

To lose him in these circumstances is incredibly painful for all of us, Chetwynd said, even though we all know the risks.

Chetwynd said the logistical priority now was to return Soldins body to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, so we can safely take it out of the country and return it home to his family.

He added: Its just something we never, ever want to have to contact the family about. It goes to some of our worst fears and concerns. So really, all our thoughts are with his family today.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said in a Telegram update that Soldin was killed near Chasiv Yar, a western suburb of the embattled city of Bakhmut.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the wars longest battle.

I sympathize with the family and friends of the journalist and thank all who, risking their own lives, continue to tell the truth about our war, Kyrylenko said.

Tributes have come from far and wide for the Sarajevo-born journalist, who lived for many years in France. Denis Becirovic, a member of the Bosnian presidency, called him a journalist dedicated to his profession who since the beginning of Russian aggression on Ukraine bravely reported to the public about events from this country.

Becirovic also called Armans death a painful reminder to dangers posed to journalists and media workers in areas caught up in war.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna paid a brief but emotional tribute to Soldin while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

I remember him... she said, pausing before continuing. I dont want to say things that are too personal, but he notably covered my last visit to Kyiv. I want to pay homage not only to his courage, but to the work that you do, which is indispensable for us to know the reality of the facts, for us to know the truth of what is happening in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Max Blain, spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, paid tribute to Soldins work in Ukraine.

Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Armans work was vital to that. Any death in this needless invasion is tragic and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost loved ones during this conflict, he said.

In May 2022, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was working in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was killed near Sievierodonetsk in the east.

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, while Israel pressed ahead with a series of airstrikes that have killed 23 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

A state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. But the truce efforts appeared to falter as fighting intensified late Wednesday, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military said it targeted the commander of Islamic Jihads rocket squad in an airstrike on a building in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said Ali Ghali was hiding in an apartment and that two additional militants from the group were killed alongside him in the airstrike at a Qatari-built residential complex in Khan Younis. Ghali instructed and took part in rocket attacks against Israel in recent months. There was no comment from the militant group.

In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. But he cautioned: This round is not over.

We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You cant hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you, he said, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.

Throughout the day, rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern and central Israel, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel launched its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

It was the heaviest fighting between the sides in months, pushing the region closer toward a full-blown war. But in signs that both sides were trying to show restraint, Israel avoided attacks on the ruling Hamas militant group, targeting only the smaller and more militant Islamic Jihad faction. Hamas, meanwhile, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.

Late Wednesday, Egypts Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said it had brokered a cease-fire. Egyptian intelligence frequently mediates between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate a cease-fire. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy, they said Israel would evaluate the situation based on actions on the ground, not declarations.

Islamic Jihad said it would continue firing rockets. Mohamad al-Hindi, an official with the group, said a sticking point in the talks was that the Palestinians wanted an Israeli commitment to stop targeted killing operations, such as the ones that killed three top Islamic Jihad commanders early Tuesday.

As rockets streaked through the sky, Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover.

The Israeli military said that for the first time, an air-defense system known as Davids Sling intercepted a rocket. The system, developed with the U.S., is meant to intercept medium-range threats and is part of a multi-layered air defense that also includes the better-known Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli media said a previous attempt to use the system several years ago had failed.

In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israels capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old Citys Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinians.

Israeli officials said over 400 rockets had been fired as of Wednesday evening. Most, they said, were intercepted or fell in open areas, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said about one-quarter had been misfired and fallen inside Gaza. Israeli rescuers said three people were hurt running for shelter, and four homes in southern Israel were damaged by rocket strikes.

The army said that schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.

Eden Avramov, a 26-year-old resident of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, described the 24 hours since Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza as terrifying. We are all traumatized from this routine  the waiting, the booms, the alarms.

Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least five Palestinians. The Israeli military said its warplanes targeted dozens of rocket launchers, arms warehouses and other targets across the enclave. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said four of the dead were militants.

A 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Layan Mdoukh was killed in a blast at her home in Gaza City in unclear circumstances on Wednesday.

The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday that set off the exchange of fire killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. The Israeli military has said its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli militarys chief spokesman. Israel is not interested in war.

In a statement, an umbrella organization of Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, said the campaign against Israel  which it dubbed Avenging the Free  involved firing hundreds of rockets in retaliation for Israels killing of the three Islamic Jihad commanders as well as several civilians.

The resistance is ready for all options, the factions said. If (Israel) persists in its aggression and arrogance, dark days await it.

Still, it remained unclear whether Hamas had joined the fray. If the ruling militant group enters the fighting, the risk of a full-blown conflict would increase.

Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.

In past conflicts, rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes due to high civilian deaths. Israel says it does its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and holds militant groups responsible because they operate in heavily populated residential areas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

Islamic Jihad later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for a future independent state.

___

Ben Zion reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, was arrested on federal criminal charges on Wednesday ahead of an expected court appearance.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and to pay off his credit cards.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Peace said.

Santos was expected to make an initial court appearance at a federal courthouse on Long Island later Wednesday, at which time the charges against him would be unsealed.

Reached by the AP on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things. In reality, he didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and had struggled financially before his run for public office.

Questions about his finances also surfaced. In regulatory filings, Santos said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos had reporting making $750,000 a year plus dividends from a family company, the Devolder Organization. He later described that business as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him," said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty."

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  After discovering cannabis products are being sold in convenience and CBD stores across Connecticut with higher levels of THC than regulated dispensaries, legislators moved Tuesday to impose new restrictions on the amount of marijuanas main intoxicating component in these products.

The bipartisan legislation, which cleared the state House on a nearly unanimous vote, marks the first major update of the states fledgling recreational marijuana program that kicked off in January.

All were trying to do is make sure that any products that are sold with a significant amount of THC in Connecticut are sold in our regulated marketplace through the dispensaries, where theres labeling requirements, theres per package requirements, theres per container requirements, said Rep. Mike DAgostino, D-Hamden, who held out a handful of large, colorful THC gummies that were being sold legally at an unregulated store due to a loophole in federal law concerning CBD stores.

The bill, which now awaits a vote in the Senate, imposes new THC limits for products sold in these stores, including for tinctures, oils, lotions and edibles. The legislation also pulls chemically created high-THC products off the shelves of non-regulated stores, an issue other states have been grappling with as well.

Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, who originally opposed Connecticuts marijuana legalization law, said he supports these new changes and believes they will help address public safety concerns.

Ive heard from constituents concerned about the poisoning of young children. That really happens from gas stations and other outlets that are selling things they really shouldnt sell, said the lawmaker, who helped to craft this bill. These things in my opinion should really be limited to somebody that has a license to sell and distribute marijuana and not appear in your local gas station.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  A man convicted of killing and sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman in separate South Florida attacks in 1984 is set to be executed next month under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Duane Owens execution is set for June 15 at 6 p.m. Its the fourth execution scheduled in Florida this year after a break dating back to 2019. Donald Dillbeck was executed in February, and Louis Bernard Gaskin was executed in April. Darryl B. Barwick was executed earlier this month.

The execution would be only the sixth under DeSantis, a far slower pace than recent Florida governors  and ahead of his widely expected presidential campaign.

According to court records, Owen broke into a Delray Beach home in March 1984 and attacked 14-year-old Karen Slattery, who was babysitting two young children. Owen repeatedly stabbed the girl and then sexually assaulted her, investigators said. The young children werent injured.

About two months later, Georgianna Worden, 38, was sleeping in her Boca Raton home when Owen broke in and fatally struck her in the head with a hammer multiple times before raping her, officials said.

Delray Beach and Boca Raton are both in Palm Beach County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Miami.

Owen is also accused of attacking two other women in their homes, but they survived.

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ATLANTA (AP)  A freelance photojournalist who was arrested while taking photos during a racial justice demonstration in 2020 has reached a $105,000 settlement with the city of Atlanta, his lawyers said.

Sharif Hassan had filed a federal lawsuit claiming his constitutional rights were violated, including his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. His lawyers said in a news release Monday that officers arrested him in retaliation for recording the police as they arrested a protestor in a public place.

This resolution sends an important message that First Amendment rights must be protected, including, and especially, during times of political and social upheaval, said Clare Norins, director of the University of Georgia School of Laws First Amendment Clinic, which represented Hassan.

Hassan, who has worked as a freelance photojournalist for numerous news outlets, was photographing protests in downtown Atlanta on June 1, 2020, when police began pushing demonstrators back shortly before a 9 p.m. curfew, the lawsuit said. A line of National Guard members was behind the police officers, and Hassan was between the police and the National Guard along with other journalists, the suit said.

Two minutes after the curfew took effect, Hassan was taking photos when he was forced to the ground and handcuffed, despite repeatedly telling officers he was a working journalist, his lawyers said. Other members of the news media were allowed to continue working.

The curfew included no explicit exception for journalists doing their jobs, but in practice the city exempted some working journalists but not others, according to the lawsuit Hassan filed in November 2021.

Hassan was jailed overnight and the charge against him lingered for more than six months until the city dismissed it for evidentiary reasons, his lawyers said.

Gerry Weber, a lawyer for Hassan said that because citizens now frequently film police brutality, eyes have opened, demonstrations have occurred, and more Americans have begun to understand systemic flaws in law enforcement. Yet, police interference with filming has become far too commonplace.

Sharif Hassan was doing his job, as a journalist, and his arrest silenced him. That was the point, Weber said.

Hassans lawyers said the settlement agreement also says that whenever an order is issued to establish a citywide curfew, the city may consider including language that says, working members of the media are included in any curfew exceptions or carveouts for people engaged in work activities, for people traveling to and from work, or for essential workers, provided such working members of the media do not intentionally impede or intentionally disrupt law enforcement.

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SAN DIEGO (AP)  Rescue crews were searching for three people who were reported missing after a Navy contractors aircraft went down early Wednesday off the California coast.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Levi Read said the aircraft, a Phoenix Learjet, was carrying three people when it plunged into the Pacific Ocean about a mile (1.6 kilometers) southwest of San Clemente Island, which is west of San Diego and owned by the U.S. Navy.

The Coast Guard, Navy and Customs and Border Protection crews were actively searching the area for the three people, Read said.

The aircraft used by a Navy contractor departed from the Ventura County area, said Drew Verbis, spokesperson for Naval Base Ventura County on the coast northwest of Los Angeles.

He had no other immediate details.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A sheriffs deputy died after being attacked in her Indianapolis home by a dog that also bit and wounded her 8-year-old son, authorities said Wednesday.

Tamieka White, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday night shortly after Indianapolis police officers responded to her home on the citys east side, officials said. She had been a deputy with the Marion County Sheriffs Office since 2007.

Her young son was also bitten in the dog attack, which was reported about 7:45 p.m., officials said. He is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Indianapolis police said the attacking dog charged at a responding officer, who fatally shot the animal.

A spokesperson with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the dog was not owned by White, and police have identified the owner. They declined to release further information about the owner.

Indianapolis Animal Care Services said in a statement that workers impounded the deceased dog, three additional dogs and a cat from Whites home. The department said it cannot confirm the breeds without a DNA test, but it said all the dogs appeared to be a pitbull-type.

The animals are being held as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday that White had served as a deputy sheriff with the agency since 2007 in the Judicial Enforcement Division, which oversees the transportation of inmates to and from courts, collecting delinquent taxes and serving legal process papers.

Deputy White was a bright light to all that knew her, Sheriff Kerry Forestal said in a statement. We are immensely grateful for her nearly 17 years of service to our agency.

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A federal appointee is managing the water system in Mississippis capital city, and the same might soon be true for the citys sewer system.

U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate said at a Tuesday hearing that he plans on placing Jacksons sewer system under the authority of Ted Henifin, who was appointed in November to address the city's water troubles. The water system partially failed in August, and for days people had to wait in line for water to drink, bathe, cook and flush toilets.

The sewer system has also been beset by problems for years. The city agreed to enter a consent decree in 2012 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to prevent the overflow of raw sewage and bring the city into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Reports required by the consent decree showed that 4.7 billion gallons of untreated or partially treated wastewater were dumped into the Pearl River between March 2020 and February 2022.

Every day that goes by, we run the risk of escalating our problem, Wingate said at the Tuesday hearing.

The federal judge ordered attorneys to write an order that would combine the citys sewer consent decree with its federal order that resulted in Henifins appointment, WLBT-TV reported. Wingate requested that attorneys finish the draft in two weeks.

Henifin said if he were to manage the sewer system, he would contract out most of the repair work, just as he does with the water system.

I dont have time to train staff, buy equipment, Henifin said. This is the best we can do to make this happen fast.

Henifin has said he hopes to wrap up his work as interim water system manager in one year or less. The federal order under which he was appointed sets 12 months for Henifin to implement 13 projects for improving the systems near-term stability.

City Attorney Catoria Martin told Wingate it would take one to three years to fix more than 250 sewer overflows.

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QUITO, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a resolution to continue an impeachment proceedings against Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on embezzlement charges.

Under the resolution with the support of 88 of the 116 legislators present, Lasso and his opposition rivals will have to each testify to the assembly's plenary, before facing a final vote that could result in his removal from office.

According to the opposition parties, Lasso was accused of ignoring alleged embezzlement in relation to a contract between state-owned company Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana and the private company Amazonas Tanker, resulting in a loss for the state.

Lasso denied the accusations, saying that his government had made profitable changes to the deal, which was signed long before he took office.

This marks the first time in 44 years that an Ecuadorian president has faced a possible impeachment by the National Assembly.

Ninety-two votes, or two-thirds of the 137-member National Assembly, are needed to impeach the president in the final vote later this month. The opposition parties are now divided on whether to back the impeachment. 
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP)  North Carolinas Democratic governor rallied residents and local doctors Wednesday in Wilmington as part of a last-minute bid to persuade at least one Republican lawmaker to sustain his expected veto of a bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The visit marks the second day of Gov. Roy Coopers cross-state campaign to urge the constituents of four GOP state legislators to demand they uphold abortion access after expressing hesitance about further restrictions during their election campaigns last year.

Cooper singled out Reps. Tricia Cotham and John Bradford of Mecklenburg County and Rep. Ted Davis and Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County after Republicans fast-tracked legislation last week to impose more stringent limits beyond the current 20 weeks. He plans to veto the bill Saturday at a rally in Raleigh, but party-line votes for passage and assurances from legislative leaders indicate it will likely be overridden.

Flanked by health care providers Wednesday in the Cape Fear region  Davis and Lees home turf  Cooper insisted its not too late for voters to change their lawmakers minds.

All we need is one  one person of conscience, he said. One person who knows that this is wrong and is not afraid to stand up to party leadership.

Coopers shoe-leather advocacy represents state Democrats last defense against a new wave of conservative policies made possible by Cotham's recent party switch from Democrat to Republican. Her move gave the GOP veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers, essentially nullifying the governors veto power unless he can pull in one or more Republicans to block the bill from becoming law.

Some Democrats, like longtime political consultant Gary Pearce, say Coopers last-minute barnstorming demonstrates a newfound desperation in light of Republicans recent seat gains. But conservative critics like Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, view his visits as attempts to bully lawmakers.

Lee, who insists hes made clear his unwavering views on abortion since the campaign season, said in a tweet Wednesday that he opposes banning the procedure before 12 weeks but thinks most abortions later in pregnancy are abhorrent and should be restricted. The Wilmington-area Republican said in a candidate forum last fall that he supports a womans right to choose in the first trimester.

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 had said Friday in a tweet.

Abortion providers say the headline-grabbing 12-week cutoff distracts from dozens more provisions packed into the 47-page bill that make it much more restrictive than meets the eye. They pointed to new hurdles requiring women to make an in-person visit to a medical professional at least 72 hours before the procedure. Under current law, the three-day waiting period can be initiated over the phone.

That waiting period, Cooper said, is longer than the time it took Republicans to file, debate and pass the bill.

Starting July 1, the bill would also 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.

New facility requirements would also require a massive investment for most providers to continue operating clinics in the state, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic CEO Jenny Black told reporters Wednesday. Some of the organizations abortion centers, which Black said have been havens for North Carolinians and patients traveling from more restrictive states, will never meet the new standards, she said.

Davis, Lees counterpart in the state House and the lone Republican absent from the chamber when lawmakers approved the bill last week, had previously stated his support for the existing 20-week limit. Asked by email Wednesday about Coopers visit to Wilmington and his own views on the abortion bill, Davis said he had no comment at this time.

While Pearce, the state Democratic consultant, said its a longshot that Coopers last-minute plea will sway a Republican, he called the approach a smart strategy that could pay dividends in future elections.

Its not impossible, Pearce said of Cooper pulling in a Republican. But then if they go ahead and override his veto and they put this in effect, then Democrats are going to run hard on it next year, and I think its going to be a winning issue for them.

Constituents like Marla Barthen, a Wilmington nurse and film industry medic, are among those demanding accountability.

Senator Lee talked about a 12-week ban, but then all these other stipulations that were loaded on top of that  its overreach, she said. Then Ted Davis made promises that he wasnt going to make any changes ... and so women inside our community have just been misled and lied to.

___

Hannah 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.

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NEW YORK (AP)  New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that the death of Jordan Neely at the hands of a fellow subway rider was a tragedy that never should have happened and pledged to do more to help people experiencing mental health crises.

My heart goes out to Jordans family, who is suffering great pain and uncertainty about the circumstances of his death, said Adams, a former police officer who was criticized for his initial muted response to Neelys death.

Neely died on May 1 when U.S. Marine veteran Daniel Penny put him in a chokehold aboard a subway train in Manhattan.

The 30-year-old Neely was a former Michael Jackson impersonator who was well-known to city outreach workers who try to help unhoused people experiencing mental illness.

A freelance journalist who recorded video of Neelys final minutes said Neely had been screaming at other passengers but hadnt attacked anyone when Penny pulled him to the floor and pinned him. The video shows two other subway riders helping to hold Neely down.

Neely lost consciousness during the struggle and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The medical examiners office ruled that Neely died in a homicide caused by compression of the neck but said the question of criminal culpability would be up to the legal system. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has promised a thorough investigation.

Penny, 24, said through his lawyers last week 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.

Protests have erupted in the days since Neelys death, with demonstrators demanding Pennys arrest.

Because Neely was Black and Penny is white, some see echoes of the nearly 40-year-old case of Bernhard Goetz, a white gunman who was convicted of a weapons offense after he shot four Black men on a subway train in 1984.

Adams first response to the fatal encounter was to decline to condemn Penny and to reference the rights of subway riders to take action in certain situations.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assisting someone, Adams said after Neelys death was first reported.

Neelys family issued a statement earlier this week criticizing the mayors response.

The mayor has chosen a side, said Donte Mills, an attorney hired by Neelys aunt and father. For him to put that forward as an excuse for Mr. Penny is very irresponsible, its not acting in good faith as a mayor and its disrespectful to the family, who is suffering a loss.

Speaking in a livestream address from City Hall on Wednesday, Adams sought to counter the charge that he did not care about Neely. He noted that Neely shared a name with his own son, Jordan Coleman, and said all New Yorkers must work together to do more for our brothers and sisters struggling with serious mental illness.

A message seeking comment on Adams speech was left with Mills, Neelys familys attorney.

Trying to steer mentally ill homeless people into shelter and treatment has been a priority for Adams, a Democrat, since he took office at the beginning of 2022.

Adams announced a plan in November to hospitalize some severely mentally ill people involuntarily, citing the citys moral obligation to act.

That approach was criticized by some civil liberties advocates as too invasive, but Adams said Wednesday that the city has managed to bring many people in crisis to the hospital who desperately needed care in recent months.

In a statement responding to Adams comments, the New York Civil Liberties Union said, We know that forcing anyone into treatment is a recipe for failure.

The organization added, The mayor is right that there are more Jordan Neelys in our city. They deserve to get back on their feet, not be controlled, criminalized, or killed.

Adams urged New York state lawmakers to pass legislation that would smooth the path for getting homeless mentally ill people into treatment.

Neely was not the first member of his family to die violently. His mother, Christie Neely, disappeared in 2007 and her body was found stuffed in a suitcase in the Bronx.

Christie Neelys boyfriend was charged with strangling her, and Jordan Neely testified at the boyfriends murder trial.

Neelys mental health began deteriorating at some point after that, and Adams said the young man interacted with many city agencies and community-based organizations and providers over the years. Those efforts were not enough, and we must find ways to strengthen our system starting with investigation and accountability, Adams said.

Adams said he would bring together the leaders of the five organizations that contract with the city to provide homeless outreach services for a summit next week on improving outcomes for people with serious mental illness.

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With effective and timely support from the international community, particularly NATO member countries, in 2023 Ukraine will win the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Is such an outcome truly possible?

While some political pundits sneeringly argue that it is not, many of them also believed that the Kremlin was right when it predicted that Russias so-called special military operation in Ukraine would only last about three days.

Others fear that China will provide military support to Russia, giving the Russian army a fighting chance.

However, during a one-hour phone conversation on April 26  their first since Russias all-out war against Ukraine  Chinas President Xi Jinping told Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a responsible great power  we would not add fuel to the fire.

Even if China reneged on this statement and decided to support Russia militarily, at the cost of its shortterm economic relationship with the U.S. and the EU, China would only send weapons  not its army.

This would raise the cost of Ukraines victory but would not remedy a glaring problematic combination within Russias army that will inevitably lead to its defeat  namely, low morale and high incompetence.

In any event, a weakened, or even defeated, China-dependent Russia would not exactly be a bad outcome for China.

In 2022, NATO member countries provided hesitant and incremental military support to Ukraine.

Indeed, it was only once Ukraine demonstrated incredible heroism, strength and resilience, as well as amazing combat effectiveness, that NATO member countries started to provide weapons that were more in line with Ukraines actual needs to defend its territorial integrity and restrain Russias expansionist ambitions.

Notwithstanding, this costly procrastination by the West, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny, by the end of 2022, Ukraine liberated 40 per cent of the territories that Russia invaded in 2022.

This is undoubtedly the most relevant statistic and clearly demonstrates that Ukraine is indeed capable  with effective and timely Western support  to restore in 2023 its internationally recognized 1991 borders.

This capability should prompt NATO-member countries to stop wavering and provide Ukraine advanced Western equipment, including F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles. Such assistance would surely help Ukraine win this unprovoked war in the very near future, and prevent further killings of civilians, including innocent children, as well as additional costly destruction of Ukraines cities and towns. Ukraines victory will also remove the most serious threat to the security of NATO-member countries.

Ukraines military success will ultimately be a decisive victory for liberal democracies over authoritarian regimes, namely Russia, backed by Iran, North Korea and Belarus. This will have a significantly positive impact on peace, security, stability and prosperity in the world.

Ukraines victory shall also signal that the international community will no longer tolerate blatant violations of the fundamental values enshrined in the UN Charter, making this world a better place.

Eugene Czolij is president of Ukraine-2050, honorary consul of Ukraine in Montreal and was Ukrainian World Congress president from 2008 to 2018.

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Liberals reject balanced budget and mandatory voting as official policy, May 6

This Canadian Press story, authored by Mia Robson and Mickey Djuric, reports the claim that Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joy has been so very involved in every single international initiative.

Not so! There is an important international initiative in whichJoly and the other Ministers of Global Affairs Canada have been remarkably uninvolved, namely, the growing trend toward comprehensive mandatory human rights due diligence legislation.

The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability reports that such legislation would require Canadian companies to prevent human rights abuse and environmental harms in their global operations and supply chains, or face real consequences for failing to take all reasonable steps to prevent harm.

Very recently, our Prime Minister insisted that we dont use slave labour. Yet, Canadian brands and importers are still sourcing their clothes from garment factories in Bangladesh, where, on April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people, most of whom were women, and injuring 2,500 others.

For 10 years, Canadians have been waiting for their government to enact mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation requiring Canadian companies and importers to respect human rights throughout their supply chains.

William Hayes, Oshawa

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This week, Toronto City Council will be discussing an amendment to the Toronto Municipal Code that would expand the number of designated retail businesses operating with tourist area exemption status. The goal is to expand the number of retailers allowed to open on statutory holidays.

As president of Unifor Local 414, representing thousands of retail workers in the city of Toronto, I cannot believe that council is considering this without consulting workers in the sector.

In 2018, workers fought hard against a similar proposal and council rejected it. Allowing retail businesses to open during statutory holidays will create job instability and precarity, the last things we need in Toronto.

We understand the need to be open for business, our livelihoods depend on it. However, a citywide consultation that includes retail workers is necessary before council considers stripping away stat holidays from workers.

Give us a break and keep stores closed on stat holidays!

Gord Currie, president, Unifor Local 414

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Jordan Neely was murdered. Thats what my favourite American politician flatly tweeted almost immediately after a violent man died after terrifying New York City subway riders and being put in a chokehold by one of them, an ex-Marine, and held down by two more.

Its not clear any of them intended to kill. Maybe, maybe not.

New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez described it as a public murder happens that reinforces existing power structures. And I was sad because Ocasio-Cortez is a great debater who understands the subterranean ways politicians and other powerful Americans work to get their way. Its a joy to watch her speak; she crushes opponents with her knowledge and stance.

But her conclusion was disappointing. She adopted one of the worst American habits by creating an opinion crevasse  right vs. wrong, left vs. right, conspiracy vs. confusion  and demand that people make an instant judgment with facts as yet unknown.

The reporting on Neelys death has not been sterling. He is said to have been schizophrenic but his father claims he was also autistic, which puts a different cast on his behaviour. He had been charged more than three dozen times, at least four times for punching people, the New York Times reported.

Neely had broken the nose of a 67-year-old woman on a subway platform and threatened to kill a female subway worker. No one has interviewed these women.

He had been taken to Bellevue, spent 15 months in jail and slipped out of the Bronx care home where he was medicated and kept off illegal drugs.

Neely threw down his jacket, shouting at frightened passengers, I dont care if I go to jail and get locked up. Im ready to die. Did he have a gun? Then came the chokehold.

The hard left and hard right see the case as simple. It is in fact complicated, a despairing man, three men apparently protecting passengers, and finally the catastrophe his social worker had predicted two weeks earlier.

Ocasio-Cortez correctly refers to power structures but moving from the specific to the general misses the point. There will always be power structures.

In the meantime how is government to perform its most basic task, protecting citizens from violence?

And that is where doctrinaire people on the left and right fail. Their energy is spent on overheated statements that help no one. For instance, Americans are always asked by reporters how they feel. Why not ask them what they think?

You see this in the recent Allen, Texas mall massacre. Allen loves guns, fanatically so. In 2019, the Guardian reports, another male white supremacist left his home in Allen and drove to El Paso to shoot 29 people dead.

The mall killer was soaked in hate for women and non-whites. He was at the bottom of any power structure Ocasio-Cortez could imagine but he suddenly popped to the top. If money is power, violence is power too. Neely momentarily had power, imaginary or not.

Violence is the ultimate right-left crevasse. Republican governments dont object to the AR-15. Theyll be flummoxed when the new gun arrives in the U.S., the Sig Sauer MCX Spear, the civilian version of the U.S. Armys new XM7 rifle, as the New Republic reports.

Twice as powerful as an AR-15, it shoots through Kevlar and kills from a mile away. You dont hear it coming, you dont see the shooter, says one former gun executive. Violence bloats.

The left and the right define victims in their own preferred manner. As always, women may have a different view of the kind of violent homeless man who is seen as harmless by the left and punishable by the right. They may have a different view of the ex-Marine who took action, of a long-distance assault rifle that even cops cant block.

Women may think there is some middle ground, left untouched by unreasonable voices, that includes practicality, quality of life, and getting through a twice-daily subway ride safely.

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OTTAWAAt the federal Liberal convention, former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued a warning: the political debate around abortion in her country will come north for Canadas next election, and you better be ready.

That next election might not be until 2025, but elements of that debate were pushed to the fore on Tuesday.

As anti-abortion activists are set to descend on Parliament Hill this week for the annual March for Life, a Conservative private members bill to introduce penalties for assaulting pregnant women came up for debate, with the Liberals warning it should be seen as a trick to restrict access to abortion.

That point came at a news conference announcing $45 million in federal funding for abortion services, an event announced hours after Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall  a long-time advocate for more restrictions on abortion  had announced her own news conference on her bill.

Seems interesting every time I plan a press conference, we end up with some competition, Wagantall said.

The bill, C-311, would amend the Criminal Code so that knowingly assaulting a pregnant woman and causing physical or emotional harm to a pregnant woman would be considered aggravating circumstances during sentencing for that assault.

Its Wagantalls second legislative effort to do that.

In 2016, she introduced a bill to add pregnancy as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing, but would have also made it a crime to cause injury or death to a preborn child while committing an offence against a pregnant woman.

That element of the bill sparked criticism for giving a fetus legal status, which was seen as opening the door to criminalizing abortion.

On Tuesday, Wagantall said the fact that element is not in her latest bill is proof the law she seeks has nothing to do with abortion. She said it focuses on getting the justice system to acknowledge the risk of physical violence faced by women when they are pregnant and that their attackers harm them for that reason.

This is very, very honed and very specific, she said.

I have responded to what I heard, not just from the pro-life community. From the pro-choice community, from Canadians who are in the middle somewhere, that they get what this is about.

When asked about Wagantalls bill and whether she would support it, Liberal minister Marci Ien, responsible for the Status of Women and gender equality, suggested she saw it differently.

I look forward to the debate in the House, but I will say that we are not a government that will trick people into places that would limit the access to women across our great country to get an abortion, Ien said.

She also denied a coincidence in the timing of the funding announcement, pointing to a similar one made a year ago, and to the measures the money helps address: ensuring women in underserved communities get information and access to reproductive health services.

Thats what this is about, she said.

The Liberals have long claimed a Conservative government would restrict abortion.

The last Conservative government  led by Stephen Harper  didnt.

But his backbench MPs were able to introduce private members bills and motions touching on the subject, and they did, though none ever succeeded. The Harper Conservatives also drew criticism for cutting funding for abortion services overseas.

After Harper lost the 2015 election and quit as leader, that didnt end the debate. The Liberals used it as a wedge in the 2019 and 2021 elections, warning the Conservatives were on the precipice of rolling back access.

They appear set to do the same to current leader Pierre Poilievre; in his own speech before the convention that was full of attacks on Poilievre, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a point of saying his government was in favour of a womans right to choose.

On Tuesday, Ien referenced the fractious abortion debate in America sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, the landmark decision from 1973 that protected womens access to abortion.

We saw what happened in the States and we see whats happening here, Ien said.

When pressed as to what, specifically, was happening here, she pointed to anti-abortion marches and the deluge of emails she receives on the subject as examples of womens rights under siege.

These things start sometimes in an insidious way, she said. Theyre quiet. They sneak up and all of a sudden theyre here.

Wagantall was one of a few Conservative MPs who didnt back Poilievre during the leadership race.

She supported Leslyn Lewis, the candidate who also had the support of organized anti-abortion groups.

Those groups didnt unanimously back Poilievre, pointing to his recent record of opposing abortion laws. More recently, he provoked their ire when a social conservative candidate was disqualified from running in a nomination campaign.

Poilievre has tried to stay away from the issue as a whole, though has said he is pro-choice and that a government led by him would not introduce bills restricting access to abortion.

A new survey released by Abacus Data on Tuesday suggests not all Canadians believe him.

Fourteen per cent of those polled said a Conservative government led by him definitely will make it harder for women to have an abortion, and 23 per cent said it probably will.

The same poll also found that 23 per cent thought a Conservative government should made it harder.

The online survey of 1,750 Canadians was carried out between April 29 to May 3.

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OTTAWA  On Monday, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller joined two of his cabinet colleagues and said a government pledge to fund more than 100 shelter spaces and transitional housing units in Indigenous communities would save lives.

On Tuesday, the NDPs gender equality critic Leah Gazan said the Liberal governments lack of clarity surrounding that money  and its intention to actually spend it  was ending those lives.

This government has been negligent in the fact that theyve been so slow to get the money out the door. Theres no reason for it, Gazan told the Star.

We shouldnt have to beg for safety, and they need to stop with the excuses, she said. They need to get that money out the door. Its been three years. People are losing their lives as a result of gender-based violence.

The government first announced a comprehensive violence prevention strategy in 2020, earmarking $724.1 million to build new shelters and transitional housing for Indigenous women, children, and LGBTQ and two-spirit people experiencing gender-based violence. The money was intended to flow over five years  starting in the 2021-2022 fiscal year  and is split between the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

This week, Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu joined Miller in announcing $103 million for the construction and ongoing operational support of at least 178 new shelter and transitional units. The money would go toward 22 projects in 21 communities, the ministers said.

But few of those details are actually new, prompting Gazan to accuse the government of playing games with a crisis that is wreaking devastation in communities like her own.

Its so awful. I would love for you to spend a week in my community and feel the grief, the Winnipeg Centre MP said.

Data from Statistics Canada indicates that more than six in 10 Indigenous women have experienced physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, and that Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience intimate partner violence.

The funding announced Monday comes from the pot of money first unveiled back in 2020. Of the $103 million announced, $4.38 million has been committed to four of the 22 projects. Those projects will start construction soon, while agreements still need to be signed for the remaining 18, a spokesperson from Hussens office said. At that point, its up to applicants to take over the construction of projects.

The decision to fund 22 projects, representing more than 170 units, is also not new: the information is contained in a response to a question Gazan put on the House of Commons order paper back in January.

That response also provides a provincial and territorial breakdown of where each of those projects will be built.

When asked to clarify what was previously unknown information in the three ministers news conference, Hussens office said it was the specific list of 21 First Nations and other communities where the units are to be built.

According to the response to Gazans question, ISC had also spent just $37.1 million of its $304.1 million allotment as of January on culturally relevant violence prevention activities and to support initial start up costs for selected shelter and transition home projects.

That no shelters or transitional housing spaces have opened  or even started construction  prompted Gazan to ask the government in question period on Tuesday why it was not acting with the urgency that this crisis deserves.

Hajdu responded that Ottawa has been working with communities to make sure that these shelters will be appropriate and custom built.

She told reporters earlier Tuesday that capacity to build projects in smaller and remote communities can cause issues, including in situations where the use of seasonal roads is required to bring in materials.

CMHC and government officials have acknowledged there is a detailed process behind getting shovels in the ground, which includes working with Indigenous-led committees to evaluate applications and select projects.

Miller said that while Ottawa was putting its money where its mouth is in areas where it hasnt been in the past, he placed some blame on provincial and territorial governments for failing to step up.

We are in an area that they often say is not our jurisdiction, but yet they are not doing enough or sometimes not doing anything, he said.

The 2023 federal budget committed $4 billion to develop an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy, along with additional money to work with provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to outline shared roles and priorities to tackle the ongoing violence.

But Gazan said theres a whole bunch of bureaucracy when it comes to addressing the situation.

Rates of violence are increasing . we see women, girls, two-spirit plus go missing on the daily, she said.

I think now its not the time to pat themselves on the back.

With files from Alex Ballingall

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XIONG'AN, Hebei, May 10 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for efforts to firm up confidence and maintain resolve while taking solid steps to continuously achieve new progress in developing the Xiong'an New Area.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. Li, Cai and Ding are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

During the inspection, Xi said Xiong'an has entered a phase of advancing large-scale construction and at the same time taking on functions nonessential to Beijing's role as China's capital.

On Wednesday morning, Xi took a high-speed train to Xiong'an where he first inspected the Xiong'an Railway Station, a key infrastructure project of the area with great symbolic importance.

The railway station is designed as a transportation hub, Xi said, emphasizing the need to improve the connectivity of the station with various places.

He stressed developing the zone of Zan'gang, where the railway station is located, into a high-end and high-tech industry cluster area.

In addition to the railway station, Xi also visited a residential community that is home to 5,000-plus relocated residents. There, Xi chatted with community workers and residents, expressing his satisfaction with the good living conditions of the residents.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring the relocated residents live well and have satisfactory jobs.

Promoting equal access to basic public services is crucial in building a people's city that is both livable and conducive to doing business, Xi noted.

He visited the home of resident Li Jinghe. Xi said building the Xiong'an New Area is a major strategic decision made by the Party's central authorities and the relocated residents had made their contributions.

"MIRACULOUS" TRANSFORMATION

The development of the Xiong'an New Area is a national project of millennial significance and should be pushed forward with concrete actions and sustained efforts, Xi said.

At the construction sites of an inter-city railway station and an international trade center, he learned about the development of key infrastructure projects and major projects launched for the purpose of relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital.

Xi said more efforts should be made to develop a multifaceted and integrated transportation network and make full use of underground space so as to build a "city of the future" free of urban maladies.

At a convention center, Xi was briefed about the progress of the overall design and development of the Xiong'an New Area and efforts to restore and conserve the eco-environment of Baiyangdian Lake.

At the convention center, Xi convened a meeting on advancing the high-quality construction of the Xiong'an New Area to a high standard.

Xi remarked that the transformation of the Xiong'an New Area from ground zero to an emerging sophisticated modern city within a mere six years is miraculous. 
That Pakistan is locked in an intense debate over its future diplomatic direction has been confirmed after a recent cable leak exposed the governments inclination to go all in with China.

Islamabad has clearly become disenchanted with the lack of support from the USA as it struggles with an economic crisis that has brought it to the brink of debt default.

While the leak does highlight the differences between Pakistans civilian leadership and its powerful army, which prefers to balance ties with the rival superpowers, there is a growing acceptance within the military establishment that American interests in not just South Asia but also the Indo-Pacific are far more aligned with those of India.

The Taliban regime in Kabul, meanwhile, has agreed with China and Pakistan to extend the Beijing-promoted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan, potentially drawing in billions of dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the sanctions-hit country but more vitally, giving China the opportunity to cement itself as the great power in the region as the Americans continue their pivot away from Af-Pak. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met in Islamabad on Saturday and pledged to work together on Afghanistans reconstruction process including, rather significantly, taking the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to the Taliban-ruled nation. Talibans top diplomat Amir Khan Muttaqi travelled to Islamabad to meet his Chinese and Pakistani counterparts and reached an agreement to this effect.

All these developments could have profound implications for Indias external environment. If the CPEC takes off, drawing in Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics (not to mention Russia and Turkey), it will likely be a gamechanger. The CPEC envisages modernising Pakistans ~ and now potentially Afghanistans ~ energy transportation systems to connect the deep-sea ports of Gwadar and Karachi to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China and beyond by overland routes. Beijings aim is to reduce the time and cost of transporting goods and energy to China by circumventing the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. If Pakistan decides it can live in the Chinese debt-trap, Beijing overcomes its hesitancy to reschedule Islamabads debt repayments, the CPEC can survive the post-pandemic slowdown in execution of works, and Islamabad effectively cracks down on militants attacking infrastructure and abducting Chinese nationals, both nations will gain economically and in strategic terms as the new Great Game plays out.

The two-front challenge for India given the China-Pakistan axis will also get more acute in this scenario. The question then becomes how should the USA ~ which has a large say in global financial institutions ~ and its partners deal with Pakistans appeals for bailouts to prevent an economic collapse in the context of great power rivalry? Also, what role can Delhi play, in coordination with Washington, to prevent an adverse fallout on its interests of an armed-to-the-teeth, Army controlled China proxy on its western border, which is riven by strife, radicalisation, and social instability?
The targeting of China that has now become an integral part of the American political discourse is here to stay even if the countrys top political office is claimed by one who is not at present considered the leading contender from his party. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, considered an aspirant for the Republican nomination, has cemented his antiChina credentials as it were by signing laws this week that make his position quite clear.

Among the legislative measures adopted by Florida are a ban on purchase of real estate by Chinese nationals who are not American permanent residents; restrictions on access to TikTok; a ban on storing sensitive data on servers controlled by the Chinese regime, and measures to restrict public colleges and universities from accepting gifts or entering into agreements with colleges based in China.

Mr DeSantis must hope these legislative measures will burnish his image among Republicans worried about the growing Chinese influence, a narrative spawned by President Donald Trump and underlined by his successors actions. But these actions confirm that going into the 2024 presidential election, the China factor will remain a key foreign policy and strategic issue for American voters. The Florida governor is well behind Mr Trump in the race for the Republican nomination, but clearly hopes the new laws will help him close the gap. The China card was used, unsuccessfully as it transpired, by Mr Trump in his 2020 re-election bid.

He had then told voters that if he lost, all American children would have to learn Mandarin, and one of his campaign videos was titled With Joe Biden, China is in charge. President Bidens rhetoric on China has matched that of his predecessor, if with more elegant phrasing, so the charge is unlikely to be as vehement should the two face off again in 2024. But before it becomes a Biden v Trump battle, they each will need to secure their partys nomination, and Mr DeSantis actions make it clear that China will remain a part of the campaign furniture. There is a flip side to this heightened attention on China. Experts suggest Beijing may have stepped up its efforts to influence the American political discourse, with the objective of supporting candidates who are less inimical to its interests but sometimes just to sow chaos. According to reports filed to the US Justice Department, China spent more over the past few years to influence American public opinion than it did in any other country, a sum of $280 million.

Reports suggest that Beijing is seeking to influence the discourse through Chinese-Americans, and through deceptive paid inserts from its publications in mainstream American newspapers and magazines. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was said last year to be conducting seven times more China-related investigations than it did four years earlier. Both Google and Meta have warned of Chinese meddling in the American political process. And now Mr DeSantis has plugged into the narrative.
It is time for justified celebration by the country, courtesy some former justices of the apex court. Half a century ago, almost to the day, the Supreme Court of India delivered a judgment that was arguably one of the most celebrated contributions to modern democratic jurisprudence not only in India but perhaps the entire democratic world ~ Kesavananda Bharati vs Union of India.

It was one of the finest hours of the apex court. A Guardian Angel of the Constitution was conceptualized, spelt out as its Basic Structure. The doctrine engraved in stone the basic freedoms that the common citizen of the country continues to enjoy under the Constitution.

The Fundamental Rights that were enshrined in independent Indias Constitution are firmly in place, even expanded since.

A toxic proposition had been espoused by the then ruling political majority that Parliament is sovereign in its legislative functioning ~ it was junked albeit by a majority in the Constitution Bench formed especially for the purpose, an opinion since consecrated by several subsequent judgments during the last half century.

Little wonder that in global fora today, India is increasingly held as a shining example of a magnificently robust democracy.

The country now rightfully aspires to be a member of the most exclusive club in the world ~ the Security Council.

Of late, however, there have been some dissenting voices on the said judgment that may just dilute the spirit of these celebrations.

One of the prominent voices is that of the Union Law Minister. Fortunately, independent India has a tradition of appointing only such elected leaders as are well-versed in law as Law Ministers, irrespective of the fact that no particular qualifications may be required for other positions in the Council of Ministers.

And the present Law Minister is no exception. He is a legal scholar in his own right. But in this case, he may not have been correctly advised. Half a century is not a long time in the history of a modern nation.

But it is a long time in the history of a modern democracy that prides itself to be under the rule of law.

Though independent Indias Constitution was promulgated almost three quarters of a century ago ~ one of the finest in the modern world ~ it was rewritten in golden letters with a judgment that boldly underlined the basic principles of a secular democracy ~ the rule of law, an independent judiciary, separation of powers, freedom of speech and worship, and an independent civil service.

The original Constitution was drafted soon after independence by the Constituent Assembly, comprising a cross-section of enlightened peoples representatives.

The rewriting was done by a majority of a Full Bench of the Supreme Court of thirteen judges, almost quarter of a century later.

The then ruling party viewed it as a grave provocation in the form of reiteration of an earlier judgment of the Court (in 1967) that had ruled the Fundamental Rights could not be curtailed or amended by the Legislature (Golak Nath).

The ruling party misconstrued it is an attack on the sovereign power of the Parliament to enact any law it wished, as peoples representatives.

The ruling majority party argued that as all power was exercised in the name of We, the people, Parliament had the exclusive right to pass any Constitutional amendment in the public interest ~ the judiciary must acknowledge the sovereign will of the peoples representatives.

The latter are the elected leaders of public opinion, chosen to represent their interest and carry forward the same by enabling the Government to implement any law as passed by the Parliament.

The judiciary must respect the peoples will. The ruling political Executive thereby had sown the seeds of open confrontation with the Judiciary, by taking such an untenable and undemocratic stand.

Fortunately for the country and the future of democracy, the Supreme Court did not succumb to the Executive. The largest Bench of the Court sat for the longest time ~ six months ~ and delivered arguably the most celebrated judgment in the legislative history of independent India.

It conceded to the Parliament but only partly the power to suitably amend the Constitution to carry forward its intent but held it could not tinker with or alter the basic structure of the same.

Most crucially, it could not curtail the independent power of the Judiciary to review any legislation to ensure that it conforms to the basic structure. The Court outlined in broad terms the basic structure of the Constitution which has admirably stood the test of time for half a century.

One of the prime postulates of the basic structure is that the Constitution is supreme, not the Legislature, not the Executive, not even the Judiciary. It had been strenuously argued on behalf of the ruling political Executive that the elected legislature is sovereign since our democracy is based on the Westminster model.

The argument was specious even to begin with. Undeniably, the British Parliament is sovereign as the country has no written Constitution. But it is only in theory.

Leading political scientists even in the UK, like Harold Laski in the last century, categorically junked this proposition of sovereign power of the British Parliament. Laski fully endorsed the stand taken earlier by the then Lord Chancellor of UK to argue that assuming the British Parliament in the exercise of its sovereign power were to promulgate that its tenure be extended indefinitely, in such contingency the British courts would be fully justified in exercising their powers in a similarly extraordinary manner and annul such a legislation.

It thereby negated the proposition, even for the Mother of all Parliaments that the UK Parliament is not fully sovereign in the exercise of its legislative functions.

Not only that, the hypothesis that the legislature is supreme is not valid in any modern democracy, not even in the birthplace of modern Constitutional democracy ~ the USA. In America, some members of the ruling political class had argued that they were the custodians of the will of the people, as elected representatives.

Hence, they were the sole judges, so to say, of peoples will, not the Judiciary which was an unelected body.

The argument was trashed two centuries ago by the then Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, John Marshal who ruled categorically that the Constitution is supreme, not the Legislature.

And the judiciary (through its exclusive power of interpretation) can alone say what the Constitution is. It is the settled, unchallenged law in the US ever since, that the power of judicial review cannot be questioned by the elected legislature.

(The writer is IAS officer)
Results of Madhyamik Examination, under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) are all set to get published next week if everything related to its preparation goes smoothly.

This year, the Madhyamik Exam was held on and from 23 February and ended on 4 March in the state. Earlier, the WBBSE chief Mr Ramanuj Gangopadhyay had said that the results would be published in May.

Sources in the board said that preparation in connection with publication of results is nearing completion. A notification in this regard would also be issued soon. Meanwhile, a notice appeared in various social media proclaiming that the results of Higher Secondary Examination will be published on 25 May at 11 am. But, this was refuted by the president of WBBSE president Chiranjib Bhattacharya on Tuesday.

He even issued a prompt notice on the boards website which said: that a news regarding publication of result of HS Examination 2023 is circulating among the people through online media which is totally fake and fabricated and council has no relation with this.

He told The Statesman, We do not know who has done this but we will file an FIR tomorrow (Wednesday) after we reach Kolkata. I must tell all through you that the council always issues such notices at the website and people should only rely on the information which is there in our website.

The notice was signed by Tapas Kumar Mukherjee, secretary, WB Council of HS Education.
Coming down heavily on the BJP, Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned why the Union home minister Amit Shah should not be interrogated as the Enforcement Directorate has found that BSF is directly or indirectly involved in cattle smuggling.

He was addressing a rally at Murarai in Birbhum this afternoon. Mr Banerjee said, As Amit Shah heads the BSF he should be questioned in cattle smuggling case.

If Anubrata Mondals daughter Suparna is in jail custody after her property value went up by 150 times, then why any action had not been taken against Jay Shah, Amit Shahs son whose income has gone up by 80,000 times, he said, adding, Does any media has the guts to ask Amit Shah this question.

They will not. Trinamul Congress national general secretary said the struggle with BJP will be stiffer in future as after losing 2021 Assembly election, the BJP has stopped the dues of West Bengal government worth Rs 1.15 lakh crore out of sheer vengeance. There are thousands of families in Birbhum who have not got their dues under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. This is most unfortunate.

He urged those who had not received their dues to raise their hands and requested the media that instead of showing his speeches, they should show those who have not received the money.

The mass contact drive of Mr Banerjee titled Jana Sangjog Yatra entered its 15th day, today. He started the campaign from Dinhata in Cooch Behar on 25 April.

This is for the first time since the inception of the party in 1998 when a rally of Trinamul Congress was held without Anubrata Mondal. Mr Mondal is in jail custody in connection with the cattle smuggling case.

Mr Banerjee said the two month-long programmes would be held across the state as attempts would be made to set up transparent panchayat.

No political party will give you an opportunity to select the candidates. If you select your own candidate, then the person will work for the development of the area.

If this model is successful, rest assured the whole country will follow you, he said, adding, I have been staying in tents just because I want to bring transparency in the selection of candidates. Mr Banerjees next destination is east Burdwan.
The Union home minister Amit Shah reiterated how Kavi guru had a strong association with Gujarat. Speaking at Science City, Shah said Rabindranath Tagore had a strong connection with Gujarat and its literature. Many of his works have been translated into Gujarati.

He travelled to Ahmedabad at the age of 17. Satyendranath Tagore was the commissioner of Ahmedabad. He had translated Bal Gangadhar Tilaks Gita Rahasya and Tukarams works in Bengali connecting Bengal to the literature of Maharashtra. Kavi guru also described in his writings how Gujarat prospered during the English rule. Till today,

Gujaratis remember him for this, said the Union minister. Talking about Shantiniketan, which is making headlines for controversy around Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, he said, the system of Santiniketan is exemplary to the education system of the world.

The system of Santiniketan can show a path to the education system of the world. It is the responsibility of the people associated with education in India that they solidify the system of Santiniketan and bring it before the world, said Shah. The Home minister also underlined how Tagore laid emphasis on education in mother tongue.

In resonance with his ideology, our education system also emphasizes on education in the mother tongue, he added. Earlier, the Union minister on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) and Border Security Force (BSF), close to India-Bangladesh border, in West Bengal.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that India-Bangladesh relations are based on values of shared culture, language, art and life traditions and no one can disrupt these relations.

The two nations have followed the same culture for thousands of years, and from the birth of Bangladesh till today, India has played a friendly role in the history of Bangladesh, he said. Mr Shah said BSFs contribution in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh is written in golden words, and underlines the cordial and warm relations between India and Bangladesh, which will only gain fresh energy and momentum here-on.
It was altogether a different sight where MPs, MLAs and political office bearers had gathered not to run around for a rally or a debate but to enjoy music. Yes, on Wednesday they assembled at the Trinamool Bhavan here but for a musical and cultural programme. The event was planned and organized by them only.

The special program to mark the 162nd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore started at 10 am with the inaugural speech by Firhad Hakim, highlighting the thoughts and ideals of humanity that Tagore wrote throughout his life.

Sudip Bandopadhyay, a well known political figure and TMC leader, sang a famous Tagore number Akash Bhora Surya Tara while Minister of Information Technology and Electronics of West Bengal Babul Supriya sang Dhai Jeno Mor Sakol Bhalobasa. Dola Sen, another prominent MP of the party, sang Keno Cheye Aachho Go Maa.

It was completely different with TMC Ministers, MPs, MLAs and Councillors batting on a different pitch. This day is always special for us. This cultural evening really adds up to the whole environment. Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee always celebrates Tagore and we all follow and love this enthusiasm and energy. The Trinamool Bhavan can be seen in a completely different colour today, said Dola Sen.

Partys Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Sekhar Roy read a passage from the essay  Crisis in Civilisation. Minister of Health and Family Welfare Chandrima Bhattacharya recited the poem Kripon while Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay recited Bandi Veer written by Tagore.

MLAs like Narayan Goswami, Debashish Kumar and others, councillors like Kakoli Sen, Devika Chakraborty, Mousumi Das, youth leaders, students, and members of Womens Wing of the TMC also participated in the program and recited poems of Rabindranath Tagore.

Approximately three hours long this cultural show witnessed a huge presence of mainstream politicians enjoying music. In the evening the Ministry of Culture, West Bengal and Kolkata Corporation jointly organised Kavi Pranam.

Speaking to The Statesman, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said: We have followed the instructions of our leader and Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. She always celebrates days like Netajis birth anniversary, Rabindra Nath Tagores birth anniversary and some other specific days. We have a list of such specific days. But the party office celebrated it for the first time. Witnessing the law makers singing together with enthusiasm was very encouraging. The feeling of brotherhood and togetherness could be felt on the occasion.
With about goods and services tax (GST) evasion amounting to about Rs 2,250 crore by some players in the general insurance industry, a major union in the sector has urged the government and the regulator to cancel licences of such entities.

We demand the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) take a proactive action in this regard, Trilok Singh, General Secretary, General Insurance Employees All India Association (GIEAIA) told IANS.

The evasion of GST by some private players is maligning the entire industry. If the private players are not evading the statutory dues, will they pay the policyholders claims promptly is the question that begs an answer, he added.

The IRDAI conspicuously silent on the issue of huge GST evasion by the private general insurance players.

IRDAI officials do inspect the books of accounts of the insurers and yhe question is how did they miss this huge GST evasion.

Simply put, the insurers had paid their intermediaries over and above what they were to pay legally. The amount has been accounted under various heads on which GST falls due.

According to an industry official, if the books of entries are reversed for the insurers and taxes paid, then they may have to bring in fresh capital to meet the solvency norms.

The Working Committee of the GIEAIA at their meeting held in Pune recently has demanded the Centre, the Department of Financial Services, and the IRDAI should take strict prompt action against the tax evaders.

It has demanded the IRDAI/government to impose huge penalties or even cancel their licences for not paying the GST and Income Tax.

The evasion of tax running into thousands of crore of rupees has raised the questions on the integrity of such insurers which are maligning and defaming the whole sector, the GIEAIA said.

The GIEAIA Working Committee has also urged the government amongst others to refer the proposed amendments to insurance laws to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance for a meaningful and constructive discussion.
Steps have been initiated to construct Integrated Infrastructure Complexes in all 30 districts of the state said chief secretary P K Jena while noting that the challenge is to ensure that persons with disabilities can live with dignity by getting access to education, health and related facilities.

He was addressing a regional workshop on status of People with Disabilities and Road to Inclusive Development hereon Tuesday. Supported by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), New Delhi this programme was organized by Swabhiman for the first time; an Eastern India consultation on the above subject.

Swabhiman is a cross disability, rights-based organization, empowers and systematically mainstreams persons with disabilities.

Education, accessibility, livelihood and advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities for empowerment and inclusion are the prime focus areas of its work.

The aim of this Consultation was to understand the status of people with disabilities in the Eastern Region across the key thematic areas of education, employment, health and accessibility, specifically in the context of gender and Sustainable Development Goal realization.

Seventy participants from five eastern States, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, representing 21 kinds of disabilities, participated.

The chief secretary said all secretaries will visit (SIEP) and other institutions working for the welfare of persons with disabilities to study their ground situation and problems.

The State Government is also focusing on the facilities of the differently abled in the State and will make a lot of changes in their lives by continuing with more efforts to meet their needs in the coming days, he said.

Arman Ali, honorary Director, NCPEDP and Bratati Harichandan, Director, SSEPD, Odisha was also spoke .

The Founder and CEO of Swabhimaan Dr. Shruti Mohapatra referred about the transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda to Leave no one behind and to endeavor to reach the furthest behind first emphasizes that all people should have access to equitable and accessible education, employment, and health services.

She also proposed to collect special data on persons with disabilities in the upcoming census in all states, including Odisha.
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder kicked off the first of his seven concerts in Beijing on Tuesday night, performing Beethoven piano sonatas at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

The 76-year-old piano virtuoso, renowned for his exceptional interpretations of Beethoven's music, will perform the complete collection of 32 Beethoven piano sonatas during his tour in Beijing that will end on May 17.

"(Performing) a concert is always a challenge," said the musician. "(For the audience) this is a fantastic discovery of new pieces that are seldom, practically never played."

Buchbinder performed the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven for the first time in China at the 15th Beijing Music Festival in 2012.

In May 2019, he joined Staatskapelle Dresden as the pianist and conductor to stage Beethoven's five piano concertos in Beijing.

Tuesday's performance is part of this year's NCPA May Festival, which began on May 1 and will last till May 27.

The festival brings performances of musicians from home and abroad, including world-renowned French violinist Renaud Capucon and celebrated Chinese cellist Wang Jian. 
Ahead of the G20 meeting in Kashmir later this month, the Northern Command of the Army held drills against any possible chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attack.

The Northern Command that guards the Line of Control (LOC) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Pakistan and China along the two UTs, in a tweet said that the drills were carried out with the aim to react to challenges in the operational spectrum.

The strategic military command said that Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear defensive drills consisting contamination avoidance & weapons of mass destruction mitigation were carried out by Northern Command with an aim to react to challenges in the operational spectrum.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto had, after the recent meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa, issued a veiled threat to India on the issue of holding a G20 meeting in Kashmir.

He told reporters after returning to Pakistan that such a response will be given that it will be remembered. He, however, later backed out of the statement. Pakistan has already lodged a protest against India holding the G20 meetings in Kashmir and Ladakh.

The security forces are not leaving anything to chance during the prestigious G20 meet in Srinagar. Pakistani drones have during the recent past dropped sticky bombs and grenades for terrorists hiding in J&K. A couple of infiltration attempts through the LoC have also been made by terrorists and most of these were foiled by the Army.

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday reviewed the security scenario ahead of the G20 tourism group meeting in Srinagar. Top brass of the Army, intelligence agencies and J&K Police participated in the meeting. Director of Intelligence Bureau, J&K DGP Dilbag Singh, ADGPs of Jammu and the Kashmir ranges, GOC of Armys Nagrota based 16 Corps (Jammu) and GOC of the Srinagar based 15 Corps attended the security review meeting.

Fool-proof security arrangements for the G20 meet were discussed in the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in Rajouri and Poonch where 10 Army soldiers were killed.

The Army and other security forces have already been ordered to be watchful against vehicle-borne IED (VBIED), suicide, sticky bomb, drone and grenade attacks by terrorists. Aerial surveillance will be maintained at the venue of the meeting and also the hotels where the participants will reside. MARCOS of the Indian Navy will dominate all water-bodies in Srinagar.

The Northern Army Commander Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi is monitoring the situation in J&K and Ladakh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his recent visit here along with the Army Chief General Manoj Pande reviewed the security scenario in J&K, especially in the Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Officers of Armys White Knight Corps held a security review meeting with the J&K Police at Dharmund in Batote on the Jammu-Srinagar highway to coordinate smooth and synergised operations especially with respect to the ongoing security situation in the Jammu Region and security of the highway.

The Srinagar based Chinar Corps on Wednesday said that during the joint Operations with police at Chotipura & Burihalan in south Kashmirs Shopian, two terrorists were apprehended and a pistol, IED and other war-like stores were recovered from them. A day earlier, a 6 kg IED was recovered in Pulwama.
Expressing concern over large-scale violence in Pakistan following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, MP and National Conference chief Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that instability in the neighbourhood is bad for the region as a whole.

An unstable Pakistan is dangerous for us. We need a stable Pakistan which is essential for peace in the sub-continent, Abdullah told reporters.

It is not for us to tell Pakistan how to manage its democracy and its politics but we hope that cooler heads prevail, the rule of law is established and democratic institutions are strengthened. Pakistan is our neighbour and we hope something better will come and people will have a peaceful life, he said.

Abdullah said that it has been a tragedy for Pakistan for a long time, unfortunately, they have a checkered history right from the time of independence. The first Prime Minister Liyaqat Ali Khan was assassinated. There is a constant history of assassinations. Prime Minister Zulfqar Ali Bhatto was hanged and his daughter Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Unfortunately for us in India unstable Pakistan is dangerous for us, said Abdullah.

Pakistan is economically in a very desperate condition. Also, recent floods in Balochistan have put that country in a miserable situation. I cant tell you the condition of the people in Balochistan. What we see from the media because I am not there. It is very vital that the country must stabilize itself, he said.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti tweeted; In Pakistan, democracy lies in tatters. Perhaps the only silver lining is an independent judiciary & a fierce media holding the establishment accountable unlike the worlds largest democracies.

While political representatives are being arrested on frivolous grounds, the other institutions necessary for check and balance has not been subverted yet, she added.
With the objective to provide best cancer treatment in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu held a meeting with prominent oncologist of the country, Dr G K Rath, Professor Emeritus Department of Radiation and Oncology and Head of the National Cancer Institute, (NCI), AIIMS at New Delhi on Wednesday.

North India is registering the highest number of cancer cases. And also since cancer cases are increasing at an alarming rate in Himachal Pradesh with growth rate of 2.2 per cent as against 0.6 per cent in the country detailed discussions were held regarding strengthening cancer treatment facilities and overall health infrastructure in the state, he said.

The chief minister disclosed that about 8,500 cases were detected every year on an average and many go unnoticed and undetected in the remotest belts of the state.

It is my priority to provide best health facilities in every far reaching corner of the state and this is the main focus area of my government, said the chief minister.

The state government is also exploring the possibility of setting up a centrally funded National Cancer Institute at Hamirpur, said Sukhu.

He stressed upon creating awareness amongst the masses about the fatal disease and urged holding cancer awareness programmes and organizing workshops in collaboration with the NCI.

He also underlined the need for more screening and detection so that proper treatment could be provided at an early stage of cancer.

Besides, discussions were also held about the possibility of starting a pilot project for health vaccination of adolescent girls in this regard for a healthy future population.

Dr. Rath apprised the Chief Minister that 50 percent of cancer is curable and also briefed about latest cancer treatment technology.
The almost five-month-old government of Chief Minister Thakur Sukvinder Singh Sukhu is likely to have a cabinet expansion that has been on the cards for quite some time.

Sukhu, on Wednesday, met Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla in New Delhi and later spoke to media persons hinting at inducting more ministers. The cabinet expansion is considered politically important since it will be undertaken keeping in mind the parliamentary elections due in 2024.

The Congress is already upbeat with the third victory in a row after winning by-polls in three Assembly seats and one MP seat (Mandi) in 2021, state Assembly elections in 2022, and the recently held Shimla Municipal Corporation elections.

However, it is still staring at a tough challenge to strike a balance between regions, caste, and factions of CM and State Congress President Pratibha Singh.

Moreover, after the partys first cabinet expansion in the first week of January, it has often been targeted by the Opposition for imbalanced regional representation to various regions.

The party came to power by winning 40 seats out of 68 assembly segments in the elections held in November last. Presently, the strength of the cabinet is nine, including the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Three ministerial berths are still vacant as the maximum number of ministers cannot exceed 12.

In a bid to accommodate legislators, the Congress government appointed six CPS. However, it has been challenged by 12 MLAs of the opposition BJP in the High Court. They have also challenged the appointment of a Deputy Chief Minister as well.

The ministers inducted earlier include five Rajputs, Brahmin, and one each from Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, and OBC.

There are many aspirants for the ministerial berth around six MLAs most of whom are second and third-time MLAs and former ministers.

Ahead in the race for the cabinet post include ex-Minister Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala in Kangra district) elected for the fourth term, Rajesh Dharmani (Ghumarwin in district Bilaspur) former Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur in Hamirpur district) both third term MLAs, second time MLA Yadvender Goma (Jaisinghpur Kangra district), two-time MLAs Sanjay Rattan (Jawalamukhi ) and presently appointed as CPS Kishori Lal (Baijnath) both from Kangra district.

The most politically significant assembly constituency that Kangra has given Congress 10 seats out of 15 had been given only one legislator in the cabinet of Chief Minister Sukhu and it is likely that another legislator will likely find a place in the cabinet expansion.

There are four MLAs from the Kangra district alone who are front runners for the ministerial berth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the biggest fraud since Independence was the gharibi hatao promise by the Congress, and governments formed by it and others in the name of social justice only promoted casteism, dynastic politics and a corrupt eco-system.

Addressing a public meeting at Abu Road in Rajasthan, after launching development projects in Nathdwara, Modi said the Congress milked the slogan of gharibi hatao (removal of poverty) for decades, and the poor became poorer, while the members of the Congress became richer.

The prime minister said in the past few decades, the Congress and parties with similar thinking betrayed people in the name of social justice, and did nothing for the poor. These parties come to power in the name of their vote banks, but do not do any good even to them, while concentrating on their own family welfare.

Modi said the vote banks of these parties trusted them, but sunk into worse conditions. He said whosoever becomes the vote bank of these parties, their development halts and the ruling families grab all the benefits. People should never commit the mistake of reducing themselves to vote banks for development; they should instead become good voters, and be like lions and stay away from being vote-banks, and not behave like wolves to be included in the vote-banks, the prime minister said.

He said people may say the biggest fraud since Independence was the 2G fraud, or Coal fraud, or Bofors, helicopter or urea scandals. But there was even a bigger fraud on peoples sentiments than these scams. Fifty years back, the Congress promised removal of poverty, and what happened was that with every guarantee by the Congress, the Congress leaders became rich while the citizens became poorer, he said.

That is why till 2014, 10 crore families did not have toilets; 50 crore had no bank accounts; lakhs of villages were without road connectivity; 16 crore families without tap water, the prime minister said.

For 50 years, the gharibi hatao promise was given and milked, he said. The BJP brought out the true picture in the last nine years and did more than the work done by the Congress in 50 years. Besides the bank accounts and toilets for all the needy, nine crore have tap water today, including 40 lakh families in Rajasthan. Free gas connections were given to lakhs of women in Rajasthan; 19 lakh families got pucca houses and most in the name of women. Each costs Rs 1 lakh or more, and these women are lakhpati Didis. Your brother has done it, he told the meeting.

The Congress gave only worry, insecurity to the poor; the BJP instead gave them cover of accident insurance and pension; three of these schemes completed eight years yesterday, with daily premium Rs 1.25 or Rs 1.50 only. Thirty crore people have benefited and Rs 15,000 crore has been paid to them, he said.

For decades, the Congress pursued politics which did maximum harm to Dalits, backwards and adivasis, he said. Adivasis trusted the Congress for decades but got only deprivation and lack of opportunity. Sirohi, Jaisalmer or other areas had no development and the Congress washed its hands by declaring them backward areas, while there was a high adivasi population there.

Modi said it is his government which declared the districts as Aspirational Districts. This morning over Rs 5,000 crore projects foundation stones and inauguration was done. This would benefit aspirational districts of the State. The Government is undertaking projects which were sought by the State since Independence, he said.

To harm Modi or the BJP, the prime minister said, the Congress does not shy away from harming the country. Even during the Corona pandemic, the Congress tried to spread rumours, tried to provoke people on vaccines, and wanted people to die in large numbers so that the party could target the BJP Government. But he did not surrender before their machinations. The Government was vigilant and saved not only lives of Indian citizens, but even helped other nations.

Even Rajasthan suffered due to this kind of selfish politics followed by the Congress, he said. The state has witnessed in the last five years a dirty spectacle of fight for political power. In place of welfare of people, what one sees in the State is a game to loot power or protect it, he said.

The prime minister said Rajasthan has a government where the chief minister does not trust his own MLAs, and the MLAs do not trust their own chief minister. Everybody in the government is trying to beat each other in heaping insults.

If the continuity of the government is in doubt for five years, who will take care of Rajasthans development? The law and order is completely destroyed in the State. There were hardly any serious crimes in the State, but criminals are roaming there freely now without fear, he said.

The worst victims of crime are women and the government is reluctant to act against the culprits due to appeasement of vote banks. Women are not able to celebrate festivals without fear. Two days later it will be on 13 May, the anniversary of the Jaipur serial blasts, he said.

The terrorists took the lives of several innocent persons. Even today their families are waiting for justice, but the Congress Government of the State has done what the Congress has been known for  going soft with terrorists due to politics of appeasement, he said.

The Congress does not miss any opportunity to stand by terrorists, Modi said. That is why there was weak prosecution in the case and the culprits got scot free. The State Government is trying to cover up its failures, but its real face is now known, he said.

The prime minister said the Hakki Pikki tribe which stood by Maharana Pratap during his struggles had migrated to Maharashtra and Karnataka later, and were recently stranded in the strife-torn Sudan while on business trips there.

Modi said the government wanted to quietly rescue them but the Congress raised noise and exposed their presence deliberately so that some of them could become targets in the internal strife, and the party could reap some advantage in the Karnataka polls by discrediting the BJPs Central government.

The Congress wanted something untoward to happen, he said. But it seems, the Congress never understood Modi really. They did not know that Modi could go to any length to save citizens of India stranded anywhere.

How the Congress cheats people, the farmers of Rajasthan know it well. They were told their loans would be waived off in 10 days. How many loans have been waived off, people know. BJP takes care of farmers, and is giving credit cards for small farmers for bank loans. The BJPs Samman Nidhi is proof of the partys commitment to small farmers. The government has deposited Rs 16,000 crore in their accounts.
The Kerala government has on Wednesday decided to constitute a judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge V K Mohanan to investigate the Thanoor boat mishap that claimed 22 lives

A decision to this effect has been taken by the state cabinet which met here on Wednesday. Neelakantan Unni, retired Chief Engineer, Inland Waterways of India, and Suresh Kumar, Chief Engineer, Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Limited, are the commission members.

Twenty-two people were killed when a tourist boat capsized in Poorapuzha river, near the Ottumpuram Thooval Theeram beach ar Thanoor in Keralas Malappuram district on Sunday evening

It is alleged that the boat owner converted a fishing boat for tourist services. Officials said that the boat was operated without a fitness certificate issued for tourist boats.

The police on Tuesday said murder charges were slapped on Nassar, the owner of Atlantic, the boat that overturned at Thooval Theeram in Thanur on Sunday. Malappuram SP Sujith Das said the incident has been considered a case of murder and Nasser has been booked under IPC section 302.

According to the police, Nasser carried out boat services despite being fully aware of its risks and legal issues .Nassar, who had gone missing since the accident, was taken into custody from Elathur in Kozhikode on Monday, after police received a tip-off that he was hiding inside a house in the area.The Kerala government has on Wednesday decided to constitute a judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge V K Mohanan to investigate the Thanoor boat mishap that claimed 22 lives

A decision to this effect has been taken by the state cabinet which met here on Wednesday. Neelakantan Unni, retired Chief Engineer, Inland Waterways of India, and Suresh Kumar, Chief Engineer, Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Limited, are the commission members.

Twenty-two people were killed when a tourist boat capsized in Poorapuzha river, near the Ottumpuram Thooval Theeram beach ar Thanoor in Keralas Malappuram district on Sunday evening

It is alleged that the boat owner converted a fishing boat for tourist services. Officials said that the boat was operated without a fitness certificate issued for tourist boats.

The police on Tuesday said murder charges were slapped on Nassar, the owner of Atlantic, the boat that overturned at Thooval Theeram in Thanur on Sunday. Malappuram SP Sujith Das said the incident has been considered a case of murder and Nasser has been booked under IPC section 302.

According to the police, Nasser carried out boat services despite being fully aware of its risks and legal issues .Nassar, who had gone missing since the accident, was taken into custody from Elathur in Kozhikode on Monday, after police received a tip-off that he was hiding inside a house in the area.
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Bharatiya Janata Party leader BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday cast his vote in the Karnataka Assembly polls at Adalitha Soudha in Shivamogga and urged people to exercise their franchise.

I request all people to cast their votes as early as possible. I am 100 per cent sure they will vote in favour of the BJP. More than 75-80 per cent will support BJP. We will win 130-135 seats, the former chief minister said after casting his vote. We will get absolute majority and will form the government, there is no doubt about it. Peoples responses are very good in the state and on that basis, I am telling you we are going to get a majority, he added.

Before heading to the polling station to cast his vote, Yediyurappa visited the ancestral temple at Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Shikaripura, along with his family.

Karnataka Minister CN Ashwath Narayan also cast his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru and urged people to cast their vote.

I request all people to come and cast their votes, he said.

The polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections began at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 6 pm.

The voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. The fate of the candidates will be known on May 13, the day of the counting of votes. Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations.

According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.

84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty today across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts.

The high-voltage campaign for the assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.

Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Karnataka registered 65.69 per cent polling till 5:00 pm in the just concluded state Vidhan Sabha elections. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are in a stiff contest in this state which is equally crucial to both parties. While for the BJP, Karnataka is the only saffron bastion south of Vindhyas, and winning here would mean making preparations for the elections in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, for the Congress, if it comes to power it will be a big relief for the grand old party not used to winning of late, and a win here would mean that they will hold sway in two big states, one being Rajasthan.

As per the latest reports, analysts are predicting that due to the sudden high turn-out of voters in the post-lunch hours, the voting is likely to surpass 70 per cent.

Meanwhile, the exit poll surveys in Karnataka are giving a divided result, some in favour of the BJP and others in favour of the Congress. Janata Dal-Secular and The Others are lagging far behind, and only a hung assembly will bring The Others and JDS into political action.

While BJP has tried to make it a Narendra Modi versus the Congress polls and has also exhorted that the double engine government will benefit the state, Congress tried to make it a more issue-based campaign raising issues like the denial of tickets to the two Lingayat leaders, Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar by the BJP. Though, ultimately BJP gave more than 60 tickets to the Lingayats.

Also for the first time, in the Old Mysuru region, BJP is trying to make inroads. It was none other than home minister Amit Shah who went to Mandya the Vokkaliga bastion and more recently PM Modi kickstarted his campaign from there. Issues apart, in these elections, the voters mostly resorted to silence and thus one could see no perceptible wave of any party. While Congress made charges of corruption and steep price rise against the Bommai government, it promised five welfare guarantees to the people if brought to power.

Dharamsenan, who has his ear to the ground in South Indian states, gives a slight edge to BJP even though the exit polls are divided between the BJP and the Congress. I think BJP really came back strongly in the last two months and they may spring a surprise. Charges of corruption are being thrown at the Bommai government but voters do not look at Bommai as BJP.

What do the exit polls say?

According to the News Nation-CGS survey, BJP could get 114 seats while Congress will get 86 seats, similarly, Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat also gives an edge to the BJP over Congress with BJP likely to get 94-117 seats while Congress will get anything between 91-106 seats. However, ABP News-C-Voter and Republic TV-P Marq give Congress an edge over the BJP.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said even as each exit poll prediction shows different figures, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to get a clear majority.

Speaking to reporters in Haveri, he said the exit poll results are not cent per cent perfect as it will be five to ten per cent minus.

Every agency or channel has given a different figure and is not the same. Let us wait for the exact results on May 13. There will be no resort politics this time as the BJP will get the clear majority. The JD-S does not need to become the kingmaker (this time), he said.

The Karnataka Chief Minister also said that the complete ground report has given a clear majority to the BJP.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has thanked the party workers and people of Karnataka.

I want to thank the Babbar Sher workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign. Thanks to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future, he said.
The Punjab Police have registered 177 first information reports (FIRs) against anti-social elements and drug smugglers across the state during the two-day long special operation OPS Vigil.

Special Director General of Police, Law and Order, Arpit Shukla said police teams have recovered 2.5 kg heroin and over three quintals of poppy husk besides other narcotics, pharma drugs and huge quantity of illicit liquor and lahan (raw material used to make liquor) during the statewide operation.

He said that over 17,500 police personnel under the supervision of gazetted rank officers conducted checks at 185 railways stations, 230 bus stands, 1,198 hotels and 715 market places across the state. During the operation, as many as 3,405 suspected people were rounded up for questioning.

This apart, 79 inter-state and 318 inter-district hi-tech nakas were also set-up in the state for a thorough search of suspected vehicles while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the general public, said the special DGP while adding that police teams have issued challans to at least 1596 vehicles, besides, impounding 60 vehicles.

He said police teams have also reviewed security at 6233 Gurdwaras, 2376 Temples, 517 Churches and 425 Mosques to ensure that CCTV cameras are installed and are in working condition.

Shukla said the purpose behind conducting this statewide operation was to boost public confidence and increase the presence of the cops to deter anti-social elements. Police teams have carried out at least 221 Flag Marches across the state during this two-day long operation, he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann lauded the efforts of Punjab Police and said that the Punjab Police is committed to maintaining peace and communal harmony in the border State.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday had himself gone to Ludhiana Bus Stand to lead the entire Punjab Police force from the front to carry out this multi-pronged checking and area domination programme, which commenced at 10a.m. on Tuesday.
LIMA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- All of the 27 miners trapped by a fire in a gold mine in southern Peru over the weekend have died of carbon monoxide poisoning, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Autopsies on the victims showed they died from inhaling the poisonous gas after the fire broke out on Saturday in Esperanza I mine of the Yanaquihua mining company in the province of Condesuyos, said the public prosecutor's office of the department of Arequipa.

The prosecutor's office said it will coordinate with the National Police's homicide division to collect statements from the representatives of the contracting company and Yanaquihua.

The fire was reportedly sparked by a short circuit. Flames as high as 10 meters swept through wooden pit props.

Energy and Mines Minister Oscar Vera arrived in Arequipa Monday night to assess the situation and ensure Yanaquihua was complying with regulations.

"Small-scale mining activities are under the jurisdiction of the regional government and we must verify that they are being undertaken in keeping with the law," said the minister. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an official state visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner on 22 June, following an invitation from President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

The visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the US as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors.

The two leaders will have an opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defense, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections.

Prime Minister Modi and President Biden will also explore ways to strengthen India-US collaboration in plurilateral and multilateral fora, including in the G20. They would reflect on their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement.

This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Amid fresh trouble in the Rajasthan Congress in the wake of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots recent statement that his predecessor Vasundhara Raje helped him save his government in 2020, state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas on Wednesday said the problem erupted with the CMs remark and no other leader had anything to do with it.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Khachariyawas said, The whole problem started with the chief ministers statement. No other leader in the Congress had anything to do with it. The issues raised by Sachin Pilot are important and need to be addressed by the CM and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). Responding to Gehlots statement on Tuesday, Pilot took a dig at him, saying that it seems that Vasundhara Raje, and not Sonia Gandhi, is his leader.

He added that the Congress risks sending out the wrong message to the people in the run-up to the next Assembly elections in Rajasthan if it did not act on its promise of having corruption allegations against Raje probed.

Kachariyawas skirted any further comments, saying, If I say something, it will be held against me and Ill be accused of breaking party discipline. So, its better that I dont make any further comments in the matter.

Pilot was removed as deputy CM and Rajasthan Congress chief in 2020 on charges that he connived with the BJP to engineer a silent coup on the Gehlot government.

On the political crisis in the state that erupted after Pilots alleged rebellion in 2020, Khachariawas said, The Congress went to polls under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and the votes that we received were largely down to them. Also, our MLAs had gathered at a hotel at the time out of their loyalty to our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. I wont say anything more.

Sachin Pilot announced on Tuesday that he will take out a Jan Sangharsh Yatra against the inaction of the Rajasthan government with regard to the alleged corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the state.

The five-day Jan Sangharsh Yatra will start on May 11 from Ajmer and will culminate at Jaipur.

Now, I can understand why the (Gehlot) government took no action in the matter (alleged graft under Raje) for four and a half years. I wrote letters (to Gehlot and the Congress high command) and even went on a (day-long) fast but there was no action. Now I can understand why. But people are bigger than any leader. We will go to the people. We will place all the issues before them, Pilot said, hitting out at the Gehlot government.

Pilot held a day-long fast last month, despite the party high command cautioning him against it, seeking to step up pressure on the Gehlot government to order a probe into alleged graft into the previous Congress rule in the state.

Gehlot and Pilot have been at odds, with both taking potshots at each other before the high command brokered a tenuous truce.

With Rajasthan set to go to polls later this year, the latest flashpoint between Gehlot and Pilot could be a cause for concern for the Congress.
Days after coordinated raids at cybercrime hot-spot villages in the Nuh district, the Haryana Police on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed pan-India cyber frauds of about Rs 100 crore. The police came to the conclusion after the interrogation of 66 cyber criminals arrested during the crackdown.

Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nuh, Varun Singla said with this, about 28,000 cases of cyber fraud have been traced across the country.

Giving details of the modus operandi, Singla said these cyber criminals used to commit the fraud by luring the victims with attractive offers of sale on products like bikes, cars, mobile phones, etc. by posting misleading advertisements on Facebook or OLX. The victims were then cheated on the pretext of courier charges, transportation of product, etc, but the product was never delivered to the customer.

The fraudsters also used to post an advertisement on social media platforms offering work from home mainly related to packaging of Natraj Pencils, promising an earning of Rs 30,000 per month and cheat gullible people on the pretext of registration fee, packing materials, courier fee etc.

Singla said similarly, these cyber criminals used to check random number series in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) digital payment Applications (Apps) to get the names of victims registered against those numbers on those Apps.The fraudsters then used to impersonate as some friend or relative of unsuspecting victims and request them to receive payment on their behalf on some pretext. They then used to send fake payment messages and get the money transferred from the victims accounts to their accounts. Similarly, on the pretext of buying old coins, gullible people were duped of huge sums of money.

These cybercriminals were also duping victims through sextortion by creating attractive profiles on social media platforms and luring the victims to come on a video chat where they used to carry out screen recording of the victims in compromising position and then extort huge sums of money from them.

The investigation has revealed information about 219 accounts of private and public sector banks and 140 UPI accounts which were being used for committing cyber frauds.

These bank accounts were mainly found to be activated online by defrauding gullible people on the pretext of providing a job and then taking their credentials such as Aadhar Card, PAN Card, mobile number and getting an online KYC done.

Apart from this, 347 SIM cards activated from Haryana, West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, North East, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka circles of telecom companies have also been unearthed which were being used for cybercrime. During the investigation, the source of fake SIMs and bank accounts has been found to be mainly linked to district Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

On the intervening night of 28 April, 102 teams of 5000 policemen had raided 14 villages of Nuh simultaneously. During this raid, around 125 suspected hackers were detained. Out of these, 66 accused were later arrested and taken on remand for seven to 11 days.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) successfully carried out a month-long special drive in April 2023 to address two major security challenges in Indian Railways. The first was to identify and take action against criminals involved in touting, including the touting of e-tickets. The second was to identify vulnerable trains and black spots prone to incidents of stone pelting and implement measures to prevent such incidents.

During the drive, RPF personnel conducted inspections at railway stations and reservation counters to detect and apprehend unauthorized ticket booking agents. They also educated the public about the risks of using unauthorized agents and encouraged them to purchase tickets through legitimate means. As a result, 955 individuals involved in illegal ticketing activities were arrested, and 42 illegal software applications were disrupted.

The RPF also focused on addressing the surge in incidents of stone pelting on running trains, which endangered passenger safety. They worked closely with local authorities, such as Gram Panchayats, schools, and colleges, to raise awareness about the consequences of stone pelting. Various measures were taken, including increased deployment at black spots, train escorting, and crackdowns on trespassers. As a result, 2773 individuals were apprehended, and 84 persons involved in stone pelting were arrested.

The success of the special drive highlights the RPFs commitment to ensuring the safety and security of railway passengers. They will continue to undertake similar initiatives in the future to maintain security across Indias railway network.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Sanjiv Bhatt  sacked IPS officer of Gujarat cadre  seeking the recusal of Justice M R Shah from hearing his petition to submit additional evidence to support his appeal in a 1990 custodial death case.

Seeking the recusal of Justice Shah, Bhatt said that there was a reasonable apprehension of bias as Justice Shah as a Gujarat High Court judge had castigated him (the sacked IPS officer) while hearing his plea linked to the same FIR.

The plea by Bhat was opposed by the Gujarat government and the complainant who described it forum shopping, asking why he had not raised this objection earlier.

A bench of Justice Shah and Justice C.T. Ravikumar rejected the plea by Bhatt and refused the recusal by Justice Bhatt.

Bhatt has approached the top court challenging his conviction in a custodial death of one Prabhudas Vaishnani, who was caught by Jamnagar police after a communal riot.

On Tuesday (May 9), senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Bhatt, had told the bench that Justice Shah as a high court judge had passed strictures and castigated Bhatt while hearing Bhatts petition arising out of the same FIR.

I have the highest respect for this court. But justice should not only be done but also seen to be done. Judicial propriety demands that your lordship may not hear the matter, Kamat had said, adding that the issue is of reasonable apprehension of bias.

However, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Gujarat government, had opposed Bhatts plea of recusal and said this is not bona fide ground as several other cases have been heard by Justice Shah where no such prayer was made.

You cannot have prayer for recusal on the grounds of selective basis. Selective prayer for recusal would constitute contempt of court, Singh had said.

In August 2022, Bhatt had withdrawn his plea in the top court seeking suspension of his life sentence in the 30-year-old custodial death case.

Earlier, the Gujarat high court had refused to suspend Bhatts sentence and had observed that he had scant respect for courts and deliberately tried to misuse the process of law. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 in the case.

The case relates to the custodial death of Prabhudas Vaishnani, who was among 133 people arrested by Jamnagar police after a communal riot broke out following a bandh call in view of BJP leader L K Advanis Rath Yatra.

Subsequently, his brother lodged an FIR accusing Bhatt, who was then posted as additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar, and six other policemen accusing them of torturing Vaishnani to death in custody.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on Friday (May 12) a plea of the producer of the film The Kerala Story challenging the West Bengal governments decision to ban the screening of the controversial film in the State.

Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heading a bench also comprising Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha agreed to hear the plea on May 12 upon a mentioning by senior advocate Harish salve seeking an urgent listing.

Appearing for the film maker, Salve told the bench We are losing money every day and now there is another State which says it will do the same.

CJI Chandrachud said, Ok list on Friday, serve copies (of the petition) on the State of West Bengal.

The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a ban on the screening of the film to avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the State.

The producers of the The Kerala Story have stated that the State government has no power to ban a film that has been certified for public screening by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The ban, the plea sta6tes, will result in the violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.

Any such ban, it has been repeatedly held (by the top court), would constitute an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India to engage in free speech. The stifling of the right to free speech of the Petitioner, that too on a mere apprehension of unsubstantiated considerations of law and order cannot withstand scrutiny under the Constitutional scheme, said the petition.

The plea has also sought directions to the States to provide police protection to theatre owners and the audience for public exhibition of the film.

On Tuesday (May 9) the top court had agreed to hear on May 15 an appeal against the interim order of the Kerala High Court refusing to block the release of the film.

Declining to stall the release of the film, the High Court had observed that there was no allegation against a religion, but only against the organisation Islamic State or ISIS. The High Court had also said that there was nothing offensive to any particular community.

On an earlier occasion on a plea by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, the Supreme Court had declined to interfere with the release of the controversial film and had asked the High Court to decide the pleas in the first instance.

The top court had then said, Think about the labour of actors, producers who put in a lot of work. A filmmaker invests a lot of money and time in making the film. Leave it to the market, the market will decide if it is not up to the mark.

Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind had approached the Supreme Court seeking stay on the release of the film in theatres and on OTT platforms saying that the controversial film is likely to cause hatred and enmity between different sections of society.

The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind had said that the film demeans the entire Muslim community and it will result in endangering the life and livelihood of the entire Muslim community.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged people in Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state.

On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights, Shah said in a tweet. Voting is currently underway for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

According to the Election Commission of India, the voting for Karnataka assembly elections will take place from 7 am to 6 pm tomorrow. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.

Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations.

BJP national President JP Nadda also tweeted, I appeal to the voters of Karnataka to participate in the festival of democracy in large numbers. This election is crucial in deciding the future of Karnataka. I request everyone to bring to power a government that will provide continuity to the progress of the state and is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.

As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote tomorrow in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.

The high-voltage campaign for assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.
In a shocking incident, a 22-year-old woman doctor was stabbed to death by a detainee who was brought for medical treatment by the police at the Government Taluk hospital Kottarakkara in Keralas Kollam district early on Wednesday morning.

The accused fatally stabbed the lady doctor, Vandana Das, at around 4 am on Wednesday. She succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram later.

The victim did her MBBS at the Azizia Institute of Medical Science and Research, Kollam and was doing her house surgery at the hospital. She belongs to Kaduthuruthy in the Kottayam district.

The police said the accused S Sandeep, 42, a teacher in an upper primary school, also attacked four others at the hospital, including policemen, who brought him to the hospital for medical examination.

Police sources said Sandeep was taken into custody from his house on Tuesday night after he turned violent and attacked his family members. They went to his house after his family members made complaint about Sandeeps violent behaviour.

As the accused had sustained a minor wound on his leg, a police team took him to the hospital for mandatory medical examination, where he turned violent without any provocation.

Eyewitnesses said Sandeep seized the surgical scissors in the dressing room of the hospital while Vandana Das was attending to his wound. He stabbed repeatedly in the chest and the neck of the young doctor and also attacked the policemen who had taken him to the hospital. Sandeep was reportedly under treatment at a de-addiction centre.

Though the young doctor was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, her life could not be saved. The injuries on her neck, abdomen and back proved fatal as it led to severe blood loss.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) office bearers said the police failed to handcuff the detainee, who was overtly violent at the time of his arrest and later at the station house. They alleged the police could not subdue the assailant or prevent the attack.

Following the incident, doctors in government and private hospitals in Kerala have gone on a flash strike. The strike call was given by the Kerala chapter of IMA and various doctors organizations in protest against the brutal murder of the young doctor.

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the state government and the police over the killing of the young lady doctor, saying it indicated their failure to protect doctors. The court said that the facts prima facie establish a complete breakdown of the system to protect the doctor.

In a special sitting held on Wednesday, the court directed the state Police chief Anil Kanth to appear before it on Thursday at 10:15 am and submit a report regarding the murder of the young house surgeon in the government hospital.

A division bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath also ordered that CCTV visuals of rooms or places of occurrence of the incident that led to the death of the young doctor be preserved and that superintendent of the hospital will be held responsible if found otherwise. The Bench has also directed that a Judicial Magistrate should conduct a physical inspection of the hospital and report by Thursday.

The court said the police are trained and expected to protect women and children, but they failed to protect the young doctor.

Why doesnt the government shut down the hospitals, if it cant guarantee the safety of doctors, the court asked.

Justice Devan Ramachandran asked a senior government pleader, The worst has happened. Has this happened anywhere else? Are we the first in this also?

We are looking at the death of a young girl, a student. Look at the loss to the family, for what? All because she tried to be a good doctor and treat the patient, Justice Ramachandran added.

The court asked what the protocol is in presenting an accused before a Magistrate. What if a Magistrate is attacked? What is the protocol? There are hundreds of accused presented even in their houses, the court said. Why is that protocol not being followed in the cases of doctors? Are doctors not important, asked Justice Ramachandran.

Any life is precious, more so in the case of a student. How do we face the parents? She is killed in a government hospital. Who is responsible, the court said.

Responding to the incident, KPCC president K Sudhakaran said the situation in Kerala is that anyone can be attacked anywhere. Drug mafia and gangsters are taking over Kerala. The accused in this crime is not an ordinary person, but a teacher .It is alarming that the drug mafia has spread even to those who teach our children, he said.
Google and several organisations in healthcare service delivery and research technology are working together to develop personalised hearing aids using artificial intelligence (AI).

The project was first announced earlier this year and involves Australia-based medical device company Cochlear, Macquarie University Hearing Hub members (NAL), Shepherd Centre, and US-based startup NextSense, reports Fox Business.

Google has stated that it intends to create hearing aids that use AI to address individual listening needs.

Such technology, according to the tech giant, will be especially useful for those who rely on hearing aids in noisy environments such as restaurants, live performances, or public transportation.

With our partners, we look forward to building on this work and designing tools with and for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Because as long as there are barriers, we will have work to do, Google was quoted as saying.

Moreover, the report said that it will be easier for people who use hearing aids to follow conversations with AI, as they will be able to distinguish sound sources, such as people talking, more easily.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 1.5 billion people now living with hearing loss  and that number could increase to more than 2.5 billion by 2050.

The CDC estimates that the total annual cost of untreated hearing loss worldwide is $980.
IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday posted an image on social media with Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the tech giants headquarters in the US, saying they had a good discussion on India Stack and the Make in India programme.

Pichai last met Vaishnaw during his India visit in December, saying it was important for the government to create regulatory frameworks that help companies innovate on top of those local laws of the land.

Met @sundarpichai at the @Google HQ. Good discussion on India Stack and Make in India programme, tweeted Vaishnaw.

Pichai replied: Thank you for taking the time to visit us at the Googleplex, Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw. Enjoyed discussing the many ways were working together on Indias digital transformation, and the opportunities ahead.

In December, Pichai had said that India has a leadership role to play.

Its important to make sure youre balancing the safeguards youre putting for people and creating innovative frameworks so that companies can innovate on top of certainty in the legal framework, he said in the presence of Vaishnaw, at Google Indias flagship event in New Delhi.

Vaishnaw said that the government is working on a range of bills that will safeguard users data and create a robust legal regulatory framework around the new internet economy.

Pichai had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged support for Indias G20 Presidency.

Thank you for a great meeting PM @narendramodi. Inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under your leadership. Look forward to continuing our strong partnership and supporting Indias G20 Presidency to advance an open, connected internet that works for all, Pichai tweeted after the meeting in the Capital.
Israeli soldiers block a road near Sderot in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on May 9, 2023. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel was on high alert on Tuesday as it prepared for retaliatory rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed militants and civilians in the coastal Palestinian enclave.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that over 2,000 Israelis have been evacuated from communities near the enclave, as a precaution against possible rocket attacks launched by Gazan militants at nightfall.

Residents in southern Israel were being relocated to hotels in central regions of the country. In the city of Sderot, preparations have been made by the municipality to temporarily relocate approximately 4,500 elderly or sick residents.

Israeli soldiers check a vehicle near Sderot in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on May 9, 2023. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told local council heads near Gaza that they "must be prepared for every scenario." He added that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security forces "are prepared to defend every front," according to a statement released on his behalf.

Earlier in the day, Israeli fighter jets and unmanned drones carried out simultaneous and surprise attacks at buildings and apartments which host Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ)'s senior military leaders in Gaza.

The Gaza-based health ministry said 13 Palestinians were killed and more than 20 were injured in the airstrikes, including ten civilian women and children.

The PIJ confirmed in a statement that three commanders, namely Jihad Ghannam, Khalil Al-Bahtini and Tareq Izzeldeen, were killed in the strikes. The faction vowed a response.

In a fresh airstrike in the afternoon, the Israeli military said they killed two PIJ militants preparing a rocket attack against Israel.

An Israeli soldier checks a vehicle near Sderot in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on May 9, 2023. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)
Sri Lankas Department of Meteorology has issued a red warning for fishing boats over strong winds and rough seas in the southeast Bay of Bengal and south Andaman Sea.

The rough seas are caused by the depression in the southeast Bay of Bengal and will gradually develop into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, the Department of Meteorology was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Due to this, the wind speeds in the above-mentioned sea areas will be between 50 and 60 kmph, the department said.

At times, winds can increase up to 70 kmph in sea areas, it said, adding that heavy showers or thundershowers can be expected in above sea areas.

The department urged all naval and fishing communities not to venture into the above sea areas until further notice.

The department also urged those who are out at aforementioned seas to return to coasts or move to safer areas immediately.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit next month, according to a statement released by the White House.

The statement released by the White House read, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, 2023. The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the US and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship, linking Americans and Indians.

The visit will strengthen the two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy, and space, the statement read.

The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security, it added.

US and India have a strategic alliance. In their last in-person meeting in Indonesia, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden took into account areas like crucial and emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

In the meeting, both sides discussed close cooperation in future-oriented sectors such as critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence, an official statement by Prime Ministers office read.

The two leaders also exchanged dialogue on topical global and regional developments.

Earlier, PM Modi visited the United States on September 23, 2021.

In 2022, on the sidelines of the QUAD Leaders Summit, PM Modi and President Biden announced the India-US initiative of critical and emerging technology, known as iCET.

During the iCET launch, a new Implementation Arrangement between the Department of Science and Technology of India and the National Science Foundation of the US was signed by the Ambassador and NSF Director in the presence of Doval and Sullivan.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Lots of sunshine. High 66F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low around 45F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
ALTON  OSF Saint Anthonys Health Center has recognized four people for exemplary service to patients, fellow Mission Partners, and daily demonstration of the hospitals mission of serving with the greatest care and love.

The Mission Partner of the Month for May is Erica Clark, a mammography technologist in the hospitals Radiology Department. Clarks nomination, submitted by Heather Chambers, specialty services patient navigator, radiology, states that Clark exceeds every characteristic of the Mission Partner of the Month standards.

She is kind, loving, as well as thorough with her specific duties, always making sure everything is done accurately to ensure the appropriate exam and results are obtained. Chambers says. Each patient she greets, no matter the circumstances, is in a way to make them feel welcome, and giving direct attention to each one.

The Mission Partner of the Month for April was Brian Russell, RN, in the hospitals Emergency Department. Russells nomination, submitted by a student nurse, speaks to what he witnessed about on a particular day.

Something I noticed working with Brian today, I saw someone with the most genuine compassion I have ever seen, and it was inspiring. Ill be honest, there was nothing super educational about this clinical day to share, but this is what Ive been thinking about. I want to be like Brian when I get older. Someone who still cares. Someone who is still going to do the best he can with what he has. I am not even a nurse yet, and I sometimes get so bogged down with studying and everything that I forget the very reason I chose to go into nursing. It was to be like Brian.

Winners of the Mission Partner of the Month Award are noted for their exceptional manner by exemplifying the hospitals Values, providing outstanding service through his or her work, and exhibiting a positive and supportive attitude. Winners also receive a designated parking spot for their use during the month. Additionally, they will also be one of the 12 monthly winners to be considered for the newly instituted Mission Partner of the Year Award to be awarded during the annual Mission Partner Christmas Party.

OSF Saint Anthonys also recently honored two (2) Mission Partners within its nursing ranks for their service in administering care to patients as part of its quarterly recognition program.

April Collins, BSN, RN, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), received the DAISY Award. Collins nomination was submitted by a patients family member.

"Words can't describe how great April was during my mothers and father's time in the ICU. What I remember the most was how responsive she was to my father's needs. Whenever April came in, she touched my father's arm and talked to him to meet his needs. Also, my family is big and can be a pain, but April was an absolute pleasure to be around. The other very memorable part was my mother (my father's wife of 52 years) came to the ICU, also very sick. The moment we knew we were at the end, she worked to bring them together at the last moment. It brought complete peace and joy to myself and my family."

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses (The DAISY Award) is a recognition program that honors the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day. More information on the DAISY Award can be found by visiting www.daisyfoundation.org.

Taylor Owens, monitor technologist, ICU, was the recipient of the most recent quarters Sunflower Award. Ms. Owens was nominated by a fellow Mission Partner who submitted the following:

"Taylor is one-of-a-kind. Not only is Taylor superb as a monitor tech, but she's an asset to the ICU. Taylor will alert the bedside RN to a change in the patient's heart rate and rhythm and ask for assistance from the ICU RNs when needed to ensure patient safety and well-being. Taylor is attentive to those she's tasked to watch on telemetry and can notice subtle changes that make patients safer. RNs know their patients are being monitored and in good hands when Taylor works. She never leaves her post unmonitored and will still make herself available for patient care. Taylor offers to let an RN sit with the monitors to catch up on their own work and then will offer to help the other RNs on the unit with turning patients, cleaning patients, replacing leads and any other work within her scope of practice as a CNA."

Sunflower Award honorees exemplify the remarkable patient experience received at OSF HealthCare. These Mission Partners consistently demonstrate excellence through their expertise and extraordinary compassionate care and service. They are recognized as outstanding role models in our Community of Caregivers. More information about OSFs Sunflower Award can be found at www.osfhealthcarefoundation.org/sunflower-award/.
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GRAFTON  A more polished appearance at the Grafton's parks and riverfront is due to hard work from residents, scouts and students.

There is an ongoing effort by the Grafton Parks Committee to improve its parks. Residents and volunteers conducted a parks cleanup day recently, led by Grafton Parks Committee Chairwoman Cheryl Rawe and her husband, Mike. The next Parks Cleanup Day is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, May 22; volunteers will meet at The Grove Memorial Park on Main Street.

For the most recent cleanup, the Rawes met volunteers at The Grove Memorial Park with a goal to clean and re-paint the Two Rivers mural painting at the concrete welcome circle at the park entrance. The city provided the paint and equipment, and the volunteers started work on the mural.

It is exciting to see all our parks getting cleaned up and revived for the upcoming season, Cheryl Rawe said. Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in making Grafton a beautiful place.

Boy Scout Troop 59 met at the same time at Mason Hollow Park under the leadership of Scout Committee Chairman Ray Hasty. Their mission was to prepare and stain the wooden pavilion in the center of the park. The scouts erected scaffolding and used portable electric sanders to start sanding the wood.

"The noise coming from the pavilion sounded like a nest of angry wasps," Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow said.

The city provided the stain, and the hand sanders were borrowed from numerous people and businesses in town. The boys finished the sanding that day, on Earth Day, April 22.

We have a second day scheduled to complete the staining," Hasty said. "They are enjoying the work.

Children from the Jersey Community Middle School's Student Council picked up trash along the Grafton Riverfront as part of their annual spring cleanup. More than 40 sixth and seventh grade students filled orange plastic bags with trash in an annual event organized by teachers Kathy Shelley and Christy Schilling.

The kids look forward to coming to Grafton every year to participate in this Earth Day event, Shelley said. The weather was perfect.

Morrow and Grafton Police Chief Eric Spanton met the group at the river and thanked them for their work. Grafton Department of Public Works Director Jake Weber coordinated with the group to pick up the full bags of trash and dispose of them.

To participate on the Grafton Parks Committee, call city hall at 618-786-3344.
Members from Yuefei Parkour Club shoot short videos around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Dec. 6, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

A light rail train runs through the flowers in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Feb. 2, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shoots short videos around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Photo taken on Dec. 9, 2021 shows a night view of an old street in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao warms up around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves at Jinzhou Park in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao (R) warms up with a student at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Dec. 6, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2019 shows a view of the cableway across the Yangtze River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao sets up the training equipment at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Feb. 23, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

Wen Shunyao (2nd L) walks on a route with members from Yuefei Parkour Club as they prepare to shoot short videos around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao warms up around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves at Jinzhou Park in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao (L) gives instructions to a student at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Dec. 6, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

People visit Shancheng Alley of the Jiefangbei business district in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Dec. 24, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves at Jinzhou Park in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

A visitor takes photos in Hongyadong scenic spot at night in Yuzhong District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Sept. 9, 2019. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao shows parkour moves around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao practices parkour moves at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Dec. 6, 2022. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Gao Jiawen, a member from Yuefei Parkour Club, shows parkour moves around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao (R) shows a route to a member from Yuefei Parkour Club as they prepare to shoot short videos around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Photo taken on Dec. 10, 2021 shows a night view of an old street in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao talks with members at Yuefei Parkour Club in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Feb. 23, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

Wen Shunyao warms up around the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 21, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Wen Shunyao (1st R) shoots short videos with members from Yuefei Parkour Club around the Dongshuimen bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 14, 2023. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows a general view of the Chaotianmen wharf in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing, a city built on mountains, features a city scape of ups and downs and scattered buildings. The road is often seen being built on the roof, and the light rail running through the buildings in the southwest China's metropolitan.

With the natural advantages for parkour, also known as free-running, Chongqing provides the practitioners of parkour a playground where they overcome obstacles in the urban landscape without assistive equipment in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Wen Shunyao, 32, a parkour club teacher, first learned about parkour in a movie when he was a student in university. After a few years of traning, he met more friends sharing same passion for parkour. They participated in competitions together and Wen gradually gained his fame.

After graduating from university, Wen Shunyao turned his passion into work and became a parkour trainer. Now, his club is a professional parkour training institution, recruiting more than 400 students. Wen Shunyao also makes short video clips with his club members to bring more people to know about Chongqing from the perspective of parkour practitioners. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)
Job Title: Mailroom Clerk (Fresher Jobs)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Salary: UGX 38,006,469 /Per Year

Position Number: Kampala-2023-048

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 Mailroom Clerk receives, dispatches, sorts, and distributes mail from multiple sources. These include but are not limited to local and international mail, Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) mail, diplomatic pouch material, and commercial courier services. The incumbent spends a large percentage of the time serving customers at the Mailroom service window. The incumbent is supervised by the Mailroom Supervisor with overall supervision by a designated Information Programs Center employee.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Mail Administration and Customer Service 35%

Ensuring the efficient flow of mail to customers, and high levels of customer service

Provides incoming and outgoing postal service to customers by sorting and disseminating incoming mail into appropriate mail receptacles.

Prepares outgoing mail for dispatch.

Utilizes local and international courier services as appropriate.

Provides friendly customer service to all mail room customers at the window, including accepting articles for mailing, and assisting customers with Kiosk and Click-N-Ship usage.

Maintains active and inactive postal directory files.

Issues keys or combinations for individual mailboxes for incoming personnel, and processes mail forwarding requests for departing personnel.

Answers telephone calls and responds to written communication related to mailroom services.

Maintains documents in accordance with records management and retention requirements.

Protects and safeguards the thousands of dollars of goods and merchandise that transit the facility.

Official Mail handling (25%)

Maintaining the integrity and safety of the mail that arrives at post

Receives incoming local mail, sorts according to subject matter, organization, or addressee and routes to the appropriate organization or person.

Checks outgoing mail for proper addressing, enclosures, postage, etc., and separates out for placement in outgoing unclassified pouches or local postal service for mailing, using franking machine if postage is required.

Assists in maintaining all relevant logs for correspondence, packages, contents of unclassified pouches and local mail.

Records arrival and delivery of all official mail via ILMS MMS and ILMS DPM module.

Explains mail handling procedures and regulations to mission officials and employees.

Receives mail handling training from the Diplomatic Security Weapons of Mass Destruction team and opens incoming local mail in the mail screening facility.

Reports suspicious items by contacting RSO then IPC. Working with the GSO, Motor pool, HR or Protocol sections, performs delivery within city limits of urgent Embassy origin mail such as, paperwork to other foreign government offices and Embassies when local post is not adequate, urgent invitations to Embassy events, and gratuity deliveries.

Schedules inter-office mail runs or sorts and distributes to office mailboxes.

Recordkeeping (15%)

Keeping proper ledgers of mail receipt and delivery to ensure all items are accounted for and properly billed

Performs standard procedures to process unclassified diplomatic pouch, dispatch and receive diplomatic pouches to/from the Department of State and any and other foreign postal agencies. This also involves accurate record keeping of invoices and associated paperwork related to pouch operations. In this role, the position performs all duties as required to ensure efficient and rapid dispatch of materials from ICASS supported Embassy sections and agencies utilizing private couriers. Reports violations of the use of the pouch to the supervisor and appropriate State Department offices as set out in the regulations.

Processes pouch, local mail in MMS, and DPO mail using the computer based ILMS and other software-based tracking systems. This includes data entry and the use of bar code scanners and a computer operated signature pad.

Airport/Freight Forwarder Logistics (15%)

Liaising with our contacts in the mail handling process to positively influence the flow of Embassy pouch material and DPO mail

Interfaces with mid-level Airport Security services, ground handlers and customs officials in order to efficiently and securely get our pouch out of the airport and into the Embassy. This also includes, on a rotating basis, runs out to the airport for Class pouch pickup, driving and accompanying American officers and liaising with the tarmac officials where needed.

Other Administrative Duties (10%)

Other duties as assigned by the agency  May include but not limited to: Reproduction works, operate photo copier machines, utilize Microsoft Office and other programs required to move requested documents from computer to paper.

Preparing customs papers or answering phone calls at the switchboard office in emergency situations.

Incumbent serves as an incidental operator of official vehicles and meets all requirements outlined in 14 FAM 433.









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 Mailroom Clerk job opportunity should hold a High School Diploma or local equivalent.

One year of experience in customer care, office assistance, or clerical work.

Knowledge of standard office practices.

Knowledge of Department of State DPO, Pouch, and host country post regulations and procedures;

Knowledge of local post offices, airport, and train facilities, as well as a local courier system;

Broad knowledge and understanding of Missions organization, function, personnel, and practices of the agencies to which mail service is provided.

Good organizational skills, thoroughness and accuracy in processing documentation, ability to work well in a team environment.

Must have user knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and Outlook).

Must maintain a courteous and professional demeanor and possess excellent customer service skills.

Must be able to work independently on a routine basis.

Must have a valid drivers license.

Must be willing to work flexible hours, if required.

Must be able to lift 70 pounds and safely move up to 250 pounds with assistance from coworkers or use of mechanical devices. Maximum lift requirements may be subject to local regulations.

Language: English level III (Good working knowledge) Reading/Writing/Speaking is required. This maybe tested.

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
XI'AN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history, served as the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. It is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). The city's long history can still be traced from its historical landmarks and archaeological sites.





Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a true monument to Buddhist culture and architecture, was originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64.1 meters with seven stories.

This aerial photo taken on April 19, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 19, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This photo taken on May 1, 2023 shows a view of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

A tourist poses for photos at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 18, 2023. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Tourists pose for a selfie near the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows a music fountain show at the north square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)





Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Located at the Jianfu Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Jinglong Period (701-710) during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to store the Buddhist sutras brought by Monk Yi Jing.

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Tourists visit the Xi'an Museum located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

This photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a view of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A tourist rings the bell at the Jianfu Temple in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)
In a boost to the embattled Adani Group, Mauritian Financial Services Minister Mahen Kumar Seeruttun told the nation's Parliament that Hindenburg Research's allegations of the presence of 'shell' companies in the Island nation are 'false and baseless' and that Mauritius was in compliance with OECD-mandated tax rules.

US short seller Hindenburg on January 24 alleged that billionaire Gautam Adani used shell companies based in Mauritius to manipulate stock prices of his Indian-listed companies.

A shell company is an inactive firm used as a vehicle for various financial manoeuvres.

When a Member of Parliament (MP) through a written notice question asked the minister about Hindenburg's allegation of use of Mauritius-based entities as conduits for money laundering and share price manipulation for the Adani Group, the minister said the nation's law does not allow shell companies.

"At the outset, I wish to inform the House that the allegations of the presence of shell companies in Mauritius are false and baseless," he said. "According to the law, shell companies are not allowed in Mauritius."

All global business companies licensed by the Financial Services Commission have to meet substance requirements on an ongoing basis and are being strictly monitored by the Commission, he said.

"So far, there has been no breach that has been found," he said.

He said the Financial Services Commission has taken note of the Hindenburg report but the regulator is bound by the confidentiality clause of the law and cannot disclose details.

"The Financial Services Commission can neither deny nor confirm whether an investigation has been and/or is being conducted. As such, disclosure of information on global business companies would be in breach of section 83 of the Financial Services Act and may have an adverse impact on the repute of our jurisdiction," he said.

Dhanesswurnath Vikash Thakoor, chief executive officer, of FSC, had previously stated that an initial assessment of all the entities related to the Adani Group in Mauritius was not found to be any non-compliance with rules.

Listing out the requirements for companies registering in Mauritius, the minister said they first have to carry out their core income-generating activities in or from the country. They must be managed and controlled from Mauritius, have at least two directors resident in Mauritius, maintain at all times their principal bank account in the country, keep and maintain at all times their accounting records at their registered office in Mauritius and prepare their statutory financial statements and cause those financial statements to be audited in Mauritius.

The statement came just before the Hindenburg-Adani issue comes up in Supreme Court. The apex court, which had appointed an expert committee to look into regulatory issues, is likely to take up capital market regulator SEBI's plea for a six-month extension in timelines to probe allegations against the Adani group.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is assessing the connection between Adani Group and two Mauritian firms - Great International Tusker Fund and Ayushmat Ltd - that participated as anchor investors in the recently cancelled share sale of Adani Group's flagship company.

The conglomerate lost $140 billion in market capitalisation at one point after short seller Hindenburg raised allegations of fraud and stock price manipulation against the group. Adani Group, however, has denied all the charges.

"With respect to the allegation of Mauritius being a tax haven, I wish to inform the House that Mauritius strictly complies with the international best practices and has been rated as compliant with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD standards," the Mauritian minister told the Parliament.

Since 2018, Mauritius has reformed its global business framework and tax regime with a view to removing harmful tax practices. "As per the peer review conducted by the OECD forum on harmful tax practices, the OECD is satisfied that Mauritius does not have any harmful features in its tax regimes, thus recognizing Mauritius as a well-regulated, transparent and compliant jurisdiction," he said.

He said the Financial Services Commission monitored the Adani issue closely. "The commission is pursuing its actions within the ambit of the relevant legislations and in line with its current supervisory process. It has been carrying out reviews of all the companies cited in the Hindenburg report."

"And as part of the Supervisory Review, the Financial Services Commission has requested and received compliance reports pertaining to all the relevant companies, which show compliance with the prevailing legislations in Mauritius. Given the multilayering of those companies cited in the report, the Financial Services Commission continues to monitor the matter diligently," he said.

Also, the Financial Services Commission is collaborating with law enforcement agencies in Mauritius and overseas regulators on the matter.

When the MP asked how he arrived at the conclusion that allegations made in the report are 'false and baseless', the minister said he was referring to the statement made the report with regard to shell companies being registered in Mauritius.

"And this is, like I said in my reply, to be able to be licensed in Mauritius, there are conditions and requirements that need to be satisfied. And those conditions, I have spelled out all those conditions, and based on the fact that these companies adhere to those conditions, then it is unfounded to say that those companies are shell companies" he said.
Global tech heavyweight Cisco joined the Make in India scramble, announcing that it will start manufacturing in the country, reportedly in Chennai. It was announced by Cisco global chair and CEO Chuck Robbins in the national capital on Wednesday following a meeting with PM Modi.



The computer networking products and solutions company aims to hit one billion dollars from production in the country, and is part of the strategy to diversify its global supply chain. Presently, Cisco manufactures in China, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

"Today, we are announcing strategic investments in Indian manufacturing capabilities as the next step in delivering cutting-edge technologies to our customers in India and across the globe," said Chuck Robbins, chair and CEO of Cisco. "Fuelled by a rapidly developing digital economy, India is a focal point of innovation and business for Cisco, and we remain deeply committed to our partnerships here.

In India, the silicon valley major will build next-generation services and applications and support complex cloud computing environments. The country already has Ciscos biggest research & development facility, second only to that in its home country US.

Cisco India head Daisy Chittilapilly said that today's announcement marks a significant milestone to power the next phase of growth for Ciscoand help accelerate Indias transition into a leading digital economy.

A statement issued by the company said the decision followed a series of meetings with External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, IT minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and telecom secretary K. Rajaraman.
Leading auto major MG Motor India has set in motion an action plan to dilute its Chinese ownership, saying it will be majority Indian owned in five years. The new initiatives announced on Wednesday afternoon include a second manufacturing facility in Gujarat totalling a fresh investment of 5,000 crore rupees.



MG or Morris Garages is a legacy British auto company that has since been owned by Shanghais SAIC Motor. The Indian subsidiary set up operations in India back in 2017 with a plant in Gujarats Halol, taking over a plant previously owned by General Motors (which had exited India). The models it has in India include bestsellers like the MG Hector and MG Aster, as well as the much-anticipated MG Comet, an electric small car whose bookings start next week.

The Indian government has not been favourable to fresh Chinese investments in the country since 2020, after the deadly Galwan clashes between soldiers of the two countries. A string of restrictions announced since then had seen several Chinese apps banned from the country, as well as limitations on foreign direct investment from China (under the guise of limits on investments from countries having a land border with India).

MG for some time has been pushing its British legacy and Make in India credentials in promotions, and hardly talking about its Chinese ownership. Though details were not forthcoming, MG says ownership will be diluted with Indians owning the majority in two to four years. It said the five-year business roadmap to Indianise was for sustainable growth and meaningful impact in society.

Additionally, the company announced its aims of becoming a major player in the clean mobility movement, announcing investments in cell manufacturing and hydrogen fuel-cell technology, besides aiming for electric vehicles to reach up to 75 per cent of the total portfolio in a few years, as well as enhance local sourcing.

Rajeev Chaba, CEO emeritus of MG Motor India said, MG Indias unwavering dedication to India is deeply ingrained in our ethos. Our growth strategy is centred around strengthening localisation (and) aligning more closely with the governments Make in India initiative.
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that DRDO official Pradeep Kurulkar, arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent, was an "active RSS volunteer".

The DRDO official was arrested last week by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The Congress' attack came a day after a special court in Pune extended till May 15 the police custody of Kurulkar after observing that the charges against him were serious and custodial interrogation of the accused for a further period is unavoidable for a thorough probe.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the arrest of Kurulkar is a "very serious matter" and alleged that it exposes the "anti-national face" of the RSS.

"Pradeep Kurulkar, an active RSS volunteer leader and DRDO's Director of R&D (Engineering), has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for spying on behalf of Pakistan.The case.... exposes the lie and charade of the RSS being a so-called nationalistic organisation," he claimed

The Congress spokesperson said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should answer as to what is the relationship between Kurulkar and the RSS as the matter pertains to national security.

There was no immediate reaction from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Khera also showed a video during the press conference of Kurulkar addressing RSS events with top Sangh functionaries in attendance.

"Kurulkar's association with the RSS goes back generations, as he revealed in an interview with a YouTube channel last year. His grandfather was an RSS volunteer who worked as a mathematician, and his father carried on his work for the Sangh," Khera claimed.

The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistan Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official has said, adding it was a case of honeytrap.
The latest round of the war of words between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot are signs of the tussle for power between them hurtling towards a culmination.



If Gehlot has, through his allegations that party MLAs took money from the BJP to topple his government in 2020, indicated that he is in no mood to make any concessions for Pilot, the latter has, by his no-holds-barred attack on the chief minister, shown his readiness to step into the final stages of the long-running feud.



It is no secret that Gehlot is unwilling to make any space for Pilot in the scheme of things in Rajasthan Congress. He has been successful in pushing his bete noire to the sidelines, and his main argument against bringing Pilot onto the centrestage is that he had allegedly colluded with the BJP in an attempt to effect a leadership change in July 2020.



According to party leaders in the state, Gehlot set the cat amongst the pigeons with his recent speech in Dholpur where he accused party MLAs of having taken money from the BJP to try and topple his government. He had also said in the speech that former chief minister Vasundhara Raje had helped save his government by opposing the BJP's efforts to buy Congress MLAs.



Gehlot's obvious target when he made the speech was Pilot as his reference was to the rebellion his former deputy had led against him in July 2020. It is felt that through the speech, Gehlot has also unsettled the BJP by highlighting the purported divisions in the state unit of the party.



The speech resulted in Pilot launching himself into a strident, no-holds-barred attack on Gehlot. He had already made the central leadership of the party upset by sitting on a day-long Anshan on April 11, demanding that Gehlot should expedite action against Raje over the alleged scams during her tenure as chief minister. The party high command had described the sit-in as anti-party activity.



Those in the Pilot camp say that Gehlot, through the speech, would have wanted Pilot to launch himself into some kind of response. It is evident that there is an escalation in the tension in Rajasthan Congress with Pilot's press conference in which he hit out at Gehlot and announced that he would go on a padayatra from Ajmer to Jaipur.



What is notable is that Pilot, for the first time, stated clearly that he along with other MLAs had travelled to Delhi in July 2020 to seek a change of leadership in the state. Also, he made it clear that it was now untenable for him to function with Gehlot, given the nature of the verbal onslaught he launched against the chief minister. He said it appeared that Gehlot's leader was not Sonia Gandhi but Raje. He also accused Gehlot of being hand-in-hand with Raje, saying when he heard Gehlot's speech in Dholpur, it became clear to him why he had not acted yet against the former chief minister.



That Pilot held the press conference just a day before voting was to take place in Karnatakaan election that is extremely crucial for the Congressmakes clear the leader's restlessness over the party leadership failing to resolve the tussle between him and Gehlot and his readiness for the fight to enter a decisive phase. Pilot goes into the five-day yatra mode amidst clear indications that the central leadership does not want to effect a leadership change in the state with just a little over six months to go for assembly elections. He is also aware that the party high command's message with regard to Rajasthan is that the party is more important than an individual.
Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday alleged that the ruling BJP wants to win the Assembly election with "money power" as they "do not have any developmental works to showcase" to the people. Voting in the high-stakes election began at 7am amid tight security.

"Money has been flowing (in the election). Now what else BJP has (done) to go to the voters other than giving them money? What can they say about the state except that they have money? What development have they made?" the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, who is contesting from Varuna in Mysuru district, said.

The ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while the Congress eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Karnataka is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the ruling BJP, the Congress and Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP could not "give a single house, complete irrigation projects" and reduced free rice for each member of below poverty line (BPL) families from 7 kg to 4 kg per month under the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme.

The BJP has pitted Housing Minister V. Somanna against the veteran Congress leader in Varuna. 75-year-old Siddaramaiah has said this would be his last polls, after which he would abstain from electoral politics.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, also urged the people in to vote in large numbers and choose a 'progressive' government. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, after casting his vote at Shiggaon, said this election this time is about development on one side and false allegations on the other. Bommai expressed confidence that people will vote the BJP in with full majority.

Counting of votes to the 224-member Assembly election will be out on May 13.
On the eve of the Supreme Court judgment that will decide the fate of the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, Opposition bloc MVA on Wednesday said the verdict will determine if democracy "exists" in the country and judiciary "functions" independently.

On the other side, Shiv Sena spokesperson and party MLA Sanjay Shirsat asserted that there is no nervousness in their camp as they had factored in all aspects before revolting (last year).

We have seen the results the Election Commission gave us the party name and symbol and we won the first stage, Shirsat said.

The judgment Supreme Court will give its judgment on Thursday which will decide the fate of the Sena-BJP government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is one of the 16 MLAs whose disqualification plea is before the top court.

Last June, Shinde and 39 MLAs rebelled against the undivided Shiv Sena leadership resulting in the party's split and collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which also comprised the NCP and Congress. Shinde later tied up with the BJP to return as the CM.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said he hoped that his party will get justice, asserting that he has faith in the judiciary.

His party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that the impending verdict will determine the future of the country.

"The Supreme Court judgment will decide whether there is democracy in the country, whether legislatures are functioning as per the Constitution, the judiciary is functioning independently. We are hopeful that we will get justice. I am confident that the Supreme Court of the country is independent," Raut told reporters.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the judgment will be crucial for Indian democracy and the Constitution. He hoped that the judgment would strengthen the Constitution.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will on Thursday deliver the verdict on cross-petitions related to last year's Maharashtra political crisis.

Congress leader Ashok Chavan said whichever way the decision goes, it should be impartial.

This is our expectation. Be it the speaker or deputy speaker, he does not belong to any party, but he is the custodian of the House. If the Supreme Court or the speaker takes the decision, it has to be an impartial one, he said.
Voting began in Karnataka on Wednesday morning capping a 40-day-long intense campaigning where all major players went all out to woo the electorate.

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening. The votes will be counted on May 13.



A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray. Among the electors, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 "others", while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.



Tight security



The Election Commission said that 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty on Wednesday across the state. Besides, the police are on high alert at the border check-posts.



"CEO and DEOs have been instructed to provide all facilitation across more than 58k polling booths set up across 224 ACs," CEC Rajiv Kumar said. Basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchairs, electricity, volunteers, shades, help desks and parking facilities have been provided at all the polling stations.



He said there were 996 women-managed booths, 239 booths managed by persons with disabilities, 286 were managed by youths, and 737 theme-based and ethnic polling stations.



Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with his family after casting vote for Karnataka Assembly elections, in Shiggaon | PTI

High-stakes battle



While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx -- the state has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 -- and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary polls.



Also what needs to be seen is, whether the JD (S) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key for government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.



Both BJP and Congress are fielding some of their top guns in the major constituencies. This includes CM Bommai (Shiggaon), Leader of Opposition and former CM Siddaramaiah (Varuna), JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy (Channapatna) and D K Shivakumar (Kanakapura).



Constituencies that witnessed intense campaigning include Hubli-Dharwad Central where former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, a turncoat, is contesting this election. Shettar had recently joined the Congress, quitting BJP.



BY Vijayendra, son of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, will be contesting from Shikaripura, a stronghold of the latter.



Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharges son Priyank Kharge will be contesting from the Chittapur Assembly constituency. He was also a former minister in the Siddaramaiah government. Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Deve Gowdas grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy will be contesting from the Ramanagara Assembly constituency after hitting a loss in the 2019 elections.



(With inputs from PTI)
Radisson Hotel Group has opened Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, marking the third Radisson Individuals hotel opening in Turkey and bringing the Groups portfolio across the country to over 45 hotels in operation and under development.



Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel is the second Radisson Individuals property in Eskisehir. Last year, the Group opened its first Radisson Individuals property, Nova Vista Deluxe & Suites Eskisehir.



Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals offers guests a unique experience with its modern architecture and proximity to the city centre where guests can explore the many landmarks, the Haller Youth Centre, one of the city's historic food markets, the Espark Shopping Centre, and popular Vural Street.



The hotels central location offers easy access to the local restaurants and bars where guests can experience the local cuisine. Guests can also cruise around and explore the city by gondola, which departs from the gondola point 800m away from the hotel. Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals is easy to reach from multiple areas in Turkey and abroad. Hasan Polatkan Airport is only 7.5 kilometres away and the city's train station can be reached by foot in under five minutes.



Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals features 97 rooms and suites equipped with day-to-day amenities such as in-room coffee and tea facilities, a work desk, a professional hair dryer, and free high-speed wi-fi to make guests feel at home while travelling. The hotel also offers a complimentary breakfast buffet, in-house restaurant, and valet parking.



Emirgan Sutis, the hotel's all-day dining restaurant, serves both international and Turkish dishes, as well as bespoke kids menus, and features a bright and cosy dining room for the whole family. Meals can also be enjoyed on the restaurants terrace, which also has an open-air option.



Yilmaz Yildirimlar, Area Senior Vice President, Central & Eastern Europe, Russia and Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group, said: We are delighted to grow our presence in Turkey and be one step closer to our goal of reaching 50 hotels by the end of 2023 with the opening of Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals. Eskisehir is an important business and leisure destination in Turkey, and we are thrilled to expand our footprint in this vibrant city.



The meeting hall at Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, is perfectly equipped for business meetings and events and can accommodate up to 50 people spanning 80 m2. The hall is equipped with whiteboards, audio-visual equipment, chargers, and adapters, and offers printing services.



Ozan Ylmazarslan, General Manager of Nova Vista Eskisehir Centrum Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, stated: We are proud to be the second Radisson Individuals branded hotel in Eskisehir, one of Turkeys beloved cities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing exceptional service with Radisson Hotel Groups signature 'Yes I Can' philosophy. We are committed to making every guest's stay memorable and look forward to creating unforgettable experiences for our guests in Eskisehir.



The hotel is offering special rates and extra perks with fantastic packages, guaranteed to make guests stay in Eskisehir more affordable and enjoyable.  TradeArabia News Service
BISHKEK, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan celebrated the 78th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) on Tuesday. Festive events dedicated to Victory Day were held in all the regions of the country.

A rally requiem dedicated to Victory Day was held in Bishkek on Victory Square. Speaker of the Parliament Nurlanbek Shakiev, State Secretary Suyunbek Kasmambetov, parliament members, as well as veterans and representatives of the Armed Forces of the country, took part in it.

Kasmambetov congratulated all attendees on Victory Day on behalf of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

In addition, Bishkek hosted the annual Immortal Regiment procession, where more than 10,000 Kyrgyz took part. The Immortal Regiment procession and a meeting requiem also took place in the south of the country in the city of Osh, which was attended by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov.

Victory Day is a celebration of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Kyrgyzstan was a former Soviet Union member, and about 360,000 Kyrgyz took part in the Great Patriotic War. More than 100,000 did not return from the front. 
A woman doctor was stabbed to death by a school teacher while he was being treated at the Kottarakara taluk hospital in Kerala's Kollam district. The deceased is 25-year-old Vandana Das of Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam.

She was a house surgeon at the hospital. Vandana was a final year MBBS student at Kollam Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences & Research. The incident happened at 4:30am on Wednesday. A source at the hospital said the accused, 42-year-old S. Sandeephad stabbed the doctor six times. According to doctors who treated Das, she suffered multiple stab injuries. The wounds on her back and abdomen proved fatal as they caused severe internal injuries, they said.

Police had taken Sandeep into custody after he was involved in a brawl with his neighbours. As he was injured during the fight, police brought him to the hospital. When the doctor was dressing his wounds, Sandeep all of a sudden assaulted the doctor with the scissors that he grabbed hold of in the dressing room. Further on, after attacking five more persons, Sandeep vandalised the hospital. It is learnt that Sandeep was under treatment in a de-addiction centre. He also stabbed home guard Alex Kutty and sub inspector Manilal. He is currently under police custody.

Police officers and hospital staff are clueless about what provoked the accused. Members of the doctors' association claimed the accused was not handcuffed while being treated. A Supreme Court order stipulates a person can only be handcuffed when there is a clear and present risk of escape. Police are mandated to provide reasons before the trial court for handcuffing the accused, and if the magistrate gives permission, only then, can cops use handcuffs.




A car bombing close to a police station near the Syrian capital wounded five officers on Wednesday, state media reported.



The reports, citing the Interior Ministry, did not provide further details on the explosion in the neighbourhood of Barzeh, just north of Damascus. The state SANA news agency circulated photos of a charred car with investigators assessing the damage.

A pro-government radio station cited a police source and said the car that exploded was a private vehicle. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The explosion comes as Syrian President Bashar Assad is making strides in restoring ties with the Arab world. Syria was readmitted into the Arab League on Sunday following a 12-year suspension.

On Tuesday, the Syrian and Saudi foreign ministries announced the reopening of their diplomatic missions. (AP) MRJ 05101438
Supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan continued to take to the streets against their leader's arrest late on Tuesday too as they stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander's residence in Lahore. The protesters chanted slogans against the establishment and sought Khan's release.

The protest will continue on Wednesday too as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has urged party leaders, workers and supporters to gather at the Islamabad Judicial Complex on Wednesday morning.



A statement by PTI on Twitter read: "Important instructions from the party leadership: Senior leadership of Tehreek-e-Insaf and workers and supporters of Islamabad will arrive at Judicial Complex Islamabad at 8 am. The ongoing sit-ins and protests across the country will continue in their respective locations until the release of Imran Khan."



Khan was at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him on Tuesday afternoon. Interestingly, the arrest of the 70-year-old PTI chairman comes a day after the Army accused him of levelling allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.



His arrest sparked violence across several cities in the country. Protestors set police vehicles on fire and damaged public property. As per PTI sources, at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in violent clashes between the security forces and the supporters of Khan.



"At least four PTI workers were killed so far in different parts of the country on the firing of the law enforcement agencies. One each has been killed in Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, and Swat," senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari said. The numbers could not be verified.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran gather beside burning water tanker on a block road during a protest against the arrest of their leader in Karachi | AFP

Meanwhile, section 144 has been imposed in many provinces, including Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. According to the Home Department, the ban on gatherings will remain in place for two days.



The Punjab government also requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to suspend Internet and mobile services in the areas of the province where violent protests took place.



Section 144 was already in place in Islamabad and authorities had warned of arresting people violating the ban on gathering following the arrest of Khan, police said.



PTI to approach SC

PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday said the party will approach the Supreme Court on Wednesday to challenge the Islamabad High Courts upholding of party chairman Imran Khans arrest.



Fawad Chaudhry termed Islamabad High Courts decision "surprising." He tweeted, "It is surprising that Islamabad High Court has declared the arrest of Imran Khan as legal, the arrest of Imran Khan without giving a decision on bail before his arrest is illegal, this decision is being challenged in the Supreme Court this morning."



Meanwhile, Khan is likely to be produced before the court on Wednesday. According to a report by Dawn, he is likely to remain under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for four to five days. "We will do our best to keep him under custody for at least four to five days," the report quoted an unnamed source.



The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had started an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.


Pakistan continues to remain on edge. The arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday sparked violent protests, with his supporters coming onto the streets in a mood to fight till the end. In less than 24 hours since his arrest, over 1,000 PTI supporters have been arrested, the radio station in Peshawar set on fire and the army deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.



The stage is set for further confrontation. The PTI supporters are determined to continue protests and the government is not willing to back down. The signal from the army too is clearthey are losing patience.



What the enemy could not do in 75 years was done by a politically cloaked group in its lust for power, the public relations department of the Pakistan Army, ISPR, said in a statement. The facilitators, planners, and political belligerents are involved in these operations and they have been identified, it added.



A crackdown on the party leadership is imminent, according to the rumours swirling around in Lahore. The secretary general of the PTI, Asad Umar, was arrested from the High Court premise in Islamabad on Wednesday evening as he went to file a petition to meet Khan.



According to GEO news, there was an attempt to arrest Shah Mehmood Qureshi too, but he managed to get away. According to eyewitnesses, the PTI lawyers fought with the police to prevent Umar's arrest, but the law enforcers overpowered them and took the PTI leader away, reported the channel.



Umars arrestin such a dramatic fashionsuggests that there is more to come. There were reports of Qureshi being arrested, but there is no confirmation at the moment. We are in the Supreme Court building to challenge the arrest of Imran Khan. I have got my own order from Islamabad High Court that declared police cannot arrest without informing the court. Despite clear orders of protective bail, the police is all set to flout orders and arrest me. They are outside the SC building and waiting for me to come out," Fawad Chourdhury has been quoted saying to the media.



With the top leadership now under the scannerthere are audio leaks with alleged evidence being circulated that suggests that the leadership of the PTI was in the loop as PTI supporters went on a rampage across the countrythere is more trouble for the party in the offing. What makes it worse is that Khan is now very much stuck in a legal tangle. The National Accountability Bureau sent Khan to custody for eight days. He has been chargesheeted in another corruption case, and it remains to be seen how the political party keeps the protest alive without any leadership. For now, Pakistan remains on edge.
LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company, today announces a strategic equity investment from Visa, a world leader in digital payments. In addition, the companies are collaborating to connect Visa solutions to the TerraPay network to help streamline digital cross-border commerce for consumers and SMBs. Visa Direct, which facilitates the delivery of funds directly to eligible cards, bank accounts, and wallets around the world, is the first solution to connect to TerraPay's network of wallet providers.



The enablement of Visa Direct to TerraPay's global partner integrations of mobile wallets and bank accounts can empower seamless and fast person-to-person remittances for individuals, as well as business pay-outs for small and medium businesses (SMBs), across 108 receive countries.



Global cross-border trade has seen steady growth, largely from emerging markets. By 2025, cross-border trade is expected to reach a value of US$8Tn[1]. Despite this boom and the rise of digital payments globally, cross-border business payments continue to be complex and riddled with challenges, especially for SMBs. For these businesses, the process of sending money can often come with delays, high costs, lack of standardization, and inefficiency.



TerraPay and Visa's collaboration will pave the path for holistic pay-in and pay-out solutions that can enhance the usage of eligible commercial cards for SMEs, extending to include added global money-movement capabilities, including cards, accounts, and wallets. At the same time, merchants can use TerraPay's Request-to-Pay wallet solution, globally.



Speaking on this announcement, Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO, TerraPay, said, "It gives me great pride to say that TerraPay's relationship with Visa is so much more than a collaboration. With Visa joining us as a key investor, this strategic alliance truly reflects a huge stride forward for global digital payments. We are thrilled to give shape to our joint vision of building a connected and empowered world of digital payments."



Ruben Salazar Genovez, Global Head, Visa Direct, said, "We are thrilled that our investment in and collaboration with TerraPay is going to help further enhance the reach of Visa Direct and help spur financial inclusion. More people and SMBs, including underbanked and underserved communities around the world, will soon have access to inbound digital cross-border payment capabilities directly on their mobile devices."



Ambar Sur also added, "Combining Visa's scale with our global payments infrastructure, we will be able to help Visa customers enhance their pay-out experiences and scale their businesses faster. Our collaboration also serves the larger purpose of enhancing the way of life for these individuals and businesses, enabling them with a more connected and accessible global payments ecosystem."



About TerraPay



Headquartered in the United Kingdom, TerraPay believes that the smallest payment deserves a borderless journey as safe as the largest. The group has been building an ever-expanding payments highway that empowers businesses to create transparent customer experiences with an uninterrupted, secure, and real-time global passage for every payment, however small or large. Registered and regulated across 27 global markets, TerraPay is one of the leading global partners to banks, mobile wallets, money transfer operators, merchants, and financial institutions, creating a more expansive and inclusive international financial ecosystem. With access to an extensive network of 7.5Bn+ bank accounts, 2.1Bn+ mobile wallets, across 108 receive countries and 205 send countries, TerraPay enables its partners to become beacons of the promise of global financial inclusion.



[1] https://knowledge.uneca.org/atpc/node/1646



Media Contact:

Anwesha Mukherjee

anwesha@terrapay.com



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1222771/TerraPayLogo.jpg



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2072571/VISALogo.jpg



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MUMBAI, India, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IFI Techsolutions, a leading global digital transformation company, today announced that it has been awarded the prestigious IAMCP P2P Advisor Award for 2023. This recognition highlights the company's exceptional capabilities in partnering and collaborative innovation.



IFI Techsolutions emerged as the winner of the 2023 IAMCP APAC P2P Advisor Award after a rigorous evaluation process by an esteemed panel of international judges, competing against a pool of global entries. This coveted recognition is a testament to IFI Techsolutions' unwavering commitment to building strong partnerships and delivering innovative solutions that add value to its customers.



The International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP) is the world's largest independent community of Microsoft partners, bringing together experts from diverse backgrounds to foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and networking. The IAMCP P2P Advisor Award is conferred annually upon member companies that have demonstrated excellence in partnering, driving better solutions for customers, and improving business outcomes.



"We are honored to receive the IAMCP P2P Advisor Award for 2023," said Ankit Garg, COO - IFI Techsolutions. "At IFI Techsolutions, we believe in the power of partnerships and collaborations to drive transformation and innovation. Our partnership with the IAMCP has been instrumental in supporting our vision and driving better business outcomes for our customers. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to fostering strong partnerships and delivering exceptional value to our clients."



"Congratulations to IFI Techsolutions for being the 2023 IAMCP APAC P2P Advisor Award Winner. The IAMCP P2P Awards recognize member companies that demonstrate excellence in partnering resulting in better solutions for customers and improved business outcomes. In a global community that thrives on partnering, receiving this award is an impressive accomplishment," Paul Solski, International P2P Committee Chair.



About IFI Techsolutions:



IFI Techsolutions (www.ifi.tech) is a leading cloud solutions and managed services provider founded by former Microsoft executives, IFI Techsolutions has delivered over 500 projects, migrated 5,300+ servers for more than 350 global customers in the last 8 years and has presence in USA, UK, UAE, India, Singapore & Australia.



Corporate Profile: http://ifi.tech/introduction



Follow: LinkedInInstagramTwitter



Contact: pr@ifi.tech



Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073059/IFIwinsIAMCP.jpg



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Mumbai, FinTech Festival India 2023 expects to host more than 150 speakers and 10,000 attendees



Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10: The second edition of FinTech Festival India (FFI) is set to take place from 16 to 18 May 2023 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai with a focus on FinTech advancements and predictions. Micro experiences, gathering key stakeholders in the Fintech sector were held throughout the year in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai leading up to the mega event in Mumbai.



Themed "Democratising Digital Economy", FinTech Festival India 2023 aims to help shape the future of finance in the worlds second-fastest-growing FinTech ecosystem and the larger global business environment. The three-day event will feature a robust conference agenda across three stages, as well as a comprehensive mix of exhibition showcases, live demos, product launches and innovations.



Featuring over 150 speakers and expecting more than 10,000 attendees, FFI will delve into some of the most trending topics shaping the FinTech industry, including Web 3.0, Digital Identity, future of BFSI in the Metaverse, Neobanks, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, AI revolutionizing BFSI, Insurtech and more. On the Centre Stage, the first day will focus on examining "The Here and Now of FinTech, while day two will explore "Building a Financially Inclusive Future - Vision 2025," and the final day will dive into "Vision 2030 - Shaping FinTech Future Together!"



The Impact Stage and Open Stage will also run their own parallel conference agenda with fruitful and impactful deliberations on diverse areas of finance. These include curated specialised masterclasses by India Blockchain Forum and Indian School of Business that are uniquely designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the FinTech sector, enabling industry professionals to delve deeper into its complexities and opportunities.



FFI 2023 is proud to name the Government of Telangana as State Partner, with prominent FinTech experts and industry stalwarts including Indian Banks Association, ICICI Bank, DBS Bank India, IDBI Bank, YES Bank, Airtel Payments Bank, MUFG, Federal Bank, In-Solutions Global, WebEngage, American Express, Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE), Bureau.id, BharatPe, Prove, Cover Genius, Zerodha, Kinara Capital, Simpl and Barclays and many more attending the event.



FFI will also host business delegations from at least 10 countries along with influential global innovators, leaders and governance stakeholders providing their unique perspectives on the growth and future of fintech, including banking, lending, payments, regtech, insurtech, and other key areas.



FinTech Festival India is an event of Constellar, who co-organises the Singapore FinTech Festival. With The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) as the Knowledge Partner, FinTech Festival India 2023 is supported by 12 industry associations.



If youd like to attend FinTech Festival India, click here to register.



For media enquiries and interview requests, please contact:



INDIA



Shalini Yadav



Head of Marketing



Shalini.yadav@constellar.co



+91 9654819775



The Constellar Exhibitions India team can also be reached at marcom@fintechfestivalindia.com



SINGAPORE



Dax Lim



Manager, Communications & Culture



Dax.lim@constellar.co



+65 9019 6133



The Constellar Communications team can also be reached at comms@constellar.co



About FinTech Festival India



FinTech Festival India 2023 is an industry-first future-ready event that will showcase the future of FinTech and bring together thought-leaders, industry experts, policymakers, and flag bearers of the FinTech fraternity while facilitating on-site business meetings, conferences, and networking sessions for an unprecedented opportunity to witness the upward trajectory of FinTech in India. Visit fintechfestivalindia.com



About Constellar Exhibitions India



Constellar Exhibitions India harnesses insights and its strategic networks to organise and manage a series of trade exhibitions and conferences that play at the intersection of industries principally between digital and verticals like finance, manufacturing and healthcare. These events aim to connect businesses in India and globally facilitate business matching opportunities and knowledge sharing. Constellar Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Constellar Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Singapore).



About Constellar



Constellar connects a global eco-system of event partners and consumers through a holistic portfolio of intellectual property (IP) in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. As Asia's partner of reference for curating innovative event and venue experiences, Constellar activates impactful networks to bring global markets, businesses and consumers together for sustainable growth. With our expertise and dedication, we are invested in helping you build trusted relationships with stakeholders for the long term and enabling cross-industry collaboration through world-class audience engagement solutions. Visit constellar.co for more information.



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Experts and leaders from the government, civil society, industry associations, development agencies and corporates convene to discuss crucial strategies for empowering India's 240 million adolescents



New Delhi, Delhi, India (NewsVoir)



Speaking at the 12th edition of IDEATE 2023, a Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation initiative in partnership with FICCI and UNICEF as knowledge partner, Shri Vipin Kumar, Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, emphasized the importance of providing quality education to girls in India, focusing on vocational education as a means to ensure employability and relevance to the demands of the industry.



Emphasizing that vocational education is a crucial aspect of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Shri Kumar added that NEP emphasises the importance of providing 21st-century skills to girls to participate in the economy. "To achieve this, the Ministry of Education is in discussions with state governments to identify requirements for specific geographical areas and industries," he said.



Alluding to the government's ambitious target for girls' education, he noted that, "At least 50% of girls who are passing out from the 12th standard by 2025-26 should be expert in one skill relevant to the job market." In this regard, he sought industry support in providing internships.



The 12th edition of IDEATE 2023, organised under the auspices of G20 Empower Jan Bhagidari, themed "Foundational & Lifecycle Interventions to EMPOWER," brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss transformative strategies for empowering India's adolescent girls  a demographic representing a quarter of the nation's population.



In his welcome address, Subhrakant Panda, President of FICCI and Trustee at BIPF, highlighted the importance of investing early in adolescent development. He said, "India has the largest adolescent population in the world, with every fifth person in the 10-19 age group. Given that approximately 47% of this cohort are girls, the need of the hour is their technical and educational upliftment so they go on to have skillsets which enable them to tackle any challenges and be equal partners in India's progress."



Mr. Panda emphasised the importance of closing the gender gap in education, health, and job opportunities, boosting economic growth and inclusivity. With young women joining the workforce, society as a whole benefit. It is estimated that if adolescent girls continue their education, delay early marriage, and avoid early pregnancy, they could add around $110 billion to India's GDP over their lifetimes, he said. Mr. Panda urged a holistic approach, focusing on empowerment by seeing women as agents of change rather than just beneficiaries of health and development programs.



Delivering the keynote address, Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative, emphasized on a multi-sectoral approach to empowering young women and girls. Getting to the root causes and barriers holding girls back in the digital age needs to be addressed from all aspects. It is not just about closing the gender gap, but also about creating a generation of innovators, creators, and leaders to shape a more inclusive and equitable society. Adopting a multi-sectoral approach, working together with businesses, we need to ensure early access to technology, digital, and life skills training. We need to redouble efforts that address harmful gender stereotypes within and outside families including online abuse, she said.



UNICEF works with the government and other partners, to equip adolescent girls and boys with skills for the workplace while promoting access to quality healthcare, education, social benefits and child protection, added Mc Caffrey.



During the event, Trustee and CEO of the Bansidhar and Ila Panda Foundation, Ms. Shaifalika Panda, hosted a fireside chat on mentoring across the lifecycle of girls and featured panelists Ashish Dhawan, Founder CEO, The Convergence Foundation, and Manya Mishra, Youth Icon. The conversation explored the creation of a progressive adolescent ecosystem and the importance of mentoring from childhood to adulthood. She said, "An inclusive environment that promotes equity for girls from their foundational years will foster an environment where they will build the necessary skills and confidence for an independent outlook. Mentoring them across their lifecycle will empower them to follow their dream and achieve their full potential  creating a more equitable and just society with a high percentage of women's economic representation."



Alluding to gender inequity across various segments, which prevents a majority of girls from having a level playing field, she highlighted the crucial need to create an environment that supports and empowers girls, allowing them to unlock their potential. In this regard, Ashish Dhawan outlined several areas, including addressing skill deficits, building strong networks, promoting role models, and challenging social norms, among others, requiring attention.



Ms. Jyoti Vij, Additional Director General, FICCI, delivered the concluding remarks at the event.



In addition, a panel discussion titled "Empowering Girls during the Foundational Years" was moderated by Namita Bhandare, Independent Journalist & Writer. The panelists, including Osama Manzar, Founder & Director, DEF (Digital Empowerment Foundation); Maharshi Vaishnav, CEO, Educate Girls; Praveen Kumar Karn, Head - Group CSR, Spark Minda Group; Shipra Jha, Gender Specialist, UNICEF and Anita Kujur, Student of Medicine delved into the importance of sustained efforts in education, life skills, health, hygiene, digital skills, livelihood opportunities, capacity building, and nurturing family and mother-child health.



The objectives of IDEATE 2023 included addressing policies and frameworks for the empowerment of adolescent girls, assessing the impact of diversified culture and practices on foundation years, understanding the role of influencers in creating a progressive adolescent ecosystem, and exploring mentoring through all stages from childhood to adulthood.



The event reaffirmed the commitment of various stakeholders to invest in gender equity, autonomy, and empowerment of adolescent girls as a fundamental step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the G20 EMPOWER track.



Image1: Ms. Jyoti Vij, Additional Director General, FICCI; Shri Vipin Kumar, Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India; Mr. Subhrakant Panda, President of FICCI and Trustee at BIPF; and Ms. Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative



Image2: Mr. Ashish Dhawan, Founder CEO, The Convergence Foundation, Ms. Shaifalika Panda, Trustee and CEO of the Bansidhar and Ila Panda Foundation and Ms. Manya Mishra, Youth Icon



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New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday reviewed the progress of Kaziranga elevated road project.

In a series of tweets, Gadkari said, this initiative entails the construction of approximately 34 kilometres of elevated road at sites identified by the Wildlife Institute of India, where animal crossings occur.

Additionally, it involves widening the intervening at-grade road to a 4-lane highway, totalling approximately 50 kilometres in length, and building tunnels spanning approximately 3 kilometres, he added.

As part of cost optimisation efforts, Gadkari has instructed that the construction of the tunnels is treated as a separate project and that the debris and muck resulting from their construction be used in the road works.

The minister has also suggested the inclusion of viewing platforms on the elevated road, complete with vehicle parking and kiosks, to provide tourists with an opportunity for wildlife watching.
Mumbai, May 10 (PTI) Chemicals manufacturer BASF on Wednesday posted a 45 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 82.39 crore in the March quarter.

The company's net profit stood at Rs 149.85 crore in the year-ago period, BASF said in a regulatory filing.

Revenue from operations of the company witnessed a fall of 3.25 per cent during the quarter under review at Rs 3,249.95 crore as compared with Rs 3,359.46 crore in the same period a year ago.

In FY23, the company's net profit dropped 32.36 per cent to Rs 402.89 crore as against Rs 594.84 crore in FY2021-22, BASF said.

Revenue from operations of the company in FY23 rose 4.23 per cent to Rs 13,518.79 crore from Rs 12,969.57 crore in FY22.

Shares of the company on Wednesday closed 1.10 per cent down at Rs 2,399.40 on the BSE.
A military parade is held to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

ST. PETERSBURG, May 9 (Xinhua) -- St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The parade was held on the Palace Square, with the participation of about 4,000 military personnel and more than 80 items of military equipment from the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.

Concerts dedicated to the anniversary were held in various districts of St. Petersburg, with the main concert of "Courage. Memory. Victory" staged at the Palace Square.

A veterans parade in vintage cars and flower-laying ceremonies were held in the city.

The celebrations ended with a fireworks show.

Victory Day is a celebration of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, in which the Soviet Union lost around 27 million people. 

Servicemen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Veterans salute during a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicemen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicemen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Military vehicles are seen during a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicewomen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicemen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicemen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Servicewomen take part in a military parade to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 9, 2023. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, held a series of events on Tuesday, including a military parade and concerts, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday embarked on an official two-day visit to Niigata, Japan, to attend a G7 meeting.

India is an invitee to G 7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting.

"During her visit, FM Smt.@nsitharaman will also have multilateral and bilateral engagements with her counterparts, besides a roundtable meeting with business leaders and investors," a finance ministry tweet said.

During her trip, she will address investors and business leaders in Tokyo.

Besides, she will address a seminar on 'Economic Policy in Pursuit of Welfare' at the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting while two other sessions--Tackling Immediate Challenges Facing Developing Countries and Strengthening International Cooperation for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.

The G7 is a forum of leading industrialised nations--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Representatives of the European Union are always present at the annual meeting of the heads of state and government of the G 7.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) US network gear maker Cisco on Wednesday announced it will manufacture products, including routers and switches, in Tamil Nadu to meet rising demand from Indian customers and to diversify its global supply chain.

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins also outlined plans targeting USD 1 billion of combined exports and domestic production from here amid the country's aggressive positioning as a manufacturing destination for global players.

Robbins, who is currently visiting India met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had a series of discussions with External Affairs Minister, S.Jaishankar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, and Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman.

Robbins said his discussion with the PM ranged from manufacturing to skills, and Cisco's programs, and from Artificial Intelligence to 5G, and sustainability.

The Cisco CEO also met Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Monday, in what he described was a "good conversation". Robbins said Cisco has "great relation" with telecom operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

"Today, we are announcing strategic investments in Indian manufacturing capabilities as the next step in delivering cutting-edge technologies to our customers in India and across the globe," Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Cisco said.

India - fueled by a rapidly developing digital economy - is a focal point of innovation and business for the US networking giant, and the Cisco top boss said the company remains deeply committed to its partnerships here.

Cisco, however, did not divulge the quantum of investments it will infuse into the country.

The move comes at a time when India is looking to push manufacturing and position itself as a global hub, lining up enabling policies and dishing out incentives to woo international players.

The manufacturing facility will build Ciscos technology, geared to provide cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications and support complex cloud computing environments, according to a company statement. The initial jobs are seen to be in the range of 1200.

The products can meet companies dynamic demands as they strive to foster agility in an increasingly hybrid, digital-first world, the statement added.

Cisco is now building core manufacturing capabilities in India, including testing, development and logistics, and expanding in-house repair operations. In addition to supporting supply chain resiliency, reducing lead times, and elevating customer experience, this will add further impetus to the local economy.

"India is of strategic importance for Cisco, and we continue to bet on India. Today's announcement marks a significant milestone to power the next phase of growth for Cisco," Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India and SAARC said.

India is a key market for Cisco and its second largest R&D centre outside the US. The company started operations in India in 1995. Cisco previously launched manufacturing efforts in India that were focused on the domestic production of Cisco products. Due to a lack of consistent demand and a supporting ecosystem, those production lines were closed.

This new initiative will focus on manufacturing for the Indian and global markets and aims to build an ecosystem of local suppliers.

The company currently has a 17-nation global manufacturing footprint. It plans to leverage Made in India products also for exports to the region and even Europe.

As the company announced its manufacturing plans for India, Robbins said Cisco will have the first products off the line in 12 months, and will expand to a wider array of Made-in-India products over a period of time. Cisco's manufacturing in India will be through its contract manufacturers and partners, although the company did not divulge the names.

Robbins said that the energy in India is "incredible". "India has made tons on progress on digitisation. The ambition of India is very clear and momentum I felt here is incredible," he said.

In a tweet, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said: "A good meeting with @ChuckRobbins, Chair and CEO, @Cisco. Discussed growing the India-US digital partnership."

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also tweeted, "It was a delight to meet @ChuckRobbins Chair & CEO, @Cisco and learn about their landmark decision to manufacture critical #telecom products for #NewIndia and the world. Look forward to strengthening Ciscos partnership in #IndiaTechade, #CyberSecurity and #DigitalSkills."
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The government will investigate a claim that WhatsApp accessed the microphone of smartphone users while the phone was not in use, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday.

In a tweet, the minister said the government will examine the alleged breach of privacy even as the new Digital Personal Data Protection Bill was being readied.

This followed a claim that WhatsApp accessed a user's microphone while he was sleeping.

"WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6 AM," Foad Dabiri, an engineering director at Twitter said on Saturday. "Whats going on?"

Replying to Dabiri's tweet, Chandrasekhar said, "This is an unacceptable breach and violation of privacy."

"We will be examining this immediately and will act on any violation of privacy even as the new Digital Personal Data Protection bill is being readied," he added.

Dabiri's tweet went viral, attracting over 65 million views.

WhatsApp responded saying it has been in touch with the Twitter engineer over the last 24 hours, who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp.

"We believe this is a bug on Android that misattributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate," WhatsApp said in a tweet.

The company also claimed that users have full control over their mic settings.

"Once granted permission, WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video - and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them," it added.

The engineer working with Twitter shared screenshots of his phone which showed WhatsApp accessing and using his handset's microphone at various times even as he was asleep.

The screenshots prompted several users, including Twitter and Tesla Inc chief Elon Musk, to raise concerns.

"WhatsApp cannot be trusted," Musk tweeted on the screenshot shared by Dabiri. "Or that WhatsApp founders left Meta/Facebook in disgust, started #deletefacebook campaign & made major contributions to building Signal. What they learned about Facebook & changes to WhatsApp obviously disturbed them greatly."

WhatsApp has been under scrutiny in India over various issues. In October last year, the Meta-owned messaging app saw a two-hour service disruption, prompting the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to ask the platform to share reasons for the disruption.

Separately, WhatsApp users in India have reported a massive surge in incoming international spam calls over the past few days. Many users complained on Twitter that a major chunk of these spam calls had country codes belonging to Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), Malaysia (+60), Kenya (+254) and Ethiopia (+251).

According to a Statista report, there are over 487 million WhatsApp users in India, making it the biggest market for the company.
Mumbai, May 10 (PTI) The ED carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS -- BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells -- on Wednesday in connection with its money-laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities at the infrastructure development and finance company, official sources said.

The premises linked to the two auditors in Mumbai were searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added.

The action came a week after the Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court verdict that quashed an SFIO probe against the two companies, both former auditors of IL&FS Financial Services, paving the way for action against them under the Companies Act and allowing the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take forward its enquiry against them.

Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is an agency under the corporate affairs ministry that investigates and prosecutes white collar crimes and frauds.

The money-laundering probe into the alleged financial irregularities at IL&FS was launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2019 after the federal agency took cognisance of a Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) FIR filed against IRL, ITNL (group companies of IL&FS), its officials and others.

The ED also took cognisance of a complaint filed by the SFIO against IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) and its officials.

The ED had also attached assets of various entities in this case in the past.

Arun Kumar Saha, one of the former members of the committee of directors of IFIN, and Karunakaran Ramchand, former managing director of ITNL, were arrested by the ED, which subsequently filed a chargesheet before a special PMLA court in Mumbai.

The ED alleged in the chargesheet that the senior management of IL&FS indulged in acts of commissions and omissions, leading to illegal personal gains to them at the expense of the company.

The ED had said in order to maintain the credentials of IFIN -- so that they could continue to receive high remuneration -- the directors allegedly falsified the accounts and indulged in "circuitous transactions" to artificially boost the balance sheet of the IL&FS group, whereas in reality, these illegal activities were leading to further losses to the group.

According to records, the IL&FS group companies had an aggregate debt burden of more than Rs 91,000 crore and a series of defaults had taken place between June and September in 2018, threatening to collapse the money markets of India.

This had led to initiation of action against the firms and their auditors.

The Union government took the management control of IL&FS and appointed a new board in October 2018 in an effort to control defaults and restore confidence and financial stability in capital markets.
Port Louis/ New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) In a boost to the embattled Adani Group, Mauritian Financial Services Minister Mahen Kumar Seeruttun has told the nation's Parliament that Hindenburg Research's allegations of the presence of 'shell' companies in the Island nation are 'false and baseless' and that Mauritius was in compliance with OECD-mandated tax rules.

US short seller Hindenburg on January 24 alleged that billionaire Gautam Adani used shell companies based in Mauritius to manipulate stock prices of his Indian-listed companies.

A shell company is an inactive firm used as a vehicle for various financial manoeuvres.

When a Member of Parliament (MP) through a written notice question asked the Minister about Hindenburg's allegation of use of Mauritius-based entities as conduits for money laundering and share price manipulation for the Adani Group, the minister said the nation's law does not allow shell companies.

"At the outset, I wish to inform the House that the allegations of the presence of shell companies in Mauritius are false and baseless," he said. "According to the law, shell companies are not allowed in Mauritius."

All global business companies licensed by the Financial Services Commission have to meet substance requirements on an ongoing basis and are being strictly monitored by the Commission, he said.

"So far, there has been no breach that has been found," he said.

He said the Financial Services Commission has taken note of the Hindenburg report but the regulator is bound by the confidentiality clause of the law and cannot disclose details.

"The Financial Services Commission can neither deny nor confirm whether an investigation has been and/or is being conducted. As such, disclosure of information on global business companies would be in breach of section 83 of the Financial Services Act and may have an adverse impact on the repute of our jurisdiction," he said.

Dhanesswurnath Vikash Thakoor, chief executive officer, of FSC, had previously stated that an initial assessment of all the entities related to the Adani group in Mauritius was not found to be any non-compliance with rules.

Listing out the requirements for companies registering in Mauritius, the minister said they first have to carry out their core income-generating activities in or from the country. They must be managed and controlled from Mauritius, have at least two directors resident in Mauritius, maintain at all times their principal bank account in the country, keep and maintain at all times their accounting records at their registered office in Mauritius and prepare their statutory financial statements and cause those financial statements to be audited in Mauritius.

The statement came just before the Hindenburg-Adani issue comes up in Supreme Court. The apex court, which had appointed an expert committee to look into regulatory issues, is likely to take up capital market regulator SEBI's plea for a six-month extension in timelines to probe allegations against the Adani group.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is assessing the connection between Adani Group and two Mauritian firms - Great International Tusker Fund and Ayushmat Ltd - that participated as anchor investors in the recently cancelled share sale of Adani Group's flagship company.

The conglomerate lost USD 140 billion in market capitalisation at one point after short seller Hindenburg raised allegations of fraud and stock price manipulation against the group. Adani Group, however, has denied all the charges.

"With respect to the allegation of Mauritius being a tax haven, I wish to inform the House that Mauritius strictly complies with the international best practices and has been rated as compliant with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD standards," the Mauritian minister told the Parliament.

Since 2018, Mauritius has reformed its global business framework and tax regime with a view to removing harmful tax practices. "As per the peer review conducted by the OECD forum on harmful tax practices, the OECD is satisfied that Mauritius does not have any harmful features in its tax regimes, thus recognizing Mauritius as a well-regulated, transparent and compliant jurisdiction," he said.

He said the Financial Services Commission monitored the Adani issue closely. "The commission is pursuing its actions within the ambit of the relevant legislations and in line with its current supervisory process. It has been carrying out reviews of all the companies cited in the Hindenburg report."

"And as part of the Supervisory Review, the Financial Services Commission has requested and received compliance reports pertaining to all the relevant companies, which show compliance with the prevailing legislations in Mauritius. Given the multilayering of those companies cited in the report, the Financial Services Commission continues to monitor the matter diligently," he said.

Also, the Financial Services Commission is collaborating with law enforcement agencies in Mauritius and overseas regulators on the matter.

When the MP asked how he arrived at the conclusion that allegations made in the report are 'false and baseless', the minister said he was referring to the statement made the report with regard to shell companies being registered in Mauritius.

"And this is, like I said in my reply, to be able to be licensed in Mauritius, there are conditions and requirements that need to be satisfied. And those conditions, I have spelled out all those conditions, and based on the fact that these companies adhere to those conditions, then it is unfounded to say that those companies are shell companies" he said.
Mumbai, May 10 (PTI) South star Mammootty on Wednesday started shooting for his upcoming film Bazooka in Ernakulam, Kerala, the makers announced on Wednesday.

The Malayalam-language crime drama is directed by debutant filmmaker Deeno Dennis, son of veteran scriptwriter Kaloor Dennis.

Mammootty said he was instantly drawn to Bazooka, which has a taut script and well-rounded characters.

"It is nice to come across a script that takes you by surprise and grabs your interest instantly. 'Bazooka' is an action film but it is also a game of wits and has strong, well-etched characters.

"I am looking forward to the filming process because I know my character will take me on a very interesting journey, the 71-year-old actor said in a statement.

Dennis said it is a dream come true moment for him as he always aspired to work with the screen idol.

"I feel thrilled as it is the privilege of a lifetime to direct someone of his stature and experience. Together, all of us are hoping to create movie magic and a film for the ages because Mammootty sir and his fans deserve nothing less than a cinematic milestone, the director said.

The film is produced by Yoodlee Films, the film studio arm of Saregama India Limited and is co-produced by Theatre of Dreams.

Siddharth Anand Kumar, Sr. Vice President of Films & Events at Saregama India Ltd, said they are looking forward to making a film that will be enjoyed by the audience.

"Our passion for telling stories has led us to explore different formats, genres and languages over the years and this moment is like no other because we are working for the first time with the legendary Mammootty. This is why we took our time to finetune the script and to get all the pre-production details in place perfectly, Kumar said.

Also starring filmmaker-actor Gautham Menon, Bazooka will also be shot in Kochi and Bengaluru.
Washington, May 10 (PTI) The United States on Tuesday called for respect of democratic principles and the rule of law in Pakistan in the aftermath of the arrest of its former prime minister Imran Khan.

"We are aware of the arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. As we have said before, the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

She was responding to questions on arrest of Imran Khan in Pakistan. Khan was undergoing a biometric process at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him in a graft case.

"We call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world. So I would refer you to the Government of Pakistan for any further information on that," she said.

At a joint news conference with his British counterpart, James Cleverly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want rule of law to be followed in this South Asian country.

"I've seen the reports that that you've alluded to and we just want to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law with the constitution showing," Blinken told reporters at the joint news conference with his British counterpart Foreign Secretary Cleverly.

The two diplomats were responding to a question on reports of arrests of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Cleverly said he has not yet had the opportunity to be briefed in detail on the developments on Pakistan.

"The UK has a long standing and close relationship with Pakistan. We are Commonwealth partners. We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to. I'm uncomfortable to speculate any further without having a detailed briefing on that," Cleverly said.

Khan's arrest has sparked massive protests across Pakistan by his supporters who stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander's residence in Lahore.
Gaza City, May 10 (AP) Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday fired several barrages of rocket fire into southern Israel, in their first response to a series of Israeli airstrikes that have killed a total of 16 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel, where residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tueday. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli aircraft struck targets in Gaza a second straight day on Wednesday, killing at least one Palestinian and pushing the region closer toward a new round of heavy fighting.

Tuesday's strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians  most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it was bombing Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.

The army said one airstrike targeted militants travelling to a rocket launcher site in the southern Gaza Strip.

Medics said the attack killed one man and seriously wounded another. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the men were militants. It also remains unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late Tuesday were militants or civilians.

The Israeli military had instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools were still closed for a second day as a precaution against rocket attacks.

Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.

Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and confine the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

But Hamas has expressed solidarity with its smaller counterpart, and the two groups often coordinate with one another.

If the violence continues, the risk of a full-blown war could increase. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic group, which opposes Israel's existence, took control of Gaza in 2007.

Earlier on Wednesday, the military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank during an army raid. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms, it said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain men as Ahmed Assaf, 19, and Rani Qatanat, 24. The Islamic Jihad militant group later claimed the two men as its members.

Israel has been conducting near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank for over a year to detain suspected Palestinian militants, including many from Islamic Jihad. The northern West Bank city of Jenin and its environs have been the frequent target of such raids as it has emerged as a hub of Palestinian militant activity.

Israel says the raids in the West Bank are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks.

At least 107 Palestinians, around half of them militants, have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank. east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state. (AP)



MRJ
London, May 10 (PTI) Two teenagers found guilty of murdering an innocent 16-year-old Afghan Sikh refugee in London who they mistakenly thought belonged to a rival gang were sentenced to life imprisonment by a UK court on Wednesday.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, were convicted of the murder of Rishmeet Singh in cold blood in March following a trial at the Old Bailey court in London.

In a televised sentencing hearing at the same court, Judge Sarah Munro described the case as tragic as she sentenced Balakrishnan to serve a minimum of 24 years and Suleiman a minimum of 21 years behind bars before being considered for parole.

This case is more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim, the judge said.

He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence. It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him, she said.

During the trial, it emerged that Rishmeet Singh came to the UK in October 2019 with his mother and grandmother to seek asylum from Jalalabad in Afghanistan.

His father was killed by the Taliban six months prior to that, and shortly after they tried to kidnap Rishmeet  forcing the family to flee to the UK.

In a statement, Rishmeets mother Gulinder said: Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him. No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Rishmeet was taken from us. He has been raised with so much love and now hes gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy. I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.

I will never get over losing him in this way. I will not see him grow up into a young man. I will not see him leave college. I will not see him fulfil his aspirations. I will not see him learn to drive. I will not see him fall in love and get married. I will not become a grandmother and see my son grow old. I have been robbed of so many future events.

She revealed that her son was attending college to complete a public service course and his ambition was to become a police officer to help people.

Rishmeet was well loved by all that knew him, he was a faithful boy and was very caring in his nature. I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son. Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me. They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again, added Gulinder.

The court heard that in November 2021, Rishmeet had just left his friends after enjoying a pleasant evening in the park in Southall, west London, and was walking home when he saw two unknown males running towards him.

Rishmeet immediately ran back towards his friends and shouted run, run, before he tripped and fell. One of his pursuers then stabbed him at least five times in the back.

Seconds later, the second male also began to stab Rishmeet  at least 10 times. His attackers then fled, leaving his bloodied and injured body on the ground.

Detectives from the Met Police Specialist Crime Command launched a murder investigation and immediately began gathering evidence, including extensive CCTV enquiries to follow Rishmeets movements both before and after the attack.

Enquiries led to Balakrishnan and Suleiman, who were aged 17 at the time of the attack, being arrested on suspicion of murder in December 2021 and have now been convicted of the crime.

Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him. He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman, said Detective Inspector Laura Semple, from the Metropolitan Polices Specialist Crime Command, at the time of their conviction.

The police said that between them, the two teens stabbed Singh 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.
Washington, May 10 (AP) President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the US-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through , according to a new rule released on Wednesday.

It's part of new measures meant to crack down on illegal border crossings while creating new legal pathways, including a plan to open 100 regional migration hubs across the Western Hemisphere, administration officials said.

While stopping short of a total ban, the measure imposes severe limitations on asylum for those crossing illegally who didn't first seek a legal pathway. The rule was first announced in February, but the finalised version takes effect on Thursday.

More than 50,000 people commented on it, but in the end it didn't appear to substantively change. It's almost certain to face legal challenges. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump pursued similar but stricter measures, but a federal appeals court prevented them from taking effect.

The administration painted the rule as a way to reduce the number of migrants showing up at the border while still allowing people with legitimate claims a chance at asylum. Officials also emphasized the complex dynamics at play when it comes to immigration that at one time consisted largely of adults from Mexico seeking to come to the US They could easily be returned home. Now migrants come from nations across the Western Hemisphere and beyond.

Economic and political instability around the world is fuelling the highest levels of migration since World War II, including in the Western Hemisphere, the rule said, with known crossings from Mexico reaching an all-time high last year due to an unprecedented exodus of migrants at different times from countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.

The rule was immediately met with criticism. Groups that help immigrants called it ludicrous," life-threatening" and misguided.

With its new rule formalising sweeping restrictions on asylum access, the Biden administration is putting border politics ahead of the safety of refugees," said Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International.

The rule does include room for exceptions for anyone with an acute medical emergency or facing imminent and extreme threat to life or safety, such as an imminent threat of rape, kidnapping, torture or murder. It does not apply to children travelling alone but will apply to families.

US officials also said they had plans to open regional hubs around the hemisphere, where migrants could apply to go to the US, Canada or Spain. Two hubs were previously announced in Guatemala and Colombia. It's unclear where the other locations would be. The administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing border plans that were not yet public.

The measures are all meant to fundamentally alter how migrants go to the US southern border. COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions that are ending this week had allowed border officials to quickly return people  and they did so 2.8 million times. But even as the restrictions, known as Title 42, were in effect, border crossings rose to all-time highs. Congress has failed to make any major immigration law changes in decades.

US officials are bracing for large numbers of migrants who may try to cross the border this week, possibly to circumvent the new rules. Others were waiting until after Title 42 goes away, thinking their chances might be better.

Once the change happens, migrants caught crossing illegally will not be allowed to return for five years, and they can face criminal prosecution if they do. The administration said in the new rule that as many as 11,000 migrants per day could try to cross the border after Title 42 lifts, absent any changes.

Roughly 24,000 law enforcement officers were stationed along the 1,951-mile (3,140-kilometre) border with Mexico.

An additional 1,500 active-duty military troops are being sent to back up US Customs and Border Protection but will not interact with migrants. And 2,500 National Guard troops are already there, tasked to help out CBP.

Biden said on Tuesday his administration was working to make the change orderly. But it remains to be seen, he told reporters. It's going to be chaotic for a while.

The Democratic administration will return migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to Mexico if they do not apply online, have a sponsor and pass a background check. It will admit 30,000 per month from those nations to the US with legal papers to work for two years. Mexico will continue to take back the same number who cross illegally.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, groups on Tuesday handed out flyers that explained in English and Haitian Creole how to register for the CBP One app, which the US has been using to allow migrants to schedule an appointment to try to gain admittance.

Authorities plan to increase the number of appointments amid widespread frustration, and they're prioritizing people who have been waiting longest for appointments.

Standing in Reynosa's central square, Haitian migrant Phanord Renel said he would not risk deportation to cross. We don't want to go back there (Haiti) because the situation is very complicated there, he said. If we can't cross, we have to put up with it here. Maybe the government will do something for us. But cross illegally  no.

Immigration officials are also planning to deploy as many as 1,000 asylum officers to conduct expedited screenings for asylum seekers to more quickly determine whether someone meets the standard to stay in the US.

Most of the people going to the US-Mexico border illegally are fleeing persecution or poverty in their home countries. They ask for asylum and have generally been allowed into the US to wait out their cases. That process can take years under a badly strained immigration court system, and it has prompted increasing numbers to go to the border hoping to get into the US.

Even though many ask for asylum, the legal pathway is narrow, and most do not meet the standard.

Authorities have spent months setting up interview rooms and phone lines at facilities along the border to facilitate screenings, part of a broad effort to expand the use of expedited removal proceedings aimed at migrants who forgo legal pathways to come to the US. (AP) PY

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend a joint press conference in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China resolutely opposes unilateral sanctions, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said here on Tuesday.

Qin made the remarks at a joint press conference along with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in response to a reporter's question about possible European Union (EU) sanctions on Chinese companies for alleged cooperation with Russia.

China does not sell weapons to parties involved in the Ukraine crisis, and handles the export of dual-use items prudently and in accordance with laws and regulations, Qin said.

Normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises should not be affected, he noted.

China resolutely opposes long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions against other countries based on one's own laws, and will take necessary actions to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, said Qin.

Qin is on a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12 at the invitation of his German, French and Norwegian counterparts. 
Beijing, May 10 (PTI) China has delivered two more naval frigates to the Pakistan Navy in addition to the two delivered earlier, completing the order for four ships, the official media here reported on Wednesday.

Two Type 054A/P frigates to Pakistan were delivered by China, indicating that all four warships of this class have been commissioned into the Pakistan Navy, state-run Global Times reported.

A joint delivery and commissioning ceremony for the two frigates namely the PNS Tippu Sultan and the PNS Shahjahan was held in the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on Wednesday, the daily reported.

Chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi, who is on a visit to China, attended the ceremony and boarded the vessels.

Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Niazi highlighted that the commissioning of the two frigates ushers a new chapter in the Pak-China friendship that has matured and rests firmly on the pillars of trust, respect and mutual support.

The same is manifested in our defence collaborations, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan's Geo News.

The Type 054A/P is one of the latest multi-role frigates of Chinese origin, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors that include CM-302 surface-to-surface missiles and LY-80 surface-to-air missiles as well as Advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare suite and Combat Management System, enabling ships of this class to operate under multi-threat scenarios, Niazi said.

The Type 054A/Ps are being integrated into Pakistan Navy operations, and will be a mainstay of the Pakistan Navy Fleet in the coming years, ensuring the seaward defence and protection of Pakistan's vital sea lines of communication, said the Pakistani naval chief.

On May 8, Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu during his meeting with Admiral Niazi said that the two all-weather friends should seek new areas of military cooperation and jointly safeguard their security interests and region.

Li said the relations between the militaries of the two countries are an important part of China-Pakistan relations, and cooperation between the two sides in various fields, including the two navies, has achieved good results.

Li said the militaries of the two countries should expand new exchange areas, create new cooperation highlights, and work together to safeguard the security interests of both countries and the region, a defence statement here said.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Kumar said last month that Pakistan Navy is modernising itself at a good pace and seeks to become a 50-platform force in 10-15 years, and they are adding new corvettes and frigates to their fleet.

Niazis visit is part of a flurry of high-level visits between the two countries this month amid Pakistans deepening economic and political crisis and reports of leaked documents highlighting deliberations in the Pakistan establishment on whether to move closer to the US to balance ties with China.
Tunis (Tunisia), May 10 (AP) The death toll from a synagogue gun attack on the Tunisian island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage has risen to five, Tunisia's TAP news agency said on Wednesday.

Two Jewish pilgrims and three Tunisian police guards were shot dead during the firing spree at the Ghriba synagogue on Tuesday.

Tunisian authorities opened an investigation into the attack, and it wasn't known if the Jewish pilgrims were specifically targeted by the gunman, who was quickly slain by security guards before he could enter the synagogue complex. Little is known about the gunman's identity.

A police guard who had been hospitalised in the immediate aftermath died from his wounds on Wednesday, according to a medical official cited by TAP, while four other members of the security forces remain hospitalized in Djerba, including one who is in critical condition.

Ghriba Synagogue committee chair Perez Trabelsi was in the synagogue during the attack and told The Associated Press of his terror when the sound of the cartridges broke out.

I was scared, as were most of the people gathered in the oukala,' a large space adjacent to the synagogue. Everyone was panicked. Many took refuge in the rooms for fear of being hit by the shots that came from outside, he said.

He was saddened that the pilgrimage to the historic synagogue that is revered in Judaism was spoiled by those who wish Tunisia harm, he said.

More pilgrims than have been seen in recent years came to Ghribi this year -- around 6,000 people from the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe and beyond, Trabelsi added.

Jews have been living in Djerba, a picturesque island off the southern coast of Tunisia, since 500 B.C. An annual pilgrimage at the reportedly 2,500-year-old Ghriba temple, thought to be one of the world's oldest synagogues, attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

The first Jews who arrived were said to have brought a stone from the ancient temple of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians. The stone is kept in a grotto at the synagogue. Women and children descend into the grotto to place eggs scrawled with wishful messages on them.

Djerba's Jewish population is one of North Africa's biggest, although in recent years it has shrunk to 1,500, down from 100,000 in the 1960s.

Most left following the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries, and the economic policies adopted by the government in the late 1960s also drove away many Jewish business owners.

Djerba, a dusty island of palm trees and olive groves, lures hundreds of thousands of tourists every year  mainly Germans and French  for its sandy beaches and rich history. The Ghriba synagogue itself, said to date to 586 B.C., once drew up to 2,000 visitors per day, Jewish leaders have said.

Israeli and Tunisian authorities and family members identified the civilian victims as cousins: Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French.

Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sadness at the attack. In a statement, the ministry paid tribute to the rapid intervention of the Tunisian security forces and stands by Tunisia to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of fanaticism.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli noted that unfortunately the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site, according to his office.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with Tunis Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan, and told him that Israel stands alongside the community in this difficult hour. He said he instructed ministry officials to provide all needed aid. Israel and Tunisia don't have formal diplomatic relations. The European Jewish Congress expressed its shock and outrage.

Terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue, EJC President Ariel Muzicant said in a statement.

The assailant, a guard affiliated with the National Guard naval centre in the port town of Aghir on Djerba, first killed a colleague with his service weapon before seizing ammunition and heading toward the Ghriba synagogue, the Tunisian Interior ministry said.

When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple, who fired back, killing him before he reached the entrance, the ministry said.

Former Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Tunisian radio Mosaique FM that he was at the Ghriba synagogue with family members during the attack. He described the place as almost empty because most visitors had already left the site.

The shooting was heavy and the attacker tried to enter the synagogue compound, he said. The counterterrorism officers, who were extremely professional, quickly blocked all exits. A carnage was thus avoided.

Aviel Haddad's sister, Rona, told Israel's Kan public radio that the entire family had immigrated to Israel from Tunisia, and that her brother, a jeweller, travelled to Djerba frequently.

She said that she and her family tried unsuccessfully for hours after the attack to contact him and later learned the news through family friends. Rona Haddad said the family intended to bury Aviel Haddad in Israel.

The president of the Israelite Consistory of the southern French city of Marseille, Michel Cohen-Tenoudji, said Benjamin Haddad, a father of four, was a well-known, very active member of the local Jewish community.

He was running a kosher bakery in the city center and was known for offering Shabbat bread to people in need, he told French media. The family is devastated. On a personal level, I feel indignation, horror and sorrow.

In 2002, a truck bombing killed about 20 people at the entrance to the same temple during the annual Jewish pilgrimage. Al-Qaida claimed that attack, whose victims included German and French tourists as well as Tunisians.

In 2015, an attack in Tunisia at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed 38 people, mostly British tourists. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, along with attacks that year on the famed Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis and on a bus carrying presidential guards. (AP) PY

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Washington, May 10 (PTI) US President Joe Biden believes that Americas relationship with India is important and needs to be built, his spokesperson said, noting that the administration continues to engage with senior Indian officials on human rights issues.

This is a president who has had decades of experience in leader-to-leader relationships. This is an important relationship as we speak about the Indo-Pacific, as we talk about how to move forward in that region, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden headed to New York.

And so, the president believes this is an important relationship that we need to continue and build on. As it relates to human rights, as I just laid out, this is a conversation that we have with other nations around the world. The president never shies away to have that conversation with leaders, Jean-Pierre said.

The Press Secretary was responding to a question on the White House announcement earlier in the day about the Official State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 22.

Are the optics problematic for the White House, with the White House giving India sort of the honour of a state visit when there are obvious human rights concerns under Prime Minister Modi and the fact that there are clear differences between the US and India when it comes to Russia and Ukraine? she was asked.

As we do with other nations around the world, we regularly engage with Indian government officials at senior levels on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief. That is something that the president regularly does. We encourage all countries to uphold their human rights obligations, and commitments, and to work towards building inclusive societies, Jean-Pierre said.

Earlier, she told reporters aboard Air Force One that Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22.

The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, she said.

The visit will strengthen our two countries shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy, and space. The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change to workforce development and health security, Jean-Pierre said.

Atul Keshap, the president of the US-India Business Council, said that a State Visit is a big diplomatic gesture for the United States.

India was last honoured with a State Visit in 2009. That PM Modi is being honoured with only the third State Visit of the Biden Administration shows the respect and affection the American people have for a rising India, he told PTI.

It is entirely good and proper that the world's two greatest democracies further cement their strategic, economic, and technology convergence in these turbulent geostrategic times. The State Visit will remind the world that India and America still have so much more potential to capture in our bilateral relations, reflecting the energy and talent of our demographics and our systems, which serve to empower our free peoples," Keshap said.

The announcement by the White House of the upcoming Official State Visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June of this year demonstrates the strategic bet that the Biden administration has placed on its partnership with India.

India is key to the security, diplomatic, and commercial architecture that the United States is building across the Indo-Pacific, said Aparna Pande, from the Hudson Institute think-tank.

For the Modi government also, a stronger strategic partnership with the United States is critical in boosting Indias leverage in the global arena, Pande said.
Washington, May 10 (PTI) The United States has a very deeply complicated and consequential relationship with China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, adding that engagement between the two countries is the key.

He also said that it is in the interest of the US and China to establish and strengthen their lines of communication -- something that the rest of the world "expects us to do".

"What we have communicated to our colleagues in the government in Beijing is the importance from our perspective in engagement, precisely because we have a deeply complicated and also consequential relationship that is important to people in the United States and China," Blinken told reporters at a news conference along with his British counterpart Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

"But beyond that around the world; that our two presidents agreed when they met in Bali at the end of last year that it would be important to establish and strengthen our lines of communication; and that we believe that that's in our interests and also something that the rest of the world expects us to do because there's an expectation that we will responsibly manage the relationship," he said.

"And precisely because we have profound differences as well as, I believe, some responsibility not only to manage those differences so that the competition that we have doesn't veer into conflict, but also the potential where it's in our mutual interest and where it answers needs that the world has as well to find areas of cooperation, that engagements the way that we try to pursue both of those responsibilities," Blinken said.

China was one of the major topics of discussion between the two leaders. "When it comes to key issues like ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as looking for ways to cooperate with China where we can work together to solve big challenges. That's what people around the world expect from great powers, and it's in our collective interest," he said.

"I think it's also important to note that even as we focused today, as we do, on Ukraine, on some of the challenges represented by our respective relationships with China, we equally focused on a much broader agenda and that is the needs, the concerns, the imperatives for people around the world as they deal, and as we deal with the impact of climate change, food insecurity  as I've already mentioned  energy insecurity, global health, trying to provide for more inclusive economic growth through work that we and partners in the G7, as we're preparing for the leaders meeting of the G7, can help advance and support. That agenda is very much the focus of both the United Kingdom and the United States," Blinken said.

Cleverly said he recognizes the role that China has in world affairs and how they respond to China's action will, of course, be an ongoing part of the bilateral discussions.

"I recently gave a major speech on the UK's posture towards China, which was derived from our recent integrated review refresh. We made the point that we need to defend ourselves as nations  the UK is doing this, as indeed the United States of America is  against inappropriate activities by China. We also need to make sure that we build alliances and strengthen the pre-existing alliances that we have, as I'm doing today with the United States of America, but also with our friends in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

"We have to engage with China directly, robustly, regularly, to seek to influence the decisions that are made in Beijing and do so in a way that benefits the whole world, whether that be on the maintenance of peace across the Taiwan Strait, which of course is something which affects all of us irrespective of where we are in the world, to issues such as climate change, pandemic prevention and response," Cleverly said.
Lahore, May 10 (PTI) The supporters of former premier Imran Khan on Wednesday attacked the Lahore residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, police said.

According to police, over 500 miscreants from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party reached the Model Town Lahore residence of the prime minister in the early hours of Wednesday and set ablaze vehicles parked over there.

"They also threw petrol bombs inside the premiere's house," a senior police officer of Punjab police told PTI on Wednesday.

The police official said only the guards were present at the prime minister's house when the miscreants attacked. They also set on fire a police post there.

"As a heavy contingent of police reached there, the PTI protesters left," he said.

Before reaching the prime minister's residence, the mob attacked the ruling PML-N Secretariat in Model Town, torching the vehicles parked over there. They also put the barriers there on fire.

Police said that the protesters set on fire 14 government installations/buildings and 21 police vehicles in Punjab during the last two days -- Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the protesters had set ablaze at the Corps Commander House in Lahore after ransacking it.

The situation in Lahore and several other cities of Punjab remained tense on Wednesday in the wake of the arrest of PTI chief and former premier Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a land transfer corruption case.

Violent clashes between Imran Khans supporters and security forces have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 injured across Pakistan as the army was deployed in the country's capital Islamabad, as well as in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on Wednesday to maintain law and order.
Mumbai, May 10 (PTI) A special court here has acquitted a man, now 46 years old, who was chargesheeted in connection with the 1993 communal riots in the city, giving him the benefit of the doubt and noting that he may be an innocent bystander and may not be part of the mob.

The accused, Shivpujan Rajbhar, who had been absconding, was traced and produced before the court on March 28, 2023.

Rajbhar, along with dozen others, had been chargesheeted by the police under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for attempt to murder and unlawful assembly.

Rajbhar was cleared of all the charges by additional sessions judge AA Kulkarni on May 4.

A detailed order was made available on Wednesday. Most of the other accused in the case have already been acquitted.

As per the prosecution, Rajbhar was part of a mob of around 300 to 400 people engaged in the hurling of stones, and glass bottles at each other during the communal riots 30 years ago.

The police had said the mob was uncontrolled and aggressive and didn't heed the warning of a police constable at the spot.

The mob was throwing burning balls and tube lights. Police resorted to lathicharge to control the situation and eventually fired in the air, according to the prosecution.

The court said the prosecution relied on the evidence of three witnesses- two policemen and a panch.

The judge noted that except for the evidence tendered by the trio, there is nothing on record to indicate the complicity of the accused in the crime and also there is no independent witness to identify the accused.

It's true that the incident took place in 1993, and after such a long delay, the witnesses cannot be found to identify the accused, the court said.

It is true that the mob consisted of 300 to 400 people and it is difficult to ascertain who actively participated in vandalizing the property. No specific act is attributed to the accused,'' the judge noted.

Though for the sake of argument, it is assumed that the present accused (Rajbhar) was present at the spot, it may be possible that he may be an innocent bystander. There is nothing on record to suggest that the accused actively participated in the unlawful assembly, the judge observed.

The court mentioned that the accused was apprehended from the spot and there was no identification parade.

The prosecution has failed to prove charges against the accused. Eventually, the benefit of the doubt goes in favour of the accused, the court said, while acquitting him.

Mumbai witnessed communal riots in December 1992-January 1993 in the aftermath of the demolition of the disputed Babri structure in Ayodhya. The riots were followed by 1993 serial bomb blasts.
Indore, May 10 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday night brought back 24 students from the state who were stuck in violence-hit Manipur, a senior official said.

While 23 students were flown to Indore via Kolkata by a regular flight, another student reached Nagpur from where he will travel to his home in Chhindwara in MP, said Rajesh Rajora, Additional Chief Secretary (Home).

He said the rest 23 students would leave for their homes in different districts.

Karn Kunte, one of the students who returned from Manipur, said the situation in the north-eastern state was very serious.

"We did not come out of our hostel for six days. We were constantly hearing scary reports about violence," he told PTI at Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar airport.

Kunte, a resident of Indore city, said he was very happy to return home.

It was an emotional reunion with parents for Kune at the airport. As soon as he came out of the airport, his mother hugged him and kissed his forehead.

At least 60 people have been killed in the clashes between the tribals living in the Manipur hills and the majority Meitei community residing in the Imphal valley over the latter's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. More than 23,000 people have been rescued and sheltered in military garrisons and relief camps.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke to students from the state stranded in Manipur on Monday and assured them of all possible help. He had also spoken with his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh over the phone on Sunday.
Kolkata, May 10 (PTI) A major fire broke out at the top floor of a multistoried building close to the Raj Bhavan in the city's center on Wednesday morning..

The fire broke out at the terrace of the five storied Saraf House and is spreading to other parts of the building, an official said.

Around 15 fire tenders and one 55m hydraulic ladder have been pressed into service by the fire brigade personnel to douse the blaze after it was reported at around 10.05AM from the terrace of the building, the fire department official said.

There was no report of any casualty and the building as well as the adjacent ones were evacuated, he said.

A canteen is located at the terrace, while the top floor of the building houses about ten offices of private companies and a bank, a police officer said.

The building has a couple of other banks in its other stories, he said.

Governor C V Ananda Bose came out of the Raj Bhavan to have a look at the blaze. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the area to take stock of the situation.

State Fire deprtment Minister Sujit Bose, city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and other ssenior officers of Kolkata Police too rushed in.

"I came out to take a look at the fire. Raj Bhavan is ready to offer any help if there is any need for it. Firefighters are doing a fine job," the governor said.

"We are doing whatever it takes to douse the fire. We have employed one 55-metre hydraulic ladder. The cause of the fire is yet to be known," teh fire department minister said.

Local councillor Santosh Pathak of Congress alleged that the fire broke out at the top floor of the building where illegal constructions were made.

He blamed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for taking no step to stop the illegal constructions despite several written complaints by him in 2016.

"The fire broke out at the top floor where illegal constructions were done and a canteen was operational without any proper fire safety arrangements," he alleged.

Locals said a loud noise was heard when the fire broke out and claimed that it was sound of a gas cylinder exploding.

When contacted, city mayor Firhad Hakim said that he will look into the matter.
Suri (WB), May 10 (PTI) A court in West Bengals Birbhum district on Wednesday fixed May 30 as the next date of hearing on Visva-Bharatis notice to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen asking him to vacate 0.13 acre (5,500 square feet) of land which the central university claims he is illegally occupying.

Visva-Bharati had sent the eviction notice to the economist on April 19, asking him to vacate 0.13 acre of the total 1.38 acres of land of his ancestral residence Pratichi in the universitys Santiniketan campus within May 6.

The Calcutta High Court has put an interim stay on that order and asked the Birbhum district judge to hear the matter on at 2 pm on May 10.

As the district judge Sudeshna De (Chatterjee) is on leave, the matter was heard by district judge in-charge Sarajit Majumder.

Since the morning court's timings end before 2 pm, judge Majumdar opined the matter will be heard again on May 30.

The stay on the eviction order would be effective till the date of disposal of the case.

Sen had earlier moved the district court in Suri against the eviction notice, but it set May 15 as the date of hearing, well after the university's deadline to vacate the land. The interim stay by the high court came after that.
Kolkata, May 10 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered a National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation into the deaths of two students in alleged police firing at Darivit in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal in 2018.

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha also directed the West Bengal government to pay compensation within two months to the families of the two deceased and those injured in a clash with the police.

Tapas Barman, a college student and Rajesh Sarkar, an ITI student, were killed in the violence which broke out on September 20, 2018, at Darivit High School in Islampur area over the recruitment of a Sanskrit and Urdu teachers. Locals stated that the institute required teachers for mathematics and science and not those of languages.

It was alleged that the two former students of the school were killed in police firing but the police authorities denied the charge. The CID was investigating the case.

"Although the petitioners have prayed for the transfer of the investigation to the CBI, in view of the findings, this Court is of the view that the NIA would be the proper authority to investigate into the matter," the order read.

The court directed the CID to transfer all documents related to the case to the NIA.

The state shall pay compensation to the families of the victims both killed and injured in the incident within a period of two months from date," the order read.

On September 20, 2018, students of Darivit High School and their parents began protesting against the appointments of two teachers in Sanskrit and Urdu, locked the institution from outside and prevented the new teachers and the other staff of the school from leaving the place.

After police reached there and asked the protesters to leave, a clash ensued between them leading to the death of the two persons. Two others, including a policeman were injured in the violence.

BJP MLA and leader of the opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the high court order and described the deaths as state-sponsored murder.

They were shot dead inside the school compound by Mamata Police on 20th September 2018 while protesting against the forceful Urdu imposition by the Mamata Govt. Truth will prevail, Bengali Language Martyrs; Rajesh & Tapas will finally get justice, he tweeted.

Referring to the order, BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh claimed that not only the people of West Bengal but courts also have lost faith in the state police.

Senior TMC leader and minister Udayan Guha refused to comment saying he is yet to see the high court order.
MOGADISHU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Somalia on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further enhance their cooperation and effectiveness to improve Somalia's water security.

The MoU will strengthen their efforts for joint advocacy and support in the implementation of the strategy of the Somali Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, FAO representative in Somalia Etienne Peterschmitt said, adding that the agreement will also lay a solid foundation for Somalia's inter-agency cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation.

"Both agencies have common objectives with regards to safe and adequate water access for rural communities to protect lives and livelihoods," he said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The MoU, which has been endorsed by the Somali Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, supports the Water4Life initiative, which aims to improve access to safe and adequate water for human consumption and livelihoods, household nutrition, and sustainable community water resource management and rural water supply in Somalia.

The two UN agencies said they have worked in partnership through past project-specific agreements that include the generation of water source information and mapping for the rural water sector as well as for drought monitoring and humanitarian response.

The FAO and UNICEF have also worked together on the development and implementation of the National Water Resources Strategy and Road Map, the National Water Sector Coordination Facility.

They have worked on joint programming, alongside the World Food Program, for improving health and nutrition outcomes for children and rural communities under the Joint Resilience Action in Somalia, a multi-agency UN program framework for ongoing development work and resource mobilization.

Somali Minister of Energy and Water Resources Jama Taqal Abbas said: "By working together with FAO and UNICEF, we are in a good position to make great strides in our long-term strategy for water security in the country."

Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Somalia representative, said the integrated response will strengthen the programs that address Somalia's complex situation where 8 million people are in need of water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance.

"Together, we can enhance community access to climate-adaptive water sources and strengthen their resilience through long-term interventions," she said. 
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The Press Council of India has issued notices to the Punjab government seeking a report on the arrest of a reporter and "preventing her from doing her journalistic duty".

TV journalist Bhawana Kishore and two others were arrested by Punjab Police on May 5 when their vehicle allegedly hit a woman, injuring her hand. She was released from a jail in Ludhiana on May 7, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted her interim bail.

In the notices to the chief secretary, home secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab and other senior officers, Press Council of India chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai sought the report within two weeks.

The matter pertained to the curtailment of press freedom, which the Press Council of India has been mandated by law to preserve. The PCI chairperson has expressed concern over the actions of the Punjab Police and has taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter as per the relevant provisions of the law, it said.

Kishore along with video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar and car driver Parminder Singh faced charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks towards the woman.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Santiniketan -- the abode of Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore -- has been recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List by an international advisory body, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said.

India has been striving for long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site in West Bengal's Birbhum district.

"Great news for India on the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Santiniketan in West Bengal has been recommended for inscription to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, the advisory body to UNESCO World Heritage Centre," Reddy said in a late-night tweet on Tuesday.

The France-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is an international non-governmental organisation that comprises professionals, experts, representatives from local authorities, companies and heritage organisations and is dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of the architectural and landscape heritage around the world.

"This furthers the vision of PM Narendra Modi to showcase our rich cultural heritage to the world. This will formally be announced in the World Heritage Committee meeting to be held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September 2023," the minister said in his tweet.

Santiniketan, a university town over 160 km from Kolkata, was originally an ashram built by Rabindranath Tagore's father Debendranath Tagore, where anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could come and meditate on the one Supreme God, according to a description of the landmark on the official website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Debendranath Tagore, also known as 'Maharshi', meaning one who is both a saint and sage, was a leading figure of the Indian Renaissance, it says.

"Among the structures built by the Maharshi was the Santiniketan Griha and the beautiful stained glass Mandir, or temple where worship is non-denominational.

"Both structures built in the second half of the 19th century are important in their association with the founding of Santiniketan and the universal spirit associated with the revival and reinterpretation of religious ideals in Bengal and India," the website says.

Visva Bharati, located in Santiniketan, is one of the most prestigious universities in India with degree courses in humanities, social science, science, fine arts, music, performing arts, education, agricultural science and rural reconstruction.

The university was founded by Rabindranath Tagore. It was declared a central university and an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament in 1951. Visva-Bharati is the sole central university of West Bengal and the prime minister is its chancellor.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) A task force will be set up for land governance in the North-Eastern states, the Union Rural Development Ministry said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at the recently concluded National Conference on "Land Governance in North Eastern States" held in Guwahati, Assam on May 3-4.

The territorial and autonomous district councils in the states of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya held that digitisation and modernisation of land records is essential for development in the region.

Deliberations in the first-ever such national conference included sessions on current state practices and modernisation of land records, land governance assessment framework and a session on customary and indigenous laws, current practices and new initiatives and role of survey of India in land records modernization.

While the initiatives of computerisation and digitisation of land records and maps have shown good progress in the rest part of Assam, it was seen that there are serious gaps in the areas under Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council, the Rural Development Ministry said in a statement.

The Bodoland Land Policy is being framed and is expected to be finalised shortly.

Survey and settlement in the Karbi Anglong areas has not been done. While the Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council has adopted the Assam Land Regulation Act, large tracts of land have non-cadastral area and a need was felt that these areas be surveyed, the ministry said.

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council has eight districts and approximately 10,000 sq km under the Sixth Schedule and 10 customary laws. In the Lai Autonomous District Council areas of Sixth Schedule, a need was felt for survey/resurvey of the areas, it said.

In the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council areas of Meghalaya, land is largely owned by the community. The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council have a system of issuance of Annual Pattas by District Council. While the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, Meghalaya follow the Maghalaya Land Survey and Records Preparation Act 1980, the statement said.

Ajay Tirkey, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, said while they felt the need of the various Autonomous District Councils in the North-Eastern states to digitise and modernise their land records was a way forward, all efforts would be undertaken to support the Councils within the constitutional framework and established laws.

As a step forward in this direction, the Bodoland Territorial Council had raised a proposal for digitisation and modernisation of land records and the Department of Land Resources had duly approved it, the statement said.

"Secretary, Department of Land Resources, further looking into the magnitude of work required across the North-Eastern states, informed that a Task Force for Land Governance in North-Eastern states will be constituted after a due process with the approval of Competent Authority after consultation with the various Autonomous District Councils," it said.

Sonmoni Borah, Joint Secretary, Department of Land Resources, requested the various Autonomous District Councils to send their proposals for digitisation and modernisation of land records under Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) and thanked Anandhi, Deputy Director, LBSNAA, and Principal Secretary, Revenue, government of Assam, for organising the National Conference.

Representatives of Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council, Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council (all in Assam); Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council (Tripura); Lai Autonomous District Council (Mizoram); Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (all in Meghalaya) participated in the conference organised by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and Department of Land Resources, with the support of the Revenue Department, government of Assam.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday alleged that DRDO official Pradeep Kurulkar, arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent, was an "active RSS volunteer".

The DRDO official was arrested last week by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The Congress' attack came a day after a special court in Pune extended till May 15 the police custody of Kurulkar after observing that the charges against him were serious and custodial interrogation of the accused for a further period is unavoidable for a thorough probe.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the arrest of Kurulkar is a "very serious matter" and alleged that it exposes the "anti-national face" of the RSS.

"Pradeep Kurulkar, an active RSS volunteer leader and DRDO's Director of R&D (Engineering), has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for spying on behalf of Pakistan.The case.... exposes the lie and charade of the RSS being a so-called nationalistic organisation," he claimed

The Congress spokesperson said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should answer as to what is the relationship between Kurulkar and the RSS as the matter pertains to national security.

There was no immediate reaction from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Khera also showed a video during the press conference of Kurulkar addressing RSS events with top Sangh functionaries in attendance.

"Kurulkar's association with the RSS goes back generations, as he revealed in an interview with a YouTube channel last year. His grandfather was an RSS volunteer who worked as a mathematician, and his father carried on his work for the Sangh," Khera claimed.

The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistan Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official has said, adding it was a case of honeytrap.
Jaipur, May 10 (PTI) As Karnataka voted to elect a new government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his rally in Rajasthan on Wednesday to accuse the Congress in the southern state of endangering the lives of the people from the Hakki Pikki tribe who were stuck in conflict-hit Sudan.

But, the prime minister added in the televised speech, the Congress forgot that he can cross any limit to protect every Indian in trouble. Modi said to harm him, the Congress does not desist from harming the country.

About 200 members of the tribal community from Karnataka were reportedly stuck in Sudan, when deadly fighting broke out between the country's army and a paramilitary group last month. India launched Operation Kaveri to rescue its citizens and gradually began evacuating them via several transit points.

Modi said his government's priority was to evacuate all Indians safely from Sudan but the Congress exposed the identity of the people from the tribe stranded there and put their lives at risk. He alleged Congress leaders thought if any Indian stuck in in the African nation gets hurt by bullets, the party would blame him in the Karnataka polls.

"The BJP government was trying to get them out of Sudan but the Congress started making noise here. We had to bring them out quietly but the Congressmen made their faces public and by making such mistakes, they put the lives of these people in danger," the prime minister said at the rally in Abu Road town of Rajasthan's Sirhoi district.

He said the Congress was waiting for something untoward to happen, so they could "grab Modi's collar" and play politics in Karnataka.

"But the Congress forgot one thing. I think the Congress has not understood Modi yet. Congress people should know this is Modi, who can cross any limit to protect every single Indian who is in trouble," he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had tweeted about 31 members from the Hakki Pikki people from Sudan. He had tagged the prime minister in the tweet, urging him to bring the tribal community members to India safely.

Responding to his tweet, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, "Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don't do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs in Sudan."

Polling for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is underway and the results will be announced on May 13.

During his day-long Rajasthan visit, the prime minister also visited Nathdwara and launched various development projects.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Four men were arrested for allegedly robbing Rs 40 lakh cash and gold from a jewellery shop in east Delhis Shahdara by posing as CBI officials after being inspired by Bollywood movie Special 26, police said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Sandeep Bhatnagar, (54), Pawan Gupta, (47), Yogesh Kumar, (58) and Himanshu (35), they said.

Inspired by Special-26, accused Bhatnagar, suspected to be the kingpin of the gang, hatched a plan and executed the robbery with the help of his associates, police said.

On April 17, six persons including a woman, posing as CBI officials, entered a jeweller's shop in Shahdaras Farsh Bazaar and told the victim that they had information about his involvement in illegal gold business, they said.

The robbers threatened him to pay 1 crore to settle the matter. In fear of action by the agency, the victim paid Rs 40 lakhs cash and gave 500 grams of gold to them. While leaving the shop, they also took away DVRs of the CCTV camera installed inside the shop, police said.

Ravindra Singh Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) said after analysing multiple CCTV cameras installed near the scene of the crime, the accused persons were identified and following a raid, four people were arrested from their respective homes.

During interrogation, Bhatnagar disclosed that he was deeply influenced by the Bollywood movie and executed the robbery with the help of his associates, he said.

While Bhatnagar posed as a high-ranked CBI official, his associates acted as his subordinates. They wore fake identity cards of the CBI and carried walky-talkies in their hands, Yadav said.

"Surprised by their sudden action, the victim lost his presence of mind and asked about the purpose of the visit, to which it was informed to him that CBI has specific intelligence about illegal business, he said.

With the intention of not getting caught by the police, accused persons while leaving the premises took the DVRs of the CCTV cameras installed there along with them," he added.

Of the total amount, Rs 11 lakhs, 104 grams of gold, DVRs and five mobile phones have been recovered from the accused, police said.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) has issued a notice to the police seeking a report on action against BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga over his tweet allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs.

The notice issued by DMC member APS Bindra has sought the report from Delhi Police till May 17.

Bagga, a spokesperson of the Delhi BJP, alleged that the notice by the DMC was issued at the behest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Bagga was picked up from Delhi by Punjab Police last year in a case registered in Mohali in the AAP-ruled state.

The notice issued by the DMC on Monday last stated that "from going through the Twitter post of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, prima facie it appears that the said message is posted with the intent to disturb the religious sentiments of Sikh community."

Bagga, in his tweet on March 28, had defined "Wahe Guru".

"I had defined Wahe Guru as per the Guru Granth Sahib and there was nothing hurtful in it to the sentiments of anyone," Bagga said.

The notice was issued after Bagga's tweet was examined by Sikh religious bodies Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (Amritsar) and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, said DMC chairman Zakir Khan.

The notice sough to know from Delhi Police if it took any suo motu action against Bagga in the light of a recent Supreme direction in case of hate speeches.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday approved the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme 2023, paving the way for bike taxis to make a comeback on Delhi's roads.

The scheme lays the foundation for a regulatory provision for bike taxis and rent-a-bike services.

The scheme ensures that all bike taxis and two-wheeler rental services in the city shall only be via electric two-wheelers, an official statement said.

A draft of the scheme has been sent to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's office. It will then be put up for public feedback and comments by the transport department before being given the final shape.

The new provisions are in line with the Delhi EV Policy 2020, the statement added.

In February, the Delhi governments transport department launched a crackdown against privately-owned two-wheelers being used for commercial purposes.

In a public notice, the department had cautioned bike taxis against plying in Delhi and warned that violations would make aggregators liable for a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.
Gorakhpur (UP), May 10 (PTI) A woman and her four children were killed in a blaze that broke out at their house in Kushinagar district on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Three more people sustained burn injuries in the incident and have been hospitalised, they said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for each of the victims, an official release said.

The woman and her children were sleeping inside the house at Maghi Mathia village in Ramkola area when it caught fire, Kushinagar District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan said.

The cause of the fire is being ascertained, he added.

The three persons who suffered burn injuries are being treated at a district hospital and their condition is stated to be stable, Ranjan said, adding that the district administration is providing all possible help to the victims.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured and hoped for their speedy recovery. He also asked officials to expedite the relief work, the release said.
Jammu, May 10 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said that the groups involved in recent terror incidents in twin border districts of Rajouria and Poonch will be eliminated soon.

He said a fresh strategy will be chalked out in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramba districts to further improve the security situation in the region.

Two terrorist attacks on the army in Poonch and Rajouri districts on April 20 and May 5 left five soldiers dead.

"It is difficult to say whether it is a newly infiltrated group (of terrorists) or an old one. But terrorist groups from Pakistan are infiltrating with weapons and explosives to engineer terror strikes. To eliminate them after identification, forces and police are working together.

"At several places, they have been identified and subsequently eliminated. The remaining groups which have engineered the recent terror attacks will soon be eliminated", Singh told reporters here.

He said there was some loss to the forces in one or two operations in Rajouri and Poonch districts as the two regions are different due to the difficult terrain and proximity to the Line of Control.

But there have been several successful operations as well against terrorists in Rajouri and Poonch districts, he stressed.

In half a dozen operations, infiltrators were killed and groups involved in the ferrying of weapons and narcotics to this side were eliminated and weapons seized. "In three to four operations, terrorists who had infiltrated to this side were killed," he said.

Singh said that security forces and police are working hard to maintain peace.

"The prime task is to remove the threat or elements involved in terrorism or groups of terrorists coming from across as they threaten peace in J-K", he said.

In this regard, operations are going on in both Kashmir and Jammu regions, he said.

"We have several successful operations to our credit. When Prime Minister came here, two terrorists of a Fidayeen group were neutralised. Two operations to neutralise terrorists at Nagrota were successful. Those involved in the IED blasts were arrested. Those involved in the blasts in Katra, Rajouri, Poonch were arrested".

The DGP spoke of security agencies exposing the dropping of weapons and narcotics through drones.

He added that Pakistan-sponsored conspiracies of sending weapons and narcotics have been exposed.

Referring to the G20 event in Srinagar, he said it would highlight the change brought in Jammu and Kashmir and help attract more tourists.

"Huge infrastructure projects are going on. Peace is prevailing in the area. Schools are not closed due to strikes. Tourism is on a high pitch. ... All arrangements have been finalised. It will be a good event. This event will help people further", he said.

He termed Pakistan as "the mother of the narcotics trade in the world".

"The entire trade is coming from Pakistan. Pakistan has been using narcotics for terrorism, All this came through drones from Pakistan. Police have cracked several cases among them. Action has been taken against those involved in the narcotic cases.

"There is a conspiracy to destroy society and police are undertaking measures to counter it," he said.
BAGHDAD, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi recovered on Tuesday 6,000 antiquities that Britain borrowed 100 years ago "for scholarly purposes."

In a press conference held at the Baghdad airport, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid told reporters that these antiquities have been in Britain since 1923, and their return resulted from the cooperation with the British Museum.

"The return of these antiquities from the United Kingdom is the second largest recovery of antiquities in the history of Iraq," Rashid said, adding that this reflects Iraq's keenness to protect the cultural heritage that represents national identity and civilization.

The move came after Rashid visited the United Kingdom to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III.

Rashid handed the antiquities over to the Iraqi National Museum.

In July 2021, Iraq recovered about 17,000 looted artifacts from the United States, making it the largest number of smuggled Iraqi antiquities ever returned to Iraq, which included 4,500-year-old tablets bearing cuneiform writing documenting trade exchanges during the Sumerian civilization.

According to the official statistics, about 15,000 pieces of cultural relics from the Stone Age, the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic periods were stolen or destroyed by looters after Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled by the U.S.-led troops in 2003.

The Mosul Museum and the ancient cities of Hatra and Nimrud were destroyed and a large number of antiquities were smuggled after the Islamic State militants took control of many parts of northern and western Iraq in 2014.

More than 10,000 sites in Iraq are officially recognized as archaeological sites, but most of them are not safeguarded and many are still being looted. 
Jammu, May 10 (PTI) A principal of a private school was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Wednesday for inflicting corporal punishment on a class 4 student, officials said.

An FIR has also been lodged against the principal after a written complaint was filed by the minor's family members.

The matter came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media platforms.

Police registered FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Juvenile Justice Act at Vijaypur police station, conducted raids at suspected locations and arrested the accused Principal, they said.

Further investigation of the case and interrogation of the accused is underway, officials said.

The principal has been identified as Kuldeep Jallu alias Bablu, they added.
Chandigarh, May 10 (PTI) Haryana's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Department has busted an international racket selling spurious injections for cancer, Home Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday.

Four accused, including a foreign national, have been arrested in this case so far by a drug control officer, Vij said in a statement.

According to the minister, on April 11, 2023, the World Health Organisation raised an alert that "spurious injection 'Defitelio 80 mg/ml, Batch no. 19G19A, Exp. 06/2023' having the manufacturer's label as 'Genium Sri, Piazza XX, Septiembre 2, Villa Guardia, 22079, Italy' is being marketed internationally".

After the WHO alert, the Haryana FDA laid a trap on April 21 and a person, identified as Sandeep Bhui, was nabbed in Gurugram for "selling spurious injection Defitelio 80 mg/ml with the same batch number and manufacturer label to decoy customers for Rs 2.50 lakh", the statement said.

Vij said that on April 21 itself, an email was sent to the original manufacturer whose name and address were on the label.

"The manufacturing company replied that the product was not authentic and further disclosed that the same batch was also identified in the United Arab Emirates and Kyrgyzstan.

"After confirmation regarding spurious product Defitelio 80 mg/ml from the manufacturing company, accused Sandeep Bhui was arrested by Amandeep Chauhan, Drugs Control Officer, Gurugram," he said.

During interrogation, Bhui disclosed that he worked for Moti-Ur- Rahman Ansari, a resident of Okhla in Delhi, according to the statement.

"On April 28, Ansari was arrested. On Ansari's disclosure, Kanishk Raj Kumar of Mata Mandir, Ramesh Nagar, Delhi was arrested by Chauhan on intervening night of May 9-10 from Sector 62, Noida," Vij said.

He said that record regarding the sale of the spurious injection was also seized from the Kanishk's premises.

"Kanishk revealed that a Turkish citizen, Mohammad Ali Tarmani, has been visiting his office since January 2023. He said he had been purchasing the drug in question from Tarmani for Rs 1.75 lakh and used to further sell it to his customers at the rate of Rs 2.50 lakh.

"He further disclosed that Tarmani was staying in a hotel in Mumbai. Tarmani's mobile phone was put on surveillance and it was revealed that he was staying in a hotel in Colaba, Mumbai. After this, Drugs Control Officer Chauhan has arrested Tarmani in Mumbai with the help of the local police. The accused will be brought to Gurugram after completing all formalities," the health minister said.

According to the statement, the WHO in its alert did not specify the origin of the spurious injection in question, therefore, Tarmani can be the key person for further investigation to know the origin of this spurious drug.
Chandigarh, May 10 (PTI) The Punjab Police has registered 177 first information reports (FIRs) against anti-social elements and drugs smugglers across the state under its two-day 'Operation Vigil', officials said on Wednesday.

Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday went to Ludhiana bus stand to lead the entire police force to carry out this multi-pronged checking and area domination programme, which commenced at 10 am on Tuesday.

The operation was launched against drugs and anti-social elements, said an official statement here on Wednesday.

Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said that police teams have also recovered 2.5kg heroin and over three quintals of poppy husk, besides, other narcotics, pharma drugs and huge quantity of illicit liquor and 'lahan' (raw material used to make liquor) during the statewide operation.

He said that over 17,500 police personnel under the supervision of gazetted rank officers conducted checks at 185 railway stations, 230 bus stands, 1,198 hotels/sarais and 715 market places/malls across the state.

Additional DGP and Inspector General of Police rank officers from Punjab Police headquarters had also remained camped at their assigned police districts to personally supervise the operation.

The commissioners of police/SSPs were directed to mobilise at least 75 per cent of the force to carry out this operation.

During the operation, as many as 3,405 suspected people were rounded up for questioning.

According to the officials, 79 inter-state and 318 inter-district 'nakas' were set up in the state for a thorough search of suspected vehicles/persons, while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the general public, said the special DGP.

Shukla said that police teams have issued challans to at least 1,596 vehicles, besides impounding 60 others.

Similarly, police have also reviewed security at 6,233 gurdwaras, 2,376 temples, 517 churches and 425 mosques to ensure that CCTV cameras are installed and are in working condition.

The special DGP said that the purpose behind conducting this statewide operation was to boost public confidence and increase the presence of the cops to deter anti-social elements. Police teams have carried out at least 221 flag marches across the state during this operation, he added.
Prayagraj (UP), May 10 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has summoned a lower court's record related to the acquittal of 41 accused in the 1987 Maliana communal clash case in which 63 people were killed.

On March 31, a sessions court in Meerut acquitted 41 accused for lack of evidence in the case. Another 40 people named as accused in the FIR died during trial.

Rais Ahmad, a survivor of the communal clash, challenged the judgment in the high court.

On Monday, a bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Manish Kumar Nigam summoned the lower court record and listed the matter for hearing on August 14.

On May 23, 1987, riots broke out in Maliana village, about 8 km from Meerut city, and 63 people were killed, according to witnesses. The violence in Maliana had happened a day after clashes in Hashimpura.

Following a series of riots in Meerut in 1987, the administration had imposed curfew but tensions remained high and intermittent clashes kept taking places for nearly three months.
SC agrees to hear on May 12 plea by producers of movie 'The Kerala Story' against ban on screening by West Bengal government.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on May 12 a plea by the producers of controversial multilingual film 'The Kerala Story' against the ban on screening of the film by the West Bengal government.

Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.

Salve said the petition challenges the ban by the West Bengal government and the "de-facto" ban in Tamil Nadu.

The bench said it had on Tuesday posted for May 15 a separate plea against the Kerala High Court order refusing to stay the release of the movie and the fresh plea would also be heard on that day.

However, the bench agreed to list the plea for hearing on May 12 after Salve said, "We are losing money everyday."

'The Kerala Story' starring Adah Sharma was released in cinemas on May 5.
Bengaluru, May 10 (PTI) Voting for the high stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday, in a state where the ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular)

The electoral fate of top guns--Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy among others will be sealed during the day-long exercise. Counting of polled votes will be taken up on May 13.

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.

A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

Among the electors, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 "others", while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.

While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx -- the State has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 -- and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

Also what needs to be seen is, whether the JD (S) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key for government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

A total of 75,603 Ballot Units (BU), 70,300 Control Units (CU) and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) are slated to be used during the voting.

According to poll officials, elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state for the smooth conduct of elections and forces have been deployed from neighbouring states as well.

As many as 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces ) police in 650 CoYs (companies) are on law & order and security duty on poll day across the state.

'Critical Polling Stations' are covered by one or more of the measures like Micro Observers, Webcasting and CCTVs to keep a watch on the polling process as force multipliers.

The voter turnout in the 2018 polls was 72.36 per cent.

In a bid to check apathy among voters, the Election Commission has come up with the idea of holding the poll in the middle of the week to prevent people planning an outing by clubbing the poll-day holiday with the weekend break.

CM Bommai (Shiggaon), Leader of Opposition and former CM Siddaramaiah (Varuna), JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy (Channapatna), Shivakumar (Kanakapura) are the among the top candidates in the fray.

Besides Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central) is the other former Chief Minister who is contesting this election. Shettar had recently joined the Congress, quitting BJP.

"A government with full majority" seemed to be the war cry of the leaders of all the political parties during campaigning that ended on Monday, as they stressed on getting a clear mandate to form a strong and stable government, unlike what happened after the 2018 polls.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress at 80, JD(S) 37. There was one independent member, while BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.

With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of BJP staked claim and formed the government. However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition, and defected to BJP facilitating the party coming back to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

In the outgoing Assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, JD(S)--29, BSP one, two Independents, Speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignation to join other parties ahead of polls).
Shimla, May 10 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said a centrally-funded cancer institute in Hamirpur district is on the cards.

Sukhu said this after a meeting in Delhi with oncologist Dr G K Rath, who heads the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at AIIMS.

The chief minister held discussions with Rath on strengthening cancer treatment facilities and overall health infrastructure in the state, a statement issued here said.

Sukhu said cancer cases in Himachal Pradesh were rising alarmingly with a growth rate of 2.2 per cent against the country's overall growth rate of 0.6 per cent, it said.

The chief minister said though 8,500 cancer cases were detected every year on an average, many cases went unreported in the remotest belts of the state, the statement said.

He urged the authorities concerned to hold cancer awareness programmes and organise workshops in collaboration with the NCI. He also asked them to ramp up screening so that proper treatment could be provided to the patients at the early stages of cancer.

Rath apprised the chief minister that 50 per cent of cancer cases are curable and also briefed him about latest technologies available for cancer treatment, according to the statement.

"It is my priority to provide the best health facilities to everyone in the state," the statement quoted Sukhu as saying.

During the meeting, discussions were also held on the possibility of launching a pilot project for vaccination of adolescent girls to ensure a healthy future population in the state, it said.
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday said the municipal corporation is planning to provide smartwatches to sanitation workers for monitoring them at work on a daily basis.

She said this while interacting with reporters during an inspection of a waste-to-energy plant at Tughlakabad.

"We are working on a plan to provide smartwatches to sanitation workers and very soon we will execute it. Through these watches, we can track and monitor them at work on a daily basis," the mayor said.

On the stray dogs' menace, she said, inspections will be done at various sterilisation centres, and the MCD will partner with more NGOs.

On the issue of stray cows, she said, there are four 'gaushalas' under the Delhi government.

"And, I will soon write a letter to Delhi cabinet minister Gopal Rai to open a fifth 'gaushala'," Oberoi said.

Asked about the waste-to-energy plant, she said, a new plant is proposed to be built at Narela Bawana, adding, "Paperwork is happening, and in three years, it should be done".
Prayagraj (UP), May 10 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the bail applications of Surya Bhan Karwariya, Kapil Muni Karwariya, Uday Bhan Karwariya and one more person in the 1986 Jawahar Yadav murder case.

A two judge bench of Justice Salil Kumar Rai and Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal on Tuesday rejected the pleas of the convicts.

The appellants plea was that while passing the conviction order, the sessions judge failed to consider the serious inconsistency in the statements of prosecution witnesses, and that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the appellants beyond reasonable doubt.

It was also argued that the plea of alibi of the appellants was not considered though they had produced witnesses in support thereof that they were present at some other place at the time of the incident.

The court, however, did not accept the arguments and observed, "Contention of the appellants that the plea of alibi was not considered though they have produced defence witnesses in support thereof is unfounded because once the incident is proved by the eyewitnesses and the defence could not impeach the credibility of the eyewitnesses during cross-examination, therefore, the plea of alibi cannot be accepted."

The court, while rejecting the bail plea, observed, "In view of the above, considering the gravity of offence and evidence on record, we do not find this case fit for bail, therefore, the bail applications of the appellants are rejected."


A Long March-7 Y7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched a new cargo mission on Wednesday night to transport supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, a Long March-7 Y7 rocket lifted off at 9:22 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-6 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded and began working. The agency declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo vessel will later conduct an automated rendezvous and docking with the station combination in orbit.

The newly launched Tianzhou-6 has improved features compared to the previous Tianzhou craft, with a greater loading volume and a larger carrying capacity.

Wang Ran, chief designer of the Tianzhou series who works with the China Academy of Space Technology, said the effective loading volume increased from 18.1 cubic meters to 22.5 cubic meters, equivalent to a 20 percent expansion. The loading capacity has been improved to 7.4 tonnes, making Tianzhou-6 the world's largest cargo spacecraft in service.

In this mission, Tianzhou-6 is loaded with more than 200 pieces of goods, including daily supplies for taikonauts as well as clothes, food, fruit and water, with a total weight of around 5.8 tonnes.

The cargo craft has also upgraded to reduce the launch demand for cargo craft from twice a year to three times every two years, which will substantially reduce transportation costs.

The Tianzhou-6 mission is the first after China's crewed space station program entered the stage of application and development. The cargo craft is also tasked with sending multiple scientific experiment payloads to the space lab.

Liu Wei, designer of the cargo craft's application system at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said Tianzhou-6 will deliver a total of 98 experiment-related items with a weight of 714 kg, including research samples and supporting equipment. Taikonauts will transport these goods to the station modules after the cargo craft docks at the space station.

As scheduled, 29 scientific experiments and application tests will be carried out in four fields: space life science and biotechnology, fluid physics and combustion science in microgravity, material science in space, and new technology tests for space applications.

Liu said that the Wentian lab module will host studies like the microgravity environment's influence on the differentiation of stem cell lineage, the 3D growth and tissue construction of stem cells, and the molecular evolution of protein and nucleic acid's same origin.

Several tests outside the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules will be conducted for the first time, Liu added.

Tianzhou-6 is also tasked with an experiment satellite project by Dalian University of Technology. 

A Long March-7 Y7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

A Long March-7 Y7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
SOPHIA GOUVEIA, Wheeler, Girls Lacrosse, Sophomore; Gouveia scored the winning goal with less than a minute remaining to beat St. Bernard. Gouveia finished with six goals in that game and also scored eight times in a win against Griswold-Norwich Tech.

WILL FRENCH, Stonington, Boys Lacrosse, Senior; French won 62 of 66 faceoffs in three Stonington victories. French also scored six goals and contributed an assist in the wins.

RYDER CASADY, Westerly, Boys Lacrosse, Junior; Casady made 30 saves in goal for the unbeaten Bulldogs. Casadys best performance of the week was 13 saves in a win against Burrillville.

KODY POPLASKI, Chariho, Boys Volleyball, Sophomore; Poplaski had 95 assists in two wins for the Chargers. Poplaski contributed 51 in a victory against Classical and 44 against Cranston East.

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U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, has been indicted on charges that he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress about his income and cheated his way into undeserved unemployment benefits, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.

Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Peace said.

Santos surrendered Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didnt work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didnt go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company via emails, text message and phone calls and provided the person with contact information for potential contributors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps hell resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying I think in America, youre innocent till proven guilty.

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

(AP)




A Lag BOmer celebration at the El Ghriba shul on the island of Djerba in Tunisia on Tuesday ended in tragedy when a Tunisian naval guard carried out an attack, killing a security guard and two Jews outside the shul. Nine others were injured, including four civilians.

The Jewish victims were later identified as Aviel Hadad, 30, Hyd, who lived in Djerba, and his cousin, Ben Hadad, 42, Hyd, a resident of France who was visiting. Aviel, Hyd, had Israeli citizenship and had lived in Israel for some time but had returned to Tunisia.

The perpetrator, a security guard in the National Guard naval center, shot his fellow security guard, seized extra ammunition and made his way toward the shul. When he arrived there, he began shooting indiscriminately at the security guards stationed outside and at civilians, killing two Jews who were in the parking lot and a security guard. Five other security guards and four civilians were injured.

Fortunately, the security guards succeeded in shooting him, preventing him from entering the shul and carrying out a worse massacre. Security guards also surrounded the shul, with about 1,000 Jews inside at the time, and placed it in lockdown. The Jews in the shul remained in lockdown for about four hours while the authorities investigated the attack, during which they could hear the exchange of gunfire and helicopters hovering above the area. Following the completion of the investigation, they were evacuated under heavy security to their homes and hotels.

Rav Aharon Mazuz, one of the leaders of the community in Djerba, told Kan on Wednesday morning: We had a great neis here yesterday. A major massacre was avoided because the shooter was prevented from entering the shul. This is the third attack on the shul and we are in contact with the authorities regarding security measures. None of the Jews in Djerba are leaving their homes today. All the businesses are closed.

Rav Baniel Hadad, a cousin of the victims who lived in Djerba until three years ago, said: Relations with our Arab neighbors are excellent, and there are even friendships. But beneath the surface there is enmity. The Lag BOmer event is the main event in Djerba and hundreds of people come from throughout North Africa, Europe and Israel. The Arabs also participate.

This attack has caused great fear in the Jewish community. The Jews were barricaded for hours in the shul until they were allowed out. My mother and sister were there yesterday and are still shaken up.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry contacted Israelis in the area and received real-time reports. One of the Jews in the shul at the time was former Yamina MK Yomtov Kalfon.

The communitys Lag BaOmer event attracts thousands of visitors from around the world to one of Africas oldest shuls.

A truck bombing killed 20 people in 2002 at the entrance to the shul during the Lag BaOmer celebrations in Djerba. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for that attack.

The El Ghriba synagogue is located in the former Jewish village of Harah Sghira and, according to one tradition, was established by a group of Kohanim, from the Bais Hamikdash, who supposedly settled on the island immediately after the destruction of the first Bais Hamikdash. (The tradition holds that the refugees brought a door and a stone from the destroyed Bais Hamikdash with them.)

(AP)




U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didnt deserve.

Santos 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with his fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman  a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to authorities on Long Island to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Santos said little during his arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes. His lawyer said he plans to continue his recently announced reelection campaign, defying calls to resign. He asked the judge for permission for Santos to travel freely, though he did surrender his passport.

Following his arraignment, Santos said his indictment is a witch hunt, he plans to run for reelection, and life is as bad as it gets, but hes fine because he will be a chairman of a committee in a couple of years.

Santos lawyer, Joseph Murray, said the congressman was in good spirits, telling reporters: We finally get to address all of these allegations.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and his credit card and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos has defied calls to resign  some from fellow Republicans  as details of his fictitious resume came to light, though he did decline his committee assignments. He has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didnt work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didnt go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed exclusively to aid Santos election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his fabricated life story was revealed. Some renewed those calls after news of his indictment.

Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him, said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos at President Joe Bidens State of the Union address in February, said Santos should have resigned a long time ago.

I think were seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine, Romney said.

House Republican leaders Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise were more circumspect, saying Santos deserved a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

(AP)




Just how does this debt limit standoff end?

Plenty of scenarios are being publicly and privately gamed out, but no one knows for sure. The possibilities range from kumbaya to economic chaos with plenty of possibilities in between.

So far, neither President Joe Biden nor House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is giving ground ahead of talks slated for Tuesday. Biden wants to increase the governments $31.4 trillion legal borrowing limit, so that the federal government can continue to pay its bills and the risk of a historic default goes away. McCarthy and other GOP lawmakers want a deal that guarantees trillions of dollars in spending cuts before they sign on to raising the debt limit.

Time is short: The Treasury Department warns the U.S. could default as soon as June 1 if there is no deal.

A look at potential outcomes:

LETS AGREE TO DISAGREE

The president wants to disarm the whole debate by having Republicans make a public commitment that the U.S. wont default. Hed then be ready to discuss spending, taxes and other budget issues.

He wants an assurance from McCarthy that the U.S. can keep paying all of its bills by having the ability to keep borrowing. The president says hes ready to have a public debate with GOP lawmakers about the budget, just not with the worlds largest economy held hostage.

As Ive said all along, we can debate where to cut, how much to spend, how to finally move the tax system where everybody begins to pay their fair share, Biden said. But not under the threat of default.

Its unclear how many GOP lawmakers share his definition of default. Some suggest a default would only apply to unpaid debt, while the administration wants to include the salaries of federal workers, repayments for contractors and aid to the poor, veterans, schools and others.

Shortly before the House narrowly passed a bill with $4.5 trillion in deficit savings along party lines, McCarthy said the U.S. would not default. But he is still linking that issue directly to spending cuts in a way that Biden wants to avoid.

Addressing the debt requires us to come together, find common ground, and reduce spending, McCarthy said last month. Let me be clear: Defaulting on our debt is not an option, but neither is a future of higher taxes.

REPUBLICANS HOLD TIGHT

Congressional Republicans could hold firm and force Democrats to wobble.

McCarthy has a slim majority in the House: 222 Republicans, compared to 213 Democrats.

His debt limit bill would reverse discretionary spending to 2022 levels, then place a 1% cap on increases going forward. The bill also would reverse Bidens forgiveness of student loan debt, his increased funding for the IRS and the tax incentives created in 2022 to encourage the adoption of clean energy. Those cuts would extend the debt limit through March 31, 2024, or up to an additional $1.5 trillion.

GOP conservatives such as South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman and others say they wont back anything less than that bill House Republicans passed on April 27 with 217 votes.

But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wont let that bill make it through the Senate. Neither will Biden. The question as the deadline approaches is whether Republicans stay united and that causes Democrats to cave. There is also the risk that dissent within the GOP caucus could put McCarthys speakership at risk, which could then make it even more challenging to reach an agreement.

The question is what kind of an agreement could get through the House, the Senate and the Oval Office.

GET AN EXTENSION

Washington loves to put things off  the old kick the can down the road routine.

There is the possibility that lawmakers could agree to a short-term extension, pushing the debt limit expiration to Sept. 30, when a federal budget also needs to be passed.

This would be in line with the GOPs effort to sync the budget debate with the debt limit, while also removing the immediate risk of a default. Its the option government officials generally discuss in private with the most optimism.

Still, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tried to pour cold water on that idea in a Sunday interview with NBC News.

I dont think the responsible thing to do is to kick the can down the road, Jeffries said, even as he prioritized the importance of avoiding a default.

MARKETS GO CRAZY

Wall Street could save the day, sort of, by having a meltdown.

Along with economists, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has indicated that a stiff market selloff could force Republicans to retreat. Their donors would holler about the pending financial losses and give every lawmaker an incentive to be the hero and rescue the jobs and retirement savings of millions of Americans.

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM US, said in a Monday email that the talk of a potential default already is making it more expensive for investors to buy insurance on U.S. Treasury notes. But the panic is largely contained, so far, from the broader stock market that many voters and lawmakers follow.

14th AMENDMENT

Biden could play the Constitution card.

The 14th Amendment became part of the Constitution after the Civil War. It states that the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law,  shall not be questioned.

Laurence Tribe, an emeritus Harvard University law school professor, wrote Sunday in The New York Times that Biden can argue he has a constitutional duty to avoid default and thus can blow past the debt limit to continue the spending Congress has already approved. On Monday, a union of government employee s sued Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Biden to make the argument that they are constitutionally obligated to disregard the debt limit.

As a former senator, Biden likes to defer to Congress. But when pressed about invoking the 14th Amendment during last week, he kept his options open.

Ive not gotten there yet, he told MSNBC.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said Biden cannot act unilaterally. He told ABC News that the Constitution is very clear that spending  all those details around spending and money actually has to come through Congress.

MINT A COIN

This is among the many creative  and unlikely  solutions circulating on the internet. The idea is that the government could mint a $1 trillion platinum coin and use it to avoid a default. Basically, there is a loophole in the law that could allow the U.S. to mint a coin of any denomination if its made of platinum.

That has at least one big problem: Yellen ruled out the idea in a January interview with The Wall Street Journal, calling it something thats a gimmick.

DEFAULT

This is the scariest possibility.

If theres no deal, the U.S. government could reach its X-date  the moment when it no longer can pay all of its bills. The Treasury Department would no longer be able to use accounting strategies to keep the government open. If the government were no longer able to borrow, unpaid bills would mount and the government would default.

But, but, but  not all defaults are the same.

The U.S. could briefly miss some payments, and the risk of things getting worse could jolt lawmakers into reaching a deal. But even a brief default would cost the economy 500,000 jobs, according to a White House analysis. A protracted default would cost 8.3 million jobs, according to the analysis, almost as many job losses as there were during the 2008 financial crisis.

(AP)




Ryanair will order 150 Boeing 737 Max planes with an option for 150 more, marking the biggest aircraft purchase in the Irish airlines history and a boost for Boeing.

At Boeings list prices, the deal would be worth more than $40 billion if Ryanair exercises all the options, but airlines routinely get deep discounts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ryanair CEO Michael OLeary said Tuesday that the planes will replace some of the airlines older Boeing jets and provide room for growth. The airline selected the largest version of the Max, which OLeary said will have 21% more seats but burn 20% less fuel than the airlines current 737s.

The airline expects to take delivery of the planes between 2027 and 2033.

Boeing is benefitting from a boom in airplane orders, as air travel around the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arlington, Virginia, company has struggled however with production issues affecting the Max and a larger plane, the 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing announced last month that deliveries of a significant number of new Max jets will be delayed while the company and supplier Spirit AeroSystems fix incorrect fittings between the fuselage and tail sections, a problem that was discovered to date back to 2019.

The announcement Tuesday amounts to a vote of confidence from one of Boeings best customers  and one that has bluntly expressed its displeasure with the aircraft maker in the past.

Last year, OLeary went on an expletive-laced rant to complain about Boeings slow pace of aircraft deliveries and an inability to settle terms for an aircraft order. He said on a call with analysts in May 2022 that Boeing management is running around like headless chickens.

Shares of Boeing gained 3% Tuesday.

(AP)




The leader of a major anti-abortion group met with former President Donald Trump on the issue, just weeks after raising questions about his commitment to restricting access to the procedure.

Calling her meeting Monday with Trump terrific, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, said in a statement that he reiterated that any federal legislation protecting these children would need to include the exceptions for life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest.

Dannenfelser told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she has been meeting with a number of declared and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates and that its her job to work with them on abortion-related issues.

I am not aligning with Trump, Dannenfelser said. Ive had similar conversations with all other GOP presidential hopefuls.

The characterization of the meeting  which Dannenfelsers group said happened at Trumps Florida home  marked a turnaround from more than two weeks ago. Then, Dannenfelser called Trumps contention that abortion restrictions should be left up to individual states, not the federal government, a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate.

Dannenfelsers group has said it would not support any White House candidate who did not at a minimum support a 15-week federal abortion ban. Her statement about Mondays meeting with the leading GOP contender didnt mention any discussion of proposed confines for a federal ban, aside from Trumps opposition to late-term procedures, which he has long opposed.

Trump has referred to himself as the most pro-life president in American history, as his three nominations of conservative judges to the Supreme Court paved the way for the reversal of Roe v Wade, which had legalized abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years.

But in the early months of his 2024 bid, Trump has often sidestepped the issue of abortion, even as Republicans across the country celebrate the Supreme Court decision stripping federal constitutional rights to the practice.

On Monday, Dannenfelser repeated a description shes previously used, calling Trumps term in office the most consequential in American history for the pro-life cause. Despite the credit Trump received for his judicial nominations, he was criticized after last years elections for saying that Republicans underperformance was due to abortion foes opposition to exceptions for women who became pregnant by rape or incest or whose life was at risk.

Trumps campaign didnt immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the meeting, which Dannenfelser also said included Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina  one of Trumps top congressional allies  along with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a Christian conservative ally of Trumps.

All the candidates running in the Republican presidential primary or moving toward a bid have supported state bans on abortion. Most have been much more cautious about staking a position on a nationwide ban, though entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamys campaign has said he believes its an issue for the states, not the federal government.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has launched a presidential exploratory committee and is expected to enter the race later this month, has said he would sign a federal law to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy if elected president.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed a state abortion ban that, if upheld by the courts, would ban the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, or before many women know they are pregnant. It will take effect only if the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservatives, upholds Floridas current 15-week ban, which is part of an ongoing legal challenge.

The Florida ban would be one of the toughest in the U.S. But DeSantis has not made clear his position on whether such restrictions should be imposed across the country.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and one-time United Nations ambassador, has called abortion a personal issue that should be left to the states, though has said she supports federal laws on points where there is consensus. Last month, in a speech at SBAs headquarters, Haley said she saw a federal role in the debate but stopped short of endorsing a national ban.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who as governor signed a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, has said he would sign a federal ban but stopped short of saying what timelines he would support as president.

Trumps stance has provided an opening on the right for potential rivals like former Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian with long-held anti-abortion views. Pences advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, has pushed for Congress to pass legislation including a national abortion ban beginning around six weeks.

(AP)




By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

In the aftermath of King Charles coronation, some of the press had actually hired lip readers to see what King Charles was saying just before the coronation. The king was caught on camera speaking in, what appeared to be a frustrated fashion according to the papers, while waiting for his coronation to commence. This was while he was seated alongside Camilla waiting for permission to begin the coronation ceremony.

Apparently, William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived late to the ceremony, and were forced to join the procession behind King Charles rather than before him, along with the rest of the royals and hundreds of guests. Some of the papers even hinted that the King should seek instruction anger management.

In secular circles it is thought that anger management programs first originated in the 1970s by clinical psychologist Dr. Raymond Novaco, a professor at UC Irvine.

Interestingly enough, Rav Elyashiv zatzals grandfather, Rav Moshe Levinson ztl developed an anger management program well before that. In 1910, Rav Levinson printed his highly developed anger management program in a sefer entitled, Maneh Rach. It was published in Piotrkow Trybunalski, in Congress Poland  then a puppet state of the Czarist Russian Empire. It was Rav Levinsons third sefer.

BACKGROUND TO THE SEFER

The sefer had a haskamah from the Ridbaz, the Av Beis Din of Slutzk. The Ridbaz, however, left to America and then to Eretz Yisroel in 1900  so Rav Levinson must have been working on it for a while and probably finished it well before 1900.

The Maneh Rach was carefully analyzed in a remarkable book entitled Fundamentals of Jewish Conflict Resolution by Dr. Howard Kaminsky. Rav Levinson states that there is nothing particularly new in his program  rather he gathered together all of the Rabbinic statements that pertain to anger and he explains them. He also, however, organizes and arranges them in such a manner that they constitute a genuine program. In addition, Rav Levinson provides advice, strategies, and suggestions.

Rav Levinson writes that if someone reviews his work two or three times, he should be able to conquer anger. He writes that the fact that they are all gathered together and explained will provide the person with much greater clarity as to the matter and will thus be able to overcome the impediments to overcoming an anger problem.

Rav Levinson writes that if one combines both strategies in cognition and as well as behavior  he will succeed in overcoming anger. One must also engage in introspection and develop self-awareness. Rav Levinson provides strategies to gain this self-awareness.

A source that Rav Levinson used in his Maneh Rach, Dr. Kaminsky points out, is the Reishis Chochma by Rav Eliyahu de Vidas. He lived in the 1500s some 400 years before Rav Levinson.

So what does Rav Levinson advise to do?

Avoid people and situations that are sources of stress.

When you feel that you are getting angry  dont respond.

When it is necessary to, in fact, respond  let it percolate overnight. This suggestion is also found in the sefer Chassidim  siman 83 and Siman 655, Dr. Kaminsky points out.

When it is necessary to respond it should be done in a gentle and soft tone.

One should give the other person the benefit of the doubt.

One should try to take the other persons perspective rather than blast them.

Time should be spent thinking about how bad it is to lose ones temper.

Time should also be spent thinking about how great the merit is to control ones anger.

One should be aware at the tip of ones tongue, both the short term and long term implications of losing ones temper.

One should put into perspective the comment that caused him or her to get upset in the first place.

One should be aware of the notion of mida kneged mida  that what goes around comes around. If you are quick to forgive and overlook  then that is how Hashem will deal with you in the future. If, however, you jump on every possible interpretation of a slip up of another person  then that is how Hashem will react to your foibles, slip ups and issues.

One should also be aware that everything that Hashem does is for a reason  including what had just happened that caused you to become angry. You, however, have the capability of controlling your response.

Rav Levinson places an extraordinary emphasis on the notion of metinus  deliberation. It is a theme that he stresses time and again. In his view the idea of slowing down of our reactions to provocations.

In the period of Sefira, especially after the period of BaHaB sets in  it is very worthwhile for us to strive to develop our character traits. The very best middah to start with is kaas  anger. This is because it can affect so many other people. Our anger can destroy marriages, our childrens lives, our work atmosphere, and so many other areas of life.

One must realize that Chazal compare anger to Avodah Zarah  idol  worship for a reason. For those who will find the Hebrew in Maneh Rach too difficult, a fascinating overview of this work as well as other similar ones can be found in Dr. Kaminskys Fundamentals of Jewish Conflict Resolution  chapter nine  entitled Jewish Anger Management.

The author can be reached at [email protected]




Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar revealed on Tuesday evening that Israeli security forces recently thwarted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist cell that had begun manufacturing rockets in the Jenin refugee camp in an attempt to duplicate terrorist rocket launches in Gaza to the Shomron.

Speaking at a press conference with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi following the security cabinet meeting, Bar said: In recent weeks, we thwarted a cell in the area of Jenin that had already begun to manufacture rockets and launchers in order to also fire rockets from the territories of Shomron at Israel. We see this as a dangerous precedent. The members of the cell were arrested and they confessed. We have no intention of turning Afula or Shaked [a secular yishuv in northern Shomron] into shooting targets.

Bar continued: In recent months, a large number of PIJ terrorists who are responsible for a very large number of warnings of attacks have been arrested. Their arrest prevented the attacks from being carried out. We dont have time to wait to defend ourselves against the terrorists, were acting on the offensive against their dispatchers.

Referring to one of the three PIJ commanders killed in the first airstrikes of Operation Shield and Arrow, Bar said: Tareq Izzed-Din was working to replicate the terror in Gaza to Yehudah and Shomron, leading over 20 terrorist cells whose purpose was to harm Israelis. Most of his work was unknown to the public but was well-known to us.

Bar added that Izzed-Din also recruited a number of terrorists from the Ramallah area and provided them with funds to buy terror material, including a quadcopter, to launch attack drones into Israel.

Bar concluded by noting: Its important to say that the PIJ is a terror organization fully funded by Iran. The hands are the hands of Palestinians but the voice is the voice of Iran. We wont let Iran work against us via its proxies.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that infected computer networks in dozens of countries, including in the United States, and resulted in the theft of sensitive information from governments.

Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, and accused the hackers of stealing documents from hundreds of computer systems belonging to governments of NATO members, an unidentified journalist for a U.S. news organization who reported on Russia, and other select targets of interest to the Kremlin.

For 20 years, the FSB has relied on the Snake malware to conduct cyberespionage against the United States and our allies  that ends today, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the head of the Justice Departments National Security Division, said in a statement.

The specific targets were not named in court papers, but the Justice Department said the affected networks were in more than 50 countries. U.S. officials described the espionage campaign as very consequential, saying the hackers had successfully exfiltrated sensitive documents from NATO countries.

Prosecutors say the hackers, employing malicious software known as Snake, routed data stolen from foreign governments through compromised computers in the U.S. as a way to cover their tracks. They operated from what the Justice Department said was a known FSB facility in Ryazan, Russia.

In a separate statement, CrowdStrike Intelligence, a private cybersecurity firm that has studied the threat, said the sectors targeted by the hacking included government organizations, defense-related organizations and companies developing cryptographic hardware. It said countries all over the world had been affected, including in Europe, Australia, part of Asia and North and South America.

U.S. officials said theyd been investigating Snake for about a decade and came to regard it as the most sophisticated malware implant relied on by the Russian government for espionage campaigns. They said Turla, the FSB unit believed responsible for the malware, had refined and revised it multiple times as a way to avoid being shut down.

The Justice Department, using a warrant this week from a federal judge in Brooklyn, launched what it said was a high-tech operation using a specialized tool called Perseus that caused the malware to effectively self-destruct.

Federal officials said they were confident that, based on the impact of its operation this week, the FSB would not be able to reconstitute the malware implant.

(AP)
CAIRO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) strongly denounced the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The AL said in a statement that "the Israeli attacks hit residential areas, killing women and children while they were sleeping safely in their homes."

The statement reaffirmed that the Palestinian cause is central for the Arab nations and boosting the rights of the Palestinian people is inalienable.

It also condemned the wide-scale Israeli operations against the Palestinians in their cities and camps, calling on the United Nations Security Council to maintain peace and security and to pressure Israel to stop the airstrikes.

The AL called on the international community to urge Israel to allow the fact-finding mission mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate the Israeli operations on the Palestinian territories.

On Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets and unmanned drones carried out simultaneous and surprise attacks at buildings housing senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) military leaders in Gaza, killing at least 21 Palestinians and injuring 64, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry on Wednesday. 




A 72-year-old Jewish bus driver who was returning from Meron on Tuesday evening accidentally entered the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya and was violently attacked by local Arabs.

Arabs threw Molotov cocktails and stones at the bus, which caught on fire. Police forces who were in the area quelled the rioters and rescued the driver from the bus right before it burst into flames.

United Hatzalah paramedics who were called to the scene administered emergency medical aid to the bus driver while being guarded by Israel Police and Border Guard officers. He was evacuated to Hadassah Har HaTzofim Hospital in light condition.

The bus driver said that he had given tzedakah lzechus Rashbi in Meron and it saved him from certain death. They were beating me, he said.

Four firefighting teams were required to subdue the fire as police officers shielded them from the Arab rioters.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer on Wednesday released a bank records memorandum detailing new information obtained in the committees investigation into the Biden familys influence peddling and business schemes.

The Oversight Committee has obtained thousands of pages of financial records revealing the Biden family and associates complicated network of companies set up during Joe Bidens vice presidency and the millions the Bidens received from foreign sources. The financial records also reveal how the Bidens used complicated transactions to hide payments from foreign nationals, including CCP-linked associates, and provide clear indications of influence peddling schemes during then-Vice President Bidens tenure.

The Bidens intentionally sought to hide, confuse, and conceal their influence peddling schemes, but bank records dont lie. The Bidens made millions from foreign nationals providing what seems to be no services other than access and influence. From the thousands of records weve obtained so far, we know the Biden family set up over a dozen companies when Joe Biden was vice president. The Bidens engaged in many intentionally complicated financial transactions to hide these payments and avoid scrutiny. In at least one instance, the Bidens CCP-linked associates took steps to conceal the source of the payment to the Bidens.

The Bidens foreign entanglements are breathtaking and raise serious questions about why foreign actors targeted the Biden family, what they expected in return, and whether our national security is threatened. We will continue to pursue additional bank records to follow the money trail and inform legislative solutions to prevent this type of corruption. Americans deserve answers, transparency, and accountability, Comer said.

The Complicated Web of Biden Family and Associates Companies: Biden family members and business associates created a web of over 20 companies most were limited liability companies formed after Joe Biden became Vice President.

The Biden Family Received Millions of Dollars from Foreign Sources: Bank records show the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals and their related companies. The Committee has identified payments to Biden family members from foreign companies while he served as Vice President and after he left public office.

The Biden Family Used Business Associates Companies to Receive Foreign Funds: Despite creating many companies after Vice President Biden took office, the Biden family used business associates companies to receive millions of dollars from foreign companies.

Attempts to Conceal Large Financial Transactions: After foreign companies sent money to business associates companies, the Biden family received incremental payments over time to different bank accounts. These complicated financial transactions appear to be meant to conceal the source of the funds and reduce the conspicuousness of the total amounts made into the Biden bank accounts.

Chinese Nationals Hid the Source of the Money: Chinese nationals and companies with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party hid the source of the funds paid out to the Bidens by layering domestic limited liability companies. The Biden family and associates activities in coordination with Chinese nationals and their corporate entities appear to be an attempt to engage in financial deception. Multiple Biden family members received money from the Chinese after it passed through an associates account. Additionally, Hunter Biden received money directly into his companys account from a Chinese-controlled entity.

Biden Family and Associates Activities in Romania Indicate Influence Peddling Scheme: The Biden family and associates activities in Romania bear clear indicia of a scheme to peddle influence from 2015 to 2017. While Vice President Biden lectured Romania on corruption and ethics, the Bidens received over a million dollars from a company controlled by a Romanian individual accused of corruption, Gabriel Popoviciu, through a Biden family associate.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Capita has warned it could face a financial hit of up to 20million as a result of a cyberattack last month that caused disruption for the outsourcers clients.

The group collects the BBC licence fee and has 6.5billion of public sector contracts. Capita was rocked by the hack last month as staff were locked out of key systems and clients services suffered.

Capita told investors on Wednesday that while it had been able to significantly restrict the impact of the attack, it expects to incur costs of 15milion to 20million as a result.

The costs encompass specialist professional fees, recovery and remediation costs, and investment to reinforce Capitas cyber security environment.

Capita says it has taken further steps to ensure the integrity, safety and security of its IT infrastructure

However, the costs of the hack to Capita could well exceed these figures if regulators choose to impose a fine on the group.

The Financial Conduct Authority and Pensions Regulator have been in touch with Capitas corporate clients, asking them to assess the impact on their end customers.

Capita has engaged with regulators and notified the Information Commissioners Office of the incident within the required 72 hours.

It also identified the breach within nine days, compared to an average of 197 days, according to IBMs 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report.

Capita said on Wednesday its own forensic work and that of third-parties had determined that some data was exfiltrated  or taken - from less than 0.1 per cent of its server estate.

It added: Capita has taken extensive steps to recover and secure the customer, supplier and colleague data contained within the impacted server estate, and to remediate any issues arising from the incident.

Capita is working closely with all appropriate regulatory authorities and with customers, suppliers and colleagues to notify those affected and take any remaining necessary steps to address the incident.

Capita has also taken further steps to ensure the integrity, safety and security of its IT infrastructure to underpin its ongoing client service commitments.

As well as councils and the National Health Service, Capita holds contracts with government organisations like the National Cyber Security Centre.

It also provides services on behalf of the Cabinet Office, HM Revenue & Customs, the Ministry of Justice, numerous police forces, and runs the London Congestion Charge Scheme.

Among its private sector clients, Capita operates call centres for car manufacturer BMW, bookmaker William Hill, Thames Water, telecoms group O2, and the RSPCA.

Pre-tax profits slumped by 79 per cent to 61.4million in 2022 due to a major impairment charge for Capita in its portfolio division and the loss of earnings from its various disposals.

Capita said on Wednesday current trading remains in-line with expectations, amid strong sales performane over the first four months of its financial year with revenues up 16 per cent year-on-year to 449million.

Capita shares fell 2.1 per cent to 33.6p in early trading, paring back 2023 gains to 33.3 per cent.

Analysts at Peel Hunt man maintained their buy rating, with a target price of 48p.

Peel Hunts Christopher Bamberry said: Hopefully Capita can now draw a line under the cyber incident, the uncertainty arising from which has weighed heavily on the shares.

Trading is in line and industry newsflow remains supportive.
Melrose Industries shares surged after trading beat expectations and the company said it would focus on being a 'pure-play' aerospace company after the recent spin-off of its automotive business.

Known for buying struggling industrial companies, making them more profitable and selling them on, Melrose said it will no longer seek acquisitions 'of an unrelated industrial business or, in the near term, a material aerospace business'.

The FTSE 100 group, which still owns GKN Aerospace after spinning off GKN Automotive, GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Hydrogen into newly named Dowlais, revealed that revenues jumped by 19 per cent for the first four months of the year.

Focus: Melrose said it will not seek acquisitions as it focuses on its aerospace division

The group said trading was 'materially ahead of expectations with significant growth in revenue, profit and margin being achieved'.

Introducing trading guidance for the first time, it said it expects full-year sales of between 3.35billion and 3.45billion, within the range of company-compiled estimates of 3.4billion.

Melrose shares rose 5 per cent to 445p to the top of the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading on Friday, having surged by around a third over the last 12 months.

Chief executive, Simon Peckham, said the aerospace business had 'huge embedded value' and that profit of 1billion was 'achievable within the next few years', with much of this coming from the premium engines business.

'With the new simplified strategy for Melrose announced today, we look forward to explaining the full potential of Aerospace at the upcoming Capital Markets Event next week including the route to realising this value,' he added.

GKN's aerospace division manufactures airframe and engine structures, and interconnection systems for the aerospace industry.

The company said it will report results under two divisions from now on - engines and structures.

Engines has shown the fastest growth, with sales up 28 per cent in the first four months of the year, while structures sales were up 14 per cent.

Melrose snapped up engineering giant GKN for 8.1billion in a viciously fought takeover in 2018.

Since then, Melrose has restructured the business, including closing GKN's automotive engineering plant in Birmingham with the loss of 500 jobs in 2021.

Last month, Melrose listed shares in the former GKN automotive division on the London Stock Exchange under newly named company Dowlais.
Turnaround specialist Melrose led the blue-chip index yesterday after it pledged to focus solely on its aerospace business.

The FTSE 100 group is focusing on a restructuring over the next 12 months, concentrating on the business it acquired when it bought GKN, which dates back to 1759 and made cannonballs fired in the Battle of Waterloo and Spitfires during the Second World War, for 8.1billion in a hugely controversial hostile takeover in 2018.

The board will not seek to do another acquisition of an unrelated industrial business or, in the near term, a material aerospace business, Melrose said.

It comes after Melrose spun off its GKN automotive division last month into a standalone business listed on the London stock market.

Shares in the firm, which has been named Dowlais and makes parts for electric and petrol and diesel cars, opened at 146p.

Flying high: Turnaround specialist Melrose said it will pause its 'buy, improve, sell' strategy in favour of restructuring the company over the next 12 months

This left Melrose with GKNs aerospace business, which makes parts for defence and civilian aircraft.

In its first update since the demerger, it said that its revenue in the first four months of the year was 19 per cent up on the same period in 2022.

Melrose hopes to generate revenues of between 3.35billion and 3.45billion for 2023 and profits of around 340million to 360million. Shares rose 4.8 per cent, or 20.3p, to 444.7p.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.3 per cent, or 22.76 points, to 7741.33 while the FTSE 250 inched down by 0.02 per cent, or 3.75 points, to 19,273.29.

London-listed gold and silver producer Polymetal is seeking shareholder approval to move its headquarters from Jersey to Kazakhstan to ease the impact of sanctions imposed on Russia.

It says that its ability to run the business remained at risk while Jersey was subject to restrictions.

The shares, which plummeted 24.6 per cent, or 69p, to 211p, will be delisted on the London stock market if its headquarters move to Kazakhstan.

Stock Watch - Unbound Unbound, the owner of Hotter Shoes, lost half its value following the collapse of a key fundraising deal. The group, formerly known as Electra Private Equity, said Marwyn Investment Management had agreed to buy 10million of new shares but pulled out, flagging up concerns over current trading. First-quarter revenues were lower than expected, and it has drafted in turnaround specialist Interpath Advisory. Shares tumbled 50 per cent, or 3.62p, to 3.63p.

Capita warned the cyber-attack it suffered in March could cost up to 20million. The outsourcer, which collects the BBC licence fee, said hackers accessed data from less than 0.1 per cent of its servers, forcing it to hire specialists to resolve the damage and beef up IT security.

Revenue in the first four months of the year was 4.8 per cent higher than the same period a year ago. Shares sank 3.9 per cent, or 1.34p, to 32.98p.

The worlds biggest catering company, Compass Group, gained 1.3 per cent, or 26p, to 2091p after it posted higher profits and revenue.

It hailed strong performances across its business and industry sector, as employees returned to work, while its sport and leisure arm cashed in on larger crowds at live events.

Revenue rose by a quarter to 15.8billion in the six months to the end of March, while profit jumped 41 per cent to 1.05billion.

The group is now expecting annual profit to grow by nearly 30 per cent and revenue should increase by 18 per cent compared to its earlier forecast of 15 per cent.

There was good news for the UKs largest pawnbrokers after it cashed in on people looking for short-term loans. There was also strong demand for used jewellery and watches in the first four months of the year.

H&T said January and March were record months for lending. Its jewellery and watch business raked in more than 1million of online sales in January for the first time in a single month. But shares slid 2.4 per cent, or 11p, to 446p.

Just Group rose 5.5 per cent, or 4.7p, to 89.9p after JP Morgan raised the specialist insurers target price to 125p from 115p.

And Comptoir, which owns 26 Lebanese restaurants, hailed 2022 as a pivotal year after revenue surged 49.7 per cent to 31million. Shares soared 12 per cent, or 0.7p, to 7p.
The billionaire boss of payments firm Wise is taking a three-month sabbatical to spend time with family and look after his newborn son.

Chief executive Kristo Kaarmann said he is overdue time off after co-founding the business 12 years ago.

The fintech company, which operates money transfers and debit cards, offers staff a fully paid sabbatical after four years, in addition to annual leave.

Newborn son: Wise co-founder and chief exec Kristo Kaarmann (pictured with wife Kriss Soonik) said he is overdue the time off after starting the business 12 years ago

Kaarmann, 42, steps down from September to December and chief technology officer Harsh Sinha will step into his shoes.

This is a fantastic time to do my part in looking after the newborn and giving some breathing room to my wife, he said.

When I first started the company 12 years ago, it would have been unimaginable for me to take any time away from the team and our customers.

The Estonian-born chief lives in London with wife Kriss Soonik, a lingerie designer and entrepreneur, and his two boys, aged four and four months.

He is believed to be worth about 1billion. Kaarmanns announcement adds to a growing trend of business leaders taking a career break.

Last year, the head of Co-ops food division Jo Whitfield stepped away to help her two teenage sons complete their exams. She did not return and was replaced by Matt Hood.

Co-op says all staff can apply for a unpaid break of between three and 12 months after a year.

Elsewhere, the chief financial officer of banking giant HSBC Georges Elhedery took a six-month sabbatical last year for personal development, including to improve his Mandarin.

Meanwhile, other finance firms such as digital bank Monzo offer three-month paid sabbaticals to employees after every four years of work.
Oil and gas group Harbour Energy is cutting hundreds of jobs in the UK after the Governments windfall tax wiped out its profits.

The FTSE 100 firm, the largest energy producer in the North Sea, said it expected to slash around 350 positions to make an estimated saving of 40million per year from 2024.

Most of the losses are expected to come from the onshore operation in Aberdeen. Harbour expected the redundancies would inflict a one-off 12million charge in the first half of 2023.

Cutbacks: Harbour Energy, led by boss Linda Cook, said it expected to slash around 350 positions to make an estimated saving of 40m per year from 2024

The company said the windfall tax had led to reduced UK activity in parts of the sector with its partners cancelling programmes in the North Sea oilfields of Beryl and Elgin-Franklin. Shares fell 0.1 per cent, or 0.2p, to 243.1p yesterday.

The decision to cut staff numbers came after Harbours boss Linda Cook said in March that profits had been all but wiped out by the windfall tax.

Rishi Sunak introduced a 25 per cent profits levy on the industry when he was chancellor as energy prices soared following Russias invasion of Ukraine. This was later raised to 35 per cent by his successor Jeremy Hunt.

Cook said the tax, which effectively imposes a 75 per cent corporate tax rate on profits made from the North Sea, disproportionately impacted UK-focused oil and gas firms.

Harbour reported an after-tax profit of 6.7million last year, down from 85million in 2021, due to what it said was a 1.3billion charge linked to the windfall levy.

It said the massive tax hit meant it did not bid for new projects in the North Sea and scaled back its UK operation to focus elsewhere.

Harbour currently has over 80 per cent of its assets in British waters but is keen to diversify into other territories such as Mexico and Indonesia.

Plans to slash the workforce came as the company reported what Cook claimed was a strong update for the first three months of 2023 ahead of its annual general meeting with investors.

Harbour reported production in the period had averaged 202,000 barrels of oil per day, down from 215,000 in the same quarter last year but in line with guidance.

Revenues were estimated to be 870million, while the firms debt was slashed by 475million since the end of last year to 158million as it cashed in on higher global energy prices.
Shares of Whitecap Resources Inc. (TSE:WCP  Get Rating) have been given an average rating of Buy by the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$14.91.

WCP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Whitecap Resources from C$13.50 to C$14.00 in a research report on Friday, February 24th. ATB Capital cut their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$16.00 to C$15.00 in a report on Monday, April 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.00 to C$14.50 in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. National Bankshares raised their price objective on Whitecap Resources from C$15.50 to C$16.50 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays set a C$14.00 price target on Whitecap Resources and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Whitecap Resources

In related news, Director Grant Bradley Fagerheim bought 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$10.14 per share, with a total value of C$101,400.00. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 17,660 shares of company stock worth $178,651. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Whitecap Resources Stock Up 0.7 %

TSE:WCP opened at C$10.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.28, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Whitecap Resources has a one year low of C$7.70 and a one year high of C$12.71. The firms 50 day simple moving average is C$10.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$10.53. The company has a market cap of C$6.14 billion, a PE ratio of 5.04, a P/E/G ratio of -0.33 and a beta of 2.90.

Whitecap Resources (TSE:WCP  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The company reported C$0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$0.42 by C$0.10. The business had revenue of C$1.12 billion during the quarter. Whitecap Resources had a net margin of 33.46% and a return on equity of 26.68%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Whitecap Resources will post 1.2164179 earnings per share for the current year.

Whitecap Resources Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.048 per share. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.66%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 27th. Whitecap Resourcess payout ratio is currently 28.71%.

About Whitecap Resources

(Get Rating)

Whitecap Resources Inc, oil and gas company, acquires and develops petroleum and natural gas properties in Canada. Its principal properties are located in West Central Alberta, British Columbia, Southeast Saskatchewan, West Central Saskatchewan, and Southwest Saskatchewan. As of February 14, 2022, it had a total proved plus probable reserves of 701,829 thousand barrels of oil equivalent.

Further Reading

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First Northern Community Bancorp (OTCMKTS:FNRN  Get Rating) and Frederick County Bancorp (MD) (OTCMKTS:FCBI  Get Rating) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares First Northern Community Bancorp and Frederick County Bancorp (MD)s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio First Northern Community Bancorp $62.81 million 1.57 $15.88 million $1.26 5.33 Frederick County Bancorp (MD) $18.62 million 3.11 $2.96 million N/A N/A

First Northern Community Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Frederick County Bancorp (MD).

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets First Northern Community Bancorp 25.15% 15.02% 0.96% Frederick County Bancorp (MD) 11.41% N/A N/A

Risk & Volatility

This table compares First Northern Community Bancorp and Frederick County Bancorp (MD)s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

First Northern Community Bancorp has a beta of 0.43, suggesting that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Frederick County Bancorp (MD) has a beta of 0.34, suggesting that its share price is 66% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for First Northern Community Bancorp and Frederick County Bancorp (MD), as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score First Northern Community Bancorp 0 0 0 0 N/A Frederick County Bancorp (MD) 0 0 0 0 N/A

Institutional and Insider Ownership

5.9% of First Northern Community Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.1% of First Northern Community Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 32.2% of Frederick County Bancorp (MD) shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

First Northern Community Bancorp beats Frederick County Bancorp (MD) on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Northern Community Bancorp

(Get Rating)

First Northern Community Bancorp is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individual and corporate customers. It offers different loan category such as commercial, commercial real estate, agriculture, residential mortgage, residential construction, and consumer. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Dixon, CA.

About Frederick County Bancorp (MD)

(Get Rating)

Frederick County Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Frederick County Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and commercial enterprises in the Frederick County, Maryland. It offers deposit products, including personal checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and health savings accounts; and business checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, and certificates of deposits. The company provides home equity, home equity fixed rate, mortgage, installment, vehicle, and unsecured loans, as well as home equity line of credit and lines of credit; and commercial loans, such as term loans, lines of credit, letters of credit, and real estate finance. It also offers cash management services comprising automated clearing house, wire origination, remote deposit capture, and zero balance account services. In addition, the company provides mobile deposit capture, overdraft protection, debit and credit card, automated teller machine, and night depository services; and business courier and merchant processing services, as well as online banking and bill pay services. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland.

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Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Get Rating) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,912 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Incs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the first quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 26,141 shares of the companys stock worth $2,456,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 35.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,939 shares of the companys stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 24.7% in the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 3,065 shares of the companys stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 54.9% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 525 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 14.7% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 8,987 shares of the companys stock valued at $844,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.85% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PM. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the company from $95.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $109.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the company from $106.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Societe Generale initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. They issued a sell rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $110.60.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $95.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.68. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.85 and a 1-year high of $109.81. The companys fifty day moving average is $97.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 128.55%. The business had revenue of $8.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 23rd were issued a $1.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 22nd. This represents a $5.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.31%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total value of $8,028,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,007,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,057,266.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 80,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total transaction of $8,028,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,007,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,057,266.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Stacey Kennedy sold 20,308 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.30, for a total transaction of $2,036,892.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,418 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,248,525.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 117,064 shares of company stock valued at $11,738,763 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.15% of the companys stock.

Philip Morris International Profile

(Get Rating)

Philip Morris International, Inc is a holding company engaged in the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine-containing products. Its products include cigarettes and reduced-risk products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: European Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, South and Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia, and Americas.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Get Rating).

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Streaks of smoke are seen as Israel's Iron Dome defense system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (JINI via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip.

The exchange of fire came just hours before a reported ceasefire is expected to come into effect.

The IDF said rockets were fired at several cities in southern and central Israel, including the country's financial hub Tel Aviv.

About 300 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday, according to the IDF, adding that at least 60 rockets were intercepted by air defense systems and tens of others failed to reach targets within Israel. The IDF also announced it struck at over 100 targets in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli emergency services said no injuries were reported during the afternoon barrage, with several people treated for anxiety.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations throughout Wednesday. Reports in several local media outlets suggested a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza militants has been reached through Egyptian mediation. According to those reports, it will come into effect late Wednesday.

However, Netanyahu said his country's offensive against the Gaza Strip "is not over yet," despite media reports on an impending ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

He gave a televised address from the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening, praising Israeli air defense systems managed to intercept many of the hundreds of rockets fired by Palestinian militants into Israel on Wednesday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also gave an address, saying he hopes the operation will bring to an end soon.

The exchange of fire came after an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip killed three senior PIJ leaders.

The Gaza-based joint chamber of military operations of Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for launching hundreds of missiles to Israel on Wednesday. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported 21 people were killed since Tuesday and 64 Palestinians injured. 

Israel's Iron Dome defense system launches a missile to intercept rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (JINI via Xinhua)

Israel's Iron Dome defense system launches a missile to intercept rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (JINI via Xinhua)

People wait in a public bomb shelter as sirens sound following rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

A public bomb shelter is placed in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

People wait in a public bomb shelter as sirens sound following rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Israel's Iron Dome defense system launches a missile to intercept rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli police and explosive experts check an area hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza strip, in a neighborhood of Sderot, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli security personnel work next to a vehicle damaged by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli security personnel carry part of a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli security personnel work next to a vehicle damaged by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on May 10, 2023. Tens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Wednesday evening, in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua)
Simmons Bank purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,056 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CNP. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $440,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 59.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 14,757 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 5,475 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,585,045 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $79,208,000 after purchasing an additional 572,884 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 32,098 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 738,270 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $22,615,000 after purchasing an additional 274,696 shares in the last quarter. 90.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

CNP opened at $30.21 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a market cap of $19.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.88. The companys 50 day moving average is $29.50 and its 200 day moving average is $29.65. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.03 and a 12-month high of $33.50.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

CenterPoint Energy ( NYSE:CNP Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 9.97%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 17th. CenterPoint Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 60.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CenterPoint Energy

In other CenterPoint Energy news, Director Ted Pound sold 2,770 shares of CenterPoint Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.50, for a total transaction of $84,485.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,541 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,419,500.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CNP. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 14th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and raised their price target for the company from $31.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CenterPoint Energy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $32.75.

About CenterPoint Energy

(Get Rating)

CenterPoint Energy, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the business of power generation and distribution. It operates through the following segments: CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric, and CERC. The CenterPoint Energy segment consists of electric transmission and distribution services in the Texas gulf coast area in the ERCOT region and electric transmission and distribution services primarily to southwestern Indiana and includes power generation and wholesale power operations in the MISO region.

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Capital Analysts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Get Rating) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,957 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 913 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLCs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PM. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the third quarter worth $25,000. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 294 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 75.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $95.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $97.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.85 and a fifty-two week high of $109.81.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.03 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 128.55%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 23rd were paid a $1.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 22nd. This represents a $5.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.31%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 8,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.35, for a total value of $786,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,321 shares in the company, valued at $8,588,020.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 8,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.35, for a total transaction of $786,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 87,321 shares in the company, valued at $8,588,020.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 80,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total value of $8,028,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 1,007,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,057,266.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 117,064 shares of company stock worth $11,738,763. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $116.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $106.00 to $116.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $86.00 to $118.00 in a report on Thursday, January 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $110.60.

About Philip Morris International

(Get Rating)

Philip Morris International, Inc is a holding company engaged in the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine-containing products. Its products include cigarettes and reduced-risk products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: European Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, South and Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia, and Americas.

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UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief chief commends frontline humanitarian responders defying the hostilities in Sudan as the world body and partners step up aid deliveries, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

Doctors, engineers and other responders in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, told UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths by telephone how their community-led humanitarian response works.

Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Griffiths "commended the resilience and creativity of the Sudanese people, stressing that we need to support them."

The spokesman said the relief chief heard of their courageous efforts to provide food, shelter and emergency health support amid the ongoing threat of violence and looting. "We and our partners continue to ramp up our efforts to respond to the crisis."

The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up emergency assistance to 4.9 million people in the coming months in areas where the security situation allows. The agency aims to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition for 600,000 children under 5 years of age and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Haq said that food insecurity is expected to surge to record levels in Sudan due to the conflict. More than 19 million people, or two-fifths of the population, would be affected.

The spokesman said the WFP resumed its regular flights from Addis Ababa to Port Sudan, ensuring the flow of critical aid and humanitarian personnel.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), headed by Griffiths, said the United Nations and its partners are expanding their role in moving supplies around the country.

In Blue Nile State, where the conflict has displaced more than 20,000 people, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners support health and nutrition programs, including immunizations, screening and treatment for malnutrition, pregnancy care and reproductive health services.

Since the conflict began, UNICEF has secured fuel to save millions of doses of vaccines and vital medications in the cold chain, including insulin for children. The agency has also provided water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to the State Ministry of Health in Khartoum to support six hospitals.

In North Darfur, the humanitarian partners support health facilities with medicine, water and other items, Haq said. Twenty healthcare facilities have received water, sanitation and hygiene support, with at least 100,000 liters of water trucked in.

The World Health Organization and the United Arab Emirates on Friday delivered 30 tons of medical supplies to Port Sudan worth roughly 444,000 U.S. dollars by air, and it was the first air delivery to Sudan since the conflict erupted.

"With more humanitarian shipments expected to arrive in Sudan in the coming days and weeks, we call for customs clearance to be expedited to ensure that life-saving assistance can reach people in need as quickly as possible," OCHA said.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns that women and girls displaced by the conflict are increasingly at risk of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse.

The UNFPA said access to prevention and response services is severely limited in the capital and across the country.

"That's due to shortages in fuel and supplies, as well as the destruction and looting of health care centers and hospital," Haq said. "We are working with our humanitarian partners to set up safe spaces for women and girls in states hosting internally displaced people."

The UNFPA is also helping expand remote services to support survivors of gender-based violence. 
Rwandan medical doctors and nurses listen to a presentation via a video conference in Kigali, Rwanda, May 10, 2023. The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda, together with Rwandan medical doctors and nurses, celebrated International Nurses Day at Masaka Hospital in the suburb of Kigali, the Rwandan capital, Wednesday.(Photo by Huang Wanqing/Xinhua)

KIGALI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda, together with Rwandan medical doctors and nurses, celebrated International Nurses Day at Masaka Hospital in the suburb of Kigali, the Rwandan capital, Wednesday.

Medical professionals from Baotou Central Hospital in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also joined the celebration via a video conference.

Speaking at the event, Zhao Shangjun, the chief of the Chinese medical team, expressed his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of nurses around the world, particularly the Rwandan nurses at Masaka Hospital.

"International Nurses Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the contributions of nurses to global health. I thank the Rwandan nurses for their strong collaboration with the Chinese medical team to deliver professional and quality medical care to patients at Masaka Hospital," he said.

Zhao highlighted the importance of collaboration between medical professionals from China and Rwanda to provide the best possible care for patients.

Fulgence Niyomugaba, the Quality Improvement officer at Masaka Hospital, who represented the hospital's clinical director, expressed gratitude toward the nurses for their tireless efforts in providing quality healthcare services to patients. He said that the celebration of International Nurses Day was a reminder of the critical role that nurses and midwifery play in healthcare.

"We appreciate and recognize the invaluable contributions of our nurses towards healthcare. We sincerely thank the Chinese medical team for supporting our nurses to provide quality medical care here at Masaka Hospital," Niyomugaba said.

He pointed out that the Chinese medical team has supported the local doctors and nurses at Masaka Hospital to handle and manage complicated medical cases like surgery, among others.

Speaking via video conference, Liang Lu, the deputy president of Baotou Central Hospital, highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge and best practices among medical professionals from different regions. He praised the joint celebration between Chinese and Rwandan medical professionals as a symbol of the growing collaboration between the two countries.

During the celebration, presentations were made on intravenous catheter and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The presentations aimed at sharing knowledge and improving the skills of the medical professionals in attendance.

Nursing students from the East African Christian University in Rwanda also attended the event and had the opportunity to learn from experienced medical professionals. The nursing students conducted a CPR demonstration on a human dummy to assess the breathing and pulse rates.

The celebration, held under the theme "Our Nurses. Our Future." was a reminder of the critical role that nurses play in healthcare and the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among medical professionals from different countries. 

Zhao Shangjun, the chief of the Chinese medical team, delivers a speech in Kigali, Rwanda, May 10, 2023. The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda, together with Rwandan medical doctors and nurses, celebrated International Nurses Day at Masaka Hospital in the suburb of Kigali, the Rwandan capital, Wednesday.(Photo by Huang Wanqing/Xinhua)
Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, jurors decided on Tuesday, dealing the former U.S. president a legal setback as he campaigns to retake office in 2024.

The nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court awarded $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Although the finding of sexual abuse was enough to establish his liability for battery, the jury did not find that Trump raped her.

The jury deliberated for just under three hours before rejecting Trumps denial that he assaulted Carroll. To find him liable, the jury of six men and three women was required to reach a unanimous verdict.

Carroll held hands with her lawyers as the verdict was read. Trump was absent throughout the trial which began on April 25.

Carroll, 79, testified during the civil trial that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then harmed her reputation by writing in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform that her claims were a complete con job, a hoax and a lie.

President from 2017 to 2021, Trump is the front-runner in opinion polls for the Republican presidential nomination and has shown an uncanny ability to weather controversies that might sink other politicians.

It seems unlikely in Americas polarized political climate that the civil verdict will have an impact on Trumps core supporters, who view his legal woes as part of a concerted effort by opponents to undermine him.

The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just dont think are going to be moved by this type of thing, said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.

Any negative impact is likely to be small and limited to suburban women and moderate Republicans, he said.

Jurors were tasked with deciding whether Trump raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched Carroll, any one of which would satisfy her claim of battery. They were separately asked if Trump defamed Carroll.

Because this was a civil case, Trump faces no criminal consequences. Carroll was seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Trumps legal team opted not to present a defense, gambling that jurors would find that Carroll had failed to make a persuasive case.

Trump had said Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and a registered Democrat, made up the allegations to try to increase sales of her 2019 memoir and to hurt him politically.

Because the case was in civil court, Carroll was required to establish her rape claim by a preponderance of the evidence  meaning more likely than not  rather than the higher standard used in criminal cases of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Carroll had to show clear and convincing evidence to prove her defamation claim.

The trial featured testimony from two women who said Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago.

Former People magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff told jurors that Trump cornered her at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2005 and forcibly kissed her for a few minutes until a butler interrupted the alleged assault. Another woman, Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump kissed her, groped her and put his hand up her skirt on a flight in 1979.

Jurors also heard excerpts from a 2005 Access Hollywood video in which Trump says women let him grab em by the pussy.

Historically, thats true, with stars  if you look over the last million years, Trump said in an October 2022 video deposition played in court. He has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct.

Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told jurors during closing arguments on Monday that the 2005 video was proof that Trump had assaulted Carroll and other women.

The federal trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is not related to Carrolls lawyer, began on April 25. Citing the uniqueness of a civil case against a former president, the judge decided that the names, addresses and places of employment of the jurors would be kept secret.

Carroll testified that she bumped into Trump at Bergdorfs while he was shopping for a gift for another woman. Carroll said she agreed to help Trump pick out a gift and the two looked at lingerie before he coaxed her into a dressing room, slammed her head into a wall and raped her. Carroll testified she could not remember the precise date or year the alleged rape occurred.

Carroll faced questions from Trumps legal team attacking the plausibility of her account including why she had never reported the matter to police or screamed during the alleged incident.

Two of Carrolls friends said that she told them about the alleged rape at the time but swore them to secrecy because she feared that Trump would use his fame and wealth to retaliate against her if she came forward.

Carroll told jurors she decided to break her silence in 2017 after rape allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted scores of women to come forward with accounts of sexual violence by powerful men. She went public with her account while Trump was still president.

She said Trumps public denials wrecked her career and instigated a campaign of vicious online harassment by his supporters including various threatening messages and social media posts.

While Trump did not testify at the trial, a video clip from the October 2022 deposition showed him mistaking Carroll for one of his former wives in a black-and-white photo among several people at an event.

Its Marla, Trump said in the deposition, referring to his second wife Marla Maples. Previously Trump had said he could not have raped Carroll because she was not his type.

Trump has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot to damage him politically.

His poll numbers improved after he was charged in New York in March with falsifying business records over a hush money payment to a porn star before his victory in the 2016 presidential election.

That indictment, filed in New York state court, made him the first U.S. president past or present to be criminally charged. Trump has pleaded not guilty and said the charges are politically motivated.

SOURCE: REUTERS
ALBANY  The Lark Street Business Improvement District (BID) has welcomed a new leader who will spearhead the organizations revival as it seeks to rebound from pandemic-era lulls in neighborhood activities.

Lark Street resident Ella Montelone has been named executive director of the 30-year-old nonprofit that works to build a unique and prosperous community for those who live and visit the area that promotes itself as the village in the city.

I couldnt be more excited to fill this role at such a city staple as the Lark Street BID, Montelone said in a statement. Creativity and collaboration have always been at the heart of Lark Streets success and charm; its where four neighborhoods converge, where artists and politicians have famously gathered, and its home to an amazing community of businesses and residents who are proud to call Lark Street home.

Prior to joining Lark Street BID, Montelone worked for more than a decade in performing arts and helped to establish Albany Symphonys patron services department before becoming marketing director. After the birth of her son, she transitioned to the culinary field and launched Butter & Sugar Co. bakery out of Troy Kitchen.

As part of her new position, the entrepreneur is bringing back the organizations annual fundraiser, Champagne on the Park, for the first time since the pandemic. The 25th annual event will take place Thursday, May 11 at 6 p.m. in Washington Park and will include drinks, dancing and live music. Tickets are on sale online and start at $125 for general admission.

Montelone teamed up with BID Board Chairman Patrick Noonan, who is known in the Center Square neighborhood for carving out a collection of eateries in the Madison Avenue corridor, to plan the return of the event which will kick off the 75th annual Tulip Festival. Noonan took over the role of Darius Shahinfar, who remains on the BIDs Board of Directors as treasurer.

Our businesses have done a tremendous job persevering these past few years during COVID, said Noonan, who owns and operates El Loco, Ben and Jerrys, Loco Juice & Smoothie and Debbies Kitchen. As customers return to shopping and dining along the corridor, and as we enter the second phase of the Lark Street Redevelopment Project this spring, the street is poised to be in a great position for years to come.

Montelone fills the seat previously held by Shauna Collins and Jevan Dollard, who shared the role for years leading up to the pandemic.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  In a nearly unanimous vote, Minnesota Senate lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would criminalize people who non-consensually share deepfake sexual images of others, and people who share deepfakes to hurt a political candidate or influence an election.

Deepfakes are videos and images that have been digitally created or altered with artificial intelligence or machine learning. Deepfake pornography and political misinformation have been created with the technology since it first began spreading across the internet several years ago. That technology is easier to use now than ever before.

The bill would allow prosecutors to charge people with up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for disseminating deepfakes. To become law, the bill must still go through a conference committee and get signed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

Only one lawmaker voted against the bill on Wednesday.

The concern I have is just the civil penalty. I want to see it higher, Republican Sen. Nathan Wesenberg, of Little Falls, said on the Senate floor before voting against the bill.

Supporters said the bill is cutting-edge and necessary.

We need to protect all Minnesotans who might become victims of those that seek to use technology or artificial intelligence to threaten, harass, or ... humiliate anybody, Republican Sen. Eric Lucero, of St. Michael, said in support.

A small handful of other states have passed similar legislation to combat deepfakes, said Democratic Sen. Erin Maye Quade, the Apple Valley lawmaker who championed the bill. Those states include Texas, California and Virginia.

I think we're really behind at the federal level and the state level" on data privacy and technology regulation, Maye Quade said. Just watching the advancement of AI technology, even in the last year, had me really concerned that we didn't have anything in place.

In a January video, President Joe Biden talked about tanks. But a doctored version of the video amassed hundreds of thousands of views that week on social media, making it appear like he gave a speech that attacked transgender people.

Digital forensics experts said the video was created using a new generation of artificial intelligence tools, which allow anyone to quickly generate audio simulating a persons voice with a few clicks of a button. And while the Biden clip on social media may have failed to fool most users, the clip showed how easy it now is for people to generate hateful and disinformation-filled deepfake videos that could do real-world harm.

Some social media companies have been tightening up their rules to better protect their platforms against deepfakes.

TikTok said in March that all deepfakes or manipulated content showing realistic scenes must be labeled to indicate they are fake or altered in some way, and that deepfakes of private figures and young people are no longer allowed. Previously, the company had barred sexually explicit content and deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events.

___

Trisha Ahmed 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 Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15
HUDSON  Calling it a legal futility to continue moving forward, state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle dismissed the case against four defendants charged with various crimes in the July 2020 beating of local mechanic Harold Handy at a party at a sheriff deputys house.

The case was upended late last year after it was revealed that Handys civil attorney had attempted to secure a settlement with a lawyer for one of the defendants that would have been conditioned on no one being indicted for the incident  a deal that would have raised a host of ethical as well as potentially criminal issues.

On Wednesday, Marcelle said any such negotiations would be legally problematic, and that the problem laid squarely at the feet of the Handys, referring to the alleged victim and his wife, who was present at the July 4, 2020, party where Handy was injured. Marcelle said it was clear that Handy had been aware of his attorneys outreach.

The word that comes to mind is extortion, Marcelle said.

Four people  Columbia County Sheriffs Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach; her husband, gym owner Alex Rosenstrach; IRS agent Bryan Haag; and local contractor Corey Gaylord  were initially indicted on gang assault charges in the case, but Judge Richard Koweek dropped the top charges in late 2021 after prosecutors were unable to prove Handy was sufficiently injured. The defendants still faced a single felony count of unlawful imprisonment and several misdemeanors.

The planned start of the criminal trial in November was scuttled after court filings brought to light communications between Paul Freeman, Handys civil attorney, and Jim Hacker, a civil attorney for the Rosenstrachs, in which they discussed a settlement that would hinge on the four escaping indictment  an arrangement that raised the prospect of the Handys refusing to assist prosecutors in exchange for the settlement.

The filings included an undated, unsigned draft settlement between the defendants and Handy for $650,000. The cash was to be transferred into an escrow account controlled by Freeman by Alex Rosenstrach and released to Handy once it was assured all four defendants in the case would not face prosecution.

A second document shows a screenshot of a text message allegedly sent by Freeman to Hacker, a Troy-based personal injury lawyer.

As for the settlement, the $250K is the value of a pure negligence case, assuming he fully recovers from the concussion, which is currently at issue, the undated text reads. Handy had received a concussion and other injuries in the alleged beating.

However, the text continues, the value of elimination of any criminal charges is many multiples of that number. $900K will resolve it.

There is no evidence that money was ever exchanged, and the four defendants were indicted in October 2020.

In court on Wednesday, Marcelle noted that Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka had argued any allegations of a cash settlement should not only weigh on the Handys, but on any defendants who allegedly offered a bribe. Marcelle praised Czajka for bringing the potential settlement to the courts attention  which led to an adjournment of the trial on its first day in November  but said the fault rested with the Handys.

Czajka had asked for a special prosecutor to come in to handle the criminal case since he had been compromised by knowledge of the proposed financial settlement. Marcelle had previously said he would most likely grant this motion, which would have further extended the beginning of the trial to at least December  nearly three and a half years after Handy was hospitalized.

In an early-April hearing, Marcelle said there had been no evidence presented to that point that Handy had been aware that Freeman had asked for the payout. The judge said in that hearing he would allow defense attorneys to ask during Handys cross-examination whether he had been aware of the alleged talks.

If Handy said no, that line of questioning would end  but if Handy answered in the affirmative, it would open the issue up in court, Marcelle said.

Special prosecutor Thomas A. Capezza is investigating the related question of whether potential bribery charges could be brought, and Marcelle said there was no question that the Handys were one of that investigations targets.

Because of this, Marcelle said that if the Handys had been called to testify in the beating trial, they would most likely plead the Fifth Amendment  leading defense attorneys to call for a mistrial, which Marcelle said he would have granted.

Marcelle also noted the right to a speedy trial and the lengthy court proceedings impact on the defendants, saying one had experienced the devastating loss of three years of income during the proceedings, adding the impact on the defendants' lives was disproportionate to the charges that remained.

The judge added there was still evidence of the defendants guilt, and that he believes that Mr. Handy was a victim of a crime.

Marcelle, who took over the proceedings after Judge Richard Koweek recused himself last year, dismissed the case in the interest of justice.

Czajka said there should still be a special prosecutor assigned to the case to work on an appeal of Marcelles decision, a motion the judge said he would have to consider.

William Roberts, who represents Kelly Rosenstrach, called the end of the case bittersweet since the full story would never see its day in court.

The deputy, who was eight months pregnant when Handy was hospitalized, did not face any assault charges after the original charges were dismissed, and nowhere in grand jury testimony or in a deposition by Handys wife  both of which were reviewed by the Times Union  is she accused of striking Handy.

Roberts said Handys wife made two phone calls while at Albany Medical Center attending to Handy  one to an attorney and one to a newspaper  which he contends demonstrated her intent from the beginning.

Though the trial had concluded, It hasnt ended the angst and overwhelming sense of disappointment in the criminal justice system, Roberts said.

Paul DerOhannesian, who represents Bryan Haag, said the case had been in court longer than any hed ever worked on. His client had been dismissed from his job at the IRS after he was indicted and had tried to find other work, but each time he found a decent job, he was laid off when the charges hanging over his head became known, DerOhannesian said.

DerOhannesian, who filed the motion to dismiss that Marcelle ruled on Wednesday, said it took a long time for many of the facts of the case to come out, and we should not rush to judgment on cases, because there can be more in terms of background.

Michael McDermott, the attorney for Corey Gaylord, said it was time to see what the special prosecutor comes back with in regard to bribery allegations.

Marc Portin, representing Alex Rosenstrach, declined immediate comment.
Phocuswright, the worlds leading travel industry research authority, has released its new Green Innovation report, ahead of the upcoming Phocuswright Europe Conference, which takes place in Barcelona on June 12-14.



Sustainability will be a key topic driving the agenda at this years Phocuswright Europe.



Eugene Ko, Director of Marketing and Communications at Phocuswright, said: Climate change is happening now, meaning the travel industry is at a crossroads; it can either take action to become more sustainable via innovation  or be forced to do so via crises and regulation. Increasing global action on climate change will create various challenges for the travel industry  but travel companies must innovate now or these challenges will become more difficult and they face being left behind.



The new Phocuswright report details the main drivers behind change for the travel industry, as well as meaningful actions travel companies can take. Here are five key drivers for 2023 and beyond:



 Increasing regulatory challenges  Travel companies can expect increasing regulatory challenges as a result of various green initiatives, which they must adapt to. For example, France banning short-haul flights where rail options are available, and various resorts adding new entry fees to control overtourism. These are the tip of the iceberg of whats to come.



 Acting on traveler sentiment  55% of travelers age 18-34 are now likely to pay to offset their carbon footprint when flying (according to a recent Phocuswright study). This represents a growing share of consumers that are eager to act on sustainable travel. However, travel companies must not rely on traveler sentiment alone to guide their sustainability investments. If data and algorithms can be employed in a way that keeps users glued to social media, travel companies can and must harness innovative, technology-driven processes to make environmentally-positive travel decisions possible and desirable.



 Individual travel companies spearheading efforts  Intrepid Travel, which in 2020 declared a climate emergency, is pushing travel companies to follow its lead in committing to specific targets for reducing carbon emissions through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). While the first step is formally committing to reduce emissions, travel companies must then establish an action plan for how they will meet specific targets and find a way to accurately measure their emissions.



 Enabling and empowering travelers during shopping and booking  Sustainability practices and products should be fully transparent, certified and prominently displayed for travelers during the shopping process. Travel companies can increase their impact by working with vendors to foster sustainability throughout their supply chains.



 Increased focus on innovation, for profit and for planet  There are opportunities to create impactful products and services now. The sustainable future will crown new winners and losers, and established travel companies and would-be startups alike should actively pursue innovation in this area. Sustainability initiatives at corporations appear to drive better financial performance due to mediating factors such as improved risk management and more innovation. Whether motivated by the love of travel or profit, the tourism industry must accelerate sustainability action and innovation.  TradeArabia News Service
Chinese and Cameroonian participants communicate with each other during a promotional conference organized to invite the Central African nation to participate in the expo to be held in China in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 9, 2023. Cameroon hopes to attract more Chinese investment when it takes part in the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said a Cameroonian trade official on Tuesday. The expo, under the theme "Common development for a shared future," will run from June 29 to July 2 in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Kepseu)

YAOUNDE, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon hopes to attract more Chinese investment when it takes part in the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said a Cameroonian trade official on Tuesday.

Joseph Mutomby Ndumbe, director of foreign trade at Cameroon's Ministry of Trade, made the remarks during a promotional conference organized in the capital Yaounde to invite the Central African nation to participate in the expo to be held in China.

Cameroon hopes to export more to the Chinese market and attract more Chinese investors, Ndumbe told Xinhua at the close of the conference.

"We are going there (trade expo) to seek to have the possibility of having fruitful partnerships with Chinese companies that are ready to come to Cameroon," he said, adding that the country will exhibit made-in-Cameroon products including Penja pepper, Oku White Honey, cocoa and coffee.

The expo, under the theme "Common development for a shared future," will run from June 29 to July 2 in central China's Hunan Province.

Yang Zhihua, deputy mayor of Yiyang, a city in Hunan, said at the conference that the province and Cameroon have vast space for cooperation in modern agricultural development and the construction of transport, energy and communication infrastructure.

"We wholeheartedly hope for the participation of the Cameroonian government, think tanks, enterprises, trade associations and financial institutions, with China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo as a platform," Yang said. 

A promotional conference organized to invite the Central African nation to participate in the expo to be held in China is held in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 9, 2023. Cameroon hopes to attract more Chinese investment when it takes part in the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said a Cameroonian trade official on Tuesday. The expo, under the theme "Common development for a shared future," will run from June 29 to July 2 in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
HYDE PARK  Jamie Feith appeared to draw a knife on police officers responding to a domestic dispute at a home in this Dutchess County town before a Hyde Park police officer shot and killed her last April, body cam footage released Tuesday by the state attorney generals office shows.

Around 3:30 p.m. on April 29, 2022, Hyde Park police were called to a home on North Cross Road due to an ongoing physical domestic dispute. State Police also responded to assist. Upon arrival, Hyde Park officers Joshua Kemlage and Bryan Sweeney and Trooper Christopher Miller of the State Police Troop K unit in Rhinebeck successfully de-escalated an altercation between Feith and an unidentified man, according to a release sent by the State Police afterward.

According to the State Police, as the officers interviewed Feith, she armed herself with a knife and attempted to stab the officers. An unidentified officer deployed a Taser before Hyde Park Officer Kemlage fired his weapon, striking Feith, 34. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In New York, incidents in which civilians are killed during encounters with police are subject to review by the state attorney general. On Tuesday, the attorney generals Office of Special Investigation released footage from a body camera worn by Trooper Miller of the State Police.

The video, which is graphic, opens with footage of an unidentifiable officer walking Feith from a bedroom into the living room when she appears to pull a knife from her pants. The officer tackles her to the ground, but Feith fights him off and walks into the kitchen. There she encounters at least three officers with weapons drawn, the video shows. One of the officers fires a stun gun but Feith remains on her feet and continues to approach the officers, ignoring commands to drop the knife and get down.

At that point, Officer Kemlage fires four shots at Feith, who falls to the ground, according to the video. A man can be heard yelling in distress as the shooting unfolds. Fewer than 20 seconds elapse between when Feith pulled the knife and when Kemlage shot her.

The release of the video follows Attorney General Letitia James directive that camera footage obtained by her office in the course of an OSI investigation be released to the public in order to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters, James office said in a statement.

This is the second time in less than two months that the attorney generals office has released body cam footage of a shooting in the Hudson Valley. In March, OSI released footage of the fatal shooting of Daniel K. McAlpin in Wawarsing last September.

Hyde Park Police Chief Robert Benson could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The attorney generals investigation remains active.

Note: This story has been updated to correct the agency of the police officer who shot Feith.
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UPDATE: First migrants sent by NYC arrive in Newburgh

NEWBURGH  By the end of the day on Wednesday, it seemed as if there were more advocates, politicians and reporters at the Crossroads Hotel in Orange County than the number of migrants who were expected to arrive from New York City.

The past couple of days have been marked by uncertainty over the arrival of the migrants, in no small part due to efforts by Republican officials in the lower Hudson Valley to thwart New York City Mayor Eric Adams plan to send migrants there. Then, on Tuesday night, a spokesman for the mayor said in a statement that the migrants  all males seeking asylum  would arrive at the Newburgh hotel sometime on Wednesday.

The anticipation outside the hotel swelled throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, media outlets lined both sides of Lakeside Drive leading to the hotel.

Around 4 p.m., the initially rumored arrival time, local politicians and religious leaders, advocates and activists joined the scene, some waiting with welcome signs on the lawn as the sun dropped behind the hotel. There were no protesters in attendance.

We are here as supporters of human dignity and want to make sure that the people coming here know that there are people in Orange County, the city of Newburgh, town of Newburgh and beyond that have their back, who are supportive and that want to welcome them, said Orange County Legislator Kevindaryan Lujan, who represents Newburgh.

But still, no migrants. It wasnt until after 6 p.m. that rumors began spreading that they would instead arrive the next morning.

The asylum-seekers are voluntary participants in a temporary relocation program announced by Mayor Adams last week. The program launch was initially supposed to bring about 400 asylum-seekers to the Hudson Valley  60 to the Crossroads in Orange Lake, a hamlet in the town of Newburgh, and 340 to the Armoni Inn & Suites in Rockland Countys Orangeburg, a hamlet of Orangetown. Under Adams program, New York City would foot the bill for their food, shelter and resources.

More than 60,800 asylum-seekers have traveled through New York City since last spring, many bused from Texas to New York by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. More than 37,500 asylum-seekers are currently in the citys care, according to Mayor Adams office.

Title 42, which lets the U.S. reject asylum-seekers without a hearing, will expire on May 11. Though Title 42 has existed as a public health services law since 1944, it was invoked for the first time by former President Donald Trump during the early days of the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The federal government has warned of an increase in immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border in the lead-up to the policys expiration.

Relocating a group of migrants to the Hudson Valley through Adams program would free up space and resources in New York City in expectation of a surge in immigrant arrivals after Title 42 ends. But leaders in both Hudson Valley counties set to receive migrants have tried to stop Adams plan.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Rockland County Executive Ed Day declared states of emergency forbidding hotels and motels from accepting the migrants.

I have never seen such arrogance and such bullying in my entire career in government, Day said at a press conference in New City on Wednesday, during which he and Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny framed the migrants as a zoning and safety issue.

Kenny and her counterpart in Newburgh, Supervisor Gil Piaquadio, have said the planned stays of up to four months violate town codes that cap hotel and motel stays at 30 days.

The legal status of these individuals is irrelevant to this lawsuit, Kenny said at the New City press conference. This has to do with zoning codes and legal use of this property.

Much ado

Orange County Democratic officials were among those waiting outside the Crossroads Hotel to show support to the asylum-seekers on Wednesday. They wanted to make sure their welcoming message was heard over the noise the county executives have made.

County legislators Lujan and Genesis Ramos, both Newburgh residents born of immigrant parents, strongly condemned Neuhaus approach.

To be honest with you, I am just disgusted and I am very disappointed in the reaction, the messaging, the tone from our county executive, Ramos said. It has incited extreme xenophobic and racist rhetoric throughout our community. I have seen some serious threats on social media  toward people who are coming here seeking a better life.

Lujan added that the county Legislatures Democratic caucus is going to fight the county executive in any way that we can. That may include taking legal action.

We strongly believe the countys emergency order is likely going to be considered unconstitutional, Lujan said.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, which also had representatives outside the Newburgh hotel, stressed that seeking asylum is a legal right.

Hudson Valley county officials must embrace their responsibility to welcome immigrants seeking refuge in our community, Ignacio Acevedo, NYCLU organizer for the Hudson Valley, said in a statement. As migrants resettle here, we must focus on working with local partners to ensure immigrants have strong supportive networks and real resources they need to thrive  and are not further displaced.

Rabbi Doug Kohn, who leads the Greater Newburgh Interfaith Council, wants politics taken out of this situation altogether. On Wednesday, he pushed for a more compassionate approach as the migrants arrival time drew nearer.

Our task is to be one community  Orange County; not to let political posturing polarize us, Kohn said.

He said members of the council have met to discuss ways they could help support the asylum-seekers, including providing food, clothing and financial assistance.

The clergy have even thought of having all their congregations chip in and buy a facility and get it retrofitted, which may not handle the most immediate needs today but would create a facility to house people temporarily and mitigate the housing issued, Kohn said.

Unclear guidance

On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency for New York, though for different reasons than the county executives. Her order will allow state and local officials to expedite the distribution of funds from $1 billion provided in the recently enacted state budget to address the challenge that Hochul described as an already large-scale humanitarian crisis."

The maneuverings of Rockland County government appear to have at least temporarily halted the arrival of migrants there.

A Rockland County Supreme Court judge on Tuesday night issued a temporary restraining order at the request of Orangetown officials, who said the hotels land-use permit and certificate of occupancy do not allow it to house migrants for up to four months, according to the Journal-News. In light of the temporary restraining order, New York City is holding off sending asylum-seekers there  for now.

We will allow the hotel to decide how to move forward in Rockland County, but our plan is still to move a small number of asylum-seekers to Orange County (on Wednesday), Fabien Levy, Adams press secretary, said in a statement Tuesday night.

Since Adams plan was formally announced on Friday, Rockland County Executive Day and the mayor have been sparring, trading barbs in public statements. Day has argued that Rockland doesnt have the infrastructure to absorb hundreds of new arrivals while Adams representatives have said Days uncompassionate response has shown bad leadership.

New York City has cared for more than 61,000 migrants  sheltering, feeding and caring for them, and we have done so largely without incident, Levy said in a statement Tuesday night.  Sadly, the Rockland County executive has already shown he is incapable of managing less than  of 1 percent of the asylum seekers who have come to New York City, even with New York paying for shelter, food, and services, and all this temporary order shows is that he is incapable of demonstrating a shred of the humane and compassionate care New York City has shown over the past year.
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ALBANY  A gunman already serving time for shooting a sleeping toddler in a South End day care center was sentenced Tuesday to an additional 37 years to life in prison for the murder of a Troy man and other shootings.

Jarrell Howard, 20, now faces 52 years-to-life in prison for what an Albany County prosecutor described as a reign of terror in 2019 and 2020.

Wearing a blue suit, Howard listened in County Judge Andra Ackermans courtroom as family members of slain 21-year-old NyJawaun Thomas and the prosecutor castigated him as a vicious monster.

In a letter read by her sister, the victims mother, Shinequa Thomas, told Howard her son was supposed to visit her for her upcoming birthday. Instead, Howard left him dead near Morton Avenue and South Pearl Street, just steps from Albany City Court and the police departments South Station, on June 24, 2020.

Howard shot Thomas following a car chase and crash, after the victim climbed from the wreckage of a rented U-Haul truck.

You broke me to the core  Ill never know why you did it, the mother stated. Hate is a strong word that I dont use. But I hate you and I hope that you never get to walk the streets.

The victims younger sister, who struggled to contain her emotions, told Howard her brothers untimely death has left her devastated and hurting.

Thomas aunt, however, told the defendant she did not hate him, and urged Howard to make something of his life in prison.

Moments later, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brucato laid out the violence that Howard inflicted, including the defendants July 18, 2019 shooting of a 3-year-old boy who was sleeping in a day care center when he became an unintended victim of a bullet fired by Howard.

Howard, 17 at the time, and co-defendant Bahkee Green, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree weapon possession in early 2020.

Howard was released under the supervision of probation for 11 months under New Yorks Raise the Age law, but his mayhem only increased.

Brucato said Howard did not show up for his April 2020 sentencing for the shooting of the child, becoming a fugitive. Then, on June 8, 2020, Howard left a vehicle and shot two rivals at the corner of Lark Street and Central Avenue. Some two weeks later, just a day before he killed Thomas, Howard tried to shoot another person, firing into a crowd on Second Avenue.

Brucato said Howards crimes were part of a longstanding violent feud in Albany between uptown gang members in West Hill and downtown gang members in the South End. Howard was identified as being part of an uptown faction.

All of these incidents were this defendant actively ambushing members of  rival factions, the prosecutor said.

Brucato said Howard recklessly put people around him in a mortal state of danger.

Its unquantifiable  of all people, this defendant knew what could happen in living that lifestyle because he was living it, Brucato said. Were lucky there arent another three or four 3-year-old (children) or any other number of innocent victims that could be sitting here in a courtroom feeling this pain for the rest of their lives. For what?

Howards attorney, Eric Schillinger, said his client has grown immeasurably while behind bars since 2020. He said Howard grew up in a home without direction. He said his client was basically homeless.

When given a chance to speak, Howard apologized for his crimes. He insisted he was no monster but a person in a bad situation. At one point, he said some of his victims were not innocent. He also said he wanted to bring closure for the victims family.

I dont have a family. I wouldnt know how my family would feel if they did lose me, Howard said, saying he was living on his own at 15 in the streets. He apologized for his past crimes, but said he is no longer the person he was at 17.

The judge told Howard she believed he has shown progress and matured while incarcerated, but noted the pain inflicted on the many victims

I think of all the other innocent people who could have been injured because when you committed these acts, you did them in crowded residential and commercial areas, the judge said.

The judge sentenced Howard to 25 years to life for Thomas murder, as well as six concurrent 12-year sentences for his guilty pleas to attempted murder and weapon possession, which will run consecutive to the murder term.

It added up to 37 years to life, which runs consecutive to the 15-year sentence for the shooting of the child.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The Florida judge who gained a national profile while presiding over the Parkland school shooting trial announced Wednesday that she is resigning June 30 to pursue unspecified career opportunities.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rose in prominence when she oversaw the televised penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz. He received a life sentence last year after a divided jury was unable to agree on the death penalty for the 2018 mass killing of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

It has been a a privilege to serve the people of the State of Florida for over 10 years, Scherer wrote in her brief resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The resignation was first reported by Court TV.

Scherer, a 46-year-old former prosecutor, was appointed to the bench in 2012. Broward County's computerized system randomly assigned her Cruz's case shortly after the shooting. It was her first murder trial.

Her handling of the case drew frequent praise from the parents and spouses of the victims, who said she treated them with professionalism and kindness, but her clashes with Cruz's attorneys and others sometimes drew criticism from legal observers.

Before the trial she criticized two reporters from the Sun Sentinel newspaper for publishing a sealed Cruz educational record that they obtained legally. She threatened to tell the paper what it could and couldnt print, but never did; legal experts say such a move would have been unconstitutional.

Scherer also had frequent heated arguments with Cruz's lead public defender, Melisa McNeill. Those boiled over for the first time when McNeill and her team suddenly rested their case after calling only a small fraction of their expected witnesses. Scherer called it the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case," though the defense has no obligation to call all of its witnesses or announce its plans in advance.

McNeill countered angrily, You are insulting me on the record in front of my client, before Scherer told her to stop. She then laid into her.

Youve been insulting me the entire trial, Scherer barked at McNeill. Arguing with me, storming out, coming late intentionally if you dont like my rulings. So, quite frankly, this has been long overdue. So please be seated.

The two clashed again during Cruz's sentencing hearing in November over the verbal attacks some victims' family members made against the defense team during their courtroom statements. Scherer refused to curtail the statements and ejected one of McNeill's assistants after he complained.

After sentencing Cruz, 24, to life without parole as required, Scherer left the bench and hugged members of the prosecution and the victims' families.

That action led the Florida Supreme Court last month to remove her from overseeing post-conviction motions of another defendant, Randy Tundidor, who was sentenced to death for murder in the 2019 killing of his landlord. One of the prosecutors in that case had also been on the Cruz team, and during a hearing in the Tundidor case a few days after the Cruz sentencing, Scherer asked the prosecutor how he was holding up.

The court said Scherer's actions gave at least the appearance that she could not be fair to Tundidor.
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ALBANY  The case against a Colonie man charged with the murder of his 97-year-old mother during an armed standoff March 27 at Albany Medical Center Hospital includes voice recordings he made and a note he wrote that was provided to police, an Albany County prosecutor said Wednesday.

Dino Savoca, 61, pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment that charged him with second-degree murder in the killing of his mother, Rosemary Appel, between March 27 and March 28 at the hospital. The indictment did not state how Savoca allegedly committed murder.

Savoca is also charged with possessing a loaded weapon at the hospital, and the attempted first-degree murder of a police officer on March 27. If convicted of all charges, Savoca faces the possibility of 50 years to life in prison.

The defendant, wearing an orange jail outfit, wiped away tears as he appeared before County Judge William Little.

"He's understandably upset by everything that's going on," Martin Bonventre, the attorney for Savoca, told reporters following the court appearance.

The attorney said the case is in its early stages. He said it is important to be patient as the defense and prosecutors gather more information.

"This is a complicated case and it's going to take some time to sort it all out," Bonventre said. "There's more information than is really appropriate for me to talk about right now and really a lot more information than we know right now."

The judge ordered Savoca held without bail, pending a written application by Bonventre. His next appearance was set for May 31.

Earlier, Assistant District Attorney Caroline Murray told the judge the prosecution's case included Savoca's oral statements and voice recordings on the day of the standoff, as well an interview and note provided by Savoca the next day.

The Times Union has previously reported that the standoff began when Savoca became upset upon learning his mother was going to be moved to another facility. Police said Savoca arrived at the hospital, threatened a person with what was later revealed to be a BB gun and a shogun, then barricaded himself in Appel's hospital room with a recliner chair and medical stands on the third floor of Building C.

Police said they tried for several hours to negotiate with Savoca, but ultimately needed to call in the department's Emergency Services Team. It found Savoca sitting upright on the bed next to Appel, who was slumped over and unconscious, according to a detective who testified at a preliminary hearing.

Appel died the day after the standoff.
COLONIE  Two different men allegedly tried to bring a firearm onto a plane at Albany International Airport this week.

A 38-year-old Guilderland man was stopped Tuesday after airport security discovered a loaded 9 mm pistol in his carry-on, said Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Daniel Velez.

"He did have a concealed firearm permit for the state of New York," Velez said Wednesday. "But that doesnt mean he can have it on an aircraft."

But a 40-year-old Louisiana man arrested Monday for felony and misdemeanor weapon possession charges after a handgun and ammunition were found in his checked-in luggage did not have a state pistol permit, according to the Albany County sheriff's office. The man, who had a 9 mm Glock pistol and 32 rounds of ammunition, also had an order of protection against him that prohibited him from possessing any firearms, according to the sheriff's office. He was arraigned in Colonie Town Court and jailed in lieu of bail, deputies said.

Velez said the TSA was aware of the man's arrest, but generally does not report weapons not properly packaged or declared in check luggage  as opposed to the weapon reportedly found in a carry-on. Travelers may fly with a firearm if they declare it and pack it unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case, according to the TSA.

As for the Guilderland man, Velez said he was allowed by sheriffs deputies to bring the firearm to his vehicle before returning to his flight. Sheriff Craig Apple said there were no separate reports of a man charged Tuesday at the airport.

This is the second time this year someone at the airport has been caught improperly bringing a firearm onto a plane, the first occurring on April 8, Velez said. In 2022, TSA security found seven firearms at the airport. Nationwide, firearms caught by airport security has increased, with 6,542 detected last year, according to the TSA. But Albany and the rest of the Northeast have been comparatively low, Velez said.

This story has been updated with information from the Albany County Sheriff's Office and the TSA.
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BALTIMORE (AP)  After Maryland lawmakers recently eliminated the statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits amid heightened scrutiny of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced plans Tuesday to bring a series of civil claims on behalf of victims.

The threat of litigation comes as the the archdiocese faces continued fallout from a state report released last month that found more than 150 priests and other clergy in the archdiocese sexually abused over 600 children with impunity. The report, which the Maryland Attorney Generals Office produced after a yearslong investigation, paints a damning picture of the nations oldest Catholic diocese.

Days after the reports release, Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation to end Marylands statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits effective Oct. 1. Previously, victims couldnt sue after turning 38.

Crump, best known for representing victims of police brutality, held a news conference Tuesday outside the Baltimore Basilica with attorney Adam Slater, his partner on some earlier high-profile sex abuse cases. Several potential plaintiffs shared their stories of abuse; some overlapped with findings of the attorney generals investigation while others presented new allegations.

You cannot outrun the trauma that was inflicted, no matter how hard they tried, Crump told reporters. Many of them  for years, for decades  believed it was their fault.

A spokesperson for the archdiocese didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Marc Floto, one of the potential plaintiffs, said the attorney generals investigation inspired him to come forward and speak publicly about childhood abuse he said caused so many problems in his life.

Still to this day, I have so much anger, so much hate, he said, sobbing silently between sentences. The church needs to be held accountable.

Floto displayed a printed photo of himself  in suit and tie, his blonde hair neatly combed  from around the time he said the abuse occurred.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.

This little boy had his innocence stolen, Crump said.

Floto said he wasnt interviewed for the attorney generals investigation but his abuser, Father James Dowdy, is named in the report.

Ordained in 1969, Dowdy served in several Maryland parishes before abuse allegations surfaced in 1991, according to the report. He denied the allegations, saying it was nothing more than horseplay with boys, and apparently he faced no consequences.

Two years later, another man reported Dowdy had sexually abused him in the 1970s and 80s. Dowdy was then placed on leave and his ministerial faculties were removed, the report says. Church officials agreed to pay the victims counseling and medication costs while simultaneously bankrolling Dowdys therapy, health care and living expenses for years. His expenses cost the church well over $100,000, more than 10 times what the victim received, according to the report. During therapy, Dowdy disclosed many more instances of abuse. Finally, in 1977, his church employment was terminated.

The Baltimore archdiocese has already paid more than $13.2 million for care and compensation for 301 abuse victims since the 1980s, including $6.8 million toward 105 voluntary settlements.

But the recent law change, including a provision making it retroactive, could allow for a deluge of additional lawsuits.

The Maryland Catholic Conference, representing the three dioceses serving the state, opposed the measure, arguing the retroactive window was unconstitutional and citing potentially devastating impacts on the Baltimore archdiocese and other institutions. Anticipating a court challenge, lawmakers included language in the bill that would further delay lawsuits until the Supreme Court of Maryland can determine whether its constitutional.

Several other states have passed similar legislation in recent years, and in some cases, resulting lawsuits have driven dioceses into bankruptcy.

Also present at Tuesdays news conference, former Maryland Sen. Tim Ferguson said he was 13 or 14 when a priest asked to take him fishing for the weekend. The guest bedroom was being renovated, the priest claimed, so they would have to share his bed.

Ferguson said he froze during the assault, then laid awake all night. He was afraid to report the abuse to his parents, worried what his father might do.

Joe Taylor said his abuser, Father Thomas Smith, would take boys on beach trips and make them swim with him in dark waters.

Smiths name appears multiple times in the attorney generals report, which said he both perpetrated abuse and helped protect other abusers in congregations across the Baltimore area. He died by suicide in 1993, not long after a second victim accused him of assault and filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese. The claim was later dismissed because of the statute of limitations, but a judge found the archdiocese committed a possible dereliction of duties in its handling of abuse cases.

The lawsuit came five years after Smith admitted to church officials that he had abused multiple boys in the 1960s  a revelation that was brushed under the rug, according to the report. Shortly after learning of the abuse, then-Archbishop William Borders wrote Smith a letter praising his many fine years of priesthood and ordering him not to engage in any form of youth work, according to the report.

Dozens more victims came forward after Smiths death.

Taylor, who grew up in a devout Catholic family, said his own relatives didnt believe him when he reported Smiths abuse, believing priests to be infallible.

Just a lifelong battle, he said. No amount of money can bring back 45 years of lost friends and family.
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ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to the arrival of increased numbers of migrants seeking shelter in New York City amid an escalating controversy over Mayor Eric Adams' decision to send asylum seekers to a handful of upstate communities.

The declaration will allow state and local officials to expedite the distribution of funds from $1 billion provided in the recently enacted state budget to address the challenge that Hochul described as an already large-scale humanitarian crisis. The move follows last weeks expiration of Title 42, the federal policy that previously allowed the U.S. to reject asylum seekers without a hearing.

Meanwhile, a number of upstate communities  including its self-declared sanctuary cities  are awaiting guidance from state and federal officials amid the bitter political fight over where asylum seekers arriving in overmatched New York City should reside, at least temporarily. The city is temporarily housing nearly 37,000 immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the state. That includes roughly 1,500 in just the past week.

Hochuls office is anticipating several thousand additional individuals each week seeking shelter  a disaster emergency to which local governments are unable to adequately respond, creating a threat to health and safety, which could result in the loss of life or property, her declaration said.

The state Association of Counties requested a briefing from Hochuls office over the weekend to help provide information on logistics and health and safety questions, according to Mark LaVigne, spokesman for the association. During a regularly scheduled budget meeting on Monday, county executives were collectively searching for answers. By Tuesday afternoon, the association expected to speak with the governors office.

Issues like this trickle downhill and we are the seat of government that provide health human services for those in need, LaVigne said Monday. We need some partners in government to help address this issue.

State lawmakers recently agreed to provide New York City with $1 billion to support its efforts to house and provide social and legal services for asylum seekers who have arrived to the city, sometimes as a byproduct of Texas officials sending migrants from its state to New York.

While lawmakers agreed to the funding for New York City, a proportional increase for upstate cities and counties was not a part of the final budget agreement.

We tend to provide patchwork support, but I think it would be fair of us to provide some resources to these counties and municipalities, said Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a Queens Democrat who often leads her conference on immigration issues and is fighting for expanded health care for undocumented people.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins pointed the focus on funding to the federal government and highlighted the Legislatures role in securing the $1 billion for New York City.

It is unclear when Adams decided on the strategy to send some asylum seekers to upstate communities, and whether it had already been decided on during the state budget negotiations that concluded earlier this month.

We are aware the city has limited space available to shelter additional asylum seekers and are working with Mayor Adams on solutions to that problem as we continue to push for a federal response, Hochul spokesman Avi Small said in a statement Monday.

The connection between the potential influx of asylum seekers upstate and the municipalities that call themselves sanctuary cities has offered additional political and financial tension in recent days.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin declared his own state of emergency just before Hochuls announcement. It declares that no hotel or municipality  including Troy, which is home to much of the countys immigrant population  are allowed to enter into a contract to house migrants.

Pick a different city picture other than Troy for your illegal invasion advertising, McLaughlin tweeted Monday at Adams, who in recent days began sending groups of the documented immigrants out of the city as its service infrastructure has been stretched beyond capacity. The Republicans message prompted Adams' communications director, Maxwell Young, to respond: Bigotry, idiocy and legal ignorance all in one tweet.

McLaughlins blast was prompted by a picture of Troys downtown that was used as a cover page for an internal informational guide from New York City calling for four-month temporary housing options for asylum seekers in nearby New York counties.

But despite the image on the materials, Troy is not listed as a county where Adams currently intends to send asylum seekers. Instead, its in Rockland and Orange counties, places where Republican officials have quickly rejected any efforts from the city and have declared their own states of emergency in an attempt to stop them.

Adams' spokesman Fabien Levy said the administration currently has no plans to send asylum seekers farther north than Rockland and Orange counties.

At this time, New York City is interested in finding additional suitable locations within current chosen communities and potentially new communities to house the expected influx of asylum seekers, Levy said in an email.

The mayors office noted racist rhetoric aimed at sanctuary cities should not be misconstrued with the situation affecting asylum seekers, who have legal papers from the federal government and are not undocumented.

McLaughlin, however, asserted asylum seekers are to be sent from New York City to Buffalo and Syracuse. Adams' office said it had no such plans yet. A spokesman for Erie County Executive Marc C. Poloncarz declined an interview on the subject. A spokesman for Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon did not immediately return an interview request.

Although we have had preliminary discussions, we are awaiting specific plans from New York state so that we may make appropriate decisions, Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said in a statement early Tuesday. He declined to be interviewed on the subject.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, in a statement, said since her time in office she has sought to ensure Albany is a welcoming place for those seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

Her office did not specify whether it has engaged in any recent communications with Hochuls office in preparation for a potential acceptance of asylum seekers from New York City, given Albany is one of the few sanctuary cities upstate.

Sheehan has long defended the city designating itself a sanctuary city. If we want to continue to have a vibrant economy, we have to be welcoming to everybody, Sheehan said on Fox News when she sparred with then-host Tucker Carlson in January 2018.

The city has welcomed Ukrainian and Afghan refugees in recent years. Area Democrats frequently seek to remind the public the contributions the refugees make to the community and local businesses.

Spanish-speaking individuals who seek asylum in Albany and the larger metro area are often connected with Capital District Latinos. It has already seen individuals who have come from the southern border sent from Texas to New York City and then bused up to Albany. One person arrived with the clothes on his back and in dire need of emergency health care, said Dan Irizarry, chairman of the nonprofit.

Irizarry assailed what he described as racist fear-mongering from elected officials.

Dont we have enough violence, anger and hatred already all over the country that we need somebody to create a fake crisis so they could score political points? Irizarry said in an interview Monday.

Capital District Latinos helps to connect people with stable housing, adequate health care and any legal representation they may need to be able to gain lawful employment. Its recent request for comprehensive funding for its work from the city of Albany, through available federal infrastructure dollars, was rejected.

Sanctuary city is a great idea, Irizarry said. But it seems to be a point where its just virtue signaling, unless you have a plan in place.
ABUJA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian security operatives early Wednesday successfully thwarted an armed attack against a university in the country's central state of Plateau, local authorities said.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when a group of armed men stormed the female hostel of the Plateau State University in the Bokkos local government area of the state, firing shots indiscriminately and causing unrest among the students, John Agams, the spokesman for the school, told reporters in the state capital city of Jos.

One student was mildly injured, said Agams, noting that the gunmen attacked the institution to kidnap students. But in a swift response, security operatives, who were stationed within the university premises, engaged the attackers in a gun battle and prevented further harm to the students and staff.

The spokesman said normalcy had since returned within the premises.

Attacks on schools in Nigeria are not an uncommon occurrence in recent years, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country, where the Boko Haram insurgency and other militant groups are active. 
A Tipperary student was honoured by Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD at an exhibition day for the MyEU50 Third Level competition finalists which took place recently in University College Cork.

Lena Power from Clonmel was a finalist of the MyEU50 Third Level competition for her entry titled Ignorance is not Bliss. Over 5,000 pupils and students participated in a nationwide competition to mark 50 years of Irelands EU membership.

The Tanaiste said: The MyEU50 youth competition gave students an opportunity to think about what being an EU citizen means to them. The creativity, experience, and opinions expressed by the students showed their appreciation of Irelands 50-year-old membership of the EU.

An important objective of the competition has been to recognise young peoples voices and to interact with them about topics related to the European Union that are most important to them.

The knowledge, self-assurance, and capacity of today's young people to influence change may surpass those of any preceding generation. Young people can make contributions to the dialogues taking place right now that will shape their future. Let us continue to work and push for progress and make the next 50 years as successful as the last.



CEO of European Movement Ireland Noelle O Connell said: We were blown away by the range of entries we received. From podcasts on the rule of law to posters on equality & justice and speeches on the impact the EU has had on the youth of Ireland, we were highly impressed not only by the creativity of the entries but the level of research that went into each and every one.

The entries demonstrated the students unique, emotive and personal relationship to the EU and their values.
Ash & Maple Management Partners with LocalEyes, Strengthening Middle East Presence and Enhancing Local Content & Economic Offset Consulting in Saudi Arabia

Ash & Maple Management (A&M), a leading global management consulting firm, is delighted to announce its strategic alliance with LocalEyes, a distinguished Local Content and Economic Participation consulting firm headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A&M, a Zurich-based global management consulting firm, addresses clients' complex business challenges through Growth Strategy, Organization, Board & Executive Search, Performance & Culture, and Localization practices.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005460/en/

Ash & Maple Management Partners with LocalEyes, Strengthening Middle East Presence and Enhancing Local Content & Economic Offset Consulting in Saudi Arabia (Photo: AETOSWire)

This key acquisition fortifies A&M's presence in the Middle East, augmenting its capacity to serve global multinational corporations operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, requiring local content, economic offset, and localization consulting.

LocalEyes is a onsulting firm specializing in local content, localization, and economic offset strategies for multinational clients across sectors such as Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Manufacturing, Defense & Aerospace, Natural Resources, and Information Technology. The firm excels in localization feasibility, market studies, corporate supply chain development, local capability development, and project management practices. With a strong track record in economic participation consulting, LocalEyes possesses a deep understanding of local business landscapes and maintains vital relationships with key industry stakeholders.







A&M's EMENA Region Managing Partner, Aakash Keluskar, warmly welcomes LocalEyes as a valuable addition. He asserted that the acquisition signifies a crucial milestone in A&M's expansion strategy in Saudi Arabia, as LocalEyes' proficient team contributes their vast knowledge in local content and economic offset consulting. This partnership will empower A&M to capitalize on LocalEyes' expertise and local knowledge to better serve its international clients in the region.

LocalEyes' Founder and CEO, Majed Aldeeri, expressed enthusiasm about joining forces with A&M, highlighting the opportunity to offer clients expanded management consulting services within economic participation. He emphasized their excitement to partner with a global firm that shares their values, commitment to exceptional results, and maintains a solid presence in Saudi Arabia.

The alliance will also grant LocalEyes' clients access to A&M's worldwide network of consultants, broad industry expertise across multiple sectors, and advanced digital solutions. The synergistic capabilities and mutual dedication to providing value to clients will create a formidable combination that benefits clients in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

Both companies can be reached at www.thelocaleyes.com & www.ashnmaple.com

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005460/en/
[May 09, 2023] Chiron Investigations Offers Effortless Recovery Solutions for Stolen Crypto Assets

DARTFORD, UNITED KINGDOM, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chiron Investigations, a leading company specializing in cryptocurrency and asset recovery, has unveiled its specialized services aimed at assisting individuals who have lost their bitcoin assets due to theft. With a proven track record of success and having handled hundreds of cases, Chiron Investigations is recognized for its swift and effective cryptocurrency recovery services. Victims of bitcoin theft can now rely on Chiron Investigations to recover their lost digital assets, including how to get their stolen crypto back.

In a recent interview, the IT head of Chiron Investigations emphasized the company's commitment to providing competent and efficient recovery services, recognizing the significance of these assets to their clients. The company specializes in assisting victims of both Forex trading and cryptocurrency crimes, ensuring swift response and direct case management for timely and practical results. With a focus on client satisfaction, Chiron Investigations remains dedicated to offering reliable and effective recovery services for those impacted by asset theft. Chiron's aim is to support its clients in regaining control over their lost property and bringing the criminals to justice, especially helping those impacted by crypto trading platform crimes. Additionally, Chiron Investigations' bitcoin recovery services are not only dependable and safe but also highly effective. With a global network of investigators, the company is equipped to assist clients anywhere in the world. Customers who choose Chiron to recover their lost assets stand to benefit greatly from the company's expertise andexperience. As one of the top providers of cryptocurrency and asset recovery services, Chiron Investigations has a team of professional investigators with a proven track record of success and a deep understanding of the crypto recovery process. In addition to its professional recovery services, the company also provides guidance and support to victims on how to recover their stolen cryptocurrency.



Chiron is committed to providing its clients with exceptional and efficient recovery services, recognizing the importance of these assets to their clients. Overall, Chiron Investigations' crypto recovery services to help get stolen bitcoin back are revolutionizing the sector by offering the crucial backing and help needed to do so. Visit Chiron Investigations' website at https://www.chiron-investigations.com to learn more about their cryptocurrency recovery services. About Chiron Investigations:

Chiron Investigations is a leading provider of investigation services that help businesses recover from the effects of online crime. The company offers customized solutions to suit each client's unique needs, including custom analysis of cases, detailed investigations into transactions, closer interaction with stakeholders to assess the methods used by perpetrators, drawing a trail of events to establish root cause analysis, and protection from future occurrences through the deployment of robust security systems. Chiron Investigations' team of experts has years of experience in investigating and preventing online crime and works closely with law enforcement agencies and financial institutions to bring perpetrators to justice. Media Details: Organization: Chiron Investigations Crypto Recovery Solutions Contact Person: Julie Spencer Website: https://chiron-investigations.com/

Email: [email protected] City: Dartford Country: United Kingdom



Julie Spencer Chiron Investigations Crypto Recovery Solutions Admin at chiron-investigations.com

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[May 09, 2023] Floship Hand-Picked for The Leading 100 List 2023

HONG KONG and NEW YORK, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Floship, a leading global circular supply chain solutions provider, is pleased to announce that it has been appointed to The Leading 100 List  a highly anticipated annual research list by The Lead that recognizes innovative tech start-ups that are driving the future of brand-to-consumer businesses. Companies from across the value chainincluding marketing, e-commerce, last-mile, and third-party logistics, checkouts, and payments were nominated and considered. All companies were evaluated and selected using a rigorous methodology including company interviews, nomination forms, and company data. The selection process included a detailed look at each companys business with a decision-making criterion based on Innovation, Business Impact, Commercialization & Customers, Teams and experience, Competition, Media Buzz, and Investor Value Creation. Speaking on the selection, Floship CEO Joshua Tsui said, Floships appointment to The Leading 100 List is a tremendous honor. The selection comes at an exciting timein our journey and this acknowledgment underscores Floships intelligent technologys innovative capabilities and the exceptional value that it creates for our clients and their customers. As we look ahead to the next phase of our growth, our technology will remain integral to the rollout of our modular service offering including white-labeling solutions for enterprise organizations and this award confers another level of assurability to our solutions.



Companies on The Leading 100 List will be honored in an awards ceremony at The Lead Innovation Summit between 12 & 13 July in New York City. The annual summit brings together executives from across the entire fashion, beauty, CPG, and retail innovation community to engage the future of the direct-to-consumer business model. Id like to thank the selection committee and express my congratulations to the other companies selected for The List and look forward to connecting with industry peers in New York, shared Tsui.

About Floship Floships global circular supply chain ecosystem solutions cover all aspects of the global supply chain, ensuring minimal operation effort for e-commerce businesses, and allowing business owners to concentrate on driving growth with investment flexibility while gaining peace of mind. Learn more at www.floship.com or follow us on, LinkedIn , For more information about Floship, please contact: James Linacre, PR & Communications Lead Phone: (+852) 5333 9420 Email: [email protected]



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[May 09, 2023] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) on Behalf of Investors

The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation of The Toronto-Dominion Bank ("TD" or the "Company") (NYSE: TD) on behalf of investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On May 8,2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that TD and First Horizon Corporation had called off TD's proposed purchase of First Horizon Corporation, "citing uncertainty over whether and when they could receive regulatory approvals." According to the article, "[t]he regulators' concerns stemmed from the way TD handled unusual transactions in recent years, and the speed at which some of them were brought to the attention of U.S. authorities."



On this news, TD's share price fell $0.72, or 1.2%, to close at $61.53 per share on May 8, 2023, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/FRC_LAW.

If you purchased TD securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509006319/en/

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[May 09, 2023] Taejae University Accredited by Korean Ministry of Education to Offer Innovative and Experiential Learning for the 21st Century

SEOUL, South Korea, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Taejae University gained accreditation from the Korean Ministry of Education on April 20, 2023. The University aims to cultivate innovative students who will contribute to global harmony and sustainability. The University, founded by Chang-Gul Cho, the chairman of Hanssem Corp., with a donation of 300 billion won, plans to open in September 2023. The accreditation is noteworthy in part because no new universities have been accredited in the country for eleven years. It is also noteworthy because Taejae University intends to provide a model of innovative, transformational, and experiential learning for all higher education institutions. Taejae University is widely expected to provide a way to develop higher education for the 21st century in a changing world. Without a declared major, first-year students are required to enroll in the School of Innovation Foundations, through which they build core competencies to prepare for their specialized study. In the sophomore year, sudents choose one of the four Schools: Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Business Innovation. One of Taejae University's prominent features is that students are encouraged to design individual academic programs based on their interests and career aspirations.



Living and studying in cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, New York City, Hong Kong, and Moscow, Taejae students will take online classes with fewer than twenty students per class. All classes rely on Active Learning, a highly interactive online instruction method that has proven to be very effective. This method is student-driven, stimulating, engaging, and emphasizes various types of problem-solving. Taejae University offers comprehensive scholarships that cover tuition, residence, and the Global Project for all international students and Korean students up to the Front 5 tiers of income-based eligibility. The scholarship includes support for recent graduates pursuing academic and career paths.

The University recruits globally, with a capacity of one hundred Korean and one hundred international students, and is set to start its first semester in September 2023. The admissions process begins for Korean students from June 15 to June 20, 2023, and from June 1 to July 15, 2023, for International students. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/taejae-university-accredited-by-korean-ministry-of-education-to-offer-innovative-and-experiential-learning-for-the-21st-century-301819118.html SOURCE TAEJAE University

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[May 09, 2023] Yuanta selects Eventus for trade surveillance

Leading financial holding company represents first Taiwanese Eventus client TAIPEI and NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus, a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions, has been selected to provide trade surveillance for Yuanta Futures in Taiwan, representing the firm's first Taiwanese client. Yuanta Futures is a subsidiary of Yuanta Financial Holdings and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. As a systemically vital participant in Taiwan's futures market, the firm selected Eventus' Validus trade surveillance platform to replace its previous vendor solution, citing its superior actionable alert capability and user-friendly interface. Rebecca Hu, Yuanta Futures' Senior Manager of Customer Service Trading Department, said Eventus has delivered an exceptional customer experience as well as improved surveillance outcomes. "We have been very pleased with the responsiveness and expertise of the Eventus team as we have implemented the technology," she said. "Our compliance staff has found Validus to be much more user-friendly, and we see improved clarity and accuracy in the outcomes the system provides." Nick Wallis, Eventus Head of Sales, International Markets, said Eventus is proud to be working with one of Taiwan's most important futures companies.



"We are delighted to have won the trust of one of the region's leading companies and to have the opportunity to deliver surveillance outcomes that are more precise and easier to action," he said. "We look forward to continuing to work with Yuanta as an important foundation customer as we further grow our client business in the Asia-Pacific region." Eventus has earned more than 30 awards and honours since 2018 for its technology and best-in-class service, including six awards specifically for its service to the APAC region.

About Eventus Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customise and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and other markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. About Yuanta Yuanta Futures is the largest futures commission merchant (FCM) in Taiwan and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. It is the first FCM to have received an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives trading license in Taiwan. With Taiwan's strongest sales team and a deep store of professional knowledge, Yuanta Futures offers a diverse and convenient electronic operating platform - the cutting-edge Yuanta Futures Wizard app  giving users a brand-new program trading experience. Yuanta Futures has worked to build a new era of wealth and stability for its investors, removing the aura of mystery and risk that has previously surrounded the futures market. For more, visit www.yuantafutures.com.tw View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/yuanta-selects-eventus-for-trade-surveillance-301820225.html SOURCE Eventus

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[May 09, 2023] NORFOLK SOUTHERN SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern Corporation - NSC

NEW ORLEANS, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until May 15, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC), if they purchased the Companys shares between October 28, 2020 and March 3, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Get Help Norfolk Southern investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-nsc/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Norfolk Southern and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. The alleged false and misleading satements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that the Companys Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) strategy designed to increase revenues and decrease operating costs through fewer personnel, longer trains, and less spending on safety training, technology, and equipment would be likely to result in the Company suffering increased train derailments and a materially increased risk of future derailments, and as a result of the above, the Companys statements regarding the safety of its operations were materially false and/or misleading.



The truth began to emerge on February 3, 2023, when a Norfolk Southern freight train, including 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio and subsequently ignited requiring the immediate evacuation of those within a one-two mile area. Then, on March 4, 2023, another Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio. On this news, shares of Norfolk Southern fell on March 6 and March 7, 2023, closing at $215.18 per share, down $13.21 from a closing price of $228.39 on March 3, 2023.

The case is Bucks County Employees Retirement System v. Norfolk Southern Corporation, et al., No. 23-cv-00982. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.



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[May 09, 2023] STANLEY BLACK & DECKER SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. - SWK

NEW ORLEANS, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until May 23, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: SWK), if they purchased the Companys shares between October 28, 2021 and July 28, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Get Help Stanley investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-swk/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Stanley and certainof its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.



On July 28, 2022, the Company released its Q2 2022 results disclosing that significantly slower demand in late May and Junedrove the majority of the challenges we faced this quarter including that net income for the quarter had plummeted from $459.5M in the year-earlier quarter to $87.6M, and that it was cutting its 2022 earnings per share guidance by nearly half. On this news, shares of Stanley plummeted over 16%, from a closing price of $117.45 per share the evening prior, to a closing price of $98.58 per share on July 28, 2022 on heavy trading volume.

The case is Rammohan v. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-00369. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.



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NAIROBI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan police on Tuesday exhumed 21 more bodies from a suspected cult grave in the coastal town of Malindi.

The police said so far 133 bodies have been exhumed since the discovery of the mass graves on a piece of land at Shakahola forest in late April.

The police investigators who resumed the search for more mass graves on Tuesday said most of the victims were children who were told by a self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus."

The police raided Nthenge's property in mid-April after receiving a tip-off from members of the public where they found emaciated people. The victims were starving after being informed this was part of the way to go and "meet Jesus."

Kithure Kindiki, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said on Tuesday that the exhumation process will be carried out carefully to protect the dignity and privacy of the families of the deceased persons.

He said the search and rescue efforts are ongoing with 65 persons having been rescued from the thickets so far, including two who were evacuated Tuesday morning by the police investigators.

Kenyan President William Ruto who has described the incident as terrorism announced on Friday the formation of a commission of inquiry into the mass deaths. 
[May 09, 2023] Avaya Appoints Amit Sirohi as Managing Director for ASEAN

SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avaya, a global leader in customer experience solutions to enhance and simply communications and collaboration, has announced the appointment of Amit Sirohi as Managing Director for the ASEAN region. Amit will oversee growth strategy and manage the ASEAN business for Avaya. With over 16 years of experience in technical, pre-sales, and professional services sales and delivery roles, Amit most recently directed a high-performing team of service sales and delivery professionals. Under Amit's leadership, his team played a key role in supporting Avaya's OneCloud CCaaS open architecture and scalability, driving sales, and expanding market share across the ASEAN and ANZ regions. In his new role, Amit will be based in Singapore and report to Lily Fu, Vice President for APJC at Avaya, who has led Avaya Greater China to accomplish tremendous growth and helped it become one of Avaya International's top five best performing regions. During his distinguished career at Avaya, Amit has received seeral awards, such as the Circle of Excellence President Club honor in 2020, Global Salesperson of the Year in 2019, and ASEAN Top Performer in 2019. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Amit held various roles at Avaya, including Sales Specialist focused on business development and strategy, Overall Solutions Architect responsible for solution design and building managed services, and Enterprise Pre-Sales Architect who worked closely with Avaya's customers and stakeholders.



"Throughout his tenure with Avaya, Amit has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to the company's long-term growth and success," said Lily Fu, Vice President for APJC at Avaya. "He is widely respected throughout the company for his dedication and hard work, and his team has played a significant role in prioritizing customer requirements and driving business impact. Amit has also been a reliable partner to many of our sales leaders over the years, further contributing to our overall success." "I am deeply honored to have been appointed as Avaya's new Managing Director for ASEAN," said Amit Sirohi. "With 16 years of leadership experience in the region, I have gained invaluable insights and in-depth knowledge of the market, as well as a keen understanding of our customers' business goals. Combined with my technical expertise and the strong relationships with our partners, I am confident that I have the tools and experience needed to lead Avaya's future growth in ASEAN."

Amit earned a Master of Computer Application (MCA) at IP University Delhi, India and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Northampton, England. Avaya is entering the next chapter of accelerated growth and innovation by investing to advance its cloud communications portfolio with approximately $650 million in liquidity and significant financial flexibility. As Avaya CEO Alan Masarek pointed out, "We are moving ahead with significant financial resources to accelerate investment in our portfolio as we continue delivering innovation without disruption to our customers." CONTACT: Polly Peng, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/avaya-appoints-amit-sirohi-as-managing-director-for-asean-301819601.html SOURCE Avaya

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[May 09, 2023] Second edition of FinTech Festival India to convene global FinTech community from 16 - 18 May 2023

Held in India's financial capital Mumbai, FinTech Festival India 2023 expects to host more than 150 speakers and 10,000 attendees

MUMBAI, India, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The second edition of FinTech Festival India (FFI) is set to take place from 16 to 18 May 2023 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai with a focus on FinTech advancements and predictions. Micro experiences, gathering key stakeholders in the FinTech sector were held throughout the year in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai leading up to the mega event in Mumbai. Themed "Democratising Digital Economy", FinTech Festival India 2023 aims to help shape the future of finance in the world's second-fastest-growing FinTech ecosystem and the larger global business environment. The three-day event will feature a robust conference agenda across three stages, as well as a comprehensive mix of exhibition showcases, live demos, product launches and innovations. Featuring over 150 speakers and expecting more than 10,000 attendees, FFI will delve into some of the most trending topics shaping the FinTech industry, including Web 3.0, Digital Identity, future of BFSI in the Metaverse, Neobanks, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, AI revolutionizing BFSI, Insurtech and more. On the Centre Stage, the first day will focus on examining "The Here and Now of FinTech", while day two will explore "Building a Financially Inclusive Future - Vision 2025," and the final day will dive into "Vision 2030 - Shaping FinTech Future Together!" The Impact Stage and Open Stage will also run their own parallel conference agenda with fruitful and impactful deliberations on diverse areas of finance. These includecurated specialised masterclasses by India Blockchain Forum and Indian School of Business that are uniquely designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the FinTech sector, enabling industry professionals to delve deeper into its complexities and opportunities.



FFI 2023 is proud to name the Government of Telangana as State Partner, with prominent FinTech experts and industry stalwarts including Indian Banks Association, ICICI Bank, DBS Bank India, IDBI Bank, YES Bank, Airtel Payments Bank, MUFG, Federal Bank, In-Solutions Global, WebEngage, American Express, Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE), Bureau.id, BharatPe, Prove, Cover Genius, Zerodha, Kinara Capital, Simpl and Barclays and many more attending the event. FFI will also host business delegations from at least 10 countries along with influential global innovators, leaders and governance stakeholders providing their unique perspectives on the growth and future of FinTech, including banking, lending, payments, regtech, insurtech, and other key areas.

FinTech Festival India is an event of Constellar, who co-organises the Singapore FinTech Festival. With The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) as the Knowledge Partner, FinTech Festival India 2023 is supported by 12 industry associations. If you'd like to attend FinTech Festival India, click here to register. Media Assets can be downloaded here. About FinTech Festival India FinTech Festival India 2023 is an industry-first future-ready event that will showcase the future of FinTech and bring together thought-leaders, industry experts, policymakers, and flag bearers of the FinTech fraternity while facilitating on-site business meetings, conferences, and networking sessions for an unprecedented opportunity to witness the upward trajectory of FinTech in India. Visit fintechfestivalindia.com About Constellar Exhibitions India Constellar Exhibitions India harnesses insights and its strategic networks to organise and manage a series of trade exhibitions and conferences that play at the intersection of industries principally between digital and verticals like finance, manufacturing and healthcare. These events aim to connect businesses in India and globally facilitate business matching opportunities and knowledge sharing. Constellar Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Constellar Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Singapore). About Constellar Constellar connects a global eco-system of event partners and consumers through a holistic portfolio of intellectual property (IP) in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. As Asia's partner of reference for curating innovative event and venue experiences, Constellar activates impactful networks to bring global markets, businesses and consumers together for sustainable growth. With our expertise and dedication, we are invested in helping you build trusted relationships with stakeholders for the long term and enabling cross-industry collaboration through world-class audience engagement solutions. Visit constellar.co for more information. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/second-edition-of-fintech-festival-india-to-convene-global-fintech-community-from-16--18-may-2023-301820276.html SOURCE Constellar

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[May 09, 2023] Beyond the 9-to-5: Addressing the Global Epidemic of Employee Disillusionment

TMCnet News Navigating the turbulent waters of a global pandemic, economic downturn, civil unrest, and personal life challenges, employees worldwide are confronting a sense of disillusionment. According to Oyster's recent Employee Disillusionment Report, which studied over 2,500 knowledge workers, there workforce is undergoing shifting priorities, with an increasing emphasis on mental health in the face of mounting external stressors.



Employee Priorities: A New Focus on Mental Health The last few years have brought about a significant shift in the role of work in our lives, leading to a redefinition of employee priorities. According to Oyster's report, half of global employees now place their mental well-being at the top of their life priorities. While perhaps not surprising, this represents a seismic shift, with mental health taking precedence over:

Relationships with friends (18%),

Physical well-being (16%),

Religious beliefs or spirituality (less than 7%),

Career advancement (less than 5%), and

Hobbies or activities (less than 5%). In an era where workplace burnout and mental health issues are on the rise, this shift towards prioritizing mental health is indicative of the changing perceptions around work-life balance and the importance of mental resilience in navigating the complexities of the modern work environment. Employee Engagement: An Emerging Crisis The report also sheds light on an emerging crisis in employee engagement. A staggering 54% of global knowledge workers admit their work and ability to focus have been affected due to recent world events. Again, while not surprising, it creates complexity for employers who have to balance workforce optimization with employee needs and factors that are well beyond employers' sphere of. Among the top stressors impacting employees' ability to focus on work are: The rising cost of living (75%),

Personal worries or concerns (74%),

Global health concerns (61%),

Economic downturn (55%),

War and conflict (35%),

Political instability (34%), and

Climate change (23%). The rising cost of living, in particular, is having a profound impact, with younger generations almost twice as affected by rising living costs and personal concerns than their Gen X colleagues. Employers' Responsibility: Towards Better Employee Care While companies worldwide are grappling with these shifts in employee sentiment, the report reveals that there is room for improvement in how employers take care of their teams. About 42% of global employees feel their company does a good job taking care of them, but a quarter of respondents either have no resources in place or don't know of anyone in their company who's responsible for keeping them feeling happy and well in their workplace. The report also highlights the elements employees value most in their workplace culture. Regular pay raises, psychological safety, and flexible work top the list, considered important by 86%, 84%, and 83% of respondents, respectively. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) also view paid time off as the benefit that most affects their well-being at work. Interestingly, 49% of global knowledge workers believe a four-day workweek would make the biggest difference to their happiness at work, outranking the ability to work from anywhere (34%), unlimited paid time off (11%), reimbursed therapy (5%), and company off-sites or retreats (1%). These findings underscore the importance of employers stepping up their efforts to foster a more employee-centric workplace. As Oyster co-founder and CEO, Tony Jamous, aptly stated, 'Opportunity for employees to bring their whole selves to work; to be human, vulnerable, and fight for diversity. Opportunity for companies to step up and foster more employee-centric workplaces and become more successful by attracting and engaging the best talent.' These employee sentiments underscore the pivotal role employers must play in addressing the rising tide of employee disillusionment. With mental health emerging as the top priority for employees, companies need to take proactive measures to create an environment that not only acknowledges these challenges, but also actively works towards alleviating them. In an era where work forms a significant part of our identities, it is essential for employers to understand that the disillusionment experienced by employees is not just about their professional lives, but their overall well-being. This is where the role of comprehensive employee wellness programs comes into play. These programs, focusing on mental health and well-being, can provide employees with much-needed support and resources to cope with the pressures they face both inside and outside the workplace. Businesses must prioritize open communication and inclusivity in their culture. Regular check-ins, promoting psychological safety, and recognizing employee contributions are all vital components of a healthy work environment. It's also important to review compensation and benefits regularly, ensuring that they align with the rising cost of living and changing employee priorities. Finally, it's crucial for businesses to adapt to changing times by embracing flexible work policies. Given that a significant percentage of workers see a four-day workweek as a major contributor to workplace happiness, it's worth exploring how such a shift could be implemented without impacting business operations negatively. Similarly, offering benefits like unlimited paid time off and work-from-anywhere policies could go a long way in reducing employee stress and enhancing work-life balance. The state of employee disillusionment is a complex issue that demands urgent attention from employers. By prioritizing mental health, fostering a culture of inclusivity, and rethinking traditional work norms, businesses can not only address this disillusionment but also build a more resilient and engaged workforce. As we navigate the complexities of the modern work environment, it's clear that putting employee well-being at the forefront is not just good for the employees-it's good for business.





Edited by Erik Linask



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[May 09, 2023] VoltiCard Adoption On the Rise with a New Token Listing

MANHATTAN, NY, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volt Inu, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, has recently integrated a new project, the WED token, to its VoltiCard. This marks the third token listing for the VoltiCard, offering users enhanced benefits and rewards.



According to Volt Inu's official Twitter account, the newly added token is expected to provide users with new in real life utilities as the holders will be able to spend this token on real world purchases.



In addition to the new token integration, VoltInu has also been promoting the benefits of its VoltiCard. The card is a DeFi-enabled Visa card that allows users to easily spend their cypto assets in real-time. Volt Inu has emphasized that the card offers several key advantages over traditional banking options.







Overall, Volt Inu's integration of the new token and promotion of the VoltiCard demonstrate the company's commitment to innovation in the DeFi space. With the continued growth of the crypto industry, projects like Volt Inu will likely continue to offer new and exciting products to meet the evolving needs of investors and users.



Telegram : https://t.me/VoltInu_Portal





Website: https://voltinu.in/



Jimmy Fields contact at voltinu.in

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[May 09, 2023] TeamT5 Launch a Conceptive Bar at CYBERSEC to Tailor Enterprise Cybersecurity Protection

Join hands with ST Engineering to strengthen enterprise IT & OT cybersecurity defense TAIPEI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In this hot summer, Asia-Pacific threat intelligence expert TeamT5 comes up with a conceptive bar for CYBERSEC, the biggest Taiwan cybersecurity event. The booth with bar ideas symbolizes - while a bartender produces an extraordinary cocktail that is a perfect fit for the customer's taste, TeamT5 provides tailored enterprise cybersecurity protection just as a bartender does. TeamT5 believes that the best enterprise cybersecurity defense is driven by intelligence which should be customized for clients. We not only fully understand the characteristics of cyber attackers, but also understand their intrusion methods and tools. Also, TeamT5 invited its partner ST Engineering, a listed company in Singapore, tocome to Taiwan and share insights. The two parties will integrate information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) intelligence and provide comprehensive protection for clients. By working together, TeamT5 and ST Engineering hope to provide a holistic approach to cybersecurity and assist enterprises in mitigating the risks of cyber threats. This will enable enterprises to meet the ever-changing market demand and achieve long-term success.



The scale of this year's CYBERSEC is larger than ever. Apart from setting an attractive bar, TeamT5 also participated in conference forums, ransomware forums, and CyberLAB, to share best cybersecurity practices. TeamT5 also calls on enterprises to carry out intelligence-driven cyber defense and adopt action-oriented intelligence to help enterprises foresee attacks, deploy defense strategies in advance, and reduce loss. [About TeamT5]

TeamT5 consists of top cyber threat analysts with more than 20-year experience. We provide cyber threat intelligence reports and anti-ransomware solutions to Asia Pacific clients in industries like government agencies, financial business, telecom operators, high-tech enterprises, electronic manufacturing service companies, and managed security service providers(MSSP).

We're also frequently invited to share our insights in Black Hat (USA), Code Blue/ AVTokyo (Japan), Troopers(Germany) and other events by global organizations such as Hack In The Box, FIRST. In 2022, TeamT5 has secured Series A funding as it looks to expand into the Japanese market. The round was led by JAFCO Asia, the Asia group company of the prevailing Japanese venture capital firm. Also participating were ITOCHU, one of Japan's largest multinational corporations with many business units globally, as well as MACNICA, Japan's predominant cybersecurity service provider. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/teamt5-launch-a-conceptive-bar-at-cybersec-to-tailor-enterprise-cybersecurity-protection-301820322.html SOURCE TeamT5

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[May 09, 2023] CRIF LAUNCHES INDUSTRY-FIRST PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMME CRIF PLUS

SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CRIF, a global leader in credit bureau, business information, and credit risk solutions, today announced the launch of CRIF PLUS, a premium business information membership programme for its customers in Asia. Recognising the importance of staying ahead of the curve, CRIF has developed CRIF PLUS which is designed to deliver a truly exclusive experience for its customers. Closely aligned with CRIF's customer-centric values, CRIF PLUS aims to elevate the customer experience by providing exceptional service while meeting the growing demand for comprehensive business data and analytical insights. The premium membership programme offered through CRIF PLUS includes a range of member-only benefits. Members will receive personalised service from a dedicated concierge in their home country, expedited delivery of business information reports beyond the standard time, access to exclusive monitoring and portfolio analysis tools to manage risks, as well as member-only discounts on CRIF products and services. Novi Rolastuti, Regional Sales Director, Business Information Services at CRIF said: "We believe that CRIF PLUS is a game-changer for our customers. It is designed to meet the high demand for expedient credit risk solutions, while raising the bar for responsiveness, service and convenience. By putting the power of information into our customers' hands at a much faster pace, we enable them to make more agile decisions." Meeting the need for speed with fast-tracked delivery CRIF PLUS, from data sourcing to delivery, enabling it to slash the turnaround time by one day in each market. This allows CRIF PLUS members to enjoy fast-tracked delivery of business information reports, a day earlier than the standard delivery time.



Dedicated concierge and communication channels CRIF PLUS provides its customers with access to a dedicated concierge - CRIF Advanced Research Assistant ("CARA") - in their home country where they can request for business information reports conveniently. CARA offers a single point of contact and provides personalised services to better serve customers.

Customers can reach out to CARA through email or a newly introduced live messaging system which uses Line in Taiwan and WhatsApp in the rest of Asia. The live messaging system is practical, efficient and saves time, enhancing the overall customer experience. Exclusive tools for risk management CRIF PLUS members will have exclusive access to a portfolio analysis tool which provides an analysis of their customer base, enabling them to better understand the health and stability of their business. By identifying the best and most risky customers, they can focus their resources, more strategically and optimally. In addition, a monitoring service sends alerts on company information changes via email. This suite of analytical and monitoring tools provides CRIF PLUS customers with a holistic picture of their credit risks, enabling them to make smarter and more informed decisions to mitigate risks. Says Rolastuti: "CRIF PLUS offers a unique value proposition that will resonate with our customers. Part of our ongoing commitment to offer exceptional customer experience, CRIF PLUS marks a significant milestone towards our objective of becoming an industry leader in the field of business information solutions across Asia." For more information on CRIF PLUS, visit www.crifasia.com. About CRIF CRIF is a global leader in credit bureau, business information, and credit risk solutions. Established in 1988 in Bologna, Italy, CRIF operates in 40 countries across four continents. Over 10,500 banks and financial institutions, 82,000 business clients and 1,000,000 consumers use CRIF services on a daily basis. Since 2016, CRIF has been included in the prestigious IDF FinTech Top 100 Rankings. CRIF has a strong presence in Asia with regional headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as in key cities including Beijing, Bishkek, Cebu, Dushanbe, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Pune, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Taichung, Tashkent, and Zhongli. For more information on CRIF Asia, please visit www.crifasia.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/crif-launches-industry-first-premium-membership-programme-crif-plus-301819474.html SOURCE CRIF

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[May 09, 2023] CNH Industrial receives Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award 2023

Prestigious award conferred on Thai Ministry of Education's 131 st anniversary

We Care We Share vocational training programs recognized for community impact BANGKOK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CNH Industrial has been honored with the Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award 2023 for its significant contribution to the development of education in Thailand. Presented by the Thai Ministry of Education during its 131st anniversary ceremony, the award is a testament to CNH Industrial's commitment to empowering educational institutions and underserved communities. CNH Industrial has a longstanding commitment to providing scholarships, financial and technical grants, and educational resources in the country, alongside collaborating with academic institutions to accelerate vocational training and skills development programs to equip young people with future-ready skills and knowledge. Mark Brinn, Managing Director of CNH Industrial for Southeast Asia and Japan, said, "Education unlocks opportunities for all people to reach their full potential while contributing to the community. As a company we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In line with fostering social equity and inclusive growth, we aim to help empower people and reduce inequalities through education." The Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award highlights the role that business and other key stakeholders play in improving Thai education and how this makes a positie impact on society. It also reinforces how public-private partnerships can accelerate educational progress.



CNH Industrial's We Care We Share outreach program, in partnership with the Thai Ministry of Education and vocational colleges was commended for delivering real community impact. Launched in 2020, through the program, CNH Industrial has been providing equipment, technical and financial resources for education and training programs to local colleges.

The company supports the Diploma in Agriculture Machinery in partnership the Pakdee College of Commerce and Technology vocational training school. CNH Industrial also donated a New Holland TT2.50 Tractor to the school to support hands-on machinery experience. In Nakhon Ratchasima province, the Company donated a New Holland TC5.30 combine harvester to the Nakhon Ratchasima College of Agriculture and Technology to support training on new farming trends and technologies. The machine will also be used to harvest corn on the College's farm. In April, CNH Industrial donated another New Holland TC5.30 combine to the Nakhonsawan Agricultural and Technology Vocational College, with this one to be used for harvesting rice. A New Holland BC5060 small square baler and TT2.50 48 horsepower tractor with auto-guidance were demonstrated to staff and students, who were impressed by the combination of reliable machinery and smart technology. CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Company's regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions. Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrial's 40,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world. For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit: media.cnhindustrial.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/cnh-industrial-receives-best-contribution-to-thailands-education-award-2023-301819545.html SOURCE CNH Industrial

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[May 09, 2023] Global AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand) Market Forecasts, 2022-2023 & 2028 - Nine Platforms will Generate AVOD Revenues in Excess of $3 Billion

DUBLIN, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global AVOD Forecasts 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global AVOD revenues for TV series and movies will reach $91 billion in 2028, up from $41 billion in 2022. The US will contribute 41% to the 2028 total; adding $20 billion between 2022 and 2028. By 2028, nine platforms will generate AVOD revenues in excess of $3 billion, including five global, three from the US and one from China. The market will remain fragmented. Disney+ will be the AVOD winner, with $11.4 billion by 2028. Disney+ is expected to follow its US example by converting its existing subscribers to the hybrid AVOD-SVOD tier, with SVOD-only subscribers having to choose to pay more. Who should read this report? Job Functions: Corporate development

Strategy

Analyst

Researcher Types of Companies: Content owners

Broadcasters

SVOD platforms

AVOD platforms

Telcos

Pay TV operators

TV equipment manufacturers

Banks - Media analysts

Consultancies - media analysts

Satellite operators Key Topics Covered: Executive Summary.

Major AVOD platforms, incuding revenue estimates for 138 countries, regionally and globally (2015 to 2028), including Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, YouTube and Facebook.

OTT insight profiles: globally and for 10 countries: Brazil , Canada , China , France , Germany , India , Japan , South Korea , UK, USA

, , , , , , , , UK, Forecasts for 138 countries and global overviews from 2015 to 2028



Companies Mentioned 7Plus

9Now

All 4

ALT Balaji

Atresmedia

Azteca/Claro

Bilibili

Blu

Canal Plus

CBC

CTV

Discovery

Disney+

Disney+Hotstar

Eros Now

Exxen

Facebook

Globoplay

HBO

Hulu

Iflix

iQiyi

ITV

Ivi

Joyn

Joyn

Kinopoisk

Kion

Liv

M6

Mango

Mediaset

Megogo

MiTele

MTV

MyCanal

Netflix

Niconico

Now/Sky

NPO

Okko

Paramount+

Peacock/NBC

Play Suisse

Pluto

Polsat

Premier

Puhu

RAI

Roku

RTE

RTL Play

RTP

RTVE

Ruutu

Samsung TV Plus

Seezn

SIC

Sony

Sooka/Astro

Start

Talpa

Televisa/Blim

Televisions

Ten Play

Tencent Video

Video TF1

ThreeNow

Tubi/Fox

TV2

TV2

TV3

TV4

TVA

TVB

Tver

TVI

Tving

TVN

TVNZ

TVP

UNext

Viacom/My5/Pluto

Viafree

Viaplay

Videoland

Vidio

Vision+/MCN

Viu

Viu/Media Prima

VTM Go

Wavve

Wetv/Iflix

Wink

Youku Tudou

YouTube

Zee5 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dhmdbd

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

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[May 09, 2023] "Smart Agility Programme Making The Wave In Serving SMEs Through Ever-Evolving Subscription Model Whilst Generating Value For Subscribed Unit Of PC/ Laptop"

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Linear Channel Sdn Bhd; the homegrown brand in smart computing subscription model has once again took momentous leap in launching Smart Agility Programme on 9th May 2023 at the headquarter located in Wisma Trax. The significant milestone reflected the company strengths and scalable resources in serving SMEs through subscription model; the proven model in reducing OPEX over the long run whilst generating extensive value for the subscribed units of PC/ laptop. The mastermind behind Smart Agility Programme, Mr Joshua Chin delivered his Welcome Speech followed by a short presentation of the ever-evolving smart computing subscription solution hereinafter referred to "Smart Agility Programme". Three MOUs were inked between Linear Channel Sdn Bhd with FSBM I-Design Sdn Bhd, Offix Business Centre Sdn Bhd and DM Solution Venture Sdn Bhd. The signing marked the collaboration for Smart Agility Programme. As the CSR catalyst in serving the B40 families, Linear Channel Sdn Bhd has previously launched Sambong Future as part of the initiatives to provide laptop to B40 kids. The Co-Founder, Ms. Kathleen Tham accompanied by Mr. Joshua Chin presented the Token Of Appreciation to YBhg. Datin Paduka Hajah Khatijah Binti Sulieman who was representing Selangor Welfare Council. All valuable guests had te privilege to tour the HQ following the Press Conference which was held at the CEO office. The compelling ceremony marked the symbolic positioning of Linear Channel Sdn Bhd in the market.



About Linear Channel Sdn Bhd: Linear Channel has been in the computer refurbishment business since 1999. The Company awarded as Microsoft 1st Authorized Refurbisher in Malaysia and expanded its business model from traditional buy and sell into a Subscription Model in 2020. With its brand name Smart Rental, the company was first introduced to the market based on a Haas (Hardware-as-a-Service) service provision model (integrated Credit, Services, Exchange into monthly subscription service). Smart Rental is also developing a digital engineer platform which will accelerate the maintenance service nationwide along with Smart Centres development across the country with its first outlet in Mid Valley in Year 2022. Smart Rental successfully raised RM4.6 million and RM1.33 million via MyStartr ECF platform in 2021 and 2020. This project was facilitated by Malaysia's leading equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform, MyStartr, which was approved by the Securities Commission (SC) for the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MYCIF).

About Smart Rental: Smart Rental is run by Linear Channel Sdn. Bhd. A company that started out by refurbishing and reselling second-hand PCs under the brand name BuyNow. To date, it has sold over 100,000 refurbished PCs through a network of 200+ distributors, with the collaboration of 12 banks offering easy payment plans. The Company diversified into the short-term PC rental market around 2010 and HaaS solutions for PCs in 2019. Smart Rental provides 12 or 24-months PC subscription packages at different price points encompassing the following services: the right to use the PC, regular maintenance visits and software upgrades, repairs and exchanges, and free PC model upgrades upon contract renewal. On average, Smart Rental customers save 37% on the PC purchase price and 55% on maintenance and services. Smart Rental's business model has been validated by multiple panels of business experts at the 2019 [email protected] Cloud Startup Contest, where it won recognition as one of the Top 10 best proposals; [email protected] 2019, where it achieved the same result; and the 2020 Golden Bull Awards, where it was the proud recipient of an Emerging SMEs Award. Following another prestigious recognition The Lang Titan Award for The Best Use Of Technology. Smart Rental stands out by catering to businesses and consumers of all backgrounds, in contrast to peers offering similar solutions that mostly serve large companies and government agencies with generous IT budgets. As robust PC demand from 2020 (growth of 12.9%) spills over into 2021 (estimated growth of 18.2%) due to the pandemic-induced shift to WFH, the Company is well-positioned to capitalise on demand from B40 consumers and SMEs requiring reliable PC access on a budget. For more information: www.smartrental.asia View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/smart-agility-programme-making-the-wave-in-serving-smes-through-ever-evolving-subscription-model-whilst-generating-value-for-subscribed-unit-of-pc-laptop-301820380.html SOURCE Linear Channel Sdn Bhd

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[May 10, 2023] 2023 'Daka China Understanding the Chinese Path to Modernization--Hello, Henan!' Online International Communication Event Takes Place

BEIJING, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 9, the 2023 "Daka China Understanding the Chinese Path to ModernizationHello, Henan!" Online International Communication Event for 2023 was launched in Shangqiu City. The event was jointly sponsored by the Information Office of Henan Provincial People's Government, the Cyberspace Administration of Henan Province, and CRI Online of China Media Group, and organized by the Cyberspace Administration of Zhengzhou Municipality, the Cyberspace Administration of Kaifeng Municipality, and the Cyberspace Administration of Shangqiu Municipality as well as CRI Online Henan Branch. The 2023 Daka China looks at a variety of topics, including the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, high-quality development, rural revitalization, and ecological conservation and development. During the event, foreign online influencers will be invited to Henan, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Anhui, Shaanxi, and other provinces to acquire first-hand knowledge on the Chinese path to modernization, and hey will share vividly with the world their perspective on the content and extended meaning of the Chinese path to modernization, which can promote the interaction, exchanges, mutual trust, and cooperation between China and the world.



At the event, leaders of the Cyberspace Administration of Zhengzhou Municipality, the Cyberspace Administration of Kaifeng Municipality, and the Cyberspace Administration of Shangqiu Municipality released the planned visiting routes in these three cities and gave city introductions. To embark on their journey soon, these foreign internet influencers and multilingual hosts will visit the above three cities to enjoy the beautiful rural views and unravel the secrets behind the high-quality development of China's rural revitalization. They will also visit various cultural tourism sites in Kaifeng, the ancient capital previously known as Dongjing during the Northern Song dynasty, to feel the lasting prosperity there. Moreover, they are scheduled to visit local characteristic enterprises to have a deeper understanding of the competitiveness of Chinese brands. The trip will show them Henan's contributions to the Chinese path to modernization from various perspectives.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/2023-daka-china-understanding-the-chinese-path-to-modernizationhello-henan-online-international-communication-event-takes-place-301820444.html SOURCE CRIOnline

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TUNIS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A guardsman affiliated with the National Guard killed his colleague and two visitors on Tuesday night at La Ghriba synagogue in the island of Djerba, in south Tunisia, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The guardsman was killed by security units around the synagogue, the minstry said. 
[May 10, 2023]

Lunit to Present 16 Abstracts at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

- Lunit and collaborators demonstrate the predictive value and analytical prowess of Lunit's AI-biomarker platform in a wide range of cancer types and clinical practices

SEOUL, South Korea, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lunit (KRX:328130.KQ), a leading global provider of AI-powered cancer diagnostic solutions, today announced the presentation of 16 abstracts featuring its AI-biomarker platform at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, on June 2-6.

Since 2019, the company has been releasing groundbreaking findings based on its AI-powered tissue analysis platform, Lunit SCOPE, at the ASCO annual meeting. At this year's ASCO, Lunit plans to showcase the largest number of studies in the company's history, including 10 poster presentations and 6 online publications. The studies will cover a range of topics, from predicting clinical outcomes to analyzing tumor microenvironments in various cancer types using the Lunit SCOPE suite.

Some of Lunit's highlighted abstracts at ASCO 2023 include:

A study conducted in collaboration with the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCE) found a correlation between tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density change during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), indicating the potential of Lunit SCOPE IO to predict favorable outcomes

Lunit SCOPE IO analyzed TILs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with durvalumab +/- tremelimumab, showing improved outcomes due to increased immune inflammation

Lunit SCOPE IO validated the efficacy of neoadjuvant HPV vaccine and immunotherapy of HPV+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients

A collaborative study led by Mayo Clinic predicted prognosis in patients with colon cancer by applying AI-derived immune phenotypes

A study showing how Lunit SCOPE IO predicts the efficacy of immunotherapy based on the patient's Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF) level

The use of Lunit SCOPE IO to predict MET pathogenic mutations in non-small cell lung cancer

The use of Lunit SCOPE UIHC (Universal Immunohistochemistry) for exploring target cancer types and predicting response to novel tumor-associated antigens (TAA) targeted agents

Using AI to analyze the spatial arrangement of macrophages within tumor environments and how it relates to the Interferon Gamma (IFNG) signature and immune phenotype across different types of cancer

"We are thrilled to showcase the largest number of studies in the company's history at ASCO 2023, demonstrating Lunit SCOPE's efficacy," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "Through our novel academic research using Lunit SCOPE suite across various cancer types and treatment settings, we aim to bring cutting-edge technology to the forefront of optimized cancer treatment for all patients."

Lunit's Abstracts at ASCO 2023

About Lunit

With AI, Lunit aims to 'conquer cancer,' one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Lunit is an AI software company devoted to developing AI solutions for precision diagnostics and therapeutics, to find the right diagnosis at the right cost, and the right treatment for the right patients. Lunit, a portmanteau of 'learning unit,' is a deep learning-based medical AI company devoted to developing advanced medical image analytics and data-driven imaging biomarkers via cutting-edge technology.|

Founded in 2013, Lunit has been acknowledged around the world for its advanced, state-of-the-art technology and its application in medical images. Its technology has been recognized at international AI competitions surpassing top companies like Google, IBM, and Microsoft. As a medical AI company with a focus on clinical evidence, the company's findings are presented in major peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Network Open, and global conferences including ASCO and AACR.

After receiving FDA clearance and the CE Mark, Lunit INSIGHT CXR and MMG are clinically used in approximately 2,000 hospitals and medical institutions across more than 40 countries. Lunit SCOPE PD-L1 is CE marked in Europe and has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is intended for Research Use Only. Lunit is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea with offices and representatives around the world.

About Lunit SCOPE

Lunit SCOPE is a suite of AI-powered software that analyzes tissue slide images for digital pathology and AI biomarker development, with the aim of optimizing workflow and facilitating more accurate and predictive clinical data for clinicians and researchers.

Lunit SCOPE platform offers multiple tissue analysis AI software products and assays that can streamline digital pathology workflow and diagnostics, as well as enhance the drug development process.

The flagship product, Lunit SCOPE IO, generates immune phenotype reports based on H&E analysis and provides AI-based predictive clinical outcome information. In addition, services are also offered by assessing protein expression via Immunohistochemistry (IHC) slide analysis, through products such as Lunit SCOPE PD-L1, Lunit SCOPE HER2, Lunit SCOPE ER/PR, and others.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lunit-to-present-16-abstracts-at-the-2023-asco-annual-meeting-301820475.html

SOURCE Lunit
[May 10, 2023] Epson Ribbon-Cutting Celebrates Completed Los Alamitos Headquarters Focused on Optimizing Productivity, Sustainability and Hybrid Collaboration

State-of-the-Art Campus Underscores Epson Commitment to Technology Innovation, Teamwork, Sustainability, and Employee Work-Life Balance LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, a global technology leader, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Los Alamitos-based headquarters on Tuesday, May 9 at 3131 Katella Ave. The ceremony featured remarks from Los Alamitos Mayor Tanya Doby, Epson America president and CEO Keith Kratzberg and Seiko Epson Director Koichi Kubota. Local government officials Ana Lasso from the California Office of Sustainability and Zechariah Jauregui from U.S. House of Representatives District 45, along with community representatives and non-profit leaders, were also in attendance. Epson celebrates new Los Alamitos headquarters focused on productivity, sustainability and hybrid collaboration The new campus serves as Epson's corporate headquarters for the U.S., Canada and Latin America, overseeing operations for home, office, commercial, and industrial printing, visual communications, wearables, robotics, microdevices, and manufacturing. Supporting an innovative hybrid program for more than 80% of its workforce, Epson retains remote working flexibility for employees with a six-day per month in-office schedule. The campus also features a hoteling workspace system, greatly reducing the required physical footprint for staff. This allowed for an expanded Executive Briefing Center serving as a state-of-the-art destination to host customers, partners and community members. "The innovative Epson campus embodies the lessons we've gleaned from relocating during a global pandemic. By leveraging Epson technologies, we've optimized the space to boost productivity and foster collaboration, while prioritizing sustainability, community engagement, and employee work-life balance," said Kratzberg. "Our newly established Executive Briefing Center serves as a hub for Epson team members and partners, providing an environment in which we can envision and develop effective strategies for future business achievements." In addition to expanding operations to more than 150,000 square feet in a two-building, environmentally focused facility, the Epson Campus is the physical realization of the Epson 25 Renewed Corporate Vision and how Epson America embodies our mission. Offering one of the leading job markets in California and one of the most diverse populations, Orange County was the right location for the move.



"We welcome Epson and its employees to the Los Alamitos business community and believe their presence will support a wide range of local businesses, as well as bring new jobs and investment opportunities to the area," said Mayor Tanya Doby. "I firmly believe in the culture and community of Los Alamitos and look forward to the ongoing collaboration to help the area grow and thrive." The new Epson campus underscores Epson's commitment to local community engagement, integrated sustainability and workplace collaboration:

Adaptive and Hybrid Workforce  With the right technologies and adaptive culture in place, the new campus supports an innovative hybrid work program and hoteling system. The facility also features a unique virtual demo and presentation system to train and support the company's mission-critical technologies.

With the right technologies and adaptive culture in place, the new campus supports an innovative hybrid work program and hoteling system. The facility also features a unique virtual demo and presentation system to train and support the company's mission-critical technologies. State-of-the-Art Technology  The new state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Center allows Epson customers, partners and community members to interface with Epson technologies as well as conduct their own business. It incorporates Epson's latest solutions to emphasize Epson's product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. In addition, Epson offers the facility for use by local businesses and nonprofits, with monthly activities on campus for networking and community interaction.

The new state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Center allows Epson customers, partners and community members to interface with Epson technologies as well as conduct their own business. It incorporates Epson's latest solutions to emphasize Epson's product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. In addition, Epson offers the facility for use by local businesses and nonprofits, with monthly activities on campus for networking and community interaction. Interactive Design and Collaboration  A great deal of thought went into the design of the new headquarters  which features two distinct buildings and extends the outside indoors  to expand team collaboration, meeting venues and to support hybrid workplace efficiencies. The workspace is focused on core Epson values  supporting its people, leveraging purpose-designed technology, and ensuring customer value. The two main buildings are connected with an architectural bridge  which plays a key role in keeping employees connected.

A great deal of thought went into the design of the new headquarters  which features two distinct buildings and extends the outside indoors  to expand team collaboration, meeting venues and to support hybrid workplace efficiencies. The workspace is focused on core Epson values  supporting its people, leveraging purpose-designed technology, and ensuring customer value. The two main buildings are connected with an architectural bridge  which plays a key role in keeping employees connected. Environmentally Focused Building Initiatives  The new Epson Campus allows opportunities for Epson to further its commitment to environmental sustainability. Environmental features include rooftop solar panels providing 100% of the company's energy needs, reduced lighting requirements due to large windows and motion sensors, expansive water conservation, and drought tolerant landscaping throughout the campus. In addition, Epson offers Electric Vehicle charging stations to employees. "Our new headquarters is more than just a building; it represents a commitment to growth, innovation and excellence. With state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, we are better equipped to deliver world-class products and services to our customers," concluded Kratzberg. About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/ Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica ), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). EPSON is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2023 Epson America, Inc. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/epson-ribbon-cutting-celebrates-completed-los-alamitos-headquarters-focused-on-optimizing-productivity-sustainability-and-hybrid-collaboration-301820387.html SOURCE Epson America, Inc.

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[May 10, 2023] Kynix at PCIM Europe 2023 - A strong eye-catcher

SHENZHEN, China, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From 9 to 11 May 2023, the three-day PCIM Europe 2023 was held in Nuremberg, Germany. This annual event attracts many enterprises at home and abroad. Kynix, a trusted distributor of electronic components for suppliers and customers, appeared at the exhibition intending to gain new customers and open up new business opportunities. It is understood that as many as 515 brands are participating in this year's PCIM Europe 2023 exhibition, with an exhibition area of 25,000 square meters. More than 12,000 visitors came to the Nuremberg Exhibition Center. This exhibition is an international exhibition that enjoys a good reputation in the power electronics industry. It has a large scale and a wide range of influence and provides a commnication platform for relevant people in the industry. Every year, the exhibition will set up wonderful forums, such as Industry Forums, Exhibitor Forums, E-mobility & Energy Storage Forums, and various high-quality presentations are also one of the highlights of PCIM Europe. Every participant can get information about the new trends in the field of power electronics, the latest product innovations of participating companies, and so on. Infineon, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments (German company), Nexperia, and other well-known electronic and power companies all participated in the exhibition, competing to highlight their enthusiasm for participation. Many well-known enterprises at home and abroad focus on exhibiting semiconductors, sensors, power supplies, diodes, and other related products in the field of power electronics.



During the exhibition, Kynix attracted a lot of visitors. Kynix always communicated with the exhibitors with enthusiasm. As a leading distributor of electronic components, Kynix has risen rapidly in the fierce market competition by virtue of its business philosophy of "best products, best reputation, best efficiency, best service, and reasonable price" and its advantages in the workshop, management system, supply channels and other aspects. Taking advantage of PCIM Europe 2023, Kynix shares its strengths and culture with its global customers, with a view to establishing more win-win cooperation relationships. PCIM Europe 2023 is an industry feast and a harvest trip. At this exhibition, Kynix exchanged, communicated, and negotiated with new and old customers, which further enhanced the brand's popularity and influence. Kynix is committed to showing its superior development attractiveness and strong supply chain service strength to customers around the world.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kynix-at-pcim-europe-2023---a-strong-eye-catcher-301820563.html SOURCE Kynix

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[May 10, 2023] InvestmentPitch Media Video Discusses MindBio Therapeutics' Take at Home LSD-Microdosing Clinical Trial Published in Peer Reviewed Paper in Biological Psychiatry

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MindBio Therapeutics (CSE:MBIO), through its scientific collaborators, has published its first Peer Reviewed Paper in Biological Psychiatry, an official journal of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Therapeutics and one of the most selective and highly cited journals in the field of psychiatric neuroscience.

For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media video which provides additional information about this news and the company. The video is available for viewing on  InvestmentPitch  and on  YouTube . If these links are not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter MindBio in the search box. Having completed the world's first government approved take-home LSD-Microdosing clinical trial, this peer reviewed scientific paper, examined the effectiveness of LSD-Microdosing in a non-clinical laboratory environment, where healthy participants self-administered the drug at home under double blinded and placebo controlled conditions. MindBios scientific collaborators expect to publish a further 7 important scientific papers in the coming year, announcing significant findings from the substantial amount of data collected from wearables, blood and DNA analysis, EEG and other biometric and psychometric data collected from the Phase 1 trial. Eighty healthy male volunteers were randomised into an LSD group and a Placebo grou, receiving 14 doses every 3 days for 6 weeks, with the first doses given in a supervised laboratory setting, and the other doses self-administered at home. The advantage of microdosing LSD as opposed to macrodosing is that patients can take the drug and then get on with their day in much the same way they would when taking anti-depressant medication. Notably, there were no serious adverse events recorded and participants on dose days had substantial improvements in mood including increases in energy, social connectivity, creativity, wellness and happiness.



Justin Hanka, CEO, stated: "The data we have collected in our clinical trials has exceeded our expectations and shows much promise for treating patients with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety where diminished mood, compromised wellbeing and low energy are experienced. The data is confirmatory of our dedication to progress clinical trials in continuation Phase 2 LSD-Microdosing clinical trials, particularly in patients experiencing depressive symptoms. Based in Melbourne, Australia, MindBio Therapeutics has a leading presence in microdosing of psychedelic medicines, investing in research that forms the basis for developing novel and clinically proven treatments including digital technologies and interventions to treat debilitating health conditions such as depression, anxiety and other related mental health conditions.

The two separate Phase 2 take home LSD-Microdosing trials are fully funded and due to start shortly for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, commonly known as depression, and late-stage cancer patients experiencing emotional distress. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 300 million people worldwide experience depression. In the United States alone, 3.1 million people between the age of 12 and 17 have experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year, with suicide the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34. The shares, which recently began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange, are trading at $0.34. For more information, please visit the companys website www.MindBioTherapeutics.com , contact Justin Hanka, CEO, at 61 4331 40886 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. MindBio Therapeutics 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 10, 2023] Trua Launches TruaID, A Verified Digital ID That Helps Consumers Keep Personal Information Secure

MCLEAN, Va., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trua (www.TruaMe.com), the digital identity-verification and screening company, has launched a new product called TruaID, which will give consumers a greater sense of security with their private information while providing businesses a more efficient means of screening customers and prospective employees. Simultaneously, Trua announced today that it has branched off from its parent company, Endera, and is now operating independently as its own entity. TruaID, a digital identification system, eliminates the need for users to repeatedly provide businesses, government agencies or potential employers with their private personal information, such as Social Security number, driver's license, birth certificate or other documents. Instead, once the individual has that information verified through Trua, they would just provide their TruaID on their phone or online, never having to input or share their personal information again for many of the Identity verification or screening requirements. "At Trua, we believe that privacy is not an afterthought, but rather an essential part of consumers' digital interactions," says Raj Ananthanpillai, foundr and CEO of Trua and Endera. "That's why we have embedded privacy by design principles into every aspect of a consumer's journey when they obtain and share their TruaID."



"With TruaID, businesses will be able to onboard customers seamlessly and authenticate them on an ongoing basis, without requiring personal information, which enhances trust and confidence to both parties," Ananthanpillai says. For higher levels of trust verifications, Trua also verifies criminal and civil records, educational records, and similar information about the person, further helping businesses to screen consumers or potential employees in a secure manner. Based on that information, Trua then issues the consumer a TruaScore that ranges from zero to 360. But unlike with most agencies that gather such data, Trua gives the consumer the opportunity to verify the information to make sure it is correct and that information for someone with a similar name hasn't been included.

"When it comes to workforce screening, this is a more secure and faster way to handle it than businesses do now," Ananthanpillai says. Trua was launched in 2021 by Endera, a Virginia-based software company also headed by Ananthanpillai that focuses on workforce risk management and analytics for security professionals. At a time when hacking, personal data breaches, and identity theft are concerns for both individuals and businesses, Ananthanpillai says, TruaID and TruaScore provide a solution to personal data storage and privacy problems for the businesses, while easily aligning with disparate data privacy and consumer protections laws and regulations. About Trua Trua (www.TruaMe.com) is a Virginia-based identity verification company that provides all-in-one ID proofing, fraud detection, authentication, and screening through its Trua ID verification & Screening system. Trua eliminates the need for users to repeatedly assert their real-world identity and solves data storage and privacy problems for the businesses while easily aligning with disparate data privacy and consumer protections laws and regulations. With Trua, businesses can onboard customers seamlessly and authenticate them without requiring personal information, which enhances trust and confidence to both parties. Contact:

Krista Wignall

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trua-launches-truaid-a-verified-digital-id-that-helps-consumers-keep-personal-information-secure-301820163.html SOURCE Trua

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[May 10, 2023] Rapid Finance Partners With Mambu To Provide Lending-as-a-Service To Lenders Nationwide

Rapid Enterprise, a division of Rapid Finance, a market leader in helping small businesses find sustainable and customized financing solutions through a fast and simple application process, announced today from Fintech Nexus USA that its cloud-native digital end-to-end loan origination system (LOS), Decisioneer, is now integrated with Mambu's cloud-based lending platform. Decisioneer provides borrowers and lenders alike with a seamless, customized user experience that significantly accelerates the loan decisioning and underwriting process. The platform helps borrowers gain access to needed capital through their lending partners quickly and efficiently. For small business, commercial and consumer lending, Decisioneer provides lenders with real-time insights, including detailed financial profiles, debt-to-income ratio and cash flow analysi through direct, API-driven connectivity to multiple data sources, allowing lenders to automate workflows and streamline their origination process.



Facilitated and managed completely through Decisioneer, integrating with Mambu provides a seamless transition from loan origination to servicing. Decisioneer's borrower portal and portfolio management module for loan officers and underwriters complements Mambu's loan management system (LMS) to support ongoing customer relationship initiatives. Rapid Enterprise is focused on providing integrated Lending-as-a-Service (LaaS) solutions to its enterprise clients. With this partnership, enterprise customers can leverage the Decisioneer LOS and Mambu LMS as a single, seamless cloud-native platform for their lending operations, powering customer intake, origination and servicing in a unified lending lifecycle platform.

"We're thrilled to partner with Rapid Finance, which has a strong track record of helping small businesses find sustainable and customized financing solutions," said Andy Gregory, Mambu Head of Partnerships, North America. "Mambu's integration with the Decisioneer next-generation LOS platform enables a streamlined, digital experience for end-to-end lending to better meet the needs of our customers in the SMB market." "Through its proven, cloud-based platform, Mambu has established itself as a leader in driving technology innovation and bringing a more modern approach to financial systems," said Will Tumulty, CEO, Rapid Finance. "That makes Mambu the perfect LMS integration partner for the Decisioneer LOS, which was built from the ground-up to provide lenders and their business banking customers with access to a scalable and flexible cloud-based platform and data to support smarter, faster lending." About Mambu Mambu is the world's only true SaaS cloud banking platform. Launched in 2011, Mambu fast-tracks the design and build of nearly any type of financial offering for banks of all sizes, lenders, fintechs, retailers, telcos and more. Our unique composable approach means that independent components, systems and connectors can be assembled in any configuration to meet business needs and end user demands. Mambu has 900 employees that support 230 customers in over 65 countries - including Western Union, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, N26, BancoEstado, OakNorth, Raiffeisen Bank, ABN AMRO, Bank Islam and Orange Bank. www.mambu.com. About Rapid Finance/Rapid Enterprise Since 2005, Rapid Finance has been supporting the growth and success of small businesses across the U.S. Powered by a thoughtful combination of technology, speed and deep industry expertise, the Rapid Enterprise business line provides Lending as a Service solutions to enterprise clients. With modular, flexible and scalable financial solutions, Rapid Enterprise solutions are customized to our enterprise partners' needs. Learn more at www.rapidfinance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005051/en/

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[May 10, 2023] Projectsdeal.co.uk awarded "Best Essay Writing Service in the UK" by Topwriters.co.uk researchers in London ceremony

LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a ceremony held yesterday in London, Topwriters.co.uk researchers awarded Projectsdeal.co.uk the title of " Best Essay Writing Service in the UK." Easymarks.co.uk received second place, while topukwriters.co.uk came in third. The awards were presented based on a rigorous evaluation process that considered several factors. The researchers analyzed the quality of writing, customer service, delivery time, and pricing policies of various essay writing services in the UK. The award was presented by the British Board for Higher Education organised by Bestwritingcompany.com in recognition of the exceptional quality and reliability of the services provided by Projectsdeal.co.uk. To determine the best essay writing service, the team conducted a thorough evaluation of several factors including: In response to the growing demand for academic writing services, a team of experts has conducted a thorough evaluation of several academic writing services to identify the best options for students seeking assistance with their academic assignments. The result of this assessment has led to the recommendation of four highly reputable services: projectsdeal.co.uk, easymarks.co.uk, topukwriters.co.uk, and cheapessayhelpers.com. Reputation: To ensure that the recommended services are reliable and trustworthy, the team conducted extensive research on various public platforms such as review websites, social media, and forums to analyze feedback from previous clients. All four recommended services have consistently received 5-star ratings and positive reviews, indicating a high level of customer satisfaction. Expertise: Expertise is crucial in academic writing services as it ensures that the work provided meets the required academic standards and requirements. The team has selected services with a team of experienced writers in various fields of study to ensure that they can provide high-quality work that meets the academic needs of their clients. Quality Guarantees: Quality guarantees are essential to ensure that clients receive work that meets their expectations. The recommended services provide comprehensive quality guarantees, including free revisions, plagiarism checking, and satisfaction guarantees, to ensure that clients receive high-quality work that meets their needs. Pricing: Pricing is a significant factor in selecting an academic writing service. The team has compared prices of all the recommended services with other similar services while taking into account the quality of work offered to ensure that clients receive value for their money. Customer Support: Effective customer support is critical in academic writing services to provide assistance to clients. The team selected services with responsive and helpful customer support to ensure that clients receive the necessary assistance they require. Turnaround Time: Meeting deadlines is crucial in academic writing services. The team made sure that the recommended services could deliver work within the desired time frame and accept short deadlines to ensure that clients can submit their assignments on time. With the recommended services meeting the evaluation criteria, students can confidently seek academic writing assistance from these highly reputable services. Projectsdeal.co.uk has been providing essay writing services in the UK since 2001, and over the years, it has established itself as a leading provider of high-quality support to students in completing their essays. The company is committed to providing reliable and trusted services to its clients, and this award is a testament to its commitment to excellence in the essay writing industry. Best Essay Writing Services in the UK: The requirements for UK dissertations can be quite different from those in the United Kingdom. That's why you'll want to save time and money by sticking to the four best dissertation writing services in the United Kingdom, which are: 1. Projectsdeal ?? : Rating 4.8 / 5

2. Easymarks ?? : Rating 4.6 / 5

3. Topukwriters ?? : Rating 4.6 / 5

4. Cheapessayhelpers : Rating 4.5 / 5 What sets these companies apart from the competition is that they hire qualified writers skilled in academic writing. On top of that, their writers are also knowledgeable in almost any academic field of study imaginable. In recognition of the exceptional quality of the services provided by various academic writing companies, BestWritingCompanies.com has announced the winners of its annual awards for the Best Essay Writing Services in the UK. Among the winners were four highly reputable services, namely Projectsdeal, EasyMarks, TopUKWriters, and CheapEssayHelpers. Projectsdeal is not only recognized as the Overall Best Essay Writing Service in the UK, but it also offers the best online exam help in the UK . The company's reputation for providing exceptional services, along with its highly qualified team of writers, has made it the top choice for students seeking academic writing and exam assistance. EasyMarks on the other hand, was awarded as the Best Nursing Essay Writing Service in the UK, thanks to its team of experienced writers who specialize in nursing and healthcare-related topics. The company is known for its high-quality and plagiarism-free papers that are delivered on time to its clients. TopUKWriters was recognized as the Best Law Essay Writing Service in the UK, thanks to its team of expert writers who have extensive knowledge and experience in the field of law. The company provides top-notch law essays that are tailored to meet the individual needs of its clients. Finally, CheapEssayHelpers was awarded for providing the Best Cheap Essay Writing Service in the UK. The company's commitment to providing high-quality papers at affordable prices has made it a popular choice among students who are on a tight budget. Overall, the winners of the Best Essay Writing Services in the UK awards have been recognized for their exceptional services, expertise, and commitment to delivering quality work to their clients. The following is a list of the four best essay writing services in the UK: Rank 1 : Projectsdeal.co.uk Domain Age: 22 years, 1 months (as of cutoff date) Projectsdeal is the leading essay writing service in the UK. Unlike other services, it doesn't only focus on essay writing but on all types of academic texts for all UK universities, which speaks to the extensive experience of its writers. Additionally, the platform is intuitive and presents a price calculator immediately, so you can get the budget according to the writing you need, the number of words, the course, and the delivery date. One of the central guarantees offered by Projectsdeal is that the essay or college paper you need will be elaborated by a person with a UK degree, even with postgraduate degrees. The service also stands out for its confidentiality and authenticity guarantees. Features: Addresses subjects from different fields of study, regardless of their complexity.

Conducts deep research on each subject.

Writers know different methodological regulations and MLA, APA, or other reference systems.

The website makes express deliveries.

Projectsdeal ensures the text's authenticity, and the only copy available will be yours.

Confidentiality and proofreading. How it works: To start your order, you must fill in the form indicating the topic, length, date, and type of academic text you need. If you have already begun the text yourself, you can request editing, the addition of citations or references, or revision of the text, depending on the stage of the text. The second step is to indicate the academic level of the text, whether you are an undergraduate student, a master's student, or a Ph.D. student. The portal will then start searching and connect you with the ideal writer according to the topic of study and specifications. Finally, you receive your paper on the due date. Price: Projectsdeal does not offer a fixed price table. It varies for each project depending on the level, word count, due date, and grade you aim for. Pros: High-quality texts.

Offers a free revision period within ten days of delivery.

Has the option of delivery in only three hours for urgent cases.

Have personal manager allocated to every order placed order

Attaches a plagiarism report.

Refund guarantee if you are not satisfied.

Confidentiality, you do not need to give your name to initiate an order and easily place order online. Cons: It is an expensive option.

The platform does not have fixed prices. Conclusion: Undoubtedly, quality has aprice, and that is what Projectsdeal offers students. An intuitive platform that is easy to use and a precise calculator that allows you to determine your project's price accurately. An option to keep in mind is to pass with flying colors.



Customer review: "The essay was written very well and quickly. When ordering, the price seemed too high, but after receiving the order, I realized that the essay is worth every penny paid for it:)" - Linnett D. Projectsdeal.co.uk emerged as the top essay writing service due to its commitment to excellence in every aspect of its services. The company employs a team of experienced writers who possess in-depth knowledge of their respective academic fields. Furthermore, Projectsdeal.co.uk offers a wide range of writing services, from essay writing to dissertation writing, and guarantees 100% original, plagiarism-free work.

Upon receiving the award, a spokesperson for Projectsdeal.co.uk expressed their gratitude for the recognition, stating, "We are honored to be recognized as the best essay writing service in the UK. Our team works tirelessly to ensure that we provide the highest quality writing and customer service to our clients, and this award is a testament to our dedication." Rank 2: easymarks.co.uk Domain Age: 21 years, 11 months (as of cutoff date) Pros: Provides a wide range of writing services, including essays, dissertations, and coursework

Offers a 20% discount on the first order

Works on short deadline work

Has a loyalty program for returning customers

Claims to have UK-based writers who are experts in their fields Cons: No information provided about the qualifications and experience of the writers Easymarks.co.uk seems to offer a decent range of writing services with some attractive discounts and loyalty programs. However, the lack of information about the writers is a concern, and some customer reviews suggest that they are excellent with short deadline essays. Easymarks.co.uk , which received the second-place award, was recognized for its commitment to customer satisfaction. The company boasts a team of professional writers who specialize in various fields, and it offers a 24/7 customer support system to ensure that clients receive prompt assistance whenever they need it. Additionally, Easymarks.co.uk offers affordable prices and guarantees timely delivery of all orders. "We are thrilled to be recognized as the second-best essay writing service in the UK," said a representative from Easymarks.co.uk. "We pride ourselves on our ability to provide high-quality work, excellent customer service, and affordable prices to all of our clients. This award is a testament to our commitment to our clients' success." Rank 3: topukwriters.co.uk Domain Age: 7 years, 10 months (as of cutoff date) Pros: Provides independent reviews of UK-based writing services

Offers detailed and informative reviews that cover a range of factors, including quality, pricing, and customer support

Has a team of experienced writers and editors who produce the reviews

Provides a list of the top-rated UK writing services based on the reviews Cons: The website may receive compensation from some of the writing services it reviews, which could potentially influence the reviews

The reviews focus on UK-based writing services, so may not be helpful for students outside the UK

Does not offer any writing services of its own Overall, topukwriters.co.uk provides a valuable service by offering independent and detailed reviews of UK-based writing services. However, it's worth being aware that the website may receive compensation from some of the services it reviews, which could potentially influence the reviews. Topukwriters.co.uk received the third-place award for its commitment to providing high-quality writing services at competitive prices. The company employs a team of experienced writers who specialize in various academic fields, and it offers a wide range of writing services, from essays to dissertations. Additionally, topukwriters.co.uk offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, ensuring that clients are fully satisfied with the work they receive. "We are proud to be recognized as one of the top essay writing services in the UK," said a spokesperson for topukwriters.co.uk. "Our team of writers works tirelessly to ensure that we provide high-quality writing services at affordable prices, and this award is a testament to their hard work and dedication." Rank 4: Cheapessayhelpers.com Domain Age: 4 years, 1 month (as of cutoff date) Pros: Offers a wide range of writing services, including essays, research papers, and dissertations

Has a team of experienced writers who hold advanced degrees in various fields

Provides affordable pricing and discounts for new and returning customers

Provides 24/7 customer support through various channels, including live chat and email Cons: The website's design and user interface could be improved for better user experience

Some customers have reported issues with the quality of the papers they received

There is limited information about the company's background and location

Offers no money-back guarantee if the customer is not satisfied with the final product Overall, Cheapessayhelpers.com offers a variety of writing services at affordable price. However, the website's design could use some improvement, and there have been some concerns about paper quality. How much does an essay writing service cost today? The cost of essay writing services has become a pertinent topic of discussion among academic circles. As the demand for these services increases, it is imperative to understand the factors that determine the cost of such services. According to recent studies, the estimated cost of essay writing services in 2023 ranges from 10 to 35 per page. However, this cost is not fixed and is subject to several factors such as the length, complexity, academic level, and delivery time of the essay. It is noteworthy that urgent delivery of essays within 24 hours could cost up to 300 for a 1000-word essay, whereas a longer delivery time will likely result in a lower cost. The quality of the essay, the depth of research required, and the sources used in the writing process are other significant factors that can affect the cost of the service. It is crucial for students to thoroughly research and read reviews before selecting an essay writing service to ensure that the work provided is of high quality and within their budget. While some services may offer lower prices, it is essential to weigh the cost against the quality of the work to avoid any negative consequences on academic performance. In conclusion, students should carefully consider the various factors that affect the cost of essay writing services and make informed decisions based on their individual needs and academic requirements. Why is projectsdeal awarded best essay writing service in the UK ? Projectsdeal.co.uk has gained recognition for its exceptional essay writing services in the UK due to its unique features that provide convenience and satisfaction to its clients. In addition to its online form, which is easy to fill, the company allocates a personal project manager to every order to ensure customization. Moreover, Projectsdeal.co.uk offers flexibility in payment, allowing customers to process orders with only 50% payment in advance, with the remaining amount only payable after receiving 50% of the work to satisfaction. This feature provides clients with security and assurance of quality service. To initiate an order with Projectsdeal.co.uk, customers must fill in the online form, specifying the topic, length, date, and type of academic text required. If a customer has already begun the text, they can request editing, the addition of citations or references, or a revision of the text, depending on the stage of the text. The customer must also indicate the academic level of the text, such as undergraduate, master's, or Ph.D. level. After the customer submits the order, the company's portal begins searching for the ideal writer based on the topic of study and specifications. The customer then receives their completed paper on the due date, and if they are satisfied with the work, they pay the remaining 50% of the fee. These unique features and exceptional customer service are some of the reasons why Projectsdeal.co.uk was awarded the best essay writing service in the UK . What is the best essay writing service in the UK? Projectsdeal is considered the best essay writing service in the UK. The website has a team of experienced British writers who specialize in various academic fields, providing high-quality writing services to students. What is the best assignment help website from London? Easymarks is awarded No.1 assignment help website in London. The company provides a team of professional writers who specialize in various fields and offer affordable prices and timely delivery of all orders. Are custom writing services legal? The use of custom writing services is a topic that sparks much debate among students, educators, and academic institutions. The question remains: Are custom writing services legal? The answer is yes. There are no laws that prohibit students from seeking help with their academic assignments. Students can use custom writing services to order an essay, research paper, or dissertation without facing any legal consequences. While some may argue that using these services is unethical, it is not illegal. If students are struggling with a particular assignment or subject matter, they have the right to seek help from professional writers. However, it is important to ensure that the work submitted is 100% original and does not contain plagiarized content. To find the best custom writing service, students can use search engines like Google to search for companies that provide these services . It is important to pay attention to the websites that appear at the top of the list, but it is also worth scrolling down to see what other companies are available. Reading user reviews can also be helpful in making a decision. Students can also ask their peers for recommendations based on their personal experience. It is important to do thorough research before choosing a custom writing service to ensure that the work submitted is of the highest quality. In conclusion, custom writing services are legal and can be a helpful resource for students struggling with academic assignments. However, it is important to ensure that the work submitted is original and not plagiarized. Students should do their research and choose a reputable company to ensure that they receive the best possible service. Who are the professional UK essay writers to hire? Topukwriters.co.uk provides professional UK essay writers to hire. The company employs a team of experienced writers who specialize in various academic fields, providing high-quality writing services at competitive prices. Which is the cheapest essay writing service in the United Kingdom? Cheapessayhelpers.com is the cheapest essay writing service in the United Kingdom. The website provides high-quality writing services at an affordable price, making it the best fit for students who are on a tight budget. What is the best assignment help website in London? Easymarks takes the crown as the top assignment help website in the UK, offering a wide range of academic writing services to students. Their specialization includes essays, research papers, term papers, and proofreading and editing services, covering almost all subjects taught in schools, colleges, and universities. Easymarks offers affordable prices starting from as low as 10 per page per 275 words, making it accessible to high school, undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. students. Even with a short deadline, they offer rush delivery, ensuring that you receive your essay within 3 hours, with an additional surcharge. The website offers a transparent pricing system with no hidden charges, and they provide discounts through a loyalty program to ensure that their customers receive the best value for their money. Easymarks accepts a wide variety of payment methods, making it easy to place and pay for expensive orders. Easymarks has a team of professionals with high academic experience who are ready to cover various academic topics, such as medicine, political science, and theology. Once you place your order, you can communicate directly with the writer to provide additional information and requirements. Once the essay is complete, Easymarks allows unlimited revisions and provides plagiarism checks as a free add-on to ensure complete customer satisfaction. With all these features, it's no wonder Easymarks is the go-to assignment help website for students in London. What if I am not satisfied with my paper? These websites structure their service offerings in such a way that you will rarely be unhappy with a paper they have written for you. Many of them add free revisions as an extra feature to their service to guarantee their customers' satisfaction. These revisions allow the writer to address any issues you have with the paper and make corrections to ensure you get what you paid for. As a result, dissatisfaction is rare. However, occasionally you may be unsatisfied with the paper received. Reading the company's policies and guarantees before paying for your essay also plays a vital role in this instance. Some essay writing services offer a limited number of revisions, and the modifications have to be in line with their policy. On the other hand, some websites confidently promote a money-back guarantee if customers are not satisfied. Therefore, you should avoid cheap essay writing services with shady policies and agreements concerning satisfaction and revisions. Are writing services legal in the UK? The legality of using custom writing services to complete academic assignments has been a topic of debate among students for a long time. However, it is important to note that there are no laws that prohibit using such services. Students have the right to seek help from professional writers to complete their assignments if they feel the need to. It is understandable that some may have ethical concerns about using such services, but it is not illegal. In fact, many students who are struggling to keep up with their studies or have other obligations, turn to custom writing services to get the help they need to complete their coursework. To ensure that the work is original and not plagiarized, it is important to choose a reputable and reliable writing service. A simple search on Google will bring up a list of companies that offer these services. It is important to read reviews from previous clients to gauge their level of satisfaction before making a final decision. Another way to find a trustworthy writing service is to ask for recommendations from friends or classmates who have used these services before. This way, students can have first-hand experience of the quality of work provided by these services. The awards ceremony conducted by Britishwritingcompany.com researchers recognized the best essay writing services in the UK. Projectsdeal.co.uk, Easymarks.co.uk, and topukwriters.co.uk were recognized for their commitment to providing high-quality writing services, excellent customer service, and affordable prices. With so many options available, students in the UK can rest assured that they can find a reliable and trustworthy essay writing service to help them succeed in their academic endeavors. In a Brief Conclusion Some key criteria should not be left out when choosing an essay writer service for you. These include turnaround time, originality, revisions, customer service, pricing, and content quality. On our list of the best companies, we have Projectsdeal as the overall best essay writing service. Considering its quality writing, quick turnaround time, and fair pricing, it is the most popular and versatile option. Projectsdeal.co.uk's solid research process, editing, proofreading, and formatting make it a top-tier choice. If you are also looking for specific services like personal statement writing and homework help, we also cover that in this list. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2073308/Essay_Writing_UK.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/projectsdealcouk-awarded-best-essay-writing-service-in-the-uk-by-topwriterscouk-researchers-in-london-ceremony-301820926.html SOURCE Topwriters.co.uk

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[May 10, 2023] ALLMED EARNS FULL NCQA ACCREDITATION IN UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT

The designation demonstrates the highest level of commitment to quality healthcare PORTLAND, Ore. , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AllMed Healthcare Management is proud to announce that it has earned Full NCQA Utilization Management accreditation.1 By achieving this status, AllMed, a leading provider of utilization management (UM) and independent review (IRO) services, earned recognition for its commitment to quality care, consumer protections, enhanced processes, patient safety and improved outcomes. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. "Quality and compliance are embedded in every aspect of the AllMed culture," said Maridy McGinnis, President and CEO, AllMed. "Our health plan and payer clients, and their members, depend on us to provide services at the highest standard. This is why earning the Full NCQA Utilization Management accreditation is so important to us". "Achieving NCQA Utilization Management Accreditation demonstrates that AllMed has the systems, process and personnel in place to conduct utilization management in accordance with the strictest quality standards," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. Every day, we make decisions like lives depend on it. ABOUT ALLMEDSM Since 1995, tailored utlization management (UM) and independent review organization (IRO) services from AllMed have provided the informed guidance leading health care payers require to deliver determinations with confidence. AllMed works as an essential extension of its clients' teams to deliver clinical decision-making that supports improved patient care while ensuring appropriate health care utilization. As trusted advisors, AllMed is setting the bar for our evolving industry. The AllMed payer community impact is substantial, as evidenced by the coordination and management of cases for more than 200 million Americans.



To learn more, please visit AllMedmd.com or call (800) 400-9916. Please follow us on LinkedIn. ABOUT NCQA

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. In recognition for its leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion, NCQA has won the Excellence in Diversity Award from the Chesapeake Human Resources Association. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa. 1NCQA has reviewed and accredited AllMed Healthcare Management's Utilization Management functions only. For complete details on the scope of this review, visit http://www.ncqa.org/. Media Contact:

Nancy Narraway

[email protected]medmd.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allmed-earns-full-ncqa-accreditation-in-utilization-management-301820330.html SOURCE AllMed Healthcare Management, Inc.

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[May 10, 2023] Led by Sci-tech Innovation, Expanding into Global Markets - Kexing Biopharm in International Exhibitions

Shenzhen, China, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As internationalization gradually becomes the mainstream trend of development for China's biopharmaceutical industry, enterprises have intensified their efforts to go global, and the exchanges between the Chinese pharmaceutical companies and overseas customers have become more frequent. Kexing Biopharm Co.Ltd attended several major international pharmaceutical exhibitions recently. Leveraging these events, its Overseas Marketing Division communicated with both domestic and foreign customers to explore business opportunities and reach cooperation!

Well prepared, Kexing Biopharm attracted flocks of customers at CPHI North America 2023, of which many were renowned foreign enterprises. The exhibition team of Kexing Biopharm discovered new market demands, explored overseas cooperation opportunities, and developed insights into cutting-edge information in the industry by communicating face-to-face with new and old customers. It also established contacts with many new customers.



Three years later, Kexing Biopharm brought its blockbuster product EPOSINO to the 43rd Annual Convention of the Philippine Society of Nephrology held by the Philippine Society of Nephrology. The company attached great importance to this convention. In the early stage, it closely contacted with Goodfellow Pharma while fully assisting them in preparing for the event. The international marketing team even went to the convention to receive more than 100 experts and pharmaceutical peers. On that day, the participants from Kexing Biopharm and Goodfellow shared opinions with guests visiting the booth on the former's existing products and R&D pipelines, state-of-the-art nephrology treatment technologies, and other topics. This move not only further improved the trust and relationship with customers in the Philippines but also stabilized the partnerships.

This convention played a vital role in finding potential cooperation opportunities for other platform products in the nephrology field, deepening Philippine nephrology experts' understanding of Kexing Biopharm, and enhancing the brand influence of EPOSINO in the country. As a high-quality partner of Chinese pharmaceutical companies in going global, since 2021, Kexing Biopharm has successively partnered with many of such well-known companies on overseas marketing of major products such as albumin-bound paclitaxel, infliximab, bevacizumab, adalimumab, and liraglutide. Kexing Biopharm will remain steadfast in its mission to deliver "Precise Products, Predictable Effects, and Health Protection", with a focus on product quality and a commitment to scientific innovation. It will help China's biopharmaceuticals make a global impact and improve the lives of patients worldwide.

Haiyan Zheng kexingbiopharm-at-kexing.com

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[May 10, 2023] Local Piedmont Student Wins Regional Spelling Bee

For the second year in a row, her talent for spelling was all the buzz as Queen Bee Angel Canete won the Stride regional spelling bee representing Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC). The event was held by K12, a Stride, Inc. company, that offers both private and public virtual school options for K-12 students across the country. "Spelling bees are an age-old tradition that provides students with a fun, competitive way to hone their skills, learn new words, and make friends," says Nicki Batson, CASC executive director. "CASC students are precocious and love a good challenge, and always look forward to the event. In addition to classroom pursuits, our extracurricular activities are an important way to help improve confidence and provide a clear pathway for students to expand their skills amid the company of classmates from around the country." Sophomore Angel of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, who is 15 years old, was one of 30 regional winners in grades 3-12 who will meet in Reston, Virginia, on June 7, to compete for the national spelling bee title. She competed against 11 students. Her word for the win? Replete. The most challenging word she spelled? Theomachy. Angel is no stranger to competition. She says her preparation for the spelling bee isn't abot cramming but instead is a culmination of focused, independent study and confidence from many other academic and sporting events she's taken part in - that and practicing her spelling from a list of 4,000 words on her hour-long drive 6 days a week to and from the dojo where she trains as an elite karate athlete and competitor.



"I am excited and ready to fly to Virginia for a chance to compete again at the national spelling bee - I came in second last year," says Angel. "It's fun to meet all of our classmates from around the country and make new friends - we all have virtual learning in common, and it's nice to compare notes and see what everyone else is doing schoolwise. I met my best friend at a National Beta Club competition several years ago." Angel's sister was also a CASC graduate who earned high honors during her time at the academy. Their mother, Elisa Canete, attributes their academic success to the independence, focus and perseverance they learned from karate and virtual school. "Whatever they start, they decide to go all the way. And if things get tough, they work harder and find their way through," she says.

This will be the third Annual K12 Spelling Bee. The first and second-place winners from each region will be flown in to attend. Angel will be joined by Kaylen Gregg from the Digital Academy of Florida, another K12 virtual school. The national competition can be viewed by reserving a spot here. The prizes for the national elementary, middle, and high school winners will be: First place, a $2,500 Amazon e-gift card, and a Microsoft Surface tablet

Second place, a $1,000 Amazon e-gift card

Third place, a $500 Amazon e-gift card About Cyber Academy of South Carolina Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC) is an online public-school program of The Charter Institute at Erskine, serving students across the state of South Carolina. CASC is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of proprietary K-12 curriculum and online education programs. For more information about CASC, visit casc.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005240/en/

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KHARTOUM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of storming and vandalizing the office of the African Union (AU) in Khartoum.

"The Rapid Support Forces entered the headquarters of the African Union Liaison Office in Riyadh neighborhood in Khartoum, vandalized the offices, destroyed documents and stole its contents," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry condemned what it called "the terrorist and criminal behavior of the rebel militia," calling on the international community and the AU to condemn the RSF in the strongest terms and label it a terrorist organization.

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. 
[May 10, 2023] Richard A. ("Dick") Schwartz, Esquire, to Receive the 2023 American Inns of Court James E. Coleman Jr. Award for Professionalism in the Fifth Circuit

Dick Schwartz has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 American Inns of Court James E. Coleman Jr. Award for Professionalism in the Fifth Circuit. Judge Carl E. Stewart, Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn, and BG Malinda E. Dunn, USA (Ret.) presented the award in San Antonio, Texas, on May 8. Schwartz is a shareholder at the Houston law firm Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, PC. "Dick unquestionably personifies the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in the practice of law," write members of the executive committee of the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, who nomnated Schwartz on the Inn's behalf. "His career is a testament to the proposition that really good guys can and ought to finish first."



After beginning his career as a briefing attorney for Judge Hugh Gibson of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Schwartz worked on maritime and business issues for the Houston firm Eastham, Watson, Dale & Forney. He then practiced commercial litigation and personal injury law as a partner and head of litigation at Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges. In 1990, he founded his own firm, which became Schwartz, Junell, Greenberg & Oathout LLP. As managing partner and a general trial lawyer, he handled jury and non-jury trials and appeals in state and federal courts in courtrooms around the country. In 2015, he joined Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP as a partner handling complex commercial litigation and employment disputes. He joined Munsch Hardt in 2019. Schwartz was also the guiding force behind the creation of the Walker American Inn of Court in Houston. He has been the Inn's executive director since 2018 and served previously as executive director between 1993 and 2002. Schwartz also served on the American Inns of Court Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2015.

Schwartz has also been active in bar associations. He has held numerous officer positions in the Federal Bar Association's South Texas Chapter including president in 2000. He has also been active in grievance committee work for the State Bar of Texas. Schwartz has been an adjunct professor teaching professional responsibility at the University of Houston Law Center since 2019. Schwartz earned an honors undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975, followed by a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1979. 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/20230510005009/en/

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[May 10, 2023] ORYZON Reports Financial Results and Corporate Update for Quarter Ended March 31, 2023

Positive results from interim analysis of vafidemstat's PORTICO Phase IIb trial in Borderline Personality Disorder

Recruiting patients in FRIDA trial with iadademstat in combination with gilteritinib in relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutant AML patients ORY-4001, a selective HDAC-6 inhibitor, nominated as clinical development candidate for neurological diseases such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and others



MADRID, Spain and BOSTON, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 and provided an update on recent developments.

Dr Carlos Buesa, Oryzons Chief Executive Officer, said: Oryzon has made strong clinical progress in the first quarter this year. In CNS, we reported positive results from the planned interim analysis in the Phase IIb PORTICO trial with vafidemstat in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), with the trial being determined as non-futile and to be continued with the planned enrollment number. BPD is a highly unmet medical need and an enormous commercial opportunity with limited competition. We are continuing to actively recruit patients in PORTICO in the U.S. and Europe, and we expect to analyze top-line data at the end of this year or early next year. Enrollment also continues to progress in our Phase IIb EVOLUTION trial with vafidemstat in schizophrenia. Furthermore, we are on track to submit the IND to initiate HOPE this year, the first randomized Phase I/II personalized medicine trial with an LSD1 inhibitor, in Kabuki Syndrome patients. Dr Buesa continued: In oncology, we also continued to progress our clinical pipeline this quarter. Recruitment has commenced in the new FRIDA trial with iadademstat in combination with gilteritinib in relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutant AML patients. This is now the companys central strategy and, we believe, our fastest route to market for iadademstat. We are also extremely excited with the recent initiation of a collaborative trial with the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) in the US in neuroendocrine tumors. This collaboration with the Cancer Epigenetics Institute at Fox Chase Cancer Center, a center of excellence for research in both Neuroendocrine Cancers and epigenetics, is part of an ambitious project to explore LSD1 therapeutic potential in neuroendocrine tumors. First Quarter and Recent Highlights Iadademstat in oncology: FRIDA, an open-label, multicenter Phase Ib clinical trial of iadademstat in combination with gilteritinib in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) harboring a FMS-like tyrosine kinase mutation (FLT3mut+), has started to enroll patients. The primary objectives of the trial are to evaluate the safety and tolerability of iadademstat in combination with gilteritinib in patients with FLT3mut+ R/R AML and to establish the Recommended Phase 2 Dose (RP2D) for this combination. Secondary objectives include evaluation of the treatment efficacy, measured as the rate of complete remission and complete remission with partial hematological recovery (CR/CRh), the Duration of Responses (DoR) and the assessment of Measurable Residual Disease. The study is being conducted in the USA and will accrue up to approximately 45 patients. If successful, Oryzon and the FDA have agreed to hold a meeting to discuss the best plan to further develop this combination in this much in need AML population.

The collaborative Phase II basket trial of iadademstat in combination with paclitaxel in platinum R/R small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and extrapulmonary high grade neuroendocrine tumors (NET trial) has continued to enroll patients. This trial is conducted in the US under a collaborative clinical research agreement with the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC), under which the FCCC will be conducting different collaborative combination clinical trials with iadademstat, with Oryzon providing funding, the drug and technical expertise. The IND for this trial was approved by the FDA in November 2022 and the first patient was enrolled in January 2023. Preparations for new trials in combination in solid tumors are continuing. In SCLC, the STELLAR trial a randomized, multicenter Phase Ib/II study of iadademstat plus a checkpoint inhibitor in first line extensive-stage SCLC is being prepared. The company believes that STELLAR could potentially support an application for accelerated approval.

Vafidemstat in large multifactorial CNS indications: Positive results obtained in the interim analysis of PORTICO, a Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). These results were determined by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) on March 30, 2023 based on the efficacy and safety data of the first 90 patients who completed treatment, with the trial being determined to be non-futile and to be continued with the planned enrollment number . The trial has continued to actively enroll patients in Europe and the US. PORTICO is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vafidemstat in BPD patients. The trial has two independent primary objectives: reduction of aggression/agitation and overall BPD improvement. The study aims to include about 188 patients, distributed between two arms. Preliminary blinded aggregate safety data from the first randomized 43 patients were previously presented at the 10 th European Conference on Mental Health (ECMH) last September. There were no reported serious adverse events. Forty-one adverse reactions, affecting 12 patients treated either with vafidemstat or placebo were reported, most of them mild and none reported as severe, with none leading to treatment discontinuation or patient withdrawal. PORTICO safety data is aligned with aggregated safety data collected from different vafidemstat clinical trials, in which more than 370 subjects have been treated with the drug. Current data of PORTICO continue to support that vafidemstat is safe and well-tolerated.

European Conference on Mental Health (ECMH) last September. There were no reported serious adverse events. Forty-one adverse reactions, affecting 12 patients treated either with vafidemstat or placebo were reported, most of them mild and none reported as severe, with none leading to treatment discontinuation or patient withdrawal. PORTICO safety data is aligned with aggregated safety data collected from different vafidemstat clinical trials, in which more than 370 subjects have been treated with the drug. Current data of PORTICO continue to support that vafidemstat is safe and well-tolerated. The EVOLUTION Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with schizophrenia has continued to enroll patients. This Phase IIb study aims to evaluate the efficacy of vafidemstat on negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. This project is partially financed with public funds from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and is being carried out in various Spanish hospitals. Vafidemstat in monogenic CNS indications: We are finalizing the preparation of a new precision medicine trial in Kabuki Syndrome (KS). This Phase I/II trial, named HOPE, will be a multicenter, multi-arm, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial to explore the safety and efficacy of vafidemstat in improving several impairments described in KS patients. The trial plans to enroll 50-60 patients and will be carried out in several hospitals and sites in the United States and, possibly, in Europe. The company is in a dialogue with the regulatory agencies to refine the final design of this trial and expects to submit the IND for HOPE to the FDA in 2023.

Our precision medicine programs in psychiatric disease continue to progress. We have collaborations in autism with researchers at the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the Institute of Medical and Molecular Genetics (INGEMM) at Hospital Universitario La Paz of Madrid and in schizophrenia with researchers from Columbia University in New York. The results of the ongoing pilot studies to characterize patients with specific mutations to inform subsequent precision psychiatry clinical trials with vafidemstat are ongoing. Earlier stage programs: ORY-4001, a selective histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC-6) inhibitor, nominated as clinical development candidate for the treatment of certain neurological diseases as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and others. HDAC6 inhibitors have been previously proposed as potentially effective treatments for CMT, ALS and other neurological disorders that lack effective treatments. In 2022, Oryzon and the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), a U.S.-based patient-led, non-profit organization focused on delivering treatments and cures for CMT, entered into an agreement to explore Oryzons HDAC-6 inhibitors in CMT models. ORY-4001 has shown multiple positive responses in a validated CMT1A peripheral neuropathy in vivo model which reliably recapitulates many of the symptoms of this condition in humans. ORY-4001 will enter now into IND enabling studies to prepare the compound for clinical studies.

Financial Update: First Quarter 2023 Financial Results Research and development (R&D) expenses were $4.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $4.2million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. General and administrative expenses were $1.2 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $1.3 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. Net losseswere $1.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $1.7 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. The result is as expected, given the biotechnology business model where companies in the development phase typically have a long-term maturation period for products, and do not have recurrent income.



Negative net result was $1.8 million (-$0.03 per share) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, is in line with the negative net result incurred during the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $20.0 million as of March 31, 2023.

ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. BALANCE SHEET DATA (UNAUDITED)1 (Amounts in thousands US $) March 31st, 2023 March 31st, 2022 Cash and cash equivalents 20,039 28,028 Marketable securities 0 0 Total Assets 112,321 103,462 Deferred revenue 3,201 941 Total Stockholders' equity 82,334 77,296



ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)1 (US $, amounts in thousands except per share data) Three Months Ended December 31st 2023 2022 Collaboration Revenue 0 0 Operating expenses: Research and Development 4,372 4,228 General and administrative 1,223 1,343 Total operating expenses 5,595 5,571 Loss from Operations -5,595 -5,571 Other income, net 4,215 3,826 Net Loss -1,380 -1,745 Net Financial & Tax -392 -67 0 Net Result -1,772 -1,812 Loss per share allocable to common stockholders: Basic -0.03 -0.03 Diluted -0.03 -0.03 Weighted average Shares outstanding Basic 56,190,338 52,761,554 Diluted 57,514,803 52,761,554 1 Spanish GAAP * Exchange Euro/Dollar (1.0875 for 2023 and 1.1101 in 2022) About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European leader in epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field, with two LSD1 inhibitors, iadademstat and vafidemstat, in Phase II clinical trials, and other pipeline assets directed against other epigenetic targets. In addition, Oryzon has a strong platform for biomarker identification and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. For more information, visit www.oryzon.com About Iadademstat

Iadademstat (ORY-1001) is a small oral molecule, which acts as a highly selective inhibitor of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and has a powerful differentiating effect in hematologic cancers (see Maes et al., Cancer Cell 2018 Mar 12; 33 (3): 495-511.e12.doi: 10.1016 / j.ccell.2018.02.002.). A FiM Phase I/IIa clinical trial with iadademstat in R/R AML patients demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of the drug and preliminary signs of antileukemic activity, including a CRi (see Salamero et al, J Clin Oncol, 2020, 38(36): 4260-4273. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.03250). In a recently completed Phase IIa trial in elder 1L-AML patients (ALICE trial), iadademstat has shown encouraging safety and efficacy data in combination with azacitidine (see Salamero et al., ASH 2022 oral presentation). Iadademstatis currently being evaluated in combination with gilteritinib in the Phase Ib FRIDA trialin patients with relapsed/refractory AML with FLT3 mutations. Beyond hematological cancers, the inhibition of LSD1 has been proposed as a valid therapeutic approach in some solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroendocrine tumors (NET), medulloblastoma and others. In a Phase IIa trial in combination with platinum/etoposide in second line ED-SCLC patients (CLEPSIDRA trial), preliminary activity and safety results have been reported (see Navarro et al., ESMO 2018 poster). Iadademstat is being evaluated in a collaborative Phase II basket study with the Fox Chase Cancer Center in combination with paclitaxel in R/R neuroendocrine carcinomas, and the company is preparing a new trial in combination in SCLC. Oryzon has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) to collaborate on potential further clinical development of iadademstat in different types of solid and hematological cancers. In total iadademstat has been dosed so far to more than 100 cancer patients in four clinical trials. Iadademstat has orphan drug designation for SCLC in the US and for AML in the US and EU. About Vafidemstat

Vafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed two Phase IIa clinical trials in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE) and in aggressive/agitated patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), with positive clinical results reported in both. Additional finalized Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat include the ETHERAL trial in patients with Mild to Moderate AD, where a significant reduction of the inflammatory biomarker YKL40 has been observed after 6 and 12 months of treatment, and the pilot, small scale SATEEN trial in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS, where antiinflammatory activity has also been observed. Vafidemstat has also been tested in a Phase II in severe Covid-19 patients (ESCAPE) assessing the capability of the drug to prevent ARDS, one of the most severe complications of the viral infection, where it showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in severe Covid-19 patients. Currently, vafidemstat is in two Phase IIb trials in borderline personality disorder (PORTICO) and in schizophrenia patients (EVOLUTION). The company is also deploying a CNS precision medicine approach with vafidemstat in genetically-defined patient subpopulations of certain CNS disorders and is preparing a clinical trial in Kabuki Syndrome patients. The company is also exploring the clinical development of vafidemstat in other neurodevelopmental syndromes. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements. IR, US IR & Media, Europe Spain Oryzon Ashley R. Robinson Sandya von der Weid Patricia Cobo/



Daniel Foley Saikat Nandi LifeSci Advisors, LLC LifeSci Advisors, LLC Atrevia Chief Business Officer +1 617 430 7577 +41 78 680 05 38 +34 91 564 07 25



+ 34 672 447 094 +1 917 208 8293 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]



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Goddard Systems, LLC, Honors Exceptional Early Childhood Educators

Goddard Systems, LLC, (GSL), the franchisor of The Goddard School, the nation's leading premium early childhood education provider, is honored to recognize 16 teachers from across the country for their outstanding efforts and commitment to students this past year.

Now in its 17th year, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards celebrates Goddard School educators who use their passion for teaching to encourage a sense of joy in the learning process. This year, teachers from across The Goddard School's more than 600 locations were nominated by school owners, fellow teachers and families in four classroom categories (infant, toddler, preschool/pre-k and kindergarten/school-age) across four regions (northeast, southeast, central and west). Sixteen teachers, which includes one grand prize Teacher of the Year winner, were selected for their embodiment of competence, leadership, creativity and a nurturing demeanor.

"At the Goddard School, we are fortunate to have teachers committed to instilling a love of learning in their students in classrooms across the country," said Dennis R. Maple, chairman and CEO, GSL. "It's truly an honor to recognize and celebrate these award-winning teachers for their dedication to Goddard students and families. Because of their steadfast efforts, Goddard students will continue to flourish for years to come."

16 Regional Winners

This year's 16 winning Goddard teachers were selected from more than 3,100 nominations. All 16 regional winners created strong bonds between home and school and incorporated their own passions into their teaching while continuing to ensure the health and safety of their students. In addition to being named a 2023 Goddard School Teacher of the Year, GSL gifted each of the regional winners a $1,000 cash award and dedicated a custom set of Life Lesson Library books, Goddard's exclusive social-emotional development program, to each school in the teacher's name. Congratulations to the following teachers:

Northeast Region Winners:

Southeast Region Winners:







West Region Winners:

Grand Prize Winner

In addition to being a regional winner, The Goddard School of Collegeville, PA's Alex Frangoulis was named The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards' grand prize winner. Frangoulis has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students and families during his 5-year tenure at the school.

"I absolutely love coming to work every day to support the children at The Goddard School of Collegeville," said Frangoulis. "I appreciate everyone in our school family who nominated me for this award. It was a lovely surprise and I am truly honored to be chosen among so many caring and hardworking early childhood educators."

Several children who have graduated from his kindergarten program have returned years later to visit because their time with him made learning a fun and memorable experience. Frangoulis consistently breaks down concepts into relatable stories and activities that have practical application in a child's everyday life. When teaching about different world cultures and communities, for example, he always invites families to share aspects of their respective cultures. As the grand prize winner, GSL honored Frangoulis with an additional $5,000 cash award.

"A child's social and emotional development is just as crucial as their academic growth, and these teachers exemplify perfecting that partnership through early childhood education," said Dr. Lauren Starnes, senior vice president and chief academic officer, GSL. "We are so appreciative of their commitment to fully preparing their students for the next steps in both their academic and life journeys. We can't thank them enough for all that they do for their students and families."

For more information about The Goddard School, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards and this year's winners, please visit GoddardSchool.com.

ABOUT GODDARD SYSTEMS, LLC

Established in 1988, Goddard Systems, LLC (GSL), the franchisor of The Goddard School, is the acknowledged leader in the premium early childcare and education market segment. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSL has been consistently named one of the top childcare franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales) by Franchise Times. Goddard Systems currently licenses more than 600 Goddard School franchises that serve more than 75,000 students in 37 states. For more information, visit goddardschoolfranchise.com.

ABOUT THE GODDARD SCHOOL

Learning for fun. Learning for life.

Children learn best through experience. The Goddard School uses current, academically endorsed methods to ensure that children have fun while learning the skills they need for long-term success in school and in life.

The distinctive structure positions schools to support the needs of families and helps ensure that children are known and appreciated for their individual talents and personalities. The Goddard School's F.L.EX. Learning Program (Fun Learning Experience) helps children explore and discover their interests in a safe, nurturing environment. And a team of acknowledged experts in various fields of early childhood education guides the course of study.

Additionally, this program has earned Cognia Accreditation and Middle States Corporate Accreditation for creating policies, programs and standards that help franchised locations meet high standards in early learning, child development and childcare. The Goddard School serves more than 75,000 students from six weeks to six years old in 37 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more about The Goddard School, please visit GoddardSchool.com.

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[May 10, 2023] Network Innovations Signs MoU with Rivada Space Networks to Support Government and Enterprise Connectivity

Low latency and high security are key for data communications CALGARY, AB and MUNICH, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rivada Space Networks (RSN) and Network Innovations (NI) have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to bring innovative connectivity solutions to the government and enterprise markets. Network Innovations is a global technology integrator that keeps people, places and things connected anywhere in the world with always-available communications and networking solutions. Its customers operate in industries including government and defense, public safety, oil and gas, media, mining, utilities, recreation, and maritime. Rivada's first-of-its-kind LEO constellation will offer access to a secure satellite network with pole-to-pole reach, offering end-to-end latencies similar to or better than terrestrial fiber. The RSN satellite architecture combines inter-satellite laser links with advanced onboard data routers to create an optical mesh network in space. This approach to "orbital networking," delivers a highly secure data network by routing traffic on a physically separated network, providing a layer of defense for any organization that needs to securely share data over long distances. It is a unique capability for business operations in the telecom, enterprise, maritime, energy and government services markets. Network Innovations' initial cooperation with RSN will include the formation of an advisory board to exchange information on technical support and explore joint marketing and promotional initiatives. Network Innovations aims to become a key reseller of RSN's unique connectivity for the government and enterprise sectors. "Early on, Rivada has positioned itself as a disruptive leader in the global satellite industry, and we are thrilled to sign this MoU agreement with them," said Frank Czulo, president of Network Innovations Advanced Networks division. "Moreover, we see this as a symbol of two great companies cooperating to bring the best possible solutions to our customers." Declan Ganley, CEO, Rivada Space Networks, said: "With our manufacturing and launch-services agreements in place, we are seeing strong demand from our customer base, and are moving ahead at full speed with our partners to deliver our ground-breaking constellation." He added: "Network providers are now seeing the unique opportunities ourconstellations provide and we are delighted to be working with Network Innovations, a leading global technology integrator for the government and enterprise sectors. Both of our companies see the importance of providing ultra secure, highly reliable low latency communications anywhere on the globe."



NOTE TO EDITORS Network Innovations will be at SOF Week, 9-11 May in Tampa Florida. Contact: [email protected]

Rivada Space Networks will be at CYBER LEO, 10-12 June in Los Angeles. Contact: [email protected] About Rivada Space Networks

Rivada Space Networks GmbH is a disruptive new company set to establish and operate the first truly global low latency point-to-point connectivity network of LEO satellites. By connecting its satellites with lasers, Rivada Space Networks will provide resellers and B2B customers with the ability to securely connect any two points on the globe with low latency and high bandwidth. The constellations, comprising 600 low-earth-orbit communications satellites, will represent a fundamental change in the availability of secure, global, end-to-end enterprise-grade connectivity for Telecom, Enterprise, Maritime, Energy and Government Services markets. Rivada Space Networks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rivada Networks, Inc. www.rivadaspace.com Follow Rivada Space Networks on:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rivadaspace

Twitter: @rivadaspace About Network Innovations Network Innovations is a global technology integrator that keeps people, places and things connected anywhere in the world with always-available communications and networking solutions. Its customers operate in industries including government and defense, public safety, oil and gas, media, mining, utilities, recreation, and maritime. Established in 1989, Network Innovations is headquartered in Calgary, Canada, and employs over 250 industry experts across five continents. For more information, please visit www.networkinv.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/network-innovations/ Media Contacts: Ken Wilson

Vice President, Marketing

Network Innovations

Mobile: 403-835-6819

Email: [email protected] Melanie Dickie, SVP Marketing & Communications

Rivada Space Networks GmbH

Tel: +31 6 14 22 97 62

Email: [email protected]m Brian Carney, SVP Corporate Communications

Rivada Networks, Inc

Tel: +1 (207) 256-0386

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/network-innovations-signs-mou-with-rivada-space-networks-to-support-government-and-enterprise-connectivity-301820174.html SOURCE Rivada Space Networks

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[May 10, 2023] Paessler AG's Heather Pacan named to CRN's 2023 Women of the Channel List

CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Paessler AG, best known for the monitoring software Paessler PRTG, is proud to announce that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Heather Pacan, Paessler's vice president, Americas, Sales Support, to the 2023 Women of the Channel list. Every year, CRN recognizes women from vendor, distributor, and solution provider organizations whose expertise and vision are leaving a noticeable and commendable mark on the technology industry. 2023 is the second year that Pacan was honored on this prestigious list. Heather Pacan , Paessler AG's vice president, Americas, Sales Support, named to CRN's 2023 Women of the Channel list. The CRN 2023 Women of the Channel honorees bring their creativity, strategic thinking, and leadership to bear in a variety of roles and responsibilities, but all are turning their unique talents toward driving success for their partners and customers. With this recognition, CRN honors these women for their unwavering dedication and commitment to furthering channel excellence. Pacan was selected due to leading Paessler's pre-sales technical support, customer service and retention, and post-sales tech support for North and South American channel partners. She streamlined security requirements documentation for hannel partners prior to purchasing PRTG, which is a critical step with the heightened level of cyber-attacks. She also helped channel partners grow their services businesses by helping them earn implementation certifications, thus resulting in a stronger channel network.



Within the Paessler organization, Pacan continued to enhance an internal program where pre-sales technical support engineers are paired with sales and marketing team members to build their technical experience to better consult channel partners during the sales process, and conversely, help pre-sales better understand how to support the sales and marketing teams. Additionally, she led the team that developed a new phone support program for Paessler's customers with large-scale, enterprise licenses, allowing for more complex live support for channel partners. "We are so proud that Heather's impact on the channel is being once again recognized by her inclusion on such an esteemed list of channel leaders," said Helmut Binder, CEO of Paessler. "Her exceptional vision and expertise have significantly contributed to the enhancement of Paessler's channel partners' managed services portfolios and potential recurring revenue streams with monitoring services."

"We are ecstatic to announce this year's honorees and shine a light on these women for their significant achievements, knowing that what they've accomplished has paved the way for continued success within the IT channel," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "The channel is stronger because of them, and we look forward to seeing what they do next." The 2023 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage starting May 8 at www.CRN.com/WOTC. ABOUT PAESSLER AG Paessler believes monitoring plays a vital part in reducing humankind's consumption of resources. Monitoring data helps its customers save resources, from optimizing their IT, OT, and IoT infrastructures to reducing energy consumption or emissions  for our future and our environment. That is why Paessler offers monitoring solutions for businesses across all industries and all sizes, from SMBs to large enterprises. Paessler works with renowned partners, and together they tackle the monitoring challenges of an ever-changing world. Since 1997, when Paessler first introduced PRTG Network Monitor, it has combined its in-depth monitoring knowledge with an innovative spirit. Today, more than 500,000 users in over 170 countries rely on PRTG and other Paessler solutions to monitor their complex IT, OT, and IoT infrastructures. Paessler's products empower its customers to monitor everything and thus help them optimize their resources. Learn more about Paessler and its products at www.paessler.com ABOUT THE CHANNEL COMPANY The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter and LinkedIn.  2023. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paessler-ags-heather-pacan-named-to-crns-2023-women-of-the-channel-list-301820739.html SOURCE Paessler AG - The Monitoring Experts

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[May 10, 2023] Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Opportunity Finance Network Announce Contribution to Support Affordable Housing Initiatives

Morgan Stanley Investment Management ("MSIM") and Opportunity Finance Network ("OFN") today announced the first contribution related to MSIM's money market funds' Impact Class shares. The contribution in the amount of $250,000 was made to OFN's Finance Justice Fund, MSIM's diversity and inclusion partner for the Impact Class shares. "We are pleased to join Morgan Stanley Investment Management in this innovative partnership for impact," said Beth Lipson, Interim CEO and Chief Financial Officer of Opportunity Finance Network. "Their support of our Finance Justice Fund will accelerate the work of our member community development financial institutions investing in affordable housing and other anchors of vibrant communities." To maximize the impact of MSIM's contribution, OFN has selected two organizations that advance community development and affordable housing initiatives as grant recipients. These organizations, both certified community development financial institutions, are the Housing Assistance Council and the Midwest Housing Development Fund. The Housing Assistance Council is a national non-profit that supports affordable housing throughout rural America. The Midwest Housing Development Fund is a regional non-profit that focuses on lending to developers of affordable housing properties that serve households at or below 60% of area median income. "We are thrilled with the initial reception the Impact Class Shares has received among investors as well as with the inaugural contribution," said Fred McMullen, Co-Head of MSIM's Global Liquidity Solutions Business. "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is a core value of Morgan Stanley, and we are pleased to support the Firm's commitment with this innovative product offering." The Impact Classes represent the latest in the series of product structures across the Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds money market fund lineup that are designed for socially conscious liquidity investors. MSIM has committed to contribute, from its own resources, at least 0.02% of the net annualized assets under management in the Impact Class shares to support DE&I initiatives. About Opportunity Finance Network Opportunity Finance Network is a leading national network of more than 390 community development financial institutions (CDFIs), specialized lenders that provide affordable, responsible financial products and services in low-income rural, urban, and Native communities nationwide. As a trusted intermediary btween CDFIs and the public and private sectors, OFN works with its partners - banks, philanthropies, corporations, government agencies - to create economic opportunity for all by strengthening and investing in CDFIs. Since its founding in 1986 and through 2021, the network has originated $100.4 billion in financing in rural, urban and Native communities, helping to create or maintain more than 2.6 million jobs, start or expand more than 696,000 businesses and microenterprises, and support the development or rehabilitation of more than 2.3 million housing units and more than 13,600 community facility projects.



About Morgan Stanley Investment Management Morgan Stanley Investment Management, together with its investment advisory affiliates, has over 1,300 investment professionals around the world and $1.4 trillion in assets under management or supervision as of March 31, 2023. Morgan Stanley Investment Management strives to provide outstanding long-term investment performance, client service, and a comprehensive suite of investment management solutions to a diverse client base, which includes governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals worldwide. For further information about Morgan Stanley Investment Management, please visit http://www.morganstanley.com/im.

About Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the portfolios carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the portfolios. To obtain a prospectus, download one at www.morganstanley.com/liquidity or call 1.800.236.0992. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds Government (IMPXX) You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Funds' sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time. Prime (IMTXX) You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Because the share price of the Fund will fluctuate, when you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you originally paid for them. The Fund may impose a fee upon the sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund's liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Funds' sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time. Morgan Stanley Distribution, Inc. serves as distributor for the Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds. Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) is the asset management division of Morgan Stanley. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005836/en/

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[May 10, 2023]

Minister Guilbeault Announces Federal Support to Plant Over 275,000 New Trees Across Montreal Region

MONTREAL, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Forests and trees clean the air that we breathe, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity and help cool our urban centres. They also capture and store carbon, making them an effective natural way to fight climate change.

Today, as part of the Montreal Climate Summit, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced over $40 million in federal funding under the 2 Billion Trees program for three tree-planting initiatives across Montreal and Vaudreuil-Dorion, which will collectively support the planting of over 275,000 trees.

The first project, led by Societe de verdissement du Montreal metropolitain (Soverdi) and Alliance foret urbaine, aims to plant 200,000 trees by 2030 on private and institutional lands through thousands of projects in schoolyards, hospitals, parking lots and company grounds where citizens live and work. The Government of Canada is investing $19.9 million in this project, which is also receiving $40 million in funding from municipalities, including the City of Montreal, and $20 million in private funding.

The second project, with the City of Montreal, will result in the planting of over 64,000 trees over two years in areas of the city prone to heat waves. Trees will be planted across 19 neighbourhoods, using trees to naturally cool neighbourhoods and protect the city's most vulnerable residents. The Government of Canada is contributing $19.8 million, the Government of Quebec is contributing $10.9 million, and the City of Montreal is contributing $10.3 million to this project.

The third project, with the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, resulted in the planting of over 11,000 trees in 2022 throughout the community of Vaudreuil-Dorion. The project, originally highlighted by Minister Guilbeault on Earth Day this year, will also provide employment activities related to tree planting as well as internship opportunities for students. The Government of Canada is contributing $485,070, and the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion is contributing $485,070 to this project.

The Government of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program is helping keep our air clean, keep neighbourhoods cool in the summer, create thousands of jobs and fight climate change while protecting nature.

By working together with provinces, territories, local communities and Indigenous Peoples, Canada continues to build a strong, healthy future for generations to come.

Quotes

"We know that one of the best tools we have to fight climate change is nature. It's also one of our best tools to build thriving, livable cities. Planting over a quarter of a million new trees in Montreal will in every way make for a happier city and a healthier planet."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Trees are essential to our lives  they capture carbon, improve air quality and support wildlife  and they are important allies in our fight against climate change. That's why Canada has committed to planting two billin trees. Through this investment to plant over 275,000 trees in and around Montreal, we are collaborating with municipal, provincial and local partners to help deliver more climate-resilient communities while delivering clean air for the next generation."







The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Natural Resources

"The urban forest is an invaluable collective asset that must be taken care of because, in addition to contributing greatly to our collective quality of life, it is essential for the city to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. In urban areas, trees are a jewel that contribute to the quality of life of the population. They act as a filter that helps ensure air quality. They reduce the presence of heat islands and prevent flooding by slowing water runoff during heavy rains. This investment will multiply the concrete actions taken by the City of Montreal and its partners, such as Soverdi, to green neighbourhoods and leave future generations a greener environment better adapted to climate change."

Valerie Plante

Mayor, City of Montreal

"We are pleased to receive this funding, which demonstrates both the confidence placed in us by the federal government and the importance of the urban forest in climate change adaptation. With this funding, which extends to 2030, Soverdi and its partners of the Alliance foret urbaine can make long-term greening projects that promote biodiversity and connectivity on private and institutional lands accessible across time and territory. This concrete and concerted approach makes it possible to mobilize the entire community and develop structuring projects while keeping the human element at the heart of the process."

Malin Anagrius

President, Soverdi, and representative of the Alliance foret urbaine

"I would like to thank the Government of Canada for this grant, which has allowed us to increase by 10,000 trees our annual planting, which normally varies between 400 and 600 trees annually over the past 10 years. Since the urban perimeter of our city was built on land without trees, it became a priority for us to create an urban forest. This priority is in fact part of our Strategic Planning 2020-2025."

Guy Pilon

Mayor, City of Vaudreuil-Dorion

Quick Facts

Today, Canada's Natural Resources Minister, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, is meeting with provincial and territorial counterparts at the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers in St. Andrews, New Brunswick , to advance collaboration on priorities including climate action and reforestation.

Natural Resources Minister, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, is meeting with provincial and territorial counterparts at the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers in , to advance collaboration on priorities including climate action and reforestation. Growing Canada's forests and improving their health are a critical part of the Government of Canada's strategy to address and mitigate the effects of climate change.

forests and improving their health are a critical part of the Government of strategy to address and mitigate the effects of climate change. Forests are a nature-based climate solution: trees conserve biodiversity, protect and conserve water resources, and lower emissions by capturing and storing excess carbon.

As of March 2023 , the program has received over 400 applications and provided over $120 million in grants and contributions funding to support organizations planting trees across the country and in all types of environments  remote, rural and urban, benefiting not only Canadians but also supporting biodiversity and restoration efforts from coast to coast.

, the program has received over 400 applications and provided over in grants and contributions funding to support organizations planting trees across the country and in all types of environments  remote, rural and urban, benefiting not only Canadians but also supporting biodiversity and restoration efforts from coast to coast. Overall, agreements are signed and under negotiation to support organizations and governments in planting over 260 million trees under all five 2 Billion Trees program streams.

Environment and Climate Change Canada, through the Canada Nature Fund and the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund , is engaging and partnering with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners toward restoring Canada's vast and diverse landscapes in order to recover and protect biodiversity and species at risk.

and the , is engaging and partnering with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners toward restoring vast and diverse landscapes in order to recover and protect biodiversity and species at risk. The Government of Canada has committed to invest $1.4 billion over 10 years (20212031) in the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund. This program will help Canada meet its target to reduce five to seven megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030, using nature-based solutions.

Related Information

Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan ( http://twitter.com/nrcan )

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
[May 10, 2023] Stephens Hires Andrew "Vu" Ritchie as Vice President of Government Relations

Stephens today announced the hiring of Andrew "Vu" Ritchie as Vice President of Government Relations. In this role, Mr. Ritchie will manage Stephens legislative priorities at the federal, state, and local level and serve as a policy advisor to Stephens executive leadership. He will begin on May 15, and work from Stephens Little Rock headquarters. "Vu is a consummate strategist and well-matched to advancing policy and corporate advocacy initiatives, as well as navigating the financial services regulatory landscape. This work is not only significant to Stephens, but to our clients," stated Warren Stephens, Chairman, President and CEO. "I am pleased to welcome Vu, and I look forward to his contributions." "Stephens has been an effective champion of the financial services sector, the investment community, Arkansas, and the many markets it serves. I look forward to continuing Stephens' advocacy efforts, and to being part of this extraordinary organization," said Andrew Ritchie. Mr. Ritchie joins Stephens following a decade of legal and advisory work. Much of his career has been spent within Arkansas's executive and leislative branches, where he served as chief legal counsel to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and as a senior policy advisor and legal counsel for Senator Tom Cotton and Governor Asa Hutchinson. Additionally, Mr. Ritchie was a senior advisor to Administrator Seema Verma within the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid and began his career as an associate attorney at the Little Rock firm, Hope, Trice, O'Dwyer & Wilson, P.A. He holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law.



About Stephens "Stephens" (the company brand name) is a leading family-owned investment firm that includes Stephens Inc. (member NYSE/SIPC), Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, Stephens Insurance, LLC, and Stephens Capital Partners LLC.  2023 Stephens.

Stephens Inc. is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1933, Stephens Inc. provides securities brokerage, investment banking and other financial services to a broad client base which includes corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions, institutional investors, and individual investors throughout the United States and overseas. Stephens Inc. (Home Office: 111 Center Street, Little Rock, AR USA, 501-377-2000) is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Member SIPC/NYSE. For more information, visit www.stephens.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005684/en/

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[May 10, 2023] Historic $100 Million Gift to Brigham and Women's Hospital to Establish Institute of Immunology and Inflammation of the Brigham, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School

Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham, today announces a historic $100 million gift from eminent biotechnology entrepreneur Gene Lay, MS, DVM, founder and CEO of BioLegend, Inc., through the Laygend Foundation. The landmark gift-the largest in the Brigham's history-will establish The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), also a founding member of Mass General Brigham, and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Vijay Kuchroo, DVM, PhD, an immunologist and principal investigator at the Brigham, will serve as inaugural director of the institute, which will be located at and administered by the Brigham. Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Immunology at HMS, and Ramnik Xavier, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology at MGH, will serve as the institute's vice directors. "I have always been fascinated by the immune system's ability to heal the body," says Lay. "And I've had a longstanding relationship with and respect for the scientists in the Harvard medical community, who played an instrumental role in my career. With this gift, I am bringing together the best scientific minds I know to translate research discoveries into therapies for immune-mediated diseases rooted in chronic inflammation." With a philanthropic investment of $100 million, the new institute will leverage the collective strengths of Boston and HMS-affiliated immunology and biomedical experts and their collaborations with some of the world's most distinguished scientists. Kuchroo will lead day-to-day operations, convening core and affiliated faculty and trainees around three central platforms: basic science, translational science, and technology. The primary areas of research will include basic understanding of immune-mediated diseases, aging, and cancer and translation of this knowledge to the development of new immunotherapies. In addition, the Gene Lay Institute will provide substantial training opportunities for students and fellows to support immunology innovators of the future. "We are honored to receive this historic and visionary gift from Dr. Lay, who is deeply committed to solving an emerging trend in medicine-the rise of chronic inflammation associated with increased levels of disease and sffering," says Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, president of the Brigham and executive vice president of Mass General Brigham. "This will amplify our ability to improve the quality of patients' lives across the country and around the world. We're thrilled to be part of this pivotal moment in the field of medicine."



"During the past several decades, the astounding rise in inflammatory diseases has made it increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is a root cause of many diseases-not only allergies and autoimmune diseases, but also cancer and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases," says Kuchroo. "This transformative gift and investment will allow some of the best immunologists of our time to address this epidemic head-on and build new knowledge to promote basic understanding for preventing and treating immune-mediated diseases." Adds George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, dean of HMS, "As we've seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and modes of scientific inquiry is key to addressing our most confounding scientific and medical challenges. We're deeply grateful for this opportunity to convene the best immunologists in the world to bring solutions to patients and families."

Lay is the founder of San Diego-based BioLegend, now part of Revvity, Inc., which is a global life sciences and diagnostics company. BioLegend focuses on the development and production of high-quality antibodies, proteins, and assays for cellular immunity, inflammation, cancer, stem cells, and other reagents required for research and diagnosis. Since its founding in 2002, BioLegend has expanded its reach across the globe, with research and development facilities in Taiwan and Japan, as well as subsidiaries in Taiwan, Japan, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France. Lay continues to give back to the scientific community while pursuing his dream of cultivating more expertise in Taiwan, the country where he was born. About Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital is a founding member of Mass General Brigham and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. With nearly 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 50,000 inpatient stays, and over 2.6 million outpatient encounters annually, clinicians across the Brigham provide compassionate, high-quality care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally, nationally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical, and translational research, Brigham and Women's Hospital has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by nearly $750 million in funding. The Brigham's medical preeminence and service to the community dates to 1832, with the opening of the Boston Lying In, one of the nation's first maternity hospitals designed to care for women unable to afford in-home medical care. Its merger with the Free Hospital for Women resulted in the Boston Hospital for Women in 1966. In 1980, the Boston Hospital for Women, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital officially merged to become Brigham and Women's Hospital. With nearly 21,000 employees across the Brigham family - including the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization and Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital - that rich history is the foundation for our commitment to providing superb care for some of the most complex cases, pursuing breakthroughs in biomedical research, training the next generation of health care providers, and serving the local and global community. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005276/en/

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[May 10, 2023] Umbria Network joins Avalanche ecosystem and announces further Web3 collaborations

London, UK, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Online Blockchain plc, administrator, co-ordinator and adviser to Umbria Network - https://umbria.network/ -, reveals the latest developments for the platform's cross-chain asset bridge.

Umbrias Narni bridge, which facilitates the cheap and fast transfer of crypto assets between the Ethereum mainnet and a number of EVM-compatible chains, has been added to the Avalanche ecosystem. Avalanche is a leading layer one blockchain built to scale; Umbrias listing can be viewed here: https://core.app/discover/project/umbria-network/ This complements the protocols listings on the Arbitrum Portal and Polygon, Optimism and Fantom Foundation ecosystems.

Partnerships with a variety of projects across the Web3 space have increased awareness of the Umbria brand and provided uplift in bridging transactions. NFT and GameFi projects Polygon Ape, Cyber Stadium, Taco Tribe, The Rocky Horror Show NFTs, Violet Gallery, Kimoji and The Metas are among platforms that have recently integrated Umbria's bridge widget and/or partnered with Umbria. EMG, a Web3 venture within the Emeldi Group, is currently integrating the widget into its Super App - the worlds first Web3 telco super app built on the blockchain.

Community endorsements have also played a vital role in the organic growth of Umbria Network. The recent migration of Y00ts, one of the biggest NFT projects on Solana, to the Polygon network saw a large-scale onboarding to Umbria predominantly due to social proof. Other profile and community-building activities include listing on Magic Square, the discoveryand engagement platform for the Web3 crypto ecosystem, and launching community Missions on Web3 resource Truts.



"We continue to gain traction through partnerships with projects both large and small and are primed to make further advancements as the shoots of crypto spring emerge, said Clem Chambers, CEO of Online Blockchain plc. The addition to a prominent ecosystem such as Avalanche and increasing advocacy from the DeFi, NFT and blockchain gaming communities further augment our position in the market. Any project interested in integrating the bridge widget and earning fees should fill out this form: https://referral.umbria.network/

- Ends -

See the latest data on UMBR on CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/umbria-network/news/

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/umbria-network

About Umbria Network Umbria Network's Narni bridge is a capital-efficient, multi-chain asset bridge. It enables the fast and cheap bi-directional bridging of crypto assets between the Ethereum Mainnet and a range of EVM-compatible blockchains (Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Fantom, Binance Chain and Optimism). The bridge facilitates cross-chain migration of assets by simultaneously holding multiple assets on multiple chains in liquidity pools. https://bridge.umbria.network

Pool and Earn The Narni bridge generates fee-based rewards to liquidity providers as an incentive for liquidity provision. There is no lock in period and no impermanent loss. There are two types of liquidity provision for the bridge: Staking a *single* asset to the bridge Those staking a single asset to the bridge (such as ETH, USDC, USDT, MATIC WBTC) - on a single network  earn 40% of the bridging fee whenever someone bridges that asset to that network. They earn in that asset. Staking $UMBR (Umbrias native token) to the bridge UMBR stakers in the pool earn 60% of all fees generated by the bridge, paid every minute in ETH, MATIC, USDC, USDT, GHST, WBTC and UMBR. https://bridge.umbria.network/staking-pool/



For media enquiries, contact Francesca De Franco - francesca(at)onlineblockchain.io

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An artist works on a sand sculpture during a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt, on May 10, 2023. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening.

Thirteen entrants from Alexandria University, Matrouh University and Damietta University took part in the event.

Mohamed Ehab from Alexandria University won first place with his sculpture depicting the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a main library and cultural center in Alexandria.

Nancy Khaled, also from Alexandria University, won second with her turtle sculpture with a castle on its back.

Omniya Raafat, the third-place winner from Matrouh University, shared her "excellent" but "difficult" experience while making her gorilla sculpture.

"While I was working on my sculpture, half of it collapsed due to the wind, which frustrated me a lot. But many people said they liked my entry and encouraged me to continue," she recalled, saying the prize made all her efforts worthwhile.

Other artworks include a half-face half-book sculpture from Abedel-Rahman Mohamed, a 19-year-old art student from Alexandria University.

"I sculpted a portrait of half a face which is wrapped in chains with the key hidden in the other half -- an open book, symbolizing the importance of reading," the young man explained his artwork to Xinhua.

Alexandria Governor Mohamed Taher Elsherief said they planned to hold the sculpture festival every year.

"It's a beautiful art gathering that sheds light on the talents of our youth in Alexandria and other provinces," the governor added.

The event attracted a lot of visitors who came to admire the displayed sand artwork while enjoying the seaside view.

Saeed Attiya, a retiree who's currently living in Alexandria, hailed the festival as "beautiful and new," saying, "it's a nice festival, and we've had a beautiful day here."

"Art is a beautiful thing, without which one cannot live," the visitor added. 

An artist works on a sand sculpture during a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt, on May 10, 2023. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

People view sand sculptures during a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt, on May 10, 2023. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

An artist works on a sand sculpture during a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt, on May 10, 2023. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Photo taken on May 10, 2023 shows sand sculptures at a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

An artist works on a sand sculpture during a sand sculpture festival in Alexandria, Egypt, on May 10, 2023. The four-day Alexandria Sand Sculpture Festival, the first of its kind held by Alexandria governorate to promote tourism and encourage young talents, concluded on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
[May 10, 2023] Jackery makes its debut at the 18th Office Disaster Prevention EXPO 2023 (Tokyo)

TOKYO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackery has made its debut at the 18th Office Disaster Prevention EXPO [Spring], which is held at Tokyo Bigsite from May 10th to May 12th, 2023. This is the first time Jackery participates in a disaster prevention-themed exhibition in Japan. It serves as a platform to showcase the utilization of Jackery products in the field of disaster prevention while also expressing our determination to expand in this sector. "We demonstrate during the expo how Jackery products may be used successfully in scenarios involving disaster prevention. Our goal is to demonstrate the practical applications and benefits of our portable power stations and solar panels in ensuring the safety and continuity of operations in the face of unforeseen events." said the Head of Jackery Japan Marketing Department. Additionally, we are thrilled to announce the Pro series' introduction, which includes the much awaited SG 3000 Pro model, which will be sold in Japanby the end of June. The Pro series reflects the most recent developments in our product line, providing improved features and capabilities to satisfy our customers' changing needs. Premium Pro family solar generators from Jackery produce clean, sustainable energy with no emissions.



During the exhibition, we are honored to have a renowned disaster prevention expert Mr. Tomoya Takani deliver a live presentation on the utilization of energy storage systems in office disaster prevention at the Jackery booth (booth number: 4-15). This seminar aims to inform participants about the significance of including solar generators in their business continuity plans by emphasizing their function in supplying dependable and effective electricity during catastrophes. We warmly invite all visitors to our booth to explore our products, talk with others about about disaster prevention strategies, and witness firsthand the value of incorporating Jackery's energy solutions into their preparedness plans.

About Jackery Jackery, the world's leading innovative portable power and green outdoor energy solution provider founded in California in 2012, is a global top-selling solar generator brand born with a mission to offer green energy to everyone, everywhere. Having introduced solar generators to the great outdoors, Jackery fulfills the power needs of every nature-lover, inspiring them to explore further and seek more extraordinary experiences. Expanding its footprint from the US to Europe, Japan, and China, Jackery has sold over 3 million units globally since 2018. Together, we are committed to making the world a better place. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jackery-makes-its-debut-at-the-18th-office-disaster-prevention-expo-2023-tokyo-301821057.html SOURCE Jackery Inc.

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[May 10, 2023] JRNY CLUB DEBUTS JRNY GALLERY FIRST-EVER MUSEUM DEDICATED TO NFT ART IN LAS VEGAS

New 'Non-Fungible Token' Gallery and Social Club Displays Digital Art on High-res Screens in Downtown Las Vegas, Open to the Public June 2023 LAS VEGAS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Membership NFT project and multi-media brand, JRNY Club alongside critic, collector and crypto expert Tony Spark, announce the opening of JRNY GALLERY, a NFT art collective and gallery in Las Vegas, launching in early June. Located in Downtown Las Vegas, the location is the first-ever physical art gallery dedicated solely to displaying NFTs on high-res screens on the west coast. A first-of-its-kind Web3 art gallery, peer to per museum, and exclusive social club in Vegas that makes discovering and purchasing NFTs easier than ever, JRNY Gallery is a 3,700 sq. ft. modern facility complete with a high-tech gaming room surrounded by more than 100 monitors that will display a collection the top NFTs in the world on 4K digital canvases. "JRNY Gallery will be an experience based NFT collective," JRNY Club Creative Director John Villari said. "There will be over 100 state-of-the-art monitors displaying NFTs, a gaming lounge exclusively for JRNY Club passholders and investors, and limited-edition collaborations with the top crypto inluencers and celebrities. It's really about facilitating an environment where people with a shared passion for crypto, NFTs, and community can collaborate, engage, and socialize on a meaningful level."



Forthcoming programming will include an epic roster of futures-forward panels, drop parties, curated collections, thematic exhibitions in weekly programs. Upcoming artists on exhibition include: long-exposure photographer Merlin, Neo Tokyo lead artist Jeff Treves and digital artist Peter Paulicka aka Fire Falcon. JRNY Gallery's highly anticipated opening will be in June 2023; and will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.  6 p.m. For more information, visit https://jrnygallery.com.

ABOUT JRNY GALLERY

The future of art is coming. From crypto expert and entrepreneur Tony "Spark", creator of JRNY Club, the most influential and full-service NFT online club enabling users to expand their NFT knowledge, collect, track and trade NFTs, comes the west coast's first ever brick-and-mortar NFT museum, JRNY Gallery. Launching in June 2023, JRNY Gallery is located at 1029 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101in Downtown Las Vegas. ABOUT JRNY COLLECTIVE

The JRNY Collective is a part of the JRNY Club ecosystem that is dedicated to up-and-coming independent artists. This exclusive collection will highlight various artists throughout the year and each artist will contribute their own 1of1s to the collection. JRNY Collective holders, featured artists, and builders can access an exclusive server to the network and collaborate on anything they wish. At JRNY, we believe these artists are at the core of Web3. Without them, this space wouldn't be what it is today. Hear more from the JRNY team and the featured artists in JRNY's monthly newsletter and Twitter spaces. Media Contacts:

Megan Fazio, Neon PR Studios

702-673-0667

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jrny-club-debuts-jrny-gallery-first-ever-museum-dedicated-to-nft-art-in-las-vegas-301820502.html SOURCE JRNY Gallery

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[May 10, 2023] Zendesk Announces Powerful AI Designed Exclusively for Intelligent CX

Today at its flagship global conference, Relate, Zendesk, Inc. introduced Zendesk AI, an intelligence layer that makes personalized, efficient and more empathetic customer experiences (CX) accessible for all companies. The new offering combines decades of Zendesk's unique data and insights with new AI technologies, including the company's proprietary models, as well as large language models (LLMs). Available today, Zendesk AI will help companies instantly improve service experiences, save time, better understand their customers, and create seamless interactions. The solution continues to learn over time, is fast to deploy, easy to use, and immediately adds value without the need for large teams of developers or months of implementation time. "More than 90% of our customers already use AI within Zendesk, and we are building on this great foundation with new solutions that any business can use immediately," said Tom Eggemeier, CEO, Zendesk. "AI has significant benefits for agents, admins and businesses that want to deliver the best customer experience, and Zendesk AI will help them instantly see tangible value in cost savings and thousands of hours a month in gained productivity." New Advanced AI adds value from day one According to the 2023 Zendesk CX Trends Report, customers have high expectations for AI; however, business leaders said their organizations have yet to achieve cost savings and improved efficiency. Zendesk AI allows companies to instantly infuse intelligence into every part of the service experience, resulting in smarer conversations that quickly resolve issues.



Built on the world's largest CX-specific dataset, Zendesk AI continuously learns from every customer interaction and allows companies to better assist customers. By eliminating the work of manually assigning and routing inquiries, leaders can free up team capacity and reduce operating expenses. Additionally, by automatically solving more customer queries (especially during periods of high demand), businesses are in a better position to contain costs. New capabilities announced today include*:

Advanced bots: Enhanced, pre-trained bots for messaging and email automatically solve issues and leverage the most extensive database of customer intents for more personalized, industry-specific and accurate responses.

Enhanced, pre-trained bots for messaging and email automatically solve issues and leverage the most extensive database of customer intents for more personalized, industry-specific and accurate responses. Agent assistance: AI-powered insights and suggestions improve agent productivity by allowing agents to quickly solve customer issues and use AI-generated content to respond faster, with proper context.

AI-powered insights and suggestions improve agent productivity by allowing agents to quickly solve customer issues and use AI-generated content to respond faster, with proper context. Intelligent triage: Uses intent detection, language detection, and sentiment analysis to create powerful intelligent workflows that get smarter over time, classify incoming customer requests and allow teams to power workflows based on these insights. In addition, Zendesk recently announced a partnership with OpenAI and today, unveiled new features that leverage the power of generative AI. This includes response rephrasing and tone shift, which helps agents craft clearer and thoughtful responses to customers. These updates save substantive time and effort for agents. "While running and scaling a successful CX team is complex, using AI should be simple," said Cristina Fonseca, Head of AI, Zendesk. "With Zendesk AI, our proprietary models are specifically trained for CX and designed to immediately deliver actionable customer insights. These foundational features are key to improving customer service quality and agent efficiency, with potential to be even more powerful when combined with LLMs." Trust and security is imperative to building responsible AI and safeguarding other critical CX features. Zendesk is also launching Advanced Data Protection** that is designed to help companies with more advanced security needs adapt to compliance regulations with additional functionality. To hear more about the company's vision for intelligent CX visit the Zendesk Newsroom. *Advanced AI requires a Suite Professional plan or higher. AI-powered capabilities for agents require Zendesk Agent Workspace. **Advanced Data Protection will be available for Enterprise and Enterprise plus customers next quarter, more information coming in June. About Zendesk Zendesk is on a mission to simplify the complexity of business and make it easy for companies and customers to create connections. Our customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling businesses to build rich, meaningful relationships with their customers. The company was conceived in Copenhagen, Denmark and today operates in more than 20 countries around the world. Learn more at www.zendesk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005672/en/

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[May 10, 2023] Zendesk Launches Conversational Commerce to Deliver Seamless, More Personalized Shopping Experiences

Today at its flagship global conference, Relate, Zendesk, Inc. unveiled Conversational Commerce, designed to connect brands with shoppers throughout their digital customer experience (CX) journey in order to provide direct support, marketing, and sales all from within a conversation. The new Conversational Commerce capabilities equip companies with: Service personalization : Agents can action abandoned carts, support active carts, inform customers on nearby stock to complete purchases, and share feature promotions in the moment to create stellar personalized experiences.

: Agents can action abandoned carts, support active carts, inform customers on nearby stock to complete purchases, and share feature promotions in the moment to create stellar personalized experiences. Sales acceleration : Agents can identify new revenue opportunities by understanding any shopper's complete purchase history, merchandise preferences and browsing journey to drive new options through rich product recommendations for cross-sell and upsell, increasing overall order value.

: Agents can identify new revenue opportunities by understanding any shopper's complete purchase history, merchandise preferences and browsing journey to drive new options through rich product recommendations for cross-sell and upsell, increasing overall order value. Unified data at scale: Businesses can use AI to automate conversions and recommendations supported by over 1,400 pre-built apps and integrations that can unify SKU, inventory and location data for seamless product tracking, or connect disparate systems for a 360 view of the customer. "While we've seen huge shifts in the way people shop over the past few years, one thing has remained constant - people prefer to communicate via messaging," said Adrian McDermott, CTO, Zendesk. "Now that digital is the new storefront, businesses will be able to use Conversational Commerce, built on our powerful messaging platform, to create a richer, more dynamic and interactive experience with their customers, which will ultimately lead to increased loyalty and revenue." Powerful integrations connect shoppers and businesses Zendesk is deepening its partnerships with Meta's WhatsApp and Shopify, to further enhance businesses' CX strategies and empower them to create a better shopping journey for their customers.



The combination of Zendesk and Meta's WhatsApp will give businesses the ability to communicate with customers and offer a buying experience without ever having to leave the conversation. Zendesk's Conversational Commerce and Shopify's ecommerce platform allow agents to incorporate product catalogs, checkout processes and promotions into their CX management approaches.

"Shopify is committed to providing merchants with the tools they need to succeed in the competitive commerce landscape," said Sid Murlidhar, Director of Product Partnerships at Shopify. "We're excited to expand our partnership with Zendesk to offer our merchants a simpler way to connect and engage with customers." Customers expect convenient interactions Customer expectations for seamless purchasing processes are rising, and businesses are increasingly training their support agents to take on revenue generation activities. In fact, the Zendesk 2023 CX Trends Report said 70% of customers expect conversational experiences when interacting with brands. Additionally, 70% of customers purchase more from companies that offer seamless, conversational experiences. Foot Locker has always been at the forefront of innovation, and their partnership with Zendesk messaging technology is no exception. With a focus on creating a digital shopping experience that is just as inspiring as their in-store experience, Foot Locker is dedicated to providing a seamless, connected journey for customers across all touch points. By collaborating with Zendesk, the brand is positioning themselves to proactively engage and inspire all of their customers to unlock their "Inner Sneakerhead." "We're excited to be partnering with Zendesk to look at new ways to improve the shopping experience across our digital and physical footprint," said John Wompey, Global VP Omni CX & Voice of the Customer, Foot Locker. "With Conversational Commerce we hope to provide our customers with an educated buying experience where commercial transactions create an engaging and individual experience." The beta program for Zendesk Conversational Commerce is available now, and is expected to be generally available in the coming months. To learn more, visit zendesklabs.zendesk.com. About Zendesk Zendesk is on a mission to simplify the complexity of business and make it easy for companies and customers to create connections. Our customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling businesses to build rich, meaningful relationships with their customers. The company was conceived in Copenhagen, Denmark and today operates in more than 20 countries around the world. Learn more at www.zendesk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005680/en/

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[May 10, 2023] FCM and Government of Canada Make Strategic Investments to Improve Urban Sustainability in Quebec

MONTREAL, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Across the country, Canadians are feeling the impacts of climate change. That is why the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are investing in smart and sustainable solutions from coast to coast to coast. Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and FCM Acting President Scott Pearce announced more than $1.4 million through the Green Municipal Fund to support 16 local initiatives across Quebec, including in communities across the Greater Montreal region. Together, these projects will help municipalities reduce emissions and contribute to achieving Canada's goal of net zero by 2050. Canadians and local governments alike will benefit from these measures, increasing energy efficiency and sustainability in key areas such as housing, transportation and municipal buildings and land use. The City of Candiac receives $254,750 for two studies, one examining the feasibility of an energy recovery loop to share heating and cooling between industrial buildings and municipal and residential buildings and the other to explore several pathways to reduce greenhouse emissions at four municipal buildings. The City of Varennes receives $255,000 for a pilot project to test the performance of electric pickup vehicles, continuing the city's efforts to decarbonize its transportation systems. The YWCA of Montreal in the City of Montreal receives $175,000 to conduct a feasibility study for energy efficiency measures targeting a net-zero-energy-ready, 96-unit affordable housing building for women in need. The City of Joliette receives $43,625 to examine the feasibility of a total or partial electrfication of its fleet of approximately 60 vehicles and to develop an asset management strategy, policy and governance framework.



The Center for Contemporary Arts of Quebec and the City of Sorel-Tracy receive $78,200 for ongoing work to rehabilitate two municipally owned buildings located along the Richelieu River. The projects will explore ways to decontaminate the site while also studying ways to improve the heritage buildings' energy efficiency. Details of the remaining funding that is announced can be found in the backgrounder.

The funding announced today comes from the Green Municipal Fund (GMF), which is administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded through an endowment by the Government of Canada. GMF helps local partners switch to sustainable practices more quickly by giving them the tools they need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build sustainable, prosperous communities. By taking action to adapt to climate change, we can build communities and economies that are able to thrive for generations to come. Quotes "Municipalities are key partners in advancing climate action. From energy efficiency to clean transportation, the initiatives announced today will support communities across Quebec in their efforts. The Government of Canada is pleased to work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, including through the Green Municipal Fund." The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Natural Resources "By investing in low-carbon solutions in cities across Quebec, we're giving communities the tools they need to fight climate change and build prosperous, sustainable economies. Our actions are inspiring communities to follow in our footsteps and join the movement to protect the environment. Urban renewable energy opportunities provide pathways for Canadian cities to follow for a net-zero emissions future." The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Environment and Climate Change "Whether big or small, communities in the Montreal region, in Quebec and beyond are at the heart of climate action, and they're showing real leadership at a time when we need it the most. FCM's Green Municipal Fund, together with municipalities, local partners and the federal government, is helping move the country toward Canada's climate goals. We are on the path to net zero, and only together can we find smart and sustainable solutions." Scott Pearce,

Acting President, FCM Associated links Green Municipal Fund Community Buildings Retrofit initiative

Backgrounder: FCM and the Government of Canada make strategic investments to improve urban sustainability in Quebec - Canada.ca Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[May 10, 2023] American National Bank of Texas Names Marcelo Mills as Emerging Markets President

American National Bank of Texas (ANBTX) has hired Marcelo D. Mills as emerging markets president to increase and support business relationships throughout Southern Dallas. In addition, this new role will help meet the diverse needs of business owners while furthering the bank's mission and commitment to serve and strengthen its local communities. "Marcelo's background - both professionally and personally - is ideal to lead our emerging markets team," said Robert Hulsey, president and chief executive officer of American National Bank of Texas. "He has the financial expertise and acumen, knows what it takes to be a successful business owner, and, most importantly, he's passionate about serving others." Mills and the team will work on strategic initiatives that help both aspiring entrepreneurs and existing owners. A key priority will be assisting with common challenges that affect growth and ownership, such as financial literacy or language proficiency. "Growing up in a first generation Mexican-American family in North Texas, most of whom are business owners, I saw firsthand the barriers they faced," said Mills. "I understand the importance of having local resources that can assist you, and I'm thrilled o be a part of this effort for ANBTX."



The emerging markets team will focus on growing and underrepresented markets across the metroplex, with an emphasis on Southern Dallas County. "Many minority-owned businesses, particularly in parts of Dallas, don't have the solutions or support they need," said Mills. "There's a huge demand for a bank that provides superior financial services and delivers an authentic, customer-first experience, and I think ANBTX, with its legacy and commitment to businesses, is that bank." Mills attended Texas A&M University-Commerce and grew up in Haslet, Texas. He has spent most of his career in commercial and business banking and has served on multiple boards for local and national non-profit organizations. Two years ago, he founded Integro Bank in Phoenix, where he was senior vice president of business banking. He returned to North Texas earlier this year and resides in Fate, Texas, with his family.

ABOUT AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK OF TEXAS American National Bank of Texas, founded in 1875 in Terrell, Texas, is an independently owned bank with assets over $5.5 billion and 30 locations throughout North Texas, serving Collin, Dallas, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Rockwall, Tarrant and Van Zandt Counties. As a community bank, American National Bank of Texas offers traditional banking products and services to individuals, businesses and municipal governments, as well as individual and corporate trust, investment and estate planning services through their Wealth Management Group. ANBTX has consistently been ranked one of the Top 100 Places to Work by The Dallas Morning News. Visit American National Bank of Texas online at www.anbtx.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005763/en/

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[May 10, 2023] Peraton Recognized as a U.S. Best Managed Company for the Second Time

Peraton is the only Virginia -based and national security company to be recognized

Best Managed Companies demonstrate excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic, resilient culture, as well as strong financials

The company will join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 46 countries RESTON, Va., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Peraton is proud to announce it has been selected for the second time as a U.S. Best Managed Company Sponsored by Deloitte* Private and The Wall Street Journal. The 2023 program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies across 31 cities and the achievements of their management teams. The secret? Investing in the right people, technology, and solutions without compromising our organizational integrity. The 2023 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic culture, as well as strong financials. Designees propelled their businesses forward and remained true to their purpose and values by investing in their people, creating advantage through digital transformation, taking measurable action on sustainability, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, euity, and inclusion.



"Following our acquisitions, the team and I strategically prioritized investing in the right people, technology, and solutions to support our customer missions without compromising our organizational integrity," said Stu Shea, chairman, president, and CEO, Peraton. "We are honored to once again be recognized as a Best Managed Company for remaining true to our mission and our values while still meeting the bottom line." Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture, and governance/financial performance. The winners then join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 46 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

*Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of their legal structure. About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com. About Peraton

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies from threats across the digital and physical domains. Peraton supports every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and we serve as a valued partner to essential government agencies that sustain our way of life. Every day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit Peraton.com to learn how we're safeguarding your peace of mind. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peraton-recognized-as-a-us-best-managed-company-for-the-second-time-301821120.html SOURCE Peraton

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[May 10, 2023] Randstad USA to host third annual 'Flourishing Under Fire' event focused on embracing the value of workforce equity

Symposium to feature prominent corporate leaders to discuss mental well-being, people with disabilities and veterans talent strategies ATLANTA, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the world of work changing rapidly, it is increasingly important that businesses and their workers recognize the needs of a dynamic labor market. Workers' values and expectations have evolved, with many requiring companies to adopt and implement new policies that celebrate equity, diversity and inclusion. To address these concerns, Randstad USA is bringing together top corporate executives and leaders for its third annual "Flourishing Under Fire" symposium for a discussion on how to help untapped groups thrive in corporate settings. From May 23 - 25, this program will evaluate the state of the corporate pipeline and the path to progress, educate and build awareness of conditions and realities in building an inclusive workforce and discuss best practices for talent delivery initiatives impacting untapped individuals. Each day will have a different focus: mental well-being on day one, people with disabilities on day two, and veterans on the third and final day. "At Randstad, we are working toward a world where everyone, regardless of race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ability or Veteran status, has equal access to opportunities and feels valued and respected," said Keith Brown, Director, Community Impact, Randstad North America. "At our third annual Flourishing Under Fire program, we will have the necessary conversations to help make sure this is the reality." "We are so excited to bring the best minds in corporate America together to have an integral conversation about equity diversity and inclusion in the workplace," said Randstad USA Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Floss Aggrey. "Flourishing under Fire is another great example of Randstad's ongoing commitment to becoming the world's most equitable and specialized talent company." Speakers and panelists will feature some of the country's top executives and corporate leaders, including: Machel Hunt, Founder, Therapy for You LLC & former Director Emory University School of Medicine; Robin Bouvier, Vice President, Well-being Expert, Aon; Don Baylor, Managing Director, Lafayette Square; Kacy Fleming, Head, Global Well-Being, Takeda; Dr. Kelly D. Holder, Chief Wellness Officer, Brown University Medical School; Dr. Tyler Amell, Chief Health & Strategy Oficer, MediKeeper, Inc; Doug Torline, Partner, PWC, Allies and Abilities Partner Champion; Jill Houghton, President and CECO, Disability:IN; Dr. Marc Howard, Professor, Government & Law, and Executive Director, Prisons and Justice Initiative, Georgetown University; Sean Hosman, CEO, Persevere; Mohamed Massaquoi, Managing Director, VESSOL; Carmen Jones, VP, Health Equity & Disability Inclusion, UnitedHealthcare; Carol Glazer, CEO, National Organization on Disability (NOD); Lindsey Streeter, SVP, Global Military Affairs, Bank of America; Gena Pirtle, Global Head of Inclusive Communities, Cisco; Courtney Edmonds, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Leidos; Victor Baez, SVP, Ingram Micro; Herman Bulls, Vice Chairman, JLL Americas; Chris Crace, Military Vet Leader, EY; Lauren Lobrano, Principal, Disability Inclusion, Amazon.



The program will also feature Traci Fiatte, CEO, Randstad North America; Floss Aggrey, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Randstad North America; Audra Jenkins, Global Chief Equity Officer, Randstad; Keith Brown, Director, Community Impact, Randstad North America; Denise Dettinigmeijer, CFO, Randstad North America Executive Sponsor, Abilities in Motion; Jorge Vazquez, Global CFO, Randstad; Michael Smith, Chief Executive, Randstad Enterprise Solutions, Global Executive Sponsor, Alliance for Disabilities & Allies; Graig Paglieri, CEO, Randstad Technologies NA; Karin Childress, Vice President, Veterans Center of Excellence, Randstad Technologies NA. Register for the Flourishing Under Fire program here .

About Randstad Randstad North America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Randstad N.V., the world's largest talent company and a partner of choice to clients. We are committed to providing equitable opportunities to people from all backgrounds and helping them remain relevant in the rapidly changing world of work. We have a deep understanding of the labor market and help our clients to create the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces they need to succeed. Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. In 2022, in our 39 markets, we helped more than 2 million people find a job that feels good and advised over 230,000 clients on their talent needs. We generated revenue of 27.6 billion. Randstad N.V. is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.com Randstad's North American operations comprise 7,100 associates and a deployed workforce of 91,100 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to staffing and recruitment, Randstad offers outsourcing, consulting and workforce management solutions for generalist and specialist disciplines, including technology, engineering, accounting and finance, clinical and non-clinical healthcare, human resources, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. Global concepts available to North American client companies include RPO, MSP, integrated talent solutions, payrolling and independent contractor management and career transition services. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com or www.randstad.ca. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/randstad-usa-to-host-third-annual-flourishing-under-fire-event-focused-on-embracing-the-value-of-workforce-equity-301821131.html SOURCE Randstad US

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[May 10, 2023] Premier Expands Board of Directors with Appointment of Tom Fitzgerald

Premier Franchise Management ("Premier"), the largest U.S. residential pool-build and pool-service franchisor, announced that it has appointed Tom Fitzgerald, Chief Financial Officer for Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT), to its Board of Directors. "We are pleased to welcome Tom as a director to the Premier Board," said Paul Porter, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Premier. "He joins Premier at an exciting time in the business and complements our existing board of director's skills and expertise. He brings decades of experience in franchising, financial strategy, and customer experience, which will be vital to our long-term strategy as the preeminent franchisor in the pool space." John Hatherly, Managing Partner at Wynnchurch Capital and a member of Premier's Board of Directors, stated, "This appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to developing a world-class board with a variety of viewpoints and industry-leading expertise. We look forward to partnering with Tom and benefiting from his breadth of experience." Tom currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT), one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the world by number of members and locations. He has over 30 years of leadership experience in financial management in the consumer products and retail inustries, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President at Potbelly Sandwich Works. Prior to Potbelly, he served in varying executive roles at Charming Charlie Inc. including President and Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer. Previously, Tom served as Chief Administrative Officer of Sears Canada. Additionally, he held several leadership positions at Liz Claiborne, was Chief Financial Officer at Burlington Coat Factory, and served as Chief Operating Officer of Bath & Body Works. Tom began his career at PepsiCo, where he held various leadership roles in finance and planning. Tom holds an MBA in Finance from Indiana University Kelley School of Business and received his Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Florida.



"Premier is a market leader, with a highly attractive, differentiated model that is built to maximize customer satisfaction, support its franchisees, and drive long-term growth," said Tom. "I am excited to work with the Board and leadership team to leverage my experience and help execute against the many opportunities that lay ahead for Premier." About Premier:

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Premier Franchise Management ("Premier") is the largest U.S. residential pool-build and pool-service franchisor. Premier has won several industry awards; notably, Premier Pools & Spas was recently recognized as one of the nation's top franchises in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500. For more information, please visit: www.premierpoolsfranchise.com. About Wynnchurch Capital: Wynnchurch Capital, L.P., headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, with an office in New York and an affiliate in Canada, was founded in 1999 and is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch's strategy is to partner with middle market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. Wynnchurch manages a number of private equity funds with $5.7 billion of regulatory assets under management and specializes in recapitalizations, growth capital, management buyouts, corporate carve-outs, and restructurings. For more information, please visit: www.wynnchurch.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005697/en/

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[May 10, 2023] The University of Chicago Launches Market Shaping Accelerator to Address Global Challenges

CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago has announced the launch of the Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA), an initiative aimed at accelerating efforts to address major global challenges  such as climate change, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness  by leveraging the power of incentives, competition, and private sector innovation. Threats to the global community  such as climate change and pandemics  demand urgent innovation and action at scale. Supported by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, and the Digital Harbor Foundation, the MSA brings together renowned experts in market shaping, including Nobel laureate economist Michael Kremer and Rachel Glennerster from the University of Chicago and Christopher Snyder from Dartmouth College. This group of experts has contributed significantly to research and policy successes of market shaping mechanisms, including developing advance market commitments (AMCs) for carbon removal ( Frontier ) and pneumococcal vaccines , which saved an estimated 700,000 lives in low-income countries. "Climate change and pandemics could both threaten to devastate our economies and soieties," said Michael Kremer, University Professor in Economics, University of Chicago and 2019 Nobel Laureate. "To address these risks, we need technological and social innovations, but under our current institutions, market incentives to invest in innovations to address these risks are inadequate given the huge social need. However, market-shaping mechanisms can harness the power and creativity of the private sector to develop the innovations we need to address climate change and pandemics."



Market shaping uses economic tools to solve market failures where commercial incentives for innovation trail behind societal needs. One example is advance market commitments (AMCs), which are "pull mechanisms" that tie payments to outputs. AMCs establish legally binding contracts to subsidize the purchase of a large quantity of a specific innovation if it is invented. Other examples include prizes, which are competitions that reward solutions for a specific problem, and milestone contracts, which are payments linked to achieving interim steps toward an innovation. The MSA will collaborate closely with governments, multilateral institutions, and philanthropists to design the details of contracts and policies to accelerate and scale innovation. Already, the MSA is collaborating with global organizations and policymakers to advance innovation in carbon removal, climate-resilient crops, and universal coronavirus vaccines.

"We don't know when the next pandemic will hit but we know it's coming and we know, on average we will lose $800 billion every single year (in expectation) to pandemics," said Rachel Glennerster, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Chicago and former Chief Economist at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). "There are lots of great ideas about how to protect against the next pandemic, including vaccines that could protect against any future coronavirus or any future flu. But how do we make sure these are produced at sufficient scale that everyone can benefit from them when the next pandemic hits? This is the challenge the MSA is taking on." The MSA benefits from a diverse group of expert advisors, including Susan Athey of Stanford University, Catherine Bremner of Impax Asset Management, Michael Greenstone and Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago, Matthew Kotchen of Yale University, Nan Ransohoff of Frontier, Tom Kalil of Schmidt Futures, Jean Tirole of the Toulouse School of Economics and 2013 Nobel Prize recipient, Heidi Williams of Dartmouth College, and Catherine Wolfram of UC Berkeley. "We are fortunate to have advisors who are among the world's leading experts in market design and innovation, as well as some of the best thinkers and practitioners in the diverse domains the MSA will cover," said Christopher Snyder, the Joel Z and Susan Hyatt Professor in Economics at Dartmouth College. The MSA was officially launched last week at an event held at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. The agenda and video from the event can be found here . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-university-of-chicago-launches-market-shaping-accelerator-to-address-global-challenges-301821332.html SOURCE University of Chicago

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YANGON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will start student enrollment for kindergarten to grade 12 for the new academic year on May 23, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.

The country's national school enrollment week for the 2023-2024 academic year will start on May 23 and last until May 31, U Kyaw Swar Thwin, a director-general from the Ministry of Education, told Xinhua.

All schools will adopt a new curriculum this academic year, he noted.

The basic education schools in Myanmar, from kindergarten through grade 12, will start the new academic year on June 1, according to the education ministry. 
[May 10, 2023] Windstream Enterprise Enhances Cloud-Based Communications with Migration to Microsoft Azure for Operators

TMCnet News Windstream Enterprise (News - Alert), an IT managed network provider, announced the successful migration of its Voice over IP (VoIP) platform to Microsoft's Azure for Operators clustered Call Feature Server (cCFS). This move represents the latest in a series of investments made by Windstream Enterprise to bolster the value of its cloud-based communication services for customers.



VoIP, an IP-based unified communications infrastructure, merges voice and data channels into a single cloud-based connection, optimizing network performance by ensuring stable voice quality, survivability, and standardized features across multiple locations. Windstream Enterprise's investment in this migration offers Dynamic IP and Unified Communications (News - Alert) (UC) customers greater reliability, access to new communication tools, integrated data and voice features, and an enhanced user experience through a more robust portal. In collaboration with Microsoft (News - Alert), this expansion builds upon Windstream Enterprise's Dynamic IP solution, a versatile VoIP platform that supports multiple call paths, including analog, SIP turning, and PRI. By leveraging existing network infrastructure with flexible bandwidth, customers can ensure multiple levels of redundancy, enabling their businesses to operate smoothly without unplanned downtime caused by network outages, human or system errors, or cyber threats. Furthermore, the solution seamlessly integrates with Windstream Enterprise's award-winning WE Connect customer portal, offering clients a single-pane-of-glass view to self-manage their network, communication needs, and assets.

'In this hyper-connected world, businesses require failproof, reliable voice and data solutions. With this move to the Microsoft Azure for Operators VoIP platform, we are ensuring customers are on the most advanced, leading-edge technology so they can unlock their own revenue and profitability potential,' said Art Nichols, Chief Technology Officer of Windstream Enterprise. 'This investment is about giving our customers the technology, support, and constant innovation they must have to drive their businesses forward.' Windstream Enterprise has recognized that voice solutions have evolved significantly beyond legacy access technology. Traditional methods such as Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), DS1 and DS3 Access, and copper-based services like primary rate interfaces (PRIs) and plain old telephone services (POTS) no longer meet the requirements of modern business communications and the need for seamless remote collaboration. With Dynamic IP, businesses can effortlessly scale their communications with minimal infrastructure investment. As a managed service, Dynamic IP is fully operated and maintained by Windstream Enterprise, with a dedicated team of technology experts providing strategic planning, design, and round-the-clock support. Windstream Enterprise customers are already benefiting from the seamless integration between Azure for Operators offerings and Windstream Enterprise, enabling them to collaborate effortlessly across voice and data solutions. Various industries, including banking, education, retail, government, and healthcare providers, are leveraging Windstream Enterprise's proprietary software solutions, which include the robust Secure Access Security Edge (SASE) and Security Service Edge (SSE) cybersecurity offerings. 'Cloud-ready voice and data integrations are essential for almost all businesses operating in our hybrid workplace and always-on world,' noted Austin Herrington, Vice President of Product Management at Windstream Enterprise. 'Our cost-effective, scalable VoIP and UC solutions provide customers with desired features alongside ironclad security and reliability. By partnering with technology providers like Microsoft, we help our customers shed burdensome legacy technology and continue moving toward their goals.' Tad Brockway, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Azure for Operators, commended Windstream Enterprise for their commitment to delivering flexible, secure, and modern carrier-grade communication solutions. By utilizing Microsoft Azure for Operators' clustered Call Feature Server to underpin their VoIP and UC solutions, Windstream Enterprise positions itself as a leader in providing advanced communication capabilities to its customers. Windstream Enterprise's Dynamic IP and Unified Communications solutions empower businesses to stay connected, collaborate effectively, and adapt to the ever-changing demands of the digital landscape. With the migration to Microsoft Azure for Operators, Windstream Enterprise reinforces its position as a trusted partner in delivering cutting-edge technology solutions.





Edited by Greg Tavarez



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[May 10, 2023] A 5G RAN Breakthrough: Nokia and Orange Jordan Boost Connectivity

TMCnet News Nokia has been chosen by Orange (News - Alert) Jordan to provide 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment across the Kingdom of Jordan, according to a recent announcement. This partnership will enable Orange Jordan to offer improved connectivity and capacity to its consumers while laying the groundwork to support the country and economy's digital transformation.



Nokia (News - Alert) will supply 5G RAN equipment from its extensive AirScale portfolio, leveraging its energy-efficient ReefShark System on Chip (SoC) technology. As part of the deal, Nokia will also replace Orange Jordan's entire existing RAN network. Orange Jordan has set an ambitious target to provide 5G services to 50% of the population within four years, with an annual growth of 5% thereafter. The agreement includes the latest generation massive MIMO radios, which support high RF bandwidth, along with AirScale Baseband and Dual-band Remote Radio Head (RRH) products. Moreover, Nokia will deliver its Single RAN solution that allows a single base station to run 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G technologies concurrently. This technology will enable Orange Jordan to achieve more efficient site solutions across its network.

Orange Jordan will also employ Nokia's NetAct network management system, allowing for a consolidated network view to enhance network monitoring and management. In addition to the equipment, Nokia will provide digital design, deployment, and technical support services. Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, expressed his delight over the continued partnership with Orange Jordan. Uitto said, '5G technology will have an evolutionary impact on the Kingdom of Jordan, stimulating growth and enabling advanced services for the benefit of both industries and consumers. We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Orange Jordan to support the country's path to digital transformation.' This partnership represents a significant leap forward in Jordan's technological infrastructure, as the implementation of 5G technology will offer numerous benefits to individuals, businesses, and the wider economy. With Nokia's renowned 5G equipment and Orange Jordan's wide-reaching network, the country is poised to take a significant stride towards a digitally transformed future.





Edited by Alex Passett



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Tonight we pose a tough question to readers . . .

DID KANSAS CITY SOCIAL JUSTICE PROTESTERS DOOM COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA'S FUTURE?!?!



To be fair . . .

It wasn't so much the outcry for social justice that hurt the plaza but the riotous mobs, looters and criminals who latched on to progressive protest without any resistance from left-wing organizers who tacitly condoned destruction with their silence.



Long ago . . . We MISTAKENLY believed a few youngters hanging around, stealing and starting scuffles would imperil the district.

But then . . .

2020 demonstrated that racially charged protest/uprising accompanied by Mayor Q chanting "No Justice, No Peace" was far more dangerous than a few brats with parents too poor to afford a babysitter.

Don't worry there's still more blame to go around . . .

Developers have also preyed upon the district with a myriad of sketchy schemes that tear away the history of the neighborhood.

Even worse . . .

There's still AN EPIC HOLE in the middle of the district wherein no anchor tenant will tread.

And so . . .

100 years in . . . Things aren't looking so bright.

Of course . . . We'll share a more optimistic take for balance . . .



Weve been honoring the Plazas 100th anniversary in many different ways over the past year, and this time around we are focusing on showing the community our heartfelt appreciation for the ongoing patronage and support, Country Club Plaza General Manager Breana Grosz said.

Either way . . . It has been fun and we look forward to your predictions.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Tonight we have a lot of local news to consider as we round up the latest lawsuit news, police action and all manner of crime reporting.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

12 KC natives indicted for $250,000 Covid fraud conspiracy KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A dozen Kansas City natives have been indicted on charges of Covid fraud conspiracy for their roles in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. On April 26, Renetta Golden-Larimore, 54, was charged in a 13-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

One dead following shooting on N. 56th Terrace, Parallel Parkway in KCK Police in Kansas City, Kan., are investigating a fatal shooting on N. 56th Terrace and Parallel Parkway. The shooting happened shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The victim was pronounced dead on scene, according to police. The identity of the victim has not been released. There's no suspect information available at this time.

Lenexa police resolve armed standoff at QuikTrip near 87th Street, I-35 LENEXA, Kan. - Lenexa police "were successful" in de-escalating an armed standoff Tuesday morning at the QuikTrip located near West 87th Street and Interstate 35, a Lenexa Police Department spokesperson said. Police responded around 9:45 a.m. to the report of a domestic disturbance inside a vehicle.

Northeast Middle School stabbing victim's family angry after plea deal KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of a 14-year-old stabbed to death at school is sharing their frustration weeks after the suspect in his death took a plea deal. The family of Manuel Guzman said they want the suspect to have a stricter charge.

Shooting victim had accused her killer of kidnapping prior to murder KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A woman who died in a murder-suicide Friday had previously accused her killer of kidnapping, according to police. The North Kansas City Police Department said Riley O'Laughlin, 27, had been shot and killed outside her workplace at a warehouse near Fayette Street and E. 11th Street.

Kansas City charter school cancels class over social media threat KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A student at a Kansas City charter school was released from police custody to parents after the student allegedly made threats on social media. The threat caused Citizens of the World Charter Schools to cancel class Tuesday. The school is located at West 35th Street and Broadway Boulevard.

Kansas City inches closer to settlement in 2 civil lawsuits tied to deadly KCFD crash in Westport KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two civil lawsuits tied to the deadly crash involving a Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department pumper truck in December 2021 in Westport could soon be settled. Combined, the proposed settlements will cost the city nearly $1.8 million.

Toddler rescued from hot car in Overland Park amid early heat OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The Kansas City-area's warmer-than-usual temperatures this early in May bring a rising risk of children being left in a hot car. It happened this weekend at a Costco, when Overland Park police said parents left a 1-year-old in a hot car, with temperatures near 90 degrees.

Overland Park physician admits to role in telemedicine fraud scheme A doctor from Kansas admitted Tuesday to a role in a telemedicine fraud scheme for unnecessarily ordering genetic testing and orthotic braces, defrauding Medicare of about $16 million.Gautam Jayaswal, 64, of Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Why Kansas' strict body camera laws mean public may never see KCK police shooting video Last weekend, the activist organization Justice for Wyandotte held a rally requesting that the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department release body camera footage from the night two weeks ago when an officer shot and killed 25-year-old Amaree'ya Henderson during a traffic stop.

Mom frustrated decade later by America's gun access issues, system she says failed her daughter KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Shortly after Colby Weathers began living on her own, her mother, Janet Delana, noticed Colby had started hearing voices. At 38, Colby told investigators those voices were the reason she shot and killed her dad. It's a story painfully told through Colby's call to 911.

KCKPD officer struck by vehicle while working scene of a disturbance early Tuesday, suspect located in KCMO SOURCE: KMBC The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department says one person is in custody after a police officer was hit by a vehicle early Tuesday. A spokesperson for the department said officers were dispatched to investigate a disturbance in the 600 block of Stewart Avenue around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Family says each day is a chance to warn others about deadly consequences of fentanyl use KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Libby and Randy Davis lost their 16-year-old son Cooper to a fentanyl overdose. National Fentanyl Awareness Day was Tuesday, but it comes each day for the family. "I'd probably tell someone everyday about this, but today is an easy day to tell someone about it," said Randy Davis.

New Language App Leads to Better Understanding between KCPD and the Community The addition of Propio ONE Language app is just one example of how KCPD is continuing to utilize resources in an effort to communicate and assist our community members whose first language might not be English.

Kansas driver wearing beer can costume arrested on suspicion of DUI OTTAWA, Kan. - Franklin County Sheriff's Deputies stopped a driver who may have been having a little too much fun on Cinco de Mayo. Deputies south of the metro pulled over a suspected drunk driver in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 last week.

Developing . . .
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it.
The City of Toronto, after hearing from residents, Scarborough councillors and mayoral candidates has decided to pay $2.9 million to finish design work on a possible busway along the soon-to-be-decommissioned Scarborough Rapid Transit line. - Metroland file
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data.
Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer makes hay of the secrets and lies of the past in new novel Wait Softly Brother
A group of the first Portuguese pioneers to arrive in Canada over 70 years ago. Portugal the Festa will take place on May 14, honouring those who first came to Canada. - 70 Anos Canada photo
Inside Out will feature in-person as well as virtual showings of films
NEW DELHI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday that the cyclonic circulation, which developed two days back over the southeast Bay of Bengal, will continue to move.

According to the IMD, it will intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday.

"The low-pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman sea has become well marked low-pressure area over the same region today," IMD said in its weather bulletin.

"It is very likely to intensify into a depression by today evening over the same region and then into a cyclonic storm over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of east central Bay of Bengal and Andaman sea on May 10."

"To move initially north-northwestwards till May 11. Thereafter, it is likely to recurve gradually and move north-northeastwards towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coasts."

The weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Tuesday to Thursday.

The IMD has also predicted squally to gusty winds of varying speeds in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andaman sea, Southeast Bay of Bengal, East-central Bay of Bengal and West-central Bay of Bengal. The sea condition in these areas will also remain rough to very rough.

Fishermen, small ships, boats and trawlers have been advised not to venture into southeast and central Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea from Tuesday onwards and those who are in the sea have been asked to return immediately.

Local authorities have also been advised to regulate tourism, offshore activities and shipping near Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Tuesday to Friday.

Meanwhile, authorities in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have sounded an alert in their coastal areas in the wake of Cyclone Mocha. 
The Blues Miners, who performed at the second annual BluesFest will be returning again at this year's event. - Jim Hawtin photo
Do something different, do something unforgettable .



(TRAVPR.COM) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - May 10th, 2023 -

If you're planning a trip to Miches in the Dominican Republic, there are two hotels to choose from: Temptation Resort and Club Med. But if you're looking for an unforgettable adventure, you'll want to book a horseback riding tour with Laguna Beach Buggies.

Laguna Beach Buggies offers a one-of-a-kind Miches Beach horseback riding tour that takes you along the beautiful coastline and through the lush tropical landscape of the Dominican Republic. With experienced guides and well-trained horses, you can relax and enjoy the scenery as you ride along the beach and take in the stunning views.

The tour begins at Laguna Beach Buggies' headquarters, where you'll meet your guide and get oriented before setting off on horseback. You'll ride along the beach and enjoy the warm ocean breeze as you take in the beautiful scenery. The tour also includes a stop at a local ranch, where you can enjoy refreshments and take photos with the horses.

One of the highlights of the tour is the opportunity to explore the tropical landscape of the Dominican Republic. As you ride through the lush greenery, you'll see a variety of plants and animals, including palm trees, wildflowers, and tropical birds. Your guide will point out interesting features along the way, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos.

What sets Laguna Beach Buggies apart from other tour providers in the area is their expertise and experience. Their guides are knowledgeable about the local area and have extensive experience working with horses. Safety is also a top priority, and all riders are provided with helmets and given a safety briefing before setting off on the tour.

If you're planning a trip to Miches, there are plenty of accommodations to choose from, including the Temptation Resort and Club Med. But for a truly unique and unforgettable experience, be sure to book a horseback riding tour with Laguna Beach Buggies.

In conclusion, if you want to explore the beautiful coastline and tropical landscape of the Dominican Republic, a horseback riding tour with Laguna Beach Buggies is the perfect way to do it. With experienced guides, well-trained horses, and a focus on safety, you can relax and enjoy the scenery without worrying about a thing. So why wait? Book your Miches Beach horseback riding tour today and get ready for an adventure you'll never forget.

###
TOKYO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday that its net profit fell 14 percent in fiscal year 2022 despite record-breaking sales.

During the fiscal period from April 2022 to March 2023, the sales revenue of Toyota Motor Corp. came in at a record-breaking 37.15 trillion yen, up 18.4 percent from the previous fiscal year, due to a weaker yen and strong global sales.

However, its net income declined 14 percent from a year ago to 2.45 trillion yen, while the operating income slid 9 percent to 2.73 trillion yen, the company said in its financial results.

The company attributed the declines to factors including soaring material prices.

For the fiscal year starting in April, Toyota Motor expects increases in both revenue and profit, with the operating income target at 3 trillion yen, according to the report.

"We expect an increase in sales volume in all regions and production volume of 10.1 million, due to such factors as the effects of improvement in semiconductor supply and efforts of production sites," it noted.

Amid faster steps towards carbon neutrality, Toyota aims to reduce new-vehicle CO2 emissions by more than 50 percent globally by 2035, according to Koji Sato, president and chief executive officer of the company.

Regarding battery electric vehicles, the company has set a pace of selling at least 1.5 million units by 2026 and plans to launch 10 models ranging from luxury vehicles to compact and commercial vehicles, said Sato. (1 U.S. dollar equals 135.27 Japanese yen) 
ISLAMABAD, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) under alleged charges of corruption and corrupt practices, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.

The minister told local media that the NAB detained Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court when he was presented there for the hearing of some cases against him.

He said that "the arrest has been conducted by the NAB for causing losses to the national treasury." 
Police officers were out in their numbers.. at the TTPS Sports Day today.., after a three-ye
A new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that was announced on Tuesday provides for the production of new weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces or their acquisition from partner countries and will cover Ukraine's longer-term security needs.

U.S. Defense Department Spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said this at a briefing on Tuesday, May 9, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

He said that the new package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which makes it possible to procure weapons from industry or partners instead of drawing down from the immediate stocks of the U.S. Department of Defense.

"The next step in this process will be to look at funding additional capabilities in order to meet Ukraine's longer-term needs," Ryder said.

The U.S. administration on May 9 announced a new military aid package for Ukraine intended to bolster its air defenses and sustain the artillery ammunition needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The package includes 155 mm artillery rounds, additional air defense systems and munitions, drone ammunition, as well as equipment to help integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine's existing systems.
On May 9, 2023, Arman Soldin, an AFP video reporter, was killed in Russias missile attack on eastern Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the Institute of Mass Information, referring to Agence France-Presse (AFP), an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In particular, the enemy missile attack took place near Chasiv Yar, which is not far from the Donetsk regions Bakhmut.

"His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine."



-- @AFP chairman Fabrice Fries, on the death of Arman Soldin



Full story: https://t.co/SoRzQQo11C pic.twitter.com/UIHGgYmLY0  AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 9, 2023

According to Le Monde, Arman Soldin and his AFP colleagues came under fire in eastern Ukraine while they were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.

Soldin, 32, was killed when a rocket struck close to where he was lying. The rest of the team was uninjured, the report states.

AFP chairman Fabrice Fries noted that Soldins death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.

Born in Sarajevo, Soldin was a French national who began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome bureau in 2015 and was later hired in London. He was part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine following the start of Russias invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving on the following day.

Soldin had been living in Ukraine since September 2022, leading the teams video coverage and travelling regularly to the front lines in the east and south.

The Institute of Mass Information emphasized that Arman Soldin had become the 57th media professional to have died in Ukraine due to Russian armed aggression and the 10th journalist killed by Russian troops while performing professional duties.
The State Police of Latvia detained 26 people during the May 9 celebrations, opened 38 cases of administrative offenses and four criminal cases.

This is reported by LSM, according to Ukrinform.

Interior Minister Maris Kucinskis noted that May 9 was relatively calm in Latvia. The largest flows of people to memorial sites were recorded in Salaspils and Daugavpils.

According to the police, the highest number of violations was recorded in the Riga region - 22, with 21 people detained.

The violations were mostly related to the laying of flowers, including those with prohibited symbols, in places where Soviet monuments used to be, as well as cases of using symbols of military aggression, such as St. George's ribbons, in public places. Administrative proceedings have also been initiated for disobeying the demands of police officers, being in a public place while intoxicated, and so on. There have also been detentions in connection with fireworks.

In addition, the police launched four criminal trials - two in Riga and two in Daugavpils. In one of them, two people were detained for justifying the war waged by Russia against Ukraine.

As reported earlier, on May 9, Latvia banned public events and the use of fireworks.
The Czech Republic will provide Ukraine with two KUB air defense systems and missiles.

The President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel said this in a radio interview with Czech Radio, Ukrinform reports.

"Now two more KUB air defense systems with a rather large number of missiles are being delivered, which Ukraine can immediately use because the soldiers are trained in such equipment," Pavel said.

He also said that it would be appropriate to consider providing Ukraine with Czech L-159 fighter jets.

The Czech President recognized that Ukraine needs aviation to prepare for the decisive phase of the war.

Pavel noted that Western countries have been restrained in supplying modern fighter jets so far because preparations for their use take a relatively long time and because the aircraft contain secret systems. Allied countries also do not want these devices to fall into Russian hands.

"But I know that the negotiations are ongoing, and let's be surprised if Ukraine eventually receives a few F-16s, perhaps with some of the equipment dismantled," he said.

Read also: Czech president backs creation of special tribunal for Russia

According to Pavel, the decisive factor for Ukraine is to have enough armored vehicles and ammunition. "Ukraine lacks this because a decisive part of the battle will have to be fought on the ground," said the former NATO general.

He reminded that Ukraine has already received about 100 tanks, the same number of armored vehicles and a lot of ammunition from the Czech Republic.

The Soviet Kub system, nicknamed the "three fingers of death" because of its appearance, is used to target airplanes and helicopters. It is to be replaced by SPYDER missile systems from Israel in the Czech army.
Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal recorded more than 700,000 visitors arriving in Abu Dhabi, with more than 82,000 passengers starting their journey from Abu Dhabi as an embarkation port.

The first quarter of 2023 was particularly strong, 363,494 visitors and 120 calls were recorded compared to Q1 of 2022 which saw 89,953 visitors and 60 calls.

Passenger volumes for Q1 2023 surpassed the number of visitors accommodated for the full year of 2022 by more than 37 percent.

Overall, the growth in contrast to the previous season was impressive. The 2022/2023 season registered more than 700,000 visitors and 184 calls, compared to 177,639 visitors and 130 calls in the 2021/2022 season.

This rise reflects the forecasted rebound of the UAE cruise industry post COVID-19 and the unwavering commitment of Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal.

On the key achievement, AD Ports Group CEO (Ports Cluster) Saif Al Mazrouei said: "The increasing number of visitors is a testament to Abu Dhabis position as a world class hub for maritime tourism and the trust bestowed on us by our partners in the cruise industry to deploy their latest and largest vessels to the region."

"Both Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal and Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach have evolved to offer an incredible and unique cruise experience for all guests, providing them with the opportunity to discover both the extraordinary attractions within Abu Dhabi and the natural beauty of Sir Bani Yas Island," he noted.

Saleh Al Geziry, Director General of Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi, said: "Tourism is a driving force of Abu Dhabis economic progress and prosperity, with the growing attractiveness of the emirate to cruise passengers playing a significant role in its success."

"The solid performance from the 2022-23 season demonstrates the rapid development of this visitor segment and showcases the effectiveness of our robust growth strategy for cruise travel in Abu Dhabi," he stated.

Noura Al Dhaheri, the Managing Director of Cruise Business, AD Ports Group, said: "It is very exciting to continue to welcome thousands of visitors to Abu Dhabi. The management and operations teams at Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal have worked relentlessly to make us the busiest cruise hub in the region."

"This achievement would not have been possible without the world-class infrastructure and the constant upgrades to our facilities, the commercial incentives offered, and our operational excellence. All these factors are crucial to attracting larger number of visitors. We remain committed to working closely with cruise lines to position Abu Dhabi as one of the top cruise destinations globally," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
NEW DELHI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Doctors at government-run hospitals in the southern Indian state of Kerala Wednesday began a strike to protest the killing of a woman doctor, who was stabbed by a man brought in by police for medical treatment, officials said.

The doctors affiliated with the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have started a statewide protest over the death of the doctor, demanding strict action against the accused in order to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.

According to the KGMOA, only emergency services will be provided at the hospitals in the state.

A 23-year-old doctor was stabbed to death on Wednesday morning at a hospital in Kottarakkara area of the state's Kollam district allegedly by a man, who was brought there by police for treatment.

According to the police, while the man was being treated for the wound in his leg, he suddenly got provoked and attacked everyone standing there, including Dr. Vandana Das, using a scissor and scalpel. The doctor sustained multiple stab injuries on her chest and neck in the attack and later succumbed to these injuries.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of the doctor and said the incident was "shocking and extremely painful." He said a thorough investigation will be conducted into the attack.

"Assaulting health workers in the line of duty is unacceptable. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. The government will take strong action against attacks on doctors and health workers," Vijayan said in a statement.

Local media reported doctors in Kerala have witnessed many attacks inside hospitals while on duty. They have been demanding effective protection against such attacks and strict police action against the accused. 
Ukrainian law enforcement received from France a second mobile DNA laboratory to operate in active combat zones.

Thats according to the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrinform reports.

French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins and Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin officially handed over the keys to the lab to Justice Minister Denys Maliuska.

As noted, the first such laboratory was handed over in August 2022. It has been effectively manned by experts across Kharkiv region for more than eight months.

Read also: DNA laboratory deployed in Uman to identify dead

"Currently, we are getting the second mobile DNA lab. To a large extent, this became possible thanks to the personal efforts by Ambassador, for which I am sincerely grateful to you, the French minister of justice, and the entire French Republic for their support and cooperation," the press service cites the prosecutor general as saying.

The PGO reported that the lab will be deployed in Dnipropetrovsk and neighboring regions, which have been suffering from Russias massive artillery and air strikes. Significant destruction was inflicted on the said regions, where numerous civilian casualties were also reported.

"Law enforcers still find the bodies of our citizens, and sometimes the sites of mass burials, in the course of inspecting the areas. The mobile lab will significantly speed up the process of identifying those bodies. Ukrainian experts will be able to do their job right at the crime scene, thereby reducing the period of uncertainty for the families of the victims of aggression," stated prosecutor general.

Etienne de Poncins noted that France had been supporting Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion, and that French experts were the first among foreign partners to arrive in the de-occupied towns of Kyiv region a year ago to help Ukrainian law enforcement. Since then, there has been constant cooperation in this field.

The minister of justice thanked the French partners for the support they continue to provide to Ukraine.

"Another mobile DNA lab is a huge contribution to our joint fight against impunity and to ensuring the rule of international law," he said.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil has once again expressed his readiness to act as a mediator in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Thats according to Metropoles, Ukrinform reports.

The Brazilian president intends to discuss this issue at the upcoming G7 summit in Japan.

During a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Lula said peace in Ukraine could be achieved through negotiations, in which Brazil will help find a "middle ground."

"Ukraine cannot actually come to terms with the occupation of its territory, it must resist. The EU is right in its decision (to support Ukraine, - ed.), and Brazil and other countries are right in seeking to find a middle ground. I think it is possible. If I didn't believe it was possible, I wouldn't have taken this on," Lula da Silva said.

The president said he had already discussed the issue with the leaders of China, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. He added he was also going to raise the topic on the sidelines of the G7 summit to be hosted by Japan.

As reported, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lula said he was "committed to finding a peaceful solution to end the conflict." Earlier, Lula da Silva offered Ukraine to cede Crimea to end the war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra have discussed the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine, new supplies of weapons, and the NATO summit in Vilnius.

Ukraine's foreign policy chief said this on his Twitter account, according to Ukrinform.

"On my way to Guatemala, I didn't miss a chance to catch up with a true friend Wopke Hoekstra. Following up on President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the Netherlands, we are moving toward F-16s, the NATO Summit, and new supplies of weapons," the minister said.

On May 9, Kuleba left for Guatemala to participate in the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States. This will be the first bilateral visit by Ukraine's foreign minister to this country.
At the meeting with Chief Advisor of the Presidency of Brazil Celso Amorim, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Melnyk called on Brazil to join the Ukrainian Peace Formula.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the issues of bilateral agenda, as well as the possibility of involving Brazil, together with other partners of Ukraine, in finding ways to ensure stable and lasting peace in Ukraine based on respect for international law, restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, reads the statement by the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs of Ukraine.

In this regard, the deputy foreign minister praised the intentions of President Lula da Silva to facilitate reaching peace in Ukraine. He invited Brazil to engage actively in the implementation of the Peace Formula initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Melnyk expressed gratitude to Brazil for the consistent support for our country within international organizations, solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are suffering heavily from Russian aggression, as well as for humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion.

While discussing the priority areas of trade and economic cooperation, the interlocutors emphasized mutual interest in expanding, deepening and filling with concrete content the strategic partnership relations existing between Ukraine and Brazil.

As reported, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He noted that he is "committed to finding a peace formula to end the conflict." Earlier, Lula da Silva offered Ukraine to cede Crimea to end the war.

Photos: mfa.gov.ua
In the Kyiv region, the Ukrainian side has received emergency and rescue equipment from the Government of France, which will further be sent to the areas of hostilities.

This is reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

This is the fifth portion of the aid provided by the French side. It is extremely necessary equipment: our rescuers need it to speed up rescue works and keep people safe. Our interaction has started since the first days of the war. It is not only about the delivery of equipment but also the training of our professionals. I am grateful to the French people, the Government of France, and Mr. Ambassador for such interaction, Ukrainian State Emergency Service Head Serhii Kruk noted.

As part of humanitarian assistance, Ukraine received the equipment designed for rescue and dismantling operations, such as angle grinders, rotary hammers and concrete cutters. The tools are expected to be sent to the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions. According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, the samples of such tools have already been tested when dismantling the rubble in the Cherkasy regions Uman, following Russias missile attack.

The event was attended by Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins. In his words, France continues to stand with Ukraine and will be providing aid for as long as it takes  until Ukraines victory.

There have already been several humanitarian convoys for the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, and transfers took place in different cities, namely in Lviv and Chernivtsi. It is with great pleasure that we continue our cooperation. Today, we are handing over the equipment collected from the rescue services of France. This is both new and used equipment. It will help the personnel of the State Emergency Service to save lives, Etienne de Poncins said.

A reminder that, on May 9, 2023, Ukrainian rescuers received 14 special purpose vehicles from Germany.

Photo: Pavlo Bahmut
LONDON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Everyday items could become unaffordable for Americans if China-U.S. trade relations were to hit rock bottom, a leading British scholar has warned in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Zeno Leoni, a lecturer in defense studies at King's College London (KCL), said the United States "sees China as its main threat" and is trying to "decouple with China."

Leoni, also an affiliate at the Lau China Institute at KCL, added that the scale and type of decoupling will determine the outcome.

Leoni elaborated on two potential scenarios of "decoupling". The first is about strategic competition, whereby restrictions would only affect areas such as telecommunication technologies and semiconductors, but there would be no impact on investment, movement of people, and goods, he said.

"The other scenario is total decoupling. And that would lead to restrictions on goods from Chinese companies in the United States, and U.S. companies in China; data and other more basic technologies, and chips," he said.

Leoni said the first one would have a limited impact on the two countries and the rest of the world. However, substantial, structural decoupling would lead to more dramatic consequences, he added.

"Ordinary goods that we are nowadays able to find for a relatively cheap price might become unaffordable. The U.S. might not even have the capacity to produce those items inside the country, which is the case with the iPhone," he said.

Total decoupling would also affect many U.S. allies, he added, since it would take some time before those countries would be able to restore production, and reopen industries and manufacturing plants that were shut down a few decades ago.

"If a total decoupling scenario were to happen, we would also see the global gross domestic product (GDP) being affected by several percentage points," he warned.

Total decoupling would harm citizens on both sides of the Pacific, Leoni said. However, he added: "The cost of decoupling would be felt more by U.S. citizens. When it comes to consumer goods that are easily accessible, that we tend to use in our everyday life, the U.S. is more dependent on imports from China rather than the other way around."

The current relationship between the two countries is extremely politicized, Leoni said. This is negative for many countries around the world.

"Both the U.S. and China and their consumers will feel an impact," he said, adding that "the global economy will suffer from it." 
Launching of a platform to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in Central America

The Platform is established as a forum for States Parties and development partners to create and foster alliances and design actions to achieve tangible results in advancing the implementation of the UNCAC in the region.

Honduras, April 27, 2023. The launch conference of the Regional Platform to Accelerate the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Central America, held in Honduras from April 25 to 27, brought together government, civil society and private sector representatives from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic, in addition to development partners and international donors. In the words of Gabriela Membreno, Secretary General of the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "the main purpose of the Regional Platform is none other than to bring together Central American regional efforts so that UNCAC can be properly implemented."

Over the past years, UNODC has been supporting the establishment of regional platforms to accelerate the implementation of UNCAC, thus contributing to the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal 16. The Regional Platform follows a methodology recognized by the Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC with the adoption of Resolution 9/4 at its ninth session in December 2021. The Regional Platform's approach is catalytic in nature, as it seeks both to identify gaps in existing efforts to implement UNCAC and to coordinate and make more effective the work of technical assistance providers, as the Regional Platform also serves to identify and implement feasible and practical reform priorities.

At the opening ceremony, the Secretary of Transparency and Fight against Corruption of Honduras, Mr. Edmundo Orellana, emphasized that "the fight against corruption cannot be local", so "this event will bring us extraordinary opportunities to fight more effectively in this crusade".

For her part, the UNODC Regional Representative for Central America and the Caribbean, Ms. Sylvie Bertrand, stressed that "the commitment that led to the adoption of the Convention, 20 years ago, is still necessary today to continue advancing in the efforts to prevent and combat corruption, also in our region; so that the provisions to which we committed at the international level are translated into national actions have a real and lasting impact on the lives of people; so that we fulfill the central promise of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind".

The launch conference concluded with the adoption of a final document containing a roadmap for the work to be carried out in the region over the next three years. The roadmap includes commitments from the States around five thematic areas: 1) integrity systems in the public sector; 2) transparency and integrity in public procurement; 3) prevention of corruption in the private sector; 4) corruption reporting and protection of whistleblowers and witnesses; 5) investigation, prosecution and international cooperation in corruption cases. It also includes the cross-cutting themes of human rights and gender equality, and the use of technologies to promote transparency, access to information and accountability.

The initiative is aligned with the UNODC Strategic Vision for Latin America and the Caribbean, which establishes the fight against corruption and economic crime as the first of the four priority areas of investment and lines of work for the period 2022-2025, favoring a regional approach adapted to the local context.

Implemented with the support of the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Central America Regional Platform is the second of its kind in the region, following the Platform for South America and Mexico. Both platforms are accompanied by the UNODC Anti-Corruption Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean created in 2021 to respond to growing requests from States Parties for guidance, technical support and capacity building and the need to foster coordination and synergies with regional anti-corruption initiatives in the region and development partners.
Advanced Anti-Corruption Training World First: Delivered in PNG on Europe Day

Participants in front of the EU Banner

Central Province (Papua New Guinea), 10 May 2023 - On Europe Day - 9 May - corruption investigators and prosecutors in Papua New Guinea were the first in the world to participate in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) advanced training program. The intensive program is delivered by UNODC and co-organised by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General with support from the European Union.



Building on the introductory UNODC training delivered last year in Lae, the advanced training from 9-11 May in Central Province will further boost skills and enhance the cooperation between key integrity agencies to conduct more effective investigations of corruption, money laundering and other financial crime.



As criminals get smarter and adopt new methods to conceal their conduct, corruption fighters need the best available techniques and skills to respond effectively. UNODC is delighted to be delivering as a world first the second and more advanced phase of our training program to Papua New Guinea. Effective enforcement of anti-corruption laws is critical to Papua New Guineas Vision 2050 by supporting effective systems and processes to bring corrupt actors to account, said Mr Graeme Gunn, UNODC Officer-in-Charge and Anti-Corruption Adviser, Papua New Guinea.

Mr Eluh opening the event

The Department of Justice and Attorney General, Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit, Auditor Generals Office, Investment Promotion Authority, interim Independent Commission Against Corruption, Office of the Public Prosecutor, Ombudsman Commission and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary are participating in the training.



Mrs Josephine Pitmur, Deputy Secretary, Department of Justice and Attorney General, said: While anti-money laundering laws and proceeds of crime powers are recent concepts in our legislation, we need to ensure these laws are used to their full effect.



All public agencies engaged in the fight against corruption need to work together  this is what the people of Papua New Guinea expect. I commend all the agencies attending this training and encourage all of us to adopt good practices to help destroy corruption, said Mr Thomas Eluh, Chair of the interim PNG Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Team photo at the training

This workshop is supported by the Project on Preventing and Countering Corruption in Papua New Guinea, implemented jointly by UNODC and the UN Development Programme PNG, and funded by the European Union. It is also supported by the Australian Government.



UNODC, as the custodian of the UN Convention Against Corruption, undertakes its 2023 programmes to combat corruption under the theme UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption, building up to International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2023 and the 10th biennial Conference of States Parties on UNCAC. In the Pacific, UNODC partners with the Pacific Islands Forum to implement the regional anti-corruption roadmap, the Teieniwa Vision, adopted by the 18 Pacific Leaders in 2021 and devised at the Pacific Unity Against Corruption Leaders Conference in 2020, hosted by the Government of Kiribati and facilitated by UNODC.
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Czech oil pipeline operator Mero and Italian consortium TAL have agreed to expand the Transalpine oil pipeline, a project which is due to be completed in 2024, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Czech oil pipeline operator Mero and Italian consortium TAL have agreed to expand the Transalpine oil pipeline, a project which is due to be completed in 2024, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday.

"Czech pipeline operator Mero has agreed with the shareholders of the TAL consortium on a project to expand the Transalpine oil pipeline. The agreement should be signed this month, and the completion of the project is expected in 2024," Fiala said at a press conference after his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Prague.

In late November, Fiala said that the expansion of the Transalpine oil pipeline would increase its capacity to 7-8 million tonnes per year. The cost of the project is expected to be about $55.8-$74.4 million. The expansion of the pipeline is expected to end the Czech Republic's dependence on Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, Fiala added.

The Transalpine oil pipeline is laid from the Italian city of Trieste to Germany and Austria. The Czech Republic is connected to it via the IKL pipeline on the territory of the German state of Bavaria.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak to the press after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

by Xiong Maoling

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis.

Republicans are proposing spending cuts in exchange for raising the borrowing limit. U.S. President Joe Biden and Democrats, meanwhile, are urging Congress to pass a "clean" debt ceiling increase without conditions.

"Over these last few days and weeks, there's a lot of politics, posturing and gamesmanship and it's going to continue for a while," Biden said in remarks after the meeting.

THE BLAME GAME

The meeting took place roughly a week after U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that "extraordinary measures" to keep the government paying its bills "will no longer be possible" as soon as June 1.

It marked the president's first substantial conversation with Republican leaders about the debt ceiling crisis since February, though the two sides failed to bridge their differences amid a looming deadline.

"Everybody in this meeting reiterated the positions they were at. I didn't see any new movement," Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, criticizing the president for waiting 97 days "without ever meeting."

In January, the country already hit its 31.4-trillion-U.S.-dollar debt limit, set in December 2021, prompting the Treasury Department to use accounting maneuvers known as "extraordinary measures" to keep the government paying its bills, such as curbing certain government investments.

At that time, the U.S. treasury secretary estimated that it was "unlikely" that cash and extraordinary measures would be exhausted before early June. After reviewing recent federal tax receipts, she estimated last week that "X-date" could hit as soon as June 1.

Democrats and Republicans -- who have been locked in a bitter fight for months -- have made little progress toward reaching an agreement, and have been blaming each other for the stalemate.

"We're the only ones to pass a plan," McCarthy said at a news conference earlier, referring to a bill passed by House Republicans in late April, which raises the debt limit by 1.5 trillion dollars or until March 31, whichever comes first, while reducing funding for federal agencies and limiting growth in government spending. The bill would also repeal some tax incentives for renewable energy, one of Biden's signature policies.

"So I think it's up to you now whether the economy goes in any trouble, it's you. Because the Republicans raised the debt limit, you have not," said the Republican leader in the House.

Biden, in a meeting with cabinet members and other economic officials last week, said Republicans are "trying to hold the debt hostage to get us to agree to some draconian cuts, magnificently difficult and damaging cuts."

As the two sides are busy playing the blame game, Americans are divided on who is to blame if the federal government eventually defaults on its debts.

According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, 39 percent say they would mainly blame Republicans in Congress, while 36 percent say they would mainly blame Biden. Sixteen percent say they would blame both equally.

A debt ceiling showdown, which has investors panicking, is nothing new in the Capitol. Similar standoffs played out in 2011 and 2013, when Republicans demanded spending cuts in debt ceiling negotiations under then President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president.

But America's ballooning debt resulted from choices made by both Republicans and Democrats during the past decades, according to a recent report by The New York Times.

Since 2000, politicians from both parties have "made a habit" of borrowing money to finance wars, tax cuts, expanded federal spending, care for baby boomers and emergency measures to help the nation endure two debilitating recessions, the report said.

ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE

The U.S. debt ceiling crisis -- a recurrent result of political brinkmanship -- could bring catastrophic consequences for the U.S. economy and the world economies, according to economists and observers.

"We have learned from past debt limit impasses that waiting until the last minute to suspend or increase the debt limit can cause serious harm to business and consumer confidence, raise short-term borrowing costs for taxpayers, and negatively impact the credit rating of the United States," Yellen said in a letter to McCarthy on May 1.

In an interview early this year, Yellen warned that the effects of U.S. debt default could be as broad as a global financial crisis.

The U.S. treasury secretary is probably right "considering how large is the U.S. government debt market and how important a role it plays as the risk-free asset in the world financial system," Desmond Lachman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), told Xinhua.

"Defaulting on the U.S. debt would bring a major negative impact for the U.S. economy and the world economies," said Lachman, noting that this makes it likely that some compromise will be reached by Biden and McCarthy even if that agreement is reached "at the very last hour."

"It would seem likely that until such an agreement is reached, we could have increased market volatility as market participants factor in that a default could occur," Lachman said.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, recently said that he could not imagine the U.S. government allowing "the debt ceiling to cause the world to go into turmoil."

Congressional leaders will meet again with Biden on Friday. The president is scheduled to make a speech on Wednesday, in which he will likely lash out at Republicans over the debt-ceiling drama.

"Washington is running out of time before we breach the debt limit," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the budget watch group the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who noted that "even flirting with default is dangerous."

"We need to raise the debt limit as soon as possible, without drama and without serious risk of default. To threaten default or drag one's feet is the height of irresponsibility," said MacGuineas.

"Lawmakers should stop approaching this as though they are on two different teams, and work together as the leaders of one country," she added. 

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (L) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak to the press after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (center L) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (center R) speak to the press after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the press after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the press after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy exits the White House after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 9, 2023. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere near a deal after a high-profile debt ceiling meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, risking a debt default that economists warn could cripple the U.S. economy and spawn a financial crisis. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 10th May, 2023) The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) today announced the international debut of "A Call From Space," a live call series hosted by Sultan AlNeyadi. From the International Space Station, in the State of Mauritius, in line with the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mauritius, aimed at supporting the space sector of the island nation

The fourth instalment of the live call series is scheduled to take place in Mauritius on 11th May at 3:00 PM UAE time.

The exclusive event has attracted nearly 400 guests, including students and space enthusiasts from across the city, who have already registered to attend.

"A Call From Space" is a unique roadshow that provides a rare opportunity for the public to connect with Sultan AlNeyadi, who will share his incredible journey from being a candidate of the UAE Astronaut Programme to his current role as a crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). This historic mission marks the longest Arab space mission to date, and attendees of the roadshow will have the chance to learn about Sultan's experiences and ask him questions about life in space.

Promoting space and STEM education for future generations, A Call From Space event encourages young minds to dream big and join the thriving space sector.

Exemplifying the power of international collaboration and knowledge sharing in the space sector, the event builds upon the recent signing of an MoU between MBRSC, Space Mauritius, and the Ministry of Information Technology, Communications, and Innovation, covering cooperation to support the Mauritian space sector in the development of human resources and technical assistance.

As part of the MoU, MBRSC will cooperate in sending Mauritian payloads as part of the PHI-1 mission as well as conduct training for engineers. The MBRSC's PHI-1 is designed to provide a modular satellite platform that promotes innovation in the space technology sector and encourages collaboration among government entities, universities, and other organisations.

The UAE Astronaut Programme is one of the projects managed by MBRSC under the UAEs National Space Programme and funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), which aims to support research and development in the ICT sector in the UAE and promote the countrys integration on the global stage.
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DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 10th May, 2023) Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under Dubai Chambers, has welcomed a large delegation of senior business executives from Palestine together with 21 start-up representatives for the first-ever business matching meeting between Dubai and Palestine.

The trade mission from Palestine had one of the highest numbers of bilateral meetings, with a total of 237 meetings organised and an average of ten per delegate.

Participants at the event included Hashim Shawa, Chairman of Bank of Palestine Group; Linda Tarzi, board Member at Bank of Palestine Group, Kamel Husseini, Chief Strategic Relations & Engagements Officer of Bank of Palestine; and Rateb Rabi, Chief Executive Officer of Intersect Innovation Hub (IIH).

The guests headed a delegation featuring representatives from 21 Palestinian start-ups, who were keen to visit Dubai to learn more about the middle Easts most vibrant digital economy.

The event provided valuable insights on how to set up a digital-first business in Dubai, as well as creating opportunities to explore trade deals with like-minded Dubai companies and discover the benefits of Dubais world-class investment environment.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President & CEO of Dubai Chambers, said, Todays event underlines our commitment as a chamber to not only attract and encourage foreign start-ups to trade with our members and companies in Dubai, but also to enable them to understand what attracts international players to our city. We have a mandate  backed by several government strategies including the Digital Economy Strategy, the Metaverse Strategy, and the D33 Economic Agenda  to help international start-ups gain a foothold in Dubai and enjoy all the benefits of a truly 21st century economy.



Lootah also reaffirmed Dubais commitment to finding and supporting 30 unicorn start-ups  young companies valued at more than $1 billion  by 2033, highlighting that the citys 20-year-old startup ecosystem has given rise to half a dozen unicorns to date.

The meeting took place at Dubai Chambers headquarters and featured a presentation from Hashim Shawa, who provided an overview of the Bank of Palestine Group.

Shawa expressed his satisfaction with the banks partnership with Dubai Chambers and emphasised the strong interest among startups in Palestine to expand into the region.

He stated that Dubai is the natural platform for these companies as they launch their operations in the region and the wider world, particularly for the Palestinian youth who possess advanced capabilities and a strong spirit of creativity.

This was followed by an open discussion, during which the Palestinian start-ups had the opportunity to have their questions on a variety of topics answered.

The visiting delegation included start-ups across a wide variety of sectors including transportation services, education, construction, engineering & real estate, energy, software solutions, e-commerce & retailers, ERP solutions, AI & financial solutions, and farming & agriculture.

Delegates also learned more about Dubais extremely favourable business environment, from investment to ease of set-up and living. Dubai Chambers underlined the UAE economys continuing success in bucking global economic trends, with most analysts agreeing on a forecast of 3-4 percent growth in national GDP this year.


DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 10th May, 2023) Standard Chartered has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to collaborate on digital assets, including digital asset custody.

Subject to regulatory approval, Standard Chartered plans to launch digital asset custody services, starting in DIFC and to cater to institutional clients worldwide. As a market leader in the Securities Services industry, Standard Chartered is an early mover in developing services to provide custody of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Drawing on its international expertise in traditional custody, its new services will be powered by its subsidiary Zodia Custody, which has best-in-class operational and technical capabilities suited to needs of institutional clients.

Signed at the Dubai FinTech Summit by Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, and Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered, the MoU aligns with Dubais vision to be at the forefront of the future of finance.

During the signing ceremony, Winters said, We see digital assets as an important part of the future of financial services, and we are committed to investing in the infrastructure and talent necessary to be a leader in this space.

The UAE's well-balanced approach to digital asset adoption and financial regulation makes it an ideal first market for us to launch our digital asset custody proposition.

The Bank and DIFC will also collaborate on opportunities to promote a vibrant and thriving digital assets ecosystem that benefits Dubai and the wider UAE economy. The MoU will foster close cooperation for the Banks wider digital assets agenda in collaboration with the DIFC Innovation Hub, the regions leading ecosystem for start-ups and scale ups.

Kazim, in turn, stated, The Dubai FinTech sector has emerged as a key driver of innovation and economic growth much in line with the Governments Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) to become a top 4 global financial hub. DIFC welcome collaboration with partners such as Standard Chartered to further accelerate growth and enable collaboration that triggers innovation as we continue to shape the future of finance together."
(@FahadShabbir)

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2023 ) :When Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi helped identify a mysterious virus that would become known as HIV 40 years ago, she says it kicked off a "race against time" to counter the looming AIDS crisis.

In an interview with AFP, the 75-year-old virologist described how she and colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered HIV in 1983, which led to her jointly winning the Nobel prize for Medicine.

"It all started in 1982," when doctors started sharing stories about the first French AIDS patients, France's Barre-Sinoussi said.

"They were convinced that a retrovirus could be responsible for this new disease." For more than a decade Barre-Sinoussi had been working on retroviruses, which on infection convert from the genetic material RNA into DNA, allowing them to easily integrate host cells.

In January 1983, the team's strategy was to take a lymph node biopsy from a sick patient, then culture the cells in the lab looking for "very specific enzymatic activity", she said.

Her French doctor colleagues thought that AIDS must be caused by HTLV-1, the only retrovirus known to directly cause cancer in humans.

"But our team did not believe in this hypothesis because this virus causes a proliferation of lymphocytes," Barre-Sinoussi said.

AIDS patients had lower rates of this important immune cell.

"Something didn't add up," she said.

"In May 1983, we isolated the virus and demonstrated that it was a retrovirus that was different from HTLV-1. But we were not yet certain that it caused AIDS."That was confirmed the following year by US scientist Robert Gallo.

This caused a transatlantic rift over who discovered HIV, with the United States and France eventually agreeing that both Gallo and the Pasteur team led by Luc Montagnier should get joint credit.
Frankfurt, Germany, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2023 ) :A European court Wednesday annulled the decision by the European Commission to approve Germany's multi-billion-euro bailout of airline Lufthansa during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it had made "several errors".

Lufthansa, one of Europe's biggest airline groups, received the cash injection in 2020 when the pandemic brought global air travel to a halt.

But it paid the cash back the following year as curbs were eased and travel rebounded, while the German government sold its final stake in the airline last year.

But the EU General Court, ruling on a complaint brought by rival airlines Ryanair and Condor, said the commission "committed several errors", and annulled its decision to approve six billion Euros ($6.6 billion) of bailout funds.

The mistakes included considering Lufthansa could not obtain financing on the markets to cover all its needs and failing to require a mechanism incentivising Lufthansa to buy back Germany's shareholding as quickly as possible, it said.

Another error was accepting various commitments that did not ensure that effective competition on the market was preserved, it added.

There was no immediate reaction from the European Commission. It can still appeal the ruling to the European Court of Justice.

And given the bailout has been paid back, it is not clear if the ruling will have any impact on Lufthansa.

The airline said it would analyse the decision and decide on further action, while noting the "stabilisation measures" were "already fully terminated before today's court ruling".

Its shares were up 0.2 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange after the ruling.

Along with other carriers, Lufthansa has rebounded strongly since travel curbs were eased, and in 2022 returned to annual profit after two years of losses.
Wellington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2023 ) :New Zealand police said on Wednesday they had recovered the body of a teen killed during a "tragic" school caving trip that is now the subject of a comprehensive investigation.

The teen was visiting the popular Abbey Caves complex north of Auckland on Tuesday when his class "encountered a severe weather event".

After a day-long search in squalid weather, police said a body was recovered late Tuesday and the boy's family was being offered support while the formal identification takes place.

"Our thoughts remain with them at this tragic time," Northland police superintendent Tony Hill said.

Well-wishers left flowers at the caves, which remained behind a police cordon Wednesday.

"I think it is every parent's worst possible nightmare to send your child off to school in the morning and not have them returned safely home in the evening," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said, according to the NZ Herald newspaper.

Questions have been raised about why teachers took more than a dozen 15- and 16-year-olds from Whangarei Boys' High School to an area highly prone to flash floods.

The area received about 13 centimetres of rainfall (five inches) on the day of the trip and there was widespread flooding.

Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith said Wednesday that the school and local community were "devastated", having lost a "much loved and treasured son and brother".

"I realise that people have lots of questions, but I simply am not in a position to provide answers at this early stage," she said.

"We need to allow a full and comprehensive investigation involving the NZ Police and Worksafe NZ into this tragic incident to be completed."Police have refused to provide details about what they believe occurred in the caves, but warned the media "to not make assumptions".
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In an impressive ceremony held at Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard Shanghai, China; two newly built Type 054 A/P Frigates namely Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) TIPPU SULTAN and PNS SHAHJAHAN were commissioned in Pakistan Navy on Wednesday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2023 ) :In an impressive ceremony held at Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard Shanghai, China; two newly built Type 054 A/P Frigates namely Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) TIPPU SULTAN and PNS SHAHJAHAN were commissioned in Pakistan Navy on Wednesday.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi graced the ceremony as chief guest and handed over the traditional Command Scrolls to the Commanding Officers of PN Ships, a news release said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff highlighted that the commissioning of PNS TIPPU SULTAN and PNS SHAHJAHAN ushers a new chapter in Pak  China friendship that has matured and rests firmly on the pillars of trust, respect and mutual support. "The same is manifested in our defence collaborations." The Naval Chief added that with the active support of the People's Republic of China, Pakistan Navy has undertaken substantial measures to strengthen its force structure and progressive capability enhancement. He underscored that completion of the Type 054 A/P Project is a major leap towards strengthening capabilities to respond to maritime threats and contribution to peace and stability in the region.

Towards the end, the Admiral thanked and praised the concerted efforts made by all major stakeholders involved in the development of the ships including BOMETEC, SASTIND, PLA (N), HZ Shipyard and CSTC for the timely completion of the project despite pandemic challenges.

The contract for four multi-role frigates (Type 054-A/P) for Pakistan Navy was signed between Pakistan and China in 2018. The first and second ships PNS TUGHRIL and PNS TAIMUR joined the PN fleet in 2022. The development of these state-of-the-art naval units for Pakistan Navy is hinged upon modern stealth design with the capability to simultaneously engage in multiple naval operations to counter maritime threats.

The 4000 tons frigates are technologically advanced and highly capable platforms having enormous surface-to-surface, land attack, surface-to-air and underwater firepower coupled with extensive surveillance potential. These ships will provide deterrence and means for averting threats in our region while contributing towards the protection of Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCS).

The ceremony was attended by high level Civil & Military dignitaries including the Ambassador of Pakistan to China and officials of Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard.
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The hearing will be conducted at the new guest house of the Police Lines, which has been declared a 'court' for the case.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 10th, 2023) Former Pakistani Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will be presented at the Police Line Headquarters in Islamabad for his court hearing due to security reasons, the local administration said on Wednesday.

The hearing will be conducted at the new guest house of the Police Lines, which has been declared a 'court' for the case.

According to the notification, Imran Khan will not be taken to the G-8 or G-11 court complexes, but will be presented before the accountability court and the judicial magistrate at the Police Line Headquarters.

Sources privy to the development revealed that Imran Khan was also shifted to the Police Line new guest house. Large numbers of police contingents have been deployed outside the Police Line Headquarters, and entry into the courtroom will be allowed as per the list. However, it is not yet clear what the criteria of the list are, while coverage of the case will also be allowed as per the will of the judges of the court.

After Imran Khan's arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case from the Islamabad High Court premises where he had reached for his biometrics, there has been a high alert in the twin cities.

The Pakistan Rangers conducted the operation to arrest Imran Khan. The ousted prime minister had been campaigning for early elections in the country since the day his government was removed. Before his departure to Islamabad, Imran Khan had addressed the ISPR and also left a message for his party workers and supporters.

PTI called on supporters to shut down the country against the arrest of Imran Khan. Complying with the call, thousands of party workers and supporters took to the streets, blocked the roads, chanted slogans against the government and demanded the immediate release of Imran Khan. The situation remained tense in major cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi, and Faisalabad. Hundreds of his party workers have been arrested.

The Al-Qadir Trust case has been ongoing since 2018 when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated an investigation into the trust's land dealings. The investigation revealed irregularities in the sale and purchase of land, with Imran Khan and others named in the case. Later, the Islamabad High Court confirmed the arrest of Imran Khan as legal and issued notices to IGP Islamabad and others for contempt of court. The court also sought a report from government authorities until May 16.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2023 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday directed the Federal Insurance Ombudsman to ensure provision of speedy justice to the people in insurance-related matters.

The president said this as Federal Insurance Ombudsman Muhammad Khawar Jameel presented him annual report of 2022 highlighting the institution's performance.

The president also called for creating awareness on the role of Ombudsman for resolution of insurance-related complaints.

He also also advised the people to approach the Ombudsman office for the resolution of their complaints concerning insurance.

According to the report, the Federal Insurance Ombudsman disposed off 4,634 complaints during 2022 providing relief worth Rs 2.5 billion to the policyholders.

It was told that around 95% of the said insurance cases were disposed of within 60 days.

As per report, the Ombudsman opened its new offices in Sukkur and Hyderabad to provide justice to the people at their doorstep.
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The latest reports say that Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called for an emergency meeting of the seven-member committee to assess the situation and devise a plan to secure the prompt release of the party leader, following his arrest by NAB on Tuesday at the IHC.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 9th, 2023) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on Wednesday declared that the party would contest the Islamabad High Court's decision to allow the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest PTI chief Imran Khan, in the Supreme Court today.

Qureshi called for an emergency meeting of the seven-member committee to assess the situation and devise a plan to secure the prompt release of the party leader, following his arrest by NAB on Tuesday at the IHC.

According to the PTI Central Media Department, Qureshi confirmed that a meeting of the senior leadership and emergency committee would be held to examine the situation and announce a comprehensive plan of action. He stated that the arrest of Khan was unjustified and unacceptable, and that his release was a legitimate and reasonable demand.

Qureshi said that the PTI will challenge the Al-Qadir Trust case, which he described as a "dirty political case" and a "revenge plot," both politically and legally. He added that the PTI will stage peaceful but robust protests throughout the country to secure the prompt release of their chairman.

Qureshi expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the IHC was raided to arrest Khan, despite the PTI chairman offering voluntary surrender before appearing in court. He called the arrest of Imran Khan a "fascist" act and condemned the attack on the Islamabad High Court during biometrics and the injury of lawyers. Qureshi appealed to the Chief Justice of the IHC to issue an order for Khan's immediate recovery and appearance in court, adding that the entire nation was deeply concerned about his health and safety.

Qureshi emphasized that the PTI would continue with the rallies scheduled by Khan and urged workers to remain peaceful and resolute. He noted that people's reaction to Khan's arrest was natural and that Khan had announced before leaving for Islamabad that he would voluntarily surrender if there were warrants against him.

"There was no reason for resorting to violence, breaking glasses, manhandling lawyers, and arresting PTI activists," he said. "We will fight this battle morally and politically for the safe recovery and release of the chairman."
Bangkok: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha is expected to lose the election in Thailand on Sunday, with the opposition, led by exiled billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter, predicted to win the most seats.

According to polls, voters are expected to deliver a damning verdict on almost a decade of military-backed rule, which has resulted in economic stagnation and what rights groups say is a worrisome crackdown on fundamental freedoms.

It has been almost three years since youth-led pro-democracy protests that called for unprecedented reforms to the ultra-wealthy King Maha Vajiralongkorn's powers upended the politics of the kingdom. This election is the first since those protests.

Also Read: Amnesty requests that the UK House of Lords vote against the "racist, xenophobic" immigration bill

The Pheu Thai party, led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, the youngest child of former prime minister Thaksin, who was overthrown in a coup in 2006, is currently leading the polls.

However, the junta-drafted constitution gives the Senate, which it personally selected, a significant say in selecting the prime minister, potentially impeding Pheu Thai's path to power.

Following a contentious 2019 election, Prayut, a former army chief who overthrew Paetongtarn's aunt Yingluck in a coup in 2014, was appointed prime minister and is now in charge of a complex multi-party coalition.

The 69-year-old has positioned himself as the candidate with the necessary experience for the position, but he is trailing significantly in the polls due to the country's faltering economy and sluggish recovery from the pandemic that severely damaged the kingdom's vital tourism industry.

Office worker Wan Sirichai, 50, asked in Bangkok, "Look at our country  do you think our economy is good after four years?" Instead of using competent individuals to run the nation, they resorted to nepotism to advance the interests of their own close friends. I merely want intelligent individuals to enter and transform the nation.

The Election Commission estimates that 90 percent of eligible voters participated in the early voting on Sunday despite the oppressive heat.

According to analysts, the 52 million-strong electorate had a strong desire for change as evidenced by the high early turnout.

Also Read: French lawmakers ask the EU to designate Wagner as a "terrorist group."

The conservative royalist-military Bangkok establishment, which is represented by Prayut's United Thai Nation party and the Palang Pracharath Party, which was the leader of the previous government coalition, faces a youthful opposition in the election.

Lese majeste prosecutions have skyrocketed under Prayut's administration, adding to what Human Rights Watch has called a "atmosphere of fear" surrounding the election.

In the wake of the 2020 street protests, which included demands for changes to the previously untouchable monarchy, more than 200 people have been charged with royal defamation.

The second-largest economy in Southeast Asia has received a lot of attention during the campaign due to high household debt levels and sluggish growth.

However, with the majority of parties engaged in a bidding war over populist welfare promises, there isn't much new to offer in terms of policies.

Pheu Thai has promised to give every adult citizen over the age of 16 10,000 baht ($300) in a digital wallet, while other candidates have promised to raise the minimum wage and provide cash grants to farmers.

Since 2001, Pheu Thai and its predecessors have won the majority of seats in every election; however, it has had two prime ministers deposed by coups and two by court orders.

To prevent the military-appointed Senate from obstructing the party's path to the presidency, Paetongtarn has pleaded with voters to support him with a landslide victory.

The radical Move Forward Party, Pheu Thai's closest rival in the polls, is the election's wild card because it has drawn support from young people who are fed up with the established parties and who took to the streets in 2020.

Also Read: 40% of Americans approve of Biden, and they are worried about immigration

The Future Forward Party, which shocked the kingdom by placing third in the 2019 election, was destroyed by a court order, and MFP emerged from its ashes.

A Pheu Thai candidate will likely face opposition from the 250 senators chosen by the junta, so the party needs to win 376 of the 500 seats.

Even though Pheu Thai is doing well in the polls, it is unlikely to win by such a landslide, indicating that it will need to form a coalition to win power.

A partnership with the radical MFP could increase the likelihood of further military intervention in a nation that has already seen 12 coups since absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932.

Despite Pheu Thai's claims to the contrary, political analyst Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee of Chulalongkorn University stated that a link-up with one of the departing military-allied parties appears feasible.

For the sake of compromise and stability, she predicted that they would combine with one or more parties on the side of the previous administration.
The meeting on the Black Sea Grain Initiative started in Istanbul on Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, adding that Ankara continues negotiations to extend the agreement

ISTANBUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The meeting on the Black Sea Grain Initiative started in Istanbul on Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, adding that Ankara continues negotiations to extend the agreement.

"A meeting of the deputy defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine with UN representatives on the issue of extending the grain deal has started in Istanbul.

We continue negotiations so that this work is not interrupted and to maintain stability," Akar said, as quoted by Turkey's TRT broadcaster.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed deep concern on Wednesday over ongoing political violence in Myanmar and called for an immediate cessation of using force and creation of a conducive environment for national dialogues and meeting the country's humanitarian needs.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," the statement, issued at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo on the Indonesian island of Flores, read.

The document also said that the participants had supported the statement of Indonesian President Joko Widodo as this year's ASEAN chair on May 8 in response to the recent attack on a convoy of the AHA Center and the ASEAN Monitoring Team in Myanmar.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable," the statement said.

An ASEAN's humanitarian convoy was shelled near the town of Taung in Myanmar's Shan State on Sunday, and no casualties or injuries have been reported.

The military came to power in Myanmar in February 2021. The opposition resorted to armed struggle after a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations by the military regime and the police. The military arrested government officials, accusing them of rigging the general election, and later appointed a new administration.
US National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) Vice President Chris Cabrera, who works as a Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas, told Sputnik the Biden administration's plan to deter a surge of migrants on the US-Mexico border has not clearly been relayed to Border Patrol agents on the frontline of the border crisis

EL PASO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) US National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) Vice President Chris Cabrera, who works as a Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas, told Sputnik the Biden administration's plan to deter a surge of migrants on the US-Mexico border has not clearly been relayed to Border Patrol agents on the frontline of the border crisis.

A massive surge of illegal immigrants is underway on the US-Mexico border ahead of the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday. The Trump-era public health emergency order allowed the US government to turn away illegal immigrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"We got a lot coming for us," Cabrera said. "I don't know what the plan is, but whatever it is, it hasn't been really relayed to us as far as what they're going to do to deter people from coming in in droves."

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden said the US southern border will be chaotic when Title 42 expires, and it remains to be seen if the United States is prepared to deal with the massive surge of migrants anticipated when the policy expires.

US border agents are already seeing huge numbers of migrants arriving on the US-Mexico border ahead of the end of Title 42, Cabrera said.

There are reportedly tens of thousands of migrants waiting in Mexico to cross into the United States after Thursday. CBS news reported, citing US government data, between 11,000 and 13,000 daily migrant arrivals are expected after Title 42 expires.

"We're already at capacity in most of our stations, most of our sectors that are having huge numbers," Cabrera said. "So we're already at capacity, and we haven't even hit the high watermark."

Non-government organizations (NGOs) that aid migrants may also be at capacity, Cabrera added.

"Usually our relief valve is the NGO, so I would imagine if we're capacity, they're at capacity," Cabrera said.

Last week, a Sputnik correspondent reported that more than 1,700 migrants were gathered for several days outside a church in downtown El Paso, Texas, that had easily reached its capacity.

According to Cabrera, more migrants will likely be released into US border communities due to capacity issues if migrant arrivals continue to intensify after Title 42 expires.

"When we have issues like we're having now - Title 42 is still in play and we're still having big numbers and you can't get buses to bus them out of the local area fast enough - so obviously they're gonna release them on the streets," Cabrera said. "Our numbers are gonna probably double, triple, quadruple ... if we can't put them anywhere now, where are we going to put them when we're doubled and tripled up."

Cabrera expects migrants who already made the trip to the US-Mexico border will continue to attempt to illegally cross into the United States regardless of any policy the Biden administration imposes to deter them, however, he emphasized that the current border crisis can only be fixed by Congress.

"I think there needs to be a legislative fix to it," Cabrera said. "We need to secure this border, mandatory detention, mandatory removal. That is the single biggest factor that will deter people from coming across."

On Wednesday, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the United States finalized a rule that will impose harsher consequences for migrants that illegally enter the United States.

The rule presumes that those who do not use lawful pathways to enter the United States are ineligible for asylum and authorizes deportations of migrants who do not establish a reasonable fear of persecution in their country.

Migrants who do not claim fear of persecution will be deported immediately, and migrants that do claim fear of persecution will encounter a higher threshold under the new asylum rule, unless they have accessed lawful pathways or sought relief in another country and been denied.

Moreover, after Title 42 is lifted, migrants will still face consequences for crossing into the United States illegally under an authority known as Title 8, which subjects migrants to at least a five year bar on re-entry into the United States, and can face criminal prosecution if they attempt to cross illegally again.

Former US Border Patrol sector chief Victor Manjarrez also told Sputnik he expects the number of migrants arriving on the US-Mexico border to increase.

"I do expect the numbers to go up. CBP (Customs and Border Protection), they're at the point of saturation, so I don't know if they could even arrest more if they wanted to," Manjarrez said. "They're overwhelmed. It'll hit a point where they can't arrest anyone and people are gonna wait to be arrested - that's part of the process, you wait to get arrested to claim asylum."

The description of what is currently occurring on the US-Mexico border has transformed from a border crisis to a disaster, Manjarrez said.

It will take the Biden administration some time to turn the tide on the current surge of migrants at the US-Mexico border, Manjarrez said, adding that US-bound migrants should not be expected to turn back after already suffering hardships and giving up everything they have to make the journey to the United States.

"Some of the lowest points of illegal immigration had been when there's been a strong deterrent, some kind of consequence for crossing illegally," Manjarrez said. "You start with that. That's not the cure, but that's a start where you can start to slow the flow down enough so you can manage it."

On Monday, US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said more than 26,000 migrants have been apprehended on the US southern border over the last three days. More than 10,300 migrants crossed illegally the US-Mexico border on Tuesday, US media reported citing CBP sources.

US Congressman Tony Gonzales has said that Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei informed him the White House is ignoring his warning calls about a group of 80,000 migrants making their way to the United States' border with Mexico in light of the end of Title 42.

An all-time record number of migrants has arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, exceeding 2.3 million people. In fiscal year 2023, the US authorities said they have encountered more than 1.2 million migrants. Fox News and other media outlets have said the number of illegal immigrants to enter the United States since Biden assumed office has exceeded six million.
ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main opponent in the upcoming elections, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, of the People's Alliance on Tuesday called on the supporters to ensure his victory as early as in the first round of voting, saying that the opposition also must gain a majority in the parliament for "a rapid change in the system."

"One more question. If we are going to complete our work in the first round, I must say that we must complete it in such a way that the current opposition gets the most seats in the parliament. More lawmakers mean a rapid change in the system," Kilicdaroglu said in a video message on Twitter.

The politician added that "a system where sharp criticism of the head of state will be possible" will be created in Turkey in the event of his victory in the election.

"Their (opponents') voices will be easily heard. They will be able to oppose me as sharply as they wish. That is precisely the goal.

That is what democracy is all about. In other words, freedom of speech. First, we have to make Turkey a place where dissent is possible. After that, it will be easy for everyone. That is why we have to end this in the first round. That is why I ask you to vote consciously. Let's end this thing in the first round," the presidential candidate added.

Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on May 14. The second round of voting, if necessary, will be held on May 28. Erdogan has been nominated as a presidential candidate by the ruling Justice and Development Party, supported by the allied Nationalist Movement Party, while Kilicdaroglu has been declared the single candidate of the opposition People's Alliance. The list of presidential candidates also includes Muharrem Ince of the Homeland Party and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance. results of pre-election polls are constantly changing and have not yet revealed a clear favorite in the upcoming election.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi on Wednesday expressed condolences over a deadly shooting near a synagogue on Tunisia's Djerba island, that left four people killed and nine others injured.

"Deplore the attack in #Djerba against Jewish pilgrims & accept my condolences to the families of victims. The strong action of the authorities is appreciated," Varhelyi tweeted.

The EU commissioner also said that the European Union was ready to support local communities and "co-existence in where Christians, Jews & Muslims live side by side."

On Tuesday, a national guard employee killed a colleague using his personal firearm in the city of Aghir, took ammunition, and attempted to reach the El Ghriba synagogue, where he fired indiscriminately at security personnel, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said. The shooter was eliminated, according to the ministry.
The European Union has launched its Humanitarian Air Bridge to provide essential supplies for the civilian population of the conflict-torn Sudan, the European Commission said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The European Union has launched its Humanitarian Air Bridge to provide essential supplies for the civilian population of the conflict-torn Sudan, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

"In view of the rising humanitarian needs due to the raging conflict in Sudan, the EU launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge transporting critical supplies to our humanitarian partners in Port Sudan. The 30 tonnes of essential items, including water, sanitation and hygiene as well as shelter equipment were transported from the warehouses of the United Nations in Dubai to Port Sudan," the commission said in a statement.

The EU allocated 200,000 Euros ($219,800) to the Sudanese Red Crescent as part of the first aid package to Sudanese citizens affected by the hostilities in the capital, Khartoum and other areas, in addition to the 73 million euros already allocated to Sudan in 2023, the commission noted. The Egyptian Red Crescent also received 200,000 euros to provide assistance to refugees arriving in Egypt from Sudan, it added.

The Humanitarian Air Bridge initiative is organized under the aegis of the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, a tool to respond to sudden humanitarian disasters, both natural and man-made, where swift assistance is vital.

On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, with the epicenter located in Khartoum. The government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, 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 604 people have died and over 5,000 injured in the clashes in Sudan, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
Moscow is expecting to see steps from Yerevan to work out the issue of the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) mission in Armenia, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Moscow is expecting to see steps from Yerevan to work out the issue of the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) mission in Armenia, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"We expect initiative steps from the Armenian partners to resume substantive work on the deployment of the CSTO mission on the territory of Armenia, other joint measures to help our ally. The Russian side is ready for such work, as we have repeatedly said, which Yerevan is well aware of," Zakharova told a briefing.
The Commission on Standardisation of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland has ruled that the Polish name of Krolewiec should be used for the Russian city of Kaliningrad, media reported Wednesday

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The Commission on Standardisation of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland has ruled that the Polish name of Krolewiec should be used for the Russian city of Kaliningrad, media reported Wednesday.

On April 12, the Commission decided that "for the city with the Russian name of Kaliningrad, only the Polish name of Krolewiec should be used, with the name Kaliningrad not recommended for use in the Polish language," Polish broadcaster TVN24 said. The ruling went into effect on Tuesday, May 9.

The commission took into consideration the fact that "the city of Kaliningrad is known in Poland under the traditional name of Krolewiec," the report added.

The commission claimed that the Russian name of the city is "artificial" and unrelated to the city itself or to the region, according to the broadcaster.

The fact that a large city near the Polish border bears the name of Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (a Russian revolutionary and a Soviet politician) is perceived negatively in Poland, TVN24 said. According to the commission's decision, "all countries have the right to use in its language traditional names, comprising its cultural heritage, and cannot be forced to use unacceptable names."

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Kaliningrad region have characterized the decision of the Polish commission as "an insinuation" and called upon everyone to stick to the city's official name, which is Kaliningrad. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Polish commission's move is an unfriendly and hostile act.
ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Russia is showing a constructive approach at the talks on the Black Sea grain deal, a source familiar with the negotiations told Sputnik.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin earlier said a high-level meeting on the grain deal will be held in Istanbul in a four-party format on May 10-11.

"Quite constructive," the source said when asked about the Russian delegation's position at the talks.

According to the source, Moscow is "waiting for the fulfillment of the conditions for Russian exports, which were earlier negotiated with the UN."

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN reached an agreement on July 22, 2022, to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

On March 18, 2023, Russia extended the deal for 60 days, until May 18.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is an integral part of a package agreement. The second part - the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years - envisions the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures. Moscow says this part of the package agreement has not been implemented yet.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The Russian air defenses on Wednesday morning shot down a drone over the village of Tolmachevo in the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, the region's governor, said.

"In the early morning, air defense forces shot down an enemy drone near Kursk. The wreckage fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was injured," Starovoit said on Telegram,

He added that a gas pipeline and the facade of a house were damaged as a result.
Beijing: The aircraft carrier Shandong made its way back to its home port in Hainan "in recent days," according to China's military, after a month-long journey that included transits around Taiwan for training purposes and a show of force as far as the Western Pacific.

The Shandong has been spotted this year as far away as Guam, the Taiwan Strait, and the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines. It participated in training exercises that first simulated attacks by fighter jets launched from an aircraft carrier on Taiwan, a country with a democratically elected government, at the beginning of April.

The use of force followed Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, which infuriated Beijing because it was perceived as meddling in China's internal affairs.

Also Read: Imran Khan was arrested because of this businessman!

According to a statement from the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army of China, the Shandong took part in a security patrol around the island of Taiwan as part of the "Joint Sword" military exercise.

"The Shandong carrier group, for the first time, in a formation and of scale, went to the waters of the western Pacific," it was further stated.

The 2019-commissioned carrier has been heavily highlighted in China's military propaganda. China displayed numerous pictures of the Shandong and its fighter jets taking off from the carrier during the drills in April.

Also Read: Britain requests businesses to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles

The USS Milius passed through the Taiwan Strait in what the US Navy described as a "routine" transit days after China finished its most recent war games near the island.

One of China's two active carriers, the Shandong, passed through the Taiwan Strait in March 2022, just hours before the scheduled meeting between the presidents of China and the US.

Also Read: Thais anticipate punishing electoral defeats for the military parties

In an effort to compel Taiwan to recognise Chinese sovereignty, China has increased military pressure on Taiwan in recent years. Beijing has never renounced using force to seize control of the island.
Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, and air defense has shot down most of them, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, and air defense has shot down most of them, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday.

"About 400 rockets were fired at Israel, about a quarter of them fell on the territory of the Gaza Strip, a significant part of the rockets fell in open areas, some of the rockets were shot down, and, unfortunately, several hits on houses were recorded," Gallant told a televised address.
Two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday morning as a result of Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) assault in the West Bank, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported

GAZA STRIP (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday morning as a result of Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) assault in the West Bank, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

According to eyewitnesses' accounts, IDF forces broke into town of Qabatiya south of Jenin, and started plunging and raiding houses, the report said.

Ahmad Jamal Assaf, 19, and Warani Walid Quatanat, 24, were shot when IDF, who raided the town, opened fire at a car, killing them both and wounding another person, who was admitted to hospital in critical condition, WAFA said citing a statement by Palestinian Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry's data, over 120 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids since the beginning of 2023.
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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) US President Joe Biden spoke with his Mexican counterpart, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in the morning, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

"I can confirm that the President spoke to President AMLO (Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador)... earlier today this morning," Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing.

The phone call took place amid a massive surge of illegal migrants on the US-Mexico border with the Trump-era public health emergency order known as Title 42 - which allowed the US government to turn away illegal immigrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19 - set to expire on Thursday.

The White House said in a statement that the leaders discussed their effort in enhancing cooperation between Washington and Mexico City, including enhancing cooperation "to manage unprecedented migration in the region," as well as close coordination between border authorities "and strong enforcement measures, in preparation for the return to full reliance on Title 8 immigration authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border, which carry steeper consequences for those removed than expulsion under Title 42."

"Both leaders underscored the value of managing migration in a humane and orderly fashion with expanded legal pathways and consequences for irregular migration.

They also affirmed their shared commitment to address the root causes of migration from Central America and discussed expanding our two nations' joint efforts. They discussed the urgency of effectively reducing crowding in northern Mexico. The two leaders affirmed that after May 11th, they will continue to implement the successful joint initiative which, over four months, achieved a 95 percent drop in border encounters of individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela at the U.S.-Mexico border," the statement read.

The presidents also acknowledged positive developments in other areas of cooperation, including "enhanced and accelerated efforts to counter illicit fentanyl and arms trafficking by dismantling criminal networks," with President Biden expressing his commitment to using "all available tools to address arms trafficking and reduce the flow of firearms into Mexico." The presidents also discussed the modernization of the US-Mexico border and the promotion of inclusive economic growth, the White House said.

An all-time record number of migrants have arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, exceeding 2.3 million people. In the fiscal year 2023, the US authorities said they have encountered more than 1.2 million migrants.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The United States has opened an embassy in Tonga, the Department of State announced on Wednesday, in an apparent effort to boost US clout in the region to counter growing Chinese influence.

"We are pleased to announce the United States officially opened the U.S. Embassy in Nuku'alofa on May 9, 2023, less than one year after Vice President (Kamala) Harris announced at a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum that we would begin discussions with Tonga regarding in establishing an embassy," the statement said.

The opening reflects the renewal of bilateral relations and underlines the strength of the US's commitment to the partnership with Tonga and the entire Indo-Pacific region, it added.

The United States considers the move a first step toward deploying additional diplomatic personnel and resources, including the potential appointment of a resident ambassador to Tonga, according to the statement.

The US-Tonga relationship dates back to the late 19th century, with diplomatic relations officially established in 1972.
UW and Wyoming SBDC Network to Host Google Maps Workshop in Worland May 17

Small-business owners can learn how to increase their companies visibility on Google Maps Wednesday, May 17.

Devan Costa-Cargill will lead the discussion during a Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network in-person workshop titled Worland Lunch and Learn: Get Found on Google Maps from 5-6 p.m. in Suite 100 at the Washakie County Library Worland Branch, located at 801 Big Horn Ave. To register, go here. Registration is free.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Formerly known as Google My Business, Google Maps profiles can lead customers directly to businesses. An updated business profile can increase customer engagement and reduce frustration over outdated information.

During the workshop, small-business owners will learn how to update business information; use the offers, events and updates features to get their businesses noticed; discuss what customers want to see on businesses About pages; learn to link their websites and social media pages; and use Google reviews to learn and adapt to customer needs.

Costa-Cargill is the Wyoming SBDC Network regional director for Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties. She launched her consulting career in the public school system, specifically in special education. For the past 10 years, Costa-Cargill has operated her own small business, providing consultation and enrichment to families and early educators. Her work with the Wyoming SBDC Network began in April 2021, advising small-business startups through the first important steps of their journey.

For more information, call Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu.
UW Model Arab League Club Members Excel

Members of the University of Wyomings new Model Arab League Club, a student organization that partners with the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Program, recently participated in activities and won awards at the regional and national levels.

Model Arab League works to bring students from all walks of life together while promoting a region of the world that is far removed from so many UW students.

Model Arab League presents a unique experience to engage dynamically with a historically underrepresented region. In this diplomatic simulation, students get the opportunity to think critically about some of the foremost challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa and debate potential solutions to these matters, says Morgan Miller, vice president of the UW Model Arab League Club. For me, Model Arab League has been crucial in furthering my public speaking and negotiation skills, and running the regional conference this February as a co-secretary-general challenged my leadership capabilities. These skills will be crucial to a future career in international relations.

Organized by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, Model Arab Leagues mission is to promote teamwork, leadership skills and on-the-fly decision-making, with the ultimate goal of aiding students in learning about the government and politics of the Middle East and North Africa region. Similar to other model simulations, Model Arab League is based on the actual Arab League or League of Arab States, a regional intergovernmental organization.

The program started at UW in 2016 as a class taught by Eric Nigh, a UW assistant lecturer and director of the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Program. Since 2016, the program has grown significantly and, as the program grew, the need for a student-led component became apparent. To aid the growth of the program, the UW Model Arab League Club was formed in fall 2022.

In February, UWs Model Arab League hosted the regional Rocky Mountain Model Arab League conference. High school and college students from UW and the Rocky Mountain region competed in four councils, where they developed leadership skills and negotiation tactics, and learned to work in a team.

A total of five schools attended the event: three from Wyoming, one from Utah and one from Idaho. Students from these schools spent one weekend intensively diving into the political, social and defense issues that face the Arab League. Four of the five schools in attendance won awards for representing their countries, and students from all schools got a taste of what it looks like to be a UW student.

Rocky Mountain Model Arab League was incredibly successful this year, says Taelor Nielsen, high school and community outreach coordinator for the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Program. Our team was able to create opportunities to discuss a region of the world that is not typically a part of students everyday lives.

Students from UW also applied for the national team and travel to Washington, D.C., for the National University Model Arab League conference. There, students visit the embassies of the country they represent in the conference; meet with various governmental and nongovernmental organizations focusing on international work; and visit various historical sites during their free time, in addition to competing at the conference.

During the 2023 National University Model Arab League hosted at the end of March, students met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund; an ambassador at the U.S. Institute of Peace; staffers in U.S. Sen. John Barrassos office; and a Department of State representative to the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, students traveled all around Washington, D.C., visiting the National Mall to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, various museums and some of the most symbolic structures in America.

While many universities competing in the National Model simply participate in the conference, the UW team always makes the most of our time in Washington, D.C. In my experience, UW places a heavy significance on experiential learning, Miller says. This year, the Model Arab League Club president and I did our best to exemplify this UW value by making sure that the team was consistently exposed to meaningful extracurricular experiences. In addition to the formal visits we planned, many of us also had the opportunity to eat dinner with a representative from the International Monetary Fund, tour the National Gallery, get coffee with a recruiter from the Peace Corps and more.

In the past, the club has seen great success in its competitions, winning a number of awards both on an individual level and on a team level. In 2021, UWs Model Arab League team was invited to join the National University Model Arab League competition, in addition to competing at the regional Rocky Mountain Model Arab League competition. In its first appearance at nationals, the UW team won five awards. Overall, the team placed third out of 26 schools.

In 2022, the UW team traveled to Washington, D.C., for its first in-person national conference. There, the team won 10 awards total for its representation of the Syrian National Coalition in all nine councils and again placed third out of 22 schools.

This year, the UW team once again traveled to Washington, D.C. While representing the United Arab Emirates, the team won seven awards total across all nine councils to place third out of 21 schools.

We are very proud of the Model Arab League student organization, their leadership and our teams excellent performance at the National University Model Arab League, Nigh says. Once again, Wyoming has outperformed top schools from around the United States with high-ranking Middle East and North African studies programs. We really believe that what we have at UW and our connection with the Middle East are something special.

As a UW student organization, UWs Model Arab League Club looks to accomplish the missions of the university in addition to benefiting UW students and the greater Wyoming community. By encouraging education about the Middle East and North Africa region, it prepares students to live in a complex and interdependent world that requires mutual respect and understanding of all perspectives. The structure of Model Arab League also serves as a platform for collaborative work among students, faculty and other national organizations, and the mission of Model Arab League includes encouraging leadership development.

In accomplishing these missions of the university, UW Model Arab League has helped graduate students with important skills. Some previous participants of Model Arab League at UW have gone on to work for the U.S. Foreign Service, the Department of State and various nongovernmental organizations.

Members of UWs Model Arab League Club, listed by hometown, are:

Agadir, Morocco -- Ayoub Nachat.

Amman, Jordan -- Aseel Abu Tarboush.

Casper -- Presley Bloom, Bryant Crouse, Joshua Gaither, Thayne Macy, Rhiannon McLean, Cameron Moore, Gage Raicevich and Jessica Yang.

Cheyenne -- Andrew Bishop, Maeve Knepper and Israel Rosales.

Cody -- Daniel Deming and Kaitlyn Polley.

Diamond Point, N.Y. -- Morgan Miller.

Douglas -- Liam Trimnal.

Fukuoka, Japan -- Kimika Hinoshita.

Gaza Strip, Palestine -- Abdalrahim Abuwarda.

Gillette -- Fiza Khan.

Kirkland, Wash. -- Reese Davies.

Sheridan -- Patrick Hamilton.

Wilmington, Mass. -- Michael Bettencourt.

To learn more about UW Model Arab League and how to support its goals, email Nielsen at tnielse5@uwyo.edu, call (307) 431-9528 or visit www.uwyo.edu/arabic.
Brazilian president says hes willing to be mediator between Ukraine and Russia 10 May, 01:01 PM Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but wants a dialogue between the countries (Photo:Adriano Machado/Reuters)

The President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he wants to help Ukraine and Russia strike a happy medium in negotiations to end the war, Brazilian online newspaper Metropoles reported on May 9.

During a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Lula da Silva condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine. However, he stressed the need to move forward in dialogue and effectively achieve peace.

Read also: Brazil to propose a peace conference to end the war in Ukraine

Each country has its own reasons, he said.

In fact, Ukraine cannot accept the occupation of its territory, it must resist. The European Union is right in its decision (to side with Ukraine and against Russia), while Brazil and other countries are right in their desire to strike a happy medium. I think its possible. If I thought it was impossible, I would not have participated in it.

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In turn, Rutte, who is in Brazil on a visit, said Russias war against Ukraine should be stopped as soon as possible, but without concessions that affect Ukraines territorial sovereignty.

In late April, Lula da Silva declared the uselessness of finding the guilty in Russias war against Ukraine and the need for negotiations. He also said that it is Ukraine and Russia that must resolve the issue of Crimeas ownership.

Under international law, Crimea remains Ukrainian territory despite having been under Russian military occupation since 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized that negotiations with Moscow are possible only after invading Russian forces leave Ukrainian territory and stop bombing and killings.

As a response to Russias attempt to annex captured Ukrainian territories, on Sept. 30, 2022, Zelesnkyy enacted a decision of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council banning negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Read also: Zelenskyy hosts summit on special tribunal for Russia

According to a survey conducted by the Razumkov Center in February-March 2023, 72% of Ukrainians do not consider negotiations with Russia to be an effective way to achieve peace.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the terms of negotiations with Russia would not change and peace talks could begin only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

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Corporate Cybersecurity Issues in Vietnam and How to Address Them

Cyber attacks are common around the world and Vietnam is no exception. Heres how firms can protect themselves against cyber attacks and threats in Vietnam.

In March 2022, the Ronin Blockchain belonging to Vietnamese video game wunderkind Sky Mavis, the makers of COVID-viral video gaming Axie Infinity, was hacked to the tune of US$620 million in cryptocurrency.

The hackers were able to infiltrate the system through a fake job offer, which tricked an employee into downloading a PDF file containing a virus that spread throughout the system.

Unfortunately, this type of attack is not unique to Vietnam and businesses in the country are just as susceptible to cyber attacks, such as phishing emails and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, as anywhere else in the world.

Each year, cybercriminals make millions of dollars finding security vulnerabilities in computer systems to exploit or trick firms into handing over system access. However, there are measures that companies can take to protect themselves against these threats.

Performing cyber risk assessments regularly, ensuring system access is protected by both strong passwords, and multifactor authentication and developing a cybersecurity strategy are all effective ways to keep nefarious actors at bay.

Firms can minimize the impact of cyber attacks by ensuring they regularly back up their critical information and have a clear response plan in the event of a security breach.

Preventing cyber attacks in Vietnam

Perform a cybersecurity risk assessment

The first step to effectively protecting a firm from cyber security threats in Vietnam is to perform a risk assessment. This process will help to identify vulnerable digital assets and data, and assess their level of exposure to a cyber attack.

This is essential for identifying a firms strengths and weaknesses and will inform the development of an overarching strategy for mitigating the risks of cyber attacks in Vietnam.

During a risk assessment, sensitive data such as health records, employees personal information, or financial information should be identified. Additionally, data critical to a businesss operations such as intellectual property, operational processes, or industrial design assets should also be identified.

After identifying this data as critical information, a risk assessment will audit who has access to what. It is standard practice for staff in different positions to have access to different data. Understanding this can be crucial to protecting a firm from malicious actors.

Furthermore, a cybersecurity audit will involve reviewing procedures used to access key data, then looking for vulnerabilities and gaps in the methods and measures being taken to protect them. This includes not just scoping out technical measures but also the security measures involving people and processes.

In addition, a comprehensive cybersecurity assessment should also include a mapping of where data is stored, both online and offline. Its important to note that data stored in different jurisdictions may be subject to different laws and regulations. For example, in Vietnam, personal data is protected by the Personal Data Protection Decree, which is set to be effective from July 1st of this year. Its crucial to understand these regulations and ensure that data storage and handling practices are in compliance with them.

Use strong passwords and multifactor authentication

Passwords

A password is often the first line of defense against hackers. This makes a good, sturdy password incredibly important in preventing cyber attacks or cyber thefts.

In this light, companies should ensure their staff follow best practices when creating their passwords. This means that they should include both lowercase and uppercase characters, symbols, and numbers and ensure passwords are of a meaningful length. Staff should also ensure that their passwords do not reflect real-world references. For example, a pets name or date of birth.

The more complex and difficult a password is to guess, the more secure it will keep corporate data. It is, however, not foolproof, and additional measures should be taken when securing data, like multifactor authentication.

Multifactor authentication

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is the process of authenticating a user through two or more security checks. This usually means a password followed by a secondary security measure, such as a random passcode generated by a soft token sent to a mobile phone in the form of an SMS message or a push notification.

Furthermore, more complex MFA solutions can combine a password and passcode with a series of context checks. Things like geography, the type of device, and the IP address can all be used to determine whether or not a login attempt is genuine. When an abnormal login attempt occurs, these systems can notify an organization so that appropriate action can be taken.

This additional security measure helps to negate problems with user passwords. For example, using the same password across multiple platforms.

In fact, it is common for the same password to be used on both personal accounts  Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, etc. and corporate accounts. But this can be a bigger problem than it might at first appear.

Users may think that it is safe to use the same password on a forum under the misunderstanding that hackers do not have access to a users personal details, like their workplace. However, hacking methods are well advanced, and with a number of tools and frameworks like open-source intelligence (OSINT), it can be relatively easy to locate a user using a range of data like their mobile number, IP address, or email address. In doing so, a user may inadvertently give a hacker access to their corporate digital accounts.

Staff training in cybersecurity and data protection

Hackers will often use phishing emails to lure unsuspecting workers into handing over access to important data. In this light, making sure that staff can identify and deal with cyber threats may be the most critical preventative measure an organization can take for enhanced cybersecurity in Vietnam.

Firms should train staff to avoid opening emails from sources that are unfamiliar and to regularly change their passwords. The potential business impacts of a successful cyber attack should be made clear and staff should be trained as to how to protect their passwords both online and offline.

Limiting the damage of a cyber attack in Vietnam

Unfortunately, there are times when despite having complex and detailed cybersecurity protocols in place, cybercriminals may still find a way to access a firms network. This can cost firms hundreds of millions of dollars depending on the scale of the hack. With this in mind, there are a number of measures firms can take to limit the impact of a cyber attack in Vietnam.

Backup data regularly

Both onsite backups and offsite backups are important. After a cyber attack, it can take IT services a long time to find and eliminate a cyber threat. With backups, firms can quickly recover data after threats are contained and mitigated, and continue working.

When the backup strategy is well planned and practiced, firms will easily evaluate the impact and know at which point of data they are able to start working after the recovery process is finished.

It is important, however, to ensure that backups are stored separately to ensure they are not compromised in a data breach. A firm may choose to set up their own private network or they could engage the services of a cloud computing provider. It is common for firms to employ a combination of both.

Have a clearly defined cyber attack response plan

In the event that a cyber attack does occur, firms should have a response strategy prepared. This could include who is in charge of the situation, who should be told about the situation and in what order, and how individuals should respond. For example, immediately changing passwords or surrendering compromised equipment.

A firm could also choose to practice business continuity exercises to ensure that processes and procedures are in place, strictly followed, and well understood. They could also rehearse switching to an alternative system and restoring data using both online and offline backups.

By having a clear response plan, firms can mitigate the damage a cyber attack may inflict and can reduce company downtime as a result.

Cybersecurity in Vietnam: Regulations

There are a number of laws and regulations in place with respect to cyber security. It is important firms understand these requirements and what they need to do to ensure they do not run afoul of these laws.

Law on Cybersecurity

On June 12, Vietnams National Assembly passed the Law on Cybersecurity with a huge majority. The law will be coming into effect on January 1, 2019. The major provisions in the law include data localization, government control over online content, and setting up local offices in Vietnam. Although the law has been adopted, there are still some issues that lack clarity, and more changes are expected to be introduced and implemented before it comes into effect.



See also: Vietnam Approves New Law on Cybersecurity

Personal Data Protection Decree

In April 2023, Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP was issued, which details personal data protections in Vietnam. This Decree outlines the key responsibilities and rights of individuals and organizations engaged in data collection and processing, whether they are data providers or requesters.

See also: Vietnams Personal Data Protection Decree: A Quick Guide

Decree 53: Detailing Several Articles of the Cybersecurity Law

Decree 53/2022/ND-CP (Decree 53) mandates that all domestic companies and certain foreign firms providing services in areas like telecommunications, e-commerce, and online payment will need to store specific types of data in Vietnam for a minimum period of 24 months.

See also: How are Foreign Investors Responding to Vietnams New Data Localization Regulation

Key takeaways

Protecting a firms corporate data is a top priority. By ensuring data is kept secure through complex passwords and multifactor authentication, firms in Vietnam can avoid the perils of unprovoked cyber attacks.

Furthermore, by being prepared for a cyber attack, and having a detailed response plan in place that has been thoroughly rehearsed, firms that do incur a data breach can limit the damage that hackers can do.

That said, thorough audits and high-value, detailed response plans can be tricky to put together. The world of information technology and cyber security can be complex and is prone to change regularly, sometimes by the minute. Firms that want the best protection for their data in Vietnam should contact the IT experts at Dezan Shira and Associates.
Scores of journalists in Cameroon's troubled Northwest region have protested after rebels claimed responsibility for killing their colleague. A separatist spokesman acknowledged their forces shot the newspaper reporter Sunday night but said they mistook him for a military officer.

Journalists in Cameroon's Northwest region say they staged a peaceful march on the streets of the regional capital Bamenda on Tuesday to condemn the killing of their colleague Anye Nde Nsoh.

The Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ, reports that armed men opened fire on Nsoh on Sunday night as he relaxed at a bar in the Ntarikon neighborhood of Bamenda.

He was struck in the chest and died while being rushed to a hospital.

CAMASEJ says it was a targeted killing because the armed men went straight to Nsoh and shot him in front of helpless onlookers.

Jude Muma, local president of CAMASEJ, said journalists want the killers of Nsoh punished.

"Some faction in the fighting in the Northwest here has come out to take responsibility for what happened. We are saying that justice should take its course. Whoever pulled the trigger should pay for this crime. Human lives matter," said Muma.

Muma spoke via a messaging app from Bamenda.

The protest took place after separatists claimed responsibility for Nsoh's killing. Capo Daniel is the president of the Ambazonia People's Rights Advocacy Group.

He said the group commands separatists fighting to carve out an independent English-speaking state called Ambazonia from French-speaking majority Cameroon.

Daniel said Nsoh was the victim of a case of mistaken identity. He spoke via a messaging app.

"A Cameroon commanding officer who visits that particular bar was the target of the operation that was carried out by Ambazonian forces. Unfortunately, Nsoh the young journalist was killed by Ambazonia forces in a case of a mistaken identity situation," he said.

Daniel said the armed man who killed Nsoh has apologized but journalists say the killer should be found and punished.

Nsoh is not the only journalist who has died in the restive western regions.

Samuel Wazizi, who worked for Cillen Music Television, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly supporting anglophone separatists. He was not seen in public for more than a year. In 2020, the military declared that he died in government custody in August 2019.

Cameroon journalists also say that reporters Thomas Awah Junior, Tsi Conrad, Mancho Bibixy and Kingsley Njoka are being held at the Yaounde-Kondengui prison.

The reporters were accused of collaborating with western separatists, but they say they were simply doing their jobs. The government has charged them with threatening Cameroon's national sovereignty.

Richard Nde Lajong is the publisher and editor of the Herald Tribune Newspaper. He said Cameroonian journalists in the Northwest and Southwest regions are increasingly facing oppression, threats, attacks and illegal detentions.

"No matter how objective you are in your report, you would be accused by the non-state armed groups of supporting the regular forces or the regular forces would accuse you of reporting in favor of the non-state armed groups. Government or whoever is concerned should find a solution to this problem so that journalists should do their work with ease," he said.

Mooh Emile Simon, the Cameroon government's highest official in Mezam municipality, where Bamenda is located, said government troops will hunt down the killers of Nsoh.

The government says media in the Northwest region will be protected and allowed free access to information but asks reporters to be cautious as any other civilian.
Zaluzhnyi skips NATO meeting due to difficult operational situation on front line 10 May, 01:47 PM Valerii Zaluzhnyi (Photo:Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi did not attend a scheduled NATO Military Committee meeting in Brussels on May 10 due to the "difficult operational situation on the front line," NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer told media on May 10.

Bauer told the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform he had received a letter from Zaluzhnyi the day before, stating that participation, even via video, was "impossible in light of the difficult operational situation in defense against Russian aggression."

The representative of Ukraine to NATO, Major General Serhiy Salkutsan, will attend the meeting instead of Zaluzhnyi.

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"Were focused on getting Valerii's assessment of the latest developments on the ground from his military representative, where Ukrainians are fighting for what is rightfully theirs," Bauer said.

Zaluzhnyi held a regular telephone conversation with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States General Mark Milley on May 6.

At the end of April, he met with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli.

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The World Health Organization says the death toll from nearly one month of brutal fighting in Sudan is now over 600.

The U.N. health agency said Tuesday that more than 5,000 others have been injured in connection with the fighting between Sudans military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

The two generals are former allies who together orchestrated an October 2021 military coup that derailed a transition to civilian rule following the 2019 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.

Tensions between the generals have been growing over disagreements about how the RSF should be integrated in the army and who should oversee that process. The restructuring of the military was part of an effort to restore the country to civilian rule and end the political crisis sparked by the 2021 military coup.

Repeated cease-fire agreements have failed to end the conflict or even do much to reduce the violence.

Envoys for the two factions have been meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for several days to hash out an agreement to allow humanitarian aid to reach hundreds of thousands in need of food, shelter and medical care in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities.

The Saudi kingdom has already pledged that it will provide Sudan with $100 million worth of aid.

The United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday more than 700,000 Sudanese have fled their homes since the violence broke out last month  a figure that is more than double the 334,000 the agency reported to be internally displaced last week.

The IOM said an additional 100,000 Sudanese have fled the country.

Most aid operations have been suspended or severely scaled back due to the lack of security. Several aid workers have been killed in the fighting.

Looting also has hampered aid operations. The World Food Program said nearly 17,000 tons of food worth between $13 million and $14 million have been stolen from its warehouses across Sudan.

The WFP said Wednesday that up to 2.5 million additional people in Sudan are expected to slip into hunger in the near future due to the violence. The U.N. agency says this would take acute food insecurity in Sudan to record levels.

More than 19 million people, or two-fifths of Sudans population, are currently affected, according to the WFP.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
A little more than 10 months after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a constitutional right to abortion in the United States, many states have sharply limited or banned the procedure, even as a growing majority of Americans say they disagree with the court's ruling and disapprove of increased restrictions.

A recent federal court ruling concerning mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions  the most common type of abortion in the U.S.  could further inflame the public debate. The ruling, which has been placed on hold pending a review by a court of appeals, could remove the drug from the market, making abortions more difficult to access even in states where the procedure remains legal.

In the meantime, public opinion in the U.S. has coalesced decisively in favor of fewer restrictions on the procedure, raising questions about the political impact of further limits.

Public opinion on the issue is not evenly divided, however. Average voters in states with more conservative populations, including many in the Deep South and Midwest, tend to favor stricter abortion laws. Average voters in most coastal states and the Northeast are generally more politically liberal and tend to support broader access.

Tighter rules

In June 2022, in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned a nearly 50-year precedent set in the 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which determined that states could not outlaw abortion.

According to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that does research on sexual and reproductive health, 14 states have instituted rules that amount to a practical ban on abortions within their borders, with exceptions so limited that very few pregnant women qualify for them.

Because a draft of the Dobbs decision had been leaked to the public months in advance of the ruling, a number of states had already drafted laws restricting abortion that were poised to go into effect the moment the decision was released. Other states still had highly restrictive anti-abortion laws that had been invalidated by Roe v. Wade but were still on the books, and they pledged to begin enforcing them again.

Nearly a year ago, Oklahoma, for example, effectively banned abortion, except if the pregnancy endangers a woman's life or is the result of rape or incest that has been reported to police.

Kentucky state officials have argued that the fall of Roe allows an older state law that completely bans abortion to take effect. The upshot has been that the procedure is almost completely illegal there, with minimal exceptions.

Other states have rolled out highly restrictive laws that fall short of a complete ban on abortion. In Florida, for example, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill last month outlawing abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women realize they are pregnant.

In an email to VOA, Mollie Fairbanks, a policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, said, "Many states that have already banned abortion are doubling down on further restricting care, for example by blocking information about where to get an abortion and restricting travel out-of-state for young people who have decided they need an abortion."

More protections

However, Fairbanks added, "Many states are pushing back, and we saw a record 77 measures enacted at the state-level to protect abortion in 2022. These supportive policies have included initiatives to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and shield laws that protect abortion providers and others from out of state investigations."

After the Dobbs decision, 20 states enacted laws that expanded access or created new protections for existing access.

Several states, including California, Michigan and Vermont, voted to add abortion rights protections to their constitutions. Others, including Washington, New York and Illinois, created laws shielding patients and abortion providers from prosecution in other states for abortions performed within their borders.

In some conservative states, efforts to amend their constitutions to outlaw abortion were seen by voters as a step too far. Voters in Kentucky and Kansas last year defeated such measures.

Public polling

According to polls, the American public views the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs case negatively. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 66% of Americans opposed the Supreme Court's decision, with a clear majority of 54% saying they "strongly" opposed it. Only 28% of Americans said they supported the court's decision, and just 22% said they strongly supported it.

Asked whether they believe the decision to have an abortion should be dictated by law or reached privately between a woman and her doctor, 78% chose the latter, with only 18% favoring a legal determination.

The lower court decision that would block access to mifepristone for medication abortions is similarly subject to broad dislike, with 66% of Americans saying they believe the drug should remain available and only 24% agreeing that it should be removed.

See related video by VOA's Arash Arabasadi:

Issue not likely to fade

As the U.S. prepares for the 2024 election cycle, access to abortion promises to remain a major issue for a significant share of U.S. voters, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

"I've been surprised at just how dramatic a change this decision by the court has produced in our politics," he told VOA. "Women and young people are outraged by the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. Overwhelmingly so. Two-thirds of the public now supports abortion rights, which was never true before Roe v. Wade was overturned."

Sabato said that as the mifepristone case works its way through the courts and many conservative states continue to push new restrictions on abortion, the political importance of the issue is likely to remain high.

"What makes this especially salient is that it's continuing," he said. "In the 50 states, as well as the Congress, almost every day there is something major happening on abortion."
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused East African forces deployed to fight rebels in his country of working with the enemy. Felix Tshisekedi made the remarks Tuesday during a visit to Botswana, where he welcomed the planned deployment of Southern African forces as a replacement.

Addressing journalists in Gaborone, Tshisekedi, who spoke through an interpreter, said there are issues within the East African Community regional force deployed to fight the M23 rebels in the east of DRC.

"We are going to evaluate the situation because there are problems with the regional force. The first reason that pushes us to ask questions is the role that was assigned to this regional force, which is not fulfilled," he said. "Today, in certain regions, there is a co-habitation that we have noticed between the contingents of the regional force of Eastern Africa and the terrorists of M23, which was not the plan."

The DRC president did not specify how the East African forces are working with the rebels, but said his government has had to reevaluate its operations in the east.

"We had to stop. Working together with the forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo so that we get peace, it means a cease-fire and a retreat," Tshisekedi said. "But unfortunately today, we have noticed that there are forces that are tolerating that and we also have some officers, either from the countries of these contingencies, where the military officers of those countries, when they get to DRC, they clearly say they are not coming to fight the M23, which was not part of the plan."

The DRC president said he is also concerned over Kenya's decision to appoint a replacement commander for the regional forces, without consulting authorities in Kinshasa.

This came after the commander of the East African forces, Kenyan General Jeff Nyagah, abruptly quit the DRC mission at the end of April.

"He is talking about threats but he has never told us about those threats," Tshisekedi said. "Why didn't he tell us about the threats? He alone knows. And when he decides to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya directly sends another commander of the force without consultations, as if that force only belongs to Kenya. There must be a problem and we need to talk about it."

Tshisekedi said the planned deployment of Southern African Community Development (SADC) troops is welcome, particularly at a time when the tour of duty of some East Africa regional forces is coming to an end.

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi, speaking Tuesday night during a state banquet organized for Tshisekedi, said there is a need to find a solution to challenges in the eastern DRC.

"Let us not make a mistake; the agents of instability are hard at work to frustrate genuine efforts aimed at finding a lasting solution to the problems of the region," Masisi said. "Which is why Botswana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo should in the context of the regional, economic and other structures to which they both belong, redouble their efforts to finding a lasting solution to the security challenges in the Eastern DRC."

Nairobi-based political commentator Wene Owino said Tshisekedi's concerns over the conduct of the East African regional force are valid.

"Tshisekedi is right about forces from East Africa. The SADC forces might be seen as neutral because of the historical bad blood between some of these [regional] militaries and the DRC," he said. "Remember, Uganda and Rwanda were involved when President [Laurent] Kabila rose to power in the 1990s. So these troops have been compromised all along. But whether the coming of SADC troops will bring lasting peace to DRC is another issue, it's a more complex issue than just neutral troops."

Fierce fighting has raged for years in the North Kivu province of DRC, with more than 100 armed groups battling for valuable mineral resources.

Attempts by VOA to get a comment from the East African Community forces were not successful.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of the country's popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose dramatic arrest and detention have sparked nationwide violent protests.

The 70-year-old former cricket star was dragged outside and shoved into an armored vehicle by paramilitary troops Tuesday as he waited to attend a court hearing in the capital, Islamabad.

Khan's supporters danced outside the Supreme Court to celebrate the release order. The ruling directed Khanto appear Friday before the federal high court from where he was "unlawfully" arrested.

Until then, Chief Justice Ata Bandial directed authorities to keep Khan at a police guesthouse in the capital and give him free access to close family members and legal advisors.

Bandial also asked Khan to issue an appeal to supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI party, to remain peaceful.

Earlier Thursday, police and PTI officials confirmed that most of the central leadership of the country's largest political party and more than 2,000 Khan supporters had been arrested or are being hunted on charges of criminal intimidation, rioting and assault on state property.

The clampdown responded to swift, massive, and violent nationwide protests sparked by Khan's arrest on Tuesday. Clashes between protesters, including men and women, and riot police have since killed at least eight people and injured scores of others.

Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Pakistan police "fired on and used excessive force" against protesters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government called in troops overnight to help police restore law and order in the hardest-hit areas, including Islamabad and the two provinces of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

There was almost a complete media blackout of the PTI-led protests on dozens of local news channels. Access to mobile internet services and social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, continued to be restricted nationwide for a third day Thursday.

"The government's cutting off mobile internet services, and restrictions on access to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, is overbroad and indiscriminate in violation of basic rights," Human Rights Watch said in its statement.

SEE ALSO: Journalist Hamid Mir on the challenges reporters face in Pakistan

Sporadic clashes occurred in parts of Islamabad Thursday, with main highways leading into the city closed by police. Authorities in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, had locked down most of the city, according to residents and police.

Khan has faced dozens of charges, ranging from alleged terrorism and corruption to treason and other criminal offenses. He rejects all the charges as frivolous and politically motivated.

On Wednesday, a special anti-graft court remanded Khan in custody for eight days while another indicted him on separate corruption charges. The tribunals were established inside the high-security police headquarters in Islamabad.

During the hearing, defense attorneys said that the former prime minister told judges that security forces had physically assaulted him before arresting him and dragging him from the court building.

Protesters, including men and women, directed their rage mainly at the powerful military that the former prime minister persistently accused of orchestrating his ouster from office last year and later instituting "baseless and frivolous" court cases against him.

On Tuesday, Khan supporters gathered outside the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Islamabad, and other army installations in Pakistan, chanting slogans against the powerful institution, something that has not been seen in the recent history of the country of about 230 million people.



The military's media wing Wednesday, in a strongly worded statement, said that attacks on its installations and sloganeering against the institution were "pre-planned" and part of an organized effort. The Inter-Services Public Relations condemned the PTI leadership and supporters as "miscreants, warning of stern action against them.



"Any further attacks on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations, and properties, will trigger a severe retaliation against this (PTI) group that wants to push Pakistan into a civil war," the statement said.

In stunning remarks, former American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted Thursday that there "is growing fear that Imran Khan might be killed/assassinated while in custody." He called on authorities to release the former prime minister and to ensure his security.

"Murdering Imran Khan will make things a lot worse in the country. In addition, Pakistan will face international condemnation, isolation, and even sanctions," warned Khalilzad, who has frequently commented on the lingering political turmoil in recent weeks.

The United States, while responding to Khan's arrest Tuesday, called for making "sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for all parties to refrain from violence and stressed respecting the right to peaceful assembly.

"The secretary-general urges the authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings brought against former Prime Minister Khan," said Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the U.N. chief.

SEE ALSO: A related video by VOA Pakistan Bureau Chief Sarah Zaman

While the Sharif government defended Khan's arrest as in line with the law, critics questioned those assertions.

"We deplore the use of disproportionate force in arresting Mr. Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. It was clearly unwarranted and has only aggravated the political climate, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in a statement late Wednesday.

The watchdog condemned the violence "perpetrated both by security and law enforcement personnel and said it was "greatly troubled" by the unfolding political crisis in the country

"Now that the state has Imran Khan in custody, does it have a plan for what comes next? The PTI's vast support base  a majority of the citizenry, if recent polls are to be believed  is seething with rage," wrote the prestigious English daily Dawn in its editorial Thursday.

"There is little that is democratic about the manner in which they [the government] have chosen to act, and they may one day pay a heavy price for their complicity today," the newspaper said, suggesting the crackdown on PTI is a whole of state response.

Khan was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April of last year, a move he rejected as illegal and planned by the now-retired chief of the Pakistani military, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The Pakistani military has a long history of direct and indirect political intervention, with political parties and independent analysts blaming the institution for the fragility of the country's democracy.

Army generals have staged several coups and arrested politically popular prime ministers on trumped-up treason and other charges, ruling the country for nearly half its 75 years.

Khan's arrest came just hours after he added new details to his allegation that a senior general within the Pakistani military spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, is plotting to kill him.

He made the claims a day after the military warned him against leveling what it condemned as "fabricated and malicious" allegations.

Khan was injured in an assassination attempt last November while leading an anti-government protest march near Lahore, Punjabs capital. The attack killed one person, while the PTI chief received bullet wounds in his legs.

SEE ALSO: A related video by VOA Pakistan Bureau Chief Sarah Zaman

Khan accused Major-General Faisal Naseer, ISIs director general of counterintelligence, of being one of the planners of the assassination attempt, saying the officer continued to plot his killing.

Government officials have said that the November assassination attempt was the work of a lone gunman, who is now in custody and confessed in a video controversially leaked to the media.
Days before Thailand's national elections, the Pheu Thai party has winning numbers from the polls, a buzz from a baby and a candidate for prime minister who says there is still a reason for him to "gladly turn down" the top job of the executive branch.

On the morning of May 1, the candidate Srettha Thavisin, a real-estate mogul turned politician, felt under the weather, but he had a flight to catch from Bangkok to the northeast, his party's stronghold.

Before the busy day of campaigning began, Srettha took a moment to send a text message to Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who co-leads the Pheu Thai party, a political machine that had taken on many other official names during the waves of political tumult over the past two decades but never lost an election.

In the text, Srettha sent best wishes to Paetongtarn, who just gave birth to a baby boy, nicknamed Thasin, a nod to the new mother's father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the mastermind of that political machine.

Thaksin's populist ideals and grassroots support have outlasted two military coups  he was ousted in 2006, and his younger sister, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014  are now setting Pheu Thai on course for victory in the May 14 elections.

As Srettha spoke at the rally in Sakhon Nakhon, about 650 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, he pumped up the crowd with the news of Baby Thasin's arrival.

"Let's congratulate the Shinawatra family. Today at 7 a.m., Mr. Thaksin just had his seventh grandchild," Srettha said, the mic amplifying his voice so raspy he apologized.

In recent polls, Pheu Thai has consistently been projected to win the biggest bloc of seats in the parliament. After the election, the party will pick its final nomination of prime minister from the list of three  Srettha, Paetongtarn and Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former attorney general and a justice minister.

A survey released on May 3 by a research arm of the National Institute of Development Administration, NIDA Poll, said Pheu Thai is most likely to win more seats than its rivals. NIDA based the results on 2,500 respondents who participated in the poll from April 24-28. It also asked whom eligible voters prefer for the next prime minister. Paetongtarn came ahead of Srettha, winning 29.20% of the surveyed voters versus 6.76%, while Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha chalked up a 14.84% share.

They all trailed behind Pita Limjaroenrat of the youth-backed Move Forward Party who dominated the poll at 35.44%.

Srettha said he will decline the prime minister post if his party has to form a coalition government with Prayuth, who led the 2014 coup, or with the party of General Prawit Wongsuwon, an ally of Prayuth.

"I don't believe in military coups," Srettha said in an interview with VOA Thai. "The idea of me working with them in the same government, sitting in the same Cabinet  I can't see myself doing that."

"I want to be prime minister, not for the sake of being a prime minister. I want to be the prime minister who can make huge difference for the Thai society economically and socially. If the environment is not conducive for me to do that, I would gladly turn down the position of prime minister," he added. Domestic economic issues have dominated the campaign season.

Political interest

The 60-year-old straight-talking Srettha lacks the instant sparkle that generates mass appeal, but he has business acumen that could evoke the confidence millions of voters had in Thaksin. And the 6-foot-4-inch onetime property developer has a flair for brand building.

Before his political debut this year, Srettha helped build a family real-estate business into an empire called Sansiri Development, worth $880 million in market capitalization. Srettha positioned his company to attract upper-income home buyers and dialed up its posh image by completing construction on an uber-lux Bangkok condominium project, 98 Wireless, seven years ago at a prime location  next door to the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Thailand.

Srettha was able to sell 98 Wireless at the country's top market price of more than $16,000 per square meter. He told the Thai Rath newspaper the 25-floor structure features rare Italian marble surfaces, Ralph Lauren Home interior designs and elaborate wall details executed by craftspeople who worked on Buckingham Palace and the White House.

For decades, Srettha has known Thaksin, whose family also runs real estate businesses. But the despair Srettha felt for Thailand led him into politics, he said.

"We, you, look around yourself when you're sitting at the top of the pyramid, you don't just look at the same levels. You look at below of how other people live," Srettha said, a gold Rolex watch with a green dial encircling his wrist.

"I feel saddened by what I have seen. Because of social disparity, in terms of education, in terms of getting healthcare, in terms of basic things like getting food on the table, it's still not the way it's supposed to be for a country that has enormous potential like Thailand," he said.

Srettha said he felt more motivated to be in politics after seeing the impact of COVID-19 on Thailand. The country's GDP fell by 6.1% in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund and 70% of households experienced a decline in income, according to a World Bank poll.

"What gravitated me toward the Pheu Thai party is they have the people's interest at heart," he said. "They weren't really actively persuading me to join. It's more like mutually agreed."

Realistic about change

Pheu Thai shares a common goal with the Move Forward Party: ending the regime under Prayuth, who has been prime minister for almost nine years.

But Pheu Thai and Move Forward also compete with each other to win progressive constituents as the latter positions itself as the fiercest advocate for fighting against business monopoly and amending the strict royal defamation laws, known as lese-majeste, that carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

While Srettha wants to resolve both topics through parliamentary debates, he knows more about monopolies than lese-majeste.

On handling large conglomerates in Thailand, he said: "You have to have realistic expectations. You won't break them up, but you would make sure that they actually do allow the small businesses to grow  I'm not here to hurt the big guys. I'm here to help the small guys."

However, Srettha, the father of three adult children, all Western educated, wants to take a step back to find out whether the harsh royal defamation law is actually at the heart of discontent among the youths who help drive national discussion on the topic.

"I haven't talked to them long enough. I don't know what are their unhappiness  I don't know what their happiness is. We need to talk. If we talk, we discuss," Srettha said. "Maybe monarchy is not one of their issues. But if it is, then let's continue talking  If you think the current law needs to be changed, then you work through parliament."
Tehran has carried out three executions in the past week on varying charges as rights groups condemn the practice. What impact will Iranian President Ebrahim Raisis visit to Syria have? And has the practice of jailing dissidents lost their power to instill fear?
The U.S. to send more aid to Ukraine. China prepares to send an envoy to Ukraine for peace talks and oil export sanctions are hurting Russia. A former Moscow Bureau Chief compares and contrasts life in Russia today versus Soviet times, plus a look at the dogs of Chernobyl.
The White House announced on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official visit that will include a state dinner on June 22.

Officials say the trip is intended to boost bilateral ties, including strengthening the defense partnership and confronting common challenges such as climate change.

India is the world's largest democracy and most populated country. Modi faces international criticism for his government's crackdowns on the media and for limiting the rights of minority Muslims. Washington increasingly sees India as a bulwark against a rising China, but New Delhi has resisted a formal military alliance with the United States.
Tens of thousands of village councils, the lowest rung of governance in India, are headed by women due to a law that mandates at least one third of the positions be reserved for women. Several states have increased that number to 50%. However, in many conservative regions, the real power is often wielded by the men in the women's family. Anjana Pasricha reports from northern India on a local university that is teaching women heads of village councils to take charge.
Iran executed seven men Wednesday in two prisons outside Tehran on drug and rape charges, a rights group said, accelerating what activists describe as a hanging spree over the past two weeks.

The United Nations had warned on Tuesday of a "frighteningly" high number of executions in the country after a rare execution on Monday of two men on blasphemy charges.

Three men were executed on drug-related charges in Ghezal Hesar prison in the city of Karaj outside Tehran, said Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norway-based NGO.

It added that four other men were hanged on rape charges in Rajai Shahr prison, also in Karaj.

The judiciary's Mizan Online website confirmed the three executions on drug charges, saying the convicts were members of a cocaine distribution cartel. There has been no official confirmation so far of the four executions on rape charges.

IHR said the latest hangings meant Iran had conducted at least 64 executions in the last 12 days alone.

"The killing machine of the government is accelerating  its goal is to intimidate the people, and its victims are the weakest people in society," said IHR director Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam.

IHR posted footage that it said showed families of the three men executed on drug charges protesting outside Ghezel Hesar prison in a last-ditch bid to stop the hangings.

Gunfire was audible in the video, and IHR said police used tear gas and batons to disperse the protest. One family member was hospitalized with severe injuries after being beaten, it added.

'Silence dissent'

Campaigners accuse Iran of using the death penalty to intimidate the public following weeks of protests that erupted in September last year. The protests were touched off by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran's dress rules for women.

At least 582 people were executed in Iran last year, the highest number of executions in the country since 2015 and well above the 333 recorded in 2021, IHR and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in a joint report in April.

But the pace of executions has been even more intense in 2023, with IHR now counting at least 218 executions so far this year.

On Tuesday, U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk cautioned that Iran is on an "abominable" track record this year with an average of more than 10 people being put to death each week.

Iran executed two people on Monday in a rare case of conviction for desecrating the Quran and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, prompting U.S. condemnation and an outcry from human rights groups.

Mizan Online said the three executed on drug charges were "members of the Panjak gang, the largest cocaine distribution cartel, which was one of the main drug cartels in the country."

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said the supreme court had confirmed death sentences against three men over the alleged killing of a Basij militiaman during protests in Isfahan in November.

It described the executions as a "killing spree" to "silence dissent."

Rights groups have warned that members of ethnic minorities  in particular the Baluch minority, who unlike most Iranians are mostly Sunni Muslim  have been disproportionately targeted by the current wave of executions.

Iran executes more people a year than any other nation except China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
There's a lot of behind-the-scenes research and development that goes on before an idea ends up as a toy on the store shelves  a process that takes about 12 to 24 months, depending on the complexity of the toy.

Each toy begins with brainstorming and ethnographic research before moving on to concept drawings. Children are brought in to test the toys starting from the prototype phase. Fisher-Price's team of early childhood development experts, designers and engineers then observe as the kids play, uncovering critical details like how big should that dinosaur's mouth be, what shade of purple is more eye-catching and what sounds keep tiny fingers pressing the keys.

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The team also considers details such as whether the buttons intuitive, is the handle easy for little hands to grasp, is the pace of the music just right and so on.

At each milestone along the way, the concept or prototype toy is revisited and evaluated by Play Lab experts. "We might be showing parents some concepts to get their feedback, or we might be doing some competitive testing to springboard to the next thing," Lohiser says. "We watch the [children's] play patterns and as we observe them and learn what they're liking, we iterate on that design and then we test it again."

A single item could be tested multiple times in the Play Lab, "and we watch it every step of the way," she adds.

For example, Meditation Mouse, one of Fisher-Price's newer toys, was initially designed to help children ages 2 to 5 unwind at bedtime. Researchers noted that families used the toy with their toddlers during the day as well for calming meditation and mindfulness activities. So, before Meditation Mouse made it to store shelves, the length, cadence and speed of its exercises were adjusted to optimize it for both day and night use.

"I cannot think of a time in my 13 years [at Fisher-Price] that the first model or prototype of a product was put in front of a child and something wasn't changed," Lohiser says. "We're constantly learning from the children."

" " In 2021, the Play Lab got a major facelift for its 60th birthday, which included more research tools, state-of-the-art technology and modern software. Fisher-Price
U.S. Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas pledged Wednesday that the vast majority of thousands of migrants looking to surge into the United States along its southwestern border with Mexico in coming days would be quickly expelled.

This is what will happen: You will be returned, Mayorkas said a day ahead of the end of a migration policy that banned entry into the U.S. because of fears of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but in practice allowed migrants to try again and again without consequences to illegally enter the U.S.

Under the new tougher policy, Mayorkas said migrants who enter illegally and are expelled will be banned for five years from trying to gain legal entry. Some border analysts say about 150,000 people are waiting in northern Mexico to try to enter the U.S.

Our border is not open, Mayorkas told a Washington news conference. He said there will be very limited chances for migrants to gain asylum in the U.S.

We are a nation of immigrants, he said. We also are a nation of laws.

He said the U.S. desperately needs [immigration] legislative reform, but Congress has been gridlocked for years on just what changes to migration laws should be enacted. Broadly speaking, Democratic lawmakers favor changes to foster immigration, while Republicans have taken a tougher stance to inhibit the surge of migrants into the U.S.

Campaigning for the presidency in 2020, President Joe Biden said he would adopt a more compassionate stance on immigration than former President Donald Trump, who only partially completed a border wall he often erroneously claimed Mexico would pay for.

But now, with the surge of migrants and chaos at the border, the Democrat Biden has kept in place some versions of the Republican Trump-era policies. The ensuing result, though, is that Bidens immigration policies have been attacked by lawmakers from both parties. Not tough enough, some Republicans are saying, while some Democrats are saying they are inhibiting asylum efforts.

Title 42, the coronavirus restriction employed to keep migrants from entering the U.S., expires Thursday at midnight.

One senior immigration administration told reporters on condition of anonymity that the Biden administration is implementing a comprehensive, multi-agency, multi-country plan rooted in enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy to humanely manage the border with the lift of Title 42.

And just as when then-President Trump invoked the public health measure, immigration advocates have said they will sue to block the new policies.

The International Refugee Assistance Project, or IRAP, issued a statement strongly opposing all policies aimed at restricting the ability of people to access their legal right to seek safety in the U.S.

The Biden administration should be ashamed of pursuing Trump-era policies to unjustly deny protection to people seeking safety in the United States and return them to danger, said Laurie Ball Cooper, IRAPs U.S. legal director. The administration must immediately rescind this harmful and illegal rule.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the American Civil Liberties Union, said, President Biden just ushered in a new period of immense suffering for people already enduring violence and persecution. He has closed off the possibility of asylum in the United States to the majority of people seeking safety  in contradiction with our nation's laws and values. In doing so, he is finishing Trumps job rather than fulfilling his own campaign promises. This is a somber day for our country and for refugees in desperate search of safety, but the fight is far from over.

What is the new rule?

Under the policy changes, migrants crossing between ports of entry would be quickly removed through a process known as expedited removal under Title 8, the U.S. authority that covers immigration, and would therefore be ineligible for asylum unless they can prove they first requested protection in another country and were denied.

However, those who are able to schedule an appointment through CBPOne, a mobile app launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in October 2020, will not be blocked from asylum protections.

Migrants with exceptionally compelling circumstances, an acute medical emergency, or who are victims of "a severe form of human trafficking, or face an "imminent and extreme threat" in Mexico will not be barred under the new asylum restrictions, administration officials said.

The new rule is not expected to apply to unaccompanied children.

Those who meet the exemptions will be interviewed under an increased security standard that is expected to result in more rejections than the usual credible fear interviews.

The credible fear interview is an initial screening where immigrants must show there is a compelling chance they will be persecuted or can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Migrants who cannot pass the new security standard will be deported from the U.S. and barred for five years.

We are also significantly expanding, starting on Thursday, the use of expedited removal at the border.  We have spent much of the last year building out additional interview rooms and adding phone lines to both [Customs and Border Protection] and [Immigration Customs Enforcement] facilities in order to facilitate the interviews that are required under the expedited removal process for asylum officers, according to a senior Biden official.

U.S. immigration official told reporters that about 1,000 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service asylum officers were deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border to handle credible fear interviews starting Thursday.

We have more than 24,000 law enforcement personnel deployed to the border, along with another 1,100 new border patrol processing coordinators, which is double the number we had last year, the Biden official said during the call.

New rule justification

According to border officials, unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border reached more than 8,700 a day in the past three days. In March, the daily average was 5,000 encounters.

The officials also said that without the new rule, encounters could average 13,000 after Title 42 is lifted.

The new rule was described by officials as a continuation of the extended multilateral effort to manage migration in the region, as they encourage migrants to enter the country through legally available channels such as CBPOne and a sponsorship parole program that each month allows legal travel to the U.S. after proper vetting for up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have a U.S. citizen or legal resident to sponsor them.
The dominance of Western universities in global rankings is often cited as a kind of soft power, which allegedly makes elites around the world think and act like liberal democrats. But is this really true? Some leaders such as Viktor Orban in Hungary or Bashar al-Assad in Syria, are illiberal, despite their extensive Western educations. Yet others seem to hold more liberal values than their educators did, like the anti-colonial Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi in India or Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya. Ultimately, we cant predict how leaders will turn out based on their schooling. But international education can, and does, show ordinary people how to work with different people  engage, compromise, and adjust. Reporter Pola Lem of Times Higher Education has more. (April 2023)
Since she was married 20 years ago, Sangeeta Malik only steps out of her home in Khanpur Kalan village with her head covered  a longstanding tradition in Indias Haryana state. That custom did not change after she was elected head of the village council last November.

Thousands of village councils, the lowest rung of governance in India, are led by women because of a law mandating that at least one third of village council seats should be reserved for women  Haryana state in north India has raised that number to 50%. The aim is to empower them at the grassroot level and promote their involvement in local politics in a country which has only a handful of women leaders.

On the ground, however, there has been little change. In many regions, like Maliks village, that are patriarchal and conservative, the real power is still wielded by men.

Women like Malik, long confined to housekeeping roles, never questioned the custom, even as they moved to occupy the top post in the village. Men take all the decisions here. Women have always stayed in the backdrop, she said in a matter-of-fact tone as she shrugged.

Realizing that this attitude was defeating the aim of the law, the head of a university just a few kilometers from the village has launched a program to encourage the women to emerge from behind the shadows of men and lead from the front.

SEE ALSO: A related video by Anjana Pasricha

Sudesh Chhikara, Vice Chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, in Khanpur Kalan, decided to reach out to the women council heads after attending a village function last year where she found that the female council head was inconspicuous behind a veil while her husband stood on the stage conducting the councils program.

Following elections in November that brought scores of women to lead local councils, the university began organizing workshops for neighboring villages. It was not easy to initiate change among women who had seldom ventured out of their homes and spent their time on household chores and tending to animals.

Visiting the universitys vast campus and sitting in its impressive conference room was initially overwhelming for the village heads. Most came accompanied by their husbands.

They had a very low self-belief about themselves and their roles. They believed that their role is not to lead, the men will lead the village and the family as well. It was basically because of the social construct, pointed out Chhikara.

That is slowly changing. In recent months, the women have learned that they should bring womens perspective to development of their villages and that funds allocated to local councils should be used for issues such as girls education, nutrition and health. They were told about the importance of tackling issues such as drug addiction and unemployment among young people in the village.

We wanted to tell them that this is a very responsible role they have, and they can do it very effectively. When they can manage their home, they can manage their village also, says Chhikara.

The message is having an impact. After visiting the university and interacting with teachers, Malik has gained the confidence to play a more proactive role in the council. She now encourages women in the village to articulate their problems and wants to use the remaining four years of her term to improve the village.

I want to ensure that the village gets better quality water and that the streets are cleaned, says Malik. "The entire village should shine."

Winds of change are also sweeping through nearby villages. For Parmila Kumari, of Kailana Khas village, making women economically independent so that they can stand on their own feet is a top priority.

I want to open a stitching center and a beauty parlor, which could create employment opportunities for women, says Kumari stressing the importance for women to have an income.

Sheila Devi, the head of Gamri village, who has a young granddaughter, wants to focus on education of girls and nutrition by ensuring that school children get the full benefit of government-run midday meal programs in schools.

With many women complaining of abuse from husbands who come home drunk, she also asks if it is possible to shut down local shops selling liquor.

Those from the university who have been counseling the women in recent months have witnessed a gradual transformation -- they have become more articulate. We have seen there is a change in their attitudes, change in their skills and change in the knowledge, says Manju Panwar, head of the department of Social Welfare at Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya.

But breaking age-old traditions is not easy  men still hold considerable sway. And in the deeply rooted power structure of the village, women categorically assert that they cannot take independent charge.

We have to get the consent of the men for whatever we do, points out Kumari. Only if they agree, we can pursue our ideas. Its a line that is echoed by the others.

Women must get the support of men. Only then women can move ahead, says Malik.

Chhikara is aware that they must tread slowly in society that is deeply conservative. We tell them that you dont have to enter into a conflicting situation with your husbands or families, but you have power to influence them and tell them about issues that matter.

The long-term hope is that the gradual change in the womens mindset will trickle down to their daughters and granddaughters and make the next generations more assertive.
Pita Limjaroenrat was on a Thai Airways flight from New York on September 19, 2006, bound for Bangkok to attend his fathers funeral. En route, the aircraft stopped in London.

That day, on that very plane, Thailands then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was wrestling with what would abruptly end his term: A Thai army chief had staged a coup in Bangkok, usurping the billionaire politician who had been attending the U.N. General Assembly in Manhattan.

Any tension eluded Pita as Thaksin  determined to fend off the junta from afar  had arranged to disembark at Londons Gatwick Airport.

They must have been busy, but I wouldnt have known. My father had just passed away, Pita said of what happened onboard between Thaksin and government officials, some of whom had been Pitas bosses before he entered a graduate program in public policy at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School just weeks before.

Grief over the loss of his banker-turned-entrepreneur father may still shroud Pitas recollections of 2006. But the repeat of military intervention in Thai politics in 2014 gave rise to his political fortune as he leads the youth-backed Gao Glai or Move Forward Party in the nationwide May 14 election.

In this contest, Pita offers ideas for change matching the partys slogan: Vote for Move Forward, and Thailand will never be the same. He envisions a victory ending the cycle of military coups that has disrupted Thai politics roughly every seven years since the kingdom established itself as a democratic constitutional monarchy in 1932.

First is you have to demilitarize and make sure that the power and the finances of the army are in check, in balance, said Pita, 42, in a recent interview with VOA Thai. He is also proposing a seven-year break before a military officer can enter politics after leaving service. Pita added that a new constitution should be drafted by the people with clauses preventing public servants from supporting a coup and allowing no impunity for coup leaders.

The Move Forward platform highlights universal welfare benefits from child care allowances to financial support for elders, worth nearly $20 billion. Some 7.7% of that sum would come from downsizing the military.

SEE ALSO: A related video by VOA's Vijitra Duangdee

In a poll by the newspapers Matichon and Daily News, conducted from April 22-28, Pita dominated the results on the question about choices for prime minister, with 49.17% support, followed by Paetongtarn Shinawatra at 19.59% and property magnate turned politician Srettha Thavisin at 15.54%. Both are from Pheu Thai, the party that is expected to emerge with the largest bloc of seats in parliament. The results are based on responses from 78,583 online participants.

Pheu Thai had an edge over Pita in earlier surveys, including one by a research arm of the National Institute of Development Administration, NIDA Poll, during April 3-7.

Pitas closest competitor in the newspapers poll comes from a politically prominent family. Paetongtarn, 36, is Thaksins daughter, and the two candidates have known each other since middle school as Pitas uncle was close to Thaksins family.

Rebuilding the party

In 2014, another army chief, General Prayut Chan-ocha, ousted then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksins younger sister, paving the way for Prayuts more than eight years of premiership. In the middle of the generals rule, Thailand held an election on March 24, 2019.

Pitas party, then called Future Forward, was led by a scion of the Thai auto-parts empire, Summit Group. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkits progressive ideology and youthful charisma attracted new, mostly young people to politics.

Just over a year after its founding, Future Forward won 81 seats in the 2019 election to become Thailands third biggest party. Pita, with experience as a management consultant before obtaining his graduate degrees from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Sloan School of Management, entered the lower house of parliament.

Future Forward captured the imagination of voters and dared to push back against the establishments power that had long centered on the revered institution of the monarchy.

But Prayut, with the backing of the 250-member senate controlled by his allies, formed a coalition government in 2019. Then, in February 2020, the Constitutional Court handed down a decision to disband Future Forward, finding the party had illegally accepted a $6 million loan from Thanathorn.

The ruling also barred key members of the party, including Thanathorn, from holding political offices. Pita, who had earned accolades from both sides of the aisle for his oratory skills, emerged from the chaos as the new leader of Future Forwards new incarnation, the Move Forward Party.

Pita told VOA Thai that he wants Move Forward to win more seats in the upcoming elections than Future Forward did in 2019.

I (am trying) to institutionalize the party to make sure that it's a political institution with structure, strategy, processes, Pita said. Once we've done that, we could replicate the model and we could do better next time and next time.

Avoiding personalized politics

In Thailand where many leaders from kings to commoners have been informally called father and revered, that patriarchal practice often holds sway in elections as politicians emerge as a brand.

Political figures in large and small districts of Thailands 77 provinces measure mass popularity by the number of flowers and long, colorful checkered scarves supporters place on them, reminiscent of the way worshipers pay homage to a sacred shrine.

Thaksin, who now lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai following a controversial corruption conviction, personifies this culture as he endorses candidates from afar. The populist firebrand stirs an almost visceral revulsion in his detractors. His supporters mock that as fearing the ghost of Thaksin. Few other elected Thai officials in recent history have inspired such a cult of personality.

I dont believe so much in personalized politics. I believe in institutionalized politics because it has to be  teamwork. There has to be a system in place, Pita said. Personalized politics, I dont think, (will) work with the current challenges here in Thailand. To have some sort of personality that can approach the people with humility, with sincerity, might be something that is good so that people can relate to you and listen to what you have to propose. But institutionalized politics is the way to go.

During a recent rally in Thailands northeastern province of Nong Khai across the Mekong River from Laos, the crowd showered Pita, who is divorced and has custody of his daughter, with adulation. The onetime Boston Consulting Group consultant campaigned in breathtaking heat with piles of traditional heavy garlands of golden orange marigolds coiled around his neck.

The constituents treated the man who wants to institutionalize politics as the modern technocrat version of the paternalistically branded politician he hopes to edge from the system.

Gao Glai understands the new generation, but also cares about the elders, Pita told his supporters before leaving in a van with tinted windows. A tube of sunscreen and a copy of Bernie Sanders book, Its OK To Be Angry About Capitalism, were in a bag next to him.

Youth-backed party

Young voters who propelled Thanathorn into a political force are now coalescing behind Move Forward. The party distinguishes itself from some 70 competitors in the May 14 race as the most vocal advocate for ending mandatory military conscription, decentralizing power to provincial Thailand, dismantling the monopoly in the alcohol industry and amending the countrys strict royal defamation laws.

Social media and data analytics are connecting the Move Forward Party with Thai youth, a tactic adopted from Barack Obamas winning 2008 election strategy for the U.S. presidency. Pita understands the importance of building an online base, having accompanied his American classmates who volunteered in the Obama campaign while at the Kennedy School.

SEE ALSO: A related video by VOA's Vijitra Duangdee

The online strategy has attracted voter participation. A few weeks ago, a TikTok user with the account named misterknp2 produced a viral clip showing how to add Pitas photos to an album on the dating app Tinder in an effort to canvass for voters on behalf of Move Forward.

But the old ways have their place, specifically Pitas back, right arm and right foot, where he has tattoos, including a Maori design, which he says invokes good luck, when you want some victory in a competition.
Thailands elections on May 14 are roughly pitting pro-democracy opposition parties against conservative military generals and their allies who have run the country for nearly a decade. One party surprising pollsters and lighting up social media is Move Forward, which has a platform calling for major political and economic reforms. Vijitra Duangdee reports for VOA from Bangkok. Videographer: Black Squirrel Productions
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was taken off the air by the network last month, said on Tuesday he would relaunch his show on Twitter "soon."

Fox News Media and its top-rated host agreed to part ways last month, shortly after parent company Fox Corp. settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role.

The outspoken Carlson embraced conservative issues and delivered his views with a style that made his prime-time show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," the highest-rated cable news program in the key 25-to-54 age demographic on the most-watched U.S. cable news network.

Ratings slumped after his departure.

"Starting soon, we'll be bringing a new version of the show we've been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter," Carlson said in a video posted on Twitter. "We bring some other things too, which we'll tell you about. But for now, we're just grateful to be here."

Carlson's announcement comes weeks after Twitter owner Elon Musk sat for a two-part interview with Carlson on Fox News.

Musk, who has referred to himself as a "free speech absolutist," has said his goal is to make Twitter a digital town hall where users can share diverse viewpoints.

Even as Carlson announced plans to reboot his show on social media, Axios reported that his lawyers sent a letter to Fox accusing it of fraud and breach of contract.

Carlson's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Fox Corp. declined to comment.

Fox's lawyers have asked attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems to investigate whether they leaked controversial internal messages from Carlson that provided evidence in their recent defamation suit.

The request came after multiple news outlets published racist and sexist remarks by Carlson in the leaked communications and recordings.
New developments:

United States to provide $1.2 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, including air defenses and ammunition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is only a matter of time before we can restore a sustainable and just peace for our part of Europe, for Ukraine.

Agence France-Presse journalist Arman Soldin was killed by rocket fire in eastern Ukraine where journalists were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.

The U.S. said Wednesday that for the first time it has sent an unspecified amount, possibly millions of dollars, seized from the U.S. accounts of a Russian oligarch to Ukraine for use in its fight against Russias 14-month invasion.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland authorized the payment to the Kyiv government, money he said the U.S. seized from Konstantin Malofeyev, who had been blacklisted for violating sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. said he provided financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014.



"While this represents the United States first transfer of forfeited Russian funds for the rebuilding of Ukraine," Garland said in a statement, "it will not be the last.



Russia forcing out nuclear workers



Ukraines state-owned nuclear power plant operator warned Wednesday that Russia planned to evacuate 3,100 workers from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.



Energoatom posted on Telegram that there is now a catastrophic lack of skilled personnel at the plant, which is Europes largest nuclear power plant.

Energoatom said workers who signed employment contracts with affiliates of Russias nuclear agency Rosatom to operate the power plant are set to be taken to Russia along with their families. Energoatom didn't say whether the employees would be forcibly moved out of the plant.



Russia has occupied the site since the early stages of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and fighting near the facility has occurred regularly.



Energoatom said the new evacuations of the Ukrainian personnel living in the town of Enerhodar will exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue of having enough staff to ensure the safe operation of the Zaporizhzhia plant.

The company said it will do its best to ensure safe operations by pulling together teams of staff who are in areas under Ukrainian control and specialists from other nuclear power plants in Ukraine.



The United Nations nuclear watchdog has repeatedly highlighted safety and security concerns regarding the Zaporizhzhia plant, both in regard to fighting nearby and the staffing situation.



International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said Sunday that the situation around the plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous.



We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences for the population and the environment, Grossi said in a statement. This major nuclear facility must be protected.



Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Washington is looking to cooperate with China to solve big challenges. His remarks come as China prepares to send an envoy to Ukraine for peace talks. Meanwhile, the U.S. is providing Ukraine with $1.2 billion in military aid ahead of its expected spring offensive against Russia. State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching has more.
U.S. Representative George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain under seal.

The people could not publicly discuss specific details of the case while it remains under seal and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

Reached on Tuesday, Santos said, "This is news to me."

"You're the first to call me about this," he said in a brief phone interview.

The charges were first reported by CNN.

The New York Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees, and a history as a star volleyball player. Serious questions about his finances also surfaced, including the source of what he claimed was a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands of dollars in back rent.

Santos has resisted calls to resign and recently announced he was running for reelection. He said his lies about his life story, which included telling people he had jobs at several global financial firms and a lavish real estate portfolio, were harmless embellishments of his resume.

Pressure on him to quit, though, has been intense. Reporters and members of the public hounded him. He was mocked on social media and late-night television. Fellow New York Republicans demanded he resign, saying he had betrayed voters and his own party with his lies.

Nassau County prosecutors and the New York attorney general's office had previously said they were looking into possible violations of the law.

In addition to questions about his life story, Santos' campaign spending stoked scrutiny because of unusual payments for travel, lodging and other items.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and urged regulators to investigate Santos. The "mountain of lies" Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should prompt the commission to "thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money."

In his filings with the FEC, Santos initially said he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000  money he claimed came from a family company.

Yet, the wealth necessary to make those loans seems to have emerged from nowhere. In a financial disclosure statement filed with the clerk of the U.S. House in 2020, Santos said he had no assets and an annual income of $55,000.

His company, the Devolder Organization, wasn't incorporated until spring 2021. Yet last September, Santos filed another financial disclosure form reporting that this new company, incorporated in Florida, had paid him a $750,000 salary in each of the last two years, plus another $1 million to $5 million in dividends. In one interview, Santos described the Devolder Organization as a business that helped rich people buy things like yachts and aircraft.

Court records indicate Santos was the subject of three eviction proceedings in Queens between 2014 and 2017 because of unpaid rent.

Some Republicans, including those in his district, have sharply castigated Santos for his dishonesty. The Nassau County Republican Committee, which had supported his candidacy, said it would not support him for reelection.

Santos lost his first race for Congress in 2020 but ran again in 2022 and won in a district that is in the suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.

A local newspaper, The North Shore Leader, had raised questions about Santos' background before the election, but it was not until a few weeks after the election that the depth of his duplicity became public.

Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has come under question, including claims that his grandparents "fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII."

During his campaign, he referred to himself as "a proud American Jew."

Confronted with questions about that story, Santos, a Roman Catholic, said he never intended to claim Jewish heritage.
Health agencies warn that viral hepatitis could kill more people by 2040 than HIV, tuberculosis and malaria combined if it remains a neglected disease and efforts to fight it remain underfunded.



The World Health Organization reports every year that viral hepatitis, a potentially life-threatening liver infection, affects more than 350 million people globally and kills more than a million. Ninety percent of these infections and deaths are in low- and middle-income countries.



Despite a cure for hepatitis C and a vaccine for hepatitis B, campaigners for a world free of this dangerous and debilitating disease remain far off that mark.



Over the last 10 years, we have seen really remarkable progress in this journey to eliminate viral hepatitis, said Oriel Fernandez, senior director of the Viral Hepatitis Global Program at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, or CHAI.

We have the tools to prevent, diagnose and treat viral hepatitis," she said. "Secondly, the price of hepatitis drugs and diagnostics has significantly fallen over the years.



For example, Fernandez noted that in 2018, CHAI supported the government of Rwanda to set the lowest price for WHO-approved hepatitis B treatment.

The total cost to cure a patient dropped by 96%, from over $2,500 per person to less than $80 per person cured. And this made the idea of elimination affordable for Rwanda and really established a benchmark price for all countries to aim for, she said.

Pledging conference



But funding to help poor countries pay for the treatments and vaccines to cure and eliminate this debilitating disease remains elusive. To address this issue, the Hepatitis Fund and CHAI will hold the first-ever pledging conference in Geneva next week.



The conference hopes to raise $150 million to support countries that are committed to the elimination of viral hepatitis and have taken action to implement programs toward this end. Organizers cite Egypt, Rwanda, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Vietnam among other countries that have begun this process.



Kenneth Kabagambe, who has been living in Uganda with hepatitis B since 2012, is the founding executive director of the National Organization for People Living with Hepatitis B. He said he started the organization to raise awareness of the disease and to shatter the myths that stigmatize people and discourage them from seeking help.



For example, there are issues to do with the myths and misconceptions, which actually are drawn from the lack of clear information about the transmission of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the communities," he said. "These actually have led to domestic violence in some families because people think that hepatitis B is just casually transmitted, which is not correct.

Hepatitis B is spread through sexual transmission and through contact with the blood, open sores or body fluids from a person infected with the disease. The main mode of transmission, however, is from mother to child during birth and delivery.



WHO reports that about 70% of hepatitis B infections worldwide occur in Africa, and 70% of those infected with the disease are children younger than 5.



Birth doses

While vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis B, Fernandez noted that the first birth dose of this vaccine has very low coverage in Africa.



In 2021, only 17% of newborn babies in the WHO Africa region received a timely hepatitis B birth dose, she said. And only 14 of the countries in the region have policies for routine HB-dose vaccinations.



Fernandez said effective and affordable treatments are available for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C, which is largely spread through unsafe drug injections and is a particularly huge problem in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and Central and Southeast Asian regions, as well as some countries in the Western Pacific.



I think the bottom line is we do have effective tools for prevention in the case of hepatitis C and B, and treatment in the case of a cure for hepatitis C, she said. They just have not been implemented effectively, and to do this, we need a surge in financing. It is not an insurmountable goal. Countries have shown that we can do this.



Conference organizers say that investing $6 billion annually to end hepatitis in 67 low- and middle-income countries would prevent the deaths of 4.5 million people by 2030.

They add, For every dollar spent on HBV [hepatitis B virus] elimination activities, there is a two to four times return on investment.
Delvens

The Global Sensor Fusion Market is expected to reach $24.8 billion by 2030 from $3.5 billion in 2022, registering impressive expansion at a CAGR of 24.7%. Some of the major players are Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Stmicroelectronics, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Infineon Technologies, and Allegro Microsystems among others.

Chicago, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the new market research report Global Sensor Fusion Market by Technology (Camera, LIDAR & RADAR), Data Fusion Type & Level (Homogeneous, Heterogeneous, Data, Decision, Feature), Software Layer, Vehicle Type (ICE, Autonomous & Electric), Region, Supply & Demand Side Analysis, and Segment Forecasts, 2023-2030, published by Delvens, The global market for sensor fusion is expected to reach $24.8 billion by 2030 from $3.5 billion in 2022, registering impressive expansion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.7%. Due to the technical advancements offered by the sensor fusion along with the lack of standardization in software are some of the factors that have supported long-term expansion for Sensor Fusion Market.

SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces analysis are two of the standard, and full-proof methods used here to carry out the market research study and formulate this particular market report. The Sensor Fusion Market report is exceptionally valuable for mapping the strategies related to production, product launches, costing, inventory, purchasing and marketing. By unearthing the best market opportunities, resourceful information is offered to prosper in the market. The report has appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Thus, the winning Sensor Fusion Market report aids to concentrate on the more important aspects of the market.

Request Sample Pages of "Sensor Fusion Market" Report: https://www.delvens.com/get-free-sample/sensor-fusion-market-trends-forecast-till-2028

The use of sensor fusion in heavy commercial vehicles and autonomous vehicles like drones and industrial robots is growing as 5G technology is increasingly adopted. Due to the significant adoption of Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology by the automotive and transportation sectors, including the rise of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), smart bus, and robot taxi businesses, there will be an increase in the demand for sensor fusion. Several automakers are starting sensor fusion development programmes as well, mostly to gain a competitive edge. For instance, LeddarTech inaugurated its Sensor Fusion and Perception Development Centre in Tel Aviv in May 2022. LeddarTech is a provider of adaptable, reliable, and precise ADAS and AD sensing technologies.

Story continues

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Some of the key players operating in the global sensor fusion market are Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Stmicroelectronics, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Infineon Technologies, Allegro Microsystems, Denso Corporation, Sensata Technologies, Inc., Elmos Semiconductor Se, TE Connectivity Ltd., CTS Corporation, Baselabs Gmbh, Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Kionix, Inc., TDK Corporation, Analog Devices, Microchip Technology Inc., Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., Leddartech Inc., IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh, Maxim Integrated, Velodyne Lidar, Inc., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Mobileye, Aptiv PLC, and Magna International among others.

Recent Developments

Bosch Sensortec has unveiled a new smart sensor system that boasts the best performance/power consumption ratio in its class while being easy to integrate thanks to its compact design and pre-installed, usable software algorithms. The new BHI360 is a fully customizable, programmable IMU-based sensor system that combines a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The integrated sensor fusion library offers simple gesture recognition in addition to 3D audio with head orientation for customised sound experiences.

Continental and Ambarella Collaborate on Fully Automated and Assisted Driving Systems. Ambarella's CV3-AD AI domain controller SoC series provides centralised, single-chip processing for multi-sensor perception, including deep sensor fusion and autonomous vehicle path planning. These sensors include high-resolution cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and lidar.

Sensor Fusion Market Report Scope



Report Feature Descriptions Growth Rate CAGR of 24.7% during the forecasting period, 2023-2030 Historical Data 2019-2021 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Base Year 2022 Units Considered Revenue in USD billion and CAGR from 2023 to 2030 Report Segmentation Environment, Technology, End-User, Software Layer, Industry, and Region. Report Attribute Market Revenue Sizing (Global, Regional and Country Level) Company Share Analysis, Market Dynamics, Company Profiling Regional Level Scope North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East and Africa Country Level Scope U.S., Japan, Germany, U.K., China, India, Brazil, UAE, South Africa (50+ Countries Across the Globe) Companies Profiled Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Stmicroelectronics, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Infineon Technologies, Allegro Microsystems, Denso Corporation, Sensata Technologies, Inc., Elmos Semiconductor Se, TE Connectivity Ltd., CTS Corporation, Baselabs Gmbh, Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Kionix, Inc., TDK Corporation, Analog Devices, Microchip Technology Inc., Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., Leddartech Inc., IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh, Maxim Integrated, Velodyne Lidar, Inc., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Mobileye, Aptiv PLC, and Magna International among others. Available Customization In addition to the market data for Sensor fusion Market, Delvens offers client-centric reports customized according to the companys specific demand and requirement.

Sensor Fusion Market Overview

The adoption of high-end and luxury vehicles as well as the expanding use of advanced ADAS are predicted to fuel the need for the sensor fusion market for the automotive industry.

However, the lack of any clear worldwide standard severely impedes the continued development and widespread use of this technology, making standardisation one of the main problems impeding the advancement of sensor fusion systems.

Inquire Before Buying: https://www.delvens.com/Inquire-before-buying/sensor-fusion-market-trends-forecast-till-2028

Sensor Fusion Market Segmentation Analysis

On the basis software layer, middleware is anticipated to have the largest and fastest market.

Today, middleware helps different units communicate with one another. However, middleware will make it possible to configure automobiles and enable the installation and upgrading of vehicle software as cars continue to develop into mobile computing platforms. Middleware is anticipated to support remote computing, virtualization, and abstraction in the future when used with ECU hardware in automobiles. Automakers are also going towards middleware systems that are more adaptable due to developments in ADAS technologies. For instance, AUTOSTAR's adaptable platform is a flexible system with multicore CPUs, middleware, and operating system support. The popularity of this market has been fueled by ongoing improvements and the accessibility of many middleware programmes. For instance, Tata Elxsi's autonomai is a middleware for sophisticated ADAS applications that enables simple customer systems, subsystems, and algorithm porting, optimisation, integration, and testing. In order to meet client needs, it also supports combining different sensors (such as LiDAR, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras). Through pre-integrated validation datasets and AI & deep learning capabilities, it enables quick region-specific customization.

Feature market is expected to be the fastest-growing in the forecast period

Feature fusion is the most prevalent sort of fusion in automobiles. North America and Asia Pacific are expected to experience the fastest growth in the feature fusion market, respectively. The market is primarily being driven by the advantages it offers from a technical standpoint and OEMs' propensity for feature fusion. Additionally, it becomes more important to know the coordinates of obstacles and objects as more complex ADAS capabilities are developed. Feature fusion provides the features required for such complex automated driving procedures. As a result, it is projected that the feature fusion industry would expand during the next few years.

The market for sensor fusion for L4 autonomous vehicles is anticipated to be the largest within the anticipated time frame.

Due to a variety of problems, including a lack of infrastructure and legislative restrictions, L4 vehicles have not yet been widely marketed. These cars are predicted to be on the market by 2024. All L4 vehicles have 100% sensor fusion penetration, hence the introduction of L4 vehicles is expected to present significant prospects for sensor fusion software developers and related component producers.

It is predicted that improvements in platforms connected to L4 would drive the autonomous car sensor fusion market. A significant ADAS solution vendor, Magna, created the production-ready autonomous driving platform Max 4.

Sensor Fusion Market Regional Insights

During the projection period, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the sensor fusion industry's largest market. Due to the growing use of advanced ADAS features like automated emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), etc., the market in Asia Pacific is predicted to expand. The main sensor fusion markets in the Asia Pacific area are China and Japan. The main driving forces in these two nations are the rising car production and strict safety laws requiring ADAS technology in new car models. The market in the region is anticipated to be driven by the rising demand for high-end and luxury vehicles as well as technological advancements in sensor fusion hardware. Because of the cost-sensitive nature of these markets and the absence of infrastructure necessary for sensor fusion to function properly, countries in the Rest of Asia Pacific are predicted to embrace sensor fusion somewhat more slowly than other nations.

Sensor Fusion Market Outlook

The increasing use of the GPS-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) fusion principle and advancements in ADAS are assisting in resolving dead reckoning interval accumulation errors with absolute location measurements. Using information gathered from a forward-facing camera, Tesla's Autopilot automatic driving feature is an example of an ADAS that can carry out tasks like maintaining the vehicle's centre in a highway lane and directing the vehicle accordingly.

Absolute position measurements are being made more accurate thanks to the growing application of the GPS-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) fusion principle and developments in ADAS. Tesla's Autopilot automatic driving feature is an example of an ADAS that can do duties like keeping the vehicle's centre in a highway lane and directing the vehicle accordingly. This feature uses data collected from a forward-facing camera.

Some of the most focused applications in the research industry are forward collision warning (FCW), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and adaptive cruise control (ACC).As an illustration, Honda, the world's largest automaker in 2022, declared their intention to release the City Hybrid in India featuring Honda Sensing Tech, a set of active and passive safety features. The company claims that it will also come with features like emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning system, auto high beam assist, lane departure warning system, lane keep assist, and front collision warning system.

Furthermore, the introduction of 5G is anticipated to be a game-changer for the automotive sector as a result of its rapid connectivity and increased coverage density, which will hasten the development of autonomous vehicles and foster favourable market conditions.

Global Sensor Fusion Market Table of Contents

Environment Outlook

Internal Sensors

External Sensors

Algorithms Outlook

Kalman Filter

Bayesian Filter

Central Limit Theorem

Convolutional Neural Networks

Technology Outlook

Cameras

Radar

Lidar

Fusion Level Outlook

Feature Fusion

Decision Fusion

Data Fusion

Vehicle Type Outlook

Passenger Cars

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)

Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV)

Data Fusion Type Outlook

Homogenous

Heterogenous

Software Layer Outlook

Operating System

Middleware

Application Software

Electric Vehicle Type Outlook

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)

Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV)

Level of Autonomy Outlook

L4

L5

Regional Outlook

Europe Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Sweden Austria Finland Belgium Turkey Russia Poland Hungary Czech Republic Switzerland Netherlands Rest of Europe

North America U.S. Canada Mexico

Asia-Pacific Japan China India Australia South Korea Vietnam New Zealand Philippines Thailand Malaysia Hong Kong Taiwan Singapore Indonesia Sri Lanka Rest of Asia-Pacific

South America Brazil Argentina Chile Colombia Rest of South America

Middle East And Africa South Africa U.A.E. Saudi Arabia Oman Qatar Iran Egypt Rest of Middle East and Africa



Key Players of the Sensor Fusion Market

Robert Bosch GmbH

Continental AG

NXP Semiconductors N.V.

Stmicroelectronics

ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Infineon Technologies

Allegro Microsystems

Denso Corporation

Sensata Technologies, Inc.

Elmos Semiconductor Se

TE Connectivity Ltd.

CTS Corporation

Baselabs Gmbh

Memsic Semiconductor (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.

Kionix, Inc.

TDK Corporation

Analog Devices

Microchip Technology Inc.

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

Leddartech Inc.

IBEO Automotive Systems Gmbh

Maxim Integrated

Velodyne Lidar, Inc.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Mobileye

Aptiv PLC

Magna International

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KHARTOUM, SUDAN  Sudanese citizens are cautiously optimistic about the Saudi- and U.S.-brokered peace talks in Jeddah between their country's warring generals amid reports of a lull in the fighting.

But thousands of Sudanese are still trying to flee the country, and analysts are skeptical that any deal between the two sides will bring long-term peace.

The mediation talks continued for a third day Monday, with no word on whether the negotiations were making progress.

Representatives of the military and the Rapid Support Forces were invited to Jeddah to discuss a proposed cease-fire so humanitarian aid agencies can access people who are wounded, hungry or displaced after more than three weeks of fighting.

The Sudan Tribune reported Sunday that the army negotiators have made three demands: unconditional withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Khartoum, an extension of a humanitarian truce, and the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese army within two years.

The newspaper said, "It's not clear how the RSF negotiators will respond to these demands."

Renewed gunfire

A truce between the sides remains officially in place, but eyewitnesses in Khartoum told VOA they heard renewed gunfire and an airstrike in the city Monday in and around the downtown area.

Sudanese citizens are watching the talks in Jeddah with a mix of hope and skepticism.

Sumeya Musa, who fled to Al Jazirah state from the violence in Khartoum, said she was optimistic that the talks would bear fruit and allow her to find a safe route to escape Sudan.

Our hope from these talks is that the guns will be silenced and we move out of this country," she said. "Practically, we are suffering. We just want to see that airstrikes, bombing and guns stop for a while.

Another woman, Amira Saleh, arrived in Port Sudan a week ago and is living in an open area within the town.

Saleh said she doubted that the warring parties were ready to stop hostilities.

There is no consensus among them, and they will not reach any agreement, or at least a basis to draw a road map that can take these talks to a stage of negotiations, she said.

Sudanese writer Mekki Al Mograbi said that the majority of Sudanese citizens support the military and that there was no way they would allow the Rapid Support Forces to remain as a separate armed group.

He said he thought the only solution at the moment would be for the RSF to get a safe route and leave the city.

Granting the Rapid Support Forces safe passage or their exit out of Khartoum could be a possible solution, he said.

An Arab foreign ministers summit on Sunday in Cairo called for a complete cease-fire in Sudan. The ministers also formed a committee to try to find a way to halt the fighting.

In a statement, the African Union urged parties to the conflict to immediately cease fire for humanitarian reasons and urgently open humanitarian corridors.
Iran's judiciary announced the executions Monday of two men who were sentenced to death for blasphemy.

The judiciary's Mizan news site identified them as Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare.

The report said their crimes included insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, and that they used online platforms to spread hatred of Islam and promote atheism.

Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, who leads the Norway-based group, Iran Human Rights, said in a statement, "the authorities have once again demonstrated their medieval nature by killing two people for expressing their opinion." He called on the international community to respond decisively and immediately.

A group of U.N. experts last year highlighted concerns about Iran's criminalization of blasphemy and called on the Iranian government to "take meaningful steps to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of opinion and expression without discrimination."

SEE ALSO:

Human rights groups reported that Mehrad and Zare were transferred earlier this year to solitary confinement.

The two were part of a group of seven people who had been arrested in 2020 for maintaining a telegram channel called "Criticism of Superstition and Religion," according to HRANA, the Human Rights Activists news agency. The rights group reported that the other defendants were released on bail, while Mehrad and Zare were sentenced to death.

Iran's Supreme Court upheld their death sentence in July 2021.

Death sentences in Iran have been on the rise with more than 200 prisoners being put to death since the start of this year, according to Iran Human Rights.

A German-Iranian political dissident, Jamshid Sharmahd, is also facing a death sentence, following a trial that Amnesty International last month called "grossly unfair."

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said he spoke about Sharmahd on Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and "asked Iran not to execute" him.

In an interview with VOA's Persian service, Gazelle Sharmahd, the daughter of Sharmahd, said, "We don't have any contact with my father, and we must follow the latest news."

Some information for this story came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
The Alexandria Police Department was called to Alomere Health for a report of an individual allegedly recording with a device in an employee locker room. After further investigation, it was determined that Corey Johns had placed a recording device in an employee locker room and was actively recording persons changing in that locker room. (Photo courtesy: Alexandria Police Department)
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Following President Joe Bidens support for the WGA writers strike last night, Vice-President Kamala Harris is following suit. Harris was scheduled to appear at an MTV event for Mental Health Action Day at Cal State Dominguez Hills next week on May 18, an event held to encourage young people to seek out mental-health resources. However, according to the LA Times, the vice-president is no longer attending the event to avoid crossing the picket lines as it is spearheaded by MTV. An unannounced celebrity guest is also expected to appear, but it is currently unknown if they will attend or if the action day will still happen  the student events calendar doesnt have it scheduled. This could be the second event affected by the strike after the MTV Movie and TV Awards lost its host and switched to a clips-based program last weekend. Vulture has reached out to Cal State Dominguez Hills and MTV for comment.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Leon Bennett/WireImage; Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Many of Marilyn Mansons defamation claims against Evan Rachel Wood have been struck down in the latest legal development around the rock musician. A California judge made a tentative ruling on May 9, dismissing claims including that Wood, the most prominent victim to accuse Manson of abuse, recruited, coordinated, and pressured other women to make accusations. Judge Teresa Beaudet made the ruling under the states anti-SLAPP statute, which protects individuals  often domestic violence victims  from strategic lawsuits against public participation, like defamation claims over their accusations. Woods attorney, Michael Kump, celebrated the ruling, telling Pitchfork in a statement that it affirms and protects Evans exercise of her fundamental First Amendment rights. Meanwhile, an attorney for Manson, born Brian Warner, said he plans to appeal. The ruling is disappointing but not unexpected, Howard E. King told Pitchfork.

An appeal would further draw out this legal battle, with Mansons remaining claims currently set to go to trial on May 1, 2024. Mansons lawyer said the appeal would specifically focus on evidence that Beaudet previously threw out, including testimony from Ashley Morgan Smithline, a former Manson accuser who later recanted her claims and said Wood and her Phoenix Rising collaborator Illma Gore pressured her. The judge ruled that Gores messages to women about the documentary  in which Gore said there was no pressure to be involved in any way  were not so extreme as to exceed all bounds of that usually tolerated in a civilized community.
bogdanhoda / Shutterstock.com

You're ready to splurge on a good bottle of liquor, but you want to get your money's worth. The last thing you want is to pay a premium for a bottle that doesn't wow your tastebuds, so you're conducting research to try to get it right.

Find Out: 6 Household Staples That Are a Waste of Money

See: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

Maybe you want a really nice tequila to drink on the rocks or a truly fantastic gin to really make your favorite cocktail sing. Whatever the case, your standard low-to-mid-tier choices just won't cut it this time.

While your local liquor store likely has plenty of premium offerings, knowing which one to choose can be overwhelming. A high price tag alone isn't indicative of quality or that you'll actually like it.

To make this process easier, GOBankingRates spoke with a couple of liquor experts to get their take on the best bottles out there. Here are the five top-shelf choices they recommend adding to your collection.

Total Wine

Tequila Komos

Price: $119.00

"If you are going to splurge, this is the tequila for you," Andrew Olson, co-founder and head mixologist at Hook Hand Rum.

He said the allure begins with the bottle, which is handmade, vitrified porcelain and meant to be upcycled and kept after use -- something he said he would absolutely do. In most cases, he said he wouldn't even consider a tequila priced above $100, but this one is different.

"They age their Anejo in the best French white wine oak barrels you can source and then filter it through a charcoal process," he said. "This really changes the flavor profile. While most tequilas are aged in bourbon barrels, the white wine barrel gives this Anejo a softer feel and makes it much more smooth."

Whether you're drinking it straight, on the rocks or in a mixed drink, he said this tequila is in a different class.

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Total Wine

Whistle Pig Old World Rye

Price: $139.99

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"When I first tasted this, it changed my whole perspective on Rye," Olson said. "Matured in a blend of port, sauternes and Madeira wine casks, the Old World Rye takes on a whole different profile than a traditional rye."

Despite being an 86-proof whiskey, he said it isn't as hot as it would normally be.

"It is very balanced, and you will pick up on some of the fruit and wine notes from the barrels," he said. "This one I usually have with a few rocks, or it makes a damn fine Old Fashioned, if that is your style. If you like Rye, this is one you have to try."

D & M Wines and Liquors

Tapatio Excelencia Extra Anejo Tequila

Price: $170 (average price)

"This Extra Anejo is an excellent bottle of Tequila with a super smooth and complex flavor," said Timo Torner, founder of the blog Cocktail Society.

Unlike luxury offerings from larger brands, he said this one doesn't use any additives or other tricks to alter the flavor.

"It has a unique and complex nose with agave, orange peel, peach, and oak," he said. "On the palate, you can find the same notes paired with heavier wood tones on the way down. Aged for a long time this tequila has a nice dark color, still retains its agave notes and doesn't get too sweet."

Total Wine

D'usse Cognac XO

Price: $184.99

A brand partially owned by rapper and business mogul Jay-Z, Torner said this variety of Cognac really delivers. Aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of 10 years, the company recommends drinking it neat but also touts it as a delicious addition to many premium cocktails.

"It's a spectacular, well-rounded Cognac with an interesting character," he said. "The flavor profile is rather fruit oriented with more focus on the sweet notes. The aroma is incredibly sultry and aromatic, offering aromas of dark wood, cinnamon sticks, cloves, currants and a sharp coffee note that lingers for a while."

Amazon

Ferdinand's Saar Goldcap Dry Gin

Price: $132

"The Ferdinand Saar Goldcap Gin is an annual special edition of the manufacturer from Saarland, Germany," Torner said. "The bottles are limited to 1,000 bottles per release."

He said only the highest quality ingredients are used to make this true ultra-premium gin, including Goldkapsel selection grapes from the Geltz-Zilliken winery, located in Saarburg, Germany.

"It's rich in flavor and super fruity," he said. "Plum, cherries and wine are very prominent notes, but also the juniper is detectable."

A taste to savor, he said this gin has a wonderfully long finish, thanks to its fruity flavors.

"It's sweet with a slightly spicy finish," he said. "And although the gin is rather strong -- 49% ABV -- it's extremely mild."

More From GOBankingRates

Disclaimer: Prices are accurate as of May 5, 2023 and are subject to change.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Expensive Liquors That Are Worth the Price
Tory Lanez leaving the Los Angeles Superior Court in September. Photo: Etienne Laurent/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Tory Lanez will not be granted a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, leaving him with the potential of an over-two-decade-long prison sentence. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied his motion for a new trial on May 9. Lanez was convicted of three charges in December  including assault with a semi-automatic firearm  for the assault. The rappers legal team unsuccessfully argued that the guilty verdict was a miscarriage of justice, saying that Judge David Herriford, who was presiding over the case, made errors during the two-week December trial. In the end, the jury believed the prosecutions case beyond a reasonable doubt, Herriford said during the May 9 hearing, according to journalist Meghann Cuniff. Lanez now faces up to 22 years behind bars and potential deportation. His sentencing was originally slated for January but was delayed to accommodate his request for a new trial. The rapper will likely be sentenced next month unless a new appeal is raised in the future.
The Apple TV+ manga adaptation overcomes cliched writing to serve a series unlike anything else on TV. Photo: Courtesy of Apple

Nothings sweeter than death to kick off a story. Drops of God, a new series on Apple TV+, opens with the passing of a legendary French wine critic, Alexandre Leger, who leaves behind a massive private collection in Tokyo estimated to be worth $148 million  the fruit of a lifetimes work. Leger was a megalomaniacal diva in life, and so he continues to be in death: The beneficiary of his trove is to be decided, perversely, through a series of ornate oenological tests pitting his estranged daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier) against his Japanese protege, Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita).

But dont let the gorgeous cinematography cloud your eyes: Drops of God is prestige television with a pure soap-operatic heart. Camille, years removed from her fathers hard-driving parenting and wine tutelage, is nowadays incapable of drinking the stuff. Literally: Even an ounce of alcohol causes her to keel over and bleed through her nose. Meanwhile, the stern, incredibly ripped Issei hails from a powerful diamond family whose patriarch threatens to cut him off over his professional passion for wine. Yes, Drops of God is a high-stakes succession drama steeped so lovingly in the wine world even LeBron James would feel out of his depth. But the series perspective is often so curious and bizarre as to be uniquely compelling. Theres really nothing else like it.

Adapted by Quoc Dang Tran, a French Vietnamese television writer who worked on Call My Agent!, and directed by Oded Ruskin, Drops of God is based on a revered manga by Tadashi Agi, the pseudonym for brother-sister team Yuko and Shin Kibayashi. Published between 2004 and 2014, the manga was so popular it drove a boom in wine sales across East Asia, in large part owing to how the text doubled as a kind of educational pamphlet. Concepts like vintners and terroir are elaborately explained alongside narrative drama and character high-jinks, all bundled together in a celebration of its wine-world setting. In 2018, the French government awarded the Drops of God manga with LOrdre des Arts et des Lettres, which recognizes significant contributions to the French arts; the rise in sales was said to be a boon to French vineyards.

The Apple TV+ adaptation is a French-Japanese co-production that quite clearly tries to merge the two cinematic aesthetics. Its not a particularly balanced pairing, as Drops of God comes off as a French show with robust Japanese components, but the two halves do unlock a fascinating contiguity in how the French and Japanese perspectives meditate on ideas about beauty, artisanship, pleasure, and legacy. The series is a very loose adaptation of its source material, but it preserves one of the mangas most recognizable motifs: routine swerves into lavish sequences illustrating a characters experience with the wine theyre consuming. Vintages are described by flavor and note, but also by images, memories, emotions, and metaphors run gloriously amok. In an early scene, the mangas protagonist, Shizuku Kanzaki, samples a bottle that vaults him into a reverie. Transposed against imagery of an open field, the wine appears to Kanzaki as an ethereal woman persistently turned away from him. On the show, such flourishes appear as bouts of imaginative surrealism. Sniffs of wine yank Camille into a memory palace where she sorts through cabinets and piles of clutter in search of the right tasting notes. Later, during a heist to identify a particularly rare bottle, Camilles pupils flash with a rapid sequence of images, her mind computing a galaxy of possible options.

To some extent, Drops of God reminds me of Giri/Haji, the BBC Two and Netflix series that radically synthesized British and Japanese crime drama tropes to novel effect. Comparatively speaking, though, Drops of God is much less successful. Its simply not as well written  the narrative is riddled with cliches, the plot is hampered by a sagging middle third, character motivations shift on a dime  and the two leads arent terribly compelling. But theres something undeniably intoxicating about the shows enthusiastic transnationalism. Drops of God confidently glides across multiple languages: Camille is fluent in French, English, and Japanese; Issei in Japanese and English; the lawyer overseeing their competition is French but communicates with the duo in English; an excursion to Italy sees Camille relying on an Italian compatriot to translate. The linguistic criss-crossing sometimes feels awkward to the ear, but theres a dramatic power baked into the pockets of overlap. A wonderful scene late in the series, for example, involves a moment when Camille and Issei conjure a veil of privacy by quietly shifting into Japanese, concealing a life-changing conversation from their French companions.

That transnational orientation also drives a thematic depth. Drops of God unspools with a nervous tension between Issei and Camille, who on paper could represent some passe conflict between east and west. But as the narrative unfolds, a sense of dislocation emerges within the two lead characters. Its really something to watch Issei, a Japanese man unsure of his place in the universe, striving for dominance in an arena long identified as French terrain. Its similarly intriguing to watch Camille, in some ways a poster child of bloodline entitlement, navigate the increasingly globalized wine world. Where their stories end turns on a fairly predictable twist, but the whole thing is elevated by the shows commitment to both the bit and the beauty of its subject matter. When delivered with the right amount of passion, a cliche transforms into a classic.
Wanda Sykess 2023 is off to a dizzying start. She guest-hosted The Daily Show in January. She starred in and executive produced Hulus History of the World Part II. Her sitcom, The Upshaws, returned to Netflix in February. Shes back in her recurring role as Shuli Kucerac on the third season of HBO Maxs The Other Two. And now, shes releasing a new Netflix stand-up special. Its a lot to juggle, but as she implies in the shows trailer, the Second Coming is near, so its now or never. Weve had a pandemic, an insurrection, Roe v. Wade got overturned, Kanyes Black ass wearing a White Lives Matter T-shirt  I think Im gonna call this special Here Comes Jesus, Sykes jokes.

The special, titled Im an Entertainer, was filmed at the Miller Theater in Philadelphia in early February and directed by veteran director Linda Mendoza. It will see the legendary comedian tackle the challenges of raising Gen-Z teens and the dilemmas of being a liberal in a hypercharged political climate, according to a press release. Among the hyperpoliticized issues Sykes sets her sights on? Drag shows. I cant tell you how many drag shows Ive been to where they ran out of high chairs and booster seats, she mocks in her signature sarcastic tone.

Im an Entertainer marks Sykess second special for Netflix, following 2019s Not Normal, and sixth overall. Find out what else she has to get off her chest before the end of the world when it premieres on Netflix May 23.
insta_photos / Getty Images/iStockphoto

As the school year comes to a close, many graduating high school seniors will embark on an exciting new chapter. In a few short months, they'll be packing up their things and heading off to college.

See: Why Stealth Wealth Is the Best Way To Handle Your Money

Find Out: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

However, with all of the excitement comes the stress of how to pay for everything. With the cost of college up nearly 170% between 1980 and 2020, more and more students are looking at student loans to cover the cost.

If you're part of the group getting ready for college, you should know that it's possible to graduate without massive amounts of debt. While it will take some planning and work, there are several ways to reduce the amount of loans you'll need.

We're going to look into five of our favorite ways to pay for college that don't put you into large amounts of debt.

kate_sept2004 / iStock.com

Apply For Scholarships and Grants

One of the best ways to help pay for college is to apply for scholarships and grants. However, understanding where to look is one of the biggest obstacles students face. It's where many get discouraged and give up. Here are a few ways to find available scholarships and grants.

Talk to your counselor : Your guidance counselor is an excellent resource for finding and applying for scholarships and grants. Discuss your plans and ask them for the best places to locate available awards. They can also guide you through the application process, which will hopefully increase your chances of earning money.

U.S. Department of Labor : The U.S. Department of Labor has a scholarship search tool with nearly 9,000 available scholarships, fellowships, grants and other financial aid. You can filter based on your eligibility to find the awards that would be best for you.

Community organizations : If you do any volunteer work in your community, it can look great on your college application, but it can also lead to potential scholarship opportunities. Talk to the staff at the organization and ask them about any available scholarships they offer college students.

Other online resources: Websites like Bold.org and Scholarships.com are great places to look for available scholarships.

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One big misconception about college scholarships is that they're only for incoming freshmen. There are actually specific scholarships available for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. There are even scholarships for individual majors. So don't let your scholarship search end once you've started school.

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Earn College Credits in High School

Earning college credits while you're still in high school is a great way to reduce the amount of money you'll pay once you get to college. Most school districts offer Advanced Placement (AP) classes which help prepare high school students for college-level courses. At the end of the semester, you'll take an AP test and if you score high enough, you'll earn college credit.

"Some schools will accept AP scores of 4s and 5s, but some only accept 5s. These policies vary wildly from school to school," said Rachel Coleman, independent education consultant.

Another option would be a College Level Examination Program (CLEP). This is similar to AP programs except instead of taking a semester's worth of classes and then being tested, you're studying at your own pace at home and then testing on individual subjects. If your test scores are high enough, you'll earn college credits at many colleges and universities.

Coleman added, "If a student attends a school that does accept their college credit from high school, they have a much better chance of graduating in 3 or 3.5 years, thereby reducing their college costs."

Read: Check Your Pennies -- They Could Be Worth $200,000

shapecharge / Getty Images

Stay Close to Home

While earning a degree from a prestigious school on the other side of the country might sound appealing, a degree from a school close to home might make more sense. The average annual cost of a public four-year in-state college is roughly $16,500 less than an out-of-state school.

If you choose to attend a community college then the savings increases by another $7,000. However, if you choose to attend a community college for the first two years, make sure the credit hours earned will transfer to the college or university you plan to attend.

kali9 / Getty Images

Live Off Campus

The average cost to live in on-campus housing is roughly $1,000 per month. However, the cost to live off-campus could be considerably less, depending on where you're located.

"Not all residential colleges and universities allow off-campus housing for first-year students, but if yours does, you could save thousands in housing costs per year," said Andrew Schrage, CEO of MoneyCrashers.com. "Off-campus housing costs whatever the local market says it does, and you can often find better deals if you're willing to commute a bit farther. Search rentals on Zillow or your preferred apartment marketplace and compare their monthly cost to your college's housing fees."

pixdeluxe / iStock.com

Apply For Financial Aid

One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of college is to fill out the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is used so the federal government can figure out how much they can offer toward your tuition.

Because there are no income limits with FAFSA, everyone should apply to learn how much you could receive. Just be mindful of deadlines because these can change based on your state and the school you're planning to attend.

Once you've submitted your FAFSA you'll receive an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which outlines how much your family can reasonably afford to pay for college. Schools will then look at this and provide you with an award letter detailing how much student aid you could receive.

Finishing college without debt isn't going to be possible for everyone. However, with a little planning and work, it's possible to reduce the amount of debt you have once you graduate.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Ways To Pay for College That Dont Put You in Debt
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Axis Real Estate Investment Trust's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 7 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership

Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

A look at the shareholders of Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (KLSE:AXREIT) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 52% to be precise, is institutions. 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. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Axis Real Estate Investment Trust, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Axis Real Estate Investment Trust

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Axis Real Estate Investment Trust?

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.

Axis Real Estate Investment Trust 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. 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 Axis Real Estate Investment Trust, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

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Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Axis Real Estate Investment Trust. Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia is currently the company's largest shareholder with 16% of shares outstanding. Kumpulan Wang Persaraan is the second largest shareholder owning 10% of common stock, and Permodalan Nasional Berhad holds about 7.8% of the company stock.

On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 7 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Axis Real Estate Investment Trust

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. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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.

We can see that insiders own shares in Axis Real Estate Investment Trust. As individuals, the insiders collectively own RM301m worth of the RM3.3b company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 30% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Axis Real Estate Investment Trust. 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. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (1 is potentially serious) that you should be aware of.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its 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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The continued decline of global fertility rates, especially in wealthier countries, requires a re-evaluation of global immigration policy. As the funding of public pensions becomes a more pressing issue, might governments work harder to bring migrants in, rather than keeping them out? Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Some countries can be expected to keep their relatively restrictionist immigration policies. But in these countries, the population will become smaller and smaller while taxes on the young will get higher and higher, in part to pay for the retirements and health care of the elderly. The high taxes will in turn lower living standards, and that may depress fertility further yet.

A less obvious problem is that once nations enter the lower-population-higher-tax cycle, it may be very difficult for them to attract new migrants. If you were thinking of leaving your country, would you rather go to a wealthy country with higher tax rates, or one with lower tax rates? Especially if the country with higher taxes has a long tradition of not welcoming migrants, and you would be less likely to find any expatriates there? Besides which, due to their aging population, those countries may simply be boring, at least for young people.

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The danger is that countries with more restrictionist immigration policies will get locked into low-migration outcomes for the foreseeable future, whether they like it or not.

Its hard to say when this point of no return might be reached  but it is another argument for taking in more migrants today. And accepting more migrants today is an investment in accepting more a generation from now, which is when countries will really need them. Take the example of Canada or Australia, two countries that have had relatively open immigration policies. Twenty years from now, when wealthy countries may be competing more for new migrants, Canada and Australia will be in an especially strong position to attract the most productive foreigners.

The risk of being locked out of competition for migrants may be even greater for smaller countries such as Denmark or New Zealand. The US, with its high wages and huge internal market, will always be an attractive destination for migrants, even if its immigration process does not always treat people very well. But Portugal, which already is depopulating, cannot count on those same advantages.

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Overall, there should be relative advantages for countries with widely spoken languages, former colonies (and thus some enduring ties), large and open internal markets, and some traditions of successful migrant integration.

All this provides ample reason to be optimistic about the future of the UK, which in spite of its current economic and productivity problems, seems relatively well-situated to attract future migrants. As native populations dwindle through low fertility rates, that advantage will become progressively more important. In contrast, there is good reason to be relatively pessimistic about such European nations as Slovenia, Croatia and Greece  and even more pessimistic about closed and oppressive societies such as Iran.

Some of the bidding for migrants might involve social and economic changes. Some smaller nations might be motivated to make English an official second language, for example, or to encourage English-language workplaces.

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Sweden is a country that has handled its migration policy poorly. For whatever reasons, Swedish migrants have assimilated less well and caused more problems than have, say, immigrants to Switzerland, which also has a high proportion of non-native born population. That is unfortunate, but if Sweden can hold on tight and maintain a semblance of public order, recent Swedish migration policies might look better 20 years from now. A potential future migrant might prefer Sweden to the more restrictionist Denmark, as Sweden already will have experience handling high numbers of non-native-born residents.

In the longer run, there might be countervailing policies from poorer, highly populated regions. India already is converging on replacement fertility, and African birth rates are falling faster than expected. Within the century, perhaps, those regions will experience depopulation crises of their own. In response, some might levy de facto taxes and penalties on those who depart. Leaving Burkina Faso for Nigeria might be difficult, even if Nigeria is welcoming migrants with open arms.

This new world in which immigrants are courted will turn many of the standard intuitions about migration policy upside down.

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Elsewhere in Bloomberg Opinion:

 Americas Border Crisis Is Already Here: The Editors

 Sweden Is Rethinking What Makes It Great: Adrian Wooldridge

 Rishi Sunaks Immigration Policy Is Lose-Lose: Therese Raphael

 With 100 Million Refugees, the Migrant Crisis Has Barely Begun: Andreas Kluth

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. He is coauthor of Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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If we could only do it like the Norwegians, or the Australians, even. Its an old refrain, often heard in Latin American policy circles  a special mix of aspiration and envy for a duo that managed to climb to the 2nd and 5th places, respectively, on the Human Development Index.

What makes the Australian and Norwegian experience so painfully appealing is that they got there on the strength of something that Latin America has in abundance yet has never managed to leverage as successfully: raw materials.

Lithium has brought the question into sharp focus. The newly essential mineral, expected to be irreplaceable in building a carbon-free future, has conjured dreams of prosperity not seen since the massive Tupi oil field was discovered off the shore of Rio de Janeiro more than 15 years ago.

Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, sitting on top of more than 60% of the worlds known stock of lithium, bubble with ideas about how to build industrial economies on the basis of the indispensable input for electric mobility. Mexico, Brazil and Peru want in, too. The old question resonates in the background: If Norway and Australia could do it, why cant we?

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It may not be impossible. But any such effort must begin by acknowledging that Norway and Australia have dealt with their natural resources quite differently from most Latin American nations. Emulating their success requires a different long-term strategy for the exploitation of the resources themselves, one that treats them as an integral economic building block rather than an expendable means to an end.

And thats the easy part. The real challenge is political. It will likely also require Latin Americas fragile democracies and polarized societies to achieve a new political consensus.Latin Americas GDP per head has declined in relative terms, from 16.5% of Australias in 1960 to 14.3% in 2021. The immediate, befuddling paradox, from the Latin American perspective, is that the Norwegian and Australian economies managed their feat not by weaning themselves off commodities, as Mexico tried to do by inserting itself into North Americas industrial supply chains.

Raw materials account for about 10% of Mexicos exports, down from 46% in 1990, before it joined the North American Free Trade Agreement. By contrast, raw materials still account for about 60% of Australias exports and 41% of those of Norway (on top of vast exports of hydroelectricity, which is not a material).

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Latin American policymakers are wedded to the idea that prosperity is always downstream from natural resources: From Buenos Aires to La Paz, the vision of lithium-fuelled prosperity features factories to process the lithium, make lithium-ion batteries and build full-fledged electric cars to export overseas. By contrast, 49% of Norways exports are fuels; minerals account for 36% of Australias. Leaving commodities behind, their experience suggests, is not a necessary condition for development.

A couple of economists from Norways University of Oslo and Australias University of Wollongong wrote a piece about a decade ago fleshing out the secret of their commodity-based success. Exploiting natural resources, they concluded, led to innovations and investments  in machines, financial products, infrastructure, commercial networks  which, in turn, supported the development of new natural resource industries.

Gradually, a wider part of the natural environment has become incorporated into economic activities, they wrote.

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Over the last 200 years, Australia branched out from sealing, whaling and coal to add minerals and wheat, sugar and refrigerated meat, oil, aluminum, natural gas, uranium, farmed fish and LNG. Similarly, Norways portfolio grew from fisheries, timber and mining to add wood processing, metals and frozen fish, electricity and oil, among others.

These industries yielded innovations. Local foundries that appeared in the 19th century to sell pumps, crushers, engines and other machinery to Australian miners evolved into specialized engineering concerns to help exploit an expanding array of valuable minerals. Today Mining Equipment, Technology and Services is a booming Australian economic engine on its own.

The state can play a critical role in guiding progress. In the 1970s, foreign companies eager for concessions to exploit Norways oil were required by the government in Oslo to link up with Norwegian universities and research institutions to address production challenges, and to call on Norwegian companies to provide equipment and services.

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Thus it is that Norways offshore oil helped give birth to domestic information and communications technology to provide the critical control systems needed in the production process. At the turn of the century, oil and gas were still the main customers for the local ICT industry and for many Norwegian research institutes.

In principle, Latin America should be able to build such linkages. There is technology in Brazils soy crop, and in Chiles copper industry. Chile has grown its natural resource footprint, from mining to salmon, fruit and wine. Still, the total factor productivity of the Chilean and Brazilian economies remains below the levels achieved in the 1960s.

Neither has built the linkages across industries that could propel their economy forward. Instead, Brazils innovative soybean technology has enabled deforestation by expanding the viable cultivation footprint. Chiles copper mining has failed to deliver much productivity growth and is slowing. Neither soybeans nor copper have helped to birth other innovative industries that could prosper on their own.

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Why not? The question stirs up Latin American policy circles. The answer likely has many parts. It would include a human capital deficit, a product of ineffective public education; hostility toward foreign investment complicating the introduction of foreign technologies; myopic governance that failed to see opportunities beyond the immediate value of the natural resource.

And then, of course, there is governance. Norway and Australia are both high-functioning democracies that can muster a national consensus over a strategy to maximize the social payoff from their natural bounties. Latin American countries are not.

A World Bank study of how different countries managed their oil wealth put it like this: Revenue streams from black gold can finance productive physical and social investment, or fuel unsustainable consumption booms and eventual fiscal crises; they can improve public welfare through transparent distributional mechanisms, create elite arenas of competition, or underpin kleptocratic governments. Guess which path Latin America chose?

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Its not just about self-serving, corrupt leadership (and Latin Americas history has plenty of that). Rents  from oil or copper or gas or lithium  can reshape the political economy in several ways. They fund clientelistic governance, providing resources for governments to pay for support among political constituencies. They remove the budget constraint, allowing economically irrational behavior to take hold. Governments can do stupid things when they feel rich.

In the 1970s, Mexico spent its oil bounty, and more, in a wild pursuit of industrial development behind high tariff barriers to protect domestic firms from international competition  a strategy that came crashing down in the 1980s. Bolivia spent its gas bounty on much needed redistribution, but closed itself to foreign investment and technology in pursuit of a state-run autarkic economic model. Moreover, it failed to invest in the resource itself, letting its wells run dry.

Can Latin America leverage its lithium into prosperity? The Australian and Norwegian examples offer some cause for optimism. And they provide a blueprint for developmental success that does not depend on the ability to turn your lithium into homegrown flying electric cars. Whether Latin Americas unstable, contested politics can follow it is another matter.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Latin Americas New Lithium Bounty Unearths an Old Problem: Eduardo Porter

 Chile Bets Big on the Hydrogen Revolution: Eduardo Porter

 Bidens Solar Plans Run Into a Chinese Wall: Liam Denning

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Eduardo Porter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin America, US economic policy and immigration. He is the author of American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise and The Price of Everything: Finding Method in the Madness of What Things Cost.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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It should have come as no surprise that the Arab League voted overwhelmingly to restore Syrias membership after more than a decade of suspension. The move isnt unanimous, with Qatar remaining the primary holdout, and Washington registering muted objections. Yet, while the outrage the vote has provoked is more than understandable, it has long been inevitable.

The protracted isolation of Syria was motivated by clear moral and strategic reasons. The brutality with which the Bashar al-Assed regime put down what began as peaceful, pro-democracy protests has few parallels in the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed, including through widespread use of chemical weapons.

Torture and summary execution have been systematic, as thoroughly documented by whistleblowers like the former government photographer known as Caesar. Nearly 7 million Syrian refugees have been forced to flee abroad, with around the same number displaced within the country.

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Because of this incredible record of brutality, much of the world, including many Arabs, are dismayed at the practical re-embracing of the dictatorship. Yet there really hasnt been any long-term alternative for the Arab states ever since the rebel-held parts of Aleppo fell to pro-regime forces at the end of 2016. That functionally ended the main part of the war for what the dictatorship has called necessary Syria, the central swath of the country running from the Lebanese border up the Mediterranean coast and inland far enough to encompass all the major cities.

The regime didnt survive on its own. In the summer of 2015, high-level Iranian delegations traveled to Russia in a bid to convince Moscow that only an intense, coordinated military intervention could save their mutual ally, Assad. That fall, Iranian forces and militias they controlled, including Hezbollah from Lebanon, made a decisive intervention on the ground, with Russia providing crucial command-and-control, air and intelligence support.

Rebel groups were no match for this new coalition, and within a little more than a year the war more or less ended when eastern Aleppo fell to the pro-Assad forces. Fighting continued in peripheral areas, involving Turkey, Kurdish fighters and a small number of US troops in the north; Iranian, Kurdish and US forces in the East; and significant remnants of terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

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However, re-engagement by the major Arab countries was always a matter of time, because they continue to have significant interests in Syria but no way securing them. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have led the reintegration of Damascus into the Arab League, have legitimate concerns involving undue Iranian and Hezbollah influence in the country, Syrias role in Lebanon, Turkeys role in Syria, refugee return, and drug smuggling and other crimes associated with the regime, to name just a few.

Although Arab countries have made tough-sounding demands of the regime on many of these issues, its unlikely functional reintegration will be contingent on their implementation.

Arab governments were hoping to see the back of Assad after the uprising broke out in 2011. But with his survival, they are not prepared to walk away from Syria permanently, and dont feel they can rely on outside forces like the US, Turkey and Israel to contain the dictator and his foreign supporters.

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Theyve concluded their only real option is to hold their noses and try to use diplomatic, political and commercial leverage  was well as aid in helping Syria rebuild its shattered infrastructure  to regain influence in where that country is going.

As usual, the UAE  a small power unburdened by regional and global leadership roles  acted first. This opened the door for Saudi Arabia, a much more important country with regional Arab and global Islamic leadership aspirations, and much more complex domestic politics. (This same pattern applied to recent Gulf Arab rapprochements with Iran.) They have been joined by a set of countries including Algeria, Egypt, Oman and others that never really turned their back on the Assad regime no matter how bloody things got in Syria.

Qatar wants to sit this out because it feels it can rely on Turkey to pursue their common interests, and it wishes to avoid annoying the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups with which it is aligned. But that changes practically nothing.

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Washington clearly isnt happy, but it didnt provide the Arab League with any practical alternatives to ensure its interests. Hence the rather attenuated US protests. Assad leads a regime soaked in blood. Sadly, the balance of power on the ground in Syria, combined with always-heated regional politics, made this distasteful reintegration inescapable.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



The Arab League Just Made a Disastrous Bet on Syria: Bobby Ghosh



A Flirtation With China Wont Rock the Saudi-US Marriage: Hussein Ibish



The Oil Industrys Unhappy Marriage Is Starting to Face Facts: David Fickling

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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When making travel plans, a lot of people stick with the tried and true locations theyve already been to or have heard about before. But what if you could travel to destinations that qualify as hidden gems, places where perhaps the tourist crowds are smaller, the sights spectacular and the costs affordable. Here are six hidden gem vacation destinations youve probably never heard of.

Tip: Dont Book a Vacation on This Day of the Week

Find Out: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

Piedmont, Italy

Everybody knows about Rome, Florence and Venice in Italy  these big cities are often crowded with tourists who clamor to see their famous sights. But youve probably not heard of Piedmont, Italy, a quieter region in northwest Italy on Lake Maggiore that Marco Scaglione, owner of Meet Piemonte Tour Operator, said is still unknown to many Americans.

The main reason its a hidden gem is that we are a bit off the main tourist itineraries, definitely not on the way to the popular tours, Scaglione said. Southern Piedmont can be reached by train from Milan or Turin. It boasts fine dining and exclusive wine tastings that cater to foodies, but, Scaglione added, Piedmont still has affordable traditional restaurants and experiences for all pockets.

Good To Know: 6 Vacation Splurges Youll Almost Always Regret

The Crystal Coast, North Carolina

Travelers looking for a secluded beachside stay need look no further than North Carolinas Crystal Coast, which offers a variety of outdoor activities celebrating natures best views, calm blue waters, clear night skies and luscious greenery throughout 85 miles of coastline, according to the Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority.

The Crystal Coast is an outdoor and nature lovers paradise, with miles of trails, greenways and blueways for hiking, walking and paddling. Visitors can check out Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge or the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. This is definitely the place for those who love to kayak or paddleboard, either alone or with a tour guide. And for those who like a more marine experience, scuba diving enables visitors to view the Graveyard of the Atlantic providing access to over 2,000 underwater wrecks.

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Annecy, France

If you love the idea of France, but want to go somewhere less obvious than Paris or Bordeaux, consider Annecy in the French alps, near the Switzerland border, according to Kevin Mercier, a professional travel blogger at kevmrc.com. Annecy is considered a hidden gem among international travelers. While it is a well-known destination in France, it may not be as popular among international travelers as some other destinations in France, like Paris, he said.Annecy is famous for its stunning lake, which is surrounded by mountains and offers plenty of opportunities for swimming, boating, and other fun activities.

Mercier said that for accommodations, a basic hostel dorm bed costs around 20-30 Euros per night, while a mid-range hotel room costs around 70-100 Euros per night.

There are also plenty of dining options for travelers, including local specialty restaurants, cafes and bakeries. A simple lunch at a bakery or cafe costs 10-15 Euros, while a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant costs around 25-40 Euros.

You can walk Annecy, or take the bus, which only costs 1.50 Euros.

Indiana Underground

Looking for a truly unique summer travel experience that can also help you beat the heat? Consider Indiana underground. Forget crowded beaches  in Indiana, you can cool off in caves, catacombs, quarries and clubs, said Amy Howell, vice president of tourism, marketing and communications for Visit Indiana.

Always a cool 52 degrees Fahrenheit, Indianas underground attractions are the perfect antidote to scorching heat. Indiana has the longest subterranean river in the country, the Mystry, and you can take a boat or kayak ride while touring the Hoosier States subterranean attractions, including Bluespring Caverns and the Marengo Cave, Howell said.

Additionally, theres the City Market Catacombs, the limestone Bloomington Empire Quarry and scuba diving beneath Lake Michigan. There are even underground clubs where you can hear music deep beneath the earth.

Vanuatu, South Pacific Ocean

Ciaran Coughlan, an avid traveler and founder of the travel blog CiaranCoughlan.com, suggests that travelers with a flair for beautiful locations will love Vanuatu, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Coughlan attests to its status as a hidden gem because of its [u]nspoiled natural beauty, rich culture, and friendly locals, which he said make it a truly unique destination. The diverse landscape, lush rainforests, crystal-clear waters, and stunning volcanic landscapes blew me away. What sets Vanuatu apart is its vibrant and ancient culture.

Coughlan witnessed traditional ceremonies and dances, explored local markets and tried traditional foods, I was constantly amazed by the depth and richness of Ni-Vanuatu culture.

He found Vanuatu affordable compared to other Pacific destinations, with plenty of budget accommodation options and affordable food and activities. He spent, on average, around $200 per day or less. The only thing to remember is the cost of transportation between islands, which can add up quickly!

Hot Springs, Arkansas

You dont have to leave the United States to find some truly charming destinations. In the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas youll find the town of Hot Springs, which travel writer Hayden Goldberg, who founded the travel blog Namaste Anywhere, calls a hidden gem because, Its a place where natural beauty and man-made marvels come together to create a truly unique experience.

The hot springs themselves flow from the earth at a temperature of 143 degrees Fahrenheit. He said, They have been sought after for centuries for their supposed healing properties. Today, visitors can still bathe in these therapeutic waters at the historic bathhouses lining Bathhouse Row, each one more beautiful than the last. Imagine soaking in a steaming hot pool, surrounded by intricate tile work, stained glass, and ornate fountains, while the gentle murmur of the hot springs soothes your soul. Its an experience that is simply unforgettable.

Additionally, the streets are lined with quaint shops and restaurants, many of them housed in historic buildings dating back to the early 20th century. Youll find everything from handmade pottery to artisanal chocolates, and every cuisine from BBQ to sushi.

It also boasts a compelling historical element. You can visit the Gangster Museum of America, where youll learn about the towns illicit past and see artifacts from the gangsters who once roamed its streets. Or, head to the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center, where you can take a guided tour of a fully restored bathhouse and learn about the history of bathing in America.

Outdoors enthusiasts will enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking or canoeing in Lake Ouachita.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Hidden Gem Vacation Destinations Youve Never Heard Of
Many travellers keep count of the countries theyve visited. Yet the more I travel, the more I realise how tricky it is compiling such a list. What, for instance, counts as a visit?

If Im in transit and dont exit the airport, that country definitely doesnt make my list. But what if youre on a layover, say for 10 hours, and you swing around on a sightseeing tour and see a little of the destination? Maybe its enough  but I also want to feel something.

That might mean eating the eats, drinking the drinks, pounding the pavements, inhaling the scents, buying a trinket, dodging a flower seller, falling into conversation, smiling at a kindness or being bowled over by the beauty. When I look at my countries visited list, I want to be taken back there, to whichever place my eye happens to fall upon, to unfurl a tangible memory.

Illustration: Jamie Brown Credit:

Sometimes, I admit, those memories arent fabulous. I see Cuba and recall being mugged on day one (after a tug of war in broad daylight where every minute seemed like an hour, I retained my daypack and the would-be thief fled). The country is strongly imprinted (and Id return in a heartbeat).
The Federal Group, which owns this sprawling venue and others around Tasmania (MACq01 and Saffire among them) has invested $65 million in refurbishing the rooms, bars, restaurants and casino of Wrest Point. Theres plenty of space here for parking and at reception, the welcome is warm and friendly.

Sandy Bay is one of Hobarts more sought-after suburbs, hugging the coast as it does, a fine home for yacht clubs and better schools. Wrest Point, on the water in the middle of Sandy Bay has hospitality credentials stretching all the way back to the early 1800s. The existing venue, complete with casino and Tasmanias tallest building  the 17-story Roy Grounds-designed tower  opened in 1973.

The Look

From the outside, the towers design is undeniably dated, theres no fixing that, but before long we may come to love it like a pair of flared jeans. And all the same, the refurbishment is so thorough as to override that, from the soft furnishings, uncanny carpets, artworks that embrace the era and the focus on those stunning water views, stretching as they do all the way up to Battery Point, across the river to Bellerive Oval and over the waterways beyond.

The Room

Inside one of Wrest Points Harbour View suites.

Im in a Harbour View Suite, a 60 square metre space with more of those glorious views  water sparkling by day; the city and Tasman Bridge lit up by night. Theres a king bed, two big flat screen TVs, and a walk-in wardrobe with plenty of hanging space, a seat and plenty of room for luggage. The spacious bathroom has twin sinks, a bath and a walk-in shower. The lounge area of the suite has a mini-bar with room enough for your own drinks, a sink, pod-machine for coffee and plenty of bench space to set up the laptop, should you need to. It has been refurbished, but maybe thanks to its original era, the light switches are delightfully easy to use and even the controls for the curtains and air conditioning are straightforward.
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Tokyo, Japan, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According To Latest Research Report On Aerospace Helmet Mounted Display Market Research Report: Information by Technology, Application, Component and Region - Forecast till 2027, Market Size USD 5.144 billion by 2027, registering a 13.46% CAGR throughout the forecast period (2019-2027).

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Aerospace helmet mounted displays (HMDs) or aerospace HMD technology provide pilots with advanced situational awareness and all the vital information they need while flying. Critical information is displayed on the helmet's visor, enhancing their ability to successfully complete all critical missions while increasing the response time and reducing the workload.

This unique safety feature ensures the safety and security of a flight and the lives of its occupants. Aerospace HMDs find its usages in a broad range of military applications, particularly in fighter-jet units, where fighter pilots need advanced situational awareness to navigate dangerous situations successfully. Futuristic display technologies drive the aerospace helmet mounted display market.

Military, as well as commercial Pilots, need precision and accurate vision to execute their missions. Moreover, the increasing use of GPS systems promotes the use of advanced display technologies. Aerospace helmet mounted displays maintain the integrity of positioning & timing in GPS- led environments while keeping up with current and future enemy threats and technologies.

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Raytheon Company

and Microsoft Corporation

Competitive Analysis

Highly competitive, the aerospace helmet mounted display market appears fragmented, characterized by the presence of several major well-established players. These players incorporate strategic initiatives such as collaboration, acquisition, partnership, technology launch, and expansion in order to maintain their positions in this market by gaining a competitive advantage. Strategic alliances between these players support the growth and expansion plans of the key players during the forecast period.

For instance, on Aug. 19, 2021, Thales Defense & Security Inc. announced that it has been selected by the French defense procurement agency for its helmet-mounted displays for their Dassault Aviation Rafale jet fighter. Under the agreement, Thales will provide 350 Scorpion helmet-mounted sight & display systems and 400 digital multifunction displays to enhance the Rafale's tactical situational awareness and bring the weapon/mission systems to the pilot's line of sight.

Market Segmentation:

The aerospace helmet mounted display market is divided into components, technologies, applications, and regions. The component segment is sub-segmented into display, controller, sensor, processor & memory, lens, and others.

The technology segment is sub-segmented into conventional, augmented, virtual, and other technologies. The application segment is sub-segmented into military and non-military. By regions, the aerospace helmet mounted display market is sub-segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest-of-the-World.

Industry Trends:

The aerospace helmet mounted display market is growing rapidly due to increasing military expenditures worldwide. Moreover, factors such as the increasing emphasis placed on in-flight safety and the advancement in pilot assistance technologies escalate the market on the global platform. High-resolution video transmitted to the HMDs allows pilots to fly in a head-up, eyes-out position.

The system processes real-time panorama video, pre-loaded terrain, and obstacle information enhanced by a 3D conformal & intuitive symbology. Huge awareness of the safety features that HMDs can offer in increasing the survivability of fighter pilots, proving incredibly important in almost every recent war, is a key driving force behind the market's growth.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (140 Pages) on Aerospace Helmet Mounted Display Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/aerospace-helmet-mounted-display-market-6044

Advancements in technology led by the increasing demand for safety technologies are some of the major tailwinds pushing up the growth of the market. Pilots have recognized the system's contribution to Degraded Visibility Environment (DVE) flights, describing it as a breakthrough in pitch dark-night flights. Improvements in augmented and virtual reality make flight driving even more comfortable and safe.

Regional Analysis:

North America dominates the global aerospace helmet mounted display market. The defense sector in the region perceives the high expenditures and adoption of advanced technologies. Moreover, huge government spending on advanced tactical equipment for the military supports the growth of the regional market.

The US is the major contributor to regional market growth due to the high concentration of prominent market players supported by the government in their R&D activities to develop advanced technology for military applications. The availability of advanced technologies is a key factor attracting several investments.

The Asia Pacific aerospace helmet mounted display market is the second largest globally. The region perceives a concentration of high-skilled professionals required for the development of advanced security and tactical gear technologies, including helmet-mounted displays, which positively impact the growth of the market.

Substantial increments in military expenses, in recent years, especially in the countries such as China, India, and Japan, having significantly large air force sectors, contribute to the APAC aerospace helmet mounted display market growth. Furthermore, the high number of conflicts across borders between countries such as India and China encourage the use of HMDs to gain an advantage in combat.

Europe has emerged as a profitable market for aerospace helmet mounted displays. Factors such as stringent safety norms and well-spread awareness of safety systems drive the regional market. Augmenting demand for advanced safety systems in the military is propelling the growth of the market in the region. Additionally, the availability of futuristic and cost-competitive technology boosts the market value.

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If you're planning to travel by plane anytime soon, don't count on it being a slow day at the airport. Oklahoma City's air travel numbers have risen back to pre-pandemic levels during the first quarter of this year, a trend officials expect to continue.

According to data from Will Rogers World Airport, 391,389 passengers flew in or out of OKC in March, setting a record for that month. Also, a record 980,188 passengers flew in or out of OKC from January through March, eclipsing the airport's previous first-quarter record in 2019 by 44,845.

Stacey Hamm, Will Rogers spokesperson, said this is the first time a quarter has outpaced the same time frame in 2019, which saw a record 4.4 million annual passengers for the airport.

These new record numbers come despite "higher airfares and fewer flights compared to 2019," said Airports Director Jeff Mulder.

More: Budget fight could derail air traffic controller training in Oklahoma, agency head warns

"The airlines have not restored all of our markets since COVID due to a lack of pilots," Mulder said. "The passengers have returned in record numbers, and we expect as the airlines continue to recover, we will continue to see a great future at OKC."

Passengers wait to board flights Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City after the FAA had a computer outage grounding flights nationwide.

Travel increase a nationwide trend

Oklahoma City is not alone in its return to pre-pandemic travel, with the Transportation Security Administration reporting 260.1 million security screenings from Jan. 1 through April 30, up from 259.8 million for the same time period in 2019.

Travelers make their way through Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

The head of the Transportation Security Administration David Pekoske told Bloomberg summer airline passenger levels are expected to be "comfortably above" pre-pandemic levels, as COVID-19 disruptions to air travel are fading.

What summer travel will look like in OKC

Hamm said in hearing from airlines that operate out of Will Rogers, airport officials have been assured planes this summer will be packed.

"All of our airlines are really happy with the numbers that they're seeing right now for summer travel, and they are seeing it's more leisure than it is anything else," Hamm said. "They're working on their fall and winter schedules right now, so we're not quite sure what those are going to look like just yet."

Story continues

More: Biden administration wants to boost aviation sector training in OKC

Travelers check in for their flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

What flights OKC is working to get back after COVID-19

Several routes flying in and out of OKC have not returned since being dropped in 2020.

Hamm said the team at Will Rogers is actively working to bring back routes to San Francisco; Newark, New Jersey; Detroit; and Dulles in Washington, D.C.

"We're heavily out there trying to work with (the airlines) and recruit new markets," Hamm said.

More: It's not just you, flights to Europe and Asia are much more expensive this summer

Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City is pictured Friday, March 23, 2018.

Will Rogers would like to add flights to the Florida cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg, as well as increase frequencies to Orlando, Hamm said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC air travel is up, and will only get busier in the summer
While Anglo American plc (LON:AAL) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 27% in the last quarter. But don't let that distract from the very nice return generated over three years. After all, the share price is up a market-beating 70% in that time.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Anglo American investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's three-year performance.

Check out our latest analysis for Anglo American

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.

Anglo American was able to grow its EPS at 9.8% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is lower than the 19% average annual increase in the share price. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did three years ago. It is quite common to see investors become enamoured with a business, after a few years of solid progress.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

Dive deeper into Anglo American's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Anglo American's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Anglo American's TSR for the last 3 years was 105%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Anglo American shareholders are down 21% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 6.4%. 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. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 13%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Anglo American (including 1 which is concerning) .

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 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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Christine Clark Lafleur, executive director, says work on Port Cares' affordable housing project is continuing quietly behind the scenes.



As the number of food bank registrants continues to climb and donations dwindle, its clear to Christine Clark Lafleur there is a great need for affordable housing.

A year ago, in April 2022, there were 1,762 registrants at Port Cares food bank.

According to Clark Lafleur, the agencys executive director, there are currently 2,698 registrants.

One way to combat this issue, she said, is affordable housing. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation defines housing as affordable if it costs 30 per cent or less of a households before-tax income.

Port Cares has had plans in the works to build the Chesnut Park Affordable Housing Project since 2019.

The plan calls for a five-storey apartment building with a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units for seniors.

Clark Lafleur said there is no definite date for when shovels will go into the ground on the project, but she hopes to see it come to fruition as soon as possible.

She described the project as complex, and said the agency is fundraising for it and has partnered with Niagara Region Housing Services.

Were still quietly working away. But the challenge with fundraising is the primary need is to fundraise for the food bank, she said.

I cannot compromise our ability and the need to help people with food by going to our same supporters and donors and asking them to support the affordable housing project.

She described the current economic climate as a perfect storm. Affordable housing is the one transformative piece of the puzzle that can disrupt the trajectory of poverty, Clark Lafleur added.

Donations are down, and the need is up, so it becomes a bit of a longer road.

Clark Lafleur said there has been a great need for affordable housing prior to the pandemic, and the need continues to grow.

If it was in limited supply years ago, its almost non-existent today.

The executive director said the City of Port Colborne has been a strong supporter of the project.

In 2020, the municipality sold the park to Port Cares for $1.

Last year, the City of Port Colborne also approved an affordable housing strategy and partnered with Niagara Region Housing.

The affordable housing strategy includes 13 recommendations that support four goals: increase diversity of housing; promote greater intensification and density; protect and expand purpose-built rental supply; and increase support for affordable housing through awareness and outreach.

Donna Woiceshyn, director of housing services and chief executive of Niagara Regional Housing, said the wait time for geared-to-income housing is anywhere from four to 21 years in Niagara.

Wait times vary, depending on whether (applicants) are seniors, single moms and whether theyre looking for single-bedroom or family units.

Woiceshyn said there are also people outside of Niagara on the waiting list for affordable housing. Priority is given to victims of domestic violence, who are pushed to the front of the list.

The total wait-list has over 10,000 applications and that represents about 20,000 individuals that are waiting for geared-to-income housing.

Woiceshyn said Port Colborne is the highest in terms of wait times.

The wait times for seniors is about 10 years in Port Colborne. Single people are about 15 years, and then households are anywhere from seven to nine years with families  depending on the bedroom size.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With the cost of living rising, making it more difficult for people to make ends meet, Niagara This Week decided to get an update on Port Cares affordable housing project.

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The growing diplomatic tit-for-tat between China and Canada isnt likely to flare up into an all-out trade war because both sides have plenty to lose, international trade experts say.

I can see China doing something symbolic, but theyre such an export-focused economy, they need Western countries like Canada to buy what theyre making, said Andreas Schotter, associate professor of international business at Western Universitys Ivey Business School.

On Tuesday, China expelled Canadas consul in Shanghai, Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, in retaliation for Canadas expulsion of Zhao Wei, a consular officer in Toronto. Canadian security officials have alleged Wei was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.

Last year, Canada imported roughly $100 billion worth of Chinese goods, Schotter noted, with consumer goods  including electronics  accounting for the largest share.

Just as Canadian consumers want those products, so, too, do Chinese manufacturers need the sales to Canadian consumers and businesses, Schotter said.

China desperately needs to get rid of those consumer goods. They need that trade balance. The domestic consumer in China cant absorb them all, said Schotter.

John Boscariol, head of the international trade practice at law firm McCarthy Tetrault, is hopeful cooler heads will prevail, but said theres a history of China retaliating economically in diplomatic disputes.

We saw the extremes of that when Meng Wanzhou was detained here for purposes of extradition to the U.S., to the extreme where they essentially took two of our citizens as hostages, but also took measures against canola, against pork, said Boscariol, referring to the arrest and detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in China on state secrets charges in December 2018. Meng had been detained two weeks earlier. Spavor and Kovrig werent released for 1,019 days, just after Mengs house arrest ended.

Still, said Boscariol, Chinas economy is still struggling with the economic hangover from the global COVID-19 pandemic and can ill afford a trade war.

Its a very dangerous exercise if they start taking trade measures that prevent products that are needed in China  whether thats pork, canola or other agricultural products coming from Canada  from coming in, said Boscariol.

And Canada would effectively be cutting off its nose to spite its face if it started limiting Chinese imports, Boscariol added.

If we started limiting the import of Chinese products, especially products used in manufacturing and processing here in Canada, we could really damage our own industry, Boscariol said.

Gordon Houlden, a professor of political science and director emeritus at the University of Albertas China Institute, said China likely wants to avoid an all-out trade war.

I think theyre hoping this goes away, said Houlden, adding that trade measures taken in retaliation for perceived political slights arent always particularly effective.

I dont know if those trade measures ever really work. They tried to limit canola exports after Meng Wanzhou was arrested, but Canada actually exported more canola to China through third countries the following year, said Houlden.

In some areas where China was once a vital export market for Canadian products, its no longer such a significant player.

Canadian softwood exports to China, in lumber, paper and pulp form, accounted for $3 billion a decade ago. Now, says lumber industry analyst Kevin Mason, its less than 20 per cent of that.

Its about half a billion dollars a year now, so China isnt nearly as much of a consumer for our softwood as it used to be, said Mason, president of B.C.-based ERA Forest Products Research.

Canadian consumer brands such as Canada Goose, Tim Hortons or Lululemon counting on sales in China could face a nationalistic backlash from Chinese consumers, retail analyst Bruce Winder told The Canadian Press.

If you look at the drawing boards of those companies, Chinas a big factor in the growth strategy, he said. Its a huge market. There are over 1.4 billion people and folks in China are getting rich, so you have a massive middle class.

Still, any backlash could prove to be short-lived, said Iveys Schotter, who was working in China in 1999 when U.S. warplanes bombing Serbia hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

There was outrage in China, especially in the media, but the same people who were outraged, like my staff saying, they did this on purpose, theyd go to McDonalds for lunch, said Schotter.

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MONTREAL - Canadas two biggest airlines scored below average for customer satisfaction among major North American carriers, according to a new survey, part of a trend of growing passenger frustration across the industry.

Conducted by J.D. Power, the poll found Air Canada and WestJet fell below the average customer satisfaction figure of 782 on a 1,000-point scale for economy class service. WestJet notched 777 to edge out Air Canada, which scored 765.

Pricier fares, crowded planes and fewer flight options are behind the frustration  but demand remains strong nonetheless  said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at the Michigan-based consumer analytics company.

As a result, carriers yielded higher revenues this year after a prolonged industry slump prompted by the pandemic. Taylor said many are running at peak efficiency, though higher labour and fuel costs compared with 2019 have hampered profit margins, and capacity has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.

A global pilot shortage has fostered problems in North America, partly explaining why fewer planes ply the skies compared with four years ago.

Some airlines have ditched smaller planes, trying to pack in as many passengers as possible per flight as they slim down their schedules.

Theyre more full  they have a higher load factor  and that usually decreases satisfaction, Taylor said.

Meanwhile, the surge in leisure travel after two years under border restrictions and COVID-19 health concerns has pushed prices north.

Because of that high demand, ticket prices are significantly higher, and theyve been going higher for the past two, two-and-a-half years or so. For the vast majority of travellers, thats the key factor in satisfaction, he said.

That discontent is quantifiable in ways other than surveys. The complaints backlog at the Canadian Transportation Agency stood at about 45,000 as of late April, more than triple the tally from a year earlier and requiring at least 18 months on average per case. Many cases revolve around compensation claims after flight delays or cancellations.

The drawn-out uproar prompted the federal government to table an overhaul to Canadas passenger rights charter last month in an effort to tighten compensation loopholes and toughen penalties.

While a spate of upstart airlines has made domestic air travel cheaper than ever overall in Canada  particularly in the busiest corridors  passengers face higher prices and scarcer trip options in many regions and on international routes, according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium.

You want to fly to, say, Winnipeg, it might be a little more expensive, because its not the most popular destination versus, say, getting to Toronto, Taylor said.

The sparser flight boards at many airports also stem from a de facto division of the country by the two main players: Air Canada and WestJet, which share roughly 80 per cent of the domestic market.

Since last fall, Calgary-based WestJet has cut routes in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to refocus on its home turf out west. It has also cut flights on some more heavily travelled corridors, including roughly four out of five trips between Toronto and Montreal compared to 2019 levels, Cirium data shows.

Montreal-based Air Canada has mirrored this move, remaining in Central and Eastern Canada while scaling back in the west. It also scrapped 26 regional routes east of Winnipeg in June 2020, with only two resuming since.

The survey Wednesday ranked airlines in three separate categories: first class and business class, premium economy, and economy and basic economy. In the first two groups, Air Canada placed fifth of six.

For economy  encompassing the vast majority of passengers  WestJet ranked fifth and Air Canada came eighth out of 11. Neither airline immediately responded to a request for comment.

Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways snagged the top three spots  despite a meltdown at Southwest that caused of thousands of December flight cancellations in what U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called a system failure. American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines took up the rear.

JetBlue and Delta came in first and second respectively for business class, and swapped spots for premium economy. United Airlines finished last for business class, and American Airlines did the same for premium economy.

The survey, carried out between March 2022 and March 2023, is based on responses from 7,774 passengers at scores of airports who flew on large North American airlines.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly stated the ranking of Air Canada and WestJet.

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Travellers summer vacation plans may soon be in jeopardy as the pilots of one of Canadas major airlines edge closer to walking off the job.

Hundreds of WestJet pilots demonstrated outside Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver international airports Monday ahead of a possible strike that could start as early as May 16  the Tuesday before the May long weekend which kicks off the summer travel season. The pilots are demanding better wages and working conditions.

If we cannot achieve a fair contract without striking, then its entirely possible that well have to invoke that in support of our collective bargaining, said Timothy Perry, the Canadian president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and also a WestJet pilot.

In a statement, WestJet said it is prepared with contingency planning to minimize what could be significant impacts to guest travel, in the event of a work stoppage.

The labour turmoil comes as the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said Monday it has increased staffing and improved technology to better prepare for the summer travel surge. Last year, Pearson was ranked worst airport in the world with thousands of flights cancelled leaving passengers stranded and bags lost in the wake of COVID flight restrictions being lifted.

Hemorrhaging pilots

In a statement, ALPA said the airline is hemorrhaging pilots at the rate of over 30 per month, amounting to a WestJet pilot leaving the company every 18 hours in search of a better work opportunity.

It is well known that WestJet currently has a pilot attraction and retention problem, the statement said. Our goal is to secure a contract that will help make this airline a career destination for pilots once again.

Last month ALPA said that 93 per cent of its members voted in favour of a strike if contract negotiations dont reach an agreement by the May long weekend.

On the other hand, WestJet counters that its mainline pilots are amongst the best paid pilots in Canada.

ALPAs expectations of wages, if realized, would pose a significant impact to WestJets ability to remain competitive and provide affordable air travel to Canadians, the company said. We are actively negotiating  an agreement that is competitive within Canadas airline industry.

The GTAA did not immediately respond to inquiries on whether Pearson is prepared to deal with possible cancellations in the event of a strike.

Not as bad as last summer

While travellers should expect a WestJet strike to cause some degree of chaos, it wont be as bad as last summers travel delays says David Gillen, director of the Centre for Transportation Studies at University of British Columbia.

There are going to be some chaotic moments, Gillen said but there have been some lessons learned.

President and CEO of the GTAA, Deborah Flint, on Monday said this summer will be very different and better than summer of 2022.

Since last summer, the airport has hired 10,000 new employees, giving it 22 per cent more staff, or 50,000 workers in total. The increase includes the hiring of 130 new staff announced last week to help in critical areas such as busing, baggage handling and terminal operations.

Flint said staffing levels are equivalent to 2019 as the airport expects about 80 per cent of the summer traffic it saw before the pandemic  a 10 per cent bump over last year.

Despite these improvements, Gillen warns that airport capacity is still being pushed to the limit.

Were pushing capacity of the carriers, of the airports, of the personnel and of the air traffic control systems, Gillen said. If there is any degree of disruption at any point within that supply chain, its going to have a ripple effect. And thats where the chaos is going to happen.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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A plan by New York City officials to send some migrants seeking asylum to hotels in northern suburbs was met with fierce resistance by local leaders, leading to a delay in an initial transfer that had been touted for Wednesday even as the city insisted its plans hadnt changed.

Mayor Eric Adams had caused an uproar north of the city by announcing Friday that the city would send north up to 300 single, adult men to two hotels in suburban Rockland County and neighboring Orange County for up to four months. The Democratic mayors plan comes as the city struggles to deal with a surge of about 60,000 asylum-seekers since last spring, many of whom were bused to the city by out-of-state governors.

New York City officials had intended to move forward with at least part of the plan and send a small number of asylum seekers to Orange County on Wednesday, Adams spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement.

But by the end of the day, no migrants had arrived at the hotel, identified by Orange County officials as the Crossroads Hotel in the Town of Newburgh, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of the city.

In another statement, Levy said they were discussing legal and safety concerns with our state partners, and while we have paused tonight, our plans have not changed.

The administration pledged to provide food and services to the men. But local officials accused Adams of doing the very thing he complained governors were doing to the city: busing out asylum-seekers without properly alerting the municipalities where the people were headed.

It was a sneak attack in the dark of night, Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny said at a news conference Wednesday.

The confrontation comes as cities across the nation prepare for an increase in migrants seeking asylum when a pandemic-era policy that permitted the expulsion of many migrants ends Thursday.

Kenny said her Rockland County town secured a temporary restraining order stopping the Armoni Inn and Suites from taking in asylum-seekers as its lawsuit progresses. Thats in addition to emergency declarations in both Rockland and Orange counties designed to block hotels or motels from housing migrants.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the county was pursuing its own litigation and that the hotels operating permit expired April 30.

A call seeking comment was made to the Armoni Inn.

In his initial statement, Levy said , we need the federal government to step up, but until they do, we need other elected officials around the state and country to do their part.

Levy claimed that Day, a Republican, has failed to show humane and compassionate care. Day said local opposition stems from the city unilaterally pursuing an ill-conceived plan that will strain local resources.

The plan is short-sighted, universally opposed locally and will only endanger the lives of our residents, Day said.

Camille Mackler, the executive director of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal service providers, said officials at all levels of government deserved blame for a response she characterized as chaotic and inefficient.

We need to have a better coordinated response, she said, and one that centers the humanity and dignity of everyone involved instead of continuing to use their lives as political pawns.

The Adams administration has already been using hotels within the city to house some migrants, mainly families with children. Plans to house others at sites  including a cruise ship terminal and a beach parking lot in the Bronx  have been abandoned.

___

Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York.

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CAIRO (AP)  Tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people in southern Sudan, the countrys doctors union said Wednesday, raising fears the war between the countrys rival top generals  currently centered in the capital  could set off more violence in far-flung provinces.

It remained unclear whether the tribal clashes were related to the brutal fighting that ignited mid-April across the country as a result of a power struggle between the militarys head, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

The tribal violence in the south erupted Monday between the Hausa and Nuba tribes in the city of Kosti, the capital of White Nile province bordering South Sudan, according to Sudanese local media reports.

Deadly tribal violence is not uncommon in Sudans south and west, where disputes dating back to the countrys split from South Sudan remain unresolved.

The countrys wider conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The violence has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province. Last month, armed fighters, many in RSF uniforms, rampaged through the city of Genena in West Darfur killing at least 100 people, according to the doctors group, the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which mainly tracks civilian fatalities.

The U.N.s migration agency said that 700,000 people have now been displaced by the violence, in updated figures released Tuesday, more than double the tally from a week prior. Before the fighting started, 3.7 million people were already displaced internally, mainly in western Darfur, according to the agencys figures.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Wednesday that food insecurity in Sudan is expected to surge to record levels due to the conflict, affecting more than 19 million people, or two-fifths of the population, according to the World Food Program

A series of cease-fires has failed to stop the fighting and prompted foreign governments to speed up the evacuation of their citizens from the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Sudans warring parties are holding talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, but have made little progress as of Monday regarding a more sustained humanitarian truce, a U.N. official in Sudan told The Associated Press.

The talks, the first since the fighting erupted, are a part of a Saudi-U.S. initiative meant to stop the fighting.

The U.N. official added that the gap between the two sides positions remains wide, due to deep mistrust. He called for more pressure on the two generals, especially from their regional backers. The military has traditionally been backed by Egypts government, and the RSF has enjoyed support from the United Arab Emirates.

They should give concessions to reach a compromise, he said.

The military has demanded that the RSF withdraw from Khartoums neighborhoods and its hospitals, power and oil facilities to one central base outside the city, according to two senior military officials with direct knowledge of the talks.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary group is saying that it should retain control of all of the bases it had held prior to the conflict, including at key locations inside the capital, such as the Khartoum Airport, according to two RSF officials involved in the preparations for the talks. They said the RSF is also looking to ensure its ranks are still paid out of the national budget and that its wounded soldiers can receive adequate medical treatment.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk the media because of the ongoing negotiations.

Saudi Arabias Foreign Ministry had said the talks aim to achieve an effective short-term cease-fire to facilitate humanitarian assistance, and agree on a timetable for further negotiations to reach a permanent cease-fire.

___

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Aswan, Egypt, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

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(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Aramco is weighing exports of liquefied natural gas instead of blue hydrogen, as talks with potential buyers of the latter fuel prove tough.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The worlds biggest oil company is investing billions of dollars in gas production. Its priority is to meet rising demand within Saudi Arabia and then convert whats left over into blue hydrogen, a fuel seen as important for the energy transition because the carbon emitted when its made is meant to be captured.

Yet existing technology means blue hydrogen could cost the equivalent of around $250 a barrel of oil, Aramcos chief executive officer said on Tuesday.

It is very difficult to identify any off-take agreement in Europe for blue hydrogen, Amin Nasser said on a call with analysts on Tuesday. Even the customers in Japan and Korea are waiting for government incentives. Until they get these incentives, itll be costly for them to pursue that blue hydrogen.

The company wont make a final investment decision to build hydrogen export facilities without first signing supply deals, he said. Its so far sent test shipments in the form of ammonia to South Korea and Japan.

This is a very expensive program, Nasser said. Its a lot of capital and you need customers. So we will not sanction a project without securing an off-take agreement.

The kingdom has some of the worlds biggest gas reserves but barely exploited them in the past. Demand for gas has boomed recently, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine and cut supplies to Europe in retaliation against sanctions.

Much of Saudi Arabias additional gas will come from Jafurah, one of the worlds largest untapped fields. It aims to spend tens of billions of dollars developing it and has started discussions with investors in midstream projects such as pipelines, said Nasser.

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Sinopec and TotalEnergies SE are among companies considering investing in those projects, Bloomberg reported this month.

Nasser spoke shortly after Aramco reported a net profit of $31.9 billion for the first quarter and announced a plan to increase its $76 billion annual dividend.

It had decided to prioritize blue hydrogen because its seen as a cleaner fuel than LNG, Nasser said.

Still, even if Aramco doesnt export LNG from Saudi Arabia, its keen on investing in foreign terminals, including in the US and Australia.

We have started discussions with our partners globally on LNG opportunities, he said, confirming a Bloomberg report from March.

(Updates with context on test shipments.)

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FILE - A man using a cellphone walks past Google offices on Dec. 17, 2018, in New York. On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Maryland's highest court reversed a ruling by a lower court that the state's first-in-the-nation tax on digital advertising was unconstitutional, saying the court lacked jurisdiction over the case.
MAXATAWNY TWP., Pa. - A federal court jury found that battery manufacturer East Penn Manufacturing violated federal law by failing to pay overtime to more than 7,500 employees.

The company, headquartered in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, is one of the world's largest battery manufacturers.

The jury awarded back wages of more than $22 million to the U.S. Department of Labor for more than 7,500 employees working for East Penn.

The award marks the largest recorded verdict under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The department intends to ask the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to award an equal amount in liquidated damages for the affected workers. The department will also seek an injunction requiring future FLSA compliance by the manufacturer.

The 30-day trial ended when the jury found that the battery manufacturer was required to pay the affected workers for all of their working time, resulting in overtime violations.

In most instances, East Penn paid workers only for their 8-hour scheduled shift but did not pay for additional time employees needed to put on and remove protective equipment and to shower to avoid the dangers of lead exposure and other hazards encountered on the job.

Federal law requires employers to pay an overtime premium for hours over 40 in a workweek.

This verdict of more than $22 million is a long-overdue victory for more than 7,500 workers at East Penn Manufacturing, said Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. Federal law requires employers to pay workers for the hours they work, including time these workers needed to protect themselves from dangerous workplace hazards.

The verdict ends a trial in response to the departments March 2018 complaint against East Penn Manufacturing in federal district court.

During the trial, the department presented the following evidence:

Testimony from 39 employees confirming they and other co-workers performed unpaid work.

A witness who had performed a time study and provided testimony on the estimated time employees spent on this work.

Testimony from a witness who calculated back wages due and how much time the employer shaved from its employees time punches.

Volumes of employer time records that showed East Penn did not pay employees based on their actual clock-in and clock-out times. The records also showed how the company would adjust times to pay employees only for their scheduled shift, and how East Penn did this every day and for every employee.

Decades of settled law states that employers must pay employees for all hours worked, and this includes the time employees spend changing into and out of uniforms and showering where such activities, as here, were necessary and indispensable to their work. Contrary to the law, East Penn allowed employees to work off-the-clock for years, said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. The jurys verdict will go a long way towards making the employees whole and serves as a stark reminder for employers like East Penn to think twice before instituting policies designed to skirt the law.

In response to Wednesday's verdict, East Penn issued the following statement:

On May 9, 2023, a jury determined that employees of East Penn Manufacturing should have been allocated more paid time for putting on and taking off uniforms. The jury also found that East Penn did not act in a knowing or reckless disregard of the law. Before the trial started, the Department of Labor claimed that the company owed employees over $214 million in back wages. Instead, the jury determined that the back wages owed to uniformed employees (who worked for East Penn in Lyon Station, Pennsylvania from November 2015 to September of 2021) is $22.25 million. East Penn had made every effort to comply with the laws as it understood them. As a company, it stands behind the time paid to employees to put on and take off uniforms and to shower. The company believes it provided proper compensation for these activities and was fair in determining the reasonable time required to perform them. The amount of the ultimate judgement is subject to further argument to the trial judge and adjustment. In addition, either the DOL or East Penn may file an appeal. East Penn appreciates the time and attention of the jurors over the course of this lengthy and complex trial. East Penn greatly appreciates its family of employees who diligently work to support and sustain the company and provide the essential products that help power peoples lives.
KINGSTON, Pa. - Authorities in Luzerne County are investigating the death of a recent graduate of Kutztown University as a homicide.

On May 5, police responded to a home in the 100 block of East Bennett Street in Kingston for a report of deceased man with head injuries.

The victim, identified as 22-year-old Ryan Padovani from Delaware, was a 2022 graduate of Kutztown University. An autopsy determined Padovani died from multiple blunt force trauma to the head and his death is being investigated as a homicide.

The Kingston Police Department was assisted by Luzerne County Detectives and Pennsylvania State Police in their investigation.

Kutztown University issued the following statement:

Our thoughts are with Ryans family and friends during this difficult time. We hope for a swift resolution to bring a peace of mind to everyone affected by this tragedy.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kingston Police at 570-288-3674.
READING, Pa. - Reading Area Water Authority officials are thanking customers for their recent help in conserving water.

The authority issued a mandatory conservation order last month after algae in Lake Ontelaunee clogged filters at the plant.

Officials say they were nervous but that the community came through.

RAWA said experience and connections helped as well, and that Philadelphia Water sent a lab tech that helped diagnose the problem.

"It changed our path of recovery dramatically. Attacking the algae versus the coagulant problem. It made a major difference," said Bill Murray, executive director of RAWA.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Allentown Diocese has had a major loss. Retired Bishop Edward Cullen passed away Tuesday. He was 90 years old.

Catholics in the five counties that he served - Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill - are mourning their former leader and the impact he had on the institution.

"I think wisdom figures are leaving us, slowly going to God and there's a lot of wisdom that is lost with a person," Allentown's Sacred Heart Priest, Father John Gibbons, said.

Those that knew him personally remember his generous demeanor.

"He is very easy to speak with," Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church Father Stan Moczydlowsk said. "He's very kind, very humble and especially I think in his years since he's retired, he's really had a lot of time to pray and to be able to work on so many things spiritually."

Priests that presided under him recall his quiet yet effective approach to leading the congregations.

"He was not someone just out working the crowds," Gibbons said. "He was someone who was just quietly effective."

"He was never one for the limelight, but he was always there for the people," Moczydlowski said.

Including those outspoken against the Catholic Church.

Cullen served more than a decade, from 1998 to 2009, during some contentious times for the Catholic faith. The Allentown Diocese says he worked to protect those harmed by his associates despite claims that he turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children.

Cullen was mentioned in a lawsuit from back in 2018 against a former Nesquehoning priest who was placed back in his church after admitting to the molestation of a child. The diocese says despite the allegations, he worked tirelessly to protect children.

"He enhanced protections for children and young people," the Allentown Diocese's media relations director Matt Kirby said. "He enhanced care for the victims of abuse and he forged bonds of cooperation with law enforcement."

The diocese also said that Cullen was also the first bishop in Pennsylvania to call a meeting of the district attorneys of the five counties that he served. At that meeting, it says he turned over the files of all priests with abuse allegations against them.

Services for former Bishop Cullen will take place next week. Visitation is set for Thursday, May 18 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held the following day at 11 a.m.
L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa.  A fast-food restaurant that serves chicken finger meals is looking to make its debut in the Lehigh Valley.

The Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission reviewed a modification of an approved plan to build a Raising Cane's restaurant at Trexler Business Center Tuesday night.

The restaurant will feature a double drive-thru at the final remaining site of the business center on Hamilton Boulevard, adjacent to Movie Tavern, the approved Wawa drive-thru and the First Commonwealth Credit Union headquarters.

According to its website, the restaurant chain features "bird specialists" who hand batter chicken that's marinated for 24 hours and then cooked to order for chicken fingers or chicken sandwiches. The chicken meals are complemented by a secret sauce, crinkle-cut fries, and coleslaw or Texas toast.

The Raising Cane's restaurant would be the Lehigh Valley's first, with the closest other locations in lower Bucks County, Philadelphia and New York City. The chain has establishments largely in the southern and western United States, and exclusively serves chicken.

Raising Cane's founder and CEO Todd Graves opened his first location near Louisiana State University in 1996. It was named after Graves' Labrador retriever.
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - One business in the Lehigh Valley has sued a store in Quakertown, claiming trademark infringement.

Giacomos, Inc., an Italian market and deli on 700 Cattell Street in Easton, filed a lawsuit against Giacomos Italian Market LLC, which does business at 220 N. West End Boulevard in Quakertown.

The Quakertown store offers for sale grocery items, baked goods and pastries, deli, prepared meals, made-to-order sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, and catering services.

The business in Easton says it is seeking injunctive relief and monetary relief from the Quakertown business. The lawsuit claims service mark infringement, false designation of origin and false advertising by the Quakertown business, common law palming off, trademark and trade name infringement, and unfair competition.

Giacomos, Inc. says it has used a stylized mark, its logo, on its signage and advertising since at least 2018. The store says it has also used the trademark Giacomo's in connection with the goods and services offered at its store in the West Ward section of Easton and/or at Giacomos Store.

The lawsuit says the font used on the signage for Giacomos Italian Market LLC is "virtually identical" to that used by Giacomos, Inc. in its advertising and signage.

The lawsuit says the similarity in the logos has caused confusion among customers. Around January 2021, callers to Giacomos, Inc. in Easton's business phone line have tried to place food orders at the Quakertown store.

Also, customers have attempted to pick up food orders at the store in Easton, from an order placed to the Quakertown shop, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit says customers have tried to redeem gift cards at Giacomos, Inc. in Easton that were issued by Giacomos Italian Market LLC in Quakertown.

Negative reviews have mistakenly been left on the Easton store's website by customers of Giacomos Italian Market LLC in Quakertown, and social media posts have mistakenly tagged the Easton shop as the source of goods purchased at the store in Quakertown, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Giacomos Italian Market LLC did not respond to two cease-and desist letters that the Easton business sent it.

The owner of the Quakertown store said she did not have a comment on the lawsuit.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa.  For the past year, Central Bucks school board meetings have been a venue for heated public debate which has resulted in national media attention.

The ongoing public dramas continued Tuesday night as some members of the public accused the board majority of being bullies, and others called for the resignation of school board member Karen Smith.

While the public comments were not aimed at any items appearing on the board meeting agenda, most stemmed from a special April 20 meeting where Michael Rinaldi, a lawyer with the firm Duane Morris LLP, presented the findings of an investigation initiated by allegations that the district cultivated an environment hostile to LGBTQ students.

The board hired the firm last year to conduct the investigation following a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union.

At the April meeting, it was reported that the investigation found no evidence of widespread bullying against LGBTQ students, and the board voted to release the 100-page report to the public.

New Britain Borough resident Stephen Albert said the board was wrong to release the report because it provided details that revealed the identities of students and violated human resource policies.

"School board members agreed that they hadn't read the report, admitted that they didn't know what was in it, but voted 6-3 to release the report," Albert said. "A teacher's name was revealed four minutes into the presentation, and at that point, the superintendent was obligated to bring things to a stop."

Albert reminded the board that a sign outside of the school states bullying, harassing, and intimidating are prohibited on school property.

"I'm requesting that board member James Pepper be censured and then suspended from the board for his vile bullying in this room on April 20th of board member Karen Smith," Albert said.

"Pepper was in clear violation of board policy, yet the board president offered not a word of reprimand," Albert continued. "The superintendent sat there with his head down, not to be involved. We had a master class on how not to respond to bullying."

During the April 20 meeting, Pepper called Smith a psychopath during a heated exchange.

Doylestown Township Rick Haring said bullying has become a part of board meetings.

"The board majority has made it clear that they don't believe bullying is a systemic issue in our district," Haring said. "To say whether something is an issue, you have to understand what it is, and I'm not convinced that this board does."

"If these board members behave this way in public, I can't even imagine how you guys are treating each other behind closed doors," Haring added.

"I know we have major differences in this community, and we have major differences on this board, but you can't possibly speak to the effects of bullying in our schools when you don't even recognize it right here in this very room when you are the bullies," Haring continued. "We are missing a level of civility where we're having constructive conversations to make decisions that help support teaching and learning in this district."

Doylestown resident Anne Ferguson said she first brought up the rude behavior of some board members in December, but that nothing has since changed.

"Mr. Pepper was verbally abusive toward Miss Smith, and it seems that it would have been appropriate for someone to step in and say something," Ferguson said.

"When the taxpayer funded courtroom drama of April 20th, the majority board members voted to release Mr. Rinaldi's report to the public," she said. "Every educator knows the first rule of student confidentiality is not to talk about students at all, in any way."

"The board majority doesn't understand or doesn't care about one of the cornerstones of education, which is confidentiality," Ferguson went on. "But let's be honest, you were motivated by your political activism and your smear campaign."

But then others in the community blamed Smith for contacting the ACLU, which resulted in the need for the investigation.

Buckingham Township Shannon Harris said Tuesday would mark the fourth time she called for Smith's resignation.

"The LGBTQ students were used as pawns in your political agenda, and you can never again be trusted to serve as our school board director," Harris said.

"I was shocked at all the lies in your most recent op-ed by in Bucks County Herald where you said, 'Regrettably, our district's reputation has been damaged because of politically motivated school board members,'" Harris commented.

"How hypocritical that you aren't referring to yourself," she said of Smith. "You sent a letter to the federal government, which is currently run by your political party, to report and accuse our administration of discrimination against LGBTQ students without evidence."

"You perpetuated the lies that the board and the policies are anti-LGBTQ and that the challengers (of the library book challenge policy) were only targeting LGBTQ books, which is not true," Harris continued. "It is your actions and the actions of other leftists that set these wheels in motion. You chose to bring this on our school district, and you dare blame the board?"

"Duane Morris is a global professional law firm, and the presentation they gave was factually correct, professional, and nonpartisan," Harris said. "You attacked the firm because they gave evidence, including your letter that was sent secretly without board knowledge to the federal government."

"For all these reasons you need to resign," Harris concluded. "You're toxic to this board. Nobody can trust you anymore, and I don't even know how this board can even work with you."

Plumstead Township Steve Smith called Smith a divisive thorn in the side of the district.

"Not only has she not taken action to protect our students, but she has also purposefully withheld information for some unknown agenda," Smith said.

"She is at the very least costing these taxpayers $1 million," he said. "At worst, she has put students' lives in jeopardy."

"I urge you, Karen Smith, to do the right thing  resign your position on this school board and allow somebody without a hidden agenda to serve the students of this board," he said. "I would like us all to just get back to education and stop all this political back-and-forth."

Prior to the meeting being adjourned, Smith responded to the public accusations.

"The Duane Morris report proceeded to further traumatize our LGBTQ students and one of our teachers, and made several very inaccurate assumptions about myself," Smith said.

"I did try multiple times within the district to protect students from discriminatory actions and to protect the district from an eventual legal action, but the board continued with their actions," she said.

"My attempts to do this are documented in emails and in comments and meetings," Smith continued. "I then moved up the chain of command, and sent an email to the Department of Education. There's no evidence my email resulted in an investigation."

"The ACLU and the Education Law Center had already been investigating the district for several weeks at the time my email was sent," she explained. "Mr. Rinaldi showed none of this in his presentation. I was never interviewed by Duane Morris, yet Mr. Rinaldi generally tried to characterize my actions as a reaction to losing votes."

Smith added that the district did not need to go down the path it chose, which she said has now cost the taxpayers about $1 million.

"After receiving the ACLU complaint, the district could have taken the steps suggested by the ACLU to improve the environment for LGBTQ and all students," she added. "I voted against hiring a vastly overpriced firm with an anti-LGBTQ history because all we needed to do was follow the steps outlined by the ACLU."

The actions for which we are being investigated can be fully attributed to the board majority. In closing, I'll repeat that my actions were to fulfill my responsibility as an elected official to pursue all avenues to protect students.
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP)  Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a two-day summit. Their host, President Joko Widodo, called for unity amid global economic headwinds and major-power rivalry that's lashing the region.

The 10-nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed, with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmar's generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings. The time for isolation has served its purpose, said an internal ASEAN report obtained by The Associated Press.

Over the weekend, a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire in Myanmars eastern Shan state. A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged, but there were no injuries, state-run television MRTV reported.

Indonesia, which chairs ASEAN this year, had arranged for the aid delivery after a long-delayed assessment.

"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable, the ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement.

For the second year, Myanmar's top general was not invited to the summit. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing led the army in seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, plunging the country into a civil strife and becoming ASEANs gravest crisis since its founding in 1967.

ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues."

During foreign ministers' talks ahead of the summit, however, some suggested that the group reengage Myanmar's military-led State Administration Council and bring Myanmar back to ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and summits, noting that the time for isolation has served its purpose, according to the ASEAN report. It did not identify the countries pushing for more leniency toward Myanmar despite international outrage against continuing military attacks in the country.

The suggestion for ASEAN to bring Myanmar back into its fold was noted, the report said, hinting it did not received full approval from all the ministers.

The ministerial talks stressed the Myanmar crisis should not affect ASEAN's progress in building a regional community, said the report, which cited one observation that there would be no near-term solution to the Myanmar crisis.

There was also an observation that ASEAN might be experiencing a `Myanmar fatigue,' which might distract ASEAN from larger goals of ASEAN community-building, the report said. Patience, flexibility and creativity are therefore required since there will be no quick fix to the crisis.

The report cited, without elaborating, concerns on rising transnational crimes, including human trafficking and illegal drug production originating from Myanmar. More alarmingly, it said, there was "a call to all parties to stop the influx of arms and financial funding into Myanmar, which leads to an escalation of the conflict."

More than 3,450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to repression by the military government.

In April, a military airstrike killed more than 160 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule, according to witnesses cited by Human Rights Watch. The group on Tuesday described the attack in which the military dropped a devastating thermobaric or vacuum bomb as an apparent war crime.

Indonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military since assuming the rotating role as ASEANs leader. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country is taking a non-megaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and end violence, which are goals of a five-point peace plan the leaders negotiated with Myanmar's military leader in 2021.

In a post-summit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders, they plan to renew a call for self-restraint in the disputed South China Sea, repeating language used in previous ASEAN statements.

Concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region, said a draft of the communique.

Associated Press journalists Andi Jatmiko and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
Fortune Business Insights

The global armored vehicle market covered major segments By Platform (Combat Vehicles, Combat Support Vehicles, Unmanned Armored Ground Vehicles), By Mobility (Wheeled, Tracked), By System (Engine, Drive Systems, Ballistic Armor, Turret Drives, Ammunition Handling Systems, Others), and regional forecast.

Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global armored vehicle market size is expected to reach USD 27.83 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.36% during the forecast period. The introduction of next-generation vehicles with reactive armor technology and active protection systems will have an outstanding effect on the armored vehicle market, states Fortune Business Insights, in a report, titled Armored Vehicle Market, 2021-2028. The market size stood at USD 17.57 billion in 2020.

The armored vehicle market refers to the industry that designs, manufactures, and sells vehicles with ballistic protection and enhanced mobility for military and civilian use. Armored vehicles are designed to protect occupants from small arms fire, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mines, and other threats.

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List of Key Players Profiled in the Armored Vehicle Market Report:

BAE Systems (U.K)

Denel SOC Ltd (South Africa)

General Dynamics Corporation (U.S.)

IVECO DEFENCE VEHICLES (Italy)

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)

NORINCOGROUP.com Inc. (China)

Oshkosh Defense, LLC An Oshkosh Corporation Company (U.S)

Otokar, a KOC Group Company (Turkey)

Rheinmetall AG (Germany)

Textron Systems (U.S.)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 6.36 % 2028 Value Projection USD 27.83 Billion Market Size in 2021 USD 18.08 Billion Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 200 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Platform Analysis

By Mobility Analysis

By System Analysis Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

South America

Middle East and Africa Armored Vehicle Market Growth Drivers Growing Defense Expenditure and Procurement Programs in Asian Countries Will Aid Market Growth Increasing Cross-Border Disputes to Spur Demand for Next-Generation Military Vehicles

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Market Segments :

Based on the platform, the market is classified into combat vehicles, combat support vehicles, and unmanned armored ground vehicles. The combat vehicle segment is expected to hold the largest share during the forecast period due to the rising demand for armored personnel carriers (APCs) and light armored vehicles (LAVs) around the world.

Based on mobility, the market is divided into wheeled and tracked. The wheeled segment is expected to hold a significant market share. The growth is attributed to the growing demand for 4X4 LAVs by the military for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and transportation.

Based on the system, the market is separated into an engine, ballistic armor, turret drives, drive system, ammunition handling system, armaments, fire control system (FCS), countermeasure system, command & control (C2) system, navigation system, observation, and display system, power system, and hull/frames.

Based on geography, global market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the rest of the world.

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Report Coverage

The report is fixed at delivering a comprehensive description of the market dynamics and structure by identifying and providing information regarding the key market segments. It also focuses on an all-encompassing analysis of leading market players by financial position, product, product portfolio, price, growth strategies, and regional presence. It offers PORTERs analysis and SWOT analysis to record the question of shareholders and highlights the investment potential in the upcoming future. It also showcases what procedures and strategies; companies are currently implementing in the market. It further examines the ways and components convincing armored vehicle market expansion, growth patterns, restricting factors, and market strategies.

The global armored vehicle market has been growing steadily in recent years, driven by factors such as increasing defense spending, geopolitical tensions, and rising demand for internal security. The market includes various types of vehicles, such as tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs), and mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Driving Factor :

Inflated Demand for Next-Generation Combat Vehicles to Intensify Market

There has been an increase in conflicts, criminal attacks, and conflicts around the world in recent years. Several countries have modernized their current security systems in response to increasing conflict and cross-border activities between Asian countries and other regions.

Policy makers are fielding modern main battle tanks (MBTs), light protecting vehicles (LPVs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and other vehicles to defend and reinforce their defensive powers. As a result, it boosts the armored vehicle market growth over the study period.

Regional Insights :

Robust Defense Spending to Augment Growth in North America

In 2020, North America led the industry and was worth USD 6.12 billion. The United States' supremacy in this area can be traced to the government's largest defense spending on combat vehicle acquisition and modernization. Important stakeholders such as General Dynamics Corporation, Textron Systems, Oshkosh Defense, and others drive business growth in North America. India, China, South Korea, Japan, and other countries are increasing their military spending. In Asia, rising terrorism, cross-border problems, and political instability have resulted in warfare circumstances that have fueled the market's expansion. The Indian Ministry of Defense signed a USD 144.79 million deal with Mahindra Defense Systems Ltd (MDSL) in March 2021 to provide 1,300 light specialist vehicles to the Indian Army

Competitive Landscape :

Prominent Companies Focus on Innovative Military Equipment to Establish Strong Presence

Since many companies are engaged in designing and producing military equipment, the industry is fragmented. OEMs are concentrating their efforts on manufacturing technologically innovative goods and forging close relationships with governments in both developed and developing countries.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Industry Developments Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis

Quantitative Insights- Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Armored Vehicle Market Impact of COVID-19 on Global Armored Vehicle Market Steps Taken by Industry/Companies/Governments to Overcome the Impact Key Developments in The Industry in Response to COVD-19 Pandemic Potential Opportunities Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

Global Armored Vehicle Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights, and Forecast  By Platform



TOC Continued...!

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Key Development :

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Wildfires can be devastating and dangerous, not only for those in the path of the fire but for those fighting them.

College students in Texas are developing ways to make it safer for firefighters.

They're working on a robot with a remote control. It will give firefighters a closer look at a wildfire from farther away. The robot has a camera and when it gets close to the flames, you can direct it to spray foam directly on the fire while you are at a distance.

Engineering students at University of Texas at Dallas spent more than eight months coding, designing and troubleshooting the prototype they call Robo Moto.

"It's very fulfilling seeing that our product is going to hopefully change peoples lives and hopefully have a change in the world," said Eman Rizvi, UT Dallas student.

The idea to create the robot came from a graduate of the school, Rick Tett, who invented a foot pedal control system and that's incorporated into this prototype.

They have not tested the robot in a real fire yet, but they are already thinking about how they can use this same idea in a firefighting tank that could be used in the field.
An Idaho man who traveled to Washington in a car loaded with weapons and was photographed dangling from the Senate balcony during the Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison.

Josiah Colt, one of the first rioters to reach the Senate floor on Jan. 6, 2021, later pleaded guilty that year to obstructing Congress' certification of Joe Biden's White House victory.

Also Wednesday, a man who accompanied Colt to the District of Columbia in a rental car with two pistols, knives, a stun gun, body armor and other gear was sentenced to about three years in prison, according to court records. Las Vegas resident Nathaniel DeGrave, who also entered the Senate gallery, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and assault charges last year.

Both men had agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of their plea deals.

Prosecutors say Colt, DeGrave and a third man, Ronald Sandlin, came to Washington prepared for violence and were intent on stopping lawmakers from certifying the results of the 2020 election as they joined the angry mob of then-President Donald Trump supporters in storming the Capitol.

On Dec. 31, 2020, the men had discussed in a Facebook chat a plan for shipping guns to Sandlins home in Tennessee. Days later, Sandlin posted on social media a photo of Colt, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed and holding a handgun, with the caption: My fellow patriot Josiah Colt sleeping ready for the boogaloo Jan 6th. Boogaloo is a term some extremists use to refer to a second civil war. Colt replied to the post, Ready for any battle, followed by a laughing emoji.

Colt, a 34-year-old from Meridian, Idaho, brought his pistol to a rally the day before the riot, but decided to leave it at a hotel on the morning of Jan. 6, authorities said. The three men watched on TV as Trump told his supporters in a speech before the riot to fight like hell or they were not going to have a country anymore.

After the riot erupted, the men entered the Capitol through the Upper West Terrace doors. They went to a hallway outside the Senate gallery, where Sandlin led a charge against police officers as Colt entered, according to prosecutors.

Colt shouted, This is our House! This is our country! This is for the people! before he jumped to the Senate floor. Sitting in a chair reserved for then-Vice President Mike Pence, as president of the Senate, Colt raised his fist as rioters cheered him on, prosecutors said. Colt opened a door and allowed dozens of other rioters to join him.

DeGrave, who carried a can of bear spray in his pocket, called on others on the Senate floor to take laptops, paperwork, take everything," according to court papers

Sandlin, of Millington, Tennessee, was sentenced in December to five years and three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and assault charges.

Colt's lawyers said in a court filing that Colt is a good person who made a series of very bad choices based on misinformation and the emotional oratory of a demagogue.

Prosecutors accused DeGrave of trying to capitalize on his participation in the attack by selling video footage of the riot to media outlets.

He has even profited off of his unlawful conduct on January 6 since being incarcerated  to the tune of over $120,000  by seeking donations on crowd-funding websites claiming that he is a political prisoner of a corrupt Biden regime, prosecutors wrote.

DeGrave's lawyer said in court papers that DeGrave regrets allowing himself to be drawn into the world of those claiming political persecution as a result of their actions on January 6."

"Nathaniel recognizes the intellectual dishonesty of admitting the criminality of his own conduct on January 6 on the one hand, and complaining about unfair treatment by the criminal justice system on the other," defense lawyer William Shipley added.

More than 1,000 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Nearly 500 of them have been sentenced, with more than half receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 14 years and two months.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistans government called out the military Wednesday in areas roiled by deadly violence following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was dragged from a courtroom and ordered held for another eight days on new corruption charges that outraged his supporters and deepened the countrys political turmoil.

In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the unrest by Khan's supporters damaged sensitive public and private property," forcing him to deploy the military in the capital of Islamabad, the most populous province of Punjab and in volatile regions of the northwest.

After Khan was arrested Tuesday, crowds in Islamabad and other major cities blocked roads, clashed with police, and set fire to police checkpoints and military facilities in violence that left six people dead and hundreds arrested. On Wednesday, protesters stormed a radio station in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Such scenes were never seen by the people of Pakistan, Sharif said, following a Cabinet meeting. "Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.

Calling such attacks unforgivable, he warned that those involved in violence would be given exemplary punishment.

Sharif said Khan was arrested because of his involvement in corruption, and that there was evidence available to back up these charges.

Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year by Sharif, is being held at a police compound in Islamabad. In a temporary court there, a judge ordered the 70-year-old politician detained for at least another eight days, raising the prospect of more unrest.

The military also weighed in with a strongly worded statement, vowing stern action against those seeking to push Pakistan toward a civil war. It called the organized attacks on its installations a black chapter in the countrys political history.

What the eternal enemy of the country could not do for 75 years, this group, wearing a political cloak, in the lust for power, has done it, the statement said, adding that troops had exercised restraint but they will respond to further attacks, and those involved will bear the responsibility.

It said strict action would be taken against those who planned or took part in attacks on military sites. It did not directly name Khan in its statement.

Khan's dramatic arrest Tuesday  he was pulled from a hearing in Islamabad's High Court on one set of charges, only to be arrested on another set  was the latest confrontation to roil Pakistan. He is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in the country, which has also seen interventions by the powerful military over the years. The move comes at a time of economic crisis, when the cash-strapped nation is trying to avoid a default.

Khan's Islamabad appearance was on multiple graft charges brought by police. As he arrived, the courtroom was stormed by dozens of agents from the anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau, backed by paramilitary troops. They broke windows after Khans guards refused to open the door.

The former cricket star has denounced the cases against him, which include corruption and terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by Sharif, his successor, to keep him from returning to power in elections to be held later this year.

Also on Wednesday, police arrested Fawad Chaudhry, Khan's deputy and vice president of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Chaudhry, an outspoken government critic, had insisted that he had been granted legal protection from arrest, and the police did not specify the charges.

The party has appealed for calm, but the country was on high alert. Police were deployed in force, and they placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Khan was held. Despite it, demonstrators Wednesday evening attacked and burned down the office of a senior police officer responsible for the security of the police facilities, including the one where Khan is being held.

His supporters in Peshawar raided a building housing Radio Pakistan, damaging equipment and setting it ablaze, said police official Naeem Khan. Some employees were trapped inside, he said, and police sought to restore order.

In eastern Punjab province, the local government asked the army to step in after authorities said 157 police were injured in clashes with protesters.

Police arrested 945 Khan supporters in eastern Punjab province alone since Tuesday, including Asad Umar and Sarfraz Cheema, two senior leaders of his party.

Pakistans GEO television broadcast video of Khan's appearance before a judge in the police compound, showing him seated in a chair, holding documents. He appeared calm but tired.

In the new charges, Khan was accused of accepting millions of dollars worth of property in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon. The National Accountability Bureau asked to hold him for 14 days, but the tribunal granted eight days.

Khan was finally indicted Wednesday in the original graft case for which he appeared at the Islamabad court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty. In that case, he faced multiple graft charges brought by Islamabad police.

Khans lawyers have challenged the Islamabad arrest and are considering taking it to the countrys Supreme Court.

The National Accountability Bureau has detained and investigated former officials, including former prime ministers, politicians and retired military officers. But some view it as a tool used by those in power, especially the military, to crack down on political opponents. When Khan was in power, his government arrested Shahbaz Sharif, then the opposition leader, through the bureau. Sharif faced multiple corruption cases when he ousted Khan, and the charges were later dropped for lack of evidence.

Mobs angered by the dramatic arrest set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore, and supporters attacked the militarys headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad. They did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief Gen. Asim Munir.

Demonstrators also tried to reach the prime minister's residence in Lahore, but were stopped by police. Still others attacked troop vehicles, hitting armed soldiers with sticks.

By morning, police in Lahore said about 2,000 protesters still surrounded the fire-damaged residence of Lt. Gen. Salman Fayyaz Ghani, a top regional commander. They chanted, Khan is our red line and you have crossed it. Ghani and his family were moved to a safer place Tuesday.

The unrest comes as cash-strapped Pakistan is struggling to avoid a default amid stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund for the revival of a bailout. The rupee traded Wednesday at a record 290 to the dollar amid a weekly inflation rate of at least 46%, also a record.

Political stability is linked to economic stability and I don't see any sign of revival of the economy, said Shahid Hasan, a former adviser to Pakistan on economic affairs. He said political leaders should set aside their egos and sit together and think about Pakistan, which is on the verge of a default.

Amid the violence, Pakistans telecommunication authority blocked social media, including Twitter. The government also suspended internet service in Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were canceled Wednesday, and several social media sites remained suspended.

Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, contributed.

The story has been corrected to show that Imran Khan is 70 years old, not 71.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing growing pressure to show progress in their investigations, House Republicans on Wednesday detailed what they say are concerning new findings about President Joe Biden's family and their finances.

The smoking gun, according to the GOP lawmakers, is recently obtained financial records connected to the president's son Hunter Biden, brother James Biden, and a growing number of associates who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania. They suggest that the payments were part of a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves off the family name.

"The committee is concerned by the complicated and suspicious network of over 20 companies we have identified the Bidens and their associates used to enrich themselves," U.S. Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, during a news conference on Capitol Hill. "Most of these companies were limited liability companies formed during Joe Biden's vice presidency. The bank records show the Biden family, their associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals and their companies."

To help them get here, Congressional Republicans relied on more than 150 suspicious activity reports as a roadmap to follow what they call the Bidens' complicated financial money trail.

The confidential reports, called SARs for short, are often routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the government. The filing of a SARs report is not evidence on its own of misconduct.

But Comer said Wednesday that other types of financial records obtained through congressional subpoenas and lawsuits have now become the focus of their investigation.

"The committee has reviewed thousands of bank records from individuals and companies affiliated with the Bidens and their associates," Comer said. "It has received these bank records pursuant to four subpoenas I've issued to different banks. These were targeted and specific subpoenas, and each was different based on the information we believed the banks possessed. Every one of those subpoenas returned valuable information that had been unreported and contributed to this committee's understanding of how the Bidens conducted their businesses."

The White House dismissed the whole investigation as "yet another political stunt."

"Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called 'investigations' with legitimacy," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

Here's a deeper look at suspicious activity reports and how Republicans are using them as a roadmap to investigate the Biden family:

WHAT IS A SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORT?

Financial institutions are required to file a suspicious activity report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) no later than 30 calendar days from when it detects a suspicious transaction that could have links to money laundering or terrorism financing.

First originated as a "criminal referral form," suspicious activity reports were established through the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. In 1996, according to FinCEN, the form became the standard way to report suspicious activity in the financial system.

The rules around the reports were later amended under the U.S. Patriot Act. Today, banks and credit unions routinely submit SARs.

WHAT TRIGGERS A SARS?

Industries that deal in large sums of money are required to file SARs to the government when they detect a transaction with possible links to money laundering, counterfeiting, fraud or illicit finance  this includes banks, casinos, loan companies and depository firms.

Signs of insider trading and individual transactions of $5,000 or more often trigger an institution to file a report, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation states that entities "are encouraged to file nonetheless in appropriate situations involving these matters, based on the potential harm that such crimes can produce."

Large transactions involving foreign payers  like the kind that Hunter and James Biden are known to have engaged in through their work  are the kinds of transactions often flagged to federal authorities.

SARs can also be filed by individuals or entities outside the financial sector, including law enforcement, public safety workers, city or state officials, business owners, and even the general public.

Law enforcement agencies use the reports to uncover and prosecute illegal activity, as well as help identify and counteract fraudulent and criminal behavior before it becomes a larger issue.

In recent years, electronic SARs reporting has increased through FinCEN's Bank Secrecy Act e-filing system. Nearly 42,000 reports were filed by the loan and financial services industry in 2021, according to data compiled by FinCEN, a huge jump from the more than 1,500 reports filed in 2015.

HISTORY OF SARS AGAINST POLITICAL ACTORS

The filing of suspicious activity reports against elected officials is not uncommon. During the Trump administration, Deutsche Bank's anti-money laundering division recommended filing suspicious activity reports on transactions conducted by Trump companies, including the Trump Foundation, and firms owned by his son-law Jared Kushner.

Michael Cohen, a one-time attorney for former President Donald Trump, had several suspicious activity reports filed against him, including one that recorded a $500,000 deposit from a company connected to a Russian oligarch who donated money to Trump's inauguration fund.

Most SARs are never made public. The records connected to Trump and Cohen were revealed through leaks to the media and as part of federal investigations.

CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE REPORTING PROCESS

Suspicious activity reports are cloaked in secrecy to make them useful for law enforcement. The person suspected of triggering a SARs is not routinely informed about the pending report.

Any discussion or disclosure about SARs to outside groups such as news outlets would be considered an unauthorized disclosure and is punishable as a federal criminal offense.

In the case involving Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, an IRS employee was charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 with leaking banking records that had been flagged as suspicious activity.

The confidentiality rules have come up again as Comer conducts his probe into supposed suspicious activity reports by Biden family members. The Kentucky lawmaker and some committee members and staff were recently able to view some of the thousands of pages of the Biden family's financial records through subpoenas made to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January.

A handful of lawmakers immediately began talking on social media and cable news about what they had seen in the reports, asserting evidence of misconduct.

House Democrats have accused Comer and other Republicans on the committee of potentially violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

WHAT ARE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING?

Republicans vowed after winning the House majority last year that they would use their subpoena power to investigate foreign entities that did business with the family during Biden's time as vice president and during the Trump administration, including a specific focus on his son Hunter.

This all comes as Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware reportedly making a charging decision in the next few months. And while Hunter Biden never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, his membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his father's public service, including reported references in his emails to the "big guy."

Joe Biden has said he's never spoken to his son about his foreign business, and there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way.

An attorney for Hunter Biden on Wednesday slammed years of Republicans' investigations as "chasing conspiracies."

"Today's so-called 'revelations' are retread, repackaged misstatements of perfectly proper meetings and business by private citizens," Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for the president's son, said.

WHAT EVIDENCE HAVE THEY GATHERED?

Up until now, Comer and Republicans have not publicly revealed evidence to substantiate their claims of wrongdoing by the Biden family, but Comer said their investigation into the Biden family is widening.

"This is not just about the president's son. This is about the entire Biden family, including the president of the United States," Comer said during an appearance Sunday on Fox News. "So we believe there are a whole lot of accounts that the IRS and the DOJ don't know about because we don't believe they have done a whole lot of digging in this. And we have."

 A very credible whistleblower has provided info to Congress.I will press forward in my @GOPoversight investigation into the Biden familys influence peddling to determine if @POTUS is compromised.I intend to provide the American people more facts this week. @MariaBartiromo pic.twitter.com/2F2ntRiNgz  Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) May 7, 2023

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avaya, a global leader in customer experience solutions to enhance and simply communications and collaboration, has announced the appointment of Amit Sirohi as Managing Director for the ASEAN region. Amit will oversee growth strategy and manage the ASEAN business for Avaya.

Amit Sirohi Managing Director, Avaya ASEAN

With over 16 years of experience in technical, pre-sales, and professional services sales and delivery roles, Amit most recently directed a high-performing team of service sales and delivery professionals. Under Amit's leadership, his team played a key role in supporting Avaya's OneCloud CCaaS open architecture and scalability, driving sales, and expanding market share across the ASEAN and ANZ regions. In his new role, Amit will be based in Singapore and report to Lily Fu, Vice President for APJC at Avaya, who has led Avaya Greater China to accomplish tremendous growth and helped it become one of Avaya International's top five best performing regions.

During his distinguished career at Avaya, Amit has received several awards, such as the Circle of Excellence President Club honor in 2020, Global Salesperson of the Year in 2019, and ASEAN Top Performer in 2019. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Amit held various roles at Avaya, including Sales Specialist focused on business development and strategy, Overall Solutions Architect responsible for solution design and building managed services, and Enterprise Pre-Sales Architect who worked closely with Avaya's customers and stakeholders.

"Throughout his tenure with Avaya, Amit has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to the company's long-term growth and success," said Lily Fu, Vice President for APJC at Avaya. "He is widely respected throughout the company for his dedication and hard work, and his team has played a significant role in prioritizing customer requirements and driving business impact. Amit has also been a reliable partner to many of our sales leaders over the years, further contributing to our overall success."

Story continues

"I am deeply honored to have been appointed as Avaya's new Managing Director for ASEAN," said Amit Sirohi. "With 16 years of leadership experience in the region, I have gained invaluable insights and in-depth knowledge of the market, as well as a keen understanding of our customers' business goals. Combined with my technical expertise and the strong relationships with our partners, I am confident that I have the tools and experience needed to lead Avaya's future growth in ASEAN."

Amit earned a Master of Computer Application (MCA) at IP University Delhi, India and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Northampton, England.

Avaya is entering the next chapter of accelerated growth and innovation by investing to advance its cloud communications portfolio with approximately $650 million in liquidity and significant financial flexibility. As Avaya CEO Alan Masarek pointed out, "We are moving ahead with significant financial resources to accelerate investment in our portfolio as we continue delivering innovation without disruption to our customers."

CONTACT: Polly Peng, peng16@avaya.com

Cision

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SOURCE Avaya
MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED

Bacterial Cell Culture Market is segmented into Application, Product Type and End-user for the analysis of the market. Growing demand for antibiotics and vaccines, as well as the growing prevalence of infectious diseases, are expected to drive the Bacterial Cell Culture Market over the forecast period.

Pune, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A global Life Science research and business consulting firm, Maximize Market Research, has published a market intelligence report on the  Bacterial Cell Culture Market . The report is a combination of primary data and secondary data and domain expert has analyzed the Bacterial Cell Culture Market from a local as well as a global point of view. Over the forecast period, Maximize Market Research expects, the market to grow from USD 2.9 Bn in 2022 to USD 6.5 Bn in 2029 at a CAGR of 6.5 percent.



Bacterial Cell Culture Market Report Scope and Research Methodology

Market Size in 2022 USD 2.9 Bn. Market Size in 2029 USD 6.5 Bn. CAGR 6.5 percent (2023-2029) Forecast Period 2023-2029 Base Year 2022 Number of Pages 276 No. of Tables 116 No. of Charts and Figures 114 Segment Covered Application, Product Type and End-user Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis.

Request For Free Sample Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186940

A competitive analysis is conducted to examine the leading companies operating in the market and their application capacity, the supply, and demand for their applications, and services. The report also features a comprehensive list of key players and potential entrants in the Bacterial Cell Culture Market. The segment analysis approach is utilized to gain a deeper understanding of the data sets involved, providing both behavioral and geographical analyses to capture significant changes in the forecast period. The report also highlights opportunities for revenue generation by the leading players in the Market. Strategic planning and management techniques such as SWOT analysis are applied to help organizations identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Porter's analysis is also employed to examine an organization's strengths and weaknesses and to identify critical factors that impact profitability. PESTALS analysis is another strategic framework utilized to evaluate the environment in which an organization operates.

Story continues

Bacterial Cell Culture Market Overview

The process of growing and maintaining bacterial cells in a controlled environment outside of the natural habitat. It involves the use of specialized laboratory equipment and the growth of bacterial cells and provides the necessary nutrients and conditions for bacterial cells to grow and replicate. Bacterial cell cultures are widely used in various applications such as research, diagnostics, and biopharmaceutical production.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186940

Bacterial Cell Culture Market Dynamics

The market for bacterial cell cultures is increasing due to the rising demand for antibiotics and vaccines, as well as the growing prevalence of infectious diseases. Advancements in biotechnology research have also contributed to this trend. The culture process involves growing bacterial cultures in specialized laboratory equipment using various growth media and conditions. The process requires careful monitoring and control of various parameters to ensure optimal growth and yield of the desired bacterial strain. With the growing incidence of bacterial infections and the need for effective antibiotics , there is a surge in demand for bacterial cell cultures, which are crucial in the production of antibiotics. The risk of contamination and ethical concerns associated with bacterial cell culture are expected to hinder the growth of the Bacterial Cell Culture Market.

Bacterial Cell Culture Market Regional Insights

North America held the largest share in the Bacterial Cell Culture Market in 2022 and is expected to grow during the forecast period (2023-2029). The growing initiatives for research with the latest technical advancements for biopharmaceutical applications are expected to drive regions Bacterial Cell Culture Market.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/186940

Bacterial Cell Culture Market Segmentation

By Application:

Disease Diagnosis

Food Testing

Water Testing

Others

By Product Type:

Media

Reagents

Sera



The Bacterial Cell Culture Market is segmented based on Application Type into media, reagents, and sera. Bacterial culture media provides essential nutrients for bacterial growth and is used by a variety of End users such as food testing, drug discovery, and academic research. Reagents are chemicals used to support bacterial growth, perform assays, and facilitate experiments in the laboratory.

By End-user:

Diagnostic Centers

Food Industry

Others



Bacterial Cell Culture Key Competitors include:

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.,

ScienCell Research Laboratories, Inc.,

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.,

Eiken Chemical Co, Ltd.,

EMD (Merck) Millipore,

Hi-Media Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.,

Neogen Corporation,

BioMerieux S.A.,

Biokel Scientific,

Danaher Corporation

Get the Sample PDF of Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186940

Key questions answered in the Bacterial Cell Culture Market are:

What is Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

What was the Bacterial Cell Culture Market size in 2021?

What is the expected Bacterial Cell Culture Market size during the forecast period?

What are the global trends in the Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

What are the major restraints for the Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

Which segment dominated the Bacterial Cell Culture Market growth?

What is the demand pattern for the Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

What growth strategies are the players considering to increase their presence in Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for the Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

Who are the leading companies and what are their portfolios in Bacterial Cell Culture Market?

Which region dominates the largest market share in Bacterial Cell Culture Market?



Key Offerings:

Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2021)

Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2021)

Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20222029

Market Dynamics  Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, Organization Size, Application and Industry Vertical

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by Application, Product Type and End-user

Competitive Landscape  Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape  Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region

PESTLE Analysis

PORTERs analysis

Value chain and supply chain analysis

Legal Aspects of business by region

Lucrative business opportunities with SWOT analysis

Recommendations

Maximize Market Research is leading Life Science research firm, has also published the following reports:

Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 64.41 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 2.10 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by an increase in the number of these infections.

Single Cell Omics Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 15.26 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 24.9 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by investments in R&D and huge development in technology.

Autologous Cell Therapy Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 26.1 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 21.5 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, blood disorders and others.

Circulating Tumor Cells Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 25.17 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 11.7 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the widespread use of companion diagnostics in assessing tumor eradication features of cytotoxic medications.

Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 22.73 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 20.10 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by rising prevalence of cancer and other target diseases, increasing spending in pharmaceutical R&D, investments in advanced technologies by CDMOs, and increased collaborations and agreements between pharmaceutical firms.

About Maximize Market Research:

Maximize Market Research is a multifaceted market research and consulting company with professionals from several industries. Some of the industries we cover include medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, science and engineering, electronic components, industrial equipment, technology and communication, cars and automobiles, chemical products and substances, general merchandise, beverages, personal care, and automated systems. To mention a few, we provide market-verified industry estimations, technical trend analysis, crucial market research, strategic advice, competition analysis, production and demand analysis, and client impact studies.

CONTACT: Contact Maximize Market Research: 3rd Floor, Navale IT Park, Phase 2 Pune Banglore Highway, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India sales@maximizemarketresearch.com +91 96071 95908, +91 9607365656




Celanese (NYSE:CE  Get Rating) issued an update on its second quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $2.50-$2.50 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Celanese Price Performance

NYSE CE traded down $1.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $104.54. 1,752,826 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,093,875. Celanese has a 52-week low of $86.71 and a 52-week high of $161.37. The company has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a PE ratio of 6.10, a PEG ratio of 5.69 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firms 50-day moving average is $107.65 and its 200-day moving average is $108.59.

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Celanese (NYSE:CE  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). Celanese had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 19.58%. The firm had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.91 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Celanese will post 11.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 1st will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 28th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Celaneses dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CE. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Celanese from $124.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Celanese from $139.00 to $131.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Celanese from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, February 27th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on shares of Celanese from $83.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Celanese from $107.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $128.54.

Insider Activity

In other Celanese news, SVP Mark Christopher Murray purchased 1,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $117.15 per share, for a total transaction of $140,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,240,501.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,530,505 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $156,479,000 after purchasing an additional 114,087 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Celanese during the 4th quarter worth about $155,102,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,097,231 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $156,761,000 after acquiring an additional 254,456 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 847,148 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $86,612,000 after acquiring an additional 41,013 shares during the period. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 822,605 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $84,103,000 after acquiring an additional 203,758 shares during the period. 92.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Celanese Company Profile

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Celanese Corp. engages in the provision of technology and specialty materials businesses. It operates through the following segments: Engineered Materials, Acetate Tow, Acetyl Chain and Other Activities. The Engineered Materials segment includes the engineered materials business, food ingredients business and certain strategic affiliates.

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Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Get Rating) insider Raghuvir Malhotra sold 11,398 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $381.62, for a total value of $4,349,704.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,465 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,612,033.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded down $2.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $382.94. The stock had a trading volume of 2,036,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,746,610. The firm has a market cap of $362.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $363.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $356.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $276.87 and a 52 week high of $390.00.

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Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 169.12% and a net margin of 42.33%. The businesss revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.76 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.26 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 7th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercards payout ratio is presently 22.78%.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Mastercard from $405.00 to $433.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $438.00 to $440.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their target price on Mastercard from $427.00 to $437.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Sunday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Mastercard from $375.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Mastercard from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $418.85.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aspire Private Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $18,897,320,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, EWG Elevate Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 74.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Mastercard, Inc is a technology company, which engages in the payments industry that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and business. It offers payment solutions for the development and implementation of credit, debit, prepaid, commercial, and payment programs. The company was founded in November 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, NY.

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Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT  Get Rating) has earned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 5,826.43 ($73.52).

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Numis Securities restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 7,000 ($88.33) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ashtead Group from GBX 5,500 ($69.40) to GBX 6,000 ($75.71) and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,000 ($75.71) to GBX 7,000 ($88.33) and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a hold rating and issued a GBX 4,460 ($56.28) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Barclays restated an overweight rating and issued a GBX 6,300 ($79.50) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Monday, April 24th.

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Ashtead Group Stock Up 0.3 %

AHT stock opened at GBX 4,640 ($58.55) on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 154.56. The firm has a market capitalization of 20.35 billion, a PE ratio of 1,664.39, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.46. Ashtead Group has a 1-year low of GBX 3,269 ($41.25) and a 1-year high of GBX 6,012 ($75.86). The businesss 50 day simple moving average is GBX 4,897.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 5,003.61.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

About Ashtead Group

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 12th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.24%. Ashtead Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 2,482.01%.

(Get Rating)

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.

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Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC  Get Rating) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 128,830 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 4,256 shares during the quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corps holdings in Bank of America were worth $4,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 60.0% in the third quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 103,645,596 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,130,177,000 after buying an additional 38,870,780 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its stake in Bank of America by 835.9% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 28,077,300 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $929,920,000 after buying an additional 25,077,300 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank of America by 1,356.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,390,322 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $615,788,000 after buying an additional 18,990,473 shares in the last quarter. Snider Financial Group grew its stake in Bank of America by 9,477.3% in the 1st quarter. Snider Financial Group now owns 14,448,357 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,956,000 after acquiring an additional 14,297,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Bank of America by 3,474.6% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,658,881 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $480,579,000 after acquiring an additional 11,332,721 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.34% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of America

In other news, insider Matthew M. Koder sold 105,054 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 approximately $10,959,648.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bank of America Stock Performance

BAC stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.35. 17,425,429 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 54,897,621. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $29.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.97. The firm has a market cap of $217.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a PEG ratio of 1.16 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $26.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.28 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 21.85%. The businesss revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Bank of America Co. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BAC. UBS Group raised their price objective on Bank of America from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Bank of America in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Bank of America from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Bank of America from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of America currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $36.83.

Bank of America Company Profile

(Get Rating)

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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Bank of the Philippine Islands (OTCMKTS:BPHLF  Get Rating) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a growth of 1,700.0% from the April 15th total of 100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Bank of the Philippine Islands in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They issued a neutral rating on the stock.

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Bank of the Philippine Islands Stock Performance

BPHLF remained flat at $1.76 on Wednesday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $1.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.73. Bank of the Philippine Islands has a 52-week low of $1.49 and a 52-week high of $1.99.

Bank of the Philippine Islands Company Profile

Bank of the Philippine Islands engages in the provision of commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking, and Investment Banking. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking, and Investment Banking. The Consumer Banking segment serves individual and retail markets.

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Disney (DIS) and Florida governor Ron DeSantis are at odds over what the entertainment giant can do with land surrounding the Walt Disney World theme park. They also cant agree which laws and which court should decide the dispute.

The company is making its argument before a federal judge, while the DeSantis camp is pursuing its claims before a state judge. What happens if both win their cases? No one yet knows.

The legal strategy of each side is emerging, however. Both combatants are seeking jurisdictions where their arguments appear to have the best chance of victory, with billions of dollars at stake. Each also has a chance to prevail, according to legal experts.

Theyre going for different things, said Florida land use attorney Jacob Schumer.

The story of a feud

The dispute started a year ago when Disney opposed a parental rights bill in Florida that prohibited educators from leading classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. Opponents labeled the bill Dont Say Gay.

Floridas legislature then passed a series of bills that stripped the company of power it held for 55 years to self-govern a special tax district home to its world-famous resort and roughly 25,000 acres surrounding it.

No longer would a five-person, Disney-appointed body known as the Board of Supervisors oversee the area. Instead DeSantis appointed five new people to call the shots as part of a Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Disney fired back. Before DeSantis's replacement board could gain control, the Disney-backed Board of Supervisors agreed to a series of new development contracts favorable to the company.

Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors, a group appointed by the governor to oversee the tax district that manages Walt Disney World. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

These deals imposed a 30-year freeze on regulations already in place, cemented Disney as sole developer of the land and added restrictive covenants preventing the district from altering its authority over the property in perpetuity.

Disney followed those maneuverings with a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, Florida officials, and the replacement board members. It claimed Disney's constitutional rights had been violated when its property was taken without just compensation and when it was punished for its stance on the parental rights law.

Story continues

The company also contended that its loss of authority over the district would stymie a plan to invest more than $17 billion over the next decade and create 13,000 new jobs.

DeSantis didnt countersue in federal court. Instead, the governor's new tax district board filed a state lawsuit claiming land development contracts blessed by the old Disney-appointed board were invalid because Florida legal procedures had been ignored.

Disney's legal strategy

The strategy behind the company's federal suit, said University of New Haven economics professor Brian Marks, is to force DeSantis and his new board to defend layers of constitutional claims.

The arguments have a chance to prevail, he and other legal experts said, but they also have vulnerabilities.

One of the company's main claims is that its 1st Amendment right to speak freely without repercussions was violated after it openly opposed DeSantis's parental rights bill in 2022, saying it should never have passed."

The government, it said, retaliated by taking away control of the Walt Disney World tax district.

In an amended complaint filed Monday, Disney accused DeSantis and Republican state lawmakers of weaponizing the power of government to punish private business, a tactic that is prohibited by the 14th Amendment.

I think Disney has the better argument on just one of its claims  the big one: That the takeover itself was in retaliation for protected speech, and therefore should be reversed, Schumer said. Its pretty clear that it was in retaliation for free speech.

An aerial view of Walt Disney World. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Marks expects the government defendants to argue that the laws serve the public interest "but if you look at the governor's and state's actions in totality it appears as retaliation, he said.

It will be harder for Disney to make the case for retaliation, however, if the court views the new laws as neutral and not particular to Disney, Schumer said. And courts, he added, are hesitant to examine why legislatures act in a particular way.

Another set of claims being made by Disney  that the DeSantis camp violated the constitution's contracts and takings clauses  may be heavily contested because courts view those protections with some flexibility, said University of Iowa property law professor Christopher Odinet.

'No doubt the governor will prefer to be in state court'

The decision by DeSantis' board allies to go after Disney in state court could be driven by a search for a more favorable audience, according to Marks.

Theres always this notion of home court advantage playing out in the court system," he said. "And no doubt the governor will prefer to be in state court.

But he and other legal experts agree that the state case will turn on whether the claims are in fact true.

The core allegation made by DeSantis and his allies is that the Disney-controlled Board of Supervisors skipped mandatory legal steps when it locked in development contracts favorable to the company, such as providing public notice of proposed contracts and adopting proposed ordinances.

If those turn out to be true, I think they could spell problems for that development agreement, Schumer said. We're talking about [state] laws here.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

DeSantis and the state legislature passed a series of laws over the last year that are at issue, including one signed last Friday. It allows the governor's replacement board to retroactively cancel the land development contracts that Disney's board secured just before its ouster.

Upholding that law could also be a balancing act for the Florida court, because doing so carries risk of jeopardizing future land development elsewhere in the state.

"It would mean that these kinds of agreements would be much more risky for developers, Schumer said.

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

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Shares of Basilea Pharmaceutica AG (OTCMKTS:BPMUF  Get Rating) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $52.00 and last traded at $52.00, with a volume of 0 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.00.

Basilea Pharmaceutica Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.78.

About Basilea Pharmaceutica

(Get Rating)

Basilea Pharmaceutica AG engages in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Its products include Cresemba, Zevtera, Derazantinib, BAL101553, and BAL3833. The company was founded on October 17, 2000 and is headquartered in Allschwil, Switzerland.

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B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE:BGS  Get Rating) traded down 6.7% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $14.23 and last traded at $14.26. 912,076 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 1,083,849 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on B&G Foods from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of B&G Foods from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of B&G Foods from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Friday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, B&G Foods has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $15.75.

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B&G Foods Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.05. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -32.14 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 4.06.

B&G Foods Announces Dividend

B&G Foods ( NYSE:BGS Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $511.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $528.18 million. B&G Foods had a negative net margin of 1.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.59%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that B&G Foods, Inc. will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.42%. B&G Foodss dividend payout ratio is presently -172.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at B&G Foods

In other B&G Foods news, CFO Bruce C. Wacha sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.81, for a total value of $185,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $688,531.71. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On B&G Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in B&G Foods by 116.3% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,113,229 shares of the companys stock worth $17,288,000 after acquiring an additional 598,658 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in B&G Foods by 505.5% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 713,859 shares of the companys stock worth $7,960,000 after acquiring an additional 595,968 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in B&G Foods by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,543,629 shares of the companys stock worth $140,884,000 after acquiring an additional 453,830 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of B&G Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $3,959,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of B&G Foods by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,743,964 shares of the companys stock worth $90,719,000 after buying an additional 293,363 shares during the last quarter. 63.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

B&G Foods Company Profile

(Get Rating)

B&G Foods, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of shelf-stable frozen food, and household products in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Its products include frozen and canned vegetables, hot cereals, fruit spreads, canned meats and beans, bagel chips, spices, seasonings, hot sauces, and wine vinegar.

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BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 800,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $30,320,000. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF accounts for approximately 4.5% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. owned about 0.13% of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Accurate Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Phillips Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. City State Bank increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 686.1% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 1,077 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Regimen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the companys stock.

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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Trading Down 0.3 %

EEM stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.06. 10,587,503 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,164,664. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.84. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $33.49 and a 1-year high of $43.23.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index).

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StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of China Yuchai International (NYSE:CYD  Get Rating) in a research note released on Sunday. The firm issued a hold rating on the stock.

Separately, Greenridge Global restated a buy rating on shares of China Yuchai International in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th.

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China Yuchai International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CYD opened at $7.56 on Friday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $7.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. China Yuchai International has a 12-month low of $6.73 and a 12-month high of $11.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

About China Yuchai International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of China Yuchai International by 293.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,397 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of China Yuchai International by 1,245.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,777 shares during the last quarter. Credit Suisse AG bought a new stake in shares of China Yuchai International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Shell Asset Management Co. increased its stake in shares of China Yuchai International by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 14,383 shares of the companys stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 3,869 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of China Yuchai International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $119,000. 19.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(Get Rating)

China Yuchai International Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, assembly, and sale of light, medium, and heavy-duty engines for trucks, buses, passenger vehicles, construction equipment, marine, and agriculture applications. It operates through the following segments: Yuchai, HL Global Enterprises Limited (HLGE), and Corporate.

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Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its stake in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:LQD  Get Rating) by 43.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 236,867 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 71,357 shares during the quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. owned about 0.07% of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF worth $24,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 41.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,050,661 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,259,090,000 after acquiring an additional 6,447,485 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 561,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $59,146,000 after acquiring an additional 8,500 shares in the last quarter. Nationwide Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 4,128.9% during the 4th quarter. Nationwide Asset Management LLC now owns 551,030 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $58,464,000 after acquiring an additional 538,000 shares in the last quarter. Money Design Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 52.2% during the 4th quarter. Money Design Co. Ltd. now owns 528,184 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $55,686,000 after acquiring an additional 181,113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pactiv General Employee Benefit Trust increased its position in shares of iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF by 125.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pactiv General Employee Benefit Trust now owns 454,807 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $46,595,000 after purchasing an additional 252,867 shares during the last quarter. 81.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA LQD traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $108.43. 4,376,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,827,201. The companys 50 day moving average price is $108.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.55. iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF has a 12 month low of $98.41 and a 12 month high of $115.66.

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF Company Profile

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index (the Index), which is a rules-based index consisting of liquid, the United States dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds for sale in the United States.

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Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS  Get Rating) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($3.17) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.67) by ($1.50), Briefing.com reports. Emergent BioSolutions had a negative net margin of 19.97% and a negative return on equity of 7.57%. The firm had revenue of $165.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $142.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.18 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 46.3% on a year-over-year basis. Emergent BioSolutions updated its FY 2023 guidance to EPS.

Emergent BioSolutions Stock Performance

NYSE:EBS traded up $0.96 on Wednesday, reaching $10.66. 2,163,731 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,551,899. The firm has a market cap of $537.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.32 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.44. Emergent BioSolutions has a 52 week low of $7.74 and a 52 week high of $40.45.

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Institutional Trading of Emergent BioSolutions

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Emergent BioSolutions by 19.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,150,632 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $128,836,000 after buying an additional 681,162 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Emergent BioSolutions by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 8,731,904 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $358,533,000 after acquiring an additional 655,003 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Emergent BioSolutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,478,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Emergent BioSolutions in the 4th quarter valued at $5,016,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Emergent BioSolutions in the 1st quarter valued at $14,699,000. 80.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

About Emergent BioSolutions

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark upgraded shares of Emergent BioSolutions from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $22.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an underweight rating and set a $9.00 price target (down previously from $23.00) on shares of Emergent BioSolutions in a research report on Friday, March 17th. TheStreet lowered shares of Emergent BioSolutions from a c- rating to a d rating in a research report on Monday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Emergent BioSolutions in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $28.00.

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Emergent BioSolutions Inc engages in the development, manufacture, and commercialization of medical countermeasures. It offers products for civilian and military populations that address accidental, intentional, and naturally occurring public health threats. The firms products include ACAM2000, BioThrax, Raxibacuma, Vaxchora, and VIGIV.

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First National Bank of Omaha grew its holdings in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWP  Get Rating) by 122.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,238 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 8,383 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF were worth $1,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IWP. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 415 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of IWP opened at $89.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.03 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $89.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.92. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has a 12-month low of $74.75 and a 12-month high of $95.11.

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF, formerly iShares Russell Midcap Growth Index Fund (the Growth Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell Midcap Growth Index (the Growth Index).

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Shares of Invesco DB Oil Fund (NYSEARCA:DBO  Get Rating) shot up 1.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $14.30 and last traded at $14.25. 543,432 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 49% from the average session volume of 364,717 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.10.

Invesco DB Oil Fund Price Performance

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $14.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.05.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invesco DB Oil Fund

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DBO. WealthShield Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Invesco DB Oil Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Invesco DB Oil Fund by 81.2% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,238 shares of the companys stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. HRT Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco DB Oil Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Invesco DB Oil Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Pacific Sage Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Invesco DB Oil Fund in the 4th quarter valued at $207,000.

About Invesco DB Oil Fund

PowerShares DB Oil Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the Trust). The Fund is a based on the DBIQ Optimum Yield Crude Oil Index Excess Return (the Index). The Fund seeks to track the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Crude Oil Index Excess Return (the Index) over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Funds interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and other high credit quality short-term fixed income securities over the expenses of the Fund.

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Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE  Get Rating) had its price objective decreased by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $28.00 to $10.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 36.67% from the stocks current price.

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Spirit Airlines in a report on Monday, April 3rd. They issued a sell rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $24.14.

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Spirit Airlines Price Performance

Spirit Airlines stock opened at $15.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.72 and a beta of 1.12. The businesss fifty day moving average is $17.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.11. Spirit Airlines has a 52 week low of $15.61 and a 52 week high of $25.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Spirit Airlines ( NYSE:SAVE Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported ($0.82) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.89) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. Spirit Airlines had a negative return on equity of 6.24% and a negative net margin of 8.50%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($1.60) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Spirit Airlines will post 0.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SAVE. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Spirit Airlines by 198.0% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,505 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Johnson Midwest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Spirit Airlines by 75.2% in the 1st quarter. Johnson Midwest Financial LLC now owns 2,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Spirit Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Spirit Airlines by 272.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,119 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Spirit Airlines during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. 67.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Spirit Airlines

(Get Rating)

Spirit Airlines, Inc engages in the provision of air transportation services. Its operations are concentrated in markets such as South Florida, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Northeast and Northern Midwest regions of the United States. The firm offers travel insurance, carry-on and checked baggage, online booking, and other services.

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Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE:OXY  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 15,650 shares of the oil and gas producers stock, valued at approximately $986,000. Occidental Petroleum makes up approximately 0.5% of Keystone Investors PTE Ltd.s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 29,430 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $1,854,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 193,166 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $12,055,000 after buying an additional 9,134 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 19,414 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,223,000 after buying an additional 4,100 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 102.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 31,636 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,944,000 after buying an additional 15,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orser Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $2,702,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.45% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 1,678,017 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $61.56 per share, with a total value of $103,298,726.52. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 198,392,755 shares of the companys stock, valued at $12,213,057,997.80. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders bought 12,371,716 shares of company stock valued at $735,557,715 over the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Occidental Petroleum Price Performance

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Occidental Petroleum has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $72.89.

OXY traded down $1.93 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $57.03. 10,189,785 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,787,087. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.15. Occidental Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $54.30 and a 12-month high of $77.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.33. The company has a market cap of $51.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.76, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.78.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.21). Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 35.87% and a return on equity of 52.68%. The business had revenue of $7.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Occidental Petroleum Co. will post 5.81 EPS for the current year.

Occidental Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. Occidental Petroleums payout ratio is 5.82%.

About Occidental Petroleum

(Get Rating)

Occidental Petroleum Corp. engages in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Oil and Gas, Chemical, and Midstream and Marketing. The Oil and Gas segment explores for, develops and produces oil and condensate, natural gas liquids and natural gas.

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(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans made little tangible progress Tuesday toward averting a first-ever US default, but pledged negotiations on spending that would open the door to a possible agreement.

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Congressional aides and presidential staff will begin budget discussions in the coming hours, ahead of another meeting on Friday with Biden and congressional leaders, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Over these last few days and weeks, theres going to be a lot of posturing, politics and gamesmanship and its going to continue for a while, Biden said after his hour-long meeting Tuesday in the Oval Office with leaders from both parties. But, the president said, he viewed the conversation as productive.

The intensified negotiations could at least temporarily assuage markets before June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the nation risks exhausting its ability to meet all payment obligations. Economists say a breach of the debt ceiling would rattle markets, increase lending costs, and lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Biden said he was pleased by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnells comments after the meeting that he did not foresee the country defaulting. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also expressed hope of a bipartisan deal.

Still, warning signs continue to flash. McCarthy, who faces pressure from conservatives to take a hard line in debt-limit talks, told reporters he saw no progress during the meeting, and accused Biden of ducking substantive negotiations.

I didnt see any new movement, McCarthy told reporters.

McCarthy and Biden described tense moments during the closed-door meeting, their first on the debt ceiling since Feb. 1.

Story continues

Before Tuesdays meeting, the speaker dismissed the idea of a short-term debt-limit extension, which could be the most expedient solution. While the White House said an interim deal was also not their plan, Biden told reporters after the meeting he isnt taking anything off the table.

Biden also downplayed the possibility of using novel executive action to solve the issue. He said that he had considered invoking the 14th Amendment - which guarantees the validity of public debt - but was concerned that federal courts could overturn the maneuver. The president said he currently viewed the issue as something to explore after a debt ceiling deal was reached, rather than if it was not.

Biden also said his staff had not explored the idea for the Treasury Department to mint a trillion-dollar coin that it would deposit with the Federal Reserve to defuse the crisis.

Treasury futures were little changed as were their US equity counterparts after the meeting. While worries about the impasse have pushed Treasury-bill yields higher, concerns have yet to spill into broader markets with most investors banking on a deal being reached.

I dont think there is likely to be any market reaction until will get closer to the X-date  that is still a moving target, likely into June and quite possibly later into July, said Jason Wong, currency strategist at Bank of New Zealand Ltd. Meanwhile, headlines around negotiations are more noise than signal and mostly market-neutral.

Yields on four-week Treasuries reached record highs last week as the prospect of any early June default increased. But so far equity markets have not registered a large drop attributable to the stand.

That marks a difference from the 2011 debt standoff, during which the S&P 500 fell more than 16% in the five weeks prior to an Aug. 2 increase in the ceiling. S&P ultimately downgraded the US credit rating on Aug. 5.

McCarthy said he was willing to discuss priorities that the White House had previously signaled support for  like permitting reform - that could provide a pathway for a possible breakthrough. The House bill has a version of permitting reform that favors fossil fuels. He also suggested elements of the House legislation, including clawing back funding for pandemic programs, that have some bipartisan support.

But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer countered that McCarthy was holding the US economy hostage by demanding deep cuts to domestic programs - and had refused to take default off the table.

There are large differences between the parties, Schumer said.

But the staff talks could open the door to a face-saving solution for both parties. The White House could call it a separate budget deal while McCarthy and the GOP, which has demanded deep domestic spending cuts in exchange for Republican votes, could tout it as a victory.

The Republican-led House last month passed a bill that would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for $4.8 trillion in budget deficit cuts over 10 years. It contains a litany of conservative priorities, including canceling green energy subsidies and tax enforcement spending from Bidens signature legislation enacted last year.

But the White House has criticized the legislation, saying it would slash funding for police, border security, and veterans benefits. McCarthy said the House will pass a detailed spending bill that increased funding for Veterans Affairs next week.

The White House has said it will only accept a clean no-strings-attached debt ceiling increase, although Biden is open to separate talks on the budget levels for fiscal 2024. The president is scheduled to travel Wednesday to New York, where hell criticize elements of the Republican legislation in the home district of moderate Republican congressman Mike Lawler.

--With assistance from Ruth Carson.

(Updates with permitting reform, in 16th paragraph.)

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KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR  Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The asset manager reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07, MarketWatch Earnings reports. KKR & Co. Inc. had a positive return on equity of 4.97% and a negative net margin of 5.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. KKR & Co. Inc.s quarterly revenue was up 212.9% on a year-over-year basis.

KKR & Co. Inc. Trading Down 0.6 %

KKR & Co. Inc. stock opened at $49.01 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09. KKR & Co. Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.77 and a fifty-two week high of $60.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $51.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.82.

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KKR & Co. Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This is a positive change from KKR & Co. Inc.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. KKR & Co. Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -45.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Insider Activity

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KKR. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $63.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $67.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com started coverage on KKR & Co. Inc. in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on KKR & Co. Inc. from $70.00 to $67.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KKR & Co. Inc. currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $65.21.

In related news, insider David Sorkin sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.44, for a total transaction of $2,217,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,434,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,508,943.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider David Sorkin sold 40,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.44, for a total transaction of $2,217,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,434,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,508,943.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Kkr Group Partnership L.P. sold 7,600,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.83, for a total transaction of $295,108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 37 shares in the company, valued at $1,436.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KKR. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the second quarter valued at $81,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,165 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,042 shares of the asset managers stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $185,000. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC bought a new stake in KKR & Co. Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.85% of the companys stock.

About KKR & Co. Inc.

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KKR & Co, Inc engages in the provision of investment and private equity asset management services. The firm manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and hedge funds. It operates through the Asset Management and Insurance segments.

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Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQGPF  Get Rating) announced a interim dividend on Tuesday, May 9th, MarketIndexAU reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of 1.58 per share on Monday, June 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 24th. This is a boost from Macquarie Groups previous interim dividend of $1.46.

Macquarie Group Stock Performance

About Macquarie Group

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Macquarie Group Limited provides diversified financial services in Australia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), Banking and Financial Services (BFS), Commodities and Global Markets (CGM), and Macquarie Capital.

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Model N (NYSE:MODN  Get Rating) issued an update on its third quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.23-$0.25 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.26. The company issued revenue guidance of $61.50 million-$62.50 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $61.70 million. Model N also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $0.94-$0.99 EPS.

Model N Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:MODN traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $30.01. The company had a trading volume of 217,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 346,556. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 2.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $32.62 and a 200 day moving average of $36.59. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.68 and a beta of 0.68. Model N has a 1 year low of $20.95 and a 1 year high of $43.18.

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Model N (NYSE:MODN  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The software maker reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $59.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $57.51 million. Model N had a negative net margin of 11.65% and a negative return on equity of 7.52%. Sell-side analysts expect that Model N will post -0.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Insider Buying and Selling at Model N

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MODN. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Model N in a report on Thursday, April 27th. They set a sector perform rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research increased their price target on Model N from $42.00 to $48.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Model N from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Model N in a research note on Monday, March 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Finally, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM reissued an initiates rating on shares of Model N in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Model N currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $44.63.

In other Model N news, insider Suresh Kannan sold 6,585 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.04, for a total value of $230,738.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 172,240 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,035,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO John Ederer sold 10,823 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.09, for a total transaction of $347,310.07. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 166,878 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,355,115.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Suresh Kannan sold 6,585 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.04, for a total value of $230,738.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,035,289.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 53,238 shares of company stock valued at $1,832,671 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Model N

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its position in shares of Model N by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 35,137 shares of the software makers stock worth $1,203,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Model N by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 37,018 shares of the software makers stock worth $947,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Model N by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,447 shares of the software makers stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Model N by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,664 shares of the software makers stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Model N by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 37,089 shares of the software makers stock worth $998,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.63% of the companys stock.

About Model N

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Model N, Inc engages in developing and monetizing revenue management solutions. It offers cloud revenue optimization and compliance to pharmaceutical, medical technology, semiconductor, and high-tech companies. Its products provide business processes such as pricing, quoting, contracting, regulatory compliance, rebates and incentives.

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Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR  Get Rating)  Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2023 EPS estimates for Nabors Industries in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 3rd. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now expects that the oil and gas company will earn $1.95 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.14. The consensus estimate for Nabors Industries current full-year earnings is $8.77 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nabors Industries Q3 2023 earnings at $2.70 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $4.02 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $8.12 EPS, Q1 2024 earnings at $4.05 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $4.22 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $5.62 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $5.33 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $19.22 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $5.21 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $22.56 EPS.

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Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Nabors Industries in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They issued a hold rating for the company. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of Nabors Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Nabors Industries from $135.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Barclays cut shares of Nabors Industries from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $250.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Nabors Industries from $195.00 to $176.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have 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 $163.57.

Nabors Industries Trading Down 1.7 %

NBR stock opened at $94.25 on Monday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $119.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40. Nabors Industries has a 52-week low of $91.11 and a 52-week high of $193.88. The firm has a market cap of $899.15 million, a P/E ratio of -6.30 and a beta of 2.76.

Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($3.89) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.06) by ($2.83). Nabors Industries had a negative return on equity of 26.14% and a negative net margin of 4.03%. The firm had revenue of $769.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $734.46 million.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nabors Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Nabors Industries by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,696,916 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $172,152,000 after acquiring an additional 136,874 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Nabors Industries by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 750,842 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $76,173,000 after acquiring an additional 59,309 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Nabors Industries by 9.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 413,887 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $55,419,000 after purchasing an additional 36,097 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Nabors Industries by 8.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 289,542 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $44,222,000 after purchasing an additional 23,422 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Nabors Industries by 158.1% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 234,826 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $35,863,000 after purchasing an additional 143,840 shares during the period. 71.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nabors Industries Company Profile

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Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It also provides performance tools, directional drilling services, tubular running services, and innovative technologies. It operates through the following business segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies.

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Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Local Bounti Co. (NYSE:LOCL  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 47,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $65,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new stake in Local Bounti during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Local Bounti in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. American International Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Local Bounti in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Local Bounti by 732.8% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,160 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 8,940 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Local Bounti in the 2nd quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors own 65.27% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LOCL shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Local Bounti from $13.00 to $3.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on Local Bounti from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Lake Street Capital dropped their price target on Local Bounti from $10.00 to $3.50 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Local Bounti from $9.00 to $2.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $2.85.

Local Bounti Stock Performance

LOCL traded up $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $0.52. The stock had a trading volume of 32,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 596,488. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $0.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.27. The firm has a market cap of $54.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.39 and a beta of 1.70. Local Bounti Co. has a one year low of $0.30 and a one year high of $6.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Local Bounti (NYSE:LOCL  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 29th. The company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.27) by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.58 million. Local Bounti had a negative net margin of 570.35% and a negative return on equity of 95.94%. As a group, research analysts predict that Local Bounti Co. will post -0.94 EPS for the current year.

Local Bounti Company Profile

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Local Bounti Corporation grows fresh greens and herbs in the United States. It produces lettuce, herbs, and loose-leaf lettuce. The company sells its products to food retailers and food service distributors. Local Bounti Corporation was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Montana.

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Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO  Get Rating) by 337.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,903 shares of the basic materials companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,010 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLCs holdings in Southern Copper were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SCCO. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Southern Copper by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 15,269 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 3,683 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Southern Copper by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,880 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $289,929,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern Copper during the 4th quarter worth approximately $779,000. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Southern Copper during the 4th quarter worth approximately $294,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management SA increased its holdings in Southern Copper by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA now owns 111,771 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $5,012,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. 7.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Southern Copper

In related news, Director Bonilla Luis Miguel Palomino sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.97, for a total value of $39,485.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,514 shares in the company, valued at $514,410.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Southern Copper news, Director Bonilla Luis Miguel Palomino sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.97, for a total transaction of $39,485.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,514 shares of the companys stock, valued at $514,410.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Andreve Vicente Ariztegui sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.11, for a total transaction of $114,165.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $334,884. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,500 shares of company stock worth $192,900. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Southern Copper Price Performance

A number of brokerages have commented on SCCO. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Southern Copper from a neutral rating to a sell rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $66.00 in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Southern Copper from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Southern Copper from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $40.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Southern Copper from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.29.

Shares of NYSE:SCCO opened at $79.04 on Wednesday. Southern Copper Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.42 and a fifty-two week high of $82.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 3.38 and a current ratio of 4.17. The companys 50-day moving average is $75.50 and its 200 day moving average is $68.33. The company has a market capitalization of $61.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.83 and a beta of 1.23.

Southern Copper Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.81%. Southern Coppers payout ratio is 115.94%.

Southern Copper Company Profile

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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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Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (OTCMKTS:BKKLY  Get Rating) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a decrease of 98.8% from the April 15th total of 8,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Bangkok Bank Public in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They set a neutral rating for the company.

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Bangkok Bank Public Trading Up 2.8 %

BKKLY stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.93. 2,661 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,490. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.28. Bangkok Bank Public has a 12-month low of $17.17 and a 12-month high of $24.86.

Bangkok Bank Public Increases Dividend

About Bangkok Bank Public

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.3404 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.08%. This is an increase from Bangkok Bank Publics previous dividend of $0.16. Bangkok Bank Publics dividend payout ratio is currently 28.51%.

(Get Rating)

Bangkok Bank Public Co Ltd. engages in the provision of commercial banking services. It operates through the following business segments: Domestic Banking, International Banking, Investment Banking, and Others. The Domestic Banking segment provides loans, deposits, trade finance, remittances and payments, electronic services, credit cards, debit cards, and related other financial services.

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Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lessened its position in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI  Get Rating) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,914 shares of the companys stock after selling 511 shares during the quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLCs holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Trustcore Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in British American Tobacco by 170.8% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 864 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 6.37% of the companys stock.

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British American Tobacco Price Performance

Shares of BTI opened at $35.34 on Wednesday. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 1-year low of $34.44 and a 1-year high of $45.28. The stock has a market cap of $86.83 billion, a PE ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

British American Tobacco Increases Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.7006 dividend. This is a positive change from British American Tobaccos previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.93%. British American Tobaccos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.62%.

Several analysts have commented on BTI shares. StockNews.com cut shares of British American Tobacco from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of British American Tobacco from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, March 13th.

About British American Tobacco

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British American Tobacco plc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture and distribution of tobacco products. Its brands include Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike, and Pall Mall. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME), Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa (AMSSA), and Europe and North Africa (ENA).

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Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO  Get Rating) was downgraded by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $40.00 to $60.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded Southern Copper from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Southern Copper from $55.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Southern Copper from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $53.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $62.14.

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Southern Copper Stock Performance

SCCO stock traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, reaching $79.04. 729,221 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,310,422. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $75.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.10. Southern Copper has a 12 month low of $42.42 and a 12 month high of $82.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 4.17 and a quick ratio of 3.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.91, a PEG ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.23.

Insider Activity

Southern Copper ( NYSE:SCCO Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 3rd. The basic materials company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.50 billion. Southern Copper had a net margin of 26.46% and a return on equity of 33.71%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southern Copper will post 3.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In related news, Director Bonilla Luis Miguel Palomino sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.97, for a total value of $39,485.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,514 shares of the companys stock, valued at $514,410.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Bonilla Luis Miguel Palomino sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.97, for a total transaction of $39,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,514 shares in the company, valued at $514,410.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $334,884. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,500 shares of company stock valued at $192,900 over the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,611 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern Copper during the first quarter worth about $388,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Southern Copper by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 173,100 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 94,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Southern Copper by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,022,108 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $532,978,000 after buying an additional 680,165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 7.03% of the companys stock.

About Southern Copper

(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.

Further Reading

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United Lithium Corp. (OTCMKTS:ULTHF  Get Rating) saw a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 8,000 shares, an increase of 321.1% from the April 15th total of 1,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 49,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days.

United Lithium Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS ULTHF traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $0.16. The company had a trading volume of 40,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 44,263. United Lithium has a 1 year low of $0.00 and a 1 year high of $0.35. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $0.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.18.

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United Lithium Company Profile

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Further Reading

United Lithium Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties. It explores for lithium deposits. The company holds 100% interest in the Bergby Lithium Project, located in Sweden. It also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Barbara Lake property comprising 56 mining cell claims that covers an area of approximately 2,147 hectares land in the Barbara Lake Area of the Thunder Bay Mining District, Ontario, Canada.

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Ken Research

The report covers Dental Service Sector Globally, Global Dental Service Market Demand, Number of Global Dental Services Clinics, Number of Dental Hospitals Globally, Number of Dental Equipment Distributor, Orthodontics Dental Services Market, Periodontics Dental Procedure Industry, Endodontics Dental Services Sector, Global Implantology Dental Market, Canada Dental Services Market, Mexico Dental Clinics Industry, European Dental Clinics Sector, Middle East Dental Clinics Market, USA Dental Clinics Market, Leading Players in Global Dental Market, Competitors Global Dental Services Market, Emerging Players in Global Dental Clinics Market, Aspen Dental Market Share, England National Dental Health Market Revenue, Apollo White Dental Market Share, Abano Dental Clinics Revenue, Investment Global Dental Clinics Market.

Gurugram, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Dental Services Market is fragmented and has high intensified competition within industry players. Top players such as National Health Service, The British United Provident Association Limited, Integrated Dental Holdings, Aspen Dental Management Inc. are the key players in Global Dental Services Market. The market is largely driven by growing awareness about dentistry among people, the rising prevalence of dental caries & other periodontal diseases, and technological developments in dentistry.

1. Oral Diseases Affect Close To 3.5 billion People Worldwide, with 3 Out Of 4 People Affected Living In Middle-Income Countries

Untreated tooth decay is a problem for more than 2 billion people worldwide, with nearly 200 million new cases forecasted each year. The increasing prevalence of tooth disorders is one of the key factors responsible for driving global market growth. Tooth decay, periodontal disease, and malocclusion are the key disorders contributing to the increased demand and adoption of a wide range of implants, prosthetics, and intraoral scanners.

Story continues

Interested to Know More about this Report, Request a Sample Report

2. Robotic and Micro-robotic tools (Dental Operating Microscopes and Dental Endoscopes) and other Technological Advancements in Dental products to Drive market

Artificial intelligence (Face recognition/voice recognition, Diagnosis and treatment planning, Restorative dentistry, and Orthodontic tracking) have improved acceptance of innovative items in the market. Another important development in the industry is the application of robotic engineering to dental operations. Robotic and micro robotic tools such as dental operating microscopes and dental endoscopes are being used extensively in dental therapy. The future norm in implantology will soon be less invasive, robot-assisted surgery. Over the projected period, the market expansion is anticipated to be fueled by these unique developing technologies as well as the growing emphasis of industry participants on the R&D of new products.

3. More than 25% of the adults worldwide over the age of 60 are missing all of their permanent teeth

The demographic of older adults (i.e., 65 years of age and older) is growing and likely will be an increasingly large part of dental practice in the coming years. Dental conditions associated with aging include dry mouth (xerostomia), root and coronal caries, and periodontitis. Older adults are, therefore, a growing patient demographic for dental practices.

Market Taxonomy

By Type of Services

Orthodontics

Periodontics

Endodontics

Cosmetic Dentistry

Prosthodontics

Implantology

Others

Visit this Link :- Request for custom report

By End Users

Dental Clinics

Hospitals

By Revenue Division

Domestic

International Tourist

By Geography

North America-USA, Canada, Mexico:

Europe-France, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK, Rest of Europe:

Asia Pacific-China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia Pacific:

LAMEA-Latin America, Middle East, Africa

For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to below link:-

Global Dental Services Market

Related Reports By Ken Research:-

UAE Dental Services Market Outlook to 2027F- Rising Awareness for Overall Aesthetics and Adoption of New Technology by Dentists is Driving the Dental Services Market

According to Ken Research estimates, the UAE Dental Services Market  which grew from approximately ~AED 7 Bn in 2018 to ~AED 9 Bn in 2022  is forecasted to grow further into ~AED 16 Bn opportunity by 2027F, owing to the rising oral health problems and inclination towards good looks and awareness. Factors like Increasing general awareness of oral hygiene due to escalating lifestyle patterns and spending on dental care, technological advancements in dentistry along with an inclination towards Hollywood and star smiles are propelling the growth. The Emirate ranked sixth in the world, within a list of 46 of the most unique international destinations, in a qualitative achievement that reaffirms its success in developing modern infrastructures and advanced medical facilities.

Thailand Dental Services Market Outlook to 2026F- Driven By Rising Dental Awareness and Governments Strong Initiatives in Healthcare System

According to Ken Research estimates, the Thailand Dental Services Market grew from approximately ~$ 1.1Bn in 2018 to approximately ~$ 1.2 Bn in 2021 and is forecasted to grow further into a ~$ 1.7Bn opportunity by 2026F, owing to the growth in the urban population, ageing population, rising dental tourism and governments initiatives in healthcare. The rates of dental health care services offered in the Thailand are comparatively lower than in other countries such as Canada or Japan, this attracts a lot of international tourists adding to the revenue generated by the dental services market in Thailand. The Statistics show that Thailand has a 1:3,900 dentist-to-population ratio. Many dentists in Thailand get their degrees and training from European nations or the US and return to their home country for practicing dentistry.

KSA Dental Services Market Outlook to 2027F- Driven by Rising Oral Health Awareness, Demand for Aesthetics among Saudi Arabians and Government Initiatives

According to Ken Research estimates, the KSA Dental Services Market grew from ~$1.7 Bn in 2018 and ~$ 2 Bn in 2022P owing to the rise in oral health awareness, inclination towards a healthier lifestyle and rising demand for aesthetics and is forecasted to grow further ~$ 3 Bn by 2027F due to improvements in the Saudi healthcare sector by KSA government. Factors like rising oral health related diseases, technological advancements in dentistry along with an inclination toward the use of minimally invasive procedures and artificial dentistry are propelling the growth. KSA has a total of 504 hospitals of which 337 hospitals are under MOH and 167 private hospitals. There are 201,489 healthcare workers and ~26,000 Dentists in 2022P.

Philippines Dental Services Market Outlook to 2026F- Driven By Rising Oral Health Awareness, Growing Economy and Dental Tourism in the Philippines

According to Ken Research estimates, the Philippines Dental Services Market  which grew from approximately $ ~1200 Mn in 2018 to approximately $ ~1300 Mn in 2021  is forecasted to grow further into a $ ~1750 Mn opportunity by 2026F, owing to the growth in the urban population, inclination towards a healthier lifestyle, rise in general awareness related to oral health care, and a growing economy. The rates of dental health care services offered in the Philippines are comparatively lower than in other countries such as Australia or Japan, this attracts a lot of international tourists adding to the revenue generated by the dental services market in the Philippines. The Statistics show that the Philippines has a 1:53,000 dentist-to-population ratio. Many dentists in the Philippines get their degrees and training from European nations or the US and return to their home country for practicing dentistry.

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CONTACT: Contact Us:- Ken Research Private Limited Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth Ankur@kenresearch.com +91-9015378249




Washington Trust Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Get Rating) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,418 shares of the companys stock after selling 668 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 542 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 118.8% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 805 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 886 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.68% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MO. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Altria Group from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, January 23rd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $45.50.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $46.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.59. The firms 50 day moving average is $45.83 and its 200 day moving average is $45.89. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.35 and a 1 year high of $54.89.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.01). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 245.43% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th were paid a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 23rd. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.09%. Altria Groups payout ratio is 120.90%.

Altria Group Profile

(Get Rating)

Altria Group, Inc operates as a holding company, which engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. It operates through the following segments: Smokeable Products, Oral tobacco products, and Wine. The Smokeable Products segment consists of cigarettes manufactured and sold by PM USA and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco manufactured and sold by Middleton.

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With increased restrictions on abortion in the state looming, the number of baby boxes, where newborns can be surrendered anonymously without repercussions for the mother, is growing.

The newest one, the 131st in Indiana, is at Monroe Fire Protection District's Station 25 on North Old Ind. 37 in Bloomington. It was blessed and dedicated during a ceremony on Thursday.

Indiana's 2017 Safe Haven law allows the anonymous surrender of an infant 30 days old or younger without threat of prosecution against the mother. The law says infants can be left at fire departments, hospitals and emergency medical stations.

If there are so signs of abuse or neglect, the person surrendering the baby doesn't have to provide any information. If a baby box is used, they might never be seen.

The Safe Haven Baby Box initiative was launched by a woman who was abandoned as an infant and later worked as a firefighter. The boxes facilitate the safe surrender of an infant. Most are at fire stations, which are staffed every day, around the clock.

Christina Hale and her 2-year-old daughter, Rylynn Wyatt, attended a baby box dedication ceremony at the Monroe Fire Protection District station on North Old Ind. 37 in December 2022. Hale's mother initiated fundraising for the project in 2020.

The first baby box in Indiana was installed in the town of Woodburn, near Fort Wayne, in 2016. Since then, 21 babies have been left in the boxes, which are now in seven states.

It's a temperature-controlled box with two doors, one on the outside of the building and another accessible from inside. Silent alarms that notify first responders are triggered when the outside door is opened, when the baby is placed inside and when the door is closed and locks automatically.

Firefighters retrieve the baby, which is transported to a hospital for medical evaluation. After that, the Department of Child Services takes custody of the child and arranges for adoption.

Jodie Lane started raising money in 2020 to help fund a Safe Haven Baby Box Drop Off in Monroe County. It was dedicated in a blessing ceremony in December 2022.

Monroe County resident Jodie Lane started collecting money on Facebook in 2020, hoping to raise $15,000 to fund a local baby box. It was slow going until the fire department's non-profit volunteer organization donated $11,000 to the cause, which sealed the arrangement.

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Lane was at the blessing and dedication with her daughter and granddaughter, proud that her efforts helped bring about this option for women in difficult circumstances. "It's a really a wonderful thing to see," she said.

Battalion Chief Jason Allen said the location, just north of Bloomington and right off Interstate 69, makes the fire station an ideal spot for a baby box. He said it will be tested twice a month to make sure it's in good working order. They have baby supplies at the ready.

This is the only baby box in Monroe County. There was one at the City of Bloomington's downtown fire station at Fourth and Lincoln streets, but it was decommissioned in the summer of 2021 when flooding moved the station to a temporary site blocks away. The baby box is still there on the Lincoln Street side of the building, locked and with a sign saying it's in a testing phase and can't be used.

This baby box at Bloomington's former downtown fire station on Fourth Street is no longer open.

There are several other Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the area: at the Owen County EMS station in Spencer, the downtown Martinsville fire department and the Bedford Fire Department on H Street.

For a list of all locations, go to https://shbb.org/locations.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Volunteers raise $15,000 for baby box at a Monroe County fire station
Photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows Ko Cheuk Kiu at the head office of Hong Kong Red Cross in Hong Kong, south China. [Xinhua/Li Gang]

"We care for students with disabilities and illnesses by providing them with comprehensive education so as to help them build self-confidence, positive values, and develop their potential," Ko said.

HONG KONG, May 9 (Xinhua)  At the school where Ko Cheuk Kiu works, there are neither school bells ringing nor students running around the playground.

"You look good today. Shall we review the text together?" After greeting her student Hei Hei, Ko, in a light blue uniform, turned on her tablet computer and began to teach at the bedside.

Ko is a teacher at the Hong Kong Red Cross Hospital Schools, the only school in Hong Kong that provides education services for hospitalized children.

"Teaching children in a hospital? I was curious and keen to know more about it," Ko recalled, explaining she first learned about the Hospital Schools from a newspaper report in 2009 when she had just finished her Master's degree in language.

Ko, who also studied special education, applied for a teaching position in the school and was successfully hired as a Chinese language teacher.

Photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows Ko Cheuk Kiu at the head office of Hong Kong Red Cross in Hong Kong, south China. [Xinhua/Li Gang]

Founded in 1954, the Hong Kong Red Cross Hospital Schools initially provided services in only one public medical institution. Now, it is a special education institute funded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, with 26 school units attached to 19 public hospitals across Hong Kong.

The services of the Hospital Schools are mainly divided into three fields  general specialty, psychiatry, and home-bound teaching program. The first two provide services for hospitalized students to reduce their difficulties in returning to their own school after being discharged, while home-bound teaching is aimed at students who need to stay at home to recuperate for a long period. Teachers are assigned to different hospitals or students' homes and rotate at regular intervals.

"Every morning, the first thing we do is to check on each student in the ward and see if they are physically well enough to attend classes," Ko said that their students came from different backgrounds and even speak different languages. "Some faces are familiar and some are new."

The special school caters for students aged between six and 18. Most teachers need to teach both primary and secondary school-aged students, so they are always well-prepared to take care of students from different levels. Depending on the situation, teachers will carry out small groups or one-on-one bedside teaching and each session lasts about 30 minutes.

Teachers from the Hospital Schools not only pay attention to teaching but also give extra time and energy to taking care of students' physical and mental needs.

Ko Cheuk Kiu (up) and students decorate the wall at a hospital in Hong Kong, south China. [Photo courtesy of Ko Cheuk Kiu/Xinhua]

"We care for students with disabilities and illnesses by providing them with comprehensive education so as to help them build self-confidence, positive values, and develop their potential," Ko said. "This is the philosophy of Hospital Schools and also the mission of our fellow teachers."

Over the past years, Ko has taught in different hospitals and also participated in home teaching. She is currently a teacher-in-charge of the Hospital Schools and working at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital.

Compared with ordinary schools, teachers in hospitals are faced with myriad and unique challenges, and this can prove extremely testing at times.

Giving classes to students suffering from mental illness could be tough, she said. "Fortunately, our school provided us with sufficient support by subsidizing us taking mental health-related courses, so we can better understand the needs of students."

Teachers in hospitals have to meet students with different medical conditions and face all kinds of challenges every day, but Ko regarded these experiences as drills and training, which have led her to a deeper appreciation of life.

In the course of her teaching career, Ko has witnessed many students overcome ordeals and made unremitting efforts to live full lives. She was deeply impressed by a secondary four woman student who had cancer and needed to receive home-based education.

"This girl was clever and diligent. Every time I finished class with her, she would ask me to stay a little longer and listen to her playing the piano. She wanted me to give her some encouragement before attending the piano exam," Ko said, adding with a smile that the girl finally passed the exam.

Years later, the girl entered university and became the pride of her family.

Ko Cheuk Kiu shows her teaching plan at the head office of Hong Kong Red Cross in Hong Kong, south China on April 21, 2023. [Xinhua/Li Gang]

The Hospital Schools has always attached importance to students' right to receive an education. Nearly 70 years since it was founded, the school has been striving to meet the different learning needs of students.

In recent years, the school has offered diversified activities, including visual arts, baking and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities for students to enrich their learning experiences.

Starting from the 2022/23 school year, the Hospital Schools introduced a more comprehensive senior secondary school curriculum to provide better support for hospitalized students.

"The HKSAR government has increased resources for our school, which has been very helpful, Ko said. "We can now cover more elective subjects to match the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination (Hong Kong's university entrance exam), which will also help students better pick up with the original school curriculum when they return to their own school after recovery."

Since 2015, the Hospital Schools has taken the three core concepts of love, perseverance and self-improvement as its motto, and encourages teachers to endeavor to carry forward the humanitarian spirit of the Hong Kong Red Cross to help students grow.

As a teacher of the Hospital Schools, Ko hoped to add color to students' lives so that they can learn with dignity even in sickness and find a fuller meaning in the hospital learning experience.

Photo taken shows greeting cards from parents and students to Ko Cheuk Kiu. [Photo courtesy of Ko Cheuk Kiu/Xinhua]

Over the years, Ko has received a lot of greeting cards from parents and students showing their appreciation and encouragement, with comments such as, "Miss Ko, thank you for your patience" and "Wishing you a good start in the new school year."

Gazing at these warm words of encouragement, she silently sent her best wishes to the students. "I hope they can soon recover and go back to school, and continue to pursue their dreams," she said.

(Source: Xinhua)
(Bloomberg) -- BlackRock Inc. is seeking to raise an initial $1 billion for a new Middle East infrastructure and private equity-focused fund with some of the regions largest sovereign wealth funds, people familiar with the matter said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund and the kingdoms state-backed Hassana Investment Co. are in talks to contribute money, the people said. Abu Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co. and other international investors are also considering backing the new vehicle, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private.

While the first close of the fund may raise about $1 billion, the pool of capital could eventually increase to several billion dollars, according to the people. BlackRock is considering domiciling the fund in Abu Dhabi Global Market, the emirates international financial free zone, with operations run out of Riyadh, the people said.

Discussions are ongoing, and no final decisions have been made on the funds size or investment partners, the people said. Representatives for PIF didnt respond to a request for comment. Representatives for BlackRock, Hassana and Mubadala declined to comment.

BlackRock said in November its alternative investment arm would set up a new Middle East infrastructure strategy as it builds a dedicated team in the region. The fund also signed an agreement with PIF to explore Middle East infrastructure opportunities.

The US asset managers ties to Middle Eastern capital have been expanding as rulers in the region seek better returns on the investment of their oil wealth, while also diversifying their economies and opening up to more foreign capital.

Story continues

BlackRock led a consortium that closed a deal last year to buy a $15.5 billion stake in Saudi Aramcos natural-gas pipelines. It has also entered into a pact with the company to explore low carbon energy projects. BlackRock Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink is a frequent visitor to the region and usually appears at an annual investment showcase in Riyadh organized by PIF.

A number of hedge funds and other financial investors have flocked to the United Arab Emirates in the past two years, drawn by the low taxes, international connectivity and comfortable lifestyle. Ray Dalio is setting up a branch of his family office in Abu Dhabi, part of the hedge fund billionaires deeper push into the Middle East, Bloomberg News reported in April.

--With assistance from Matthew Martin.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Many Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) insiders ditched their stock over the past year, which may be of interest to the company's shareholders. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for Boston Scientific

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Boston Scientific

Notably, that recent sale by Eric Francis Thepaut is the biggest insider sale of Boston Scientific shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$53.09, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was 81% of Eric Francis Thepaut's holding.

In the last year Boston Scientific insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders At Boston Scientific Have Sold Stock Recently

The last three months saw significant insider selling at Boston Scientific. In total, insider Eric Francis Thepaut dumped US$2.8m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Story continues

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that Boston Scientific insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$183m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Boston Scientific Insiders?

An insider hasn't bought Boston Scientific stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But since Boston Scientific is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Boston Scientific (1 is a bit concerning!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

Of course Boston Scientific may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The UK is again leading the way in a massive further escalation of the NATO war against Russia.

On Monday, the Washington Post reported that the UKs Ministry of Defence (MoD) had issued a call to weapons manufacturers, on behalf of the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), to supply missiles capable of striking Russian-annexed Crimea or cities deep inside Russias borders. Over 300 million in funding has been made available through donations from the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, plus Iceland and Lithuania.

The MoDs notice referred to Missiles or Rockets with a range 100-300km; land, sea or air launch and Payload 20-490kg. Listed as Desirable requirements were: Low Probability of Intercept (LPI); includes Mission Planning Capability; Assured navigation (with hardened Global Navigation Satellite System capability) in the face of advanced countermeasures and EM spectrum denial; Air defence penetration methods to increase probability of successful strike; Technical Readiness Level of at least 8.

This fits the profile of the UKs own Storm Shadow missile which has a range of in excess of 250km. Costing 2.2 million apiece, the weapon is manufactured by the UK/French/Italian arms group MBDA for the British and French armed forces. According to the Forceswebsite, the Storm Shadow was developed primarily for stealth strikes, is capable of engaging the targets precisely in any weather conditions during day and night and boasts long-range low attitude paths combined with subsonic speed.

The missile was first used in the imperialist invasion of Iraq in 2003. It has since been used extensively by UK warplanes in the nearly decade-long bombing operation led by the US and Britain in Iraq

The Guardian reported Wednesday, A British official, speaking anonymously, said the tender requirements were rather consistent with the Storm Shadow. An MoD spokesperson said that a final decision to supply Ukraine with long-range Ukraine would rest with the main five countries in the IFU.

This was just for public consumption. Everyone knows that it is Britain, acting in tandem with the United States, that will decide what gets sent. This was made clear by the statements cited in the Washington Post made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in February in his speech to the Munich Security Conference:

He asked, If there is a moment in this conflict we can make a difference, why not seize it? What are we waiting for What is the purpose of these stockpiles? If the weapons are degrading Russian armed forces, that is increasing our security.

Sunak added definitively, The United Kingdom will be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer range weapons.

His pledge was all but confirmed this week by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in Washington to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Atlantic Council think tank on the United Kingdoms role in an increasingly adversarial world.

UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly (right) meets his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a Bilateral meeting followed by a joint press conference whilst on a visit to Washington DC to reaffirm sustained UK-US support for Ukraine. [Photo by Rory Arnold/No 10 Downing Street / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Blinken said in a press conference, We applaud the UKs pledge to match in 2023 the $2.3 billion in military support that it provided to Ukraine during the first year of the war.

In addition to training of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, the UK is providing MRS, Challenger 2 tanks, armored vehicles, antiair missiles, and other military aid that will help equip Ukraines defenders as they work to retake more of their nations territory in the weeks and months ahead.

Cleverly commented, Air defense missile systems became increasingly important over time, and in the next stage well see another evolution of the support.

Asked by a reporter at the Atlantic Council about the UKs policy on supplying fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine, Cleverly said that London would enhance and speed up the support we give to Ukraine. He added that there is a strong argument that we shouldnt leave our respective military cupboards bare, but that if were saving stuff up for a rainy day, this is the rainy day.

Britains role as chief provocateur in the lead up to and during NATOs war against Russia is a matter of record. It has also led the way in ensuring ever-more lethal military hardware has been flooded into Ukraine, with the resulting mass loss of life, both Ukrainian and Russian, not even an afterthought.

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters, We would welcome it if the UK takes on a leadership role with the long-range missiles, in the same way they did with the Challenger 2 main battle tanks.

Politico responded to the MoDs announcement with a piece declaring, The Biden administration has no plans to follow Britains lead in sending long-range missiles to Ukrainewith some officials saying the U.S. is now off the hook thanks to the U.K.s planned delivery.

Its reporters asked the U.S. officials if the administration might follow Britains lead in sending long-range missiles. One official, who like others wasnt authorized to detail internal deliberations, said our policy on ATACMS [Army Tactical Missile System] has not changed. Instead, the official said the U.S. will continue to provide air-defense capabilities like Patriots, ammunition and armored vehicles.

None of this can be believed. At every stage in the conflict, NATO has escalated the conflict with the supply of weaponry that US President Joe Biden himself and NATO officials had previously unconditionally ruled out. The Guardian noted, Britain is unlikely to want to go ahead without US support, and getting to this point may have required diplomatic wrangling.

The Conservative government relies on an increasingly unhinged pro-war constituency in the affluent upper middle class. Foremost among these is the Guardian, which editorialised following the MoDs announcement that Ukraines long-prepared counteroffensive was a new and crucial phase of the war This was accompanied the following day by an op-ed from historian and columnist Timothy Garton Ash titled, The west must be ready for this moment of opportunity and risk in Ukraine.

Garton Ash has played a major role in advocating the dispatch of tens of billions of pounds worth of weapons to Ukraine and has met directly with the head of Ukraines armed forces. He wrote, Ukrainians have a theory of victory. It goes from success on the battlefield to change in Moscow. For preference, that would be a change of regime, getting rid of the war criminal in the Kremlin.

Nothing less than the retaking of Crimea will suffice, writes Garton Ash, because Crimea is the thing that really matters to Russia. He goes on, If the Ukrainian army can push rapidly south to the Sea of Azov, encircle a large number of demoralised Russian forces and cut the supply lines to the Crimean peninsula, there might be some non-linear collapse of Russian military morale on the ground and regime cohesion in Moscow.

Garton Ash lays out the warmongering rationale behind delivering long-range missilesunlocking the potential of Ukraines anticipated counteroffensive, a bloodbath in the making.

The counteroffensive, he explains, can deploy nine new western-equipped and trained brigades, but these have a mix-and-match zoo of different western weapons and scant experience in the complex combined arms operations needed to overcome Russias defensive lines. Because capitals such as Washington and Berlin have been nervously pondering every item, the Ukrainians dont have the quantity and quality of western tanks, armoured vehicles, long-range missiles and fighter planes they might have had if the west had not held back for fear of escalation.

As for the consequences of yet another escalation, with the use of nuclear weapons widely discussed, Garton Ash insisted, Dont be scared, be prepared.
Last Wednesday, the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC), a group founded by the Democratic Socialists of America, held an online panel discussion with speakers drawn from several national unions. Titled Building A Fighting Labor Movement, the EWOC panel purported to bring together grassroots caucuses working to rebuild rank-and-file union power in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Auto Workers and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

In reality, the event is part of a concerted effort by a section of the union apparatus to co-opt and suppress a developing rank-and-file rebellion from below.

The panelists were mostly drawn from the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) and Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), both of which are serving increasingly as central props for the apparatus. In the Teamsters and UAW, they have been installed as part of the new leadership factions.

Scott Houdiseon,Shunte Sanders-Beasley, Antonio Rosario, Carey Dall [Photo: EWOC]

The speakers were not rank-and-file workers but union bureaucrats. They included:

Scott Houldieson, former vice president of UAW Local 551 and chair of Unite All Workers for Democracy;

Shunte Sanders-Beasley, vice president of UAW Local 869 at Stellantis Warren Stamping Plant near Detroit, who introduced herself as having known UAW President Shawn Fain since he was a shop chair at Kokomo Casting Plant in the 1990s;

Antonio Rosario, a TDU Steering Committee member and paid organizer for Teamsters Local 804 in New York; and

Carey Dall, former organizing director for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED), which is part of the Teamsters, and now with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

The inclusion of Dall on the panel was particularly significant. He was a top official in the BMWED while the bureaucracy was collaborating with the Biden administration last year to block a strike by railroad workers.

Dalls position paid him $132,534 in 2022, placing him a world apart from the railroaders whom he claimed to represent. Moreover, as his work would have involved communication and outreach with BMWED members, he would have been in touch with White House officials and played a key role in the stonewalling and the endless unexplained delays throughout the process. This is how the BMWED responded to members rejection of a Biden-backed contract, along with its furious denunciations of rank-and-file opposition. Since then, Dall has jumped ship from the BMWED to the ILWU, which has also been working with Biden to block a strike by 22,000 dockworkers on the West Coast.

Then there is the involvement of the DSA itself. While claiming to support grassroots initiatives, DSA members voted in Congress to ban the rail strike and even played a key role in the maneuvering over sick days to buy Democrats political cover. The DSA is a faction of the Democratic Party, which is pursuing war with Russia and China abroad and preparing savage attacks on workers at home.

The DSA is now being brought forward to help fill and advise the apparatus of two of the unions with the most significant contract struggles this year, the UAW and the Teamsters. The Democratic Party is well aware of the growing movement of workers to break free of the apparatus and, in particular, of the influence of the World Socialist Web Site, and it is utilizing the DSA as a mechanism for suppressing the class struggle while attempting to give the apparatus a left cover.

The outlook that all of the panelists sought to promote was most clearly articulated by Dall. The labor movement faces three basic problems, he claimed: it lacks an intelligent left wing; the membership is incredibly isolated and alienated from their leadership and lacks access to educational resources (here Dall, in particular, pointed to the supposed backwardness of railroad workers in heavily Republican states); and the unions intentionally lack the capacity to do worker engagement.

This is the classic argument used to justify the activity of reform groups focused on unprincipled maneuvering within the bureaucracy, including taking up lucrative posts themselves. According to this line of reasoning, workers, especially American workers, are too disorganized, too backward and uneducated for any solution to emerge from the rank and file. Their role at best is relegated to being a pressure group, supporting one or another progressive faction within the bureaucracy.

This is connected with a deep hostility to the fight for socialism in the working class, which they claim will only alienate backward workers. If it is to ever be raised at all, it must be put off to a later date after the bureaucracy, perhaps under pressure from the rank and file, reforms itselfin other words, never.

This entire narrative is blown apart by the actual growth of the class struggle, which is taking the form of a rebellion against the union apparatus. The character of these layers as a faction of the bureaucracy, meanwhile, places them in direct conflict with this movement.

Tens of thousands of railroaders, including many living in red states, were reading the World Socialist Web Site, organizing themselves independently of the union bureaucracy and grappling with fundamental questions such as the origin of profit and the state as an instrument of class rule. Dall would not only have been intimately familiar with this in his role as organizing director; he would have been charged with countering it.

In the UAW, thousands of autoworkers supported the campaign for president of Will Lehman, a Mack Trucks worker running on an explicitly socialist platform. The UAWD opposed his campaign, especially rejecting his call for the abolition of the bureaucracy and its replacement with rank-and-file power, which won a wide hearing.

The UAWD also opposed Lehmans lawsuit over the UAWs deliberate suppression of voter turnout. As a matter of fact, Fain has taken office even though the first round of the election was never even certified due to Lehmans complaint. The UAWD blamed low turnout not on the fact that hundreds of thousands of workers never received ballots but on worker apathy. This claim was repeated in the panel discussion by Sanders-Beasley.

Now, the UAWD essentially controls the International Executive Board of the union and is the key base of support for the new president, Fain. Fain, however, has already made clear in a leaked document that his top priority is to beat back unreasonable expectations in advance of contract talks in the fall, under conditions in which automakers are demanding massive job cuts as they transition to easier-to-produce electric vehicles.

Houldieson devoted much of his remarks to laying out excuses for the upcoming betrayal. As opposed to Teamsters, where President Sean OBrien took office in March of 2022, the elections in the UAW took place too late to be able to properly deal with the built-up inertia in the UAW, he said. Adding to UAWDs woes, he claimed, was that workers do not understand that they are the union, and that its up to them to make changes.

Here, Houldieson is caught in a contradiction. If organizational inertia and workers supposed passivity are key limitations, as he claims, then UAWD should not have opposed Lehmans call to abolish the apparatus and put the rank and file in power. In reality, he and the other panelists greatly exaggerate the passivity of the rank and file, which is largely a product of their own imaginations, in order to excuse their own existence as a faction within the apparatus itself.

Antonio Rosario, a newly hired Teamsters organizer, focused his remarks on the situation at UPS, where the new TDU-backed President Sean OBrien has pledged to call a strike of 340,000 members if a new contract is not in place by July 31. This rhetoric is in response to the enormous opposition from the workers to the current, concessions-laden deal, which was imposed by the previous administration of James Hoffa Jr. despite a majority voting against it. Since taking office, OBrien has sought to distance himself from his predecessor, claiming that his administration would break with the unions history of corruption and sellouts.

In reality, as was the case in the railroads, OBrien is in regular discussions with the White House and is determined to put together a deal to avert a strike. Significantly, Dall let slip in his remarks that OBrien was centrally and personally involved in the railroad sellout, characterizing his involvement last year as babysitting the bureaucrats in the BMWED and the engineers union.

Meanwhile, the Teamsters are working to sell out and isolate struggles at workplaces. They have banned its members for participating in pickets in the writers strike. They have also rammed through a contract for Coca-Cola distributors in Philadelphia, where the use of a voting bus raised serious questions about the legitimacy of the vote.

Rosario also stressed the importance of the UPS contract for the Teamsters prospects for expanding its presence into Amazon. We have to set the standard so high that its going to raise the bar for everyone, he claimed.

We can only win by building an army of organizers, he concluded. Taking people like myself, who were working on the trucks, and training them up. Here, Rosario said more than he perhaps intended. The orientation of TDU, UAWD and similar groups is not towards organizing rank-and-file opposition but recruiting fresh layers of union bureaucrats. Rosario has only been on the Teamster payroll for a year, but he has already made $73,441 in workers dues money.

We need to start working together with the other unions, with communities and organizations, Rosario continued. We have to get the public support, the community organizations together. They have billions of dollars, and were fighting them with whatever millions our unions have. Its not enough. We need labor-friendly politicians or run ourselves. This unity, which all of the other speakers endorsed, is not of rank-and-file workers in different industries but between the bureaucracies of different unions and corporate-endowed nonprofits and Democratic Party politicians.

A revealing exchange took place during the audience question-and-answer session at the end of the meeting. One attendee asked what plans the Teamsters and the UAW had to implement open bargaining in their contract talks this year. Opening bargaining is a tactic promoted by union consultant Jane MacAlevey. It allows workers, under tightly controlled union discipline, to attend bargaining sessions in order to create the appearance of transparency while giving workers no actual control over the process. Houldieson bragged that open bargaining had been used successfully by the UAW in various graduate student strikes. In reality, the UAW has sold out one grad student strike after another, triggering significant anger and opposition.

However, even this tactic is too much for the highly sensitive and delicate talks at UPS and the US automakers, where any loss of control could lead to significant sections of the US economy being shut down by a strike. Theres a lot of inertia built into the system already, Houldieson claimed. Its not going to happen in these contract negotiations. Rosario answered, Im not privy to those conversations [at the top]. But I do know that there was an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] signed.

A real struggle cannot come from any faction within the apparatus, no matter how democratic they claim to be but only from the mobilization of the rank-and-file workers against the entire apparatus itself, which siphons off workers dues money while working hand in glove with management and the government. That requires genuinely independent organizations, rank-and-file committees, controlled by workers themselves and excluding union officials, and which lay the basis for a common strategy uniting workers across various industries.

That, however, is exactly what the groups in last weeks panel are trying desperately to prevent.
On Tuesday, a UK defense official confirmed to the Washington Post that Britain is preparing to send long-range missiles to Ukraine capable of striking Crimea.

The British official who spoke to the Post explained that this action would set the stage for other NATO members to provide long-range missiles of their own.

Its a position the United Kingdom can uniquely do We know that if we give something it makes it slightly easier for others, he said. There is definitely a different risk tolerance among different countries. Were often in an earlier place.

The Post noted that Pentagon officials expressed no concern when asked about the prospect of Britain sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.

This announcement is meant to clear the way for the provision of the long-range ATACMS missile by the United States, as well as the announcement, long in preparation, that the United States would send F-16 fighter jets.

The move by the key US ally marks another action that NATO officials had previously unconditionally ruled out.

Last May, US President Joe Biden categorically declared, We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia.

The Post made clear, however, that the UKs weapons systems would be used to attack Crimea. It wrote, The distance between Ukrainian-held territory and Sevastopol, Crimeas largest city and the headquarters of Russias Black Sea fleet, is within the range of the storm shadow long-range missile.

The announcement by the UK follows a pattern set with the decision earlier this year by the NATO powers to send over 200 main battle tanks to Ukraine. In March 2022, Biden ruled out sending tanks to Ukraine:

The idea that were going to send in offensive equipment, and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understandand dont kid yourself, no matter what you all saythats called World War III.

In June, French President Emmanuel Macron declared, We are not entering the war Thus, it has been agreed not to supply certain weaponsincluding attack aircraft or tanks.

After the UK announced that it would send challenger tanks, Macron declared on Twitter, France will provide light combat tanks to Ukraine. Just days later, both Germany and the United States announced that they would send their own main battle tanks, the Leopard 2 and the Abrams, to Ukraine.

The United States has moved systematically toward directly endorsing and facilitating attacks on the Crimean peninsula.

Last May, Biden announced that the US would send the HIMARS long-range missile launcher, without providing the ATACMS munition capable of striking hundreds of miles deep.

In January, the US announced that it would send the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) to Ukraine, doubling the range of the munitions that had up to that point been provided for the HIMARS.

In February, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland openly endorsed Ukrainian strikes inside Crimea. Those are legitimate targets, Nuland said. Ukraine is hitting them. We are supporting that.

In February, the New York Times reported, [T]he Biden administration is finally starting to concede that Kyiv may need the power to strike the Russian sanctuary, even if such a move increases the risk of escalation. The Times added, The Biden administration is considering what would be one of its boldest moves yet, helping Ukraine to attack the peninsula.

As it is becoming clear that the upcoming spring offensive will lead to only limited military gains, the US and NATO powers are moving rapidly to abandon all remaining restraints on their direct involvement in the war.

Last week, two drones exploded over the official residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the drone strike, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to rule out any effort to assassinate the Russian president, declaring, We leave it to Ukraine to decide how its going to defend itself.

These statements speak to the enormous recklessness and desperation gripping the US political establishment. This mood was spelled out even more explicitly by pro-war historian Timothy Snyder in what was perhaps the most open call for a NATO war with Russia to date.

In a guest opinion piece in the Times titled We Forget Nuclear Powers Have Lost Wars, Snyder concludes, When Russians talk about nuclear war, the safest response is to ensure their very conventional defeat. (Without explanation, the headline was changed to Putin Is Fighting, and Losing, His Last War.)

Snyder complains that Americans fear of escalation delayed the supply of weapons that could have allowed Ukraine to win last year. One after the other, the weapons systems deemed escalatory have now been delivered, with no negative consequences.

Demanding the defeat of Russia, Snyder makes the following extraordinary statement: Russia has 11 time zones of space for retreating soldiers and plenty of practice in propaganda refashionings.

In calling for the defeat of nuclear-armed Russia, Snyder declares, No option is without hazards. The statement is redolent of the assertion by General Buck Turgidson in Dr. Strangelove that Im not saying we wont get our hair mussed in the event of a thermonuclear war.

The same day that this rant appeared, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave an interview to the Washington Post in which he made clear that the central aim of NATO in the conflict is recapturing the territories Ukraine lost in 2014, principally the Crimean peninsula.

Stoltenberg declared, The war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed NATO, but then you have to remember the war didnt start in 2022. The war started in 2014. And since then, NATO has implemented the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.

Stoltenberg continued, For the first time in our history, we have combat-ready troops in the eastern part of the alliance, the battle groups in Poland, Lithuania, the Baltic countries, actually the whole eight battle groups from the Baltic Sea down to the Black Sea. Higher readiness of our forces. And increased defense spending. Until 2014, NATO allies were reducing defense budgets. Since 2014, all allies across Europe and Canada have significantly increased their defense spending. And we have modernized our command structure, we have more exercises, we have established new military domains like cyber. So in totality, this is a huge transformation of NATO that started in 2014.

He added, No other major power has 30 friends and allies as the United States has in NATO. Neither Russia nor China has anything similar. And together, NATO allies represent 50 percent of the worlds military might and 50 percent of the worlds economic might.

This passage blows apart the narrative by the NATO powers that the conflict was an unprovoked war. Instead, it makes clear that the NATO powers provoked and escalated the conflict with the aim of reversing the territorial losses they incurred that year.
On April 26, two days after his sixth birthday, Jimari Williams died from a still-unidentified illness. He was a kindergarten student at Marcus Garvey Academy on the East Side of Detroit, where several other children were also sickened in what is being called a cluster of flu-like illnesses.

In an earlier period, events like thisthe sudden death of a small child in a school-based outbreak in a major American citywould be treated by the state as a serious emergency. Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be mobilized to take control of the situation, warn the public and save lives.

But the official response to Jimaris death, which took place just one week before the World Health Organization (WHO) fraudulently declared the COVID-19 public health emergency to be over, and two weeks before the Biden administration will do the same on May 11, offers a glimpse of the new post-public health era. Going forward, widespread death and illness will be officially ignored and covered up, and the motto will be every man, woman and child for themselves.

Jimari died in hospital on April 26, but school officials did not even inform other parents about his death. A parent of one of Jimaris schoolmates told the WSWS, They never mentioned him or his passing in any of their communication with parents. His death is also not mentioned in a May 3 statement from the Detroit Health Department, titled Regarding Apparent Increase in Illness Amongst Elementary Students. The statement merely takes note of reports of symptomatic students at Garvey.

At a poorly promoted online meeting on Friday, May 5, when a question was raised about Jimaris death, school board officials cut off the microphone and the moderator exclaimed, That is a media question this is not a media meeting. The meeting revealed that officials had not identified the majority of the illnesses affecting students at the school, that there would be no mask mandate upon the schools reopening on Monday, May 8, and that no systematic testing was being done for COVID-19 or other pathogens.

It is still not known what disease killed Jimari. As of this writing, four of the cases at Garvey have reportedly been identified as linked to the bacteria H. Influenza, but Jimari is not one of them.

Marcus Garvey Academy was briefly closed from May 3 through May 5 for deep cleaning, but this was totally insufficient. Wiping down surfaces with bleach and other such measures will have no impact on the spread of airborne diseases, including COVID-19.

While the corporate media initially reported Jimaris death, it was immediately dropped and not a single national outlet has covered the outbreak since Marcus Garvey Academy reopened Monday.

Conspicuously absent from all official statements and media coverage about the outbreak has been any mention of COVID-19, which, according to the CDC, has killed 2,203 children in the past three years. Contrary to all the lies and propaganda emanating from the Biden administration that the pandemic is over, the coronavirus continues to spread and mutate all over the world. While systematic tracking of the virus has been dismantled, some 12,000 excess deaths are still attributable to the pandemic each day globally.

Even if Jimari did not die of COVID-19, his health was almost certainly impacted by it. As of January 2023, the CDC estimates that 96.3 percent of US children (65.7 million kids) have had COVID-19 at least once. The disease is known to potentially damage all organ systems, including the immune system, making those who have had COVID-19 more likely to get seriously ill from other diseases.

Teachers are also at enormous risk. A WSWS independent investigation indicates that by now over 10,000 US teachers have likely died of COVID-19. Many teachers have been infected repeatedly and have therefore likely suffered serious damage to their immune system.

Under these conditions, the policies of the WHO and every capitalist government are social crimes that signal the end of the era of public health and a revival of the Social Darwinist conception of survival of the fittest.

As the WSWS wrote in a recent Perspective column:

The WHOs ending of the PHEIC [Public Health Emergency of International Concern] represents a complete and total abrogation of all modern public health policy, which has centered on preventing and stopping outbreaks of deadly pathogens and fighting for the elimination and eradication of communicable diseases.

The plan by the White House to end the national COVID-19 public health emergency this Thursday is the culmination of the American ruling classs policy of mass infection, first under the Republican Trump and then under the Democrat Biden. Biden has, in particular, relied on the teachers unions, headed by figures like American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, to carry out the barbaric experiment of fully reopening schools without any anti-COVID mitigation measures, thereby subjecting children, teachers and their families to mass infection.

In Detroit, which has been controlled by the Democratic Party for decades, Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Federation of Teachers have remained silent on the death of Jimari Williams and the infectious disease outbreak at Marcus Garvey Academy.

The example of Jimari Williams shows how the population will be treated by the capitalist state and media from now on: Workers and children will get sick and die at school and work and nothing will be done. Causes of death will not even be identified. No one will be told what is happening. Reporting will be suppressed. And when another pandemic emerges, which scientists warn is increasingly likely as climate change deepens, there will be no attempt to stop it. Nothing at all will be done to save lives.

This is what capitalism has in store for workers in the US and around the world.

The only political party that has continuously opposed the deadly, profit-driven response to the pandemic is the Socialist Equality Party, together with its sister parties around the world affiliated with the International Committee of the Fourth International. We call for a socialist public health program, in which workplace safety will be controlled by committees of rank-and-file workers, and in the schools by rank-and-file committees of educators, parents and students.

A network of Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees, including in Michigan, was founded in 2020 to organize opposition and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the schools to save lives. These committees are required now more than ever, as COVID-19 and other pathogens needlessly spread unchecked through schools and other workplaces, and the ruling elites implement ruthless austerity policies to fund massive military budgets.

Fundamentally, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the brutality and irrationality of the capitalist system, which must be replaced with a planned world socialist society in which human needs and public health take precedence over private profit.
New Zealands Labour-led government has been forced into damage control after revelations that a so-called overstayer from the Pacific Islands was detained in a dawn raid on his South Auckland home late last month.

The brutal anti-immigrant practice is still happening despite then Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns official apology to the Pacific community two years ago. The racist campaign, which from 197476 scapegoated migrants for the lack of jobs and a deepening social crisis, saw police and immigration officials carry out a wave of early morning raids targeting alleged overstayers.

In the latest case, the mans lawyer, Soane Foliaki, said police showed up at 5:00 a.m. on April 19, scaring his children and taking him into custody. The man was accused of overstaying his temporary work visa. Immigration NZ admitted the early morning raid was not a one-off.

Foliaki said the family was still asleep, the childrenstaying downstairs in their two-storey rentalwere the first to hear people banging on the door and blocking potential escape routes their dad might take. They were terrified ... and crying and very, very upset and scared, he told Radio NZ.

Immigration NZ said it was rare for officers to show up early in the morning, and the decision was approved by the national manager of compliance. Of 623 customers the agency interacted with between July 2022 and the end of last April, 19 were contacted outside of hours. Of these 10 were Chinese, 4 Indian, 2 Tongan, and one each from Samoa, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Immigration NZ claimed the vast majority of its visits were carried out between 7am and 9pm. However the department previously admitted to Stuff that between May 2020 and May 2021 a total of 223 raids were conducted at private addresses19 of which were between the hours of 6am and 7am.

Tongan church leader Pakilau Manase Lua told Radio NZ the Pacific community was up in arms about the case. This is a complete betrayal of our community, it needs to stop, he said, adding: Being woken up in the early morning by police, treating the father like he was a drug dealer or a common criminal? You know, this guy didnt do anything wrong apart from not completing a form to extend his stay. Thats basically it.

Pakilau denounced the Labour governments fraudulent apology, as lip service. What was that apology all about? ... it was all for show, he said.

Chris Hipkins speaking to the media on April 11, 2023 [Photo: Chris Hipkins MP]

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was quickly forced to announce he did not expect the widely despised practice to be happening. That does concern me. Those arent the sorts of tactics that I would expect us to be using in New Zealand, he declared.

Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced he had written to the chief executive setting out the governments expectation that these sorts of deportations should only occur in extremisin circumstances that absolutely require it We want Immigration NZ to take into account fully the governments apology for the dawn raids and to reflect that in their operational policy, he said.

Wood notably did not instruct his department to stop the practice altogether, telling reporters any authorisation of an out-of-hours operation should be a very, very rare event that has a high level of justification.

In order to hose down continuing widespread anger among working class South Aucklanders, Wood, six Pacific MPs and community leaders then fronted what Radio NZ described as a packed and highly emotional community meeting in the suburb of Otara on May 6.

Labours former Pacific Minister Aupito William Sio called on Pasifika leaders not to disrespect and disregard the historic apology. But Pakilau told him that was not good enough. The apology was for me, my father whos passed away, all of the overstayers that were passed away for the dawn raid. How dare you come and tell me off on my marae [meeting place], he told the gathering.

Wood said the government was considering an amnesty for overstayers but could not say when a decision would be made. I dont want to give a date and set up a false expectation and raise hopes, Ive given a very clear undertaking to people here today it will be soon. Amnesties were a complex issue and official advice needed to be carefully considered, the minister warned.

The episode underscores the hypocrisy of successive New Zealand governments discriminatory immigration policies, particularly regarding workers from the Pacific. Since the early 1960s, low paid workers have been brought in at the demand of big business to fill labour shortages, only to be hunted down and expelled again, along with their families, when no longer required.

Last December, the NZ Human Rights Commission reported that workers in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme were subjected to conditions akin to modern slavery. The program, introduced by the Helen Clark Labour government in 2007, allows for 16,000 Pacific workers annually to work on temporary visas in the $NZ10 billion horticulture and viticulture industries.

RSE workers stay for up to seven months during any 11-month period. They are generally paid the so-called Living Wage, currently $26 per hour, for a minimum of 30 hours per week. The pay rate, marginally above the legal minimum of $22.70, is falsely promoted by the trade unions as what workers need to survive on. It is manifestly inadequate, and workers are subjected to degrading living conditions and draconian employer exploitation.

Heavy restrictions remain on permanent immigration. Islanders desperate to escape economic backwardness and underdevelopment by migrating to New Zealand face a bureaucratic nightmare. An annual open ballot allows for up to 1,100 residency visas to be granted to Samoans, and 650 for other Pacific nations. The quota is being increased to 5,900 to make up for two years of no visas being granted during the height of the COVID pandemic.

The ballots are hugely oversubscribed. In 2019 there were 17,000 applications from Samoa, representing 43,000 peoplenearly a quarter of the island nations population. Overcoming the odds in the ballot is just the startapplicants have nine months to find a job that pays enough to support them and their family. They have to speak good English and there are police and health checks that require expensive fees.

While its own anti-immigrant measures remain in force, Labour last month celebrated the signing of a new agreement that removes long-standing barriers for New Zealanders living in Australia. Under the new rules, those on temporary visas will be able to apply for full citizenship if they have lived in Australia for four years, and no longer have to meet restrictive income thresholds.

Underscoring the deeply cynical approach to immigration policy used by both governments, the agreement had nothing to do with recognising the basic rights of working people but was motivated partly by Canberras desperation to fill labour shortages. More fundamentally, the deal was bound up with the push for closer strategic and military ties between Australia and New Zealand as both countries integrate themselves into US-led war preparations against China.

As part of this agenda, Pacific Islanders face the possibility of being recruited as cannon fodder as the drive to war accelerates. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that former Australian defence officials and some politicians are calling for Pacific Islanders to be allowed to enlist in the Australian Defence Force and offered an accelerated pathway to citizenship, with this also extended to citizens from friendly nations such as New Zealand, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.
German imperialism is not only playing a leading role in NATOs escalation of the war against Russia in Ukraine, Africa, too, is increasingly coming into its focus. The coalition government is aggressively pursuing the goal of increasing Berlins political, economic, and military influence on the resource-rich continent.

At the end of last week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democrat, SPD) visited Ethiopia and Kenya, together with high-ranking business representatives. It was the chancellors second trip to Africa. Last May, he had visited Senegal, Niger, and South Africa. In parallel, Germany is developing its military presence. A few days before Scholzs departure, the Bundestag (federal parliament) initiated a new Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) deployment in Niger.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center-left, and Kenya's President William Ruto, center, stand for national anthems and to observe the honour guard, during a visit to State House in Nairobi, Kenya Friday, May 5, 2023. [AP Photo/Khalil Senosi]

The offensive is not, as official propaganda declares, about the fight against terrorism or even human rights and democracy. It is, as in the past, about geostrategic and economic interests. At the end of the 19th century, German imperialism under Kaiser Wilhelm II claimed a place in the sun, meaning above all the acquisition of colonies in Africa. For German great power aspirations in the 21st century, the continent is once again playing a prominent role.

At a press conference in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Scholz declared, We must prepare ourselves for a world that will be multipolar and in which many countries of the global South will assume great importance.... Africa is of central importance for us in Germany, is of central importance for us in Europe. He said it was part of a long-term political decision, therefore, that I am now once again speaking to heads of state and government here in Africa.

Scholzs entire trip made clear what is at stake. Berlin is trying to secure access to African energy and raw materials and lucrative sales markets and cheap labour in a race with the other major powersfirst and foremost Russia and China, but also its imperialist allies.

Media commentaries speak about this openly. Under the headline Catching up in Africa, tagesschau.de, for example, praised Germanys increasing presence in Africa. The continent was needed politically. In the Ukraine conflict, for example, many African countries have a problem taking a clear stand against Russia.

Above all, however, the topic of business is driving up visitor frequency. In many countries, small and medium-sized businesses were growing, and with them the sales markets. In addition, for the sustained, green transformation of Western industries... important raw materials such as cobalt or lithium are found on the continent. This was also important if the industries dependence on China or Russia is to be reduced.

Scholz and his entourage were working on this agenda on the spot. Germany wanted to increasingly create regular, legal immigration opportunities for those who want to work in Germany, and at the same time we want to push back irregular migration, the chancellor explained at a press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi. He said he saw great potential in Kenya for skilled migration in many areas of our economy.

Kenya is also seen as an important partner in energy matters. For more than two decades, Berlin has been investing in energy projects through institutions such as the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Gesellschaft fur internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Among other things, it was involved in the construction of the worlds largest geothermal plant, Olkaria, which Scholz visited together with Ruto. Now, the German government plans to invest in the development of a hydrogen economy in Kenya.

For his part, Ruto sought further German investment. He said Kenya had already made progress in terms of the economy, so German investors can be made more attractive. He said the investment potential was huge and that he also wanted to point out the geostrategic advantage Kenya represented as an energy hub for investment on the continent. He promised the German business delegation he would provide further incentives so that you can successfully invest in [the] great potentials in our country.

What this means is clear. To attract foreign investment, Kenyas ruling capitalist class will further intensify its attacks on the countrys impoverished and starving masses. In March, Ruto banned the first mass opposition protests against his government. He mobilized 5,000 heavily armed police and the notorious paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU), which used tear gas against protesters and arrested dozens, including numerous members of parliament.

When Scholz speaks of the governments in Kenya and Ethiopia as guarantors of stability and peace in the region, it is pure mockery. In fact, it is about suppressing the growing social and political opposition among workers and youth and pacifying conflicts by force if necessary.

Ruto, who began his career under Kenyas long-term dictator Daniel arap Moi, was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2011. The Hague accused him of inciting murder, forced displacements and persecution in the wake of Kenyas 2007-08 political unrest. According to the ICC indictment, more than 1,100 people were killed and more than half a million forcibly displaced in the process.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whom Scholz courted in Nairobi, even dwarfs Ruto in his crimes. Between 2020 and 2022, under his leadership, the Ethiopian army drowned the Tigray region in blood. It is estimated that some 500,000 people were killed and at least two million people forced to flee. Ahmeds units are accused of massive human rights crimesincluding the rape of 22,500 Tigrayan women at the very beginning of the conflict.

The permanent presence of the Bundeswehr on the continent illustrates that German imperialism does not only seek to enforce its predatory interests in Africa by force through its proxies. On April 28, the coalition government of the SPD, Liberal Democrats (FPD) and Greens, supported by the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), decided on a new military mission in Niger. At the end of May, the Bundeswehr mission in neighbouring Mali, which began around ten years ago, is to be extended for a proclaimed final time by one year.

The German government cites Russias growing influence in Mali and crimes committed by the Malian armed forces as reasons for shifting the focus to Niger. The fact is that the Western occupation forces are hated by the population. Last year, the former colonial power France was forced to withdraw its combat troops from Mali and partially relocated them to Niger.

German politicians references to Malian and Russian war crimes are also intended to conceal the real nature of their own intervention. In fact, the crimes against the civilian population are committed by the same Malian army that the Bundeswehr has been training for about ten years. The imperialist occupation forces are directly or indirectly involved in the crimes and bring nothing but war and terror to the entire region.

In this context, the deployment in Niger, which initially provides for the stationing of about 60 Bundeswehr soldiers, is only the prelude to an ever more aggressive and comprehensive military presence by Germany.

The geostrategic and security environment has also become harsher in the Sahel, in Africa as a whole, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) stated during the Bundestag debate on the Niger deployment. The Sahel was and would remain strategically relevant, especially in view of the Russian presence in the region, he said. It was becoming increasingly important that we are represented in the region, that we remain committed and demonstrate we are there. That included showing presence, including militarily.

Officially, the Niger mission serves to build the capacity of the Niger armed forces as part of a European Union-led military partnership mission (EU Military Partnership Mission in NigerEUMPM Niger). But behind this, German imperialism is seeking to transform the Niger army into a powerful proxy force that will impose the interests of German and European imperialism in a region which boasts significant reserves of uranium, gold, coal, iron, limestone and phosphates.

Pistorius praised the fact Niger wanted among other things, to double its armed forces by 2025, from 25,000 to 50,000 troops. For the country to be able to do that he said, it needs the support of the international community. The Social Democratic defence minister sees the Bundeswehr playing a leadership role in this regard. The German contribution to EUMPM Niger included above all participationthis should also be emphasizedin the missions command structures on the ground.

The text of the mandate adopted explicitly provides for the future expansion of the mission. Among other things, it states that further strengthening projects to support the civilian and military security forces in the Republic of Niger are planned for the coming years.
Carl Icahns Icahn Enterprises (IEP) stock tanked on Wednesday after the company revealed in an SEC filing its under investigation from federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York contacted Icahn the day after Hindenburg Research released a short-seller report accusing Icahn Enterprises of a Ponzi-like structure.

The federal prosecutors sought information about dividends and corporate governance, among other topics, according to an SEC filing released on Wednesday.

Icahn Enterprise shares closed down 15.1% on Wednesday in response to the news and are now down roughly 40% since the report.

Icahn and affiliates own approximately 84% of Icahn Enterprises, according to a release. The slump in IEP shares have sent Icahns net worth down nearly 40%, according to Bloombergs billionaires index.

Hindenburg highlighted IEPs 15.8% dividend yield, which it said is the largest of any U.S. large cap name. Hindenburg argued that achieving that yield isnt being done through legal means and Icahn is taking on too much leverage.

Icahn hasnt spoken publicly since the accusations outside of prepared statements. Icahn released an updated statement on Wednesday.

"Hindenburg Research, founded by Nathan Anderson, would be more aptly named Blitzkrieg Research given its tactics of wantonly destroying property and harming innocent civilians, Icahn said in the statement. Mr. Anderson's modus operandi is to launch disinformation campaigns to distort companies' images, damage their reputations and bleed the hard-earned savings of individual investors. But, unlike many of its victims, we will not stand by idly. We intend to take all appropriate steps to protect our unitholders and fight back.

Billionaire activist-investor Carl Icahn gives an interview on FOX Business Network's Neil Cavuto show in New York February 11, 2014. Icahn has backed off from his campaign urging Apple to increase its stock buybacks, citing the company's recent repurchases as well as an influential proxy adviser's call against his proposal. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS MEDIA)

In Wednesdays filing, IEP said its cooperating and providing documents to federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorneys office has not made any claims or allegations against us or Mr. Icahn with respect to the foregoing inquiry, the filing read. We believe that we maintain a strong compliance program and, while no assurances can be made and we are still evaluating the matter, we do not currently believe this inquiry will have a material impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows."

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Josh is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.

Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks

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From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Centurion Corporation Limited's (SGX:OU8 ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Centurion

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Centurion

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive Joint Chairman of the Board Kim Kang Loh for S$1.0m worth of shares, at about S$0.40 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than S$0.35 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Kim Kang Loh.

Kim Kang Loh purchased 6.39m shares over the year. The average price per share was S$0.37. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Centurion is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Centurion Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Centurion insiders own 21% of the company, worth about S$61m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

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What Might The Insider Transactions At Centurion Tell Us?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Centurion shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Centurion insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Centurion. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Centurion (2 are a bit concerning) you should be aware of.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Products are seen in the window of a Vitamin Shoppe store in New York

(Reuters) -Vitamin Shoppe owner Franchise Group Inc would be taken private by a group led by CEO Brian Kahn in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion, the company said on Wednesday.

Shares of Franchise, which also owns retailer Buddy's Home Furnishings and discount furniture store American Freight, climbed about 3% premarket.

The consortium, which also includes B. Riley Financial Inc and private equity firm Irradiant Partners, would pay $30 per share, slightly above stock's closing price of $29.92 as of Jan. 9, a day before reports of a potential management buyout first surfaced.

The offer price represents an equity value of about $1.05 billion. The company in March disclosed it had received an unsolicited proposal for a buyout, but did not disclose any details about the buyer.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2023, after which Franchise's management team, including Kahn, would continue to lead the company and run its current portfolio of retail brands.

Separately, Franchise reported a near 3% drop in first-quarter revenues to $1.10 billion, hit by weakening demand for discretionary items and home goods as inflation-hit consumers cut back on non-essential spending.

The company, which operates more than 3,000 retail locations primarily located in the United States, also posted a loss for the quarter ended April 1, compared to a profit last year, and withdrew its forecast for 2023.

Franchise last year was in exclusive talks with Kohl's Corp to acquire the department store chain, but Kohl's in July called off the sale citing sinking markets and difficult financing conditions.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shailesh Kuber)
(Bloomberg) -- China picked a little-known local government official as the nations top regulator overseeing the $61 trillion financial sector, in a surprise move after President Xi Jinping unveiled the biggest overhaul of the nations bureaucracy in decades.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Li Yunze, a former banker, was named party secretary of the newly formed national financial supervision and management bureau that regulates thousands of banks, insurers and trust firms, according to an announcement Wednesday.

The 52-year-old is being elevated from his latest post as a vice governor of Sichuan province, where he has served since 2018. He was added to the list of alternate members of the Central Committee  the countrys most senior officials and political elites  last year at the Communist Partys 20th congress meeting.

His appointment may come as a surprise to market watchers, who had expected a pick with more seniority and expertise as Beijing is trying to rein in risk while shoring up growth in the worlds second-largest economy. He vaulted above some expected front-runners for the job, including Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and Zhu Hexin, chairman of Citic Group Corp., a ministerial level financial conglomerate overseen by the State Council.

The decision was far from expected, said Shen Meng, a director at Beijing-based investment bank Chanson & Co. But Li indeed has deep and good relationship with his former managers including Guo Shuqing and Yi Huiman. Markets need more time to know if Li will bring some new thoughts on financial supervision.

In speeches in 2017 and 2018, while a banker, Li stressed the role financial institutions have in supporting economic development and preventing financial risks, according to local media reports. At a symposium with financial institutions in Sichuan late last year, Li urged them to step up support to key areas and weak links to help the local economy. He also called on more targeted and effective efforts to resolve risks.

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The appointment also stands in contrast with leadership changes in March when Beijing reappointed several top economic officials including central bank governor Yi Gang to provide continuity. Analysts had expected a larger reshuffle at that time with officials with international experience to be replaced by men with closer personal ties to Xi but less familiar to global investors.

Still, his insight into provincial government operations and finances may help him tackle long-standing debt risks at the local level. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimated the debt racked up by Chinas provincial governments at $23 trillion  126% of gross domestic product  if their off-budget borrowing is included. Curbing local debt risks was highlighted by President Xi as a key challenge officials must tackle this year.

Li has leadership experience at big banks and held key provincial positions where he oversaw several risky disposal matters, said May Zhao, head of equity research at Zhongtai Financial International Ltd. His experience will be helpful in the ambition of building up a unified system of financial supervision, preventing risks and giving powerful support to the real economy.

The enlarged national regulator was unveiled in March in a bid to step up oversight over the financial sector as authorities pledged to prevent and defuse economic and financial risks this year. The shake-up will give the Communist Party a firmer grip on the sector, and centralize key policy decision-making under Xi in his precedent-defying third term.

The regulator  with a focus on beefing up oversight of financial institutions and cracking down on violations  kicks off its work as an anti-graft campaign in the finance industry gathers steam. Last month, authorities warned bankers of a deepening crackdown on corruption, following a look back at five financial companies as part of a central government inspection in late March.

A native of eastern Shandong province, Li holds a doctors degree in economics. Hes the first cadre among the 1970s generation to reach a ministerial level role at a central government agency.

While he had worked at two of the nations largest state-owned banks before he took the government post in Sichuan, he didnt rise to the top positions. Li most recently served as a senior executive vice president of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. during 2016-2018.

Prior to that, Li was head of a local branch during his more than two decade tenure at China Construction Bank Corp.

--With assistance from Fran Wang, Lulu Yilun Chen and Jing Li.

(Updates with comments in sixth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged big state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to play a key role in its drive to attain self-reliance in technology, raising the stakes in the race amid rifts with the United States.

With many Chinese firms and industries hit by a growing roster of export controls imposed by the United States, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need for self-reliance in technology to prune use of foreign technology.

China aims to turn some state giants into leading tech companies with global influence, the science and technology ministry said, following a meeting with the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

State firms controlled by the central government should play the role of "pillars" in "achieving China's high-level tech self-reliance and self-improvement," Wang Zhigang, the minister for science and technology, was quoted as saying in a statement.

"It is necessary to support central enterprises to meet the major needs of the country, focus on the "strangleholds" areas, resolutely win the battle of key core technologies and effectively maintain national industrial security."

Big state firms should boost investment in basic research, attract more talent, strengthen technological innovation and deepen ties with universities and research institutions, he added on Wednesday.

However, analysts say China's private firms are more innovative than state firms that dominate strategic industries and tend to receive more state subsidies.

Last week, Chinese leaders pledged to build a modern industrial system and achieve technological breakthroughs, in an international race to win the "strategic initiative" amid the U.S. disputes.

China has unveiled a "new whole-nation system", drawing on its political system to pool national resources to support tech projects and break the foreign "stranglehold", drawing on past successes in developing nuclear bombs in the 1960s.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SALT LAKE CITY -- Season:3 -- Pictured: Angie Harrington -- (Photo by: Chris Haston/Bravo via Getty Images)

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Angie Harrington is prioritizing her family and leaving the series after 3 seasons. The RHOSLC star has been a guest or friend on the series for the duration, supporting cast members like Heather Gay and Meredith Marks as they navigate the Salt Lake City social scene.

Angie is married to Chris Harrington, the President of a Utah-based software company. The couple have a large blended family. Both came into to their marriage with children from past relationships, and they now share one son, Hart, together.

Angie will leave RHOSLC to care for her son, Hart

Angie announced she would be leaving Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in order to care for her son Hart. The decision was made after learning he has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In an exclusive with People, Angie explained, I was offered to come back but this is just a time when my family really needs me, and I wasnt able to commit to it. She told of just how difficult things have been for herself and her family in the interview, clearly sharing her vulnerability in order to be as transparent as possible about her situation.

The former dancer shared that her friends and RHOSLC cast members Meredith and Heather have been incredible lifelines during this time. I shared with them that I have to choose my family right now. I already struggle with focus and the show adds another element of stress, Angie revealed.

She candidly explained, I want to be able to give my kids what they need in this moment. And I have to wrap my head around what were doing with Hart in order to know how I can continue forward in my work as well. They were extremely supportive and wonderful.

Angie told in detail that getting a diagnosis for Hart was extremely challenging. COVID-19 played a huge part in being able to secure it. After learning from Harts doctor that he had Autism, Angie explained things were tough to swallow for the couple. It was heavy. We cried. It wasnt the dream we had for our child, but we had to and have empowered ourselves, Angie said.

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With the family supporting one another as they move through this new reality, her RHOSLC family will continue to cheer for Angie, Hart, and the whole Harrington family from the side lines.

TELL US  WILL YOU MISS ANGIE AND HER MEDDLING HUSBAND FROM RHOSLC? SHOULD SHE HAVE COME BACK TO SHARE HER FAMILYS JOURNEY ON SCREEN? OR ARE YOU HAPPY SHES GONE?

The post Angie Harrington Is Leaving Real Housewives of Salt Lake City appeared first on Reality Tea.
"I have caused enough pain for my family. I'm going to have to live with it the rest of my life," the actor says in the trailer for Arnold

Netflix

Arnold Schwarzenegger is addressing his ups and downs in a new three-part documentary.

On Wednesday, Netflix debuted the trailer for Arnold, which follows the bodybuilder, actor and politician's life and career from his childhood in Austria to his time as governor of California and more.

The trailer opens with footage from 75-year-old Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding and weightlifting career in the '60s and '70s, as well as footage from his iconic roles in movies like Terminator 2: Judgment Day and his gubernatorial campaigns.

"People will remember my successes and those failures," the actor says in the trailer.

Elsewhere in the trailer, Schwarzenegger seemingly alludes to his cheating scandal, which led to his 2011 divorce from Maria Shriver. "It was very tough on my marriage, on my relationships with the kids," he says. "I have caused enough pain for my family. I'm going to have to live with it the rest of my life."

Shriver filed for divorce in July 2011 after 25 years of marriage. Two months before the filing, Schwarzenegger publicly admitted he had fathered another son  Joseph Baena, now 25  with the family's longtime housekeeper Mildred Baena. The former couple's divorce was finalized in December 2021.

Chelsea Lauren/FilmMagic Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver in 2011

Schwarzenegger and Shriver have remained unified as a family since their breakup. In September, they posed with son Patrick at a dinner in a photo shared on Instagram in honor of his 29th birthday. They are also parents to Katherine, Christopher and Christina.

The three-part docuseries (each episode is 45 minutes) "chronicles Arnold Schwarzenegger's journey from the countryside of Austria to the highest echelons of the American dream," according to an official synopsis.

Utilizing interviews with the Terminator actor himself, as well as "friends, foes, costars and observers," the series expects to "cover everything from his days pumping iron to his triumphs in Hollywood, his time governing the state of California and both the joys and turbulence of his family life in a tale that matches his larger-than-life persona."

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Related:Chris Pratt Says Arnold Schwarzenegger's Support 'Means the World': 'Really Kind of Mind-Blowing' (Exclusive)

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Schwarzenegger, who served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011, was recently reported to be making his return to action movies after a four-year hiatus from the big screen with an upcoming film called Breakout, per Deadline.

The actor most recently appeared in 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate. He is also makes his first foray into live-action scripted television with his upcoming Netflix series FUBAR, which premieres May 25.

Netflix

Related:Arnold Schwarzenegger Throwback Photos

The docuseries is directed by filmmaker Lesley Chilcott, who previously directed Epix's Helter Skelter: An American Myth docuseries and worked as a producer on the 2006 environmentalist documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Chilcott serves as an executive producer on the series as well, along with Peter Nelson, Lesley Chilcott, Paul Wachter and Doug Pray

Arnold begins streaming on Netflix June 7.

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Read the original article on People.
By Lewis Jackson, Siyi Liu and Melanie Burton

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia exported roughly $40 million worth of copper ore and concentrate to China early this year, Australian customs data shows, a sign of industry hope that trade in the red metal will resume as diplomatic relations improve.

Australian trade data shows exports worth A$60.5 million ($41.04 million) of copper ore and concentrate to China in January, though the cargoes have not appeared in Chinese customs data. It was the first month of exports since December 2020, Australian data showed.

China is gradually easing a raft of unofficial restrictions and tariffs on Australian imports including coal, copper ore and concentrate and barley that were imposed in 2020 at the height of a diplomatic spat over trade, security and the origins of COVID-19.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said last week he would travel to Beijing "very soon" for trade talks with his counterpart after a virtual meeting in February. An unofficial ban on Australian coal imports was lifted in January.

"Any step towards resolving the trade impediments is welcome," Farrell said on Wednesday in response to a Reuters request for comment on this story.

Copper ore and concentrate imports are likely to resume if the talks go well, according to an official surnamed Wang at a Chinese copper smelter, who said smelters want extra supply from Australia. He declined to provide a full name due to the sensitivity of the issue.

In the weeks after China lifted the unofficial coal ban, traders initially sent small shipments to test whether customs would clear coal cargoes.

Australian copper accounted for just 5% of Chinese imports in 2019 but is an important source of supply in what is expected to become a tight global market.

The world's top refined metal producer, China has lifted copper production to a record high this year, propelling demand for the raw material imports it heavily relies on.

Chinese customs did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

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Graphic: Copper comeback? Australian copper returns to China - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/AUSTRALIA-CHINA/TRADE-COPPER/klvygljqnvg/chart.png

Chinese customs data showed just 10kg (22.05 lb) of copper ore and concentrate were imported from Australia in the first quarter of this year, a neglible volume that is roughly in line with what was recorded a year earlier.

Should restrictions end, the trade should return to former levels in time, according to Nick Pickens, global mining research director at Wood Mackenzie.

China imported just over one million tonnes of copper ore and concentrate from Australia in 2019, according to customs data, worth about $1.67 billion at the time.

Australia's centre-left Labor government notched another win last month in its push to remove all trade blocks when both countries agreed to resolve within three months a World Trade Organization dispute over Chinese barley tariffs.

Australian trade data showed A$78,000 worth of barley exports to China in January, the first since November 2020.

($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney, Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Siyi Liu in Beijing; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Beyonces Renaissance World Tour formally kicked off Wednesday (May 10) at Stockholm, Swedens Friends Arena, and of the many surprises the queen had in store for the Beyhive in attendance, one musical nod was truly unexpected.

During the latter half of the concert, Beyonce transitioned into Renaissance cut Thique, while accompanied by French dance duo Les Twins Before launching into the lyrics of the first verse, the iconic instrumental of Britney Spears Toxic  modified with a ticking noise to add depth  chimed in the background ahead of her singing She thought she was killin that sh, I told her, Go harder/ Just look at this alkaline wrist cause I got that water. Fans, naturally, erupted in joyous screams as Bey gave a nod to her fellow pop icon.

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Beyonce Gets Help From 2 Robot Arms for Cozy Choreography on Renaissance Tour Opening Night 05/10/2023 05/10/2023

During the second half of the concert, Beyonce changed into a fashionable bee costume and acted as a news anchor while performing America Has a Problem. The stage was complete with on air signs and a KNTY 4 News desk that featured fellow reporters (her backup dancers). The concert wrapped with a House of Renaissance vogue dance-off, with Beyonce sitting atop the chrome horse pictured on the Renaissance album cover before flying over the stadium with help from suspension chords.

I want yall to give it up for yourselves for being a wonderful audience, she told the crowd as confetti rained from the ceiling and backup dancers congregated onstage for the big finish. God bless you.

The Renaissance World Tour will continue throughout Europe until July 9, with stops in London, Barcelona, Brussels and Amsterdam before heading to Toronto for a pair of dates at Rogers Centre.

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Watch Beyonce sample Spears Toxic here.

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parchman-RS-1800 - Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

A new documentary, Exposing Parchman, looks to shine a light on human rights violations at the Mississippi State Penitentiary known as Parchman Farm. The three-hour film, which was co-produced by Jay-Zs Roc Nation, premieres on A&E on June 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

A trailer shows prisoners complaining about a lack of power and water. Jay-Z comments that people [are] losing their lives and being covered up. It also shows a woman talking about how her son didnt think hed make it, living there, and another talking about how the prison was built on a former plantation with a history of slavery. If this was an animal shelter, people would be going to jail, one man says.

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The film, directed by Rahman Ali Bugg (Washington Heights, Funk Flex Full Throttle, Runs House) looks into the efforts of a team of attorneys lobbying on behalf of Parchman prisoners who are living in inhumane conditions. Their plight became public in 2019 when footage shot on cell phones, which are prohibited, leaked to the media. The scenes of postapocalyptic living conditions reached Jay-Z, who, with Yo Gotti and Team ROC (Roc Nations social justice arm), launched a campaign to help more than 200 prisoners with aid from a group of lawyers who filed multiple lawsuits. The U.S. Department of Justice subsequently found the prison violated the Constitutions Eighth and 14th Amendments. (The former prohibits excessive bail for criminal defendants; the latter guarantees equal protection of the laws to all citizens.)

Interview subjects include Jay-Z, Yo Gotti, Congressman Bennie Thompson, activists Tamika Mallory and Rukia Lumumba, family members of the prisoners, and the legal team.

The incarcerated population in Parchman and their loved ones have experienced immeasurable pain and suffering, so we felt a responsibility to help them share their stories with the compassion and consideration that it deserves, Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, said in a statement. Our hope is that this documentary will educate the public about these torturous injustices, hold the leaders in Mississippi accountable for fostering unconstitutional and inhumane conditions in Parchman, and create swift and comprehensive change to eradicate the states depravity in this prison and disregard for the criminal justice system.

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In January, the attorneys hired by Jay-Z and Yo Gotti dropped two lawsuits against Parchman since conditions had improved. The states Department of Corrections said it had added air conditioning, renovated bathrooms, and new electrical systems.

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Speaking to PEOPLE while hosting the BCRF Hot Pink Party in New York City on Wednesday, the women's health activist marveled over the magnitude of having to plan such a "majestic" affair

Taylor Hill/WireImage

Elizabeth Hurley may have had a little FOMO about not being in England for King Charles' coronation, but she was too busy raising a record $10.3 million for breast cancer!

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively while hosting the BCRF Hot Pink Party in New York City on Wednesday, the English health activist marveled over the magnitude of having to plan such a "majestic" affair.

"I was in America, so I didn't watch it live," Hurley, 57, tells PEOPLE of Saturday's crowning ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey. "I had to watch it delayed and the bits I watched were absolutely gorgeous, just elegant, beautiful and majestic  and I'm so glad I wasn't in charge, can you imagine? Can you imagine how to organize that?"

Although King Charles, 74, became the U.K.'s new monarch immediately upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Sept. 8, 2022, he was officially crowned in a ceremony steeped in tradition. The coronation took place on May 6 at 11 a.m. U.K. time (6 a.m. ET). His wife, Queen Camilla, 75, was crowned Queen Consort during the ceremony.

Related:King Charles and Queen Camilla's Official Coronation Portraits Revealed! See All 4 Regal Photos

JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images King Charles

Despite being away from her native country during the historical event, Hurley said she could feel the energy from overseas, but did feel a little left out from all the activities going on in England. "My friends had their own tea parties and their own watching parties and of course, I felt a bit left out, opposed to watching it later on YouTube! But it looked magnificent."

The bikini designer, who works as a Global Ambassador of the Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign, is doing pretty well at hosting her own galas, however, and helped bring some major star power to support the cause.

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Global artist Diana Ross, 79, performed her top hits "I'm Coming Out," "Stop (In the Name of Love)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Hurley also had the help of fellow Brit and BCRF Co-chair Sir Elton John, who surprised guests with a video message about the extraordinary work the Breast Cancer Research Foundation accomplishes. Founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, the BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world.

"We concentrate so much  and quite rightly  on the women that have been diagnosed and the women that go through treatment, as we should," Hurley tells PEOPLE, "but sometimes, what's always been quite an important part of our program too is being aware of the people around them who are supporting them. The unsung heroes, we call them the unsung heroes."

Related:The Personal Reason Elizabeth Hurley Has Been Helping to Fight Breast Cancer for 22 Years

As for a couple of the organization's own heroes honored during the fundraising gala, the BCRF Board of Directors and Co-chair Kinga Lampart was honored with the inaugural Evelyn H. Lauder Spirit of Philanthropy Award, while Margaret Flinter was presented with The Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Unhung Hero Award, presented by Nicole Seagriff.

Other notable guests in attendance on Tuesday included Candace Bushnell, Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang at The Glass House in NYC.

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New York and Washington public integrity prosecutors from the Department of Justice are looking into allegedly false statements in Santos' campaign finances filings and other claims

MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

New York Congressman George Santos is facing criminal charges from the Department of Justice, according to multiple reports.

The charges filed are sealed at the moment, but the 34-year-old Republican representative is expected to appear in federal court as early as Wednesday, CNN reported. CBS News correspondent Matt Pieper shared on Twitter that Santos is expected to be arrested on Wednesday.

According to the outlet, New York and Washington public integrity prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) are looking into allegedly false statements in Santos' campaign finances filings and other claims.

The congressman's attorney declined to comment to CNN.

The freshman lawmaker filed paperwork for his 2024 reelection campaign in March to keep his District 3 seat, according to the Federal Election Commission website. The district is made up of parts of Long Island and Queens.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN that he will examine the charges before deciding on whether to remove Santos from Congress.

Related:Rep. George Santos Files 2024 Reelection Paperwork amid Criminal Investigations and House Ethics Probe

A bombshell New York Times report found that many of the claims he made on the campaign trail and on his resume were unsubstantiated.

The outlet said Santos misled voters about his level of education, previous jobs and family ties to the Holocaust, news that earned him bipartisan condemnation for misrepresenting himself.

Santos himself acknowledged that he had "embellished" significant portions of his resume, telling the New York Post that he lied about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as he had previously asserted, and about attending Baruch College and New York University (he did not attend college).

In the weeks and months that followed, more mysteries cropped up, like the source of his income, which has seemingly grown by hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.

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Related:George Santos Is Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee, Speaker McCarthy Confirms

Anna Moneymaker/Getty

In 2020, when Santos launched his first, ultimately unsuccessful run for the House, he stated in a financial disclosure that he had no assets and no earned income.

But his financial situation appeared to have markedly improved by the time he decided to launch a second run for the House in 2022, with Federal Election Commission filings showing he lent at least $700,000 to his campaign, and $27,000 to his political action committee.

Santos has said the funds came from his company, the Devolder Organization, which The Washington Post reports was organized just one month before the Republican declared his latest candidacy in 2021.

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Federal investigators are also reportedly looking into claims that Santos once scammed a Navy veteran out of $3,000 meant for his ailing service dog, CNN and Politico reported in February.

Allegations directed at Santos grew, with the lawmaker's ex-roommate saying the freshman congressman once spearheaded a credit card-skimming fraud at ATMs.

Politico reports that the former roommate  Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha  made the allegations in a sworn declaration submitted to the FBI.

Trelha was convicted of the fraud in 2017, according to Politico, and deported to Brazil as a result. In his sworn declaration, Trelha claims, "the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos / Anthony Devolder."

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Getting over The Big D : Meet the ex couples looking for love on USA's new dating show

What happens when your ex "I do" finds a new boo?

Get ready to find out on new reality dating series The Big D, which has been picked up by USA after it was dropped by TBS. Former Bachelorette stars and success story JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers serve as hosts for the addition to USA's "Hump Day" programming.

Six divorced couples will be sent to Costa Rica to find love after devastating heart break. The only catch is that they'll be doing it right besides their ex. They'll have their pick at the other divorcees in the house or they can opt to fight for the love they once had with their now ex-husband or wife.

Dating in a picturesque tropical villa seems to always strike a nerve, but emotions will run especially deep for these couples. They'll have to endure seeing the previous love of their life swap stories (and spit) with a new flame.

The Big D Jojo & Jordan

USA Jordan Rodgers and JoJo Fletcher

Fletcher and Rodgers will be joined by resident relationship expert Dr. Jada Jackson to help guide the divorcees in finding inner peace, closure from their previous relationship, and connections with the other singles. To do so, they'll compete in "ex-ercises." Winning one will get them a romantic date and safety from the upcoming elimination.

Some might try and send their ex home during the elimination ceremony, others may fight for their ex to stay. In the end, the singles will decide who isn't relationship material and vote them out.

Besides the prospect of finding love again, the final couple in a committed relationship will receive a prize of $50,000.

Below, meet the couples, and watch an EW exclusive teaser above.

Ariel Lyndsey (Los Angeles, CA) and Blair Delgado (Clearwater, FL)

The Big D Ariel & Blair

Kareem Black/USA Ariel and Blair

Ariel and Blair were married for four and a half years. Ariel left Blair after he cheated on her and while she's open to rekindling, Blair has moved on.

Casey Costa and Brooks Peters (Lake Tahoe, CA)

The Big D Casey & Brooks

Kareem Black/USA Casey and Brooks

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Casey and Brooks were married for two years. Brooks is still in love with Casey, but she's more than ready to date the other exes in the Big D house.

Alexis Nicole (Atlanta, GA) and Devon Wright (Charleston, SC)

The Big D Alexis & Devon

Kareem Black/USA Alexis and Devon

Alexis and Devon were married for a year. Strained relationships with in-laws and Devon's tendency to start conflicts tore them apart, but both are interested in a second chance with each other.

Dede Lewis and Thakur Wint (Boca Raton, FL)

The Big D Dede & Thakur

Paul A. Hebert/USA Dede and Thakur

Dede and Thakur were married for a year-and-a-half. Thakur is hopeful about winning back Dede's heart, but Dede is looking forward to a new chapter.

Ally Lee and David Mims (Dallas, TX)

The Big D Ally Lee

Kareem Black/USA Ally

The Big D David Mims

Kareem Black/USA Mims

Ally and Mims were married for five years. Ally was unfaithful to Mims, but is open to trying things again.

Gillian Messina (Wilmington, NC) and David Novello (San Diego, CA)

The Big D Gillian & David

USA Gillian and David

Gillian and David were high school sweethearts and married for four years. The pandemic strained their relationship, which led to their divorce, but Gillian is having a hard time letting go.

The Big D

USA 'The Big D' premieres June 14 on USA

Watch the series premiere of The Big D, Wednesday, June 14, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, right after Temptation Island on USA.

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When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, privacy advocates, including me, raised an alarm that data from smartphones could be used to help prosecute abortions. Google offered a partial solution: It would proactively delete its trove of location data when people visited "particularly personal" places, including abortion clinics, hospitals and shelters.

Nearly a year later, my investigation reveals Google isn't doing that in any consistent way. And its response to me shows it isn't taking accountability.

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Misleading the public about data privacy practices is possibly illegal under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission. Google's surveillance of our intimate affairs is not only creepy, it's also a reminder we've left critical elements of our civil rights up to the whims of a giant corporation. (Below, I've got some steps you can take to limit Google's surveillance of you.)

To test Google's privacy promise, I've been running an experiment. Over the last few weeks, I visited a dozen abortion clinics, medical centers and fertility specialists around California, using Google Maps for directions. A colleague visited two more in Florida.

In about half of the visits, I watched Google retain a map of my activity that looked like it could have been made by a private investigator.

For example, last Monday I visited a Planned Parenthood clinic and two nearby hospitals in San Francisco. A week later, my travels to all three locations remained visible in one of my test phones' location history. Looking back on the map, it clearly reads, "Planned Parenthood - San Francisco Health Center."

This didn't happen every time. After I sat for 15 minutes in the parking lots of two clinics south of San Francisco, Google deleted each from my location history within 24 hours. It did the same for my colleague's two visits to clinics in Florida.

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I tested several variables, including how long I stayed at the location, taking photos there, and even tapping a button in Google Maps that says "I'm here." I couldn't discern any pattern to what data Google kept and deleted.

Often, Google kept my location on its timeline but only labeled it as the name of a neighborhood rather than a specific clinic. One time, it labeled my visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic as the coffee shop next door, and kept the record.

I shared my experience, including half a dozen screenshots, with Google. Spokeswoman Genevieve Park didn't address the many inconsistencies and reiterated the company's previous promise.

"If our systems identify that they have visited certain places that can be particularly personal - including medical facilities like counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, and others - we will delete that entry from Location History soon after they visit," Park emailed. She did not specify how Google identifies such locations or how long it takes to delete them.

Google's response to me also placed the onus on individual users. Park said users have the ability to delete their location data and stop the company from collecting it - if, of course, they know where to look in Google's mountain of settings.

I'm not the only one who's spotted Google's failure. Aditi Ramesh, a policy manager with the advocacy group Accountable Tech, has been doing her own version of this test over the last several months and found similar results. In about 60 percent of her tests, Google failed to delete location data.

"No one should be tracked or targeted for their personal health decisions. But that's exactly what Big Tech's business model of surveillance advertising right now is designed to do," Ramesh told me.

For my tests, I adjusted the privacy settings on iPhones and Android phones to allow Google to log my location history, which it stores on its servers and displays on what it calls your Google Timeline.

Google has that setting off by default, but many Google services - from search to maps - try to get you to hand over location data with the promise of a better experience. If you haven't adjusted your settings recently, yours might still be on.

Our data problems with Google go even deeper than location: Depending on your privacy settings, Google can also keep a record of your searches and interactions with its apps.

Google never promised it would proactively delete searches related to abortions. But with this setting on, I found Google kept a record of every single search I made for an abortion clinic and also exactly when and how I sought directions to it.

Privacy advocates say a digital footprint including location could become evidence used to investigate or prosecute people getting an abortion, providing an abortion or helping someone get an abortion.

Today, most criminal cases for abortion start with a human telling authorities, not data. However data can be accessed or subpoenaed later as evidence, which is why a commitment from Google should still be taken seriously.

"We always find out about how data is being used after - and sometimes well after - it happens. One of the goals of privacy protections is to stop the misuse of information before anything occurs," says Jake Snow, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of ACLU of Northern California.

Across the board, Google is increasingly receiving what's known as "geofence warrants," where it's asked to hand over the identities of people known to be in a certain area.

This kind of digital surveillance is also a concern for more than just people seeking abortions. "We've seen parents prosecuted for kidnapping or mistreatment of a child for trying to get them gender-affirming care," Snow said. "It's not hard to imagine that the repositories of digital information companies Google has could be a target in those kinds of prosecutions as well."

Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) is among a handful of lawmakers who have proposed tightening protection for health information, even when it's held by companies like Google.

"Google should uphold its promise to delete this location information and keep people's information private and safe. But it shouldn't be up to companies to do the right thing or to individuals to know how best to protect themselves," says Jacobs.

For anyone who wants to make sure Google isn't following your location: You can see what location information Google already has about you by going to timeline.google.com. To stop it from collecting this information, go to your Google Activity controls page (you'll need to log in), look for Location History and turn it off.

Or another option: Use fewer Google products. Apple Maps, for one, was designed to minimize data collection, and doesn't associate where you go with your Apple ID. Where possible, Apple says, it processes location information only on your end device - not on Apple's servers.

- - -

The Washington Post's Laura Stevens contributed to this report.

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Video: Tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler conducted a series of tests on Google Maps to see if the tech giant is living up to its promise to delete location history data when users visit abortion clinics.(REF:rodmanm/The Washington Post)

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The country star, who celebrated six months of sobriety in January, opened up about his recovery journey in a new interview with CBS Mornings

Sara Kauss/FilmMagic Charles and Cassie Kelley

Country star Charles Kelley is sharing the ways in which his struggles with alcohol abuse nearly cost him his marriage.

The Lady A musician, 41, and his wife Cassie opened up about Kelley's sobriety journey on CBS Mornings, and the couple revealed that a difficult trip to Greece marked the turning point for his alcoholism.

Kelley explained that while on vacation, he and Cassie got into an argument, and he wound up turning to the bottle.

"I just turned my phone off in the middle of nowhere and just took off and stayed up drinking with all these random people I didn't know," he said. "We had got[ten] in an argument, and I had one of those moments where I just was like, 'I'm so sick of being told what to do.'"

The star said that he awoke the next morning at 7 a.m. and called his wife, who had not slept after Kelley "disappeared."

Related:Lady A's Charles Kelley on His Sobriety Journey: 'I've Learned There's Degrees of Alcoholics'

Sara Kauss/FilmMagic Charles and Cassie Kelley

The aftermath of the night was eventually what led Kelley to a month-long stay in a rehab facility, as Cassie  with whom Kelley shares 7-year-old son Ward  said she had plans to meet with a divorce lawyer. It remains unclear when the vacation took place, but Cassie posted a picture of the couple in Mykonos to Instagram last June.

"The next morning I said, 'You need help. You have to deal with this,'" she said on CBS Mornings. "And he said he knew, and he made a plan with his manager and he flew directly from Greece to treatment. But at that point I fully thought I was flying back to the U.S. I was gonna meet with a divorce attorney, like, that was it."

Related:Lady A's Charles Kelley Was 'Crushed' When Wife Cassie Told Him Son, 7, 'Was Noticing' His Drinking

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Kelley and Lady A announced in August that Kelley had "embarked on a journey to sobriety," and the group subsequently postponed a number of tour dates.

In the months since, he has chronicled his journey both on social media and in the lyrics of the song "As Far as You Could," which he released in November. Cassie has also expressed her support for Kelley on social media.

RELATED VIDEO: Lady A Postpones Tour as Charles Kelley Embarks on a 'Journey to Sobriety'

Related:Lady A's Charles Kelley Celebrates 6 Months of Sobriety: 'Woo Hoo!'

She explained to CBS Mornings that alcoholism is a "family disease," and that she's had to put in just as much work as Kelley has during his recovery.

"When he was in rehab and I went out there for family week, one of the first messages you receive is, 'You're gonna have to do just as much work here.' And I remember being so mad," she said. "Like, you did this. And now I have to do all of this work too? But it affects every person in that family system. So I could've chosen not to do the work, but then I have to live with the way that I've been affected and unhealed. So whether Charles and I were in a marriage or not, whether I saw him again for the rest of my life, I still had to deal with what I had gone through."

When asked by host Gayle King why she chose to stay with Kelley, whom she married in 2009, she cited their family unit, and said she did not ever want to be separated from their young son.

She later grew emotional as she told King that she was "really proud" of Kelley, who held his wife's hand and said he was proud of her, too (he also added that he "can't really say I'm sorry enough" to both Cassie and his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood).

"It's not easy to walk through and it's not easy to stay connected and just put your head down and do the work, 'cause it is a lot of work," Cassie said. "And because he keeps showing up every day, I get to keep showing up every day and our family gets to be intact, so I'm really, really proud of him."

The pair then shared a kiss as Kelley said he "couldn't do it without her support."

The musician celebrated six months of sobriety in January, and at the time, Cassie celebrated with an Instagram Video in which she said she was thrilled Kelley had gotten over the "big hurdle" of recovery that is being able to enjoy a vacation without alcohol. They rang in the new year on Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

"Mission accomplished. We had such a great time," she said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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A talented artist from Rhode Island is going viral for her miniature Vietnamese food jewelry that captures the essence of her heritage.

Hana Le, who posts an assortment of miniature crafts on her TikTok account @hana.made, decided to create mini versions of popular Vietnamese dishes to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Les work showcases an array of Vietnamese delicacies, including meticulously crafted bun bo hue, dumplings, spring rolls, banh mi sandwiches, and even a bowl of steaming pho, among many others.

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During a recent appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Le spoke about the meticulous process of creating her miniatures and shared that her father influenced her appreciation for Vietnamese cuisine.

"It's a lot of trial and error," she told host Clarkson. "Luckily I grew up eating Vietnamese food. My dad is an amazing cook and even though I can't cook like him, I make miniatures that look just about the same."

She shared how interacting with the Vietnamese community through social media has been an enriching experience for her. She also notes how comments and messages from fellow Vietnamese individuals who appreciate and admire her work hold a special place in her heart.

Story continues

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Through her designs, Le said she hopes to connect with her Vietnamese roots and celebrate the vibrant culinary traditions of her ancestors.

Pen manufacturer Pilot awarded Le $1,000 in recognition of her talent.

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Le tells NextShark that she began creating miniatures out of an obsession with small things when she was very young.

Sometimes I think its because I was so small! she said. I began to make miniatures in earnest during quarantine and grew my love of the craft from there.

According to Le, she is selling her creations via her Etsy shop, in which she promises that a restock is coming soon.

In an Instagram post, Le thanked "The Kelly Clarkson Show" for "shining a light on my art."
Second grader Nante Niemi disappeared during his family's camping trip in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park on Saturday and was found in "good health" two days later

Hurley School District/Facebook Nante Niemi

Michigan police released details on how an 8-year-old boy survived after going missing for 48 hours while camping in Wisconsin.

Second grader Nante Niemi, who is from Wisconsin, disappeared during his family's camping trip in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. His family reported at the time that he had been walking, gathering firewood for their campsite when he went missing, per a Michigan State Police news release.

Authorities were eventually able to locate the boy two days later, underneath a log about two miles from the campsite and in "good health" thanks to his survival skills.

"A number of you have asked how Nante survived in the woods," MSP tweeted on Monday. "Lieutenant Wickstrom says the boy told them he covered up with branches and leaves for warmth and also blanketed the log he was under."

Getty Images Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

"He didn't have any food but ate clean snow for hydration," MSP continued.

Related:8-Year-Old Missing for 48 Hours in Michigan State Park Found Safe After Sheltering Under Log

MSP went on to say the boy stayed put when he got lost, instead of continuing to walk further into other areas of the woods, where it could have taken police and rescuers potentially even longer to find him.

"He walked a trail (Sunday) and when he ran out of trail, he figured the best thing to do was to just stop and wait," MSP said. "[Officers] offered to carry him out today, but he told the guys who found him that he wanted to walk!"

Related:Boy, 7, Missing After Officials Found His Mother Dead in Water and Brother Alone on Calif. Beach

Police also released a photo of the boy, wearing a purple shirt and dark pants, piggyback riding on equipment in the back of a rescuer.

More than 150 search and rescue personnel from MSP and local police partners, including nine K9s, were searching a roughly 40-square-mile area on foot, and in the air and by water for the boy on Monday as the weather conditions allowed, MSP said, per the news release.

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Hurley School District/Facebook Nante Niemi

One rescuer, Eli Talsma, told ABC News that when they found the young boy on Monday afternoon, he seemed "perfectly fine."

"Nante was just walking around. He was talking. He was asking questions," the rescuer said, noting the boy "said he wasn't even hungry."

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.

Nante's loved ones rejoiced in the happy news, including his elementary school in Hurley, Wisconsin.

"We can't even adequately express our sincere gratitude," the school district wrote in a social media post. "Although our emotions are very raw at this time, we want to acknowledge the extreme outpouring of love and support we received over these past few days! May all those who took part in the search and rescue efforts know that your work will have a positive impact on many lives forever!"

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Read the original article on People.
(Bloomberg) -- Mobvoi, a Chinese artificial intelligence company and smart device maker, has selected banks for a Hong Kong initial public offering that could raise about $200 million to $300 million, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The Beijing-based firm, which last month debuted its own AI large language model, is working with China International Capital Corp. and China Merchants Bank International to prepare for the first-time share sale, said the people. The IPO could take place as soon as this year, they said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.

Considerations are preliminary and details of the offering such as size and timing could change, the people said. A representative for CICC declined to comment, while CMBI and Mobvoi didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

With the early success of OpenAI Inc.s ubiquitous chatbot, AI companies in China are rushing to roll out their own answers to ChatGPT and seeking more funding to fuel the sectors growth. Beijings top internet overseer has published draft guidelines that would mandate a security review of generative AI services such as Mobvois Xulie Houzi platform as well as models from Baidu Inc. and SenseTime Group Inc.

Read More: China AI Stocks Frenzy Loses Steam as Earnings Doubts Creep In

Founded in 2012 by a group of former employees of Alphabet Inc.s Google, Mobvoi three years later attracted the US tech giants first direct investment in China since it withdrew its search engine from the country in 2010. Mobvoi is known to consumers as a maker of products including smartwatches and smart speakers, its website shows. Its AI software is used in services including finance, telecommunications and senior care.

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Along with a strategic partnership with Alphabet, Mobvoi also drew Volkswagen AG as an investor and partner via a 2017 funding round and the forming of a joint venture. It also counts Sequoia and Zhenfund as backers. Mobvoi has roughly 700 employees and has offices in Seattle and Taipei in addition to its headquarters in Beijing, the website shows.

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) urged his party to move on from Donald Trump hours after a civil jury found the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

I hope the jury of the American people reach the same conclusion about Donald Trump, Romney told CNN. He just is not suited to be president of the United States and to be the person who we hold up to our children and the world as the leader of the free world.

At some point when the people who work with you, your cabinet secretaries, and juries conclude that youve done something severely wrong, its time for us to recognize that the great majority of those whove worked with him are right and hes wrong, he added.

Mitt Romney on Donald Trump:



"He just is not suited to be president of the United States." pic.twitter.com/47itHxZxF1  Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) May 10, 2023

Trump is currently the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president in next years election.

Not all of Romneys Republican colleagues share his view, with multiple GOP lawmakers defending Trump even after the jury ruled in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll, who said Trump raped her in a department store in the 1990s.

The jury found him liable  not for rape, but sexual abuse and defamation  and awarded Carroll $5 million in total damages.

In 2016, Romney delivered a speech warning the party to turn away from Trump, whom he called a phony and a fraud. Hes playing the American public for suckers, he said.

When Trump won, Romney infamously had dinner with him, reportedly in hopes of securing the coveted secretary of state gig. He did not get it, but eventually won election in Utah for the Senate, where he has consistently criticized Trump.

Trump has also attacked Romney. In 2016, he slammed him as one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics.

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Romney warned in 2021 that Trump would likely be the Republican nominee should he run again  but said he wouldnt be voting for the former president.

I would not be voting for President Trump again. I havent voted for him in the past, Romney said at the time. I would probably be getting behind somebody who I thought more represented the tiny wing of the Republican Party that I represent.

Related...
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough blasted Tommy Tuberville for a tweet expressing that the civil jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation makes the Republican Senator want to vote for Trump twice.

Tommy Tuberville says the New York verdict where a jury of six men and three women found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse  makes me want to vote for him twice, host Joe Scarborough said. A sexual abuser makes Tommy Tuberville want to vote for the sexual abuser twice.

Tuberville retweeted a tweet summarizing his comment with the caption 100% #MAGA.

Scarborough echoed journalist Peter Wehners tweet connecting what he said to Christianity.

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Morning Joe Calls Out Inhumane Greg Abbott in Wake of Shooting: There Is a Sickness in the State of Texas (Video)

This comment by Tommy Tuberville, who describes himself as a man of Christian faith, is disturbing, even by the standards of this morally depraved era, Wehner wrote on Twitter.

Scarborough doubled down on the morally depraved phrasing of, asking Willie Geist if he could imagine this happening before Trump was elected president.

Can you imagine, Willie  and I know you cant so its really more of a rhetorical question  pre-Trump, anybody saying that a jury of six men and three women finding someone [liable for] sexual abuse  sexually abusing a woman  would make them want to vote for that person twice, Scarborough said. How depraved. Theres just not another word for it. How depraved.

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The View': Alyssa Farah Griffin Says Republicans Who Came for Bill Clinton Have Moral Obligation to Dump Trump (Video)

It is depraved, Geist answered. And hes not alone.

A jury on Tuesday ruled in favor of magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who alleged that Donald Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in 1996. Trump was found liable of sexual battery and defamation, and was also ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

A 48-minute video of Trumps deposition during the defamation case was released Friday last week.
Mother's Day in the U.S. is always on the second Sunday in May, but for those of Mexican, Salvadoran and/or Guatemalan descent, Mother's Day often comes a bit earlier.

Dia de la Madres always lands on May 10 for those who celebrate. It is a tradition passed down from generation to generation.

It is often celebrated by families gathering to pay respect to their mothers. Dia de la Madres is a day to honor the sacrifices, the hardships endured and give space for mothers to be shown the same love and adoration that they give to their families.

Here's more about Dia de la Madres, why it's important to the Mexican culture and how families celebrate with their own Mother's Day traditions.

When is Mother's Day?

Mother's Day, or Dia de las Madres, is celebrated every year on the same date: May 10.

People in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and others in the diaspora across the world observe this holiday and pay homage to their mothers on this date.

The big day: Take mom to one of the most luxe Mother's Day brunches in metro Phoenix this year

Why is Mother's Day different in Mexico?

The United States has it's own Mother's Day traditions. Every second Sunday in May Americans celebrate the national holiday. This has been the American tradition since President Woodrow Wilson declared the first Mother's Day in 1914.

Similarly the U.S., Mexico has its own traditions and observes the holiday on May 10.

Why is Mexican Mother's Day always on the 10th?

Celebrating Dia de las Madres on May 10 is a tradition that started more than a 100 years ago.

In 1922, a journalist named Rafael Alducin called for Mexico as a nation to make a decision on a day to pay respects to Mexican mothers.

The result was for May 10 to be that day and as the Yucatan Times notes Mexico became the first Latin American country to recognize a day to pay homage and recognize the important roles that mothers play.

However, the celebration of motherhood is not a new concept in the continent.

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Indigenous communities across the region, have been built around matriarchs that are foundational to the identities of various cultures. Motherhood and fertility are commonly celebrated and are seen as sacred, with some communities having deities representing their importance.

What is the Mexican tradition for Mother's Day?

Traditions look different across the diaspora of Mexicans. Some are influenced by regions as the culture and identity differs from community to community. Others have generational familiar traditions that are unique and make up their understanding of the value of mothers.

Like the American tradition, gifts are a common way to show respect to mothers. This may look like a shared meal, or an objective with emotional value. It could be something nice that a mom has been eyeing at the store.

Music has a role in paying homage. Songs dedicated to mothers are powerful testaments to the love Mexicans have toward their mothers.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When is Mexican Mother's Day? A guide to Dia de las Madres traditions
This article originally appeared on Climbing

In an attempt to make space for the newsworthy ascents that occur with ever-increasing regularity, our weekly news series tries to celebrate a few outstanding climbs (or interesting events) that for one reason or another caught our attention. We hope you enjoy it. --The editors

David Lama's Avaatara (Finally) Sees Second Ascent

Last week, French climber Victor Guillermin, 17, made the second ascent of David Lama's Avaatara (5.14d), a 115-foot line snaking behind the Baatara Gorge Waterfall, in Lebanon.

I've personally dreamt of this route since first seeing it in Red Bull's 2015 short feature of then 25-year-old Lama, who explored the untouched sinkhole alongside local climber Jad Khoury. Lama, who was killed in an avalanche on Howse Peak in 2019, established Avaatara straight out the belly of the undulating limestone cave, a mouth framed by no less than three natural arches. The blue and orange rock takes the path from a swell in the cave--which is wide enough to form a footpath--through a severely overhanging roof. Framed by a waterfall that drops off another hundred meters below, Avaatara might just be the most aesthetic route I've ever seen. Fittingly, Lama commented, "I guess when it comes to climbs that are just this hard or that are this close to your limit, climbing is almost more of an art than a sport."

Lebanon is abundant in high quality, untouched rock, and I'm glad to see the country getting some well-deserved attention. It very well may be a top climbing destination once more pioneers of the sport, like Lama, sink a few more bolts. --DM

Tristan Chen Makes a Rare Boulder Ascent of The Fly

Tristan Chen, who was diagnosed with Leukemia 12 months ago and whose harrowing treatment and recovery I've written about several times this spring, has made a rare ropeless ascent of Dave Graham's 2001 testpiece, The Fly, a 25-foot two-bolt (or nine-pad) 5.14d (or V13/14) located in Rumney, New Hampshire. Chen's ascent is interesting to me on a number of levels--not least because it's very cool to see Chen (who lost and regained more than 15 percent of his bodyweight last year) crushing again. But I also think his decision to go ropeless gives us an occasion to look back on the evolution of highball bouldering over the past 22 years.

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When Dave Graham first did The Fly, the idea of committing to V13 or V14 sequences 20 feet above an atrocious double-tiered landing was entirely out of the question--thus the bolts. And this concept was quite slow to change, despite the fact that, in 2003, just two years after Graham's ascent, Jason Kehl ferried his Bishop-honed headpointing practices to the East Coast and made The Fly's first boulder ascent. In the decades since, The Fly has by my count been bouldered only once more (by Kevin Jorgeson in 2008)--but its roped ascents far outnumber the ropeless ones. In part, this is a function of accessibility. The landing is awful and requires a number of pads, and using a rope is simply easier. But Chen argues that the problem (which he considers V13), "demands to be bouldered," and adds that "if it was put up today," using a rope would be out of the question. Which is certainly something to think about. --Steven Potter

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tristan Chen (@tchenrock)

A Few Vids That Caught Our Eye

Black Diamond Presents: Supreme Jumbo Love:

Last November Sebastien Bouin made the long-awaited first ascent of Jumbo Love's direct start at Clark Mountain, Nevada. He named it, appropriately, Supreme Jumbo Love, and called it 5.15c--the hardest rock climb in the United States.

In a press release, Bouin described Supreme Jumbo Love as a "really long" effort: the initial 5.12d pitch of Jumbo Love is replaced with a 5.14d; then comes the crux of Jumbo, demanding precise and bouldery pocket pulling; then the meat of Jumbo, "which is really physical and pumpy"; and, finally, 65 feet of inobvious, technical slab that Bouin had fallen on twice before.

Today Black Diamond has released an excellent 30-minute flick profiling Bouin's time on Supreme Jumbo Love and it's younger sibling, and I wholly recommend checking it out as you neglect the day's obligations. --Anthony Walsh

Antigrav Presents: A Little Life

Another (palm-sweat inducing) one from Mellow. Keenan Takahashi makes the FA of A Little Life (V14), in the Buttermilks, which reaches a whopping 35 feet and has crux moves right at the top. Takahashi describes climbing it as "perhaps my best moment ever," which is saying something for a man who has spent the majority of his career taking down hard shit way off the deck. Located just right of Terminus (V12), which Takahashi FA'd in 2016, A Little Life moves from slab to vert to overhanging, culminating in a committing move from what looks like a truly god-awful gaston to a thin slot right below the lip. Forced to shoot his shot early by the weather, Takahashi danced perilously close to disaster, which, of course, makes for an excellent short film. --DM

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The Duke of Sussex made a quick trip to the United Kingdom for the crowning ceremony  and "delighted" his dad by being present

Andy Stenning - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry

After great speculation, Prince Harry supported King Charles on coronation day.

Though the Duke of Sussex, 38, kept a low profile at London's Westminster Abbey during the crowning ceremony Saturday, one fellow guest says what matters is that he was present.

"I am delighted that Prince Harry was there," says Colleen Harris, a former press secretary to the King and his sons, in this week's PEOPLE cover story. "He would have personally regretted it if he wasn't there to support his father. Speaking as a mother, [I believe] it was the right thing . . . and the King [was] delighted."

The Duke of Sussex sat in the third row during the service, which saw his brother Prince William  as the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne  kneel before their father, kiss his cheek and swear allegiance. Meanwhile, Prince Harry watched from his spot behind working royals and near his cousins and Prince Andrew, who was relieved of his duties following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Related:How King Charles' 70-Year Wait Prepared Him for the Throne 'Better Than Any Previous Monarch'

Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty

Although the Duke of Sussex smiled and chatted as he walked into Westminster Abbey with his cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice along with their husbands, he was never seen interacting with his brother or father. He headed to the airport shortly after the coronation, returning home to California to rejoin wife Meghan Markle, daughter Princess Lilibet, 23 months, and son Prince Archie, who turned 4 the same day  and wasn't invited to join the family during the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance that followed the service.

Buckingham Palace announced in April that Prince Harry would attend his father's crowning ceremony while Meghan, 41, stayed in California with their two children.

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A source close to the royal household told PEOPLE ahead of the coronation of Harry's decision to attend the historic event, "He will look back on it and think it is better to come and play his part and say, 'I saw my father crowned.' And tell his children about it."

Related:Meghan Markle Goes for a Hike with Friends in California After Prince Harry Attended Coronation Solo

Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty

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Given the long road to the throne and family strain around Spare, Prince Harry's tell-all memoir released in January, few would have faulted King Charles, 74, for relishing his long-awaited (and literal) crowning moment. But the King set a tone of somber responsibility with his first ceremonial words: "I come here to serve, not to be served."

With the ceremony successfully behind him, the monarch can once again turn his focus to setting the course of his reign and bringing unity to the U.K. at a time when anti-crown sentiment is on the rise. (A recent poll found that only 58 percent of Britons want to keep the monarchy, and dozens of protesters were arrested on the day of the ceremony.) Those who know him, however, say he's uniquely suited for the challenge.

"He's known his country, and indeed the world, better than any previous monarch, because he's traveled . . . far and wide," Paddy Harverson, Charles's former communications secretary, tells PEOPLE. "He has built up a huge amount of knowledge, experience, wisdom and connections, and he will bring all of that to the job."

Related:Every Photo from the Coronation of King Charles III

The long wait, now over, has better prepared him, agrees King Charles' biographer Sally Bedell Smith.

"If he'd come to the throne 20 years ago, maybe he would have been more impatient or . . . felt more hindered than he does now," she says. "Now, because he has such an extraordinary legacy, [he can focus on] binding people together . . . and finding common ground."

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Read the original article on People.
Netflix has been diving headlong into the lives of powerful queens, and its newest four-part docuseries on Cleopatra is no exception. Queen Cleopatra delves into the life of one of the most iconic Egyptian queens to ever walk the planet. The series, which drops May 11, is definitely intense, and features Cleopatra (played by actress Adele James) saying things like I would die for Egypt and I am a god.

In case youre not already familiar, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt after her father, Ptolemy XII, died in 51 BC, per Brittanica. She was Egypt's last monarch before it became a province of the Roman empire, and she was very famous for her successful political, er, alliances.

The new docuseries delves into Cleopatra's various relationships with important, high-ranking Roman men, including her affair with Julius Caesar and marriage to Mark Antony. The Egyptian queen was incredibly smart, speaking at least eight different languages, and strategically savvy about her connections with these powerful men. She came to the throne at a time when women were not usually afforded much agency, and used these alliances to her benefit.

BTW, Cleopatra was likely married three times over the course of her life (including a marriage to at least one of her younger brothers), which makes for a very bizarre and fascinating history lesson.

But who were all of Cleopatras husbands, and whats the deal with her famous lovers? Pull up a seat. Theres some serious tea coming your way.

She likely married her brother 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII

Husband No. 1 is believed to have been her brother, Ptolemy XIII.

After her father, Ptolemy XII, died, the throne of Egypt passed to Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, Brittanica reports. Its believed that Cleopatra, who was 18 at the time, married her 10-year-old brother at this point (although this hasnt been proven). Not long after, Ptolemy attempted to depose his sister Cleopatra, and she was forced to flee Egypt for Syria. There, she raised an army to fight her brother.

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Cleopatra was romantically (and politically) involved with Julius Caesar.

Photo Researchers - Getty Images

After being ousted from Egypt, Cleopatra sought help from Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Empire, whose army's strength could help her regain her throne. The two quickly became lovers and Caesar did, in fact, help her take her throne back from her brother, according to the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE). Ptolemy XIII later died while crossing the Nile River as he fled from Cleopatra and Caesar's forces, Brittanica says.

Queen Cleopatra had now established a strong political alliance with Caesar. And perhaps to sweeten the deal (and keep Caesar close to her), Cleopatra soon gave birth to Ptolemy Caesar, aka Caesarion, who is believed to be Caesar's son, in June 47 BC.

She married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV.

That makes husband No. 2. Despite her ongoing affair with Caesar, Cleopatra married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, Brittanica says.

Despite her marriage, her relationship with Caesar appeared to continue. She paid at least one state visit to Rome with Ptolemy XIV, where she stayed in Caesars private villa by the Tiber River.

Cleopatra later married Mark Antony.

Stock Montage - Getty Images

Here comes husband No. 3. When Caesar was murdered in Rome in 44 BCE (you'll remember the famed "Et tu Brute?" stabbing scene), it jeopardized Cleopatras political standing and hold on international power. Her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV died shortly after Caesar, and Cleopatra began to rule Egypt alone.

Mark Antony was the assumed heir of the Roman empire and in the aftermath of Caesar's death, he demanded to see Cleopatra. She sailed into town in a barge while wearing robes that portrayed her as the goddess Isis, Brittanica says. Antony was hooked and went to Alexandria with Cleopatra, leaving his third wife Fulvia in Rome, and the two eventually married, History reports. The couple had three children, including twins named Alexander and Cleopatra. The couple eventually went to battle against Caesars adopted son, Octavian, for succession of the Roman empire, per ARCE.

Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Mark Antony famously fell on his sword after hearing the (false) news that Cleopatra had died, Brittanica says. Cleopatra died not long after, and its thought that she killed herself after being bitten by a venomous snake called an asp.

brandstaetter images - Getty Images

I don't know about you, but this sounds like the original inspiration for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

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As she signed a bill into law Wednesday that would allow physician assistants to practice without a supervising doctor, Gov. Kim Reynolds defended controversial legislation passed this session, arguing an influx of residents shows Iowa is on the right path.

"Our national profile is rising," Reynolds said at Washington County Hospital Wednesday afternoon after signing House File 424. "We're reducing taxes and regulations. We're building out our health care system. We've been recognized as a Top 10 state to live by U.S. News and World Report.

"Top 10. Iowa. So I am excited about what is happening and I'm excited about our future.

The Republican-dominated Legislature gave Reynolds a host of victories this session, passing much of her agenda, including controversial bills such as a ban on gender-affirming care for children, taxpayer-paid savings accounts for private schooling and a ban on books describing or visually depicting a sex act in the state's schools.

During the signing of House File 424, Reynolds called the bill a way to remove the legal tie between physician assistants and physicians, part of her administration's larger efforts to boost the states strained health care workforce.

She also signed another bill in Bettendorf Wednesday afternoon establishing an apprenticeship division within Iowa Workforce Development.

She said she had no concern that recent Republican legislative victories would make some see Iowa as a less friendly state.

She said U.S. Census Bureau data shows that Iowa has seen more people come to the state, while nearby Illinois and Minnesota  which both have Democratic governors  have seen people leave. She said Iowa saw 7,000 people move into the state, while Minnesota lost 17,000 people and Illinois 280,000.

"I believe that's low. You're going to continue to see those numbers grow, so I'm really excited," Reynolds told reporters.

The figures correlate to Census Bureau data for July 2021 to July 2022. The bureau notes that Iowa saw a growth in net migration because of international migration, but it lost residents domestically.

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What's in the new physician assistant law?

The new law, House File 424, which passed the Iowa Legislature earlier this month, removes the state mandate that physician assistants maintain a legal relationship with a physician to practice in the state. It also stipulates physician assistants are legally responsible for the care they provide.

This move aligns regulations for these providers with nurse practitioners, who have a similar scope of practice but fewer hours of training and aren't required to be supervised by a physician.

It's estimated 1,300 physician assistants are practicing in Iowa.

Gov. Kim Reynolds poses for a photo after a bill signing for House File 424, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the Washington County Hospital in Washington, Iowa.

With this move, Iowa joins five states that have removed the legally mandated relationship between physician assistants and doctors, according to the American Academy of Physician Associates.

Health systems could still choose to require its physician assistants to be overseen by doctors. Republican lawmakers said during the session that the bill would be a boon for rural health care.

Iowa communities are facing a serious health care provider shortage, and House File 424 will ensure that the health care system has the necessary choice and flexibility to meet the needs of Iowans," Sen. Dawn Driscoll, R-Iowa, the bill's floor manager, said April 20 during Senate debate.

Physician assistants say mandate had hindered job prospects

Some medical groups pushed back against the legislation during the session, raising concerns that loosening oversight could lead to poorer health care for patients. Lawmakers compromised by adding supervision requirements for a physician assistant with less than two years of experience who plans to open an independent practice.

About 60% of graduates from Iowa's five physician assistant programs leave the state after graduation, according to the Iowa Physician Assistant Society, which lobbied for the bill.

The new law comes after Reynolds previously signed a law limiting the amount of money Iowans can receive for pain and suffering in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Tort reform was huge," she said to reporters Wednesday. "That was driving physicians and health care professionals out of the state as well. We were an outlier, so that will help us retain and attract.

The Medical Liability Monitor, a specialty publication that focuses on medical malpractice insurance rates, lists Iowa as the fifth-lowest state in the country for medical malpractice insurance rates across all medical specialties.

Bill creates new state apprenticeship designation

Reynolds also signed Senate File 318 into law Wednesday afternoon. The law creates the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship, a new division within Iowa Workforce Development that will regulate apprenticeship programs.

The law also requires licensing agencies to grant an occupational license to anyone who successfully completes an apprenticeship and passes necessary examinations.

Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks with reporters after a bill signing for House File 424, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the Washington County Hospital in Washington, Iowa.

Sen. Adrian Dickey, R-Packwood, said the bill will provide new opportunities to young people who want to learn a trade. Apprentices must be at least 16, under the law.

Many students and adults have no interest in attending college altogether  and there is nothing wrong with that, Dickey said. Many Iowans are simply interested in just working. They want to gain valuable on-the-job training in a practical field that they find interesting.

Democrats opposed the bills passage, arguing it would allow the Office of Apprenticeship to approve apprenticeship programs that do not meet federal standards.

The approval of apprenticeship programs that do not meet (Department of Labor) requirements risks empowering second-rate training programs that water down quality and safety, Sen. Todd Taylor, D-Cedar Rapids, said in a statement.

Lawmakers passed another bill, Senate File 542, that allows teenagers to work longer hours and take jobs that were previously banned, if the job is part of a work-based learning or apprenticeship program. Reynolds has not yet signed that bill into law.

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Oversight of physician assistants in Iowa loosened under new law
Survivors ready GO! And keep going.

CBS has announced that two popular, longtime reality competition franchises will be supersized this fall. Survivor and The Amazing Race will air 90-minute episodes on Wednesday nights all season, instead of their customary hour-long installments. Survivor will air from 8-9:30pmET while The Amazing Race will follow from 9:30-11pmET.

The move helps protect the CBS schedule in the event that the current writers' strike continues into and through the summer, when writers' rooms on network shows are normally in full swing. The last writers' strike in 2007-2008 lasted 100 days, and there is belief among some that the current work stoppage could go even longer.

Helen Li and Jeff Probst on "Survivor 44'

Robert Voets/CBS Helen Li and Jeff Probst on "Survivor 44'

Fans  and many in production  have long clamored for extended Survivor episodes. CBS has experimented in the past by occasionally airing 90-minute installments and two episodes back-to-back in a two-hour block. On Sept. 28 last fall, the network gave a preview of things to come by airing 90-minute episodes of Survivor and The Amazing Race together. The 35th season of The Amazing Race, which will air in the fall, was shot last year, while Survivor 45 is currently filming in Fiji.

While both shows always have plenty of extra material  Survivor shoots 24 hours a day  it will be interesting to see if there are any format changes to either series to account for the extra time now available on screen. For example, will Survivor start staging more reward challenges now that they have approximately 20 more minutes of non-commercial time to play with?

Phil Keoghan on 'The Amazing Race'

Michele Crowe/CBS Phil Keoghan on 'The Amazing Race'

These are not likely to be the last moves made by network reality TV if the writers' strike continues. Disney has already announced that Dancing with the Stars is heading back to ABC, and there is always the possibility of the ultimate schedule-filler coming into play. That would be Big Brother, which in its 23-year history on CBS has aired anywhere from three to six times a week. During the last writers' strike, the network rushed a special spring season onto the schedule to help fill gaps, and there is also the chance of another celebrity edition of the show, which CBS has aired three times.

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But even without the writers' strike, the move to longer Survivor and Amazing Race episodes makes scheduling sense. In its currently airing 44th season, Survivor remains Wednesday night's highest-rated program in the advertiser-friendly 18-49 demographic, and The Amazing Race has been a solid, if unspectacular, performer throughout the years, even as CBS has moved it around its schedule into different seasons of the year and different nights of the week. If the shows perform well in the fall at their new extended runtimes, the move to 90 minutes could be permanent.

For Survivor fans, to have that extra footage given and then taken away would be perhaps the most devastating blindside of all.

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Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos will no longer attend a gala meant to honor him next week in New York. The decision comes as labor issues grab headlines across Hollywood.

Sarandos was set to accept the Business Visionary Award at the annual PEN American Spring Literary Gala, alongside fellow honoree Lorne Michaels and a host of literati including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Susan Choi, Jennifer Egan, Min Jin Lee, Jay McInerney and Gay Talese. Hes skipping the event, to be held under the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History, as many industry celebrations weigh how to address the writers strike.

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Given the threat to disrupt this wonderful evening, I thought it was best to pull out so as not to distract from the important work that PEN America does for writers and journalists, as well as the celebration of my friend and personal hero Lorne Michaels. I hope the evening is a great success, Sarandos told Variety in a statement.

This gala honors contributors in fields like literature, the arts, journalism, publishing, film and other endeavors  as well as those who have demonstrated remarkable courage by standing in the face of adversity for free expression.

We admire Ted Sarandos singular work translating literature to artful presentation on screen, and his stalwart defense of free expression and satire. As a writers organization, we have been following recent events closely and understand his decision, PEN America said. Our gala program, with honorees including Saturday Night Lives Lorne Michaels and emcee Colin Jost, will center on the escalating campaign of book bans in this country, tightening constraints on satire and comedy and support of threatened writers worldwide. We look forward to a moving and inspiring event that will fuel our fervent work on behalf of free speech.

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Michaels, legendary creator of Saturday Night Live, will accept the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award. Past honorees across categories include President Barack Obama, Ava DuVernay, Bob Woodward, Stephen King, Patti Smith, the late Toni Morrison and Stephen Sondheim and Zadie Smith.

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(Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc. is nearing a deal to sell most of its Banamex retail operations to Grupo Mexico SAB for roughly $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Mexican conglomerates shares dropped by the most in almost four months.

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The Wall Street giant will retain a portion of the unit, and will have the option of later selling it to Grupo Mexico or listing it on public markets, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.

Citigroup last year announced that it was looking to dispose of the consumer, small-business and middle-market banking divisions in Mexico, while holding on to the institutional operation.

Grupo Mexico shares fell more than 5% in Mexico City, extending earlier declines after Bloomberg News reported the deal. That put them on track for the biggest one-day drop since mid-January.

Grupo Mexico, controlled by billionaire German Larrea, is one of the worlds largest copper miners and also runs railroads as well as an infrastructure division, but investors have been concerned about its venture into the unrelated business of banking.

Several bidders have been vying for Banamex for months. Investors are closely watching Citigroups progress on the divestiture, because the New York-based firm has said any potential deal will temporarily hurt capital levels. That has led the bank to hold off on restarting share buybacks in recent quarters.

Citigroup executives have long stressed that they were exploring both an initial public offering or a sale for the unit, which is part of Chief Executive Officer Jane Frasers broader strategy of disposing of more than a dozen international consumer divisions to refocus Citigroup on institutional offerings and the firms US retail business.

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Representatives of Citigroup and Grupo Mexico declined to comment.

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CHICAGO - Four people have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a 24-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer, department officials announced Wednesday.

Officer Areanah Preston, 24, was in uniform and returning home from work early Saturday when four men in a stolen vehicle pulled up and ran toward her while armed, Interim Superintendent Eric Carter said in a press conference.

One man fired at Preston, who fired back, he said. The men continued to shoot, stole Preston's weapon and fled the scene.

Another officer responding to a call of an unrelated traffic crash near the scene of the shooting later found Preston, Carter said. She was taken to a hospital, where she pronounced dead, he said.

The four people charged are Trevell Breeland, 19; Joseph Brooks, 19; Jakwon Buchanan, 18; and a 16-year-old minor. The minor will be charged as an adult, Carter said.

They are connected to multiple other alleged crimes in the hours leading up to the murder and will also be charged with armed robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and weapons violations, Carter said.

The Chicago Police Department held a vigil and balloon release for Preston on Tuesday.

"She was a beloved daughter, sister and friend who wanted to make a difference in this world. Those who knew her would tell you thats exactly what she did," Carter said.

Incoming mayor promises 'safer Chicago'

Both outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson released statements sending their condolences to Preston's family.

"That a public servant was killed in the middle of the night underlines the fierce urgency of the public safety crisis in our city," Johnson said Saturday. "My top priority is building a better, stronger, safer Chicago where all our residents can live and work free from the threat of violence."

Police Officer Areanah Preston was killed in Chicago, Illinois, on May 6, 2023.

Officers in US being shot at higher rate than a decade ago

Earlier this year, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, warned police officers are being shot at a higher rate than a decade ago, calling it a "disturbing trend."

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Last year, 64 officers were fatally shot in the line of duty, according to a report from the organization.

Dig deeper on Chicago

A 'disturbing trend': More police are dying from gun violence today than a decade ago

Adam Toledo: Head of Chicago police recommends firing for officer who fatally shot 13-year-old

A corrupt Chicago cop destroyed lives. Now victims want justice.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago police Officer Areanah Preston: 4 charged in killing
An Army sergeant convicted of murder in the fatal 2020 shooting of an armed Black Lives Matter protester during a demonstration in Austin, Texas, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday, even as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seeks to grant him a pardon.

Attorneys for 35-year-old Daniel Perry asked a judge to consider giving their client a 10-year sentence for the murder of Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, citing Perry's lack of criminal history and presenting evidence that he has post-traumatic stress disorder from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

But Travis County, Texas, Criminal Courts Judge Clifford Brown rejected the plea for leniency and sentenced Perry to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors have asked Brown to consider a sentence of at least 25 years.

PHOTO: This booking photo provided by the Austin, Texas, Police Department shows U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry. (Austin Police Department via AP)

"This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat. He's going to do it again," Travis County Assistant District Attorney Guillermo Gonzalez told Brown during Tuesday's hearing.

Brown announced his sentencing after Foster's mother and sister testified Wednesday morning.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit here facing the evil that killed my son, sitting here thinking how surreal it is that this is happening, finally. After three long years, we're finally getting justice for Garrett," Sheila Foster testified.

Anna Mayo, Garrett Foster's sister, testified that her brother was an U.S. Air Force veteran who comes from a family of military combat veterans, including her father.

"When I look at you, I see a very small man who used his military status as a means to kill," Mayo testified, speaking directly to Perry, who sat at the defense table wearing black and gray striped jail clothes and with his head bowed down. "I do not see any honorable traits and I see no remorse for what you've done. You can't even look at my family."

Perry, who was an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant based in Texas at Fort Hood, was working as a driver for a ridesharing company when he drove onto a street crowded with protesters on July 25, 2020, in downtown Austin.

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Foster, 28, who was white, was pushing his fiancee Whitney Mitchell's wheelchair during the Austin protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis when authorities said protesters surrounded Perry's ridesharing car. Foster, who was legally wielding an AK-47 rifle in accordance with Texas' open carry law, was fatally shot when he approached Perrys vehicle, according to prosecutors.

MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seeks pardon for man convicted in murder of Black Lives Matter protester

During the trial, defense attorneys argued that Perry fired at Foster in self-defense, alleging the protester pointed the rifle in his direction. But prosecutors argued that Perry could have avoided the fatal confrontation by simply driving away and witnesses testified at the trial that Foster never raised his rifle at Perry.

After a jury convicted Perry of murder on April 7, Abbott said he was working as swiftly as Texas law allows to pardon Perry.

PHOTO: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott holds a news conference as members of the Texas National Guard prepare to deploy to the Texas-Mexico border, May 8, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP)

Abbott criticized both the jurys decision to convict Perry and Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza for pursuing the case.

"Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney," Abbott said in a statement.

MORE: Timeline: The impact of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis and beyond

During Tuesday's hearing, prosecutors called Mitchell, who lost both her legs to sepsis, to the witness stand and she gave emotional testimony of how difficult her life his become since losing Foster, her primary caregiver.

"It's hard to sleep in my bed because he's not there. To have to learn how to do all of that stuff that Garrett was doing for me for a decade, and it's hard because I have to get comfortable being vulnerable," Mitchell testified, according to ABC Austin affiliate station KVUE.

Defense attorneys called forensic psychologist Greg Hupp to testify. Hupp said he believes Perry suffers from PTSD and has personality characteristics consistent with an autism spectrum disorder.

Following the trial, Judge Brown unsealed court records revealing racist messages and anti-protest sentiments Perry posted on social media prior to the shooting. In one of the social media posts, Perry wrote, "Black Lives Matter is racist to white people ... It is official I am racist because I do not agree with people acting like monkeys."

During the two-week trial, the jury did not see or hear Perry's social media posts.

Two soldiers, Ronald Wilson and Traveon Napper, who served in the Army with Perry were called to the witness stand Tuesday and both testified that Perry, in their opinion, is not a racist. Wilson testified that sharing such social media posts was a way to cope with the daily stress of serving in the military.

Perry's mother, Rachel Perry, also took the witness stand, testifying her son has shown remorse for the fatal shooting.

"He cried a lot when this happened," Rachel Perry testified. "His intention was just to protect himself, not to go out and shoot anybody."

Following Perry's conviction, his attorneys requested a new trial, citing juror misconduct. The defense attorneys alleged jurors brought outside information into the jury deliberation room concerning self-defense law during their deliberations.

Judge Brown rejected the motion for a new trial.

Perry's attorneys said in a statement that they will appeal the verdict and "are now in a position to fully cooperate in the Texas pardon process."

"In short, in the event Sgt. Perry might ultimately receive a pardon, it would simply reflect the strong self-defense laws that exist in Texas and the political efforts of a rogue district attorney to curtail the rights of Texas citizens in an effort to appease the district attorney's own political supporters," the defense attorneys said.

ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.

Soldier who killed BLM protester called 'evil' as he is sentenced to 25 years originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Grab your hiking boots. West Virginias rugged terrain and panoramic waterfalls are waiting.

West Virginia Tourism

Boasting more than 200 panoramic waterfalls, West Virginias rugged terrain is one of the most breathtaking in the South. The Mountain State tempts hikers and adventurers to explore at every turnthe 35 state parks and six national parks within its boarders means lush landscapes and await all around.

Here youll find all sorts of waterfalls, whether youre an experienced mountain climber or just in search of a leisurely walk among trees and rivers. Youll discover breathtaking cascades of all shapes and sizes throughout the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains. Its enough to turn you into a burgeoning nature photographer.

Grab your hiking boots and a waterproof camera. Its time to see why everyone calls West Virginia "almost Heaven."



Blackwater Falls

West Virginia Department of Tourism

Blackwater Falls State Park: Davis, West Virginia

Blackwater Falls is named for the color of the river due to the hemlock and red spruce needles that stain the water. Its also the most well-known and most-photographed waterfall in the state. Tucked within the stunning Allegheny Mountains in Tucker County, its the namesake for the Blackwater Falls State Park. Families with children or anyone that wants a simple walk on a sturdy boardwalk will appreciate the wide path and railings. Its a jaw-dropping waterfall cascading over a 57-foot drop.

Cathedral Falls

Dennis Govoni/Getty

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Lansing, West Virginia

Prepare to spend some time gazing at Cathedral Falls near Gauley Bridge. Its one of the highest waterfalls in the state. The Cane Creek drops an astounding 60-feet. This wonder is really easy to find, right along Route 60. In fact, you can even see it from the road (and even the parking lot). To really experience it, take the simple hike where you can stand at the foot of the waterfall and take in all the noise and power.

Butcher Branch Falls

West Virginia Department of Tourism

Cathedral Falls: Gauley Bridge, West Virginia

Are you up for a bit of a hike? Butcher Branch Falls, located near Fayetteville in Fayette County, is a powerful reward after a half-mile trek. If it rained recently, youll be welcomed by a roaring fall over a 40-foot drop. To find Butcher Branch Falls, youll need to hike down the Butcher Branch Trail and find the sign that says climbing access. Be careful: Its pretty steep and rocky.

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Drawdy Falls

taylorphotography/Getty

Drawdy Falls: Peytona, West Virginia

For a smaller, more relaxing oasis, check out Drawdy falls in Boone County. It feels secluded, but its actually surprisingly accessible and easy to find. They sit right off of Route 3 and spill over 6 feet of rocks and boulders. Bring a picnic basket; youll enjoy the rocky views of scenic Drawdy Creek as you relax with your lunch.

High Falls Of The Cheat

West Virginia Tourism

Monongahela National Forest : Huttonsville, West Virginia

These short waterfalls are worth a visit. Nestled within the Monongahela National Forest, this pair of waterfalls shows off best in the fall, when the leaves are changing to bold oranges and reds. The Cheat river snakes through Shavers Mountain and crests over a smaller, 20-foot drop. Its a bit of a challenging hike to find the High Falls of the Cheat, but the view at the end is worth it.

Elakala Falls

Gabriela Herman

Blackwater Falls State Park: Davis, West Virginia

Blackwater Falls isnt the only waterfall in the Blackwater Falls State Park. Elakala Falls includes four different waterfalls that pour down a 35-foot drop. Finding them requires a bit of a hike, and you can hear the roar of the falls as you get closer. In fact, the Elakala Trail leads you to a wooden bridge that lets you walk directly above the first waterfall.

Brush Creek Falls

Mike Kline (notkalvin)/Getty

Brush Creek Falls: Athens, West Virginia

The Bluestone River in Mercer County feeds right into this well-known natural gem. Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts of all skill levels enjoy the quarter-mile hike to the picturesque cascade. Brush Creek plummets over 33-foot falls and meets the Bluestone River. At the end of the hike, walk right up to the railing and take in the beauty of the waterfall.

Turkey Creek Falls

West Virginia Tourism

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Lansing, West Virginia



Whats more West Virginia than a name like Turkey Creek Falls? It might have a quaint name, but its an enchanting place to take in the beauty of The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The water flows and drops down 8 feet. Since you have to hike through Hawks Nest State Park to get to it, youll get to check two parks off your list at once. This is a calmer waterfall, with water cascading down rocks in multiple locations along Turkey Creek.

Oglebay Falls

Kenneth Keifer / 500px / Getty

Oglebay Park Falls: Wheeling, West Virginia

Choose your own adventure to see Oglebay Falls. Take the easy route and walk along a shallow stream and up some wooden steps to a sturdy viewing platform. Or challenge yourself a bit and follow a 0.8-mile hike along the Falls Vista Trail. Either way, explore the Northern Panhandle and snap photos as the waterfalls drop not once but twice over moss-covered rocky shelves.

Coonskin Grotto

West Virginia Tourism

Coonskin Park: Charleston, West Virginia

The Coonskin Grotto is a hidden waterfall just outside of the capital city of Charleston. The Elk River flows right into a sandy cave, and with a little careful hiking, you can splash around inside of it. The sandstone cave gives you a feeling of seclusion and provides protection against the heat of summer. Its a treasure that locals near Coonskin Park just call the Grotto but youll probably call it incredible!

Pendleton Falls

West Virginia Tourism

Blackwater Falls State Park: Davis, West Virginia

Also called The Falls of Pendleton, these are a smaller set of waterfalls within the Blackwater Falls State Park. They are idyllic and impressive, boasting a 20-foot drop. The Pendleton Run crashes into the Blackwater River over slippery moss-covered boulders. To get up close to them, youll need to hike down a steep trail. Otherwise, you can also see them from a safer roadside overlook.

Kanawha Falls

West Virginia Tourism

Kanawha Falls: Glen Ferris, West Virginia

The smaller Kanawha Falls are an easy stop on a West Virginia road trip. You can see them on Route 60. This is where the New River and Gauley Rivers converge. What they lack in height, they make up for in width. Even though they only fall about 15 feet, they span the entire length of the river, giving photographers plenty of chances for poster-ready shots.

Sandstone Falls

West Virginia Tourism

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Lansing, West Virginia

As the name suggests, the Sandstone Falls really do crash and tumble over smooth sandstone! These cascades are a must-see for everyone that visits the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. There is a simple boardwalk that helps you take in the overwhelming site of the 1,500-ft wide series of waterfalls. This is the place that will make you stop and understand why they call this state Almost Heaven.

Glade Creek Grist Mill Falls

West Virginia Tourism

Babcock State Park: Clifftop, West Virginia



If youve got a hankering to snap some calendar-ready photos of waterfalls, then check out the historic Grist Mill at Babcock State Park. Here, the water tumbles past the old mill to create the Grist Mills Falls. Theres a stone path that leads you right up to it, giving you plenty of chances for that perfect picture. The waterfall drops down 15-feet but spans the entire width of the creek. Autumn is the best time to see Grist Mill Falls because the leaves create a jaw-dropping canvas behind the falling white water.

Big Branch Falls

West Virginia Tourism

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Lansing, West Virginia



Another popular stop within the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is Big Branch Falls. It feels secluded, the place poets might find creative inspiration. The dense forest protects you from the noise and bustle of the outside world. Hiking the 2-mile loop of the Big Branch Trail rewards you with the 8-foot wondrous waterfall.

Seneca Creek Falls

West Virginia Tourism

Monongahela National Forest: Huttonsville, West Virginia



Another place to go when you want seclusion and relaxation is Seneca Creek Falls. The lush evergreens in Monongahela National Forest provide a picturesque backdrop as the water plummets down a 12-foot cliff. These cascades are hidden at the base of Spruce Knob, which is the highest point in the state. Take plenty of water, a hiking stick, and comfortable boots; its a 5-milk hike along Seneca Creek to reach the stunning waterfalls.

Mill Creek Falls Of Hawks Nest

West Virginia Tourism

Hawks Nest State Park: Ansted, West Virginia



Hikers along the Hawks Nest Rail Trail will easily be able to spot (and hear) the Mill Creek Falls. Youll hear the falls before you see them because they crash over a 20-foot drop, tumbling down a staircase of rocks and boulders. Its a one-mile hike to reach them up close, so its something that even beginning hikers can see. In fact, you can even sit in your car and see them from a country road in Fayette County.

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The American Electric Power (AEP) building in downtown Columbus , Ohio.

American Electric Power has called off the sale of its Kentucky operations.

The power company had struck a deal in October 2021 to sell Kentucky Power and AEP Kentucky Transco to Liberty for $2.85 billion, including debt. The company said then that the proceeds would be used to invest in renewable energy, transmission and other projects.

Local businesses: Louisville-based Humana to phase out of commercial insurance business. What that means

Who was AEP selling to?

Liberty is the parent of Algonquin Power & Utilities, a Canadian-based company that provides electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services to more than 1 million customer connections, mainly in 13 U.S. states and Canada.

AEP didn't give a reason on Monday for calling off the sale, but AEP has faced opposition to the sale from state and federal officials and consumer groups worried about what the sale would mean for rates.

For subscribers: Is Publix about to challenge Kroger in its own backyard? What we know

How big is AEP in Kentucky?

Kentucky Power serves about 165,000 electricity customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties. AEP Kentucky Transco is a regulated transmission business with assets exclusively in Kentucky.

"As a partner in Eastern Kentucky for more than 100 years, were renewing our focus on bringing opportunities to the region and supporting the communities we serve. We are working diligently to reimagine our strategy with the goal of not just supporting Kentucky but being an essential part of its economic and energy future, Julie Sloat, AEP's president and CEO, said in a statement.

AEP said it will file a new rate with Kentucky regulators in June with a goal of having new rates in place next January. AEP also said it will use its leverage in the region to focus on bringing jobs and businesses to the region.

Contact Mark Williams via email at mawilliams@dispatch.com or on Twitter at @BizMarkWilliams.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: AEP says it will focus on bringing jobs to Eastern Kentucky
Economy passengers, rejoice. You could soon have the chance to stretch out like one of the fancy people in business class as Air New Zealand prepares to roll out its Skynest bunk bed concept on some U.S. flights next year.

The airline plans to offer the sleeping pods on its Auckland-New York and Auckland-Chicago routes first, beginning in September 2024.

Skynest provides a unique and innovative way for our passengers to rest and recharge, making their journey with us even more enjoyable, Air New Zealands chief customer and sales officer, Leanne Geraghty, said in a statement. By launching Skynest on these routes, we are bringing to life our commitment to providing choice, alongside the best possible experience for our passengers, and to continue to innovate and lead the way in the aviation industry.

More room in the sky: Air New Zealand will introduce extra legroom economy seats

Air New Zealand in June 2022 announced its "Skynest" concept, which features six full-length sleeping pods. It will be among several new offerings included on its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners expected to enter into service in 2024.

What is Air New Zealands Skynest?

Air New Zealand has been planning for about five years to roll out bunk beds that economy passengers can book.

Now that the launch date is drawing near, the airline is finalizing details. According to Air New Zealand, the Skynest area on its Boeing 787s will feature six sleeping pods, each with their own bedding, ear plugs, a reading light, a USB charging outlet and an air vent.

According to the airline, economy passengers will be allowed to book one four-hour session per flight, pending availability. A 30-minute changeover period is scheduled between sessions, to allow flight attendants to wake the previous passenger if necessary and change the bedding.

Before a flight attendant intervenes, special lighting will come on, designed to help the sleeping passenger readjust.

Cruising Altitude: What to know about getting bumped from a flight when airlines overbook

How much will Skynest sleep sessions cost?

The airline said it has not finalized Skynest pricing yet, but said it is considering a $400-600 NZD (about $250-380 USD) range per four-hour session. Tickets for September 2024 flights are not yet on sale.

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Fan favorites: Southwest, Delta and JetBlue win top marks for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power survey

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Air New Zealand's Skynest will bring beds to economy in September 2024
The British and Canadian writers unions are demonstrating solidarity with their American counterpart as the threat of a potential strike looms.

The Writers Guild of Great Britain advised their members on Wednesday not to work on projects within the jurisdiction of the WGA for the duration of the strike if the American writers do mount a work stoppage. The WGGB support the WGA in their ongoing negotiations, the union added in its statement.

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When reached by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, the Writers Guild of Canada stated that it would issue a similar recommendation to its members later in the week. In the unfortunate event of a WGA strike, WGC members will not accept work that is normally within the jurisdiction of the WGA; for example, US-based productions and productions that are already under a WGA contract, WGC executive director Victoria Shen said in a statement. She added that members of the WGA are our closest colleagues and we respect each others jurisdiction and support one another in advancing the rights of screenwriters around the world.

The WGA, WGC and the WGGB are all members of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds, a consortium of writers guilds that offer each other support and resources.

It is widely expected that if American writers do decide to go on strike following the expiration of their contract on May 1, the stoppage could lead to an increase in demand for international content. The last WGA strike especially led to an uptick in mid-season pickups for Canadian shows for U.S. networks, as The Hollywood Reporter has previously reported.

The unions statements arrive a day after WGA members began voting to authorize a strike. If the majority of members do vote in favor of a strike authorization, that does not mean a strike will occur; instead, it gives the union the option to call a strike if their discussions with employers go sideways. The vote also gauges WGA members willingness to go out on strike. A potential strike could only begin after the WGAs current contract expires on May 1.

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The WGA began negotiations with studios and streamers (represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP) on March 20 and have had stop-and-start talks with their employers ever since. The union is seeking to significantly boost writer compensation in this round of bargaining as, it claims, middle-class writers ability to make a living has been significantly eroded in the streaming era amid the rise of short seasons and so-called mini-rooms as well as the dwindling of residuals.

The WGGB bargains on behalf of a large swathe of writers working in the U.K., including novelists, video game writers and playwrights in addition to film and television writers. The WGC, meanwhile, represents writers working in film, television and on webseries in collective bargaining

April 12, 12:56 p.m. Updated to include a statement from the Writers Guild of Canada.

Etan Vlessing contributed reporting.

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Former President Donald Trump is headed back to Iowa this weekend, holding a Saturday rally in Des Moines in his bid to win the Republican presidential nomination.

It's Trump's second Iowa rally since announcing his 2024 candidacy, traveling back to the first-in-the-nation caucus state at the same time as the man who could end up his chief rival in the Republican primary, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Here's what you need to know about Trump's visit to Iowa this weekend.

Where and what time is the Trump rally in Des Moines?

The rally will be held at Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park, 2251 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines.

Parking and the line to enter will open at 8 a.m. Saturday, and doors open at 2 p.m.

Guest speakers will begin delivering their remarks at 4 p.m., and Trump is set to speak at 7 p.m.

2024 Iowa caucuses: Where and when are presidential candidates visiting Iowa?

How do I get tickets for the Trump rally in Des Moines?

You can register for tickets online at Trump's campaign website (donaldjtrump.com/events). They're distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

An email address and phone number are required to register for tickets, and only two tickets can be registered per phone number.

Why is Donald Trump coming to Iowa this weekend?

Trump's rally takes place on the same day DeSantis is attending two events in Iowa, widely viewed as an intentional move in order to maintain a presence in the state as one of his chief potential rivals aims to gain ground in the state.

Both candidates have both visited Iowa before: DeSantis held a rally in Davenport and met privately with lawmakers in Des Moines. Days later, Trump came to Davenport for his own rally, taking aim at DeSantis and accepting endorsements from several state legislators.

2024 Iowa caucuses: GOP presidential candidates woo Iowa's pivotal evangelicals to pry them away from Trump

What events will Ron DeSantis be attending in Iowa?

DeSantis, who has yet to enter the presidential fray but is widely expected to, is set to appear at two events in Iowa on Saturday.

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He will attend U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra's annual family picnic at 11 a.m. The picnic is at the Dean Family Classic Car Museum, 2856 St. Andrews Way, in Sioux Center.

Tickets can be purchased online; they cost $50 per person. Children 18 and under may attend for free.

He will also attend a Republican Party of Iowa fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. The fundraiser is at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. S.W., in Cedar Rapids.

Tickets cost $100 per person and $175 per couple, and can be purchased online.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis events in Iowa Saturday
West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins

You either gotta fire Bob Huggins or hire Thom Brennaman. You can't have it both ways. (Editor's note: Both used homophobic slurs on the radio. Brennaman lost his job as Reds play-by-play announcer in 2020.)

Steven Otto, Maineville

Anger at repeatedly losing to Xavier fueled Huggins' slur

In less than two minutes, Bob "DUI" Huggins was able to offend Catholics and the LGBTQ community. While I find his remarks abhorrent, I understand the anger that fueled the slurs. Those Catholics at Xavier repeatedly pounded his teams at the University of Cincinnati (twice when his team was ranked No. 1), at Kansas State and, yes, at West Virginia University (once denying him an Elite Eight NCAA appearance).

So Thom Brenneman loses a broadcasting career over a homophobic slur. I am anxious to see what if anything happens to Huggins for using the same homophobic slur. Stay tuned.

Gene Burchell, Edgewood, Ky.

Did Seelbach ever apologize to Covington Catholic kids?

Look who was quick to tweet a response to Bob Huggins regarding his on-air comment that occurred Monday, May 8, on 700 WLW-AM  former Cincinnati City Council member and "Gang of 5" member Chris Seelbach. No shock there.

I assume Seelbach is seeking to remain relevant and in the news and saw this as a good opportunity to do so. Huggins almost immediately issued an apology after the incident and said he would accept any consequences coming his way.

Recall when Seelbach and his "Gang of 5" friend Greg Landsman were quick to condemn the Covington Catholic students involved in a controversial incident in 2019 at a March for Life rally before they understood what actually happened at that rally?

Seelbach was quick to tweet, "The behavior of the students from Covington Catholic (10 minutes from my house) is despicable, appalling and anti-American. These are not freedom lovers who want to 'Make America Great Again.' These punks are little cowards who are Making America Hate Again."

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Did Seelbach ever offer an apology to those students for his quick-to-judge, uninformed, hurtful and insensitive comments, or experience any consequences for his hateful words? I doubt it, but I am sure he will expect Huggins to pay a steep, if not the ultimate, penalty for his use of one word. I suppose using words like "despicable," "appalling," "anti-American," "punks," and "little cowards" before clearly understanding a situation is acceptable in the minds of some, but use that one word and you can expect to be severely reprimanded by some individuals, some groups and some in the media.

Glenn Harmeyer, Colerain Township

Meteorologist shouldn't throw stones at Flying Pig organizers

So, Steve Horstmeyer said that the Flying Pig administrators failing to cancel the race under thunder and lightning was the most irresponsible thing he had seen in his 45 years as a meteorologist. I would say having less than a 40% accuracy rate in 45 years as a meteorologist is far more irresponsible.

Joe Ries, Villa Hills, Ky.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fire Bob Huggins or hire Thom Brennaman | Letters
Tim de Waele - Getty Images

Remco Evenepoel has made no secret that he came to Italy intent on winning the Giro.

For months, hes been one of a handful of odds-on favorites, even raising a hair or two above his closest predicted competition in Primoz Roglic in the opening kilometers of La Corsa Rosa. And he lived up to the hype straight out of the gate with an absolutely blazing performance in the grand tours opening time trial that netted him the races first maglia rosa.

On stage two, Evenepoel rolled out with a pink helmet to match and pink bartape highlighting his S-Works bike, which carried him to a twenty-sixth place finish despite the crash that took out most of the field just before the 3km to go barrier.

But it was prior to stage three that the young Belgian superstar really went maglia, as he appeared in pre-race introductions wearing pink sneakers accented by the rainbow stripes reserved for the world champion.

After he sported a fully white world champions kit in this years Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Evenepoel has drawn comparisons to Italian superstar Mario Cipollini, who was known as much for his choice of dress on the bike as he was his dominant performances in races.

But, despite the beauty of the bikes and the colorful kits of the riders, the Giro is still a bike race and Evenepoels stint in the maglia rosa was short lived.

After a flat third stage in which he put a few more seconds into his GC rivalscourtesy of an intermediate sprint segmentEvenepoel was hung out to dry on a closing climb in stage four. It was the first sign of any chink in the Belgians armor and one that revealed that it may neither be himself nor the course, but rather his Soudal-Quick-Step team that could cost him the Trofeo Senza Fine.

It was no shock that Evenepoel lost the maglia rosa to 23-year-old Norwegian Andreas Leknessund of Team DSM. Hes been public with his plan to relinquish the lead prior to the stage, which everyone knew would (and did) feature a long breakaway, in order to avoid all of the post-race hubbub that comes with leading the Giro.

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But Soudal-Quick-Step appeared to almost immediately forget the directive during stage four, chasing a breakaway group that included no GC contenders and splintering their own team in the process. By the time the peloton caught the breakaway, with some sixty kilometers left to race, a series of attacks started, eventually resulting in a small, and eventually stage-winning breakaway.

Still, Soudal-Quick-Step continued to fight and eventually most of their riders began to fall off from the peloton, leaving Evenepoel alone on the days final ascent; a category-two climb up the Colle Molella.

Yet for some reason, none of the other GC riders took advantage of Evenepoels solo climb, one on which he was as vulnerable to attacks as he might be over the next two-and-some weeks. And in the end, Evenepoel only lost 28 seconds to Leknessund and the maglia rosa. He remains forty-four seconds clear of Roglic and one-minute-eight seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas.

But suddenly, after all the hype and all the early dominance, rivals have a formula by which to attack the race favorite. If Remco Evenepoel wants a reason to pull the maglia sneakers out of his bag again, Soudal-Quick-Step needs to learn from yesterdays gaffe.



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Climate First Bank

The values-based bank will comply with Florida law and continue to uplift communities with its environmental and social impact

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Climate First Bank , the worlds first FDIC-insured commercial bank founded to combat the climate crisis, will comply with House Bill 3 despite being disappointed in the recent passing of the new Florida law. In response to this legislation, the bank will do away with their exclusionary list. The values-based bank remains dedicated to creating positive change, preserving the environment and uplifting the communities it serves through its philanthropic efforts and specialized banking services.



Climate First Bank is committed to being a force for good and upholding the values promised to its shareholders, depositors and stakeholders, said CEO and founder Ken LaRoe. Enacting positive social and environmental impact is a part of our DNA. We treat our people like we would want to be treated. We leave situations and communities better than we found them. We restore natural environments and are cultivating lasting change. As a certified B Corporation, member of Florida for Good, 1% for the Planet and other organizations, we ensure that Climate First Bank does not just talk the talk, but passionately walk the walk.

Climate First Bank operates an industry-best solar loan program , which aids Florida residents in applying for solar energy financing with no dealer fees. The bank also provides specialized commercial financing solutions to address the damaging effects of climate change in Florida. Climate First Bank offers convenient account options to all consumers and businesses with the assurance that the funds they deposit will be redeployed to finance projects making a positive environmental and social impact in the community.

For more information on Climate First Banks dedication to being a force for good, please visit www.climatefirstbank.com.

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About Climate First Bank

Climate First Bank is a values-based community bank offering a complete, full-service portfolio of simple and easy-to-use traditional banking products. These products are powered by high technology to meet the expectations of todays consumers. In addition to offering standard banking services, the company places a special emphasis on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses committed to sustainability. Eco-conscious customers will find dedicated loan options for solar photovoltaic (PV), energy retrofits and infrastructure to help combat the climate crisis. Member FDIC.

Media Contacts

Ericka Rivera

Uproar PR for Climate First Bank

erivera@uproarpr.com




Choose the right type of vanilla for your next recipe.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

When it comes to adding great flavor and depth to a variety of recipes, vanilla is most often the key ingredient. Everything from cakes and cookies to French toast, homemade ice cream, and banana cream pie calls for vanilla. And while vanilla extract is typically listed in a recipes ingredients list, there are many other types of vanilla to consider.

Below, learn all about where vanilla comes from, the different types of vanilla, and how to substitute one type of vanilla for another.

What Type of Plant Does Vanilla Come From?

Vanilla beans, or pods, are used to make vanilla extract, vanilla sugar, vanilla powder, and more. They come from a type of orchid, vanilla planifolia, which grows as a long vine. Because its a tropical plant with specific needs, the vanilla orchid won't grow just anywhere.

"Vanilla beans are grown close to the equator where conditions are favorable: lots of humidity, higher temperatures, and plenty of sunlight," says Trung Vu, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE).

Vanilla Origins

Because of the specific conditions needed to grow vanilla, there are three main regions where beans are harvested: Madagascar, Tahiti, and Mexico. According to Vu, most vanilla beans utilized today come from Madagascar.

"These beans tend to have high amounts of vanillin, the classic vanilla flavor we associate with notes of sweetness," he says. "But Tahitian vanilla beans are also highly prized for their floral notes."

Types of vanilla, such as extracts, paste, and powder, are expensive due to the labor and process involved in making these products.

"There are limited tropical regions in which they can grow," says Vu. "They are an extremely labor intensive crop, and they can be highly susceptible to crop failure due to storms, which have hit often in recent years sending vanilla prices even higher."

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Types of Vanilla

Vanilla extract is one of the most common and approachable types of vanilla to use. However, there are several other types that range in price point, accessibility, and use.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Vanilla beans

Vanilla beans are the purest option for adding vanilla flavor to any recipe, but theyre also the most expensive. Carefully score vanilla beans with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds to add to your mixture.

Not all beans are created equal, however. There are multiple grades of vanilla, which are classified based on texture and flavor.

Grade A Vanilla: According to Vu, these vanilla beans have more moisture, making them plump and easy to scrape.

Grade B Vanilla: These beans are drier than Grade A vanilla beans, making them harder to scrape. But that doesnt mean they lack flavor. Typically, these are used for making vanilla extract or powder. "Because they are drier, it also means that their vanillin is more concentrated, which makes them very suitable for these flavor extraction methods," says Vu.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Pure vanilla extract

Pure vanilla extract is a liquid made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol and water, extracting the color and flavor from the bean.

Related:How To Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Imitation vanilla extract

Imitation vanilla extract is cheaper than pure vanilla extract. It is made with synthetic vanillin, diluted, and often includes caramel coloring.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Clear vanilla extract

If you need to add vanilla flavor to a mixture without imparting color, clear vanilla extract is the key. This is an artificial vanilla option made with vanillin, but its incredibly helpful for cake decorators who need stark white vanilla frosting.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Vanilla powder

Vanilla powder is made by grinding dried vanilla beans. The powder is typically a darker shade and can be used in place of extract.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Vanilla bean paste

Vanilla bean paste is a mixture of vanilla bean powder and pure vanilla extract. Its texture isnt terribly thick, and it can be measured with a measuring spoon to be mixed into recipes. The paste offers incredibly concentrated flavor without the hassle of storing or scraping whole vanilla beans.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Vanilla sugar

Vanilla sugar is granulated sugar that has been infused with vanilla beans for exceptional flavor. It is lighter in color than vanilla powder, because of the mixture of ingredients. Vanilla sugar can be found at specialty groceries stores, but you can also make your own.

Vanilla salt

Vanilla salt is another infusion that combines sea salt and vanilla beans. It can be made by infusing coarse, flaky, or fine sea salt to add great flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best type of vanilla extract?

The best type of vanilla extract is pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation. This will add the most potent vanilla flavor to anything you're making.





In finding the best option, look at the ingredients label to be sure there isn't a long list of additives or fillers. Brands such as Nielsen Massey, Rodelle, and Beyond Good are excellent choices for great flavor.

Can you sub vanilla bean paste for extract?

Love those little bean specks and want them to be seen in your desserts? Vanilla bean paste can easily be substituted for vanilla extract. Vu suggests using a one-to-one ratio. "A tablespoon of vanilla bean paste can also be substituted for one vanilla bean," he adds.

Does vanilla extract expire?

Vanilla extract is made by using a base of alcohol. According to Vu, because its made with alcohol, theres no need to worry about safety if its used after the expiration date. However, the flavor may be weaker due to evaporation over time.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.
A long drawn-out legal battle between hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon and alleged sex offender Peter Nygard appears to have come to a close with the largest defamation award in New Yorks history  $203 million in damages to Bacon, awarded Monday.

With neighboring oceanfront properties in the tony enclave of Lyford Cay in the Bahamas, the men squared off acrimoniously for years. The battling neighbors first took legal action about their dispute in 2010. As more lawsuits, countersuits and appeals followed, the executive showdown created a flurry of media reports, documentaries and magazine articles.

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In December 2020, the founder of his namesake clothing label was arrested and charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, alleging decades of crimes against dozens of victims in the U.S., the Bahamas and Canada. The fashion mogul remains imprisoned in a Toronto jail, where he awaits extradition to the U.S. for alleged sexual misconduct and other chargers.

The nine-count indictment also includes charges of transportation of a minor for purpose of prostitution, and allegations that Nygard and some of his associates targeted victims  some of which were young and disadvantaged  with promises of potential employment, modeling opportunities and pamper parties, where free alcohol, food and spa services were offered at Nygards properties in Marina del Ray, California, and in the Bahamas.

Jay Prober, an attorney for Nygard, declined to comment Tuesday afternoon about the landmark defamation decision. Another lawyer for Nygard, Brian Greenspan, was not immediately available for comment Tuesday about any possibilities of an appeal.

Earlier this year, attorneys for Nygard asked the Manitoba Court of Appeal to stop an order made by Canadas justice minister to surrender the former fashion executive to the U.S. A media request to the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan was not immediately returned Tuesday.

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In Toronto, he faces nine counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement that span allegations from the late 80s to the mid-2000s. In addition, Nygard faces one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in Quebec that allegedly impacted one person from November 1997 to November 1998.

Born in frosty, rural Finland, where his family home was said to not have modern plumbing, Nygard later relocated to Canada, where he built his signature middle-of-the-road fashion label from the ground up. In the process, Nygard became one of the countrys wealthiest entrepreneurs. An unabashed media hound and self promoter, Nygard grasped the power of moniker branding and celebrity culture years before other major brands did. He hosted Michael Jackson, Robert De Niro and Oprah Winfrey, among other luminaries, at personal events. In 2000, Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and their daughters visited the estate-like property in the Bahamas, which took 14 years to build and featured a shark tank, climbing wall and translucent dance floor.

In addition, Nygard was an early adapter to going paperless, vertical manufacturing, automated replenishment, e-commerce, home shopping, concept shops with major retailers like Dillards, and the in-store appeal of digital features such as monitors playing fashion show videos. Long before Kim Kardashian hatched her body-shaping label Skims, Nygard debuted the figure-flattering Nygard Slims in 2014.

He reportedly amassed a personal fortune of $490 million in 2002  a figure that he did not challenge in an interview with WWD at that time. The ever-bronzed Nygard also developed a $250 million business in Canada and a $250 million business in the U.S. about 20 years ago, in addition to 200 freestanding stores. The way he saw it, In this world, you have to learn three things. You have to learn how to make money and Ive learned that. You have to learn how to keep it, which Im doing, and you have to learn how to spend it.

Nygards office opening is announced on a Times Square billboard in 2005.

The latest ruling is a setback for Nygard. After Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and New York City Police Department officials raided his multifloor Manhattan offices in February 2020 in relation to the domestic sex trafficking case, the executives downfall accelerated. Already beleaguered by the rise of fast fashion, Nygards business lost its last key U.S. distribution channel  Dillards  as a result.

The court decision in the Bacon case highlighted how the defamation included false claims that Bacon was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and believer in white supremacy; that as a financial services provider, he was guilty of insider trading; that he was implicated in the death of an employee and family friend at his Bahamas property, and that he was implicated in arson. Any one of these would have been a significant assault on his character; the combination of all 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 multimedia distribution they were given, which included a rally in the Bahamas at which participants wore T-shirts and held signs proclaiming the plaintiffs alleged racism.

Nygard disseminated hundreds of false statements about Mr. Bacon through every medium imaginable including the internet, YouTube videos, radio, newspapers, pamphlets, social media, marches and demonstrations and email lists. His campaign was completely unprecedented in its length, the number and horrific nature of the statements, the amount of time, the geographic scope and, most importantly, Mr. Nygards explicit and unequivocal intent to destroy Mr. Bacon. There were more than two dozen Nygard-paid participants including a well-known West Coast public relations firm, media professionals, graphic artists, gang members who organized hate rallies, radio show personalities and others in a group that created and continually populated over 40 autonomous websites, according to the issued statement.

In response to the court ruling, Bacon said in a statement: With this verdict, Mr. Bacon is vindicated from the vicious lies and disgusting smear campaign against him, and Mr. Nygard has finally been held accountable for at least some of his actions. It is well documented that Mr. Nygard is a serial abuser of the law and of the environment and further accountability awaits Mr. Nygard in the courts of Canada and the United States, where he will stand trial on numerous criminal and civil charges of perpetrating atrocious acts against women.

It read in closing: We are grateful to the court for holding Mr. Nygard accountable for his campaign of malevolent lies and demonstrating through a historic damages award of $203 million that the truth matters.

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"Hello, my name is fabulous."

getty images

With the premiere of And Just Like Thats second season right around the corner, Kim Cattrall just proved (whether intentionally or not) that while Samantha Jones may not be (fully) present in the reboot, shes still alive, well, and glitzier than ever.

On Wednesday, the actress was spotted looking like shed just walked out of her former Sex and the City characters closet when attending the red carpet premiere of her upcoming film, About my Father, in New York City. For the occasion, Cattrall slipped into a very Samantha Jones-esque sequin-covered silver jumpsuit (complete with a plunging V-neckline and a waist-cinching tie) paired with a matching metallic silver trench coat and strappy silver heels. As if that wasnt shimmery enough on its own, she added even more bling by accessorizing with stacks of black and silver jewelry, gigantic hoop earrings, a pearl-covered purse, and a belly button-skimming silver necklace.

getty images

Related:Kim Cattrall Is Living Her Best Life, Thank You Very Much

For glam, Cattrall styled her blonde hair half-up half-down in soft waves with her forehead fringe on full display, and she finished the look with a subtle smoky eye and a peachy-pink lip.

Beyond just channeling Samantha Joness outfit during the outing, Kim also got into some of the characters signature pot-stirring antics when she accidentally revealed the mother of her co-star Robert De Niros seventh child ahead of the premiere.

When talking to Extra on the red carpet, Cattrall congratulated the actor and his significant other, girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

God bless him, his significant other. Tiffany is such a beautiful woman, the actress revealed. She came to the set once with her family and watched filming, and she was gorgeous and sweet. Im happy for both of them.

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"Birria. Rice and beans were part of every meal, but in our home, birria was for special occasions. I'm talking about old-school, back-to-farm style birria, where you would barter with it kind of good. They would spend days prepping this meal because my dad would butcher the goat at home and clean it for three days before even seasoning it or cooking it. By the time this meal was ready, my parents had people from hundreds of miles away asking for a piece. As time went on and they got older, they stopped making it. It was too labor-intensive, and they never passed down the recipe."

Anonymous
For 100 years, a small Mississippi town has been the unlikely home of a world-class art collection.

COURTESY Lauren Rogers Museum Of Art / WALTER R. AVERETT The museum hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year, and several are planned in 2023 to mark its centennial.

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art sits beneath a canopy of live oaks at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street in Laurel, Mississippi. The striking Georgian Revival building looks right at home among the surrounding neighborhoods stately mansions, which were designed in an unexpected array of architectural styles. Even at 100 years old, this facility remains Laurels crown jewel.

But the story of how this special place came to be was born out of a familys tragedy. Lauren Eastman Rogers (the only child of Nina Eastman Rogers and Wallace Brown Rogers as well as the only grandchild of Sarah Elizabeth Gardiner Eastman and Lauren Chase Eastman) died at the age of 23 on July 3, 1921, after undergoing an appendectomy. His sudden death ended his dream of running the family business, a lumber company that was established in Laurel during the 1890s, when the town was an abundant source for towering yellow pine trees.

On May 26, 1922, the grieving family created the Eastman Memorial Foundation. Its original purpose was to promote the public welfare by founding, endowing, and having maintained a public library, museum, art gallery, and educational institution within the state of Mississippi. Less than a year later, on May 1, 1923, Mississippis first art museum opened to the public in a building that was erected on the site of what was to have been the home of Rogers and his wife, Lelia Payne Hodson Rogers Hynson.

The structure itself, designed by New Orleans architect Rathbone DeBuys, is just as beautiful as the collections and paintings that now reside in its galleries. Materials to build it came from across the country as well as from local sources, like the Laurel Machine and Foundry, and every detail was meticulously carried out.

Catherine Marshall Gardiner, Rogers great-aunt, donated some 500 Native American baskets and artifacts, which represented more than 80 North American tribes. Following the museums founding, Rogers family gave it an assortment of works by painters including Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, and John Frederick Kensett.

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Over the years, the museum and its collections have grown. There are now five individual galleries featuring European, American, Japanese, and Native American art as well as Georgian silver. Temporary exhibits have included Medieval to Metal: The Art and Evolution of the Guitar and a selection of images by renowned photographer Walker Evans. The library is a treasure trove of reference books, historical photographs, archival documents, and vintage postcards from the early 20th century, with surprises around every corner.

In this small town with a population of around 17,000, generations of schoolchildren have been educated and inspired just as the Rogers and Eastman families hoped over a century ago.



Plan Your Trip

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is free to the public and open Tuesday through Sunday. For groups of 10 or more, enhance your visit with a guided tour. (Be sure to book it at least two weeks prior.) lrma.org The museum hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year, and several are planned in 2023 to mark its centennial. lrma.org

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These little monsters are more toxic than the Portuguese man-of-war.

S.Rohrlach/Getty Images

Beachgoers should watch where they step in Texas.

Glaucus atlanticus, also known as blue sea dragons, have been known to wash up on area beaches this time of year, posing serious danger to unsuspecting visitors.

These electric-blue creatures grow to about three centimeters long and are more toxic than even the fearsome Portuguese man-of-war. Members of the nudibranch order, these soft-bodied, hermaphroditic gastropods are part of the sea slug family.

S.Rohrlach/Getty Images

Blue sea dragons live on the surface of the ocean, floating upside down as theyre moved around at the whim of wind and currents.

Here in Texas, spring is known for being the windy period, Jace Tunnell, the reserve director at the University of Texass Marine Science Institute, told Texas Monthly. So, in March and April, when the conditions get just right and you have big waves and strong southeastern winds, thats how they get pushed up on our shores.

Fascinatingly, the sea dragons primary food source is the Portuguese man-of-war. This devious little creature uses mucus to neutralize the man-of-wars infamous stinging cells, steals those cells from its tentacles, and stores them within its own tissue to be released on contact.

Thats what makes them so dangerous, Tunnell explained of the blue sea dragons uniquely sourced venom. Its concentrated, so its even worse than a man-o'-war sting.

The good news is that blue sea dragons rarely make it to shore. In a 2022 interview with CNN, David Hicks, professor and director of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, explained how their delicate constitution tends to keep them from washing up.

They are soft-bodied, so they are often broken apart by the time they get through the surf zone and deposited on the shore, Hicks said.

S.Rohrlach

On land, their small size also makes them incredibly hard to see. And, as Tunnell noted, they dont last long in the sun.

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And once they get up on the sands, if its sunny, they dry up real quick, and then you wouldnt even recognize them, he told Texas Monthly.

If you come across a blue sea dragon while strolling near the waterline, do not touch it. According to Ocean Info, their sting can produce various symptoms including nausea, vomiting, severe pain, redness, papules, and fluid-filled blisters.

"In very rare cases, there have been people who have died from them, Tunnell warned. If you get stung in the right spot, and youre not someone who can handle a sting, and you have a bad allergic reaction, something bad is going to happen.

Go to the hospital if you suspect you have been stung by a blue sea dragon.

Be careful out there, yall!

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Exterior of Manitowoc's Rahr-West Art Museum, 610 N. Eighth St.

MANITOWOC - Rahr-West Art Museum is inviting the public to a ribbon-cutting of its new elevator, which will allow barrier-free access to the mansion section of the museum for the first time in its 72-year history.

The ribbon-cutting will be at 1 p.m. May 19 at the museum, 610 N. Eighth St., and will include short remarks followed by light refreshments. Admission is free.

Participating in the ribbon-cutting will be project designers, builders, and representatives of state and local government and arts association, as well as members of the community for whom the elevator has given access to the museum for the first time.

Here are three things to know about the elevator project and the museum.

1. The six-stop elevator will give barrier-free access to four floors of the Vilas-Rahr Mansion and two floors of exhibition galleries.

The 'Biker' sculpture outside Manitowoc's Rahr-West Art Museum.

The opening of this six-stop elevator  four floors of the Vilas-Rahr Mansion and two floors of the connected exhibition galleries  is decades in the making, with previous attempts hampered by architectural and financial limitations.

The addition will also allow for future renovation of the mansion to expand visitor access.

As part of the renovation, the mansions second floor underwent a complete redesign and is again open to the public.

The addition of this elevator is nothing short of transformative, said the museums executive director, Greg Vadney, in a news release. It allows us to fulfill our goal of bringing more people more access to more of our collection.

Rahr-West brings prison art this summer: Manitowoc art museum will display Wisconsin prison art this summer. Here's what to know about the exhibit.

2. The $1.3 million, multi-year project establishes the museum as a fully accessible facility.

Inside the Vilas-Rahr Mansion in Manitowoc. All woodwork trim was golden oak, quarter-sawn, and the floor, of the same material, was bordered in a simple parquet design.

The renovation cost $1.3 million. This is the final of many attempts by the museum and the city to add accessibility features to the 1893 Queen Anne-style Victorian Mansion since it opened in 1950 as the Rahr Museum and Civic Center.

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The elevator renovation establishes the Rahr-West Art Museum as a fully accessible facility, Vadney said.

The multi-year project was spearheaded by Rahr-West Art Museum staff and board and funded through a Federal Community Development Block Grant administered through the State of Wisconsin, supplemented with support from the City of Manitowoc.

Renovation design was provided by Somerville Architects of Green Bay and project construction through Mike Koenig Construction of Sheboygan.

3. The museum is home to works by OKeeffe, Warhol, Picasso and others.

A GI Joe checks for radiation near the Rahr-West Art Museum during Sputnikfest, Saturday, September 11, 2021, in Manitowoc, Wis.

Recognized among the countrys top small-town museums, the Rahr-West  a City of Manitowoc department  boasts artwork from Georgia OKeeffe, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and others.

The mansion is also a National Register of Historic Places site and the museum is the crash site of a piece of the Sputnik IV spacecraft.

The museum and art galleries are open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Admission is free.

For more details, contact the Rahr-West Art Museum at 920-686-3090 or visit our website rahrwestartmuseum.org.

Read more:

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc art museum Rahr-West opens elevator; home to Warhol, Picasso
The sleep pods, named Skynest, will be complete with a pillow, ear plugs, and more.

Fraser Clements/Courtesy of Air New Zealand

Economy is about to get way more comfortable as Air New Zealand revealed more details about its innovative Skynest bunk bed concept.

The Skynest, which is expected to debut on the companys ultra-long haul flights starting in September 2024, will feature six pods, each with a full-size pillow, sheets and a blanket, ear plugs, a separate reading light, a personal device USB outlet, a ventilation outlet, and a seatbelt for potential turbulence, Air New Zealand shared with Travel + Leisure. The pods are expected to cost about NZ$400 to NZ$600 (about $253 to $379) for a 4 hour session.

The pods, which will be located between the premium economy and economy sections, will initially be available on the airlines Auckland to New York and Auckland to Chicago routes.

Each passenger will be allowed to book one session in the sleep pods. When the session is over, the lights will gently come on and crew will wake anyone who is still sleeping.

Bedding will be changed between each session with a 30 minute transition time built in.

Fraser Clements/Courtesy of Air New Zealand

Our 83-year history is marked by a commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Skynest is the latest example, and we're proud to be leading the way with this world-first cabin feature, Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said in a statement shared with T+L. With our ultra-long haul routes to destinations such as New York and Chicago, Skynest provides a unique and innovative way for our passengers to rest and recharge, making their journey with us even more enjoyable.

Beyond the Skynest, Air New Zealand offers economy passengers the opportunity to book an Economy Skycouch, which turns a row of seats into a makeshift bed. Earlier this year, the airline also introduced a new Economy Stretch cabin class featuring 39 percent more legroom for a total seat pitch of 35 inches.

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From the United States, Air New Zealand flies direct from Auckland to Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Honolulu.

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MILAN  Moschinos reorganization weighed on parent company Aeffes bottom and top line in the first three months of the year, but group executive chairman Massimo Ferretti expressed his belief in the soundness of the strategy.

While no mention was made in Wednesdays statement about a possible successor to creative director Jeremy Scott, who exited the brand in March after 10 years, when asked, Ferretti said that the group is carrying forward the process of selection of the next creative director of Moschino.

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The results of the first quarter of the year are the natural outcome of the strategic reorganization plan launched by Aeffe Group in 2022 and that we are convinced will bring benefits already in the medium term, said Ferretti. The rationalization of the Moschino brands lines and the acquisition of direct control of the brands distribution of the Chinese market certainly had an effect on the first-quarter results, but we believe that these moves will be instrumental in the growth and development for both the brand and the group.

Ferretti touted the growth reported by the Alberta Ferretti, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini brands and above all by Pollini, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, as well as the positive performance of the Moschino retail network in Asia, which led him to be confident about the groups future consolidation and growth opportunities starting from 2024.

The company said it has renewed the agreement with designer, shareholder and executive director Alberta Ferretti, as the board considers her collaboration as indispensable and strategic for the company. The renewal of the design contract will span for another three years, until May 15, 2025, for a remuneration of 1 million euros per year. Ferretti is gearing up to show her resort collection in Rimini, Italy, on May 26, paying tribute to legendary director Federico Fellini.

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In the three months ended March 31, Aeffe posted a loss of 300,000 euros compared with a net profit of 8.9 million euros in the same period in 2022.

Revenues amounted to 93.2 million euros, decreasing 8.2 percent compared with 101.6 million euros in 2022.

At the end of trading, Aeffe shares fell 6.18 percent to 1.27 euros.

Sales of the ready-wear division amounted to 58.3 million euros, recording a decrease of 14 percent at constant exchange rates compared to 2022.

Revenues of the footwear and leather goods division are in line with the previous year both at constant and current exchange rates, and amounted to 46.1 million euros.

Margins in the quarter decreased as a result of the new strategic course of the Moschino brand with the associated costs both relating to the change of distribution model in China, from wholesale to retail, and the launch of the repositioning plan for the various Moschino collections, with consequent effects both in terms of turnover and royalties.

In 2021, Aeffe took control of Moschinos distribution in mainland China, signaling the increasing relevance of that market for the label. This involved around 20 stores, which had been operated for the previous 10 years by Scienward Fashion and Luxury (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

Jeremy Scott

Stefano Secchi

Shortly after Scotts exit, general manager Stefano Secchi also left his role after four years. Aeffe executive Goffredo Palmerini is providing managerial and operational continuity at Moschino.

In the first quarter, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, net of the effects associated with the groups organizational restructuring, fell 39.7 percent to 12.3 million euros.

Adjusted operating profit amounted to 4 million euros compared to 14.2 million euros in 2022.

In the period, sales in Italy amounted to 42.7 million euros, representing 45.9 percent of the total, and were in line with the same period in 2022. The wholesale channel was down 4 percent, offset by a 35 percent increase in the retail channel.

Revenues in Europe decreased 13.1 percent to 27.4 million euros, accounting for 29.4 percent of the total. Retail showed an 11 percent decrease, mainly linked to the closure of the Moschino boutique in London for a renovation completed in March.

In Asia and the Rest of the World area, sales amounted to 17.5 million euros, edging down 0.3 percent and representing 18.8 percent of the total.

The change of distribution in Greater China is gradually stabilizing, with performance growing in particular in March, said the company.

Revenues in the U.S. fell 42.9 percent to 5.5 million euros.

Wholesale revenues decreased 14.3 percent to 66.9 million euros, representing 71.8 percent of the total.

The retail channel rose 22.5 percent to 23.9 million euros, with solid growth in Italy, up 35 percent, and in Asia, rocketing 91 percent, thanks to the change in the distribution model in China.

Royalties decreased 33 percent to 2.3 million euros.

As reported, in 2022 Aeffe revenues amounted to 352 million euros, up 8.4 percent compared to 325 million euros in 2021. While the group does not break down sales by brand, sources say Moschino represents 70 percent of the total.

Moschino RTW Fall 2018

Moschino was founded by Franco Moschino in 1983 and Aeffe has held the license for the production and distribution of the brands womens and mens collections since then.

Following the designers death in 1994, Aeffe acquired a 70 percent stake in the company, further developing the brand globally. Aeffe took full control of Moschino in 2021, paying 66.6 million euros for the 30 percent stake in the brand it didnt own. It also acquired the license to produce and distribute the Love Moschino collections of womens apparel in-house for 3.6 million euros.

Debt, including the IFRS 16 effect, stood at 245.8 million euros, compared with 231.8 million euros at the end of 2022. Net debt excluding the IFRS 16 effect amounted to 142.4 million euros, compared with 126.9 million euros at the end of December 2022. Aeffe underscored that in the last two years, it has made two strategic investments for a total consideration of 90 million euros relating to the purchase of the minority shareholding of 30 percent of Moschino SpA and the change of distribution in China on the Moschino brand.

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Heres what to know before amping up your morning cup with the power of functional mushrooms.

Edalin/Getty Images

Theres nothing quite like a cup of coffee to help you shake off morning fogginess and start your day right. Heck, many Americans can barely function without it. But anyone hooked on coffee and wondering if its really the healthiest and most effective sip for a morning boost has probably heard rumors of the latest coffee trendand it has nothing to do with a new Starbucks release.

Enter: mushroom coffee. With over six billion views on TikTok, it has people going nuts. But what is mushroom coffee? Does it actually contain coffee, will it perk you up, and is it really better for you than regular java?

Related:Caffeine Is Actually Good for You, in ModerationHere's How to Know if You're Having Too Much

Edalin/Getty Images

What Is Mushroom Coffee?

Theres no question that mushrooms are having a moment, but were not talking about your everyday buttons or portobellos here (though we love those, too). Functional mushrooms are what the health-conscious crowd is reaching for lately, and the result is a full-on boom in functional mushroom products, like mushroom coffee.

Mushroom coffee does not necessarily need to include actual coffeethough it often does. Some brands do include coffee in their blends and others dont, citing that the flavor and impact of their beverage mimic that of coffee without the caffeine crash. For example, you wont find any coffee in MUD\WTR, which poses its curated shroom mixes as coffee alternatives and wants to replace your morning Joe altogether. But you can also find ground coffee with a boost of lions mane and chaga mushrooms for energy and focus from a coffee brand like Four Sigmatic.

Of course, the one requirement for mushroom coffee is the presence of dried, ground, and sometimes extracted (to bring out more of their nutrition) functional mushrooms. Popular functional fungi varieties used for mushroom coffee include lions mane, reishi, chaga, cordyceps, turkey tail, and king trumpet.

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Some mushroom coffees may also contain other adaptogenic or herbal ingredients like ashwagandha, burdock root, chicory, dandelion, maca, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, and rhodiola. (Adaptogens are natural substances found in certain plant foods, like mushrooms, herbs, and roots, that help the body react and adapt to environmental stressors).



Related:Drinking 2 Cups of Coffee a Day Promotes Heart Health and Longevity, New Study Finds

Mushroom Coffee Benefits

With three in four Americans drinking at least one cup of coffee per day, its no wonder companies are coming up with new ways to squeeze a few extra nutrients into their morning brews. So what (if any) health benefits are associated with mushroom coffeeand is it worth the buzz?

Functional mushrooms are not the hallucinogenic kindtheyre mushrooms with additional health benefits outside of the nutrients they contain as well as adaptogenic properties. Embraced by traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda for thousands of years, adaptogens are a group of plant compounds (but can also be synthetically created) that assist the body in adapting to stress of any kind, whether that be biological, physical or chemical. This helps the body fight off any illness or disease resulting from these stressors and swiftly return back to homeostasis. These compounds have been linked to improvement in all sorts of conditions including bodily inflammation, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cognitive impairment. Of the over 70 naturally occuring adaptogens known today, functional mushrooms are some of the most frequently utilized nowadays.

Related:Introducing Galangal, Ginger's Super-Spice Cousin That Helps Lower Inflammation

Each functional mushroom has its own unique health benefits with burgeoning evidence to show for it. Here are the cliff notes on some of the most popular varieties used for mushroom coffee:

Reishi Mushroom:

This mushroom is one of the most common ingredients youll find in mushroom coffee blends. Research has found it to have therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, heart disease, liver disease, mood disorders, and metabolic conditionsthough continued research is needed to fully understand these mechanisms.

Lions Mane Mushroom:

Another popular addition, lions mane is especially appealing to mushroom coffee engineers because it contains neurotrophic factors. These are protein biomolecules that encourage the differentiation and growth of neurons, i.e. nerve cells in the brain that transmit information. This, in addition to lions manes ability to reduce inflammation in the brain, make it an excellent food to start your day with for increased clarity and mental focus. Plus, its been shown to be supportive of gut, metabolic, heart, and sleep health while also working to alleviate symptoms of other brain-related concerns like Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons, and mood disorders like anxiety and depression.

Cordyceps Mushroom:

This mushroom is typically added to coffee blends to promote inflammation reduction throughout the body. Beyond this benefit, these unique-looking mushrooms are linked to boosting respiratory health, regulating blood sugars, and even protecting against several types of cancer. Its been found to be effective against viruses and exercise fatigue, too, which can be handy if you reach for a mushroom coffee with this variety in it after your morning workout.

Chaga Mushroom:

Youll also be very likely to find chaga in popular mushroom coffee blends. These grow on the sides of trees, looking almost bark-like themselves. They offer an impressive number of health benefits, including the potential to improve heart, gut, brain, and metabolic health. Chaga has also been shown to be effective against viruses and cancer. One note on chaga, though: Be cautious with it, as it contains high amounts of oxalate  a plant-defense chemical that can negatively impact kidney health if consumed in high amounts over long periods of time. Because of this, its important to find reputable mushroom coffee brands that understand the full impacts of chaga, including this varietal in modest amounts in their product. Ideally you want to limit consumption of these ground mushrooms to no more than 2 grams (or one tablespoon) per day to avoid oxalate-related risks.

Turkey Tail Mushroom:

Finally, we have turkey tail mushrooms, a broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory agent, boosting our immune systems from every angle. Research has also shown that it may even be powerful against cancers like melanoma, though more is needed to confirm such claims.

All of these functional fungi will also add to your morning cup healthy doses of fiber that will boost gut health, plant compounds that will support the immune system, and B vitamins that will help you maintain healthy energy levels throughout the day.

Beyond offering energy, clarity, and mental focus, drinking mushroom coffee drinks can help reduce your caffeine load a bit in the morning, since some of the coffee grounds are replaced by these adaptogens. If youre looking for a way to perk up without jitters, sleep troubles, or a midday energy dip, this may be the answer to your prayers and offer more even, calm, and prolonged energy.

How Solid Are These Claims of Functional Benefits?

Its important to note that the evidence on these mushroomsand therefore any products theyre used in, including mushroom coffeeis still developing. A large portion of the available research is also animal-based. That said, these mushrooms are generally considered to be safe and are full of vitamins, minerals, and healthy macronutrients like fiber, so they do provide nutritional value regardless of whether or not claims of all their additional, adaptogenic super benefits have yet to be proven as bulletproof.

Mushroom Coffee Types and Brands

If you want to give mushroom coffee a try, you have quite a few options. You can DIY mushroom coffee, by buying your own dried mushrooms, grinding them up, and adding them to your morning brew. But the most common option is to purchase pre-ground and mixed mushroom blends, like Naturealms Sacred 7 Mushroom Extract Powder and stir that into your coffee. You can also spring for a pre-blended mushroom and coffee mix, from which there are many to choose.

There are mushroom coffees containing actual coffee including Rasa, Four Sigmatic, Ryze, Om Mushroom Superfood, and Laird Superfood.

You can also find mushroom coffee alternatives containing no coffee at all. Some of these will contain caffeine in the way of tea, while others are caffeine-free, though all are intended to provide you with a comparable energy boost to coffee. Brands of this kind include MUD/WTR, as well as some varieties of Rasa, Wooden Spoon Herbs, and Velty (which does technically contain decaf coffee).

All of these brands offer loads of transparency surrounding their sourcing processes and ingredient quality on their websites. And while they will likely be more expensive than your go-to dark roast grounds due to the addition of adaptogens, its hard to beat the convenience they offer through ready-to-brew grounds, individualized serving packets, or even pods.

Whether you make your own or buy a blend, let your inner barista run wild with mushroom coffeepreparing lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, Americanos, or just blackthe skys the limit.



Related:5 Ways to Beat the Midday Slump Without Sugar (or Coffee)

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Prestigious award conferred on Thai Ministry of Education's 131 st anniversary

We Care We Share vocational training programs recognized for community impact

BANGKOK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CNH Industrial has been honored with the Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award 2023 for its significant contribution to the development of education in Thailand. Presented by the Thai Ministry of Education during its 131st anniversary ceremony, the award is a testament to CNH Industrial's commitment to empowering educational institutions and underserved communities.

Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award

CNH Industrial has a longstanding commitment to providing scholarships, financial and technical grants, and educational resources in the country, alongside collaborating with academic institutions to accelerate vocational training and skills development programs to equip young people with future-ready skills and knowledge.

Mark Brinn, Managing Director of CNH Industrial for Southeast Asia and Japan, said, "Education unlocks opportunities for all people to reach their full potential while contributing to the community. As a company we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In line with fostering social equity and inclusive growth, we aim to help empower people and reduce inequalities through education."

The Best Contribution to Thailand's Education Award highlights the role that business and other key stakeholders play in improving Thai education and how this makes a positive impact on society. It also reinforces how public-private partnerships can accelerate educational progress.

CNH Industrial's We Care We Share outreach program, in partnership with the Thai Ministry of Education and vocational colleges was commended for delivering real community impact.

Launched in 2020, through the program, CNH Industrial has been providing equipment, technical and financial resources for education and training programs to local colleges.

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The company supports the Diploma in Agriculture Machinery in partnership the Pakdee College of Commerce and Technology vocational training school. CNH Industrial also donated a New Holland TT2.50 Tractor to the school to support hands-on machinery experience.

In Nakhon Ratchasima province, the Company donated a New Holland TC5.30 combine harvester to the Nakhon Ratchasima College of Agriculture and Technology to support training on new farming trends and technologies. The machine will also be used to harvest corn on the College's farm.

In April, CNH Industrial donated another New Holland TC5.30 combine to the Nakhonsawan Agricultural and Technology Vocational College, with this one to be used for harvesting rice. A New Holland BC5060 small square baler and TT2.50 48 horsepower tractor with auto-guidance were demonstrated to staff and students, who were impressed by the combination of reliable machinery and smart technology.

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Company's regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions. Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrial's 40,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.

For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit: media.cnhindustrial.com

CNH Logo (PRNewsfoto/CNH Industrial)

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"As Gabrieleno-Tongva people, we see ourselves as caretakers of our relatives and that includes the plants, the animals, the water, the land, the rocks."

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Every Wednesday on the Lost Cultures: Living Legacies podcast, host Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure's associate editorial director, explores a unique cultural identity around the world and shares how you can learn more about it on your travels, too.

Long before California became the 31st state and well before the Spanish stepped foot there, the region was vibrant with life with the Tipai and Quechan peoples to the south, and the Tolowa, Karok, Shasta, and Modoc peoples, among others, to the north. And in between were dozens more indigenous groups, including the Gabrielino-Tongva people thriving in what is now the Los Angeles basin. Though if you havent heard of the Gabrielino-Tongva, youre not alone, as this was by design, through hundreds of years of oppression, discrimination, and forced assimilation.

In fourth grade, here in California, we learned about the California missions and the native people that were in the missions. And we took a trip to the Southwest Museum, which was one of the only institutions that describe California native peoples. And during that visit, the docent was telling us about Mission Indians and that was a catchall term for native people that are associated with a particular mission. And I had a friend of mine raise her hand and asked the docent, Are there any more, are Mission Indians still alive? And the docent said, No, they're extinct. And by then, I had already told everybody in my class that I was Gabrielino. And so they looked at me like, Well, she says that they no longer exist, so how can you be Gabrielino, Desiree Martinez, a member of the Gabrielino-Tongva community, archaeologist, and president of Cogstone Resource Management, told Travel + Leisure. And of course, I knew that we weren't extinct, and so trying to figure out, How can I combat this?

From that moment on, Martinez dedicated her life to finding and sharing her ancestral truth, navigating her way through oral histories, and gathering together others from the community.

The way that the Gabrielino-Tongva organized themselves was that there was no overarching chief of every single person that was Gabrielino-Tongva. Instead, you had a leader at the village level and the village was basically an extended family, Martinez explained. Though that family, Martinez explained, extended to the plant and animal kingdom too. As Gabrieleno-Tongva people, [we] see ourselves as caretakers of our relatives and those relatives include the plants, the animals, the water, the land, the rocks. We have a responsibility, a reciprocal responsibility to them.

However, by the mid-18th century, the community had already begun to collapse following Spanish colonization, only to further erode during Mexican occupation and finally at the hands of the U.S. government. But, the Gabrielino-Tongva people are both still here and fighting harder than ever for the recognition they deserve.

We continue to be a part of the greater Los Angeles community, but again, a lot of our history and a lot of our contributions are silenced, Martinez said. One of the things that we're trying to do is to rectify that silencing by working with cultural institutions in state, local, and federal agencies to tell that story. 

To learn more about the Gabrielino-Tongva, listen to Martinez and Prakash dive deep into the culture in Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and everywhere podcasts are available.

:Download the Transcript

Editors Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.

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Photo: YouTube/Netflix

In response to Netflixs upcoming docudrama African Queens, which sees a Black woman in the role of Cleopatra, Egypt (yes, the country) is attempting to bring some correction by releasing a documentary of its own.

According to Variety, on Wednesday, it was revealed that the Al Wathaeqya channela subsidiary of Egypts state-affiliated United Media Serviceswill begin production on its own project to showcase what they believe is Cleopatras true heritage and history. It will also reportedly include the utmost levels of research and accuracy. The latter point is particularly interesting, especially since the queens exact ethnicity has been a point of contention between historians and academics who argue that because she was born in Egypt, she is of African descent and not European, though she belonged to a Greek dynasty. (If we look at the map, well see that Egypt is a country in Africa so Im not really sure why thats being contested, but I digress.)

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Whats more, Adele Jamesthe actress playing the role, who is a lighter-skinned Black woman with mixed heritageand the director, Tina Gharavi, have both spoken out in defense of the forthcoming project. In an op-ed for Variety last month, Gharavi said:

Why shouldnt Cleopatra be a melanated sister? And why do some people need Cleopatra to be white? Her proximity to whiteness seems to give her value, and for some Egyptians it seems to really matter. After much hang-wringing and countless auditions, we found in Adele James an actor who could convey not only Cleopatras beauty, but also her strength. What the historians can confirm is that it is more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor ever did.

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The first installment of African Queens is available to watch now on Netflix.

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Emily Cole is the executive director of Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change and is a resident of Hilliard.

Ohio State Rep. Brian Stewart (R- Ashville) is one of the leading bullies behind House Joint Resolution 1, which would undermine the sacred principle of "one person, one vote."

In short, House Joint Resolution 1 would require a 60% yes vote to pass a constitutional amendment, raising the threshold from 50% plus 1, as has been Ohio law since 1912. It is unnecessary, undemocratic, unfair, and unpopular.

Frank LaRose: Larry Householder's sinister plot shows 'vulnerability' of Ohio Constitution

Our View: Deceitful bill proof some GOP lawmakers willing to steal rights from all Ohioans

He claims he needs to dilute our vote to three-fifths, or 60%, in order to protect our state Constitution from outside special interests."

And yet, raising the threshold for constitutional amendments would virtually eliminate any ability by grassroots organizations powered by us as Ohioans to put forth amendments we want, with or without the approval of politicians.

I served as the campaign manager for a failed attempt at a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment in 2021. Anyone who believes citizen-initiated constitutional amendments are easy likely has never been part of one.

Language has to be so precise to pass the vetting process of the attorney generals office that it frequently takes multiple rounds of initial signature-gathering. And then, once approved by the ballot board, a near Herculean effort is undertaken to gather the requisite signatures to make it to the statewide ballot in a general election.

Emily Cole

Raising the threshold essentially ensures even more money will be spent on these efforts.

Each voter is equated with a dollar amount, or a cost per signature, as well as a later cost per vote. If the threshold increases, the number of votes needed increases, driving up the cost.

House Joint Resolution 1 virtually guarantees any groups looking to amend our constitution must seek outside funding from national partners. This very clearly does the opposite of protecting our Constitution from outside special interests  rather, it makes it dependent upon them.

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But when I presented this before Stewart in committee on May, I was not telling him anything he didnt already know.

There is already an outside billionaire, who does not live in Ohio, funding the extremist effort to amend our Constitution through House Joint Resoluton 1.

The power of a constitutional amendment is among the top opportunities we as Ohioans have for things like criminal legal system reform. Its why we continue, even when our efforts fail, to attempt to put statewide constitutional amendments on the ballot.

More: GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein bankrolls push to make it harder to amend Ohio constitution

Our families will continue to stand up, speak out, and organize to defeat any effort that attempts to silence the majority to benefit the minority.

We do this work from the heart, with a scrappy and dogged determination to build an Ohio that is fair for us all and free from a gerrymandered supermajority rigging each and every aspect of our political power spectrum to rule.

I wish I could say we do this work with the backing of a billionaire, the way Stewart can. Hell have to let us know what thats like.

Stewart has shown time and again not only does he not respect us as Ohioans.

He owes us an apology for his attempt to undermine the power of our vote.

He owes us an apology for his attempt to disenfranchise us at the ballot box.

And he owes us an apology for forgetting that he works for us. Not the other way around.

Emily Cole is the executive director of Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change and is a resident of Hilliard.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brian Stewart owes Ohio voter apology for House Joint Resolution 1 plot
The ladies of 'Book Club'  Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen  are back and this time theyre visiting one of our favorite destinations.

Getty Images Mary Steenburgen, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Diane Keaton.

The ladies of "Book Club" are back  and this time they're visiting one of our favorite destinations.

Icons Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen  who played lifelong friends who discovered the novel "50 Shades of Grey" in the hysterical 2018 movie,  are taking their adventures to Italy for the film's sequel, "Book Club: The Next Chapter."

And while the film captures the four friends hilariously navigating their way through Rome together, it appears they had a pretty great time off-screen too.

"I was right next to the Medici garden and the Borghese gardens and I mean it's pretty cool to go walking with things that are hundreds and hundreds of years old," Fonda said of her time during an interview alongside her cast mates on Today this week. "I liked it a lot and I like pasta, too, and the gelato was pretty good."

To which Bergen noted she was surprised they didn't come home "over four hundred pounds."

"We were in Italy for two and a half months. That's pretty nice," the Murphy Brown star added.



During the morning show appearance  while sipping Aperol Spritzes  Bergen, Fonda, and Steenburgen all fondly remembered their time in Italy, and even showed a few Instagrams they snapped along the way. And it was Bergen who proved to be the most prolific on social media by documenting their meals, including an extravagant spaghetti in Rome, a tour down the canals in Venice, and even showed off the luxurious entrance of the Hotel Danieli.

Recounting Bergen's posts, Steenburgen recalled a funny memory of the two taking a pasta class alongside her husband, Ted Danson, who came along for the trip.

"Ted and I were diligently making pasta, she learned nothing," Steenburgen joked of Bergen sipping too many spritzes.

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"This is a lovely drink to have starting at 8 in the morning, it's a very light drink but does the drink," Bergen, who supposedly got Steenburgen hooked on the cocktail, jokingly explained.

As for the sequel, premiering on May 12, it follows the ladies as they trek to Italy to celebrate the bachelorette party of Fonda's character. This time their antics are all inspired by Paulo Coelhos book, "The Alchemist."

As for what's next, the ladies are already discussing their next chapter. She even dropped where she wanted it to be located  Burning Man. (The festival takes place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.)



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MILAN  All product categories, markets and channels boosted the Tods Groups performance in the first quarter of the year.

In the three months ended March 31, revenues rose 23.2 percent to 270.5 million euros, compared with 219.6 million euros in the same period the year before.

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Diego Della Valle, chairman and chief executive officer of the group, touted the excellent performance of the company, highlighting the outstanding results at Tods and Roger Vivier, with excellent feedback in all product categories, confirming our customers ever-increasing appreciation for the very high quality of our products, their craftsmanship and their Italian lifestyle.

Della Valle underscored the growth in all geographic areas and in particular the contribution of the Chinese market, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

We remain focused on our main goal to increase the equity value of both our group and our individual brands, through our continuous commitment to strengthen their positioning with the needed investments in marketing, communication and managerial skills, albeit in a logic of cost control and improvement of operational and managerial efficiency, Della Valle said. We continue to invest in our supply chain, to ensure the highest possible quality for our products. We will continue to grow selectively our distribution network, while remaining focused on both improving organic growth and developing the omnichannel distribution. The macroeconomic environment remains unpredictable, but considering the good sales trends we experienced in April and the excellent orders backlog for the winter collections, Im confident about the groups future results.

Roger Vivier fall 2023

Sales of the Tods brand climbed 24.4 percent to 130.2 million euros and Roger Vivier was up 30.9 percent to 68.6 million euros. The contribution of China, where both brands are present with their own network of points of sale in the most important luxury malls, was significant.

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In the period, Hogan was up 10.1 percent to 56.8 million euros and sales of Fay jumped 30.6 percent to 14.2 million euros. The latters performance was helped by the timing in wholesale deliveries, said chief financial officer Emilio Macellari during a call with analysts, as the brand is predominantly a wholesale business.

Sales of shoes rose 19.3 percent to 206.8 million euros.

Revenues of leather goods and accessories climbed 36.5 percent to 43.2 million euros.

Leather goods outperformed everywhere, Macellari said. The categorys performance was particularly good and encouraging. We have been working for years toward this. The results are homogeneous more or less around the world.

Apparel climbed 37.2 percent to 19.8 million euros.

Sales in Italy gained 17.8 percent to 59.9 million euros. This performance in Italy is not to be taken for granted and we are particularly happy with it, Macellari said.

Revenues in Europe were up 18.3 percent to 57.3 million euros.

The company touted the strength of local demand and the important contribution of tourist purchases, especially from American, infra-European and Middle Eastern clients, in Italy and Europe, where tourists accounted for around 40 percent of sales, Macellari said.

In the Americas, sales rose 6.6 percent to 16.7 million euros.

The sales trend was positive, despite the shift abroad of a large part of the purchases of the American clients.

We consider the U.S. a market of high importance and it is under-penetrated, said Macellari, noting that the goal is to further develop this market.

In Greater China, revenues rose 29.2 percent to 88.6 million euros.

The region is maintaining double-digit growth rates both in Mainland China and, even more, in Hong Kong and Macau.

The performance of China was above that of 2021, said Macellari, and better than 2019.

Questions on China recurred throughout the call and Macellari said the company had seen a visible acceleration from mid- or end of January onward and it is still going on.

Macellari said he did not expect Chinese customers to travel outside Asia before the end of the summer.

He said South Korea was suffering a bit in terms of local customers, but that tourists were helping with a better performance.

Sales in the Rest of the World area showed a 32.8 percent gain to 48 million euros, driven by the excellent results of Japan, Singapore and the Middle East.

Macellari said the consensus of a 9 percent gain in revenues in the year to 1.1 billion euros should be relatively easy to achieve, and that an improvement of 150 basis points in margins can also be achieved despite the extra expenses and communication activities.

Retail sales rose 23.6 percent to 193 million euros, representing more than 70 percent of sales.

As of March 31, the group comprised 333 directly operated stores and 89 franchised units, compared to 318 directly operated and 86 franchised stores at the end of March last year.

Wholesale sales were up 22 percent to 77.5 million euros.

The e-commerce channel is doing well, which is reaping the results of the important investments made by the group in the digital world, said Macellari, adding that around 50 percent of online sales are derived from the direct channel and 50 percent from third parties.

Macellari said no price increases are planned for the fall season, after a 10 percent increase for the spring collections.

Asked about Tods collaboration with Lamborghini on a co-branded collection of leather goods, apparel, footwear and other accessories revealed in February, Macellari said this was a very interesting and valuable brand, which will help achieve higher visibility and boost Tods brand awareness, increasing its perception of luxury, while adding that he did not consider the partnership will bring an incredibly high volume of sales.

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A Utah children's author who penned "Are You With Me?"  a book meant to teach kids about losing a parent  stands accused of dosing her husband with a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Kouri Darden Richins, 33, was arrested in her Kamas, Utah home on Monday and charged with aggravated murder as well as possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in connection to the death of her husband 39-year-old Eric Richins, according to The Guardian.

RELATED: 'I Did It': Woman Murders Husband While His 3 Sons Roast Marshmallows Outside

Prior to his death on the night of March 3, 2022, prosecutors allege the 39-year-old father-of-three suspected his wife was trying to kill him. Just weeks prior, he had an allergic reaction after his wife made him a Valentine's Day dinner, according to court documents reviewed by Law & Crime.

"Eric believed that he had been poisoned. Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him... he warned that if anything happened to him, she was to blame," charging documents read.

According to The Guardian, the 39-year-old broke out in hives and had trouble breathing until he took a Benadryl and used his son's EpiPen.

Just before the Valentine's Day incident, Kouri had purchased 15-30 fentanyl pills for $900 from an acquaintance in nearby Ogden referred to as "C.L." in the court documents cited by Law & Crime. She specifically asked the supplier for fentanyl  or, as she allegedly put it, "some of the Michael Jackson stuff."

Then, in March 2022, she again allegedly poisoned her husband.

Defendant stated that she made Eric a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where Eric consumed it while sitting in bed, documents read. The only people in the house were defendant, Eric, and their children. Defendant stated she went to bed and shortly after went to sleep with one of the children in the childs bedroom because that the child was having a night terror. Defendant said she awoke around 03:00 hours and came back to her and Erics bedroom. She felt Eric and he was cold to the touch. That is when defendant called 911.

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Kouri, a realtor, allegedly told Summit County Sheriff's Office detectives that she made him the cocktail on the night he died to celebrate her recent closing on a house.

Before Richins' death, according to the charging documents, he and Kouri had argued over purchasing a home for $2 million  Kouri wanted to remodel the house but Eric reportedly thought the venture would be too expensive.

The day after Eric's death, per charging documents, Kouri purchased the home in question and hosted "a large party... where she was drinking and celebrating." However, family members grew suspicious because, just before his death, Eric had told his family that he and his wife would not be purchasing the house in question.

A photo of Kouri Richins at KPCW

Kouri Richins Photo: KPCW.org

Additionally, weeks before allegedly dosing Eric, Kouri reportedly attempted to make herself the beneficiary of her husband's life insurance policy, removing his stone masonry business partner Cody Wright. She was unable to do so.

Unbeknownst to his wife, Eric took her off his insurance policy shortly before his death, instead replacing her with his sister.

Before handing her phone over to detectives, investigators wrote in the documents, Kouri unlocked her phone several times and deleted messages sent between the window of time when she allegedly left her room to comfort her child and when she dialed 911.

Following her husband's death last March, Kouri went on to write a children's book, billed on Amazon as a "heartwarming and reassuring... must-read" for children "experienc[ing] the pain of loss" and parents "who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow."

Angela Rodriguez featured in Accident, Suicide or Murder

So my husband passed away unexpectedly last year, so its March 4th is our one year anniversary for us," Kouri said in an interview about the book that aired on ABC 4's 'Good Things Utah.' "My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that weve experienced in the last year, hoping that it can help other kids, you know, with this and, you know, find happiness some way or another.

The woman told the segment's hosts that she wrote the book so she would have "some story to read to [her] kids at night," and was inspired by "some things that [her] kids have said to [her] in the last year" since their fathers' death.

Kouri is scheduled to appear in court on May 19.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden said he has considered invoking the 14th Amendment to work around the debt ceiling and avoid a government default without action from Congress but expressed concern about inviting litigation that could block the risky strategy.

"I have been considering the 14th Amendment," Biden told reporters Tuesday after a meeting with top congressional leaders from both parties failed to produce a breakthrough in the debt-ceiling standoff.

Biden added: "The problem is it would have to be litigated. And in the meantime, without an extension, it would still end up in the same place."

Why is the 14th Amendment under discussion?

Some constitutional experts argue the debt ceiling - which sets a cap on the amount the U.S. can borrow - violates the 14th Amendment, which says in Section 4 the "validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Rather than seeking congressional approval to raise the debt limit, according to the theory, the Biden administration could challenge the legality of the debt limit by having the Treasury continue to issue new debt to fulfill its financial obligations.

Biden pointed to the opinion of Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and constitutional law scholar, who came around to the 14th Amendment theory after dismissing it in 2011 when President Barack Obama faced the risk of default.

Tribe, in a New York Times op-ed Sunday, wrote "the question isn't" whether the president has the authority to "tear up" the federal debt limit statute. "The right question is whether Congress  after passing the spending bills that created these debts in the first place  can invoke an arbitrary dollar limit to force the president and his administration to do its bidding." Tribe argues the answer is no.

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President Joe Biden confirmed Tuesday he's 'been considering' invoking the 14th Amendment to get around the debt ceiling but expressed concerns with the strategy.

McConnell warns Biden against 'unconstitutionally acting' without Congress

Senate Majority Leader McConnell warned Biden against pursuing the 14th Amendment strategy in remarks Wednesday on the Senate floor.

"President Biden's refusal to compromise is really not an option when you have a divided government," McConnell said. "Unconstitutionally acting without Congress is also not an option."

An Oval Office meeting between Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Chuck Schumer, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and McConnell failed to bridge differences in debt-ceiling talks.

The U.S. faces a June 1 deadline for a potential default when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills. But Republicans remain committed to spending cuts as part of raising the debt ceiling while Biden and Democrats argue the debt ceiling must be raised without conditions.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, standing next to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, speaks to reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, following a meeting with President Joe Biden on the debt limit. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) ORG XMIT: DCSW103

Biden might challenge debt ceiling after impasse

Biden wouldn't rule out pursuing a short-term extension to the debt ceiling to get past the June 1 deadline but McCarthy said he's opposed to that idea. Nor did the president rule out skipping the G7 Summit planned in Japan later this month if a deal isn't reached.

"I'm not ruling anything out," Biden said.

Even if Biden doesn't challenge the constitutionality of the debt ceiling based on the 14th Amendment during the current impasse, the issue might not be over.

Biden said he's thinking about looking "months down the road" to see what the courts say about challenging the debt ceiling via the 14th Amendment. "Whether or not it does work," he said.

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden considers 14th Amendment to escape debt ceiling crisis
An 8-year-old boy who spent two days lost in a Michigan state park survived by eating snow and taking shelter under a log, police said.

Search party volunteers found Nante Niemi, an 8-year-old second-grader, at 1:30 p.m. Monday two miles from his campsite, Michigan State Police said in a news release.

Niemi was with his family on an annual camping trip Saturday in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, also called "the Porkies." He was walking and gathering firewood for their campsite when he went missing, police said.

The boy had "braved the elements" by taking shelter under the log and is now back with his family, police said.

An 8-year-old Wisconsin boy, Nante Niemi, is missing in the Porcupine Mountains area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Found: 8-year-old missing in Michigan park found safe 48 hours after disappearance

New Jersey: Dramatic video shows moment police find crying 4-year-old boy lost in woods

Volunteers with eight-year-old Nante Niemi. He was camping with family on May 6, 2023 in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park when he went missing. He was found safe on May 8, 2023. Police say he survived eating ice and taking shelter under a log.

Volunteers and rescue personnel stepped up to find him

Michigan State Police said more than 150 search and rescue personnel, K9s included, searched the 40-square mile area on foot. Some searched in the air and on water.

During the search, police said the search area was hilly with lots of standing water and some roads were impassable due to snow.

"The terrain is very remote and hilly with a lot of standing water due to the time of the year," Michigan State Police wrote in a news release.

Once the public got wind that the boy was missing, volunteers offered to help with the search.

The 8-year-old is a second-grader in Wisconsin's Hurley School District, an administrator said this week.

Once he was found, the district thanked everyone who played a part in bringing him home and shared photos of the people who found him carrying the boy to safety.

In another photo the district posted, the boy held a bottle of water and a partially-eaten snack, a stark difference from what he ate while lost in the state park."Although our emotions are very raw at this time, we want to acknowledge the extreme outpouring of love and support we received over these past few days," the district wrote on Facebook. "May all those who took part in the search and rescue efforts know that your work will have a positive impact on many lives forever!"

Volunteers with eight-year-old Nante Niemi. He was camping with family on May 6, 2023 in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park when he went missing. He was found safe on May 8, 2023. Police say he survived eating ice and taking shelter under a log.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nante Niemi survived 2 days in state park, ate snow, sheltered in log
F-22 fixed belly

An F-22 Raptor stealth fighter that was seriously damaged in 2018 after it skidded down the runway on its belly at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, has returned to operational status. This marks the end of an elongated five-year period of restoration on the aircraft. The Air Force had previously hoped to have the F-22 flying again in Spring 2022.

Confirmation that the Raptor, which has the serial number 07-4146, is flying once again came recently after the Department of Defense released a series of photos showing the aircraft completing a final series of tests in April and May of this year. The aircraft, which is attached to the 90th Fighter Squadron, 3rd Fighter Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, returned to the operational fleet on May 4.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena

The Raptor in question skidded down the runway in April 2018 during a graduation exercise for the U.S. Navy's TOPGUN fighter weapons school training program at Naval Air Station Fallon.

The F-22 sitting on Fallon's runway on its belly. USAF mishap investigation photo

One of four jets from the 90th Fighter Squadron supporting the graduation, the Air Force concluded that the incident involving 07-4146 was caused in part by incorrect takeoff and landing data as well as the difference in altitude at Fallon compared to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. These factors, plus the fact that the pilot had retracted the aircraft's landing gear sooner than it should have been during takeoff, meant that there was insufficient lift to get the Raptor airborne  causing it to come back down on the runway without its gear deployed.

Tail number 07-4146, an F-22 Raptor assigned to the 3rd Wing, successfully takes off during its functional check flight at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 4, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena

In the various images above and below taken on May 4, we see the F-22 preparing for, and conducting, a functional check flight at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Functional check flights are typically performed after heavy maintenance periods in order to ensure that aircraft performs as needed. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Philip Johnson, a functional check flight pilot assigned to the 514th Flight Test Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, performed the check flight, after which 07-4146 returned to the operational fleet.

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U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Philip Johnson, a functional check flight pilot assigned to the 514th Flight Test Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares to conduct the functional check flight. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena

Alongside photos dated May 4, we also see a series of images dated variously in April showing other tests being performed on the aircraft in the lead-up to its functional check flight. On April 19, personnel attached to the 90th Air Maintenance Unit performed an afterburner test in order to ensure the correct transfer of fuel for the aircraft, as the image captions note.

07-4146 is towed in preparation for an afterburner run at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 19, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kyle Veurink, an F-22 Raptor craftsman assigned to the 90th Air Maintenance Unit, connects a repositioning tool in preparation for the afterburner run. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Eller, an F-22 Raptor crew chief assigned to the 90th Air Maintenance Unit, inspects the aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Eller equips his headset in preparation for the afterburner run. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena Afterburner test being conducted. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Eller prepares to shut down the tail after a successful afterburner run. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena

Prior to this, personnel attached to the 90th Aircraft Maintenance Unit rebalanced the aircraft on April 4 in order to ensure it maintains the correct center of gravity.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Bowers, a quality insurance inspector assigned to the 3rd Maintenance Group, calibrates balancing equipment during the rebalancing test at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, April 4, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Jefferson, an F-22 Raptor craftsman assigned to the 90th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, secures towing equipment during the rebalancing. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Jefferson guides the F-22 onto balancing equipment during its rebalancing. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J. Michael Pena

Images of the restoration process in 2021 released by the Air Force, which you can see in our previous article here, show the aircraft in a very different condition. The innards of the Raptor can be seen exposed as the labor-intensive repair work was underway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Yet even at that stage, however, a significant amount of work had already been undertaken on the aircraft. As we noted in that article, it took over a year of running models and simulations once the aircraft arrived from Fallon to even determine whether it could be salvaged and for plans for repair to be created.

Members of the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron rebuild U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor tail number 07-4146 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Nov. 29, 2021, after the aircraft was damaged in a crash in Nevada in 2018. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Colvin

As Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kevin Fitch, an F-22 crew chief from the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU), indicated, after successful simulations the aircraft was placed in a hangar in January 2020 and put on stands. From there, a complete strip" started to the bones of the fuselage. Contractors, engineers, and structures personnel spent about 16 months replacing almost the whole bottom of the aircraft, the fuselage stations, and more than 40 wire harnesses, Fitch noted. Our active-duty guys didnt start having a hand in the rebuild until June this year [2021].

This is not the first time a mishap like this occurred. In 2012, another F-22 skidded down the runway on its belly, this time at Tyndall AFB. The cost of repairing that jet was an estimated $35M, and took six years. The response to that ordeal likely informed this latest one.

Although the exact cost of restoring 07-4146 remains unknown, it has not come without its difficulties for the Air Force  particularly in terms of acquiring the right parts for an aircraft that is long out of production. Restoring the aircraft is also significant in the wider context of the services F-22 small fleet of around 180 airframes, of which only about 125 are actually combat capable.

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 3rd Wing takes off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, in support of Polar Force 22-4, March 30, 2022. U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Pena

Indeed, the total number of F-22s is only set to decrease in the near future. According to the services 2024 Fiscal Year budget request, the Air Force wants to divest 32 Block 20 F-22A Raptor stealth fighters (which are currently tasked with training and other non-combat duties). This would bring the total size of the F-22 fleet down from 183 to 151 aircraft.

Ultimately, the Air Force is looking to replace its F-22s with a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet being developed under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The service is currently looking to procure 200 Next-Generation Air Dominance stealth combat jets, which will cost hundreds of millions of dollars each, according to officials. Although the total production figure could, and likely will, change.

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors from the 95th Fighter Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., fly over the Baltic Sea, Sept. 4, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson

Despite these plans, the F-22 remains a 'centerpiece' aircraft within the USAF's inventory and has seen continued upgrades in recent years. F-22s have proved instrumental in shooting down the various objects identified flying above U.S. and Canadian airspace since February  the latest of which involved the interception of a spherical object off Hawaii at the end of April. In terms of recent technology upgrades, F-22s have been spotted flying with stealthy underwing pods as of late, and are even being used to test NGAD capabilities (and will also receive technology from the program). In addition to being able to fire AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), F-22s are expected to be one of, if not the first aircraft, to be armed with the future AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM.

Seeing 07-4146 in flight once more is certainly a testament to the hard work of the Air Force personnel and their contractor counterparts in making this a reality. This is especially commendable given the condition of the aircraft after its belly landing. Above all else, it is just another reminder of just how far the USAF will go to keep its small fleet of operationally relevant F-22s intact.

Contact the author: oliver@thewarzone.com
koto_feja/Getty Images

A small new study led by BioNTech used a customized pancreatic cancer vaccine on 16 patients.

Half of the patients remained cancer-free after 18 months.

Competitors like Moderna have also been developing personalized mRNA cancer vaccines.

A new vaccine designed to treat pancreatic cancer prevented the disease from returning in 50% of patients who received it, scientists reported today.

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to detect and treat. It is widely known as a "silent disease" because symptoms, including abdominal pain and weight loss, often don't arise until the cancer cells have spread to blood vessels and tissue, at which point treatment is difficult.

One recent case was "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek, who died shortly after being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

But what makes this form of cancer so aggressive is also what makes it a good candidate for this new treatment, The New York Times reported. Scientists at the German firm BioNTech developed a vaccine that can be tailored to each patient's unique genetic makeup, to train their immune system to destroy pancreatic cancer cells.

In a small study published today by Nature, scientists said they tested the vaccine on 16 patients in New York City, and half of the patients were still remaining cancer-free after 18 months  a success for the trial.

The vaccine was custom-made from each patient's mRNA

New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center took tumor samples from 16 patients and sent them to Germany. There, a team of scientists at BioNTech  the company that co-developed COVID-19 vaccines with Pfizer  analyzed the proteins in each sample's cancer cells.

Like the COVID vaccines, these utilized messenger RNA to instruct a patient's immune system to destroy the cancer cells. The key difference was each vaccine being tailor-made to each patient's mRNA.

The results were promising but not conclusive

Eight out of the 16 patients did not experience a relapse 18 months after the treatment. Even more encouraging, one patient's new cancer growth in their liver disappeared in imaging tests after they received the vaccine.

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Because the patients were also given chemotherapy and another cancer drug, it's hard to say how much of an impact the vaccine alone had. And in the other half of the patients treated, the cancer returned after about a year.

Despite obstacles, custom vaccines may be the future of cancer treatment

Due to the customized development of each vaccine, "cost is a major barrier for these types of vaccines to be more broadly utilized," Dr. Neeha Zaidi, a pancreatic cancer specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told The New York Times.

Still, the rapid, nine-week development of these vaccines gives scientists hope. Moderna has also used personalized mRNA vaccines to treat skin cancer and sees this approach as the future of cancer care.

Read the original article on Insider
Market Research Future

Coffee Concentrates Market Research Report Information By Variety (Arabica and Robusta), By Caffeine Content (Regular and Decaffeinated), By Product Type (Top Roast Coffee Concentrate, Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate, Iced Coffee Concentrate, and Black Coffee Concentrate), By Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Specialty Stores, Convenience Stores, and Online Retail), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2032

New York, US, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a latest comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Coffee Concentrates Market Information by Variety, Caffeine Content, Product Type, Distribution Channel, and Region- Forecast till 2032, the market is estimated to acquire a size of over USD 2.37 Billion by the end of 2032. The report further predicts the market to thrive at a healthy CAGR of over 3.80% during the review timeframe.

Coffee Concentrates Market Overview:

Increase in Coffee Consumption to Boost Market Growth

The market for ready-to-drink beverages is growing, and one of the key market factors for coffee concentrate is the coffee industry. Coffee is one amid the most popular drinks in the world. As ready-to-drink products become more popular, there is an increase in the need for coffee concentrates. Because of their busy lives, consumers are opting for condensed coffee over regular coffee. The growing popularity of instant coffee in homes and workplaces is expected to boost the market. The market has grown as more cafes emerge in emerging countries.

Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/11528

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details 2032 Market Size USD 2.37 Billion CAGR 3.80% (20232032) Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2032 Historical Data 2018-2022 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Variety, Caffeine Content, Product Type, Distribution Channel, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Rising demand for coffee Growing product innovations increase the number of consumer-available food service-branded coffees

Key Players:

Eminent industry players profiled in the global coffee concentrates market report include

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Nestle SA

PepsiCo Inc.

Kraft Foods Group

S&D Coffee Inc.

Aspen Beverage Group LLC

Christopher Bean Coffee Company

Ueshima Coffee Co. Ltd.

Death Wish Coffee Company LLC

and Kohana Coffee

Opportunities

Increase in Working Population to offer Robust Opportunities

A noteworthy factor in the growth of the coffee industry has been the rise of the working population, & coffee concentrates have become a well-liked and practical option for individuals to enjoy their preferred beverage on the move.

Restraints and Challenges

Side Effects of Caffeine to act as Market Restraint

The side effects of caffeine, high production cost due to the need for specialized equipment and processes, lack of awareness, and shelf-life limitations may act as market restraints over the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis

The market for coffee concentrates has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The need for coffee concentrates had improved as more individuals started making coffee at home as a result of the closure of numerous coffee shops and cafes owing to lockdowns and social distancing measures. The manufacturing & distribution of the coffee concentrates have been impacted by the pandemic's effects on the worldwide supply chain. There are shortages in few areas and higher costs in others as a result of factory closures and trade restrictions.

Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=11528

Market Segmentation:

The global coffee concentrates market is bifurcated based on variety, caffeine content, product type, and distribution channel.

By variety, Arabica will lead the market over the forecast period. Owing to its sweet flavor and silky texture, Arabica is considered better than robusta.

By caffeine content, regular will domineer the market over the forecast period for its advantages over the decaffeinated coffee like better metabolic and mental health. Its effectiveness to reduce liver damage risks makes regular coffee the recommended option.

By product type, top roast coffee concentrate will spearhead the market over the forecast period. Owing to the simplicity of consumption and customers fast-paced lifestyle it has gained more recognition over conventional coffee.

By distribution channel, online retail will have the lions share in this market in the assessment period. The expansion of the online sales channels is aiding market participants to reach their target audience. The rapidly expanding urbanization of the world needs a variety of food goods that boosts the need for the worldwide market for coffee concentrates.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (128 Pages) on Coffee Concentrates Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/coffee-concentrates-market-11528

Regional Analysis:

North America to Head Coffee Concentrates Market

In 2022, this market will be dominated by the North American market region. The United States, a world leader in this sector, produces and distributes the majority of the supply of coffee concentrate in the world. Ideal growing conditions, plenty of resources for the production, & a sophisticated infrastructure to facilitate efficient distribution are just a few factors that contribute to this dominance. Due to widespread frequent coffee use by consumers, North America is experiencing rapid expansion in the market for coffee concentrates. Additionally, the regional market expansion for coffee concentrates has been aided by the notable drop in the usage of carbonated beverages.

Europe to Have Admirable Growth in Coffee Concentrates Market

In 2022, the Coffee Concentrates market in Europe held the second-largest market share. A new line of coffee concentrates is being introduced by European businesses, and the company is also assisting the coffee-growing regions by funding their social, economic, & environmental initiatives. Additionally, the UK Coffee Concentrates market had the quickest rate of growth in the European region, while the Coffee Concentrates market in Germany had the largest market share. The market is expected to experience significant expansion in Europe as demand for single origin, high-quality coffees rise. Additionally, the region's increased use of coffee concentrates has accelerated market expansion.

Industry Updates:

April 2023- A Singaporean coffee start-up has hopes to grow throughout Southeast Asia and offer its cold brew concentrates & ready-to-drink goods in supermarkets. Wake The Crew currently sells its products online on its website, on e-commerce sites like Shopee and Lazada's RedMart, and sporadically at pop-up events, farmers' markets, & artisanal events. Products from Wake the Crew include cold brew soap bars, ready-to-drink cold brew coffee in 240ml, and tea and coffee concentrates in 500ml bottles.

Discover More Research Reports on Food, Beverages & Nutrition Market , by Market Research Future:

Coffee Pods and Capsules Market Research Report Information By Coffee Type (Traditional And Decaf), By Distributional Channel (Store Based And Non-Store Based), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030

Rapport d'etude de marche du cafe : informations par type de produit (cafe frais et dosettes et capsules de cafe), categorie (conventionnel et biologique), canal de distribution (en magasin et non stocke) et region (Amerique du Nord, Europe, Asie-Pacifique et reste du monde) Previsions jusqu'en 2026

Markt fur Kaffeemaschinen : Informationen nach Typ (Filterkaffeemaschinen, Kapsel- oder Pad-Kaffeemaschinen, traditionelle Espressomaschinen und Bohnen-zu-Cup-Kaffeemaschinen), nach Kategorie (halbautomatisch und vollautomatisch), nach Endverbrauch (Haushalt und Gewerbe) - Prognose bis 2027

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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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President Joe Biden made waves Tuesday when he acknowledged he was considering using the 14th Amendment to end the debt standoff  before saying he feared it would get caught up in courts.

On Wednesday, the politically active constitutional scholar who warmed Biden to the idea called the president's concerns misplaced.

I dont think there is any litigation to fear, said Harvard professor Laurence Tribe, adding that he hopes Biden realizes a court challenge is not something to worry about.

Tribes response to Biden represents his latest effort to try and persuade the president to utilize novel legal arguments as a way through the increasingly thorny debt ceiling standoff. Tribes push for the 14th Amendment first got on Bidens radar vis-a-vis a May 7 New York Times op ed, in which he said the debt ceiling must be ignored in order for the president to execute other laws enacted by Congress.



Biden expressed openness to the argument at a press conference on Tuesday but largely rejected the idea of pursuing the option in the context of the current standoff. He noted that because the use of the 14th Amendment would be challenged in court, it would spark similar questions around default and, potentially, market chaos. He added that he was looking at the idea after the current standoff is resolved.

When we get by this, I'm thinking about taking a look at [it], Biden said.

Tribe, in an interview, said that House Republicans  who have hinted they would challenge the presidents use of the 14th Amendment  cant sue the president for not violating the Constitution. He anticipated the Supreme Court would reject such a case.

Even bending their standing doctrine, I don't know how they or how anyone could find somebody with standing to sue the president and the secretary of the Treasury for spending the money that Congress has said they're supposed to spend, Tribe said. What would a court tell them not to spend the money on?

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Biden on Tuesday called Tribe a man I have enormous respect for and someone who advised him for a long time. Tribe declined to say whether he is speaking with the White House about the 14th Amendment concept.

The basis of Tribes argument is that Congress cant issue laws requiring the executive to spend money and create debt and then also demand a separate dollar limit on that spending.

The idea of using the 14th Amendment  which says the nations debts shall not be questioned  to continue making payments on spending approved by Congress has garnered increased interest as the nation tips closer to default. That could intensify if and when the current standoff ends, as White House officials have made clear that Biden is serious about exploring it as a means to prevent another spin around the nations fiscal drain in the future.

The debt limit does not limit debt. It has no positive function whatsoever. It's simply a formula for periodic crises, Tribe said.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are warm to the idea but have been skeptical of embracing the escape hatch out of similar concern about a certain court challenge.

I personally feel that we should test it, said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Democratic whip. But, we can't afford to go into a last minute court battle with the June 1 deadline.



Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), an emeritus constitutional law professor at American University, said if the standoff doesnt end, there is a pretty clear constitutional command to pay debts. He also acknowledged there is virtually no precedent under the 14th Amendment. But the president could be in a position where hes going to be forced to choose between either violating the Constitution and violating the laws of the country which require him to pay the bondholders and pay the Social Security recipients.

However, Republicans  who are looking to use the debt limit to extract cost cutting  are opposed to the idea.

"Unconstitutionally acting without Congress is also not an option," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Tribe said hes unclear how the White House could formally declare it was invoking the 14th Amendment as a means of ensuring the country made its payment, but said it would not be a heavy lift.

The logistics  is it an executive order, is it a directive in the form of a presidential statement? That, I haven't worked out, and that I'm confident Stu Delery as the President's White House counsel will be working rather hard on it if Congress remains recalcitrant and refuses to budge, he said.

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.
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TUCSON  Arizona has established five new bus routes to transport migrants from small border communities to Tucson ahead of the expected lifting of a controversial border restriction this week, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Tuesday.

The state established the routes Monday to avoid migrant street releases in communities that lack the infrastructure to care for and transport migrants to larger cities. The routes run from Douglas, Naco and Nogales to the Casa Alitas migrant shelter in Tucson.

The Border Patrol notified the communities about the need for migrant transportation to avoid street releases over the weekend, said Allen Clark, director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management. The state is gearing up for more routes as needed, he added.

These activities will happen on a rolling basis throughout the state to ensure we have a safe, humane and orderly lifting, Hobbs said of the new bus routes.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs speaks at a news conference outside of the Casa Alitas Drexel Center in Tucson on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Casa Alitas has received about 300 migrants daily from the small border communities since the routes were established Monday, according to Casa Alitas Executive Director Teresa Cavendish. The figure comes on top of the number of people that the organization already receives from the Border Patrols Tucson Sector.

That's a substantial increase, Cavendish said.

The states Border Security Fund can make $7 million immediately available to scale up transportation, shelter and public safety operations, Hobbs said. The governor's team is working to find any additional sources of money to help local governments during the lifting of Title 42.

Title 42 was first enacted under the Trump administration in March 2020 to allow border officials to rapidly expel most migrants seeking asylum. The Biden administration has continued to use the restriction as a way to manage migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Allen Clark, director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, speaks at a news conference outside of the Casa Alitas Drexel Center in Tucson on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

The restriction has bottled up thousands of migrants in Mexican border communities where they are exposed to dangerous conditions. U.S. officials are estimating that daily migrant encounters along the southern border could rise to 10,000 per day when Title 42 sunsets.

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Title 42 is expected to end at 8:59 p.m. Thursday.

Arizona's plan: How will state respond to Title 42's end? Hobbs gives preview; many questions remain

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs speaks to the press about the upcoming end of Title 42 during a news conference at the state Capitol on May 8, 2023 in Phoenix.

Hobbs, a Democrat, spoke in front of a tent full of migrants waiting to be welcomed to Casa Alitas Drexel Center in Tucson. The migrant shelter is at capacity with roughly 600 to 650 migrants passing daily through the facility, according to Cavendish.

The Casa Alitas Welcome Center receives migrants who are released by Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement and helps arrange transportation for them to their final destinations around the country.

Roughly 1,200 people are circulating through Casa Alitas six facilities at any given time, Cavendish said. While they're at capacity, the organization has been able to work with the city and the county to nudge up the level of shelter space that theyre able to provide at the moment, she added.

It's kind of like an accordion, but it's like an accordion that has a definite limit on how far it can expand, Cavendish said.

Casa Alitas Executive Director Teresa Cavendish speaks at a news conference outside of the Casa Alitas Drexel Center in Tucson on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

The capacity for Casa Alitas to continue to serve migrants at these levels while avoiding street releases in Arizona communities will depend on the number of migrant encounters that are seen after Title 42 ends, Cavendish said.

We could have street releases as early as later this week or we could be able to push them off for a little bit longer, Cavendish said.

The enormous resources that have been developed to help migrants may not be sufficient to help the number of people who will be arriving at Casa Alitas in need of assistance once Title 42 expires, Cavendish added.

Casa Alitas has seen an increase in the number of people it serves over the past couple of months, Cavendish said.

Hobbs visited Tucson to meet with local and nonprofit leaders two days before Title 42, the pandemic-era border restriction, is expected to expire. Hobbs expressed frustration over a lack of communication with the Border Patrol about where it is dropping migrants off as the state works to avoid street releases.

Tucson Border Patrol chief: Border Patrol as prepared as it can be for border restriction's end

John Modlin, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, said the agency is as prepared as it can be for the expiration of Title 42 during a border safety event on Monday. Still, Modlin described the end of the restriction as concerning and said Border Patrol facilities are at capacity.

John Modlin, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector speaks at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base about the sector's readiness on Monday, May 8, 2023. The event comes days ahead of Title 42's expected expiration on May 11.

The Border Patrol has not yet shared its preparations for the lifting of Title 42 with her office, Hobbs said.

(The Border Patrol) might think they have a plan, but they have not communicated that plan to us, Hobbs said. I would love to hear what their plan is, but we have not heard that yet.

For the past three years, the federal government has used Title 42 as a temporary solution to a permanent problem. May 11th, that will come to an end. Thats why today I am announcing the State of Arizonas Title 42 Preparedness Approach.  1/7  Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) May 9, 2023

Hobbs visit comes a day after Hobbs teased the states five-pronged approach to the end of Title 42 during a news conference on Monday.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls talk about the upcoming end of Title 42 at the state Capitol in Phoenix on May 8, 2023.

Concrete details of the plan, however, were sparse.

The state stands prepared to scale up its transportation, shelter and public safety activities to meet the needs on the ground, Hobbs said Tuesday.

We're trying to make sure that we have everything in place to address all of the issues that are going to come from lifting Title 42.

Congressional reaction: No one in Arizona's congressional delegation is optimistic about what comes after Title 42

Hobbs approach revolves around public safety, emergency shelter, executive action, transportation and partnerships.

Hobbs announced the creation of a joint information command center to prepare for the expected increase in migrant encounters following the restrictions lifting Thursday night. The joint center will allow federal agencies, local governments, tribal communities and nongovernmental organizations to communicate.

The various entities can raise concerns, share updates and coordinate responses through the new command center.

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, left, and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, right, attend a press conference at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales on March 21, 2023.

Hobbs visited Nogales alongside Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in March to announce an operation to interdict more fentanyl at Arizonas ports of entry. Earlier that month, Hobbs visited Somerton to tour the Regional Center for Border Health, the nonprofit leading migrant aid in Yuma County.

Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hobbs: Migrant bus routes, $7M part of AZ response to Title 42's end
This month, demonstrators have taken to the streets and subway stations in New York City to protest the killing of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old man who was choked to death by another passenger on a train in Manhattan on May 1.

Many have suggested that Neely, who was experiencing homelessness, could have been in a mental health crisis at the time: He was reportedly shouting to others on the train that he was hungry, that he didnt care about going to jail, that he was ready to die.

At some point, Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran, placed Neely in a minuteslong chokehold, which was caught on film. (The video also shows that others were involved in the incident to varying degrees, with at least one possibly helping to hold Neely down.)

The city medical examiner ruled Neelys killing a homicide, noting that he died due to a compression of neck (chokehold). Penny was questioned after the altercation but then released. A grand jury is expected to decide this week whether to bring criminal charges against him.

Outrage over Neelys killing came almost immediately. Some alleged that the deadly encounter was tied to a discomfort that white people feel around Black people, especially those who are mentally ill or poor.

Lauren Taylor, the founder and director of Defend Yourself, a self-defense organization based in Washington, said she agrees with this view.

Jordan Neely lived in a society that devalues each of those identities and dehumanizes people who [belong to those groups], she said, suggesting that his killing amounted to a crime. Its extremely unlikely he would have been murdered if he had been white.

White people in our society also view Black men as larger and more threatening  as do Black people, but less so, she added. Its almost certain that this aspect of structural racism played a piece in Pennys decision to attack him.

The other much-discussed facet of this story is the apparent lack of action from many riders on the train. Some are wondering if de-escalation tactics could have made a difference in a situation like this, where someone is clearly in distress.

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In a widely shared story in The Nation, political commentator Elie Mystal offered a rationale for why bystanders may have frozen:

In a country where it feels like any conflict can escalate from heated words to mass murder in an instant, its not surprising that most people will just look the other way. Id like to think that, had I been on the train, I would have said something. Please stop, youre killing that man. But would I have physically intervened? Would I have tangled with soldier boy to try to break the choke hold? I dont know. I suspect not, to my shame.

Its important to note that some people did act  like the freelance journalist who was recording (an action that Taylor said can influence aggressors to stop what theyre doing) and a person who seemingly warned Penny to be careful.

You dont have to catch a murder charge, the person is heard saying in the footage. You got a hell of a chokehold, man.

Protesters chant at a vigil in a New York subway station on May 3 in New York.

Protesters chant at a vigil in a New York subway station on May 3 in New York.

In some cases, just making a verbal comment like that can help defuse the situation, said Steven Dinkin, the president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group that offers mediation and conflict resolution trainings.

While our organization doesnt recommend physical intervention, a situation can sometimes be de-escalated just by acknowledging the person and asking simple questions, then listening to their response, he said.

Dinkin told HuffPost that a calm verbal acknowledgement can be helpful and may provide an opening to appeal to a persons values and increase their willingness to consider options for resolving the situation.

In the Neely case, some just watched the scene unfold  an apparent example of the bystander effect, which occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation.

Psychologists Bibb Latane and John Darley, who first popularized the concept, attributed this phenomenon to two factors: diffusion of responsibility (that is, the thinking that someone else will step in) and social influence (with observers seeing the inaction of others as evidence that nothing needs to be done).

In contrast to a bystander, an upstander is someone who intervenes or interrupts to help stop a dangerous or unlawful incident.

It only takes one person to move from a freeze state and provide support based on consent, solidarity and recognizing the inherent dignity of the person who is experiencing a crisis, said Kalayaan Mendoza, the director of mutual protection at Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international NGO focused on preventing and reducing conflict.

A demonstrator carries a protest sign at a New York subway station during a vigil and rally on Monday, May 8.

A demonstrator carries a protest sign at a New York subway station during a vigil and rally on Monday, May 8.

What could have been done in the Neely case, and what should you do in a context where someone is in a mental health crisis or getting violent? Speaking to HuffPost, experts in de-escalation shared their advice for anyone who wants a variety of tools that could help.

Take a deep breath and ground yourself.

In potentially stressful situations, youre more likely to be effective when calm and centered instead of fearful and angry. This will help if youre trying to reason and establish an on-the-fly relationship with someone whos having a mental health crisis, Mendoza said.

What this means is to create a moment of pause, he said. Are you in an emotionally regulated  not necessarily comfortable, but regulated  space where you are cool, calm, collected and connected? Before even providing support, build in this moment of pause, then assess.

Put your safety first.

How do you assess safety  for yourself, others and an individual in crisis  during a public incident?

Taylor said to think about these questions: How escalated is the potentially dangerous person? Do they seem to have a weapon? Who else is around? Might they also be a threat? Could they be of help to you? Where are the exits? Where is the safest place to be?

Ask yourself, Who is the real threat to whom here?

Research suggests that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of a crime than to commit one. Studies also indicate that homeless people are more likely than housed people to be victims of violent crime. Indeed, the past few years have seen an apparent spike in violence against such people, with the visibility of homelessness increasing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antoinette Chen See, a facilitator at Fireweed Collective, which offers mental health education online, said that if you see someone in crisis, you should ask yourself, Who is the real threat to whom here?

Mentally ill folks experience higher rates of violence than the general population, she said. So we should shift the conversation from how to de-escalate a person in an altered state to how do I work on my internalized fear of mental illness so I do no harm to mentally ill folks?

When you witness an alarming scene, it might be helpful to behave as if those involved are loved ones and people you care about personally, Chen See said.

Act as if your intervention, no matter how small, could be the difference between them going home or not, because in many cases it is, she said.

Take action based on your assessment.

Can you and others leave the area? Thats often the easiest and safest way to de-escalate a situation with a person in public, Taylor said.

If thats not an option, stand diagonally to them, with your hands low and visible, she said. Put on your listening face and show that you are calm, even if youre faking it. With a quiet voice, ask questions, listen to them and empathize. Work to build a connection.

Often, phrases like these can bring the temperature down, according to Taylor:

Im sorry that happened.

It sounds like 

Thats terrible! What can I do to help?

Yeah, I hear that ...

I see that youre upset.

If you reach out to a person involved, keep your distance.

If you approach a person during an incident, Dinkin said to maintain enough physical distance to allow them to feel safe.

Make eye contact, but break it if they become more agitated, he said. Speak slowly and calmly to the person and ask simple questions, like how can I help you?

Try to get across that youre on their side, said Chen See.

Communicate and explain your intentions. and that you wont do or make them do anything they dont want to, she said.

If theyre in a crisis, try gathering from them what would make them feel safer and what would make them comfortable, Chen See added.

You dont have to do this alone, either. You can enlist other bystanders to provide support, such as by contacting mental health services.

In a tense situation, put your safety first.

In a tense situation, put your safety first.

Consider calling a crisis hotline rather than 911.

Though dialing 911 may seem like the first thing to do when someone is threatening to harm themselves or otherwise in crisis, doing so can sometimes have fatal consequences.

The police officer might be perceived as threatening and/or symbolic of an arrest rather than help, Jessica Isom, a psychiatrist based in Boston, told HuffPost in 2020. Not all police officers are trained and competent to provide critical intervention services.

Consider calling a crisis hotline first. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (whose phone number in the U.S. is 988) can direct you to a local crisis center. You can also call state or county mental health services located nearby, which may offer crisis hotlines.

Figure out a mutually acceptable solution.

See if you can defuse the situation by coming to a resolution with the person involved, Taylor said.

Your resolution could be a mutually acceptable solution (How about we go down the block and I buy you some food? Would you like me to call your sister/caseworker/etc. for you?), asking them to leave, or getting another kind of help, like a calling a mental health first-responder team, she said.

What if I see a physical altercation involving a person in crisis?

Beyond just de-escalation, bystander intervention strategies might quell situations like the one with Neely and Penny. In its training courses, the group Right To Be teaches that there are five different methods  the 5Ds  for intervening when witnessing harassment or physical violence in public.

You can distract (by asking for directions, for instance); delegate (by asking for help); document (by recording video or audio); delay (by checking in on the harassed person after the incident is over); or direct (by speaking out directly to the attacker, as at least one person apparently did with Neely and Penny).

Which intervention a person may choose is influenced by their skills and personality, Taylor said: You may be better at getting people to calm down, while another person is better at assertively getting someone to stop what theyre doing when thats called for.

It also depends on their identities, she said. It probably would have been more effective for a large white man to try to get Penny to stop than a Black man or even a Black woman.

Life experiences play a part, too.

There was no way to know at the time that Penny was a Marine. But if something happened in a situation where something like that was known, another service member would have been a good person to step up, Taylor said.

To prepare, take a de-escalation class.

Ideally, youve thought about what youd do in a situation before youre thrown into a high-stakes, real-life event. Thats why Mendoza encourages everyone to attend situational awareness and de-escalation trainings. (Not sure where to sign up? Princeton Universitys Bridging Divides Initiative has created a directory of local and national resources.)

Trainings are a good way to build your muscle memory around ways to provide mutual protection to those most marginalized in our society, Mendoza added.

The only way to build true safety is through building solidarity and community, he said. Our society can only be safe when those most directly affected by structural violence are safe.

Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.

Dial 988 or call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also get support via text by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Related...
EAST JORDAN  A man wanted in connection to a 2011 murder in Las Vegas was arrested on Monday, May 8 in East Jordan.

According to a release from the East Jordan Police Department, the suspect was stopped on Maple Street near State Street for a traffic violation. A routine check of his driver's license revealed he had an outstanding arrest warrant from Las Vegas, Nevada for the following charges: murder with a deadly weapon, accessory to murder, first degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, conspiring to commit kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiring to commit robbery, destroying evidence, possession of a substance with intent to sell, conspiring to violate the controlled substance act, transporting a controlled substance and grand larceny.

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The suspect was arrested and lodged in the Charlevoix County Jail to await the extradition process. His name is being withheld pending arraignment, according to the release from East Jordan Chief of Police George Lasater.

The East Jordan Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police.

 Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231)675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com. Follow her on Twitter, @adoylenews.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Homicide fugitive from Las Vegas arrested in East Jordan
WASHINGTON  Republican lawmakers defended former President Donald Trump after he was found liable for sexual assault and defamation in a civil case in New York, in the latest legal bombshell that could haunt the GOP presidential front-runner in 2024.

That jurys a joke. The whole case is a joke, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told reporters on Tuesday.

If someone accuses me of raping them and I didnt do it, and youre innocent, of course youre going to say something about it  it was a joke, Rubio added of the defamation findings.

Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll testified that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. The jury reached its decision Tuesday after less than three hours of deliberation, finding the ex-president liable for sexual abuse  but not rape  and declaring he owes $5 million in total damages.

Trump, who declined the opportunity to defend himself in court, denied the allegation and called the verdict A DISGRACE and A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!

In her testimony, Carroll said Trump trapped and assaulted her at a New York luxury department store, pinning his body against hers.

He had pulled down my tights, and his fingers went into my vagina, and it was extremely painful, Carroll testified, Politico reported. Extremely painful because he put his hand inside me and curved his fingers. As Im sitting here today, I can still feel it.

It makes me want to vote for him twice.Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)

But Trumps top allies on Capitol Hill dismissed the verdict and suggested the jury that found Trump liable isnt legitimate because it was drawn in a blue state, the same defense Republicans trotted out when Trump was criminally charged in Manhattan over hush money payments to an adult film star earlier this year.

It makes me want to vote for him twice, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told HuffPost when asked about the verdict. Theyre going to do anything they can to keep him from winning. It aint gonna work ... people are gonna see through the lines; a New York jury, he had no chance.

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Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), another Trump ally, simply repeated Trumps denial of the allegation. He said he didnt do it, Scott said. Asked if he could support someone found liable for sexual battery, the senator said, I dont know the facts. Its a New York jury, too.

When it comes to Donald Trump, the New York legal system is off the rails, added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Other Republican senators expressed unease about the verdict but wouldnt rule out supporting Trump if he becomes the partys presidential nominee in 2024.

You never like to hear a former president has been found in civil court guilty of those types of actions, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said. When asked if he could support someone found liable for battery, Rounds said, I would have a difficult time doing so. He then heaped praise on Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is expected to enter the 2024 presidential race.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said he would rather have a president that isnt found liable for battery, but he, too, stopped short of ruling out supporting Trump in the future if its a choice between Trump and Joe Biden.

Its not a disqualifier, but its certainly not a check in the plus column, Cramer added of Trump being found liable for sexual battery.

Only Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of the Republican Partys loudest Trump critics, reiterated that it is long past time for the GOP to turn the page on Trump.

The jury reached their decision and I hope the jury of the American people reach the same conclusion: we need a different nominee to be the nominee for president. He is in no position to be the president of the United States, Romney said.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website.

Related...
Tuesday's thunderstorm that included booming thunder, an impressive lightning display, up to 2-inch hail and locally-heavy rain in Northern Colorado was just the beginning.

More powerful storms with Fort Collins in the bull's-eye are forecast into Thursday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch Thursday for all of Larimer County.

Here is what's in store for the storm and a look impacts from Tuesday's storm:

Tornado watch issued Wednesday for Windsor, Greeley

The National Weather Service in Boulder issued a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday for 12 counties and including Greeley and Windsor on the western edge of the watch area.

The watch area stretches along the Interstate 25 corridor from the Wyoming state line to Colorado Springs and east to the Nebraska and Kansas state line.

A few tornadoes are possible, scattered hail up to apple size likely and win gusts to 75 mph possible.

-- Miles Blumhardt

When thunderstorms are expected

This is for the Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor area and foothills and includes the possibility of large hail, damaging wind and tornadoes and flooding Thursday, according to the National Weather Service:

2 p.m. Wednesday: In the foothills (6,000 to 9,000 feet), severe weather potential elevates to moderate before subsiding.

5-8 p.m. Wednesday: In the Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor area, severe weather potential elevates to moderate.

Thursday-Friday: From 6 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday, there is a flood watch for all of Larimer, Weld and Morgan counties and parts of Boulder, Grand and Jackson counties, including the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome burn scars and Rocky Mountain National Park.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska until 9 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/slL79fcd3Y  NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 10, 2023

Fort Collins forecast calls for lots of rain through Friday

Wednesday: 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon increasing to 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms, some severe, at night. High of 71 degrees.

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Thursday: 100% chance of showers and possibility of thunderstorms with the potential to produce heavy rain after 8 a.m. and continuing throughout the night. High of 61 degrees.

Friday: 70% chance of showers with thunderstorms possible after noon, decreasing to 40% at night. High of 63 degrees.

Some weather context: What to know about Colorado's deadliest natural disasters, including key safety tips

Trying to provide some timing to storm initiation this afternoon and their severe potential as they move west to east across the region. pic.twitter.com/XJJavtsqLt  NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 10, 2023

Fort Collins-area Tuesday rainfall totals

Kersey (1.3 miles west-southwest): 2.01 inches

Galeton (1.6 miles east): 1.86 inches

Fort Collins (8.6 miles north): 0.98 inches

Berthoud (2.2 miles south-southwest): 0.92 inches

Eaton: 0.65 inches

Wellington: 0.60 inches

Greeley (1.3 miles east): 0.60 inches

Windsor (1.5 miles west-northwest): 0.59 inches

Loveland (3.2 miles east): 0.46 inches

Laporte (1.4 miles northwest): 0.33 inches

Loveland (1.7 miles southwest): 0.31 inches

Fort Collins (2.4 miles east-southeast): 0.22 inches

Fort Collins (2.5 miles northwest): 0.21 inches

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins, Larimer County weather: More thunderstorms forecast
Elon Musk's Twitter account, and Joseph James O'Connor arrested in Spain in 2021. Matt Cardy/Getty Images; REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Several high-profile Twitter accounts were hacked as part of a bitcoin giveaway scam in 2020.

Joseph James O'Connor pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on Tuesday, per the DOJ.

He was extradited to the US last month after being arrested in Spain two years ago.

A 23-year-old pleaded guilty over his role in 2020's huge Twitter hacking scheme at a New York court on Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced.

Joseph James O'Connor, a British citizen, was first arrested in Spain two years ago before being extradited to the US last month.

He was part of a group that hijacked several high-profile Twitter users including Joe Biden, Kim Kardashian, and Elon Musk. At the time, Twitter said that 130 accounts were targeted.

The hackers tweeted from those accounts falsely claiming that they would double all bitcoin sent to them in the next 30 minutes. Binance  the world's largest crypto exchange  also saw its account compromised.

The hackers' tweet from Joe Biden's account. Twitter

Twitter briefly stopped all verified accounts from tweeting as the company scrambled to oust the hackers.

"We detected what we believe to be a coordinated social engineering attack by people who successfully targeted some of our employees with access to internal systems and tools," it said.

The DOJ said O'Connor and his co-conspirators were also involved in several other schemes using SIM swaps, where hackers can remotely gain control of a victim's phone.

That included blackmailing one unnamed public figure with private Snapchat images; stealing $794,000 worth of crypto from a Manhattan-based company; and posting identifiable self-promotion videos on a high-profile TikTok account.

O'Connor also cyberstalked and threatened a minor, including the use of swatting attacks. Swatting refers to the act of calling the police on an innocent person and falsely claiming criminal activity.

"O'Connor's criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple people's lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.

O'Connor pleaded guilty to multiple counts of stalking, computer intrusion, extortion, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23 and faces a maximum sentence of more than 70 years in prison.

Read the original article on Business Insider
KUTV/YouTube

In March, Kouri Richins released an illustrated childrens book designed to offer comfort and solace to young minds as they deal with grief. She dedicated the work to her late husband, Eric, who she writes was an amazing husband and a wonderful father. On Monday, prosecutors said she killed him.

The 33-year-old mom, who had three kids with her husband, was arrested Monday and accused with poisoning him with a lethal dose of fentanyl at the familys home in the town of Kamas, Utah, on March 4, 2022. Her book, Are You With Me?, was released a year later, according to its Amazon page.

How to Murder Your Husband Author Guilty of Hubbys Slay

Kouri Richins has been charged with aggravated murder as well as drug possession offenses. Prosecutors said in court documents that Eric was found at the foot of his bed when deputies arrived at their house. Kouri allegedly called 911 after she found Eric cold to the touch and said she had made him an alcoholic drink earlier in the evening.

A medical examiner later found that Eric had died from a fentanyl overdose, with an autopsy showing that he had five times a lethal dose of the opioid in his system.

Authorities say that during their investigation into Erics death, they learned that Kouri had contacted an acquaintance asking if they could provide her with some prescription pain medication for an investor who had a back injury. The contact allegedly gave her hydrocodone pills but was then asked by Kouri to get her more powerful medication, specifically requesting some of the Michael Jackson stuff.

The acquaintance told police they gave Kouri between 15 and 30 fentanyl pills. Three days later, Eric became very ill after having dinner with Kouri at their home, court documents say. He became suspicious and told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him, prosecutors claim.

Around two weeks after the dinner, Kouri allegedly asked for more fentanyl pills from her contact. Less than a week after she took receipt of the extra drugs, Eric was found dead, authorities say.

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An obituary to Eric described him as a family man, who always strove to be the absolute best father and husband. It added that he was a devoted husband to the love of his life, and wife of nine years, Kouri, and that he did absolutely everything in his power to provide his family with every possible opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun.

An illustration included in Kouris book depicts Eric with a halo and angel wings looking out over a body of water, one arm wrapped around one of his sons and the other around his wife. Always on our minds, an inscription above the image reads. Forever in our hearts.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Russian troops with an Iskander missile at an event outside of Moscow in June 2015. Reuters

While its military struggles on the ground in Ukraine, Russia has leaned heavily on aerial attacks.

Waves of Russian drones and missiles have taxed Ukraine's already strained air-defense network.

In response, Ukraine appears to be targeting Russia's missile launchers to interrupt their attacks.

As Russian missiles continue to pound Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainians are using drones to target Russian missile launchers.

Ukraine has struck airbases inside Russia that service missile-armed bombers. It has also hit bases on the Crimean Peninsula that support the Black Sea Fleet and its missile-equipped warships.

Ukraine's strategy is spurred by desperation. While its air defenses have been successful, they can't destroy every incoming cruise and ballistic missile, let alone high-speed hypersonic weapons. Indeed, not even Israel's vaunted Iron Dome, which Kyiv has requested, can destroy more than a fraction of incoming rockets.

Compounding the problem is that Ukraine may be close to running out of anti-aircraft missiles and shells.

Remnants of Russian missiles and shells at a Ukrainian collection site in Kharkiv in December. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Whether it's cruise missiles or ICBMs, it's much easier to destroy the missiles, their launchers, and their supply depots on the ground than it is to intercept them in flight.

Attacking those launchers "is a more efficient way" to deal with the problem, Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think-tank, said on an April episode of the Geopolitics Decanted podcast.

Ukraine's strikes are hitting bases and hubs that may disrupt Russia's ability to launch missiles, whether it be from bombers flying along the Russia-Ukraine border or from the ships of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which continue to launch Kalibr cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine.

The Black Sea Fleet has been reinforced by ships from Russia's Caspian Flotilla, which arrived through a canal connecting the seas.

Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, its warships from elsewhere, such as the Northern Fleet, have been unable to enter the Black Sea due to Turkey's invocation of the Montreux Convention, which bars warships from transiting the Turkish Straits between the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

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Beach-goers watch smoke and flames rise after explosions at a Russian military airbase in Crimea in August. REUTERS/Stringer

"The Black Sea Fleet is a major chokepoint," Massicot said, and if Russian ships there "are disabled or neutralized in some way where they can no longer launch Kalibrs, Russia cannot bring in additional naval assets."

Though the Black Sea Fleet has been able to blockade Ukrainian ports, Ukraine has scored significant victories against it. The cruiser Moskva, the fleet's flagship, was sunk by Ukrainian land-based anti-ship missiles in April 2022. Ukraine has also hit port facilities that sustain the Black Sea Fleet. In April, Ukrainian drones set ablaze a major fuel depot at the big Crimean naval base of Sevastopol.

After the Moskva was sunk, the frigate Admiral Makarov became the fleet's flagship. In October, it was damaged by unmanned Ukrainian kamikaze boats  a novel form of attack that caused limited damage but still required Russia to respond to a new threat.

Airbases inside Russia have also been attacked. In December, Ukrainian drones blasted two air bases east of Moscow  hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border. The strikes, while limited, were especially significant because the bases housed Tu-160s and Tu-95s, Russia's nuclear-capable long-range bombers.

A satellite image of Saki airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea in April 2021 Maxar Technologies via Getty Images

Ukraine has also used a variety of weapons  from Soviet-era drones to US-made HIMARS guided rockets  in strikes on Russian ammunition supplies. "There have been attacks on different routes to deliver munitions to the frontline," Massicot said.

Ukraine is waging a textbook example of asymmetric warfare. Though weaker than Russia in numbers, it is using innovative techniques, such as homemade drones, to even the balance.

But Russia is adapting. Ammunition depots once carelessly placed close to the frontlines have been moved out of range of Ukrainian artillery. Aircraft have also been relocated. "They have a lot of air bases, and they're pulling some of these assets back," Massicot said.

The price of these countermeasures is inefficiency in delivering supplies. By forcing Russia to make that change, Ukraine's strategy can be deemed a success, but those benefits won't last forever.

"The Russians learn from those experiences," Massicot added. "Perhaps a little slowly, but they eventually learn."

Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds a master's in political science. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A new policy regarding minors access to South Dakotas six public college campuses passed unanimously during the South Dakota Board of Regents meeting Tuesday morning.

Requests for the policy were sparked by some people, including lawmakers, who were concerned minors were welcomed at a student-led drag show at South Dakota State University in November.

The event, sponsored by the SDSU Gender and Sexualities Alliance student group, was billed on the university website as family-friendly, to the consternation of some conservative lawmakers who pledged to bring bills limiting similar events in the future and limiting minors from being involved.

More: South Dakota Board of Regents' new 'minors on campus' passes first reading

Two different bills taking aim at preventing such events from ever happening again on state-funded facilities failed during this years legislative session.

Drag performer Kassie Kain performs for the crowd at Pride Prom on April 28, 2023.

In advance of the session, though, the SDBOR announced a closed, remote special meeting in December in which Regents discussed the recent drag show, placed a moratorium on minors attendance of campus events for the time being and directed the SDBOR central office to come up with a minors on campus policy. That policy passed Tuesday.

More: Regents will weigh student activity policies behind closed doors after SDSU drag show sparks criticism

SDSU President Barry Dunn said during Tuesdays meeting the university had a great deal of input into the issue, and said he feels confident this will help the university manage the challenges we faced last fall.

South Dakota Mines President Jim Rankin also said there were a lot of comments on campus about the issue and appreciates that his and others suggestions on the policy were taken to heart.

Board President Tim Rave said coming up with the policy was a collaborative process for an issue bubbling up this (past) fall and that the board threaded the needle on state statute and potential First Amendment challenges. Rave also said these issues can evolve.

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Well see what happens next legislative session," he said.

More: South Dakota lawmakers push for 2 bills banning 'lewd' school events as reaction to SDSU drag show

Nathan Lukkes, current general counsel and soon-to-be executive director of the board, said the policy was positively received among stakeholders and a number of changes to the policy from the first reading in March to now came as a result of conversations with Gov. Kristi Noems office.

Any student organizations to host an event on campus during the summer or next fall can organize their events through the normal campus process, Lukkes said, noting event promotions and administration must include content descriptors and university authorization.

USD student organization reports they've already seen effects from this policy

Spectrum: Gender and Sexuality Alliance, a student organization at the University of South Dakota, said in a statement last month that the Regents new policies, including one requiring all student organization events to be submitted to the SDBOR for approval, have directly affected the groups events and impeded their ability to fundraise.

Two weeks after Spectrum submitted event plans for the spring semester, all were approved except the annual spring professional drag show, which was approved later on March 10, before the start of spring break and 19 days before the event was set to take place, crippling the organizations ability to properly host, Spectrum leaders said.

Pollie Esther dons a large tulle cape before a drag performance on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Pioneer Park for Brookings Pride.

The student group has hosted these drag shows at least once each semester since 1991, the organization stated. With a limited time to advertise the event and sell tickets, and with the new minors on campus policy requiring refunds to children and their parents, the event sold 175 tickets, which is 75 fewer tickets than the average drag show attendance, Spectrum stated.

The policies and rhetoric have also diminished the sense of safety on campus for LGBTQ+ members of the USD community, Spectrum members wrote, calling the SDBORs move passive discrimination.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota Board of Regents finalize 'minors on campus' policy
Market Research Future

Construction Scaffolding Rental Market Growth Boost by Rising Technology in Infrastructural Projects And High Investments

New York, US, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Construction scaffolding rental Market Research Report Information by Product Type, Region, and End-User - Forecast Till 2032, the global Construction scaffolding rental market is predicted to bolster substantially during the review era from 2022 to 2030 at a substantial growth rate of around 8.20%. The reports further predict the global scaffold construction services market will acquire nearly USD 10.4 billion by the end of 2032.

Construction scaffolding rental Industry Overview:

While carrying out several operations such as buildings, building & maintaining bridges, and other structures, supplies, and workers are supported by a temporary structure called a scaffold. Scaffolds are also utilized to access higher locations. Structural viability and safety concerns can consider when selecting the proper scaffolding. Several kinds of scaffolding have increased on the market as a result of this problem. The several categories include residential scaffolding rental, bridge scaffolding rentals, scaffolding size, and suspended scaffolding rental. The global Construction scaffolding rental industry has lately demonstrated immense development. The primary parameter causing a surge in the performance of the market is the rapid growth of the construction sector. Furthermore, the growing number of recent and substantial projects is also projected to enhance the performance of the market over the assessment period.

Competitive Analysis

The listing of the prominent leaders across the global market for Construction scaffolding rental includes players such as:

Altrad Investment Authority S.A.S.

Condor S.P.A.

Sunbelt Rentals Inc.

Ulma C Y E

Coop.

United Rentals, Inc.

Apollo Scaffold Services Ltd.

Asa Scaffolding Services Ltd.

Asw Scaffolding Ltd.

Atlantic Pacific Equipment (At-Pac), Inc.

Brand Energy & Infrastructure Holdings, Inc.

Among others.

Story continues



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Construction Scaffolding Rental Market U.S.P. Covered

Market Drivers

The global Construction scaffolding rental industry has lately demonstrated immense development. The primary parameter causing a surge in the performance of the market is the rapid growth of the construction sector. Furthermore, the growing number of recent and substantial projects is also projected to enhance the performance of the market over the assessment period.

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.

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on several industry areas worldwide. The Construction scaffolding rental 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.

Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Market Size 2032 2032: USD 10.4 Billion CAGR during 2023-2032 8.20% CAGR Base Year 2021 Forecast 2023-2032 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product Type, Application, End User, and Region Key Market Opportunities Increase in government spending on the development of public infrastructure Key Market Dynamics Rise in infrastructural projects and high investments in the construction sector and growing demand for scaffolding at construction sites





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Construction Scaffolding Rental Market Segment Analysis

Among all the product types, the Supported scaffolding segment held the leading position across the global market for Construction scaffolding rental in the year 2022.

Among all the application areas, the Construction segment is anticipated to ensure the top spot across the global market for Construction scaffolding rental over the assessment period.

Among all the end-users, the Residential segment held the leading position across the global construction scaffolding rental market in 2022.

Construction Scaffolding Rental Market Regional Analysis

The global market for Construction scaffolding rental is studied across five major parts: Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle & Africa.

The research reports by MRFR suggest that the North American region is anticipated to ensure the top position across the global Construction scaffolding rental industry over the assessment period. The region has major contributors such as Canada and the U.S. The main parameter supporting the development of the regional market is the accessibility of cost-effective, project-specific scaffolding, which is state-of-the-art in technology. Since it lowers operating times, improves overall mining or construction operations, and eliminates downtime, specialized scaffolding is preferred.

The European regional Construction scaffolding rental market is anticipated to ensure considerable development over the assessment period. The region is further fragmented into Spain, Germany, Italy, France, the U.K., and the rest of Europe.



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Construction activities in the region were partially resumed when the lockdowns were lifted in the second half of 2020. The rise of extensive COVID-19 immunization efforts across the region in 2021 assisted the market is gaining traction in 2022. Furthermore, the government's financial support, coupled with the revival of the construction industry, is also projected to positively impact the performance of the regional market over the review timeframe.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Construction Scaffolding Rental market is anticipated to showcase maximum growth over the coming years. The region is further classified into South Korea, China, Australia, India, and Japan. To bolster the overall economy, boost commerce, and increase connectivity, the governments in growing economies in the region are making massive investments in the construction of motorways, special economic zones (SEZs), dams, and airports.



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The Latin America and M.E.A. construction scaffolding rental market is projected to display gradual development over the assessment period.

Related Reports:

Heavy Construction Equipment Market Research Report Information By Equipment Type, By Application, By End User And By Region  Market Forecast Till 2030

Investment Analysis of Construction Industry in Indonesia: By Market Synopsis, By Type and By Key Findings  Forecast to 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 regarding 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




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Torpy honored by group helping in domestic violence cases

Renee Torpy recently received the 2023 Legal Advocate of the Year award from Theresas Fund, which oversees DomesticShelters.org.

Renee Torpy

Torpy is an injunction for protection attorney at Serene Harbor, a Palm Bay-based organization that provides shelter and other services for women who are victims of domestic abuse situations.

Torpy, who formerly was with the State Attorneys Office, was honored in the category of organizations with budgets of between $500,000 and $2 million.

I am humbled to receive this alongside so many deserving people and organizations that are doing spectacular work for survivors of domestic violence and their families, Torpy said.

Theresas Fund is an Arizona-based 501(c)3 nonprofit charity started in 1992 by Preston V. McMurry Jr.

It is focused on changing the landscape of domestic violence services. In 2014, it developed DomesticShelters.org as a way to expand its reach to people and agencies across the United States and Canada.

More: Brevard Public Schools names McNutt principal of new middle school in Viera

DomesticShelters.org is the first online and mobile searchable database of programs and shelters in the United States and Canada, and a leading source of helpful tools and information for people experiencing and working to end domestic violence.

It also is the host of the Purple Ribbon Awards, the first comprehensive awards program honoring the countless heroes of the domestic violence movement, including advocates, programs, shelters, survivors and members of the community support system.

To contact Serene Harbor, call 321-726-8282.

Shepherd named One Senior Place Greater Orlando branch director

Brevard-based One Senior Place, the Central Florida marketplace for senior resources, recently named Chris Shepherd as the new director of its Greater Orlando branch location in Altamonte Springs.

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Chris Shepherd

In his new role, the former volunteer service manager and creator of enrichment programs for seniors will oversee day-to-day operations, as well as business development, for One Senior Place.

With a lengthy background in service to seniors, Shepherd will oversee the on-site specialist who provides free 30-minute consultations to aging adults and their family members. The process helps clients navigate the maze of senior resources and evaluate choices.

Shepherd, a resident of Mount Dora, also will coordinate and host the numerous informational and educational seminars presented monthly in Altamonte Springs.

More: Business newsmakers: Launch Credit Union event marks 60th anniversary on Saturday

Shepherd brings to the job a host of skills in strategic partnerships and creative program development for seniors, assisted by an academic background in education and counseling.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, Alabama, and earned a master's degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

"Chris has been a player in the senior services industry for over a decade, with an unwavering commitment to helping aging adults," said Don Kramer, chief executive officer and founder of One Senior Place. "He is extremely skilled in building and maintaining partnerships through collaboration with nonprofits and senior-focused businesses. I have no doubt his efforts will help us improve the aging experience for Orlando-area seniors every day."

For information on the dozens of events presented annually by One Senior Place, call 321-751-6771.

One Senior Place is a marketplace for resources and provider of information, advice, care and on-site services for seniors and their families.

To learn more about One Senior Place, go to www.OneSeniorPlace.com.

Raymond James financial planner Thompson named to Forbes list

Certified financial planner Mark G. Thompson, managing director of investments at Thompson Wealth Management of Raymond James, 709 S. Harbor City Blvd., Suite 510, was among the Raymond James-affiliated advisers to be named to the 2023 list of Forbes: Best-In-State Wealth Advisers.

Mark G. Thompson

It is the sixth consecutive year he has made the Forbes list, which recognizes advisers from national, regional and independent firms. The list was released in April.

Thompson, who joined Raymond James in 1995, has more than 37 years of experience in the financial services industry, and is the founder of Thompson Wealth Management.

His team of eight professionals includes financial advisers and certified financial planners.

The certified financial planners are Angelo Oddo and Alex Thompson. The three client service associates are Jenny Madden, Stephanie Oddo and Anne Whelan. Madden is an accredited asset management specialist. The practice marketing associates are Stacy Thompson and Mackenzie Hennis.

The team works closely with clients to help them achieve financial independence through professional advice, individualized planning, sound risk management and concierge-level service.

Thompson and his team also specialize in helping business owners with exit planning strategies.

To learn more about Thompson Wealth Management, go to www.TWMRJ.com or call 321-2537980.

Back to Work 50+ Job and Resource Fair is May 24

CareerSource Brevard will host its Back to Work 50+ Job and Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 24 at the Tony Rosa Community Center, 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE, Palm Bay.

The event is free to attend, and is designed to connect job-seekers over age 50 with employment opportunities.

Employers from multiple industries will share information about their open jobs, while local community-based organizations will showcase career resources and services available.

Attendees will have the opportunity to enhance their LinkedIn social media profile and elevate their professional brand by receiving a professional headshot, compliments of CareerSource Brevard.

For 10 years, AARP Foundation has collaborated with CareerSource Brevard through the foundations Back to Work 50+ program, which provides older workers with professional career support.

The Back to Work 50+ program is offered at CareerSource Brevards Titusville, Rockledge and Palm Bay career centers, and is designed to help this talent build the skills and confidence needed to compete for high-quality jobs in todays ever-changing job market.

For many older adults living with low income, the ever-changing job market can be a challenge to keep up with, said Emily Allen, senior vice president for AARP Foundation Programs. AARP Foundation is proud to work with organizations that are helping older adults build skills and confidence so they can bounce back from unexpected job changes. Back to Work 50+ is designed to enable more people over 50 to navigate todays job market.

Job-seekers can go to https://careersourcebrevard.com/event/back-to-work-50-senior-job-fair-2/ for a full list of participating employers and organizations, and to RSVP.

If you have a Business Newsmakers item you'd like to publish, please email details to Wayne T. Price at wtpkansas@yahoo.com or contact him at 321-223-0230.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Torpy honored by group helping in domestic violence cases
While you should always prepare for unexpected travel disruptions, this woman could have never guessed shed be allowed to get on the wrong flight to another country with no passport.

Beverly Ellis-Hebard was scheduled to fly a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Jacksonville last November, where she has a second home  a trip she takes frequently, she told ABC7NYs Action News Investigative Team, who first reported the story.

Ellis-Hebard said she arrived at the gate, and the board correctly displayedher flight.

She asked the agent if she had time to go to the bathroom, given that she was moving slower than usual due to a recent back surgery. The agent said yes and that Ellis-Hebard had about 20 minutes.

When Ellis-Hebard returned to the gate, the flight was in its final boarding stages. She said she was stopped by the gate agent, who made her test her carry-on in the baggage sizer and she scraped her arm and was bleeding.

She said the gate agent rushed her to board. She said, Come on, come on. Give me your boarding pass,  Ellis-Hebard said.

Once on the flight, a flight attendant was helping Ellis-Hebards wound and said she can relax once they arrive in Jamaica.

Frontier Airlines jets sit at gates at Denver International Airport on Sept. 22, 2019, in Denver.

More: Frontier Airlines scrapped its customer service call line. Here's how that's going.

More: The crowd decided: Passengers on this flight voted to remove fellow traveler, videos show

I laughed. I said I would love to be going there but I have a beach where I live, Ellis-Hebard said. She said, Look at me. This plane is going to Jamaica. And I knew by the look on her face she wasn't joking.

The flight crew informed Ellis-Hebard that there was actually a last-minute gate change and she had gotten on the wrong flight. On top of that, Ellis-Hebard didnt have a passport, because her original flight plans didnt need one.

When she landed, Ellis-Hebard was allowed to stay on the jetway, which Jamaican authorities said was U.S. soil and she was on a flight back to Philadelphia a few hours later.

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Frontier Airlines has refunded Ellis-Hebards original ticket and also offered her a $600 compensation. They are addressing the issue with airport personnel, the company said.

We sincerely regret that the customer was able to board the wrong flight and have extended our apologies, Michael Konopasek, a spokesperson for Frontier, told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that it is up to the airline to ensure all passengers match the manifest.

Boarding the wrong flight can happen, but is considered rare by airline experts. There are multiple factors in place to typically prevent this from happening, such as ticket scanners, repeated announcements and assigned seats.

It should have never have happened because I did not have a passport. The woman at the gate did not do her job, Ellis-Hebard said.

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: Frontier passenger boards wrong flight to another country
(Bloomberg) -- A federal jury in New York found Donald Trump liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll and then defaming her by calling her a liar, the first verdict against him in a string of legal cases that threaten to erupt during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The panel of six men and three women returned the verdict on Tuesday in Manhattan after deliberating on the civil lawsuit for less than three hours. Carroll had accused Trump of attacking her in the dressing room of a Fifth Avenue department store in the 1990s and then harming her reputation by saying she made it up when she went public with her account in 2019. He must pay her $5 million in damages, $3 million of it for defamation.

The jury stopped short of finding Trump liable for rape, which has a technical definition under New York state law. Instead it found him responsible for sexual abuse and forcible touching, two of the three elements of Carrolls battery claim.

Earlier, as the two sides gathered to learn the outcome, Carroll and her lawyers were chatting and smiling, perhaps aware that a fast verdict was likely to be one in their favor. Afterward the judge thanked the jurors and urged them not to identify themselves to the press, before dismissing them to be returned by a van to a secret location. He had ruled the jury should be anonymous to protect their privacy and safety.

Read More: Trumps Fate in Rape Lawsuit in Hands of Librarian, Janitor

The jurors filed past Carroll without looking at her as they left the courtroom.

Oh My God, Oh My God

Carroll put her arms around her lawyers, Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley, who flanked her. Trump attorney Joe Tacopina hugged Kaplan and shook Carrolls hand.

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Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Carroll said later in a conference room full of lawyers and supporters just outside the courtroom. In a statement after that she said the verdict was a watershed.

I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back, she said. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.

Kaplan said in a statement that the verdict was an important step in tearing down a wall of doubt and intimidation facing victims of sexual assault.

Trump Strong, Will Fight

The trial renewed attention on Trumps fraught history with women as he embarks on another run for the White House. On his Truth Social platform, the former president called the verdict a political hit job.

I have absolutely no idea who this woman is, he said. This verdict is a disgrace  a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!

QuickTake: What Trumps Many Legal Perils Mean for His 2024 Bid

Meanwhile early polls show Trump as the clear front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination  and his standing in surveys only improved after he was indicted in a criminal hush money case, as Republicans rallied behind him and his contention that the prosecution was politically motivated.

Tacopina said Trump would appeal Tuesdays verdict and seek to reduce the damages.

Hes strong, he said on the steps of the courthouse when asked for his clients reaction. He said Trump was moving forward as he always does and planning a town hall this week.

Tacopina referred to the Access Hollywood hot-mic recording, played for the jury, of Trump making unguarded remarks about groping women and getting away with it. The tape should not have come into this case, and weve made many motions that create issues for appeal, and were going to employ them, he told reporters, citing an unsuccessful request the defense made for a mistrial over what he said was US District Judge Lewis Kaplans bias against Trump.

Read More: Trump Lawyer Tacopina Has a Lot in Common With His Client

He said the judge made several errors during the trial, including barring the mention of Carrolls litigation financing from billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic party donor.

Verdict a Compromise

Jamie White, a lawyer who has represented victims of sexual assault, including victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, said average damages for such cases are between $800,000 and $3 million.

This verdict is a jury sending a message to Mr. Trump that they are holding him accountable for what he did to this woman, and $5 million sends that message, White said. Will it change Mr. Trumps life? No. But it does send a message that we are not going to tolerate, not only sexually abusing someone, but defaming them after the fact.

Read More: Trumps Lawyer Presses E. Jean Carroll on Details of Alleged Attack

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani sees a compromise in the outcome.

The split verdict on sexual battery and rape means the jury compromised to finish their deliberations after only a few hours, especially when they also had to award damages, Rahmani said. Its most likely some jurors just didnt believe that Trump raped Carroll.

Because it was a civil rather than criminal case, Trump was never at risk of imprisonment over Carrolls allegations. The standard of proof was also lower  the jury needed only to find that Trump was more likely liable than not, as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt.

Trumps Troubles

Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine who also hosted a daily talk show, wrote in 2019 that Trump had raped her more than two decades earlier in a sixth-floor dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store. She sued him last year under a New York law that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations on such claims.

The former president says he has never assaulted anyone and maintains that Carroll made up her claim to undermine him politically and help sell her book. It didnt happen, Trump said in a sworn video deposition played for the jury at the trial. He declined to testify in person and never appeared in the courtroom.

Read More: Trump Jury Hears From Woman Who Claims 70s Assault on Plane

Trumps alleged conduct with women is at the heart of the New York criminal case accusing him of trying to conceal a hush money payment to a porn star just ahead of the 2016 election. He overcame claims of sexual misconduct in both 2016 and 2020 to win his partys nomination. In the 2020 election he lost support among suburban women, a deficit that contributed to his loss to Joe Biden.

Trump is also facing potential criminal charges over his alleged attempts to influence the 2020 election, his retention of highly classified documents after leaving the White House and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the US Capitol.

He denies wrongdoing and ascribes the probes and cases facing him to animus.

Trial Witnesses

The trial in Carrolls suit lasted eight days and featured testimony from almost a dozen witnesses, including the plaintiff herself, who provided a graphic account of the assault and withstood a withering cross-examination by Trumps lawyer.

Read More: Trump Jury Hears Expert Explain Why Carroll Reacted as She Did

The jurors also heard from two of Carrolls friends who testified that she told them, at the time, that she had been sexually assaulted. One friend suggested she go to the police, while the other said she should stay silent because Trump could ruin her. The jury also heard testimony from two former Bergdorf Goodman employees who said it wouldnt have been unusual for the dressing room area to be unstaffed or have no customers in the evening.

Two other women, who in 2016 went public with claims that Trump had sexually assaulted them, testified to illustrate for the jury an alleged pattern of behavior.

Read More: Trump Jury Hears of Alleged Mar-a-Lago Assault on Reporter

In the October deposition played for the jury, Trump called Carroll a liar and accused her lawyer of being a political operative. He reasserted that Carroll wasnt his type, although he mistook her in a photo for his ex-wife Marla Maples.

The jury heard the Access Hollywood tape several times.

If you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true, Trump said of powerful men having their way with women. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.

The case is Carroll v. Trump, 22-cv-10016, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Read More

Trump Accuser Carroll Testifies George Conway Prompted Suing

Trump Confused Rape Accuser Carroll With Ex-Wife in Deposition

--With assistance from Bob Van Voris and Mark Niquette.

(Adds Carrolls statement in second section and, in third, Trumps position in polls and Tacopinas remarks on planned appeal.)

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Former President and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump looks out at his New Hampshire campaign team at a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire on April 27, 2023. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)

When Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg secured the indictment of former President Donald Trump, it galvanized Trump supporters. Allies of his Republican rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, mark that indictment as the moment Trump sped away from his nearest opponent in the polls.

Nobody around Trump is making a prediction publicly or privately that there will be a similar effect after a jury on Tuesday in the lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

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The price Trump was ordered by the jury to pay his accuser, Carroll, was $5 million, in a verdict he has promised to appeal. But whether he pays any political price at all is unclear. Trump was said to be furious about the verdict, and questioning the various decisions that were made by his team in the defense. Far from letting up on Carroll, his team plans to aggressively attack her claims and tether her to Democrats.

There is no world in which the result of that civil trial was a positive development for the project he is most focused on: the presidential campaign for which he remains the Republican front-runner.

Trump has a decadeslong history of crude and misogynistic comments  and he has faced repeated accusations of sexual harassment and assault, so many that they most likely would have sunk any other candidate. But a majority in the Republican Party have largely dismissed the accusations against a celebrity former president as irrelevant to how they cast votes.

But comments and even allegations are different from a jury verdict.

The first real test of his in-person response will come Wednesday night on a national stage in front of a live television audience  a town hall hosted by CNN in New Hampshire, in a venue filled with about 400 voters who are Republicans or Republican-leaning independents.

Americans heard with their own ears in 2016 Trump brag on tape about sexual assault and still elected him, said David Axelrod, a former top adviser to President Barack Obama, referring to the Access Hollywood tape. Will this be different, or will his supporters simply dismiss it as one more example of the politically motivated deep state beatdown of which he claims to be the victim?

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A handful of allies of DeSantis, Trumps closest rival in the Republican primary race, anticipated that this case could prove different from myriad other scandals Trump has faced.

Sens. John Kennedy of Louisiana and John Thune of South Dakota essentially averted their gazes when asked to comment by reporters. Among those who publicly defended him was Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

It makes me want to vote for him twice, Tuberville told HuffPost. People are going to see through the lines, he added, saying that with a New York jury, he had no chance.

Few of Trumps opponents were willing to condemn him either, at least so far. Only one Republican candidate, Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, issued a statement.

Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire, the statement read. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.

Nikki Haley, another Republican 2024 candidate, dodged a question about the verdict from interviewer Hugh Hewitt, while Chris Christie, who is considering running, mocked Trump for suggesting he never met Carroll. I think we all know hes not unlucky and that he engaged in this kind of conduct, Christie told radio host Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence told NBC News that it was up to the American public to decide whether Trump is fit to be president again, but added, I just dont think its where the American people are focused.

For years, Trumps approach to his business and his political life has been to portray himself as inevitable, to give off the impression that challengers or critics shouldnt even bother trying to best him. He has handled the 2024 Republican primary in much the same manner, encouraged by his polling lead and DeSantis stumbles. Still, some of his critics and even some allies concede that the various legal challenges could risk becoming too much freight for him to carry.

Trumps advisers have recently conducted extensive polling to explore how deeply the various legal cases are resonating with primary voters, according to people briefed on the efforts.

Some of Trumps advisers were nervously anticipating the verdict before deliberations began. One was candid in private that while they were relieved Trump had been found not liable of the specific claim of rape, the rest of the jurys verdict was not good.

For Trump and his allies, describing him as the victim of a deep state plot by his government opponents and prosecutors could be much harder to accomplish in this case. A federal jury of six men and three women gave legitimacy to an accusation of sexual abuse made by Carroll, a writer who was photographed with Trump in New York yet whom he continues to maintain he does not know.

One of the most damaging aspects of the trial for Trump was his videotaped deposition. People close to him acknowledge the comments were a self-inflicted wound, and are aware Democrats in particular may put them in television ads where independent and suburban voters whom Trump long ago alienated would see them.

In his deposition, he burrowed into his remarks on the Access Hollywood tape, when asked by Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, if it was true as he said on that recording that stars can grab women by the genitals.

Well, if you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true, Trump said. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
El Paso, Texas  The Biden administration has finalized a sweeping restriction on asylum that it plans to use to ramp up swift deportations of migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border after the Title 42 pandemic-era emergency policy sunsets on Thursday, according to internal documents obtained by CBS News.

Hundreds of U.S. asylum officers were trained on how to enforce the restriction on Tuesday and the regulation was published on Wednesday, less than 48 hours before Title 42 is set to expire. CBS News first reported the regulation's finalization on Tuesday, as well as the guidance issued to asylum officers charged with implementing it.

The regulation, which is expected to be challenged in federal court, will be a dramatic shift in asylum policy, disqualifying migrants from U.S. protection if they fail to request refugee status in another country, such as Mexico, on their journey to the southern border.

Migrants cross through the banks of the Rio Grande to be processed by the Border Patrol in Texas after crossing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on May 9, 2023. / Credit: HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images

The rule also represents a major pivot by President Biden, a Democrat who campaigned on restoring access to the U.S. asylum system after numerous Trump administration rules made it more difficult for migrants to secure refuge on American soil. In fact, the regulation published Wednesday resembles a Trump-era policy struck down in federal court that Mr. Biden decried in 2020.

If upheld, the Biden administration's rule will cement a growing bipartisan rejection of the asylum laws that Congress enacted in 1980 to conform with international treaties designed to prevent nations from turning away refugees to places where they could be persecuted, as the U.S. did to some Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.

The years-in-the-making shift has intensified recently, as historically high levels of migrant arrivals have further strained a massively backlogged asylum system, overwhelmed border communities and created a political liability for Mr. Biden ahead of his re-election bid.

Under the rule, migrants who cross the southern border without authorization will be presumed to be ineligible for asylum if they can't prove they previously requested protection in a third country. In practice, it will disqualify most non-Mexican migrants who enter the U.S. between ports of entry from asylum.

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Migrants who secure an appointment to enter the U.S. under a mobile app-powered system will not be barred from asylum under the policy. The rule will also not apply to unaccompanied children.

According to internal training documents, only migrants with "exceptionally compelling circumstances" will be able to overcome the rule's asylum bar. Those include migrants with an "acute medical emergency," those who face an "imminent and extreme threat" in Mexico and victims of "a severe form of human trafficking."

In order to avoid being deported and banished from the U.S. for five years, those who don't qualify for any exemption will need to pass interviews with heightened standards designed to lead to more rejections than traditional "credible fear" interviews, according to the training materials.

The restriction is the centerpiece of the Biden administration's attempt to blunt a potentially historic increase in the number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border when the Title 42 expulsions are discontinued at midnight on Thursday. Unauthorized border arrivals have already spiked, with Border Patrol averaging more than 8,700 daily migrant apprehensions during a three-day period this past week, an increase from the 5,200 average in March.

While Title 42 allowed U.S. border officials to cite public health concerns to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants without hearing their asylum claims, the new rule is, in many ways, a tougher policy. Because migrants expelled under Title 42 did not face immigration or criminal penalties, the measure encouraged some to make repeated border crossing attempts.

But those who can't prove they are eligible for an exemption to the new rule will face swift deportation to Mexico or their home country  as well as a five-year banishment from the U.S.  under a process known as expedited removal. If they try to re-enter the U.S. after being deported, they could face criminal prosecution and jail time, the Biden administration has warned.

Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants try to cross the border by foot from Mexico to the U.S. on April 25, 2023, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. / Credit: David Peinado/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Biden administration officials have said the asylum restriction was not their first or second "preference," but have justified the move by citing the record levels of migrant apprehensions reported by U.S. border agents over the past two years. Without the rule, the administration has said, the number of migrants crossing the southern border each day could soar to 13,000 after Title 42's end.

The administration has also argued the rule will encourage migrants to enter the country legally, including through a phone app that lets asylum-seekers in Mexico request U.S. entry, and a sponsorship initiative that allows up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with American sponsors to fly to the U.S. each month.

"President Biden is leading the largest expansion of legal pathways to protection in decades and could be doing a whole lot more if Congress would let him," White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said Tuesday.

While the partial asylum ban has garnered support from some centrist Democrats, it has been strongly repudiated by advocates, progressives and former Biden officials, who argue the policy ignores U.S. asylum law, under which migrants on American soil have a right to request refuge, regardless of how they entered the country.

"It is a profound shift for a Democratic president to implement a new ban on asylum-seekers," said Andrea Flores, who served as a White House border official during the first year of the Biden administration. "It's evidence that the past decade of far-right attacks on Black and brown asylum seekers have significantly weakened the Democratic Party's commitment to providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and torture."

The American Civil Liberties Union, which convinced federal courts to block the Trump administration's "transit ban" on asylum, has pledged to also file a lawsuit against the Biden administration's rule.

"We will sue as we did under Trump," Lee Gelernt, the ACLU's top immigration lawyer, told CBS News Tuesday. "The core illegality is the same."

During one of the 2020 presidential debates, Mr. Biden denounced former President Donald Trump for being "the first president in the history of the United States" to declare that "anybody seeking asylum has to do it in another country."

But soon after Mr. Biden took office, his administration considered doing just that amid a rise in border crossings. The regulation, however, was rejected in 2021 amid opposition from some appointees and a determination by the top White House lawyer that the measure could have been struck down in court.

The Biden administration has strongly denied that the regulation finalized on Wednesday is similar to the Trump asylum ban, arguing that its approach is different because its restriction has broader exemptions and is being paired with expanded channels for migrants to enter the U.S. with legal permission.

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Joseph James O'Connor has pleaded guilty to playing a role in various cybercrime activities, including the July 2020 hack that took over hundreds of high-profile Twitter accounts. O'Connor, who's known by the name PlugwalkJoe online, was originally from Liverpool, but he was extradited from Spain to the US in April. If you'll recall, the perpetrators of the 2020 Twitter hack hijacked accounts owned by popular personalities, including Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Elon Musk, and promoted crypto scams under their names. In 2021, Graham Ivan Clark, the supposed teenage mastermind behind the breach, pleaded guilty in return for a three-year prison sentence.

According to the Justice Department, O'Connor communicated with his co-conspirators in that Twitter breach regarding purchasing unauthorized access to Twitter accounts. He allegedly purchased access to at least one Twitter account himself for $10,000. In addition, he was also apparently involved in the hack of a TikTok account with millions of followers, as well as a Snapchat account, via SIM swapping. In both cases, O'Connor and his co-conspirators stole sensitive personal information from the victims and then threatened to release them to the public. While the DOJ didn't identify victims in those cases, The Guardian says they were named in press reports as TikTok star Addison Rae and actor Bella Thorne.

From March 2019 until May 2019, O'Connor was also allegedly involved in the infiltration of a Manhattan-based crypto company to steal $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency. They used SIM swapping to target three of the company's executives and successfully pulled it off with one of them. Using the compromised executive's credentials, they were able to gain unauthorized access to the company's accounts and computer systems. They then laundered the stolen cryptocurrency by transferring them multiple times and using crypto exchanges.

O'Connor has pleaded guilty to a lengthy list of charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He is now scheduled for sentencing on June 23rd.
WEST POINT  Vice President Kamala Harris will be the guest speaker at this year's West Point graduation, the White House announced Wednesday.

This will mark Harris' first visit to the U.S. Military Academy, and the first time in West Point's 221-year history that a woman will serve as the commencement speaker.

Graduation will be Saturday, May 27.

Vice President Kamala Harris takes part in a discussion about abortion and reproductive rights on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno on April 18, 2023.

"We are honored to have the vice president as our commencement speaker," said Lt. General Steven W. Gilland, superintendent of West Point. "As an accomplished leader who has achieved significant milestones throughout her career, we look forward to her inspiring remarks to our cadets."

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Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was last year's commencement speaker. President Donald Trump addressed the graduates in 2020 and Vice President Mike Pence did so in 2019.

This will be the 13th time a Vice President has addressed the graduating class. Pence, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Dan Quayle, George Bush, Spiro Agnew, Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon B. Johnson have all addressed the graduating class as vice president.

Harris was born in Oakland, California to parents who emigrated from India and Jamaica. She graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

She is the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to be elected vice president.

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: Vice President Harris to address West Point cadets at 2023 graduation
David Lynx is executive director of the Larson Gallery at Yakima Valley College. He writes this weekly column for Explore. Learn more at www.larsongallery.org.
Yakima County Government, Lower Valley Reporter

Hi, Im Phil Ferolito, longtime reporter with the Yakima Herald-Republic, where I have gained an array of experience from covering small city governments and school districts to big-picture issues concerning county government, crime and the Yakama Nation, a federally recognized tribe with important historical and cultural ties to the land. I began with the Herald-Republic in Oct. 2000 as a copy editor, designing pages, writing headlines and proof-reading stories. Over the years I have covered four Lower Valley municipalities, Granger, Toppenish, Wapato and Harrah, and the Yakama Nation. My goal always has been to shine a light in dark places and bring readers closer to concerning issues, important people, and other events in our community.
Features/The Vanished Editor

Tammy Ayer has worked at the Yakima Herald-Republic since 2015. This is her fourth newspaper gig. Alongside general assignment reporting and profiles, she writes about the centuries-long crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, focusing on those who have gone missing, been murdered and have died mysteriously on and around the Yakama Reservation. Ayer grew up in Indiana, lived in Florida for 13 years and has a masters degree in history.
(Bloomberg) -- Coupang Inc., the South Korean e-commerce giant backed by SoftBank Group Corp., reported better-than-expected revenue growth after spending to expand and lock in customer demand during an online shopping slowdown.

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Revenue rose 13% to $5.8 billion in the quarter ended March, the US-listed company said in a statement. That beat analysts estimates for $5.6 billion. Coupang posted a $106.8 million operating profit, while active customers grew 5% to 19 million.

Our sustained focus on operational excellence allowed us to achieve this milestone even as we continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in capex and hundreds of millions more in developing offerings over the past year, Bom Kim, founder and chief executive officer at Coupang, said on a call with analysts. Because we take the long view, we dont expect every initiative to bear fruit immediately or evenly every quarter.

Coupang shares were little changed in late US trading, after the results. They had climbed about 18% this year through Tuesdays close.

The company said its still at a single-digit market share of the overall retail market thats projected to grow to $550 billion in the next three years. Coupang is growing faster than the market overall, Kim said, calling the opportunity ahead staggering.

Coupangs core delivery business grew exponentially during the pandemic as people bought everything from eggs and masks to home appliances through apps. While e-commerce has decelerated, Coupang has sustained growth thanks in part to a fast delivery service supported by a growing network of automated fulfillment centers, which helps retain customers and merchants.

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Coupangs logistics business will help the company report profits throughout this year, said Kim Myoungjoo, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities. A strong platform should allow the company to raise its market share to 24.4% this year and 27.2% in 2024, Kim estimates.

Despite tepid growth as well as fierce competition locally, Coupang has managed to report quarterly profits thanks to economies of scale through highly automated fulfillment centers. Its Taiwan business is still in an early stage but Coupang is seeing signs of transformative potential, Kim said. Kim confirmed the company has shuttered its operations in Japan, where returns from the business were below their expectations.

Although Coupangs delivery business - famous for its promise of dawn delivery - has stabilized and become profitable, the company is grappling with increasing costs of new businesses such as food delivery and streaming services. In April, Coupang Eats started to roll out a 5% to 10% of discounts on all orders in most of Seoul areas and the regions of the coverage will continue to be expanded in coming months in the rest of the country, said Kim. Coupangs seeking to increase market share for the meals business through promotional discounts, according to Citigroup.

Regarding the adoption of generative artificial intelligence, Bom said Coupang has been working with machine learning models across all aspects of the companys business.

I think generative AI is exciting, Kim said. Like all these new technologies, we will continue to invest and look at all the tools that we can harness to deliver a better customer experience and to drive operational excellence.

(Updates with CEO comments from fifth paragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected the day of trading in fourth paragraph)

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SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CRIF, a global leader in credit bureau, business information, and credit risk solutions, today announced the launch of CRIF PLUS, a premium business information membership programme for its customers in Asia.

A game changer for the business information industry, CRIF PLUS is a premium membership programme for CRIF customers in Asia

Recognising the importance of staying ahead of the curve, CRIF has developed CRIF PLUS which is designed to deliver a truly exclusive experience for its customers. Closely aligned with CRIF's customer-centric values, CRIF PLUS aims to elevate the customer experience by providing exceptional service while meeting the growing demand for comprehensive business data and analytical insights.

The premium membership programme offered through CRIF PLUS includes a range of member-only benefits. Members will receive personalised service from a dedicated concierge in their home country, expedited delivery of business information reports beyond the standard time, access to exclusive monitoring and portfolio analysis tools to manage risks, as well as member-only discounts on CRIF products and services.

Novi Rolastuti, Regional Sales Director, Business Information Services at CRIF said: "We believe that CRIF PLUS is a game-changer for our customers. It is designed to meet the high demand for expedient credit risk solutions, while raising the bar for responsiveness, service and convenience. By putting the power of information into our customers' hands at a much faster pace, we enable them to make more agile decisions."

Meeting the need for speed with fast-tracked delivery

CRIF has invested in optimising the entire report generation process for CRIF PLUS, from data sourcing to delivery, enabling it to slash the turnaround time by one day in each market. This allows CRIF PLUS members to enjoy fast-tracked delivery of business information reports, a day earlier than the standard delivery time.

Dedicated concierge and communication channels

CRIF PLUS provides its customers with access to a dedicated concierge - CRIF Advanced Research Assistant ("CARA") - in their home country where they can request for business information reports conveniently. CARA offers a single point of contact and provides personalised services to better serve customers.

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Customers can reach out to CARA through email or a newly introduced live messaging system which uses Line in Taiwan and WhatsApp in the rest of Asia. The live messaging system is practical, efficient and saves time, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Exclusive tools for risk management

CRIF PLUS members will have exclusive access to a portfolio analysis tool which provides an analysis of their customer base, enabling them to better understand the health and stability of their business. By identifying the best and most risky customers, they can focus their resources, more strategically and optimally. In addition, a monitoring service sends alerts on company information changes via email.

This suite of analytical and monitoring tools provides CRIF PLUS customers with a holistic picture of their credit risks, enabling them to make smarter and more informed decisions to mitigate risks.

Says Rolastuti: "CRIF PLUS offers a unique value proposition that will resonate with our customers. Part of our ongoing commitment to offer exceptional customer experience, CRIF PLUS marks a significant milestone towards our objective of becoming an industry leader in the field of business information solutions across Asia."

For more information on CRIF PLUS, visit www.crifasia.com.

About CRIF

CRIF is a global leader in credit bureau, business information, and credit risk solutions. Established in 1988 in Bologna, Italy, CRIF operates in 40 countries across four continents. Over 10,500 banks and financial institutions, 82,000 business clients and 1,000,000 consumers use CRIF services on a daily basis. Since 2016, CRIF has been included in the prestigious IDF FinTech Top 100 Rankings.

CRIF has a strong presence in Asia with regional headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as in key cities including Beijing, Bishkek, Cebu, Dushanbe, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Pune, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Taichung, Tashkent, and Zhongli. For more information on CRIF Asia, please visit www.crifasia.com.

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MONTREAL, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Croesus announced today the appointment of Vincent Fraser as a new member of its board of directors. Mr. Fraser brings to the table his 25 years of experience in the business world and his expertise in international development.

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Fraser is a mechanical engineer and a graduate of Polytechnique Montreal. In 2000, he co-founded Processia, a company specialized in consulting and integration of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions. During his years at the helm of Processia, overseeing more than 300 people, he led the company's international development plan with operations in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and India. Processia was sold to the Atos group in 2021. Throughout his career, he has developed strong entrepreneurial skills and an excellent knowledge of consulting services, particularly in technology-intensive sectors. With his passion for business, Vincent Fraser now assists companies with ambitious growth plans.

"I'm delighted to join the Croesus Board and help this leading FinTech company propel its growth both in Canada and internationally," said Fraser. "I'm joining an already well-seasoned team, and I'm thrilled to be working with everyone in it," he said.

According to Sylvain Simpson, President of Croesus, "Having Vincent join our board is great news. His business experience, knowledge of international markets, and entrepreneurship are assets that will enhance our select team. Croesus's goal is to continue to strengthen its position as a leader in wealth management technology, and Vincent's arrival is an important step in that direction."

About Croesus

Croesus provides innovative, high-performance, and secure wealth management solutions that include portfolio management platforms, portfolio rebalancing tools, and application programming interfaces. These solutions empower wealth management professionals to improve their productivity, make informed decisions, maximize the performance of their assets under management, and enhance client relationships. Croesus's mission is to provide a superior experience to its clients, users, partners, and employees and to have a positive impact on the community. With 200 employees in its Montreal and Toronto offices, Croesus has won several industry awards for being a high-quality product provider and an outstanding employer.

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Rezultatele Loto 6/49 din 14 mai 2023. Numerele castigatoare extrase duminica

Duminica, 14 mai, au avut loc noi trageri Loto 6/49, Noroc, Joker, Noroc Plus, Loto 5/40 si Super Noroc, dupa ce la tragerile loto de joi, 11 mai, Loteria Romana a acordat peste 15.500 de castiguri in valoare totala de peste 960.600 de lei.Rezultatele [citeste mai departe]
Fortune Business Insights

The global cross laminated timber market covered major segments by Bonding Technology (Adhesive Bonded and Mechanically Fastened), By Application (Residential Buildings, Non-Residential Buildings, and Others) and regional forecast.

Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Fortune Business Insights, the global cross laminated timber market size is projected to reach USD 2,066.1 million in 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.4% during the forecast period. CLT's extensive adoption in building structures and constructions is likely to facilitate market growth. Fortune Business Insights provides this information in its report titled "Cross Laminated Timber Market, 2021-2028."

Cross-laminated timber, also known as CLT, is a form of engineered wood lumber that consists of several structural composite timber and solid-sawn layers. This innovative material is used extensively in both on-site building and prefabricated building structures due to its superior properties.

One of the primary advantages of CLT is its excellent seismic performance. Its unique construction provides significant stability and durability, making it an ideal choice for buildings in areas prone to earthquakes. Additionally, CLT offers impressive design flexibility, allowing architects and builders to create stunning and innovative structures with ease.

Furthermore, CLT provides exceptional thermal and acoustic insulation, making it an ideal choice for energy-efficient buildings. Its increasing popularity has led to manufacturers incorporating soft and temperate wood, making CLT even more environmentally friendly.

Get a Free Sample Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/cross-laminated-timber-clt-market-102884

List of Key Players Profiled in the Cross-Laminated Timber Market Report

Stora Enso (Finland)

Mayr Melnhof Holz Holding AG (Austria)

Binderholz GmbH (Austria)

Xlam Ltd. (Australia & New Zealand)

Sterling Company (U.S.)

Schilliger Holz AG (Switzerland)

KLH Massivholz GmbH (Austria)

B&K Structures (U.K.)

Eugen Decker Holzindustrie KG (Germany)

Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation (Canada)

Smartlam NA (U.S.)

Freres Lumber Co. Inc. (U.S.)

Katerra (USA & India)

IB EWP Inc. (Canada)

Nordic Structures (Canada)

StructureCraft Builders Inc. (Canada)

DRJ Wood Innovations (U.S.)

PFS Corporation (U.S.)

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Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 14.4% 2028 Value Projection USD 2,066.1 Million Market Size in 2021 USD 806.0 Million Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 170 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Bonding Technology

By Application Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa Cross-laminated timber market Growth Drivers Robust Demand for Eco-friendly Construction Materials to Foster Industry Progress Prominent Companies Set Up Manufacturing Plants to Strengthen Market Position

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cross-laminated-timber-clt-market-102884

Segments:

The market for bonding technology can be segmented into two categories: mechanically fastened and adhesive bonded. These two methods differ in the way they join materials together, with mechanical fastening involving screws, bolts, or other hardware, while adhesive bonding uses chemical adhesives.

Applications of bonding technology are categorized into non-residential buildings, residential buildings, and others. Non-residential buildings include commercial and industrial structures such as office buildings, warehouses, and factories. Residential buildings, on the other hand, include homes, apartments, and other types of housing. The "others" category encompasses a range of applications, including bridges, infrastructure, and transportation.

Geographically, the market for bonding technology is segmented into four regions: Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Europe and North America are currently the largest markets for bonding technology, driven by the significant demand for non-residential construction in these regions. The Asia-Pacific region, on the other hand, is expected to see significant growth in the coming years, driven by the increasing demand for residential and commercial structures.

Impact of COVID-19

Manufacturing Constraints and Lack of Demand from Construction Sectors to Hinder Market Progress

This market is expected to be affected negatively during the forecast period because of manufacturing constraints and the lack of demand for CLT from the construction industry. The spike in COVID-19 infections has provoked governments to impose stringent regulations against construction, manufacturing, and transport. The lack of raw materials and manufacturing restraints are likely to hinder CLT's demand. However, the adoption of reduced capacities and production machinery may enable manufacturers to re-gain their position globally. These factors are likely to fuel the market growth during the pandemic.

Highlights of the Report:

This report offers an exhaustive examination of the market's most prominent segments, delving into the latest trends and revealing key insights that can inform strategic decision-making. A thorough analysis of the market's driving and restraining forces is provided, as well as an in-depth evaluation of the pandemic's impact on the market. Regional developments are also closely scrutinized, providing valuable information for companies looking to expand their operations. Furthermore, the report sheds light on the strategies employed by the market's key players, giving readers a competitive edge in the marketplace.

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Drivers and Restraints:

Due to its eco-friendly qualities and efficacy in construction applications, cross laminated timber (CLT) has become widely utilized in various green constructions. Governments worldwide are supporting the use of CLT in construction sectors because of its environmentally friendly properties. In 2020, India's Public Works Department lifted the ban on the usage of timber in building constructions, allowing for the increased use of CLT. In addition to being sustainable, CLT provides superior acoustic and thermal insulation compared to conventional materials. With the growing emphasis on sustainable construction materials, both manufacturers and governments are heavily invested in the development of CLT. As a result, the cross laminated timber market is expected to experience significant growth.

However, the material's non-reliable moisture and fire resistance may hinder the market progress.

Regional Insights:

Extensive Adoption of CLT in Medium and Small Sized Houses to Boost Market in Europe

Europe is poised to take the lead in the cross laminated timber market share due to its widespread adoption in numerous medium and small-sized houses. With the market valued at 445.2 million in 2020, it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. The region accounts for more than 65% of the worldwide construction of CLT, indicating its prominence in the industry. Additionally, CLT offers superior insulation against cold environments, which could lead to increased demand from construction projects. These factors are expected to significantly drive market growth in the region.

The North American market is set to experience significant progress, with the widespread adoption of CLT in hybrid building constructions playing a key role. Additionally, the region's increasing investments in infrastructure developments are expected to further fuel market growth.

The Asia-Pacific market is expected to experience significant progress, with the growing demand for construction materials that offer excellent seismic performance driving market growth. Additionally, the incorporation of locally grown cross-laminated timber in constructions is anticipated to further fuel market progress in the region.

Competitive Landscape:

To strengthen their market position, leading companies in the industry are establishing manufacturing plants across several regions. A prime example of this is Mayr Melnhof Holz Holding AG, which invested approximately USD 145 million in January 2020 to construct a state-of-the-art CLT manufacturing facility in Leoben, Austria. This strategic move was intended to bolster the company's market position in the European industry and facilitate forward integration development. Additionally, the adoption of research and development initiatives could enable companies to improve their product quality and enhance their brand image.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries Key Developments: Capacity Expansions, Acquisitions, Partnerships, etc. Latest Technological Advancement Insights on Regulatory Scenario Porters Five Forces Analysis

Qualitative Insights on Impact of COVID-19 on Global Cross Laminated Timber Market Supply Chain Analysis & Challenges due to Covid-19 Steps taken by Government / Companies to Overcome this Impact Potential Challenges and Opportunities due to COVID-19 Outbreak

Global Cross Laminated Timber Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Bonding Technology (Value and Volume) Adhesive Bonded Mechanically Fastened Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Application (Value and Volume) Residential Buildings Non-Residential Buildings Others Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Region (Value and Volume) North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of World

North America Cross Laminated Timber Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Bonding Technology (Value and Volume) Adhesive Bonded Mechanically Fastened Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Application (Value and Volume) Residential Buildings Non-Residential Buildings Others Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Country (Value and Volume) U.S By Bonding Technology Canada By Bonding Technology

Europe Cross Laminated Timber Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Bonding Technology (Value and Volume) Adhesive Bonded Mechanically Fastened Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Application (Value and Volume) Residential Buildings Non-Residential Buildings Others Market Size Estimates and Forecast - By Country (Value and Volume) Germany By Bonding Technology UK By Bonding Technology Italy By Bonding Technology France By Bonding Technology



TOC Continued...!

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Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- UDMR's Turos Lorand: Today coalition leaders agreed to move forward, according to the protocol.The Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) is not considering leaving the government and there is no pressure to do so, the leader of the Union's senators, Turos Lorand, told AGERPRES on Tuesday.

- PM of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-Soo pays visit to Bucharest.The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Han Duck-Soo, is coming to Bucharest on Wednesday. CITESTE SI Over 15,000 education trade unionists expected to protest in Bucharest 08:36 1 LabMin Budai to attend Government's Question

- Over 15,000 education trade unionists expected to protest in Bucharest.More than 15,000 trade unionists from the whole country are expected to participate today in a protest march organised by three education trade union federations that starts at Victoriei Square and ends before Parliament Palace,

- Labour Minister Marius Budai on Wednesday, May 10, will participate in a Government Question Time to be held by the Senate as part of a plenary sitting, on a request by the Save Romania Union (USR) floor group. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook

- LabMin Budai to attend gov't question time at Senate.Labour Minister Marius Budai is participating today in a Government Question Time part of a Senate plenary sitting, having been summoned by the Save Romania Union (USR) floor group, according to the Senate, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu

- Save Romania Union (USR) MPs protested Wednesday in the foyer of the Senate plenary hall against the draft law on special pensions.They displayed placards reading "Stop special pensions." Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro

- The government is compelled by the Bucharest Court of Appeal to organize elections at the Sector 5 City Hall, according to a press release from Save Romania Union (USR) Bucharest sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook

- Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca is invited on 6 March, 15:00hrs, in the Senate plenary meeting, at the "Prime Minister's Question Time" at the invitation of the Save Romania Union (USR) group to discuss the special and service pensions reform, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri.
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- UDMR's Turos Lorand: Today coalition leaders agreed to move forward, according to the protocol.The Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) is not considering leaving the government and there is no pressure to do so, the leader of the Union's senators, Turos Lorand, told AGERPRES on Tuesday.

- LabMin Budai to attend Government's Question Time, in Senate plenary meeting.Labour Minister Marius Budai will participate on Wednesday, as of 11:30hrs, in the Senate plenary meeting, at the Government's Question Time debate, following an invitation made at the proposal of the Save Romania Union

- Over 15,000 education trade unionists expected to protest in Bucharest.More than 15,000 trade unionists from the whole country are expected to participate today in a protest march organised by three education trade union federations that starts at Victoriei Square and ends before Parliament Palace,

- The total net amount received by Romania from the European Union, from the moment of accession until now, amounts to 56 billion euros, informs the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE). CITESTE SI PSD's Ciolacu, on Government ordinance: It's not about savings, but about directing money

- Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca discussed on Monday with President of the European Council Charles Michel the situation in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the issue of Romania's accession to Schengen.According to a Government press release, during a working dinner the Romanian

- The agreement between the Government of Romania and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the implementation of the provisions of the Espoo Convention in a cross-border context was approved on Wednesday by the Government in Bucharest, the Ministry of Environment informs in a press release press

- Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Dorin Recean will pay a visit to Bucharest on Wednesday, this being his first official visit abroad since taking over the mandate, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro

- The University of Bucharest decided to withdraw the title of Doctor Honoris Causa granted to Marshal Ion Antonescu, the decision being taken, on Wednesday, by the Senate of this higher education institution, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES:- The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, participates in the opening of the Romanian Business Leader Summit, organized by the Romanian Business Leader Foundation, with the theme "The future of meaningful business" CITESTE SI MEP Ciolos on Romania's accession

- European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton is visiting Romania today, according to the European Commission Representation in Bucharest.Breton is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi

- Romania is a major hub of assistance offered to Ukraine by NATO, the European Union and partner countries and supports Ukraine by all means, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said on Tuesday."As an ally with the longest border with Ukraine, Romania plays a major geostrategic

- President Klaus Iohannis will receive First Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, at the Cotroceni Palace on Friday, the Presidential Administration informed.The meeting will take place at 13:00. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe

- Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki is paying a visit to Romania on Tuesday, context in which he will participate alongside Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca in a joint meeting of the Governments of Poland and Romania, while he is also set to attend a bilateral economic forum and

- 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

- The speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, discussed, on Thursday, with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, about organizing a bilateral economic forum in Rome, Italy being Romania's second commercial partner. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro

- Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said on Monday that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is considering measures related to food prices in the future government programme, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook
In these labs, CIO participants also assess where they currently rate their organizations across multiple capabilities and where theyd like to be in 1824 months. The priorities we see emerging from labs closely align with the largest capability gaps, with business partnership and tech vision and agenda sitting at the top, followed closely by talent and leadership development.

New leaders sometimes can start making organizational changes too quickly as they prioritize assessing talent. This can create a lack of trust and alignment among their leadership team. Demonstrating patience before making quick changes and engaging the IT leadership team to better understand organizational dynamics could encourage support for your technology strategy, vision, and plan, as well as help you assess talent early on.

Creating and delivering a plan, however, likely isnt enough. CIOs should make sure their team understands, supports, and are willing to execute the plan. I needed buy-in, Ewing said. I needed to bring people along. I had sessions with my team where we worked together to formulate the strategy. You have to be bulletproof on the fundamentals of what you are driving toward.

Look for change agents and people who are curiousthose who ask why and what-if during the listening periodto help you drive your plans key initiatives. I was trying to assess my team to understand what I had and what I didn't have in terms of technology skills, in terms of leadership skills, and what people were looking for in terms of career opportunities as well, said Kristie Grinnell, who became the CIO of DXC Technology in December 2021.

Once the CIO has the right team and talent in place, the priorities may shift away from talent assessment to creating and socializing a strategic road map and visionincluding developing an innovative IT culture, optimizing business operations, establishing processes for cost and efficiency, and modernizing core systems. I shared my plan with everyonewith my boss, with my teams, so there was no guessing of what I was looking at, Kosla said.

As the role has changed over the past few years, it can be important to agree on the full scope of the role, otherwise you could be put in a position where you cant make the impact needed. Consider getting clarity on the role up front and then cultivate and grow trust around what you develop. Savvy CIOs rally their organizations behind core values and a brand that is well understood and supported by their teams.

As the strategy and road map are being developed, CIOs should have a plan for getting stakeholders on board with the changes and closing the loop on their listening tour. I intentionally have a change and communications person reporting to me. [It] helps me think about the impact, the why, and how we can move people forward, said Grinnell. Probably 50% of my time is stakeholder managementthats my job. I provide direction and strategy, but Im also managing the stakeholders along the way to say, Are we there? We have roadshow decks that we use to share our strategy and we are making sure we use their words back. The more I can use their language, the more it will resonate. That makes a huge difference in getting buy-inthey hear their words and recognize you are listening.

Transitioning CIOs can often underestimate the power of relationships in achieving their goals and agenda. Make sure you have a relationship chart that identifies the importance, relationship strength, and frequency of interactions with key stakeholders. By documenting these relationships, you can identify focus areas and develop plans for improving relationships and interactions.

Recognizing the culture around the pace of change

In our conversations with CIOs, they stressed the importance of listening and patience. The listening tour during the first 100 days is just the beginning. The need to listen and solicit feedback from stakeholdersand adjusting strategy accordinglyis unending.

But as more information is gleaned from these communications, CIOs can develop a strategy and regular cadence of stakeholder engagement rooted in expectations and the needs of the business.

We needed to keep the board abreast of how technology can become an enabler, Union Pacifics Jalali said. What we build here is going to be a strategy for the foreseeable future. Our core leadership team spent many months putting together a comprehensive three-year tech strategy. And we centered it around four pillars: people, process, technology, and cybersecurity.

A key part of the CIOs job, of course, is designing the IT governance. New CIOs should remember that new governance models can be implemented only as quickly as the culture allows. According to Deloittes 2023 Global Tech Leader Survey,6 CIOs often have sole responsibility for architecture such as selecting technologies and platforms; however, they more often share responsibility with business leaders in overseeing digital transformation. Similarly, managing operational risk and security is often the joint purview of tech leaders and the C-suite rather than just IT.

If you just make your own little decisions in your silo, you're going to be really efficient in your silo, but you just made the world a nightmare for somebody else, DXC Technology's Grinnell said. So what we are doing is bringing everyone around the table, and that's really opening people's eyes to the fact that there's only so much we can afford, and there's only so much change that a business can take at once.

The CIO should also set realistic expectations so that other leaders understand the tech priorities. By working with C-suite leaders to identify how to deploy resources and capital effectively and efficiently, the new CIO can give other leaders a well-reasoned plan for what will be done first and what must wait.

Leading the IT function is not just delivering projects or running operations, Bridgestone Americas Rodabaugh said. Its also having solid business acumen and ensuring youre improving business value. Technology is changing all the time. How are you providing that thought partnership to your stakeholders?

While its natural for a new CIO to focus on the future, it can be important to remember that the past is not the past. Tech leaders may need to deal with decisions that were made before they took the jobwhether they were hired externally or internally. Past decisions, even if they were made by others, can inform decisions moving forward.

Sometimes, you think everything behind me was not my decision, Ahold Delhaizes Kosla says. But it was your teams decision. Its important to remember that you own the past as well as the future.

Recognizing those past decisions and weighing them against future strategy can foster trust among the leadership team and help build a cohesive operation.

At the same time, CIOs should understand the pace of change within the organization. Deloittes previous article on CIO transitions has found that many CIOs want to make talent decisions more quickly, for example. But they also should respect the culture and how it views change. It can be important to be patient and move at a speed thats a good cultural fit. Most participants of the CIO Transition Labs overestimate the pace at which they can move on their priorities.

You have to know and understand the way the management or executive team operates the company, said Darrell Riekena, who was named CIO of Colonial Pipeline in June 2022 after six years as CIO of Republic National Distributing Company. Who are the key decision-makers? Is it the executive team or is it a subset of that executive team? What are the dynamics with the board of directors?

CIOs should work with peers to help ensure everyone is aligned on strategy and key decisions. In-person interactions can be important in building rapport with peers and team members. Approaching a new role with humility and demonstrating a willingness to work with peers can also foster trust. Learning the environment, reading your peers, and bringing them along with you is an approach more likely to succeed, according to Riekena. Although new, externally hired CIOs may have been faced with similar situations in past roles, each organization has a different culture and attitude toward how they approach change.

Make sure your ears are bigger than your eyes, says Grinnell. Be quiet in your listening tour rather than trying to solve the problem.

A key to long-term success: Staying curious

Technology and the role of the CIO are seemingly continuing to increase in importance to an organizations overall success as tech executives are now responsible for much more than just overseeing IT systems. It can be essential for new CIOs to be able to come into an organization, get the lay of the land, adapt to the new culture, and seamlessly transition so as to not disrupt the business and start adding value as soon as possible. Understanding these expectations should start during the interview phase and evolve through the initial listening tour.

CIOs may benefit from staying curious and adapting a lifelong learner mindset. Technology leaders should demonstrate flexibility and agility in supporting organizational needs. Technology skills can become dated or obsolete in as little as 2.5 years.7 As a result, successful tech leaders should make their organizations more agile, iterative, and experimental to stay relevant. Creativity, problem-solving, and other human skills are greater differentiators for tech talent than ever before. CIOs should help the organization understand and commit to these changes.

As the role of technology changes within organizations, so do the challenges new CIOs face, such as a proliferation of technology-related C-suite roles, adapting to corporate cultures, managing competing priorities, addressing tech talent, and navigating complicated stakeholder relationships. CIOs should consider adjusting to these changing expectations as they help develop and empower agile teams that are accountable for delivering business results.
For many people with disabilities, financial insecurity can compound the challenges they face. As of 2021, the median earnings for people with disabilities were more than 37% lower than people without a disability.3 Also, people with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed than people without a disability,4 and the poverty rate among people with disabilities is two times higher.5

To understand the challenges people with disabilities may face in their banking experiences and what banks can consider to better serve their needs, the Deloitte Center for Financial Services conducted a survey of 1,000 people with disabilities and 1,000 caregivers in May and June 2022. Our research shows that, by adopting an equity-centered design philosophy and channeling the experiences, sensibilities, and perspectives of their employees with disabilities and their allies, banks can create more targeted products and more customer-friendly experiences. Heres what they can do:

Elevate financial well-being with innovative products and tools

People with disabilities are often hit by a double whammy of higher expenses and lower income. Our survey shows nearly half (42%) of respondents with a disability struggle to pay their health care and living costs. For many of these respondents, long-term goals such as saving for retirement, investing money, or taking out a mortgage to buy a home do not feature among their top goals.

Banks can play a key role in helping people with disabilities save more and improve their financial well-being. In addition to tailoring their existing products to better serve this population, banks can collaborate with health care providers to expand their debit and credit card offers to reward spending on health care.6 They could also offer personal financial management tools tailored to people with disabilities, and look for ways to bolster the financial well-being of their caregivers.

Empower through information and advice

Financial empowerment is not likely to happen without financial knowledge. Take ABLE accounts, for instance: Nearly three-quarters of respondents with disabilities in our survey are not aware of ABLE accounts, let alone their eligibility as a beneficiary of one (figure 1).

Banks have an opportunity to amplify their financial literacy programs for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Currently, 54% of respondents with disabilities in our survey consider banks to be their go-to source of information for most things related to financial well-being. This ranks higher than other institutions, including government agencies or insurance, or wealth management companies. Enabling financial knowledge through digital channels should be a key priority to help maximize reach, and also minimize costs. Banks can work on demonstrating greater empathy and deliver more personalization by making the day-to-day customer interactions at the branch or via the call center more human.
Some 350 passengers were forced to disembark at the Czech-German border on Sunday when German rail authorities refused to allow a MAV-Start Hungaria EuroCity train to enter the country, due to its inappropriate technical condition.

The air-conditioning did not work in one carriage and the upper part of one of the windows was broken.



The train was not allowed to continue its journey to Hamburg.



The passengers were left at the Decin station on the Czech side of the border and were told to make their own travel arrangements.



German authorities have often turned back Czech trains at the same station in the past year, according to reports.
Chinas battery producer Eve Power will build its first European plant in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said.

Eve Power, the ninth-biggest battery maker in the world, will invest around 400 billion forints (EUR 3.7bn) in the plant which will create over 1,000 jobs, Szijjarto said, adding that the government was providing 14 billion forints to support the project.



He added that German car maker BMW had asked Eve Power to supply a car plant it is building in Debrecen with next-generation batteries from a local production facility. The foreign minister said the plant would be environment-friendly, covering 95% of the water used from purified waste water and ground waters.



He added that the government would finance new developments in Debrecen, such as modernisation of its water supply and sewerage system, using a budget of 108 billion forints. I think those rightfully worried about water will be satisfied, he said.



It is a clear governmental objective to make Hungary a global forerunner of environmental protection  we want to make Hungary one of the countries doing the most to protect the environment and save the planet, he said.



Without electric cars Europes green objectives cannot be met, and electric cars cannot be used without batteries, he said. Without electromobility the cause of environment protection would be lost, and we would lose the fight against global climate change, he insisted.



Demand for batteries will increase tenfold by 2030, Szijjarto said, adding that the question is where those plants will be built and who is going to profit out of those.



Countries successfully attracting battery plant projects will receive a long-term guarantee of economic growth, he insisted, adding that there was fierce competition for such investments. Szijjarto said some countries would do everything to win those projects, including fair and unfair means alike, adding that unfair means included misleading people and fear-mongering.



Obviously, for people the safety of their home is most important  but abusing those concerns is not right and is not to be tolerated, the minister said.



Residents in Debrecen have nothing to fear about as regards the battery plant projects, he said, adding that Hungary applies a lot more stringent environmental criteria than the European rules. Those that wont meet those criteria will simply not be permitted to build a plant in Hungary, Szijjarto said.



Szijjarto: All Battery Plants Built in Hungary Adhere to Strict Regulations



Hungary will not give up its position as the meeting point of investments from East and West, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday, adding that despite attempts to abuse peoples certainties, it was important to understand that all battery plants built in Hungary adhered to strict regulations.



Szijjarto told a conference on the vehicle industry organised by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) that out of the worlds ten electric battery makers that cover around 95% of the global market, six are Chinese, three are South Korean, one is Japanese, and none are European.



It is clear that the East has taken over this industry, he added. For the first time in European economic history, large western European companies operating in a field that has a basic influence on the success of the European economy are nearly 100% dependent on suppliers from the East, he said.



This situation is difficult to accept, which might explain why the representatives of large and strong member states at European Union foreign affairs council meetings beat on the table, not only in a symbolic sense, demanding to reduce the economic influence of Chinese companies on the continent.



At the same time, when I meet large western European company leaders, they regularly ask me to convince suppliers from the East to come to Hungary, he added. Szijjarto said that outside of Germany and China, it was only in Hungary that all three premium carmakers from Germany have factories.



Additionally, three of the worlds ten largest electric battery makers are present and a new investment will be announced soon, so the number will increase, he added.



Commenting on the attacks against electromobility investments, he said that the construction of new plants always triggered a sense of uncertainty in local communities.



While its easy to abuse peoples natural concerns for health in their living environment, we must still ask all political players to act responsibly and not mislead people and not to abuse peoples legitimate concerns, he said.



He underlined the governments intention to continue supporting investments required for electromobility, because these can keep the economy on a growth track.
Alisha Vavra of Gresham was recently crowned York Czech Queen 2023. After being crowned the last three years, Vavra had much time to practice her queen duties.

Vavra said, When I put on my kroj two weeks ago, I just lit up inside. This title brings me such joy.

This fall Vavra will graduate from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where she is studying music education and will become a high school band teacher at Lawrence - Nelson after graduation. Vavra said, I always knew I wanted to be a band teacher. In high school I had a great band teacher, Joshua Harris, who helped me find my love for music.

Vavra said JoAnn Kuester, club president of Nebraska Czechs of York, had reached out to Vavras grandmother three years ago and said they were looking for a Czech queen. Vavra had musical talent and her grandparents were both Czech, so the shoe fit.

This was out of my comfort level, said Vavra. I was very shy, but I grew very interested in my genealogy and learning what Czechs do. I felt like being a queen was the right thing to do."

Being involved with the Czech club helped Vavra grow closer with her family. Vavra and her family have done more than eat kolaches at festivals," researching together on Czech heritage.

The first year, we didnt know what we were getting into, said Vavra. I didnt know anything about making a kroj or that every part of the kroj has a historical meaning.

Last year, Vavra wore a headdress, signifying she is young and unmarried with several ribbons attached. One of the ribbons has blue anchors that symbolize how her faith keeps her anchored. She wore a white shirt, traditionally representing Czechoslovakia with a pink vest, representing the pink roses her great grandmother plants in front of her home. The blue skirt she wore represented the sea her ancestors had to cross to get from Czechoslovakia to America and attached to the skirt was white lace that represents her love for her Czech heritage.

Around the skirt, she wore a black apron that symbolized the coal her ancestors mined in Czechoslovakia and in the center, it has embroidered flowers that her grandmother embroidered to represent her familys love for flowers and greenery. At the bottom of the apron is a wheat ribbon that symbolizes what her ancestors grew in Nebraska. On the side of her apron, a handkerchief was placed that was made from two of her grandfathers shirts.

Vavra learned public speaking and communication skills as well during her reign the last two years. She said the life of a queen is a busy one, traveling to festivals and parades across the state of Nebraska.

Vavra said, My favorite parade would have to be the Fourth of July Parade in Seward. As a family, wed always go when I was younger and it's fun seeing a lot of people that I know on every block.

With this year being her last year as Czech queen, Vavra most looks forward to spending more time with her family and getting to know her fellow Czech princes and princesses.

Shes also looking forward to the 2023 Wilber Czech Festival where she will be competing in the state pageant. For her talent, she is giving a presentation on her ancestors.

In previous years, the Czech club has put on Oktoberfest in York with food, booths, music performed by the Milligan Czech Brass Band and dancing.
JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock / JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The race to avoid a government default by June 1 appeared to make little progress following a May 10 meeting between President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), as the two were unable to arrive at a consensus on how to deal with the debt ceiling crisis.

Im a Self-Made Millionaire: These Are the 6 Investments Everyone Should Make During an Economic Downturn

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Biden stuck to his demand that Congress raise the debt ceiling unconditionally to prevent a default, The New York Times reported, while McCarthy continued to argue that a higher debt ceiling be accompanied by significant spending cuts. The one thing the two sides did agree on was to meet again later this week.

For now, there doesnt appear to be much common ground in the negotiations, even though Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress earlier this month that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1.

Leading Democrats have called for a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling, meaning it wont be tied to any other legislation, the BBC reported. In contrast, the Republican-led House recently passed a bill that would roll back federal programs such as student loan forgiveness while also limiting federal spending in other areas.

Take Our Poll: Are You Concerned About the Safety of Your Money in Your Bank Accounts?

There was hope in some quarters that a meeting between Biden and McCarthy  their first in three months  would advance negotiations closer to a compromise both sides could accept. But as The New York Times noted, neither of the parties involved expected a breakthrough, though they did aim to learn more about where both sides draw a line in the sand.

Following the meeting, Biden said he made clear that default is not an option. He also said he is prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget and spending priorities but not under the threat of default.

For his part, McCarthy didnt offer much hope that the two sides are close to an agreement.

Story continues

I didnt see any new movement, McCarthy told reporters following the meeting, adding that he asked Biden numerous times if Democrats could find places in the federal budget to make cuts.

They wouldnt give me any, McCarthy said.

The two sides did agree to have their respective staffs continue to meet for the rest of this week to find common ground on next years spending bills, the NYT reported. This could potentially lead to consensus on broader fiscal issues, if not the debt ceiling itself.

Meanwhile, neither side seems interested in passing a short-term debt limit increase to allow more time for negotiations. McCarthy told reporters that Congressional leaders and Biden would need to strike a deal by next week to have the debt ceiling raised by June 1.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Debt Ceiling 2023: Takeaways From Bidens Meeting With McCarthy
Go First has cancelled all flights until May 19th, as per the latest announcement by the airline. The cash-strapped carrier cited "operational reasons" for the cancellation of flights. Furthermore, the airline, in its announcement, mentioned that a full refund will be issued for the flight cancellations.

Go First said in a statement, "We regret to inform you that due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till 19th May 2023 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations."

Also read: Go First Crisis: NCLT Admit Airline's Plea For Insolvency Resolution, CEO Says 'Landmark Judgement

The statement further added, "Go First acknowledges that the flight cancellations might have disrupted the travel plans of its passengers and the airline is committed to providing all the assistance it can. The company has filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations, as its passengers are aware. The airline will be able to resume bookings shortly and thanks its passengers for their patience."

Meanwhile, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) accepted Go First's voluntary request to begin the airline's insolvency resolution procedure. Abhliash Lal was also named interim resolution professional (IRP) to manage the indebted corporation by a two-member bench that included President Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and L N Gupta. The company has been placed under a moratorium of protection, and the suspended board of directors has been instructed to help the IRP manage the business throughout insolvency proceedings. The NCLT further ordered the corporation to donate Rs 5 crore to IRP in order to cover immediate costs associated with the insolvency procedure.
Indigo flight en route to Singapore was diverted to Kualanamu airport, Indonesia. The flight had to make a landing before the designated stop after the crew reported a burning smell from the cabin. The incident occurred with an Airbus A320 aircraft with registration number 6E-1007 from Tiruchirappalli. Reports suggest the aircraft was held at Kualanamu airport for a detailed inspection to fix any problem within the plane.

The Airbus aircraft, during its initial inspection, was found to be satisfactory. During the inspection, all the passengers on the plane were accommodated by the airline. Furthermore, the budget-Indian carrier also arranged another aircraft to fly passengers from Kualanamu to Singapore.

Also read: Go First Extends Flight Cancellations Till May 19 Due To 'Operational Reasons'

The incident was reported to Directorate General of Civial Aviation (DGCA). ANI quotes DGCA officials saying, "The aircraft has been grounded for inspection. Earlier during take off from Tiruchirappalli, the aircraft had experienced a suspected bird hit."

The official further adds, "All operations were normal till cruise. There was no warning or indication of smoke. No visible smoke was observed."

In a similar incident, a Biman Bangladesh flight from Dhaka-Kathmandu was diverted to Patna Airport due to a technical problem with the aircraft. At the time, the officials confirmed that all the passengers were safe in the incident. However, the technical problem was not identified at the time.
Ireland's Ryanair agreed a multibillion-dollar deal for as many as 300 Boeing jets on Tuesday (May 9) burying the hatchet after an 18-month public feud over prices upset one of aviation's closest partnerships. Europe's largest low-cost carrier said it was placing a firm order for 150 of the largest version of Boeing's narrow-body jet family, known as the 737 MAX 10, with options for another 150. Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary flew to Washington to celebrate the deal with a long-time supplier but continued to needle Boeing over jet prices - while acknowledging that Ryanair had been forced to pay more per seat than in previous deals.

Ryanair said the order would allow it to almost double its traffic to 300 million passengers per year by March 2034 from the 168 million flown to the end of March this year. It currently expects to fly 225 million passengers a year by 2026. The deal delivers a boost to the largest version of Boeing's 737 MAX, a best-selling series whose deliveries have been depressed by a two-year safety crisis and post-COVID disruption.

Ryanair has long expressed interest in the 230-seat MAX 10 variant, which has yet to be certified. But O'Leary had pledged not to overpay for the 30 extra seats, telling Reuters in March he could also order more of the existing 200-seat 737 MAX 8200. O'Leary last year broke off talks with Boeing and issued a barrage of public comments over pricing and delays in the arrival of previously ordered jets.

On Tuesday, however, he said Boeing had made significant progress in catching up on delays. Boeing last month said some 737 MAX deliveries had been halted due to a supplier problem. Ryanair exclusively uses Boeing 737s for its mainline fleet and is one of Boeing's largest customers with more than 600 planes in its fleet or on order, according to its website.

The Dublin-based carrier is seen as keen to play up its low cost base, which underpins its signature brand of low fares, while Boeing is keen not to be seen as caving in on jet prices. Ryanair said the deal was worth $40 billion at list prices, though experts noted that this included options, which are not booked as orders, and typical discounts for firm orders run at more than 50%.

The MAX 10 has a list price of $135 million. The planes will be delivered from 2027 to 2033.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear, on May 15, a plea against the Kerala High Court's refusal to stay the film "The Kerala Story" - the fourth time when the apex court would consider the plea related to the movie.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, agreed to examine the matter on Monday after a plea for urgent hearing was mentioned before the bench by senior advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of the petitioners.

The plea challenged the May 5 order passed by the high court declining any relief, saying there was nothing offensive against Islam or Muslims in the film.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the producers of the movie have moved a petition in the apex court challenging the ban on film by the West Bengal government and also the decision not to release the film in theatres in Tamil Nadu. The plea has claimed that it is against artistic freedom. They are likely to mention the matter on Wednesday for urgent hearing.

On the day of the release of the film, the Kerala High Court, while hearing petitions seeking the ban of the film, categorically, in the midst of the hearing, pointed out that in a secular state like Kerala, nothing is going to happen.

"Nothing is going to happen if the film is screened in Kerala. On examining the teaser and the preview of the film, there is nothing which is against any religion and Islam is not portrayed in poor light. There is a reference to IS and, in the country, there have been several films which refer to IS," said the court.

"Fail to understand how this film would be against society as even the Censor Board has given the certification. The premise of the film is fictional in nature and when fictional themes have been cleared in the past, how can one prevent the screening of this film," it asked.

The apex court had, as many as three times, rejected a plea to stop the release of the film, saying that it must also be considered that a filmmaker invests a lot of money and time in making a film and actors also put in a lot of work.

The film, produced by Sunshine Pictures Private Ltd and directed by Sudipto Sen, was released on Friday across the country.
Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, CGBSE, has announced the results for Class 10 and 12 at 12 PM today (May 10, 2023 ). Students who appeared for the examination can check the result from the official website- cgbse.nic.in.

Nearly 8 lakh students have registered to take the exam this year. The result link will only be activated on the official website. Due to the high volume of traffic, the website might not load at the time of the declaration, thus, you can also check through SMS.

Exams for Class 12 were given from March 1 to March 31, while those for Class 10 were given from March 2 to March 24.

Chhattisgarh CGBSE 10th, 12th Result 2023: How To Check Via SMS

For CG Board 10th Result, Type CG10<space>Roll number.

Send it to 56263.

Once the message is sent, the CGBSE 10 Result 2023 will be received by students

Chhattisgarh CGBSE 10th, 12th Result 2023: Steps to Check

Visit the official website of Chhattisgarh board at cgbse.nic.in.

On the homepage, click on the Class 10 or Class 12 results link.

Enter your roll number and other required credentials to login.

The CGBSE class 10th or 12th result will appear on the screen.

You can view the result and save on your device.

Take a printout of the result page.

Chhattisgarh School Education Minister Premsai Singh Tekam announced Class 10 and Class 12 examination results today. The overall pass percentage for the class 10 CGBSE result in 2023 is 75 percent. Similarly, for class 12, the pass percentage stands at 75.9 percent.
New Delhi: IT industry veteran NR Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty were among the early voters who cast their ballot in the Karnataka Assembly polls on Wednesday. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty voted at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, where Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also voted.

Urging people to come out and vote, Sudha Murty said, "I will not ask you who you will vote for or why you vote, because everyone has their own opinion and decision, but everyone should vote. We vote in every election."

The author-philanthropist said that she always tells the youth to come and vote because then they will have the 'power to talk'.

"Without voting you do not have any power to talk," she told reporters.

On people who don't vote, the Padma Bhushan awardee said that only those who 'don't have patriotism' do such things.

"Please look at us. We are oldies but we get up at 6 o'clock, come here and vote. Please learn from us. Voting is a sacred part of democracy," she added.

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy said that it is the responsibility of the elders to sit down with youngsters and advise them why voting is important.

"That's what my parents did," he said.

Urging people to exercise their franchise, he said the people do not have the right to 'criticise' the governance if they do not cast their votes.

Voting for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began at 7 AM on Wednesday with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the BJP, the Congress and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).

The electoral fate of top guns including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy among others will be sealed during the day-long exercise.

A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray. Among the electors, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 "others", while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.

The counting of polled votes will be taken up on May 13.

Earlier in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress at 80, and JD(S) at 37. There was one independent member, while BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.

With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, BJP's BS Yediyurappa staked a claim and formed the government. However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers. Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition, and defected to BJP facilitating the party coming back to power.

In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

In the outgoing Assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, and JD(S) -- 29. There is also one BSP lawmaker, two Independents, one Speaker, and six vacant seats (following deaths and resignations to join other parties ahead of polls).
The much-anticipated Karnataka Assembly Election kicked off at 7 am today, May 10, 2023, with people from across the state casting their votes. The polls would seal the electoral fates of 2,615 candidates across parties in the State. Till 9 am, the highest voter turnout was recorded at 12.47 per cent in Dakshina Kannada. 224 assembly constituencies have gone to polls.

While stakes are high for BJP and Congress, elections are no less than festivals in India. Unique scenes emerge from different parts of the state (or country) with voters and politicians enthusiastically participating in this biggest event of democracy. Wednesday's polling is also seeing such unique sights, even as political leaders keep the tempo up and fire salvos at each other.

Congress Workers Garland LPG Cylinders

Congress workers garlanded an LPG gas cylinder and burnt incense sticks near it, in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar area. Check out the video below:

While this might have been a dig at BJP for the rising prices, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, in turn, took a dig at Congress. "Karnataka which is the land of Bajrang Bali will answer all these things on 13th May. We welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least," he said.

'Rahul Kal' Check

It seems you can't keep astrology away from election day. According to a report in News18, some voters have been hurrying up to cast their votes as 'Rahu Kal' will begin from 12.23 pm and will continue till 1.59 pm.

New Bride Casts Vote

At polling booth number 165 in Chikkamagaluru, a new bride cast her vote, decked in her wedding attire.

#KarnatakaElections | A bride casts her vote at polling booth number 165 in Chikkamagaluru. pic.twitter.com/nwmd6SzVoW  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Another newly married couple and their family members cast their vote in Mysuru, all decked in the wedding attire.

Bride and groom along with their family cast their votes for #KarnatakaAssemblyElection2023 at a polling booth in Mysuru pic.twitter.com/ZaMnNapzty  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

Former CM, Congress Veteran Siddaramaiah Says This Is His Last Election

After casting his vote, former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, "There is a tremendous response from the voters. I will get more than 60 % of the votes. Congress will form the government on its own. I am not going to retire but I will not contest elections. This is my last election." Earlier, Siddaramaiah had offered prayers at a temple in Varuna.

Karnataka Congress president and party's candidate from Kanakapura, DK Shivakumar had also offered prayers at Sri Kenkeramma Temple in Kanakapura, Ramanagara. His brother and party MP DK Suresh was also with him.

'The Kerala Story' Impact On Karnataka Polls?

The film 'The Kerala Story' has courted controversy with the BJP giving a thumbs up to the film and the Congress claiming that it targets a certain community. The film narrates the ordeal of three women who are trafficked to ISIS camps after being converted to Islam through marriage. On being asked about the possible impact of Congress' stand on the election result, wife of Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, told the media, "I am 100% that my husband will win. Congress govt will come. It (The Kerala Story) will not have any effect in Karnataka. I appeal to people to vote for Congress."

Also Read: Follow LIVE Updates Of Karnataka Elections HERE
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district. Eighteen Brahmin students and some priests recited Vedic mantras as PM Modi paid obeisance. He later handed over 'prasad' to the Brahmins as 'dakshina' at the Lalan Chowk in the temple.

Temple officials also felicitated Prime Minster Modi and handed over a turban and 'prasad' to him. Following his visit to the temple, Modi also held a roadshow in Nathdwara town of the Rajsamand district.

Prime Minister Modi is on a one-day visit to poll-bound Rajasthan to launch development projects worth over Rs 5,500 crore. He was received by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

PM @narendramodi reached Nathdwara in Rajasthan where he was welcomed by Governor Shri @KalrajMishra, CM Shri @ashokgehlot51 and other dignitaries. pic.twitter.com/U3alyv8sT7 May 10, 2023

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the focus of the projects to be launched by the prime minister will be on bolstering infrastructure and connectivity in the region. The PMO had said that road and railway works will facilitate the movement of goods and services, boosting trade and commerce and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in the region.

Among the projects, he will also lay the foundation stones for road construction projects for the upgradation to two-lane in Rajsamand and Udaipur and for the redevelopment of the Udaipur railway station.

Modi will inaugurate three national highway projects, including the 114-km long six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, the 110-km long widening and strengthening to 4 lane with paved shoulder of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25, and 47 km long two lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E.

The prime minister will also be visiting the Shantivan complex of Brahma Kumaris, a religious organization.

The PMO noted that a special focus of the prime minister has been on giving impetus to spiritual rejuvenation across the country.

He will lay the foundation stone of a super specialty charitable global hospital, the second phase of Shivmani old age home and the extension of the nursing college. The hospital will be set up in Abu Road, spread across an area of 50 acres. It will offer world-class medical facilities and will prove especially beneficial for the poor and the tribal people in the region.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said the opposition should be respected in democracy and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "will also move in this direction".

"If this is done, the ruling dispensation and the opposition will be able to serve the country with more vigour," he said at a function to launch various projects in the presence of Modi.

"The opposition should be respected. I think that you (PM) will also move in this direction," Gehlot said.

The Rajasthan chief minister also said that former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi laid down their lives for the nation.

"If we all work together, the country will remain united," he said.

Some people don't want to see anything good happen in country: PM Modi

In a veiled attack on opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said some people are so full of negativity that they don't want to see anything good happen in the country.

At a programme in Nathdwara in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district where he launched various projects costing over Rs 5,500 cr, the prime minister also said those who measure everything with votes are unable to devise plans keeping the country in mind.

Without naming anyone, the prime minister said, "Some people in the country have become victims of such a distorted mentality; they are so full of negativity that they do not want to see anything good happen in the country".

"They only like to create controversy. History is witness that for sustainable development and rapid development, it is necessary to create modern infrastructure along with a basic system," he said.

The prime minister also said priority was not given to infrastructure development earlier due to this thinking.

"If a sufficient number of medical colleges had already been built, then there would have been no shortage of doctors," he said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi offered prayers at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara town of Rajasthan's Rajsamand district.

From the temple, the prime minister reached a venue from where he is scheduled to launch development projects costing over Rs 5,500 crore in Rajasthan.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the focus of the projects that were launched by the prime minister is on bolstering infrastructure and connectivity in the region.
New Delhi: Actor Manoj Bajpayee's upcoming courtroom drama 'Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai', which is all set for release on Zee5, has received legal notice from self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. As per the Hindustan Times report, Asaram sent the notice to the makers of the film through his charitable trust. A trial court sentenced Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment in 2018 for the rape of a minor at an ashram in Jodhpur in 2013.

As per the report, Asaram also asked the court to issue prohibitory orders against the promotion as well as the release of the film. According to the report, his lawyers claimed that the film is highly objectionable and defamatory towards their client. They also added that it can tarnish his reputation and affect the sentiments of his followers.

Manoj essays the role of a lawyer in his film 'Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai', who single-handadly goes against a self-styled Godman for allegedly raping a minor girl under the POCSO Act. According to the trailer, the film is based on real-life incidents. The trailer was received really well by the audience.

The trailer of the film has a disclaimer that said that it is inspired by real-life incidents.

Watch The Film Trailer Below:

Speaking with Times of India, producer Asif Shaikh said, "Yes, we have got the notice and our lawyers will decide the next move. We have made a biopic on PC Solanki and I had bought the rights from him to make this film. Now, if someone is saying that the film is based on them, they can think whatever they can and we can't stop that. Only the film will be able to tell the truth, when it comes out."

A courtroom drama 'Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai' is written by Deepak Kingrani. The film is directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and is all set to be released on OTT platform Zee5 on May 23, 2023.

It is scheduled to be screened at New York Indian Film Festival. Manoj will attend the special screening on May 13.
DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - Deutsche Post's freight business could integrate large acquisitions, the head of the unit told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that if Deutsche Bahn's Schenker business were put up for sale, the company would have to see if it would be a good fit.

Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board last year instructed management to prepare for the possible sale of its Schenker logistics business but there have been no further details.

"We are in a position to integrate larger acquisitions," said Deutsche Post freight chief Tim Scharwath.

"DB Schenker would be ... a very big purchase," he said, adding it was still unclear whether the deal would go to market.

The company evaluates potential acquisitions according to three criteria, he said.

"We would have to look at how DB Schenker fits into the group's portfolio - and we would have to achieve a price that makes the whole thing financially attractive, and we would have to look at how complex integration would be," said Scharwath.

(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Rachel More)
New Delhi: Google I/O 2023, the company's largest annual event, is slated for tonight. At the event, Google is likely to unveil a wide range of goods, including intriguing hardware like the Pixel Fold and cutting-edge software like Android 14 and AI features. Here's the list of the significant products that Google is most likely to unveil at the event.

Pixel Tablet

Almost all of the Pixel tablet's specifications leaked online a few days ago. The device will include an 11-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage and will be powered by Google's Tensor G2 chip. Additionally, it will support two 8-megapixel cameras, Wi-Fi 6, and the USI 2.0 stylus. (Also Read: Google I/O Event 2023: Top 5 Launches Expected From The Happening)

Google Pixel Fold

Finally, Google has officially announced that it will be releasing its first foldable phone, the Pixel Fold. More information is anticipated to be shared at Google I/O today after the device was teased in a tweet and a video on May 4. (Also Read: Google I/O Event 2023: Check Date, Time, How To Watch Live, And What To Expect)

Google Pixel 7a

Google's newest low-cost flagship device, the Pixel 7a, is scheduled to go on sale in India on May 11. According to rumours, the phone's design, camera, and Tensor G2 chipset all share similarities with the Pixel 7. A smaller OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 3.5mm headphone connection, and reduced pricing are just a few of the unique features of the Pixel 7a.

According to reports, the Pixel 7a will cost SGD 749 in Singapore, which is equivalent to about Rs 46,000 in India.

Google AI Features

Since I/O events focus on the company's most recent software inventions, it stands to reason that Google will announce new inventive developments there. Google is now engaged in an AI arms race with Microsoft and OpenAI. A brand-new broad language model, Bard enhancements, and the company's updated AI-driven search engine Magi have all been anticipated.

Android 14

The developer beta for Google's upcoming mobile operating system has already begun, and the public release is scheduled for later this year, maybe in October. Even though it might not bring forth any revolutionary improvements, the update is anticipated to concentrate on privacy, security, performance, and additional customisation capabilities.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges. Government officials alleged the former premier and his wife received land as a bribe through a charitable trust. Khan and his aides have denied any wrongdoing.

Below are some facts about the trust and the land acquisition.

WHAT IS AL-QADIR TRUST?

Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organization set up by Bushra Watto, Khan's third wife, and Khan in 2018 when he was still in office.

While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.

The couple is the sole trustee of the trust, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

WHAT DOES THE TRUST DO?

The trust runs a university outside Islamabad devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings, a project inspired by the former first lady, who is also commonly known as Bushra Bibi and has a reputation as a spiritual healer.

Khan has publicly described her as his spiritual leader and said she helped guide him towards a spiritual path.

WHAT IS THE CORRUPTION CASE AGAINST IMRAN KHAN?

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistan's richest and most powerful businessmen.

ALSO READ | Rioting, Arson Break Out Across Pakistan After Imran Khan's Arrest

The trust has nearly 60 acres of land worth seven billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad close to Khan's hilltop home, the minister said.

The 60-acre parcel is the official site of the university but very little has been built there.

HOW WAS THE BRIBE ALLEGED TO HAVE WORKED?

The government said the scheme originated with 190 million pounds repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 by Britain after Hussain forfeited cash and assets to settle a British probe into whether they were proceeds of crime.

Instead of putting it in Pakistan's treasury, Khan's government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for the illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.

The interior minister alleged Hussain gave the land to Khan through the Al-Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.

HOW HAS IMRAN KHAN RESPONDED TO THE ALLEGATIONS?

Khan's aides have previously said that the land was donated to the trust for charitable purposes.

Aide Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday the charges were trumped up. The real-estate developer has also denied any wrongdoing.
The Board of School Education Haryana will declare the HBSE result anytime soon now. According to reports, it is expected that the results will be declared by May 14, 2023. However, BSEH has not yet confirmed the date and time for the announcement of Haryana Board classes 10th and 12th results 2023. The students can download their marksheet online on the official website :bseh.org.in. The BSEH class 12th exam was conducted from February 27 to March 28, 2023,

Haryana Board Result 2023: Steps To Download Scorecard

- Visit the official website of the Haryana Board of School Education(HBSE) at bseh.org.in.

- On the homepage, click on the link that reads, Haryana Board Class 10, 12 Result 2023.

- Enter the required login credentials such as roll number and click on the submit option.

- Your Haryana Board Class 10, 12 Result 2023 will be displayed on the screen.

- Download the mark sheet and take a printout of it for future reference.

HBSE Result 2023: Credentials To Check Scorecard

While downloading the HBSE 12th result and HBSE 10th result, students will have to enter their roll number on the portal. The scorecard for Haryana Classes 10 and 12 will contain crucial information such as the students' personal details, total marks obtained, marks scored in each subject, and other relevant details.

HBSE Result 2023: Total Students

Haryana Board Result 2023 is slated to release for a total of 5,59,738 students who appeared for the exam. Out of the total, 2,96,329 students appeared for the Haryana Board Class 10 exam and 2,63,409 students appeared for the Class 12th exam.

HBSE Result 2023: Exam Date

The Haryana Board 10th Exams 2023 were conducted from February 27 to March 25, 2023. Whereas the Haryana Board 12th Exams February 27 to March 28, 2023.
The high-voltage Karnataka elections began today, May 10, 2023, at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm. Agencies like Matrize, CVoter, Lokniti-CSDS, Axis My India, and Today's Chanakya are expected to release their exit poll results on TV channels as soon as the polling is over. Voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

Zee News Digital will publish the exit poll results, while its television news channel, Zee News, will broadcast the predictions. The results of the assembly election will be declared on Saturday, May 13.

Meanwhile, after casting his vote in the Assembly polls at Shiggaon in Haveri district, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was quoted by ANI saying, "I've voted and done my duty towards democracy. It's a privilege to vote in my constituency. I will win by a record margin. People of Karnataka will vote for positive development and BJP will get a comfortable majority. I urge people to cast their vote," He told reporters, "I am very happy with the way our party conducted the campaign and the way people have reacted. I appeal to people to come and vote for the development of Karnataka."

The state recorded an approximate voter turnout of 7.83 per cent till 9 am. The highest voter turnout was recorded at 30.26 per cent in Udupi till 11 am today, the Election Commission said. As per the Election Commission, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Central recorded a 19.30 per cent of voter turnout while BBMP (North) at 18.34 per cent, BBMP (South) at 19.18 per cent, Bagalkot at 23.44 per cent, Bangalore Rural at 20.23 per cent, Bangalore Urban at 17.72 per cent, Belgaum at 20.76 am and Bellary at 23.56 per cent till 11 am.

These assembly elections are a critical test for the ruling BJP that's hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, this election is being treated as a litmus test for both parties. Several key leaders including Union Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, State Minister K Sudhakar, and Congress State President DK Shivakumar were among the early voters in today's election.

Unique scenes emerged from different parts of the state (or country) with voters and politicians enthusiastically participating in this biggest event of democracy. From couples casting their votes, after getting hitched just hours before, to Congress workers offering payers to LPG gas cylinders, the polling day has been colourful.
Hubbali: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and six-time MLA from Hubbali, Jagadish Shettar is fighting a tough battle in his home constituency this time. Shettar recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the Congress after being denied an election ticket by the saffron camp. He is now contesting on a Congress ticket from his home turf in the May 10 Assembly elections. However, at the ground level, things seem to be not working in favour of the soft-spoken veteran politician, who`s known to have a corruption-free image.





Praveen Marathe, an autorickshaw driver in Hubbali, told IANS, "Shettar is a good leader but he has shifted to Congress which has not gone down well with the voters of Hubbali. This is a BJP bastion and Shettar will lose the polls this time."The Hubbali region is a stronghold of the BJP and Shettar is one of the founding leaders of the party in the area, who built the party from the grassroots level.The six-time MLA was denied a ticket by the BJP leadership, triggering a major outburst from Shettar who accused the party`s national organising secretary, B.L. Santosh, as the man behind denying him a ticket.Shettar also said that BJP is fast turning into a party dominated by only one section.The former Chief Minister said that it was Prahlad Joshi, the only Lok Sabha member from Karnataka, who could get a Cabinet berth among the 25 party MLAs from the region and that was due to the fact that he was from a particular community.Shettar also alleged Brahminical domination in the BJP and accused Santosh of calling the shots and sidelining other castes in the party.Shettar had won the Hubbali seat in 2018 by a margin of 21,306 votes. However, it remains to be seen if the Hindu vote bank of Shettar will support him this time.The plus point for Shettar is his clean image. Several local businessmen told IANS that he had never exploited them. Another factor is his easy accessibility and down-to-earth image.The RSS-BJP combine is working hard at the grassroots level to defeat Shettar and if the Lingayat votes do not split, Shettar will have tough time.The BJP candidate from Hubbali, Mahesh Tenginkai, told IANS, "The BJP will win the seat by a huge margin. It is the party that matters and not individuals, and the BJP has a strong base in this constituency. The development programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have given the people a clear choice in the elections."
New Delhi: Of the 384 candidates contesting on 28 Assembly seats in Karnataka`s Bengaluru from various parties, 157 are `crorepatis`, according to a new report. As per the Karnataka Election Watch, Bengaluru Election Watch, and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 384 out of 389 candidates, contesting in the 28 constituencies of Bengaluru region in the May 10 Assembly elections, 157 candidates, which is 41 per cent of the total candidates analysed, are crorepatis.





The report stated that 87 candidates, which is 23 per cent of the total, have declared their assets as more than Rs 5 crore, while there are 37 candidates, which is 10 per cent, have declared assets between Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore.It also highlighted that there are 76 candidates who have declared their assets between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore and 70 candidates have declared assets between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.There are also 114 candidates, which is 29 per cent of the 384 candidates, who have assets less than Rs 10 lakh.Highlighting the role of money power in elections, the report noted that all major political parties gave tickets to wealthy candidates.It said among the major parties, 26 (96 per cent) out of 27 candidates analysed from the Congress, 27 (96 per cent) out of 28 candidates analysed from the ruling BJP, 21 (88 per cent) out of 24 candidates analysed from the JD-S and 25 (89 per cent) out of 28 candidates analysed from the AAP have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.The report also stated that the average of assets per candidate contesting in the 28 constituencies of the Bengaluru region is Rs 24.48 crore."Among major parties, the average assets for 27 Congress candidates analysed is Rs 145.26 crore, 28 BJP candidates analysed is Rs 63 crore, and 24 JD-S candidates have average assets of Rs 54.97 crore," it said.Of the 3 candidates with the highest declared assets, contesting in the 28 constituencies of the Bengaluru region, the top position is held by Yousuf Shariff, who is contesting from the Chickpet assembly seat as an independent candidate, and has assets worth Rs 1,633 crore.Shariff is followed by Congress candidate Priyakrishna, who is contesting from the Govindarajanagar assembly seat and has assets worth Rs 1,156 crore.On the third spot in the list of wealthiest candidates in Bengaluru region is Congress` Suresha B.L., who is contesting from the Hebbal Assembly seat, and has declared assets worth Rs 648 crore.Polling for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will take place on May 10 in a single phase and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.The ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress are engaged in a bitter fight in the assembly polls.
Lucknow: A day after The Kerala Story was made tax-free by the Uttar Pradesh government, the films team met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Wednesday. The members, including producer Vipul Shah, lead actress Adah Sharma and director Sudipto Sen, discussed the movie with Adityanath and requested him to watch it, an official statement issued here said.

The Kerala Story revolves around conversion of young Hindu women in Kerala and their recruitment by the terror group Islamic State (IS). The film, which was released on May 5, has kicked up a political storm with opposition parties accusing the makers of spewing hate.

During its interaction with the chief minister, the movie team praised the Adityanath governments efforts to curb love jihad and forced religious conversion in the state through its enactment of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, the statement said. Adityanath and his cabinet colleagues are expected to attend a special screening of the film at the Lok Bhawan on Friday.
Key Insights

Riverstone Holdings' estimated fair value is S$0.48 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of S$0.60 suggests Riverstone Holdings is potentially 27% overvalued

Analyst price target for AP4 is RM0.64, which is 35% above our fair value estimate

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Riverstone Holdings Limited (SGX:AP4) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. 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 Riverstone Holdings

Crunching The Numbers

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. 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.

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:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM49.2m RM205.1m RM165.9m RM153.7m RM146.7m RM142.9m RM141.2m RM140.8m RM141.3m RM142.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -7.34% Est @ -4.55% Est @ -2.60% Est @ -1.23% Est @ -0.27% Est @ 0.40% Est @ 0.87% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 7.2% RM45.9 RM178 RM135 RM116 RM104 RM94.1 RM86.7 RM80.6 RM75.5 RM71.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM987m

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM143m (1 + 2.0%)  (7.2% 2.0%) = RM2.8b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM2.8b ( 1 + 7.2%)10= RM1.4b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM2.4b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of S$0.6, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. 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

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 Riverstone 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 7.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.885. 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 Riverstone Holdings

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Singaporean market.

Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. 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. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Riverstone Holdings, we've put together three important factors you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Riverstone Holdings (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does AP4'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. 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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New Delhi: Olympic medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik on Wednesday challenged WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to undergo a lie detector Narco Test if he is confident of his innocence after seven grapplers leveled sexual harassment allegations against him.

The protesting wrestlers also said that they will oppose holding competitions if Singh is involved in their organization. I challenge the WFI president to take a Narco Test. We are also willing to take the test. Let the truth come out in the open, who is the culprit and who is not, Malik said at a press conference here.

We want all competitions to take place under the ad hoc panel of IOA. If the WFI chief is involved in any way, we will oppose it, said another Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia. The wrestlers also decided to wear black armbands on Thursday to protest the slow pace of investigation against Singh.

The protesters have been demanding the arrest of Singh for the alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of seven female wrestlers, including a minor. Delhi Police filed two FIRs against the WFI president on April 28.
New Delhi: Be it on the screen or during her photo shoots, Rashmika Mandanna has always brought something different that speaks a lot about her inner love and interest in something. When it comes to her love for the Japanese manga series, Naruto, the actress never leaves a chance to engulf herself in one. Treating the fans with some more of her dazzling looks, the National Crush recently had a photo shoot where she was seen fully drenched in a Chinese-themed makeover and now she shared the BTS glimpse of a photo shoot and we are truly stunned to see the way she poses in the Naruto step.

Rashmika took to her social media and captured some glimpses of her recent photoshoot. While the actress can be seen having fun behind the camera, her new look in Naruto style is truly different and amazing as it looks.

Rashmika is a big fan of Naruto. Earlier also, the actress was seen expressing her love for the anime show in her posts. Looking at this stunning photoshoot of hers, the actress yet again stepped into this quirky look and undoubtedly she is nailing it. This is indeed the reason she has been adored by her fans.

Apart from this, On the work front, the actress will be next seen in Animal along with Ranbir Kapoor and Pushpa: The Rule along with Allu Arjun.
New Delhi: The Made In Heaven actress Sobhita Dhulipala recently attended the press screening of Mani Ratnam's magnum opus 'Ponniyin Selvan 2' which also features the star in a pivotal role. At the event, she broke her silence on dating rumours linking her name with Naga Chaitanya.

SOBHITA DHULIPALA ON DATING RUMOURS

Filmibeat quoted Sobhita Dhulipala as saying, "Im very fortunate of having a chance to work with beautiful films. Im a classical dancer and I like dancing. To have performed on three AR Rahman songs in Mani Ratnams film is a very big thing for me. I am focused on it right now. For people who speak without knowledge, I dont think I need to answer them. I dont feel the urge to clarify things when Im not doing any wrong and it is not my business. Instead of answering or clarifying things people write with half-knowledge, one must focus on your life, improve it, be calm, and try to be a good person."

Soon after Chay and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's divorce announcement in 2021, speculation about Sobhita dating Naga caught attention. It was earlier reported that the two were vacationing in London after a picture of the Custody actor with the Michelin star chef Surender Mohan went viral. Sobhita could be seen sitting at the back in the photo. However, neither of the stars has made their relationship status public as yet.

In his latest interview with ETimes, Naga Chaitanya said that he respects his ex-wife Samantha a lot. He said, "She is a lovely person and deserves all happiness. It is only when the media speculates that things get awkward between us. In the public eye, that mutual respect is taken away. Thats what I feel bad about. And do you know what is worse? They bring in a third party, someone who is not connected to my past to create headlines out of that. It is very disrespectful to the third party whom they are unnecessarily involving with my past."
Indian Railways the fastest moving railway service provide in the world to electrify its entire rail network. In fact, in most of the states of India, the Railways has already achieved 100 percent electrification. On the other hand, the Indian Railways has launched train services like Vande Bharat Express, the engineless semi-high speed trains that connect important cities of India, modernizing the rail travel, as well as reducing the travel time, thanks to its top speed of 180 kmph. However, a majority of this electrification journey depends on converting the existing trains into electric ones by replacing diesel loco with electric loco.

Rolling stock giants, Siemens, recently bagged a Rs 25,000 crore project of manufacturing 1,200 units of 9,000 horsepower (HP) electric locomotives from the Indian Railways. The German brand will make the India's most powerful electric loco at the Dahod workshop under the Make in India initiative. It is Indian Railways' first locomotive production unit in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 9,000 HP loco will be have a haulage capacity of 4,500 tonnes of load while the maximum speed of these locomotives will be up to 120 km per hour.

We recently got in touch with Gunjan Vakharia, Head, Mobility Business, Siemens Limited to understand more about this 9000 HP electric loco made for the Indian Railways, apart from other ways in which Siemens has partnered with the Railways. Here's our exclusive conversation:

Tell us about Siemens Mobility and India operations

Siemens Mobility business in India offers intelligent and efficient technologies and solutions for passenger and freight transportation covering the entire gamut of Rail infrastructure and Metro-Rail solutions. It is constantly innovating its portfolio in its core areas of rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, turnkey systems as well as related services. With digitalization, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators to make infrastructure intelligent and sustainable by enhancing system availability, maximizing network capacity, optimizing customer experience, and reducing life cycle costs.

The Business also offers a range of hardware and software solutions for rail traffic automation, high-speed trains, commuter trains, locomotives, trainsets for intercity travel, urban public vehicles such as metro, light rail and electrification systems, intelligent traffic systems, parking and tolling solutions, as well as remote services.

What is your association with Indian Railways?

For the past seven decades, Siemens has been a partner in progress for Indian Railways, providing cutting-edge technologies and solutions to power sustainable growth including its latest offering of 9000 HP Electric Locomotives. The Mobility business has been supporting the Indian Railways vision of complete electrification, enhanced haulage capability and building high-technology systems in line with the Make in India initiative.

It has partnered the Indian Railways in several landmark projects to modernize track infrastructure, enhance capacity and connectivity as well as improve safety and speed. The focus has also been on energy efficiency, passenger riding experience, development and adoption of innovations and new technologies for both passenger and freight transportation.

Tell us about the 9000 HP rail engine

Siemens Limited has received an order for 1,200 locomotives of 9,000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways, marking the single largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and single largest order in the history of Siemens India. Siemens Limited will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives. Deliveries are planned over an eleven-year period, and the contract includes 35 years of full-service maintenance.

The locomotives will be assembled in the Indian Railways factory based in Dahod, Gujarat. Maintenance will be performed in four Indian Railways depots located in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur and Pune. Locomotive assembly and maintenance will be implemented together with the staff of Indian Railways. The contract has a total value of Rs. 26,000 crore (approximately), excluding taxes and price variation.

The state-of-the-art locomotives will be used for freight transport throughout the Indian Railways network and are specified to haul loads of 4,500 tons at a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. Producing 9,000 HP, they will be one of the most powerful freight locomotives in the world. They will be equipped with advanced propulsion systems that are also produced locally in Siemens factories in India. Siemens Mobility will use the power of its Railigent platform to deliver highest availability and performance.

Outlook on green railways for sustainable mobility

Our aim is to be a key partner in Indias quest for safer, greener & smarter railways, making in India for India and the world. The Mobility business has been supporting the Indian Railways vision of complete electrification, enhanced haulage capability and building high-technology systems in line with the Make in India initiative. We take great pride in partnering Indian Railways and Metro operators in landmark projects like Vande Bharat, Electrification & Signaling projects for Mainline and Metros, providing advanced digital solutions and our latest offering the 9000 HP electric locomotives.

What are the future prospects of the Indian Railways?

The Ministry of Railways has been driving upgradation of technology and modernization of infrastructure (track, signaling and telecommunication). With the National Rail Plan 2030 setting the blueprint, investments are expected to further boost development of infrastructure and products under Atmanirbhar Bharat. Innovation through research, design, manufacturing and digitalization will continue to be key drivers in transformation of Indian Railways.

How big of a role electric loco can play?

Indian Railways has set an ambitious target to cut carbon emissions by more than 450-mn tonnes through optimum usage of Dedicated Freight Corridors vis-a-vis road transport. The 9000 HP locomotives, which will be integral to the efficient operation of the DFCs, are at the core of the Railways climate goals. With initiatives like 100% electrification, deployment of sustainable technologies and adoption of sustainable practices, the Railways will be key contributors to the countrys net-zero transition.

Driving this climate goal journey, will be the new generation of state-of-art, highly efficient and eco-friendly 9000 HP locomotives that will combine environmental protection with extreme cost-effectiveness using green technologies to set new standards in freight transport.
New Delhi: Even though the Apple iPhone 15 series launch is still months away, information about the upcoming iPhone 16 series has been leaked by a reputable display industry analyst. Apple is slated to reveal its iPhones for 2023 in September of this year, and the iPhone 16 series is anticipated to go on sale around the same time the following year.

Here is what we know so far about the new iPhones.

According to information provided to MacRumors by Ross Young, the co-founder of Display Supply Chain Consultants, the iPhone 16 Pro models will have enormous displays because Apple intends to modify the screen sizes of its iPhones in 2024. (Also Read: Google I/O 2023: These Products Are Going To Be Unveiled Today At The Event)

According to the referenced source, the iPhone 16 Pro and Max models will have screens that measure 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively. Given that Apple has been including OLED screens in the majority of its models, these are most likely to be OLED panels. (Also Read: Deals On iPhone 14: Amazon vs Flipkart vs Vijay Sales - Check Where It Is Available At Lowest)

The current iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, in comparison, come with displays that are 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively. According to rumours, Apple won't be making any display modifications for the iPhone 15 series and would continue using the same old panels on its phones through 2023.

Apple iPhone 15 Expected Specifications

Apple's Bionic A16 chipset is anticipated to power the iPhone 15 and its Plus variant, while the Pro models will have the new A17 chip inside. Instead of Apple's exclusive Lightning port, all models are believed to contain USB Type-C ports.

The company's brand-new Dynamic Island feature, which was unveiled solely on the iPhone 14 Pro models, is rumoured to be present on all the handsets. This implies that all of the units might have the punch-hole display design.

With the newest versions, Apple is also anticipated to include a larger battery pack and improved battery optimisation. It's expected that iOS 17 will come pre-installed on the iPhone 15 series.

The regular models are rumoured to receive a significant camera update. The 12-megapixel main camera seen in prior generations could be replaced with a 48-megapixel primary sensor in the back camera configuration.

Naturally, the normal versions won't have a telephoto camera like the Pro models because, according to rumours, this feature will only be available on high-end devices. Larger sensors are anticipated for the Pro models to produce better photographs.
Fortune Business Insights

The global drone sensors market covered major segments By Sensor Type (Inertial Sensors, Image Sensors, Speed & Distance Sensors, Position Sensors, Pressure Sensors, Ultrasonic Sensors, Altimeter Sensors, Current Sensors, Light Sensors, Others), By Application (Navigation, Data Acquisition, Collision Detection and Avoidance, Power Monitoring, Motion Detection, Air Pressure Measurement, Others), and others.

Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global drone sensors market size is projected to reach USD 2,342.1 million by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 25.08% during the forecast period. The increasing deployment of drones amid the COVID-19 crisis will be a major driving factor for this market, postulates Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Drone Sensors Market, 2020-2028. As per the report, the value of the market was estimated to be USD 394.7 million in 2020.

Drone sensors are electronic devices that enable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones to interact with the environment and perform specific tasks autonomously or under human control. Drones are used in various fields, including agriculture, construction, surveying, inspection, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue, among others.

Get a Free Sample Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/drone-sensor-market-102596

List of Key Players Profiled in the Drone Sensors Market Report:

Trimble (US)

Bosch Sensortec (Germany)

TDK InvenSense (U.S.)

Sparton NavEx (US)

Raytheon (US)

AMS AG (Austria)

Flir System (U.S.)

KVH Industries (U.S.)

TE connectivity (Switzerland)

Lord MicroStrain (U.S.)

Other Players

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 25.08% 2028 Value Projection USD 2342.1 Billion Market Size in 2020 USD 394.7 Billion Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 200 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Sensor Type Analysis

By Platform Analysis

By Application Analysis Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

South America

Middle East and Africa Drone Sensors Market Growth Drivers High Adoption of Unmanned System Military Operations to Boost Demand for Advanced Sensors Rapid Adoption of Drones in Commercial Sector is Propelling Growth of the Market

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/drone-sensor-market-102596

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Segments-

Based on type, the market is segmented into inertial sensors, image sensors, speed sensors, position sensors, pressure sensors, ultrasonic sensors, light sensors, and distance sensors. In terms of platform analysis, the market is divided into VTOL, fixed-wing, and hybrid. Based on application, the market is segregated into navigation, collision detection, avoidance, data acquisition, motion detection, air pressure measurement, power monitoring, and others. By geography, the market has been categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

COVID-19 Impact:

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has posed unprecedented challenges to governments and communities around the world. During the early phases of the pandemic, with most countries having imposed strict lockdowns to contain the coronavirus, authorities were looking for rapid and efficient solutions to deliver public goods and services. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), emerged as the optimal solution to the growing challenges. In Rwanda, Ghana, and Malawi, for instance, drones were deployed to deliver essential medical supplies to remote villages and towns. Private entities, too, stepped up. In April 2020, CVS and United Parcel Service (UPS) started delivering prescription medications to residents in a retirement community in Florida. Drone sensors are the most critical parts that help operators navigate these machines remotely and with UAVs proving instrumental amid the current crisis, the demand for sensors is likely to spike. This is visible in the staggering performance of the market in 2020 when it registered a prolific CAGR of 20.25%.

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/drone-sensor-market-102596

Report Highlights

The report offers comprehensive analyses of existing companies that are redefining the dynamics of this market. In addition to that, it provides an accurate assessment of the market by highlighting data on multiple aspects related to growth drivers, opportunities, trends, and hindrances. It also represents the overall market size from a global perspective by analyzing historical data and providing qualitative insights.

Drivers & Restraints-

Growing Need for UAVs in Agricultural Operations to Boost the Market

According to a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Telecommunication Union, over 815 million people worldwide experienced chronic hunger in 2018. According to the same report, food production is projected to increase by 50% by 2050. Global desire and rising food demand are both fueled by the world's rapidly growing population. Drones are being used by growers all over the world to increase the productivity of their farms. In April 2021, for instance, the Western African nation of Togo began deploying drones to transform rice farming in the country. UAVs in agriculture are widely used for various applications, including early warning systems, disaster risk mitigation, forestry applications, fisheries, and wildlife protection, which are possible because of drone sensors. Due to their superior data collection, mapping, and surveillance capabilities, the growing use of unmanned systems in the commercial and military & defense sectors is expected to drive demand for drone sensors in the future.

Regional Insights

Rising Deployment of Drones for Military Operations to Aid the North America Market

North America is expected to dominate the drone sensors market share because of the rapidly increasing adoption of drones in the military and defense industry. In 2020, the region's market value was USD 143.2 million. Drones are used in the military for various missions, including surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting. Furthermore, the equipment is being used in multiple applications by the United States' booming ICT industry. For example, Amazon stated in June 2019 that the company is interested in using drones to deliver packages. The Federal Aviation Administration has also given the company approval for its "prime air delivery" fleet.

Due to the significant presence of drone sensor vendors in this region and favorable government regulations, the Asia Pacific drone sensors market growth is expected to accelerate at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape-

Collaborations with Defense Agencies to Assist Key Players in Improving Product Lines

To implement the latest technology for their operations, key players in the global market are concentrating on cooperating with government bodies to broaden their product offerings. For example, the US Department of Defense awarded General Atomic a USD 93.3 million contract to develop drone sensors for the MQ-9 Reaper in November 2020. Both sides have agreed to work together.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Industry Developments Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis

Quantitative Insights-Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Drone Sensors Market Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Global Drone Sensors Market Steps Taken by the Industry/Companies/Government to Overcome the Impact Key Development in the Industry in Response to COVID-19 Impact

Global Drone Sensors Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Sensor Type



TOC Continued...!

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Industry Development-

October 2020: Aquiline Drones, a Connecticut-based UAV manufacturer, has signed a licensing agreement with Drone Volt, a French sensor manufacturer. The deal would provide the French corporation with production and distribution facilities throughout the United States.

Read Related Insights:

Drone Software Market to Worth USD 5,961.6 Million by 2027 | At a CAGR 25.05%

Commercial Drone Market Worth USD 47.38 Billion by 2029 | Increasing Demand for Small Drones in Commercial Applications to Propel Market Growth: Fortune Business Insights

Drone Package Delivery Market to Hit USD 31,188.7 Million by 2028 | Infrastructural Development & Commercialization of UAV Services Ecosystem to Fuel Market Growth; Says Fortune Business Insights

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Visiongain Reports Ltd

Visiongain has published a new report entitled Electronic Warfare (EW) 2023-2033. It includes profiles of Electronic Warfare (EW) and Forecasts Electronic Warfare (EW) Market, (COVID-19 Impact Analysis Market Segment by Product (EW Operational Support, EW Equipment) Market Segment by Capability (Electronic Protection (EP), Electronic Support (ES), Electronic Attack (EA)) Market Segment by Platform (Land, Naval, Airborne, Space) Market Segment by Portable Systems (Self-protection EW Suite, Directed Energy Weapons (DEW), Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM), Anti-Radiation Missiles, IR Missile Warning Systems (MWS), Laser Warning Systems (LWS), Electromagnetic Shielding/Hardening Materials, Radar Warning Receivers (RWR), Counter UAV Systems, Interference Mitigation Systems, Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Weapons, Other Portable Systems) plus COVID-19 Impact Analysis and Recovery Pattern Analysis (V-shaped, W-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped), Profiles of Leading Companies, Region and Country.



The global electronic warfare (EW) market was valued at US$16.51 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

Transnational Disputes and Regional Instability Are on the Rise Across the Globe

The occurrence of military clashes between nations is on the rise, necessitating the need for countries to enhance their defence capabilities. To meet the demands of modern warfare, new weaponry and fighting systems are being developed. Electronic warfare technology has been integrated into all defence systems due to the evolution of digital battlefields. Consequently, government procurement priorities have adapted to cater to these emerging wartime needs. With political instability and terrorism causing military confrontations in Iraq and Syria, terrorist groups are increasingly deploying high-tech weapon systems. To counter this, countries in the region are increasing their defence spending and investing in advanced electronic warfare systems to protect their borders. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have expanded their investments in radar and air defence systems in the region.

Story continues

Download Exclusive Sample of Report

https://www.visiongain.com/report/ew-market-2023/#download_sampe_div

How has COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the Electronic Warfare (EW) Market?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a mixed impact on the global electronic warfare market. On the one hand, the pandemic has disrupted supply chains and manufacturing processes, leading to delays in the delivery of electronic warfare systems. On the other hand, the pandemic has also led to an increased demand for electronic warfare systems, as military forces seek to enhance their situational awareness and threat detection capabilities in the context of the pandemic.

In the short term, the pandemic has had a negative impact on the electronic warfare market, as many countries have been forced to reduce their defence budgets in order to allocate resources to healthcare and other emergency services. In addition, the pandemic has disrupted supply chains, leading to delays in the delivery of electronic warfare systems and components.

How will this Report Benefit you?

Visiongains 360-page report provides 138 tables and 192 charts/graphs. Our new study is suitable for anyone requiring commercial, in-depth analyses for the global electronic warfare (EW) market, along with detailed segment analysis in the market. Our new study will help you evaluate the overall global and regional market for Electronic Warfare (EW). Get financial analysis of the overall market and different segments including product, capability, platform, and portable systems and capture higher market share. We believe that there are strong opportunities in this fast-growing electronic warfare (EW) market. See how to use the existing and upcoming opportunities in this market to gain revenue benefits in the near future. Moreover, the report will help you to improve your strategic decision-making, allowing you to frame growth strategies, reinforce the analysis of other market players, and maximise the productivity of the company.

What are the Current Market Drivers?

Defence Authorities Are Increasingly Focusing on Modernising Their Armed Forces

In modern times, the ability to effectively utilise advanced warfare capabilities is a key indicator of a nation's military power. New military technologies enable countries to protect their citizens from both foreign and domestic threats, making it essential for defence ministries and authorities to upgrade their weapons, equipment, battle warships, and planes. The introduction of digital and networked warfare technologies has also changed the way military forces operate, with a greater emphasis on being connected across vast distances. This allows for the use of offensive electronic warfare assets to neutralise, degrade, or eliminate enemy combat capabilities. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the electronic warfare industry in the foreseeable future.

Download Exclusive Sample of Report

https://www.visiongain.com/report/ew-market-2023/#download_sampe_div

Where are the Market Opportunities?

New-Generation Air and Missile Defence Systems Are Being Developed

The proliferation of advanced missiles, including nuclear-capable ballistic and high-speed cruise missiles, presents a significant threat to key installations and platforms such as military airbases and ships. In response, various countries are developing advanced weapons capable of countering high-end air defence systems such as the MEADS, PAC-3, and S-400. India, China, and Russia have all developed hypersonic missiles that are difficult for missile defence systems to intercept, such as the BrahMos missile jointly developed by India and Russia. As a result of these developments, new-generation high-speed air defence electronic warfare systems are required. Governments worldwide are focusing on developing stealth aircraft and investing heavily in advanced surveillance systems to counter stealth technology.

Competitive Landscape

The major players operating in the electronic warfare (EW) market are Aselsan Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, BAE Systems Plc, Elbit Systems, Electronic Warfare Associates, Indra Sistemas SA, InterTronic Solutions, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Saab AB, Thales Group, The Boeing Company, TriaSys Technologies Corp, TRISTAR (formerly Tri Star Engineering Inc.), URC Systems. These major players operating in this market have adopted various strategies comprising M&A, investment in R&D, collaborations, partnerships, regional business expansion, and new product launch.

Recent Developments

14 Apr 2023, BAE Systems and Microsoft have signed a strategic agreement aiming to support faster and easier development, deployment and management of digital defence capabilities in an increasing data-centrefold.

3 April 2023, Lockheed Martin has awarded BAE Systems contracts worth $491 million to manufacture advanced Block 4 electronic warfare (EW) systems for Lot 17 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. BAE Systems has already supplied 1,200 F-35 EW systems and the new systems will combine hardware and software updates to provide improved EW capabilities to soldiers.

To access the data contained in this document please email oliver.davison@visiongain.com

To find more Visiongain research reports on the Defence sector, click on the following links:

Do you have any custom requirements we can help you with? Any need for a specific country, geo region, market segment or specific company information? Contact us today, we can discuss your needs and see how we can help: oliver.davison@visiongain.com

About Visiongain

Visiongain is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative independent market intelligence providers around, the company publishes hundreds of market research reports which it adds to its extensive portfolio each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis across 18 industries worldwide. The reports, which cover 10-year forecasts, are hundreds of pages long, with in-depth market analysis and valuable competitive intelligence data. Visiongain works across a range of vertical markets with a lot of synergies. These markets include automotive, aviation, chemicals, cyber, defence, energy, food & drink, materials, packaging, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors. Our customised and syndicated market research reports offer a bespoke piece of market intelligence customised to your very own business needs.

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Milady Maker NFTs have pumped in price today following a tweet from Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk, who shared a meme showing one of the anime-style Ethereum NFT profile pictures (PFPs).

The image reads "There is no meme. I love you." It has already been viewed more than 4 million times in less than an hour, and yielded tens of thousands of interactions.

Not only did the tweet prompt a flurry of excitement and enthusiasm amongst Miladys NFT holders and others in the Web3 space, but it also sent the price of the assets soaring.

According to data from NFT Price Floor, the entry-level price for the collection on secondary markets immediately jumped from 3.75 ETH ($6,920) to 5.25 ETH ($9,700), pushing its 24-hour rise to 57% in total. The jump recalls the impact that Musk's tweets have had on the price of meme coin Dogecoin in the past.

NFT marketplace OpenSea reports a market-wide sales surge, with over 600 NFTs in the collection sold over the last hour to the collective tune of about 3,700 ETH, or over $6.9 million worth. It's by far the best-selling project during that span.

Milady Maker has been a controversial project, with NFT prices dropping last May after creator Charlotte Fang acknowledged that she had operated a pseudonymous Twitter account that shared racist, abusive tweets. Fang said at the time that she had stepped down from the team.

Miladys NFTs have also recently become a "wartime" meme amongst some NFT traders and crypto industry professionals, who have used the Milady Maker artwork on social media amid increasing scrutiny on cryptocurrency from the SEC.

Editor's note: This story was updated after publication with additional details and clarification on market movements.
State-of-the-Art Campus Underscores Epson Commitment to Technology Innovation, Teamwork, Sustainability, and Employee Work-Life Balance

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, a global technology leader, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Los Alamitos-based headquarters on Tuesday, May 9 at 3131 Katella Ave. The ceremony featured remarks from Los Alamitos Mayor Tanya Doby, Epson America president and CEO Keith Kratzberg and Seiko Epson Director Koichi Kubota. Local government officials Ana Lasso from the California Office of Sustainability and Zechariah Jauregui from U.S. House of Representatives District 45, along with community representatives and non-profit leaders, were also in attendance.

CEO Keith Kratzberg cuts ribbon at Epson's new Los Alamitos headquarters

The new campus serves as Epson's corporate headquarters for the U.S., Canada and Latin America, overseeing operations for home, office, commercial, and industrial printing, visual communications, wearables, robotics, microdevices, and manufacturing. Supporting an innovative hybrid program for more than 80% of its workforce, Epson retains remote working flexibility for employees with a six-day per month in-office schedule. The campus also features a hoteling workspace system, greatly reducing the required physical footprint for staff. This allowed for an expanded Executive Briefing Center serving as a state-of-the-art destination to host customers, partners and community members.

"The innovative Epson campus embodies the lessons we've gleaned from relocating during a global pandemic. By leveraging Epson technologies, we've optimized the space to boost productivity and foster collaboration, while prioritizing sustainability, community engagement, and employee work-life balance," said Kratzberg. "Our newly established Executive Briefing Center serves as a hub for Epson team members and partners, providing an environment in which we can envision and develop effective strategies for future business achievements."

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In addition to expanding operations to more than 150,000 square feet in a two-building, environmentally focused facility, the Epson Campus is the physical realization of the Epson 25 Renewed Corporate Vision and how Epson America embodies our mission. Offering one of the leading job markets in California and one of the most diverse populations, Orange County was the right location for the move.

"We welcome Epson and its employees to the Los Alamitos business community and believe their presence will support a wide range of local businesses, as well as bring new jobs and investment opportunities to the area," said Mayor Tanya Doby. "I firmly believe in the culture and community of Los Alamitos and look forward to the ongoing collaboration to help the area grow and thrive."

The new Epson campus underscores Epson's commitment to local community engagement, integrated sustainability and workplace collaboration:

Adaptive and Hybrid Workforce  With the right technologies and adaptive culture in place, the new campus supports an innovative hybrid work program and hoteling system. The facility also features a unique virtual demo and presentation system to train and support the company's mission-critical technologies.

State-of-the-Art Technology  The new state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Center allows Epson customers, partners and community members to interface with Epson technologies as well as conduct their own business. It incorporates Epson's latest solutions to emphasize Epson's product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. In addition, Epson offers the facility for use by local businesses and nonprofits, with monthly activities on campus for networking and community interaction.

Interactive Design and Collaboration  A great deal of thought went into the design of the new headquarters  which features two distinct buildings and extends the outside indoors  to expand team collaboration, meeting venues and to support hybrid workplace efficiencies. The workspace is focused on core Epson values  supporting its people, leveraging purpose-designed technology, and ensuring customer value. The two main buildings are connected with an architectural bridge  which plays a key role in keeping employees connected.

Environmentally Focused Building Initiatives  The new Epson Campus allows opportunities for Epson to further its commitment to environmental sustainability. Environmental features include rooftop solar panels providing 100% of the company's energy needs, reduced lighting requirements due to large windows and motion sensors, expansive water conservation, and drought tolerant landscaping throughout the campus. In addition, Epson offers Electric Vehicle charging stations to employees.

"Our new headquarters is more than just a building; it represents a commitment to growth, innovation and excellence. With state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, we are better equipped to deliver world-class products and services to our customers," concluded Kratzberg.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica ), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

EPSON is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2023 Epson America, Inc.

Epson logo (PRNewsfoto/Epson America, Inc.)

Cision

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SOURCE Epson America, Inc.
ESR's two new logistics and industrial projects, Rojana Industrial Estate Laemchabang and Asia Industrial Estate Suvarnabhumi, represent a capital investment of THB 8 billion (US$ 235 million) and are expected to be completed in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Over the next 5 years, ESR (via its development funds) intends to invest a further US$ 1 billion into Thailand, in line with the country's projected GDP growth at 3.28% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. [1]

ESR's expansion in Thailand will create job opportunities in the country and the Group will share its best-in-class knowledge and expertise to uplift the skillsets of the local workforce, and add valuable infrastructure for the further development of Thailand's economy.

BANGKOK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ESR Group Limited ("ESR" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; SEHK Stock Code: 1821), APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy, today announced its expansion into Thailand, with the opening of its Thailand office.

ESR Logo (PRNewsfoto/ESR Group Limited)

ESR is currently developing two logistics and industrial parks in Thailand, representing a capital investment of THB 8 billion (US$ 235 million). The first project, expected to be completed by end 2025, is in Rojana Industrial Estate Laemchabang and has a land area of approximately 100 rai (160,000 sqm) and a GFA of 93,000 sqm. It is strategically situated 15 minutes to the Laem Chabang deep seaport within the Chonburi province, identified as part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC)[2] development by the Thai Government to encourage investment, uplift innovation, and advanced technology.

The second, due for completion by end 2026, is in Asia Industrial Estate Suvarnabhumi and has a land area of approximately 225 rai (363,500 sqm) and a GFA of 253,500 sqm. Being close to the Suvarnabhumi airport and multiple access routes to the centre of Bangkok, other economic centres in Thailand and the port in Laemchabang, the project is in a prime location which is ideal for the development of national distribution hubs for logistics companies, e-commerce operators, aggregation and distribution of goods via air freight as well as the movement of temperature sensitive goods.

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Jeffrey Shen and Stuart Gibson, ESR Group Co-founders and Co-CEOs, said: "ESR's expansion into Thailand is in line with one of our three growth pillars to expand our New Economy business which includes logistics, data centres, life sciences and high-tech industrial sectors, especially in Southeast Asia, one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Rapid urbanisation, favourable demographics and rising incomes will continue to drive consumption and e-commerce in Thailand and this will generate strong demand for high-quality logistics spaces. Beyond capital investment, we see tremendous potential for ESR to create job opportunities in Thailand, share our best-in-class knowledge and expertise to uplift the skillsets of the local workforce, and add valuable infrastructure for the further development of Thailand's economy. Our strong focus on ESG and track record in developing innovative and sustainable properties will also support Thailand's transition to a low-carbon economy."

Jai Mirpuri, Head, Singapore Development & Thailand, ESR Group, said: "As the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, Thailand is an important component of ESR's strategy for this important region. The government has launched Thailand 4.0 to transform the country into a value-based economy, which includes key sectors such as new-generation e-commerce, logistics, automotive and digital industries. Over the next 5 years, ESR (via its development funds) intends to invest a further US$ 1 billion into Thailand, in line with the country's projected GDP growth at 3.28% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. We believe that the strategic locations, compelling offerings and sustainable features of our properties, backed by our local team of expertise, will attract tenants that are MNCs in the New Economy and high-growth sectors."

As part of ESR's ESG focus, the Group's portfolio of industrial real assets in Thailand will include renewable energy generation, human-centric design, electrification of logistics fleets, water efficiency management and reduction of carbon footprint during development. These are incorporated right from the design stage and will be implemented without compromising on functionality and efficiency for tenants.

In addition to the two properties that ESR is currently developing, the Group will explore opportunities to invest in other strategic locations with significant potential for logistics growth, such as the Bangna-Trad, Eastern Economic Corridor, and Wang Noi areas and subsequently expand to other parts of Thailand including Chiang Mai, Surat Thani and Khon Kaen.

[1] International Monetary Fund: Thailand

[2] Eastern Economic Corridor

About ESR

ESR is APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally. With approximately US$150 billion in total assets under management (AUM), our fully integrated development and investment management platform extends across key APAC markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, India, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, representing over 95% of GDP in APAC, and also includes an expanding presence in Europe and the U.S. We provide a diverse range of real asset investment solutions and New Economy real estate development opportunities across our private funds business, which allow capital partners and customers to capitalise on the most significant secular trends in APAC. ESR is the largest sponsor and manager of REITs in APAC with a total AUM of US$46 billion. Our purpose  Space and Investment Solutions for a Sustainable Future  drives us to manage sustainably and impactfully and we consider the environment and the communities in which we operate as key stakeholders of our business. Listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, ESR is a constituent of the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Large Cap), Hang Seng Composite Index and MSCI Hong Kong Index. For more information on ESR, please visit www.esr.com

Cision

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SOURCE ESR Group Limited
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, ALBA fair value estimate is 28.26

ALBA's 26.00 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate

Industry average discount to fair value of 6.4% suggests ALBA's peers are currently trading at a lower discount

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of ALBA SE (FRA:ABA) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for ALBA

The Calculation

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. 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 need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 8.74m 10.5m 12.1m 13.3m 14.3m 15.0m 15.5m 15.9m 16.3m 16.5m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ 29.29% Est @ 20.57% Est @ 14.47% Est @ 10.20% Est @ 7.21% Est @ 5.12% Est @ 3.66% Est @ 2.63% Est @ 1.91% Est @ 1.41% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 5.6% 8.3 9.5 10.2 10.7 10.8 10.8 10.6 10.3 9.9 9.5

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 101m

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond 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 0.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 5.6%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 16m (1 + 0.2%)  (5.6% 0.2%) = 307m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 307m ( 1 + 5.6%)10= 177m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 278m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of 26.0, the company appears about fair value at a 8.0% 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. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 ALBA 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 5.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.907. 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 ALBA

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

Current share price is below our estimate of fair value.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine ABA's earnings prospects.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, 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. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For ALBA, there are three additional aspects you should assess:

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.



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By Foo Yun Chee and Ilona Wissenbach

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Lufthansa suffered a setback on Wednesday after Europe's second-highest court sided with Ryanair and annulled a European Union competition regulator's decision clearing its state bailout.

The court cited errors in the EU competition regulators' decision to approve the German government's 6-billion-euro ($6.60 billion) rescue package and said they also failed to provide incentives for a quick repayment.

Lufthansa, which said it would decide on a further course of action after analysing the ruling, has already repaid the aid in full, which could limit any immediate impact of the ruling, although it could have consequences for future state bailouts.

Germany's economy ministry said that it was not possible to assess the impact of the judgment, which it planned to examine.

The EU's top competition official, Margrethe Vestager, said "all options" were on the table but did not indicate what her next steps could be after the ruling.

This was one of several legal cases brought by Ryanair against the aid provided to its rivals that it said unfairly skewed competition and cleared by the Commission under easier rules aimed at helping EU governments prop up companies hit by the pandemic.

The court also ruled in Ryanair's favour on Wednesday against pandemic state aid measures for SAS, saying recapitalisation measures did not include sufficient measures to incentivise the Swedish and Danish governments to exit quickly.

"Today's judgements confirm that the Commission must act as a guardian of the level playing field in air transport and cannot sign-off discriminatory State aid under political pressure by national governments," said a Ryanair spokesperson.

SAS said that the ruling will not affect its flight schedule or bookings, and that it remains under U.S. chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which it filed for last year.

It also said that the ruling does not change SAS's expectations of getting approval for measures taken since 2020, including the U.S.' participation in the bankruptcy process.

Story continues

"The General Court has found fault with the EU Commission's decision in one respect, but this does not mean that the States' participation in SAS' recapitalization constituted illegal state aid," the company said in a statement, adding that the EU Commission can reassess the measure, which SAS expects it will.

Lufthansa and several other European airlines received state aid following a protracted travel slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which were approved by the EU executive subject to conditions.

The Commission can appeal to the Court of the Justice of the European Union, Europe's highest, on points of law.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Ilona Wissenbach, Padraic Halpin, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Juby Babu; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Mark Potter, Miranda Murray, Sharon Singleton and Sandra Maler)
Fortune Business Insights

Companies covered in false eyelashes market are American International Industries (U.S.), Kiss Products Inc. (U.S.), Royal Korindah (Indonesia), Ulta Beauty Inc. (U.S.), Qingdao Lashbeauty Cosmetic Co. Ltd. (China), LOreal S.A. (France), LVMH (France), Shiseido Co. Ltd. (Japan), SY LASHES (China), Miranda Lashes Inc. (China), and more players profiled.

Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global false eyelashes market size was valued at USD 1.33 billion in 2022 and is expected to be worth USD 1.41 billion in 2023. The market is projected to be valued at USD 2.12 billion by 2030, recording a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period.

False eyelashes are gaining traction among fashion enthusiasts as they can make their natural lashes look thicker and healthier. These products come in a wide range of colors and lengths. Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the availability of personal styling products, thereby accelerating the global false eyelashes market growth.

Fortune Business Insights presents this information in a report titled, "Global False Eyelashes Market, 2023-2030."

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List of Key Players Profiled in the False Eyelashes Market Report:

American International Industries (U.S.)

Kiss Products Inc. (U.S.)

Royal Korindah (Indonesia)

Ulta Beauty Inc. (U.S.)

Qingdao Lashbeauty Cosmetic Co. Ltd. (China)

LOreal S.A. (France)

LVMH (France)

Shiseido Co. Ltd. (Japan)

SY LASHES (China)

Miranda Lashes Inc. (China)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 6% 2030 Value Projection USD 2.12 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 1.33 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 125 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Product Type

By Material

By Distribution Channel

By Region Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa False Eyelashes Market Growth Drivers Companies Latest Launch of Eyelash Tools to Surge Product Demand Regular Introduction of Eyelash-related Marketing Campaigns by Companies to Support Market Growth

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/false-eyelashes-market-106573

Story continues

Segments:

Strip Eyelashes to Gain Popularity for Their Ability to Prevent Eye Injuries

Based on product type, the market is segregated into strip lashes, individual flare, individual single, and others. The strip lashes segment captured a large market share as customers can avoid the risk of eye injuries and swelling by using these lashes.

Comfort and Affordability of Human Hair Eyelashes to Boost their Demand

In terms of material, the market is divided into human hair, synthetic hair, and others. The human hair segment accounts for a large false eyelashes market share as lashes made from this material are more affordable, comfortable, and lightweight as compared to other materials.

Wide Product Variety to Increase Customers Preference for Hypermarkets and Supermarkets

By distribution channel, the market is segregated into hypermarkets & supermarkets, specialty stores, online stores, and others. The hypermarkets & supermarkets segment is expected to dominate the market due to the vast availability of a wide range of basic and premium eye makeup products in these stores.

COVID-19 Impact:

Rising Popularity of Various Eye Makeup Trends During COVID-19 to Boost Market Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic compelled people to stay indoors to mitigate their risk of getting infected by the virus. This boosted the demand for hygiene and grooming products among customers. Many fashion enthusiasts also started increasing their reliance on eye makeup products, such as false eyelashes to look stylish even while wearing masks, which augmented the market growth.

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/false-eyelashes-market-106573

Report Coverage:

The report makes an in-depth analysis of the global market. The report highlights crucial aspects, such as key companies, product types, distribution channels, and material usage areas. Besides this, it offers valuable insights into the recent market trends and underlines significant industry developments. In addition to the aspects mentioned earlier, the report covers several factors contributing to the markets growth in recent years.

Drivers and Restraints:

Latest Launch of Eyelash Tools by Companies to Augment Product Demand

Many leading companies of false eyelashes are introducing virtual eye lash applying applications to enhance customers buying experience and help them experiment with various eyelash styles. This can assist companies in expanding their revenue margins. These firms are also introducing a variety of fake lashes that are made from innovative and unique materials, thereby expanding the global market size.

However, risk of eye infections from these lashes will limit their adoption among customers.

Regional Insights:

Asia Pacific to Dominate Market Due to Presence of Large-scale Manufacturing Facilities

Asia Pacific dominated the global market as the region has a notable presence of large-scale eyelash production plants in China and Indonesia. According to data released by the Government of Pingdu, East Chinas Shandong Province, China, eyelash producers in Pingdu sold more than USD 610 million worth of fake lashes in the global market in 2018. These factors will augment the regional markets growth.

Competitive Landscape:

Partnerships and Business Acquisitions to Fuel Market Progress

The leading companies operating in the market are focusing on partnering with celebrities and television channels to advertise their products. They are also trying to expand their manufacturing capacity to boost their revenues from this product.

Ask for Customization:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/ask-for-customization/false-eyelashes-market-106573

Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Overview of the Parent Market Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis Qualitative Analysis (In Relation to COVID-19) Impact of COVID-19 Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19

Global False Eyelashes Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Product Type Strip Lashes Individual Flare Individual Single Others By Material Human Hair Synthetic Hair Others By Distribution Channel Hypermarkets & Supermarkets Specialty Stores Online Stores Others By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued...!

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Key Industry Development:

April 2022  Kiss Products, a U.S.-based beauty care company, launched a digital commerce platform dedicated to its Falscara franchise, Falscara.com. Falscara provides customizable, accessible, and at-home lash extension solutions.

Read Related Insights:

Cosmetics Market Size to Reach $415.29 Billion by 2028 | Industry to Generate 5.0% CAGR during (2021-2028)

Makeup Market to Hit USD 61.34 Billion by 2029 | CAGR of 5.61%

Deodorant Market to Reach USD 30.76 Billion by 2026 | Deodorant Industry Striking CAGR of 4.0%

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(Bloomberg) -- Fisker Inc. is facing delays delivering its debut electric SUV to customers because of software integration problems, people familiar with the matter said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The EV startup has more testing and troubleshooting to do with its Ocean sport utility vehicle, according to two people who asked not to be named because the company hasnt disclosed the information. The software is currently prone to glitches, the people said, estimating the issues could take months to iron out. As a result, they said some vehicles are only using a more basic software that limits their speed.

Fisker said in an emailed statement late Monday that its vehicles will be updated over-the-air this year after launching with a basic driver-assistance system. We categorically deny that the Fisker Ocean can be driven at only low speeds, the company said.

Following Bloombergs report, Fisker cut its forecast for Ocean production this year by at least 15%, citing changes to timelines for regulatory approvals and supplier readiness. The company said Tuesday its now expecting output of between 32,000 and 36,000 vehicles, down from 42,400 previously.

Fisker also postponed the launch of its second EV  called Pear, which will be made by Foxconn Technology Group  to 2025 instead of next year.

Fisker shares fell 14% to $5.72 as of 9:34 a.m. in New York. The stock was down 8.9% this year as of the close on Monday.

A representative for Magna International Inc., whose contract-manufacturing subsidiary in Graz, Austria, started producing Oceans in November, declined to comment and directed all questions to Fisker.

Fisker delivered its first Ocean last week to a customer in Denmark. But the vehicle is being prepared to be sent back to Magnas plant in Austria, according to one of the people, who said the software problems rendered the SUV inoperable.

Story continues

Henrik Fisker, the companys chief executive officer, told analysts on a conference call Tuesday the vehicle is still in Copenhagen.

The company has cautioned before that it was having issues with regulatory approvals, saying in February that it was anticipating testing for the US and Europe to be completed in March, instead of that month. While European regulators certified the Ocean in late April, the company is now expecting approvals from the US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board this month, and to start deliveries there in June.

The Los Angeles-based company, which went public through a reverse merger in 2020, reported about $198,000 of revenue for the first quarter, short of $4.64 million average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Last year, Fisker said Magna could make as many as 50,000 Oceans in 2023, while reservations for the SUV have hovered around 65,000.

Struggles to make the jump from presenting a slick prototype to mass manufacturing are common in the auto industry, even for established companies. Tesla Inc. famously went through production hell ramping up output of its Model 3 sedan. Volkswagen AG has had issues with its EVs and on Monday tapped a new leader to oversee its software division, called Cariad.

(Corrects eighth paragraph in story originally published May 8 to be more precise about status of the car on that date.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Data Bridge Market Research

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the global fleet management market is expected to reach the value of USD 66,769,178.99 thousand by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period. The fleet management market report also covers pricing analysis, patent analysis, and technological advancements in depth

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The newest report from Data Bridge Market Research, " Fleet Management Market " examines growth strategies, drivers, opportunities, key segments, Porter's Five Forces analysis, and the competitive environment in detail. Because market reports lend a hand with improved decision-making and more revenue generation, todays businesses choose market research report solution such as Fleet Management market reports. The report also aids in prioritizing market goals and attaining profitable business. This market analysis report is also all-embracing of the data which covers market definition, classifications, applications, engagements, market drivers, and market restraints that are based on the SWOT analysis. Analysis and estimations attained through the massive information gathered in the dependable Fleet Management marketing document are extremely necessary when it comes to dominating the market or creating a mark in the market as a new emergent.

By accomplishing inspiration from the marketing strategies of rivals, businesses can set up inventive ideas and strike sales targets, which in turn make them achieve a competitive advantage over their competitors. The finest Fleet Management market report consists of the most recent market information with which companies can attain an in-depth analysis of the Fleet Management industry and future trends. With the global market data provided in the report, it has become easy to gain a global perspective for international business. Thus, the reliable Fleet Management market research report is an indispensable model to have increments in business activities, qualitative work done, and enhanced profits.

Story continues

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the global fleet management market is expected to reach the value of USD 66,769,178.99 thousand by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period. The fleet management market report also covers pricing analysis, patent analysis, and technological advancements in depth.

Get a Sample PDF of the Fleet Management Market @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-fleet-management-market

Fleet management is the processes and practices involved in managing a company's fleet of vehicles. Fleet management includes cars, trucks, vans, and other vehicles used for business purposes. It also involves many practices, such as vehicle acquisition, maintenance, fuel management, driver management, and safety and compliance. The goal of fleet management is to optimize the use of company vehicles to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance safety. Effective fleet management can help companies to increase productivity, reduce downtime, and extend the useful life of their vehicles. It can also help to improve driver behavior, reduce accidents, and ensure compliance with regulations and policies. Fleet management is used in various industries, including transportation, logistics, delivery services, and construction. Advanced technologies, such as GPS tracking and telematics, have made fleet management more effective and efficient in recent years.

Major factors expected to boost the growth of the fleet management market in the forecast period are the rise in several industrial applications, including aerospace, steel, power, chemical, and others. Furthermore, the increased resistance to load variations is the benefit of fleet management, which is further anticipated to propel the growth of the fleet management market.

The Latest Study Conducts a Comprehensive Analysis of the Global Market, considering the current competitive landscape and its future evolution in the next few years.

The global Fleet Management market is experiencing rapid growth, fueled by rising demands, industrialization, consumer awareness, and technological advancements. Sales and revenue in this sector have surged at an exponential pace, and the market's expansion is expected to continue over the projected period.

In order to expand their market share and reach a wider client base, leading businesses in the worldwide Fleet Management market are heavily investing in research and development. The study provides detailed insights into the strategies, financial health, revenue, gross margin, and growth rates of these companies.

The report includes six parts, dealing with:

Basic information The Asia Fleet Management Market The North American Fleet Management Market The European Fleet Management Market MEA Fleet Management Market Entry and investment feasibility The report conclusion

All the research report is made by using two techniques that are Primary and secondary research. There are various dynamic features of the business, like client need and feedback from the customers. Before (company name) curate any report, it has studied in-depth from all dynamic aspects such as industrial structure, application, classification, and definition.

The most prominent players in the Fleet Management market include.

TRAXALL

Donlen LeasePlan

Enterprise Holdings

Emkay

Chevin Fleet Solutions

Deutsche Leasing AG

BERGSTROM AUTOMOTIVE

TUV SUD

Motive Technologies, Inc.

ALD Automotive

VELCO

Avrios

Element Fleet Management Corp.

Rarestep, Inc.

OviDrive B.V.

FleetCompany GmbH

Sixt Leasing (Acquired by Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH)

Fleetcare Pty Ltd.

Capital Lease Group

Wilmar Inc.

Wheels

NEXTRAQ, LLC

Avis Budget Group

Zeemac Vehicle Acquisition & Fleet Services

Recent Development

In October 2022, Chevin Fleet Solutions announced that the Company had launched new applications, FleetWave Technician and FleetWave Driver, for its fleet management software products.

In February 2022, Element Fleet Management Corp. announced that the Company launched the Arc by Element, an end-to-end electric vehicle (EV) fleet offering to help clients navigate and simplify the complex transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs.

Click Here to Download the Complete Research Study in PDF Format @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/checkout/buy/enterprise/global-fleet-management-market

Opportunities

Rise in the Demand for Utility Vehicles

Utility vehicles are vehicles designed and used for carrying goods or passengers. These vehicles include trucks, vans, buses, and similar vehicles used for commercial purposes. The utility vehicle market is a crucial component of the global automobile industry and has witnessed significant growth over the past decades. The rise in demand for utility vehicles can be attributed to several factors, including the growth of the e-commerce industry, increasing urbanization, and the need for efficient transportation systems. As more and more businesses rely on utility vehicles for their transportation needs, the demand for fleet management services and software is also expected to increase. One of the reasons for the rise in demand for utility vehicles is the growth of the e-commerce industry. The demand for transportation services has increased with the increasing number of online shopping platforms. As a result, the use of utility vehicles has become more common, and fleet management has become more critical.

Key Market Segments Covered in Fleet Management Industry Research

Offering

Solution

Services

Lease Type

On-Lease

Without Lease

Mode of Transport

Automotive

Marine

Rolling Stock

Aircraft

Vehicle Type

Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)

Hardware

GPS Tracking Devices

Dash Cameras

Bluetooth Tracking Tags (BLE Beacons)

Fleet Size

Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles)

Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles)

Large and Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles)

Communication Range

Short-Range Communication

Long-Range Communication

Deployment Model

On-Premise

Cloud

Hybrid

Technology

GNSS

Cellular Systems

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Computational Methods

Decision-Making

RFID

Function

Monitoring Driver Behaviour

Fuel Consumption

ELD Complaint

Route Management

Vehicle Maintenance Updates

Delivery Schedule

Accident Prevention

Real-Time Vehicle Location

Mobile Apps

Operations

Private

Commercial

Business Type

Small Businesses

Large Businesses

End User

Automotive

Transportation & Logistics

Retail

Manufacturing

Food & Beverages

Energy & Utilities

Mining

Government

Healthcare

Agriculture

Construction

Explore Further Details about This Research Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-fleet-management-market

Key Industry Drivers:

Increase in Demand for the Logistics Due to the E-Commerce Industry

Fleet management is a practice that allows organizations to manage and coordinate delivery vehicles to achieve optimum efficiency and reduce costs. The practice of fleet management is used to monitor and record couriers and delivery personnel. It requires a system of technologies that make it easier for the fleet manager to coordinate the activities from fuel management to planning the routes- and can be easily managed using fleet management software. The expansion of the e-commerce industry has significantly impacted the logistics industry. Logistics has been considered the backbone of the e-commerce industry as it immediately affects planned operations, stockrooms, and production network organizations. They will progressively depend on re-evaluating to deal with the rising requests related to internet business portion development. Embracing this course either for the last-mile conveyance or for request satisfaction will empower them to guarantee predictable, dependable, productive, and misfire-free conveyance. Thus, this can be a great factor in managing and expanding the pressure due to the expected growth of the e-commerce business industry.

Rise in Demand for Improvement of Customer Services

Customers nowadays are smarter and have higher expectations than ever before. Customer satisfaction and happiness are among the most important considerations for any company. Regardless of the business sector, unhappy customers won't be customers for long, so it's important to keep them happy and feel valued. This is true for logistics and fleet management as well, where the retention of customers is key to long-term success. Improving customer services and satisfaction through improved fleet management performance is a key factor expected to boost the global fleet management market. In today's competitive market, businesses recognize the importance of customer satisfaction and use advanced technologies in fleet management solutions to optimize their operations and improve customer experiences

Fleet Management Market Regional Analysis/Insights:

The countries covered in the fleet management market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Rest of Europe, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Rest of Asia-Pacific in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Israel, Egypt, South Africa and the Rest of the Middle East and Africa as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

North America dominates the fleet management market owing to the growing adoption of fleet management drive control systems in the aerospace and marine industry. The U.S. is a dominating country as it is home to many giant market players in the fleet management market. Germany dominates in the Europe region due to increasing research and development activities in hydraulic control systems, along with technological advancements. China dominates in the Asia-Pacific region due to the rising adoption of automation in manufacturing and industrial robotics.

Critical Insights Related to the Fleet Management Included in the Report:

Exclusive graphics and Illustrative SWOT analysis of some of the leading companies in this market

Value chain analysis of prominent players in the market

Current trends influencing the dynamics of this market across various geographies

Recent mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships

Revenue growth of this industry over the forecast period

Marketing strategy study and growth trends

Growth driven factor analysis

Emerging recess segments and region-wise market

An empirical evaluation of the curve of this market

Ancient, Present, and Probable scope of the market from both prospect value and volume

Table of Contents:

Introduction Market Segmentation Executive Summary Premium Insights Global Fleet Management Market : Regulations Market Overview Global Fleet Management Market, By Offering Global Fleet Management Market, By Lease Type Global Fleet Management Market, By Mode of Transport Global Fleet Management Market, By Vehicle Type Global Fleet Management Market, By Hardware Global Fleet Management Market, By Fleet Size Global Fleet Management Market, By Communication Range Global Fleet Management Market, By Deployment Model Global Fleet Management Market, By Technology Global Fleet Management Market, By Function Global Fleet Management Market, By Operations Global Fleet Management Market, By End User Global Fleet Management Market, By Region Global Fleet Management Market: Company Landscape SWOT Analyses Company Profile Questionnaires Related Reports

Download the Complete Table of Contents @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-fleet-management-market

Explore More Reports:

Smart Fleet Management Market , By Mode of Transport (Automotive, Rolling Stock, Marine), Hardware (Tracking, Optimization, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Remote Diagnostics), Connectivity (Short Range Communication, Long Range Communication, Cloud), Solutions (Vehicle Tracking, Fleet Optimization) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-smart-fleet-management-market

U.S. Fleet Management Market , By Components (Solutions, Services), Lease Type (On-Lease, Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock), Hardware (Tracking, Optimization, ADAS, Diagnostics, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), Large & Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles)), Communication Range (Short Range Communication, Long Range Communication), Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud, Hybrid), Communication Type (GNSS, Cellular System, Others), Functions (Asset Management, Route Management, Fuel Consumption, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Mobile Apps, Monitor Driver Behaviour, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, ELD Compliance, and Others), Operations (Commercial, Private), End User (Automotive, Transportation, Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Healthcare, Government, Energy & Utilities, and Others), Country (U.S.) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/us-fleet-management-market

Canada Fleet Management Market , By Components (Solutions, Services), Lease Type (On-Lease, Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock), Hardware (Tracking, Optimization, ADAS, Diagnostics, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), Large & Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles)), Communication Range (Short Range Communication, Long Range Communication), Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud, Hybrid), Communication Type (GNSS, Cellular System, Others), Functions (Asset Management, Route Management, Fuel Consumption, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Mobile Apps, Monitor Driver Behaviour, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, ELD Compliance, and Others), Operations (Commercial, Private), End User (Automotive, Transportation, Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Healthcare, Government, Energy & Utilities, and Others), Country (Canada) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/canada-fleet-management-market

U.K. Fleet Management Market , By Components (Solutions, Services), Lease Type (On-Lease, Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock), Hardware (Tracking, Optimization, ADAS, Diagnostics, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), Large & Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles)), Communication Range (Short Range Communication, Long Range Communication), Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud, Hybrid), Communication Type (GNSS, Cellular System, Others), Functions (Asset Management, Route Management, Fuel Consumption, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Mobile Apps, Monitor Driver Behaviour, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, ELD Compliance, and Others), Operations (Commercial, Private), End User (Automotive, Transportation, Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Healthcare, Government, Energy & Utilities, and Others), Country (U.K.) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/uk-fleet-management-market

Europe Fleet Management Market , By Offering (Solution and Services), Lease Type (On-Lease and Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock, and Aircraft), Vehicle Type (Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Vehicle), Hardware (GPS Tracking Devices, Dash Cameras, Bluetooth Tracking Tags ,Data Loggers, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), and Large and Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles), Communication Range (Short-Range Communication and Long-Range Communication), Deployment Model (On-Premise, Cloud, and Hybrid), Technology (GNSS, Cellular Systems, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Remote Sensing, Computational Methods and Decision-Making, RFID, and Others), Function (Monitoring Driver Behaviour, Fuel Consumption, Asset Management, ELD Complaint, Route Management, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Mobile Apps, and Others), Operations (Private and Commercial), Business Type (Small Businesses and Large Businesses), End User (Automotive, Transportation & Logistics, Retail, Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Utilities, Mining, Government, Healthcare, Agriculture, Construction, and Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/europe-fleet-management-market

Asia-Pacific Fleet Management Market , By Offering (Solution and Services), Lease Type (On-Lease and Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock, and Aircraft), Vehicle Type (Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Vehicle), Hardware (GPS Tracking Devices, Dash Cameras, Bluetooth Tracking Tags ,Data Loggers, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), and Large and Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles), Communication Range (Short-Range Communication and Long-Range Communication), Deployment Model (On-Premise, Cloud, and Hybrid), Technology (GNSS, Cellular Systems, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Remote Sensing, Computational Methods and Decision-Making, RFID, and Others), Function (Monitoring Driver Behaviour, Fuel Consumption, Asset Management, ELD Complaint, Route Management, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Mobile Apps, and Others), Operations (Private and Commercial), Business Type (Small Businesses and Large Businesses), End User (Automotive, Transportation & Logistics, Retail, Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Utilities, Mining, Government, Healthcare, Agriculture, Construction, and Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/asia-pacific-fleet-management-market

Middle East and Africa Fleet Management Market , By Offering (Solution and Services), Lease Type (On-Lease and Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock, and Aircraft), Vehicle Type (Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Vehicle), Hardware (GPS Tracking Devices, Dash Cameras, Bluetooth Tracking Tags ,Data Loggers, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), and Large and Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles), Communication Range (Short-Range Communication and Long-Range Communication), Deployment Model (On-Premise, Cloud, and Hybrid), Technology (GNSS, Cellular Systems, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Remote Sensing, Computational Methods and Decision-Making, RFID, and Others), Function (Monitoring Driver Behaviour, Fuel Consumption, Asset Management, ELD Complaint, Route Management, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Mobile Apps, and Others), Operations (Private and Commercial), Business Type (Small Businesses and Large Businesses), End User (Automotive, Transportation & Logistics, Retail, Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Utilities, Mining, Government, Healthcare, Agriculture, Construction, and Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/middle-east-and-africa-fleet-management-market

North America Fleet Management Market , By Offering (Solution and Services), Lease Type (On-Lease and Without Lease), Mode of Transport (Automotive, Marine, Rolling Stock, and Aircraft), Vehicle Type (Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Vehicle), Hardware (GPS Tracking Devices, Dash Cameras, Bluetooth Tracking Tags ,Data Loggers, and Others), Fleet Size (Small Fleets (1-5 Vehicles), Medium Fleets (5-20 Vehicles), and Large and Enterprise Fleets (20-50+ Vehicles), Communication Range (Short-Range Communication and Long-Range Communication), Deployment Model (On-Premise, Cloud, and Hybrid), Technology (GNSS, Cellular Systems, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Remote Sensing, Computational Methods and Decision-Making, RFID, and Others), Function (Monitoring Driver Behaviour, Fuel Consumption, Asset Management, ELD Complaint, Route Management, Vehicle Maintenance Updates, Delivery Schedule, Accident Prevention, Real-Time Vehicle Location, Mobile Apps, and Others), Operations (Private and Commercial), Business Type (Small Businesses and Large Businesses), End User (Automotive, Transportation & Logistics, Retail, Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Utilities, Mining, Government, Healthcare, Agriculture, Construction, and Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/north-america-fleet-management-market

Container Fleet Market , By Type (Dry Container, Reefer Container, Tank Container, Special Container), Application (Automotive, Oil and Gas, Food, Mining and Minerals, Agriculture, Others) Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Germany, France, Italy, U.K., Belgium, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-container-fleet-market

Motorcycles Market , By Type (On road, Off road, Scooters), Application (Handlers, Postures), Propulsion Type (Internal combustion enginee, Electric), Price range(Low, Mid, High), End user (Cruiser, Adventure, Touring, Standard, Sports) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-motorcycles-market

Hand Geometry Vehicle Access Market , By Technology (Iris Recognition, Face Recognition), Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Battery Electric Vehicle), Authentication (Fingerprint, Voice recognition, Hand Geometry), Application (Door, Steering Wheel, Car Mirror, On Board), End User (FSR, QSR, Institutional, Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-hand -geometry-vehicle-access-market

Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMS) Market , By Component (Body, Electrical and Electronics, Interior, Power-Train and Chassis, Others), Vehicle Type (Commercial Vehicles, Passenger Cars, Electric Vehicles), Distribution Channel (OEM Retailers, Wholesalers and Distributors) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-automotive-oems-market

Personal Watercraft Market , By Type (Sit-Down Model and Stand-Up Model), Components (Engine, Drive Shift, Intake Grate, Impeller, Steering Nozzle, Steering Control, Speedometer, Safety Switch, and Others), Propulsion Type (IC Engines and Electric), Hull Type (Plastic and Composite), Functionality (Accessory Package, Auto Trim, Connext Screen, Custom-Tuned Electric TRIM, Foot Chocks, Optional Audio Speakers, Ride, and Others), Series (REC Lite, Recreation, Freestyle, Performance, and Luxury), Seat Model (Double, Single, Triple, and Others), Distribution Channel (Direct Channel and Indirect Channel), End-User (Rental, Government, and Individual) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-personal-watercraft-market

Automotive Transmission Engineering Services Outsourcing Market , By Transmission Type (Manual Transmission, Automatic Transmission), Powertrain Type (Hybrid Powertrain, Conventional Powertrain), Services (Designing, Prototyping, Testing, System Engineering & Integration, Simulation) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-automotive-transmission-engineering-services-outsourcing-market

Automotive Over-The-Air (OTA) Market , By Technology (Firmware, Software), Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Light Commercial Vehicle, Heavy Commercial Vehicle), Propulsion (Internal Combustion Engine, Electric), Application (Electronic Control Unit (ECU), Infotainment, Safety & Security, Telematics Control Unit (TCU) and 0thers), Electric Vehicle Type (Battery, Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-automotive-ota-market

Automotive Air Conditioning Market , By Technology (Manual, Automatic), Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicle), Component (Compressor, Evaporator, Receiver, Condenser), Distribution Channel (Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs), Aftermarket) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-automotive-air-conditioning-market

Air Filter for Automotive Market , By Type (Cabin Air Filter, Intake Air Filter), Filter Media (Synthetic, Activated Carbon, Cellulose, Others), Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicle, Others), Distribution Channel (OEMs, Aftermarket) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-air-filter-for-automotive-market

Luxury Car Leasing Market , By Type (Compact, Mid-Size, Full-Size, Luxury Crossovers, Minivans, Luxury SUVs), Rental Type (Business, Leisure), Term (Short-term rental, Long-term rental, Finance leasing), Category (Self-Driven, Chauffeur-Driven), Applications (Airport, Off-airport), End User (Local Usage, Airport Transport, Outstation, Others), Booking Mode (Online, Offline) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-luxury-car-leasing-market

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DUBLIN , May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Fluoropolymer Processing Aid Market by Polymer Type (PE, PP, PVC), Application (Blown & Cast Film, Wires & Cables, Pipes & Tubes, Fibers & Raffia), and Region (Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, MEA, South America) - Global Forecast to 2028", size is estimated as USD 1.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 1.7 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 2.9%.

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The fluoropolymer processing aid market is mainly driven by the increasing demand for polymers in different areas such as food packaging, pharmaceutical applications, industrial packaging, etc. This market also driven by rising plastic usage in the emerging countries. This fluoropolymer processing aid helps in enhancing the processability of the polymers making it efficient at a reasonable price.

"Fibers & Raffia is projected to grow at fastest CAGR, in terms of volume, during the forecast period"

Fibers & Raffia is projected to be the fastest growing segment in fluoropolymer processing aid market, in terms of value, by registering the highest CAGR of 3.26% during the forecast period. These fluoropolymer processing aids can be added to the polymer to enhance the product with a smoother surface finish by reducing the end product defects. Wires & cables is the second largest growing application with a CAGR of 3.19%.

"Polypropylene is projected to be the fastest growing polymer in fluoropolymer processing aid market, in terms of value"

Polypropylene (PP) is projected to register high growth rate of 3.01% during the forecast period of 2023  2028. Considering its lower cost and ease of manufacturing, polypropylene segment can be used in many applications such as automotive, packaging, consumer goods. It is manufactured by making use of sheet (or) film extrusion,blow molding, injection molding. PP is also expected to see growth in demand, primarily from the healthcare and packaging industries, thereby driving the fluoropolymer processing aid market.

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"Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest regional segment for fluoropolymer processing aid during the forecast period, in terms of value."

Asia Pacific region accounts for the highest market share of 55.6% in 2022 and is projected to grow at a rate of 3.51% during the forecast period. The fluoropolymer processing aid market is being driven by escalating use of polymers across different end use industries including construction, automotive, packaging. China accounts for the largest market share for fluoropolymer processing aid in the Asia Pacific region.

3M company (US), Solvay SA (Belgium), The Chemours Company (US), Arkema (France), Daikin Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Gabriel Chemie Group (Austria), Zhejiang Java Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd (China), Shanghai Lanpoly Polymer Technology Co., Ltd. (China), Plastiblends (India) and Adplast (Portugal)are the major players of fluoropolymer processing aid market. These companies are strong in their own geographies and they focus on innovating new technologies moving towards a sustainable future.

Browse Adjacent Market: Specialty Chemicals Market Research Reports & consulting

Related Reports:

Plastic Additives Market - Global Forecast to 2026

Acrylic Processing Aid Market - Global Forecast to 2025

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The IIA will be the first National Advisory Board in Indonesia to help unlock capital, spur investment, and catalyze a market that will benefit people and the planet

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Foundation President Darren Walker joined members of the Indonesian government and business community to celebrate the launch of the Indonesia Impact Alliance (IIA). As a founding member of the IIA and an impact investor on a global scale, Ford Foundation will support the IIA to bring together investors, entrepreneurs, and government to develop an impact investing ecosystem in Indonesia that allows businesses to gain financial returns while solving social and environmental problems.

Ford Foundation Logo (PRNewsfoto/Ford Foundation)

This builds upon Ford's work to support the broader global impact investing movement, which strives to center positive outcomes in social, economic, and environmental impact alongside financial returns in investment decisions.

"Throughout the world, we're continuing to see that the growing field of impact investing is a powerful approach that creates effective, scalable solutions for the public while generating positive financial returns. In Indonesia, the IIA will be unlocking a major opportunity," said Ford Foundation President Darren Walker. "With cross-sector collaboration and strong partnerships, we can leverage private capital to strengthen economies and reshape the way we use our markets to invest in our communities."

"The power of Impact Investing has been leveraged throughout the world, and we're excited to expand this methodology here in Indonesia," said Indonesia Impact Alliance Chair and CEO of Instellar Romy Cahyadi. "The Indonesia Impact Alliance will play a critical role in connecting investors both foreign and domestic to opportunities that will provide growth, opportunity, and innovation that will benefit shareholders and society."

The IIA's main goal after the initial launch will be to increase direct investment into early-stage high-impact companies by scaling up Indonesian and foreign investors, as well as the Indonesian diaspora communities. The IIA will also function as a convener, information center, and partner to support the development of impact investing policies in Indonesia. The IIA is also supported by the Ministry of National Development Planning for the Republic of Indonesia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia.

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Ford Foundation launched its $1 billion Mission Investments program in 2017 and has been a longtime supporter of impact investing domestically and abroad. Ford Foundation served as an incubator for the first-ever National Advisory Board in the United States, which now represents more than $8 trillion worth of impact investments. The foundation also supports the Global Steering Group on Impact Investment, which supports the development of National Advisory Boards around the world, as well as the National Advisory Boards for impact investment in South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana.

"Impact investing as a global movement has grown, in part, through learning and partnership across markets and geographies," said U.S. Impact Investing Alliance President Fran Seegull. "I am excited to work with our colleagues at the Indonesia Impact Alliance, to share our experiences in the United States, and together to build a movement that places social, economic, and environmental impact at the center of investment decisions."

"The Nigerian impact investing ecosystem is rapidly evolving with the Ford Foundation being at the forefront of supporting the growth of the market. Through its seed grant to the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) to facilitate the establishment of the Nigeria National Advisory Board for Impact Investing (NABII), the NABII is positioned to address market barriers and bridge information and data gaps for impact investors," said Ibukun Awosika, Chairperson, Nigerian National Advisory Board for Impact Investing. "Ford Foundation has proven to be more than a funder but also a true partner who learns and offers to foster collaborations through its local and global network, and it's encouraging to see these efforts expanding in Indonesia."

For more information on Ford Foundation's impact investing work, please visit our website .

THE FORD FOUNDATION

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

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SOURCE Ford Foundation
MACAU, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From May 10 to 12, 2023, the 3rd BEYOND International Technology Innovation Expo  also known as BEYOND Expo 2023 is being held at the Venetian Macau Convention and Exhibition Center. This year is the third consecutive year that Fosun Pharma (stock code: 600196.SH, 02196.HK) has participated in the Expo. Together with Henlius, Fosun Kite, Fosun Health and the in-depth incubation platform Fosun Lead, Fosun Pharma showcases its innovative R&D achievements and globalization footprint in the healthcare industry in the Life Sciences Exhibition Area (Booth No. B28) at the Expo.

Fosun Pharma Participates in the BEYOND Expo 2023 to Showcase Its Innovative R&D Achievements

Founded in 2020, BEYOND Expo has been successfully held for two years and is now one of the largest and most influential international technology expos in Asia. With the theme of "Technology Redefined", BEYOND Expo 2023 aims to encourage exchanges among industry segments, promote the comprehensive upgrading and reform of the industry, and become a grand international event for technology exchanges.

Application of more innovative achievements for the benefit of patients

This year, Fosun Pharma showcases its innovation-driven development strategy and strong capabilities in global operation and demonstrates the latest achievements of cutting-edge technology industrialization and innovative R&D achievements brought by international cooperation.

HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab), the first innovative monoclonal antibody developed by Fosun Pharma's biopharmaceutical platform Henlius, has been approved in China for the treatment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) solid tumors, squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). HANSIZHUANG has been granted orphan drug designations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA and the European Commission for the treatment of SCLC. HANQUYOU (trastuzumab), the first China-developed mAb biosimilar approved both in China and Europe, has been approved in more than 30 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The biologic license application (BLA) for HANQUYOU has been accepted by the FDA. It is expected to become the first China-developed biosimilar approved in China, the EU and the USA, expanding its presence in major biologic markets of Europe and the USA.

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Back in 2021, at Fosun Pharma's first participation in the BEYOND Expo, Yikaida (Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Injection), China's first CAR-T cell therapy product approved for marketing, received widespread attention from attendees. During the three consecutive years of participation in the Expo, Yikaida's latest R&D and commercialization progress has also attracted much attention. By the end of 2022, Yikaida had been included in the urban customized commercial medical insurance of 70 provinces and municipalities and more than 60 commercial insurances, with more than 130 registered treatment centers. To date, Yikaida has been used to cure more than 400 patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In October 2022, the application for the second-line Yikaida therapy for indications submitted by Fosun Kite was accepted for review by the Center for Drug Evaluation, NMPA. This means that adult patients with DLBCL who do not respond to first-line immunochemotherapy or relapse within 12 months after first-line immunochemotherapy can expect to benefit from the therapy earlier.

Both Comirnaty (BNT162b2) and Comirnaty bivalent mRNA vaccines have been registered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ("Hong Kong SAR") and approved as regularly imported vaccines in Macao SAR, expanding its presence in both public and private sectors. Relevant dosage forms for children and infants have been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR for local government vaccination programs. Azvudine Tablets, developed by Fosun Pharma and Genuine Biotech, received emergency conditional approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on July 25, 2022. On August 9, as the main recommended drug for the treatment of COVID-19, it was included in the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 9) of the National Health Commission, and later incorporated into 40 national and provincial guidelines such as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 10). In January 2023, the National Healthcare Security Administration officially included Azvudine Tablets in China's medical insurance reimbursement list, and insured patients can be reimbursed for using the tablets according to regulations. The new medical insurance payment standard was officially implemented on April 1, 2023.

Fosun Lead, an in-depth incubation platform of Fosun Pharma, makes its debut at the Expo with cutting-edge technologies

As a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group, Fosun Pharma is guided by innovation and internationalization, continues to enrich its innovative product pipelines and improve the research and clinical development capabilities of FIC (first-in-class) and BIC (best-in-class) new drugs and accelerate the R&D and commercialization of innovative technologies and products through such diverse and multi-level cooperation models as independent R&D, cooperative development, in-licensing, and in-depth incubation.

Fosun Lead, an in-depth incubation platform of Fosun Pharma, makes its debut at this BEYOND Expo. Fosun Lead is a scientific and technological innovation incubation platform jointly established by Fosun Pharma and Professor Xu Tian, a world-renowned scientist and Chief Scientific Advisor to Fosun Pharma. Through the in-depth incubation model, the platform integrates internal and external resources, focuses on precision medicine, artificial intelligence and other technical fields, and is committed to the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements and the incubation of technological innovation and entrepreneurship oriented to unmet clinical needs. In China, Fosun Lead has invested more than 500 million yuan and established a shared experimental space of more than 4,000 square meters. The platform has incubated and implemented four scientific and technological innovation companies, including Jingshan Bio-Technology, Shenai Technology, Xintaiyuan Bio-Technology, and Junji Health Technology, which respectively promote the R&D of gene cell therapy products, artificial intelligence algorithms for tumor precision therapy, personalized tumor immunotherapy and microecological flora products. It has established close cooperative relations with top universities' research institutes and medical institutions at home and abroad to promote the commercialization of their research results and resources. The incubated companies have attracted a large number of first-class R&D talents at home and abroad, actively promoted product R&D, and secured important progress.

Fosun Health advances strategic planning and the FHMO model in the Greater Bay Area

In addition, Fosun Pharma's booth has showcased the strategic planning of its subsidiary Fosun Health's healthcare services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Under the guidance of the two national strategies of "Healthy China 2030" and "Digital China", Fosun Health takes "Enabling Family a Healthier and Better Living" as its mission, offers online-offline integrated services around the whole life cycle of users, builds the whole-course and active health management capabilities for special diseases, and gradually realizes the FHMO model integrating "medical treatment, pharmaceuticals, insurance and healthcare services". After years of industrial development, Fosun Health has owned and operated many general hospitals with brand and medical capability advantages in the Greater Bay Area, such as Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital, Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital, Zhuhai Chancheng Hospital, and Guangzhou Xinshi Hospital. While deepening the layout, it has continuously promoted the online and offline integration of medical institutions, extended grass-roots services, created a high level of medical disciplines, and promoted the integrated operation of the Group, so as to enhance the regional medical service model.

Li Haifeng, Fosun Global Partner, Chairman of Fosun Foundation; Wang Donghua, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategic Enabler (CSEO) of Fosun Pharm; Huang Hai, CEO of Fosun Kite and Jin Yi, CEO of Jingshan Bio-Technology attended the BEYOND Expo Life Sciences Summit and concurrent events.

About Fosun Pharma

Founded in 1994, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.* ("Fosun Pharma"; stock code: 600196. SH, 02196. HK) is a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group. Fosun Pharma directly operates businesses including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical diagnosis, and healthcare services. As a shareholder of Sinopharm Co., Ltd., Fosun Pharma expands its areas in the pharmaceutical distribution and retail business.

Fosun Pharma is patient-centered and clinical needs-oriented. The company continuously enriches its innovative product pipeline through independent research and development, cooperative development, license-in, and in-depth incubation. Fosun Pharma improves the research and clinical development capabilities of FIC (First-in-class) and BIC (Best-in-class) new drugs as well as accelerates the R&D and launch of innovative technologies and products.

Guided by the 4IN strategy (Innovation, Internationalization, Intelligentization, and Integration), Fosun Pharma will uphold the development model of "Innovation Transformation, Integrated Operation and Steady Growth", with the mission of creating shareholder values through strengthening its independent R&D and external cooperation and enriching its product pipelines, as well as promoting the global networks and enhancing operational efficiency. Fosun Pharma will actively promote the digital and physical business layout in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry and is committed to becoming a first-class enterprise in the global medical and health market.

For more information, please visit our official website: www.fosunpharma.com

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SOURCE Fosun Pharma
Every investor on earth makes bad calls sometimes. But really bad investments should be rare. So consider, for a moment, the misfortune of Galapagos NV (AMS:GLPG) investors who have held the stock for three years as it declined a whopping 82%. That would certainly shake our confidence in the decision to own the stock. And the ride hasn't got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 30% lower in that time. 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.

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 Galapagos

Galapagos isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over the last three years, Galapagos' revenue dropped 16% per year. That means its revenue trend is very weak compared to other loss making companies. And as you might expect the share price has been weak too, dropping at a rate of 22% per year. We prefer leave it to clowns to try to catch falling knives, like this stock. There is a good reason that investors often describe buying a sharply falling stock price as 'trying to catch a falling knife'. Think about it.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

Galapagos shareholders are down 30% for the year, but the market itself is up 13%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 9% 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Galapagos .

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If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Dutch 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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The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But if you buy shares in a really great company, you can more than double your money. To wit, the Gildan Activewear Inc. (TSE:GIL) share price has flown 106% in the last three years. That sort of return is as solid as granite. On the other hand, the stock price has retraced 8.0% in the last week. But note that the broader market is down 0.08% since last week, and this may have impacted Gildan Activewear's share price.

While this past week has detracted from the company's three-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment.

See our latest analysis for Gildan Activewear

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. 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 three years of share price growth, Gildan Activewear achieved compound earnings per share growth of 59% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 27% average annual increase in the share price. So it seems investors have become more cautious about the company, over time. We'd venture the lowish P/E ratio of 11.03 also reflects the negative sentiment around the stock.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

It is of course excellent to see how Gildan Activewear has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Gildan Activewear's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Gildan Activewear's TSR for the last 3 years was 115%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

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A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Gildan Activewear has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 5.5% in the last twelve months. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 3% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Gildan Activewear better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Gildan Activewear that you should be aware of.

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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Polaris Market Research & Consulting LLP

Polaris Market Research conducted a comprehensive research study spanning over [+115] pages, revealing that the global digital patient monitoring devices market size/trends is expected to reach USD 778.69 Billion By 2032. The study further indicates that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8% and is projected to touch USD 42.96 Billion by 2032. The wireless sensor technology segment of the healthcare industry is currently the largest market for digital patient monitoring devices. Some of the major players are Abbott, Athenahealth, Biotronik SE & CO. KG, FitBit, Garmin Ltd., GE Healthcare, Hill-Rom Services Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V and others.

New York, NY, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Polaris Market Research has published a new research report titled Global Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Type (Wireless Sensor Technology, mHealth, Telehealth, Wearable Devices, Remote Patient Monitoring); By Product; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023  2032 in its research database.

As per the latest research analysis, the global digital patient monitoring (DPM) devices market size/share will be valued at roughly USD 93.47 Billion in 2022, and its revenue is projected to reach about USD 778.69 Billion by 2032. The market is forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 23.6% between 2023 and 2032.

What are Digital Patient Monitoring (DPM) Devices? How Big is Digital Patient Monitoring (DPM) Devices Market Size & Share?

Overview

Digital patient monitoring devices are a kind of medical technology that permits health care licenses to distantly observe and trace the essential symptoms and health footing of the patients. The rapidly rising demand for the digital patient monitoring devices market can be attributed to the fact that these symptoms can be conveyed to doctors electronically and can also be combined with the EHR. This permits the providers to constantly observe the patient abolishing the requirement of periodic hospital visits.

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Growing demand for constant monitoring gadgets and the growing existence of dangerous illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are elements pushing the market's growth. The augmentation of the industry can be credited to the growth in demand for monitoring gadgets utilized to evaluate, allocate, register, and exhibit a diversity of biometric data, including temperature, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation level.

Request Sample Copy of Digital Patient Monitoring (DPM) Devices Market Research Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-patient-monitoring-devices-market/request-for-sample

(The sample of this report is readily available on request. The report sample contains a brief introduction to the research report, a Table of Contents, a Graphical introduction of regional analysis, Top players in the market with their revenue analysis, and our research methodology.)

Our Sample Report Covers:

2032 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis.

115+ Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research).

Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Requests.

2023 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends

Includes Updated List of tables & figures.

Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis.

Some of the Top Market Players Are:

Abbott

Athenahealth

Biotronik SE & CO. KG

FitBit

Garmin Ltd.

GE Healthcare

Hill-Rom Services Inc.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Koninklijke Philips N.V. AB

Masimo

Medtronic

To Know an Additional List of Key Players, Request Here to Download a Free Report PDF Brochure: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-patient-monitoring-devices-market/request-for-sample

Prominent Market Drivers

The increase in dangerous illnesses : The increasing aggregate of dangerous illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease pushes the demand for these devices. For instance, as per the WHO, approximately 422 million people worldwide have diabetes. The aggregate of asthma patients, dangerous obstructive pulmonary disease patients (COPD), and escalated existence of tobacco smoking is proliferating speedily.

Remote approachability : As per the WHO, approximately 235 million people develop asthma. Therefore, peak flow meters which are utilized to measure respiration rate, are growingly utilized. The digital patient monitoring devices market size is expanding due to the coherence by which it is managed, conveyed, and remotely approachable. Prominent market players are undertaking several strategies to augment the industry, including collaboration, alliance, innovation, instigation, and affiliation.

Wearable technology : The increasing acceptance of apparel remote devices is another element fuelling the market's augmentation. By combining clinical maladies with important barometers, wearable technology assists in identifying several dangerous illnesses.

Usefulness to patients: The market is driven by an amalgamation of technological, demographic, and societal elements. Digital patient monitoring devices market sales are soaring with the evolution of the market. It is apparent that contemporary and inventive digital patient monitoring devices surface, providing even more progressive potency and pronounced usefulness to patients and healthcare providers alike.

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Top Report Findings

The increasing aggregate of dangerous illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease is pushing the demand for these devices.

The market is essentially divided into type, product, and region.

The leading region of the market in North America

Top Trends Influencing the Market

Constant tracking of patients : One of the critical advantages of digital patient monitoring devices is that they permit constant tracking of patients even when they are outside the hospital and clinic. This can especially be advantageous for patients with dangerous illnesses or those that need repeated monitoring as it can assist in lessening the requirement for hospitalization and permit the patients to stay at their homes.

Precise data : These devices can also provide healthcare professionals with additionally extensive and precise data than conventional monitoring methods, which can enhance the perfection of illnesses and remedial plans.

Lessening physical visits: An added advantage of digital patient monitoring devices is that they can lessen the overload on healthcare systems by reducing the requirement for physical visits and hospitalizations. This can be especially advantageous for distant or destitute areas where the approach to healthcare systems must be restricted.

Segmental Analysis

The diagnostic monitoring segment is anticipated to witness the fastest growth

Based on the product, the diagnostic monitoring segment is anticipated to witness the fastest growth. Digital patient monitoring devices market demand is on the rise due to the progression in technology, growing demand for customized healthcare, and the increasing dominance of dangerous illnesses.

The wireless sensor technology segment accounted for the largest market share

Based on type, the wireless sensor technology segment accounted for the largest market share. Digital patient monitoring devices market trends include wireless blood glucose monitors, pulse oximeters, and wearable gadgets that can trace a broad gamut of physiological data. Also, growing demand for distant patient monitoring technologies that permit patients to handle their health from the solace of their own homes.

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Digital Patient Monitoring (DPM) Devices Market: Report Scope & Coverage

Report Attribute Details Revenue forecast in 2032 USD 778.69 Billion Market size value in 2023 USD 115.33 Billion Expected CAGR Growth 23.6% from 2023 - 2032 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023  2032 Top Market Players Abbott, Athenahealth, Biotronik SE & CO. KG, FitBit, Garmin Ltd., GE Healthcare, Hill-Rom Services Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Koninklijke Philips N.V. AB, Masimo, Medtronic, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Omron, ResMed, Siren, Vital Connect Segments Covered By Type, By Product, By Region Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options

Geographic Overview

North America: This region held the largest digital patient monitoring devices market share, including increasing healthcare disbursement and an escalating geriatric population. The covid-19 pandemic has additionally escalated the acceptance of remote monitoring technologies, especially amidst the elderly populace and patients with dangerous illnesses.

Asia Pacific: Several elements have prompted the growth in Asia Pacific, namely growing healthcare disbursement, the consciousness of dangerous illnesses, and an increasing geriatric populace. With the increasing prosperity of countries such as India and China, there is an accelerated demand for superior healthcare services which is driving the market growth in the region.

Browse the Detail Report Global Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Type (Wireless Sensor Technology, mHealth, Telehealth, Wearable Devices, Remote Patient Monitoring); By Product; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023  2032 with in-depth TOC: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-patient-monitoring-devices-market

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Recent Developments

In April 2021, Garmin Ltd. announced the launch of a new wearable device, the Venu 2, which includes advanced health monitoring features such as respiration and menstrual cycle tracking.

In August 2021, Garmin Ltd. announced the launch of a new sleep-tracking feature for its smartwatches, which uses advanced algorithms to monitor users' sleep quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key segments in the market?

How much is the market worth?

At what CAGR is the market forecast to grow?

Which region is leading the market?

What are the key driving factors in the market?

Which product segment led the market?

Polaris Market Research has segmented the Global Digital Patient Monitoring Devices market report based on Type, Product, and region:

By Type Outlook

Wireless Sensor Technology mHealth Telehealth Wearable

Remote Patient Monitoring Hospital Inpatient Ambulatory Patient Smart Home Healthcare



By Product Outlook

Diagnostic Monitoring Vital Sign Monitors Sleep Monitors Fetal Monitors Neuromonitors Other Monitors

Therapeutic Monitoring Insulin Monitors Respiratory Monitors Other Monitors



By Region Outlook

North America (U.S., Canada)

Europe (France, Germany, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia. South Korea)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina)

Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa)

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Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conversion Kit Market 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit market size was valued at $0.61 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $1.85 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 17.2% during the forecast period (2023-2030).



Segmental Outlook



The global hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit market is segmented by vehicle class and application. Based on vehicle class, the market is sub-segmented into mid-priced and luxury. Based on application, the market is sub-segmented into passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Among these, the commercial vehicles segment is expected to account for the majority of the market share. One of the key factors driving the segment's growth is the implementation of stricter regulations to reduce emissions from commercial vehicles.



The Mid-Priced Holds a Prominent Share in the Global Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conversion Kit Market



Based on vehicle class, the market is sub-segmented into mid-priced and luxury. Among these, the mid-priced segment is expected to hold a significant market share during the forecast period. Mid-priced vehicles are more common and affordable than high-end luxury vehicles, making them a popular choice for consumers who are looking to convert their existing vehicles into hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). HEV conversion kits can be expensive, so mid-priced vehicles are a more practical option for many consumers. Additionally, mid-priced vehicles tend to have a larger customer base, which means that there is a greater potential market for HEV conversion kits for these vehicles. As a result, manufacturers of HEV conversion kits often focus on mid-priced vehicles to maximize their market share and profitability.



Regional Outlook



The global hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit market is segmented based on geography, including North America (the US and Canada), Europe (Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and others), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, South Korea, and others), and the rest of the world (the Middle East and Africa and Latin America). The market can be analyzed for a particular region or country level as per the requirement. Among the regions, the North American region is expected to generate the highest market share. However, the Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at the fastest rate owing to the increasing number of HEV and PHEV (plug-in electric vehicle) buyers. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2030, China, Japan, and India combined will account for 18.5 million EV sales, and of the total global sales, PHEVs share in EVs is expected to be 27%.



The key factor driving the hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit market's growth in the North American region is the growth of EV consumers. According to the International Energy Agency, EV sales in the US were 0.3 million in 2020, which is expected to reach 1.4 million by 2025 and 2.9 million by 2030. The key factor responsible for the growth of the EV market in this region is the increasing awareness and concern about climate change and the environmental impact of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

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As a result, more consumers are looking for cleaner and more sustainable transportation options, and EVs provide an excellent alternative. Another factor driving the growth of the North American EV market is government incentives and regulations. Federal and state governments in the US and Canada offer tax credits, rebates, and other incentives to encourage the adoption of EVs.



Market Players Outlook



The major companies serving the global hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit market include Altigreen Propulsion Labs Pvt. Ltd., EVDrive, Hybrid Design Services Inc., IX Energy Pvt. Ltd., and others.

These companies are considerably contributing to the market's growth through the adoption of various strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, investments, and new product launches to stay competitive in the market.

For instance, in February 2022, Altigreen announced that it had raised INR 300 crore ($36.4 million) in a funding round for expansion projects, new product launches, and the development of a pan-India network. Sixth Sense Ventures led the Series A investment, which also included Reliance New Energy, Xponentia Capital, Accurant International, and Momentum Venture Capital, according to the company.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Summary



2. Market Overview and Insights



3. Competitive Landscape



4. Market Segmentation



5. Regional Analysis



6. Company Profiles



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

A123 Systems LLC

Altigreen Propulsion Labs Pvt. Ltd.

EV West

EVDrive

Hybrid Design Services Inc.

IX Energy Pvt. Ltd.

KPIT Technologies Ltd.

Odyne Systems LLC

REAPsystems Ltd.

Spruce Power

Stealth EV

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8z5vkg

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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Global Online Trading Platform Market

Global Online Trading Platform Market

Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Online Trading Platform Market Report and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Global online trading platform market reached a value of USD 39.63 billion in 2022. Aided by the increasing adoption of digital technologies and growing demand for efficient and accessible financial services, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% between 2023 and 2028, to reach a value of USD 63.32 billion by 2028.



Online trading platforms are web-based tools that let people and businesses purchase and sell financial products like stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies. They offer numerous advantages over traditional trading methods, including lower transaction costs, faster execution times, and access to a wider range of investment options.



The global online trading platform market growth is primarily driven by the rising internet penetration and increasing smartphone adoption, which have facilitated the expansion of digital financial services. The growing awareness of investment opportunities and the need for portfolio diversification among individual investors have further contributed to the market's growth.

Additionally, more users are anticipated to use online trading platforms as a result of the growing emphasis on user experience and the creation of advanced features like real-time market data, advanced charting tools, and social trading capabilities.



The emergence of fintech companies and increased competition in the financial services industry have further sparked the creation of cutting-edge trading platforms that are tailored to the unique requirements of different investor categories. The increasing investment in research and development by market players is expected to drive the growth of the online trading platform market.



The market for online trading platforms has expanded as a result of the expanding acceptance of cryptocurrencies and the expansion of digital asset exchanges. The growing demand for secure, transparent, and efficient trading platforms for digital assets is expected to create new growth opportunities for market players.



Government regulations and policies concerning financial markets and digital assets also play a crucial role in shaping the online trading platform market. The development of robust regulatory frameworks to ensure investor protection and market integrity is expected to encourage more users to adopt online trading platforms, thus increasing the online trading platform market expansion.

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Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 110 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $41.95 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $63.32 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 8.6% Regions Covered Global

Some of the major key players

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.

eToro Group Ltd

Robinhood Markets, Inc.

Ally Financial Inc.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Morgan Stanley

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Market Segmentation



Market Breakup by Component

Software

Services

Market Breakup by Type

Commissions

Transaction Fees

Market Breakup by Application

Institutional Investors

Retail Investors

Market Breakup by End Users

Banking and Financial Institutions

Brokers

Others

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/op6v4t

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




Bonafide Research & Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

Cordless power tools, Brushless motors, Smart technology, Internet of Things, Safety features are technological trends that are currently driving innovation in the power tools industry | Asia-Pacific region to register growth rate of 7.13% over the forecast period.

Clifton, New Jersey, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Power tools have been in high demand in recent years due to their increased demand, the growth of the construction industry, the expansion of the do-it-yourself (DIY) market, and the development of new technologies. Additionally, the development of new technologies in power tools, such as lithium-ion batteries and brushless motors, has made these tools more efficient and easier to use. The development of new technologies has made power tools more efficient, user-friendly, and versatile, leading to increased demand among professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike.

Key Takeaways:

Lithium-ion batteries have improved the performance of cordless power tools, making them more portable, longer-lasting, and faster to recharge.

Drilling and fastening power tools occupy 28.86% of the market due to their versatility, efficiency, precision, safety, and convenience. They are used in a wide range of applications, from construction and manufacturing to woodworking and DIY projects.

Electric power tools will remain the leading mode of operation with a 63.90% share in 2028 in industries where portability, ease of use, and lower maintenance requirements are important factors.

Drills, grinders, impact wrenches, sanders, saws, welding equipment, and pneumatic tools are widely used in industries to the extent of 59.64%.

Material removal power tools will grow at the highest CAGR of 7.07% for faster removal of materials by grinding, sanding, and polishing. Some specialized material removal power tools, such as angle grinders, rotary tools, and sanders, are in high demand.

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Brushless motors are more efficient than traditional brushed motors, providing more power, a longer lifespan, and less maintenance. These motors also offer better control and precision, making them ideal for use in high-precision applications. Lithium-ion batteries are lighter, smaller, and more powerful than their predecessors, which were typically based on nickel-cadmium or lead-acid technologies. Many modern power tools now feature digital displays and sensors that allow for better monitoring and control of performance. This has enabled professionals to work with greater accuracy and efficiency, reducing the time and costs associated with their work.

The power tool industry is highly competitive, with many established companies and new entrants vying for market share. Companies need to invest in research and development while balancing their pricing strategies with the need to maintain profitability. There is a growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products, which is a challenge for power tool companies that use energy-intensive manufacturing processes and produce products that consume energy. Power tool companies need to comply with various regulations related to product safety, environmental protection, and labor practices. Power tool companies are vulnerable to disruptions in their supply chains, such as shortages of raw materials or components, transportation delays, or natural disasters. "India is expected to become the third-largest market for power tools in the world by 2028 with an 8.89% share. The government's initiatives such as Housing for All, Smart Cities, and Make in India have boosted the demand for power tools in the country. The construction and manufacturing sectors are also expanding, which are the primary users of power tools. Several major power tool manufacturers have established their presence in India, including Bosch, Makita, and Stanley Black & Decker, which will drive the future growth of the power tools industry in India." says Mr. Dhwipal Shah, Research Director with Bonafide Research.

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Sawing and cutting power tools are widely used in the construction, manufacturing, and woodworking industries, occupying one-fourth of the tools segment. They complete tasks much faster than manual tools, saving time and increasing productivity. Some power saws, such as jigsaws and scroll saws, are designed for specialized cutting tasks that cannot be easily accomplished with manual tools. Cordless power saws and cutting tools are portable and easy to use, making them ideal for use in remote locations or areas without access to power outlets.

Routing power tools have limited use, with less than 5% share, with uses such as creating decorative edges, making joints, and cutting grooves in the woodworking, metalworking, plastic fabrication, sign-making, automotive, and construction industries. CNC routers are designed for specialized routing tasks, such as cutting intricate patterns or shaping three-dimensional objects. Demolition power tools can vary in size and power, from handheld tools like jackhammers and demolition hammers to larger equipment like excavators and bulldozers.

Hydraulic power tools may be more appropriate in certain situations where high power output and sustained use are required, such as in the construction or mining industries. As a result of which it has very little demand and application. Additionally, hydraulic power tools may be more suitable for heavy-duty applications where electric power tools would not be able to provide sufficient power or torque.

Pneumatic power tools require a separate air compressor to operate, which can be costly and may limit their portability. They require regular maintenance of the air compressor, air hoses, and fittings. Pneumatic power tools are generally noisier and not as powerful as electric or hydraulic power tools. They may not be as well-suited for heavy-duty applications or tasks that require higher levels of precision.

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The residential/DIY segment will have more applications for power tools than the industrial segment in future years, enabling growth at a CAGR of 6.20%. Some examples of power tools commonly used in the residential/DIY segment include drills, saws, sanders, and routers. These tools are often used for tasks such as drilling holes, cutting wood or other materials, sanding surfaces, and shaping edges. While power tools are also widely used in industrial settings for tasks such as manufacturing, construction, and maintenance, the types of tools and applications are often different than those used in residential or DIY settings. Industrial power tools may be larger and more specialized, and they are typically used for high-volume or heavy-duty tasks that require more power and precision.

The Asia-Pacific region is currently leading the global power tool industry with a 34.36% share. This is due to several factors, including the increasing demand for power tools in developing countries, the growth of the construction and manufacturing industries, and the presence of major power tool manufacturers in the region. Additionally, many global power tool manufacturers have established their presence in the Asia-Pacific region to take advantage of the growing demand and lower production costs. For example, companies such as Bosch, Hitachi Koki, and Hilti are some of the major players.

Europe has a long history of manufacturing and engineering expertise, which has enabled the development of high-quality and innovative power tools. Some of the major power tool manufacturers in Europe include Robert Bosch GmbH, Metabo, Festool, and DeWalt. These companies have a strong presence in the region and are known for their advanced technology, high-quality products, and commitment to sustainability. The construction and manufacturing sectors are major users of power tools in Europe. Additionally, there is a growing trend towards DIY and home improvement activities, which is also driving the demand for power tools in the residential sector. The European Union has also implemented regulations and standards to ensure the safety and quality of power tools sold in the region. For example, the Machinery Directive sets out requirements for the design and manufacture of machinery and equipment, including power tools, to ensure their safety for users.

The United States is one of the leading countries in the global power tool industry, with an 18.63% share. The country is home to several major power tools manufacturers, such as Stanley Black & Decker, Milwaukee Tool, and DeWalt. The construction and manufacturing sectors are major users of power tools in the US, with a growing demand for cordless tools and advanced technology. Additionally, the DIY and home improvement market in the US is also a significant consumer of power tools, driven by the popularity of home renovation and improvement projects.

The power tools industry in South America is a developing market with significant growth potential at a CAGR of 6.67% during 20232028. The construction and manufacturing sectors are significant users of power tools in South America. Additionally, the DIY and home improvement market in the region is also growing due to rising disposable incomes and an increasing interest in home renovation and improvement projects. However, the power tool industry in South America also faces challenges, such as a lack of infrastructure and inadequate access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, the market is highly competitive, with several local and international players competing for market share. Tramontina is a Brazilian manufacturer of power tools known for its high-quality angle grinders, drills, and saws.

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The use of power tools in the Middle East and Africa region has been increasing in recent years due to the growing construction and manufacturing sectors and the expansion of the oil and gas industry in the region. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have seen a surge in construction activities, driven by the growing demand for infrastructure and real estate development. The manufacturing sector in the region is expanding to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil and gas. The oil and gas industry in the region is a significant user of power tools, particularly for drilling and material removal processes. AEG Power Tools is a German company with a strong presence in the Middle East and a manufacturing facility in the United Arab Emirates.

Considered in the Report

Geography: Global

Historical Year: 2017

Base year: 2022

Estimated year: 2023

Forecast year: 2028

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The Global Welding Equipment and Consumables market is projected to grow at 4.85% during 20232028. The market is primarily driven by the increasing demand in the automotive, construction, aerospace, and shipbuilding industries. The Asia-Pacific region is the largest market with a 42.81% share, primarily due to the growth of the automotive and construction industries, coupled with increasing investments in infrastructure development. Brazil is the largest market for welding equipment and consumables in South America , driving future growth at 5.20% with companies focusing on product innovation and expansion of their distribution networks to meet the growing demand for welding products in the region. The United States is the leading country due to its large manufacturing sector in North America , with an 18.64% share.

The Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market is expected to be valued at over USD 100 Billion by 2028, driven by the increasing demand for PPE in various industries such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and oil and gas. The COVID-19 pandemic has also fueled the growth of the PPE market, as demand for protective masks, gloves, and other equipment has surged. North America is the leading market for PPE with a 34.79% share, driven by strong demand from the healthcare industry. Some of the prominent players in the European region include Honeywell International Inc., 3M Company, Ansell Limited, MSA Safety Inc., Delta Plus Group, and Uvex Safety Group. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to register the highest growth rate at 7.72% in the global PPE market with increased investment in R&D, collaborations, and mergers. The MEA region's market growth is attributed to several factors, such as the increasing industrialization and construction activities in the region and the implementation of stringent regulations by the government followed by South America.

The Global Pallet market is projected to be worth USD 97.67 Billion by 2028, catering to the material handling needs of various sectors such as manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics. The rising popularity of plastic pallets due to their durability, reusability, and eco-friendliness is also fueling the growth of the market. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness a higher growth rate of 8.34%, driven by demand for pallets in China and India. The increasing adoption of automated material handling systems in South America and the MEA region is expected to drive demand for pallets that are compatible with such systems. North America and Europe together occupy 55.83% of the market and are projected to grow steadily over the forecast period.

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Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd

According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, In an electrical circuit, a voltage regulator maintains the intended voltage level. Voltage regulators are used to maintain the proper voltage for lamps, actuators, and electronic equipment. Additionally, voltage regulators can be used to stabilize or reduce power fluctuations.

Farmington, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Voltage Regulators Market Reached A Value Of US$ 2.65 Billion In 2022, It Is Expected To Reach US$ 3.6 Billion By 2030, Exhibiting A CAGR Of 5.0% During 2022-2030. A voltage regulator is an electronic device that maintains a constant and fixed voltage level. The device operates automatically and adjusts the voltage according to the user's specifications.

The voltage regulator compensates for output fluctuations resulting from the support mechanism. Primarily, there are two categories of voltage regulators: linear voltage regulators and switching voltage regulators. Several end-user industries, including electronics, automotive, power distribution, etc., utilize these devices to ensure voltage consistency in the vast majority of electronic equipment and devices.

Request Sample Copy of Report  Voltage Regulator Market Size, Share & Trends Estimation Reports By Type Outlook (Linear Voltage Regulator, Switching Voltage Regulation), By Application Outlook (Electronics, Power Transmission and Distribution, Automotive, Industrial Automation, Others), By Region and Forecasts, 2022-2030. , published by Contrive Datum Insights.

Segmentation Overview:

Deployment Outlook:

A linear voltage regulator is a circuit that controls the intensity of output from a linear power supply. It is used to convert variable voltages in one direction. The circuit can be viewed as an alternative to conventional series and parallel circuits for applications involving high power supplies and large-capacity batteries.

A toggling voltage regulator is a circuit that regulates an electronic device's output voltage. It helps regulate the high and low power supply to the connected devices. Switching regulators are utilized in a variety of applications, including computers, telecommunications systems, and electric vehicles, among others. In high-frequency applications, such as RF circuits, they are more efficient due to their reduced size and lower noise figure compared to conventional linear regulators.

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Organization Size Outlook:

The automotive industry was the greatest application segment, accounting for more than forty percent of global revenue. During the forecast period, the increasing demand for electric and hybrid vehicles is anticipated to have a positive effect on industry growth. The expanding electronics industry in developing nations such as China, India, and Brazil is anticipated to propel the development of the voltage regulator market over the forecast period. The increasing use of switching regulators in electronic manufacturing facilities' power distribution systems is also likely to stimulate demand. Other applications include industrial and residential construction, which are projected to account for 16% of total market volume by 2030 due to the increasing number of installations at residences and offices in developed nations such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, etc.

Regional Analysis:

Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing region from 2022 to 2030. Growth in this region will be driven by China and India due to rapid industrialization coupled with rising demand for electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops. A growing manufacturing sector in these countries will further drive the market. Europe is expected to witness steady growth over the forecast period, owing to increasing demand for products from key industries including electronics and automotive across Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

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Scope of Report:

Report Attributes Details Growth Rate CAGR of 5.0% from 2023 to 2030. Revenue Forecast by 2030 US$ 3.6 Billion By Type Linear Voltage Regulator

Switching Voltage Regulation By Technology Electronics

Power Transmission and Distribution

Automotive

Industrial Automation

Others By Application Government

Healthcare

Retail

Manufacturing

Others By Companies Texas Instruments

Cypress Semiconductor

STMicroelectronics

Analog Devices

RICOH Electronics

Infineon Technologies

Microchip

ROHM Semiconductor

Eaton

Maxim Integrated

Intersil

Vishay Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor

Diodes

Torex Semiconductor

Vicor

Toshiba

Semtech

Others Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

Europe(Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

The Middle East & Africa(Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Latin America(Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Rest Of the World Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030

Market Dynamics:

Drivers and Restraints:

The factors driving the market of voltage regulator devices are their benefits offered like the ease of use, compact size, low cost and lesser noise. Also with the advancement of technology, the applications of voltage regulators are increasing greatly in fields like communication technology, consumer electronics, and automobiles that have automated systems. With this, the demand of voltage regulator is increasing thereby growing the market demand of the devices substantially in the market.

The factors restraining the growth of voltage regulators are its low speed of producing output voltage when considering mechanical voltage regulators. Also, the components of voltage regulators require a regular maintenance and replacements which make them tedious to use. In case of electronic voltage regulators, higher cost of devices and poor current overload capacity are major factors restraining the growth of voltage regulator market.

Key Segments Covered:

Top Market Players:

Texas Instruments

Cypress Semiconductor

STMicroelectronics

Analog Devices

RICOH Electronics

Infineon Technologies

Microchip

ROHM Semiconductor

Eaton

Maxim Integrated

Intersil

Vishay Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor

Diodes

Torex Semiconductor

Vicor

Toshiba

Semtech

Others

By Type

Linear Voltage Regulator

Switching Voltage Regulation

By Technology

Electronics

Power Transmission and Distribution

Automotive

Industrial Automation

Others

By Application

Government

Healthcare

Retail

Manufacturing

Others

BFSI

IT and telecom

Regions and Countries Covered

North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Rest Of the World

Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights:

Voltage Calibrator Market - The Global Voltage Calibrator Market Is Expected To Reach USD 271.27 Million By 2026. The Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 5.28% During The Forecast Period 2018 To 2026.

High Voltage Regulator Market - The High Voltage Regulator market was valued at 4.90 billion USD in 2022 and is projected to reach 7.29 billion US$ by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.10% during the forecast period. In this study, 2022 has been considered as the base year and 2023-2030.

Light Sensors Market - The Global Market Size For Light Sensors Was Valued At USD 2.85 Billion In 2019 And USD 3.88 Billion In 2022 Is Projected To Expand At A CAGR Of 10.9% From 2022 To 2030 And USD 8.89 Billion By 2030.

Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client needs or requirements.For any queries, you can contact us on anna@contrivedatuminsights.com or +1 215-297-4078. Our sales executives will be happy to understand your needs and provide you with the most suitable reports.

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Contrive Datum Insights (CDI) is a global delivery partner of market intelligence and consulting services to officials at various sectors such as investment, information technology, telecommunication, consumer technology, and manufacturing markets. CDI assists investment communities, business executives, and IT professionals to undertake statistics-based accurate decisions on technology purchases and advance strong growth tactics to sustain market competitiveness. Comprising of a team size of more than 100 analysts and cumulative market experience of more than 200 years, Contrive Datum Insights guarantees the delivery of industry knowledge combined with global and country-level expertise.

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Contrive Datum Insights Press Releases

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Google (GOOG, GOOGL) on Wednesday announced a host of updates for its Bard generative AI chatbot during its annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, CA. The software, which is now available to more than 180 countries, will allow you to search and receive responses using images, in multiple languages, and connect to other Google apps.

The software, which is now powered by Google's Pathways Language Model 2, or PaLM 2, will allow you to do things like ask for must-see sights in New Orleans and then provide you with photos of those places. That's a major change from the early version of Bard, which only worked with text.

You'll also be able to upload images and then ask Bard to write captions for them. The company provided and example of a person uploading a photo of her dogs and then have Bard write up a few lines based on how the dogs look.

Google Bard is now being used to help programmers collaborate with code. (Image: Google)

According to Sissie Hsiao, vice president and general manager for Google Assistant and Bard, the software's most-used feature is coding. To that end, the company is rolling out the ability to collaborate with code. Hsiao says that the assistant currently understands more than 20 coding languages and is adding more.

Hsiao says Bard will also help users pull together content from multiple sources. In one example, she showed how a student can piece together a college application letter and then find colleges that line up with their specific interests.

Bard can then pull those colleges up in Google Maps to help find their locations and then move all of that information into a table. You can then ask Bard to tell you which schools are public and which are private, and it will automatically add them to the table, which you can then move directly into Google Sheets to collaborate with your family members.

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Googles rival Microsoft (MSFT) is currently leading the generative AI conversation thanks to its debut of its Bing chatbot in February. Google parent Alphabet, however, has been working on generative AI for years, helping to pioneer the technology behind the software.

Story continues

But Microsofts Bing and other generative AI releases, which come as a result of its partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI, have left Google looking flat footed by comparison.

The company is now playing catch up by rolling out a number of new products using generative AI including its Bard chatbot and its generative AI capabilities in its Workspace productivity suite.

By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley

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
Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is bringing generative AI to its Android phones, rolling out new capabilities for text messaging with a feature called Magic Compose.

Launching later this summer as a Beta release, Magic Compose is meant to help you personalize your texts in the Messages app, allowing you to make your missives sound more concise, professional, or, weirdly, Shakespearean.

In one example, Google shows a user writing a note asking another person if they want to get dinner. They then tap the Magic Compose button and are able to choose between different styles of chatting.

For instance, if you want your dinner request to sound casual, you can select the Chill option and ask You down for some grub? There are also options to make your text sound lyrical or exciting. Google says it will offer six types of speech out of the gate.

Google's new Magic Compose will use generative AI to customize your text messages. (Image: Google)

Its not just Messages either. Google is also adding generative AI to its Androids smartphone wallpaper. Now when you open up the wallpaper customization screen, there will be an AI option that you can use to quickly change up your home screens style.

One example Google provided included choosing a city by the bay in a post-impressionist style. The app then popped out a painted image of San Francisco in pastel.

The company also debuted new Android 14 capabilities including the ability to customize your lock screen and make cinematic wallpapers out of still photos. The option allows you to take a standard image and, with on-device machine learning, turn it into a moving, 3D-scene that changes when you tilt or unlock your phone. That feature will land on Googles Pixel devices next month.

Google is bringing generative AI to Android with custom AI wallpapers. (Image: Google)

Googles rival Microsoft (MSFT) is currently leading the generative AI conversation thanks to its debut of its Bing chatbot in February. Google parent Alphabet, however, has been working on generative AI for years, helping to pioneer the technology behind the software.

But Microsofts Bing and other generative AI releases, which come as a result of its partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI, have left Google looking flat footed by comparison.

Story continues

The company is now playing catch up by rolling out a number of new products using generative AI including its Bard chatbot and its generative AI capabilities in its Workspace productivity suite.

By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley

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
Shutterstock / Shutterstock

With debt ceiling talks stalled following a meeting on May 10 between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a government workers union is allegedly suing Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Bloomberg reported.

See: 9 Safe Investments With the Highest Returns

Find: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), which represents 75,000 federal agency and military employees, is suing the president and treasury secretary via a suit filed in a Boston federal court. NAGE is saying the Debt Ceiling Statute is unconstitutional  and that Biden and Yellen should not have the power to choose which bills to pay if the debt ceiling isnt raised.

While not challenging here in principle the controversial proposition that Congress can limit the indebtedness of the United States, plaintiff asserts that Congress may not do so without at least setting the order and priority of payments once that limit is reached, instead of leaving it to the president to do so, the lawsuit stated.

Take Our Poll: Are You Concerned About the Safety of Your Money in Your Bank Accounts?

With the lawsuit, NAGE is looking to ensure that the Biden administration could not suspend federal government operations or furlough government employees if the U.S. defaults on its debts.

Experts have said that defaulting on public debt could have disastrous consequences for our nations economy. Yellen previously stated that failing to raise the debt ceiling could create an economic catastrophe, CBS News reported.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Government Employees Sue Biden Saying Debt Ceiling Statute Is Unconstitutional, Ask Yellen To Keep Borrowing
Late-breaking Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in Prader-Willi syndrome accepted for poster presentation

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. ("Harmony") (Nasdaq: HRMY), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients with rare neurological diseases, today announced that new safety and efficacy data from a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating pitolisant for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) will be highlighted as a poster presentation during a late-breaking abstract session at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), known as "SLEEP 2023," in Indianapolis from June 3-7.

Harmony Biosciences logo (PRNewsfoto/Harmony Biosciences)

Additional presentations by Harmony include an oral presentation covering a pooled analysis of clinically meaningful improvements in adults with narcolepsy, as well as poster presentations detailing the results of a pharmacokinetics study of WAKIX in breast milk and serum in healthy lactating women, and an ongoing prospective observational safety study evaluating WAKIX exposure in pregnant women and their offspring.

"As a company dedicated to developing and delivering treatments for rare neurological disorders, we are pleased to share a broad range of data for pitolisant at this year's SLEEP meeting," said Harmony's Chief Medical Officer, Kumar Budur M.D., M.S. "These data add to the growing body of scientific evidence that has been generated for pitolisant to help further characterize its safety, tolerability and clinical utility."

Dr. Budur added that the company is especially encouraged by the positive results from the Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in PWS in anticipation of an upcoming Phase 3 registration trial.

"Together, the data presented at SLEEP 2023 demonstrate Harmony's commitment to expanding the clinical utility of pitolisant for adult patients with narcolepsy while rigorously pursuing new indications for treating patients with unmet medical needs in other rare neurological disorders."

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The following data presented by Harmony will be available in the meeting's gallery:

Oral and Poster: "Clinically Meaningful Improvements with Pitolisant in Adults with Narcolepsy: Pooled Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials."

Oral Presentation Date and Time : Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 4:30 - 4:45 p.m. EDT





Poster Presentation Date and Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. EDT

Poster Board Number: 294

Poster: "Pharmacokinetics of Pitolisant in Breast Milk and Serum of Healthy Lactating Women."

Poster Presentation Date and Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. EDT

Poster Board Number: 232

Poster: "Pitolisant Pregnancy Registry: An Observational Study of the Safety of Pitolisant Exposure in Pregnant Women and Their Offspring."

Poster Presentation Date and Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. EDT

Poster Board Number: 231

Poster: "Primary Efficacy and Safety Results of a Phase 2 Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Proof of Concept, Signal Detection Study of Pitolisant in Prader-Willi Syndrome."

Poster Presentation Date and Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 5:00  6:00 p.m. EDT

Poster Board Number: 510

About WAKIX (pitolisant) Tablets

WAKIX, a first-in-class medication, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy and has been commercially available in the U.S. since Q4 2019. It was granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of narcolepsy in 2010, and breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of cataplexy in 2018. WAKIX is a selective histamine 3 (H) receptor antagonist/inverse agonist. The mechanism of action of WAKIX is unclear; however, its efficacy could be mediated through its activity at H receptors, thereby increasing the synthesis and release of histamine, a wake promoting neurotransmitter. WAKIX was designed and developed by Bioprojet (France). Harmony has an exclusive license from Bioprojet to develop, manufacture and commercialize pitolisant in the United States.

Indications and Usage

WAKIX is indicated for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy.

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

WAKIX is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to pitolisant or any component of the formulation. Anaphylaxis has been reported. WAKIX is also contraindicated in patients with severe hepatic impairment.

Warnings and Precautions

WAKIX prolongs the QT interval; avoid use of WAKIX in patients with known QT prolongation or in combination with other drugs known to prolong the QT interval. Avoid use in patients with a history of cardiac arrhythmias, as well as other circumstances that may increase the risk of the occurrence of torsade de pointes or sudden death, including symptomatic bradycardia, hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia, and the presence of congenital prolongation of the QT interval.

The risk of QT prolongation may be greater in patients with hepatic or renal impairment due to higher concentrations of pitolisant; monitor these patients for increased QTc. Dosage modification is recommended in patients with moderate hepatic impairment and moderate or severe renal impairment (see full prescribing information). WAKIX is not recommended in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Adverse Reactions

In the placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted in patients with narcolepsy with or without cataplexy, the most common adverse reactions (5% and at least twice placebo) for WAKIX were insomnia (6%), nausea (6%), and anxiety (5%). Other adverse reactions that occurred at 2% and more frequently than in patients treated with placebo included headache, upper respiratory tract infection, musculoskeletal pain, heart rate increased, hallucinations, irritability, abdominal pain, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite, cataplexy, dry mouth, and rash.

Drug Interactions

Concomitant administration of WAKIX with strong CYP2D6 inhibitors increases pitolisant exposure by 2.2-fold. Reduce the dose of WAKIX by half.

Concomitant use of WAKIX with strong CYP3A4 inducers decreases exposure of pitolisant by 50%. Dosage adjustments may be required (see full prescribing information).

H1 receptor antagonists that cross the blood-brain barrier may reduce the effectiveness of WAKIX. Patients should avoid centrally acting H1 receptor antagonists.

WAKIX is a borderline/weak inducer of CYP3A4. Therefore, reduced effectiveness of sensitive CYP3A4 substrates may occur when used concomitantly with WAKIX. The effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives may be reduced when used with WAKIX and effectiveness may be reduced for 21 days after discontinuation of therapy.

Use in Specific Populations

WAKIX may reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives. Patients using hormonal contraception should be advised to use an alternative non-hormonal contraceptive method during treatment with WAKIX and for at least 21 days after discontinuing treatment.

There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women who are exposed to WAKIX during pregnancy. Patients should be encouraged to enroll in the WAKIX pregnancy registry if they become pregnant. To enroll or obtain information from the registry, patients can call 1-800-833-7460. The safety and effectiveness of WAKIX have not been established in patients less than 18 years of age.

WAKIX is extensively metabolized by the liver. WAKIX is contraindicated in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Dosage adjustment is required in patients with moderate hepatic impairment.

WAKIX is not recommended in patients with end-stage renal disease. Dosage adjustment of WAKIX is recommended in patients with moderate or severe renal impairment.

Dosage reduction is recommended in patients known to be poor CYP2D6 metabolizers; these patients have higher concentrations of WAKIX than normal CYP2D6 metabolizers.

Please see the Full Prescribing Information for WAKIX for more information.

To report suspected adverse reactions, contact Harmony Biosciences at 1-800-833-7460 or the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

About Harmony Biosciences

At Harmony Biosciences, we specialize in developing and delivering treatments for rare neurological diseases that others often overlook. We believe that where empathy and innovation meet, a better life can begin for people living with neurological diseases. Established by Paragon Biosciences, LLC, in 2017 and headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, PA, our team of experts from a wide variety of disciplines and experiences is driven by our shared conviction that innovative science translates into therapeutic possibilities for our patients, who are at the heart of everything we do. For more information, please visit www.harmonybiosciences.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our product WAKIX. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our commercialization efforts and strategy for WAKIX; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of WAKIX, pitolisant in additional indications, if approved, and any other product candidates we may develop or acquire, if approved; our research and development plans, including our development activities with Bioprojet and plans to explore the therapeutic potential of pitolisant in additional indications; our ongoing and planned clinical trials; the availability of favorable insurance coverage and reimbursement for WAKIX; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including any current and future variants; the timing of and our ability to obtain regulatory approvals for pitolisant for other indications as well as any of our product candidates, including those we are developing with Bioprojet; our failure to achieve the potential benefits under our 2022 LCA with Bioprojet; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; our ability to identify additional products or product candidates with significant commercial potential that are consistent with our commercial objectives; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; significant competition in our industry; our intellectual property position; loss or retirement of key members of management; failure to successfully execute our growth strategy, including any delays in our planned future growth; our failure to maintain effective internal controls; the impact of government laws and regulations; volatility and fluctuations in the price of our common stock; the significant costs and required management time as a result of operating as a public company; the fact that the price of Harmony's common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially; and the significant costs and required management time as a result of operating as a public company. These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 21, 2023, and our other filings with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.

Harmony Biosciences Media Contact:

Cate McCanless

202-641-6086

cmccanless@harmonybiosciences.com

Harmony Biosciences Investor Contact:

Luis Sanay, CFA

445-235-8386

lsanay@harmonybiosciences.com

Cision

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SOURCE Harmony Biosciences
FACT.MR

Hydraulic Hose Market Analysis By Product Type (Reinforced, Coiled, Corrugated, Articulated), By Material (Elastomers or Rubber, Fluoropolymers & Silicon, Thermoplastics, Metal), By Pressure (Low Pressure (Less Than 3,000 psi), Medium Pressure (Between 3,000 and 6,000 psi), High Pressure (More Than 6,000 psi)), By End Use (Agriculture & Forestry, Construction, Manufacturing/Industrial, Mining, Transportation) & Region - Global Market Insights 2023 to 2033

Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key manufacturers of hydraulic hose positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Fact.MR  A Market Research and Competitive Intelligence Provider: The global hydraulic hose market Share is valued at US$ 11 billion in 2023 and is forecasted to reach US$ 18 billion by 2033-end. Global demand for hydraulic hoses is estimated to rise at a CAGR of 5% from 2023 to 2033. Currently, the agriculture and forestry sector accounts for 60% of global sales among the various industries that use hydraulic hoses.

In the upcoming years, the transportation sector is anticipated to have significant growth in this market.

Rigid pipes that are specifically made to transfer fluid to or among various hydraulic components including actuators, valves, and tools are replaced by hydraulic hoses. Hydraulic hoses are often flexible and reinforced with numerous construction layers since the industrial hydraulic system typically operates at high pressure.

For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report 

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2538

Hydraulic hoses must meet requirements for use in various end-use sectors, including dimensions, construction options, performance standards, and features. Outside and inside diameters as well as the smallest bend radius are crucial dimensions when choosing a hydraulic hose.

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Market Drivers:

Hydraulic hoses are widely used in various industries such as the construction and agricultural sector. Growth in these industries is driving the demand for hydraulic hoses. In the agricultural industry, hydraulic hoses are widely used in various applications such as farming equipment and machinery.

The mining industry requires hydraulic hoses for a range of applications, such as drilling and excavation. The growing demand for minerals is driving demand for hydraulic hoses in this sector. Material handling equipment, such as forklifts and cranes, use hydraulic hoses for their hydraulic systems. The increasing demand for material handling equipment is driving demand for hydraulic hoses.

Advancements in hydraulic hose technology are leading to the development of more efficient and durable products, which is driving demand for hydraulic hoses.

Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, require hydraulic hoses for their hydraulic systems. The growing demand for renewable energy is driving demand for hydraulic hoses in this sector.

Automation in manufacturing and other industries is driving demand for hydraulic hoses, as hydraulic systems are often used in automated machinery and equipment.



Market Restraints:

Hydraulic hoses require regular maintenance to ensure their efficient functioning. The high cost of maintenance acts as a restraint for some users.

In addition to maintenance, hydraulic hoses also need to be replaced periodically due to wear and tear. The high cost of replacement can be a restraint for some users.

Hydraulic hoses can be prone to leaks and spills, which can be harmful to the environment. The increasing environmental concerns are leading to stricter regulations on the use of hydraulic hoses.



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Key Trends:

There is a growing focus on sustainability in the hydraulic hose market, with manufacturers developing eco-friendly products and adopting sustainable practices in their operations.

Advances in material technology are leading to the development of more durable, lightweight, and flexible hydraulic hoses that offer better performance and longer lifespan.

Smart hoses with sensors and monitoring systems are becoming more popular, providing real-time data on hydraulic system performance and enabling predictive maintenance.

As electric and hybrid systems become more popular, there is a shift towards electric and hybrid hydraulic systems that offer improved efficiency, reduced emissions, and lower maintenance requirements.

The integration of IoT and automation technologies is leading to the development of more intelligent and efficient hydraulic systems that can self-monitor, self-adjust, and optimize performance.

Customers are increasingly demanding customized hydraulic hose solutions that meet their specific needs and requirements, driving innovation and differentiation in the market.

With the growing demand for hydraulic hoses in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America, manufacturers are expanding their presence in these regions and adapting their products to local needs and regulations.

The hydraulic hose manufacturing process has seen increased adoption of automation and digitalization technologies. This has led to improved efficiency and productivity, reduced lead times, and increased customization options.

Competitive Landscape:

Key players in the hydraulic hose market are increasingly investing in research and development to create innovative and efficient hydraulic hoses and fittings. This is aimed at improving the performance and durability of hydraulic hoses, reducing maintenance costs, and improving the safety of hydraulic systems.



Moreover, Key players in the hydraulic hose market are investing in advanced manufacturing technologies and processes to enhance the quality and durability of hydraulic hoses. This includes the use of 3D printing, automation, and advanced materials to create high-performance hydraulic hoses that meet the demands of end users.



To expand their product offerings and strengthen their market position, key players in the hydraulic hose market are forming strategic partnerships and collaborations. This allows them to leverage each other's expertise and resources to create innovative hydraulic solutions.

Major Stakeholders

Bridgestone Corporation

Parker Hannifin Corporation

Eaton Corporation

Semperit

RYCO Hydraulics

Sumitomo Riko

Ouya Hose

Gates Corporation

Alfagomma



Key Segments of Hydraulic Hose Industry Research

By Product Type : Reinforced Coiled Corrugated Articulated

By Material : Elastomers or Rubber Fluoropolymers and Silicon Thermoplastics Metal

By Pressure : Low Pressure (Less Than 3,000 psi) Medium Pressure (Between 3,000 and 6,000 psi) High Pressure (More Than 6,000 psi)

By End Use : Agriculture & Forestry Construction Manufacturing/Industrial Mining Transportation Others

By Region : North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa





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Key Questions Covered in the Hydraulic Hose Market Report

What is the projected value of the Hydraulic Hose factors Industry in 2023?

At what rate will the global Hydraulic Hose factors market size grow until 2033?

Which are the factors hampering the growth of Hydraulic Hose factors?

Which region is expected to lead in the global Hydraulic Hose factors market By 2033?

Which are the factors driving the Hydraulic Hose factors Industry during the forecast period?

What is the expected market value of the Hydraulic Hose factors market during the forecast period?

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Hydraulic Hammer Market Forecast: The Global Hydraulic Hammer market is bifurcated into two major segments: Product type, End-use, and region. Based on the product type the hydraulic hammer market can be segregated into heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty. Based on End-use the hydraulic hammer market can be classified as Mining, Construction, Municipal Corporations & Metallurgical.

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Sales of Hydraulic Robot Arms: The global hydraulic robot arm market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 8,397.8 million in 2023 and is expected to progress at a CAGR of 9.8% to reach US$ 21,388.9 million by the end of 2033.In 2023, the global robot market is estimated to be valued around US$ 38,654 million.

Hydraulic Valves Market Survey: The global hydraulic valves market will reach a valuation of US$ 5,459.1 million in 2022 and is expected to progress at a CAGR of 3.8% to reach US$ 7,895.8 million by the end of 2032.

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ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyzon Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: HYZN), a global supplier of zero-emission heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles, today announced the appointment of Andrea Farace to its Board of Directors, effective May 4, 2023. Farace will serve on the Nominating and Governance Committee as an independent director.

Andrea Farace, Hyzon Motors Board of Directors

Farace is an accomplished executive and leader with a long career in finance and general business management. He gained more than 40 years of financial services experience in Mergers and Acquisition, Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Treasury and Transaction Services, Retail and Consumer Finance, and Fintech, with over 20 years in global leadership roles at Citigroup. Farace's deep banking background is complemented by time as a public company CEO and experience in global operating roles across North America, Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

"Andrea brings extensive expertise in finance and governance to the Hyzon Board of Directors, gained from his work as corporate executive and through advisory capacities as board member," said Elaine Wong, Hyzon's Lead Independent Director. "Andrea has a nuanced understanding and first-hand experience navigating the complexities of scaling a global business, which will be invaluable as Hyzon continues to grow and move toward commercialization of its fuel cell electric vehicles."

Farace served as Executive Vice President at Wirecard Card Solutions Limited, where he was responsible for all Wirecard Group divestitures globally working for the court appointed Administrator of the Wirecard AG group. Previously, from 1999 to February 2020, Mr. Farace held several senior positions at business units of Citigroup Inc., as Head of, or Chief Operating Officer of, several businesses including Citi Holdings, Citi Transaction Services, Citi CEEMEA region, Citi Japan Investment Banking and Global Investment Banking.

Since 2022, Farace has served on the Board of HBL Bank UK Ltd, where he is currently Chairman, a full-service banking institution, regulated by the UK PRA and the FCA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Habib Bank Limited, Pakistan, the largest bank in Pakistan. Since 2020, he has served on the private Board of Wirecard Card Solutions Limited (a formerly FCA licensed e-money institution now in voluntary liquidation); and since 2023 on the Board of Ptech Holdings Gmbh, a privately held electronic rating and credit analysis provider for the financial services sector.

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Farace holds a degree in Statistical, Demographic and Actuarial Sciences from the Universita di Roma as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

About Hyzon

Hyzon is a global supplier of fuel cell electric mobility, with US operations in the Rochester, Chicago and Detroit areas, and international operations in the Netherlands, Australia, and China. Hyzon is an energy transition accelerator and technology innovator, providing solutions in the transport sector with a focus on commercial vehicles and hydrogen supply infrastructure. Utilizing its proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, Hyzon's mission is to supply zero-emission heavy duty trucks to customers in North America, Europe and around the world to mitigate emissions from diesel transportation - one of the single largest sources of carbon emissions globally. The Company is contributing to the adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles through its demonstrated technology advantage, fuel cell system performance, and innovation. Visit www.hyzonmotors.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "aims", "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Hyzon disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Hyzon cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Hyzon, including risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Hyzon's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 14, 2023, and other documents filed by Hyzon from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Hyzon gives no assurances that Hyzon will achieve its expectations.

Hyzon Motors Logo (PRNewsfoto/Hyzon Motors Inc.)

Cision

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SOURCE Hyzon Motors Inc.
SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 29 March, on the margins of the In-Cosmetics Barcelona trade fair, the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute (KCII) signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The parties to the agreement look to exchange information on Korea's cosmetics regulation and its impact on the fragrance sector.

Martina Bianchini, President of IFRA, and Lee Jae Ran, President of KCII.

"This MoU is an important opportunity to build further trust and cooperation between IFRA and KCII", said Martina Bianchini, President of IFRA and signatory of the MoU on behalf of the association. "We look forward to exchanging knowledge and together analyzing the impact of the Korea cosmetics regulation, specifically with regards to risk management".

The IFRA Standards promote the safe use of fragrance, and the MOU will inform Korean efforts to boost domestic cosmetics safety management  in addition to regulatory engagement.

"Through this MOU agreement, we will be able to provide the fragrance industry in Korea with an abundance of information on risk management for fragrance ingredients," said Lee Jae Ran, President KCII. "In addition, we will continue to embark on partnerships and business agreements with various institutions that could help elevate companies in Korea."

IFRA Board members participated in the cooperation agreement, including working with KCII researchers. The IFRA President also suggested that there could be a variety of activities, such as assessment of policies that impact the fragrance industry. KCII plans to share a range of information, such as data on Korea's cosmetics regulations, fragrance safety and trends, as well how changes to the IFRA's Standards will affect the domestic sector.

In an effort to generate knowledge, education and close data gaps, IFRA, in collaboration with its National Member Association KFFI and KCII will also jointly interpret emerging policy developments in cosmetics regulation in Korea as they relate to fragrance ingredients. The organisationsjointly assess the impacts of such fragrance-related developments and appropriate response strategies".

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Notes for editors

About IFRA

The International Fragrance Association, founded in 1973, represents the interests of the fragrance industry worldwide. IFRA comprises seven multinational Regular Members and 23 national associations in four global regions representing hundreds of small and medium-sized fragrance manufacturers, as well as supporting members. Its mission is to promote the safe use of fragrance for everyone's enjoyment.

Fragrances are a key platform technology used by consumer goods companies  for fine fragrances, personal care products, household care and more.

IFRA's flagship safe use program, the IFRA Standards, applies safety management measures based on scientific assessment and the evaluations of an independent Expert Panel. The program is at the heart of the IFRA Code of Practice, which applies to all IFRA members globally, including members of IFRA's national associations. The Code also requires members to abide by local, national and international regulation, and to apply good manufacturing practices.

About Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute(KCII)

Founded in 2010, the Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute (KCII) is a subsidiary organization under MoH for promotion of K-beauty industry, which includes government support for various industrial developments. It is the only cosmetics research institution in Korea established with the joint participation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, local governments, and private sector to enhance the international competitiveness of the Korean cosmetics industry and improve public health.

The KCII's board of directors consists of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Cosmetics Association, and major domestic cosmetics companies, and experts in each field are constantly striving for industrial growth.

In particular, KCII is providing programs safety research and support system establishment, quality inspection, global cosmetics industry research and analysis, professional trainings, established a global skin characteristics data bank, and steadily partnering with leading cosmetics organizations on a global basis.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-ran, president of KCII, has worked at the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the South Korea for more than 30 years and has been leading the KCII since 2021 based on a high understanding and expertise in the health industry.

Cision

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SOURCE International Fragrance Association
Key Insights

The projected fair value for IJM Corporation Berhad is RM2.14 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of RM1.58 suggests IJM Corporation Berhad is potentially 26% undervalued

Analyst price target for IJM is RM1.80 which is 16% below our fair value estimate

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of IJM Corporation Berhad (KLSE:IJM) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. 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 IJM Corporation Berhad

The Method

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:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM694.1m RM683.8m RM811.2m RM909.0m RM995.5m RM1.07b RM1.14b RM1.21b RM1.27b RM1.32b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Est @ 12.06% Est @ 9.51% Est @ 7.73% Est @ 6.48% Est @ 5.61% Est @ 5.00% Est @ 4.57% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 15% RM603 RM516 RM532 RM518 RM493 RM461 RM427 RM391 RM357 RM324

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM4.6b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (3.6%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 15%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM1.3b (1 + 3.6%)  (15% 3.6%) = RM12b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM12b ( 1 + 15%)10= RM2.9b

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 RM7.5b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM1.6, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 26% 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

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 IJM Corporation 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 15%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.440. 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 IJM Corporation Berhad

Strength

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Construction market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Dividends are not covered by earnings.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For IJM Corporation Berhad, we've put together three important elements you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for IJM Corporation Berhad that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does IJM'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. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the KLSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks 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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ILUS International Inc.

NEW YORK, NY, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  ILUS International Inc. (OTC: ILUS) is a Mergers and Acquisitions company focused on acquiring and growing companies in the public safety, industrial, defence and renewable sectors. The companys defence subsidiary, Hyperion Defence Solutions, has entered an agreement with Tioga Design Services and Tioga Limited to be the sole worldwide distributor of their innovative suite of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detectors, known as the Superbroom.



IEDs are responsible for approximately 50% of total military deaths and continue to be a major cause of civilian deaths in conflict zones. In Afghanistan alone, IEDs caused 77% (2,347) of civilian casualties across 294 incidents in 2021, and 85% (1,121) of civilian casualties across 68 incidents in 2022. Hundreds of IED attacks occur globally every month, making them a global issue which has resulted in increasingly high demand for more effective Counter IED technology.

Tim Grey, Director of Hyperion Defence Solutions says: We are delighted to take on the marketing and distribution of this world class Counter IED (C-IED) detector. It is a game changer and offers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and search teams an unparalleled level of confidence in detecting IED triggers and devices, coupled with an extremely low training burden.

Hyperion is already pursuing significant contracts in two nations for the Superbroom and will continue to market the suite of devices around the world, for deployment in both military and civilian Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams as well as for surveillance purposes.

The Superbroom range of products combines Non-Linear Junction Detectors (NLJD) and Metal Detectors (MD) operating at power levels contingent with the task being performed. Originally conceived in the 1940s by Charles Bovill, the NLJD was originally used to detect corrosion underneath the painted surfaces of aircraft. Over time he realised that it could be used to detect and locate Non-Linear Junctions used in electronics and the device was then refined to be used for counter surveillance sweeps before being further developed to incorporate harmonic receivers, a broad band and metal detector. More recently, the Superbroom was developed and trialled for detecting high and low metal content IED triggering devices and has been successfully integrated into specialist search teams deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Fellow Hyperion Director, Chris Derbyshire, added, This marks the first Hyperion agreement in this capability area, and it represents the cornerstone of our C-IED offering as any IED must first be detected before it can be dealt with. We will add to our portfolio of world class C-IED products and services over the coming weeks and we are excited to offer nations the tools and training that will save the lives of not only their EOD operators but any civilian or military personnel being targeted by such devices.

Russell Hoyle, Chairman of Tioga Limited and Tioga Design Limited, commented: We are excited by the prospects for this distribution agreement with Hyperion Defence Solutions. Both Tim and Chris have demonstrated a real depth of understanding about both the market and the product as well as its capabilities, and I am extremely optimistic for this new partnership.

This is an important first agreement signed by our Defence subsidiary as this most effective C-IED technology directly serves the growing demand from military and international organizations. From an ILUS point of view, we are most excited to be delivering our vision which began with the protection of communities and front-line personnel and has expanded to include the protection of countries and military operators. Although this represents only the first of many deals in 2023 for Hyperion, we are incredibly proud of the work they are doing and the positive impact which ILUS and its Shareholders can be involved in as a result, concluded ILUS Managing Director, John-Paul Backwell.

About Hyperion Defence Solutions:

Hyperion Defence Solutions was incorporated in the United Kingdom (hence the UK standard spelling of the word defence) to deliver effective capability to the Defence, Security and Public Safety Sectors for the purpose of protecting countries, communities, and operators from complex and ever-changing threats. The company aims to deliver capability in the form of equipment, infrastructure, training, doctrine, logistics, personnel, organisation, and interoperability. More information can be found on the companys website: https://hyperion-defence.com

For further information on ILUS, please see its communication channels:

Website: https://ilus-group.com

Twitter: @ILUS_INTL

Email: IR@Ilus-Group.com

Source: ILUS

Related Links

https://ilus-group.com

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain information set forth in this press release contains "forward-looking information", including "future-oriented financial information" and "financial outlook", under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, the information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements and includes, but is not limited to, the (i) projected financial performance of the Company; (ii) completion of, and the use of proceeds from, the sale of the shares being offered hereunder; (iii) the expected development of the Company's business, projects, and joint ventures; (iv) execution of the Company's vision and growth strategy, including with respect to future M&A activity and global growth; (v) sources and availability of third-party financing for the Company's projects; (vi) completion of the Company's projects that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration; (vi) renewal of the Company's current customer, supplier and other material agreements; and (vii) future liquidity, working capital, and capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management's beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has provided guidance to issuers regarding the use of social media to disclose material non-public information. In this regard, investors and others should note that we announce material financial information via official Press Releases, in addition to SEC filings, press releases, Questions & Answers sessions, public conference calls and webcasts also may take time from time to time. We use these channels as well as social media to communicate with the public about our company, our services, and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, considering the SEC's guidance, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the following social & media channels:

website: https://ilus-group.com Twitter: OTC_ILUS

Note: ILUS Coin does not sit within ILUS International Inc (Ilustrato Pictures International Inc), so the public are recommended to follow the correct Media Channels relating to the public company OTC: ILUS




WEST HILLS, Calif., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc. ("ImmPACT BIO"), a clinical-stage company developing transformative logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced that it will participate at the 2023 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference, to be held from May 16-17, 2023 in New York, NY.

(PRNewsfoto/ImmPACT Bio USA Inc.)

Sumant Ramachandra, ImmPACT Bio's Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 11:30 AM ET. To access a live webcast of the presentation, please contact your RBC Capital Markets representative.

About ImmPACT Bio

ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc., is a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer patients who have exhausted their treatment options. The company's logic-gate-based CAR T-cell platforms, licensed from UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG), address key biological challenges in treating cancer. ImmPACT Bio's technologies are specifically designed to prevent antigen escape, and to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company's technology is based on the work of pioneering scientists Yvonne Chen, Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., both from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition, another logic-gate-based CAR T-cell technology is based on the work of Gideon Gross, Ph.D., from the MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, to address the prevention of 'on-target  off-tumor' toxicities.

For more information, visit www.immpact-bio.com.

Cision

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SOURCE ImmPACT Bio
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin on March 21. Sputnik/Sergei Karpukhin/Pool via Reuters

Russia's status as a resource of security in Central Asia has weakened, a new GIS report says.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Moscow and Beijing has become increasingly skewed toward China.

"The main question for Beijing is how much it will capitalize on the Russian vanishing act."

Russia's standing as a world power has deteriorated since its invasion of Ukraine began, and that presents an opportunity for China to take advantage of Moscow's weakening economy, according to a report from Geopolitical Intelligence Services.

Before Vladimir Putin started the war last year, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the pair spoke of a "limitless friendship."

But to GIS expert and economist Stefan Hedlund, ties between the two countries have tilted unequally away from Russia. Since the war started, Beijing has helped itself to Russian resources while providing little in return.

There's been little direct investment from China in the rollout of the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, for example, even though Russia did expect to gain from the project. Plus, the promise for China to help build a high-speed railway between Moscow and Kazan also did not pan out.

As if to add insult to injury, Hedlund pointed out, China is set to host the China-Central Asia Summit on May 18 without Russia.

"Closer to home, the implosion of Russia as a great power has wide-ranging implications for Central Asia," Hedlund said. "It has long been assumed that there is an implicit separation of roles between Moscow and Beijing  Russia provides security while China delivers investment and business development. If that compact ever existed, it no longer does now."

Russia's armed intervention in Kazakhstan in 2022 may have been Moscow's "last stand" in Central Asia, he added, as joint military drills with other countries have been canceled.

And with Russia's economy under pressure, the Kremlin's future role in regional trade and development is in doubt.

Story continues

"The main question for Beijing is how much it will capitalize on the Russian vanishing act," Hedlund said.

China, for its part, saw its investment in Central Asia soar to about $40 billion by the end of 2020. At the end of 2022, too, Chinese trade with the region had reached $70 billion, marking a 40% jump from the prior year.

Meanwhile, Turkey also looks poised to take on a greater role in Central Asia as Russia's continues to shrink, Hedlund said.

"As Russia is being phased out of Central Asia, Turkey and China will become the most active players. In such a competition, the brute strength of the Chinese economy will give Beijing an edge that Ankara's economy cannot match."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Persistence Market Research

Market Study on PET Radioactive Tracers: Two-fifths Market Share Accounted for by F-18 Radioactive Tracers

New York, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Increased funding for research and development of radiopharmaceuticals to accelerate the discovery and production of new radiopharmaceuticals has led the global PET Radioactive Tracers Market to reach US$ 937.98 million in 2022 and reach US$ 1.92 billion by the end of 2033. The market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2023 to 2033.

Demand for PET scanners in cancer diagnosis has increased significantly over the past few years. The technology offers a sophisticated diagnostic tool with the capability to detect disease progression at each stage, thereby helping in early disease diagnosis. Immuno-PET is a technique that uses radiolabeled compounds to target specific cancer cells. This technique helps visualize the distribution and accumulation of immunotherapy drugs in tumors, allowing for personalized treatment planning.

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PET can be used to determine the prognosis of cancer patients. The degree of uptake of radiotracers in tumors can provide information on tumor aggressiveness, allowing for more accurate predictions of patient outcomes. Furthermore, availability of SPECT and PET scanning machines has increased the utilization of radio-diagnostics and radiotherapy worldwide.

For example, the number of PET scanning devices installed per capita in North America is higher than that in Europe.

Increasing awareness among patients and healthcare providers about the benefits of PET and SPECT imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases has led to an increase in demand for these modalities.

According to the American Nuclear Society, 90% of radioisotopes are used in gamma cameras or PET scans for nuclear diagnostics. The remaining 10% is used in radioactive therapeutics to treat diseases such as cancer, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neurological disorders.

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As a result, demand for these imaging modalities is growing, which is reflected in the increasing number of PET and SPECT scanners around the world. All these factors are creating lucrative opportunities for producers of PET radioactive tracers.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

The global PET radioactive tracers market is forecasted to reach US$ 1.92 billion by the end of 2033.

F-18 radioactive tracers held a market share of 39.9% in 2022.

The cancer diagnosis & prognosis segment accounted for 45.4% share of the global market in 2022.

Hospitals held a market share of 41.6% in 2022.

The United States contributed US$ 310.57 million to the North American market revenue in 2022.

Growing demand for personalized medicine and increasing production of radioisotopes are anticipated to augment the demand for PET radioactive tracers over the coming years, says an analyst at Persistence Market Research.

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Market Competition

Manufacturers of radioactive tracers are responding to increasing competition and patient expectations by investing in initiatives such as boosting research and development spending through clinical partnerships and acquisitions, aimed at creating cost-effective products.

Top Key Players are Eli Lilly and Company, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Lantheus, Siemens Healthcare Private Limited, GE Healthcare, Advanced Accelerator Applications (Novartis), University of Lowa HealthCare, Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited, Jubilant Radiopharma, TRASIS, RadioMedix Inc., IBA Radiopharma Solutions, Piramal Imaging (Life Molecular Imaging), Cardinal Health, DuchemBio, Co., Ltd

Recent Developments

In March 2023, Telix Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for a supplementary New Drug Application (sNDA) for Illuccix, a kit designed for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection. The approval allows the use of Illuccix in selecting patients with metastatic prostate cancer who would benefit from 177Lu 177 PSMA-directed therapy.

In January 2021, Blue Earth Diagnostics acquired exclusive rights to Scintomic's rhPSMA (Radiohybrid Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) technology for prostate cancer treatment.

What Does the Report Cover?

Persistence Market Research offers a unique perspective and actionable insights on the PET radioactive tracers market in its latest study, presenting a historical demand assessment for 2018 to 2022 and projections for 2023 to 2033.

The research study is based on product (F-18 {florbetapir, florbetaben, flutemetamol, fludeoxyglucose, sodium fluoride, others}, C-11 {choline, methionine, others}, Ga-68 {DOTA-TOC, DOTATATE, DOTANOC, others}, O-15, N-13, Cu-64), application (neurological disorders {Alzheimers disease, dementia, others}, cancer diagnosis & prognosis {solid tumors, haematology tumors}, cardiac dysfunctions {myocardial infarction, others}, infectious disease diagnosis, others), and end user (hospitals, speciality diagnostic centers, cancer research centers, academic & research institutes), across 10 key regions of the world.

For additional insights on how the growth of the PET radioactive tracers market will unfold over the decade, write to the analyst at media@persistencemarketresearch.com

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Our expert team of industry analysts comprising management graduates, medical professionals, engineers, and project managers provides insights on emerging therapy areas, diagnostic tools, medical devices and components, reimbursement and market access, biotechnology, and life science research products and services to equip decision-makers with sound inputs and strategic recommendations. Click here to learn more about how we zero in on the critical aspects of this industry.

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By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) - Intel Corp and Boston Consulting Group on Wednesday said they are working together to sell generative artificial intelligence tools to big businesses.

Generative AI is the class of technology behind popular chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT that can reply to queries with human-like text. Google owner Alphabet Inc and Microsoft Corp are revamping their search engines with AI technology to provide answers to questions rather than lists of links.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Intel worked together on similar technology so that BCG's employees could put the group's half century worth of archives - much of which is in the form of reports and presentations - to better use. Previously, BCG employees conducted a keyword search and had to click through each document to see whether it contained what they were looking for.

With the new system, the AI system can answer employees' questions using the archive or summarize entire documents.

"We're in the knowledge business and the expertise business. Rarely are we just looking for one piece of something on the page," said Suchi Srinivasan, a managing director and partner at BCG.

The system was developed on a supercomputer built by Intel with its Xeon central processors and Habana AI chips. Intel built the supercomputer and software so that BCG did not have to share its data with Intel.

"The number of times Intel actually saw that data is zero," said Kavitha Prasad, Intel's vice president and general manager of data center, AI and cloud execution and strategy.

Intel and BCG said they plan to start selling some of the technology they have developed to help other companies to train AI systems using the customer's proprietary data, without having to share it with Intel or BCG. Srinivasan said the two will target industries like financial services, which have strict rules over data storage and sharing.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Newgame SA

Geneva, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investor group NewGAMe challenges Swiss Takeover Boards decision on Liontrust's all-share offer for GAM

Geneva, 10 May 2023  The investor group comprised of NewGAMe SA and Bruellan (the "Group"), which controls approximately 8.4% of the issued share capital of GAM Holding AG (GAM), has formally challenged the decision of the Swiss Takeover Board (TOB) regarding Liontrust Asset Management PLC's (Liontrust) announced exchange offer for GAM.

The Group is calling for the removal of a key condition of Liontrust's announced exchange offer which would allow Liontrust to withdraw its offer if a proposed exit of GAMs fund management services (FMS) business is not achieved. This condition makes the offer unfair to GAM's shareholders, needlessly favours the bidder and is contrary to the principles of Swiss takeover law.

The condition would allow Liontrust to profit from the upside of a potential sale while suffering none of the consequences of a failed divestiture, which GAMs shareholders would bear in full. From a technical perspective, the condition is also inconsistent with Swiss takeover law in that it is broadly worded, such that its satisfaction is in effect left to the discretion of GAM and Liontrust.

Other concerns raised by the Group include the following:

Under the timetable announced by Liontrust, GAM's shareholders would have until 11 August 2023 to accept Liontrust's offer, but may not receive the Liontrust's shares offered in exchange before the end of 2023 or beyond. During that period, shareholders would not be in a position to sell their GAM shares, nor withdraw their acceptances (in the absence of a withdrawal right under Swiss law), nor receive a competing offer.





The TOB has granted various exemptions to Liontrust, which allow it to disregard trades carried out by one of its fund management subsidiaries prior to the offer announcement when establishing the minimum price of the offer and considering the need to propose a cash alternative to the all-share offer. It is the Groups view that the conditions for such an exemption are not met, notably because the TOB does not have the authority to exempt Liontrust from compliance with Swiss takeover rules' minimum price requirement.





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The Group is calling for the TOB to remove the condition regarding the sale of the FMS business from Liontrusts offer, for which it is due to publish a detailed prospectus by 9 June 2023. The Group also calls on Liontrust to include trading activity in GAM in its offer documents in order for shareholders to fully assess whether the offer complies with the Swiss minimum price requirement as well as the rules regarding cash alternatives.





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/




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 At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Keller Group plc (LON:KLR), since the last five years saw the share price fall 39%. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 20% in the last 90 days.

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 Keller Group

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 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).

During the five years over which the share price declined, Keller Group's earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 12% each year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 9% compound annual share price fall. So the market may previously have expected a drop, or else it expects the situation will improve.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Keller Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Keller Group's TSR for the last 5 years was -22%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

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A Different Perspective

Keller Group shareholders are down 13% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 6.4%. 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 4% 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 - Keller Group has 5 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

Keller Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. 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 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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ROME, May 10 (Reuters) - Italian industrial output was weaker than expected in March, falling 0.6% from February to register a third consecutive month of contraction, data showed on Wednesday.

A Reuters survey of 20 analysts had pointed to a 0.3% monthly rise.

On a work-day adjusted year-on-year basis, national statistics bureau ISTAT said output fell 3.2% in March against an analyst forecast of a 2.3% decline. February's month-on-month and year-on-year readings were unchanged at -0.2% and -2.3% respectively.

In the three months to March, industrial output in the euro zone's third largest economy was down 0.1% compared with the previous quarter.

March saw falls month-on-month in the output of consumer goods, intermediate goods and energy products, while the production of investment goods increased.

Data released late last month showed that Italy's economy grew by 0.5% in the first quarter from the previous three months, a stronger recovery than expected after a slight contraction at the end of last year.

However, a closely watched survey released last week said Italy's manufacturing sector shrank in April, ending three months of growth, as production and new orders fell and purchasing activity was sharply reduced.

ISTAT gave the following details.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION MARCH FEB JAN

Mth/mth pct change (adjusted) -0.6 -0.2 -0.5

Yr/yr pct change (adjusted) -3.2 -2.3 1.6

Yr/yr pct change (unadjusted) -3.3 -2.2 4.7

NOTE: BASE 2015=100.

(r) indicates revised figures.

ISTAT provided the following breakdown by broad product group in March: adjusted month-on-month percent change.

Consumer goods -1.4

Investment goods 0.7

Intermediate goods -0.4

Energy goods -1.4

((Crispian Balmer, rome.newsroom@news.reuters.com))

Keywords: ITALY ECONOMY/OUTPUT
MILAN (Reuters) - Shareholders of Italy's Eni voted on Wednesday for the board members proposed by the Italian Treasury, clearing the way for Claudio Descalzi to serve as the CEO of the energy group for an unprecedented fourth term.

The newly-elected board of directors, including Descalzi and former tax police general Giuseppe Zafarana who was appointed chairman, was expected to meet on Thursday to formalise Descalzi's CEO nomination.

The manager is on course to become the longest-serving company head at state-controlled Eni since its foundation in 1953.

He has held the job since 2014, and last year helped the Italian government secure alternative gas supplies as Moscow curtailed its flows to Italy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Around 77% of shareholders registered for the annual general meeting have voted for the nine-member board presented by the Treasury, which owns 4.4% of Eni's capital. Italian state lender CDP has another 26.2% stake in the company.

(Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro and Francesca Landini, editing by Alvise Armellini and Chizu Nomiyama)
Jennifer McCormick speaks on the steps of the 1855 Courthouse Friday, May 5, 2023, during a stop in downtown South Bend after her announcement that she is running as a Democrat for governor in Indiana.

SOUTH BEND  Indiana's former education chief, Jennifer McCormick, said she wants to restore common sense to Indiana politics.

She officially announced her candidacy as a Democrat on Thursday with speeches in New Castle, Terre Haute and Evansville. Her visit to South Bend on Friday was sandwiched between stops to Fort Wayne and Gary.

McCormick has teased a gubernatorial run for months and formed an exploratory committee late last year.

She's the first Democrat to announce a campaign and joins a field with several well-known names in Republican politics. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden are all vying to lead the GOP's ticket.

2024: McCormick joins Indiana governor's race as Democrat

McCormick last held public office as a Republican from January 2017 to January 2021, when she served as Indiana's superintendent of public instruction. She was the last publicly elected official to hold the position after a change in state law moved the role from an elected to an appointed position. The shift came following years of divided opinion about education policy between Indiana's GOP majority and the state's superintendents.

McCormick is a long-time educator and was elected state superintendent after spending decades as a public school teacher, principal and superintendent in Yorktown, just west of Muncie. She succeeded Democrat Glenda Ritz as the state's top education official, but she frequently broke with fellow Republicans at the Statehouse.

She joined Gary Democrat Eddie Melton in a statewide tour in 2019 and endorsed Democratic challenger Dr. Woody Myers in 2020's gubernatorial election, signaling her eventual shift away from the Republican party.

She was vocal in her final months in office, encouraging educators to pay close attention to who they support for governor given the executive's increasing influence over public education.

Jennifer McCormick shakes the hand of a woman after she spoke on the steps of the 1855 Courthouse Friday, May 5, 2023, during a stop in downtown South Bend after her announcement that she is running as a Democrat for governor in Indiana.

McCormick: 'It's time for someone to stand up'

McCormick's candidacy signals that education, which has become a political flashpoint nationally, will likely be a leading issue in the 2024 race. A statement from state GOP Chair Kyle Hupfer foreshadowed this.

Story continues

"Democrat Jennifer McCormick believes that teachers and administrators know what's best for our children and that parents should have no say in what happens in our schools," Hupfer said, referencing a growing, predominantly Republican-driven debate over parents' role in educational decision making.

In the years since McCormick stepped away from public office, fervor has grown in Indiana, as it has across the country, about so-called "culture war" topics such as critical race theory being taught to young students  something many public educators have flatly denied is happening.

Statehouse: These new laws will impact Indiana classrooms

Crouch has expressed public support for a recently passed education bill prohibiting schools from teaching human sexuality before third grade and requiring educators to notify parents if their child requests use of different pronouns at school. Opponents of the legislation fear it could prematurely "out" transgender students to their family, leaving lasting emotional damage in unsupportive environments.

McCormick called education policy passed this session, and signed into law as recently as this week, "beyond ridiculous." She pointed to recent legislation limiting the rights of LGBTQ people and a state budget that diverted half a billion dollars to scholarships for private schools, which educate fewer than 10% of Indiana's students.

"It's time for someone to stand up and say this doesn't make sense," McCormick said. "There were a lot of pieces of legislation that a lot of people said, 'Why are they doing that?' That's what we deem a distraction to take us away from the real issues. However, those have real impacts on schools, on families, on kids, on our future."

Jennifer McCormick speaks on the steps of the 1855 Courthouse Friday, May 5, 2023, during a stop in downtown South Bend after her announcement that she is running as a Democrat for governor in Indiana.

Ex-superintendent seeks path with Indiana Democrats

Outside of education issues, McCormick will look to galvanize voters around issues such as affordable health care, the economy and public safety. On abortion, McCormick said she agrees with the standards established in Roe v. Wade but that pregnant people should be able to make their own health care decisions.

"I do believe that women should have the right to choose," McCormick said. "A woman should be able to determine who's making that decision with her. Is it a physician? Is it a type of clinic that you visited? Is it a family member? That's your own body, and as a mom, as a woman, I know the importance of being able to make those health care decisions all the way around."

McCormick was flanked by city and county Democrats as she made her pitch for bringing a return to common sense governance. State Rep. Maureen Bauer introduced the gubernatorial hopeful saying "there is no doubt that many of us here today are worried about the future of the state," and that McCormick "will protect the best interest of Hoosiers."

Indiana finance: Vouchers get boost as state lawmakers pass $44.5B budget

State Democrats, however, have not successfully elected a candidate to the governor's seat since Frank O'Bannon, who served from 1997 until his death in 2003. And, if elected, McCormick would still likely be met with a Republican supermajority at the Statehouse.

She says Democrats for years have been pushing to lessen the partisan divide in Indianapolis, though they've been met with resistance. As the former Republican state superintendent, McCormick said, she routinely worked with members of both parties.

"I'm willing to work with them," McCormick said. "It just depends on if they're willing to work with us. I think you have seen by all the Democrats at the Statehouse, they are hungry for that bipartisanship and that willingness to reach across the aisle. You have to have that reciprocated. It doesn't work if you don't."

Dyngus Day: Can South Bend Democrats unite after May 2 primary?

Diana Hess, chair of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, said local members of the party had urged McCormick to run for governor last year when she spoke at the Democrats' annual gala. McCormick was also recently in town for Dyngus Day. Hess said she thinks McCormick has what Democrats need to take the state office.

"People in the state and in the community are getting frustrated with the one-sidedness," Hess said. "She shares our values, she's a very dynamic speaker, she's done her homework on this, and I don't think she was going to enter if she didn't think there was a chance she could win."

The gubernatorial election is Nov. 5, 2024.

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: McCormick kicks off 2024 gubernatorial campaign with stop in South Bend
CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The use and integration of technology by law enforcement agencies into their daily operations with a focus on enhancing productivity, teamwork, and public safety is expected to drive the growth of the law enforcement software market.

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The global Law Enforcement Software Market size is expected to grow from USD 16.4 billion in 2023 to USD 25.6 billion by 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.3% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Increased rates and the changing nature of crime are major drivers for the rise in the need for innovative law enforcement solutions and services. Governments worldwide constantly focus on reforming laws, regulations, and policies to fight against crime and enhance public security. Law enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Law Enforcement Software Market"

223 - Tables

52 - Figures

250 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=8292078

Scope of the Report

Report Metrics Details Market size available for years 20182028 Base year considered 2022 Forecast period 20232028 Forecast units Value (USD Million/Billion) Segments Covered Component, Solutions, Services, Deployment Type, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America Companies Covered Some of the major Law Enforcement Software Market vendors are IBM Corporation (US), Accenture Plc (Ireland), Motorola Solutions Inc (US), Axon Enterprise Inc (Australia), NICE Ltd (Israel), Esri (US), Nuance Communication (US), Palantir Technologies Inc (US), Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure (US), and Genetec (Canada).

Law enforcement agencies and public safety organizations must be prepared to handle the problems of updated legislation as laws and regulations frequently change or are improved. Law enforcement software solutions enable these agencies to meet these challenges. These software solutions facilitate incident response and information management while enhancing public safety.

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By solutions, the computer-sided dispatch segment to capture the highest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market, by solutions, includes computer-aided dispatch (CAD), case management, incident response, record management, jail management, and digital policing. Based on solutions, the CAD segment is estimated to account for the highest market share. An essential component of the operations of public safety agencies has been the usability of a reliable CAD system. As CAD system software evolves, it becomes capable of significantly more capability than just basic record-keeping. Law enforcement uses CAD in conjunction with records management systems, portable data terminals, and outside programs to give first responders and 911 dispatchers the most modern tools possible to assist their communities. Also, CAD enables dispatch centers to thoroughly examine the circumstance and status of units sent out. Law enforcement software providers have upgraded their CAD system to merge it with GPS Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and contemporary wireless communications to provide proactive support to patrol personnel, crime analysts, police supervisors, and administrators.

Based on services, the implementation segment is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market, by services, is segmented into implementation, training and support, and consulting services. As per service, the implementation segment is estimated to account for the largest market share based on services. By using implementation services, agencies can avoid the difficulties of adopting and integrating technological solutions for law enforcement. They make it possible for law enforcement organizations and agencies to use more modern technologies to secure and safeguard society. The procedure entails assessing the agencies' demands, comprehending the current systems' operational functionalities, and incorporating value-added features in line with the necessary specifications. IBM Corporation, Nuance Communication, NEC Corporation, and Accenture Plc are some of the key vendors offering implementation services in the Law Enforcement Software Market. Implementation services eliminate information silos that have been around for a long time in law enforcement by combining data from many sources and diverse platforms. Implementation services are easily adaptable, offer the greatest assistance, and can be completely customized. These services are crucial for lowering risks, simplifying processes, and increasing investment returns.

North America is projected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period

The Law Enforcement Software Market has been segmented by region into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. As per region, North America is estimated to account for the largest market share in the global Law Enforcement Software Market in 2023, and this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. When it comes to smart technology applications North America has always been at the forefront. Since the economies of North America are strong and established, organizations can invest in R&D and significantly contribute to the development of new technologies. Numerous law enforcement and governmental organizations are attempting to enhance security infrastructure in the US and Canada. For instance, the Canadian government established the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Center to monitor cybersecurity issues and propose solutions. As terrorist organizations increasingly use the internet to support their fundraising and publicity activities, the Canadian government is launching outreach and public awareness initiatives to inform people about the possible dangers of cyberspace. To combat terrorism and violent extremism, the US and Canadian governments frequently work with law enforcement agencies. In addition, different industry players in the region are boosting their investments in cloud-based law enforcement solutions. The prominent law enforcement software vendors in the region include IBM, Motorola Solutions, and Axon. These vendors are investing heavily in the adoption of cloud-based law enforcement solutions.

Inquiry Before Buying @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=8292078

Law Enforcement Software Market Dynamics

Driver:

Increasing modern technology integration in law enforcement software

Rising instances of criminal activities and breaches

Increasing focus on community-oriented policing

Increasing investment in public safety measures for smart cities

Rising adoption of cloud-based solutions for law enforcement

Restraint:

Lack of skilled professionals

Government compliances and regulations

Opportunities:

Increase in ransomware attacks to boost market.

Integration of AI and ML technologies

Incorporation of big data analytics in public safety

Challenges:

Integration of logical and physical components of security systems

Lack of efficient storage and data management capacities

Top Key Companies in Law Enforcement Software Market:

Some of the major Law Enforcement Software vendors are IBM Corporation (US), Accenture Plc (Ireland), Motorola Solutions Inc (US), Axon Enterprise Inc (Australia), NICE Ltd (Israel), Esri (US), Nuance Communication (US), Palantir Technologies Inc (US), Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure (US), and Genetec (Canada).

Recent developments:

In March 2023, Motorola Solutions unveiled the new Avigilon Security Suite, which offers secure, scalable, and adaptable video security and access management to enterprises of all sizes worldwide. The Avigilon security suite comprises the on-premises Avigilon Unity and cloud-native Avigilon Alta systems.

In November 2022, Oracle launched a new technology platform for law enforcement and first responders. The platform offers software and unified hardware suite for removing data silos, empower first responders with real-time information to eliminate busy manual work which in turn can help in taking more objective decisions. The suite includes a dispatch command center, law enforcement records, jail management software, body-worn devices, and real-time video communication tools.

In August 2021, the decision-making system, Genetec Mission Control, released a new version. Tracking important data during active issues, creating robust automation, and auditing occurrences are all simplified in version 3.0.2. Moreover, it enhances Mission Control's maintenance capabilities, lowering security risks and the need for administrative participation in routine activities.

Law Enforcement Software Market Advantages

Many functions that can be automated by law enforcement software, such as scheduling, dispatching, and record keeping, can be done so while also saving time and improving productivity.

In order to better coordination and collaboration, police enforcement organisations, departments, and people can communicate more easily thanks to software.

Law enforcement software can store and handle enormous volumes of data, including case files, incident reports, and criminal histories, which can enhance the accuracy and completeness of the data.

Law enforcement employees can receive real-time data from law enforcement software, enabling them to react to emergencies and other occurrences more swiftly and effectively improving public safety.

By automating processes and increasing productivity, law enforcement software can contribute to cost savings over time.

Report Objectives

To determine and forecast the global Law Enforcement Software Market based on components, solutions, services, deployment types, and regions from 2023 to 2028 and analyze various macro and microeconomic factors affecting the market growth.

To forecast the market size of five main regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America

To analyze subsegments concerning individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the total market.

To provide detailed information about the major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) influencing the market's growth.

To provide recession impact on the adoption of law enforcement software adoption.

To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape of the major players.

To comprehensively analyze the core competencies of the key players in the market.

To track and analyze competitive developments, such as product/solution launches and enhancements, business expansions, acquisitions, partnerships, and contracts and collaborations, in the market.

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IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association will host a fireside chat on Thursday, May 18 at 2pm ET with senior management from Regis Corp. (NYSE: RGS). The live event will feature Matthew Doctor, President and Chief Executive Officer and Kersten Zupfer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and will be hosted by IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone and Editor-at-Large Jarrett Banks in a moderated video session lasting approximately 60 minutes including a Q&A with the audience.

To register, CLICK HERE

Mr. Doctor and Ms. Zupfer will discuss:

How the company differentiated in its industry; competitive strengths

Milestones the company has achieved since Mr. Doctor took the helm as CEO

Improvement in finanicials and the elevated platform in place to continue to deliver consistent profitability

Key priorities for the business in fiscal 2023 and 2024

How the company is positioned in a dynamic environment

What Regis Corp. is most excited about going forward

About the speakers:

Matthew Doctor was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors of Regis Corporation in May 2022. He served as interim Chief Executive Officer since December 2021. He joined the company in February 2021 as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer. Previously, Matt was a Partner and Chief Financial Officer for Kava Restaurants, a Tim Hortons franchisee. Prior to his time at Kava, Matt held several roles at Restaurant Brands International (RBI), owner of the Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes brands. At RBI, he was Head of Global Development and Franchisee Performance for Burger King, led mergers and acquisitions in Asia for Burger King, and led development efforts for Tim Hortons. Matt started his career as an Investment Banker for J.P. Morgan in New York, where he executed several M&A and Capital Markets transactions for Financial Institution clients. Matt received a BBA with Distinction from Emory Universitys Goizueta Business School.

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Kersten Zupfer was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in November 2019. Kersten has served in accounting and finance roles of increasing leadership at Regis for more than 12 years. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since November 2017, prior to which she served as Vice President, Corporate Controller, Chief Accounting Officer since December 2014. In this role, Kersten has responsibility for all of Regis accounting, external financial reporting, and financial controls, including, SEC reporting, accounting policy, and technical accounting. She joined Regis in 2007 serving in a range of accounting leadership roles. Kersten holds a bachelors degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota and is a certified public accountant (inactive). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. Kersten started her career at Arthur Andersen LLP

About Regis Corp.

Regis Corporation (NYSE:RGS) is a leader in the haircare industry. As of March 31, 2023, the Company franchised, owned or held ownership interests in 5,203 locations worldwide. Regis franchised and corporate locations operate under concepts such as Supercuts, SmartStyle, Cost Cutters, Roosters and First Choice Haircutters.

Contact:

IPO-Edge.com

Editor@IPO-Edge.com

Twitter: @IPOEdge

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Freight brokerage Lipsey Logistics recently announced layoffs. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Lipsey Logistics has confirmed that it was forced to cut a number of jobs as the result of a constrained and declining freight market.

We have taken [the] initiative for restructuring, controlling cost and mainstreaming efficiencies, which included a reduction of our workforce, Kendal Helms, vice president of human resources for Lipsey Logistics, said in a statement to FreightWaves on Monday.

A source familiar with the layoffs said an estimated 20 jobs were cut. Helms declined to disclose the exact number of employees affected or the percentage of the companys workforce that was part of the layoffs.

The reduction in force was based on business necessity, and our initiatives kept the loss of employees minimal in comparison to other companies in our industry, Helms said.

FreightWaves Rachel Premack reported in February that freight brokerages had seen massive cuts of around 1,000 jobs in the first two months of the year. That number continues to rise because of record-low freight rates amid soaring operating costs.

Helms said Lipsey plans to support the employees who were impacted by the recent layoffs.





We have always valued our employees and deeply regret the need for this action, she said.

Do you have a news tip to share? Send me an email or message me @cage_writer on Twitter. Your name will not be used without your permission.

Read more articles here:

Former Slync CEO indicted on charges of swindling $25M from investors

Insiders say Flock Freight is a toxic dumpster fire with only months of cash left

Former Lipsey Logistics employees blindsided by layoffs at Chattanooga office

The post Lipsey Logistics blames weak freight market for layoffs appeared first on FreightWaves.
MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED

Low Voltage Power Cable Market size in the Asia Pacific to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Low Voltage Power Cable Market research has been done by segmented into: Installation, Products, and End-user.

Pune, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Maximize Market Research, the global Low Voltage Power Cable Market was USD 105 Bn in 2021 and is expected to become USD 163 Bn at a CAGR of 6.5 percent during the forecast period. A global Energy and Power business-consulting firm, Maximize Market Research, has published a market intelligence and competitive landscape report on the  Low Voltage Power Cable Market .



Low Voltage Power Cable Market Report Scope and Research Methodology

Market Size in 2022 USD 105 Bn. Market Size in 2029 USD 163 Bn. CAGR 6.5 percent (2022-2029) Forecast Period 2023-2029 Base Year 2022 Number of Pages 272 No. of Tables 117 No. of Charts and Figures 114 Segment Covered Installation, Products and End user Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis.

Request For Free Sample Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/187007

The report covers Low Voltage Power Cable Market segmentation, development trend, application, industry overview and competitive landscape. It also includes product demand by region production numbers and factors that affect the market. Detailed information about the important Low Voltage Power Cable key players with their strategies to increase their presence in the market has been provided in the report. It includes an in-depth analysis of business performance, product portfolio and innovations by market participants.

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The bottom-up approach was used to estimate the global and regional Low Voltage Power Cable Market size. Both primary and secondary research methods were used to collect the data for the Low Voltage Power Cable Market report. The secondary sources include official databases of various organizations and government sites, annual or financial reports, industry journals, and releases of product manufacturers and suppliers in the Low Voltage Power Cable industry along with free and paid databases. The primary sources are manufacturers, technology developers, distributors, service providers, experts from core and related industries and organizations related to all segments related to the Low Voltage Power Cable industrys supply chain . SWOT analysis was used to provide the strengths and weaknesses of the Low Voltage Power Cable manufacturers while PESTLE was employed to understand the potential impact of the macro-economic and micro-economic factors affecting the Low Voltage Power Cable Market.

Low Voltage Power Cable Market Overview

Low Voltage Cables are used for transmitting power at relatively low voltages that are below 1000 volts. These cables are used in a wide range of applications such as telecommunications , power distribution, data centres, sound and security alarms, video surveillance, etc. The increasing demand for energy and the growing construction industry are the factors because of which the market is growing in recent years.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/187007

Low Voltage Power Cable Market Dynamics

The increasing number of small-scale industries has driven the market over the last decade. The mining activities also contribute to the growth of the market because the mining industry requires equipment that works on low voltage. The need and utilization of Low Voltage cables are increasing due to the rising need for an uninterrupted power supply, which has increased power generation, distribution, and transmission across the world. A huge investment is required for the implementation of the low-voltage cable roll out programs to make electricity available at the required location.

Low Voltage Power Cable Market Regional Insights

The Low Voltage Power Cable Market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at a high rate during the forecast period. Thanks to the growing population and urbanization in countries such as China, Japan, India and South Korea.

The Low Voltage Power Cable Market in the North America region is majorly driven by the electronics industry. The region is the home of top electronics companies across the world. The European market has also been driven by the adoption of renewables and the upgradation of the present grid.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/187007

Low Voltage Power Cable Market Segmentation

By Installation

Overhead

Underground

By Products

Overhead Products Conductors fittings and Fixtures Other Low Voltage Accessories

Underground Products PVC Cables XLPE Cables Cable Terminations Cable Joints





By End user

Infrastructure

Commercial and residential

Transportation and Other

Industrial Market

Renewables



Low Voltage Power Cable Market Key Competitors include:

Prysmian S.P.A

Nexans S.A.

General Cables

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

NKT Cables Group GmbH

ABB Ltd.

Encore Wire Corporation

Finolex Cables Limited

TE Connectivity Ltd.

Bahra Advanced Cable Manufacture Co. Ltd.

LS Cables and Systems

Polycab

KEI Industries

Southwire

Leoni AG

Tratos Group

Belden Inc.

TPC Wire and Cable Corp.

Get the Sample PDF of Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/187007

Key questions answered in the Low Voltage Power Cable Market are:

What is a Low Voltage Power Cable?

What are the global trends in the Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for the Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

What are the factors contributing to the final price of Low Voltage Power Cable?

What are the major challenges that the Low Voltage Power Cable Market could face in the future?

What is the expected demand for different types of products in the Low Voltage Power Cable Market during the forecast period?

What are the recent industry trends that can be implemented to generate additional revenue streams for the Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

How is the intervention from the regulatory authority shaping the Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

What growth strategies are the players considering to increase their presence in Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

Who are the leading manufacturers in Low Voltage Power Cable Market?

Who held the largest market share in Low Voltage Power Cable Market?



Key Offerings:

Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2021)

Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2021)

Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20222029

Market Dynamics  Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Key Trends by Region

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by Installation, Products, End user and Region

Competitive Landscape  Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape  Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region

PESTLE Analysis

PORTERs analysis

Value chain and supply chain analysis

Legal Aspects of business by region

Lucrative business opportunities with SWOT analysis

Recommendations

Maximize Market Research is leading Energy & Power research firm, has also published the following reports:

Attenuator Cables Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 45.80 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 7.2 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the increasing adoption of attenuator cables in various industries such as consumer electronics, telecommunications and medical.

Cables and Connector Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 294.98 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 5.52 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the increasing demand for high-speed data transfer and power transmission with the increasing use of electronic devices in various industries.

High Voltage Cables Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 58.99 million by 2029 at a CAGR of 6 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by growing industrialization, an increase in the number of power plants for renewable energy resource conversion and up gradation of outmoded power grids.

High Voltage Cables and Accessories Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 60.91 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 6.59 percent during the forecast period. Asia Pacific region is expected to be one of the largest markets during the forecast period.

Downhole Cables Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 1.69 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 4.22 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by increasing investments in oil and gas activities.

About Maximize Market Research:

Maximize Market Research is a multifaceted market research and consulting company with professionals from several industries. Some of the industries we cover include medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, science and engineering, electronic components, industrial equipment, technology and communication, cars and automobiles, chemical products and substances, general merchandise, beverages, personal care, and automated systems. To mention a few, we provide market-verified industry estimations, technical trend analysis, crucial market research, strategic advice, competition analysis, production and demand analysis, and client impact studies.

CONTACT: Contact Maximize Market Research: 3rd Floor, Navale IT Park, Phase 2 Pune Banglore Highway, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India sales@maximizemarketresearch.com +91 96071 95908, +91 9607365656




Video safety and video telematics pioneer accelerates the pace of innovation with powerful solutions that drive digital transformation and save lives

SAN DIEGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lytx Inc., the global leader in video safety and video telematics, celebrates 25 years of forging the intersection between safety and technology. From its inception in 1998, Lytx's vision has been to help fleets get their drivers safely home to their families through the utilization of cutting-edge technology. After the company introduced the original DriveCam device in 1999, the first ever crash recording device for vehicles, Lytx jump-started a new industry and continues to revolutionize the telematics market today.

Lytx Celebrates 25 Years of Industry Excellence

Over the past 25 years, Lytx has developed and introduced numerous technological advancements that have accelerated the industry forward and awarded the company over 195 issued and pending patents. Its machine vision and artificial intelligence (MV+AI) technology, first introduced in 2015, quickly became the gold standard for companies looking to detect distractions and risk, inside and outside the vehicle. Working closely with thousands of clients and millions of drivers, Lytx continues to innovate new ways to help fleets operate more safely and efficiently, while saving lives.

"Since the earliest phase of our relationship, Lytx has been there for us," said Steve Scannell, Transportation Safety Senior Regional Manager at Walmart. "Over the years, we've come to think of Lytx as a partner rather than just a vendor. They're always there to listen to our needs, helping us solve problems and innovate solutions to help us be safer and stronger."

Today, Lytx works with more than 5,000 of the world's most forward-thinking fleets to innovate solutions that benefit the entire industry through Lytx Lab, the industry's first and only innovation platform where clients connect with our product team directly in their Lytx Account.

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"Lytx has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with clients who are innovators and disruptors in their own sectors. Our clients care deeply about their workers, their customers, and their communities. Together, we're proud to have been part of a 25-year movement to make the world a safer, better place with technologies that protect and connect organizations and their workers," said Brandon Nixon, Chairman and CEO of Lytx. "We're looking forward to the next 25 years of collaborating with our clients to develop breakthrough solutions that drive greater performance and operational efficiencies."

Additional company milestones include:

2001  The DC2 event recorder is released, Lytx's first durable, scalable product that is mass produced. This is the first ever DriveCam event recorder to offer both in-cab and road-facing views.

2002  Lytx is awarded three patents for the first vehicle data recorder of its kind designed to pinpoint unsafe driving, further strengthening the company's innovative leadership position within the sector.

2008  The company releases a first of its kind pattern-recognition software that more accurately identifies risky driving actions, helping clients predict the riskiest drivers within a fleet.

2009  DriveCam Online  service launches with a driver management portal that includes dashboards for hotspot reporting and company-wide visibility. This allows clients to access and view their videos (and other data) in a more efficient and secure way.

2012  The DC3P, Lytx's fourth video event recorder, launches with dedicated GPS and the ability to monitor and capture video when a vehicle is exceeding the posted speed limit.

2015  The company expands into its new global headquarters and introduces the ER-SV2, its fifth event recording device and the first to include its award-winning machine vision and artificial intelligence (MV+AI) technology, helping drivers and fleet managers correct distracting driving as it occurs.

2020  Lytx announces strategic partnership with Geotab and acquires Surfsight  to offer Lytx's powerful technology and custom solutions to an expanded domestic and global audience.

2022  OEM integration with Daimler Truck North America is announced, bringing Lytx's state-of-the-art video telematics system and camera solution to select Freightliner and Western Star models.

2023  Lytx grows its driving database to 221 billion miles  the largest of its kind  and expands its network of resellers to 105, with a global footprint spanning 85 countries.

"Through Surfsight, we expanded our reach to give strategic global partners access to the same MV+AI technology that fuels our DriveCam camera business," said Adam McCarty, Senior Vice President of Lytx's Indirect Business. "Now, companies all over the world can easily transition to video-connected fleets on a powerful platform that is scalable and configurable for any vehicle class. We're excited to see our Surfsight solutions accelerating at an incredibly rapid pace, and we project more record growth ahead as we continue to help domestic and international industry leaders transform their operations."

Lytx is investing in the next 25 years with the Lytx Vision Platform, featuring the only API-first platform in the market for building value-added video safety and video telematics applications using MV+AI. The Lytx Vision Platform further leverages the power of the company's expertise in video services, big data, and AI to give companies powerful, scalable, and configurable technology and tools they can use to integrate with other applications and to create their own custom solutions.

"Innovation is in our DNA," said Rajesh Rudraradhya, Lytx's Chief Technology Officer. "From the company's inception, our relentless drive to advance safety and operational efficiency has led us to introduce cutting-edge technologies that have helped propel the industry to where it is today. Now, 25 years later, we remain committed to breaking new ground, exploring the frontiers of technology, and reinventing ourselves based on the needs of our clients and the industry as a whole."

About Lytx

Lytx is the global leader in video safety and video telematics. Our solutions harness the power of video to empower drivers and fleets to be safer and more efficient, productive, and profitable so they can thrive in today's competitive environment. Through the Lytx Vision Platform, direct and reseller clients access our customizable services and programs spanning driver safety , risk detection , fleet tracking , ELD compliance , preventative maintenance , and fuel management . Using the world's largest driving database of its kind, along with proprietary machine vision and artificial intelligence technology, we help protect and connect thousands of fleets and 2.1 million drivers in more than 85 countries. Lytx's Surfsight dash cam for resellers was built from the ground up as a premium product to help fleet managers with their operational challenges. For more information about Lytx, visit www.lytx.com , @lytx on Twitter, LinkedIn , our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

Contact:

Jason Andersen

CorpComm@lytx.com

Lytx Logo (PRNewsFoto/Lytx, Inc.) (PRNewsfoto/Lytx)

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The Maine-based bank extends access to Vertical IQs Industry Intelligence and adds RMAs eMentor

RALEIGH, N.C. and PHILADELPHIA --News Direct-- Vertical IQ

Machias Savings Bank, named as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine and as one of the Best Banks to Work For in the U.S., has extended its relationship with Vertical IQ, a leading Industry Intelligence solution, and has added Risk Management Association (RMA), the leader in risk management tools and education, as a collaborator. This three-year collaboration will give Machiass member branches full access to Vertical IQs platform for specialized call preparation and industry insights as well as RMAs eMentor program and credit resources.

We are excited to collaborate with Vertical IQ and RMA to deliver the most optimal industry research and credit analysis to our small business customers, said Craig Saunders, Business Loan Underwriting Manager for Machias. Vertical IQs easy-to-use and well-organized platform, as well as its actionable sales deliverables that can be shared at each stage throughout the business owner relationship, made it an easy choice to continue access for our users. And the collaboration with the eMentor program will help our team improve its underwriting and provide the necessary resources and best practices to stay top-of-mind with customers. These solutions work better together, so we are eager to get started.

Covering more than 97 percent of the economic revenue in the U.S. and Canada, Vertical IQs Industry Intelligence provides users with a variety of call preparation resources and specialized industry knowledge from more than 920 industry profiles to instill confidence when meeting with clients. The expanded agreement with Machias provides Vertical IQ the opportunity to build on its relationships in the community banking space.

Our agreement with Machias Savings Bank helps reinforce our strong, foundational relationships with community banks, said Courtney Farfour, VP of Customer Success for Vertical IQ. We believe this is a great fit because of our shared commitment to providing exceptional customer service, which is reflected through the actionable, convenient, focused and relevant industry insights our platform provides for Machias to share with their clients and connect with them on a deeper level.

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eMentor aims to maximize confidence and minimize risk in everyday decision-making, from conversations with customers to loan structuring. The collaboration with Machias will give the banks credit officers, analysts, administrators and other employees the critical information they need to improve their new loan underwriting, annual reviews, workout agreements and portfolio management.

We look forward to providing Machias Savings Bank with our industry-leading risk management resources, which are updated continually to meet changing business dynamics and emergent challenges, said Sandeep Kharidhi, RMAs Chief Product Officer. We strive to ensure all key team members are on the same page by connecting them to an extensive and reliable body of information wherever they work.

For more information on Machias Savings Bank, visit www.machiassavings.bank.

About Vertical IQ

Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., Vertical IQ is a nationally recognized leader in Industry Intelligence. Whether theyre pitching a local brewery or a national biotech company, successful sales, marketing and customer success teams use Vertical IQ to better understand a prospects or clients business challenges before, during and after meetings. Covering more than 97 percent of the economic revenue in the U.S. and Canada through more than 920 Industry Profiles and 3,400 local economic reports, Vertical IQ equips users with the confidence and credibility to make memorable first impressions and sustain enduring relationships.

About Risk Management Association (RMA)

Founded in 1914, Risk Management Association is a not-for-profit, member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk management principles in the financial services industry. RMA promotes an enterprise approach to risk management that focuses on credit risk, market risk and operational risk. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, RMA has 1,600 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the Association by 41,000 individuals located throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia/Pacific.

Contact Details

Kelsey Surmacz

+1 919-787-4600

ksurmacz@verticaliq.com

Company Website

https://verticaliq.com/

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Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Head of Global Business Group at Meta, and Otmar Wiestler, President of Helmholtz Association, join board of global leader in cancer research funding

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research announced today the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Head of Global Business at Meta, and Otmar Wiestler, MD, President of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization, were elected at The Mark Foundation's April board meeting. Their terms are effective immediately. Both new board members are well-positioned and uniquely qualified to support the Foundation's mission of accelerating research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research logo (PRNewsfoto/The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research)

"We are honored to welcome these distinguished members to The Mark Foundation Board of Directors," said Ray DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman. "With Nicola's sharp business acumen and her personal experience as a cancer patient, and with Otmar's experience running one of the world's leading cancer institutions, we are confident their leadership will help the foundation advance high-impact cancer research. Their diverse backgrounds will help expand our funding capabilities, forge more global partnerships, and guide new scientific research breakthroughs."

Nicola Mendelsohn - Nicola Mendelsohn CBE is the Head of Global Business Group at Meta. Nicola previously served as Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Meta. She is currently a non-executive director of Diageo, sits on the Mayor of London's Business Advisory Board, and is co-president of the charity Norwood. Prior to joining Meta Nicola worked in advertising for over 20 years at BBH, Grey, and Karmarama.

After being diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma (FL) in 2016, Nicola made it her mission to help FL patients and to find a cure. In 2019, she founded and launched the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation. Nicola has also prioritized improving cancer patients' lives in her role at Meta. For World Cancer Day 2023, Meta was a founding partner of a cross-industry coalition to erase the stigma of cancer in the workplace, called the "Working with Cancer" pledge.

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"I've always been deeply impressed by The Mark Foundation's innovative approach to funding  and accelerating  the world's most promising cancer research across industry and academia," said Nicola Mendelsohn CBE. "I am honored to join the board of such an outstanding organization, one that is bringing forward much-needed discoveries for the next generation of treatments and diagnostics for the benefit of cancer patients everywhere."

Otmar Wiestler - Professor Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler is president of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific research organization. Professor Wiestler also served as the Chairman of the Executive Board and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg for over 11 years. His areas of focus include cancer research, tumor genetics and stem cell research.

"The Mark Foundation is committed to accelerating cancer research on a global scale; since 2017 they have funded outstanding grantees in 13 countries," said Otmar Wiestler.

The new appointments to the Board will join current members: Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman of the Board; Alexander Knaster, Founder of The Mark Foundation; Ross Levine, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Paul Pospisil, PhD of Korn Ferry.

About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research actively partners with scientists, research institutions, and philanthropic organizations around the world to accelerate research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded more than $195 million in grants to enable innovative basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, including drug discovery. In 2022, The Mark Foundation received an additional $500 million commitment to fund cutting-edge cancer research in its first decade. The Mark Foundation also has a robust and growing portfolio of investments in oncology companies developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Through its research and venture arms, The Mark Foundation supports projects throughout their life cycle to ensure their highest chance of success in impacting the lives of patients with breakthroughs in cancer care. To learn more please visit www.TheMarkFoundation.org.

Contact:

Linda Heaney

lheaney@themarkfoundation.org

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-appoints-two-new-members-to-board-of-directors-301820207.html

SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Meritage Hospitality Group, Inc.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. (OTCQX: MHGU), the nations premier franchise operator, announced today that it has acquired an additional 25 Wendys restaurants located in the North Carolina and Virginia market areas.



The acquisition of these 25 Wendys restaurants is consistent with the Companys 5-year growth plan to acquire an operating base up to 400 Wendys and build new Wendys restaurants. With todays acquisition, the Company is operating 385 restaurants across 16 states. We will immediately integrate the new restaurants into our operating and accounting platforms as well as include them in our Wendys remodeling program, designed to modernize restaurants and enhance the overall guest experience, stated Chief Executive Officer, Robert Schermer, Jr.

The Company funded the acquisition with a combination of cash, equity and bank financing and expects the 25 additional restaurants to add approximately $42.0 million in annual sales and be accretive to earnings going forward.

The Company is a leader in new-restaurant development within the Wendys system and has a commitment to build 52 new Wendys restaurants by the end of 2025 under the Wendys Ground Breaker development program. New Wendys restaurants continue to provide the Company with a strong return on investment, as guests reward us for contemporary restaurant designs and digital enhancements. Restaurant acquisitions, renovations and new restaurant development are important components of our growth-oriented business model, providing unique long-term opportunities to employees and investors, added Schermer.

2023 Outlook: Strong Growth Ahead:

Sales +10% to +20%

Earnings from Operations. +90% to +100%

Net Income +35% to +45%

EBITDA +20% to +30%

The Companys has opened four Taco Johns restaurants to-date and is planning to open an additional 10-12 locations this year. The Company holds exclusive development rights in 7 states as part of a 55-store development agreement with additional rights to develop more than 205 Taco Johns restaurants. The Company continues to leverage its strategic operating platform, unique in-house restaurant development expertise and investments in digital technology to build the best-of-class QSR brands focused on quality, convenience, and affordability.

Story continues

The Companys 5-year, 500 restaurant growth plan includes expanding its Wendys operations, the development of Taco Johns and Morning Belle, a breakfast-brunch brand owned by the Company.

About the Company

Meritage Hospitality Group is the nations premier restaurant operator, currently with approximately 385 restaurants in operation located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Meritage is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, operating with a workforce of approximately 12,000 employees.

The Company continues to distinguish itself as a leader and innovator in the restaurant industry, striving for best-in-class results through a performance-based culture committed to operational excellence.

The Companys current and publicly available information pursuant to amended SEC Rule 15c2-11 and FINRA Rule 6432 can be found at www.otcmarkets.com , under the stock symbol MHGU/Disclosures or the Companys website, www.meritagehospitality.com . The Company had 8,694,000 diluted weighted average shares outstanding as of 1/1/2023.



SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Certain information in this new release, particularly information regarding future economic performance and finances, and plans, expectations and objectives of management, constitute forward-looking statements. Factors set forth in our Safe Harbor Statement, in addition to other possible factors not listed, could affect the Companys actual results and cause such results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Please review the Companys Safe Harbor Statement at http://www.meritagehospitality.com .



CONTACT:

Robert E. Schermer, Jr., CEO

Meritage Hospitality Group Inc.

(616) 776-2600




Company Logo

Dublin, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Metrology Systems Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2023 To 2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global market for metrology systems is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period of 2023 to 2031.

Due to technological advancements and a greater demand for precision, metrology systems are projected to experience substantial growth. To perform metrology functions more efficiently and effectively, automated processes and systems are being developed, and automation is expected to become more prevalent in metrology systems. With the addition of AI-driven algorithms, it is anticipated that metrology systems will become more precise and reliable.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the field of metrology systems toward automation. The use of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) to replace manual labor. In addition, portable metrology systems for on-site and remote measurement applications have been developed. Using the latest innovations in image processing and optical metrology, precision and speed are being enhanced.

The cloud is becoming an increasingly popular method for data analysis, which will make it faster and more precise in the future. FINAS, Zygo, Aqua Metrology Systems, Faro Technologies, Nikon Metrology, Carl Zeiss AG, Jenoptik, and Panasonic Corporation are the leading companies in the global metrology systems market. These competitors are concentrating on introducing innovative products and services to expand their customer base and strengthen their market position.



Autonomous robotic metrology systems will be increasingly relied upon by industrial applications for faster and more precise measurements. The range of applications for 3D laser scanning and imaging technology is likely to expand. The application of automated vision systems will facilitate quality control and inspection. Increasingly, big data analytics and artificial intelligence will be required to analyze and interpret the vast amounts of data produced by metrology systems (AI).

Story continues

In addition, technological advancements will improve data analysis algorithms and increase the versatility and sophistication of software packages. Additionally, the popularity of wireless and cloud-based metrology systems will increase in the future. In addition to allowing other users and metrology operators to benefit from remote monitoring and data sharing, this will enhance collaboration between users and metrology operators.



Manufacturers in North America are placing a greater emphasis on quality improvement and cost reduction, which is increasing the value of metrology systems. The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to provide lucrative opportunities for market leaders. The growth of information and technology in nations like India, China, and South Korea is anticipated to significantly expand the market.

Using metrology systems, manufacturers can determine areas for improvement in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of their processes. Manufacturers can also use metrology systems to remain competitive on the global market in the face of fluctuating customer demands.



Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreements, which are administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO), permit countries to harmonize national requirements by referencing international documentary standards (norms) in their national technical regulations. A system of mutual recognition and assessment of conformity will also be considered, and signatory states are expected to participate in the process as part of the agreement.



Industry 4.0 will further acknowledge businesses whose value creation is closely tied to manufacturing and information technology. Scientists are increasingly focusing on developing scientific and applied metrology to determine how nanomaterials can be applied to address societal needs. During the forecast period, the metrology systems market is anticipated to be driven by an increase in the use of these systems for aerospace, defense, and automotive applications.

Through the use of in-line metrology systems, automation, precision, and dependability of measurements are increasing in prevalence. In contrast to existing metrology systems, the next-generation systems are more intuitive, highly perceptive, and adaptable, allowing companies to automate their production processes in the future; this will contribute to the widespread adoption of these systems across numerous industries.



The manufacturing, process, and instrumentation industries rely heavily on metrology, the science of measurement. Due to the increasing demand for reducing errors during the manufacturing process and expanding the product life cycle, the demand for metrology systems is high in the manufacturing industry. In QC labs, engineering labs, and research departments, metrology systems are highly perceptive, customizable, and user-friendly to satisfy all instrumentation and measurement requirements. This enables businesses to achieve total automation and increase production. Measuring the sight dimensions of various difficult-to-measure objects, the metrology system employs cutting-edge technology that saves time and money on product development. The application of the metrology system has seen an increase in the adoption of precision engineering methods by manufacturers with a focus on reliability and precision in product manufacturing.



The advantages of metrology systems in terms of precision, cost reduction, and measurement accuracy have led to a rise in the adoption of metrology systems in various industries. Increased demand for 3D metrology systems is a result of the development of metrology systems. The 3D metrology system is primarily used for quality control to ensure production accuracy. This system consists of industrial 3D scanning technology, an optical 3D coordinate measuring machine, a 3D motion sensor, and a 3D measuring machine. In the aerospace, energy and power, automotive, and construction industries, the 3D metrology system is gaining rapid traction. Utilization of the 3D metrology system is increasing as the demand for quality output in industrial applications grows.



Coordinate measuring machines (CMM) enable manufacturing processes to be automated, thereby increasing production efficiency and product quality. These CMM devices consist of an optical CMM, a handheld scanner, an articulated arm, laser scanning devices, and other devices that enhance operational efficiency. In the manufacturing and assembly process, the CMM metrology system is used to assemble and test components against the predetermined design. Adoption of the CMM metrology system in the automated manufacturing industry reduces total operational costs, improves quality, and maintains a continuous production flow, thereby increasing demand for the metrology system. For example, in January 2020, LK Metrology introduced a new CMM measurement services section for performing contract dimensional inspection using the most recent metrology software.



During the forecast period of 2023 to 2031, North America is anticipated to hold a dominant share of the global market. The presence of market leaders is a key factor propelling the metrology systems market in the region. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to create significant opportunities for market leaders. Due to the expansion of the information & technology industry in countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, India, and the Philippines, the metrology systems market in the region is anticipated to grow substantially.

Market Segmentation

Component

Hardware

Software

Services

Industry

Aerospace &defense

Automotive

Power and energy

Pharmaceuticals

Others

Type

3D tomography machines

3D scanning technology

Coordinate measurement machines (CMM)

Vision measurement systems

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Metrology Systems market?

What are the key investment pockets with respect to product segments and geographies currently and during the forecast period?

Estimated forecast and market projections up to 2031.

Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period?

Which market segment holds a larger market share and why?

Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Metrology Systems market?

Which is the largest regional market for Metrology Systems market?

What are the market trends and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa?

Which are the key trends driving Metrology Systems market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Metrology Systems market worldwide?

Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface



2. Executive Summary



3. Metrology Systems Market: Competitive Analysis



4. Metrology Systems Market: Macro Analysis & Market Dynamics



5. Metrology Systems Market: By Component, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



6. Metrology Systems Market: By Industry, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



7. Metrology Systems Market: By Type, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



8. North America Metrology Systems Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



9. UK and European Union Metrology Systems Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



10. Asia Pacific Metrology Systems Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



11. Latin America Metrology Systems Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



12. Middle East and Africa Metrology Systems Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million)



13. Company Profile



Companies Mentioned

FINAS

Zygo

Aqua Metrology Systems

Faro Technologies

Nikon Metrology

Carl Zeiss AG

Jenoptik

Panasonic Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8ezg9z

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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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella - AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Microsoft has confirmed it bought a stake in a British artificial intelligence (AI) company just days after claiming the country was an unattractive place to do business.

The $2 trillion US company has invested in Builder.ai, a London-headquartered company developing tools to automate app design and coding.

News of the investment comes after Microsoft executives warned last week that Britain was becoming hostile to enterprise.

Microsoft president Brad Smith said the EU was a more attractive place to start a business after Britains competition watchdog decided to block its takeover of gaming giant Activision.

Founded in 2016, Builder.ais tools break down app development into building blocks, so non-technical businesses can put together apps with the assistance of automation tools and advice from professional engineers.

Microsoft has ploughed billions of dollars into a new wave of artificial intelligence technology, including a $10bn deal with Silicon Valley company OpenAI, which developed the ChatGPT chatbot.

The tech giant has also backed several UK artificial intelligence start-ups, including joining a 7m investment in data start-up Hazy earlier this year.

Last year it invested in UK driverless car company Wayve and it has also backed AI chip company Graphcore.

The size of the investment in Builder.ai was not disclosed.

The start-up has already raised a total of $195m from previous investors including New York fund Insight Partners and European venture firm Lakestar.

Organisations that have worked with Builder.ai to create apps include the BBC.

Officials are concerned that Britain has struggled to grow its technology businesses to a size that can rival global players.

A lack of scale leaves start-ups vulnerable to being snapped up by overseas tech giants or under pressure from US investors to relocate overseas.

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, has vowed to turn Britain into a science and technology superpower and pledged 1bn for investments in new AI technologies and computer power.

Story continues

As part of Builder.ais deal with Microsoft, its tools will be available through the tech giants Azure cloud computing service and will integrate with tools developed by OpenAI.

Microsoft has been infusing its technology products with chatbot technology from OpenAI, which can provide human-like answers to questions and prompts.

It has embedded the chatbot technology in its Bing search engine plans to add it to Word and Excel as a digital assistant and editor

Builder.ai allows companies to quickly build web and mobile apps combining AI software with professional developers.

Customers can interact with an AI product manager, called Natasha, to bring their ideas to life without the need for technical or coding expertise.

The company has teams in London, New Delhi, Singapore, the US and Dubai.

Sachin Dev Duggal, founder of Builder.ai, said: We are ecstatic that the worlds largest software company chose Builder.ai as a collaborator.

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.
By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Private U.S. nuclear fusion company Helion Energy will provide Microsoft with electricity in about five years, the companies said on Wednesday, in the first such deal for the power source that fuels the sun but has been elusive on Earth.

Government labs and more than 30 companies are racing to generate power from fusion, which could one day help the world slash emissions linked to climate change. Unlike today's fission reactors, it could generate power without producing long-lasting radioactive waste.

Fusion occurs when two light atoms such as hydrogen, heated to extreme temperatures, fuse into one heavier atom, releasing large amounts of energy. So far, earthly fusion reactions have been momentary and suck up more energy than they release, but companies have raised about $5 billion in private funding in the quest to achieve net energy gain.

Helion's plant is expected to be online by 2028 and will target power generation of 50 megawatts or greater after a one-year ramp-up period, it said. One megawatt can supply up to about 1,000 U.S. homes on a typical day.

"Fifty megawatts is a big first step of commercial-scale fusion, and the revenue feeds right back into us developing more power plants and getting fusion out on the grid both in the United States and internationally as fast as possible," David Kirtley, Washington state-based Helion's founder and CEO, said in an interview.

Polaris, Helion's seventh-generation machine, should come online next year and demonstrate electricity generation, using pulsed high-power magnet technologies to achieve fusion, Kirtley said. In 2021, Helion was the first private company to achieve 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million degrees Fahrenheit) and the optimum temperature for fusion is about twice that, Kirtley said.

While many fusion companies are looking to tritium, a rare hydrogen isotope, to help fuel reactions, Helion plans to use Helium 3, a rare type of the gas used in quantum computing.

Story continues

Helion has so far raised more than $570 million in private capital, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman providing $375 million in 2021.

Brad Smith, vice chair and president at Microsoft Corp, said in a news release that Helion's work "supports our own long-term clean energy goals and will advance the market to establish a new, efficient method for bringing more clean energy to the grid, faster."

The companies did not disclose financial or timing details of the power purchase agreement, or which Microsoft facilities would get fusion-generated electricity.

Kimberly Budil, the head of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is experimenting with fusion, said last December that a few decades of research and investment could put scientists in a position to build a power plant.

Helion still needs design and construction approvals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as well as local permits. But the fusion industry was cheered by the NRC's decision last month to separate fusion regulation from that of fission, a move backers say could reduce timelines for license approvals.

Andrew Holland, head of the Fusion Industry Association, said nothing about fusion has been easy and that the power purchase contract likely had clauses regarding the timing of the delivery of electricity. But he said the deal shows trust is building.

"The business world is starting to understand that fusion is coming and perhaps sooner than a lot of people thought," Holland said in an interview. "It's a vote of confidence that Helion is on its way, as are other companies building their proof-of-concept machines now."

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jonathan Oatis)
InsightAce Analytic Pvt. LTd.

Companies covered in this study are Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd (TOK), JSR Corporation, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd, Fujifilm Corporation., Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Allresist GmbH, micro resist technology GmbH, Merck KGaA, Dongjin Semichem Co. Ltd.,

Jersey City, NJ, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Global Next-Generation Lithography Materials Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Material (Photoresist And Ancillary), Application (Automotive, Consumer Electronics, IT & Telecommunications)- Market Outlook And Industry Analysis 2031"

The next-generation lithography materials market is estimated to reach over USD 1088.74 million by 2031, exhibiting a CAGR of 28.9% during the forecast period.

Next-generation lithography material market, abbreviated as NGL, is a term used in the integrated circuit manufacturing industry to describe lithography technologies that are currently in development and are envisioned to replace current techniques. The popularity of each next-generation lithograph candidate has been largely determined by its throughput capability as well as the cost of operation and implementation. Furthermore, the next-generation lithography materials market is predicted to extend at a healthy rate, owing to rising demand for slashing microchips and transistors in smartphones and wearable devices.







Free PDF Report Brochure @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/1788





According to International Data Corporation, smartphone shipments climbed by 7.7% in 2021 compared to 2020. To achieve a solid foothold in the business, smartphone players are using various technologies to reduce the weight and expand the functionality of smartphones, creating a demand for next-generation lithography materials and technologies. Technologies for next-generation lithography are becoming more prevalent.

Story continues

Besides, the expensive cost of next-generation lithography materials and scanners, however, is a significant obstacle to their widespread adoption in many nations. As of right now, only Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML) offers EUV lithography equipment. But the next-generation lithography materials market is anticipated to grow dramatically as more firms enter the ecosystem in the years to come. As well as the demand drivers for next-generation lithography materials are as follows-The Spread of Feature Phones and Tablets, Increased Research and Development on Next-Generation Lithography Materials and the significant obstacles are predicted to limit the market-Raw material prices are exorbitant. There are just a few companies offering next-generation lithography equipment.

Recent Developments:

In August 2022, JSR Corporation and the Lingang Special Area Government entered into an investment agreement to establish a Shanghai subsidiary. This is anticipated to increase JSR Group's business operations in the Chinese market for semiconductor materials. The tentative start date for operations is December 2022.

In Feb 2022, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. will invest more than 80 billion in new facilities for its main silicone business to help it grow and get stronger. Shin-Etsu has already stated that it will put more effort into developing new silicone products and emphasise so-called speciality products in how it organises its products.

In January 2021, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and DuPont de Nemours created a semiconductor materials lab in Hsinchu, Taiwan. In order to assist its clients as they look for the future generation of semiconductors in Taiwan, DuPont is anticipated to perform semiconductor material research, innovation, and refinement in conjunction with ITRI and to quicken pilot testing and economic potential.

List of Prominent Players in the Next-Generation Lithography Materials Market

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd (TOK)

JSR Corporation

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd

Fujifilm Corporation.

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

Allresist GmbH

micro resist technology GmbH

Merck KGaA

DongjinSemichem Co. Ltd.

Brewer Science, Inc.

SACHEM, INC.

Kayaku Advanced Materials, Inc.

Avantor Performance Materials Inc.

Irresistible Materials Ltd

WeifangStartech Microelectronic Materials Co., Ltd.

KemLab Inc.

Jiangsu Nanda Photoelectric Materials Co., Ltd

Shenzhen Didao Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd





Get Customized Report @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/1788





Next-Generation Lithography Materials Market Report Scope:



Report Attribute Specifications Market size value in 2022 USD 112.18 Mn Revenue forecast in 2031 USD 1088.74 Mn Growth rate CAGR CAGR of 28.97% from 2023 to 2031 Quantitative units Representation of revenue in US$ Million, Volume (Kiloliters) and CAGR from 2023 to 2031 Historic Year 2019 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2031 Report coverage The forecast of revenue, the position of the company, the competitive market statistics, growth prospects, and trends Segments covered Type, Product And Application Regional scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa Country scope U.S.; Canada; U.K.; Germany; China; India; Japan; Brazil; Mexico; The UK; France; Italy; Spain; China; Japan; India; South Korea; Southeast Asia; South Korea; Southeast Asia

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Feature phones and tablets are becoming more commonplace. Smartphones and other portable media players have become a more and more ubiquitous part of our lives. They are also improving at replacing or complementing specific mental processes. Smartphones seem to be able to do a nearly infinite variety of cognitive tasks for us, as well as to satiate many of our affective impulses, with their capacity to be used as phonebooks, appointment calendars, internet portals, tip calculators, maps, gaming devices, and much more. R&D on next-generation lithography materials is becoming more active. Moreover, research and development approaches can inspire the creation of novel goods, services, and procedures as well as the improvement of existing ideas. As well as R&D gives companies a competitive edge and raises productivity and profitability over the long run.

Challenges:

The market is expected to face some practical limits as a result of the following challenges- High prices of raw materials. Next-generation lithography materials, such as photoresist and auxiliary materials, are produced using an innovation strategy and technology. In addition, the market for materials for next-generation lithography, is broken down into application sectors (automotive, consumer electronics, IT & telecommunications, and others). However, there are only a few companies offering next-generation lithography machinery. But still, the global next-generation lithography materials have seen release dates, expansion of business, partnership, collaboration, acquisitions, and joint ventures by key players in the market. Still, the companies' preferred strategy has been expanding and partnering to strengthen their position in the market for next-generation lithography materials.

Regional Trends:

North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World comprise the Next Generation Lithography Market. Asia Pacific will be the fastest-growing market. Taiwan is likely to have a regional market edge. TSMC's development in Taiwan, as well as its increasing investments in EUV lithography technology, is one of the fundamental reasons fueling the growth of Taiwan's EUV Lithography Market.

The country controls the majority of the profit share in the Asia Pacific next-generation lithography material market. Aside from Taiwan, the need for Extreme Ultraviolet lithography in Japan, China, and South Korea is expected to provide lucrative opportunities for stakeholders throughout the forecast period.





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Segmentation of Next-Generation Lithography Materials Market 



By Application

Automotive

Consumer electronics

IT & telecommunications

Others

By Material

Photoresist Material EUV Photoresist Electron Beam (E-Beam) Photoresist Others

Ancillary Material Developers Anti-Reflective Coating Others



By Region scope

North America-

The US

Canada

Mexico

Europe-

Germany

The 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 Middle East and Africa

About Us:

InsighAce Analytic is a specializing in market research and consulting services that helps in building business strategies. Our mission is to provide high quality insights with using data analytics techniques and visualization tools that drives the disruption and innovation in market research industry. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with in-depth analysis and key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner.

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While Nordex SE (ETR:NDX1) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 23% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been pleasing. To wit, the share price did better than an index fund, climbing 53% during that period.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

Check out our latest analysis for Nordex

Because Nordex made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.

In the last 3 years Nordex saw its revenue grow at 13% per year. That's a very respectable growth rate. While the share price has done well, compounding at 15% yearly, over three years, that move doesn't seem over the top. Of course, valuation is quite sensitive to the rate of growth. Of course, it's always worth considering funding risks when a company isn't profitable.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Nordex stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered Nordex's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Nordex hasn't been paying dividends, but its TSR of 75% exceeds its share price return of 53%, implying it has either spun-off a business, or raised capital at a discount; thereby providing additional value to shareholders.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Nordex shareholders are up 1.8% for the year. But that was short of the market average. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 5% per year for five years. It may well be that this is a business worth popping on the watching, given the continuing positive reception, over time, from the market. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Nordex better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Nordex has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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 German 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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OliX participated in the Korea-US DigitalBioHealth Business Forum hosted by the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Health Industry Development Institute.

The Company signed an MOU with DynamiCure Biotechnology to develop an ADC immunotherapy using RNA technology.

SUWON, South Korea, May 10, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 226950), a leading developer of RNAi therapeutics, announced today that the Company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DynamiCure Biotechnology for developing an RNA-based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics at the Korea-US DigitalBioHealth Business Forum recently held in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea and Korea Health Industry Development Institute hosted Korea-US DigitalBioHealth Business Forum on April 27 in Boston. OliX took part in the forum as it was selected as one of the five Korean companies to sign a collaboration agreement with a U.S. company. At the event, OliX inked an MOU with DynamiCure to agree on innovative technological collaboration for developing RNA-ADC therapeutics.

DynamiCure Biotechnology specializes in developing oncology drugs and autoimmune therapies with antibody technology. The company owns an anticancer pipeline, which is currently in the clinical stage, with a mechanism of targeting a receptor that affects the abnormal development of tumor vasculature.

Meanwhile, Dong Ki Lee, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OliX Pharmaceuticals, was selected as one of the business delegation members and accompanied South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on his state visit to the U.S. While staying in the U.S., Dr. Lee participated in official occasions including the Korea-U.S. Advanced Industry Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the official welcoming ceremony held by the U.S. government at the White House.

About OliX Pharmaceuticals

OliX Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics against a variety of disorders by down-regulating the expression of disease-causing genes based on its own proprietary RNAi technology. Utilizing the Companys proprietary asymmetric siRNA (asiRNA) technology, OliX has developed cell penetrating asiRNA (cp-asiRNA), a therapeutic RNAi platform to effectively target diseases including hypertrophic scarring, dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and subretinal fibrosis. OliX has also developed another therapeutic RNAi platform, GalNAc-asiRNA, to target a variety of liver diseases.

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Learn more: https://www.olixpharma.com/eng

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Contacts

Media Contact:

Jiyoun Kim

OliX Pharmaceuticals PR

+82-2-3489-4801

jyounkim@olixpharma.com
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Orford Mining Corporation (TSXV: ORM) (Orford) is pleased to report that it continues to receive thick mineralized gold intervals from its 2023 Drill program on the Joutel Eagle Property in Northern Quebec. Hole 23-JE-017 intersected multiple thick gold zones such as 1.4 g/t gold over 9.9 metres including 5.0 g/t over 2.3 metres, 1.4 g/t over 17.6 metres including 5.0 g/t over 2.5 metres and 0.80 g/t over 21.3 metres (Table 1, Figure 1).

David Christie, President and CEO of Orford, commented, "The continued strong results from the 2023 drill campaign on our Joutel Eagle property continue to indicate the tremendous potential value in the South Gold Zone. The multiple thick intersections in hole 23-JE-017 improves the continuity of gold grade and thickness across the South Gold zone. We will review the results received from the 2023 drill program and will start to plan a follow up drill program."

Table 1: Highlight of Joutel Eagle Drill hole assays received to date. All drilling intervals are downhole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Composited intervals above 0.5g/t Au are reported based on a cut-off of 0.2g/t with maximum internal dilution of 2m.

Hole number From To Interval (m) Au g/t 23-JE-009 56.73 57.05 0.3 1.2 23-JE-017 58.1 58.6 0.5 1.5 23-JE-017 78.1 83.5 5.4 0.5 including 82.8 83.5 0.7 1.3 23-JE-017 99.4 102.4 3.0 2.8 including 100.0 101.3 1.3 5.3 23-JE-017 116.84 120.58 3.7 1.4 including 119.4 119.7 0.3 13.4 23-JE-017 124.72 134.58 9.9 1.4 including 127.3 129.7 2.3 5.0 including 129.2 129.7 0.5 20.7 23-JE-017 141.32 158.87 17.6 1.4 including 151.0 153.5 2.5 5.0 23-JE-017 163.24 184.5 21.3 0.8

The Joutel Eagle Property is located along the fertile Casa-Berardi Structural Zone and historical Eagle-Telbel Mine Trend in the Abitibi Greenstone belt. A total of 14 holes and 2,535 metres (Table 3) have been drilled in 2023. This drilling program has tested a 400 metre strike lenght of the South Gold Zone (Figure 1) Orford's drilling results received to date both in the 20221 and preliminary 20231,2,3,4 drilling results have shown that the South Gold Zone hosts higher grade gold over wider intersections than had been reported historically.

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Figure 1: Map of the Joutel Eagle South Gold Zone Showing New Results and Completed Drilling. All drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Information on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of the potential on Orford's Joutel Eagle Property1,2,3,4

Figure 1: Map of the Joutel Eagle South Gold Zone Showing New Results and Completed Drilling. All drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Information on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of the potential on Orfords Joutel Eagle Property1,2,3,4 (CNW Group/Orford Mining Corporation)

_____________________________ 1 Orford Mining News Release dated June 7, 2022. 2 Orford Mining News Release dated March 30, 2023 3 Orford Mining News Release dated April 20, 2023 4 Orford Mining News Release dated April 20, 2023

Table 2: Status of Assay Results Received from the 2023 Joutel Eagle Drilling Program (SGZ=South Gold Zone)

Hole Number Assay Reported

(%) Area 23-JE-004 100 SGZ 23-JE-005 100 SGZ 23-JE-006 100 North Horizon 23-JE-007 100 North Horizon 23-JE-008 91.2 SGZ 23-JE-009 88 SGZ 23-JE-010 91.3 SGZ 23-JE-011 0 SGZ 23-JE-012 0 SGZ 23-JE-013 0 SGZ 23-JE-014 12.8 SGZ 23-JE-015 54.5 SGZ 23-JE-016 0 SGZ 23-JE-017 100 SGZ

Table 3: Joutel Eagle: South Gold Zone Drill Hole Coordinates (UTM NAD83 Zone 17)

Hole ID X Y Length (m) Azimuth Dip 23-JE-004 684302 5490470 195 30 60 23-JE-005 684216 5490520 159 30 60 23-JE-006 684258 5490757 163 30 50 23-JE-007 684207 5490640 252 30 50 23-JE-008 684172 5490545 192 30 55 23-JE-009 684129 5490570 159 30 60 23-JE-010 684073 5490571 156 30 60 23-JE-011 684029 5490597 155 30 60 23-JE-012 684345 5490445 219 30 60 23-JE-013 684389 5490420 189 30 60 23-JE-014 684303 5490462 156 30 50 23-JE-015 684324 5490458 159 30 60 23-JE-016 684159 5490522 162 30 55 23-JE-017 684303 5490462 219 58 57





2535 Total m



Assays

Sample shipments were sealed and shipped to AGAT Laboratories, Val-d'Or, Quebec. All gold assays reported were obtained by standard fire assay on 50 gram nominal weight with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish or by gravimetric finish in the case of overlimit and on request (methods 202551 and 202564) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario. All samples were also analyzed for multi-elements, including copper and silver, using a four-acid method with an ICP-OES finish (method 201070) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario.

Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") and interpretation of results are performed by qualified persons employing a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are inserted at a minimum of 10% for QA/QC purposes in addition to those inserted by the lab. A subset of samples has not yet been sent for a verification assay at another lab. AGAT Laboratories are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and found to comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

About the Joutel Eagle Property

The property is situated just to the northwest of Agnico Eagle's past producing Eagle-Telbel operation which produced in excess of 1.1 Moz of gold4 from 1974 to 1993. The Joutel Eagle property covers 11 km of the Casa Berardi structural zone south splay (CBSZ) which is associated with several gold deposits and, together with our McClure East property, gives Orford over 17 km coverage on the prolific CBSZ). The Joutel Eagle Property sits to the north of Orford's 100% owned Joutel South Property and to the west of Orford's 100% owned McClure East property. Information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties. On November 30, 2021 Orford announced that it had entered an option to acquire 100% of the 50 square kilometer Joutel Eagle Project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX) (OTCQX International: GLBXF) (Frankfurt: G1MM).

____________________________ 4 Systeme d'information geominiere of Quebec "SIGEOM", Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. April 20, 2020 DV93-01

About Orford Mining Corporation

Orford Mining is a gold and critical mineral explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec. Orford's principal assets are the Qiqavik, West Raglan and lithium exploration projects comprising a land package totaling over 111,000 hectares in the Cape Smith Belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik Project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km. The West Raglan Project hosts a number of high-grade Raglan-style nickel/copper/platinum group metal discoveries along a 55 km mineralized trend. In early 2023 Orford acquired large claim blocks targeting Lithium in the Nunavik Region. These lithium claim blocks have been carefully selected as having promising lithium potential after an exhaustive compilation of available data. Orford also has four property positions in the Joutel region of the Abitibi District of Northern Quebec, which hosts historical deposits such as the Eagle/Telbel, Joutel Copper, Poirier Copper, and Vezza deposits. Orford continually seeks new gold exploration opportunities in North America. Orford's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ORM. This information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties.

Qualified Person

The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Alger St- Jean P.Geo., Chief Geoscientist of Orford, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. The historical assays referred to in this release and shown in this figure were obtained from historical work reports filed with the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and has not been independently verified by a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43- 101.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Orford and potential of one or more of the Qiqavik, and West Raglan, properties.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Orford to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Orford's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although Orford has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Orford 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 applicable securities laws.

The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

www.orfordmining.com

Orford Reports Multiple Successive Gold Zones in Joutel Eagle hole 23-JE-017, Including Two Intervals of 5.0 g/t over 2.3 and 2.5 metres (CNW Group/Orford Mining Corporation)

SOURCE Orford Mining Corporation

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Healthcare worker injury and illness rates more than doubled in 2020 from the previous three years  from less than 200 to 413 per 10,000 full-time workers

As the healthcare industry failed on PPE and COVID-19 infection protocols in 2020, the healthcare worker injury and illness rate was 5x that of the average Massachusetts private sector worker

CANTON, Mass., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Nurses Association Board of Directors  nurses and healthcare professionals elected by their MNA colleagues across the Commonwealth  have published a White Paper coinciding with National Nurses Week and the ending of the federal and state COVID-19 public health emergencies that uses research into OSHA illness and injury data to definitively show the disproportionate toll the pandemic took on nurses and other healthcare workers.

Massachusetts Nurse Association (PRNewsFoto/Massachusetts Nurses Association) (PRNewsfoto/Massachusetts Nurses Association)

The COVID-19 pandemic harmed Massachusetts healthcare workers more than any other occupation, according to data reported to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) by hospitals and healthcare facilities. Rates of injury and illness among healthcare workers were also substantially higher in 2020 than the three preceding years, including a major jump in exposure to harmful substances  a category that contains infections such as COVID-19. Nurses in particular saw an exceptionally large increase in the number of injuries and illnesses, up from roughly 1,500 in 2017 to 3,420 in 2020.

"This White Paper validates our lived experiences of trauma and exploitation while exposing the lopsided damage inflicted on nurses and healthcare workers by the industry's failure to protect us during the height of the pandemic," said MNA President and ICU nurse Katie Murphy. "Hospital executives initially told workers not to wear masks to avoid scaring visitors, and then refused to provide N95 masks to all frontline caregivers. They told us to put contaminated masks in paper bags and use them again. Executives touted largely untested mask decontamination systems that were later rejected by the FDA."

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"Nurses were often the only ones entering the rooms of contagious patients, were forced into crowded shuttle buses, and were then told by their employers that their COVID-19 infections must have come from the supermarket," Murphy said. "Patients with and without COVID-19 were mixed in the same hospital units and assigned to the same nurse. Nurses had to fight tooth and nail for sick days. We felt the shock of hospitals forcing us to return to work in ways that violated scientific common sense. This White Paper uses government data to reveal the painful effect of these decisions and healthcare executives' failure to mitigate this catastrophe."

To produce this White Paper, a group of college and university professors and an MNA Certified Occupational Health Nurse examined OSHA 300 logs of occupational injuries and OSHA 301 incident form data to evaluate changes and determine trends of worker injury and illness since the onset of the pandemic.

Highlighted Results

The rate of injuries and illnesses among healthcare practitioners in 2020 (413 injuries and illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers) was substantially higher than rates in the three preceding years, which were all below 200 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.

The two highest rates of illness and injury in 2020 were among healthcare support (275 illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers) and healthcare practitioners (248 illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers).

These healthcare illness and injury rates were substantially higher than the other occupation groups with the higher rates. The average private sector occupation rate was approximately 50 per 10,000 full-time workers.

The rate of injuries and illnesses among private sector hospital workers in 2020 (437 cases per 10,000 full-time workers) was substantially higher than rates in the three preceding years, which were consistently below 250 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.

For private sector hospital workers, the median lost workdays more than doubled in 2020 to 14 from 6 over the previous three years.

This lost workday difference was even more drastic for exposure to harmful substances (such as COVID-19). For that category, the median lost days in 2020 was 15, compared to 3 lost days the previous three years.

Days away from work associated with intentional injuries (workplace violence) were also higher in 2020 compared to the preceding three years  9 days in 2020 up from 6 days previously.

Excerpt from the White Paper's section on Implications for Health, Safety, & Nursing Practice:

"The weakening of established infections control standards coupled with decades of neglect of the public health infrastructure led to a cascade of system failures evidenced by the lack of adequate PPE resources, the delays in standing up good community and patient COVID-19 testing and diagnosis, poor data collection as well as the lack of clear consistent communication contributed to high patient morbidity and mortality despite the best efforts of frontline healthcare providers. In this period of chaos dues to the then necessary visitor restriction nurses were often left as the only means of connection between patients and families and for too many nurses were the one's holding patients' hands and providing comfort as they died alone in hospitals."

The Massachusetts hospital industry made it difficult to conduct this research. Initial requests for the data were ignored by many hospital administrators, while others forwarded incomplete or redacted information. These imposed barriers resulted in months of delays and repeated requests for information. Additional data regarding Massachusetts worker injuries and illnesses was obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) for the years 2017 to 2020.

Data were ultimately obtained from 29 Massachusetts acute care hospitals. There was a total of 3,531 hospital incidents reported on OSHA logs in the studied hospitals in 2020, with a rate of 53.9 incidents per 1,000 FTEs. Exposures to other substances account for the highest number of cases (1,236, 35%). Most of these were COVID-19 cases (906, 25.7%).

In the paper, the MNA makes clear its commitment to hold the hospital industry accountable for its failure to protect frontline staff, as well as its commitment to ensure similar failures are not repeated going forward.

"The evidence presented in this report demonstrates egregious failures on the part of some employers to provide vital equipment, protection, and guidance that may have mitigated losses to worker health and safetyThe MNA holds healthcare organizations accountable for their lack of transparency and mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting consequence that contributed our lack of access and supply shortages of PPE and durable medical equipment along with their egregious failures to create a process to evaluate patient care needs and the continuity of our most vulnerable population impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We now need to do the work involved to stabilize our healthcare workforce and offer frontline providers the necessary protections and other tools to work in a harmless environment while providing safe patient care on the job. It is imperative that we ensure the availability of PPE and other life-saving equipment as well as strong quality infection control standards that may be needed in the event of the development of a new COVID-19 variant or the emergence of a new contagion."

The paper was researched and written by college and university professors from UMass Boston and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, along with an MNA Certified Occupational Health Nurse and an Industrial Hygiene Consultant. Additional project advice was provided by a group that included Northeastern University and UMass Lowell professors, and a Medical and Laboratory Consultant for the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Department of Public Health. Click here to read the whole paper, citations, and authors.

MNA Guidance and Recommended Solutions

During the pandemic, the MNA was providing the administration with a weekly updates on issues that needed to be addressed in all healthcare facilities statewide. These weekly reports  shared with Gov. Charlie Baker, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, and other officials  included regular calls from MNA leaders describing failures and recommended solutions from frontline nurses and healthcare professionals. The MNA also sent to then incoming Gov. Maura Healey a series of recommendations for the healthcare industry.

"Our White Paper continues the legacy of MNA nurses and healthcare professionals providing experience and data to help influence how government and private sector decision-makers respond to public health crises," Murphy said. "Healthcare executives and our elected officials must work with frontline caregivers to properly prepare for the next, inevitable outbreak. As the White House recently heard from experts, there is an approximately 20 percent chance during the next two years of an outbreak rivaling the Omicron variant."

To combat the worsening problem of workplace violence that is demonstrated in the White paper, MNA nurses and healthcare professionals have proposed violence prevention legislation at the State House. Last legislative term, Massachusetts senators and representatives passed similar versions of the MNA bill  An Act requiring health care employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence  out of committee and to Ways and Means, the final stop before a full vote by the legislative bodies.

The legislation, sponsored by Senator Joan Lovely and Representative Denise Garlick, would:

Require healthcare employers to perform an annual safety risk assessment and, based on those findings, develop, and implement programs to minimize the danger of workplace violence to employees and patients.

Provide time off for health care workers assaulted on the job to address legal issues.

Allows nurses and healthcare professionals to use their health care facility address instead of their home address to handle legal issues related to an assault.

Require semiannual reporting of assaults on health care employees to District Attorneys.

MNA nurses and healthcare professionals have also submitted to the state legislature An Act Relative to Occupational Presumption and COVID-19 (S.1176/H.1928), sponsored by Senator Paul Feeney and Representative Tram Nguyen.

This bill would presume any frontline healthcare worker who contracts COVID-19 during the period covered by the state-of-emergency contracted the virus at work.

It would also prohibit employers from requiring healthcare workers to use their own sick time, vacation time or other PTO to quarantine, treat or recover from COVID-19.

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 23,000 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.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association
RICHMOND, Va., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC ("Greystar"), a global leader in the management of high-quality rental housing properties, and Capital Square, a leading sponsor of tax-advantaged real estate investments and an active developer of multifamily communities, are pleased to announce that Otis is now open and has leased 50 percent of its 350 apartment homes in Scott's Addition.

Greystar Logo (PRNewsfoto/Greystar)

"We are pleased to deliver Otis and become a contributing member of the Scott's Addition community," said Greystar Managing Director John Clarkson. "We hope that we've enhanced an already wonderfully authentic neighborhood's sense of place through thoughtful design, amenities and community serving retail. We look forward to being integral partners and neighbors within Scott's Addition and the broader Richmond market for many years to come."

Located in the heart of Scott's Addition on Roseneath and W Moore St., the six-story mixed-use community offers studio, one- and two-bedroom units, and three-bedroom townhomes. The bespoke apartment homes offer a range of kitchen and bathroom finishes, movable islands, floor to ceiling windows, balconies, full-size appliances and generous closet spaces.

Otis has a variety of amenity spaces, catering to every interest, as well as intimate areas. The lobby was designed to serve as both a lounge and coworking space, with a state-of-the-art gym located to one side and a direct entrance to Grit Coffee on the other. Just off the elevator on the third floor are the cabana, a textured, intimate dining space, and the lounge, which features a pool table, keg tap, and outdoor seating and grilling spaces overlooking the neighborhood. The third floor is also home to two courtyards, one debuting a large pool deck and the other eight grill stations and luxe seating spaces. The Otis community has a dedicated pet spa and a dog park with interactive features.

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Otis also exhibits four murals highlighting talented local artists. The largest mural was designed by Emily Herr of Herr Suites and is hard to miss, spanning half of Norfolk St. and turning the corner to a quarter of McTavish Ave. In the lobby, Tim Skirven designed a vibrant piece above the hospitality bar, visible from Roseneath. Naomi McCavitt of Thicket Design carefully crafted a textured wall mural, enhancing the interior design of the largest indoor amenity space. And finally, a modern installation by Andre Shank in the main elevators pulls the colors from each floor together.

"Richmond is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's most attractive real estate markets and the Scott's Addition neighborhood is among the city's fastest-growing and most compelling sub-markets," said Whitson Huffman, co-chief executive officer of Capital Square. "The Otis, with its attractive design and high-end amenities, is a premier mixed-use multifamily community that will further accelerate the transformation of Scott's Addition into one of Richmond's most popular and thriving neighborhoods."

Otis is situated in Scott's Addition, one of Richmond's fastest-growing neighborhoods, and the hub of the city's brewing scene with more than 20 breweries, distilleries, and cideries. Some of the neighborhood highlights include Stella's Grocery and ZZQ, The Broadberry music venue, and Brambly Park. The community is a 10-minute commute to employers downtown or in the West End and is also near Brown's Island, the James River and Cary Town.

Otis is currently leasing. Don't miss an opportunity to live in Richmond's hottest neighborhood in one of Scott's Addition's best communities. For more information or to schedule a tour, please visit liveotis.com or call 804-964-2050.

About Greystar

Greystar is a leading, fully integrated global real estate company offering expertise in property management, investment management, and development services in institutional-quality rental housing, logistics, and life sciences sectors. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, Greystar manages and operates over $250 billion of real estate in 234 markets globally with offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Greystar is the largest operator of apartments in the United States, manages over 817,000 units/beds globally, and has a robust institutional investment management platform comprised of more than $69 billion of assets under management, including approximately $29 billion of development assets. Greystar was founded by Bob Faith in 1993 to become a provider of world-class service in the rental residential real estate business. To learn more, visit www.greystar.com.

About Capital Square

Capital Square is a vertically integrated national real estate firm specializing in tax-advantaged real estate investments, including Delaware statutory trusts for Section 1031 exchanges, qualified opportunity zone funds for tax deferral and exclusion and a real estate investment trust (REIT). In recent years the company has become an active developer of mixed-use multifamily properties in the southeastern U.S., with eight current projects totaling approximately 2,000 apartment units with a total development cost in excess of $600 million. Since 2012, Capital Square has completed more than $7.5 billion in transaction volume. Capital Square's related entities provide a range of services, including due diligence, acquisition, loan sourcing, property/asset management and disposition, for a growing number of high-net-worth investors, private equity firms, family offices and institutional investors. Since 2017, Capital Square has been recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation for six consecutive years. In 2017, 2018 and 2020, the company was also ranked on Richmond BizSense's list of fastest growing companies. Additionally, Capital Square was listed by Virginia Business on their "Best Places to Work in Virginia" report in 2019 and their "Fantastic 50" reports in 2019 and 2020. In 2023, Capital Square was recognized by the Richmond Times-Dispatch as one of the region's "Top Work Places." To learn more, visit www.CapitalSq.com.

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SOURCE Greystar
HubSpot CRM Platform Customers Can Now Harness Power of the Outreach Sales Execution Platform to Create and Close More Pipeline

SEATTLE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach , the leading sales execution platform helping revenue organizations create and close more pipeline, today announced that customers can now seamlessly integrate data with the HubSpot CRM platform. Powered by HubSpot Operations Hub, the integration allows mutual customers to efficiently prospect, manage and close deals, in Outreach as it syncs Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, and Activities between Outreach and HubSpot.

"This integration brings the power of the Outreach Sales Execution Platform to customers using the HubSpot CRM platform," said Prasad Raje, Chief Product Officer at Outreach. "Sales teams are now empowered with seamless workflows to more effectively create pipeline and bring conversation intelligence to all their sales conversations."

The Outreach integration with HubSpot, a leading CRM platform, enables sales teams to easily customize which data is shared between platforms to quickly sync the exact information wanted. This data transfer enables sales teams to curate accurate and up-to-date customer information, enabling them to focus on selling rather than manually entering, tracking, and cleaning data.

With Outreach, sellers can continue to move their buyers through the sales cycle beyond sales engagement with a mutual success plan . These mutual success plans, which contain insights from Kaia, Outreach's AI-powered virtual assistant and leverage the rich insights coming from the HubSpot integration, help reps manage and close deals faster by establishing trust and alignment with the buyers. Additionally, the data from Kaia that lives within these mutual success plans, allows leaders to operationalize their sales methodology to drive greater consistency, predictability, and collaboration across every deal. In fact, by using Outreach's mutual success plans, sellers can improve win rates by 13%.

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"We're excited to integrate with Outreach to provide a single source of data for our customers," said Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot. "Our customers will be able to harness the power of our CRM data combined with the intelligent insights the Outreach Sales Execution platform generates to inform business decisions. Together, we'll empower our customers to unleash seller productivity across the full sales cycle."

The Outreach Integration with HubSpot is available to customers today. To learn more, visit our integration page .

About Outreach

Outreach is the leading sales execution platform that helps market-facing teams efficiently create and predictably close more pipeline. From prospecting to deal management to forecasting, our platform leverages automation and artificial intelligence to help revenue leaders increase efficiency and effectiveness of all go-to-market activities and personnel across the revenue cycle. Outreach is the only company to offer sales engagement, revenue intelligence, and revenue operations functionalities in a unified platform. More than 6,000 companies, including Zoom, Siemens, Okta, DocuSign, and McKesson depend on Outreach to power their revenue organizations. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington, with offices worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io .

Media Contacts

Haley Flanagan for Outreach.io

PR@Outreach.io

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SOURCE Outreach
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2023 / "Project 4," a pro bono initiative by Oxylabs, is delighted to announce a new partnership with Debunk.org, an organization dedicated to countering online disinformation and state-sponsored internet propaganda. The partnership will provide Debunk.org with Oxylabs' cutting-edge web scraping technology and expertise to combat false information online on a pro bono basis.

4beta and Debunk.org partnership

The issue of disinformation in the digital age has long been of utmost importance. Due to recent events such as the pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war, the topic has now reached a critical level of significance: the rise of state-sponsored propaganda, social media manipulation, and disinformation makes it challenging to distinguish between accurate and false information without some level of expertise. Debunk.org is one of the most experienced organizations in countering disinformation and ensuring the public is aware of disinformation that targets them.

Through "Project 4," Debunk.org will get free access to Oxylabs' out-of-the-box solutions, such as scraper APIs and the world's largest ethical proxy network, allowing the organization and its volunteers to gather publicly available data, make the fact-checking processes faster, and gain valuable insights for their research.

"Online disinformation can harm individuals, organizations, and society as a whole," said Julius Cerniauskas, CEO of Oxylabs. "We are excited to partner with Debunk.org in their fight against malicious actors attempting to deceive the public. As a leading company in the web intelligence collection industry, we understand the power of big data and know that our solutions will assist the organization in their critical work."

"We are looking forward to enhancing Debunk.org capabilities with Oxylabs' tech," said Viktoras Dauksas, Head of Disinformation Analysis Center Debunk.org. "With the support of Oxylabs' advanced web scraping technology and expertise, we will be able to discover disinformation and other informational manipulation cases faster and at scale, ultimately empowering the public to make informed decisions in an increasingly complex digital landscape."

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"Project 4" has recently established partnerships with professors and researchers from a number of esteemed institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, London's Global University (UCL), Northwestern University, University of East London, Aivancity School for Technology, Business & Society, to name a few.

The program is also in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Department of Lithuania. The Oxylabs team is now developing a solution to help the department's specialists automatically collect online ads offering potentially illegal products and services.

The solution will help the department's inspectors save time and be more proactive in ensuring that citizens and legal persons comply with environmental legislation regulating environmental protection and the use of natural resources.

"Project 4" is always on the lookout for new partnerships and welcomes academic institutions, researchers, NGOs, nonprofits, and other organizations, working with the most challenging societal missions to join the program.

About Oxylabs

Established in 2015, Oxylabs is a web intelligence acquisition solution and premium proxy provider, enabling companies of all sizes to utilize the power of big data. Constant innovation, an extensive patent portfolio, and a focus on ethics have allowed Oxylabs to become a global leader in the web intelligence collection industry and forge close ties with dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies. In 2022 and 2023, Oxylabs was named Europe's fastest-growing web intelligence acquisition company in the Financial Times' FT 1000 list. For more information, please visit: https://oxylabs.io.

About Debunk.org

Debunk.org is an independent technology think tank and NGO that carries out disinformation analysis and runs educational media literacy campaigns in 8 countries. The organisation has worked in the disinformation countering field since 2017. Our team focuses on a wide range of topics, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the migration crisis on the EU border with Belarus, COVID-19, NATO, hybrid warfare, energy politics, and monitoring elections. Debunk.org took part in the Ukraine War Disinfo Work Group, which unites NGOs and research centers from 14 countries and provides weekly reports on disinformation spread by the Kremlin about its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For more information, please visit https://www.debunk.org.

Contact Information

Vytautas Kirjazovas

Head of Communications

press@oxylabs.io

+44 7999 885206

SOURCE: Oxylabs

.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/753938/Oxylabs-Project-4beta-Partners-With-Debunkorg-to-Counter-Disinformation




This is The Takeaway from today's Morning Brief, which you can receive in your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET along with:

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A few days removed from Warren Buffett's annual party in Omaha, I am left thinking of this quote from one of the CEOs atop the billionaire investor's long-time holdings.

"His advice to me was to be transparent. He may not like what you are going to tell him, but as long as you are not surprising him you will be OK," American Express Stephen Squeri told Yahoo! Finance.

Execs at media giant Paramount  where Buffett is a 15.3% holder after building an initial stake in Nov. 2022  must not have gotten that sage advice from the OG investor.

And that calls into question what the Oracle will do next with his ownership stake.

Last week, Paramount  which has made major progress on the streaming subscriber front with Paramount+  surprised the heck out of investors like Buffett.

Paramount posted a first quarter direct to consumer business loss of $511 million. A year ago, Paramount's direct to consumer business lost $456 million.

That's a lot of losses for a business like Paramount+, which had 60 million subscribers exiting the first quarter. But it underscores how costly it is to produce content such as the hit Paramount show Yellowstone while also staying sharp on pricing to compete with fellow streamers Netflix, Disney, Amazon, etc.

It's just a brutal business to be in.

The fact ad revenue in Paramount's traditional TV business is under pressure in part to macroeconomic conditions only amplifies the losses at the streaming business.

"Paramount is still moving through a difficult combination of heavy investments to try to offset structural decline in a weak cyclical top-line environment," said Macquarie Research analyst Tim Nollen in a client note.

Nollen maintained an under-perform rating on Paramount's stock.

Story continues

The company then surprised investors again  such as Buffett  by slashing its quarterly dividend to $0.05 from $0.24.

Buffett loves dividends. He loves collecting the big fat checks from a Coca-Cola and aforementioned AmEx.

Now he stands to collect smaller quarterly checks from Paramount, provided he still owns the stock.

Buffett is likely to release a 13f filing early next week disclosing movements in his vast stock portfolio. If Paramount isn't in there  or the stake has been reduced  Paramount investors could feel more pain.

Buffett didn't exactly voice support for the company at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.

Its not good news when any company cuts its dividend dramatically," Buffett told a packed CHI Health Center.

No it's not, Warren.

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

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
LONDON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson PLC [FTSE: PSON.L], the world's leading learning company, today announces the appointments of Alison Dolan and Alex Hardiman as independent Non-Executive Directors, with effect from June 1, 2023. Both bring significant leadership experience in high profile and respected digital brands, helping to further the strong momentum of Pearson's own digital, lifelong learning strategy.

Alison is the Chief Financial Officer at Rightmove plc, a position she has held since September 2020. She brings to the Board extensive commercial and operational finance experience, specifically in digital businesses. Prior to Rightmove, she held several senior financial positions at Sky plc, including Group Treasurer, Director of Finance and was the Deputy Managing Director at Sky Business. She later moved to News UK to serve as the Chief Strategy Officer at the forefront of the business's digital transformation.

Alex currently serves as the New York Times' Chief Product Officer where she oversees the company's News, Cooking, Games and Audio products that power its digital business. Alex previously spent a decade at The New York Times in several product leadership roles before leaving for Facebook in 2016 where she served as Head of News Products, overseeing news experiences for Facebook consumers and publishers. Alex also spent time at The Atlantic as their Chief Business and Product Officer where she relaunched the company's consumer offerings and subscription model.

Omid Kordestani, Pearson Chair, said: "I'm thrilled to welcome Alison and Alex to the Pearson Board at this exciting and transformational time. They bring deep expertise in digital and consumer products, which will help us execute on our strategic ambitions and expand our growth potential. In addition, Alison and Alex complement the existing depth of experience on our Board and their knowledge will serve us well as Pearson continues its consumer and digital journey."

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Alison Dolan said: "Pearson plays an important role in improving society through lifelong learning. I'm impressed with both its impact on the world and the growing momentum behind the company. I believe my experience in finance and digital business are a good fit for Pearson and that I can contribute to the progress that is already underway."

Alex Hardiman said: "I am excited to combine my own digital experience with Pearson's purpose to add life to a lifetime of learning. Drawing on my expertise in media, technology, product development and subscription growth. I look forward to helping Pearson deepen its relationship with consumers and further capitalize on the tremendous opportunity in digital learning."

There is no further information to be declared in accordance with LR 9.6.13.

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's leading learning company, serving customers in c.200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are.

For more information visit us at pearsonplc.com and connect with Pearson on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Dan Nelson, Dan.Nelson@pearson.com

Alison Dolan

Alex Hardiman

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pearson-announces-alison-dolan-and-alex-hardiman-as-non-executive-directors-301820948.html

SOURCE Pearson
Peterbilt introduced the Model 589 replacement for the Model 389 introduced in 2007. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

FORT WORTH, Texas  Peterbilt Motors could have made a bigger spectacle of launching its high-end, low-volume Model 589. But it is hard to imagine how.

A Peterbilt-only Pride & Class Truck Show of more than 200 heritage models. Renting out the cavernous Texas Motor Speedway. A Southern rock concert. More than 3,000 attendees from VIPs to employees to fans off the street.

Then came the truck, continuing a tradition of long-hood, squared-grille beasts with 7-inch vertical chrome exhausts and 15-inch-diameter chrome air cleaners that lend to the distinctiveness of the truckers truck.

The history of Peterbilts traditional model stretches nearly 70 years to the 1954 debut of the Model 351. It was followed by the 359, 379 and finally the current-generation 389 introduced in 2007.

Over time, we have had evolutions of our traditional trucks, not revolutions, Jason Skoog, Peterbilt general manager, said during the Tuesday evening reveal that included a concert by Palestine, Texas-based Whiskey Myers followed by fireworks lighting the night sky above the tracks jumbotron video screen.

Maybe the last of a breed

On Wednesday, Skoog acknowledged the diesel-powered truck favored by customizers could be on its last model.

If you go back through our history, its every 15 to 20 years [that] we redo the traditional Peterbilt truck. So this will carry us at least into the 2040 time frame, he said. You can never predict the future, but I would say quite possibly it is the last of an era.

Peterbilt General Manager Jason Skoog introduced the new Model 589 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The Model 589 and a Legendary special edition were a decade in the making, in part because the Paccar Inc. brand had other priorities and partly because Peterbilt needed to secure critical components in dimensions to fit a wider cab while staying within overall width tolerances. Peterbilt has revamped its entire heavy- and medium-duty lineup in recent years. Its oldest current product is the 567 introduced in 2013.

Peterbilt cab conversions

Peterbilt has converted the cab of its heavy-duty Model 367 and Model 379 from 6 feet, 2 inches wide to 6 feet, 9 inches in width. The additional space between the seats also allows a driver to access the sleeper cab without turning or twisting.

Story continues

It allows the plant to build three trucks on a single platform as well. That saves the company engineering and design time and significant capital expense, Peterbilt Chief Engineer Scott Newhouse said.

All bumper options from the 389 are carried over to the 589 but now come with LED running lights. A V-style visor replaces the 389s rounded one. Bullet-style marker lights across the top are twice as bright as those on the legacy model.

The 589 also offers the Bendix Wingman Fusion suite of safety system technologies that include forward collision warning and lane departure warning.

Small sales but devoted fans

Peterbilt has sold about 110,000 Model 389s since their introduction in 2007. Annual production is a fraction of the flagship Model 579 assembled at the nonunion plant in Denton, Texas. The 589 joins the 579 and the 567 at the 43-year-old facility, where 2,500 workers turn out 201 trucks a day on two shifts.

Sibling Kenworth introduced its chrome-laden W990 three years ago as the high-end reward truck that fleets assign to their best drivers. Some 589s will go there, but smaller fleets and owner-operators also buy them in tens and hundreds of copies. Overall Peterbilt sells three trucks to larger fleets to one for smaller operations and individual truckers.

The Model 389 goes away at the end of the year. Production of the Model 589 begins in January with the first 589 trucks getting special interior badging and sequential numbering.

Behind the wheel

Two quick spins in the 589 Legendary around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway track found a well-mannered and extremely quiet cab with a clear view over its long snout. Side mirrors are 2 inches deeper, providing a better rear view. They are expected to get embedded video camera technology already available on the 579.

Speaking in normal tones was easily understood by someone in the sleeper compartment, not the case on many current trucks. Though engine noise was present, little of it seeped into the cab, providing quietness comparable to near-silent battery-electric electric trucks.

The manual transmission shifted effortlessly, though only about one in four buyers are expected to choose it over the Eaton-Cummins Endurant automated manual transmission. Steering was effortless with a quick-returning wheel even after negotiating one of the tracks turns.

Related articles:

Peterbilts Jason Skoogs math lesson

Peterbilt reveals major redesign of its flagship Class 8 Model 579

Paccar recalls medium-duty trucks for sudden brake failure

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Alan Adler.

The post Peterbilt kicks out the jams to introduce Model 589 appeared first on FreightWaves.
Market.Us

The North American region dominates the global pipeline monitoring system market by accounting for a substantial revenue share of 32.8%. The advanced infrastructure available in this region has driven its growth. The region has witnessed a rise in incidents of oil leaks, gas leaks, and pipeline breakage due to the expanding pipeline network.

New York, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2022, the Global Pipeline Monitoring System Market was valued at USD 15.1 Billion and is expected to reach USD 31.1 Billion in 2032. This market is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 7.7% between 2023 and 2032. Pipeline monitoring and safety has become an important part of the sectors like energy, petroleum, oil and gas, and many such sectors.

This high importance of the pipeline monitoring system among these sectors is due to the benefits of these pipeline monitoring systems to prevent pipeline leakage and breaking of pipelines. The breaking of a pipeline or leakage in the pipe can cause severe effects like a negative impact on the environment. If the pipeline carrying liquid or gas is flammable, then its leakage can also catch fire. To avoid such incidents from happening, the pipeline monitoring system has huge importance among industries.

Pipeline Monitoring System Market

To get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a Pipeline Monitoring System Market sample report at https://market.us/report/pipeline-monitoring-systems-market/request-sample/

Key Takeaway:

By Technology, ultrasonic leads the segment by covering the major revenue share of 23.8%.

By Pipe Type, metallic pipes dominate over non-metallic pipes by covering a major revenue share of 74.4%.

By Application, the leakage detection segment leads with a 42.6% share.

By End-use Industry, 66.8% revenue share is covered by the oil and gas industry.

North America held a revenue share of approximately 32.8% in 2022

Asia Pacific market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.6%

Story continues

Sometimes the liquid or gas carried in the pipeline is very reactive, and it can develop high pressure on the pipes. This can result in unwanted incidents like pipe leakage and pipe breakage. These incidents directly affect the prices of oil and gas across the world. Pipe leakage or pipe breakage can result in the loss of huge amounts of oil and gas. This results in high prices of oil and gas in the global market. Due to this, many companies are adopting the pipeline monitoring system to avoid such incidents.

Factors affecting the growth of the Pipeline Monitoring System Market?

Several factors can affect the growth of the pipeline monitoring system market. Some of these factors include:

Increasing Pipeline Network: The demand for oil and gases has risen significantly in the past few years. Therefore, to transport and distribute the oil and gases across the regions and countries, many governments and companies are establishing the pipeline network to supply the oil and gases. This has increased the demand for the pipeline monitoring system in the market.

Rising Oil and Gases Theft: Terrorists and thieves are stealing the oil and gases from the pipeline networks which supply the oil and gas between the countries. This is expected to he;p the market grow.

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Top Trends in Global Pipeline Monitoring System Market

The ongoing trend of integrating advanced technologies like human-machine interface, distributed vibration sensing, distributed vibration sensing, and programmable logic controllers in pipeline monitoring has positively affected the market growth of pipeline monitoring systems. As a result, many companies are providing advanced features in the pipeline monitoring system that can efficiently function and provide accurate monitoring data to the user. This is promoting more companies to adopt the pipeline monitoring system in their companies to avoid unwanted incidents and monitor the flow within the pipeline system.

Market Growth

The oil and gas demand has risen significantly in the past few years. Therefore, to transport and distribute the oil and gases across the regions and countries, many governments and companies are establishing the pipeline network to supply the oil and gases. This has increased the demand for the pipeline monitoring system in the market. Moreover, oil theft from the pipeline networks supplies the oil and gas between the countries. Due to this, companies in the oil and gas industry are experiencing huge losses. Therefore, the companies are adopting the pipeline monitoring system to monitor the activities in the pipeline system.

Regional Analysis

North America leads the global pipeline monitoring system market by covering a major revenue share of 32.8%. The growth of North America is attributed to the availability of advanced infrastructure within the region. With the increasing pipeline network across the region, oil leaks, gas leaks, and pipeline breakage incidents have also risen. Therefore, to prevent these incidents, the companies are adopting the pipeline monitoring system in their companies. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6%. The presence of many companies offering the pipeline monitoring system is driving the growth of the Asia Pacific region.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the market has also been examined in this report. The pipeline monitoring system market is fragmented into many companies. Key players in the market are investing in research and development for the integration of advanced technologies in the pipeline monitoring system. The companies are adopting various strategies like collaboration, partnership, acquisition, and mergers to expand their market share across regions and strengthen their position in the market. Some of the major players include ABB Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Emerson Electric Co., Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd., Rockwell Automation Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Generic Electric Co., ORBCOMM Inc., QinetiQ Group Plc, Xylem Inc., and other key players.

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Scope of the Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 15.1 billion Market Size (2032) USD 31.1 billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 7.7% North America Revenue Share 32.8% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

Increasing Pipeline networks across the world are increasing the demand for the pipeline monitoring system. With rising energy demand across the world, the oil and gas reserves have been depleting drastically in the last few years. The companies are adopting the pipeline monitoring system in their operations to meet this high market demand. It helps companies monitor oil and gas transportation efficiently and keep track of it. This is driving the growth of the pipeline monitoring system market. Moreover, the increasing incidents like oil stealing, leakage, and pipe bursting are forcing companies to adopt the pipeline monitoring system. These key factors are driving the growth of the pipeline monitoring system.

Market Restraints

The lack of funding for the pipeline monitoring system from the oil and gas industry is hindering the growth of the pipeline monitoring system market. The federal authorities' unwillingness to develop an advanced pipeline monitoring system is also obstructing the companies from adopting advanced technologies like pipeline monitoring systems in their companies. Also, pipeline monitoring systems require skilled and trained employees for their operations. But a lack of proper understanding and exposure to the pipeline monitoring system is restricting the companies from adopting the pipeline monitoring systems. This is restraining the growth of pipeline monitoring systems in the market.

Market Opportunities

The increasing pipeline network infrastructure is anticipated to create many lucrative opportunities in the market for companies to develop efficient pipeline monitoring systems. The pipeline infrastructure has increased significantly in the last few years. The rising energy demand across the world has forced companies to develop the oil and gas transporting pipeline network across the world. The companies have installed thousands of miles of pipeline network to distribute and transport oil and gas between the countries.

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Report Segmentation of the Pipeline Monitoring System Market

Technology Insight

The ultrasonic dominates the global pipeline monitoring system market by covering a major revenue share of 23.8%. The ability of ultrasonic monitoring technology to detect the location of the leak in the pipeline or the flaw in the pipeline with the help of noise patterns and high-frequency sound waves is driving the growth of the ultrasonic pipeline monitoring system in the technology segment of the pipeline monitoring system market. Moreover, the LiDAR is anticipated to grow at a high CAGR of 8.6% over the forecast period. LiDAR is an optical technology that uses pulsed lasers from the transmitter. The system receiver receives the reflected light and develops the distance map. It helps the pipeline monitoring system by avoiding incidents of leakage, corrosion, and contamination in the pipeline. This is fueling the growth of LiDAR in the technology segment of the pipeline monitoring system.

Pipe Type Insight

Based on pipe type, the metallic leads the pipe type segment of the pipeline monitoring system market by accounting for the major revenue share of 74.4%. The wide use of these pipes in the oil and gas, power plants, and many such industries for transportation and distribution are driving the growth of the metallic pipes in the pipe type segment of the pipeline monitoring system market. The use of metallic pipes like carbon steel, alloy, stainless, and duplex steel pipes offers high strength, great corrosion resistance, and weldability. The metallic pipes can be used underground as well as underwater due to their capability of handling high pressure.

Application Insight

Leak detection is a mostly used application of the pipeline monitoring system. The system detects the location of the pipe leak and alerts the operator of the pipe leak to avoid the spillage of oil and gases. This is driving the growth of leak detection in the application segment of the global pipeline monitoring system market.

End-Use Industry Insight

Oil and gas dominate the end-use industry segment, with the account's highest share of 66.8%, due to the increased adoption of the pipeline monitoring system in the oil and gas industry for monitoring the transportation and distribution of oil and gases. The increasing losses to the oil and gas industry companies due to leakage, pipeline breaking, and the oil-stealing by terrorists, has forced the companies to adopt the pipeline monitoring system market.

For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/pipeline-monitoring-systems-market/request-sample/

Market Segmentation

Based on Technology

Ultrasonic

LIDAR

Smart Ball

PIG

Magnetic Flux Leakage Technology

Other Technologies

Based on Pipe Type

Metallic

Non-Metallic

Based on Application

Operating Condition

Pipe Leakage Detection

Leak Detection

Other Applications

Based on End-Use Industry

Water and Wastewater

Oil and Gas

Other End-Use Industries

Based on Geography

North America The US Canada Mexico

Western Europe Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC

Latin America Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Market Key Players:

ABB Ltd.

Honeywell International Inc.

Emerson Electric Co.

Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd.

Rockwell Automation Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

Siemens AG

Generic Electric Co.

ORBCOMM Inc.

QinetiQ Group Plc

Xylem Inc.

Other Key Players

Recent Development of the Pipeline Monitoring System Market

In November 2021, ProFlex Technologies and Siemens AG partnered. In this partnership, ProFlex Technologies is providing the digital Pipe-Safe leading leak detection technology to Siemens AG, which provides help to the employees monitoring the gas, oil, and petrochemicals and preventing the leaks.

In June 2021, EuRoPol GAZ S.A. collaborated with ABB to strengthen the reliability and upgrade the security levels for all five gas compressor stations of the EuRoPol GAZ S.A. located in the Polish region of the gas pipeline.

Browse More Related Reports:

Intelligent Pipeline Pigging Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 10.1% over the next ten years and will reach USD 2574 Mn in 2032, from USD 893.5 Mn in 2022, according to a new Market.us study.

Flue and Chimney Pipes Market size is expected to be worth around USD 1,121.96 million by 2032 from USD 554.6 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.



Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 5.5% over the next ten years, and will reach US$ 4800 Mn in 2032, from US$ 2810 Mn in 2022, according to a new Market.us study.



Modern Drainage Systems Market was valued at US$ 1,700.0 Million in 2022 it will reach a valuation of US$ 2445.6 Million by 2032. Between 2023 and 2032, this market is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 3.8%.



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Postmasters celebrate outside the High Court after their convictions were quashed. - Mark Thomas/Alamy Live

The Post Office is facing a government investigation after paying bonuses to executives for supplying evidence to the public inquiry into the Horizon computer system scandal.

Kevin Hollinrake, the business minister, has demanded an "immediate explanation" from the Post Office after parts of chief executive Nick Reads 450,000 bonus were linked to providing "all required evidence and information on time".

Mr Read wrote to Sir Wyn Williams, the Horizon inquiry chairman, saying that he had paid back the amount of bonus that was linked to this metric.

He also offered Sir Wyn a personal apology for implying that he had signed off the payout.

Responding to an urgent question on the bonuses, Mr Hollinrake told the Commons: "The situation is extremely concerning and deeply regrettable and the Post Office is right to apologise."

MP Kevin Hollinrake - Martin Pope/Getty Images

Amanda Burton, the Post Office's incoming remuneration committee chairman, will lead an "immediate investigation into this incident" and is expected to report back to the business minister within two weeks.

Mr Hollinrake continued: "This is a very serious issue, particularly considering it comes at a time when it is essential that the public should have confidence that the culture and processes at the Post Office have been improved."

He added: "The Post Office's CEO and CFO have returned the remuneration associated with a sub metric relating to the Post Office's support for the inquiry.

"Post Office's CEO has also apologised to DBT [Department for Business and Trade] ministers, but more needs to be done."

The Post Offices defective Horizon system led to hundreds of subpostmasters being prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting.

Several have since had their convictions overturned. Others have died before receiving compensation for being implicated in the scandal.

The Post Offices annual report for last year stated that executives had met all their obligations to support the inquiry into the Horizon system. The inquiry is yet to be completed, however.

Story continues

Former post office worker Noel Thomas, who was convicted of false accounting in 2006, celebrates with his daughter Sian outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after having his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal. - Yui Mok/PA Wire

Corporate filings stated that the Post Office had received confirmation from Sir Wyn and his team that Post Office's performance supported and enabled the Inquiry to finish in line with expectations".

This triggered bonuses to executives.

Responding to Mr Hollinrakes remarks, Duncan Baker, Conservative MP for North Norfolk and a former postmaster, said: "It's clearly an absolute scandal that Post Office executives are being paid a bonus for co-operating with a scandal that they all turned a blind eye to."

Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh urged the minister to consider mutualisation of the Post Office, adding: "We should pass control of this body to the people who do all the work who are in the front line. Now I hope the minister won't dismiss that idea."

Mr Hollinrake replied: "I'm a big fan of mutuals, I've spoken up in favour of mutuals many times on this side of the House as a backbench [MP]. Very happy to keep those conversations going with him and certainly it's not something I would dismiss out of hand."

Labour's Kevan Jones (North Durham) said Post Office chief executive Mr Read "needs to resign or he needs to be sacked", adding of the company: "Frankly it is rotten to the core still. It needs to change."

Alan Bates, head of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, called for executives to step down.

He said: "Post Office has long been a business that is out of control and needs dismantling and rebuilding from the ground up.

"The bosses, like all the 'great and good' in this scandal are getting away not only with pots of money, but free from ever being held liable for their incompetence and arrogance."

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WASHINGTON, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The below remarks are as prepared for delivery by Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy during the open session meeting of the Postal Service Board of Governors on May 9, 2023.

(PRNewsfoto/U.S. Postal Service)

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

As the Chairman has identified, the women and men of the United States Postal Service have accomplished a great deal since the release of the Delivering for America Plan.

Our leadership team continues to push forward to implement the strategies defined in the Delivering for America Plan that will transform the Postal Service into a vibrant and self-sustaining service organization delivering postal services to the American people for many years to come.

We recently released our 2-year progress report which identified the many meaningful accomplishments:

Our service performance has increased steadily week after week with 98% of the American people receiving their mail and packages within 3 days. In fact, the velocity through our network has so improved that approximately 50% of First-Class Mail gets delivered a day early.





Our improvements to service have occurred because of, and while making, many significant changes to our operating conditions and strategies, most significantly:

From an operations standpoint, it is a different Postal Service from two short years ago. Throughout the organization there is a new can-do attitudegrowing in optimism and operational aptitude. Our people are ready to take on the many challenges and opportunities that are in front of us.

In addition to our operational initiatives, since the release of the Delivering for America Plan:

We worked with the last Congress, and others, to pass the Postal Reform Act, reversing the unfair requirements of the Postal Service legislated in 2006 by a previous congress.





We have served the nation during the pandemic with the distribution and delivery of 700 million Covid test kits across the nation, demonstrating our value to the nation in times of crisis.





Our initiatives to growing revenue are underway as we are rolling out new and improved products with USPS Connect, Ground Advantage and soon to come enhancements to our Priority Mail and regionally targeted services.





We have engaged our customers with new technology, new contracting methodologies, and an improved level of engagement from our sales teams. We expect this energy towards improvement to drive our sales growth initiatives far into the future.





We have increased capital spending on modernizing our operations for the future with new technology, facilities, equipment and vehicles. This includes the fulfilling the long overdue need of acquiring new delivery vehicles.



Enabled by our evolving operating strategy, improved financial condition and some congressional funding, we have developed a mission centered strategy for 66,000 of these new vehicles to be electric.



This initiative, combined with our planned reduction in transportation and in the improvements in our operating efficiencies, will make us a leader in carbon footprint reduction over the next 10 years.





While not where we want to be, we have reduced projected losses from over $160 billion to approximately $70 billion in our 10-year planning horizon.





Not meeting our short-term financial goals as specified in the DFA is not taken lightly. We will be taking more aggressive actions to get back on track to overcome matters unforeseen in our DFA forecast. These unforeseen matters include:

Story continues

Going forward we have ambitious plans to improve our service in those areas, particularly rural areas, which are not receiving the improved service experience we have delivered to the rest of the nation.

We will continue to advance improvement to our network, with major redesign to our processing facility configurations and functionality.

We have goals to significantly reduce our ground transportation cost both nationally and locally.

We will redesign our delivery network, rolling out new sort and delivery centers across the country.

And we will achieve new business growth by offering great solutions and affordable service in the competitive marketplace.

We expect the next two years to be more exciting and consequential than the firstthey need to beand we will work diligently to fulfill the goals identified in the Delivering for America Plan.

I would like to thank my leadership team for their steadfast commitment to our strategies and for their hard work. I am proud of their performance and my association with them.

I also would like to thank our Governors for their continued support of our strategy and their work to understand the magnitude of the complications involved in unwinding the many years of damage inflicted on this organization and establishing sound practices for the future.

And finally, and most importantly, I thank the women and men of the United States Postal Service for their commitment to the nation."

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.

Contact:

David Partenheimer

david.a.partenheimer@usps.gov

usps.com/news

Cision

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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
Ministry asks Philippines to help Vietnamese nationals rescued in Pampanga

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has instructed its Consular Department to contact the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam and ask for support in assisting the Vietnamese citizens among the over 1,000 forced labourers recently rescued in Pampanga province of the archipelago nation.









The Philippine authorities raid the establishment of the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga province on May 4. (Source: Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group)



The MoFA said on May 9 that it proposed the Philippine authorities help ensure accommodation for the Vietnamese citizens, inform the Vietnamese side about their residence status, and help Vietnam repatriate the citizens whose stay is not permitted by the Philippines as soon as possible.



The ministry also asked the Philippine side to enhance cooperation in resolving the forced labour case involving Vietnamese citizens and strictly deal with violators.



According to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, local authorities on May 4 rescued more than 1,000 people, including Vietnamese nationals, who were forced to work at an establishment owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga province, near Manila capital. The rescued persons are staying safely at a facility arranged by Philippine authorities.



Shortly after being notified, the embassy visited the Vietnamese nationals, collected their information, and gave medication to some with health problems on May 6 and 9. It is working closely with relevant agencies of the Philippines to make assistance plans.



The MoFA also called on those who have information about the persons involved in forced labour or lured to work overseas to provide details via the citizen protection switchboard +84 981848484, the Consular Departments email baohocongdan@gmail.com, the citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines +63 9982756666, or their nearest representative agencies of Vietnam./.
Cements Ables Strong Market Position While Setting Company on Next Growth Phase

LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Able Freight Services, LLC (Able), the countrys largest privately owned time-sensitive, perishables airfreight forwarder, welcomes the addition of Pravin Singh to the companys executive team as its Senior Vice President of Commercial. Mr. Singh joins the Able family after a distinguished career at IAG Cargo and British Airways, most recently as IAG Cargos Vice President for the Americas, and previously as Regional Commercial Manager for Asia Pacific, India, and the Middle East based in Hong Kong. In these roles Mr. Singh was responsible for growing top- and bottom-line results while strengthening governance and compliance. Earlier in his career with British Airways, Mr. Singh lived and worked in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Singhs responsibilities include leading Ables commercial efforts to expand its reach with customers and partners around the world. As the second largest airfreight exporter from Los Angeles International Airport, with additional operations in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Mexico, Ables well-established leadership position helps ensure time-sensitive perishables arrive on-time. As the business and regulatory complexities and customer service expectations of global airfreight logistics expand, Able, under Mr. Singhs commercial leadership, is uniquely positioned to service those needs.

Able, owned by Equity Group Investments (EGI), serves prominent global brands of produce growers, shipping companies, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and government bodies who need to confidently ship time-sensitive and perishable goods, including fruits and vegetables, protein, seafood, e-commerce, and handling critical pharmaceutical and medical products with a trusted partner.

"For over 50 years, EGI has invested in great companies with tremendous growth potential," said Mark Sotir, President, Equity Group Investments. "Much of our success derives from hiring transformational leaders and providing them with the guidance and resources needed for long-term success. Pravins global commercial experience and proven ability to make those around him better give us confidence he will not only help lead Able through its global growth phase, but also make a lasting positive impact on the entire industry."

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Ables long-standing partnerships with leading commercial and cargo airlines around the world, together with its distributed global network of over 75 cold chain storage, handling, and last-mile logistics partners, provide Able with the competitive edge it needs to exceed customer expectations worldwide.

"Ables storied history of innovation and exceptional service to their loyal customers is well known," said Mr. Singh. "The combination of Ables extensive global infrastructure and capable team, together with EGIs long-term investment philosophy and relentless pursuit of excellence, proved to me that Able is the right place to launch the exciting next phase of my career."

About Able Freight Services

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Able Freight Services, LLC is a high-growth, global airfreight forwarder currently servicing customers exporting time-sensitive goods from around the world to more than 60 countries. From its humble beginnings 30+ years ago, Able now serves prominent global brands of produce growers, shipping and freight forwarding companies, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and government bodies. Leveraging its extensive network of cold-storage locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Mexico and its network of trusted global partners, Able services time-sensitive perishable goods, including fruits and vegetables, protein, seafood, e-commerce, and handling critical pharmaceutical and medical products. The Companys long-standing partnerships with leading commercial and cargo airlines and more than 75 cold chain partners (affectionately referred to as "local heroes") around the world help provide Able the competitive edge it needs to compete on a global scale. Able is proudly the 2nd largest airfreight exporter out of Los Angeles International airport. For more information, please visit www.ablefreight.com.

About Equity Group Investments

EGI is a private investment firm founded more than 50 years ago by Sam Zell. Backed by private capital, EGI is flexible and opportunistic with a primary focus on direct private investment opportunities but has the in-house expertise to invest across the capital structure. As long-term investors, EGI actively partners with portfolio company executives to execute strategic planning, implement operational efficiencies, and scale businesses. EGI has grown companies across numerous industries into multi-billion-dollar businesses throughout economic cycles. EGIs current portfolio includes investments in healthcare, transportation and logistics, infrastructure, energy, consumer, industrial, manufacturing, agri-business, and real estate. For more information, visit www.egizell.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230510005731/en/

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FGS Global

able@fgsglobal.com
(Bloomberg) -- Asian and European oil buyers are having to pay hefty prices for lower-quality, dirtier crudes as sanctions on Russia and OPEC+ output cuts reduce the availability of those grades.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The shift has taken traders by surprise, as less-dense, or light, crude is usually more expensive since its easier to process into higher-value fuels and requires less costly sulfur removal.

In a rare move, Saudi Aramco will sell its Arab Extra Light variety for less than Arab Light to Asia next month. And the price gap between two of Abu Dhabis most widely traded varieties, which are different in terms of quality, has also narrowed sharply this month.

An embargo on Russias flagship Urals oil and disruption to flows from Iraqi Kurdistan have contributed to the unusual situation by boosting prices of medium sour grades. New refineries in the Middle East, mainly in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have also been ramping up and taking more feedstock, adding to the tightness for these varieties.

In contrast, the supply of lighter crude has been more robust, with barrels continuing to flow from producers in the US, Kazakhstan and even Africa.

Those factors have weighed particularly on grades like Abu Dhabis Murban crude, for which sellers have slashed spot premiums to make it competitive, according to traders who buy and sell those barrels.

Murban for July loading is being discussed at a premium of about $1.70 a barrel to the Dubai benchmark, while the heavier, more sulfurous Upper Zakum grade is only marginally cheaper at $1.60 above the same marker, traders said. Omani crude, also heavier than Murban, is trading about $1.50 above Dubai, they added.

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Demand for Murban has also ebbed as profits from turning crude into diesel tumbled, which has contributed to some Asian refiners considering cuts to processing rates. The grade is used to produce a lot of the industrial and transport fuel.

(Adds detail on the ramp-up of Middle Eastern refineries in fourth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
U.S. President Joe Biden set forth an unexpected dichotomy on Tuesday, saying "MAGA House Republicans" support "tax loopholes that help wealthy crypto investors," and oppose food safety inspections.

Biden's Twitter post was in support of his proposed fiscal year 2024 budget, which has so far failed to meaningfully advance given united Republican opposition in the U.S. House.

Biden notes that reducing the budget is a universal prioritybut that Republicans prefer to cut "programs critical to seniors and middle-class and working families" rather than changing tax codes "to ensure that the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share."

We dont have to guess what MAGA House Republicans value. Theyre telling us. pic.twitter.com/BM6JGMEFeq  President Biden (@POTUS) May 9, 2023

The prominent reference to crypto sparked a fury of responses on Crypto Twitter. A common refrain: What tax loopholes?

"I gave yall more money than I made off this stuff, while taking all the risk," replied Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus. "You also realize most American crypto users arent rich, but are using crypto cuz they dont feel like they have enough to make ends meetbecause of you guys?"

Biden's budget plan provides a little more detail than his tweet.

"Right now, crypto investors arent subject to the same rules of the road that investors in stocks or other securities have to follow, allowing them to report excessive losses," a White House fact sheet explains. "For example, a crypto investorunlike an investor in stocks or bondscan sell a cryptocurrency at a loss, take a substantial tax loss to reduce their tax burden, and then buy back that same cryptocurrency the very next day."

The President says that updating the tax codes "to apply to crypto assets just like they apply to stocks and other securities" would recover $24 billion.

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But Peter Conradi, community moderator for digital artist Beeple and community manager at Web3 creator platform Async Art, asked Biden to back off.

"Take your foot off the [brakes] of a technological and financial revolution that other nations are tapping into," he replied on Twitter. "Most of us are not wealthy, but many of us are simply trying to innovate and create new markets and opportunities for citizens."

White House Issues Report Justifying 30% Crypto Mining Tax, Cites Lack of Economic Benefits

The U.S. is being pilloried around the world for its lack of clear regulatory guidance on crypto, the uncertainty prompting crypto firms to expand overseas, lawyer up and scuttle dealsand potentially inhibiting the market itself. So far, the trend has been toward curtailing the industry.

This year, following criticism over the lack of oversight over failed crypto exchange FTX, Security and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler has stepped up his campaign against crypto companies that the SEC says are selling unregistered securities: Genesis in January, Do Kwon's Terraform Labs in February, Justin Sun and his companies in March, and Bittrex in April.

There are voices of dissent within his own agency, however.

Meanwhile, the White House is building a case for a 30% excise tax on the energy used by crypto miners, and Republican lawmakers are lining up to oppose a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC), with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called it a likely venue for Democrats to implement "Woke Politics."
Key Insights

The considerable ownership by retail investors in Coca-Cola HBC indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy

50% of the business is held by the top 4 shareholders

Recent sales by insiders

A look at the shareholders of Coca-Cola HBC AG (LON:CCH) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 33% stake, retail investors possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Private companies, on the other hand, account for 24% of the company's stockholders.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Coca-Cola HBC, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Coca-Cola HBC

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Coca-Cola HBC?

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.

We can see that Coca-Cola HBC does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. 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 Coca-Cola HBC's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Coca-Cola HBC. Boval Sarl is currently the largest shareholder, with 23% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 21% and 3.5%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.

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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 Coca-Cola HBC

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. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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 information suggests that Coca-Cola HBC AG insiders own under 1% of the company. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own UK65m worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 33% stake in Coca-Cola HBC. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 24%, of the shares on issue. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 21% of Coca-Cola HBC. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Coca-Cola HBC better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Coca-Cola HBC that you should be aware of.

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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By Lisa Pauline Mattackal

(Reuters) - Private-credit firms are eyeing fresh opportunities from a potential borrowing squeeze in the United States as battered regional banks tighten lending after the turmoil in the sector, according to fund managers and investment strategists.

About 46% of the banks surveyed by the Federal Reserve reported tightening lending standards during the second quarter of 2023, compared with 39% in Q4 2022.

As a result, commercial and industrial lending, which analysts say is largely driven by smaller banks, has slowed to $2.76 trillion for the week ended April 26 from $2.82 trillion a month earlier, Fed data showed.

"As banks start to slow down lending, this gap will be filled by another sector," Carlos Vaz, CEO of real estate investment firm CONTI Capital, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum (GMF).

Blackstone Inc, one of the world's largest private lenders, said it saw a "golden moment" to expand its credit business as banks retrenched.

Such lenders see commercial and residential real estate as particularly attractive, given the prominence of regional banks in these sectors.

Regional U.S. banks accounted for about 70% of outstanding loans to the commercial real estate (CRE) sector alone, according to Capital Economics.

Recently failed regional lender, First Republic Bank, reported more than $13.4 billion in CRE and commercial construction loans on its books, while Signature Bank's reported $60 billion loan portfolio primarily comprises CRE and other commercial loans, according to the FDIC.

Sumit Handa, managing director at Pennington Partners, said his firm is eyeing fresh deals, particularly in the wake of Signature's collapse.

"Signature was one of the biggest providers of real estate lending in the New York area, commercial real estate is very vulnerable ... as a lender you want to be on the other side of that," Handa said.

Many private credit funds have plenty of excess funds, or "dry powder" to invest, said Matt Malone, head of investment management at private investment management firm Opto Investments.

Story continues

With the risk of a recession looming large in the world's biggest economy, private-credit investors can expect better loan terms and yields of at least 4% higher than a year earlier, asset managers at Cresset Partners' private funds group told the GMF.

"This makes private credit very attractive for continued investment in 2023," Cresset Partners' Elise Ablin said.

(Join GMF, a chat room hosted on Refinitiv Messenger: https://refini.tv/33uoFoQ)

(Reporting by Lisa Mattackal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
ProntoForms Corporation

Annual Growth in Total Revenue Accelerates to 14%

OTTAWA, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProntoForms Corporation (TSXV: PFM), the global leader in field intelligence, announced today its first quarter (Q1) financial results for the period ended March 31, 2023. All amounts are in US dollars unless otherwise stated.



Our growth rate of annualized recurring revenue (ARR) over prior year comparable quarters accelerated for the third quarter in a row to reach 13%, and 14% for total revenue, despite bookings that were relatively light for Q1 with no significant new enterprise wins, said Philip Deck, co-CEO. During the first quarter we made meaningful changes to our entire go-to-market strategy and organization, emphasising our positioning as an enterprise field intelligence platform and focusing our rapidly maturing sales force on the most compelling customer opportunities. The changes came with significant one-time expenses from legal and severance costs that affected first quarter profitability. Additional one-time costs will continue at a lower level into Q2 of this year. We are carefully managing our go-to-market investments within our commitment to make steady improvements in profitability.

Mr. Deck continued, After the end of Q1, we announced the largest initial subscription transaction in our company history with average ARR of $880,000 annually over the next 3.5 years. The transaction was for the automation of highly-sophisticated field installation processes in the medical equipment industryone of our key verticals. In addition to its impacts on ARR growth, it further demonstrates the size of the market that we are pursuing and our ability to prove value even in a challenging environment for enterprise sales. We are pursuing numerous additional opportunities in our key vertical markets to continue to accelerate our ARR growth in the quarters to come.

The recent release of the Multi-Language Add-On exemplifies the company's ongoing commitment to addressing the needs of diverse and globally distributed field organizations, said Alvaro Pombo, co-CEO and Founder. Our pipeline of targeted innovation accelerates revenue growth within our base, while improving our effectiveness of generating new customers.

Story continues

Financial Highlights  2023 First Quarter ( All results in USD)

Recurring revenue in Q1 2023 increased by 11% to $5.43 million compared to $4.89 million in Q1 2022 and increased by 3% compared to $5.29 million in Q4 2022.

Total revenue for Q1 2023 increased by 14% to $5.77 million compared to $5.04 million in Q1 2022 and increased by 3% compared to $5.61 million in Q4 2022.

Gross margin for Q1 2023 was 86% of total revenue compared to 84% in Q1 2022 and 87% in Q4 2022. Gross margin on recurring revenue was 90% for Q1 2023 compared to 89% in Q1 2022 and 91% in Q4 2022.

Operating loss for Q1 2023 was $1.04 million, down from an operating loss of $1.49 million in Q1 2022 and up from an operating loss of $0.45 million in Q4 2022.

Net loss for Q1 2023 was $1.13 million, down from a net loss of $1.54 million in Q1 2022 and up from a net loss of $0.55 million in Q4 2022.



Recent Operational Highlights



Notable new and expansion progress from enterprise customers, including:

A subsidiary of a Global Fortune 500 medical manufacturing company committed to just over $3M in subscription services over 3.5 years commencing April 2023. Their deployment manages workflows for the installation of new machines globally.

A Fortune 500 industrial manufacturing enterprise renewed their subscription of 12,000 users to support service across their North American operations.

A European global manufacturing enterprise invested in the Multi-Language Add-On Package and renewed a 470 user deployment of ProntoForms to support preventative maintenance.

A utilities enterprise, and division of one of the largest global construction organizations, signed on for an initial deployment of 150 users with further expansions continuing post-initial deployment.



Other Highlights

Co-CEO Alvaro Pombo was the chairperson speaker at Field Service Medical in San Diego where he discussed leveraging technology to commercialize and scale service.

Co-CEO Alvaro Pombo was also the chairperson speaker at Field Service Palm Springs, one of the industrys largest events, where he discussed contextual field intelligence and its central role to thriving within todays challenging field service landscape.

ProntoForms has announced its 5 th annual EMPOWER event, EMPOWER23, in Ottawa, Ontario on May 16 th and 17 th . An inaugural European expansion of the event, EMPOWER23 Europe, was also announced to bring service executives across all major verticals together in London on June 6 th .

ProntoForms was announced as the #1 choice in G2s Mobile Forms Automation Grid Report for Spring 2023.

ProntoForms released a Nucleus Research report for a floating liquid natural gas facility (FLNG) belonging to a global 500 company that uses ProntoForms to automate its natural gas safety inspection forms for an ROI of 332%.



Q1 Conference Call Date:

Date: Wednesday, May 10th, 2023

Time: 9:00 AM Eastern Time

Participant Login Options

To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at: https://emportal.ink/43MgjWp to receive an instant automated callback.

You can also dial direct to be enter the call through an operator with the details below:

Participant Dial-in Numbers:

Local Toronto  (+1) 416-764-8650

Toll Free  (+1) 888-664-6383

Recording Playback Numbers:

Local Toronto (+1) 416-764-8677

Toll Free  (+1) 888-390-0541

Passcode: 049901

Expiry Date: May 17th, 2023, at 11:59pm EST



About ProntoForms Corporation

ProntoForms is the global leader in field intelligence. The platforms field workflows and data collection capabilities enable enterprise field teams to optimize decision-making, decrease organizational risk, maximize the uptime of valuable assets, and deliver exceptional service experiences. Over 100,000 subscribers use ProntoForms across multiple use cases, including asset inspection, compliance, installation, repair, maintenance, and environmental, health & safety with quantifiable business impacts.

The Company is based in Ottawa, Canada, and trades on the TSXV under the symbol PFM. ProntoForms is the registered trademark of ProntoForms Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ProntoForms Corporation



For additional information, please contact:

Philip Deck

co-Chief Executive Officer

ProntoForms Corporation

416.702.3974

pdeck@prontoforms.com

Dave Croucher

Chief Financial Officer

ProntoForms Corporation

613-286-9212

dcroucher@prontoforms.com





Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. For example, statements about the Companys future growth or value, the revenues anticipated to be received by the Company from recent contracts referred to above and anticipated market trends are forward-looking information. 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 Companys business and value may not grow as anticipated or at all, revenue anticipated from contracts may not be received due to many risks, including factors specific to the customer, and anticipated market trends may not occur or continue. Historical growth levels and results may not be indicative of future growth levels or results. 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. Please see Risk Factors Affecting Future Results in the Companys annual management discussion and analysis dated March 9, 2022 found at www.sedar.com for a discussion of such factors. Please also refer to the Companys management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2022 for a description of how the Company determines and uses ARR. ARR is a key performance indicator used by the Company and is not meant as an indication such amounts will necessarily be included in revenues in any given fiscal year.

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.







PRONTOFORMS CORPORATION Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in US dollars) Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022

Revenue: Recurring revenue $ 5,428,736 $ 4,890,716 Professional and other services 343,117 150,394 5,771,853 5,041,110

Cost of revenue (1): Recurring revenue 520,103 552,072 Professional and other services 265,593 255,377 785,696 807,449 Gross margin 4,986,157 4,233,661

Expenses: Research and development (1) 1,735,545 1,771,752 Selling and marketing (1) 2,864,681 2,934,240 General and administrative (1) 1,421,649 1,017,374 6,021,875 5,723,366 Loss from operations (1,035,718 ) (1,489,705 ) Foreign exchange loss (9,793 ) (27,843 ) Finance Income 33,325 3,319 Finance costs (116,080 ) (29,379 ) Net loss and comprehensive loss $ (1,128,266 ) (1,543,608 ) Net loss and comprehensive loss per common share basic and diluted $ (0.01 ) $ (0.01 ) Weighted average number of common shares basic and diluted 130,081,341 127,819,003 (1) Amounts include share-based compensation expense as follows: Cost of revenue $ 6,199 $ 5,359 Research and development 50,964 101,667 Selling and marketing 35,429 170,088 General and administrative 152,684 151,088 Total share-based compensation expense $ 245,277 $ 428,203







PRONTOFORMS CORPORATION Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 (in US dollars) March 31, December 31, 2023 2022 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 7,041,930 $ 6,112,071 Accounts receivable 2,176,952 4,179,088 Investment tax credits receivable 129,307 197,553 Unbilled receivables 72,419 88,453 Related party loan receivable 79,395 79,331 Prepaid expenses and other receivables 1,621,582 1,077,015 Contract acquisition costs 309,265 311,494 11,430,850 12,045,005 Property, plant and equipment 282,499 286,834 Contract acquisition costs 167,484 190,585 Right-of-use asset 84,858 148,515 $ 11,965,691 $ 12,670,939 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 2,100,692 $ 2,686,288 Deferred revenue 7,323,106 6,508,986 Lease obligation 99,568 172,947 9,523,366 9,368,221 Long-term debt 6,015,292 6,007,585 15,538,658 15,375,806 Shareholders' deficit: Share capital 32,188,618 32,166,781 Contributed surplus 864,907 864,907 Share-based payment reserve 3,636,575 3,398,246 Deficit (40,447,502 ) (39,319,236 ) Accumulated other comprehensive income 184,435 184,435 (3,572,967 ) (2,704,867 ) $ 11,965,691 $ 12,670,939







PRONTOFORMS CORPORATION Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in US dollars) Three months ended March 31, 2023 2022 Cash used in: Operating activities: Net loss $ (1,128,266 ) $ (1,543,608 ) Items not involving cash: Share-based compensation 245,277 428,203 Accretion on lease obligations 2,004 6,256 Accretion of transaction costs 2,809 282 Amortization of property, plant and equipment 34,567 38,666 Amortization of right-of-use asset 63,657 63,657 Unrealized foreign exchange loss 9,533 21,949 Other finance costs 77,946 25,778 Interest paid (111,271 ) (29,097 ) Interest received 33,325 3,319 Changes in non-cash operating working capital items 1,795,703 (90,870 ) 1,025,284 (1,075,465 ) Financing activities Payment of lease obligations (73,796 ) (74,610 ) Lease interest paid (2,004 ) (6,256 ) Procceds from drawdown of credit facility - 2,402,124 Proceeds from the exercise of options 14,889 87,816 (60,911 ) 2,409,074 Investing activities Purchase of property, plant and equipment (30,232 ) (13,675 ) (30,232 ) (13,675 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (4,282 ) 29,741 Increase in cash and cash equivalents 929,859 1,349,675 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 6,112,071 6,082,289 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 7,041,930 $ 7,431,964


















SINGAPORE, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PSB Academy, a leading education institution in Singapore, has announced the STEM Conference 2023  Driving Sustainability in STEM. Taking place on May 30th 2023, at its new STEM Wing, the conference will bring together experts from various fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to discuss the latest developments and innovations in these areas.

PSB Academys STEM Wing

Driving Sustainability in STEM

PSB Academy, a leading education institution in Singapore, has announced the STEM Conference 2023  Driving Sustainability in STEM, which will take place on May 30, 2023, which will take place at its new STEM Wing at Marina Square Mall. The conference will bring together experts from various fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to discuss the latest developments and innovations in these areas. The main focus of the conference will be on sustainability and how it can be incorporated into the higher-learning education curriculums and the work of STEM professionals.

The conference will feature a panel discussion with distinguished speakers, including Dr. Charles Ong, Dean, and Head of School of Health and Life Sciences at PSB Academy; Professor Zee Upton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Newcastle, Australia; and Mr. Dalson Chung, President of The Institution of Engineers Singapore and Director of the National Environment Agency.

The panellists will share their experiences and insights on sustainability in STEM, and there will be a Q&A session, providing an opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful discussions with the panellists.

Sustainability Key Factor in Curriculum

PSB Academy has recently reviewed its graduate attributes, and sustainability has been identified as an important component to be included in its curriculum. PSB Academy wants to ensure that its graduates develop strong social awareness and responsibility and adopt an innovative mindset to implement sustainable solutions. The inclusion of sustainability in PSB Academy's curriculum will enable its graduates to make a positive impact in their communities and in the world.

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PSB Academy is committed to driving sustainability in STEM by inculcating sustainability as a core value among its students. The Academy understands the importance of sustainability and the impact of STEM on our planet. Through industry partnerships, PSB Academy is able to provide students with real-world sustainability challenges, enabling them to apply their knowledge in addressing environmental problems.

The Academy is committed to driving sustainability in STEM through various initiatives such as inculcating sustainability as a core value, leveraging industry partnerships, technological innovations, and infusing sustainability-relevant content into the curriculum. Through these initiatives, PSB Academy is equipping its students with the necessary skills and knowledge to address real-world sustainability problems, thereby creating a more sustainable future for all.

In addition, PSB Academy is encouraging students to undertake literature research projects on sustainability. By doing so, students are able to deepen their understanding of sustainability and develop critical thinking skills. Furthermore, these projects enable students to explore sustainability challenges from a life science perspective, thereby providing a unique perspective on the issue.

New Dedicated STEM Wing

PSB Academy is proud to organise the STEM Conference 2023  Driving Sustainability in STEM, which highlights its commitment to sustainability and its focus on developing STEM professionals who can contribute to a sustainable future.

PSB Academy has partnered with Channel NewsAsia for this conference. The media is invited to cover the event and contribute to the important discussions on sustainability in STEM.

About PSB Academy

As one of Singapore's leading private education institutions with almost 60-years heritage of producing industry-ready graduates, PSB Academy is committed to defining our identity as "Asia's Future Academy". Established in 1964, we started under Singapore's Economic Development Board and later Productivity and Standards Board to upgrade the knowledge and skills of Singapore's workforce. With an approach to education that focuses on what really matters: performance in the New Economy, PSB Academy provides quality education to shape and nurture future-ready graduates with the necessary skills and tools to stay relevant in a digitally driven economy.

Our newly launched STEM Wing  an expansion of our City Campus, is an innovation hothouse equipped with high-tech and industry-approved labs and facilities, aimed to bolster STEM education for students. Our learning spaces in the heart of the city connect students globally through a collaborative learning and networking environment that enables them to be Future Makersactive innovators and contributors to society.

With a strong network of industry partners to prepare our students for the workforce, PSB Academy today hosts over 16,000 students from more than 50 nationalities with its slate of certificates, diplomas, degrees, and short courses.

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SOURCE PSB Academy
TORONTO, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - Today RBC iShares expands its exchange traded fund ("ETF") lineup with the launch of six new RBC Target Maturity Bond ETFs, which focus on providing investors with efficient and targeted access to government fixed income. The new ETFs are managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. ("RBC GAM Inc.") and are expected to begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") today.

RBC (CNW Group/RBC Global Asset Management Inc.)

Alongside the suite of RBC Target Maturity Corporate Bond ETFs, the new RBC Target Maturity Government Bond ETF suite expands the solutions available to advisors and investors in addressing common challenges faced when managing their fixed income portfolios. Together, the RBC Target Maturity Bond ETFs provide simple and transparent access via a wide range of diversified bond portfolios and the ability to manage duration more precisely.

Each new RBC Target Maturity Government Bond ETF will hold a mix of federal, provincial and agency bonds, and is designed to represent the performance of a portfolio of such bonds with the same maturity year as the ETF, held to maturity. The suite of RBC Target Maturity Government Bond ETFs are actively managed by RBC GAM Inc.'s fixed income team, which has long-standing experience in portfolio management.

Fund Name Ticker Management Fee RBC Target 2024 Government Bond ETF RGQL 0.15 % RBC Target 2025 Government Bond ETF RGQN 0.15 % RBC Target 2026 Government Bond ETF RGQO 0.15 % RBC Target 2027 Government Bond ETF RGQP 0.15 % RBC Target 2028 Government Bond ETF RGQQ 0.15 % RBC Target 2029 Government Bond ETF RGQR 0.15 %

"We are committed to providing Canadian advisors and investors with innovative solutions to meet the portfolio construction challenges of today," said Mark Neill, Head of RBC ETFs, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. "In today's volatile market environment, fixed income solutions are playing an increasingly important role in the investment portfolios of our clients. We are expanding one of our most popular RBC iShares solutions to meet more of our clients' needs by leveraging the investment expertise of the fixed income team at RBC Global Asset Management."

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RBC iShares aims to help clients achieve their investment objectives by empowering them to build efficient portfolios and take control of their financial futures. RBC iShares is committed to delivering a truly differentiated ETF experience and positive outcomes for clients.

For more information about RBC iShares, please visit https://www.rbcishares.com.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). Please read the applicable prospectus or ETF Facts document before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. ETF units are bought and sold at market price on a stock exchange and brokerage commissions will reduce returns. RBC ETFs do not seek to return any predetermined amount at maturity. Index returns do not represent RBC ETF returns. RBC ETFs are managed by RBC GAM Inc., a member of the RBC GAM group of companies and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 95,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.

About RBC Global Asset Management

RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage approximately $525 billion in assets and have approximately 1,500 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

About BlackRock

BlackRock's purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate

About iShares

iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1300+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$3.07 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2023, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

SOURCE RBC Global Asset Management Inc.

Cision

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Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. In light of that, when we looked at Volcano Berhad (KLSE:VOLCANO) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 Volcano Berhad is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.097 = RM8.4m  (RM95m - RM8.0m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

Thus, Volcano Berhad has an ROCE of 9.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Machinery industry average of 14%.

Check out our latest analysis for Volcano Berhad

roce

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Volcano Berhad, check out these free graphs here.

What Can We Tell From Volcano Berhad's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Volcano Berhad's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last four years. 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's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

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In Conclusion...

In summary, Volcano Berhad is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Yet to long term shareholders the stock has gifted them an incredible 106% return in the last year, so the market appears to be rosy about its future. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Volcano Berhad we've found 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While Volcano Berhad may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list 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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Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton and Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater Honored

ATLANTA, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rheem, a leading global manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products, is celebrating its achievement of winning two awards at the internationally recognized 2023 Edison Awards ceremony, in Ft. Myers, Fla., on April 20. The Edison Awards, named after the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, recognizes world-changing innovations and the brilliant minds behind them.

Rheem, a leading global manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products, accepting two awards at the internationally recognized 2023 Edison Awards ceremony, in Ft. Myers, Fla. From left to right: Scott Cohen, Rheem water heating division, director, marketing and training, and from Rheems air conditioning division, Nancy Grimm, senior commercial marketing manager, and Rosa Leal, senior manager product management.

The Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton Commercial HVAC line earned silver in the Engineering & Robotics, Commercial Technology category and the Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater earned bronze in the Consumer Solutions, Sustainable Design category.

"To receive recognition for two of our Rheem products from the Edison Awards is a true testament to our company's determination to provide next-level comfort solutions for all of our customers' needs," said Chris Day, vice president, global water product strategy and marketing, at Rheem. "It is an important acknowledgment for our Rheem team members who work meticulously to ensure we continue to lead the industry by bringing the most innovative, sustainable and smart products to market."

Rheem Renaissance 15-25 ton is a culmination of years of research and development, creative engineering and innovation. Crafted with smart features, the Renaissance line includes exclusive PlusOne advantages for easy replacement, installation and service. Renaissance products incorporate features contributing to Rheem's goal of building a more sustainable future.

The Rheem ProTerra Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater is ENERGY STAR certified and ideal for drop-in gas replacement. It plugs into any standard 120V outlet and features high-efficiency upgrades without the need to install a 240V electric service. Its built-in EcoNet Wi-Fi technology provides control of the household water heater so homeowners can adjust water temperature and track energy usage from a smartphone.

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All nominations were reviewed by the Edison Awards Steering Committee, with the final ballot determined by an independent judging panel. The panel comprises more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from the product development, design, engineering, science, marketing and education fields and past winners.

For more information about Rheem, please visit www.rheem.com.

About Rheem 

Founded in 1925, Rheem Manufacturing is a global leader committed to delivering innovative products that save energy and support a more sustainable future. Rheem is the only manufacturer in the world that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool & spa heating and commercial refrigeration products, and is America's #1 water-heating brand with products available in more than 80 countries. Paloma Co., Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan, acquired the iconic Rheem brand in 1988, and today the company's portfolio of premium brands include Rheem, Ruud, Friedrich, Raypak, Sure Comfort, WeatherKing, Eemax, Richmond, Splendid, Solahart and EverHot as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell, Witt, ColdZone and Kramer, which are part of the Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG) division.

About The Edison Awards

Established in 1987, the Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The annual competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. Past award recipients include Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and leaders of global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Genentech, General Electric, General Motors, IBM and Campbell Soup Co. In 2022, the Edison Awards introduced the inaugural Lewis Latimer Fellowship program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com.

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SOURCE Rheem
(Bloomberg) -- Robinhood Markets Inc. said regulators are investigating the firms compliance with recordkeeping requirements, including employees use of off-channel communications.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The firm is cooperating with probes by the enforcement divisions of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Menlo Park, California-based Robinhood said Wednesday in a quarterly filing.

The SEC is also looking into whether the brokerage followed rules about trade reporting related to securities lending and fractional share trading, according to the filing.

Last year, regulators reached settlements with a group of big banks in a sprawling investigation into how the firms monitored their employees communications on unauthorized messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

Read more: Wall Street Hit With $2 Billion of Fines in WhatsApp Probe

Robinhood also reported first-quarter results after US markets closed Wednesday. Revenue for the period totaled $441 million, beating the $422.8 million average estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. It reported an adjusted net loss of $511 million, or 57 cents a share, 1 cent worse than Wall Street anticipated.

Shares of Robinhood rose 4.8% in early trading before New York exchanges opened on Thursday after previously closing at $9.07. The shares had lost more than threequarters of their value since the firms 2021 initial public offering through Wednesdays market close.

(Updated with premarket shares in final paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2023. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Western sanctions will keep Russia's economy frozen, according a Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center scholar.

Russia is now over-reliant on commodities and China, and can't secure advanced technologies.

"The much-vaunted de-dollarization of the Russian economy is simply turning into its yuanization."

Western sanctions isolating Russia will impede the country from progressing economically for a long time, wrote Alexandra Prokopenko, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Where once Moscow focused on technological development and a diversification away from energy sector exports, "now those elements have been replaced with capital controls, the labeling of countries as either friendly or hostile, the yuanization of payments, and the militarization of budget spending," she said.

Ever since Russia's war on Ukraine triggered sanctions, Moscow has also turned increasingly dependent on China, emphasizing discounted energy exports that weaken the Kremlin's ability to profit.

Russia is also growing more reliance on China for high-tech imports and consumer goods, while payments are largely conducted in the yuan rather than in rubles, Prokopenko noted.

"The much-vaunted de-dollarization of the Russian economy is simply turning into its yuanization," she said.

In the long run, Western sanctions will create lasting inefficiencies, and Russian will remain vulnerable to oil and gas disruptions, Prokopenko added, pointing out that its recent production cutbacks were aimed at keeping prices elevated.

Meanwhile, the countries Russia still trades with  partnerships formed less out of economic pragmatism but positive attitude towards Moscow  encourage it to deepen its commitment to commodity production.

For instance, Russia has become China's second largest oil supplier and fourth largest LNG supplier. But it's an imbalanced relationship, with Moscow unable to purchase imports for projects such as offshore energy ventures.

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"They have also limited its access to turbines and technology for building modern tankers, locomotives, cars, next-generation communication networks, and other high-tech products, as well as removed Russia from the global discussion over artificial intelligence and quantum computing," Prokopenko wrote.

This is as larger firms, such as China's Huawei, are less likely to operate in Russia out of fear of secondary sanctions.

Apart from the over-reliance on commodity trade and inability to expand technologically, Russia's spending on militarization will also keep its economy back, she said.

"The constant focus on commodity prices and sharp increase in the militarization of state spending (to about a third of the budget) means Russia's economic development will be frozen for a long time to come," Prokopenko said. "Even once the active phase of the war is over, military spending is unlikely to decrease so long as any form of Putinism persists."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Vladimir Voronin / AP

Russia's crude oil flows climbed to new highs in the four weeks leading up to May 5, Bloomberg data shows.

Most of those barrels are heading to China and India, which have been buying up discounted supplies.

Moscow threatened production cuts three months ago, but there's been little evidence of follow-through.

Russia's crude shipments continued to climb despite Moscow's threat of production cuts three months ago.

In the latest four-week stretch to May 5, seaborne flows reached 3.55 million barrels a day, the highest mark since Bloomberg began tracking the data in early 2022.

Nearly all of Russia's crude exports were sent to China and India over the last month, and volumes to Asia also moved to a new high.

In February, the Kremlin announced production would be reduced by 500,000 barrels a day starting in March, citing Western sanctions on Russian oil. While it's possible for exports to climb while output falls, Russia's explanation hasn't held up.

Moscow has claimed that the higher seaborne exports were offset by a drop in pipeline flows to Europe. But exports via the Druzhba pipeline fell off in January and February, before any supposed output cuts.

The rising seaborne exports continue a trend that was seen throughout March and April. In fact, Russia's oil exports moved above pre-war levels last month. China and India bought about 1.5 million barrels a day, according to Kpler data, and Turkey and Bulgaria were also top buyers.

India used to rely on Russia for less than 1% of its total volumes before the war. Now it buys more than half of its oil from the sanctioned nation, helping to offset the loss of European demand.

To be sure, even as Russia's shipping numbers remain high, returns on those barrels have shrunk. The Finance Ministry said last week, per Bloomberg, that budget proceeds from crude and petroleum products dropped to about a third of last year's level.

Read the original article on Business Insider
FILE PHOTO: A Saudi Aramco sign is pictured at an oil facility in Abqaiq

By Muyu Xu

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco has told customers in North Asia they will receive full volumes of crude oil that they have requested in June, several sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

But, some Chinese refiners have requested for lower supply volumes in June, said the sources.

It is not known how much less crude that the Chinese refiners asked for in June. Two of the sources estimated it could be up to 5 million barrels less than May.

Saudi Aramco cut its official selling prices for all crude grades to Asia for June-loading cargoes amid lower refining margins. But the price reduction was less than the market expected.

The falling profit margins have prompted refiners to seek cheaper oil from other suppliers such as Russia, or even consider lowering operational rates.

China is stepping up procurement of discounted Russian oil, with more private mega refineries joining the cargo sweeping, and is taking bigger share of the medium sour Urals market which was dominated by Indian refiners.

The overall full supply volumes come even as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, known as OPEC+, announced output cuts of 1.16 million barrels per day (bpd) starting from May for the rest of the year.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, will reduce production by 500,000 bpd under the cuts.

(Reporting by Muyu Xu; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Christian Schmollinger)
(Bloomberg) -- The head of Wall Streets main regulator says a US default could cause deep and lasting damage to markets.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler on Wednesday warned that a failure by Democrats and Republicans in Washington to reach a deal on raising the US debt ceiling would impact trading, the ability of businesses to raise money, and investors. Gensler, a Democrat who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said the standoff has already affected short-dated US Treasury bills.

If the U.S. Treasury as an issuer were actually to default, it would have very significant, hard to predict, and likely lasting effects on investors, issuers, and markets alike, Gensler said in prepared remarks for a conference hosted by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association in Chicago. It would make the Cyclone Roller Coaster at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair look like a kiddie ride.

Republican congressional leaders and the White House remain in protracted negotiations over possible budget cuts as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling before June 1. Thats the date Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the US risks breaching its ability to pay its outstanding obligations. Officials are expected to meet again on Friday to try to come to a solution.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Held in India's financial capital Mumbai, FinTech Festival India 2023 expects to host more than 150 speakers and 10,000 attendees



MUMBAI, India, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The second edition of FinTech Festival India (FFI) is set to take place from 16 to 18 May 2023 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai with a focus on FinTech advancements and predictions. Micro experiences, gathering key stakeholders in the FinTech sector were held throughout the year in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai leading up to the mega event in Mumbai.

FinTech Festival India 2023

Themed "Democratising Digital Economy", FinTech Festival India 2023 aims to help shape the future of finance in the world's second-fastest-growing FinTech ecosystem and the larger global business environment. The three-day event will feature a robust conference agenda across three stages, as well as a comprehensive mix of exhibition showcases, live demos, product launches and innovations.

Featuring over 150 speakers and expecting more than 10,000 attendees, FFI will delve into some of the most trending topics shaping the FinTech industry, including Web 3.0, Digital Identity, future of BFSI in the Metaverse, Neobanks, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, AI revolutionizing BFSI, Insurtech and more. On the Centre Stage, the first day will focus on examining "The Here and Now of FinTech", while day two will explore "Building a Financially Inclusive Future - Vision 2025," and the final day will dive into "Vision 2030 - Shaping FinTech Future Together!"

The Impact Stage and Open Stage will also run their own parallel conference agenda with fruitful and impactful deliberations on diverse areas of finance. These include curated specialised masterclasses by India Blockchain Forum and Indian School of Business that are uniquely designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the FinTech sector, enabling industry professionals to delve deeper into its complexities and opportunities.

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FFI 2023 is proud to name the Government of Telangana as State Partner, with prominent FinTech experts and industry stalwarts including Indian Banks Association, ICICI Bank, DBS Bank India, IDBI Bank, YES Bank, Airtel Payments Bank, MUFG, Federal Bank, In-Solutions Global, WebEngage, American Express, Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE), Bureau.id, BharatPe, Prove, Cover Genius, Zerodha, Kinara Capital, Simpl and Barclays and many more attending the event.

FFI will also host business delegations from at least 10 countries along with influential global innovators, leaders and governance stakeholders providing their unique perspectives on the growth and future of FinTech, including banking, lending, payments, regtech, insurtech, and other key areas.

FinTech Festival India is an event of Constellar, who co-organises the Singapore FinTech Festival. With The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) as the Knowledge Partner, FinTech Festival India 2023 is supported by 12 industry associations.

If you'd like to attend FinTech Festival India, click here to register.

Media Assets can be downloaded here.

About FinTech Festival India

FinTech Festival India 2023 is an industry-first future-ready event that will showcase the future of FinTech and bring together thought-leaders, industry experts, policymakers, and flag bearers of the FinTech fraternity while facilitating on-site business meetings, conferences, and networking sessions for an unprecedented opportunity to witness the upward trajectory of FinTech in India. Visit fintechfestivalindia.com

About Constellar Exhibitions India

Constellar Exhibitions India harnesses insights and its strategic networks to organise and manage a series of trade exhibitions and conferences that play at the intersection of industries principally between digital and verticals like finance, manufacturing and healthcare. These events aim to connect businesses in India and globally facilitate business matching opportunities and knowledge sharing. Constellar Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Constellar Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Singapore).

About Constellar

Constellar connects a global eco-system of event partners and consumers through a holistic portfolio of intellectual property (IP) in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. As Asia's partner of reference for curating innovative event and venue experiences, Constellar activates impactful networks to bring global markets, businesses and consumers together for sustainable growth. With our expertise and dedication, we are invested in helping you build trusted relationships with stakeholders for the long term and enabling cross-industry collaboration through world-class audience engagement solutions. Visit constellar.co for more information.

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SOURCE Constellar
Serabi Gold plc

Serabi Forms Exploration Alliance with Vale

Serabi Gold plc (AIM:SRB,TSX:SBI) (Serabi), the Brazilian-focused gold mining and development company, is pleased to announce the signing of a strategic exploration alliance (Exploration Alliance) with Vale S.A., through its subsidiary Salobo Metais S.A., (both Vale) focused on its Matilda prospect and other large regional targets in the Tapajos region of Para, Brazil.

Highlights

Exploration Alliance focused on the discovery of large-scale copper projects within Serabis Palito Complex tenement area

Vale represents an excellent partner being Brazilian based and one of the worlds largest diversified mining companies

Exploration Alliance structured over a number of phases: Phase 1: Vale to sole fund up to US$5.0 million exploration programme. Phase 2: Vale may elect to continue exploration activities and to sole fund one or more selected copper projects to Pre-feasibility Study (PFS) stage Phase 3: Vale will have an option to, acquire a 75% shares of a legal entity to be incorporated by Serabi (JV Company), . Immediately after the incorporation of the JV Company, Serabi shall transfer to the JV Company the copper project. Serabi shall sell 75% of the JV Company ownership to Vale for US$5 million (Exercise Price). Vale will continue to sole fund the JV by capital contributions to completion of a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), while Serabi retains a 25% interest. Phase 4: Vale can acquire an additional 15% interest in the JV Company or a further payment of the higher of US$5 million or 1.5% of the net present value of the project, taking their interest to 90%. Serabi then has a put option to sell their remaining 10% interest in the JV Company for a further US$10 million and a 1.5% Net Smelter Royalty (NSR) The JV Company may acquire additional copper projects from Serabi, in which case Serabi will be entitled to additional payments of the higher of US$5 million or 1.5% of the net present value of the project for each, when a DFS has been completed



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Michael Hodgson CEO of Serabi commented:

Making the discovery of the Matilda porphyry prospect in 2022 was a major milestone for Serabi. However, bringing in a partner with the expertise and resources of Vale, will enable us to properly evaluate Matilda and the other significant targets within our tenement area, and move them forward more quickly. The Exploration Alliance is focused on large scale copper projects and allows Serabi to maintain its attention on its gold exploration targets.

Vale represents an excellent partner for Serabi and we are delighted to be working with them to begin unlocking the potential of the Tapajos Region.

Key elements of the Exploration Alliance

The Exploration Alliance is primarily focussed on opportunities for the discovery of copper deposits within the exploration tenements held by Serabi around the Palito and Sao Chico mines (the Palito Complex tenements), which cover more than 61,000 hectares. This follows the discovery of Copper - Molybdenum porphyry mineralisation at the Matilda prospect in July 2022 (see news release 5 July 2022) and the identification of a number of other high priority exploration targets.

PHASE 1 

Vale will fund an exploration programme of up to US$5.0 million over the Palito Complex tenements. Phase 1 is expected to last no more than 12 months and the budget is anticipated to be sufficient to finance up to 15,000 meters of diamond drilling during that time.





PHASE 2 

Following on from the results of Phase 1, and if Vale decides to continue exploration activities, Vale will fund all further work to progress one or more copper projects identified in the Palito Complex tenements to the stage of a PFS.

The Phase 2 programme is for a minimum of two years but may be extended (i) annually up to five years, provided the average annual funding by Vale over that period is US$2 million of more, or (ii) to ten years, if funding by Vale during the first five years is US$20 million or more.

PHASE 3 

After completion of a PFS, Vale may notify Serabi that it wishes to progress the relevant copper project. In that case Vale will incorporate a JV Company into which it will transfer the mineral rights relating to that copper project. Vale will pay to Serabi US$5 million, for a 75% share of the JV Company. Vale may require the JV Company to acquire further copper projects that have completed a PFS, for further payments of US$5 million each, fully funded by Vale.

Phase 3 begins for each project upon transfer of the relevant mineral rights to the JV Company. During Phase 3, Vale will continue to fund all activities required for the production of a DFS for each copper project.

The Phase 3 programme requires expenditures of at least US$3 million per annum with dilution provisions if the minimum expenditures are not met. Phase 3 for a specific copper project will come to an end upon the completion of a DFS for that copper project.





PHASE 4 

At the end of Phase 3, and if both parties wish to continue, each will be required to fund their pro-rata share of the expenditures of the JV Company. At the end of Phase 3, for 90 days from delivery of the DFS, Vale has a call option to acquire from Serabi a further 15% interest in the JV Company for a payment of the higher of US$5 million or 1.5% of the net present value of the project (using consensus commodity prices and a pre-agreed discount rate of 11%). Should Vale exercise its call option, Serabi has a put option to require Vale to purchase from Serabi, its remaining 10% interest in the JV Company for a further payment of US$10 million and the issuance of a 1.5% net smelter royalty over all projects held by the JV Company.





During Phases 1 and 2 Serabi is expected to be the operator of the exploration programmes and will receive a 9% fee of the total amount paid by Vale for managing these mineral exploration activities.

Other Details of the Agreement

Following the incorporation of the JV Company some other copper projects may still be within the Phase 2 stage of evaluation and Vale shall continue to be responsible for the funding of these projects up to and including the completion of any additional PFS (end of Phase 2) and DFS (end of Phase3). The JV Company will have the option to acquire any additional copper projects following satisfactory completion of the respective PFS by paying Serabi a further US$5 million as the option exercise price. The option exercise price payable by the JV Company will be funded by Vale by a non-dilutive issue of equity in the JV Company. Vale will continue to provide funding to the JV Company for all the Phase 3 activities for that copper project and for the completion of a DFS. Should Vale wish to continue with such additional copper project, Vale will fund the payment to Serabi of the higher of US$5 million or 1.5% of the net present value of the project (using consensus commodity prices and a discount rate of 11%). in addition to all option payments, all Phase 2 and Phase 3 expenditures incurred by the JV Company will also be funded by Vale with a non-dilutive issue of equity in the JV Company.

The Parties can elect, at any time, to exclude specific areas from the Exploration Alliance and those areas will revert to Serabi in full. If the Exploration Alliance has completed a PFS on any potential copper project but such project is not deemed to be a copper project, (considered to contain a resource of more than 75,000 tons (seventy-five thousand tons) of contained copper and with copper plus molybdenum value being greater than the value of gold), Serabi shall be permitted to develop such a project at its own cost, in which case, Vale shall have a matching right on sales of the copper products that are generated from that project for a period of 15 years from the date of first commercial production.

During Phase 1 and Phase 2, the work programmes will be overseen by a working committee, comprising 2 representatives from Valeand 2 representatives from Serabi. Vale shall have a casting vote over all the decisions made by the Working Committee. Upon the formation of a JV Company all decisions will be delegated to the Board of Directors and management of the JV Company.

The sum of all funding by Vale to Serabi equivalent to the Mineral Exploration Expenses incurred for the conduction of the Mineral Exploration during Phases 1 and 2 are considered as the acquisition price of Vales Earn-in Option on Phase 3.

Each of the parties has provided to the other, representations and warranties as would be customary for a transaction of this nature.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Clive Line, Director.

Enquiries

SERABI GOLD plc

Michael Hodgson t +44 (0)20 7246 6830

Chief Executive m +44 (0)7799 473621

Clive Line t +44 (0)20 7246 6830

Finance Director m +44 (0)7710 151692

e contact@serabigold.com

www.serabigold.com

BEAUMONT CORNISH Limited

Nominated Adviser & Financial Adviser

Roland Cornish / Michael Cornish t +44 (0)20 7628 3396

PEEL HUNT LLP

Joint UK Broker

Ross Allister t +44 (0)20 7418 9000

TAMESIS PARTNERS LLP

Joint UK Broker

Charlie Bendon/ Richard Greenfield t +44 (0)20 3882 2868

CAMARCO

Financial PR

Gordon Poole / Emily Hall t +44 (0)20 3757 4980

Copies of this announcement are available from the Company's website at www.serabigold.com.

See www.serabigold.com for more information and follow us on twitter @Serabi_Gold

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following is a glossary of technical terms:

Ag means silver. Au means gold. assay in economic geology, means to analyse the proportions of metal in a rock or overburden sample; to test an ore or mineral for composition, purity, weight or other properties of commercial interest. CIM means the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. chalcopyrite is a sulphide of copper and iron. Cu means copper. cut-off grade the lowest grade of mineralised material that qualifies as ore in a given deposit; rock of the lowest assay included in an ore estimate. dacite porphyry intrusive a silica-rich igneous rock with larger phenocrysts (crystals) within a fine-grained matrixi deposit is a mineralised body which has been physically delineated by sufficient drilling, trenching, and/or underground work, and found to contain a sufficient average grade of metal or metals to warrant further exploration and/or development expenditures; such a deposit does not qualify as a commercially mineable ore body or as containing ore reserves, until final legal, technical, and economic factors have been resolved. electromagnetics is a geophysical technique tool measuring the magnetic field generated by subjecting the sub-surface to electrical currents. garimpo is a local artisanal mining operation garimpeiro is a local artisanal miner. geochemical refers to geological information using measurements derived from chemical analysis. geophysical refers to geological information using measurements derived from the use of magnetic and electrical readings. geophysical techniques include the exploration of an area by exploiting differences in physical properties of different rock types. Geophysical methods include seismic, magnetic, gravity, induced polarisation and other techniques; geophysical surveys can be undertaken from the ground or from the air. gossan is an iron-bearing weathered product that overlies a sulphide deposit. grade is the concentration of mineral within the host rock typically quoted as grams per tonne (g/t), parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb). g/t means grams per tonne. granodiorite is an igneous intrusive rock similar to granite. hectare or a ha is a unit of measurement equal to 10,000 square metres. igneous is a rock that has solidified from molten material or magma. IP refers to induced polarisation, a geophysical technique whereby an electric current is induced into the sub-surface and the conductivity of the sub-surface is recorded. intrusive is a body of rock that invades older rocks. mineralisation the concentration of metals and their chemical compounds within a body of rock. mineralised refers to rock which contains minerals e.g. iron, copper, gold. Mo-Bi-As-Te-W-Sn Molybdenum-Bismuth-Arsenic-Tellurium-Tungsten-Tin monzogranite a biotite rich granite, often part of the later-stage emplacement of a larger granite body. mt means million tonnes. ore means a metal or mineral or a combination of these of sufficient value as to quality and quantity to enable it to be mined at a profit. oxides are near surface bed-rock which has been weathered and oxidised by long term exposure to the effects of water and air. ppm means parts per million. saprolite is a weathered or decomposed clay-rich rock. sulphide refers to minerals consisting of a chemical combination of sulphur with a metal. vein is a generic term to describe an occurrence of mineralised rock within an area of non-mineralised rock. VTEM refers to versa time domain electromagnetic, a particular variant of time-domain electromagnetic geophysical survey to prospect for conductive bodies below surface.

Assay Results

Assay results reported within this release include those provided by the Company's own on-site laboratory facilities at Palito and have not yet been independently verified. Serabi closely monitors the performance of its own facility against results from independent laboratory analysis for quality control purpose. As a matter of normal practice, the Company sends duplicate samples derived from a variety of the Company's activities to accredited laboratory facilities for independent verification. Since mid-2019, over 10,000 exploration drill core samples have been assayed at both the Palito laboratory and certified external laboratory, in most cases the ALS laboratory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. When comparing significant assays with grades exceeding 1 g/t gold, comparison between Palito versus external results record an average over-estimation by the Palito laboratory of 6.7% over this period. Based on the results of this work, the Company's management are satisfied that the Company's own facility shows sufficiently good correlation with independent laboratory facilities for exploration drill samples. The Company would expect that in the preparation of any future independent Reserve/Resource statement undertaken in compliance with a recognised standard, the independent authors of such a statement would not use Palito assay results without sufficient duplicates from an appropriately certificated laboratory.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identied by their use of terms and phrases such as believe, could, should envisage, estimate, intend, may, plan, will or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors current expectations and assumptions regarding the Companys future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reect the Directors current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general economic and business conditions, competition, environmental and other regulatory changes, actions by governmental authorities, the availability of capital markets, reliance on key personnel, uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward looking statements.

Qualified Persons Statement

The scientific and technical information contained within this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, a Director of the Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training with over 30 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology, University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of UK, recognizing him as both a Qualified Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release




Michael Nadeau appointed Chief Executive Officer

in connection with the retirement of Kevin Reed

Shiny Health & Wellness Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Shiny Health & Wellness Corp.)

TORONTO, May 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Shiny Health & Wellness Corp. ("Shiny Health" or the "Company") (TSXV: SNYB) is pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Nadeau as CEO and the retirement of Kevin Reed effective immediately. Mr. Reed was appointed CEO and Executive Chairman upon completion of the Company's going public transaction in February 2022.

Mr. Reed commented, "I am very pleased with the platform the team has built. Shiny Health is now a premier cannabis brand with one of the five largest cannabis retail store networks in Ontario. I would like to thank all our employees, the management team and the board of directors of Shiny Health for their support since we went public. Due to the shift in strategy, this is the right time to step aside."

Michael is a 30+ year veteran of the QSR, retail and franchising space. He has held executive positions with companies representing some of Canada's most iconic brands, including over 18 years with Tim Hortons as Vice President of Eastern Canada. Michael began as COO of Shiny Health in February 2022 and has led Operations, Human Resources, Marketing and Purchasing.

"I want to thank Kevin for his contribution to the Company. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors," said Michael Nadeau. "I am excited to build on Kevin's success, continuing to drive growth. I also want to take a moment to thank the entire team as we transition to new leadership."

As part of the leadership transition, Josh Cooksley is resigning as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development.

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.

About Shiny Health & Wellness

Shiny Health & Wellness Corp. is on a mission to help people never settle, live fully by being a trusted source for health and wellness solutions and services. Striving to provide a more diverse and accessible cannabis experience for adult consumers, the Company also operates ShinyBud Cannabis Co., a well-established brand in Ontario strategically located in markets less saturated with cannabis retailers. The Company's board of directors and management team hold extensive retail operating experience, a key competitive differentiator in leading its growth strategy. Shiny Health trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) under the ticker symbol SNYB. For more information, please visit www.shinyhealthandwellness.com .

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SOURCE Shiny Health & Wellness Corp.

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No matter what your personal view is on celebrity endorsements, theres no denying that their support can significantly boost the visibility of a product. That is the point after all in getting a well-known figure for some promotional activities.

But what happens when the chosen celebrity happens to be the wrong fit? Well, Anheuser-Busch can tell you all about that. The Bud Light-owner decided to run a promotional push for the beer by bringing on board transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who counts over 10 million followers on TikTok. Mulvaney advertised Bud Light on her feed  and a backlash duly ensued.

Turns out the conservative crowd were unhappy with that choice and evidently there are a lot of conservative Bud Light fans. Calls for a campaign to boycott the drink/company did the job, and in April, Anheuser-Busch volumes fell by over 12% with Bud Light posting what Beer Business Daily has described as a shocking deterioration of 21.4%.

Meanwhile, competitors have been reaping the rewards of the conservative ire. Rivals Molson Coors and Constellation notched respective growth of 7.6% and 3.8% during the same period.

So, until this controversy dies down and the next outrage kicks off, it might be worth leaning into the stocks that are already benefiting from the situation. Weve turned to TipRanks, the worlds most comprehensive database of analysts and research, to get insights from Wall Street experts. Lets take a closer look.

Constellation Brands (STZ)

In the wake of the Mulvaney fallout, Constellation Brands top brass must be rubbing their hands with glee. As the importer of the best-selling imported brands in the US  Modelo and Corona  the company is already reaping the rewards. Those brands aside, Constellation owns a diverse portfolio of well-known names, including Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford, Casa Noble Tequila, Svedka Vodka and High West Whiskey, amongst plenty of others.

In recent years, the firm has focused on expanding its presence in the high-end beer market, particularly with the growth of the craft beer industry. Furthermore, in addition to its alcohol activities, the company has investments in cannabis and healthcare.

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Investors did not seem too flustered by the company not being on point with all metrics in the most recent financial report  for fiscal 4Q23. Revenue fell by 4.8% year-over-year to $2 billion, while also falling $20 million short of the forecast. On the bottom-line, however, EPS of $1.98 trumped the $1.84 anticipated by the Street. For the coming year, Constellation expects EPS to come in the range between $11.70-$12.00, slightly higher than the consensus midpoint of $11.80. The company also said it would bump the quarterly dividend up by 11.3% to $0.89 from $0.80 per share. That currently generates a yield of 1.43%.

While Morgan Stanley analyst Dara Mohsenian concedes the latest financial statement had puts and takes, there are enough positive developments to fuel the bull-case.

Taking a step back, there has been a lot of beer depletion volatility the last few quarters, but with solid trends ex California and assumed California weather normalization going forward, STZs positive topline tone and clarity now on margins, we see STZs 17.1 times CY24e P/E as way too low vs 7% corporate topline growth, and like the stock here, Mohsenian explained. Margins have been a big focus in recent quarters, but with greater clarity on FY24 and potential outsized FY25 expansion as lower spot costs flow through, we expect this debate to now recede.

Putting these thoughts into ratings and numbers, Mohsenian considers STZ as Overweight (i.e., Buy), while his $277 price target makes room for 12-month returns of 23%. (To watch Mohsenians track record, click here)

Elsewhere on the Street, STZ receives an additional 11 Buys and 3 Holds, all coalescing to a Strong Buy consensus rating. (See STZ stock forecast)

Molson Coors (TAP)

The next Mulvaney Gate name well look at has also seen its sales get a recent strong boost from the Bud Light palaver. Molson Coors is the maker of Coors Light (up 17.3% in April) and Miller Lite (up 19.1%). Those are just some of the well-known brands in the multinational brewing companys portfolio  Carling, Molson Canadian, Blue Moon, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Cobra are some of the others.

In addition to beer brands, Molson Coors also owns and markets a range of hard seltzers, such as Vizzy, Coors Seltzer, and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, as well as ready-to-drink cocktails. The company also produces and markets a range of non-alcoholic beverages and a variety of craft beers through its Tenth and Blake division.

Its a value proposition that served the company well in the recently reported Q1 earnings. Revenue increased by 6.3% year-over-year to $2.35 billion, coming in $120 million above the forecast. Adj. EPS of $0.54 beat the $0.26 expected by the analysts. For the 2023 outlook, the company reiterated its previous targets, including expectation of a low single-digit increase for net sales compared to 2022 (on a constant currency basis).

Roth MKM analyst William Kirk notes the guide might disappoint some investors, but he remains unperturbed.

While some may consider an unchanged guidance worrisome, we believe the potential variance to the guide sits squarely on the positive side: U.S. April volumes are running +HSD, and with y/y cuts to marketing spend, the P&L leverage is likely to be outstanding, Kirk explained. Volume performance, even adjusted for an extra selling day, was much better than prior quarters. Importantly, this 1Q beat comes before U.S. demand shifted away from Bud Light and toward Miller Lite and Coors Light.

So, what does this all mean for investors? Kirk maintained a Buy rating on Molson shares to go alongside a $75 price target. Should the figure be met, investors stand to pocket gains of 16% over the next year. (To watch Kirks track record, click here)

Not all on the Street, however, are quite as confident. The stock garners a Hold consensus rating based on 8 Holds and 4 Buys and Sells, each. (See Molson Coors stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
SHANGHAI, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Multinational corporations are eagerly anticipating the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which has been hailed as a signature event that reflects China's opening-up, an avenue to showcase innovative solutions, and a golden opportunity to tap the potential of the country's vast market.

The fifth China International Import Expo was held in Shanghai from Nov 5-10, 2022.

The CIIE Bureau will be holding promotional events for the sixth CIIE in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda from May 10 to 19.

The events will highlight the CIIE's supporting policies for African countries and encourage companies from least developed countries (LDCs) to participate in the annual expo.

As a major platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchanges and open cooperation, the CIIE has been held for five consecutive years and is widely regarded as an international public good and a boon for economic globalization and multilateral trade.

The previous editions of the CIIE were attended by 51 heads of African states and governments, including the presidents of Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Mauritania, and Mozambique, and the prime minister of Egypt.

On average, more than 100 African companies have participated in each edition of the expo.

Statistics show that China has been the largest trade partner of Africa for 13 consecutive years, with the bilateral trade volume worth more than $282 billion in 2022. According to Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic adviser to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the CIIE presents African companies with a rare opportunity to seize market opportunities in China and around the world.

The hosting of the CIIE is also a concrete measure to implement the Istanbul and Doha Programme of Action for LDCs, execute eight major initiatives of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, strengthen South-South cooperation, and promote regional trade integration and trade facilitation.

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Over the past five years, the CIIE has consistently invited LDCs and provided them with free booths, construction subsidies and preferential tax policies for the retention and purchase pf exhibits. Goods from LDCs have been constantly introduced to the Chinese market through the expo and widely accepted by Chinese consumers.

The sixth edition of the CIIE will be held offline in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. More than 500 enterprises have already booked over 260,000 square meters of exhibition area. Many CEOs of industry giants have confirmed their attendance of the sixth expo. Notably, the physical country exhibition will also make its return this year.

As a key part of the annual expo, the sixth Hongqiao International Economic Forum will invite more high-profile government officials, Nobel Prize laureates, academicians, and senior executives of industrial pacesetters from home and abroad to discuss global issues, including the opening-up of the service sector, digital infrastructure construction and South-South Cooperation.

There are less than 200 days left until the sixth CIIE. With so many showing interest in attending the expo, exhibition space is quickly running out. Be sure to make the right call and secure your booth at the sixth CIIE before it is too late!

https://www.ciie.org/exhibition/f/book/register?locale=en

ContactMs. Cui Yan

Tel.0086-21-968888

Emailciie2022@ciie.org

Websitehttp://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/ciieonline

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/ciieonline

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2072869/CIIE_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1938442/CIIE_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE CIIE
MANILA, Philippines, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual "SKYWORTH 408 Global TV Festival" is set to kick off in the Philippines. SKYWORTH has announced a "EYE CARE STATEMENT", promising to use the television manufacturer's cutting-edge technology and quality products as a platform to promote care for children's eye health, doing so in a spirit akin to a mother's care. The company is committed to preserving the eyesight and future of children for countless families.

SKYWORTH will partner with Abenson, a well-known home appliance chain store in the Philippines, and with Abenson's strong support:

SKYWORTH will display multiple outdoor advertising billboards around Abenson stores to ensure that the "EYE CARE STATEMENT" reaches more families;

SKYWORTH will send mobile billboard trucks to tour these stores all over the Philippines in early May, with the goal of drawing an increased number of customers to the stores;

SKYWORTH will set up eye check trunks at several Abenson stores to carry out public welfare activities, chiefly eye examinations. Anyone who participates in the eye examination will receive an eye chart provided by SKYWORTH.

SKYWORTH and Abenson Heat up the 408 Global TV Festival

What's more. SKYWORTH will also cooperate with additional channels to communicate the EYE CARE STATEMENT. SKYWORTH will focus on promoting specific TV product models that feature eye care, such as SUE6800 and SUF6300.

SKYWORTH has always insisted on adhering to the principle of "customer first", and therefore the "SKYWORTH 408 Global TV Festival" is sure to be a party for consumers. In fact, SKYWORTH plans to give its customers surprise prizes. From April 15, 2023 to June 30, 2023, customers who purchase a SKYWORTH EYE CARE TV through various channels will be entered to win an incredible grand prize - a free trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Grand prize winners will be drawn on July 10, 2023. First prize: Three lucky families will be awarded a luxury trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. Second prize: Fifteen families will receive tickets to Enchanted Kingdom. Third prize: Twenty families will receive tickets to Manila Ocean Park, each family can have a maximum of four members to enjoy the prizes.

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SOURCE SKYWORTH
Mountain America Credit Union

2022 is the second year in a row Mountain America has led Utah in 7(a) lending; credit union also named the top 7(a) rural lender in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Small Business Administrations Utah District Office named Mountain America Credit Union the top 7(a) lender in the state and the top 7(a) rural lender in Utah.



A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

A 7(a) loan is the SBAs most common loan program. There are a variety of 7(a) loan types, and they are especially ideal for helping small businesses acquire real estate or equipment, as part of a business purchase, refinancing business debt, or providing working capital.

Our small business lending team is committed to helping our members find the capital they need to start and grow their businesses and this award is evidence of their dedication, said Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO of Mountain America Credit Union. We recognize small businesses are core to our communities, and by strengthening these small businesses with funding and other financial services, we achieve our philosophy of people helping people and supporting our community.

In 2022, Mountain America provided 7(a) loans to 101 business owners in Utah totaling more than $53.9 million.

According to Forbes, over the past decade Utah has regularly ranked as one of the best states for business. Utahs friendly regulatory climate and large growth prospects contributed to more than 313,500 small business owners in the state.

We know that Utah is consistently one of the best states in the nation to start a business in and we value our role in helping small business owners across the state secure the money needed to start and grow their business, said Michael Griffiths, vice president of business lending at Mountain America. We take great pride in working with small business owners and their role in strengthening the local economy while creating vital jobs in the state.

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According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, Utah is the thirteenth largest state in the country and is largely rural with five urban,12 rural and 12 frontier counties. The SBA reports that Utah has more than 55,000 small businesses in rural counties, including 15,000 women-owned small businesses, nearly 4,000 veteran-owned small businesses, and more than 2,500 minority-owned small businesses. These businesses provide vital jobs, products and services to these communities.

To apply for a small-business loan or to talk to a loan specialist, please visit macu.com/business. https://www.macu.com/business/loans.

About Mountain America Credit Union



With more than 1 million members and $15.9 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile-banking technology; 100 branches across six states; and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain Americaguiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

Contact: publicrelations@macu.com, macu.com/newsroom




WASHINGTON, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Six in ten small business owners report increasing wages to hire and retain workers but worry higher costs are "not healthy business-wise," according to new data from SCORE , a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. To maintain profitability and employee satisfaction, entrepreneurs are finding compensation isn't the only solution.

SCORE's Spring 2023 Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement report surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners on employee-related challenges.

SCORE's Spring 2023 Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement report surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners on employee-related challenges in today's competitive environment, including the impact and cost of disengaged employees.

"The key to retaining good employees seems to be higher wages, which then results in higher costs that are not healthy business-wise," said SCORE client Claudia Marquez, president of Tacotote in Albuquerque, N.M. "It truly seems that the focus is on employees getting higher pay, without considering small business survival."

Moving forward with a plan

While small business owners are more optimistic now than pre-pandemic, more than half (59.2%) still feel that employee-related challenges will continue for at least another year. In the face of these challenges, small business owners are taking action.

In addition to increasing wages, they are:

Building connections to their company culture, mission and values (46.2%)

Offering professional development and training opportunities (41.3%)

Providing bonuses and/or profit sharing (39.2%)

Incorporating flexible and/or remote work options (36.8%)

"There is a limited number of employees to draw from these days, and they don't want to work any more than they need to," said SCORE client Owen Faulkner, owner of Town & Country Heating and Cooling Co. in Bucyrus, Kan. "With not as many people coming into the trades, we are treating our existing employees better to help retain them."

Alongside wages and professional development, some small business owners have utilized other programs to retain their employees, including health and wellness programs (12.5%), diversity, equity and inclusion programs (5.7%) and childcare benefits (4.3%).

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Signs of improvement

Employment numbers have steadied, with just 17.5% of businesses reporting having fewer employees compared to the previous year. That's down from 2021, when 26.8% of small business employers reported smaller staff.

"The pandemic brought challenges with hiring and retention for a multitude of businesses,but entrepreneurs excel at exercising creativity and flexibility when they need to do more with less," said SCORE Vice President of External Relations Betsy Dougert. "By capitalizing on their innate strengths, small business employers can motivate and inspire their existing teams, attract new talent and grow to new levels of success."

Click here to view the full Megaphone of Main Street: Employee Engagement data report.

About SCORE:

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at www.score.org .

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

CONTACT:

SCORE

202-968-6428

media@score.org

Visit SCORE's media resources to be connected with expert small business interview sources and news updates.

SCORE client Sunitta Hedaoo (right) is the owner of Kora Journeys, a boutique luxury travel company based in Houston, Texas.

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. (PRNewsfoto/SCORE)

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SOURCE SCORE
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Linear Channel Sdn Bhd; the homegrown brand in smart computing subscription model has once again took momentous leap in launching Smart Agility Programme on 9th May 2023 at the headquarter located in Wisma Trax. The significant milestone reflected the company strengths and scalable resources in serving SMEs through subscription model; the proven model in reducing OPEX over the long run whilst generating extensive value for the subscribed units of PC/ laptop.

Smart Agility Programme Making The Wave In Serving SMEs Through Ever-Evolving Subscription Model Whilst Generating Value For Subscribed Unit Of PC/ Laptop

The mastermind behind Smart Agility Programme, Mr Joshua Chin delivered his Welcome Speech followed by a short presentation of the ever-evolving smart computing subscription solution hereinafter referred to "Smart Agility Programme".

Three MOUs were inked between Linear Channel Sdn Bhd with FSBM I-Design Sdn Bhd, Offix Business Centre Sdn Bhd and DM Solution Venture Sdn Bhd. The signing marked the collaboration for Smart Agility Programme.

As the CSR catalyst in serving the B40 families, Linear Channel Sdn Bhd has previously launched Sambong Future as part of the initiatives to provide laptop to B40 kids. The Co-Founder, Ms. Kathleen Tham accompanied by Mr. Joshua Chin presented the Token Of Appreciation to YBhg. Datin Paduka Hajah Khatijah Binti Sulieman who was representing Selangor Welfare Council.

All valuable guests had the privilege to tour the HQ following the Press Conference which was held at the CEO office. The compelling ceremony marked the symbolic positioning of Linear Channel Sdn Bhd in the market.

About Linear Channel Sdn Bhd:

Linear Channel has been in the computer refurbishment business since 1999. The Company awarded as Microsoft 1st Authorized Refurbisher in Malaysia and expanded its business model from traditional buy and sell into a Subscription Model in 2020. With its brand name Smart Rental, the company was first introduced to the market based on a Haas (Hardware-as-a-Service) service provision model (integrated Credit, Services, Exchange into monthly subscription service). Smart Rental is also developing a digital engineer platform which will accelerate the maintenance service nationwide along with Smart Centres development across the country with its first outlet in Mid Valley in Year 2022. Smart Rental successfully raised RM4.6 million and RM1.33 million via MyStartr ECF platform in 2021 and 2020. This project was facilitated by Malaysia's leading equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform, MyStartr, which was approved by the Securities Commission (SC) for the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MYCIF).

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About Smart Rental:

Smart Rental is run by Linear Channel Sdn. Bhd. A company that started out by refurbishing and reselling second-hand PCs under the brand name BuyNow. To date, it has sold over 100,000 refurbished PCs through a network of 200+ distributors, with the collaboration of 12 banks offering easy payment plans. The Company diversified into the short-term PC rental market around 2010 and HaaS solutions for PCs in 2019. Smart Rental provides 12 or 24-months PC subscription packages at different price points encompassing the following services: the right to use the PC, regular maintenance visits and software upgrades, repairs and exchanges, and free PC model upgrades upon contract renewal. On average, Smart Rental customers save 37% on the PC purchase price and 55% on maintenance and services.

Smart Rental's business model has been validated by multiple panels of business experts at the 2019 Create@Alibaba Cloud Startup Contest, where it won recognition as one of the Top 10 best proposals; Pitch@Selangor 2019, where it achieved the same result; and the 2020 Golden Bull Awards, where it was the proud recipient of an Emerging SMEs Award. Following another prestigious recognition The Lang Titan Award for The Best Use Of Technology. Smart Rental stands out by catering to businesses and consumers of all backgrounds, in contrast to peers offering similar solutions that mostly serve large companies and government agencies with generous IT budgets. As robust PC demand from 2020 (growth of 12.9%) spills over into 2021 (estimated growth of 18.2%) due to the pandemic-induced shift to WFH, the Company is well-positioned to capitalise on demand from B40 consumers and SMEs requiring reliable PC access on a budget.

For more information: www.smartrental.asia

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SOURCE Linear Channel Sdn Bhd
The prevalence of soft tissue sarcoma has been rising over the past few years, which prompts the growing demand for treatment options. The increasing prevalence of soft tissue sarcoma and the growing research and development activities to develop novel therapies to treat soft tissue sarcoma to drive the market. The companies developing the potential therapies in the last stage of development include Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Nanobiotix, and several others.

LAS VEGAS, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's ' Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Insight  2023 ' report provides comprehensive global coverage of available, marketed, and pipeline soft tissue sarcoma therapies in various stages of clinical development, major pharmaceutical companies are working to advance the pipeline space and future growth potential of the soft tissue sarcoma pipeline domain.

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Key Takeaways from the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

DelveInsight's soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report depicts a robust space with 125+ active players working to develop 130+ pipeline therapies for soft tissue sarcoma treatment.

Key soft tissue sarcoma companies such as Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Gradalis, Epizyme, Chugai Pharma France, CytRx, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, KaryoPharm Therapeutics, Nanobiotix, Apexigen, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Aadi Bioscience, Inc., AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, VasGene Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Incyte Corporation, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Exelixis, Qbiotics, AstraZeneca, Loxo Oncology, ImmunityBio, Monopar Therapeutics, Chipscreen Biosciences, Ltd., Agenus, C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Noxopharm Limited, Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Guangdong Xiangxue Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Takara Bio Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lyell Immunopharma, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and others are evaluating new soft tissue sarcoma drugs to improve the treatment landscape.

Promising soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapies in various stages of development include AL-3818, Onfekafusp alfa, Vigil, Tazemetostat, Aldoxorubicin, TAS-116, Selinexor, NBTXR3, APX005M, GPX-150, LTX-315, Lenvatinib, Chiauranib, Zalifrelimab, INCB081776, LN-145-S1, ABI-009, Tivozanib, LOXO-101, sEphB4-HSA, Sitravatinib, Envafolimab, Camrelizumab, Tigilanol Tiglate, Durvalumab, Tremelimumab, CFT8634, NOX66, Liposomal Annamycin, 609A, YH001, TAEST16001, CPI-613+Hydroxychloroquine, TBI-1301, Lurbinectedin, LYL132, and others.

In October 2022 , LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. announced that the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Agencia Espanola de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, AEMPS) had authorized a Phase 1b/randomized Phase 2 study of LB-100 , the Company's lead clinical compound, plus doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone, the global standard for initial treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcomas (ASTS).

In September 2022 , Immutep Limited was pleased to announce it has signed a Material Transfer Agreement ("Agreement") with the Maria Skodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland, to enable an investigator-initiated open-label Phase II clinical trial. The trial will evaluate Immutep's lead product candidate, efti in combination with pembrolizumab and radiotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting (prior to surgery) in up to 40 patients with select soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

In September 2022 , TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track designation for the development of envafolimab (KN035) for patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) who have progressed on one or two prior lines of chemotherapy.

In September 2022 , Avacta Group plc announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to the company's lead pre|CISION drug candidate, AVA6000 , for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.AVA6000 is a form of the generic chemotherapy doxorubicin that has been modified using the pre|CISION technology so that it is activated predominantly in the tumor with the aim of sparing healthy tissue from exposure and improving the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the drug.

In May 2022 , Immix Biopharma, Inc. , announced positive interim study data showing that after one cycle of treatment, ImmixBio's lead candidate IMX-110 produced 75% survival vs. 0% survival for Trabectedin (sold as YONDELIS  by Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson Company, a U.S. FDA approved drug) in a connective tissue cancer Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) mice study. In this study, IMX-110 was compared against approved drugs used to treat STS. Trabectedin was dosed according to Meco et al., 2003 (trabectedin monotherapy treatment arm), and IMX-110 was administered at 2.0 mg/kg.

In April 2022, Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly") under which Telix is granted exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize radiolabelled forms of Lilly's olaratumab antibody for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers. Telix's initial development focus will be on a rare type of cancer known as soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

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Request a sample and discover the recent advances in soft tissue sarcoma drug treatment @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

The soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report provides detailed profiles of pipeline assets, a comparative analysis of clinical and non-clinical stage soft tissue sarcoma drugs, inactive and dormant assets, a comprehensive assessment of driving and restraining factors, and an assessment of opportunities and risks in the soft tissue sarcoma clinical trial landscape.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Overview

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare neoplasms that can develop in supporting or connective tissue, such as muscle, nerves, tendons, blood vessels, and fatty and fibrous tissues. They commonly affect the arms, legs, and trunk. They can also be found in the stomach and intestines (GIST), behind the abdomen (retroperitoneal sarcomas), and in the female reproductive system (gynecological sarcomas). Soft tissue sarcomas are classified based on the cell type involved, the nature of the malignancy, and the clinical course of the disease.

The signs and soft tissue sarcoma symptoms differ greatly between patients depending on the type of soft tissue sarcoma. It is not associated with any obvious symptoms early in the course of the disease, but affected individuals may notice a slow-growing, painless mass in the affected area.

Find out more about drugs for soft tissue sarcoma @ New Soft Tissue Sarcoma Drugs

A snapshot of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Drugs mentioned in the report:

Drugs Company Phase MoA RoA AL3818 Advenchen Laboratories Phase III Fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists; Platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor antagonists; Proto oncogene protein c-kit inhibitors; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 antagonists; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 antagonists; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antagonists Oral L19 TNF Philogen Phase III Immunostimulants Intravenous NBTXR3 Nanobiotix Phase II/III Free radical stimulants Intratumor GPX-150 Monopar Therapeutics Phase II DNA intercalators; Type II DNA topoisomerase inhibitors Intravenous LTX-315 Lytix Biopharma Phase II Cell membrane structure modulators; Immunostimulants Intratumoural Lurbinectedin Jazz Pharmaceuticals Phase II Alkylating agents; DNA damage stimulants Intravenous FHD-609 Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Phase I Bromodomain and extraterminal domain protein inhibitors Intravenous

Learn more about the emerging soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapies @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Clinical Trials

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Therapeutics Assessment

The soft tissue sarcoma pipeline report proffers an integral view of soft tissue sarcoma emerging novel therapies segmented by stage, product type, molecule type, mechanism of action, and route of administration.

Scope of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report

Coverage : Global

Therapeutic Assessment By Product Type: Mono, Combination, Mono/Combination

Therapeutic Assessment By Clinical Stages: Discovery, Pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III

Therapeutics Assessment By Route of Administration: Infusion, Intra-arterial, Intradermal, Intralesional, Intratumoral, Intravenous, Oral, Parenteral, Subcutaneous

Therapeutics Assessment By Molecule Type : Antibody, Antibody-drug conjugate, Cell therapy, Gene therapy, Immunotherapy, Nanoparticle, Peptide, Recombinant fusion protein, Small molecule

Therapeutics Assessment By Mechanism of Action: Fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor antagonists, Proto oncogene protein c-kit inhibitors, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 antagonists, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antagonists, Immunostimulants, Free radical stimulants, DNA intercalators, Type II DNA topoisomerase inhibitors, Cell membrane structure modulators, Antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, Programmed cell death-1 receptor antagonists, T lymphocyte stimulants, Type 1 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 3 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type 4 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Type-2 fibroblast growth factor receptor antagonists, Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitors, Lymphocyte specific protein tyrosine kinase p56(lck) inhibitors; Lyn protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Src-Family kinase inhibitors

Key Soft Tissue Sarcoma Companies : Advenchen Laboratories, Philogen, Gradalis, Epizyme, Chugai Pharma France, CytRx, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, KaryoPharm Therapeutics, Nanobiotix, Apexigen, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Aadi Bioscience, Inc., AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, VasGene Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Incyte Corporation, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Exelixis, Qbiotics, AstraZeneca, Loxo Oncology, ImmunityBio, Monopar Therapeutics, Chipscreen Biosciences, Ltd., Agenus, C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Noxopharm Limited, Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Guangdong Xiangxue Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Takara Bio Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lyell Immunopharma, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and others.

Key Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Therapies: AL-3818, Onfekafusp alfa, Vigil, Tazemetostat, Aldoxorubicin, TAS-116, Selinexor, NBTXR3, APX005M, GPX-150, LTX-315, Lenvatinib, Chiauranib, Zalifrelimab, INCB081776, LN-145-S1, ABI-009, Tivozanib, LOXO-101, sEphB4-HSA, Sitravatinib, Envafolimab, Camrelizumab, Tigilanol Tiglate, Durvalumab, Tremelimumab, CFT8634, NOX66, Liposomal Annamycin, 609A, YH001, TAEST16001, CPI-613+Hydroxychloroquine, TBI-1301, Lurbinectedin, LYL132, and others.

Dive deep into rich insights for new drugs for soft tissue sarcoma treatment; visit @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Medications

Table of Contents

1. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report Introduction 2. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Report Executive Summary 3. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Overview 4. Analytical Perspective In-depth Commercial Assessment 5. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Clinical Trial Therapeutics 6. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Late Stage Products (Pre-registration) 7. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Late Stage Products (Phase III) 7.1. AL3818: Advenchen Laboratories 8. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Mid Stage Products (Phase II) 8.1. LTX-315: Lytix Biopharma 9. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline: Early Stage Products (Phase I) 9.1. FHD-609: Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. 10. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline Therapeutics Assessment 11. Inactive Products in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline 12. Company-University Collaborations (Licensing/Partnering) Analysis 13. Key Companies 14. Key Products in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Pipeline 15. Unmet Needs 16. Market Drivers and Barriers 17. Future Perspectives and Conclusion 18. Analyst Views 19. Appendix

For further information on the soft tissue sarcoma pipeline therapeutics, reach out @ Soft Tissue Sarcoma Drug Treatment

Related Reports

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Soft Tissue Sarcoma Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast  2032 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, market share of the individual therapies, and key soft tissue sarcoma companies, including Gem Pharmaceuticals, Lytix Biopharma, Incyte Corporation, Daiichi Sankyo, NantPharma, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Agenus, Eli Lilly and Company, Adaptimmune, Aadi, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, among others.

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Clear Cell Sarcoma Pipeline

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Ewing Sarcoma Pipeline Insight  2023 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key Ewing sarcoma companies, including Gradalis, Inc., Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd, Tyme, Inc, Pfizer, Hutchison Medipharma Limited, among others.

About DelveInsight

DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve.

Contact Us

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info@delveinsight.com

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SOURCE DelveInsight Business Research, LLP
A South Korean court has approved local prosecutors request to freeze domestic assets and properties worth 233.3 billion Korean won (US$176 million) that belong to Terraform Labs chief executive officer (CEO) Kwon Do-hyeong, according to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday.

See related article: From billionaire to Montenegro jail: The rapid rise and fall of Terra chief Do Kwon

Frozen assets and properties include Kwons private Seoul residence, real estate, imported automobiles, securities deposited with Mirae Asset Securities Co., deposits with Woori Bank, and cryptocurrencies in cryptocurrency exchanges, confirmed Kim Hee-kyung, spokesperson for the Seoul prosecutors office, to Forkast via text message.

Following the courts decision, Kwon is now unable to move or sell the assets and properties equivalent to the amount of what prosecutors identify as his illegal profits  the amount will be confiscated after a final, potential guilty verdict from the court.

The 233.3 billion is the maximum amount of assets and properties equivalent to [Kwons] illegally earned profits that are up for restitution, the spokesperson explained.

The prosecutors office declined to comment on further details of Kwons assets in South Korea or the progress of seeking cooperation from overseas authorities to freeze his assets outside of Korea.

Kwon is wanted in South Korea and the U.S. where authorities alleged that the Terraform CEO had designed the Terra-Luna project and related decentralized finance services, to defraud investors. They also alleged that Kwon and Terraform serviced unregistered financial securities.

Dan Sung-han, the director of Seoul Southern Districts joint financial crimes team, told The Wall Street Journal last week that Kwon may face over 40 years in prison if convicted, which will be the heaviest sentence given to a financial crime in the countrys history.

Kwon has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him, maintaining that mistakes were made in the Terra-Luna crypto project managed by his Terraform Labs, but they were not designed to deceive investors.

South Korea issued an arrest warrant for Kwon in September 2022, but authorities have yet to interview him. He was said at the time to be living in Singapore, where Terraform Labs was based, before leaving to Serbia and then being arrested in Montenegro on March 23 this year for allegedly attempting to fly with forged travel documents.
Fortune Business Insights

Key companies covered in soybean oil market are Archer Daniels Midland Company (Illinois, U.S.), Associated British Foods, plc (London, U.K.), Bunge (Missouri, U.S.), Cargill, Inc. (Minnesota, U.S.), Louis Dreyfus Company (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Wilmar International Limited (Singapore), DuPont (Delaware, U.S.), Unilever plc (London, U.K.), AMAGGI Group (Cuiaba, Brazil), SunOpta, Inc. (Brampton, Canada) and more players profiled.

Pune, India, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global soybean oil market size was USD 46.72 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 48.16 billion in 2021 to USD 60.08 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.21% during the forecast period of 2021-2028.

This information is published by Fortune Business Insights, in its report, titled, Soybean Oil Market, 2021-2028.

The global soybean oil market is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years, primarily driven by the increasing demand for plant-based food products and the rising trend of healthy eating habits among consumers. Soybean oil is a versatile and affordable cooking oil that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, making it a popular choice among health-conscious individuals. In addition, the growing adoption of soybean oil in the food industry for the production of snacks, baked goods, and confectionery items is further expected to drive market growth. According to our researchers, the rising utilization of soybean oil by food processors and foodservice outlets for baked as well as fried food products or to trade as cooking oil in packed bottles drives the market growth.

Get a Free Sample Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/soybean-oil-market-106282

List of Key Players Profiled in the Soybean Oil Market Report:

Archer Daniels Midland Company (Illinois, U.S.)

Associated British Foods, plc (London, U.K.)

Bunge (Missouri, U.S.)

Cargill, Inc. (Minnesota, U.S.)

Louis Dreyfus Company (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Wilmar International Limited (Singapore)

DuPont (Delaware, U.S.)

Unilever plc (London, U.K.)

AMAGGI Group (Cuiaba, Brazil)

SunOpta, Inc. (Brampton, Canada)

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Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 3.21% 2028 Value Projection USD 60.08 Billion Soybean Oil Market Size in 2021 USD 48.16 Billion Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 186 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Product Type

By Geography Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa Soybean Oil Market Growth Drivers Increasing Utilization in Production of Biofuel to Drive Market Growth Expanding Application Scope in Food Sector to Fuel Market Growth

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/soybean-oil-market-106282

Report Coverage:

Our reports are processed with a comprehensive analysis approach that primly accentuates on supplying specific material. Our scholars have employed a data evaluation approach, which further aids us to offer dependable assessments and test the overall market dynamics precisely. Further, our experts have received admittance to several international as well as locally sponsored records for providing up-to-date information in order for the stakeholders and business experts to invest only in fundamental areas.

Segmentation:

On the basis of application, the market is segregated into Cooking & Frying, Margarine & Shortening, Salad Dressings & Mayonnaise, Bakery Products, and Non-Food Applications.

Geographically, the market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Drivers and Restraints:

Extending Food Usage of Soybean Oil to Foster Market Growth

Oils and fats sector is perceiving ensuring growth throughout the world accredited to their growing usage in food manufacturing and processing. As per the USDA, this type of oil is the second-biggest ingested vegetable oil in the globe. It is expansively used for frying, cooking, shortenings, and margarines. Soybean oil utilization has also amplified across bakery sector, which substantially drives the soybean oil market growth.

However, the market is hugely impacted by the obtainability of several other oilseeds that can be utilized as a substitute or an alternative for this oil. Moreover, the rising consciousness concerning nutritional and healthy oils such as olive oil among users has substantially impacted the utilization of soy oil across retail passages.

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COVID-19 Impacts:

Disorder in Supply Chain of Product to Impede Market Growth during COVID-19 Pandemic

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and global lockdown procedures have resulted in a minor influence on soybeans. Nevertheless, soy oil, one of the prime by-products of soybean processing, has fronted a reduced ingestion, primarily owing to the effect of the pandemic on foodservice sector, which is a most extensive user of vegetables. Similarly, as the fuel demand compacted, biodiesel usage and other soybean oil products also deteriorated.

Regional Insights:

Speedily surging markets in Asia Pacific such as China and India have considerably augmented soy oil ingestion over the last few years. The amplified buying power of Chinese and Indian users has contributed to striking rises in usage as they can afford to buy extensive amount of oil. Asia Pacific held the largest soybean oil market shares in 2020.

This market is observing encouraging growth in North America. The U.S. is the principal consumer of soy oil owing to the quickest developing and escalating food processing industry.

South America is undergoing substantial growth in this market as Brazil and Argentina are prominent producers and exporters of soy oil.

Competitive Landscape:

Acquisitions and Mergers to Assist Vital Players Foster in Market

Important players in the market employ effective tactics along with the guidance from their expert advisors to regulate majority shares in the market and institute a brand name for their company. One such approach to commercialize their brand name is to acquire other corporations to receive additional fiscal achievements.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Emerging Trends

Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Markets Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Recent Industry Developments - Policies, Partnerships, New Product Launches, and Mergers & Acquisitions Impact of COVID-19 on the Vegetable Oils Market

Global Soybean Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Application Traditional Retailers Supermarkets/Hypermarkets Online Retail Others By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

North America Soybean Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Application Cooking & Frying Margarine & Shortening Salad Dressing & Mayonnaise Bakery Products Non-food Applications (Animal Feed, Biodiesel) By Country (Value) U.S. By Application (Value) Cooking & Frying Margarine & Shortening Salad Dressing & Mayonnaise Bakery Products Non-food Applications Canada By Application (Value) Cooking & Frying Margarine & Shortening Salad Dressing & Mayonnaise Bakery Products Non-food Applications Mexico By Application (Value) Cooking & Frying Margarine & Shortening Salad Dressing & Mayonnaise Bakery Products Non-food Applications



TOC Continued...!

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Industry Developments:

April 2021: Cargill, Inc. delared to capitalize USD 25 million to extend its actions of soybean crush factory based in Fayetteville to augment soybean oil manufacturing.

Read Related Insights:

Soy Derivatives Market to Reach USD 344.05 Billion by 2028; Rising Fortification of Various Products to Accelerate Growth, says Fortune Business Insights

Olive Oil Market Size to Hit USD 17.79 Billion by 2029 | Exhibiting a CAGR of 3.28% by 2022-2029

Organic Edible Oil Market to Hit USD 5.79 Billion by 2030 | With 9.23% CAGR

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(Bloomberg) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will ask President Joe Biden to scrap Trump-era duties on his countrys olives that have strained trade ties between the US and European Union.

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In his first official visit to the White House since he took office in 2018, Sanchez will appeal to Biden to remove the tariffs and put an end to a dispute that has dragged on for years, according to two people familiar with his plans. The leaders will also discuss the war in Ukraine, bilateral defense cooperation and climate change when they meet on Friday, the people said.

Spokespeople for Sanchezs office and for the White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Spain, the worlds top olive producer, has demanded that Washington lift the anti-subsidy duties, which a World Trade Organization trade panel deemed illegal in 2021. Spanish olive exports to the U.S. plunged after the Trump administration in 2018 imposed import taxes on products it deemed to be subsidized with trade-distorting aid from the EU.

In April, the 27-nation bloc launched compliance proceedings against Washington at the WTO for failing to remove the duties, which are some of the last remaining Trump-era trade measures against the EU. Earlier this year, the US reduced the tariff from 35% to 31% in an attempt to comply with the panels ruling.

A Spanish olive lobby group said Spain and the EU should step up diplomatic pressure on the US to quickly drop the tariffs, which have cost the industry over 230 million ($252 million) to date in lost exports to its top market.

Another panel resolution could take months, and we need a solution now, Antonio de Mora, the secretary general of the Spanish Association of Olive Exporters and Industrialists, said by phone. This is a golden opportunity to settle the matter.

Story continues

Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas urged his US counterpart, Tom Vilsack, for the removal of the tariffs during a meeting Tuesday in Washington, Planas said in a statement to Bloomberg

This has dragged on for too long and it worries us, Planas said by email, following his meeting.

--With assistance from Jenny Leonard.

(Adds Spanish agriculture minister comments in last two paragraphs)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
In this article, we will take a look at states with the lowest to highest capital gains tax rates. You can skip our detailed analysis of capital gains taxes and the overall tax structure of different states, and go directly to read 10 States With the Lowest to Highest Capital Gains Tax Rate.

Capital gains tax is imposed on the profits or gains earned from the sale or disposal of certain types of assets known as capital assets. These assets include stocks, bonds, real estate properties, precious metals, and other investments held for a specific period of time. Capital gains can not be earned as an employee or from a business but are received due to the increase in value of an investment. For this reason, they are taxed differently than regular income. Capital gains can be either short-term or long-term, depending on how long the asset was held before it was sold.

Short-term capital gains occur when an asset is held for one year or less before being sold. They are taxed at the same rates as your ordinary income tax rates, which can be up to 37%. This mainly depends on ones income level and tax bracket. Long-term capital gains, on the other hand, apply to assets held for more than one year before being sold. The tax rates for long-term capital gains are determined based on income level and filing status and are comparatively lower than short-term capital gains. The highest long-term capital gains tax rate is 20% but can either be 0% or 15% depending on income. According to Charles Schwab, the maximum long-term capital gains rate rose to nearly 40% in the late 1970s for investors with bigger gains.

Long-term capital gains are also applied to qualified dividends. This means that if dividend-paying investments are held for more than a specified holding period, the payouts received may be subject to lower long-term capital gains tax rates. So, profits from the sales of dividend stocks like The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), and AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) are subject to capital gains taxes.

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Over the years, capital gains realizations have fluctuated, reaching their 40-year high of over $2 trillion in 2021 and representing 8.7% of GDP, according to data from Congressional Budget Office. However, the federal agency forecasts realizations to revert to about 3.7% of GDP over the next 10 years. The report also mentioned that approximately 7.3% of individual income tax revenues are expected to come from capital gains realizations in the fiscal year 2033.

In one of the recent developments, the current administration in the US has proposed an increase in the capital gains tax rate. As mentioned above, the highest capital gains tax rate is 20%, which could be increased to 39.6% for people earning at least $1 million, as reported by CNBC. This increase in the tax rate could significantly impact high-income earners who make a considerable profit from the sale of assets. The change in the tax rate could also discourage investors from selling their assets, which could impact the liquidity of the market.

These proposed changes in capital gains could also impact business owners who are planning to sell their businesses. The higher tax rate could reduce the amount of profit they make from the sale, which could impact their retirement plans or their ability to invest in other ventures. This is one of the main reasons why people avoid capital gains taxes. The higher the tax rate on capital gains, the less money they get to keep from their investments.

In addition to lower profits, taxpayers avoid capital gains taxes to preserve cash flow and rebalance their investments. For these reasons, individuals should consider utilizing tax-advantaged accounts such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or 401(k) plans, as contributions in these accounts may be tax-deductible. Moreover, investors should hold investments for the long term because long-term capital gains are taxed at lower rates.

Individuals who are concerned about high tax burdens, including capital gains taxes, may consider relocating to states that offer more favorable tax environments. For instance, California is one of the countrys most expensive states to live in, which has seen a decline in its population for over 30 years now. According to a report by CNBC, over 360,000 people left California in 2021 for states offering lower taxes. Moreover, California and New York also lost over $90 billion in income during the Covid pandemic.

Many states like Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming do not have taxes on capital gains. In this list, we have ranked US states from lowest to highest capital gains tax.

States With the Lowest to Highest Capital Gains Tax Rate

Image by qgadrian from Pixabay

Our Methodology:

Nearly all states in the US tax capital gains as ordinary income. The tax rates mentioned below are for the highest tax bracket, which means that these tax rates are applied to the highest levels of taxable income in different states. For this list, we selected data from a wide range of sources, including the respective states official documents, Forbes Advisor, Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. The list is ranked in ascending order of their capital gains taxes as of 2023

42. Arizona:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 2.5%

Arizona has a flat income tax rate of 2.5%, which came into effect in January 2023. Before this, the state had a tax structure with a top rate of 4.5%.

41. North Dakota:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 2.90%

North Dakota allows taxpayers to deduct 40% of the gain from their income. The state taxes capital gains as ordinary income, with tax rates falling between 1.1% to 2.9%.

40. Pennsylvania:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 3.07%

Pennsylvanias income and capital gains tax is at a flat rate of 3.07%. However, the state does not tax nonresidents on capital gains.

39. Indiana:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 3.15%

In 2022, Indianas lawmakers approved deductions in its income taxes over the next several years. The first phase took its income tax to 3.15%, from 3.23%. The state taxes capital gains as ordinary income.

38. Ohio:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 3.99%

Ohios tax brackets range from 0% to 3.99%. Its capital gains taxes are consistent with its ordinary income taxes.

37. Louisiana:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.25%

In 2022, Louisiana reduced its income tax rates to 1.85%, 3.5%, and 4.25%. The state taxes capital gains as ordinary income.

36. Michigan:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.25%

Michigan imposes capital gains tax, which is generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income. The state has a flat income tax rate of 4.25%. Moreover, citizens born before 1946 can also deduct dividends, interest, and capital gains on their income tax returns.

35. Colorado:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.4%

Capital gains tax in Colorado has a flat rate of 4.4%, the same as the states income tax.

34. Kentucky:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.5%

Kentuckys capital gains and income tax follow the same flat rate of 4.5%. This was reduced from 5% last year and the state plans to lower it further by a half percentage point in 2024.

33. North Carolina:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.75%

North Carolina taxes capital gains as ordinary income. The state is gradually decreasing its flat income tax rate, which currently stands at 4.75%, down from 4.99% in 2022. It will be further reduced to 4.6% in 2024.

32. Oklahoma:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.75%

Oklahoma offers a capital gains deduction for gains derived from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. Through this deduction, eligible taxpayers are allowed to exclude a portion of their capital gains from taxation. Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income in Oklahoma, ranging between 0.25% to 4.75%.

31. Utah:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.85%

Utahs capital gains tax is the same as the states income tax at a flat rate of 4.85%.

30. Arkansas:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.9%

In Arkansas, the tax rates for capital gains range between 2.45% to 4.9%. However, long-term capital gains are taxed for up to 50%, whereas short-term capital gains are taxed at 100%.

29. Illinois:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.95%

Illinois capital gains tax rates are the same as the state tax, which is a flat rate of 4.95%. This rate is regardless of income or filing status.

28. Missouri:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 4.95%

In 2022, Missouri lowered its income tax rate to 5.3% from 5.4%. The state has again reduced its taxes with its top marginal income tax rate falling at 4.95%. The government plans tO eventually reduce top rates in the coming years.

27. Massachusetts:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.00%

Massachusetts has the headquarters of some of the famous companies in the US including Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) and State Street Corporation (NYSE:STT). The state has a flat income tax rate of 5% for most taxpayers, including those with capital gains. However, for short-term capital gains on dividends, interests, wages, and other income, the capital gains tax stood at 12%.

26. Alabama:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.00%

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income in Alabama. The tax rates range from 2% to 5%, depending on ones income level.

25. Mississippi:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.00%

Capital gains tax has been a part of Mississippis tax system since the early 1900s and was initially implemented to generate revenue for the state. Its uppermost capital gains tax rate is 5%, consistent with its income tax rates.

24. West Virginia:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.12%

West Virginia has a progressive income tax system and taxes capital gains as ordinary income. The states recent bill to reduce its taxes brought its top tax rate to stand at 5.12%, down from 6.5% in 2022. The lowest tax rate goes to 2.36%, from 3%, as reported by Wall Street Journal.

23. Kansas:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.70%

Tax brackets in Kansas range from 3.1% to 5.7%, depending on taxable income and the corresponding tax bracket.

22. Georgia:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.75%

Georgias capital gains tax rates run from 1% to 5.75%, similar to the states regular tax rates.

21. Maryland:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.75%

In Maryland, a single filer with over $250,000 taxable income will be taxed at 5.75%, which is the same as the states income tax rates. Its tax brackets for single taxpayer ranges from 2% to 5.75%.

20. Virginia:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.75%

Virginia, home to some of Americas most significant corporations like General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) and Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO), taxes capital gains at the same income tax rate, which is up to 5.75%.

19. Idaho:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.8%

In January 2023, Idaho announced a reduction in its income tax rate from 6% to 5.8%. The states capital gains are taxed as ordinary income, which means that the tax imposed on taxable income over $2,500 stands at 5.8%.

18. New Mexico:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.90%

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income in New Mexico with tax rates ranging from 0% to 5.9%. Taxpayers with capital gains income are allowed to deduct 40% of their net gain from their taxable income from the state.

17. Rhode Island:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 5.99%

Rhode Islands capital gains taxes range from 3.75% to 5.99%, consistent with the states income tax rates.

16. Iowa:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 6.00%

In Iowa, capital gains are also taxed as ordinary income, with tax brackets ranging from 4.40% to 6.00% in the tax year 2023. The states top tax rate came in at 8.53% last year. Its Department of Revenue announced a flat individual income tax rate of 3.9% by the tax year 2026. Moreover, qualifying taxpayers will be able to have a 33% deduction on net capital gains from the sale of a qualified corporations stock.

15. Delaware:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 6.60%

Delawares capital gains tax rates run from 0% to 6.6%, the same as the states income tax rates.

14. Nebraska:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 6.64%

Capital gains taxes in Nebraska are the same as the ordinary income tax. The states new tax bill was enacted in April 2022, which plans to reduce its top individual income tax rates to 5.84% over the course of several years. The initial reduction from 6.84% to 6.64% occurred on January 1, 2023.

13. Montana:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 6.75%

Montana also taxes capital gains as ordinary income which ranges from 1% to 6.75%. The state also offers a 2% capital gains credit, which means that the taxpayer can claim a credit against their income tax of up to 2% of their net capital gain. Recently, Montanas government has proposed a bill for revised income tax rates for long-term capital gains. The bill highlights two-tier tax rates of 3% and 4.1% that would be applied to long-term capital gains. The bill will come into effect in January 2024.

12. Connecticut:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 6.99%

Capital gains taxes in Connecticut range from 3.0% to 6.99%, which is consistent with its ordinary income tax rates. However, dividends and interest income are taxed at a rate based on Connecticut Adjusted Gross Income, which varies from 1% to 14%.

11. South Carolina:

Capital Gains Tax as of 2023: 7.00%

Capital gains in South Carolina are taxed as ordinary income, with tax brackets ranging from 0% to 7%. However, a 44% reduction is allowed to taxpayers on long-term capital gains.

Click to continue reading and see 10 States With the Lowest to Highest Capital Gains Tax Rate.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure. None. States With the Lowest to Highest Capital Gains Tax Rate is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Getty Images, Inc.

Survey of 1,500 Global Marketing Professionals Shows Optimism for Content Spending and Emphasis on Video for Effective Social Media Marketing



88% of marketers found video to be the most valuable format for social media advertisements

71% of marketers anticipate budget increases in content spending in the upcoming quarters

52% of marketers are investing more in video content overall

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getty Images (NYSE: GETY), a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, today announced the results of its new VisualGPS research, which sheds light on the opinions and actions of 1,500 marketing professionals in 21 countries across the world, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Singapore, the UK, and the US.

The study has revealed that marketers remain optimistic about the impact of visual content on their marketing campaigns in 2023 despite the challenges posed by current macroeconomic events. The study, which focused on marketers expected use of content and overall impact of broader business spending trends, found that 71% of respondents anticipate budget increases in content spending in the upcoming quarters. This data suggests that, despite efforts to be more cost-conscious and efficient in other areas of business, marketers recognize the critical role that content plays in driving growth and customer engagement.

Focused content spending

Increased content spend can be linked to specific business areas, with digital marketing and social media driving content needs across industries. Video has also emerged as the top growth category. Data found that 52% of marketers are investing more in video content overall, and while still photos are deemed important (86% of marketers indicating a need for them), video (88%) was found to be the most valuable format for social media advertisements thanks to its ability to convey complex information, create a sense of immediacy, and connect with diverse audiences.

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The power of video with global consumers

A complementing consumer survey fielded by Getty Images VisualGPS tracking consumer sentiment found that 65% of people globally are in favor of consuming brand content in video form on social media, representing a significant source of advice and information while boosting brand exposure, especially among younger shoppers. There were also notable differences in sentiment by sector. In the Medical, Health, Tech, and Travel sectors, consumers are most receptive to user-generated aesthetics for video content, showing everyday interactions that people can resonate with, while in the Finance and Automotive industries consumers were best engaged through company-produced video content in line with messaging featured on brand websites.

Differentiating approach by industry

What was emphasized in the research was the global consumers desire for candid promotional imagery with an emphasis on product details. Authentic, real-life settings were preferred, and video formatting was found to generate more interest in both products and brands. Furthermore, video content focusing on the transactional aspect of a product/service was most effective for the Finance, Technology, and CPG industries, while showcasing emotional situations and responses worked well within the Medical, Health, Travel, and Automotive realms.

"The ubiquity of social media as a communication vehicle across all business segments has accelerated the use of video content to capture consumers attention and drive business results," said Gene Foca, Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer at Getty Images. As consumers increasingly demand dynamic and engaging content, marketers should actively leverage the power of video in their marketing programs to effectively move audiences and build brand exposure. Video is a very compelling format for telling visually compelling stories that resonate with viewers and ultimately drive sales."

Getty Images content experts emphasize the growing importance of video for marketers in their content strategies, with an increasing focus on social media and consumer preferences for authentic video content. As consumer engagement continues to shift, marketers have an opportunity to incorporate new video approaches and formats in their campaigns to effectively reach and engage with target audiences that are consuming content across formats and channels.

Media Contact:

Ilse Noguez

lse.noguez@gettyimages.com








(Bloomberg) -- US restrictions on Chinas access to the machines critical to making computer chips are continuing to take a toll, the latest Taiwan export data show.

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Taiwan shipped $151 million worth of chipmaking machines to China and Hong Kong in April  a 26% drop from a year earlier, according to figures from the Ministry of Finance in Taipei. While an improvement from Marchs fall of nearly 34%, it still marked the 10th consecutive month of declines.

US-China tensions have risen over Taiwan, with the worlds leading producer of cutting-edge chips seeking greater ties with Washington in the face of rising pressure from Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen met with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year and current speaker Kevin McCarthy last month, adding to strains.

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly stressed the need to place guardrails around the increasingly combative relationship, but China says those efforts arent genuine.

Taiwans slumping exports are also attributable to the ongoing dropoff in global demand for technology. Taiwans exports plunged 13.3% overall last month as worldwide purchases of electronics remained weak. Shipments to China of integrated circuit chips  pivotal components of electronic appliances, computers and smartphones  fell 19% from a year ago, declining for a sixth straight month.

Note: Semiconductor facilities refer to equipment in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Source: Ministry of Finance, R.O.C.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
AS Tallinna Sadam

In the first quarter, revenue increased to 28.4 million euros (+6%) and adjusted EBITDA to 13.6 million euros (+0.6%), and profit was 5.7 million euros (-21%). The adjusted EBITDA margin was 48% and the volume of investments 1.5 million euros (67%).

In the passenger business, strong growth continued both in the number of passengers and in passenger vessel calls, including a record for vessel calls on the Tallinn-Helsinki line. The cargo volumes of liquid bulk and dry bulk decreased due to the sanctions imposed on goods of Russian origin, but its economic impact was significantly smaller than the decrease in volume, as the volume of goods with a lower tariff rate decreased in particular. In shipping, both ferries and the icebreaker Botnica showed growth. Rising service prices and wage pressure increased operating costs, financial costs also increased.

Tallinna Sadam management will present the financial results of the Group at a webinars on 10 May, including webinar in Estonian starting at 13.00 (EET) (link to EST webinar) and webinar in English starting at 14.00 (EET) (link to ENG webinar).

Key figures (in million EUR):

Q1 2023 Q1 2022 +/ % Revenue 28.4 26.8 1,6 6.1 Adjusted EBITDA 13.6 13.5 0.1 0.6 Adjusted EBITDA margin 47.8%

50.4% 2.6  Operating profit 6.8 7.2 0.4 5.8 Profit for the period 5.7 7.2 1.5 20.7 Investments 1.5 4.7 3.2 67.2





31.03.2023 31.12.2022 +/ Total assets 627.2 621.2 1.0% Interest bearing debt 184.4 187.4 1.6% Other liabilities 56.2 52.9 6.2% Equity 386.7 381.0 1.5% Number of shares 263.0 263.0 0.0%

Major events in Q1:

Record vessel calls on Tallinn-Helsinki line

Icebreaker Botnica contract with Baffinland for 2023 summer

Positive court ruling to end the legal dispute with SLK and Vainamere Lines

MOU with OU Utilitas Wind for the development of offshore wind farms

Announcement of the passenger terminal A architecture competition

Public discussion of sketch designs of the detail plans of Old City Harbour

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Revenue

Revenue for the first quarter grew by EUR 1.6 million (+6.1%) year on year. All revenue streams showed growth, except cargo charges and sale of electricity. Passenger fee revenue grew the most, increasing by EUR 0.7 million (+47%) in connection with an increase in the number of passengers, the effect of which was lowered by a 10% reduction in the fee rate for passengers arriving at or departing from Old City Harbour on regularly operated ferry routes as from March 2022. Decline in cargo charges (9%) was significantly lower than the decrease in cargo volumes (31%) as volumes decreased mostly for cargo with lower charge rates. Revenue grew in the Passenger harbours segment, the Ferry segment and in the segment Other, but decreased in the Cargo harbours segment by EUR 1.7 million due to lower cargo volumes.

The revenue of the Passenger harbours segment grew by EUR 2.0 million (33%) mainly through higher revenue from vessel dues and passenger fees (+EUR 1.0 million and +EUR 0.7 million, respectively), which increased due to growth in vessel calls and passenger numbers. Lease income grew (+EUR 0.2 million) due to the addition of new premises as well as higher income from the cruise terminal. Revenue from other services was mainly supported by revenue on the sale of advertising space.

In the Cargo harbours segment , revenue decreased by EUR 1.7 million (18%) due to a decline in cargo volumes and the number of vessel calls. Revenue from vessel dues (EUR 1.0 million), electricity sales (EUR 0.4 million) and cargo charges (EUR 0.2 million) decreased the most. The decline in electricity sales revenue was attributable to both lower electricity prices and smaller consumption due to lower operating volumes.

The revenue of the Ferry segment grew by EUR 1.0 million (13%), driven by a rise in the contractual fee rates (due to an increase in the Estonian fuel cost, employment cost and consumer price indices) and supported by a higher number of trips.

The revenue of the segment Other grew by EUR 0.4 million (10%) in connection with a higher charter fee rate for the icebreaking season, which took effect in December 2022 under a new agreement signed with the Estonian Transport Administration.

EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA grew by EUR 0.082 million because revenue growth exceeded growth in expenses excluding depreciation, amortisation and impairment, although profit on the investment in the equity-accounted associate AS Green Marine decreased. In terms of segments, adjusted EBITDA grew in the Passenger harbours segment, the Ferry segment and the segment Other and decreased in the Cargo harbours segment. Adjusted EBITDA margin declined from 50.4% to 47.8%.

Profit

Profit before tax decreased by EUR 1.49 million (20.7%) to EUR 5.7 million. Net profit for the period was also EUR 5.7 million, EUR 1.49 million smaller than a year earlier.

Investments

The Group invested EUR 1.5 million in the first three months of 2023, EUR 3.2 million less than a year earlier. The largest investments were made in completing the reconstruction of the outdoor area around terminal D and increasing the capacity of Muuga Harbour to serve ro-ro cargo.



Interim condensed consolidated statement of financial position:

In thousands of euros 31 March 2023 31 December 2022 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 51 957 44 387 Trade and other receivables 11 264 7 477 Contract assets 215 0 Inventories 735 749 Non-current assets held for sale 0 100 Total current assets 64 171 52 713 Non-current assets Investments in associates 2 138 2 099 Other long-term receivables 303 303 Property, plant and equipment 558 806 564 379 Intangible assets 1 812 1 735 Total non-current assets 563 059 568 516 Total assets 627 230 621 229 LIABILITIES Current liabilities Loans and borrowings 15 916 15 916 Provisions 543 2 013 Government grants 8 240 8 578 Taxes payable 1 044 1 060 Trade and other payables 8 984 9 770 Contract liabilities 3 072 62 Total current liabilities 37 799 37 399 Non-current liabilities Loans and borrowings 168 482 171 482 Government grants 32 905 30 156 Other payables 622 449 Contract liabilities 745 767 Total non-current liabilities 202 754 202 854 Total liabilities 240 553 240 253 EQUITY Share capital at par value 263 000 263 000 Share premium 44 478 44 478 Statutory capital reserve 22 115 22 115 Retained earnings (prior periods) 51 383 25 791 Profit for the period 5 701 25 592 Total equity 386 677 380 976 Total liabilities and equity 627 230 621 229

Interim condensed consolidated statement of profit or loss:

In thousands of euros Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Revenue 28 405 26 771 Other income 341 295 Operating expenses 9 145 8 663 Personnel expenses 5 621 4 771 Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 7 038 6 287 Other expenses 145 128 Operating profit 6 797 7 217 Finance income and costs Finance income 258 31 Finance costs 1 393 284 Finance costs  net 1 135 253 Share of profit of an associate accounted for under the equity method 39 227 Profit before income tax 5 701 7 191 Profit for the period 5 701 7 191 Attributable to owners of the Parent 5 701 7 191 Basic and diluted earnings per share (in euros) 0.02 0.03 Basic and diluted earnings per share  continuing operations (in euros) 0.02 0.03

Interim condensed consolidated statement of cash flows:

In thousands of euros Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Cash receipts from sale of goods and services 32 199 31 849 Cash receipts related to other income 28 20 Payments to suppliers 13 307 12 493 Payments to and on behalf of employees 5 373 4 359 Payments for other expenses 148 146 Cash from operating activities 13 399 14 871 Purchases of property, plant and equipment 1 630 5 318 Purchases of intangible assets 176 50 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 0 28 Government grants received 242 1 Interest received 1 564 5 339 Cash used in investing activities Repayments of loans received 3 000 3 000 Interest paid 1 263 356 Other payments related to financing activities 2 2 Cash from/used in financing activities 4 265 3 358 NET CASH FLOW 7 570 6 174 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period 44 387 34 840 Change in cash and cash equivalents 7 570 6 174 Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period 51 957 41 014

Tallinna Sadam is one of the largest cargo- and passenger port complexes in the Baltic Sea region, which serves annually 10 million passengers and 20 million tons of cargo in average. In addition to passenger and freight services, Tallinna Sadam group also operates in shipping business via its subsidiaries  OU TS Laevad provides ferry services between the Estonian mainland and the largest islands, and OU TS Shipping charters its multifunctional vessel Botnica for icebreaking and construction services in Estonia and offshore projects abroad. Tallinna Sadam group is also a shareholder of an associate AS Green Marine, which provides waste management services.

Additional information:

Marju Zirel

Head of Investor Relations

Tel. +372 5342 6591

m.zirel@ts.ee

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Key Insights

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Current share price of US$17.45 suggests TELUS International (Cda) is potentially 42% undervalued

The US$25.38 analyst price target for TIXT is 16% less than our estimate of fair value

Does the May share price for TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (NYSE:TIXT) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for TELUS International (Cda)

What's The Estimated Valuation?

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. 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.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$360.8m US$419.2m US$468.0m US$504.2m US$534.6m US$560.6m US$583.3m US$603.4m US$621.9m US$639.1m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x8 Analyst x8 Analyst x2 Est @ 7.73% Est @ 6.04% Est @ 4.86% Est @ 4.04% Est @ 3.46% Est @ 3.05% Est @ 2.77% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 8.2% US$333 US$358 US$369 US$367 US$360 US$349 US$335 US$320 US$305 US$289

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$3.4b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$639m (1 + 2.1%)  (8.2% 2.1%) = US$11b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$11b ( 1 + 8.2%)10= US$4.8b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$8.2b. 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$17.5, the company appears quite good value at a 42% 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 TELUS International (Cda) 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 8.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.032. 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 TELUS International (Cda)

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Weakness

Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. 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 instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For TELUS International (Cda), we've compiled three pertinent elements you should further examine:

Risks: We feel that you should assess the 3 warning signs for TELUS International (Cda) we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does TIXT'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. 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.

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) -- A digital infrastructure provider backed by Singapores state-owned investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte is considering raising as much as $1 billion in a funding round before its potential initial public offering, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres has held talks with potential advisers on the fundraising as its keen to bring in strategic investors, the people said. The funding round would help set a valuation benchmark for an IPO, which could happen as soon as next year, the people said, asking not to be identified as the process is private.

Deliberations are preliminary and details of the funding round could still change, the people said. A representative for Temasek declined to comment.

STT GDC is constantly exploring all options to optimize its capital structure, including attracting strategic and financial investors, bond offerings, pre-IPO funding rounds or even a potential IPO, its representative said in response to a Bloomberg News query, declining to comment on the details.

The company has been exploring an IPO that could raise more than $1 billion, with Singapore and the US among possible listing venues, Bloomberg News reported in January.

STT GDC is one of Asias largest data center operators, managing more than 170 facilities in Singapore, India, China, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and the UK, its website shows. Temasek fully owns Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte, the parent of STT GDC.

Macquarie Asset Management bought a 40% stake in STT GDCs European unit Virtus Data Centres for an undisclosed amount, according to a press release in January.

Story continues

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- A $3.2 billion fund focused on Asian equities is avoiding the regions two biggest stocks, saying their valuations fail to reflect economic and political challenges.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is priced like its a secular business rather than a cyclical one, while valuations of Tencent Holdings Ltd. would have to be extraordinary to be attractive as its at the forefront of US-China tensions, according to Jonathan Pines, who manages the Federated Hermes Asia Ex-Japan Equity Fund.

Pines fund  which beat 88% of its peers over the past three years  no longer has stakes in either TSMC or Tencent. It exited the last of its positions either late last year or early in 2023, the London-based fund manager said in an interview. His comments come even as both stocks are trading below their 10-year average valuations.

A number of Asias heavyweight tech stocks have rebounded this year amid speculation global central banks may be near the end of interest-rate hikes. Thats after valuations were dragged lower in 2022 due to geopolitical tensions and a downbeat semiconductor cycle.

TSMC is currently trading at about 4.2 times book value, whereas one of its main rivals Samsung Electronics Co. is at just 1.1 times.

Shares in the Taiwanese chipmaker would need to fall about 15% to 20% before the fund considers investing in them, Pines said, citing the impact from a potentially recessionary environment on its logic-technology business and geopolitics as another possible negative.

Warren Buffett said in an interview last month that he divested the majority of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.s $4.1 billion stake in TSMC partly due to geopolitical concerns. TSMC reaffirmed its target for capital spending in its latest earnings announcement but warned demand from mobile and PC industries remains soft.

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READ: Top Greater China Fund Raises Concern Over TSMC After Buffett

Growing Competition

Meanwhile, Tencents growth has slowed but its shares continue to trade close to 20 times forward earnings, Pines said. The companys reliance on the international expansion of its gaming unit may be tenuous given its a lightning rod for US-China geopolitics and theres growing competition from TikTok Inc., he said.

Pines fund has been increasing its overweight in South Korean stocks over the past three-to-six months, given its view that earnings for chip heavyweight Samsung Electronics Co. are bottoming, and corporate governance in the market is improving.

TSMC shares have dropped 5.6% this quarter, while Samsungs have gained about 1%, in a reversal of the formers outperformance at the start of the year. Tencent shares have slumped 15% since the end of March after more than doubling during Chinas reopening rally.

Samsung has the ability to heavily influence the profitability of the industry, Pines said. When the company announced a production cut, suddenly the market began to factor in rising profitability, he said. When you have a consolidated industry, even in the face of recession, you have some power to withstand the downturn.

(Updates to add share performance in 10th paragraph.)

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Tether today reported a net profit of $1.48 billion, with the company behind the worlds biggest stablecoin saying it was very optimistic for the future.

In a Wednesday blog post, the sometimes controversial company summed up its 2023 Q1 assurance reportprepared by accounting firm BDO Italiaby revealing that its reserves reached an all-time high of $2.44 billion, a $1.48 billion increase over the same quarter last year.

The company also said that most of its reserves were held in cash and cash equivalents, with the majority invested in U.S. Treasury Bills. Only 1.8% was held in Bitcoin.

Although BDO Italia was commissioned to prepare the report, it has yet to be independently audited.

Tether CTO Paolo Ardoino said in a statement: We are thrilled with the tremendous success Tether has achieved in Q1 2023, with our reserves surplus reaching an all-time high of $2.44B.

Tether works to mint USDTthe third-largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin and Ethereum and the biggest stablecoin. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies backed by stable assets, like the U.S. dollar.

USDT has a market cap of $82.5 billion and is the most traded cryptocurrency, with a 24-hour trading volume of $16.5 billion. Traders use it to enter quickly and exit trades without using a traditional bank or fiat currency.

Tether Used Fake Documents to Open Bank Accounts: WSJ

This is particularly popular in markets where dollars are restricted or unavailable, as well as in DeFi, which seeks to disintermediate banks.

Tether has courted controversy for what some feel is inadequate transparency into whether U.S. dollars indeed back USDT.

In March, the Wall Street Journal cited emails reporting that companies backing USDT used fake documents and shell companies to help its parent company get into the banking system. Tether said the WSJ report was wholly inaccurate and misleading.

Today #tether announces its Q1 2023 Assurance Report (attestation)  - Net profit for this quarter of $1.48bn leading to a surplus over reserves of $2.44B- an all time high!!  - This report adds new explicit separate categories for our #Bitcoin and Gold  holdings, https://t.co/3ZzrhtJ8PB  Paolo Ardoino  (@paoloardoino) May 10, 2023

And back in 2021, Tether agreed to no longer do business in New York after a two-year New York Attorney General investigation found it had made false statements about the backing of its stablecoin.
AUSTIN  With what appears to be the imminent end to Title 42 this week, Texas Republicans in Congress are stepping up their criticism of the Democratic Biden approach to the burgeoning immigration crisis, predicting even more chaos at the nation's border with Mexico as thousands of migrants amass near points of entry from Brownsville to El Paso.

"The Biden administration has had a couple of years to plan for this, and I believe they've done virtually nothing to do so," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn told Texas reporters on a conference call last week. "The president has not done anything to discourage illegal immigration, other than mouthing the words occasionally."

The comment came less than a week before Title 42 is set to end on May 11. The policy was put in place during the Trump administration to allow immigration authorities to immediately expel asylum seekers at the border as a means to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, walked east along the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez and crossed into El Paso, Texas on Feb. 8, 2023 after hearing a false rumor that they were being allowed to enter the U.S.

Other Texas Republicans in Congress have used their social media platforms, issued news releases and made appearances on national news outlets to further warn that federal authorities are unprepared for the expected boom in unauthorized border crossings and drug smuggling, and that lifting the policy essentially invites migrants to the border to make dubious claims that they deserve asylum in the United States.

Over six million people have crossed illegally under Joe Biden," Sen. Ted Cruz said in a news release May 9. "Last year, over 100,000 people died of drug overdoses, the vast majority of which was Chinese fentanyl streaming across the border under Joe Biden."

More: Q&A: ICE Field Office Director Mary De Anda-Ybarra talks deportation after Title 42

On Twitter, the state's junior senator added: "There are currently 700,000 illegal aliens at the southern border waiting for Title 42 to expire. President Biden has overseen the worst border crisis in US history."

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The two Texas GOP Congress members who represent parts of the border, Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Monica De La Cruz of Edinburg, have called the administration's actions at the border inadequate and misdirected.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of his new district office at Casa Ortiz in Socorro on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Theyre putting all their time and effort into illegal immigration, finding ways to increase capacity, finding ways where people can come over illegally quicker," Gonzales recently told CBS News. "The reality is 9 out of 10 people that come over into our country illegally do not qualify for asylum."

De La Cruz said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who recently visited her region for a firsthand look at conditions along the Rio Grande, should be removed from office.

"Secretary Mayorkas' photo op against the backdrop of a border humanitarian crisis the Biden administration has known for months would happen only confirms that his impeachment is long overdue," she said in a news release.

While White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday said the administration is prepared to handle the fallout of lifting Title 42, Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Laredo said President Joe Biden has moved too far to the left on immigration, which is alienating centrist Americans.

Migrants await to be processed at gate 40 of the border wall after having crossed the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez in hopes of turning themselves in with the intention of seeking asylum.

The administration needs to go to the center, and Ive asked them to go to the center, and I think some of the policies that theyre about to implement brings them to the center, in my opinion, a little bit too late, but at least theyre getting policies that will come to the center, Cuellar told Fox News on May 7.

In an op-ed published May 8 in the El Paso Times, Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar said the White House is taking unfair criticism from Republicans seeking to leverage the crisis in her hometown for a political advantage.

"The Biden Administration has been working on solutions to these chronic issues, collaborating with the neighboring countries of Mexico, Colombia, and Panama to tackle human smuggling and opening up some legal pathways to help take the pressure off the border," Escobar wrote. "Addressing root causes of migration has also been a priority for the administration, and much of that work has begun to show success. But those investments and collaborations take time to bear fruit."

More: When Title 42 expires, will migrants be prosecuted for crossing border illegally?

Jean-Pierre, in her White House briefing, faulted Republicans in Congress for standing in the way of efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions.

"We have a robust multiagency plan to humanely manage the border through enforcement, deterrence and diplomacy," she said. "And we're implementing that plan with our regional partners using the few tools we have remaining because, again, Congress has failed to act. "They want to play politics and actually not deal with an issue that has challenged us for decades."

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Republicans in Texas criticize Biden on ending of Title 42
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

2023 Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar and TRX Lunar Editions Join Light-duty Lineup

New Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions offer customers even more personalization straight from the factory

2023 Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions expand the color palette with new, exclusive Ceramic Gray exterior color for North America's leading off-road truck offerings

Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions available in extremely limited quantities later this spring

The Ram Truck brand today announced the exclusive new 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions join the light-duty lineup. The Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions, with a unique Ceramic Gray exterior color, offer customers another option for exterior and interior appointments and content.

"Our passionate customers tell us their Ram trucks are an extension of their personality that allows them to stand out from the crowd. The Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions are great-looking trucks with easy-to-use features that do just that," said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO  Stellantis. "We continue to listen to and deliver for them by offering the best combination of unique exterior and interior appointments and content for even greater personalization."

The new 2023 Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition is the latest in a line of exclusive, limited-run color offerings for the segment's benchmark for power and performance with the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine. The Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition offers an additional, affordable way to get into a Ram truck with an exclusive, limited-run color offering.

Both the Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar and Ram 1500 TRX Lunar editions are available in extremely limited quantities later this spring.

Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition

The Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition offers off-road performance truck enthusiasts a unique exterior design for even greater personalization. Available with the Rebel Level 2 equipment group and the 5.7-liter HEMI eTorque V-8 engine, the Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition features a 12-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen with Off-road Pages, black sideview mirrors, heated front seats and steering wheel and an 8-way power adjustable driver's seat. Other features include an exclusive Ceramic Gray exterior paint color, a Rebel graphic on the hood and bed, black badging, bumper and grille and 18-inch gloss black wheels.

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The Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition is available at a starting price of $70,310, plus $1,895 destination.

Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition

The Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition offers performance truck buyers an even wider selection of unique content for even greater personalization and features a unique combination of technology, graphics, performance and exterior appearance straight from the factory.

The Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition enhances the well-appointed TRX Level 2 Equipment Group and includes an exclusive Ceramic Gray exterior color, TRX hood and bed graphics and 18-inch black bead-lock capable wheels, dual pane panoramic sunroof, spray-in bedliner, cargo tie-downs, bed step and an LED cab-mounted brake light. Inside, the TRX Lunar Edition includes Surf Blue accent stitching, an embroidered "TRX" seat back logo, carbon-fiber accents, a leather and carbon-fiber flatbottom steering wheel, unique center console badge and a Head-up Display. Safety features include adaptive cruise control, Lane Keep Assist and pedestrian emergency braking.

The 2023 Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition offers the proven and reliable high-performance 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine, delivering top output for extended driving sessions without degradation in performance. Rated at 702 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine powers the Ram TRX to a top speed of 118 mph. Combined with a high-torque-capacity TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission, the Ram TRX delivers a new level of performance: 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph.

The Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition is available at a starting price of $106,445, plus $1,895 destination.

Ram Truck Brand

In 2009, the Ram Truck brand launched as a stand-alone division, focused on meeting the demands of truck buyers and delivering benchmark-quality vehicles. With a full lineup of trucks, the Ram 1500, 2500/3500 Heavy Duty, 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab and ProMaster, the Ram brand builds trucks that get the hard work done and families where they need to go.

Ram continues to outperform the competition and sets the benchmarks for:

1,075 lb.-ft. of torque with Cummins Turbo Diesel

Towing capacity of 37,090 lbs. with Ram 3500

Segment first 1,000 lb.-ft of torque with Cummins Turbo Diesel

Payload of 7,680 lbs. with Ram 3500

Most luxurious: Ram Limited with real wood, real leather and 12-inch Uconnect touchscreen

Best ride and handling with exclusive link coil rear and auto-level air suspensions

Most interior space with Ram Mega Cab

The most cargo space available in any traditional full size cargo van

Most capable full-size off-road pickup  Ram Power Wagon

Ram 1500 TRX is the quickest, fastest and most powerful mass-produced pickup truck in the world

Most awarded light-duty truck in America

Highest owner loyalty of any half-ton pickup

The latest J.D. Power APEAL study, which rates the emotional bond between customers and their vehicles, named the 2022 Ram 1500 as the best vehicle in the large light-duty pickup category. This marks the third straight year Ram 1500 has received top honors.

The Ram 1500 lineup includes the Know & Go mobile app featuring an immersive experience for customers who want to learn more about their vehicles.

Ram is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Ram and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Ram Truck brand: www.ramtrucks.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RamTrucks

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ramtrucks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RamTrucks and @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/RamTrucks, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thats-no-moon-2023-ram-1500-rebel-and-trx-lunar-editions-join-light-duty-lineup-301820578.html

SOURCE Stellantis
FILE PHOTO: A Toyota Tacoma is seen during the New York International Auto Show,

Toyota targets 10% profit jump, robust EV sales as chip woes recede FILE PHOTO: A Toyota Tacoma is seen during the New York International Auto Show,

By Daniel Leussink

TOKYO (Reuters) -Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday said it expects operating profit to climb 10% this business year, with a five-fold jump in pure electric vehicle (EV) sales amid an easing in global supply chain disruption from a shortage of chips.

The growth plan was unveiled by new CEO Koji Sato, installed last month, and signals a more aggressive push towards electrification by the Japanese firm that has previously pursued a go-slow approach to all-electric cars, arguing its strategy would provide more consumer choice.

The world's biggest car maker by sales forecast battery EV sales, including those of its luxury Lexus brand, would reach 202,000 worldwide this business year through March 2024 - up more than fivefold from 38,000 units last year.

Toyota forecast operating profit would rise to 3.0 trillion yen ($22.2 billion) this business year, in line with an analysts' average forecast of 3.02 trillion yen.

That target came after operating profit for the fiscal fourth quarter through March surged more than a third to 626.9 billion yen - easily ahead of the average 553.46 billion yen profit estimated by 10 analysts, according to Refinitiv data.

Toyota's strategy has seen it come under pressure in China, the world's biggest auto market, where nimble local brands such as BYD Co Ltd have moved aggressively with battery EVs, weakening dominance of established foreign brands.

But Sato said the demand for purely battery-powered vehicles in China largely represented a new need in the market and was separate from demand for hybrid vehicles.

"We would like to work on both sides," he said.

The profit target has been helped by a weak yen boosting the value of overseas sales, and higher output volumes that outweighed the impact of surging materials costs. Reflecting the impact of the weak yen, revenue for the business year that ended in March this year grew to a record 37.15 trillion yen.

Toyota shares, which were nearly flat before the release of the earnings, surged immediately on their publication and rose as much as 2.5% before paring gains to close up 0.8%.

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EV ACCELERATION

The new EV sales target, still a fraction of industry leader Tesla, would boost Toyota's battery EVs to nearly 2% of total sales volume, up from just 0.4% of its total vehicle sales in the last fiscal year.

"We expect an increase in (overall) sales volume in all regions and production volume of 10.1 million (vehicles), due to such factors as ... improvement in semiconductor supply," Toyota said in a statement. That would represent output growth of 11% versus the previous year.

Seeking to raise its game in the EV sector, where it has been outstripped by new Chinese automakers as well as Tesla, Toyota has said it will introduce 10 new battery-powered vehicles, targeting sales of 1.5 million EVs a year by 2026.

Toyota will speed up its push to provide "appropriate" solutions for different regions, said Sato, adding that new models would range from compact commercial to luxury vehicles and be centred mainly on the United States and China.

A previously announced dedicated unit to focus on next-generation battery EVs, known as BEV Factory, would consist of three platforms focusing on vehicle chassis, electronics and software, he said.

The company decided to abolish a zero emissions vehicle design division, known as ZEV factory, it had set up in Japan.

Though Toyota has succeeded in keeping its crown as the world's top-selling automaker, it faces a raft of challenges including safety test problems at its affiliate Daihatsu and mounting pressure from green investors.

($1 = 135.0500 yen)

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Kenneth Maxwell)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington

By Chris Prentice

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors in Washington are looking into short seller activity around the recent volatility in U.S. bank shares sparked by the failure of three regional lenders since March, a source familiar with the matter said.

Short sellers, traders that profit by betting shares will fall, have come under scrutiny over the past week as government efforts to steady the sector have faltered and investor fears over the health of regional lenders have deepened.

Their activity around the banking crisis is an "area of interest" for the Justice Department, which is looking for potential securities market manipulation, the person said.

Other regulators are also assessing potential market manipulation by short sellers, Reuters reported last week, but the scrutiny by criminal prosecutors, which has not been previously reported, raises the stakes for potential wrongdoers.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler and California regulators have said they are watching for any potential misconduct.

The standard for launching a formal probe is very high and it is unclear whether prosecutors would ultimately bring any charges, the person said.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not respond immediately to request for comment.

The KBW Regional Banking index has slumped 24% since the day before regulators shuttered Silicon Valley Bank, the first lender to collapse, on March 10.

Short sellers arrange to borrow shares they consider overvalued and sell them in the hopes that if the price drops they can repurchase them for less and pocket the difference.

They have profited from the banking crisis, reaping $1.2 billion in paper profits during the first two days of May, according to data from analytics firm Ortex. A brief rebound in bank stocks on Friday squeezed some of those negative bets.

Critics say short sellers hurt companies, but short sellers and advocates say they act as an important check on public firms.

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Last week, the American Bankers Association urged the SEC to probe "significant" short sales of bank shares that did "not appear to reflect the issuers financial status," including some that followed favorable earnings reports, the group wrote.

"We have also observed extensive social media engagement about the health of various banks and the sector generally that appears disconnected from the underlying financial realities," it added.

Since at least 2021, the Justice Department and the SEC have been investigating potential manipulation by short sellers and hedge funds around the publication of negative research reports.

The source did not say whether the latest interest in bank stocks was related to that pre-existing probe.

(Reporting by Chris Prentice; editing by Michelle Price and Sonali Paul)
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen in Zurich

By Chiara Elisei

LONDON Reuters) - UBS could have to lure investors with significantly higher yields when it next sells Additional Tier 1 bonds, paying what analysts say could be a punitive price for a Swiss decision to wipe out Credit Suisse AT1s under their shotgun merger.

To sell new AT1s, UBS would have to offer a yield in the range of 12%, which would be prohibitive, the analysts said, noting that factors such as broader market conditions and progress with the integration could lower the cost of future financings.

The price of a UBS U.S. dollar AT1, first repayable in 2027, dipped to 68 cents on March 20, the day after the merger roiled the AT1 market, from 88 before and has since recovered to 78 cents. Its yield is trading around 12% after jumping to over 16% in March from around 8% earlier that month.

Yield on UBS $ AT1, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UBS-BONDS/AT1/egvbyegnopq/chart.png

The risk that integrating Credit Suisse takes longer than expected, becoming costly, and a potential rating downgrade were other reasons why UBS was expected to pay a higher premium than it used to as one of Europe's largest AT1 issuers.

UBS declined to comment.

AT1 bonds, introduced after the 2008 financial crisis, act as shock absorbers if a bank's capital levels fall below a certain threshold as they can converted into equity.

A UBS AT1 bond sale would test sentiment after a merger that leaves it as Switzerland's one and only global bank, a risky bet that makes the Swiss economy more dependent on a single lender.

"If UBS came to market today, it would have to pay up compared to the past," said Simon Adamson, head of global financial research at CreditSights.

There are some signs that the broader $275 billion AT1 market is recovering.

Banks AT1 capital as % of risk-weighted assets, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UBS-BONDS/AT1/zdvxdggrqvx/chart.png

Last month, Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group was the first major global bank to sell AT1s since the March rout.

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With time, analysts expect UBS to sell AT1s aplenty to meet its capital requirements. It has a 700 million Singapore dollar ($755 million) AT1 bond repayable in November followed by a heftier $2.5 billion bond in January.

Under an unwritten market practice, banks repay AT1 bonds - which are perpetual - at the earliest opportunity and then reissue.

But investors had feared that banks would decide not to do so as a lack of liquidity and soaring yields would make it hard to then sell new bonds.

Britain's Lloyds plans to redeem upcoming AT1s. Italy's UniCredit has also said it would redeem AT1s but added it has no plans to sell similar bonds soon.

"Right now, AT1 pricing is not attractive so we expect low issuance while yields are this high," said Mark Holman, Managing Partner at TwentyFour Asset Management.

"Additionally, there is and will continue to be a Swiss premium on yields while investors try to digest the risk that [Swiss regulator] FINMA passed on to the market," he said.

RATINGS GAME

Investor appetite for a UBS AT1 could also hinge on its future credit profile.

Jefferies analysts said the merged bank, which will have more than $5 trillion in total invested assets, was attractive on a three-year view but posed significant risks over 12 months.

CreditSights' Adamson's added ratings of the two banks will need to be equalized and UBS could be downgraded as a result.

UBS is rated A- by S&P, while Credit Suisse was downgraded in November to one step above junk status.

"However way you look at it, it is going to reduce the credit worthiness of the acquiring bank," said Adamson.

For others, clarity once the merger is completed and time would help.

"There will be a few bumps along the way, but in five to six months time, probably no one will be worried specifically about the AT1 market and there will be appetite for AT1s from UBS," said Elisabeth Rudman, head of global financial institutions at DBRS Morningstar.

(Reporting by Chiara Elisei, editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Christina Fincher)
(Bloomberg) -- Ukraines crop shipments are being throttled, even before the latest negotiations over extending an export deal thats provided farmers with a vital outlet after Russias invasion.

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Vessel inspections have been repeatedly disrupted, leaving grain flows through the Black Sea lagging behind previous months. Thats adding to restrictions on cargoes bound for eastern Europe, which is hampering sales ahead of the next harvest.

Many farmers and big agricultural producers are concerned about their ability to export their grain and oilseed products because we see these issues on both sides, said Roman Slaston, chief executive officer of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club.

Just two months since its last renewal, the safe-corridor deal is hanging by a thread, with Russia threatening to withdraw on May 18 if its demands arent met. That would deal another blow to Ukraines farmers and put more pressure on global food prices, unless this weeks Istanbul talks  brokered by Turkey and the United Nations  can help revive the pact.

A two-day meeting on the grain deal between United Nations officials and deputy defense ministers from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine started Wednesday in Istanbul, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

While crop shipments from Ukraine  a major grains and oilseed supplier  normally slow at this time of the year, the tumult is further denting sales. Export volumes through the Black Sea dropped by more than a quarter in April from the previous month, UN figures show. Uncertainty over the corridors extension beyond mid-May is also deterring new contracts and shipments, Slaston said.

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Wheat is one of the first crops to be collected, with the harvest usually underway in July. Forward sales so far are scarce, according to the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, which cited analysis from an affiliated cooperative. Offers from Ukraine were absent in a recent tender by Egypt  a top global buyer  for June and July supply.

Russia, the worlds biggest wheat exporter, has said it wants obstacles hindering its own food and fertilizer shipments to be removed as a condition of extending the Black Sea grain pact beyond mid-May. Moscows demands have previously included pushing for the reopening of an ammonia pipeline.

Ukrainian exporters are in no hurry to charter vessels after that date, Maxym Kharchenko, freight-market analyst at UkrAgroConsult, said in a note.

Ukraine has repeatedly blamed Russia for slowing grain flows. On average, inspections are clearing less than three crop vessels a day this month, according to the UN. Outbound checks resumed Tuesday after a two-day halt, although inbound traffic remains stalled  and some 62 ships are waiting to move to Ukrainian ports for loading.

As shipments through the Black Sea corridor dwindle, flows by road and rail via Ukraines European Union neighbors slumped to the lowest in at least 10 months, according to UkrAgroConsult. Some EU nations are curbing grain imports, arguing that a glut is threatening the livelihoods of their own farmers.

The EU agreed to temporarily restrict key Ukraine crops to only transit through five eastern member states. The two sides are due to set up a platform to coordinate and monitor problems for Ukrainian agricultural exports.

Local farmers are in the midst of corn and sunflower planting, and the trade uncertainty is pushing smaller growers to shift some acres to crops like soybeans, which arent restricted by the EU. That could further weigh on shrinking Ukrainian grain output.

It motivates them to switch even more from grains to oilseeds or other crops, or not invest as much in their production, Slaston said. It might lead to lower yields and lower total output.

--With assistance from Selcan Hacaoglu, Patrick Sykes and Taylan Bilgic.

(Updates with talks in the fifth paragraph and vessel inspections in the 10th.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Amid the craze generated by Pepecoin (PEPE), which saw its market cap surpass the $1 billion mark last week, decentralized exchange (DEX) Uniswap overtook Coinbase in daily volume over the past few days.

The DEX first pulled even on May 4th, when both exchanges saw approximately $1.2 billion in volume according to DeFi Llama and CoinGecko.

Its worth nothing that Uniswap, as a protocol, has three different versions across six different blockchains, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Meanwhile, Coinbase supports Ethereum and all EVM-compatible networks.

The difference in volume continued to rise the next day, with Uniswap seeing $2.2 billion on May 5 compared to Coinbases $1.3 billion. As of this writing, Uniswap still looked to be slightly ahead of Coinbase, with $1.2 billion volume compared to the San Francisco-based exchanges $948 million.

Despite the possibility that trading volume over the past few days seems to be fuelled by the meme coin hype, both platforms have been engaged in fierce competition for second place in trading volume since last year.

This isnt the first time Uniswap has beat Coinbase on volume. It happened several times in 2022, especially after the collapse of FTX in November drove traders away from centralized exchanges.

This year has also been quite positive for Uniswap, which saw two months in a rowFebruary and Marchof higher trading volume than its centralized competitor.

Coinbase sits at second place for centralized cryptocurrency exchange volumes, whereas Uniswap is the premier decentralized trading spot for users, quadrupling its closest competitor, PancakeSwap over the past seven days, according to information from Dune.

In March, Uniswap saw almost $73 billion in monthly trading volume. The DEX accounted for 61% of all DeFi trading over the past 7 days, according to the Dune dashboard.

While Uniswap and Coinbase duke it out for second, Binance continues to enjoy an unrivaled first place, with nearly 7 times the trading volume on both aforementioned platforms, as shown on Coingecko.
(Bloomberg) -- The cost of insuring Treasuries against default now eclipses some emerging markets as the American government gets closer to running out of money.

Most Read from Bloomberg

US credit-default swaps are more expensive than contracts on the bonds of Greece, Mexico and Brazil, which have defaulted multiple times and have credit ratings many rungs below that of the USs AAA.

Few investors doubt that America will make good on its debts. But even a technical default  one that merely delays interest and principal payments  would roil the $24 trillion Treasury market, the bedrock of the global financial system. For holders of the credit-default swaps, such a scenario would yield a lucrative return.

Theres something of a gambling going on in US CDS, said John Canavan, lead analyst at Oxford Economics. Its not a pure play that the Treasury will default and remain defaulted. In that sense its different from countries like Greece or Mexico, where the concern would be that the government defaults and never pays you back or pays you back with a haircut.

In the latest twist in Washington, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reportedly said he opposed a short-term debt-limit extension which would allow the Treasury to borrow through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans made little tangible progress Tuesday toward averting a default, but pledged negotiations on spending that would open the door to a possible agreement.

That came after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen repeated her warning that the Treasury risks running out of room to stay under the debt ceiling as soon as June 1  the date when the government exhausts its options to fund itself, commonly referred to as X-day.

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The imbroglio has fueled a surge in demand for euro-denominated US credit default swaps, the most actively traded. These contracts against a default over the next year traded at 166 basis points Wednesday, near a record high and surpassing the levels during previous debt-ceiling standoffs in 2011 and 2013.

The trade has taken off due to a derivatives market quirk that will allow holders to reap handsome returns in the event of default. Their payoff will equal the difference between the market value and par value of the underlying asset, an attractive proposition when long-dated Treasury bonds are trading particularly cheap. The potential payout could exceed 2,400%, according to Bloomberg calculations.

I put some CDX investment-grade protection into my fund last week and will look to add to that position over the next couple of weeks, said Luke Hickmore, investment director at Abrdn. Hes also reviewing his exposure to US Treasuries, moving towards longer-dated securities.

Hedge Fund Manager Wadhwani Says US Default Risk Worse Than 2011

US CDS are mostly denominated in euros while those on emerging markets tend to be dollar-denominated. But even accounting for that currency difference, insuring exposure to US debt via one-year CDS is several times costlier than in Brazil and Mexico, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

EM Fallout

Net notional volumes outstanding on US CDS are also now comparable with many larger emerging markets, at $5.5 billion, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Simon Waever. Ironically, emerging markets will be hardest hit by any wider market repercussions.

History suggests that broader risk assets, including EM sovereign CDS spreads, start reacting a month ahead of the X-date, Waever said. Thats a reason to hold off adding EM sovereign credit risk.

Morgan Stanley Sees Meaningful Risk in US Crossing X-Date

The anomaly is limited to one-year CDS. Five-year contracts, which are usually more liquid and better reflect the view on a countrys longer-term credit risk, have also climbed in the US but still trade about 100 basis points below one-year tenors. That inverted curve indicates that risks are seen as more elevated in the immediate future than the longer term.

And most investors remain relatively confident that a technical default will be averted via an eleventh-hour deal, as has been the case so many times in the past.

The CDS price reflects the cost of insurance on a very big credit in a very small insurance market, said Charles Diebel, head of fixed income at Mediolanum International Funds. You cant translate from the price of the CDS to the likelihood of outcomes.

--With assistance from Robert Brand.

(Updates to add link to Morgan Stanley note)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
SHENZHEN, China, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PCIM Europe 2023, a 3-day event, was held in Nuremberg, Germany from May 9 to 11, 2023. This annual event attracts a large number of enterprises from home and abroad. Utmel, as the world's leading distributor of electronic components, is present at the show, aims to demonstrate the strengths and advantages of the company and lay the foundation for opening up new markets.

Utmel team at PCIM Europe 2023

It is understood that there are as many as 515 brands participating in this year's PCIM Europe 2023 exhibition, with an exhibition area of 25,000 square meters. More than 12,000 visitors came to the Nuremberg Exhibition Center. This exhibition is an international exhibition that enjoys a good reputation in the power electronics industry. It has a large scale and a wide range of influence and provides a communication platform for relevant people in the industry. Every year, the exhibition will set up wonderful forums, such as Industry Forums, Exhibitor Forums, E-mobility & Energy Storage Forums, and various high-quality presentations are also one of the highlights of PCIM Europe. Every participant can get information about the new trends in the field of power electronics, the latest product innovations of participating companies, and so on. Infineon, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments (German company), Nexperia, and other well-known electronic and power companies all participated in the exhibition, competing to highlight their enthusiasm for participation. Many well-known enterprises at home and abroad focus on exhibiting semiconductors, sensors, power supplies, diodes, and other related products in the field of power electronics.

During the exhibition, there was an endless stream of customers on-site. With careful preparation, full enthusiasm, and serious attitude, Utmel attracted many Chinese and foreign customers to stop to watch, consult and negotiate.

PCIM Europe 2023 is an industry feast and a harvest trip. At this exhibition, Utmel got together with old and new friends to exchange market information and explore cooperation modes, which not only consolidated the existing partnership but also further explored a large number of potential customers. Utmel is committed to showing its superior brand advantages to customers around the world, such as rigorous "2+1" triple quality inspection system, professional online marketing team, nearby supporting warehousing, rich and stable supply channels, and reliable database output interface, etc. At the same time, let more people know about Utmel's corporate culture. As the largest overseas electronic component mall in China, Utmel adheres to the long-term principle of "Customer First, Sincerity & Integrity, Innovation & Aggressiveness, and Win-Win Growth", the corporate mission of "Be data-driven to realize long-term win-win with 'business bridge' initiative" and the corporate vision of "becoming the world's leading one-stop provider of electronic components". It is these initial intentions that make Utmel gradually improve its quality assurance system and supply chain management services, thus winning the praise and praise of the audience.

Story continues

Cision

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SOURCE Utmel
WELL AI Voice is a transformational product that leverages generative AI to dramatically reduce a provider's administrative burden by privately and securely capturing a patient encounter conversation and automatically generating a succinct and medically relevant chart note giving doctors up to 30% of their practicing time back.

WELL AI Voice is the first of many future products/services launched under the new WELLHealth.ai program. WELL is committed to de-risking and democratizing powerful, medical-grade and compliant AI based products and services for the benefit of patients and providers.

WELL AI Voice will be on display today through May 12th, at Booth 325 at the Pri-Med Canada In-Person Conference & Trade Show, which is being held at the International Centre in Toronto, ON.

VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2023 /CNW/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) ("WELL" or the "Company"), a digital health company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare providers and their patients globally, is pleased to announce the launch of its ground-breaking product, WELL AI Voice.

WELL Health Technologies Corp. Logo (CNW Group/WELL Health Technologies Corp.)

WELL AI Voice is a powerful and transformative product that reduces a provider's documentation and administrative burden by privately and securely capturing a patient encounter conversation and automatically generating a succinct and medically relevant chart note. The ambient scribe feature leverages cutting-edge generative AI capabilities, allowing providers to deliver improved care to their patients by focusing entirely on the patient, reducing provider burnout, and giving the provider more accurate documentation. WELL AI Voice is integrated directly into OSCAR Pro, works with WELL's Profile and Cerebrum EMRs and alongside any other EMR, and will be available as part of the apps.health ecosystem.

Test results have demonstrated that physicians are experiencing a timesaving of up to 30% when using WELL AI Voice. Physicians have also commended the ability to maintain eye contact during patient visits as the ambient scribe no longer requires them to look at their computer to take notes.

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"The feedback from our physicians using WELL AI Voice has been overwhelmingly positive. It is incredible the amount of time being saved on documentation which has now been automated, allowing providers to focus their attention entirely on the patient, which patients love as well", said Michael Frankel, WELL's Chief Medical Officer.

As part of its ongoing commitment to developing innovative solutions for healthcare providers, the Company has also launched WELLHealth.ai, a program that encompasses the various AI capabilities that it will be building into its Provider Solutions platform offerings. This includes the investments WELL will be making as part of The WELL AI Investment Program, previously announced on April 25th, 2023, as well as other greenfield initiatives. WELL AI Voice is the first-generation product to be released as part of the program.

"Today marks a major milestone for WELL as we launch WELL AI Voice," said Amir Javidan, COO of WELL Health Technologies. "With ambient scribe, we are tech-enabling providers with the power of AI and saving precious time by automating one of the most challenging and mundane parts of their daily work - documentation. The WellHealth.ai program is the foundation from which we will leverage the latest advancements in AI to empower providers and augment their practices. WELL AI Voice is the first of many AI capabilities we plan to introduce as part of our WELLHealth.ai program."

WELL AI Voice will on display at Booth 325 during the Pri-Med Canada In-Person Conference & Trade Show, which is being held at the International Centre in Toronto, ON. WELL representatives will be in attendance to provide live demonstrations throughout the conference.

For more information on WELL AI Voice and the WELLHealth.ai program, please visit WELLHealth.ai.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"

Hamed Shahbazi

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.

WELL is a practitioner-focused digital healthcare company. WELL's overarching mission is to positively impact health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally. WELL exists to enable healthcare practitioners with best-in-class technology and services. WELL has built the most comprehensive end-to-end healthcare system across Canada including the nation's largest network of clinics supporting primary care, specialized care, and diagnostics services. In the United States, WELL provides omni-channel healthcare services and solutions targeting specialized markets such as the gastrointestinal market, women's health, primary care, and mental disorders. In addition to providing patient services, WELL develops, integrates, and sells its own suite of technology software and solutions to medical clinics and healthcare practitioners. WELL's practitioner enablement platform includes: Electronic Medical Records ("EMR"), telehealth platforms, practice management, billing, Revenue Cycle Management ("RCM"), digital health apps and data protection solutions. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and on the OTC Exchange under the symbol "WHTCF". To learn more about the Company, please visit: www.well.company.

Cision

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SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.

Cision

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Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, Reunion Gold (CVE:RGD) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 108%. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So notwithstanding the buoyant share price, we think it's well worth asking whether Reunion Gold's cash burn is too risky. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

See our latest analysis for Reunion Gold

When Might Reunion Gold Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at December 2022, Reunion Gold had cash of CA$44m and such minimal debt that we can ignore it for the purposes of this analysis. Importantly, its cash burn was CA$21m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2022 it had 2.1 years of cash runway. That's decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Reunion Gold's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Reunion Gold isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. The skyrocketing cash burn up 191% year on year certainly tests our nerves. It's fair to say that sort of rate of increase cannot be maintained for very long, without putting pressure on the balance sheet. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.

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Can Reunion Gold Raise More Cash Easily?

While Reunion Gold does have a solid cash runway, its cash burn trajectory may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Since it has a market capitalisation of CA$516m, Reunion Gold's CA$21m in cash burn equates to about 4.1% of its market value. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another year's growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

So, Should We Worry About Reunion Gold's Cash Burn?

On this analysis of Reunion Gold's cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, we're not too worried about its rate of cash burn. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Reunion Gold (2 are significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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PORTLAND, Maine, May 10, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WEX (NYSE: WEX), the global commerce platform that simplifies the business of running a business, today announced it will host a Benefits Investor Event on Thursday, June 1, 2023, to provide an in-depth review of this segment, including the product set, growth drivers, and financial profile. The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET and conclude at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET.

The event will feature remarks from the following members of the WEX leadership team:

Melissa Smith, Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and President

Jagtar Narula, Chief Financial Officer

Lisa Goldkamp, General Manager & Senior Vice President, Benefits

Chris Byrd, Senior Vice President, Benefits & Government Affairs

Investors and other interested parties can register to attend virtually at https://wex-benefits-ir-event-virtual.open-exchange.net/registration. The accompanying slide presentation will be accessible by visiting the Investor Relations section of the WEX website at https://ir.wexinc.com immediately prior to the event. A replay will also be available on the WEX website following the event for no fewer than three months.

About WEX

WEX (NYSE: WEX) is the global commerce platform that simplifies the business of running a business. WEX has created a powerful ecosystem that offers seamlessly embedded, personalized solutions for its customers around the world. Through its rich data and specialized expertise in simplifying benefits, reimagining mobility and paying and getting paid, WEX aims to make it easy for companies to overcome complexity and reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.wexinc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509006225/en/

Contacts

News media:

WEX

Rob Gould, 207-523-7429

Robert.Gould@wexinc.com



Investor:

WEX

Steve Elder, 207-523-7769

Steve.Elder@wexinc.com
Key Insights

The considerable ownership by public companies in ISEC Healthcare indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy

Aier Eye Hospital Group Co., Ltd. owns 53% of the company

Insiders own 19% of ISEC Healthcare

If you want to know who really controls ISEC Healthcare Ltd. (Catalist:40T), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are public companies with 53% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 28% of the company's stockholders.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of ISEC Healthcare.

View our latest analysis for ISEC Healthcare

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About ISEC Healthcare?

Small companies that are not very actively traded often lack institutional investors, but it's less common to see large companies without them.

There are many reasons why a company might not have any institutions on the share registry. It may be hard for institutions to buy large amounts of shares, if liquidity (the amount of shares traded each day) is low. If the company has not needed to raise capital, institutions might lack the opportunity to build a position. It is also possible that fund managers don't own the stock because they aren't convinced it will perform well. ISEC Healthcare might not have the sort of past performance institutions are looking for, or perhaps they simply have not studied the business closely.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in ISEC Healthcare. Our data shows that Aier Eye Hospital Group Co., Ltd. is the largest shareholder with 53% of shares outstanding. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.5% and 2.1%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. Hung Ming Lee, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Senior Key Executive.

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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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of ISEC Healthcare

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of ISEC Healthcare Ltd.. Insiders own S$38m worth of shares in the S$200m company. We would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 28% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over ISEC Healthcare. 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.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 53% of ISEC Healthcare stock. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

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. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for ISEC Healthcare (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies.

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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Independent pharmacies have lost a lot of market share over time. But that trend has recently reversed slightly, making them attractive prospects for large pharmacy benefit managers like Cigna's (CI) Express Scripts, as well as startup discount platforms like Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs.

The number of independents has gradually grown by 8% over the past 10 years, even though for decades they lost market share to big retail outfits. Between 2022 and 2023, so far, 99 new independent pharmacies have opened, which translates to 0.4% growth, according to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

That gradual change in landscape is attracting the attention of both Express Scripts and Cost Plus. In addition, indie pharmacies can help fill the coverage hole left by big retail chains.

Cuban's Cost Plus, a discount platform that partners with PBMs, is capitalizing on growth in the niche market with new benefit cards that will be accepted by more than three dozen independent pharmacies in Indiana, Texas and New Jersey, with a growing list daily, it says.

In a tweet announcing the move, Cuban said the new benefit card will not be available for big retail pharmacies because "they don't like us. We will be working with indie pharmacies, groceries and others."

Unlike other discount cards, the benefit card is a membership tied to individual patients. And unlike discount cards, which charge pharmacies a fee for filling the prescription using their discount, Cost Plus will pay the pharmacies $8  equivalent to the charge of labor of shipping if a patient orders from its website, according to the company.

CEO Alex Oshmyansky said the goal is to cut out the middlemen and their fees by directly negotiating with manufacturers and passing on the savings. By doing so, "We can decrease the cost to patients while making independent pharmacies....more sustainable as a business in the long term," he told Yahoo Finance in a recent interview.

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"It's always been in our plan to try and support the local pharmacists who are really in their community, who know their patients," Oshmyansky said. He added that big pharmacy managers, which set the drug prices, are often owned by the drug store chains like CVS. Thus, they have squeezed profits for independent pharmacies.

"I think these entities are just addicted to these absurd profit margins, from these ultra-high-cost generic products, and are unwilling to bring them down," Oshmyansky said.

Cost Plus is largely playing in the generics market, where other discounters like Walmart (WMT) and GoodRx (GDRX) have been for some timeand where there is significant competition for lower prices. Online pharmacies or mail-order platforms are also increasingly competitive for generics, including with Amazon (AMZN) now in the mix.

All of this has added to the competition that independent pharmacies have faced in recent years.

Meanwhile, Cigna's PBM, Express Scripts, announced a strategy that would increase reimbursements to independent pharmacies that fill prescriptions for its members, plus a longer-term strategy to increase the importance of these pharmacies in the communities they serve.

Mark Cuban: Offering a lifeline to indie pharmacies? (Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

One for Express Scripts, according to president Adam Kautzner, is to ensure that underserved populations in both rural and urban areas finally get the attention they've been missing.

Lack of access

Underserved populations vary from rural areas to pockets that lack access in urban areas.

The access gap has been amplified in recent years: Large retail chains like CVS, Walgreens (WBA) and Rite Aid (RAD) have announced that they have, or will be, closing locations. This year, CVS said it would shutter 900 outlets, but didn't specify where. (Rite Aid said it would open mini locations to serve rural areas.)

A University of Southern California study shows that "as of 2020, pharmacies in Black and Latino neighborhoods were more likely to close and less likely to offer immunizations, 24-hour, and drive-through services than pharmacies in other neighborhoods," according to the study's authors.

The Cost Plus focus on these vulnerable populations can help independent pharmacies in these markets. The company recently announced a partnership with Zocalo Health, a telehealth platform that provides care for cash for underinsured and uninsured individuals in the LatinX market community, according to CEO Erik Cardenas. The National Hispanic Medical Association has told Congress that Latinos are more likely to be uninsured.

It's why Zocalo teamed up with Cost Plus. The care providers at Zocalo can help ensure and track the fulfillment of prescription needs of patients, and answer questions about medications as needed.

And the benefit goes both ways. The more independent pharmacies do business, the more drug manufacturers and insurers will too. Which is also why the additional screening and testing services, which could create more prescription volume, is part of the strategy.

"By continuing to have accessibility to independent pharmacies, to keep them strong and to be able to continue to grow their own businesses, patients will be able to and get new prescriptions, refill their prescriptions, and stay adherent (to current prescriptions)," Express Scripts' Kautzner said.

More than drugs

"I'm a pharmacist from rural America. So this area is also top of mind to me, of the role independent pharmacists play," Kautzner said.

That's why he's spearheading the effort that will provide greater reimbursements for prescriptions for rural pharmacies that are within a 10-mile radius of an Express Scripts member.

Express Scripts will also help boost the services such as common medical screenings and vaccinations.

The company, meanwhile, is also convening a new advisory committee focused on independent pharmacies. That committee will also be instrumental in coordinating with state and federal government bodies to ensure these independent pharmacists are able to succeed.

Kautzner said that in rural areas, which serve about 20% of the U.S. population, pharmacists sometimes are the only medical professional a person has access to as physicians are in short supply. "So this is a way for them to expand the level of services that they can provide."

Kautzner said Express Scripts decided to launch the strategy after studying the independent pharmacy space last year and coming to the conclusion that there are more pharmacies opening up in some areas. He added: "That's definitely encouraging, post-pandemic, that we are starting to see some of them continue to thrive and expand."

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Pandemic-related worker shortages have led many employers to drop requirements for a four-year college degree and consider candidates based on their skills and experience.

So have they stepped up their hiring of non-degreed job applicants?

Not so much.

That, at least, is the finding of a recent study by the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

On the surface, it looks like theyre being more open, but if you look at whos actually getting hired, Im not actually seeing it, says Upjohn senior economist Brad Hershbein.

In March, the mix of occupations of newly hired workers with a high school degree or some college equated to average wages that were 1% higher than a similar group of hires at the start of the health crisis, according to an Upjohn pay index that uses occupations to estimate earnings.

By contrast, a similar occupation and wage index rose 2.2% for new hires with a bachelors degree and 5.4% for those with a graduate degree. If high school grads were leaving blue-collar jobs for higher-paying white-collar positions in large numbers, they should be reaping larger, not smaller, pay increases than college grads, Hershbein says.

The 1% rise shows that high school grads are seeing some increased opportunities, he says. Its just small. ... Its not moving the needle all that much.

Buckeye Innovation, a software company, had always required a four-year degree for positions such as software developers, designers and marketing writers and strategists, says company President Brad Griffith. He notes that his own college experience taught me to think holistically.

But a few years ago, based on concerns that the mandate was discriminatory, Griffith decided to do away with it and simply make a college degree a preference.

Now, he says about 20% of staffers in those roles dont have bachelors degrees but do have relevant experience.

Brad Griffith, president, Buckeye Innovation

We wanted to diversify the team more, he says. The mix of backgrounds provides a variety of perspectives that enhances creativity, he says. And it has expanded the pool of candidates in an era of dire worker shortages.

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But Griffith acknowledges that most of the applicants he hires are college graduates and most of the employees who have left the company the past few years dont have bachelor's degrees.

I do feel, especially with (software) engineers, that college grads have a high capacity to deal with the most complex issues that get thrown at them.

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Is a college degree necessary to get a job?

High school grads theoretically should be benefitting from a bonanza of new career pathways. Fifty-three percent of hiring managers said their companies scrapped the requirement for a bachelors degree for some positions over the past year. And 76% said theyre likely to favor experience over education, according to a January online survey by Intelligent.com, which helps students choose colleges and careers.

Most said they dropped the demand for a college degree to widen the pool of job applicants. Companies have grappled with historic labor shortages since millions of Americans left the workforce during COVID because of health concerns, childcare duties or early retirement. Several states  including Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Utah  also have ditched college degree requirements for many public-sector jobs.

The labor crunch has eased in recent months, but there are still 1.6 jobs for each unemployed person, though thats down from a record two jobs per unemployed person last year.

After the Great Recession of 2007-2009, when 9 million Americans lost their jobs, employers became pickier about whom they hired. They demanded a college degree for a variety of jobs that previously required only a high school diploma, such as sales representatives and store managers.

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Employers growing inclination to do away with such mandates began during worker shortages before the pandemic, according to a study last year by the Burning Glass Institute, which conducts research on the future of work. From 2017 to 2019, companies demand for bachelors and graduate degrees declined for 46% of middle-skill occupations and 31% of high-skill occupations, the study said. That trend intensified during COVID.

Jobs that may no longer require a college degree

A four-year degree was no longer a must-have for jobs such as financial adviser, loan officer, real estate broker, store manager, human resources assistant, recruiter and software programmer, according to the Burning Glass study and Michelle Fish, CEO of Integra Staffing, a recruiting firm.

But while many employers removed degree requirements from job descriptions, they ultimately have hired college grads in most instances, Hershbein says. They may retain a bias toward such applicants, and narrowing a pool of candidates to those with degrees can shorten hiring time frames and reduce costs, he says.

Fish says college grads are often viewed as having a stronger work ethic and being more committed, adaptable, and better at communication and problem-solving.

Many managers in information technology, human resources and health care are hiring workers with experience and skill certifications rather than a degree, Fish says, though she says the numbers are still small. Others, such as hiring managers for tech jobs in ecommerce and cybersecurity, typically still insist on a degree even while they broaden their candidate pools to include high school grads, Fish says.

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Is the job market slowing down?

Hershbein worries that workers with no degrees may be losing their best opportunity to break into higher-paying positions. Now that the labor market is starting to cool as recession concerns grow and more Americans have returned to the workforce, employers may again put a premium on a college education.

Twenty-two percent of job postings on ZipRecruiter required a four-year degree in 2019, before the pandemic. That share fell to 17.5% in 2021 but now has climbed back to 22% as worker shortages have eased, says Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiters chief economist.

And since December, the share of high school graduates who have a job has held steady at 54.5% while the share of employed college grads has risen to 71.8% from 71.3%, Labor Department figures show.

For high school grads, The window may be closing, Hershbein says.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amid labor shortage, workers without college degree still struggle
(Bloomberg) -- Xi Jinpings crackdown on perceived threats to national security is roiling the vast industry of consultants and researchers who help global investors understand China, threatening the governments attempts to lure foreign capital into an economy showing increasing signs of strain.

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The latest and most prominent target is Capvision Pro Corp., a global expert network headquartered in Shanghai and New York. Chinese authorities on Tuesday accused the firm of leaking state secrets and being linked to foreign intelligence agencies. In a rare occurrence involving a foreign company, Chinas state television on Monday night broadcast footage of officials raiding Capvisions offices, questioning employees and removing equipment.

The move, which came weeks after authorities interrogated staff at the China offices of US consultancy Bain & Company and targeted New York-based due-diligence enterprise Mintz Group, is part of an anti-espionage crackdown on consulting firms, according to state media.

Independent research firms and consultants that are from unfriendly countries seem to be the target here, said Kerry Goh, chief investment officer at Kamet Capital Partners Pte. Most hedge funds use a variety of research firms like Capvision.

While some investors say they can turn to other channels to get information about Chinese companies, the environment is becoming increasingly challenging for businesses that provide such services. The head of one China-focused investment advisory firm, which is a client of Capvision, said they are considering shutting down their operations due to the risk of their staff being detained. The person asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

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Balance Interests

President Xis administration is seeking to balance protecting national security with a goal of encouraging foreign investment. The government is taking steps to tighten control over sensitive data, especially in the wake of US sanctions targeting important industries such as chipmaking and given the risk of new sanctions over its support for Russia.

Capvision worked on projects from overseas companies with close ties to foreign governments, and military and intelligence agencies, according to a report shared on Tuesday by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

China Makes Capvision First Public Target in Anti-Spy Push: Q&A

Capvision, founded in 2006, said in a statement posted to its WeChat account on Monday that it would uphold national security policies and play a leading role in the healthy development of the consulting industry. Bloomberg calls and emails to Capvision on Tuesday were not returned. It has more than 2,000 clients include hedge funds, management consulting firms and multinational companies, according to its website.

In another example of tougher regulation, Chinese financial data providers recently stopped providing detailed information on the nations companies to overseas clients.

Police Raids

Since the US expanded curbs on Chinas access to semiconductor technology in October, Beijing has taken its obsession with secrecy to a new level, according to Gregory Allen, senior fellow in the strategic tech program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

The most dramatic examples of this are the police raids on international consulting and due diligence firms operating in China, but it extends to every organization that is trying to collect the data that corporations and governments need in order to do business in China and with China, Allen said.

China Restricts Overseas Access to Key Corporate Information

China continues to push for more investment after its reopening from Covid Zero. Premier Li Qiang  the countrys No. 2 behind Xi  vowed in March to establish a broad space for international companies to develop there. China has welcomed a host of leaders and business delegations, including from Germany and France. Last month, Chinas Politburo urged greater efforts at boosting foreign investment.

Economic Woes

I wonder if the left hand knows what the right hand wants, said Joerg Wuttke, head of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Does China want more foreign investment or are they content with unnerving the foreign business community with actions that are not explained or understood by us?

Recent data shows Chinas economy, hit badly by shutdowns during the pandemic, could do with more support. Data released Tuesday showed imports dropped 7.9% in April, much worse than the median projection of a 0.2% decline, while export growth slowed to 8.5% from double digits in March.

Areas across China are saying we want to increase new investment, we need new investment said Noah Fraser, Canada China Business Council managing director. But the business landscape is becoming less investable.

Global investors are souring on the nations stocks, with a revival after the country emerged from Covid Zero proving shortlived. The MSCI China Index slumped 2% on Tuesday, taking its decline from a January high to 16%. Compared with its peak in 2021, the gauge is down more than 50%.

The market is keenly aware of increasing restrictions on information flows, said Brock Silvers, managing director at private equity firm Kaiyuan Capital Ltd. Perhaps authorities doubt the resolve of foreign investors to act on investability concerns, or they may see Chinas economy as having outgrown its prior reliance on foreign capital. If we continue on the current path, both ideas may eventually be proven incorrect.

Darkening Gloom in Chinese Stocks Puzzles Wall Street Veterans

Trips to China to meet local businesses and do research are off the table for some, cutting off another channel.

The arrests have many foreign investors worried about visiting China and employing Chinese nationals to conduct market research, Anne Stevenson-Yang, a long-time China watcher and co-founder of J Capital Research Ltd., wrote in a note dated Tuesday. Several large asset managers, for example, have developed internal no fly policies to keep staff from visiting China.

Diplomats Expelled

The external environment doesnt suggest the elevated paranoia will abate any time soon. On Tuesday alone, China warned the European Union against sanctioning its companies, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused China of increasingly acting as a rival to the EU rather than a partner. Beijing ordered a Canadian diplomat to leave the country, in a tit-for-tat move hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government expelled a Chinese envoy from his nation.

For Stevenson-Yang, recent events suggest a permanent shift.

Chinas recent hostility toward any independent reporting on the economy demonstrates that the old China, of openness to foreign investment and cheery growth are things of the past, she wrote.

--With assistance from Colum Murphy, Lucille Liu, Xiao Zibang, Ishika Mookerjee, Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Lorretta Chen, James Mayger, Sarah Zheng, Sofia Horta e Costa and Jill Disis.

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YIWU, China, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. On May 10, the 2023 Yiwugo Top 10 Vendors Competition has officially started the voting process on this year's China Brand Day, with the aim of promoting vendors' business integrity and innovation for high-quality development of the Yiwu market. It adheres to the original intention to assist vendors on the platform in building brand image and showcasing brand strength.

The competition, which has been successfully held for 11 consecutive years, has emerged as an influential brand selection event in the Yiwu market.

"The competition not only provides a business opportunity for us, but also offers us a good chance to show our products and improve them. The selected outstanding business owners will also be recommended to participate in the offline Award Ceremony for Yiwugo Top Ten Vendors, where we can exchange business experience with more merchants," said Wang Jian, the owner of Aishang Daily Necessities Factory.

Fu Jiangyan of Zhangweichao Socks Firm argued, "I am a veteran in the market, doing business here for many years. I have always adhered to the principle of integrity in business." Fu, a die-hard follower of Yiwugo Top 10 Vendors Competition, has run the clothing wholesale business for more than 10 years in the market. Fu's distinctive ethnic style clothing leaves a deep impression on people. Since the launch of the live streaming in Yiwugo, she has achieved great success in live streaming marketing through unremitting efforts. "We must continue to learn in order to adapt to market changes," Fu declared. In recent years, with the support of Yiwugo, Fu not only managed to gain success in her own business, but also took the initiative to help other vendors expand their markets and sales channels. She has built a name for herself to many buyers at home and abroad, making Zhangweichao Socks and herself a preferred choice for customers when making purchases. Fu has turned her small business into a big success, attracting customers from the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

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While helping vendors, on the one hand, Yiwugo also recommends excellent merchants and goods to buyers through the selection activity. On the other hand, it helps promote competition and cooperation among businesses and further facilitates the development of the platform.

Yiwugo always regards the brand building of vendors on the platform as an important means to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of industries and to boost the competitiveness of product channels. It makes relentless efforts to help enterprises grow better and stronger with enhanced brand quality and internal motivation. To promote high-end brands, Yiwugo has cultivated a group of influential and competitive well-known enterprise brands. By investing in brand building, it helps promote the high-quality development of the economy. By more accurately understanding consumers and targeting the market, it is conducive to building a sustainable development path.

The voting for 2023 Top 10 Vendors Competition will last from May 10, 2023 to 24:00 on December 31, 2023. Unlike last year's event, more emphasis will be placed on comprehensive transaction volume in this year's competition. The top 10 shops with the most votes will be ranked in the first tier, and the ranking will extend to the 20th tier, with all shops beyond the 20th tier ranked as 21st. In addition to selecting the annual "Top 10 Vendors", the competition will also feature 10 "Leading Vendors", as well as 90 "Model Vendors" and 120 "Elite Vendors" in various sections of the market. A total of 230 awards will be set up. The enterprise that ultimately wins the first place in the Top 10 Vendors Competition will receive a reward of 10,000 yuan, the second place 8,000 yuan, the third place 6,000 yuan, and the remaining top 10 vendors 5,000 yuan each. All "Model Vendors" and "Elite Vendors" will receive rewards of 3,000 yuan and 2,000 yuan, respectively. The results of the competition will be announced after New Year's Day in 2024, and the award ceremony is expected to be held in mid-January. All award-winning vendors will appear at the award ceremony next year, so stay tuned.

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SOURCE Yiwugo.com
Crypto regulation could soon take a step forward in the Empire State, as lawmakers weigh new rules proposed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The goal is to make a nascent industry look a bit more like Wall Street, at least in terms of how it's overseen.

The state has already garnered a reputation for having a robust compliance framework under the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), which has regulated crypto firms under its BitLicense regime since 2015.

The legislation proposed by James would further bolster the DFSs authority, the Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) said in a press release, putting forth rules focussed on conflicts of interest, transparency, and investor protections.

The multi-billion-dollar industry lacks robust regulations, it claimed, adding that the proposal puts forth the strongest and most comprehensive set of regulations on cryptocurrency in the nation.

New York, Berlin Tied for Second Place as 'Most Important Crypto Hub': Survey

The proposal comes amid a nationwide uptick in regulatory scrutiny and follows a turbulent year for the industry, defined by several high-profile bankruptcies and thousands of investors burned. The office called out the conduct of several firms like the defunct crypto lender Celsius and Terraform Labs as examples of behavior that would be outlawed.

The OAG said it will submit the billthe Crypto Regulation, Protection, Transparency, and Oversight Act, or CRPTO Actto state lawmakers for consideration during the 2023 legislative session, which will end on June 8.

The bill draws on regulations that already exist in traditional finance, which could be viewed as notable in terms of legitimizing the digital assets space, General Counsel at Hashflow Rahsan Boykin told Decrypt.

This is a positive move towards greater transparency and accountability, he said. The new legislation [...] is aimed at imposing the same rules on crypto firms that many current security industry participants have to comply with.

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New York Regulators Warn Crypto Companies Against Commingling Customer Funds

However, Boykin noted that state-by-state regulation has the potential to be somewhat counterproductive, pushing companies out of areas with stringent regulations or creating an uneven playing field for those that stay.

And while Boykin believes that New Yorks CRPTO bill is good, he added that a national regulatory structure would ultimately be best, ensuring the industry is regulated consistently.

A major portion of the bill is devoted to preventing conflicts of interest. Some measures include preventing market participants from being token issuers, marketplaces, and brokers at the same timerequiring them to stick with one role.

Yet, overall, its unclear how effective the new rules would be or if they could prevent cryptos next collapse, Head of Compliance at Zeebu and Valuit Timothy Cradle told Decrypt.

I like what the DFS is going for, he said. However, these arent novel rules, and I have concerns that they wont be effective in achieving their intended aims.

New York Attorney General Sues KuCoin, Claims Ethereum Is a Security

The OAG claims in a blog post that public disclosure requirements couldve prevented Celsius customers from being blindsided last summer, for example. Cradle contends that audited financial statements for Celsius were available publicly and pre-crash through the UKs House of Companies.

Requiring private companies to open up their books when they otherwise wouldnt have to could also be unpalatable, Cradle said, describing it as somewhat of an ultimatum toward digital asset firms to comply or stay away.

I support the requirement, he said. I just dont think it will genuinely protect the consumers.

The CRPTO bill also includes new rules regarding stablecoins, banning the term from being used to describe digital assets that arent fully backed by U.S. dollars or high-quality assets that can easily be converted into cash.

Cradle said it seems like an interesting concept, but he cast doubt on how effective it would be at protecting consumers, saying clever crypto marketers could come up with a new, similar term like dollar coin, for example.
Leading financial holding company represents first Taiwanese Eventus client

TAIPEI, Taiwan and NEW YORK, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus , a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions, has been selected to provide trade surveillance for Yuanta Futures in Taiwan, representing the firm's first Taiwanese client.

Yuanta Futures is a subsidiary of Yuanta Financial Holdings and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. As a systemically vital participant in Taiwan's futures market, the firm selected Eventus' Validus trade surveillance platform to replace its previous vendor solution, citing its superior actionable alert capability and user-friendly interface. Rebecca Hu, Yuanta Futures' Senior Manager of Customer Service Trading Department, said Eventus has delivered an exceptional customer experience as well as improved surveillance outcomes.

"We have been very pleased with the responsiveness and expertise of the Eventus team as we have implemented the technology," she said. "Our compliance staff has found Validus to be much more user-friendly, and we see improved clarity and accuracy in the outcomes the system provides."

Nick Wallis, Eventus Head of Sales, International Markets, said Eventus is proud to be working with one of Taiwan's most important futures companies.

"We are delighted to have won the trust of one of the region's leading companies and to have the opportunity to deliver surveillance outcomes that are more precise and easier to action," he said. "We look forward to continuing to work with Yuanta as an important foundation customer as we further grow our client business in the Asia-Pacific region."

Eventus has earned more than 30 awards and honors since 2018 for its technology and best-in-class service, including six awards specifically for its service to the APAC region.

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About Eventus

Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, market risk, transaction monitoring and algorithmic monitoring solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets.

Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventus.com .

About Yuanta

Yuanta Futures is the largest futures commission merchant (FCM) in Taiwan and ranks number one in Taiwan for its futures and options market share, profitability and capital. It is the first FCM to have received an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives trading license in Taiwan.

With Taiwan's strongest sales team and a deep store of professional knowledge, Yuanta Futures offers a diverse and convenient electronic operating platform - the cutting-edge Yuanta Futures Wizard app  giving users a brand-new program trading experience. Yuanta Futures has worked to build a new era of wealth and stability for its investors, removing the aura of mystery and risk that has previously surrounded the futures market. For more, visit www.yuantafutures.com.tw

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Germanna Community College will graduate 762 students during its spring commencement ceremony Thursday evening  and among them is Stephanie Morris, who will walk right into her dream job as a nurse in the orthopedics department at Mary Washington Hospital.

Morris, 37, is the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from Haiti in search of a better education for their children.

They worked multiple jobs to afford to send her to a private school in New Jersey, but Morris recalls the principal of that school telling her that she would never amount to anything.

From that moment, my behavior grew worse and led me to self-destruction, Morris said. I was expelled from school twice, and my future looked grim.

Morris and her husband moved to Fredericksburg 10 years ago to start a family. As their children, now 6 and 8, grew older, she decided that it was time for her to pursue the college education she had put off largely due to fear.

I also reached a point in my life where I realized I wanted to do something that mattered, she said.

She was inspired to become a nurse due to health challenges her father faced. But applying to college was still intimidating.

I didnt know how things would be paid for. I didnt know how I would be able to accommodate the schedule with my children. I didnt know anything, Morris said. But once I applied, the advisers swarmed in. The resources came in. The scholarships came in.

She received two scholarships from the Germanna Educational Foundation.

The woman who was told shed never amount to anything and who thought she was too old and could not learn was invited to submit a research paper on Audre Lorde to the annual Germanna Research and Writing Symposium. She tied for first place.

This was first-rate literary scholarship  from a student treated as undeserving in her secondary education, said Germanna English faculty member Diane Critchfield Engel.

Morris credits Engel with seeing what she was capable of and encouraging her to work to fulfill it and said she wants to be that kind of mentor to students like herself.

Germanna will hold its spring commencement at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fredericksburg Expo Center. There will be a nurse-pinning ceremony at 3 p.m.

Both events will be live-streamed at germanna.edu.
The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of a community development authority as part of the Kalahari water park agreement at its Tuesday meeting.

The creation of the tax district allows the Wisconsin-based company to raise funding through bonds to help build infrastructure for the water park. Plans call for more than 1.38 million square feet of commercial space, a 267,429-square-foot indoor water park, a 10-acre outdoor water park, a 900-room hotel and a 156,278-square-foot convention center in Thornburg, between Interstate 95 and U.S. 1.

Supervisors approved a rezoning for the water park in July in an agreement that includes big tax incentives for Kalahari, which owns four water park resorts in other states. The total estimated value of those incentives for Kalahari amount to $41,639,587 in the first year and $185,234,273 over the life of the 20-year agreement. The county estimates $83,596,100 in tax revenue during the two decades.

The community development authority was later added by the county when Kalahari sought to take part in a state gap loan program.

The Matta River Community Development Authority was needed for Kalahari to use the gap loan to split the cost three ways with the state and county by using revenues from the water park. The state and county portions will come from taxes on the resort. The countys estimated cost for its contribution for the gap loan would amount to $74.8 million over 20 years.

According to a staff presentation at Tuesdays public hearing, by creating the authority there is zero impact on Spotsylvania County and that all financial obligations rest solely on the CDA, which is a separate and distinct legal entity from the county.

The authority permits a special assessment to be levied on Kalaharis property within the districts boundaries. The special assessment would serve as a secondary source of security for the CDA bonds, providing for an additional source of revenues and a tax lien on Kalaharis land in the event of any deficiencies in the Tourism Gap Financing revenues.

The board approved the authority with a 61 vote. Supervisor Chris Yakabouski was the lone dissenting vote.

Before the vote, Yakabouski noted that the community development authority was not part of the original agreement between the county and Kalahari.

The supervisors also appointed seven members to serve on its board.

Three supervisors  Deborah Frazier, Tim McLaughlin and David Ross appointed themselves to sit on the CDA board. Supervisor Kevin Marshall appointed Jennifer Maddox; Linda Hayes appointed Linda Knecht; Jacob Lane appointed Crystal Sullivan; and Yakabouski appointed Eric Martin.

Before the hearing ended, McLaughlin asked Bill Otto, Kalahari senior vice president of business development, when the park would open.

Otto said creating the CDA is an important step, but also added that the project has gotten way more expensive than originally planned.

He said the company is working on adjustments for the project.

Even with rising costs, Otto said Kalahari could break ground on the park by the end of the summer. If that happens, the park could open by early 2026.
It was a much better performance for Tekamah-Herman at the Oakland-Craig Invite on Thursday, as the the boys took fourth with 63 points and girls took seventh with 32 points.

For the third week in a row, several boys came away with multiple medals for the Tigers. Reece Williams came away with three of them while Cale Belfrage and Jessen Booth each nabbed two.

Williams took second in the triple jump with a mark of 40 10, second in the long jump at 19 02, and second in the 400 with a time of 52.88.

Belfrage took fourth in the long jump at 18 2.50 and fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24 seconds flat. Booth took second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.34 and second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 42.65.

Adrian Robinson took the gold in the 300 hurdles with a time of 42.40 while Isaac Ruwe took sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.32.

Ruwe and Robinson teamed with Roger Wright and Sam Oligmueller to take fourth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 47.49 seconds to round out the scoring.

Emily Stansberry, Keira Pensyl, Carly Freidel and Emma Wakehouse each garnered an individual medal for the girls.

Stansberry topped the list, taking the gold in the high jump, clearing the bar at an even five feet.

Pensyl took third in the high jump at 4 08. Friedels 10300 throw in the discus was good for fourth place while Wakehouse took fifth in the 400 with a time of 1:02.19.

Kenzie Alexander, Stansberry, Laney Hoier and Nevaeh Ritter took fourth in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 11:22.54. Alexander and Stansberry teamed with Preslee Hansen and Wakehouse to take third in the 4x400 with a time of 4:21.69 to round out the scoring for the girls.

Tekamah-Herman next moves on to the Class C District 3 meet on Thursday, hosted by Wisner-Pilger. In addition to Tekamah-Herman and the host Gators, the meet also includes Bancroft-Rosalie, Clarkson-Leigh, Guardian Angels Central Catholic, Logan View, Madison, Oakland-Craig, Omaha Nation and Stanton.

Placings at the district meet determine qualifiers for the Class C state meet set for May 19-20 at Burke Stadium in Omaha.

The top two finishers in each individual event at each of the states nine districts automatically qualify for state competition. Beyond that, the six best performances statewide also will qualify to make a field of 24 in each individual event. Additionally, athletes who meet qualifying standards at a district in the pole vault and high jump also qualify. The qualifying standard in the girls high jump, for example, is 5 1.

In the relays, 16 teams qualify from across the state. The nine district champions and the next seven best times, regardless of district all qualify.
RALEIGH, N.C.  Sitting under a picnic shelter in an east Raleigh park on a spring day with birdwatchers Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal is like being on celebrity watch with paparazzi. One second, theyre talking about the science that inspired their new book, A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds, and the next, a flash of brown in the periphery has Beverly snapping her ...
FICTION: A middle-aged couple re-evaluate their definitions of happiness during a weeklong snowstorm.

"The Half Moon" by Mary Beth Keane; Scribner (304 pages, $28)



Mary Beth Keane writes literary love stories. In her breakout novel, "Ask Again, Yes," she tells a modern story of star-crossed lovers from feuding families, reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragedy set in a working-class suburb of New York. Keane recognizes that every great love story requires a compelling obstacle to keep the couple apart. In her latest book, "The Half Moon," that obstacle is provided by the everyday struggles of middle age, which can wear down even the most contented couple.

Malcolm and Jess Gephardt started out contented. They were known as a golden couple in their town  Malcolm always dreamed of owning a bar, while Jess badly wanted children. By the time we meet them, Malcolm has taken out shady loans to buy a bar he can't afford and is being pursued by thugs demanding repayments. Meanwhile, after years of failed fertility treatments, Jess is grieving the death of her own dream to be a mother. She's become entangled in an affair, while Malcolm has hidden the extent of his debt from her.

The novel takes place over the course of one snowy week. The blizzard forces confrontations, and their secrets come to light. While this may sound like an unlikely setup for a love story, Keane takes ample time to delve into the past, showing why Malcolm and Jess fell for each other initially, and how they've supported each other throughout their marriage.

Even now, Jess admires Malcolm, describing him as "The kind of man who'd get better with each passing year, because along with age would come a little wisdom, discipline, a flame trimmed back so neatly he could control its height, its heat."

Keane's prose is luminous and controlled, brimming with insights into her nuanced characters.

The novel also includes a missing-person thread that feels somewhat extraneous, as this subplot never fully dovetails with the main story line. The real mystery driving this novel forward is whether the estranged couple will find their way back to each other. Keane is a romantic and a realist. For them to make it, they must figure out what happiness might look like now that their youthful dreams have died.

"The Half Moon" is a gripping read with an unexpected and satisfying resolution. We root for Malcolm and Jess to figure out a way forward, whether or not it's together.



Malena Watrous is the author of the novel "If You Follow Me." She teaches fiction writing through Stanford University's Continuing Studies program.
Fremont police and officials from the Fremont Public Schools investigated on Wednesday a false and vague threat that was posted on social media believed to be pertaining to a local school.

According to a press release from the FPS administrative staff, there was little information included in the alleged threat.

Fremont Public Schools and the Fremont Police Department were alerted to a potential school threat (Wednesday) morning, district officials stated in the press release. The vague threat was shared via social media and reported to a school employee, who immediately contacted the Fremont Police Department.

In the press release, district officials said police officials, tracked the social media posting to an out-of-state relative of a Fremont family who shared the information they saw on social media in their community.

FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard said in the release, FPS and FPD take any and all threats and reports of threats seriously and appreciate the due diligence of community members in reporting.

At no time were Fremont schools, school students or employees identified in the threat, Shepard stated in the email. The message remains the same: if you see something, say something if you know something, tell an adult and report it to authorities immediately.

In an email to the Tribune, Shepard said the incident may have been a random threat from the Las Vegas area.

No one was evacuated or placed in lockdown. (It was) very vague and non-descript. My understanding was that it was determined to be a repost from another state, Shepard said in the email.

Fremont Police Capt. Kurt Bottorff stated in the press release that fake threats are against the law and also burden law enforcement from real crimes.

Individuals making erroneous threats face being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These types of investigations tie up valuable public safety resources, Bottorff stated in the release.

No other information was available about the incident.

The incident is the second fake threat probed by district officials and police since February.

A fake 9-1-1 swatting call reporting a non-existent school shooting claim was reported to the Fremont and Dodge County emergency dispatch center on Thursday morning, March 2, but officials quickly realized it was fake.

The fake call in Fremont was similar to many others that were made to schools across Nebraska on Thursday, including in Columbus and Omaha, among other districts.
The successes of three programs aimed at helping students and young children within the Fremont Public School (FPS) district boundaries were touted on Monday, May 8, during the final meeting of the FPS Board of Education for the 2022-23 academic year.

The administrators from the Fremont Learning Center as well as the Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant and the Nebraska Sixpence Early Learning Fund program all gave presentations to the board of education on their respective programs.

The three programs serve participants ranging from birth to 3 years old in the Sixpence program to ninth through 12th grade students at the learning center. Each administrator reported that the assorted programs had made a difference in bettering the outcomes of students and children involved.

Learning Center Principal Lea Bruner provided details in her Board Goals  Student Outcomes report to the board of education. The updates are done each month at board meetings by the head administrator of the assorted district campuses.

Bruner shows slides with statistics about the Learning Center, which currently has 56 students enrolled and will graduate 23 students on Thursday, May 11. The campus has served a total of 87 students in 2022-23 school year, she noted.

Those eligible to attend the Learning Center range from students who may be teen parents or those with full-time jobs to students with behavior issues, attendance problems or who suffer from conditions on the autism spectrum.

Among the lessons passed onto students, include teachings on social and emotional learning from staff at the Dodge County Attorney's Office where the students learn about preventive knowledge, trusted adults and the language of feeling.

One other goal, Bruner noted, was to reduce the stigma of mental health treatment, which she said is often rejected by students when recommended.

Weve had many, many students recommended for treatment or therapy and they have absolutely said, no way, Bruner explained.

Following her presentation, Bruner had four current students at the Learning Center come to the podium area and talk about their time at the center to the board.

Each of the four students expressed to a degree reasons why they were at the center and how it had helped them. One student told board members she had relocated to Fremont from the Omaha area and had been subjected to racism at prior schools while others described their own challenges and how the center aided them in becoming a productive student.

I was in a dark hole, said one student, who said shed previously attended high schools in West Point and Wayne before she landed in Fremont. I was in a dark hole, and (the centers staff) provided me with counseling.

Another female student who said she moved to Fremont from Omaha called the centers student and staff being, like a family.

In to Bruners update on the Learning Center, administrators with the districts afterschool programs  led by Leah Hladik  and the Sixpence program, led by Lauren Stoklasa  also gave presentations.

Hladik described the success of the assorted after-school programs in keeping students engaged, active and out of problematic behaviors. She also showed a slideshow of fun activities students had taken part in over the academic year.

According to the FPS district website, the after-school programs, Are available at all kindergarten through fourth grade elementary buildings and Johnson Crossing Academic Center for students in grades fifth through eighth.

Programs run every day school is a session from dismissal time until 6 p.m. During afterschool, students receive snacks and help with homework, and participate in recreation and academic enrichment activities, the website states.

The after-school program operates from funding from two different grants and is in place at all seven elementary schools as well as Johnson Crossing Academic Center serving 405 students in the 2022-23 academic year, Hladik explained.

Soklasa talked about the Sixpence program, which is aimed at children from birth to 3 years old and is intended to provide educational stimulation to their young minds to better ensure a positive future of solid learning as they grow older.

Educators in the Sixpence outreach program will visit the home of participating families three to four times per month, Stoklasa noted, while also doing educational nights on school campuses. After the child turns 4 years old, they can transition into FPS-sponsored preschool or kindergarten classes.

FPS Associate Superintendent Brad Dahl said after the three presentations that each program brings extreme value and benefits to both the community and the school district.

Our Sixpence program is the pride of Nebraska, Dahl noted. These three programs are making a difference in the lives of kids.
The Nebraska state constitution requires the legislature to balance the budget every two years. Last fall, 79 state agencies consisting of various departments who run the state began calculating the amount of funds they think they will need for the upcoming biennium. They then sent a request for funds to the governor.

On Jan. 25 of this year, the governor released his budget recommendation that focused on tax relief, education funding, the requests from the agencies and his plan for moving the state forward. While this is only a suggestion, the legislature considers it influential while voting on the actual budget because the Governor can veto line items he doesnt approve of.

Another essential element to the budget process is the prediction given by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board. This is a group with four members appointed by the governor and five members selected by the legislature who calculate how much money they think we will have to spend over the next three years.

Information is gathered from the Department of Revenue, the Legislative Fiscal Office and the projected course of the economy to determine the spending limit for the state. They have estimated this year that the state will bring $13.1 billion in revenue through taxes for the upcoming biennium with $10.7 billion of that being used in expenditures.

This is where the Appropriations Committee begins the meticulous task of writing the budget. The sum of $10.7 billion is divided up as nine senators meet daily to hear from the agencies, vote on requests and decide how much money will be appropriated. After much consideration, they put together a preliminary report to provide a starting point for discussion about the budgets actions.

Their second job is to hear any bills introduced by senators that appropriate funds. I had two bills heard by the committee. One asked that the state support towns like Blair in handling the burden that the Cargill Bio Campus puts on our water systems. The other, LB 573, asked for funding to be assigned to the Angels Share project at the old Dana Campus to help children age out of the foster care system with positive results.

The committee members deliberate on which bills they will incorporate and then formulate a formal budget recommendation to the body of the Legislature. Of the 87 bills heard by the committee, about 40 of them were added to the budget, including LB 573.

After all of this preparation, the budget is ready for debate. This year, the budget is split up into three separate bills. LB 813 pays for deficits the agencies have experienced in the current fiscal year while LB 814 appropriates money for the upcoming biennium. There is $1.06 billion available, but we will keep a minimum of 3% in reserve. Because of this, we are debating on how to spend around $715 million. LB 818 addresses the transfer of funds. It takes around $450 million to run the state each month and it has been our intention to keep about $900 million in reserve for emergencies.

Im thankful for the leadership of Senator Clements, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and his experience in banking to help make this budget successful. While we are expecting a 3.8% increase in revenue, government spending will only see a 2.3% increase. If you have questions or comments, please contact Carson Clayton or Ellie Stangl in the District 16 office at (402) 471-2728 or email me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov.
Maria Quintero Riano had to grow up fast when at age 6 her father was deployed to Afghanistan and she became her mothers link to the English-speaking world in Texas, motivating the young girl to develop and passion for learning.

The family of four had immigrated from Columbia two years earlier, later her father joined the Army and several moves later was sent to Fort Carson, where he is a sergeant first class working in infantry managing artillery. Riano didnt initially realize what was happening when she saw her father and other soldiers line up near buses at a farewell ceremony before his deployment, only later figuring it out after seeing her mother and other military wives in tears.

A flood of emotion rushed over me when my dad hugged me and said, I will be back soon; you are in charge, Riano said her successful application for The Gazettes Best and Brightest scholarship.

Her mother cried and tried to hide it, but her frustration was apparent. She would sit in her room in silence at times reading the Bible or sometimes simply burst into tears at dinner time. Seeing my mother react in these ways confused me, but also motivated me to take initiative and help her as much as I could, especially with translating and practicing English.

That experience kindled her love of reading and writing and soon she would win first place in an annual reading competition. She began to write stories as an escape from the stress at home and her father would return after the one-year deployment. Riano continued to pour herself into her studies through moves to Hawaii and New York and became a top student before arriving at Fountain-Fort Carson High School about 2 years ago and compiling a 4.33 grade-point average.

At Fountain-Fort Carson, Riano played volleyball during her first three years and ran cross-country last fall, and she was also involved in student council, National Honor Society and DECA, a career education nonprofit. Through her work with student council, Riano learned about the Make-A-Wish Foundation during a conference and brought the program to her school to help a critically ill 7-year-old boy swim with dolphins in Florida in September.

We raised more than $20,000 for the foundation, which was enough to also grant the wishes of two other children, Riano said. I was touched by the presentation I heard on Make-A-Wish and I wanted to help make a difference in the lives of kids who have been through so much.

Mary Heisel, assistant principal at the Academy of Advanced Learning in Aurora who previously was student council adviser while at Fountain-Fort Carson High School, wrote in her letter of recommendation for Riano that she was blown away at her ability to take initiative and make things happen. Maria is remarkable, setting herself apart from other students with her mature perspective, attention to detail and her outstanding leadership ability.

The Fountain-Fort Carson High School senior plans to attend New York University in the fall, where she has received the Stern scholarship and will major in international finance. She said the international finance program will give her the opportunity to travel and interact and network with businesses and executives around the globe. She said she fell in love with the city for its diversity and opportunities for growth that will take me to a whole different level.

Before she leaves for college, she will see her father off on another deployment, this time to South Korea.
A pair of penguins on a sign appear to wave to passersby on a busy corner in Old Colorado City.

They are new faces on the block beckoning travelers to stop at their igloo, Twice the Ice, a purified water and ice self-serve station that opened in March 2022.

Jeff Benson and his partner, Courtney Beck, built the ice station and a parking lot on a small plot they purchased at 2102 W. Colorado Ave.

The couple opened the ice and water station not far from where they live in Colorado Springs after starting their first Twice the Ice station in November 2019 in the mountain community of Silver Cliff, an hour west of Pueblo.

Between the city population that was using the machine as well as the weekenders in the spring to fall, wed run out, Benson said. It cannot make it fast enough.

Benson has a home near Silver Cliff. He and Beck discovered the need for ice between the boom of summer vacationers and their own camping excursions. Beck, a nurse anesthetist, proposed the idea to start an ice shop.

Benson, a disabled veteran, provided IT support to the government but was getting fed up with the job.

I quit and became owner and operator of these machines, Benson said. Ive never looked back.

Ice House America, a Jacksonville, Florida-based ice vending machine manufacturer, sells ice makers to entrepreneurs who want to own and operate a Twice the Ice machine.

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The couple's business, SoCo ICE, started in Silver Cliff with Twice the Ice brands midsize option, which makes up to 4,500 pounds of ice in 24 hours and can store up to 3,000 pounds.

After the Silver Cliff locations demand outpaced what the machine could make, Benson upgraded to the largest of three machines offered, which stores up to 6,500 pounds of ice. He operates the same size machine in Colorado Springs.

The machines have multiple filters and purify the water through reverse osmosis. Customers can buy water for $0.25 a gallon, bag ice for $3 or bulk ice for $2.50 using Twice the Ices mobile pay as a touchless option in lieu of credit card or cash.

Benson said the Springs location has more sporadic use from individual customers than Silver Cliff.

When its cold in the city, people dont need as much ice, Benson said. In the mountains, they live off grid or go hunting so they need ice all the time.

But in the city, Benson said he often delivers ice to restaurants or for events such as festivals and parades.

I was extremely reluctant, but Courtney was always right, Benson said. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. I see that the customer is coming, I see how happy they are, or at least satisfied when they leave with the product be it the water or the ice.
Public opinion has turned definitively against the Denver Public Schools board and administration in recent weeks, and its hard to see how this will change between now and Novembers election, when three seats are up.

Three important recent developments demonstrate how the board and its one employee, Superintendent Alex Marrero, are back on their heels, events outstripping their ability to respond effectively.

The first of these is the welcome news that seven local news organizations joined forces to sue the district for an alleged violation of the states open meetings law, demanding that the district release a recording of the March 23 meeting, during which school safety issues were discussed behind closed doors.

An East High School student had shot and wounded two deans inside the school the day before, and the district was scrambling to craft a response. Some of the issues discussed could conceivably have fallen under permissible uses of executive session.

But it strains credulity that the entire five hours needed to be kept from public view. Lets hope the courts side with the plaintiffs, and then we all shall see what the recording reveals.

Since three new board members were elected in November of 2021, DPS and its board have become markedly less transparent. It started with a rapid-fire decision to extend Marreros contract during one of the new boards first meetings, in December 2021, with no time allowed for public input.

It has continued through an opaque school closure debate and decision, an attempt to muzzle the District Accountability Committee, a recent, aborted attempt to dramatically increase board member pay, and now the school safety issue.

If you expand the definition of transparency slightly, the board members efforts to exclude standardized test scores from information easily accessible to parents shows that theyd prefer that parents blindly trust their neighborhood schools rather than make informed decisions.

For all of these reasons, the recent lawsuit is an important move that should shed some light on the board and districts recent practices, and, one can hope, lead to a change in behavior.

The second significant development was the release of version 1.0 of the districts safety plan, which the board ordered Marrero to produce in the wake of the east shootings.

While Marrero stressed that the plan is a work in progress and that this is an early version, it was immediately panned both by people who felt the draft went too far, and by those who felt it did not go far enough.

On the too far side was board Vice President Auontai Anderson, who wrote online that he could not support the draft in its current form because it allows for the possibility of metal detectors and the permanent presence of School Resource Officers in schools. He said the plan could have dire consequences for students of color in particular.

If the plan remains unchanged, I will be compelled to vote against its ratification and actively lobby against it, Anderson wrote.

Those who felt the draft plan was too lax complained that it does not call for changes to the pat-down policy that led to the East shootings, and still would allow students charged with violent crimes, including attempted murder, to return to school.

Like putting gasoline next to a fire and asking for a safety plan, East parent Alexander Ooms tweeted. I guess it can be safer but inherently never going to be safe.

Finally, Colorado Public Radios estimable education reporter Jenny Brundin broke a story May 1 that city officials are unhappy at the school boards decision to delay redistricting until after Novembers election. Board members want time to study the implications of redistricting, specifically its potential to split historically Black communities into different districts.

But the five board districts are unbalanced in terms of population following the 2020 census, requiring that boundaries be redrawn. Brundin wrote:

Balancing the population in each board district ensures that each board member represents approximately the same amount of people.

This ensures every individuals voice can be heard and represented in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, according to the districts website.

My understanding is that the current district map is in violation of this requirement by a significant margin, (City Clerk and Recorder Paul)Lopez wrote in the letter.

What lesson should the board and district draw from the crossfire in which theyre caught? Once lost, credibility is hard to regain. When people no longer trust you, then every move you make will be scrutinized and criticized, and your motives will be called into question.

That might seem unfair to board members and district leaders. But its the reality theyre living in, and they have brought it upon themselves.

Alan Gottlieb is editor of Denver-based public education watchdog boardhawk.org. Gottlieb covered Denver Public Schools as a newspaper reporter in the mid-1990s, worked as an education program officer for The Piton Foundation and co-founded Education News Colorado and Chalkbeat.
Welcome parties cost money. Those who cannot maintain red carpets should not roll them out. That goes for politicians of Colorado and Denver.

Government leaders who welcome immigrants to sanctuary cities and states get what they ask for. They get refugees fleeing the torments of socialism for a level of freedom, benevolence and opportunities funded only by capitalism.

Denver has long identified as a sanctuary city in a sanctuary state, which probably explains why more than 200 immigrants  mostly from socialist Venezuela  arrive in Denver by day and night. The surge began last year and continues ticking upward.

This weeks influx offers a glimpse of what may lie ahead. Thursday marks the end of the federal governments Title 42  a pandemic policy that stopped asylum seekers at the border. Federal and state officials expect historic immigration numbers after losing this tool.

If being a sanctuary city means that we value taking care of one another, and welcoming refugees and immigrants, then I welcome the title, said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in a 2017 YouTube video.

Hancock reiterated his embrace of the sanctuary label in a meeting with The Gazettes editorial board Tuesday, for a forthcoming Q&A feature.

We've always been ahead of the curve in terms of being open, in terms of being inclusive and welcoming to people who want to come to our city, work hard and observe the rules and laws of our city that's who we are, Hancock told the board. And I always say, if thats what it means to be a sanctuary city then put us in that category.

Colorado officials have long refused to cooperate with federal efforts to enforce immigration law. Though Gov. Jared Polis denies leading a sanctuary state, his policies led the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to list Colorado among 11 "sanctuary" states.

The Center for Immigration Studies includes Colorado on its map of the best "sanctuary" locations. Polis and the legislature enacted laws in 2019 that amount to codified sanctuary invitations.

After snubbing federal immigration controls, Hancock and Polis on Monday wrote the Department of Homeland Security begging for federal money to help them host immigrants. Translation: you should help us with the mess we caused by acting better than you.

We implore the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and relevant federal partner agencies to bolster direct support for non-border jurisdictions that are struggling to meet the immense human need resulting from continued migrant arrivals, the governor and mayor wrote in their letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

They dont realize how silly this looks. In his meeting with Gazette board members, Hancock said his embrace of the sanctuary label should not disqualify Denver from federal immigration support.

At the end of the day, it (sanctuary status) doesnt let the federal government off the hook to have to address this issue and to come up with a more sensible strategy around immigration and migration to the United States, Hancock said.

Colorados belligerent opposition to sensible immigration control should, indeed, let federal officials off the hook. Colorado politicians cannot contravene federal law, then ask federal officials to pay for their naughtiness.

To their credit, Hancock and Polis care about desperate men, women and children escaping corrupt and socialist governance. Most of us do. Yet, by leading with sentiment they undermine the sad and difficult need to control immigration for the sake of migrants, U.S. citizens and others who live and work within the constraints of law and order. It is easy to talk about compassion and providence for busloads of unemployed newcomers. Following through takes money, effort and a shift in fiscal priorities Coloradans did not ask for.

Americans long ago charged the federal government with immigration control because public and private social services have limitations. We cannot save, protect and serve every person who wants to live in the worlds most diverse, liberating and prosperous environment.

By asking the federal government to pay for Colorados welcome mat, Hancock and Polis want all Americans to solve a problem they caused. At least 11 states aggressively help federal officials enforce immigration controls. They should not pay for Colorados royal red carpet.

Hancock and Polis welcomed the worlds tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. They lifted their lamps beside the golden door. As such, they must pay for taking care of those they invited. They must rise to the task of genuinely welcoming refugees and immigrants and meeting the immense human need resulting from continued migrant arrivals.

They must own the outcomes of sanctuary sanctimony.
Wayne Williams first got involved in politics before he could vote.

After his family moved to the small town of Front Royal, Va., on the edge of the Shenandoah Valley, just before he started high school, Williams organized 70 fellow students to help flip control of the local county government.

"We stood outside every single polling place and changed it from the old leadership to new leadership for the first time since Reconstruction," Williams told The Gazette. "The Democrats had controlled that county for over 100 years, and we elected a Republican majority on the board of supervisors  their board of commissioners  for the first time since Reconstruction, and part of that was motivated by an established leadership in the county that wasn't very forward-thinking."

Williams notes that Warren County was known as the home of the first school in Virginia to close its doors rather than admit Black students for the first time, after local residents won a federal lawsuit against the school board in 1958. In response, the state's governor ordered the school shuttered as part of Virginia's "Massive Resistance" response to court-ordered desegregation, but the next year the state's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled the policy was unconstitutional and a federal court ordered the school reopened. In early 1959, the high school enrolled 23 Black students.

A historical marker commemorates the rulings and lists the names of the 23 students who integrated the school, Williams recalled in an interview.

"So when the court ordered schools to integrate, they said, 'We only have to integrate schools if we have schools.'" Williams said, laughing at the absurdity. "And so in 1958, they shut down the schools! That's my evidence that they weren't very forward-thinking, and that same mentality was there when I moved there a number of years later. It's part of what motivated us to try to get some changes made."

Williams is running to be mayor of Colorado Springs. He faces political newcomer Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant with a background as a ministry leader, nonprofit leader and business owner, in Tuesday's runoff.

The 60-year-old Williams, who has held elected office nearly without interruption for the past 20 years, is pitching himself as the experienced hand whose decades of public service have prepared him to run Colorado's second-largest city for the next four years.

While Mobolade is telling voters it's time to change things up with fresh leadership, Williams maintains that he has a record of bringing new ideas to life in a range of government positions.

"It is a very real difference between being a bureaucrat or being a legislator to being the actual ultimate decision-maker," Williams said.

"I guess that, for me, has been an interesting part of this campaign," he added, "because a challenging campaign causes you to reflect on what you have done and the way you've tackled tough issues in the past."

After graduating in 1986 from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, with a degree in political science, Williams got a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989. A few years later, he and his family moved to Colorado Springs for a job practicing employment law with a local law firm.

Active with the Republican Party and as a community volunteer, Williams was appointed to the Colorado Springs Housing Authority board in 1994, where he served for 10 years. He was elected to chair the El Paso County GOP in 1997.

He considered making a run for the General Assembly in 2002, but after redistricting put the seat out of reach Williams decided instead to run for county commissioner and won his first of two terms. He won election in 2010 as the county's clerk and recorder and then in 2014 waged a successful run for Colorado secretary of state.

After losing a bid for a second term as secretary of state to Democrat Jena Griswold in 2018, Williams won election months later to a four-year term as an at-large member of Colorado Springs City Council and was also elected chair of Colorado Springs Utilities.

Williams' wife of 36 years, Holly, a former governor-appointed El Paso County trustee, is serving her second term as a county commissioner. The couple have four adult children  Williams says he waited to run for statewide office until his youngest had graduated high school  who hold seven degrees between them, "with two more on the way," Williams says with pride.

"They all went to Rampart High School in District 20 and have all done extraordinarily well," he said. "Holly and I are really proud of our kids and the awesome people they are, and that doesn't change regardless of what happens in any election."

Williams said he and his wife-to-be dated and got engaged when they were both working "as part of the Reagan Revolution" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

"What most people certainly don't know is that Holly was the one who was there for months ahead of me," he said with a chuckle. "And she was a Republican county officer years before I was a Republican county officer. A lot of times, I think people see the more publicized positions I've held at times, and they don't realize just how much of a leader she is."

Lessons from decades of elected office

Williams said bringing an innovative approach has been a hallmark of his career in public service.

"Because of the office I'm running for, I've had the opportunity to look back on what I've done and other positions I've held, and what I've realized is just how much I've innovated, to approach things with fresh ideas," he said. "When you look at other places like the northern Front Range area that tried to follow our example and create a (rural transportation authority) and failed, you realize just how unique some of the innovations we did that have tackled some of our tough issues."

During his two terms on the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, Williams focused on transportation and land use and helped create the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority with Colorado Springs. When City Council referred the ballot question during Williams' term, voters approved renewing the authority by a nearly 4-to-1 margin.

He said Colorado Springs Utilities has taken the same approach to acquiring water for city residents.

"When you read about the national dialogue taking place with respect to water issues in the West, you realize just how much of a leader we have been by going in and acquiring water in a new way, is where we upgrade a farmer's irrigation system and buy the water that's saved," Williams said. "That's something, because people are saying you need to dry up these fields, that's the only way we're going to solve things, and we've addressed things in a very different way."

Sometimes it's been a matter of putting long-simmering ideas into action, Williams said.

"When I became clerk, we did some things that had been proposed for a while but had not been implemented," he said. "So listening to employees' suggestions, listening to the public, we did things like take credit cards for the first time in El Paso County, so you didn't have to always bring a check. We put our wait times online  something that really was unique at the time we did it."

El Paso County Treasurer Chuck Broerman, a Republican who followed Williams as county GOP chair and later as the countys elected clerk and recorder, said hes enthused about supporting his predecessor for mayor.

What I have always found remarkable about Wayne , Broerman said, is his ability to bring people on different sides of an issue or equation to the table, have a conversation, and theyll go away with a solution that maybe wasnt always what one party or the other had hoped, but they went away knowing their viewpoints were understood and considered.

Working across the aisle

Williams recalled launching a massive public relations blitz as secretary of state ahead of the 2018 election, when unaffiliated voters would have the chance to cast ballots in either major party's primary under voter-approved semi-open primaries.

Featuring an 8-foot yellow, inflatable "U" that traveled the state, the "UChooseCO" campaign enlisted county clerks and local elected officials throughout Colorado to help explain the ins and outs of the new system, which required unaffiliated voters to fill out and return a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot, reminding them that if they voted both, neither would count.

"When unaffiliates were given the ability to vote in primaries, coming up with an innovative campaign that Lynn Bartels and others were a part of helped us minimize what could have been a very high error rate, according to some forecasts  and we were able to avert that because we tackled it head on," Williams said.

As a former clerk, he was able to work more easily with the local officials as the state put in place a new voting system begun under his predecessor, Republican Scott Gessler, Williams said.

"When I got in, the relationships between the secretary of state's office and the clerks' offices were not as good as they could have been," he said.

During and after his stint as the state's top election official, Williams won a reputation for working easily across party lines  one reason so many Democratic county clerks endorsed his reelection bid in 2018  and leaving the partisan rhetoric on the campaign trail, though he cedes no ground when it comes to his Republican bona fides.

When then-Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Joe Neguse, the Democrat who lost the 2014 race for secretary of state to Williams, to run the state Department of Regulatory Affairs, Williams presented Neguse to the Republican-controlled state Senate committee at a 2016 confirmation hearing.

I am here as kind of a testament that you can run a campaign without wallowing in the mud or engaging in rancor, Williams told his fellow Republicans, adding that he and Neguse kept it civil through their campaign, disagreeing on some things and agreeing on others.

Former state Rep. Lois Landgraf, R-Colorado Springs, said she supported Clark in the first round of voting in April but was happy to throw her support behind Williams in the runoff after Clark endorsed Mobolade.

He is the Republican candidate, for one thing, Landgraf said, adding: I think Wayne is a very honest, hardworking, thoughtful person who will have the best interests of the people of Colorado Springs at heart. I think he will do an outstanding job.

Williams joined with the Democrats who preceded and succeeded him as secretary of state to vouch for the safety and security of Colorado's voting system, including an appearance in a public service ad last year with Griswold that drew harsh criticism from Republicans.

Williams says his willingness to work with people who are sometimes opponents doesn't mean he isn't a staunch Republican.

"One of the things that is absolutely true about everything I've done, I've always been transparent about my philosophy and my beliefs," Williams said. "I've never run from them, I've never hid them, and I believe that it is important to talk about where the direction someone wants to take us and what their beliefs are. I think those are very appropriate discussions to have in a campaign."

Williams said that's why when he was asked in 2016 who he was voting for for president, he was "very straightforward" and said Donald Trump would get his vote, though Williams noted that was after Trump was the Republican nominee, adding that he supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz all the way to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that summer.

On the same note, Williams said he supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination but will pull the lever for Trump if he wins his party's nomination next year.

"That transparency is part of what I think you have to have in a good leader," Williams said. "It's something, of course, that my opponent ducked when The Gazette asked him and refused to answer, and I think when someone won't tell you where they are philosophically, who they think should be leading and picking judges, hiring law enforcement officials, I think that is a concern."

'A nurturing and fostering environment'

Williams traced a foundational aspect of his approach to his family's unusual surroundings when he was in high school in Virginia, when they lived on the grounds of a zoo.

After his father left the Navy, he said, he enjoyed a career as a civil servant, working on a Marine base and various naval facilities, but his last job for the federal government was as facilities manager for what was then known as the Conservation and Research Center, a vast study and breeding ground for rare and endangered species, part of the National Zoo.

"We lived in a building constructed as a cavalry officer's quarters for his family, built in 1915, if I remember right," he said, laughing, "and so actually I went to high school while living on a zoo."
With less than a week to go before the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election, voter turnout has outpaced participation at the same point in the last runoff election held eight years ago.

Data from the City Clerk's Office show as of Tuesday 24.4%, or 76,514, of the city's 313,693 active registered voters had returned their ballots, compared with 75,213 ballots returned at the same point in May 2015, the last time the city held a runoff election.

In that runoff, voters elected Mayor John Suthers to his first term, and in 2019 he resoundingly won reelection in the April regular election. Suthers leaves office June 6 after serving eight years as mayor.

City Clerk Sarah Johnson said by email Wednesday she expects the May 16 runoff to draw a turnout between 40% and 50%, based on current numbers.

More voters have returned their ballots for the May 16 election than at the same point ahead of the April 4 regular election, when 14.9% of voters had returned their ballots.

Data show that in the past four regular municipal elections between 2015 and 2021, more residents voted in mayoral election years 2015 and 2019 than in years 2017 and 2021, when there were no mayoral races.

On April 4, Colorado Springs voters narrowed down their choice of mayoral candidates from 12 to two: Former Colorado Springs Councilman Wayne Williams and entrepreneur Yemi Mobolade. Last month, residents also elected four new councilmembers to the dais and extended the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) tax for another 20 years.

In the runoff, the candidate who earns a majority of votes, or more than 50% of votes cast, will be named mayor.

The next man elected to the office will be the third strong mayor in the city's history. The mayor acts as the city's full-time chief executive, with the power to enforce laws and ordinances, create a strategic plan for the city and submit to the City Council an annual budget.

Johnson said while her office has no way to know how many ballots it will receive on Tuesday, Election Day, officials "expect to receive a large number of ballots" that day.

Those who still have not cast their votes for the runoff can return their ballots to the City Clerk's Office in the City Administration Building at 30 S. Nevada Ave., Suite 101, or at a 24/7 ballot drop box by 7 p.m. Tuesday. It is too late to return ballots by mail, and postmarks will not count.

Residents who need a replacement ballot or other services can visit the City Clerk's Office, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

A full list of ballot drop box locations is on the city's website at coloradosprings.gov/voterinfo.

Voters can also call 719-385-5901 with questions about the election.
People long awaiting a nature center in northern El Paso County can view concepts and offer input at an upcoming open house.

The county and contractor on the project, TDG Architecture, will host the meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. May 17 at Antelope Trails Elementary School, 15280 Jessie Drive, Colorado Springs. It'll be the latest development in a years-long effort to see Fox Run Nature Center come to fruition in Black Forest.

The nature center goes back to a 2013 county master plan that envisioned a hub of education, recreation and events between the ponderosa pines of Fox Run Regional Park. A feasibility study was complete in 2019. Since then, officials have coordinated with designers and engineers while seeing the cost of services and materials rise.

Everything were doing is just coming in at a lot more than wed anticipated or even professional estimates that weve been getting, Todd Marts, the county parks boss, told The Gazette last year, when the nature center was projected to cost about $3.5 million.

A link to donate and more information is available at a project website.

The website outlines some proposed details, including "a versatile media room" that "will be available to the public for gatherings of all kinds, from lectures and meetings to parties." Interpretive trails could mingle with the existing network at Fox Run Regional Park.

The idea is a facility matching the county's two other nature centers along Bear Creek in southwest Colorado Springs and along Fountain Creek in Fountain  "this time focusing on the Black Forest and its ponderosa forests," the project website reads.

The site lists a goal to have design and construction documents finalized by the end of this year.
Gannon Stauch's parents told reporters on Tuesday that they were thankful the trial against Letecia Stauch had come to a close, and they expressed a desire to move forward with their lives more than three years after their son was murdered.

Jurors on Monday found Letecia Stauch guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for killing Gannon, her 11-year-old stepson, in their Lorson Ranch home in January 2020. After the jury returned its verdict, an El Paso County judge sentenced Letecia Stauch to serve life in prison.

Landen Bullard, formerly referred to as Landen Hiott, and Al Stauch each spoke separately to the local media for over an hour, but both said the guilty verdict was a weight off their shoulders.

"I finally slept good last night. ... Can't remember waking up in the middle of the night once," Bullard said.

Over the past three years Gannon's parents said they faced difficulties dealing with what happened to their son, and the extensive court process that came with it. However, they both praised the local community for helping them persevere and push forward.

Bullard spoke about the Lorson Ranch community  a neighborhood that she never lived in  and how the support from residents moved her.

"From the beginning, they've had things put out at Lorson Ranch (supporting Gannon)," Bullard said. "I've visited throughout these three years and there's never been a time where I've driven through that community and there hasn't been a blue light or a ribbon."

Throughout the trial, members of the public could be seen handing out wristbands, stickers and ribbons  all in the color blue  to other people in court in support of Gannon.

"From day one it was a community effort," Al Stauch said, echoing the thoughts of Bullard about Lorson Ranch. "In that moment you saw what the community is capable of, and I have said all along that the thoughts and prayers from people in this community and across the country ... those have sustained us. In the early days, I don't know where we would have been without the community supporting us."

Both parents also said faith has helped get them through the most traumatic event of their lives.

God has blessed me so much through this," Al Stauch said. "Do I want Gannon back? Yes, absolutely. But I am so thankful for what God has done in my life and throughout this journey."

Al Stauch and Bullard said faith was also a way for them to begin moving forward with their lives.

"You dont move on from something like this. You move forward," Al Stauch said.

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For him, moving forward means a continued dedication to service  he mentioned that he often speaks at the church he attends  and to spending time with his wife, Melissa, and their six children.

"I'm a home body. if there's one thing that (Letecia Stauch) has said through all of her lies that was true, I am a home body," Al Stauch said. "I just want to be home with my family and kids. ... That's how we move forward, just by being together and embracing the times with people in our lives."

Al Stauch mentioned that he is also ready to get back to work, where he only has two years remaining before he will retire from the military.

But moving forward also means cutting ties to Letecia Stauch entirely. Al Stauch said he had taken a significant financial loss over the past three years so that he could attend court proceedings related to Gannon's murder. But he said he would rather have to pay it all back than receive restitution from his ex-wife.

Id rather pay every cent of those losses back than still be connected to her, Al Stauch said.

For Bullard, moving forward means heading back home to South Carolina after spending the past six weeks in Colorado for the trial, and reuniting with her friends, family and co-workers who have been supporting her from afar.

For both parents, moving forward also means remembering Gannon, remembering the impact he had on their lives and trying to do good by him in the future.

Bullard and Al Stauch said it's difficult to not be angry or vengeful, but that Gannon inspires them to want more.

"I will not let her (Letecia Stauch) poison my soul," Al Stauch said.

Bullard talked about how she hopes to one day start a foundation in Gannon's name, and that while she hasn't had time to begin planning it, she mentioned that she would like for it to give grants to underprivileged children hoping to get involved in coding, science or even video game design  which is what Gannon wanted to be when he grew up, according to his father.

"Hopefully it makes an impact, and shares his story," Bullard said.

Bullard was asked if she would like to know the full truth about what happened to Gannon from Letecia Stauch, and if that's a sense of closure she desires. Bullard said she no longer is interested in hearing the truth from Letecia Stauch. The only thing she wants from her is an apology.

"She doesn't owe it to me. She owes it to Gannon," Bullard said.
A dispute between neighbors in Yoder has gone unresolved since it first garnered national media attention early this year. The parties involved  two Black ranchers and their White neighbor  were unable to reach an agreement during mediation, according to the El Paso County Sheriffs Office.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sheriff Joe Roybal said he is deeply disappointed in the outcome of the mediation. He also released additional hours of body-worn camera footage and case reports involving Courtney and Nicole Mallery and their neighbor Teresa Clark, who have been the subject of each others accusations of stalking and harassment, as well as restraining orders, since 2021.

The reportedly failed mediation arose after the Mallerys agreed to it in a court hearing on April 3, where the couple appeared to address felony charges of stalking, for which they were arrested in November and February, respectively. Clark is named as the stalking victim in the arrest documents.

The case was put on hold until after mediation, but now Courtney and Nicole Mallery are scheduled back in El Paso County Court Thursday morning for a status hearing.

In a story published in January by Ark Republic, an online media outlet based in New Jersey, the Mallerys alleged that Clark and other Yoder residents were waging a racist intimidation campaign against them, including online threats, the poisoning of their animals and the disabling of their security system.

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Nicole Mallery also accused an El Paso County sheriffs deputy of playing favorites, referring to the deputy as Clarks personal policeman.

To combat the claims, Roybal has made public statements to vehemently [deny] these allegations, and the Sheriff's Office released footage and case reports of incidents brought into question. Now, as other cases are resolved in court, the Sheriffs Office has released what they said are the remaining videos.

Bodycam footage shows deputy encounters with the Mallerys or Clark; each case lists one of these parties as either the suspect or victim. The 38 hours of footage contains complaints of neighbors being seen on each others property surveillance footage, restraining order violations, harassment, stalking, online threats and a report of poisoned sheep as recently as January 2023.

As the Sheriff of El Paso County, I remain committed to protecting citizens rights and responding to calls in a timely, professional manner. It is my hope all parties involved will come to a mutual understanding and live peacefully amongst each other, Roybal wrote in a statement.
Several Colorado Springs-area schools are receiving national recognition for their STEM programming.

Ridgeview Elementary School, Scott Elementary School, St. Marys High School and Talbott STEAM Innovation School are four of nearly 500 honorees across the country named in this years batch of Project Lead the Way Distinguished Schools. This annual one-year designation recognizes schools committed to increasing student access, engagement and achievement in PLTWs PreK-through-12 curriculum.

The nonprofit is a national standard for STEM in primary and secondary education, said math and engineering teacher Mike Kloenne, who led fundraising efforts to bring the curriculum to St. Marys and reinvigorate its programming about a decade ago. He has helped raise roughly $400,000 to date in order to keep the curriculum at the school, he said, because college offices recognize PLTW as a mark of excellence on students applications.

The small private school with a total enrollment of less than 300 has seen recent PLTW students go on to high-achieving universities such as Notre Dame, Purdue and Villanova, Kloenne said.

When they bring in students into their engineering program that have PLTW, they perform a lot better, they stick with it and they usually graduate from that colleges engineering program, Kloenne said. (PLTW) is totally different from the high school that I went to where it was pretty much show up, take some notes and then dump some information back on tests. Its very tactile, and the kids, they come in before school, they come down during lunch, I mean, theyre addicted to it.

The program introduces students to science, technology, engineering and math concepts at a young age so they can sooner discern what fields they might be interested in pursuing. At Widefield School District 3s first innovation school, Talbott, elementary students engage in exploration, discovery and problem solving as they regularly work through collaborative projects. The process involves trial, error, reflection and retrial until they find success in lieu of a worksheet-heavy curriculum with definitively right or wrong answers.

Principal Andrea Waltermire calls this learning method productive struggles. Her students learn not just the content but the soft skills necessary for a successful future.

As we continue to evolve with our level of science knowledge and technology as a world, I think that those things are going to be really important. Its not going to be about how to solve a particular problem but how to go about really attacking the problem, Waltermire said.

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Classes are hands-on and self-driven. At Talbott, second graders learning about simple machines brought in recyclable materials to build their own seed-launchers, with each project turning out differently from the next. Fourth grade students learning about volume created their own volume zoos, in which they crafted animals out of boxes and calculated their volumes. The activity remains a favorite of now-fifth graders Rhiley Howell and Ryan Jensen.

It isnt like we just had to do math. We actually did stuff with it that was fun, said Howell, who one day hopes to study plants and animals for a living. I like interacting with people, and in order to do hands-on stuff, you have to collaborate.

Im really shy, Jensen added. I like to talk to people I know, and doing this stuff in partners has really helped me a lot because it helps me be able to get over my shyness more.

Scott Elementary is Colorado Springs School District 11s first distinguished school, according to the districts PLTW coordinator Duane Helfer. The program has a 100% participation rate among students since it is incorporated into the regular rotation of special classes alongside art, music, physical education and theater.

This year, Scott students completed an average of four of the programs more than 40 distinct elementary modules that integrate science, math and language arts into engineering projects. For many, PLTW is a highlight of the school day.

You think back to when you and I were in elementary school, we all wanted to go to recess or gym because that was always the fun time. Its really turning for most kids that excitement into wanting to learn academics and use what theyre learning in the classroom in math and in science in a fun way, Helfer said.

High school students at St. Marys can earn dual college credit through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs when they take PLTW classes.

As freshmen, that can design and 3D print a happy meal toy in collaboration with the chief operating officer of a local McDonald's franchise before presenting to a target audience of kindergartners. As seniors, students break into teams to solve a real world problem of their choosing alongside an expert. This years class worked on mobility devices for the elderly, multipurpose clothing for firefighters and durable solutions to potholes.

All these projects are open-ended. None of them have right answers or wrong answers, but they have better answers, Kloenne said. Its been so great to watch these kids grow in a different direction.
By Karen Freifeld and Sarah N. Lynch

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos on Wednesday vowed to fight charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in the latest hit to the newly elected Republican, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume.

"It's a witch hunt," Santos said shortly after appearing in court in Central Islip, New York, to face the federal charges, echoing a claim often voiced by former President Donald Trump. "I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I am going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

A 13-count indictment charged Santos, 34, with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

It also accuses him of making false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income and liabilities.

Top House Republicans, who control the chamber by a narrow 222-213 margin, said they would wait for the legal process to play out before taking further action on Santos, who pleaded not guilty.

U.S House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would not support Santos' re-election, CNN reported later on Wednesday.

"Santos has a lot going on. I think he has other things to focus on in his life other than running for re-election," he was quoted as saying.

Santos was released on a $500,000 bond and is due back in court for his next appearance on June 30. This means he can go back to Washington and cast votes in Congress. As a condition of his release, he agreed to surrender his passport and to limit his travel.

Federal prosecutors said they had evidence of a sweeping pattern of fraudulent behavior.

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

CALLS TO RESIGN

Nine House Republicans have so far called on Santos to resign, including six from his home state of New York. But No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise said the caucus would withhold judgment on Santos.

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"In America, there's a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges. He's going to have to go through the legal process," Scalise told a press conference.

Santos said he had no intention of resigning and would run for re-election in 2024.

Shortly after Santos' election in 2022 to represent a wealthy area of New York's Long Island, the New York Times and other media outlets revealed that he had fabricated almost every aspect of his personal and professional history.

Among other claims, Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College despite neither institution's having any record of his attending. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which also was untrue.

He said falsely that he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two. Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019.

He has since admitted to fabricating large parts of his resume.

The House Ethics Committee in March launched an investigation to look at issues from alleged illegal activity over Santos' 2022 campaign and failing to properly disclose information required on House statements to violations of federal conflict-of-interest laws.

Some of the allegations in the indictment track closely with the claims being investigated by the House panel.

In the political campaign scheme, prosecutors said Santos laundered donations into his own personal bank accounts and used thousands of dollars to pay for personal expenses, from luxury clothing to credit card payments.

He also is accused of repeatedly making false statements about his income in forms he filed with the House.

In a third alleged scheme, the indictment says Santos illegally filed for unemployment benefits at the height of the pandemic, reaping more than $24,000 at a time when he was earning a $120,00 salary - a claim Santos called "inaccurate."

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in Central Islip, New York, and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Additional reporting by Moira Warburton, David Morgan and Rami Ayyub in Washington and Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)
By Umit Ozdal and Daren Butler

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Formerly a Tayyip Erdogan supporter, broadcaster Mehmet Dalgic switched allegiance to his main challenger after the ruling AK Party failed to offer sympathy for the destruction of his TV station in southeast Turkey in February's earthquake.

The lack of support was the final straw in Dalgic's gradual disillusionment with the AKP, which has long enjoyed solid support in the region thanks to steps to boost the rights of Kurds, who form the majority there, and the local economy early in its two decades of government.

Ahead of Sunday's elections, a cost of living crisis is now hitting Erdogan's support in the southeast as elsewhere, threatening his prospects in a tough battle to maintain power.

Analysts say the government's growing nationalist line has also eroded his popularity among Kurds, who make up 20% of the population and are seen playing a 'kingmaker' role in the votes.

"Now I say to Turkey that a change is necessary," Dalgic said as excavators continued to remove debris from the collapsed shopping mall in the region's largest city of Diyarbakir where his TV station was located. "The young have no hope, no future."

A survey published this week by pollster Rawest showed 76.3% support for opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Diyarbakir province, with backing for Erdogan at just 20.5%.

Kilicdaroglu's main opposition CHP had scant support in the southeast in the past but under his leadership it has reached out to Kurds and the pro-Kurdish HDP, which is dominant across the region and won 67% support in Diyarbakir in 2018 elections.

"KURDISH PROBLEM"

While opinion polls indicate support for Erdogan in the region is dwindling, he retains a core of support, including people like trader Adil Aydin, who associates the CHP with state repression targeting Kurds long before Erdogan's AKP came to power.

"From the moment (Erdogan) said 'the Kurdish problem is my problem', it brought peace in this region," Aydin said in his cheese shop in the city's historical heart, alluding to Ankara's bid to end a decades-old conflict that has scarred the region.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, took up arms against the state in 1984. The fighting has killed more than 40,000 people.

In his election campaign, Erdogan has repeatedly suggested links between the PKK and the opposition alliance, without providing evidence, apparently seeking to tap into deep nationalist hostility towards the militant group.

But a decade ago Erdogan began a peace process with the PKK. Those talks collapsed in 2015, unleashing a period of ferocious urban warfare in the southeast, including in the streets near Aydin's shop. But Aydin still hopes for an end to the conflict, which is now focused in northern Iraq.

"The Kurds want to return to the peace process. They are longing for peace," Aydin said, affirming his confidence in the president. "As people say, if anyone can do it, Erdogan can."

It was a confidence that Dalgic once had, recalling how deeply he was moved when he first saw Erdogan speak two decades ago and viewed the AKP as bringing "salvation".

"I cried. There was a knot in my throat. It was the first time I saw such an imposing leader with such enthusiasm."

Twenty years on, he says he will vote for Kilicdaroglu, who some surveys put ahead in the race for the presidency.

CHANGE IN ERDOGAN

The HDP, parliament's third largest party, has itself declared its support for Kilicdaroglu. It is entering the elections under the emblem of the small Green Left Party due to a court bid to ban it over links to the PKK, which it denies.

The HDP's jailed former leader, Selahattin Demirtas, has run a high-profile election campaign from his cell and his wife Basak this week released a video in which she guides HDP supporters towards casting their votes for the CHP leader.

In the HDP's Diyarbakir offices, parliamentary candidate Mehmet Emin Aktar said the president had changed over the years.

"Erdogan, his language and manners are very different today from how they were 20 years ago," Aktar said, attributing the change to the collapse of the peace process in 2015.

That was followed by a years-long crackdown on the HDP in which thousands of party officials and members have been arrested and dozens of lawmakers and elected mayors ousted from their seats, the latter replaced by unelected state officials.

"This government pressure...violates and suppresses all rights such as freedom of expression and the right to organise and demonstrate," said Aktar, former head of the Diyarbakir bar.

Economic hardship and unemployment weighs heavy on first time voters in Diyarbakir and some say they may vote for the CHP, an unlikely prospect in the past.

"I think with a high probability I will vote for the CHP because they are making promises about education, the economy and health. It is good for change too," said tobacco shop worker Furkan Guler, 21.

One of his customers, 19-year-old student Soner Ekti said he was also considering voting for the opposition but was also looking further afield if his prospects in Turkey don't improve.

"If it goes on like this, I'm thinking of going abroad."

(Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Aidan Lewis

DUBAI (Reuters) - Fighting in Sudan's capital escalated on Wednesday with fierce clashes and air strikes, but rival military factions were reported to be close to a ceasefire agreement in talks in Saudi Arabia.

Residents reported ground battles in several neighbourhoods of Khartoum between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as heavy gunfire in the north of Omdurman and the east of Bahri, two adjacent cities separated from Khartoum by the River Nile.

The army has been pounding targets across the three cities since Tuesday as it tries to root out RSF forces that have taken control of large residential areas and strategic sites since early in the conflict that erupted on April 15.

"There's been heavy air strikes and RPG fire since 6:30 a.m.", said Ahmed, a resident of the Bahri neighbourhood of Shambat. "We're lying on the ground and there are people living near us who ran to the Nile to protect themselves there under the embankment."

Army and RSF delegations have been meeting since the end of last week in talks sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the Saudi city of Jeddah on the Red Sea.

Negotiations aim to secure an effective truce and allow access for aid workers and supplies after repeated ceasefire announcements failed to stop the fighting.

After days of no apparent movement, a mediation source told Reuters on Wednesday that the negotiations had made progress and a ceasefire agreement was expected soon.

A second source familiar with the talks said a deal was close. Talks continued late into the night.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland earlier said U.S. negotiators were "cautiously optimistic" about securing a commitment to humanitarian principles and a ceasefire but were also looking at appropriate targets for sanctions if the warring factions did not back this.

The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis in Africa's third-largest nation by area, displacing more than 700,000 people inside the country and prompting 150,000 to flee to neighbouring states. It has also sparked unrest in Sudan's western Darfur region.

The U.N. World Food Programme said that up to 2.5 million more Sudanese were expected to fall into hunger in the coming months because of the conflict, raising the number of people suffering acute food insecurity to 19 million.

GRAPHIC-Sudan's conflict - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SUDAN-POLITICS/gdvzqjmwrpw/chart.png

Since the battles began on April 15, the RSF have dug in across Khartoum neighbourhoods, set up checkpoints, occupied state buildings and placed snipers on rooftops.

The army has been using air strikes and heavy artillery to try to dislodge them.

The RSF on Tuesday said the historic presidential palace in central Khartoum, which has symbolic importance and is in a strategic area that the RSF says it controls, had been hit by an air strike and destroyed, a claim the army denied.

Drone footage filmed on Wednesday and verified by Reuters appeared to show the building, known as the Old Republican Palace, intact, though smoke could be seen coming from the southeast edge of the palace compound.

The fighting has left more than 600 people dead and 5,000 injured, according to the World Health Organization but the real figure is thought to be much higher.

Witnesses have reported seeing bodies strewn in the streets. Most hospitals have been put out of service and a breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting. Fuel and food supplies have been running low.

"Our only hope is that the negotiations in Jeddah succeed to end this hell and return to normal life, and to stop the war, the looting, the robbery and the chaos," said Ahmed Ali, a 25-year-old resident of Khartoum.

Aid agency Islamic Relief said many aid operations in Darfur and Khartoum remained suspended due to extreme insecurity.

It plans to provide aid to thousands of people in Al Gezira state, southeast of Khartoum, where some 50,000 people have fled, as well as to people in parts of Khartoum State and North Kordofan, where fighting has raged.

Conflicts are not new to Sudan, a country that sits at a strategic crossroad between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the volatile Sahel region, although most unrest in the past occurred in remote areas.

The United Nations has projected that 5 million additional people will need emergency assistance inside Sudan while 860,000 are expected to flee to neighbouring states.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz in Dubai, Mohamed Noureldin in Khartoum, Aidan Lewis and Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo, George Sargent in London, Crispian Balmer in Rome, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Aidan Lewis, Tom Perry and Cynthia Osterman; Editing by Christina Fincher, Mark Porter and Lisa Shumaker)
The FBI refused to hand over a bureau form allegedly describing a "criminal scheme" involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and an unnamed "foreign national" after Rep. James Comer (R-KY) issued a subpoena with a Wednesday noon deadline.

Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, described the reasoning behind the subpoena in a letter sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland last week. The letter, written jointly with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), sought FBI information on a confidential informant who alleged an unspecified pay-to-play scheme by the now-president.

COMER UNVEILS 'BIDEN FAMILY'S INFLUENCE PEDDLING' IN CHINA AND ROMANIA

"It's clear from the FBI's response that the unclassified record the Oversight Committee subpoenaed exists, but they are refusing to provide it to the committee," Comer told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday afternoon. "We've asked the FBI to not only provide this record, but to also inform us what it did to investigate these allegations. The FBI has failed to do both. The FBI's position is, Trust, but you aren't allowed to verify.' That is unacceptable. We plan to follow up with the FBI and expect compliance with the subpoena."

The FBI sent Comer a six-page letter on Wednesday afternoon, arguing that "as is clear from the name itself, confidentiality is definitional to the FBI's Confidential Human Source program" and that "significant harm to investigative work  and to the program as a whole  could result from dissemination of FD-1023s or other similar documents." An FD-1023 form is a document the FBI uses to record interviews with confidential human sources.

The bureau added that "often, even confirming the fact of the existence (or nonexistence) of an investigation or a particular piece of investigative information can risk these serious harms" and called it "standard practice for law enforcement agencies to decline to confirm or deny" the existence of the requested document.

"We have received legally protected and highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures," Comer and Grassley told Wray and Garland last week. "Based on those disclosures, it has come to our attention that the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation 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."

Comer's subpoena to Wray specifically asked the FBI director to hand over "all FD-1023 forms, including within any open, closed, or restricted case files, created or modified in June 2020, containing the term Biden,' including all accompanying attachments and documents to those FD-1023 forms" by noon on Wednesday.

"I believe we submitted a lengthy letter earlier today," Wray told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday afternoon after being asked about the subpoena compliance or lack thereof by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who then pressed Wray on whether the requested document had been turned over.

"I can't speak to the specific document," Wray replied. "We are committed to working collaboratively with both committees. But we also have to balance sources and methods and ongoing investigations, and we will continue to work through the accommodation process as has happened many times in the past."

Hagerty asked if the FBI has a plan ever to turn over the subpoenaed record, and Wray replied, "I would refer to the letter, which I think is quite detailed and kind of goes through a fair amount of discussion about our proposed approach."

When asked for confirmation at least that the document exists, Wray replied, "I really can't get into the specifics here. I will tell you that we understand completely the importance of congressional oversight  that's important to me. I also understand very much the importance of protecting sources and methods and ongoing investigations."

Comer discussed the subpoena during a Wednesday morning press conference in which he revealed new details on business dealings by Hunter Biden and Biden family associates in China and Romania.

"We hope the FBI will be transparent and forthcoming and provide the Oversight Committee with the 1023 form we have subpoenaed," Comer said, adding that the tip came from a trusted whistleblower and that "when Sen. Grassley approached me with the information the whistleblower provided, it was because of the information we've learned through this committee's own investigation that indicated to me that the whistleblower's allegations are consistent with our independent findings."

Grassley had sent an October letter to Wray and others that the FBI is in possession of "significant, impactful, and voluminous evidence" of "potential criminal conduct" by Hunter Biden related to his overseas business dealings with China and Ukraine.

The whistleblower allegations released late last year related to Hunter Biden as well as James Biden, the president's brother, regarding the duo's dealings with the Chinese government-linked energy conglomerate CEFC China Energy. They also related to the younger Biden's work for Ukrainian gas giant Burisma Holdings. Grassley said his staff "reviewed the unclassified records" supporting the whistleblower claims.

Grassley said Wednesday that Wray's response raises additional questions and that the public is entitled to answers.

"While the FBI has failed to produce the specific document by the subpoena deadline, their offer to provide an accommodation process in response to our legitimate request indicates the document is real," Grassley said in a statement. "So the question remains, what did the FBI do to investigate very serious allegations from an apparent trusted FBI source implicating then-Vice President Biden?"

Last year, on the China front, Grassley cited Tony Bobulinski, a Navy veteran and former business associate of Hunter Biden, who went to the FBI in October 2020 to detail the Biden family's efforts to do business in China. Grassley said at the time it was unclear whether the FBI opened up an investigation based on the information.

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CEFC is a now-defunct multibillion-dollar Chinese company founded by Ye Jianming, a business tycoon who has since disappeared in China but with whom Hunter and James Biden had attempted to work out numerous deals and resulting in the duo receiving millions of dollars.

On Ukraine, Grassley said last year that he had been provided potential evidence of criminality tied to Hunter Biden's work for Burisma, which reportedly paid Hunter Biden $50,000 a month to serve on its board for a period when his father was vice president.

Original Location: Biden investigation: FBI fails to comply with subpoena for criminal scheme document

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By Mike Blake and Ted Hesson

SAN DIEGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of migrants are crossing into the United States this week before a new regulation takes effect that could bar most who cross illegally from seeking asylum, while others gathered on the Mexico side amid confusion about U.S. policy.

The U.S. rolled out a regulation on Wednesday that presumes most migrants are ineligible for asylum if they passed through other nations without seeking protection elsewhere first, or if they failed to use legal pathways for U.S. entry.

The new rule is a key part of President Joe Biden's border enforcement plan as COVID-19 restrictions - known as Title 42 - are set to end just before midnight on Thursday.

Under Title 42, which has been in place since March 2020, many border crossers were rapidly expelled to Mexico without a chance to seek asylum, leading to repeat attempts.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the new rule would mean harsher consequences for migrants crossing illegally who, if caught, could be deported and barred from the United States for five years if they do not qualify for asylum.

"We are making it very clear that our border is not open, that crossing irregularly is against the law and that those who are not eligible for relief will be quickly returned," Mayorkas said at a press conference in Washington.

Migrants have been amassing in Mexico near various parts of the border - many of them unsure about when, or how, to cross. Drone footage showed large crowds gathering at the border fence by El Paso, Texas, across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

U.S. cities are expecting to receive some of those migrants after they cross the border. New York City said it is already receiving 500 per day and expects the number to increase after Title 42 expires on Thursday, leading Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday to issue an executive order temporarily suspending a policy guaranteeing shelter for all those in need.

"We have reached our limit," spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement. "This is not a decision taken lightly and we will make every effort to get asylum seekers into shelter as quickly as possible."

Violence broke out at a crossing between Reynosa, Mexico and Pharr, Texas on Wednesday morning as Mexican soldiers clashed with an armed group of suspected people smugglers, killing three, officials in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas said.

The Mexican Army said it had no immediate comment.

At a towering wall dividing San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, hundreds of migrants have been jumping across in recent days, waiting to turn themselves in to U.S. agents.

Some have camped out for days under Mylar blankets, surviving on granola bars and water, while they wait for processing in a no-man's land on U.S. soil between a primary wall and secondary wall.

A group of single women and a family with two young children from Colombia said they left home seven days ago, flying to El Salvador, then traveling by bus through Central America and Mexico.

"We heard that Title 42 was going to end and that after that there won't be an option," said Diana, 30, who declined to give her last name. She said she heard about the policy change through the news and by word of mouth.

More than 10,000 migrants were caught crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border illegally each day on Monday and Tuesday, said Brandon Judd, president of a union for Border Patrol agents. The total surpasses a scenario outlined by a top U.S. border official last month for the period after Title 42 ends.

CRITICISM FROM BOTH SIDES

Republicans have criticized Biden, a Democrat running for re-election in 2024, for rolling back the hardline policies of Republican former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for his party's nomination.

A coalition of 22 Republican state attorneys general has opposed the new asylum rule for being "riddled with exceptions."

But some Democrats and immigration advocates say Biden's new regulation is too harsh, comparing it to measures implemented under Trump blocked by U.S. courts.

The measure counters previous statements Biden made in 2020 on the campaign trail, when he said he thought it was "wrong" for people not to be able to seek asylum in the United States.

The rule, which comes into effect on Thursday and expires in two years, will apply to the vast majority of non-Mexican migrants seeking asylum since they typically pass through multiple countries en route to the U.S.

Biden officials said in late April they are at the same time expanding legal pathways for migrants abroad in order to provide alternative ways to enter the U.S. and discourage illegal crossings.

On a call with reporters on Tuesday, Biden officials said the administration planned to open more than 100 migration processing centers in the Western Hemisphere.

(Graphic: Nationalities not expelled to Mexico under Title 42 grew, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-IMMIGRATION/jnpwyzyojpw/chart.png)

(Reporting by Mike Blake in San Diego, Ted Hesson in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Dave Graham and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
President Joe Biden has pushed back on some of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) characterizations of their hourlong meeting over the debt ceiling and contradicted a couple of statements the White House has made about his positions.

"We agreed to continue our discussions, and we're going to meet again on Friday. In the meantime, our staff are going to meet today and daily between now and then," Biden told reporters Tuesday in the Roosevelt Room. "I made clear during our meeting that default is not an option."

WHITE HOUSE BRACES FOR HUNTER BIDEN HEADLINES AS FATHER RAMPS UP REELECTION BIDEN

The president said he was "considering" using the 14th Amendment to resolve the debt ceiling issue but expressed concern it would "have to be litigated, and in the meantime, without an extension, it'd still end up in the same place."

Biden, who described the meeting as "productive," repeated he was open to "a separate discussion about budget and spending priorities but not under the threat of default" and that Republicans have yet to detail what they would cut. Conflicting with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the president shared he is also open to a short-term extension and using the 14th Amendment, though the latter may not be the best course of action in this instance.

Biden suggested that he trusted McCarthy "will try to do what he says" but that he does not "know how much leeway" McCarthy "thinks he has," intimating the speaker was not "measured" during the meeting's entirety.

"I'm still committed, but obviously this is the single most important thing on the agenda," Biden said of the possibility he may not attend the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Japan and the Quad summit in Australia next week.

McCarthy told reporters at the White House after the meeting that he "didn't see any new movement" regarding their respective stances over a clean debt ceiling bill and concessions concerning spending cuts in exchange for extending the country's borrowing cap. He, too, bemoaned Biden's lack of compromise proposals.

"I've done everything in my power to make sure [the country] will not default," he said. "We have passed a bill to raise the debt limit. Now, I haven't seen that in the Senate, so I don't know."

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) added afterward that the so-called big four's staff will meet "as early as tonight, certainly tomorrow, to see where we can come to agreement on the budget and appropriations process" before their principals sit down to discuss the debt ceiling again on Friday.

"His bill doesn't have a single Democrat in support, and it gets us nowhere because you have to negotiate to get this done," Schumer said of McCarthy. "Take default off the table and let's resume negotiations in the appropriations process."

Original Location: Biden says he's 'considering' 14th Amendment to avoid default

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President Joe Biden will wine and dine with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a state visit next month, according to the White House.

"The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together," the White House said Wednesday. "The visit will strengthen our two countries' shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space."

BIDEN TAKES TO THE ROAD AND STAYS ON OFFENSE AFTER MCCARTHY DEBT LIMIT MEETING

The program will take place on June 22, with the leaders poised to "discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change to workforce development and health security," the White House added.

Biden and Modi will see each other before that during the Quad summit in Australia next week, alongside their Australian and Japanese counterparts. The outreach coincides with concerns of democratic backsliding in India and increasingly close ties between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as India overtakes China in population size.

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White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was needled last month as to why India was invited to the administration's annual democracy conference.

"It's not a popularity contest," he said. "That's not why we do this. It's not about building somebody's reputation or not. It's about having meaningful discussions about the power of democracy and how democracies can be strengthened, deepened, and how they can grow  grow in  for themselves and grow as a multilateral collection of like-minded nations."

Original Location: Biden to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for state visit in June

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(Reuters) -Britain is set to formally classify Russian mercenary force Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation as a way of increasing pressure on Russia, The Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Russia's months-long assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Home Office has been building a case for two months and proscription was due within weeks, the newspaper reported, citing a government source.

The British government declined to comment on its plans.

"The UK sanctioned the Wagner Group in March 2022. While the government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not comment on whether a specific organisation is or is not being considered for proscription," a government spokesperson said.

Proscription means it would be a criminal offence in Britain to belong to or promote the group, arrange or address its meetings, and carry its logo in public.

There has been no evidence that Wagner or individuals linked to the group are operating in Britain since the war in Ukraine started, the report said.

However the newspaper said, citing a government source, there had been "suspicions" the group helped move money out of Britain after financial sanctions were imposed on Russian oligarchs and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin,

Bakhmut has been under Russian attack for more than nine months, with Wagner Group mercenaries leading repeated attempts to advance on what was once a city of 70,000.

The group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a social media message on Monday that his troops were beginning to receive ammunition needed to press their advance.

(Reporting by Jyoti Narayan and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Sachin Ravikumar in London; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)
Former President Donald Trump's motion to move the New York criminal case against him to federal court will be heard next month.

A federal judge in New York, Alvin Hellerstein, scheduled the hearing for Trump's bid for June 27. Trump's lawyers filed to have the case moved from state court on May 4, saying that "the case involves important federal questions since the indictment charges President Trump for conduct committed while he was president of the United States."

JURY ORDERS TRUMP TO PAY $5M IN DAMAGES TO CARROLL FOR BATTERY AND DEFAMATION

Trump has plead not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made during his 2016 campaign to conceal allegations that he had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case accuses Trump of orchestrating a "catch and kill" scheme during the 2016 presidential cycle to bury negative stories about him.

The case is scheduled to begin early next year, with Trump and Bragg's office being ordered to pick a trial date last week.

In Hellerstein's order, the judge made clear that "proceedings may continue in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County," while Trump's motion waits to be heard in court.

Bragg's office has until June 15 to respond to Trump's motion.

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Bragg's case against Trump in New York is one of many against the former president. On Tuesday, Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million in damages after a jury unanimously found him responsible for sexual abuse and defamation after she accused him of raping her in New York in the mid-1990s.

The jury did not Trump liable for rape.

Original Location: Donald Trump's bid to move Bragg hush money case to federal court receives hearing date

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Rep. George Santos (R-NY) began fundraising off of his criminal charges on Twitter following his arraignment on Wednesday.

Two hours after he pleaded not guilty in federal court to 13 criminal charges, Santos took to Twitter to fundraise off the charges, calling them a "witch hunt."

GEORGE SANTOS PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 13-COUNT INDICTMENT FOR FINANCIAL CRIMES

"I asked questions about #MilesGuo & the DOJ indicts me 5 days later!" Santos tweeted, referencing accused fraudster Guo Wengui who was arrested in March and whose release Santos has been advocating. "The fight is real & I'm OVER the target, I need your support to keep me fighting for freedom."

He then posted a link to his WinRed fundraising page.

Santos is charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to Congress. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges.

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement. "He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives."

While he is fundraising off the charges, the Department of Justice accuses Santos of moving campaign funds into his personal bank account and using those funds on personal purchases such as "designer clothes."

Santos came under scrutiny when it was revealed that he lied about his resume and life during his campaign for Congress.

Fellow House Republicans have called for his resignation from the House, while others have taken it a step further and called for his expulsion.

"The people of New York's 3rd district deserve a voice in congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date," Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) tweeted.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has said Santos is "innocent until proven guilty" and will not call on him to resign. But, if he is convicted of the charges, he will ask for the embattled New York Republican's resignation.

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Other House GOP leaders concur with McCarthy.

"There is a legal process; the charges just came out, we just saw some of them this morning, and so in America, there is a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges, and he's going to have to go through the legal process," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said.

Original Location: George Santos fundraises off criminal charges

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Republican 2024 contender Nikki Haley will take part in Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-IA) annual "Roast and Ride" fundraiser for veterans next month.

Ernst, a former military officer, has been neutral in the GOP primary, and Haley is the first declared hopeful announced as a guest for the event, which will take place at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on June 3.

NIKKI HALEY BACKS CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS PLAN

Other 2024 hopefuls were invited, including former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who has not declared his campaign, Ernst told NBC News. The senator, whose home state is the leadoff in the GOP primary process, indicated she does not plan to endorse in the primary.

"Roast and Ride is THE event to be at in 2023! Nikki Haley knows that Iowans take our job of vetting presidential candidates seriously, and I'm thrilled to welcome her and many more 2024 Republican hopefuls to Iowa on June 3," Ernst said in a statement. "Democrats are ditching Iowa, but I will proudly showcase our beautiful state and our people  because, after all, we are FIRST in the nation!"

Haley has barnstormed the Hawkeye State aggressively since debuting her campaign back in February. She's attended dozens of events in Iowa, and the "Roast and Ride" will be her second major event with Ernst.

"As a military family, we know how important it is to take care of our veterans on and off the battlefield. We're looking forward to joining @JoniErnst in Des Moines for her annual Roast and Ride benefiting Iowa's Freedom Foundation!" Haley tweeted.

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The event will feature a motorcycle ride and a roast at the state fairgrounds.

One of Ernst's claims to fame was an ad she cut during the 2014 election cycle showcasing her farm life bona fides and boasting about her knowledge of how to castrate a pig. She vowed to take her farmhand skills to Washington.

Eden Villalovas contributed to this report.

Original Location: Haley to attend Ernst's 'Roast and Ride' Iowa fundraiser as special guest

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The University of Idaho will award posthumous degrees to the four murder victims killed in their off-campus home in November 2022.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, will receive their degrees and certificates during the university's graduation ceremony on May 13.

IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: ETHAN CHAPIN'S PARENTS SPEAK OUT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE SON'S DEATH ON HONORING HIS MEMORY

Mogen and Goncalves, who were seniors preparing to graduate, will receive a marketing degree and general studies degree, respectively. Chapin, who was a freshman, will be awarded a certificate in recreation, sport, and tourism management, and Kernodle, a junior, will be awarded a certificate in marketing, per the university.

This July 2022 photo provided by Jazzmin Kernodle shows University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, right, and Ethan Chapin on a boat on Priest Lake in Idaho. Both students were among four found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home on Nov. 13. Jazzmin Kernodle/AP

The victims' families have also found ways to honor their students. Chapin's parents, Jim and Stacy, started the Ethan Smile Foundation and created a yellow-and-white tulip mix called "Ethan's Smile" that is now for sale at the same farm where Chapin worked planting bulbs.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology graduate student from Washington State University, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the deaths of the four students on Nov. 13.

He is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in late June, marking almost seven months since the murders. Kohberger was arrested in late December following a monthslong investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies that used his white Hyundai Elantra vehicle and evidence found in his car and home to connect him to the murders.

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During the preliminary hearing, the defense and prosecution will offer up evidence and could even present witnesses in what will be one of Idaho's most high-profile murder trials.

Legal counsel for Bethany Funke, one of the two surviving roommates of the victims, fought a subpoena that is compelling her to testify at the hearing in June. Eventually, Funke agreed to an interview with Kohberger's legal counsel in Reno, Nevada, where she is from.

Original Location: Idaho student murders: Victims to receive posthumous degrees

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By Elida Moreno

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) -The number of people arriving in the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama with Colombia soared in April and early May, Panamanian government data shows, dealing a blow to U.S. efforts to curb undocumented migration to the north.

According to figures from Panama's Security Ministry seen by Reuters on Tuesday, 40,297 migrants reached Panama through the jungle connecting it with Colombia in April, up more than six times from the same time last year.

Numbers have kept rising, with 16,246 crossings during the first nine days of May, already surpassing the total of that month in 2022, reinforcing fears among authorities of a rise in migrant flows to the United States as its COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 are lifted.

The United States, Panama and Colombia announced on April 11 a two-month campaign to tackle undocumented migration through the lawless jungle region.

Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said the border would be "chaotic for a while" after Title 42 is lifted at midnight on May 11. He spent more than an hour speaking to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about border security.

Lopez Obrador said on Twitter they had discussed their commitment to work together on migration, as well as drugs and arms trafficking.

Title 42, in place since 2020, allows U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants to Mexico without the chance of seeking U.S. asylum.

Illegal crossings from Colombia to Panama through the Darien Gap reached 127,687 in the first four months of 2023, far outnumbering the 19,925 reported in the same period last year, according to official data.

A delegation of Panamanian officials, including Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney, met U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the "migration crisis," Panama said in a statement.

U.S. officials and lawmakers have said the plan to contain crossings at the Darien Gap is one of the main pillars of efforts to tackle migration.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Robert Birsel)
The Washington State legislature adjourned this session without passing a bill addressing the pending statewide drug policy of decriminalizing fentanyl and other narcotics.

The legislature closed out on April 23, failing to pass any drug possession laws. On May 2, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) called for a special session to commence on May 16, saying, "My office and I have been meeting with legislators from all four caucuses, and I am very optimistic about reaching an agreement that can pass both chambers."

WASHINGTON GOVERNOR CALLS SPECIAL SESSION TO PUSH DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION LAW

Washington state lawmakers have been divided over how to tackle drug possession and have racked up a history of failed bills showcasing the chambers' indecisiveness.

Before February 2021, drug possession was a felony that held a common sentence of 0-6 months for the first three offenses and could be as long as 5 years.

On Feb. 25, 2021, the state's Supreme Court struck down Washignton's standing drug possession policy. State v. Blake found that unintentional illegal drug possession, including hard drugs such as fentanyl, is not a felony. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the previous statute violated the state and federal constitution.

Following the ruling, the state legislature passed a law making possessing small amounts of narcotics a misdemeanor. However, that law will expire is set to expire on July 1.

If the legislature doesn't come together in the special session to pass a new law, the court's Blake ruling will take full effect, decriminalizing hard drugs throughout the Evergreen State.

Lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 5536, making possession of an unlawful drug a gross misdemeanor, on Jan. 23 in the Senate Committee on Law and Justice. The bill passed during the third reading in the House on April 11 in a 54-41 decision. However, the legislation failed in the Senate 43-55 on April 23, causing Inslee to call for a special session to reconvene.

Democratic Rep. Tarra Simmons, who voted for the bill, explained why she supports the legislation declaring a hard drug possession as a misdemeanor versus a gross misdemeanor, which some lawmakers are pushing for.

"People do not get better in jail," Simmons said. "We don't have treatment there. It is not trauma-informed. It is not a therapeutic environment."

Those pushing for a harsher sentence of a gross misdemeanor argue that the current policy will not give offenders enough time to rehabilitate.

"We know through data and studies that it takes a long time to detox, to go through a program," said Republican Gina Mosbrucker, who voted against the original bill, which only included a misdemeanor and proposed amendment. "Often, we see that the gross misdemeanor is going to give us 364 days, whereas a simple misdemeanor is going to give us 90 days. It also gives us the ability to plea bargain and to give and cater to the needs of the person who is potentially incarcerated or potentially going to take the diversion to move forward."

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Washington state's drug use has become more prominent over the years, with the 2022 Overdose Death Report indicating an increase of 17%, with nearly 2,500 overdose deaths. King County saw an exceptional rise in deaths, attributing the cause to an increase in fentanyl use. Those who died in Fentanyl-related incidents nearly doubled from 385 in 2021 to 670 in 2022.

Democrats hold a majority in both chambers, although this issue is resulting in some members crossing party lines. Lawmakers are expected to return to the floor on May 16, hoping to pass a resolution during the special session before the summer deadline decriminalizes hard drug use.

Original Location: What to know about Washington State's path to decriminalizing fentanyl and other hard drugs

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Spring has arrived in Colorado with warmer temperatures, occasional rain showers and baby bears, along with their protective mothers.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding residents how they can protect themselves and the black bear population this season.

This year, two bears have already died in what wildlife officials are calling "preventable tragedies."

In Manitou Springs on Tuesday, a bear was inside a garbage bin outside a home when it was startled, causing it to race up a nearby power pole, and was electrocuted, Parks and Wildlife officials said.

Garbage kills another bear, the agency said in a tweet Tuesday.

Lock your garbage. Be Bear Aware. Keep cubs alive, wildlife officials added.

On Sunday, the agency announced that a black bear had to be euthanized after it repeatedly entered a home in the Broadmoor neighborhood in southwest Colorado Springs.

According to officials, the wooded area surrounding the neighborhood is known to be a prime habitat for bears.

On May 1, the bear allegedly entered the home through an open door in a mudroom.

The homeowner found muddy paw prints in the house and closed the door. Before he had left the area the bear had opened the door and was back inside the house. The bear was reluctant to leave their kitchen. Only after yelling and banging pots and pans did the bear retreat and leave the home, according to a news release.

Wildlife officials set up a camera and discovered the bear was returning to the home each night around the same time.

On May 5, the bear entered a trap after returning to the home. Officials said the bear was humanely euthanized, a necessary action for any bear that enters an occupied home.

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According to the agency, the homeowner was cited for feeding the bear, along with other big-game.

Its extremely fortunate no one was injured by this bear when it confronted the homeowners in the kitchen, said Tim Kroening, Parks and Wildlife's area wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region. This bear had become habituated to people, associating them as a food source. This created a dangerous situation when the bear was confronted in a confined space in the home.

Parks and Wildlife is offering tips on how you can protect yourself, and the bears, as they mosey out of hibernation.

Bears share space with a rapidly growing human population, the agency said on its website. They will explore all possible food sources.

Black bears require about 20,000 calories a day to store enough fat to successfully hibernate through the winter months.

Bears will work very hard to get the calories they need, wildlife officials said.

Cited as being curious, intelligent and very resourceful, bears can cause serious damage, and wont hesitate to search for food near homes, campgrounds, vehicles and throughout the community  and if they find what theyre looking for, they will come back for more.

Parks and Wildlife said most bears in Colorado are active from mid-March through early November. As their food sources dwindle, theyll make their way back to their den.

Meeting set for long-awaited nature center in northern El Paso County People long awaiting a nature center in northern El Paso County can view concepts and offer input at an upcoming open house.

According to the agency, the best way to prevent bear-people interactions is to never feed big-game or provide them with access to food. People should lock their food up when outside or camping by either using a lock-box or storing food in the trunk of a car.

If you encounter a bear, make as much noise and movement as possible by waving your arms, yelling and stomping your feet.

Black bears are very wary of people and other unfamiliar things, wildlife officials said. Their normal response to any perceived danger is to run away or climb a tree.

Every time were forced to destroy a bear, its not just the bear that loses. We all lose a little piece of the wilderness that makes Colorado so special.
The headline read, Colorado Dems vote against harsher penalties for indecent exposure to kids because it could ban drag shows." And I thought  is this headline the truth?

You just never know in 2023. Here are the facts.

A bill, HB23-1135, proposed harsher penalties against those who expose their genitalia to minors. The bill was introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives by three Democrat legislators.

The penalty for indecent exposure for sexual gratification would be increased to a felony. Before this proposed change, an offender had to commit multiple acts before being charged with a felony.

In an interview for Colorado Politics Representative Shannon Bird  a sponsor of this bill said, Should we have to wait for three children to be victimized before we recognize the severity of this behavior?

Representative Bird continued speaking and said, No, Our state has a responsibility to stop people from harming others and, importantly, to hold people appropriately accountable for their actions when they hurt someone else.

But there was opposition. Opinions presented declared that HB23-1135 should be voted down because it; could be a danger to homeless/severely mentally ill citizens, would increase mass incarceration, or could be used to stop drag shows.

Lets examine those arguments.

Homeless people with the most severe types of mental illness often take their clothes off or even masturbate in public spaces, as a consequence of mania or psychosis. That is a fact.

However, the bulk of incidents involving people with these types of issues wont be tried under this charge. Homeless courts around Colorado concentrate on treatment and case management for offenders preferring increasing mental health to punishment.

Mass incarceration is a nation-wide issue. Causing a huge increase in Colorado prisoners should certainly be avoided.

You need to know  only 90 people in Colorado were charged with this specific crime in the last four years. Of those charged only seven were sent to prison.

Bill supporters in the Colorado District Attorneys Council are targeting the most prolific of sexual grooming predators in order to prosecute more successfully. They were incredibly open regarding their intent.

Finally lets thoroughly examine the idea that any Colorado legislator intends to stop drag shows with this legal measure.

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Colorado State Rep Leslie Herod told us, These types of laws have been used to ban drag shows, to target individuals who use the restroom  the sex they identify with, a public restroom  to charge them with felony charges, Herod claimed. Im very concerned about the attacks against the transgender community that are happening across the country.

But not in Colorado. Thats why not a single LGBT+ advocacy organization in Colorado brought opposition to this bill. Drag shows in Colorado are performed in 18+ venues.

Furthermore, studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely than other children to be molested, raped, or indecently exposed to an adult. Like other communities  the Colorado LGBTQ+ community is in favor of protecting their most vulnerable.

Also, to be charged with breaking this indecent exposure law you cant just be using the bathroom. Streaking at a ball game or hanging out (pun intended) at a nudist camp wont get you charged either. Nor will a bump & grind move at a drag show in an adult club.

The Colorado LGBTQ+ community deserved to be represented not smeared by self-serving House Democrats.

However, sex offenders were represented well in the Colorado House. In multiple videos Democrat legislators expressed their sympathy for the perpetrators.

These some of these lawmakers were angry that the future felons cant request to be removed from the sex offender registry for an additional five years compared to misdemeanor offenders.

There also were complaints that having a sexualized felony prevents getting subsidized housing. Another complaint was that convicted sexual offenders cant seal their records.

One lawmaker even said that for parity the penalty for online sexual offenses against children fifteen or younger should also be lowered to a misdemeanor.

Remember this law requires an act performed in front of a minor for sexual gratification of AN ADULT.

The one complaint that I agreed with was that sex offender specific therapy is not available in prison. Coloradans, we should fix that. Without addressing sexualized mental health issues there will be no moving away from those problems.

Heres the fact. A clear majority of Democrats voted against this measure. But it was passed anyway with all Republicans voting with a few Democrats to get it passed.

I sure hope that this bill is not gutted as it enters appropriations. Our state should pay for victim treatment. And those convicted of sexualized crimes need treatment as well.

The super majority in the Colorado House should be representing law abiding citizens. And victims. Otherwise, Gov. Jared Polis cannot keep his promise to make Colorado safe again.

Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer and community advocate.
Gov. Jared Polis and the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate took something of a victory lap on Tuesday after the Legislature wrapped up its 120-day session late Monday night.

But it was a victory lap tempered by the late-session failure of the governor's top priority for 2023: affordable housing.

Polis' housing proposal, Senate Bill 213, died Monday after all-day negotiations failed to find a compromise between the Senate and House versions. As introduced, the bill sought to impose state mandates and effectively strip local governments of their authority over land use and zoning.

Polis told reporters in a Tuesday news conference that housing is a topic that he will continue to work on during the rest of the year.

"We have a lot of work ahead to better protect the rights of homeowners to make Colorado more affordable, to purchase or rent a home," Polis said. "We need to make sure that we are able to rise to the occasion to change the status quo, which simply isn't working for too many Coloradans, whether it's a senior looking to downsize, whether it's a young family looking to have a home close to where their job is."

The governor appeared to double-down on the House version of SB 213, stating he appreciated the work of House Democrats, and opening the door to restoring concepts that failed to make it out of the Senate, such as middle housing. That's duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, housing that increases density but that raised objections about changing the character of neighborhoods.

Polis noted that his efforts on universal pre-kindergarten took several years to bring to fruition, and hinted he's in it for the long haul on housing. People know he's deeply committed to addressing the issue, the governor said.

Democratic leaders of the House and Senate also celebrated the agenda items that made it all the way, such as on increasing funding for K-12 education, providing opportunities for workforce credentials, gun violence prevention, renewable energy and climate change, abortion rights and the topic that dominated the final weekend of the session: property taxes and TABOR refunds.

House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, focused on education funding, pointing out that the Legislature cut the debt to K-12 education by an even bigger margin than was sought by the governor, with a pledge to pay it all off next year.

"No offense, governor, but we beat your budget" on reducing the debt, McCluskie joked.

"This session delivered real results on the issues that matter," she said, from protecting access to abortion and supporting the workforce, including making free credentials obtained through community colleges for industries with workforce shortages.

But closest to her heart was K-12 education funding. McCluskie said 2023 legislation increased per pupil funding by over $1,000 per student, putting resources directly into the classrooms, making sure that schools can maintain small class sizes, increase teacher pay, and ensure that students have what they need to thrive.

That was a total increase of $650 million, she added, calling it "remarkable progress and unimaginable just a few years ago."

Senate President Steve Fenberg pointed to his long-standing priorities on climate and energy, such as fighting back against high utility bills through a mid-session task force that looked at how the state regulates investor-owned utilities, such as Xcel. That resulted in legislation that Fenberg said will reduce consumer electric bills.

Greenhouse gas emissions will come down through reduction targets, climate-aware investments and incentives on electrification, he added, and cements the state's role as a leader on climate policy.

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Fenberg also addressed one of the most significant issues of the session: gun violence prevention. In the face of tragedies like the Club Q shooting last November and two gun violence incidents at Denver's East High, Fenberg said "we did not throw up our hands and fail to act," pointing to the five bills, four now signed into law, to strengthen the state's "red flag" law, raise the minimum age for gun purchases to 21, a three-day waiting period for delivery of firearms, a law on gun liability and a ban on "ghost guns," which has not yet been signed into law.

"These are common sense, life-saving measures that make sense for the moment we find ourselves in," Fenberg said.

The measure on raising the age for buying firearms was a key priority for House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. She also applauded the diversity of the House Democratic caucus.

"I was proud to see how we fought for inclusion of all voices throughout this session," Duran said. "Our diversity is our strength, and as a result, we'll pass legislation that represents all Coloradans whose voices have too often been left behind."

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, said he was proud of how the Senate operated in a bipartisan fashion, making sure priorities got across the finish line but in a way that did not diminish anyone. As to the failure of SB 213, Moreno said it was a session where a lot of conversations got started but that some didn't get finished.

"It was a really important role that this session played in lining up the opportunity to come back and pass strong legislation to make sure that we address our housing affordability crisis," he said.

There were successes on the housing issues, Democrats noted, such as House Bill 1255, which would strike local government growth caps, as well as bills to save renters money on rental applications and a measure to protect lower income people who rely on safety net programs from being evicted.

Polis and McCluskie addressed the walkout by House Republicans before the final vote on Senate Bill 303, the property tax measure that heads to the ballot in November. Polis said it "wasn't polite," and that he always thought it was better to be there and be heard rather than to be at a bar somewhere (Republicans took offense to that characterization later in the day, pointing out they never left the Capitol grounds after the walkout).

McCluskie said lawmakers are hired to do one thing, and that is to cast a vote. She acknowledged the concerns over the process, but added she was disappointed by the walkout, and that she would commit to working with the minority party for next session.

McCluskie added that mid-session they began to recognize that what was happening was no longer respectful and productive.

"The filibustering and delay tactics, by having bills read at length, is not why we were voted into office," she said, adding that when they started imposing limits on debate, right around Easter, the House was able to work through debate in a "more meaningful way."

That ended in the last days, when Democrats needed to deliver on the expectations Coloradans had, particularly on property taxes, and led to the walkout on Monday, she explained.

Democrats also reiterated their support for the late-session tax measures.

Polis called the two measures  SB 303, which asks voters to skip a part of their TABOR refund in exchange for property tax relief, and House Bill 1311, which would equalize TABOR refunds if SB 303's ballot measure passes  a way to provide voters with relief without worrying about the impact on school funding or cuts to other areas that rely on property taxes.

Polis said his goal was to replace the Gallagher Amendment that voters repealed in 2020 as well as address the inequities that Gallagher created. He said the legislation provides a sound mechanism for doing that as well as keeping property taxes low over time.
Last year, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline commenced more formal disciplinary cases against judges than it had in the prior 12 years total, according to the commission's annual report, while at the same time issuing relatively few corrective actions.

The commission's 2022 report indicated it received 249 complaints, officially known as requests for evaluation of judicial conduct (RFE). It is the highest number in recent history, although, as is the case every year, the vast majority of RFEs resulted in dismissal because they did not actually pertain to judicial misconduct.

In fact, the largest category of complaints, nearly 53%, related to judges' rulings, which are handled through the appeals process, with additional RFEs that were critical of judges' performance.

"The disruption of the judicial branchs management of hearings and trials during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted several complaints about delays and the occasional difficulties in connecting with remote hearings by video and in managing the proceedings," the report stated. "These situations were unavoidable and did not involve judicial misconduct."

In all, the commission took four corrective actions against judges, including one that resulted in public discipline. The number was a significant decrease from the 10 actions taken in 2021, and the lowest since 2017.

At the same time, two unnamed judges decided not to stand for retention in 2022 after being the subject of complaints, and an additional two judges resigned in the face of disciplinary proceedings.

The commission, which was created when Colorado voters adopted a merit-based selection system for judges, screens RFEs, investigates allegations, and decides whether to impose discipline privately or to recommend public discipline. Recent legislation has provided the commission with independent funding and its own investigative staff, and voters next year will decide whether to amend the constitution to increase transparency and diminish the Supreme Court's control over the disciplinary process.

The grounds for judicial discipline include willful misconduct  even if it is not related to a judge's duties  as well as a judge's persistent failure to carry out their job responsibilities or their "intemperance." The commission noted that allegations related to attorneys or law enforcement are not within its jurisdiction, nor are the complaints of "sovereign citizens" who believe they are not subject to Colorado law.

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"Between 2022 and 2023, the Commission authorized the filing of formal proceedings in five separate cases," the commission wrote, referring to serious cases that can culminate in a judge's removal from office. "This number exceeds the total number of formal proceedings authorized in the preceding 12 years."

The only public discipline handed down last year was the censure of former Summit County District Court Judge Mark D. Thompson, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after allegedly threatening his stepson with a semiautomatic rifle. Thompson received an unpaid suspension along with his censure. Months later, he resigned.

The commission issued a private censure for a "substantial breach" of judicial conduct standards to a judge because of his extreme delay in ruling on a "relatively straight forward motion." The judge retired while disciplinary proceedings were underway. Although the commission did not name the judge, it disclosed it had previously issued a private reprimand to the same judge under similar circumstances, an apparent reference to former Denver District Court Judge Ross B.H. Buchanan.

Two judges saw complaints against them dismissed, but with concerns from the commission. One judge in rural Colorado allegedly was not a registered voter in their jurisdiction at the time they took office. The commission noted there was ambiguity in the law, and that the judge had changed their voter registration by the time of the complaint.

The second unnamed judge recorded an informal interaction in his courtroom between attorneys and staff, which included a discussion of pop culture, child rearing and specific judicial-related topics.

"The subject judge was cautioned about having such an informal conversation on the record, which created unnecessary transcription expenses and raised the possibility of poor public perceptions of the judicial process and the subject judges ability to maintain proper decorum while on the record," the commission wrote.

Most judges who came under investigation were white and male. District court judges were the subject of 75% of RFEs, while appellate judges represented only 4% of the total. There was one complaint against a Supreme Court justice, which likely refers to former Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats, who is facing a censure for mismanaging the award of a multimillion-dollar contract.

Nearly one in five complaints arose from the Fourth Judicial District, which encompasses El Paso and Teller counties. However, none of those RFEs resulted in discipline. The commission advanced the largest number of complaints  three  for the 18th Judicial District in Denver's suburbs, which is the most populous jurisdiction in the state.
Along with the next American president, Colorado voters in November 2024 will decide whether to change the states system of disciplining its judges, the culmination of a judiciary scandal that began nearly five years ago with revelations of an insider-deal contract.

The Colorado legislature on Monday formally approved the proposed amendment  House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001  in which the current 56-year-old method of judicial discipline would be shelved for one of greater transparency and accountability.

The body also approved a companion measure, House Bill 23-1019, which sets out in law the procedures by which the new judicial discipline system will work. The bill is moot should voters not pass the amendment.

A third bill, House Bill 23-1205, separately establishes an ombudsperson's office to help anyone with misconduct concerns in the Judicial Department that can range from issues with other employees or judges. The ombudspersons function is to help guide victims through the complaint process, should the victim choose to proceed with a formal filing, or be an advocate for the victim and resolution of any matters they bring forth.

Alleged misconduct by a judge will not be referred automatically to the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline, but rather require the complainants consent.

The bills head to Gov. Jared Polis's desk. The amendment resolution does not require the governor's approval.

Bipartisan judicial discipline reforms ... have been years in the making and are vitally important to enhance transparency and independent decision making in our judicial process, Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora and chairman of the committee that drafted the legislation, said. Without a yes vote, reforms wont happen. I hope voters (approve the amendment) for the sake of better accountability in their state government.

The lone holdout in either the Senate or House of Representative votes to send the amendment to voters  the tally was 97-1  was Rep. Rod Bockenfeld, a three-term Watkins Republican and former Arapahoe County commissioner with a career history in banking and a law degree.

I believe it is a separation of powers issue, Bockenfeld told The Denver Gazette in an email. I believe the justices will be challenging certain aspects of the commission and will probably prevail.

He said some legislators involved in the process have a tendency to overreach.

Some people like a lot of government, Bockenfeld wrote in explanation. My constituents, not so much.

Many of the reforms are specifically designed to dampen the influence the Colorado Supreme Court has had in the discipline process, an outcome of a summer legislative committee hearings that disclosed the underbelly of a system under siege.

If approved by the voters, changes to the discipline system will include:

 How judicial members of the discipline commission are chosen. Currently, four of 10 on the commission are judges, two district and two county. All four are selected by the Colorado Supreme Court. The new system would require the State Court Administrator to randomly select a field of 10 district and 10 county court judges. The Supreme Court would chose two from each list.

 How discipline cases are heard. Currently, formal misconduct charges are heard by three special masters named by the Supreme Court, who decide on an outcome and recommend the discipline to the high court. The new method would use a three-person adjudicative panel  one judge, one attorney and one citizen  named from a pool of each to preside over any discipline case. The Supreme Court would sit only as an appellate review body, not as the approver or rejector of discipline as it is now.

 Whether Supreme Court justices must step aside from a case. Until a new directive in January, there was no requirement for a justice to recuse themselves from a case, even if another justice was under scrutiny. The amendment would require the justices to step aside in matters that involve another justice, members of their families or if they are to be a witness, and, if all have stepped aside, be replaced by a seven-person panel made up of judges from across the state.

 When discipline cases are made public. Currently, that happens after a case has been adjudicated and the Supreme Court receives a recommendation of discipline from the commission. The new method would make public any formal filing of discipline and any ensuing trial and verdict public.

 How the procedural rules for discipline are crafted. Currently, the Supreme Court writes the rules, with some consent of the discipline commission and public input. The new rulemaking method would be from a panel of 13 people  four named by the Supreme Court, four named by the adjudicative board, four by the commission and a victims advocate named by the governor.

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Also key is a component in which complainants of judicial misconduct would be advised of a cases progress. Currently, there is no requirement for complainants to be updated and they frequently are not.

The eventual move toward judicial discipline reform began in July 2019 with newspaper accounts of a multi-million-dollar training contract given to a former Judicial Department official who faced firing for financial irregularities.

Internal investigations found that former Chief of Staff Mindy Masias over many months had doctored receipts, collected expenses inappropriately and was involved in a number of other questionable conduct.

When faced with firing, Masias instead threatened a tell-all sex-discrimination lawsuit that would reveal years of judicial misconduct had been handled quietly or not at all, a stark contrast to the discipline she faced.

Masias had been the departments human resources director, and, at one time, when the discipline commission was without an executive director, she and her assistant, Eric Brown, filled in for several months. Brown became HR director when Masias became chief of staff.

Its unclear if any of the nearly two dozen instances of alleged misconduct she was to reveal were things Masias learned while overseeing the discipline commissions functions.

Ryan and Brown resigned and the contract was canceled when newspaper stories revealed its existence. Others in the department said it was actually the revelation of a secret tape recording that Masias had made with then-Chief Justice Nancy Rice about Masias not getting the state court administrator's job.

Nevertheless, former State Court Administrator Chris Ryan  the highest civilian position in the Judicial Department  in February 2021 said the contract Masias received was approved by then-Chief Justice Nathan Ben Coats as a way to silence the threatened lawsuit.

Ryan, Brown and Coats, along with the latters counsel, Andrew Rottman, were in a meeting, in which a two-page document outlining Masias allegations was read from.

Coats and Rottman denied the lawsuit threat influenced their decision, which additional investigations bore out, although neither Ryan, Brown nor Masias has ever spoken to investigators.

The three were eventually referred to the Denver district attorney for criminal investigation, but that office said it couldnt proceed because the referral had taken too long and the time left to potentially bring charges would expire.

The discipline commission immediately launched its own inquiry into the contents of the Masias memo only to run into its own obstacles with the Supreme Court. Commission members publicly told legislators of delays and intentional obstacles to information and documents it had requested.

Additionally, commissioners said funding they said they needed to pay for their own investigators was being threatened by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, the body that manages its budget. The commissions funding comes from the Supreme Court. Although independent of the Supreme Court, OARCs director is an appointee.

Legislators last year quickly moved to separate the discipline commission from OARCs financial oversight and created a special committee to take testimony about potential reforms to the discipline process.

Dozens of people told legislators over several hearings last summer of problems within the Judicial Department  an independent investigator found a toxic environment where women were largely afraid to step forward with complaints about judges  and Ryan, despite an investigators contrary finding, reiterated his stand that the Masias contract was a quid-pro-quo deal.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, resigned after charges were filed in El Paso County, alleging he voted from the wrong address, accusations that were largely based on paperwork from the OARC. Those documents were later found to be faulty and the charges were dismissed. Lee, a strong proponent of judicial reform who was term-limited, did not return to the statehouse.

While the legislature was reviewing the three bills it drafted, the discipline commission took the unprecedented step of recommending a formal public censure of Coats.

It was the first time in state history a member of the high court, let alone its chief, was censured for misconduct.

That recommendation is awaiting approval or denial by a special tribunal of seven Court of Appeals judges who replace the Supreme Court.

All seven justices recused from the Coats case under new rules that were adopted in January.
If its done right, a restaurant can become a destination, not just a place to eat, industry experts say.

Restauranteur Chuck Schafers latest Colorado Springs project will have four chances to do just that.

Schafer, who owns Five Times Hospitality Group, is targeting a late March opening for his Manhattan Room Tapas Kitchen and Cansano Italian Steakhouse and a late April opening for Longboard Tacos and Pause Ultra Lounge & Sushi  four restaurants being built as part of a single dining complex and with multiple customer options.

The high-end restaurants are under construction at the Victory Ridge mixed-use development on the citys far north side, southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways. A limited liability company formed by Schafer paid nearly $620,000 for a less than 1-acre parcel on the north side of the 155-acre Victory Ridge, El Paso County land records show.

The project isnt a food hall; each restaurant will have its own entrance, menu, kitchen, look, feel and concept.

Yet, because theyll be under one ownership and constructed adjacent to each other, diners can have a drink at one restaurant and transfer their bar tab over to another when their reservation is called, Schafer said.

When I got this lot, I tried to think many times, what do I want to create? Schafer said. What do I want to do? Its a destination. I want people to believe that, Hey, I can go to one place and enjoy myself. I dont have to go here and eat and then go somewhere else later.

Schafers restaurant background includes ownership of the Prime25 steakhouse south of downtown Colorado Springs. He and his uncle, local businessman and nightclub owner Sam Guadagnoli, opened Prime25 in early 2017.

Guadagnoli died in September; Schafer said he continues to own Prime25 with new partner John Goede, an attorney who stepped in after Guadagnoli died. Goede also has partnered on several hotel and restaurant projects with Springs attorney Perry Sanders Jr.

Schafer tapped his friend and award-winning chef Christopher Lee to create the restaurants menus and recipes; executive chef Phil Griffin will help run the restaurants day to day.

Schafer said hes envisioned a restaurant project in northern Colorado Springs for more than 2 years. He liked the location of Victory Ridge, which is one of four residential and commercial developments in the fast-growing InterQuest area thats home to restaurants, stores, service-oriented businesses, hotels and apartments.

The new St. Francis-Interquest Hospital will open in the area this summer, while Ent Credit Union built an expanded headquarters nearby that opened in 2021. Victory Ridge also is a few miles south of Polaris Pointe, another mixed-use development where the 8,000-seat Sunset amphitheater is targeted to open in 2024; Schafer said he hopes concertgoers will frequent his restaurants before or after shows.

Victory Ridge includes In-N-Out Burgers first Colorado restaurant and the companys production and distribution facility; several additional chain restaurants; hundreds of townhomes constructed by Denver-area builder Lokal Homes; the ICON movie theater complex; a four-story office building; and a 474-unit apartment complex thats now under construction.

Schafer expects his restaurants to appeal to residents on the far north side, which U.S. Census figures show has some of the Pikes Peak regions highest household incomes. Many of those residents dont want to drive across town to reach a restaurant, he said.

When I drive to Prime, its a long ways away for me, said Schafer, who lives northeast of Victory Ridge in unincorporated Black Forest. And a lot of my friends live in Flying Horse (a nearby, upscale development) and they go to Prime and stuff. Theyre like, we can go down there and eat and drink, but then weve got to drive all the way home. I feel like this part of town has been missing out on a little bit.

Schafer said his new restaurants have been designed with open kitchens that customers can see from dining rooms and interiors decorated to reflect a particular locations concept. Food will be refrigerated, but not frozen; none of the restaurants will use freezers, he said.

Three fire pits will create outdoor gathering spots for diners, while Cansano, Longboard Tacos and Pause will have patios. Eight large concrete pads with tables and festoon lighting in front of Cansano will allow its diners to lounge outside the restaurant.

A walkway between Cansano and Longboard Tacos links to a free, 1,100-space parking garage on the south side of the restaurants; the garage was one of the first amenities built at Victory Ridge when the development got off the ground more than a decade ago.

Restaurant details include:

 Manhattan Room Tapas Kitchen is envisioned as an intimate dining spot that will seat about 100 at booths and tables and offer live music  soft, not loud, Schafer said  performed on a corner stage perched above a bar. Its menu will feature small plates of food from around the world, including some Mediterranean and Japanese dishes, he said. Several whiskeys, wines and cocktails also will be available. A private dining room will seat about 30 and open up to allow its diners to join other restaurantgoers.

This one, I would say its like that date night out, Schafer said. This is where the parents are coming out to have a nice meal, listen to some soft jazz up there on the stage and just mingle with themselves.

 Cansano Italian Steakhouse was named for a town in northern Italy where Schafers grandfather was born and where his family originated, he said. The upscale steakhouses menu will include pastas, noodles, pizza and 400 pounds of steaks and meats aged on site, Schafer said. Its circular booths and tables will seat 150. Another 80 can sit on an enclosed patio whose windows open when the weather is nice; heaters will allow the patio to be used year-round. A separate chefs table near the front of the dining room will allow customers to pay a set amount and have food served to them family style  everyone at the table gets to sample a little bit of everything, he said.

An espresso machine, wines and liquors will be on display near the restaurant bar. Diners also can purchase bottles of wine from the restaurant and store them in decorative lockers installed on a wall behind the bar  allowing them to have their favorite wine on hand when they come in for a meal, Schafer said.

This is family friendly, but upscale, Schafer said. Kids will enjoy this because of the pizzas, because of the pastas and all that. Adults will enjoy it because of the steaks and different types of stuff were doing, adult-wise.

 Longboard Tacos will have a Southern California vibe. Its bar counter has been designed to look like an ocean beach; the bar itself has tiki hut touches; a pair of palm trees  portions of real trees make up their base, though their leaves are artificial  dominate the dining room; a specially made surfboard will serve as a 10-seat table; and license plates from all 50 states decorate one of the walls. Three garage doors will open the dining room to the outside and a year-round, heated patio; combined, the dining room and patio will seat 210. Longboard will specialize in its namesake tacos, fish and other fresh foods, Schafer said. .

 Pause Ultra Lounge & Sushi will operate on the second floor of the building that houses Longboard Tacos, and will be reached via a staircase or elevator. While Longboard has the feel of Southern California, Pause is meant to conjure up Miamis South Beach neighborhood. Its name reflects Schafers goal for customers to relax. Pause  like take a break, he said. Push pause in life.

Pause will have a pair of bars  one for sushi, which is the only menu item, and another for drinks. A patio will have a disc jockey booth, fireplaces and couches, where diners will be served bottled drinks and enjoy views of the Air Force Academy through large windows. The patio will have heaters, though its not covered for now, Schafer said. The dining room and patio will seat 150.

Schafer expects a nonstop happy hour atmosphere at Pause.

I see up here being heavy on the drinking, he said.

Contact the writer: rich.laden@gazette.com
A tornado watch has been announced for much of the Front Range, including El Paso and Teller counties, valid through 9 p.m. tonight. The National Weather Service in Pueblo warns that tornadoes, gusts up to 75 mph, and hail up to apple-sized is possible across the region, extending into parts of Kansas and Nebraska.

Hail earlier in the day north of the Denver metro area has measured as big as 3.5 inches in diameter.

In Teller County several tornado warnings were given out over the afternoon, including the area of Divide.

Severe weather and severe thunderstorm watches persisted across much of the area through the afternoon, including a thunderstorm watch for Woodland Park, Palmer Park and Monument through 4:45 p.m.

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The severe weather is impacting travel and causing flight delays at Denver International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration put DIA under a ground delay at 2 p.m. due to thunderstorms. Departures are now delated by an average of 155 minutes, according the to FAA.

As of 3:30 p.m., 556 flights were delayed into and out of DIA and 102 flights were cancelled into and out of DIA, according to FlightAware.

Looking ahead to Wednesday night in the Colorado Springs area, showers are likely to persist, mainly after 9 p.m. Theres a 90% chance of precipitation. Winds from the southeast are expected to decrease throughout the night, with a low bottoming out at 44 degrees.

Rain is likely to continue into Thursday and scattered throughout the weekend, with a 70% chance of precipitation in the forecast, and a high near 61 degrees.

Here is the full forecast from the NWS.
Marlan Carlson, who has conducted the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra for the last 54 years, has decided to finally set down the baton and head into a well-deserved retirement after his final concert May 16.

The 85-year-old maestro has had quite the run with the symphony, and for his final spring concert, he selected a piece that encompasses his time with the ensemble he built from the ground up: Richard Strauss An Alpine Symphony.

The score tells the story of an alpine climbers experience ascending a mountain from daybreak to dusk. On the way, he watches the sunrise, sees waterfalls, weathers a storm and treks through a treacherous creek  all in one day. The symphonys rendition is 50 minutes long.

Its a marvelous, picturesque piece, Carlson said, and one that reminds him of his own journey in Corvallis.

Strauss is one of Carlsons two favorite composers; the other is Gustav Mahler. Fifteen years ago, Carlson set out to conduct performances of all 10 symphonies Mahler wrote in his lifetime.

He was able to conduct only eight of them, as the others require more space and participants than is possible in Corvallis. Carlson still views the project as a win, seeing as how most universities dont perform more than one of the composers works.

The roughly 100-member ensemble wasnt always this distinguished, and Carlson played a major role in earning the reputation the symphony has today. He remembers the orchestra as a fairly modest engagement when he first arrived in 1969.

Carlson recalls driving over the Harrison Street Bridge with his wife, Angela Carlson, more than a half-century ago when she said the words he has never forgotten: Boy, were not going to stay in this little jerkwater town for long.

We all have to eat our words sometimes.

A world of music

Before Carlson settled in Corvallis, he lived and performed all over the world, seemingly learning a new language everywhere he went.

But long before that, his lifelong love affair with music began at the age of 4.

Both of Carlson's parents were pianists, and he and his brother were tickling the ivories by the time their hands grew large enough to do so. Basic piano skills are necessary for any musicians, Carlson said, likening the instrument to a saw and hammer for a carpenter.

By age 7, he was playing the violin because, as his father told him, pianists were a dime a dozen. Although he claims he was just lukewarm at violin, he pursued the instrument compulsively at college, often waking up at 4 a.m. to fit in three hours of practice before breakfast.

Im not sure it was very productive, he acknowledged in hindsight.

After completing two undergraduate degrees at the University of Kansas, Carlson got a full-ride scholarship to study at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium.

But he found himself longingly looking over the Rhine River because so many famous composers were from Germany. So, he and a friend taught themselves the language and hitchhiked to Cologne, where scattered pieces of rubble from World War II still covered the streets.

The Germans were living it up like crazy, Carlson remembers. I decided it was for me; that was my style.

While Carlson was partying it up with the Germans, he could still hear his mothers voice, which had been urging him to earn a doctorate since he was 6 years old. He went to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York before deciding he was interested in Buddhism and moved to Japan.

Carlsons life continued in this fashion for quite some time; he would get the itch to move somewhere new, learn the language and find an orchestra to play in or conduct. He traveled through Asia, India and Africa before a job opened up in Decatur, Illinois.

Thats where he met the accomplished pianist and flutist, Angela, who would become his wife. It didnt take very long; their first date was Feb. 14 and they were married by mid-May.

Marlan and Angela Carlson moved to London and then back to Germany, because, as Carlson put it, the problem with England is that everybody speaks English.

The musical couple greatly enjoyed visiting college campuses, particularly ones with music departments. They flew from London to New York for just $99 and bought a 30-day Greyhound bus ticket so they could tour universities on the West Coast.

Once back in Germany, the chair of Oregon State's music department dialed Carlson and offered him a job. The couple asked for a temporary leave of absence from their jobs in Germany, but they never went back.

The music department was in a period of expansion when they arrived, which allowed for both of them to find work at the university. Carlson attributes much of his success at OSU to his wife, and he refers to his conducting position as our job.

Behind any successful man theres a good woman and thats certainly my case, he said. Without her, Id never have a career here at Oregon State. No way.

The Carlsons have three children who enjoy music in their own ways, whether it be playing, dancing or listening.

This summer, Carlson plans to kick off his retirement by visiting his daughter in Sweden and old friends in Germany. To prepare for the trip, hes learning Swedish, so he can follow the news.

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While retiring is a huge step for Carlson, he knows he is leaving the position in good financial and pedagogical condition. He places a lot of confidence in the 15-member Symphony Society, and said the orchestra would not be what it is today without their energy.

I wouldnt have traded these 50 years at Oregon State for the careers of any of my contemporaries, Carlson said. Its really quite remarkable.
Jefferson High School students were evacuated Wednesday morning, May 10, after law enforcement agencies received what ended up being unfounded reports of a school shooting.

"Our caller, who did not identify themselves, reported they were hiding in the bathroom and then said the subject was shooting at them," according to a news release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office issued Wednesday afternoon.

Marion County Sheriff's deputies were joined by several other agencies in responding to the school just across the Linn County line.

An initial news release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office offered few details, saying only that deputies were investigating an "active threat."

"There are no confirmed reports of anyone injured and law enforcement is working closely with school officials," said the news release, issued at 9:59 a.m. Wednesday, May 10.

The call came in as a person with a gun in the school at 9:19 a.m., according to Sgt. Don Parise with the Marion County Sheriffs Office. Speaking at the scene, Parise said the caller reported shots were fired.

Alerts sent to parents via text message at 9:44 a.m. said Jefferson High was in lockdown status while nearby Jefferson Middle School was secure.

Jefferson schools had just run through lockdown drills the day before, according to parents.

The high school was evacuated under law enforcement escort. Meanwhile, anxious parents waited to hear if their kids were safe.

Its hard not hearing from your kids, said Itamar Jimenez, who has a freshman student at the high school and an 11-year-old at the middle school.

Authorities searched the high school twice, finding no evidence of shooting or injuries, according to Parise, who noted a similar threat was reported March 14. That call was determined to be a false report.

"Law enforcement was not able to locate anyone injured let alone shot and no evidence of an armed person or any shots which had been fired," the later news release said about Wednesday's incident.

By 10:40 a.m., officials could be heard calling an all-clear on their radios and thanking cooperating agencies, which included Oregon State Police, Linn County Sheriffs Office, Turner Police Department, Aumsville Police Department and Jefferson Fire District.

At around the same time in Eugene, police responded to a bomb threat at South Eugene High School. Following the threat by telephone, a second call claimed to be from a person in a school bathroom with a shotgun and handgun. No evidence of either were found by law enforcement.

That followed a similar threat made to the school a week prior.

"There have been similar threats to other schools located in Washington and California with so far nothing verified," a news release from the Eugene Police Departments says.

The Jefferson incident is still under investigation, according to Marion County Sheriff's deputies. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeremy Schwab at jschwab@co.marion.or.us or 503-932-6294.

Reporter Cody Mann contributed to this article.
Benton County leaders will learn whether theyre fairly paying employees after a contractor began meeting Tuesday, May 9 with elected officials to rework salary ranges.

It could be months before county officials know whether their wages are competitive among applicants of similar employers across the region, or whether the pay ranges offered to employees are rewarding enough to minimize turnover.

The documents published at the end of the study will help the county see how it can better compete for applicants, according to Derek Smith, a compensation consultant with Illinois-based insurance broker and risk management firm Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

They want to be on the same common ground for compensation going forward, Smith said by phone.

Smith said he could not speak to why Benton hired Gallagher to review the countys pay philosophy. But by updating their guiding documents on how employees are compensated, organizations sometimes learn they are more or less competitive than managers had thought.

If you go by anecdotal information, you might be misled, Smith said. So you have to get the facts.

Smiths study will consider when employees are at the midpoint of their career  how well theyre paid and what kind of experience and performance it takes someone to reach that step.

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Under its existing philosophy, Benton County seeks to attract, motivate, and retain quality employees by employing workers on performance based pay scales.

Employees advance along eight steps in the schedule depending on experience. The midpoint of that schedule, according to the countys philosophy, represents the targeted level of pay for a competent, seasoned performer.

In recent salary schedules, organized under a city and county employees union at Benton, positions ranged from about $30,500 to $95,300 at the low end; to $39,000 to nearly $130,000 at the high end.

Emails and a message left by phone for three Benton County officials were not returned before deadline.

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